#BUT ANYWAYS YEA I found out putting at in the bag while I draw or work is rlly nice

[kyurochurro]

simon dobbles :DD

[mminttae]

Clandestine | 02

-> Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x reader

-> Genre : tattoo!artist Jungkook, mafia! JJK,mafia au, bloody!missions, slight violence, got secrets they can't tell, angst, romance, Jungkook's part time job is flirting, sad (backstory), Y/N is strong!

-> Summary : who would have known that just doing a part time job at a night club would lead you to the tattoo artist Jeon Jungkook's messed up world. One letter related to the secret comes out of your mouth you'll be laying in Jungkook's arms but alive or not, that's not guaranteed...

-> Word Count : 4.286 K ( A/N: I’m increasing words )

-> T/W body language, killing, curse words and intimacy are included in the story (you may read if you're comfortable with these)

Part : 2

<< previous chap

.・゜-: ✧ :-playlist -: ✧ :-゜・．

Jungkook's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. Even if me saying that line didn't flatten him enough I knew the nickname did as it always have been doing. It was clearly visible that he didn't expect me to be this bold suddenly. But he being himself smirked after a couple of seconds as his hand snaked up to grab my wrist pulling me more closer "Sure princess.. Do you want to go to the trip now? " His tongue rolling over his bottom lip as his piercing doe eyes holding so many thoughts looked at my lips then to my eyes.

"I don't want to interrupt but the trip has to be postponed "Jimin interferes in the moment, his eyes narrowed and only looking at me as if scared that the younger guy would throw him out if he locked eyes with his. Making a 'tch' sound Jungkook raises his eyebrows at Jimin in a manner that reads he's asking why postpone. I yeet his hand which was holding my wrist and get off from the table clearing my throat while fixing the skirt and apron. Jungkook clearly disappointed for not being able to hear my answer gets up from the seat while putting the black leather jacket around his shoulders. Jimin and Taehyung following him gets up too grabbing their bags. Jungkook walked up to me while fixing his bangs with his index finger.

"Gotta go princess a client's waiting" Nodding I proceeded to walk away but I could hear Jungkook saying with a sad dramatic tone. "Atleast act that you don't want me to go". I'm afraid I won't be able to because I myself don't know what this client of yours gonna do if you don't go on time. Is the person waiting even a client or not? Knitting my eyebrows I look back only to meet with strangers taking up the seat. The three tall mesmerizing men with inks on their body not to be seen anywhere. I don't know what's going on in that foolish yet extremely clever brain of yours but...

Be careful Mr. Artbook..

End of YOUR POV

Mid summer yet the night breeze is able to run shivers down your spine. Not a single soul in sight.

10 at night maybe the shopkeepers closed down the shutters and went to bed. Not many shops here in this area to even begin with. The only workshop's bell which rings here is the Jeon's Tattoo corner which has been ringing from the morning today , seemed to have stopped in the evening but now making its sound again. "Argh I should really break down this bell "

With an annoyed expression the black haired guy opens the drawers searching for a fresh towel. The tall man who just entered the shop walked past the desk table, turning the door knob and allowing himself inside the cozy room. His loud footsteps on the wooden floor telling Jungkook that the guest has arrived.

"Where were you? I waited here for five minutes then went inside the nearby plant store to kill time"

Taking off the long coat the tall silver haired guy walks up to the chair positioned in the middle of the room beside the various tools. "Sorry hyung, Taehyung and Jimin wanted a new tattoo so went to hear out their designs"

Jungkook says, eyebrows knitted while he fishes out the stencil of the beautiful clematis he has drawn beforehand of the leader's arrival. Smiling to himself he walks up to the seated boss whose like a big brother to him, he puts the stencil aside. Taking out a black rubber band from his pocket he takes his hair and ties it up to a small ponytail before taking out a drawer full of tattoo needles and inks. "Heard that Yoongi started boxing classes with you"

The older male speaks as his lip corners slowly moves upwards. Jungkook giving out a laugh says, "Yea Yoongi hyung be moving like a turtle. "

The thought of his hyung boxing and whining that it's hard is enough to make the little one giggle. Taking out a small wooden stool with one hand as the other one was holding the tattoo gun, Jungkook sits himself beside the strong looking man who rolls up his shirt's sleeves revealing all the different type of arts and words of different languages tattooed on his arm.

"Need chewing gum?"

The younger one asks at the thought that it might hurt but the older one replies plainly that he's fine after all his skin had been coming in contact with this gun for a long time now. Jungkook nods before resting the needle on the free space on the top of the man's biceps before starting to draw on it, the awestrucking clematis. "Was thinking of getting a lip piercing but not being able to get it cuz of the adults in the house"

The man says while his dimples makes visits to his cheeks.

"The exact same reason why am postponing on getting an eyebrow piercing"

Jungkook replies as he carefully moves the tattoo gun sideways on the man's bicep.

"So when are you planning on telling your sister?"

He asks as the silver haired guy closes his eyes once realizing what Jungkook meant.

"When the time's right.. "

He replies, slowly opening his eyes his gaze meeting the ceiling.

"But first we need to pinpoint Mr. Choi's location"

Replying with a small and quiet yes Jungkook draws the details on the flower carefully.

"Seokjin has been checking the cctvs regularly and the only thing he found was the black hyundai stopping at a night club at exactly 7pm every Tuesday and Wednesday"

"What's the night club's name? "

Jungkook asks as he draws on the small leaves.

"Hell's night club"

With just the mention of the night club's name Jungkook's hand stops moving as his eyes widened. "Isn't that the club you often visit with the others? "

The silver haired man asks making Jungkook quietly nod his head. If the most feared mafia in the country slash his team's biggest rival had been going to the exact same club at the exact same time as his how come he never saw the familiar old man's face? He thought.

What kind of person does the man disguise him as that even Jimin who encountered him multiple times doesn't notice. "You should be careful and try to see your clients faces carefully and see if they match that old fart's face or not"

Jungkook humming a response continued on giving the clematis it's final touch. Finishing the tattoo he removes the gun making the silver haired man sit up straight and fix his shirt.

"You know what to do right?"

Jungkook asks referring to putting on Vaseline ointment on the tattoo and stuffs. The older guy nods while fetching his coat. "I'll get going then. Thanks for the tattoo kook"

Jungkook simply nods his mind stuck in a different topic. Putting the equipments away and tidying up the towels as the older guy leaves the shop and disappears into the darkness of the night in the empty alleyway, Jungkook couldn't help but think about what you were up to. His mind stitching up different negative thoughts together.

"If Mr. Choi is really going to that club then he must have seen Y/N always talking to us..... What if he does something to her? " Jungkook asks to himself and the next thing he does is take his bag, turn off the lights, lock the doors and run off to meet you.

• -

"I'll be off then"

Bowing politely you take hold of the two big disposable bags and huff out a breathe when you realize how heavy both of them were. Kicking the back staff door with your leg open the first thing you see is Jeon Jungkook leaning on the wall infront. His hair tied up in a small ponytail, a bag hung around his shoulder and inked hands resting inside his jeans pockets. His eyes falls on your hands holding the disposable garbage bags, sighing he walks up to you.

"I thought your job was to serve and take orders not bring out garbages" You looked down at the bags in your hands while saying, "I was coming out anyways it's no biggie"

You flashed him a small smile but his eyes looked worried and his face tensed. You wondered what happened but didn't dare to ask thinking that he will only answer with 'none of your business' . Yes Jeon Jungkook unknowingly says harsh things without thinking when he's tensed. Jungkook takes the garbage bags from your hands and put it beside the door when his eyes lands on your right hand which was bandaged. His eyes widen and he quickly took your right hand examining it while asking

"How did this happen? Are you okay? "

Embarrassed you put your hand away from his warm ones and answer while smiling, not making eye contact

"It's okay I'm fine these kind of injuries are meant to happen if you work in a bar." Jungkook not convinced took your hand again now keeping it infront of him not letting you pull it back. His eyebrows knitted . "You were totally fine this evening tell me what happened". Chewing on your bottom lip you look down, fiddling with the hem of your shirt.

"Y/N tell me what happened.." Jungkook says once again this time his voice laced with concern as his hands caressed your hair. You were actually a bit taken aback at how the always dominant voice of Jungkook is making its way to you in a concerned and soft way.

"A drunk guy harshly pulled my hand wanting me to sit beside him but I fought back and he suddenly let go of me making me loose my balance at hit the edge of the glass table behind and that's how I got this"

You say while looking at your bandaged hand which was now resting in jungkook's warm palm. He softly held your injured hand and lower down a bit to meet your height. Looking at your eyes he said

"Tell me who did this. Tell me who did this to you I'm gonna fucking kill him"

In a calm soft voice but the last part obviously didn't come out in a soft way. You laughed and pushed him a bit away from you. "It's okay am fine don't overreact he was drunk" But Jungkook not buying the answer walked closer to you and again with a serious tone asked you . "Tell me how he looked like"

Knowing that he won't let go of the topic unless you give him a proper answer you sigh, rolling your eyes while describing the drunk man you happened to meet inside the club. "He had small eyes , a sharp nose and dark stubble on his face and.." You trailed off thinking what else did the man have but Jungkook interrupted asking in a quick manner

"Did he have any sort of tattoo on his wrist? " Replaying the moment inside your head you widen your eyes a bit and nod your head, "Yea he did.. Was that a crown? A crown maybe"

Exactly knowing who that drunk man you encountered was Jungkook's chest sank at the thought that the old man touched you with his dirty hands. Gulping down the saliva that formed in his mouth he without thinking pulled you to his chest engulfing you in a hug. He wasn't sure why he felt like protecting you but he wanted to . He wasn't supposed to feel this way now that he set his mind on the plan his brain made up on the way here but..he did. He wanted to make sure you were safe.

Widening your eyes at how Jungkook suddenly hugged you, your mind went blank. There's no doubt in how fast your heart was beating. To be honest to yourself you were actually frightened when that man tried touching you in an ill manner but now being in Jungkook's arms you felt safe. You felt safe when he was around. Jungkook's arms around you got tighter as he nuzzled his face in the crook of your neck.

So this is how you gonna play it Mr. Choi

He thinks.

•-

Flashback 5 weeks back

Stretching your arms you give out a small yawn before grabbing the books from the table and making your way out of the auditorium. Walking while looking at your  surroundings you didn't notice the tall man standing infront of you. Too immersed in the same old paintings hanging on the walls you hit something hard making the copies and books in your hands fall down. Without looking up at the person you bumped into you quickly said 'sorry' while kneeling down to pick up your supplies. The tall gentleman kneeled down too helping you with picking up your stationerys. You got up, the man following you soon. This time facing the guy properly as both of you made eye contact you were about to say thank you when your voice abruptly decided to not come out.

The man had soft long black hair .The kind of hair you would want to play with all day. His baby doe eyes staring at you, his lips parted. The oversized hoodie he was wearing made him the grizzly huggable bear image more.

As your eyes scanned him from head to toe, your lips a bit parted, the guy not being able to control his laughter at how cute you looked when your eyes went big as if you saw something really interesting and you'd like to study that thing more, he gave out small giggles making you quickly close your mouth and look at him. Noticing how every students in tha hall were staring at both of you, you shifted your weight from one leg to another leg uncomfortably. But the guy's Adorable bunny smile didn't go out of your notice. His eyes wrinkled as he tilted his face and asked you softly

"You okay? "

Blinking couple of times you nodded your head making him shyly scratch his nape and mumble 'thank god'. Your lips automatically curved up when your eyes landed on the ID card hung around his neck

"Jeon Jungkook"

Once realization hit you that you were now standing infront of your college's hearthrob while looking like a whole mess which you didn't care about that much until you bumped into him, your cheeks got tinted in a light blush. Pulling your lips in you tilted your head a bit to the side making your baby hairs fall over your face.

"Hey kook!"

A loud deep voice entered the ears of the people standing in the hall making them turn their heads to the two seniors waving their hands at Jungkook's direction, a big wide smile plastered know their face. Jungkook takes out his bracelet covered wrist from his pocket and waves at them. Jimin running towards us and wrapping his arm around the tall guy's shoulders he notices me and flashes me a smile

"Hey Y/N"

Waving your sweater paw at him as a hey you smiled. You met Jimin and Taehyung a couple of times before in some group works with seniors. You not really interested in gossips of the college noticed just a few days ago that Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook are the well known hot trio of this college.

"Y/N.."

Jungkook repeats your name to himself before looking at you once again , smiling while saying

"Sweet name"

His sweet honey voice saying your name was enough to melt you. If it was any other guy right now you would have simply said thank you for helping you pick up the books and walk away without saying anything but surprisingly Jeon Jungkook made you stop. "I'm hungry didn't have breakfast this morning" Taehyung whines while holding his tummy earning a slap on his head from Jimin. "we are going for lunch wanna join us? "

Jungkook asks you making you widen your eyes at the sudden invitation and Jungkook earning some smirks from the seniors beside him, Jimin elbowing his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. Jungkook simply rolled his eyes at his hyungs before looking at you for a reply. You glancing at your silver wrist watch said "I would love to but I should get going. I have some stuffs to do"

Jungkook quietly nods his head before flashing you a smile.

Is he always smiling?

You thought noticing that he had been smiling since the moment both of you met. "Y/N's always studying hard"

Taehyung says earning a nod from Jimin making you shyly scratch your nape.

The Brunnete haired approached you giving you a pat on your shoulder before saying "Study well but don't forget to have lunch okay? "

You flashed him a smile while nodding. Jungkook waving his hands at you as a 'bye' walked past you with the two boys. You looked back at three of them noticing that two of them were wearing hoodies and one of them were wearing full sleeved tees.

It's so hot these days why are they wearing hoodies on top of tees?

Shaking your head you quickened your pace and quickly got out of the college grounds. Walking to the bus stand while looking around at the cozy coffee shops on the streets you keep glancing at your watch from time to time to make sure that you're going on time or not.

Now here's a secret about you that no one knows

You're a student at an art college but you are also a student at a law school. Your father runs the family business of electronics. Yes the electronics company ranking the second best in the country out of all the other electronic companies, which he wants to hand over to your big brother after he retires. Your mother always wanted a child of her to be a sculptor. Borning late in the family with the talent of art you were forced to study this subject whereas you were interested in prosecution, catching criminals and stuffs. What you were most interested in were being a mafia or an assassin but you gave up on those dreams and decided to study law. Your parents only giving their all attention and care to their first born, didn't care about you that much. The only thing they wanted from you was becoming a great sculptor and bringing praise to your family.

After nights of confusion and judgement you decided to study in the law school that you got admitted, secretly with the money your grandparents left you. Your grandparents left some money for you and your brother before passing away and thankfully they were enough to pay for your study books expenses. But maintaining time for your law school as well as the art school was hard but you managed to make time after dropping off from some extra courses of the art college without telling your parents. But it was hectic. Your college hours starts from 7 am. And you have classes till 9am then a break at 9:15 am to 10:30 due to dropping off from some extra class. Your law classes starts from 9:30 so during the break you quickly leave the grounds and head off to the law classes. Then you return to the art college at 10:20 when it's a break at your law school. Then once again when it's a lunch break at the art school you head off to the law school while munching on some snacks, obviously not getting time to have proper lunch. And when it comes to events you had to make up excuses at the law school for not attending as your parents would obviously not skip their daughter's presentations.

It would be more hectic from today cuz you just applied to a job at a night club. There's a course for learning shooting at the law school but you don't have enough money to pay for that so it's time to earn some money.

•••

Stretching your arms while getting up from the seat you had been sitting on straight for 2 hours, you give a yawn before taking out a scrunchie and putting your hair up. All the classes for the day are done. Putting the back pack around your shoulder you bow at the teacher before leaving the school premises. Walking inside the bus and sitting on one of the seat you take out your phone and start typing to your mother , 'Mom I'll be late tonight as I got some extra lessons. Don't worry for me and you don't have to send car I'll come by bus'

"No one's gonna worry about me though"

You say to yourself while letting out a small laugh and looking out at the window. Everything vanishing from your sight at a fast pace as the vehicle picks up its speed upon seeing the empty road. Some of the street lights flickering due to not being fixed for several days now. You take out the 'guideline' paper of the bar you're gonna work in from backpack, going through the structure of the building in your mind and remembering all the rules explained to you yesterday when you went to apply for the job. This night club only seemed to be safe for you to work in now. By safe means you would have no worries of the common students who spends time in bars and clubs to see you. If anyone recognizes you then it's game over. Plus the pay is high too.

The phone screen lighting up as a notification popped up you unlocked the phone before seeing from whom the text is from.

Bro: heard you're coming late at night should I pick you up from the way while coming home?

"Geez already told him?"

You say to yourself once realizing that your mom told your brother to pick up but your brother being nice asked if you want to be picked up first or not. Smiling at his text before typing your reply It's ok you don't have to come. The office is far away from my college anyways. Get home safely.

Waiting for a few minutes to see his reply which you didn't get you turned off your phone and put it inside your bag. Looking out from the window thinking why he didn't reply when he saw your text whereas usually he would try to come pick you up, being the 'protective' brother. You got down from the bus as soon as the bus came to its stop. You walked for a few more minutes from the bus stop till arriving at your destination.

Hell's night club

•••

It's been only five minutes of you serving drinks but you're already tired. How can a human body and mind work for 13 hours straight without any rest. You did mess up some tables a couple of times for which you were now getting a scolding from the manager. You looking down bowing slightly while your hands in front of you.

"Miss Lee Y/N did you properly see the table numbers today? "

The old man asks to which you nod. "Then why are you messing up? " He asks in a raised voice making you flinch and quickly mumble a sorry. You lift your head up a bit to see the old man sighing while pinching his forehead, clearly visible that he's angry. "I'm letting you go as this is your first time don't make mistakes anymore"

He says making you bow and say

"Thank you"

He looked around trying to see if any waitresses are free. Sighing at how there's no one free without counting you he gave you a look before handing you a tray of various kinds of drinks. "Take this to table no. 14. And  do not  make any mistakes. They are regulars here I don't want them gone" Nodding at him you set off to find this table no. 14 . Noticing how your skirt got up a bit you tried pulling the skirt a bit down with one hand as the other one was holding the tray, you quickly withdraw your hand without fixing the skirt upon seeing the tray tremble in one hand. Quickly holding the tray in place and scanning if any drinks were spilled, you sigh in relief. You looked back to only lock eyes with the manager . He staring straight at you with his cold eyes. You gave a small awkward smile and walked towards table 14.

The table no. 14 seemed to be surrounded by many big men. All had some sort of tattoos on them. A familiar man sitting in the middle holding a pen and scribbling something on a notebook. His inked arms full on display as the silver earrings were still being able to shine despite the dullness in the scene. His long bangs falling before his eyes not letting anyone see the face beneath it.

You quietly approached the table and when you raised your eyes from the ground to the man sitting in the middle, your legs automatic came to a halt and your breath hitched.

Jeon Jungkook right there was sitting. The table in front occupied with various weapons and him sitting like a whole five course meal, fingers playing with the dangly earrings

This is totally not what I expected

[rotshop]

I loved the interpretation, but ye. I think I might’ve been too vague as well. I meant as though it’s like the first manifestation of 111a, and Jeb ends up finding Reader in the aftermath of it, very much wounded. But I still appreciate your writing and ideas! You don’t have to fix if it’s too much to ask!! Hope you have a great day!!!

hell yea hell yea hell yea ,, as much as i love straight angst hurt / comfort is good shit,,, sorry these took so long and if they aren't rlly up to par !!

also hope a mix of drabble / hcs is all good ,,

tw ; talk of injury [not highly detailed], some brief talk of hallucinations [not highly detailed, past experiences]

w when the s/o is injured! [I'll come up with a better title later, maybe]

You'd gone out on your own little scouting trip. Nothing too grand, just wanting to investigate a nearby complex to look for any loose supplies. Neither you nor your partner had ever seen anyone go in or out of it, meaning the chance of anyone squatting there was pretty low. Initially, he'd been hesitant to let you go on your own despite that low risk. He would be busy with his own tasks, meaning he wouldn't be able to join you, leaving him to just hope you'd end up alright. Sure, he would be able to heal or -god forbid- revive you if needed, but it didn't mean it hurt any less. Though, you'd brushed his concerns off, reassuring him you'd be fine and back before sundown.

It'd started off well enough, spare ammo and medical supplies littered throughout the floors. Admittedly, you'd been a little nervous yourself, something about the sight of the greyed cemented building looming over caused you to lose your wits briefly. Though, with newfound confidence gained in your earnings, you slowly got more and more comfortable. It was quiet, the only other noise being your own footsteps and occasional murmuring. It was..calming, actually. It was hard to find many places in Nevada where there weren't gunshots or zeds groaning to drown out your own thoughts.

Eventually though, you'd felt it. Some shift in the corner of your eye that'd caused you to stand and straighten from your crouch as you'd inspected a package. Despite you glancing around the area and standing still for several moments, you weren't able to see anything that would've been the source of your vision. So, with a bit of hesitance, you'd brushed it off and returned to your scouring. It wasn't uncommon to simply think you saw something when you didn't, an unfortunate reality you'd had to face several times before.

Then you saw it again. Then another time. Then another. Again. Once more. And again.

It'd started to get on your nerves. Well, no, it'd started to get on your nerves after the second time. Now, it was tearing them apart, flakes and shreds falling like snow. You couldn't stand still, couldn't turn your back to any open space without feeling sickening dread. So, here you were with your back against the wall (literally) and weighing your options as your eyes never found any still, darting across the space endlessly.

On one hand, you didn't want to be there a second longer. You simply wanted to take what you'd shoved in your bag and run. You wanted to run home and forget this whole thing ever happened and brush it off as your mind playing tricks on you. On the other, you didn't want to leave. You didn't think you could leave. The thought of making a run for it only to be grabbed by the back of the neck and pulled back into the thick of it..that was your last nerve.

You'd finally stilled your gaze on a mass in another room, the last panel of glass blurring it as it shifted and moved. You couldn't make out any real coherent shape of it, just lines that overlapped and intersected to further confuse you. You knew you wouldn't be able to leave not knowing what exactly you were dealing with. It had to have noticed you already anyway, given the noise you'd made tripping over yourself and knocking things over when the nerves had first started to fray.

So, reluctantly, you'd pulled a dagger from your belt and started stalking closer.

You could hear the blood rushing in your ears, feel the shakiness of each breath as they felt like they were barely even there, feel the adrenaline that made your hands tremble. It was awful, a silent agony with no real cure. Finally, the door loomed in front of you, rusted knob mocking you in whispers and hisses. The uneven metal felt like nothing in your hand.

There was a pause. A beat. Then, you'd shoved the door open, weapon white-knuckled in your grip as you were fully prepared for an unknown enemy.

But that didn't happen.

It kicked in after a moment when you felt no shove. No yell, shout or even a growl fell on your ears. It was like every other room had been, quiet and still. You'd blinked, turning to the 'mass' you'd seen through the window pane. It was a cat.

