#fluent drill

[suppenzeit]

me trying to learn a language is just me going "never back down never WHAT" "never give up.." to myself every day

[anghimalaaynasapuso]

TRAINER KÖNIG

sfw + nsfw. sucking könig's humongous titties. big cock. shower sex. semi-public. non-fluent könig.

it was a practical decision, you told yourself, scrolling past flashy advertisements for gyms promising overnight transformations, past testosterone-fueled testimonials about “beast mode” and “grindset.”

you'd sworn to yourself that as soon as you had the financial breathing room, as soon as you didn’t have to mentally calculate whether a dinner out would set you back for the week, you’d do it. invest in yourself. not in aesthetics, not in performance metrics, but in survival.

something that made you feel safer so that walking home late at night wouldn’t always feel like a loaded gun pressed to the base of your spine. you wouldn’t keep your keys between your fingers like they were some flimsy excuse for a weapon.

you found a coach who was within budget, someone named könig. a straightforward profile without a profile picture and just a handful of mid-range reviews.

it was genuine in its mediocrity, not glowing in the way bot-generated reviews tended to be, but not riddled with horror stories of scams or half-baked lessons either. people mentioned that he knew what he was doing, that he was patient, that his methods were effective.

but there were a few comments about his communication too. his english, more specifically.

at first, you were more nervous about looking weak than anything else.

logically, you knew that was the point. that was why you were paying for this— to get stronger, to learn. but the thought of stepping into a room filled with people who could probably bench your body weight while you struggled with a 25 kg deadlift made something inside you shrivel. made you feel like you’d be under a microscope, mistakes magnified. the thought of someone watching you fumble through drills, assessing your form— the potential for ridicule made your stomach knot up.

so, you signed up for solo lessons.

before you even met him, könig messaged you. a late-night notification breaking through the dim glow of your phone screen.

“is it ok that my english is not so good?”

you blinked at the screen. read it again. there was something unexpectedly… earnest about it. a self-consciousness that you rhymed with your own.

your thumbs hovered over the keyboard before you replied. “of course! i don’t mind at all.” then, after a second, “i’ll probably learn some phrases from you, haha.”

a long pause. three dots appeared, disappeared, reappeared. finally— “this is nice. i will try my best.”

something about that, about the fact that he had asked at all, the careful way he phrased it, stuck with you. you didn't know why, but it did.

the first time you met könig, you nearly turned around and walked straight back out the door, convinced your coach still hadn’t arrived.

at first, you genuinely thought you had the wrong room. or maybe there’d been some kind of mix-up, like another instructor using the space before your lesson.

you had walked into the gym expecting— what? some average-looking guy in a compression shirt? maybe a little bulky, maybe with that particular kind of gym-rat energy, all tight smiles and way-too-enthusiastic handshakes.

instead you got könig.

a massive, six-foot something, tank built like something that was meant to withstand damage and then deliver it back tenfold.

his hoodie, loose on his frame and looking a bit worse for wear from too many washes, still did nothing to hide the sheer scale of him. the water bottle he was holding was dwarfed by his hand and his arms, even relaxed at his sides, looked like they could crush a man’s ribs without much effort.

out of place. that was what he looked like. less self-defense coach and more guard stationed at the gates of hell.

you hesitated in the doorway, gripping the strap of your gym bag, suddenly hyperaware of every muscle in your body tensing up.

and then he spoke.

"… my client?” his voice was surprisingly soft. deep, yes, but smoothed down with the lilt of his accent.

you had to crane your neck to meet his eyes. jesus christ.

“uh, yeah, i think so,” you shifted on your feet, clearing your throat. “i booked the solo slots.”

he nodded. “good.” a pause. then, “you are… beginner?”

you exhaled sharply, not quite a laugh. “you could say that.”

his eyes smiled, something in the creases looking like amusement, before he jerked his head toward the back of the gym. “we start slow then.”

the whole thing went… surprisingly well.

könig was an amazing instructor for self-defense, not afraid to teach you moves that were downright dirty. not just the textbook counters or polished techniques that looked good in demonstrations but the kind of violence that left real damage. moves that could end a fight before it even started. his lessons were brutal in their practicality, built for survival, not sport.

his shrug always came before the skepticism could leave your mouth, as if he already knew the doubts forming behind your eyes. anticipation sat in his expression, waiting for you to question the practicality of a move that involved hitting someone's throat or breaking a wrist. waiting for that flicker of hesitation so he could counter it.

“has no rules, defense,” he simply told you, adjusting his gloves with a nonchalance that felt at odds with the destruction he'd just inflicted on the poor training dummy. his foot still pressed into its broken torso, the material caved inward like a crushed can. “s’long as you're safe, is good tactic.”

it was truth that didn’t need embellishment to him. könig wasn’t just saying it to justify his methods— it was a simple fact.

he made it seem less brutal, more justified. not just an excuse for violence but a reassurance, a lesson in survival.

it had you thinking if maybe you had been seeing things too rigidly, measuring combat in terms of right and wrong instead of what kept you breathing. könig didn’t. his world wasn’t one of fairness, it was of outcomes.

you exhaled, glancing at the poor, ruined dummy before looking back at him. “i think you broke it.”

könig tilted his head, unbothered. “hm. ja.” then, after a pause, he grinned, nudging the dummy’s crumpled remains with his boot like it might suddenly spring back to life. “but was good form, yes?”

the laugh that bubbled up caught you off guard, an unexpected burst of warmth. the corners of his grin lifted just a little higher at that.

texting started out as a necessity. scheduling changes, clarifying techniques, occasional reminders about bringing extra wraps. that was the whole point, really— a way to communicate outside of training.

somehow, though, könig turned out to be a menace over text. sarcasm practically dripped from his messages, sharpened now that he had the time to translate things properly. he was witty, sometimes outright ridiculous, and the sheer absurdity of his jokes caught you off guard more times than you could count.

könig: i think i have unlocked a new level of muscle soreness. my body is rejecting me. i am a broken man.

you: rip. gone and forgotten.

könig: good. don't tell my story. it's kind of pathetic.

“könig,” you typed one evening. “where the hell did you learn english?”

“the internet.”

immediate suspicion flooded your mind. “what part of the internet?”

“…the bad part.”

“be more specific.”

“ah…” there was a long pause, like he was regretting his choices. finally, “weird forums.”

apprehension curled at the base of your spine. “what kind of weird forums, könig?”

“…conspiracy theories.”

sheer, undiluted disbelief clung to you as you stared at your screen.

“WAIT” he backpedaled immediately, as if he could feel your judgment through the phone. “i was a child!!”

“A CHILD IN CONSPIRACY FORUMS?”

“it was not like that!!”

his frantic response only made you laugh harder. “then explain.”

“i was just reading, yes? stories. people told very cool stories. aliens, secret government projects, ghosts”

“oh my god, you were a cryptid kid.”

“nein!!”

amusement bloomed in your chest. “so what i’m hearing is you were, like, deep in the trenches. lizard people? JFK clone theories? the moon isn’t real?”

“…yes.”

“jesus christ.”

“it was fun!! and good english practice!”

“you learned english from paranoid men on the internet.”

“they were very passionate.”

laughter ripped through your chest so violently you nearly dropped your phone. könig sent a series of increasingly exasperated texts, all variations of “stop laughing”, which only made it worse.

every time you thought about it after that, a fresh wave of giggles overtook you. the next training session, you couldn’t even meet his eyes without picturing tiny könig hunched over an old computer, nodding solemnly as someone named TruthSeeker88 explained how the queen of england was actually a reptilian overlord.

he hated you for it. “you are evil,” he muttered when you brought it up again, shoving your shoulder lightly. “this is slander.”

“is it slander if it’s true?”

“YES.”

somewhere along the way, little snapshots of your lives started slipping into the conversation. könig sent blurry photos of his boots kicked up on a table, a war documentary playing in the background. “history lesson,” he’d caption, like he wasn’t watching something unreasonably brutal for fun. you sent the sky from your morning walk, pink bleeding into gold, and he always responded with a simple “pretty.”

you weren’t sure if he meant the sky or something else, but you let yourself wonder.

and then, selfies.

his were always shy, half-obscured, like he couldn’t quite bring himself to let you see too much despite the fact that you saw each other every week. the lower half of his face, mostly— jawline tucked into the shadows, the soft curve of a grin barely visible.

sometimes it was just his hands: wrapped around a steaming mug, fingers long and scarred, or flexed absentmindedly over his knee, veins shifting beneath pale skin. you never commented on them outright, just sent something casual— “cozy” or “nice gloves, old man”— but you always saved them, tucked away in your camera roll like little guilty pleasures.

yours were much less subtle in comparison.

exhausted post-workout, slumped against your couch with a dead-eyed stare. wrapped up in a hoodie, coffee in hand. the first time you sent one, you didn’t expect much. maybe a quick “good job” or some kind of fitness advice. instead, he sent “cute.”

you stared at the message for a full minute, blinking. your stomach did something stupid.

after that, he started commenting more. when you looked particularly grumpy, he’d send a teasing “you need nap, bird?” or “angry face. very scary.” and when you groaned about soreness, he was smug about it, “should have stretched. tsk tsk.”

it was cute. unbearably cute.

but all good things must come to an end.

one month. that’s how long this was supposed to last. four weeks of training, a neat little package of lessons that would leave you more capable of handling yourself in a fight. somewhere along the way, that timeline stretched, bending under the weight of something neither of you dared acknowledge.

könig should have cut you off weeks ago.

“you are expert already,” he tells you one evening, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. his tone is light, teasing, but there’s a hint of real curiosity beneath it. “i do not think class is needed. why do you keep taking?”

hesitation flickers in your chest. because of you, you want to admit, but the words sit heavy on your tongue, too risky, too exposing. instead, you roll your shoulders back and offer something easier, something safer.

“i need to beat you first.”

amusement dances across his features. könig huffs out a quiet chuckle, tilting his head as if considering the possibility.

“it will not happen in a million years, i think.”

arrogance suits him. confidence carved into his bones, stitched into the way he moves, the way he fights. you don’t argue because he’s right— he’s bigger, stronger, more experienced. if he wanted to, he could probably break you in half without much effort.

but miracles happen.

it’s a fluke. both of you know it. a momentary lapse, a split second where his guard lowers just enough for you to slip past his defenses. könig lets you try—indulges you, really, humoring your attempts at taking him down like he’s teaching a child to wrestle. that cockiness, that easy amusement, is what costs him.

somehow, impossibly, you get him in a triangle choke.

his body tenses the moment your thighs clamp around his neck, locking him in place. shock flickers in his eyes before it shifts into something unreadable, something quiet and assessing. his breath comes out steady despite the position he’s in, controlled in a way that makes your pulse stutter.

for a moment, you think you have him.

then, with an ease that’s almost insulting, he pries your legs apart, spreading them like it’s nothing.

a gasp hitches in your throat.

his movements don’t stop there— before you can even process what’s happening, he shifts, pressing himself close, kneeling between your thighs, completely caging you beneath him. his grin is wide, pleased, entirely too unbothered for someone who had just been seconds away from losing.

“very good, bird,” he praises. “very good takedown. i like.”

air sticks in your throat. something is wrong.

“k-könig-”

he blinks at you, tilting his head slightly. “ja?”

your bugged-out stare flicks downward, and his follows instinctively.

oh.

his entire body tenses. his pupils shrink.

understanding dawnes, slow and terrible, as he finally feels the press of something very, very apparent against you.

“that was not supposed to happen.”

no shit.

könig’s weight shifts over you, muscles tight as he tries to move away but instead— maybe by accident, maybe not— his cock drags against your core, thick even through the fabric separating you. the pressure is just enough to make your breath hitch, a spark of something warm licking up your spine before a sound slips from your throat.

he freezes, head jerking up like a startled animal, eyes darting around the empty training room, scanning for any sign that someone might’ve heard, his breath uneven as he listens, as you listen, as the silence between you stretches impossibly thin.

nothing. no one.

he exhales. something in his face twitches, like he’s still trying to convince himself this is real, that you really just made that sound because of him.

his gaze drops, landing back on you, mouth parting, jaw flexing. then his body moves again, slower this time, cock grinding against you, rubbing you through your clothes, dragging heavy between your thighs, and you swear you see his eyelids flutter just slightly at the friction.

his forehead presses against yours, breath coming faster. “tell me to stop.”

the words hit your skin as more air than voice, warm against your jaw, but you don’t even need to think about it, because stopping is the last thing you want right now, the very last thing your body would allow.

“d-don’t stop.”

he curses, words slipping before he can stop them, and you don’t know what they mean, only that they sound wrecked, like they’ve been dragged up from somewhere deep in his chest.

könig’s forehead presses harder into yours. his hands tighten at your waist. his breath comes out uneven, stumbling over itself, and his voice fumbles through the next words. “i don’t have lube.”

“we don’t nee-”

“we do.” his face twists a little, mouth pressing tight, like the idea of taking you without it is actually painful.

you swallow, shifting slightly under him, feeling just how big he is. slick gathers between your thighs, and before you can stop yourself, the question slips out, barely above a whisper.

“are you big?”

his lips twitch, like he’s fighting back a grin, like he can’t believe you just asked that, and then it spreads into something quintessentially könig, — slow, lazy, and warm.

he presses in harder, dragging over your soaked cunt through the fabric of your underwear. the friction pulls a gasp from your lips, hips rolling up instinctively.

his grin stretches wider, eyes flicking down to watch you grind against him. "i am not small."

heat floods you, pussy fluttering around nothing, aching. your hips move again, searching for more, slick soaking through your underwear. your head tips back, breath catching. the sound that escapes you is closer to a whimper than you’d like to admit.

his lips find your jaw, tongue flicking out, tasting sweat and skin. his voice follows his mouth, words warm against your neck. "pretty little pussy..." he murmurs, dragging the syllables out like he’s savoring them. "bet it’d feel better wrapped around me."

the sound that leaves your throat is humiliating, high-pitched and needy. you don’t mean to make it, but it’s too late.

könig grabs your wrist. pulls you up. your balance falters, and before you can recover, he hauls you toward the showers. boots thud against tile. the door slams, lock clicking into place.

his mouth finds yours before you can speak. lips crash into yours, messy and eager. tongues tangle, breaths mix, heat pouring between you as your fingers twist in his hair. a laugh bubbles up between kisses—yours or his, you can’t tell—and he groans into your mouth, grinning against your lips.

