#anyways... new icon in a bit maybe. still thinkin about it

[danses-with-dogmeat]

J is for -- John Hancock

Well, here's a classic for y'all. I know Hancock is always in these things, but really, if he didn't deserve it, he wouldn't be here. He's a charismatic ghoul, what can I say? I fell for him the same as so many others probably including you 👀 So I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy he's here 😊

But no matter how you feel about the esteemed mayor of Goodneighbor, I hope you all like this one! 😁

And here is the 2k event masterlist, for your browsing pleasure!

--

Pair: John Hancock x M!Sole

Dialogue: “What are we doing?”

Word: Joining.

Rating: NSFW

Category: Fluff

Word Count: 1.4k

“Jesus, Hancock…” Sole breathed into him, feeling like a boy just turned 18.

The way they were fumbling over each other in the VIP room of the Third Rail, like horndog teenagers under the bleachers at a football game, it had his blood pumping and his heart fluttering just the same way.

“Fuck, keep sayin’ my name, Sunshine…” The ghoul growled, in that smokey, gruff voice that had chills shooting up Sole's spine. 

“Yes, John. I will, just, ah—” Sole gasped at the way John’s teeth scraped over the side of his throat, the sting of pain only adding to the bubbling pleasure coming from deep within his gut. Every muscle in his body tensed at the feel of Hancock rubbing up against him, those wiry hands grasping at his tight-as-sin (as Hancock put it) vault suit like the fabric was his last tether to reality. 

Hell, after all they done tonight? Maybe it was.

Hancock was no stranger to chems, to say the absolute least, but all the substances the pair had abused together tonight were of a more… liquid nature. Whitchapel Charlie had cut them off a while ago, as if that would stop the Mayor of Good–times from drinking his fill of sickly sweet cocktails. 

“Just don’t stop…” Sole finally managed the words just before his lips became occupied with something a bit more physical. 

John’s lips were as addictive as the chems that so often passed between them. The subtle roughness of them, the flavor, sweet and smokey, the way they moved so skillfully, like an artist's paint brush over the blank canvas that Sole felt like in comparison. 

“Kiddin’ me?” Hancock said between kisses, “Never dream of it, baby. Been thinkin’ of this too damn long. Been needing it.” 

The sound of his zipper being pulled down registered before the feeling of his chest becoming exposed to the stagnant bar air, but Sole hardly missed a beat as he helped the ghoul shove the vault suit from his shoulders and pull his arms free from the sleeves. 

Hancock’s midnight eyes flashed to the new territory Sole’s actions exposed, 'conquer' written plain and fierce in his expression as his lips dove to smother his partner’s chest with wet, open-mouthed kisses. 

Sole could only groan.

Only groan, and use his free hands to begin the process of undressing his partner in return. Hastily, he moved to undo the buttons of Hancock’s shirt, grateful that the ghoul’s iconic hat and coat were already removed in the warm fervor prior to this. 

Almost on instinct, it seemed, Hancock pulled away briefly to tug the shirt from his torso, and deftly returned his attentions to Sole’s chest, stilling the ex-vault-dweller where he sat with the way his lips moved over him. 

He was like an animal, his hands caressing every inch of the firmness of Sole’s chest, smoothing down to his abdomen while his lips followed soon after, leaving a trail of love bites and hickeys all the way to his hip bones, where the suit had caught and refused to lower without Sole rising to aid the fabric downward. 

The ghoul didn’t even need to say it, not with words, anyway. His eyes practically shouted the question from their dark depths. 

‘May I?’

“Please, John…” Sole pleaded, and though his eyes likely said just as much, he figured voicing his desperation for the ghoul couldn’t hurt his case. 

Hancock quirked a brow. 

‘Please, what?’ the expression asked cheekily. 

“Please, just… touch me, put your mouth on me more, just… fuck me, John.” Sole could feel himself warming at the crude request, and in such a public place too… Even the thought of it made his ears burn, his stomach flip. 

Despite the nerves though, and despite that giddy, thrilling feeling rising in his chest, he could feel his body’s enthusiasm for the idea growing ever harder in the tightness of his briefs. 

Apparently it affected Hancock just as much, if the groan he released was anything to go by. 

“Baby, you’ll be screamin’ my name so loud, they’ll hear you clear across to Diamond City.” He promised with a growl. 

Sole felt his cock awaken fully at that, giving an excited jerk. 

The alcohol had given him the bravery to finally make his move with Hancock physically, but now, his mind couldn’t be more clear. 

Sole wanted him.

Carnally.

“Those squares won’t know what hit ‘em, when they hear you…” Hancock’s voice trailed off. His hands stilled on Sole’s hips, and he found himself bucking forward desperately into the ghoul’s touch, begging for more. 

“When, when I… Shit.” 

Sole’s eyes cracked open in time to see the way Hancock shook his head, the way his brows creased above his downcast eyes, lost in thought. 

“E-everything okay?” 

“Nah…” Hancock whispered, “Nah, it’s, fuck… Sunshine, what are we doing? What am I doing?” 

Hancock sat back on his heels in between Sole’s spread knees, his hands sliding down from his partner’s hips to the tops of his thighs. 

“W-what do you mean?” Sole sat up as he asked him. 

“Just… I been waiting ages to be with you like this. Been pining an’ shit, really falling for you, ya know?” 

Sole could only blink, his eyes wide as drink coasters. 

“Now to just… Jump into it, an’ after we been drinking an’ all. Jus’ doesn’t seem right to me, Sunshine. You mean more to me than that.” 

“I… I do?” Sole’s mind began to sober up quickly at the sound of those words, that pleasant buzz replaced with wonder and… anxiety? 

Anxiety that he doesn’t really mean this, and this is just the drink talking, or anxiety that he does and I’ve wasted so much damn time?

He hoped it was the latter. He’d feel like a fool, but at least it’d mean another fool was in love with him. A fool he was in love with in return… 

And isn't that the best kind?

Dammit, still not sober enough to think in proper sentences, or logical thoughts. 

“You ain’t been payin’ much attention, have ya Sunshine?” Hancock smiled genuinely, pulling Sole from his foggy head and back to this thrilling reality. It was a dangerous thing, too… as John looked awfully kissable just now. 

But Sole had to fight that urge. Just for this moment, at least.

“Guess I was too busy thinking that I was being too obvious…” 

Sole’s words were met with a quirked brow from their companion. He took that as a cue to continue on. 

“When I didn’t know how you felt, before now, I mean, I… I didn’t think I had much of a chance with you, honestly.” 

“Not a chance?” Hancock scoffed, “Sole, you’re… I mean, you’re like a prince charming, you know? You’re two good deeds shy of perfect. You got the face of one of those moving picture stars on the old posters, and you think you ain’t gotta chance with this ugly mug? You crazy?” 

“Ugly mug?” Sole’s head shook in disbelief, “You’ve gotta be the one who’s kidding. I could hardly breathe the first time I saw you.” 

“That’s cuz I stabbed the guy you were chattin' with.” 

“No.” Sole refused to budge on this, despite the humorous quip, “Look, Hancock-- John, you mean more than anything to me. No one’s ever made me feel like this, made a fool of me the way you have from the start, if... what you say about your feelings for me are true.” 

“It’s all true, Sunshine.” He whispered in that rough voice of his, and Sole felt goosebumps prickle up the still-bare skin of his torso. “I’m in deep, and this? What we were doin’ just now? Most thrilling moment of my fucking life, but… maybe we oughtta do this right, you know?” 

“Oh, c’mon, Mr. Mayor.” Sole leaned forward, till his nose brushed over the hollow space where John’s used to be. “What do we know about what’s right?” 

Hancock couldn’t resist his companion’s proximity, as he leaned forward to capture his grinning lips in a sweet kiss. 

Sole could tell he was still holding himself back, but even so, Hancock's kiss stole his breath away like the first time he laid eyes on him.

“Now, me?” The ghoul rasped as he pulled away, leaving Sole to lean forward, hungry for more. “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout what all’s right and proper. But you, baby, you do.”

The ghoul scooted forward at that, his hands sliding dangerously up Sole’s thighs to grasp at the ruffled fabric of his vault suit. 

“So… Why don’t you tell me what you think's right about all this, and we’ll just go from there?” 

[infinitystation]

thinkin about changing my icon to sleepy techno......

[emilycollins00]

Two faces of the same coin

Pairing: Tenma x ghost-looking! reader Part 1.

Hey! I had this awesome ask from sadly ages ago which I appreciated a lot bc honestly, just the fact that someone sent such a detailed thing?? My heart.

Request: (...) Tenma finds someone who looks like they got out straight from a horror movie- They could literally pass as a ghost anytime of the day! But once he talks to them they are just an extremely chill introvert, and actually really thoughtful and considerate? (...) So yeah, imagine Tenma who once was shitting his pants whenever that person was around slowly starting to enjoy their presence and even better: fall for them.

Enjoy! 💕

.

Classic horror icons and other disturbing creatures share common characteristics, pale skin, dark, sunken eyes, hunched posture, sharp teeth, and the like. These images inspire fear and revulsion in many with good reason. And while Tenma would insist he was okay with them- he really was and Yuki should really just shut up- he wouldn’t go out of his way to watch or read about that specific genre. And he was okay with that.

“A ghost in the school?”