A cat.

You were scared out of your mind, by a cat.

The laugh felt surreal as it tumbled awkwardly past your lips and onto the cold floor. It was humiliating but oh-so-relieving, a fate you accepted with sealed lips and a forgetful front. You'd placed your blade away carefully, struggling a bit even as adrenaline subsided to leave your hands growing still. A smile found it's way on your lips as you stepped closer carefully.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing.." You'd hummed quietly.

The cat gave a little 'mew' in response, seeming to agree with you. Or not. Who knows. I sure don't and neither do you.

You'd reached out to gently stroke it's matted fur, hoping it wouldn't mind. Though, as you were just inches away from it, it'd looked up a bit just past you before reacting. Stretching its back defensively as its fur stood up on end, claws drawing out as an angry yowl came to life in its throat. Your hand retracted immediately, taking a moment to process before you'd gingerly made to look behind you.

You didn't get to see what it was. It all went black.

-

-when you came to you could hear the familiar muttering of your partner. it was a sound you'd grown long accustomed to from just how often you heard it. Sometimes it was just Jeb talking to himself aloud, him always jumping a bit before snapping his attention to you when you'd interrupt (typically by accident). This time though, it was a little more frantic. Utters of curses and something else (apologies? it was hard to tell, your head was still pretty foggy) falling from his lips

-It'd taken a few moments before you had the energy to give a weak little 'hey,' but even that was enough to make him dart up to meet your gaze before throwing his arms around you. admittedly, it DID hurt a little but nothing too bad, just sore and sensitive.

-"You um..alright?"

-"Am I alright? [name], you nearly DIED out there! I should be asking you that," came his retort.

-yeah hes. worried to say the least. he's always been a little guarded with his more vulnerable side, preferring to keep his insecurities and fears for a specific time and place rather than baring them immediately and openly. So, seeing him so obviously panicked and nervous over you was. an experience.

-he makes you get a lot of rest lmao. you'll try and get up to go get something and he'll just kinda. put a hand on your chest or shoulder and push you back down hrecjwe (gently, of course). he just!! prefers getting things for you, he wants to make sure you're taking it slow as you heal (yeah, he can heal you with the halo but the soreness is still a bitch and-a-half to deal with).

-he takes a little more time off his work to keep an eye on you, though he's still writing a lot of notes n shit down while he sits with you. BUT. it is very easy to convince him to set it aside and cuddle with u lol. he cannot say no to you when you look up at him like that and hold ur arms out to him. he's only human leave him alone !! (/j)

[ka-writes]

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Notes: First of all... thank you so much for the support!!

Second, space vocab: starling: young unidentified species ISF: intergalactic safety force

Anyways, take care of yourself <3!

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Warning: flashbacks to abuse, if needed skip past any italicized words, mentions of child labor exploitation (Someone forces Tommy to steal), attempting to drug character, cussing, kidnapping, fear.

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Incase you missed:

Chapter 1:

Chapter 5:

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Inspired by:

Humans are Space Velociraptors

By:FreshRoses_InMyGarden_NeedTheRain

Some kids come from storks, others come from crashed spaceships

By: mmmajora

Home Again, Home Again

By: teeth_eater

All works can be found on Ao3

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Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33147661/chapters/82290709

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Chapter 6: Causing Chaos

——————

Planet Amari was their next stop. It would take only four hours to get there and usually this would be no problem if they weren’t harboring a human. Let alone the human that had just escaped the Dream Team Ship.

Phil shook his head and focused on the increased security around the boarding docks.

Amair is a planet whose only purpose is to entertain, meaning they already have some of the best security in this part of the galaxy. The added security came directly from the ISF and were now searching suspicious ships.

“Check check, one two.” The microphone turned green, “As your captain it is my duty to warn you about extra security measures. The ISF is boarding ships and checking for abnormalities. Please complete protocol 35.0.” Phil spoke into the mic and waited for everyone’s confirmation.

He got up and started the process of taking maps and blueprints that were not available to the public along with future plans and hid them in a document compartment behind one of his shelves. He then changed his normal illusion monitor and changed it to the default screen.

He stepped out of the cabin and cleaned the surrounding area, while also checking for anything that could be confiscated.

“Tommy. In order to go onto the planet I need you to wear this.”Wilbur confronted.

“No! It looks like one of those serial killer masks!! My face is too beautiful to be hidden.” Tommy scoffed.

“Tommy if you don’t wear it willingly, I will tell Ranboo about-“ Wilbur was cut off by a series of curses and Tommy fiddling the mask around his face. “Good. Put this on too.” Wilbur handed the blonde a bundle of clothes and made his way to the lab. Phil chuckled at the brotherly bond that was already forming.

He made his way down to the lab checking for abnormalities before seeping back to the holding cell. The human was pulling at his clothes while packing things back into the shelf.

“Hello mate! Whatcha doing there?” Phil asked, casually. What he didn’t expect was the human to practically jump out of his clothes in the captain’s presence.

“W-who are you?” Tommy stammered, Phil had completely forgotten he had never introduced himself before.

“Oh! I forgot we haven’t formally met. My name is Captain Philza Mine Craft, but you can call me Phil or Philza, whichever you prefer. I use he/him pronouns and am the legal captain of the SBI Craft.” Phil finished his introduction with an easy confidence, even with the face mask you could easily see the kid’s wonder, “We are currently waiting for a formal check from the ISF.” The human tensed at that, “So if you would please follow me to the common room, so I may hide the holding cell.” The human nodded vigorously.

Once Phil had dropped Tommy off in the common room he made his way to the holding cell. With a few clicks and checks the holding cell made a perfect illusion wall, which molded it into the wall not to be seen by any inspectors or gadgets they may have.

Once he had gotten confirmations from all crew members, he made his way back to the pilot’s cabin. If they were even a minute slower with preparations, security would have deemed the ship suspicious.

They settled the ship at the checkpoint and waited for a security officer to signal them.

——————

Wilbur’s leg bounced anxiously as he wore his disguise. He had finished briefing Tommy about the plan. They would lie about their origins, Wilbur doing the talking, and would get what they needed and get out.

The only thing anyone was waiting on was the guard.

Almost on queue the door began to open and a young starling stood at the door. He seemed to be genetically engineered and had wires attached to his head and 3D glasses.

“Hello everyone! My name is Jack Manifold, and I will be checking your ship!” The starling chirped, “I hope you have both we have to confiscate, because everyone here seems like lovely people. I have to ask where is your captain?”

“Right here mate.” Philza said, stepping out of the pilot cabin. “I am Captain Philza Mine Craft, of the SBI Craft. Feel free to look around.” Phil said with a hint of impatience. Jack didn’t seem to notice and made his way around the Craft.

Everyone sitting in the common room shared a few nervous glances. The only one who seemed oddly comfortable was Tubbo.. Wilbur took note of the behavior and tried to busy himself with the magazine he was holding...

When did he get a magazine?

He was immersed in an article about room design when Jack returned.

“Everything seems to be in order! The only thing I ask is that everyone introduces themselves.” His tone turned serious as he looked at the crew.

“My name is Technoblade. I am the security officer on this ship and second in command.” Techno said without faltering in tone.

“I am Ranboo. I am Technoblade’s hired assistant and do most chores around the ship.” Ranboo said clearly anxious with the attention on them.

“Tubbo, I am a hired gardener and take care of food supplies and medical ingredients.” There was a coldness to Tubbo’s voice as he finished his introduction.

“Dr. Craft, I am a toxicologist. This is my medical student, Tommy, he doesn’t talk much.” There was a suspicious glint in Jack’s eye as Wilbur continued, “We have been working for this crew for two months, before that we were traveling on our own licensed craft.” Jack accepted the answer and finished checking his notepad off.

“Alright, that will be all then! Welcome to Amari! Once I give this report to my manager, you should be able to enter the atmosphere!” With that the cheery starling left the ship and Phil closed the door before disappearing into the pilots cabin.

To say Wilbur was relieved was an understatement.

——————

Things were falling into place.

Once they were on the planet all Tubbo would have to do is add the substance to one of Tommy’s drinks and he would be acting out in no time!

But is it worth it?

He pushed the thought out of his head and finished packing the small packet in his bag before getting off the ship with the rest of the crew.

“Before we head to the shopping center, why don’t we stop by Las Nevada’s? I mean it’s Tommy’s first time on Amari after all.” Tubbo said. Las Nevada’s is the most well known restaurant and casino in Amari. It was the perfect place for Tubbo to start his plan.

“I don’t see why not. Just stay in the restaurant bit, we don’t want to draw any more attention to ourselves.” Phil answered.

With that the group walked into one of the best and worst places in the city, though no one knew of the worst bit yet…

——————

They sat around a booth compartment. It had soft red padding and purple looking palm trees, without the coconuts.

It reminded Tommy of a stereotypical mafia restaurant. Something Tommy never got the privilege of seeing.

It made him very uncomfortable, especially when the waitress gave them drinks in glass cups. He felt like whatever he touched would instantly shatter into a billion pieces.

Techno was taking Ranboo to the bathroom and Phil and Will were talking to a waitress leaving only Tommy and the scary bee boy . alone.

“I told you I was done Miranda!!” A man shouted from a nearby table causing Tommy’s attention to be focused on the couple fighting.

“You had one job. And you failed it boy.” A man slapped his face.

He was in his third foster home again. They had asked him to get at least $50 from people on the subway, he had only managed to score $20, and the man was furious.

“You’re lucky I see potential, otherwise you’d be back in that goddamn group home.” Tommy’s eyes dropped yo the floor, another slap and a hand grabbing his chin to look at the man, “PAY ATTENTION TO ME BOY. I saved you from that hell hole and I can take you back.” The man sneered. Honestly Tommy would rather be there than here.

“Hey!” Wilbur snapped in front of his face, “You with us?” Tommy nodded. The couple was gone and everyone returned. Now Ranboo and Wilbur were sitting next to him and Tubbo was sitting next to Ranboo. Did bee-boy always look so guilty?

After a minute of awkward silence, Phil and Techno started talking, their voices drowned out by the surrounding noise. Wilbur had turned his attention to his menu and Ranboo was writing in his book again.

Tommy reached for his water and Tubbo turned his attention to the human. The mask he was wearing had a flap so he could easily breathe, eat, and drink. He took a sip of water….. was water supposed to be this sweet?

“Why the fuck would someone put sugar in water as a prank?” Tommy mumbled, everyone’s attention was on the human again, “What?” He asked defensively.

“Did you say sugar?” Wilbur asked as if it was the craziest thing he had ever heard.

“Umm… yea?” Tommy said. We’re these people pulling a prank on him? Why was everyone looking at him like that?

“Tommy, can you give me your water?” Wilbur asked, he was genuinely confused by the reactions. After a few seconds he gave his water to Wilbur who immediately took a sip and spit it out.

“What the fuck?!” Tommy asked as Wilbur gave him the water back.

“That is definitely sugar.. Tommy do you feel weird at all?” He asked.

“Erm no?” This was getting stranger and stranger.

“So humans are immune to sugar…” Will said as if it was a scientific breakthrough.

“Yea? Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Well for one, most species go absolutely crazy after eating sugar, for some it could lead to death.” Tubbo informed. He looked even more confused than Tommy felt.

“So like, aliens go psycho when they eat sugar? That’s lame.” Tommy laughed out the last line. Everyone looked at him with concerned glances, “I don’t think I am gonna go psycho after drinking a small bit of sugar water, I mean most people have been eating sugar their entire lives, me being one of ‘em.” Tommy finished and the underlying tension died down. Well except Tubbo’s which felt more like an angry glare meant to affect him in some way.

When the waitress came everyone gave their orders, Wilbur supplying Tommy’s. The rest of the meal was comfortable, with Phil telling stories and the rest supplying jokes and chatter, along with the occasional glare from Tubbo.

To be honest Tommy had never felt so comfortable around anyone before, he wanted so badly to let down his wall around these people. Still there was that annoying voice that told him not to trust them. For once he didn’t listen to it.

I mean what could go wrong?

——————

The plan failed. Shit.

Tubbo was mad. Not just mad, furious.

The others were having fun with the human, yet again. Tubbo had wandered off, he wanted to destroy everything, and yet he simply walked off without a second glance. He could feel the tears streaming down his face.

“Hello bee-boy!” The human scared the droneling, his ears falling flat against his head.

“I am not in the mood to talk.” Tubbo sniffed.

“Oh..” The human’s tone dropped, it was almost as if it was hurt by Tubbo’s words. “That’s alright big-man! We don’t have to talk.” The human settled with that response, with that the pair walked through the busy street in silence. Tubbo tried to throw the human off his trail but gave up after a few minutes.

After fifteen minutes of them wandering around Tubbo spotted a shop and made his way over to the electronic shop. The human followed him into the small store.

It was a small shop with tight isles and jazz music filling the silence. At the register a tall creeper hybrid fiddled with a redstone contraption. Tubbo paid no mind to him and turned his attention to some of the smaller devices scattered throughout the shop. The human shifted nervously behind him.

Once Tubbo found what he was looking for he took it over to the register. Another man stood behind it along with the original one. His eyes shifted to Tommy.

“Are you sure that’s him?” The original man asked, his name tag reading Sam.

“Yes, positive. Dream will be happy with this.” The other man replied, he stretched one of his fingerless black gloves and turned towards the pair. “Hi. I am assuming you have my boss’s patient?” The black hair man asked. He was a blazeling and had a cruel glint to his eye.

Without warning another man came up behind them and slapped a cloth over both of their faces. Within seconds the pair was out and everything went black.

He woke up in a cage.

——————

Chapter 6- End

Words: 2206

——————

Notes: The next bit will be hard to write ;-; but then we get to the fluffy-angst :D

Also this was harder to write... motivation went poof, but I won’t quit on you!!

<3

——————

Tubbo: *tries to cause chaos—fails

Tubbo: *wanders into a random shop—causes chaos

Tubbo: .-. Wtf

——————

Chapter 7:

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Things I’ll Never Say

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6  🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14 🡪chapter 15 🡪chapter 16 🡪chapter 17 🡪chapter 18 🡪chapter 19 🡪chapter 20 🡪chapter 21 🡪chapter 22 🡪chapter 23 🡪chapter 24 🡪chapter 25 🡪chapter 26 🡪chapter 27 🡪chapter 28 🡪chapter 29 🡪chapter 30 🡪chapter 31 🡪chapter 32  🡪chapter 33 🡪chapter 34

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

If I could say what I want to say I'd say I want to blow you, away Be with you every night Am I squeezing you too tight If I could say what I want to see I want to see you go down On one knee Marry me today Guess, I'm wishing my life away With these things I'll never say

It don't do me any good It's just a waste of time What use is it to you What's on my mind If ain't coming out We're not going anywhere So why can't I just tell you that I care

click here to be on the update list

DEVON

                                                  I woke up with a groan and felt my head throb and ache just like it would do if I was hungover. I hadn't had a single drop even if I should have when I remembered the way I painted and for how long. I was pretty sure I had fallen asleep on the floor but when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Niall's pretty face very close to mine.

My heart jumped in my chest and my lips parted before I licked them. He was sleeping and he looked so peaceful and motionless that I started wondering if he was actually breathing. I slipped my hand under the cover to reach for his naked chest and held my breath at how warm his skin was. It was a miracle my cold hand didn't wake up up but I still waited a few seconds, trying to feel his heart beating in his chest.

Every time I looked at him, I felt something twist in my stomach. I knew he wanted us to be official and if I listened to my heart, that's what I wanted too, but risking it was so scary I couldn't find the courage to give in to his request. I thought about Henry and how he had broken me, and I thought about Abby and how Niall could break me even more. There was no was I could heal my heart if he hurt me, it would be turned to complete dust and I knew it.

I found myself jealous of the way Niall was in love with Abby, and how he would have done anything for her. I was jealous of a past relationship of the man I had refused to date and I hated myself for it. I knew it wasn't rational and that it made no sense but I couldn't help it.

Perhaps, if I had met Niall before I met Henry... maybe if he had met me before he met Abby... In that specific case, maybe we could give each other the chance and the love we both deserved. The problem was that we both went through the exact same thing, or almost, and apparently, two persons who went through the same thing can understand each other, but can't help each other. I didn't know how true that saying was but I had heard it enough to hear it echo in my head every time I wanted to love again.

I brought my hand up to his face and brushed my fingertips on his cheek so softly that I felt a shiver run in my back. One of my fingers reached his bottom lip and I felt myself tear up. I had never met in my life a man like Niall and he was slipping through my fingers because of my fears and anticipations. It was unfair, and it was stupid, but the knot in my stomach was there permanently and I couldn't make it disappear. All the feelings that came back when I saw Henry again made me remember how bad love hurts and at that exact moment, laying in bed in front of Niall, I knew it was true.

I desperately wanted to kiss him but I knew he didn't want us to do anything anymore so I just swallowed hard and got out of the bed slowly. I searched for my painting and found it on the desk in a corner of the room, sighing low. I hated it and started nibbling on my bottom lip, trying to remember that I always hated my art in the first few days after making it, and that it was normal. Besides, artists are the worst critics of their own art.

I heard Niall move in bed and turned around just in time to see him reach for a pillow and bring it against him. He let out a short whimper and it made me wonder if he would have cuddled me if I was still in bed. I shook my head, trying to push that thought away, and finally search for a pen in the room, finally finding one in one of the drawers. I sat on the couch and started scribbling a few words on a paper. I really sucked at writing songs, but I could clearly remember a melody, especially one that really touched me, and it came in handy at that moment.

When I was done, I re-read what was written on the paper and raised my nose up before sighing again and folding the sheet, putting it away in my bag. I decided to take a quick shower to take the paint off my arms and face and when I walked back in the room, Niall was awake. I stopped walking and held my breath at the sight of his naked back. It's not like I had never seen Niall only wearing boxers but perhaps knowing I'm never get to touch him again made something twist in my stomach.

"Oh, hey." he let out when he turned around. "How did you sleep?"

I wanted to tell him that I slept better than I had in a while, if only because he was with me in the same bed. When I woke up, I felt the warmth of his body emanate on mine even if we weren't touching and I loved it way too much. I couldn't tell him that it would have been even better if he was holding me all night, but I wanted to, because I felt it all over my body. I felt it so intensely that I had to swallow a lump in my throat.

"Was nice, and you?"

"Good, thanks." he said, putting on sweatpants. "Better than the floor."

I sent him a small smile that he sent back and I licked my lips. "Thanks for bringing me in bed and tucking me in, last night. I vaguely remember."

"You're welcome, Devie."

I felt my heart flutter at the nickname and I realized I'd never get over it.

"So, you're going skiing today?"

"Snowboarding, yea." he let out, searching for his stuff in his bags. "You're gonna join us downstairs in a few hours?"

I nodded quickly and pressed my lips together as I stared at him. I loved how he moved around the room like it was just a random day and we were just used tp be around each other like that. To some extent, we were, since we shared the same room on campus, but it felt slightly different at that moment, more intimate, maybe. I let my mind wander, imagining what it would be like if we ended up dating and living together. Was that what I would see in the morning before he actually went to work?

"Okay, I'm ready. I'll see you later?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Mmhm." I nodded as I imagined him walking closing to me and bending down to kiss me.

Why did I like this scenario so much it made my heartbeats accelerate? I watched him leave and when the door closed behind him, I felt extremely empty and lonely. I got up after a few minutes and walked to my painting again, running my fingertips slowly on the colors I had used. Was it crazy to start painting with light colors so early after a break up? I turned my head to look at the door, hoping it would open again as my heart thumped hard in my chest. It was Niall, I knew it. It was him that brought in me all these new emotions and I liked it so much I felt myself tear up.

Without thinking, I searched through my bag and found a few pictures I had taken. I had taken the time to develop them by myself in the college darkroom and I had loved the result. Despite myself, the lights had added a few pale yellow spots and it looked amazing. At first, I wanted to numerize them and modify them but I realized I didn't need to.

I sat in bed and looked at them carefully. There were no full faces on any of them. My favorite was one of  Niall's naked shoulder with a bit of his back and hair. We could also see the top of my head and part of my forehead in it too as I lied down beneath him, and his fingers were slipped in my hair. I had no idea why this specific shot made me feel emotional but it was strong and it made something twist in my chest.

I got up and grabbed the piece of paper I had put in my bag earlier before I walked to the desk, sitting down in front of it. Slowly and carefully, I copied the lyrics I had scribbled while Niall was asleep behind the picture, along with a few lyrics that didn't belong to me. I had taken a lot of pictures in my life, but nothing like this one. Perhaps it was only because it meant so much to me... because he meant so much to me. It actually made me want to pain that picture and I quickly grabbed a blank canvas from my stuff before grabbing a pen. I was never really good at drawing people, I felt like the human body was too complex to draw, but I decided to make an exception this time. It didn't really matter anyway. When I'd add paint, the forms wouldn't be as defined and even if I knew nothing could be better than the actual picture, I felt like not painting it would eat me up inside.

I couldn't tell how long it took me but when I didn't stop until I was done. Normally, a painting like that could take me many days to create but somehow, it had turned out the way I wanted after only a few hours. I left it on the floor and decided to finally take an other shower, if only to take the paint from my hands, arms and face. I got out and quickly dressed before checking my phone. I had no message and I raised my nose up, telling myself they were probably busy skiing but I still decided to get downstairs, to the common living room. I loved how all the couches were placed with a fireplace in the middle. The first thing that made my heart jump in my chest was a laughter. I recognized it because I had to hear it for hours on a certain night and every time, it made my heart drop in my chest. Today was no exception. My eyes roamed around and found Abby who was laughing, throwing her head back. She was still wearing her beanie and coat and when I noticed Niall was the one she was talking with, I felt nauseous. He laughed too before taking a sip of his drink and Abby moved closer, placing her hand on his arm and letting it slip down.

I swallowed hard, knowing it probably meant nothing but telling myself that if this simple gesture made me feel like that, I'd never be able to be around Niall if he was dating an other girl, especially if that girl was Abby.

I held my breath and my lips parted when Niall turned around and our eyes met. I felt myself tear up and shook my head lightly before turning on my heels and leaving. I tried to keep my tears in, knowing it was ridiculous to be sad for that, and just as I was reaching the elevator, I felt his warm hand on my arm.

"Hey, Devie, where are you going?" he asked softly as I turned around. His face changed when he saw mine and took a step closer. "Woah, what's wrong, why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" I let out a bit too roughly, taking a step back. "I didn't want to annoy you while you were flirting with your ex girlfriend."

"Devie, we weren't flirting." he argued. "At least, I was not."

"She was all over you." I just replied.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "So? That's what Abby does! Besides, you're texting with Henry and I haven't thrown a tantrum about it!"

"I'm not texting with Henry, what are you talking about?"

"You told me he messaged you when we were at my apartment!" he pointed out, making me frown.

"Yes! But I never said I answered him!" I let out a but louder. "Because I didn't!"

