#(pssst. i am. i’m still right though)

[contactlessdrivethru]

look all i’m saying is that if OPLA makes it all the way to water seven, franky needs to be played by a professional wrestler. think about it. the poses. the catchphrases. the physicality. the over-the-top personality. they’re the only ones who would get him Correct

[izubabes]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!! I just read your Koko x Inui!Reader work and it's a ✨masterpiece✨ Am I crying? Yes. Am I still in love with this psycho Koko? Definitely. Why? Don't know. But am I in love with your work? Absolutely!!!!!

If it's possible, may I please request Koko with fem!reader who also lost her lover (I dunno, Shinichiro, for example? Yeah, he's muuuch older than them, and the reader knew that he would never see her as a woman (more like a sister, but he’d still say smth like “yeah yeah you'll get older and I'll marry you”), but she still loved him (puppy love and stuff)). However, if Koko’s still obsessed with Akane, the reader moved on;she cherishes the memory of her first lov, but she became older and realized thing that she wasn't understand when she was younger. So with her help (it's not like she fell in love with him when they met, it's just cuz of their similar situations she decided to kinda help(?)Inui pssst Inui) , Koko see other side(?) of this type of “love”.

I still want a happy ending for him. I mean, he's such a sad (maniac, nonetheless) character, but I believe that he does deserve true and mutual love. We all had our “first loves”, puppy crushes, older crushes and stuff. I was “in love” with my brother’s friend (he was like 5 years older than me lol, and I was like 9?He also told that he will marry me and stuff, but it was like when your dad/borther promises you the same; cute and childing memory). But I think when you couldn't confess before your pass out/move on/start date someone else, you would have a feeling as if something isoff/the story does not have an ending. I don't think that even if Akane were alive, it would have changed smth for Koko. I still believe that he’d move on sooner or later. But hey, it's only my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️

I just truly want him to be happy and feel genuinely loved.

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧, 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐭. 𝐌𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐈 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭.

What a mystery it is — this emotion we call grief.

Shinichiro’s luck with women was always a comical one, never being able to snag a date, let alone have a girlfriend. He reached rock bottom as soon as he heard one of Manjiro’s childhood friends proclaim, “I’m Shinichiro’s future wife!”

“I’m too old for you,” He politely rejected, giving your head a gentle pat as a form of acknowledging your feelings. His heart ached at the fact that a girl was finally confessing her feelings for him but most likely under the guise of a childish crush. Something you would grow out of as soon as you matured enough. “You should give the other boys your age a chance. Manjiro and Keisuke have been fighting over who’s going to marry you.”

Shinichiro was amused at the way you violently shook your head at the prospect, quickly becoming defensive and pleading your case to him. “I may be young but I swear I’ll grow up into a beautiful lady. I can cook, I can clean, and I can take care of my siblings.”

He sighed, lighting up a nearby cigarette to help cope with the insanity he was suffering though at the moment. “Y/N, I don’t want a housewife. I want you to grow up and find the right person to fall in love with. I'll be just peachy seeing you fall for the right person.”

“Mama helps me out right now but she says I’m practically a mini adult.” You protested with your hands on your hips, glaring him down as he just shook his head at you.

“Sweetheart, you’re 13…” Shinichiro shudders at the realization of how old he's gotten. Another hit of his cigarette settles in his lungs, easing his racket of a mind. “I’m 23. There are so many things wrong with what you're asking of me.”

“In five years, I will be old enough to marry you. Wait for me until then, I know you’ll still be single!”

“Uh, ouch.” Shinichiro’s pride was bruised by how confidently you had rebuked his answer. He could sense a prick of annoyance begin to crawl up his spine. Your answer wasn't meant to be malicious in the slightest but it sure struck a nerve. “Y/N, you’re not thinking straight. You’ll get over this little crush in a couple years and it’ll be a silly little joke between us.”

“A joke? You think my feelings are joke…?” You said in a quiet voice as your heart fell to your stomach. The weight of the world was coming crashing down on your childish delusions. “I love you, I really do!”

“Oh come on, Y/N. Don’t get upset, I’m just being honest with you.” Shinichiro’s words come off more harsh than he intended, made apparent by the streams of fresh hot tears rolling down your cheeks.

“But… But! You promised… Shinichiro, you promised to marry me!”

Shinichiro’s gaze switched from the motorcycle to the blubbering mess who was turned away from him. Seeing your tears made him reconsider how harsh his words would have came off. His cigarette falls to the ground, embers burning out as he glanced over at you. “What the— Don’t cry, Y/N.”

Mikey trailed in as soon as he hears the sound of loud and pronounced wailing coming from the shop. He lazily glanced between you and Shinichiro as the lollipop in his mouth swished from side to side. “Bro, what’s wrong with Y/N?”

“I-I don’t know! She just started crying!”

“Shinichiro’s being mean! M-Mikey, your brother’s being mean to me!” You wailed, tugging on his shirt as he lightly shook you off.

Mikey grinned as he placed his arms behind his head, watching the chaos unfold before him. His mischievous eyes were still focused on his older brother’s distressed face. “This is why you’re never getting a girlfriend…”

Shinichiro groaned, shooing away Mikey as he attempted to settle down your incessant outburst of melodrama. “Y/N, look at me. Stop crying, yeah? I wanna tell you a secret, just between you and me.”

“W-What?” You sniffled.

“There’s my pretty little lady,” Shinichiro smiled, thumbing away the waterworks with his oil stained hands as he left some streaks of it on your face, not like you minded much. “No more tears, okay? When you’re older we’ll get married, yeah?”

You sniffled, wiping away the lingering droplets before staring up at him. “Promise?”

Shinichiro held up his pinky extending it out for you to reciprocate the action. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“I think the twenty rejections have gone to his head,” Wakasa interrupted, crunching down on the lollipop lingering in his mouth. He glanced between his friend and the young girl in front of him, scrutiny in his eyes. “He’s preying on middle schoolers now. Call the cops.”

“Shut up, Waka. You have no idea what we’re talking about!” Shinichiro immediately backtracked.

“Shinichiro, that’s sick.” Benkei shook his head at the ongoing conversation, gently pulling you away from Shinichiro’s arms before inspecting you for any sign of harm or injury. He gave Shinichiro the same judgmental glare as Waka before turning to glance at the girl right in front of him. “Did he hurt you, Y/N?”

Before a decent explanation could be made by you, it had appeared that you had run off to tell your friends the seemingly positive news. You shouted at the top of your lungs, “Emma! Shin said he would marry me.”

Takeomi walked in after you had sprinted past him through the shop’s back door, glaring down his captain with a menacing smile. “Am I high or did she say what I think she said? Better have a decent excuse, Shin.”

“Big bro’s farts stink like hell, Y/N." Mikey interjected, becoming amused with the way you always accepted Shinichiro's false promises without a second thought. "Oh, I bet he only said that so you would stop crying.”

Mikey had never received a more painful punch in his life, knocking him straight in the jaw as you ran back inside to tattle on your best friend. 

“Shinichiro! Manjiro’s being mean to me. He keeps saying you're not gonna marry me!”

Soon after, the unexpected news of Shinichiro's death crashed on your body like a bucket of ice water. You refused to eat, sleep was no longer a priority, school was no longer a necessity. A piece of you had died along with him, a piece that would leave a gaping hole in your heart, a piece of yourself that would never come back.

“Big bro would have wanted you to have it,” Mikey said quietly, onyx irises devoid of emotion. “Take care of it, okay?”

Shinichiro’s chain necklace, the one you always fiddled with as a child. The one you always loved hearing clink against his neck as he worked on a motorcycle. It was yours now. The necklace found a new home upon your neck, the frigid metal weighed heavy on your collarbones, it would serve as a constant reminder of the love you held for Shinichiro.

No one ever told you the difference between love and grief.

The visits to Shinichiro’s grave became less frequent though your feelings for him were still tucked away in the folds of your heart. Shinichiro Sano was once the iridescent sun and you were his precious little moon, orbiting his ethereal presence as if he were the only celestial body in existence.

“I’m in high school now, Shin. I wish you could see how much I’ve grown,” You sighed, hugging your knees to your chest as you spoke to the shining tombstone. “Bet you’d wish I was still begging for your attention.”

“Manjiro and Emma are doing well though we haven’t spoken in a while. The Black Dragons have changed, Shinichiro. More than when you were around. I wish you never left us…”

Inui Seishu was someone you would never would have expected to become friends with. He held the first-generation Black Dragons with high respect. You had previously spotted him hanging around S.S. Motors along with the other delinquents Shinichiro often housed. Kokonoi Hajime was someone who tested your patience with every breath he took, he loved to tease and get under your skin with a snaky remark. The two reminded you of a cat and dog duo, one who's constantly at the other’s throats.

“I made a new friend; I’m sure you remember him. His name is Inui, basically sees you as a god.” You chuckled, "He hangs out with Waka and Benkei sometimes. Oh, they're doing fine too..."

A shaky breath escapes your quivering lips, the childhood memories of the time you all spent together come flooding in like a tidal wave. “It’s time for me to grow up, Shinichiro. You said I needed to find the right person to fall in love with, right?”

Except you’re not sure how to do that nor how to even begin on that journey.

Your soft steps echoed the graveyard as a warm gust of breeze enveloped your body as if to reassure yourself that you were making the right choice. “This is goodbye, first love."

You peered up at the sunset, sparing it a gentle smile as you continued on your path. “Shinichiro, wherever you are, you’ll live in my heart forever. I’ll always remember that smile of yours… too bad it was your last.”

Koko can’t seem to remember when days started turning into weeks, into months, into years. When the fine lines of separation between Seishu and Akane began to blur into one person. It was fascinating how his grief had him groveling in a rut of searching for a glimmer of happiness. He never realized how low he had fallen until he kissed Inupi’s sleeping figure in the library’s silent corridors. He swore it was Akane who welcomed his anguished lips to lie upon hers. He swore it was her who was resting against the windowsill, basking in the comforting embrace of the sunshine pouring in through the glass.

What have I done?

His sleepy lids fluttered open, he glanced up at the evening sky, gentle streaks of golden light dance across the scattered clouds, hinting at the vibrant display yet to come. The air is calm, and the world seems to hold its breath, savoring the tranquil moment as day slowly gives way to night.

Kokonoi groggily reaches out to the figure next to him, his fingers brushing against the other person’s arm. “Akane?”

He was instead greeted by your teasing voice, a slight snippy tone as you get firm with him as he wakes up. “Good morning, Your Highness. It’s about time you woke up.”

“It’s not very good if you’re here,” He muttered as soon as he realized who exactly he was talking to. What a joke. “Were you watching me sleep? I knew you were a freaky girl, been telling Inupi since the day we met.”

“Remind me again why I even bother with you, Koko…” You snapped, shaking your head at the attempt to insult you. "I'm not the one who sent some cryptic ass text telling me to meet you here. You were the one I found asleep in the middle of the field."

He chuckled at the remark, sticking his tongue out just as he always did when being smug. “Lack of a brain, clearly.”

The summer air was thick with moisture, each breath feels heavy, laden with the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass. The humidity wraps around everything, making the world seem slightly softened and hazy. Beads of sweat form quickly, tracing lazy paths down foreheads and necks, as the heat lingers even in the shade. The atmosphere is thick, almost tangible, carrying the distant hum of cicadas and the occasional rustle of leaves in the still, sultry air.

One question weighed on your mind, escaping your chest before you could think clearly. An inquiry that desperately needed an answer, no matter what kind of potential rift it would cause for either of you. “Koko, have you ever been in love?”

“Yes,” He paused for a moment, tilting his head and closing his eyes in deep concentration as he pondered on how to answer the question. “She was beautiful,” Kokonoi said, cutting through the momentary silence. “I wanted to marry her. Hell, I was going to marry her but—“

“Who’s Akane?”

Kokonoi realized you heard his muttering as he was asleep on the grass.

“Life never works out, does it?” A cold laugh escaped your lips, “I lost my first love too."

Kokonoi is aware of the fact you are an open person, he’s never witnessed the endless void in your eyes as you begin to relay the story of your lost lover. The empty shell you became as soon as the words began to depart your mouth. What a soulless sight.

It reminds him of himself. He hates it.

“We both promised we could marry once I was older. Now I’m beginning to realize how naïve I was to think it would work out.”

“Seishu told me about his older sister. She reminds me of Shinichiro, did you have a chance to confess to her?”

“That’s none of your damn business. Everything I do is for Akane," He admitted. “It’s the only way I can atone for the sins I carry.”

“Do you think that’s fair to Seishu?” You questioned, leading the conversation into dangerous territory. Kokonoi perked up at the drop of his friend's name, narrowing his scrutinizing gaze at you. It was like you knew which aggravating buttons to push with an expert hand, slowly setting the stage for an argument to brew and burst out. “Pushing him away because you believe that you deserve to suffer in his place. That’s a bit selfish, don’t you think?”

“What do you know? You’re just a stupid little girl who can’t get over the ghost of someone who’s never coming back!”

“You’re just a scared little boy who can’t face the fact that he deserves to make his own choices! Are you so far gone that you'll do anything for the sake of money?!” You fired back, frustration beginning to cloud your mind as the argument escalates further and further. “The Kanto Manji Gang is going to ruin you, Kokonoi."

“It’s my life, isn’t it? Quit acting like you own me." He griped, slapping away the finger you had jammed into his chest.

You scoffed, shooting him a pained glare as the knot in your throat tightened with each syllable that escaped your lips. Koko reflected so much of your grieving self that it was painful to stare at him straight on. “I’m not going to speak for Akane, but I know Shinichiro would hate me for using his memory as an excuse to make myself miserable! Let the dead rest, Hajime. It’s the least we can do for them to able to move on peacefully.”

Kokonoi has never received such an enraged response from you, nor has he ever witnessed you shedding tears over a fight. “Some days are more difficult than others, I understand that. I can function normally until the band aid over my heart is ripped off once again and I’m just a pathetic crying mess.”

Kokonoi can picture himself at home, destroying his belongings and wrecking his room in a fit of relentless rage.

“40 million... I'll make that money even if I die."

Kokonoi can picture himself receiving the phone call from his best friend, anguished sobs echoing across the line as he delivers the bone-chilling news he never wished to hear.

“Akane... She’s dead."

He can picture himself inside the hospital room, looming over Akane’s lifeless body. Bandages covering the unsightly burns across her body. Even in death, she was such a beautiful sight despite the injuries that consumed her entire being.

“I’m sorry, Akane! If only I had more money…”

Koko wishes he could be freed from the guilt of losing his best friend’s sister. Freed from the urge to chase at a fleeting shadow. Freed from the need to atone for his past self's shortcoming and unfulfilled promises.

“I walk into Mikey’s house sometimes expecting to run into Shinichiro,” You sighed, laying back in the grassy area of the ground. Kokonoi’s gaze traced your gentle features, admiring how well they reflected with the sunset’s glow on your skin. He can sense a subtle aura of longing radiating from your body “I always expect to see him waiting for me in the old bike shop.”

He can barely stop the suppressed confession from escaping his lips as soon as he blurted it out. “I kissed Inupi because I wanted to believe that it was Akane who was sitting there."

Surprisingly, you say nothing in response. Simply accepting it for what it is.

"I tried going out with Mikey for a while thinking he could make up for Shin. We both realized it wasn't healthy for either of us." You know he isn't seeking a response, instead someone who could find common ground. “Moving on doesn’t mean we’re leaving the people we love behind us. It means we have to live for ourselves, we get to choose our own paths, we write our own stories.”

You sighed, standing up and brushing away the debris lingering on your pants. The guilt of arguing with him earlier continued biting at your conscious, beckoning for you to reconcile with the boy. “It’s late, I should be heading home soon. I’m sorry for raising my voice at you, Hajime. I was trauma dumping, totally uncalled for.”

He nodded his head in response, choosing to acknowledge you passively rather than with words. Kokonoi could sense the iron-clad walls surrounding his heart beginning to cave in, threatening to tear apart his remaining composure. The years of pent-up grief was starting to bubble up and escape through the tattered seams of his soul.

Y/N has always treated me as friend even though I never considered her more than a nuisance.

Koko trembled, tears rolling thickly down his face, stinging his cracked lips. His hands twisted around each other as if he could press the worst of his feelings back into his skin. “Y-Y/N?” He croaked.

You immediately abandoned your thoughts, rushing to his side. “Koko? What is it? What’s wrong?” Your voice was sharp with concern as you scrutinized Koko any sign of something amiss.

Hesitating, Koko shook his head, his mouth opening and closing before opening again. His quivering voice could barely be heard from above a tiny whisper. “Could you just… hold me? Just for a minute?”

The request was bizarre but the anguished expression consuming his features sent your mind into overdrive. It was as if he would split into pieces if you weren't there to hold him together. He resembled a child crying out for their mother, desperate to be reassured that everything would be okay, he was safe, he was fine.

“Yeah, yeah of course.” You pulled Koko in, enveloping him in your arms, one hand cradling the back of his head and the other rubbing soothing circles into his back. You were quiet for a moment before you spoke, soft and gentle, “You know, it doesn’t have to be for just a minute. I’m here for as long as you need me.”

Koko is unable to understand how someone as compassionate as you can exist. Despite the constant banter you two have shared over the past year, you always treated him so well. He admires the way you’re ready to hand out your infinite kindness without expecting anything in return. He’s forgotten that there are people in this world who could care less about money or what he can offer to them.

There are people in this world who are the walking definition of a guardian angel. People who are there to listen and guide others when they've lost themselves, Koko stumbled upon that epiphany as soon as he became vulnerable with you. No expectations, no need to return the favor, it did not feel transactional to him like his other dealings.

