#Stale Donuts AU

[m0ssycobblestone]

MORE STALE DONUTS DOODLES!!!!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Code of Conduct 5

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as cheating, noncon/dubcon, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: your boss has a difficult time keeping his personal life from bleeding into his work. 

Characters: Steve Rogers, this reader is known as Rosie.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself💜

💼Part of the Bad Bosses AU💼

Mr. Rogers leaves without saying a word. His face is pale as his hand opens and closes in a fist at his side and he strides past your desk. You watch after him, thinking for a moment that you should follow. No, he has to sort this out on his own. You’ve already done too much. 

You go through his calendar and cancel his only other meeting. You don’t think that’s going to happen.  

It’s strange sitting there alone. Mr. Rogers comes and goes often but not know when he’ll be back puts you on edge. An hour passes then another. You spend your lunch outside in the sunshine then come back in to the stale office air. 

Your phone rings and you answer. You’re surprised when Rogers’ voice comes from the speaker. You expected it to be Dizzie for some reason. She’s been awfully quiet today. 

“She changed the locks,” he croaks. 

There’s static on the line and thrum that’s so loud it nearly drowns him out. 

“Sir?” You sit up straight. 

“Peggy. She locked me out. I don’t... I don’t know what to do. I’ve just been sitting here in my car...” his voice is a dull murmur. 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rogers. Is that—can she do that? Can you call your lawyer? The police?” 

“Police told me to call the lawyer. Lawyer says it’s gonna take a while so... yeah.” 

“I’m so so sorry,” you touch your cheek. “I can’t even imagine... that’s horrible.” 

“Yeah, I mean, who would leave you, Rosie? No, that’d be crazy.” He sniffles, “guess I deserve this. I worked so much, all so I could give her the life she wanted but it turns out I worked just enough to drive her away.” 

“Sir,” you utter. 

“Guess I could go to a hotel. I mean, might as well spend the money before I have alimony to pay,” he laughs crisply. “Bucky’s not picking up. I thought maybe I could stay there but... just because my life is falling apart doesn’t mean he needs to pick up the pieces.” 

He sounds so broken it makes your heart rend. Something about his cadence also worries you. He doesn’t sound healthy. 

“Sir, where are you?”  

You realise then what that noise is. Water. 

“By the bridge. The water looks cold.” 

You swallow and stand up. “I’ll come to you, alright?” 

“Rosie? Why...” 

“Just, it’s okay, sir, I’ll be there. Is that Collingswood Bridge? I love the flowers there.” 

“Yeah, that’s the one,” he answers. 

“Alright, I’m on my way okay, so let’s stay on the phone.” 

“Rosie, why do you sound so upset?” 

“I’m not upset. I just think you need a friend so I’m coming. Did you want me to message Mr. Barnes as well.” 

“I told you, he’s too busy for me,” he mopes. 

“But just in case--” 

“Oh, woah!” He exclaims. 

“Sir, what--” 

“Nothing, nothing, I just... this bridge is so high up.” 

You tamp down your worry and take a breath, “sir, I canceled your meetings. Oh, did I tell you, they’re opening a new donut place downstairs too! I know your favourite is the one with the sprinkles.” 

“You remember,” he says softly.  

“Of course, sir,” you assure him. 

You keep chattering about nothing in particular as you swipe up your bag and race out of the office. You try not let him hear you panting as you rush down to catch a cab. You mute the phone to tell the driver to head to the bridge then get back on the line. 

The conversation rolls on as you don’t let Rogers stop talking. You get out with a hasty thanks and tip to the driver. You rush down the bridge without looking ahead and only after you’re halfway down do you see your boss sitting on the railing. Holy moly. 

You slow and walk up to him slowly, letting out quiet mhm’s and uh huhs and you grab onto his forearm. He flinches and you tug on him. You won’t be able to stop him from going over if he slips but you didn’t want to just call out to him and give him a warning. 

“Rose!” He looks at you and lowers his phone. “How’d you get here?” 

“Mr. Rogers, please, will you get off the railing?” You ask softly. 

He stares at you then looks out at the water. He laughs and turns to hang his legs over the inside of the bridge. “Sure, Rosie. Were you worried?” 

“I just wanna make sure you’re okay, sir,” you cling to him until he’s on his feet. He glances down at you grip and you finally let go. 

“I’m good. I’m great, now that you’re here. Did you find me a room yet?” He asks. 

You wince. You’ve been on the phone this whole time. When does he think you did that? 

“Are you okay?” You ask. 

“Of course, of course,” his eyes are red from tears, his cheeks pallid and streaked. 

“Um, I’m sorry, everything’s booked up,” you say, “how about you come to my place? You can stay on my couch. Just for tonight.” 

“Really?” His brow wrinkles, “you’d do that for me?” 

“Uh, yeah,” you answer. You don’t think leaving him alone right now would be smart. Nor could you forgive yourself if anything happened. “It’s fine. My place is just a bit small.” 

“Mm, I don’t mind,” he smiles and pushes his shoulders up in a shiver as a breeze blows across the water. “It’s cold out here.” 

“It is, sir,” you agree. “Where did you park?” 

[cheesycatz]

Spamton before he met the addisons (Wormton AU)

(close ups and context beneath the cut)

The only other member of his species that he's ever met gets brutally murdered by an antivirus lmao

Top left: Spamton stealing a jacket from a very confused addison in order to make his disguise

Top middle: Hatchling Spamton attempting to learn how to speak using a radio

Top right: Spamton trying out the mask that he eventually uses for his disguise

Bottom left: Spamton looking at his reflection in a puddle

Bottom right: An addison child notices Spamton in the school vent and thinks he's a giant rat. Look, he's gotta learn how to read and write somehow, and invasive predatory worms aren't exactly allowed in the school system, so venting it is. Besides, who's gonna believe the 7 year old kid that there's a "giant rat wearing colorful sunglasses" living in the vents?

Top: Hatchling Spamton gets stuck in a mousetrap, and a kind maus helps him escape.

Bottom: Spamton is starving and desperate, and immediately tries to kill the maus that just helped him out of the mousetrap

Spamton and a tasque hissing at each other. Fortunately, Spamton's large enough that he doesn't have to worry about tasques trying to eat him anymore

Top left: Spamton eating a stale donut I guess

Top right: Spamton snacking on some fast food french fries that someone dropped

Middle: Hatchling Spamton getting attacked with a broom by a disgruntled store owner

Bottom: To the right, hatchling Spamton finds a flower-shaped button in the trash. He likes how shiny it is. To the left, adult Spamton puts the button onto the jacket for his disguise

[ajgrey9647]

details about OC list ask:

Drakkon's Perfect World AU:

"Tommy": 🥯 BAGEL — what does their typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast? 🚫 PROHIBITED — do they drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events? 🔶 LARGE ORANGE DIAMOND — does they know cpr? do they have any other medical expertise? 💜 PURPLE HEART — what is their ancestry/genetic background? 🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — does they get sick easily?

What does their typical breakfast look like? Do they usually eat breakfast?

As a neglected child, Tommy often went hungry or would be provided the bare minimum when it came to nutrition. Burnt toast with a spackle of slightly souring butter, dry stale cereal with no milk, etc. Unless he physically couldn’t take the hunger, he just wouldn’t eat. Better to hurry up and get out of the house before any fireworks started.

As Lord Drakkon, once he was in power, he insisted on lavish meals with expensive cuisine… a deserved penance for what he endured before, one of many to be sure. Exotic eggs cooked in a variety of ways, crisp cuts of bacon, fruits and jams, fluffy biscuits, pastries…. Anything and everything as he can be quite finicky.

During his second chance teenage years as a beloved superhero in his ‘perfect’ universe, ‘Tommy’ does eat a decent breakfast when he visits with his new ‘parents’, Zordon and Rita. It’s what he imagines a ‘normal teenager’ would consume as he tries to lessen his snobby tastes in the pursuit of living the life he felt he should have had. Cereal, waffles, French toast, scrambled eggs, donuts…

Do they smoke/drink? Do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

His first ‘go-round’, Tommy did indulge in alcohol on occasion, pilfered from his drunken excuse for a ‘dad’. He would regularly swipe a bottle or two without notice due to Mr. Oliver’s intoxication and the sheer volume of booze. He would use the alcohol to curry favor with other teens, to fit in a little bit and get other things he wanted. Tommy was inherently a loner, but it was advantageous to have others in your pocket.

He smoked joints when the mood struck him, not regular tobacco cigarettes. One of the selling points of weed and booze, was it had a calming effect, a ‘dulling’ of his obsessive need for control over every-fucking-thing, without completely zonking him out. Stimulants only made his nutty compulsions worse, hyped him up like an idiot with a jetpack; he learned to avoid that particular habit. Other drugs had the potential to knock him out too much and leave him vulnerable, another huge no-no for Tommy after everything he’d been through in the foster system and in his current hellhole. He’d gotten wasted accidently several times on booze but only because he was learning where the line in the sand was located.

Lord Drakkon would sip expensive, rich wines with his meals in the beginning of his reign. Mostly for sheer indulgence, because he COULD enjoy the finer things in life no matter the cost. He was particular about overconsuming because with this much power and infamy, he could not afford to be intoxicated and vulnerable to his enemies. He could ‘affect’ a state of inebriation, playing possum to lure a foe into a false sense of security, but he ALWAYS had his wits about him. In later years in the palace, Drakkon would partake in alcohol and weed once more, to take the edge off, to relax, but only with Red…and Skull that one time he chanced upon their little ‘movie night.’

In Utopia, ‘Tommy’ doesn’t drink or smoke; he has no need to here because everything in his life is perfect. He doesn’t need to self-medicate, or distract, or kiss-ass. To his mind, the idealized image of what his teenage life should have been as far as being a perfect, beloved superhero…those things were a no-no. It went against the ‘rules’ of herohood, what he believed was the norm for a ‘good’ guy.

Do they know CPR? Do they have any other medical expertise?

The original Tommy had heard of CPR, but he didn’t really pay attention to the details. Most people in his life deserved to suffer and die in his opinion, and he wasn’t about to interfere with their demise if was occurring in front of him. Other times, he just didn’t give a flying fuck… That was life. He did collect quit the knowledge on psychiatric conditions from his many failed evaluations and assessments with every shrink and quack (as Mr. Oliver called them) in the phone book. Reading about the different diagnoses being attributed to him was interesting and he learned to ‘affect’ other habits and behaviors to fuck with providers or to utilize to his advantage in other ways. And learning about all the lovely antipsychotics and sedatives didn’t hurt one bit either.

Lord Drakkon and CPR was much the same; there was no one worth a fuck to save with the caveat of someone like the Coinless Jason Scott, wherein he wanted to keep them alive to prolong suffering. No sweet mercy of fading off into death if he could help it! That type of medical ‘knowledge’ came from experience, trial and error with his other hapless victims. If they lived, cool, they had more pain in their future. If not, oh well. Plenty more to play with.

Jason was the only exception to all of it, leading Finster-5 to having to upload an extensive array of information on human anatomy and physiology and medical interventions and procedures.

‘Tommy’ has all this information, both psychological and medical, but it’s on the backburner since he’s a teen again. Sure, he can be manipulative if needed, calling upon his knowledge in that regard. And in his world, he always saves the day… that’s why it’s his utopia. Nothing bad can happen unless he desires it. Except for those bizarre ghostly beasts.

What is their ancestry/genetic background?

‘Tommy’/Drakkon was adopted and didn’t know his birth parents or where they came from. He can gauge somewhat from his physical features what he believes his ancestry MIGHT be (Native American). But his adoption and subsequent treatment, the insults about being ‘thrown out’, he has no love for his real parents and therefore lacks any compassion or empathy for what they might have faced from any social or medical inequalities. None of that occurs to him from how much he was hammered with the comments of being ‘unwanted’, a ‘problem’, an ‘accident’, a ‘mistake,’… only his rage was fed.

Do they get sick easily?

In Utopia, ‘Tommy’ doesn’t have to worry about illness of any type (besides the mental shit he carted over with him). As he did as Lord Drakkon, he has two power coins and access to Ranger healing so they both are healthy as horses.

Tommy the original design could get sick, but he’d never admit to feeling ill unless he was on death’s doorstop. It wasn’t like many people gave a fuck…

[themculibrary]

Missing Scenes Masterlist

Links Last Checked: May 11th, 2024

part two

A Short Interlude (ao3) - daisherz365 scott/wanda T, 2k

Summary: During their downtime during the battles between the Avengers Scott shares his sacred 80s mix with Wanda. It isn't the only thing he shares with her much to the amusement of the rest of Team Cap.

Better Angels (ao3) - sabrecmc steve/tony E, 8k

Summary: Chris Evans mentioned in an interview (jokingly, unfortunately) that there was a deleted scene from Civil War with him and RDJ showering together.

Welp. Headcanon accepted.

Billionaire's cake (ao3) - everythingispoetry phil/tony G, 16k

Summary: The first time Phil gets to eat something baked by Tony, it's purely accidental. The other times - not so much. Or: a story about a relationship that starts with donuts and doesn't end because of donuts.

Cap's Reinforcements (ao3) - rockmusicplays G, 2k

Summary: Clint rounds up the rest of Team Cap. Missing scene between the Avengers' compound and the airport meet-up.

course-correct without a map (ao3) - stark2ash G, 1k

Summary: This was his favorite hymn, the son next to Sam whispers, and Sam smiles sadly and nods like it’s an old memory rather than new information, and Bucky sits there in his black tie and jacket and tries to feel like he’s not crumbling back into dust.