His face changed, his traits softened and he took a step closer. "You didn't?"

His voice was low and gentle and it calmed me instantly.

"No. I want to move on from him, I don't love him anymore."

Once again, Niall took a step closer and took his beanie off. I felt my lips curl very slightly on the light at the sight of his hair and he quickly passed his hand in it, messing it even more. He looked so pretty I felt my head tilt a bit on the right.

"If... If it makes you feel better, I don't have feelings for Abby anymore either. I can't even understand why I ever was in love with her." he added with a shrug. "Not that you really care, because you don't love me like that, right?"

I stared at him and blinked a few times, trying to decide what I was supposed to say. I could be mad at him but I loved the way he was looking at me, as if I was the only person that mattered in the world, as if he was about to jump on me to make me feel all the damn feelings he had for me inside him.

"Did I say that?" I just asked with an amused smile before licking my lip, taking a step back.

"Hey, stay with us, we were about to go out for dinner." he quickly proposed as we heard the doors of the elevator open. "You came here to spend time with your friends, right?"

My eyes roamed on him and I finally nodded. "Alright."

----

Niall was still telling me a story when we walked back in our room. It was late but neither of us really cared. I had a small talk with Louis who presented me his new girlfriend Eleanor, and I immediately liked her. Lewis was funny and the way Daxia looked at him made me happy. I tried not to give too much attention to Noah but he still bought me a drink and we had a small chat. All I wanted, though, was to be close to Niall, and I ended up scared he'd be annoyed that I followed him better than his own shadow. At some point, he had placed his hand on my thigh, moving closer to me to ask me if I wanted an other drink, but all I could think about was the fact that he was touching me.

We didn't drink too much though and when we closed the door of our room behind us, I was laughing because he was funny, and not because I was tipsy. He turned around and took a few steps back as I followed him, but when his lips curled into a cheeky smile, it made me frown.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked, unable to stop smiling.

"Are you tired?"

I frowned more but it only made his smile bigger. "Mm, no. Why?"

"Do you trust me?"

That question took me by surprise but I didn't have to ask myself the question. The answer came naturally. "Yes."

And I trusted him. I trusted him more than I trusted pretty much anyone, and it was one of the things that scared me in this relationship, whatever it was.

"Thank you." he just whispered, holding out his hand to me.

I breathed in but still slipped my palm on his and quickly, he pulled me out of the room. Instead to take the elevators, he brought me to the stairs and we ran down until the main floor, stopping abruptly in front of a door. I held my breath as Niall opened it very slowly, peeking out for a few seconds and finally holding his hand back for me. I grabbed it and he turned around to look in my eyes, bringing his finger on his lips to tell me to keep quiet. I nodded and followed him on the other side of the door until we reached a second door. He tried to open it but groaned and raised his nose up when he realized it was locked.

"Fuck."

I moved to look through the window and my lips curled when I noticed a pool. The lights of the room were off but there were a few at the bottom of the pool and the sight was great.

"I'm gonna try to steal the keys." he added, taking me out of my thoughts and making me blink.

"No wait!" I stopped him in a whisper, holding his arm. "What if you get caught?"

He sent me a small smile and his eyes roamed on my face before he shook his head. "Don't worry."

He left and I felt my hand slip from his arm. I held my breath and remained motionless as I waited for him to come back and it seemed to take forever. When he appeared again, my heart jumped in my chest, scared that it could be someone else, but he stopped right in front of me as I raised my eyebrows. A smirk quickly draw itself on his lips and he moved his hand up, showing me a  keychain with at least 20 keys on it.

"Okay, I'm impressed." I admitted low, making him chuckle.

It took him a few tries and he finally unlocked the door. We walked in slowly and when he closed the door behind us, I turned around to look at him.

"I don't have a swimsuit." I admitted, tilting my head.

"You have underwear." he chuckled, making me raise my eyebrows. "What? Nothing I haven't seen, isn't it what you said the other day?"

I pressed my lips together and moved my chin in his direction. "You, first."

He chuckled again and without hesitation, grabbed the bottom of his shirt, moving it over his head. I let my eyes travel on his chest as he worked on the button and zipper of his jeans, finally taking them off along with his socks. He looked way too good, illuminated by the soft lights in the pool, and my heart skipped a beat. I moved my gaze up until my eyes met his again and he sent me a soft smile.

"Your turn."

[enigma-im]

Eleventh day of Christmas...

Trope: Fake Relationship Relationship: Alien x Human Word count: 4,366

No one understands how difficult it is to get a job as an alien. With humans making up the majority of life in space, reproducing like rodents, there isn't much use in lower life like me. To finally get a job is a miracle in itself. Though it's working on some low tier mining station, it's enough for me to settle down. Living in the village that rounds the outskirts of the quarry. It's solitary life but it's enough for me to be content. The humans aren't as rude and mean as I thought. Over the years I learned there was a difference between working-class and upper personalities. Everyone I've interacted with has treated me mostly as an equal, someone who sweats and bleeds for the job just as they do.

Only working on the station for a year I get a notice of eviction. It's a heart retching moment that leaves me in tears. This place has been my home for as long as I've known it. I've made friends and a life here, now they wish to send me away? I try to keep it together but it's hard when everything you cherish is being tossed away with a simple note. As I break down in the middle of mining I'm surrounded by workers, all trying their best. My dearest friend, Vincent, takes me away to the break room to settle down. He has always been kind to me, being ever patient in all our interactions. I couldn't ask for a better friend.

As I calm down enough to inform Vincent of my predicament he does his best to comfort me. I feel like a pest trying to steal his kindness. He tries to placate me, which works for the day but not for the week. The end of the month comes up quickly and I can barely hold my tools to work. He is always there to lend a sweet smile. As the last week comes up Vincent surprises me by coming to my home, offering a solution to my problem.

He offers to marry me.

It's a ridiculous idea that I turn down immediately, though at the time I truly wanted the easy out. He takes most of the night to convince me, explaining that nothing has to change. I have to agree, knowing that life outside of here would be worse than a little lie to the higher-ups. We marry the next day, sending in a request for joint living.

It's been nearly a year since then and life has been smooth sailing. We continue on as friends, putting on a bit of a show for the bosses whenever they show up. A few chaste kisses and lingering hugs are enough for them to nod and turn away. Besides that, we are just good friends, friends who live together in matrimony.

The houses are decorated this time of year for the human holidays. It's nice to see them stick to their roots, enjoying new years and large feasts. Though I can't say I fully understand this upcoming celebration I can still enjoy the fairy lights strewn across the paths.

"Doing anything with Vincent on Christmas," Tori asks as she walks beside me. I smile as I continue to admire the lights.

"Not that I'm aware of," I answer.

"What, no lovey-dovey plans," she asks with a salacious grin. Tori knows of the arrangement Vincent and I have, as does most of the station, but she has some weird romantic ideals for us. I've given up a while ago trying to extinguish this fire.

"None of that, I heard there is going to be another large feast for everyone," I offer instead," we are most likely heading to that."

Tori scoffs," that's no fun. You two can have a lazy morning in and still have time to go to the luncheon."

I shrug, not feeding into her wishes. Vincent and I don't have that kind of relationship. A few short kisses are all we have shared, the strange shows of affection these humans have. My people would gawk in disgust at such displays. I snicker to myself, I was much the same when he first told me of the action.

We head into work, meeting up with the crew before we descend into the dark quarry. Layers and layers of rock pass us, the sight a lackluster one after a few hundred viewings. Though more of those fairy lights decorate some of the open floors. Vincent bumps me from my admiring.

"What floor are you on today," he asks. I look to him, meeting his warm brown eyes. He is an adorable man, though he is far different than people of my kind. His hair for one is strange to me, though soft and fluffy the few times I've touched it. I can understand the appeal but it's still new to me.

"45, I'm with Harland's crew today," I answer.

"Hm," he nods," I'm just the floor below you. Want to get lunch with me today, since we are sharing the same break room?"

"Of course," I smile," I want to know more about this Santa character. It still weirds me out how he suppose to know when children have been good or bad. I understand he isn't real but how are kids comforted by this fake knowledge growing up?"

Vincent chuckles, ready to give a teasing remark before the elevator stops. I head out, waving goodbye to him as I go.

I hear many people complain about the tedious job, some even going as far as ranting on how awful working here is. Though I can't say I share the same sentiment I understand where they are coming from. It seems humans aren't built too well for jobs like this. Vincent for example has come home sore and hurt before. I've catered to him in those situations, acting like their human housewives as I draw him a bath or massage his shoulders. It's not much of a chore though, a small price to pay to say thanks.

The break comes nearly too fast as I truly get into my work. I've found a vein that piques my interest. Everyone heads out leaving me to skip the joint ride up. I finish as much as I can before I have to call it quits less I leave Vincent waiting in the break room.

I head up alone to level 40, absentmindedly walking to the breakroom. The area is large to fit everyone in and it takes me a moment to find Vincent amongst the crowd. I soon spot him off the far corner speaking with another. The human sitting beside him is someone I've not met before, a tall but slim human woman. Vincent seems engaged in the conversation, leaning close to her. The woman is equally interesting, with a great smile on her face. I falter on my way towards him feeling strange the longer I stare. I shake my head and just ignore the rolling feeling in my gut.

"Hey," I greet as I sit across from the two. Vincent startles, leaning away from the woman as he turns to me.

"Hey," he answers less enthused than he was previously.

"Hello," the girl smiles wide. Vincent startles again as if he forgot the woman was there with him. He looks to me then back to the woman, flustered a bit. My stomach rolls again.

"I guess you two haven't met. Nao this is Andrea," he gestures to the woman with a big smile," Andrea this is Nao, my, uh, wife." I don't care for the way he stuttered at the end. The woman's large smile shrinks as she looks between us then at our hands.

"Oh, you're married? You two don't wear your rings," she gestures to our empty fingers. I look at my hand confused, looking to Vincent with a quirked brow.

"Y-yea, it’s a bit harder to wear one while working down here. You will find out soon enough," Vincent jokes with her. Andrea take the answer well enough, scooting away from him a bit to my strange relief. The two still talk amicably while we all eat. My stomach continues to roll the entire time, spoiling the meal.

At the end of the workday, I walk home with Vincent stuck in thought. The interaction has picked at me the entire day, my work suffering a bit as I'd stare off into space. I continue doing that now, looking at the sidewalk with my stomach still twisting. Why am I like this?

Vincent bumps my shoulder," you good?" I stand to attention, flustered.

"Yea, just a bit distracted," I answer casually. I drift off in thought again. They seemed rather friendly today. Was he flirting with her? I've seen a few of the workers casually talk with each other with that same large smile and close proximity. The thought makes me clench my jaw.

"Penny for your thoughts," he asks. My mixed emotions pause at the question.

"What?"

He snorts," what's are you thinking about?"

"Oh," I say, still a bit confused about the question. Penny for your thoughts? I shake my head. "Was thinking about human interactions. Your species is a tad confusing," I answer as casually as I can. No need to sound as distraught as I feel.

Vincent cocks a brow," which ones? Maybe I can lend a hand in understanding." I debate actually asking, some discretion is needed here. I never understood the 'beating around the bush' meaning. Why not say what you mean? Though right now I think I get it.

"Flirting, I think is what it's called," I shrug, trying to seem uninterested. He still stiffens, walking a bit awkward as he reaches back and rubs his neck.

"I, uh," he fumbles," what about it?"

"What is it?"

"Flirting? It's just showing interest in another as a romantic partner," he answers weirdly. I appraise him from the corner of my eye, he is tense. I chew on my cheek, licking at my teeth.

"You never flirted with me," I say, wishing I hadn't immediately after.

"well, our situation was a bit different," he adjusts his bag over his shoulder," do you want me to flirt with you?"

I curl into myself," no-I don't know- it's fine- I'm not… I was just curious about it." he nods, watching me as we walk. I feel scrutinized like a germ under a microscope. Just act casual.

"Anyway, how was your day? Mine was alright, I managed to finish a vein before the whistle," I ramble. He says nothing, prompting me to look at him.

Vincent slows to a stop, me stopping with him confused. He reaches out and pinches my chin softly, tilting his head a bit with a cute twinkle in his eye. I stiffen, awkward, confused, and intrigued. He leans closer, his breath brushing over my cheeks.

"You have the most beautiful eyes, the way the Christmas lights twinkle off them look magical," he purrs. I gulp, looking between his eyes utterly conflicted. Not sure about what to do I bat his hand away with a chuckle.

"Shut up," I snicker," was that flirting?"

He laughs," if you have to ask then I didn't do it well."

We continue walking home but the fluttering in my chest overdoes the rolling in my stomach. I can't stop the smiling curling my lips, passing a glance to Vincent I see a similar grin.

The whole week I'm stuck in a loop of thoughts. Nothing can break the cycle, not even work can distract me. My body feels tense like a loaded spring. I don't know what I'm getting ready for till I'm sitting across from Vincent in the breakroom. The girl has come around for a few days but has backed off as Vincent has nearly ignored her in favor of talking with me. It's when I feel a bit of smug pride do I understand what's going on.

I have feelings for Vincent.

That's a strange thought, I have feelings for my husband, but it's still just as alarming. This annoying rolling in my stomach and taunt pull of my shoulders have been because of this woman encroaching. Have I always seen him as mine? It was never an issue before. I try to think of it strategically before I go more abstract. Was I flustered because if he left me then I'd be evicted? As that idea didn't settle well I humored the idea of actually liking him. It began a string of daydreams of kissing him at home, sharing a bed like other couples. I like the idea of laying against him on the couch, watching television, and sharing a few sweet kisses.

Damn it, I have feelings for my husband.

I seek out Tori on our day off. If anyone can help me with this it's her. A part of me finds it ridiculous to be so afraid of this feeling fluttering around my chest every time I see Vincent now. Once I found out what all this meant I haven't been able to look at him as a friend. I keep seeing pictures of us kissing everywhere. That morning I near pressed a kiss to his cheek and bump my head to his. Now that’s a mix of cultures I'm not ready for.

I pound on Tori's door like mad. She snatches the door open angrily before she acknowledges me.

"Any reasons you're making such a racket at 9 am," she snaps, though a tad amused.

"I think I'm falling for Vincent and I have no idea what to do about it. I don't wanna be fired or have him leave me," I nearly whimper," I need help. Please, tell me what to do."

Tori panic with me, reaching out and dragging me into a hug as I feel like a nervous wreck. So much is sitting on this deal Vincent and I have. Catching feelings can make or break it all. Tori pulls me inside, placing me on the couch. She sits on the coffee table, elbows resting on her knees.

"So you finally admit you love Vincent," she asks, playful but strangely serious.

I scoff," I didn't say I was in love with him, you humans throw that word around too easily. No, I said I was falling for him, great potential but with serious loss."

"What loss?"

I recoil, gesturing wide," Everything! If he doesn't feel the same or isn't ok with me having these emotions then we will split and I'll be sent back to where I came from. I can't scrounge for scraps again, Tori, I rather live this lie than go back."

Tori stares a tad too long before dropping her head with an annoyed shake. I watch, waiting for her words of wisdom.

"You are allowed this one pass as you don't understand humans as well as I do," she sighs as she sits back up," he likes you too!" I scoff, ready to leave till she grabs my arms. "He has liked you since he asked to marry you, you just haven't done anything to suggest you like him back," she explains," I can assure you if you walk over there right now, kiss him senseless and rip off your clothes then he will be over the moon to have you."

My heart flutters at the idea," I-I don't think- it's a bit extreme of an assumption."

She waves me off," shut up, it isn't. Human men are simple, that’s how I know he is completely enamored with you."

I hug my waist," well, he looked enamored with Andrea last week. I'm not as fickle as you all with these sorts of feelings, my kind doesn't just change their minds on partners."

Tori opens her mouth to rant again but just huffs, burying her face in her hands with a quick scream. She straightens with another sigh," I'll explain this one more time. Vincent is in love with you and I need you to stop acting like he isn't. He loves to go on and on about you with everyone at work. It's always 'Nao loves that' or 'Nao did this or that'. I say just tell him so you can get on to the baby-making part."

The conversation going in circles I decided to humor her," fine, how do you suggest I do that?"

"Walk over there and say 'hey, I love you and want to bump crotches with you', something like that," she rests her cheek on her hand," it's honestly that easy."

I scoff," you people lack class and subtlety."

She snorts," Fuck subtlety. But fine, you want a grand romantic gesture or something? Then get him a gift for Christmas that explains everything as easily as words. Like some lingerie or condoms."

Maybe coming to Tori was a bad idea.

Leaving her place quickly I try to dissect her words for some actual help. Maybe a romantic gesture was a good idea. That way if he doesn't like it I can try to flip it around as a misunderstanding, nothing lost. But what something humans want that can promote what I'm trying to say.

I think about this all week, feeling like a deadline is coming up fast. Christmas is just around the corner and I have to think of something. There aren't many places to shop and online is only helpful when you know what you are looking for. It's not till I see an older woman walking by with a ring on her necklace do I get an idea.

I've heard many times from many people about the symbolism of the ring. It's an image of constants and cycles. Placing the wedding ring on one's heart finger is to keep a loved one close. It's nearly perfect. I get looking online, staying up for hours in my room as I try to find the perfect one. The overly gaudy ones don't seem to fit for Vincent, he is a simple man. I find simpler bands that have layers of different metals. I go further and further down this trail till I find one that just clicks. Ordering it quickly I wait with bated breath for Christmas.

The package comes on our day off, the delivery woman handing the package to Vincent before I can try to beat him to it. As he looks it over I try to snatch it from his hands. Quickly he moves it out of reach, looking at me intrigued.

"It's rude to steal things from people's hands," he quirks a brow.

"It's not rude when it's mine," I correct. I reach for it again but he holds it over his head. Trying my luck I jump for it, grabbing at his arm as he chuckles.

"You have been interested now," he takes a step back," what's in this?" I trail after him still reaching for the box as he pretends to try to open it.

"I thoughts humans don't open gifts before Christmas," I shout, trying to hold back a snicker as we continue this little game. He twirls as I lunge, letting me fall on the couch.

"This is a Christmas gift," he perks up," is it for me?"

I twist on my back to look up at him," who else would it be for?"

"You have other friends," he shrugs, staring intently at the little package.

"But I only have one husband."

He snorts, mumbling," you better."

I sit up from the couch using his momentary distraction to grab at the box. He moves it at the last second smirking down at me. Hiding it behind his back he leans down towards me.

"What is it," he asks, nearly bouncing on his heels.

"Don't you have to wait till Christmas to find out," I ask. He pouts, tugging the box from behind him and handing it to me.

"Semantics," he waves his hand," you aren't supposed to keep secrets from your husband."

Holding the package I quirk a brow up at him," even fake husbands?" the playful gleam drops from his eyes, shoulders sagging.

"Yea," he answers," I guess that rules don't have to apply here."

I watch him walk out of the room feeling rather dejected. Looking down at the box I pet at the packaging. I allow myself to picture a day where I can truly call him my husband.

The lead up to Christmas eve is rather tense. Vincent isn't around as much, coming home late after hanging around buddies. It picks at my nerves slowly but surely till I'm waiting anxiously in the living room. I wanted to use the last week to try to endear myself to him, even cooking more often in hopes that he would be pleased with me. Though I'm generally not the one doing the cooking, him being the more proficient cook in this relationship.

Christmas eve day has me antsy. Though it’s a weekday we have it off and that actually makes it worse. A whole day of worrying. I cook breakfast for us, having a casual conversation with him before he agrees to show me some classic films. Sitting far sides of the couch and watching these flicks has me tenser. So close but so far.

I do try my hardest to enjoy the holiday introductions, learning all I can about this strange holiday. Though learning about Krampus has thrown me for a loop I find it all cozy. The day turns to night and we are finishing a film about an angry fellow living on a mountain. I found it funny but a lot of the humor was beyond my understanding.

"Hey, Nao," Vincent breaks the silence as the movie is paused.

"Yes," I ask. Looking over at him I see his fingers fidget against each other. He shyly looks up to me, pacing a quick glance to the tree in the corner.

"My family has a tradition where we open one gift on Christmas eve. I was curious if you wanted to open one before we head off to bed," he suggests. I look to the tree seeing a handful of gifts under the tree.

"There are about six gifts there, you sure you want to open them now," I ask. He fidgets a bit more, kicking his feet off the couch.

"I'm just a bit excited about giving you one of them so please humor me for the night," he shrugs. Before I can answer he is walking over to the tree to grab a small box. Handing it to me from the floor he sits by the coffee table. I fiddle with the little box, glancing over to my gift for him sitting within reach of him. I guess now is a good of a time as any.

"Grab the red one by your hand," I point. He snatches the little gift. With one more glance at each other, we start opening our gifts.

I can hardly think as I peel off the wrapping, trying to focus on him. As I get the gift open I nearly overlook the item inside. My heart stutters at the bright pendant laying at the center of a chain. The little fairy lights catch on the pink gem and twinkles inside the box. I can hardly breathe as I pet at it, remembering my mother wearing a similar piece around her neck. Father would go on and on about how he made it for her as a proposal gift, as have many people before him. Does Vincent understand the significance of this?

Gawking I look up at Vincent the same time he opens the ring box. His eyes widen, startling up to me with a similar look of wonder and surprise as me. A smile creeps up my face, his lips do the same. We both toss aside the boxes and lunge for one another. I fall to my knees on the carpet as he rises onto his. Our mouths meet in a clumsy attempt at a kiss, smiling like fools as we do our best. As we continue to ruin it I nuzzle my head against his, a rumbling in my chest rising with the tender moment.

"Great minds think alike I assume," he chuckles, tugging me close into a hug.

"How did you know about proposal gems," I wrap my arms around his neck, utterly fascinated with the glow of his eyes right now.

"I asked around," he shrugs," how did you know about engagement rings?"

"I ask around," I laugh. He chuckles, leaning over to press a fat kiss to my cheek.

"I was so nervous," he kisses at my neck," I know how serious your kind is about this kind of thing and I honestly didn't think you would want me. I told myself this would be my last try, if it didn't work I was going to have to talk about where to go from here. I've wanted you for so long."

"I didn't know I wanted you till recently but now looking back the feelings have always been there," I pet at his hair," flirting with that woman gave me a reality check." he startles me with a bite to my neck, a purr rolling up my throat shortly after. He licks the spot, soothing the aggravated skin.

"I barely flirted with her," he growls," she is so overly peppy, it got annoying after a while. I'm sorry but I did want to check if anyone could hold a flame to you. Doing that with anyone else felt wrong and dishonest, I only want to shower you in compliments." I tug at his hair, pulling him back.

I meet his warm brown eyes, looking between them before I ask," will you marry me, for real this time?"

His eyes crinkle with his giant smile," I think that's supposed to be my line." I shake my head in amusement before dragging him into another kiss.

We go to bed together, excited about tomorrow and the news we get to share. I wear my necklace and he wears his ring. What a wonderful Christmas.