He tried to not sound as worried as he internally felt, his brain still processing what Taichi was talking about while waiting for their drinks to drop. The redhead nodded unaware, eyes fixed on the vending machine “Yeah! You haven’t heard about it before?”

“W-why should I? It’s stupid to think paranormal stuff like ghosts exists anyway.”

With a clank, both drinks finally fell. Taichi crouched down to retrieve them humming happily, handing one of them to the summer troupe leader and keeping one for himself.

“I don’t know man, it’s kind of cool!” he crossed his arms behind his head, resuming their walk and looked behind. “What about you, Juza-san? You seen anything?”

The purple-haired boy considered it lazily, but ultimately shook his head. He didn’t seem too interested in the conversation anyway, and Tenma was pretty sure the main thoughts running through his head were today’s melon bread from the cafeteria.

It had been a while since their Ouka-high group had been able to have lunch together.

“Did you see? That Sumeragi Tenma is back!”

“Gosh, he looks so handsome!”

“Wait- don’t push me!”

“I heard he’s going to be a possible cast in that famous saga-”

“Are you serious?”

Whispers and tiny squeals kept circling them as soon as they entered the boundaries of the canteen. And while Tenma barely notices it at first, he can definitely see Juza’s stance going more rigid and Taichi’s eyes glowing at the attention received.

“I’ll go get our lunch” the golden-eyed teen announces heading towards the queue, hands buried in his pockets. He motioned Tenma with his chin. “You wanted set B right, no carrots.”

“Uh? Well yeah, but I can-”

“S’okay, you two go find some seats” he shrugged, looking around. There weren’t many spaces to start with and he’d honestly prefer focus on the food rather than the stares. “It’d be difficult to keep ‘em free with just one person anyway.”

“Roger! Come on Ten-chan, let’s go!”

.

.

.

“Aw, man. Everyone has their eyes on you as usual!” Taichi looked around, still indulging himself with all the people that were staring at them, some more blatantly than others.

How he didn’t get bored of mentioning it every time Tenma didn’t know, though he was low-key grateful. Not many people enjoyed being part of those types of reactions from a crowd- Juza for example-. When they finally managed to find some empty seats, Taichi placed his own bento on the table visibly excited. Tenma frowned.

“Since when did you start preparing lunch by yourself?”

“Ah, this?” the redhead laughed proudly at his confused look “See, I’ve been practicing my cooking skills! Tsuzuru has been super cool teaching me how to prepare some dishes for my siblings- plus, I’m sure I’ll get the attention of girls if they see my new talent!”

“Right…”

Tenma couldn’t decide whether he should make a comment as he took a long, thoughtful sip from his own juice can. Taichi’s lunch was a side of string cheese, a broken omelet, and some semi-burnt rice and it just didn’t seem very tempting.

He ultimately chose to leave it aside. Omi would surely know soon enough.

“So, uh, Taichi.”

“Yeah?”

He coughed, leaving aside the can and resting his back on the chair nonchalantly. “N-not that I care about that rumor, but- where is that ghost supposed to be?”

“Ah, the one we talked about? Mmm…” the autumn member caressed his chin, closing his eyes in deep thought. “No one really knows. It’s been spotted in pretty much all parts of the school” Tenma’s stomach sank at that. “But I’ve heard it likes room 1001 for some reason, you know, from the old side of the school? No one really uses it anymore- guess it makes sense!”

The redhead took again the chopsticks and started digging on the rice carefree.

“R-right.”

Tenma shook his head. Cool. Great. Now he knew which side of the school he would never even try to approach at least.

“Tenma-kun!” a female voice, not familiar, made him jolt from his seat. When he looked up a girl followed by two others were are already making themselves comfortable on the chairs next to them- one of them even deciding to sit on the table. “Hi there!”

Third years.

"Hi” he repeated.

“We saw your appearance in that new series, it was unbelievable!”

“Are you going to be a recurring character there? I’d love if you could ask one of the leads to sign a shirt of mine!”

He simply showered them a practiced smile. He could already tell what type of fans they were. It wasn’t something out of the ordinary- people approaching him about his shows or to ask for favors- and honestly, it was better not entering in that dangerous territory. “Thanks. Nothing’s been said yet, that’d depend on the company. I’ll be counting on your future support.”

They instantly beamed at his reaction. “Of course!”

One of them clapped her hand together “That reminds me, when is your next performance in that theatre company you play? I so want to go see it again!”

“Ah, that will take a while. We just finished a month ago so next up is the autumn troupe” he motioned Taichi with his head, a proud, real smile featuring his face this time “These guys have been going all out, you won’t be disappointed.”

“O-of course!” the shortest Ouka high student practically jumped into the conversation. “If you all want, we could ask for a few tickets from our-!“

“But Tenma-kun is not in that troupe, right?” the girls looked at each other confused. As if it wouldn’t be something it’d cross their minds to do, had the child actor not participated before.

“W-well, no but…”

“Plus, the summer troupe is hilarious! I kinda prefer those types of performances, you know?”

“I totally get you!”

From his peripheral vision, Tenma could register Taichi’s face growing red- a strained smile before sitting back on his seat, not trying to add anything to the conversation anymore.

Smile. Remember to smile.

“…We all give our all on those performances, I don’t think it’s fair if you have just watched the summer troupe. You’ll definitely enjoy it if you give them the chance.”

“Really?”

“I mean… If Tenma-kun says so maybe we could go take a look.” one of them gave a chuckle, playing with their hair. “You think we could ask you to get us some tickets for-?”

“If you are not eatin’ you should leave.”

“Uh? Can’t you see we’re-” the sentence died in their lips as soon as they turned and encountered Juza. Not that he himself was proud of his reputation, but during these situations at the very least it paid to see they knew who he was.

“Move.”

The resulting glare was terrifying in its intensity, and the retreat took no longer than a few seconds. No one mentioned anything afterward- Juza’s calm and blank expression coming back as he sat down, handing the summer leader his lunch and squinting down at Taichi’s.

“What the hell are you eatin’.”

“Hehe it caught your attention too, right? You see…”

Tenma observed them. They were acting as if nothing had happened. Not so long ago people tended to stay away from him for those same reasons, so it still took him a few seconds to find the words again- For feeling this relieved at their reactions.

He left the chopsticks aside. “Sorry this... keeps happening."

They momentarily stopped the conversation, sharing a silent look before turning to the teen actor facing the table in awkwardness.

“I-It’s okay, Ten-chan! They would obviously be more interested in watching you than an unknown performance” Taichi laughs and scratches the back of his hair. He seemed to be fine- a bit uncomfortable, but fine. “Besides, that just means we have to work even harder to be recognized, right, Juza-san!”

“Yeah, don’t get stuck thinkin’ ‘bout it. We ain’t losin’ any time soon.”

“Anyway Juza-san, are you sure you’re okay with only melon bread and pudding for lunch? I can give you some of mine!”

Juza didn’t verbally answer Taichi’s offer, merely staring at the burnt rice being held in front of him with skepticism “…nah. I’m okay.”

Taichi frowned at his own food, tilting his head confused. A few seconds later, he gave it an ultimate shrug before going for one more bite, Juza doing the same with his own lunch. Tenma scoffed at the view, trying not to smile amusedly. The autumn troupe really was made out of beasts.

“If Sakyo-san saw what you two are eating he’d skin you alive, you know.”

“Why.”

“What do you mean why, Juza-san you can’t expect-“

"Ah, that reminds me!” Taichi suddenly rambled, mouth full of rice “We should totally go to the arcade before we head up to the dorm. I heard they have these new games that are supposed to be super exclusive!”

Tenma winced “Can’t. I have a meeting with my homeroom teacher after classes.”

The other two replied with a similar expression.

“I almost forgot you came from a big shootin’ and all. We’ve been seein' you in the dorm pretty much everyday.”

“Yeah! Geez I always say I envy you, but dealing with that after working must suck!”

“You tell me…”

Taichi shook his head, giving him both thumbs up “It’s okay, we can go another time. Good luck though!”

.

.

.

“You can sit here. I’ll go bring your work in a second and then we’ll talk.”

With a lazy look on his face, Tenma caught a glimpse of his own reflection from a trophy case- one of the few resting at the entrance of the teacher’s lounge. He had never paid attention to them before; Second prize in a football tournament, first prize in some races and a few diplomas regarding different competitions, nothing too special. Ouka high had never had the best score regarding academics, which is exactly why he was able to enter.

Igawa liked to insist it wasn’t entirely Tenma’s fault he had so many troubles keeping up with schoolwork though- well, not more than the usual of not being good at studying. No one actually knew how hard celebrity kids had to push themselves- at least that’s what his parent had said. On the other hand, they hadn’t really cared much more, so long the school allowed him to be flexible with his schedules.

School time was usually done while moving sets and camera changes. He and other kids and teens were at different levels of schooling most of the time, so the teacher was forced to divide their time. Honestly, one would be lucky to get 30 minutes of full tutoring.

Anyway, it was rotten work and even Tenma knew it. He also knew what his homeroom teacher thought about it, which is exactly why he couldn’t help himself raising his eyebrows concerned as he saw the pile of papers being drop over the desk.

“Is this a joke?”

“I know you’re busy, but there’s a minimum to do keep up with your classes and… general results.” the old man frowned scratching his grey four-days old beard. He clicked here and there at the computer, probably revising the latest results of the tests they had done.

