#can we just go back to when tech was fucking simple and i didn't need to download 30 different apps?

[double-gs]

Technology these days is literally just rage bait

[newtonsheffield]

MOLLY I am craving more of confident Kanthony’s dynamic. Like he’s so reverent with her??? And Kate is slowly learning to accept it??? Also the man just desperately wants to please her and god if that’s not the hottest thing EVER. Anyway we can get a spicy Sunday of these two? If you have the time! Their capability of being dumb and slutty just seems off the charts.

Look, Confident Kate is beginning to learn that the world won't crumble if she actually takes a weekend off. And he father would actually want her to be enjoying her life rather than sinking everything into trying to live up to a legacy she doesn't need to.

And it feels good. Anthony's learning to shoulder responsibility a little more comfortably, and Kate's giving it up and they meet somewhere in the middle.

But Anthony's discovered a lot about himself through this. Like apparently he's a caregiver. He loves looking after Kate, and he gets a very intense sense of satisfaction out of the way Kate's fingernails scratch at his back and her cheeks flush and when she smiles at him, he actually feels worth something.

And Kate is a simple woman. She likes it when he boyfriend is very sweaty coming home from the gym.

Kate had never really thought about things that she was into past the fact that she was interested in men and honestly, given the fact that she'd become the CEO of a company worth billions of pounds when she was eighteen: most of her relationships (if you could even call them that) had been quick and transactional. Men were... intimidated by her. As though the idea of a woman who ran one of the biggest tech companies in the world made them feel emasculated which was a thought that had always made Kate roll her eyes. Especially in light of Anthony.

Anthony

Everything about him seemed to make her sigh. From the way his hair fell in his eyes to the way he sighed, nuzzling against her neck as he looked at her in a magazine spread of the world's most powerful women.

"Fuck, I love this. My girl's one of the most powerful women in the world."

Kate rolled her eyes, though her breath caught in her chest when Anthony rolled until his hips were cradled in hers. "It's an article in vanity fair, and... I'm behind Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand."

Anthony chuckled, "I don't care. Still sexy."

"Aren't you supposed to feel emasculated?"

Anthony had blinked at her, rolling his hips slowly against her so she could feel exactly how emasculated he didn't feel. "If I had a tiny dick, maybe."

Everything about him was... tender. always checking in, sending her fifteen messages a day when they weren't together every one of them signed with Love you! He was kind, and encouraging and every single one of his touches was filled with love.

And there was also the tiny matter that he was... hot. Anthony was very hot. His arms were like tight bands of muscle and his stomach rippled when he moved and it was all a little... much.

He spent hours in the gym, she knew that. It was hard worked for, his physique first because he'd been a model and now for her allegedly.

She'd admitted, with her cheeks burning in those first few weeks of dating when Anthony had asked why she was going into the office later that she'd possibly been going in a little earlier every day just to see him fresh from the gym and Anthony had grinned, pressing her a little more firmly to the mattress.

"Well then, I better work extra hard from now on. Gotta keep my girl satisfied, can't have her looking elsewhere."

It had become something of a show now, especially since they'd moved in together a few weeks ago.

Anthony would go to the gym, his bag slung over his shoulder more often than not leaving her in bed with a soft kiss and a Be back soon. And he'd return ninety minutes later after his workout and a brisk jog home. and everything in kate burned for him.

This morning, for example, he'd gotten out of bed, leaving her to soak in the warm sunshine of the morning in the way she'd learned to enjoy. She'd watched him dress, just like she always did, Rising from the bed completely unashamed of his nakedness, winking at her as he pulled his tight shorts on and his shirt that might as well have been painted against his muscles. He'd leaned over her on the bed, his lips finding hers, letting his tongue tangle lazily with hers before he pulled back.

"Keep it warm for me."

She'd dozed happily in their bed, the sheets still smelling of Anthony, lulling her off to sleep until the door had slammed open and shut.

Kate's eyelids opened slowly, her muscles warm and a little stiff as she sat up in bed, following his heavy footfalls through their flat until-

There he was.

He was still panting a little, from his jog home, sweat clung to him like a light sheen, setting his skin shining him the sunshine, and his shirt clung even more tightly to his body.

Anthony started at her, his eyes moving over her hungrily given she hadn't bothered to pull the sheet up around herself and it seemed to slowly set her on fire, as tension rippled through the room.

Kate's mouth felt dry as Anthony dropped his phone on the dresser, their eyes still caught together as he stood there, his fingers twitching.

"How was the gym?"

Anthony rolled his eyes, "Good."

"Are you too tired?"

"Just try and fucking stop me."

He closed the distance between them in two practised strides, one of his hands cupping her chin gently, tilting it up so their lips met in a bruising kiss, the other fell to her waist, angling her hips so they ground against the thigh he'd just nudged hers apart with. The heat of his body was intense, burning both of them as his sweat soaked into her skin and branded her for him.

Anthony was relentless, he always was in moments like this, as he encouraged her to grind against his thigh while his teeth nipped at her neck in a way that would surely leave a mark. Kate could feel heat building in the pit of her stomach, helpless to resist it as it built and built and choked noises fell from her lips and her fingers raked through the damp strands of his hair.

Oh Fuck!

She fell over the edge much quicker than either of them had been expecting, her hips shuddering out of rhythm and Anthony let out a smug noise, his chest puffing proudly against her.

Kate let out a low moan, tugging at his clothes, suddenly desperate to feel more of his bare skin against her, desperate to feel the familiar weight of his body pressing her against the soft bedsheets, desperate to feel the burn against her skin the friction would create.

Anthony let out a disappointed nose when she tugged his shorts off as well "I wanna go down on you."

Kate shook her head, barely able to breathe as she pressed his chest against hers, pulling him down until he was laying atop her. "Later, you can do that later."

Anthony narrowed his eyes, stopping the grind of his hips completely, ignoring the whine that rose in her throat. "Tell me when I can do it."

Kate let out a frustrated noise. "Later."

"Tell me I can give you head you in the shower, Kate." His voice was a soft command, and a shiver ran down her spine as his hand ghosted over her chest and the other spread her legs wider for him.

"You can..." She let out a desperate whine, her hips bucking against his "You can fuck me in the shower."

The grin that spread over Anthony's face was devilish, his eyes darkening, and every word was pressed against her skin with a swipe of his tongue. "Lovely."

The first snap of his hips stole whatever had been left in her lungs, and they burned as well as their bodies moved again and again and drawing closer, more desperate with every second.

Anthony's damp hair was falling over his flushed cheeks, tickling her forehead and the smell of his sweat, of them mingling together hung in the air around them while the world burned.

Anthony's teeth nipped at her skin in time with the punishing pace he set and with every movement Kate's fingernails dug into his shoulders further and further as she sought to anchor herself to him, and the tiny grunts Anthony made became more like a purr every time.

Come on Kate, Come on babe, that's it. Fuck it feels good doesn't it? Show me then. Scream.

She couldn't help it, she fell apart and the noise it ripped from her throat left it raw as Anthony let out a roar of his own, his hips stuttering erratically and everything went still.

But only for a moment.

Anthony, lifted his head, his eyes shining at her, his shoulders still heaving. "Right. Get in the shower. It's later."

Kate groaned, shaking her head, "You're going to have to carry me."

Anthony hopped off the bed quicker than she would have thought possible, groaning at the loss of contact briefly before he hauled her over his shoulder.

"I wasn't serious Anthony."

"I was, why the hell do you think I work out so much?"

[bi-bard]

They Say Looks Can Kill and I Might Try - Tyrell Wellick Imagine (Mr. Robot)

Title: They Say Looks Can Kill and I Might Try

Pairing: Tyrell Wellick X Reader

Based On: Vigilante Shit

Word Count: 1,497 words

Warning(s): arrest, mention of cheating

Summary: Tyrell Wellick liked to play the role of the confident businessman. (Y/n) hated watching him act like that. After Tyrell goes one step too far, (Y/n) decides that he deserves to be humbled.

Author's Note: Does this completely fuck up the plot of Mr. Robot? Yes. Do I care? Not even a little.

What's more fun than bullshitting your way through the middle of a Mr. Robot plotline?

MIDNIGHTS - TAYLOR SWIFT WRITING CHALLENGE MASTERLIST

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

If you had told me when I started at E-Corp that I would've fallen into a fight for power for a position at said company, I would never have believed you.

It wasn't my style.

But Tyrell Wellick always had a way of bringing out the worst in me.

We had joined the company around the same time. We seemed to constantly be taking the same steps at the same time. Position after position, step after step. One right after the other.

It started what I originally considered a friendly rivalry. Two people taking small jabs at each other as we both focused on climbing the ladder.

And then, Tyrell was appointed Senior Vice President of Technology.

Any "friendly" component went out the window after he stopped seeing us as equals. He was condescending, overbearing, cocky. All traits that should've made him hated across the company.

But he had that smile. He had the wife and the house. He had everything perfectly in place for all of his negatives to become nothing of importance.

To put it very simply: he drove me up a wall.

I tried to ignore it.

I hyper-focused on my work. I was set on proving to them that promoting Tyrell over me was a mistake. If I couldn't prove that he was nothing more than a real-life Patrick Bateman- a little boy wearing a shell to make him look like a man- then I could prove that I was simply better on my own without using a very cheap disguise.

And then, Tyrell pushed a little too hard.

He had called me into his office to discuss something.

In all honesty, whatever had been discussed has since been lost on me. The only moment that mattered to me now was the moment Tyrell grabbed my jaw and forced me to hold still.

The grip wasn't tight enough to cause serious injury, but it was enough to hurt. To make me hiss in pain and shock and embarrassment.

I refused to break eye contact with him.

He wanted to play tough. I could play that game too.

"You are trying to play checkers when everyone else is playing chess," his voice was quiet. His smile was condescending. My stomach churned. "Time to quit the game. You aren't going to win."

He let go of me but didn't move back.

There was a pause between us. Like a stare-down. A dare.

I forced a grin to him. "Have a good day, Mr. Wellick."

"You too," he replied in that sickeningly sweet voice that made me feel sick.

I walked out of his office as confidently as I could.

The gears had already started turning in my head. By lunch that day, I had everything planned out. I knew exactly how to get exactly what I wanted and needed.

Tyrell was right.

I was playing the wrong game.

I was going to show him how stupid it was to accidentally invite me to the board.

When I said Tyrell was cocky, I meant it. He loved discussing his genius with computers. His humble beginnings as a tech. He loved telling people all of it. Including me.

It was all foundation I needed.

The thought implanted in people's minds. Enough for them to believe.

My first turn in my game with Tyrell was far easier than I anticipated.

Someone had done a bit of the leg work for me. A bit. They had done most of it. It was a bigger bombshell than I had intended to drop, but who was I to mess with a good thing?

Just a few added instructions, a few changes that no one would notice unless they were truly set on who their fall guy was.

That simple.

At the end of the day, I wasn't changing their plan all that much. I was just changing who got blamed for pulling the trigger.

I smiled to myself.

I should've started this little game a long time ago. Would've had so much extra time on my hands.

My next step was a visit to Joanna Wellick.

I didn't know much about her other than the fact that her hunger for wealth and status rivaled Tyrell's. But she could be very useful if I played my cards right.

I knew Tyrell would be gone. At a meeting of some kind, according to the calendar. I knocked on their front door.

She knew of me.

It was the only reason that she let me in the door.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt your evening," I said. I had mastered the kind, worried act a long time ago. "I... I just felt the need to tell you about something."

I stood on the opposite side of the kitchen island. I placed a large yellow envelope down on the counter.

She was a smart woman. She didn't need answers. She needed the evidence for the answers. Evidence so if she utilized those answers, she would get exactly what she wanted.

I slid it over to her. She just looked at it for a moment, not reaching for it. Like she knew what was in there.

"What's in there," she asked.

I reached out and touched her hand, putting on a gentle and kind gaze. "I just want to make sure that you're happy, Joanna. You deserve the best."

She looked down at my hand for a moment before meeting my eyes again. She was trying to see my true intentions. Either she couldn't, or she could and didn't care all that much.

"You can what you'd like with that," I continued. "Have a good rest of your evening."

"You too," she nodded to me once.

She let me leave without another word.

That seemed to be the key to everything I wanted to do. As long as I had the appropriate skills and the right level of confidence, I could walk through any door with little questioning.

I decided it was an art.

I had set the pieces for Tyrell's demise.

All I had to do now was watch the show play out.

I wouldn't know the true reward of my actions until a few nights later.

I had turned on the TV just before I started making dinner. There was a breaking news alert running. I stood for a moment and watched as Tyrell was dragged out of his home with his hands handcuffed behind his back.

I let out a chuckle.

My phone started ringing.

"Hello," I said, not pulling my eyes away from the news.

"The police just showed up and took Tyrell away-"

It was Joanna.

"I know, I saw the news," I stopped her. I kept on a sad, compassionate voice even though I was smirking at the screen. "I am so sorry, Joanna. This must be so difficult."

"Did you know," she asked. She had an alarming calm about her. I admired it.

"I had no idea. I was trying to help you. I never imagined Tyrell could do anything like this."

My phone went off before she could respond.

"I'm getting another call," I explained. "I have to go. Good luck, Joanna. I wish you the best."

"You too."

I switched to the other call a moment later.

"Turn on the news."

It was Mr. Colby.

"I've been watching, sir," I replied. "Very disappointing."

"It certainly is," he muttered. "I need you to come in. We're holding a bit of a last-minute meeting."

"I'll be there as soon as possible, sir."

I was guided into Tyrell's office when I got to E-Corp. There was a group of men sitting around Mr. Colby when I walked in.

"I hope I'm not too late."

"No, no, not at all," he assured me. "This was more a congratulations than anything."

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"We here at E-Corp are happy to welcome (Y/n) (Y/l/n) as the new Senior Vice President of Technology," he announced to the group. They clapped. I looked around at their face. Smirks. All smirks. True pride. "We'll hold a more formal meeting in the morning. Get the papers drawn up and make everything official. You just needed to be aware of your job now."

I smiled at him. "Don't worry, sir. I'll be sure to clean up whatever mess Mr. Wellick left behind."

"Good, good," he replied. "We'll leave you to get acquainted with your office. Please feel free to box up any of Tyrell's personal belongings. His wife will come to collect them in the morning."

I nodded.

"Make me proud."

"Certainly, sir."

