#So I kinda need the fresh air of writing from scratch apparently

[pasiphile]

Havin' a lil mormor renaissance in my inbox and notes. It's fun, it's kinda like bumping into an old comfy sweater in the back in your closet and finding it still fits.

... a very kinky, unhealthily codependent sweater.

[flufffysocks]

let's talk about andi mack's worldbuilding

sorry this took forever to make! i've been pretty busy with school stuff and i kind of lost my inspiration for a bit, but i ultimately really enjoyed writing it! i wish i could've included more pics (tumblr has a max of 10 per post), and it kinda turned from less of a mini analysis to more of an extremely long rant... but i hope it's still a fun read!

i've been rewatching the show over the past few weeks (thanks again to @disneymack for the link!), and i’ve been noticing a lot that i never did the first time around. this is really the first time i’ve watched the show from start to finish since it aired, and it honestly feels so different this time - probably a combination of the fact that i’m not as focused on plot and can appreciate the show as a whole, and also that the fandom is much, much smaller now, so there’s a lot less noise. so the way i’m consuming this show feels super different than it did the first time, but the show itself doesn’t - it’s just as warm and comforting to me as it was the first time around, if not more so.

i think a lot of that can be attributed to andi mack’s “worldbuilding”. i’m not quite sure that this is the right word in this context, to be honest, because i mostly see it used in reference to fantasy and sci-fi universes, but it just sort of feels right to me for andi mack, because you can really tell how much love and care went into constructing this universe. for clarity, worldbuilding is “the process of creating an imaginary world” in its simplest sense. there’s two main types: hard worldbuilding, which involves inventing entire universes, languages, people, cultures, places, foods, etc. from scratch (think “lord of the rings” or “dune”), and soft worldbuilding, in which the creators don’t explicitly state or explain much about the fictional universe, but rather let it’s nature reveal itself as the story progresses (think studio ghibli films). andi mack to me falls in the soft worldbuilding category. even though it takes place in a realistic fiction universe, there’s a lot of aspects to it that are inexplicably novel in really subtle ways.

so watching the show now, i’ve noticed that the worldbuilding comes primarily from two things - setting and props, and oftentimes the both of them in tandem (because a big part of setting in filmmaking does depend on the props placed in it!).

one of the most obvious examples is the spoon. it really is a sort of quintessential, tropic setting in that it's the main gang's "spot", which automatically gives it a warm and homey feel to it. and its set design only amplifies this:

the choice to make it a very traditional 50s-style diner creates a very nostalgic, retro feel to it, which is something that's really consistent throughout the show, as you'll see. from the round stools at the bar, to the booths, to the staff uniforms, this is very obvious. the thing that i found especially interesting about it though is the choice of color. the typical 50s diner is outfitted with metallic surfaces and red accented furnishings, but the spoon is very distinctly not this.

instead, it's dressed in vibrant teal and orange, giving it a very fresh and modern take on a classic look. so it still maintains that feeling of being funky and retro, but that doesn't retract from the fact that the show is set distinctly in modern times.

of course, this could just be a one-off quirky set piece, but this idea of modernizing and novelizing "retro" things is a really common motif throughout the show. take red rooster records. i mean, it's a record shop - need i say more? it's obviously a very prominent store in shadyside, at least for the main characters, but there's no apparent reason why it is (until season 2 when bowie starts working there, and jonah starts performing there). a lot of the time, though, it functions solely as a record shop. vinyl obviously isn't the most practical or convenient way of listening to music, but it's had its resurgence in pop culture even in the real world, mostly due to its aesthetic value, so it's safe to say that it serves the same purpose in the andi mack universe.

the fringe seems to be nostalgic of a different era, specifically the Y2K/early 2000s period (because it's meant to be bex's territory and symbolic of who she used to be, and its later transformation into cloud 10 is representative of her character arc, but that's beside the point). to be honest, exactly what this store was supposed to be always confused me. it was kind of a combination party store/clothing store/makeup store/beauty parlor? i think that's sort of the point of it though, it's supposed to feel very grunge-y and chaotic (within the confines of a relatively mellow-toned show, of course), and it's supposed to act as a sort of treasure chest of little curios that both make the place interesting and allow the characters to interact with it.

and, of course, there's andi shack. this is really the cherry on top of all of andi mack's sets, just because it's so distinctly andi. it serves such amazing narrative purpose for her (ex. the storyline where cece and ham were going to move - i really loved this because it highlights its place in the andi mack universe so well, and i'm a sucker for the paper cranes shot + i'm still salty that sadie's cranes didn't make it into the finale) and it's the perfect reflection of andi's character development because of how dynamic it is (the crafts and art supplies can get moved around or switched out, and there's always new creations visible).

going back to the nostalgia motif though, the "shack" aspect of it always struck me as very treehouse-like. personally, whenever i think of treehouses, there's this very golden sheen of childhood about it, if that makes sense. i've always seen treehouses in media as a sort of shelter for characters' youthful innocence and idealistic memories. for example, the episode "up a tree" from good luck charlie, the episode "treehouse" from modern family, and "to all the boys 2" all use a treehouse setting as a device to explore the character's desire to hold onto their perfect image of their childhood (side note: this exact theme is actually explored in andi mack in the episode "perfect day 2.0"!). andi shack is no exception to this, but it harnesses this childhood idealism in the same way that it captures the nostalgia of the 50s in the spoon, or the early 2000s in the fringe. it's not some image of a distant past being reflected through that setting; it's very present, and very alive, because it reflects andi as she is in the given moment.

some honorable mentions of more one-off settings include the ferris wheel (from "the snorpion"), the alley art gallery (from "a walker to remember"), SAVA, the color factory (from "it's a dilemna"), and my personal favorite, the cake shop (from "that syncing feeling").

[every time i watch this episode i want to eat those cakes so bad]

these settings have less of a distinctly nostalgic feel (especially the color factory, which is a very late 2010s, instagram era setting), but they all definitely have an aura of perfection about them. andi mack is all about bright, colorful visuals, and these settings really play to that, making the andi mack universe seem really fun and inviting, and frankly very instagrammable (literally so, when it comes to the color factory!).

props, on the other hand, are probably a much less obvious tool of worldbuilding. they definitely take up less space in the frame and are generally not as noticeable (i'm sure i'll have missed a bunch that will be great examples, but i'm kind of coming up with all of this off the top of my head), but they really tie everything together.

for example, bex's box, bex's polaroid, and the old tv at the mack apartment (the tv is usually only visible in the periphery of some shots, so you might not catch it at first glance) all complement that very retro aesthetic established through the settings (especially the polaroid and the tv, because there's really no good reason that the characters would otherwise be using these).

besides this, andi's artistic nature provides the perfect excuse for plenty of colorful, crafty props to amplify the visuals and the tone. obviously, as i discussed before, andi shack is the best example of this because it's filled with interesting props. but you also see bits of andi's (and other people's) crafts popping up throughout the show (ex. the tape on the fridge in the mack apartment, andi's and libby's headbands in "the new girls", walker's shoes, andi's phone case, and of course, the bracelet). not only does doing this really solidify this talent as an essential tenet of andi's character, but it also just makes the entirety of shadyside feel like an extension of andi shack. the whole town is a canvas for her crafts (or art, depending on how you want to look at it. i say it's both), and it immensely adds to shadyside's idealism. because who wouldn't want to live in a world made of andi mack's creations?

and, while it's not exactly a prop, the characters' wardrobe is undoubtedly a major influence on the show's worldbuilding. true to it's nature as a disney channel show, all of the characters are always dressed in exceptionally curated outfits of whatever the current trends are, making the show that much more visually appealing. i won't elaborate too much on this, because i could honestly write a whole other analysis on andi mack's fashion (my favorites are andi's and bex's outfits! and kudos to the costume designer(s) for creating such wonderful and in-character wardrobes!). but, i think it's a really really important aspect of how the show's universe is perceived, so it had to be touched upon.

[^ some of my favorite outfits from the show! i am so obsessed with andi's jacket in the finale, and i aspire to be at bex's level of being a leather jacket bisexual]

and lastly, phones. this is a bit of an interesting case (pun intended), because the way they're used fluctuates a bit throughout the show, but i definitely noticed that at least in the first season terri minsky tried to avoid using them altogether. these efforts at distancing from modern tech really grounds the show in it's idealist, nostalgia-heavy roots, so even when the characters start using their phones more later in the show, they don't alter the viewer's impression of the andi mack universe very much.

so, what does all of this have to do with worldbuilding? in andi mack's case, because it's set in a realistic universe and not a fantasy one, a lot of what sets it apart from the real world comes down to tone. because, as much as this world is based on our own, it really does feel separate from it, like an alternate reality that's just slightly more perfect than ours, which makes all the difference. it's the idealism in color and composition in andi mack's settings that makes it so unmistakably andi mack. even the weather is always sunny and perfect (which is incredibly ironic because the town is called shadyside - yes, i am very proud of that observation).

the andi mack universe resides somewhere in this perfect medium that makes it feel like a small town in the middle of nowhere (almost like hill valley in 1955 from "back to the future"), but at the same time like an enclave within a big city (because of its proximity to so many modern, unique, and honestly very classy looking establishments). it is, essentially, an unattainable dream land that tricks you into believing it is attainable because it's just real enough.

all this to say, andi mack does an amazing job of creating of polished, perfect world for its characters. this is pretty common among disney channel and nickelodeon shows, but because most other shows tend to be filmed in a studio with three-wall sets, andi mack is really set apart from them in that it automatically feels more real and tangible. it has its quintessential recurring locations, but it has far more of them (most disney/nick shows usually only have 3-4 recurring settings), and it has a lot more one-off locations. it's also a lot more considerate when it comes to its props, so rather than the show just looking garish and aggressively trendy, it has a distinctive style that's actually appropriate to the characters and the story. overall this creates the effect of expanding the universe, making shadyside feel like it really is a part of a wider world, rather than an artificial bubble. it's idealism is, first and foremost, grounded in reality, and that provides a basis for its brilliant, creative, and relatable storytelling.

tl;dr: andi mack's sets and props give it a very retro and nostalgic tone which makes its whole universe seem super perfect and i want to live there so bad!!

[kiirokero]

Nepenthe (KTH)

Nepenthe: A drug used to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow; something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering.

Part of the “Protect the Village!” Oneshot Series!

Masterlist

Pairing: Baker!Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Fluff, angst if you squint, romance...? Reader has troubles with their emotions and TaeTae tries to help them, ft. a blonde smug Jimin,

Note: Time to sleep. Catch up on writing :)

Summary: Mama always said that sweets give you cavities. But she didn’t warn you about the boy who makes them. Or, having an insatiable sweet tooth has left you spending much of your time in Taehyung’s bakery. But nobody prepared you for the feelings your cold heart caught.

Word Count: 2.4k

      Contrary to popular belief, you did have feelings. You felt happy, sad, angry. You were human. But people tended to forget that. Whether it was because you were academically intelligent or you were just an easy target, you were used to... Well, getting used. 

     You were often the cash cow. The dead horse everyone thought was entertaining to beat. The goose with the golden egg and no farmer would leave you alone before you popped out the next solid gold money maker. And when you gave in and gave them what they wanted, you were the one left behind, high and dry. 

     Years of being treated like this in college left you emotionally unavailable. You opted to protect yourself from the hurt you felt by not allowing yourself to feel at all. You had built up your walls so thick that you barely allowed yourself to even feel happy half of the time. Many people tried to break down the brick hell you’d banished yourself to, but gave up when the stone didn’t relent. But it's not like you care, right?

      You didn’t care that you had nobody to voice your worries to late at night when the self doubting thoughts plagued your mind. You didn’t care that people avoided you because of your frigid nature that left the happy little people in Bangtan Village uncomfortable. So what if you didn’t have anyone to catch you when you fell? You didn’t need anybody. 

You just needed your comfort foods. 

     Yes, maybe it was an unhealthy habit to drown your self hating thoughts in the taste of sugar and cinnamon. Maybe anyone looking into the state of your mental health would cringe at the way you personally dealt with it. Who cares? This was your life and you would live it however the hell you wanted to. You were tired of others dictating you. 

     So you often found yourself at “Kim’s Confections” sitting in the corner, looking out with window while you ate your danish and sipped your tea. Every single day, whether the sun was up or down, you sat in the same seat, at the same bakery. You changed up the pastry, of course, you could only eat danishes for 3 days straight at most. But the routine of visiting the small shop was one thing that never changed. 

     As leaves fells and winter came, you visited the bakery. As rain fell and flower bloomed, you visited the bakery. You like the atmosphere the bakery gave off. The aroma of sugar and bread that wafted through the air made your body feel like jello as you could easily fall asleep to the smell. The small wooden tables that were scattered around made the shop feel more personal. The food that never failed to melt in your mouth calmed any tension that seeped into your bones. 

But one thing about the bakery that didn’t calm you down was the owner himself. 

Kim Taehyung.

      Nothing was wrong with Taehyung, per se. He was an attractive guy who always had a friendly, boxy smile on his face. He had beautiful brunette hair and majestic auburn eyes. His skin was always shining, 24/7, always looking like he walked off the cover of a magazine. Even if you gave off a cold, icy aura that screamed “Don’t talk to me,” he never once failed to give you a smile and a warm welcome. 

     No, you were never purposely mean to Taehyung. You never snapped at him or showed any sort of distaste towards him, because you didn’t have any. He just confused you. Normal people would stop trying to be nice to you by now. Most people would take your less-than enthusiastic responses as rudeness or dislike. Not Taehyung though. 

      You often asked yourself what was up with him. I mean, who would look at you and think, “Yeah, I’ll give the snow queen a shot,” Nobody. Except Kim Taehyung, apparently. Without fail Taehyung tried to initiate conversations between the two of you that would last more than a few one words answers (Mostly from your side,) He would ask how your day was or what you did over the weekend. To which you would respond with “Good” or “Nothing,”

      It’s not that you didn’t want to talk to the guy. He just made you feel... Weird. His smile made your heart quicken. His laugh made your cheeks heat up. Whenever he had his eyes on you, your hands would turn clammy. It just made you feel... uncomfortable. You were used to feeling 2 things, “Bleh,” and “What am I doing with my life,” not some odd feeling of quickened hearts and clammy hands. 

      But alas, no matter how much you wished to banish the invasive feeling all together, your sweet tooth needed to be satiated. So here you were, standing in front of “Kim’s Confections,” Walking in and chiming the small little bell that hung above the door. The familiar sight of wooden chairs and the glass display case full of confections filled your eyes. But there at the counter was the man himself. 

      “Hello Y/n! Welcome back!” Taehyung said with a smile on his face, enthusiasm laced in his voice. “Hello,” You said, sounding dead compared to his lively way of speech. “What will it be today, sweetcheeks?” Taehyung smirked, resting his head on his hand as he leaned over the counter. “Don’t call me that,” You said, not liking the heat that made its way onto your face the moment he called you “Sweetcheeks,” 

      Taehyung chuckled, saying nothing, just gesturing to the glass case of goodies. Taking a look, you noticed your favorite was in stock today. Red velvet cupcakes. “That one, please,” You said, pointing at the mouth-watering pastry. “Coming right up, sweecheeks,” Taehyung smiled. You decided to ignore the endearing nickname, instead trying your best to cool down the heat on the tips of your ears and apples of your cheeks. 

      Taehyung grabbed the cupcake and put it on a plate for you, sliding it towards you as you handed him the money you’d already fished out of your wallet. “Thanks,” You mumbled, grabbing the plate off of the counter. “Anything for you,” Taehyung smirked. You didn’t say anything else to him as you went to your corner to eat your cupcake. 

Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another.

      You’ve read The Iliad a thousand times before. You know how the adventure ends and what the climax of the story will be. You knew what happened to the characters, and you were well versed in the outdated way of speech. But that didn’t mean you appreciated the interruption of a certain blonde haired male. “What Jimin?” You groaned, putting down your well-worn book, glaring at the man in front of you. “Ah you wound me, Y/n. I just wanted to see you is all,” Jimin shrugged. 

      “See me? Dumb move,” You countered back, face unchanging. Jimin just chuckled, shaking his head with a smile. “You know, I was talking to Taehyung and he said you barely speak a word to him. That’s surprising since your with him every day,” Jimin smirked, swiping off some stray frosting that laid on your plate and putting it in his mouth. “I have nothing to say,” You said, turning to look outside the window. 

      Jimin scoffed, “I find that hard to believe. Tae can make anyone talk, do you not like him?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. “I didn’t say that,” Was your immediate answer, debunking Jimin’s dumb theory. “Well, you kinda did,” Jimin teased. “He makes me feel weird,” You admitted, unable to face the man in front of you. 

“He makes you feel weird?” Jimin asked, confused. 

“He makes my palms clammy and face hot. He’a like a witch or something,” You sighed. 

      You didn’t know Jimin, no. Jimin was one of Taehyung’s friends who tried even harder than him to get on your “Good side,” When in reality, there was no good side. You were just in a perpetual state of saying “Cool,” and throwing up peace signs at everything life threw at you. So no, you weren’t Jimin’s friend. 

So the unimpressed, disdained face you gave him when he burst out laughing at your words wasn’t entirely unwarranted. 

      “Oh my goodness, you’re funny,” Jimin chuckled out. “What did I say?” You asked. “You have a crush on Tae!” Jimin whisper shouted. Your eyes widened, and you flicked his forehead. “What are we? Twelve? A crush? That’s preschool shit,” You seethed, not allowing yourself to believe what Jimin was saying. “Woah, calm down Y/n. Crushes are normal,” Jimin explained, right before Taehyung came up to grab your empty plate for you. 

      “Did you enjoy the cupcake?” Taehyung said in his deep baritone voice that made goosebumps rise on your skin. You nodded your head yes, avoiding looking right into his eyes. “I’m glad,” Taehyung whispered to you, giving you a smile as he walked back to the kitchen with your plate. You watched him go the whole way. 

      “Scratch that, your head over heels,” Jimin spoke up, and you whipped your head around to glare at him. “Shut it,” You spoke through gritted teeth, gathering your book and purse, standing up to leave. “I don’t have a crush. That’s childish,” You countered, but Jimin just gave you a knowing look, a smirk plastered on his face. 

     You never missed a day to visit the bakery. But maybe you should’ve today. It was pouring outside. Thunder rumbled through the air and lighting flashed through the sky. You were without an umbrella or anything to protect you from the rainy onslaught that was happening outside the shop. 

      Sighing, you flipped through the pages of The Iliad. You had just finished the story another time, and the epic was still too fresh in your mind to begin reading again. So you sat in your corner, listening to the pounding of rain that rammed against the shop windows. 

“It’s pouring out there, huh?” 

      Taehyung’s soft, deep voice cut through the rain ambiance that filled the tiny shop. You nodded, tearing your eyes away from him and suppressing the thoughts of his muscular figure from your mind. “Do you have someone coming to pick you up? I don’t want you walking out in that,” He asked, coming to sit in the seat in front of you. 

      “I don’t,” You answered, avoiding his gaze. “Really? No boyfriend coming to sweep you off of your feet?” He chuckled. You shrugged, picking at the edges of your book. “I’m not girlfriend material,” You sighed, finally looking up to meet his gaze. “Not girlfriend material?” Taehyung asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “I just have too much baggage, I guess,” You shrugged. 

     Taehyung chuckled, “Everyone has baggage, Y/n,” Was his answer, looking right into your eyes with his deep auburn ones. “I guess,” You mumbled. The two of you sat in silence for a couple of minutes, just listening to the sound of the rain outside as the two of you just enjoyed each other’s presence without the other knowing it. 

      “I think you’re girlfriend material,” Taehyung spoke up suddenly, startling you out of the thoughts that swirled around your mind. “Ha ha,” You sarcastically laughed, but Taehyung doubled down. “I’m serious, Y/n,” He said, leaning forward on the table. “No I’m not,” You argued, shaking your head at what you believed was a ridiculous claim. 

     “Why do you think that?” Taehyung asked, but you didn’t respond, feeling the walls you meticulously built start to crumble. That scared you. You’ve always been focused on others trying to force your walls down, but you never thought about what it would be like for someone to urge you to bring them down yourself. To want to willing talk about the thoughts that plagued your mind. To let someone cozy up with you inside your walls. It was scary how you wanted to talk to Taehyung. 

      You didn’t know what it was about Taehyung that made you want to let him in and turn your hell into a sanctuary. Maybe it was because he was always so nice. Or maybe it was because he made the best comfort food you’d every have. Whatever it was about him, he was starting to get through to you, and it scared you more than you’d like to admit. So you shut down. 

      Taehyung kept asking you why you thought that or what made you think that you were any less than amazing, but you just kept shaking your not wanting to open your mouth in fear that you’d spill out all of your emotions like a hangover full of regrets and puke. 

     You heard Taehyung sigh as he got up from the chair. You felt your heart squeeze at the thought of him finally giving up on you. You knew it was a bit selfish to expect him to stick around after you gave him no reason to, but it still hurt. You were so out of tune with your emotions that you had a hard time identifying what was what. 

Was this disappointment? It’s been a long time old friend. 

Was Jimin right? Am I in love? Is this what love feels like?

      A hand placed a plate with a cinnamon roll on it in front of you. The aroma of cinnamon filled your nose, and you cracked a small smile at it. Taehyung sat back down in the seat in front of you, giving you a warm smile. “You don’t have to push yourself to answer,” Taehyung spoke up, “I don’t know exactly how you feel, but my friend, Yoongi, is like you.” He smiled as you took a bite of the cinnamon roll. “He says that talking to others about feelings is a monumental task, so don’t feel obligated to answer my question. You have your walls for a reason, Y/n. It’s up to you if you want to let me in. But I will say, I’m waiting at the door with cookies.”

      At his words, you gave him a sincere smile. The first sincere smile he’d ever seen from you and you could tell by his huge, boxy one that it made him happy. “Thank you, Taehyung,” You said. “Anything for you, sweetcheeks,” Okay, so maybe your heart was a bit cold. Maybe the thick walls you built around yourself prevented you from properly processing your feelings. Maybe Jimin was right and the clammy hands and giddy feeling you got from being around Taehyung was love. 

But right now, the two of you didn’t care. 

Because you were in the middle of your first genuine conversation. 

[pretty-bratty]

Baby Can You See Through The Tears Teasers

I'm finally doing it.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who reads, loves, waits this fic and keeps up with my procrastinating ass. It truly means the world to me. Thank you all.

Special huge thank you to @dracula-incarnate who not only hyped me to post these teasers and to write in general, but also hypes and supports me in everything all the way, and also proof read everything as my beta. I wouldn't post them without you, thank you so much.