“fuck,” he breathes, pulling back just enough to look at you. cheeks flush, eyes dark with something feral. “wanted this so long…”

clothes hit the floor in frantic shoves. hands fumble, pulling fabric away until skin meets skin, warmth pressing in on all sides.

his cock, thick, flushed, and dripping with precum, hangs between the two of you, weighed down by its own girth.

he sees your stare and grins. "big, huh?”

words fail you and for a moment you can't do anything but nod dumbly.

könig reaches past you, flicks on the shower. water crashes down, steam rising fast. the air thickens with heat and he wastes no time to pull you under the spray, water slicing over skin.

scarred hands find your face, thumbs brushing your jaw as his mouth returns to yours.

your hand slides down between you and wraps around his cock. konig's hips jerk forward, breath shuddering out against your lips.

“could kill you with this, eh?” his grin tugs lazy at the corners of his mouth. his chest lifts and falls, breaths dragging in deep, water cascading over both of you, hot against skin already burning.

your hand tightens, fingers sliding along the thick length of him, precum slicking your palm. warmth pulses beneath your touch, veins pronounced under your grip. he twitches when you give a slow twist near the tip, hips jolting forward. a groan rips from his throat, echoing off the tiled walls.

“scheiße,” he hisses, jaw working as he fights the urge to thrust. one hand flies to his hair, tugging as if the sting will help. water streaks down his face, lips parted, breaths breaking up his words.

“not helping,” you breathe, voice shaking. you press your mouth to his jaw, pressing a kiss there before your tongue darts out to taste the salt of his skin. his breath catches, eyes squeezing shut.

“oh, fuck-” his hips rock forward again, cock dragging through your fist, smearing more warmth along your stomach. precum drips from the flushed head, glistening in the steam-filled air.

a grin tugs at his lips, strained but there. “you tryna kill me?” the words slide out. "scheiß kleines ding…”

you laugh, kissing down his jaw. “not my fault you’re easy.” your thumb slides over the tip.

his head knocks back against the wall, neck stretching, throat working through a swallowed groan. “you- fuck- you think is easy?” a hand finds your chin, pulling your gaze up. “look at me.”

könig’s eyes catch yours. blown out. a ring of blue against black. then suddenly his lips curl, and his voice slips through his teeth.

“i have touched myself to you.”

you blink. “what?”

his grin widens. “before.” his hips push forward, cock dragging against your belly. “many times.”

your face burns.

“oh my god.”

his head dips, lips brushing yours, his breath hot and amused. “you do too, hm?”

your heart stops. heat shoots through you, cunt clenching. “yeah,” your breath shudders. “me too…”

his eyes widen, like he didn't expect you to admit to it, then narrows, grin pulling crooked. “yeah?” his cock twitches in your hand again. “fuckin’ knew it…” laughter spills out, breathless and warm.

könig’s head dips to press a sloppy kiss to your lips. tongue sliding against yours, messy and eager. laughter rumbles out, hips rolling, giggles slipping between mouths.

“fuckin’ knew it,” he repeats, words slurring together. “think about me late at night? fingers stuffed in that pretty cunt…”

you gasp, half scandalized, half aroused, hips shifting as slick pools between your thighs. “könig-”

“yeah?” another thrust. precum smears across your belly. “tell me.”

“i- fuck- yeah,” you breathe. “think about you all the time.”

he groans like the words alone could undo him. könig’s hands drop to grip your thighs, fingers digging firm into the flesh as he lifts you like you weigh nothing. your back meets the cold tile with a dull thud, heat from the shower clashing with the chill seeping through the wall.

your legs wrap around his waist, pulling him close. his cock drags through your folds, thick length sliding slick against your cunt, nudging your entrance but never pushing in.

könig watches your face, chest lifting with every shaky breath. “how much do you take?”

you blink, heat simmering through your skin. “what?”

his cock slides against you again, harder this time, grinding against your clit, making you twitch. “normally. how much?”

a shrug rolls through your shoulders, confidence bubbling up, reckless. “all of it,” you answer without thinking, back arching, rubbing against him, arms looping around his neck. “i can take everything.”

he stills, expression shifting— his lips part, brows lifting just slightly. then he laughs, a low, amused sound, mouth curling into a grin. “nein, you can not.”

challenge flares in your chest. “i can.”

another laugh, softer now, hands adjusting on your thighs. “you are-” he shakes his head, grinning wider, lips brushing your cheek as he exhales, “-so very stupid.”

heat pools in your stomach, thighs clenching around him. “i’ll prove it.”

hands grip your thighs, fingers pressing deep into flesh as könig shifts his weight, cock grinding slow against your entrance, precum smearing where you’re slick and warm. a breath shudders out of him, jaw tight, brows pinching like he’s trying to hold something back. “you say this,” he mutters, “and then you cry.”

“i won’t,” you shoot back.

“hm.” his gaze flicks down to where his cock pushes against you, dragging through your folds. “we’ll see.”

könig’s fingers flex. his grip tightens and your breath hitches. “ready?”

“please,” you gasp, nails biting into his shoulders.

he grits his teeth, cock sliding as deep as your walls will allow, head bumping against your cervix. every sob that escapes your lips makes his hips stutter, breath catching like he’s holding on by a thread.

"oh shit," he mutters. "look at you... crying so much."

"feels too good." your hands are weak on his shoulders.

könig grins, breathless, hands squeezing your hips. "ja? but you begged for this, no? say ‘please, könig, fuck me’-" he mocks your voice, low and whiny, then thrusts, ripping a squeak out of you. "and now you cry like a little baby like i said."

you shake your head against his chest, tears spilling hot down your cheeks. you love it—you love his cock so much it hurts—but you just can’t stop the sounds. every thrust drags a new sob from you, body trembling in his grip.

"shh." he squints down at you. "you are too loud-" his hand slides to the back of your head, pressing you close. "fuck... here. suck."

your lips brush his chest, and his nipple is right there, stiff against warm skin. you hesitate, dizzy from pleasure, but then your mouth opens and you latch on, tongue flicking over the peak before you suck soft and slow.

könig’s hips jerk.

"oh, shit- good girl," he breathes, head falling back. his fingers tangle in your hair. "yeah, just like that. little baby needs something to suck on, huh?"

your cheeks burn, whining against his chest, mouth working over his nipple as his cock drags in deep and slow. he groans, low and desperate, fucking you through your cries.

"such a messy baby," he grins, looking far too fucked-out to be as smug as he is. "can’t stop crying, can you? too good, yes? too much?"

you nod, sobbing around him, and könig just laughs, like he can’t believe how fucked you both are.

"keep sucking," he growls. "will fuck you ‘til you’re dumb.”

[homunculus-argument]

Hi! I'm trying to learn Finnish and I have a grammar question (probably several questions). Finding access to an in-depth language-learning program or class has been extremely difficult and I have weird gaps in my knowledge that I've tried to overcome with grammar workbooks and immersing in Finnish media. Given that Finnish media/native speakers often don't use kirjakieli, and the programs & grammar books I've used have taught exclusively kirjakieli... I keep finding that what I'm learning still isn't *super* helpful in understanding. Like. I'm over here having "Minä olen..." drilled into my brain, while I've never watched a video, listened to a song, etc where anything but "Mä oon..." has been used. I was BAFFLED when I finally learned they meant the same.

Anyway!

In your recent post about Riihimäki, you started it with, "Mulla ei oo"

I am *pretty* sure that in kirjakieli that would be "Minulla ei ole".

So. This is probably a silly question. But. Does "Minulla on" similarly become "Mulla oon" or "Mulla on"?

Also... Any tips for recognizing shortened/informal forms of formal phrases?

Anyway. I've taken enough of your time.

Kiitos!

One of my friends teaches finnish to immigrants for a living, and she can attest that her students are frequently frustrated by the way that spoken finnish and written finnish are completely different dialects, if not downright two different languages. Also fun fact, one of the most distinct ways that different finnish dialects can be identified is what word they have for "minä/sinä". The "mä" you have heard is mainly southern finnish dialects, in some regions people say "mää", "mie" etc, there's surely ones I haven't even heard of.

You're correct that in your assessment, "mulla ei oo" does indeed mean "minulla ei ole", and "minulla on" is indeed "mulla on". I have no idea how to help with recognising shortened informal forms, but one thing that I only consciously observed after someone asked me "soitatko jotain soitinta?" ("do you play an instrument?"), and it caught me off-guard because it never occurred to me that the grammatically correct written way to shorten "do I/do you/etc" questions is completely different from the spoken finnish.

For example, a question of "are you - ?" is written in kirkakieli as "oletko sinä - ?", but since the -ko suffix already clarifies who is being addressed, the word "sinä" is almost redundant. So to ask "oletko sinä tulossa?" (Are you coming?), a character in a book or a play would say "oletko tulossa?" but in spoken finnish, the "you" word used in that dialect is just glued to the end of the verb. So someone who says "sä" says it as "oletsä tulossa?" - which itself shortens to "ooksä" - and someone who uses "sie" asks "oletsie tulossa?" - shortening to "ootsie/ooksie tulossa?"

Speaking finnish is like learning to draw - trying to aim for perfect photorealism isn't necessary to be understood, you can pretty much draw stick figures and it's good enough if people will understand what you're trying to depict. If you've heard someone say that a non-native speaker can never really learn to speak truly flawless finnish, don't be discouraged by that. Finnish is more like japanese than french when it comes to foreign learners - people are impressed that you make an effort at all.

I've met people who have lived in Finland for decades, whose adult children are fluent bilinguals, and you can tell that someone's lived here for 30 years by the way they make more advanced and nuanced mild grammar mistakes.

In conclusion, good luck.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Free or Cheap Spanish Learning Resources So You Can Run at Windmills in Fluent Spanish

I will update this list as I learn of any more useful ones. If you want general language learning resources check out this other post. This list is Spanish specific. Find lists for other specific languages here.

For the purposes of this list "free" means something that is either totally free or has a useful free tier. "Cheap" is a subscription under $10USD a month, a software license or lifetime membership purchase under $100USD, or a book under $30USD. If you want to suggest a resource for this list please suggest ones in that price range that are of decent quality and not AI generated.

WEBSITES

Dreaming Spanish - A website that is also a YouTube Channel. This is a comprehensible input site with videos about a variety of subjects with multiple hosts from multiple countries. It has content for learners from absolute beginner to lower advanced. It lets you sort videos by dialect, subject, length, etc. The free version has a lot of content. The paid version is $9 a month and has many more videos and allows you to track your listening hours. The website is in English but all videos are entirely in Spanish.

Lawless Spanish - A free website with resources to learn Spanish relating to grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. The website also has worksheets, charts, an AI chatbot, and reviews of different learning resources. The website is in English.

Spanish Boom - A free website with beginner lessons and free readings with audio and visual aids. They're also associated with a service called Esidioma that provides paid courses with tutor help for around $23 and also sells books. Prices are in Euros but they also sell to people outside of Europe. The website is available in multiple languages.

studyspanish.com - A website with free verb drills and grammar lessons. It's commonly used by high school Spanish students. They also have a blog that hasn't updated in a while but there is an archive to read through. They have a paid tier with access to their podcasts, vocab lessons, and their Spanish learning app which is $10 a month or $120 for a lifetime membership. The website is in English.

Speaking Latino - A website marketed at Spanish teachers but it's in English and has guides to colloquial Spanish and slang in a lot of different countries and a free blog with tips on sounding like a local in different countries. It has a paid tier but that's mostly useful for Spanish teachers. They also sell slang dictionaries for various countries that are usually less than $10.

UT Austin Spanish Proficiency Exercises - A bunch of free grammar, vocab, and pronunciation guides for various tasks you should be able to do in Spanish at various levels from one of my alma maters, the University of Texas at Austin. It's got videos of people from different countries pronouncing things. The podcast links often don't work for some reason but the grammar, vocab, and video links should work fine. The website is in English.

SpanishDict - A free dictionary website and app with a search feature that also has curated vocabulary lists on various topics and articles. They have a paid tier at $13 a month with a writing coach and subscriber only curated lists and articles. Personally I don't think their paid tier is all that special but it's up to you. The website is in English.

BBC Bitesize Spanish - Bitesize is a free study resource for kids and is sorted by level. It has articles aimed at little kids as well as secondary school aged teens studying for their exams or planning to study abroad. The website is in English and available worldwide, not just in the UK.

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Hola Spanish - A channel by a woman named Brenda from Argentina who makes videos about grammar, pronunciation, culture, media, and general Spanish tips for upper beginner to advanced learners. The channel is almost entirely in Spanish with occasional vocabulary words translated into English onscreen. There are subtitles in Spanish onscreen but sometimes they randomly disappear.

Butterfly Spanish - A channel with free lessons from beginner to lower intermediate. The host also makes videos about useful phrases and listening practice videos. The channel is mostly in English.

Spanish After Hours - A comprehensible input channel for beginner to intermediate learners with vlogs, history, Spanish tips, and news. The descriptions and video titles are in English but the videos are all in Spanish. The channel host is from Spain.

Easy Spanish - A channel part of the easy languages network that makes a combination of videos with useful phrases and terms for beginners and interviews on the street with locals. They have teams in both Barcelona and Mexico City and there are dual language subtitles in Spanish and English onscreen. The hosts also have a podcast for intermediate to advanced learners.

My Daily Spanish - A catchall channel that has lessons, discussions of grammar, culture topics, vlogs, vocabulary, and other various things. The host is from Spain and also makes a lot of YouTube shorts. She mostly speaks in Spanish but occasionally uses English or has English translations onscreen.

Spansh Boost with Martin and Spanish Boost with Mila - These channels are run by a couple from Argentina who also work as tutors on italki. They often appear on each other's channels and both have their own podcasts and vlogs and general content videos that they make discussing their lives, giving tips, and discussing culture. Mila also makes a lot of videos playing the sims.

Spanish Boost Gaming - Run by Martin from Spanish Boost, this is a lets play channel in clear and easy to understand Spanish. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish and a few other languages as well and it's an actual let's play channel. He plays a variety of video games, makes jokes, and says cuss words and everything.

Mextalki - A channel run by a couple of guys from Mexico city that has listening practice, podcasts, street interviews, and Mexican Spanish specific lessons. Some videos have dual language subtitles onscreen while others do not. The channel is majority in Spanish but in a few lesson videos or portions of videos they will speak in English a bit.

Espanol Con Juan - A channel that teaches Spanish in Spanish from upper beginner to upper intermediate. Juan has grammar lessons, vocabulary lessons, and videos about culture. He is from Spain and the channel is entirely in Spanish. He also has a podcast for more advanced learners.

READING PRACTICE

Vikidia - A wikipedia type website specifically made for kids. The articles are short and written in more simple easy to understand Spanish. The website is in Spanish and made for native speaker kids.

