#my mechanic broke the news like he was telling me my dog had been shot

[hellenhighwater]

Welp. Beowulf, the beloved car I inherited from my grandmother, is not much longer for this earth, which means I'm going to have to start car shopping. On the one hand, road trip! (Because you should always buy cars from southern states, they're far less rusty) but on the other hand ugh. Cars expensive, and I refuse to have a car payment unless it's completely unavoidable.

So maybe I'll post some paintings for sale soon. And maybe some pottery? Idk about that.

#my mechanic broke the news like he was telling me my dog had been shot #i will always always buy used cars #i have an excellent mechanic and its for sure the way to go #i love owning my car free and clear and i do not want a monthly expense if I can...just not have one #i will take a shittier cheaper car #or ideally a truck but who knows truck market is bonkers rnnd

[sunmoonandeddie]

and he kissed me right here

pairing: modern!bucky barnes x reader

word count: 6,100

summary: I've always been sure that all I ever wanted was a glamorous life.

warnings: Cuss words, mentions of the Afghanistan war (Bucky is a veteran), angst, happy ending, cheesy romantic confessions, age gap

a/n:  This is based on the song 'Stars and the Moon' from Songs for a New World! It's the first one shot in my musical series! This is written in first perspective, but there is no physical description or use of a name in this!

Twenty-Two

I sighed as I tossed a few more dirty plates into the dish window, wiping my brow. After a shitty dinner rush and an even shittier rush around two in the morning consisting only of drunk ass college kids looking for some sort of carb to suck up all the alcohol in their systems, I was ready to go the fuck home.

“Sweetheart, you head on home now,” the head chef insisted as he watched my head nod slightly as I tried my best to fight off sleep. “Ain’t nobody comin’ in before Melissa gets here. No point in you staying on your feet any longer.”

Louis was a godsend. At sixty-seven years old, you’d think he would rather be anywhere but a diner at almost four in the morning.

“Nah,” he had said when I’d asked him a few months after I’d first started. “My Ginny died a few years back, and since she’s been gone, I don’t really have the stomach to sit around that house all alone.” He had laughed, but there’d been a deep sorrow that had come over his deep brown eyes. “Kids are worried, but… Sleeping the day away is better than laying up at night staring at her side of the bed…”

“You sure, Lou?” I asked even as I headed for the back room where all the employees clocked in and kept their possessions in their own little cubbies. I did my checkout in view of the security camera, just like always. I didn’t want anyone to be able to say I stole anything.

Everyone who knew me knew that I wouldn’t, but I’d worked at two many places where the girls tried backstabbing each other and sabotaging everyone else to get them fired.

Though people were a lot nicer in Louisiana than any of the other places I’d lived.

Louis chuckled as he set a to-go box in the window, nodding towards it. “Mmhm. Long as Buck is getting you home safe.”

I gave him a joking eye roll as I took the to-go box gratefully, grinning at my name written in all caps with green Sharpie on top. “You know you don’t have to make me dinner every night.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, shooting me a look. “How else do I know you’re getting enough food in you, huh?” He pointed his rag at me. “Now you go ask him to get you home. Tell him I said he can clock out, and that he’s supposed to text me when he sees you safe inside. You better not say you’re gonna ask him again just to walk yourself home.” The old man shook his head as I headed for the back door, muttering to himself, “Damn girl thinks I’m gonna believe she’s feeding herself good enough when she’s risking her damn ass walking home alone.”

Despite the fact that I’d put off asking for Bucky Barnes’s service, I really did appreciate how fiercely Louis cared about me.

It had been a real long time since anyone had cared so much.

I hesitated at the back door of the diner, my hand resting against the cool metal.

What if he said no?

Granted, he most likely wouldn’t. But what if he said yes, and he secretly thought me some dumb little girl that couldn’t take care of herself?

What did I care if he thought that?

“I don’t care what he thinks of me,” I huffed as I straightened my shoulders, holding my chin a little higher.

“Stop talking to yourself and get going!”

I jumped in surprise, before shooting a glare in the direction of the kitchen. “Stop listening in on my private conversations!” I demanded before storming outside with new found vigor.

Only to freeze when Bucky looked up from where he was sitting on the curb, smoking a cigarette.

God, he was handsome.

“You okay, doll face?” He asked, his New York accent a sharp contrast to the southern drawls you were used to.

“Um… Y-Yeah,” I said faintly, glancing back at the door that I’d come in from. “Um… L-Louis wants me to ask you… Can you walk me home? Or give me a ride? I don’t… I don’t know if you drive…”

“I do drive.”

“O-Oh. Okay. Great.”

“But I don’t have my car on me.”

I peered at him curiously. “Oh. Um… I can just walk by myself. I don’t wanna… I don’t wanna be a nuisance…”

He stood up, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. “Don’t be ridiculous, darlin.’ Come on. I’ll walk you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets as he began to head for the street. “Besides… It’s a real nice night.”

“Oh…,” I said in surprise at how ready he was to be of service. “Okay. But only if you’re sure.”

A faint smile graced his lips as he glanced at the ground, letting out a faint chuckle that rumbled deep in his chest. “I’m sure, darlin.’ But you gotta lead the way.”

I was surprised by the rapid pitter patter of my heart beat as we walked side by side down the street, the chorus of ‘Yellow Brick Road’ getting stuck in my head on a loop.

Bucky was an enigma that I found myself wondering about more often than not, but I always ended up talking myself out of going there. After all, he was an older man. A much older man. At least fifteen years older than my own twenty-two years, or something along those lines, not that he looked it. The man looked like some kind of rugged Greek god. Like Hades if Hades was born in the eighties. His dog tags clinked together under his shirt as we walked, his metal prosthetic glinting in the moon.

“So how did you end up in NOLA?”

It took me a moment to even realize that he was talking to me, my heart skipping a beat and my face going hot in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I asked.

His bright blue eyes flickered over to look me over. “How’d you end up in New Orleans?”

“I actually don’t know,” I snorted, avoiding his eyes as I kicked at a few broken up pieces of asphalt. “I just… Picked a bus ticket and ended up in one of the Carolinas. Then I picked another bus ticket and ended up in Minnesota. And then I picked another, and another, and another, and then I actually just… ended up here.” The months I’d spent alone on those Greyhounds felt both so long ago and also like it was just yesterday. “The diner was the first place someone recommended for food that’s good but cheap, and as I was eating my mountain of cheese fries, I saw the flyer that said they were hiring. So here I am now…”

“Huh,” he said, his brows furrowed. “I didn’t take you for the type of person to run off on your own… riding buses all over the country…”

Head tilting to the side, I gave him a long look. “You didn’t? What kind of type did you peg me for?”

Bucky gave me a long look, a single brow raised as though silently telling me that I jumped to conclusions. “Just that jumping from place to place can take a lot outta someone,” he said slowly, his voice low and soothing. “Hell, if you were my girl—” He broke off as his cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, his long hair falling in his face.

I swore my heart had stopped inside of my chest, and I swallowed thickly around the lump in my throat. “Oh?”

He rushed to try to correct his wording. “I-I just mean, a lady should be comfortable. And if I had a g-girl like you, well… You’d never want for anything,” he stammered, stumbling over his words like a flustered school boy. “Hell, I… I’d give you the stars and the moon…”

I was shocked into silence, staring up at him like he was the sun itself. “Bucky…”

“No, no, don’t say anything. I… I know that was a lot,” he insisted quietly, unable to meet your eyes as he stared up at the shitty apartment building you called home. “Hell, you probably don’t want a gross old man hitting on you.” His metal hand, glinting in the low light of the street lamp, reached up to brush against my cheek for just a moment before it quickly dropped. “Just let me walk you home each night so I can make sure you’re safe, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I breathed out, unable to take my eyes off of him as he took a few steps back.

There’s a somewhat playful smirk on his lips as he watched me stumble up the steps, continuously glancing back at him. “Goodnight, baby doll.”

“Goodnight,” I said, barely audible before I finally headed inside.

Bucky kept his word. He walked me home every night, and honestly, there wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t thinking about what he had said, about if I was his girl.

What if I was his girl?

But… with that meant I’d have to give up the life I’d dreamed for myself. I wanted luxury, to never worry about bills or where I was gonna get my next meal or if I could afford to buy the nice work shoes or if I could only get the cheap ones that would fall apart in three months and then I’d just be right back where I started.

I wanted the life that celebrities lived. Hell, I wanted to go to parties on the same yachts the Kardashian-Jenners did, even if I couldn’t fucking stand them.

And with Bucky… I wouldn’t have that.

“So why’d you go on the run anyway?” Bucky asked one night as we sat on the curb, eating ice cream in the Louisiana heat. “I know you told me how you got here, but you’ve never told me why.”

“You’ve never told me how you ended up here or why either,” I shot back, nudging his shoulder with my own.

Somehow the age difference seemed non-existent as we sat there. Honestly, I felt like we were just a bunch of dumb teenagers, shooting the shit and enjoying each other’s company.

Bucky took in a deep breath, his shoulders sinking in a way that made it look like he had all the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I was over in Afghanistan for a long time,” he admitted quietly. “When the war first started, I was 19. I had no idea where my life was going and I had no options except my dad’s mechanic shop. So I enlisted with my best friend, Steve. The one I told you about.”

It’s completely silent except for the sound of an occasional car horn off in the distance.

“Neither one of us knew what we were doing. We realized very quickly that we had no reason being over there, but… but there was nothing else,” he said, swallowing around the lump in his throat. The ice cream he was holding was melting in his trembling hands. “I didn’t know how to do anything else, so I stayed. Steve moved up in the ranks, but I stayed pretty low… I didn’t mind. Kinda liked being the older guy all those young kids could talk to, could rely on… Because they were just like me, getting into a fight that wasn’t theirs because they had nothing else.”

My heart was shattering inside my chest as I scooted a little closer, my knee knocking against his as I tried to give him some sort of silent comfort. He’d been through Hell and made it through.

Bucky let his head rest against mine, his eyes closing as he breathed in the scent of my perfume. “They eventually moved me to some kind of specialized team… Called us the Howling Commandos. I found out that Steve was heading it and he picked me to be part of it. That’s how I met Sam, because he was on some sort of similar team with the Air Force, except it was just him and his friend, Riley,” he continued, taking a bite of his chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. “I am proud to say that I didn’t kill a single person while I was over there. I just couldn’t. Hell, they’re people just like me, terrified and unsure of what’s going to happen.” His lips pressed against my forehead, letting it linger. “But then about five years ago, I was on a mission with the Commandos, Sam, and Riley, and… this bomb went off while we were playing a game of soccer. I wasn’t even in a fight. That thing took my arm and it took Riley.”

Tentatively, I let my fingers find his, holding his hand and squeezing reassuringly.

“Sam decided to come home with me.” There was a forlorn look in his eyes, as though he was right back at that game of pick-up soccer. “After losing Riley… he couldn’t find a reason to be over there. And then Steve decided to stay, and hell, he’s still over there, leading that fucking team…” Glassy baby blue eyes finally found mine, the both of us doing our best to not cry. “I couldn’t face my family for a long time, so Sam asked me to come stay in Louisiana with him and his family, and I haven’t left since.”

“Have you gone to see your family?” I asked slowly, almost like I was scared I’d frighten him if I spoke too loudly, like a wild animal. “Let them know where you are? That you’re safe?”

He turned to look at me, his baby blues shining. “You worried about me, baby doll?”

“I can’t help it,” I said honestly, unable to tear my eyes away. I hadn’t opened up to someone like that in so damn long. “I can’t help but worry about you.”

The way that I felt about Bucky absolutely terrified me, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. It snuck up on me, like a train coming around a bend.

I hated it.

“What do you want out of this life?” Bucky asked on one walk home, his arm linked in mine. He’d become so much more… tactile. If anyone took a moment to look at us, they’d think we were a couple on a romantic stroll.

Perhaps we were.

But I couldn’t help but grin as I looked up at the sky, taking in the warm air. “I wanna live like how the movie stars do… I want a big house on the beach and twenty cars and a yacht and… and…”

He looked at me long and hard. “And you never wanna have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, if you’re gonna have a place to sleep at night…”

For some reason, I’d felt a bolt of panic over whether or not he’d understand. Whether or not he’d think differently of me, but I should’ve known that he wouldn’t. Hell, he knew me better than anyone else.

“You understand,” I said quietly, my hand squeezing his bicep gratefully. “I want to live how the other half lives for once. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

A small smile graced his features as we shuffled along. “There isn’t. But… What about love?” He asked.

“Love?”

“Love.”

Love.

Could I even have love? Did I want it?

“I don’t know if there’s a lot of room for love in my plans,” I admitted after a long moment. “In my experience, love has always just been a lie. A word used to manipulate and eventually abuse.”

Letting out a snort, he let his fingers tickle down my tricep until his fingers intertwined with mine. “I’d show you it’s not… I’d show you what real love is,” he said. “I’d give you every part of me, give you all my strength to help you grow into who you wanna be, even if I don’t particularly care about being famous or rich…” He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I’ll give you a love story, a life, that’s a million times better than any recycled Hollywood plot… I’ll give you the stars and the moon, if you would just let me.”

I hated the way that he made my heart beat faster, the way my breath hitched. “Jamie,” I breathed out quietly, the two of us having stopped in our tracks to just… take each other in. Live in each other’s presence for a moment. “I…”

“You want a big life… one a lot bigger than little old me,” he said simply, shrugging. His blue eyes were so honest, so loving. So warm. A warmth I hadn’t ever experienced before. “I know. But that doesn’t change that I’m in love with you. And if you ever change your mind…” Bucky reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, pressing it into my free hand. “This is where you can find me. I figure it’s time for me to go home.”

We’d come to a stop in front of my building, and I was shocked at how tight my chest felt. My eyes watered as I stared at him long and hard. “Jamie, please… I⏤”

“Don’t say it. It’s okay,” he insisted as he cupped my cheek, letting his thumb run over my skin as though he was memorizing it. “I just want you to be happy, darling. You got that?” His lips pressed to my forehead, letting it linger. “Go get that life you’ve been dreaming of.”

Twenty-Three

I left New Orleans the next day, grabbing a bus ticket after throwing all of my belongings into my old duffel bag. It was time to move on.

But God, did it hurt.

I didn’t stop crying for weeks, fighting the urge to go right back to Louisiana and tell Bucky to take it back, to get him to beg me to stay with him.

But what kind of life would that leave me with? Working in the diner day after day? Never getting anywhere?

But you’d have James, a voice inside my head reminded me snarkily.

Then again, he most likely wasn’t even in New Orleans anymore, if what he said was true when he gave me the business card of his father’s mechanic shop. Was he really planning on going home to New York City?

A few months later, and I’d worked my way all through the southwest to Santa Fe, where I met Pietro.

My heart was pounding as I pressed in the familiar numbers, having memorized them from the business card now soft and faded from how often I held it in my hands like a lifeline. “Come on… Pick up… Pick up…”

“Barnes Tires and Motors, this is George,” a man said in a gruff voice when he finally picked up. “How can I help you?”

“H-Hi, is James there? James Barnes? Bucky?” I stammered out, hands trembling so bad that the old payphone was almost rattling.

There was a pause, and then muffled talking away from the phone.

And then I heard it being picked up. “This is Bucky,” he said.

It felt like the wind had been knocked right out of my lungs. How had I gone so long without hearing his voice?

Breathing in sharply, I tried to figure out the words to say. But my throat was dry and it was like I’d suddenly forgotten the entire English language.

That was all that it took for Bucky to realize it was me. “Baby doll? Baby doll, is that you?” He asked quietly. “I…” He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “You don’t gotta say a thing, sweetheart… But just know that if you’re in trouble or you need help or… or anything at all, you better call me…” His voice wavered, as though he was fighting tears just like I was. “God, I miss you so much, baby doll. I love you.”

I love you, too.

I hung up before I could actually say the words. “God, I’m so fucking stupid,” I whispered as I leaned back against the wall of the gas station I’d found myself at, rubbing the heels of my hands into my eyes.

My dumb ass had decided to wander from the bus station, and I’d walked over a mile away. Unless I was staying in Santa Fe for a bit, I’d need to start making my way back.

“You okay?”

In my distress, I hadn’t even heard the rumbling of the motorcycle or noticed the handsome man making his way to me. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” I said even as I wiped my nose with a pathetic sniffle.

He eyed me for a long moment, his eyes roaming over my figure. “You hungry? I know a great little place nearby. My treat.”

And well, I was never one to turn down free food.

Even if that ‘little place’ ended up being a food truck.

“You know, when you said it was a little place, I didn’t picture it having wheels,” I said teasingly, licking salsa off of my lower lip. “Though, it is the best food I’ve ever gotten from a food truck before.”

“Oh, come on. This is the best food of all time!” He laughed, shaking his head.

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” I snorted, finishing off my flautas.

Pietro looked at me long and hard. “So, are you gonna tell me what the hell was going on to have a pretty girl like you all teary eyed?” He asked, his head tilting to the side.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Was this your plan all along?” I asked. Wiping my hands off on a napkin, I did everything I could to avoid his eyes. “Get me all fed and then question me?” But at the same time, the thought of being able to finally talk to someone about it was so appealing… After a long moment of hesitation, I finally gave in. “I fell in love with a man, and he let me go because he knew that I want a life he can’t give me,” I said. “And I was a bitch who didn’t even tell him I love him back when he said it to me.”

Pietro took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “Damn. You really are a stone cold bitch, aren’t you?”

“Hey!” I indignantly threw a chunk of tomato at him, glaring. “I just opened up my heart, you dickwad.”

“Dickwad?!” He said, blinking at me in shock. “No one’s ever called me a dickwad before.”

I raised a single eyebrow at him. “Maybe not to your face, but they definitely have.” He gave off the vibe of a fuckboy, of a really, really bad fuckboy.

“Well, since you’re running away from your feelings, how about you spend a week or two with me on the road?” He asked with a grin.

I couldn’t help but blink at him in shock. “What?” I let out a laugh, pulling one of my legs up to my chest. “Do you throw that line out to every girl you meet? Or am I just special?”

Pietro threw a chip at me, and I barely managed to dodge it. “No, I don’t. But… You remind me of me. Needing adventure. A life bigger than four walls and a fence.”

Instinctively, I wanted to snap back that sometimes, four walls and a fence could be an adventure, could be the biggest life there was, as Bucky’s face flashed across my mind.

But I couldn’t do that. Not when I wasn’t ready to face the truth myself.

“Come on, sweet cheeks,” he teased as his foot hooked around mine. “Just think of it. The open highway, a rhythm beneath your feet… Nights full of passion and days of adventure…” Pietro’s voice was deep and husky, as though he was trying to lure me in. “No strings… just warm summer rain soaking us to the bone before we find some cheap motel to huddle down in…”

Plastering on a smile, I stood up and brushed myself on. “Thanks, but… I’d rather be drinking champagne, and the quicker I get to LA, the sooner I will be.”

He let me go with a kiss on the cheek and his cell number pressed into my hand, with a promise to come and pick me up the second I rang.

And despite how sweet he was, how wild and funny and charismatic, there was only one man I wanted to call.

Twenty-Four

I sipped at my martini as I sat at the rooftop bar, absentmindedly watching the television that was mounted on the wall as people droned around me. I’d been in Los Angeles for a year, and I’d spent my time finding the best places to find a husband who could give me the life I dreamed of.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, it took connections to build a career, and the best way to get a foot in the door when nepotism was so rampant was by marrying someone in the industry.

My silk dress was the most expensive thing I owned, something I’d saved up for months for, had skipped meals for. And fuck, was it worth it. I could feel the stares, the lingering gazes on the little bit of thigh that was exposed by the slit in the dress.

I’d already turned away several men, able to tell just from their expensive watches and cheap suits and shoes.

It was amazing how all the up and coming finance bros thought they fit in with the truly big dogs.

“Well, hello, gorgeous.”

I turned to see who was speaking, my heart skipping a beat when I realized who I was speaking to.

The world famous (or infamous) director, Tony Stark.

“Hello, handsome,” I said smoothly, my lashes fluttering innocently as I took a sip of my horrible drink.

I fucking hated martinis. Always had.

But ordering a martini was more sophisticated than ordering a frozen strawberry margarita.

“Is this seat taken?” He asked as he motioned to the empty bar stool right next to me, even as he was already sitting down. “Let me buy your next round.”

“I can’t think of anything better,” I said, feeling as though my dream life was already in reach.

Twenty-Eight

“Tony, where are you taking me?” I laughed as I let my boyfriend lead me to the private dock at our Malibu mansion.

Well, his mansion. I just happened to also live there.

It had been a whirlwind of a year since I had met Tony, and he’d bought me that second round. He’d taken me all over the globe, anywhere my heart desired.

But I made sure to avoid New York City, though he never understood why. I would never tell him.

Not when I was so close to my dream. I could practically taste it.

“Come on, come on. I have a surprise for you,” he said, keeping his hands over my eyes. He was sure to keep me from tripping and busting my ass, thank god.

The ocean waves were so comforting as they hit the shore, a sound I’d gotten used to over the past year.

He finally brought me to a stop, quietly telling me to keep my eyes closed. “Okay,” he said finally. “Open them.”

My eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the bright light of the California sun. But I was more shocked by the sight of Tony on one knee in front of me, holding out a box with a sparkling diamond ring in it. “Tony?”

The ring was the size of a fucking meteor. It was easily the biggest ring I’d ever seen.

“You know, I never thought I’d meet someone like you,” he said quietly, his dark eyes shining. But his voice was steady. “Someone who understands me, who doesn’t expect me to change into someone I’m not. You accept me as I am, and that’s why I want to give you the world.” He couldn’t help but grin as he nodded to the right. “Starting with that yacht you’ve always dreamed of.”

I hadn’t even noticed that there were two yachts at his private docks instead of just the one. The new one had SS Princess emblazoned on the side, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh… Tony…”

“So, what do you say?” He asked, bringing my attention back to him. “Will you be my wife?”

“Yes.”

Thirty-Two

Swallowing nervously, I looked down at the business card in my hand for the millionth time, the stock paper soft from how often I’d looked at it in the past ten years.

Hell, just how often I’d looked at it in the past six should’ve made it fall apart by now. Not that I didn’t have it memorized.

I’d finally ended my marriage after being miserable for so long. I’d gotten my yacht, my fancy houses, my career, all the jewelry that I could dream of, and none of it made me happy. Tony and I… never grew. And I never dreamed. Every day was the same, and every day was torture as I realized that I didn’t have the one thing that actually mattered.

The garage in front of me was busy, music blasting and the sound of men shouting to each other as they worked.

Suddenly I felt absolutely ridiculous wearing a Chanel dress and Gucci heels, an Hermés bag on my arm.

BARNES TIRES AND MOTORS was lit up along the top of the shop in bright red letters, though the lights in the ‘r’ of ‘motors’ were out.

I felt like a fool. I had wanted the life I had so desperately that I gave up everything for it. I got the movie star life, my name on billboards and my face on magazines.

But it wasn’t ever enough.

My heels clicked against the blacktop as I slowly made my way towards the front area of the shop, bells clinging above my head to let them know someone was there.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” A man asked as he came around the corner.

He looked so much like Bucky, it punched the air straight from my lungs.

“H-Hi. I’m looking for James Barnes. Is he here?” I asked after a long moment of hesitation. There was no way that the man was Bucky, but I didn’t doubt he was related.

