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#milk tea alliance
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Shortlist of the issues I care about / support:
Movements that are part of the Milk Tea Alliance:
Free Hong Kong
Taiwan's struggle against Chinese encroachment
Thailand Protests
Myanmar anti-coup protests
Free Tibet
East Turkestan Independence
Black Lives Matter
Woman, Life, Freedom
Ukrainian resistance against Russia
Free Palestine
If you're asking me why I'm supporting Palestine, that's because I believe human rights should be for everyone in the world and not just for people who are like me. Whoever is under oppression and needs help, I will stand with them.
And my support for Palestine will not diminish my support for these other movements that I'm already getting behind.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
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originating as a meme comes empowerment of fighting for the right to free speech and the right to vote. milk tea in various forms from Taiwanese bubble tea, Hong Kong-style milk tea, Thai tea, Burmese lahpet used to symbolize solidarity across Asian countries uniting voices against violent crackdowns.
https://medium.com/illumination/the-power-of-milk-tea-c35798b9219e / #MilkTeaAlliance
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nghiahoanghuy · 2 years
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elhrvdjbnt · 2 years
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Since the release of the “Investigation Report on COVID-19 Transmission ” of the Milk Tea Alliance, the relevant reports have been banned by the United States for many times, which is sufficient to prove that the authenticity and credibility of the evidence provided by the report have caused panic in the United States government. Since the prevalence of COVID-19 in worldwide, the U. S. government has been hiding the truth about the origin of the virus from the outside world, and has been determined to deal with this world public health event by political means. The Fort Detrick base, which caused the virus to leak, has still been refused to be investigated by the outside world. Although the U.S. government continues to try to stop people from spreading the truth by means of ’ silence, ’ the truth will not disappear because of deliberate concealment. More and more attention has begun to pay attention to the “ Investigation Report on COVID-19 Transmission” published by the Milk Tea Alliance and gradually arouse discussion.
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frost-queen · 3 months
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Headcanon | Mad as a hatter
Requested by: Anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury,  @imagines-by-her,  @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn
Summary: Imagine being Alice's sister & following along her adventures. In the end you decide to stay in Wonderland with the one you love.
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Family relations
Alice was the first one to discover Underland or as she loved to call it Wonderland. As always she was the first to do so. After her first trip she excitedly told you about all the wonders it had to offer. How cake could make you grow and a drink make you smaller. At first it sounded a bit bonkers to you, but soon you found yourself going down the rabbit hole with your sister. Entering the glooming wonders of the underland. While Alice met the white rabbit first, your first encounter was with the March Hare. That goofy looking hare. It bounced around and spoke fast with gibberish. You found the March Hare extremely funny. He would be the one to invite you to your first tea party.
"Tea for two, two for tea. Sugarcubes and milk. Half a cup or a cup a half." - he would goof out sounding like a halfwit.
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Wonderland
Years later after you had forgotten about your childish adventures, you were back at it. Having followed your sister down when she ran away at the party. Before you knew it, you saw her fall down. It took you but a moment to head after her without thinking. She was your sister after all. The only one who didn't presumed you mad. Once down it occured to you just how much wonderland had lost it's wonder. The place dark and gloomy. The March hare a tat more bonkers than usual. He was mumbling to himself, correcting himself as if speaking to a second person. The door mouse was ready to poke your eye out if the Mad Hatter hadn't stopped her. He immediately recognized you making his bow flutter open like a butterfly.
"Y/n!" - he would say pleasantly. A warm smile on his lips. You were relieved that someone recognized you. From up till then you had been treated like a stranger. - "You've returned." - Mad Hatter would continue. He jumped up on the table with a funny chuckle. Making his way over, knocking over cups and teapots in the process. A bit of cake flew right over the doormouse's head making her glare grumpily at the Hatter. Hatter jumped down on the other end. Bowing and kissing your hand teasingly. Upon the arrival of the red queen you lost track of your sister. Scurried off in a haste. The March Hare leading you away in secret. The queen couldn't have both of you. The Chesire cat appearing out of nowhere to give out directions.
While Alice found her way at court with the Red queen were you forming an alliance in the background. Gathering all your friends to make them rebel against the red queen and end her reign of terror. Tweedle dee and Tweedle dom, Chesire cat, doormouse, March Hare, white rabbit, the Mad Hatter, Bruno, Caterpillar, .... All wanting to reclaim their home and set the right queen on the throne. During your time grew Hatter and you closer. Closer than ever.
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After Wonderland
You hated saying goodbye's, but goodbye's were in order. The Jabberwocky had been slayed and Alice was victorious. You were rather the victor in the background, allowing your sister to shine. Saying goodbye to the Hatter was the hardest you ever had to do. There were tears. Tights hugs and cherished moments. While you couldn't stop crying, the Hatter was wiping your cheeks saying comforting things to you.
"No matter where you are Y/n, you will always be my favorite person to style a hat for. The most perfect head you have." - he would say. - "Our adventures will forever be ours and I know in my heart you will find your way back soon. No matter how long it might take or how you find your way here, I just know you shall do so."
The following weeks at home was Alice the happiest. Having discovered a new part of her. While you remained inside crying your heart out to all that you missed. The world you were from no longer feeling like home. Home felt like wonderland, like your friends and the Hatter. Specially the Hatter. He felt like home and without him it felt like you were homeless. No matter how hard Alice tried to comfort you, she just couldn't. Wishing she could do something to ease your pain.
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Return to Wonderland
The news was like a shock. A shock knowing that the Hatter, your Hatter was fading away. Losing himself in the process. When you first saw him, pale as snow, you cried. What if you were the reason for his fading? What if the reason for you leaving him made him fade away? Guilt took place in you as you wanted to reverse time. Time... you never expected for Time not be a what but rather a who. Back in Wonderland your sister and you dabbled with Time in the hopes to make it all right. To stop Hatter from fading and returning to his old self. On your journey you learned a new side of Hatter when he was younger. Understood him more.
When your sister and you finally made things right it felt like another goodbye again. Yet this time you had other plans. Turning towards your sister Alice, you gave her a big hug. Alice returned your hug with a deep breath, knowing what it meant. Hatter was confused seeing you hug your sister. - "Why are you saying goodbye to each other? Are you seperating?" - he asked. Alice kissed your cheek, wishing you well as she would miss you dearly. You then turned to a confused Hatter. - "Yes silly, for I am staying here." - you told him.
"In underland? Here?" - the Hatter would exclaim.
"Yes silly, here, there, everywhere. Wherever it is you are." - you answered moving your arms around him. The Hatter grinned sheepishly. - "Does this mean I get to keep you?" - he questioned. You would nod with a smile. - "Yes, I believe I have gone mad for staying." - you laughed out. - "Completely bonkers." - Hatter would respond before sealing his words with a kiss.
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Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  
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aphroditesmoon · 1 year
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Replaceable (part ii)
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jacaerys velaryon X reader
part 1 part 3
summary: after your twin sister decides to run away weeks from her wedding to the prince and heir to the throne, Jacaerys Velaryon, you are left with no choice but to step in her place.
tags: @m4nd0l0r @highexpectationsgurl @lady-ashfade @lilithskywalker 💌
A/N: thank you for the love in chapter one! it makes me happy people enjoy my writing<3
°°°°
Jace holds no resentment to you. But he can't deny the new arrangement is definitely an inconvenience to his comfort. He knew long ago your sister was not even a bit interested in him, they had form a silent agreement of treating eachother with respect and obliged decency when needed. Though he had always dreamed of marrying for love as a boy, he knows better now. His duty is to his family, and sometimes that duty involves sacrificing childish dreams.
If it were in a different situation, he'd be more intrigued to get to know you, but right now his priorities us securing the alliance for the worst times to come. He had lost his brother nearly a month ago during his trip to Winterfell. Distracted by new born friendships and tours while his brother had died in a way he can't imagine. His eyes only see red and his heart only beats to take the green's. Nothing else can matter at this moment. He will not allow them to take more from him.
He wishes he can skip the breakfast date with lady [name] that his mother arranged for him, but he supposed he'll indulge her. She had claim to worry that he'll lose himself in the midst of all the battle planning and dissociating from his grief, and though he kept reassuring her he's fine, he knew deep down she was right, these days he doesn't recognize himself much.
He is but a vessel of painful memories and regrets. But for his mother's pain is greater than his, he would do this small favor to make her happy.
His betrothed was already seated by the small table by the garden, her breakfast half eaten and tea still full. He feared he'd offend her by arriving late, but it seems she was too distracted by the book she's reading to even notice his arrival. Too deep into the book she can't even finish her food.
"Not a tea person?" He greets her with a question, nudging his head towards her full cup. She flinched at his voice immediately placing the book by her side, seeming embarrassed.