He then leaned back on his chair, trying to find a comfortable position before his wrinkly eyes turned to him again. “I wish I could think of another way, but you are getting quite behind everyone, Sumeragi-kun. We’re worried.”

Well, it was not his fault he couldn’t remember all the information they gave him like a script. Was it really the solution giving him the same amount of work as his classmates with half the time?

Before he could open his mouth to complain, the man placed his hand on Tenma’s shoulder. It felt heavy. “I already talked with your manager. It seems you’ll be having a break for a month and a half just before finals and I’d like to help you. We can’t have one of the biggest faces of the school repeating a year, can we?”

Tenma’s jaw clenched. Of course, everything was always for Sumeragi Tenma the actor. Student Tenma could go drown himself.

“Here you’ll find some reinforcement materials I think will be good for you to do in school. Less time wasted while moving and I’ll be here in case you have any questions.”

His face twitched. That would mean he wouldn’t be able to ask for Tsumugi’s help or any of the adults back in Mankai. “I actually-”

“Suguro-sensei, Someone’s calling for you about tomorrow’s meeting!”

“Is it that time already... I’ll be right there in a second! In any case, I would suggest you go work on the library Sumeragi-kun.” the man got up, finishing that way their conversation. “It should be quiet enough, but if you see any students being too loud, give them a call.”

Tenma side-glanced again at his workload, groaning internally.

Just about his luck.

.

.

.

Twenty minutes walking.

How could such a big school not have a single sign to indicate where things were?

Squinting his eyes, Tenma looked both ways across the hall annoyed, his already short temper from before increasing. He was sure the library was two turns to the right, then left, and then up the stairs from the teachers’ lounge.

...or maybe it was a floor down now that he thought about it. Damn it. It wasn’t as if he had ever stepped inside that place, shouldn’t they make it more accessible for everyone?

“This sucks…”

It had been a while since he had seen other students or even teachers around, which also made him feel uneasy. He glanced down at the paperwork in his arms, gripping it tighter. He hoped no one would see him walking around like this.

Just where was the stupid library?

It wasn’t until Tenma decided to try entering inside any room that would allow him to work, that he found many were strangely closed. He was about to gave up when he finally saw the dusty word ‘library’ at the end of the corridor. Finally. With effort he managed to open the heavy door, immediately pinching his nose.

“Ugh, stinks.”

The person in charge of cleaning the school really did a worse job than Matsukawa- at least the man cleaned from time to time and organized stuff. The place was an absolute mess; boxes over the floor, piles of books on chairs and shelves full of documents and other various things he didn’t quite distinguish.

Leaving everything on the closest table Tenma sighed when he felt his arms relaxing without the weight. Frowning, he walked around the place, smelling a mix of dirt and old- even some shelves were full of dust. Really, how did a school like this had such a gross place to study? No wonder students didn’t try to come here.

He should have asked for permission to take his work back to Mankai. Less danger of someone noticing he was behind his studies and it becoming a gossip- or worse, finding he had been walking without an absolute clue for the last half hour.

Yeah, he had more options to pass the year with Tsumugi’s help rather than on his own. Just looking at the amount of work he had he was sure it’d-

The faint sound of walking steps brought him back from his thoughts freezing him on the spot- all his breath trapped. He hadn’t heard anyone since he entered, but it shouldn't be surprising to find others studying.

I’ve heard it likes room 1001 for some reason, you know, from the old side of the school? No one really uses it anymore- guess it makes sense!

Or it was probably the wind. The wind tends to make noises, Tenma reminded himself while swallowing with difficulty.

Was the air suddenly thick?

Crack!

He strained to hear, his heart pounding loudly. “I-Is anyone there?” the nerves made his voice come out higher than he had hoped.

More cracks and sounds of steps. He couldn't see anything yet.

His stomach turned as his breath became louder. This wasn't happening. Yup! It was his imagination. What was happening could not be real, because ghosts didn’t exist. “I-I’m not afraid, you know?!” he shouted, positioning himself on a fighting stance while carefully moving backward.

That’s right- Tenma wasn’t scared. He had just rested enough, with or without a ghost in the room, and it was about time to leave. Ignoring his sweaty palms and nodding once more to nothing in particular, he turned around at the same time a pair of eyes made contact with his.

The figure opened its mouth.

And Tenma proceeded to absolutely destroy his throat.

_________________________________________________

This took so long though I’m not even sure If they are around. If you are love, I apologize! I found a few walls writing-wise. So not entirely to say I made it longer to make up for it but on the other hand... maybe. Thank you so much for sending such a nice idea so I was able to make this, really hope you like it. 💕

I promise this is a reader insert lol thank you for reading!

Part 2 soon!

[anika-ann]

For a Smile

Type: One-shot, Reader Insert               Word count: 5400

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader, OC x reader (brief)

Characters: Steve Rogers, Reader, OFC, OC

Summary: You see him run past every morning. So you smile, because he looks like a nice person. How could he not be when he smiles back and the world stops for a while to pay respect to such beauty?

And sometimes… sometimes this incredibly handsome man smiles first.

Warnings: mentions and hints of (psychically) abusive relaionship, suggestive themes, swearing, all the fluff in the world

A/N: I used to pass this guy near a café playing music every morning when I went to school and at some point, our eyes kinda met and we smiled at each other; then we did that every day. I kid you not, he’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. It’s not a Hollywood-star smile, no – it’s a guy-next-door smile, heart-warming, with his eyes simply shining. He’s like a kid on Christmas Day… I could ramble on. Anyway, just so you knew what brought this on.

○◦○◦○◦○◦○◦○ ♥ ○◦○◦○◦○◦○◦○  

A smile costs less than electricity, and gives more light. (Scottish proverb)

Warm honey, sandstone and apricot orange melting into indigo, cerulean blue and stone-grey sky. Merigold playing with salmon and rose pink, teasing each other and making space to the warmer shades of orange.

You watched the beautiful colours of sunrise as you shifted your legs for a bit, causing the simple plank hanging on two tattered ropes sway, a smile tugging on your lips.

It was a little childish really, or it may appear so to anyone who would be passing by; but given what an early riser you were, just so you could watch this breath-taking game of colours, the little miracle of nature, no person could question you as you were dangling your feet off the old swing.

On your way to work, if the time allowed it, you would always make a stop on your favourite spot; a no-name park in upstate New York you were walking through every day, rather calm and drunks-free at the early hour.

Once upon a time, someone had placed a simple swing on one of the trees farther from the path. You sent a silent thank you every time you parked your behind there. You weren’t a monster; if a kid wanted to sit here, you would have gladly (...reluctantly) made space for them, but they seemed to always be more mesmerized by the playground with the actual swings, the chutes, the monkey bars and the sandpit. You couldn’t say you complained though, having the old-fashioned swing for yourself.

It was childish, perhaps; though your mother had once chosen that you should be going into accounting and so you had. Numbers and bills were things even adults hated, but that was what being old enough meant. You didn’t mind it too often, plunging into them for living, but… you needed to compensate, so you felt entitled.

Plus, the motion of the swing was soothing, as if magically transporting you back to your childhood indeed, with less worries, more ease and pure mind.

Yeah, sitting on the swing was your favouri-

Rapid staccato of feet hitting the ground in the distance, no doubt scaring off the birds chiming their morning songs, reached your ears and you had to admit you wouldn’t be completely honest with yourself if you said this was the favourite moment of your day only because of the aforementioned reasons.

There was one more.

It had strong long sweatpants-clad legs, broad shoulders in a sports t-shirt with seams crying for help, blond hair and-

Your heart melted along with your brain as your lips curled up in a genuine smile you sent in return.

-and the most beautiful smile in the whole universe.

You never spoke. Didn’t say hello. You never even nodded in mutual acknowledgement.

You just… smiled at each other.

And that was your favourite moment of the day crafted to perfection. A breath-taking sunrise, almost eclipsed by a mesmerizing display of the row of perfect white teeth framed by plush coral red lips and the twinkle in beautiful inviting eyes of a stranger.

You knew his name despite never exchanging a single word. Everyone knew his name. But Captain Rogers – Steven Grant Rogers – was a name that held no meaning. He didn’t know yours and probably never would; so strangers was who you were. A couple of strangers exchanging a smile every morning and lightening up (hopefully) each other’s day.

It always felt nice when you glanced at someone on the street, then just… somehow smiled and they smiled back, didn’t it? So what if you were an adult woman dealing with numbers for Stark Industries sitting on a swing and he was a deservedly treasured national icon?

It made no difference.

Just two people sharing a tiny piece of their day for a smile.

○◦○◦○◦○◦○◦○ ♥ ○◦○◦○◦○◦○◦○  

“You’re insane,” your colleague stated dryly as she walked into the office at seven thirty, already finding you with an empty coffee cup, your fingers flying over the keyboard.

“Huh?” you raised your eyes from the screen on autopilot, not really paying attention.

You still noticed Harry rolling her eyes; it was just that distinctive.

“I said that you’re insane, you crazy-ass lark. My brain isn’t even awake yet. To be fair, I’m ninety percent sure I met Captain Handsome in the hall along with our boss, so it’s hard to tell if I’m dreaming or not, having a vision like that.”