The man raised his brows, wiping his hands on a rag. “My son’s in the shop. I’ll take you to him.” His full head of hair was white, his thick facial hair matching. Even with all the wrinkles on his face, he was a handsome man. Holding open the door for me, he led me into the loud shop, some eighties rock song blasting over the speakers.

I couldn’t help but smile as ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ by Scorpions came on. It was one of Bucky’s favorites back when we worked in the diner together.

“BUCK! YOU GOT A VISITOR!” The man shouted, causing several people to look our way.

My cheeks felt hot as I avoided their gaze, hoping they wouldn’t recognize me. I didn’t want to be a famous movie star anymore, a celebrity that had to beg for scraps of privacy.

My mind went numb, my heart stopping inside my chest as he stepped around a gray Ford Escape another man was working on.

He was even more handsome than he was the last time I saw him.

“Can I help y—” He broke off, his blue eyes going wide when he realized that it was me. “Hi.”

All of a sudden, everything I’d planned to say flew out of my head. All of the eloquent words I’d strung together were gone. And I just proceeded to word vomit.

“Did you know that, uh, when you marry someone you’re not in love with, you won’t… you won’t grow into it?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Um… I married a man who could give me a life I thought I always wanted, and he just… sucked.” Eyes stinging, I fought back against tears. “And I thought that all I ever wanted was the life I have now, was the life movie stars and the Kardashians lived. But… But I hate it. I hated every second I was away from you.” I let out a weak laugh, unable to stop the tears. “I wanted to turn around the second I got on the bus in New Orleans, but my stupid stubborn ass didn’t. I should have. I should’ve gotten off and just run right back to you because I… I love you, James. I always have.”

The garage had gone almost deadly quiet, and my heart sank when I realized Bucky looked almost frozen in shock.

“I know that I shouldn’t have showed up like this,” I scrambled to say. “But I… I’ve been trying to get my divorce finalized for two years and I finally did, and I kept telling myself that once it was done, I’d never hold myself back from what I really want ever again. From who I want. If… If you want me.” My face felt like it was on fire, my hands shaking. I shook my head as I took a step backwards. “What am I thinking? There’s no way you’re not married. I… I’m so so—”

Before I could finish the word ‘sorry,’ Bucky had closed the distance between us, his hands cradling my face so gently. He held me like I was made of fine crystal as he kissed me. He kissed me like his life depended on it, like I was the one source of oxygen.

And I kissed him back just as fiercely. “I love you. I love you so much,” I breathed out in between kisses, unwilling to let him go as my Hermés bag fell into the dust and oil on the concrete below.

Bucky smiled into the kiss, his arm wrapping around my waist to keep me pressed to his chest. “I love you so much, darlin.’ God, I’ve missed you…” His nose nudged against mine as we finally broke for air, both of us breathing heavily.

My knees felt like Jell-O as I held onto him. His grip was the only reason I hadn’t fallen to the ground already.

“I’m sorry I was a dumb twenty-two year old,” I said, snorting as he stole another kiss.

“No… Don’t be sorry,” he insisted, his fingers massaging my scalp as our foreheads pressed together. It was like he was scared to stop touching me, like I would disappear at any second. “You were young… You had to go out and make your own mistakes… I’ve just been waiting for the day you were ready.”

All the years apart melted away and all that remained was the two of us, two souls so intertwined that there was no way to truly separate us.

Our lips were half molded together as I said, “I’m never leaving you again. I promise I swear on everything…”

My heart almost stopped inside my chest as I heard someone clearing their throat, looking to see Bucky’s father staring at us with his arms crossed over his chest. “M-Mr. Barnes, sir…”

He gave a crooked smile that was so reminiscent of Bucky that I couldn’t help but grin back. “The Mrs. will wanna know if you’re staying for dinner.”

“Yeah,” I said as I looked up at Bucky, toying with a strand of his hair. “That sounds perfect.”

Later that night, Bucky and I laid in his bed, a mess of bare limbs as his fingers ran up and down my back soothingly. “What do you want from this life, baby girl?” He asked absentmindedly.

Humming, I traced shapes on his bare chest, sometimes pressing a kiss to where his prosthetic met his shoulder, on the tender scar tissue. “You.”

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, despite the already mischievous look on his face. “Really? Not even the stars and the moon?” He asked teasingly.

I knew he’d give it to me anyway, give me all that he could. But I was sure now that the only thing I wanted from this life was his love. “Not even the stars and the moon.”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes reader insert

[all-my-love-for-harry]

I love you meow and furever

summary: the hard part about having animals is knowing we’re their whole life but they’re only here for a small part of ours.

word count: 2.3k

warnings: angst with some fluff, mentions of death (of a pet) and grieving a loss.

a/n: hello again! i know i haven’t posted in a while and i’m sorry! i’ve been writing some pieces, trying to make longer one shots and whatnot, hopefully those will be out soon enough. the reason why i’m posting this is because recently my childhood cat passed away and i wrote this trying to feel a little better. hope you enjoy, please please let me know what you think!

read the rest of my work here.

(gif not mine)

Salem wasn't only a cat. Salem was a companion, a friend. Salem was, for the longest time, her shoulder to cry on. The only one who was there for her every night after a shitty day. She knew from the moment she looked into those yellow eyes that she was going to do whatever it takes to give that cat the best life it could possibly have. Y/n knew pets aren't immortal, and after fifteen years with hers, she tries to prepare herself for the day where Salem couldn't be with her anymore. People close to her tried to avoid the topic, and honestly so did she. Y/n didn't want to talk about how the world would look like after Salem is gone, so she always focused on her furry friend that was cuddled with her on the bed and pushing those thoughts away.

But all the preparation didn't make it hurt anything less when the day actually came.

It wasn't long after Y/n moved in with her boyfriend of two years, Harry. Both Y/n and Salem got used to the house pretty quickly, and Harry never minded seeing the black cat's things around the house, if anything it made him like his house was becoming a home and for once it looked like someone actually lived there. He liked the idea of coming home and going straight to the living room because he just knew he'd find them cuddling there. Salem was also an extremely well-behaved cat, he's never in his life scratched or hissed at anyone and has always been loving and affectionate. As Salem got old, it got harder for him to do things he used to do when he was a kitten. He stopped eating at some point and started to lose a lot of weight, causing Y/n to give him vitamins and all kinds of supplements to help him gain weight again. For some time it worked, and Y/n felt incredibly relieved about it. But then it got hard for Salem to get up and move around, causing him problems to go to the bathroom.

Harry was out at the gym when he got a call from Y/n. It was the way her shaky voice was interrupted with hiccups every few words and how she was practically asking him to rush home without really asking how he knew the moment of putting Salem down has arrived. Harry wasn't sure if he had ever experienced that kind of pain before that day, and to this day he still couldn't describe the way his heart broke into a million pieces when Salem's heart stopped beating and Y/n couldn't breathe because of how hard she was crying. He remembered staying on the floor with her for hours, letting her cry on his chest. She'd stop for a moment, thinking she had no tears left to cry but then she remembered her life companion was gone and a new wave of sobs hit her. That circle went on until the sun went down and the natural light of the moon was the only thing illuminating them.

Weeks passed and Harry didn't even question when he found cat food still in the kitchen, or when he saw Salem's toys and cat trees still around the house. She didn't seem to want to throw them away, and Harry certainly wasn't going to ask her to. He also didn't question the time he found her crying on the floor of the kitchen of their shared house because she bought cat food when she was at the store without realizing she didn't need it anymore.

However, Harry didn't realize how emotionally dependent she was on Salem until he came home one day and found her crying in their bedroom while holding a blanket Salem used to sleep with. He didn't know what to do to help her, and he hated the fact that he felt so useless.

"I just don't know what to do anymore, mum." He said one day through the phone. "I hate seeing her like this."

Anne sighed. "Poor Y/n, everyone knew how much Salem meant to her."

"What can I do to make it better?"

"Here's the thing, sweetheart. It's never going to stop hurting. Time will help, for sure, but it will keep hurting until it becomes a more bearable pain." She paused. "Let her grieve her loss. When the time is right, you will pull her out of that hole, I'm sure of that." Harry nodded even though his mum couldn't exactly see him. "Maybe not right now but, perhaps adopting a new kitten would help."

"I thought of that, I just didn't know how to bring it up to her. Don't want her to think I'm ready to replace Salem." He sighed. He only knew the cat for two years, but it was enough to know it hurt him too. He's shed a few tears himself, mostly in the shower to try and not disturb his girlfriend. "I'll tell you what we decide, I gotta go mum."

"Please do. I love you, baby."

"Love you too, mum."

Just as he told his mum, Harry started to find ways to tell Y/n they could adopt a pet if she wanted to, he understood if she didn't want to have another cat, but he knew how much Y/N loved animals. She was so good to them and had such a big heart Harry couldn't think she'd stop herself from giving some of all the love she had to offer to an animal that needed it. It could be a cat, a dog, hell he'd buy her a fish if that was what her heart desired.

Ever since Salem passed, Y/n laid on the bed of their bedroom and played All Dead, All Dead by Queen religiously every day through the speakers. Of course, Harry let her be. It was her coping mechanism, he guessed. So when he heard the music upstairs, he immediately knew where to find her. He stood by the doorway, looking at the love of her life lying on their bed. He hesitates to enter the room, not wanting to disturb her, but he needed to talk to her so he pushed himself from the doorway and made his way to where she was, taking a seat next to her.

"Hey, lovie." He said softly, reaching for her hand.

"Hey, H." She gave him a small smile. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Take your time, darling. I... wanted to talk to you about something."

"Is everything okay?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah! It's nothing bad, I promise." He said. "I talked to mum, she said the Humane Society back home just got a bunch of rescues in need for a home." Y/n opened her mouth to say something but Harry was not done. "I thought we could drive there this week and go there. We don't need to adopt one if you don't want to but look around wouldn't hurt."

"Harry... I'm not ready." She said. "I'm not sure I can go there without breaking into sobs."

"I'll be there with you, baby. I swear you'll be fine."

"I'm not ready to have another one." She said in a shaky voice. "I feel like... like I'm betraying Sally in a way. It's been only two months and... I miss him, H." Y/n started crying again. "I'm scared of forgetting him, how he was like. What if we adopt one and I forget him?"

"Oh, sweetheart." He cooed, taking her into his arms. "That's not going to happen. Salem will always be present with us and will always watch over you as he used to when he was here. Adopting another pet won't change what you lived with Salem, or how much he meant and still means to you. I get that you're not ready, but I also know how much you love cats, and how you're always thinking about the ones that don't have a home, someone to love them and take care of them. You have the biggest heart, and you've always been so good to animals, I wouldn't want you to close off to the idea of giving one the opportunity to experience what it feels like to have a person who loves them. We don't have to go this week if you don't want to but promise me you'll think about it, alright?"

"I promise." That's all she said before wrapping her arms around Harry's torso, cuddling closer to him.

//

Y/n thought about it for a while, she really did. Everything Harry said stuck in her head and with every day that passed, she felt less and less guilty of thinking about getting a new cat. The thought was still at the back of her head and it obviously still hurt but Y/n thought she was ready to accept Harry's offer to go to the Humane Society to look at the kittens and doing it without having a mental breakdown. She decided to tell Harry as they were making breakfast, only two weeks later after he first brought it up.

"So... I thought about what you told me the other day." She started. Harry's face lights up as he immediately knew what she was talking about. "And I think you're right. We can go there and look at the kittens. We don't have to adopt one."

"We don't have to adopt one." He reassured her, although he knew that thought might change once they crossed the doors of the Humane Society.

They decided to go on Wednesday. Halfway through the week, probably not many people would be there meaning they would have more time with the kittens if they wanted. The entire ride Harry could feel the anxiety radiating from Y/n's body. She was nervous, very nervous. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself she was fine, she still knew she was going to cry as soon as they entered the building. That's why she let Harry do all the talking and just followed him through the hallway that would take them to the room where they had all the cats. They had the cats and the dogs in different rooms, the majority of the dogs were in cages but the cats were allowed outside of them. They were the only ones there so as soon as they entered, Y/n cooed out loud at the sight of the cats and sat on the floor where immediately a couple of them walked towards her and started to sniff her.

"I'm going to cry." She announced.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Harry said, extending one hand towards an orange cat for it to sniff. "This one's name's Chester."

She looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes. "I want them all."

"I know you do." He smiled sweetly at her.

They spent a couple of hours there, just hanging out with all of the cats. Some of them were shy and wouldn't come close to them, and some would even lay on their laps and take a nap. The only thing Y/n could think about was how badly she wanted one. She's missed having the weight of a little ball of fur on top of you, purring and begging for some cuddles.

"Can we get one?" She looked at Harry again, who was patiently waiting for her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, I miss having a pet. And you're right, I will always love Salem, that won't change."

Harry nodded. "What if we get a kitten? You said that when you got Salem he was already a year old."

"I think a kitten will be amazing."

There were only two girl kittens available, one was a small white one and the other one was a tortoiseshell. The latest was so unique looking, and wouldn't stop rubbing herself on Harry's hand. The cat allowed Y/n to pick her up and started purring right away. y the look in his girlfriend's eyes, Harry knew that was the one.

//

They decided to name her Misty. They thought it suits her. Y/n couldn't stop smiling even after leaving the Humane Society, and Harry felt so happy about it. They told them they could come to pick Misty up next Monday, so they had to wait almost a whole week to finally take their new kitten home, but that didn't matter. Harry was fine now that Y/n's smile was back on her face. All she could talk about during the week was how excited she was about getting Misty, so Harry knew he made the right choice by taking her there.

When Sunday came, Harry felt how Y/n started to grow anxious again, her guilty thoughts making a comeback. So he decided to give her something to reassure her that everything was going to be fine.

"So I saw you with Sally's blanket again," Harry said, walking towards her with something behind his back. "And I know what's going through that little head of yours, so I wanted to give you something to assure you he will always be here with us." He shyly put what he was hiding on her lap. Y/n's eyes immediately watered when she saw the framed picture of the two of them with Salem. It was from Y/n's birthday. Anne took it after Y/n blew the candles of her cake, a huge smile on her face while Harry was holding Salem, a smile on his own face. Salem was wearing one of those birthday hats. "You can put it by the fireplace, or by your nightstand."

Y/n looked up at Harry. "Thank you." She breathed out, instantly wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I love you so much, Harry."

"I love you too, darling. Just as much as Salem and Misty love you."

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles one shot #harry styles one shots #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fic #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles au #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles blurb #harry styles blurbs

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 18, second part

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff) (Previous Post)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Hey OP where’s the funny header gif for this post? Sorry, it was murdered by an angst demon and the framing of these shots.

My Found Family Came to Find Me

Continuing our flashback from last time, we see Baby Wei Ying up a tree, refusing to come down because he's afraid there are dogs. Eventually he falls out of the tree, like a dumbass a child, and Yanli tries but fails to catch him. 

Unlike his grownup counterpart, Baby Wei Ying doesn't pretend he's unhurt when he is hurt. I'd like to put the change at Yu Ziyuan's door, but actually he admits to being hurt during his Gusu summer - he mimics Lan Zhan's stoicism when they're getting beaten, but it doesn't come naturally to him, and he whines a lot afterwards. 

By the time of the Animatronic Dog incident, however, he's laughing off obvious injuries that have secret trauma behind them. By the time he comes back, coreless, from the burial mounds, he won't confide in anyone about his hurts any more, except possibly Wen Qing.

Yanli carries Wei Ying, in a sequence that will be echoed much later in his life when Lan Zhan carries him (gifset here). While they head back, she tells him that Jiang Cheng has a bad temper and to ignore whatever mean things he says. This will also be echoed in the future, when Wei Wuxian says it to Lan Zhan after their argument with Jiang Cheng in the shrine.

Yanli also explains that Jiang Cheng loved his dogs and that he's been very sad since Jiang Fengmian sent them away, demonstrating once again that Jiang Fengmian is a terrible father. Yanli says that Jiang Cheng will be happy to have a friend with him, though. This kind of makes Wei Wuxian's role in Jiang Cheng's life "replacement dog."

Jiang Cheng, after getting over this particular snit, got worried about Wei Wuxian and woke up Yanli to find him, and then went wandering around in the dark like a dumbass a child, and is banged up and crying when the other two find him. Yanli encourages him to apologize to Wei Wuxian and he does, which will not happen again until the very end of the show.  

They all smile and laugh together, as Wei Ying looks to Yanli to guide him through the insanity that his life has suddenly become. 

(more behind the cut!)

They head back to Lotus Pier in a sweet montage of walking and smiling together, with Jiang Cheng carrying the world's most beautiful candle holder with the world's most wind-resistant candle in it, to light their way back. Back in the present day for a brief moment, Jiang Cheng pretends to sleep and listens to his sister insisting that the three of them should always stay together, while a single tear rolls down the side of his face.

Soup is Love, Chapter 1 of 1000

Then we head to the past again. In Jiang Cheng & Wei Ying's now-shared room, Wei Ying sits on the bed trying to figure out how to deal with his grumpy new roommate.

Wei Ying is unsure what to do when confronted with pajama game this strong. Tiny Jiang Cheng is already a fashion king. 

Then he tells Jiang Cheng he's not going to narc him out to the clan leader, since it was his own fault that he hurt his leg. This is all Jiang Cheng needs to hear to decide Wei Ying is all right, and he says that he will help Wei Ying chase away dogs in the future.  In fact, Wei Wuxian will protect Jiang Cheng from punishment basically forever, while Jiang Cheng will continue to threaten Wei Wuxian with dogs...forever.

They shake hands on their new understanding and then jump up and down laughing, Wei Ying's leg being all better now, apparently.  When Yanli arrives (carrying a tray of...can you guess? I'll let you guess), they stop jumping. Wei Ying dives in to give Jiang Cheng a little tickle/embrace in an adorable moment that would have me saying "oh, my ovaries!" if I hadn't surgically sent my ovaries to hell a few years ago.

Yanli introduces Wei Ying to the emotional and gustatorial miracle that is her lotus and ribs soup. He hesitates a long time before tucking in because he's so unused to being fed.

Consent? I Don’t Even Know Her

The flashback wraps up with Yanli conked out on the table from the drugs in the incense burner, while Wei Wuxian, who is somehow unaffected despite sitting almost as close to the smoke as she was, checks on her. Jiang Cheng and his Uggs period-appropriate sock thingies get out of bed to come stand with Wei Wuxian, and have feelings about sending Yanli away after she JUST said she doesn't want to be parted from them.

Wei Wuxian: If she didn't want us to do this, she shouldn't have signed that blanket consent-to-medical-treatment form.   Jiang Cheng: Wen Qing made me sign one of those plus a durable power of attorney, is that bad?

This episode is all about people overriding each others' agency and making massively important decisions without the consent of the people who will be affected. But in a feudal context, it's not a violation, no matter how it feels to the person being controlled. In feudal life, your body belongs to your lord -- your sect leader, in the world of CQL. Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng's choices are overridden by their clan leader's final command to Wei Wuxian.  Wei Wuxian's core is arguably Jiang Fengmian's property--Wei Wuxian certainly sees it that way, just as his hand was Yu Ziyuan's to take if she wished.  

The brothers tenderly tuck Yanli into bed in the rolly cart and hand her off to Song Lan. They talk about how important it is to get her to Lanling and that she's probably going to be mad, as they thank Song Lan for helping them. 

Yanli listens while she sleeps and, in what is becoming a trademark Jiang move, lets a single tear roll down the side of her face. Jiang Cheng points out that Yanli never gets mad at Wei Wuxian and Wei Wuxian is like, true dat.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

Song Lan is always so emotional about every damn thing, I love him. Here he's like OH GOD NO DON'T FORMALLY THANK ME! STOP!!!

Then he starts to ask Wei Wuxian to pass a message to Song Xingchen for him, but then decides not to say anything, making it super obvious that they fought and aren't together. 

Wei Wuxian reacts to this with confusion and distress, probably because he doesn't want to imagine ever having a breakup with his own soulmate. Which he soon will be having.  But possibly he's just upset that his OTP broke up.

After Song Lan takes off, Jiang Cheng gives Wen Qing a rude & perfunctory thank-you bow, turning away before she can return it. Wei Wuxian tells her not to take it to heart - basically everyone who deals with Jiang Cheng gets a version of the "ignore what he says" speech. She says she understands and that in his place she would have behaved worse, which is so totally not true.  

Then she asks Wei Wuxian if he's sure about the core transfer (not in so many words, because the script is being kind of being vague about it, without actually hiding what's happening). His reply pretty much encapsulates the whole Wei Wuxian experience.

Then he and Jiang Cheng walk off, with Jiang Cheng giving us a rear view that had me googling Wang Zhuocheng's fashion shoots to determine if that wagon he's draggin’ is really as delightful as this belt makes it look. Alas, there is not a wealth of photographic evidence for this research, as compared to, for example, photos of Xiao Zhan's outstanding ass.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning see them off, with Wen Qing wishing they valued their lives more. Although, what she and Wen Ning are doing is massive treason, so their lives will be pretty much forfeit if they're caught, so...

The Sunshot Campaign of Like 60 Dudes

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng walk up the mountain for the whole beginning of the Sunshot campaign, which...okay. Maybe it's like Dunkirk or The Witcher where they intercut stuff that is happening in different timeframes, which is one of my least favorite new film style thingies.

You know, for a guy Wei Wuxian constantly calls "peacock," Jin Ziyuan really doesn't wear a lot of adornment; just some subtle metalwork on his belt with no dangly bits at all, and a single reasonably-sized hair crown. Compared to the extremely fancy Lan Wangji he's almost plain. We already know that Wei Wuxian is a massive hypocrite when it comes to his idea of a perfect boy, however.

So, this is the Lanling Jin army, which consists of literally 60 guys, including the ones on the stairs and Jin Zixuan and Douchebag Dad. How are they going to fight a war with this tiny group? Why do they have such a big plaza? Hasn't anybody on this production learned CGI cloning?

That’s better.

Nie Mingjue and his best bitch Baxia make quick work of the 4 Wen guys who were assigned to hold the Unclean Realm. 

Hello, Daddy Da-Ge!

Squeeee, it's Lan Wangji! He's taking back Cloud Recesses! Ooooohhh we've missed you Lan Wangji.

Look guys he's here! Look how beautiful he is. He's looking at the gate of cloud recesses and thinking thoughts that Lan Xichen or Wei Wuxian could probably see in his bewitching eyes if they were here to see him, which they aren't. But at least he is here!

....and now he's gone again. *cries*

Hares On The Mountains

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian continue roaming prettily around this pretty mountainside. The locations in this show are such eye candy. 

Young laddies they run like hares on the mountains Young laddies they run like hares on the mountains  Young laddies they run like hares on the mountains  If I was a young lass I’d soon go a hunting

Jiang Cheng starts to have doubts about the whole Baoshan Sanren thing. Wei Wuxian's reply pretty much encapsulates the whole Wei Wuxian experience.  

Then we have just the tenderest blindfolding scene, (more gifs here), which is fodder for your ChengXian dreams, if you have those.

Here's a good place for a sidebar about what is and isn't incest. Whee! In the CDrama context, relationships tend to be more clearly defined than in western media. The mechanism of confession & acceptance means that people either are or are not in a romantic relationship, with few grey areas. So a character can literally say "we grew up as brother and sister, but now we are dating" and when someone looks startled they just say "there's no blood relation" and everyone is like "cool cool" and that's the new definition of the relationship.