Spanish graded readers by Olly Richards - Spanish has short stories and dialogues for beginner and intermediate, books in easy Spanish on world war 1, world war 2, western philosophy, and climate change. There's also dialogue books specific to Mexican Spanish and Spanish used on social media. The books usually go from $5-$20 new depending on how old they are and whether or not you bought a digital copy. These are really easy to find at used bookstores for cheap though, especially in the US.

Conatilteg Digital - This is a mobile app that provides digital versions of the free textbooks for children provided by the Mexican Ministry of Education both historic and current. The link I provided is for iOS but the app is also available on android and the app is available in multiple countries and not just Mexico. The app is entirely in Spanish and categorized by grade from preschool to secondary school so it's a resource appropriate for all levels and may be enjoyable for any kids you know that are learning Spanish. You can also view their browser website here. (also entirely in Spanish)

Hola Que Pasa - A free website with news articles for learners from beginner to intermediate difficulty. They also provide audio and have the news articles available in podcast form. Every article has certain phrases highlighted that you can hover over and get and English translation of. The website is in a mix of English and Spanish.

Spanish in Levels - A world news website in Spanish for learners. The articles are separated into three different levels and the website is in a mix of English and Spanish. Each article also has audio.

PODCASTS

Spanish for False Beginners - An unscripted podcast about various topics hosted by a guy from the UK and a guy from Spain. The podcast is aimed at people who find beginner content to be boring but still find intermediate content to be too difficult. English is very rarely used.

Uforia/Univision - Uforia is a free app aimed at native speakers in the US and has Spanish language radio, music, and podcasts. Univision in general is also useful if you like American and international news and programming in Spanish.

Radio National de Espana - Another site for native speakers, this is Spanish National Radio. They have a variety of free podcasts and radio programs.

Spanish Obsessed - This is a series of lessons in podcast form for learners from absolute beginner to advanced.

Storylearning Spanish Podcast - This podcast tells different short stories in Spanish and is aimed at upper beginner to lower intermediate learners.

Radio Ambulante - A Spanish language podcast from NPR that's similar to something like This American Life that tells stories from around Latin America. Although it's aimed at native speakers, the language used is clear and understandable and transcripts are available. They're also aware that a lot of intermediate and advanced learners use them for listening practice and they have developed a free app that helps with comprehension and vocabulary when listening to their podcast.

SELF STUDY TEXTBOOKS

Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish - A self study textbook written in the late 80s that still mostly holds up for beginner to upper beginner Spanish. A paperback edition of the textbook is about $25 and used copies and ebooks are also usually available wherever you like to buy books. It's also half off on Amazon pretty often.

Complete Spanish step-by-step by Mcgraw Hill - This is a complete version of the McGraw Hill budget option, the spanish step by step series that focuses on the most frequently used words and grammar. It's $25 new but the individual books in the series usually cost less than $10 and used versions and ebooks are available.

Complete Spanish Grammar from Mcgraw Hill - This is a workbook as well as a textbook that usually costs around $20. The complete Spanish all in one version of the book costs about $40. Used versions of these books can be difficult to find because people tend to write all over them but ebook versions are available. You can also find their beginner workbook for around $18.

Practical Spanish Grammar - This book is usually around $25 but because it's not a workbook it's fairly easy to find used copies. An advanced grammar textbook is also available.

SERIES FOR LEARNERS AND KIDS SHOWS

Destinos - This is a series of over 50 episodes of a telenovela made for Spanish learners. The plot revolves around a group of siblings searching around the world for their long lost half sibling they just learned that they had so the series includes a lot of different Spanish dialects.

Extra Spanish - A 13 episode sitcom made to show in Spanish classrooms that revolves around a group of friends in Spain and a student that just moved there.

Dora la Expladora - Yeah if you remember Dora the Explorer from your preschool days it also unsurprisingly exists in Spanish. You can watch clips and some full episodes on YouTube and buy full seasons for around $8 each on Amazon.

PBS Kids in Spanish - A few PBS Kids shows like Cyberchase and Daniel Tiger have been dubbed into Spanish. The link I've given goes to a place to buy them on Amazon Prime but if you go digging on their YouTube channel or the PBS Kids website you also might be able to find them for free. They don't always make it easy to find though.

Plaza Sésamo - The Spanish language localization of Sesame Street for Mexican audiences with its own unique characters. The YouTube channel has a huge amount of content on it and often has episodes streaming live.

[alanisstonedd]

an: self indulgent. and imma add onto ts later bcs this rlly got me tf going

cw: MDNI, p in v, pussy eating, toxic behavior

dangerous dick makes for something so toxic. the circles you & ony go in have you dizzy. the fucking, the fighting, the making up... you can't even tell which one comes first at this point. you honestly wish you could let go of the way he stares you down when he needs you, but you don't think its possible.

you could punch him in the fucking face for playing with you like he does. but sadly, even as you lay in your luscious bed, pampered and trying to relax - the thought of him fucking you into the sheets the night before snakes its way into your mind. you'll never be cured. his demon dick must've cursed your ass forever, you think. and the way his tongue moves?? he has to be one.

the heat of that mouth alone sends you into cardiac arrest. he sucks like he means it - with his whole mouth. eyes closed like he knows he sucking your soul clean out. its like hes perfectly fluent in your body, knowing exactly when to lick, versus when to slurp, like the cream dripping out of you is his sustenance. his huge hands forcing you to pay attention to every second of his personal deciphering of your pleasure. that dick reaching a place you honestly thought was a myth, rearranging your marbles girl - you're dumb for it.

which is why its such a shame you've been on "seen" for the past two weeks after cussing AND kicking him out, the green bubble next to his profile pic indicating that hes not ignoring everyone - just you. you called ONE time, ego already too bruised to make yourself look like anymore of a fool for this nigga.

you're notttt really innocent either tho. having cussed him out for his words related to your having your friend "test" him... again. and his words related to the secret "revenge trip" to cabo he learned about via your ig story... and we all know how ony feels about shaking ass on ig. he went ghost just to try and knock you down a few pegs, and to try and get a break from your bullshit.

but even as hes leaving some silly hookup, feeling a pang of regret and mostly exhaustion while driving home in the g-wagon - he can't seem to shake all the late nights ya'll spent in that backseat. the one he can see directly in the mirror. cherry red seats complementing the blackout truck so seductively. just like they compliment your rich brown skin, especially when its glittering in the moonlight with sweat from how hes working you out. the way your cream drips down onto that seat whenever hes deep in you, drilling you with everything he has - because thats what you deserve. the smell of your miss dior making his heart beat out of his chest, sending him into a trance. addicted to the taste of you, the smell of you, the way you drip onto his tongue like your pussy actually knows just how bad he wants it.

the way you gush for him is a sin in itself. the taste of you - something he craves like a drug. the same way he craves rutting into you like an animal, whether it be cramped in the back of his g wagon or spread out over something somewhere. his eyes feasting in the delicious sight of you, the same way his mouth does. not his fault you look edible. completely devour-able. and devour he will.

the way you kiss him, tongue snaking into his mouth, teeth nipping his lips like you know it makes him drill you that much harder. bending you whichever way he pleases because he knows you love when he manhandles you. fucking into you with a certain fervor only reserved for yourself. absolutely entranced by the way your perfect tits bounce directly into his mouth when he’s bucking up into you, arms locked around your waist. his balls emptied into you, and on you by the time yall are done

matter fact, he'll hit you up tomorrow. and you'll answer, just like you always do. the conversation eventually drifting to him coming over, and after only a drink or two, yall gon start alllll over again

©  alanisstonedd 2025 — do not steal, plagiarize, or modify my content.

hope y'all liked this! likes, reblogs and all the rest are much appreciated!!!

xoxo, lana 💋💋💋

[otaku553]

may i ask what you’ve been using to learn japanese? No pressure to reply, I’m just curious and looking for potential learning resources :] (wow in hindsight the phrasing here looks weird. anyways i hope you have a lovely day :D)

Thanks for asking!

Mostly I learned spoken Japanese from watching anime and then my writing and reading was more formalized by taking classes in college. I cannot stress enough how important it is to learn from more formal sources than anime; I think there are a lot of nuances and formalities that you should know by default when interacting with people in the language that don’t come across clearly at all in just anime.

I do have a few useful apps for learning though!

Kana is good if you’re a complete beginner at the language. It drills you on hiragana and katakana, for reading, writing, and listening.

Todaii is good for practicing reading, but quite a jump in difficulty. If you’re on Todaii, you should be fluent with kana already; this is mostly a tool for learning context and pronunciation of kanji through texts. It has news articles and practice problems, with some having the kanji labeled with helpful yomigana.

Nihongo gets the gold star from me in terms of recommendations— I use it all the time! It’s just a dictionary, but it’s probably the best arranged and easiest to understand Japanese dictionary I’ve used. It’s also completely offline so you can use it without internet.

[joanquill]

How I Got Sent to Another World

Modern woman gets sent to another world, specifically the world of Moriarty the Patriot. You know the drill ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

A/N: Sorry again for the random updates, some things happened (and still happening :')) so I cannot give a specific time or date when the next update will be or when my schedule will be fixed, sorry again for the inconvenience :') Also, the reader is fluent in English (specifically American English, if that makes sense ^^")

Tag/s: Fem!Modern!Asian!Reader

You pulled your hood down as you walked through the crowd, looking around the street aimlessly as you tried to make heads or tails with where you were.

"Watch it!" a horse suddenly appeared in front of you, pushing you back to the ground as it neighed in shock, surprising the other horse beside it as the coachman tried to keep them in line.

You groaned in pain as you sat up, seeing you were mere inches from the road as the crowd looked at you confused.

"Are you all right, dear?" an old lady asked as she knelt beside you, trying to meet your gaze with her hand out to you.

You hesitantly reached for her hand, unknowingly making your hood fall to your shoulders.

"Oh, my...!" she gasped as she saw your face, the crowd following suit.

You quickly hid under your hood again and stood up, hanging your head low.

"E-Excuse me...!" you blurted as you tried to snake your way out of the crowd, avoiding the attention as people started to gossip amongst themselves.

You found your way into an abandoned alleyway and hid in the shadows.

You sighed in relief as you fell to your feet, watching the crowded streets from afar.

'How did this even happen...?!'

"So hungry..." you groaned as you massaged the back of your neck, switching between your feet to stop them from aching for a second longer.

'Keep it together...' you encouraged yourself, a migraine slowly spreading across your whole head, almost making you lose your balance.

As you waited for the pedestrian light to turn green, the crowd increased, squeezing you together.

"Hey, watch it!" a man slurred as you were suddenly pushed and started to tumble down to the road.

You groaned in pain as your body hit the cold, harsh pavement, your hands stinging as you slowly sat up, your head spinning from the impact.

'What the hell...?' you grimaced in anger, looking back to the crowd to see you were pushed farther than expected.

You tried to make out what they were trying to say, but you suddenly saw a stream of light coming from the side, slowly growing closer.

Before you could register what was happening, your vision filled with darkness, and your body grew numb.

When you opened your eyes, you were greeted with a town that looked like a Victorian painting brought to life under the night sky.

You blinked in shock and rubbed your eyes, blinking them repeatedly as if the scene before you would change.

'...Am I getting pranked or something...?' you thought, not believing it yourself as you looked around.

Horse-drawn carriages trotted down the street, and there was no trace of modern cars, as elaborate lamposts lit the footpath instead of the electric streetlights.

People walk by wearing intricate, ornate clothing heavy with lace, velvet, and leather as they talk in a posh accent with an unfamiliar vocabulary.

"What...?" you muttered as you looked around, seeing you were in a dark alleyway, not at the pedestrian lane you last remembered.

"Oh, what peculiar fashion..." a woman commented under her breath, making you quickly turn your head to the voice.

You saw she was looking at you before swiftly turning away and scurrying off with other women... but you could see them gossip amongst themselves.

You looked down at your clothes--the ones you remember wearing--and saw how out of place it was in this antique place.

You instinctively covered yourself and looked around for a cover.

You find a run-down cloak and make your way to the streets, keeping your head down as you slip into the crowd.

You tried to look for the film crew, security guards, the director, or even hidden cameras without causing a scene, but there were none.

You sighed as you kept walking, unsure where to go, but knew it wouldn't be wise to stay outside.

You shivered as the night air grew stronger , the pain in your legs and feet returning as your stomach began rumbling.

"Ugh...! What do I even--Umph!" you were greeted with a sharp sting as a newspaper found its way to your face.

You quickly removed it and confirmed that you were in London in 1879.

"London... 1879...?" you muttered, slumping down to your knees, "This can't be real..."

Your head started growing heavier, making you stumble forward as you hastily put your hands on the cold, harsh ground. Your vision tripled as you tried to stay alert.

"Excuse me, miss..." a voice called out behind you, making you jump and look back, seeing three men looking at you with cautious eyes.

"Are you all right? You seem... lost," a man with blond hair and a top hat asked, but you couldn't see them clearly.

You instinctively covered yourself with the dirty cloak, unsure of what to answer.

"We're here to help," another voice reassured, but your vision began to blur, unsure if it was from hunger or exhaustion.

"What's your name? Where do you live?"

'Name...' you thought, mustering up your energy to answer.

"(Y/N)... My name is (Y/N)-..." Before you could finish, your body topples over and falls unconscious.

"Miss!" William called out, catching you by the shoulders as your hood fell off, revealing your face.

"A foreigner...?" Louis asked, examining your face as William lifted you.

"That seems to be the case... most likely an Asian descent, but..." William looked from your head to toe, sighing.

"In any case, we cannot leave her here to starve," William concluded, carrying you to their carriage as gently as possible.

"Judging from their articulation, they may have learned English from the Americans," Louis commented, watching you cautiously as you slept.

"Perhaps she's an escapee?" Albert suggested, but William shook his head.

"I do not think an escapee would wear these clothes," William muttered, seeing your bizarre clothes peeking through the cloak.

"Then, what do you think, William?" Albert asked, also trying to decipher what led you to London.

William could only sigh, also unsure of the answer.

"As unfortunate as it is, it seems we can only uncover the answers when they finally wake up,"

[partoffantasy]

Echoes of the Inevitable - Aaric Graycastle / Cam Tauri

⸻ image credits to artbycassmira & etherealbookart ⸻

summary: during tense negotiations on the Isles, reader witnesses a side of Aaric she never expected—commanding, brilliant, and dangerously compelling.

pairing: aaric graycastle x fem!reader warnings: ONYX STORM SPOILERS - if you haven’t read Onyx Storm yet, don’t read further word count: 1.6k

⸻⸻⸻✦ ♡ ✦⸻⸻⸻

The heat of the Isles pressed down on them, thick and stifling despite the breeze coming from the sea. The scent of salt and damp stone filled the air, mingling with the faintest trace of incense from the nearby marketplace. The sun hung low, casting long shadows over the cracked stone plaza where the delegation stood. Soldiers lined the perimeter, their armor gleaming dully under the fading light, their hands resting on the hilts of their weapons. The atmosphere was laced with barely restrained hostility, the kind that could tip into violence really quickly.