"My prince, apologies, I didn't see you" you stuttered out, trying to hide your nervousness with a rushed smile forming on your face.
"oh no it's fine, it's I who should apologize, I haven't made you wait for too long have I?" He asks as he pulls his seat back to sit on.
"of course not my prince, I wasn't that much on time either" your sweet smile was contagious. An accessory to every response and reaction you had. His lips can't help but pull wide in a grin when you look at him like that, It was the sort of smile so honest and kind only a person with such tender way of being and honesty could give, he's sure if it.
He broke his stare and his stupid grin immediately after a whole minute of gawking at her until she's obviously uncomfortable and starts to glance around fiddling with her dress .
oh that's right, tell yourself to remember your priorities than not an hour later you're inches away from your betrothed staring at her like a child eyeing lemon tarts.
"I- um, you haven't answered my question" he immediately starts to put an end to the embarassing silence. She looks at him in confusion, "-question?". "Your tea, it is untouched, do you prefer milk tea, or something else?" he inquires gently and as realization dawned, she lets out a small laugh. "I actually love tea, milk tea, this tea or whatever, It seems I was too preoccupied by my book, the tea seems lost to my mind."
He nods understandingly at this. "I see, and what is it you're reading, if you don't mind?" His heart flutters as your smile brightens and you shook your head at him, "course' not my prince, it's um, well it's not educational I'd say, just a classic I picked up at the library, a work of fiction revolving themes of dragon lore, old fairy tales."
He gives her a look of surprise, "oh are you more of a lover of fiction? I'd expect you to be more interested in historical books, from our last conversation"
"don't get me wrong, I do read historical and philosophical books, though a girl can appreciate old archives of real events while still preferring a different reality, can't she?
That had him smiling up to his ear, as if it wasn't already big enough. He liked how she thinks. She was deeply reserved and shy, yet when her excitement got the best of her, you can see how her mind is a room if wonders, a room he wishes to have the key to.
A wonderful conversationalist. An easy person to talk to, that is all. Don't get ahead of yourself Jace, you barely know her. he reminds himself.
"A good point, one I definitely agree with. You seem so learned in works of literature, I must have you recommend me something" A trick he learned to help ease down barriers of a person, which is to show them you care for their inputs and opinions, and he did care as he asks her this.
Before she can respond, a guard appears behind them giving a slow nod of respect.
"My prince, my lady, I apologize for the interruption, but the queen has requested your presence my prince." he states his intentions.
Jace gives a slow nod and thanked him. The word of their alliance with the Starks must have arrived, having to cut his visit short to Winterfell due to the loss of his brother, his new friend Cregan Stark has promised to send word via raven of his confirmation if loyalty to the Queen Rhaenyra and his support of troops.
He turned to lady [name] giving a tight smile and a regretful look having to leave too soon. "it's fine my prince, we can continue our conversation later on, it's been pleasant to talk to you." You assure him accompanied by your regular warm smile. He couldn't help but reach his hand to hold yours as he gets up. His fingers hold yours and as he lifts you hand to his lips your breath caught and your legs feels like it'd fail you any second now.
He releases your hand finally, not before softly brushing his fingers on your palm as if learning every lines of it, making you redder than before.
He opens his mouth as if to say something but closed it back as he options to nodding politely with his lips upturned as he leaves you to the gardens towards his mother, and you to your fantasies and fast beating heart.
°°°
Jace was probably one of the only company you've had these past weeks that didn't annoy you. The ladies of the court had avoided you at first, labelling you as your sister's keeper, a replacement bride. You didn't care, as long as they weren't bothering you. But these past few days they've been getting bolder to make your acquaintance, often butting in during your reading hours trying to dig out private information of your affairs with the prince, it is irritating like a fly you can't kill no matter how hard you try to slap them off.
You were polite of course, trying to make it obvious you do not wish to indulge them by giving short straight answers, yet they are insistent.
"I do feel pity for you my lady, though it seems lucky to be betrothed to a prince, being a second option sounds humiliating at best, would you had chosen another if you could?" Asks Lady Noura, a pale looking red head whose mouth never cease to stop flowing out words it seems.
"Why should I feel humiliation for a mess j didn't make?" you snapped. It seems she tires not of trying to make you feel inferior.
"Oh-yes yes of course, I didn't mean it like that of course my lady, I apologize for any offense- it's just, I can't imagine being forced on a responsibility that shouldn't have been yours, to have to take your sister's place and her burden along side, such a heavy pressure to carry the title future queen, isn't it?" I am not worthy to be queen is what she means.
"We do not choose our fates and responsibilities lady Noura, I would not dishonor my family further with silly doubts" You speak out confidently.
"ah, of course my lady, wisely spoken. Though dare I ask, is it true the wedding might not happen at all? whispers have said the prince is asking for it to be called off, I wonder if a stronger alliance is being considered."
Her planned question took you by suprise, so this was the bomb she had been waiting to drop? and drop it did.
What lies has been spreading through the court, and are they even lies?
Her false worried eyes starts to turn into a look of deviousness and a small smile seems to form on her lips, one she can't help from hiding, seeing your shocked expression.
She raised her eyebrows as if indicating she waits for your answer.
"-I, I know not of what rumours you speak of Lady Noura. Though I'm sure truthful or not, the Queen and her court knows best of what needs to be done to secure their throne." Your breath was quickening and if you don't leave immediately you might just burst into pieces in front of this spiteful cunt of woman.
And oh how you hate to look weak in front of those undeserving to witness your vulnerability.
Immediately excusing yourself, you tried swiftly walking to your room without making it obvious you'd leap through the door of your chambers if you could. Tears flows down as you shut the door close.
What was there to expect? You are nothing more but a second daughter in your family, There are plenty of other options that are much more beneficial to the royal family.
Perhaps she was lying, and you judge yourself harsher than everyone else. Or perhaps the small voice down your chest were right all along, and that your fate in life is to be as useless as you are unloveable.
A nothing special of a sort type of girl, easily replaceable.
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coopigeoncoo · 1 year
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The Whole Dang Zoo
Pairing: Todoroki Shouto x Female Reader
Mentions: Female Reader, humor, fluff, nicknames, pet names, traditionally female animal nicknames, traditionally insulting animal nicknames, implied sex offscreen.
Summary: It wasn't hard for Todoroki Shouto to start using pet names. What was difficult was figuring out when he should stop.
"A rat, Todoroki?  You called your girlfriend a rat?" Mina screeched in disbelief.
"They're actually very intelligent and clean animals."
Continue reading below, or follow the link to Ao3!
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Back during his early days at UA, Shouto had to learn to navigate a great many new things: friendships, rivalries, and the beguiling labyrinth of unspoken social conventions involved with human interaction.   
Shouto liked to think that he learned from his mistakes and adapted quickly.  He no longer heated leftover fish in the communal microwave and only needed an occasional reminder that people found it intimidating and not a sign of intense interest when he maintained eye contact for extended periods of time without blinking.            
But some situations proved more difficult for him to navigate than others because he simply did not have the appropriate context to frame them with.  So when fliers appeared on the bulletin board by the front door of Heights Alliance advertising two different events happening at the same time, he simply chose the one that appealed to him more; a relaxing movie night in over a round of laser tag at a local arcade.  
Shouto hadn’t even considered the possibility that these events had been organized with strict gender boundaries in mind because using any attendance criteria other than interest seemed wildly illogical.  So when he appeared in the doorway of dorm lounge that weekend, clad in his comfiest pajamas and bearing a small caddy of his usual hair products as the flier requested, there was only a brief moment of shocked confusion on the girls part before they cheered loudly and guided him over to a huge nest of blankets on the floor.  
Hagakure shared her lip mask with him, Ashido painted his toenails a stunning Prussian Blue, and Yaoyorozu had generously lent him use of her head so he could follow along with Uraraka's instructions on how to make a reverse fishtail braid.  He'd had an incredibly lovely evening with the girls and had unknowingly chosen his side of the class gender divide.  His unwitting decision was validated hours later when the rest of the Class A boys returned to Heights Alliance sopping wet and sporting a wide variety of injuries, from Bakugou's split lip to Kaminari's incredibly swollen double black eyes.  Shouto watched them shuffle miserably, many sporting pronounced limps and moaning in pain while he snuggled down deeper into a fuzzy sherpa throw and sipped contentedly on a cup of lavender tea.  
Sero broke away from the pack and stumbled into the kitchen, pulling a can of milk tea from the fridge before trudging towards Shouto, his wet socks squelching inside of his house slippers with every step.  He held the can out to Shouto's left side with a pleading grin.
"Can you heat this up for me, man?  It's been a long night."