“Captain Handsome?” you frowned, your mind racing, desperately trying to remember who was Harriet’s newest crush. ‘Captain Handsome’ could be literally anyone.

“Our resident Star-Spangled Man, you dummy. You’re low on caffeine. Or sleep. That’s what you get, getting up in such an ungodly hour…” she hummed, crossing her arms on her chest as she looked at you sceptically, a drop of disappointment in her eyes.

Oh. Oh! That made sense; if the man was with Tony Stark, the range of options narrowed significantly, especially since your friend had called him a captain. Except it didn’t make any sense at all.

“What was he doing here? I mean… since when is he wandering in our department? It’s all across the compound here from the training area.”

“Well, look who’s actually awake and bright-minded…” It was your turn to roll your eyes at your friend. “My point exactly. No clue, but lemme tell you – seeing that ass? Definitely made my day,” she threw over her shoulder as she stalked to the coffee machine and you couldn’t but chuckle at her bluntness.

Your stranger had an amazing smile, that was true. But your gaze did slide elsewhere on occasion too; which was why you would never try to disprove Harry’s claim.

“We might have the Ironman for a boss, but, girl… I’d like to know what Rogers’ ass is made of then,” she added and you burst into another fit of giggles, your face feeling hot all of sudden when your mind unhelpfully supplied with ‘vibranium’.

What would it feel like?

Yeah, you definitely needed to go back to your numbers before your impure thoughts got the best of you.

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The first time you two met outside the park, you were in a bar.

You hadn’t seen him for almost a month, assuming he went on a long-drawn mission; one that had ended well, clearly, since he was out drinking. Just eyeing his companions and instantly noting his body language, you could tell he was suffering. Like, not literally suffering, but it was very much obvious he was not feeling comfortable.

His eyes were drifting all over the place, as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes laughed loudly, patting his shoulders while a hint or red dusted his cheeks, and then they fell on you.

His face was screaming ‘save me!’; yet, his smile was still as warm and kind as ever, an impossible spark within his irises, visible even from the distance. That twinkle was always the biggest mystery to you, because logically, no person could have eyes so bright, but here he was, proving your claim wrong.

Your lips spread in a smile automatically and encouraged by your second drink, you considered adding a small silly wave.

Before you could execute the decision, the result of your two last braincells arguing whether it would be more silly or sweet, an arm sneaked around your shoulders and your smile widened on instinct at the sensation. You turned your head to Cade and met his lips halfway to yours.

You had been dating for almost a month now and this inconspicuous guy from logistic of a giant company that was surprisingly not Stark Industries was a dream coming true. He was showering you with so much attention you weren’t sure he was real. Late-night conversations via phonecalls or texts, good morning, good night, kisses that lasted long enough for you to forget that you in fact needed oxygen, touches that set you on fire. He was easy to fall in love with.

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout that got you smilin’ so wide, babe?” he whispered to your ear, grazing your earlobe with his teeth.

Gosh, you wanted him. The first sex hadn’t been so great, Cade chasing his own release, but hey, first times were always hard in a new relationship. The more were you excited about your second time and you were confident the second time would happen tonight.

“Nah, just smiling at strangers. You know that feeling, so nice, when you just toss a smile and they smile back?” your eyes found his, only to see him frown.

“I like it better when you smile for me, babe. What did some stranger do for you to deserve that?” he hummed discontentedly, pouting adorably as his hand slid lower to squeeze your hip possessively. It sent a spark through your body, a lightning striking right into your core.

“Just teasing you, Cade. I was thinking about how I lucked out,” you batted your eyelashes and a slow delicious smirk played with the corner of his mouth all of sudden, intensifying the heat inside of you.

“Wanna get out of here, pretty thing? Lemme show you how lucky you are?” he whispered, the pad of his thumb grazing your lower lip, pulling it down a fraction. “Or maybe… show me how much you think you lucked out, huh? How much you appreciate being mine?”

God, yes.

Judging by the glint in his eyes and the hungry kiss that lasted too short – but too long for such a public place – he didn’t need a verbal confirmation. He swung by the bar to pay for your drink and practically dragged you out of the rather crowded space. Your head was spinning a bit and you couldn’t tell whether it was excitement or alcohol. Either way, you really, really liked it.

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“You know that Cade was a dick right?” Harry noted nonchalantly while she handed you a cup of coffee and assessed (correctly) that you were sulking again, thinking back to that one particular night when you had noticed the first sign – or you would have if you hadn’t been such a goddamn idiotic goose of a woman, drunk on top of that.

You sighed and sipped your punishingly bitter dose of caffeine.

You were positively brooding and you didn’t care if it affected anyone else. The world apparently hated you and you couldn’t quite blame it.

Not even your precious strangers-exchanging-smile moments felt the same anymore. First, your stranger had started smiling less brightly after your encounter at the bar and then, even if it had changed, you wouldn’t be able to tell, because you were too wrapped in your own misery. Even the curve of his lips looked sad, which was a stupid thing to say, because he had no way of knowing about either Cade turning out to be an abuser-in-making or about you breaking things off with him and cracking your fragile heart in the process, while yelling at yourself mentally every morning and still longing for Cade’s arms around you since it always felt oh, oh so good to be held…

You recognized the signs early, but not soon enough. You let it escalate into him trying to control when you went out and with whom, him lashing out when you wouldn’t respond to his text in longer than five-minutes time, letting him yell at you when you missed his call… he loved you, after all, he just missed you and was afraid you were with someone else, and oh babe, come here, you can make it up to me…

Your sister had gone through something similar, for god’s sake. You should have noticed sooner. You should have known better. But no, you had allowed your body, your twat to be precise, to rule your brain and that had been stupid.

Cade had tried to get in touch several times after your break-up, even waiting in front of your apartment until you would go out once; you might have threatened him with a restraining order after that particular day and he had stopped quickly after that, only two of three attempts with a new e-mail address and number to get pass you blocking his previous ones.

Still. It made you miserable. And perhaps a bit self-hateful.

You deserved every bitter drop of Harry’s horrible coffee and more.

“I was being blind and stupid,” you opposed and returned to your figures, deciding your exchange was over. Figures were clear enough; they were easy to read and didn’t make your brain drunk on endorphins and other very specific hormones allowing you to act like a teenage girl, excited at her first boyfriend groping her. “Thanks for the coffee.”

A huff sounded above your head and suddenly your swivel chair was being yanked back and turned around, a pair of strict chocolate eyes boring into your soul with startling clarity. Harry’s fingers were wrapped around the armrests as she was leaning into your space.

You backed into your chair instinctively. She looked menacing.

“He was a charming bastard from what I heard and his type always knows how to manipulate people, letting them see what he wants them to see. It’s not your fault. You’re one badass of a woman, smart as hell for noticing before it escalated. You’re my hero. Mine and every other person’s who has ever been in or even heard of an abusive relationship. You can do better than him. It’s a funny coincidence they spelled his name wrong anyway.”

You blinked away your sudden tears, immensely grateful for her words that somehow wormed their way inside your very core (you blamed the intense stare that reminded of your mother’s when she was giving you the kind of talk that was too serious for you to handle) and yet you tilted your head in confusion, not understanding the meaning of her last statement.

“Huh? His… his name?” you stuttered, baffled.

Harry positioned your chair back to its place with a grin and went back to her own business.

“Clearly, they added an ‘E’ at the end. What a stupid typo…” she threw over her shoulder cheekily and when you caught up, understanding her point, you released the first honest laughter in what felt like a year.

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Your life had been set off to better course after that short conversation. You felt like you were healing every day, finding yourself lighter. Happier. Freer of the baggage Cade had tried to left you with. The sensation was indescribable and it radiated from you; some days more noticeably than others.

You found yourself indulging the blond stranger’s smiles once more, finally seeing the spark in his eyes again, the genuine curve of his lips warming your heart and starting off your day in the best way imaginable.

Naturally, life had a reliable means of showing you it could suck.

Right when you thought that you were fine, it delivered another blow; your favourite place in the world… ceased to exist.

Someone put the swing in the park down.

They just… erased it from existence.

Maybe they considered it dangerous. Maybe they were being dicks. Maybe they thought it was old and ugly. It didn’t quite matter.

You could weep, mourning your intimate inanimate friend.

You didn’t cry. But it was a damn close call as you shuffled towards the playground and eyed it sceptically. You knew it wouldn’t be the same and not just because the swings were in a plain sight, but they also looked too fancy, to actually child-like and— they weren’t your swing. Your sanctuary. Your private space. Your secret place you never told anyone about, not Cade or your previous boyfriends, not your family, not Harry or other friends, not to anyone.

You watched the sun rise on the horizon, ridiculously heavy feeling in your chest, ignorant to the rest of the world.

God, you hated Mondays. You already knew this week was about to be a disaster.

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“There’s a swing outside in the green area.”

“Huh?” you hummed distractedly, too deep into figures to register more than the sound of your friend’s voice. What was her name again? What was yours? What day was today? What was the time? Had you already had lunch? Had the lunch-time already passed…?

A chuckle followed by a to-be offended tone responded to your intelligent way of communicating.

“I’m starting to think ‘Huh’ is my name with how often you call me that,” Harry (aha!) remarked with a hint of sass, but repeated herself, because she knew she shouldn’t take it personal that you didn’t quite payed her any attention. You were a person who would get sucked into their own world, too focused on one task to acknowledge anything else. “A swing. In our compound park. It’s kinda cute, hidden from a plain sight though, a simple wooden thing.”