So, under the cut are the teasers - different bits of future chapters. At the beginning of each one there's a short explanation of the scene. The warnings are the usual for this fic, and it makes sense to read it only reading fic, but just in case: dom/sub stuff and the beginning of the punishment-spanking scene. Uh...I think it's all.

If you like it, it would mean so much if you let me know your thoughts.🌠 I'm nervous and really hope it lives up to your expectations, uhhh.

Baby Can You See Through The Tears Teasers

1. (The boys want to radio Eleven to calm Steve down over the fact that his blood got in the water at the end of the previous chapter): 

It takes Billy quite some time to find the walkie-talkie in the mess that Harrington turned his room into. The scolding he wants to give him is dancing on the tip of his tongue. He wonders if he's ever going to have a nice, relaxing, calm day with Harrington. And the most obvious answer leaves him unpleased. 

Steve stares at him with those baby deer eyes, full of fear and hope. Fear of the darkness, and hope that Billy is going to save him from all the monsters inhabiting it. And dammit if Billy isn't going to do exactly that.

"You think it's gonna work?" Harrington's whisper is barely audible in the thick silence of his room. 

Billy honestly has no idea, but Steve doesn't need to know that.

"Yeah. Of course it is, pretty boy." 

He still has no idea when he finally ends up finding the walkie - thrown on a chair in a tangled mess of jeans. Really, Steve? Billy kind of toys with the idea of radioing Max first; and he would, if it was a bit earlier. 

But the second he turns the walkie on, it comes to life with a calm and collected voice. 

"I am here." 

Billy jumps. Steve gasps, almost knocking the nightlight off the drawer. 

"How...what are you doing here, kid?" Billy cringes immediately. First, it's kind of a stupid question since he’s the one who originally was going to reach out. Secondly, he sounds exactly like the Chief. 

"You needed me." El's voice is clear and somber. Billy pictures her serious, concentrated face. Sometimes he feels like they have a lot in common; something deep down in the girl's eyes speaks to him in a language he feels only he can understand. "You needed me and I am here." 

2. (Just some atmospheric bits):

It's still warm, despite the pouring rain. They dragged the loungers under the porch awning and now sit there. Watching the streams of water falling everywhere. Watching it dance on the pool's surface. Playing the fastest drumbeat Billy's ever heard. He can't say he loves the rain.  Actually, he really doesn't like it at all; but this, today's rain… it brings some much needed peace to his soul. 

Harrington seems to appreciate it as well, considering how he hums contentedly, laying across the loungers, head in Billy's lap. He only stirs a few times, squirming, nose scrunched. Billy supposes it's because of his freshly spanked ass touching the lounger's hard surface. He chuckles under his breath at the thought, scratching the boy's head. 

Harrington looks up at him with big brown eyes that are red rimmed and tired, yet warm. Always so warm and comforting. He gives Billy a little content smile and lays back down, cheek pressed to Billy's thigh, skin on skin. 

Billy cards his fingers through this wild, absolutely lush mane of brown hair. And it suddenly shoots through him… this boy is his. Not just simply his. Not like he was Wheeler's - okay, Billy, better not think about it. No need to get angry - but in many, many more ways. 

Harrington trusts him unconditionally in everything. Absolutely everything. And Billy's has way more power, belonging, and responsibility than he has ever dared to have before. 

He cuddles the boy in closer to himself. His hold on him perhaps a bit too tight. His heart chattering wildly. Harrington looks up again; eyes a bit puzzled, questioning, but Billy gives him a calming smile and a gentle tug on his hair. 

(...)

The rain is soothing. Heavy streams drumming everywhere in the Harringtons' posh backyard. Making everything wet and fresh and transparent green. Somehow still so full of light. Like you're looking at the world through a green-glass bottle. 

"I was kinda afraid of swimming before that, y'know…" Harrington says suddenly, without moving. Billy doesn't see his face. "Before B… before B-Barb." 

He shivers when he says the name, and Billy holds him closer, frowning. 

"How come? I thought you loved splashing in the pool and all?" 

3. (Some Billy, Steve and Max snippet, at Steve's place): 

"Let's build a pillow fort!" Harrington throws all these gigantic pillows and blankets on the floor in front of TV. Almost knocking down some vase in the process; Billy's pretty sure it must cost a small fortune. Mrs. Harrington would be really grateful to Billy for catching it at the last moment. 

"Jeez," Max breathes out. "Pillow fort, ice cream and movies? Everyone else will lose their shit!"

"We won't tell them." Harrington frowns, apparently not wanting any of his gremlin gang to feel left out. Billy rolls his eyes so hard it hurts.

"Oh no," Max smirks. "We're definitely telling them!"

Billy snorts. Harrington looks between them, a smile playing on his lips.

"You two sure you're not blood related?"

4. (Same part, they're going to watch a movie, Billy told them no scary movies):

Max smirks.

"Let's put on a scary movie. Billy will want to know how it ends so he'll grumble but watch it."

Billy watches them quietly from the kitchen doorway. He's on his way back with their bowls of ice cream, and that's when he hears Max mentioning a horror movie. Now he's too curious about how Harrington’s going to act since he's not directly with him. 

Yesterday he'd definitely put it on, just to spite Billy. Let's see if today's lesson taught him anything.

The boy squirms in his spot, wide eyes darting around.

"But he told us not to. He'll be pissed."

Max just rolls her eyes.

"You realize he's not as scary as he thinks he is, right?

Billy gapes at the statement, because true - but excuse her! 

Steve's voice is low.

"Mmm- well, yeah. He's not, but..."

'...But his belt on my ass definitely is!' is clearly written across his face. Billy puts a hand over his mouth, juggling the bowls and trying not to snort out loud and blow his cover. 

Harrington bites his lower lip.

"But he specifically told us not to. I think it would be nice to listen to him, don't you, Max? And like, a comedy sounds pretty good to me right now."

Billy can just burst with pride for his boy.

Max rolls her eyes once more, but only for the sake of her reputation. Then she gets up and picks a comedy. Secretly, she's actually pretty excited about it. At least from what Billy can see. 

5. (Different bits for the spanking scene):

"Now, come here. And bring me that brush," Billy squints at the wooden hairbrush laying on Harrington's desk. 

"What?" The boy knits his brows together in confusion. "You gonna… brush my hair?"

"Oh darling," Billy chuckles darkly, shaking his head. He almost feels guilty due to Steve's innocent, obvious confusion. "No. I'm gonna make sure I ingrain the consequences of giving me attitude, like yesterday's little outburst, in your precious head."

(...)

Billy swirls the brush in his hand. It's pretty heavy. Wide too. He feels bad for the boy - well, almost.

"Sit."

He jerks his head in a curt nod, and Harrington sits near him nervously. Billy taps the brush on his palm, making a thud, and hears a quiet sharp inhale.

"I'm going to punish you now," Billy looks at Harrington closely, catching every little detail. How he licks his lips, throat working. How he squirms, big brown eyes watching Billy's every move. "You got my belt a couple of days ago, so it might be too soon for a second round on that lil' ass of yours." 

The boy's cheeks and ears were growing darker and darker shades of red.

"You deserve something harder than just my hand though. Acted like a total spoiled brat too; so s' pretty fitting, I guess. Dontcha, Stevie?"

Harrington just whimpers weakly, eyeing the brush in Billy's hands.

"I asked if you think it's fitting, Steve?" 

Billy let's some steel slip into his tone, and the boy shudders. 

"It's-it's gonna sting..." his voice is small, but he's still whining.

Such a brat. Billy growls.

"Yes, it is." He fixes Harrington with a stern look, slapping the brush on his own palm at the same time. "Your spankings are supposed to sting. It's a punishment. And you deserve a punishment, don't you?"

Billy's setting his jaw, asking for the last time. If the boy decides to keep being a brat, he can take the belt after a brush too. And apparently, Harrington senses it.

"I do." He whispers miserably. Glancing at Billy and correcting himself immediately, licking his lips and flushing more. "I do think I deserve this punishment, Billy."

Billy nods, spreading his legs wider and laying the brush on the bed next to him. 

"Get over my lap."

"What??" Harrington flushes red to the roots of his fluffy hair. "I...what...No! I'm not some fucking toddler!"

Billy flares his nostrils, breathing in and out. If Max ever dares to accuse him of lacking patience ever again, so help him...

"Could've fooled me." He speaks in a quiet, terrifying growl. "Acting exactly like one."

Harrington gulps.

"Up. Bend. Over my knee, ass in the air." Billy orders in a low voice, no room for discussion left. "Tell me 'No' one more time during the punishment, and see what happens, pretty boy."

Harrington inhales sharply and almost jumps up, legs wobbly. Then tiptoes around and finally lowers himself across Billy's lap; eyes squeezed shut, cheeks and ears tomato red.

Billy immediately manhandles him into position. Leaving one knee under Steve and hooking the other leg over the boy's thighs, holding him successfully in place. Gonna come in handy when Harrington starts squirming and trying to kick - and Billy already knows it's gonna happen. 

Billy looks down, sees Harrington's messy mop of brown hair. His hands nervously fidgeting on the floor. Billy yanks his shorts down rather harshly, and there's a gasp, followed by a little, scared whimper.

"Gonna squirm again, huh?" Billy bounces his knee a bit.

"Uh...y-yeah," a quiet, honest, reply from Steve surprises him.

Billy hums, running his hand up and down Harrington's boxers-clad ass.

"I'll take that as I should hold you during all your punishments from now on, hm, baby?"

There's a sniff and a quiet ‘please’ from Harrington.

"Sure, pretty boy. Setting it as a rule then." Billy puts his hand on the small of the boy's back, holding him in place. He hears almost a relieved sigh.

"No fighting. Sit still. You're not allowed to cover your pretty ass, got it?"

"Yes, Billy."

Billy watches his own hands on the waistband of Harrington's Calvins, snapping it at his skin lightly.

"Tell me why are you getting spanked now, baby?" He smirks, feeling how the boy flushes at the word ‘spanked’; emphasizing it for a bigger effect.

[buckys-forgotten-plum]

A Witchy Kinda Love

Pairing: Witch!Bucky x Witch!Reader (Magic!AU)

Prompt: The world you lived in was known to be full of magic and strange, otherworldly things... But you knew true love was just an old witch's tale even if your familiar insisted otherwise...

Warnings: swearing, fluff, Bucky in cute outfits, way too much italicization, and also this thing is long as fuck. (10,410 words...oopsies)

A/N: Okay this got wayyyy outta hand but who the fuck cares? not me. I would love to give a HUGE SHOUTOUT to @buckybarney​ who helped a lot in giving me the confidence and drive to finish this fic as well as @smutsonian​ who created this dope as mood board and also helped me edit a lil bit. You guys make me so happy and I love and appreciate you both so much<3

✸ ✴ ✦ 

✸ ✴ ✦ 

“Calcifer will you please come help me with this?” your exasperated voice could be heard from the balcony of your studio apartment as you struggled to balance the hoard of glass bottles in your arms. 

Not a moment later, a small fox came trotting onto the (very overgrown) terrace, “Ya know I have things to do too. I’m not your butler,” 

You scoffed at your familiar's grumbled complaint before handing him a couple bottles to hold in his mouth and wrap his tail around, “I know you’re not my butler Cal. But I got you that essence of toad the other day so the least you could do is help me organize my potion materials for a bit.” 

The fox let out a low growl and walked back into your small apartment while you followed behind him, “You know how hard it is for me to form opposable thumbs lady? It’s gonna take a lot more than essence of toad for me to comply,” 

You glared playfully at the fox before sighing and rolling your eyes, knowing exactly what the sly creature was trying to get you to do, “Calcifer if you want pheasant for dinner just ask,” 

There was no response, just the quiet clinking of bottles rolling to the floor as you and your partner began to sort through everything. You really need to start organizing your stuff better. Last week you mixed up your newt toes with skinks and almost blew up your home, so it’s safe to say that your clutter has hit a breaking point. You left Calcifer to sit on your frameless bed as he sorted your bottles to go back out onto your small terrace, breathing in the scent of all of your plants that had happily covered every inch they possibly could. You figured it was as good a time as any to harvest all the herbs you’d need for the month and bottle them up for safe keeping. Quietly humming to yourself, you went around plucking the healthiest looking leaves, sprigs, and sprouts you could find, setting each pile onto the antique writers desk you had put out there as a space for your potion making. 

“Hey Calcifer do you know where I put my Ever-Writing Quill?” You question, brows furrowing as you dig through the drawers of your desk. 

“You don’t remember? You sat on it last week and snapped it in half!” The fox’s response was followed by a string of cackles and snorts as he laughed to himself about your misfortune. 

You let out a loud groan of frustration, tilting your head to the sky and stomping your foot in a small childish fit. “Why didn’t you put it on my shopping list?” You ask, walking back inside to glare at the creature comfortably sitting on your bed. 

Calcifer smiled widely, his pointy teeth fully on show in a sly grin, “oopsies, my bad!” he raised what would be his paws but are now little hands due to his helpful transfiguration powers, and held them in an innocent shrug. 

You squint your eyes at the reynard but hold your tongue, shoving your feet into a pair of leather boots. “Come on, you’re coming with me to the market so I can get a new quill,” 

It didn’t take too long before you had gathered everything you needed, making sure to grab your sweater as the weather hadn’t gotten much warmer in the past months and you absolutely hated to be cold. It only took a stern glare and a threat to have salad for dinner to convince Calcifer to go with you. Though you didn’t miss the petty and painful nip to your calf as you walked out of your door and into the dank hallway of your apartment building. 

✸ ✴ ✦ 

The sky was colored a dark grey with intimidating clouds, blocking out any chance of sun or warmth as you walked down the streets of your small town. You passed by cute little shops and a restaurant or two as you made your way to the market. Your boots stomped loudly on the cobblestone walkway, echoed by the light clicking of Calcifier’s nails while he trotted beside you. 

Your town didn’t have many witches, but the non-magic residents were still fully supportive of you and all the other witches and warlocks that resided in the small rainy town of Adelaide. You had lived there for years and not once had you come in contact with what your community called “Salamers”, bigoted people who had hate filled vendettas against your kind. Many of your friends who had lived in bigger cities had told you about their horror stories involving bigoted people who had cursed (pun intended) and swore at them. Your friend Peter even told you about a man who had spit on him after finding out he was a witch. 

The thoughts of such hateful actions caused a crease in your brow to form and it didn’t leave until you were at the small stone entrance to Wanda’s Magickal Menagerie, the only entrance to the market for miles. It was one of your favourite things about the magical world. The outside looked like just another building with pretty stone walls and a worn wooden sign displaying the name, but to anyone with a high enough magical presence, it was an entrance to the biggest market in the wiccan world. Hundreds of vendors were beyond that door, hidden away to a different space and time by a carefully constructed spell performed by the most powerful witches in existence. 

You couldn’t help the excited pulse of your heart as you opened the door and stepped into what seemed like an entirely different universe. The hustle and bustle of busy shoppers instantly clouded your vision and ears. The air was warm and lighting low in the crowded alleyway that led to the entrance and exit of the marketplace. You took only a moment to get used to the different surroundings before setting off on your way to the real Wanda’s Magickal Menagerie. 

It only took a few steps before you heard the loud yip of pain from your familiar, instantly making you whip around to see what happened, “I hate it here, Y/n! Everyone steps on my tail, it smells weird, It’s dark, everything is all muted because apparently witches only like the color red and I’m colorblind-” 

“Alright ya baby c’mere,” you interrupted Cal’s whining, bending down and allowing him to jump up and wrap around your shoulders. 

“People have no respect for familiars, it’s so uncool,” he grumbled into your ear, resting his snout on the ridge of your shoulder. 

“I know, buddy. But you know how much I hate going out alone. I really appreciate you coming with me. When we’re done here we can go to the butcher and you can pick out what bird you want for tonight,” Your hand came up to softly scratch your friend behind his ear, soothing his nerves and continuing on your way to your final destination. 

It didn’t take long before you arrived at a small wooden hut, a modest sign with an address hanging out front for advertisement to passersby. You quickly approached the shop and pushed the door open, entering the cozy and familiar atmosphere of Wanda’s business. 

“Hey Y/n! Cally, hi baby!” Your entrance was met immediately with happy greetings from your long time friend. 

“Hey Wanda,” you and Calcifer greet in unison, smiles adorning both your faces. 

The red headed witch skipped towards you, wrapping you in a warm hug and lovingly petting the fox around your shoulders. “How’ve you guys been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” 

“We’ve been trying to declutter the apartment. Y/n’s become such a hoarder.” Calcifer blurts out, letting one of his signature cackles break free. 

“I am not! I’ve just been experimenting with my potions, so I have a lot more ingredients and supplies right now,” You hurriedly explain, not wanting to have your friend think of you as a crazy old witch with a hoarding problem. 

Wanda lets out a quiet giggle at the pair of friends in front of her, finding the relationship between you and your familiar adorable, “What brings you in today? Did you lose your monkey paw again?” 

You playfully roll your eyes at Wanda, “No, I uh... I broke my Ever-Writing Quill,” you admit, trying to fight the warmth that crept up your neck and cheeks. 

Wanda let out a quick burst of laughter before turning around and leading you through the many shelves and tables of her shop, “Come on, I just got a fresh shipment in,”

✸ ✴ ✦ 

“Thanks Wanda! I’ll see you and Vis for brunch on Sunday,” You smile and give your friend a kiss on the cheek goodbye before exiting her shop. 

“Alright Cal, is there anything else you need before we go? Do you want me to get you more fur oil? Are you good on that incense you like?” 

“Yeah I think I’m okay, at this point I just want food,” He grumbled, lifting his head up from your shoulder and sniffing the air. 

You nodded your head in understanding and began the trip back to where you first entered the marketplace. The walkways were absolutely packed; it was nearly impossible to keep from bumping into other shoppers. Calcifer could be heard grumbling profanities every time someone brushed or bumped against him. You couldn’t blame the poor creature, he was naturally anxious and didn’t like strangers, so making trips like these were never too fun for him. You were trying your best to avoid people, but luck was against you and as you were ducking out of the way of one man who looked exactly like Merlin, you ended up running right into someone else. 

You fell right to the floor, Calcifer tumbling from your shoulder and sliding a few feet away due to the force, “Ah! Calcifer? Cal are you okay?” 

“Shit! are you okay? I didn’t see you, I am so sorry,”

Ignoring the stranger above, you frantically look around for your lost friend and spot him a few feet away from you, curling up into a scared orange ball and shoving his snout under his hind leg to hide. You scramble over to him, scooping his small body into your arms and holding onto him tightly, “Oh Calcifer I’m so sorry! I should have never asked you to come with me, I know you hate it here and now look what happened,” 

You couldn’t help the stress induced tears that welled in your eyes as you pet the shaking fox in your arms, “I’m okay, Y/n. Just a little shaken,” His voice was quiet and you knew he wasn’t being completely honest but you knew getting out of the crowded place was more important at that point. 

A tall figure suddenly shadowed over you, making you cower out of instinct and scoot back a few paces, “Hey are you and your fox okay? Really, I didn’t see you. I should have been paying more attention, let me help you up,” A hand comes down offering to lift you from the dirty concrete. 

With one arm tightly holding onto Calcifer, you use your other hand to grab onto the strangers and lift yourself up. “Thanks,” You mumble out quickly, keeping your head down and immediately walking away, your mind completely focused on getting the hell out of these cursed alleyways. 

Once you had fallen out of the exit and back onto the cobblestone streets of Adelaide, you could finally take a deep breath. Leaning up against the cold stone wall near the entrance, you closed your eyes, sucking in the fresh air and gently petting the creature still firmly gripped in your arms. 

A choked cry escapes you suddenly, “I am so sorry Calcifer,” You absolutely hated that you had caused your friend such a terrible experience. He could’ve gotten hurt, someone could’ve stolen him away from you, the street was so crowded you would’ve never found him again! Calcifer would’ve never forgiven you! Might not even forgive you now! Just the thought of it- 

“Alright calm down kid... I’m perfectly fine. Paw hurts a little bit but, really, I’m okay,” the fox in your arms looked up at you, a small smile on his snout as he nuzzled into your hair. 

“Are you sure? I can take you to the vet-” Before you can continue to worry about the injured animal, a deep voice sounds from above you. 

“Uh hey...” 

You quickly wipe the tears from your cheeks and look up, eyes widening in surprise as you stare into steely iris’s that seemed to have a mission on copying the sky that day. “H-hello,” 

As you stared at the burly looking man in front of you, you couldn’t help but side eye his stature. Adorning all black with little glints of silver rings and buckles here and there, a few tiny scars marking his well-structured jaw and cheek bones, and good god those boots must be so heavy and-is that a metal hand peeking out from the long sleeve of his leather jacket?! This guy is too scary to be this attractive...

“I uh... I was the one to bump into you earlier. It’s totally my fault and I really didn’t mean for you to drop your fox like that-it’s just that my familiar took off and I just wasn’t paying attention and it seemed like a pretty bad fall and you were so focused on protecting your pet-” “He’s not a pet,” you spit out quickly, a stern glare etched into your features. 

“R-right, right sorry-I just-I was-I misspoke...” he trailed awkwardly, roughly dragging a hand through brunette hair and grimacing at his own failure to compose a sensible response. 

“Are you a witch?” you mumble out quietly, your glare softening into a more apprehensive, yet curious, stare. 

“Uh yeah, yeah I’m only entry level though. My friend Sam helped me get into the market so I could get a few things but then...ya know” 

You stood silently, not exactly sure of what this weirdo wanted from you. If he thought you were going to apologize he was very mistaken. What if he planned to rob you? To take Calcifer and run? The thought made your grip on the animal even more secure, if that were even possible. 

“Is your arm okay?” Worried eyes gazed down at your arm and the man took a small step forward. 

“What?” You try to flinch away from the soft grasp of his hand around your bicep, but only end up pushing yourself against the wall. 

The man inspected the inflamed scrape that burned a path along your forearm and up to your elbow, “That looks pretty bad doll, do you want some medicine? I think I might have a little with me. Hey Sibi!” 

“Holy shit!” A sharp intake of breath forced its way into your lungs as you saw a giant white wolf bound up to the man. Your breathing sped up, heartbeat following along with it as you gazed upon the giant beast. 

“Do you mind? I gotta get into my bag,” He asked gently, the wolf immediately turning to give him easy access to a large pack that was slung over her back, “Thanks Sibi, can you go find Sam? Tell him I’ll be a bit longer than expected,” The wolf let out a gruff noise of agreement and nodded it’s head before heading back through the magical entrance. 

The man turned back around and walked towards you once more. You didn’t flinch this time when he reached for your arm, careful to make sure you had a good grip on Cal before opening a bottle of light blue gel and tapping some out onto the palm of his hand, “My name is Bucky, by the way,” 

“Okay,” you mumble out awkwardly, your anxious nature getting the best of you and blocking any form of friendly communication to come across while Bucky covers your wound with the gel.