“I’m not a good person. I don’t deserve comfort,” Koko mumbled into your shoulder. He was speaking more to himself than to you, finding a way to cope with the influx of manic chaos rushing through his veins. Your embrace was more than enough to calm his nerves though he cursed himself internally for allowing himself to be so weak in front of you.

The pure vulnerability of being able to indulge in another person’s care was something Koko thought he would never experience. Life served him the worst hand of cards, the only way to survive was to outsmart the system by creating his own.

“Regardless of whether you’re a good person or not, people don’t become better by treating themselves badly. And you don’t have to earn my kindness or ration it like it’ll run out. You already have it, as much as you’ll let me give you.”

You both stood like that for much longer than a minute.

"To be honest, I tolerate you better than most. You can be nice to have around, sometimes." He admitted, thinking you deserved some shred of his kindness in exchange for the temporary sanctuary you provided.

"I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me, Koko. I should record that, say it again!" You rolled your eyes playfully, holding up your cellphone as if you actually wanted to follow through with your plans.

Koko rolled his eyes at the suggestion, choosing to stick his tongue out as a response. "Don't push your luck, Y/N. This won't happen again."

"Hajime... It's time for you to live your life the way you want to."

“I will," Koko affirmed. "Don't have to tell me twice."

Meanwhile, Inui sighed from the sidelines, making note of the way you avoided his gaze as if it would change how easy it was for him to read you. He noticed the sheepish smile on your face and the subtle rosy tint on your cheeks but decided to spare you the embarrassment of explaining as soon as you approached. "How did it go?"

You cleared your throat, a tiny grimacing smile soon replacing the bashful expression. "Better than expected. You should reach out to him before 2nd Gen Toman faces Kanto Manji, I would hate see either of you get hurt."

Inui shook his head, returning a pained smile "You've done enough, Y/N. Koko needs to figure out the rest on his own. Want me to walk you home?"

"Thanks, Seishu." You answered but continued to politely decline his offer. "But I have to catch up with someone in a bit. I'll see you around okay?"

"Right, get home safe then. Message as soon as you make it back."

Soon enough, the sight of a familiar tombstone comes into view, a pair of fresh incense sticks and a pack of his favorite cigarettes adorning the gravesite. Waka and Benkei must’ve paid a visit right before you arrived. "Hiya, Shin. Guess what? I think I found someone to fall in love with. He's rough around the edges in some ways but I can sense that he has a warm heart. Sure, he gets on my nerves and can be too cocky for his own good, but he has some redeeming qualities.”

A tiny grin dances across your lips as you fiddle with the hem of your sleeves. “You know, it may be too soon to call it love but we’re starting off as friends… that’s a nice start, right?”

It’s quiet, so painstakingly quiet that you swore you could hear Shinichiro’s voice being carried through the wind. The graveyard was desolate considering the late hour. Call it wishful thinking, a side effect of long term grief or pure and utter delusion but the words strike like a resonating chord in your heart.

'I’m proud of you, Y/N.'

The graveyard feels a little less lonely tonight.

[liauditore]

Pssst if you’re still doing the shipping bingo, how would team rancher/solidaritek fill your bingo board?

OFC. RANCHERSSS ALWAYS AND FOREVER 😭😭

ok but.. real talk i think ranchers is like. my number two "I actually ship this no strings or footnotes attached" ship right after ethubs.

I am usually not one to be moved by ships that are just "they are fun and healthy together and love eachother" but oh GOD the ranchers. See I think the thing is they just.. make sense for eachother even if you don't expect it until the point they realise they're soulmates.

Jimmy's situation has been talked about to hell and back at this point but Tango is also very out of his element in the life series. He says himself that pvp is not his specialty and he doesn't have the time or resources to make his skill set shine. So he ends up either somewhat ignored or outcasted for most of the games. (<-- fyi fun fact this is where the whole 'mech pilot tango' idea came from lol. i feel like he'd have a dva-style mech outside of the life series)

In particular i LOVE his relationship with team BEST and I NEED desperately to talk abt it more. the way he's constantly talked over by his own teammates, intimidated, asked to sacrifice his own lives for their sake, "tango's Easy", etc. etc.

‘Cause inside, nothing’s fine It should be clear to prying eyes But I won’t let the feelings See the light So tell me, why should I even try? I’m frozen away in time

(Koala, Will Stetson)

They both have this habit of hiding their own insecurities behind a facade of boisterousness, but no matter how much either of them puff out their chests and raise their voices, their message of "please take me seriously" never seems to get through.

The Ranchers are just.. two losers against the world. and they inspire confidence within the other that they can't find in themselves. and yes the world forces them apart but you can Feel that influence they've had on one another in the background.

Guess I went and caved I wonder, is there another way? Because I want to believe That one day I’ll be okay So now, I’ll give it another try I can finally see with a clearer mind Even if the bumps in the road Might try to stop me, Still it’ll be alright Keeping it inside Isn’t clearing up the sky So you tighten your hand in mine Following the light like a cute Koala Laughing in stride

Plus I, uh... Unhinged but I have this thing with the life smp where there's this running theme throughout the story about how it doesn't really matter who wins or who dies first.

Because for every epic battle and every tear-jerking death there was fun and laughter and stupid, trivial drama before and in between and those little moments may not be as memorable or written down in history but they're what makes the series enjoyable. Yes, we're all gonna die, but isn't it cool that we laughed with eachother and made dumb jokes and adopted a frog and said "I love you" on the way there?

j-just like real life. life smp. evangelion moment im sorry

Though both of us will die one day Though this life is useless anyway When you’re here by my side, you make me feel like it’ll be okay And yet we laughed despite it all At this life which has no meaning at all Two lonely and broken souls leaning on each other’s sides I’m glad that you’re you, that I’m me, and for us two I’m kinda glad that you’re evil too When the day starts anew, hope I spend it with you I’m glad that I fell in love with you

(I'm Glad You're Evil Too, Rachie/Anthong translyrics)

The Ranchers epitomize that.

They are doomed. They both know this, I think. Neither of them can fight, they're left begging for scraps by session 2, no one on the server takes either of them seriously and they lost a life literally like 10 minutes into the first episode.

But they built a home together, raised livestock, stood up for eachother. and they were happy together.

and isn't that what really matters?

and neither of them are even aware of how much they really meant to the other one. the game ends. tango tells jimmy to go home. go. they certainly don't break up to the extent of Some Other Pairings In This Series but i like to think tango distances himself, thinking jimmy would be happier with his friends and not stuck with him. jimmy thinks the same. but they still wave hi and call eachother rancher and now they're running a salad restaurant together or something i guess.

It's just.. everything that gets the two of them condemned and made fun of in their other relationships is what's Celebrated in theirs. They can just be themselves, mistakes and silliness and imperfections at all, with no pressure to perform amazing feats and make amazing stuff and I think that's great.

um yeah i like ranchers.

[silverjirachi]

pssst pssst pssst come here all my high school and college students and young adults and basically everyone trying to figure out their lives let me explain to you a secret thing nobody tells you to consider when planning your life:

Location and Lifestyle.

What do I mean by this?

Well, you see my friends, throughout your early life, everyone only asks you what? What are you going to be studying? What would you like to do for a living? What would you like to be when you grow up?

And full offense, while this is a very important question to be answered, I think it is a question that needs to rely a lot more on the answers to other questions as well.

Through my life, no one asked me how I wanted to live. Who I wanted to live around. Where I wanted to be. And this led to me having a very clear vision of What I wanted to be, (theoretically, though, now that I’ve been considering more the other questions, this is coming under scrutiny) it left me feeling unfulfilled and at a loss for everything else.

So, from one person trying to figure their shit out to another, if you find yourself in a time where you and everyone else are asking “What,” please also consider:

where you want to do it

who you want to be around

how you want to live

And how your “what” will affect and be affected by all of that.

Let me give you an example.

From a very young age I had a very clear notion that I either wanted to be a writer or a performer. I went to school for theatre because I thought it would be easier to weave writing into a theatre career rather than the other way around. And that all went very well! I genuinely enjoyed going to school for theatre and don’t regret my chosen career field.

However.

Even during my education, no one prepared me for the other realities that my “what” would entail. I knew about the shit pay and that didn’t deter me. But theatre artists are also freelancers. Independent contractors. Every month or every season they must constantly be looking to secure and book new jobs because they generally do not have one, steady place that money is flowing from all year. And conceptually, I understood this, but no one ever really encouraged me to sit down and think, “Yes, it’s what I want to do, but is that how I’d like to live?”

So I entered adulthood and entered freelance, independent contractor land. And while I was doing what I wanted to do, I fucking hated it. God, did I hate it. Why? Because I realized freelancing is not the way I wanted to live. And there is a whole other discussion to be had about the gig economy and the cost of living and what have you, but that’s tangential to what I’m talking about right now. I started the #giglife and realized that I absolutely could not stand the constant pressure to get myself seen, constant need to submit to opportunities, and constant uncertainty on where money was coming from. The constant balancing of multiple schedules. The constant juggling of previous commitments and missed opportunities. The constant holding of multiple jobs at once. And let me be clear that this is not the case for all people. While there are a lot of issues with the system, I do know people who genuinely enjoy freelancing and building their own career path. But I hated it. So if you find yourself in freelancing and find that you absolutely hate it, freelancing is not for you. At least, not full time.

And when I realized I hated it, I had to sit down and have a conversation with myself. Yes, this is what I want to do, but it is not how I wanted to live. And so I changed strategies. I applied to full time, 35 to 40-hour a week jobs still in the artistic field, but not in jobs that would require me to keep freelancing. And after months, I finally got one. And let me tell you, my life changed for the better.

I am happier. Calmer. I can visualize myself sustaining this lifestyle. And it helps that my bosses are also theatre artists and the generally coolest and most chill people ever, but the difference is astounding. Now that I’ve considered my own lifestyle needs, I am beginning to restructure and restrategize how I am going to do the rest of the “what” I’d like to do.

And you might consider your lifestyle and realize you actually hate your what and that’s okay too! And who knows, I might change my mind later, but I absolutely do not at all regret changing my strategy and even changing my “what” to a degree just to better align myself with the lifestyle I need.

But please don’t only think of the doing of things in your life. Please also consider the living of it.

I add location in here too because you should also consider things like if you’d like to live in a rural area or a city, how close you’d like to be to family, etc. The career opportunities in the area you choose. Because location also does make a huge difference. It’s similar to lifestyle as it does impact it but also distinct enough to warrant being mentioned on its own.

Either way, please don’t just consider what you’d like to do. Consider how what you will do will directly impact the way you then will be living your day to day life.

[gachagon]

Words: 1.2k

Genre: Romance, Fluff, AU, Fairytale

Pairing (s): Bachira/Isagi, Kaiser/Ness

While Kunigami and Chigiri fuss over there own plans for the ball, the castle is a buzz with others who are equally as busy during this time. Let's see what the others are up to, elsewhere in the castle...

Tags: @echarie @https-true-egoist @nevermeyers @katasstrophy @devil3600000 @bythewillows @lizzieonka @antiv3nom @swoland @blonde-batgirl

pssst: read till the end for special notes about the AU~

Isagi had been pacing the empty ballroom floor back and forth in thought as he went over all of the proceedings for the upcoming ball. As the prince’s retainer he had to be very prepared for everything that was to come, and also was in charge of making sure everything went smoothly. However, no matter what his mind would come up with various ways it could all go horribly wrong. As such, he also spent time thinking of a million contingency plans just in case something did happen. 

“Oh will you knock it off with all that pacing, you’re making me dizzy!” Bachira said from one of the lone chairs against the ballroom floor. He had followed Isagi as he quietly muttered to himself, and had tried to make conversation. But Isagi was so wrapped up in his own mind about the ball, that he hadn’t even noticed Bachira. Slumped over the back of the chair lazily, Bachira watched on as Isagi still pondered on.

“I have to make sure everything is perfect, Bachira.” Isagi told him. “This is the prince’s first ball, it's a very special occasion!”  

“It will be perfect, we’ve already ordered all the cakes and desserts that will be had at the ball. All the decorations are being put up, too. What’s got you so worried?” Bachira asked him with a frown. “You haven’t even spoken to me the entire time you’ve been ‘thinking’.” Bachira mumbled this last part quietly with a dejected tone. 

Isagi flinched slightly, as he looked back at Bachira. He walked over to him, “S-sorry about that. You’re right, maybe I am worrying a bit too much.” Isagi said. “Let’s just walk around a bit and see how everything is coming along though at least-” 

Bachira groaned loudly, “We already did that though! Twice! I think everything’s just as it’s always been, Isagi.” He stood up from the chair just then, and stared at Isagi with a mischievous grin. “I know, we haven’t practiced for what we’re gonna do at the ball yet!” 

Isagi raised an eyebrow, “Practice…? What do you mean?” He felt a nervous flutter settle in the pit of his stomach at Bachira’s grin. Normally when Bachira gave him that smile some form of antics happened immediately afterward. 

“Well we have to dance at a ball, duh. And I haven’t seen you dance before.” Bachira’s smile grew as he took a hold of Isagi’s hand and pulled him toward the center of the ballroom. “I’m sure you’re a great dancer, you used to be in the knight's right?”

Isagi laughed softly as he let Bachira lead him to the center floor. “Training is very different from dancing, monster.” 

Bachira took hold of Isagi’s hands with a determined glint. “We shall see, then.” He said, as they began to practice their dancing. 

The two of them danced for quite a while until Isagi was out of breath and dizzy from being spun around so much. Bachira flopped onto his back and laughed heartily as he breathed hard from his lungs. “See, I told you! You can dance, Isagi” Bachira said as he sat up. “Though you kind of stepped on my toes a bit…” 

Isagi chuckled, as he helped Bachira stand back up. “Sorry, I’ll try not to do that during the ball.” he said, stumbling back a bit as Bachira had stood a little too close. “You are an excellent teacher.”

Bachira smirked, “Darn right I am! And when we dance at the ball together I’m sure you’ll have gotten the hang of it!” Isagi felt a low heat crawl across his face. 

“Together…?” He hadn’t expected Bachira to pick him as a dancing partner so easily.

Bachira chuckled, “Of course together. I’ve been thinking about dancing with you for ages now. I’ve just never had an opportunity to teach you!” He smiled at Isagi’s shocked expression. “Let’s hope this ball is a success so we can dance at all of the other ones in the future.” 

Isagi hummed in agreement, “Yes, let’s hope.” 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Kaiser and Ness hung around the training grounds for the knights that day, tired after spending all their time sparring. Kaiser, as the captain of the knights, was the most exhausted out of the two of them seeing as he had to rally them all to focus during training. Everyone including the palace’s own knights were excited about the ball. Kaiser was as well, though he liked the glory from the battlefield more. 

“The ball is soon…I hope we can catch a break during it.” Ness huffed as he sat next to Kaiser on one of the stone benches. “It seems like it’s all anyone really cares about these days.” 

Kaiser scoffed, “It won’t be that amazing of a ball, the only people showing up are common folk.” He said with a slight smirk. “The prince loves doing charity work after all…It’ll be nothing like the balls my family held at our own palace.” 

Ness nodded in agreement, “Why yes of course, Sir Kaiser’s family can not be outdone!” He always made sure to agree with everything Kaiser said. Even if it was something as innocuous as this. “Even this measly palace doesn’t compare to your own family's home.” 

Kaiser looked satisfied then, and crossed his arms haughtily. “I’m not even sure I want to go to such an event. It will just be full of troublemakers, and that’s not the kind of crowd I like to hang around.” He said. “Maybe I’ll ask my father to throw a ball of his own, and we can go to that one instead.” 

Ness nodded once more, but a small part of him halted. “Uh…Sir Kaiser, I know you said you don’t like the ball…however, maybe you should go anyways?” He suggested in a light tone. Kaiser raised an eyebrow at him. 

“And why would I go? To keep the peace?” Kaiser asked with an eye roll. 

Ness laughed awkwardly, “N-no I just think…well, it would be fun to go anyways, despite all of that.” 

“Oh please, and what would I even do at a ball like that?” Kaiser shrugged. “I don’t see the point.” 

Ness urged on anyway, not relenting on the idea of going to the ball. He put a hand to his chin in thought. “You could dance, have nice food and drink. Talk to your many admirers…” he trailed off on this last point as he eyed Kaiser. “I think you could have a lot of fun if you went.”

Kaiser stood up just then, with an annoyed look on his face. “And who would I dance with? Or drink with? Or eat with? Seriously, Ness, the whole thing seems boring-” 

“I’ll go with you.” Ness looked into Kaiser’s eyes then, and the air between them felt charged with something heavy. “I’ll do all of those things with you…if you want. That way you won’t have to be alone at the ball.”

Kaiser looked away then, turning his face out of view. Though as Ness leaned forward slightly, he could spot the slight red tinge on his cheeks. Finally, Kaiser spoke again. “I…suppose that doesn’t sound so bad, if it’s with you…” 

Ness smiled again, a soft bout of laughter bubbling up, as he stared at Kaiser’s bashful expression. “It would be my honor.” He said. 

More about this AU <3

Bachisagi:

Bachira and Isagi are both Kunigami's royal retainers, which really just means they're there to give him good advice from time to time. They grew up with Kunigami, which is the reason he chose them as his retainers in the first place.

Bachira grew up in a traveling troupe and was first brought to the castle as a jester for the young prince. Kunigami thought Bachira was so funny that he quickly became his friend.

