#i've been salty about it since i was ten

[rosepompadour]

I want everything—everything a girl can have.

L.M. Montgomery, Rilla of Ingleside (1921)

#be careful what you wish for rilla 💅🏻 #i think this is my second favorite book in the series but god i'll always be bitter that anne got such an unhappy ending #i've been salty about it since i was ten #anne of green gables #rilla of ingleside #l.m. montgomery #literature

[rosepetalsinwinter]

Five Years That Felt Like a Millenium — Bucky Barnes

Pairing: tfatws!bucky x reader

Word count: 9,554

Summary: It’s been five years since Thanos snapped his fingers. Five years spent all alone. Now Sam is back and he has a new friend. Will Bucky be the one to uncover the secrets behind the bruises lining her body?

Warnings: illusions and mention of violence, abuse, manipulation, and cheating. Nothing explicit. Protective!bucky.

Note: It's been a while since I've posted. Here's a little slice to get you going before I continue with "Meant to Be." Hope you enjoy! 💜

Ao3│Wattpad│Ko-fi

Main Masterlist │Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3

Happy reading!!

"Sammy!" A figure barrelled into Sam Wilson, almost making the five-foot-ten man topple over.

The girl's arms wrapped tightly around his bulky frame, hanging on for dear life. Her tears soaked his shirt, and her nails dug into his biceps almost painfully, but he said nothing. He only hugged her back with as much vigour and passion, letting his salty tears mix with hers.

Although no time had passed for Sam, years had passed for the girl—five to be exact—and he could feel all her emotions pouring out of her like a dam broken loose.

"Sammy!" she sobbed while her body shook violently. "You're back!"

"I've been back." Sam stroked a hand over the girl's hair, offering her comfort. "I've been here. Where were you?"

The first thing Sam did after he was blipped back to life was to call his sister, Sarah. Only to be told that five years had come and gone. His nephews, who were babies when he left, were now little men. The second thing Sam did was ask about Baby Girl.

He remembered when he first met her. Her family moved to the bayou when she was just five; Sam was fifteen. When her parents died, Sam's family took her in as their own, giving her the same amount of love they gave their other two kids.

So he was surprised, then, to find that Sarah hadn't heard from her in almost two years. Sam, himself, had no luck in locating her until recently. It took him eight months, but he finally found her. She had moved to New York and cut all ties with previous friends and family.

Sam wanted to ask why. Why leave Sarah and the boys? Why leave the only home she ever knew? His questions could wait, though. Now that she was here, he wouldn't ever let her go.

"Hey, Baby Girl," Sam shushed her when she sobbed louder, "I'm here. I'm not leaving again. Promise."

So fascinated by how she had aged from an awkward teen on the precipice of adulthood into a beautiful young woman, Sam did not notice the bruises lining her sides and underneath her clothes—or the circles under her eyes—from almost two years of interrupted sleep. Or the absence of light in her usually glowing irises.

When she let her entire weight fall on Sam and sobbed as she had when her parents died, he did not question it, only held on tighter and carried her towards the house.

"I've got you now, Baby Girl. Everything is gonna be just fine."

While he did not explicitly say anything, Bucky Barnes found the Wilson Family Residence quite endearing. His house in the thirties had been small, and even his current apartment in Brooklyn was compact—which he liked—but there was something so serene about the land surrounding the Wilson residence, so very peaceful.

After ninety years of constant fights, one after the other, all Bucky really wanted was some peace and quiet. And now, he could easily find it after absolving himself of most of the guilt he was carrying.

It wasn't easy, but Bucky told Yori the truth about his son's death and since then, had managed to cross a few more names off his list of amends. A weight lifted off Bucky's shoulders as everything began to make sense.

The Flag Smasher's fiasco was over with, and while the Powerbroker was still at large, there was no immediate threat. Bucky Barnes could rest for now before trouble found him again—as trouble often did. Sam had asked Bucky to stay over for the long weekend, and Bucky had happily obliged.

"It'll be good for you. Get away from that city life."

Bucky agreed. If all went well, he might end up buying his own house. He had a little... calm in Wakanda, and he missed the solidarity.

The axe was steadfast in his hands as he brought it down towards his target, and the sturdy stump was no match for the combined strength of both, the sharp tool, and Bucky's enhanced strength. In one meagre swing, half the stump broke off and landed on the ground with a muffled thump.

Bucky wiped the sweat off his brow with his right arm. It was the middle of June, and while the days were sweltering hot and sticky, the nights could get cold in comparison. Sam had tasked Bucky to get the logs for the fire, seeing as he was the most efficient.

Bucky continued with his work until he got a steady rhythm, stopping periodically to sip his still cold beer. It was then that his enhanced hearing picked up on the strangest sound. He perched the axe on his left shoulder and looked towards the house where Sam Wilson seemed to be consoling a crying girl.

"Huh." Bucky didn't find the exchange as odd as he should have. Everyone around the bayou was always coming to Sam for something. Whether it was a favour, or a shoulder to cry on. Bucky thought she must be someone special if he was hugging her like that.

When Sam took the girl into the house, Bucky shook his head and finished the last of his beer. He continued chopping more wood until the sun began to set, which is when he deposited the axe back into the shed and made his way inside to crash on the couch. Tomorrow would be a long day, what with the bonfire Sam was hosting, and all. Bucky fell to a dreamless sleep the second his head touched the pillow.

He was a light sleeper. So Bucky immediately woke up when he heard someone coming down the stairs. It took him a second to become aware of his surroundings, as it always did. He was in Louisiana, crashing on Sam's couch for the weekend.

Bucky turned his head to the left to see who it was. Probably the boys; they were early risers and loved pestering Bucky about his metal arm—not that he minded. He found their interest refreshing and loved putting a smile on their faces. He was surprised, then, to find a girl instead. The same one from yesterday.

Huh. The girl looked a mess, with only half her hair pulled back into a makeshift ponytail and black makeup smudged under her eyes. Her pants were unbuttoned, hanging precariously from her hips, and her jacket was falling off her shoulders, a few sizes too big. She was holding a pair of shoes in one hand, her phone and shirt in the other. She was also balancing a purse in the crook of her elbow.

It was the shirt that did it. Because, while the girl's own blouse was in her hands, she was wearing Sam's grey-green T-shirt. Bucky knew because that's what Sam was wearing yesterday. She was someone special then if she was wearing his clothes.

Bucky smirked. He was very aware of what the girl had been doing. He, himself, had been on both ends of the situation before. Though it was very long ago, he still remembered the embarrassment of being caught leaving a girl's room in the early hours of the morning.

The girl screamed when she saw Bucky, not expecting anyone to be up, much less lying on the couch and watching her horrible attempt at sneaking out. "Oh, God!" Her phone slipped from her grasp and landed on the floor with a loud clatter.

There was a moment of silence where the two merely stared at each other. Bucky, with poorly concealed amusement, and the girl, with mild horror. She moved first, crouching down to pick up her cracked phone.

"Does it still work?" Bucky's voice was raspy from disuse. When tears gathered in the girl's eyes as a reply, Bucky immediately sat up, dropping his amusement in exchange for concern. He knew nothing about her, but it seemed like she cried a lot.

"No," she murmured, though Bucky heard her as if she were beside him. "Oh, God. No, no, no, no, no..."

"Hey, it's alright," Bucky told her as he crouched down to pick up the purse she had thrown in her haste. He hesitated when he saw a shiny ring peeking out from one of the compartments—too fancy and expensive-looking to be something ordinary. He quickly tucked the circle back and ignored it. Had Sam proposed to her? Bucky was offended he hadn't told him. Maybe it was recent. "Is it turning on?"

"Oh God! N-no," the girl stuttered through her tears.

Bucky was convinced that this girl—who cried a lot—only knew how to say "no" and "oh, God."

"I'm sure Sam can get you a new one, no big deal. What's your name?" Bucky offered the girl his right hand, which she promptly ignored.

She shot up on unsteady legs. "I have to go."

Bucky mimicked her. "Okay?" It was turning out to be a very unusual conversation.

"I have to go," she said again, more slowly this time, as if he were a little kid who couldn't understand a word of English.

Bucky cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting on his legs before giving the girl her purse back. "Right."

The tally was now up to "no," "oh, God," and "I have to go." At least she wasn't crying anymore. Bucky hastily stepped out of the girl's way when he realized he was blocking the hall that led to the front door.

She moved as if someone lit a fire under her. One second, she was there, and the next, she was out the door with her pants still unbuttoned, her jacket still falling off her shoulder, and her shoes still in her hand.

"Nice to meet you..." Bucky dropped his hand and trailed off when he realized she couldn't hear him anymore.

Huh. Either Bucky still didn't know how to talk to people, or that girl was on something. A lot of youngsters nowadays did drugs for fun. Bucky didn't understand it, nor did he want to. He could just ask Sam about it later.

Bucky stretched his arms above his head and cracked his neck. A couch was considerably comfier than the floor but still gave him a stiff back. No matter, a quick run could swiftly solve that problem. Bucky turned on the coffee machine and was biting into an apple when a shirtless Sam came barreling down the stairs.

"You sleep good, man?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Bucky shrugged, wiping some juice from his chin, "I slept good. Well, as good as I can, considering..."

Sam hummed before opening the fridge and taking a swig of the orange juice. "Nightmare?"

Bucky shook his head. "I don't remember it—Listen, you didn't tell me you had a girl up there."

"A girl?"

"Messy hair, pretty face. Was crying yesterday?"

"Baby Girl? You saw that?" Sam stopped peeling the banana in his hand to look at Bucky.

Bucky merely shrugged and grabbed a mug from the cupboard.

"Sorry I didn't tell you she was over," said Sam, taking a bite of his now-peeled banana. "We were up talking real late. I guess I forgot."

"Yup. Talking," Bucky muttered with a smirk as he poured his coffee. "I bet."

"What?" Sam implored.

"Uh, nothing. Just, the girl seemed nice."

"She is nice," Sam retorted. "You met her?"

Bucky nodded and took a sip of his coffee. Black, just as he preferred it.

"Didn't think she'd be awake," Sam said with a yawn. "She barely slept."

Bucky had to try really hard to keep himself from laughing. "Well, she was."

"She was?" Sam asked suspiciously. "What do you mean she was? Did she go back to bed?"

Bucky shook his head. "She left."

"She left?" Sam scoffed, propping a hand on his hip. He had never looked more like Steve.

"That's what I said," Bucky confirmed, taking another sip. "She's gone."

"Gone?" Sam grumbled. "Bucky, what the hell are you talking about?"

Sam's accusing behaviour was really starting to irk Bucky, making him think the girl's sneaking out was not mutual. Shit.

He laughed uncomfortably and put his mug down on the counter. "Your girl came running down the stairs, half-dressed. She dropped her phone, cracked it, didn't let me help. Then she said she 'had to go' and practically ran out of here, I dunno."

"When?" A vein popped in Sam's forehead as he grabbed a random shirt from the pile of clean laundry near the stairs.

Bucky hastily checked the watch on his right arm. "Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes tops."

That made Sam utter a series of colourful swears as he finished his breakfast and found his wallet.

"Wait, Sam, what's going on?"

Sam didn't answer Bucky, too busy looking for his keys in the wrong place.

"Sam!" Bucky asked louder.

"We talked about this!" Sam scoffed. "I told her to at least stay for the weekend. I can't believe this! We sat down like adults and came to an understanding." He finally found his keys on the key hook.

"Where are you going, Sam?" Bucky countered.

"I'm going to get her," Sam snapped before sighing dramatically and letting his shoulders droop. "Shit, I do not have time for this, Baby Girl."

Bucky moved over the kitchen counter and stood in front of Sam. "What about that meeting you've got?"

"What meeting?" Sam asked.

"That meeting about that thing," supplied Bucky.

"What thing?" Sam grumbled.

"You know what thing," Bucky countered.

"Oh. That. I'm gonna have to reschedule—Man! Where are my shoes?!"

"Why?"

"Why?" Sam echoed. "What's with all the questions, Buck? Because I have to get Baby Girl before she skips town and disappears on me again."

"Sam."

"I haven't seen her in eight months, man, and she hasn't seen me in five years. I'm not about to let her leave—"

"Sam!" Bucky shouted loud enough for his friend to hear. He grabbed his wallet and his keys and put on his jacket. "You're going to that meeting, Sam."

"Like hell I am," Sam retorted passionately.

"I'll go pick up your Baby Girl," Bucky said after downing the rest of his coffee. "You, go to your meeting."

Sam stopped for a moment and seriously considered Bucky's proposal. It was an important meeting. "She'll probably be at the taxi stand," he finally relented. "You know the one?"

