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universitypenguin · 2 years

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Part Three

The Princess & the Lawyer - Part III

Summary: The bargain is re-negotiated. Lloyd insists on an addendum, then the promise is fulfilled.

Word Count: 4,841

Warnings: No minors. 18+ readers only. Explicit sexual content, dirty talk, mentions of drug use, addiction, brief hint of child abuse in Lloyd's past, previous criminal activity by Lloyd mentioned, and mention of virginity (the reader insert character is a virgin).

Masterlist

Prior Chapter: Part II

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Despite the two drinks he’d consumed, Lloyd was clear headed.

It’d been years since he’d over indulged in alcohol. He was leery of the substance, a natural byproduct of having a raging drunk for a father. Of course, not recognizing the genetic dominance of addiction, he’d gone another direction: drugs. Starting in middle school, he’d smoked weed in bathroom stalls with the rebellious crowd. Then he’d taken to popping an Adderall now and again, to help him concentrate on schoolwork. A few years later, Xanax had been a glorious discovery that made everything just a little bit easier. At Princeton he’d gained access to a wider variety of drugs. Prozac, Vicodin, Percocet, Valium, Ecstasy, Ketamine… and Cocaine.

The white powder was his biggest weakness.

He’d taken the first bump sophomore year and been hooked from the get go. His habit was set by the time he’d gone to Cambridge. The NSA hadn’t noticed his addiction problem when they recruited him. Or maybe they hadn’t cared. He never could guess what went on in the head of the decision makers at “The Fort.” He’d worked there four years before getting caught on a random drug screen. Everything had been smoothed over and three more years passed before he’d gotten the ax for a second failed test.

Things were easier in the private sector. In France, his top desk drawer had been stocked with all his favorite substances. Cocaine, Vicodin, and Xanax. By that point, weed did little for him, which should’ve been a red flag. Detoxing cold turkey in a Paris jail cell had been one heck of a wake up call. Unless he’d experienced that episode himself, he’d still be telling anyone who cared to listen that he was only a recreational user. A person could run their mouth all day, parsing facts and dressing up the truth, but biochemistry didn’t lie.

He was familiar with being numbed. That was why he was particularly unhappy at the moment.

You were plastered to him, arms linked around his hips, rambling. Lloyd guided you up the front steps, catching you by the waist as your toe caught on the top stair. He suspected your last drink was hitting, because you were suddenly drunk as a skunk.

“Careful,” he said.

“Mmmh.”

You weaved a path down the front hall and turned into the kitchen. Lloyd took a glass from a cabinet and filled it with water. He handed it over and you wrinkled your nose.

“Don’t you have scotch?”

“You’re way past your limit, Princess. You need to dry out a bit.”

You waved him off. “Nah. I’m more fun when I’m drunk. Is that a bar cart?”

He stepped in front of you, blocking the path to his living room bar.

“Princess. If you have another, you’re going to pass out in the guest room.”

“I’ve had way more than this before and didn’t even have a hangover the next morning.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as you finally took a sip of water.

He wondered what he was going to do with you. An hour ago, agreeing had been the only course of action. He didn’t want to risk your safety, and the idea of you taking home a random man disturbed him. Now, his fears had cooled and his more rational brain clicked on to sort through the details.

You were his soft spot. Everyone from the corner office to the janitorial staff knew he was wrapped around your pinky finger. His buddies often teased him that when you found a serious boyfriend, he’d be devastated. Fortunately, you’d never shown much interest in the courser sex. Until these past few months.

His friends had been right. Your dating had gotten under his skin, irritating him like a bad rash. The disappointment you showed recounting a romantic misadventure was like a punch in the gut. Aiden’s disregard for your time, feelings, and effort pissed him off to no end. He’d always been protective of you. Introducing a threatening entity had driven that instinct into hyperdrive. It wasn’t devastation or jealousy he felt, but a helpless anger that melted into hurt. Every sting dating inflicted on you made him bleed. His reaction ran deeper than mere empathy; he could feel your pain. It was as if you were a Voodoo practitioner’s effigy, used to crucify him from a distance. Your dates were a torment he was helpless to escape.

Lloyd caught your eyes wandering around the room.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking this is a big step up from dodging Aiden’s roommate.”

“I bet. Come on.”

He took your hand and led you to the sofa. Lloyd settled into the far left corner. You tucked your knees up and settled, facing him, on the middle cushion. He caught the scowl, presumably because of the distance he’d put between you. It was deliberate. Between the bar and home, reality had sunk in. His worries about your capacity to consent were even stronger now. He needed to test your commitment before this went any further.

“Wouldn’t the bedroom be more comfortable?”

“I want you clear headed, so we’re going to wait for that buzz to taper off.”

“But we agreed. You said-”

“I know. Now, I’m stipulating that you’re completely sober before we have sex.”

Your chin lifted. “This is an addendum to the original contract.”

“No agreement is perfect on the first draft.”

“I’m not so drunk I can’t consent.”

There was a sharpness in your tone that made him suspect you’d been planning on the assistance of liquid courage to get through this. His instincts were usually correct where you were concerned. He felt a rush of gratitude that Aiden had shown his true colors. The boy couldn’t be trusted with this much vulnerability.

“The addendum isn’t about consent. It’s about your mental state. I want you sober, meaning fully self possessed and aware, not tipsy and buzzed.”

You pouted.

“Princess, I have a serious question.”

“What?”

“Have you texted a friend about where you’re at, who you’re with?”

“No. Why would I? I’m with you.”

His heart fluttered. Lloyd didn’t know why your casual displays of trust always affected him like this. Even so, he devoured them as if he were a spoiled house cat gobbling down expensive, sushi-grade tuna.

“Alright. But if you’re with someone you don’t know well, make sure you have a friend who can come get you. Just in case.”

You batted your lashes at him and primped, fussing with a lock of hair.

“Why can’t we just get started?”

“Because you’re nervous. And still too impaired to satisfy the addendum.”

“You know, tacking on a bunch of last minute qualifiers to a contract you’ve already signed is rude.”

“Firstly, I didn’t sign anything. It was only a verbal agreement. And secondly… don’t mistake me for someone who cares about being polite.”

Your eyes narrowed, and your hands went to the buttons of your blouse. Lloyd seized your wrist.

“What are you doing?”

“Hurrying this along. The agreement doesn’t say I can’t take my clothes off before I’m sober.”

“Let’s obey the spirit of the law, not just the letter.”

He didn’t expect you to comply. When you lowered your hands he let go, but didn’t relax. Sure enough, you looked him in the eye and kicked off your pumps. They landed under the coffee table.

“So much for the spirit of the law.”

You twisted around, range of motion limited by the tight skirt, and crawled into his lap. His lips quirked when you burrowed into his chest, like a kitten nuzzling up to its litter mate. You laid your head on his shoulder, closed your eyes, and moaned when he rubbed your back. You looked so relaxed he almost expected you to fall asleep.

Then you said, “How long until you agree that I’m sober enough?”

“An hour and a half.”

“You’re not trying to back out, are you?”

Lloyd took a hold of your chin. He tilted your head back and watched as your eyes dilated, then fixed on his mouth.

“I won’t leave you hanging. I promise I’ll take care of you.”

Your lips parted, drawing his eyes. They were still swollen from earlier. He’d kissed the lipstick off and appreciated seeing the plump, unpainted flesh. If you let him kiss you every hour, you’d never need to buy another lip enhancing cosmetic again.

Lloyd rubbed his nose over yours. He kissed you deep, loving the way your mouth opened instantly for his tongue. He couldn’t help but devour you. When he pulled away, your mouth was positively bee stung. He nipped at the full bottom lip and you shuddered, thighs clenching. Fuck. You were going to be a firecracker.

You tugged him close and drew his head down. Following your lead, he rolled onto his back. You swung on top and took possession of his mouth. Your lips were satin smooth, and you tasted like whiskey. His hips jerked when you sucked on his tongue. Lloyd groaned at the press of your soft breasts into his hard chest. He doubted anything would ever feel as incredible as having you on top of him, showing him how much you wanted him without hesitation. Lloyd caught your hips as you gyrated against him.

“Slow down, sweetheart. We have all night.”

You scoffed, and he smiled at the displeased sound.

“Just remember, you can stop anytime you want. I’ll understand.”

“Why are you trying to push me out the door?”

“I’m not. But your feelings could have changed.”

“If they have, they’re more definitive than before. I want this, Lloyd.”

Relief uncurled in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want to stop, but he was terrified of damaging your relationship. His jaw tightened and he took a deep breath.

“I… care about you, Princess.”

The words caught in his throat. It was difficult to shove them past the mental fortifications and articulate how he felt. Your fingers seized on his shirt, as if preparing to hold him down. Belatedly, he realized you’d taken the statement as another attempt to shirk his end of the deal.

“I’m not backing out. I don’t want to hurt you. What I’m trying to say is that I need you to be clear about what feels good, and what doesn’t.”

Your expression softened.

“Okay.”

Then you went for the buttons of his shirt. Lloyd laid back and enjoyed your enthusiasm. How could men think your virginity was a turn off? You were so vivacious. He lifted his hips to allow you to pull out the tails of his dress shirt and finish unbuttoning. Your fine motor skills appeared to be intact. If he were evaluating your ability to drive, he wouldn’t have been comfortable putting you behind the wheel yet, but there were signs you were sobering up.

“Mmmmhhh… chest hair…”

Your hands sank into the thickest area, between his pectorals. You licked your lips and stroked. Lloyd’s muscles tightened at the caress.

“You’re warm,” you said.

The blood in his veins was blazing from your light, innocent touch. Most of it had flowed south, bringing him to a painful state of arousal. He groaned when you rubbed your thumb over his nipple. Then your mouth was on his chest, trailing kisses down his sternum.

He hissed. “Fuck.”

You nuzzled the area where his oblique met the swell of his pectoral. Your teeth grazed it, then licked at the sweat. You made a noise like a purr. Lloyd shut his eyes and groaned. He felt as if he were a frog being boiled alive. Your tongue swirled over his nipple and he snarled. He caught the back of your neck and dragged you away. Your exploration was affecting him all too much; if you kept this up, he’d lose control. It was imperative that he remain in control tonight. You wiggled in his restraining grip, but he didn’t let go.

“Can I take off my clothes now?”

Lloyd growled. “No.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“But you’re not sober, either.”

“Can we at least go to the bedroom?”

Lloyd flipped you in one smooth move, making you gasp. He used his weight to pin you down and kissed you.

“Drunk you is willing. But we’re staying here on the couch until you’re totally clear headed. How about you show me all the heavy petting you’ve done? Emphasis on the showing.”

You groaned. He laughed at your frustration.

“When you’re sober, we can get around to the new stuff. Okay, Princess?”

You sighed and ran your hands over his shoulders, up his neck, into his hair. He met you halfway for a kiss. It was soft and tender, but sizzling with more passion than any of the sex he’d had in his twenties. When you parted, he was panting, shaken by the intensity. You cupped his face, your eyes filled with emotion. The ease with which you offered such vulnerability captivated him. Like a triple dose of Xanax, it went straight to his head. The sight of your dilated eyes, full of passion, and the gentleness in your touch was dizzying.

Suddenly, he appreciated the danger he was in. He’d never be able to keep his emotions compartmentalized with you. Fear surged, and he resisted pulling away, only because that would invite another Aiden into the picture. He pushed the negative thoughts away and drew you into a kiss.

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Your teeth clashed with Lloyd’s as your tongues battled for dominance.

His control just wouldn’t crack. Everything you’d done with the boys you’d dated hadn’t even tripped him up. He kept himself in check while teasing you until you were shaking with desire. This time his kiss was hotter, less restrained. You could taste the wildness. You moaned, arching your back and grinding against him, hands fisting in his shirt to hold him close. His mouth veered off to explore your cheeks, the underside of your jaw, and behind your ear. You gasped when he licked behind the lobe and shuddered at the tingle that ran down to your toes when he repeated the action on the other side. His mustache tickled, making you squirm.

Without warning, Lloyd reached under your skirt. His big, rough hand pushed between your legs. The feeling was new, and thrilling. He nipped at the pounding artery in your throat. You whined. The high pitched cry was startlingly loud in the quiet room.

“Steady, Princess. You’ve got half an hour of sobering up left.”

You parted your legs and circled his hips. Using their strength, you drew him tight against your heated core. His hand slid to your hip, and he inhaled sharply.

“Just fuck me right here. On the sofa, on the floor, I don’t care. Please?”

“You’re all wound up from just a few kisses? Poor baby. I’m going to enjoy taking you apart.”

“I’m ready.”

To prove it, you ground your aching sex against his crotch. The thick ridge under his belt made it obvious he was just as affected as you were. You couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t give in.

He flattened his hand on your belly and pushed you down, easily breaking the clasp of your legs. You struggled to hold on, longing for more contact. His eyes flashed in a silent warning as he moved to his knees between your spread legs. You were shocked when he took a fistful of your skirt, right in the middle of the garment, and bunched it up. He eased it higher, over your hips, and took your hand, placing it on the knot of fabric.

“Hold that, sweetheart.”

You scrambled to comply. Lloyd gave a low murmur of approval.

He watched you as he stroked your inner thighs, exploring the sensitive skin. His thumbs rubbed at the hollows of your groin and traced the seam of your panties. The whole time, he studied your expression. You couldn’t help but shiver. His lips curled into a knowing grin. Lloyd stroked his thumb over your cloth covered clit. Your whole body jerked.

“Lloyd!”

His index finger slid under the thin cotton. You trembled as the back of his knuckles brushed across your folds. Your panties were soaked with evidence of your desire. He kept rubbing at the cleft of your body, spreading the slickness around, never using enough pressure to give you what you needed. The wildfire of lust inside of you ratcheted higher with each stroke. He slid his fingers down for another pass, pushing the joint of his forefinger into your opening, collecting your juices, and rubbed delicately across the heated flesh, then up, around your clit. You shuddered, tossing your head back, moaning.

“Please…”

“Shhh.”

This time he pressed on the little bundle of nerves. Your legs stiffened. You whined and bucked as he did it again. He returned to your opening, collecting more slick, and caressed you again. His fingers move higher and higher… your breath caught in anticipation.

Lloyd stopped.

“Breathe, Princess.”

You gasped. “Please… oh! Damn it!”

He pulled his fingers out of your panties and readjusted them. He pried your fingers from the skirt and shoved it down. Your choked noise of protest was ignored. With one arm around your waist, he hauled you onto the far end of the sofa, opposite the corner he’d first sat in. Your back was snug against his front as Lloyd’s arm banded under your breasts. With his free hand, he cupped your right breast. You moaned, arching into the touch. His lips grazed your temple, a soothing sensation amid the raging lust.

“Someone came prepared. Did you shave, or wax?”

“W-w-wax…”

He grunted. “Your boy toy wasn’t worth the effort. I’ll make sure you’re treated right. Unbutton your shirt.”

Your hands couldn’t undo the fastenings quickly enough. When you went for the clasp of your bra, Lloyd tightened his arm, preventing you from reaching for the closure. You keened, the firestorm in your belly a painful ache and the heat unbearable. Lloyd kissed your temple again. His fingers teased along the curve of your breast.

“It’s okay. Remember to breathe. It’s just a little foreplay.”

“This… is… torture!”

He chuckled. “Aw, Princess. I bet you did all the teasing with your dates. I think you took charge, set the pace, and never really knew what heavy petting meant.”

He squeezed your breast, his thumb stroking over the cup of your bra, across the nipple.

“Fuck!”

“Mmmmhh… Have you ever been touched here? Like this?”

“Yes.”

He petted your nipple through the unlined lace and you arched into his hand. Your brain scrambled as electricity sizzled down your spine, straight to the pulsing muscles in your sex.

“It wasn’t like this,” you gasped.

“Well, it takes men a while to figure out how to make a woman smolder.”

“Smolder?! I’m going to combust!”

Your chest was heaving as he used both hands to lift your breasts, teasing around the peaked nipples, but never touching them. He smoothed his hands down your sides to the waistband of your skirt. His hands were a little rough from calluses, but the toughness was pleasant. Your back bowed as he rubbed your belly. He held you tight, chuckling at your moan.

“Princess, you need to learn some patience.”

His hands moved to your shoulders and massaged the tight muscles. You cried, so strung out from desire that you couldn’t form words. You were frothing, livid that he could torment you so effortlessly. The lace bra was suddenly too abrasive on your hypersensitive skin. Your nipples were seized into pinpoints, tighter than ever before. They sizzled, craving his touch. Lloyd plucked at them and you cried out.

“Put your arms around my neck.”

You obeyed, hopeful that compliance would earn you relief.

He delved into your left bra cup and lightly pinched the nipple. Then he pulled away to knead your breasts through the material. You sobbed, your hands gripping hard around his neck.

“Come on, honey. Stop whining.”

“Please. I need more.”

Abruptly, he undid your bra and pushed it aside. You hissed as his fingers stroked and twisted without the barrier of lace between your bodies. It was electrifying. Your hips wouldn’t stay still. Lloyd’s hand seized your throat. You gasped, not in fear, since the pressure was light, but in excitement at the dominance. He forced your head back and took your mouth.

He squeezed your throat when you moaned, and it made you quiver. The other hand kept tending to your breast, stroking your nipple. His tongue thrust into your mouth. You whimpered as wetness flooded your panties. He pushed you onto your back, situating your hips on the center cushion. Moving like a predator, he braced his hands on either side of your waist, lingering over your body. Slowly, he lowered his head until his lips touched your sternum. You shivered, so caught up in the moment you couldn’t help but react.

Desire raced along your nerve endings, straining them until they frayed. Heat poured off your skin. Lloyd licked at the underside of your breast, then lifted it to his mouth. He sealed his lips and drew deeply. Your body jerked. He was merciless as he suckled. It was almost too intense, but so good you couldn’t even cry out. He released the bud and had latched onto the other one before you could take a breath. This time, a yelp escaped as he worked the tender flesh with his tongue. Your arms went around him, fisting in his shirt.

“Fuck! Lloyd!”

He turned ravenous at your cry. Your body rippled as he lavished attention on your breasts. When your legs jerked together, he slotted a muscular thigh between them, forcing them open. Lloyd made a sound of pleasure as he licked at your straining nipples. You shivered. He nuzzled your collarbone, tasting the sweat that had collected in the hollow before licking it up.

His mouth slanted over yours for a brief kiss. Then he patted your thigh.

“Put your legs around my waist.”

Once you’d locked your ankles around his waist, he stood up. Lloyd squeezed the globes of your ass, his broad hands spanning the entire area. You clung to his shoulders for balance and shivered at the possessive touch. You wanted all the barriers between your bodies gone so you could feel his rough hands on your skin.

Lloyd carried you towards the bedroom. As he moved, the friction of his chest hair made you gasp. He paused.

“You okay, Princess?”

“Y-y-yeah… sensitive… your chest hair…”

Your brain was still fuzzy. He caught the meaning and grinned. Then, very deliberately, he pivoted to the wall. Bracing a hand over your head and trapping you with his weight, he pressed himself against you and rubbed. Your muscles went taunt. You quivered, then shuddered. Lloyd crushed you into the wall, flattening you so there was no escape, even as you squirmed. You mewled, keening with physical awareness, and trembled with a tension you’d never felt before.

“Lloyd! Damn it, please, please…”

You caught at his shirt, jerking a fist full of material. When he eased back, you moaned at the loss. Lloyd laughed, his eyes dancing with pleasure.

“Alright, I’ll play nice.”

In the bedroom, he shut the door and set you down. His eyes were glowing with heat as he stared at you, skimming along your curves like a touch. Awareness sizzled.

“Take it off. Everything. Now.”

Lloyd stepped back. He made no move to undress himself, much to your disappointment.

His face darkened as you undid the buttons on the waistband of your skirt. You unzipped and shoved it past your hips. Your shirt and bra went next. Getting the uncomfortable lace off your skin was a relief. Finally, you were left in nothing but a pair of Brazilian briefs. You stepped closer to Lloyd and his eyes narrowed. He hooked his fingers under the thin strap on your hip.

“Everything. Off.”

You swallowed hard and complied.

Just as you’d shoved the scrap of material down your legs, Lloyd grabbed your hips and pushed them flush to the wall. You jolted in surprise when he knelt and pushed your legs apart. The broad hands on your inner thighs were a pleasure all of their own.

Lloyd grunted and glanced up from under his lashes. He nuzzled your folds, his mustache grazing sensitive skin. One leg was jerked over his shoulder as he leaned in, adjusting his position for better access. You were struggling to remember to breathe through the bubbling excitement. Your blood felt thick as if lava was moving through your veins rather than liquid.

A soft cry escaped when he parted your labia with his fingers and flicked his tongue at your entrance. He teased for a moment, then flattened his tongue, slurping at the wetness that oozed from your body. You grabbed at the wall for balance, and finding it too slick, gripped his shoulders. Lloyd purred. His face was now buried between your legs. You couldn’t see his expression, but his groans vibrated with contentment. Drinking from the wetness of your pussy, he explored higher, each stroke raising just a half centimeter above the last, working towards your clit.