Isagi's family were once very loyal knights to the palace, and Isagi followed in his mother and fathers footsteps to becoming apart of the knights. He was very good at it, and would often spar with Kunigami when he was a knight. However, Kunigami thought Isagi would be better as his retainer since his quick thinking on the battlefield led to great decision making. So Isagi gave up his mantle as a knight to be a retainer.

Isagi and Bachira didn't grow up together, but they did meet outside of the palace when Bachira's family were still a traveling troupe. Isagi was very mesmerized by the tricks Bachira did, that he wanted to try looking for him. He was very happy to find that Bachira was the prince's retainer.

Kainess:

Kaiser's family are nobles and are very proud of their son, who has made quite the name for himself. Kaiser is a famous knight known all over the kingdom for his heroic feats. Though he is secretly a pretty stuck up person, and looks down on those he helps.

He joined the palace as a normal knight and quickly rose up through the ranks. However, his progress was halted as he had to compete with Isagi for the captain title. Kaiser became slightly obsessed with trying to beat Isagi during this time.

Ness worked for Kaiser's family as a simple stable boy however he and Kaiser became friends despite the difference in class. Ness adores Kaiser with all of his heart, and really loves him and compliments him at every turn. However, it seems no matter how many kind things Ness says to him, Kaiser doesn't really "get" the true meaning yet...

Ness followed Kaiser to the palace and joined him in the knights. In order to keep up with Kaiser, Ness put himself through rigorous training and soon became his own right hand man. Though Ness has pledged fealty to the prince, some would say he's far more loyal to his captain than anyone.

Kaiser secretly really likes Ness, however he doesn't know how to go about his feelings or how to admit them. He has no plans of ever letting Ness retire to someone else's side, so he's been thinking of other ways for them to advance in the knights.

[sebastianshaw]

Pssst um

*rat snoot pokes in *

I’m at LARP right now but: though I am super busy right now I do still want to interact with new mutuals, please do not be shy!!

That’s all.

[amorgansgal]

Of Wailing Winds, And Naked Woods

Arthur has found a place to rest away from the difficulties of the world and the misery the gang is facing, but he finds his sleep is disturbed by an old friend.

Warnings: Depiction of illness (TB)

‘Hey. Hey! Pssst. Wake up!’

Arthur mumbles in his sleep and pushes the finger that is poking his cheek away. He rolls over onto his side and tries his best to fall back to sleep again, the welcoming lure of a deep, dreamless sleep is one way he can escape from everything that happens in his waking life.

‘Hey, don’t ignore me. Wake up!’ the woman’s voice whispers.

It takes him a moment to realise that this is strange. He is camping out in the forest, near Owanjila lake. There shouldn’t be anyone here to wake him. Tilly and Hosea aren’t here to wake him up with coffee, nor is the piercing yell of Grimshaw knocking pans over his head or Dutch yelling his name from across camp. If there is someone here, then perhaps he should be in for a ruder awakening. O’Driscolls shooting shit up and trying to rob him or a bear ripping through the canvas material! Not the soft, light teasing tone of a woman.

He cautiously peeps open his eyes, before rolling over onto his back. He is greeted by the dark grey material of his canvas tent and the only sounds he can hear is the heavy drip, drip, drip of fat rain drops hitting the tent from tree branches overhead. He can hear the rumble of the storm rolling over the hills and mountains, disappearing into the west.

Arthur sits up. He doesn’t feel tired anymore. He stretches and finds that the usual joints that would click and cry out in pain, are no longer hurting him. He inhales deeply and finds the air doesn’t irritate his lungs. He stops. Unable to believe it. Maybe its gone. Maybe the illness that has sent burning needles through his lungs, made his throat raw and made his mouth taste like nothing but blood has been cured. He cautiously coughs and isn’t overwhelmed by the furious, burning desire to cough and cough and cough until there is nothing left.

‘Psst!’

He jumps at the sound and stares at the tent flaps. A woman’s giggle echoes through the woods and a shiver runs down Arthur’s spine, as he hears nails run down the material. He swallows harshly and picks up his revolver.

‘Who’s there?’ he barks.

The tent flap shifts aside and Jenny pokes her head into the tent. Mousy brown hair, grey eyes and that irrepressible grin she always wore slides into view. ‘Me, silly. Why are you so grumpy?’

‘I’m always grumpy!’ he mutters. He frowns at her. How did she get here? He rode out alone. He camped alone. The gang are miles away. ‘What are you doing here?’

She frowns slightly as though the question has thrown her off. ‘I… I don’t know. Same as you, I suppose.’

‘Wha’s that suppose to mean? Same as me? You ain’t supposed to be here, you should be in camp, you’re meant to be-’ and the words get caught in his throat. Jenny is dead. Shot dead months ago. A bullet to her stomach. Making her cry and whimper at every jolt in the road while she was in the wagon, even though she was still trying to make jokes and laugh and pretend everything was fine.

‘Where am I meant to be? I think I’m where I’m meant to be. I think most of us are here though,’ she says.

‘What?’

Jenny gives him a teasing smile and then turns her head, as though calling to someone just outside the tent. ‘Hey, c’mere!’

‘Jenny?’ he asks partially confused and partially wary. How is this happening? Who is she speaking to? Where the hell are they? How can Jenny, flesh and blood, rosy cheeks, breathing and alive Jenny, be here? Talking to him, watching him, laughing at him?