[thewildomega]

Star in the Sand Ch.12

A/N: Found this cool fanart on Pinterest. Still trying to find artist info. 

When he woke early the next morning he opened his eyes to see his little star still sleeping soundly beside him. There was little to no light but he could see her eyes still closed and the small flutter of her lashes as she dreamed. Her lips were parted slightly as her cheek was still laid on his arm. Glancing down he lifted the duvet a small amount and rose a brow when he took notice of her arms wrapped tightly around his left arm. Had he in fact had his hand still it would be between her legs. Looking back up to her face he moved his hand to brush back the strands of hair threatening to fall over her nose. A small knock on his door broke the quiet moment and when he saw her brow twitch he growled and used his powers to shoot sand under the door and shove whoever it was away. He stayed there a moment longer before he slowly eased his arm free, placing his pillow in his place to hopefully keep her asleep a little longer. She needed her rest to finish healing and he knew how difficult it was to get her to do so. Dressing and putting on his hook he glanced back to the bed to confirm she was sleeping before he left to see who had decided to bother him.

...............................

Groaning you nuzzled your face into the softness and stretched before freezing. Something wasn't right. It was warm, your room was never this warm. It was soft, your bed wasn't soft. Sniffing the bedding you almost sighed as Crocodile's strong, manly musk filled your nose. From the first time you had woken to find his fur coat draped over you you had been head over heels for his scent. He had a unique scent, his expensive cologne with hints of sandalwood and cedar along with the smell of his cigars and his own natural musk. With all of that you snapped your eyes open...you were not in your room, you were in his, in his bed. Sitting up quickly you felt your cheeks heat up and it only worsened when a deep voices sounded from the desk.

"So she finally wakes." he said, hearing the small movement from behind him.

You were sure your whole face was as red as your hair. Scrambling from the bed you almost fell, forgetting how tall it was in your frenzy before a whirl of sand caught you and stood you back straight.

"Careful."

Wrapping your arms around yourself you licked your lips, "How did I get in here?" you asked.

"I brought you here after you fell asleep on the deck last night... again." he told her, continuing to work on his log.

You could vaguely remember last night, you remembered taking your medicine and then going out to the deck and watching the fish but then that was it. "Why here though... why not my bed?" you said with a tilt of your head.

"That is your bed now... you will sleep by me, where I can better keep you safe."

Furrowing your brows you looked to the back of his head. "But... but that's your bed... are you sure you want me..."

Standing he made the few steps over to her and looked down at her, stroking the soft skin of her neck with his knuckles, "If I did not want you here, you wouldn't be." Looking into her eyes he saw the dark circles that had been surrounding her eyes fading along with the cut on her cheek that was nothing but a red line now. Other than her broken ribs and gun shot wound she was almost completely healed. Hopefully within a few more weeks she would be back to normal, then perhaps he wouldn't have to be AS gentle with her. Not that he would ever be rough with her. Brushing her hair back over her shoulder he cleared his throat. "Now I have a few things to take care of, we won't be here long but if you would like to go look around the island I will get one of the men to escort you."

Groaning you gave a pout and knit your brows.

Tapping his finger on her bottom lip as it stuck out some he lowered his chin, "No. We have already been over this."

Letting out a huff you dropped your shoulders, "Ori."

"That boy can barely protect himself. No."

"Bonez."

"Daz is coming with me."

"Maverick."

"He is going shopping for food."

Sighing you looked up at him. "See this is where Bon would come into play."

"Bentham is in prison so he is not one of your choices. Slade or Hex."

"Hex." you sighed, rolling your eyes.

Grinning at her glum look he curled his finger under her chin to lift her eyes back to his. "Don't pout darling. It is for your protection. Have fun and stay out of trouble, I will see you in a little while." Kissing her forehead he stepped away and grabbed his coat before heading towards the door. "Your belongings have been placed up in the room. I am sure you can find them, oh and there is something for you on the desk before you leave."

Watching him leave you let out a deep breath and looked around the room. Taking notice of one of the shelves you walked over and saw your sketch pad among several empty ones and a wooden case. Tilting your head and furrowing your brows you pulled it out and flipped the latch to open the case. What you saw made you gasp, a brand new set of charcoal pencils, oil pastels, paints, blending tools, everything you could ever need. Seeing a small piece of paper stuck into the corner by the sharpener you plucked it out and read over the fancy cursive,

Make your dreams a reality my little star.

Blinking you swallowed the small lump in your throat and licked your lips. Feeling a incredible warmth in your chest you smiled and gently closed the case before placing it back on the shelf for now. Looking around you saw the one piece you had done of the hourglass in the sand and the night sky with the strange star above ( What you now knew to be you can Crocodile's soulmate marks) framed and placed on one of the top shelves. Biting your lip as you grinned you moved over to the dresser and looked for your clothes, memorizing where everything was. After cleaning up some and dressing you were about to walk out with your book bag filled with your drawing supplies when you remembered Croc telling you there was something for you on the desk. Walking over you saw another folded piece of paper with your name on it. Lifting it you just did catch the few bills that fell from it and furrowed your brows when you looked over his fancy writing.

If you want something get it. Make sure you eat and stay by Hex.

That jerk had known you would pick Hex. Huffing you only took enough money to get something to eat or drink, refusing to spend the amount he had offered. You didn't like the idea of spending money that wasn't yours. There was a few things you wanted but you would find a way to make some money first. Stuffing the bill in your pocket you moved out to the deck and saw Hex waiting for you. Hex was a decent guy, quiet and easy going, a bit moody if he didn't eat.

"You all ready lil bit?" he asked.

Nodding you gave him a small grin and the both of you left the ship. You spent your time walking around the underwater island looking over this and that as Hex walked close behind you.  You smiled at the sight of the mermaids, thinking they were so beautiful with their shining fishtails. At one point you had found a piece of turquoise sea glass about as big as your thumbnail and extreme smooth to the touch. Sticking it in your pocket you hoped to maybe make a bookmark or something out of your treasure. Buying a smoothie you offered to buy Hex one but he turned you down and bought a soda. Making your way over to the fountain you sat at one of the benches with your legs crossed under you, Hex sitting a little ways down, eating something that smelled like pork but looked like some weird vegetable. Sipping on your fruit smoothie you sat it down beside you and put your sucker back in your mouth. Tilting your head you worked on drawing the pretty town and fountain. "Hey Hex can I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

"Um well have you ever met your soulmate?" you asked and then looked down, "I'm sorry, I don't know if that is a personal thing to ask. I just never, well I mean I don't know much about them so..."

"It's fine lil bit... Yea I knew my soulmate but it didn't work out. I won't what she wanted or rather I didn't have deep enough pockets." he said with a shrug.

Furrowing your brows you looked to the man, "I'm sorry to hear that Hex." you told him.

"Nah it's alright, probably for the best anyway." he told her. Glancing down to her drawing he tilted his head, "You bout' done, Cap'n said I had to have you back on the ship by six."

Nodding you folded you sketch book up and put it away in your bag before standing with him. When you got back to the ship you placed your bag up in the room before moving to help Maverick put away the shopping and start dinner. It wasn't long before you heard Crocodile's deep voice from the deck, asking if everyone was accounted for.

"Better ead' up lass, e'll be wantin' ya close by an I know ya want to see the island one last time." Maverick said with a small grin.

Looking to him you smiled and nodded before going up to watch as the ship sailed away from the underwater island. Leaning against the railing you grinned softly. Taking the sea glass out of your pocket you held it out some to look at the island through the turquoise glass. Feeling a presences behind you you bit your lip and craned your neck to look back at him. "Hello."

Looking down at her he felt his lip pull up at her innocent look. "Did you have a good time exploring?" he asked in his usual deep voice.

Turning around to face him you nodded. "Did you get your things done?" you asked.

Humming he looked down to her hand and rose a brow, "What is that you have there darling?"

Smiling you held out your treasure and dropped it in his hand.

"Sea glass."

"I found it by some coral. I thought I could make a bookmark out of it or something."

"A bookmark?" he asked.

"Yea that way I won't have to worry about loosing my place. I had one before that I made out of an old coin I found."

Looking over the turquoise glass he hummed, ever his little artist.

"...I'll just need to figure out a way to put a hole in it without breaki..." Watching as the piece of glass floated just above his hand before what looked like a needle made of sand shot through it you blinked. Looking down when he placed it in your palm you saw a small hole in the corner, the edges completely sanded down as well so there were no sharp areas. Looking back up at him you grinned. "Show off."

Smirking he placed his hand on her lower back to lead her towards his...their room. "Did you eat today?" he asked and saw her nod but heard Hex huff.

"Candy." Hex said as he stood by the wheel.

Gasping you looked to the man, "Snitch. And I gave you my last peppermint one."

Lowering his brows he continued walking, pulling her along with him. "Candy is not food."

"I had a smoothie too, that's fruit."

Shutting the door he rolled his eyes. About to ask what else she had bought he saw money still on his desk and quickly counted it in his head, she had only took ten bellies, ten?! He had left her two hundred! Dropping his coat to the chair he looked to her, "I told you to take that money."

"I took some of it..."

"You took ten dollars."

"That's all I needed." you told him. "What the hell do I need Two hundred dollars for?" you asked.

Narrowing his eyes he huffed, "Clothes, shoes, jewelry... whatever else women desire."

"I have all those things..."

"You have two outfits, one pair of boots and a locket. I do not consider that acceptable." he said, making sure not to mention the dress he had bought her. "Instead you bought a smoothie and candy." he said and saw her nod. "You spent ten dollars on junk." Seeing her bite her lip he watched as she took something from her pocket, laying down two, one berry bills on his desk with the other money before looking up at him with a smile.

"Eight." you shrugged and heard him growl.

"When I said for you to eat I meant real food, I did not mean to fill your already shrunken stomach with sugar."

"I didn't eat it all at once. I still have some left over for later." you said and watched as one of his brows raised before he looked towards your bag on the sofa. The moment his foot moved you did as well, "No..." As soon as he reached to grab the bag you snatched it and held it to your chest but felt him try and pull it from your grasp. "Let go..."

"I will not allow you to skip meals and then go consume candy instead." he told her, grabbing the bag from her he turned and opened the pockets to search for the stash. Feeling her hands try and grab the bag back he started walking to the bed to dump out it's contents but felt her arms wrap around his waist in an attempt to wrestle the bag back from him. While he wouldn't ever let anyone else touch him like this he couldn't help but enjoy the close contact with his soulmate.

"I'm an adult, I can eat what I want." you grumbled.

He couldn't help but be amused as she tried with all her might to reach the bag when he held it above his head.

"That not fair." you huffed trying to jump you grabbed hold of his bicep and tried hauling yourself up, your feet now dangling by his knees. "Croc.." you whined.

Smiling at the difference in size between them he lowered his arm but continued holding her up easily. It boosted his ego when he got to show off how strong and dominant he was, he had a size kink and enjoyed exploiting it. Sitting her down on the bed and using his sand to move the bag away from her when she almost had it he looked down at her small form. Leaning down over her he felt a predatory grin spread across his face. Pushing his left arm down and moving it above her head, careful to keep his hook away from her he used it to support his weight while his fingers curled under her jaw to lift her lips to meet his.

Pushed backwards by his mouth your head fell back against the mattress and a soft gasp left your throat. Your eyes were quick to fall close as he claimed your lips with his skilled ones. The fight quickly leaving you as his warmth enveloped your body. Your hands, where do you put your hands? Would he want you to touch him?

Trapping her under him he slowly trailed his fingers down her neck. He could tell she was nervous, her hands hesitant to touch him, like she wasn't sure he would be okay with it. Feeling her slightly trembling hands grip his sides he slowly ended the kiss, he didn't want her to be this nervous. Looking down at her he twirled a strand of her soft hair around his finger. He could see a ting of pink of on her cheeks, her eyes looking anywhere but his own. Tilting his head a thought crossed his mind. She had told him about her frankly fucked up childhood, she had shared with him about that man who had molested her, just the thought made his blood boil. Then she had told him about her ex boyfriend who had ended their relationship because she wan't ready for intimacy. So now he wondered had she ever actually been intimate with someone, man or woman? After what had happened to her he wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't. That idiot Rob from the bar she worked at was constantly trying to fuck her but she had always turned him down.

Feeling him move you from where he had been hovering over you you felt panic settle in, you had done something wrong. He hadn't wanted you to touch him. Instantly you felt saddened and embarrassed, your lip threatened to tremble but you stiffened it, "I'm sorr..."

Settling down beside her he propped up on his elbow, keeping his hook a safe distance from her head. He was about to speak when he heard her soft voice apologizing and quickly snapped his eyes down to her. "Do. Not. Finish. That. Word." he said in a deep command. Gripping her chin he lifted her eyes to his, seeing her try and look away again he knot his brows, "You look at me, right now." When her eyes met his he saw something he never wished to see from her again, shame. Brushing his thumb over her bottom lip he looked into her eyes, "I will say this once, you are never to apologize to me for being unsure." he told her. Still seeing a small amount of shame or perhaps embarrassment there he studied her different features. There was no way around this conversation, he needed to know. "Have you ever been intimate before?... and I do not mean what happened to you when you were a child I mean willingly." Taking notice of her lip bitten between her teeth and her eyes now focused on either his neck or chest or something other than his face he sighed. He was not normally this patient with people when he wanted answers but she wasn't one of his underlings or a business proposition, she was his soulmate and he would grant her his time. Brushing back her hair he took notice of a small scar by her temple, it was just barely visible, old, probably from her childhood. Seeing her ears pierced he made a mental note to buy her earrings at some point. "There is no wrong answer darling. It will not change anything."

Taking a much needed breath, your licked your lips. Your eyes stayed focused on the buttons of his shirt. They were shiny and a gold color, possibly real gold, knowing him. There was the standard four holes in the center with thread weaved through to hold the button to the shirt, a piece of stray black thread caught your eye and you subconsciously moved your hand to fix it but faltered for a moment.

Glancing down when he saw her hand move but stop he felt his brow twitch. Grabbing her tiny wrist, her eyes snapped up to his, confusion filling them as he moved her hand to his chest. "You can touch me.... I would like you to touch me." he assured her, thinking she needed to hear it. Watching her fix a loose thread on his shirt he grinned softly.

"Once... I guess." you said in a soft voice.

Furrowing his brows he looked down at her, her hands still fittling with his shirt and scarf.  "What do you mean you guess?"

"Well um I was drunk and it didn't really happen." you admitted.

Humming he loosened his scarf but felt her remove it. "Continue."

"Not really much to tell, I was nineteen, met a guy at a wedding I was helping bartender at... I thought it would help me get over everything that happened before. So I let him buy me a few drinks and go back to the room I had paid for." Swallowing you tried to focus on his fingers that were stroking your jaw and neck. "I thought I could just forget but I couldn't. When things started getting heated I freaked out, all the memories of him came back. I guess it was too much for him, he left, not that I blame him. I can't really remember much, I remember crying when I realized how broken I was, how..." closing your eyes you sighed. "I blacked out after a while I guess, well that and drinking the entire bottle of vodka myself. Woke up the next afternoon with the worst hangover of my life. I was late for work, which I had never been before. Vick was so mad when I told him what happened, made me scrub the floor at the bar by hand." you huffed, refusing to meet his eyes because of how ashamed you were. When he said nothing you felt that fear returning, what if he changed his mind, what if he didn't want you now that he had heard about you being so afraid of intimacy?

He listened to her story without interrupting and once she was done he studied her. He was good at reading people, good at picking up their emotions and he knew, he KNEW right now she was afraid. Afraid and ashamed. Rubbing his hand down her side to her hip he massaged over her clothes. "You are not broken." he told her, his voice deep and low. When her slightly glossy blue eyes looked up at him he lowered down but held her gaze, "Chipped, cracked even but not beyond repair."

That lump in your throat was back from earlier. His eyes, his silver eyes that normally looked so cold and downright cruel to everyone else looked at you with such tenderness and warmth it made you feel hope.

He was now right above her again, his nose brushing hers, "If you will allow me, I will help you heal, slowly. What you know, what you have been subjected to is not intimacy. I promise you darling that I will never do anything you do not want me to, if ever you need to stop or slow down you tell me and I will. Understand?"

Crocodile was always portrayed as this uncaring, hard, cold man in the One piece manga. He was the villain, still was probably just... not to you. To you he was Croc, your soulmate, your savior and you would trust him with your worst fear. Feeling his nose brush yours, his massive body lean over you ad his warm hand massage you left hip you swallowed hard.

As soon as she nodded he pressed his lips back to hers. This time her hands willingly touched him, one laying on his chest, her fingertips brushing his skin where his shirt was unbuttoned some. Her other hand gripped his shirt by his side. He continued holding his weight off of her with his left forearm, not wanting to crush her, his right hand rubbed her hip, her shirt rising a bit from the movement and giving him the chance to feel her soft skin. His cock gave a involuntarily throb in his pants and he grit his teeth instead of hardening the grip on her hip. As much as he wanted to deepen the kiss, to taste her he knew now was not the time. Once he had her completely comfortable with simple kissing and small touches then he would move on to more but his little star wasn't ready for that right now. Forcing himself to end the kiss he kept his eyes closed while he tried to regain control. He had never had this problem before, he would blame it on not having any since before all that shit in Alabasta.

Opening your eyes you looked up at him, noticing strands of his hair had fallen out of place and were now framing his face. You had to say you liked the disheveled look. Lifting your hand from his chest you tentatively moved it to touch his hair, you had never touched his hair, well not since he had fell into your living room.

He watched her through lidded eyes, she stopped for a moment, still seeming overly cautious but he said nothing. It was something she needed to learn on her own. After a moment her fingers finally reached up, he had thought she was going to touch his face but instead her finger moved to twirl around his hair. The corner of his lip tugged upward and he chuckled lightly at her innocence. Hearing Maverick call for dinner he leaned down to kiss her forehead before sitting up, brushing his hair back to it's usual style. Walking over to the bag that he had dropped to his chair. Opening it he looked inside and saw a good two handfuls of candy and other junk. Huffing he shook his head, hearing her come over he rose a brow, "I will make you a deal, you can keep your candy, you will not eat it all at once though, in return you tell me where you got this." he said, pulling the flask out of his drawer and holding it up.

Looking at the flask you grinned, "Deal." Taking your bag you looked up at him and shrugged, "Mihawk gave it to me."

Dropping his brows he looked down at her, a strange feeling bubbling in his chest. "What?"

[northcarolinanative]

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 / 𝙲𝚑 18

Chapter 18: Love Vlad and Val 

Description: John B’s Sister comes home from staying with their mom, only to find out that her brother is missing and her dad was murdered. JJ may have just lost his best friend. Her and JJ have to figure out what to do and how to pick up the pieces.

A/N: I KNOW this took so long! But I had to figure out where I was going next without it getting to cheezy or moving too fast. This a lot of pogue and reader bonding :) It’s a pretty light chapter, but still, let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated! 

Need to Catch Up? Collision MasterList

It had been about a week since we had found out that John B and Sarah were alive and had made it to the Bahamas on a cargo ship. It had been a week since JJ and I had made our ‘thing’ official. Things had been going overall exceptionally well for all of us. We didn’t know if we could trust Topper, but I wanted to keep him close to us. He lost Sarah too, but he was best friends with Rafe and Kelce, which makes him a liability. I just talked to him in passing along any information that he got, asking if he heard anything. 

Kie was getting more and more keen on the relationship between JJ and I, always giving me a sly smile when he would visit us at work, or when we walked back to the Chateau together. It wasn’t that we were actively trying to keep our relationship a secret, I just didn’t know the right time to bring it up. I knew Kie would be supportive, but I was scared of their reactions. 

Today had been a particularly rough day, Kie and I walking with Pope to Heywards. JJ was off working. My car had once again refused to start this morning. At the time I had not minded because it meant that I got a ride on the back of JJ’s bike, but now in the heat of midday on the Island the walk back seemed to last hours. We all felt miserable as we walked. 

The conversation had been light and playful, typical pogue banter, until Kie started asking questions about JJ and I. 

“So?” She asked, her voice raising an octave higher, while bumping her shoulder into mine. “Spill girl, You and JJ are flirting all the time at Work, and I’m not gonna let you forget how you said “Y’alls bed” the other day!” She said excitedly. Pope, falling into step with us, a confused look on his face. “Has anything happened yet?” 

I wasn’t one to lie to my friends, so I felt obligated to tell her. “Maybe…” I teased, a smile making its way across my face as I drew out the word. She gasped, but stayed silent, begging me to continue. “He took me to the cliffs when we all left the Wreck the other day,” I said smiling, thinking back to the memory of that night. We both were able to talk openly about the way that John B leaving us had affected us in its own ways. My mind wandered to the way that he kissed me and how it felt to be held by JJ, making my cheek turn a bright shade of red, even in the sweltering heat. 

This didn’t go unnoticed by Kie, as she raised her eyebrows urging me to continue. “We ended up staying late in the night, and it was just really nice. We talked about a lot of stuff that we needed to, personal stuff.” I said making sure to cut that summary short. These two did not need to know the personal struggles that JJ was going through if he didn’t tell them. “And then we may have ya know?” I said getting awkward again. Kie was bouncing as she walked with excitement. 

“No? I do not know?” Pope said, very confused from the other side of Kie. 

Kie turned to Pope with a blank expression. “Her and JJ have been macking Keep up!” She joked, rolling her eyes. 

Pope’s expression changed to one of pure shock. His eyes went wide and he stuttered over his steps a few times before catching back up. “You and JJ?” He said looking at me to confirm. I just nodded my head laughing. “Well then.” He laughed 

“Well we’re macking with commitment now,” I said, turning my head to look at the two, who stopped walking. Kie’s mouth was open slightly, while Pope just had a stupid smile on his face. 

“You mean like…” She paused to walk again. “Like y'all are official?”

“He asked me that night on the cliffs,” I said, my mind once again taking me back to the moment. The happiness that I found in those little moments with JJ was unmatched. 

“Who knew that JJ was romantic?” Pope joked causing Kie to push him slightly. He feigned being hurt as we finally made our way into the entrance of Heywards. “Where is he anyway, he normally walks with us?” Pope asked, looking around and seeing the absence of his bike. 

“He’s been working for some new fishing boat?” I said shrugging. “It’s gotta be a big one, because they call at all hours of the day and JJ goes and is gone for a few hours at a time. They seem to make good money because JJ said he’s gonna be able to pay off restitution.”  

“I have money for him for that, don’t let me forget it,” Pope said, motioning to his backpack. 

“He’s not gonna take it Pope,” I said, the three of us pushing our way into the shop, ready to help deliver orders. 

“I see y’all finally decided to show up huh?” Heyward said, hanging us bags to load onto the boat.

“Sorry Pops, we had to walk from the Wreck,” Pope said, getting defensive really quick. None of us mentioned it, but things between the Pogues and Mr.Heyward had been tense ever since John B and Sarah. None of us said anything about Pope and his scholarship, all I knew was that Heyward was upset. 