By the time he licked at the tender bud, you were a wreck of shivering muscles. Your knees were too weak to bear your weight. Lloyd flicked, circled, and stroked. He treated the bundle of nerves like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever uncovered. He was gentle, even more so than you would have been. Despite his delicacy, you were so wound up that every stroke of his tongue was overwhelming.

“Lloyd!”

“Hang on, Princess. You’re doing great.”

Your hands clenched on his shoulders. It was just in time, because his lips fastened around your clit and he sucked, slow and firm.

Your knees gave out.

With a cry, you fell, only to be caught by a brawny arm. Lloyd used the wall and the bulk of his body to hold you in place. When he released your clit, you drew a sharp breath of relief, blinking away tears.

“Holy shit… Ah!”

He sucked and tapped with his tongue. Your body jerked at the intense sensation. Lloyd growled. He released you, rising to his full height.

You shuddered against the wall, chest heaving as your head spun. Lloyd wrapped his arm around your waist, holding you upright. His free hand slid into your drenched folds. You lurched onto your tiptoes when he teased your clit. Automatically, you grabbed his wrist to ease the pressure.

“Let go.”

The tone brokered no discussion, and you released him. He murmured approval and drew you closer. At the moment, he was the only thing keeping you from sliding down the wall. Your hips rolled and your spine twisted as he stroked your clit. You were so wet. His touch was feather light, but so intense that you were already going stiff as your release built. Lloyd kissed your temple. You whined and rutted against his hand, begging for more.

“You’re so sweet. Kiss me and taste it.”

Your head fell back against the wall at his demand, your mouth already open in submission. He took your lips, and the added sensation made you quake. You moaned at the tangy zest he pushed into your mouth.

Fuck, it was so much. Tears streamed down your cheeks as he kept up a steady rhythm on your clit. It was different to feel his big, rough, hand rather than the familiar softness of your own. He gripped you tighter and plunged his tongue deep into your mouth. On the heels of that sensual assault, his finger sank into you.

His tongue muffled your gasp as he took the access even deeper. You moaned, bucking, taking the digit further, as he eased the kiss into a lazy thrust and parry of your tongues. Your inner muscles rippled around his thick finger. It was much longer than your own, and fit snugly against that sweet spot you could never reach.

You pushed your hips into his hand and growled in a silent demand. Lloyd broke off the kiss. His finger was still slotted into your pussy as he narrowed his eyes at you.

“Demanding little princess, aren’t you?”

“Fuck me,” you said, breathless.

Lloyd’s lips twitched. He ground his palm into your clit. You keened, your arms snaking around his neck to stay upright as you shuddered. Then he crooked his finger, brushing a spot that made you squeak in surprise as your body rippled. You felt the touch everywhere. Each muscle coiled and quivered as if he’d found a master key to your whole body.

“Lloyd! Ah, Lloyd…”

The next curl of his fingers sent electricity zapping through every nerve ending in your body and you wailed. He abruptly withdrew his fingers and raised the creamy digits to his lips. You watched, dazed, as he licked them clean.

“Get on the bed, Princess."

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Next - Part IV

#lloyd hansen x y/n #lloyd hansen x reader #lloyd hansen x you #lloyd hansen x female reader #lloyd hansen x fem!reader #lloyd hansen smut #the princess and the lawyer #the grey man #the gray man #lloyd hansen #minors dni #no minors #18+ only #lloyd hansen fanfiction #lloyd hansen fanfic #the grey man fanfiction #the gray man fanfiction #lloyd hansen fic #lloyd hansen imagine

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yoshistack · 4 months

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That's Why They Call It The Present

Surprise @leoriowithaknife! Twas I that did your @codesecretsanta present for this year!

They had many wonderful idea for prompts (some of which I may tuck into my back pocket to make at a later time), but the one that immediately jumped out to me the most was the idea of Aelita spending time with Jeremy and his family for the holiday! Giving me an excuse to write my favorite characters post one of my favorite episodes for S4? Sign me up! I had so many ideas in fact that I turned this into a series of vignettes chronicling some moments of their holiday together. It was super fun to do!

This is my first time being able to participate in this event, and I was thrilled to work on this this month. I hope you like it too!

Ao3 Version Link: Right here!

For a second time today, she finds herself standing in front of the main gate to Kadic saying goodbye to her friends before they disperse for the holidays (“For real this time!” Odd adds with a laugh at the ridiculousness of it all). Just like before, it’s a slow trickle of departures, starting first with Yumi heading back to her house; then Odd heads off in the opposite direction toward the airport, giving a quick wave as he disappears around the corner with Kiwi in tow. Ulrich stands beside her for a while in a comfortable silence until his parents eventually pull back up in front of them, and suddenly it becomes a lot more tense. His dad doesn’t get out of the car, but the glare he sends to them speaks volumes. Ulrich doesn’t seem phased by it, merely shrugging and making a snarky remark about lion dens before pulling himself inside with a brief farewell salute towards them. Then he’s gone too.

And then that just leaves her and Jeremy.

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other and tightens her fingers around the strap to her bag. It feels surprisingly light. Did she pack enough? Should she run back to the dorm? Does she even have time? She glances down the street.

No one in sight.

Maybe she should…

A hand on her shoulder makes her jump. “Hey, relax,” Jeremy tells her. He gives her a soft smile and, as if he can read her mind for once, adds, “They wouldn’t have insisted on me inviting you if they didn’t actually want you there too.”

She clicks her tongue in thought. That may be true, but she still finds it’s hard not to feel nervous at the prospect ahead of her. This is Jeremy’s parents after all; he’s one of her best friends. “I get that, I do. But I just…” She barely suppresses the urge to sigh. “I guess I just don’t want to make a bad first impression is all,” she admits to him.

“You? Make a bad first impression?” He lets out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. “I doubt that. Especially not with them. They’re pretty easy going.”

From what she remembers of her brief encounter with his dad, she believes him. He’d seemed very kind, and Jeremy’s always spoken positively about him (which is more than she can say about how some of their other friends feel about their parents). But even the most patient of people have to have their limits, and having to travel back and forth from their home to Kadic and back again several times all because of her seems like a good way of reaching them. Surely he must be at least a little annoyed with her?

The thought of him looking at her with anything close to the ire Ulrich’s dad had looked at them with pulls a frown back across her mouth.

“Besides,” Jeremy nudges her with his shoulder to pull her out of her thoughts. He nods toward an approaching car—slightly bigger than the one he’d originally been picked up in. “I think they’ve been looking for an excuse to get to meet you for ages anyway.”

As if on cue, the car slows to a stop in front of them. She instinctively stands up straighter when the driver's side door opens and Mr. Belpois steps out.

When he smiles down at her, it is warm. Not even a hint of irritation hidden within it.

And just like that she remembers how to breathe again.

The remaining tension frozen in her spine melts away as he approaches with a bright look in his eyes. “You must be Aelita,” he says, voice light. “It’s so nice to finally meet you properly. Jeremy speaks a lot about you, you know.” He offers her his hand.

She takes hold of it while glancing at Jeremy with a raised brow. “Does he now?” Jeremy rubs the back of his neck sheepishly and points his gaze everywhere but at her face. She bites back the laughter threatening to spill out of her. “Thank you for inviting me,” she says instead, turning back toward his dad. At the sight of the car behind him again, she starts, “I hope it wasn’t too much of a bother…”

Mr. Belpois waves the concern off before she can even get it all out. “Not at all,” he quickly reassures her. “We’re glad to have you.” He lets go of her hand and motions toward her bag instead, which she gives to him after only a slight moment of surprise. “Shall we head off then?”

Jeremy opens one of the car doors for her while his dad goes to put her bag in the back. He’s got another grin on his face when he climbs into the seat next to her a moment later, this one decidedly more cheeky than before. “I told you it’d be fine,” he says, only just a bit smugly.

She ducks her head to hide her own growing smile.

She’ll let him be smug. Just this once.

Jeremy’s mother greets Aelita the moment she steps through their front door with a hug that almost takes her off her feet. She lets out a startled sound—she’s much more used to giving those out than receiving them, but it’s not necessarily an unwelcome surprise. Jeremy laughs loud somewhere behind her, until he gets enveloped in one too the moment she lets go of Aelita. She takes a step back to get her bearings again. When she looks up, she briefly thinks she’s seeing double.

Jeremy looks a lot like his mom.

It’s clear to her where he gets his hair color from. His eyes too. In more ways than one, she notes to herself with a soft laugh as she watches them both adjust their glasses after they pull back from their long embrace. Different styles though—hers are a lighter tortoiseshell and more rectangular, as opposed to the simple black round ones Jeremy prefers.

His mother pokes and prods at him a bit, turns him around and looks him over. Has him spread his arms out to the side in a way that makes him resemble something closer to a Jeremy-sized bird spreading his wings while she notes how tall he’s gotten since he saw her last (Which, she’s not wrong; he’s gotten exceptionally lanky within the last few months alone). She both compliments him and dramatically laments over how mature he looks now. Just generally does all the things Aelita assumes must be normal for a mother to say about their son growing up.

Perhaps the most surprising part though is the way Jeremy takes it all in stride. He rolls his eyes a bit, but otherwise doesn’t at all protest any of the questioning or the way he’s being posed around like a doll on a shelf. At some point during it all he catches the look Aelita is giving him and flashes her a slightly tired smile that speaks volumes about how many times he’s gone through this before.

Something about that thought sends something warm spreading through her chest.

When she’s finally satisfied, Mrs. Belpois sends the two of them towards Jeremy’s room so they can both put their things away. Along the way she takes a look around—at the smaller, mismatched novels wedged between larger math and science books on the bookshelves, or the not quite hung straight photo of a much younger looking Jeremy’s parents hanging in the hallway. Practically every flat surface she passes has something piled on top of it, things that likely have a proper place somewhere out of sight, but were much more convenient to just keep laying around wherever they were set down last.

To her, it all speaks to the kind of people Jeremy’s family must be like. It's a different feeling than the one she gets from Yumi’s house, where though she never feels unwelcome, things look sometimes unnaturally clean and fragile, and at times she feels she’ll ruin it all just by walking through it. Here, it’s not as neat. It’s not quite messy either, but rather… it seems lived in. Comfortably lived in.

She hasn’t really thought about what Jeremy’s house must look like since a time when the thought of living on Earth at all seemed so overwhelmingly foreign to her, but if she had to have guessed, she never would have thought where Jeremy came from would seem so… normal.

His bedroom feels much the same way. Four blue walls lined up with shelves full of artifacts that speak to the kid Jeremy used to be. Mostly, she finds upon closer examination, space related things. There’s no shortage of rocket or astronaut figures carefully lined up in front of a row of space themed books that slowly shift into computer related ones the further the row goes. An old poster with a big crease in the middle of it, crunched corners and an image of the planets of the solar system circling around a graphic of the sun printed on it is taped up beside his bed in a way not unlike the one he has back in his dorm. In one of the back corners is a desk pushed up against the wall that’s clearly where his computer set up at Kadic used to sit. Now it just holds several piles of clothes on it instead.

The most interesting thing she finds though is a picture of a younger Jeremy on the nightstand of him with a muted smile on his face at what looks like… a swimming pool?

“My dad thought getting me involved in swimming would help me make friends as a kid,” Jeremy answers the unspoken question when he finally notices her snooping. He moves some of the clothes and sets his laptop bag down on a newly made free spot on the desk. He winces at the small layer of dust that clings to his fingers. “Sorry about the mess. It’s just, well… you know…” He shrugs, thought going unfinished.

“I think it’s perfect,” she says. Jeremy looks at her curiously. “Your family and your home. It’s all… very you.” She turns toward him fully, speaks sincerely as she looks him in the eye. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

His surprise turns to something more thoughtful. “Yeah,” he eventually agrees with a slow nod. “Neither would I.”

Two days into their break, and she doesn’t think she’s ever seen Jeremy look so relaxed in the entire time that she’s known him.

He’s sitting at a small table across from his mom in the living room, a game of chess laid out before them. His brow furrows in thought, hand lingers in the air above the board, until a light sparkles in his eye as a move suddenly dawns on him. In a flash, he’s moved one of his pieces and claimed one of his mother’s pawns for his own, letting out a triumphant laugh she didn’t think Jeremy was capable of in a non-XANA fighting context. While his mother contemplates her next move, he leans back in the tall wooden chair with a smirk.

Aelita can only stare. If not for the fact that his laptop (still safely nestled in its bag and tucked away around a corner just behind him) hasn’t let out so much as a peep since they got here, she’d have thought it was XANA playing some kind of longcon with her.

“Good book?” Mr. Belpois’ voice makes her jump as he enters the room holding two mugs—a hot chocolate for himself, and the one she’d requested as well.

She glances down sheepishly at the book laying forgotten in her lap. “Something like that,” she responds. She quickly sticks a nearby bookmark where she stopped (not that she made it all that far, but progress is progress) and plucks the mug with the whipped cream foaming at the top from his hand with a light, “Thank you!”

Mr. Belpois takes a seat on the old, faded sofa beside her as she takes an experimental sip. He chuckles at the delighted hum she lets out. “Good to have your approval,” he says, then follows her gaze over to the ongoing chess match. “Do you play too?” he asks after taking a sip of his own.

“Ah… no.” She admits with a wince.

Spending a year of your life believing yourself to be a computer program makes chess seem like such an incredibly boring game (no matter how much Jeremy has tried to convince her otherwise).

Mr. Belpois nods sagely. “Me either. Was always more of a checkers kind of guy myself.” He shrugs, setting his mug down onto the coffee table in front of them. “It’s nice to see them get to play again though. It’s been ages since their last match.”

She lets out another hum, this one more muted, as she watches. They both sit there in silence like that for a few minutes. That’s something Jeremy seems to have in common with his dad then: the ability to sit comfortably in silence together.

She thinks it’s a useful skill to have.

(One a ‘cousin’ of hers could stand to learn at times).

Eventually though, she speaks again. “I’m not used to seeing him this way,” she admits, still watching Jeremy as he adjusts his glasses in contemplation of his next move. “So… laid back.”

“Is he not that way at school?” Mr. Belpois asks, though the look on his face tells her he probably has an idea already.

“He’s very…” She hesitates, trying to think of the right word. “...focused, on the things he works on. It’s a fight to get him to actually take a break most of the time.”

Not that she’d believe that, seeing him right now. If she didn’t know any better, at least.

“That sounds like Jeremy alright,” Mr. Belpois agrees. “He’s always been very dedicated to his projects. His mother and I would catch him staying up at night with a flashlight trying to read just one more chapter of a book when he was younger. I was actually expecting him to be like that this time too, so this is a nice surprise.” He glances over at her, seeming to give her a once over, before he says, “I think it might have to do with you, actually.”

She blinks. “Me?”

“Well, you and the rest of your friends in any case,” he clarifies, an amused look on his face. “You all seem to be a good influence on him. Who knows? Maybe that’s what finally got through to him.”

She snorts into her drink. “Somehow, I doubt that,” she says. She can’t imagine this will last once they go back to school in a few weeks

Still, for now though…

Deep in thought, Jeremy scans over the board several times, a hand to his chin. Eventually, he spares a glance over toward her and his dad and raises a brow at the sight of them whispering to one another. She waves back, giggling at the confusion still plastered across his face.

…she’ll enjoy the peace while it lasts.

(Later that night, she takes a quick peek at the superscan when Jeremy’s not looking. Just to be absolutely sure it’s really him. She can appreciate the peace while still being safe, after all.)

“Aha! Found ‘em!” Jeremy calls out.

Aelita abandons the cabinet she was rummaging through, letting the door swing shut behind her with a soft bang, and wanders over to the drawer he’s just pulled open and looks inside. A small hoard of brightly colored cookie cutters stare back at them—some older and made of plastic, others quite a bit newer looking with rubber grips on top of metal. For as small as the drawer looks, it’s deceptively deep.

“Wow,” Aelita breathes out. “That’s… a lot.”

Jeremy tries and fails to hold back a snicker when he looks up at her again. “I told you cookies were serious business around here,” he says, which, true, that is something he warned her of this morning. But she thought he’d been joking! “Help me take these over,” he says, grabbing a few.

She follows, and soon there’s a small stack of them carefully balances in her hands as they move back to the other side of the kitchen just as Mr. Belpois reenters wearing a festive looking, dark green apron. “Ah, you found them. Good,” he says with an approving nod.

She sets them down next to where the rest of the baking supplies have been sectioned off too. Jeremy sets the few he’s carrying down next to those.

One light blue one in particular catches her eye. “Ok, I understand the candy cane, the stocking, and the reindeer. But… why is there one of a rocket ship in here too?” She asks, holding the plastic cutter up.

Jeremy’s face starts to go red and reaches for it. “Oh that one isn’t–”

Mrs. Belpois beats him there and gingerly takes it from Aelita’s grasp with a soft gasp. “Oh, this one used to be Jeremy’s favorite!”

Jeremy whines. “Mom… She doesn’t need to hear this.”

“Oh no, do go on,” Aelita counters encouragingly, a grin spreading across her face as Jeremy sputters more.

“He used to insist on a space theme,” his dad helpfully supplies as he sorts through the ingredients. “We’d made gingerbread men astronauts and planets along with everything else, because ‘Space should have Christmas too!’” His dad pitches his voice up as he says that last part, and in such an impassioned way that she imagines it must be based on a memory.

One Jeremy must remember based on the groan he lets out. “Dad…”

“The rocket shape was always his favorite one though,” Mrs. Belpois trudges on, placing a hand on his shoulder even as he covers his face and tries to shrink away from the conversation. “He always had to be the one to decorate them though. And the lines had to be just right! Because otherwise they wouldn’t fly, right Jeremy?” She shakes his shoulders.

Mr. Belpois starts, “Remember the year he couldn’t get any lines straight? He was so upset he–”

“I was five!” Jeremy sputters out in protest before he can say anymore.

Aelita’s smile splits her face as she doubles over from laughter. His parents soon join in too. Jeremy’s shoulder sag in defeat and he covers his face with his hands, muttering between his fingers. It’s hard to make out most of it, though she swears she hears a “Please don’t ever tell Odd…” somewhere in there.

His secrets are safe with her…

(…Probably.)

When the time for decorating comes a few hours later, there’s a wide array of shapes to pick from. Snowmen, reindeer, and candy canes abound. Mixed in with some stars, planets, and of course, a handful of rocket ships.

Jeremy huffs when his parents insist he decorates one of them, for old time’s sake, practically shoving the icing bag in his hand. He makes a show of rolling his eyes over the whole idea. But he doesn’t ever back out of it, and Aelita catches him smiling when he thinks no one is looking at him.

Jeremy’s parents busy themselves with turning the gingerbread men into a slew of tiny astronauts. Jeremy’s dad fills in one of them with green and declares it a martian, while his mom makes a couple that look suspiciously like her and Jeremy.

Aelita, meanwhile, paints a wobbly, but familiar looking bullseye symbol across one if the planet shapes, much to Jeremy’s parents' confusion. When he catches a look at it though, he shares a knowing smile with her.

They split that one when they’re done with decorating.

They both agree: victory never tasted so sweet.

Snow rolls in not too long into their holiday. When the clouds finally start to slither away a few days later, it leaves a world covered in a fluffy blanket of white in its wake. It’s not uncommon weather for the time of year, but she still finds herself absolutely enamored with it.

Jeremy humors her enthusiasm by going on walks with her when the wind doesn’t blow too badly. There’s a park a few blocks from his house they go to and people watch. Often times they see younger kids laughing and playing in the snow—sledding down hills and getting into snowball fights with each other. Sometimes they see older people grumbling to themselves as they slide around the sidewalk trying to take shortcuts to where they need to get to.

Today they pass by someone walking their dog. A husky, big in stature with bright blue eyes, trying to eagerly bound down the way and only being held back by a firm grip on its leash by its owner.

And she finds herself staring after them long after they leave; until Jeremy calls her name. “Aelita?”

“My mother disappeared in the snow,” she finds herself saying before she can think to stop herself. Jeremy stops, guides them over to a nearby bench that’s been cleared of loose snow, and sits with her before she continues. “Around the holidays, actually. I think I got Mister Puck just before…” she trails off, frowning. She thinks that's what happened, but she can’t be sure.

Her memories are blurry like a mirror after a hit shower: clearly containing movement, but impossible to discern the details of. She can’t be sure where one thought begins and another ends.

Then remembers who she’s talking to and shakes her head. “But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

Jeremy hesitates. “Sort of,” he eventually admits, rocking his head side to side in a so-so kind of motion. He rolls his shoulders in a shrug. “Your… Hopper’s notes sort of allude to it a few times, but he never went into heavy details about it. I… kind of got the sense he didn’t want to talk about it. More than he really had to, at least.”