Then right by his ear, he hears a small voice whisper as though confused and scared, ‘Papa?’

~~~

He jolts awake, the fierce, painful cough ripping open his throat, making him gasp for air and tears blind him as his body is wracked with coughs. The iron tang of blood seeps onto his tongue and he manages to sit up. He grabs his canteen and swallows the stale water therein. A few gasping breaths and he’s gained some semblance of control, though his body is still fighting him, still failing him.

He wipes a rough hand over his mouth and finds himself blinded by sunlight. He looks up at the opened tent flaps, the world beyond looks like a beautiful painting, the sway of emerald green trees, the grass moving like an ocean of soft greens and purple flowers, the bright bolt of blue sky, it all promises so much for those who get to live in it. He ignores the certainty that he closed the tent flaps last night and busies himself with packing away the camp, so he doesn’t remember hearing his son’s voice so close to him. Only fools believe in anything like that.

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Bad Reputation

Fandom: Marvel (High School AU)

Pairing: Chubby!Bucky x GN!Reader

Summary: For some reason, your high school’s resident bad boy, Bucky Barnes, seemed to have made it your personal mission to be a thorn in your side.

A/N: inspired by this gif set.

Your eyes glance up every so often to make sure your notes are correct as you scribble into your notebook. Mr. Coulson continues to talk about history and you're adamant to jot down every single thing he says.

You feel something hit the back of your head, but you ignore it. A minute goes by and you feel it again, along with a "pssst!"

You shake your head and try to keep your focus. Something something 1894-

"Hey," you jolt when you hear a whisper and a tap on your shoulder.

You look over your shoulder and see James "Bucky" Barnes now sitting the seat behind you that was previously occupied by Brunnihilde, "What, James?" you hiss.

James, or Bucky as he likes to be called, smirked at his first name. Not many got away with calling him that, but you did.

"Wanna hang out after school?"

You turn back around to continue taking notes, "Don't you have detention...again?"

He scoffs, "Yeah, but I'll skip it for you."

"Pass," you mumble.

You hear him sigh and lean back, "Suit yourself." Minutes pass and you turn back around and Brunnhilde is back in her seat.

________________

When you walk out of class, Bucky is waiting for you by the door. You ignore him as you walk down the hall to your next class. He follows closely behind, you hear the creaking of his leather jacket that he usually wears.

"Leave me alone, James."

Bucky rushes around to stand in front of you, stopping you in your path, "Y/N, why do you hate me so much?"

"Because you're annoying, you're a troublemaker, you never know when to shut up you, you-"

"Jeez. Alright. Damn."

"I have to go to class, James," you walk around him and continue your journey.

He catches up to you again, "I'll walk you!"

"No, thanks."

You continue to head to class, but Bucky doesn't follow this time. He stops in the hall sighing and pushing his hands into his distressed jeans. He looks down dejectedly and heads in the other direction to his class.

The bell already rang by the time he steps into class. Ms. Hill writes him off and he, to no one's surprise, get detention yet again for having three tardies in a row.

He slumps into his seat behind his best friend, Steve, and sighs. As Steve is writing notes, he murmurs only low enough for Bucky to hear, "No luck?"

"Nope," Bucky murmurs back. He looks down and looks how his black t-shirt clings to his round belly. He pats it and sighs, "Do you think they'd like me if maybe I wasn't so chubby?"

"Y/N may not like you, but they're not shallow, Buck."

"I just don't get it. Why don't they like me?"

"Probably because you annoy them so much," Steve answers with a smirk, which earns him a flick to the ear.

"Ow!"

"Steve, is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

He shakes his head, "No, ma'am."

Ms. Hill goes back to giving her lecture and Steve hisses, "Quick being a jerk."

"I'll quit being a jerk if you quit being a punk, you punk," Bucky retorts with an amused grin.

___________________

You head to your usual table where Scott, Hope, Luis, Carol, Brunnhilde, and yourself usually eat.

You sit in between Scott and Carol with a sigh. It's Tuesday, but you already want the week to be over. Carol leans in and whispers to you, "Don't be alarmed, but Bucky's been looking at you since you walked over here."

You groan and let your head fall onto the lunch table, "Why can't he just leave me alone?"

"Because he likes you," Hope answers.

You snort, "More like he likes to annoy me. I don't want anything to do with him. Bad guys like that are up to know good. I don't have time for that."

"I like Bucky," Scott speaks up with a smile, "He's cool."

"You just like him because he gave you a nickname," Hope replies with knowing smirk.

"He's a cool guy!"

You hear a burst of laughter and you look up to see Bucky throwing food at Clint and Sam two tables down.

You roll your eyes and pull out your own lunch. As soon as you're about to take a bite, you hear "WATCH OUT!" and you're hit in the face with a piece of pizza.

Everyone suddenly goes silent. You look up and see Bucky's look of horror. He's immediately rushing over to you, "Y/N! I am SO sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, James." you say calmly.

He looks at you in surprise, "Wait, really?"

You take Scott's cupcake that he got from Gamora and said, "NOPE!" and smashed it onto his face.

He wipes away the frosting and smushed cake, and smirked, "That's how it's gonna be? Fine." he grabs your tupperware of pasta and dumps it over your head, "FOOD FIGHT!"

Everyone begins to scatter and starts throwing their food left and right. You grab your food, Scott's food, Luis' food, any food you can get your hands on and throwing them to Bucky.

"YOU'RE SUCH AN ASS!" you yell at him.

"AND YOU'RE A STUCK UP!"

The doors to the cafeteria burst open and the principal, Mr. Fury, yells, "EVERYONE FREEZE." And you all do.

You're seething, glaring at Bucky, chest heaving.

"Who's responsible for this, huh?"

Everyone points to you and Bucky who are in a more isolated area of the cafeteria. Fury, watching where he stepped, marched over to you. He points to Bucky, "Barnes." and then you, "L/N, my office. Now."

________________

Two weeks. Detention for a whole two weeks. You couldn't believe this! Because of Bucky, your record was no longer clean. Your dislikeness towards Bucky just grew after that.

After school, you marched into the cafeteria where you'd be helping the lunch faculty.

"Alright James and Y/N, you'll help with dishes. You can discuss who will wash and who will dry."

Without looking at Bucky you head to the sink, "I'll wash."

Bucky cautiously follows you and stands by your side waiting for you hand him washed dishes.

"Y/N-"

"Don't talk to me, James."

"I'm sorry," he murmurs in a painted tone, "I really didn't mean to throw that pizza at you."

"Why are you like this?!" you drop the dishes back into the sink, "Why must you annoy me and bother me every chance you get?!"

"I-I don't mean to-"

"Bullshit, Barnes!"

"I like you, okay?! I like you and I-I don't know what to do! The only time you look at me or talk to me is when I bother you and I just-I just want you to talk to me, Y/N. To see me."

"Why me? There's plenty other people who'd rather have your attention!"

"I don't know. There's just something about you. You're sweet and smart. You're caring. I know-I know something like me doesn't deserve the attention from someone like you, but I can't help it."

You snort, "You don't know me though. Not really."

"Well, maybe I can get to know you now? Ya know, since you and I will spending a lot of time together here?"

"We'll see," you answer before heading back to doing dishes.

__________________

After a week of detention, you and Bucky were more civilized. You got to know each other a little bit more. You found out that he wanted to take over his dad's construction company, that he wanted to help Steve get into NYU with the money he's been earning from working with his dad.

Bucky learned that you wanted to go to school for journalism and that you have a pet bunny named Floppy.

You found out that Bucky knows Celine Dion's music very well because his mom loves her.

He found out that you wanted to be on Broadway when you were younger, but realized you had bad stage fright.

Whenever you two saw each other in class or in the halls, you didn't turn in the other direction. You gave each other a nod and a polite smile.

Then...the flowers started happening.

You walked into Mr. Coulson's classroom and found a daisy with a note next to it. You picked up the note and it read:

I saw this cute flower and thought of you. Have a good day.

-JB

You looked at the back of the classroom to where Bucky usually sat, but he wasn't there. You snort to yourself and roll your eyes. He's probably going to late, per usual.

A few minutes before class started, Bucky waltzed in and sat in the empty seat beside you. He pulls out a notebook and pencil. He writes the date at the top and looks up at the front of the class to see if there was anything on the whiteboard.

He then turns to you and smirks, "Hi."

"Hi. Thanks for the flower."

"You're welcome," he looks down at his notebook and then looks up to see you still staring at him. He chuckles, "What?"

"You're early to class and prepared....are you feeling okay?" you lean in, feeling his head with the back of his hand.

You swats your hand away, "Quit it! I'm fine! Just turning over a new leaf. I'm gonna be a changed man, Y/N."

"Okaaaay?"

Your school day went by fast. One moment you were in your first class and the next you're in the cafeteria helping clean the kitchen.

"So...what's the real reason you're suddenly trying to be a good student?"

"Does there have to be a reason?" Bucky asks as he wipes down the counters.

"There's a reason for everything, Bucky." you freeze and so does Bucky. You look up and he's looking way too smug for your liking, "It was a slip of the tongue."

"You called me, Bucky."

"It won't happen again."

"Can I hear it again?"

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Hell no."

"Okay...I do like it when you call me James, though. Just so you know." he looks at you with a soft stare and an equally soft smile.

You cleared your throat and went back to refilling the fridge with milk, "Anyway, the reason?"

Bucky sighs and walks over to you, resting against a counter as you work, "Had a meeting with Fury. Said if I don't improve on my grades, I'm gonna get held back. Means I can't pursue my goals with taking over my dad's business, can't help Stevie with school. I gotta be better."

You pause and then ask, "Do you....want some help?"

"Um...I'd like some, but you don't have to. I can't ask-"

"You're not asking, James. I'm offering."

"Sure."

So after school, while you and Bucky served your detention, you helped him study.

Eventually, your detention was over, but that didn't stop you from helping Bucky. During lunch, you two would be in the library. You two would study at the park near your house. You soon began to show you his grades and they were definitely improving.

When Bucky got his first A in a long time, you took him out to lunch to celebrate.

You guys went to the local café in your neighborhood, getting burger, fries, and shakes.

You lifted up your shake, "Congrats, James, to your first A in a logn time!"

Bucky held up his own and clinked it to yours, "And to you, Y/N, because I wouldn't have done it without you."

"Guess we make a great team, huh?"

Bucky smiles that smile that you've noticed he only does with you, "Yeah...we do."

____________

"You've been spending a lot of time with Bucky for someone who hates him," Carol states as you join them at the lunch table after what seemed like forever.

You rolled your eyes as you sat down, "I don't hate him. I never did, honestly. Just strongly disliked! But anyway, we're good now. Bonded a lot during detention and then I was tutoring him. We're....friends now."

"Just friends?" Brunnhilde asked.

"Yup. Just friends!"

After school, Bucky is waiting for you by your car.

He nervously wipes his sweaty palms down his round belly and runs a hand through his hair, "Um, hey."

"Hey, what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know something. You know my feelings for you and, honestly, they haven't changed. In fact, they've only grown since we've been spending so much time together. And, there's another reason why I wanted to do better in school...and that's you."

"Me?"

"I wanted to be better for you, so I can show you that I'm not just that punk ass kid that doesn't care about anything and anyone. That I'm more than just my bad reputation. And, I think this past month, I've done a pretty good job at showing that. But anyway, I was wondering, if you feel the same? And if you wanna go on a date sometime?"

His confession floored you. You didn't expect him to say any of this, "James, I-I won't lie, that I have some feelings for you, but it-it takes a lot more than this for me to like someone. I mean, we just became friends. And while I do like how you've changed, I just-there's more to it than just that."

He nods and clears his throat, "Right. Got it. I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," you grab hold of his arm, "Maybe...we can just be friends for now and see how it goes?"

He nods, "Yeah. Okay. You set the pace and I'll follow, Y/N. I'd rather have you as a friend than not at all."

"I can't promise anything would come from this."

"I know. I'm just....glad you finally see me."

You smile at him with softness in your eyes, "I'm glad I finally see you too."

[americasass91]

Truth or Dare?

Here is the original request:

Well Hello! I know I haven’t posted anything in a hot minute. Stupid fucking Covid got in the way. But I’m fully recovered and back to normal! Well as normal as I can be for me 😋. Anyways i’m back with a request from @shythingstudentdragon​! I hope you like it! And thank you for letting me tweak the request just a little! I also used some prompts so this fit into the Happy Hoelidays Challenge! Sorry this is such a late entry but I’m glad I was able to get one out! Thank you for hosting this lovely challenge @stargazingfangirl18​ @navybrat817​ and @donutloverxo​! I had a lot of fun with it!

This is a Steve Rogers AU. I hope you enjoy!

Dialogue Prompts:

“I know a good way to warm you up.”

Gif Prompt Used: Steve Rogers

Rating: Explicit (I mean really, all of mine are usually this rating. I can’t seem to help myself😏)

Words: 4.3k

Warnings: Language, Oral(F Receiving), unprotected sex(You can’t go wrong, if you shield your dong), Steve being Steve (I think this is a valid warning), And if i forgot anything I apologize

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God you hated men.

Your ex decided to cheat on you with the school slut. You broke up with him as soon as you found out and he had the audacity to act all bent out of shape about it. What the fuck did he expect?

You’re not even entirely sure why he slept with someone else. You guys had plenty of sex. Not good sex, but still.

The sad thing was is you’re only 18 but you were considering swearing off men.

“Pssst. Come on baby, talk to me.” Your ex was currently trying to get your attention in class. You were doing your best to ignore him and just copy the notes from the board.

“Shut up, Justin. I don’t want to hear it.” You whispered back while glancing at the teacher. You really didn’t want to get in trouble.

“But I want you back. That girl didn’t mean anything.”

You decided to not even dignify that with a response and continue to copy the board.

“Please Y/N. I just need one more chance, you’ll see. I’ve changed!”

“Shhh.” You hear from the front of the class. It came from the Teacher’s Assistant, Steve.

You glare back at Justin.

The glare must not have any effect because he continues to pester you.

After about the fifth plea of taking him back, you lose it.

“WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?”

You instantly slap your hands over your mouth. You hadn’t meant to scream that out loud.

“Miss Y/L/N!! There will be no tolerance for that kind of outburst and language in my classroom! Detention after school!!”

Your jaw drops. “But that’s not fair! He wouldn’t leave me alone.” You point back at Justin.

“Well the only voice I heard was yours. I’ll see you after school.”

Mr. Smith comes over and hands you the dreaded pink slip. The bell rings indicating class is over. You gather your things and hightail it the hell out of there, needing to get away from Justin as soon as possible.

That motherfucker caused you to get detention. And on today of all days! You were going to go Christmas shopping with your girls. Well not now.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

After your last class of the day you find your friends to let them know you have detention and aren’t able to join them.

“Awe that totally sucks! How on earth did you get detention?” Your best friend asks.

You quickly tell them what happened. They all agree you’re going to have to get Justin back somehow.

You give them a sad wave and head back towards your 3rd period class to get this torture over with.

When you walk in you look around for Mr. Smith and are pleasantly surprised to see his Teaching Assistant instead sitting at his desk.

You plop yourself down in one of the desks in the middle row. “Where’s Mr. Smith?”

Steve looks up from the tests he’s grading. “He said he had a prior commitment and asked if I minded sitting with you.”

You roll your eyes. “You must have something better to do than hang out in detention.”

He gives you a smirk. “I don’t believe I’m the one in detention, Miss Y/L/N.”

You feel a shiver run down your spine at his smirk. “Yeah, well. It’s not exactly my fault that I’m here.”

He nods. “I know. I noticed Justin wouldn’t leave you alone. I tried to explain that to Mr. Smith after class. But you know how he is. Plus you shouted a curse word out loud.”

You grimace. “Yeah, not one of my finer moments. So how does this work? Do I have to sit here and be quiet for an hour or am I allowed to talk?”

Steve leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. Jesus. How had you never noticed how built he was before?

“Well normally I ask the student to sit there quietly but since I don’t really think you’re at fault, I don’t mind if you talk. What would you like to talk about?”

You shrug your shoulders. “Well, I don’t know a lot about you. How about we play Truth or Dare. That always brings out people’s true selves.”

There’s that smirk again. “Alright. You start.”

“Okay, Truth or Dare?”

“I’m just warning you, I don’t do a lot of Dares. So I’m going with Truth.”

“Fine with me. We’ll start easy. How old are you?”

He cocks his head to the side. “Almost 21. Truth or Dare?”

You cross your legs and can’t help but notice his gaze follows your movement. “Truth.”

“How old are you?”

You smirk. “18. I started Kindergarten late. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“So what are you going to school for?”

“I want to be a history teacher. That’s why I’m Mr. Smith’s assistant.”

You nod your head. “Makes sense. And I know you didn’t ask me but, Truth.”

He looks up towards the ceiling for a moment, thinking about what he wants to ask you. “So why was that guy bothering you in class?”

You can’t help the roll of your eyes. “He’s my ex and he wants me back. And I could care less.”

“Why’d you guys break up?”

“He decided to fuck somebody else and I don’t put up with that shit. I know I deserve better than that. So I’ve sworn off men.”

He furrows his brows. “I mean that totally sucks he cheated on you. And in my opinion he’s an idiot. But you’re really swearing off men? All men? We’re not all bad you know.”

“I didn’t say all men were bad. I’m just done with them for now. Gonna take some time for myself. Enjoy me.”

Steve’s thoughts immediately go down the drain at your last statement. He can feel his cheeks turning red as well as his pants getting tighter. He clears his throat. “Well, that’s always good to do. Time for yourself is important.”

“Yeah it is. And I believe it’s my turn. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth, please.”

You decide you want to watch him squirm. “I can’t help but notice you have a nice body. Do all the girls at college try to get a piece of you?”

Now Steve definitely knows his cheeks are red. “Um, no. I can’t say that they do. I mean, I’ve had a few interested but not a lot.”

You find that hard to believe. He’s fucking gorgeous and currently ruining your panties with every smirk of his.  “Now, I don’t believe that for a second. I mean, you’re very good looking Steven. If I went to your college, I’d definitely hit on you.”

Now Steve was definitely having inappropriate thoughts. He knew he shouldn’t. You were still in high school. Although you are 18. “Well, thank you. I guess the right girl hasn’t been interested. I’m looking for a connection I guess. I want more than just sex.”

That actually surprised you. Usually sexy guys like Steve are only looking for one thing. “Yeah, a connection would be nice I suppose. Although you have to admit, sometimes just sex can be nice too.”

Steve clears his throat and looks towards the windows at the snow falling outside. “Uh, I think it’s my turn now. Truth or Dare?”

You can’t help but notice he ignored what you said about sex. “Truth.”

Steve decides to give you a little taste of your own medicine. “What’s the best sex you’ve ever had?”

Now it’s your turn to be embarrassed. “I don’t think that’s happened yet. Cause if it has, I’m thoroughly disappointed. Truth or Dare?”

“You know what? I think I’m going to go with Dare this time.”

You get excited at the idea. “Well, Steven. You look like a nice strong guy. So…” You look around the room…“I Dare you to pick up one of the desks over your head.”

Steve scoffs at you. “At least give me a challenge, Y/N.”

He stands up and picks up the middle desk in the front row and lifts it over his head as if it weighs nothing. Welp, you’re definitely wet now. Jesus. Those fucking arms of his. The veins were really prominent now. You knew he knew you were checking him out and fuck it if you cared. He sets the desk back down and sits in the desk in front of you sideways so that he can still look at you.

“Wow, I have to say that I’m impressed.”

He smirks at you. “Yeah? That was nothing. But hey, it’s my turn now. Truth or Dare?”

You almost pick Dare to see what he’d choose but you chicken out at the last minute. “I’m gonna have to go with Truth again.”

He turns his gaze towards the window again trying to think of what to ask you. Then he smirks and moves his eyes back to you. “Was that ex of yours any good in bed?”