(the six months between Endgame and Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

Dibs Not (ao3) - aloneintherain G, 1k

Summary: Inspired by anon: 'AU where the airport fight ends in a minor debate over who has to take Peter home b/c he's literally too young to fly unaccompanied without fuckloads of paperwork.'

Hold On Let Go (ao3) - gracerene steve/tony E, 2k

Summary: The barn smells of stale hay, and some kind of warm wood, and Tony knows that most people would find the scent comforting, but it just makes his skin prickle.

I’m Not Your Babysitter (ao3) - Mrs_N_Uzumaki G, 1k

Summary: “I can’t take this anymore, Tony.” The end of the rope that was Happy’s already little patience has been reached. “I am an asset manager, not a babysitter.”

(A “missing scene” in Homecoming.)

It'll All Come out in the Wash-ington (ao3) - AnonEhouse G, 1k

Summary: What if Tony had talked to Rogers right after SHIELD fell (was pushed), when Rogers was in the hospital and dopey enough to let down his guard and talk freely.

What if Tony got more than a hint of things to come?

Let’s Hear It For Captain America! (ao3) - Magnetism_bind steve/bucky E, 5k

Summary: A missing scene from Captain America: The First Avenger

On Your Right (ao3) - thingswithwings steve/sam T, 5k

Summary: Sam puts the Trouble Man soundtrack on repeat, like a talisman at first, when he thinks that Steve might die. The doctors are grim and serious, claiming that they did what they could for him, removing the bullets and stitching his insides back together. A few hours later, the doctors' faces get less grim, more confused, and a few hours after that, they're throwing their arms up in the air in frustration and grinning with triumph at the same time, because apparently the Super Soldier Serum is worth more than just the fastest mile in human history.

Sam spends that time beside Steve, in the position he's gotten used to after only a couple of days: on his right, waiting to see where he'll run next, ready to get his back.

Overseas Teambuilding Strategies (ao3) - OnMyShore T, 3k

Summary: "We’re three international fugitives, on foreign soil, with a whole lot of enemies and a clown car full of stolen tactical gear."

Or: The one where Steve, Bucky and Sam travel through Germany in a Volkswagen and bicker over who gets to join their team.

Self-Sustained Quantum Superposition (ao3) - rednihilist T, 1k

Summary: Character study masquerading as filler between Siberia & Raft-rescue.

Sympathetic Monsters (ao3) - miss_aphelion N/R, 3k

Summary: Tony doesn’t know what it is to be unmade. He still thinks that Bucky Barnes had a choice. Natasha tries to explain it to him, but Tony doesn’t want to care.

But when it comes to the things that really matter, he rarely gets what he wants.

(Civil War Missing Scene: Tony learns the truth about the Winter Soldier)

Three Men in a VW (ao3) - Brokenpitchpipe steve/bucky T, 3k

Summary: Steve steps back into the car and closes the door, lips still tingling.

“You don’t like blondes,” Bucky says.

Sam chokes.

turn your back on mother nature (ao3) - apocalyvse druig/makkari T, 10k

Summary: the drukkari scenes that were missing from the movie.

What Comes After (ao3) - Shadith G, 4k

Summary: Sam Wilson is the baby of the family. Everyone agrees, even his baby sister.

What do you call a guy who shrinks? (ao3) - Laimelde G, 1k

Summary: Missing scene fic from the end of Civil War. Set just after Steve & Bucky rescuing everyone from the Raft..

For Scott, working with ants was an everyday occurrence, but he sort of forgot that the Avengers didn't know about it. It just hadn't come up during the fight at Leipzig airport, y'know?

[marypsue]

Fic ask but 🥺🤩and 🤲! Or ⛔️

[from this meme]

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

What I like to call "the thirteen-o'clock moment", after the climactic scene in Jim Henson's Labyrinth, when a character finally understands, after a long and arduous journey (through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered), that all that they need, they have. These are the story moments I live for.

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

This is a cruel and unusual question to ask of me, a person who collects favourite fictional characters like pogs.

I gotta say, though, I have never had quite as much fun writing a fictional character as I've had writing Bill Cipher. He's just so gleefully, audaciously, bad-joke-fully awful.

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Have a sample from the Stranger Things ageswap AU that I swear was written before season four was even announced:

...

Mike’s dad is waiting in the parking lot with the Beemer when Mike gets out of class. It kind of puts a crimp in his halfassed plan to try to catch Will before he heads home, but it also gives Mike an excuse not to hang around with Max and Lucas, so he can’t be too mad about it.

“Call me if you hear from Dustin, okay?” he says, to Lucas, as they step out of the stale hallways of Hawkins High and into the crisp November air.

“Yeah. Same to you,” Lucas says, giving a halfhearted wave as Mike jogs across the concrete and asphalt to his dad’s car.

Karen’s sitting shotgun. She flashes Mike a smug grin, and jabs her thumb back over her shoulder at the backseat. Mike rolls his eyes, but he goes around to the back door.

There’s a huge platter of deli meat and cheese back there, and another one full of veggies with a little carton of dip in the middle, along with a full box of donuts. Mike stacks the meat on the veg and pushes the donuts out of the way so he can sit. “What is this? Are we catering a PTA meeting?”

His dad frowns into the rearview mirror. “Sorry, forgot about your project. I can drop you at the library once we’re done. I just thought we could take some food out to the Byers’, let them know we’re thinking of them.”

“Food?” Mike gives the deli platters another look. “I think usually people give casseroles.”

“You know Dad’s been banned from the kitchen since the Thanksgiving incident,” Karen pipes up, and their dad rolls his eyes.

“Was that Lucas I saw?” he asks, obviously changing the subject. Mike groans, letting his head flop back against the headrest. His dad leans past Karen, waving at Lucas like a huge dork. Mike squeezes his eyes shut so he doesn’t have to see the look Lucas must be giving them.

“Who’s that girl with him?” Mike’s dad sounds a little too deliberately casual as he asks, “New girlfriend?”

Mike groans again. “Dad. Can we just go?”

His dad sighs, but he finally puts the car into gear.

“Where’s Carol?” Mike asks, as they head south through town.

His dad’s eyes flick up to meet his in the rearview, but it’s Karen who answers, with just a hint of sarcasm. “Too busy working.”

“Well, her job is so important. Those old ladies’ hair isn’t going to cut itself,” Mike agrees, and Karen snorts. Their dad lets out another long-suffering sigh.

“Would you two cut Carol some slack? I know you love your mom, but you don’t have to pick sides.”

“Who’s picking sides?” Mike asks, and Karen nods. Mike wonders if she’s just agreeing with what he’s saying, or if she knows what he means. He’s not picking on Carol to defend his mom. His mom’s let him down way more than Carol ever could. At least he doesn’t expect anything from Carol.

If they’ve got to pick sides, Mike’s picking his own first. Every time.

The Byers’ house even looks sad, all small and dark and shabby, with its porch roof hanging low over the front door. Mike stands awkwardly in its shadow, trying not to let the top tray go sliding off the bottom one, trying not to knock them both all over his sneakers, as his dad knocks.

“Shit,” Mike’s dad mutters, glancing back at Mike and Karen. “Should’ve got buns too -”

The door flies open. Joyce’s dad always kind of looks like he’s glaring, but Mike thinks this glare is more surprised than unhappy. “Steve?”

Mike’s dad spins back to face the door, like he’s just as surprised by Joyce’s dad as Joyce’s dad is by them, even though he’d been the one who drove out to the Byers’ house and knocked on their door. “Jonathan! Uh, hi.” He gestures lamely behind him, at Mike and Karen. “We brought food?” He makes it sound like a question.

Joyce’s dad looks around between the three of them like he really can’t believe his eyes. “Food,” he repeats. And then, offhand, “Hi, Karen.”

Karen raises the hand not holding the box of donuts in a half-wave.

“Figured you’d have enough casseroles,” Mike’s dad says, getting a little of his composure back. “Look, man, I’m – we’re all really sorry. I hope she’s okay.”

Joyce’s dad’s expression softens.

“Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, I do too. You – wanna come in?”

Mike’s only been inside the Byers’ house once or twice, picking Karen up or dropping Joyce off. He doesn’t know the way to the kitchen. Luckily, Karen marches in like she owns the place, and all Mike has to do is follow her.

They’re trying to figure out how to fit the deli platters into the fridge with the margarine tubs full of leftovers and the jug of milk when Will walks in. “I heard the door. My dad said you were in here,” he says, and then beams at Karen. “Hi, Karen.”

Karen beams right back. “Hey. Finish that dragon painting yet?”

“It’s still in progress. I haven’t figured out how to get the scales to glint gold just right yet.” Will raises a hand to rub the back of his neck, his eyes flicking up to meet Mike’s as he says, “Want to check it out? It’s in my room, down the hall. If you figure out what it’s missing, let me know.”

Karen gives him a double thumbs up, and dashes out of the kitchen. She’s back in a second though, poking her head around the doorway to say, “Make sure you get one of those donuts before your dad eats them all,” and then she’s gone again.

“You paint,” Mike says, in the silence Karen leaves behind her. It’s stupid. He knows this isn’t what Will wanted to be alone to talk to him about.

The look Will gives him is wary. “Yeah.”

“Cool. That’s cool,” Mike says, aware that he sounds like a total braindead idiot. But Will smiles, a little, so he figures it’s probably okay.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, definitely. I mean, I paint like my dad cooks. And my dad’s cooking is why you guys got the deli special.”

Will lets out a bright, surprised laugh. It’s surprisingly nice to listen to. He casts a guilty glance back over his shoulder, towards the living room where their parents are still talking, but the smile doesn’t totally leave his face.

It starts to slip when he turns back to Mike, though. “That girl -”

“Gone when I got back this morning.” Mike shakes his head. “I left some food and a change of clothes. In case she comes back.”

“Good idea,” Will says. “Are you going to go check?” He takes in Mike’s look of confusion, and explains, “If she came back.”

Mike hadn’t thought about it.

“Later,” he says. “My dad’s on some kind of parenting kick. And -” He stops before he mentions Dustin. After all, it’s not like Dustin’s missing. Mike just…doesn’t know where he is right now.

Will nods anyway, though, like it makes sense.

“After dinner?” he asks.

“Nine?”

“Nine,” Will agrees. “Meet you there.”

And then the conversation grinds to a creaking halt. More to save himself and Will from standing around blinking at each other in awkward silence than anything, Mike says, “So…dragons?”

[chickenpeep77]

Griim

Furry humanoids with stripes! Some have more grayish blue fur. Also comes in a red variety. Each one has a unique stripe pattern. Home world is implied to be some version of Earth. Have slightly more advanced tech than us. Some guy was this cyborg mech suit thing. Mind control tech is a thing. And also killer war robots. Maybe have colonized other planets in the system. Or maybe the space pirates they are having trouble with are some other species taking advantage of the Griim's recent nuclear war devastation. We don't know. Also I found this:

A wolf like creature with vestigial limbs. Presumably there are also species with fully functional wings still.

Also remember a creature from a nearby gas giant. It looks something like a dandelion seed. Not sure which way is up. Could be tendrils supported by a floaty balloon. Could be a blob creature supported by a dandelion fluff like structure.

Dream summary: Dream is mean to me and makes me appear on the dang school bus again. No transition. I'm just suddenly there. I'm playing as my Marx(Kirby au). A couple of random side characters were also there. And for some reason this bus is plunging into a gas giant. Marx yelled at these poor strangers to "get in the hat now! Don't touch any of my stuff!" And shoved them into the hat space pocket dimension without waiting for an answer. Got out of the bus before it got crushed by the pressure. Gas giant had life. Neat. Too busy to pay that much attention to them. Flew out of gas giant. Searched for a habitable planet. Lmao the dream just put up some Spore space stage graphics. The other day irl I decided Marx should have scanning equipment in his hat space. Started using that in dream to test for breathable atmosphere. Landed. Saw the blue stripey people. Was in some destroyed food store searching for snacks because they were going through some nuclear post apocalypse or something. Carefully inspected a piece of sour candy for bio compatibility(scanned it and gave a few sniffs). Ran with stripey guys from big war robot that wasn't aware the war had ended. Shaped like a trapezoidal prism with three or four pairs of thick tube legs that were hollow and filled with blades. Robot was maybe around big horse sized. Later saw the red stripey people. Apparently from this Earth's equivalent of Mexico? Or that was where we were currently? Leader was some cyborg mech suit guy. There was no evidence that the blue and red guys are on opposing sides. Apparently there was some space pirate activity they were concerned about. There was no reason to activate mind control tech. Would have offered to help if asked. Paranoid freaks. Guys like this on every Earth it seems like. Like heck off I'm not going to destroy cities or whatever. I(Marx) just want to eat stale donuts from the dumpster behind the bakery.

Dream also tormented me by having the side characters I was in charge of repeatedly walking toward one of those large hidden predatory holes in the ground that are a strangely reoccurring hazard in dreams. Lucky for them Marx wing tentacles are useful for grabbing falling idiots. Dang hyper empathy they're not real I have better things to do.