She hums, breathing deeply into the pink scarf he gave her back in her dorm just before they left. For once, Jeremy doesn’t have more knowledge than her about something that happened in her old life. She’s not sure whether that fact should make her feel happy or like she should cry.

“…Was it a good holiday at least?”

“What?” The sudden sound of Jeremy’s voice again startles her out of her thoughts.

“The holiday you had. Was it a good one?” He asks again. Then, he makes a face. “Well, before… you know…”

She blinks. That’s not a question she’d ever expect to hear from him of all people.

But if she thinks about it…

“Yes…” she says slowly, then nods, more certain. “Yes, I think it was.” She leans back against the bench, ignoring the chill seeping into her back, and furrows her brow. “I remember building a snowman. I think she helped with it…” She’s not certain on that, but the thought is nice at least, so she doesn’t challenge it.

Jeremy hums. She thinks that’s going to be the end of it. But then he’s on his feet again and holding a gloved hand out toward her. “I know it’s not the same… but do you want to try building another?”

She stares at him with wide eyes. Is he serious? She waits a moment, but he doesn’t waver, and never rescinds the offer.

“Who are you and what have you done with Jeremy Belpois?” she asks with a low chuckle.

She reaches out and puts her mitten covered hand into his own.

They build it behind the bench. It doesn’t end up being very big—the ground is covered but they still don’t have a lot of snow to work with. The snow is hard to pack together, and the snowballs end up being pretty misshapen. They make its face with what few mismatched pebbles they can find scattered around.

It’s not a very pretty thing to look at. But Jeremy’s laughing throughout the whole process, and she’s smiling so wide that her face hurts when they’re done.

And that’s good enough for her.

Christmas itself winds up being a pretty low key affair in the Belpois house. There’s no rush to get things moving by a certain time, no flurry of activity, no expectation of any kind of timeline. Things remain calm, even after they all sleep in a little.

When they do eventually get up, things are… peaceful, for lack of a better word.

It’s not always like this, Jeremy tells her as they eat breakfast later—cinnamon rolls, warm and delightfully gooey. “Most years we end up going to my aunt and uncle’s house for the holidays and meet up with extended family. And it gets really chaotic with that many people. Especially my cousin.” The face Jeremy makes at the mention leads her to believe there’s a story there, but he doesn’t elaborate. Instead, he smirks a bit and says, “But they’re out of the country this year, and some others are sick, so it’s just us this year.”

Mr. Belpois nods as he takes a sip of his coffee. “Spending time with family is nice. But there’s nothing wrong with having a quiet holiday every now and again too.”

Jeremy’s dad, she decides, is a very wise man.

They move onto opening presents afterwards. Jeremy is hesitant at first, admitting he’d wished they’d waited now to open their gifts to each other instead of letting Odd convince them back in her dorm. But she waves it off.

“I’m just happy to be here at all. Now…” She picks up the wrapped box sitting beside him on the couch and thrusts it toward his face with a grin. “Get to opening already.”

He does. Most of what he gets are clothes—more sweaters, a new coat to replace the navy one he’s been wearing that doesn’t quite fit his arms all the way anymore. Probably the most exciting thing (based on his reaction at least) is a new brown laptop bag, looking much sturdier than his threadbare green one now. He’s ecstatic, voice pitch higher as he thanks his parents earnestly.

His parents exchange gifts with each other too. She doesn’t think she’ll ever see anyone as excited about a novelty mug as Jeremy’s mom is when it’s presented to her.

Aelita watches it all. She’s more than happy to.

…And then suddenly Mrs. Belpois holds out a small stocking stuffed with small sweets and treats out to her. “Here. It’s not much, but…”

Aelita’s at a loss for words. There hasn’t been much time to prepare something like this. When did they do this? “You really didn’t have to-”

“We know,” she interrupts her kindly, smiling. “But you’re a part of our holiday this year. And we wanted you to feel included.”

And how is she supposed to say no to that?

Most of the rest of the day playing board and card games. She dominates in Uno, Jeremy manages to spell out the word ‘supercomputer’ in a game of Scrabble, and Mr and Mrs. Belpois outlast them both in a game of Monopoly that stretches well into the evening.

(Suddenly she completely understands why Ulrich has forbidden it from ever appearing in their game nights back at school)

His parents are still duking it out over a multitude of properties when they both excuse themselves back to Jeremy’s room and decide to give the others a call.

It goes… Well…

Yumi doesn’t get much out, just a few brief words about how her holiday is going before Hiroki bursts into her room demanding she play with him in the new game he got for Christmas and drags her away. Ulrich, similarly, doesn’t say much, and based on the sound of his voice she thinks they woke him up from an attempt at going to bed early.

Odd answers, but they can’t hear him at all. Everything is completely drowned out by a cacophony of sound Aelita eventually discerns as holiday music blasting at what she assumes has to be max volume. For a brief moment Odd’s manic cackling rings out over the sound of “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, and then the line goes abruptly dead.

…So it all goes about as well as can be expected.

“Well, at least we know they’re all alive,” Jeremy notes dryly, earning a giggle out of her. “Sorry if all this wasn’t as exciting as…” He waves vaguely.

“She shakes her head. “I think I like the energy level exactly where it’s been at today,” she tells him. “It’s been a much better way to spend the holiday than all alone in my dorm room.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true. You wouldn’t have been all alone,” Jeremy says. At the confused look she gives him, he adds with a snicker, “You would’ve had Kiwi.”

“Oh, well then in that case!” She throws her head back with a laugh. “I think I much prefer the company of you and your family.”

“Yeah,” Jeremy gets a soft look in his eye and glances at the door, the sound of his parents' voices still trailing through as their game still goes on in the background. “They’re pretty great people.” He looks back at her, smiling. “Merry Christmas, Aelita.”

She returns it. “Merry Christmas, Jeremy.”

#code lyoko #code secret santa #aelita schaeffer #jeremie belpois #COME GET YER FLUFF

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fulmis · 1 year

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Home - Part II (Joel Miller x F!Reader)

Summary: As you join Tess and Joel, you learn a thing or two at Bill and Frank's.

Warnings: Mentions of guns and I think that's about it, this is mostly some slight pining and slight spoilers for episode 3 of the series

A/N: I just remembered how sad episode 3 was ): also I apologize if there are any typos or mistakes pls let me know. Once again thank you so much for reading, please stay hydrated and ily. If you like the story, please consider reblogging!

Word count: 1.4K

Years passed by since that rainy night. Surely, you earned your place, with years of effort and patience, but the decision paid off in the long run. Their trust was hard-earned because their loyalty was as valuable as their ruthlessness. The world had turned into a dangerous minefield, and while you’d done your best to survive, the odds of making life anything better than what the QZ offered you were raised with the right company.

Time was anything but kind to the three of you, yet you remained alive. Safety wasn’t a real thing in this world anymore, but you did what you could to get by; daily routines included getting bossed around by FEDRA agents, moving and delivering cargo after curfew, and the occasional trip out of the QZ for merchandize. More often than not, the latter proved to be both in the highlights of your memories.

Many lessons were learned in those trips, as well as many firsts. There was the first time Joel taught you how to properly shoot, after being fed up with your seemingly endless missing attempts. The weather had finally cooled down, early autumn slowly creeping in after days and nights of scorching heat. You were on your way to Bill and Frank’s, approximately halfway through. Open grass that stood for miles ahead told you the walls that encapsuled Boston were finally far away from you. On the other side of your line of sight started the trees you were walking towards, on your way to set up camp for the night.

A hand took hold of your shoulder and made you stop following Tess’s lead. You turned with curious eyes to face Joel. “Let’s stop for a minute,” he looked at you then directed his eyes to Tess. “We can’t keep going if she doesn’t know how to shoot”.

So, you set up a few empty cans over a rock while Tess gathered wood nearby to start a fire. You took a stand a good couple of feet away from your target and held up the gun in your hand. “See, that’s where you start off”.

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t hold a gun like that,” a calloused hand wrapped around yours. “You need to take hold higher along the grip… yeah like that, now put your left thumb under the other. Left hand squeezes down on the right”. As he talked, his own fingers squeezed tightly around yours; the sheer strength, even if you know it’s the barest hint of what he’s actually capable of, made your heartbeat faster. “Now aim again”.

There was also the first time you were allowed inside Bill and Frank’s house, a few years after that first visit. According to Tess and Joel, Bill wasn’t easy to trust someone, so they kept your first visits strictly to business and the lunch Frank made him reluctantly cook. On a rare occasion, after the food that proved to be the high point of your whole year, Bill and Frank exchanged a look then Bill cleared his throat, “You, guys uh… would like to stay the night?… It seems to be getting a little late, and Joel, I might have some work for you on the fence system”.

The three of you widened your eyes in disbelief, and Frank gave Bill the proudest of smiles. Night came around, and you found yourself in the middle of Frank’s painting room. You wondered across the space, fingers grazing the unused canvases which you recognized from past trips here: one of the things you had traded with Bill. That time it had seemed unusual his insistence on getting art supplies, but you had learned not to question what people were looking to exchange. Still, as you stepped in the room the answer was laid before your eyes. Countless paintings were scattered all around, bold colors melted in the canvases, some of sunsets, others of flowers, but mostly variations of the same face: a love letter in shades that caught your eye.

Not even the hot shower you had gotten a few hours ago warmed your heart like this. You wondered what it would feel like, to have anything that resembled the love that stood right before you. It was silly to want it, you knew, to wish of love when the world was left in shambles. Before the outbreak happened, you never really pictured yourself getting married or building a life with anyone, your priorities definitely far away from that. The feeling was only exacerbated when everything was taken away from you, your family, your friends, and anything you had ever loved before.

No one was exempt from loss anymore, but the choice to not go through it again was all yours; at least that’s what you told yourself. The best course of action looked like keeping anyone at bay from your heart, for better of worse. To your dismay, the more you stood in the room the more it started to look like you had been lying to yourself.

The thing was that maybe love was never your priority, it just happened to have never truly left your mind. Life had turned into a survival camp since so many years ago that it just took a spot in the back of your soul, much like any other menial desire that wasn’t a necessity. For so long your focus had been placed under doing whatever it took to make it into another day that you had forgotten life like this could exist.

Violence polluted almost every corner of earth, that seeing quite the opposite felt close to dream. A whole house of a dream, filled with memories of a lifetime, worn by use not damaged by being forgotten. It smelled of food and was adorned by mementos carefully gathered through the years. During late afternoons, Bill would sit next to Frank in the porch that was right next to this room, the door open so they could talk while Frank painted. Nights were spent playing the piano or reading books out loud to each other, or so had Frank told you. It wasn’t a tale of folklore, it all stood right in front of you.

Who even found love in the apocalypse? Being here surrounded by a home, by the closest to normalcy you had seen in ages felt surreal. By all means, there may never be a future like this in your cards, but it certainly wasn’t impossible if they were able to find it. That single thought sparked a sense of hope in your heart that you found hard to shake since that day, regardless of how much you tried to drown it with reality in the years to come.

“Did you like to paint?” A familiar husky voice snapped you out of your daydream.

“Huh?”

“Before… uh, before it all happened.” Joel took place right next to you, crossing his arms and nodding towards the canvases in front of you.

“Oh, no… I mean, I wouldn’t know, I never really tried before…” You take a look at him, strong arms straining a button down he definitely wasn’t wearing before, dark brown hair damp and combed back. Before you were able to consider him any longer his eyes met yours and forced you to look away, the weight of holding his gaze suddenly too much to bear.

“What did you do?” At the sudden question, you couldn’t help but look up again, the simplicity in it amusing on its own. A soft chuckle escaped your lips, this was probably the longest you had talked to Joel about anything that was personal, and in hindsight it was one of the rare moments he inquired about you in private.

“I… wow, I guess I liked to cook. Nothing fancy, just… for fun I guess. My mom taught me, she was a great cook… I haven’t really done anything like that since…” He gave you an apologetic look, almost as if he was sorry he had asked in the first place, but you just smiled in acknowledgement.

“I’m sorry if I-”

“What about you? I don’t expect to believe your only talent is shooting clickers”

That seemed to appease his sudden nerves, the barest hint of a smirk at the side of his lips. “No, uh… a contractor”

“So that’s where the handyman skills come from,” your smile was quickly reciprocated, a rare sighting all in all. The rest of the convesation was dropped from your memory at some point in time; nevertheless, nothing could have erased that smile, probably the most important first you gathered in that trip, one you would look back on time and time again, one more spark to fuel the fire that slowly grew inside your heart, no matter how hard you tried to deny it.

------

Read Part III here!

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #the last of us series #the last of us hbo #the last of us #joel miller #joel miller the last of us #joel miller tlou #joel the last of us #joel tlou #tlou series #tlou fanfiction

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starry-mist · 7 months

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Alright, I’ve mellowed a tiny bit, and here’s where I’ve landed:

While nothing has officially stated that Charah have broken up, there were very strong vibes in the characters’ actions that lead me to the conclusion that it’s a strong possibility.

Setting up this subplot with Sarah taking time off to go back to school feels like a parallel to Julia going back to school and the end of Charlie’s first marriage. I don’t love that. It could also be a way of explaining reduced screen time for Mayko, and with that, she could have another project on the go (though I follow her on Insta and have read recent interviews and nothing suggests that that’s currently the case.) Or, and I hate this option, it’s the show pandering to the anti-Sarah crowd.

And I know we got genuine-sounding reassurances from Sarah to Joe that she’s not going anywhere. And I know that this picks up that thread from late season 4 when Sarah mentioned an interest in criminal psychology. So there are all kinds of possibilities in which this might be a positive. But at the same time, planting the “Sarah might leave” seeds in episode two (which tbh would have worked much better as episode one) when I already have trust issues based on prior seasons…I’m definitely going to react strongly to any hint that she might be leaving the show.

Charlie. Oof. Charlie seems different this season so far. I did not love that scene at his house alone with Rex, working on the motorcycle that apparently Sarah knows he’s back to but also she’s not around? He seemed distracted. He looked troubled. We could chalk that up to the stuff about his dad, but he also seems…I don’t know, it’s almost like he’s emotionally shut down again. It’s reminiscent of seasons 3/4 Charlie. While I don’t mind some occasional brooding, I need to see some of that warmth he had in season 5.

If they’re going to put the focus mostly on Charlie and Rex, I need the acting to be believable and it feels to me like Charlie has regressed. And, like others, I’m worried it’s symptomatic of an offscreen Charah breakup.

We did get Sarah reaching out, inquiring about his dad’s friend, his motorcycle which for whatever reason she hasn’t been around for. We did get him seeming to tease her a bit in the lab, which is normal for them. There were some fun reactions during the coffee sweetener discussions. But all of that was overshadowed, in my view, by Sarah taking time off and Charlie being home alone. That’s what I’m stuck on, that’s what’s had me spiraling, and the fact that this is affecting me emotionally to this extent two episodes in gives me pause.

We also had Rex seeming upset in a couple of the Charlie/Sarah interactions, and Charlie having to reassure him at least twice with “it’s okay.” Rex is often used as the narrator with these two, and I very much think he was saying something was off.

If Charah are still together, I actually do have some fluffy ideas that I could use for fic purposes. Stuff like them supporting each other in their interests. And I’ll likely write those.

But for the moment, I can’t see myself continuing to watch this season until I know more about how it’s going to pan out. I’d love to see someone interview whoever the new showrunner is, perhaps to assuage some of my doubts, or at least to confirm my suspicions that things might be going in a direction I don’t like.

I’m frustrated, I’m annoyed that I’m frustrated, and I’m just generally down about this show I love and the main parts I love about it. I honestly don’t know how much I’ll continue to engage right now. It’s taking a lot of emotional energy for something that isn’t currently sparking a lot of joy, and I’ve found in the past that it’s going to be better for me in the long run to just take a step back when my fandom faves go downhill.

#hudson & rex #charah #charlie hudson x sarah truong #starry muses

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ingek73 · 1 year

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Harry and Meghan hit back at criticism over sharing of personal clips in Netflix show

Duke and Duchess accuse press of creating false narrative that privacy was a key reason behind their step back from duties

Caroline Davies and Peter Walker

Fri 9 Dec 2022 19.01 GMT

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hit back at attacks over their sharing of personal video clips and photographs in their Netflix documentary.

A spokeswoman for Harry and Meghan said the narrative that privacy was a key reason behind the couple stepping back from royal duties and quitting the UK was a false one.

“The Duke and Duchess have never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back,” the couple’s global press secretary said in a statement.

“This distorted narrative was intended to trap the couple into silence.

“In fact, their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series.

“They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them.”

The couple have pursued privacy action against some media outlets.

Details of the brutal drama within the royal family surrounding the departure from the UK of the couple are expected to be aired in the Harry & Meghan documentary next week.

With Buckingham Palace largely spared during the first three episodes, the trailer for the final three episodes, out next Thursday, hints at an attack on the family – nicknamed The Firm by the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

In the one-minute clip, Meghan says on camera: “This is when a family and a family business are in direct conflict.”

Meanwhile, Harry states: “Everything that’s happened to us was always going to happen to us …” The trailer includes Meghan saying: “Suddenly, what clicked in my head was: it’s never going to stop.”

While Harry did accuse his family of unconscious racial bias, and failure to protect Meghan from racially charged reporting, the couple have so far focused on the early days of their relationship, and directed their ire at the media.

Chronologically, the next three episodes, which stream from next Thursday, are expected to cover their dramatic exit and its fallout, with Buckingham Palace braced for far more damaging revelations. “Next week will be poison,” one royal source told the Times.

The first episode was watched by 2.4m viewers on TV sets in the UK on Thursday. Much of the UK media’s coverage of the documentary has been highly critical, with some rightwing newspapers calling for the couple’s titles to be removed.

The Conservative MP Bob Seely plans to bring forward legislation to enable this. The Isle of Wight MP suggested he could bring forward a short private member’s bill in the new year that, if passed, would see MPs vote on a resolution that could give the privy council the power to downgrade the couple’s royal status.

But Downing Street said it did not back the move. Asked about parliamentary efforts to strip the pair of their titles, Rishi Sunak’s deputy spokesperson said: “I believe you are referring to a private member’s bill, which we do not support.” Anything relating to the Netflix series was “matters for the palace”, he added.

BBC journalists are among those who have questioned some of the couple’s claims. Nicholas Witchell, the BBC’s royal correspondent, described as “absurd” Meghan’s claim: “No matter what I did, they were still going to find a way to destroy me.”

Witchell told BBC One’s News at 10 on Thursday: “The first point, who is the ‘they’ she is referring to? I think it is the palace but most particularly the press.

“But the idea that anyone was out to destroy her, frankly, I think is absurd and simply does not stand up to proper and reasonable scrutiny.”

Of Meghan’s description of her engagement interview with the BBC presenter Mishal Husain as an “orchestrated reality show”, Husain said: “Recollections may vary.”

#meghan markle #prince harry #harry and meghan on netflix #brf #royals #abolish the monarchy

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lazyrants · 7 days

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Superhero for a Day (prod 112)

Original airdate: August 23, 2004

Story by Magnus Scheving

Written by Noah Zachary, Cole Louie, Adam Peltzman, Magnus Scheving

Directed by Magnus Scheving

Executive producers - Magnus Scheving, Ragnheidur Melsted, Raymond P. Le Gue, Mark Read, Brown Johnson, Kay Wilson Stallings

Starring Magnus Scheving, Stefan Karl Steffanson, Julianna Rose Mauriello

Puppeteers - Ronald Binion, Gudmondor Thor Karason, Jodi Eichelberger, David Matthew Feldman, Julie Westwood, Amanda Maddock

Hero for a Day is the seventh LazyTown episode, but the first one to center around the theme of being a hero. Ziggy wants to be a hero like Sportacus, but he stuffs it up multiple times.

The episode begins with a pun on the alphabet. Sportacus grabs a bowl and he puts some Sportscandy in it - carrots for Vitamin A, potatoes for vitamin B, and tomatoes for vitamin C.

Meanwhile in the town, Ziggy (a.k.a Sweetacus) is practicing saving someone.. on a lollipop. Is it just me, or has Ziggy been eating the same lollipop for 4 seasons? Anyways, he ends up eating the lollipop. Not so safe if you ask me.

Stephanie is at Pixel's house, and Pixel has made the blueprint for the treehouse that they want to build (I have no idea if a program for this type of stuff exists). Stephanie asks when they will make it with real wood and stuff but Pixel doesn't understand. Cue Ziggy who comes running in Pixel's house.

He leans on one button and turns off all the tech in Pixel's house. Considering how much Pixel uses his devices, I think Ziggy did something good, which is why I don't get how angry he is.. until Pixel reveals he lost the clubhouse program. But I don't think it was really all that serious for Pixel to start yelling at Ziggy. In Robbie's lair he is trying to sleep but fails.

He is confused and annoyed as to why he can't sleep - he's counted sheep, he's tired, and he's slept on his blanket. Maybe try covering yourself with the blanket? Anyways, Robbie says he has been awake for three days, but his fingers show the number five. What a villain. Robbie then questions if he is asleep and that he's in a dream. He tests it out by pinching himself. He then screams real loudly (and pretty funnily) accompanied by a "Snake-in-Eagle's-Shadowesque" tune of mashing piano keys at the same time.