“Her name is Y/n, I’m Calcifer,” You stare down incredulously at the fox, not expecting him to introduce you to this stranger. 

Bucky smiled up at you and the fox, shiny white teeth on display, “Pretty name for a pretty girl,” 

The comment instantly made your face heat up in embarrassment. “Thank y-you...” 

Bucky straightened up after he was done dressing your wound, thankfully taking a step back to give you some space. Why wasn’t he leaving? Why did he care so much about some rando he ran into at the market? Maybe this was just a front to try and rob you...

“Well uh... I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed real spooked back there and I could tell you hurt your arm so I just wanted to check up on ya,” Bucky’s eyes shined brightly as he explained himself. A pink tint colored his cheeks and neck as he sheepishly stared down at the ground. 

His shy nature made your lips tilt into a small smile of your own and you couldn’t help thinking about how cute he looked like that, “thank you, that’s very kind,” you mumbled out.

There was a beat of silence as you and Bucky avoided each other's eye contact before a familiar patronizing voice interrupted, “Hey kid if you’re done flirtin’ with this guy can we go home? I’m starvin’ right now,” 

“Calcifer!” you scold immediately, the familiar burn of pure embarrassment instantly appearing across your face. 

Bucky, however, didn’t seem to be bothered by the fox’s comment and burst out into a fit of deep chuckles, running his metal hand through the long tresses of rich brown hair. 

“Your fox is cute,” 

The comment made Calcifer let out a gruff murmur of disagreement, making you join Bucky in his laughter, “Yeah, I’m really happy he chose to stay with me. Um... I should probably go. Cal hasn’t eaten since breakfast and I still need to go to the butcher-” “There’s a butcher in this town?” The pure curiosity on Bucky’s face made your smile grow that much more as he finally took in his surroundings. 

“Yeah, it’s about two blocks down from here, it’s Calcifer's favorite place,” You say, backing up a few steps to signal your exit. 

“A-alright! well, uh it was nice meeting you! Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?” The male witch fumbles with his words as he realizes the conversation is ending. 

“Sure, maybe,” you nod in agreement, fully turning around and beginning the walk towards your destination. 

As you walked away you couldn’t help but let the small smile on your face grow. What a dork he was... Almost as awkward as you were, the way he kept messing with his hair- ”He’s still lookin’ at ya... And what was all that stuff you were thinking about getting robbed? Why were you so fixated on gettin’ robbed?” 

“Calcifer for christ’s sake!” Your voice was filled with exasperation, rolling your eyes at the familiar's comments and ignoring the fact that the cute witch was still watching you walk away.

“Are you seriously thinking about how him staring at you is cute? Humans are so weird...” 

“Stop reading my thoughts you creep!” 

✸ ✴ ✦ 

A groan echoed throughout your apartment as a streak of the bright morning sun landed on your eyes and woke you from your slumber. Clapping a hand down onto your eyes to block the light, you roughly slide it down in hopes of wiping the fatigue that plagued you. Slowly but surely, you untangled yourself from your sheets, stretching your waking limbs and yawning with an over dramatic sound. You blindly felt around for your phone that was lying on the floor directly by your mattress. Once you located the small device, you tapped it on and read the time. 10:47 am, Sunday...Fantastic. 

You laid on your mattress for a bit, unaware of anything but your tired bones. The only reason you didn’t fall back asleep right then and there was the light buzz that came from your phone. You lazily picked it back up and stared at the too bright screen, taking a moment to comprehend the text that popped up on your home screen. 

Wanda Maxi: Hey! Are you on your way?

What? On my way...

“OH FUCK” You bolt out of bed, slipping on part of your sheet that was draped onto your wooden flooring and almost face planting. 

“Calcifer wake up we gotta have brunch with Wanda and Vis!” you scream out to nothing specific, unaware of where your familiar was. 

As quickly as possible, you gathered an outfit, shoved a toothbrush into your mouth to brush it a little too harshly, got your hair ready, and threw your clothes on. It’s not until you’re almost done getting ready before you see the bright fox bolt in from the balcony, “How could you forget about brunch? This happens every week for fucks sake!” 

“This isn’t entirely my fault! You knew about it too!” you argue while lathering deodorant onto your underarms, already sweating from the stress of the situation. 

“I’m a fox! You think I keep alarms?” he yells back at you, not bothering to stop and look at you as he gathers your things while you hurriedly tried to shove your foot into a shoe. 

Once your shoes were on and Calcifer had given you everything you’d need, you ran to your door and swung it open, “You wanna run with me or do you want me to carry you?” 

“Oh please you can barely run by yourself. You couldn’t handle the weight,” Calcifer scoffs, running between your legs and out of the apartment. 

You immediately lock your door and run after him, “So rude...” you huff to yourself and catch up to the fox. 

✸ ✴ ✦

It only took you about five minutes to sprint across town and make it to the small clay cottage that your friends had lived in for years now. The mossy dark brown Terracotta roof and grey wooden door that had ivy vining in and out of it gave a lovely natural look to the house and you couldn’t help but admire the wonderful home the couple had built. 

Calcifer’s quiet pants mixed with your wheezing as you stumbled up to the door and knocked loudly to signal your arrival. The door swung open, revealing a smirking Wanda. 

“You woke up late again didn’t you?” 

Still catching your breath, you nodded and followed her into her home. Wanda looked gorgeous, as always, wearing a light and flowing yellow sundress with matching shoes and a pretty white ribbon that was tied into her hair. 

“I’m so sorry Wanda, neither of us set an alarm,” you breathed out, following her towards the kitchen. 

“It’s okay sweetie, we didn’t have to wait or anything, all of us were busy talking about the latest man who was admitted into the Grand Council,” she smiled back at you, warm eyes shining from the sunlight that was coming through the glass doors that led to their garden. 

You tilt your head in confusion when you realize her phrasing, “All of us?” 

Wanda gently put a fist to her temple, her face twisting into a slight grimace, “I’m sorry sweetie I completely forgot to mention I invited some friends today! Don’t worry, they’re both great and I’m sure you’ll get along just fine,” 

You nod your head hesitantly, not entirely believing your friend. You wondered who she had invited... Many times over Wanda and Vision have told stories about their old friends who they had met throughout their lives. From your understanding, they had built a wonderful family together and had helped and cared for each other for years so you had no doubt they would be friendly. 

Before you had time to voice whatever worries you had, you were interrupted by the fall of multiple pairs of footsteps. It didn’t take long for three men to walk into the room, all talking enthusiastically over each other. You automatically recognized the slim man walking over to Wanda as Vision, his bright eyes greeting you as he wrapped his arms around Wanda’s slim waist. 

You turn to the other two guests and are unable to hold in an audible gasp when you recognize one of them. Those chilling eyes copied yours as they widened to an almost comical size. 

“Y/n...” The sound of your name coming from his full, pink lips made your hands clam up. 

He was dressed much more formal today with a navy blue sweater over a button up shirt, dark jeans and the cutest wing-tipped shoes you’d ever seen. He looked like he had just gotten out of church with his grandmother. 

“H-hello..” you mutter back, a heavy cloud of confusion and stress surrounding itself around you. 

“Oh...Do you-do you guys know each other already?” Wanda tilts her head a curious finger flickering between the two of you as her squinting eyes try to find the connection. 

Bucky glances at you, then Wanda, then back at you, as if to ask the question of who would be telling the tale of your meeting. You however settled for staring up at the ceiling, handing that responsibility off to Bucky. 

“We um, bumped into each other at the market the other day,” his answer comes after a slight moment of hesitation. 

You held back a scoff at his choice of words... More like you ran over me and almost killed my familiar. 

“Oh great! So then you’ll only have to meet Sam,” Wanda smiles and gestures to the stranger who had refrained from speaking up until now. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sam Wilson,” he greets you with a bright smile, a charming gap between his two front teeth and a warm glow emanating from rich brown eyes that winked mischievously. 

He was quite handsome and his automatic charm caused the fog of awkward shyness to thicken in your mind, “Nice to meet you too,” you smile politely and shove your hand out for him to shake. 

A deep chuckle sounds from within his muscular chest as he grasps your hand and gives a firm shake. You quickly tell him your name before stepping back and allowing a new conversation to start. It was hard to focus on what everyone was saying as you felt the obvious gaze of Bucky peering at you from across the kitchen. You found the best way to keep yourself from staring back at him was to focus on the small amount of dirt that you could see hidden underneath your nails. You really needed to get them done again... Although it gets pretty difficult to achieve correct measurements with the long pointy acrylics that seem to be your go-to choice. 

“I dunno man, I just have really bad vibes about that Pierce guy... Steve agrees with me,” Sam’s comment brings you back to the conversation which you had apparently zoned out of. 

“Where is Steven? I thought he said he would be able to attend today?” Vision, always the formal talker, had a questioning glint to his eyes as he switched his focus from Sam to Bucky, then back. 

“Liberty wasn’t feeling too good so he had to take her to a vet,” Bucky was the one to answer.

“Liberty?” a questioning tilt to your head signals your confusion.

Bucky smiles at you before answering, “Yeah, she’s Steve’s pet. Super cute golden retriever that he picked up at the pound a couple years back,”

“Oh... Is he not a witch like you guys?” it surprised you that there was someone amongst their group that wasn’t practicing magic. 

Bucky subconsciously takes a step towards you, his body language changing to signal he was now solely focused on you, “Yeah he tried a few years ago but, it didn’t really go too well,” 

As Bucky answered he held up his metal prosthetic and wiggled his fingers, “Are you serious?! Your friend did that to you?” you gasp in shock, your eyes widening in amazement as you reach out to touch his arm without thinking. 

The metal was smooth and you were so enamored by the new information as well as the mechanical appendage that you failed to notice how tense Bucky got and how multiple pairs of eyes were staring at you. Your fingertips gently ran over the cool ridges of metal sections, “Wow... Did he turn your arm metal or did... did something else happen?” you glance between pretty blue eyes and steely metal. 

Bucky slowly reaches his arm out so you have a better view of what it’s like, “Actually that was kind of a joke,” he stutters, an awkward smile gracing his lips, “The real story is way more depressing,” he mumbles.

You halt your movements and stare up at him, the familiar yet heavy weight of embarrassment settling itself deep within your chest, “O-oh... I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to overstep-” You pull your hands away, folding them tightly against your chest. 

“No it’s okay! Really I’ve had a lot worse interactions,” he chuckles and reassures you once again that you didn’t overstep any boundaries. 

You nod in understanding but inevitably go back into your default of shy silence. Bucky stares down at you with a kind smile in hopes of making you feel a little less like an ass. It doesn’t work. 

After a few moments of deafening silence, Wanda makes a move over to the oven, “Alright everyone, quiche time!” 

“Aren’t you vegan?” Bucky mumbles, walking over to the table and preparing to sit down. As Wanda gives her response and mentions the fake eggs she found at the market, you walk over to the table as well. Bucky pulls out the seat closest to you and gives you a reassuring nod. You give a thankful smile and sit down, allowing him to help you push it back towards the table. 

“Thank you,” your quiet voice has Bucky grinning as he sits down next to you.

“Of course, doll” 

Brunch goes off without any more awkward spells and with the help of Wanda’s amazing skills in the kitchen, you begin to feel yourself relax with each bite you take. The afternoon goes on with the others telling you about how they met, silly stories about their friendly adventures, and at some point the conversation turned to you and what it had been like growing up a witch. It was a unique characteristic that none of your friends, new or old, had experienced. 

“Well, my dad is the one who originally got me into it... He was an aura reader like Wanda, and my mom focused more on spell casting and potions,” a warm grin on your lips signal the fondness your memories bring as you tell about your childhood, everyone was completely invested. 

“especially Bucky” Calcifer pointed out silently, giving you a knowing smirk from where he sat on the floor next to you. 

oh fuck off you stupid fox

✸ ✴ ✦ 

With full stomachs and a few full containers of leftovers, you, Sam, and Bucky stood gathered outside of Wanda’s front door as you all belted out a chorus of goodbye’s and excellent days. 

“It was really nice meeting you Y/n, make sure to keep in touch! I’ll be waiting for a carrier owl,” Sam winks at you as he begins to walk down the path towards the sidewalk, effectively leaving you and Bucky by yourselves. 

“He didn’t even let me say goodbye back...” you mumble out, staring at the confident figure that now waited at the property line by a pretty bush of hydrangeas. 

“Yeah... He’s weird like that,” Bucky agrees, glancing at his friend before fully turning his attention to you, “um so I’ve been meaning to maybe like... um maybe get your contact info? I just... I was maybe thinking we could grab like, tea or something sometime?”

As you take in Bucky’s words, you can’t help but notice the awkward and anxious movements he had started, reminding you of the first day you had met him. It made your lips twitch up just slightly. 

“Oh? like, my phone number?” the dumb answer almost had you on your knees with how hard you cringed. 

Bucky let out a breathy chuckle, “Uh yeah, yeah or like maybe an address? Or ugh that’s probably too personal-” “No! no it’s um it’s not,” you answer a little too quickly, discreetly pinching the skin on the back of your hand as punishment for your blatant lack of social skills. 

After a quick beat of neither of you knowing what to do, you finally speak back up, “You could come over tomorrow if you’d like,” 

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why would he want to come over so- “Yeah I’d love to!” Bucky answers enthusiastically, pulling his phone out from his back pocket and holding it out to you, “Just give me your number and I'll text you, we can figure out the details later, K?” 

You gingerly take the smartphone in your hands and type in your number, forgetting to put a name in for yourself before handing it back to him. Bucky’s hand slightly brushes yours as he takes it back and you’re too busy focusing on the lingering feeling on your hand that you miss the cheeky grin on Bucky’s face as he types in a contact name. 

“Hey tin soldier! You ready yet?” Sam’s smooth voice has you turning around with a start at his unexpected call. 

Bucky nods towards his friend, waving him off and turning back to you, “So I’ll uh, see you tomorrow,” 

“Tomorrow,” You confirm with a nod of your own.

Bucky’s smile grows tenfold and he takes a small step towards you, hesitating for only a moment before he leans in and gives a chaste kiss to the apple of your cheek. He doesn’t wait around to see your reaction, jogging over to Sam and slapping him on the shoulder before walking off down the cobblestone streets. 

Standing with your eyes the size of the moon and your face as hot as the goddamn sun, you don’t fail to catch the string of comments that your sleazy little fox makes. 

“Oh Bucky please just take me away! I’m too shy and socially inept to even speak to you properly, please I just love you sooooo much!” Calcifer’s high pitched mocking made your blood boil as he wheezed with laughter. 

“Shut up you stupid fox!” you yell at him, hooking your foot underneath his belly and pushing up and forward to flip him on his side. 

The reynard continued to cackle hysterically as you walked away from him. You could hear the broken comments he made as Calcifer continued to berate you on the bumpy interactions you always seemed to have with the handsome witch. 

“You’re sleeping outside tonight!” you call back to him, a smug tilt to your lips.

The laughing stopped immediately and was replaced by the clicking of little nails on mossy stone. 

✸ ✴ ✦ 

Calcifer’s eyes were glued to your figure as you made a mad dash around your apartment to make sure everything was clean and properly put away. Your socks allowed you to slide across the wooden floors as you shoved the rest of your freshly cleaned towels into a closet and slam it shut. Quickly turning the other way to sprint then slide the rest of the way to your little kitchenette where an almost comically small oven bakes banana nut muffins. 

“You are a nervous wreck right now kid,” Cal points out, a hint of worry in his mostly humorous tone. 

You look over at him, cringing at the realization that, yeah, you probably do look like a nervous wreck...

“It’s just that... No one has been over in a while and the last person that did come over was Wanda and I know she doesn’t care all that much about my tidiness so it was okay but I have no clue as to how Bucky is going to react and it's not like I don’t want to impress him, I mean I don’t need to impress him like my life doesn’t depend on what he thinks but,” “Christ’s sake kid-” “I mean for gods sake my bed is on the floor! He’ll probably think I’m some broke slob who-” Knock Knock 

“Oh my gods,” you whisper scream, no doubt did your aura radiate pure panic...

You shuffle over to the door, shoving your face up against it to look through the peephole and make sure it was the only person you were expecting. Taking a deep breath, you try and center yourself, then open the door. 

“Good morning, Bucky!” you greet, a bright smile on your face as you take in your guest’s appearance. 

Bucky is looking extra handsome today as he wears a dark grey cardigan over a white shirt, dark fitted jeans and, to your extreme surprise, black Converse.

“Hey, Doll” he smiles back softly at you, quickly taking in your simple outfit of a cute yellow crop top and black shorts, “T-these are for you,”  he mutters quickly and pulls a pretty bouquet of wildflowers out from behind his back. 

You beam at the thoughtful gesture and Calcifer doesn’t miss the sense of pride that Bucky gives off at your excited reaction, “Wow, Bucky these are so cute! I love them, thank you very much,” gingerly taking the bundle of fragrant colors, you invite your guest inside and immediately go to your kitchenette to find a receptacle for them.  

Once you find a nice little vase to put them in you spin back around to find Bucky looking around your small apartment, “Um...It’s not much-but the rent is really good and since it’s just me and Cal it works out pretty nice. If you aren’t comfortable we can always-” “I love it, Y/n. It’s really... you,” he glances back towards you, the look in his eyes warming you from deep within your chest. 

“Hey, tin man” the both of you jump slightly as Calcifer interrupts the thoughtful interaction. 

Bucky crouches down and reaches his hand out to the fox, “Hey... Nice to see you again Calcifer” 

“Where’s your dog?” completely ignoring Bucky’s polite greeting, Calcifer passes by him. 

“Oh uh... Sibi is still in training so I didn’t think it’d be a good idea to bring her into someone else’s home just yet,” the man answers awkwardly, dropping his hand and standing back up to his full height. 

Calcifer be nice you little skeez.

I’m just tryin’ get to know the guy, alright? 

You roll your eyes at the red animal and tell him to go onto the balcony. He thankfully listens, giving you and Bucky some privacy. 

“Sorry about him... He can be a little difficult sometimes,” you apologize quickly, nervously rubbing your clammy hands on the front of your shorts. 

Bucky chuckles and shakes his head, “It’s alright, I understand,” 

You give a questioning look at his phrasing and he quickly moves to elaborate, “Well, uh I guess-Ya know- since you guys are really close... I can understand why he would be protective because um, well since I’m like I’m trying to-” “Trying to what?” 

Bucky’s face was beet red as he tried and failed to explain himself to you, who had absolutely no idea what he was going on about, “In any case, I’m sure he’ll warm up to you soon,” you smile warmly at him and turn towards your oven. 

The embarrassed man watches as you take out the piping hot tray of muffins and set them out on the counter to cool. His stomach growls low as the deliciously sweet smell hits his nostrils. 

“How about we go sit down while those cool off?” you suggest and lead Bucky over to the small sofa that sat against the only free wall. 

You tuck yourself into one corner, folding your legs so they were pressed against your chest as you tried to give Buck as much room as possible. It was quite adorable to see the tall, beefy guy try and squeeze himself onto your small couch. A quiet laugh escapes you and he glances towards you, his cheeks tinged pink, “Guess M’not really made for studio apartment sized things,” he chuckles. 

Glad to see he isn’t upset about the cramped seating arrangement, you relax a little bit and start asking Bucky about his life. The two of you fall into easy conversation, talking about your childhood, past and current friends, how Bucky got into magic, your familiars and anything else that came to your minds. 

By the time there was a slight lull in conversation, it was already mid afternoon and you couldn’t help the growls that sounded from your stomach. 

“Um, do you want me to make us some lunch? I have like, sandwich stuff or mac n cheese?” you ask, swinging your legs off the couch and standing up to stretch. 

“Yeah that sounds good, you want me to help?” Bucky follows your movements and you shake your head. 

“S’okay, if you want you can go onto the balcony and I’ll be right out,” You smile up at him, turning to your little kitchen and focusing on making lunch. 

Bucky makes his way out onto your balcony covered in vining plants and hanging bottles filled with god knows what. Calcifer was asleep on a slightly rusted chair in the corner, his tail and legs curled into his body, making him look like a furry ball of orange. Bucky had never seen a work space quite like it. Sam was more of a trader so there wasn’t much potion making in the home they shared together. As he stared in wonder at all of the bottles covering the antique desk and a good part of the floor, curiosity got the best of him and Bucky couldn’t help but to start picking them up and exploring what was inside. 

Most of the bottles were labelled so he didn’t need to worry about those ones, the curious man was more interested in the unmarked ones. Popping off the cork to a green glass bottle filled with a powder, he brought his nose up to sniff and immediately gagged at the overpowering scent. 

“What is that?” he grumbled quietly to himself, closing that one and picking up a new one. 

This bottle did in fact have a label, but it was chicken scratch and for the life of him, Bucky couldn’t tell what the hell it meant as he picked up the murky glass bottle filled with what seemed to be a bright purple fog and opened it, taking in a quick whiff. 

Almost immediately Bucky felt the effects of the mystery potion and he had to steady himself on the desk so he wouldn’t fall over. Blinking a few times, he gathered his wits and slowly stood straight up. 

“Whaaat are you doing?” Your curious voice from the sliding door made Bucky jump and spin around, hiding the bottle behind his back. 

Your eyes quickly shift from the chilling blue irises of your guest to the suspicious amount of movement happening behind his large frame. Bucky lets out a quick scoff before answering, “What? Nothing, just checkin stuff out ya know,” 

His poor attempt at a casual demeanor was lost on you and it was quite evident in the suspicious squint of your eyes as you continued to stare at the man in front of you. 

“Which bottle did you sniff?” you ask flatly, sticking your hand out expectantly, the other hand making its way onto your hip.

“I-I didn’t sniff any bottle,” Bucky mutters out, metal hand going up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.

You waited only a moment before he spoke again, seemingly unable to hold back his comment, “That’s a lie I sniffed this bottle,”

He immediately took a bottle out from behind his back and placed it in your still awaiting palm. You knew what it was as soon as you saw the color of the substance inside and began to laugh. It was the hardest you had laughed all day and the resounding noise of your joyous fit surely made its way down to the cobblestone streets below. Your right hand left its initial place on your hip and placed itself over the left side of your chest as you bent over to steady yourself. 

“Y-you just inhaled a shit ton of Truth-Be-Told Smoke” You cackled out loudly. 

Bucky, though entirely confused, couldn’t help the smile that painted itself onto his pink lips as he stared at your beautiful figure shaking from the prettiest laughing fit he had ever heard, “Your laugh is really pretty,” he blurted out, immediately slapping his hand over his mouth afterwards. 

The compliment startled you enough to calm your laughter and straighten your posture back out, “Thank you, Buck. So I’m just gonna assume you’re wondering what’s happening right now,” He answered you by quickly nodding his head.