You slowly raised your eyes to hers, your pupils widening with surprise. Your pulse was roaring in your ears, your heartbeat no doubt shaking your whole frame.

Harry was telling you that there was… a swing. In the compound area. Hidden from everyone’s prying eyes, at least partly.

Why?

How?

You could only come up with one ridiculous theory which involved you, but that idea alone was laughable. Why would anyone do that for you? More importantly, how did anyone know-

“You think it’s an invitation for children? Like, is ‘bring your kids to work’ day happening any time soon? ‘cause, not to be rude and greedy, but one swing doesn’t seem like— hey!” Harry called after you, but you could barely hear her as you jumped to your feet, your heels be damned, and strode through the halls with zero regards to anyone in your way.

Not that there was a soul; people actually worked around here, too busy to wander the halls.

The thing was, that one theory about the swing didn’t just involve you. It involved one more person, but that person was a stranger to you and had no reason to even… acknowledge you. Besides the obvious part of your day that no longer existed – not in the way it used to. But the thought was simply laughable.

A different part of your brain raised a figurative sceptical eyebrow, argumenting that you had no better explanation for the phenomenon.

Because… you loved Harry. She knew about your traditional early morning watching the sunrise, but not about the swing. The swing was always a secret, no one knew, except… except one particular guy who always passed you on his morning run and exchanged a smile with you and just happened to work at the very same compound you did and technically had the power to pull the strings to make this happen.

With your heart hammering in your chest, you gasped for fresh air when you finally made it out of the building, your eyes searching for a calm spot, a tree in whose shades you could possibly find a prove of Harry not pulling your leg.

Your heart positively stopped when your eyes fell on the simple plank hanging on two ropes, indeed offering a safe space for anyone who decided to sit there in search for serenity.

You felt tears stinging in your eyes, your feet moving of their own will despite semi-high heels digging into the ground an inch with each step, bringing you closer to that little, yet breath-taking miracle. A chuckle escaped your lips when your trembling fingers brushed the grey ropes, more of your senses acknowledging that this was in fact happening.

Your hand followed the line of the rope, sliding to the plank, only to notice a rough sensation on your fingertips in the corner. A carving, you realized.

Tears of surprise actually welled up when you recognized they were initials. Your initials.

How-- how was that possible?

‘Sit down, you dummy!’ your consciousness cried out exasperatedly. ‘It’s clearly for you!’

“But why?” you asked it under your breath incredulously, thousands of questions ruminating, no answers on the horizon.

Regardless, you reluctantly lowered yourself, shocked when your feet dangled above the ground in precisely the same way they used to-- they used to in the park. It was even installed in the same height.

Reverently, you gave the swing a test-drive, just tiny motions of your feet to try it out.

It was perfect.

Your gaze fell on a sign on the tree trunk, small, subtle and harmonizing with the place without a fault.

Sanctuary of the kind ones. Do not disturb, it read.

You giggled breathlessly, lightheaded and with no care in the world.

That naturally changed when you spotted your very much expectant colleague in the distance, her arms crossed on her chest, figuratively tapping her foot and screaming questions without saying a single word.

The thing is, you thought, I have no idea how to answer.

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Perhaps it was naïve, a child-like trust and excitement, but the next day, you went to your new spot expecting to enjoy the sunrise there and not to be disturbed indeed.

You weren’t.

What you couldn’t quite prepare yourself for was the single daisy lying on the wood, starling you to no end. Hesitating all of sudden, you searched your surroundings, wondering if you interrupted someone else’s plan. Perhaps someone had the same initials as you and whoever made this happen had a different person in mind, doing it for them and the swing was just a funny coincidence.

But then in the middle of your mussing – on the swing, because, screw it, you might as well enjoy this since no one had kicked you out yet – a familiar figure ran past, gracing you with a beautiful smile, once again without a word and with a shy gaze falling to the ground after you met their eyes. With that, it… actually started to settle.

He had done this for you. For some incredible inexplicable reason… your smiling ‘stranger’ offered you a kindness of unseen measures.

And as if it wasn’t enough, you would find a different flower on the wood every day for the whole week. They weren’t even fancy flowers, which made it absolutely magical. Daisy. Tulip. Lilly. No red roses, only cute blossoms, matching the simplicity of the swing.

Harry was nearing the verge of insanity due to your goofy smiles and flowers in your hands; but you remained tight-lipped like an international spy during an interrogation, too afraid that if you said it out loud, sharing that ridiculous impression you were getting these days with anyone, your bubble would burst.

And surely enough, as if you jinxed it mentally, the next Wednesday, no flower waited for you.

It was ridiculous how your mood died instantly. It could have had hundreds of explanations including the one that he went for a mission, because he was Captain Freaking America, in case your stupid heart forgot, but nope, you would still feel the corners of your lips turn down.

You watched the shades of orange bleeding into blue and grey, lost in thought and with unsettling longing in your heart.

You suspected his steps sounded purposely loud when they came from behind you, where you wouldn’t expect them. You didn’t need to see the familiar Nikes on his feet to know it was him; you doubted anyone else would approach you, let alone at such early hour.

Yet you would lie saying your heart didn’t skip a beat when he stopped in his slow tracks by your side, steady feet next to your dangling ones, and you had his identity confirmed.

Your throat went dry and stiff, your voice dying before it could form.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he whispered reverently, not disturbing the peace of the indeed lovely scenery in front of you.

You didn’t dare to look away from the sunrise as your voice came out unfairly scratchy, a stark contrast to his deep and smooth one that felt like a caress on your skin.

“It is.”

Silence fell on your pair again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The birds sung their morning songs, waking up the world and you didn’t think words were needed. Except you owed him something, and you wanted to say it.

Reluctantly tearing your gaze away from the painting by the most amazing artist, the nature itself, you casted a glance at him.

You didn’t realize you had never seen him still; duh, you did know that, but what didn’t quite click in your brain was that you would be able to see him in all his glory, soft smile and an absent gaze framed by long eyelashes, shadows casted all over his face and body, playing games which gave him a surprisingly ethereal aura for a man of his built.  

Your stomach tied itself into a knot at the sight and the ‘thank you’ got once again stuck in your throat when his eyes turned to you as well, you breath stolen from your lungs, your lips parting uselessly and curling into a smile on instinct when his did.

Despite seeing the too startling sparkle up close, you couldn’t tear your eyes away from the deep blue with a hint of green of his irises. It was just too captivating, locking you in a sweet cage you didn’t feel trapped in, but free and suddenly able to breathe in again.

“Thank you,” slipped from your lips unwittingly, shocking to your own ears.

The very same hint of scarlet you remembered from the infamous bar encounter dusted his cheeks, his smile softening as he turned a bashful gaze away, now fixated on the ground.

“Just wanted to see you smile again. Best part of my day,” he admitted, peeking at you from the insanely long and thick eyelashes and you could melt on spot, dizzying vertigo overcoming you at the sweet words. Good thing you were sitting.

You had no idea how to respond, your heartbeat thumping in your temples, your face feeling too hot and chest pleasantly warm at such admission. Your teeth went to chew on your lip and you abruptly stopped yourself. Bad, bad habit.

“Was… was that the only thing? Because the swing would be more than enough, let alone with my initials, and the flowers-“

“Maybe-“ he softly interrupted your lame attempt at flirting which had turned into a babble, but with same nerves coursing his voice unless your senses were playing tricks on you. A shiver ran down your spine at the realization that he might be as nervous as you were-- the strangest thing in the world, wouldn’t it be? “Maybe I could tell you… over a coffee?”

A daffodil entered your field of vision, happy, bright and yet somehow shy in his big hand and you didn’t think twice before accepting it, your fingers brushing his skin in the process only half-accidentally. Passing you the flower, he offered you a hand so he could assist you in standing up.

Ah, as if he knew your knees felt wobbly and uncooperating with the overwhelming turn of events.

You didn’t hesitate to accept that either. You had a hunch that the manners of a forties’ man would be offended if you didn’t anyway.

“Thank you. Again.”

The twinkle in his eyes shone brighter at your words, his smile widening.

“My pleasure.”

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“If I trip over something, I’ll bully you into carrying me everywhere for the next month,” you threatened in a joking manner as your boyfriend of one year led you through his apartment with his huge palm sprawled over your eyes, while his other gently rested on your lower back, making sure you maintained some balance.

“I wouldn’t complain about that. Are you serious? Because I just might let you trip then…” he teased back and you could hear the grin in his voice, mesmerized by the happy note in it. You would roll your eyes at him fondly, but he wouldn’t see it, so there was no point.

“Don’t you dare…”

“Okay, let’s stop now,” he whispered in your ear, his hand shifting to your hip to squeeze lightly, causing you to shiver. You and Steve had taken your time when it came to physical aspect of your relationship (past certain bases anyway), so a touch like that still sent a delicious electrifying feeling through your whole body.

As if you weren’t excited enough ever since the moment he had told you he had had a surprise for you.

Chewing on your lower lip, you followed his gentle instruction and stopped in your tracks.

“Should I be afraid?” you asked for the fourth time in the past five minutes.

“Terrified,” he confirmed in a joking manner. “You ready?”