You don’t even have to think about this answer. “Ha, no. I mean, it wasn’t the worst I’ve had. But definitely not that great. Let’s just call him a 2 pump chump and leave it at that.”

“Ouch. Can’t say I’m surprised though.”

“Are you a 2 pump chump, Steven?”

Steve just smirks at you. “I believe you’re supposed to ask me Truth or Dare?”

You smirk back at him. “Okay. Truth or Dare, handsome?”

“I think I’m going to go with Dare again.”

You think for a second before a naughty thought pops into your head. You stand up and move so that you’re standing in front of him. You put your hands on your hips. “Okay, Mr. Big Strong Guy. I Dare you to lift me up. I’ve got a big ass and hips, it might be a challenge for you.”

He stands up. You’re so close to him that your chests are touching. He gazes down at you. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem, Miss Y/L/N. And I happen to think you have a nice ass.”

Before you get a chance to reply, he grabs your hips and lifts you straight up. You squeal in surprise and grab onto his shoulders. “You’re light as a feather, babe. No problem at all.”

He slowly lowers you back down, making sure your body slowly slides against his. Jesus he feels good against you.

It takes you a minute to realize your feet are back on the floor, your hands still on his shoulders. His are still on your waist. You can’t seem to tear your gaze away from his. You can feel him pressed up against your lower tummy. He was hard. Jesus. He felt huge. He clears his throat.

“Truth or Dare, doll?”

You swallow the lump in your throat. You move your hands down to his arms. They felt nicer than you expected. He starts flexing. God damn. He could probably snap you in half without any effort. You bite your lip and meet his eyes again. “Dare.”

“Kiss me.”

You don’t even hesitate. You rise up on your toes and firmly press your lips against his. You move your hands back up so that your hands are resting on the back of his neck. His grip on your waist tightens as he returns your kiss. He keeps it light and soft. He pulls back enough so that he can make eye contact with you. “I thought you were giving up men, doll?”

You can’t help the smirk that graces your face. “That was before I felt your hard, cock pressed against me. You wanna put it to use, big guy?”

A low growl escapes his chest as he pulls you back in for another kiss. This one is more heated than the last. You moan into it. He pushes you towards Mr. Smith’s desk. He breaks the kiss and pushes everything off the desk onto the floor. He grabs you by the waist and picks you up to sit you on it.

You quickly spread your legs and grab him by his shirt to pull him back in for another kiss. He happily obliges and this time licks your bottom lip, wanting entrance. You decide to be a little tease and not let him in just yet. He doesn’t like that. He pinches your hip and you let you a little yelp, giving him the perfect opportunity to press his tongue against yours. The battle for dominance is short lived. You let him win. Damn he’s a good kisser.

The next thing you know, he rips your shirt open. You can feel your nipples hardening under your white laced bra due to the cold room. You push him back and give him your best pout. “Now I’m cold, Stevie.”

He gives you a naughty smirk and moves his right hand under your school uniform skirt and slowly slides it towards your center. “Don’t worry, doll. I know a good way to warm you up.”

A shiver runs down your spine as he drops to his knees in front of you. He places a quick kiss to both knees before he pushes your skirt up until it’s bunched up at your waist, exposing your white laced panties. He starts kissing his way towards where you need him most. You lean back on your left hand and thread your fingers of your  right hand through his hair.

He takes both hands and hooks them into the band of your underwear. He suddenly stops and looks up at you. “I didn’t even ask you, Y/N. I’m sorry. Are you okay with this?”

You feel your heart skip a few beats. What a considerate guy. Justin never asked your permission. He just assumed you always wanted it.

You quickly nod your head. “Yes, Steve. Please, please don’t stop. I’ll let you know if I’m not okay with something.”

He nods and starts pulling your panties down. You lift your hips to help him out. You smirk as you see him pocket them. He throws your legs over his shoulders. He grips your ass and gives it a good squeeze. He pulls you closer towards his face.

He starts out by sucking a hickey onto the inside of your upper right thigh. Your fingers are still threaded through his hair. You give it a harsh tug. It earns you a growl. “Stop teasing. Need your mouth on me. Please.”

You barely get out the please before he’s licking a stripe from your entrance all the way to your clit. You throw your head back and let out a quiet moan. He moves his left hand to your center and pulls the little hood back to expose your full clit to him. He looks up at you. “Anyone ever tell you that you have the prettiest pussy, doll?” He winks and sucks your clit into his mouth. This moan you let out is not so quiet.

He smirks against your clit and lightly bites down on it. You involuntarily buck your hips against his face. “Jesus, Steve. Do that again.”

He happily does as you ask. He bites down a little harder this time. The pain is so good. The grip you have on his hair tightens even more. With his lips still attached to your clit, he starts flicking the bud back and forth with his tongue. He transitions from fast to slow flicks. He’s driving you crazy in the best way. You can feel that coil in your belly tightening. You’re close already.

Just when you think to yourself it can’t get any better, you feel his finger prod at your entrance. “Yes, Steve! Please fuck me with your fingers. I need it.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. He slowly inserts his finger until he’s knuckle deep. “Fuck, doll. You’re so tight. Gonna feel so good when you’re wrapped around my cock.”

You whimper at his words. He attaches his mouth back to your clit and starts slowly pumping his finger in and out. “Mmmm. Faster, Steve. Please.”

Before he does what you say, he adds a second finger. He pulls back from your clit for a second and watches you lose yourself in the ecstasy.

“You gonna cum for me, doll? Gonna be a good girl and cum all over my fingers?”

You nod your head frantically. “Yes! Please, Steve. Make me cum.”

Steve picks up the pace of his fingers and curls them slightly so they press up against your g spot. He then attaches his lips back to your clit and bites down.

That pushes you straight into your orgasm. You cum gushing all over his face and fingers. He moans as he happily laps up everything you give him.

Once he gets you all clean, he raises back up to his feet. “You taste amazing, baby.” Then he pulls you in for a searing kiss. You moan as you taste yourself on his lips and tongue.

You start undoing his belt and unbuttoning his pants. He pulls away and looks down at you. “You don’t have to do that, doll.”

You lower his zipper and start palming him through his boxer briefs. “What if I want to? Unless of course you don’t want me to.”

He closes his eyes and drops his head forward as you push his pants and boxer briefs down and wrap your hand around his cock. It was magnificent. Definitely bigger than anything you’d taken before. You couldn’t wait to feel it stretch you open.

You start pumping your hand slowly up and down his thick shaft, using the pre cum leaking from the tip as lube. Steve rests his hands on your thighs, his eyes now opened and trained on your hand. “Fuck, doll. You’re driving me crazy here.”

You smirk and lean forward and start placing kisses on his neck. You pick up the pace of your hand just slightly. You move your kisses up his neck until your mouth is right by his ear. “Then why don’t you fuck me already?”

He groans and grabs the back of your neck to pull you in for yet another heated kiss. He nips at your bottom lip and this time you open right away, needing to feel his tongue against yours.

He suddenly pulls back and pulls your hand off of his cock. You are about to ask him what’s wrong when he grabs your hips and pulls you into a standing position. He looks down at you with an evil smirk. “If you want me to fuck you, why don’t you be a good girl for me and turn around and put your hands on the desk?”

Fuck. He doesn’t need to ask you twice. You quickly do as he says, shivering in anticipation of what’s to come.

He puts his hand between your shoulders and pushes you down until your elbows are now resting on the desk.

You wiggle your ass at him teasingly.

He quickly flips your skirt up and growls at the sight. You feel a hand come down hard on your left ass cheek. “God damn this is a nice ass. I bet it’ll jiggle real nice while I’m fucking you.”

He places his hands on your ass and gives it a hard squeeze. You let out a frustrated growl. “Stop teasing me and just fuck me, Steve. Please.”

“You sound so pretty when you’re begging for me. But you did ask nicely.” He grabs his cock at the base and slides the tip against your folds. You push back against him for some much needed friction.

He chuckles at your desperation. He pushes the tip into your entrance and pulls your cheeks apart so he can watch himself as he slowly sinks into your heat.

You clutch at the edges of the desk. You knew he was big but holy fuck. You can feel every vein and every ridge of his dick as he slowly bottoms out. It hurts but only a little. You let out a tiny whimper.

Steve rubs your back gently. “You okay, doll? Want me to stop?”

You quickly shake your head. “No, just...give me a minute.”

He continues rubbing up and down your back to help relax you. After a few minutes you wiggle your hips a little and the pain has gone away. You feel nothing but pleasure. “Please move now.”

He grabs your hips and slowly pulls out until just the tip remains in. Then he slowly pushes back in. “Fuck, baby. You’re so god damn tight. I don’t think I’ll be able to last very long. So fucking warm.”

He continues his super slow rhythm for a few more thrusts. “Faster, harder Steve. Please. Need you to fuck me hard.”

Steve smacks your right cheek this time. “Yeah? Need me to fuck you like the whore that you are?”

You clench down around his cock at his degrading words. You loved that shit. “Fuck, yes. Please.”

He happily obliges and picks up the pace. Soon the only thing that could be heard in the classroom is skin slapping against skin and your moaning and his groans.

With every thrust in his tip kisses your cervix in the most delicious way. You clamp down around him again. “God damn, baby. If you keep clenching around me like that, I’m gonna cum.”

You smirk to yourself and continue clenching around his cock. He’s now letting out some loud moans that sound like your name. He gives your ass another smack. “Want you to come first, sweetheart. You close?”

You nod your head and start moving your hand towards your clit. But it’s quickly smacked away by Steve. He moves his fingers towards your clit and gives it a hard pinch.

Your orgasm takes over your whole body. You know you’re shaking but you can’t stop it. You can feel yourself gushing all over his dick. This is the hardest you’ve ever cum in your life.

Your pussy clamps down on Steve in a vice like grip during your orgasm. He somehow manages to fuck you through it without coming himself. But he can’t hold it much longer.

“Fuck, baby. I’m gonna cum. Where do you want it?”

“On my ass. Cum on my ass, Steve.”

He gives a few more hard thrusts before he pulls out and fists his cock until his load shoots out against your ass and the back of your thighs.

You moan as you feel his spend against your skin. That was easily the best sex you’ve ever had. You’re not entirely sure you can move.

Steve puts his hands on the desk and leans forward a little to catch his breath. He moves your hair aside and places a kiss against the back of your neck. “You okay, doll?”

You slowly nod. “Oh, I’m more than okay. But is there something to clean me up with?”

Steve chuckles and raises back up into a standing position. He quickly pulls up his pants and briefs and tucks himself back in and zips himself up before going into the supply closet in the classroom to grab you some paper towels.

He comes back over with paper towels in hand and starts cleaning you up. Before he can get it all, you move your right hand behind you and scoop some of his cum off of your ass and stick your finger in your mouth. “Mmm, just wanted to taste you.”

Steve can feel himself getting hard again. “Jesus Christ, doll. You’re gonna be the death of me.”

You chuckle. Once he gets you all cleaned up, you raise your unsteady body up and try to straighten your clothes as best you can. You then remember that Steve ripped your shirt open and you are unable to button it back up. You playfully glare at him. “Well shit Steve. How am I supposed to walk out of here with my shirt undone? My jacket is in my locker.”

Steve’s gaze lowers to your exposed bra again. You snap your fingers to get his attention. He quickly gains focus and grabs his coat off the back of his chair. “Here, you can wear mine. I don’t usually wear it anyways. I like the cold.”

You happily accept the article of clothing and put it on and zip it up. It’s huge on you. “You are a strange one, aren’t you?”

His cheeks redden a little. “Not so strange that you just let me fuck you against Mr. Smith’s desk.”

You beam at him. “Yeah, well. What can I say? If I know I want something, I take it.”

Steve wraps his arms around your waist. “So….are you free Friday night? I’d really like to take you out on a date.”

You decide to tease him a little. “Well, I don’t know. See, I just had the best sex of my life and I’m not sure you can top that.”

“Really? Well, I bet I can. You just gotta give me a chance.”

You press a quick kiss to his lips. “I’m just kidding, Stevie. Of course I’ll go on a date with you. But don’t expect me to put out after.” You wink at him.

He grins at you. “We honestly don’t have to have sex after. I’d be happy with just dinner and nice conversation. You know, make a connection.”

You can’t help but match his smile. “That actually sounds really nice.”

Steve lets go of you and starts gathering his things. “Gotta show you how a man should rightfully treat a lady.”

You all of a sudden couldn’t wait for Friday. You grab your bag off the floor and head towards the door with him. He grabs a hold of your wrist and pulls you into him before you can get the door open. He smiles down at you and tucks some hair behind your ear. “For the record, that was also the best I’ve ever had.”

You smirk. “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

With that you give him a wink and open the classroom door and saunter out.

He just shakes his head at you with a smile. Not feeling this connected to anyone in a while.

Permanent Taglist: @stargazingfangirl18​  @drabblewithfrannybarnes​ @harrysthiccthighss​ @lllols 

[ellesstorm]

A Yule Ball Proposition, Pt. 1

a/n part 2 on my tumblr page!

“Pssst. Granger.”

It was a late school night, and Hermione was burrowed in her homework at the quieter tables in the back of the library. Although fourth year had just begun, Hermione wanted to make sure she was on top of her game for her OWL exams next year. 

“Granger!”

Hermione whipped her head around, looking for the source of the whisper. To her surprise, Draco Malfoy stepped out of the shadows, his face carefully blank. 

Hermione narrowed her eyes, immediately tensing. “Malfoy. If you’ve got something to say to me, please drown yourself in the Great Lake,” she bit at him. She was really getting tired of the smarmy insults Malfoy and his friends had thrown her way over the past years. Once she’d gotten over the initial sting of his rude remarks, Malfoy had become less of a bully and more of an annoying housefly.  

Malfoy sneered back, pale blue eyes glinting as he sauntered over to her table with his chin forward. “Don’t worry, Granger. I’d rather have the Giant Squid strangle me than suffer from your presence.” He dropped into the chair across her, expression suddenly becoming oddly serious and vaguely uncomfortable. “Actually, I have a proposition for you.”

Hermione blinked at him. “A proposition?” She briefly wondered if this is a prank. 

“First. No one knows about this,” Malfoy ground out, his voice tight. 

Hermione smirked at Malfoy’s discomfort. “Why Malfoy,” she simpered. “You don’t want your friends to know you’re speaking to a mudblood?” 

“Would you want Potty and Weasel to know you’re secretly meeting their sworn enemy in dark corners of the library?” Draco arched a brow at her. 

“What’s the proposition?” Hermione asked, unwilling to concede that he was correct in his assumption.

“The Yule Ball is approaching, and given your subpar dancing abilities--”  

“My dancing is fine, thank you.” Hermione glared at him. 

Draco snickered. “Your dancing might be fine for a prancing hippogriff, but not if you’re going with Krum. Did you know that the champions of each school perform a dance at the ball?”

“And how do you know I’m going to the ball with Viktor?” Hermione hadn’t told anyone that, save for Ginny, the only person she trusted not to spill her secrets. 

Draco gave her a wide, Cheshire Cat smile. “I caught you practicing with Krum the other night. I’m surprised to see he still has full use of both feet.” 

Hermione immediately felt her face burn. She had spent so much of her life feeling like an outsider. In muggle primary school, she’d frequently been bullied for her accidental bursts of magic, turning to the companionship of her books instead. And when she found out she was a witch, Hermione had been elated, hoping to finally find a place where she could belong. She eagerly swallowed as many books on the wizarding world as she could the summer before first year, but soon discovered that she was an outsider here, too. On top of her blood status, her classmates continued to mock her for her proclivity toward knowledge, her appearances, and her apparent bossiness. 

So when Viktor Krum, international quidditch star and handsome celebrity, asked her to the Yule Ball, Hermione finally felt some sense of acceptance and belonging. But unfortunately, she quickly discovered that she had two left feet. She and Viktor agreed to practice dancing together frequently, and though Viktor’s dancing was far from lacking, his teaching skills weren’t on the same level. Their practice sessions often ended with bruises on Viktor’s shins and meet and Hermione profusely apologizing. 

“What are you offering?” Hermione inquired.

“I’ll teach you how to dance.”

Hermione blinked again at Draco, wondering if she heard him wrong. “You don’t even tolerate me, and you want to teach me how to dance?” 

Draco scoffs. “Of course I don’t want to teach you how to dance. However, I am in need of--” Draco’s face contorts into one of disdain as he breaks off, and Hermione internally rolls her eyes at his inability to get over his pride. She briefly wondered how desperate Draco was to lower himself to her level. 

He shifted in his chair, clearing his throat. “I need tutoring. My grades are not...great. I’ll ensure you don’t make a fool of yourself dancing if you help me study.” 

Hermione stares at him. “Why me?”

Draco sighs, rubbing his face as if relieving a headache. “Despite your blood status--” Hermione felt her hackles rise again--”I suppose you are the Brightest Witch of our age.” Draco visibly grimaced again, as if he’s in physical pain at the mere acknowledgement of her abilities. 

Hermione pondered Draco’s offer. The press was already writing awful things about her, and she didn’t want to hand them another knife. And tutoring wasn’t hard--she helped her friends with studying all the time. 

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Really?” It was Draco’s turn to look surprised. 

“Yes. On the condition that you will not make racist remarks at me.”

“Fine.”

Hermione extended her right hand, her gaze meeting his. “Shake on it.” 

He grasped her hand firmly, staring boldly into her eyes. “Meet me next weekend in the library. This table will do.” 

Draco stood up, and inclined his head in farewell.

Hermione watched him disappear into the dark library shelves, her hand tingling at the missing warmth. 

[razorblade180]

Hating the rain

6yo Jael: Pssst! Dad! Dad! *shaking him*

Adam: *opens eyes* Mmmmm, yes? Is it time for your meds?

Jael: No not that. Something weird is happening outside. It’s all wet.

Adam:Wet?

He gets up from the couch and opens the front door. Jael was right. It was wet outside. Rain had graced the desert, an extremely rare occurrence for this part of Menagerie for sure. Jael held onto his leg as she watched this new and strange thing.

Jael:Are we in danger?

Adam:This is called rain. It can be dangerous in certain places, but no, we are perfectly fine.

Jael:Oh okay. It’s…kinda pretty. It’s like the sky is crying.

Adam:You think crying is pretty?

Jael:I mean…I guess? You and mom always say “let me see those pretty eyes” whenever I cry.

Adam:Yeah, I guess we do.

Jael:Can I play in the rain?

Adam:Nope. You might get sick and that would be very bad for you.

Jael:*pouts* You say that about everything. I’m not that delicate.

Adam:……*sits down* We can watch it though.

Jael:Really!? *sits in lap* Can you braid my hair too?

Adam:Someone is extra needy today. *touches hair*

Jael:Mom says I get that from you.

Adam:You get that from her too, trust me. As well as her straight hair. It’s getting long. Want me to cut it?

Jael:Nope!Then you’ll play with it less.

Adam:*smiles* Ah, so that’s your plan. Okay then, I’ll play along.

Jael:Do you see rain a lot when you go places.

Adam:Sometimes. You’ll see a lot of rain too as you grow up. It could be gentle like this, or really fast. You were born during a storm, which is a lot of wind and rain.

Jael:Woah, sounds cool. Hey dad, do you like the rain?

Adam:Ummm it’s not my favorite thing. It makes my clothes sticky and I could get sick too. And…

Jael:Hmm? Dad?

Adam:Sorry, it’s nothing.

Jael:Aww, you always do that! You never tell stories when you do that.

Adam:That’s because your father forgets about how scary or sad those stories are for a moment. A good little girl should only get the good stories.

Jael:I don’t mind, it’s about you isn’t it? I can take it. But ummm maybe skip the scariest parts?

Adam:……It’s actually not a scary one. It’s just…I remembered your grandma. She loved the rain. Each time water fell, she’d tell me and my sister to stand in it quickly. All our problems would wash off of us if we did. Like a bath for the soul.

Jael:A bath for the soul?

Adam:In a way, it’s the same reason why we tell you and your sister to cry if something hurts. Afterwards you feel a little better.

Jael:Why didn’t you cry then instead?

Adam:Crying where I grew up…wasn’t a problem solver. We did it sometimes but not often. We let the sky cry for us.

Jael:What was grandma like?

Adam:She was a very patient woman, unlike me. I was- I am pretty eager most of the time. Especially when I was younger. My mother tried to calm me down but that never happened often.