For a strong example of this, the extremely wonderful Go Ahead is about a contemporary family in which a girl and two boys, who are not blood relatives, are all raised together, and call each other brother and sister. When they become adults, they and everyone around them expect the girl (now a woman) to marry one of the two men who have been her brothers, while whichever one she doesn't choose will carry on as her sibling. It's treated as the most natural, logical thing in the world; the only question is whether she wants to make that transition, and with whom.

Looked at through this lens, Wei Wuxian's relationships with his adoptive siblings have just as much potential to turn into romances as his relationships with his friends do, and there's nothing creepy about it. As such you can expect my meta to always get into ChengXian moments without treating it as a wrong or forbidden love. Hopeless, of course, because Jiang Cheng is such a prick the power of WangXian is stronger, but that's a different matter.

What is wrong is wearing this fantastic hat & veil combination when the most fashionable person on the mountain is blindfolded and can't see it.

In the course of this blindfolded encounter with Wen Qing, Jiang Cheng gets to kneel before a powerful woman, be led along by a length of silk that's placed in his hand, and then knocked the fuck out and operated on. He'll wake up in a hotel room in a tub full of ice with "we took your kidney" written on the mirror in lipstick, and he'll love every minute of it.  

Soundtrack: 1. Still Fighting it, by Ben Folds 2. Hares on the Mountain, by Steeleye Span

Writing Prompt: The NEXT time somebody blindfolds Jiang Cheng

#fytheuntamed #the untamed #the untamed gifs #chengxian #cql #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs

[emmy-writes-sometimes]

Emergency

You’re a stunt performer and make a wrong step. When your ex, Sebastian, is your emergency contact still, will you take the opportunity to get back together? 

-

           “You sure you got this, Y/n?” Your director asked as they checked the last of the wires for your stunt. You were the unlucky stunt double who had been asked to come in and do a scene where you were literally hanging off the side of a building. You were supposed to kick out a plexiglass window, swing into the building, and do a flip. It seemed easy enough. And it wasn’t like it was even the most dangerous stunt you’d ever done. It was just tight quarters, and it was giving you heart palpitations.

           “Got it, chief,” you respond, trying to sound confident even though you were pretty sure you were about to die. It was nothing like a stunt you’d done where you fell out of a helicopter, but this one had a potential of leaving you alive after breaking all of your bones. “If I don’t do it now, I never will.”

           “Alright. That’s our girl. We’ll get set up and start rolling.” You anchored your foot on the building’s fake steel frame, refusing to look directly down. There was a stunt mattress below you, so that wasn’t a problem. There was nothing on the other side except cameras to watch you break every bone in your body. But you could do this. You were calm. You could do this, you told yourself. Easy as pie. And you could feel that your wires were tight, especially around your waist.

           You listened to the scuffling behind you as the shot was set up, moving your foot slightly to get the angle they asked for. You put your foot on the red tape and waited. And waited. And then they called action. You kicked in the window, hearing and feeling it shatter below your feet, but upon swinging in, you made a critical error. Your feet hit the bottom of the window, sliding off of their marks, and your ribs collided with the metal frame. But your body was so close to sideways that it kept on flying, and the last thing you felt was a cracking in your rib, a similar cracking in the forearm you placed in front of you, and a searing pain in your head.

           Well, shit, you thought. I broke every bone in my body. At the ripe age of twenty-three, you were going to die.

-

           Sebastian thanked the barista as he grabbed his third cup of coffee for the day, about to go put a splash of cream in the blacker-than-black coffee. Just as he reached the table, though, his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He didn’t recognize the number, but it was a New York area code. He always answered his phone, and this time was no different. He raised the phone to his ear and listened.

           “Hello?” He said.

           “Hi, is this Sebastian Stan?” A woman’s voice asked.

           “Yeah, this is he, what can I do for you?” He responded.

           “You’re the emergency contact for Y/f/n Y/l/n, correct?” Sebastian froze at the sound of your name. It had been only a month since you’d broken up. For a dumb reason, too – because of the media. Not because of either of you, but because the media just couldn’t stop and Sebastian refused to do that to you and to your career. You would both be lying if you said you weren’t completely in love with each other. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t cry about it every so often, or every time you had something to say you had to bite back the urge to call him and tell him. He regretted ever breaking up with you, but he knew the opportunity to apologize was long gone. Or was it?

           “Yeah, I guess I probably am,” he started. Then he realized – emergency contact. His heart skipped a beat. “Wait, why, is she okay?”

           “She will be,” the woman said. “I’m sorry. I’m a nurse at St. George’s in Manhattan, she was just brought in a few minutes ago. Apparently there was an accident involving a window.”

           “Oh, my God. Is she okay?”

           “It wasn’t fatal. She just broke a few ribs, fractured her forearm, and got a nasty concussion. We were wondering if you could come in and be with her and fill out some information for us.”

           “Yeah, yeah, I can be there in twenty minutes.” So the opportunity for him to apologize hadn’t gone out the window. He probably would have to apologize for jumping in on the situation, but your parents were across the country. The reason he was your emergency contact in the first place was because he was the first person you trusted to take care of you if something happened. And as terrible as the situation was, Sebastian didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth. He put the lid back on his coffee, hung up the phone, and walked outside to get the first taxi he saw. You probably would need the coffee more than he did.

-

           “What’s the diagnosis?” You looked at the nurse as she walked into your room with an iPad full of information. She just smiled at you.

           “Not great, but not terrible,” she responded. “You fractured your forearm. You broke four ribs, it looks like you cracked a couple more, and you’re lucky you didn’t crack your head open.”

           “Great. So, do you guys do, like, a shuttle back to my apartment or something?” The nurse laughed.

           “No, we called your emergency contact. He’s on his way now.” You froze. The only emergency contact you could even think of was Sebastian. Your parents were literally across the country and your dad was at work because you’d talked to him earlier. There was no way it could be anyone but the ex you wished more than anything wasn’t your ex.

           It had been an amicable split, and that was the worst part. There wasn’t a fight that ended it, or a big secret that came out, or cheating. It was just that the world felt like they owned Sebastian and therefore you, and he didn’t want to put that on you. It was admirable on his part, but you’d be lying if it didn’t break your heart. He was the best relationship you’d ever had, easily. You could have seen yourself with him for good, and you had seen it that way. But the media had just gotten so bad that you could barely be seen together. You wanted to keep trying, because maybe it would die down, but Sebastian had been through it before. He knew. And he knew that the only way to let you have the success you deserved was to let you go. But you had never told him how much you didn’t want that. Maybe now was your chance. Or maybe he just wouldn’t say a word.

           “Yeah, he’s kind of an ex,” you explained.

           “I can call him and tell him you healed if you want,” she offered. You shook your head.

           “It’s not even his fault, that’s the worst part.” The nurse smiled.

           “Well, I’ll go ahead and get the release papers for you so you can get out of here quickly. Press the button on the side of the bed if you need something.” You nodded and watched her leave. You turned your head to see your backpack with your phone inside of it, and part of you considered texting Sebastian you were sorry that he had to come down here in the middle of the day because you didn’t know how to properly do your job. But you weren’t even alone long enough to reach for it. The pain in your arm and your ribs had subsided, fading into a feeling of fuzziness, but your head was throbbing so much that you could barely look to your side. You could barely see as Sebastian walked in.

           “Y/n,” he said as he walked in the door. He was always gorgeous, but even now he was breathtaking. His eyes were wide and full of concern. He was sporting a hiatus beard and slightly longer hair than usual, and he was wearing that Rutgers hoodie that you used to steal all the time. He looked like the giant teddy bear of a man you were completely and utterly in love with.

           “You don’t have to tell me this is stupid, because I know it is,” you responded dryly. Humor. That was a great way to cope with what was currently going on. It was also your only defense mechanism, and Sebastian saw right through it. He smiled that perfect smile.

           “They said you fell out of a window?” He asked. “Listen, I know I broke your heart, but I’m not worth suicide.” That brought a sick smile to your face.

           “As if I’d kill myself over you,” you rolled your eyes. “This was obviously a ploy to get your attention.” He walked closer to you, his eyes serious.

           “Seriously, though. What happened?”

           “I was doing a stunt and I was supposed to kick a window, but I didn’t do it right. I literally thought I was going to die.” He chuckled. “I’m not that bad at my job, I promise. And I’m really sorry they made you come down here, I didn’t even think I’d ever need an emergency contact.”

           “Yeah, but you’re admitting you need me. It’s fueling my ego so please, keep going.” You could tell he was only half playing when his smile faded. He walked closer to you until you scooted over in the bed, letting him sit on the side. You wanted to grab him and hug him, but you had one working arm and it had an IV running through it. “I’ve been thinking about calling you.”

           “I saw a really cute dog the other day and it took everything in me not to call you,” you admitted. You looked down, feeling your face go red. “I miss you, Seb. A lot.”

           “I miss you too. A whole lot. And I’ve been thinking every single day about calling to apologize, but every time I thought about it, I thought it was too late, so I would just wait, and…”

           “Apologize for what?”

           “For fucking breaking your heart. And mine. It was a shitty thing to do, and if I hadn’t then I could’ve been there today.”

           “You couldn’t have stopped me falling out of a stunt window.”

           “No, but I could’ve been there to pick you back up. I’m sorry, kid. I was so worried about the rest of the world and how they were worried about your job and the age difference that I didn’t worry about you when I should have.” Sebastian’s hand went to your arm with the IV in it, grabbing onto your hand. “And I think it would be completely pathetic to ask to have you back, but here I am doing it.”

           “Yes.” You didn’t hesitate. You didn’t need to hesitate because there was no doubt in your mind that you should say yes. Sebastian looked up at you, a little confused. “Yes. I want you back too. And I’m sorry it took this to get you here, but…”

           “I’m sorry, baby.” He gripped onto your hand tightly and you tried to squeeze it, but you were on too many pain medications to be able to tell if you did or not. “I love you. And I’m not gonna let some stupid Daily Mail article change that because it’s dumb.” You sniffled.

           “I love you too.” Sebastian leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead, then your lips. You’d missed him so much. You’d missed how he smelled, how soft his lips were, how he’d always kiss the same spot on your forehead. Just as he gave you a smile, the nurse appeared again with papers in hand.

           “Alright, these are the release forms. Basically, if you’re going home on your own, you sign for yourself, if you’re going with someone else just write them down instead.”

           “Thank you,” Sebastian said to her. She handed him a pen and the clipboard and left the room again.

           “My insurance and stuff are in my wallet,” you told him.

           “I think I still remember most of it. And, besides, you’re coming home with me anyway.”

           “Seb, you don’t have to…”

           “I want to take care of my girlfriend after she fell out of a window.”

           “It was a plexiglass window.”

           “I know. But it was still a window. You’re still my girlfriend. Or you are now. Just let me baby you for a couple weeks, okay? I missed you.” You smiled.

           “Thanks. And only if I can borrow that hoodie back.” 

           “Just don’t tell the photographers that I think followed me from the coffee shop.” You scoffed.

           “I promise I won’t tell the media sharks. And they’ve probably figured it out on their own anyway. I’m sure the studio is going to issue some kind of statement and then people will track it to me and then figure out that I’m going with you.”

           “Yeah, probably. I don’t care, though. You’re mine. Fractured body and all.” Sebastian leaned in and kissed your forehead again, a smile coming over his face as he went back to signing papers. 

A/N: I hope you like it! 

#sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan imagine

[deathpuppies12]

The Bombing of Emotions

Cloud!

We stop by our place to drop off my things and then we're off to the train station. This is the first time I have been on the train I think. Cloud puts his hand on my shoulder, "stick with one of us please". I nod my head, Cloud and Tifa seem to already drift towards each other. Barret said we shouldn't stay in big groups so I decide to sit in the same cart as him. I take a seat next to him, "Spikey-ass send you in here", he asks. "No but he told me to stick with somebody and him and Tifa seemed to already stick to each other so figured it would be better to come by you", I say. He chuckles and ruffles my hair. I'll take that as a 'I did good'.

I sit quietly until some man in a suit starts talking loudly about Avalanche. Barret stands up and stalks towards them, shit what do I do. Cloud enters the cart, thank goodness. I take a deep breath, I stair some where else trying to not seem suspicious. Cloud takes care of the situation swiftly. Then the train passes through a weird red laser thing. What is this, are they gonna kill us. "Suspicious ID's sensed", what does that mean. "Shit", Barret mumbles, why shit, what's happening.

Cloud grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. We pass through another laser thingy. "Sending in security". "Come on", Cloud drags me to the train door. "Wait what are you doing", I yell. These weird robots crash through the windows before Cloud can tell me what's happening. Tifa punches this weird button that slows us down. Barret opens the train door, wait OPENS THE TRAIN DOOR. We're gonna jump off the train! "Barret take her with you", Cloud yells still fighting the weird robots. "Got it", Barret picks me up like a sack and jumps out. I brace my self for a ruff landing, shutting my eyes.

I don't hear anything, are we dead. "No were not dead", Barret says. "Oh shit I said that out loud". "Yeah you did, how old are you anyway", Barret asks. "14, why". "Well you sure curse a lot for a 14 year old, anyway come on we gotta find Tifa and Cloud".I do my best to help Barret out with the guards but, it's proving more difficult because he keeps yelling things. I'm so used to Clouds silent battles only occasionally speaking when asking my for a cura. Cloud's sword is also a lot more quiet then Barret's gun. "Barret", I hear a female voice yell.

I only get a second to glance over before one of the guards nocks me down with his weird stick thing. What are those anyway? I feel my head start to bleed a little bit, "what the hell", I shout. "Ahhh", Cloud jumps over head and takes him out. "Cloud", he pulls me to my feet and checks my head. "You good", "yeah just a little scuffed is all". "Damn kid, had me worried for a sec", Barret says. He ruffles my hair again, why does he keep doing that. "Come on we gotta move", Cloud rushes on ahead.

It takes us longer to get to we're we need to be because we keep running into these snake things. We passed most of the time talking about all our different lettered plans. Some how we found our way by looking at these street paintings of dogs. How we did that I don't know, I dazed off a while ago. We make it to a big room with an even bigger robot in the center. "Tifa get back", Cloud lunges forward and moves her out of the way. It comes to life and swipes everyone over to the side. Of course it decides to lock onto me. I rush behind some shipping containers. Shit what am I gonna do, I peak out to see if it's still looking for me. It seems Cloud gained its attention. Thank Shiva, I step out and cast Bolt on it's stupid-ass. I stunned it, "YEAH TAKE THAT FUCKER"! "(Y/n), can you not yell and swear please", says Cloud. I only shrug, I'll blame it on Barret later.

We finally finish that bit- I mean robot off. I need to get ahold of my language. Barrets so excited he starts singing. I laugh, I like these people and I hope we stick around and help them more. "Wow (y/n) you did great", Tifa compliments me. "See Cloud I told you this would be a good idea", Tifa teases him. They are so dating, their not even trying to hide it anymore. I wanna tease Cloud about it but refrain. We continue on and now we're standing on the platforms right under the plate. Holy shit we are high up.

"We're gonna have to walk along this to make it the rest of the way". "What, Barret please tell me your joking". "Sorry kid, I don't like heights either".

We go along the underside of the plate successfully. We even got new materia out of it, which is always great. Cloud even gave me a summon, I can't wait to see what's in it. We meet up with Biggs and head inside the Mako Reactor. It's crazy in here, there's so much mechanical stuff.

We stop at this weird pit full of blue stuff which I'm assuming is mako. Looks like a smoothie although I'm willing to bet it doesn't taste like one. "Ughh", Cloud groans in pain. Oh no it's happening again, Cloud's getting another one of his weird headaches. "Cloud are you ok", I put my hand on his shoulder. Tifa leans in front of him trying to get his attention. "Tifa", Cloud says. "What".  "Nothing". That was weird, I don't think Cloud has ever spoken any ones name before like that after his headaches.

We plant the bomb and are now on our way out. Before me can make it to the latter it retracts and a big hologram of some old dude shows up. "Greetings my dear sewer rats! As architect of our populace engagement campaign I, Heidegger, head of public security... bid you welcome". What the hell is happening. The voice continues, "You should be flattered. Right now, you command the attention every person in Midgar". Everyone in Midgar is watching us. Barret pushes me behind him, "you don't need to be dragged into this", he mumbles to me.

The goes on to say, "And so, to a people beset by Chaos and uncertainty, we will offer the finest comfort: Bread and circus". "The big boy", Barret says. "I give you Shinra's latest triumph of technology. The airbuster! You're executioner." Well this is definitely not the way I thought I was gonna die. The voice finally finishes and the door I front of us opens. "Come on", we follow Cloud on ward. We stop by a few rooms to make are battle easier. Maybe this won't be so bad. Especially sense Cloud was a Ex- whatever. We finally come to a big open gap with a simple run way going across. This is it, the big battle. Out of nervousness I grab onto Clouds arm protection thing. Cloud slightly pulls back but my anxious hold is to stubborn.

I huge hologram appears in front of us again. This time it's a different old man. "President Shinra"...

"Oho. The eyes of one who has bathed mako, which would make you a SOLDIER". "Ex-SOLDIER". "Once a SOLDIER always a SOLDIER, oh and who is that behind you". He gasps, and whispers something to someone. Is he talking about me, I hide behind Cloud more. "It seems you've had the child I've been looking for this whole time". Looking for me, why would he be looking for me. Cloud throws his arm out to block me.

"Are you forgetting someone", Barret yells. "Of course how could I forget, you strike me as someone who goes on without end". "Ain't enough hours in the day to hold you to account for all your crimes". "And what a wasteful indulgence it would be even if there was". "You wanna talk about wasteful, what about mako! The life blood of the plant, and drying it all up". Barret and the hologram man go back and forth for a while.

When I final thought this was over the big robot is behind us. "You ready", Tifa says. "As ready as I can be", I say. This is the hardest fight we've ever been in, But before I know it we won! The robot fires off exsvplosives as a last defense. They hit the run way we're standing on, Me, Tifa, and Barret all get shot backwards. Wait where's Cloud, I look over the broke edge to see him holding on. "Cloud"! "Barret get Tifa and (y/n) out of here". "No Cloud", Tifa yells. Barret grabs Tifa throws him over his shoulder and pulls me by arm. "Cloud"! Before going throw the door I see him fall. "NO"!

#cloud strife x reader #cloud x reader #cloud strife #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy vii remake #ffvii remake #ffvii #ff7 #ff7r #ffvii x reader #barret wallace ff7 #barret ffvii #tifa lockhart x reader #tifa x reader #tifa lockhart ffvii #fanfic

[fanfic-corner]

Bed Sharing

I created this list probably about a month or so ago, and I remember being so hopeful for the finale. I never dreamt we would get semi-canon Destiel, but I also never imagined the finale would be that disappointing. I will be posting a list of 15x20 fics, but for now, take this fluff and ignore your problems for a while.

Lock and Key by tricia_16 on AO3. (144,500 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bookstore Owner Castiel, Musician Dean Winchester, Friends to Lovers, Keeping Secrets, Mutual Pining, Flirting, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Virgin Castiel, Angry Sex, Dubious Content, Recreational Drug Use, Fluff, Dating, Song Lyrics, Sharing a Bed, Happy Ending.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: In a world where people get songs stuck in their heads whenever their soulmate is singing out loud, Castiel discovers that being soulmates with an aspiring singer/songwriter can be taxing, to say the least. Finding said soulmate, learning that he's the most attractive human being on the face of the earth, and then not being able to tell him he’s meant for you? It turns out that's even worse. Not having a soulmate is just the icing on the cake on an already crappy life, if you ask Dean. He wants to sell his songs, but he's terrified of singing them himself. He wants to be a mechanic, but he's stuck selling parts, instead. He wants to kiss the ever loving fuck out of Sam's girlfriend's boss, too, but the guy's holding out for his soulmate, which of course means Dean doesn't even have a shot....right?

Notes: The pure terror that struck me at the end of chapter one nearly made me dip out of this, but I stuck through it, and was 100% rewarded with the ending (I screamed. I think everyone is worried about me now).

Stand By Me by whelvenwings on AO3. (31,252 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Post-Apocalypse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Sharing a Bed, Slow Dancing, Smut, First Kiss, Canon-Typical Violence, Touch-Starved Dean, Love Confessions.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Dean Winchester has been alone for a long, long time. When he and Castiel happen to find each other - a couple of survivors in a world that’s been all but wiped clean - Dean’s looking for his brother; Castiel is looking for something to look for. They stick together, because neither of them much wants to be alone. They hate each other at first, of course. Dean hates Castiel for being weird and quiet and ironic and antagonistic and proud. Castiel hates Dean for being blunt and reckless and coarse, for drinking, for refusing to talk about how he feels and just pretending everything is fine. Most of all, they hate themselves and each other just for being alive. What right do they have to be alive? No one else seems to be. But against his own will, Dean starts to notice things about Castiel that he likes. Starts to hope that Castiel might like him, too. And together, they start to fight for a world where they're both alive - and that's a good thing.

Notes: I know I have recced this multiple times before but it is one of my all time favourite fics so I won’t apologise! It is so cute, and it has everything you could ask for in a fic.

Partnered by K_K_TiBal on AO3. (28,112 words).

Tags: Minor Donna/Jody, Minor Eileen/Sam, Detective Dean Winchester, Lieutenant Castiel, Undercover as Married, Suburbia, Drug Use, Sharing a Bed, Pining, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fake Marriage, Falling in Love, Love Confessions, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Demisexual Castiel, Demiromantic Dean Winchester.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Dean didn't think that his life as a detective could get much worse after Castiel was promoted to lieutenant. Castiel was a stickler for the rules, had no sense of humour, and never seemed to give Dean a break, even though they used to be partners. But then, despite all of their questionable history, the two are asked to go undercover on a case in the wealthy suburbs of California. . . as a married couple.

Notes: I am screaming, that was so f*cking cute! And the artwork was gorgeous, too. Also, now I ship Jody and Donna. Cas gave off such Holt vibes in this, I was convinced I accidentally started reading a Brooklyn Nine-Nine fic (do those exist?)

the cost of a thing by quiettewandering on AO3. (74,198 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fake Marriage, Human Castiel, Protective Dean Winchester, Touch-Starved Castiel, Mutual Pining, Jealous Dean Winchester, Slow Burn, Depressed Castiel, Fake/ Pretend Relationship, Sharing a Bed.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: 16 months ago, Cas became human. 12 months ago, Cas left the bunker and a broken-hearted Dean behind. Now they must work a case together, where married couples are dying mysterious deaths and the only way to earn the neighbors' trust is by pretending to be married. Slowly, Dean finds that he loves being in a relationship with Cas, fake or not, and Cas finds his loneliness retreating, despite the harsh reality looming right around the corner. As Dean and Cas navigate this fake, but all too real, relationship, can they find the monster that is on a mysteriously motivated killing spree before it’s too late?

Notes: So cute! My favourite trope! And, as an added bonus, the sharing of a bed. 

flowers in the backyard by justkeeponwriting on AO3. (34,710 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Homeless Castiel, Domestic Fluff, Sharing a Bed, Minor Character Death, References to Depression, Angst with a Happy Ending, Smut.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: After Uncle Bobby’s death, Dean goes to check up on the cabin that he’s inherited. Dean hasn’t been at the cabin for years, but he knows Bobby hasn’t renovated it in ages, so he isn’t very thrilled to be saddled with it. Upon arrival, he notices that unlike he expected, it’s not unoccupied, nor falling apart – instead, a stranger called Castiel has made it into his home.