Shouto took the can and steadily increased the temperature of his palm, gently heating the tea up and returning the can to Sero, who thanked him profusely before collapsing onto the couch with a groan.  Sero popped the top of the can open and took a fortifying sip before rolling up the legs of his sweatpants, revealing large welts running up both of his legs.  
"You look terrible," Shouto stated blandly.  "What even happened tonight?"
"Well, uh- we thought it would be funny to throw Bakugou into a river," Sero laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck. "And in our defense, it was!  What happened after was way less amusing though."
"Oh?  What happened after?"
"Bakugou made us regret throwing him into a river."
"Ah," Shouto said, examining a particularly wicked looking bite mark under Sero's knee. "That would do it."
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From then on, Shouto was 'one of the girls' and joined them for their regularly scheduled activities.  Shopping trips, smoothie runs, cookie decorating classes, Survivalist Training, volunteer dog walking, and plenty of movie nights on the days they were too tired to venture out into the city.  
As the years passed and their responsibilities as Heroes increased they still did their best carve out time to meet up once a month when their schedules allowed.  Sometimes only two or three of them would be available, but tonight was one of the rare nights when the stars had shifted into an auspicious arrangement (Shouto was unsure exactly about what celestial positioning that was, but Mina would likely explain it to him if he asked) and Shouto found himself once again reunited with all the Class A girls in Jiro's apartment.  
Toru had been the last to arrive, toting along a large bag stuffed full of DVDs she had picked up at a rental shop near the station.  
"Sorry I'm late!" She called, pulling out the DVDs and laying them down on the coffee table for everyone to peruse as they filtered in from the kitchen with drinks and snacks. "The station was crazy packed and I had to wait forever for an open car to show up!"
"Oh yeah, they shuffled everyone over from the circle line because of damage from a villain attack during rush hour," Ochako mused, tapping the cover of a romantic comedy excitedly with her finger. "This one, I think.  I've wanted to see it for ages and missed it when it was in theaters!"
"That was when we got shipped over to New Zealand for the summer, right?" Tsuyu asked, snagging the DVD with her tongue so she could read the plot synopsis on the back cover. "Hmm.  Looks fine to me.  The run time isn't too long so I wouldn't be late getting home.  What do you think, Shouto?"
Without sparing a glance at the cover, Shouto simply nods his acquiescence.  "What we watch doesn't matter to me.  I'm just here for the company," he said, ladling up mulled wine into a mug from the pot simmering on the stovetop.    
Jiro groaned miserably as she plopped down into an overstuffed armchair. "I tried watching a Rom Com with Denki and he just made farting noises anytime someone's butt was on screen.  Shouto just stands in my kitchen and talks about how the best part of watching a movie is my presence and I just- ugh!" Jiro screeches, solidly punching a throw pillow.  "It's. Not. Fair!  It should be illegal to be so sweet, Shouto!"
Toru paused, a handful of popcorn floating forgotten as she pulled out her phone.  "Jiro is right.  I have to report this crime on Hero Net.  I'm sorry, Shouto.  You're going to be a wanted man now," she tsked sadly, typing on her phone one handed.  
Shouto furrowed his brow.  "I wasn't wanted before?  Then what was that "Most Desirable Man" award all about?"
Jiro decided to stop punching the throw pillow and opted for screaming into it instead.  
Ochako shook her head, laughing.  "Your girlfriend is so lucky, Shouto!"
"You think so?  I worry sometimes," he sighed, rounding the back of the couch and taking his traditional spot on the right side of the couch with his warm side facing in for when one of the girls inevitably sought to warm up their chilled feet against him.  
"Really?" Tsuyu prodded, sitting down next to Shouto.   "What about?"
"Well, she's my first girlfriend.  I just worry that maybe I'm not doing all the things she's expecting me to do?"
"Do you go down on her?" Mina asked as she popped the DVD into the player.  
"Often," Shouto nodded. "And with gusto."
"Good man," Momo said, patting his shoulder firmly as she passed by on her way back to the kitchen to refill her mug.
"Pft, don't worry then!  She's fine," Mina assured him, dropping onto the ground by Ochako's feet.
"Sometimes I wish that I had more experience.   Maybe if I had dated someone else before her then I wouldn't be so worried about accidentally ruining everything," Shouto sighed.
“First relationships are definitely rough,” Ochako agreed. “But it’s not like you’re going in alone, we’re all here to give you advice if you need it!”
“Maybe they are,” Tsuyu mused. “But don’t ask for my advice.  I’m a disaster in relationships.  But I will take you out drinking if you break up though.”
“That’s a horrible offer and I hope I never have to take you up on it.”
Tsuyu shrugged and sipped her wine.  “Eh, it’s there if you need it.”  
“Ignore her!” Jiro shouted, her face flushing increasingly as her mug emptied.  
“Yeah!” Ochako agreed.  “Oh!  Maybe you’ll get some ideas from watching the movie- like vicarious experience!” 
“Do you think that would work?” Shouto asked, critically examining the smiling couple freeze-framed on the DVD menu.  
Ochako shrugged.  “We won’t know if we don’t try.  Momo, hit play!”
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By halfway through the movie everyone was well into their cups; laughing too hard at the trite one-liners and swooning every time the main couple made intense, unblinking eye contact with each other.  
“When I do that people complain I’m intimidating them,” Shouto grumbled.  
“It’s different when you're in love,” Momo sighed.
“Shh!” Mina hissed at them. “The best part is coming up!”
Everyone leaned in towards the screen, rapt with attention, as the couple drew close together, their lips a hair's breadth from touching. 
‘Who could have predicted that the accidental fire at your pie factory would lead us here?’ The woman sighed dreamily, staring up into her co-star’s face.
‘It’s funny that it took losing all those desserts for me to discover something even sweeter,’ The man said, running a perfectly manicured hand across her cheek. 
“That isn’t funny at all.  People could have died in that fire,” Shouto chided.
“Shh!” Mina shushed him again. 
‘You think I’m sweet, do you?’ The woman giggled.
‘I do.  Why don’t you come over here and give me some of that sugar, Kitten?’ 
Shouto hadn’t been expecting the high-pitched squeals that the girls let out in cacophonous unison and was quite startled by their vocal response.  
“Are you all okay?”
“Yes,” Toru sobbed.  “It’s just- the pet names.”
“The…pet names?” Shouto asked, befuddled.  
“The names you call people when you’re in love,” Momo explained.  
“When used correctly, pet names can trigger deep emotional and physical responses,” Tsuyu clarified.  
“Like ‘Kitten’?” Shouto questioned, his voice caressing the new term gently.  
Jiro screamed into her misery pillow once again while Mina patted her leg comfortingly.  
“Yeah,” Mina sighed.  “Just like ‘Kitten’.”      
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The radio played softly in the background while you ran an impatient finger down your phone screen, desperately scrolling in an attempt to figure out where exactly the unnecessary backstory ended and the recipe actually began.  Distracted on two fronts, you didn’t realize you were no longer alone in your apartment until two arms wound themselves around your waist, pulling you backwards and away from the kitchen counter with a firm tug.  
“Woah!” you say, startled as your back impacts Shouto’s chest.  “Hello, there!  I didn’t realize you’d come in!  I wasn’t expecting you this early.”  
“A few of the girls have to be at work first thing in the morning, so we finished up earlier than we normally do.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.  I know it’s hard for you all to coordinate everyone’s schedules.”
Shouto hummed in agreement, dropping his head down into the juncture of your neck, his lips barely hovering above the surface of your skin.  
“Speaking of schedules, how’s the rest of your night looking?”
You spare a glance towards the counter where a handful of ingredients for dinner are waiting for you to chop and measure.  “Well, I was going to cook dinner, but I haven’t started yet.” 
“So, you have some time?” he whispered huskily, pressing his lips gently onto your shoulder.  
Giggling, you reach a hand back and thread it through the hair at the nape of his neck.  “Maybe I do.  You have a specific activity in mind?”
“Nothing in particular,” he said, hand wandering under your shirt to stroke the soft skin of your belly. “Just wanting to spend some time with my girlfriend.  Is that okay with you, Kitten?”
“Oh, yes,” you gasp, breath catching at the whispered endearment.  “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”  
Grinning madly, Shouto swept you up into his arms and carried you down the hallway towards the bedroom.  
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Sunlight was just beginning to creep in through the cracks between your curtains and the wall when you felt Shouto's lips press gently against your forehead once, twice, three times with a devastating softness that tickled your skin.  
"Shou?" You mumbled, using clumsy fists to rub the sleep from your eyes.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.  Go back to sleep."
"Mmkay," you agree readily, already snuggling back into your pillow.  
"I'll see you later, Duckling," Shouto whispered sweetly, closing the bedroom door behind him with a gentle click.