Not waiting for your answer, he uncovered your eyes and with a deep inhale, you snapped them open.

Only for your breath to hitch at the sight in front of you.

“Oh my god... it’s beautiful!” you exclaimed, a surprised chuckle escaping past your lips.

In the corner of the living room, soft marigold pillows laid in a circular hammock chair coloured in the indigo of an early sunrise, practically begging for you to jump in and nestle there with a book and relax.

Instantly reminded of how you met Steve in the first place, you couldn’t but spun on your heels and threw your arms around him, strong arms eagerly welcoming you as his chest shook with hushed chuckle.

“Glad you like it,” he murmured, hiding his face in your hair, raising you from the floor effortlessly. “Happy anniversary, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! Happy anniversary, Steve. This truly is amazing. I love it!”

“But not more than me?”

It was your turn to chuckle as you retreated, placing a kiss on his nose and earning a pout that simply had to be kissed away.

“No, Steve, not even this amazing hammock compares to you. I’ll show you exactly how much I love you in a sec, I just have to test it out,” you promised.

He released you with no protest and watched with a fond smile as you climbed in with a child-like excitement, the corners of his eyes twinkling. He slowly made his way to you as the hammock swung gently with your weight and you sent him a delighted grin as he sat on his heels in front of you, his hands landing on the edges so he had the control over the movements.

“What’s the verdict?” he pried softly and you opened your mouth to respond with enough enthusiasm to power the state of New York for a year; but he continued. ”Is it comfy enough for you to… make you consider- that maybe-- you could… stay here more often?”

Your breath hitched, your throat swelling when you got a pretty good idea of what he was asking from his serious gaze. Yet, you needed to make sure, butterflies in your stomach flipping their wings wildly as you leaned forward, invisible magnets pulling you towards him.

“And by ‘more often’ you mean-“

“All the time,” he whispered, his eyes roaming your face nervously, trying to spy a reaction, read the answer in your expression alone.

You chuckled incredulously, ecstatic at such proposition, and placed your palms to both sides of Steve’s face, grateful for his grip on the hammock and trusting him not to let you faceplant on him with how hazardous the kiss you gave him was.

Your eyelids fluttered close, but you felt his smile as his lips engaged in a tender dance with yours, one of his hands sneaking to the side of your neck to pull you closer, tilting your head as his tongue teased your lips to part.

How could you deny him anything even when you felt like you were about to fall face-down any second? He would be under you when you landed anyway. What more could you wish for-

“I love you,” he breathed to your mouth as he broke the kiss for one damned second that felt like eternity; one second in which you forgot to suck more air in even when given the opportunity. Who needed oxygen anyway? You could breathe Steve in and live blissfully, it was what you were trying to do for the past minute and it was glorious- “That’s a yes, right?”

A chuckle escaped you as you dodged another kiss, his lips landing in your hair instead, the hammock swaying hazardously. Mm, seemed like your supersoldier was too distracted to watch your balance.

“Yes. The hammock totally convinced me,” you teased him lightly, an idea striking you when you said those words. Climbing down as he was still sitting in front of you on his heels, you lowered yourself on him, nestling in his lap and leaning to his ear and sharing your not necessarily filthy thought in a breathless whisper. “But I think I still like sitting right here much better.”

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S.R. masterlist

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Tags: @mermaidxatxheart​

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Thank you for reading :-*

P.S. - Keep smiling; at the people you love whenever you can, at strangers and at the person you see in the mirror :))

[winteriron-trash]

Okay okay... How about WinterIronQuinn where they're (relatively) long established but Steve has never understood orbis jealous for some reason. So Steve ends up going off on Tony and Harley & Bucky defend the fuck outta him. Also the Avengers being baffled by Harley's skills would be awesome!

I couldn’t decide which I wanted to do, so I did both. I regret nothing.

Tony pretended not to notice the glares and side glances he got daily from Steve. He really, honest to god tried not to think about the patronizing, all American national fucking icon. Tony got the looks from Steve anyway, it was something he’d grown used to.

What he didn’t particularly like though, was the significant increase in looks that Tony got whenever he was flirting, kissing, or just being a damned human being with Harley or Bucky.

Especially Bucky.

Well, Steve’s scorn was slightly different, depending on if it was Harley or Bucky.

With Bucky, it was an outright glare. Twisted pucker, narrowed eyes, tight posture. His entire demeanour screamed of jealousy and just a general anger towards Tony whenever he and Bucky were sharing a moment.

Whilst with Harley, it was more so… distasteful confusion. As if Steve still couldn’t quite figure Harley out -though honestly, who could- and couldn’t begin to understand why Tony would bother with her.

Or why she would bother with Tony. Whichever, really.

And then when all three of them were together, having a moment, Steve’s expression was just general exasperation. Like he was sick of it. Sick of the PDA.

Not the PDA, specifically. Steve had nothing wrong with the touches and smiles Vision and Wanda shared, nor the quick pecks and lingering touches Natasha and Pepper shared whenever they had the brief moment together in the Tower. Even when it was just Bucky and Harley kissing, Steve didn’t look angry, but rather longing.

No, the resentment was towards PDA concerning Tony specifically. Like he had a fucking vendetta against Tony.

What else was new?

But in the end, Steve was a very polite person and Tony fully expected him to keep his angsting to himself. And maybe Sam, but that was behind closed doors.

Tony did not expect the sudden callout at breakfast before he was even awake enough to comprehend it.

“Really, Tony,” Steve said, voice sharp as he made eggs. “Shouldn’t that be saved for the bedroom?”

Tony blinked. “What?” God, he hadn’t even had coffee yet, what did he do now? He was wearing pants, right? Boxer briefs. Close enough. No worse than the time Clint had come barreling into the kitchen in nothing more than a speedo.

Steve rolled his eyes. He even managed to make that look righteous. “Kissing both Harley and Bucky? It’s unsanitary, at best.”

“Cap, I’ve ridden Bucky’s dick and ate Harley out in the same night. I think we’re all well past that,” Tony said with a yawn, going for the coffee.

“That’s not the point.” Steve sighed with a tight jaw.

“Then what is the point, hm?” Harley chimed in as she sat on the big freezer, pulling curlers out of her. “That you’ve gotta crush on ‘im? And ya don’t like seeing him kissing and tellin’?” She glanced up, gaze so perfectly innocent.

Steve froze, jaw working.

“That’s it?” Bucky asked incredulously. “That’s why you’ve been so pissy around Tony? You fucking like him?”

“I don’t-” Steve’s grip on the pan’s handle was so tight Tony could see the imprint beginning to form.

“Because that is so fucking childish.” Bucky shook his head. “Especially since everybody knows you’re shacking it up with Sam. It doesn’t give you an excuse to treat Tony like shit just because you won’t confront your feelings.”

Steve scoffed. “That doesn’t make sense, Buck.”

Harley’s smile told Tony that Steve had already lost the battle before she opened her mouth. “Sure it does. You want him, but ya know you can’t have him. So you have built up bad feelings,” she batted her eyelashes, “about it all and ya direct those feelings towards Tony ‘cause it’s his fault in the first place, right?” She finished twisted the pink side of her hair into a pigtail and moved onto the blue. “But ya know, what would I know, I was only the best-damned psychiatrist at Arkham.” She glared up at Steve.

“I just think it’s a rash assumption,” Steve held his ground, arms folded.

“Rash assumption my-”

“Harley,” Bucky warned, and she calmed down a bit.

“You jus’ don’t wanna admit the truth.” She jumped down from the freezer, marching over to Steve. She was easily a half a foot shorter and a hell of a lot smaller than him, but still as menacing as she could get, hands on her hips. “And you listen here, Rogers. Don’t you ever go around thinkin’ you can mistreat Tony just because you can’t handle your feelings.” She took a step forward, eyes narrowed. “And don’t you dare think you can steal him from me or James. Got it?”

Steve blinked, taking a subconscious step back. He looked to Bucky for guidance.

Bucky only arched an eyebrow. “What? I agree with her.”

-

Aliens. It was always aliens. Or gods. Or HYDRA. Or AIM. Or-

Well, it didn’t really matter who it was. All it matter was that Tony was having a perfectly fine afternoon with minimal Avengers incidents and then some scaly ass motherfuckers blew a hole in Tony’s wall.

A waste of a perfectly good afternoon. And a perfectly good wall.

“Avengers assemble!” Steve shouted.

“We’re all already here!” Clint shouted back, punching an alien.

Steve actually paused for a brief moment. “I’m sorry, habit.” He shrugged and offered a dorky smile. Tony rolled his eyes as his armour wrapped around him.

Tony got a bit too lost in the fight of kicking alien ass -and getting just a bit too covered in alien goo- before he realized Harley had found her way into the now half-destroyed living room. Brandishing a frying pan and one of Natasha’s guns that Tony didn’t even want to know how she got.

“You handling yourself, sweet cheeks?” Tony asked, blasting an alien in the face as Harley whacked another’s head clean off with the pan.

“Of course.” Harley grinned, that bloodthirsty glowing little grin Tony lived for. “Why didn’t ya invite me to the party?”

“Was a bit busy,” Tony grunted.

Harley laughed. She spun around, setting her eyes on Steve, who was tackled to the ground by an animal. “Batter up, Rogers!” Harley warned, then slammed the alien on the head so hard it’s entire body rolled off of Steve.