Y/N shifted her weight, resisting the urge to wipe the sweat from her brow. She was keenly aware of the weight of her own weapons, the tension in the air settling into her bones. Xaden stood at the head of their group, his posture unyielding and full of dominance as he faced the Unbrish commander. Beside him, Violet held herself steady, her eyes flicking between the foreign dignitaries. Dain lingered a step behind, his focus entirely on the unfolding discussion, ready to translate at a moment’s notice.

The commander lifted his hand, and his soldiers immediately fell silent, waiting for his words. "He asks if this is our champion or our leader," Dain translated. A ripple of unease passed through the squad, but before anyone could react, a voice cut through the tension—smooth, confident, and unmistakably fluent. Not in Navarrian. Not in any broken attempt at the language. But in flawless, fluid Unbrish.

Y/N barely caught the way Dain stiffened beside her, his mouth parting in shock. She could only stare, heat creeping up her neck, her stomach twisting with something entirely inappropriate for the situation. It was Aaric. The moment he stepped forward, every ounce of his usual quiet reservation peeled away, revealing something sharper. He moved with a confidence that sent a thrill through her, his broad shoulders squared as he addressed the commander directly. And then, he spoke.

Aaric’s voice was smooth, assured. It carried through the tense plaza like a blade slicing through silk. The words were foreign to her, but that didn’t matter—because she could hear it in his tone. The weight. The meaning. The command. His accent was perfect, his cadence even, and the effect it had on their adversaries was instantaneous. The commander faltered, his expression shifting, while the priestess beside him flicked her gaze toward Aaric with something close to surprise.

Y/N’s throat went dry. By the time Dain regained his composure enough to translate, Aaric was already pivoting back toward them, his hand brushing the pommel of his sword. “Are you fucking serious?” Dain snaps at him. “Why didn’t you tell us you’re fluent?” "You never asked," Aaric said simply, his voice rich with amusement, and Y/N swore she felt it in the pit of her stomach.

Holy shit. This was not the Aaric she sparred with in training, the one who rolled his eyes at pointless drills and carried himself like he was just another first-year. This was someone else entirely. Someone who spoke like he belonged on a throne. Someone who was utterly, unfairly, devastatingly attractive when he wielded language like a weapon.

She pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to shift on her feet. It wasn’t the time. It wasn’t the place. But when Xaden surged forward, grabbing Aaric by the collar to shove him back into place, all she could focus on was the flicker of defiance in Aaric’s green eyes. Y/N exhaled, barely resisting the urge to groan. Oh, she was in so much trouble.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

The second time it happened, they were at the negotiation table in Hedontis, having just met Xaden’s mother, and Y/N swore Aaric was doing it on purpose. She had spent the better part of an hour trying to focus on the discussion, on the careful exchange of words between Xaden, the Isles’ leadership, and their allies. It was a delicate discussion, one she knew could turn dangerous if handled incorrectly. But then Aaric opened his mouth again, and all hope of concentration vanished.

"It is rather arrogant of us to simply refer to it as the Continent," he mused, his voice like velvet-wrapped steel. "As though there aren’t others beyond the sea. But we've been torn apart by war for so long, it's hard for anyone to think that we are one... anything." Y/N nearly choked on her drink. The table fell silent, all eyes snapping to him. Even Xaden looked mildly impressed. But Aaric? Aaric just continued cutting into his meal with calm indifference, as if he hadn’t just upended the entire tone of the conversation.

Nairi’s gaze flickered from Cat to Xaden to Aaric. "So many young royals here. So many potential alliances. Why are you not contracted to one another? It seems... foolish not to forge futures and provide heirs who could unite your kingdoms." The chicken went dry in Y/N’s mouth, but Mira shot her a can you believe these people look that steadied her heartbeat.

"My brother will be king," Aaric said, slicing through his chicken like this was any normal dinner. "Though a horrible one. Heirs and alliances aren't my concern. I will fight in this war, most likely die, and do so knowing that I protected others." Aaric's gaze flickered across the table, his usual air of detached confidence wavering for just a second. Then, his eyes found hers.

Y/N felt the shift—a sudden weight pressing down on her chest. His stare held something she couldn't decipher, something raw and knowing. It wasn’t just resolve or the grim acceptance of war. It was grief. It was finality. And it was personal. She swallowed, her pulse hammering against her throat. Why was he looking at her like that? Like he already knew something she didn't? Like he was memorizing her?

Before she could force her mouth to form a single question, Aaric turned away, his expression smoothing back into that infuriating, unreadable calm. "Honor has never been the equal of wisdom," Nairi sighed, then looked to Xaden. "And your excuse? We received news months ago that your title had been restored to you." When Xaden started answering Nairi, Y/N barely heard the next words. Aaric's gaze had lingered on hers, and the depth of emotion in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. There was something there—something heavy, something she couldn't decipher. He knew something, she was sure of it. But before she could press him, before she could demand an answer, the Hedontis’ changed the topic to what they value most—knowledge and thus drawing her attention away.

“Amaralys. The only thing our kingdoms ever agreed on was calling it the Continent after the Great War," Aaric said, finally putting his silverware down after cleaning his plate. "Rather arrogant of us to simply refer to it as the Continent, as though there aren't others beyond the sea, but we've been torn apart by war for so long it's hard for anyone to think that we are one... anything." For fuck's sake, what else was Aaric holding on to?

"You're rather quiet for someone who seems to know so much," Nairi remarked. "I prefer keeping my mouth shut until I understand the rules of whatever game is aiming for my throat. Helps me judge the character and acumen of my opponent." He looked at each of them in turn. "Honestly, I find you lacking, and I'm not sure I want you for an ally. You have no army and you're stingy with the very thing that should be free to all—knowledge."

"And yet you seek our favor?" Nairi’s eyebrows shot up, and she blinked rapidly. "Me?" Aaric shook his head. "No. I'm just here because Halden can't control his temper and Violet didn't just bond one of our most terrifying battle dragons, but also an irid—the seventh breed. Dark wielders are spreading. People are dying as we sit here. Every day we're gone could change the battle map in ways we can't begin to predict. And my kingdom is full of assholes who won't take refugees under king's orders, so tracking down the irids is our best hope of not only adding to our numbers but maybe figuring out how we beat the venin six hundred years ago.”

Holy shit, this was something else entirely. The way he stood his ground, unwavering, his voice a lethal mix of precision and raw conviction—it sent a thrill down her spine. Every word that left his mouth was deliberate, measured, and she could feel the weight of them settle deep in her chest. This wasn’t just confidence; it was command. And damn it, it was making her smirk. She couldn't help the way her eyes traced the sharp angles of his face, the way his fingers rested with deceptive ease on the table as if he hadn't just unsettled everyone around him. Every word he spoke sent another shiver down her spine, curling low in her stomach. It was dangerous, the way he did this to her—how effortlessly he held his own against people who had spent their entire lives navigating power plays.

"You are the highest member of nobility in your party," Roslyn noted, shifting. "Is it not up to you?" "Nobility doesn't play into rank, at least not for me." Aaric glanced Y/N’s way. "Andarna chose Violet, and though there are four superiorly ranked officers with us, it's Violet's mission. She's in command. And with the exception of her rather questionable taste in men, I've trusted Violet's wisdom since childhood." Their eyes met, and Y/N felt another rush of heat spread through her.

She was so, so screwed.

[romanscoming]

“YOU DID SO GOOD PRINCESS, SOO GOOD .”

FIANCÉ!KANG DAE-HO [ PLAYER 388 ] x FIANCÉE!BLACK!READER SMUTTY SMUT

TAGLIST ! | REQUEST ! | WATTPAD ! VISUAL PORN 1 !

NEW TAGLIST MAKE SURE TOO JOIN !!

a/n - ive been watching a bunch—when i say i bunch .. literally a bunch of korean movies and shows with gong yoo, t.o.p ( , lee jung jae, yim siwan & kang ha-neul just wait til im fluent in korean; gong yoo plays in a lotttt of show nd i didnt notice .

ASKED ? [ YES, AND YES ¡ ]

SUMMARY - what do you do when your welcomed home by your wife in her new dress [she looks fuckin incredible], she’s wearing to a event in 20-30ish minutes .. you tell her get ‘your sexy ass on the couch right now’ … nd you fuck her senseless —a quickie .

¡ WARNING !

— dae-ho being aggressive, soft!dom dae-ho, quickie, creamypie, pussyeating, pussywhipped, begging kink, praising kink, .. use of cum eating yada yada yada .. yk the drill .

—

YOU HAD JUST GOT FINISHED GETTING DRESS, NOW ADDING OIL TO YOUR CHEST TO MAKE YOUR SKIN GLOW .. a knock-knock-knock was at the door .

you quickly slipped on ur heels and fixed your hair, before rushing to apartment door .

.. dae-ho .

your amazingly handsome husband, in his well fitting suit and a charming smile with a beautiful bouquet of lavender roses with the meaning of, ‘love at first sight’

you smiled at him as he stood there gawking over you, at your hair how puffy and fluffy it looked messy just the way he liked it, your face structure how your eyebrown frowned in awe as you looked at him from head to toe, and last how your body fit in that tight dress you were wearing not even thinking before stopping to stare at your breast mesmerize .

“fuck mama—goodness ..” he said letting out a breath he didnt know he was holding in .

he felt as if he was about to lose his mind as you player the roses into the vase on the kitchen island ..

dae-ho didnt even realized his jaw being dropped open and you staring at him; “if you dont close your mouth you might start drooling baby .” you smirked as you came close to him, placing ur hands on his mid arm and kissing his neck .

he quickly closed his mouth and melted in your touch as he wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you closer, “you can always touch me dae .. whats mines if yours and whats yours is mines—right my love ?”

he was so dazed and mesmerized he js nodded at your words and dropped his hands from your body—you frown and cupped his face .

“whats the problem—you dont like ?”

dae-ho quickly shook his head no in a heartbeat, he cupped your face back and planted a kiss on your lips and placed his forehead against yours .

“noo- of course my love—i-i im afraid of what id do to you in this dress ..you look fucking amazing .”

you smiled to yourself, letting out a laugh before kissing his cheek, “then ive done my job, hm ?”

dae-ho smiled before looking down at your breast one more before mumbling a small “fucccc—i cant do this.”

before you knew dae-ho had tou ontop of the counter as you both were passionately making out forcing onto one another him in full control .

kisses back to back, pulling away to catch a breathe or steal a quick glance at your breast that looked so amazing in the kitchen lightening — he couldnt help himself .

he started kissing the side of your face, down your jaw and neck making out with it next, sucking and licking all over it as you moaned and pulling him closer by his vest, want more and more of him by the second .

he quickly picked you up as if you weighted nothing to him, carrying you to the couch—placing you down before pulling away and dropping to his knees between your tight .

he whined as you watched him, rubbing your legs up and down as he reached to kiss you again and again, panting to himself before mumbling “[name] .. mm~ please i cant take it—fucc ill be quick i promise.. just need to taste that sweet cunt of your —will you let me baby hm—please .. pretty pretty please ?”

you nodded your head yes, before telling him ‘quickly dae-ho.’ just like he promised he got to work fast .

he had rolled your dress up, placed each of your legs onto one of his shoulders, kissed amongst you thighs getting closer to wear you needed him most .

you shivered at the contact, trying to push your pussy against his face but dae-ho held you in place .

he embraced your scent, kissing your clothed pussy that was soaking through your panties, made out with it for a bit before pulling them off .

finally lips-2-lips with your pussy, dae-ho started to lick your slick as you watched him and he watched your back, maintaining eye contact .

his hot tongue flicked up and down the pearl of your clit making you squirm, he feasted on your pussy, before your head fell to his hair pulling it as it groaned against your cunt making you whine .

your head fell back as tears welled in your eyes as his hand grabbed ahold of your and locked together .

thighs trembling as he was devouring your pussy wet and sloppily, you whinedd as the tears finally fell from your eyes and started to feel dizzy

.. this didnt take long to dae-ho to notice, he pulled away kissing your thighs before breathing against your pussy, “nono-nono princess dont cry, i want you to feel good okay— i promise gonna make you cum on my tongue hm? is that what you want right ?”

you nodded again at his words more tears falling, “yes-yes-ahh~ its too much daaaa~ i cant daeho.. too muchh !”

dae-ho frowned before kissing your cunt, getting yout attention, “no no [name], your gonna take it like a good girl arent you hm ? tell me—tell me now baby cmonn, tell your da”

you quickly nodded holding his hand once again and locking eyes, “yess im gonna take it—ill be a goooo-ahh~ good girll~ i promise daaa mmmgh!”

dae-ho smiled, seconds later his tongue was back flickering at your clit, pressing more wet sloppy kisses as he sucked onto your cunt hungrily, doing circular motion around the pearl before letting it go with a pop

his tongued was lapping you up fast this time, so lost in the addicting taste of your sweet cunt full of wet juices.

the sound of the slurping, wet kisses, wet noises, and your whimpers and moans mixed together filled the open room .

you cried out to dae-ho once again as your thighs quivered helplessly, and thighs squeezed his head as he sucked the soul out of you .

“daaaa~ pleaeeee gonna cummmm—gonna cumm noww i cantt—fucccc ahh-aghh~ !”

you cried softly as he moaned into your pussy, stopping for a second as you started to relax .. he quickly shoved his head back into your pussy he lapped up all of your sweet juices, your sticky white cum unless there was no more left, he placed a kiss onto your clit before moving away and kissing your thighs once again .

looking up to see tour dozing off he smiled, before reaching up to kiss you so passionately .

he even humpped your leg a little bit before kissing among the side of you neck before his hand still held onto your and his other fell to your clit ..

rubbing his closely as tou squirmed and he praised you.

“you did so good princess, soo good—you and your pussy—fucking amazing” he started kissing you again with tongue so you can taste yourself .

“taste that baby—ooohh~ you taste amazing dont you think fuccc—can you give me another ?” he asked still humping your leg repeatedly ..

he’d quickening his fingers on your clit before pushing them inside your cunt and thrusting them in and out .

you moaned at his words nodding at everything, you felt so dizzy and oozy like you were going to pass out, but that didnt stop dae-ho .