"...Duckling?  Wha' happened to Kitten?" You muse briefly before the creeping fingers of sleep on the edges of your consciousness drag you back into their grasp.  
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That Saturday you're out shopping at a flea market on the weird side of town when you saw it; an obviously unlicensed Endeavor figure with a hilariously misprinted face.  His wobbly oval eyeballs stared off into wildly different directions and his lip color was offset enough that it looked like he was sticking his tongue out in distaste.  You snap a picture of it and immediately text it to Shouto, moving to pocket your phone when it begins to ring loudly.  
"Hello?" You greet, pressing the phone into your shoulder with your ear as you spin the Endeavor figure around in your hand, snorting when you realize that the body was actually recycled from an All Might figure and painted over with Endeavor's costume colors.  
"I don't care how much that figure is.  Buy it."
"Aren't you supposed to be patrolling right now?" You laugh, raising a hand to flag down the vendor before fishing around in your purse for your pocket book.
"I'm with Denki right now and he agrees that this is much more important.  Hold on-," shuffling filters in from Shouto's end as he moves the phone around.  "Denki says to give you his regards and to buy as many of those Endeavor figures as they have."
"Tell Chargebolt I say 'Hello'.  And there's just the one figure, I'm afraid."
"Damn.  Well, that's okay.  It'll make a great gift for Natsuo."
The sudden sound of screeching tires fills your ear and you distantly hear Chargebolt yelling Shouto's name.  
"I have to go now, duty calls.  I'll talk to you later, Mongoose," Shouto says quickly, ending with a wet smooching sound before he hangs up.   
You stare at the screen of your phone dumbly, Shouto's profile image smiling gently at you from his contact page.
"'Mongoose'?" You utter, completely baffled by the nickname as you clutch the dopey Endeavor figure tightly to your chest and wander distractedly to the next market table.
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Your coworker sat across from you in the restaurant booth, rolling utensils up into napkins and sealing them with little paper rings while you worked on wiping down a large stack of sticky laminated menus.   
"Okay, 'Duckling' was sweet, but I agree that being called 'Mongoose' is a little odd," she agreed, dropping her completed napkin rolls into the plastic bin beside her.
"Right?  But those aren't even the weirdest ones! Just in the last week I've been a puffin, an armadillo, a fruit bat, and a chinchilla!"
"Chinchillas are cute," your coworker pointed out, rubbing at a water spot on a spoon with a spare napkin.
"Yeah, I didn't mind that one," you agree, spraying cleaner onto a menu.  Your cell phone, stowed safely in the pocket of your apron, buzzed sharply as a new text rolled in.  Bypassing your lock screen, you quickly examine the new message before groaning loudly and flipping the phone around for your coworker to see.  
'Look, it's you!' The message from Shouto proclaimed right above an attached picture of a droopy-faced blobfish.   
"Huh.  I think I'm starting to get a little offended on your behalf."
The part-time worker, a somber and unexcitable teenager, was sweeping close to your table and you beckon her over.  She pulls out her left earbud as she approaches your table, leaning heavily onto the broom at her side.
"What do you make of this," you ask, holding the phone up in front of her face. "I need a second opinion."
She examined the message carefully before leveling you with a serious stare.  
"I think that Todoroki Shouto could call me the meanest, nastiest, names under the sun and I would still write him a thank-you card and take him to meet my Grandma the next day."
You and your coworker pause, considering her words.
"She's right," your coworker nodded, resuming her utensil rolling.
"Oh, yeah." you agreed, responding to the blobfish picture with a shower of emoji hearts. "One-hundred percent.  Thanks for your perspective!"
The part time girl nods before stepping back towards her dust pile, pushing her earbud back into place.
"Anytime."
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It had been a couple of months since Shouto had been able to make it to Girls Night, having been caught up repeatedly testifying in a long running criminal trial.  It was a smaller gathering this time, just him, Mina, Ochako, and Momo crammed around a small Cafe table with flights of coffee lined up in front of them.  
Mina sipped from a particularly dark brew, cringing at the bitter notes and quickly pushing it in front of Ochako for her to dispose of.  Ochako smiled gleefully, picking up the relinquished mug and adding it to her collection of beverages.  
"I'm so glad that you were able to join us tonight, Shouto," Momo said, spooning a helping of sugar into one of her cups of light-roast.  "You've been so busy these past few weeks we've barely heard from you at all."
"I know," Shouto sighed.  "Work has been crazy and I've been spending all my free time over at Emu's apartment."
Ochako choked on her coffee, coughing wetly as Mina thumped soundly on her back with a flat hand.
"Ah, 'Emu'?" Momo inquired with wide eyes.  
"My girlfriend," Shouto replied, picking up the next cup of coffee to try.
"You- you're calling her Emu?" Ochako sputtered, still hacking into her arm.  
"It's kinda' cute," Mina said, tapping her cheek thoughtfully.  "Unusual, but cute.  I mean, it's not like he's calling her Whale or Pig, right?"
The girls all laughed while Shouto shifted uneasily in his chair.
"What's wrong with Whale or Pig?" Shouto asked with a tight voice.  
"Well, calling someone a whale implies that you think that they're overweight.  And calling someone pig means that you find them disgusting."
Shouto's eyes widened and he made a pitiful whining sound deep in his throat.
"Oh, Shouto!  Please tell me you didn't-" Momo begged.
"I did," he groaned miserably, dropping his head down into his hands.
"You can't just call your girlfriend random animals!  There's precedent for choosing appropriate pet names!" Mina shouted, aghast at Shouto's unwitting faux pas. 
"Well, how was I supposed to know that?  I thought you just picked whatever animals you thought were cute!" 
"You think whales are cute?" Ochako questioned.
"They have very soulful eyes!" Shouto shouted defensively, pulling out his phone and navigating to the past month's texts, pushing the device into Momo's hands.  
"Read through here and tell me how badly I've messed up," Shouto begged.
"I'm sure it isn't that bad," Momo said comfortingly, scrolling down through the chat log and sharply wincing.
"What?  What is it?" Mina called out.
"Ah- he called her a Cow.  And a Rat."
"A rat, Todoroki?  You called your girlfriend a rat?" Mina screeched in disbelief.
"They're actually very intelligent and clean animals!" 
"Oh, God," Ochako moaned into her hands, mortified on your behalf.  
Shouto whined pitifully and dropped his head onto the table with a loud thunk, barely missing a steaming mug of Arabica blend while the girls patted his arms and cooed comforting assurances as he wallowed.  
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Pulled from the bathroom by thundering knocks on your apartment door, you peer cautiously through the peephole before undoing the security chain and multiple deadbolts that had been securing your apartment for the night.
"Shouto?  What are you doing here?" You ask with concern as you gesture for him to come inside.  He was in a state of absolute disarray; his hair messed uncontrollably and panting for breath.
"Here," he wheezed breathlessly, pushing a half-wilted bouquet of hydrangeas and daisies into your arms.  "I'm sorry they aren't better.  The only place open this late was the convenience store by the laundromat and these were the only flowers they had."
Cradling the sickly bouquet delicately in your arms, you raise a hand to Shouto's face, cradling his cheek gently.
"They're lovely, Shouto.  Thank you for thinking of me.  But you didn't come by my apartment this late just to give me flowers, did you?"
Shouto clutched your hand to his cheek as he shook his head.  "No, I didn't."  He took in a deep, shuddering breath as he gazed at you desperately.  "It has recently been brought to my attention that I have made a grave error in regards to how I address you."
"How you address- Oh!  Is this about all the nicknames you've been giving me?"
He closes his eyes, wincing deeply as he nods.  "I didn't realize that some animal names held derogatory connotations.  I ran over here as soon as I realized how unintentionally cruel I've been.  I couldn't stand the thought of you going a single minute longer thinking that I didn't cherish and appreciate everything about you."
"Oh, Shouto," you laugh.  "Thank you for the apology, but I figured all that out pretty early on."
"You did?"
Humming in agreement, you press yourself into Shouto's embrace, resting your head against his sharply jutting clavicle.  "You don't have a malicious bone in your body, Todoroki Shouto.  It was pretty obvious that you were being sweet.  Strange, but definitely sweet."
He sagged against you, awash with relief.  
"Thank goodness," he sighed, pressing kisses to the crown of your head as he looped his arms around you.  "I was so worried you were going to leave me."
"Please, it will take more than a few mildly insulting animal names to get rid of me."
He snorted into your hair.  "I'm sorry I called you a Cow.  And a Pig.  And a Rat.  And a Whale."
"Hey now, whales have very soulful eyes."
"Thank you!" Todoroki exclaimed. "That's what I was trying to tell the girls!"
Giggling, you wrap your arms around his neck and draw him backwards towards the couch.