[thesugarclubs-blog]

The Boardwalk - AU Bucky Barnes x OC

warnings: harassment, manipulation, blood kinks, biting, smut, Minors DNI

word count: 8k

WP: https://www.wattpad.com/1261295566-the-boardwalk-zoe

Note: This is a vampire AU Bucky Barnes; please keep that in mind as you proceed

Masterlist

Romanian translations: "Numai că mi-aș dori să gust din acea gustare delicioasă înaintea ta, Barnes." = "Only I wish I could taste that delicious snack before you, Barnes." "Ne vedem în iad, idiotule", = see you in hell, asshole

>>><<<

Zoe stood on the boardwalk, the smell of cotton candy and stale donuts hung thick in the air. The sound of carnival music was all she could hear and the lights from the fair bounced off of the water. It would be a great night if her friend was actually here.

She checked her phone, sighed, and sent Lily another text.

Where are you? It's been half an hour and this boardwalk thing was your stupid idea.

Zoe clutched her phone like a life raft, and pulled her jacket a little tighter around her body. The cool air coming off of the ocean was enough to chill her to the bone. She could hear the screams and laughter of people on the rides behind her and gnawed on her lip. It was so typical of Lily to ditch her like this.

"Fuck this," she muttered, turning on her heel and walking down the boardwalk toward the beer garden.

If Lily wasn't going to show up, Zoe would make her own fun.

It was quiet, still the time of evening where kids haven’t yet run wild with a sugar rush, but Zoe had time.

As she wandered up to the bar, she noticed that the only other people were a group of friends crowded round a table in the corner.

She sat down at the bar checking her phone again to see that Lily had left her on read.

“What will you be having?” asked the bartender as he came up to her.

Zoe felt goosebumps forming on her skin as her eyes shot up from her phone screen. The bartender's eyes were friendly enough but she could feel someone else's boring into her back as soon as she sat down, something just felt off.

"I-" she turned around quickly as she felt something brushing her back, but when she saw that nobody was behind her, she turned back to the bartender, "I'll like a shot of the strongest stuff you have, please."

“Sure, coming right up…you looking for someone?“ the bartender asked as he turned to get the shot glass from behind the bar.

“Huh? Oh, um…no, sorry, did you see someone walk by just now?” Zoe asked the bartender, who she noticed had beautiful facial features and deep, dark eyes. She swallows a “thanks” and downs her shot.

The man watched her for a moment, the curiosity in his eyes sending a slight chill down her spine before he shook his head. "No, sorry."

Zoe nodded, glancing behind her once again to do a quick scan of the garden and then turning back around, "Can I have another?" She asked as her eyes met his.

“Everything all right?” he asked as he poured another shot.

As Zoe opened her mouth to speak she distinctly felt someone tap her shoulder and she spun around, heart racing.

A tall blonde stood directly behind her, close enough that the leather of his jacket brushed against her arm. The predatory look in his eye combined with a smug smirk did nothing to calm her nerves.

"Looks like you need some company," he murmured before taking the next stool over as alarm bells sounded in Zoe's head.

Gulping nervously, Zoe scooted back away from him on her stool the best she could before muttering a "Not interested. Thank you." And turning back to the bartender to signal for another shot.

Not one to take no for an answer, the blonde leaned close in her personal space and whispered, "Come on, it's no fun drinking alone."

Zoe took a calming breath, praying the guy would just leave her alone. Maybe if she ignored him, he would eventually leave ?

"Playing hard to get, hm? I like that.." The man smirked beside her. He turned his body on the stool to face her.

Zoe could feel his eyes racking over her, causing her to pull the hem of her shirt down to cover the small sliver of skin that was visible. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm waiting for someone and that seat is taken." She finally spoke, staring down at her shot glass.

One finger danced around the top of her shot glass before the bartender gave her a new one, shooting the liquid back in her throat as she felt the man’s disgusting and rotten breath getting closer to her ear.

Her fists clenched and the bartender must've noticed her being uncomfortable due to his raised voice, eyes shooting daggers at the man. “Didn’t you hear the lady? She’s expecting someone, back off man.”

The blonde stranger sneered at the bartender and cocked his head to the side.

"How about you mind your goddamn business, you motherfu--"

"And you can mind yours and leave the lady alone, John," a voice from behind Zoe growled.

She turned to see a tall blonde man in a black leather jacket, a white t-shirt, and blue jeans standing behind her. He grabbed John by the back of his jacket, spun him around, and pushed him against the bar, taking his t-shirt collar in his large fist. Zoe watched with wide eyes as he leaned forward.

"Get the fuck out of here. Now."

He practically tossed John across the beer garden and cracked his neck, turning to Zoe.

"Sorry about him. He likes to think he's entitled to any woman who walks in here." The stranger sticks his hand out. "I'm Steve."

Zoe blinked, stunned for a moment at the commotion that just had occurred, only brought out of it when Steve spoke up again.

“You’re welcome to join me and my friends, Bucky likes to keep an eye on any newbies… keep ‘em safe from the likes of John.” He grinned, shifting to the side a little so Zoe could see over his shoulder, her eyes falling on a dark haired man she assumed was ‘Bucky’ who was looking right at her.

She turned to face the bartender and raised her eyebrow in question.

“You don’t have to worry about Steve and Bucky, they are some of the few decent guys left in the city” he replied with a kind smile

Zoe bit the inside of her cheek in thought as she slowly moved her gaze back and found Bucky's eyes. This isn't something she would normally do, but there was something about him that she just couldn't shake, she couldn't rip her eyes off his, she felt the need to be closer to him.

He kept staring at her with that imitating look on his face, not even blinking once.

“What'd Ya say, hm? I promise, we don’t bite,” Steve grinned. “Plus, you’ll be in good company.”

"Um…oh fuck it, why not? Not like my alleged friend is gonna show. Lead the way", Zoe said, as Steve extended his hand toward her. She took it and thought, the bartender was right, he is one of the few decent guys left, but no more drinking, unless it's water, be smart Zoe!

Steve led her to the table where she was once again met with the alluring and intriguing dark briny blue eyes of the man that Steve called Bucky. Zoe almost missed Steve pulling her chair out for her to sit. She was so distracted by this man - he truly was physical perfection, even under his jeans and leather jacket.

Zoe slid into the chair, a pit of anxiety suddenly forming in her stomach as Steve slid into the chair next to the blue eyed man. The corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly that if she wasn't staring at him, she would have missed it.

"Always gotta be the hero huh, Stevie?" His voice was husky with just enough gravel that the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, even as he spoke his eyes never left her.

Zoe startled as Steve barked a laugh, shoving his friend. Eye contact broken, she glanced down, trying to ignore both the creeping sensation down her back and the tightening of her core.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Bucky whispered in a smooth voice. "You're safe with us. Walker's a fuckin' creep, but he knows better."

Zoe looked up, finally meeting his gaze once more.

"And what makes you any different than him? You have the same jacket. Belong to a club or something?" she asked, the liquor quickly making her much braver than she was moments ago at the bar.

Smirking, Bucky's eyes glint with mirth as they make contact with hers, his mouth lifted in one corner as he answered, "Not a club, per say," he said shrugging a shoulder as he reached for his drink and she gets a whiff of his heady cologne.

"But if we were, John's membership is 'bout to expire." He grinned at her and Zoe's heart stuttered as Steve laughed again.

"I'm surprised you put up with his ass." Zoe returned his grin. A comfortable warmth spread through her body. She felt an unexplainable pull towards this charming stranger.

Bucky snorted a laugh as he took a sip of his drink. He turned his gaze to Steve, "I like her, Stevie" He said, before shifting back towards Zoe, and raising an eyebrow, a cocky grin on his lips, "What's your name, love?"

His baby blue eyes buried right into her soul, but she swore she could sense something darker that was lurking behind the softness in his eyes and Zoe felt her cheeks starting to flush.

He did something to her, something that she hadn't felt before, fingers picking anxiously on the skin. “It’s Zoe.” She answered with a soft smile.

He studied her face, eyes landing on her throat as he dragged his tongue across his plump bottom lip.

"Pretty name," he said softly. He stuck out his hand and Zoe shook it, his skin cool to the touch. Bucky ran his thumb across her knuckles and smiled as a deep flush crept into Zoe's cheeks. "I haven't seen you around here before, darlin'. You new in town?"

She felt like she was swallowing cotton, but she let the alcohol take over, smirking as his eyes twinkled.

"Maybe you just weren't looking hard enough."

Zoe watched as Bucky and Steve exchanged a look, their eyes gleaming with something that made her toes curl and heart race, pulse thudding in her neck.

“Is that so?” Bucky chuckled darkly as his fingers crept to her wrist, “I guess I’m lucky that a gorgeous thing like you would show up when I least expect it.”

Zoe could feel her cheeks flush even more as she took a few long deep breaths trying to slow her heart rate. Zoe could almost hear her heart in her ears.

“Well I guess it’s a good thing my friend never showed up today then.” She laughed.

A shiver ran up her spine as Bucky settled his thumb at her pulse point and grazed the skin softly, eyes scanning her face and neck. She had never been looked at with such intent and desire. It was almost as if he was studying her, commiting her to memory.

"Fate works in mysterious ways, huh?" her voice almost a whisper as she found her ground again trying to best his gaze.

Bucky let out a chuckle as Steve threw his head back and palmed his chest.

"Oh, I don't think fate had anything to do with it sweetheart." he tsked.

“What do you mean?” She asked curious, something in her core made her feel that something wasn’t right about the situation she was in. Zoe took a quick look over to the kind bartender who was cleaning a glass and giving her a wink.

“Eyes on us, love.” Bucky’s voice held a seductive tone.

Zoe looked back at Bucky apprehensively, but also extremely intrigued. The feeling in her stomach was quickly taken over by a more nefarious one. The second she looked at Bucky and Steve, she couldn't turn away even if she tried. She was enchanted, and she knew it.

"Sorry, I suddenly forgot what I was saying for a minute…" Zoe said gravelly.

"Well, then," Bucky announced decisively, "I think we have outstayed our welcome, boys. Zoe, care to join us for the evening?" Zoe knew she shouldn't, but her body was on autopilot at this point. All she could do was nod her head yes

She watched as Bucky flashed her a smooth grin while he stood, holding out his hand for her. "Come on, little one." Zoe heard a small chuckle come from Steve as he shook his head standing and tossing a few bills onto the table.

"Where are we going?" Zoe asked, her hand reaching out for his as if they were magnetized together. Bucky’s grin widened as their hands met, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of her hand.

“Don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours, we’re just gonna go play some carnival games,” Bucky said, pulling her close to him. “Maybe if you’re lucky I’ll win you a prize.”

They exited the beer garden, now accompanied by a few others that Zoe didn't notice before. Steve leaned down to Zoe's ear as the lights of the carnival colored their skin a bright red and yellow.

"Your friend Lily really liked that bear I got her," he whispered with a toothy grin as a redhead behind Zoe snickered.

Bucky glared at his friend, pulling Zoe closer to his body before throwing an arm over her shoulder. Any alarm bells that were ringing in Zoe's mind due to Steve's words immediately stopped.

"What is he talking about?" Zoe looked up at Bucky as they approached the boardwalk.

"Nothing you should worry yourself about, sweetheart." Bucky told her darkly as they neared where the boardwalk met the sandy beach, rolling his eyes at Steve who shrugged innocently.

Zoe walked with him, her nails dug nervously into her palms and his hold around her shoulders preventing any other movement but to follow him, the spike in her heartbeat evident to Bucky and his companions due to the mouthwatering smell of her becoming more prominent.

Her boots sunk into the soft sand, making it harder for her to walk. Her intoxicated mind whirred as she questioned what she was even doing here with them.

One look at Bucky, she knew exactly why she left with them.

His mere presence completely compelled her to make stupid decisions.

The group kept walking along the beach, Steve falling back to walk with a redhead, who Zoe soon learned was named Natasha, while she stayed glued to Bucky's side.

"So… you wanted the fresh meat all to yourself, didn't you Barnes?" Walker's words came, slurred from behind them.

Zoe's breath caught in her throat, as her heartbeat thudded in her chest. As if he could sense her unease, Bucky's grip tightened around her, bringing her body slightly behind his, as they spun around to stare at the blonde man from the bar.

A deep growl left Bucky's chest, and Zoe could have sworn she saw his eyes flash to a bright amber color. "Get out of here Walker, before you do something you regret…"

"Yeah?" Walker slurred, throwing his arms out to his side with a cocky, drunken grin on his face. "Like what, Barnes? You're just a pussy--"

Bucky's body clenched like a fist before he lunged at Walker, grabbing him by the throat. The two of them wrestled, falling onto the sand as Zoe watched Bucky get the upper hand. Walker was pinned to the ground by his throat as Bucky leaned in, and Zoe saw his eyes flash yellow-- just for a second. She blinked and shook her head. It must be the alcohol.

Bucky snarled, lip curling as he bared his teeth. Walker growled back as the moonlight poured down from the sky.

"I said back off, Walker. You've been a thorn in my side for too long."

“Careful, Barnes or you’ll scare away your meal.” John hissed between heavy breaths against Bucky’s cheek and Steve steered Zoe away towards Natasha, John’s words dying out as her focus was drawn to the sultry redhead.

Natasha grabbed hold of Zoe with surprising strength and spun her around so her back was to the commotion.

“Let the boys handle Walker, he’s had this coming for a while. Just keep your eyes on me, ok?” Natasha said with a calming voice

She tried to move her eyes away from her and back to Bucky but she couldn't break off from Natasha's gaze. "What did he mean? I do-"

Natasha grabbed her shoulders with a soft but firm hand as she turned her around to face in the other direction. "Don't worry about a thing, Zoe. Everything's going to be fine." she cooed

Natasha made sure to keep Zoe’s face directed at the ocean when Bucky and Steve handled John.