Bucky nodded, tying up his shoelaces. "Yeah, I know the one."

"Buck?" Sam called when Bucky was stepping out the door. "You better bring her back, or else I'm gonna light a fire under your ass."

Bucky chuckled, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "Understood, Sam."

The taxi stand was abandoned. Really, what did the girl expect so early in the morning? It was a long weekend, and the residents of Delacroix rarely needed a commute into the city on an ordinary Friday. She was arguing with the lone taxi driver, pleading with him, really, to take her to the nearest airport. But the man kept denying her. He had been up all night and insisted on napping, telling her to wait another twenty minutes.

She didn't have twenty minutes, damn it. If anything, she needed more time. Time she didn't have.

Her phone could be blowing up right now, and she wouldn't know it. She wouldn't know the consequences of her actions until she bought a new phone. But maybe—just maybe, a voice inside her reasoned—Quentin would be too busy with his work retreat to notice her absence.

The girl tried getting the driver's attention again, who shot her the most hateful look she had ever received before starting his cab and driving away. "Hey! Wait!" she called out, but he had already turned the corner.

A laugh made her spin around. It was the man from this morning, the one on Sam's couch. He stood before her with his arms crossed, a big smile overtaking his face.

"You must not be from the city," he mused, "if you're that bad at hailing a cab."

Bucky had no trouble locating the girl, what with her being the only person in a one-mile radius demanding to be taken to the nearest airport. Her feeble attempts amused him, and frankly, Bucky was having trouble believing she was Sam's girl. He didn't think Sam would've gone for someone as... difficult as her. But hey, it was Sam wanting to spend the rest of his life with her, not Bucky.

Bucky surveyed the girl from head to toe. Her hair was settled, her pants buttoned, and most of her composure seemed to have returned. However, she had gone pale once he revealed himself, her eyes wide with guilt. She was caught red-handed; now, he would be the one to deliver her to Sam.

Bucky pointed at her with his left arm. "Sam wants you home."

He was surprised to see that when she looked down at the shiny metal, recognition flared through her eyes rather than shock or disgust. Good, he thought. She knows who I am.

"No, thank you," she managed to squeak out, and Bucky was pleased to know that the girl's vocabulary extended past the three phrases he had come to know her for.

"You seem smart," he told her when he saw her looking behind him, "but not that smart."

"Yeah?" she challenged, gaining a rare bit of courage. "What makes you say that?"

"You know who I am and what I'm capable of. Smart. You think you can run from me. Not smart."

"Is that right?" she asked. Bucky nodded, and the girl took a deep breath. "I must not be too smart then."

He raised a brow in challenge, wondering where she would go from there.

Suddenly, the girl threw her arms above her head and waved them with abandon. "Mr. Thurow!" she shouted, running past Bucky. "Mr. Thurow!"

Bucky slowly walked towards the girl, unhurried in his steps. He wanted to know what she would do.

"Mr. Thurow!" the girl panted. "I need your help."

"Jesus Christ!" Mr. Thurow bellowed. "As I live and breathe! Is that you, Baby Girl?" He was a stocky man with a kind smile and welcoming eyes.

"Yes, Mr. Thurow," the girl began confidently, "it is. I need your help, please. This man," she pointed behind her at Bucky, "is—"

"Carlos!" Bucky interjected with a smile. "How are you?"

"Sergeant Barnes! Back again already?" Carlos turned his attention away from the girl.

Bucky watched with amusement as the girl's face scrunched with confusion. Her lips parted slightly, and she blinked rapidly. "What can I say, Carlos? I was missing your potato salad."

"Hell yeah, you were," Carlos guffawed.

The girl stood there dumbfounded as the two men embraced each other.

"You know, it was my great nan's recipe?" Carlos asked. "Been in the family for generations."

"I didn't know that. You bringing it tonight?"

"For the bonfire?" Carlos confirmed. "You bet I am."

"Well," Bucky gestured to the girl, "I was just taking Baby Girl here back home. She got a little lost, and Sam was starting to worry." Bucky made sure to make himself sound condescending on purpose.

He heard her scoff. "I was not lost."

"Well, you get her home safe, then. Understood, Barnes? I want to see both of you tonight." Carlos mockingly glared at the girl and winked at Bucky before departing.

"See you, Carlos!" Bucky called out to his retreating figure. "Well?" he questioned, turning his attention to the girl after a moment of silence. "Are you gonna run and embarrass yourself again, or are you gonna come with me?"

"I am not going anywhere with you!" the girl scoffed.

"I will take you kicking and screaming if I have to," Bucky warned.

The girl took a step back hastily, believing his threat. "You're a heathen."

Well, Bucky shrugged. He had been called worse. "Sam threatened me with fire, and that's not how I'd like to leave this world if it's all the same to you."

The girl seemed to consider his words for a moment. "Fire is a painful way to go," she finally mused.

"It is," Bucky agreed.

"I don't like you," she told him bluntly.

"Okay." A lot of people didn't like Bucky. One more wouldn't hurt.

"But no one deserves to die like that."

It seemed the spawn of Satan had a heart.

"Does seem excessive," said Bucky.

The girl paused again. "If I run, you'll catch me." It wasn't a question.

"Always," Bucky promised, and the girl must have believed him because her shoulders deflated, and she hung her head in submission.

"Doesn't seem like I have a choice," she whispered, though Bucky heard her all the same.

"You don't."

"Okay," she relented.

"Okay. Let's go." Bucky led her toward where he parked, and the girl followed silently.

Good, she isn't being insufferable any longer, Bucky thought. Though, luck must not have been on his side that day because not a second later, once his bike came into view, the girl started complaining.

"No. I'm not sitting on that death trap."

Bucky turned to her with an annoyed groan. "Really?"

"I hate bikes!" she told him.

"What? You rather walk?" Bucky crossed his arms.

"Yes, please," the girl replied, mimicking his posture. "I walked all the way here, didn't I?"

"Well, too bad!" snapped Bucky. "We're taking the bike." He grabbed his helmet and handed it to her. He groaned again when she didn't take it and only looked at him like she'd never seen a helmet before. Maybe she hadn't. He wouldn't be surprised. Bucky rolled his eyes and placed the helmet on the girl's head, securing the straps and confirming it fit snugly.

"It's loose," she complained.

"Your head's a lot smaller than mine..." Bucky took his previous statement back. He could definitely see the girl and Sam together. Both of them were insufferable shitheads and obviously perfect for each other.

"Sit," he gestured to the bike. And when the girl turned to him with the same blank look in her eyes, Bucky merely huffed in annoyance. He picked her up and deposited her on the seat as if she weighed nothing. And she didn't. He ignored her shouts of protest and sat in front of her.

"Where's your helmet?" She sounded worried for him.

Bucky laughed. "I don't need one."

"Yes, you do," she chastised him. "You could die."

"I'm a super soldier," Bucky said as an answer.

"Even super soldiers die," the girl retorted.

"I won't die," Bucky responded blandly before revving the engine. "Hold on tight."

"I am not touching youuuu..." The girl ended her sentence with a sudden shriek when Bucky unexpectedly released the throttle and speedily drove away. Her arms wrapped around his torso in a vice-like grip, and she hid her face in his jacket. "Oh, God!" she screamed. "Oh, my God!"

She took her flailing legs and tried wrapping them around Bucky's hips, which made him laugh in surprise. She was holding onto him like a koala bear, all while screaming bloody murder in his ears. Her nails dug sharply into his chest, but he ignored the sting. He couldn't wait to see her face once they stopped.

And eventually, they did. Bucky parked his bike in the back and told the girl to get off, which, of course, she didn't do. He got up anyway, taking her with him, though she didn't let him go once he was standing.

Bucky tapped on the hand around his shoulder. "You can let go now. It's safe."

The girl obediently unwrapped herself from his body, falling indiligently to the ground.

"See?" Bucky smirked. "We didn't die."

"Oh my God," she groaned, shaking on the ground. "I can't feel my legs."

Bucky laughed, extending his metal arm towards her, which she took without complaint. "Let's try again," he suggested once she was steady on her feet. "I'm Bucky."

The girl told him her name, and he repeated it with a smile. "I still don't like you," she said.

"The feeling's mutual, doll." And if she blushed at the pet name? Well, Bucky simply chose to ignore it.

He was on his third beer, a shame, really, since he couldn't feel it. But Bucky had developed a liking for the taste. It reminded him of better times. Before the war, and before his life completely changed.

Sam plopped down on the chair next to Bucky, a happy but tired smile on his face. Bucky turned to Sam and took a s'more from his outstretched hand, biting into the gooey center with a groan. "Man, this is good. I can't remember the last time I had one of these."

"Probably before Christopher Columbus discovered America."

"That's not funny, Sam," Bucky frowned. "Besides, everyone knows the Clovis people got here first, twenty thousand years ago."

"I didn't know that!"

"Because you're stupid," Bucky retorted.

"Whatever," scoffed Sam. He slid down in his chair and muttered "nerd" under his breath.

Bucky was preparing a retort when something caught his eye. The girl was playing with AJ and Cass, trying to catch them as they ran around the fire. Bucky cracked his knuckles and prepared to confront Sam. "You're really mean, you know that?

"Why? Because I called you a nerd?" Sam scoffed. "Well, it's true."

Bucky shook his head and levelled Sam with a glare. "Because you didn't tell me you're getting married."

A long silence followed. "Who's getting married?"

"You are!" Bucky exclaimed. "I didn't even know you had a girl."

"Because I don't!" Sam straightened. "And I'm not getting married."

"But—" Bucky was at a loss for words, then a thought struck him. "Holy shit, Sam! Don't tell me you—" Bucky leaned forward, lowering his voice considerably. "You slept with a married woman!"

Sam's face screwed up. "What the fuck are you talking about? I didn't sleep with anyone!"

Bucky was stunned, realizing a moment too late that he had completely misread the situation.

"Start from the beginning," Sam urged. And so Bucky told him what happened that morning, how the girl came down half-dressed and wearing his shirt. Bucky thought she was a one-night stand until he saw the ring in her purse, and Sam brought her back to his house.

"So, she's not your fiancé?"

"No! She's like a sister."

"But you call her Baby Girl!"

Sam rubbed his temples. "Everyone calls her that. Listen," he sighed, "maybe I should've introduced the two of you before, but I was overwhelmed by seeing her after so long. Besides, I didn't think you would start jumping to conclusions!"

Bucky rubbed his neck in embarrassment. Perhaps he was too quick to assume the girl was Sam's significant other. But if she wasn't involved with Sam, then who exactly was she?

The girl was sitting across from Bucky and Sam on the other side of the fire pit, nibbling on a s'more. The two men watched her as they talked.

"Her family lived in the plot behind ours. They were good people."

"Were?" Bucky questioned, feeling like there was more to the story.

Sam seemed to dissociate for a moment as if he were somewhere else. "Eleven years ago, my dad woke me up in the middle of the night and told me to run to town and wake as many folks as possible. There was a fire down the street, and the trucks had broken down on the highway."

Bucky tensed, hating the direction the story was taking.

"The smoke was so thick I was choking on it from a block away. Over half the house was up in flames by the time I got back. Three men went in and came right out not a second later. Folks were throwing bucketfuls of water to try and contain it, but I remember thinking that was useless. It's like the flames had a mind of their own."

It was then that Bucky accidentally made eye contact with the girl. She frowned at the intense look on his face, jerking her head as if to ask, "What?"

"What happened next?" Bucky asked without removing his gaze.

"I went towards the back, where the fire wasn't as strong. The upstairs window was wide open, and I found Baby Girl lying on the ground with twisted legs and blood oozing from her head." Sam scoffed a laugh, though there was no humour behind it.

Bucky's jaw dropped. "She jumped?"

Sam shook his head. "We found out later that her brother pushed her. My entire family was at the hospital when we broke the news that she was the only survivor."

"Shit." Baby Girl was glaring daggers at Bucky now, though he couldn't take her seriously. Melted chocolate dripped down her chin, and her hair was mussed from the wind. Bucky imagined her eleven years younger, wide-eyed and trembling as her life crumbled around her. He recalled her comment from that morning. "Fire is a painful way to go." "No one deserves to die like that." He looked away.

"She's acting like you're keeping her hostage," Bucky remarked.

"I might as well be," Sam grumbled. "She's dying to go back to New York, and she won't give me a proper reason why."

When Bucky looked back at the girl, she was chatting with Carlos Thurow, seemingly pleading with him. She waved her broken phone, and Bucky could see the cracks on the screen glinting from where he sat. Baby Girl slumped her shoulders in defeat when Carlos took his own phone out to show it had died.