Jael:Do you miss her?

Adam:A little. I was a bit older than you are right now the last time my mother and I talked. A lot of things happened that made her have to go.

Jael:…monsters?

Adam:…Yeah, monsters.

Jael:Sounds lonely. I wish I met grandma. I bet she’d love my hair.

Adam:She would love all of you.

Jael:Hehe. But wait, if rain washes your soul, then why don’t you like it?

Adam:I guess…I stopped feeling clean after awhile, no matter how hard it poured.

Jael:That’s a little sad. Will I feel like that?

Adam:Not if I can do anything about it. *kisses head* C’mon, let’s go take your medicine.

Jael:Kay…

xxxxx

Years later, Jael still fond herself standing in the same doorway, watching the rain alone; until her older sister came down stairs to quietly stand behind her.

Jael:…Did you know…dad didn’t like the rain? His mother used to stand in it with him and his sister as a way to find peace, to be cleansed. Said he liked it, until he couldn’t stand it one day.

Sienna:First I’ve heard of it.

Jael:For the longest time I didn’t get it. I mean how could anyone hate something that looks so…immense, gorgeous even. It was only recently that I learned… grandma died in the rain. I think I get it now. Dad didn’t hate the rain. He hated that those memories ended, swapped for a tragedy. The cleanse, it was his family, not the water.

Sienna:……

Jael:Sienna, can you stay here for awhile? I don’t want to hate the rain too. *trembling*

Sienna:Okay. We’ll watch it together, this time, and the times after that.

Tears trickled down her face as her her body slid down the doorframe. The touch of Sienna’s hand rubbing her back only made things harder. Not that she ever turned around or urged her sister to stop. Her pride wouldn’t let her. Even if it hadn’t, Sienna would look no different, so a silent vow was made. No matter what it sounded or looked like, it was the rain. Nothing more and nothing less.

[obeyme-kaidii-writes]

Sleep

Mammon x gn!MC

Words - 2286

Content warnings - none, just lots of fluff and humor, platonic relationships

Prompt/Inspiration - AO3 request

Summary -  Mammon starts sleeping in your room at night, and you notice a peculiar habit of his.

AO3

You were a light sleeper. A very, very light sleeper.

There had been several times during your stay at the House of Lamentation when Mammon scared the living daylights out of you by crawling into your bed in the middle of the night. Eventually, you just flat out told Mammon that he had to sleep with you because you were not going to be able to rest otherwise. He stuttered and blushed and fumbled over his words, denying that he had any idea what you were talking about, but in the end, he had taken up semi-permanent residence in your room.

When you start sharing a bed with someone on a regular basis, you begin to learn a lot about them that you wouldn’t know otherwise. Like whether they hog the blankets, if they prefer sheets over thick comforters, if they snore. And you, likewise, started to notice some very peculiar traits of Mammon’s.

For example, he preferred to sleep entirely nude. Of course now that he was sleeping in your room most of the time, he made the effort to wear something. But it wasn’t unusual for him to wake up in noticeably fewer clothes than when he had fallen asleep.

One night in particular, you were about to learn yet another thing about Mammon.

————

Mammon had fallen asleep long before you, and you had stayed up to keep reading a book you had borrowed from Satan. As you got sleepier and sleepier you realized that maybe it was time you called it a night. So you rolled over to turn your lamp off, only to find that you couldn’t reach it because a certain demon of Greed was starfished on the bed, essentially trapping you in a corner.

You thought for a moment about what you should do about this situation you found yourself in. At first, you didn’t want to disturb Mammon. His sleeping face was just so cute! But you were tired. And despite the fact he looked absolutely adorable next to you now, this was the same little shit that woke you up frequently for reasons much more frivolous.

“Pssst, Mammon. Wake up,” you nudged him with your elbow. When he didn’t stir, you gave him a bit of a kick with your foot. And when he still didn’t wake up, you put your hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.

“Wassup?” he finally answered as he sat up in bed.

“Turn off the light.”

“‘K.”

Having successfully woken him up, and trusting that he could manage a light switch on his own, you rolled over, turning your back to him, preparing to go to sleep. But after a good minute or two, you realized the light was still on. So you rolled over halfway, and repeated your request.

“Mammon, the light.”

“Right. Right. Gotcha.” And with that he finally reached over to the lamp and flicked it off, before snuggling back into your blankets and curling up behind you.

————

The following morning, you were the first to wake up. You looked over to Mammon, who was still taking up a good ¾ of the bed, and you couldn’t help but smile. It really was nice waking up with someone else beside you. Even if that someone was a bed hog.

When Mammon woke up a few minutes later, it was only to find you staring at him. He blushed awkwardly as he looked away, which just made you laugh.

“Whattaya lookin’ at?”

“Oh just a cute demon, hogging the bed.”

“Oh...uh...sorry,” he replied, pulling his limbs to himself as he rolled on his side away from you.

“It’s fine. So long as you are willing to turn the light off for me,” you said, smiling and laughing softly, as you snuggled up next to Mammon, wrapping your arm around his waist and spooning him from behind.

“The light?”

“Yeah, like last night when I was reading. If you’re gonna hog the bed, then be prepared to be woken up to turn off the light.”

Mammon rolled over a little to get a better look at you, certain that you had to be teasing him or setting him up for a joke or...something. But you were just smiling at him like normal.

“What’s up?” you asked.

“I dunno whatcha talkin’ about. I didn’t turn off a light last night.”

“Umm yeah you did. You even sat up and talked to me.”

“Noooo I didn’t…” he furrowed his brow in confusion. What on earth were you trying to pull?

“Ok fine. It doesn’t matter. The deal still stands. Hog the bed, be put on light switch duty. K?” you asked, leaning forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek, something that you knew would fluster him.

“Uh yep. Got it. Light switch duty,” he said as he rolled back over to hide his face from you. Without even meaning to, he shifted back slightly so that he was pressed more fully against you, and you simply smiled and hugged him in return. You were such a brat sometimes...kissing him on the cheek like that out of nowhere. You could at least warn him. Not that he liked it or anything.

While you did find it a little odd that Mammon didn’t remember the light incident, you just wrote it off as one of those things. It’s not like it mattered whether or not he remembered, anyways.

————

A few days later, you returned to your room after a study session with Satan only to find Mammon already passed out on your bed, once again leaving very little space for you. It occurred to you then that perhaps he was doing this on purpose so that you’d have to sleep practically on top of him, so you decided to have a bit of fun.

Instead of crawling over him, you climbed in next to him by the edge of your bed, and poked him in the side.

His reaction was immediate. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes...and then he just sat there.

“Mammon? You can lay back down.”

He mumbled something.

“Mammon?”, you sat up to get a better look at him. His eyes were open, but only just, and his gaze was unfocused, “You can lay down now.”

“I don’t wanna,” he whined.

“Mammon, are you still asleep?”, you had heard of sleepwalking before, but this was a whole new level of weird.

“Nooo.”

Sensing that it was perhaps better not to argue with him, you laid down in your bed and tugged on his shirt to get him to join you, “Come cuddle with me then so I can go to sleep.”

Without further complaint, Mammon complied and curled up next to you, resting his head on your chest and wrapping his arm around your middle. It didn’t take him long at all to fall back asleep, leaving you even more certain that he must not have been fully awake to begin with.

————

After that, there weren’t any more unusual episodes with Mammon for awhile, so you had almost forgotten about the whole thing.

That is until one night when you had been just about to fall asleep, and a notification came thru in your DDD. Usually you would put your device on silent when going to sleep, but tonight you had been so exhausted that you forgot. So when the notification went off - it was LOUD.

Mammon immediately sat up, dazed.

“Sorry about that,” you said, turning the sound off on your DDD.

“Fin stis.”

“Huh?”

“Den sai tis id.”

“Mammon, I think you are asleep.”

“Noooo! Am not!!!”, Mammon replied, as he started to act like he was about to get out of bed. Concerned about the sort of trouble he could get himself in while in this state you tried your best to stop him.

“Mammon, where are you going?”

He didn’t answer, but at least he stopped trying to get up.

“I think you’re asleep. Please, don’t get up.”

“I’m not asleep!” he snapped. You were surprised by the tone of voice he was using with you. Yeah he was loud and yelled a bunch, but you had never seen him actually angry with you. Not wanting to provoke him further, you decide to drop the issue and try what had worked the last time this happened.

“Ok Mammon, then just cuddle with me.”

“Fine.”

“Yeah, just lay back down with me so I can sleep.”

There was incoherent grumbling from Mammon as he wiggled back under the covers, still clearly annoyed with you for accusing him of being asleep when he knew he wasn’t.

“We can talk in the morning. Just cuddle for now.”

Once he was laying down again, you cuddled up next to him and wrapped your arm around his waist, hoping it would at least give you some warning if he would try to get up again.

————

“Sooooo, Mammon. Do you remember last night?”

“Huh?” Mammon turned around to look at you from his seat on the floor by your bed. It was Saturday morning, and he was browsing Akuzon on his DDD, trying to decide what to buy with his latest modeling paycheck. You had been laying on your bed, “helping” him with his shopping by occasionally texting him suggestions that you found. They might not have been the most helpful suggestions, but at least they were making the two of you laugh.

“You yelled at me,” you said, turning off your DDD and turning your head to look at Mammon.

“Whattya talkin’ about?? Why would I yell at you??”

“Because I told you that you were sleeping.”

“You’re makin’ that up.”

“Mammon, have you ever had trouble with sleepwalking?” you were genuinely curious if perhaps some of the things he got accused of were the result of him wandering the House of Lamentation unconsciously in the middle of the night.

“Huh?! No! Of course not! What are ya trying to pull? Seriously, is this like a joke or somethin’?”

“No, I’m telling you - you got woken up by a notification on my DDD, and when I tried to get you to go back to sleep, you yelled at me.”

“There’s no way that happened. I woulda remembered it.” Mammon eyed you suspiciously. He was sure this had to be a prank of some sort, though he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what the punch line would be. Why were you being so insistent?

“Well it did,” you mumbled under your breath. If he was going to be so stubborn, you were just going to have to prove it to him. The next time - you were going to catch it on video.

————

Not wanting to wait until Mammon would have one of his “episodes” on his own, you decided you’d have to try to trigger one yourself. Based on your observations, you needed to wait until he was *just* asleep, and then wake him suddenly - either a moderately loud noise, or a forceful movement.

So the following night, you made sure your DDD was fully charged...and you waited.

It didn’t take long for Mammon to pass out. You had made sure he spent the day running around the Devildom taking you shopping, and doing other “date” things, just to wear him out. And since this was Mammon, it took a LOT to wear him out. If it wasn’t for the fact you were on a mission, you’d probably have nodded off yourself long ago.

You pulled out your DDD, turned on your camera to record video…and then delivered a swift kick to Mammon’s butt.

As expected, Mammon sat up almost immediately.

“Hey Mammon.”

“Mmmm?”

“Are you asleep?”

“Nooo,” he whined. You snickered at his response. This was going perfectly.

“I need you to do something for me in the morning.”

“Sure, whattttayaaa want?”

“Can you make me breakfast?”

“Sure.”

“So what are you going to do in the morning?”

“Everryyythinnnn.”

“Are you going to make me breakfast?”

“That’s part of everrryyythinnn’.”

By now you were having a difficult time maintaining your composure. You only just managed to keep your DDD steady enough to get a decent video. You hadn’t tried talking to Mammon this much the other times, and were surprised at how long he was able to keep this up. Seeing as you had nothing to lose, you decided to keep going.

“Can you say it for me in a complete sentence? What are you going to do in the morning?”

“Breakfast and bugggsss.”

“What?”

“Breakfast and bugggsss.”

“Bugs?”

“Yesh.”

“So one more time, what are you going to do in the morning?”

“Killlll everythinnnn’.”

That was apparently your breaking point, and you had to cover your mouth to stop the loud squeals of laughter that weren’t threatening to escape. This had gone far more perfectly than you ever could have imagined. There was no way he was going to be able to deny this now. Imagining how red his face would get as you showed him the video had you giggling even harder.

Pausing your recording, and safely tucking away your DDD, you decided that you had had enough fun for the night and that it was time to give poor Mammon a break and let him rest.

“Ok Mammon, will you come cuddle with me now?”

“Fiiinnneee,” he said, slumping down onto the bed and rolling over so he could snuggle up to your side. You really had exhausted him that day, so he deserved a bit of rest. Gently combing your fingers through his hair, you thought about how exactly you were going to make use of this video as you drifted off to sleep.

Based on this conversation with my husband -

[tales-of-magic-and-chaos]

And there was only one bed

Based on the prompt "vacation home + there was only one bed" submitted by the adorable @lokistrk on Twitter! (yes vacation home somehow turned into hotel room kdkslxnlsjxs)

"YOU HAVE TO BE SHITTING ME."

Stephen sighed, watching Tony's dismayed face. Despite the situation, he had to admit his devastated look was quite comical.

Before he could answer, though, another voice made itself heard behind Tony.

"May I know why Anthony is screaming his head off and, more important, why are you two in MY room?"

Stephen scoffed.

"it's more like MY room. I was here first. I'm the one who should ask you this question." As if to prove his words, he showed with a gesture of his arm his belongings already magically tidied in the large wardrobe.

Tony seemed to wake up from his consternation.

"I already said to you, it's MY room. FRIDAY checked for me and everything, there's no mistake.", he said, shaking his head. "Besided, I don't know if you two managed to enter by magic or whatever but I'm the one with the pass for the room."

Loki raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"I'm curious to know how you obtained this", Loki waved his hand, making his pass appear. "Because I'm obviously the one with the true pass."

Stephen made a few steps in their direction, starting to get frankly annoyed. He showed them a third pass.

"I really don't know what game you two are playing but it's starting to get on my nerves." He pointed the door. "So you two douchebag better get the fuck out of here and find someone to help you find your room if you're not capable to do it by yourself!"

Loki raised his hands, ready to fight.

"I beg your pardon?! It's clearly you two who should get out of there, I'm not idiotic like you to confound my hotel room for someone else's!"

With a snap of his fingers he emptied the wardrobe and put Stephen's possessions back in the suitcase. Immediately, Stephen responded by putting back his belongings where they were.

"Don't touch my stuff, it's MY room, idiot!"

"What the hell, Harry Potter? It's mine!"

"No mine, nitwit!"

"No mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Asshole!"

"Douchebag!"

"You complete moron!"

"You dipstick!"

After a long moment, where they kept exchanging witty, clever and very relevant arguments, Tony finally stopped, raising his hand in sign of peace.

"Ok, ok. Calm down, Gandalf and Saruman. I'll definitely prove it's my room so we can settle this ridiculous argument.", he looked at the two sorcerers watching him suspiciously. "FRIDAY? Can you tell us whose room it is?"

"Yes, Boss." The voice made a short pause. "The room 107 is marked as Mr. Laufeyson," Loki grinned and was going to let out a victorious exclamation when the AI continued. "..., Mr. Stark and Mr. Strange's room on the hotel's registers."

"... What?"

"This hotel room is reserved for Mr. Strange, Mr. Laufeyson and you, Sir."

Stephen shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe it, how is this possible?! We were not even informed!"

Loki groaned, this situation was starting to be seriously irritating.

"Who was the stupid incompetent in charge of reserving for the stay?! I think I'll need to have a little discussion with this imbecile."

"For once I agree with you. I have a few things I would like to tell them as well.", approved Stephen.

Tony gulped.

"Guys… It's Natasha who was in charge of reserving the rooms."

"..."

"Oh."

And then there was silence.

A thick and awkward silence.

"You know what... After all, it's a large room."

"Yeah, a very large room. There's enough space for the three of us, no need to make a fuss about it."

"Agree, it's not that important, really, it's not necessary to bother the Agent Romanoff for such silly details."

"Yep. She definitely has other things more important to consider. And it's a nice room, great decoration..."

"Indeed."

After another uncomfortable silence, shorter this time though, Tony stretched his arms.

"Anyway! I'm warning you, I'm sleeping in the middle, I don't care if you fall from the bed!"

Loki frowned.

"No way. It's obviously me who should sleep in the middle"

"Oh, and why so, princess?", asked Tony with arms akimbo.

"Because, I'm obviously the one whose sleep is the most important and you two are too-"

Once again, Stephen sighed. He couldn't believe he had to put up with such morons. It was going to be a very long stay.

"Loki, get the fuck away from me, you're fucking COLD."

"You get away from me, second-class wizard! You're taking the whole space!"

"Nonsense! You're the one spreading yourself out as if you were alone."

Tony turned around, annoyed.

"Can't you two SHUT THE FUCK UP. There's people trying to sleep!"

"Don't stick your oar in, asshole. I remind you you're the one taking the whole fucking blanket!"

"So what?! I'm cold!"

"YOU HAVE THE SIZE OF A SMURF FOR GOD'S SAKE."

------------------------------------------------

"Pssst. Hey… are you sleeping?"

"Shut the fuck up, Stark."

"So that's a no."

"..."

"I'm going to fucking kill you two."

------------------------------------------------

"WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A SNAKE IN THE BED OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE."

------------------------------------------------

"Hey, who's sleeping on my left?"

"Tony… You're the one the most on the left…."

"We're both on your right."

"..."

"WHAT-"

------------------------------------------------

"..."

"..."

"Is he… Is he floating while sleeping?!"

"Honestly, don't ask me…"

------------------------------------------------

"I have no idea whose foot it is, but if the person could move it from my face, IT WOULD BE NICE."

------------------------------------------------

"Is this the good time to warn you I sometimes speak during my sleep?"

"So you REALLY NEVER SHUT UP?!"

------------------------------------------------

"HOLY FUCK YOU FUCKING SOMNAMBULIST ASSHOLE, I NEARLY DIED FROM SURPRISE."

------------------------------------------------

"Does the Cloak sleep too?"

"... I won't even bother answering this."

------------------------------------------------

"... Why is there someone on the ceiling?"

"Hm? Don't worry, it's only Peter."

"HOW-"

------------------------------------------------

"Why… Why is there a damn KNIFE under the pillow?!"

Clint couldn't stop laughing.

"I can't believe you actually put these three together in the same room! You're really devilish."

Natasha simply smirked, satisfied. She took another sip from his cup of tea, quietly listening and observing everyone's reaction.

"I must admit I'm surprised we didn't see them throw a tantrum… I was prepared for a scene, a true storm or at least something… But they didn't seem to react at all.", said Steve, shaking his head in disbelief.

Sam chuckled.

"If you want my opinion, they were too scared by Natasha to dare say anything."

"Maybe… Or perhaps, they were not that displeased with the situation..", suggested the Russian spy, hiding a knowing smile behind her cup.

"Still…" Bruce seemed worried. "It's past 11 am. They should already be out of bed now…"

Steve put his hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"Do you want us to go verify if they're alright?"

Bruce nodded.

"Yeah. Let's do this."

"So? You can see something?"

"How did you manage to enter without the pass…"

"Bold of you to assume I can't open any closed door."

"Shh! I'm trying to hear if they're here…"

Clint opened the door wider, discreetly entering, followed by the others.

"I don't see anything, maybe they're not-…"

"They're not what? Oh-"

The group of curious simply stared at them, dumbstruck, for a few minutes.

"Well… Seems like they got along well finally."

These certainly were the best holidays Loki, Tony and Stephen ever had.

Of course, it had no link with the fact they were sharing the same room and bed.

Of course, it had no link with the fact they woke up tenderly cuddled and snuggled to each other every morning.

Of course, it had no link with the fact they hadn't slept this well in a very, very, very long time.

Of course, it had no link with the fact they kept sleeping together even after these holidays.

And, of course, it was pure coincidence if Natasha later received a box of his favorite rare tea, several new suits perfect for fighting and a whole set of prized daggers. Pure coincidence.

As much of a coincidence as the rooms' repartition.

[snek-snacc-ficc]

One Is A Genius, The Other’s Insane