“Anything you wanna say that’ll make it easier to end you Walker?” Bucky hissed into his face. "Numai că mi-aș dori să gust din acea gustare delicioasă înaintea ta, Barnes." Walker snarled and spat at Bucky, hitting him in the face.

"Alright that's enough of you," Bucky said, as he grabbed Walker by the neck. "Ne vedem în iad, idiotule", Bucky whispered in Walker's ear as he twisted his arms around, breaking his neck in one swift motion.

All Zoe heard was the snap of Walker's neck and her eyes went wide as she snapped her eyes up to Nat, who soothingly stroked her arm in an attempt to both comfort and distract the terrified woman.

"What--" Zoe started, her voice so quiet she wasn't even sure if she was speaking out loud, "What did he say?"

Nat smiled softly, shaking her head. "Nothing you need to worry about." Her voice soothed, "How old are you, sweetie?"

Zoe's brow furrowed for only a moment before another gentle swipe of Nat's soft thumb ran over her cheek and almost like a switch, her body felt tense but somehow calm. "27." She managed out as another smile spread across bright painted lips.

“Delicious,” Natasha said, moving her arm to wrap around Zoe’s shoulders.

“Nat,” came Bucky’s voice, Zoe shivering at the dark tone. “Why don’t you go help Steve, I’ll hang out with Zoe now.”

Zoe looked back, catching a glimpse over Bucky's broad frame of Steve smiling with glee as a guy she heard them call Sam tossed him a lighter.

"You never let me have any fun, James," Natasha said in a pouty voice as Bucky smirked.

"Yeah, because your idea of fun is very…messy."

Nat rolled her eyes before trailing her nail across Zoe's cheek and walking away. She felt a trickle of something on her face and moved to wipe it away, fingertips red with blood.

Zoe's eyes widened at the sight, panic began to creep up rapidly inside her as she wiped frantically at her cheek, every swipe of her fingers increasing the pain.

"Hey- Hey Zoe, Zoe look at me," Bucky grabbed her hand and brought it close to his chest, stilling her movements as he bent his knees a little to look her in the eyes.

"Wha- What's happening?" "Nothing. You're okay." He said in a low, calm voice to her and suddenly she could breathe more evenly.

"I - I'm okay" Zoe repeated, unable to take her eyes away from his own. The lights from the carnival above reflected in them and made the blueness look like a soft purple with waves of a deep navy crashing through it.

A calm smile, spread across his lips, as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, trailing his fingertips down her neck and across her throat, "Atta girl.." He whispered.

His voice soothing, but still, Zoe felt the need to close her eyes and take a deep breath to prevent herself from fainting, blood was something she was sensitive to ever since she was a child and everything around started to spin.

A warm breath tickled her face as cold hands embraced her cheeks, making her widen her eyes. His words sounded enchanting in her ears.

“There you are, sweet thing. I thought I'd lost you for a sec there. “ Bucky said with a soft smile as he slightly ducked to be eye level.

As they walked back towards the group Zoe couldn’t help but notice the odd shapes of the logs in the fire and a strange smell…what were they burning?

“This is going to sound crazy…but I swear your eyes just turned a different color,” Zoe said looking up at Bucky. “No, that's not possible… I’ve had too much to drink.”

He let out a low chuckle and looked at her with a wide and toothy grin.

“Maybe it was the lights from the carnival, princess, they get brighter the later it gets.” Bucky whispered in Zoe’s ear as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they approached the fire.

“Yeah, maybe…” Zoe mumbled more to herself than to him. She started getting that pit in her stomach again, but before it fully settled there, Bucky grabbed a beer from Steve and looked questioningly at her.

“You want one?” Bucky asked jovially, erasing all negative feelings from her mind.

Zoe smiled, "Sure." she said as he plucked another one from Steve's fingers, handing it to her.

"Hey! That was mine." Steve said, his brows furrowed but as Bucky's head flicked towards him, Zoe watched Steve's giant frame sink into the sand, grumbling as he found himself another beer. She wasn't sure why Bucky had so much power over him, but it made butterflies fill her stomach.

He turned back to her, "Shall we?" Bucky asked, pointing the neck of his beer bottle to the sand in front of the fire, urging her to sit.

Bucky sat with his legs slightly spread, and after a moment of deliberation, Zoe took a swig of beer and plopped down between them. She could feel him freeze and goosebumps broke out across her skin as he moved slowly, brushing her hair away from her neck. His breath was cool against it and Bucky wrapped his arms around her as she shivered despite the fire.

She felt the tip of his nose touch just behind her ear followed by a slight intake of breath, like he was breathing her in. With any other man it might have creeped her out, but with Bucky it felt almost too natural.

"So…are all these people your…friends?" she asked, feeling silly for even wondering. It was clear they were all close as they laughed and drank around the fire.

"More like my family. I've known them…well, for a long time," Bucky murmured.

His lips brushed against her ear, this time much more obvious. A shiver ran through her again and she felt him smile.

"Sorry, you smell so good…I can't help myself."

A soft moan escaped Zoe's lips, as she felt Bucky's breath against her skin. Her head fell backwards onto his shoulder as he dragged his lips along her neck, as he sighed. She felt his tongue brush against her pulse before he placed a light kiss against it, her eyes fluttering closed once more.

Bucky grinned into her neck, and moved suddenly to look at the rest of the group. "Hey let's continue this party at home" He spoke loudly, startling Zoe back into the moment. The other 3 all looked at each other, grinning and nodding quickly.

"Walker didn't deserve this much celebration anyway" Sam quipped, crashing a beer bottle into the fire, before all of them started walking off the beach towards a row of black motorbikes.

Bucky guided her with a hand against her lower back the entire walk, only retrieving back when they stopped in front of what she assumed was his motorbike.

He climbed up onto his Harley-Davidson WLA "Liberator". Turning his head to the side to face her, a smudge smile was plastered on his face as his eyes glimmered in the dim moonlight.

“You still wanna come, right?” Zoe nodded. “Then hop on, and hold on tight princess.” Bucky said as she climbed up behind him, arms clutching onto the sides of his jacket before he took her arms to pull her closer, chest against back and her arms embracing his body.

A little while later, the bikes rumbled to a halt in front of a decrepit and decaying looking house on the edge of a cliff. The lights were off, and the building was spray painted on the outside - mostly anarchy symbols and random graffiti. Bucky climbed off of his bike, taking Zoe's hand and slinging his arm around her shoulder as they walked toward the entrance. Natasha was in front, followed by Sam and Steve, who turned around and grinned at Zoe.

"You're gonna like it here, Zoe," he said with a smirk as the others laughed. Natasha kicked the door open with her boot.

Zoe felt a knot of anxiety in the pit of her stomach and gulped. She felt Bucky's arms wrap around her waist as she stopped at the entrance and stared into the blackness. To her left, she swore she saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes beaming at her before someone turned on a light.

And then something razor sharp on began to glide along her neck. Zoe felt something warm on her skin, realizing it was Bucky's tongue. She whimpered, eyes rolling back, and heard Bucky's low voice as it rumbled in her ear.

"Nothin' to be scared of, princess. I've got ya."

She swallowed thickly as Bucky placed a kiss just behind her earlobe as his hands gripped her hips. She could feel the arousal pooling between her legs and the heat creeping up her neck.

“I- I’m ok I just. I could have sworn I saw something.” she said as she moved her head slightly to face him.

“Don’t you worry, I’m not gonna hurt you.” he breathed.

Their eyes locked and suddenly a whirlpool of butterflies filled her stomach as his breath fanned her face, their lips barely touching.

"Stevie, find some music." He commanded, once again his eyes never leaving hers despite him speaking to someone else. "I'm gonna give Zoe the tour."

Steve snickered from behind them, causing Zoe to catch his gaze as Nat smacks him on the arm. Bucky hooked his cool index finger under her chin, turning her head back to him. "Come on, sweet thing, let me show you around."

Zoe bit her lip, watching as Bucky zeroed in on it, using his thumb to pry it from her teeth. “Sweetheart, don’t tempt me,” he said lowly, and her heart thudded, tongue swiping out to taste his skin. She nodded, not remembering his original question, but following him wherever he was leading her.

Her fingers tangled in his as he pulled her further inside, past thrift store couches and a table littered with cards and beer bottles. Heavy drums began pounding on unseen speakers, mimicking the hammering of Zoe's heart.

Bucky let her hand go briefly as they climbed a set of creaky stairs and she took the chance to pull out her phone. She was supposed to meet Lily after all and wanted to check in before the night went…well, wherever it was about to go.

Zoe quickly typed out a message and pressed send. As she slid the phone back into her pocket, they stepped onto the landing. A bright light on the ground caught her attention and for a moment Zoe thought she was truly losing her mind.

There, on the dusty hardwood floor, was Lily's phone, lit up from the message she just sent. A smear of blood covered the screen as it showed missed calls and texts, all from Zoe.

"Wait," she tugged on Bucky's hand, drawing his attention to her as she bent to grab the phone. Panic set in at the brightness of the blood against the lit screen before it went dark.

"Wha- What is this?" Zoe turned to him, trying to piece everything together. His face was dark and lips set in a thin line as he eyed her, seemingly impatient.

Bucky grabbed the phone out of her hand, crushing it in his fist as he replied nonchalantly; "Nothing to worry yourself with, sweetheart. Not anymore at least." Before pulling her into a dark room and pushing her against the door, shutting it and blinding her with the darkness that surrounded them.

Zoe sucked in a deep breath, and pushed her palms against the door, as she tried to orient herself in the darkness. "B-Bucky?" She spoke, her heartbeat starting to race.

A deep chuckle came from somewhere around her, and Zoe felt something sharp brush against her throat. "It's okay love.. Don't you trust me?" He rasped, caging in Zoe's body against the door with his .

She knew she should be more worried than she was, but something about him just fascinated her. The truth was that she did trust him, he'd saved her more than once tonight and even though she didn't know why, it was more than enough for her. "Tell me why Lily's phone was here" She commanded.

"Oh darling.. See I think you've figured that out all by yourself" Another deep chuckle, "She took quite the shine to Stevie out there.."

Zoe still couldn’t see anything in the darkness of the room. She thought there were flashes of movement all around but then again, she didn’t know what to think.

Her heart was beating faster and faster as Bucky inched closer to her face, his nose delicately touching her ear as he chuckled. She could feel his hands on either side of her body, and the chill of his breath against her.

Despite all her best instincts, warmth pooled in her belly as he slowly pinned his knee between her legs, pushing them open.

“I think you’re taking quite the shine to me, right? Because I can't have you leaving here unsatisfied,” he whispered against her.

"I--"

His chuckle was low and malicious in her ear as he took it between his teeth. Zoe felt something sharp again, and then pain shooting down the left side of her body, followed by the warmth of his mouth as he sucked on her earlobe.

"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet, sweets. Been watching you for most of the night. I thought you were the clever one. Thought you'd put the pieces together, but I guess I'll just have to show you, hmm, princess?"

His hand slid up her thigh and she moaned as he dragged a fingertip along the seam of her jeans. Zoe almost collapsed at unbearable friction and pressure against her clit.

Bucky pulled away from her, his eyes yellow. A pair of pearly white fangs descended from his mouth. The warmth in her belly began to turn into a full-blown forest fire. He was even more beautiful like this.

Slowly, she raised her hand and gently moved it to touch his fang. It was so sharp that she felt it pierce the tip of her finger. Bucky wrapped his lips around it, sucking softly as he moaned, eyes closing. She felt his knee grind against her clit and wetness began to pool as she moved her hips. A smile spread across her face as his eyes opened, locking with hers.

"I didn't like Lily that much anyway," she whispered.

Bucky grinned. His kiss felt like a car crash, and Zoe couldn't get enough of it.

Her lips parted as he dragged his tongue across her bottom lip. Zoe moaned into the kiss as she felt a hand digging into her skin as the other trailed up her back and found its way into her hair. Bucky weaved his fingers into her hair and pulled her head back as he bit her bottom lip and pulled back to admire the trickle of blood running down her chin.

He tilted his head slightly down and licked her chin. “You might just be the sweetest little thing I’ve ever tasted.” he murmured against her lips.

Zoe didn’t even recognize the moan that left her throat. Her lip stung from his bite but as his tongue glided across her skin it soothed the pain. For whatever reason, that seemed to blank her mind at the moment as his fingers expertly worked the button of her jeans, she wanted more pain if it meant his mouth on her.

“You make such pretty noises.” He hummed into her neck as he inhaled the sweet scents from her being worked up. “I want to hear them all.”

Zoe whimpered, one hand on his shoulder, the other twisted in the short hairs on top of his head, pulling lightly as she felt his fang scrape along her neck. This time when Bucky pulled back and his eyes flashed yellow she knew wasn’t imagining it, a grin on her face matching his.

“You gonna let me taste you everywhere doll?” Bucky asked, slipping to his knees as he pulled down Zoe’s pants, breathing in her scent.

She kicked off her jeans and Bucky lifted her up, wrapping her legs around him as he laid her on the nearby mattress. He laid between her thighs with a ravenous look in his glassy glowing eyes.

"Fuck," she breathed, Bucky placing soft kisses to the bare skin of her thighs.

"Just tell me and I'll give you what you need," he murmured against her skin.

Zoe whimpered before nodding, feeling the scrape of Bucky's teeth on her skin as he smiled. Another sharp pain, deeper this time, had her crying out, blood trickling down her inner thigh. She gripped the side of his cheek as he sucked at the broken skin before pushing his face between her legs. Tender kisses covered her clothed cunt, such a contrast to the viciousness of his bite.