He sat up, staring at Harley with the most amusing face Tony had seen all week. “Thank you?” Steve got up, dusting himself off.

All of the other aliens had been taken care of, and they were all left surrounded by dead bodies and way too much fucking goo.

“Is that my gun?” Natasha asked eyes narrowed.

Harley smiled, stepping over a body and handing Natasha the gun. “The grip’s a bit too weighted, you should really fix that.” She flashed a courtesy smile.

Natasha took the gun, studying Harley as she walked over to Tony.

“You alright in there?” Harley knocked on Tony’s closed faceplates.

Tony opened the plates, smiling as he glanced around at the shocked looks on the Avengers' faces. “Perfect.”

[willard-writes]

BEES, a Glycerin Drabble

< You know what it is. Yet again, the Glycerin train is going, but this is about when she discovered she’s got her iconic parasites. On her first RP blog, I did expand the situation on what happened, but it does get summed in this, so have no fear! >

< you could tell I started to stop feeling it at one point. But I was determined, FOR THE LORE! besides, I like depicting Gasmoxia as a more living and breathing land with various minor characters.>

Waking up from a deep sleep is always a disorienting experience, to gather one's bearings in an instant. Most of the time it's not so bad, waking up in a comfortable bed and realizing one is in their room, but what if the aspect of familiarity was taken away? Sounds of beeping, people speaking, machines whirring, all echoing around one entity.

A low growl travelled through the trunk of a certain insectoid monarch, her albino body still shining brightly, even when against a pale mattress. For a moment, her body felt light, as she opened her eyes and looked in her surroundings, noticing she was in a large pod of sorts, dressed only in leggings that were tight around the segmented part of her legs, and leaving most of her body exposed. As she continued to lay and ponder, a different feeling came into her body. Discomfort. First, she shrugged it off as just her body crushing her wings beneath, but it started to get more uncomfortable... and then it started to hurt. Really badly.

Her body thrashed around, before someone nearby realized she was awake and in agony. A nurse swiftly pressed a button, resulting in something within the pod to shoot some sort of powder, slowing her movements and numbing her body. They apologized, immediately bowing their head. "We weren't expecting you to awaken so suddenly. Doctor Tizanidine thought you'd be pretty out of it for longer, at least a week! We noticed your body was already being launched into activity in only a day, but to recover from such an attack after two days? Well, Tizanidine did say you always were a fighter, Queen Glycerin."

"... Wait, what the fuck is going on?" Her voice sounded rather weak, but she clearly wasn't going to just be quiet. She needed answers. Though, there was an odd buzz-like sound, subtle, but there.

"Oh, oh, sorry, you are probably confused! My name is Eskatamine, I've been assisting with watching over your very swift progress. You were brought in by some guards, they said you passed out on planet Bysala. They were worried that you got into quite the gruesome fight and---"

"Hold on, Bysala? Right, they had that whole declaration of enemyship junk. Not my fault I wasn't going to pay them to be allies just because it's what Cellulose did."

"So you attacked them?"

"Yeah. Assembled an army, and attacked, directly in all their capitals. They were all weak, thinkin' they can just overwhelm us with the amount of bodyguards, but they failed. Pitiful. Some leaders surrendered, some were murdered by me. I remember our last target surrendered, actin' real sweet. He wanted us to all get along, nothin’ bad had to happen!"

"Really? Well, besides for being amazed that you recklessly attacked all of them head-on, there might be a contradiction. The guards said, besides for your collapsed body, there was a broken urn, and that leader dead, covered in his own blood, looking like he was pierced by a thousand needles. Sort of like your hand."

Although it took a moment, Glycerin looked over to her hand, and there were a couple of marks and scratches across it. She was wearing armoured gloves at the time of her attack, how did this happen? The more she lingered onto the nurse's words, she recalled what happened, and every little noise when silent, except for this immense, muffled buzzing.

"It's funny," they added on, "most of the exterior of your body seems fine, no real wounds that pierced your exoskeleton. All of the damage is, well internal."

It took a while for the insectoid to respond, but after one deep breath, her eyes looked back to the other. "Dare I ask what you mean by 'damage' and 'internal'."

"Your Highness, are you sure you want to deal with this now? I don't want to be the bringer of bad news, and you just woke up, and the doctor isn't even---"

"I am your ruler, and you will tell me about a potential hinderance."

"Youhaveparasites!"

"... Pardon?"

"Uh, okay, this isn't easy to explain, but someone did some research and there's this rare Bysalian bug species, khalshari, that almost overwhelmed the planet years ago. The only handfull that were ever captured were kept in an urn, being kept in a low-maintenance state, clinging by a thread to life. One of the leaders has said in an interview that he was keeping them in case research progressed that would tame them, and they would no longer be a threat, but...."

"This has got to be some bullshit."

"Unfortunately, it is not, Your Highness." They brought over a screen, showing an inside view of the queen. Eskatamine proceeded with speaking, giving it only a second for Glycerin to glance at it. "They have already got to work with effectively turning your body into their hive. The doctor says this will probably do some long-term damage to you over time, since I don't think your tissue or organs could recover from whatever it is they are doing. Though, they do seem in-tune with the activity in your brain, which I don't understand, but only time will tell if that's a concern."

The mantis-like alien stared into the distance, completely baffled by the situation. A swarm of pests were going to ruin her, internally. To call it a hinderance is still putting it lightly. She had a planet to rule, she couldn't let herself be brought down by this. "Can't you get rid of them?"

"As I said, they've already got to work with your innards, living and thriving once more. They probably haven't got to have something like this for a while, a new chance at life - though I now just realize you probably don't want to hear that. You probably realize at the cost of them not withering away is going to be your well-being. My apologies, Your Highness."

She sighed, thinking of what she was going to do about this. What if she died? She was just a young adult, and she already felt like she lost it all. No, this couldn't be the end of her legacy! She was going to make sure of it! There was one thing, one permanent thing that would be sure that the Nitros dynasty didn't wither. "Have they done any damage to my egg sac?"

"Uhm, I don't think so. They've tried to puncture it a couple times, I think, but haven't got through or even touched your egg." They took a moment to ponder over her question. "I don't try to get myself involved in the more political side of serving you, and right now you are sedated, maybe even a bit in a state of panic, given the circumstances, aren't able to think clearly... but it would be my professional opinion that now is your best shot to produce an heir. We don't know what this could do to you, after all."

"Good to see someone is thinking around here. Now let me out of this pod."

"I don't have permission to do that."

'C'mooooooooooon."

"You're sedated, you'll end up tumbling out. Not only that, but the pain will come back."

"Then I gotta work through it. You said this is probably my best chance at producing an heir, and you're right."

"P-Please don't put this on me, I don't think anyone will improve of me encouraging you!"

"Then they don't got to know of your involvement. Just shrug it off as a Nitros taking initiative."

"Your Highness, please, you must rest. You shouldn't be conscience right now, you probably haven't even ate for a while."

"... But what if I do eat? Will you let me go then? I might feel better."

Eskatamine sighed loudly. "Fine, fine, just come to me should you be writhing in agony because you shouldn't be out already, alright?."

"Thank you! You must understand, right? Not only do I hold absolute power, but I need to hold onto this power, until it gets passed on, so Gasmoxia doesn't fall to anarchy."

"Can't say I do, but you make it clear I don't have a choice."

"That's right~!" Glycerin chirped. Ready to sustain herself so she could give her lack of family a backup plan, her hand shakily jolted upwards, when suddenly a handful of parasites shot out from her hand, breaking through her flesh. Her shrieking was luckily not powerful enough to break the glass of the pod, and neither was the currently small swarm, and they soon retreated back into their new hive, to restore their power. Leaving the monarch to twitch erractically, every part of her aching.

The nurse walked over to the pod, pressing the button for the numbing powder, watching their leader's body calm down once again. "Do you want to delay on your plans now?"

"just a little." She whispered in response.

"I'll go get you some food, maybe that will lessen the pain. I'm sure the staff has probably been a little bored anyways." They soon rushed off, unsure if they wanted to deal with her for too much longer. They didn't even know how they were dragged into this, damn their superior for not being here this one time! Not to say they didn't feel sympathy for her though, she was panicked, but that was more reason why they shouldn't listen to her impulsive thoughts.

Glycerin was still and quiet for a while, her sounds of breathing intermixed with an echoing buzzing of some insects that also needed to get to work. This was a turn of events, for each and every one of them, and she had to deal with it. There was so much to ponder, what was going to happen to her? What was going to happen to her rule? What was---wait, forget that thought, she just realized she could shoot little stinging creatures out of her hands. Okay, this was a little fuckin' cool.