Bucky felt a jolt in his chest as he watched the girl run her hands through her hair in frustration. Something was wrong.

Sam whistled beside him, waving Baby Girl over. The effect was immediate. Baby girl plastered on a shoddy smile, exaggerating a laugh as she waved back and made her way to them.

"You seem happy," Sam observed as the girl took the empty chair beside Bucky.

Bucky looked at Sam to see if he was joking. Sam was no spy, but didn't one have to be blind to not see how miserable Baby Girl looked under her fake smile?

"The party's very fun," Baby Girl answered. "It's—" guilt flashed across her features. "It's nice to see everyone after so long."

"Could've been sooner," Sam muttered.

"I told you I was busy!" she exclaimed. "I didn't have time to leave the city."

"But you won't tell me why," Sam countered. The fight seemed to leave his body, and he sighed. "I didn't call you over to argue with you. I won't bring it up again."

Baby Girl turned her nose to the sky in a way that made Bucky laugh. "You better not." And the conversation flowed smoothly from there.

Bucky offered her a beer, which she accepted with a smile, and the three laughed and joked about until tears ran unbidden down their cheeks. However, despite the mirth dancing in the air, Bucky could not ignore the lingering sadness in her eyes.

"You won't believe what this man asked me before," Sam guffawed, pointing accusingly at Bucky. "He asked if we were engaged!"

Laughter burst forth from mirth-kissed lips. "That's disgusting!" she managed between giggles. "What made you think that?"

Bucky felt flushed under her attention. "You were wearing Sam's clothes that morning," he explained sheepishly. "And I saw a ring in your purse."

Her face made a radical transformation. One moment, she was smiling in a way that made Bucky's heart flutter—the next moment, all pleasure seemed to drain away from her body, leaving her looking gaunt and haggard. Sam was too busy laughing at his untied shoelaces to notice the change in atmosphere, but Bucky felt the full force of it slam against his chest.

"I don't have a ring."

"But I—"

"No!" Her words seemed laced with desperation. Her sober eyes flicked toward Sam. "There was no ring," she stressed.

Bucky could see the hopelessness in her eyes. "Right," he muttered. "I must have been mistaken."

Sam, who had overcome his slight scramble with his shoelaces, sat upright. Inebriation laced his every move. "Right. But that made me think."

"That's never a good thing," Bucky interjected, trying to ease the lingering tension.

"Are you dating anyone? Sarah said she didn't know, but you can always tell me. Huh?" Sam teased. "Tell me. Who's the unfortunate bastard?"

Baby Girl's lips were a thin line, and Bucky anticipated the lie before she could open her mouth. "It's nothing like that. I'm not dating anyone." She finished the rest of her drink and immediately grabbed another.

"You can't lie to me," Sam wiggled his finger. "Come on, fess up. Whoever he is, he can't be worse than Beck."

Baby Girl froze, and Bucky's curiosity was piqued too much to ignore. "Beck?"

"Quentin Beck. Biggest asshole on the planet," Sam explained. "Beck and Baby Girl dated on and off in college. I would catch the bastard every other week with a different woman."

Bucky scrutinized the girl for a reaction, but she seemed to be holding her breath.

Sam began to pout like a child. "He always managed to win her over. At least I can die easy knowing they broke up before half the world blipped."

"He's not like that anymore," Baby Girl whispered to herself. Sam was too far to hear her, but Bucky had no such problem. "He's changed." She wrapped her arms around her body. "He's not like that anymore."

Bucky took in her dark under-eyes and trembling frame, her body sickly from stress. He believed her. Beck wasn't like that anymore. Perhaps he had moved on from his days of serial cheating and picked up a different hobby. Beck probably wasn't like that anymore, but he wasn't any better either.

The former spy suspected that Baby Girl was still involved with Beck. He observed her closely. Her eyes swirled with guilt, and her shoulders drooped in alarm. There was more to the story, but before Bucky could voice a question, Baby Girl stumbled onto unsteady feet. She swayed back and forth, betraying her inebriation, and Bucky reached over to keep her from falling.

Baby Girl pushed his hands away. "I'm tired," she croaked. "I'm going to bed." And she staggered away, bumping into people as she disappeared into the house.

Bucky relaxed back in his seat with a tired sigh. On his left, Sam was passed out over the arm of his chair, mouth open in a loud snore. Bucky craned his neck back and stared openly at the night sky. Stars twinkled brighter here than they did in the city. Everything was more serene and calm. However, since Baby Girl arrived, Bucky couldn't help but sense a slight shift in the air, as if the wind knew her secrets and was trying to warn them. One thing was made clear. It wouldn't be pretty.

It felt oddly like déjà vu. A light clambering of feet roused Bucky from his half-sleep, and as always, it took a second for him to make sense of his surroundings. He was on Sam's couch.

The steps were hesitant and controlled—so not AJ and Cass. Excitement and a sugar overload had kept them up late, and they wouldn't wake until a few hours later. Bucky was proven right when a lone woman descended the steps instead of two boys.

She looked a lot better than the last time he had seen her. Freshly showered and reasonably presentable in her own clothes this time—not Sam's. She hadn't seen him yet, so Bucky took the opportunity to observe her a moment longer. Her under-eye area was still dark, though not as sunken as before, and she carried an air of determination around her.

"Good morning," Bucky broke the silence.

Baby Girl shrieked, seemingly slipping over nothing. She tumbled backward, falling in an indelicate heap onto an armchair. "God above!"

Her vocabulary was steadily expanding.

Bucky sat up, regarding her with a guilty expression. "Sorry."

"I forgot you were still here," she mumbled sheepishly, straightening herself into a more respectable position.

There was a moment of awkward silence where neither acknowledged the other.

"I was wondering..." the girl started.

"Yeah?"

"Could I borrow some money? I didn't bring enough with me from New York."

"Uh, sure," Bucky replied, grabbing his wallet from between the couch cushions. "How much do you need?"

Baby Girl looked down at her hands, tracing lazy lines on her palm. "One grand?" she grimaced.

Bucky looked at her with wide eyes. "What do you need a thousand dollars for?"

"I can make do with less!" she rushed to explain. "I can try stretching an eight hundred," she murmured. "But a new phone would be too expensive, and I'm not sure I can find a cheap last-minute flight."

"Excuse me?" Bucky exclaimed. He was fully awake now, leaning forward to hear her better. "What was that about a phone and a flight?"

Her guilty eyes met his confused ones. "I broke my phone," she explained, "so I need a new one. I also need to get back home, so I need to buy a plane ticket."

Bucky eyed her skeptically. "I thought you were staying."

"I changed my mind," she dismissed with a shaky wave. "I already went over it with Sam."

Bucky knew for a fact she was lying. She wouldn't even meet her eyes. "Is that what he would say if I asked him?"

"Of course!" she proclaimed. But Bucky could hear the hesitance.

"Okay. I'll go ask Sam." Bucky made to get up, but as predicted, the girl stopped him.

"Wait! Don't!"

Bucky sat back down with a satisfied smirk. "You're a sneaky little thing."

"Don't tell Sam," Baby Girl pleaded. "I'm sorry I lied. I didn't have another choice. He locked my credit card. Otherwise, I wouldn't be asking you for this favour."

"Hmm," Bucky hummed, crossing his arms and getting comfortable. "I'd be willing to help you—Only..." Bucky stressed when she tried to interrupt. "If you answer a few questions first."

Baby Girl mimicked Bucky's posture with a frown. "That hardly seems fair."

"I can always call Sam."

"Fucking fine," Baby Girl grumbled.

Satisfied by the flow of things, Bucky started his interrogation. "Why are you in such a rush to go back home?" Bucky asked, deciding to start small. He could tell Baby Girl was thinking hard about her answer, trying not to give too much away. She squinted her eyes as if it were putting strain on her. He decided she would make a horrible spy.

"I left in a hurry. I only planned a day trip. I don't have any clothes or money on me."

Bucky shook his head. "That's not what I asked."

Baby Girl glared at him. "I don't understand the question."

"What's waiting for you in New York? Do you have a job? A prior commitment? A boyfriend?" Bucky stretched that last word, giving the girl a smirk.

"I don't have a boyfriend," she frowned.

"Fiancé, then," Bucky concluded. "I saw that ring in your purse." He suddenly leapt forward, grabbing Baby Girl's left hand and pulling it toward him to inspect.

She initially squeaked a protest but stayed still as he prodded her ring finger with his eyes. "Tan line," he observed, and she snatched her limb back, throwing the most menacing glare she could manage toward him.

"No fiancé," she hissed.

"I don't believe you," Bucky shrugged. "Job, then? What do you do?"

It took too long for her to answer, making it obvious she was concocting a lie in her head. "I work in the... customer field. Where I work with customers."

If Bucky wasn't on the verge of laughter, he might've cringed from the secondhand embarrassment.

"And... books." She was obviously lying. Even she didn't believe what was coming out of her mouth.

"I think my cat might be a better liar than you," He remarked drily.

The girl huffed but stayed silent.

Bucky decided to try a different tactic. "What year is it?"

The girl regarded him strangely. "2024."

"How many sides does an octagon have?"

"Eight."

"What's Sam's last name?"

"Wilson."

"Who was Iron Man?"

"Tony Stark."

"What colour is the sky?"

"Blue."

"Who locked your credit card?"

"Quentin Beck."

Bucky laughed. The girl stared at him, horrified. She gaped at him like a fish, only managing to make senseless sounds. "Y-you—w-what!"

Bucky laughed harder. "I told you that day. You seem smart, but not that smart."

"How dare you!"

"Last question. Does your boyfriend know you're here?" If looks could kill, Bucky would be dead. He raised his arms in surrender. "I won't judge. And I won't tell Sam. I'm just trying to understand the situation so I can help."

Her glare slowly softened to fatigue. "No. He doesn't know."

Bucky bobbed his head. "I figured as much." He grabbed his unlocked phone and tossed it to her, assuming she would catch it. She didn't. The device smacked her in the chest before falling on her lap, which she stared at dumbly.

"Call him," said Bucky, standing up to stretch. "Let him know you're safe. Tell him no one kidnapped you, and he can unlock your card."

She opened her mouth to reply, but Bucky beat her to it. "I can't get you a plane ticket out of here, so this is the next best thing. You want to leave? Tell Sam about Quentin Beck, and he'll let you. He isn't that big of an asshole to keep you hostage here. There's hope for him yet." Bucky stepped out of the living room but turned around and stopped to add one more thing. "Sam's been different since you arrived. He's happier. You're all he talks about to anyone. Do him one last favour; stay the weekend, and don't choose that Quentin Beck guy over him." With that, Bucky strode to the bathroom to freshen up, missing the first teardrop.

His phone was returned to him an hour or so later, accompanied by an uncomfortable smile and words of gratitude. "I told him I'm safe, and no one kidnapped me."

"Is he mad?" Bucky asked.

"He's a little upset," she confessed. "Promise you won't tell Sam?"

"Only if you promise not to run away." They stared at each other for a long moment, daring the other to disagree.

"Fine," the girl finally conceded. Bucky gave her a stiff nod and turned to leave. "Wait!" she exclaimed urgently. "He's still upset. Just ignore any other messages from him, okay? He should cool down after a while."

Bucky looked into her eyes. She was beautiful and unsuspecting looking. Fiery and transparent. He scrutinized her for deceit and instead found veiled resignation. He agreed and went to the backyard, leaving her in the kitchen.

It was an especially hot day, and there was much to do. Sarah wanted to landscape the back garden, and Bucky had volunteered. He didn't know the first thing about construction, but the boys had recently introduced him to YouTube, a magical place with the answers to all his questions. Bucky began to work, moving piles of dirt, levelling the uneven ground, and placing heavy slabs of concrete to form a pathway from the back porch to the lake.

Hours later, Bucky finished with the last slab of concrete, moving further away to admire his work. There was more to finish, but Sarah would be happy with his progress. Bucky wiped his brow, groaning at the sticky feeling of sweat dripping down his neck.

He grabbed his phone from the table on the porch to check the time, surprised at the number of notifications waiting for him. Bucky was by no means popular. The only person who contacted him somewhat regularly was Sam, but these notifications were all from the same unknown number. Bucky realized with a start that the barrage of missed calls and messages he was being attacked with were probably all from Quentin Beck.

Curiosity grabbed hold of him. He did promise the girl he would ignore any messages from him, but really, this was excessive. What if something was wrong and Beck urgently needed to contact her? He tapped on the message icon without another thought.

Bucky froze when he read the latest message.

You're dead when I find you.

He immediately scrolled to the top, reading the conversation from the beginning to try and gain some context to the threat. The thread started with a long paragraph from the girl detailing her situation, followed immediately with an exhausted apology.