Milford is delivering a letter to the mail, but he has forgotten to put a stamp on a letter to the president. He puts the letters in his mouth and checks his pocket. Ziggy sees him and thinks he's choking (if he was choking he wouldn't be acting so normal..) and jumps onto his back. He then hits him on the back and makes him spit out the letters. Then they fly away because of the wind.

Sportacus' crystal beeps while he is in the airship, and he gives the mayor back the letter by jumping high up in the air, grabbing hold of a tree branch, doing a little flip on it, letting go, then catching the letter in mid air. He then flips over to Milford then gives him the letter. How awesome!! He even tells Ziggy to take his super hero steps small at a time. He asks Milford if there are any small super hero jobs for him to do, but Milford says no. He then runs over to the kids making their treehouse, but runs right into a pile of wood. It seems that everyone except Stephanie is mad at him.. until he offers to carry some wood and breaks the blueprint into half.

While Sportacus is going back to his airship, his crystal beeps. Ziggy is trying to tape the blueprint back (can't he take a hint..?) but he gets himself wrapped up in tape (you have to be real stupid to do that). He tries to do a flip like Sportacus, but Sportacus catches him while he is in midair. Anyways, Robbie decides to come out of his lair, but it's too bright for him, so he uses some sunflowers as his sunglasses (and gets hurt in the process of exiting the lair, considering he can't see).

Ziggy is sitting on a bench sadly until Sportacus comes up to him, asking what's wrong. Ziggy says he is a super zero and Sportacus asks why he wants to be a hero and then he says to do cool tricks.. SUPERHEROES ARE SUPPOSED TO SAVE PEOPLE, ZIGGY. DOES SUPERMAN FLIP AROUND EVERY TWO SECONDS??

Anyways, Sportacus says that to be a hero that he needs practice. Cue a hilarious montage between the two. They practice putting on goggles, superhero poses, the signature move, pushups, jumping over hurdles, running on the spot, skipping rope, kata, tennis, basketball, and Ziggy messes up a lot but Sportacus doesn't get angry. In the end, he ends up getting the ball in the hoop.

Ziggy is so inspired by Sportacus that he even stops eating his lollipop! It's nice to see some character development. Anyways, Robbie is once again sleeping outside (reused footage from Sleepless in LazyTown, which was shot just before this episode), probably ready to complain about the noise. Meanwhile, Trixie, Pixel & Stephanie are pulling up one of the walls of their treehouse using ropes, and Ziggy makes them lose hold of the ropes.

Trixie decides to give Ziggy the jobs of putting up curtains, because no normal person can mess that up.. except ZIGGY FLIPPING ZWEETS. He jumps through the window and the three have to get him out themselves.

Trixie wants to scold Ziggy (I would too), but he says he's fine, then he leans on the wall and their whole treehouse comes crashing down. LITERALLY. All their hard work destroyed all because of Ziggy.

Anyways, they restart working on the treehouse and sing Step by Step. Robbie is still on the bench trying to sleep when the kids start hammering (hey, go inside, much more quieter there!!) and he goes to complain about why they are building a treehouse. Then he mocks them when they talk about all the fun stuff they'll do there. Stefan Karl is hilarious. Anyways, they go get more wood.

Ziggy is considering joining the circus, but then he reveals his fear of elephants. I really don't blame him considering they can kill you with one stomp. He's sulking across the streets of LazyTown. Meanwhile, Robbie is working on his plan to cut a tree branch so it lands on the treehouse. Pretty smart!

Ziggy is in his bed by himself sad, but he remembers that they are his friends and they will want his help.

So.. Robbie's plan might've been smart, but he isn't. While cutting the tree with a saw, HE LITERALLY SITS on the tree. He also says that the tree is too strong. "What is this made outta, wood?"

Anyways, Sportacus' crystal beeps and he sees Robbie. Robbie asks for help.. then after he sees Sportacus he tells him to go away. I'd just cut the tree even more if I was him. That's what I like about Sportacus. Robbie hates him, but Robbie is in danger, and Sportacus saves him.

While Ziggy is near, the tree branch is hanging like a loose tooth and is about to fall on Robbie. He grabs a pole, puts it against the wall and jumps over the wall, pushing Robbie over.

Ziggy has did it - he finally saved someone that wasn't a lollipop. But Robbie is not grateful a single bit, so Trixie snaps a stick in half and Robbie jumps into Sportacus' arms. Robbie says that everything is so tiring, then he falls asleep. Now, I'm not shipping Sportarobbie or anything, but you can visibly see Sportacus feels bad for Robbie.

Sportacus puts him to sleep on the nearest wall, and tries to be as quiet as he possibly can. Then they sing the Bing Bang song as loud as they possibly can. Meanwhile, Robbie's sleep is interrupted by a fly. While swatting his hands, he falls off the wall. Thus marks the end of episode.

In all honesty, nothing special.

6/10

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orionsangel86 · 3 years

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SPN Conspiracies - Applying Logic to Chaos

Its been over 2 months now since the Supernatural finale aired. I am still so angry, hurt, and confused by it and I don’t think I will ever get closure unless someone like Andrew Dabb, or Jensen Ackles, actually opens up and gives us an explanation that makes sense.

What annoys me most right now is people trying to gaslight fans into believing that we should accept the narrative we have been given at face value: That the finale was always planned to be that way, that Destiel was never on the cards, that there was no Network interference, that the only changes made were due to covid and were minor at best.

This harmful gaslighting is FALSE.

NO ONE KNOWS THE TRUTH OF WHAT HAPPENED.

Look, I don’t agree with some of the crazier conspiracy theories. I don’t believe that there was some huge campaign among the CW Network execs to remove anything remotely gay out of homophobia. I don’t believe that the finale was changed because of some desire to make it into a Walker promo. I don’t believe that the finale was really bad on purpose in protest by Dabb for not getting to do an ending he truly wanted. I don’t believe that Dabb left us smart fans a bunch of secret messages in the finale to hint that he was on our side all along and that everything was fake.

I do, however, believe that all of these conspiracy theories have some elements in them that are plausible. At least, more plausible than the bullshit narrative mentioned above that some people are pushing in some desperate attempt to defend the Network (which imo is really strange behaviour anyway - why would anyone care about a TV network with a history of terrible behaviour?!?)

We have facts, based on information provided before the covid lockdown, which for some reason, people like Misha have since backpeddled on. So let me try to outline some of the information that makes no sense.

Below the cut I go on a deep dive into the conspiracies and statements I have heard about the SPN finale and try to make some sense of this whole fucked up situation. It gets long.

1. “Cas was never gonna be in the finale”.

False: We have many fan accounts of Misha confirming that he was filming the finale. We have video evidence of Misha confirming he was going back to film the finale after the lockdown. We have confirmation from fans in Misha M&Gs from March that he had about 5 days of filming left.

We also had fan accounts of discussions with Alex Calvert (I think) where he confirmed the final shot of the final episode was all four of them though I would LOVE if someone can find a source for this.

2. Okay, Misha was gonna be in the finale, but only as Jimmy Novak

False: I heavily side eyed Misha when he said this. But I think I can come up with a plausible explanation for it. Per above, Misha was supposed to film for 5 days. This does not align with the half a day he described of filming as Jimmy Novak. My own belief is that after Cas was cut from the finale (for whatever reason we don’t know) someone (probably Jensen Ackles) put up a fight and complained that Misha should be there for the final episode. The writers probably tried to come up with a way to bring Misha back without having to deal with Cas, and pitched the idea of Jimmy Novak being in Heaven. Misha, obviously annoyed about this, turned this stupid pitch down.

3. Destiel was never a thing, never planned, never part of Dabb’s ending. Bobo and Misha pushing the confession was the part of the season that was Wrong.

False: We have a SPN writer on record saying that Castiel’s confession was the first thing written for Season 15 when the writers returned to the writers room. If it wasn’t planned, why was it the first thing written, why does it align so well with the rest of season 15? Look I know some people either a. hate destiel and refuse to see it even if it slaps them in the face, or b. have major heteronormative goggles on, or c. are just homophobes in denial, but 15x18 fits in perfectly with the narrative of season 15. Everything Cas says, everything that happened in that scene was so in character it just works. It fit. If you just rewatch the season whilst applying some critical thinking skills and pay attention to the narrative and character arcs, trust me, the confession fits in with pretty much every other plot point, and character story in the season.

Also: We have known for a while that the network did market research into Destiel, wanting to know if it would go down well or not. They were well aware of its popularity and considering it. Where would this have come from if not pitched by the showrunner? Dabb must have at least been considering it. If you take all of Dabb era into consideration, starting with mid season 11, all the way through the season 12 build up, season 13 grief arc, and then Bobo’s Destiel break up arc in late season 14, early season 15, it is clear that there was some toing and froing on the issue of Destiel, but ultimately, I still believe that Dabb was on board. He wrote 13x01 for christs sake. No way he wasn’t taking it seriously.

4. It’s always been about the brothers. The finale just stays true to what Supernatural is all about.

*rubs temples* Fundamentally FALSE: The show has time and again reasserted the message of “Family don’t end with blood”, as well as the messages of AKF and YANA. Sam and Dean may be at the heart of the show, but a heart can’t exist without a body to support it. Without bones, and lungs, and blood, and muscles, and a BRAIN. The finale abandons the shows core messages. It forces the characters back into their season 1 characterisations and the whole thing becomes hollow and souless. But I’m not here to complain, I’m here to lay down the facts. Dean’s heaven was supposed to be surrounded by loved ones right? We know OG Charlie Bradbury was gonna be in his Heaven, we also know CAS was gonna be in there. So this idea that the finale as it currently stands was how it was meant to be is wrong. Dean was supposed to die and reunite with his found family and loved ones. This alone would have been a far better ending than the one given. Do I think this was solely a covid issue? Fuck no.

The randoms that WERE in the finale are proof alone that they could have got people in and quarantined. We also have several actors on record saying that they WOULD have quarantined for the finale had they been asked to return but they WEREN’T.

Lies have been told. Samantha Ferris and Chad Limberg have confirmed that we have been lied to about the original plans for the finale.

This alone is proof enough that there is more plausibility in some of the conspiracy theories than any bullshit narrative some people are pushing in defence of the barbaric mess of a finale we were given.

So lets address some of the conspiracy theories now:

Conspiracy No.1: The CW Network reviewed Supernatural during the covid break, and due to homophobia, refused any Destiel arc that wasn’t already filmed, shut down any potential reciprocation from Dean, and forced Dabb to change his finale.

I don’t think this is entirely what happened. But I do think it is very strange how there is a such a huge disconnect particularly in Dean’s characterisations between what had come before the lockdown, and what came after. The one fact we have here, and please someone provide a source if you can find it because I know there is one, the finale script was still going through changes up to only 2 weeks before it was filmed. We know that there was some weird editing in 15x18 (which was still in post and uncompleted before lockdown) and we know from Jensen’s own mouth that there was more to the confession scene on Dean’s side that was cut. We also know that this isn’t the first time that Destiel heavy moments have been changed in post - the prayer scene is another big scene that went through a lot of changes and Bobo fought to have his script play out the way he wanted it.

There are certain things that in my own opinions, are basically true of SPN which I have put together from years of keeping one eye on the writers room, the network, and all the various comments made. My opinion is this:

The writers room has always been split on Destiel. Some writers heavily supported making it canon, others did not care, or were against it.

The Network considered it over the course of several years, did market research, green lit it, then changed their minds, possibly several times over the course of Dabb’s era. Destiel was pitched to the Network early in Dabb era.

The crew on set were also split. Some people heavily supported it, and worked to assist the reading, whereas others did not care/did not support it. The same can be said for the editing room.

Bob Singer supported the subtextual homoeroticism, but never supported bringing it into text (this is an opinion, but I think it aligns with everything we know about him.) IMO Bob Singer also supported subtextual homoeroticism between Sam and Dean - the guy is gross is what I’m saying. He isn’t exactly a progressive person.

Fun fact - a while back our old enemy Sera Gamble went on a Twitter rant about writers rooms and the ways a script goes through changes. I don’t think this was in relation to the SPN finale wank but she basically inadvertantly confirmed that the Network can step in and make sweeping changes to a script if they want to and if they decide they don’t like the direction of a story. Sera Gamble confirmed this as a fact.

Now. I’m not saying that this is what the CW did with Destiel. I just think its very strange how pre lockdown, the last thing filmed is a heartfelt homosexual declaration of love between Dean and Cas, and we have a finale script that Misha had not seen, but knew that he was meant to film as Castiel for 5 days (5 days on set is over half of an episode as far as I know). Then all of a sudden, Covid happens, and Cas is cut from the finale completely, a desperate attempt to bring Misha back only as Jimmy Novak takes place, which Misha rightly refuses, leading to a finale which makes zero sense narratively and appears in every way completely and utterly butchered.

The only explanation provided by anyone involved is that Covid meant changes had to happen - but that covid didn’t change the actual story at all.

But this makes no sense because we know that Cas was cut from the finale. This is FACT. Do not let anyone gaslight you into thinking otherwise. Misha was preparing to quaranting to return to set as Cas post Covid, so whatever happened to cut Cas from the finale, it wasn’t Covid.

I’m gonna have to Occum’s Razor this and say that the most logical explanation here is the one that is most likely true. Someone got cold feet with the Destiel story, and to prevent any possible interpretation that included Dean reciprocating, any hints of Destiel were removed from the finale script, including Castiel’s whole appearance.

Now, this isn’t me saying I think that Dabb’s original finale was full of Destiel love confessions and a homosexual kiss or whatever, but I am asking you all to really think about it and ask yourselves WHY Cas would have been totally cut from an episode he was supposed to be in at LEAST half of?

We will probably never know the real reason Cas was cut, but he WAS cut. I’m not saying it was all homophobia, but some fuckery went down.

Conspiracy No. 2: The CW Network changed the finale to make it into a Walker promo because they only cared about raising up Jared and not Jensen and Misha as they were losing them anyway.

I don’t agree with this in terms of the finale being butchered solely to make it into a Walker promo. There are however moments in the finale that are clearly supposed to be Walker Easter Eggs and added to excite fans of Jared/Sam in particular such as Sam’s gratuitous and unnecessary topless scene, as well as the call on the “case in Austin”.

I will take this moment to say something pretty damn controversial though.

*Deep breath*

The fact is, Dean Winchester has been the “lead” character of Supernatural’s narrative for years now, with Sam often being sidelined and not given great storylines himself. Even in Season 15, right up until the finale, I myself felt bad for Sam sometimes because so much of this show has become all about Dean. Jensen Ackles is clearly the better actor when it comes to emotional story arcs, so the emotional heart of the story has most often leant on him.

So you can understand my confusion, when this is turned on its head in the final episode, to make Sam carry all the emotional weight, and have the most lines/screentime, and story resolution (even if his story resolution was just as crappy as Dean’s).

If we pretend that Destiel is not a thing, and ignore Cas’s confession, the story change in the finale from Dean focus to Sam focus is still rather suspicious. Again, I’m not saying I completely approve of or agree to the conspiracy theory that Walker influenced the butchering of the script, but I can believe that perhaps a note went down from the CW to someone like Bob Singer, to emphasise Sam/Jared more than they perhaps would normally, because the CW wanted to shine the spotlight on Jared to raise excitement for Walker.

I can also believe this note might have said something like “we wanna cater to fans of Sam/Jared the most - don’t do anything to piss them off.” but now I am getting into my own conspiracy theories so by all means dismiss this as me being bitter.

Conspiracy No.3: Dabb purposely made it bad, as a secret message to Destiel fans that he had been silenced, by layering meta clues into the episode that he knew fans would notice.

I doubt this one is true. Though some of the theories are quite compelling. The old vampire silent movie theory for instance starts off quite well, but loses me the moment it brings up Urban Dictionary slang.

Sometimes I have just had to accept that Supernatural is a bad show that is sometimes accidentally a masterpiece. However, some writers really did go That Deep with their stories - anything by Ben Edlund or Steve Yockey for instance, their episodes are meta masterpieces with a hundred different layers of beautiful subtextual storytelling and are a joy to analyse. Bobo Berens has certainly done some A+++ work especially now we KNOW that he was working hard all this time to bring Destiel to canon text (so any analysis of Destiel in the subtext in his episodes is very accurate). There have been many other key elements analysed over the years which have been confirmed true. Cas’s death in Season 12, Dean’s time as a demon in season 10, Season 11 ending in unity of dark and light, these were all plot points predicted by meta writers just by analysing the narrative. Sometimes the writers really have been very smart and they do add things to the show to aid us in our meta.

Richard Speight Jr for instance, confirmed that SPN has a visual library that the production team use to give clues and hints in the narrative. Pizza, for example, always means a lie has been told. Whenever Pizza is being eaten or even just mentioned on screen, there is dishonesty in that particular moment.

The beers also have a very specific message and the one thing I can’t let go about the finale, was that Dean was drinking El Sol beer. The beer his dad gave him, that was terrible.

El Sol has been used in the show to indicate something being wrong, a fake reality, or another lie, for the longest time. It is the beer of deception.

The fact that in the final episode of this entire show, Dean is in Heaven, supposedly at peace, and then he gets handed an El Sol beer to drink? Thats a HUGE red flag for any meta writer watching who can read SPNs visual library.

If they had given him the Margiekugel beer of family then it would make sense. Dean is in Heaven, with Bobby, his family, at peace. Margiekugel should have been the beer of choice. But nope. El Sol. Something is wrong.

I don’t know if it was Dabb, or Singer, or some disgruntled ADs and crew members who added these elements into the finale, but their very presence confirms some message of Wrongness.

I could go into a huge rant about Vampire Mimes not making sense and the very glaringly obvious symbolism of cutting out peoples tongues too, but that is high school level film analysis. It’s obvious. It means to silence someone. There is validity in interpreting this as Dabb saying he was silenced. I don’t know how true it is, but i can’t 100% dismiss it, because as I said, this is high school analysis levels of obvious subtextual storytelling.

So in summary, whilst I don’t think that Dabb intentionally went out of his way to sabotage his own script, and leave a breadtrail of secret messages for savvy fans to put together to confirm that he was silenced by an evil network into not getting what he wanted... I do think that there is validity in questioning these odd choices for the finale. Cutting out tongues? Vampire Mimes? El Sol beer?

The evidence is somewhat compelling is all I’m saying. I don’t believe the full conspiracy theories, but as I have said many times before, some fuckery went down.

So What Do I Believe?

That some fuckery went down and whatever company line they are pushing is bullshit.

I believe that the original script included Cas (since thats fact). I believe that the original script probably always had Dean dying on a vampire hunt (due to Jensen’s issues with it and in particular, his sarcastic comments about vampires in the past year or so which in hindsight are hilarious and prove he never really came to terms with Dean’s idiotic death). I believe Dabb’s original script was some less crappy version of what we got, which potentially included showing Jack rescuing Cas from the Empty and resolving the outstanding Empty plot points (potentially this was actually a 15x19 plot since Mark P commented that his final scenes were supposed to be with Jack and Cas), had Cas reunite with Dean in Heaven and had them have a discussion about Cas’s confession. I believe that there was probably a lot of back and forth over how to handle that with some people wanting Dean to obviously reciprocate and others believing they should keep it ambiguous. I believe that Dean and Cas would have reunited with Charlie Bradbury, and Bobby Singer, and possibly others (though if this was the case it must have been very early on since no one ever looped in Sam Ferris, Chad Linberg or any other Roadhouse people).

I believe that Sam’s ending probably didn’t change much, but I do feel that initially they were planning on him ending up with Eileen, because it is the only thing that narratively makes sense. Cutting Eileen and giving him a blurry wife is something I won’t ever understand and Jared’s bullshit explanations are quite clearly pulled out of his ass to appease bronly types. I believe the reunion on the bridge would have included Cas and Jack, with a final shot of all four of them together, at peace (as this aligns with Alex’s comments from around a year or so ago that the final shot was all four of them). (I also am not sure it was always supposed to be on a bridge since the foreshadowing in an earlier episode showed Dean, Cas and Sam all in the Roadhouse together).

I believe that script went through countless changes and redrafts, and not even production people or the types that some fandom people claim as their “sources” would even have seen those early scripts, since even Misha never saw it. I believe that these rumours of Dabb never having Cas in his finale and ignoring all Destiel elements likely come from people who only saw later versions, weren’t party to network discussions and felt bitter about the final scripts they did see (being the crappy butchered one that was ultimately filmed). Those “sources” are now spreading rumours to discredit Dabb.