“It’s true Mr. Heyward. My car won’t start, hopefully JJ will be able to fix it for me tonight.” I said, giving him a tight-lipped smile as he handed me a good amount of grocery bags. My arms dropped from the weight as I drug myself out the large open garage door toward the dock. 

“And your missing one! Where is he?” Heyward asked me and Pope as we made our way out. Pope was about to turn around and answer when the front door burst open. 

“I’m right here, sorry Mr. H!” JJ came running through the door, and grabbing the remaining groceries from Heyward’s hands. 

“Always a saving grace, aren’t you JJ?” Heyward spoke, rolling his eyes. I was handing the groceries to Kie on the boat as we laughed at the two. Heyward may not have approved of JJ’s lifestyle, but he was always there to support him when he needed it, to which we were all thankful for. 

JJ lugged the handfuls of groceries to the boat, and Pope and I met him halfway to help. JJ was the first to climb in the boat, holding his hand out to me. I took my hand in his, feeling the rough surface of his around mine. He gripped my hand tightly as he helped me up and over the side of Heyward’s tug boat. 

I put my arms around JJ’s neck, pulling him into me in an awkward sweaty hug. He giggled before burying his head in the crook of my neck, causing me to laugh. “I miss you,” he whispered, just loud enough that I could hear. I pulled away so that I could look at his, still intertwined, with my arms resting on his shoulders, one of my hands playing with his hair, and his hands resting comfortably on my hips. 

“I miss you too. There was no one to annoy me and Kie this morning at the Wreck.” I giggled, catching Kie’s attention.

“Yea it was boring.” She said, winking as she looked at JJ and I. Pope started the boat, the engine revving to life, causing the whole boat to vibrate. 

I noticed the bruise peeking out of JJ’s shirt, letting my eyes wander down to his hands. I saw the angry red marks that were left there. I knew that I had to be careful about how I went about this. I slid my hand into his, pulling it up to kiss it. JJ looked at me smiling, until he noticed what I was looking at. 

He quickly pulled his hand away from him, his jaw clenching tight. “JJ what happened to your hand?” I said trying to reach for it. I kept my voice down trying not to draw the attention of the other two. “Did you get in a fight?” I asked, more animosity behind my voice than I meant. 

“Yes Y/N. I got in a fight.” JJ huffed, rolling his eyes as if I was bothering him. 

“You gotta talk to me dude” I reprimanded. “If this is gonna work,” I motioned pointing between the two of us, “we have to communicate.” 

“Okay.” JJ sighed, taking a defeated form. 

“Okay.” I agreed, taking a deep breath. “Who’d you get in a fight with?” My voice cracked, but I didn’t give him a chance to answer. “JJ please tell me you didn’t go home. I told you you could stay at the Chateau for as long as you need it. I don't want you going back there JJ.” 

“It wasn’t my dad Y/N!” He said, placing his hand back on my shoulder to try and calm me. “It was Barry,” He said so softly I barely heard it. 

“Barry?” I looked at him, keeping my voice low trying not to draw the attention of the others. “Where did you see Barry?” I asked, anger in my voice. 

“He got me on my way back from work.” He said, shaking his head. “But I am fine. I dealt with it.” He said before turning to join the others. 

“Hey! Wait up kids!”Heyward’s voice broke the tension, causing me to turn seeing him walking towards us with something in his hand. He held up an envelope between two fingers, his eyebrows raised looking at our group. I looked between the other three on the boat, all of which had migrated to the cabin. All of use shared a similar expression of confusion, as we looked between the three of us. Heyward reached the side of the boat, “Addressed to the Pogues?” He stated before extending his arm and handing me the letter. “I’d assume that’s you kids.” I took the letter hurting to the cabin where the others were watching with eager eyes. “Now, get going, y’all can look at whatever it is on the way.” Heyward said, waving us off with his hands. 

Pope took it as his cue to start the boat, the wind picked up, and we could all feel the start of the boat. As we waited for Pope to rejoin us, I took my time to inspect the envelope looking for any telltale signs of what it was. There was no return address on it, just a stamp, “The Pogues,” and Heyward’s address written in large, loopy handwriting. 

“Alright, open the damn envelope,” Pope said, turning to face the group. We all chuckled at the bluntness of his statement. I dug my finger into the corner and pulled it across the top. I slowly slid out the stiff cardboard. The image on the front became clear. All of us looked at the colorful image on the front. The photo was of the crystal clear, blue-tinted water meeting the white sandy beaches, framed with lush green palm trees. Across the top fancy, bold scripted letters read “Love from the Bahamas” 

“No fucking way” Kie said breathless, as I held the postcard in my hand. My eyes went wide with shock as I read the words on the front. I let out a surprised laugh before flipping it over in my hand.

We all looked over the scratchy writing that was scribbled on the back of the postcard in thick black ink. “Can’t wait to see you in Mexico!! Can we make it a month? Save the date: Aug 3rd! Love, Vlad and Val” With a small heart following. I scrunched my eyebrows as I looked at the others confused. 

“Who the hell are Vlad and Val?” Pope asked. Looking between the three of us. 

JJ took the postcard from my hand looking over it again before looking up at the group, “It’s John B and Sarah.” He said with a large grin on his face.

Masterlist

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[fanfictionaries]

Giiiiirl, I am CRAVING some baking with Bucky. Like some good old recipe from his mom or sisters, eating half the batter, being all innocent and goofy. Maybe Reader introducing him to the world of cupcakes with a second batch of batter they make. Just a sweeeet baking day ❤️

I made myself happy sad with this one. XD 

Might be a little more angsty than you were looking for, but all the sweet fluff is there as well! 

Inspired by my own great great grandmother’s recipe. 

Orange Rolls

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader

Words: 3k

Warnings: None, just the fluffiest fluff you can imagine; slight angst. 

Author’s Note: I loved doing this, so please people. Send me more requests! ALSO this is an actual family recipe of mine. I recommend trying it! 

I recommend listening to this song while reading this: https://open.spotify.com/track/7pR7yPgbYcipmTUHT5g68p?si=nQZeCOmoTcm43qOI1YRPNA

***

Step 1. Dissolve 2 yeast cakes in ¼ cup warm water.

The room was alight in the glow of soft warm sun. Nestled in your blankets, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes and yawned widely, stretching and turning to snuggle into the familiar warmth of Bucky. Firm muscle, soft skin, ticklish arm hair – all missing. Instead only cool sheets, drawn back on his side of the bed. You didn’t have to check the time to know it was early, but you rolled over to the bedside table to check your phone anyways. Five AM. Much too early to be up on a Sunday morning, even for your early bird of a super soldier. Rolling onto your back, you stayed quiet, attempting to hear any signs of life in the small apartment. Perhaps he’d only gotten up to use the bathroom. The sound of heavy items falling and a string of curses coming from the kitchen brushed away the thought. Jumping out of bed, you pulled one of Bucky’s large sweatshirts over your head and stepped into your slippers.

When you rounded the corner, the first thing you noticed was the expanse of your pantry laid out onto the floor. The second thing you noticed was Bucky, sat cross-legged in the middle of the array of flours, sugars, and spices, head in his hands. You knew this look. This crumpled, defeated look that so few had the privilege to witness. Everyone saw the stoic, cold Winter Soldier. So little saw Bucky Barnes, a kid from Brooklyn. Tiptoeing around the spilled bags of sugar, flour, and sprinkles, you stood beside him, leaning over and placing a gentle hand to his back, rubbing soft, slow circles.

“Nightmares?” you asked, moving your hand up to thread through his freshly cropped hair, scraping your fingernails against his scalp. Bucky tilted his head back, leaning into your touch like a cat leaving its scent. You could see the telltale signs; red rimmed eyes, pink tipped nose, raw bitten lips.

“No, no nightmares. I uh…I had a dream about my mom,” Bucky answered, the end of his sentence biting off in a short, harsh laugh. You held your breath. It flattered you that Bucky felt comfortable enough with you to share the gory, ugly details of his past – the things that kept him up at night. The things he thought you couldn’t love him for. But never had he talked about his family. The only memories of his past life you ever heard were the ones Steve brought up, the rowdy stories of two young men up to no good in 40’s Brooklyn. Yet on his own, Bucky remained silent about his life before the war. You never pushed him. It would be cruel of you to press a subject that was most likely too painful for him to think about. Now, the waver in his voice and the tears that welled in his eyes told you that that assumption had been correct.

“I was sittin’ in my old kitchen and uh—” he sniffed, taking a moment to clear his throat “—it was Easter. I know it was Easter ‘cause ma made orange rolls. She only ever made them on Easter. And it—it was the best damn orange roll I’ve ever had. I woke up and I remembered Steve brought over some boxes of my family’s old things, stuff Rebecca left behind I guess, and I found this.”

In his hand he held an aged recipe card, stained from years of use. The yellowed card stock was bent and torn, but the writing still held clear, thick and messy in some places as if it had been traced over multiple times. It was well used. Well loved. At the top, clearly labeled in large looped font, were the words ‘Orange Rolls’.

“I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth. I figured I’d try to make them, but I wasn’t much for the kitchen back then, let alone now. And—and you don’t have any yeast cakes. I can’t make them without yeast cakes (Y/N). It’s the first ingredient and I can’t—” The words broke off, catching in the back of his throat. He wrapped his arms around your legs, clinging to them like a broken child. Rolling off of him in waves, the permeating sadness and longing washed over you, breaking your heart with each hit.

“I don’t think they make yeast cakes anymore Bucky—” you spoke slowly, choosing your words carefully. At the statement, you felt his arms tighten in a panic. You were quick to placate him “—but I have some dry active yeast that I think should work. Why don’t we clean this up and then see what we can do, yea?”

Step 2. Warm 1 cup milk, add ½ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp shortening, 2 tsp salt.

Turns out, a single yeast cake is equal to approximately 4 and ½ tsps of dry active yeast. After this joyous announcement and your internal praise to Google’s ever living library of knowledge, Bucky was up on his feet, standing in front of the stove over a saucepan of milk.

“How do you know when it’s warm?” he asked, looking curiously down at the pan of milk in front of him.

“Stick your finger in it, if it feels warm, then it’s probably warm,” you answered sarcastically, reaching into the depths of your pantry for the Crisco. A rarely used, but very important staple for any kitchen.

“What? I’m not sticking my finger in it,” said Bucky, watching with rapt horror as you walked up beside him and dipped the tip of your pointer finger into the warm, white liquid.

“I think it’s warm enough to put the sugar in. What?” you asked him when you saw the look of exasperation on your boyfriend’s face.

“You put your finger in the milk.”

“And? My hands are clean. You watched me wash them. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of catching cooties. Cause I hate to break it to you but, you probably already have them.” Lifting on your toes, you placed a sweet, soft kiss to his lips. Catching you around the waist before you could drop back down, Bucky kissed you back with slow purpose.

“Is that right?” he asked teasingly, breaking away from your lips ever so slightly.

“Afraid so,” you murmured against the soft, heat of his mouth.

Step 3. Beat in 3 eggs, 2 cups flour, and add dissolved yeast. Let rise for 1 hour.

The wet dough sat on the counter; a kitchen towel draped lightly over it. By this time, the sun had fully crested over the city skyline, pouring blinding light into the small space of your kitchen. The two of you sat at the kitchen island, sipping your coffee as you waited for the dough to rise. Your bare feet sat, propped in Bucky’s lap, the thumb of his metal hand absentmindedly rubbing the arch of your right foot as he spoke animatedly.

“You should have seen her. Becca was so mad; I thought her head was going to spin all the way around!” laughed Bucky, the creases at the corners of his eyes making a warm and welcome appearance as he regaled a story that you had never heard before.

“Well that’s what she got for touching your stuff,” you said, taking Bucky’s side in the long forgotten sibling argument.

“Thank you! See, you get it. I wish I could say the same for my parents. My pa gave me such a lickin’ and then ma sent me off to bed with no dinner. All for putting worms in her bed!”

“Did she get in trouble for letting your pet frog loose?” you asked, enraptured by the story.

“No! Do you know how hard it was to find a frog in Brooklyn?”

“Impossible. I don’t even know how you did it.”

“Well, really it was Steve that found him—”

“Him? Did he have a name?” you interrupted him with a cheeky smile.

Bucky scratched the back of his head, a light pinkness appearing on his cheeks, “He might of…”

“Aaaand?” you pressed, wanting to know the name even more at the prospect of it being embarrassing.

“I don’t know if I wanna’ tell you. I think you’re just gonna laugh.”

“I won’t! I promise!” you exclaimed, drawing an invisible cross over you heart.

Bucky looked at you skeptically, a raised eye trained on you before answering, “Fine. It was Mr. Ribbits.”

You tried your hardest, really you did. But a snort escaped your nose before you could stop it and then Bucky was playfully pushing your legs off of his lap and turning away from you, “See! I knew you’d laugh. You’re such a bad liar!”

“I’m sorry!” You reached for him, still attempting to stifle your giggles as you pulled at Bucky’s arm, turning him back towards you. “Really, I am. I think Mr. Ribbits is a respectable name.”

“Thank you. It is.” His tone was resolute, but it didn’t take a trained eye to spot the small smile working its way onto the corner of his lips. “But no, Becca didn’t get in trouble. In fact, my pa said I was too old to be picking up animals off the street anyways.”

“How old were you?”

“I think I was about ten.”

Step 4. Add 3 cups flour and beat in with spoon. Let raise 1 and ½ hours.

“We have to wait again?!”

“Yea, we have to let the dough rise, otherwise the rolls will be tough and there won’t be enough to roll out,” you explained, placing the towel over the bowl once again and reaching for your empty coffee cups.

“But I thought we just did that,” said Bucky in confusion. You tried not to smile at him, but the cute little scrunch of his eyebrows made you a weak and gooey fool.

“Baking is more of an art in patience than skill. Especially any kind of bread, babe. Don’t worry, once they’re done, they’ll be more than worth the wait,” you reassured him, patting his cheek gently.

“Well…can we make something else while we wait? What’s your favorite thing to bake?” Bucky asked, his innocent tone making him sound like a wide-eyed child.

You smiled, big and happy, and walked over to the recipe box that sat atop the fridge. Taking it down and setting in on the counter in front of you, you dug into the baking section and produced a handful of recipe cards.

“Take your pick soldier.”

Step 5. Roll out dough and spread on icing – 2 cups sugar, 1 orange: rind grated and juiced, 6 Tbsp melted butter. Roll, cut, and place in muffin tin. Cover and let raise 20 mins.

“Stop eating all the batter!” you scolded, whacking the back of Bucky’s hand with a spatula. The impact had no effect, the sneaking man having had the forethought to use his metal hand.

“If I wasn’t supposed to eat it this way, then why is it so delicious?” he argued, sneaking another finger into the chocolate concoction and bringing it to his mouth.

“Because it’s five pounds of sugar and fat,” you laughed, grabbing hold of his wrist and bringing the chocolate covered finger to your mouth instead. “Also – how is it gross for me to dip my finger into the milk but you can have these grubby little paws buried deep in my brownie batter?”

The question caught Bucky off guard. Raising his hand up, he wiggled the vibranium fingers in your face, “Metal arm – they’re, uh, sterile.”

You guffawed, absolutely tickled by the lame response, “Sterile. Okay. Well, preheat the oven Mr. Sterile.”

Using the spatula, you scraped the double chocolate chip brownie batter into the greased pan. Strong arms wrapped around your waist and a head came to rest on your shoulder, watching you scrape the sides of the bowl. Nuzzling his face into your neck, he placed a gentle kiss just below your ear.

“You know, you’re getting pretty mouthy these days. I have half a mind to take you over my knee,” Bucky growled playfully.

Before your brain could connect with what your body was doing, the spatula had already lifted away from the bowl and made contact with the side of his face. The wet splat of batter to skin sounded plainly through the kitchen. Releasing you from his hold, Bucky stepped back, his expression vacant and shell-shocked.  Dropping the spatula back into the bowl, you covered your face with your hands as you tried not to lose it. He looked positively ridiculous. Chocolate covered the left side of his face, dripping down from his brow bone to his chin. You watched as he brought a hand up slowly, touching his face and bringing it back down to examine it. He stared at the chocolate proof on his fingertips for a few moments as you waited with horrific anticipation.  

“Oh, that’s it, doll. You better run.”

The menacing words sent your heart rate soaring. A playful shriek escaped your lungs as you bolted from the kitchen, Bucky on your heel with a growl in the back of his throat.

Step 6. Place in the oven at 375 for 10-15 minutes. Makes around 3 dozen.

The brownies, already baked and cooling on the counter, were long forgotten as Bucky sat in front of the oven. Arms wrapped around his bent legs, he watched as the orange rolls slowly rose in their muffin tins.

“When are they gonna be done?” he asked you, staring into the depths of the oven like a fortune teller stares into their crystal ball. Like if he looked hard enough, he’d find all the answers to the universe.

“About five more minutes.” You sat down beside him, leaning into his side as the two of you watched his long-forgotten memories rise. You were excited to try the rolls. It was a recipe you had never heard of, which was a rare thing. But most importantly you were excited to try a little piece of Bucky’s life. A piece of the man, the boy, that he used to be before life happened. It felt special and intimate.

“What if they’re not as good as I remember?” The words were soft and honest. You could feel the same sadness and apprehension as earlier that morning drift from him to you. Leaning against him firmer, you took his hand into yours. Threading the warm flesh into your own, you continued to stare into the heat of the oven.

“They will be.”

Step 7. Enjoy.

The rolls were a beautiful sight. Small, golden brown swirls in a neat, compact shape. The sugar filling had melted down into the bottom of the pan, creating and thick and chewy caramel layer at the bottom of each one. A delicious detail that Bucky said was supposed to happen, but also made it incredibly difficult to pry them from their tins. Still, with the help of a butter knife and a lot of patience, the two of you were able to get most of them out unscathed. A buttery orange scent swirled through the air, causing your mouth to salivate as they sat atop of the wire cooling rack. The two of you sat at the kitchen island, staring at the rolls in silence – you with a look of anticipation, Bucky with a look of confusion.

“What is it?” you asked, wondering if he still doubted that they would hold up to his dream.

“I’m pretty sure they had frosting.”

While the recipe didn’t call for it, Bucky insisted that they always had a frosting on them. After a few minutes of questioning about what kind of frosting it was, or at least what it looked and tasted like, you came to the conclusion that it was most likely a simple glaze. A few minutes later, you each had a plate in front of you with a single, gooey, glistening orange roll sat pristinely on it.

You were starving. You’d been up for nearly five hours and you hadn’t eaten anything yet. But you didn’t dare dig in until Bucky had his first bite. Reaching out tentatively, he picked up the roll, twisting and turning it, inspecting it with a warry expression. Holding your breath, you watched as he brought the baked good to his lips and took a generous bite. He chewed, and chewed, and chewed – each second leaving you with more consternation than the last. When he finally swallowed, he set the rest of the roll down onto his plate and heaved a heavy sigh. Your heart dropped.

“No good?” you asked, fearing you already knew the answer from the way his shoulders bunched over the counter.

Looking to you, tears once again welling in his eyes, Bucky did something unexpected. He kissed you. A firm, chaste kiss that lasted only a moment but formed butterflies in your stomach before he pulled back.

“They’re even better than I remember.”

The proclamation sent your heart soaring. You let out the breath you’d been holding, feeling your own tears of relief and joy begin to well. Blinking them back, you smiled at him, blinded by the dazzling smile you received in turn.

“Well then, let’s eat them all because I am famished,” you replied, picking up your own orange roll and taking a giant bite. The mix of soft, warm bread, zesty orange, chewy caramel, and sweet frosting set your taste buds alight. As you chewed, you envisioned a ten year old Bucky sitting in his mother’s kitchen on Easter morning. Curly brown hair, all teeth and dimples in his Sunday best and as happy as a kid could be. Why?

Because this was the best damn orange roll you’d ever had.

Marvel Taglist: 

@caffiend-queen

@hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall

[hypmic-writings]

What about 6 with a fluffy scenario between Ichiro and a female s/o?

I have no idea what happened, I just started writing and then I couldn’t stop and it just kept going?? Anyways, this is like a school!au so I hope that’s okay. Also, I threw Samatoki in it because I like their bromance. I’m sorry but I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! 

6. “Oh my God! You’re in love with him/her!”

 --

You flipped the pencil in your hand back and forth as you stared at the chalkboard ahead of you. It was the last period of the day but it somehow always managed to seem like the longest. The clock had barely moved and the more you looked at it, the slower it ticked.

You glanced to your right at your best friend and she looked back at you with a bored look, causing you to suppress a chuckle. She glanced at the professor before jotting something down on a piece of paper and handing it to you. You quickly grabbed it and hid it in your lap.

‘Were you daydreaming about him again?’ it wrote, with a little drawing of a winky face in the corner. You heart skipped a beat and you bit your lip but you quickly glanced at her and rolled your eyes, shaking your head.

Moments later, another piece of paper was placed on your desk.

‘I think he’s looking at you…’

You nervously looked up from the piece of paper back to the board ahead of you. Ever so slowly you turned to the left and quickly flicked your eyes to the back corner of the room.

Sure enough, for a split second, your eyes met those of Ichiro Yamada causing you to shoot back around and glue your eyes to the board. Why was he looking at you? But did that even matter? Even that minor interaction sent your heart beating in your chest and you, once again, bit back a smile.

As the bell rang, you tucked your books away in your bag and stood up, stretching slightly. You glanced up to watch your classmates leave and you dared to bring your gaze to Ichiro’s direction to see him walk out the door with his friends.

“Well that was fun,” your friend said, winking at you. You brushed her off and walked out of the room with her.

“If you’re talking about...him…he was probably only looking at us because we were trading notes during class,” you stated, trying to be realistic.

“No way! First off, even if that’s true, he was looking at you, not me. And secondly, didn’t you guys have a class together last year too? He definitely knows you so I don’t get why you don’t just ask him out already,” she pouted, leaning against your locker as you put away your things.

“No way, he’s too cool for me,” you chuckled, slightly disappointed. Your friend sighed and shook her head.

“You’re so into him, I’ll never understand,” she said. “Although I don’t know why you’d go for Ichiro anyways when Samatoki is clearly the more attractive of the two…” she trailed off as you gasped dramatically and grabbed her arm.

“Now that’s just incorrect,” you said, laughing as the two of you walked out of the school.

“Wanna get some food today? Our ramen place is having that sale, remember?”

--

“Seriously dude, what the fuck?”

Ichiro snapped back into reality as he looked at Samatoki. His friend was looking at him with crossed arms and raised eyebrows and Ichiro tried to recall what Samatoki had been talking about.

“Uh…sorry, what were you talking about?” he asked, chuckling with a meek smile. Samatoki scowled and smacked Ichiro on the shoulder.