I'm so sorry, please don't be mad. I'll be back as soon as I can.

Where the HELL are you?

Sam was asking questions. I tried to leave, but he got suspicious. I'll be back in a couple of days. I'm sorry.

You shouldn't have fucking seen him in the first place. I warned you.

Sam's career is in my hands. It'll only take one call to ruin him. I fucking warned you to never go near him.

He's trouble. He doesn't care about you like I do. He doesn't love you like I do.

The messages got progressively worse, teetering on the edge of insanity. Promising pain and broken bones, blaming it all on her.

Why do you make me do this?

Typical narcissist behaviour.

You're dead when I find you.

Baby Girl hadn't seen any of the messages after her rushed apology, but Bucky had a feeling she wouldn't be surprised by them either way. He clutched his phone tight, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

What a bastard. What a self-entitled, psychotic prick. Everything came into clear focus, painting a detailed painting for Bucky to observe. Her behaviour started making sense. The bags under her eyes, the lack of light in her irises, the unworn ring... the secrets.

He decided then that he wouldn't tell her about the messages if she asked. Bucky would wait for the right time tonight to bring up the topic of Quentin Beck as innocently as he could, and offer her his help. She didn't need to know the extent of Beck's threats against her life.

Plan laid out, Bucky made his way inside for a well-deserved glass of cold water when the back door swung open. Baby Girl walked out with two lemonades and a plate of sandwiches balanced between the crook of her elbow. Some lemonade spilled over her hand when she abruptly stopped ahead of him. Bucky took the drinks from her and placed them on the small table.

Baby Girl put the plate of sandwiches next to the drinks and proceeded to lick the spilled lemonade from her hands. Bucky swallowed thickly, feeling flustered at such an innocent act. "You good?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I made us lunch and lemonade. Figured you could do with something cool."

"Yeah," Bucky was suddenly parched. "It's a hot day."

Baby Girl sat down at the table and took a large sip of her drink. "Sarah and Sam went to run some errands in the city. Said they'll be back late."

"What about the boys?" Bucky inquired, sitting down and taking a sip of his own. He groaned as the cool drink washed over him.

"They're having a sleepover at the neighbours." She handed him a sandwich, which he took with a smile.

"So it's just us today," he said, aware that the perfect opportunity for a less-than-pleasant conversation had just presented itself.

"Yup, just us."

An awkward silence fell over them, broken occasionally by the sound of chewing.

"The yard looks nice," Baby Girl blurted.

Bucky turned his neck to observe his handiwork. "Thanks. Still a lot to be done."

"You must be tired."

Bucky shrugged. "Not really. The heat is worse than anything else."

"Is that because of the serum?" she asked, immediately flushing with embarrassment. "Sorry! That's so insensitive of me. And it's none of my business."

"You're good," said Bucky. "I don't mind. Yeah, it's because of the serum. My stamina's through the roof."

"Wow," she admired.

"Could've been real handy with the ladies, back in the forties." Bucky flushed at the silence that followed. "During the war, I mean!" he corrected. "I could've used the stamina during the war."

The girl finished her lemonade in one long sip. "Right, of course."

"For battle. On the battlefield." Bucky finished his own drink, then stuffed another sandwich in his face to keep from further embarrassing himself.

Bucky's phone lit up with a notification, and the girl flicked her eyes toward the screen. "It's my neighbour," he told her. "He's looking after my cat."

Baby Girl visibly deflated. "That's nice," she smiled. "What's its name?"

"Alpine." Bucky decided this was as good a time as any to ask a few questions. "Listen, did you tell Quentin Beck where you are?" Bucky hated the scared look on her face.

"He knows I'm at Sam's," she started slowly.

Bucky took a deep breath and willed his expression to remain neutral. "Does he have an address?"

She shook her head in denial, and only then did Bucky find himself relaxing. He wouldn't need to worry about Beck showing up announced, which gave him more time to come up with a proper plan.

"I'm gonna take a dip," Bucky gestured to the lake. "Wanna join?"

"Maybe later."

Bucky stood up with a shrug. "Suit yourself." And he took his shirt off with one pull.

He felt Baby Girl's stare burning through his skin as he jogged toward the small lake, discarding his pants along the way. He entered the water in a running dive, letting gravity pull him to the bottom before kicking away and breaking the surface with a loud whoop. His body temperature slowly stabilized as he ran laps along the perimeter. He could still feel her stare as he stopped to tread.

"The water's amazing!" he yelled. "Join me!"

She threw her arms in the air. "I don't have a bathing suit."

Bucky floated on his back, arms crossed behind his head. "Who cares?"

After a moment's hesitation, Baby Girl laughed. "You're right. Who cares?" She grabbed the hem of her top and lifted it over her head, revealing a white camisole underneath. She stopped near the edge of the lake, fixing Bucky with a faux glare. "Well, turn around. You're crazy if you think I'm undressing in front of you."

Bucky smirked at her teasing nature and turned away, listening for a splash. After a moment, the water rippled, followed by a shrill scream. "Can I look?"

"Go ahead." Baby Girl laughed when Bucky whipped his head, sending a stream of water flying her way from his hair. "Damn, the water's cold."

"Feels good, though."

"Yeah."

They settled into a comfortable silence, floating on their backs and sneaking glances at each other. Her white camisole had turned see-through, giving Bucky a delicious glimpse of her skin and pale blue bra. He averted his gaze, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I'll miss this when I'm gone," said Baby Girl softly. "The peace and quiet."

"You don't have to leave," Bucky urged. "You could stay."

She turned to face him. "I can't," she replied sadly.

"You're scared for Sam," he observed, remembering the texts. "Why? He's the fucking Falcon. He helped defeat Thanos. Beck is nothing compared to that."

The girl's eyes widened in alarm. "How do you know that?"

Bucky didn't tell her he read the messages. He would've come to the same conclusion sooner or later. He ran his hand through his wet hair. "I used to be a spy." He fixed her with a pointed look. "And you're a horrible liar. Seriously, you are worse than my cat."

She huffed but didn't argue. After a moment of silent contemplation, she settled on her back and regarded him doubtfully. "Quentin has connections with the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Homeland Security. Any government official out there, he's probably on a first-name basis with them." Her face contorted in pain. "He could ruin Sam's life with a single phone call. I swore I would never give him a reason to."

Bucky's jaw clenched tightly. "What's the worst that bastard could do? Sam knows people too."

"Not enough. He could pin a drug charge. It wouldn't even have to stick. The bad press would be enough to ruin Sam's reputation."

"That's illegal," Bucky pointed out dangerously. Quentin Beck was turning out to be worse than Bucky imagined.

"He doesn't care about that when it comes to me," she dismissed. "Quentin can do no wrong when it comes to love."

"That's not love!" Bucky snapped, losing the last of his patience. They were floating dangerously close to one another, elbows brushing.

"Regardless. There's nothing to be done."

"You could stay," Bucky implored. "I'd keep you safe."

They were even closer now, both on their backs, faces turned toward the other, lips dangerously close. For a moment it looked like she might say yes. She opened her mouth to reply, but the sound of a car door slamming shut interrupted her.

"That must be Sam," she said, and the moment was broken.

Bucky moved first, swimming to the deck to grab his discarded pants. "I'll give you some privacy," he said, dragging the fabric up his legs. He left without another word.

Incessant knocking at the front door stopped Bucky in his tracks. Sam always carried a key. Bucky dropped his shirt and went around the house to the front. The car parked in the drive was unfamiliar and out of place. Sleek and shiny and black. Expensive. The man waiting impatiently at the door looked more out of place than the car. Dressed in a gray suit, brown loafers, and black shades, the man looked like he belonged on the cover of a real estate advertisement.

"Can I help you?" Bucky snapped, feeling on edge.

The man lifted his shades to regard Bucky with a look of contempt, eyeing his exposed chest and metal arm with barely concealed disgust. "Yeah, maybe you can. Is this the Wilson residence?"

"Depends on who's asking."

"A friend," the man replied.

"Funny. I didn't know Sam had any friends."

"That's because I'm not Sam's friend," he scorned. "I'm looking for a girl."

Bucky inched closer to him. "I know lots of girls," he quipped.

The man smiled dangerously. "I'm looking for a very specific one. Yay high, unchecked temper, tendency for trouble."

Bucky laughed without humour. "Doesn't narrow much down, buddy. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"You must be the Winter Soldier," the man mused.

"I go by James Barnes," Bucky snapped. "You must be Quentin Beck." Bucky had recognized him right away.

Quentin Beck spread his arms in a wide gesture. "The one and only. I suppose she told you about me."

"She didn't have to. I can smell a bastard from a mile away."

Beck clenched his fists, face contorting nastily, and stepped forward. "You little—"

Despite the sweltering heat, Bucky felt a coldness wash over him. His advanced senses picked up on footsteps coming from around the back. His head whipped to the side just as the girl rounded the corner. She wore jeans and nothing else, her white camisole still wet and slightly see-through. Bucky watched with dread as she took in the sight in front of her, blinking confusedly. The colour slowly drained from her flushed cheeks, and she froze as her brain caught up with her eyes.

"Sweetheart?" Beck's demeanour rapidly changed, and he stalked forward with his hands raised non-threateningly. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Bucky blocked his path with a glare.

When Beck noticed her state of undress, he became angry, clenching his fists at his side. He noted Bucky's bare chest, his low-hanging jeans, and the girl's see-through top. "What the fuck is going on here?" Beck demanded.

When he fixed his icy glare on her, she reanimated, staggering back with a loud gasp, Baby Girl tripped over a rock but continued scooting backwards as she fell over. The raw fear emanating from her was enough to undo Bucky. Bucky shoved Beck as hard as he could—without using his super strength—and slammed him against his car.

"Motherfucker," Beck hissed, clutching his side.

"I suggest you leave before you really piss me off," Bucky threatened, stalking closer.

Beck staggered away, putting his car between them. "Not without my fiancé," he seethed.

"Fiancé, huh?" Bucky turned toward the girl. She was still on the ground, carefully watching the scene with wide eyes. He waited until she looked at him, then gave her a soft smile, silently urging her to trust him. "Are you his fiancé, Baby Girl?"

She jerked her head in denial. "No."

"There you have it. You heard the lady." Bucky's voice lowered dangerously. "Now leave. Before I make you leave."

"She's lying!" Beck screamed. And Bucky got the impression he was used to getting his way. "I gave her a ring."

Bucky had cornered Beck against the hood of his car and was looming dangerously over his crouched figure. "I don't see any ring. Now leave!"

Beck unlocked the car, jerking open the driver's side and inelegantly lumbering in. "This isn't over yet, Winter Soldier," he spat, and with one last seething glare toward the girl, he sped off.

Ao3│Wattpad│Ko-fi

Main Masterlist│Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3

Comments and Reblogs are appreciated!! 💜

@marvelatthetwilight @hallecarey1 @ria132love

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes oneshot #tfatws!bucky x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes #tfatws!bucky #marvel #fytflam fic #rosepetalsinwinter

[fuckingstrange]

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"...don't look at me like that."

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WARNINGS: Workplace verbal abuse, Mean!Strauss, mention of neglectful mother, mention of crying in the bathroom, pet names ("sweet boy"/"sweetheart"), self-insult (I think?), kissing on the neck and lips

WORDS: 1,236

PAIRING: S.R. x m!reader

SONG(s):

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You sit at your desk, a small stream of tears pouring down your cheeks from your dead-gazed, tired eyes. Strauss has been yelling at you for the past thirty minutes, somehow only finding more creative ways to make you feel bad about yourself every other sentence. You've been at work for three, maybe four days straight with barely any breaks. Yet, she found out that you took a ten minute break because you were on the verge of a breakdown. JJ's son, Henry, is visiting her on the job and seeing how their bond was the exact thing you hoped for as a child with your own mother just hit the right nerve to push you to tears. You had to take a break, narrowly avoiding the breakdown only because the second you made it into the restroom stall it suddenly felt like you couldn't cry.

Strauss only shuts up when her phone rings, giving you one last "I expect better" before she walks off to answer the call, talking to whoever in the most kiss-assingly gentle tone ever.

You remain staring at the file she slammed on your desk within her rant, there lays a shredded paper within the yellow-tint file that you instantly recognize as the one hand written thing you felt somewhat proud of. Your tears only roll faster, leaving light red stains on your pale cheeks.

Spencer walks up behind you, his hand grasping at the back of your swivel chair before turning you to face him. He puts his curled index finger underneath your chin, slowly pulling your head to look up at him. Your tear-filled gaze full of nothing but exhaustion and dread meets his lovingly worried one. Somehow, you manage to cry even harder at how gentle he is treating you even though he's barely done anything. His gaze softening pulls a soft sob from you as you begin to completely break down.