Notes: This was such a relaxing and gentle read, I nearly fell asleep after I finished it! Cas & Dean’s tentative relationship was written absolutely beautifully, too.

What Happened In Vegas by Ltleflrt on AO3. (18,447 words).

Tags: Sam/Eileen, Alternate Universe - No Supernatural, Teacher Dean, Photographer Castiel, Las Vegas Wedding, Secret Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Switch Dean, Switch Castiel, Fluff.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: Long time friends Dean and Castiel are road tripping from Chicago to San Diego for Sam and Eileen’s wedding, and a pitstop in Las Vegas turns into drunken love confessions and a surprise marriage. Turns out the pining has been mutual this whole time, but now they’re finally together and on cloud-fucking-nine. Until they remember that this trip isn’t supposed to be about them. To avoid undermining Sam and Eileen’s important weekend, they decide to keep their new relationship status a secret. They’ll keep the heart eyes toned down and their hands to themselves, but the struggle is real.

Notes: Oh my lord, this was absolutely hilarious (especially that last piece of art - I totally lost it) and adorable. I can totally imagine Dean and Cas getting a cheesy Vegas wedding, and we can all dig Elvis (sorry).

Stories Are Made of Mistakes by wildhoneypie on AO3. (4,942 words).

Tags: Human Castiel, Diners, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Dean, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Case Fic, Domestic, Didn’t Know They Were Dating.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: In which Cas is human and doesn't understand basic concepts like: clothing, Mythbusters, moisturizer, and Greek food. Dean is...Dean and doesn't understand basic concepts like: boyfriends, language, how to tell your friend that he's a walking miracle, and when not to quip.

Notes: This was so cute and I live for human Cas. I also love the recurring ‘no fucking quipping’ joke in this, although the idea of Cas swearing broke me a bit!

Sharing the Rain Dog by almaasi on AO3. (19,837 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternative Universe - Historical (1999), Fluff, Romance, No Angst, Accidental Dating, First Dates, Rain, Dogs, Pets, FBI Agent Castiel, Musician Dean, Singer Dean, Flustered Dean, Domestic Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Moving In Together, Living Together, First Kiss, Sharing a Bed, Cuddling, Smut.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: When some asshole hits a dog with his car and drives off, the first two people on the scene are Dean and Castiel. Castiel's an FBI agent with a plane to catch, and he doesn't have time to take the dog to the vet. Dean's a musician, and he doesn't have the money. An agreement is reached: Dean goes, Castiel pays, and they'll exchange details and meet again to work things out. But who gets the dog? Sooner or later they're going to realise that having shared custody of one pitbull isn't ideal. She needs one home, not two. One stable, loving home...

Notes: Rain Dog was so cute, and so was flustered Dean! The hitting a dog joke is starting to get out of hand, though.

This Game We Play by destieldrabblesdaily on AO3. (1,195 words).

Tags: High School AU, Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Bed Sharing.

My Rating: 3 stars.

Description: Dean and Castiel have been best friends since they were little, and sleepovers are a common event. They've always loved playing the game where they draw out letters on each others backs and try to guess what the other is writing. Even though sixteen seems to be a bit too old to still play the game, Castiel uses it as a chance to silently confess something that he's been wanting to share with Dean for a long time.

Notes: This was adorable. I am 100% here for Cas and Dean being childhood friends.

Minty Fresh Kisses by almaasi on AO3. (7,905 words).

Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Motel Rooms, Teeth, Dean in Love, Human Castiel, First Kiss, Pancakes, Sharing a Bed, Fluff, Dean POV, One Shot.

My Rating: 3 stars.

Description: Dean teaches a newly-human Castiel how to brush his teeth properly. Things don't go according to plan – but for once, the unexpected development actually presents a more promising outcome.

Notes: This was so sweet, and Cas was so cute as a human! Also, I love fics where Sam is just done with the constant sexual tension, it always makes me laugh.

Wee Little Love Child by almaasi on AO3. (10,649 words).

Tags: Fluff, Romance, Kid Fic, Team Free Will, De-Aged Sam Winchester, Cursed Sam Winchester, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Sam Winchester ships Dean/Cas, Matchmaker Rowena, Parent Castiel, Parent Dean, Affectionate Dean, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Sharing a Bed, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Domestic Fluff.

My Rating: 3 stars.

Description: After being magically de-aged, little Sammy is under the impression that Dean and Cas are his parents. He wants to know if they're in love, but they can't (or won't) give a consistent answer. The thing is, they have to grant Sam's greatest wish in order to reverse the curse, but they can only do that as a pair. What does Sam want most? For Dean and Cas to express their true feelings. Aloud. To each other.

Notes: Aw, I love Rowena, and I am 100% here for her cursing Sam just to get Dean and Cas to stop being idiots and actually get together.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the fans are in control now. We control the Supernatural content we are getting, so please create the ending you would want to see. And, if anyone wants to talk or rant or suggest a fic, I am always here.

#bed sharing #destiel #spnfamily #supernatural #fanfiction #ficrec

[winryofresembool]

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 17

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: Some truths come out... and some don't.

A/N:  Did you really think I'd leave you hanging for too long? Now it's finally time to find out what happens when Calypso and Percy meet. I'm a bit worried some characters may sound a bit OOC here but writing conflict has never been my piece of cake so I was a bit out of my comfort zone here. But I tried! Without a further ado, I hope you guys enjoy! And let me know what you think!

Characters in this ch: Calypso, Leo, Piper, Jason, Annabeth, Percy

Words: 1899

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / next chapter / AO3

…

“Hold on, what’s going on here?” Leo asked, finally letting go of Calypso and throwing the last piece of the cupcake in his mouth. “You two know each other?”

“Well…” Calypso started but couldn’t find the right words to explain the situation.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Percy admitted when it became obvious that she wouldn’t be able to answer. “We used to chat online.”

Leo’s eyebrows shot up. “Chat… online? As in…?” 

“On Tinder, yeah. But that was a long time ago.” Percy glanced at his girlfriend varily. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

Calypso wasn’t happy about Percy’s choice of words. To her, it had been a rather big deal, because the internet had been the only way she had been able to stay in contact with the outside world and she did care about the bonds she formed there. And Percy had seemed different from most of the people she had met online. Had. Until she had discovered she was wrong, after all.

“If it wasn’t a big deal,” Annabeth frowned. “Then why do you look so nervous and why did Calypso just go bright red? I may not be quite as good at reading people as Piper is but usually that isn’t a good sign.”

“Annabeth…” Calypso answered instead of Percy. “You are my friend and I’m not going to lie to you. I did have a crush on him, but that was two years ago and we cut things off entirely when Percy told me he wanted to start dating someone else.”

“Wait… you were the girl he was seeing before me? I… how…?” Annabeth asked, her eyes wide as owl’s.

“You were still seeing Luke,” Percy said carefully. “I liked you, Annabeth, but in all honesty, I didn’t think you’d break up with him. So, I met Calypso online and she seemed nice, but…”

“But I was always just a second choice to you,” Calypso said a bit bitterly.

“Hey, I never meant any of it to happen! I didn’t want to hurt you,” Percy tried to defend himself.

“...But it just happened,” Calypso finished for him, her voice poisonous.

Annabeth ignored their arguing.

“I remember…” she addressed Percy, “before I told you about Luke and my break up, you ranted about this girl who was so pretty and sweet and lonely and you hoped to meet her because she was living in the same city. You never told me her name, though, or what happened to her. Eventually, I just kind of… forgot. And now I find out that girl is my friend. This is just so weird…”

“A small world, huh?” Percy tried to lighten the mood, failing at it.

“It’s not funny, Jackson.” Annabeth scowled at him. “So… did you guys ever meet face to face?”

“Just once,” Calypso hurried to answer. “And at the end of it? Percy told me that he only liked me as a friend.” Two years worth of in kept emotions decided to pop on the surface in that moment, and Calypso directed the frustration at Percy. “By the way, Percy, I appreciate your honesty but you really could have told me that before I arranged the whole thing. You knew the circumstances.”

Leo had listened to the whole conversation with his mouth open, his head going back and forth between the arguers, but now he felt he had completely fallen out of it, so he asked: “Woah, you guys! Calm down a bit! What circumstances?”

“It’s nothing,” Calypso said quickly.

“It’s not nothing!” Percy exclaimed but seeing Calypso’s warning glare, he quickly shut up.

Annabeth casted Percy a disbelieving look. “Wait, she talked about whatever was going on with her to you? We’ve been friends for several months now and she still hasn’t told me what happened at the mall that one time…”

“Annabeth, I couldn’t…” Calypso wanted to explain but she knew that whatever she’d say probably wouldn’t help the situation. 

“Calypso, friends don’t have secrets. I’ve been trying to be patient, but I’m getting tired of this. Just tell me one thing. Based on what you just told me, you would have been ready for a relationship with Percy. Do you still like him?”

Calypso wanted to say a very unhesitant no, that that raft had sailed away a long time ago, and she might be seeing a new one on the horizon... But she realized she couldn’t say that in front of Leo because she hadn’t fully admitted that to herself yet, much less to anyone else. Besides that, she was also feeling rather intimidated by the situation, so the words escaped her. “I… uh… no.”

“That sounded pretty hesitant,” Annabeth pointed out. She looked like she wanted to say more, but thankfully, Piper decided to intervene in that moment.

“Alright, guys. To me it sounds like some of you are overreacting. So, Cal and Percy used to chat online before Percy and Annabeth started dating. To which they had every right. Calypso had a crush on Percy, which I suppose isn’t that weird even though I myself am not seeing the charm.” She gave her own boyfriend a quick smile. “They met once face to face and on that date Percy told Calypso he liked someone else instead. Doesn’t sound like the smartest idea but I guess Percy preferred telling that way instead of over a message. Right, Percy?”

“R-right,” he stammered, probably worried about how the girls would react.

“Then Calypso mentioned something about ‘circumstances’ but sounds like it’s something very personal so it’s up to her if she wants to tell us more about that. For now I’d suggest that we’d leave that topic alone.”

“Thanks, Piper,” Calypso said gratefully. “This is probably not the best moment to talk about it.”

“Fair enough,” Piper said, looking at the others challengingly, then at her watch. “Maybe it’s time for us all to go home. It’s getting kind of late.”

Agreeing mumbling could be heard from the room. When Piper put her leader mode on, no one really dared to resist her. Calypso thought briefly that she’d be an excellent boss for some company one day.

Percy and Annabeth didn’t say much when they left, perhaps their silence speaking more volumes than words could have. As the door closed, Piper sighed.

“I’m sorry this went this way. I promise I had a good time…”

“Until I messed everything up.” Calypso said quietly.

“What?” Piper asked. “I wasn’t gonna say that!”

“Yes but it’s the truth. I complicate everything. I can’t believe the first person I made friends with here… was, um, somehow connected to my past.”

“She must feel just as weird as you do,” Piper reminded. “I think it might be good for you to take a time off and ask yourself if you should let something that happened several years ago affect your friendship. You didn’t do anything wrong; Annabeth just needs to cool down a bit to be able to accept that. And when she’s ready, explain to her what really happened.”

“My girlfriend, the boss lady,” Jason, who had followed the situation quietly, said acceptingly. “You handled this situation awesomely.”

“Pfft, Grace, you just say that because I sleep with you.” Piper chuckled.

“He is not wrong, though,” Calypso was quick to add. “I think you did exactly what needed to be done. And just gave me some good advice. So thank you, again.”

“No problem. And hey, if anything comes up… you can definitely contact me. Annabeth may have been my friend longer, but you’re my friend too.”

“Yeah, thanks, I will,” Calypso said, managing a small smile.

After that Jason and Piper said their goodbyes and left Leo and Calypso alone in their flat.

“That was… pretty intense,” Leo finally broke the silence when it was about to get awkward. For some reason, he seemed disappointed about something even though Calypso couldn’t decide what. That she had ruined the evening? Or could it be… that he was upset to find out that she used to have a crush on his friend? No, that couldn’t have been it, Calypso thought, because what reason had she ever given Leo to like her? When she thought about it, she had mainly been sarcastic and kind of cold in his company, probably not something most people cared about.

“Yeah…” Calypso didn’t know what else to say. She wanted to explain, to say that she really didn’t feel much of anything towards Percy anymore, but what would that help? She’d probably only make things even more awkward than they already were. Especially if she was wrong and Leo was disappointed for example because she might have caused friction between his friends. “Listen, I didn’t mean to…”

“Whatever,” Leo stopped her, sounding a bit sharper than what Calypso was used to hearing. “I guess it’s none of my business anyway.”

Calypso understood the implications in Leo’s comment. One of the reasons why he was mad was because she wasn’t telling him the whole truth. But she could not get him mixed in the life she was trying to escape from…

The whole situation made Calypso frustrated and she took it out in a way she later regretted: “Why are you acting like that? What happened with Percy has nothing to do with you!”

“Well, it becomes my issue too if it affects my friends! Besides, I… I care about you… because you’re my flatmate, of course! And if my friend hurt you…”

Calypso was totally taken aback by Leo’s answer. She hadn’t even considered that he might actually be worried about her. Her face softened as she replied: “What happened back then… it doesn’t matter anymore. He and I were never exclusive. So really, it was my fault in the first place thinking that we could have a future. Not with… everything happening anyway.”

“There, that’s the other problem,” Leo said in a low voice. “You never tell me… Calypso, even though I may seem like it sometimes, I’m not stupid. You’re not telling us something that’s obviously very important to you. And hearing that Percy knows… well, it does feel weird.”

“Leo, think about your worst memory,” Calypso said, her eyes looking even darker than usual. “And tell me if you’d be willing to tell it to me, right here, right now. If the answer is no… well, then you might understand what I feel.”

“I…” Leo started, but then hesitated, his expression turning dark. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to…”

“Forget.” Calypso finished for him. “Guess you might understand, after all.”

“Yeah, maybe… I hope that we can be honest with each other, one day, though.”

“I hope so, too,” Calypso agreed.

“Listen, I’m gonna call it a night,” Leo finally broke the silence that had fallen into the room, combing his hair with his fingers. “Got lots to do tomorrow. So, see ya.”

“Night,” Calypso said after him. She was sad that the affection that had been there the other night as they had said good night to each other seemed almost non-existent right now. Maybe the bubble around them had broken when they voiced their issues out loud. But Calypso wasn’t someone who gave up that easily. She wouldn’t let the ghosts of the past stop her from living her life anymore.

#caleo #leo valdez #calypso #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #trials of apollo #my fics #caleo uni au

[itslocsdiggs]

Taste of Honey

1 2.1

Without further ado, the long awaited second chapter of this lovely song fic(for a song that doesn’t quite exist yet). I’ve got my ducks in a row, so I won’t let the other updates stay so long anymore! I hope you enjoy!

Word Count 2k+

Triggers: none so far

Tags: @iknowthekoolaidflavor @daveeddiggsit @moondustmemories 

The two days flew by quickly. You spent the day fixing your hair and makeup to go on the unusually early date. You wanted to look good for him, so you brought out your sexiest and most formal dress with a slit up the thigh and a cape to keep you warm. Thankfully, he’d offered to pick you up because your car stalled on the way to class, so you had to leave it at the mechanic and walk back home.

Your roommate Nika greeted you with tea and pancakes. She had been a good roommate and friend since your junior year of college, so you stuck with her.

“I heard giggling and soft moans coming from the living room last night,” she says seriously.

“Would you stop! I was not moaning for any reason. I was on a video call,” you reached for the jar of sweetener to pour into her tea.

“Well, spill the deets, so I don’t have to make stuff up.”

You took a long sip staring at your expectant friend over the rim of your cup. “A gorgeous man came into the cafe yesterday, and he was just typing away on his laptop, so I kept refilling his beverages. He was grateful, so he left me a huge tip.”

“Sounds like he was trying to hit on you.”

“He admitted it. And I am not complaining, okay? He is so fine.”

“So what does he do, Y/N?” Nika asks in a sing-songy tone.

“He does...” You pause for a beat. “I actually don’t know.”

Her eyes wide, “I can’t believe you. Google him, now. You are not waiting for your date!””

“Okay, miss bossy,” you admonish, reaching for your phone. “I was gonna work it into the conversation.”

The search was quick and conclusive. Nika had her hand on her hip expectantly. “Well, what does he do”?

You sigh, “He’s a successful writer, poet, and business mogul. Ooh! And here are some sexy photos with him and his dog.” You smiled, scrolling through his social media.

“Please stay focused, Y/N. You’ve only got a few hours.”

“Okay, okay. Though it says he’s a private partner. I’m sure he told me all of this last night while I was going gaga over his looks.

“That sounds accurate. You’ve always got your head in the clouds,” Nika retorts taking a bite.

You both devoured the stack of pancakes quickly, and Nika offered to clean because there was no reason you should have to play Cinderella.

So, you were dressed and ready for your date an hour early. When he arrived, you were surprised to see how effortlessly he leaned against his car when you looked out the window, you nearly had an attack.

“If he dresses that well, he is definitely not a student,” you muttered under your breath.

Rafael rang the doorbell, and you opened it quickly before Nika could try and talk to him. Now was not the time. He took your hand in his as he led you to his car. She watched from her bedroom window anyway.

Hi Y/N, you look great. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m excited to see this surprise.”

He kissed your cheek and opened the door for you. Then he climbed into the driver’s side.

The drive was long, but soothing. Both of you enjoyed bonding over the music on the stereo. You hummed along sometimes despite your throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton balls. Whenever he looked your way or took your hand to squeeze, you could only smile and nod. You distracted yourself with your surroundings outside the car window.

The awkward silence made the drive seem long even though it would be the only low point of the night.

He finally arrived at the venue and left the valet park. You were sad to get out because it was really comfortable.

You heard some really good hip hop music coming from inside the venue, and even in your heels you were itching to dance. But you decided not to embarrass yourself in front of this man you’ve only just met.

Walking in the double doors, you were impressed with the bright, unique decorations and displays that lit the room. A gust of cool air welcomed you in. “Hey Rafael, can you tell me what the event is for, now?” you asked with a wry smile.

He looks at you briefly, smiling before grabbing the table cards. He handed one card to you embossed in black ink with your name. “We are going to watch a gala for music education, and then I have arranged a private dinner for us. If you hear something you like, let me know,” he smiled at you.

You ignored his last comment and walked to your table. Rafael greeted a friend who stopped him halfway, and that was your first of many introductions for the night. He was a tall man with curly hair and a suit that fit him nicely.

“Y/N this is my favorite person to work with, Daveed. Daveed, this is Y/N, my date.” He took your hand and kissed it. You smiled, lost in the moment.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. It’s not often that my friend here plans such amazing dates. I hope that you have fun.”

“Thank you!” you say and smile in response.

Rafa scowled playfully, “don’t you have an opening act to do, man?”

 A bell sounded and everyone scrambled for their seats. The lights dimmed, then brightened slowly to reveal a well lit stage, tangled with wires and set up with a band.

Daveed and some other people did an opening act, and then the young children performed. You were amazed by the violinists and the jazz dancers. There were so many wonderful performances and costumes that you thought you would cry. You were like these kids once, bright-eyed and perfectly every note perfectly to any audience who would only recognize you by the smile on your face.

Some of Daveed and Rafa’s friends you discovered were also singers and they had such amazing solos. You suddenly wished you were at home in front of your mirror, or in the bakery kitchen filling donuts.

After the performances, guests bid to support one year’s free tuition at any of the arts and music schools amongst other expensive items. The volley and quick exchange of money in the room was really overwhelming, so you decided to get some air. As you walked around the lobby, the state of the art instruments on display caught your eye. On the platform stood a beautiful brand new guitar. You stared at it wistfully, before sauntering back over to your date. Rafael had joined the bidding crowd mesmerized by one art piece that was unlike anything he’d ever seen, and you were awestruck too.

Noting your presence, he leaned in and murmured, “Are you ready to eat?”

Yeah, that sounds good,” you reply, your stomach grumbled and echoed your response.

He led you down the spotlit hallway towards the booth he had reserved for the two of you. It was a small booth, and there was a beautiful centerpiece on the table. You sat in the middle, and he slid in closer to you.

“Y/N, thank you for coming out tonight, you look amazing. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I’m sorry if meeting my friends was too weird. They haven’t seen me out with anyone in a while.”

“It’s okay, thank you for inviting me. I’m having a great time. I loved the performances. These kids are so talented,” you gushed.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. What did you think about the dance groups?

“It was definitely a timeless routine. The music choice was excellent. It was my favorite routine of the whole night,” you beamed.

“I’ll be sure to let the teacher know, she’s a very good friend of mine. So tell me, how was your presentation?” His emerald eyes shone with genuine interest.

You avoided his gaze, fidgeting with your bracelet, “I didn’t make it to school, I had to reschedule because my car broke down. I was really looking forward to it.”

“And I was really excited to hear about it,” Rafa replied with a sad smile, “Is there something I could do to help?”

You thought back to him bidding on the expensive tuitions he wanted to sponsor, and then you trained your eyes on the expensive bottle of wine the waiter just set down before you.

“N-no,” you stammer, “I am working on getting it out of the repair shop in a few days! It’s really no problem.”

“I wouldn’t mind helping you out. I really like you, Y/N. You’re hard working and sweet. You also make a mean cup of tea. I drink that flavor every day and I’ve never been able to get it quite right.”

Rafael fell silent and fiddled with the utensils for a moment. Finally he utters, “I was wondering if you’d be my girlfriend, with an added perk.”

Wow! What a pitch! You think to yourself as your eyes widen.

“And that perk would be?”

“I’d like to give you an allowance, baby. For you to spend however you like. He thinks for a moment, “You wouldn’t have to quit your job, but you should know,” Rafa lightly squeezes your hand, “I own the whole chain.”

Your mouth turned to cotton again and your brain tried to keep up. “Like a sugar baby? Wait you own Taste of Honey?”

“Yes, and yes,” he replies slowly, taking a sip of his wine and arching his eyebrow at you over the rim of his goblet.

Something quakes inside of you at the look. It must be your resolve crumbling.

You sit back and think to yourself. He’s really hot, so if you had to do it like most girls, it wouldn’t be a problem. Even if he just wanted a friend, girls like you don’t take free money like that, no matter how tempting. But he’s your boss, even hotter.

You smile at him, your sense of reasoning shot. Sipping some water, you lower your gaze, trying to mask your surprise. “That sounds interesting. And just about the hottest thing I’ve ever heard. It’s doing things to me,” you say carefully, “You do things to me. So, yes. I’ll be your girlfriend, Rafa.”

The soft way you say his name makes his heart soar. He’s relieved he made a good move inviting you out tonight. You’re glad that you decided to say yes. It’s been a while since you allowed yourself to be out with someone.

As you eat, it’s quiet again. Digging into the amazing cuisine and the drinks, you were getting more relaxed. The prospect of not having to worry about your finances seemed amazing. Your job could just be pocket change, and you would not have to burden your family. Maybe you could quit and have more time to study. But you liked making beverages for the little old ladies and gorgeous men who frequented the cafe. It’s the best job you’ve had since you were a teenager. It’s also what led you here. Whatever you decided, you promised yourself to always be self-sufficient.

When you clear your plate, you smile and mirror Rafa’s actions over the rim of your glass, “As for your offer to be my sugar daddy, I’m going to need a couple of days to think it over.”

“That’s fine, sweetheart,” He looked excited that you were even considering it. But oh, I wish there was another word, gosh, I’m not that much older than you,” he rolled his eyes.