“ohh godd-your soooo pretty is this mmhmmmgh~ i cant stoppp-fuccc i might js cum in my pants mm..”

you kissed his lips as your stomach tightened once again knowing your were close, you kissed him soft and deeply before pressing your forehead together

“fuckk—gonna cum with me baby ? hmm fuuuu-fucc~ please cum with me be a good girllll~” he dragged out his words with a moan as you guys both started to sweat and pant together .

“ahhh~ please daaaa faster—faster please!” you begged as his finger moved faster and his hips followed as he started to hump you faster as well .

his body started to twitch, as your body started to felt as if it was going to explode .

“im gonna cummm~ ahh dae-dae-dae please can i?”

he kissed your quick but passionate, before nodding his head thrusting his two fingers fast as his thumb rubbed against your pearl, “cumm, cumm with me princesss, ooo i need it baby please—we’ll cum together.. me and yo—aaaugh~ !”

you smashed your lips onto his as you came and he came right with you, he continued to hump your leg reaching his high as you grinded on his fingers reachinf yours, “i-i love you so muchh—oh my godd” tears were falling from your eyes again .

he kissed your tears and kissed your lips, a soft wet kiss, before pushing you onto the rug with him hugging you tightly, “noo, i love you so much more—thank you baby—thank you so much, princess your amazing mm~ .”

you smiled and kissed his lips, giving him a sloppy wet loving kiss as you looked down for see his wet spot in his pants and see yourself leaking onto his leg

“.. no fancy dinner tonight ?” you laughed seeing how sweaty both of you looked .

dae-ho blushed embarrassed, “no—i got all i need right here .”

——————

ANY MISTAKES LET ME KNOW !

TAGLIST >

@imchenleshoe @yeaiamme2 @partyb0yyyy @luvlest @lousycakes @blxckdesire

[moonriseoverkyoto]

Seeing Double - Chapter 3

Pairings - Simon “Ghost” Riley x MacTavish!Reader, Platonic! John “Soap” MacTavish x MacTavish Reader, Platonic! Kyle “Gaz” Garrick x Reader

Summary - You are sent with Ghost and Soap to Mexico on your first team mission. But was it really your first?

Warnings - consumption of alcohol, mentions of past trauma, discussions of past trauma, jealousy, suggestive content, discussions of violence, adults cursing, angst but comfort I swear.

Author's Notes- Spanish is used bc reader, as a translator, is a #billingual queen but there is an immediate translation right after spanish is used and it is marked by only italicizing, if it's italicized and has 'these' then that's a direct inner thought. To my Spanish speaking readers or bilingual readers, I apologize if I fucked up anything. Im using the Spanish I learned growing up on my dad’s side of the family in Texas and almost 2.5 years of learning Spanish in highschool and college. My Spanish is more South Texas based but I still learned northern Mexican slang from my tíos. Anyways I hope you enjoy. Bear with me because some of the gender wasn’t translating pero es todo bien.

Word Count - 8k.. yeah ik. I’m shocked too.

Masterlist / Pt.1 , Pt.2 , Pt.4, pt.5, pt.6

“In how long?” John spoke, briefly peeking at the mission file.

“A week. I’m giving you time to prepare Banshee for using her translating skills as you’ll be working with Los Vaqueros again.” Laswell nodded to them.

“What for?” You piped up. Everyone turned to look at you, not because you spoke out of turn but because you usually waited for someone to speak to you.

“We have intel that Hassan might be in the mountains nearby Las Almas. You’ll find out more when you arrive. ” Kate responded, respecting your piqued curiosity.

You nodded to yourself. You did need to scrub up on your Spanish even if you were fluent.

The week passed by quick as you hit the books and the range. You had taken the time to bond with Gaz as the man tried to pick up a few languages from you. Price keeps you far from the mats after your blood bath with Ghost. Speaking of him, the masked man was oddly never around. Only there for meal times and maybe a glimpse at him before bed.

You didn’t see him again until the night before you were to be sent out with them to Mexico. You had been so focused on working through your knife throwing that you didn’t realize the time had passed until it was midnight. Six hours until you were to be on an aircraft headed to Las Almas.

Dull thuds filled the room as you sunk your knife again and again into the target. A masked figure passing by the door before stopping.

“Can’t sleep?” Ghost spoke as you retrieved your knives. You nearly jumped out of your skin at his voice, noticing him in the shadows of the entryway.

“Never been able to on the night before a mission.” You omitted as you took your stance again. Anything was better than looking at him. Quiet fell over the both of you as he watched. You could feel him studying you as you ran your drills.

Eager to break the silence, you remembered from Johnny that Ghost was quite the fan of dad jokes so you decided to try them out, “Sir, Do you know what sprinters eat before their race?” You spoke.

He spoke nothing but you got the feeling he was waiting for the punchline.

“Nothing, they fast.” You spoke. He froze for a moment before a sigh of air left his mouth almost similar to a chuckle but not quite. Relief flooded your body at breaking some of the tension. What you were not expecting was for him to give you one of his own.

“What do you call a pig that practices karate?” Ghost’s voice came out low as if he too had been starving himself of sleep.

A beat passed as you gave him a hum of interest.

“Pork chop.”

Ghost froze as the sound of a giggle slipped from your lips. Your shoulders sluggish as you threw the final knife but it still fell in line with the others. You gathered your knives and put them away slowly. You turned to face him only to find the doorway empty.

You didn’t see the lieutenant again until you made your way to the tarmac early the next morning. You had all your gear on from head to toe including a new pair of black shades to cover your eyes. Your hair was pulled up as you adjusted your vest. It weighed heavy on you almost as if the weight of your last team mission was still suffocating you.

Ghost stood off to the side with Price as they spoke with your pilot and Gaz. The masked man nodded to Price, listening but his eyes traced you as you walked up to the aircraft confidently. Something Gaz nor Price failed to catch upon but dismissed it under the idea that the man didn’t trust you yet.

Johnny had already made his way onto the aircraft as he turned around to extend a hand to you. Almost as if he had sensed that you would need a helping hand. You clasped his hand tightly as he pulled you up with a grunt.

Both of you exchanged a smile as the engine of the aircraft roared to life. Wind suddenly pushing through the entryway, sending a chill down your spine.

“Just like old times aye?” Johnny said as he held up a fist bump.

“Aye, just like old times.” You replied as you knocked knuckles, ignoring the growing bubble of worry in your gut. Oh how you hoped it would be different this time. You settled in next to your brother and got ready for the ride.

Ghost noticed how you never fully relaxed even as your twin, your supposed mirror image, Soap fell dead asleep on the flight over to Mexico. You had avoided his eye contact again for the whole plane ride, letting it fall to the floor or rise to the ceiling above.

You constantly adjusted everything even as the three of you left the aircraft. Something was bothering you and your commanding officer itched to know why. What was making you twitch. He felt his curiosity blooming in his chest before letting it die as a gruff voice cut through the air.

“Alejandro!” Soap cheered, a loud clap sounded through the air as their hands met in a firm shake and a quick nod.

“Glad to see you made it over in one piece, Jabón” Alejandro said as his gaze peered over to Soap’s teammate, not failing to notice the third set of feet hidden behind the two men.

Alejandro scanned over Ghost quickly as he spoke, “Lieutenant. Laswell says they call you Ghost.”

Soap practically lunged at the opportunity to interject, “Colonel, he actually he prefers to be called-”

“That’ll do.” Ghost cut him off quickly.

“And who is this behind you?” Alejandro said as Soap and Ghost stepped aside to reveal you standing there.

“Aye this is my twin sister-” Soap stopped short as the Colonel pulled you in for a tight embrace. Silencing both the lieutenant and Sergeant completely because you didn’t frown or even flinch at the sudden invasion of your personal space, something completely out of the norm for you.

“Chiqui! Aye qué bueno verte de nuevo!” Little girl (affectionately)! How good to see you again! The spanish slipped free from his tongue as you both separated. His hands lingered on yours as you step back. A small blush on your cheeks.

“Y a ti también. Pero creo que te dije que ya no me llamaras chiqui, no?” And you as well. But I believe I told you not to call me little girl anymore, no? Your eyebrow cocked up at him. A deep rumble leaving his throat as Soap cleared his own to cut through the conversation.

“Alright, Alright. Let us join the others back at the base hermanos!” Alejandro spoke to the group as you all began walking to the vehicle. Out of the corner of the lieutenant’s eyes, he saw the way you and Soap geared up to fight for the front seat, only to be disappointed when Alejandro climbed into the shotgun.

“Welcome to the city of souls, hermanos! A Bienvenidos de nuevo, Chiqui” Welcome back, Chiqui. Alejandro cheered as you all piled into the jeep. Soap took the seat behind the driver, and you slid in the middle, leaving Ghost to take the seat behind Alejandro. For once, you didn’t bristle at being so close to the lieutenant. A soft gasp left the driver as brown eyes met your own through the mirror, even if your eyes were shielded by the dark sunglasses.

“No mames, güey.” No way, dude. The driver interjected as he peered around the seat to see you. Your soft gaze meeting his own shocked one. A gruff noise left Ghost’s mouth to interject the moment and cut it off. This whole thing was starting to get on his nerves.

“Hola Rudy” you smiled. “Lieutenant, this is Sergeant Major Roldofo, everyone calls him Rudy. Rudy, este es mi teniente. Estoy seguro de que no necesitas presentación a Jabón.” Rudy, this is my lieutenant. I am sure that you need no introduction to Soap. Your hand pointing to each man as you introduced them. Your brain easily slid into place as you slipped between the languages.

“Tengo miedo de los fantasmas” Rudy shuddered slightly. Ghost’s head barely turned towards you, waiting for the translation.

“He said he has a fear of Ghosts.” You smiled playfully, shoving Rudy to turn around as you waited for the jeep to go.

“¡Vamos hermanos!” Let’s go brothers! Alejandro said as Rudy’s foot roughly slammed into the gas pedal as the jeep took off. A smile slowly creeped onto your face as you suddenly felt the wind in your hair again. Your shades protect you from the harsh glare of the sun. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to be back.

Soap peered out the window as they made their way into Las Almas. Outskirts of the sandy town were covered in graffiti as the houses came into view. Soap suddenly gripped his rifle as Ghost tensed up, both of them spotting a vehicle in the distance and strange men in masks covering the town.

“One black vehicle, about three men armed along the entrance” Soap called forward to Alejandro and Rudy. For half a second Ghost almost cursed at your poor reaction time until he heard Alejandro interject

“Cálmate, hermano. Es todo bien.” Calm yourself brother. Everything is fine. He spoke up, and then followed up with an explanation. “Las Almas is dangerous and the cartel here plays dirty. But I promise you those who are here to ‘uphold the law’ never succeed for long. Not until Narcos slips money into their pockets and women into their laps.”

“What about the military?” Ghost spoke out. His confusion masked behind a voice of concern.

“Es lo mismo. We’re even more likely to be corrupted and turned into working for the narcos because of our combat skills.” It’s the same. Alejandro nodded to the men ahead as he spoke.

“So why haven’t you been corrupted yet?” Ghost responded almost immediately. Just because you and Soap trusted these men doesn’t mean he has to. He only trusts you through an association of Johnny.

Alejandro knew why he asked but it didn’t stop his tongue from clicking as he responded. Pride swelled in his chest as he spoke. The honesty of his voice silenced any doubt. “We grew up here. The locals call us Los Vaqueros, the cowboys, for a reason. Anyone who calls himself or herself such a name and fights beside me is willing to die for the sake of saving even an inch of this city.”

Soap could see the love the man had for his community as they passed by women and children on the street. He silently wondered why they looked so happy in such a dangerous town. Did they not know what was going on?

“Be weary of the civilians. Yes we are welcoming of strangers but just remember that anyone can be turned into a piece of intel for Narcos. They can be quite.. charismatic.” Rudy spoke to the men.

“Even the children and women?”

“Especialmente las mujeres y los niños.” Especially the women and children, Rudy responded almost immediately.

Ghost nodded as Rudy hummed in agreement as they pulled up closer to the base. You were oddly silent as you took in how the base has evolved. Rudy pulled up to the gate and only had to look at the officer before being let in. You noticed how the sun was beginning to turn the sky orange. You missed how beautiful it was here. The heat not even bothering you as the open windows of the jeep gave your baby hairs around your face a beautiful framing. For just a mere moment you could forget why you left.

The sound of a car door opening pulled you out of your thoughts as Ghost and Soap quickly exited the vehicle. Everyone grabbing their respective bags. Rudy quickly matched your pace and stood to the left of you as Soap walked on your right.

“Veo que sigues siendo la boca de tu escuadrón, Chiqui” I see you’re still the mouth of your squadron. Rudy smiled before slipping into spanglish, “Do either of los güeros speak spanish, or sola tú?” Either of the white boys (like fair-skinned) speak spanish or just you? You could tell why he wanted to know but kept your mouth shut as you nodded to your brother.

“Mi hermano puede placticar un poco, pero solo lo sabe las palabras malas.” My brother can conversate a little, but he only knows the bad words. You responded as you glanced at Johnny. Noticing how he looked a little down.

Johnny’s heart sunk a little in his chest. Just how much of your new life had he missed? How did he not know that you had already met them and formed these close ties. You pulled him out of his thoughts as you ruffled his hair.

“So Jabón, why didn’t you tell me that you were related to Chiqui here, hm?” Rudy spoke, “we could’ve traded stories about her”

“I didn’t keen ye knew ‘er like tha.” Johnny said, suddenly meeting the Sergeant Major’s eyes, “How do ye know ‘er?”

Memories flashed across your eyes as you remember how you met the Mexican task force. How you came here stumbling around like a lost child when you were first assigned. The sounds of music flooding your ears as images of you dancing with a certain brown eyed man flashed across your eyes. The late night steak outs and the embarrassing moments of learning how Spanish is truly spoken and used. The images stopped and memories turned sour as you then remembered why you left, or why you were dismissed.

“She was assigned as our translator and infiltration specialist,” Rudy nodded, then he smiled as he jested a little, “Colonel over there thought it might be hard for military men to lure secrets from men as we are not their usual type. So we decided we needed someone more.. convincing. But we couldn’t trust any woman in this country so Alejandro sent a request to the Americans, and your sister showed up.”

“They were my first team after I stopped requesting solo missions.” You added on. Soap sighed at the notion that you were used to be bait for the corrupt men of this town to slip their secrets into. A silence fell over the group until you three walked into the living quarters of the base.