"please.. please, don't look at me like that." You plead quietly, only to hear the sound of him gently shushing you as he cups the back of your head and guide you to press your face against his abdomen, holding you as you break down. His cardigan muffles the sobs that fall from your trembling lips as you nuzzle your face into him, his fingers beginning to run through your hair as he shushes you soothingly. Though, he isn't telling you to be quiet by any means since it's almost one in the morning, meaning nobody else is here to witness you in your most vulnerable state. thankfully. He is simply soothing you the way you wish you were when you were young, crying probably as hard as you are right now when your mother left you on the doorstep of a Liquor store.

You cry even harder at the memory, your chest contorting as you begin to choke from the sheer force of your sobs. The sound of your strangled cries causes him to bend down to your level, resting his hands on each side of your face as he begins to kiss your tears away, his gentle lips soaking up the salty tears. "My sweet boy.. Shh, I've got you.. I swear, I'll hold you as long as you need me to." He promises, his voice quiet and deep, the gentlest tone you've ever heard. You wrap your arms around his neck, burying your head into his chest as you continue to let out choked sobs. "I'm sorry. m' so sorry." You apologize, merely for nothing, just feeling sorry. Sorry that he has to deal with you in such a state, Sorry that he probably feels like he has to, Sorry that he still ended up having to work overtime to complete his files even though you took on triple the amount just so everybody could get off early to go spend time with their loved ones and families. Though, if you asked him, he'd probably tell you the truth; He's just here to be with you. "You don't have anything to apologize for, sweetheart. You went above and beyond to make everyone else happy, can I do the same for you? Can I try to make you happy?" Spencer asks sweetly, the way he talks to you so.. lovingly, it's making your heart swell with love and shatter at the same time. All you can do is nod your head and move your hands to wipe away your tears, though the man you have the honor of calling yours grabs your wrists and slides his hands into yours, grasping them gently and pulling your hands so he can kiss your knuckles. His soft lips pressed against the knuckles full of small paper-cut like indents of your left hand, the small cuts from when you found out your thumbnail is just long enough that you can pinch your skin and inflict harm without drawing blood, the sight makes the corners of your lips turn up to make that of a small sad smile. He kisses the knuckles on your right hand, no miniscule cuts littered along the skin this time. His lips ghost their way up your arm, and you swear you can feel his warm breath through the fabric of your suit shirt. He reaches your shoulder and begins to place butterfly kisses along it, his hands guiding yours to rest on his own shoulders.

You let out a small sigh of contentment, your head automatically tipping back when his lips reach your neck. Spencer presses a small kiss to the crook of your neck, trailing up and over to where your Adams apple sticks out, seeing the way it bobs when you swallow down some spit. His hands find their way on the back of your head, pressing you into him as his lips press against the bulge of your throat. He gives it a long kiss, exhaling through his nose. He pulls off of it when he feels you tug on his shirt with a needy whine, looking up to meet your pleading gaze. "You want a kiss?" Spencer asks, though knowing the answer before you even nod your head. He leans up, letting his lips meet yours in a moment full of love and care, your eyes slipping shut as you whine into the kiss, wanting him to be impossibly closer. Your small noise pulls a chuckle from the man, his lips unlacing with yours, though he doesn't stray far. His forehead rests against yours as he waits for your eyes to open.

It's a few seconds later but your eyes slowly flutter open, meeting his gaze. "Hey there." Spencer greets with a smile, his hand moving from your hair to your cheek, giving it a gentle caress. "Hey." You whisper back, a smile forming on your face to match his. "..What are you up to?" He asks, both of your smiles only growing at his joke of a question. You lean back with a small laugh. "No longer feeling like I'm dying." You say, a huff of laughter falling from Spencer's perfect lips. "That's good. Means I did something right with that kiss, hm?" The man replies, giving you a quick peck. Your cheeks flush a little red, the smile so big by now your cheeks hurt, but you don't mind. At least they hurt because of him, his love being something you wouldn't care if it killed you.

#Spotify #spencer reid #spencer reid x male reader #m!reader #x male reader #bau!reader #mean!strauss #comfort #comfort fic #x reader #Hotboxed Thoughts Written #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds

[some-pers0n]

Hi I made a crackfic for Arctic's death because I had a terrible, horrible idea inspired by that old fandom meme. I don't regret anything <3

"Aaannnddd...perfect!" Darkstalker stepped back. "All set and ready to go. Haha! Look at him! Clearsight, look, c'mon. Come see."

"Darkstalker, I don't think this is a good idea–"

"Shut up woman and come look," he bluntly said. "Come on, it's not like the camera's gonna bite you or anything. Neither is Arctic, but, eh, maybe that'll add to the drama. The kids love it when people get hurt, it's why they watch it."

He grabbed the camera again and pointed it at Clearsight. "It's rolling. Come on, babe, don't you wanna do it? For the bit? Ohhh it'll be such a funny thumbnail. Everyone's gonna click on it. Just stick your head near him."

"I'm not going to bite an innocent dragon..." Arctic muttered.

"HA! Oh but it's okay for you to do that to me. Not cool dad. Mid dad behaviour, tee-bee-haitch. To be honest. Tee-bee-haitch– you get it."

"Back in my day we just called somebody a 'loser' if they were a bad parent. Like, me? I'm a dead-beat dad."

"Yeah, that's true." Clearsight nodded.

"But I'm not...mid? What does that even mean?"

"Mannn you so did not cook. 'Dead-beat'? Yeah, you're gonna be dead as hell once I'm done with ya. Like for real done. Dead. Deceased. Ain't coming back from that."

"God just kill me now," Arctic grumbled.

"In a minute! Me. I'm God. It's me. Get used to it :)"

"What was that sound you just made with your mouth--" Clearsight began but Darkstalker cut her off. He couldn't bother to hear such a whiny, woman voice. He needed to pay more attention to the crowd that gathered.

"Hey, hey! Guys! Check this out! I'm a livestreamer. I do all of these cool things on Twitch and YouTube. Follow me! My handle's Darksalter. Like Darkstalker, but salty, cause of all of the noobs I own on my daily League of Legends streams."

The surrounding NightWings just blinked at him.

"Ughhhh. How about you guys being recorded, huh? You get famous! Right here, right now, this is a big deal. No cap, this is serious. This is gonna be a livestream to end all livestreams. There's gonna be like at least ten dragons watching!!"

"OH MY GOD!?" One dragon shouted. "TEN??? I've never seen anybody have that many, hold on! We gotta watch this guy!"

Immediately, the entire population of the Night Kingdom arrived. Even the queen (a closeted Darksalter fan, who was wearing all of his merch) was waiting for him. They all cheered and clamoured for him.

"Settle, settle! I know you're all such adoring fans. Believe me, I would love me too. Already do! Such a great, handsome, all powerful animus." He flexed his muscles. "Plus, the ladies love me." He glanced back at Clearsight, who had the most aggressively unenthusiastic frown he ever seen.

"But, but, we gotta wait a minute. First, I gotta mew."

"What does that even mean?" Clearsight asked.

Darkstalker did not answer. He brought a talon up to his snout and then traced the outline of his perfectly gorgeous jawline. I mean just look at that thing. Downright beautiful. Like, come on now. Look him up right now. Yeah, yeah! The thang of all time! That sweet, succulent jaw. Bro's been mewing since the day he was hatched.

[A/N: it is a pretty cool jawline]

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, enough talk. You had your shot for the thumbnail, so now it's all about me." He looked at the camera and enchanted it to float. It hovered above, pointing at him. "Three, two, one..." He clapped. "And we're live!"

The crowd cheered and roared as he did so. No omegaluls. No minus ones. He was an unboxing andy just about ready to tear open into his best work yet.

"Hey what's going on Stalker Gang! How are the stalkers in chat going? Can we get the hype train going?" He gestured to the crowd, which yelled and screamed louder. "Yeah!! Let's go Stalker Gang!!"

"Darkstalker...this isn't you." Clearsight sobbed. "You don't do this. You aren't like this!"

"Baby, I'm an influencer. It's my duty as Twitch's No. 27 streamer of all time!"

Clearsight cried more but Darkstalker did not care. He turned back to the camera. "Ayyy guys!" He clasped his talons. "So, today is a very, very special day, because we have a guest! That's right, my terrible, very uncool, incredibly mid father! Look at him. Blue pilled in every sense of the word. Even his blood's blue, which y'all are gonna see real quick." He pushed the camera directly in his face.

"Hey, hey, everyone!" He gestured to Arctic. "Can I get a 'boo' from you all?"

With his command, the crowd began to jeer at Arctic. A wave of rotting tomatoes came hurling his way, splattering against his face.

"And, with that being said, this stream is sponsored by Glep. Get a Glep. Now. Or else. You don't wanna be there when Glep is upset. That's how the last moon was destroyed." He stared silently into the camera for a minute, as customary with the Glep sponsors.

"NOW!! Let's get this going!" He pointed at Arctic. "You. Unbox yourself."

"Wh–" Arctic didn't have a chance to finish before he clawed at his torso and gutted himself. The crowd kept cheering and applauding and tossing money at Darkstalker.

"Woah woah, pretty messy, huh guys?" He raised an eyebrow. "Totally unpoggers. L behaviour. Boo!!" But when he turned back, he noticed that everyone stopped cheering.

"Bro, dude," one dragon began, "poggers is so, like, old man. That's so cringe, skull emoji."

Then, they began to dissipate. Quickly as they arrived, they left. He was cringe now. So cringe.

"No, NO! Wait! Come back! I'm still relevant! I'm still hip with the kids! I– I..." But it was too late. He was cancelled for being cringe. Everyone was bored by him. He was out-of-touch. He was out of time. He was out of his head when they're not around.

Behind him, he heard his sister, Whiteout, crying. He turned back to see that her favourite stim toy, a rainbow coloured pop-it shaped like a crewmate from Amomg Us, was lying on the floor. Things must be serious.

"Sis, are you upset at me?..." he muttered.

"Yes! You just unboxed our dad! My trauma points are like so high right now. I can't even..." She wiped her tears and kept crying.

Darkstalker looked back at Arctic, who was dead. Very dead. He growled. "When I'm the alpha king of the world, everyone will be my fan. Everyone will follow me! Everyone will like and subscribe! You'll see, you'll all see!"

#sp-writing #wof #darkstalker wof #wings of fire

[cushfuddled]

I wish I didn't hate Ed and Stede but here we are I guess

I didn't have time to put a section about this in my review (since it would add another ten minutes onto a fifty minute video hhhhh) but I just gotta take a second and vent about how much I dislike Stede and Ed in season two.

When I watched season two for the first time, I assumed I didn't ship Gentlebeard anymore because I'd...I dunno...gotten bored of the ship or whatever. But when I went back to rewatch season one, I was immediately sucked back into the Ed/Stede jet engine. I loved them through the finale, up until around the middle of season two...at which point I became totally disinterested again.

Even going back through season one clips for this review...the chemistry is soooo strong for me. The only time I got that feeling from season two was like, from the mermaid scene and the finger-stacking scene.

And I honestly think my disinterest stems from the fact that I can't stand Ed and Stede as characters anymore. They're dicks in season one, but ANNOYING dicks in season two, and I guess I just...don't ship characters who make me want to tear my hair out.

In season two, Ed behaves like a petulant five year old with a gun. It's so "say sorry to your friend right now!" "I don't wanna! :(" followed by a stint in the time out chair and a mumbled non-apology. For all of season two, Ed behaves like a spoiled brat, and I really can't stand it.

My friend pointed out that Ed is in a position where he needs to reparent himself. His emotional development likely stopped around the time he killed his dad (when he was still a kid). No one modeled healthy behavior and emotional regulation for Ed past the age of...maybe fifteen? So of course he's gonna behave like a kid. It's gonna be a long road for Ed to learn these regulating strategies as an adult, and I guess...hhhhhh.

None of Ed's trauma excuses Ed from torturing and traumatizing his crew. It feels shitty to find a deeply traumatized character's behavior "annoying," but...I mean. I say this as someone who's experienced suicide ideation myself: Ed isn't real, and I'm not Ed's friend, and so I don't really feel obligated to extend patience and understanding to a fictional construct when that construct spends 90% of his screen time behaving like a stuck up, self-obsessed, capricious, whiny, murderous asshole.

Add season-two-Stede to the mix and CHRIST...Stede—like Ed—was always a dick, but the way he encouraged Lucius to divulge his trauma only to react with cartoonish disgust, cower like a cornered animal, and then flee while begging Lucius to be quiet...