You laughed, “maybe we’ll find something else.”

You and Rafa continued to eat, and laughed at everything and nothing. Then he walked you back through the lobby where he said good night to his friends, and you took a good last look at the instruments on display now marked with price tags. Rafa led you through the garden towards the valet parking.

“Aww, the night is over so soon? “I had a really nice night. It was a pretty impressive first date, as those go.”

“Yeah? Thanks. I figured it wouldn’t be gentlemanly to keep you out all night. I know that your roommate will be waiting up,” Rafa smiled knowingly.

“It’s still early. What if I said, I could tell her tomorrow?”

He grinned, and offered his hand to you. You took his hand, and you walked slowly towards the line of cars. His vintage vehicle lit up as it approached the curb. The valet stepped out, opened the passenger side door, and Rafa assumed his position in the drivers seat smoothly. You settled into your seat, ready to see what the rest of the night would hold.

“Let’s go then.”

#Rafael casal #Rafael Casal x reader #taste of honey #sugar papí rafa #not yet #but stay tuned to see if reader says yes #the slowest burn #enjoy #back from hiatus

[pogaytosalad]

Heres a wip of a sequel.

Dmviolence, by jade

Hello, if youre hearing this, it probably means im dead. Either that, or im alive and just got tired of keeping this hidden. You might remember my voice from a previous recording about a takeover in sector ⬽:➻, in which id helped prevent total annihilation of the sector. At the time i was unnamed, however now you may call me Kalton. After the takeover i resigned and moved to a job at a dmv. This planet was, for some reason, in one of the most tactically advantageous locations in the galaxy. And for some reason the higher ups dedicated the whole damn planet to dmvs. Dont ask why. Now, onto the story.

I woke up, and i put on my emerald green contact lenses. Just like any other day. I put on a basic white t-shirt and a leather bomber jacket along with a pair of jean shorts. If you cant tell by now, im gay.

I live in a small apartment. By small apartment i mean a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen all crammed into 2 rooms. I hopped out the bedroom window onto my motorcycle. It was a diamond white motorcycle with deep red stripes along the sides and the handlebars. My pride and joy. I put on my jet black helmet and took off towards my job at the, you guessed it, dmv.

Chapter 2

I pulled up in the parking lot and took off my helmet, my blue hair a total rats nest. The doors were push doors, yet i somehow ALWAYS pulled first. I entered the dmv and went to my station. A few hours passed by and no one had come in yet, which was unusual. So naturally i decided to sit down on the floor, put in my earbuds, and enjoyed some heavy metal. A few more hours passed by, and usually by now i wouldve been yelled at by my boss. This struck me as odd so i stood up. I really wish i hadnt stood up. The place had been completely destroyed. There were drop pods crashed in through the roof and they all had the ERGON logo on them. Ergon was a multi trillion dollar pencil manufacturing company with its own military. They had previously tried to take over sector ⬽:➻ when i had been working there. I was not looking forwards to what was about to happen.

Quickly, i ducked back onto the floor before anyone saw me. There were 4 riot soldiers holding this building. This was gonna be fun. The riot soldiers are your stereotypical riot gear and police baton soldiers. But these guys had laser batons and the riot gear gave them heightened strength and speed. They also had some, dare I say, shitty energy pistols. I crawled over to one of the soldiers who wasnt being watched and broke their neck. Carefully I took the baton and the pistol. Slowly crawled my way back to my station and checked the shot count in the pistol. I had 6 shots, just enough to take care of the remaining three soldiers. I stood up quickly and shot each soldier twice in the head. First shot to open the riot helmet, second shot to kill. I vaulted over the counter and grabbed the three pistols. These things were so stupid. You couldnt even remove the clips. Once you ran out of shots, the pistol was useless. Nonetheless, i didnt have any choice. I had a laser baton and 18 total shots in 3 pistols.

Upon leaving the building, my motorcycle was one of the few things to survive. It had alot of scratches and damage, but it still worked. The helmet was shattered however. I mounted the motorcycle and took off towards the next closest dmv. Maybe id find some better gear there.

Chapter 3

Pulling up next to the second dmv i immediately noticed 3 things. 1: there was blood everywhere. 2: there were 25 soldiers here. And 3: they all had energy weapons. The reason these things are relevant is because energy weapons dont cause bloodshed. This was the result of something else. Something new i hadnt dealt with yet.

I drove up and ran over 5 of the soldiers. This was probably an incredibly bad idea, seeing as i had 18 shots, enough for 9 kills, and there were 20 soldiers left. Every single soldier turned to me and i, being the absolute genius that i am, welded the front of one of the pistols shut with the laser baton, shot it off, and threw it into thei crowd of soldiers. It exploded, releasing a shockwave of energy and disabling the soldiers. I then used the baton to cut through the riot gear and kill the soldiers. I felt like a badass. That is until a mechanical looking wolf jumped at me and started trying to rip my face off.

The wolf was a frostwolf, except it had been placed into a mechanical frame and its teeth and claws had been replaced with lasers. I tried to bash it off of me with the baton but it just bit it in two. This gave me just enough time to grab an energy pistol and shoot the wolf. It kept trying to kill me amd i wasted a whole clip on it until suddenly, the dog started to levitate in the air and got thrown aside into a wall. I got up and was instantly frozen in place. Thats when.. she walked up.

Chapter 4

The she i am reffering to is ebony. A goth/punk wannabe with light blue tear shaped eyes and black hair with purple streaks. Shes a bitch whos mind got too powerful and now she can move things without touching them. Shes been chasing me for months. Not in a murderous way. Shes just obsessed with me. Ive tried to tell her im gay but she wont listen. And now im at her mercy.

She walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek. I hated it. She looked as if she was contemplating whether or not to free me when a pod came down from the sky and crushed her. Thank god. But i honestly wouldve rathered suffered at her hand than deal with what i had to deal with next...

Out of the pod came the warden. The goddamn warden from sector ⬽:➻. Last id seen him hed been in the same situation as ebony. Crushed to death under a pod. But this time, instead of being on my side, he was here to kill me. He was huge. Like seriously huge. He was at least 8 feet tall and shaped like gaston. Whos gaston? Nobody knows these days. But its basically a way to say "extremely buff and wide". Back to the story. The warden wasnt looking very good, considering the rotten skin, obviously quickly patched together face, and muscles hanging loose out of his skin. His rotting ruined body was held together by an exoskeleton of chromium-tungsten alloy. Nothing i had was gonna cut through that. I was gonna have to get creative here..

The warden had 2 weapons, both of them were his fists. Huge gauntlets that were each about the size of a cow. Definitely bigger than his previous set. They were a golden green metal i couldnt identify. But i didnt want to get hit with one to try and find out. I ran. I ran as fast i could run into the dmv and hid. I could hear the wardens footsteps. It was as if a small earthquake happened each time he took a step.

I peeked over the desk i was hiding behind and saw him punch through the 2 desks opposite to me. It took no effort and i couldve sworn i saw him smile. Obviously i didnt. Cause he didnt have a mouth anymore. But if he did, he definitely wouldve smiled. I took a shot to get his attention and ran off towards the wall. The warden was definitely faster than i expected.

Luckily i managed to dodge the blow by a centimeter. The metal smelled of decaying flesh and popcorn. The wardens blow punched a huge hole in the wall. I hope you see where im going with this.

I ran off to another wall and we repeated this same process a number of times until the building was barely still up. I ran out the doors and threw the baton at the last of the supports, cutting through it and causing the building to collapse in on the warden. He wasnt getting out of that. I decided to search the rubble to see if i could find anything worth taking. I found a new baton, a flame rifle and a few more energy pistols.

The flame rifle was a very interesting design. The sides were painted jet black with flame decals scattered about. You could feel the heat on the inside and it made the gun warm to the touch. Comfortable to hold. Other than that though, it looked like an old fashioned 8.59mm sniper rifle. It had 4 shots remaining, so id have to use it sparingly.

I grabbed some scrap materials out of the rubble to make a holster for it and put it on my back.

The energy pistols just dangled from a keychain. The baton was simply turned off and placed through a hole in the back pockets of my shorts. I ran to my motorcycle and drove off, i needed to find out more. I had questions, and i had a sneaking suspicion that i knew where to find the answers.

I drove off again, i was dirty and there was blood on me and my bike. I probably looked like a serial killer. But i knew that if anyone was still alive, itd be jayden. They were.. well. They were a vampire. They lived in a swampland area and wore sparkly rainbow shirts and a huge sunhat. The sunhat allowed them to go outside in the sun, and they only drank coconut water. They also had a crazy amount of weaponry and used to work at ergon, before being fired for stealing weaponry. By the way, if you havent noticed by now, im using they/them to refer to jayden. Jayden doesnt have a gender. Jayden.. is kind of my crush. It probably has something to do with the fact that theyre the only person on this planet who talks to me. Other than ebony.. but ebony is... not my type i guess. Anyways, back to jayden. Jayden was on the roof of their swamp shack drinking coconut water out of a wine glass. I yelled up at them and they fell off the roof onto my back. I guess i cushioned their fall. Jayden immediately said "What do you need dear" without waiting for me to stand up, and shattered the wine glass. I informed them of the situation and asked the questions i had. Things like "what are the ergon soldiers defences like on their ships" and "how did they reanimate the warden" they had answers.

Jayden told me about the new security measures that had been put in place since id last been on an ergon ship. There was now a code for each teleportation pod and the gaurds had doubled. As for the warden, it turns out jayden was actually the first test run in reanimation sciences, and couldnt answer me because they had been unconcious in a lab when the warden was reanimated. That explained the vampire undead thing. Jayden invited me into the shack where they pulled a nail out of the floorboards and it turned into a ramp to the basement. Down in the basement? Thats where jayden kept their weapons they stole. And boy oh boy were there some interesting ones.

One that immediately caught my attention was the big rocket launcher. It had 3 barrels and each was a different colour, indicating a different effect. One was red, one was yellow, and one was green. The red barrel fired a normal explosive rocket, the yellow barrel fired an electromagnetic pulse rocket, and the green barrel fired an acidic explosive. And the launcher shrunk down to the size of an energy pistol when a button was pressed. It gathered up dirt and dust and garbage around it from the back to quickly convert into ammo but the only downside is that it would be difficult to use more than once in an area.

Jayden picked out an old shotgun. At first i didnt understand why, but then they loaded the clip. The clip was a huge drum that loaded in the bottom of the barrel. The drum was see through and inside you could see sawblades lined up side by side. When they pumped the shotgun a blade got lifted into a slot between the 2 shotgun barrels and started glowing red. When the trigger was pulled, the blade spun at high speeds and fired out of the slot, spinning along the ground like a wheel. It could cut through anything a baton could cut through and seemed to almost follow its target. The gun itself looked like an DP-12, except behind the pump, a large clear drum full of sawblades was in place. The blade sat between the barrels in place of the iron sights and got heated up by an electrical circut.

I also took a laser sword instead of my baton, it was just like the one that [3825968] had, except this one was about an inch longer. The final weapon i took was an acid thrower. It was basically just a watergun with acid in it. Ive always been partial to acidic weapons. If youve heard my other story, youd know why..

Jayden also took a submachine gun that fired freezing rounds. The rounds were essentially glorified waterballoons with liquid nitrogen in them. Though the rounds were bullet sized, enough shots from it would certainly freeze you in place. The freeze gun was about the size of the average human head, and was painted navy blue with blue saphire stripes placed along it. We both left the shack, me with my sword and jayden with a wine glass. We were ready to kick ass and put a stop to this.

We left and immediately both got flung into some trees. Guess who it was. It was ebony. Her body had been found and reanimated. I was starting to see a pattern. And now we had to fight the telekinetic who could kill us with a wave of her hand.

She was levitating. Her eyes were glowing red and her hair was floating in the air. She had a smile of someone about to rip your arms off and beat you with them. I tried to take a shot at her but my hand got knocked aside by an invisible force. So i tried the next best thing. Seduction. Fake seduction. Hopefully the whole dying and coming back from the dead thing didnt make her stop being weirdly obsessed with me.

While i faked surrender and complimented ebony and attempted to seduce her, jayden took aim of their ice gun and shot a burst at ebonys right arm. The arm froze in place and shattered. Hopefully that would lower the strength of her telekinetic abilities. It did. But only by about half. Which meant jayden got thrown into the air as i tried to discreetly unholster my acid gun. It wasnt discreet enough and the gun was knocked from my hand.

The gun flew forwards and the impact of hitting the ground set it off for a second, just enough to spray an acidic burn through her arm. Incapacitating her. Jayden ended up sneaking up behind her and impaling her through the skull with the shattered end of their wine glass. Finally ebony was dead for good.

The acid gun was busted, so we had to leave it behind. We got onto my motorcycle and took off towards my apartment building. We would need food if we were going to be traveling. An apartment complex would probably be full of foods, and alot of dead people who wouldnt care if we took some stuff.

#writing #scifi #fantasy violence

[pilot-boi]

New Residents: Chapter Two

Tennants

They gained a dog, and it sets in even more that Ren is the only adult in a thousand clicks

AO3 LINK

The Berry rattled as Ren steered carefully through an asteroid belt. The handling on the ship wasn’t meant for sharp turns and quick maneuvers. He heard Petey and Jaune both yelp in surprise as the Berry turned nearly on its side. Ren quickly corrected their angle, silently praying that the crates in the hold would be able to stand the tossing and turning.  

“You two okay?” He called back.

“We’re good,” Jaune said. Another sharp turn had him throwing his arms even tighter around Petey, trying to keep her from slipping from his grasp.

“Just a little bit more,” Ren said, mostly to the ship. It shuddered in response. They really needed the cash from this job, just to fix the Berry. As their destination came into view, Ren took a risk and put on a burst of speed. He flinched when he heard something scrape along the top of the ship.

“What was that?” Jaune yelped. “Did you hurt my ship?”

“No?” Ren said, the word coming out more of a question than he liked.

The ship finally broke free of the asteroid belt, and Ren let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d be holding. The trade planet of Tregtar was approaching quickly, and Ren let the Berry slow down as they prepared for landing.

“Well, that could have been worse,” He muttered to himself.

---

“You did hurt my ship!” Jaune exclaimed, aghast, sitting on top of the Berry, elbow deep in the mechanics of it. “Fortunately, it’s just a scratch. I don’t think it got to anything internal.”

“That’s good,” Ren said into his communicator, heaving the crates out of the hold. None of them were damaged, luckily. Petey slept next to him, curled up on some empty sacks.

“Nope. Spoke too soon,” Jaune said, sighing. “The AI got hit. It’s totally busted.”

“Maybe we can find someone here who can fix it?” Ren suggested, closing the hold door.

“Sure hope so,” Jaune said, slamming the panel shut. “Or we’re stuck here.” He slid down back into the ship and emerged a few minutes later. Ren was shaking hands with a bird-like alien that clacked its beak a couple times and then handed Ren an envelope. 

A few more of the bird aliens carried the crates away while Ren checked the money. His face told Jaune that they’d been paid more than they should have been, but they weren’t about to tell their employers.

He pocketed the envelope and gave Jaune a thumbs-up.

Jaune tapped his watch a few times, pulling up a map of the local area. “There’s a town a little ways from here. Not huge, but hopefully we can find someone there who can help us.”

Ren nodded. They had more than enough to pay for an AI fix-up now, not to mention everything else wrong with the Berry.

“Where’s Petey?” Jaune asked.

“Inside,” Ren said. “She was sleeping in the common room last I checked.”

Jaune went back inside, running to their common room to check up on her. He hadn’t found a leash that would stay around her neck, yet, so they were going to have to leave her while they found a technician.

“Uh, Ren?” He called out.

“Yeah?”

“She isn’t here.”

Ren walked into the room. “Maybe she just moved to one of the other rooms?”

“You check upstairs. I’ll take this floor,” Jaune said.

When they reconvened, neither of them had found Petey.

“Maybe she slipped out when I was unloading the crates,” Ren said. “She can’t have gone far.”

Jaune was starting to panic. Their dog was gone. What if she got hurt? What if someone took her? What if she didn’t come back? What if… what if…

“Jaune!” Ren grabbed Jaune’s shoulders, holding him until his breathing evened out. “Snap out of it! Standing around worrying isn’t going to help us find Petey any faster.”

Jaune nodded, gently pushing Ren off of him. “I know, I’m just- I don’t want anything to have happened to her.”

“I know,” Ren said, leading Jaune outside. “We’ll find her.”

Petey wasn’t anywhere around the Berry. She wasn’t within ear shot. She always came when Jaune called. She must have gone towards the town, drawn in by whatever delicious smells were coming from there.

---

“Petey! Come here, girl!” Jaune called, a few aliens on the street giving him odd looks.

“Petey!” Ren yelled. “Petey, come on!”

No response. Jaune had to admit, he was starting to get tired. They had been searching for hours. He wouldn’t stop until he found Petey, though. Just a breather. A small but bright bar at the end of the street caught his attention, and he pointed it out to Ren.

“Maybe she went in there?” he suggested. “We could check, and rest our feet a bit.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ren said. He didn’t look as tired, but Jaune could tell that even he was slowing down.

They entered the bar. Burnt neon lights decorated the walls. A few plants were placed in strategic corners. The place smelled like meat and beer. A few patrons sat at the bar, or at the various tables placed around the floor. No Petey in sight.

“I’m going to get some water,” Jaune told Ren. “Look around the back? Maybe she tried to get some scraps from the garbage.”

Ren nodded, “Get some for me too. My throat is dying.”

Jaune nodded back and sat down at the bar. The bartender, a Ninkain, stood behind the counter, polishing a glass and humming to herself. She looked up when Jaune collapsed onto one of the stools.

“You look like you’ve had a rough day,” she commented, speaking quickly. 

“You could say that,” Jaune said. “Can I get some water?”

The bartender looked surprised that Jaune didn’t order something a bit stronger, but she complied anyways. “Your friend looks like he’s looking for something,” she observed as she poured Jaune’s glass, glancing behind him as Ren walked back into the bar and looking him up and down.

“Our Dulcosi,” Jaune said, resting his head on the bar. “She ran off while we weren’t paying attention, and now we can’t find her anywhere.”

“What color is she?” the bartender asked, handing Jaune his water. “I think I might have seen one nearby.”

Jaune’s head jerked up. “She’s green, and responds to Petey.”

Ren came up behind Jaune, “Have you seen any Dulcosi that look like that? We’ve been searching for hours and we’re worried about her.”

“Give me a minute,” the bartender said. “I’ll be right back.” She retreated to the back of the bar. Ren and Jaune exchanged hopeful looks.

The woman came back out with an orange humanoid android wearing a bright green hoodie. He looked nervous, and the bartender appeared to be reassuring him as the two approached Jaune and Ren.

“This is Oscar,” the bartender said, flipping her vibrant orange hair out of her face and gently forcing the android to take a step closer to the bar.

Oscar waved, forcing a nervous smile. “Hi. You guys are looking for your dog?”

“Yes,” Jaune answered. “Have you seen her?”

Oscar nodded. “Yeah. She was wandering around outside. She wasn’t wearing a collar, and I didn’t want the animal control to get her, so I brought her inside.”

Jaune nearly vaulted over the bar. He wanted to grab and shake the information out of the android, but he was worried that he’d short the guy out, he was so anxious. “Where is she now?” he asked, standing up and almost knocking over his glass.

“She’s in the back right now,” Oscar said, startled by Jaune’s sudden movement. “I’ll go get her.” He quickly scurried to the back.

“Nora, by the way,” the bartender said, taking Ren’s hand and shaking it and giving him a wink. “My cousin runs this joint, but I help out when I can.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ren said, and Jaune was sure that if he could, that a flush would be spreading across his stone cheeks. “I’m Ren, and the impatient asshole is Jaune.”

Jaune frowned. “Dude, uncalled for.”

Before Ren could say anything else, Oscar reemerged from the back, carrying Petey carefully. The moment she saw Jaune she jumped out of Oscar’s arms and onto the bar, covering Jaune’s face in slobbery dog kisses.

“Oh my god, I missed you,” Jaune buried his face into her neck. “Don’t scare me like that, girl!”

“You two don’t happen to know a mechanic who could repair a damaged AI, do you?” Ren asked, pulling Nora and Oscar’s attention away from the happy reunion. Jaune wasn’t going to look up from Petey for another ten minutes or so.

Oscar and Nora exchanged looks. “I’m a mechanic,” Nora said, slowing her speech patterns for the first time since they’d met. “I should be able to fix your ship.”

“I know some things about ships too,” Oscar said, tapping his head. “Not how to actually fix it, though.”

“Any help is good help,” Ren said.

---

“Yeah, the router is totally fried,” Nora said, taking Ren’s hand as she climbed out of the Berry. “You’re going to need a replacement for that, as well as a few tweaks to the code. How hard did you hit this thing?”

Ren winced. “Pretty hard. An asteroid scraped along the top as we were getting out of the Muyeog belt.”

Nora frowned, hands on her hips and a frown on her face. “Oscar should be able to help with the coding, and I can show you where to find the parts you need.”

“I’ll come with you,” Ren volunteered. Nora grinned brightly and he averted his eyes again. “Jaune and Petey can stay here with Oscar. We don’t want her running off again.”

“Good idea,” Jaune said. “I should totally stay here with Petey. I should always be on Petey duty. Never let her out of my sight.”

Ren chuckled. “Sure,” he said, shaking his head.

“Let’s go now, while the good shops are still open,” Nora said. She and Ren waved goodbye to Oscar and Jaune and started down the street.

“So…” Oscar said, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. “You like… dogs?”

“Love ‘em,” Jaune said, rubbing Petey behind the ears. “You, uh… You gonna get started on that coding?”

“Oh, right!” Oscar scrambled out of the room. Jaune followed right behind, making sure Petey followed before he let the door slide shut. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight for a while.

Oscar went to their control room, pulling up the coding on the main console. Jaune sat behind him, pulling Petey onto his lap.

“You’re the only crew members?” Oscar asked, beginning to go through the ship’s main coding.

“Yeah,” Jaune said, patting Petey’s belly. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No!” Oscar quickly corrected. “I mean, most ships have a doctor or something, and someone who can do repairs. Sometimes a bodyguard. I’m guessing you guys are transporters?”

“Something like that,” Jaune said. “We just do odd jobs, really.”

Oscar nodded and went silent as he dove deeper into the coding of the Berry.

Uncomfortable silence.

---

A couple of hours later, Ren and Nora returned. Oscar had finished with the coding several minutes ago, and Jaune had been trying to keep up a conversation with the anxious android. 

Oscar seemed reluctant to tell Jaune much of anything about himself or Nora, but he had also seemed adverse to staying silent.

Ren walked right into the ship, carrying the parts. He gestured for Jaune to follow, while Nora pulled Oscar aside and began whispering to him.

“So, Nora and I got talking,” he started, setting down the parts they’d picked up, “and we could really use someone with her level of expertise on the crew. Apparently Oscar’s got some medical knowledge too, and is really good at coding.”

Jaune looked over at the two. It wouldn’t hurt to have more people on board, especially since he and Ren were barely managing this ship with just them.

“She’s talking to Oscar about it right now,” Ren continued. “As long as you’re okay with it, we should be good to go once she convinces him to come along with us.”

“Fine by me,” Jaune said. “I doubt that crash is going to be our last. We’re going to need a good technician.”