“Hey! Pay attention, will ya!” he growled, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning away from Ichiro. “I was saying I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

“Oh, yea okay, I’m down,” Ichiro piped in, smiling. Samatoki narrowed his eyes and glared at the him.

“What’s wrong with you lately? You’ve been totally out of it,” Samatoki grumbled, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and beginning to light one. Ichiro shook his head at his friend, putting his arms behind his head.

“Those things will kill you, ya know,” he said, seriously. Samatoki clicked his tongue and took a puff.

“Don’t change the subject, you bastard,” he retorted. Ichiro chuckled weakly but said nothing as the pair continued to walk down the street. Samatoki suddenly stopped and turned to Ichiro.

“Oh my fucking god, please don’t tell me this is because of that girl,” Samatoki said threateningly. Ichiro avoided his friend’s gaze and shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said casually.

“Y/N! The one you’re obsessed with!” Samatoki shouted. Ichiro hastily covered Samatoki’s mouth and looked around.      

“You don’t have to scream it!” Ichiro berated.

“Oh my god, you’re in love with her,” he remarked, smirking. “That honestly makes so much sense.”

“Shut up, I’m not in love,” Ichiro retorted with a frown.

It was true though; you were the reason that Ichiro had been out of sorts lately. Although he had known you since last year, it was only recently that you had really caught his eye. He first began to take notice when you would pass notes to your friend in class. The way you laughed when you read something funny. The way you sneakily tried to hide them from the teacher. They were all endearing and Ichiro found you interesting.

The two of you had had some small conversations before, but only ever in groups or for class purposes.

Ichiro wanted to know more about you. He wanted to know what your interests were and what your hobbies were. Now it was just a matter of finding the right time to ask you out.

“Whatever. You’re a goddamn lovesick puppy and I’m starving…I think that ramen place is having a sale…”

--

“This is so good, why is this so good?” your friend cried, slurping her ramen happily as you nodded and followed in suit.

“This place is really the best,” you added, taking a sip of your drink. This was a usual spot you and your friend came to after school. It was small enough to where not many people knew about it, but still big enough that you could sit comfortably and eat. Although it was a bit more busy today as word of the sale had gotten around.

“Uh…Y/N?” your friend whispered suddenly.

You glanced at her with confusion as she frantically waved towards the door. Looking over, you nearly choked on your drink as you watched Ichiro and Samatoki walk into the restaurant.

The pair looked around the restaurant and, for the second time that day, you locked eyes with Ichiro. He was looking at you with surprise and you held his gaze for a moment before you began to feel the heat rush to your face. You quickly turned back to your ramen, realizing that you had been holding your breath the whole time.

“This is perfect!” your friend chirped.

“This is horrible,” you hissed back. “This is our safe place! How are we supposed to talk about how much we like them behind their backs if they’re sitting right there?” you cried out, frantically.

“Oh come on, we’re in their class! Of course they know us,” your friend said, shaking her hand to you in dismissal. She waved over to them and you saw Samatoki smirk as he grabbed Ichiro by the arm and dragged him to the table. You brought your gaze down to your hands and took a deep breath

“Hey guys! Are you here for the sale too?” your friend said, nodding for them to sit. You glanced up and looked at the two boys now seated before you.

“Yea, the food here’s great,” Ichiro said as he gave you a friendly smile that made your heart nearly stop beating. You nervously smiled back at him as you mustered up the courage to say something.

“Class today was rough, huh?” you asked, poking at your ramen slightly.

Ichiro nodded in agreement and began to talk about the professor and how much different it was from last year. You quickly slipped into conversation with him and, after the first few minutes, found that he was actually quite easy to talk to. Throughout the conversation you made sure to not stare too much at him, for fear that you would get distracted and stumble over your words.  

“Hey lovebirds, their closing up. Let’s go,” Samatoki said, knocking on the table. You blushed at his words and averted your eyes from Ichiro’s, but heard him laugh.

“Wow, it got so late so fast,” he said, standing up from the table. You followed him, grabbing your bag as you walked together to the door. Your friend and Samatoki were already outside and you made for the door when Ichiro suddenly grabbed your hand.

At his touch, you nervously smiled and blushed for what seemed like the millionth time that night.

“Hey, I know this is kind of sudden, but do you want to come to the festival with me this weekend?” Ichiro said, smiling down at you with an ever so soft pink tinted on his cheeks. “Ah, I promised my brothers I’d go with them and I think a couple other people will be there too…you could invite your friends too,” he hastily added, chuckling nervously. The last thing he wanted was to make you uncomfortable or feel like you had to come alone.

Your eyes widened at his request, and you hesitated for a moment to make sure this was real and not a dream. Once you decided that your crush was in fact asking you out, you broke out into a smile and nodded fervently.

“Yes, I’d love that!” you exclaimed, happily. Ichiro gave you a relieved smile and nodded in understanding.

“Great! Here, take my number so I can text you the details,” he said, pulling out his phone. You ecstatically pulled yours out and swapped with him, entering the data into your phone as Ichiro held the door open for you.

You walked out into the cool night air and over to your friend who was giving you a knowing look. You smiled at her, pressing your lips together before turning back to Ichiro.

“This was fun, let’s do it again, okay?” your friend called out. Samatoki held up his hand with a grunt while Ichiro gave you a wide grin and a wave.

“See you later! Y/N, make sure to text me, okay?” he called out. You smiled and nodded, holding up your phone to him as they walked off.

Your friend quickly took your hands in your own and squealed in delight. You quickly told her all about the conversation you had with Ichiro after she had left the restaurant and she hugged you tightly.

“I told you he liked you!” she cheered. “Ugh, and you were so in love with him. Please don’t ever doubt me again,” she added with a smirk. You tried to feign annoyance but were far too pleased with tonight’s turn of events to do so.

Now, if only you had something to wear to the festival…

[bittywitches]

Kitty Love (Ethan Dolan Fanfic)

GIF credit *@ethanhes​*

A/N: I wrote this sooo long ago (literally right after the first mini home video came out??) but it didn’t even end up being all that related to the vid in the first place....lol

Basically Ethan and Y/N are childhood bffs and Y/N has never really been away from Ethan for that long before and it starts to cause some ~tension~ when she comes to see how things are going on the van

Anyways, thanks for reading, ly <3

“It seriously should not have taken you that long to get here.” Ethan grinned when he saw Y/N walk into the room. 

“Hey, lay off. I’ve never been here before, it took me a while to figure it out.” She smiled back at him, pulling the straps of her backpack closer to her back. 

“Yea yea.” He stretched his arms out, welcoming her into his embrace. She walked into his arms and gave him a tight squeeze. “I’m so bored. Thank you so much for coming, I’d probably shoot myself by now if you didn’t show up.”

She grabbed his shoulders and looked over them, peering over at the others working on the van. Sawdust floated through the entire room, and there was overall dampness in the air that seems to come with all of the wood material around.

“Gray isn’t letting you do any work, huh?” She stepped back from him and was able to catch Grayson’s attention long enough to give him a quick wave. He smiled and waved back, then went back to sawing more wood pieces.

Ethan groaned. “Yeah.”

She shrugged. “Understandable. You can’t do shit.”

“Wow, okay. Fuck you too.”

She giggled and patted his cheek. “So, road trip, huh? Sounds pretty exciting.”

He grinned. “Yea. It’s gonna be so fun. We finally have the time to put more effort into something cool.” The next few weeks were pretty much booked solid for him, filled with one fun thing after the other. They’d take a Road trip to Jersey where he’d be able to hang out with his family for a bit, and then fly out to Australia. Sure, they were cutting it close, but that was all part of the excitement, right?

“Right. And clearly, you’re putting in TONS of effort.” She patted his chest with both hands, chuckling at him a bit. Her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit whenever she did that like there was some magic in there that came out of her with every smile. Maybe it was just the familiarity of her, but whenever Ethan saw her little dimples it sent a warm feeling throughout his chest. 

Ethan and Y/N had been friends for almost forever, and she came over quite often. They’d met each other back in grade school, and became really close as they got older. He was fairly certain she wouldn’t have moved out to LA if the twins hadn’t decided to in the first place. He was confident enough to say she was his closest friend, after Grayson of course. She was his cozy place he could retreat to whenever he wanted. 

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Are you just here to insult me?”

“Hey, you’re the one who called me!”

“And you somehow are making me regret it.”

“Shut up.” She shoved his chest, and he smiled at her.

“So, how are you doing?”

“You ask me that as if you didn’t see me just yesterday.”

“Oh my god, you’re so annoying.” He brushed a hand through his hair. “How're classes going n stuff?”

She sighed, rubbing her shoulders, which were peppered with freckles. They matched the ones on her face, and Ethan loved to run his fingers over them, dragging his finger across the freckles like he was connecting the dots to draw a bigger picture. “Alright, I guess. Everything’s been super boring lately. I just work, eat, go over to your house, and sleep.”

“Sounds pretty fun to me,” Ethan remarked.

“Yeah, well maybe you should take my classes for me and I’ll go on your little road trip.”

Ethan groaned, and she giggled. “Sorry. I don’t mean to complain.”

“No no I’m not annoyed.” He rubbed her elbow. “Maybe you SHOULD come with us. That seems like it’d be more interesting than your classes.”

She laughed. “I know you’re not serious because you’d never kick Kyle off the trip.”

“Who said we’d have to kick off Kyle?”

“That bed can not fit four people!”

“Who says? You can just snuggle up real close to me.”

“Hmmm.. while that does sound appealing...” she stepped closer to him then flicked his nose with her finger, making his heart flutter. “you know that’d never work. School and whatnot.” She slumped her shoulders.

“Yea..” Ethan sighed. “Wish you could though. I’m not gonna see you for so long.”

She looked up at him, head tilted, a gentle look in her eye. 

“What?”

“Nothing.” It looked like she was holding back, but she gave that up and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest. Ethan was caught by surprise a bit but loved the feeling of Y/N’s warmth all the same.

“You okay?” He rubbed her back gently, burying his nose into her hair. 

“Yea.” She brought her hands down to rest against his chest, placing her ear next to his heart. “You won’t even be gone that long. Dunno why I feel like I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“E, come over here!” Grayson shouted from the table he was at.

Ethan groaned, annoyed that this was the moment Grayson finally decided he needed his help. “Hey, gimme a sec.” He untangled himself from Y/N, then grabbed her waist, hoisting her up onto the nearest counter. “Be right back.”

“Okayyy.” She dangled her feet, kicking them back and forth as she watched Ethan make his way over to Grayson. Her eyes lingered, as If she was trying to memorize his shape. She was right, he really wouldn’t be gone for that long, but something about not seeing his face every day hit her in a bad way.

Only then did she notice that there was a big white splotch of dust on the back of Ethan’s pants. She giggled, then yelled, “Ethan, when did you start powdering your ass?”

He turned around abruptly, looked down, and smirked as he wiped the dust off of himself. “Eyes up here, honey.”

She sniggered. “All right, hot stuff.”

“You know it!” He yelled when he turned his back to her to keep walking.

She laughed, her eyes following him somewhat wistfully. 

He’s pretty cute, isn’t he? She thought.

Y/N took her bag off her back and set it down next to her on the counter. then brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. She found her eyes kept wandering back to the twins, one in particular. Ethan was wearing a loose sweatshirt and black shorts, and his hair was all ruffled up, a bit of sawdust floating around the top of his head. He had his hands planted on his hips, seeming to look deeply entranced in whatever Grayson was telling him. Y/N giggled, thinking that he probably had no idea what his brother was talking about. She loved Ethan, but his attention was all over the place. He’d never been able to keep his focus on anything for too long.

Except maybe on her.

Ethan wrapped up his conversation with Grayson and started to make his way back to Y/N. she was on her phone, kicking her feet back on forth and they were rhythmically tapping on the side of the counter. Her hair was tied back into a braid, and she was wearing a loose tank top and tights, her sweatshirt wrapped around her waist. She kept fiddling with the hair peeking out over her ear, and Ethan smiled. She seemed to always be fiddling with something, she could never sit still. It was like she could never calm herself down. She always had to be doing something.

Except maybe when with him.

“Hey, sorry about that.” He walked up to the counter. 

“Oh, no problem.” She tucked her phone away into her pocket. “I’m sure you were doing something VERY important.” Her mouth quirked up.

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll have you know that this van wouldn’t be able to be built without my input.”

“Oh, yea? What was Gray asking you about?”

“...the colour of the floorboards.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize you were in a position to make such big decisions.”

“Shut up!” He shoved her shoulder, and she laughed. 

“I’m sorry, teasing you is so fun.” She stretched her arms out for him, and Ethan boosted her off of the counter.

“Jesus, there’s so much dust everywhere.” She wiped the dust off her butt and thighs. 

“I mean that’s kinda what happens when you sit on the dusty counter.”

“Which you put me on.”

“Same difference.”

“Wait, so you’re saying that your powdered ass was a result of you sitting around doing nothing while Grayson’s out here doing all the heavy work?”

“Oh my god, I’m done with you.” He walked off to the other side of the workshop and she laughed as she followed alongside him.

“I’m sorry, you make it so easy!”

——

It had been nearly an hour, and both Y/N and Ethan were bored out of their minds. They debated leaving to go hang out elsewhere, maybe go get coffee, but Ethan didn’t want to leave Grayson alone to be making all the decisions on the van. Like he was making any in the first place.

Ethan kept wandering around the room, looking around at what the others were doing, when he finally settled for a few minutes in one corner of the workshop.

“Y/N LOOK WHO I JUST FOUND.”

Y/N’s head perked up from her phone, looking around for Ethan but unable to catch his eye. “What??”

Ethan stepped around the corner, the biggest grin on his face and the cutest little kitten in his arms.

“Oh. My god.” Y/N jumped off the counter and ran up to him with a smile matching Ethan’s. “Oh my GOD he’s so cute!!”

“Right??” Ethan scratches him below the neck, causing the kitten to purr.

“Oh, you sweet little baby.” She ran her hand over his little head, scratching behind his ears. His nose twitched, and Y/N squealed in delight. “You’re a little cutie, aren’t you?” She said in a baby voice, and it felt like Ethan’s heart had doubled in size.

“Since when do you talk like that?”

“Since you started bringing me the cutest kitten ever.”

She was entranced with the little kitten, love, and adoration pouring out of her. God, she was so adorable. Ethan couldn’t help but feel like he wanted that kind of adoration from her. 

“Yes, you’re just the most adorable thing ever.” She babied the cat, and Ethan couldn’t help but grin ear to ear. 

“He’s so cute givehimtome.”

Y/N went to take the kitten from Ethan’s arms, but he pulled back for a moment, deciding he wanted to have some fun with Y/N for a bit.

“Hold on. This cat is precious. You have to be careful you know.”

“I know how to hold a cat!”

“This cat is a BABY. It’s our baby! I can’t be so carefree with my child!”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “He’s not our baby.”

Ethan gasped and cupped a hand over the kitten’s ear left ear. “Don’t you dare talk like that in front of our son!”

“Ethan come oooon I want to play with it too!”

“Our CHILD is not something to be played with, Y/N! He deserves the utmost care and to be fair I don’t think you can do it.”

“How dare you!” She lunged for the kitten but Ethan turned his back to her, holding the cat out of reach. 

“Ethan careful you’re going to drop him!”

Although Y/N didn’t really think he would. To be honest, the cat seemed to be having a fun time, wiggling his tail about as Ethan held it in his arms. 

“I am being careful, unlike you! You are a danger to this precious creature!”

“Ethan PLEASE! I want the fuzzy baby!” She grabbed his arm and tugged, making him turn around to face her. 

“No Y/N, I can’t trust you. You need to calm down.”

“How am I supposed to come down when you won’t let me hold our son??”

Ethan immediately stopped the charade, blinking at Y/N. Y/N, surprised at Ethan’s abrupt stop, looked up at him expectedly with her arms outstretched. “Give him to me.”

He did so right away and watched how Y/N’s expression of annoyance quickly morphed into one of excitement. 

“You called him our son.”

“I did what I had to do so I could hold him.”

“Uhuh. Sure.”

She rolled her eyes once more and turned her back to him. “I’m walking away now.”

“No you’re not, we need to discuss this! What does this mean for our son??”

“Ethan!”

——

Nearing the end of the day, the rest of the boys and Grayson were finishing up their work on the van.

“E, I’m so tired.”

“Mhm.”

Y/N rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn. “Let’s go home.”

“Come on...” he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze. “They’re almost done.”

“That’s what they say.” She groaned and leaned into his chest.

“C'mon. Let’s go.” She grabbed his sweatshirt and started to tug him.

“Y/N...”

“Pleaaaase.” She groaned. “I’m exhausted.”

He was tempted, but he knew he’d never hear the end of it if he left Grayson without saying anything.

“Okay... hold on.”

He shouted over to Gray. “Yo! Y/N’s tired, I’m taking her home!”

Gray shot him a thumbs-up, and Ethan turned back to her. “Alright, let's go.”

“Wait. Go where?”

Ethan blinked at her. “Are you high or something?”

“No!”

“You just asked if we could go home. So now I’m taking you home.”

“My home?”

“Okay, are you seriously alright? Did you breathe in too much sawdust?” He creased his eyebrows.

“Ethan!” 

“YES, your home.”

“No wait, I meant your place. Let’s go to your place.”

Ethan raised her eyebrows at her. “This late?”

“I’ll just sleepover.”

“But you have class tomorrow morning.”

Who cares?

“You can drive me.”

“I don’t think I’ll have time to..”

Seeing her face drop made him change his mind completely.

“Yea. I can do that.”

She grinned and pumped her fists into the air. “Yusss, I’m gonna get cuddles.”

Ethan’s faces flushed, and he rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

“Nope. You will drown in my cuddles.”

She grabbed his sweatshirt and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her nose almost touching his. Ethan’s jaw had dropped just a tiny bit, not knowing what to do, being so close to her. His face heated up so fast, it felt like Y/N could almost feel it, but she laughed. “Carry me to the car?”

“Oh my god, you lazy ass.” 

“Hmph.” She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, then rested her head on his shoulder. Ethan grabbed her thighs and held her tightly, grinning like a fool.

“What’re you smiling about?” Y/N asked him slyly. 

“Nothin’.” He said, making his way towards the car. 

“Dumbass.” She murmured, smiling into his sweatshirt.

---------

“Open the door, it’s freezing.” Y/N shivered, retreating into the sweatshirt Ethan gave her while in the car. 

“Okay, okay. Hold on.” Ethan’s hands fumbled in the cold, shoving the key into the lock and jiggling it vigorously before the door opened.

Y/n couldn’t help but giggle at his red-tinted ears and nose. She could tell he was cold, but he was trying to hide it. Though not very well, because along with his shivering fingers, him shifting his weight from side to side while searching for the key was a dead giveaway. She felt kind of bad taking his sweatshirt, but she also loved that he was willing to do that for her.

“Okay, it’s open.” He huffed.

“Finally.” Y/N ran into the house, kicking her shoes off at the door. “How can it be this cold in LA?”

“We’ve been spoiled by the heat.” He closed the door behind him, placing his shoes next to hers by the door. “Canada would make us it’s bitch.”

“Honestly, yea.” Y/N grabbed Ethan's hand to drag him to his room, but let out a small gasp. “Jesus, your hands are freezing.” 

“Yea, because somebody stole my sweatshirt.” 

“You gave it to me!” 

“Whatever.”

She grumbled. “Okayyy I’m sorry. I’ll give you extra cuddles while we watch a movie to make up for it.”

“Hey, you have school tomorrow.” His eyes softened and he pulled her into his chest, and she huffed into his T-shirt.

“Whatever.” She mocked him.

“Dude, it’s late.” He looked down at her. “You’re not gonna be able to wake up in the morning.” 

“Yea I will.” She shoved him gently. “We’ll watch it on your laptop, then I can just fall asleep on your bed.” 

“Y/N…”

“Come onnnn.” She tugged on his arm, and he sighed in defeat. 

“Okay! Just let me go make some tea or something.” She nodded, letting his hand go so he could leave for the kitchen. “My laptop is on my bed, just pick a movie, ‘kay?” 

She gave him a thumbs-up, then made her way to his bedroom. She plopped down onto his bed, grabbing the laptop then throwing the covers over her. She sighed, relaxing her shoulders at the familiar environment of Ethan’s bedroom. 

Although...

What am I doing here?

Y/N sighed, slumping down further into the mattress. What was she doing here? She had come over to Ethan’s house at midnight, in hopes of watching a movie with him on a weekday? With school tomorrow? What was she doing?

God, I’m so into him, aren’t I?

She groaned, pulling the covers over her head in defeat. The overwhelming smell of Ethan from the sheets only helped fuel her frustration. She grunted, throwing the sheets off of her, trying to free her nose of the scent. 

“ETHAN!” She yelled for him.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” She heard his voice echoing down the hall, followed by his footsteps. He pushed the door open with his side, both of his hands being occupied by two cups of warm tea. He sat himself down on the edge of the bed and handed her one of the cups. “Here.”

She looked at him warily, trying her hardest to take the cup without touching his fingers, which got a weird look from Ethan. She took a sip of the tea.

She groaned.

It was perfect. Exactly how she liked it.

“Oh my god, you suck ass.” She swatted his shoulder in frustration.

“What?” His eyebrows creased. “I swear I did the way you usually do. I soaked the tea bag for exactly three minutes, added the teaspoon of sugar before the milk, and then just one spoon of honey-”

“GOD, I hate you so much.” She shoved him in the shoulder again, groaning as she laid her head back onto the headboard. 

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing.” Y/N mumbled.

“Are you mad at me or something?”

“No!” she said, flustered.

“Did I do something to upset you?”

“Ethan, NO!” 

“Then what the fuck are you so pissy about?”

“NOTHING, okay?” She set her tea on the side table and pulled the laptop towards her aggressively. “Jesus.”

Ethan tilted his head at her. “Y/N?”

“What do you want?” She looked up at him menacingly.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Will you just tell me what the matter is?”

“There is no matter to tell you.”

“If you don’t tell me I won’t watch the movie with you.”

“I have nothing to say!”

He took her hand. She almost flinched, his warm hand sending a shock throughout her entire body. She looked at him, and his eyes were concentrated on her. “Tell me.”

She lost herself in a few seconds of bliss, but then yanked her hand away. “Get out of my face.”

He huffed. “Okay, fine. You don’t have to tell me what it is, just tell me if I’m the reason you’re all grumpy.”

Are you kidding?

She groaned. “Ethan… please just watch the movie.” She shimmied over patting the seat next to her.

He shook his head. “Tell me first.”

She sighed. “Okay. fine.” She took a deep breath. “You are the reason.” 

Ethan leaned back, seeming a bit bewildered. “Okay. don’t know what I was expecting you to say, but kind of didn’t want it to be that.” he waited for her to respond, to give him something, anything, but she just awkwardly stared at the laptop screen.

He sat there for a moment, wondering what exactly to say to her. He looked like he really wanted to ask her what this was all about, but he knew he couldn’t. He said that he wouldn’t.