I obviously believe Dabb is a weak ass pushover who either didn’t care enough to fight back, or gave up since he’s been stuck with fucking Bob Singer on his back for years, but I will NEVER believe he didn’t care about the DeanCas love story, because he has been one of the few writers who has championed for it for years. You can’t look back at Dabb’s episodes in earlier seasons and claim he didn’t care. Dabb was a writer whose creative ideas were beaten out of him by an unforgiving Network only concerned about where their future money was coming from. Do I think he gave up too easily? Yes. But I also have one other huge reason for not believing the bullshit about Dabb being this anti-Destiel villain.

Bobo. Because if Bobo truly believed Dabb was gonna fuck that up at the end, I don’t think he would have given us Cas’s love confession to begin with. If he had known it was gonna end like that, I think he would have reconsidered, because had Cas not confessed his love, I don’t think he would have been cut from the finale. Bobo - a gay man, would not have wanted such a horrible message for queer fans being put across in the show he worked so hard on. He started writing that confession scene the day they returned to the writers room. Dabb would have been there, would have seen what he was writing, probably discussed it with him, after all, other episodes were written with the confession in mind. No way was Dabb planning to fuck up the ending knowing what Bobo was giving us. Nope.

Something went very wrong over lockdown. Someone, somewhere up the chain of power caught wind of the confession scene in 15x18, realised that it demanded a resolution which would make Dean Winchester, their protagonist, queer, and pulled the plug. I believe this did not come from a place of homophobia, but of bad business sense.

The CW is constantly trying to win the approval and attention of the one demo group that they seem to fail at getting the most: young straight men. Supernatural was one of their only remaining shows that appeals to young straight men, and Dean Winchester is more often than not the fave character of those young straight men who project onto him. Making Dean Winchester, established Han Solo of Supernatural, queer and in love with his best friend in the finale would have come across as a betrayal to those young straight men. The CW probably feared they would lose that demo group for good, and with a show like Walker starting soon with Jared at the helm, they couldn’t take the risk.

Hence there was probably a whole bunch of back and forth script redrafts with the Network, with Dabb and Singer fighting to make a finale that would appeal to everyone. There was most likely no way that they could bring Cas back without addressing what had already been filmed, because any resolution of that plot would either a. make Dean queer, or b. address it awkwardly by having Dean reject Cas (this storyline would probably have been slammed by critics worse than the finale because it meant addressing it. It might have got the attention of LGBTQ activist groups and caused a bigger shitstorm than what we got). The best option was therefore C. Bury it and Cas, pretend it never happened. Never address it again and distract Dean with other things. Hope that Destiel fans will accept no answer from Dean as ambiguous enough to imagine a future reunion rather than shutting it down with a rejection, and still keep hold of the blissfully ignorant heteronormative straight boys so they can carry over to Walker when it starts.

I also believe (controversially probably) that there was concern that any resolution of Dean and Cas would have overshadowed network darling Jared Padalecki. If Dean and Cas had come together in the finale, with a very clearly textual homosexual reunion, then that would have been all anyone talked about. The reviewers, the critics, the audience, everyone. It would have been nothing but Dean and Cas (and look, if they did think this, they were right, Destiel trending over the US ELECTION.)

So what is the network to do, when they are losing the two stars who would get the most attention from this storyline? The one star they were holding on to and getting his own show, relegated to third place in the finale of the show where he was first on the call sheet? Nope. That’s pretty unacceptable. Even without Walker I can imagine people at all levels side eyeing the Destiel thing over the years. This IS a show about two brothers, and their relationship should be the core relationship, we can’t have one brother pushed aside in the finale to make way for a queer relationship that will get all the attention instead. It was never gonna get approved for this reason ALONE.

At the end of the day, if I look at it from a business perspective, it makes far more sense that the CW shut down Destiel, rather than “oh Dabb never cared and ruined it because he’s an idiot.” The writers cared, and had built on that story over years. But their mistake was leaving any Destiel resolution to the finale. If they had instead gone and got Dean and Cas together in early season 15, then they could have ended it in a way that satisfied everyone. Destiel wouldn’t have threatened pulling focus away from Sam and Dean, and the show could have gone out on a high.

When I lay out all the conspiracy theories, and line them up next to the cold hard facts, the conspiracy theories in some way or another, make more sense. To believe the company line, the narrative we have been fed, is to ignore your own eyes, ears, and memories pre March 2020.

All I’m asking people to do is take a look at the show, the narrative presented in the show, and the information presented above. I’m not telling you to believe what I’ve written here, half of which is just my own opinion. I’m asking you to ask yourselves if it makes sense to you. Because it sure as hell doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied.

2K notes · View notes

lavynrose · 3 years

Note

- a oneshot for artem wing when he finally mustered up courage to ask out their s/o to hang out as friends (theme parks or just garden strolls, you can pick which type of place you want i won't mind!) to confess to them and when he confesses their s/o confesses at the same time too? and the s/o is kinda shy and awkward with him so he gets surprised and all flustered with them confessing at the same time?

(ackk this has been stuck in my head for a while, sorry if there are any grammar mistakes since english isn't my first language! i hope u have a great day!! :D <3)

- coomkie anon ♡

Artem Wing and his s/o confessing at the same time pt. 1

Title: Dedicated

Pairing/s: Artem Wing X Reader

Pronouns: Gender Neutral

Genre: Fluff

Warning/s: Grammatical errors probably

Notes: blushy artem is best artem, and we have celestine being the best wingwoman again

enjoy an amusement park date with Artem <3

Artem Wing is a dedicated man.

If it had been any other person, they would be home right now.

but not him.

Even now, as the looming hours of the night began to tick, he sits at his swivel chair, busied with the love of his life called paperwork.

"Aren't you overworking yourself?" He looked up from his papers to see Celestine waltzing inside his office with documents in hand.

The question should've made him stop and think to at least consider getting rest, but no, we're talking about Artem the workaholic here.

He has heard Celestine's question directed at him for the past few days, and from different people at that.

"Overworking means I have more time to double-check these documents," Artem said as he reached out for the folder that Celestine brought over, "Don't you think it's pretty convenient?"

"Artem," She started with concern in her blue-green eyes, "I know you're trying to distract yourself."

Artem was silent for a few moments before coughing, "Whatever do you mean? There's nothing I have to distract myself from." He said with complete calmness in his voice that he could even fool himself.

"You don't have to hide it, you know? I see the way you look at them," She smiled as she recalled the lingering stares and soft smiles setting display into Artem's face when he's around his colleague "The way you act around Y/N." she added with a hint of teasing.

The mention of your name seemed to short-circuit Artem's brain, Celestine took advantage of this with delight.

"Also... They've been getting friendly and close with that new employee.." She puts her hands on her chin, thinking.

Earlier today, she caught Artem's looks of distraught while his eyes were on you and the new guy. You were having a friendly conversation.

Too friendly.

After that, The youngest senior attorney even requested you to work with him at his desk, claiming that he, quote "needs to keep close tabs on the files that Y/N is handling." end quote.

but Celestine knew better.

Jealous is the only word that can describe how Artem was acting. She decided she will push his buttons tonight.

"Aren't you... threatened?" She beamed at him, waiting for his reaction.

"..."

"They've been on your mind lately, I reckon."

"..."

"They're getting closer with each other, don't you think?"

"..."

Hopeless. Celestine thought.

To say that she's frustrated with this whole situation surrounding the two of you is an understatement. Everyone in your circle clearly sees it - you and Artem like each other.

In the way he bought cake for the whole office that one afternoon the day after an episode of an office drama aired, or in the way that he went out of his way to take care of you in the hospital when you overworked yourself to sickness, or in the way you blushed around each other, the lingering touches, oh the lingering touches. It was all obvious.

The both of you spend your time together more than anyone else, everyone thinks your blooming affections were inevitable at this point. Solving controversial cases meant having the mental and emotional intimacy to get to know each other better compared to your average professional relationship.

You don't see each other as "working partners" anymore, it's clear that you guys want each other as a different kind of partner.

It was known to everyone except for the two of you, apparantly.

Celestine sighed before rummaging through the magazine shelf in the office, grinning when she found what she's looking for.

Artem shot her a look of suspicion. He has a bad feeling about this.

"There." She said with satisfaction before dropping the magazine into his desk.

The magazine lays there, with an eye-catching font and colorful cover page, Artem blushes as his eyes read, 100 cute date ideas...

Judging from the cover, the magazine might actually be useful when giving date suggestions. Under the big font however, there was a smaller text that read, Your significant other is waiting!

What is this...

"I'm sorry but I have work to finish." He tried his best to unsee what he just saw, and decided to turn his focus on the headache of workload in front of him instead.

Celestine raised her eyebrows at him with a frown, "Don't be stubborn now, I'm your boss, I'm giving you both a day-off tomorrow. I mean, you haven't used your day-off at all ever since you started working here. So please. " Her voice is laced with concern.

He looked away with a sentimental look in his eyes, "You don't have to do this for me. I'm fine with... Giving them affection without them realizing it."

Celestine just frowns deeper.

"Come on now Artem, doesn't it sound tempting to you?" She clasped her hands and continued a little too excitedly like a schoolgirl in love, "Having alone time with Y/N, finally asking them out on the date so the other guys threatening your future can back off."

It does sound tempting, Artem admits.

He looked away with reddened cheeks, "I'll think about it."

He doesn't need to look at Celestine to know she's sporting a big grin right now.

Later that night on his bed, his mind keeps flashing images of you. You, wearing a big, warm smile on your face. You, with your little mannerisms that he came to memorize from hours of being with you. Every little thing, every moment, as long as it's with you, he cherishes it.

Oops. The butterflies are starting.

He didn't mind.

You looked stunning today, but then again, he finds you stunning everyday.

When was I this cheesy? He thought to himself.

His thoughts kept racing with reveries about you when a new image interrupted every nice thought.

It was of you and the new employee laughing together.

He frowned and his stomach churns.

"Are they interested in each other?" He finds himself asking the wind. His mind was reeling.

He thinks about the time when he first heard you say that you were married to your work. Surely, you aren't interested in being in a relationship with some guy, right?

Right?

Groaning, he then realized that he needs to make a move now before it's too late.

To him, you're the loveliest person he's ever met, your kindness, your welcoming smile, the passion that you present when you're in the court, the way you always remain headstrong no matter how many people clash with you and try to break your principles.

The only one that occupies his heart, you.

Artem is sure he won't regret giving you his feelings, and eventually, reveal them.

He got up from his bed and sent a glare at the magazine that is now resting on the lamp table beside his bed, mocking him. He picked it up with less hesitation than before.

'What should I choose?' Artem asked himself before flipping the pages, a faint blush adorning his cheeks.

This is a big step for him, and he wants to make sure that he's going to do it right.

7:00am

You rubbed your eyes and stretched your limbs as the sunlight permeated through your bedroom window, the yellow glow giving you a peaceful feeling, a new day is about to start.

A new day without work at that.

You had been ecstatic when Celestine called you to inform you last night of your long awaited day-off, you smiled at the memory as you stand up to brush your teeth.

"You deserve it for all your hardwork!" Even through the phone, you heard the smile in her voice.

Soon, your thoughts drifted to a certain raven-haired man.

'How about Artem? I'm his assistant, does he get a day-off too?' You wondered as you finished washing your mouth, finally heading off to the kitchen to prepare for breakfast.

You were about to choose what to eat from the fridge when you hear a song play from your phone in your room.

You hurriedly went back as you recognized that ringtone - that ringtone you had set for a particular contact.

There on the screen, displays the name of the object of your affections.

Mr. Wing.

'Why is he calling this early? What could he possibly need?' you thought to yourself before pressing the green button.

"Good morning Artem, what is it?" you didn't even try to hide the happiness from your voice, Artem calling you this early doesn't happen often, after all.

"Good morning. Do you have plans for today?" His morning voice echoed through your ears. It was husky and rough, filling all of your senses.

Realizing that he just woke up, you can't help but blush at the thought of being the first person to talk to him today.

He thought of you first thing in the morning!

You tried to control the lingering heat in your face as you replied, "Uhm, yes uhh- none. I have no plans for today, Artem. I'll be thinking of what to do though. Why did you ask? " You hoped he didn't mind the sttuttering mess presented to him this early in the morning.

You wondered if there's an emergency case needed to be taken care of, he rarely ever calls outside of work.

Then again, you're always at work.

"That's good," the other line was silent for a bit. As your anticipation for his reply grew, he finally said, "A new amusement park is going be opened today. I heard they'll be having a fireworks display tonight to celebrate the opening."

You've heard about the said amusement park from your coworkers yesterday, you even heard that it was a project from PAX.

Marius' wealth truly knows no bounds, you thought.

Kiki even invited you to come with her this sunday, as it's the only freetime the both of you had before Celestine's sudden news of a day-off.

Is Artem coming there today? He doesn't seem like the type to go to amusement parks, but now you know that he likes them, or at least he didn't mind going, you added this info to your list of things about Artem that make you fall in love with him more and more. Because let's be honest, what's there not to like about the man?

He's handsome, sweet, a good cook, a senior attorney you can look up to, and he always makes sure to reassure you that you're doing well, that he's proud of you.

He cleared his throat, breaking you out of your thoughts, "Do you want to go there..." He paused, his nerves getting the better of him, unbeknownst to you, "With me? I have two tickets, and I wanted to invite a close friend. Is that alright with you? "

What?

'Is he asking me out on a date!?' you were practically screaming internally as you paced frantically in your room.

No. No way. This isn't a date. Not until he says so.

He said 'close friend' so you shouldn't overthink this. You were partners, after all!

At least you try to convince yourself.

"Of course Artem. I'm glad you invited me, I'm really happy." You weren't lying, his invite was the most unexpected thing that happened to you this week.

He hummed, "I'm happy, too. I'll be there at 2:30pm to fetch you, they'll open around 3pm. " He said in a gentle voice before hanging up.

You pumped your fist in the air. You have plenty of time to prepare.

2:30pm

Among all of the outfits that you could've worn today, you decided to wear a cute, beige, knitted sweater. A pair of faded ripped jeans, white sneakers, and a beanie to top it all off.

The amusement park being your destination, you decided to wear casual clothing since you'd be hopping on rides left and right.

You wouldn't want to wear a skirt just for it to blow on the wind while you're in the air, screaming for dear life.

Nope. You definitely don't want that.

You're now waiting outside your apartment after Artem sent you a text 5 minutes ago that he's on his way.

Your head is plagued with expectations on how this friendly date is going to go. You've never felt as giddy as this before.

It's understandable, right? The person you like asked you out to go with him to an amusement park - using his morning voice, nonetheless, so it wouldn't be strange for you to think that this is like an actual date.

You bonked yourself mentally.

You keep reminding yourself that it's just a friendly date. It's just a friendly date. You believe in the power of your mind, it's a friendly date. He even said so himself.

Artem's going to think you're weird. It's not like you're going to hold hands or anything...

Yet, you didn't even try to stop the daydream clouding your mind.

While you were busy indulging yourself in your fantasies, your eyes caught a familiar spot of black in the parking lot. Artem's car!

That's your cue. When his car stopped, you made your way over to him with a small smile on your face.

His black car opened, spilling out Artem clad in his casual clothing.

You scanned his appearance, taking in those breath-taking, familiar eyes. Taking in the beige, knitted sweater he's wearing, paired with slacks and black shoes.

Wait.

You did a double take- beige, knitted sweater?

You looked at his clothes, then looked down at your own, then back at his again.

Red and warmth crept up to your cheeks as realization hits you.

You kind of looked like a couple.

"What's wrong?" Artem inquired with concern as he stepped closer and reached out his hands to your flustered form.

He even placed his hand on your forehead to check your temperature.

Yes, you think you have a fever.

It's only when he got to take a good look at you when realization hits him the way it hit you.

He retreated his hand and looked away, face as warm as yours.

"Uhh..."

"..."

Why are you acting like a highschooler!? You're better than this, getting flustered just because you wore identical clothes.

With the person you like, you added.

The both of you stayed silent for a few seconds before you spoke up with a grin, thankful that the pink that dusted your cheeks is now cooling down a bit, "We should get going now."

You expected the ride to be as awkward as earlier, but to your relief, that wasn't the case at all.

Artem played the radio on your drive to the amusement park, and even asked you about how you're feeling lately and whatnot.

Honestly, with how he's always so concerned about your well-being, you're doomed to fall even harder.

"What are your favorite rides, Artem?" You decided to talk about something connected to where you're going to go.

"Hmm," as he hummed, you looked in front of the car to see the gates of the amusement park came into view. You can even see the familiar structure of a rollercoaster and a really grand ferris wheel turning slowly.

Majestic.

Is the motif for this amusement park golden!? The railings are shimmering with gold, some parts of the rides are adorned with gold, wherever you look, gold!

PAX outdid themselves with this one, definitely took "shining, shimmering, splendid" to a whole new level. Too much for the word grandeur, you think.

You can't even imagine how wide the place must be. You haven't even stepped foot inside, yet your eyes were oogling as some more rides were seen from outside the gates.

"We're here Artem! Look!" From your side, Artem turns to take a look from the road to the park, his eyes screaming nothing but amusement.

"It's beautiful," He breathed while you nodded furiously with agreement. He shot you a look, "I'm glad I get to spend my first time here with you." The softness is his eyes is blinding as you stared at him and processed his words.

"Me too..." you managed to choke out, turning away to hide your blush.

While you were taming your flushed cheeks, Artem had parked the car already.

He opened the doors for the both of you as he offered you his arm. Confusion takes over your features.

"So you wouldn't get lost, it's a big crowd out here, " He tilted his head to have a better look at your still sitting form inside the car, "Let's go?" He said with that gentle smile, as comforting as ever.

You stood up and linked your arm with his and suggested, "How about the bumpy car first?" excitement was evident in your voice.

He shook his head and chuckled, "Whatever you wish." He said as he locked the car doors with a click. You both headed to check in and do the formalities first. After all that, with a skip to your step, you pulled Artem to the bumpy car's ticket booth, and went inside.

You're elated.

"I can't believe the Artem Wing, the youngest senior attorney, is losing to me!" You sound hysterical as you bumped Artem's car with yours over and over, your bumpy car dominating his.

This is fun! Just minutes earlier, the atmosphere between you and Artem seemed a little tight because of the matching clothing incident. Just a little. However, the laughter of everyone playing in this space is infectious, it leaves you in a really good and playful mood.

It makes you feel like you were a kid again. You hope Artem feels the same.

Before playing, you made a bet with him earlier that whoever bumps the other the most, wins.

"Y/N. I think this car is defective." He said with a frown, his eyebrows furrowing as his hands tinker whatever there was in the steering wheel.

You looked over to him and replied, "We can switch cars, let me see." The two of you switched from each other's bumpy ride and you assessed the supposedly 'broken' car.

You realized he didn't push the right buttons to ride the bumper properly.

"Artem..." You looked at him blankly and said, "Have you ever been to bumpy cars before?"

He was silent before replying with darting eyes, "No, I haven't," He cleared his throat, "I have only been to the ferris wheel and escape rooms, I haven't been to bumpy rides before. Sorry."

You beamed at him.

"Don't be sorry!" You flail your arms to disagree, "There's nothing wrong with that. I'm actually happy that you allowed me to drag you here despite you not having played it before." You flashed him a thankful smile.

He looked a little surprised at first, but then that warm smile of his came back, "Thank you." You stared at each other's eyes for a few beats in time, his ocean eyes containing a sparkle you rarely see them hold. It looks so gentle, so welcoming.

So fond.

You stared at each other for a while, his deep eyes were enough to drown out the crowd. To drown out everything that existed but him.

Blinking, you snapped out of it to teach him how to drive the car.

The cars were booster types, different from the old models wherein you just turn the wheels and you'll be good. In this specific model, commands are needed to be performed in order for the car to execute it's special feature.

"You turn it like this..." Artem is a fast-learner, so the both you were back on track as soon as you guided him the directions.

In the end, you were tied, the bumper time limit resulting the draw.

"I'm definitely beating you next time!" you declared with a smug look, hands on your waist.

After the bumper, a receptionist from what seemed like a family raft ride made his way to invite the two of you.

"You guys look like you're having fun!" He then pointed at the paper he's holding and said with persuasion, "You're going to have even more fun here! The family raft ride is the only free ride we're offering in the park for it's first day, be sure not to miss out on this special bonus!" He then turned his heel to find more costumers.

You blinked, "Too bad we don't have extra clothes..." You hung your head low and you sighed as your mind thinks of a different ride to enjoy.

"Well, he did say it's a special bonus," Artem pondered, "They sell clothes here anyway, and there are restrooms we can change on," you wondered if this is going the way you think it's going, "I can see no harm in trying this free ride." He finished with the corners of his lips turned upwards.

Your eyes sparkled with so much joy that he's glad he suggested this.

"Then what are we waiting for!?" You squeal and jump from where you stand and Artem could only shake his head at you with an adoring look in his ocean eyes.

You both headed to the line of people waiting to get their tickets for the raft.

"That's a long line..." You're already mentally tired as you stared at the single file of people in front of you.