Summary: Logan had seen enough of the world to know it was a horrible place, greatly in need of a competent leader. That was a job he was more than willing to fill, and so, by the age of twenty, he began his tireless work to plan the perfect scheme for world domination. Things became much more complicated, however, when Remus, his complete opposite in nearly every sense, stumbled his way into his life.

(Pssst, it's a Pinky and the Brain au)

Words: 3,177

Logan Ackeroyd couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he realized the world was a horrible place. It had been more of a gradual thing really. He studied history in school and learned of all the horrors man had committed against man throughout the thousands of years of humankind's existence. Everyday he’d watch the news and see atrocities happening across the globe in real time. When he turned sixteen, he had to get a terrible job as a fast food cashier, enduring impatient, rude customers demanding cheap food that tasted like it had been chemically manufactured (and he figured it most likely was), just so one day college would be slightly more affordable. And, perhaps worst of all, when he did reach college, he was forced to listen to pretentious English professors take the likes of Sigmund Freud seriously. Listening to an old man tell a room full of his fellow peers that Hamlet wanted to copulate with his mother was the last straw, and so, by the age of twenty, Logan Ackeroyd decided that he would take over the world. 

He wasn’t the absolute perfect choice for Earth’s ruler, he knew, but he also knew that he had an immense amount of intelligence, and a righteous moral code, and that put him above nearly every other world leader in his book. 

Unfortunately, Logan found, working to become the world’s benevolent dictator didn’t pay well, in fact it often depleted his pocket book, and so he took up a job as a middle school science teacher by day, and would dedicate his nights to working out the perfect scheme for world domination. 

It was supposed to be a secretive, solo endeavor. Involving others in his plan could get messy and chaotic, which was rather counterintuitive to his goal. Along with that, it could prove disastrous to alert others of his plans for fear it could somehow lead to interference from the authorities. It was best, he decided, to simply keep to himself with a clear mind. All of that, however, was ruined the day he met Remus.

Logan’s trip to the hardware store was meant to be quick and simple. He was working on what he thought was the verge of a breakthrough, (a prototype of a device that would allow him to brainwash the masses through the use of a high pitched sound wave), but he was missing some of the tools needed for its completion. When he turned around from the shelf he had grabbed a collection of bolts from, he was brought face to face with a man with a handlebar mustache staring at him. He was startled for a moment, but the feeling quickly gave way to annoyance.

“Excuse me,” he said, pushing past him.

“Is that blood on your sleeve?”

Logan looked down at his long sleeved polo. He hadn’t noticed the red stain on it earlier and he thought it odd that the stranger would point it out.

“I don’t believe so. There’s a stronger possibility that it’s jam.”

“You should totally lick it to find out.” 

“That would be highly uncouth,” Logan deadpanned, hoping the peculiar person would soon leave.

“It could be cool. If it is blood then you’d be like a vampire.”

Logan moved towards the check out, delving into an explanation of the definition and proper pronunciation of “uncouth.” The man continued to trail behind him, apparently satisfied with his shopping trip of a cartful of spray paint, chattering on about what seemed like disconnected nonsense. By the time he was finished with his purchase, excusing himself once again to leave, Logan was relieved to no longer be burdened with the annoying distraction.

He rushed to his lab with the missing parts once he reached home, eager to begin work on the project once more. He had little time to do so though, as right as he began the door to the room swung open. Logan jumped, grabbing a screwdriver on instinct in case he had to defend himself, and spun around to see the man from the store standing before him. 

“What?!- Why’re you-” he sputtered, completely flabbergasted.

“You left this at the checkout,” the man said, thrusting forward a plastic bag with a collection of wrenches in it. Logan hadn’t even realized he’d left it behind, but his attention had been split when he was checking out thanks to the other.

“So your first reaction was to stalk me and break into my house?!” Logan’s voice rose with anger and unease. “How did you even find where I live?”

“I followed your car.” The man said it like doing so was the most casual thing in the world. “I almost missed ya, but I caught up just in time. Lost you for a second at a stoplight though. And when I found you again your car was already in the driveway and you were gone. I tried knocking at the front door but you never answered, so I just walked in and heard you doing...whatever this is down here.”

Logan was silent, both confused and slightly disturbed that the man’s first solution had been breaking and entering, but he had little time to dwell on that. His cover was blown. His lab had been exposed to an outsider who would most certainly bring an end to his work. It had always been a concern of Logan’s, but he didn’t think he would be faced with it so soon. He kept his composure though, already theorizing which high security prison he might be thrown into. 

“Well,” he said, “I suppose now that you know of my secret you will contact the authorities. I’d rather you do it now and get it over with. My phone is right over there if you need to use it.”

The man did not move to grab it however. He remained where he was, darting his gaze around the room.

“Why would I do that?” he asked, still taking in the surroundings.

“B-Because you know of my nefarious plans now, to take over the world.” Logan gestured to the large bulletin board on the wall labeled “Plans for World Domination,” using the same tone of voice he used when re-explaining concepts to students that had been zoned out in class.

“You’re trying to take over the world?!” the other sounded ecstatic, “Woah, how?”

That hadn’t been the reaction Logan expected at all, and he still was unsure whether it was a trap of sorts or the man in question really was this...dense seemed the best way to put it. Either way, he had little left to lose. If he was going to get arrested, at least he would finally get the chance to explain his genius plan to someone beforehand. He turned back towards the device on the work desk. 

“Well if you must know, I’m working on this prototype of a device that would send out a high frequency noise to anyone within a ten thousand mile radius. Once it’s finished, I was going to hide them on numerous radio towers and implant a message within it that would brainwash everyone that heard it, allowing me to gain total control of a large number of people quite quickly and efficiently. The only problem thus far seems to be a simple yet pesky error on my part; These wires on its main control panel keep falling in the way when I try to work on it, and there's no way for me to move them all at once and simultaneously continue my work.” 

“Well I can help with that Dr. Dork-enshmirtz, here.” He moved over to the control panel, lifting up the bunches of wires that hung over it. “That better?”

Logan, though still a bit stunned, dug around in the bag the man had brought over, taking out the wrench he needed to continue where he left off. 

“My name is Logan,” he said, “but that is quite helpful, thank you…?”

“I’m Remus,” the other chirped eagerly.

“Thank you Remus.” As much as he loathed to admit it, it was fairly nice to have some sort of companionship. Being able to share just a bit of his idea already gave him a rush of excitement, despite the odd circumstances it had occurred under. And having someone to be an extra set of hands was an added bonus.

“Would it be possible for you to further offer your assistance to me?”

“Sure thing Nerdy Wolverine, as long as I get Australia privileges when you brainwash everyone. I’m gonna make a spider army.” 

The plan fell through in the end (Logan hadn’t considered how difficult it would be to travel the globe, climbing thousands of radio towers), but from that moment on Logan had Remus as his partner in justifiable crime.

---

"Heeeyyy Logie, what are we gonna do tonight?"

Logan rubbed his temples. For ninety-five nights in a row Remus had asked this same question, and every single night Logan's response was the same.

"The same thing we do every night Remus, try to take over the world."

"Ooo neat! What are we gonna do this time? More sabotaging jam companies?"

"No Remus," Logan sighed, "after last night's disaster we're lucky we aren't on some government watch list." He was most disappointed that out of all of his plans that one fell through. Creating a utopia where only Crofter's jam was consumed would have been a dream come true. But alas, he had to move on.

"Truth be told I am rather stumped as to what our next approach should be, but I'm sure with some copious amounts of effort I will come up with another brilliant idea."

"Why don't you take the night off Brainiac?" Remus asked.

"Take the night off?" Logan scoffed, "When the world still remains in the clutches of corrupt, incompetent leaders? Never. Besides, what would I do if not plot to take over the world?" 

"You could take a nap," Remus suggested, "You've got circles under your eyes so dark you could pass for a MySpace profile picture."

"While I appreciate the concern, my friend, I am quite fine. Though my sleep schedule is a bit off of an average rhythm, rest assured I have calculated a routine that keeps me functioning regularly. Though, given that you sleep a full 9 hours each day I doubt a set sleeping pattern can do much to create normal behavior." Logan muttered the last bit watching Remus grind his nails against his teeth like they were a nail-filer.

Remus halted his movement, inspecting his hand with one eye closed as he spoke. "Well then we could do something fun. We could watch this one documentary I want to see about this religious cult that made all it's followers fuck each other on a bridge and then jump off," he let out a cackled laugh, "Crazy how all that religious stuff can control people like that."

Logan scrunched his nose. "Remus, I ask that you keep your disgusting documentary drivel to yourse-" He paused for a moment, the last thing Remus said sinking in. 

"Remus, what did you just say?"

"It's crazy how all the religious junk can control people," Remus repeated, "that's partially why I gave up organized religion, in fact…" 

He trailed off but Logan wasn't listening, the gears in his head turning, formulating a new idea.

"Remus," he exclaimed, eyes lit up as he cut the other off without realizing it, "are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

"Hm, well I think so Logie," Remus said, "but I'm actually allergic to synthetic body glitter."

Logan grit his teeth, face falling. 

"You would make for wonderful evidence to prove it's possible to de-evolve, Remus. No, I was referring to the idea of preying on the population through the use of religion. If I were to somehow convince the masses that I were a god I would have the world tied around my finger; They would do anything I commanded."

"Woah, you'd be a much better god than Sky Daddy Logan," Remus said, "but how are you going to get that many people to trust you?"

"From what I've observed, most people seem to distrust claims of the supernatural due to a lack of perceivable, verified evidence," Logan said. "If I could find a way to create some sort of projection of myself to a large number of people all at once, it might be enough to convince them that I am a deity. And right here in America would be the perfect starting point, because most people here are rather gullible and severely lacking in critical thinking skills."

Remus clapped his hands together. 

"Yay! We're gonna start a nerd cult!"

---

Tireless nights were spent working to bring the plan to fruition. Logan had to work out exactly how he could create a convincing projection of himself, as well as find a power source with enough energy to fuel it. After weeks of building, planning, and re-working the contraption was finally finished and ready to be put to use. 

It was about half past ten o'clock when Remus and Logan headed out to the nearby electrical company. Its small amount of security and large source of power made it the ideal location to put his plan into motion. When they arrived and had successfully snuck through the wired fence, Logan turned to Remus.

"Here," he said, handing him a thick metal pole he had under his arm, "you use this to knock out the security guards while I hack into the security system and cameras. Try and meet me in 15 minutes."

Remus gave a two-fingered salute. 

"You got it Dorkenshmirtz."

Logan rolled his eyes at the nickname, but couldn't truly be annoyed by it. So far everything was going perfectly according to plan. Logan even found himself grinning as he made quick work of disabling the security, the flow of adrenaline making him nearly burst with excitement. Once the system was completely down, he turned tail to head to the main center. He unzipped the bag he was carrying, carefully taking out the disk-like platform he would use for the projection, and untangling the series of wires and cords to put together. To his dismay, he found that the last cord was slightly bent, most likely from being shuffled around in the bag on the trip over, and wouldn't properly plug in to the outlet without hands on assistance. The concern was quickly diminished though. Remus would be able to hold it in place while he was on the platform. Just as the thought crossed his mind the door swung open and Remus stepped in. His hair was slightly more astray than usual and a noticeable bruise was forming around his jaw, but he was smiling madly, chipper as ever.

"Did you take all of the guards out?" Logan asked.

"Yup, I bonked 'em!" Remus said, proudly. "A few of them put up a fight but I went like this," he swung the pole through the air, "BONK!"

Logan couldn't help the amused quirk of his lips. 

"Wonderful," he said, making his way towards the platform, "Everything has been put into place, except the cord over there. I need you to hold it into the outlet for this to work. Do not let go."

Remus nodded.

"Amen Sky Daddy!"

He plugged the cord in, keeping it upright and steady. Almost immediately the platform lit up with a surge of power. Logan walked towards it, nearly trembling. Finally after years of work, trying and failing and trying again, he was going to succeed. The world would finally be his to craft to his perfect, peaceful vision.

Once it was completely charged up Logan took his step onto the platform. Outside an enlarged image of himself filled the sky for miles. He cleared his throat, preparing his speech for the people, when suddenly his moment was interrupted by the sound of Remus cursing to himself as softly as he could manage. His head whipped around and to his horror he saw sparks of electricity flying from the place where the cord met the outlet, sending repeated shocks through Remus, who was struggling through the pain to keep the cord plugged in.

Remus looked to Logan, seeing him hesitate.

"Go on," he whispered, though his voice was strangled with discomfort, "I'm fine."

Logan turned back around once more, but got no further in his speech as he caught the sparks growing larger out of the corner of his eye. 

Time seemed to freeze for Logan, his head was spinning, torn between the task at hand and Remus' pained whimpers.

He'll be fine.

He'll get electrocuted and die.

It's one person vs the future of the rest of the world. This is what I've worked towards for years, and I'm going to blow it.

But he's helped so much. 

Stupid, loyal Remus with his constant screw ups, and dumb jokes, and annoying nicknames, and laughter and chatter that always rang through the house, that filled a void I didn't even notice was there before, and-

Remus cried out, his body completely jolting with an electric shock, but still he forced himself to keep hold of the cord.

"Remus let go!" Logan shouted.

"N-no, y-you-" Remus couldn't get out another word before another strong shock struck him. The surrounding wires and cords were jumping with sparks as well, and Logan caught sight of a fire starting at the floor where Remus sat slumped weakly against the wall.

"Remus!"

Without thinking twice Logan bolted from the platform, heaving Remus into his arms just as the flames began to grow and approach his body. He rushed out of the building, lungs burning from the toxic fumes of smoke that filled the air, but he didn’t slow his pace until they reached the car, the sound of sirens already blaring in the distance.

The drive home almost certainly broke the speed limit, but Logan cared little about that, glancing at Remus, unconscious but miraculously breathing, every few seconds until they reached home.

---

It was evening two days later when Remus finally awoke. He groaned, blinking his eyes open. Just as he came to, Logan walked into the room, rushing over to the bedside.

"So Logan,” Remus said, flashing a dopey smile up at him, “what do you want to do tonight?" 

Logan threw his arms around Remus' neck, the position awkward due to him being sprawled out on the bed, but neither paid any mind to it. Tears leaked out of Logan's eyes, that he tried to hold back.

"I think," he said, sniffling, "that you can choose what we do tonight Remus."

Soon after, the two were curled up on the couch, Remus' head resting on Logan's thighs. Logan sipped hot chocolate from his #1 DICK-tator mug, a Christmas gift from Remus, carding his fingers through the other's hair as a true crime documentary played on the T.V. Maybe, he thought, world domination could wait a bit when he had his whole world lying right in his lap.

---

Ah! I’m so glad I finally finished this! Think of it as my own little celebratory work to welcome in the new Animaniacs reboot.

Taglist: @bullet-tothefeels 

[fanficshiddles]

Trust, Chapter 10

As the weeks went by, everyone was surprised that Loki was actually behaving himself. Well, in regards to not killing anyone anyway.

He was having plenty of fun causing mischief and playing pranks on everyone. Darcy joined in a few, actually enjoying her days for a change.

Sure, he could be annoying too, but she could be too. And she enjoyed his company. And everyone else didn’t fail to notice he seemed to like her more than anyone else. She was able to poke or whack him without getting more than a glare. But when someone else tried that, oh boy…

‘Move out the way, reindeer games.’ Stark shoved past Loki, but barely made it a few steps away from him before he was blasted into the nearest wall for daring to touch him.

It nearly caused a huge fight, but Steve managed to calm Tony down while Darcy was able to drag Loki away.

That same evening the team had managed to persuade Loki and Darcy to join them all to watch a film. Even if they had been reluctant to invite Darcy because she always spoke through films.

‘What the fuck is she doing? She can’t even run properly… There, I told you she was going to get killed from the start!’

‘Who the heck would walk into a dark room and NOT turn on the lights?’

‘Oh no, they better not hurt the dog! Anyone but the dog!’

‘Well of course that idiot was going to die. He was reckless and stupid!’

Loki found it amusing, especially because everyone else looked extremely pissed off whenever she opened her mouth.

Once it was over, Darcy stood up and stretched. ‘Right, I’m off for something to eat before bed. You coming, Loks? Or staying here?’ She asked, knowing he had to either go with her or stay with the team.

‘I’ll stay here for a bit.’ Loki said, not moving from the sofa.

‘Alright. Catch you in the morning. Night everyone!’ She ruffled Loki’s hair to annoy him before heading off, earning a scowl from him but nothing more.

Tony looked at Natasha and Clint with a what the fuck? look on his face. ‘Did she seriously just mess up his hair and actually not get murdered for it?’ He said, making them laugh.

-

‘Pssst, Darcy.’

Darcy groaned and whacked at the hand that was tapping her arm.

‘Darcy!’

She opened her eyes and glared up at the interruption of her sleep. It was Loki, looming over her.

‘Jesus, Loki. What do you want? Why are you in my room?’ She frowned and looked around confused.

‘I’m bored.’

‘So? What do you want me to do about it?’

‘You’re my supposed babysitter, so I don’t know.’ He shrugged and stood up straight.

Darcy ran her hand down her face and sat up. She looked at the clock and her eyes widened. ‘Loki, it’s five in the morning.’ She grumbled.

‘And?’

‘And, it’s still the middle of the night for me! If you want to go bug someone, go bug Jane. I’m sure she will be up by now.’ She went to lie down again but Loki wasn’t giving in so easily.

‘Last time I did, they weren’t too pleased with that. Come on. Besides, I want to show you something.’

‘If that is some euphemism for your dick, I don’t want to know.’

‘Darcy.’ Loki growled.

She knew she wasn’t going to get anymore sleep. He wouldn’t give in until he got his way.

‘Ugh. Fine! Give me ten minutes to get dressed, I’ll meet you outside.’ She grumbled, slowly dragging herself out of bed.

‘Excellent.’ Loki grinned and teleported outside her door.

She hung her head down and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up more.

When she eventually came out of her room, Loki was tapping his foot impatiently with his hands on his hips. ‘That was twelve minutes.’

‘You were actually timing me?’

‘No more chat, come on.’ He grabbed her wrist and started practically dragging her down the corridor.

The only time he initiated touching her was to either drag her somewhere or there was one time a spider landed on her shoulder so he had flicked it off her. But it was more than anyone else got, as he didn’t even like standing too closely to anyone else.

Though she couldn’t blame him. They still didn’t exactly treat him overly well. Not giving him much of a chance to redeem himself. And it pissed her off some of the things they said about him, she would stick up for him when she could, of course.

She was surprised when he took her to the lifts and right up to the top floor. He then led her to the fire exit that led out onto the roof.

‘Loki, where are we going?’ She asked when they went up the steps.

‘Just wait and see.’

Once outside on the roof, Darcy was rather surprised. It was still dark, and because it was frosty the night sky was clear. Showing all the stars.

Loki went over to the edge and sat down, Darcy followed and sat next to him. She looked up, following his gaze.

‘Wow. I didn’t realise how good of a view it is up here. It’s so clear.’ She said in slight awe.

‘See that bright star in the middle of a group of them, there? Almost a golden colour?’ Loki pointed at it.