“Why do you and the colonel call her Chiqui?” Soap then turned to ask. His accent loosely stumbled around the nickname even if he said it confidently but he didn’t care. His curiosity bugged him. Sure, you’d let superiors walk over you but giving you a nickname was entirely different. It was intimate. Something he didn’t know you could do with others outside of the family or your small circle of friends.

Rudy’s eyes met yours, asking for permission to tell. You blinked slowly, even unsure of the action yourself.

“She didn’t have a callsign by then and kept on speaking Spanish like a little kid. Mumbling over her words, speaking quickly, and using basic phrases, too scared to be more complex. It was cute and Chiqui is short for Chiquita. Chiquita means little girl, but it’s friendly.”

“The name stuck even after I improved my spanish during my stay here.” You added ruffling up Rudy’s hair.

“You’d always be the kid on the team, Chiqui.” Rudy smirked. “Let’s get you settled into your quarters and then maybe you three would like to join us at the bar?” He was inviting you two but specifically met your eyes first then glanced at Johnny.

Ghost had disappeared off somewhere with Alejandro, probably forming a plan for tomorrow.

“Jabón, you’ll be down the hall with El Fantasma” Ghost. Rudy said as he walked the man down to the room and Soap walked through the entrance, dropping his bags quickly.

“Johnny ye coming tonight?” You looked at him and waited for him to say something

“Ye ever known me to be a lad who turned down a good time?” Johnny shot back at you.

“Never.” You nodded

“Then ye have your answer. I’m going to shower.” He said and closed his door but not before smiling at Rudy.

Rudy nodded as the door closed and he turned to you, walked you to your room, a few doors down the hallway.

“Dormirás en esta habitación” You’ll be sleeping in this room. Rudy nodded. You sighed as you opened it and recognized it as your old room. You saw how it had been scrubbed clean and bare for newer members but you knew it was yours as Rudy’s room was just across from it. Your doors mirror each other. You turned around to meet his gaze and sighed.

“Rudy..” the low whine left your lips as you frowned at him, your eyes tightening to form a glare at the man.

“Chiquita, Te prometo que estaba fuera de mi control. El coronel insistió en que durmieras aquí.” Chiquita, I promise you that it was out of my control. The Colonel insisted you sleep here. His hands flailing to his defense even with that small, guilty smile plastered onto his lips. Your firm mask slipping at the weight of your full nickname.

“Pero Johnny-” but Johnny-

“Jabón estaré bien.” Soap will be fine. Rudy finished the sentence off. His eyes scanning yours. Your name, your real name, fell from his lips as he looked at you. You finally dropped your mask as he enveloped you in a hug.

Over the course of your two years with the team, Rudy had been your best friend, your safe haven. Even if you blurred the lines at some moments you could always count on him to be there for you. Whether that was a lover in a moment of need or a listening ear when the world weighed too heavy to bear alone. He was your best friend, no matter how blurred that line became towards the end.

His warm muscular arms dug into your sides as he held you. A moment between you passed as your arms found his neck.

“Pensé que te habías ido para siempre. El coronel pensó lo mismo. He estado tan preocupada por ti, Chiqui. Lamento no haber ido contigo ese día. Pensé que no querías estar cerca de nosotros después de lo que sucedió.” I thought you were gone forever. The colonel thought the same thing. I've been so worried about you, Chiqui. I'm sorry I didn't go with you that day. I thought you didn't want to be around us after what happened. His words came out softly, the pain evident in his voice.

You pulled back to look him in the eye, a deep sigh passing through you.

“Nunca podría odiarte, eres mi mejor amigo. Nada cambiará eso. Lo que pasó no fue tu culpa, Rudy.” I could never hate you, you are my best friend. Nothing will change that. What happened wasn't your fault, Rudy. He knew that deep down but hearing it from you helped ease some of the weight still burdening him even now.

“Do they know?” He whispered as he pulled back. The man watching you as your brows furrowed.

“About what”

“Lo que pasó, contigo, con nosotros, con esos malvados bastardos.” What happened, with you, with us, with those evil bastards. Your body froze a little at it all, the memories rushing back to your head.

“No. Se lo diré a los chicos y a Johnny cuando esté listo.” I will tell the boys and Johnny when I am ready. Rudy sighed and sat on your bed while you grabbed your bags, and then a thought crossed his mind.

“So you have a callsign?” Rudy said in English as he watched you unpack. His eyebrow quirked up at you.

“Me llaman Banshee, como la mujer” They call me Banshee, like the woman. The name made him tense up. The realization of the legend hit him, the symbolism, and his expression changed

“Hijole” Fuck/Jeez. He grumbled as the shock washed over his face. “Pinche cabrón” fucking asshole. The man didn’t have to do rocket science to know exactly who gave you that callsign.

His eyes flashed over in anger as he too remembered it all. His memories of your spine-curling screams suddenly whisper into his ear as his brain flashed the images of how scared you looked. How much fucking blood you were covered in-

“Rudy. I am fine, I actually like it, it’s..” your eyes searched for the word but he beat you to it first.

“Chingón,” he murmured as he stood up, "Badass.”

You nodded as he smiled at you, the man heading for the door. “¿Sálvame un baile, Chiquita?” Save me a dance? He questioned you with a knowing look, already predicting your answer.

You nodded as you shot back, “si el coronel no los roba todos primero” if the colonel doesn’t steal them all. You smiled knowing deep down that you’d give him a dance anyway.

“Si todavía puedes bailar, eso es, Chiqui” if you can still dance, that is. He shot back, trying to goad you like he used to do. Only to be met with your door closing in his face and a muffled giggle coming from behind it.

Rudy’s hair stood on the end of his neck, the chuckle dying in his throat, as he peered down the hall to see a certain blue-eyed Lieutenant watching him closely.

“Pinche Fantasmas” fucking ghost. The man muttering a curse under his breath as he turned in and walked into his own room.

As the sun laid low in the sky, the four men were waiting next to the jeep. Everyone was in civilian clothes to various degrees but all men were cautiously armed.

Ghost looked the most out of place out of all of them as he was in all black from his combat boots, to his pants and his top, his balaclava stuck to his face like a second skin. All of them had obvious hand guns in various places on their body.

Soap was in combat boots as well but more dressed for the sandy weather. He was in some jeans, a nice cool t-shirt, the chain of his dog tags peeking out at his neckline.

Alejandro and Rudy were both respectively dressed in a distinct style with square toed cowboy boots, and slightly baggy jeans that fluffed out at the bottom in a boot-cut manner. Their boots looked worn down over time. Both men were ready for a good time before the hell of a mission tomorrow.

“So why are ye dressed up like it’s a party tonight?” Soap questioned the two men curiously.

“Because everywhere there’s a bar, there’s music and where there’s music-” Alejandro was cut off suddenly but your voice.

“There’s dancing” you finished the sentence as you stepped into view of the four men. This was the first time Ghost had seen you in civilian clothes and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t letting his eyes rake over you a little slower than normal. You had obviously packed with suspicion of the boys dragging you out.

You had black square toed cowgirl boots tucked underneath a beautiful pair of boot-cut blue jeans. A black belt held it up at your waist and a tight black tee pulled at your chest. Your hair was cascading down your back in it’s usual manner, you had obviously styled after your shower. You were covered in your usual assortment of jewelry, your sunglasses long gone. Glittering up at him like a jewel just barely out of his reach.

“Jeez, Sis, did ye even have a place to hide your weapons?” Johnny teased as watched his fellow men admiring you in silence.

“A woman doesn’t strap and tell” You said with a wink, your own heart pounding a little under all the attention.

“Vamos!” Let’s go! Alejandro called out as everyone got in the car. Everyone returned to the spots they took on the ride over. Rudy roared the jeep to life as he pulled out. Purposely putting a hand on the back of Alejandro’s seat to peer around to look at you and give you a grin.

Now that Ghost was closer to you, he noticed a jagged scar over your right eye, stopping just short of reaching your eyelids. It was violent and looked like it caused permanent damage and yet that only intrigued him more. He never noticed it before as he assumed you wore contact on that eye around base to hide it since sunglasses were not allowed in every room unlike Ghost’s facial coverings.

“Chiqui, blocking my view-”

“Yo sé.” I know. You clipped as you suddenly bent over. Your belt keeps your jeans down as your shirt rides up. You made your back horizontal as your hips slightly arched to make it comfortable as you completely moved out his rear window.

Ghost swears he tried to look away but his eyes were glued to your back, noticing the way your hips wiggled a little to get comfortable. Your tight black tee riding up your back as your hair fell forward a little to reveal the delicate skin underneath the cloth. Just under the hem of your tee he spotted two identical scars.

However, Rudy finally finished backing out and turning around the jeep. So your back snapped back up into place and met the back of your seat. Your shoulders gently brushing his own and Johnny’s.

.

Speaking of proximity, when Ghost took a deep breath to remind himself of his own boundary with you, the scent of your perfume invaded his senses. He swears he could smell every step of your routine from your shampoo to your lotion to that intoxicating perfume.

“Fuck yer stinking up the damn car. How am I supposed to bring home any ladies tonight if yer stink is rubbed all over me.” Soap whined softly.

“You can’t bring back women to the base anyway, Jabón.” Rudy said with a laugh at the Scotsman's dismay.

Soap was curiously looking at you for an answer so you decided to explain, “it’s the night before our mission so you shouldn’t be sleeping around, and any woman you sleep with here could be an informant for Narcos.”

A frown fell on his face as Alejandro spoke up in an attempt to console his fellow man, “You can still dance and flirt with them all you want. Just remember Jabón, anyone can work for the cartel.”

Ghost nearly rolled his eyes as he peered out the window at the setting sun in the horizon. The last thing they needed was a tipsy sergeant.

His wishes fell on deaf ears as they arrived, you and Rudy hitting the bar to order rounds. The masked giant suddenly took in the entire bar as they entered. Loud norteño music filled the air as did the laughter and the roaring conversations. People stared at him but not before failing to meet his gaze leaving him alone. He also scanned over to see the groups of men and women dancing in pairs.

The couples were so close, especially to him, embracing in a hold on their left side as their right hands interlaced and the men led their partners in dance. Chest to chest and heads right next to each other. Pairs of women being spun around in rhythm to the faster-paced music. Their legs intertwined as the knee of one man’s leg went in-between the woman’s own two. He also didn’t miss how occasionally the women were lifted up and then grinded down onto the thigh of the partner quickly before being put back down and spinning again.

“Do you know how to dance, Fantasma?” Alejandro asked the man, trying to make conversation. The three men piling into a corner booth with a full view of the dance floor.

The man shook his head as Soap answered for him.

“L.T. here has two left feet when it comes to dancing.” Johnny grinned as he said that. Johnny himself also noticed the dancing, the proximity, the rhythm.

“And what about you, Jabón?”

“I can dance but not like that.” Johnny responded, gesturing casually to the couples. Alejandro chuckled for a moment at his honesty.

“Your sister thought the same, you know, then we taught her and by the end of her stay, she would be the one dragging us to dance instead of the other way around.”

“What caused her to leave? I understand that she was pretty close with you after two years.” Johnny said curiously. Alejandro paused, trying to find a way to avoid answering, taking notice of how her own twin brother didn’t even know the circumstances.

Luckily, he didn’t have to avoid answering as you came back to the table victoriously. You and Rudy are holding ice cold bottles of beer with limes stuck in the rim to cover the opening. He also noticed the shot glasses of tequila on a platter.

You passed Ghost and Johnny each a beer, both thanking you as you handed out shots as well. Ghost gently pushed his shot back, to which you cocked an eyebrow but didn’t bother. Gleefully taking the extra shot before your brother could snag it.

“Salud!” Cheers! You, Rudy, and Alejandro said as the beer bottles held by the boys and your tequila glasses clinked together. The lieutenant’s hand shooting up to lift his mask just above his lips, the top one still slightly swollen from your move on the mat a week ago. Ghost’s eyes held your own for a mere second as he sipped his beer before you broke his gaze to take the shot. Everyone began consuming their drinks, and taking their own shot of tequila. Except for Ghost, he was watching you take his shot.

Your wet, pink tongue flickered out to wrap around the rim of the glass and lick the salt off, before shooting the clear liquor past your lips, then your glistening lips enveloped the lime and sucked out its juices. You repeated the process for the second shot as well, failing to meet his gaze. Ghost felt his pants grow just a little tighter as he watched the entire routine.

He quickly tensed up realizing what he had done before glancing to everyone around the table. The man was eternally grateful for the mask as he felt his cheeks dust. Rudy and Soap deep in conversation about different beers around the world as he breathed a short sigh of relief. Your gaze on two men arguing over something as silly as piss water.

‘Idiot. You’re lucky nobody noticed.’ The man internally chastised himself again.

Alejandro then stood up and looked at you, “quieres bailar, Chiqui?” Want to dance? Alejandro’s hand shooting out to take your own.

“Can ye manage without a translator for a while?” You said, your gaze directly pointed at Soap.

“Aye, ye have fun, sis. But not too much.” Soap said with a wink as he pushed you and subsequently Alejandro away from the table. Sure he didn’t want to see his sister grind on a comrade’s thigh or any person’s thigh for that matter but you were a grown woman, and obviously you trusted the Colonel.

“Vamos a bailar, Ale” Let’s go dance. You said as the man joined you on the floor. His strong hand embraced your own gently as you wrapped an arm around his shoulder. His arm quickly found your lower back. He smiled at you as you both began spinning. The liquor made your skin buzz just barely as the music practically thrummed through your veins. You ignored the feeling of eyes on you as you assumed it was just the locals watching you dance with an infamous vaquero. Some of the older locals recognized your face from your time here before.

However they weren’t the only pair of eyes on you as you danced. Ghost slowly sipped his beer as the sounds of your giggles cut through the crowd. Your lips moved as did Alejandro’s as you murmured to each other while dancing. The man is unable to decipher any of it due to limited vision of your lips, lack of knowledge for the language, and the distance. He couldn’t help but wish things were different.

‘What the hell were you doing to him.’ He thought as he focused on Soap and Rudy. The two grown men laughed and caused a commotion as they shifted to battle stories.

The night continued on as more beers were ordered. You finally sauntered back over with Alejandro in tow.

“Rudy, agh. Ayudame.” Help me. Alejandro groaned as he made it to the table, playfully teasing you. You held two more shots in hand as well as fresh beer for the boys.

Soap recognized the command and looked worried for a moment until your quip came back as you pushed him into the booth just as Rudy rose to the occasion.

“Me invitaste a bailar. No es mi culpa que seas un viejo.” You invited me to dance. It’s not my fault you’re an old man. You rolled your eyes before translating. “Ale here forgets that his knees are getting rusty and he wants to blame me.”