"There's still plenty of time before the fireworks at 7pm, I can go and buy us ice cream. Do you want some? "

You're face fell, remembering you were on a diet, "I appreciate the offer, but no thanks, I'm on a diet." An ice cream sounds really tempting right now, but you must resist.

"I heard they sell low-fat ice cream in here. How about that?" He proposed as his eyes glinted with satisfaction.

He knew this would do you in, sure enough, you gave him the biggest grin you could muster.

"You're the best, Artem! Any flavor is fine, by the way. " You beamed as he turned his heel to the ice cream stall, you just stared at his back the whole time he was away.

A minute later, the man wearing a cozy beige sweater that matches yours turned around and went over to you, two chocolate chip ice cream in hand. You reached out to take your ice cream, your fingers brushing.

You ignored the tingling feeling and the chills. He looked away.

While eating, you talked about how the line for the rollercoaster was two times longer than the raft's even though it's literally free.

"I believe they added a new feature to the coaster." Artem reasoned.

"You bet. The rides' golden theme is already impressive enough," You eyed the unbelievably long line from the coaster's ticket booth, "We can go back here some time to see that feature for ourselves." your face heated as you realized the implications in your words.

His eyes widened for a single moment and then looked at you with such intensity you can't bring yourself to look away, "I'd love that." a gentle look worms it's way in his features once again.

Comfortable silence dawns on your own, little world while you both busied yourselves in your ice cream.

The two of you were thrilled as it was your turn to ride the raft, ice cream long gone, replaced by the life-vest in your hands.

"Ah," you sighed, fumbling with the vest a little longer than you should have.

Artem, of course, noticed your movements. He was kind enough to help you adjust the vest.

Of course.

"Come here." He said as his arms finds it's way to your waist, pulling you towards his stature. His hot breath hitting your face while he circled his arms around you to wrap the vest securely.

This is not good for your heart...

He's so close, you could kiss him if you wanted...

He pulled away, his warmth lingering still.

Even when the both of you sat down on the raft. The ride is going to start in a few and here you are, lost in the feeling of Artem being near you.

"Y/N," You abruptly turned your head to him when he suddenly called you, "are you nervous?"

You blushed so hard you wanted to evaporate with the water, 'Yes. You make me nervous.' you're tempted to respond.

"Yes, but don't worry about me." was your reply instead, and you smiled awkwardly and stared at his blue eyes, blue eyes laced with concern.

He leaned closer, probably so that the other people within your raft wouldn't hear, "I care about you and I want you to feel as comfortable as possible," he whispered in your ear, sending chills to your spine.

This is definitely not comfortable, Mr. Wing.

Your heart is doing flips, this isn't normal!

"Please tell me if you need something." The gentleness in his voice took your breath away the way it did as the first time.

The fact that he's unaware of his effect on you angered you so much. You scanned his face for signs of teasing. Smirk, maybe a playful glint, anything.

Yet you found none.

The raft began to move, a perfect timing to change the subject!

You leaned on him, but not too close, and whispered, "It's starting."

Water began to splash, as the raft moved with the current.

The track was smooth at first, you getting small splashes here and there.

Until a bumpy track decided to present itself.

Like before, the raft went with the flow of the water, except that it bounced and rotated harshly that one particular splash of water was enough to wet you and your clothes completely.

"OH MY G-" you exclaimed when the raft hit a rough spot again, soaking everyone wet.

You were making a surprised pikachu face as the water seeped into your clothes.

You turned to look at Artem to see his state and you suppressed a giggle with how he's making the same face as you did earlier.

Never in your life you thought you'd see Artem with the surprised pikachu face.

You took pride in knowing that you're one of the very few people who gets to see this side of him.

"Artem!" you shouted through the noisy stream of water. "We look silly!" you laughed as the water rocked everyone in the raft as harsh as it possibly can. Round and round, back and forth.

"We do!" his laughed mingled with yours even when the water relentlessly kept soaking your already wet bodies.

You smiled once again, gazing at his form with profound fondness longer than just a friend would've done.

6:00pm

"That was really fun!" You shouted to the air while Artem scooted beside you, offering his arm like he did earlier, which you eagerly took.

The both of you went for another round on the raft after the first round, not caring about the long waiting line. The ride was worth it!

All you ever did was scream and laugh at each other's state, but it was the most enjoyment you've ever had in years.

You were completely dry now, changed into fresh clothes that were sold as the park's merchandise.

Even with the change of clothes, the clothes you were wearing right now still matched Artem's.

You weren't complaining.

The crowd continues to enjoy themselves, all while the sunset was making everything in the theme park look like a fairytale.

"Yes, it was. I enjoyed it very much." Artem flashed a smile so genuine, you wanted to see this sight a thousand times more. The orange glow of the sunset gives his raven hair a golden shade, light reflecting on his blue eyes, making him look so bewitching. So you carved it to your memory, not knowing how to elicit that same image from him once again.

Looking up at him, and looking back at the things that happened today, you realized something.

You couldn't take this silent pining anymore, you wanted to tell him how precious his smile is to you, to tell him you're glad he's spending his time with you, to tell him to make more memories with you.

To tell him he's the reason of the warmth flooding your whole being right now.

'I'm in love with you' is what you first thought of saying. No matter how cliche that may be, you wanted to let him know, that you're in love with him.

"Uhh, Artem, I-" You were about to spill your feelings then and there when a voice boomed the speakers of the park.

"Everyone! One hour more to go for the fireworks! Please look forward to it!"

Your confession's gonna have to wait for later.

part 2 here

do not repost © lavynrose 08/15/21.

#tears of themis #tears of themis x reader #artem x reader #artem wing #artem wing x reader #tears of themis imagines #tears of themis headcanons #zuo ran x reader #tot x reader #tears of themis oneshots #tears of themis artem #tot artem

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violettelueur · 3 years

Text

— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE THIRTEEN || TOMORROW

↳ featuring : fushiguro megumi kugisaki nobara (mention of gojo satoru + todo aoi) from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : mention of death/passing + EXTREME grammar issues

↳ form : story

↳ published : 16 march

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 2.0k

↳ synopsis : within the jujutsu world, there were three famous clans to be aware of, the Kamo clan, Zenin clan and the Gojo clan. However, unknown to many sorcerers there was one last family that was known to be apart of the three, only for them to disappear after the golden era leading some to speculate that they had died in battle after the sealing of ryomen sukuna, but....

↳ previous episode : to you, someday

↳ next episode : kyoto sister school exchange event - group battle 0

↳ barista’s notes : GUYS WE ARE AT THE END OF THE TRAINING/VS MAHITO ARC FINALLY!!!! AND NEXT EPISODE IS THE KYOTO EXCHANGE ARC!!!!! ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆ so before we move on to that, there is a little wholesome episode since i wanted to give you guys a little break of Y/N’s pain because you all deserve it and i also might be planning more.....OTHER THAN THAT, i hope you enjoy today’s episode and i can’t wait for you all to see the next one ʕ•ᴥ•ʔﾉ♡

BEFORE READING, I NEED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS:

1. the whole story belongs to Gege Akutami and the credits go to them and them only.

2. the spell curses used belong to Tite Kubo due to them being the ‘Kidos’ being used on the manga and anime ‘Bleach’ - but none is mentioned in this chapter.

2.5 for the ‘cursed spells’/kidos (bleach) i will link this video here and tell you the time stamp to check out what i am intending to show - remember i add a few twist here and there by adding the katana to link with Y/N’s cursed technique

no cursed spells used this episode..

3. if you are confused on anything, please don’t hesitate to message me since i know this whole thing is so confusing.

“You know...It’s better to show yourselves than rather hide from me Fushiguro, Kugisaki,” you firmly mentioned before slowly turning your head to the side, quickly noticing the tense nature of the two classmates hiding behind a tree and some bushes before they hesitantly made their way out of their hiding place causing them to reveal themselves and to discover a nonchalant look displayed on your face.

‘Like what the hell, if you’re going to hide maybe hide your cursed energy while you’re at it’

“Did you both follow me here? You guys are such drags and stalkers, you know that is really creepy right?” you questioned both of them with an assumed tone before placing the bouquet of blue hydrangeas and white roses against the tomb, covering the last name on the engraved stone in case Kugisaki was going to come closer to you.

“Ah sorry,” Kugisaki apologies before placing her hands together in a ‘please forgive me’ position while Fushiguro just looked off to the side as if he could just avoid your glance to not feel embarrassed about getting caught.

Letting out an airy laugh, you turned back to the stone in front of you leading to your small smile to instantly turn back into a straight line as you glared at the incense’s smoke that was dancing in the air while your hand hesitantly went to the side of your neck.

‘It’s just a dream...It’s just a dream…’

“Does your neck hurt again? I suggest you stop sleeping under the tree if it does,” Fushiguro commented, causing you to jolt in surprised as you didn’t realise that he was now suddenly next to you rather than a few steps away to which could be said the same for Kugisaki, who was standing on the other side of you while looking at the tombstone that all three of you were now standing in front of.

“Hey! You didn’t answer my first question, did you both follow me here?” you asked once again with a teasing tone, causing both of your classmates to look to the side away from you since they instantly knew there was no way out of this little situation...it’s no surprise since you are Gojo’s adoptive daughter.

“It was Kugisaki’s idea to follow you since you disappear from time to time,” the shikigami sorcerer outed, as he placed a hand on the back of his neck to ease his bashfulness while Kugisaki turned her head towards him, ready to yell and counter his statement.

“Fushiguro is lying, it was his idea!” Kugisaki shouted in annoyance, causing your eyes to shift back and forward between them as you were somewhat finding slight amusement on what was going on at this current moment in time.

“Ah~ is that so?” you questioned, while slowly raising your hands to smack the back of their heads without them noticing causing both of your classmates to groan in pain once they felt the violent impact, before holding the back of their heads to ease the pain that was somehow intensifying - to be honest, they deserved it for trying to stalk you.

“Who are you visiting?” Fushiguro curiously asked with a hesitant tone since he didn’t want to accidentally cross the line on your comfort zone leading you to turn to him for a second before looking at the stone with a hint of heartache forming in your eyes as well as your heart.

“My mother,” you softly answered, leading your classmates to turn to you with widened eyes before looking at the stone showcasing where your mother was resting as a feeling of sympathy began to consume their whole body.

“I really don’t need your pity guys, it’s been 6 years already, so it’s not necessary,” you mentioned before they could give their condolences to you. You didn’t need it or rather, you didn’t want to hear any of it. When your mother passed away, you were used to the fact that you were the only one grieving since it was always just you and her in your own little world, there was no one giving you their condolences then and you didn’t want them now. It was already too late for that.

“So your real mother actually passed away, is that why Gojo-sensei adopted you?” Kugisaki asked, leading you and Fushiguro to slightly tense as you both were reminded of the fact that the ‘adoption’ story was just a (somewhat) clever cover-up to conceal your true identity as well as to not raise any suspicion on your sudden enrolment to Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.

“Yeah, he found me a year after and took me in,” you lied through your teeth, hoping that you were convincing enough to continue the lie leading your friend to nod her head, as she continued to gaze at your mother’s resting place.

“What was she like?” Fushiguro suddenly asked as he was trying to divert the conversation into a different topic leading you to open your mouth to answer before closing it again to tilted your head to the side slightly as you began to wonder all the things you could say to Fushiguro and Kugisaki to inform them about the person that brought you into the world.

“She was someone that I could only forgive if she did something wrong,” you quietly answered before mentally wondering if that was the right thing to say.

“She was someone that was quite selfless, even if that meant sacrificing her whole happiness to make someone else happy, that was the type of person she was,” you extended, trying to ignore the first comment you made since you were still wary of what you had just stated.

Fushiguro and Kugisaki hummed absentmindedly as they listened to your answer as they continued to peer at the stone that was in front of them like it was a painting of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

“You know, it isn’t a painting to admire, right? There’s nothing special about a grave,” you questioned causing your classmates to break out from their daze to look at you before becoming flushed again since they didn’t realise that they were gawking. “It’s fine, I’m just teasing,” you commented before letting out another airy laugh as you processed to turn your heels and began to walk away from your mother’s resting place to the exit of the cemetery leading Fushiguro and Kugisaki to look at your direction in confusion before making their way towards you.

“Since you guys followed me all the way here, what do you want to do?” you asked, once they both caught up to you leading Kugisaki to answer immediately about the fact that you both needed to go to the bubble tea shop that you both went to the other day since she was craving it again leading to the erratic-haired sorcerer to groan slightly since he wasn’t in the mood to get anything sweet which caused you to explain that the shop also had black coffee if he wasn’t feeling the sugary drink.

“Are you the type to drink black coffee to impress a girl even though you don’t like it? That isn’t healthy Fushiguro, you shouldn’t do that to impress Gojo,” Kugisaki commented with a hint of worry since she didn’t expect the shikigami user to be the type to do what she has assumed. However, this seemed to annoy Fushiguro more as you discovered the irked mark on his forehead before answering that he always drank black coffee - to be honest, that statement made you remember the time you and Gojo had coffee together and you were disgusted about the number of sugar cubes he added into the caffeinated drink.

“I’m surprised you're not getting any orange juice,” Fushiguro mentioned, leading Kugisaki to widen her eyes in surprise since she hasn’t noticed you drinking your favourite juice for the whole day at all.

“I don’t know if you’re extremely bad stalkers or you lost me during your following session, but I have one here,” you stated in a matter-of-fact tone, as you dug into the pocket of your Jujutsu Tech uniform skirt to pull out a carton of orange juice leading your fellow sorcerers to look at the drink in shock since they didn’t remember you buying anything at all when they were following you.

“HOW?!” Kugisaki yelled out in complete surprise as she grabbed the boxed drink from your grasp while staring at it like it was a curse to be exorcised leading to the feeling of amusement to rise again since the situation was becoming funnier by the second rather than sorrowful like it was supposed to be today.

“I bought it at the vending machine just a few minutes away from this cemetery, maybe you two were arguing or something,” you commented with a small smile as you did recall hearing two people shouting at each other from a distance when you were collecting your drink from the dispenser - it was something like ‘this is really a stupid idea’ followed by ‘but we need to figure out where Gojo goes when she disappears, I want to knowwww’.

“You guys are such drag, so you better pay for my drink for me to forgive you both for stalking me,” you voiced out with a smirk planted on your face causing Fushiguro to look at you with widen eyes since he wasn’t expecting any consequences when it came to Kugisaki’s little investigation.

“Hold up, but don’t you have more money than us because you take on more missions? How much do you have Gojo?!” Kugisaki questioned as she moaned at the fact that she was going to pay you rather than spending that money on the Balenciaga jacket that she was hoping to get.

“That’s why I paid for your drink last time, so it’s your turn don’t you think?” you asked before continuing with, “think of it as a ‘thank you’ gift to me for the fact that I trained you both for the past two months,” leading both of the sorcerers besides you to quickly realise that paying for your drink might not be as bad as they expected - two months of training in exchange for paying your bubble tea, they didn’t mind that exchange at all.

“Ah alright, Kugisaki let’s go half and half,” Fushiguro stated causing the female sorcerer to nod as she gave you back your orange juice before linking your arm with hers due to the fact, she was more excited about spending the day with you for an extra day of the week rather than going back to Jujutsu Tech to do nothing.

“I just realised, the Kyoto Exchange Event is tomorrow isn’t it?” you asked before looking up to the sky as you began to recall what date it was today. However, it seemed like you were more concentrated on your feeling of relief as you noticed a few clouds moving across the sky rather than the one you could remember… you were reassured that it wasn’t just a solid blue that was above you right now.

“Yeah, and we are going to beat their asses!” Kugisaki cheered determinedly, leading you to giggle at her enthusiasm since she seemed motivated to win the whole event altogether.

“Do you think you’ll be picked for the individual battle?” Fushiguro questioned, causing you to shift your head towards him as you began to wonder if there was a possibility of you being chosen. From what you knew, Todo Aoi seemed to be the strongest sorcerer on the Kyoto side and had the highest chance of being picked for the second day of the Kyoto Exchange Event.

Although, it seemed like you didn��t have an answer to provide for the shikigami sorcerer leading you to raise your hand to quickly flick his forehead, catching him by surprise since it was one of your lighter ones. “I have no idea, you drag~” you answered, before placing your hand in your pocket.

“But one thing I do know is that we’re going to win the team's battle,” you mentioned with a courageous smile. You were confident since both Fushiguro and Kugisaki have improved so much during the past two months - much more than you had anticipated due to the short amount of time you three had to prepare for it.

Fushiguro and Kugisaki nodded boldly at your statement as it seemed like your confidence and determination had affected them as well.

Tomorrow, you all were going to win.

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maybe-theres-hope · 3 years

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Those Four Words

So yeah I JUST finished Desperate Measures and I literally had to get this out before I could sleep.

5.03 Coda | 1.6k | Summary: How I would love to see them get their shit together. Title from the episode, referring to Eddie saying “We need to talk” because YES YOU FUCKING DO. *puts on clown nose*

Buck finds Eddie sulking on the bench in the locker room. Because this was becoming a pretty common occurrence as of late, he takes it on himself to do the best friend thing he always does, and walks in to sit beside him.

The fact that Eddie doesn’t automatically look up at him with annoyance--like he has most of the time Buck has done this in the past few weeks, when they both know what the conversation is going to sound like--is unsettling but not off-putting.

“Hey,” is his opener. Quiet and courteous of Eddie’s obvious pain. Buck’s good at this best friend thing. Had a lot of practice lately.

He gets nothing in reply for long, long moments. He waits it out. Eddie’s a closed-off guy at the best of times, but when he’s hurting, it’s like a steel wall is up between him and the world. Buck’s taken a sledgehammer to that wall a few times and it hasn’t ended pretty. Lately he’s been just simply knocking at it, hoping the man on the other side can hear that he’s not alone. That’s all he can do.

Then, “I broke up with Ana. Like. Officially.”

Buck is quiet for a moment. “Was there an...unofficial breakup before that?”

“I don’t know. Probably when I panicked twice in front of her at the mere mention of us as a family. Think that set off a few warning bells in her.”

Buck very carefully remains silent.

“Well, actually. I don’t know if it did because...she was pretty devastated when I told her it wasn’t going to work. Like she didn’t see it coming after all.”

“What did you tell her? At the official breakup, I mean.” Buck doesn’t move, doesn’t speak above a low tone that barely breaches the two-foot divide between them.

“Not the truth, that’s for damn sure. But. Something maybe close to it.” Eddie still hasn’t looked at him. His hand is half-over his eyes, fingers pressing at his temples like he’s trying to stave off a migraine. Buck’s presence is sometimes migraine inducing, he knows, but he doesn’t think he’s ever done it to Eddie.

...Maybe?

Nah.

Hopefully not.

“What’s...something like the truth?” he asks.

“Basically that I thought I could grow to love her eventually. I tried hard to do that, but...it’s never going to happen. I know it’s not.”

Buck remains silent, waiting.

“She...she’s not stupid. She figured out that what was sending me into...whatever was happening to me--”

Buck very pointedly does not point out that what was happening were full blown panic attacks, Eddie--

“--was triggered by the thought of a future with her. It’s not even that she’s a bad prospect. She’s perfect, actually. In every way except that she’s not... Nevermind.”

“So, she was good with Christopher, right? I mean, you said she was--” Buck’s concern is hard to hide. If she did anything to hurt Christopher or make him feel...any type of way, Buck will be livid. But he doesn't think that’s the case. He even likes Ana. She’s nice, friendly, caring. She’s just...

“She’s just not for me.”

Buck can clearly see this is distressing Eddie to the nth degree, but he doesn’t know how to fix it. He’s never had to save a relationship before. And is that what he should be doing? Sure, he’s great at this best friend thing and he wants his friend to be happy--more than anything in the world--but he’s at a loss as to what the actual problem is here.

“But Eddie, you said yourself she’d make a great mother for Chr--”

“He doesn’t need another mother! He had one, and she’s gone. He doesn’t need another.” The raised voice makes Buck pause for a moment. It’s the loudest either of them have spoken the entire time, and he’s sure it has a lot to do with the Shannon of it all, but...it doesn’t seem like that’s the whole thing.

“I don’t know why I tried to force it. I knew it wasn’t going to work from day one. But she’s just...she was the best alternative.”

“Alternative to what? Eddie, what--”

“I’m in love with someone else! Okay? And I know I should have told her that, but I couldn’t. I can’t even...” he cuts himself off with a huff, but for the first time, he looks up to meet Buck’s gaze. His eyes are shining, but he’s not sad. He’s frustrated. Buck’s learned to tell the difference over the years.

Best friend and all.

He weighs his options, because this is brand new information to him, which is saying something, and he’s not quite sure where to go from here.

Sure, he absolutely knows where he wants this to go, but. He’s also learned over the years that that’s just...not in the cards. Not for Buck, anyway.

Finally, he opens his mouth again. “I...didn’t know you were seeing anyone else besides Ana. Thought you two were, like, a serious thing.” Understatement of the year. How on earth was Eddie seeing someone that Buck didn’t know about? They practically lived out of each other’s pockets half the time.