You giggled and continued on, “Basically, this stuff is used mainly as a partial ingredient in other potions, but by itself, especially undiluted, it’s a high performing truth serum. You won’t be able to say anything except for what comes to your mind for quite some time,” 

“That makes me really nervous,” Bucky’s voice sounds strained as the hand that was covering his mouth moves to wipe down his face in stress.

“Well don’t go sniffin’ a girl’s potions next time!” you giggle out, walking over to return the potion to its proper place. 

“You smell really good,” before you have a chance to react bucky groans in frustration, “Fuck I am so sorry,” 

A light laugh escapes your lips and you look up at Bucky’s grimacing face, “It’s okay, I don’t mind. Plus it’s nice to know I made the right decision on what body wash to buy,” 

You motion Bucky to follow you back inside, ensuring there would be no more accidental roofying. Two sandwiches sit side by side on the small sofa, a little pile of chips next to each one. 

“This is really kind of you, Y/n” Bucky smiles, lifting up both plates of food and waiting for you to get comfy next to him before handing you one. 

“It’s no problem Bucky, you’re my friend now and-” “I don't want to be your friend,” he bursts out, making you frown.

Bucky quickly fixes his mistake, “No sorry- I uhm- I misspoke I-I don’t want to just be your friend.” another grimace makes its way onto his face, “That’s embarrassing for me to say, I’m embarrassed,” 

If you weren’t already sweating nervously, you were now. Clammy hands grip at the paper plate on your lap as you try and will your face to extinguish the fire that has engulfed it. “B-Bucky, I um…” 

“I’m sorry I said that… It probably makes you never want to see me again,” Bucky mutters out, anxiously playing with the small pile of potato chips.

“Actually…” you begin, taking a deep breath and continuing, “It doesn’t bother me at all,”

Bucky lets out a long breath of air, “Holy shit really? That’s fucking awesome because I wasn’t gonna tell ya that today but then I smelt that thing and I’m sweating real bad right now with how nervous I am-I should not have said that, but now that you said what you just said-” 

You put your hand up, signaling for the witch to stop his word vomit and laughed, “Bucky you don’t need to worry… Honestly, I am just as nervous as you,” 

Maybe it was because of the state Bucky was currently in, maybe it was because of something completely unrelated, but it made you feel brave enough to admit more than what you would’ve ever imagined. Bucky somehow willed himself into eating his sandwich, stopping every once in a while to blurt out a random compliment about you, the food, your apartment, anything. He even complimented how adorable it was that your mattress was on the floor, saying it just made everything feel so much comfier and he wished his apartment was like this. You took the comments in stride on the outside, though on the inside you were dying out of embarrassment. No one had ever said such nice things about you, and to the volume that Bucky was going, even if it was against his will, it still shocked you a bit.

By the time you were both done eating, the effects of the smoke seemed to slow down a bit, which allowed the nervous man beside you to withhold all of his thoughts, though it did keep him from lying still. As you stood to clean up the plates and napkins used during lunch, Bucky mimicked you, following you to the kitchen. 

“Today was really nice Bucky...Thank you for coming over,” you smile up at the tall man beside you and try not to swoon when he returns the warm smile.

There wasn’t a beat of hesitation before Bucky responded, “It was my pleasure, sweetheart,”

The term of endearment had your face aflame, something that has become a recurring struggle whenever you were around Bucky and his stupid compliments that always got to you. 

“Ya know, you’re quite the sweet talker when there’s nothing holding you back,” you tease playfully, making Bucky let out a quick bark of laughter. 

“Was I not a sweet talker before? I must have had some kinda skill since ya let me spend the whole day here,” a sly smirk is pulling at the corners of his lips as Bucky leans down closer to you in a mocking way.

You roll your eyes and put a hand to his shoulder, effectively pushing him away and giving yourself some much needed space. If you didn’t breathe properly soon, you were gonna pass out.

Bucky stayed at your place for a bit longer until he got a text from Sam saying that Sibi was getting anxious and that she missed him. You couldn’t help the grin that made its way onto your face when he explained why he had to leave, thinking it was absolutely adorable that Bucky was the only one who was able to calm that gigantic wolf. When it was time for him to go, it became a waiting game of who was going to initiate the final goodbye. 

Standing by your front door, leaning on the trim, you stared into the piercing blue eyes of the man opposite of you, completely unsure of what to say. In all honesty, you didn’t think it’d go this well. For Bucky to spend the entire day cramped up in your apartment with you, eating snacks and joking around as if you had known each other for years… It shocked you a bit when you truly thought about it. 

Bucky sighed, leaning against the opposite frame of the door as he stared back down at you, “So…” a nervous hand came up to subconsciously tangle into the hairs on the nape of his neck, the Truth Be Told must be wearing off, “I um… Today was really great,”

You nod your head in agreement, “Yeah it uh-it was,” your fingers begin to tangle and pull at each other. 

“Do you...Maybe wanna...Do it again? Soon?” he mumbles out, breaking eye contact as he begins to focus on his shoes. 

A little pinch to the back of your hand ensures that what you just heard was real and you nod, “yes, that’d be awesome! I um… Whenever you’re free of course,” 

Y/n and Tin Man sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

You quickly turn around to see Calcifer prancing in a circle in the middle of your apartment, a sly grin on his face. 

Gods what are you Five? Shut up you stupid fox! I’m gonna throw you off the balcony!

“Doll? You okay?” Bucky chuckles lightly as he sees your face scrunched up into a cute little scowl that makes him want to squish your face between his hands. 

Calcifer's annoying cackles were heard echoing in your apartment as you turned back around to face Bucky, “Yeah, yeah no I’m good… You were saying?” 

“Just that I was free on Thursday, if you maybe wanted to get coffee with me… But it’s really no big deal if you don’t want to, I would understa-” “No! Er-I mean yes! Yes. I would love to get coffee with you on Thursday,” You cringe at your awkward response and bite the inside of your lip to keep yourself from screaming in embarrassment. 

The bright smile on Bucky’s face grounds you a little bit and gives you the courage to meet his pretty blue irises, “So Doll, I uh was thinking-” Before he can finish his thought, Bucky’s phone pings loudly, making you jump a little, “Sorry” He murmurs.

Snatching it from the pocket of his jeans, Bucky takes a look then immediately lets out a quiet sigh, “That’s Sam, I really gotta go,” 

Trying not to let the disappointment show, you nod your head and straighten up, silently wishing he could stay longer, “Okay...Um I’ll see you on Thursday then…” 

Bucky’s head tilts to the left as he considers your shy demeanor and he can’t help but reach out with his right hand and lightly grasps yours, “I’ll see you on Thursday, pretty girl,” 

You suck in a breath, feeling Bucky lightly tug on your hand and willingly following his lead. Taking a tiny step forward, which was really all you could take with how close the two of you were all ready, the breath your holding tightens in your chest as Bucky leans down closer to you. You could feel the warmth of his breath on your cheek, the brush of his long eyelashes ghosting over your temples, and the light squeeze on your wrist from his large hand. Bucky’s lips were soft as they pressed against the corner of your mouth in a light kiss that made you feel like you were in the clouds.

It didn’t last as long as you’d like and once he pulled away, you were able to let out the painful breath that stayed in your lungs for way too long. Bucky gave a quick wave before backing up a few paces, turning around, and walked the rest of the way down the hall. Leaving you to stand there breathless with the lingering feeling of his soft touches. 

“You two are gross,” The floaty feeling that had fallen over you evaporated as you heard the familiar’s voice from behind you. 

“I’m gonna hit you so hard,” You yell over your shoulder, turning around and slamming the door behind you. You pick up a slipper by your door and make your way over to the cackling fox. 

“W-wait wait! OW” 

“Stupid fox”

✸ ✴ ✦ 

-3 Months Later-

“Steve c’mon, stop interrogating my girl and come help set the tent up!” Steve turns his attention from you to his best friend, a smile on his face as he gets up to help Bucky set up the large canvas tent. 

“We will continue this later,” the blonde says pointedly before leaving you by yourself at the wooden picnic table. 

It had only been a little over three months since you had met Bucky Barnes, exactly two since he had worked up the courage to officially ask you to be “his girl” as he put it, and two hours since you had properly met Steven Rogers. How you had gone so long without meeting Bucky’s platonic other half was beyond you, but apparently the guy was a busy bee, and since your little potion shop out of your apartment had taken off, you didn’t exactly have much free time on your hands either. Fortunately, with a little luck and a lot of asking around for favors and covers for work, You, Bucky, Steve, Sam, Wanda, Vis, and all of your respective animals were able to take a long weekend to go camping. 

“Are you guys ready to eat? These sandwiches won’t keep for much longer,” Wanda stands up from the green metal cooler, hands full of deli sandwiches that she had made for the trip. 

A chorus of agreeance sounded across the cozy little site you had booked as you all gathered around the redhead. Bucky came up beside you, wrapping his metal arm around your waist and placing a soft kiss to the crown of your hair. 

“You excited for the weekend, doll?” he murmurs into your hair sweetly before placing a few more kisses there. 

You laugh lightly at his endearing behavior and smile up at him, “Of course I am Buck. I may never get the chance to spend this much time outside of my apartment again,” you joke, leaning up on your tiptoes to kiss your boyfriend on the sharp line of his jaw. 

After everyone had gotten a sandwich, along with whatever they wanted to drink or eat with it, you all squeezed onto the benches of the picnic table and began to chow down. Everyone talked animatedly about what the plans were for the rest of the weekend. Swimming, fishing, “Building a bomb ass fire” as Sam gracefully put it, all of it sounded like a blast to you. If you were being honest, you were just excited to be out of your apartment for more than a few hours at a time. 

“So, you’re a potion maker huh?” Steve asks, mouth half full of potato chips. 

Bucky lets out a groan and rolls his eyes, “Stevie let the girl breathe for fucks sake,” 

The group laughs at Bucky’s annoyance, but then looks at you, “Well, uh yeah… I um was taught at a young age, so it’s something I’m really good at and I know it’s not the best job or anything-” ''It’s an awesome job, kid. I think you’re doing real good. Our own little entrepreneurial witch!” Sam interrupts your babbling, a bright smile on his face as he pats your back just a little too forcefully.

“I mean… I’m not a witch so I obviously don’t really get it like everyone else does, but you seem to be doing really well,” Steve assures you, sending a sense of pride into your chest. 

You had managed to impress Steve Rogers… Not bad, Y/n.

The guy is actin’ like he’s Tin Man's father… The hell is that about?

You turn your head over to where Calcifer is curled up on a dark blue camping chair, bright yellow eyes trained on the blonde man who was still stuffing his mouth with food. 

Calcifer they’ve been friends for ages, it’s normal.

The fox lets out a quiet snuff in response before getting up from the chair and trotting over to the table. 

“Cal do you want some of my turkey?” Bucky asks, taking a few pieces of turkey from his sandwich and setting it beside him on the table. 

Calcifer doesn’t answer, just hops up on the bench and silently eats the portion of meat. It’s taken a while for Calcifer to warm up to Bucky… And though progress if few and far between, the two have definitely gotten closer in the past couple of weeks. The biggest issue at first was how crazy Sibi acted around other familiars, but after a while and a good amount of training from you and Bucky, the hyperactive wolf finally settled and was on track to be a wonderful helper for her witch in training. 

“So… Do you guys have any plans of moving in together soon?” Wanda hesitates as she not so sneakily takes a chip from Vis’s plate. 

You and Bucky look to each other for only a moment before responding, “We’ve been looking at places to go. It’s hard cause we wanna stay in Adelaide but without buyin’ a whole house, there aren’t many options for apartments,” Bucky explains, a small shrug to his shoulders. 

“And there’s no way all four of us could fit in my apartment,” you add, copying Bucky’s shrug. 

Neither of you were in too much of a hurry to find a place of your own, as you were both content in the homes you were in now. The idea of living with Bucky was quite appealing but you knew the more realistic thing to do would be to wait, save, and research to make sure you both lived in a comfortable environment. 

“You guys are so cute it makes me wanna die! Who knew you’d be the ultimate witchy power couple?” Wanda’s swooning caused you to laugh a little as Vision looked at her with mock hurt in his eyes as if to say ‘what are we then?’

Before anyone had a chance to add on, an unexpected voice responded, “I did,” 

Your laughter immediately ceased and your attention snapped over to the other side of Bucky’s large frame. Calcifer sat proudly on his haunches as he gazed back at your shocked face. 

“W-what do you mean you knew?” Bucky stuttered, equally as shocked as you were. 

“I just knew. From the first day you guys met, it was obvious it was that true love bullshit you humans talk about,” the fox brushes off both yours and Bucky’s shock as if it was nothing. 

The rest of the group laughs as the pair of you stutter out broken objections to Calcifer’s claim, “A-are you kidding me Cal? That stuff is like… a myth or something,” 

“Yeah, I mean I’m in love with Y/n n’ all but-” “You’re in love with me?” 

All of the banter around the table halts as five pairs of eyes stare at a now tomato faced Bucky Barnes. “U-um, yes. Yeah-I um, yeah I’m in love with you…” Bucky’s voice is quiet and you’re not sure if he actually said what you heard, but that thought is soon wiped from your mind as an eruption of cheers sounds from your friends. 

A grin makes its way onto your face as you stare up at those pretty blue eyes that you really never got tired of looking at, and you can’t help but bring your hand up to run along the stubble of Bucky’s jaw, “I’m in love with you, Buck” 

Bucky lets out a sigh of relief and immediately leans down to press his lips against yours in a passionate kiss, both of his large hands framing each side of your face to pull you closer to him. 

“Told ya so” 

“Shut up you stupid fox!”

[emelywrites]

Could you make a Diego Hargreeves x reader her power is elemental? Where she is part of the Sparrow Academy and she is the caretaker of the greenhouse there. When she meets Diego she falls for him and him for her, but he is still kinda in love with Lila.

I really liked writing that, my plants are my biggest love right now. And can I just say I got genuinely pissed when I wrote that Diego hurt the waterlily? She’s my favorite child right now :)

Warnings: Language, mentions of minor injury, mentions of past child neglect (they’re grown ups now)

The plant lady

For some reason Reginald let the Umbrella Academy stick around the Sparrow Academy as long as they wouldn’t disrupt training. They didn’t get their old rooms but others that were all about the size of Vanya’s childhood bedroom. Grace wasn’t here so Diego already hated this place. Additionally to not having his mom around anymore at all he had also just lost Lila and didn’t know where in the timeline she was hiding. So, one day he just got tired of lying around in his bedroom and started exploring this new place. The general style of the place was different but every room was where it used to be. He arrived in the courtyard. Ben’s statue was gone, obviously, he wasn’t dead in this timeline.

Another thing that was new, right in the middle of the courtyard, was a circular greenhouse that seemed like there wouldn’t even be space for people to go inside with how packed full of plants it looked from the outside. He entered anyway and realized that he was right. There was a beautiful chaos of plants but it looked someone had made themselves almost a living space inside. There was an armchair and a desk with a little stool in the corner and Diego decided to slump down in the armchair. He took in his environment. There were butterflies, spiders and flies hanging around and water spraying from the sprinkler system above. For the first time in a long while Diego felt at peace. The sound of the plants rubbing against one another and the water flowing and spraying, the smell of soil, plants and just freshness, and the high content of oxygen in the air thanks to the plants around made him sink further into his chair as he started to play with a knife. He felt so calm he accidentally hit one of the plants.

„Ow, what the fuck?“, someone said from behind a large Monstera plant, „Who’s here and what the hell did you do to my waterlily mother plant?“

She came around from behind the plant and spotted him quickly. Diego was starstruck. In front of him was a beautiful woman his age (obviously), wearing the Sparrow Academy uniform, minus the tie and blazer but with long pants instead of a skirt so technically it was just a white blouse and dark blue pants with some red detail, and her (y/h/c) hair tied up haphazardly. She had her hand stretched to her side, a water ball floating over it.

„Sorry“, he mumbled, „Wait, were you gonna attack me with a water ball?“

„No, I’m using it to care for the plants, it’s easier than carrying around a big watering can or a bucket or whatever“, she dropped her hand, the water falling into a puddle next to her, „Besides, I’m not going to attack anyone in here, my plants have already suffered enough thanks to you.“

„It’s just a little cut, it’ll be fine“, he rubbed his neck, „And I said I was sorry.“

„My plants have been cared for by me since I was a little girl, dad had this built when I was four. That waterlily was the first plant that has ever entered this greenhouse“, she narrowed her eyes at him, „I’m emotionally connected to my plants, I feel what they feel.“

Diego widened his eyes at her when she said that and only then realized that she did have a little scratch on her ear.

„That’s not from the cut, I don’t actually get their wounds, I just feel their pain and needs. This one’s from our recent mission, bullet grazed me and I had the shooter sink into the floor for it“, she rubbed her ear when she noticed him staring, „I’m (Y/N), number two, I control the four elements.“

She waved her hand and he felt himself being pulled up from his seating position and hurled through the air until he was standing in front of her.

„Diego, I’m- wait, you’re number two? I’m number two“, he crunched his face into a look of confusion.

„Sorry, this is my timeline, so I’m number two, guess you’re number nine now. We’re seven and you’ll be added on top“, she created a new water ball and went back to tending to her plants, „So, what do you do?“

„I control things when they fly. Normally I throw knives, always hit the target“, he grew a bit talking about his powers, he was rather proud of them.

„Oh, so you wanted to hurt my waterlily?“, she threw the water ball at him.

„Hey! I lost control, I was just… distracted“, he admitted fondling with his wet shirt.

„Distracted?“, he nodded, „By my plants?“, he nodded again, she smiled, „Yeah, they’re great.“

„Can I stick around? My bedroom doesn’t even have a window. I’ve never felt as good as I do here for some reason.“ He trusted her somehow, she just had this thing to her that made him like her. Maybe it was just that she was the creator of this safe haven.

„I understand. I do, too. And I have a really nice bedroom“, she smiled, „Maybe you can help out.“

„I could try to improve the sprinkler system, it’s not hitting everything, you see?“, he pointed toward the back section where no water was sprinkling at all.

„There is no sprinkler system, I’m doing that. And those plants don’t need it right now. I was talking more like inventory and making sure I don’t starve. I forget time in here.“ She looked at her wristwatch, he did the same.

„So do I, apparently.“

They spent the rest of the day in the greenhouse together. Diego came back every single day and she was always there. She explained the plants to him. What they were, what they needed, where she got them. She showed him all the little details about them and explained them. Things Diego wouldn’t have given a flying shit about if anyone else had told him. But this woman, showing him her passion and looking so beautiful and content doing so, had intrigued him. She could be explaining law structures to him and he’d hang onto every word she said.

(Y/N) was so happy to have someone in her greenhouse who genuinely wanted to know things about her plants. Whenever she tried to tell her siblings about her plants they’d dismiss her ramblings and instead talk about some great thing that had happened in their training. In the thirty years of her existence it seemed like the only constant was her plants. (Y/N) rarely built relationships with people, maybe that was due to the fact that all the people she ever met and saw were those dismissive siblings and the distant father she lived under the same roof with. Diego made her feel noticed and important and she wanted to savor that feeling so whenever the other number two entered her green house, a warmth and excitement filled her.

After about a month of seeing each other in the greenhouse every day, Diego having taken to getting them snacks whenever they had wordlessly agreed it was time for food and writing down everything she told him to write down into her notebook on her desk, they had gotten very much used to one another. The notebook was all over the place but Diego had come to understand even her little scribbles. It had become so natural to hang out like that everyday that one day when he handed her half of a sandwich while she was inspecting a browning Philodendron leaf she mumbled „Thanks, babe“ with her mouth full.

They both paused at that and stared at each other. „I- I’m sorry, it just slipped out. I- It’s not like we’re dating or anything, we’re just friends, right?“

„Yeah, we’re good, I- I have a girlfriend. I mean- sort of. We just slept with each other and she introduced me to her mom and then I let her escape with a briefcase but I don’t think we- Is there like a time limit on when you’re not together anymore after parting ways? Like- It was just- just a few days.“

„Diego, it’s- it’s fine. I don’t mean to intrude on anything. If you say you have a girlfriend, I’ll accept that. And if you don’t that’s- that’s fine, too, whatever.“

They sat in awkward silence for a bit and for the first time ever she was relieved to see one of her siblings rushing into her greenhouse.

„(Y/N), get the fuck ready, we gotta go, Dad says we need all forces. So you, too, Raincoat Academy“, he said, rushing back out.

„It’s Umbrella Academy, actually“, Diego murmured but started walking out.

„I know. And he can’t hear you anymore, get dressed“, she rushed past him.

„Feels good to be getting back out“, he smiled.

He collected his knives that he always left in his bedroom now when he came to the greenhouse because (Y/N) had asked him to and he accepted that. Because he did like her quite a lot.

[ironmansuuucks]

Are You Lost?

dewey finn x reader 

hey guys! here I have a little request from the amazing @thewolfisapartofmysoul​ !! it’s basically the reader has had a rough week and takes her sweet golden retriever out on a walk and meets dewey along the way! this is a sweet little request and i loved writing it so much - i freaking love doggos and Dewey. what more can you ask for? I hope you enjoy! lotsa love x

warnings: angst, fluff

words: 1600

and this unreal aesthetic was also made by the wonderful @thewolfisapartofmysoul​

“Come here buddy” you called over your golden retriever, Gus, to get his leash on. He sat down and licked your face as you sorted him out, to which you thanked him by giving him a quick pet and a cuddle. You stuck your hat on your head and zipped up your fleece as you headed out, stuffing one of Gus’ tennis balls in your pocket along with a few treats. It was autumn heading to winter so you had to stay warm.

The world had truly been against you the past few weeks and all you wanted to do was escape for a while. This morning you decided to get your life back together. You figured a long walk with your best friend was the best way to do achieve this. You could let Gus off his leash, let him chase the ball and just get lost in your own little world for some time.

Heading out towards the woods, you could see your breath in the air every time you exhaled. A gentle reminder of just how nippy it was. Gus didn’t care. His fur was warm enough for him and he loved the cold, embracing it with every step of his paws. It was mid afternoon so there was plenty of sunlight to be had.

Autumn walks were always the best. It was quiet, no one really tended to be around the woods. This meant you and Gus could just enjoy one another’ company. Autumn was also the best because of the beautiful colours and leaves. You loved the way they would crunch under every foot step, each one making you forget about your troubles. Gus loved it when you would pick up a big pile of leaves and gently throw them over him. He would snort happily and bound forward towards the leaves, leaving you giggling at him.