Another few days would pass before there was another break in the Tyrell Wellick case.

Photos proving his unfaithfulness to his wife.

A distancing tactic.

That's what I had handed Joanna that night in her home.

I sat in my new office, reading the news on my new computer.

I leaned back in my new chair, finally content with a small grin sitting on my lips.

And I muttered one word to myself, "Checkmate."

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

Author's Note: Not gonna lie, I'm really happy with how this one came out.

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

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

[the-night-writer1]

Spicynoodles prompt: Red Son keeps running into a kind and rather cute young man over and over again and forms a crush. One day, he decides to use his power and money to pay the young man back... and hopefully land a date.

Yay first ask for the friends themed au!)

Red son was sitting at his favorite Cafe with his tech adviser/ friend Syntax. Not really paying attention to what his friend was talking about when he heard the doors open.

"come this place is fantastic Mei" A familiar voice said as Red son sat up straight and turned. It was him! That cute guy he kept bumping into! Holy cow.

"Red...Red son who are you staring at" Syntax said as he quickly saw his friends attention be pulled away.

"it's him. He's right over there" Red son said as Syntax followed his eyes. Nice looking guy, kind of reminded Syntax of a certain upcoming young freelance he kept running into.

"well go make your move"Syntax said as he drank his coffee. Red turned to him flustered. The audacity to tell him to make a move like it was a simple thing to do!

"It's not that simple! I can't just go ask him out I doubt he even recognize me! Plus it's not like you've made your move on Mr.Qi" Red son quietly hissed as Syntax got red in the face. You'd think for talking so much about that freelancer Syntax would have been dating the guy.

"you leave him out of it. I have all the time in the world to ask him out you don't" Syntax mumbled as he sipped on his drink. Red son glared at him and thought of something.

"alright but if I ask him out now you have to call that freelancer and ask him out when I'm done." Red son said as he got up from his chair," deal?"

"if it'll get you to ask him deal" Syntax said as he finished his drink.

"-so I've got to start the whole assignment all over again because Sandy's cats tour it apart!" Mk whined to Mei as they waited for their orders," I don't know where I'm going to find any of the materials."

"ahem maybe I could be of some assistance? " Red son chimed in catching the twos attention," I do owe you after you got my work phone out of that storm drain."

"Oh! It was no problem really I just get phone stuck in there all of the time." Mk said with a slight blush. Oh geeze he ran into that handsome business man again. He didn't have the nerve to ask the guy out. They just kept running into each other.

"maybe we could get those materials you need and possibly lunch? " Red son asked a bit nervous himself. Waiting for rejection.

Mei grinned evilly as she wrote Mk's number down on a napkin and handed it to him saying," Xiaotian'd love to here's his number too so you guys can talk about a time."

Mk glared at her red in the face. Red son was happy to have the number.

"so your name is Xiaotian, I'm Red son it's nice to properly meet" Red son said sweetly.

Oh Fuck did he actually ask the guy out? Dammit Syntax was screwed.

[tanadrin]

one thing that annoyed me (probably unduly and definitely in a nerd-seeing-nuts-and-bolts-instead-of-narrative-tension way) about voyager was the way they did "scrounging for resources because we are cut off from our normal resuppliers" while seemingly not understanding the implications of replicators. and they could have just busted the replicators at the start of the series and avoided it.

like, neelix growing crops onboard. first of all how are you feeding everyone with so few plants. secondly conservation of mass and energy are still in effect! you aren't getting free food with this one weird trick. where are those plants getting their nutrients? sewage? wouldn't the sewage normally just be converted back to pure energy? were they just venting carbon dioxide before they had these plants on board to make use of it, when they have the technology to turn any molecule into any other molecule? even if it's a lossy process, is it really lossier-in-terms-of-truly-limited-resources than something as labor intensive as fucking agriculture when you're on a ship with a one-way mission that is therefore going to have trouble ethically sourcing more crew? "there's coffee in that nebula" there's coffee in that everything. when you blow up a hostile ship you can recycle the ship bits into more coffee than you can drink in a lifetime.

i don't remember a lot of specific moments from voyager because my memory is kind of shit and star trek is made of the sort of powdered detailium that gets lost easily but one that stuck with me was when chakotay saved up replicator rations to replicate a pocketwatch for janeway which just. it made sense as An Sacrifice in context but gift giving is such a cornerstone meaningful gesture in every society that has ever existed but how would it retain that meaning back in the federation where it's effectively zero cost to get any object you might want and this moment casts that fact into sharp relief, like they are going to have different pre-existing intuitions about what a gift means than we do because they're from a borderline post-scarcity culture. also janeway says to recycle it because it could be boots for someone which, no, a pair of boots has way more mass than a watch, which means replicator energy usage is based on some kind of game merchant price system instead of mass which is just... it's supposed to be dramatic but it's stupid.

i guess in general there is the point that you cannot have bidirectional matter-energy conversion tech in a fictional world and still have stakes because every object is every other object but in other versions of trek they don't constantly call attention to how we need to gather/conserve Hydrogen The One Thing We Can Turn Into Everything Also We Can Recycle Everything Into Hydrogen But When We Scrounge For Everythingium It Has To Be Already In The Form Of Hydrogen For Balance Reasons

while the exact parameters of this are left fuzzy for plot reasons, it's clear that there's tons of shit, both in terms of simple raw materials and complex objects, that replicators can't make. and they cost energy of a sort that it isn't trivial to resupply, hence the whole point of turning the captain's mess into a galley. it's explicitly mentioned at various points that neelix's cooking is a mix of replicated, traded-for, and grown ingredients (although yes, that cargo bay is way too small to provide more than garnishes for 140-odd people)

and yeah that pocketwatch scene was a bit of sloppy writing i didn't like. my issue with janeway is that the writers wanted her to be Determined and Stubborn, but occasionally the sloppy writing just made her come off as an asshole. like with murdering Tuvix--the reason Janeway killing Tuvix is basically a meme among Voyager fans is that there's just absolutely no way to justify it. Especially when in an early first season episode she explicitly refuses to kill a Vidiian they just met who stole Neelix's lungs to keep Neelix alive. like, at least that Vidiian clearly nominated himself for the short end of a tradeoff by accepting stolen lungs. Tuvix was by all accounts well-liked and a good tactical officer, and he's sitting there piteously begging for his life, and Janeway (and the crew) are like "lol, nah, it's murder time"

just a really unbelievable scenario given what we've already been shown about the character.

[differentkettleoffishalltogether]

I’m On Fire [Chapter 1]

Summary: With her sister’s wedding fast approaching and her Mom hounding her about finding a date, Y/N makes a terrible decision that lands her and her least favorite genius in a confusing situation.

A/N:  This is the first part in a series, I’ve written the first few chapters already so I’m hoping to update pretty regularly! I hope you guys enjoy, and any feedback is always appreciated! ❤️

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem Reader

Category: Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, (Eventual) Smut, Fluff, Angst, it’s a Slow Burn Baby

Warnings: None really for this chapter, cursing? Mean-ish Spencer

Word Count: 6.5k

Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Masterlist 

I wasn’t at the BAU long before it started to feel like home. The team became my family, pure and simple.

Having been recruited by Hotch at only 22 I'd sort of fallen into the roll of the little sister to the team without really meaning to. It's not that I was naive, or particularly sheltered even. I know I'm good at my job, and I'd want to be, given how my life's revolved around it almost entirely. But the team seemed to adopt a protective mindset over me right off the bat.

When I first joined the FBI everything was terrifying. I worked so hard for my PhD, trying to get into the unit, but there's almost nothing that can actually prepare you for the real thing. Being out in action in the field, working the cases out in real time. Sometimes they had a smooth, easy conclusion followed by loud obnoxious drinks together. Then there were the others, the ones that kept me up for days after and felt as though they owned little pieces of my heart still.

It was JJ that helped the most on those horrible flights back on the jet. Noticing my anxious ticks and uneasy disposition after that first case that had ended badly. JJ had been through it all before, taking too many cases home with her. Seeing her son's little faces in the kids that we couldn't help. If I was the baby of the team JJ was the big sister, looking out for everyone.

Morgan on the other hand was the outrageously cool older brother, the one you just wanted to be. Early on he'd helped my weak self with the ruthless fitness regimen the FBI required, he offered to pull some strings and get the test written off. But I couldn't accept that, there was something in me that just wanted to impress Morgan, and honestly still does. Like somehow if he thought you were cool, then it became true. So I passed the exam, but getting up a flight of stairs was near impossible for a week after.

Emily was probably the fun aunt. The one that would sneak you booze at the family gathering, or take you to your first concert. Emily was actually the one who'd found me, digging around colleges for potential recruits she'd had me picked out for a while I later found out. Insisting that Hotch give me a shot. It was reassuring to know I had someone who would stick up for me from day one.

I was an tech analyst, among other things, sort of a counterpart for Garcia in the field. So it was no surprise to anyone when the two of us hit it off as though we'd known each other forever. We weren't the same by any means though. Penelope was bold, and bright, and confident beyond measure, where I've typically felt like more of a blend into the background type. I've always thought of myself that way, despite my achievements. I'd also always believed I was fairly inoffensive, no one I'd met had ever had a huge problem with me, 'till I got to the BAU that is.

Every rose has its thorn I suppose.

That thorn in my side was Dr. Spencer Reid.

It wasn't that Dr. Reid was a bad agent, or even a bad person. I hadn't actually met him before that first day in the conference room, but I'd known who he was for a long time. Before I came along he'd held the mantle of 'youngest ever recruit' in the unit, while I was studying I'd read any of his work I could get my hands on because of that fact.

I figured it must've been some sort of hazing when he looked me up and down that first day I was introduced, and then proceeded to blank me entirely for a full week. Up until I'd wrapped my first case.

The whole team went straight from the jet to the bar. Proceeding to get far too drunk. Spencer joined, which the rest of the team found unusual, and I probably should've taken as a sign of things to come.

That case went well, and everyone was in high spirits but Reid had a sour disposition, at least it seemed that way every time he looked at me. After a few too many drinks I went outside in an attempt to sober up in the cold air, unfortunately Reid must've snuck outside not long before.

"Ugh" was all he said when he first caught my silhouette approaching him. The night was unusually cold so it had been deserted outside the bar that evening. I wasn't really sure why it made me nervous to be alone with him like this, the two of us leaning back against the same small area of brick wall, looking out at the cold night.

"Nice to see you too doctor" was all I could muster, I was drunk enough that I let my sarcastic tone leap out, "you can relax, I'm just trying to get some fresh air, it's too stuffy in there, and loud. I'm not here to talk to you or anything."

"Well aren't you a sensitive thing" he responds in kind, at that point I wasn't really sure if it was a coincidence or if he'd been genuinely avoiding me, but things were starting to clear up.

"I'm sensitive, that's a fun take on things" I joke, taking a long sip of cold water from my glass.

"And what's that supposed to mean, newbie?" his emphasis on the last word all but confirms my suspicions.

"Fuck man, what's your problem with me? Is it because I'm new, or because I beat your stupid record?" I quip. hoping that at the very least it might coax him out of his shell. Dr. Spencer Reid getting angry at me could honestly be better than the nothing I'd been experiencing from him until now.

"What stupid record?" he sounds genuinely confused

"I'm the youngest BAU recruit now?" I didn't know why else he could be so sour. He'd never met me before last week, and since he'd ignored me that first day I'd done all I could not to step on his toes. So if he had a reason to hate me this much, it wasn't something I'd done on purpose.

He takes a few moments to respond, raising his eyebrows and considering the information. He chuckles. He fucking chuckles.

"That's funny." he says, his voice leveling out, "I didn't peg you as funny newbie" that word sets something off in me again. Something about it is dismissive, or belittling. Before I could fight back he starts to move, maneuvering around me and heading back inside. A little too tipsy to think of anything constructive to say, I just mutter "Fuck you Spencer."

He swings open the door, as he walks inside he just says "See you Monday, Newbie" without even looking at me.

And that was only the beginning.

----

"You know I'm just trying to make sure you get enough rest sweetheart. There's no need to get so defensive!" it was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this call. Since joining the BAU a few years ago this was a standard call from my Mom. Equal parts well meaning and over-bearing, and generally asking far too many questions.

"I'm not getting defensive Mom, I get plenty of rest, my job is just very important to me and you know that." I knew she was right to be at least a little worried, this job was consuming, and in all honesty I wasn't sure how people like JJ were married and still here. It seemed like an impossible feat.

"Fine sweetie, how are your co-workers doing then? How's Penelope? Give her my love" she loved Penelope, I think she thought that Penelope tethered me to the normal world, and in a way she was right. She kept me sane, and fun, and made me eat pizza and do face masks once a week at least. Even when I didn't think I wanted to.

"Pen's great Mom, everyone's good. Well, the usual ones get on my nerves, but I'm fine." As I say it I glance across at Dr. Reid, the only person who's also in as early as I am most days. I'm not sure if he can hear me but he's tapping his pen so loud on his desk that it takes all of my energy not to walk across the bullpen and stab him with it.

"Y'know what Mom, I'm actually just after getting to work and it's a busy day so can I call you back later?" I chance, getting her off the phone is always an ordeal.

"Fine, fine, I'll let you go. But wait one last thing!"

I knew what was coming. It was always coming.

"Are you seeing anyone, Margot's been wondering too, just thought I'd check in?"

Pinching the bridge of my nose and trying not to scream down the line, I just sigh out the frustration instead.

"No Mom, believe it or not, I've made no progress on that front since you asked me all of 3 days ago."

"See you are being defensive!" she snaps

"I gotta go, bye Mom. Love you!" I say, hanging up quickly before dropping my head down into my arms on my desk, resting like that for a few moments in silence.

Hearing Garica chuckle behind my ear I perk up and spin around. She's holding a small paper cup of coffee and hands it to me. I look at it confused, "Sorry about the paper, I couldn't find your mug in the cabinet" she apologizes, looking over at Dr. Reid and rolling her eyes. Now I know he can hear me from his seat, he takes that moment to sip from my mug and place it gently back on his desk.

It hadn't taken long for him to start toying with me. It was always stupid childish things. Things I couldn't get genuinely annoyed at, that would give him far too much satisfaction, knowing he was getting to me in any real way. This was one trick he liked to play if he got into the office before me, he'd take my mug and make his coffee in it, just to spite me I guess.