“Okay then.” He got up. “Did you pick a movie?”

Y/N was so lost in her own thoughts, she had practically forgotten about choosing one. “Oh, yea. Sure. Just lemme check.”

“Alright, just let me text Gray real quick, okay?” She nodded. Ethan sat down at his desk chair, swiveling it around so he faced her. He took out his phone and began typing up whatever it was he was going to send to his brother.

Y/N watched him, warily from the bed. She didn’t know what to do. There were so many things going through her head at once. She wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know why she was there. She wanted him to know why she wanted to watch a movie. She wanted him to know how she felt. She wanted him to feel the same way. 

She wanted him. 

“Hey, E.” 

“Mhm?” 

“Look at me.”

He looked up at her skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “What is it?”

She looked at his eyes for a moment, the brown and hazelnut seeming to warm her from the inside. She took in every part of him. His eyes, his nose, his pesky hair that never stayed in one place. His beauty marks and almost non-existent acne scars, his sharp jawline and his stubble. His somehow still tinted ears, his dimples, his soft pink lips.

Huh.

“Kiss me.”

He didn’t react at first, not seeming to follow. Then a quick flash of a smile, thinking it was a joke. But as he realized she was serious, his eyes widened, the colour from his ears now flushing to his face.

“What?”

“Kiss me.”

He moved his mouth, but couldn’t seem to form any words. “I don’t-”

“Ethan kiss me before I change my mind.”

He seemed frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. He didn’t seem to understand the words she had just said. He stared at her, running his eyes over her, landing finally on her lips. He’d tried so hard to keep his eyes away from them, but now he couldn’t help it. They were all he wanted.

She was all he wanted.

He got up, cupped her face with his hands, and pressed his greedy lips to hers. A moan escaped Y/N’s lips, and Ethan smiled against them when he heard that heavenly sound. Her face flushed, feeling the smile on Ethan’s lips, and she pulled away.

“I hate you.”

“I’m sorry. You’re fucking adorable.”

“God, I HATE you!” She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again. He leaned forward, pushing her all the way down so she laid down on the bed, and he held himself over her, propping himself up with his arms on either side of her. He deepened the kiss, not able to get enough of the taste of her lips. He pulled back, smiling at her. 

“I thought you were mad at me.”

She glanced away from him. “Well, I was.”

He laughed. “For what?”

“For not taking a hint!” She couldn’t help but giggle.

“It’s not my fault that you’re 90% sarcasm.”

“It’s not my fault that you have such a thick skull.”

“You are so ruining this.”

“Shut up!”

He leaned down once more, kissing her again. She sighed, letting her arms make their way up his arms and back around his neck. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, then her jaw, then her neck.

She blushed, hard. “Ethan!!” she pushed him up so they were both sitting upright, sitting as close to each other as possible. 

“Cmon, this is the least I can do for catching on so late.”

She smiled at him, then laid her head against his shoulder. “How about we just watch a movie instead?”

He grinned like a fool. “Sounds amazing.”

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

That Be Some Good Buttercream

Summary- Steve and Bucky get your help in replicating a howling commando days battle using Christmas baking fun. But... Does anything ever quite work out the way it should? Set in the same characters I used in Night In, Looking Pretty Fly and Popping Pez and Mismatched Socks. Written for @official-and-unstable-satan​ 300 Follower Celebration Challenge. She still has many prompts, check it out. Prompts in italiacs. No warnings, all fluffy. 

Word Count- 1.6k

A/N- so proud of your accomplishments babes, you are an amazing writer and I love getting lost in your stories and listening to your ideas. I know your just gonna keep going up from here. Love you always babygirl 💚😈💚😈💚😈💚

“Bucky, they came around from the south end” 

“No they did not. I remember Steve, I was there.”

“Yea, and so was I” 

You and Sam had been listening to the two super soldiers carry on at the oversized table in the compounds kitchen dining area for a good hour before you readjusted the volume on the tv once more. Sam, half laying over half the couch remained scrolling on his phone, remarking. 

“Aint gonna do you no good, they just get louder.”

You sigh and hit the off button, he was right. Might as well go see what these two were up to anyways. Pushing yourself off the couch, Sam promptly stretched his legs out onto where you were sitting, making himself comfterable. “See you on the other side Kid!” He joked, settling into watching youtube. 

Wandering in, you saw the two men bent over  large map, Steve with pencil in hand drawing arrows to discern where they started from, stretching it across what looked like a military base. Bucky shook his head. 

“No no no, Punk, I wasnt up there, I was down here” 

“Bucky, I had you up on the highest point, it just looks weird on paper.” 

“You know what, this is pointless.” You could see Bucky getting aggitated with there project, pushing himself away from the table. “We need like... a 3D model to get this right.” 

Steve to straightened up, his arms folding as he looked down at the heavily marked paper. “Well... Tony does have some...” You interrupt in this time, moving over to the table and taking a peek at what they were doing. 

“You know, I have an idea of how to make you two a 3D model.” Both the men quirked brows, curious as to what you had in mind. "Givingerbread reanatcment.” 

You expected a rebuttal, a laugh, anything, since you were joking. But the two of them actually looked thoughtful, glancing at each other. “It would be easier then trying to draw it out” Steve mentioned. “And easier then trying to get Tony to set up the AI model for us.” 

“Plus we get some fucking cookies... Im in.” Bucky grinned, obviously pleased in the options of snacks. What started as a joke from you became a very serious matter as the two Soldiers dragged you into the kitchen. The two of them looking at you expectedly. 

“I was just joking guys, Im not making you a hydra replica gingerbread base. You know how much shit that would take.” At this point you backtracking a bit, wishing the words hadnt fallen out of your mouth so damn easily cause you thought is was funny. 

“Nonsense, you wont be doing all of it. Were going to help.” Steves already moving to wash his hands as Bucky is digging through a drawer and slipping on a god damn “Kiss the Cook” apron, he found in a drawer, ties it swiftly around his back and rolls up his sleeves. 

“You know you always wanted to boss us around Doll.” Bucky smirks, wiggling brows in a teasing manner. “You finally get your chance.” 

You look between the two men, the two of them nodding in encouragement, Steve composed as ever, waiting for You to explain how to start, and Bucky well he was opening drawers, pulling out random stuff that he thought you might use. He held up a spatula with a smirk, slapping the utinsel against his palm. “How about we get this train moving kids.” 

Relenting, you turn to your phone for a recipe. “Okay fine, since you all insist. We need flour, sugar, eggs, ginger, cinnamon....” While your listing, both men are scrambling to find everything, and piling it on the counter, yourself you bring out some bowls, cookie cutters, lets face it. You needed the actual men to decorate like howling commandos. Turning on the oven to get it preheated, you search for decorations. “Steve, store run? We gotta make this accurate you know, and Buckys all dressed up for a day baking. Hate to send him." You just kinda motion lver Buckys getup, the kiss the cook stretched over his chest, the apron a size to small for him really.

Your already grabbing paper and jotting down a detailed list of food coloring, frosting, candies and such. Steve snatched the list when you held it out, he had a general idea of it all and nodded. "Dont hesitate to put Bucky to work. He just pretends to be all intimidating."

You roll your eyes and back in the kitchen theres a "Steve your a dick" retort from Bucky whos looking over the mess of ingredients piled on the counter. Steve, seemingly joyful as he grabbed keys and left, you suspect you might not see him at least another hour or two. No worries, you had the other super soldier on hand.

Heading back in you hand Bucky a bowl and eggs. "Start cracking, separating yolk from white, and no shells." You cant help but from watching him, looking a bit like a lost child, before he he starts to crack eggs and inspect for shells. You watch from the corner of your eye as you put together the dry ingredients, and start mesuring out the molasses, talking him through the rest of the buttercream frosting ingredients.

Dipping your finger in his finished product, you lick the tip of your finger, smirking at his widened eyes. Yea Steve, hes very intimidating. You maybe took a bit to much pleasure in teasing Bucky on occasion. "Mmmhh my very favorite part.... "

He cleared his throat and looked away, it might be a bit mean, but he would give it back later, this was a dance the two of you played. "Okay, what now?" He said a bit gruff and you grab your rolling pin, holding it to him.

Eyeing it a moment, his brow arched. "Ya want me to roll the dough?"

"Yea Buck, nice and thin, since you two want to make all these outer buildings as well." Pointing to Steve's sketching, And you reached in the dough and piled it on the counter on front of Bucky. "And Steve said to put you to work."

"I notice you gave Steve the easy job." He muttered as he started to flatten the dough.

"I knew you were more capable."

Bucky couldn't hide the grin at the compliment, and afterwards you both measured, cut and got the cookie sheets in the oven. Stealing part of the couch back from Sam and watching trash tv till the oven beeped. Bucky vaulted over the couch, head back into the kitchen and pulled them out of the oven.

"Are they firm?" You ask, peeking at them, a light brush of your fingers against them. The room smelled like bake gingerbread and smooth sugar. Tempting delectables to say the least.

"Yup, now what?"

"Cool and mantle your buildings." You say as You slide them off onto wire racks. "Go get the frosting, and I will show you." Already he was rummaging in the fridge to retrieve it. Peeling off the plastic cling, you pick up one of the cooler pieces and edged it with icing. Folding two pieces together. "Easy as that. You try."

Bucky took it so seriously, the tip of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he piped that icing. His brows furrowed together in a dip right at the center. You bite back a grin and get a large dollop of icing on your finger and flick it at the man. Landing right in his face. He drops his cookie in surprise and blinks though the icing. "Fucken hell, Y/N! Whats that for?" Wiping it off, he flicks it back at you and you squeal getting hit.

That's war!

"Oh its on Barnes" smirking as you grab a cookie and crumble it, shooting it at him. Cookies fly, icing it flung, flour, and sugar is used to blind one another, you two ducked around the table, screaming and yelling insults playfully.

Bucky tried using the hose at the kitchen sink to spray you, in which you ducked and rolled right into him, the two of you collapsing in a heap on the floor among all your hard work, broken and scattered. Steve stood in the doorway, arms laden with two paper bags, his jaw hanging open at the mess. Bucky pokes you to get your attention and the two of you sit up, covered. Head to toe in frosting, flour and cookies.

"I was just gone an hour..."

"Its a long time to be left unsupervised." You shrug as you smear some frosting off your shirt and lick it off your finger, Bucky helped himself to your shirt frosting to since he had thrown half the bowl on you.

"Oh damn, thats good!" He grins.

"What about this is good?! You mean your gingerbread murder scene?!" Steve toed a dead gingerbread man with the tip of his shoe.

Bucky looked around and glared at his friend. "IT WAS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE" His voice raided to defend the mess and you promptly stuff a cookie in his mouth to shut him up.

"Come on Steve. Did the Hydra base not look like this after you two and the howling commandos were done?" You throw a cookie at him which bounced off his chest. "Eat a cookie, you feel better" next to you Bucky continued eating broken gingerbread men, grinning at his friend and nodding.

"Best damn cookies besides your mama's!" Bucky added between mouthfuls

"I just... Pick this up you two before tony throws a fit." Turning with the bags of candy he bought, passing Sam, he ditched them on the man still scrolling youtube

"You couldn't watch them for two seconds Sam?"

"And break up that little love fest? Puh-lease" Sam grinned at Steve and dug into the paper bags looking through the snacks, pulling out twizzlers.

"SCORE!"

@what-is-your-plan-today @p8tn0lish @kitkatd7 @stuckonjbbarnes @sebbbystaaan @kimisama1989 @simsadventures @that-damn-girl @imanuglywombat @jtargaryen18 @stardancerluv​ @princess-evans-addict​

[vyglitchcraft]

Cavalier Gantz Origin Story

Authors Note: i wanted to make a short story about Gantz's backstory and i wrote more than i expected

Under the cut for length

Word Count: 1.6K

"And who are you? You're going to get sick if you stay here" the child looks at the boy, he was holding an umbrella and wearing a yellow rain coat "my...My name is Gantzy and you?" Gantz stood up and looked at the boy "my name is Simon! Nice to meet you Gantzy!"

They smiled, Simon was very short and had short brown hair with dark green almond colored eyes "my mom has a bakery nearby, you should visit!" Gantz nodded and followed him.

"Simon, oh you're back and you brought a friend too...Oh my god what happened?!" She looked at him behind the counter that at them, realizing all the bruises they had on their face, she ran out and crouched to their height and holding their cheek "i think no one likes me..." they muttered.

Simon's mother looked at them with sadness before quickly dragging them inside the shop, cleaning them up and giving them a fresh pair of clothes "you should stay here for a while dear" Gantz tilted their head "but what if they find me and hit me?" she hugged them, clearly hurt by those words "no one's going to hurt you here, don't worry" they smiled and started to tear up softly muttering "thanks"

===

"Gantz did you understand anything about the teacher's teaching cuz i swear i don't" They were walking home from school and Simon had pointed at the book they were reading about the last subject which was chemistry "honestly don't know, all i know is, you're fucked" Simon immediately grabbed the book and read through it "HOW HARD IS THIS ANYWAY?" Gantz laughed and grabbed the book back, putting it in their bag.

"Simon, we should go there it looks cool" they pointed at an abandoned and rundowned building, they both nodded with a mischievous look in their eyes. They ran inside and placed a bag of paint canisters on the ground, putting on a cheap gas mask "what're you gonna draw? Can i choose?"

"HELL YEAH!" they tossed another gas mask at Simon and quickly he puts it on, grabbing a random can and started to paint a random drawing. They quickly finished when it started to rain and Gantz signed the mural with "CG SE" in the corner of it "Let's go before mom gets worried" he pulled Gantz out of the building.

They both arrived at the bakery, luckily not soaking from the rain. "What did i told you about not coming home late?" She looked at them disappointingly, she sighed and chuckles "i still remember back when i was your age, getting in trouble and all that, god i miss those days. Let's get you some food shall we?" both of them nodded excitingly and followed her.

"Thanks Mrs. East they taste amazing!" they took a bite off the muffins and smiled. She smiled back but that smile quickly turn into a frown "We need to talk, our bakery is in a terrible place lately and we're starting to lose customers, it's likely we need to close it down" Simon looked at his mom with shock "WHAT THE HELL? what can we do to help?" he stood up and yelled "if you can earn some money, it would be very helpful, but i think you should leave it up to me, i can find another job so don't worry" she sat him back down and hugged him "I'm sorry" both of them cried.

===

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE SELLING DR-" Gantz yelled at him but quickly muffled by his hand "shh....Gantz please it's just something i have to do and i need your help too!" they clicked their tongue in frustration "i ain't selling drugs! Are you crazy? We're in middle school, we're gonna get in trouble if we get caught"

Simon pats their shoulder down "please you need to help me and my mom, I'll even let you keep some money to yourself just please" Gantz sighed and hugged him "fine I'll do it" he smiled and hugged them back.

"five hundred right?" the man they were speaking to asked, they nodded and gave the bag of coke "thanks kid" he gave the money and Gantz quickly pockets it. "tenth one this week, alright"

Simon ran up to them, tapping their shoulder "you got it?" they nodded and handed him the money, he quickly thanked them.

===

It was break time at school and Simon pulled them out of the class to the back of the school "Gantz we need to talk, my boss wants to meet you" they tilted their head, confused "huh why? When?" he shook his head "i don't know but this afternoon, one of his friends will take us to him" again, they were confused "alright, I'll do it, i trust you so this better not be a trick"

They arrived at a mansion with dozens of other people. They were in the entrance waiting for the boss, the sound of glass being hit was loud and sudden

"thank you for coming my fellow men and women, we're here for the new recruit party today as you can see, you were told to bring a guest with you, we will run them into a test to see who will join our family, now guests follow the guards to the car, they will drive you to the test area, good luck"

Simon holds their hand, a bit worried but Gantz assured him and followed the "guards" to the car. They and the other guests were blindfolded and forced to sit in the back of the car. The drive was long and boring, filled with silence before they were all thrown to the outside. They cough, trying to get the sand out of their mouth. The guards took off the blindfold and thrown a single firearm at them.

"The test is simple, you'll shoot eachother with the weapons we gave you, the last people that survives after the timer ends will join"

"IN THE COUNT OF THREE"

"TWO"

"ONE!"

Barrages of bullets was shot, immediately two were dead, one was injured. Gantz moved in a zig zag pattern, trying to dodge any bullets that comes in their way.

They used the smoke as a cover and killed three although someone was able to graze their shoulder one was able to make a large gash on from the left side of their jaw to the corner of their left eye. They fell down to the ground, cutting the corner of their mouth open, immediately they covered their head and ducked down, letting the others to kill eachother.

"STOP!"

The dust settled down and they stood up and looked at the guards, they were all blindfolded again and tossed to the back of the car again and drove back to the mansion.

When Gantz saw Simon's figure, they immediately ran up to them. They recognized him even when after the fight, the green eyes, the brown hair with sides shaved off, they recognized him. "Gantz! Did you past?!" he screamed, Gantz nodded happily "I DID IT!" they hugged him tightly, trying to balance themselves to keep standing up.

"congratulations, you passed the test, from now on you'll be joining the hitman group. Guards, shoot the useless ones"

The boss pointed and the guards started to shoot the ones that took the survivors. Gantz pulled Simon out of the way but it was to late, several bullets had hit his chest and stomach. Trying to find an exit, Gantz carried him on their back and exits the building, somehow able to reach the road. They called for help but most just drove by except a driver that saw them and called the ambulance.

===

They were sitting in the waiting room with a blank stare until they saw the doctor coming out of the room "can i see him?" the docter nodded and they ran to Simon's room.

"thank god you're alive" they hold his hand and he weakly pets their head, "you're the one that saved me" he smiled softly. "you're welcome" they smiled back and rested their head on the bed.

From that day on, Gantz always visited him, talking to him and teaching some of the subjects in school, even sneaking in snacks for him.

"hey promise you'll visit tomorrow?"

"of course, i will, promise, i won't leave you"

"really?"

"yes, you're like a brother to me"

"thanks, see you tomorrow?"

"yea, I'll be back, don't worry"

They went home from school and visited the hospital as usual, but something was off his mother was standing in front of his room, crying "I'm sorry Mrs. East, your son has passed away peacefully in his sleep" Gantz went wide eyed, collapsing to the ground, on their knees, when his mom saw them she immediately got on her knees and hugged them, crying.

Their eyes were starting to cry and their voice was cracking "i didn't even say goodbye....". They stood up and ran to the hospital exit "i need to be alone dammit!"

They leaned against the hospital wall, curling into a ball and sobbing. "i didn't get to say anything, are you serious?! If-if only i was the one that died, he'll still be alive, it's my fault dammit"

He and his mom was the only family they had, and without them, they're alone. Mrs. East was found hanging herself after he died.

A pair of foot steps walked up to them, it was the same guard that drove them to the test area, he gave them a piece of paper to an address.

Without anyone else, they went to the address, now inside the building, walking down in an empty and echoey hallway. They knocked on the door "come in!" opening the door they saw their new boss, the leader of the hitman team.

"Ready for your first mission Gantz?"

[missperfectlyfine13]

Puppy Love

Summary: Beca and Chloe find a stray dog on the streets of New York and Chloe doesn't have the heart to leave him behind.

Bechloe Week 2020 - Day 2: “He Bit Me”

Read Below or on AO3 

“Chloe we cannot bring that thing home,” Beca groans as her girlfriend snuggles the dirty, scraggly little puppy into her chest, “our apartment doesn’t even allow dogs.”

“But Beccaaa...” Chloe pleads, petting the dog’s dusty brown fur softly, “it doesn’t have a home, and it’s not like our landlord will even notice or care, the family downstairs adopted a beagle two months ago.”

“We already have Fat Amy, we can’t take care of her and a puppy,” Beca rolls her eyes.

Chloe’s sparkling blue eyes are already watering and she’s jutting her bottom lip out dramatically. She knows that it gets Beca every time, and she’s not wrong, Beca can already feel her composure breaking.

“The shelter isn’t even open this late, can we at least keep him overnight until I can take him tomorrow?” the red head barters with her.

Beca’s not heartless and Chloe has a point, “Ok, he can stay overnight.”

Chloe squeals excitedly, jumping up and down, “Thank you Bec! We have to stop and get him some dog food on the way home.”

When they finally make their way back to the apartment, Beca is carrying a bag of dog food and a few toys Chloe had insisted on getting their newest furry friend. Amy is no where to be seen, and that might be for the best. Beca’s not sure how she would have taken their new addition.

“We’re home Scrappy,” Chloe coos, setting the puppy down to explore his new surroundings.

Chloe had quickly come up with the name Scrappy Doo for the dog, and Beca has to admit he does look a little bit like the famous cartoon dog. She knows that her girlfriend is already attached to the little dog. It’s going to be like pulling teeth to get her to actually take him to the shelter, but that’s a bridge they’ll cross when they get there.

“Bec, I’m going to give Scrappy a bath,” Chloe picks the dog back up and over to the curtain hiding their bathroom, “can you pour some of that dog food into a bowl for him, and some water in another?”

“Yea, I got it Chlo,” Beca moves over to the cupboard and grabs a couple bowls.

She can hear Chloe baby talking to the puppy in the bathroom as well as little yips of unhappiness from him as he’s getting bathed. It makes Beca feel warm and happy inside that Chloe has so much love for every human, animal, or creature she comes in contact with. This isn’t the first animal they’ve “saved”. A few months ago, they found a cat that ended up living with them for quite a while, but it was winter and Beca’s not heartless. Last spring Chloe rescued a baby bird that she helped nurse back to health at the vet clinic she’s interning at.

Beca wishes they could keep this dog. She knows how much Chloe wants an animal; it just isn’t going to work.

“Beca?” Chloe calls from the bathroom, it sounds like she just shut the water in the tub off.

“Yea?” she calls back, setting down the now full bowls of water and food for the puppy.

“Can you grab me a towel?” Chloe yells back, loud little barks now resonating through their apartment.

Beca grabs a bath towel and runs to the curtain dividing their bathroom from the rest of the living space. Chloe is on her knees, holding Scrappy in place in the tub. Beca hands her the towel and the red head begins to dry off the puppy, who looks far less pathetic now that he’s had a bath. The second Chloe sets him down on the floor, he runs to Beca and promptly shakes any remaining water from his fur, showering Beca with water droplets.

“Gahhh,” Beca yelps, putting her hands up like it’s going to actually help, “I swear he ran right at me to do that on purpose.”

Chloe rolls her eyes, “He didn’t do it on purpose Beca.”

“Sure he didn’t,” Beca wipes her face off with the back of her arm.

The rest of the night with the puppy goes similarly. Beca’s convinced the dog actually hates her. When he’s eating, he happens to fling a pellet or two all the way across the room at her. He has an accident inside, conveniently all over Beca’s shoes. He only seems to bark when he’s around Beca, and she’s convinced she heard a growl at one point.

He’s been an angel around Chloe. Never once did he fling food or water, or pee on her shoes, or growl when she gets near. When did Beca become the devil reincarnate?