As soon as it was quiet, and you couldn’t see anyone around, you let Gus off his leash. He was well trained and you trusted one another. He wouldn’t run off. As soon as you unhooked him from the leash he bounced more ahead of you, wanting you to throw the ball for him. He barks lowly as you throw the ball. As his breed would suggest, he retrieves the ball and brings it back to you, tail wagging a mile a minute, his body swaying from side to side happily. “who’s my good boy” you would praise him and pat his head, taking the ball from his mouth and throwing it again.

You must have been walking for around an hour and a half before you decided that maybe it was time to head back. Your cheeks were all red from the cold and your fingers felt like they might go numb. You had managed to chill yourself out pretty much and felt ready to tackle the world again going home. “right Gussy boy, I think maybe it’s time we head-“ suddenly there was a small rustle from the bush further up. Gus’s head darted round and his ears perked up significantly. His tongue stopped panting. Shit.

Gus all of a sudden raced forward towards, what had now been revealed as, a rabbit. He was fast. “Gus… GUS!” you tried to call him but he was not stopping. You ran after him as fast you could but you were losing sight of him. FUCK! This was the last thing you needed right now. “Gus Stop-“ you were cut off as you stumbled and fell over one of the tree roots on the forest floor. “ouch..”. you got up slowly, wiping the green and dirt off of your fleece and jeans and tried to catch your breath. “shit.. where did you go Gus?”. He was nowhere to be seen.

Your heart started to race with anxiety. These forests where huge. He could be anywhere with his speed. It’s fine, it’s fine I’ll find him – calm down. You mentally told yourself as you started to shout “GUS?!?! Gu-us…”.

* * * * * * *

Dewey was sick of Patty. She was always yelling at him. She made him feel like he was worth nothing, as if he didn’t matter. So he found himself out a thoughtful walk through the woods, as he normally did on these kind of occasions. He loved autumn, with all of its beautiful colours and the cold air. He could stick on his hat and scarf and get cosy to brace the cold. It made him feel better when he was out in the fresh air and had time to himself to think over everything. He was trying his best these days, with his after school club for the kids and his new band. She was just a stuck up bitch who couldn’t get over what had happened at Horace green. I mean Ned had mentioned to him not long ago about how he was thinking about breaking up with her. Dewey really hoped he would follow through on that because he was just sick of..

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he suddenly noticed a little white dot bouncing towards him. He squinted his eyes to focus on what was coming towards him, his face screwed up in confusion. It didn’t take long for him to realise that it was a doggo. He began to smile as it got closer. “hey buddy..” he started but the golden retriever jumped up on Dewey and knocked him over, starting to leave kisses all over his face, wagging its tail frantically.

Dewey laughed and began to pet the dog “where did you come from dude?”. He found the dogs collar, looking for the name tag “Gus?” he questioned to which Gus barked happily. “well we better find your owner bub don’t want you getting lost” he worried as he picked himself up from the shrubberies.

Gus done circles around Dewey’s feet then bounced forward ahead of him, turning round and wagging his tail frantically at him. Dewey began walking in the direction of where Gus came from. “c’mon boy, c’mon” he teased him. “let’s go boy”. Gus followed Dewey through the woods, staying close to him.

After a minute or so Dewey began to hear someone shouting. As he continued walking the voice got louder and eventually he could hear you shouting “Gus!!”. He began to speed up, heading towards the shouting as Gus stayed close to him, apparently oblivious to your calling.

You were only a couple hundred yards away, worried sick about Gus. It had been fifteen minutes and he still hadn’t appeared. This wasn’t like him, where the hell could he be. If he was lost you would never forgive yourself. He was your best friend. As if the week couldn’t get any worse..

You stopped in your tracks when you heard a bark. “Gus?... GUS!”. You called out, speed walking towards the noise. God you hoped he was ok. What if he was hurt?

You got dragged from your thoughts when you noticed someone walking towards you. You squinted your eyes, confused until you seen Gus walking along beside him, looking up at the guy happily. “Gus!” you called out and almost ran towards him in relief. Gus’ ears perked up and he looked at you, jumping up on you when you got closer.

You looked up at the guy, while bending down to pet your sweet boy, “hey thank you so much for finding by dog” you exclaimed. Dewey was taken away. You were so pretty. The way the cold had made your cheeks pink was adorable, and your eyes were sparkling (obvs from crying about losing Gus but he didn’t know that). “uh yeah no bother, he actually kinda found me” he laughed.

You put Gus’ lead back on and stood back up. “I was so worried I’d lost him honestly. I’ve had the worst couple of weeks and that really would have broke me” you admitted. Dewey furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “aw I’m really sorry to hear that is everything ok?”. You looked up at him. He was kinda cute. His little hat and scarf was adorable and he had a sweet face. “I mean..”

You were stopped by suddenly being thrusted towards Dewey, both of you falling to the shrubberies. Gus had walked round the back of both yours and Dewey’s legs and you fell into one another. You both laughed on the forest floor at the antics, before capturing one another’s eyes. He smiled a sweet, giggly smile and you returned, before realising you were basically lying on top of him. You blushed and got up. “ugh sorry about that” you laughed awkwardly.

Dewey got up and brushed himself off “don’t worry about it” he laughed. “He’s really an awesome dog” Dewey said, bending down to pat him. Gus fussed over him and licked his face, making you giggle. “yeah he’s a sweet boy” you also bent down to clap Gus.

You smiled down at Gus, giving his ear a scratch, as Dewey looked at you, adoringly. He was nervous, but when else was he going to get the chance of bumping into a beautiful girl in the forest? “hey, uh, you don’t fancy going to grab some coffee or something do you?” he braved.

You  looked up at the stranger. His pink cheeks and soft eyes. I mean, why not? You’d had a shitty week, maybe this could be the tuning point. Coffee with a cute boy from the forest? Hell yeah. You smiled sweetly “yeah that sounds good….” You left hanging, he picked up “Dewey! Sorry, my names Dewey” he laughed.

“well hey Dewey, I’m y/n” you grinned, and he returned. Gus stretched up and left kisses on Dewey’s face which made you both giggle. He got up “c’mon, I know this great place on fifth that allows dogs. AND they do pupaccino’s for this happy guy too”. You liked how he included Gus, and didn’t just expect you to take him home.

“that sounds good to me Dewey”.

tags: @thewolfisapartofmysoul​ @large-unit​ @little-miss-shy-goth​ @paxenera​ @heknowshisherbs​ @missihart23​ @geminiacally​ @go-commander-kim​ @gegehaddock​ @baby-beej​ @sadpuppetshows​

[thedeathdeelers]

My word is...

✨dancing✨

(Btw there’s absolutely no pressure to get this done, I really don’t mind)

OKAY

i FINALLY DID IT. I FINISHED IT. at 12:45am. on a tuesday. when i have to wake up in 5 hours for work. whatever.

okay so this may not be exactly about dancing per se, the word still inspired me to write this so..::i hope you like it!🤗

you can also find it on my AO3

————

childhood crushes

“So you’re sure it’s in one of these?”

Julie’s eyes remained focused on the notebook balanced on her knee, skimming through the never ending lines of poems and lyrics covering every page as she answered Luke.

“Yes! I swear, I remember working on something similar with my mom a few years before she- A few years ago. If we can find it, we won’t have to start from scratch.”

Feeling a little stiff, Julie leaned back, her eyes never leaving the pages, as she rested against the foot of her bed, stretching her legs out in front of her. They had been sitting on her bedroom floor all morning, surrounded by piles of scattered old notebooks of varying colours.

“I know, but we’ve been up here for ages and we haven’t even taken any breaks yet.” She could almost hear Luke’s pout as he continued, sitting cross legged and leaning against her closet door. “I’m nearly done with my stack. Maybe we should just consider focusing on one of our other songs for now? Come back to this one later?”

Julie shook her head as she looked up, her eyes needing a second to readjust.

“I’m telling you Luke, we’ll find it. I won’t be able to work on anything else unless I get this melody out of my head. I know I can find the lyrics. They’re definitely here. Plus we’ve pretty much gone through the majority of my notebooks - there’s barely a few left. We’ll be done before it’s time to head down for band rehearsal, chill.”

Without waiting for a reply, Julie lowered her gaze back down, quickly finding her spot on the page she was in and resuming her search. Luke shook his head at the stubborn girl sitting across from him, a small smile touching his lips. He knew there was no point in arguing with a Julie that had already set her mind to something. Adjusting his sitting position to avoid cramping (who knew ghosts still had to deal with pins and needles, eh?), he dived back into the book in his lap.

It stayed quiet for a while after that, only sounds of paper crinkling under fingers, and soft whispers of words being spoken disturbing the peace.

That is, until disaster struck.

“Uh, Jules, why does this notebook have “Julie hearts Casper” written all over it?”

Julie was so focused on the poem she was reading, that Luke’s words took a few good seconds to fully sink in. But when they did, her head snapped up while her heart sank, the blood draining from her face. It would have been funny if she wasn’t the one panicking right now. Her eyes, now as wide as saucers, zeroed in on the offending journal, balanced on Luke’s left knee. She had completely forgotten about that.

“It’s nothing! Nothing just a- a- a pet’s name! Yes! We had a dog named uh Casper and I really loved him.”

She scrambled up, the notebook she had been so focused on only a few moments ago hitting the floor with a soft thud. She quickly reached Luke’s side, swiping the journal off his knee and out of his reach.

“I thought you guys never had any pets? What with your dad’s allergies?”

Julie froze on her way back to her spot by her bed, having completely forgotten that her dad, who she’s literally known her whole life, was allergic to dogs. Trust Luke to remember that tiny, throwaway detail, but completely “forget” that her dream box was out of bounds.

She slowly resumed her half hop trek to her spot, avoiding the minefield of papers and journals, making sure Luke couldn’t see her face for as long as possible. Her mind, on the other hand, was busy hastily trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

“Yeah, we uh- we had Casper for a week before we found out Dad was allergic. Had to give him away after that.” Julie held the journal tight against her chest as she turned back around to face Luke now that she was at a safe distance.

Luke’s eyebrows lifted, disappearing under his beanie. The disbelief on his face was palpable. He could always see straight through her.

“So you’re telling me that your dad didn’t know he was allergic to dogs until he was in his thirties?”

“He was still in his late twenties, thank you very much!”

“Jules, you know that’s not my point.”

“The point is we had a dog, I loved him very much and then he was gone. It was a sad time, can we just move on?”

He was still looking at her sceptically, but nodded his head regardless, diverting his attention to the dwindling pile of notebooks yet to be explored, spread out on the floor next to him.

Julie was just glad Luke hadn’t noticed the little ghost doodles decorating the spine of the notebook. She plopped back onto the floor, sneakily pushing the accursed nightmare under her bed.

It was only half an hour later however, just as her heart had finally reached a normal tempo, when Luke spoke up again.

“So, Casper huh? You guys really named a dog after a ghost?”

Trying hard not to groan out loud, Julie forced her features to adapt a natural expression, before lifting her face towards her band mate.

“Yes. Mom had just introduced me to the movie, and the name was still fresh in my mind.” She could see that he was still not buying her story, but there was nothing she could do. She was definitely not about to spill the truth to him.

Luke scratched his head, his beanie shifting with the movement.

“I see. So the little ghost doodles down the side there, have nothing to do with the actual friendly ghost? The one from the Casper movie released in the summer of 1995?” He was pointing in the general direction of where she had thought she had managed to carefully dispose of the journal. Apparently not.

Julie could feel her cheeks getting warmer, and curse it all, Luke had definitely noticed. That damn smirk.

“Not to mention the ghost painted on the back pocket of your favourite pair of jeans.

She threw her head back, bouncing slightly against her mattress as her hands flew up to hide her warm face. Luke chuckled.

“Fine! This is mortifying, but fine! I had a crush on Casper as a kid, okay? Happy?” Her voice came out muffled, her palms pressing hard against the horrified expression taking centre stage.

But not even a few seconds later, did she feel hands wrapping themselves around her wrists and pulling her fingers away from her face. She hadn’t even heard him move. She kept her eyes closed, scrunching her eyelids together as tightly as she could. Maybe if she thought of it hard enough, her carpeted flooring would eventually swallow her up?

“So, you had a thing for ghosts, huh?”

She could hear the barely suppressed glee in his voice, making her eyes pop open in disbelief.

“Ugh! This is why I don’t tell you everything!” Now that her eyes were open, she didn’t know where to look. Maybe over his left shoulder?

A soft chuckle made its way out of his mouth.

“Aw, come on Julie! This is actually pretty cute. Kinda feels like fate, huh?”

“Really?” She deadpanned. Her eyes diverted to his face of their own accord.

“I mean, he’s a ghost from a movie from the 90s, the girl has the hots for him even though he’s clearly dead...I’m getting similar vibes here.”

“He was just a floating orb!”

He tried to cut her off with a sly “As opposed to cute air?” But she continued speaking over him, wanting to defend her old childhood crush.

“It was an emotional connection. A deep connection, exploring different emotions and representations of love, resulting in some pretty iconic lines and moments in the movie.” She sounded a little hysterical, a little ridiculous. But the whole situation she currently found herself in was ridiculous in and of itself, so there really wasn’t much pride left for her to hold onto anymore.

Luke hummed at her reply, his eyes brimming with humour.

“Thought about it a lot, have you?”

“Ugh! You’re impossible. Fine. You might as well know. It was my favourite movie for a long time. I’d watch it whenever I was having a bad day or whatever.” She shrugged, casting her eyes downwards towards her lap where their hands lay; his fingers still locked around her wrists. She knew she wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Was?”

“Yeah, well...It started hitting too close to home a few years ago so I just.. stopped.”

Understanding dawned on him, as she felt more than saw, the energy leave him in one fell swoop. She chanced another look at his eyes, and saw that the humour previously taken up residence had now shifted to something softer.

“Julie I- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that, I-“

“No, no Luke really. It’s fine. I’m okay now. I haven’t felt the need to watch any comfort movies or shows lately anyway. Maybe I’ll even revisit it sometime soon, who knows. See it with a fresh set of eyes.” She gave him a small smile as she tilted her head to the side. “Honestly, don’t worry about it.” After a beat of silence, Julie grasped at the chance to steer the conversation away from anymore embarrassing questions.

“Do you think we could stop looking through these for now? I’m getting hungry, and it’s nearly time for practice so...” She gestured towards the mess on her floor.

“Yeah, of course.” Luke looked at her for another second, checking that she really was okay, before letting go of her wrists and jumping up. He then extended his hand down to her, waiting to pull her up with him.

As she got up, she couldn’t help but appreciate how sensitive Luke could be when it came to her feelings. She reached up on her tiptoes, and sneaked a quick peck on his cheek, before pulling him along with her, leaving the mess of notebooks (and hopefully that whole topic of conversation) behind them.

——

A few days had passed, and Luke hadn’t brought up the movie again. She had assumed he had forgotten, or at least accepted the fact that he wasn’t going to get much more out of her concerning that topic. Or maybe he even felt bad. But then a week later, while Julie was sat in the studio on her own (a rare occurrence), she was proven wrong.

She was sat on one of the armchairs, scribbling away furiously in their songbook, inspiration having finally struck. She was so focused, her hands gliding through the page as she hurried to get every word down, that she barely glanced at Luke when he popped into existence to her right.

She didn’t even notice when he moved to stand in front of her, knees nearly knocking into hers.

“Okay! So I finally figured out the second vers-“ Julie looked up, stopping mid-sentence as she finally took in the sight of the boy standing in front of her.

“Can I have this dance?”

“Luke? Why are you dressed like that?”

“Humour me, Julie. Dance with me?”

The fact that there was no music currently playing was on the tip of her tongue, but Julie held back. She takes a few seconds to reply though, too busy drinking in the sight in front of her. He had his hand outstretched towards her, dressed in black pants and a white dress-shirt. She was hyper aware of the fact that he was dressed in the near exact way she had imagined him during her imaginary Perfect Harmony routine. The only difference was his hair - but she had to concede to the fact that he looked better this way. It was 100% Luke, and she wouldn’t have him any other way.

Putting her notebook with the pencil tucked inside on the coffee table to her right, she reaches over towards Luke, taking his proffered hand.

He pulls her up, just like he did in her bedroom the other day, and guides her to the centre of the studio. They stand there, staring at each other for a few seconds before a song starts playing on the old garage stereo - the same one that had brought them, him, to her in the first place.

every now and then,

we find a special friend,

who never lets us down

who understands it all

reaches out each time we fall

you’re the best friend that i’ve found

I know you can’t stay,

a part of you will never ever go away,

your heart will stay

Luke reaches over to grab her other hand, lifting both up to his shoulders. Once settled, he lets go and finds her waist, pulling her in a little closer. Following his lead, Julie wraps her arms around his neck, her eyes focused solely on his. She listens to the song that is playing, gently swaying from side to side with the boy in her arms.

She cocks her head to the side as she tries to figure out why the melody and words sounded so familiar to her.

“This song sounds so familiar? Like I’ve heard it so many times but I just can’t place...” As her sentence dies on her lips, a small gasp is heard escaping her. Julie’s eyes widen as memories of her younger self listening to this song and swaying along in her mother’s arms flood her mind.

All the while, Luke’s eyes are intent on hers, reading her reactions. His hands resting on her hips, slide past her hips towards her lower back, his arms fully wrapping themselves around her, pulling her closer to his chest.

“You didn’t!” Her eyes still wide, still unbelieving.

“I figured of all the things I could actually accomplish as a ghost, any childhood dreams you might have had - this might actually be it.” He shrugged, his shoulders moving under her hands. His grin turned boyish. “Plus I didn’t like the idea of another ghost having a hold on your heart.”

Julie has to try hard to focus on the questions she wanted answered, and not on his sweet confessions.

“But- I assumed you guys never got to watch the movie? It came out around the time you were too focused on the band and the gigs, and then...” She let the rest of her sentence trail off, never too comfortable mentioning their early demise.

“I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” She felt his shoulders shift up and down again. He shook his head at her as he continued. “I gotta say Jules, you really know how to pick ‘em.” She could see the mirth brimming in his eyes, his lips twitching as he tried to keep his amusement under control.

Julie’s eyes narrowed at him, even as she tried to keep her own smile from forming on her lips.

“Girls are all about that star crossed lovers’ life. Add in a dash of supernatural? Absolute dream.” She moved her hand, gesturing wildly to convey her (ridiculous, but secretly truthful) point.

Luke chuckled at that, the laughter finally spilling out of him.

“Lucky for me then, eh?”

Julie’s eyes softened, her mouth curling into that special smile she only ever reserved for him. She stood on her tiptoes, her lips a hair’s breadth away from his.

“Who said I wasn’t the lucky one?”

They stayed that way for a few seconds, still moving slowly from side to side as they stared at each other. They were so close they were breathing the same air. And just when Julie was about to close the distance, Luke shifted, tracing his lips across her cheek, her jaw, until they hovered by her ear, warm breath sending shivers down her spine.

And then he whispered to her the four words she had been dreaming of hearing ever since she was a little girl.

“Can I keep you?”

FIN

[turtle-steverogers]

Hero Complex

lmao hi IM BACK i wrote a fic pfffff it’s kind Shit cuz i started writing at midnight and now its 2:40 am so excuse the BAD WRITING dajfdslkfjalsdkfs

warnings: fire, mentions of death (kinda graphic ish, sad), crying

ship: ralbert

word count: 2762

-

Earlier

“Just- don’t try to be a hero, dumbass.”

Albert’s fingers freeze on the top button of his uniform, eyes darting up to study Race’s face.  He bites back a sigh, something weighing down on his chest as the fear in his boyfriend’s eyes grows.  

“That’s the whole point of my job,” He says softly, “But I’ll be careful.”

Race nods, wordlessly handing him his helmet.  Albert takes it, drawing in a deep breath to steady his hands.  Queso lifts his head from his paws, looking at the two of them questioningly before padding across the room and nudging Albert’s knee.  He lets out the breath he’d been holding and bends over the slightest bit to scratch behind Queso’s ears.  No matter how many calls his squadron responded to, his nerves still managed to run high.

“That’s all I ask,” Race responds, gently tilting Albert’s jaw and kissing him intently.  Albert presses back, heart kicking double time as adrenaline starts to overcome him.  He pulls back, the need to move overtaking him.  

“I gotta go,” He says, shifting the helmet onto his head, “I’ll be home later…”

The unspoken, ‘hopefully’, rings loudly in the air.  Albert really hates this part of the job.

Race nods, dropping his hand from Albert’s face and squeezing his bicep briefly, “Go.  Be safe.  I love you.”

Albert smiles, but it feels strained, “I love you, too.”

Now

“Dasilva, get that room on the right!  Some kid’s in there!”

Albert swears under his breath, shooting a quick nod to Finch as he hurries past him, carrying an infant in one arm and shielding a young looking mother with the other.  He grimaces, adjusting the mask on his face as the building gives the second unsettling creak in as many minutes.  

In the three years that he’s worked for the FDNY, he’d never seen a building fire this destructive.  Details were still being investigated, but from what had been gathered, an apparent fireball had formed on the 14th floor, engulfing the top four floors of the building and spreading quickly to the lower levels.  The casualty count was already tragically high, but between the first responders and following squadrons showing up to the scene, the fatality rate was going down.  

That didn’t make it any less gut-wrenching.  

Albert crosses to the apartment Finch had pointed him to and easily knocked the handle off the door.  He knocked once, calling a loud warning into the room before shouldering the door, which gave way easily thanks to the heat. 

In the corner of the room, a young boy sat cowering against the wall, arms wrapped protectively around an even younger girl.  Panicked breaths were coming vehemently from the pair and as Albert gets nearer to them, he can see the tear tracks that cut through the soot.  He crouches down, trying to seem nonthreatening.

“Are your parents here?” He asks, raising his voice over the roaring flames.

The little boy lets out a sob, pointing a trembling hand to the room adjacent to them.  Albert glances to the side, nausea rolling in his stomach as he takes in the flames licking under the closed door.  Whoever is in there, sure isn’t getting out.  

“Okay,” Albert takes a deep breath, turning back to the siblings, “I need you both to take your shirts and pull them over your mouths and noses, okay?”

He waits for them to do so, then scoops them both up easily, ensuring that they have secure grips on his shoulders, before moving swiftly out of the room.  The building lets out another threatening creak and Albert falters, trying to map out the safest route in his head.  He settles on running to the stairs on the southside of the building, opposite of where the fireball had started.

Five excruciating minutes later, Albert is able to exit the building, immediately seeking out some paramedics and dumping the kids in their care.  He turns back around, taking a deep breath before running back towards the building.

“People still up there?” Spot, another commissioner, calls.

“I don’t know!” Albert calls back, “But we can’t risk leaving anyone!”

“This building’s ‘boutta go down, man!” Spot shouts, jogging up to him.

“I don’t care,” Albert says, firmly, tightening the strap on his helmet, “If I can even get one more person out, that’s one more life saved.”