[papistark]

OKAY THE LAST JEDI THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT

so i went in blind. i didnt watch any trailers, i saw some gifs on tumblr, how can i not? but i didnt listen to any prior opinions or spoilers, i just saw that in general people either LOVE IT or hATE IT

i’m always bad about putting these thoughts together post film because i have awful short term memory but i can give some overall thoughts

during the first half i was kinda like “okay i see why some ppl have issues w/ this movie” like some of the elements did feel a little random at times but hey i went with it, and

HO

LY

SHIT

ACT TWO

IT SAVED THAT FILM

like seriously the entire second half my mouth was open the whole time, i was grinnin, i was excited jumping in my seat like DYING. i thought everything from that point on was so fucking brilliant???

i’m super glad i didn’t watch trailers MAINLY BECAUSE the last sequence on that planet with the snow and then the underlayer of red salt? fucking beautiful. cinematographic HISTORY MADE like holy shit that scene HAS to go down as iconic star wars scenery and i’m not even like a huge sw fan but i decree it hi

now the characters. i don’t agree w/ the things ppl have been saying about being disappointed w/ characterization. i can MAYBE see the opinion that Finn kinda got left in the dust, but i really don’t agree in the end like he did feel like a bit of an outlier and definitely less strong than the arcs we saw from kylo, rey, and poe (i need to dedicate an entire post to poe in this movie ohmygod pilot of my heart). i still really like what they did with finn, but rose was hella weak as far as introducing a new character can go and i was disappointed in that :/ i did like her line about not fighting what they hate protecting what they love like HOW STAR WARSIAN but then the kiss kinda ruined that imho

okay poe. oh hot damneron. as a poe stan i was SO PLEASED like they did not utilize poe enough in TFA and they BROUGHT ME BACK FROM THE BRINK WITH POE CONTENT IT WAS SO GOOD!! SO GOOD!!! I LOVED THAT WE SAW A CHARACTER ARC!! HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH LEIA!! everything w/ poe was great. constantly calling finn pal and buddy too omg i loved every moment. rebellious pilot owner of my heart also the bb8 reunion so good. also introducing himself to rey then being like “yea i know who u r” GIMME THAT DYNAMIC IMMEDIATELY??

and quick tangent off that, i was bummed we didn’t see the three characters together like, at all in this film, but i’m also hoping that sets us up for the three of them kicking ass and taking names for the next film i’m v excited

and ANOTHER TANGENT off kicking butt and taking names ANOTHER ICONIC SCENE. REY AND KYLO?? THAT ENTIRE LAST SEQUENCE??? AMAZING. I WAS FLOORED. JAZZ. THAT SCENE BUTTERED MY EGGROLL FOR 2018

and with that tangent, we bring me to my final thing i will say that is all about kylo. oh kylo ren, u punk bitch. y’all are aware im not about this mother fucker, but this movie actually brought me around... like, he still a punk bitch, that’s no mistake, but like, finally FINALLY such a rarity for this to happen, but they gave an irredeemable villain character a “redemption” arc that ACTUALLY  MADE SENSE!! and the fact that the “redemption arc” didn’t come full circle, but started to crest then fell right back down the same way it came was beautiful. it didn’t feel as cheap as the fakeout in TFA, his entire connection with rey I ACTUALLY DUG!! AND I DON’T LIKE REYLO!! im not about it as a romantic ship, but i actually really really really REALLY was into what they did with it and that dynamic holy shit it might’ve been the best thing about the movie. if y’all would’ve told me i woulda come out of this liking kylo ren, i would not have believed u cuz i have been so adamantly against that character. great fuckin job, TLJ

anyway um pls message me lets talk i wanna know what you guys thought if you agree/disagree or wanna talk other things i didn’t touch on idk those were all the things that have stuck out in my mind I REALLY LIKED IT GUYS!! maybe more than TFA! actually, definitely more than TFA if we’re really thinkin about it

[uniformbravo]

since it seems to be steadily taking over my whole brain now im just gonna let myself ramble about yugioh for a bit

idk i just keep thinkin abt how it was my favorite show when i was a kid... like not just i liked it a lot, but u know how when ur a kid u pick ur Favorite things & it’s a big deal, like i had Declared this as my Favorite Show

i honestly don’t rly even remember my experience with it in terms of my Feelings like i dont remember having a favorite character or anything like that, i just have a lot of Evidence of me liking it lmao like. u know those school folders they sell at like walmart that are themed after different shows n stuff, i had a yugioh one & it was cool af (i still have it actually, i’d get it to take a pic but it’s in my brother’s room & its almost 1:30 am). i remember my best friend at the time (like. 3rd grade) said she hated yugioh so she would always scoff at my folder lmaooo but like i knew she was wrong so

o shit i found a pic of it online tho here it is

gangs all here...... dam when they droppin their latest single tho lol

i also got this yugioh play set for christmas once, it was like. a plastic dueling arena that u would set little monster figurines on and each player had a bunch of little orange plastic balls that they would take turns shooting at each other’s monsters until urs were the last standing, or something like that? all i have left of it are the little orange balls and a couple of the hologram projectors that went in each of the 4 corners of the arena. i wish i knew what happened to the monsters tho, bc they were actually pretty cool. there was like. a blue guy. and a gold one. i think one of them might have been the summoned skull? i think they were mostly monsters that became plot important later in the show & i’ll definitely recognize them when they show up but i haven’t gotten there yet.... im pretty sure they were basically exodia’s pals tho, like reputable monsters. the Big Boys

hwhgosFHOFJ I FOUND A PIC OF THIS ONE TOO

HELL YEA BOY THATS FUCKIN IT BRO AAAAAAAAAAAA

every bone in my body just liquefied and became nostalgia from looking at this image GHRGHGH I WANT IT SO BAD

ofc i also have a deck of actual cards w/ such iconic features as the dark magician (which is Shiny), summoned skull, change of heart, and this one rly beat up guy i found half buried in the sand on the playground at school one day named griggle, my prized possession

(imagine this but more fucked up looking)

oh and how could i forget, i fuckin. made my own deck of cards, it’s like a bunch of cut out pieces of scrap paper that are all different sizes & i made up a bunch of monsters and drew them & my favorite part (i looked thru it the other day) is there’s a couple cards in there with just numbers on them which i assume was either meant to be added to the monsters’ attack or ur own life points, but one of them is 500 and the other is 50,000,000,000 which is absurd i literally just wrote as many zeroes as i could fit on the paper & it shows, imagine drawing that fucking card my god. i imagine that in my mind it was like, meant to be really rare & hard to get but like. the whole deck is only like 30 cards? so i guess @ whoever faces me u better fuckinnn say ur prayers

that’s all the physical evidence i can think of, but i do have some memories..... fuck i remember watching all the new eps air on saturday mornings aaaa oh man there are a few Classique moments of the show im excited to get to, not by virtue of being particularly Good but because despite having been such a big fan of the show i like barely remember anything from it at all, so these little bits and pieces that i do have r like. exciting. im arranging them into a bullet point list

first of all, and i may be wrong, but i stg at one point pegasus drops someone thru a trap door in his castle or smth??? or someone gets thrown out a window or Something idk why this moment stands out so much but if it doesn’t happen then i will be Very disappointed (i think it was bandit keith. get fucked)

this one’s already happened a few times but for some reason a memory that stood out to me from this show is yami yugi being like “pegasus!” in his Deep Man Voice all like >:o so i was v happy to hear that. also while im here this is pretty obvious but the way he says “previously on yugioh” at the beginning of eps is great, love it, having a blast w/ that one

one saturday there was a big two-part hour long special called “joey’s betrayal” where like idk joey has to duel yugi for Evil Reasons or something and i was SO HYPE for that special bc i was like O Shit joey’s Evil now and like. this was around the time that my sister kinda stopped wanting to get up early for saturday morning cartoons lol so she was sleeping but i was So excited for the ep & i didnt want her to miss it so i left her a note on the desk in our room for her to see that had all the info abt the episode like the title & the time it would be on so u know she could like, wake up & See it & come out n watch it, but the whole thing went by & she never woke up so i had 2 go back in there & take the note down & throw it away looooooooool. but yea so im REALLY excited to get to that episode due to its Impact

eventually i kinda lost interest in yugioh & stopped keeping up with it but obvs the show kept going on w/o me & one day i turned on the tv & it was on & it was like, tristan was trapped in the body of a teddy bear or something? & i was like wow thats weird glad i stopped watching & i never looked back but now I Am Looking & i can’t wait to get to that episode, however-old-i-was me was a Fool

this one doesn’t count but i remember thinking the theme song was SO COOL (and i was right that shit slaps so hard )& being disappointed there were no lyrics i could sing along to..... except for when it was time to d-d-d-duel ofc

FUC I JUST REMEMBERED ANOTHER THING I OWNED HOW COULD I FORGET oh my godddd it was a yugioh poster that i had on my wall for so long & i am EXTREMELY sad that i don’t have it anymore, idk why i thought i could just Throw It Out like a CLOWN, but it was like. it had yugi and friends on it (tho i think one of them might have been missing, it was either tristan or tea, also i just learned how tea’s name is spelled fuckin HUH), & yugi is like, he’s little yugi & he’s got his hands & maybe part of his face? pressed up against the “glass” (the barrier separating his world from ours, keeping him Contained), i remember this detail clearly bc i looked at it a lot and learned how to draw that effect from that specific poster... anyway the best part of the whole thing is that it came from like a scholastic book fair or something so it said in big letters “it’s time to READ!” it was SO good & im DEVASTATED i don’t have it anymore........ to gaze upon its brilliance one last time....................

anyway i think thats all my yu-gi-oh related childhood memories woah why did i type out the whole ass title like that this time damn what the fuck lmaooo 

rly sad abt the poster actually the more i think abt it the cuter it sounds tbh i wanna see that art again..... how could this happen.... i tried looking it up like the other stuff but i couldn’t find anything at all u_u

ok it’s late af now i need to go to bed before i pass ou