"God, I'm going to fucking ruin you," he growled as her panties grew sticky with spit, arousal, and the blood from his lips

Bucky's eyes were fixed on her as he slid her panties down her legs, making her hiss in pain when they brushed over the fresh bite mark.

"Please…" Zoe whimpered, legs shaking as he ran his tongue first over the blood leaking from the bite then slid it between her wet folds as he parted them with his fingers.

Bucky closed his lips around her clit, moaning at her taste as the vibrations turned her legs to jelly. He pulled back to look her in the eyes as he said; "Please what, baby? Tell me," kissing up and down her thigh but never getting close to where her pussy throbbed.

"You're mouthwatering." He breathed right before he dove in for another bite, sinking his teeth right into her soul it felt like, his fingers slipping inside her and curling just as he took a pull of her blood and stars exploded behind her eyes.

Zoe's breath hitched and raced in her throat as she felt tears prick in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over. The stimulation from the bite marks and his fingers caused her stomach to tighten.

A whine that escaped her lips, caused Bucky to pull back. He slipped his fingers out of her and pressed a light, tender kiss to her hip bone, trailing his fingers up and down the outside of her bare thigh.

"Hey.. hey.. I've got you, sweet girl" He whispered into her skin. "I want to take care of you Zoe, but I need you to know that if you say stop at any point, we do. Understand?" His yellow eyes fading back to their natural blue for just a moment as he peered up at her, his touch softening.

She nodded her head in response as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Use your words, sweetheart. I need you to tell me you understand.."

"I understand.. Please Bucky.. I want this" She assured him.

His fingers left her thigh and teased her folds as he let out a deep sigh, feeling her slick father on his fingertips.

“Mmm, I am so glad to hear that, baby.”

Bucky leaned forward to once again envelope her clit with his lips, pushing his fingers back into her throbbing cunt.

Zoe's eyes rolled back and she let out a groan, feeling his tongue massage her clit. She could feel his fingers pressing against that spot that made her brain fuzzy, and her hips began to grind slowly against his mouth. The bed sheets crumpled in her fist and she writhed and groaned beneath him. Bucky lifted his head.

"You're fucking exquisite, Zoe."

He turned his head and sunk his fangs into the same wound on her thigh, causing her to cry out. She watched with fascination and lust growing in the pit of her stomach as his fingers continued to thrust in and out of her. The pain combined with the pleasure pushed her right over the edge. Bucky drank deeply. Zoe took some pleasure in watching his hips rut against the mattress. They moaned together as her vision whited out.

He lifted his head, blood dripping down his throat and bathing his porcelain skin in crimson. The yellow eyes returned as he climbed off of the bed and stripped off his t-shirt to reveal a chest full of tattoos and a pair of dog tags around his neck. Zoe trembled and Bucky leaned over to lick the rest of the blood that clung to her thigh, his eyes snapping up to meet hers.

"I want you, sweetness. Forever."

Zoe's breath hitched in her throat as his blood tinged lips placed kisses up her tighs as he moved onto the bed to hover over her body. He nudged the hem of her shirt with his nose and scraped at the skin around her navel with his fangs.

"Can we take this off? I want to worship all of you, Zoe"

Her brain felt like tv static watching him, overwhelmed by her own senses and the metallic smell filling the air, his words bringing her back. "y--yes." She choked out as goosebumps trickled across her skin.

The corners of Bucky's mouth upturned, his teeth stark white against his dark red stained lips. Even covered in her blood, which should freak her out, he's still the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. Zoe untwisted her fingers from the sheets as his cold fingertips slid under the hem of her shirt, pushing the fabric torturously slow up her body.

She lifted her arms above her head, resting them against the flat pillows as he helped her from her shirt. Bucky tossed her shirt to the side, discarding it onto the floor as he linked his fingers with hers, still above her head as he hovered over her, his lips barely touching hers causing her eyes to flutter close.

"I knew it'd be you." He whispered before crashing his lips into hers.

Zoe moaned into the kiss, arching against Bucky as he moved one hand, sliding it to the curve in her back. He pressed her closer to him, their skin sticking as his pants scraped along her wounds, making her pull away, hissing.

“Shh, I gotcha sweetheart,” Bucky murmured, rolling over to his back and sliding his pants and briefs off. He pulled Zoe into him, his chest to her back, throwing her thigh over his, spreading her wide.

As his cock pressed against her entrance, he nuzzled at her neck. “Please, Bucky,” Zoe whimpered and he moved, sliding into her as he bit her neck.

She let out a gasp which turned into a ragged moan as he thrust into her, blood running down her neck and across her breasts. The low growl that came from deep within him made the hair on her arms stand up as he gripped her tighter. Bucky tightened his forearm around her waist until she was nearly immobile. She felt like prey, pinned down and captured by a ruthless predator. The thought caused her cunt to clench around his cock as Bucky moved faster, thrusting up deep within her as he continued to drink from her throat.

He released her neck with a moan as Zoe panted, dizzy with lust and loss of blood. A ragged sigh came from behind her head and suddenly Bucky's arm appeared in front of her, deep punctures on his pale wrist.

"Go ahead, I want to feel you when it happens," he rasped.

Zoe whimpered and pressed her lips to the cool skin, the coppery taste flooding her lips with an undertone of something….sweet.

Bucky's pace increased as she swallowed more of him, hissing at the sensation of her dull teeth against the sensitive skin.

"Good girl, that's it," he groaned as he felt her grow even wetter around him.

The sensation hit her like a brick, while Bucky’s cock slammed inside her. Her head felt like it was about to explode as a fire grew inside her. Zoe threw head back with a moan, slamming her eyes shut. “Holy fuck Bucky…” she breathed, licking her lips to get the remainder of his blood into her.

Bucky bit into her shoulder and sucked, dragging his tongue over the two puncture marks. He brought his wrist back to her lips as they both drank together. He released her and moved his hand to her cheek, turning her head and mashing their lips together, shoving his tongue against hers, their blood mixing in their mouths.

It was a feeling Zoe couldn't explain. She wasn't sure if it was the sex or the blood that was causing it, but she suddenly felt as if she was drunk. As if she had been downing tequila shots all night. Everything was spinning, but she didn't want it to stop.

She felt herself fluttering and clenching around him as more moans and growls filled the air around them.

Zoe could feel her pulse slowing. Everything was slowing down as he fucked her harder, pushing her toward her peak. It should be the opposite. Shouldn't it? Zoe became very aware of her breath as it rushed in and out of her chest. She could go longer between gasps. Her eyelids fluttered closed. Blood was smeared everywhere and all she could smell was copper.

He was controlling the pace of the thrusts and she could feel herself teetering right on the edge of bliss.

"Everything's blurry," she slurred.

His tongue laved against the bite mark on her neck and he pressed his bloodied arm against her mouth. Zoe drank and her heart beat slowed to a crawl, vision blacking out.

"Do you feel that?" He purred against the shell of her ear. "That's death. Take it, Zoe. You'll be brand new again, babydoll. I promise."

She came hard, closing her eyes tightly as she drank. Suddenly, everything stopped and her body went limp, but she continued to drink as instinct kicked in. Her eyes fluttered open and suddenly everything was brighter and more intense. The air rushing into her lungs felt cleaner somehow. The smell of blood was intoxicating instead of nauseating and her body trembled on top of his. She tore her mouth away from his arm and let out an animalistic, ragged howl. Her cunt clenched around him and she heard him laugh.

"There you are, sweet thing."

Zoe’s head was spinning with pleasure. She had never felt so alive as she did in this moment, with Bucky’s blood dripping down her chin as his hips rutted against her. He felt even more incredible inside of her hitting just the right spot as her nerves jolted with the build up of her second orgasm. She turned her head and captured his lips in hers in a passionate kiss, all tongue and teeth. Zoe pulled back hard with his bottom lip between her teeth.

“Tell me what you’re feeling, Zoe. It’s amazing isn’t it?” Bucky breathed against her neck.

She felt his fingers wrap around the cusp of her chin, thumb and index finger grasping her jaw. Where his skin was cool to the touch before, now it felt normal with tiny sparks lighting up her skin with the littlest amount of contact.

"I've never felt this way before." She sobbed, his cock hitting that spot over and over again. Zoe could feel her body begin to tremble again as the rubber band in her stomach wound itself up. "You feel incredible." She moaned.

Bucky groaned, his hips beginning to stutter in relentless snaps, "You're mine now, little one." He rasped and she could feel his tongue slide along the shell of her ear before he began nipping softly at her jawline, "As I am yours."

His cock slid along her walls, every ridge and vein feeling more prominent than before, lighting up places she didn’t even know had sparks. She felt that coil inside her snap as Bucky reached forwards, fingers ghosting over her clit.

Zoe’s back arched, her head thrown back on Bucky’s shoulder, a strangled scream leaving her bloodstained throat.

“Oh fuck, that’s it my sweet girl, feel it all,” Bucky groaned, thrusts getting sloppy.

A tingling started in her throat and worked its way to her mouth, turning into a dull pain as she felt the tips of her now elongated teeth scrape against her lips. Bucky's smile broadened to a truly heartstopping grin at the sight, pride and lust painted on his face.

"So fucking gorgeous," he breathed, pushing deeper into as he neared his finish.

Zoe whined, turning her head from Bucky's shoulder to rub at his neck as he pressed kisses to her skin wherever he could reach. A wave of heat rushed through her and without a second thought she sunk her teeth deep into the taut skin of his throat.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed as Zoe pulled hard, filling herself with more of his sweetness. It did nothing to stop the tingle in her throat, like an itch she can't scratch.

"I know baby, it's not enough for you," he groaned, seemingly reading her mind. "Fuck, keep goin' though."

She bit deeper as he let out a shockingly loud moan. With a messy thrust of his hips, his cock throbbed and warmth filled her as he came.

His hips slowed to a halt, as he tightened his arms around Zoe, pulling her into his body. Electricity shooting off on her skin at every slight movement. She kept her mouth attached to his neck, taking in as much of him as she could, swiping her tongue over her two fresh puncture wounds.

"Okay my love, we need to get you something real.." He whispered into her skin, running his fingers gently over the bite marks on her skin smearing the blood into their sweat, as all but one mark began to heal.

Zoe reluctantly removed her lips from Bucky's neck, only to turn her body and press her lips onto his, sharing the taste of him. "Bucky.." She whined against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and combing her fingers into her hair.

"I know sweet thing. I'm right here" He assured her, kissing her once more.

Zoe felt reborn. She could hear the music beneath the floorboards, and bits of conversation. She smelled Lily's blood as visions of her being dragged through the hallway filled her mind. Zoe stared at Bucky and he smiled. They were bonded. His memories hers, and vice versa. Suddenly, she felt like she knew his entire history that was mapped out on his skin and in his veins. He didn't have to say a word.

"What do you mean by finding something real?" She asked.

Bucky nuzzled against her, lips ghosting along her jawline.

"You'll learn to give life, and you'll learn to take it… and enjoy it."

Zoe felt her fangs drop as Bucky stared at her, cupping her face in his large hands. They both grinned as she reached up and brushed her fingertips against his plush lips.

"I'm ready."

Bucky's eyes flashed yellow and he beamed.

"That's my girl."

[thetragicallynerdy]

I'm having thoughts about a Leverage Flower Shop/Tattoo parlour au.

Specifically, Eliot who owns a flower shop, Parker who runs the tattoo parlour next door, and Hardison as the hot geek who moves in to the apartment over their shops. Featuring:

Parker just covered in tattoos. I could see her having things like birds, something free and light that reminds her of climbing and free falling (and also at least one open lock, because she's still a thief - or used to be, at least)

Eliot and Hardison of course also with some ink

Eliot's are all flowers and plants, some covering up older military ones he doesn't like anymore, some nicely framing the military ones he still like

Hardison's are subtle geek references, but he also a nice once that says Nana (he has the chemical composition for orange soda tattooed somewhere on his body, let's be honest with ourselves)

Parker who still steals things because it's fun, Eliot who still beats the shit out of punching bags and assholes when he needs to, Hardison who is still a hacker and a computer genius.

Their shops that aren't in some nice quaint little neighborhood, but in a more run down part of town - there's a shitty coffee shop across the road, and a community health clinic around the corner, and while it's not always the best, they love it there, couldn't think of anywhere better to be. And it's cheap rent, for all 3 of them

The plot happens maybe something like this:

Eliot and Parker have know each other since they opened their respective shops - they're pals, sort of, the sort that doesn't really know a lot about each other but will still drop anything to come give them help if they need it. Eliot gives Parker some of the end of day flowers to brighten her shop, she designs tattoos she thinks he should get, and they both stop in each other's shops if they're doing a coffee run to get the other's order. Eliot shovels every winter, Parker fixes his locks for him, it's a good trade off. They don't talk about a lot of things, but they don't need to. They like each other, a lot, but neither has ever bothered to take the relationship beyond where it is, this easy place of kindness and mutual trust.

Hardison meets them in bits and pieces - Eliot gives him a hand with the last few boxes on move in day, tells him to come by if he ever wants flowers. Parker is persuaded by Eliot not to break into Hardisons place and snoop while he's gone, but it's a near thing. She meets him instead in the shitty little coffee shop across the road, the one that only ever has stale donuts, much to her dismay. Hardison is staring at the donuts in consernation, and she stops to tell him that they're not that awful, she promises, but that next time she or Eliot are doing a run to the good bakery a few miles uptown, she'll buy him one, and won't even eat it before he can pick it up, she promises.