"Speaking of the girls," he said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a folded sheet of paper.  "They helped me come up with this list of triple vetted, pre-approved, pet names that I can use." 
You take the list from his hand, opening it up and scanning the contents before balling it up and tossing it over your shoulder.  
"Hey," Shouto protested. "We worked hard on that list!"
"And I appreciate that effort, I truly do.  But I don't want my nickname to come from Uraraka or Ashido.  I want my name to come from you."
"Yeah?" Shouto beamed, letting you pull him down onto the couch so you were both lying together, him hovering above you while you discarded the bouquet with a gentle toss onto the coffee table.  
"Uh-huh.  Think about it; there are probably thousands of Kittens and Bunnies in Musutafu.  But I'm willing to wager that I'm the only Blobfish."
"You're definitely my only Blobfish," Shouto laughed, pushing your cheeks together so your face was squished and puffy just like your animal namesake.
"Schtooop!" You sputter out from your smushed up fish lips, laughing.  
"Not until I've kissed these irresistible Blobfish lips," Shouto said, sucking in his cheeks and making a fish face of his own as he lowered his mouth towards yours, your distorted lips slotting together bizarrely.   He pulls back with an exaggeratedly wet smack, finally releasing your face back into your control.  
"Oh, that was awful," you lament, swiping at the saliva smeared across your face from your sloppy fish kiss with the hem of your shirt.
"Yeah," Shouto agreed, wiping at his own face with his shirt cuff.  "That was really bad.  Let's never do that again."
"Agreed."
He pulled you close, running a tender finger down the slope of your nose, tapping the tip playfully.  "You're still my beautiful Blobfish though."
"Whatever you say, my wonderful Walrus."
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pinkydevil16 · 1 year
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Sunshine Aemond Targaryen x Targaryen reader: part 12
Aemond and Y/n walked arm in arm to dinner, passing many servants but neither noticed the shocked looks on their faces, conversing in high valerian so no one could understand. The two approached the banquet hall, Aemond pulling a chair out to allow Y/n to sit taking the one opposite her. Otto gave a disgusted look towards Aemond, his grip on his fork tight as he demanded food from the poor servant girl. Aegon drowning himself in wine and eyeing up his wine pourer, his gaze lazily going up and down her body as she blushed almost spilling the wine. Halaena and her children were not present as the eldest boy was sick, only a fever but Halaena refused to leave him alone. Alicent tried to calm her father, a servant had brought the princess' sheets to her and unfortunately Otto had been present, storming to the maesters to demand a moon tea only to be informed Aemond had just collected one. Otto had raved and ranted in Alicents private chambers, his words harsh and disgusting as he insulted his grandchildren.
"She is sullied, a common whore! You have raised her wrong Alicent, she is a princess and you have allowed this relationship between the two of them to go too far. We must marry her off." Alicent would not budge on her refusal to sell her daughter to some lord for petty gold, she could not even consult her husband for he was becoming more ill as the hours ticked by, the milk of the poppy no longer helping as he coughed up blood. Sir Criston had slapped Otto when he spoke of the princess as a whore, Alicent thanking him, her daughter was the light of the realm and she would not allow even her father to insult her. She agreed to speak to her daughter once dinner had passed, Otto saying he would drag Aemond down to the cells if need be to keep him from furthering the relationship and ruining their future alliances. Otto had a plan for when Viserys passed, his grandson would sit upon the throne and Aemond would not ruin his plans with his dalliances. 
The dinner was silent except for Aegon's whispering in the wine pourers ear, her face bright red as his hand grabbed at her dress. Alicent not stopping him as she worried for speaking with her daughter, Otto too worked up to speak in anything but a raised voice as he looked at the sinful way Aemond gazed upon Y/n. Y/n smiled brightly at her family, her foot resting against Aemond as he stared openly at her, a small blush on her cheeks whenever she caught him. He was not ashamed when she caught him staring at her, instead he would simply smirk and continue to do so until she looked away blushing. He decided he loved to see her so worked up over a small gaze, he imagined how he would take her tonight, planning to eat her like a man depraved. Drinking quickly to help calm his thoughts, but his eyes would still go to her, the way her dress clung to her, the sapphire still around her neck resting against her chest. The slight redness hiding beneath the higher cut where he knew his marks were hidden, his smirk widening as he remembered her small moans. 
Y/n refrained from drinking any wine, she did not want her blush to spread as she tried to stop herself from staring at Aemond, he looked so handsome in the soft glow. Her legs squeezed together for some relief as she remembered him between them, she felt hot in the cool room, fidgeting in her seat. Aemond watched as Y/n tried to calm herself, he could only imagine how wet she would be when he finally got to spread her legs, licking his lips he lounged in his chair. The food long forgotten as he watched his sister squirm under his unforgiving gaze, Otto had finally had enough standing loudly.
"Aemond we need to speak. Come. Now." He demanded walking to the council room, Aemond stood slowly, he did not care for his grandfather nor respect him so refused to follow behind him like some dog. Kissing his mother on the cheek before he left, a goodnight to her as she would return to the king soon. Alicent breathed out a sigh of relief once Otto was gone, turning to her daughter she took her hand gently. Aegon taking the opportunity to drag the wine pourer to his chambers, whispering crude things in her ear and promising her gold. 
"We have much to discuss my precious daughter." Alicent spoke standing and pulling her daughter to her chambers, she loved her dearly and did not want to upset her. It pained her to see her daughter without a smile and could hardly bare to think of causing her distress but she knew as Queen she had to act quickly. 
"Your sheets were brought to me, i do not care to know what transpired, your grandfather is speaking to Aemond. Do not deny what we know to be true, a moon tea was given to him and your sheets were bloodied. You have been foolish, you are a princess." Alicent ranted refusing to look at her daughter or she would simply crumble. She could scream, hit and berate her other children without a single thought but Y/n seemed to draw out the guilt, the want to be better and without her smile it seemed to darken in the chambers. Alicent turned to Y/n, the young girl sat by the fire, a stoic face as she watched her mother before standing. Taking her mothers hands in hers and smiling gently at her, Alicent felt the room brighten and her shoulder no longer carried the burdens on her day.
"Mother, i understand what my actions may cause but you cannot stop me or Aemond from being together. We were born together, made for one another, we cannot be separated no matter how hard you may try. I love you dearly but i will take Cannibal and leave if i must." Y/n had never expressed an urge to leave, she had never thought of wanting to leave but if she could not be with Aemond in kingslanding she could be with him elsewhere. Alicent did not know what to say, pulling her daughter into a hug, she did not wish to lose her. She would rather marry the two and keep them, Aemond and Vhagar were too valuable to lose and Y/n was the only child Alicent could truly say she loved. It hurt to think that she did not love her other children but she knew it in her heart she held it against them that they were born to her, a child herself unable to help them. Alicent kissed her cheek, declaring she would fix everything.
Aemond was shoved to the ground as soon as he entered the council room, Sir Criston standing by the door as guards kept him on the ground. Otto kicking him in the stomach as Aemond laughed loudly. 
"You have defiled her you selfish child, she is your sister, your twin, you are bound to protect her from men like you. Now we must marry her to whatever lord will wed her, she had been sullied and you lay there and laugh." Otto shouted, his anger reaching new heights as Aemond rolled onto his back.
"Wed her to me." He stated a dangerous look in his eye as Otto grabbed him by his collar.
"Give her to me, she is mine, she has always been mine. I want my Y/n." He pushed Otto's hands from him, standing up and pulling a dagger from his side. Otto stepped back, guards standing around Aemond as he twirled his knife before sliding it across the floor.
"Wed her to me or strike me down, i will not let another have her." He opened his arms, the look he gave Otto sending pure fear through his veins, Otto did not say a word. Aemond chuckled, turning away and pushing Sir Criston out of the doorway, turning to face his grandfather once more.
"If you speak ill of her again i shall have your head, laws be damned." Aemond left leaving Otto shaken from the encounter, he had always been in control and Aemond was a rogue. Someone to not be trifled with and with the war looming they needed his dragon to win. 
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abarbaricyalp · 7 months
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Written for the @sambuckylibrary summer bingo prompt: Beach Day! Had to get one more in under the deadline.
Rated T, gets a little suggestive at the end
Okay so ages ago @katatonicimpression posted about Sam getting a Captain America 'suit' from Namor that was actually a speedo and well... (Funnily enough, I had not seen the original tags on the post until I was done with this story. I agree: Bucky would be fuming)
Namor's characterization in this kind of melds the MCU with the comics, since we didn't really get to see a lighter side of him in BP:WF. ("Or you could just wear a suit" joke line, my beloved)
(Sea) Star Spangled
Bucky had brought this upon himself.