“Also with how much you get hurt we need someone with medical knowledge,” Ren said, ignoring Jaune’s indignant protest. “Face it, dude. You’re danger-prone.”

Jaune frowned and muttered, “It’s not that bad.”

“Even when we were kids, you couldn’t stop going into the hospital,” Ren said. “And it didn’t stop when you went off to the GAAP Academy, either.”

“I didn’t say I was against having a doctor,” Jaune said, still frowning. “It’s still a good idea.”

Nora and Oscar walked up just as Jaune finished speaking. Oscar was nervously tapping his foot and his hands. Nora was giving Jaune and Ren a Cheshire grin.

“We’re both on board. That offer still open?” Nora asked, still smiling.

“We’ll help you get your things from the bar,” Ren said, taking Nora’s hand and shaking it. “Welcome aboard the Berry.”

#rwby #jaune arc #lie ren #nora valkyrie #oscar pine #mine #my writing #space rwby #new residents #chapter 2

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch.9 Accidental Backstory?

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7 Ch.8

Another chapter out! This will be my last post for a bit, finals week is next week so after that then I’ll get back to it but for now, I need to focus on passing chemistry ;-;  But more to come soon no worries! Enjoy!

TAGLIST:  @rizamendoza808 !(: @iris-suoh !(: @quicksilverfangirl​ !(: @shortperson202 !(: @noodlenerd101 !(: @matchamidoriya​ !(: @thorsbtch-captainnoobmaster69me​ !(:

“We’ve reached the halfway point but it’s still anybody’s game! Class 1-B has made an unexpected showing, but can they keep it? And who will win the 10 million points in the end!?”

Your team glared at the offenders who had the audacity to not only steal your headband, but also piss off the hot head of the group. You assumed the rider knew of Bakugou’s explosive nature and was trying to use it to his advantage. What he didn’t realize was it wasn’t a smart idea to anger Bakugou, it was going to be their end.

“Quit provoking him Monama,” one of the students muttered,” we don’t want to stoop to their level.”

“I guess you’re right,” The Monama kid sighed,”It’s not very heroic of me. Besides, you know how these things work. Heroes are always being surrounded by villains with nasty intentions and desperate attempts of some kind of revenge.” His smirk widened. 

You felt your eyebrow twitch. This guy was talking about nasty intentions when he’s the one trying to get under your guys’ skin? He hated your class and he was using that as fuel, if that wasn’t some type of weird payback/revenge, you didn’t know what was.

“You have no right to call us out for the same bullshit you punks are doing!” You spat back before you could stop yourself,” You’re acting on some petty-ass hatred for our class, doesn’t that make you villainous as well?”

“My my,” Monama glared at you,” what a dirty mouth on this one. You should really muzzle your dog, Bakugou.”

Bakugou felt any patience he had snap at that very moment, his eyes burning with rage as his body began to shake. He saw red and then let out a yell in frustration.

You were annoyed at this ugly boy calling you a dog, but before you could respond Bakugou’s aggressive scream sliced through the air, effectively shutting you up before you even began. 

“Bakugou man calm down, he’s trying to say crap to rile you up! Don’t fall for his trick otherwise we can’t get our points back if you aren’t thinking straight.” Kirishima grunted, even though he was pretty pissed himself at this guy for calling you out.

“SHUT UP! Isn’t it obvious? I’ve never been calmer. Lets fucking go after them already!” Bakugou yelled back.

“Whatever you say..!”

With that your group took off, sprinting after the other team while they only stood still. You were confused as to why they weren’t moving, but you had no time to express your concerns as another on of Bakugou’s shouts filled the air,

“You think you’re tough, huh? You think you can talk shit and get away with it?! Well I got news for you, DIEE!” 

A loud explosion ripped through the air, but Monama dodged last second and brought a hand up to Bakugou’s face and set off an explosion of his own back at him. You gasped loudly, and your team managed to get some distance between the other, not before Monama was able to slap Kirishima’s head. You looked up at Bakugou and saw scorch marks on his cheek, and you glared at the smug boy across the way from you. 

Bakugou’s teeth grit in frustration, his cheek stinging from the damage taken. He was pissed, how did this guy have such a similar quirk? Nearly the same as his own, it was ridiculous. 

In an attempt to get the boy back, you brought your right arm up and shot a beam of light. Making sure it was hot enough to leave a mark, but not too hot that it'd really hurt the kid. You just wanted him to get a taste of his own medicine. However, Monama simply brought an arm up and it hardened, your light unable to do any damage. 

“You both have impressive quirks for sure, but I think you’ll agree when I say mine is better.” Monama said smugly.

“What? My quirk too?” You heard Kirishima say in surprise.

“You bastard, so you can copy others quirks huh?” Bakugou deduced with a frown set firm on his face.

“Wow you figured it out, congrats, I guess even idiots can understand some things can’t they?”

The team was ready to charge at Monama when you were all cut off by a wall of sludge.  You glanced to your right and saw another team creating the substance. You assumed they were classmates and they were looking out for each other. You sent another ray of heat towards the new team, as the guy wielding the sludge quirk quickly used it to protect himself and effectively stopping his attack on you guys. 

They left shortly after, telling Monama to watch out while they did. The boy in question only smirked at your team, causing tension to rise higher.

“ONLY 3 MINUETS LEFT!”

“I can’t move! I’m stuck!” Kirishima panicked. He was trying to remove his foot from the gunk of that one boys quirk, but it hardened on him and he was utterly stuck. You put a hand out and used the heat from your light to break through the substance. 

“Stand still Eijiro, I’ll melt it away!”

Once he was free, you guys charged again, heading straight towards at Monama as his team had started to walk away from you. Bakugou’s patience was running thin so he jumped off of your support and blasted away, shouting the whole way.

“You losers get back here!”

“He really has got to start letting us know when he’s going to do that.” Sero sighed.

You knew it was going to be pointless for him to charge again the same way and expect a different result. You were sure all he needed was a touch and he could copy your quirk, after all he did smack Eijiro. But who’s to say what the actual mechanics of it is? Does he need to touch Bakugou again to use his quirk, or does he have them all set like a speed dial and can change quirks in the blink of an eye? 

Best thing to do was try to give Bakugou the upper hand by making it to wear Monama was off guard and unable to use Bakugou’s quirk against him. Making sure he had his eyes on the hot head flying towards him, you sent a blast through the air. Making it change to a solid when it collided with Monamas unsuspecting chest, allowing the boy to be thrown back. His teammates being the only thing to keep him from falling off while Monama grabbed his chest in shock and pain.

One member of his group yelled out his name as Bakugou quickly approached, and since Monama was winded, the student used his quirk and trapped Bakugou in a giant bubble. He was pounding on the thing as he floated in midair inside of it, the student snickering at the sight.

“Ha, you look pretty stupid fighting with air.”

“Well it seems we’re okay for now,” Monama thanked his own teammate before throwing a heated glare at you,” you’re going to pay for that-”

“Oh yea?” You smirked, not showing any fear. You weren’t scared of this brat. ”Bring it on you chump. You thought I was all bark and no bite eh? Maybe I do need some type of muzzle or restraint because if not, you best believe I’ll kick your ass.”

“No, you need a muzzle because you’re a filthy animal in every sense of the word. You think you’re better than us, but you’re scum just like your boyfriend and the rest of your class. You’re the reason the female dog has it’s nickname you bitch-” The sound of glass breaking cut Monama off.

Bakugou broke free of the prison he was trapped in and punched Monama across the face before grabbing most of the headbands around his neck. Thinking quickly, Sero shot out his tape and caught him right before he hit the ground, yanking him up and bringing him back to your group. His landing this time was much smoother than the first as he quickly settled on your guys’ arms.

Bakugou was absolutely livid. How dare that background character trap him in a stupid bubble and make him look weak in front of everyone. How fucking dare that droopy eyed asshole call you a bitch when he was the only bitch he saw here. And worst of all, how dare those motherfuckers still have one headband left. He wanted them to go down, no headbands, zero-points-you’re-out down.

“You should really warn us before you jump dammit.” Sero grunts out.

“Shut up.” Bakugou barked back, not in the mood.

“It’s alright, at least we’re advancing now!” Kirishima yelled out excitedly. 

“No!” Bakugou growled, starting to smack Kirishima’s head,”We’re not done yet! We’re going to make sure those assholes have nothing left, we’ll fucking obliterate them. Then we’re going to be the indisputable champions of the game.”

“I wasn’t able to brace myself when I jumped,” He continued, you and Sero gave each other a look as he was still smacking the other boy’s head. Said boy taking no care. “Let's get our points back, then take down Deku and get his 10 million.”

“Right! Let’s go!” You all agreed, his words firing everyone up.

“Elbow guy, tape them! Get the back!” Bakugou lifts his left leg, giving Sero the opportunity to shoot, blocking the other team’s right side.

“My name is Sero dammit!” 

“Glow worm! Can you trap them there!?” Bakugou lifted his right leg for you to do the exact same thing.

“Don’t you doubt me Bakugou!” You yelled, sending off a large blast that was bigger than the others you’ve used.

 It was larger than your normal beams but still pretty small, reaching just under your hips. You made sure to keep the heat up as you manipulated the light to warp on their left side and behind, creating a barrier. You all rushed forward, faster than before. The heat you created caused Monama and co to stagger back, and get caught in Sero’s tape. The were unable to move out of the way as you all rushed up on them.

Bakugou raises a fist as the guy who originally trapped him was creating another bubble, this time to act as a shield. In one punch Bakugou effectively smashed through it, easier than the first one. You saw the other groups eyes widen as Baugou kept his fist outstretched and made a grab for the last headband. 

“Woah did you see that folks, Bakugou is a force to be reckoned with! We also saw some impressive moves from his group members, like Sero from class 1-A, and of course our little miss Hakamata! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WITH ONLY 30 SECONDS OF THE MATCH LEFT!”

You dropped your small heat barrier, and you all skidded away from Monama and towards the giant ice slabs. Once close enough, Bakugou sent off an explosion hot enough to melt the ice and wide enough for you all to run through. Once inside, Bakugou jumps off of the group and uses his quirk to help him lunge towards the two other clashing teams, lead by Todoroki and Izuku.

“Who’s got the points!?”Bakugou yelled as he looked back and forth between the two points, seeing Midoriya going after Todoroki he knew. 

“DAMMIT ICYHOOOT!”You held your breath, waiting for Bakugou to snatch the points.

“TIMES UP!” 

But alas, things never went the way you wanted them to. Bakugou belly flopped onto the ground as Present Mic announced the end of the match. You couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of your lips at the sight of the hot head face-first on the ground. 

“SHUT UP, WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY!?” He turned his head and snarled, obviously not as amused as you were. 

Sero and Kirishima joined in with their own laughs and Bakugou felt a vein pop as he moved his face back towards the dirt and screamed.

“Let’s take a look at our top 4 teams shall we? In the number one spot, we have team Todoroki! Second place is none other than team Bakugou! As for third, our team is-oh wow, team Shinso! That’s a shock! Finally, last but not least, in fourth our last team is, TEAM MIDORIYA!” The crowd went wild. 

“Man we were so close to first.” Kirishima sighed.

“Yeah sure, but we’re continuing so it doesn’t matter.” Sero shrugged.

“I don’t think our fearless leader agrees with you there.” You giggle while watching Bakugou as he slammed his fist on the ground throwing a fit.

“He’s like a rabid animal.” Sero muttered.

“You okay Bakugou?” You asked. He kept his face planted in the dirt, ignoring you.

“Now let's take an hour break for lunch before we start the next activities! Hey EraserHead, let’s grab some food!”

“I just wanna nap.”

You walk over to Bakugou and poke him with your foot.

“Are you coming with us or are you going to lay there all day.”

“Fuck off.” Bakugou got up and glared at you, before walking away on his own.

You shrugged at the other boys, walking with them to the entrance before catching sight of Izuku and his team. The poor boy was crying his eyes out, and that made you want to laugh. He was a total baby, just like Bakugou. They were pretty similar in various ways, but all different at the same time, it was weird.

“You guys go on ahead and I’ll catch you later!” You told your two teammates, and they nodded back in agreement before making their way out of the stadium.

Walking over to Izuku’s group, it wasn’t hard to miss the giant tears that fell from his eyes. You placed a hand on his shoulder and your heart squeezed at his big watery green eyes that looked into yours at the action.

“You guys did amazing! I’m glad you were able to find a great team Izuku.” 

“Thank you (y/n)! It means so much!” He started to cry even harder at your praise. 

He was just so happy that he made it, so happy you made it, he was just so happy. More tears started to fall, practically sending him into the ground. You sighed before grabbing onto his hand, trying to lift him from the ground. Everyone was walking away to the lunchroom and you wanted to make sure you both got a spot.

“C’mon Deku let’s go get some lunch! I’m starving!”

He agreed and you both walked towards the entrance, but were stopped by someone suddenly before you got the chance to reach it. You had to stop yourself from running into their chest, looking up in confusion.

“Todoroki?” 

He didn’t answer you, choosing to stare coldly at Izuku, and you felt some protect-izuku-at-all-costs instinct kick in, you tsked and crossed your arms. 

“I just need to talk to Midoriya.” You looked at the boy in question, and while he had looked a bit nervous, he seemed just as confused as you were.

“O-kay?” He finally tore his gaze away to look you in the eyes. You felt your heart thump and blamed it on the icy gaze he held.

“Now. Alone.” 

“Yeah whatever, thanks for asking politely.” You grumbled out.

Looking at Izuku to make sure he was okay to be left alone. He just nodded politely and you smiled at him. Smile turning down as you walked away, passing by Todoroki, shoulders brushing as you did. Well, more like your shoulder and his bicep, what’s it with these boys being so tall?

“I’ll see you later Deku.” 

Todoroki didn’t let your attitude bother him, he knew you were still wary of him for calling you out and he didn’t blame you. While he held no ill will, this was something he had to speak about alone to Midoriya. He already said his two-cents to you, and he hoped you’d understand. This wasn’t a fight he wanted with you, only with Midoriya

You guess Bakugou was right to call him IcyHot, but not just for his quirk. His mood really did flip on a dime, and while you thought Bakugou was an arrogant jerk, Todoroki beat him by a mile. You felt angry, but at the same time you didn’t. You saw something else in him when you two talked, even if it was only for a second. You didn’t want to feel this was about him, but it always seemed like no matter what good deed he ended up doing, the blunt and nasty attitude washed it all away. You hoped that he could maybe one day it could be different, that he could be a friend. As of right now, you didn’t think you could call him that. No matter what you both went through during the U.S.J, or even the shared understanding of being a child of a top 10 hero. 

You will admit, while you didn’t realize Todoroki was Endeavor’s son at first, it wasn’t hard to figure out. Especially after the training with AllMight, that quirk couldn’t have been mistaken. You glanced back, seeing them both walk towards a different entrance. While doing so you ended up locking eyes with Todoroki for a split second before turning away. You huffed, feathers ruffled and belly empty. You just wanted some food, and you needed some water in your system.

Making your way through the corridor, you were about to walk outside in the direction of the lunch hall when a was hand pulling you back. You yelped and quickly spun around, bringing your fist up your fist to counter attack. 

“Hey knock it off or I won’t let you come.” 

“Bakugou?” Said boy was holding your fist in an attempt to stop you from punching him. You muttered a sorry before letting your hand fall to your side, and cocked your head at him in a questioning gaze.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think? I want to know why the hell that damn IcyHot finds Deku more of a threat than me. So I’m going to listen to what he has to say. You in or not glitter bomb.”

You bit your lip, looking into his ruby red eyes. While you wanted to know what was happening, because you were curious, another part of you knew it was wrong. Plus you were hungry, tired, and thirsty. You just wanted to sit down.

Bakugou was getting annoyed at how long you were taking to answer, and he really did not like the way you zoned out while staring at him, biting you lip like that. No not one bit, what the hell was your problem.

“Oi glow worm I’ll leave you fucking here I don’t have all damn da-”

“Yeah shut up lets go!”

You both snuck around to one end of a hall, stopping before it opened up when you heard Izuku’s nervous voice echoed off the walls.

“So you brought me here, now what?”

 You held your breath, afraid to even breathe at the idea of being caught. Your heart was thumping in worry, you wanted to make sure Izuku was okay. 

“We should probably eat soon, the cafeteria is going to be busy! Don’t you think?” Izuku spoke out once more after not getting a response. 

The tension was killing him, it was different when he was with Kaachan, at least he was more open about his feelings that way, and he had some idea on how to deal with the explosive attitude. He’s never dealt with silent intimidation before. Oh what he wouldn’t give to be sitting down and eating with you, he wanted to know all about how your fight with down, and he wanted you to be interested in his too!

“I was overwhelmed,” Todoroki’s voice broke him from his thoughts, “and that made me break the promise I made to myself a long time ago.”

You looked at Bakugou questioningly and he just shrugged in response, eyebrows drawn together.

“None of our team members felt it, but I did. I was the only one in that moment who could sense your true power. It reminded me of AllMight, and when we experienced his quirk first hand.”

“Oh yeah? Um, okay, is that all?”

“I’m trying to say, your power feels just like AllMight’s. Midoriya, tell me. Are you really AllMight’s secret love child. ”

You had to slap a hand over your mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Bakugou glanced down at you with a disgusted expression as your shoulders shook with silent laughter. He motioned for you to be quiet, but you can hardly contain yourself. Just the thought of Izuku and AllMight being father and son-

Your movement stopped as you allow yourself to think about it; they were always together, they did have some similarities in their quirks, and Izuku really did look up to AllMight. Was it really that far fetched? Quirks didn’t have to 100% resemble your parents, it’s not like you had your dad’s exact quirk after all. The only thing you and your dad did have that was similar was you could manipulate properties. His was clothing while yours was light particles. Your quirk was a mix of both your parents, who’s to say that’s not the case for Deku?

“No no way! That’s not it at all I swear! But I guess if I said I wasn’t you would think I was saying that to protect my identity and therefore not believe me anyways so I guess it really doesn’t matter if I say yes or no because if I said yes well then why would I be lying about that, and if I said no then you would always be suspicious and doubting so I guess there really isn’t a good way to tell you it’s not true because-”

“Midoriya.”

“Ah, r-right, anyways you’ve got the wrong idea. Why would you even think that.”

“You wouldn’t be the only offspring of a Pro Hero in this class if that were the case. My father is the hero Endeavor, you’ve must’ve heard about the number 2 Hero.”

You gulped, would he bring you up? Or would he respect any privacy you had?

“And then there’s Hakamata.”

Of course he wouldn’t. You felt Bakugou’s stare on you but you kept your gaze at the wall in front of you, not looking at him. 

“Wait, (y/n)? What does she have to do with anything?” Izuku demanded. 

He may have been frightened, but he didn’t like that Todoroki was bringing you into something that had nothing to do with you. He felt some confidence flood his system as he narrowed his eyes at Todoroki. 

“I don’t know what your issue is with me but I can handle it, you don’t need to be dragging her into anything! She’s a good person and you can’t-”

“Don’t you get it?” Todoroki sighed, growing annoyed by his rambling. Why was he making such a big about you anyways? It was pretty exasperating. “Hakamata is the daughter of the number 4 Hero Best Jeanist. While she may be a concern in the future, I don’t have a grievance with her at the moment. But if you were connected to the number 1 hero in any way, that just means I have even more of a reason to beat you.”

Izuku felt his eyes go wide. You were the daughter of the number 4 Pro Hero? That was so cool! But then he realized the full weight of Todorokis’ words and frowned.

“What do you-”

“My old man is ambitious and he aims for the top, but he’s never been able to best AllMight. The Symbol of Peace is living proof of his failure. He’s still going, trying to take down AllMight. One way or another.”

“Todoroki, I don’t understand. Why are you telling me all this, what are you telling me?”

“Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?” 

Your blood ran cold and you felt your hands shake as you balled them into fists by yourself. He was the result of a quirk marriage too? Your head started to ache and you just wanted to be anywhere but here. It was bringing up some memories of your own that you really didn’t want to deal with. You heard Todorki’s voice break through your own metal breakdown.

“People trying to find potential mates solely with the intention of creating powerful children. Like old-fashioned arranged marriages. My father was a man who had many accomplishments and money to throw around, so he bought my mother from her family and used her quirk. Now he’s raising me to usurp AllMight.”

Izuku’s gasped.

“I refuse to be a tool for the scumbag that did that to my mother. I only ever remember her crying. She called my left side unbearable before she poured boiling water on my face... I picked a fight with you to show my old man what I was capable of doing, without having to rely on his damn quirk, and that I can take first place without using it.”

You felt Bakugou tense next to you, and you did as well. It was a terrible burden to place on a child, and you felt anger towards his father. You knew he was a terrible man, but this? How sickening. You heard their footsteps fade away and you shared a grim look with Bakugou. Your mind flashed with images from your childhood and you closed your eyes. 

With heavy limbs you walked away, not even bothering to wait for Bakugou. Your past wasn’t something you needed to be thinking of at the moment, so you just needed to act like nothing happened. You shouldn’t have gone with him and listened in on those two. You knew it was a bad idea, curse your nosy nature.

#bnha #bnha x reader #mha #mha x reader #bnha imagines #mha imagines #bnha katsuki bakugou #bnha katsuki #bnha bakugou #bnha bakugo katsuki #bnha katsuki bakugou x reader #bnha bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha bakugou x reader #bnha katsuki x reader #mha katsuki #mha bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha shouto todoroki #bnha shoto todoroki #bnha todoroki #bnha shouto todoroki x reader #bnha shoto todoroki x reader #bnha todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki x reader #mha shoto todoroki #bnha izuku midoriya x reader #bnha deku x reader #bnha midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya x reader #mha izuku midoriya x reader #bnha x you

[recurring-polynya]

a little in love now and then, part 6/? | ao3 | ff.net |

Summary: Abarai  Renji doesn’t have a fortune, but he does appear to be in want of a  wife, at least in Lady Kuchiki’s opinion. Fortunately, Lady Kuchiki also  has a sister, and a woefully eligible one, at that. (itty bitty Hisana  Lived! AU)

Rating: T, for minor cussing

This time: The Cavalry: Renji seeks outside advice.

Older parts: | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 |

Renji pounded his fist against the doorframe. He waited. He pounded again. “KIRA!” he bellowed. “KIRA, IT’S ME, ABARAI! OPEN UP, I NEED YOU!”

Slowly, the door slid open, and the exhausted lieutenant of Squad 3 squinted at Renji with purple-shadowed eyes.

“Kira, how do noble people get married?” Renji demanded.

Izuru stared at him for a moment, taking into account the hour, the fact that Renji was dressed in his New Year’s best, and finally, the question. He rubbed at his hair and blinked, before realization penetrated his haze of sleep-deprivation. “What have you done?” he gasped, horrified.

“You look bad, buddy,” Renji observed, before he suddenly remembered the probable cause of Kira’s condition. “Aw, cripes, Kira, I’m sorry. I forgot about, you know.”

“My captain being sent to the Maggot’s Nest?” Izuru asked dryly.

Renji cringed. “Something crazy happened and I thought o’ you, and I really wasn’t thinkin’ and I’m sorry. I’ll just go.”

Kira rubbed at his face tiredly and tried to blink his eyes into focus. “You cannot just show up here and ask me how to marry a noble person and then leave again.” He managed a small smile. “Besides, if you and your captain hadn’t cracked open Aizen’s conspiracy, who knows how much worse things would be. I probably owe you one anyway.”