When Hardison talks to Nana later that night, he can't help but babble about his two very attractive neighbors, much to Nana's delight.

It goes on like that. They say hello, and goodnight, and start picking up coffee orders for Hardison. Eliot cooks too much and brings them both leftovers, and Parker starts designing tattoos for Hardison without telling him. And then Hardison asks them both to dinner at his place, stating that Nana says he needs friends, and he isn't much of a cook but he can at least barbecue something.

They go, and Eliot takes over cooking after 5 minutes, and it becomes a weekly thing. Parker and Eliot still don't talk a lot, but that's alright; Hardison talks enough for the both of them.

Hardison, eventually, makes a tattoo appointment. And of course, because this is fanfiction, he comes in early to find Parker finishing up a piece on Eliot's chest or back. They both smile at him when he comes in, and he has this moment of "oh, they are much hotter than I told Nana they were. Oh, I like them, I like them both"

I can't plot more, but they fall all three fall in love slowly, gradually, spending more and more time in Hardison's apartments, or over at Eliot's house, or Parker's condo.

And maybe, just maybe, one time when Hardison comes down to Eliot's shop to find Parker there with fresh coffee for both of them, he kisses Eliot, and then he kisses Parker. And then babbles about how he meant to ask them if they wanted to go on a date before he kissed them, but they were there and it just kinda happened and -

Eliot rolls his eyes and kisses him to shut him up. Parker grabs his hand, and tells him very gravely that she'll come on a date with him, if Eliot will too. Eliot of course agrees, and grumbles that he should cook them dinner instead of wasting money on a restaurant, and that is that.

Just soft people falling in love gently, kindly

They eventually move in to a big house together, and Hardison makes the apartments over the shop into a community computer centre, and they live happily ever after etc etc

Just. Flower shop and tattoo parlour au. I probably won't ever write this, but I like thinking about it.

[misslilli]

Little Mulder's back 🥰 I hope you guys enjoy!

Felix Felicis (2)

MSR. AU. E. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Prologue

[ FM ]

Ever since Felix and I packed up our things in Washington, DC and moved to the little, sleepy town of Plymouth, our personal life has been turned upside down and right again. From the first day of school, the appearance of a little woman with a big personality has profoundly changed our lives for the better and has shaken up our previously established dynamics as you'd shake up the flakes in a snow globe.

Over the past few months, the flakes have settled into the first stable relationship either of us Mulder boys have ever had. A newfound contentment has tiptoed in alongside the excitement of making memories, constantly finding myself asking How on earth did I get so lucky? and Where has she been all my life?

During all these recent developments, my professional life has been eerily quiet, giving me enough time to spend with Felix and/or Scully on both weekdays and weekends. It all seems too good to be true sometimes.

Day in and day out, I'm assigned cookie-cutter cases to consult on that are so textbook, they don't take up too much of my time or afford me chances to flex my profiler's mind.

They also don't lend me the opportunity to show the seasoned skeptics at the Boston Field Office what it is exactly that has me receiving special treatment by my superior in the Behavioral Analysis Unit and don't have to spend my days with them at the office.

To them, I'm either a youngster with an overly inflated ego or must be so eager, I have what they call "blue flames coming out of his ass".

Needless to say, neither of which particularly endear me to my colleagues up in Boston. But I get my reports in on time and have helped catch one-time arsonists, bank robbers and the occasional murderer who kills out of affect and is dumb enough to leave enough trace evidence that makes finding him a walk in the park.

Standing in front of the packed conference room of the Field Office, I present my recent findings in an arson case with a confidence I force myself to put on for the outside world but don't actually possess. I take great pride in my ability to create slideshows that underline the point I'm making in today's briefing, facing a room full of people that are just waiting with bated breath for me to screw up. Leaned back in their chairs, chewing on stale donuts or sipping lukewarm coffee while I click through my slides.

My only ally, it seems, is a young Agent fresh out of Quantico named Henderson, who sits up a little straighter on the chair during my monologue, pen poised eagerly over a notebook, scribbling away furiously. Henderson also follows me around the office afterwards, posing a million questions a minute to make amendments to the notes from the briefing. It's like having my own personal fan and it's kind of nice to have a friendly face in an otherwise slightly hostile work environment.

"Agent Mulder, do you think there'll ever be a real case to solve, like they do on TV? A serial killer perhaps?" Henderson's face lights up at the last question, just as I'm packing up my files to head out and pick up Felix from school.

The prospect of taking him and Scully to Starbucks after school and then home to a quiet afternoon of them doing their schoolwork and me finishing the paperwork of the day's briefing, is what gets me through most of the dreadful moments at the Field Office.

This week, Scully's been so busy with school, we've barely had any time to ourselves. For her, the days just flew by, not enough hours for too much work and I miss her company terribly. Stuffing the last file into my bag, I make a mental note to call her tonight to make plans for the weekend.

"Oh God, I hope not!" I shake my head at the disappointed Agent, even though a "real" case is exciting work for a profiler and would help me distinguish myself here, it would also mean long hours of research, more briefings, more presentations, hours of interrogations and actual field work. Over the years, I've found that the excitement doesn't make up for missing out on spending time with Felix and now, my girlfriend - the thought still has me grinning like a fool, my girlfriend hee hee! Stop it!

"Sorry, Agent Henderson, I'm praying for more bank robberies or arsonists these days!" Snapping my briefcase shut, I turn to head back to my car. "I'll see you at the next briefing!"

"Hm. Bummer. I'll see you around, Blue Flames!"

On my way out, I shake my head again and chuckle to myself at the nickname I've apparently been assigned, although Henderson only uses it to tease me instead of the thinly veiled malice of the other Agents.

"Just so you know, Dad, I've invited Dana for movie night at our house on Sunday." After recounting the events of his school day from the backseat, Felix tosses in this casual tidbit of information as if it's the most natural thing in the world. "Oh, and she said yes!" A glance in the rear-view mirror reveals him to be extremely proud of himself, a satisfied grin on his face.

"You know, you could've asked me first, Fe…" There's a moment of silence in the back while he considers what I've just said.

"Ya know … you don't have to be there, Dad, you can go hang out with Principal Skinner or something if you want to!" Is he for real? Making clandestine plans with my girlfriend and wanting to arrange a play-date for me at the same time. He's quite smooth, I have to give him that.

"Nope, movie night with you guys sounds a lot better than hanging out with Skinner.," I have to admit to a victorious looking Felix.

"Alright then, you can thank me later. Now-" He claps his hands together excitedly. "- we need to get popcorn and snacks and money for Pizza and clean the house and oooh, you need to help me with my homework, Miss Anderson gave us soooo much to do over the weekend!" The theatrical hand-waving that accompany his groan at the mountain of work in his bulging backpack has me chuckling at his antics.

He's really something else.

[m0ssycobblestone]

Got bored so I made a page full of Stale Donuts AU doodles (close ups under cut :D) my favorite is the cryptid vash he looks so silly

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Cause of Action 2

Warnings: dark elements, noncon, age gap, other dark elements. Proceed with caution.

Note: thank you for waiting! Please let me know what you think as it helps me a lot with ideas and I love interacting with you all.

Part of The Club AU

Your first week is tame. Boring, even. Your desk mates are quiet and cold. They barely even talk to each other. You suppose they have a lot of work to do, a lot more serious work than you. Your own tasks are rather tedious but menial nonetheless.

You find your sight blurring as you scroll through a case brief. You have your elbow on your desk, cupping your chin at your mindless perusal. The subtle click of the mechanism slips through your trance but doesn’t quite register. It isn’t until a dark shape stands in your peripheral that you finally break your near-comatose state.

“Mr. Barber,” you greet, barely able to conceal your surprise, “hi.”

“Just checking in,” he says as he rests his hand on the cubicle wall, “and I had a favour to ask you.”

“Uh, sure,” you keep your hand on your mouse, tapping the wheel nervously.

“Think you could start late tomorrow? You’ll see in the calendar there’s a late meeting and I won’t be in until noon anyway,” he explains, his free hand hooks on his belt. He does that, he stands like a disapproving dad and it makes your bones rattle.

“Right, uh, yeah, I can do that.”

“Great,” he smacks the cubicle wall and it shakes just a little, “you grab a donut from the break room?”

“Donut?” You pique at the mention of sugar, “oh, well… I’m tryna cut back.”

“That’s too bad. I got ‘em from this place about a block down. They’re great. I love the boston creams but the crullers aren’t bad either.”

“Hmmm, maybe at lunch,” you shrug, “thanks, Mr. Barber.”

“No problem, just a little pick me up for the office,” he looks around as the office drones continue on without acknowledgement. “I’ll let you get back to it then.”

“Alright,” you smile and swivel back to your screen.

He lingers for a moment before he strides off. You glance over as he enters the break room. The smell of coffee soon stirs in the air and makes your stomach grumble.

“Eh, could use another cup,” Marnie sighs but makes no move to fulfill her wishes.

You ponder a second coffee but think better of it. Caffeine usually has you addled and you’re already restless sitting around at a computer. You refocus on the case brief as Mr. Barber’s shadow approaches the door.

It’s strange. He seems so nice but the rest of this place is so miserable. Well, it is work.

📓

The late start to your day throws everything off. By the time you get to the office, you’re exhausted already. You couldn’t sleep in despite your efforts so much of your morning was spent in anticipation of starting work.

As you get to work Marnie is on her lunch and Taylor is huffing at his phone screen. He tends to be on that more than his computer. Mr. Barber greets you in passing as he appears with a cup of coffee. He retreats to his office as you settle in at your desk. There’s a small container waiting for you with a note.

‘Hope it’s not stale.’

You flick the post-it and tilt the container to see through the clear plastic. A donut dressed up with graham crumble and what appears to be strawberry jam. It looks delicious and dangerously high in calories. Still, a nice gesture. You would feel bad to reject it.

You get started, the day dragging by as usual. You pick away at the donut, trying hard not to get any crumbs or gooeyness on your keyboard. You get a few messages from Mr. Barber about new tasks but he’s mostly cloistered in his office, explaining that he’s on calls all day.

Marnie packs up first, then Taylor. Once they’re gone, the office takes on an eerie hue with the dimming sky outside. The tinted yellow bulbs do little to ease the ambiance. You clack on keys ambivalently, all caught up and anxious.

The door clicks and you spin to face your boss. You have no chill left.

“Oh, hi,” he buttons his jacket, “uh, you ready?”

“Ready? I thought the meeting was here?”

“No, uh, my client changed his plans,” he checks his watch, “you’ll get overtime for the extra hours.”

“Um, alright,” you stand up and stretch out your legs. Mr. Barber nears as you grab your purse and swipe up your phone from the top of your desk. “That’s fine, I guess.”

“Sorry, I know it’s weird hours but the guy’s not exactly a negotiator. Hence why he hired me.”

“No problem. I signed up for it, right?”

“I like that attitude,” he grins, “so, you like the donut?”

He peeks over at the empty container forgotten beside your monitor. You push your shoulders up and bite the inside of your lip.

“Yeah, very sweet,” you say, “thanks.”

“I’ve never had the strawberry so I’ll take your word for it,” he gestures you ahead of him towards the door, “better get going.”

“Sure.”

You lead the way and he locks the door behind him. He follows you down the narrow stairs as you cling to the banister. Your heels make the descent treacherous.

As you come out under the greying sky, Andy exhales heavily and checks his watch again. “I’ll drive.”

“Oh, uh, thanks, Mr. Barber,” you utter. You assumed it might have been just down the block. The mystery of it all is frustrating. You should’ve checked the calendar.

“Andy’s fine,” he corrects, “for tonight. Oh and a bit of advice, you don’t have to put up with my client. He says anything untoward, you let me know.”

He guides you down to a dark car parked by a meter. You near the passenger’s side and watch him come up the other.

“Should I be worried?” You ask.

“No, but he can be… direct.”

“Ah, right,” you nod, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Nice girl like you, I’m sure it will be,” he agrees as the locks slide back noisily.

He opens his door and sits in the driver’s seat. You get in and buckle up as he checks his mirrors and fiddles with a few switches. He seems almost more anxious than you.

“I won’t feel so out of place with you around,” he remarks as he puts his signal on and looks over his shoulder.

“Oh?”

“You’ll see,” he girds as he pulls out.

You wish he would just tell you where you’re going but you’re too embarrassed to ask. If he knew you didn’t even bother to check the calendar, it might not look so good on you. And you need him to give you a glowing reference. You can’t have the only experience on your resume be tainted by your own carelessness.

[sweetfirebird]

I don't think I've ever written a Taji AU. Which is odd. But maybe it's just too specific. Taji works as a student or something, you can make Taji be the worst coffee shop employee ever, was once fired from CVS Taji Ameyo, lost his job at donut shop for giving away stale donuts Taji Ameyo... but Trenne at the others are so solidly like... the space marine trope.

Maybe, maybe you could make them modern US military (but ew) or.... maaaaybe like jocks of some kind???

Hmm maybe they would work in a bar and Taji is the weird customer who comes in almost every night and is bent over a laptop doing work and never looks up (except when Trenne is there). But still. It's weird. Right?

(Beings verse is just Trenne is a werewolf and it's just too obvious. Taji is still human but maybe he has the sight or something and it pops up at the MOST inconvenient moments.)