"Why does he even do that, it's so stale" she said, just a little louder than normal to make sure he could hear. Garcia and Reid were still good friends and team-mates but she liked to stand up for me when she could. He liked to avoid me as much as possible so he'd usually go to Garcia before me if he needed help with something. Even when the two of us were out in the field together. Which was obnoxious but it was just another thing I'd gotten used to over time. And as long as it didn’t interfere with the case I just forced myself to let it go.

"I know it's such low grade bullying isn't it?" I shot back with a chuckle.

"So I'll take it that was Mommy dearest" Penelope gestures to my phone. She knew my Mom, and she knew about her general overbearing energy. I let out a groan thinking about the call again, and the calls that were to come.

"Isn't it always Mommy dearest?" I joke

"So she's still on your ass about the wedding then?" I'm sure Penelope was almost as sick of hearing about it as I was,

"Margot's getting married in like 4 months now, and every time Mom calls there’s just some new hometown loser she wants to set me up with Pen. It's fucking exhausting" I take a sip of the coffee she made me, savoring the bitter taste. She sits down on my desk for a moment, leaning in.

"Honey, did you ever think that if you got out there and found someone, she wouldn't be on your ass at all?" I don't want to think about that, about how she's completely right. All I can do is let out another small groan and lean back down onto my desk.

"Too early Pen" I say, it's muffled by the desk but she gets the message. Hopping up and heading to her own office as some more people start to arrive for the morning.

Leaving me alone to make a start on my paperwork that had built up throughout the week. Fridays were usually slow like this, giving me a little too much time to think. I couldn't shake the thought that my Mom and Penelope were actually right. Maybe I was a bit too invested in the job, and maybe that was a pretty big factor in why my last relationship imploded but I wasn't about to admit that to anyone.

----

After that the day crawls by, thankfully no cases pop up so the weekend might actually be free. Trying to make sure I clear up all of my paperwork takes a little longer than I'd hoped and leaves me alone in the bullpen. It seems like everyone's gone home by the time I've packed up and I'm ready to leave. Which wasn't as out of the ordinary as I'd like it to be really. Everyone else seemed to have somewhere to be on a Friday night.

Waiting for the elevator to arrive my phone started to ring, I could see my Mom's caller ID on the screen. If I just let it go I know she'll call back later, may as well get it out of the way. I take a deep breath in anticipation before I answer.

"Hey what's up?" I answer, stepping inside the elevator as the doors ping open.

"Hi sweetie, I've got good news! Do you remember David? That lovely boy, he helped out your Father that summer in high school?" I know what's coming and rub my temple, trying to stifle the headache I know is coming. As I answer a hand slides between the elevator doors, popping them open again.

Dr. Fucking Reid walks in, and he looks about as happy to see me as I am to see him. I make eye contact and look away just as fast, willing him away with my mind. "Yes Mom, I remember him, why are you telling me this?" I already know the answer but I'm fed up, she still sounds excited when she responds.

"Well you won't believe it! I ran into him at the market this morning and I thought you'd like it if I passed on your phone number to him, maybe for the weddi-" it took all I had not to shout into the receiver, and maybe I would've had the elevator been empty.

"Mom! Jesus!" I have to reign myself in, but I have a bad idea, "You know what, I'm actually sorted. I've got a date lined up now" I'm not sure why I said it with no real plan in place. She sounds even more excited than I've ever heard her.

"Oh my, that's amazing sweetie! That was fast, I can't believe you found one since this morning, it's someone from work so?" she assumes, and I'm just not thinking fast enough to correct her.

"Mmhmm, yeah" I'll figure out the logistics later I rationalize.

"Oh! Is it that boy you're always on about, the one who teases you?" she asks, and her voice is full of joy, and it makes me feel horrible that I'm lying already, and that I'm going to let her down.

"Yup, that's the one, look Mom I gotta go, I'll talk to you later! Night" I blurt out so fast it has to be obvious I'm nervous.

I can hear a stifled chuckle behind me. Fuck. How loud is my phone speaker. Could he hear that. Surely not. But this elevator was completely silent. The doors open and I have to stop myself from running to my car at top speed. Instead I walk out just a little faster than normal, turning around to shoot him a small wave goodbye. And he's got this devious smirk on his face that makes my stomach turn.

Sitting into my car I pull out my phone to text Garcia immediately.

I'm on my way to yours right now. It's urgent.

——

Traffic's light so it takes maybe 10 minutes before I arrive at Garcia's place. My mind's racing and my body takes me there on autopilot. Why did I say any of that, why did I even answer the damn phone. Why did I wave goodbye to Spencer, I never usually did that. Maybe that's why he had that look on his face. Maybe he was just thinking of something funny that happened earlier and it had nothing to do with me at all. That was something he'd do to mess with me for sure.

How was I going to walk this back with my Mom, she was just gonna have more questions that I couldn't answer. Fuck.

Garcia buzzed me up and her door was open for me by the time I got up the stairs. This little purple apartment had become my second home. It was where I spent most of my evenings off, laughing on the same sofa I was collapsing face first into right now. Garcia nestles in beside me and runs her hand over my hair, "Hey sweet pea, what's happening? I don't want to sound too concerned but you're not giving me much to go off? Are you dying, is there drama? You're going to have to tell me what's so urgent before I burst a blood vessel?"

I let out a muffled, "is drahmuh" into the pillow, Garcia shakes my shoulders.

"Sit up babe, damn!" I have to heave myself out of the pillows, sitting upright on the sofa beside her, clutching one of the pillows in my arms.

"It's drama" I repeat,

"Well, out with it then, you know I'll take all the drama I can get! Spill, spill" she rushes me along. I'm already apprehensive, Reid's her coworker too, but if anyone would understand why this was such an issue it was gonna be her.

"Okay, I'm after doing something stupid and I think I really need your advice" I cringe already, thinking back to the elevator, throwing out my words faster, I continue the story, mostly trying to get it over with, "my Mom called again when I was on the way out tonight and she was trying to set me up with this guy, and Reid was there, and I got all flustered, and I told her I had a date already" I throw my head down into the pillow again.

"Wait why was Reid there?" she looks like she's trying to fit puzzle pieces together and she's getting nowhere, "And what's the drama?"

"Shit Garcia, it was in the elevator and it was all quiet, and maybe he heard the call, maybe he didn't but he had this fuckin' look on his stupid face" I can't shake the smug little smirk, it's burned inside my eyelids. Garcia's face falls in what looks like disappointment.

"Ugh Y/N! That's nothing chill out, why does it matter if he heard your call? I know you guys are all weird but none of that is any of his business anyway!" she shoo's her hand in the air, dismissing the whole situation.

"No Garcia, it is his business now" I have to close my eyes when I say it, I can't look at her "I told my Mom that he was my date, well, I didn't say his name or anything, she assumed it was someone from work and so I just agreed, and then she suggested that it was him and then I fucking panicked Pen, I fucked up so bad. What do I do?"

I finally opened my eyes to look up at Garcia. She was sitting in pure silence, pursing her lips in what seemed like contemplation. The puzzle pieces finally slotting together. It's as though a light bulb goes off behind her eyes and she bursts out in fits of laughter. Doubling over on herself before finally taking a few breaths to calm herself down. I'm honestly not sure why she finds the whole thing so funny, she know's how needlessly annoying he's made my life, she's seen it first hand and heard me talk about it over and over again in this very apartment over pizza.

"Garcia, this is not fucking funny! This is serious!" I try to calm her down, I need advice not whatever this is.

"I'm so sorry Y/N, I love you dearly. But this isn't funny, this is hilarious. It's like you're Sandra Bullock in some mid-90's rom com. I love it" I don't love it, in fact I hate it. I nearly snap at her but pull myself back.

"Pen, come on, help me out. What do I do with this, how do I fix it?" I plead.

She stops laughing and pulls out her phone, "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm going to order us a pizza, and we're gonna sort this thing out together, sound good?" I just nod and collapse back into the sofa. I think I feel better now that I've gotten it out in the open.

----

Penelope makes us tea while we wait for the pizza, she keeps lemon & ginger in her cabinet for me, just like I keep mint for her. The warm mug and the steam calm me down. After a few minutes alone to think about it I start to figure it out a little better. I figure I can just lie to my Mom for a while, it might suck but I can pretend for a bit and then make up some excuse as to why he can't come closer to the time. Then I can just bring Garcia instead and everyone's happy. I'm about to float my plan to her there's a knock on her door. I was so caught up that I hadn't really noticed quite how starving I'd gotten. Leaping up of the sofa to grab the door.

I swing it open but it's not the pizza guy. Somehow it's the opposite of the pizza guy, my worst nightmare is on the other side of the door. He must notice my eyes blow completely wide. "Y/N!" he says, more of a statement than a question really, like he's telling himself that he's actually seeing me in the doorway. I'm not as gentle.

"What the fuck are you doing here Reid?!" I can't even disguise my anger. He seems a little flustered, like he's got absolutely no idea how to proceed.

"Um, uh, is Garcia here? I can, um, I can just come back later?" he swallows hard and shakes his head, before I can agree and tell him to get lost Penelope races to the door, pulling it wide open.

"Nope, that won't be necessary Doctor! Come on in, you're right on time sweetheart" she waves him in and he walks past me, his demeanor changing almost instantly. He's smug, like he's won whatever battle this was. And I hate it. Though he's still as confused as me despite the newfound attitude. Reid sits down on the sofa, right where I had been sitting. I bite my tongue and sit on the opposite end.

"Are you okay Garcia?" he asks with a genuine concern, "What's going on, what was the emergency?". He's not stupid, he knows she's not in danger now that he's here. But he wants answers. I don't know that I've ever seen him this confrontational with anyone, well anyone but me. The entire time I’m staring her down as she sits in the armchair opposite the two of us. My keys are in my pocket and my car's right outside. I could just jump up and make a break for it. Escape.

"You know what Doc, you won't believe it but I'm not actually the one with the emergency" she takes a beat, and I'm starting to think that I might understand why people murder other people after all these years, "Y/N has something urgent she needs to talk to you about" she's silent for another moment, and she almost looks giddy, "Actually Spencer, you might already know a little something about the matter already, now that I think about it" she smirks, and it's pure joy.

My keys are in my hand ready to bolt when the doorbell chimes again. "Oh, that'll actually be the pizza this time, if you two will excuse me" she hops up out of the armchair and races to the door, leaving the two of us alone in a horrible silence. The tension is almost too much, I want to speak but I really have no idea what to say, or how to even start saying it. But he starts.

"Y/N what's going on, I feel like I'm out of the loop here? What am I missing?" he asks, and there's something uncharacteristically genuine about the way he says it, but he can't turn to look at me as he speaks. I almost want to let my guard down and just have a conversation but I can’t force myself to do it. "Shut up Reid." is all I mutter, folding my arms across my chest.

He turns sharply on the sofa to face me. "Hey Y/N. Believe it or not I'm about as happy as you with whatever kind of Parent Trap situation Garcia's got going on here. But from what I'm picking up on you've got a problem and I'm supposed to be able to help with it. So do you want to tell me what's going on or not? I can just go?" I can see that there's an anger bubbling right below the surface, threatening to burst. I know I shouldn't but I let him stew in silence for a little too long and he jumps up off the sofa.

"Y'know what, typical" he mutters, rolling his eyes as he says it, "this is all about you." he throws his bag over his shoulders and begins to walk towards the door. Something in me just snaps.

"All about me?! Are you fucking kidding? I've been tip-toeing around you for years, ever since I joined this damn unit!" I shout as Garcia comes back into the room, pizza box and plates in her hands.

"So, who's hungry?" Garcia asks, trying to break the tension, or pretending there's no tension at all. Reid shakes his head in disbelief and rubs his temple before he speaks again, "Actually I was just gonna head out" he gestures to the door, "I'm clearly not wanted here so I'm gonna leave you guys to it." Spencer makes a move to leave but Garcia grabs the strap of his shoulder bag, yanking him back ever so slightly before he really has the chance to escape.

"You are going absolutely nowhere kid" She points back to the sofa, "get back there" she glances to me, staring with far too much intensity. "You too, sit." Her voice is more stern than I've ever heard it, even while we were on a case. I can't help but obey her command and I sit back down on the sofa in silence. Followed by Reid, clearly processing the same uneasy feeling of a serious Penelope.

She sits opposite the two of us again. "Y/N, Spencer, I love the two of you with all of my heart, albeit separately, and I would die for either one of you. But you've got to chill the hell out!" she says it like she's had it bottled up forever. The tension that releases from her as she says it looks euphoric.

She opens up the pizza box and lays it on the coffee table and takes out a slice for herself. Taking a bite she leaves the two of us in stunned silence. Once she finishes the mouthful she turns to me specifically, "Y/N you tell him, or I will." dead serious. And the feeling in my belly is like I've just fallen down an elevator shaft.

My stomach is in knots as I turn to Spencer on the sofa next to me. His face is puzzled and I think I might be able to make out pure terror in his expression. I don't know that I've ever been looked at like this before and my stomach screws up tighter. I have to take a deep breath and I can't believe I'm about to say it. "Fuck it" I have to take another breath almost immediately so I just have to force the rest out, "I don't know if you heard the call I was on while we were in the elevator earlier?" I look up to gauge his reaction and I can see his face relax, and worse than that, one corner of his mouth lifts into a sort of smile. It's a look of pure smug satisfaction and I think I might scream. I have to close my eyes because I really don't think I can look at that face as I say the next part.

"My sister is getting married in a few months and my Mom's been on my ass to find a date for the wedding and she keeps trying to set me up with these losers, so I fucking panicked, and I told her you were my date." by the time the sentence is out my eyes have screwed up so tight it feels like I have to pry them open.

He sits in silence for too long. Thinking, maybe?

"So I'm the boy who teases you then?" he grins. So he did hear. And he did laugh. He looks far too self satisfied. Now he knows he's right. He knows I've talked to my Mom about him, that he's gotten in my head. I can tell from his smile that he's savoring the moment. Mostly because I can't slap the smug smile off his face I drop my head into my hands. In an effort to disappear I guess.

"So," he says, taking a moment, "is that all you wanted to say then?" he asks, lighthearted and obnoxious, back to his usual self. I snap back to reality, shooting my head back up.