Renji hunched his shoulders. “I didn’t do anything, aside from trying and failing to beat up that Kurosaki kid.”

Izuru smashed a fist into Renji’s shoulder. “Whatever, meathead. The fact is, I am so sick of auditing the last forty years of squad records that digging you out of whatever horrifying situation you have enmeshed yourself in will be a delightful distraction. Let’s consider it a mutual favor.” He stepped aside and waved his hand. “Come inside and tell me whose honor you have besmirched. I’ll put on tea.”

“I haven’t besmirched anyone’s honor!” Renji excused, trailing his old school friend into his quarters. “Lady Kuchiki wants me to marry Rukia.”

Izuru almost tripped on his way into the kitchen and had to catch himself on the edge of the counter. “What?”

“Not, like, this minute. I guess she’s taken a liking to me, probably ‘cause her baby likes me, and she’s been trying to find a nice husband for Rukia, which seems like a terrible mistake, and she’s made an even worse mistake insofar as judging my suitability for this, and I’m trying to take advantage of it before she catches on.”

Izuru squinted at him. “She wants you to marry Rukia because she likes you? Not because of your decades of loyal pining and sad puppy dog eyes?”

“She doesn’t even know about that,” Renji nodded incredulously.

Izuru set the kettle on the stove. “So, let me get this straight. Back when we were in school, right after Rukia was adopted, you came up with this incredibly half-baked plan to distinguish yourself in the Gotei, impress Captain Kuchiki, defeat him in battle, and… you always refused to say the last part out loud. What was the goal, anyway? To see Rukia again? To prove to her that the only difference between you and a man born all of the wealth and advantage you can imagine is a little elbow grease? To ask for her hand in marriage?”

“Something like that,” Renji replied vaguely.

“And you’re telling me it worked?”

“I didn’t even have to fight Captain Kuchiki!” Renji exclaimed, waving his arms. “Which is good, because you weren’t there when he fought Aizen, but even with my bankai, I’m pretty sure he can still kick my ass.”

Izuru shook his head. “You are simultaneously the most blessed and cursed idiot I have ever met.”

“I know it,” Renji admitted sincerely.

“Okay, so let’s talk about what actually happened,” Izuru said, pulling out a pair of fine tea cups painted with elegant blue cranes. “Did they extend you an offer?”

“Huh?” Renji echoed. “No, nothin’ like that.”

“She just said, Mr. Abarai, you seem like a sporting fellow, would you like to marry my troublesome sister?”

“Rukia is not troublesome! And it was more like, she invited me over for dinner, and afterwards, Rukia said, ‘Oh, my sister wants to marry me off because I’m troublesome and she’s picked you’.”

“Because you seem like a chump?”

“I am absolutely a chump, but I am pretty sure Lady Kuchiki genuinely likes me.” He scratched his head. “It’s weird that a person exists who would marry Captain Kuchiki and also likes me.”

Izuru nodded thoughtfully. “Indeed. And how does Rukia feel about this?”

Renji made a face. “Well, she’s not a huge fan of it, but she didn’t shut it down, either. She’s willing to consider it.”

“Hmm,” Izuru replied with mild surprise. “And Captain Kuchiki?”

“He… doesn’t hate me,” Renji shrugged. “I’m not sure he knows what his wife is up to.”

“I see,” Izuru nodded, pouring hot water into the cups. “And what about you?”

“Me?” Renji repeated.

“Yes, Abarai, you get an opinion, too, you know.” Izuru studied his own friend carefully for a moment, before saying, “People can change a lot in forty years. You two didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”

Renji’s face stiffened. “I know.”

Izuru took a cautious sip of tea. “I didn’t mean anything by it. You’re my friend and I just want to make sure you’re doing something that will make you happy.”

Renji huffed. “Look, I said Rukia wasn’t quite on board yet, and I ain’t interested in marrying anyone who ain’t interested in marrying me.”

“Granted,” Izuru nodded, waiting for him to go on.

Renji stared at his teacup as he spun it in his hands. “I blew it. Back then. I’m not… I can’t…” He let out a frustrated breath. “Of course I want to get to know her again. I’m sure some things have changed. But I can’t screw this up again. If this is my shot, I gotta take it.”

Izuru knew how much it embarrassed Renji to admit things like this. He felt very grateful that, despite the rocks their friendship had hit over the years, Abarai still trusted him this much. He cleared his throat. “Good. I have the landscape of it. You’re interested, Rukia is open. Lady Kuchiki is for it, Captain Kuchiki exists.”

Renji thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Yeah. That sums it up pretty good.”

“So, let’s talk about the mechanics, which is why I suspect you’ve come to me. In general, it is your prerogative, as the guy, to propose. Very noble families, like the Kuchiki, might extend an offer of Rukia’s hand if they were trying to create an alliance or propose a deal with another family. It’s also possible that could happen if someone performed some great service to the family-- they very well could have offered her to that Kurosaki boy that stormed the Seireitei for her, for example.”

Renji’s shoulders went a little stiff, and Izuru realized he had hit a nerve. Maybe not quite a nerve. A soft spot. “He’s not even dead,” Renji pointed out, not sounding very confident that this was an adequate objection.

“Right, and he’s got no status in Soul Society at all, and also, they didn’t,” Izuru reassured him. “My point is, we should expect that the ball is in your court, at this point. There are two halves to this: proposing to Rukia and getting her Clan Head’s approval. Now, if you were rich and powerful enough, and didn’t care about Rukia’s feelings, you could skip her entirely, and go straight to Captain Kuchiki. Rukia would still have to agree, but it would be mostly on her family to get her buy in.”

“I don’t want that,” Renji mumbled.

“Exactly. Plus, you’re broke. You are still broke, right? If you’re not, you owe me 400 kan for your bar tab on Shuuhei’s birthday.”

“You mean when I had to leave early to drag Shuuhei home because he was blasted?”

“It was 600, but I’m giving you the good friend discount.”

Renji made a troubled face. “I am still broke, but I can pay you back.”

Izuru waved a hand. “Forget it, that wasn’t the point. The point is, and I cannot believe I am going to say this, but unless you plan on winning the lottery or passing your captain’s exam in the next few weeks, you are going to need to charm your way into this family. Lady Kuchiki likes you, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that it’s Rukia’s opinion of you that’s ultimately going to sway her, no?”

Renji nodded curtly. “That was my impression.”

“Then all of this is really a lot less complicated than you think. Spend some time with Rukia. See if she’s still the person you remember. Try to stay on Lord and Lady Kuchiki’s good side. Don’t jump the gun. If it’s meant to be, she should be so thrilled by the time you ask, she can help you wrangle the proper approvals from her sister and brother-in-law.”

Renji sighed, and took a long sip of tea. “What kinda odds you think I’ve got?”

Izuru gave a little shrug. “I’m frankly dumbfounded you’ve gotten this far. We are outside of the range of calculable probabilities.”

Renji fidgeted with the sleeve of his haori. “Do you really think… that Rukia might…”

Izuru settled his chin on one hand. “Abarai, in the time that I saw the two of you together, I found you and Rukia to have the most incomprehensible rapport I have ever seen between two people. I found her to be utterly impenetrable and you to be…” He trailed off. “Look, we’re outside of my area of expertise. I hope I was helpful on the nuts and bolts stuff.”

Renji’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah! Yeah, thanks, Kira. You were super helpful. I’ll get outta here now, so you can get some sleep, I’m sorry to--”

“Hey!” Izuru interrupted him. “I didn’t tell you to leave. I just said we were out of my depth. Do you wanna call Momo? I’m pretty sure she hasn’t slept in a month, either.”

“Er…” Renji frowned. “Are you really sure--?”

Izuru was already on the phone. “Hey, Hinamori! How’s the endless cycle of self-recrimination going? Oh, you’re stress-baking again? Perfect. You want to get overly invested in Abarai’s personal life with me? Yeah, come over as soon as they’re done. No, you’re going to have to wait and hear him explain it, you would never believe me if I tried to tell you. Okay, great!” Izuru flipped his phone shut. “Momo’s in. She’ll be here in twenty minutes with dorayaki.” He paused. “You’re not imposing. This is good for us. Let us have this.”

“Ah,” said Renji. “Did you say dorayaki?”

#my writing #bleach fanfic #renruki #byahisa #WELP i guess we're doing this now

[digindydig]

Indy’s Stories

Part 4: A Night at Bowser’s

Indy sat back in her chair as she read the article. She sipped her warm tea slowly, trying to ease her hangover. She scrolled down as her laptop showed a picture of the sole survivors of the Endurance. Lara being one of them. It was past noon when Indy awoke from her slumber and the first thing that came to mind aside from her pounding headache, was of none other than Lara Croft. She spend a good hour searching the web before she found what she was looking for.

“So you’re ‘that’ Croft.” She said out loud, seeing the names of those who perished and photos of the original crewmen. But her headaches were making it difficult to pay attention to important information, she decided to give up the searching for now. Closing the laptop,Indy stood from her seat before her phone dinged as a text came through. It was from Lara. Indy had text her back when she awoke. Would a friend like Croft be good for Indy? Or would it be problematic? After all Indy was a thief, she wasn’t an archeologist like Lara or her grandfather. She was just a person with dumb luck and fast thinking. Some of Indy’s finds where based off of pure luck alone. She may not share the title of an archeologist but she was the highest paid raider. She knew her stuff and she was bloody good at it. Indy wanted to continue their conversation on Lara’s field of studies. She wanted to know how extensive Lara’s knowledge for history was, what places had she seen? What mysteries had she uncovered? But why was Indy so interested? Indy had to think on that. Why was Lara so interesting? They did share the same interests. Or was it that there was something else. Indy remembered the feeling she had when around Lara. Relaxed but intimidating.

‘Have to be careful around Croft.’ Indy would probably talk to Felicity about it.

She texted Lara back before she walked into the bathroom for a shower.

Later that night, Indy peered over the balcony, cold wind blowing through her hair, her green eyes focused on the busy street. Instinctively she was scanning the area, mapping out all the possible escape routes, her mind playing out scenarios. Something she found herself doing a lot, it had gotten worst after she came home. Her senses going into hyper drive even when she was out of danger. Adrenaline rushing, her mind racing. She knew that feeling.

“Heal that wound Indy.” She said to herself, she had a week of thinking and now it was time to do what she came to do. Lara had told her to get it done just like Felicity. She had no choice at this point, it had to be done if Indy wanted answers.

“Shit! Easier said than done.” She said out loud, she hung her head in frustration. She kept telling herself it was for a greater cause, too not let her anger get ahold of her when she saw the man. How would she feel when she see’s her sister or Cedric? It will only be a matter of time before Indy’s past is revealed. It will come to bite her in the ass later and she knew it. Indy wasn’t particularly the favorite in the tomb raiding business. Definitely will have a target on her back if news got out on who she was. She was screwed both ways. Was all of this really worth it? To Indy it definitely was worth it. She will pay a visit to the manor in the morning. The side door behind Indy opened. Felicity joined Her on the balcony. She leaned on the railing looking out into the city. In the far distance stood the Millennium Wheel, London’s big Ferris wheel illuminating. It was breathtaking for those who weren’t locals. it still amazed Felicity in how beautiful it looked at night. She still considers it a death trap but she can admit it was nice to look at. Sound of a ding caught her attention, she watched Indy smile at her phone as she’s texting back. ‘Interesting’

“Thought your weren’t the texting type? What’s the special occasion?” Felicity spoke and it broke Indy’s concentration. She snapped her eyes away from the phone to look at her partner. oddly enough she felt like she’d just been caught, like a child with their hands in a cookie jar. Strange for Indy to feel but she ignored the feeling and went to answer Felicity’s question. She knew Felicity was going to tease her to it if she didn’t tell her. ‘Might as well clear the air I suppose.’ She thought to herself.

“Well if you must know, I took you advice yesterday and made a friend.” Indy said. But was Croft a friend? Or will she become a foe? Indy was a bit unease about telling Felicity about her time with Lara. Was it a wise decision to tell Felicity everything? Yes, no doubt, Indy had to tell her even if she did want to keep Lara as a separate friend away from her already crazy ones. But her and Felicity where best friend’s and best friends don’t keep secrets. To Felicity it was a surprise to see Indy interact with people she didn’t know. Normally if It was work related or if you hadn’t met Indy before, she was cold and distant. That was her defense Mechanism. She didn’t blame the kid though. It was good to see her get out of her shell.

“Is that so? So who’s the unlucky girl?” Felicity had a smirk on her lips. Rolling her eyes at Felicity.

“Funny. But how do you know it’s not a guy?” She shot back. Sure she was going to tell Felicity but doesn’t mean Felicity will get her answer the simple way not after that comment anyways. Letting out a small tsk she knew Indy was lying.

“Because you don’t smile when a man texts you. So nice try.” Felicity said. She playfully punched Indy’s arm. Sometimes Indy forgets that Felicity knows a lot about her. After a few more playful bickering about who was person. The balcony door opened again only this time it was the youngest member of their crew. Another Aussie by the name Jai, he announced that their pizza had arrived. They joint the rest of the crew. The warmth of the apartment was welcoming and the smell of fresh food was enough to make Indy’s mouth water. After being out in the wilderness for so long Indy had to survive off the land, only time she would have something decent to eat was when Indy was in some town. She didn’t realize how much the familiar taste of pizza would make her relived to be back home. Moaning as the favor hits her taste buds.

“Do you have any idea how fucking good this taste.” Indy sign happily.

“Careful Pup, don’t burn yourself.” Said Dutch. Dutch born and raised in Fort Willams Scotland. He was the oldest of the group and one of Indy’s mentors. For a man in his fifty’s he was well kept, ex military along with Elias. Dutch was a man that really didn’t care about a persons feelings. In her younger years Indy often butted heads with Dutch but because of that, Dutch respected her for it. Dutch would had knocked someone’s lights out if they had talked to him in any ill form but Indy was special to him. Elias was more easy going. After Indy was old enough to tag along with them, Elias began to rely on Indy intuitions and that’s when they found out what made Indy so special. Photographic memory, the kid remembered everything. It was like hitting a gold mine. Over the years their relationship flourished and they gained more people, those Indy considered trustworthy and loyal. Jonathan Becket or Bowser for short, met Indy in the most unexpected and unforgettable time. Rumors where going around about a rookie who’s been picking up hard jobs and coming back loaded, going by the name Indy. Long story short Bowser took a job to steal an artifact from a museum in the middle of a civil war. Getting in was the easy part until Bowser ran into Indy or more into a heavy cast iron skillet Indy had in her grip. That it self started a game of cat and dog. In the end they turned out working better together. Calum Was Jai’s older cousin, they met through Felicity. Calum unlike the others pushed Indy’s buttons and often questioned her judgments on jobs which infuriated Indy at times but his loyalty showed in the end. He was there because Indy needed Jai. The kid was a technical wizard and a hacker to boot. The kid was still in college and stayed with Calum. Indy had no choice but to deal with man.

They all made small talk throughout the night, had a couple of beers. It was nice and relaxing.

“So what are you going to do about your problem, Pup?” Dutch stood next to Indy. He knew why Indy had to go talk to her family and it annoyed him that Amir wasn’t making things easy for her either. Dutch had become very protective over the years. Shaking her head, Indy chugged her beer before she answered.

“Not so sure, At this point I’ll just go with the flow. I’m going to stop by the manor in the morning to get this all over with.” She said. Once more her attention was taken away by her phone. Felicity placed her hand on Indy’s shoulder.

“Do you need me to go with you?” She offered because she knew this was going to be difficult for Indy.

“Or invite that new friend of yours.” She playfully teased but it made Indy chuckle a bit.

“No, This is something I have to do on my own. And I hardly doubt bringing Lara into the mix would help.” She didn’t know why she let Lara’s name slip from her lips but it was too late to take it back now. Much to Felicity’s delight to finally know the person taken Indy’s attention throughout the night.

“Lara? Hmmm sounds like a girls name to me.” She stated. At what joy did Felicity get out of teasing Indy, Indy didn’t know.

“Yes, Her name is Lara and she’s an archeologist to boot.” She didn’t want to say too much about Lara because she didn’t know the her. They had texted all day about little things unrelated to her family situation. It seemed that Lara was avoiding the conversation only telling Indy to go for it. But it seemed Lara was just as interested as Indy was. She asked about Indy’s line of work and other things. Of course Indy played it smart, not telling Lara too much. But sometimes Indy’s curiosity broke through when Lara spoke about history. She only met Croft last night, she was just a stranger whom Indy was curious about. Indy told Felicity and Dutch about her night at the pub where she met Lara but she left out the part about Yamatai.

“Could be a good asset to the team.” Dutch said but Indy shook her head.

“No, keeping her at a distance is the best for now. Until I can find out more about her.” Indy said. she did think about it but there was something in the back of her mind waving red flags and she took that into consideration, maybe now isn’t the right time.

“Smart. Keeping her at a distance until she can be trusted.” Felicity’s said. Dutch and Indy both agreed. The rest of the night was a blur to Indy. She knew when the morning came she will no longer be safe. But her training had to continue if she wanted to truth, she just hope that she doesn’t lose herself in the process.

It took longer then expected. I don’t own Tomb Raider or its characters. I do own mines. I know I didn’t get into details with the other characters but I’ll try to get to them.

#tomb raider #lara croft #lara croft reboot #orginal character #fanfic #gaming #just bored #lara croft x reader

[kidyeda]

Here all in English > Filmmaker, professor and black panther veteran Jamal Joseph about the long tradition of police violence and structural racism.IT IS THE SAME MACHINE The former activist of the “Black Panther” Jamal Joseph is not surprised at the racism of the American police - and recommends lessons from the history of the protest movements

Police violence against African Americans has attracted worldwide attention and mass protests, according to a video that showed the brutal death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis. Before the current "Black Lives Matter" movement, the Black Panther Party organized the resistance in the 1960s and 1970s. The SZ spoke to the filmmaker, professor and black panther veteran Jamal Joseph about the long tradition of police violence and structural racism.

When you saw the video of a white policeman kneeling on the neck of handcuffed George Floyd until he died - were you shocked?

Jamal Joseph: It broke my heart, but it didn't surprise me at all. Historically, the police see themselves as an institution of occupation, the aim of which is to intimidate the African American population. Your job is to protect the ruling class and their property. Their racism is the legacy of slavery. At that time, it was taught that we African Americans were not fully-fledged people, and the police took over controlling the slaves and catching lost people.

And the police have not yet been able to free themselves from this mentality?

The policeman kneeling on George Floyd would not have shown this murderous behavior to a dog - for example, if the animal had bitten someone. What does it say about the appreciation of black life that you treat animals more gently?

Hundreds of thousands of African Americans and whites are taking to the streets. Did the protests hang solely on police violence?

No, the story is long: Police officers recently murdered a sleeping woman (Briona Taylor) in her bed after storming the wrong apartment. Another African American (Ahmaud Arbery) was unlucky enough to jog in the wrong neighborhood. The cases have one thing in common: a human being is denied all humanity because of his skin color. This racism reaches into the structures: It is no coincidence that the Covid 19 crisis has hit disproportionately many African Americans.

What could help defeat this age-old racism?

President Trump has instigated many of his followers, especially those from the poorer white underclass, to believe that their brown, black, Asian, or Spanish-speaking people are to blame for their problems. The rulers fear nothing more than cooperation across racial boundaries. This was done by, for example, the Black Panther leader Fred Hampton (murdered by the police in his sleep) in Chicago in the late 1960s: In his Rainbow Coalition, he led poor blacks, Latinos and whites to recognize that they all work under the same mechanisms of capitalism suffer and could only overcome them together. We will not be able to convert Trump fanatics. But I rely on their children who go to colleges and high schools to start a new Rainbow Coalition with them.

When you were a young leader of the Black Panther Party in New York, the FBI declared them terrorists and white-haters. Does the right-wing strive today against the same prejudices against the Black Lives Matter movement?

I have to think of my first day as a black panther recruit: I came to their office and expected them to hand me a gun to shoot a white man if necessary. But they handed me a stack of books: From Malcolm X to Frantz Fanon. And then they explained to me that it was not about skin colors, but about the common class struggle. In other words, the unequal distribution of property and power. And that the capitalist machinery benefits from the disunity of the exploited. That's why the Black Panthers were violently beaten, while racial segregation organizations like the Ku Klux Klan remained untouched.

Does Donald Trump continue this agenda today?

Yes, he wants to label the protesters as left-wing radicals, criminals and terrorists. Therefore, everyone who goes to demonstrate must be careful. Sometimes agents provocateurs want to tempt people to riot, some come from the anarchist camp and have no political agenda.

What is the difference between the protests today and the former organized resistance of the Black Panther?

Many of the youngsters who are marching today are angry and frustrated, but have virtually no political education. Their instinct tells them to see a chain of stores or a police station as symbols of oppression. But when they set fire to buildings, overturn cars, loot shops, they are stuck with the rage of the moment. I understand these rebellious instincts all too well. A long-term movement should go beyond the mere reaction.

What might it look like?

As Black Panther, we were present in the affected communities, launching programs such as breakfast for schoolchildren and vaccination campaigns. The fight against police violence was only point seven of our ten-point program. It's not enough to send a few Instagram messages when the police kill someone again. We were also there at the time, when the landlord threatened to put someone on the street, organized rent strikes, informed people about the causes of misery in the poor black neighborhoods and how they could organize themselves. Today more than ever, we need black leaders to take on these tasks.

Is that why you run your youth initiative called the Impact Repertory Theater in Harlem?

Our teenagers not only play theater, but learn to understand the problems in the community beyond mere symptoms - such as police brutality, racism and poverty. How can you promote change given the structures? We need programs that enable people to heal, live and work in dignity, while addressing major societal problems.

As for police violence: There are also pictures of police officers kneeling down with the demonstrators, expressing their solidarity. Doesn't that speak for the conservative media claim that all you have to do is sort out the bad apples?

I've seen a lot of decent police officers. Police officers who talk to people in the neighborhood and refer them to social workers instead of handcuffing them. However, the problem with police violence is institutional. Even President Obama was unable to reform racist institutions such as the police or the prison industry.

As a university professor, are you still being disrespected by the police because of your skin color?

As an African American, you always have to be on your guard. I recently witnessed a scene where police officers handcuffed and beat a young African American. I stopped and asked, as matter-of-factly as possible, why: It turned out that they suspected him of stealing the bike he was traveling on, although he could show that it was his own. In the end, I narrowly escaped arrest - even though everyone in the community knows me.

You are a karate teacher and once even trained the rap star Tupac Shakur, your godchild. What do you recommend to your youngsters to protect themselves against police attacks?

I always advise them to keep their emotions in check: do you want your name to be the next hashtag? In a boxing or karate fight, you also have to keep a cool head when your opponent hits you on the nose. So you need training and discipline to fall back on a learned technique in an emergency. As absurd as it may sound, we community leaders are responsible for teaching our young people how to best survive in the face of the threat of their own police force.

Can one at least credit Donald Trump's presidency for bringing the various protest groups together through his aggressive policies?

It is the oppression that brings us together. In the end, however, the solution will not come from above. No politician can fix this system. Rather, I rely on the strengthening of a new grass root activism. Because Black Lives Matter - despite all criticism - has had some success: Since then, many police departments have provided training on how to deal with suspects in a civil way. There are panels where police officers meet with community representatives. And there are prosecutors who are ready to indict. In the past, murders like the one against George Floyd would never have been atoned for. ★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Jamal Joseph joined the Black Panther Party in 1967 in Harlem when he was 15. In 1968 he was jailed and became one of the youngest Black Panther leaders. During another five-and-a-half-year prison sentence for escaping a robbery in which two police officers were shot, he earned two degrees and wrote several plays. The photo was taken fifty years ago, in June 1970.