[meltwonu]

|     THIEF | ┴SIƎH     |     [CHAPTER 2]

pairing; heistau!minghao x female!reader

this chapter’s notes; heist!au, dom!minghao, dirty talk, fucking in public, quickies, loads of banter, degradation, rough fucking, no aftercare whatsoever, this is also the meanest i feel i’ve ever written minghao hJHDAJ ☠️ also I wrote this with the homerun mv in mind with the train bit sooooo u kno 🥴 LOL also why do I always do this pairing im going to ja1l for this one dsfhskdh also train trips that are more than a day r so boring i did it once and slept the entire time lmao fhsjkd 🤣 As always inbox roundup tomorrow and s’more thirst posts 😗💕 I hope yall have a great weekend! I love u! Enjoy ch 2! 💕

As a refresher:

🐰 team: leader; Jeonghan | members; Chan, Joshua, Seungkwan

🐱 team: leader; Wonwoo | members; Soonyoung, Jun, Jihoon, Minghao

🐶 team: leader; Mingyu | members; Seungcheol, Vernon, Seokmin

chapters; 1 - 2 - ?

Jeonghan sends you on a weekend excursion - waving you off as he settles into his leather office chair.

‘Try to get the job done without having too much fun,’ he’d said.

And for you, spending an entire weekend on a train trying to locate a 1.2 million dollar emerald is equal parts hurting your ass from the uncomfortable, old bench seats and boring even though it’d only been the first night out of three.

Shoulda left the job to Chan.

Sighing, you visit the cafe car for the second time that night - hoping to fit in a midnight snack before you even attempt to sleep on the hard bench seat for the evening.

When you pry the car door open, you’re immediately hit with the soft jazz music from the small radio and smell of stale donuts - too tired to even notice the eyes watching as you make your way over to the snack counter to grab a bottle of water.

“Fancy seeing you here, doll.”

You clench your jaw; fingers tight around the bottle of water when you spin to find Minghao in a corduroy suit and mussed hair that falls into his eyes - hands in his pocket as he steps closer towards you.

Unfortunately, now this meant you had competition to find that damned emerald.

“I… wasn’t aware I had company on this weekend trip.” You bite back - a tight lipped smile on your face when you try to sidestep the male.

You’d only run into Minghao once before; his kind eyes and soft demeanor deceiving when he’d expertly tied you up and taken the 5.5 million dollar blue sapphire from your bag - only after fucking you and leaving you hunched over the empty glass case with his cum sliding down your thighs.

Jeonghan still held it over your head too.

“Oho~ you think you’d be alone? Tsk, so naive, doll.” He tilts his head at you; lifts in a soft pout. “But y’know… it’s going to be a long weekend, isn’t it? Why don’t we help each other out a little, hmm? Let’s not waste a good opportunity for some fun.”

He reaches for your wrist with a free hand, tugging you closer to himself as you gasp. “W-why would I help you? Especially after what you did last time, huh?” You mentally curse yourself for the thoughts floating around in your head but you can’t forget the way Minghao’s cock felt inside of you and the way he knew how to make your toes curl in such a small amount of time.

“I let you cum, didn’t I? I’m sure your ‘boss’ wasn’t too pressed about it.”

You roll your eyes in return, “Actually, he was and still is. So I’d appreciate it if you just let me do my job and quit distracting me.” Attempting to shake off all the arousal ready to fog up your mind, you try to remind yourself of the task at hand as your eyes sweep over the otherwise empty cafe car.

Minghao watches with a cheeky smile at the way you try to ignore him but he already knows the look in your eyes when you check to see if he’s looking.

“Do you honestly think you’re going to find the person with the emerald this late at night? It’s some idiot transporter thinking that taking a train means they’ll fly under the radar.” He rolls his eyes, leaning up against the snack counter. “They’re most likely asleep but also most likely armed, if anything. I wouldn’t try my luck if I were you, doll.”  

Groaning, you figure he’s actually right for once and you find yourself finally giving into the temptation as you let your mind wander.

After all, Jeonghan had only said to not have too much fun.

When you take Minghao back to your small empty train cabin, it’s a race to get enough of your clothes off for him to fuck you without getting too intimate.

“We have all weekend, doll. What’s the rush?” He jokes, tossing his corduroy jacket onto the opposite bench as you roll your panties down your legs and spread your legs wide for Minghao to situate himself between.

“If I find that emerald, I’m getting off this fuckin’ train the second it stops in the next city at 4AM. You’ll be lucky if you see me at breakfast in the morning. Now, hurry up and fuck me. I still wanna sleep.”

There’s no shame from you at all when Minghao peers down - brow raised at how wet you already are despite him not doing anything yet. “What exactly were you thinking about, doll?”

“The way Chan fucked me this morning.” You quip. “God, he was so rough. Had me squirting all over the bed while he fucked me so good. Can’t stop thinkin’ about his huge cock pounding my cunt so fucking hard.”

Minghao narrows his eyes, fingertips on the zipper of his slacks. He doesn’t say a word when he undoes the zipper and only chuckles under his breath when he shimmies his slacks and boxer briefs down enough to wrap a hand around his hardening cock.

“That so? Mm, I guess I don’t need to fuck you then since you already got your fix? Don’t wanna spoil you too much, doll.”

You reach a hand between your legs, fingertips on your clit as you moan. Your fingers flit down, collecting the wetness on them before easing in two fingers and thrusting them in and out. “Mmh, don’t you wanna fuck my tight ‘n wet pussy? I thought you wanted to help each other out, Minghao?” You shoot him a cocky smirk, eyes hazy as you watch his own hand running up and down his shaft.

“My ‘lil cunt is begging to be filled again… I can still feel some of Chan’s cum in me… Don’t you wanna fuck it out of me?” Batting your eyelashes at him innocently, you watch his demeanor shift as he peers up at you through his long fringe.

“Don’t you wanna see your cum pouring out of my filthy ‘lil hole?”

You bite your lip, curling your fingers inside of you as Minghao reaches a hand to tug your hand away.

“You’re so fuckin’ mouthy. No wonder your ass is always getting in trouble.” He pushes your hand away, simultaneously scooting in closer as he positions his cock at your entrance. “Make your pretty self cum on my cock whenever the fuck you want.”

Rolling your eyes, you nod and keep your fingers on your clit when Minghao starts to sink his cock into your tight warmth. “Oh fuuuuuck…”

Minghao meets no resistance as he sinks his cock in - bottoming out in a single motion with ease before he draws his hips back to thrust back in.

He starts a quick pace, eager to cum and make his exit before anything else could possibly happen.

“Huh, guess you weren’t lying.” He mumbles; hands on your thighs to spread your legs wider, only for you to wrap them around his waist as you tug him in closer.

His hips piston into you - cock tapping your g-spot as you moan loudly in the small room and your fingers rub quick, hurried circles on your clit as you try to match Minghao’s harsh pace.

“God, your pussy feels so fuckin’ good, doll. It’s a shame we don’t see each other more often.” Minghao smirks, fucking you hard enough to make your body jerk against the hard seat bench and the movements of the train have you swaying and moving with his harsh thrusts. “Ever think about switching sides? We can be nice too~”

“Ngh, fuck n-no…” You grimace as your back rubs against the rough material of the seat; trying to readjust slightly to make yourself more comfortable as Minghao jostles your body.

“Aww, is the ‘lil princess uncomfortable? I know you rather be fucked in a nice bed and not some dingy train bench but we can’t always get what we want, huh?” You clench around his cock, making him groan and only thrust into you harder as his blunt fingernails dig into your skin.

“Hurry up and fuckin’ cum inside my pussy… God I want it so bad…” Whining, you pinch your own clit as you mewl and arch your chest closer to Minghao. “Maybe once you leave, I’ll sit here and finger your cum back into my cunt to make myself cum again…”

“Fuck, you’re so filthy…”

Minghao feels his cock throbbing - already close to an orgasm with your walls clamping down onto his cock in a vice grip. “I’ll make sure to give you a nice big load of my cum to keep you satisfied. Maybe fill up your filthy ‘lil cunt all weekend so your boss can see what a good job you did when you come back empty-handed.” He goads.

You choose to not reply, instead, focusing on bringing yourself closer and closer to your own orgasm when you start to feel Minghao’s thrusts becoming more and more erratic. He starts pushing your legs up, leaning more and more over your bent body to get more leverage. 

“Mmh, fuck, yes, give me all your cum, Minghao~”

He growls in return, eyes clamping shut when he feels himself slip off the edge and into a mind melting orgasm. You moan at the warmth that pours over you and you quickly follow suit as you cum on his cock - walls fluttering around him as the two of you ride out your highs.

You can already feel the cum sliding down to the seat underneath you as he continues to thrust into you - fucking his cum deeper into your cunt as your body trembles underneath him. “God, h-how much are you cumming? Ah, fucking m-making a m-mess… Fuck, my p-pussy’s so full...”

Minghao laughs, opening his hazy eyes to watch you milk your own orgasm as you rub soft circles on your swollen clit.

“Isn’t that what you wanted, doll?”

When his and your orgasm start to ebb away, you slowly start pushing Minghao away from your quivering body. “Okay, time’s up. You should go.” His cock slides out from your spent pussy covered in your wetness and his cum as he kneels on the dingy carpet.

A soft ‘wow’ falls from Minghao’s lips as he nods; quietly tugging his slacks and boxer briefs back up as you sit with your legs pulled up and your hands to your sides. “You’re not a very nice host, doll.”

“I’m only returning the favour.” You smirk.

Minghao stands - eyes flitting to the cum pooling underneath you onto the seat bench. “You gonna sleep in that tonight?” He tears his eyes away from you to grab his jacket, tugging it back on before checking his appearance in the reflection of the glass window.

“Are you worried about it?”

“About what? You sleeping comfortably? Not really, doll. Just figuring you should clean that before someone else sees. Wouldn’t want you to be embarrassed.”

You let out a scoff, head tilted towards the door. “Okay, now you really should go. Can’t be see fraternizing with the enemy, right, Minghao?”

“Isn’t that what you do best, doll?”

Minghao takes his leave before you can comment back, laughing on his way out before the door to your train cabin slams shut.

You’ll give it two minutes.

When you know for sure Minghao is gone and not standing in front of the privacy glass window of the cabin, you hurriedly start to collect your things.

It’d only take a few minutes before he realized the emerald from the left front pocket of his slacks was missing so you had to move fast.

You just hadn’t realized it would’ve been that easy.

A quiet giggle bubbles past your lips as you slide your panties and pants back on - worrying about the cum soaking into the material later as you simultaneously store the emerald safely into your bag while also trying to text Jeonghan that you’d be back much sooner than anticipated.

‘Taking the 4am.’

In the midst of his high, Minghao let his guard down and you knew you only had seconds to move when you leaned forward - a quick sleight of hand getting you the emerald and letting you finish your job within 24 hours of it beginning.

Maybe you’d spend the rest of the weekend at a resort.

Once your clothes are fixed and your bag packed, you stealthily open your cabin door - making sure Minghao was nowhere in sight before you turned the corner.

All you had to do now was to make sure Minghao didn’t catch you before 4am came.

‘Good work, bun. Get back safely.’

[solinarimoon]

A Sweet Treat

A modern AU Finan/Eadith one shot - for the lovely @lauwrite1225 - Happy Secret Santa dear! I hope you enjoy this piece.  It’s only loosely related to the holidays and more related to birthdays and sweet Finan.

Word Count: 2,534

Warnings: Mentions of sibling rifts/family strife, a few curse words

My Masterlist

Tagging: @lauwrite1225 @emilyhufflepufftlk @morosemagick @93xdiagonxalley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Gah, damn piece of shite,” Finan shouted, dropping the fryer basket and stepping away from the counter.  He raised his hand up to his face and looked at it before sticking the back of a knuckle into his mouth, attempting to cool the burn from the oil.

Stifled laughter caused him to glance across the kitchen.  The rest of the guys sat at the table, beers in hand and failing to avoid each other's glances while trying not to laugh.

“You shut it over there, the lot of ya.”  Finan retorted as he turned back to figure out where to best pick up in his process.

Seeing their friend’s frustration rise only fueled the laughter from the table more.  Uhtred clapped his hand down on the table while letting out a loud guffaw, joined in by Sihtric.  Once the laughter settled down some, Osferth leaned forward peeling the label off the bottle of beer he was nursing.  

“Tell us again why you’re making donuts, Finan,” he asked, good-naturedly.

“Because, Osferth,” Finan replied with a huff, “I need to do something special for Eadith.  It’s her birthday.” The youngest of the group nodded his head in understanding, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.  Though he was still finding humor in his friend’s distress, Osferth’s demeanour as usual was more subdued.  A contrast to the raucous and boisterous nature of Uhtred and Sihtric. Both men still chuckling at Finan and the state of his kitchen.

Sihtric rose from his seat and tossed the empty bottle of beer into the recycling bin before walking over to his friend, clapping him on the back.  Specks of flour and sugar littered the counters in the small kitchen of the flat Finan shared with Eadith.  Sihtric’s eyes roamed the mess, taking it all in.  Egg shells on the floor, clearly having just missed the trash can.  Dirty mixing bowls next to the sink and piping bags scattered around the place.  The thermometer dropped on the counter next to the saucepan of frying oil on the stovetop.

“Eadith loves donuts just as much as you do, Finan.  But why not just buy some of her favorites from the shop around the corner?”  Finan cast a sidelong glance at his friend before turning around to rest his back against the counter, crossing his arms in a huff.  “I’m sure home-made donuts are a lovely gesture, but,” Sihtric glanced around, “Eadith will likely not appreciate the state of her kitchen.”