“Ale?” Soap said with an eyebrow quirk which you answered with a look alone.

“Te respado, Ale.” I got your back, Ale. Rudy said as he bumped your hips with your own. “Chiqui, tú sabes que no es agradable pegar a un viejo.” Chiqui, you know it's not nice to bully an old man.

You shot the Sergeant Major a look as Soap, Alejandro, and Ghost took the fresh beer bottles from your hand. Your cheeks thrumming with a slight flush of warmth from the liquor coursing through your body.

“You sure you don’t want to take a break?” Soap looked up with concern.

“Oh she’s just getting started unfortunately.” Alejandro chuckled at you as you shared a shot with Rudy. The two of you walked off together, laughing as you shoved each other.

Ghost was suddenly washed over a feeling of jealousy as he watched you dance with your old teammate. Your hips grinding downward onto his thigh in perfect rhythm each time he lifted you up. A laugh leaves your lips as the man whispers things in your ear, his hand resting low on your back. In truth, Rudy was just constantly pulling down the back of your shirt to avoid your scars being revealed. A warmth blooms in your chest as you recognize the habit. But Ghost didn’t see it as that, how could he?

Why was it that you were so comfortable taking the mask off with these men when he had to force it out of you in a spar. Johnny even had to take a moment with you for you to soften up with him again and he is your own family.. What was so trustworthy about these men? Sure you spent two years with these men, bled with them, drank with them, you did it all. But you were his teammate, a member of his task force, not theirs, not anymore. All of these thoughts flooded his brain as he unknowingly gripped his beer tighter, his brows furrowing. Is Rudy the reason why you looked so stressed to come here? You just couldn’t bear the idea of your new team seeing how good you had it with your old one?

Johnny knocked his shoulders against Ghost to snap him back to reality.

“So how did you two manage to get so close to my sister? I haven’t seen her this carefree in a while.” Soap questioned. He hadn’t seen you this carefree since before you started being sent on missions abroad. That’s what he meant to say, but bit his tongue carefully.

“She learned to trust us just as she did you” Alejandro answered calmly as he sipped his beer. The cold beer easing the fiery ache in the older man’s body. Alejandro’s answer irked Ghost but he didn’t show it.

That’s the problem. You didn’t trust him. Sure you trusted Johnny but that’s your family. He’s your commanding officer, your superior, you’re in his care and yet you act like he’s going to suddenly snap whenever he’s around. You can barely hold his gaze or be close to him, meanwhile you can grind on your old teammate without any care and practically share the same breaths of air like it was the only oxygen left.

“And Rudy is the same?” Soap quirked up an eyebrow. Ghost listened closely and watched the Colonel. Alejandro let out a deep chuckle at the question as if a joke was said.

“Rudy and Chiqui are different from Rudy and I. I mean they’re different. Sure, Rudy is my right hand man but Chiqui spent a lot of time with him. They always had each other's back. I mean they used to leave base just to go dance alone at the bar after every mission. He taught her everything. I used to catch them staying up late practicing her Spanish as she taught Rudy how to throw knives. Then I would have to send them to bed and make sure they didn’t follow each other back to the same room.”

“How is that different?” Soap said, “I assume you also taught her something.”

“There’s a phrase we use to describe friends like them. Un amigo es el que intenta levantarte cuando te has caído. Si no logra levantarte, se acuesta a tu lado para escucharte” Alejandro paused. He translated first, having momentarily forgotten the Mactavish twins weren’t completely the same, and then continued his train of thought.

“A friend will try to get you on your feet when you fall. If he fails, then he will lay down on your side and listen to you. Chiqui went through a lot here, especially with this being her first team. She should’ve been sent to somewhere that could ease her into the fire. Instead she was thrown in like a rag doll. Rudy helped her adjust and they became close. I can confidently say they were best friends through and through.”

“Ye dinnae ken me Colonel. I’m asking if my twin has had any history with yer man.” Soap finally said, his look getting serious. Alejandro nodded, finally understanding what the shorter man was getting at.

“Jabón. Under the hot desert sun that plagues Las Almas, even the most clearly drawn lines in the sand can become easily brushed over. Now what your hermana tells you is her business, not mine. She may not be my soldier anymore or under my care, but I will still respect her boundaries. So if you want to know so badly, ask her.” Alejandro said, a serious look appearing on his face as well. The sergeant loosened up on his questioning. Soap could understand why everyone respects the man so much. Soap let out a deep sigh as he peeked at you and Rudy still dancing together. He turned his head back to the table and took notice of the grip Ghost had on his beer. Alejandro following the Scotsman's gaze.

“Todo bien, Fantasma?” All good, Ghost? Alejandro murmured, the two men looking up at him.

“Yeah, I just need a smoke break. Johnny could you scootch-”

“Yeah I got ye.” Johnny said as he let the older man out. Even the nosy sergeant knew not to push his lieutenant when he was this bothered. As Ghost walked out, quickly popping a cigarette and a light into his hands right as he passed through the entryway, exiting into the night.

You noticed Ghost leaving and faltered a step. Rudy noticed and gave you a look. His hand momentarily tightening on your back then relaxing.

“¿Qué pasó Chiqui?” What’s wrong? He whispered into your ear before noticing the way you faltered. The man silently prayed that you were finally done, but a realization passed over his face as he noticed the absence of the lieutenant.

“No pasa nada.” Nothing You responded quickly.

“Ah. El Fantasma.” he chuckled in your ear, a knowing tone to his voice.

“Cállate Rudy. No te metas en algo que no está ahí” Shut up, Rudy. Don’t interfere in something that isn’t there.

“Pero es la problema. No?” But that’s the problem, no? He shot back.

“Rudy.” You spoke roughly, your tone clearly drawing a line.

“Bien, como dijiste que no pasó nada” Fine, just like you said nothing happened. He said, dropping the subject just as fast as it came up. “Pero siempre puedes hablar conmigo, como en los viejos tiempos” But you can always talk to me, like old times.

“Ya no podemos ser como en los viejos tiempos. Solo somos amigos. Ambos estuvimos de acuerdo con eso antes de que sucediera.” We can't be like old times anymore. We're just friends. We both agreed to that before it happened. You whispered in his ear, a saddening note was attached to how you spoke.

Suddenly the liquor turned sour into your stomach and the ache of being on your feet for so long finally got to you. You slowly pulled back from the man with a look, both of you knowing that you were done for the night.

The man nodded, immediately understanding but a part of him ached at your allusion to the incident. He knew what incident you were referring to. That incident when they let you slip through their fingers like the sand that blows through Los Almas. The one time they couldn’t fail and they did anyway.

“Chiqui, siempre estaré aquí para ti” I’ll always be here for you. He said as you both removed yourselves from each other and walked back to the table.

“Yo sé, Rudy. Y siempre estaré aquí para ti” I know, and I will always be here for you. You nodded back.

“Finally done?” Soap smiled at you, knowing that tired look you had on your face. “I hope it was worth it.” He teased you.

“Oh it was worth it.” You nodded, “¿Estamos listos para salir?” Are we ready to leave? You questioned the men with a sigh.

“Finally. I was praying you’d let up soon.” Alejandro said as you all made your way out the door. Even as the moon was high in the sky, everyone could feel the fatigue ache into their bones.

Your eyes immediately scanned for Simon. The man illuminated in the moonlight as he stood next to the jeep. His cigarette long squished out into the ground below.

The ride back to base was silent. Ghost peered down at you as you held his gaze. Neither of you spoke as you took a moment to stare into his glaring blue eyes. You couldn’t understand what ruffled the man’s feathers but you wouldn’t press him.

A soft whine escaped your lips as you walked back to your room. Johnny followed in suit as he went into the room. Ghost stood outside the door, allowing his sergeant time to change and decompress. Ghost knew that Johnny was worried about you and his conversation with Alejandro eased some of his worries while heightening others. Just as he was about to turn in, he noticed a light was on in the room across from yours. He slowly stalked over to the door, standing right beside it and focusing in on the two voices.

“Estoy preocupado por ella, Ale. Ella se niega a abrirse a su teniente. Incluso su hermano no conoce la historia completa..” I'm worried about her, Ale. She refuses to open up to her lieutenant. Even her brother doesn't know the full events.

“Lo sé, Rudy. Pero lo que ellos saben es asunto suya. Quiero decir, si estuvieras en su posición, ¿serías diferente? Le tomó semanas abrirle a ti y luego, justo cuando mejoró, le fallamos. Ella estuvo atrapada aquí durante una semana con esos malvados bastardos. ¿Sabes las cosas que le hicieron? ¿lo que la hicieron hacer?” I know, Rudy. But what they know is their business. I mean if you were in her position, would you be any different? It took her weeks to open up to you and then just when it got better, we failed her. She was stuck here for a week with those evil bastards. You know the things they did to her? What they made her do?

“Sé exactamente lo hicieron. Yo estuve allí! ¿O has olvidado quién entró primero en esa habitación? Quién escuchó su gritos durante horas hasta que nos dieron permiso para entrar? ¿Quién llevó su cuerpo ensangrentado de vuelta a la enfermería? ¿Quién se quedaba junto a su cama todas las malditas noches porque se despertaba gritando como si nunca saliera de esa habitación? ¡Lo hice! ¡Lo hice todo! Yo estaba allí para ella cuando nadie más estaba. ¡Ni siquiera podías mirarla o estar en la misma habitación que ella! Tú eres el que dejó que ese General la robara de vuelta. ¡Sabías exactamente ese General que haría con Chiqui y sin embargo dejaste que sucediera.”

I know exactly what they did to her. I was there! Or have you forgotten who entered that room first? Who listened to her screams for hours until we were given permission to enter. Who carried her bloody body back to the infirmary? Who stayed by her bed every damn night because she would wake up screaming as if she never left that room? I did it. I did it all! I was there for her when no one else was. You couldn't even look at her or be in the same room as her! You're the one who let that General steal her back. You knew exactly what that General would do with Chiqui and yet you let it happen.

“Baja el tono, sargento mayor. No me viste detenerlo. Lo intenté. Pero él fue por encima de mí, a nuestros superiores.” Lower your tone, Sergeant Major. You didn't see me stop him. I tried. But he went above me, to our superiors.

“¿y qué hubiera pasado si hubiera sido Valeria en lugar de Chiqui? ¿te habrías esforzado más?” And what if it had been Valeria instead of Chiqui? Would you have tried harder?

He recognized the voices as Rudy and Alejandro but he couldn’t decipher it. All he knew was that they were talking about you. There was a long pause, something was said lower but Ghost couldn’t pick it up.

“Su hermano me interrogó sobre ti, mientras ustedes dos bailaban.” Her brother interrogated me about you, while you two danced.

“¿Jabón? ¿Qué quería saber?” Soap? What did he want to know?

“Tú relación con su hermana.” Your relationship to his sister.

“¿qué le dijiste?” What did you tell him?

“La verdad.” The truth.

“¿Todo?” All of it?

“No todo, pero algunas cosas están muy claras.” Not all of it, but some things are very clear.

“¿Como lo que?” Like what?

“Le dije que algunas líneas se difuminaron, pero sobre todo que eras su mejor amigo. También le dije que lo preguntara a ella porque el necesitaba escucharlo de ella, no de mí.” I told him that some lines were blurred, but mostly that you were her best friend. I also told him to ask her because he needed to hear it from her, not from me.

A deep sigh was heard as Ghost got closer to the door.

“¿Es por eso que Fantasma se fue?” Is that why Ghost left? The masked lieutenant tensed up at the mention of his name in spanish.

“Sí.” Yes.

“¿Quién está siendo metiche en mi puerta?” Who is being nosy at my door? Suddenly a pair approached the door. And it swung open, but Ghost was already gone.

“Rudy?” Alejandro spoke as he walked past the shorter man, standing in front of the entryway as Rudy stepped back into his own room.

“¿Mande?” yes/come again?

“Creo que ahora tienes una razón para temer a los fantasmas” I think you have a reason to fear ghosts now.

Author’s note - The girls are fiiiighting. I know I know. Lots of questions, and all will be answered in the upcoming chapters. I’m sorry I couldn’t resist reader being close with Los Vaqueros AND me getting an excuse to practice my Spanish. As always - I hope you enjoyed it! Reblogs, comments, and likes are all welcome!

My requests are open! Feel free to drop by and ask questions!

Masterlist

[scariusaquarius]

rehab. 33.

Avenger! Bucky Barnes x Winter Soldier! Fem! Reader

Summary: While on a mission to find any more possible super soldiers that were a part of the Winter Soldier program, Steve and Bucky make a discovery in an abandoned HYDRA base that was cleared out a few years prior to their mission. They discover the Reader, a long-forgotten soldier that was still asleep within a functioning cryostasis pod; still awaiting orders. While Bucky isn't happy about it, he is put up to the challenge of helping to rehabilitate the soldier in Wakanda where she may be able to become a person again.

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A/n: THEY HUGGED. THEY HUGGED. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. BIG shoutout to my mom for helping me write this chapter. She is an absolute BEAST when it comes to law <3 so please make sure to give most of the thanks to my mother LMAO (and yes, it was slightly humiliating to ask her help with this). apparently the chapter wasn't as long as i thought, but hey, 7.2k words is still hefty Also, if you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee! If you would prefer to read Rehab on Archive, you may do so right HERE!

This is an au where Bucky joined the avengers but still rehabilitated in Wakanda (sometime before Infinity War [canon divergent cause NOPE]). I am NOT fluent in Russian, so I did use google translate cause I couldn't find a good translator that I trusted. If anything is wrong, PLEASE let me know!! Also, I tried to list as many warnings as possible so you know what the story will contain as chapters are posted. Stay safe!

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Genre: Slowburn, Enemies to Lovers/Friends to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Humor, Drama, Dark Content Rated: Explicit Warning: Angst, Dark Content: Graphic Depictions of Sexual Assault, Blood and Gore, Mentions of Manipulation, Kidnapping, Canon-Typical Violence, Body Horror, Nonconsensual Body Modification/Scarring, Emotional and Physical Abuse, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation, Graphic Depictions of Human Remains, Mentions of Sexual Coercion/Manipulation, Death, Misuse of Drugs/Forced Drugging, Self-Harm (Graphic Depictions and Mentions), Nightmares

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Author: ScariusAquarius

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rehab masterlist. / rehab masterlist 2. chapter 30 / chapter 31 / chapter 32

Three days later, the courtroom was completely packed.

Cameras clicked, pens scratched against paper, and the tension was thicker than ice as the spectators whispered among themselves. Power, politics, and consequence hung in the air; an evident reminder of what was to come. The eyes of the world were on Jack Rollins as he sat chained and shackled to the defendants table on the far side of the room, his face blank and uncaring.