Then Stede decides to veto the crew's decision to ban Ed—their abuser—from the ship ("talk it through as a crew" my ass)...? Oh, and gotta love how Stede-"I've been the cause of death. It changes you"-Bonnet sets a guy on fucking fire and laughs, then kills a bunch of English soldiers with nary a backward glance. Okay. Would've loved some kind of exploration re: that major heel turn, but fine. And then Ed and Stede stand over Izzy's grave—the (mutilated) body of their dear friend and crewmate—and their combined eulogy amounts to "He was tense. Very tense." "Yeah, he was a fucking nightmare. What a guy." How endearing. Season two turned these two bastards (affectionate) into bastards (derogatory) for me and I'm still salty about it. God DAMMIT.

#our flag means death salt #ofmd salt

[seaweedbraens]

As someone who has read the book countless times since I was an eight year old, I liked the show! Totally get what the other anon was saying but I think the different reactions have more to do with expectations than familiarity with the source material. I knew from the second they cast Hermes in the first season that there would be some changes, so I went into the show trying to judge it separate from accuracy.

I definitely disagree with some of the show characterizations (gabe being diluted, sally putting a lot of pressure on grover) but so far I’ve been pretty impressed with Percy, especially Walker’s acting.

I am a little salty about annabeth though. Leah is amazing, but she’s barely been in it so far. They cut annabeth introducing Percy to camp and changed the context behind the you drool when you sleep line. I hope they don’t keep her too serious as the season goes on.

I don’t think the pacing is terrible either. Obviously a lot of pjo fans (myself included) are in their 20s and older, but the intended audience is still middle grade. I think the show does a good job at keeping the more significant plot points without much filler.

I know rick’s motivation for this (and chalice of the gods) was probably just the money, but I don’t think the show is as soulless as people have said. I think there’s so much heart in Percy’s relationship with sally and so much sincerity in all the kids (props to the casting department).

At the end of the day, the show is going to attract new fans and reignite new fans, and more people reading pjo is always good. Of course, this will lead to shitty takes on ig and tiktok but that’s why I’m on tumblr and follow the same people I’ve followed for over ten years

Sorry this was probably much longer than you were asking for, but I just wanted to say that while there are bad part, I think overall the show is worth the watch for anyone on the fence.

thank you for the detailed answer, and i'm glad to hear you liked the show! i think between the people who liked the show (like you) and the others who didn't, i'm kind of just coming to the conclusion that i have to watch it myself haha

glad to hear about percy and sally!!! i think their relationship is brushed over a lot (i'm guilty too).

changing the context of 'you drool when you sleep' is unforgivable, though. rick must burn. that's my holy bible right there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anyway

i think what i need to do, like you're doing to some extent, is consider the show a completely seperate....thing from the books. they're not the books, they're an adaptation, and so things are going to change, whether i'm okay with it or not.

with a new show like this comes new fans, and i am NOT looking forward to all the newbies in the fandom making their headcanons and assumptions about the characters based on the show, but it is what it is. like you, i'm active mostly on tumblr. i actually consume very little pjo content on here and ao3 and anywhere, so i don't think this show is really going to affect my fics. i've become a rick skeptic in recent years, but if the show is genuinely good and older fans enjoy it, then great! i'll have to watch it when i get the time, and form my own opinions.

thank you for your take, anon!

[livelovesimallways]

After a long day of team practice and training, Sean came home expecting to relax and spend quality time with his fiancé. Instead, he was met packed suitcases and Dana's hasty footsteps upstairs. While he hoped there was a good reason for all of this, he knew that was wishful thinking. Worried and ill-prepared, Sean headed to their bedroom to face whatever was to come his way.

(Previous)

"You ain't hear me callin you? What's with suitcases? You goin on a trip or somethin?"

"Trip?? Yeah, you're funny. Think harder."

"Now is not the for games, Dana. Just tell me what's going on!"

"Seems like you don't like how this feels.” *extremely heated* “ I want you to take every emotion you have right now and amplify it ten fold. That’s how the fuck I feel! Deanna told me everything, Sean! Every fucking thing!"

Looking stunned and mortified, Sean didn’t say a word. While there were a plethora of situations Dana could be talking about, the one involving her sister was the worst.

*Dana continues* “You had it made!…Able to do what you wanted on the road and come home with no questions asked. All you had to do was follow some simple ass rules! I didn’t ask for much Sean. They were the same guidelines that most of players in the league follow. You let your ego get bigger than your dick and fucked all of this up!...And for what? An affair with that dusty ass pass around?"

Realizing that she clearly didn't know everything he'd done, Sean felt relieved. He figured that this was something he could come back from, he just had to gain control of this situation.

“Affair???” *soulja sim voice* "That requires a relationship and I damn sure ain’t have one with anybody else. Dee is trippin.”

“So Julia is just lying?? She sent Dee plenty of receipts. You’ve spent nights at her home, bought her gifts, and shared personal things no random should know. You made her feel special! That’s why she felt the need to come forward. She contacted Deanna since I only allow mutuals to dm me. She was desperate to let me know who she was. All because you couldn’t follow the fuckin rules!

“Listen, I admit that I fucked up, but that girl didn’t mean shit to me. The whole only once thing doesn’t always work, Dana. Sometimes it’s just better to see the same chick. I know it sounds crazy but a bunch of randoms on the road makes it more likely that someone will talk. I bought her gifts to pacify her…that’s all. I stopped seeing her six months ago. She’s only coming forward now because she’s salty. I let her get too close and like you said she felt special. That’s my fault and I’m sorry.”

“So you really think that’s the only reason why I packed all my shit? I would've been able to look past all of this if it didn't include one thing...Did you see her while you were home?”

“Home???”

“Yes home! Did you leave this house to sleep with her and bring your ass back?”

*Hesitates* “A few times but I swear I never got in bed with you afterwards. It wasn’t like that. I only did it to keep her in line.”

“Sure…” *picks up the last of her luggage*

“Dana don’t…come on…please!?” *panicked*

“I told you the last time, if you did that shit again you gone lose me. Shit, fool me once shame on you…fool me twice?...fuck nah…” *starts walking*

"We're coming up on six years, baby...Six years. You wanna end it because of this chick? I haven't been with anyone else since. I've been on the road with no need for all that. I'm trying to be better for you. Look..." *gets closer to her* "Why don't you stay and I'll go? Take some time to think, and if you feel like you have to leave, then that's what I'll have to accept. Please don't do this off emotion right now."

*Takes a second* "Fine...but don't call me. I'll let you know."

To be Continued....

Next

#black simblr #ts3 story #black simmer #story update #the crawford sisters #dana #sean #the weekend

[blu3haw4]

First Line Game

Tagged by @lexa-griffins

rules: don't reblog the first one, make a new post! look at the first lines of the last ten (10) stories you published. look to see any patterns you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any!

1) Famous AU (I remember posting it for clextober 2023, but I can't find it there or in my blog)

As per routine for the past several months, the group of musicians signed with arkadia Music's made their way into the hall of the hotel as they each finished their own interviews, every room on this floor was reserved for their pre-concert activities, and soon they would be leaving to the venue.

2) I'd like to be a bear this Halloween (clextober 2022)

She was almost falling asleep; her head dropping slightly every other minute before she could react and lift it back up. It had been a long while since she's dropped her book on the table, giving up on being able to understand the words she was reading.

3) Loved your Parting Gift (dead people are my favorite) (Clextober 2022)

The slightly salty scent of the only substance that could ever satiate her hunger filled her nostrils as she walked into her apartment, before she could manage a hold of her -un- natural instincts she was launching forward into her kitchen, following the smell and quickly sinking her fangs on the flesh on display of the body laying on her counter.

4) Thieve's Crew (Clexaweek 2022)

"You got her, Reyes?" The head of the team, Lexa Woods, self and socially proclaimed 'The Commander' asked as she leaned over her hacker's shoulder, with a hand in the van's wall over the screens and the other in the back of chair. She knew the latina had her, but she was wanting for her to show her where she could see.

5) BUILD Series NYU - Horizon Hukop Season One (Clexaweek 2022)

“Hey hey hey! Here we are at build NYC, everyone please welcome these are Lexa Woods and Clarke Griffin, who play Commander Alicia Clark and Queen Elyza Lexlands, two fabulous powerful women, out of many, I must add, on the sensational newly controversial show Horizon Hukop"

6) Guess we'll have to work it out (Clexaweek 2022)

It had been a very long week; with unhappy clients who had no idea what they were talking about, with her boss scolding her for those clients who complained about her incapacity to produce their unexplainable ideas they couldn't even picture themselves. Llexa was tired, and more than she would care to admit for sure.

7) Horizon Hukop - Sneak Peak II (Clexaweek 2022)

"And as I've been telling you for the past six years, I do not need a partner to rule by my side!" The Queen of Skykru exclaimed trying her hardest to keep her voice at the proper tone for this meeting with the clan's council, while also making sure there was no room for argument. She's been through this enough times to know that one small leak of her composure was all some of the eldest members needed to attack her.

8) Don't give up (Clexaweek 2022)

"Fuck!" Having met the other woman not more than a couple day ago shouldn't make the out burst surprising -at least considering that anyone as little prepared as they were would probably react the same- however the exasperated way in which the stoic, always calm biologist -who hasn't shown a glint of pother in her demeanor since the second they met- grunts angrily as she once again tries to climb the wall of ice they fell through about an hour ago, confuses her more than she would care to admit.

9) Horizon Hukop - Sneak Peak I (Clexaweek 2022)

"I told you; she's not a problem!" "She knows too much" the Commander declares as an explanation she didn't consider she needed to give, she turned away from the Queen and left her war paint on the war table "she disagrees with us" she continued "not to mention she's not even unhappy, she's angry at our decision"

10) LexaClarke (Clexaweek 2021)

Lexa has been struggling with telling her girlfriend about her powers ever since they started dating four years ago, she also would be lying is she said she never considered before, when she and Clarke were only friends. But it was complicated, it wasn't every day that you met someone with powers, and even if it was more common that one would think, it was definitely not common to meet someone who could quite literally control your mind.

Tagging: @eternalreignblog @ecfandom if you guys want, I think every other writer I follow has already been tagged, but feel free to do your own and say I tagged you (;

#I'd say #for 2 3 6 and maybe 8 is not identifying the person right away #for all the horizon is jumping straight into the scene no description #as well as three #and then then 1 4 and 10 are more descriptive #writing game #writer stuff #clexa #clexa fandom #clexakru

[escapaldi]

So… I followed you a long time ago, and then I left tumblr. I can’t remember if we interacted much back then, but since you’re also active here I have to ask: what did you think about the specials as a Capaldi fan?

Hello! I know I've seen your name around before, so welcome back! Even when I wasn't posting on this blog specifically, I was still on tumblr posting fic and stuff, so even though there is a gap I've always been here.

Now, as far as the 60th anniversary specials: I haven't watched them and don't plan to for a long time. A long-winded and salty rant by me is under the cut.

To be honest, I haven't felt the need to watch any new Doctor Who since Capaldi and Moffat both left because it all sounded like boring and cringey fan fiction (derogatory) I wasn't really jiving with. If that makes sense? Then RTD came back on as a showrunner and I was severely disappointed because it felt like such a step backwards. Plus that Tennant was going to be in it? No thanks.

Like... I get that to a lot of people, his return makes these specials "feel like Doctor Who again". I've seen that statement a lot from both randos and people I know. Which, fine, whatever, I'm not begrudging people for it, but for a lot of folks saying that, the statement includes a bunch of the show that doesn't feel like Doctor Who to me. I came in w/s5 because of a series of events that turned me off to the show early on. I was nearly sixteen when s1 premiered in the UK. That should have stuck me in the prime demographic to not only love s1-4, but have a sort of nostalgia filter over it to help facilitate excitement over the 60th specials. Well, there's some problems with that.

I can't stand Rose Tyler and any reference to her as something positive makes me cringe. Doctor/Rose in any form makes me viscerally nope out of anything. She was not as likeable as people lead others to believe.

I've been Pavloved into disliking Tennant due to the oversaturation of his interpretation of the Doctor in the series and the fandom as a whole, despite the fact he's just meh. The Doctor is not his best role and in general he doesn't do it for me in the looks department, especially as the Doctor. Which, it's fine if you like watching him (I'm sure Georgia loves watching him and she is a very good sport about a lot of shit) and I know my DW experience has been enhanced by watching the pretty but I am a demographic outlier lol.

What I did see of s1-4 before I got into s5 was Rose being an idiot, getting a deeply unsettling feeling over Jack Harkness, being pissed off for Martha and Mickey and livid about Donna, being irritated by the Master and the angsty space Jesus shite, and thinking Ten and Donna would make a good couple actually.