“Alright,” Spot concedes, “But I’m coming with you.”

Albert nods, steeling himself.

“Don’t try to be a hero…”

Race’s words echo in his head and he bites his lip, casting a hurried glance in the direction of their apartment complex, across the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Sorry, Racer,” He murmurs, hesitating for a short moment before running back into the building.

-

A recently opened beer bottle sits forgotten on the table as Race paces anxiously in front of the TV, a cigarette dangling loosely from his lips.  He’s not entirely sure why he’s smoking.  The thing that usually eases his worries only worsening the sick feeling in his stomach as smoke rolls over his tongue, parallel to the cloud of smoke he’s watching climb higher and higher from the building until it billows off-screen.

This routine is familiar, but it never gets easier.  Letting Albert go will never fucking get easier.  It feels like he’s dumping him into the jaws of death, fire biting at his ankles every time he leaves through their apartment door.  

But he does let him go, allowing himself to grow sick with worry as he immediately searches for whatever information he can find, usually settling on the local news and popping open a beer or lighting a cigarette.  Maybe both.  More often than not, they remain unfinished.

He lets out a frustrated hum, stubbing his half-smoked cigarette out in the ashtray they keep on the coffee table.  He forces himself to sit down and drags a sweaty hand down his face.  Albert had been gone for a good two hours by now, but the fire doesn’t look like it’s getting any closer to being put out.  If any, it looks worse.

Every time a firefighter passes by the camera, Race’s stomach does a violent flip.  He can’t really tell who’s who underneath their face shields and helmets, but it doesn’t stop him from trying to differentiate them.  

Once, the news caught a clip of a firefighter being wheeled into the back of an ambulance looking very much not alive and Race had been violently sick for an hour before Albert came home and assured him that it was not him and he was okay.

That had been a bad fucking night.

Suddenly, the face of the reporter on screen morphs into one of sheer terror and the camera shifts sideways to show the building, crumbling in on itself.  There’s a moment where no one seems to react and Race scrambles to unmute the channel.  Screams ring through the speaker as the reporter and the cameraman run for shelter.  

Race feels his eyes go wide, but he can’t look away.  Somewhere to his left, Queso lets out a whimper, but he can’t find it in himself to look.  A second later, he feels Queso hop up next to him on the couch cushions and settle his weight against his side.

A million frantic thoughts crowd Race’s mind, eventually settling on the horrible debate of whether Albert is in the building or not.  Part of him wants to believe that he got away in time, but logic tells him that the idiot was probably in the building until the last second, searching for straggling survivors.  Fucking dumb shit.  Always has to be a fucking hero.

Sometimes he really hates Albert’s lack of self-preservation over others.

Scratch that.

He always hates it.

He runs his hand through his hair, pulling it almost painfully as his chest tightens.  Taking a deep breath, he presses his knuckles to his eyes, trying to stave off the oncoming panic attack.  He has to stay calm.  If Albert is alive and got out of there unharmed, he’s going to need Race to be a rock for him tonight.

Race takes another deep breath, letting it out slower this time as the vice that previously gripped his lungs loosens a bit.  He can do this.  He just needs to be patient.

He watches the news for another few minutes, picking at his cuticles distractedly as shots of firefighters and paramedics work to reign in the newly charged chaos.  Then, he clicks off the TV, heaves himself off the couch and begins to prepare for Albert’s (hopeful) return back home.

He puts some more food and water in Queso’s bowls, then crosses to the bathroom to take a quick shower.  The water is too hot and he drops the bar of soap three times before he can steady his hands enough to use it.  

He dresses himself mechanically, then digs through their dresser for Albert’s favorite pair of briefs, sweatpants, and a hoodie, setting them neatly on the end of the bed.  As an afterthought, he grabs a fresh towel and washcloth from the closet and sets them on the toilet in the bathroom.  

It’s doubtful that Albert will want to eat much of anything if- no, when he gets home, but Race busies himself in throwing together a quick pasta primavera nonetheless.  If anything, the cooking helps to settle his own nerves a bit.

Another hour passes and Race has managed to finish cooking, eat a little, and clean up the kitchen, all the while forcing down the ever-growing wave of dread.

He’s starting to run out of distracting things to do, so he picks up the book he’s been reading and settles on the couch, eyes scanning the pages, but not comprehending a thing.  

45 minutes later, the front door unlocks and opens.

Race is off the couch before it can swing back closed.

Albert doesn’t look at Race as he hangs his helmet on it’s hook, but Race can already tell that it’s going to be a rough night.  Despite the gear protecting every inch of Albert’s body, his face and hair are covered in a thick layer of ash.  He’s still dressed in his turnout pants, but his uniform top has seemingly been abandoned at some point on his return home.  The sharp tense of his shoulder has rendered his movements stiff and Race watches in carefully masked concern as he tugs off his boots.  

Once they’re dutifully lined by the door, Albert straightens up, looking at Race for the first time, a dull, haunted look in his eyes.

For a moment, Race is scared that he’s going to breakdown then and there, but Albert only clears his throat and croaks, “I need to shower.”

Queso is lingering by the kitchen entrance, but he seems to sense that his company would not be very well received right now.  Race nods at Albert, bending down to pluck one of Queso’s toys from the ground and tossing it in the direction of the kitchen.  He hears the slow patter of Queso’s paws on the tile and sees him pad out of the room in his peripheral.

“Let’s get you out of those pants before you do anything else,” Race says in a measured voice, working to sound easy, but firm.

It’s a testament to how fucked up Albert must be feeling that he doesn’t make a dirty joke at that.

Albert barely moves as Race unbuttons his turnout pants and eases them down his hips.  His gaze is unwavering as he stares blankly across the room.  Race can hear his slightly erratic breathing and it seems as if the adrenaline has yet to wear off.

“Lift up for a sec, love,” Race says, tapping at Albert’s socked feet and waiting for him to lift his legs one by one, allowing for Race to fully remove his pants.

“You can go shower now,” Race says, standing back up, “do you need me to come with you?”

Albert shakes his head, “No, I’m-I’m good.”

“You sure?” 

Albert nods, “Yeah, just- yeah, I’m good.

“Okay,” Race smiles a little, trying to look encouraging, “Shout if you need me, though.”

Albert nods again and makes a stiff beeline for the bathroom.  A few minutes later, Race hears the shower turn on.  He crosses to their bedroom to find that Albert took the clothes he’d set out in with him.

He smiles a little more genuinely as he crawls into bed.  Rolling onto his side, he busies himself with his phone while he waits for Albert to finish up, turning up the brightness to keep himself awake.  Albert was bound to take a while in the shower tonight.  He always does after missions.

A half hour later, he hears the bathroom door open and close and a moment later, the bed behind him dips as Albert joins him under the covers.  Race clicks off his phone and sets it on his bedside table, shifting onto his back as Albert settles into his arms.

“Want me to keep the lights on or off?” He asks quietly, pressing a little kiss into Albert’s now clean hair.  It’s still a little wet and smells strongly like the coconut shampoo he likes to use.

Albert nestles closer, pressing his nose to Race’s neck, “Off, please.”

Race extracts his arm momentarily to flip off the lamp switch, then draws Albert in protectively.  The silence between them stretches on for what could be hours, but Race knows Albert is still awake.

This is also part of the routine.  If Albert wants to talk, he will, but if he’d rather just lie quietly and process, Race wasn’t going to push him.

But he’d stay up with him either way.  There’s no way in hell he’d leave him to handle this alone in any capacity.

Eventually, the silence is broken by a soft whimper, then a short sniffle and Race feels Albert tuck his face further into his collarbone.  He feels his heart break in his chest, but he wills himself to remain steady as he tightens his hold on Albert.

A moment later, Albert begins to cry in earnest and Race presses a firm kiss to the crown of his head, shushing him.  

“I’ve got you,” He murmurs as Albert fists his hand in his nightshirt, holding on like a lifeline, “I’m here and I’ve got you.”

“There-there was a little girl on a fire escape,” Albert hiccups, “and she was screaming for her mom and I was about to go back in to get her, Race, I was about to go get her!  But the building…” he trails off, an awful keening noise sounding from his throat.

Race blinks back his own tears, rubbing a hand up and down Albert’s back, “You did what you could, baby.”

Albert shakes his head, “But it-it wasn’t enough.” His words are stilted- broken- and his breathing is harsh and heaving.

Race maneuvers them so they’re lying side to side, facing each other.  He cradles Albert’s head with one hand and rests the palm of his other hand on his cheek, brushing away his tears with the pad of his thumb.

“It wasn’t your fault,” He whispers firmly, “There’s nothing else you could have done.  You can’t save everyone.”

Albert closes his eyes, biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood as he tries to take slower breaths.

“I wish I could,” Albert says after a lingering pause, “It’s fucked up.”

“It is,” Race says, “But you helped a lot of people get out of there today, you did a lot, Albert.”

Albert doesn’t answer, just tucks himself closer to Race, breathing in his warmth.  

“Rest, baby,” Race mutters, knowing that neither of them are really going to sleep that night, “I’ve got you, you can relax now.”

Albert lets out a shaky sigh and Race feels his heart grow heavier still.  The concern, grief, and anger at the world for plaguing Albert with the fucked up trauma that accompanies his job are indiscernible from one another.  He wishes more than anything that he could take away his pain, but he also knows that’s as naive as wishing he’d quit.

The most he can do is be there for him, even if there’s nothing he could say to truly make it better.

But he can be there and maybe that’ll be enough.

“I love you,” He breathes, lacing their hands together, “I’m here.”

Albert squeezes his hand, “I know,” he pauses, “I love you, too.”

And for a second, things are a little okay.

-

yeah, so im still alive!

anyway

thanks for reading, chiefs

hmu to be added to my tag

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[tarithenurse]

High Hopes continuation

Pairing: Sam Wilson x fem!reader (Avenger AU) Contents: action, fear, angst, phobia of heights due to past trauma (see A/N), trust, a bit of fluff. Oh and it’s not been proofed (*hides in shame*). A/N: Needed some Sam loving. I love Sam. He’s awesome. So I decided to write a new part for the drabbles that technically might be more or a sporadically occurring series that started with High Hopes and then kinda continued with Blue Skies etc (see masterlist).

Leap of Faith – 1 of 2

His hands are calloused and strong, not at all matching the gentleness of each caress bestowed upon you as the anticipation builds for every minute the sound of the quinjet's engines are working. Sam's the calm before the storm, keeping your wits about you until you're in the fray and instinct is allowed to take over once more. Different instinct than his. Your boyfriend has trained for battle and missions long before life brought you to the Avengers.

"What are you thinking, princess?" Even his voice is soft, ensuring no one else on the team will hear.

"Was just rememb'ring the day we met."

It had been hell on earth. Some so-called "hostile takeover" at the research facility where you worked as a nurse then. It wasn't long before the situation had escalated, requiring more than the privately hired guards to handle it - guards who shortly after calling for assistance were beheaded, their tops placed around the edge on the machine all of this was about. Military testing. Your clearance was nowhere high enough that you knew what the machine did, but whatever it was must've been horrible enough to warrant some psychopaths barging in and killing people.

"Stubborn assholes," Sam reminisces, "but at least they were clear 'bout what they wanted."

"You saying I wasn't?"

The man snorts, trying to hold back a laughter. "Noo, no no no! That was clear too."

The guy is right, of course. By the time the cavalry arrived in the form of four Avengers, you had already taken it upon yourself to triage and treat any injured colleagues after overriding a few codes here and there. The bad guys had been contained (although, with the advice they wanted) and were running out of oxygen in a cooling room. Apparently, that was a fact that made the bastards very intent on breaking out of there by any means necessary, so when the heroes finally arrived, you were about ready to lose your shit out of fear the would-be thieves would succeed. Sam had taken the brunt of that, meaning you had ended up giving him a full lecture peppered with all of your frustrations - frustrations that weren't lessened by his dopey smile.

The two of you sit in silence, each lost in memories that undoubtedly have a slightly different focus.

"Alright, peeps," Tony announce as if he is about to start a party, "Cap's got the word and then it's time to rock 'n roll!"

Sam's blond friend rolls his eyes jovially before getting to his feet, hands clasped around the edge of the shield. "You know the plan. Any last questions? Now's the time..."

Of course, he is met with silence.

...

The hard concrete sends shockwaves up through your feet even if you're running up the stairs. So much for a simple plan. You can hear Steve's efficiency through the mic wedged uncomfortably into your ear, and you know he isn't the only one because the evidence of the fly guys in the air can be witnessed every time the building shakes, sending dust raining down - that's probably mostly the two tin cans rather than your Sam, though.

Clamping your teeth around the flash drive, it's possible for you to shrug the "borrowed" lap coat off your shoulders and send it fluttering down the stairwell towards the pursuing goons. The fabric used to be a pale blue, but now it's tarnished with dust from debris and the blood of their friends - there's no way you'll be going back that way.

"Tell me," you puff into the coms once the drive is safely in your fist again, "this is a clear exit."

A new landing, a new door barred due to the lockdown the barrage outside has initiated...or maybe the breach in the lab set it off?

"Damn, that thing's tough!" Stark's complaint is probably well-founded but doesn't help you.

Stealing a glance over the railing, you barely pull your head back in time to avoid getting shot. I need an out! Now! But every attempt at leaving the spiraling trap turns out futile and there are only a few turns back before you reach the very top. Two landings. One landing. Final platform with a heavier door leading to the roof. Fuck!

“Get that doo–“ you don’t get further before the handle is blown inwards in a pillow of flames and smoke, making this the second near hit in a very short time. “Warning next time, asshole!”

Tony (of course it was him) just laughs, “You’re welcome.”

Oh, it feels like heaven as the fresh air sweeps over you, finding a way through the fabric of your gear to cool the sweat that’s been collecting. The sky above isn’t exactly clear due to a few stray puffs of smoke, but at least the guys have drawn the blasts from the ground-to-air missile launcher further away and now you just need one of them to help you down.

It’s just that…none of them can break away.

Clint and Natasha are still inside together with Steve. Wanda and Vision are taking care of the hangar further, and neither Thor, Bruce, nor Bucky had come along on this mission because it was supposed to be so simply. Boy, were we wrong! And now you’re stuck on top of a ten floor building with no way down and at least a dozen bloodthirsty villains on your tail. And you’ve run out of curses that properly express your emotions.

Peering over the ledge, you feel the cold swoop in the belly that brings out the memories you want to forget. At least your feet are firmly planted on something solid and immobile, but the dread is there already and it’s worse than the impending meeting with the guys whose research you’ve just stolen.

There’s just one thing to do. Turning, you prepare to face battle with a ferocity your role on the team doesn’t normally warrant, squaring off on the middle of the roof.

“Medics don’t fight,” Sam quips over the coms seconds before something slams into your back and then wraps a harness around your body, “now use your ride.”

It’s familiar, the acrid smell of the warm thrusters that are strapped to your back now. “Over my dead body!” Sam had talked you into trying out a wing set once.

“It will be if you don’t do it, honey.” Soft, insistent. You know he cares. “You can do it, babe, it’s just to get off that building.”

Out of the corner of the eye, you see the door begin to open once more as you turn and set off in a sprint. I love you, Sam Wilson, but if I die, I’ll come back to haunt your sexy ass. The tiny grains in the tar scratch under your boots, mixing with the shouts behind you – then there’s nothing but the thumping of your heart, much too loud and quick in the ears. Nothing else. Well…there’s the gaping emptiness beneath you as the safety of the building’s tangibility is gone and your stomach protests at the sickening fear.

[today-only-happens-once]

Who You Are

Title: Who You Are

Word count: 1568 (ficlet)

Summary: Virgil learns something about Patton after a guy tries to pick him up in a bar. Platonic Moxiety, brief dash of Platonic LAMP/CALM. Demisexual!Patton.

Warnings: alcohol/drinking,  crowded room, flirty guy at a bar that may or may not be kind of a jerk, platonic fluff, some discussion of sexuality (nothing explicit though), insecurity, cursing (kind of. Nothing too bad).

A/N: I have always felt that I struggle the most in writing Patton. I also struggle to write about my own sexuality, apparently. It’s just…. A hard thing to pin down or explain. But I read @reallyanextrovertipromise’s concept of a demisexual!Patton and figured I had to at least give it a shot. I don’t feel that this is my strongest fic by any means or stretch of the imagination, but here it is anyway. Not really edited much, apologies for any mistakes. Happy Pride Month, friends. Wherever you may be in your journey of self-discovery in relation to your sexuality/gender/romantic-attraction, I’m proud of you and rooting for you to be comfortable in your own skin and with who you are. Love all you guys, gals, and nonbinary pals.

Special shout-out to @princeanxious for his help with some much needed encouragement and reassurance. Additional special shout-out to @creativenostalgiastuff for her help in fleshing out this idea a little bit.

 …

The music is loud and reverberates in Virgil’s skull with a booming bass. His roommates—Roman Prince in particular—had somehow talked him into going to the gay club close to campus. He isn’t sure how, exactly, he’d been roped into this or how he’d convinced Logan to join them as well, but surprisingly Patton had seemed the most hesitant about going. But now all four of them were in various locations at the bar. Roman was currently dancing to the pop song blaring from the speakers, Logan was chatting idly with a guy from his astronomy class in the corner, and Patton…

Virgil frowns and glances around the room from his position near the bar. Where is Patton?

A few moments later, Virgil sees him sitting down the bar. Another young man about their age is leaned beside him with his back against the counter. He’s kinda hot, Virgil admits to himself. Sharp jawline, dark hair, bright green eyes. His white t-shirt clings to his chest in all the right places and shows off his slightly toned arms. But when Virgil glances at Patton again, he sees his friend shift uncomfortably and Virgil immediately starts to shoulder his way through the crowd towards him.

The club is crowded, and Virgil does his best to weave his way through the people. As he gets closer, Virgil thinks he’s figured out why Patton looked suddenly uncomfortable. The guy has his hand on Patton’s thigh, leaning in closer to say something that Virgil can’t quite catch.

“Hey, Patton,” Virgil says to announce his presence as he steps up to the two of them. He shifts his weight to position himself slightly between his friend and the newcomer.

The new guy smiles brightly at him. “I take it you’re a friend of this handsome guy here? It’s awesome to meet you! I’m Eric.”

Virgil’s gaze narrows almost imperceptibly before nodding. “Hey.”

Patton seems to brighten a bit at Virgil’s sudden appearance. “Hey, Virge!”

“You doing okay, Patton?” he asks, leveling a cold look at Eric. His bright smile falters a little under the sudden scrutiny. His hand falls off Patton’s leg and Virgil sees a flash of relief cross Patton’s eyes.

“You bet,” Patton tells him with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Virgil nods and takes a sip of his drink. Something tells him he should stick around a little longer.

There’s an awkward silence—or, as much as silence as there can be in a crowded bar on a Friday night as an EDM song blares from the speakers—and Eric shifts a little closer to Patton, a brief flash of confusion crossing his expression when Virgil refuses to yield his position between them.

Eric gives Patton an admittedly charming smile. “Can I get you another drink?” he asks.

Patton glances into his almost empty glass. “Oh. That’s okay,” he says. “Thank you, though.”

A flash of disappointment crosses Eric’s green eyes. “Would you like to dance?”

Patton shifts again, his gaze falling and his usually bright expression dimming for a moment. Internally, Virgil winces sympathetically. Patton had never done well with letting people down. Virgil wanted to help, but suddenly wasn’t sure how to. Luckily, a familiar voice interrupts the conversation.

“Virgil! Patton!” Virgil glances up to see Roman—a little bit sweaty, his eyes bright even in the dark club—grinning at them as he hurries over. Roman stops short at the presence of the stranger and gives him a small, flirty smile.

“Another friend of yours?” Eric asks, in a voice that sounds a bit tight to Virgil.

“Roman!” Patton says, apparently not hearing Eric’s question. With a huff of annoyance, Eric grabs a pen from the bar and scribbles ten numbers on a napkin and slides it over to Patton before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

Roman’s expression gets even brighter and he teasingly elbows Patton. “Hey, Pat. Looks like someone likes you.”

Virgil can sees his friend’s blush under the flashing lights. “Oh. I… I guess so.” Patton sets his drink on the napkin, the ring of condensation smearing the numbers. “I think he was looking for a hook-up, though.”

“Well he’s certainly a good looking fellow,” Roman says appreciatively. “You could certainly do worse, Patton.”

“He made you uncomfortable,” Virgil says flatly. Protectively. “Was he pressuring you?” Something darkens in Roman’s expression at the insinuation even as sudden concern alights in his eyes.

Patton shakes his head quickly. “No, not exactly.”

“Salutations,” says another new voice. Logan materializes through the crowd to stand beside Roman. “Is everything satisfactory?”

“You bet!” Patton says. “Everything is awesome. You guys don’t need to worry about me.” Virgil only feels his concern deepen.

“Hey, Pat?” he asks suddenly. “It’s getting kinda crowded in here. Wanna go outside with me for a bit? I could use the fresh air.”

Patton tosses a twenty dollar bill on the bar and sets his glass on it, making eye contact with the bartender before looking back at Virgil. “Sure thing, kiddo.” It doesn’t escape Virgil’s attention that Patton makes no move to pick up the now damp napkin with Eric’s phone number on it. Over Patton’s head, Virgil catches the worried looks Logan and Roman both give him. Virgil nods. You guys stay. I’ll talk to him.

Virgil leads Patton through the crowd and out the front door. He keeps walking until he reaches the bench half a block down the street. He takes in a deep breath of the cool night air, enjoying the sudden quiet of the street compared with the thumping music and shouting voices of the club. He takes a seat and stretches as Patton sits down next to him.

For a long while, neither of them says anything.

“Virgil?” Patton says suddenly.

“Hm?”

“Thanks for… well, for coming over when you did.”

Virgil arches an eyebrow. “Yeah,” he says dismissively. “Don’t mention it.”

Patton leans forward and presses his hands together before sighing. He tries to cover the sigh with a forced laugh. “I don’t think Roman understood why I didn’t really want to take his number.”

Virgil glances at his friend out of the corner of his eye as a car drives by them. He can’t remember the time Patton had acted so nervous or hesitant, and Virgil isn’t quite sure he knows where it’s coming from. “That was your decision. You don’t owe anyone anything. Especially not some stranger in a bar that made you uncomfortable.”

“Did you think he was… hot?”

The question is so unexpected that Virgil almost laughs. “Uh…” he scratches the back of his neck. “Maybe at first, I guess.”

Patton nods and falls silent again. Virgil knows something is on his mind, and though his stomach twists uncomfortably with the potential options for what it might be, he remains silent as well. He doesn’t want to force Patton to tell him if he isn’t ready, whatever it might be. Virgil glances around the street, at the tall buildings, neon signs, the cars as they roll by. He can hear the tires as they roll on pavement still wet from the rain earlier today, the click of a young woman’s heels as she makes her way down the sidewalk, doors opening and closing as people come and go from the restaurants and bars that line the sides of the street.