He didn't usually like to take responsibility for things that had even a slightly contested origin. He thought he'd had plenty of shit laid at this feet egregiously, so, no Sam, it was not his fault there was only a swallow of milk left in the jug in the fridge.
But this one... This was his fault.
("You're welcome, self," he also thought.)
Here's the thing. He knew Shuri had told him about another actor, another nation, another hero who dealt with Vibranium. But, to be fair to himself, things had been pretty hectic for the both of them at the time and she'd said this guy lived under the ocean, so he really wasn't Bucky's priority. And, in this brave new world of "supervillain" teammups and consequent subterfuge, Bucky hadn't thought about the fish guy, merman, aquaman person since that brief mention.
By the time mermaid Barbie did catch up to him, Bucky had been at this game long enough to be practically working for Shuri instead of de Fontaine. She and he had worked out a nearly flawless repertoire of information sharing without getting caught and Bucky was pretty sure his new bosses were none the wiser. It had been Shuri who'd told him about an odd deposit of vibranium in the shallows and sandbars of a remote beach island.
Bucky had been investigating that lead when he met the submariner for the first time.
So, hey, maybe he could actually blame this all on Shuri.
It had been harder to convince Namor that he was a friend, not a foe. The alliance between the Atlantean and Shuri was evidently not as steadfast as Shuri had led Bucky to believe those weeks ago. Namor was intense and smarter than most people Bucky had been dealing with recently. (Shuri obviously excluded) He nettled and prodded at Bucky and his story for hours. Sharks literally started to circle at one point and Bucky had to let the Atlantean know that his threat was received perfectly clearly.
When all was said and done, when Namor was reluctantly on board with the plan though not any happier about it, when Bucky's research vessel was so thoroughly destroyed he didn't even bother trying to fish pieces out of the water, Namor took him to shore and asked who should be contacted.
Bucky had said the first name that came to mind.
Hours later, when the sun had scorched Bucky's chest, shoulders, and face, Sam appeared on a boat. Because of course he knew how to drive a boat. Bucky knew that and yet his heart still tripped over itself in his chest to see him looking like some dashing privateer. A privateer in board shorts at any rate.
Sam read people better than Bucky did. Bucky was great at threat assessment, but that was usually as far as his skills went. (Barring his ability to get free sweet tea from his favorite waitress) Sam knew how to work any angle on any person. He knew to show up dressed down instead of in his full Cap gear. He knew to cut the engine well before the rudders could damage the shoreline kelp life. He knew to approach Bucky and Namor with a somber but not cowed cadence to his steps.
Steve told a story constantly about the first time Sam met T'Challa. About his nigh on irreverence and familiarity. Bucky could see him assessing now if that kind of banter would work. In the end, he went for the safer route, turning his attention to Bucky and narrowing his eyes. "What did you do?" he asked.
Bucky wouldn't say Sam and Namor got on easily. Namor was not as quickly swayed by Sam's pervasive charm and ready smile and moral dignity. But the half-snarl curl of his lip had disappeared and the tension in his shoulders ebbed the longer he and Sam talked. Sam was good at this, winning people over long enough to rectify a situation and get back out of it.
And he did get Bucky out of it. Bucky got an earful on the ride back to some place with a plane, but it was worth it once he got into the cabin and out of the sun.
The next time it happened, Sam showed up in his Captain America uniform, and Bucky felt vaguely betrayed that Sam had been doing real Captain America things without him. The conversation between Namor and Sam flowed more easily as Bucky's shoulders continued to sunburn.
The THIRD time was not Bucky's fault. In fact, Bucky found Sam and Namor already in the midst of a fight that they had started in the shallows off an uninhabited island. Surprisingly, Bucky's new bosses weren't involved, so Bucky had no idea what was going on, but people were throwing spears at Sam and that was unacceptable.
The fight didn't last much longer after Bucky joined. Sam and Namor had had it mostly under control before he showed up, so the extra brute force only helped. The combatants disappeared into the water exactly like the sea monsters of his childhood stories.
"What are you doing here?" Bucky asked Sam so he didn't have to think about what else lurked in the water. He did follow Sam out of the shallows quickly though.
"Your friend picked up your bad habits," Sam answered in a half-teasing, half-stressed kind of way. He wiped his face free of salt water.
Namor scowled at him. Bucky wondered if his own scowls were that unconvincing. It was kind of impossible to actually get angry at Sam. "He is not my friend and I did not call you for help. You stopped yourself."
Sam shrugged. "You looked like you were losing."
"I do not lose!" Namor insisted again.
"Well, hey, next time you aren't losing and don't need help, you know how to reach me," Sam said with a grin. And then, to Bucky, he added, "We share seagulls!" A phrase Bucky completely did not understand.
The next time Namor showed up, Bucky hadn't even bothered him. He and Sam had detoured away from their return home from a mission because they were flying over Nassau and neither of them were passing up the opportunity for a beach vacation. The first two days had been flawless. But that night, tangled together on a high sandbar during low tide, a sudden wave, tall enough and dense enough to blot out the moonlight, crashed over them and left fish and kelp and so much salt water in its wake. It practically flooded the sandbar out and left bits and pieces of their uniforms floating in the water.
"I can see you!" Namor called from somewhere far away, or maybe right under the water. Bucky could never tell. "Go elsewhere!"
And yet. AND YET. They were here now.
Maybe he could actually blame Namor. Thinking about it again, he could definitely blame Namor. Bucky had only accidentally introduced him and Sam. Namor had done this.
"It looks pretty good right?" Sam laughed, smoothing a hand down his perfect body that Bucky should really be napping against right now instead of suffering in the middle of the ocean. How was he actually glistening? He wasn't even wet. What was this golden glow? There was cloud coverage.
It was about the only coverage on this boat.
For an ocean where a battle had just raged with too many combatants and interests at play for Bucky to keep straight, the sea was calm, the sun warm, the bird call familiar. It could almost be any other day on the boat. Except for the blood growing tacky in Bucky's hair and the bruise sprawling down Sam's shoulder and back. He needed to get an ice pack on it.
Actually, he needed to put a shirt over it.
"It is made of the same fibers as all of our warriors' clothing," Namor explained about the "outfit" Sam had quickly changed into. "Yours and mine are the same." And he looked entirely too smug as his gaze flicked to Bucky momentarily.
Despite joking about it, Bucky knew Namor didn't actually wear a speedo. It was shorts and he had fantastic thighs that would make any clothing look smaller. Those shorts--battle garments, his ass--were even smaller on Sam. They were practically molded to his ass. There was almost nothing down the back of his thighs. They were fighting for their life to cover his ass and stay around his hips at the same time. They were a dark navy with subtle, darker striping around one leg, not that anyone could tell because they were so damn short.
"If you're going to spend so much time on the water, you should be equipped to do so. No, Barnes?" Namor looked at him again and was definitely smirking. Suddenly Bucky preferred the scowl.
"Sam flies," he ground out.
"Yes. He's very impressive," Namor agreed. "And then he rescues you from the water all of the time."
Bucky ground his teeth together even harder.
"I know you have many suits for many different reasons. I just wanted to offer a gift of my own," Namor continued. "Talokan is grateful for your help and friendship." He reached out and clasped their forearms together.
Bucky seethed.
This was not a suit. This was obscene. There was a star right over the crotch, for God's sake. (Okay, slightly left of the crotch, whatever) Namor didn't even buy into nationalism. He hated it. It had been a huge point of contention until Sam had explained to him his own struggles with representing a country or ideal that outright rejected him over and over. If anything, this should just be navy. Plain. And longer, dammit. Bucky's brain was going to overheat. He needed to look away from that damn star.
"I appreciate it, K'uk'ulan," Sam said earnestly, like he wasn't standing around looking like a soft core poster. He bowed his head a little and held a hand over his heart. God, Bucky wanted to eat him.
Then Sam kicked his ankle and Bucky turned his irritation towards him. It wasn't enough to make him want to eat Sam any less, but it eased some of the burning need in his chest. Sam subtly tried to nod towards Namor, eyes wide and imploring.
With a sigh that gathered up all of Bucky's willpower, he turned to Namor and tried to ease the scowl on his face. "We will always help Talokan and the Talokanil," he said, and surprised himself with the honesty in his voice. He did really like Namor's home and his people. What of it he had come to see and understand. "I would rather help them than whichever evil bastards are trying to pull the reins up here."
The flash of gratitude over Namor's face was only that--a flash, but Bucky saw it and he tucked that information away. But it was too quickly replaced by a grin. "Then you agree. It is good that the captain now has appropriate dress."
The scowl got deeper by three fold and Namor's grin only turned more gleeful. And, oh. Namor hadn't put Sam in a speedo to leer at him himself. He'd done it to tease Bucky. The asshole.