RESISTANCE !

[kamechan98]

Young, Stupid, Broke And Ridiculously Happy

Prompt: “When I picture myself happy… it’s with you.”

Tony sighed for the umpteenth time in the last fifteen minutes and looked down at his watch again. 17:48. A minute had passed since the last time he looked at it. He sighed again and took a sip of his coffee. It was his third cup of coffee and the barista had looked at him a little funny when he had come back for the third time for another one, but Tony just couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d been waiting for hours now and the coffee help his worry, if only a little.

The waiting had already been unbearable ever since Steve had left for 10 months; he had to make it worse by being late? And it wouldn’t be so bad if he was only a few minutes late, like ten minutes or so, and that was including the time it took to get off the plane, get through the arrival terminal and getting his bags. But he was almost thirty-seven minutes late by now and Tony was really getting antsier by the minute.

Sigh and groan.

Another sip of coffee.

Tony had always been told he needed to work on his patience, but considering Tony had been waiting for 10 months for this day to come, dragging it out like this felt really unnecessary, not to mention unbearable. And maybe it was the caffeine or his own inability to stay still for more than a few seconds at a time or a combination of the two, but he was practically vibrating in place and had to fight against himself so wouldn’t start jumping around or run back and forth between here and the gate or something else that would make him like stupid.

Steve had promised that this would be the last time. “One last tour, Tony. One last tour and then I’m here to stay. I promise, just give me these last 10 months and then I’m all yours. I’ll leave the army forever and we’ll build a life and home together. I give you my word.”

Tony had of course not liked this. How could he? Another ten months of his boyfriend putting himself in danger and possibly dying in some morgue in Syria, yeah wasn’t that the dream of every young man in the world? But of course he’d eventually been forced to accept it all and had driven Steve to the airport a few weeks later, followed him to the security check and hugged and kissed him goodbye. It had taken all of Tony’s strength not to break down into a sobbing mess on the floor when Steve had placed his dog tags around Tony’s neck, like he always did before leaving for a tour, and had given him one last kiss before leaving and disappearing into the crowd, leaving Tony to drive home to an empty apartment.

The first few days had been torture and had spent a lot of time in bed, on the couch watching TV or sleeping through his classes at MIT. But eventually he’d been forced to get off his ass and get his life back on track. He went to his classes, got his second PhD at MIT and started to work on getting a third one while also working his part-time job as a car mechanic. He hung out with his friends one occasion, as they graduated all college and started to live their own busy adult lives. He hung out with Rhodey and helped him pick out an engagement ring for Carol and eventually try to propose (she totally beat him to it!), he, Clint, Rhodey, Sam and Thor had their Guys’ Night once a week, either getting drinks at a bar or went bowling or whatever and he bonded with Natasha over having your boyfriend overseas while they were stuck at home not knowing what was happening to their significant other. Though Tony couldn’t help but feel jealous of her, since Bucky was still home had already left the army on account of his amputated arm from his last tour.

The months did pass, if slowly, and he did receive letters from Steve- he was old-fashioned like that- telling him what was going on (as much as he could, anyway) and reassuring him that he was alright and everything was going well. He would tell him how much he loved and missed him, how he couldn’t wait to see him and would give little details or ideas for the future they wanted together.

‘We’d have to take simple jobs for while, obviously, but when we get enough money, we’ll move back to New York. Both of us are born and bred New Yorkers, we both love it there and we could have a really nice- though probably small- apartment in our city.’

‘Imagine a view over Central Park. Obviously that would be years away, even with the best of jobs to offer for kids like us. But a nice penthouse in with view like that, wouldn’t that be something?’

‘How would you feel about getting a dog? Or maybe a cat? I know we haven’t talked much about pets, but I have always wanted a dog, so how would you feel about it?’

‘I know I’ve said it like a thousand times, but God I really want to marry you someday. And I know we don’t have a lot of money right now, but once we do, I’d love to marry you. We’ll have a great wedding and we’ll invite all our friends and family and have a great time. But I really just want to spend the rest of my life with you.’

Tony smiled, just a tad dopily, in the middle of the busy, crowded airport just thinking about those letters with his hand tightly clenching the dog tags around his neck. Steve always had that effect on him, with all his sappiness and lovey-dovey words and promises. And for all of Tony’s big talk of how ridiculous and overly sappy he was and how he needed to stop being so sappy, he really loved it. Maybe it was because of the lack of love his family had showed him over the course of his life, but Steve had always found ways to get through Tony’s tough exterior and the walls he surrounded his heart with, even back when they had first met in grade school and especially after they had started dating in high school.

He had dated other people before Steve, of course he had, but no one had been like Steve. Steve, who was loving, caring and kind and the sweetest and most amazing man on the planet. Steve, who was honest and sincere utterly devoted to Tony and making sure he was happy, either by making Tony coffee every morning before he went to class or making sure he ate and slept somewhat regularly. Steve, who told Tony he loved him every single day and kissed Tony good morning and good night.

Steve had been everything he ever wanted in a boyfriend and more; he was kind and caring, funny, witty and always seemed to be able to make Tony smile. He was one of the few people in the world that could out-stubborn him and wasn’t not afraid to call him on his bullshit or get into arguments- both light-hearted ones and more serious ones- with him and refuse to back down before Tony did or before one of them made a good enough point to prove that the other was wrong. He was also always there to ground Tony whenever he was getting lost in work or just needed to get his head out of his crazy ideas and reined him in when he was being reckless.

And while Steve had started out being skinny and shorter than Tony, he eventually hit a major growth spurt and shot past Tony and grew muscles in places Tony didn’t know had muscles, which not only made him very attractive (not that Tony hadn’t thought he was before, but c’mon, the guy had serious abs and muscles) but also developed a protective streak and would stand up to anyone who tried to hurt or bully Tony. Steve had always been an amazing friend, one of Tony’s best friends ever, but after having asked him out and eventually confessed his feelings, he had become the kind of boyfriend that only seemed to exist in those ‘Relationship Goals’ posts he saw on Instagram. But as sappy and lovey-dovey as Steve was, Tony had fallen head over heels in love with him and knew he never wanted to let go of him.

Howard had blown a gasket over Tony falling for the ‘broke, lowly nobody from Brooklyn’ he had met in grade school and that had been the point where he really wanted to disown Tony, which he eventually did once Tony went to college, moved into a small apartment with Steve and made it very clear he wasn’t going to do whatever Howard wanted him to do with his life, i.e. take over Stark Industries and make weapons like him. Tony, however, had never let that bother him too much. He was young and in love and who was Howard to tell him to live his life anyway? Steve was the best thing that had ever happened to him and Tony would be the biggest moron on this side of the universe if he ever let him go. Jarvis had told him on the day he had graduated college, after Steve had hugged him and kissed him and told him how proud he was of him, that “finding someone as loving, devoted and loyal this is a rare, once in a blue moon occurrence, especially at your age. Don’t waste it, Young sir.” And it was a piece of advice that he was very happy to follow, even three years later.

Tony smiled again, his eyes getting a little wet with emotion and still clutching those dog tags very tightly, when a voice broke through his thoughts, making his head jerk up and his breath got stuck in his throat.

“Tony!”

Finally.

Steve was coming in through the gates, running as fast as he could with all the people around him, more or less shoving people aside when he couldn’t run around them. He was looking around the airport, clearly looking for someone; his face was a mix of eager impatience and held back anticipation.

“Tony!”

Steve. Steve was here, alive and whole and all right.

He was finally home.

Tony was running before he even fully realized he was moving at all. He bumped into some guy, the half-full take-away cup of coffee flying out of his hand and onto the floor and he almost slipped in the puddle of coffee as he ran faster. He heard somewhere behind him someone yelling at him for making a mess, but he couldn’t care less, because Steve was home and he was here, only a few feet away from him and fuck it if Tony was gonna waste another second waiting any longer. He cried out “Steve!” but just that second there was an announcement over the loudspeakers, which kinda drowned out his voice.

Steve must’ve heard the yell however, or spotted Tony moving, because he finally turned in his direction and the smile that spread across his face threatened to split his face in two. He threw his bags down and started running too and before Tony’s brain could fully process it all, he threw his arms around Steve, wrapped his arms tightly around Steve’s neck and pressed his face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent and letting tears of relief and happiness fall, the weight that he had been carrying around for a whole year now finally lifting and disappearing.

“Steve.” He whispered into his boyfriend’s neck, only barely keeping his sobs at bay, though when he heard, and felt, that Steve was also struggling to hold back his own tears it felt a little easier to release them.

“Tony.” Steve whispered back into Tony’s hair, his grip around Tony tightening and Tony gasped a little when he was suddenly lifted of floor and spun around like a girl in a romantic movie. He tightened his grip around Steve as he was spun around, more out of instinct than anything else, but whatever. The closer he could be to Steve right now the better.

“You’re here. You’re home. Oh my god, Steve, I’ve missed you so much!” Tony could barely speak through the tears and sobs, but he managed to rein them in enough to be at least somewhat understood while still crying. Though, given how Steve was shaking about as much as Tony was at the moment, he probably couldn’t talk much more than Tony at the moment.

Steve drew a shaky breath and sniffled loudly before finally talking. “Yeah, I’m here now. I’m home, oh Tony, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” He gently put Tony back down on the ground but pressed him close up to his chest, burying his face in Tony’s hair.

Tony sniffed and nuzzled his face into Steve’s shirt, wiping tears and snot on the fabric and finding himself unable to care in the slightest. “I’m not letting you leave again. You’re not gonna go anywhere near that shit again, you’re gonna stay right here with me forever from now on, do you hear me? That’s not a suggestion, it’s an order Soldier.”

Steve huffed a wet laugh and pressed his cheek against Tony’s head, his arms tightening around him, so much that it kinda hurt and made it a little hard to breathe. But, again, whatever, Tony could take it. He and Steve hadn’t seen each other for a whole year; he would take it all the attention and love Steve had to give him.

“Well, I guess I have my orders, General Stark. And trust me, I have no intentions of ever letting you go, ever again. I thought I made that clear when we were still in high school.”

Tony chuckled and pressed a kiss on Steve’s throat before gently pulling away to get a better look of him. Steve tried to keep him close, gently trying to push him back into his chest, but Tony eventually managed to pull back enough to get a good look of his boyfriend.

Steve was dressed in his army uniform, sans the hat, his blonde hair was a shaggy and messy and he had grown a scruffy beard in the time he had been gone. He had no visible injuries, bruises or abrasions on his person and though he looked a bit skinner than he had been since Tony last saw him, he looked fairly alright considering the circumstances, aside from his eyes and face being wet and red with tears.

Tony smiled widely and raised his hands to Steve’s face, gently stroking the apples of his cheeks and tried to wipe away his tears- though that turned out to be rather futile as more tears just kept coming anyway- which made Steve’s smile widen back at him and put his own hands over Tony’s as he leaned into his touch, squeezing them tightly and pressing them to his face.

It almost looked like Steve was trying to convince himself that he was finally home and with his boyfriend again just as much as Tony was.

Tony chuckled softy, stood on his toes to kiss Steve’s nose and then buried his fingers in Steve’s beard. “Okay, some real talk here, babe, what the hell is this? Do they not let you shave in Syria? Or are we trying to be the next Robinson Crusoe?

Steve laughed softly and squeezed Tony’s wrists, blinking away the remaining tears from his eyes. “No, no, they do. I guess I’ve just been busy thinking about other stuff to bother with things like shaving.”

Tony smiled teasingly at him with a raised eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

Steve smiled down at him with such adoration and unquestionable love that it made Tony’s stomach drop and his heart stutter and he almost teared up again. He gently let go of Tony’s wrists and reached out one hand towards Tony’s face, gently stroking his knuckles over his cheek and wiping a tear away with his thumb.

“Making it home to you.” He placed a kiss on Tony’s forehead. “I meant what I said before, you know. I’m here to stay, Tony, for as long as you’ll have me. You have to know that I adore you and I want to spend forever with you. I’m done leaving you behind for these missions, I promise. From today, I’m done. It’ll be just you and me from now on, if you’ll have me.”

“Of course I’ll have you. I love you more than anything in my life.” Tony wanted to say, but he couldn’t get the words out. His tongue was frozen in his mouth and he couldn’t get it to work for him.

Steve continued with a soft smile, but he also looked… well, kinda emotional. He let go of Tony’s face and took his hands, holding them tightly. “Tony, you know I mean it, right? I adore you, Tony. I love everything about you and don’t ever want us to be apart for this long ever again.”

He paused and looked down at the floor, suddenly looking smaller and not quite as confident as he usually did.

“I know my degree doesn’t count for much. There’s limited jobs for people with an Art’s Degree and I don’t have much as it is. I have absolutely nothing to offer you that is up to the standards that you are used to, but if you let me, I’ll do everything I can make sure to treat you to everything I can, especially after everything I’ve put you through with my tours and work in the army. Not to mention how your asshole father has treated you throughout your life. You deserve to be treated like a prince and I’ll dedicate my life to make sure you get everything you deserve.”

“Steve…” Tony’s mouth was suddenly dry as a dessert and he could barely move or talk, only stare up at his boyfriend.

Steve smiled and placed one hand over Tony’s cheek, stroking his thumb under Tony’s eye. “I mean it, sweetheart. You’ve had such a rough life and you’ve still turned out an amazing man. You’re smart, kind, brave, generous, funny and you’ve worked so hard to get where you are today and I’m so proud of you and to be your boyfriend. And I know we’re young and stupid and just a bit above broke, but I don’t care, I want you now and forever. I’ve thinking a lot of this and when I picture myself happy…” He leaned down and pressed a kiss on Tony’s mouth. “It’s with you.”

Tears were falling from Tony’s eyes by this point and he was just barely holding back his sobs and his smile was so big it physically hurt. He sniffed and tried to snark back at Steve but it didn’t come out quite as snarky as he had wanted and more like a sob.

“Man Rogers, you can’t keep giving me this much sap, you’ll give me cavities.” Not his best line, but it was the best he could deliver considering the circumstances.

Steve chuckled and pressed a kiss to Tony’s forehead. “Well, I’ll buy you a new toothbrush and toothpaste before we get home then. But before that, I have something I have to ask.” He squeezed the hand he was still holding before letting go and taking a small step back.

And then he got down on one knee.

Tony was vaguely aware of gasps of shock and anticipation from the crowd of people around them but he was stuck staring at Steve with wide eyes and his jaw hanging open, his hands flying up to cover his wide open mouth. Steve took out a small, black box from his pocket, popped it open and revealed a ring. It was fairly modest ring, nothing too extravagant or fancy, just simple golden band and a small diamond at the center.

It was the most beautiful ring Tony had ever seen.

Steve smiled widely up at him. “Tony Stark, you are the love of my life and I want you to be my partner in everything. Will you marry me?”

‘Oh my God.’ That was the only thing going through his mind at the moment. ‘He’s proposing. He’s actually fucking proposing to me!’

Tony hadn’t given marriage too much thought since before dating Steve, and even then it wasn’t until their relationship had started to become serious. But after having talked to Steve about it, after having read Steve’s letters and how much he loved him and that he really wanted to spend the rest of his earthly days with him.

And God, if it wasn’t everything Tony had ever wanted.

Tony was nodding with happy tears running down his face, saying “Yes, yes, yes!” over and over again before running up to Steve and throwing himself around his neck again. Steve wrapped his arms tightly around Tony before lifting him off his feet again and spinning him around. He heard cheers and applause around them, but paid them no heed; the only thing going through his head at the moment was ‘Oh My God, Steve Rogers just asked me to fucking marry him!’

Steve pressed kisses on every inch of skin he could reach, arms tightly wrapped around his waist spinning him around for a good minute before putting Tony down on his feet again, though Tony still had his arms around Steve’s neck and Steve placed his hands on his hips. He had a big, blinding smile and tears in his eyes.

He chuckled disbelievingly. “21 years old, son of one of the biggest minds and business men of the last century and has enough brains and passion to revolutionize the world one day, and you’d settle for a broke, art graduate and soldier from Brooklyn? One day you’ll have the entire world at your feet, able to take your pick, and you still choose me.” He pressed his forehead to Tony’s. “You still want me.”

Tony tried to smirk, but it looked less cocky and confident and more wide and joyous and tearful. “Steve, babe, two things: First, this is not me ‘settling’ for you. I have dated several people before you and no one has ever been as good to me as you. Even Pepper, bless her heart, had a rocky time with all of my broken parts and ugly history. Sure, maybe ten years from now I will be successful and rich and have a big house and ten cars or whatever, but no one in the world could ever be better to me than you.”

Steve’s smile widened and a few more tears fell down his cheek and Tony raised his hands to his face, gently wiping them away. “And two, how long have we been friends? Fifteen years? You have always been the best friend I could ever ask for, even before you asked me on a date, or confessed you loved me. You’ve looked after me when I was in trouble; let me cry on your shoulder after fights with my dad or when a boyfriend or girlfriend turned out to be a bust. And you’ve always been there for me to rein me in when I get lost in work or school or when I’m just being stupid, when I’m being an asshole or when I just need to get my head out of my ass. You have always been there for me, even before I was a genius and dad tried to exploit it.”

Tony smiled and had to clear his throat so his sobs wouldn’t make his voice crack. He stroked one hand over Steve’s bearded cheek. “So what kind of idiot would I be to let go of the best thing that ever happened to me?”

Steve’s eyes were overfilled with tears at this point and Tony pressed a kiss on his nose, leaning in close to his ear. “Now, let’s go home. We’ll pick up pizza on the way home.” He slowly started to pull away, but Steve grabbed his hand before he got too far away.

“Of course, but first,” He took the ring out of the box and gently put it on Tony’s ring finger. Tony gently pulled his hand out of Steve’s grip to get a closer look at it, and now that he wasn’t in complete surprise by Steve proposing and he got a closer look at it, he recognized it very quickly.

“Steve, this is your mom’s ring!” Steve smiled widely and placed his arms around Tony’s waist.

“Yes it is. She gave it to me when I told her I wanted to ask you to marry me. I had to go and have it a bit adjusted so it would fit your finger, but other than that it the exact same ring.” He blushed a little and rubbed the back of his head. “I… heh, carried it with me everywhere while in Syria. For motivation, I guess. I figured if I kept carrying it around with me it would help me remember what I had back home. That I had the love of my life waiting for me back home and I really, really wanted to marry him.”

Tony smiled and huffed a small laugh, a few tears forming in his eyes before blinking them away. “Yeah? And how did that work for you?”

Steve smirked and shrugged lightly. “I’m here, aren’t I? I’d say it worked out just great for me. Especially since I have you know.” He placed his arm around Tony’s shoulders and hugged him close, letting Tony rest his head in the crook of his neck.

Tony ran a finger over the golden band and the diamond and then looked up at Steve again. He smiled softly at him, and then he smirked and hip checked Steve in the side. “You realize that if dad ever finds out about this he’ll skin you alive, chop your balls off and turn them into Christmas ornaments, right? He hates your guts, probably blames you for my decision to turn my back on the company.”

Steve smirked back but there was a dangerous fire in his blue eyes. “Yeah I know, but fuck Howard Stark, I’m not afraid of him. If he has anything to say about our engagement or relationship he can say it to my face. If he has the balls that is.”

Steve smiled and his eyes softened, placing both hands on Tony’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes, his eyes are full of sincerity and love. “Tony, you shouldn’t think too much about Howard and what he’ll think. I have never cared about his opinion; I hate him just as much as he hates me. But I love you and I want you, and if that means I have to deal with him being a dick about it, I’ll gladly deal with that.” He lifted one hand and stroke it over Tony’s cheek. “I love you enough to handle anything. I’ve seen war at this point, I doubt there’s anything Howard Stark can say or do to keep us apart or make me stop loving you.”

Tony’s mouth was open, eyes wide and started to fill with tears again, but he started to blink, hoping to kill them before they could fall and he chuckled. “Fuck you, Rogers. You’ve made me cry like five times in less than thirty minutes today, you fucking asshole. I should give you the ring right back for making me this emotional today, you know I hate feelings.”

Steve laughed fondly and gently stroke his hand through Tony’s hair, pressing a light kiss to his temple. “Oh? Well, I guess I’ll have to change your mind then. How about I buy us some dinner, you pick a movie and we’ll have a nice long night together. And over the weekend, we’ll have some fun. You choose what we do, for the whole weekend, no work or anything like that. Just you and me, what do you say?”

Tony smiled teasingly and bumped his shoulder against Steve’s arm. “Well, I guess that’s a good start.”

Steve smirked and then crouched down a little, one arm around Tony’s shoulders, but when he tried to place his arm around the back of Tony’s knees, Tony stepped away and smiled.

“Uh, not that I’m against what you’re thinking at the moment, but don’t you think you need both hands for your bags?” Steve blinked, a bit surprised and looked back over his shoulders at the bags he had dumped on the floor. Then he looked back at Tony and then he stubbornly set his jaw and a determined look formed on his face and he quickly stomped over to the bags. He swung one of them across his back and then walked over to Tony with the other bag, a slightly smaller duffle bag, and had a mischievous spark in his eyes and dumped it in Tony’s arms.

“Hey, hold this for me, doll?” Tony took the bag, a bit surprised, but before he could respond, Steve grabbed him around the shoulders and knees again and swept him in his arms. Tony gasped a little and clutched the bag tightly to his chest (it wasn’t heavy, probably just some clothes and personal items) before laughing and hiding his face in Steve’s neck as he started to walk towards the doors.

“Steve, people are looking!” Not that Tony actually minded that people looked, they could stare all they wanted for all he cared, but he still couldn’t help flushing at Steve’s very open affections for him. PDA got nothing on Steve Rogers.

Steve grinned and rested his cheek against Tony’s hair, pressing a kiss against his forehead. His grip around Tony tightened slightly and adjusted his grip a little, so Tony could rest his head against his shoulder. “Let them look. I have been waiting to hold you and kiss you again for ten fucking months, so you’re crazy if you think I’m letting you go ever again.”

Tony shook his head with a small laugh before letting himself relax and rest against Steve’s body, pressing his lips to Steve’s neck. He suddenly felt drained of all energy after all the emotion that he’d gone through just now and was now more than okay with Steve carrying him out of the airport and to the car so they could go home.

They’d probably stop by the pizza place on the way home, or they’d order for delivery when they got home. They’d pick a movie to watch while eating but eventually start to pay more attention to each other than the movie. Steve would pull him close and hold him throughout the whole night, even when they would need to go to bed. Tony would cling onto Steve too, making sure to himself that he was actually home and this wasn’t some kind of dream. He’d probably finger on the engagement ring on his finger to make sure that was real too, because it still felt like a dream.

The whole weekend would probably be much of the same, but really, Tony was more than fine with that. Steve was here too stay forever now, away from the army and had asked him to marry him.

They could spare a few days to celebrate this before going back to real life.

Tony sighed and nuzzled his face into Steve’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “I love you.”

He didn’t see Steve’s face but he heard him chuckle fondly and held him a little tighter and kissed his hair. “I love you too, Tony.”

#my fic #my writing #stony #stony fic #stevetony #superhusbands #steve rogers #tony stark #i wrote a fic #drabble #tumblr prompt