"What do you mean is that all?" I throw back genuinely shocked,

"Is that all you had to say Y/N? Can I go now? It's a long bus ride home y'know" he smirks but makes no effort to move. He can't possibly be making me do this.

"Well no, obviously!" I stutter, "I mean, are you, will you, uh?" I can't bring myself to say it out loud. He leans in on the sofa looking directly at me, refusing to break eye contact.

"Did you have something you wanted to ask me Y/N?" I just want to smack that fucking look off his face,

"Fuck you Spencer Reid" I almost whisper under my breath, but Garcia snaps me back to reality.

"Hey!" she looks at me, stern again, "Ask him." it's not a question, or a suggestion, it's a command.

"Fine okay" I scrunch my eyes up again, "Will you come to my sisters wedding with me as my fake boyfriend?" I curl up into myself as I say it, I can almost feel the bile rising up from my stomach. Like I'm having a biological reaction to the whole thing.

Reid crosses his arms and sinks back on the sofa, like he's performing the act of thinking. He's considering my offer to make me squirm.

When he finally speaks he says "Well I would Y/N, but I really fail to see what's in it for me" he's after getting cocky now.

Garcia pipes up, excited, "Oh, Oh! I know! I have an idea!" she interjects, "Spencer remember how a while ago, back after your apartment flooded you were all all worried about your antique books and prints and stuff?" he nods, "Well Y/N could digitize the collection for you as a back up? I know you're a technophobe? C'mon Y/N, you know you could do that no sweat, and it would take you a lifetime alone Spencer?" I really don't want to admit it but she's right. Even I knew Reid was adverse to any technology that wasn't vital, but it was your specialty. And maybe that was a good trade off, a job like that would be near impossible for him to pull off without help. I take a glance over at Reid and he seems to have had the same train of thought as me. He lets out an exaggerated sigh and relaxes his posture.

"Fine, I guess that's a fair trade. I'm in." he resigns and I almost can't believe it. I'm barely processing the whole conversation as he sticks his hand out to me, I'm confused for a second before I grab it and shake it firmly. Condemning myself to whatever's about to happen. And it's not the time to be thinking about it but maybe this is the first time Spencer and I have ever touched? But I shove that thought away.

Garcia's positively beaming and she's not even trying to hide it. "Now it's like you're both in a Sandra Bullock movie, oh, but you're Hugh Grant maybe?" she points to Reid.

"Don't push it" I shoot in her direction, taking a slice of pizza, now that my anxiety stomach has sort of passed.

Once the pizza's been eaten in near completely awkward silence Spencer stands up off the sofa. His unsure demeanor has returned and he looks nervous. "I actually should get going this time" he says but Garcia pipes up to protest,

"No, it's not even late!"

"It takes me a while to get back home, thank you though Pen. For... this?" he gestures to the whole living room, "Night" he waves. He's almost made it to the door before I stand up out of my seat. I'm not really sure what comes over me, maybe it's gratitude, maybe it's guilt, or maybe I'm just exhausted.

"Wait Spencer. Let me give you a ride home?" I ask and it's like it's not even me saying it .

"Thanks, but I think I can make it home just fine" he dismisses, and there’s an antagonizing tone in his voice that snaps me right back to our usual rapport.

"I'm trying to do a nice thing here, fuck! Just let me do something nice!" I snap, and he throws his arms up in surrender.

"Fine alright, if it'll make you feel better"

"Fuck you Reid" I mutter under my breath and I sort of hope that he does hear me really. If he's gonna be hostile about this I can be too. I give Garcia a hug goodbye but I'm going to scold her for this whole thing later.

----

I lead the way outside and climb into my car, Spencer hops into the passenger seat and it feels as strange as always to be alone with him. Especially because it's not an accident, and it's not in work. Maybe this was a horrible idea. He seems like he's unwilling to break the silence, so I just get it over with.

"Where the hell do you live man? I'm gonna need directions." I say, as deadpan as I can muster, which probably isn't all that intimidating.

"Sorry, yeah, so you're gonna want to turn on the ignition" he teases. I definitely wasn't intimidating enough.

"Don't push it" I say, turning to give him a cruel stare, he just reacts with a smirk, that same one from the elevator earlier.

"Oh, I'm pushing it?" he asks, feigning disbelief

"I'll kick you out of this damn car" is all I can think to say. He barely responds, he just lets out a soft chuckle. I want to ask 'what's so funny' but he speaks before I can get the words out.

"I can't believe you talk to your Mom about me" he continues to laugh. That's enough.

"You know what Reid, of course I have! I work with actual murderers on a daily basis and somehow you've been the only real source of friction in my life since I joined the BAU!" He stops giggling a little, but not entirely, he looks like he's making an effort to contain himself.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just never knew I got to you like that" he still finds the whole thing amusing, but I sure as hell don't.

"Directions, now" I demand, looking straight out the front windshield.

"Fine, keep going straight on this road for a while and I'll tell you when to turn" he says, finally playing nice.

The two of us drive silently for most of the journey, the radio playing softly in the background. Eventually we arrive outside his building, and it's nicer than I thought it would be. But I have no idea what I was really basing that on. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that Dr. Reid lived in an actual home, I had pictured him sleeping upside down in a cave maybe, or in a cryogenic chamber with all the other life-like genius robots.

"So," he says, breaking the silence, "When is this wedding?"

"4 months from now, in and around" I respond, matter of factly. Spencer nods, taking it in.

"Alright, so I've got 4 months, in and around, to learn enough to convincingly pass as your loving boyfriend. Doesn't sound so difficult." he jokes, his tone harsh and sarcastic.

"Look Spencer, I know this is insane and honestly kind of stupid. But in all seriousness, you can back out right now if you're not on board with whatever this is. I'm telling you this is the last exit ramp." I try to say it with sincerity, giving him a genuine out if he's not comfortable with the weird set-up that Penelope pulled on us both. He thinks on it for a moment and shakes his head.

"So how are we gonna do this?" he asks, and I really thought he was going to back out. So I don't have an actual answer.

"Well, I uh, I haven't really given a plan much thought. How about I come over and start working on some of the stuff you want digitized like Garcia mentioned and I can use the time to give you the footnotes on my life?" I suggest, at least that would make it easier to knock things out all at once. Rather than having to spend even more of my free time with Reid than necessary. He looks content with the improvised plan.

"Alright, sounds good." he undoes his seatbelt and opens the door to hop out of the car before turning back to me, "Are you coming inside or what?"

— —

Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

[astro-rain]

delicate; b.barnes

chapter one - “to wakanda”

delicate masterlist

word count: 1.5k

synopsis: reader works for what used to be shield as a highly skilled neuropsychologist. after the events in vienna involving the sokovia accords and a bombing, she gets an interesting request from friend and coworker sharon carter...a request involving none other than steve rogers and james barnes.

warnings: brief and indirect mentions of abuse/trauma

pairings: bucky x fem!reader

"I don't know Sharon. Are you sure I'm really the right person for this? I'm not, like, an Avengers level tech. Are you sure they don't want a genius or someone like Stark to do it?"

"Well, Stark is pretty busy right now, and honestly, no one knows psych like you. Not who I've met anyway."

"That is so not true. I'm willing to bet there's tons of other people you guys got somewhere who are ten times what I am."

"Agent (Y/L/N), in case you missed it, SHIELD isn't what it used to be. Sure we have old agents who aren't formally 'SHIELD agents,' anymore, but we don't have the expendability we used to. You're our best bet at the moment."

"Damn. I'm your best bet. I'm sorry," she almost chuckled, but then she thought for a brief moment. "Are you sure this is completely necessary? I mean, I saw the photo on the news. The quality's poor at best, and..."

She leaned in, discretely, and whispered.

"...not to seem like a conspiracy theorist commie or anything, but it kinda seems like people are jumping to conclusions here. Are we even sure it was Barnes who set off the bomb?"

Sharon looked around them, cautiously. No one seemed to be listening, but she scanned the room like her life as she knew it was hanging in the balance. She weighed her words in her head, making sure she picked the right ones, then formulated a response appropriate.

"Regardless of if it was him or not, Barnes still escaped. and before that, Ste-we'd been looking for him for almost two years. This analysis is necessary," Sharon brought her voice down even lower. "At least that's what I keep being told. Of course I'd like there to be more solid proof, but I'm not in charge here. He's gone, and they want to be able to find him and 'sort things out.'"

"'Sort things out,'" (Y/N) repeated, questioning the genuineness of whomever told Sharon that. "Unless they have hard evidence that it was him who set off the bomb in Vienna, shouldn't they leave that to uh...Captain America?"

She wondered how Barnes was able to escape in the first place. She saw the containment module he was in; there's no way he could've gotten out without a fight. ...But maybe it wasn't a fight. Perhaps it was a trigger word induced rage. (Y/N) understood a basic layout of the "Winter Soldier." SHIELD would've kept any information they had classified. However, after the fiasco in Washington, d.c. with Hydra and the whole releasing of all files predicament, she was able, with Sharon's help, to put together a simple outline. With that being said, he couldn't have broken out without going Winter Soldier mode. But doesn't someone need the trigger words for that?

“That's what a reasonable person would think, but once again, I'm not in charge," Sharon shrugged. "Things would probably be going a lot smoother if I was, but you can't have everything."

(Y/N) cracked a smile. Sharon was a friend, and a good one too. They'd known each other since before SHIELD was shattered in 2014. In fact, Sharon helped train her.

The only thing was: Sharon was a higher ranking agent and often withheld certain information from (Y/N). It frustrated her. This was where their personal boundaries got in the way of their professional ones.

She could tell there was something Sharon wasn't telling her, but she wasn't about to compromise either of their positions by pushing for information she wasn't supposed to know. Hell, maybe even Sharon knows something she isn't supposed to. Or maybe she knows something that Everett Ross wouldn't like. What if she was keeping something from him? Defying him? What if she was working with Steve Rogers? Now that would be interesting.

(Y/N) was used to secrets around her all the time. She knew Sharon had her fair share, and trying to figure them out wouldn't really get her anywhere.

"Right. Okay. Well, I'll get on this then. Thanks, Agent Carter," she teased in late response to Sharon's 'Agent (Y/N).’

Sharon offered a quick smile before walking off to attend to other business.

- - -

Pain. That was all it was. In every sense of the word. As she strenously made her way through the densely packed file of one James Buchanan Barnes, pain was all she could see. All she could read. It leaked out of the page and seeped into her skin like poison.

It was horrific what they did to him. She knew he had his memory wiped, had someone pull him out and stick someone else in. But it was more than just that. They took his past, his memories, his thoughts; and they ripped them from his mind, leaving an empty space to mold into their own. It was after this when Hydra, in every way they could, dehumanized him, made him less than. He was striped of his freedom, his control, his choice, his humanity, of everything that made him him. They beat and bruised and broke it out this empty human shell until he was nothing but a shadow of faded morality and consciousness.

But hell, she couldn't look away. She was glued to the aftershock of this horrible wreckage. All the years of studying Psychology and Neuroscience couldn't have possibly prepared her for the absolute horror that was his past, his abuse, his torture. It was heinous. Frankly, she questioned how he was still alive. How he still had the will and the drive to be alive. How do you live after that?

"Fuck," she breathed after eons of silence.

She seemed to lose her sense of time whilst she was immersed in the harrowing nightmare of Hydra's cruelty. 'Cruelty' doesn't even come close to doing it justice. When she came to, her desk looked like a bomb went off. Papers were bursting out of manilla folders, littering the linoleum surface with classified files and secret information. She leaned back in her chair, and gave herself a minute to debrief.

(Y/N) almost felt guilty, like she things she looked at were so vile, so violating that she didn't have the right to see them. Sure, she had read and analyzed all sorts of trauma and psychological profiles. But he was different. Something about James Barnes was different. It tangled her mind the fact that a person could endure all that. She could only imagine the effect that would have on the human brain. The possibilities are endless. Suddenly bombing the UN didn't seem so far fetched.

- - -

"Jesus Christ," (Y/N) murmured, staring at her office floor as Sharon finished explaining to her what happened at the Leipzig Halle Airport.

She sat mostly in silence as she pondered over the information just fed to her. Apparently Tony Stark gathered a 'team' to try and intercept Captain America - sorry - Steve Rogers and his (supposed) fugitive friend. It was chaos.

"What is this? Fuckin' Avengers Fight Night?" she wondered aloud. "How many people did you say were there?"

"Twelve total," Sharon clarified. "Five with Stark and five with Steve."

The psychologist shook her head, dumbfounded. "How did it end?"

"Steve and Barnes got out, but everyone else with them were captured and sent to the Raft."

"The Raft?!" (Y/N) exclaimed. "That's for, like, super humans! Not people like Sam Wilson or Clint Barton!"

"You're telling me."

Sharon seemed in agreement with everything she was saying. However, there was something she couldn't quite place. Like she was holding back. But holding back what?

"So what of Rogers and Barnes?" (Y/N) pushed.

Sharon got up and closed the office door before returning to her seat, leaning in, and lowering her voice. This secretive woman, god damn it.

"Well... That's what I came to talk to you about."

Oh boy. She didn't have a semblance of a single idea of what to expect. Apparently Sharon noticed.

"We're the only ones that know this. They're fine..." the agent trailed off, "They're in Wakanda, but they need a little help."

"Are you leaving?!" (Y/N) all but yelled before quickly slapping a hand over her mouth and uncovering it only to whisper, "Do you and Rogers have a thing or something? Cause' I don't know how else you would know all of this when I'm sure that no one else does considering he's now an enemy of several governments!"

"My relations with Steve Rogers are not the focus here." She could've sworn Sharon flushed. "But we have been in contact; I'm one of the few people he can trust right now, and I don't plan on letting him down anytime soon."

They totally have a thing.

"Noted," said (Y/N) with a nod, "but why are you telling me this? Does he want the profile analysis or something? I don't see how he would need it if he's known Barnes for however long."

"Not exactly..." Sharon fidgeted with her hands. "We need you to go to Wakanda.”

-

[A/N:] this is a repost of chapter 1 because my masterlist is being fucky

[bucky-at-bedtime]

Stucky Fic Recs

So basically I went through all of my ao3 bookmarks and collated a list of some of my favourites (I couldn't fit all of them on this list, so if anyone shows interest there might be a part two).

Please read tags and descriptions of the works before reading, some of them are pretty dark or extremely horny so just make sure you check that the fic is for you!!