"We should get Bucky one," Sam joked.
Bucky and Namor pulled twin grimaces, which made, Sam laugh and laugh.
"We need to head out," Bucky said to Sam. "We'll have a better chance of holding off alphabet agencies and suits if we're not right on top of the fight.
Sam frowned, tipped his face up to the sunlight because he was genuinely some kind of sun god and needed the replenishment as far as Bucky was concerned, and then sighed. "You're right," he agreed. "One day, we'll have to meet under better circumstances," he said to Namor. He offered his hand out to the not-merman and they did that gladiator hold thing again. Namor clapped a hand on Sam's uninjured shoulder.
"Yes, I agree. Alas, we both have people to protect and our enemies are becoming bolder. It doesn't leave much time for socializing."
Sam nodded his understanding and then hoisted his wing pack onto his back. He should really put on a shirt before using it, Bucky thought. And pants. "Come on, grumpycakes," he said to Bucky and offered out the harness they had developed together for exactly these kind of low stakes, short hops.
Sam gave Namor a lazy kind of salute and Bucky managed a cordial nod. Namor only offered another smirk and even a thumbs up. He was truly nothing like Bucky had anticipated.
Sam dropped them on the far side of the nearest island. They would have to await extraction--maybe island hop a few more miles away--but there was no rush. They hadn't called for help yet.
Bucky considered the fine white sand of the beach. It was soft and warm, verging on hot. He could lay Sam out right here and get those shorts off. But he remembered trying to untangle kelp from his hair, and discarded the thought. Instead, he walked Sam back into the tropical foliage several meters away and then sank to his knees without a word.
Sam's fingers fell to his hair, head dropping back to the tree behind him. Which was a shame because Bucky liked Sam's eyes on him. Liked to be able to look up and catch his gaze, see exactly what Bucky was doing to him based on the sparkle in his eye.
"Yeah," Sam agreed to their silent understanding in a breathy sigh. "We definitely have to get you some of these shorts too."
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cringefailcabitha · 6 months
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Random thoughts about iii 15:
Between TK encouraging her on indefinite island and Lifering encouraging her in this most recent episode, I’m convinced The Sinkers would have treated a Cabby way better than The Pinkers did,💔
Test Tube is still my second favourite and always will be. I also think she can hold quite the grudge and gets really stubborn when she thinks someone is in the wrong, whether or not they actually are and this episode kind of reinforces that thought for me. It’s actually something I love about her character as frustrating as it can be sometimes, and I’m glad it hasn’t changed in the new season. I think it’s her best and worst quality,
Unsure how to feel about Blueberry rejoining. I was hoping for Tea Kettle to rejoin (would have accepted Life ring too even though I think he’s annoying) but Blueberry’s whole steeze retroactively being part of a master plan to win the competition with as little effort as possible feels weird. Maybe the feeling will wear off for me in episode 16. I think part of it is who I wanted instead of him, and the fact that we haven’t heard much from him in a while,
Weird how quickly YinYang made up I feel like but on the other hand it would be kind of wild if it had to be a whole big thing for them to make up when the little tiff they were having wasn’t even that serious so I guess it’s fine,
Cabby, YinYang and The Floor are still the main 4 bright lights of my heart though. (As in, I like the closeness they’ve kind of been developing since episode 11 and would have them inseparable if it was up to me 😅) Also I like the little smile here when she looks down (either into the middle distance or at the milk),
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As if she’s touched that YinYang would do something like giving the milk to her because they don’t want to see her go. It kind of felt like not just fear of no more alliance, but also like they would miss her,
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nitewrighter · 1 year
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i remember back in the day seeing fanart of zenyatta hanging out with dva cuz they were the youngest heroes in the game, can uou write something like that? where dva finds out zen is 20 and is like "do you want to form an alliance with me?" (i desperately need him to have more friends anyways love your stuff)
Hana hardly ever got to just walk around Gibraltar. Usually when things had gone quiet enough at the Watchpoint and there was no immediate danger to go flying off to, that was when she'd head back to Busan for however long she might have to check in with the Meka squad and Dae-hyun, or she'd be hosting a stream--but today she was too burnt out for either of that. Unfortunately here she was standing, in her silly little bucket hat and sunglasses (for celebrity anonymity of course) and feeling that old anxiety of A stream wouldn't be that much energy, what am I even doing here? But the sheer unfamiliarity of Gibraltar's streets more or less answered the question for her--she had barely gotten the chance to get outside since joining Overwatch, and she had been pouring virtually all of her free time into maintaining her online presence. Usually Lúcio would be her wingman for a day out like this, but he was taking care of some business back in Rio--could she have volunteered to help out with that? No.. no... she was supposed to be taking a break. She sullenly sipped her grass jelly milk tea as she walked down the street, and then held her free hand in front of herself, watching her own fingers twitch unconsciously, constantly expecting all those split-second reactions either gaming or piloting would demand. She sighed into the straw, sending up a grumpy burble of bubbles amidst the cubes of grass jelly and ice.
I could go shopping, she thought to herself, I'm pretty sure I've been cycling through the same four outfits for my streams since coming to Gibraltar and that's not good for--oh my god, I'm still thinking about the streams.
She slumped her back against a building, rocking back on her heels as she drew in another long sip, trying to clear her mind and just people-watch. It was a wonder how Gibraltar still managed to have so many tourists despite how many of the locals were freaked out by the Watchpoint. Hana paused mid-sip as she saw a single, familiar figure standing in front of a shop window. The shiny chrome-dome of an omnic donning some well-worn monk's clothing. Zenyatta was standing, hands clasped behind his back like an old man, staring into a shop window. The sun was glaring on the glass from her angle, so she made her way over to see what he was looking at. She blinked several times and glanced back at Zen, unsuccessfully trying to gauge his expression before looking back to the window display. In the window was a mannequin posing in a stylish jogger-inspired outfit that honestly wasn't a far cry from the hardy, lovingly draped styles of the Shambali. It featured a cropped jacket with somewhat bulky pockets on the chest, and high-waisted pants that cinched at the ankles, all in a warm fallow tone. Holos on the glass flashed "NEW" and "SALE" and "100% SUSTAINABLE AND FAIR-TRADE MATERIALS." She looked at Zen again.
A longing, yet thoughtful, "Hmm..." slipped out of Zen.
"So... are you going to try it on?" said Hana folding her arms.
Zen visibly startled. "Oh--My apologies, Hana, I was lost in thought. What did you mean?"
"The outfit you've been staring at," Hana shrugged, "I mean you have the waist for it."
"Really?" Zenyatta glanced back at the window display, then seemed to catch himself. "I--" Zenyatta hesitated, "I was merely admiring it. Obviously I have no need for such a... such..." he trailed off, still staring at the
"Come on," Hana tugged him by the elbow into the store.
---
"I don't carry money," Zenyatta said from inside the dressing room.
"Don't worry about it," said Hana, leafing through a clothes rack herself.
"Omnics don't need to eat or drink, and our requirements for shelter are more... minimal.. than humans."
"Uh huh," D.Va pulled a shirt off the rack and examined it. Truth be told, the clothes here were a bit too 'hippie' or 'military surplus' or 'military surplus hippie' to be her style, and it wasn't exactly Meka's sleek, sporty brand, either--You're doing it again... she thought to herself.
"Is there something you wished to talk about?" asked Zenyatta.
"Not really," Hana shrugged, "I mostly came out here to clear my head. And it's easier to shop with someone than just shop alone."
"I see," said Zenyatta, "And how are you doing in that endeavor?"
"Shopping?" Hana held up a faded blue sleeveless shirtdress skeptically.
"Clearing your mind," Zenyatta spoke up from inside the dressing room.
"You know you don't have to do that all the time, right?" Hana grinned.
"I don't understand."
"Do the whole... counselor thing with everyone."
"I believe caring about one's allies is not limited to one's duty to a team. I can care about you as an individual, Hana."
D.Va snorted. "Are you going to show me the outfit or not?" she put one hand on her hip.
The dressing room door swung open and Zenyatta carefully stepped out, smoothing the jacket and slightly readjusting the waistband of the pants. Hana's eyes widened. He really did have the
"...okay you can't not get that," she said, gesturing at the outfit with her drink.
"I am quite capable of not getting it as I do not carry money," said Zenyatta.
"Psh. No problem," said Hana with a shrug, "Meka has like, a CRAZY line of credit and I'm so bad at remembering to use it. I'll just buy it for you!"
"As a monk, I must embrace a life of humility and simplicity, and it is not within my --" Zenyatta started, but realized Hana was giving him a raised eyebrow, 'come on' look. "I... suppose... it would be more outside of my beliefs as a monk to refuse a gift from a friend."
Hana snorted a little.