Oh yeah, and very specifically I'm mad because I watched The End of Time Part 2, like, almost soon as I could, and knew immediately that Martha/Mickey was Pair the Spares Race Edition even though at that point I hadn't watched all of s1-4 and for all I knew they hit it off in an unseen-by-me episode for a reason that wasn't getting drunk over their mid-tier white exes hooking up. Like, I clocked that shit back in 2009. There was a lot of shit I was not clocking in 2009, but I caught onto that, which should be an embarrassment.

...and, like, I'm on the internet, so I've seen spoilers. It's difficult to not see spoilers. Some of the spoilers I love to see hello Fifteen's THIGHS we love us a good slutty Doctor and I do have one UK-based friend specifically whom I've talked to at length about the specials. My fiancé also has been watching this entire time w/o stopping since 2005 (bc he caught it all as it premiered here in the US and at least he got to watch s1 Billie Piper; I fault him for nothing), so he's been giving me updates on what's going on as well. He is a good man who has done saintly things like drive me across three state lines to meet Peter Capaldi at a Doctor Who convention, so... he's generally trustworthy, but also a lot more forgiving than I am. But he was also the one who broke to me the news about Rose Noble because he knew I'd get upset that she's not Donna Jr. So I've got some good fonts of information. They tell me that I'd like the second and third more than the first, that we've just got some extra Ten-Donna adventures, and that generally everything's stepped up a bit from Thirteen.

...but to me, a step up from Thirteen is still not a step towards where we need to go.

You can't go from Eleven and Twelve, an ancient eldritch god trapped in a body with the grace of a baby giraffe and a legit punk who punches diamond walls for his wife and racists for his daughter, respectively, to a Tory apologist who never really got a scary "I am the Doctor and you're stuck here with me now what a shame :)" moment like Nine through Twelve got and think that "a step up" from that is going to catch me. I'm not enticed by the prospect of another Ten-Donna adventure done by the man whose writing and showrunning kept me away from Doctor Who for so long. I. could. not. care. less. There is literally no nostalgia filter making this okay to me. I cannot see what other people see.

I don't want to be an anti, I don't want to be a NMD, but they keep pushing my fucking hand and now I'm sitting here having not watched new episodes of what is literally one of my favorite shows since before the pandemic, watching from an arm's length as it sort of caves in around itself, going and absolutely pissing away their chances at having a really cool, massive-multi-Doctor bonanza like no other. You could have twelve Doctors. TWELVE DOCTORS. Eleven if our most venerable just kinda taps out like nah I'm done unless you give me Bill's job from the Three Doctors special. Like, the fuck, y'all. That got whizzed right down the fucking leg. Did they even try? Did they get rebuffed? Whose decision was the 60th specials? Do they even like Doctor Who? Or are they part of the set that thought that Tennant's Doctor would never be topped?

So... yeah... that's the gist of it. I'm sure it's gonna take being sat down for a marathon by Mr. Nehs before I get into Doctor Who again, which is honestly sad. The BBC has hated this show and been visibly trying to run it into the ground since they decided to make the divisive decision of casting Matt Smith (which worked out great in the long run but having been on the internet at the time as that announcement I can assure you it was not received well) and now they've got Mouse Bucks and some straight-up boring as sin seasons/series under their belts and idk what in the hell's coming for us now.

#replies #dielittlehero #sorry I kind of went off it's not your fault #a scary thing to consider is that by the time the 70th and 75th anniversaries roll around I might have kids old enough to watch #and not just watch but APPRECIATE as well #that's a terrifying thought considering everything #I'm not gonna tag w/fandom to keep it out of searches but yeah #and I swear to fucking God if they try to do a UNIT spinoff like they did to Torchwood I am going to SCREAM bc Torchwood is trash #I'm only vaguely 'in' the fandom rn and i feel freer for it tbh

[asarcasticwitch]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Thank you for sending this to me 💛

And, oh shit, this is the second one of these I've been tagged in and I really struggled to find five fics I liked the first time, so finding ten was damn near impossible, lmfao. I managed though, sorta—the last one I kinda cheated on, lol.

Paid In Full

Sterek | Explicit | 4,746 | 1/1

It all started with his Jeep.

Long story short, it broke down—for about the eighth time in the last month, but he’s not salty about it—and Derek paid for the repairs after Stiles unwittingly griped about not being able to afford it right now. It was just a flyaway comment, grumbled under his breath as he stared dejectedly at the billows of smoke pouring from his engine.

The Alpha heard him—because of course he did. Everybody knows it’s only on special occasions that Stiles is allowed to stand back and watch in peace as his life crumbles down around him.

Daddy

Steter Sr | Mature | 1,165 | 1/1

Peter knows he's playing with fire, he knows it perfectly well, he just doesn't care. He's survived the flames once; why not just throw all caution to the wind and tempt the fates once more? 

Hunt You Down

Petopher | Mature | 1,291 | 1/1

Years he's been training for this moment, and he’s determined to see it through, to prove to his father that he's worthy of the Argent name. He’s not going to fail. 

He can't fail.

I'm On Your Mind

Pisaac | Explicit | 2,889 | 1/1

Peter is dangerous, exciting, and Isaac was clever enough to know that his curiosity was bound to get the better of him at some point.

It wasn’t until Isaac subconsciously flirted back though, that he realized he was totally fucked. The way Peter’s ocean blue eyes lit up and a satisfied grin crawled across his face had made Isaac’s heart swell and every thought in his head flit away with the wind. 

Right then, everything started making sense. Isaac desires Peter, and that admission was enough to melt the last of Isaac's resolve, and he hasn’t managed to claim it back ever since.

A Monstrous Love

(Collaboration with @yogi-bogey-box)

Steter | Explicit | 3,209 | 1/1

They talked about it weeks ago, after Stiles made a throwaway comment regarding the dimensions of Peter’s cock in Alpha form. Peter asked if it was something he'd want to try, to which Stiles—probably a little too enthusiastically—said: "Hell fucking yes!"

#self recs #fic recs #sterek fic rec #steter sr fic rec #petopher fic rec #pisaac fic rec #steter fic rec #sterek #steter sr #petopher #pisaac #steter #derek hale #stiles stilinski #peter hale #sheriff stilinski #chris argent #isaac lahey #teen wolf

[chibi-pix]

Chibi watches V3D 09

Onto the next episode of Voltron: The Third Dimension! And. I just told my bestie, Zip, that I've been watching this. They hoped I was having fun. Honey, this show is super dated with weird CGI animation taking me back to old video games and Into the Mind's Eye. I mean, I am kinda having fun, but still.

Anyway, without further ado, here are my notes from watching it. And, note, I write these as I watch to get my thoughts in order.

Voltron vs. Dracotron. Preliminary guess? A dragon-like robeast made up of five robeasts. Oh. Not exactly robeasts? But ships? But hey, with multiples showing up courtesy of Haggar, part of my preliminary thought might not be so off.

Ooooh. So the thing Allura wants to investigate in the archives is something Haggar doesn’t really wanna unleash. Almost ten minutes in, I’m curious about how dangerous Draco is. It is interesting to have the dragons as, for lack of a better term, old rivals and really powerful. And that Allura’s ancestors sealed Draco away.

And being face to face with Draco, I love that the first thing Haggar says is “hello”. I mean, I probably would have, too. Witch be salty and thinking it’d serve Lotor right if Draco ate him. It would. That would’ve been hilarious. And. I vibe with the witch in that one.

Oh, good on the team for not waiting for Dracotron to finish transforming before attacking. Shame it didn’t work. Oh well. At least they tried.

“Nice dismount. Landing needs work, though.” Haggar’s wit and lines make me giggle. And I love that Lotor was yeeted from the dragon.

Hah! Serves Lotor right that the pirates didn’t want to save him. Look, it was his own fault for enlisting the help of pirates. He should’ve known they wouldn’t be too loyal to him, especially since he’s a horrible commander.

Hah! Lotor pleading his case in order to survive. Though I’m with Lance. I’d want to leave Lotor there, too.

Oh. Lotor was bluffing about the self-destruct bomb not having a remote. Damn shame the pirates didn’t seem to see through it. Knowing how Lotor was? Had I been a pirate and in that position? I’d probably tell him to do his worst and not help him still. But. Alas.

Okay, I’ll be honest. It’s actually hilarious seeing Lotor having to team up with the Voltron force in order to take down Dracotron. Only because he wanted the dragons and Dracotron thinks he and Haggar enslaved him. It’s actually amusing. Though it’s a little sad that it seemed so easy for them to take down Dracotron when the ancestors seemed to struggle. Oh well.

And… Allura? Honey? Are you really trying to extend a hand of friendship to this man? Still? Bless your heart, sweetie. You are too kind. But even I know it’s not gonna work. Lotor’s got too much pride. And no surprise that his conditions were to command Voltron and have Allura as his bride. “I don’t know, I thought for a sec there…” “Maybe Pidge. Maybe one day.” You guys are too optimistic about trying to sway Lotor. Bless your little hearts...

Anyway, that's it for tonight. I'm still chuckling at how hopeful these idiots are. Well, until next time!

#voltron the third dimension #v3d #chibi watches #chibi writes #chibi watches v3d

[librathefangirl]

I don't pay attention for two seconds to the buttons I'm clicking and suddenly I'm having to refollow you, oops. XD

I wanted to say congrats on your poll results, it looks like you got a good response - and hope the writing goes well!

I'm excited to see your take on demon cuisine, and as it goes, I made this snippet of a one-shot some months ago where Mel tries to make food with non-demon ingredients and Zeldris instantly recognizes it as his brother's cooking. I didn't even get as far as to where they eat it but that's just one of like ten fics to finish. The "cooking" was a raw mixture of ground beef from a mixed assortment of nearby animals and also forest berries. (He put the organs he thought Zel would like best separately.)

anyway, here's a drabble of Mel and Ellie baking together as a treat!

Elizabeth: I don't understand. How come Gloxinia didn't like the apple pie? Was it the recipe? Was it the apples? It's true I never cooked before but I didn't think it would be that hard... I mean, baking is a science, right? I can do science. I can do military strategy.

Meliodas: I don't know what baking is. But I have cooked before and can definitely help.

E: Really?

M: Yep! So what you got?

E: Well it's for four people so... 20 apples ( thought 40 was a bit too much), 4 cups of flour, 4 cups of sugar, 4 tablespoons of vanilla and cinnamon, and 4 cups of salt

M: Ah. So you see Elizabeth all you need for complex cooking is three things: a base, a flavoring, and time! So, which one is the flavoring?

E: the apples!

M: Right! so everything else is just whatever you need plus whatever you want it to taste like. Do you like your apple thing salty?

E: mm, no...

M: Great. Don't need salt then.

E: I think I get it, you just have to adjust the recipe until it suits you, right?

M: exactly! That's how you get the most delicious dishes after all!

E: Well.... uh... since you're here and all, do you wanna make it together then?

M: More time with you? Can't say no to that!

M: Plus, I'm really curious what apples are.

*The apple pie is twice as horrible *

Oh I can relate to that! XD Except for me it's usually the opposite, accidentally following porn bots instead of blocking them 🙈

Thanks! I'm thrilled for the response I got (40 votes!), it went a lot better than I thought. I hope the writing goes well too 😅 But lately I've been able to write a lot more, so hopefully it stays that way.

I'm really excited to write this fic!! Tho I haven't thought much about the demon cuisine yet tbh, but I think I have a few ideas on how to approach the subject, so we'll see what happens.

Omg the way that "cooking" sounds both sweet and utterly horrifying at the same time XD

Oh that drabble is hilarious (and terrifying - who let those two bake??). I feel bad for Gloxinia, poor guy's gotta be traumatized by apple pies after that 😂😅

#libra answers #hihopelessromantics #nanatsu no taizai #seven dealdy sins #meliodas nnt #elizabeth nnt

[risu5waffles]

Ope. Another (ten) Shrimps on Barbie

Did you know the flamebreathing bartender Cenobite from Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth was also named Barbie? Probably not, 'cause that guy suuuucked. Not as bad as that goof-ass camerahead guy, but still.

Anyhoot.

Oh my gods. The tile card says LBP3, and this is totally an LBP2 level. Now i need to crawl in my hole of shame. This one was pretty fine, and i had a good enough time wiv it. i kind of feel like the environment looks a bit better the less of the background is shown. It's a touch too empty to be used as more than an accent point, at least the area of it that this level uses. Those winchy grab pads were pretty cool though. They get a little wonky at times, but, if i'm being honest, i never got them to work quite right myself either, so i feel bad docking points. All in all, not exactly a standout level, but a nice one to go through all the same.