Please please please send me your favourite fics in return! I am always happy to hear fic recs, headcanons and any other ideas/comments you all have!

Without any further ado, here are a few of my favourite Stucky fics:

‘Not Easily Conquered’ series by dropdeaddream, WhatAreFear

Rating: M, Words: 117,692

https://archiveofourown.org/series/115516

“I told you, you heard me: I told you never to follow me into Hell. Now I’m not vain enough to think that’s why you’re out here now — if there’s any person in what’s left of this God forsaken planet who’s part of a bigger picture, it’d be you. But I’ll keep saying it until it sticks. You got nothing to prove. I’m not worth much, I damn well know that, but I’ll ask you anyway: Stay for me. If you leave me alone in this world I’ll turn into something terrible. I’ll turn into the nasty creature that’s growing inside me. This war, it’ll swallow me whole”

[To me, this fic is like the classic Stucky 101 fanfic – if you're a Stucky fan and you haven't read this, I highly recommend it. The authors explore the Steve/Bucky relationship in such an interesting, tragic, emotive way and I cry every time I read it. I couldn't praise this work enough.]

‘Ain’t No Grave’ series by spitandvinegar

Rating: M-E, Words: 131,789

https://archiveofourown.org/series/426577

"Yeah, he never calls me by my name," Steve says. "It's always champ, ace, hotshot, that kinda thing."

"Man, that is flirting," Sam says. "That nicknames thing, he is flirting with you. He's just working his way up to calling you baby or something."

Steve goes redder than a damn coke can. Sam pumps his fist. "Yes, I am so right, I am wise as hell. He did, didn't he?"

"He called me sweetheart," Steve says grimly, "because he's a drug addict with brain damage."

"Or because he looooooves you," Sam says. Captain America throws a cookie at his head. Sam eats it, because he deserves a treat for being so damn wise.”

[I'm currently re-reading this fic and absolutely loving it. The way spitandvinegar writes Bucky's road towards recovery and Steve's entire characterisation – it's all just so good. It's another one that covers some pretty dark themes, so make sure you're checkin those tags!]

'Einherjar' by thecommodore_squid

Rating: M, Words: 71297

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7157024/chapters/16249814

But Steve was fine.

Sure, he hadn’t seen Bucky in months, and sometimes he was at the punching bag so long that his skin started to peel off to expose the bones of his fingers, and sometimes he couldn’t find the energy to drag himself out of bed, and sometimes he went weeks without sleeping, and sometimes he thought about throwing himself head-first off the nearest tall structure, but he was fine.

He was absolutely, perfectly, one-hundred percent, fucking fine.

AKA In which Steve learns how to deal with his shit, and Bucky learns how to stop leaving.

[basically the definition of a recovery fic, I absolutely adore it. This is tragic and amazing and makes me cry and smile. It’s got a bunch of fantastic cameos and It really just ticks so many of my boxes.]

‘Like real People do’ by 2bestfriends

Rating: E, Words: 67,775

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19887376/chapters/47103217

“"Ask me what?" demands Bucky. "I didn't hear a question."

Steve licks his lips. "Will you stay with me? Will you come back home, Buck?"

"Home," repeats Bucky in a small voice, and then he's crying for real.”

[Basically soft lumberjack!steve and lonely twink!bucky being horny and in love. This is a comfort fic for that’s really just about my favourite boys falling in love.]

‘This City Bleeds it’s Aching Heart’ by anonymous

Rating: E, Words: 34,537

https://archiveofourown.org/works/835829/chapters/1591736

“The one where Steve and Bucky pose as a happily married couple while on a mission for SHIELD, to catch an international arms dealer hiding in a suburban neighbourhood.”

[The plot in this one is just a good time and i think it’s just a really fun take on the fake relationship trope. Also some really great characterisation.]

‘Home is Wherever I’m With You’ by cydonic

Rating: E, Words: 88,570

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868081/chapters/44783077

“Bucky kisses Steve and Emma goodbye before they leave for school, which is why – partway down the road – Amelia turns to him and asks, “why are you and Daddy kissing?”

Which is definitely a conversation Bucky’s been expecting since Steve just did it, but it still takes him by surprise. Again, he thinks he should wait for Steve, but Amelia’s not the sort of kid to let anything rest. Plus, Bucky’s taking her to school where she will undoubtedly share the story with anyone who’ll listen.

He also stops to think that Steve’s asked him to stay, which means Bucky must be trusted with their happiness and well-being, at least in some small capacity.

Bucky clears his throat and searches for some explanation that will help Amelia make sense of this sudden turn of events. “Because we love each other,” is all he comes up with.”

[Bear with me, this is a House Flipper!Bucky Au. And dad!Steve. I just love a found family trope I’m not gonna lie to you. Another comfort fic that warms my lil heart.]

‘Lucky Seven’ by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves)

Rating: E, Words: 94,364

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7033105/chapters/16002481

“Back from where--?” James says, the sentence ending in a distinctly undignified squawk as Steve sweeps him up in his arms, bridal-style, and starts carrying him upstairs.

James tenses momentarily then relaxes into Steve's arms and throws back his head and starts laughing. The laughter peals out of him, his body shaking, his amusement occasionally broken by little gasps of pain.

“What's so funny?” Steve frowns.

“You are,” James says, still giggling. “You're ridiculous, Steve Rogers.”

“Behave. Or I will drop you,” Steve growls.

[The shrunkyclunks modern AU of my dreams featuring Mechanic!Bucky and cap!Steve and some really beautiful writing.]

'Dishonor On Your Cow' by mandarou

Rating: E, Words: 111695

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10659162/chapters/23589582

“Sergeant Barnes?”

“Oh, hell no, don’t call him that, man,” Sam warned.

“Captain Fuck Off!” Barnes shouted over him. “Fight me!”

Steve didn’t know whether to laugh or just slink away. He managed to combine the two by pacing two steps and snorting instead. Like a bull.

“I’m gonna need you to calm your ass, Barnes,” Sam said as he went limp again, obstructing Barnes’s struggling under him. “This is so undignified. That is Captain goddamn America.”

“Captain goddamn America!” Barnes repeated, louder. And angrier.

Steve cleared his throat again. “I’ve been looking for you,” he told Barnes.

“I hope you brought lube this time!” Barnes shouted.

[I’m not gonna lie it took me a minute to get into this one but by the end I was crying with them, laughing with them, and just really in my feels. Some very insane things happen so here’s a few of my favourite tags: ‘Seargent Barnes is done with your Shit Steve’, ‘blatant disrespect of a man’s motorcycle’, ‘Steve you ding dong’ and ‘PR nightmares in the form of Supersoldiers’.]

Propietary Information by Notlucy

Rating: E, Words: 85141

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11964402/chapters/27054777

“Okay, so Bucky Barnes has a crush on Steve Rogers. The guy's gorgeous, talented and, oh yeah, the Chief Design Officer of the biggest tech company in the world. In other words: he's so far out of Bucky's league that he might as well be in a different stratosphere.”

[We were never gonna get through this list without a Sugar Daddy!AU (I have a weakness). This one is… saucy and sexy and sweet and uh pretty kinky so read the tags and all. I’ve read it a few times, and I love the way the author has written Steve in this one, he just makes my heart go '!!!']

‘Roots Have Grown’ by AustinB

Rating: M, Words: 17280

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6912451/chapters/15767941

“Bucky is a mildly agoraphobic veteran with funds to spare, who becomes enamored with the cute blonde guy in his building.

So when Steve mentions needing a roommate to cut down on rent costs, Bucky decides it would be a good idea to volunteer.”

[Another weakness of mine is Roommate AUs, and this one is phenomenal. I tend to go for post serum!Steve stories more often, but this is a pre-serum Steve that I just adore.]

‘The Cold Never Bothered me Anyway’ by icoulddothisallday

Rating: E, Words:75562

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11728869/chapters/26425530

“Bucky Barnes has spent his whole life in a state of mild hypothermia. Steve Rogers has spent the last 70 years in the ice. The two things aren’t related until, suddenly, they are. Shrunkyclunks soulmate AU (AKA the awkward bb au).”

[I think this is the only soulmate AU in my bookmarks? I would totally be down to read more though! This one is really fun and really enjoy Bucky’s characterisation here!]

'War, Children' by Nonymos

Rating: E, Words: 106615

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5373050/chapters/12409394

“After Bucky was released from the hospital, it only took him a couple of weeks to give up on himself. Difficult to believe in any kind of future when the simple act of staying alive was almost too big an effort.

Out the frosted window, across the street, there was a tiny homeless guy burrowing under an awning.”

[An interesting exploration of Bucky’s PTSD with a trans!Steve which was a cool take on his character too!]

'The Company You Keep' by orbingarrow

Rating: G, Words: 51191

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3468605/chapters/7613072

“Hurt, hungry, and on the run, the Winter Soldier doesn’t have a lot of safe options to go to for help. Figuring that any friend of Captain Steve Rogers is unlikely to be HYDRA, Bucky takes a chance and reaches out to the first Avenger he can find.

It works out better than anyone could have expected. Eventually.”

[hurt/comfort, recovering Bucky, protective Steve, found family and domestic avengers, need I say more? I absolutely loved this one]

[spideyskrunkly]

Hungry For Help (ch1)

CC fanmade case

Characters: David Jeremiah Jones, Kailin Stanford, GPD, cc suspects

Warnings: Death, swearing, starvation, someone has a breakdown, mentions of playboys, flashbacks of toxic home environment, someone's being homophobic (lemme guess, Frincley)

Jones never thought he would see this day.

-

(Flashback)

"Mom's in a bad mood again."

"I know."

June and Sheng stayed in their room while their mother was screaming downstairs.

"THAT RAT! THAT FUCKING LITTLE RAT, I TOLD THAT DAMN KID TO CATCH THAT RAT! THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING LITTLE SHIT CAN'T EVEN DO ONE SIMPLE TASK!" And so on about June not being able to catch a rat.

"... Was the rat in the cubby again?"

"Yep. They're hard to not miss in there." June sighed as he took a pack of gum, put one in his mouth and handed another to Sheng. "Don't be like mom when you grow up."

"... June?"

"What's up."

"Are you... really gonna leave? To be be a soldier? Just like you said when you and mom were fighting?"

"..."

"That's okay." Sheng crossed his legs and chewed on the gum. "Mom's pretty scary."

"... Yeah. But I'm the big bad wolf. And I'm gonna gobble you up for being the silliest kid." And he imitated a wolf by ticking his brother's neck which made him giggle.

But the laughter soon died as did the smiles did as well. "I miss Carlos."

June looked sadly at Sheng that he also missed their older brother. "... Me too."

"June, even if.... you leave, will we always be brothers?"

June looked at Sheng with ease and worry. "Of course we will." He gave Sheng an embrace that kindly accepted safety and love. "No matter life or death."

-

(End Flashback)

GPD was chilling in the break area.

Grace and Ramirez sat next to eachother as the table curved. Next to Ramirez was Nathan who had Kailin stuck between him and Alex. She didn't seem to mind it as she and Alex were talking about the new Tech movie. Next to Alex was Jones then finally June.

(So if you're confused: Grace👉Ramirez👉Nathan👉Kailin👉Alex👉Jones👉June) lol

"Imagine hating the best chicken here. Could be me." Grace picked up a chicken made out of cardboard.

Nathan sighed. "This made the cafeteria lunch back in school look delicious."

Ramirez picked up a sandwich that was made from his wife. "Damn, I feel sorry for y'all."

"NO ALEX, IT'S FUCKING BROCCOLI AND BEEF!"

"NO, IT'S BEEF AND BROCCOLI!"

Jones started to looked like Alex and Kailin's conversation was getting out of hand. "What's going on, you two."

"KAILIN SAYS IT'S BROCCOLI AND BEEF BUT I SAY BEEF AND BROCCOLI! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT!"

"NO IT'S NO?!?!?!? LMAO?!?!?"

(Now this was based on a real conversation I had 💀)

Jones looked with confusion and recieved the same look from June who spoke up. "Why does it matter? You can just come to terms that it's whatever."

Kailin couldn't let this slide though. "Look, bastard, we can take this later, OUTSIDE or ask Google."

Alex couldn't help but agree with the terms. "Alright, go, go for it!"

June couldn't help but look with shame. "What the hell, you two."

Suddenly, a speaker awoke. "If I may have Inspector Jones, Tech Stanford and Captain Shiloh in my office please! I repeat, I would like to have Inspector Jones, Tech Stanford and Captain Shiloh in the chief's office. Please and thank." The speaker hung up.

"Well, there goes the rest of our break."

"Well, this might be a murder."

"Well, we're fucking taking this fight later, Alex."

-

The called trio made it to Chief King's office.

"Gentlemen and Kailin. I'm afraid there's been a murder back at the park. A starved person in fact which is disturbing."

"Alright Chief, we'll head on-"

"Wait a second, June. I know this is gonna sound uncommon, but I'm gonna need you to head home for the day."

"What, wha... am I fired?!"

"No! No. No. Nobody's gonna get fired. You're not fired or in trouble. I just... need you to head home for the day. I'd rather Inspector Jones and Tech Stanford on this case. And no, I don't wanna argue about this, June."

June felt... unsteady and left with a saddened face. He closed the door behind him and inched his ear onto it.

"Chief, what's going on? June would usually go with me! He's my partner!"

"I know I've been new here for like... 5 cases, but aren't they always together????"

"I KNOW. I.... his brother. His brother, Sheng Shiloh, was found dead at the park. And until you two break it to him, he cannot know."

June lets himself off the door. He started to walk out of the building.

"No. No, no, no, no, Sheng, no. No. No, no no no no no no no no no, no no no, NO, NO NO NONONONONONONONONONONONO...."

June felt... numb. He felt... adrenaline. He felt like... he needed to get to the park before thay do.

A d with that thought, he ran out as Jones and Kailin left the chief's office.

"How are we gonna tell him? He's gonna have a breakdown about this..."

"We don't know, but we gotta get to the park."

-

June didn't know that he had it in him to run this far to the park where it had a quiet area.

"NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO"

He made it past the benches and the streets. But it seemed like Jones andd Kailin with some more officers came before him.

"NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO"

June started to lose his breath, but he didn't care. He wanted to see if it was someone else. If it wasn't his brother. It's can't be.

Jones noticed him from a distance.

"June?! GET OUT OF HERE, IT'S NOT WORTH IT!"