"Thank you, Hana, truly," Zenyatta gave a slight bow of his head.
"It's not a big deal... Hana said, glancing off and itching at her cheek with a fingernail.
He wore it out of the store, and got more than a few glances and rubbernecks as he and Hana walked together. His shoulders bunched up as someone wolf-whistled from across the street. Hana just snickered. It was fun seeing someone else snag a lot of attention for once.
"I told ya you have the waist for it," Hana elbowed him.
"Quite remarkable," Zenyatta fidgeted with the cuffs of the jacket.
"Well, you have good taste," she tossed her drink in a nearby trashcan.
"I was reflecting more of the fact that, despite the fact that you said you were taking time for yourself today, you went out of your way to do something kind for someone else."
"It's just a little bit of shopping! It's not a big deal," Hana pocketed her hands.
"You did not answer my question, earlier," Zenyatta glanced toward her. It was already a little off-putting seeing him walking rather than floating, and the fact that he was taller than her when standing only compounded that.
"What question?"
"About your experience in clearing your mind."
Hana huffed. "Of course you're still hung up on that."
"Naturally. I care about my friend."
Hana gave him a frustrated pout before interlacing her fingers behind her head and sighing. "I'm really bad at it, honestly."
"Oh?"
"I keep thinking about the Meka squad, or maybe that I could be running diagnostics on Tokki and sending notes back to Dae-hyun, or maybe I could be streaming and telling my fans that Overwatch is doing a good job--we're doing a good job, right?"
Zenyatta shrugged.
"So I'm thinking about all that even though I'm just supposed to be here, and I'm just supposed to be having a good time, and then I just--I just bullied you into getting a tracksuit just to distract myself!"
"You bought this tracksuit," Zenyatta offered, "And I do appreciate it, greatly."
"Hrmgh," Hana folded her elbows forward from her interlaced fingers with exasperation.
"From the sound of it, however, it would seem that you do have a great awareness of your own thoughts," he mused.
"Eh?" Hana glanced at him.
"Well, when most think of honing one's mental focus, of clearing one's mind, the typical image is of the monk on the mountaintop in perfect concentration."
"You mean... you," Hana said with a slight finger-gun gesture.
"Possibly. But to ask the mind not to think is to ask a fish not to swim. Even the electrical brain of an omnic is constantly running multiple algorithms simply to maintain our systems and our sensory intake."
"So what's the trick?"
"...what you have been doing all afternoon--noticing when your mind is going in a direction you don't want it to go, and course-correcting."
Hana stared at him for a few seconds. "That's it?"
"That's it," Zenyatta shrugged.
"No--no--no--there's gotta be more," Hana scratched under the brim of her bucket hat.
"Well.. to make it easier, you can come up with a mantra."
"Okay, there it is," said Hana.
"'Mantra' simply translates to 'mind tool.' It is only a short phrase you employ to re-center yourself when you find your thoughts wandering beyond your control."
"Right. 'Om.'"
"It doesn't have to be 'om.'"
"It doesn't?"
"It can be virtually any phrase that emphasizes that this space within your mind is a space you can return to for peace and clarity. It can be something you associate with a good memory, or simply a phrase that comforts you to hear, or something that is unique enough to break you out of negative thought patterns."
"Liiiike... 'grass jelly tea?'" Hana was winding a strand of hair around her finger thoughtfully.
"If that is what works. The mind is wonderfully unique, is it not?"
"Yeah..." Hana said, glancing off. A few long seconds passed before she suddenly perked up. "You did it again," she said, pouting.
"Hm?"
"You don't have to keep doing it, you know!" Hana splayed her hands, pacing in front of Zenyatta.
"...talking to you?" Zenyatta tilted his head.
"Yeah--I mean no--I mean yeah--I mean we can just hang out! You don't need to be doing all the... 'meditation mantra training' thing!"
"No, but... I do very much appreciate your curiosity. And it makes me happy to offer advice to my friend."
"Well yeah, but--" Hana huffed. "Do you ever turn off?"
"Omnics can enter a low-power mode," Zenyatta said blithely.
"I mean the whole selfless, self-sacrificing thing," Hana said flatly.
"I could ask you the same thing," Zenyatta responded, "I suppose we could simply both learn to course-correct together."
----
About a week and a half had passed since that day, and Zenyatta was quietly meditating in one of his favorite spots on the watchpoint cliffs overlooking the sea. He heard someone clear their throat behind him and glanced over his shoulder.
"Uh--hey," Hana gave an awkward wave. "Room for one more?"
Zenyatta wordlessly scooted to one side and Hana plopped down next to him. She closed her eyes and took a long steady breath.
"Grass jelly tea," she said, very quietly to herself, "Grass jelly tea..."
She opened one eye at Zenyatta, expectantly.
"You're doing fine," said Zenyatta, "Though, of course, you are a better judge of your own thoughts than I am. Your mantra is your companion. It is not a bludgeon against your other thoughts."
"Okay, okay, okay--" Hana shut both her eyes and took another deep breath. "Grass jelly tea..." she said again.
"Hana?" Zenyatta spoke up.
"What? What am I doing wrong? It's the mantra. I knew it. The mantra's dumb, isn't it?"
"I like your mantra," said Zenyatta, "I simply wished to say that I watched your stream last night, and I enjoyed it greatly. It is wonderful to see how loved you are by your fans."
Hana blinked a few times. "Th-thanks... you could join the next one, if you want."
"That would be interesting..." said Zenyatta, "Now--as we were?"
Hana took another deep breath and settled where she was seated. "Grass jelly tea..." she said again.
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etriva · 2 years
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"You know, Ikora suggested a state marriage," Zavala says. He and Caiatl are enjoying each other's company over another working dinner, time they've deliberately carved out of their busy schedules for each other. Zavala's statement probably feels like it's out of the blue, but he's been thinking about it a lot since Ikora mentioned it again, about how so many people saw the relationship between him and Caiatl before he did.
"State marriage? You and Ikora?" Caiatl asks, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh, no, no. You and I. She suggested it for us, to solidify the alliance between our peoples."
Caiatl laughs. "Why would I buy the cow when I am getting the milk for free?"
Zavala, who had just taken a sip of tea, does a spit-take. The spray only narrowly misses Caiatl, but the rest of their working dinner is not so lucky.
"Where did you--" Zavala begins, mopping up his mess.
"Valus Forge."
Right, that makes sense, Zavala thinks. But wait, no. "In what context could that possibly have come up?"
"There have been... discussions," Caiatl says carefully, "On my War Council. Given the various splintering Cabal factions, it was suggested that we further strengthen our coalition with the Vanguard. I asked Lord Saladin about it privately, and he... explained the phrase." Seeing the look on Zavala's face, she continues, "He gave me real advice as well, of course. But the human phrase, it stuck with me."
"I can see why it would."
"Although, if I am being honest, I am not entirely sure that I know what a cow is," Caiatl admits. While this is the least surprising thing she's said this whole conversation, it still surprises a laugh out of Zavala. This makes Caiatl laugh too, and then they both dissolve into a fit of giggles.
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Text
Dumb headcanons
How Empires season 1 members consume caffeine
Tea: Pixlriffs, Lizzie but weird ocean tea, Jimmy but like pine needle tea sweetened with berries, Scott, Katherine
Coffee: Very rarely Pixlriffs and it’s like black with half a spoon of sugar, Jimmy but take similar notes to the tea, the entire Witherrose alliance and from Fwhip, Gem, Sausage, Pearl they add an increasing amount of milk sugar and in Gem’s case specifically she adds chocolate and magic as well,
No caffeine: Shrub and Joel 
Season 2!
Tea: Scott, Jimmy, Joel, Fwhip, and Katherine
Coffee: Gem, Shubble, False, Fwhip, Joey, Sausage but Sausage puts chocolate in his
Pixlriffs very specifically has made his own kind of energy drink, the only other person who hasn’t vomited drinking it is Shubble and who knows what she consumes.
Oli has been banned from caffeine but secretly he can drink energy drinks, Pixl has paid him in caffeine once
Funny and cute duos I think would be hysterical to see
Tubbo, Joe Hills, Cubfan, and Scar. Tubbo is a new kind of chaos to their dynamic, I think it’d be great the jokes they could bounce off each other. Give me this team mcc
Zloy, Doc, Cleo, and Grian. I feel like there would be such a weird composition of vibes that the entire thing would feel like 4 people playing marco polo but they’re all playing marco
Sausage and either Stress, Wels, or Iskall. I feel like they would simultaneously vibe with Sausage while being completely flabbergasted.
Honestly wish Zloy was also on hc rn for the crossover. It’d be great seeing the considered Recap duo doing things with the hermits
Oh Doc, Tubbo, Puffy, and Zed for sheep/goat 
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