It’s finally time to go to bed, which means it’s that much sooner to getting rid of Scrappy Doo. Beca settles down happily on the bed, cuddling up behind Chloe, throwing an arm around her middle.

“I love you Chloe,” she mumbles into her back.

“I love you too Bec,” Chloe says sleepily, with a big yawn.

Just when Beca is almost asleep, she feels something attempting to wiggle between her front and Chloe’s back. Along with the feeling are little grunts and whimpers…Scrappy is trying to get into bed with them.

“Ok this is where I draw the line,” Beca groans, sitting up abruptly to remove the puppy from their bed.

She reaches out to grab his furry little body, but before she can make contact, he lunges at her hand. His not very sharp yet teeth land gently around her hand and Beca lets out a frustrated yelp.

“He bit me!” Beca holds her hand up to her chest like she’s been fatally wounded.

Chloe sits up, now aware of the situation, “Bec…he’s a puppy, they bite sometimes, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yes it does mean something, that dog hates my guts and I wasn’t about to let him sleep in my bed, that’s already too small because it’s a pull out sofa!” Beca barks back, all her frustrations pouring out.

Chloe grabs the puppy protectively, “He can sleep on my side.”

She flops back down, cuddling Scrappy into her. Beca lies back down but facing the other wall. I guess that’s how it’s going to be, Chloe choosing a dog over her.

Beca can feel something warm and wet on her face when she wakes up the next morning. She scrunches up her nose disgustedly at the foreign feeling. When she finally opens her eyes, she sees Scrappy hovering above her, his tongue jutting out to lick her forehead.

“Aw, see he likes you,” Chloe says sleepily, her voice rough.

For the first time since they brought him home, Beca thinks that maybe Scrappy is kind of cute and that maybe he doesn’t completely hate her. For some reason, the new day has made her soft, and she finds herself lifting the puppy from her pillow and into her arms.

“I guess you’re kind of ok,” Beca yawns, scratching behind the dog’s ears, “but you still have to go to the shelter.”

“Beccaaaa,” Chloe whines, “but he’s so happy here.”

“He’ll be happy somewhere else too,” she quickly replies, lifting the dog off of her and onto the floor.

Chloe pouts the whole morning and the entire way to the shelter. She cuddles Scrappy, whispering things about how he’ll find a ‘furever’ home soon and someone will love him just as much as she does. It breaks Beca’s heart how hard she’s taking it, but they just can’t keep this dog.

When they finally leave Scrappy Doo at the shelter and are leaving, Beca breathes a sigh of relief. Scrappy had been almost just as upset as Chloe was when the two left. The little barks of disappointment almost made Beca think twice.

“I miss him already,” Chloe sighs sadly.

Beca them over on the sidewalk, so they are out of the way of pedestrians and grabs Chloe’s hands into hers.

“We’ll have a dog someday,” Beca says softly, rubbing soothing circles onto the back of her girlfriend’s hands, “someday when we don’t live in a cramped studio apartment, that doesn’t even really allow dogs anyways. Someday when we have a house and a yard, and you’re a vet and I’m making better money as a producer. I want to give you everything you want and more Chlo.”

Chloe steps in closer and places a lovingly kiss on Beca’s lips, “I love you so much Beca.”

“I love you too Chloe,” Beca replies before giving Chloe another sweet but short peck on the lips.

The days go by and Chloe slowly gets over the loss of their furry friend. Surprisingly it’s Beca who’s taking it hard. She finds herself thinking about how happy Scrappy had made Chloe, and how nice it was to have a shared pet between them. It felt nice, she kind of misses his happy, bright energy. He really was the perfect dog for Chloe.

Somehow, all her thinking has her making a pit stop into the shelter on her way home from work a week later. She walks in and the same lady who was at the front desk the morning they surrendered him, is sitting there again, eyeing Beca up suspiciously.

“Hey, hi,” Beca walks up to her awkwardly, “I brought a dog here about a week ago and was wondering if I could adopt it…if he’s still here that is.”

“I remember, Scrappy Doo,” the lady says dryly, “are you sure you want him back…you just got rid of him?”

“Yes, I really do want him back,” Beca says quickly, trying to assure the worker she’s serious, “my girlfriend really loves him, and I wasn’t sure if we could have a dog…but now I think I really love him too. I just want him back.”

The somewhat bitter looking lady almost cracks a smile at Beca’s long rant. She stands and motions Beca behind the counter with a wave, “Follow me.”

She walks Beca up to a large cage with a few other puppies. The second Beca makes it to the gate, Scrappy comes running up, tail wagging, barking happily. The worker opens the gate and Beca walks in, quickly scooping Scrappy into her arms.

“I’m sorry little dude,” she coos, “you ready to come home?”

The puppy simply answers by licking Beca’s cheek, tail still wagging ferociously.

Beca stops at the pet store on the way home, so she can pick out a proper dog bed and real pet food bowls for their new family member. She also picks out a collar and leash. When she finally makes it back to the apartment, her arms are full of pet supplies. Luckily Scrappy had been able to walk on a leash the whole way home, so Beca didn’t have to hold him.

Chloe isn’t home yet, so Beca decides to surprise her. She ties a big bow around Scrappy’s collar and sets him down in the tub. She hides all the pet supplies under their bed. Now she just has to wait. After about a half an hour, Beca finally hears keys jingling outside the door, and her heart starts to race with excitement.

“Hey Chloe!” Beca says almost to boisterously, as the red head walks in the door.

Chloe looks at her with a quirked eyebrow, “Hey Bec…what’s up?”

“Oh not much!” Beca chirps happily.

“Sure, ok,” Chloe laughs, setting her bag down and slipping her shoes off.

“I have a surprise for you,” Beca blurts out, barely able to hold it in anymore.

Now Chloe’s face contorts into a different look of surprise, an excited one, “What is it?”

“Go look in the tub,” Beca smiles.

Chloe doesn’t even question why Beca is having her check the tub, she just races to pull the curtain back, revealing their bathroom. When she finally looks down in, the scream that leaves her is enough to make Beca’s ears ring.

“Scrappy! Oh my god Beca, thank you!” Chloe squeals, picking up the puppy into her arms.

“I guess I kind of got a little attached to him too,” Beca admits shyly.

Chloe ignores her, too busy showering their dog with kisses. He licks at her face appreciatively, much like he had Beca’s earlier. When Chloe finally sets Scrappy down, Beca pulls out her haul of pet supplies, which Chloe is also very excited about.

When she’s finally settled down, Chloe sits down next to Beca on their bed, pulling her close. Beca let’s herself get wrapped up in her girlfriend’s embrace.

“You didn’t have to get him just for me,” Chloe whispers into her shoulder.

“I wanted to, you love him, he made you happy,” Beca replies easily, “plus I wasn’t lying about having a newfound soft stop for him.”

“You’re the best girlfriend ever,” Chloe pulls away and looks at Beca so genuinely it hurts.

“I try,” Beca smirks.

Chloe leans back into give Beca a kiss, but before she can, Scrappy jumps up into her lap. The puppy jumps up, stopping his moms dead in their tracks.

“Scrappy, if you keep me from kissing Chloe, you’re going to have to go back,” Beca jokes, giving the dog a pat on the head.

“Don’t listen to her, you’re part of the family now,” Chloe smiles, hugging Scrappy tightly against her.

“Yea she’s right,” Beca admits, “but just don’t stop me too often.”

“Shut up,” Chloe says playfully, before pulling Beca close, their lips finally meeting in a tender kiss.

[yoongis-scooter]

senior year, but make it infected

pairing: yoongi x reader (yoongi seems to be in high demand so imma just keep writing for him until 1) someone requests another member or 2) i write something good that’s with another member lol)

word count: 1,029

genre: highschool!au, best friends!au (you n yoongles reminisce about your senior year) (also tried to make it funny but im not funny so)

warnings: this involves covid-19 and essentially how high school seniors are being effected by that so if that upsets you/triggers you don’t read! also there’s a couple swear words

authors note: hi y’all!!! i am/was a senior this year so i’ve def been reminiscing on my high school memories n such :’) also a lil fun fact!! all the stories told in this fic are inspired by things that have actually happened to me lolol but yea!! i hope you enjoy!!

new cases of covid-19 confirmed!

restaurants shutting down do to covid-19!

CDC recommends that citizens stay quarantined!

that’s all your news feed had been for weeks now. you feel awful for everyone that’s been affected, sure, but you find it hard to care now that your last few months of your teenage years have been infected with this god forsaken disease.

you’re mother told you that you were being over dramatic, and that it’s time you start letting go and start thinking about your future. maybe she was right, but you weren’t having it. 

you sit at your desk that’s placed by your window. it overlooks your front yard and you can see all the people that walk by throughout the day. some wearing masks, some not. many move away from the people they see walking towards their direction in silent fear, but they still said a polite hello to not seem too rude.

the time on your phone reads 1:18 AM in little white lettering. you and yoongi had been on the phone with each other since 11, and the call showed no signs of ending any time soon. these nighttime calls with yoongi were a regular occurrence now that the two of you can’t see one another every day at school. the two of you live only about a 10 minute walk away from each other, but your parents were so caught up in the news that they wouldn’t let you leave. so facetime calls would have to suffice until this all blows over.

you’re drawing little doodles on your notepad while you and yoongi talk about miscellaneous things. you look out of your window briefly and notice a lone duck waddling it’s way into your yard. he wanders for a couple minutes while you and yoongi continue talking. you watch him for a minute and then go back to your doodles.

“don’t even get me started on mrs.jung, i can pull up her mugshot at any moment so she better watch how much work she gives us” yoongi babbles. you had accidentally brought up the sore subject of the teacher, knowing how much she gets on yoongis nerves. sometimes you’ll do it just to watch get mad. what can you say, its cute.

“wait she really got arrested? i just thought that was a rumor”

“yea, it happened in like 2013 i thi-”

HONK HONK HONK HONK

your head shoots up, spotting the duck running around your yard and honking like the world was going to end. 

“what the fuck is that?” he asks, looking at your equally as confused expression through the phone screen. you groan loudly, but for some reason the obnoxious honking triggers a memory, and you start smiling a little. yoongi, still very confused, speaks up.

“can you like, not do that? it’s creepy” yoongi said, slightly disgusted by your sudden change in behavior.

“do you remember that one time jungkook was drunk off his ass and he could stop telling us facts about canadian geese?” you beamed, looking at yoongi through your camera. the memory brings a smile onto his face too.

“oh my god... i do. and hoseok was really freaked out because jungkook has never even left the country” yoongi hummed, the both of you now grinning like idiots.

this leads you into a rabbit holes of funny moments that had happened in your friend group.

like the one time you, taehyung, and namjoon had spent 20 minutes painting jesus’ ass to perfection in art history class and then realized you only had 10 minutes to finish the actual assignment but ended up just turning in the ass anyway

like the one time jungkook found one of your head bands on your bedroom floor and put it on like a tube top, then proceeded to prance around your house chanting california girls by katy perry

like the one time your class had taken a trip to washington d.c. and had gotten a chance to attend the changing of the guard ceremony at arlington cemetery, but when all of you got there, namjoon forgot to put his phone on silent so his ringtone started blaring during the what was supposed to be quiete ceremony

the laughter that had been coming from the both of you had finally calmed down and the two of you caught your breath. the both of you still had large smiles on your faces.

“i can’t believe i’m about to say this, but i actually think i’m gonna miss high school” you sigh, looking down at your floor. 

“yea... i mean we’re still going to see each other though. we’re literally going to the same college (y/n)” yoongi chuckles, wanting to tease you but he holds back, because he feels the exact same way. 

“oh shit” yoongi whispers.

“what?”

“it’s 3 in the morning”

you look at the time and yoongi is in fact correct. the numbers read a bright 3:07 AM and you grimace at the thought of having to get up tomorrow.

“well i think it’s time that i hit the hay. i recommend you do the same, (y/n), would hate to see bags under your eyes tomorrow” yoongi joked, and if he were right in front of you, you would’ve flicked him on his forehead.

“shut up! i’ll talk to you tomorrow?” you ask hopefully. and he confirms with an echoed tomorrow.

you throw yourself onto your bed and start looking at old pictures in your camera roll. you miss your friends, and you would give anything to just be in the same room with them again. 

you begin gathering all sorts of photos into a file. the folder consists of any and every stupid memory and greatest accomplishment that the eight of you shared throughout your four years of high school. you share it with them and finally shut your eyes, dreaming about seeing your best friends again.

when yoongi wakes up the next morning he sees the notification from the photo album you humorously titled ‘senior year, but make it infected.’ he chuckles at your amateur attempt to be funny

“what a fuckin’ sap”

[delusionalwriterr]

Resurgence (1)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avengers!Reader

Summary: After accepting a mission from an old friend, you and along with the other Avengers set out to another planet to retrieve a mysterious gem. Little did you know that the gem isn’t the only thing inhabiting the planet and soon found yourselves in a sticky situation.

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: slow burn, language, friendship issues, mentions of injuries, death, inaccurate depictions of space travel, angst, fluff

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and any of the other fictional works mentioned.

A/N: I hope y’all like it! Every detail about the mission is purely made up by me so yea HAHAHAH

Prologue | Masterlist | Chapter Two

“You sure you wanna do this, doll?” Bucky asked as he stuffed a few clothes in his duffel bag. The two of you were in your shared bedroom, packing for the mission. After the uncomfortable phone call with Peter, you gathered a few of the Avengers and relayed to them the details.

The Guardians were initially hired to retrieve a gem called the Resurgentium Stone, but the client refused to disclose any more information about it other than where it was and what it looked like. The gem was located on a planet called Mortvivus which was a few lightyears away from Earth and it was a green, irregularly-shaped stone that was about the size of a golf ball.

After explaining everything, the people who were willing to help you were Steve, Sam, Natasha, Rhodey, and of course your boyfriend, Bucky. Tony opted to stay behind to watch over the compound, but you all know he’s still petrified to go back into space after being stuck there for almost a month.

“I’m sure,” you replied, shooting Bucky an assuring smile. “Without me piloting that ship, who knows where you’ll end up.” you quipped, letting out a laugh which Bucky reciprocated. He then proceeded to watch you as you continued to pack, a dazed look in his eyes.

You halted your actions when you caught him from the corner of your eye and stared back. You drew your eyebrows together, an amused smirk displayed on your lips. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer, Sarge.” you teased, causing Bucky to turn red at the nickname. He cleared his throat and went over to where you were seated and situated himself beside you.

He grabbed your hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on your knuckles. While doing this, he made sure to bore his eyes right into yours as you felt your cheeks heat up at the sudden gesture. Even if you and Bucky had been together for a few years now, he still manages to make you a blushing mess after doing the littlest things.

Bucky pulled his lips away from your hand. “You know I love you, right?” he asked, still staring at you with nothing but love and adoration in his eyes. “And that I’d do anything for you?” You beamed before nodding your head and giving his lips a quick peck. “I know. I could say the same to you, Bucky.”

EARTH - 5 MINUTES TO LAUNCH

Soon enough, the six of you were boarding the ship. “Alright, besides Bucky, who’s never been to space?” you asked as everyone took a seat. You looked behind you from the pilot’s chair and saw that Sam’s hand was raised. “Well sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, birdie.” you teased, making Sam roll his eyes at the silly nickname you always used to get on his nerves.

“Is this thing on?” you heard Tony’s voice through your comms, “Be careful out there, guys.” he said to which Rhodey answered, “We will, man, don’t worry.”

As you were about to take off, you heard him again. “Don’t let anything probe you,” he remarked, causing you to chuckle, “No promises.”

After making sure everyone is fastened to their chairs, you started the ship and took off. At full speed, you drove the ship up and into the sky, driving your body backwards into your seat as you set the thrusters to maximum.

“I just remembered how much I hated space,” you hear Steve mumble, his voice shaky due to the turbulence. A few minutes later, you exited the Earth’s atmosphere and were met with the dark abyss that is space.

“I change my mind, I don’t wanna do this anymore, take me home.” Sam pleaded, drawing a cackle from you as you put the ship on co-pilot, unbuckled your seatbelt, and stood up from your seat.

The others mirrored your actions as you went over to where they were sitting. “If you thought that was bad, wait until we get to the wormhole,” you taunted before hearing a groan from Natasha, “I hate those things,”

“Wait, isn’t that the thing Matthew McConaughey went through in Interstellar where it was all trippy and shit?” Sam inquired, fear in his eyes. Bucky, on the other hand, looked like an excited puppy after hearing the word ‘wormhole’ and turned to you. “I always wanted to go through one of those, please tell me we’re going through one of those.” he pleaded, slightly bouncing up and down. However, the rest of the team were looking mortified.

Bucky never thought he’d be alive during a time when space travel was possible. Hell, he never imagined that he would be able to make it to space, himself! He spent most of his life picturing the day he’d get to see space in person, and here he was staring dreamily out of the window, admiring the view.

You nodded your head before proceeding to explain, “We’ll arrive at the wormhole in approximately two hours, so get comfortable.” You laughed as you earned a collective groan from the rest of the group. “Sorry, guys, but if we don’t use the wormhole we’ll all be at least two hundred years old when we get to Mortvivus.” you explained, shrugging your shoulders as Bucky put an arm around you, a huge grin on his face.

Rhodey scoffed at the sight, “I’m sure that smile is gonna be gone by the time we go through the wormhole.”

SPACE - 1 HOUR TO THE WORMHOLE

The team was eating their lunch on the table at the back of the ship while you were seated in the pilot’s seat, contacting the Guardians. “Doll, come eat with us.” Bucky called from across the room.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” you called back, your eyes fixated on the screen in front of you as you tried to reach the Benatar. Your leg bounced up and down, something you tend to do when you were anxious, as you waited for someone to pick up and have their face pop up on the screen. You pray to whoever was listening that it wouldn’t be Peter because you’re still not ready to face him after all those years.

It wasn’t until someone picked up the call and Rocket’s face appeared on your screen when you released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “Rocket!” you squeeked, your voice going up an octave higher as you tried to hide the relief in your voice with excitement. “Hey, kid! Quill’s eating somewhere on the ship so I’m taking charge of it for a while.” the racoon greeted as he sat in the pilot’s chair, a sling around his arm.

You frowned at the sight and leaned in towards your screen. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting or something? You look pretty banged up.” you pointed out. Rocket was the person (or in this case, rodent) you were closest to after Peter. You had this sibling-type bond that you always found comfort in and you were relieved that it was still comfortable to talk to him after years of not seeing each other.

Rocket scoffed as he waved a dismissive hand. “They can’t keep the real captain away from his ship,” he commented, “enough of that. Where are you? You were supposed to call before you left Earth.”

“Right, sorry about that, it kinda slipped my mind,” you replied, sheepishly scratching the back of your head. “We’re on our way to the wormhole, should be there in an hour or so.” Rocket nodded and turned to the tangled pile of branches beside him, “Wanna say hi to (Y/N)?”

A smile broke into your face as you saw Groot squeeze himself into frame. “I am Groot!” he shouted, voice deeper than the last time you talked to him. “I miss you too, Groot!” you cooed. He then returned to playing his game and you turned your attention back to Rocket. “How are ya, kid?” he questioned, leaning towards his screen, his voice suddenly becoming softer.

You answered by giving him a tight-lipped smile before uttering, “Better as I’ll ever be.” Before he could answer, Gamora emerged from behind him. “Rocket, what did I tell you to get some rest— oh, hi, (Y/N)!” she chirped, coming closer to the monitor. “It’s great to see you again, I hope you’re doing well.”

Your heart warmed at the fact that she still cared about you despite your decision of leaving the team. “It’s great to see you too, Gamora. I hope they’re not giving you a hard time,” you joked, earning a chuckle from her.

Just then, another voice came through that made your whole body tense up. “Is that (Y/N)? Let me talk to her,” Peter’s voice filled your ears. You froze when you heard his footsteps approach the computer as you tried your best to think of an excuse to hang up. Fortunately for you, Bucky called you over another time, “Doll, if you don’t come here and eat, Sam’s gonna steal all your food.”

You quickly turned back to your computer. “I gotta go, I’ll update you when we’re near the planet. Bye.” you rambled, swiftly ending the call before Peter showed up. You sighed and stood up to walk towards the table to join Bucky and the others.

You pulled up a chair next to Bucky and started to eat. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you towards his body as he looked at you. His eyebrows were drawn together, mentally asking you if you were okay to which you only nodded in return. “So what’s it like going through a wormhole anyway?” Sam piped up. “The worst feeling ever.” Steve grumbled, taking a sip from his coffee.

Sam snapped his head towards his blonde friend, a dirty look on his face. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been turned into space dust before, but I’m pretty sure it’s way worse than travelling through some space portal.” he retorted, earning a laugh from everyone around the table as Steve lifted his arms up in defense. “Y’all still haven’t answered my question,” he pointed out as he turned to you.

You shook your head as you kept shoving spoonfuls of food in your mouth. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

SPACE - 2 MINUTES TO THE WORMHOLE

“Everybody’s seatbelts on?” you asked as you gripped the steering wheel of the ship. “Everything is gonna look really weird when we enter the wormhole— your vision’s gonna get distorted, things around you will look freaky, but that’s totally normal.”

Everyone nodded, too afraid to ask anymore questions. “I don’t think any of this is totally normal,” Sam countered, his knuckles turning white due to the death grip he had on the armrests on his seat. You hear Rhodey mumble in agreement before counting down, “Entering the wormhole in three, two, one.”

You dive into the spherical figure as you saw the light around you bend into something more tunnel-like. You were going through the wormhole in full speed as you felt the ship shake violently. “Why did I agree to this again?” you heard Natasha shout through the noise.

Bucky’s eyes marveled at the sight before him. Distorted stars and planets were whooshing past him at the speed of light, his field of view much wider than normal. He was a full fledged astronaut now, he thought to himself. Rhodey looked over to him to see the same boyish grin on his face as they continued to make their way to the other side of the hole. “Disneyland rides must seem like nothing to you,” he commented.

After a few minutes of speeding through space and time, you finally exited the wormhole. You heard Sam release a big huff of air before breathing heavily. “Hold on, I think I left my soul on the other side, go back,” he panted as he clutched a hand to his chest. Steve shook his head as he leaned his head back to rest on his chair, “I’m too old for this.”

“That. was. awesome!” Bucky enunciated, earning glares from the rest of the team and a smile from you. “Good job, babe. Best pilot in the galaxy,” he added, throwing you a wink. You shook your head and focused your attention to what was in front of your ship.

“There it is,” you began. “Mortvivus.”

You shot a quick message to the Benetar, telling the Guardians that you were able to travel through the wormhole successfully and that you were about to land on the planet. With shaky hands, you guided the ship towards the planet and began your descent.

“Here we go.”

A/N: If you want to be tagged, feel free to leave a reply or just message me! ❤️ Requests are open too ⭐️

Taglist: @thewolfgirluniverse