NONONONONONONONO

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!"

NONONO

"JUNE, PLEASE!" Jones held onto June like he was a robot trying to break free from wires.

NO

"LET GO OF ME! SHENG! SHENG! SHENG!" June started to sob as he called out for his brother.

Paramedics passed by them with a body on a mat that was being carried to Nathan back in GPD.

No.

June remembered those braids. And the soft teeth. And the tight curls.

It really was his brother.

June screamed in agony and despair as he then sobbed onto Jones's chest.

"June... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, I never wanted you to find out like this."

June looked up with anger- no. WAR in his eyes.

"I'M GONNA KILL THEM! I SWEAR TO GOD, I'M GONNA KILL WHO DID THIS TO HIM!"

Jones looked with a terrified look on his face. He never wanted to see June like this. "No, June, you don't want that!"

"SHUT UP, FUCK OFF! DON'T TELL ME WHAT- what I want, I want my little brother back!" He once again cried into Jones's chest. Loud, muffled sobs were coming out.

"Kailin, I'm gonna bring June home. Can you find anything that's might help us with the case?"

"Sure. Just tell him to take a break back home."

"Jones... Jones please, find who did this... please..." June grabbed onto Jones's shirt with despair in his face. "...please..."

Jones took June by the hand and took him to the car. "I promise."

-

After bringing June back home, Jones raced back to Kailin. "Find anything?"

"I found his bag here. Went through his stuff and found a phone and an ID. It shows he worked at a carwash."

"Then we should send the phone to Alex and see if he finds anything. Meanwhile, let's go to the carwa-"

"Hello, is there something going on here?"

Jones and Kailin turned around to find a lady with a white shirt, blue sweats and blonde hair with orange eyes. "I'm supposed to meet my boyfriend here."

Kailin showed the same sass the lady was giving. "Yeah, well, this is a crime scene now, lady."

"A crime scene? Just my damn luck. Have you seen a certain... Sheng Shiloh? I'm supposed to be meeting him here."

Jones and Kailin looked at each other than looked back at the suspect. "What's your name?"

"Anquezze Robert. Hold on, I know you..." she points to Jones. "You're one of the greatest cops in Grimsborough! Where's your partner? My boyfriend's related to him!"

Jones looked in shame. "Unfortunately, Captain Shiloh cannot be in this case. His brother, who also was your boyfriend, was unfortunately left here to die."

"Oh! That's tragic!"

"We're sorry for your loss, ma'am. We know that this is tragic."

"Well, not really. I'm a little shocked, but I'm not that saddened."

Kailin and Jones looked in suprise. Kailin spoke. "Lady, your boyfriend just died?! How could you not care?!"

"Well..." Anquezze spoke with a softer, yet annoyed voice. "He and I have been having arguments lately about our relationship. He's been noticing that I've been reading playboys. I've been noticing he's been more focused on work and honestly, he told me to come here at this time a few days ago. And... this is a turn of events."

Kailin looked up to Jones as he came with a conclusions. "Well, we might need to talk to you again, so hang tight, Miss Robert."

-

Kailin and Jones separated as Jones went to the carwash and Kailin went over to Alex back at GPD.

Kailin and Alex examined the phone in their database.

Alex turns over to Kailin. "So this is actually the victim's phone! Now be warned, suggestive stuff coming in."

"Ew."

"I know. And I saw a photo of the night the victim was left to die! The photo was shown our killer. Sadly, there's no face, but the killer tried to break in and typed the wrong password and a photo was taken! And the photo was.... a playboy."

"So our killer owns a playboy. Pervert."

-

Jones was at the carwash and looked around. He noticed how there was a shirt with blood on it. It seems white.

"Guess I'll just send this to Grace..."

As he was about to leave, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Ay, bro! You dropped your key!"

Jones turned around and saw his car keys onto the floor. How did he not notice. Or heard. What the fuck. This is why Chief King bullys him. For fuck's sake, they were car keys that can make a lot of noise. We need to bully him about this now. (/j, ily Jones 😭😭😭)

As he picked it up, he looked up to the voice. There was a man with a black mohawk and amber eyes with a white tank top and some jeans. "Howdy! I'm Jack Blaziken. I'm the owner of the carwash."

"Oh, lovely. Have you seen a certain Sheng Shiloh around here?"

"Lousy ass? Eh, he's a good dude, just always late. Speaking of which, he hasn't come by for a few days! The audacity!"

"Well, his reason to not come is because he was left to die. We found him tonight."

"Oh."

"When's the last time you saw him, Jack?"

"When it was like 2 or 3 days ago. Been reading my playboys all afternoon yesterday because of how boring it was getting without the champ. Guess, I might as well find some more workers..." and with that, Jack went back to his little office.

-

Kailin and Jones reunite to share information as they waited for Grace and Nathan.

"Man, this case is... getting wild and it's only starting."

Jones was looking a little sad. "I just really hope that June's gonna be okay."

"Y'mean the little freak finally having it? What a party."

Jones and Kailin groaned of the familiar voice behind them. At least they understand June's frustration. "What do you want, Frincley."

"Just a howdy to my teammates! Well, to at least two of em."

"We're not your teammates, asshole. And leave June's name out of your mouth if you're just gonna talk shit."

"Well, whatever. That damn (homophobic slur) is just being a baby cuz his bro died."

Jones immediately stood up the same time Grace had walked out the room. "The fuck did you just say?" Kailin rushed over in front of Jones. "No, no! Jones, he's not worth it!"

Grace coughed up for attention to her. "If I may, everyone."

Jones, annoyed, looked at Frincley and walked into Grace's lab.

"Yeah that's right, boy. All bark, no bite."

Kailin lost it. "Y'know, just because you're a sad wash up doesn't mean you get to have shit your way, Frincley. You're pretty much useful as a fucking nail who can only do damage, so why not find something else to take your anger out on instead of being a useless stiff man who just sits around all day."

"Grrrr! You're only new here and you still got sass. I like it. Feel free to scratch me kitty." And with that, he let a purring sound to mock Kailin.

Grace took off her heel and slammed Frincley in the face with it. Frincley fell on the ground.

"Now, people." Grace put her heel back on and lead Jones and Kailin toward her lab.

"Is he always like that?! Why not fire him or something?!"

"He has a tight contract with the mayor, I'll explain later. What's up Grace?"

"So I managed to look on the shirt you gave me and can confirm that this is the victim's blood. I can't say how that got there, so you'll have to wait for Nathan to answer. But what I can say is that he was not wearing a white shirt!"

"So that means..."

"Yep! This is your killer's shirt!"

"Sweet. Thanks, Grace. You're a whole girlboss."

"Aw, thank you, Kailin. I can say the same for you."

-

Both people soon walked into Nathan's lab. Nathan was there with a disgusted face.

Jones whispered to Kailin. "If even Nathan looks sick, you know it's that bad." Then he turned to Nathan. "Everything okay?"

Nathan looked to the partners. "This... this is fucked up. I found an open head wound which shows that the victim was knocked out. But that's not all, embrace yourselves." He stood up. "The killer went and tied him up in the cloth and rope w/ knots, and he was hung and left upside down, not for hours, but for days. He died by... starvation and dizziness. But mostly starvation. Starvation is your murder weapon. But then I noticed that there was wine on him. I ran blood tests and he doesn't drink."

"Now we know our killer drinks wine and we got the... well... cause of death. You guys would usually find murder weapons which is rare in here." Kailin wrote this down.

-

Jones and Kailin were stuck back Jones's office.

"So our killer drinks wine, has a white shirt and... reads sex magazines."

"Jack seems bummed about the murder while Anquezze doesn't really give a shit." Jones thought hard. He ended up with a conclusion that... he didn't want to end up with. "Maybe I'm getting a little too into this, but June never really talks to us about his past and never talks about his family."

"And? They're related, so we outta help June a little!"

"We are... but... June had a whole breakdown which you saw. And he has to know maybe something about Sheng as his brother."

Kailin looked with concern. "You don't mean..."

Jones returned with the same look, only a little sadness. "Yes. I am suggesting it." He crossed his fingers and pressed them to his lips.

"Junely Shiloh may have to be a suspect in this case."

Ch1 end

[nakachuchu]

Bunny | Armin Arlert

SYNOPSIS: Modern AU - He has a crush on his friend's crush.

READER: female

WORDS: 1556

WRITTEN: 03/08/2021

"Hey, Armin," you greeted as you leaned down, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"H-Hi, Y/N," he replied, eyes glancing to the textbook pressed against your chest and your pretty smile.

"Can I sit next to you again? You're a lifesaver when it comes to taking notes."

"Oh, yeah, definitely," he said as he scooted to the side, allowing you to sit next to him in the lecture hall.

You often sat next to Armin because he had good handwriting and his notes were easy to understand.

You often blanked out, thus missing part of what the professor said. He once asked what you were thinking about, and you winked at him before making a zipper gesture on your mouth.

It was always a struggle when you asked to sit next to him. He had to fight himself to pay attention to the professor and ignore the little devil on his shoulder who kept telling him dirty thoughts about you.

If you didn't sit next to him, he wouldn't have to worry about how good his notes were because you wouldn't need them.

It wasn't like you didn't take notes. You simply got distracted sometimes. You would be taking notes, and the next time Armin decided to glance at you, the end of your pen would be in your mouth, tongue swiping at it mindlessly.

Armin was in constant trouble whenever you were around. You were pretty on your own, but the way your teeth nibbled on the cap and how soft your tongue looked made his brain short circuit.

It was the second year you had the same class with Armin, and he didn't know if he wanted to be thankful or not.

The first encounter he had with you was on moving day. He dropped his pink pen that had a bunny as the clicker. It was given to him by his mother who had been sobbing when he left for college.

You picked up the pen and called out to him. He was absolutely embarrassed and dizzy that someone saw the pen, let alone a pretty girl picking it up for him.

You laughed at how red he was and stepped forward to put the pen back into his front pocket, patting his chest before waving goodbye and walking away.

"Armin," you called out, "class is over, bunny."

God, the nickname you gave him always made his body hot. It was a simple, shameless nickname. It was obviously from the pen he dropped, but he couldn't help but fantasize that something deeper was in the works.

"R-Right. Thanks, Y/N."

You smiled. "Of course. Text me your notes later?"

He nodded.

"Great. I'll see you around. Make sure to eat lunch."

He nodded. "You too."

Once you left the room, he sighed and banged his head onto the desk. Even your kindness in reminding him to eat made him like you even more.

He eventually packed up his stuff, walking to the same table outside the lecture hall that his friends claimed since the first day of school.

"How'd it go?" Eren asked.

He knew about Armin's crush on you, but the question was easily hid as "How was the lecture?"

"It was good," Armin replied, which translated to "I made a fool out of myself again."

"Did you see Y/N? What was she wearing today?" Jean asked.

"Uh—You know, the same," Armin said with a wince.

Jean sighed wistfully. "She's so damn beautiful."

"She'd never go for you," said Eren with a glance at Armin.

"Huh? You wanna fucking fight? We'll go at it right now!"

"HUH? Did you say something, twerp?" Eren retorted, standing up from the table to slam his foot onto the bench.

"HUH? You're shorter than me, you fucking midget," retorted Jean as he got into the same position as Eren.

The two boys began to fight as Armin awkwardly laughed and sat down. He was royally fucked. What was he supposed to do when Jean seemed so smitten with you?

"I'm gonna do it," said Jean as he let Eren out of the chokehold.

Eren gasped for air, then punched Jean on the shoulder. "Do...what?"

"Ask Y/N out," he said as he walked off.

Armin followed the direction he was walking in, then saw you crossing the lawn with one of your friends. His shoulders slumped as he realized he wouldn't ever be able to date you.

Eren and Mikasa glanced at each other before glancing at Armin who was watching the exchange between you and Jean.

You whispered something to your friend as Jean began to talk. You stood there with a smile on your face and occasionally nodded at whatever he was saying.

"I—Um—I'm gonna go back to my dorm. I have studying to do," murmured Armin as he grabbed his bag and walked away.

You laughed at something Jean said before nodding and waving goodbye to him. He walked back and sighed heavily as he sat on the bench.

"What happened?" Connie asked.

"She likes someone else, but hey, she called me cute. That accounts for something, right?"

"Do you think—"

Mikasa nodded at what Eren was implying.

Jean looked between them. "What?"

"You see—"

"Hey, if that dumb ass can ask you out, you can ask Armin out," your friend encouraged.

"Me? I don't have the guts for that," you said.

"No, but you got the tits and that disgusting kindness going for you."

You rolled your eyes. "None of that is true. Besides, I don't know where he is."

"Call him."

"I'm not going to ask him out through tech. It's not sincere," you muttered.

"So you need to do it in person? I got you."

"W-Wait, where are you going? Come back!" you shouted as your friend ran out of your room.

You sighed, a dreadful feeling settling in your stomach. You chewed your lip nervously as you turned to your notes to study, trying to ignore your fantasies of dating Armin.

You put your earbuds in, turning up the volume so that you wouldn't have to think. You drummed your pencil on your desk while reading the notes you took, even though you knew the information wasn't staying in your brain.

You let out a shriek when someone yanked your earbuds out. You spun around in your chair, ready to smack someone until you noticed Armin standing by your door nervously.

Your friend stood in front of you and smiled. "Good luck," they whispered before walking out and closing the door.

"Armin," you breathed out.

He raised his hand slightly before folding them together in front of him again. "Hi. Um—Your friend said you needed to talk to me?"

You nodded, tucking your hair behind your ear. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you come out here. My friend is impulsive."

"It's okay," he reassured. "But isn't it bad if someone notices us alone in your room? What if Jean hears?"

You tilted your head to the side. "What about him?"

"Well, aren't you—aren't you two dating?"

You blinked before laughing. "We're not dating. I don't like him. I like you."

"Oh, I see. You don't like—You like me?" he repeated.

You smiled. "Yeah, I do. I really, really like you."

"Oh. Oh, this is—Oh, I never thought—" His face went red and his mind was playing fantasies of you again. "I—Uh—I didn't think you'd ever like me. I've liked you for a while now and I mean, you're so pretty, and I'm me."

"I like you, bunny," you reassured. "I like that you're you."

"I've never—I've never had a girlfriend."