Eddie huffs out a small, horrible laugh. “I’m not. Seeing anyone. In that sense, anyway. Though we do see a lot of each other. A disgusting amount, if I’m being honest.” The laugh he lets out here is not horrible. It’s almost...fond.

“O...kay.” Somewhere inside, Buck’s heart falters. “So, what’s the problem? Do they...not feel the same way?”

Another huff of a laugh. “Dunno. I never asked.” Eddie’s back to rubbing his temples again, almost hiding his face on purpose.

“Alright, well, that should probably be step one.” Buck can’t keep the hint of scolding out of his tone, but he can see that it makes Eddie smile. “I can help you, if you want?”

This makes Eddie smile even wider, but it turns sad in an instant. “I know you would. But you can’t.”

Buck takes a moment--or several--to consider himself. To weigh all his options and arrive at a logical and sensible conclusion.

Who is he kidding? Buck opens his mouth on impulse, praying to every deity he’s ever heard of that he’s not wrong and he’s not about to ruin everything.

“I can try.” Another small laugh from Eddie in response, a hopeless, resigned one. “Eddie.” When he gets no reaction, he tries again. He really needs eye contact for this, no matter how much he knows Eddie hates it during emotional conversations. “Eddie.”

Slowly, Eddie’s eyes meet his. Buck goes for broke.

“Step one. Ask.”

Eddie stares at him for a moment, no discernible change in his features. Buck’s eyes plead with him. And then, it’s like Buck can watch the switch flip behind his eyes. When he catches up to what’s being said here.

Buck holds his breath for what feels like ages and feels his skin grow cold with shame because he was wrong, he was wrong, he was so so wrong--

“Are--” Eddie begins, strained. Buck’s heart stops. “Are we--” Buck’s sure his heart can’t actually stop twice, but it definitely does at this addition.

His eyes are glued to Eddie’s, though. Like magnets. Pulling in the only direction they can ever go. The way the universe wills them.

Eddie seems to come back to himself for a moment, flicking his eyes to the glass. Buck’s eyes tear themselves away to look at what’s caught his attention. The entire B shift and some of the A are still milling around outside.

“Are we really going to do this here?” is the question Eddie actually poses to him. But, when Buck’s eyes snap back to their target, he sees something that kickstarts his heart again, and he lets out the breath he’d been deliberately holding for the last 45 seconds, give or take. Eddie’s tiny, timid smile seals the deal.

“We could go to my place?” Buck offers. Tries desperately not to think about what could happen. What he wants to happen.

“I need to get home to Christopher.” Eddie’s standing, grabbing his duffel. Buck’s nodding, because yeah, that’s true. He scrubs his mind of the...thoughts that were just playing through it.

“And so do you,” is what’s tacked onto the end, just thrown out there, like it’s the most normal, logical thing in the world. Eddie’s face is still a little timid when Buck looks up, but his own face must give away his heart because Eddie’s smile after that is radiant. He hands Buck his own bag, also giving him a hand up off the bench.

Yeah, his legs are a little wobbly. Good best friend actions, Eddie. Thanks.

Though. Buck doesn’t know if that term still applies. Are they friends? Are they more now? But they haven’t talked about anything so, like, they’re not anything yet, right? But Eddie said he was in love with--

His thoughts halt when Eddie lands a small kiss to his lips, there and gone again in a nanosecond and wow, that had no right to be as earth-shattering as it was, it was just a peck, for Christ’s sake, and--

“Buck. Get your shit and lets go, yeah?”

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.” Smooth.

But Eddie’s smiling. For real this time. Buck will take that.

lbr, the show wouldn’t acknowledge Taylor during this conversation. It’d be wrapped up the next episode and she would storm out and never be heard from again. Definitely NOT how I’d want that to go, but. We all know it would. *honks clown nose*

#buddie #buddie fic #911 on fox #911 fic #eddie diaz #evan buckley #MY FIRST BUDDIE FIC PLS BE KIND #brooke writes

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mingying · 3 years

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[spoilers] hosplay season 2 ep3 - ikjun/songhwa

I am on cloud nine.

When I posted my theories about ep 1 two weeks ago, never would I have expected such a huge development to happen 2 episodes after! This episode is what I will describe as Songhwa’s preliminary realisation, and the catalyst for this is told through the perspectives of two people in this episode.

TL;DR: This is a sign that Ikjun and Songhwa are now positively moving in the direction of endgame!!!

cr: _fever_pitch @ twitter

This scene made me smile so hard! While Songhwa may have asked Ikjun for dinner because she wanted to ask him about DLL, the fact that she initiated it by literally using Ikjun’s iconic “let’s eat” line, speaks a lot. I love the way Ikjun’s face lighted up in an instant when he realised it’s Songhwa.

What I realised also is that he even invited Junwan to eat with them in the cafeteria - maybe he didn’t want to burden Songhwa since they would be alone? Or maybe he was just trying to protect his own heart, we cannot be too sure but definitely, Ikjun-ah, best boi you, best boi.

The next scene that comes is definitely one scene that highlights their dynamics as work partners. Other than the fact that Ikjun knew Songhwa was worried over something and asked her to just speak up just by looking at her stirring her food, it seems that Ikjun/Songhwa approach things in a somewhat similar wavelength.

Ikjun points out at once that “we can help them”, to which Songhwa confirms saying that she already told them they could.

When Ikjun says that it doesn’t matter if the patients do it in a different hospital in Seoul because DLL can still provide financial support - Songhwa replies “I told them that”.

And when Songhwa said DLL will contact Yulje, because the other university hospitals aren’t willing to take the case, Ikjun agreed and said “good”.

Ugh, I absolutely love their rapport here. It shows understanding and compatibility between two friends who clearly share the same opinions about certain things and I love that they’re working together for DLL.

Ms Songhwa saying this line just shows that she values and trusts Ikjun’s judgement. Just as how she whole heartedly believed him when he told her that a “Villain” is someone who works hard to pay bills (BUAHAHA I can’t wait for her to realise the truth and strangle Ikjun).

Ma’am, why do you look like him as he is leaving like he is your entire world?

Coughs. Moving on!

Heo Seonbin~~ Just like how long have you observed your Professor and her best friend that you’re able to form this sort of conclusion that he always makes her laugh and that he will ‘totally’ do it for her if she asks?

Of course, this whole fake dating thing didn’t materialise because Songhwa isn’t the type to go for that - plus she respects Ikjun’s feelings, I’m sure, so she wouldn’t want to put him in that sort of confusing situation after knowing how he feels for her.

But I have a strong feeling that this scene is strategically placed for a reason and that is to nudge Songhwa towards the realisation that other people are seeing something special between them despite her insistence many times that they’re just friends. And who is the best to tell her that other than Seonbin, who is practically the closest friend that she has at this point that isn’t part of her gang.

In the previous episode, I posted a theory from a kfan that Ikjun was the one who asked for Seokmin’s favour to scrub in the Violinist’s surgery to ease Songhwa’s burden, and that the strawberry cake Seonbin brought for Songhwa towards the end of the ep, was actually bought by Ikjun. This theory remains as a theory until proven otherwise but I live for the fact that SilverDragon may be the ones playing cupid for their Professor this season. I mean, Songhwa did play cupid for them in S1, right?

Kekeke, now, onto my favourite scene of the episode. Kyuhyung’s cameo as Gyeongjin’s brother! I still cannot believe we got this scene handed to us on a silver platter but dude, it’s a complete parallel to IkSong and I absolutely LIVE for Songhwa’s expressions during Hanyang’s (I’ll just call him that) story telling.

Songhwa drank her coffee twice - girlie probably felt so called out that she was flustered and had to busy her hands with something. That’s human tendency, anyway. And we know from EP 1 that her rejection didn’t address Ikjun’s confession in its entirety. So for Hanyang to say “my answer didn’t make sense,” could very well be what Songhwa had in the back of her mind after her rejection, or what she will now realise moving forward.

“As a man and a woman, not just friends.”

A foreshadow, I hope? Because I am betting that this entire scene will play out in Songhwa’s mind over and over again. He is the catalyst she needs at this point of time to realise that the risk is worth taking.

The best line ever. It’s so simple yet so profound. So realistic, too. Because we know exactly who it is that is capable of making Songhwa feel happy. It’s the one person that always makes her laugh. And what more do you need, honestly?

What struck me, as I’ve mentioned on Twitter, is that the scene could have just ended after Hanyang said this line - that being with his gf makes him happy/great. But instead, we got a follow up question from him in that he quite literally ASKED her straight up, if she had someone like that in her life too.

And...guess who showed up at that very moment? Casually, without any hint of jealousy or envy but just decided to stick a straw into his nose?

cr: milly_v_v @ twitter

And made her laugh...without fail again?

I’m not crying, I swear.

My mind is officially at ease, because it seems that IkSong is definitely now headed towards the right direction. ShinLee really wasn’t joking when he put triple Rainbows during the drive in the tunnel. Triple Rainbow...for three episodes? Kekeke.

I’m thinking that Songhwa may still need one or two more eps to sort out her feelings, but by Ep 6 I’m guessing she will finally take the first step towards a relationship with Ikjun. But hey, I’m always prepared to be surprised in the best ways possible (like this entire scene in Ep3) by ShinLee.

#hospital playlist season 2 #iksong #my otp #lee ikjun x chae songhwa #lee ikjun #chae songhwa #hospital playlist #spoilers

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bettyminicoop · 3 years

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We're at AU since 504, and I'll prove it to you.

So, Riverdale is a comic.

No not like this.

RIVERDALE is a COMIC.

This is how this article began a day ago, when I tried to develop a theory about season 5 and try to explain the absurdity of everything that we have seen on the show lately. But Riverdale is really a comic, in which anything can happen, including events that take us to an alternate universe.

So, the main secret of the season 5 is not mixing ships, it's not about TBK, not about Moth Men, not about TRAUMA™. The main secret of the season 5 is: "What the hell is going on here?"

Does RAS like predictions? Jughead in 417 literally says, "In what future are we not together?" Thus, launching this universe, in which we find ourselves since 504. And there is an explanation for all this, oddly enough.

Honestly, I think that the absurdity of 518 helped me a lot. I realized that all the ship's nonsense of the season is a red herring. I calmed down, exhaled, moved a little further and looked at the whole picture.

For convenience in the future, I will call the events of the first four seasons as RD01, and season 5 since 504 as RD AU. So, everything that happened in RD01 also happened in RD AU, but in a different way. And something may not have happened at all. This is where all the inconsistencies with the plot of the first four seasons come from.

1. The writers are not lazy, they don't forget what happened 5 episodes ago. RAS simply deceived everyone by taking a very risky step. All of the plots that take place in Season 5 have a backstory that we don't know anything about. Except for certain plots that are taken out of the context of the first four seasons. But the difference is that all these plots that happened in RD01 went completely differently here in RD AU.

2. The episode of Citizen Lodge has the most direct evidence for the existence of RD AU. Because if this episode hadn't happened, it would have been hard to guess RD AU. It would be impossible to connect the dots. Citizen Lodge is the key to unlocking the mystery of Season 5 of Riverdale.

The Midnight Club takes place in 1992, but Citizen Lodge takes place in 1988. Although these are the same characters, in the same age range. But at Citizen Lodge we were shown newborn Veronica, because Hermosa never existed here. In RD01, the Lodges have a family rum business, RD AU Lodges are shoe shiners not originally living in Riverdale. The events of both episodes contradict each other, because they took place in different universes. This is not a fault of the writers, this is a deliberate hint. This whole new RD AU universe exists several years earlier than RD 01.

Small addition. In 516 it is indicated that Hermosa exists in the RD AU. But maybe she is younger than Veronica.

3. The last time a clear timeline is set is 503, when Jughead sits in Pop's a year after graduation. And when he walks out the door, he says that the next time he saw his friends was six years later. But we haven't seen that yet. Because that's where RD01 ends.

When 504 starts, nowhere is it stated how many years have passed. The first timeline is set by Veronica Lodge. "It's 2021". And this is the very first clue that we are in the middle of RD AU.

4. When Season 5 was announced, RAS said it would be a 5 year time jump. But by the start of the season, it turned into 7 years. And there is still no error. In RD01, after Bughead says goodbye on the porch, their next meeting actually happens in seven years. But we haven't seen it yet.

RD AU probably takes place five years after core four graduated from high school. And this is confirmed by Bughead's conversation in the bunker when Betty asks Jughead why he's bringing up a conflict five years ago. Which by the way does not negate the fact that voicemail happened only two years ago. Because it is the aftermath of a terrible five-year conflict that ended Bughead's relationship in RD AU. Do you seriously agree that kissing was a terrible thing to do? Probably something worse happened at RD AU.

5. On the chest of Archie RD AU there is no scar after his meeting with the bear, so this did not happen in this universe. We've been shown Archie's breasts so many times this season but we never really noticed!

6. Tom Keller and Sierra McCoy do not appear to be married in RD AU, although they literally fought the Gargoyle King for their relationship.

7. I believe that the RD AU timeline is shifted 4-5 years back relative to RD01. As confirmed by Bughead's bunker conversation and the events at Citizen Lodge. And this explains why RD AU is now in 2021, and not 2027, as it should be in RD01.

8. I watched season 5 very casually and hardly saw more than 1/3. So I need you to help me collect more evidence for the existence of RD AU. For every plot, event and conversation, you need to apply an AU theory filter. And I can promise you, every piece will find its place in the puzzle.

By the way, differences can be not only in plots and dialogues, but also physical in the appearance of characters and interiors.

I'm sure that Veronica's question to Archie, where he sees himself in five years, was also not accidental. But I no longer have the strength to develop this and build it in the context of RD AU. Especially because I don't know much about their relationship history. I trust you to figure it out.

And I wouldn't be at all surprised if Season 5 of Riverdale is still Jughead's book from RD 01, called Rivervale.

Will we get the RD AU backstory in Season 6? To be honest, I'm not sure if we need it.

Is Polly still alive in RD01?

Could Alice's hallucination at 518 be AU on AU? That is, literally being RD01 inside RD AU. Because these scenes were, it seems, the most "normal" in the whole episode. Follow up on this idea. Or we can just wait for season 6 special.

It does not matter at all which ships the RD AU will end with. It does not matter. Because season 5 and season 6 special is not about ships.

Maybe season 6 special is when RD01 and RD AU mix. Well, let's see, it's not long to wait.

Is there a chance RD AU will end on episode 100? Perhaps.

Please give this season and finale a chance. I am currently re-watching individual episodes to find confirmation of my AU theory, and now season 5 makes sense! Check it out for yourself. I'm sure there will be a TBK mystery in the final episode next week that will make my whole AU theory obvious. But I will write about this separately right after this post.

Looking back now, I think the flurry of spoilers ahead of 518 is literally when RAS went crazy. Because we're incredibly dumb and didn't want to see obvious clues in the narrative.

I will never pull this stone out alone. So, my young archaeologists, arm yourself with hammers and brooms, and help me bring this treasure to the surface completely.

I want to say THANK YOU to Bughead fandom. Because you are amazing. Because you are building theories, you are guessing, you are thinking. Because you spin every situation, you question every plot that happened on the show. And I am overwhelmed with complacency, because the uncovering of the main secret of Season 5 came from the Bughead community. After all, who else besides Bughead can uncover Riverdale's secrets?

And thanks to those who first brought up AU in Riverdale. Because only thanks to this theory, I was able to pull the thread and untangle the whole ball.

It's so liberating. It’s like someone has suddenly turned on the lights in the dark room we’ve been in since the beginning of Season 5.

#riverdale season 5 #riverdale s5 #riverdale spoilers #riverdale speculation #ras genius #riverdale au #bughead #varchie #choni #barchie #veggie #jabitha

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azaleavi · 3 years

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Woman Like Me Part 2 - Bucky Barnes

Summary: y/n gets to talk to the person who gave her the serum and the others learn more about her

Set in the second half of episode 3 of tfatws

Warning(s): a little violence nothing too strong

Word count: 2.5K

Author’s Note: Part 2 is finally here! Thank you so much for loving part 1, i didn’t expect so many people to like it! I’m actually pretty proud of this part and i would love to write a part 3 and actually make this a series if you like it so give me feedback or tell me what you would like to see in the next part. Thank you!

Part 1

“Okay I have clients coming in a few minutes so enjoy the party and stay out of trouble” Sharon stands up, walking out of the room.

“Trouble” Zemo holds up his glass of whiskey.

“I think we should change” y/n looks at the clothes hanging by the wall, noting that they are still wearing their combat clothes. She can see multiple dresses but there are men’s clothes as well.

They all change out of their older clothes, the men giving y/n space to do it. She chose a simple black dress, appropriate for a party and she looks mesmerising. Bucky couldn’t see with the tactical gear on but she has a really nice figure which makes him stare at her a little longer than he should. Sam notices and decides to speak up.

“You clean up nice y/n” he smiles at her. This shakes Bucky out of his staring, realising what he was doing.

“Thanks. I’ve never really wore something like this before… you know with the whole Harcos thing and all” she shows a small smile.

“By the way, what language is that? I’ve never heard it before” Sam furrows his eyebrows, confused.

“Oh, it’s Hungarian, it means warrior” she rolls her eyes, clearly not amused by the name “I’m hungarian so I guess they thought it was fitting”

“Ah Hungary, what a nice place” Zemo speaks up “nice people too”

“If misogyny, racism and homophobia is nice to you I guess you’re right” y/n sends a sarcastic smile to him.

“We should go up into the party” Bucky intervenes before the conversation can escalate.

“Won’t people recognise you?” Sam asks y/n.

“Nah, I had a mask when I was forced to do the things I did. Not many people got to see my face and lived to tell about it” Bucky shudders, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Sam nods, holding the door open for her “thank you Sam”

The party is already in full swing, groups of people dancing to the music and others looking at the artwork that is displayed across the room. The three men with y/n walk over to the bar, trying to not bring any attention to themselves. They order drinks while waiting for Sharon to get the information. Bucky catches y/n looking at him from where she is sitting. He lifts his eyebrows in question.

“What are you looking at?” he shouts over the loud music.

“You” she is teasing him. He knows it, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play along with her.

“And what about me is so interesting that it got you looking at me instead of the party that’s happening around you?” Bucky tilts his head.

”That will be my secret” she winks at him. Bucky feels like he can’t breath for a second. She suddenly drowns her drink in one swift motion and stands up “I’m assuming you don’t want to dance with me” she grins.

“How can you even dance to music like this?” he asks, genuinely confused. The music back in his days was much better and what they did was actually dancing and not this… thing they are doing now. She looks away laughing. Her eyes catch something that makes her laugh even more.

“I think you should ask Zemo about that” she points at the man showing rather questionable dance moves. Bucky looks at him barely being able to hold his own laughter “well I’ll go mingle with the prime citizens of Madripoor” she does a small wave with her hand, walking away. Bucky watches her leave and doesn’t take his eyes off of her until she disappears in the crowd.

“Does our cyborg man have a crush?” Sam speaks up, having watched the whole interaction between them. Bucky whips his head in his direction, just realising that the other man was there the whole time.

“Definitely not” he answers “we were just talking”

“Talking? Sounded awful lot like flirting to me” Sam grins, making fun of the older man.

“We were not flirting” Bucky shakes his head and looks away to watch the crowd again. Sam only smiles to himself and stops pushing because Sharon appears next to them.

Y/N walks through the dancing people, just looking around and trying to absorb everything. She has never been to a party before, at least not while she was in control of her actions. She caught sight of Zemo again, who was still dancing. It was weird to see the very dangerous criminal just tearing it up on the dance floor. Suddenly someone grabs her hand from behind and turns her around. She almost hits the stranger in the head, but she quickly realises that it’s Bucky holding her. The crowd around them continues dancing, not paying any mind to the two super-soldiers standing among them.

“Hi” she smiles at him. They are standing so close to each other that their chests are almost touching and he is still holding her hands to his chest. Y/n has to tilt her head up so she can look in his eyes. She’s never been this close to a man before that wasn’t during a fight or in a threatening situation. She decides she likes it. Y/n doesn’t know if it’s because it’s Bucky who’s here with her or she would feel like this with any man, but she suddenly gets the urge to stand on her tiptoes and press her lips to his “You came here to dance with me?” she jokingly asks to get the image out of her head.

“You will have to wait for another party for that, Sharon got the information we need so we have to go” Bucky looks into her eyes his pupils slightly dilated, almost as if he was thinking the same thing. He starts lightly pulling her along, out of the crowd.

The next morning they are walking through the containers looking for the one that has Dr. Nagel in it.

“Okay this is the one” Sharon stops them in front a container. She hands them earpieces. Y/n feels a little nervous about meeting the man who turned her into what she is today. Bucky notices her fidgeting and puts his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. She gives him a small smile, grateful that he is here for her. She is wearing the same tactical gear she did when they first met which, crazy enough, was only yesterday. They walk through the door only to find it completely empty. Sam asks Sharon if she is sure it’s the right one and she tells them that it has to be. Zemo walks to the end of it and pushes only to find a hidden door.