“Aye, you’re right on that count,” Finan agreed dejectedly.  He signed, running his hand through his hair and resting it along the nape of his neck before he continued.  “Just having your birthday around the holidays means she sometimes gets glossed over.  And you know her, she doesn’t complain about it, but I wanted to do something special.  Something just for her.”

“Where is Eadith, anyhow?” Uhtred interjected, leaning back in his chair and kicking a leg out comfortably.  “I thought the shop was closed for a few days for the holidays.”

Finan sighed again and nodded before tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.  A look of frustration and annoyance crossed his face. “I forgot to mention it.  You won’t believe who popped back into our lives last week.”

Uhtred slid his attention over to Sihtric, a questioning look on his face.  Sihtric raised his shoulders in an equally bewildered fashion.  Looking back to Finan, Uhtred stared for a few more seconds, meeting Finan’s eye.

“Her brother,” Finan revealed, the words falling from his mouth, stale and tired.

Uhtred’s eyebrows shot up while Sihtric’s mouth dropped open.  

Osferth squeaked, choking on his beer,” Her broth,” he cut himself off clearing his throat, “you mean Eardwulf?  That brother?”

“Her only one,” Finan answered, his voice full of frustration.  

There was a pregnant silence in the room for a heartbeat, before Uhtred broke the tension by clearing his throat and shuffling his feet underneath the table.

“I thought they weren’t on speaking terms?”

Finan’s eyebrows rose and he sucked his teeth, turning to give Sihtric a glance at the question.

“Aye they weren’t.  Was a surprise to her when his text popped up on her phone,” Finan shrugged his shoulders and rubbed a hand across his tired face.  

It only took a few bits of back and forth responses before Eadith and Finan got down to the true nature of Eardwulf reaching out after so long with no contact.  He needed money to pay off debts.  Debts he’d accrued through his scheming and cloyering attempts to ingratiate himself with wrong people.  The man was always looking to garner power or influence, but was never able to find a way to reach it without major downfalls, either for himself or for those who loved him.

“So what did the worm want?” Sihtric asked, reaching into the fridge for another beer.

“Money.  He needs money.  Typical.” Finan replied, holding out his hand with a gesture for Sihtric to pass him a beer too.

“Yeah, no real surprise there,” Uhtred murmured.  Sihtric took the few steps back to Finan’s side from the fridge holding out the beer for his friend, casting a glance towards the table while Uhtred continued, “But tell me Eadith isn’t giving him any.  She’s smart.  I thought she was done with his shit.”

“Oh she is most definitely not giving him anything.  We both agreed it needs to stop.  She’s basically going to see him to tell him to cut his shit and leave her alone.  For good this time.”

Uhtred grinned, “Ah, good.  Good for her.  And for you and her, both.”  But Finan’s face remained tight with annoyance.  

“But,” Osferth piped up, soft and caring, “that still must be difficult for her. To cut off a relationship with family.”

Sighing, Finan sipped his beer. Then he tilted the bottle towards Osferth with a sluggish grin coming to his face, “aye, Os, aye it is. She’s been down in the dumps over it. Which is exactly why I want to make my girlfriend some damn donuts,” Finan turned to Sihtric pointing his beer at him, “from scratch.  I want to bring a smile back to her face.  And so help me God, I will do it.”

Finan turned his attention back to the table, addressing all three of his friends, with a good natured if not tired smile, “so are you going to help me now or just drink all of our beer?”

A chorus of support sounded from the table. Sihtric clapped Finan on the back again, a comfortable and brotherly gesture well known to the pair. “Of course we will help,” he replied kindly, “but we’re also going to keep drinking your beer!”

This earned a robust laughy from all the men, Finan included. At once, they were back to figuring out the proper technique for homemade donuts. Battering, frying, and decorating. While making a monstrous mess of Eadith’s kitchen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 hours later ~~~~~~~~~~~

Eadith let a long slow breath escape her lips as she reached her front door. Slipping the key into the lock, she stopped, letting her forehead fall against the wooden frame.  Quietly, she stood a few moments collecting herself.  Her sullen mood had clouded the past few days in their home.  And the holidays were meant to be joyous.  It added to her frustration with Eardwulf that he had chosen this time of year, of all the other times.  It had to be the holidays.  And her birthday.  She was moving on with her life.  She had begun living for herself and finding her own happiness and life with Finan.  Working in the small boutique, earning her own money and settling into her own independence had done nothing but lift Eadith up as a person.  But Eardwulf, the man-child who was her brother, chose now to waltz back into her life.  Eadith knew she had done the right thing.  That she was choosing herself for once.  Her own well-being and happiness.  But that didn’t mean that it hurt less.  

The look on her brother’s face when she told him he wasn’t getting anything from her.  When she told him she wanted him out of her life, for good.  Perhaps it would have hurt more if he had reacted differently.  If he had seemed…. Hurt or remorseful.  Sad to lose his only family.

But that was not his way.  It never had been.  He was always full of anger.  Rage.  Even as a child, his first reaction to anything he disliked was always one of anger.  So it was not surprising when, instead of tears and apologies and regret over hurting his only family left alive, he spat words of contempt in her face.  Words meant to wound and break her.  

It was his eyes that had been the breaking point.  Eadith had tried to see beyond the anger to find an ounce of pain.  But he was only anger and heat.  It was when she had noticed that lack of remorse, that she had stood to leave the cafe.  

They had sat at a small table outside, away from the door.  Steam from their coffees rose through the chill evening air mixing with the puffs of cloud from their breath.  She had said her piece.  Made her wishes known.  And she had watched as he boiled over.  And his eyes remained full of contempt.  

He had continued to rain anger at her even after she stood to leave.  Silent and strong.  Eadith hadn’t let the tears fall until she had rounded the corner and was on her way home.  And in a bittersweet way, she felt relief.  Everything with her brother was always so complicated.  But this came now as simple.  And she couldn’t help the feeling of contentment with her decision.

A sudden and boisterous noise from inside broke Eadith away from her thoughts.  Startled, she stepped back from the door.  A moment later, the smile on her face broke out as she shook her head and turned the key in the lock.

Stepping into the hallway, the sounds of her boyfriend and their friends became clearer and Eadith’s smile grew wider.

“Sprinkles,” she heard Osferth’s voice pleading over the others, “you have to add sprinkles.”  Eadith chuckled knowing that the young man was likely a bit drunk.  He never tried to speak over the others unless he had been drinking.  

She took the few strides down the hallway to step into the kitchen doorway and her mouth dropped wide with a gasp before she began laughing.

A startled Finan stood up straight from the table, a piping bag in his hand while Osferth was holding the jar of sprinkles.  Sihtric was standing over the sink, Eadith’s pink dishwashing gloves awkwardly shoved onto his too big hands, a wash cloth in one and a mixing bowl in the other.  Uhtred stopped sweeping the floor.  And they all stared at her.  

Eadith stared at them all in turn, her keys still dangling in her hand.  And then she doubled over, laughing at their startled expressions and the various states of disarray they all seemed to be in.  “What,” she wheezed, “has happened,” she gasped for another breath between laughter, “to all of you?”

All of the men cast one another a glance before joining Eadith in laughing.  They all laughed uncontrollably.  Osferth wiping tears from his eyes and Finan stepping over to Eadith giving her a large kiss on the cheek, still holding the piping bag.  Eadith wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned into him.  The flood of joy filled her heart and brought more tears to her eyes at the sight of these men making or rather attempting to clean the mess they had made.

Everyone began to settle down after another minute.  “I needed that laugh gentlemen, thank you,” Eadith smiled looking at them all in turn before finally meeting Finan’s gaze from under his arm wrapped around her.  “But seriously, what are you all doing?”

“Ah my girl, we have been making you a birthday treat,” Finan mused while kissing her temple.

“Birthday? But my birthday isn’t for another couple of days,” Eadith began, her voice full of mirth.

“Ah,” Finan murmured, his lips still pressed to her hairline, “well I wanted to give you a pick-me-up, my love.  How’d it go?”  He pulled back as she turned her eyes up to meet his.

“I’m not sure really,” she replied quietly.  All the others had picked back up with their tasks and were still chuckling and pointing out how ridiculous they all looked, not listening in on the quiet moment between the pair. “I guess it went as well as it could have.  He was angry.  Irate really.  But I said my piece and left.  So it’s done,” she signed, closing her eyes for a moment, before she finished, “so I feel good about that.  Closure and the like. You know?”  Her voice sounded both strained and content in equal measure.  She looked into Finan’s eyes, searching for understanding and support.

Finan pulled her into a tighter squeeze and kissed her forehead, “Aye, love.  I know what you mean.” The two held onto their comforting embrace for just a movement longer, enjoying the comfort and familiarity. 

Finan broke the embrace slightly, pulling back, “Look what we’ve made for ya, love.”

Eadith allowed herself to be escorted over to the table where Osferth was putting the finishing touches on a donut by adding stripes of white icing drizzled across the surface.  Eadith’s tired smile grew into a large grin as she took in the chaotic mess of confections scattered across the table.  A low rumble of laughter from Sihtric and Uhtred to her left brought another fit of contagious giggles from everyone.  The donuts’ sizes ranged from absolutely massive to quite tiny.  And it was clear that the icing on some had been added when they were still hot from the fryer.  All in all, they were a mess.

Eadith turned her face to look at all of her friends and Finan, covering her mouth to try and stifle the laughter.  “Thank you all so much, they’re perfect,” she said between chuckles.

“Och, no need to flatter us, love. I know they’re shite.  But I tried,” his words were cut off as Eadith gave his lips a quick peck.  “None of that, Finan,” she admonished, still smirking, “they’re perfect.  A chaotic mess of perfect donuts.”  Eadith met Finan’s eye and saw her own love and adoration mirrored there.  It was a glorious mess of a gesture.  But Eadith’s heart was full of more love and joy than she had felt possible.

“But about the state of my kitchen,” she said with a laugh.  

Another raucous round of laughter escaped everyone as the guys continued to clean up their mess and Finan pulled out a chair for Eadith.  He grabbed a small place, placed a donut on it, and gave her another firm kiss at her temple before turning around to deal with cleaning the fryer.  Eadith watched them all for another moment, a smile still plastered across her lips.

The donuts tasted delicious.  The best she’d ever had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[emiefaunwrites]

I HAVE A VERY STRANG HC! So like Chihiro really likes pita bread. There is no support for it yet for some reason it makes sense in my brain? It doesn’t go stale that fast, and it is delicious warm. And Chihiro deserves delicious warm and cozy bread to eat while programming : )

Hey anon!

Hahahaha I love it! And I freaking LOVE pitta bread! Its the only real bread I can have without my stomach dying and so I'd LOVE to give it some love!

Once again, he/him pronouns for Chihiro in this AU. Please be aware of this!

Thanks for the ask anon! Sorry it took so long!!

***********************

• Chi spends a lot of time programming.

• Like. A LOT.

• He's constantly coming up with a new system to improve someone's life, or something to share with his friends.

• Hell, sometimes just because he can!

• And he loves his talent. So freaking much.

• So much, in fact, that he sometimes forgets to eat.

• His dad tried to counter this by buying him a fridge, but d'you think he remembers to stock it up?

• His friends become quite worried and resort to buying him meals to eat.

• Never ACTUALLY getting thanks until the next day - Chi's a little shit when he's coding!

• Nothing REALLY stands out - not savory food, anyway.

• The boy will ALWAYS react to donuts or chocolate.

• But savoury? Meh. Forgettable.

• Until the glory that is pitta bread.

• It's Hiro's turn on feeding duty - the guy who has no regard for what he shoves in his mouth to eat.

• And he turns up with some healthy thing (that of course Taka recommended) in one hand.

• And a kebab in the other.

• He hands the healthy food over, leaning over to see what Chi's working on.

• And the warm, comforting smell of pitta bread wafts into Chi's nose - lighting reactions in his brain that don't trigger when he's in the zone.

• Poor Hiro has NO CHANCE to save the pitta before Chi's snatched it and shoved it in his mouth.

• 'That was miiiine...'

• 'More please.'

• 'But I got you...'

• 'MORE!'

• Hiro has to go back to the kebab shop and order five more pitta breads. JUST pitta bread. Toasty warm.

• And Chi wolfs them down eagerly - spouting a thanks before continuing.

• With this revelation, his friends make sure to stop off and buy him a couple of warm pittas as an addition to the meal.

• They even convince him to start filling his fridge...

• With pitta bread.

• THE BOY IS OBSESSED - pitta bread has become his go to meal for long nights of programming.

• Of course, with the amount of bread he's now consuming, he has to work out more to stay in shape.

• But does he care? Not a bit.

• One year for his birthday, Hiro has no idea what to get him so convinces the kebab shop to give Chi a year long deal for free pitta bread.

• (He gave one of his famous fortunes as a dealbreaker - and the fortune was actually correct!)

• All Chi had to do was flash a special voucher in their shop and they'd know what to do.

• Most people thought that was a lame idea.

• Chi nearly cried with happiness.

• It DID come with the caviat that he would have to make sure to eat properly (Hiro made sure to declare it after much pressure from Taka, of course).

• And it worked - Chi was forced to leave his mancave every night to go make himself some food.

• And as a special treat once a week, he'd head out to grab his freebie.

• Returning once more to his room, snuggled in his duvet and staring at the screen, nibbling on the warm, comfy goodness that is the pitta bread.