"That's okay. It doesn't matter. Do you want to be my boyfriend?" you asked.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. His shoulders slumped after a moment. "But I would be a bad friend if I did that. Jean's liked you for a while and I can't betray him like that."

You smiled softly. "I understand. That's—"

The door burst open, hitting Armin in the back and sending him flying forward. You got up from your chair and wrapped your arms around him so that he wouldn't fall.

Armin was dizzy. His face was shoved into your breasts and all he could smell was you. Your arms were wrapped around him for safety and his hands were dangerously close to your ass.

You looked up to see Armin's friends crowding your door. They were all breathing heavily.

"Say yes!" exclaimed Jean. "Why didn't you tell me you liked her? I just thought she was hot!"

Armin said something, but it was muffled by your breasts. You wiggled around at how ticklish it felt, before helping him move away.

He blinked at you before slowly looking up at you. His face was incredibly hot and he couldn't think straight.

"Armin?" you called out.

Oh, your voice was so pretty.

"Armin, are you okay?" you asked.

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Um—I—Yes?"

"Yes?" you repeated.

"I want to be your boyfriend," he said. "Is that okay?"

You smiled. "It's more than okay," you said.

"Thank God," muttered Eren as he turned around with a hand latched onto Jean's collar. "Team, roll out!"

Mikasa followed him silently, dragging Sasha and Connie with her.

"What should the first thing we do as a couple be, bunny?" you asked.

"Um... Food?"

You smiled. "Sounds good."

[that-one-weeb-but-starwars]

My Love| Echo (pt 10)

Note: okay its gettin better from here...well for now-

Warnings: no

Reader: male

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Masterlist

Omega looked up at him hopefully. A hand was placed on her shoulder.

He smiled smally at her, "I..."

Omega's face went anxious to happy, "come on! Come on! I know where he went! If you can just get us there!"

Isabella looked over at him, "Y/n?" She questioned.

"I havent been called that is a while." He told her.

"Its quiet a beatiful name." Isabella complimented.

"That's what I've been told recently," he told.

"Echo talks about you all the time! We've been looking for you!" Omega told trying to pull him along, "well him the most!- but we tried to help."

"Okay. Little one wait!" He stopped her, Omega stopping and looking back at him.

"What?" She questioned.

"I." He spoke, "Im not sure that's the best idea kid."

She frowned, "why not?"

Isabella looked at Rosyln- now known as Y/n to her, "We did come all this way. We werent simple going to drop off a simple disk after all."

Y/n stood up, "I...I know."

"Well he's most likely at Cid's bar! Come on!" Omega cheered pulling him along now, Isabella getting up and following.

"I will let the others know." She spoke.

"Now. I never-"

"He gets really excited when your name comes up!" Omega cheered, "He told me about you and him, he said he really loved you! Oh! And you were going to have a family! But I didn't know you both were married! Or getting married!"

He let himself get dragged away, kids? Sure he talked about having a kid in his own future, not wanting to put Echo on pressure.

But Marraige? Sure he teased it. But never had they actually poped the question, "marriage?"

"Hunter told me what fiancee means and said you guys were gonna get married." Omega spoke, dragging him along as the made it to the main streets.

He walked up to a vendor, "know of a cid and where I can find her?"

"I'm sorry. You what?!" Hunter argued, Wrecker bringing down the last crate.

"She was behind me! And then gone!" Echo defended.

"You couldn't even watch her!?'Hunter argued.

"Sorry that I was trying to translate for you! You know Im not some stupid droid that can just plug in!" Echo shouted back at him.

"What happened?" Wrecker questioned looking besides him at Tech.

"Omega's gone missing." Tech spoke.

"She knows her way around this part of town. The kids just getting some mantel mix." Wrecker told Tech.

"Perhaps." Tech spoke as they watched the two argue.

"If you weren't so self absorbed!" Hunter argued, "we wouldnt be in this mess!"

"Self absorbed!? Are you serious?! I didn't need this!" Echo spoke the datapad rattling in his hand with anger, "I told you! I knew Y/n was alive! I could of done this myself!"

"And what!? Go off by yourself!?" Hunter argued, "That's worked out for you well in the past hasn't it?!"

Echo glared at him, "You know Hunter your a real piece of Fucking work."

Pushing past Hunter roughly he went for the door, "what I did was-"

"Echo!" He was intruppted by Omega rushing down the stairs and into him.

"Glad your safe, I have to go." Echo told her as she pulled away frowing.

"But-"

"Not now Omega." He spoke walking around her only a few steps, before he looked up, ready to ascend the steps, there stood a figure.

Tall, hair turning gray and white by the days of stress yet the figures hair dark (f/d/c) hair, eyes as bright as Echo could remember. He was frozen in his spot, eyes wide in shock as the figure shifted weight to one foot, the dark cloak following in movement.

It was silent between the two as they looked at one another. Echo's mouth slightly agape trying to speak, but no words came out.

"Y/n?" Echo finally aspirated.

"Long time no see Echo." Y/n spoke.

"I." Echo tried to speak, "you found us...you're here."

Y/n walked down the stairs, now on level ground with Echo, Echo backed up slightly.

"I...I forgot how tall you are..." he spoke looking up at Y/n.

"I." Y/n started, "I've done some things I'm not proud of Echo...some...things have happened."

"You're...here." Echo spoke his hand reaching out to Y/n, stopping and going unsure if he was real.

Echo's hand carassed Y/n's cheek, "you..."

"Echo. I..." Y/n tried, "I'm sorry."

"No. No. You don't get to be sorry." Echo told him, "I should be apologizing, I should of came to Corosaunt to get you even if I had to fight you off that damn planet. You would of did the same to me and I left you there to rot like the horrid person I am-"

"No. No." Y/n spoke his hands finding there way to Echo's face, "I. I should of comned you, or told you- I should of did something-"

Echo intruppted him by pressing his lips to Y/n's quickly. It had been so long, it seemed almost foreign to the both of them. Y/n's hands falling down and to Echo's hips, pulling him closer. Y/n pulled away from the kiss, immediately placing his head in Echo's neck, his arms wrapped around Echo's body.

"I'm so glad you're here." Y/n told Echo, feeling connected with his past, the good times, times laying in the bed with Echo, just in each others arms.

Echo rubbed Y/n's back lovingly, kissing Y/n's shoulder softly, "I love you so much-"

"Who in the fuck are you!?"

The two pulled away, "aw crap. I forgot I had my men on high alert." Y/n spoke.

"What does that mean?" Echo spoke.

"I don't wanna hurt you lady!"

There was a loud thud and crash.

"Ow!"

"It means that." Y/n told Echo the two rushing back into the bar.

[asherlockstudy]

Reviewing all my phones simply because I wanna

*including the family phones because I have always been the poor soul that managed all of them regardless of age

Nokia 5110 (1998)

Ah the memories... When the phones were that. Phones. I was probably around 6 when we got that and I was still the one handling it because my parents aren't the most tech savvy people. It was a thick phone, which I actually like, it had 6 but good ringtones and of course it had Snake. That's all we cared about back then. Not as tough as its reputation because we had to change it after 2-3 years.

BTW: my mom insists we also had the famous NOKIA 3310 but I have no memory of it whatsoever. Well, it's not like my mom can tell models apart.

Motorola 120e (2002)

I wonder, what were we thinking as a family when we bought this object? The funny thing is that I am sure we bought it because we (mom) thought it looked pretty. It was slim, silver and UGLY AS HELL. The buttons were super dysfunctional, the screen was tiny and everyday the phone had one new bug. At some point after months? weeks? it simply died. Quietly, on its own. Nobody was sorry.

Sharp GX20 (2003)

Back when Sharp was trendy, this was one pretty phone and certainly the prettiest of the Sharp GXXX line. The design was simply beautiful, the main screen was huge, the main camera was way ahead of its time and you could take a selfie by looking at yourself in the external screen. The small screen would also show notifications, the time, pictures etc. The only nonsensical thing about this phone was that the maximum video and voice recording session was only 10 seconds or something. WTF

Sony Ericsson K750i (2005)

So if you didn't know it yet, here's the fact: K750i is the best phone ever created. The unsung hero. I saw an advertisement for it in a magazine and that was the first time I was fully manipulated by an ad. I wanted it so bad it was the only thing I was thinking about. I wasn't wrong. This phone proved the ultimate GOAT for its time. It was the direct predecessor of the walkman phones and it was in my opinion better because it specialized both in camera and music. The design was simply wonderful, with the silver back opening to reveal the lens. It was also as tough as any classic NOKIA and more. I bought it before 8th grade and kept it till my second year in university (8 years). It was still working fine but it was basically dissolving in my hands. My parents begged me to buy me a smartphone and my friends thought I was ridiculous. They couldn't understand. I am seriously considering buying a 3D model of this phone (it exists) just for the memories.

Alcatel OneTouch Pixi 3 (2015)

See this? This is the worst idiotphone someone had the audacity to create. Bought the gold one for mom because she only cares for looks and she wanted a "smart"phone to feel relevant (even though she can't even use the basic phones). Anyway, even I can't use that phone. Everything about it is bad. Bad responsiveness, bad interface, bad camera, bad screen, bad memory, bad battery, bad CPU EVERYTHING IS BAD There is literally not one good thing I can think about this phone. It's obviously a low-end device but what I mean is it is bad by low-end standards. Utterly horrible. I was tempted to throw it from the balcony quite a few times. If you want to kill time, go read reviews of this monstrosity.

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini (2014)

My personal initiation to the smartphone world was traumatic in the beginning as I had to buy this phone twice, because I lost the first one after a few months. However, the fact that I paid again for the exact same model is a hint about how much I liked that phone. Small, beautiful with changing skins, simple and so bloody functional. I have no complains whatsoever except the memory proved small for me after 5 years of filling it up. I bought a memory card and then Samsung fucked something up with the compatibility. My phone was broken. I spent a month trying to fix the software myself. I did it eventually. I still have it now but the battery drains in a few hours without touching it. I am heartbroken. I don't know if I should change the battery or it is because of the "touched" software I put in there. And it has become unbearably slow. I knew I had to swallow it and buy a new phone. But I knew, any phone I chose would always be an Android and preferably Samsung.

iPhone 12 mini (2020)

This... didn't go as planned. Let me explain myself. I am an Android fan, I love its interface and customization freedom. I hate everything about Apple. I don't like iphones either. BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT THERE ISN'T ONE SINGLE NORMAL SIZED ANDROID PHONE IN THE MARKET. IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR APPARENTLY USING YOUR PHONES WITH YOUR FEET OR WHAT. I need a phone, not a freaking ear laptop. This was the only phone that could fit in my hand, only slightly larger than the S5 mini. I mean, it's not my ideal choice to sell a kidney for a phone, trust me. It's been several months and I dare say I am... okay with the iphone. I still prefer Android but I admit iOS is clean cut, so to speak. I hate how limited it is in customization and I hate that it literally burns like lava while charging or running a heavy app. But more than anything else, I hate how much Apple exploits its customers. An app that is free on Google Play can cost 10 bucks per month in Playstore. Let's not forget that I had to go buy chargers and cables separately to make my phone functional. Go fuck yourself Apple, honestly. It's a pretty phone but you don't deserve the hype. Camera is very good though. And the one thing that made me bond a little with this phone was that a friend pointed out it is a very "me" phone - it's admittedly a phone that when you see it, you will pick me out of a group of people as its likeliest owner. And so... I don't hate it that much. My concern is what will happen when I will have to buy a phone in the (hopefully distant) future... they don't make phones for my hands anymore. Actually, they don't make phones anymore period

[ritchieblackless]

There's superstition...

After the torture sentence that I aplied to myself by thinking that this post could be a good idea, I fucking have the information about this... this... twisted story. Not all the information though, because if I search for more info about this I will surely need to go to the Cuckoo's nest.

Oh Martina, you're exaggerating. No, I'm not (well yeah, kinda). This was so confusing to understand and organize. Believe I was in the bathroom seconds ago saying "Okay, 1970 Cozy and Jeff going to Detroit. 1971 and 1972 Stevie.."

The most important thing about Superstition's back story and theories about Cozy's playing on it, is the ☆Timelines.☆ Because in the end everything revolves around 1970-71 and 72 to ever consider Cozy in Superstition so let's start.

[Jeff Beck and Cozy Powell going to Motown Studios in Detroit, 1970-71]

They both travelled to the States to do some Motown covers for the upcoming album with only covers but they never released it. They released Rough and Ready inestead but I'll leave the man explains that to you himself:

"My producer, Mickie Most, said, 'We have to make an album.' I talked Mickie into going to Motown, the Hitsville house. It was one of the last sessions there. I was so privileged. We were more like tourists, kids in a candy shop. I took Cozy [Cozy Powell] and I said, 'I gotta go to Motown, and you’re coming as well.' (Cozy: *gets scared and excited*) It wasn't a request. What the hell was I doing taking a rock drummer, with two huge Ludwig bass drums, into Motown? They hated us right away. They didn’t want to know. But we loved it there, and they sensed it after a few hours. The first day, when Cozy sat behind the Motown drum kit and started playing like the Meters, they all went, 'Oh!' (Motown people: Heeey... That's pretty good!) and came flooding back to the studio. It was James Jamerson on bass that day — no rhythm guitar — and Earl Van Dyke on keyboards. That was it, a stripped-down thing. They kept saying, 'Where are the dots?' [sheet music] I said, 'There ain’t no dots.'

When Cozy started playing, it was great. James was locking up with Cozy’s drum pattern. Then I looked around — Cozy was wheeling the drum kit out of the studio. They’re going berserk. He has moved the sacred Motown drum kit out of the studio and wheeled this stupid double kit of Ludwigs in. The studio tech came up to me and said, 'Didn’t you guys come in here for the Motown sound?' Yeah. 'Well, it just went out the door.' [Laughs] "

Jeff Beck, Rolling Stone.

I just love when Jeff refers to Cozy's drum kit as stupid, fancy or whatever in a derogatory way... just because it was sparkling red jsjdjfkgkgl.

We have here, Cozy's side of the events:

"You may as well start off with both feet on the most obscure thing I've ever done. I've got a copy of it, a tape.

It never got the test pressing stage. We went to Motown in Detroit with the idea of Jeff recording an album of all the Motown hits, basically as an instrumental album. He wanted to use a lot of the Motown session players. At that time I'd just joined him, 1969 I think, and his original idea was to find a drummer first. Found me, went down to the audition, got the job, next thing I know (Jeff: You're coming with me. Cozy: ...the fuck?) we're going to Motown to do this album. We did 'Reach out I'll Be There', 'Losing You', things like that. In the end we did about 7 or 8 tracks of which the backing tracks were done.