He isn’t sure how much time has passed—fifteen minutes, maybe?—when Patton’s soft, quiet voice catches his attention again. “Virgil?”

“Yeah, Pat?” He looks up. Patton won’t meet his eyes.

“I… I’m…” He blows out a breath. “I think I might be demisexual.” His shoulders visibly tense like he’s bracing himself for the reaction.

Virgil just smiles softly. “Okay.”

Patton’s head whips up suddenly, surprise written plainly across his face. “Okay?”

He gives him a small, reassuring nod. “Okay,” he repeats.

A small, tentative smile graces his friend’s lips. It falters for a moment. “You don’t… you don’t think that’s weird?”

“Weird? Of course not,” Virgil says, surprised at the worry. Had he ever done anything to make Patton think he wouldn’t accept him?

The smile falls a little more naturally now. Patton rubs the back of his head. “I just… a lot of people think it’s… made-up, I guess.”

“Patton, it’s who you are. It’s awesome. And it’s valid as hell.” The corner of Virgil’s mouth quirks when Patton gives him a sincere, bright grin. “Anyone who makes you feel otherwise… their ignorance doesn’t change who you are.”

Virgil watches something relax in Patton. “So you’re… you’re okay with it and everything?”

He teasingly rolls his eyes. “Patton, you’re one of the best and most accepting people I know. Of course I’m okay with it. That should never have been a doubt in your mind.”

Patton’s eyes, suddenly bright and happy, outshine the streetlamp above them. Virgil huffs a laugh when his friend launches himself at him, wrapping strong arms around his torso and squeezing. “Thank you, Virgil.”

“Any time, Patton.”

…

[angellwingsffn-blog]

lyatt 6 -- things you said under the stars and in the grass (ilysm)

Okay I’m using this one as an excuse to write an AU I’ve had in my head for a while.

What if, instead of keeping Lucy from taking a risk, the car accident inspired her to live life on her terms? What if she came away with the fear of not living life to it’s fullest instead of fearing that lack of control/safety would ruin her? I think that Lucy would have dropped out and went on the road with her band and picked up a fancy free lifestyle. 

And let’s say, for whatever reason, in this AU Jessica never died and she and Wyatt ended up divorced. (It’s been my head canon that had she lived this would have happened eventually. For the fight they had to escalate to the point of her getting out of the car there had to be some on going issues.)

So given those two things, how would these two alternate versions of Wyatt and Lucy meet? Well, I have a few ideas. ;)

—–

Wyatt was not a fan of weddings and not just because they reminded him of his own failed marriage. Sure, that was a factor, but there was much more to it. When you’re single at a wedding someone in the bridal party always anticipates introducing you to other single people. Like the happiness of the newlyweds was a guarantee that other people could find love too. And maybe they were right, but Wyatt wasn’t looking for anyone. He’d had his shot at wedded bliss as far as he was concerned and he blew it. He doubted what he had with Jess could happen twice in his lifetime. Jessica was much too good for him anyway. Everyone told him so, his whole life.

And he’d proved them right.

He’d sat in the back during the ceremony and then raced out of there as soon as it was over. He was one of the first guests to arrive at the reception. He knew he couldn’t leave the reception until he’d at least talked to the bride and groom. One of his Delta Force buddies, Bam-Bam, had married a musician. A drummer, Wyatt was pretty sure. He’d only met Celia a handful of times, but she seemed nice enough and Dave was certainly crazy about her.

He remembered Dave telling him that Celia’s band was playing the music for the wedding. It was what they did, after all. They were a professional cover band for weddings, parties, and corporate events.

When he entered the tents that housed the reception he heard the band doing their sound check. Which meant he was extremely early. He found his seat which was apparently at the same table as Celia’s band, judging by the handbags and coats spread across the chairs. A bright laugh sounded from the stage and he felt a jolt deep in his chest. His eyes sought out the source of the laugh that caused the strange thrill he felt somewhere inside of him and he found it. 

The brunette standing in front of the microphone in a fitted lemon yellow dress laughed again at something the lead guitarist said and he felt the same jolt again. He loved that laugh. He’d never heard it before but he wanted to hear it again. Her eyes sparkled and her smile was wide. His eyes raked over her and he prayed she didn’t notice him staring. He grinned when his eyes landed on her bare feet. The shoes were discarded next to the microphone stand. 

She was beautiful and he was instantly drawn to her. He gulped and inwardly cursed. He stood from the table and headed for fresh air. This wasn’t going to happen. He did not want to meet anyone. It was better to be alone. Jess couldn’t take his career and Jess was the sweetest and most patient woman he’d ever met. If she couldn’t handle it then who could? No one. 

He took a deep breath when he reached the open night sky and sat down in the grass. Open space was just what he needed. He sat in quiet peace for an indeterminable amount of minutes. A few other guests had started to trickle in and he could see even more cars trying to park in the distance. So he guessed he’d been sitting in the grass for fifteen to twenty minutes.

“Well, you look comfortable,” a female voice said from behind him. “Mind if I join you?”

He knew exactly who he would see when he turned around. The voice matched the laugh. “Help yourself,” he said with a small grin as he turned to face the brunette from Celia’s band. “You might want to be careful with your dress, though, can’t have the wedding singer ruining her outfit.”

She laughed and he let out a soft hiss at the now familiar jolt in his chest.

He saw her carefully lay a shawl on the ground beside of him before she sat with her legs extended out in front of her. She leaned on her left hand and held her right out toward him. 

“I’m Lucy,” she said as he accepted her hand. “You are?”

“Wyatt,” he said as they shook hands.

“Ah,” she said with a smile. “Dave’s friend. He’s mentioned you once or twice.”

“And you’re in Celia’s band,” he told her. It was all he knew about her. Dave had never mentioned her.

“And former room mate,” Lucy said with a chuckle. “She kicked me out to make room for Dave. Now I live with this girl who, while perfectly nice, has Star Trek posters covering every wall in her living room. But an affordable room is an affordable room.”

“Star Trek’s not so bad,” Wyatt offered. “Used to love the original as a kid.”

“Never really been a scifi fan myself,” she told him. “I’m more of a history nerd. I could binge History Channel all day long, though I’d probably spend half of it yelling at them for being wrong.”

He chuckled at her and turned to really look at her for the first time. God, she was even prettier up close. Her hair framed her face in long soft waves and her eyes were a very warm and inviting shade of brown. He had to remind himself to breathe before he could manage to speak. “You were one of those nerdy over achievers in school, weren’t you?”

“My mother is a history professor. It would have been considered a personal slight against her if I wasn’t the absolute perfect student,” Lucy said with a chuckle. But there was a dark edge to it that told him there was more to that story. She gave him a long once over and, maybe he’d imagined it, but she seemed to linger on his eyes longer than necessary. “Let me guess, you were one of those athletic under achievers who snuck beer into the football field after practice?”

His brow furrowed and he smirked at her. “That was oddly specific.”

“But accurate, right?” She asked with her own smirk.

“Unfortunately,” he admitted with a self deprecating grin.

“I’m sure you enjoyed high school more than I did,” Lucy told him with a kind smile. ”I don’t think I broke a single rule during all four years of high school.”

“I’m pretty sure I broke every rule at least once,” he told her with a chuckle.

“So, what you’re saying is that we would not have been friends?” She asked with a teasing smile.

“Highly doubtful, ma’am.”

“Ma’am?” She asked with a slightly offended expression. “Do I look like a ma’am to you? Cause I’m pretty sure we’re basically the same age.”

He gave her a crooked smirk and took in the attitude in her expression. He already liked this woman. Probably too much. “Delta Force. You see, when you’re in the special forces, they teach you to be polite.”

She lifted a brow and smiled slowly. “And does that line normally work for you, soldier?”

He shrugged as he chuckled. “Sometimes.” More like always.

“Probably more than sometimes given those baby blues of yours,” Lucy said as she threw a flirtatious grin at him.

“You been looking at my baby blues, have you?” He asked her with a teasing smirk.

She blushed and ducked her head. “Sort of hard to ignore them.”

He scratched the back of his neck nervously before tossing her a bashful smile. “Kinda like your laugh, I guess.” 

Their eyes met and her blush deepened. Their gazes and smiles lingered on each other for a long moment. Neither of them were really sure where to go from here.

“No! You’ve already met!” A voice yelled in a dismayed tone.

They both jumped slightly and looked up to find Celia and Dave striding toward them. Celia was the one who’d yelled. Dave laughed as they came to a stop in front of them.

“She wanted to be the one to introduce you,” Dave explained. “She was convinced sparks would fly.”

Lucy bit her bottom lip nervously and gave Wyatt a secretive glance. Even having just met her he knew what she was trying to say. Celia definitely wasn’t wrong. They’d felt quite a few sparks. Despite himself, he wanted to feel more of them. He knew he didn’t deserve to but damn it if Lucy wasn’t already addictive.

[apicturewithasmile]

LOST rewatch (season 3):

[follow the entire rewatch-tag here]

episode 1 – A Tale of Two Cities:

Time for Dooooowntooooown!!!

“So I guess I’m out of the book club.”

Aaaah it’s THAT Jack flashback episode aka the lowest he’s ever been aka

It’s not that Matthew Fox is a bad actor… it’s just that everyone else on the show is better than him. It becomes even more apparent with the presence of Michael “I single-handedly invented acting” Emerson being around there to stay now.

Sawyer solving the bear cage puzzle is so cute I wanna hug him.

episode 2 – The Glass Ballerina:

Awwww yaaaaas Ben’s round glasses jkdgnidfgnoidsfg

It always baffles me how long it takes for the credits to finish. Going on minute 8 of this episode and they still rolling.

It’s Sally Slingshot

Only Ben Linus can use a camping chair as a dramatic prop

“My name is Benjamin Linus and I’ve lived on this island all my life.”

episode 3 – Further Instructions:

John being speechless after seeing naked Desmond running through the jungle – #same

Wait… is that the sweat lodge episode? If so it means sweaty topless Terry O’Quinn and my body is absolutely and 100% ready!!!

Charlie just made the same “you don’t call, you don’t write” joke on John that he already pulled on Eko

It’s probably the only totally… useless John flashback. Like… we don’t really learn anything about his character that we didn’t already know. I still enjoy every second of John screentime we get but… I wish they had used this one for something else.

“amendable for coercion” is probably what Ben has written in John’s file as well

episode 4 – Every Man For Himself:

Oh shut up Charlie, you jealous ass.

It’s the episode in which Ben knocks Sawyer out with his phallic baton.

“the big kahuna”

First time appearance of the true star of the show: bunny #8

I love that of all the characters on the show, Sawyer’s the one who reads every book he can get his hands on.

Murder cactus hair!!!

Ben’s Bunny Bag™!!!

episode 5 – The Cost of Living:

Sexy linen outfit, Ben! Love the abundance of chest hair!

“Do you believe in God, Jack?” – “Do you?” – “Two days after I found out I had a fatal tumour on my spine a spinal surgeon fall out of the sky, and if that’s not proof of God then I don’t know what is.”

“I guess he’ll be expecting us.”

episode 6 – I Do:

Yet another bad wig for Evangeline Lilly

Random Nathan Fillion

I love the cage frickle frackle scene

Nice psychological warfare, Benjamin fucking Linus!

episode 7 – Not In Portland:

 I love Juliet’s curly hair <3

“I’m Tom btw.” – nice timing, Tom!

RICHARD ALPERT!!!

Ben just lying there, chilling with his back cut open… getting some fresh air on that spine.

There it is: Angel Hair Pasta story 2.0

“I wanna know what he said. You owe me an answer.” Good God what is it with Jack and this overly possessive behaviour? Why does he always have to know everything about the women in his life?!?!?! That’s not healthy, Jack!

episode 8 – Flashes Before Your Eyes:

More Desmond, hell yes!

istg that blue semi-unbuttoned shirt is such an iconic look for Desmond and it’s also hot as fuck

OF COURSE Charlie is playing Wonderwall

episode 9 – Stranger In A Strange Land:

The worst episode yet it gives us topless Benjamin Linus.

Seriously, I have hardly anything else to say about this one.

“Your bedside manner leaves something to be desired, Jack.”

Good fucking God, Jack you entitled self-righteous asshole!

episode 10 – Tricia Tanaka Is Dead:

Roger Workman!

Where’s Sayid btw?!??!?! Haven’t seen him in a while!

Aaaah there he is my bebe Sayid!!!

“SHUT UP! Red…. Neck… Man….”

episode 11 – Enter 77:

It’s the Mikhail Bakunin episode!!!

Oh wait…. Is that a Sayid episode? The one with the cat that I had completely forgotten about until now?!?!?!

I loves Sayid’s flashback hair in this episode.

NOT EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY, JOHN!!!

Oh John, what is it with you and beeping computers?

episode 12 – Par Avion:

“Remind me why we’re keeping him alive?” – “What do you suggest? We shoot him like a dog?” – “No. I like dogs.”

I love you, Danielle!

“The John Locke I know was…” nice time travel foreshadowing

Claire’s aunt is such an asshole!

John throwing Mikhail through the sonic fence is my jam!

DADDY SHEPHARD!

Okay but… if you can just go over the fence? Then why does Smokey not just… fly over it?!

episode 13 – The Man From Tallahassee:

OH NO NOT THAT EPISODE!!! Right in the feels!!!

John finally reunited with his future island husband.

The bedroom scene! Yassss!!!

“The man from Tallahassee? What is that, some kind of code?” – “No, John, unfortunately we don’t have a code for: there’s a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter’s head. Although we obviously should.” FUCK YAAAAS!!!!

“I know you, John Locke. […] Tell me John, did it hurt?” – “I felt my back break. What do you think?”

I like Tom Friendly – he really lives up to his name.

I can’t believe that Jack – the only doctor the survivors have – wants to leave the island all because Kate fucked Sawyer. Sounds like something a guy would do who’d detonate a hydrogen bomb because his girlfriend left him.

Ben and John out-sassing and manipulating each other is foreplay tbh.

“I was born on this island…” LIAR!

THE MAGIC BOX!!!! Fgnidgnidflsgnlkdd FUUUUUCK!!!! SHIT’S GETTING REAL!!!

Also a very rare occasion in which Ben’s beautiful face has no wounds, scratches, bruises…

You can see I adore this episode by how much I have to say about it even if it’s just a ramble of feels

And now it’s bondage John!

“And then you came striding out of the jungle, John, to make my dream come true.”

episode 14 – Expose:

Wow… I can’t believe I’m already that far down into my rewatch.

Unpopular opinion: I actually love Expose. It’s so… useless and dorky that it’s amazing!

“I’m just a guest star and we all know what happens to guest stars.”

It’s Boone and Shannon *cries forever*

I can’t believe someone called Maggie Grace and told her “hey, we know you got totally screwed over and we killed your character before you could have any substantial character development but… we need you back for an episode, you gotta scream your fucking lungs out of your body once more!”

Seriously…. This is the creepiest death on the whole show.

episode 15 – Left Behind:

Hahahaha it’s the one where Hurley tricks Sawyer into being nice

I loooove Cassidy and I love they mirrored this flashback with the Kate-and-Juliet-are-handcuffed-together episode

“My name is Kate.”

episode 16 – One Of Us:

It’s the one where Ben is very very creepy

That’s probably the only episode in which I can somehow understand the people who dislike Ben…. But I still love my dear rat boy!

episode 17 – Catch 22:

Ooowwww I love Desmond episodes

Oh Kate…why?!?!

I deadass forgot the whole freighter plot, like… I knew Miles & Co. where about to appear but I forgot how this whole thing started

episode 18 – D.O.C.:

Jin’s the only one who has a nice dad and a terrible mother

Also I just typed “John” instead of “Jin” which makes me wonder: where’s my bald jungle baby?

Aaaah first mention of fake 815

episode 19 – The Brig:

Fuuuuuck I’M NOT READY!!!

They made me miss my dear John for two (three?) entire episodes only to come back with this to totally rip my heart out

The “previously on” bit already wrecks me

IT’S THE PINS AND NEEDLES SCENE!!! Also known as: Ben tries this “flirting” all the cool kids are talking about.

Terry’s looking hot as fuck in that entire episode

Ben knocking out Anthony Cooper with his walking stick is my aesthetic.

Danielle causally poppin by to get some dynamite

“little hot for heaven, isn’t it?” – I would looooove this whole red herring if it weren’t for the “they were dead the whole time”-crowd

God that Anthony Cooper = The OG Mister Sawyer reveal is AMAZING!

“I thought I was special.” – “Well, everyone makes mistakes.”

Yes, James, KILL THAT ASSHOLE!!!

“I’m on my own journey now.”

episode 20 – The Man Behind The Curtain:

My precious Carrie Preston!

Uncle Horace

“Call him Benjamin.”

“You are the man behind the curtain – the wizard of Oz. And you’re a liar.”

Namaste!

Sterling Beaumon was the best casting choice for baby Ben!!!

Mikhail Bakunin still running like the devil’s chasing him (literally, kinda, considering Smokey revived him.)

John: [Ben] and I are going to see Jacob. – Everyone else: Wuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

Ben really has a history of very shitty birthdays.

And this is making me very emotional because it reminds me of the “video of tears and pain” which makes me wanna cry my fucking soul out.

“Kinda hard to celebrate on the day you killed you mom.” Oh fuck off, Roger.

Ben’s Bunny Bag™ back in action

“I don’t wanna go back there. I hate it there.”

The way Richard talks to baby Ben is soooo similar to the way Ben talks to John I’m gonna scream!!!

Okay but this is no kiddon the best episode of this entire show so far. Like… Nothing that happened up until this point compares to this!!!

I FORGOT ABOUT BEN SPEAKING TO AN EMPTY CHAIR!!!!

Still baffles me they thought they could slap some fake hair and make-up on Emerson’s face and make him look like a 20yo – when he was already older than Ben is in our now-timeline… like… was there no 20yo actor with a big nose and bug eyes around?!?!

“Goodbye, Dad!”

“The Dharma Initiative. They came here seeking harmony, but they couldn't even coexist with the Island's original inhabitants. And when it became clear that one side had to go, one side had to be purged, I did what I had to do. I was one of the people that was smart enough to make sure that I didn't end up in that ditch, which makes me considerably smarter than you, John.”

John Locke seriously bringing a knife to a gun fight!

alright kiddos, I am #fucked up now.

episode 21 – Greatest Hits:

How many episodes actually start with someone running through the jungle?

Danielle just showing up to blow something up!

According to Jack this is day 90? So it takes another 18 days for them to actually get off the island at that point?!?! Wow.

Guess that’s the end of bunny #8

episodes 22 & 23 – Through the Looking Glass:

OH MY GOD IT’S THE FIRST FLASH FORWARD!!!

“WE HAVE TO GO BACK, KATE!!!!”

“I’m a dentist. I am not Rambo.” – I love these two so much!!

Can you believe they thought it was a good idea to give Ben round glasses that make his eyes look even bigger than they already are? He looks like straight out of a manga.

There really is a lot of fatphobia in this episode.

It’s taller ghost Walt

ALEX AND DANIELLE MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! WELP!!!

Ben letting himself be tackled and punched by Jack is such a power move. I am 100% convinced he let it happen on purpose because it’s already canon that he can easily knock out friggin Sawyer!!!

NOT PENNY’S BOAT

From Ben’s perspective this is once again John “striding out of that jungle to make my dream come true”

“I don’t wanna shoot you.”

Remember when you watched that finale for the first time and didn’t know all the time it was a flash forward and not a flashback?!?!? And then Kate steps out of that car and you were all like WOOOOAAAAHHHH?!?!?!

Remember when you didn’t know whose funeral they were talking about?!?!?!

That last scene was the first time I found Jack actually likable and relatable!

WE HAVE TO GO BACK!!!

[anne-aerwyna]

Anne ~ Chapter 10

Anne’s Travel Journal - Day 3

Good morning, journal! At least I think it's morning. My body clock is telling me that it is, but it's not easy to tell the actual time from inside of a cave. I didn't realize it last night, because it was dark out, but natural light is almost nonexistent in here. The lamps are the only source of light until you reach the Crossing’s entry room. I slept like a rock, which is probably a side effect of sleeping in a cave. Now that I'm refreshed, I'm can be a lot more observant than I was last night. The walls of this room have lots of scratches and smooth patches in it, meaning that it was probably dug out by a burrowing monster instead of created naturally. I paced the room to measure it; it's about 18 paces long and 15 paces wide. The ceiling is domed and the walls gently curve outwards. The floor is entirely flat, but I guess that's because of Mr. and Mrs. Slater and not because of the original inhabitant. In fact, looking closer, the stone patches in the floor are a different color than the stone that makes up the walls and ceiling. Kinda neat. I'm too hungry to spend any more time in here though; I can smell breakfast from through the air slits and I'm hungrier than a Deviljho. I need to consume.

It turns out that Aptonoth is actually very good eating. Breakfast was steaming Aptonoth steak, some delicious Aptonoth cheese, and fresh brown bread with Nulberry jam. The bread reminded me a lot of Ethan and his mom. I hope they're doing okay. I ate with Dawn and the carriage driver, whose name is Adam. Dawn didn't have much to say so I'm guessing she's not much of a morning person. I'm filing that information away in the Operation Roommate Dawn drawer in my head. Adam had enough to say about today's plans, so we never had any awkward silences. Today's agenda looks like this: we get in the carriage, go down the other side of this mountain range, go through a forest, go up and down some hills, and then arrive at Maerinia. How exciting! We're only a hop, a skip, and a jump away from our goals. I wonder if that's how a Tetsucabra feels when it’s fighting a hunter. We're making a calculated jump, but even a calculated jump can turn into a blind leap if you lose sight of the ground. That means that if I keep my eyes on my goal, my leap towards my dreams won't fail!...maybe that analogy is too complicated. I still need to pack all of my things though, so I will write again after I take care of that.

I'm writing from the carriage now. After I got all of my things together there was no time to write, because Adam knocked on my door to tell me that we were leaving. We said goodbye and thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Slater, got in the carriage, and now we're headed down the mountain on a path that looks about identical to the one that we came up yesterday. There's not much to see or write about, so I'll talk to Dawn instead and come back when there's something interesting happening.