“Fancy” y/n remarks, walking through it after Sam. They walk up the stairs and find a lab with music playing from a record player. Sam takes the needle off the record. Nagel turns around, scared.

“Dr. Nagel? We know you created the super-soldier serum” Sam says calmly.

“Get out of my lab” Nagel starts walking towards the door, but then sees Y/n standing there with a gun in her hand. The anger in her eyes is enough to stop him “Harcos” he says and she grits her teeth together.

“Do not call me that” she tries to stay calm.

“Jelentsd a feladatod, Harcos” he starts talking in Hungarian. State your mission, Warrior. She falters for a second, not having heard her language in a while. Selby only talked to her in English. Bucky looks at her worried as she points her gun at Nagel and takes the safety off.

“Az nem fog megtörténni” she answers. Not gonna happen. Sam looks between them, also worried for her. He thinks they shouldn’t have brought her with them, they didn’t think this through. What if Nagel knows the words and uses her against them? “Now why don’t you tell us about the serum you’re working on?” she switches back to English and pushes him back into a chair, her gun still pointed at him.

“I was brought into Hydra’s Winger Soldier program to pick up their work” he starts talking “after that I was recruited by the CIA. They had a blood sample that had semi-stable traces of serum in it” he looks at y/n who is still pointing her gun at him but this time he doesn’t cower in fear “after much labour, I was able to isolate the necessary compounds in it and that’s when I made her. The only successful outcome from over 40 tries” he stops for a second and Bucky can see a hint of something in his eyes. Before he can pin point what it is Nagel speaks again “Tizenhét” he says suddenly and y/n is immediately in front of him with her gun under his chin. Seventeen. The look in her eyes show that she is ready to kill.

“Say another word and you get a bullet in your head” she says through her teeth trying really hard to not shoot him right then and there.

“What did he say?” Sam asks not understanding the reaction from her.

“What do you call it? Trigger word?” Nagel smiles at her even though his life is on the line. The three men tense at the mention of that. Bucky steps next to her and for a moment she thinks he is going to pull her away but instead he also points his gun at Nagel.

“I will not hesitate” he says gesturing towards his gun.

“Do not worry, I only know the first word” he says, amused, but his eyes seem honest. They think about it for a second but pull their guns away from his head. Bucky looks at her, trying to catch her eyes. She looks back with a very small hint of tears in her eyes. He gets the urge to hug her but he knows he can’t do that right here so he only shows her a small encouraging smile.

“As I said: you try to say something about this and you won’t have time to finish that word” she starts walking away from Nagel “And you didn’t make me”she says as she stands next to a table, referring to his earlier statement “Continue” she orders him. So he does. He tells them about Karli and the woman called Donya Madani. He finishes with details about his serum, how it’s not like the ones before.

“I was a god” Nagel smiles like the crazy person he is “before I turned to dust and then Karli stole it” Y/n feels her angel boil and she lets it loose again.

“You are not a god” she shouts and slams her fist down on the table, a few vials falling down and breaking on the ground. Nagel flinches and tries to make himself smaller in his chair, immediately sensing the danger he is in. She lifts up her hand, realising that the table is now bent and you can see her fist’s outline in it “You are not a god” she repeats a little more calmly, but the anger can still be seen in her eyes “You never were and never will be. You just took in children who had nothing and tried to turn them into your version of the Winter Soldier” Bucky can’t help but feel like it’s his fault that she is in this situation. If the Winter Soldier didn’t exist y/n wouldn’t have had to go through these horrible things. She walks closer to the doctor “We were never asked if we wanted this. You told us it was some vaccine you were giving us and not the serum” while she is talking none of them see Zemo go around and get a gun from under one of the tables.

“Guys we are seriously out of time here” Sharon comes in and as soon as the rest of them don’t pay attention to Nagel, Zemo shoots him. Sam immediately takes the gun from him but it’s too late.

“What did you do?” he shouts at the other man but before he can answer the place blows up sending all of them backwards to the floor. Their ears are ringing and they can barely breathe. Zemo is the first to get up and he leaves them behind. Bucky gets back his senses quickly and searches for the rest to see if they are okay. Y/n is next to him trying to make sense of what happened and being a super-soldier she gets up at the same time as Bucky and helps Sam up while Bucky helps Sharon. They run outside as quickly as they can and realise that they are surrounded by people who are ready to kill them.

“Alright wait for my signal” Bucky speaks up, ready to take lead. Sam doesn’t listen to him and just runs out to take shelter “damn it” they start shooting with their pistols that they got from Sharon. Bucky stands next to y/n as his gun runs out of bullets. The both of them retreat to where Sam and Sharon are with y/n protecting his back.

“I thought we were gonna go left?” Bucky shouts at Sam.

“You went the wrong way” Sam answers, also shouting.

“I was clearing the way”

“I came out first. You were supposed to follow me”

“And where are we now” they go back and forth in the middle of the fight, like an old married couple.

“Can we talk about this later? We are kind of in the middle of something here!” Y/n interrupts them, trying to get them to focus. She and Sharon are still shooting.

“It’s in every action movie” the two men don’t even acknowledge her. Zemo appears on the top of a container in a purple mask and shoots at a pipe that blows up, giving the others enough time to get away. There are still people shooting at them as they run through the alleys. A man appears behind them and y/n kicks him hard enough that he flies across the open space and hits one of the containers. He falls to the ground unconscious. Another woman is in front of them and Bucky rips one of the pipes from the door and impales her with it. Y/n looks at him, impressed.

“You’ll have to teach me that” she grins. Bucky rolls his eyes, grabs her waist and pulls her inside. They punch the door open on the other side and Zemo shows up in a very nice looking car. It’s supercharged he says. Sam is ready to send him back to jail but Bucky reminds him that they need him to find Karli. Y/n agrees so she goes and sits behind Zemo. Bucky gets in the passenger seat while Sam sits next to her. They say goodbye to Sharon and Sam promises her that pardon. Before Zemo starts driving Bucky turns to y/n.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah” she answers with a little smile.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #tfatws spoilers #tfatws #sebastian stan #bucky #the falcon and the winter solider spoilers #marvel #the falcon and the winter soldier #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic

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zackcollins · 3 years

Text

speechless || bo bichette

masterlist

Author’s Note: Hello! Everyone gets a treat of a second fic today because I was in a mood to write. Hope that’s okay. Idk man. When you’re in the mood to write, you write. And sometimes, you just wanna post right away because you’re too impatient to wait. Ya know? Anyways. GIF credit to glasnow!

Warnings: An anxiety attack. That’s probably it??? I don’t think there’s anything else. Feel free to let me know otherwise and I’ll fix this warnings section for you.

Word Count: 1.9k+

Title: Speechless by Dan + Shay

Additional: The reader should be gender neutral again! I don’t think I used any identifying language or pronouns or anything. If I did, it was accidental because I was hella distracted watching my dog while my grandparents went grocery shopping. As always, let me know how I did because constructive criticism is always welcomed!

Tagging: @whimsical-daydreams @donttelltheelf-x

You had suffered from severe anxiety; it had been a part of your life for as long as you could remember. At this point, it had totally consumed you. You could hardly do anything anymore without your anxiety trying to take over in some form or another. It was the worst feeling in the world.

That's why it was like all your prayers had been answered when Bo waltzed into your life. For the first time in your life, you were able to open up about your anxiety with someone. There was just something about Bo that made you feel safe, secure, and like nothing would ever hurt you again.

You had been dating for about two and a half years before your relationship changed. It changed on what had otherwise been a quiet day in the middle of February. Snow was falling outside of your house, blowing around peacefully in the evening breeze. You were sitting on the window seat of the living room window, staring out onto the street while idly sipping on a mug of hot chocolate.

Somewhere outside, you heard a dog distantly barking. You found it odd because to the best of your knowledge, nobody in the housing community you and Bo lived in had a dog. Most of them had cats because they were easier for their housekeepers to look after when they were away on business trips or vacation. You quickly shook it out of your mind, though, thinking it only to be a dog that had wandered in from somewhere nearby. It wasn't entirely unlikely for that to happen because some of the people in the housing communities on either side had been known to let their dogs roam freely from time to time.

A couple of minutes later, you heard the front door to the house open. That snapped you out of thinking about the barking dog because you needed to know who walked in. Turning around, you heaved a relieved sign when you saw Bo standing in the entryway. You felt a little anxious, however, when you saw that he had placed a rather large box at his feet. Placing your hot chocolate on the windowsill, you walked over to Bo.

"What's this, sweetie?" You asked, walking all the way around the box. You wanted to see if it had some sort of label or marking on it that would hint at what was inside; it did not. All it had was a pink ribbon embossed with white hearts tied around it.

Bo smiled as he was undressing from his winter apparel. He tossed his hat into the closet. He unzipped his coat and carefully placed it on one of the coat hooks beside the door. Lastly came his boots. He slipped out of those and tossed them haphazardly onto the plastic boot mat you had bought specifically for the winter so snow wouldn’t be tracked all over your house. He ended up bowling over your boots and a spare pair of boots you kept in case of emergencies. You glared at him, crossing your arms over your chest. Bo raised his arms in surrender as he stepped forward and gave you a quick kiss. You relaxed, kissing him back as you wrapped your arms around his back. When you pulled apart, Bo stepped aside and motioned to the box.

"If you wanna know what’s inside,” Bo produced a pocket knife seemingly out of nowhere because you didn’t know him to carry one. He handed it to you and motioned to the box a second time. “All you have to do is open it.”

You walked forward and leaned over, carefully cutting the ribbon a couple of times so that it was easier to untangle from the box. Once you had all of the ribbon untangled and balled up, you placed it along with the knife on the console table next to you. When you looked back at Bo, he gave you an encouraging nod and a soft smile. You bit your lip nervously as you carefully lifted the lid off of the box. What was inside made you blink in surprise. Staring back at you was a beagle puppy. You had to blink a couple of more times, just to make sure that truly weren't imagining this. When you surmised that this was, in fact, a real dog sitting in the box, you lifted them out, cradling them in your arms. They even kissed you on the chin a couple of times. That was also all it took for you to be absolutely smitten with this puppy.

Just as you went to put the puppy down, the light from the chandelier made something on their collar glisten. At first, you thought it was name tags or the city registration tags. But, when you examined it, you discovered that it was an engagement ring. You turned to ask Bo about it. Much to your surprise, he was down on one knee, holding his hands out. You handed him the dog (who you could now see was a boy), thinking that was what he wanted. Bo chuckled as he scritched the dog behind the ears. The dog sighed, jackrabbitting his back foot in satisfaction. You huffed an amused breath, rolling your eyes and chuckling.

Bo carefully put the dog down and took the ring off of his collar. He gave him a few more ear scritches which made the dog flop on the floor and curl in a ball. Bo rolled his eyes before he looked up at you, holding the ring in your direction.

"Since I know I'm the best thing to happen to you and you're the best thing to happen to me," Bo paused, wiping tears out of the corners of his eyes, "I was wondering if you'd marry me?"

You clammed up. You felt your anxiety wash over you like a giant wave crashing into the surf. You fell to the floor, chanting a bunch of incoherent nonsense as you curled into a ball and clutched your knees tightly to your chest. You rocked back and forth, tears streaming down your face as you continued to death-grip your knees. It was then that you felt Bo wrap you in his arms. He cradled you, rocking you in time with how you were rocking yourself. Only, he was doing it softer, gentler. He was also mumbling some of his stats from last season, the stats from the hockey game you watched yesterday. Hell, he even started mumbling what you needed to buy when you went grocery shopping the next time. Anything mundane and boring because he knew that was what generally helped you out of anxiety episodes. The more boring the better. It gave a sense of normalcy and order that helped your brain to focus on the everyday parts of life as opposed to the falsehoods of meaningless compliments that people only said to you when you were in the middle of an anxiety episode.

Hearing about baseball and hockey stats as well as what groceries you needed to buy helped remarkably well. You calmed down relatively quickly given how badly this attack had started. You tilted your head, looking Bo in the eyes. Your eyes were full of a question that didn’t need to be asked but probably should be anyways. Bo, knowing how to read you by now, simply nodded. He met you halfway as you connected your lips. You shared a brief, albeit meaningful kiss.

When you broke your lips apart, you held your hand out. "Of course I'll marry you."

You smiled, though it was a little awkward because you were still recovering from your anxiety attack, as Bo placed the ring on your finger. You moved your hand around, looking at the ring from every angle. It was a gorgeous ring. It was also simple and not very flashy. Which is something you had told Bo you wanted when the time came for him to finally propose. You weren’t a flashy or extravagant person so there was no need to have a flashy or extravagant ring. The thought of having an expensive or flashy ring made you really anxious. You were afraid that somebody would break in and steal it from you. And you didn’t want to live the entire rest of your life in fear that someone was going to break into your house to steal something from you. You had told Bo that that was no way to live. That’s why you were content with a small, simple ring. You didn’t have to live in a constant state of anxiety that some schmuck off the street was going to get the wise idea to break in one night and rob you of it. And the ring Bo had picked was exactly the ring you had been eyeing the last time you were in a jewellery store. So, it worked out even better.

Bo snapped you out of your thought by grabbing you by the chin with his thumb and forefinger. He tilted your face up so that you were looking at each other directly. Bo’s eyes flitted down to your lips and then quickly back up to look at you. You nodded as best you could with Bo holding onto your chin, a soft smile breaking out across your lips. Bo smiled back, dropping his hand away from your chin. He, instead, grabbed your hand and interlaced your fingers. You huffed softly before you leaned forward and connected your lips with Bo’s. Bo smirked into the kiss, bringing his other hand up and resting it against your shoulder. The kiss was far more passionate than the first and you swore it could’ve gone on forever and ever. The only reason you stopped was because the puppy weaseled his way in between you and licked both of your noses. Bo laughed and booped the puppy on his nose. You made an amused noise and scritched the puppy's chest.

Bo turned back to you after you both spent a few moments playing with the puppy. "Sorry for surprising you. I know how you hate surprises."

"It's alright, Bo. It would've defeated the whole purpose if you told me," you responded, moving in closer to Bo.

At that moment, the puppy plopped himself down in between the two of you. You both scratched him behind either ear. He made a soft groan of appreciation, before falling fast asleep. He was snoring softly after a few moments which made both you and Bo chuckle bemusedly.

"What do we name him?" Bo asked, picking him up and placing him in your lap.

"Biscuit!" You replied with excitement. The dog responded to that, briefly opening his eyes and snuffling before he went back to sleep. "See! He likes that name."

Your smile grew wider as your leaned down and gave Biscuit a kiss on the head. He snuffled again, his tail wagging against your knee. You lit up significantly, almost forgetting that you had had an anxiety attack a few minutes ago.

“Scratch that,” you said, a smile beaming on your face. “He loves that name.”

Bo just shook his head, chuckled, and waved a dismissive hand at you. "You're such a huge dork. You know that, right?"

"But I’m your huge dork," you replied, pointing to the ring on your finger as proof of that claim.

"Yes, yes you are."

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peach-coke · 3 years

Note

PEACHY!! I just finished the final. How u doing? What do you think?

Hey Sol! Sorry for leaving you hanging with an answer for a couple days but I had to process. And mourn, after all I said goodbye to something that has been part of me for 15 years. That's half my life. It's weird and I don't think I've ever cried as much as I have in the past 3 days but... Well. Luckily, they're happy tears. "Don't cry because it's over, cry because it happened" aside? I love the ending.

It's all I could've ever asked for. Ah, who am I kidding? It's more than that. I was prepared to be gutted in a really bad way. I am gutted but for all the right reasons. It was tragic. It was painful. It was beautiful. But most of all? It was a Love-Letter.

I know there’s a lot of people who’re upset about parts of the episode; I understand. We’re all grieving in our own ways. I hope however, that once the dust has settled and feelings stop spiking into extremes, people will realize that the episode left so many things unsaid and ambiguous... Meaning there's lots and lots of space for interpretation and headcanons to “fix” the finale into something that makes it better for you. And I’d like to think this was done on purpose.

I’m soo sorry I end up rambling on one of your asks again Sol, but I’ll do exactly that to pick up some of the things I’ve seen people be most upset about and give some of my perspective on them. Maybe it’ll help some people to feel better and grow to love the final as much as I do ♥

One thing I’ve seen a lot of people be upset about is that Dean didn’t get to live the life they’ve fought for so hard. Actually? We don’t know that. There is no timestamps, no indicators that tell us they didn’t do what we saw in the first domestic montage for a couple years. The only hint we have is that Miracle is still around and kicking, so it couldn’t have been more than maybe 6 years (because 6-8ish is when a dog that size shows clears signs of aging). Besides that? Nobody and nothing stops us in believing they had that “domestic bliss with a little bit of hunting on the side”-life for quite a while before it happened.

Them talking about mourning Cas and Jack is no indicator either. I still mourn people I lost 15 years ago, when the occasion calls for it or I remember them in moments that they would’ve loved to be part of. Mourning never stops… Of course, even 6 years aren’t a lifetime. But do we really think Dean - our Dean - would’ve been happy and content with a 9-to-5 job? Yeah, didn’t think so either...

Then, we have the rebar. Which honestly didn’t bother me at all, for several reasons. First, I love parallels and this episode was so full of them… Not only was the whole “stabbed in the back” thing a direct callback to arguably the most painful death in the series to date – Sam’s first in All Hell Breaks Loose – it was also a callback to The Song Remains the Same. The episode where Sam is stabbed by Anna – with a rebar/fixture she ripped out of the wall - and bleeds out on the floor. The only reason he got out of it alive, is because John!Michael fixed him. Otherwise? He would’ve died by being stabbed with a rebar. Just like that.

Ash himself told them that they died several times together and can’t remember because the angels don’t want them to. We, the viewers, have never seen them die together until Dark Side Of The Moon. Which strongly implies that they must’ve died on random hunts. More than once.

So Dean’s death in the barn? That’s what happens to Hunters who have no divine intervention. That’s what happens to Hunters who are living the life without being chosen for something bigger. That’s what happens to Hunters with free will. Dean’s death in the barn was a true Hunter’s death. The one he always wanted. There’s no glory, there’s nothing special about it. It just is. And I thought that was tragically poetic in its own way.

I know people were expecting them to go out Butch and Sundance style. Together – I admittedly wanted that too. But the way Dean’s death happened didn’t bother me at all. And honestly? Sam’s soul died in that barn, too. We know it did. So they did go out together, one way or another. It was just not the way we expected.

The cinematic parallels of Sam’s life without Dean to Dean’s life without Sam after Swan Song honestly floored me. It was beautifully heartbreaking.

We see Sam living his life while Dean is driving along “right there beside him, every step of the way”. We see him holding on for Dean, fulfilling the promise he made to his brother about living on. Making sure there’s always a Winchester that knows love left in the world. The final sacrifice of Sam, the bravest and strongest man we know. Sam, who sits down in the car he once called home, to be close to the one person that always held the same connotation. Sam, who knows his other half is waiting for him, sitting just there in the same spot he is. Every step of the way. That’s my Supernatural right there.

What I especially like about the whole thing is, that it once again leaves us with another take besides the one we actually saw and thought obvious. We can also pretend Sam died on that werewolf hunt, shortly after Dean’s death. There is nothing that stops you from seeing this as canon, (There’s actually quite a few hints that it’s a very strong possibility), because the way the whole scene played out could’ve easily been a daydream of Dean while he was driving in heaven.

The fact they left it open like that is a gift, in my eyes. They could’ve easily forced a fixed narrative on us. But they didn’t. Same with so many other things. They left us with so many possibilities and room for our own takes. And I think it’s fair that people need time to process what we’ve been given here. It’s fair that people are still upset about some aspects, because they have yet to realize that there is a pathway for them to see it differently, without discarding canon at all.

There’s only one thing that is not open for interpretation. And that’s that Sam and Dean love each other as much as two human beings can love each other. And none of them is complete without the other. I never quite understood why some people needed the show to end on romantic notes. Supernatural has never been about that. It has always been about the deep, abiding love those two brothers had for each other and how neither heaven nor hell ever stood a chance against it. Platonic love is just as beautiful as romantic love; sometimes even more so. And that’s what this finale showed us.

And that’s why I love it so much. Why I say it’s a Love-Letter. It’s a Love-Letter to us; The ones who’ve been there all the way from the start. The ones who’ve seen the show for what it is and what it has always been: The epic love story of Sam and Dean Winchester.

Despite all that, it is still valid to dislike the ending. You are entitled to do so. But if you really think Sam and Dean - two soulmates, surrounded by the people they love, at peace - spending the rest of eternity together in heaven is the absolute worst possible ending that destroyed everything the show ever stood for? I’m sorry, but in that case you did not understand Supernatural at all.

#Asks and Requests #Sent in by solisoccasus #SPN Spoilers #SPN Finale Positive #Sam and Dean are Soulmates #and y'all can take that from my cold dead hands

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