Jeff plays rhythm guitar, he hadn't actually put the lead on and for some reason he wasn't happy with what he heard or with Micky Most or whatever. It never ever saw the light of day."

Cozy Powell, interview with Joe Gessin

This is all important because this wouldn't be the first time that Jeff and Cozy travelled to the States together.

[JBGroup going to Electric Lady in New York, May 1972]

This is where the party begins and when the timelines confusion comes in.

So, Jeff Beck Group's second album is recorded in January of 1972 at TMI Studios in Memphis. Talking Book was RELEASED in October of 1972 so we don't know how exactly when it was recorded.

But anyway, the thing is that Jeff and his gang released the album in May but before that Stevie and Jeff were kicking the idea of some session works with Jeff for Talking Book so when they released the album in May, they had no obligations left so Jeff took his gang to Electric Lady in New York.

Jeff recorded some guitar tracks and the gang was just observing and occasionally adding ideas. They wanted Stevie to write a song for the next album (which it doesn't exist).

This is where the party begins part 2:

There is this story of Jeff playing the drums for a laugh, noodling around while Stevie was writing over it. It seems like Jeff did something that inspired Stevie but here's the guy again:

"One day I was sitting at the drum kit, which I love to play when nobody's around, doing this beat. Stevie came kinda boogieing into the studio: 'Don't stop.' 'Ah, c'mon, Stevie,' I can't play the drums.' Then the lick came out: 'Superstition.'"

Jeff Beck, Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers.

I really doubt that is Jeff's playing in the record. What I don't doubt is that maybe Stevie played the drums but since they had Cozy around and Stevie liked Cozy's beat and most importantly he was a drummer (I'm not saying that Stevie is not a drummer, I'm just saying that Cozy is a full drummer while Stevie plays a lot of things). This is where the previous Cozy post about this comes in. They where trying different things so I really believe that at some point of that day Cozy sat down on the drum kit and did a take.

And there's a proof that Cozy was there and worked with Stevie, actually there are two: The only two existents pictures of Stevie Jeff and Cozy were taken in 1972.

"Stevie Wonder is one of these man who walks around singing all day, tapping out rhythms... well, the man IS music. When I worked with him -which was very briefly- he'd come in with this idea in his head and he'd say 'Hey, hey, play this man!' and he'd start tapping something out"

Cozy Powell, Rhythm magazine 1987.

And theres another Cozy quote but is not complete because I found it on pinterest (so sorry) but it's understandable as well.

"He'd tapping out the table. You'd watch and start tapping along with him and he'd get excited and say 'Yeah, yeah, yeah... now try this on the hit-hat, man, try this.. ' After five minutes you'd have come up with something and then perhaps you'd do a little bit more or a little bit less of it, and if he really liked it he'd start dancing around and laughing and waving his arms about. Then he'd leap on to the keyboards and start playing. It was all very energetic, good stuff and really easy to do. You weren't aware it was work."

Cozy Powell, unknown article.

I feel that Stevie's energetic attitude and passion for music hit him deeply, I can see that by the way that the quotes are written. Cozy just loved Stevie.

So yeah, Cozy said that he did some takes for Superstition when Stevie finally wrote it down. In the case that I'm mistaken and it was Stevie who played the drums... it should have been over some Cozy's track because there's no way that Stevie could imitate his Crashing-Cymbal sound or either his drum rolls. Stevie can of course, but not will the same touch, because of the simple reason that one person is different from another.

But I still believe that it IS Cozy's take, i really do and the most important question here is: if Cozy was not who played the drums on Superstition... Why he would lie about it? He had no reason to do it so there must be some truth in his words.

And we need to remember that Superstition was originally planned for Jeff Beck Group so if it was for Jeff Beck Group, they would need Jeff's drummer which was Cozy. So I wouldn't be surprised if Stevie asked Cozy to do some takes.

And when Superstition was finally out, it was by Stevie Wonder using Cozy's take. The reason of why Stevie released it was because Motown said that it was such a great song for giving it away. Also Jeff was busy with Jeff Beck Group's break up for working on the song.

The reason of why Stevie was enlisted as the drummer is not clear, it seems like a Motown move.

So yeah, this is story, well half of it. The shit was so long with a lot of details that I didn't need for this.

I believe that it was Cozy's take, for a lot of reasons. Not because I like him (Well i do like him but the truth is the truth). Maybe it was Stevie with a Cozy guide, we don't know... and we never will.

(Unless we kidnap Jeff Beck and ask him)

[shebecameherself]

electrolysis a trans woman's dream...

okay, so I did something.. and it was a little painful, however not as much as I was expecting. that's right, I had electrolysis. Literally every trans woman's dream right? Sike. today was my first session into womanhood. Before doing research into this procedure, let me explain as to WHY trans-women really have to get this procedure. Electrolysis is done so when we do opt for bottom surgery, we don't risk growing hair inside of our vaginas. now you may ask yourself.. how is that possible? well when you have bottom surgery our shenis(that's what I like to call my parts for now..go with it) is flipped inside out. So when that happens, the folicles go with that as well. Unless your surgeon claims they will scrape your folilicles. Just a warning a girl told me she went to a very well known surgeon in thailand the SRS Surgeon's claimed they would remove the folilicles then unfortunately not enough was removed so she currently has hair inside of her vagina. It's really sad, depressing, and super fucked. moving on...

I had electrolysis with Precison Hair Removal, Precison is teamed with Dr. Zukowski. This is the only place that offered twilight sedation and lidiocaine injections for electrolysis. If you are going the route of electrolysis and can afford it then I recommend you going this way. The first session for me was a seven hour procedure. I walked into the two red doors, waited for the lovely electrolysis tech to come grab me, got naked, was prepped and waited for Dr. Z to give me my injections. I think Dr. Zukowski is a fairly decent man, I know everyone has opinions about him and his work, but the way he treated was chill. anyway he gave me my IV and lidiocaine injections. Anywho I won't lie, the injections hurt like a bitch..but after that, you literally feel nothing. When the lidiocaine wore off a little bit, I just let the technican know and she got Dr. Z to give me more shots. The technican goes into every little follicle, stabs it and pulls out the hair with tweezers in my genital area. Fairly simple. I will say the place definitely has more of a retro 90's vibe, which honestly didn't really bother me. It gives me some sort of nostalgia. Currently right now I'm super swollen and a little bruised(it was 7 hours so it's honestly to be expected) but it should go down soon. I'll be going back 3 more times this year to have a total clearing for my surgery.

FYI - after this procedure you will need ice packs, neosporin, and eucerin cream.

[astro-rain]

delicate; b.barnes

chapter one - “to wakanda”

delicate masterlist

word count: 1,564

summary: reader works for what used to be shield as a highly skilled neuropsychologist. after the events in vienna involving the sokovia accords and a bombing, she gets an interesting request from friend and coworker sharon carter...a request involving none other than steve rogers and james barnes.

[A/N:] not my photo

warnings: brief & indirect mentions of abuse

pairings: bucky barnes x fem!reader

"I don't know Sharon. Are you sure I'm really the right person for this? I'm not, like, an Avengers level tech. Are you sure they don't want a genius or someone like Stark to do it?"

"Well, Stark is pretty busy right now, and honestly, no one knows psych like you. Not who I've met anyway."

"That is so not true. I'm willing to bet there's tons of other people you guys got somewhere who are ten times what I am."

"Agent (Y/L/N), in case you missed it, SHIELD isn't what it used to be. Sure we have old agents who aren't formally 'SHIELD agents,' anymore, but we don't have the expendability we used to. You're our best bet at the moment."

"Damn. I'm your best bet. I'm sorry," she almost chuckled, but then she thought for a brief moment. "Are you sure this is completely necessary? I mean, I saw the photo on the news. The quality's poor at best, and..."

She leaned in, discretely, and whispered.

"...not to seem like a conspiracy theorist commie or anything, but it kinda seems like people are jumping to conclusions here. Are we even sure it was Barnes who set off the bomb?"

Sharon looked around them, cautiously. No one seemed to be listening, but she scanned the room like her life as she knew it was hanging in the balance. She weighed her words in her head, making sure she picked the right ones, then formulated a response appropriate.

"Regardless of if it was him or not, Barnes still escaped. and before that, Ste-we'd been looking for him for almost two years. This analysis is necessary," Sharon brought her voice down even lower. "At least that's what I keep being told. Of course I'd like there to be more solid proof, but I'm not in charge here. He's gone, and they want to be able to find him and 'sort things out.'"

"'Sort things out,'" (Y/N) repeated, questioning the genuineness of whomever told Sharon that. "Unless they have hard evidence that it was him who set off the bomb in Vienna, shouldn't they leave that to uh...Captain America?"

She wondered how Barnes was able to escape in the first place. She saw the containment module he was in; there's no way he could've gotten out without a fight. ...But maybe it wasn't a fight. Perhaps it was a trigger word induced rage. (Y/N) understood a basic layout of the "Winter Soldier." SHIELD would've kept any information they had classified. However, after the fiasco in Washington, d.c. with Hydra and the whole releasing of all files predicament, she was able, with Sharon's help, to put together a simple outline. With that being said, he couldn't have broken out without going Winter Soldier mode. But doesn't someone need the trigger words for that?

“That's what a reasonable person would think, but once again, I'm not in charge," Sharon shrugged. "Things would probably be going a lot smoother if I was, but you can't have everything."

(Y/N) cracked a smile. Sharon was a friend, and a good one too. They'd known each other since before SHIELD was shattered in 2014. In fact, Sharon helped train her.

The only thing was: Sharon was a higher ranking agent and often withheld certain information from (Y/N). It frustrated her. This was where their personal boundaries got in the way of their professional ones.

She could tell there was something Sharon wasn't telling her, but she wasn't about to compromise either of their positions by pushing for information she wasn't supposed to know. Hell, maybe even Sharon knows something she isn't supposed to. Or maybe she knows something that Everett Ross wouldn't like. What if she was keeping something from him? Defying him? What if she was working with Steve Rogers? Now that would be interesting.

(Y/N) was used to secrets around her all the time. She knew Sharon had her fair share, and trying to figure them out wouldn't really get her anywhere.

"Right. Okay. Well, I'll get on this then. Thanks, Agent Carter," she teased in late response to Sharon's 'Agent (Y/N).’

Sharon offered a quick smile before walking off to attend to other business.

- - -

Pain. That was all it was. In every sense of the word. As she strenously made her way through the densely packed file of one James Buchanan Barnes, pain was all she could see. All she could read. It leaked out of the page and seeped into her skin like poison.

It was horrific what they did to him. She knew he had his memory wiped, had someone pull him out and stick someone else in. But it was more than just that. They took his past, his memories, his thoughts; and they ripped them from his mind, leaving an empty space to mold into their own. It was after this when Hydra, in every way they could, dehumanized him, made him less than. He was striped of his freedom, his control, his choice, his humanity, of everything that made him him. They beat and bruised and broke it out this empty human shell until he was nothing but a shadow of faded morality and consciousness.

But hell, she couldn't look away. She was glued to the aftershock of this horrible wreckage. All the years of studying Psychology and Neuroscience couldn't have possibly prepared her for the absolute horror that was his past, his abuse, his torture. It was heinous. Frankly, she questioned how he was still alive. How he still had the will and the drive to be alive. How do you live after that?

"Fuck," she breathed after eons of silence.

She seemed to lose her sense of time whilst she was immersed in the harrowing nightmare of Hydra's cruelty. 'Cruelty' doesn't even come close to doing it justice. When she came to, her desk looked like a bomb went off. Papers were bursting out of manilla folders, littering the linoleum surface with classified files and secret information. She leaned back in her chair, and gave herself a minute to debrief.

(Y/N) almost felt guilty, like she things she looked at were so vile, so violating that she didn't have the right to see them. Sure, she had read and analyzed all sorts of trauma and psychological profiles. But he was different. Something about James Barnes was different. It tangled her mind the fact that a person could endure all that. She could only imagine the effect that would have on the human brain. The possibilities are endless. Suddenly bombing the UN didn't seem so far fetched.

- - -

"Jesus Christ," (Y/N) murmured, staring at her office floor as Sharon finished explaining to her what happened at the Leipzig Halle Airport.

She sat mostly in silence as she pondered over the information just fed to her. Apparently Tony Stark gathered a 'team' to try and intercept Captain America - sorry - Steve Rogers and his (supposed) fugitive friend. It was chaos.

"What is this? Fuckin' Avengers Fight Night?" she wondered aloud. "How many people did you say were there?"

"Twelve total," Sharon clarified. "Five with Stark and five with Steve."

The psychologist shook her head, dumbfounded. "How did it end?"

"Steve and Barnes got out, but everyone else with them were captured and sent to the Raft."

"The Raft?!" (Y/N) exclaimed. "That's for, like, super humans! Not people like Sam Wilson or Clint Barton!"

"You're telling me."

Sharon seemed in agreement with everything she was saying. However, there was something she couldn't quite place. Like she was holding back. But holding back what?

"So what of Rogers and Barnes?" (Y/N) pushed.

Sharon got up and closed the office door before returning to her seat, leaning in, and lowering her voice. This secretive woman, god damn it.

"Well... That's what I came to talk to you about."

Oh boy. She didn't have a semblance of a single idea of what to expect. Apparently Sharon noticed.

"We're the only ones that know this. They're fine..." the agent trailed off, "They're in Wakanda, but they need a little help."

"Are you leaving?!" (Y/N) all but yelled before quickly slapping a hand over her mouth and uncovering it only to whisper, "Do you and Rogers have a thing or something? Cause' I don't know how else you would know all of this when I'm sure that no one else does considering he's now an enemy of several governments!"

"My relations with Steve Rogers are not the focus here." She could've sworn Sharon flushed. "But we have been in contact; I'm one of the few people he can trust right now, and I don't plan on letting him down anytime soon."

They totally have a thing.

"Noted," said (Y/N) with a nod, "but why are you telling me this? Does he want the profile analysis or something? I don't see how he would need it if he's known Barnes for however long."

"Not exactly..." Sharon fidgeted with her hands. "We need you to go to Wakanda.”