‘Yeah?’

‘That’s Asgard. It can only be seen from Midgard once every one hundred years.’

‘Shit, really? That’s amazing!’ Darcy was surprised, she never even knew it was possible to see Asgard from Earth at any time. ‘Wow.’

Loki pointed out a few other planets and stars that she had no idea about. But she started shivering, it was the start of winter and she hadn’t exactly dressed for being outside.

‘Here.’ Loki conjured up his cape and he draped it around her.

‘Thanks. I’m honoured.’ She teased.

‘If you tell anyone I gave you my cape I will push you off here.’ He threatened, but had a smirk on his face.

‘Charming.’ Darcy scoffed.

They stayed out for a while, just looking at the stars.

‘I still have my doubts about being here.’ Loki said out of the blue. Darcy looked at him and smiled softly.

‘Look, I know the others are assholes. But just give them more time. You can’t really blame them for being overly cautious, not after what you did. When you get to go on a mission, you can prove yourself.’

‘What if I can’t.’

‘What do you mean?’ Darcy frowned.

‘What if I am exactly what they think I am. If I haven’t changed. I am perhaps the monster that everyone has told me I am these past few years, maybe I wasn’t brainwashed.’ He said in a clipped tone.

‘You’re not a monster, Loki. You’re really not.’ Darcy looked forward again. ‘If you were, you’d have killed me as soon as you abducted me. Heck, I know I’m not the easiest of people to get along with, but you seem to be the only one here who wants to be around me for longer than a minute. That says a lot.’

Loki frowned and turned to look at her. ‘Darcy.’ She looked at him. ‘You are the easiest person I’ve ever met to get along with. You’re real, there’s no bullshit with you, no illusions. Better than those that put up a façade. At risk of sounding cheesy, you’re the first person in a long time… actually… ever, where I’ve felt I’ve been able to be myself without feeling at risk of being hated or feared.’

Darcy smiled genuinely at him. ‘Likewise, actually. You are the first person to see me for me, not just a busy body who is good for fetching coffee. Just the apprentice.’

Loki and Darcy weren’t really sure what just came over them. But they felt a weird at peace and warm kind of feeling. Smiling at one another, they said no more and just looked at the stars again for a while.

But Darcy knew that the others had Loki all wrong, that was for sure. She just hoped they would see him for him soon, or that he would maybe let them in a little. It had to go both ways.

[rkived]

drabble #4: a look back into pediatricsurgeon!jungkook’s and generalsurgeon!reader’s friendship throughout med school. 

or, what those infamous ‘‘med school vibes’’ are all about. 

(hospitalplaylist!au)

↩ previous | 📍drabbles masterlist | next ↪️

JUNGKOOK’S FIRST YEAR OF MED SCHOOL.

‘‘Okay, let’s begin.’’ 

Taehyung’s face is puffed up, barely awake. Just five minutes ago he was dreaming about being the mayor of Springfield, the fictional town in The Simpsons, and now he’s quizzing his roommate, Jungkook, before his big Pharmacology exam. 

‘‘What’s bioavailability?’’ 

Jungkook hums ‘‘The amount of medication in your blood that’s available to produce an effect.’’ he answers and Taehyung nods, yawning, moving on to the next question.

‘‘What is azithromycin used for?’’

‘‘Viral In─?’’

Taehyung shakes his head no.

‘‘Oh! Bacterial infections!’’ Jungkook corrects himself and receives a nod of approval from his roommate ‘‘Kinda forgot for a second.’’

Taehyung ignores his excuse and continues quizzing him for a few more minutes, the tiredness still evident in his face, but his anxious friend had him slightly worried. 

‘‘Dude, you’re flunking this shit.’’ Taehyung mutters, counting down how many right answers his roommate had gotten ‘‘You only got six out of fifteen questions right.’’

Jungkook mumbles a curse and places his head over his hands. He couldn’t afford to fail this class, Pharmacology was a pain in the ass and he did not want to take it again. 

Taehyung hums as he stares at his nervous friend, his leg bouncing up and down with nervousness. The older friend understood his position, though he didn’t experience much trouble when he took this class two years ago, he had definitely felt pre-exam jitters before. 

‘‘Did you not study or?’’ Taehyung asks him in a gentle tone, not wanting to put him under the spot even more. 

Jungkook sighs and runs his hand through his short hair ‘‘A little, I uh─I was supposed to take a book out from the library to do more research, but a girl from my class wanted it so I gave it to her because━’’

Taehyung’s eyes open wide like saucers and he doesn’t let his younger friend finish his explanation. 

‘‘You gave up a book for a girl? Because she wanted it?’’ 

So long for not wanting to put him under the spot.

Jungkook already felt bad, but the amused tone on Taehyung’s voice made him feel worse. 

He knew it was a dumb decision.  He handed the book over to her a week ago, when he grabbed it and was ready to take it out to study until she popped out of nowhere and asked him if she could have it, pleading eyes and with hands placed together as if she was begging.

And Jungkook was a first year student, he was still slower than his seniors. He was kinda lucky having Taehyung, a third-year student, as his roommate. The more knowledgeable guy had shared with him most of the tips and tricks he needed to know to survive in Med School. 

Though Taehyung was now regretting forgetting to tell him that when it came down to being ‘‘nice’’ to other students, he had to think smartly and be a little selfish. Especially when a big exam was coming up and you weren’t particularly the best student in the class. 

‘‘You’re a dumbass and you’re failing this exam fair and square.’’ 

Jungkook frowns, not appreciating his roommate’s words ‘‘Thanks, I’ll try my best not to.’’ 

With this, he takes his backpack and snatches the papers from Taehyung’s hands. 

---

Which of the following is a short-term side effect of amphetamine?

Constipation

Hair Loss

Suicidal Thoughts

Depression

‘‘Isn’t it all of them?’’ Jungkooks whispers to himself as he reads the options over and over again, getting himself more confused rather than obtaining a clear answer. 

This was a starter question! A basic one, if you may. He knows he’s supposed to be able to answer this without hesitation, but he’s looking at the question as if it was a foreign topic. 

He sighs and decides he’ll come back to it later, maybe the answer will come to him later.

When choosing to supplement, what type of vitamin D do most healthcare professionals prescribe and why?

Cholecalciferol because it cannot cause adverse effects

Vitamin D because there is only one type of supplement available.

Cholecalciferol because it is the naturally occurring form in the body.

None of the answers are correct.

‘‘Fuck, I know this.’’ Jungkook mumbles, hand coming to scratch the side of his head. 

It’s A. 

No, it’s B. 

But what if it’s C? 

It can’t be D, that’s a trick answer and─

‘‘Psst,’’ he hears from behind him, but he’s too deep in thought wondering which option is the right one. ‘‘Pssst,’’ Jungkook’s eyes raise from his paper and into the sea of students taking the exam around him.

Jungkook stares at his Pharmacology professor, sitting on his chair as he tries to stay awake to keep an eye on his 40+ students. The class started at 7 AM and even he hated waking up early.

‘‘Pssssst,’’ he hears again, this time a little more intense and he’s trying his hardest not to turn his head and see where the noise is coming from, fearing he might get mistaken for cheating. 

He decided to ignore the sound and after that, whoever was making the noise, decided to stop as well. 

An hour and a half later, Jungkook was out of the horrible exam and ready to cry it out for a little in his room. He was hoping Taehyung had left for his exams by then. 

If Jungkook could grade his exam he’d give himself a C, nice try kid. 

‘‘Gosh, are you deaf or something?’’ he hears from a voice behind him, turning around to find the girl from the library. The one he had given the Pharma book to, sacrificing himself to please her. ‘‘I was trying to get your attention!’’ she complains and Jungkook’s just staring at her. 

‘‘What?’’ he speaks up, but it comes out as a mere whisper because he’s confused as hell. 

He’s still thinking about the exam and now he has this girl looking at him like he’s a weirdo. 

‘‘I was trying to help you, I saw some of your answers and they were wrong.’’ She explains and his eyebrows raise slightly ‘‘Hair loss is a short-term side effect of amphetamine? Really? That’s basic Pharmaco.’’ 

‘‘What?’’

‘‘And don’t even get me started on your answer for the vitamin D supplement, that was a piece of cake!’’ The girl continues to complain about his wrong answers and Jungkook is left speechless. ‘‘I was gonna give you my answers, which I know are right because I studied, but you never turned around.’’

Jungkook’s brows furrow. 

The reason why he was able to recognize her in the library last week was because she was an avid participant during lectures. Always had something to say, a question to ask, ready to share a random fact that not even the professor knew about. 

Jungkook’s not surprised she didn’t recognize him back then, not even now. He’s the total opposite of her. Never speaks in class, all the questions he wishes he could ask are kept inside his head and he doesn’t know anything about Pharmacology because everything is a big question mark to him.

‘‘You studied because of me.’’ he states and her eyes go wide like saucers.

‘‘Whu─?’’ It seems that the realization doesn’t hit her after her eyes narrow at him and a lightbulb lights up over her head ‘‘Oh! You’re the guy from the library! You gave me the book!’’ 

‘‘Yeah,’’ Jungkook replies bitterly ‘‘so if my answers are wrong, it’s because of you little Ms. Know-It-All.’’ 

He’s had enough of this and he still wants to cry, the added tension of this random girl mocking his failure has become another reason as to why he needs to get to his dorm room immediately. 

But she won’t let up so easily. 

‘‘Wait!’’ she says, grabbing Jungkook’s arm as a way to stop him, but the taller guy yanks her hand away and continues to walk as she trails behind him ‘‘I swear I didn’t know then you were my classmate! I even asked you if you needed the book, you said no.’’ 

That was true, but Jungkook’s a first year student who obviously thinks being nice will get him A’s on his exams. He doesn’t need books. Being nice will get him that degree. 

Jungkook shrugs it off, but she’s relentless and holds onto his backpack straps instead. 

‘‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so bitchy,’’ she apologizes as Jungkook continues to drag her through the building’s hall, hoping she’ll let go of his straps soon. ‘‘I just got frustrated because I really wanted to help you and—Ow!’’ 

Jungkook suddenly stopping makes her collide with his back abruptly, he gasps and quickly turns around to find her massaging her forehead that’s now sporting a red mark from the impact. 

‘‘It’s okay, I deserve it! Karma, right?’’ she chuckles and he sighs. 

‘‘If I forgive you will you leave me alone?’’ 

She frowns with a pout ‘‘No,’’ she states and he groans ‘‘because if you get a low grade, I’ll feel extremely guilty.’’ 

‘‘Then you’ll just have to live with it, I guess.’’ he shrugs. 

Jungkook promises he’s usually not like this. 

She ignores him instead ‘‘If you get a low grade, you can take the exam again! Professor Lee is really nice and understanding—”

“I know nothing about this class.” Jungkook interjects firmly, hoping that it serves as an answer for her.

She hums “I can help you study!” she offers and he looks at her with surprise “Not to brag, but I’m really good at Pharmaco.” she smiles, but it comes off as less than humble to him.

Jungkook would rather flunk this class than have her tutor him. Actually, he rather have Taehyung flick him on the head every time he gives a wrong answer until he gets them right.

She can tell he’s about to say no and so she pleads “Please! Please let me help! It’s the least I can do.” 

Her begging is very reminiscent of the one she did in the library last week. Jungkook had to give it to her, she could throw quite a convincing act.

And free tutoring is a hard offer to come by. One thing that reigned over med students was this superiority complex, the “I’m a better student than you” idea that would blind people into thinking they shouldn’t help their peers. 

So, yes, maybe she was annoying and a little bitchy, but just like Jungkook, she’s just being nice. 

He sighs with defeat “Alright, I’ll take your help.” 

She gasps with surprise and claps her hands with excitement, making the taller guy laugh through his nose. 

“I’ll give you my number! You can call or text me if you need any help.” she quickly adds and it’s not like he can object because she’s already writing her number down on a pink post-it note. 

“Y/N?” he reads the name once she hands the piece of paper over, she smiles and nods. 

“At your service! I’m good with Pharmaco, Biochem, and Pathology!” she informs and he nods slightly “Don’t ask me about microbiology, though, it’s my weak spot.” she shyly admits

His eyes light up at the mention of his favorite course “I love that class!” he comments and you tilt your head to the side, how could he possibly? “If you need help, you can ask me!” 

You both smile at each other, realizing this small deed turned out to be perfect for you both.

—

JUNGKOOK’S THIRD YEAR OF MED SCHOOL.

“Could you like—stop that?” You mumble, pushing Jungkook off of your shoulder as the sleepy guy shuffles in the tiny space of your bed “Jungkook, seriously! We have a test tomorrow, you wanna flunk it?”

He yawns “You’ll help me if I do.” 

“That was a one time thing only,” you narrow your eyes at him “this time it’s not gonna be on me!”

You try to make some sense into your friend, but he’s not bugging at all. Though you try to understand, you’ve been cramming neurology concepts for the past four hours with no breaks in between. 

Sometimes you forget Jungkook’s study method is very different from yours.

“Shhh,” Jungkook hushes you with his eyes closed and a frown in his brows “‘’M trynna sleep.” 

Jungkook falls asleep to the sound of your mumbling complaints about how he’d fail the test and how you’d have to help him like you always do. He smiles to himself because your bed is really comfy and the air freshener that you spray every other hour smells like fresh laundry. 

You stare at him, peacefully snoring into your pillow, mouth slightly open as he breathes in and out. You should be angry, he was the one who proposed studying together after all.

But all you do is cover him with your favorite fuzzy blanket and pat his shoulder before you go back to the lessons in your book.

The silence is comfortable. It helps you study better and it gives him peace as he dreams of whatever. It’s always like this for you two.

—

JUNGKOOK’S FIFTH YEAR OF MED SCHOOL.

The packed boxes and bags placed on Taehyung’s bed throw Jungkook off because it finally hits him that, after five years of rooming with the older friend, he’d have to find a new roommate.

He enters a frenzied state of questions in his head.

Is my new roommate going to be messy?

Is my new roommate going to listen to music so loud I won’t be able to sleep?

Will my new roommate hate video games and won’t let me play my FPSGs? 

Jungkook hadn’t realized how well of a dynamic he and Taehyung shared until today. Always thought that they kept rooming because they were friends and not because they actually were able to coexist with each other.

And now that Taehyung’s graduating, Jungkook is left to wonder what will happen next.

He was in that state of mind all day long. 

When he watched his soon-to-be ex roommate pack his belongings in boxes that were divided by categories. As he sat in the crowd of attendees for that semester’s graduates, Taehyung in between the handful of fresh new M.Ds. And now, as his fellow group of friends were singing their drunk asses off into the microphone of the karaoke room they had rented for the night.

Jungkook doesn’t know what song Taehyung and Namjoon are singing, but it’s definitely one that came out when he was just a baby. 

“You know you look really funny when you space out, right?” 

He blinks and you’re sitting next to him, giving him a raised brow as you wait for him to answer. 

Jungkook’s been told this multiple times, mostly by you. His doe eyes go wide, mouth shut into a line as he just stares into space and even he would like to know what it is that goes through his head during those moments, he always seems to forget when he comes back to reality.

“I’m so glad those two decided to become doctors instead of singers.” you joke, looking over at the two friends who were trying, but failing, at reaching a high note. 

He doesn’t laugh, though. 

“Are you okay?” you carefully ask, noticing his unusual behavior. Jungkook was…a special kid, for the most part. But you weren’t used to looking at him this quiet and so out of place. “Should I worry?” 

Jungkook shakes his head no and sighs, realizing his mood is changing yours as well and this is supposed to be a happy occasion, because Taehyung just graduated and he should be excited for his friend.

“Ahhh, I see,” you say with a nod, realization hitting you “you’re sad ‘cause Taehyungie is leaving, right?”.

“No.” Jungkook mumbles, hoping that it was convincing enough for you to buy, but he knows that you rarely ever let up.

You smile, finding it endearing how he’s embarrassed to admit that it does hurt. You’ve been there before when Namjoon graduated two years ago and you were a sobbing mess because it felt as if your older brother was leaving and never coming back. 

It sucked that Jungkook and you were the youngest ones in the friend group. You didn’t get to interact much with the older friends due to how ahead they were of you both, but they served as good mentors as you and he made your way along Med School.

“If it makes you feel better, you still have me.” you say with a smile and a squeeze to his shoulder, Jungkook stares back at you with an expression you can’t quite pinpoint “Only two more years.”

Saying it out loud feels unreal. He actually has stuck it out for that long. And as he stares at you giggling about your drunken singing friends, Jungkook realizes he hasn’t been alone during this journey.

You have to pretend his unwavering eyes are not making you feel under pressure.

—

JUNGKOOK’S SEVENTH AND FINAL YEAR IN MED SCHOOL.

“If you don’t tell her now, you probably never will!”

Jungkook gulps as he fixes his robe in front of the mirror. Taehyung is behind him, glaring at him with so much force that the soon-to-be graduate feels like he has to hide.

“Why would I tell her?” Jungkook mumbles “It’s just a silly crush, that’s it.” 

And it’s true, just a silly crush! One that he had been hiding for the last couple of years until a few weeks ago, when his friends took him out drinking, between drunken words he had confessed to his older friends the feelings he had been harbouring for you. 

“We know.” they all said in unison

And ever since then, they —especially Taehyung— had been pushing him into coming clean to you. With graduation happening today, it felt like it was Jungkook’s last chance to tell you before it was too late. 

He knows where you’re going to specialize after this and he knows he won’t see you for a couple of years and vice versa.

Jungkook will be able to go on about his life and get over whatever he’s feeling for you and that gives the opportunity for you to continue ahead with the idea that he’s your best friend and that he’s never felt anything for you. 

“Because maybe she feels the same way!” Taehyung argues and by the look on his face, it’s clear that he’s frustrated with his youngest friend “Like, y’know how Y/N is super smart, right?” He asks and Jungkook nods “Well, every time she’s around you she goes dumb! That’s the love effect.” 

Jungkook chuckles at his friend’s comment. The idea of you liking him back is actually sweet, makes his heart beat a little faster. But it’s just that, a mere thought. 

Because in reality, you’re always smart and never dumb enough to like him back.

He has a front row seat as you receive your diploma, the biggest smile on your face as you pose for the cameras and thank your adviser. Spotting Jungkook in the crowd as he claps excitedly for you, you send a wink his way, making his heart flutter in the process. 

And he feels like he should tell you. What’s the worst that could happen? 

Losing his dignity? He lost it years ago.

Rejection? He can handle it, it wouldn’t be the first time.

“Congrats, grad!” you say with excitement, after finding each other in the crowd of families and graduates “We did it!” 

“Yeah,” Jungkook chuckles, his heart is full of endearment as he watches you bounce with excitement in your heels “we made it, barely.” 

His heart is yelling at him to just do it now. He won’t have time later, what with your family wanting to take you out to celebrate and maybe his group of friends suggesting the usual post-grad Karaoke night. This is probably the last time Jungkook will be able to have you alone. 

In the corner of his eye he’s able to spot Taehyung, he’s far away but it’s clear that he’s dramatically mouthing TELL HER NOW! Seokjin, Namjoon and Yoongi are behind him, tugging at his suit’s sleeves so they’re able to drag him out of sight. 

“Hey, so…” Jungkook doesn’t mean for his voice to come out so shaky and you look at him with glowing eyes, excitement still bubbling in you “Uhm—“ 

Say it, you idiot. Just say it.

“Where are you going out to eat?” 

Fuck.

You chuckle as you tell him they’ll probably take you to some BBQ place and suggest if he would like to come. Jungkook quickly denies the offer and a few seconds later, you’re telling him that you should go and find your family.

Not before giving him a big hug and a kiss to his cheek, a friendly one “Don’t get too drunk tonight!” 

Oh, yeah... 

The worst thing that could happen if he tells you how he feels is that he’ll ruin your friendship. No biggie, right?

And you’ve been there for far too long, have put up with him through all his shenanigans, been too nice to him and he won’t fuck all of that up just because of a silly crush. 

Jungkook’s left to watch as you hurriedly spot your family, jumping with excitement into your father’s arms. The next second Taehyung is pulling at his ear, scolding him because he knows the graduate didn’t confess. 

He’s calling his older friends for help, but they let Taehyung have this, just this once. 

a/n: hello!! i decided to write this bc for the past drabbles the ‘‘med school vibes’’ have been mentioned n here’s a backstory to jk n reader’s friendship back then. i think this is a lil too long to be considered a drabble but wtvr. i did research those pharmaco questions n verified with my med student friends to fact check them lol hope all is well <3