This one was a lot of fun, and it picked up a team pick pretty shortly after publish, which it deserved, but, like, Sumo could have waited a day or so so my video would have come out first, you know? i really like the Seaside Surprise pack, it's got a whole chunk of good materials and decorations, even if i'm not the biggest fan of the music. Also it's a totally original (as in unlicensed) thing, so no worries about it getting delisted as long as the game itself is still up. Would i be happier if we didn't have to buy building materials? Sure would; but i recognize even wiv an unrushed game, there's no way a dev could get everything in there, and at least the kits have been robust, largely sparing (as opposed to the costumes. Too damned many of those), and fairly cheap. i want to give a special shoutout to AlphabetGoo for trying to implement the old Super Mario World flip to the backside of the fencing. That was actually kind of nostalgic. They didn't pull it off perfect, since it'd be really difficult to get the fence itself to rotate (you could do it wiv a decoration rotator, having the actual climbable material invisible, but i'm not sure if there's any decoration that approximates the look here. Certainly not one that would blend seamlessly wiv the rest of the set up). This whole level was a good time, and the race was actually fun and pretty well paced.

This one's just super charming. rainrainrain did a great job getting the feel of the tavern sections, and there are a lot of little, neat interactable elements. The circus show at the end comes a bit out of left field, but i'm more than willing to forgive it, because it was (a) fun, and (b) a good continuation of the charming atmosphere of the earlier sections. The tightrope bit was really keen, too! i wish i had cottoned earlier to what the meter meant, tho'; i probably could have gotten an ace on this level otherwise.

We talked about Winterland a few days back. If you missed it, i kindly ask you to get thee to the archives. Typing up ten of these spot reviews takes a little brainpower, and i'll skimp where i can.

A bit of a bittersweet gallery here, the creator saying goodbye to their Japanese friends when the Jside servers got shut down. i saw a fair number of goodbye levels and messages from the Japanese side of the LBP community, but it feels a bit rare to see one to the Jside players, so this was touching. i will never not be salty over how we just got tossed under the bus like that. i had the means (and for a brief window the money) to rebuild on a US account but i don't think that was particularly common among players here, and most of them are just gone from community. i know LBP was never a big seller here (might have helped if you fucking promoted it a little, Sony, you fucking jags), but the community was as dedicated as you'd find outside Japan, and some of the talent was just top notch. i've seldom run into such consistently good music and paint work. Saaa... it's always a good time to say fuck capitalism, but fuck capitalism.

This is a really cool, intricate level wiv lots of mechanical movement, which (doubly so since it's LBP2 played in LBP3) makes for a bit of a wonky experience. i think this play was actually my third or fourth, because mechanisms kept not engaging and it was softlocking the level. i really should have put together an outtakes video to show some of the breaks, but i was running around headless-chicken that weekend, so no dice. Sorry about that.

i wanted to like this one more than i did. It's quite ambitious for an LBP1 level, and a lot of work has gone into environmental shaping and gameplay, but... it just feels so draggy. Part of that, i think is the lighting. The level was just a touch too dark in general, and then you have lights just not working, which is not uncommon in LBP1 levels played in LBP3. But it adds up to taking a more plodding, searching pace when originally it was probably a bit zippier. Also there's that break at the end, and i feel like from the level progress that it was right at the end, where the doors just wouldn't open up. i tell you i was a little steamed after all the effort it took to get there.

i really liked this one. It's a pretty straight-forward race, but aside from one bit, it's fair and it manages to keep its pace throughout. Also it's nice, and bright, and visually easy to parse, even wiv all the bits of decoration in it. Also also, it uses the Blackboard material, and that is honestly one of the best in the game; it just has such a nice look and texture to it.

i was so disappointed by this one. It's not the level or creator's fault; Intangir85 tells us right off the chump that the level needs to be played natively in LBP2, but i figured i'd roll the dice and came up snake eyes. What we got to see, tho', is really really cool. The extra abilities are quite well-implemented considering how much of a pain in the butt it was to get that to work wiv LBP2 tech, and i am always going to be a sucker for clockwork. Do i not have the Clockwork Child tattooed on my shoulder? Yes, yes i do. i probably could have gotten the puzzle at the end if i were a little quicker thinking, but i got there in the end, which is my favourite kind of puzzle. Shame that that's where it chose to break on us. Ah well, that's how it shakes out sometimes.

i really liked this one, even if i was expecting a very different visual style based on the level badge. The look is pretty kludgy, but it's more than made up for by the whole Rube Goldbergian style gameplay. There are a couple of parts that are actually a little tricky, and i felt pretty good getting to the end, even if it does go on for maybe a section longer than it really needed to. Still, this one might be my favourite of the set.

And that's that. Ten more down and another i think eighteen in the pipe i think before my archives backlog runs out? Something like that. i've got my notes, but the lights are off, and the sun's gone down, and it's too dark in my room to check.

Y'all take care of yourselves wherever you are. i know things are rough for a lot of us, and they don't look to be easing up anytime soon, but we just go on, 'cause, i mean, what's the alternative? Don't know about you, but even as depressed as i get (and that's pretty damned depressed), i'm still heavily invested in being alive, and i hope you are too. Love ya. Stay safe.

#littlebigplanet #little big planet #lbp #lbp1 #lbp2 #lbp3 #just a tired little trans lass #Youtube

[dribs-and-drabbles]

It's been a week since I last posted (I swear it had been just a few days!), so it's clear life is a little bit busy at the moment, but I can't abandon this blog just yet...

This might get a bit rambly but I thought I'd just organise my thoughts around the series I'm watching at the moment before I watch Vice Versa and maybe go feral over it if the snippets I have read about it are to be believed. Also, since several series finished in recent weeks, I've had to update my top ten list. Ooof that was difficult.

So, the series I'm currently watching in order of enjoyment:

Love Mechanics: I adore this show. I love the angst and Yin and War do it so well. I can't even fault Vee as a character for leading Mark on because Vee is so conflicted about his feelings - unable to let go of something so familiar but also with a desperate need to be with Mark. I am both looking forward and dreading the 'break-up' post-Vee kissing Ploy one last time. Insert: 'finally some good fucking food' gif.

Senpai, This Can't Be Love: Ahhhh mutual pining. One not understanding if he just worships the other as an idol or if he wants to be with him romantically...and the other so unsure if his feelings are reciprocated that he's scared to pursue the first (plus the roles of work mentor/junior putting a block in the way. I didn't really like the Canadian dude...but I do like that one of the leads is called Kaneda, emphasising the running theme.

My Secret Love: This is fun and cute and makes me laugh out loud sometimes ("Guys I have some good news." "What? Gas prices going down?" - I mean so random and yet topical) but also make sme cringe...a lot (when they fake cry - is it supposed to be fake or real? They're so ott...). But since the pairs are mostly established, we're starting to see where the angsty forces will come from - for Mek and Kim it seems Mek wants to study abroad, and for Park and Lee it's the photography issue.

Even Sun: Okay, I don't actually think this is very good but I'm watching it because I can't help it and also because Boun is so compelling. I think I prefer Prem in a more shy role like in UWMA. The plot is meh but I'm interested enough to see where it goes. I think a third couple will be introduced soon (if the opening credits are to be believed - ha! - and those actors seem promising) and the locations are gorgeous.

Sky in Your Heart: Yeah...I dislike so much about this series but I'm mainly salty that it could have been SO GOOD but it just...isn't. *sigh* but as above I'm watching because I can't help it and I do want to see how it ends. But it's just frustrating and illogical and just poorly done. But great to see Aun even though it is yet again in a side role - lead role for Aun when exactly? Poor guy has been waiting in the wings for too long - and he looked fantastic with his hair slightly curly in the rain. Come on GMMTV!

Right, now to watch Vice Versa - I've heard there's a lot of colour-use/symbolism, so I'll be on the look out for that! Maybe if I have time, I'll post about it...

And my ask is always open if you want to come talk to me about any bl series!

#hi I'm back after a wee break...did ya miss me? #love mechanics #love mechanics the series #yin anan wong #yinwar #veemark #senpai this can't be love #my secret love #war wanarat #even sun the series #boun noppanut #bounprem #sky in your heart #aun napat #aun napat patcharachavalit #vice versa #JIMMY!

[runningracingdancingchasing]

♥ What's the WORST thing that has happened to you rp wise? ☢ What fads/trends are you so over? ♒ Thoughts on the fandom you're currently rping in?

The Salty AF Munday Meme - Accepting

♥ What's the WORST thing that has happened to you rp wise?

Either when the majority of an RP group I was a part of decided en masse that they didn't want to RP with me anymore, or when an RP partner of mine who had a group Discord server I was a part of for several of us who RPed together got jealous that I RPed with more than one of the same character (it happened to be the character they were RPing with me as) and just booted me from the server without warning, essentially pushing me away before I could push them away. It was my birthday. I’m not going to pretend I don’t have a bit of abandonment anxiety in the RPC because of this.

☢ What fads/trends are you so over?

People can legit do what they want, but I'm so not into RPing with icons or fancy formatting. I've never been into it. The closest thing I was to into it was back when it was reaction gifs. (That was, what, ten years ago?) So, yeah, people can use them if they want, but they better not expect me to do the same, cause I'm not gonna, period.

♒ Thoughts on the fandom you're currently rping in?

I guess that would be the Disney fandom (even though I'm a bit branched out from that). I have a love-hate relationship with Disney right now. I still support the artists and what they do, but the corporation as a whole has pissed me off with the way they handle things, and I'm also just so... tired. So very tired. I’m also tired of fandoms (in general) not being able to understand what actually makes something canon.

When it comes to the Tangled fandom, specifically, I have a very complicated relationship with the series. The longer it goes since the series ended, the less I like it overall. Of course, there are aspects that I do like and appreciate and even love, but in general, I'm largely over it, and I largely don't like how Rapunzel was written in it. As far as the fandom goes, I've been seeing more and more of the parts that I am neutral to negative about in the tags lately, and that's very frustrating. Nothing I feel it's worth blocking over or anything, but boy am I sick of people being into the things they're into.

#Munday #meme #reanimatedmuses

[neonthewrite]

OMG Happy Birthday!! 🎉🎁🎊

I just wanted to say I read Bowman’s book, and try read to read all your stories whenever I can, your stories are incredible!! You’re a huge inspiration and never stop being your wonderful creative self! Anyways I hope you have a good rest of your birthday! 🥳

And for the prompts, how’s your characters doing on this fine day? How’s Jacob and Bowman, and what of our poor unfortunately sailor man Issac and the giants? Just generally chillin today or getting up to hijinks? Just curious >:D

(Answering the day after birthday because oops I got distracted the day of) Thank you for the compliments! Ack! I am so uplifted x3 Thank you for taking the time to read my stories, and I'm so glad that it was entertaining for you! You're too kind~

As for how my characters are doing ...

I haven't written anything new for Bowman and Jacob lately, but if I were to imagine something for them right now, while thinking about the overcast weather I've been having in my neck of the woods ... they're settling down somewhere to hang out and avoid the rain, probably with Bowman asking a hundred questions and Jacob trying to have answers to all of them.

Isaac has certainly had better days. But that's to be expected when you're newly shipwrecked on an island of giants. I haven't written enough of the next part to post yet, but since you asked I'll offer an excerpt of what I have so far:

“A need a good bed,” Isaac muttered to himself. Instead, he had a coil of rope around him, a thick twist of fibers that all together was thicker around than his waist, and a bunch of fishing trash. It would be some time before he had a chance to sleep. He could probably lay himself down among the ropes and tackle and catch some rest, the rocking of the boat a reminder of how at home he usually felt on the sea. It was no hammock, this pile of ropes, but his weary bones promised not to complain.

The temptation couldn’t hold up against the looming presence not ten meters away. The giant sitting so close, his companion not far beyond him, ensured Isaac couldn’t rest just yet. He couldn’t let his guard down, not around a pair of giants he couldn’t trust yet, no matter that they hadn’t hurt him so far. He couldn’t control where he’d wake up, if he woke up at all.

So, to keep his mind off the exhaustion and the helplessness of his predicament, Isaac assessed his latest surroundings. Tangled wires lay in an angry mess under a few broken wooden objects with faded paint that looked like fish eyes and fins. Many dips in the salty water had robbed them of their colors and they’d lost the hooks that could secure them to the end of a fishing line. Old broken fishing lures that couldn’t be thrown away.

~~~

Thanks again for your message and for your readership <3

#warm fuzzy feelings #birthday messages #jacob andris #bowman leafwing #isaac grey #excerpt #mywriting