We are officially off of the mountain. It was the most boring part of this trip so far... all we saw was gray rocks and gray boulders and gray gravel. Dawn became a little more talkative as the morning went on. We are in a much more familiar area to both of us now - a forest. We're still riding downwards on a slope, but the slope is gradually becoming flatter as we roll along. It's nice to see birds again, after being stuck in those dull mountains for so long. Dawn brightened up too, and I've already learned the names of at least eight different birds since we entered this forest. We also saw a Mosswine and some Kelbi, which brings back memories of home. Luckily I'm way too excited for what's coming to be homesick. As we travel through the forest I'm getting peeks of sparkling blue through the trees - the ocean is close! I'm excited to feel the breeze on my face and smell the sea air. I would ask Dawn how she feels about the ocean but it looks like she's distracted right now... oh, apparently she saw something in the trees that she wants to investigate. What could it be?

We stopped for a second to check it out, but we're back on the trail again. Dawn claimed that she saw a small Flying Wyvern sneaking between the trees, and when we went to the spot where she saw it we found a fresh footprint! The monster was nowhere to be found, but it's still exciting. The only Flying Wyvern I've ever seen in real life is Seph, and I'm looking forward to seeing all the different body types and hunting styles! Nargacuga has a very different body structure compared to most Flying Wyverns, according to Dawn. Nargacuga has a similar build to the Tigrex, and is very different to Rathalos. I've heard stories of the fearsome Tigrex, with its blue and orange coloring and its habit of reckless charging, but I never really tried to imagine what one looks like! I'm trying to imagine a blue and orange Nargacuga right now, and I can't help laughing when I put that image in my head. I told Dawn what I was thinking about and I got her to smile, which is the most you can really get out of her as far as happiness is concerned. It looks like the trees are thinning out. I think we're near coming up to the edge of the forest! I can see a big blue expanse between the gaps in the trees. I'm going to have to stop writing as we leave the forest to take in the v

It was so breath-taking that I lost track of what I was writing. As soon as we got past the tree line, I saw the most beautiful view I've ever seen. The ocean. In all of its sparkling glory, the ocean stretched away as far as my eyes could see. The beach is still kind of far away, but from the top of this first hill we could see everything. Adam says that Maerinia will come into view soon. The last time my heart was beating this fast I was talking to Max and Aac. That city is the beginning of my new life, and Dawn's too! All we have to do is go down this hill, up and down another, enter the city, and then the next chapter of my life can officially begin! Speaking of these hills though, it's very interestingly populated. There are lots of Aptonoth, like in the fields before the mountain path, but there are also a good number of Jaggi, along with some monsters that look like thicker versions of Jaggi. I'll have to consult with Dawn about those. Because we first saw Jaggi in a rocky, mountainous area, it’s kinda weird seeing Jaggi living in this environment as well. Maybe this could just be their hunting grounds, because I don't see any dens nearby. The Aptonoth are on guard, and I'm not sure that a Jaggi can survive being rammed by that huge horn. I hope we get to watch a hunt.

Dawn says that the thick Jaggi are called Jaggia and that they are the female counterpart to Jaggi. They usually guard nests and dens but for some reason they are out in the field with the Jaggi today. Dawn guesses that they're moving location because they were kicked out by a rival pack. That makes sense to me, but I didn't see any signs of pack battles anywhere when we were on the mountain. The Jaggi are all in formation now, and they're circled around an Aptonoth that looks injured. It can’t walk or run, so it's just lying on the grass with its tail in a defensive position... oh no! The pack is closing in. I think this is the end for that Aptonoth.

It was over quickly. The first Jaggi jumped on the Aptonoths back, and then I had to look away. Something about watching that Aptonoth die didn't sit well with me, even after I said I wanted to watch a hunt. Now all of the Jaggi are happy and full though. It's the cruel circle of life. Adam says that in the next few minutes Maerinia should show up on our left. I can hardly wait! I can tell that Dawn is excited too - instead of reading her book she is looking for the city walls. I think I'll join her.

It's beautiful... absolutely gorgeous. We went over a hill and suddenly the Sapphire Port came into view. I caught my breath when I saw it; the seaside city is a mosaic of both white stone and tan brick houses, with roofs in every shade of blue. The roads are paved in cobbled stone ranging the same colors as the houses themselves. Seagulls float lazily on the breeze from the ocean and soar gently above the city itself, and the air smells like salt and adventure. I'm writing this as we're stopped at the city gates, waiting for entry. I’m sure none of us are carrying anything illegal, so this should be a quick and easy check. They're telling me to put away my journal though, so this paragraph is going to be cut short.

Like I said, a quick and easy check. We got inspected without trouble, and now they’re opening the heavy iron gate. Going through this gate feels like a rebirth. The carriage stop is right next to the main gate, so our ride is just about done. This is a travel journal, and the travel is over, for now, so I have to end this entry now, even though it’s the middle of the day. For now, I'm just excited to be here at my new home, with a new friend and a lot of stuff to get done.

- Anne

[my-dear-hammy]

Falling Through Time: Book 1

Masterpost

Jamilton Series Masterpost

Basking in Candlelight

Part Two:

Deux

----

Warnings: Little bit of blood. Nothing extreme.

----

Jefferson, in Hamilton's opinion, was an insufferable prick. Did Washington have to choose him to be Secretary of State? Couldn't he have just left Jefferson in France? Jefferson was comfortable there, Hamilton was comfortable having never met him. God, why did he have to be the one to put up with him? Everything he does screws up what Hamilton was trying so hard to accomplish. If Jefferson had been in America to partake in the Constitution Convention, who knows what would have happened? Each state being practically their own country? Hardly any central government to tie the states together into a Union? A government so weak it would've fallen apart and the states into squabbling children fighting over every little thing?

Hamilton's quill scratched furiously against the parchment, words flowing effortlessly onto the page. Estimates, plans, figures, debts, it was all there, everything he needed to present to Congress. All he had to do was get it approved and he'd be home free. That is if Jefferson could keep his nose in his own affairs for once. Unlikely.

He straightened the papers proudly. Done. The debt plan was finally complete. Now I'll hand it in, say a few words and be able to move on to the next part.

He sat back with a sigh of contentment, closing his eyes for just a minute of well-deserved rest. That hadn't taken nearly as long as he thought it would. Hamilton expected to have had to pull another all-nighter, tirelessly working away and chugging coffee. Eliza would be happy that he was coming home like a normal person for once. He even had some extra time to kill, it was only, what? Eight? Now would be a good chance to reply to the Marquis de Lafayette's letter and then he could head home with an extra item checked off the list. He usually returned home around midnight and letters took no time at all for him. This would just be real quick.

Sitting forward again, he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment, marking the date and glanced up at the clock to see how just how fast he could actually write a letter.

TWO A.M.?! WHAT!?

He was way late, way way late, nowhere near his usual time to get home. The next few seconds where a scramble to grab papers and documents. Maybe too much of one since he accidentally sent them flying all over the room for the second time that day. Cursing loudly, his voice echoing through the empty halls, he stuffed random pieces into his case and spun on his heel to snatch another piece of the floor. Only to have his foot slip sideways, sending him falling fast toward the hardwood desk, with no way to stop.

CRACK

Pain splintered through his skull and Hamilton slid to the floor, the room spinning around him. His office door creaked open as someone entered. The small part of his mind that was still functional was wondering who could be here at two am other than himself and why they in his office?

"Mm-I'm fine," Hamilton mumbled incoherently, trying to wave the person off but only managing to flail awkwardly.

The person sighed, saying a few words that were lost on Hamilton's fuzzy mind just before he fell unconscious.

***

The candlelight illuminated Jefferson's office dimly. His candles were only nubs, he was either going to have to give up for the night or find more candles. He was thinking more candles. It would be easy to find some all he had to do was waltz down to someone else's office and steal a few. My first choice would be Hamilton's, but he would notice. He's one of the few that actually stay into the night. Everyone else is usually gone before six, not wanting to stick around. Even if they did decide to work late, they'd go home and work in their personal offices where their wives could bring them food and care for them. Jefferson much preferred his work office but that meant he used a lot of candles. It'd be easy to steal any of his co-workers' candles but Hamilton's would be more fun, so what if Hamilton noticed? It'd be a great way to piss him off. Perhaps tomorrow though, Jefferson didn't feel like making the trek down to his office.

He inked out another page before the room started to feel noticeably hot and stuffy. Best way to solve it? Jefferson got up and flung open a window. The night air breezed in, brushing against his face and stirring the curtains slightly. He took in a deep breath of the cool air, listening to the silence of the night and the rustling of the breezing shifting his papers. His office had dropped at least ten degrees, much more comfortable now, lifting the dreariness from Jefferson and sending energy buzzing through him, making it easy to return to his work, leaving the window wide open.

Just as Jefferson sat down and dipped his quill into the ink, he heard muffled swearing rebound down the hallways. Great. Hamilton must've found something else he bitterly disagreed with to cuss out. That was normal. His bet was on that Hamilton discovered Clinton was running for office again. That always irritated him. Jefferson set his quill to the parchment and resumed. Then there was a loud crash, followed by silence.

Jefferson was out of his chair instantly.

Sprinting down the hallways, his long legs stretching and pushing himself forward as fast as possible without causing injury, he was at Hamilton's office within seconds, despite the long distance. He cautiously opened the door, wincing slightly at the loud creak, not wanting a book chucked at his head like that one incident that he and Hamilton had sworn never to talk about. Just thinking about it made Jefferson's body go hot.

He peered inside and saw a scene he hadn't expected. Hamilton sprawled out on the ground, a gash in his head seeping blood, a smeared stain of black ink on the ground, and papers scattered everywhere. Just his luck. Frankly, he'd rather have the book. From the looks of it, Hamilton was picking up papers when he slipped on the ink he apparently never finished cleaning up. What an idiot.

"Mm-I'm fine," Hamilton mumbled, slurring his words.

Jefferson sighed and let himself in. "If that's the case, I'll just return to my work. Bleeding heads are never serious after all," Jefferson said as he walked over and crouched down next to Hamilton. "You're obviously not fine, how many fingers am I holding up?" he asked, waving his hand in front of Hamilton's face. No response. His eyes were still open. Knocked out cold.

"Real smooth Hamilton. What are you still doing here?"

Jefferson was fully aware he was pretty much talking to himself at this point.

"What am I supposed to do with you?"

Jefferson could take him back to his place but that would be kinda awkward. Especially when Hamilton woke up and started throwing things. Plus, Eliza was probably worried sick. Jefferson will just have to take Hamilton home and pray Eliza is still awake.

With another sigh, Jefferson made the long trek back to his office to grab a cloth bandage, some string, a needle, and some alcohol. Upon his return, he knelt down and cleaned up Hamilton's wound, stitching it shut, and bandaged it for him.

Jefferson propped him up and tried to wake him before resigning himself to the inevitable. He glanced around the office real quick and made a quick decision. Jefferson stood and started shoving candles in his pockets before Hamilton and his belongings up and carrying him down to the stables.

Dilemma time. All Jefferson had was a single horse. Hamilton didn't come to work in a carriage either. Jefferson could just sling him over the horse, but that would be uncomfortable and he'd probably bruise.

He'll just walk. Hamilton's place wasn't terribly far. Plus, good exercise.

After a nice jaunt, Jefferson knocked on the door, hoping to God Mrs. Hamilton was still awake.

The door flung open. Praise the Lord.

"Oh, my! What happened?" she asked frantically, waving Jefferson in so he could put him down.

"My fault really. My deepest apologies. He was working diligently when I interrupted him. Let's just say there was some ink spilled and I may have thrown something. Don't worry though, Mrs. Hamilton. He'll be perfectly alright."

Eliza fixed Jefferson with an icy glare as he deposited Hamilton on his bed. "Thank you for bringing home and not leaving him to freeze in his office. However, I must politely ask you to stay away from my husband. He has enough to worry about as it is."

"Of course," Jefferson replied, bowing slightly and excusing himself. He headed for the door but paused, "When he wakes up, don't let him go back to sleep for a while, and then only short naps for a day or so." Sleeping for too long with concussions and head injuries risked the person slipping into a coma. Short naps we're best. The longer the rest, the greater the chance.

With that, Jefferson closed the door gently behind him and returned for his horse.

----

[tokyoteddywolf]

A Blue CatAstrophe Ch.9

*inhales*

YOOOOOO WHO’S READY FOR MORE CAT AU?!??!? Glad to be back! Have an update as an apology for not writing in so long! (My computer was confiscated bc my room was a mess) Anyway, have some Shance!

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

Lance woke up, feeling much better than the day previous, and hummed quietly as he blinked awake, swishing his tail. He still felt a little smaller than before, seeing as his shirt was a bit bigger on his body than its usual slightly loose fit. He was on top of something firm and warm and yet not all that uncomfortable. Not to mention is smelled really freakin' good, like that smell you get from dust after rain mixed with lavender and a really faint undertone of black coffee. He purred and snuggled closer, shutting his eyes again and curling his tail happily and drifted back off. He was really tired for some reason, plus he felt lazy and didn't wanna get back up…

He pouted when he felt his pillow move… wait. Pillows aren't supposed to move. “Uh, Lance? I need to get up...” His ears flicked up and he lifted his head to stare into familiar dark gray eyes. Oh. Oh. Well shit. Lance felt his face heat up and he scrambled to get off of Shiro's chest, falling onto the floor with a startled yelp. “Oh quiznak Shiro I'm so sorry!” He squeaked, curling up to hide his bright crimson cheeks.

Shiro sat up and slid out of the bed, controlling his blush better than Lance thankfully. “Um, it's alright. You got pretty upset last night when I tried to leave you in your room, so I guess I just accidentally fell asleep trying to calm you down… Sorry about that. I'm uh, gonna go get breakfast. I'll see you later?” He phrased it as a question, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. Lance squeaked an affirmative from the ground, and Shiro nodded before walking out of the room.

As soon as Shiro was halfway down the hall he let the blush spread over his face and let out a long, deep exhale, trying to remember how breathing worked.

Lance uncurled from his position on the floor and decided to get dressed, and stood up on shaky legs, tail swaying to balance him out. “Oh my God that was so embarrassing!” He whined to himself as he sorted through his shirts before ultimately deciding 'Fuck it' and pulled on some sweatpants, but not before tearing a hole for his tail in the back. Though, for Altean sweatpants, the fabric sure was flimsy… or his claws were sharper than he first thought. Huffing, he stalked out of his room and paused, sniffing the air and allowing the smell of sunflowers, apples and nutmeg to lead him to where Pidge, Keith and Hunk were chatting in the common room, something about improving Red's flamethrower.

“Hey guys! What are you talking about out here?” He asked, tail swishing as he plopped down next to the source of the sunflower smell, Hunk. Lance yawned. “Man, have you guys always smelled like this?” He asked, tilting his head at the Yellow Paladin. “What do you mean? Is it a bad smell? I just showered this morning!” Hunk yelped, suddenly horrified. Lance laughed. “No, man, I mean right now you smell like sunflowers and that warm, earthy smell you get in the springtime, and snickerdoodles or sugar cookies of some sort. It's actually really nice.” He reassured his large pal, who relaxed.

Pidge tilted her head at him. “Wait, what do I smell like? Also, what's up with your voice? It's all… weird? You aren't using your L's right. Wait, is it because you have cat vocals?!?” Her eyes gleamed. Lance shrugged. “Well you, ya little gremlin, smell like fresh cut grass and kinda floral, as well as machine grease and cotton and that smell you get just before lightning hits, you know, that crackly almost spicy smell? That. Oh, yeah, and nutmeg too.” he listed off, and even Keith looked intrigued.

“And before you ask, Mullet-Man, you smell like campfire smoke and sunlight mixed with cinnamon and apples. Oh, and a touch of caramel for some reason.” He beamed proudly, but blanched when Keith smirked. “What about Shiro?” The Red Paladin asked, and Pidge and Hunk backed him up with matching smirks. “Oh, uh, well,-” He stammered, not noticing Shiro, Allura and Coran in the doorway behind him. “He smells like dust after a rainstorm, and lavender and black coffee with vanilla… also kinda warm, like just how warmth smells? It's a little hard to describe...” The Blue Paladin fidgeted in place, ears swiveling as Allura entered the room.

“How interesting. Did you recently learn this, because of your part feline nose?” Lance jerked to look over at the princess. “Oh my god Arrura you startled me!” he mewled, hair fluffed up and tail lashing in agitation. Allura raised an eyebrow. “Is something wrong with your voice, Lance?” True, Lance wasn't using L's like he should have, instead replacing them with rolled R's.

“That's what I said!” Pidge yelped, throwing up her arms in exasperation. Lance snickered at her reaction, while Coran and Allura shared a look. Shiro, meanwhile, had way too many thoughts going through his head, and coughed into his fist to get everyone's attention. “Well, I'm glad we're all in one place, because we just got a transmission from the Olkari and The Blade Of Marmora. A meeting has been called to discuss the matter of some major Galran outposts that have been causing trouble recently.” The Leader of Voltron stated, eyes lingering on the way Lance's cat ears swiveled to catch his words.

Allura motioned them all to the main control room, and pulled up the star map once everyone was inside. “We've agreed to meet on an uninhabited planet a few galaxies away, to discuss a plan of action to take down these outposts. Lance, you don't have to come if you don't feel up to it.” The Altean Princess said kindly, nodding to indicate Lance's… condition. Before Lance could speak up, Pidge jumped in. “Wait, the Olkari are gonna be there too? They have that connection with nature thing! Maybe they can help us with a cure for Lance!” The Green Paladin explained, eyes sparkling. “Since it was a plant that made Lance this way, maybe they have a way to reverse engineer the process further and leave Lance completely human again!”

Lance's eyes widened. True, being a cat had been weird, and his current state wasn't really what he'd like to be, but he did have to admit that being part cat was kinda cool. Vaguely he wondered if Keith felt like this, being half Galra. He nodded to Allura, grinning. “I'm up for a flight anytime! I kinda missed flying Blue.” He admitted with a shrug, and felt Blue purr in agreement in the back of his mind. Shiro nodded. “Right. Once we've wormholed to the location, suit up and head out in your Lions.” He said, taking his seat as Allura prepared the teladuv.

Lance flattened his ears back and gripped the seat as the jump was made, tail lashing since for some reason he felt really thrown off balance, like when you were on that spinny carnival ride that used gravity and force to spin you around. Tilt-A-Whirl, he remembered, and let out a discontented murraowing noise as the ship stabalized and he could get his equilibrium back. Apparently having sensitive cat ears meant you were more sensitive to wormhole jumps. “Alright, we're heading into orbit now! Paladins, to your Lions!” Allura commanded, and Lance jumped out of his seat, nearly vibrating with excitement at the thought of flying again, pushing down the sudden dizziness from getting up too fast and tugging on his armor before he paused. His tail! It was going to be squished and cramped in the suit!

Lucky him, he had almost forgotten that the suits adjusted to the wearer, and suddenly there was a hole in the suit for his tail to squeeze through, the edges of the suit sealing off comfortably around the base. He swished his tail experimentally for a moment before deciding he felt comfortable and jumped onto his zipline. Blue was purring with so much anticipation that he could have sworn she was actually vibrating.

He slid into the pilot seat, a little startled that the cockpit was sparkling clean and blood free. Blue hummed and sent him an image of Pidge and Shiro cleaning up all the dried stains, Shiro looking pale and more than a little exhausted, while Pidge had a grim determination set on her face as she scrubbed.

“When we get Lance back, the first thing he'd do is probably berate us for not taking care of Blue in his absence.” Pidge murmured, wringing out a towel. Shiro chuckled wryly and nodded. “Honestly, I wouldn't care if he flirted with Allura, at least we'd hear his voice again and know he's safe.” The older man sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Pidge smiled. “Yeah, but you know? He wouldn't just tell us off for not keeping Blue clean, he'd probably scold you for not getting enough rest, and pull Keith out of the training room for some fresh air and tend to his bruises while clicking his tongue like an exasperated mother with a troublesome child. He'd pull Hunk from the kitchen and yell something about having a bro spa day, and he'd drag me from my computer to join because I'm his friend and we were the original Garrison Trio, and he'd tell jokes and make us laugh… He'd rope Coran into spilling some stories from Altea, and have Allura listen in too, maybe braid her hair? We'd all get pulled into story time, and he'll flail his arms as he talks about some silly story involving his family, and just make us all feel better.”

Pidge sniffled and rubbed her sleeve across her face. Shiro moved over to put a hand on her shoulder. “We'll find him, Pidge. I promise.”

Lance came out of the vision when the Hangar door began opening, an alarm warning the Castle that the Lions were ready to fly. Shaking his head, he slid on his helmet, flattening his ears down to fit underneath comfortably, and ran his hands over the controls while Blue purred excitedly. “Ready to fly again, Beautiful?” he teased, already knowing the answer as he started her engine and his gorgeous girl roared to life quite literally, standing on all fours and her rockets flaring to life.

“Right, meet you guys on planet! Bet I'll get there first Keith!” He yelled into the comms as he gunned the engine, Blue flying out into the atmosphere of the planet. “Oh no you won't!” Keith shot right back, Red flying into view as Lance laughed as Blue's joy at being able to fly again filled him, God how he had missed this. “Alright you two, stay close. We only just got you back Lance, so no wandering off!” Shiro scolded lightly, rolling his eyes at the sarcastic “Yes sir!” he got in response from the Red and Blue Paladins.

Keith slowed down a little, while Lance grinned and had Blue loop around the Red Lion playfully, tapping her head with a paw before dashing off, yelling “Tag! You're it!” as he flew off to the sound of Keith's sputtering and growl of challenge. The Blade of Marmora weren't there yet anyway, and the Olkari were barely entering the galaxy, so what's a little harm in playing? Blue dodged all of Red's attempts to tag her back, and actually shot behind the Green Lion to avoid the collision course. Red smacked into Green and Blue dodged out of the way, Lance giggling like crazy. “Pidge is it now!” He voiced cheerfully, and could practically feel Pidge smirking. “Oh it is on!” The girl cried, immediately turning on Hunk and Yellow. “Pidge, no, do not drag me into this. Pidge! No!” Hunk pleaded, but the Green Paladin had no mercy for her teammate and slammed into the slower Lion, laughing wickedly as she flew off. “Hunk's it! Hunk's it!” Lance cheered, absolutely beside himself with amusement.

Hunk groaned, before doing a sudden barrel roll and smacking into the Black Lion. “Sorry Shiro! Your turn to be it!” Hunk yelped as he sped off. Shiro chuckled and rolled his shoulders. “Okay, I'm game for this. Get ready to lose!” He said, Black growling in playful challenge. He immediately took off after the Lion closest to him, Lance, who yowled and sped off to hide behind Hunk.

Allura and Coran watched the Paladins playing around with fond amusement, glad that at least some of the stress of the past week was being alleviated now that Lance was back.

He really was more important to the team than he realized.

//ending this chapter here! Next up, The Blade Of Marmora, and irritating Olkari scientist, a new Second-In-Command for Kolivan, and Jealous Overprotective Shiro! See ya next chapter my dudes!  ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