On the other side of the room sat a team of the Avengers. Steve, wearing a clean navy suit that barely hid his incredible frame. Natasha, who was wearing a sophisticated black and red suit with an annoyed look upon her face and her arms crossed.

Maria Hill was wearing a simple black and white pantsuit, her hair in its signature bun while sitting rigid and unreadable, the recorded confession tucked beneath her casefile carefully. Clint and Wanda were also present, sitting on the end of their table with equal expressions of suspense while simply adorning their uniforms.

Each of them were staring at Director Holloway, seeing right through his tailored suit that he attempted to wear as a suit of armor. Suddenly, the gavel was struck loudly, the sound crashing through the room like an explosion, and everyone immediately quieted down as the judge entered the room.

"All rise."

Everyone stood in unison, and as the bailiff called the court into session, the judge sat down and gathered herself. She was an older woman, a fire within her green eyes and curly greyed hair framing her face as she nodded to everyone within the room.

"Be seated."

The crowd sat down in unison, chairs and benches creaking, and the prosecution stood, the woman's voice clear, sure, and assertive as she looked at the judge.

"Your honor, today we bring forth not just a trial for Jack Rollins, but a call to action as well. This case is deep-rooted not only in HYDRA, but the Central Intelligence Agency. It is not just about one man's heinous desires or one man's betrayal, but the failure of a security agency within our own government, our country, that is supposed to keep our people safe. It is a call to action to figure out how and why and to immediately end this treasonous behavior."

Steve glanced at Director Holloway from the corner of his eye, and he watched as the man seated directly behind the defense's table shifted uncomfortably within his seat as the crowd began to scrutinize him.

Clenching his jaw, Steve glanced back to the judge, who frowned at the woman's opening statement, and at the sound of shuffling beside him, Steve glanced at Maria whose fingers had ghosted over the tape recorder. Then, the prosecutor cleared her throat before regarding the Judge with a firm look.

"I'd like to call a witness to the stand: Agent Maria Hill."

Murmurs echoed through the crowd, and Maria stood with practiced poise. She was comfortable and confident as she walked to the stand; as if she had done this a hundred times before. Once she was sworn in and seated, the questions immediately began.

"Agent Hill, if you would, can you state your name and affiliation for the record?"

Maria nodded, introducing herself.

"Agent Maria Hill, former Deputy Director for SHIELD."

The prosecutor regarded Maria with a steady look, asking her as she stood in front of Maria.

"You were involved with the independent investigation into Jack Rollins' activities following a discovery made by the Avengers, is this correct?"

Maria replied coolly, nodding as she responded.

"Yes, Mrs. McDaniel. I co-led the investigation into the CIA after irregularities surfaced within the agency."

The prosecutor, Mrs. McDaniel, nodded before she began to pace slightly, glancing down at the ground as she held her hands behind her back, looking up at Maria once more after a moment.

"And, pray tell, what did you find with this investigation?"

Maria answered immediately, adjusting in her seat as she stared down Director Holloway through her reply.

“That Jack Rollins was not only a former HYDRA operative who survived the attack at the Triskelion in 2016, but that he continued covert operations within a post-Winter Soldier initiative while under the guise of CIA employment—backed, knowingly, by Director Dean Holloway.”

The courtroom broke into hushed whispers as the shock went through the crowd, and the Judge immediately banged her gavel once in warning.

"Order!!"

The crowed instantly quieted down, and the prosecutor gave a slight nod to the Judge in thanks before McDaniel gestured towards the evidence box where Natasha's recording was sitting.

"We understand that you have brought a recording into evidence today. Can you explain to the court what this recording entails?"

Maria nodded, gesturing with a nod of her head towards the box as she explained.

“Yes. The evidence is direct audio confession from Director Holloway, recorded during a closed-door debriefing. Permission was granted to record for internal review."

Director Holloway instantly became red in the face at Maria's white lie, and the prosecutor asked.

"It's our understanding that Director Holloway admitted to the CIA's involvement with HYDRA, is this correct?"

Maria looked at Holloway again, her voice steeled and firm as she glared at the man as he damn-near pouted right back.

"Yes. Director Holloway admits to protecting Rollins and redirecting the attention of HYDRA-affiliated incidents. He also admits to providing logistical resources that ultimately enabled human experimentation and funding an enhanced super soldier program, namely Project Achilles."

There was a moment of silence before the prosecutor turned to the Judge, stating to her firmly.

“We would like to submit the recording into evidence.”

The judge nodded, her annoyed eyes glancing at the woman as she demanded.

“Play it.”

There was a moment of silence before the sound of static crackled through the speakers within the courtroom, and then Holloway's voice became clear as day as the recording began to play.

'Listen, this wasn't my idea! The CIA has been using HYDRA as a means to an end! We partnered with them back in the 60's...creating our own super soldier program in order to make the best agents to ensure national security!'

A cut, and then the audio continued as Holloway began to panic within his seat, his eyes wide and face paled, sweat running down his temple as his breathing quickened.

'HYDRA has always been using us as we have been using them. Stealing our information, sabotaging our efforts, the whole nine yards!'

Then, Natasha's voice echoed through the room.

'What do you know about Project Achilles?'

'Project Achilles...it was a last resort. We worked together with HYDRA to create the perfect agent...we slaved for years trying to replicate what Howard Stark had created. Robert had always been a brilliant mind, you see? While HYDRA and the CIA had the same idea of creating a perfect weapon, the CIA wanted to...to have the perfect agent that could protect our country! But HYDRA....HYDRA wanted to expand their influence...to control from within! Project Achilles was just a front!'

The silence within the room was loud once the recording ended. Nobody uttered a word, not even a single breath, and the revelation of what the CIA had done echoed through the room. The prosecutor frowned heavily, and she asked with a low voice.

"Earlier, Agent Hill, you mentioned something called Project Achilles. Can you explain to the court was this project was and what it entailed?"

Maria cleared her throat before explaining, folding her hands in front of her and leaning on her arms slightly.

"Project Achilles was a Winter Soldier program that was started in 1975, but is speculated to have begun since the 1940's after Project Rebirth. It was a joint effort between the CIA and HYDRA to create the ideal infiltration and combat soldier through physical and psychological conditioning. However, it was revealed to be a guise for human experimentation."

The prosecutor hummed, raising her brow slightly as she pressed.

"And it's to our understanding that there is a surviving subject to the project, correct?"

Steve became uncomfortable, frowning as the defense suddenly stood and exclaimed.

"Objection, your honor. Relevance?"

The judge gave the man an annoyed look, raising her greyed eyebrow as her unimpressed expression killed the defense attorney's confident expression.

"Counselor, I think you're gonna want to hear this. Overruled."

The prosecutor then continued after subtly rolling her eyes.

"Can you reveal to us who this subject is?"

Maria looked down at her notes for a moment before she glanced back at McDaniel.

"The subject is classified as Winter Soldier #08, Subject number #2018 under HYDRA and Project Achilles documentation. However, her real name is (Y/n) (L/n). She was born in 1952, and she was a scientist for the CIA before her documented death in 1979, in which she was turned into a Winter Soldier for both the CIA and HYDRA."

Maria paused, glancing at Steve, who simply nodded to her encouragingly.

"She is alive and currently under the protection and care of the Avengers."

Suddenly, the court broke out into gasps and uproars, cameras clicking nonstop and reporters immediately shouting questions. Holloway's face became completely pale, eyes wide, and it looked as though he might faint.

Jack, having not moved since the trial began, finally shifted and glanced up at Maria with a cold and calculating expression. The judge smacked her gavel down repeatedly, exclaiming with a hiss.

"Order! I will have order in the court or everyone in the room will be held in contempt of court!"

The murmurs in the room subsided, but just barely. The prosecutor nodded her head towards the Judge before giving Maria questioning glance.

"Is there anything else that you can tell us about Ms. (L/n)?"

Maria hesitated for a moment before she stated.

"(Y/n) was raised entirely within the Project Achilles initiative since her birth. When her mother attempted to escape with her on December 18th, 1979, she was killed. Ultimately, (Y/n) was taken and turned into a Winter Soldier before being subjected to years of trauma-based conditioning, psychological manipulation, brutal combat trainings, sexual assault and rape, among others."

Maria then paused before glancing at Steve.

"Until recently, when she was recovered by Steve Rogers."

The prosecutor nodded, and thanked her before the defense attorney stood. He was slow and methodical, fixing his suit as he walked up to the stand. He was quiet for a moment, glancing at Maria as if he was trying to put her on edge, but Maria simply raised her eyebrow at him, unimpressed.

"Agent Hill, based on your testimony, you are claiming that the CIA was involved with HYDRA knowingly, is that correct?"

Maria raised her brow again, tilting her head inquisitively.

"That's what Director Holloway's confession stated, so yes."

There were a few chuckles through the room that had the Judge's eyes squinting, and Natasha smirked to herself slightly. The attorney's brow furrowed, and he continued.

"You also stated that the discovery of the CIA and HYDRA working together occurred during an investigation. However, this was not led by the federal government or an oversight committee, but by you and the Avengers. Forgive me, Agent Hill, but this might seem as though this is biased-considering this was done by vigilantes with highly personal stakes."

Maria frowned then, responding firmly.

"We followed the evidence. We weren't the ones hiding it."

"Still, you admit that this investigation was done without sanctions, yes?"

Maria remained calm and collected, giving the man a cool stare as she shot back assertively.

"Unofficial does not mean unfounded."

The attorney spun around, wagging his finger in the air as he called with an almost 'a-ha!' tone to his voice.

"Ah, but since the investigation was unregulated, it seems this was manipulated and selective, would you not agree?"

Maria leaned forward a little, shooting back coolly.

"If we were admitting to manipulation, then Director Holloway's voice wouldn't be on that recording admitting to a federal conspiracy."

The defense turned around then, a strange gleam in his eyes as he pointed out as he suddenly moved on.

"Let's talk about the recording then, Agent Hill. You stated that Director Holloway was informed of being recording, correct?"

"Yes. Natasha Romanoff and I made it very clear that he was being recorded."

The attorney then turned, asking with a raised brow.

"And, you have this consent in writing?"

Maria shook her head, responding with a easy look upon her face as she raised her nose slightly at the man.

"No. Verbal consent is common in secure debriefings."

The attorney then raised his eyebrows completely, giving Maria a look as he out-right asked her once again.

"So, you don't have evidence that he explicitly consented?"

The prosecutor stood up again, frowning heavily.

"Objection, your honor-asked and answered."

The attorney seemed to become red in the face when the Judge gave the man a harsh look.

"Sustained. Mr. Leeds, move on."

Mr. Leeds huffed slightly before he moved back from the stand. He then crossed his arms, a hand to his chin as he began to think. Leeds then gestured, almost carelessly as he put on a care-free image.

"No further questions, your honor."

The judge then looked to the prosecutor, asking after giving the man a skeptical look.

"Redirect, Mrs. McDaniel?"

The prosecutor gave Maria a proud nod before stating to the judge.

"No further questions, your honor."

The judge nodded before looking at Maria, stating.

"You are excused, Agent Hill."

Maria gathered her files before standing down, giving a brief look to Director Holloway and Jack before sitting back down. Natasha leaned over and whispered.

"Way to make him tuck his dick."

Maria smirked, shrugging as she eyed Natasha from the side.

"You win some, you lose some."

Natasha smirked widely before glancing back to the prosecutor. McDaniel looked to the Judge then, requesting the woman with a confident look upon her face.

"Your honor, I would like to call my next witness, Captain Steven Rogers, to the stand."

Steve then stood, adjusting the cuffs to his suit before he walked down to the stand with a calm but confident gait to his step. Once he was sworn in and and sat down, McDaniel addressed him.

"Captain Rogers, for the record, please state your name and affiliation."

Steve nodded, introducing himself.

"Steven Grant Rogers. Former Captain of the United States Army, Former Commander for the Howling Commandos, and I now serve as a tactical consultant and field commander with the Avengers Initiative under special pardons granted by the United Nations and the United States Government."

McDaniel nodded before she asked Steve, crossing her arms as she looked at him with a neutral expression.

"Captain Rogers, you were involved with a recovery operation to an abandoned HYDRA facility several months ago, correct?"

Steve nodded, agreeing, and the woman continued.

"Can you tell the court who accompanied you on this mission?"

"Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes and I led the mission together."

The prosecutor nodded, asking him as she leaned against the table.

"Can you walk us through this mission?"

Steve sat up a bit, beginning to explain as his natural militant persona began to shine through.

"We received credible intel of an old HYDRA facility that was stationed in Eastern Europe and off the books. Bucky and I infiltrated the facility and found that it was still operational despite being abandoned. That's when we found (Y/n) (L/n)."

A stir moved through the crowd, but Steve never moved his eyes from McDaniel as he continued to speak.

"She was in cryogenic stasis when she was found. There were logs that she was in and out of suspension for decades, training data, lab files. It was made apparent that there was long-term experimentation and programming."

"Was there any indication of her origins?"

Steve shook his head, explaining.

"Not initially, no. We discovered her origins later when we tracked down (Y/n)'s most-recent Handler, Jack Rollins, and Director Holloway after we discovered she was a scientist for the Directorate of Science and Technology within the CIA."

McDaniel nodded before she asked.

"What was (Y/n)'s role in Project Achilles?"

Steve's face became firm as he answered, his eyes flicking towards Rollins, who was giving the man a quiet sneer that had Steve's blood boiling.

"(Y/n) (L/n) was the successful test subject of the project. From what we have gathered, (Y/n)'s whole life was fabricated by HYDRA and the CIA: from her birth, her schooling, friends, even her job. They were grooming her to become the most-effective covert Winter Soldier."

McDaniel then asked further, tilting her head a little as the room erupted into tiny murmurs and whispers as pens began to furiously scribble into notepads.

"Were you aware of her ties to the CIA at the time?"

"No. We discovered the connection through a recorded memory (Y/n) had thanks to the advanced technology procured by Princess Shuri of Wakanda."

Feeling that this was enough, McDaniel looked at the Judge and nodded her head.

"No further questions, your honor."

Leeds stood up then as the judge addressed him, pursing her lips.

"Counsel, you made begin your cross-examination."

Leeds didn't hesitate, clearing his throat as Steve regarded him with a guarded expression.

"I'd like to clarify a few details to the court. Captain Rogers, you stated that you led this mission with Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, correct?"

Steve nodded, squinting his eyes slightly as he looked at the man.

"Yes, that is correct."

Leeds then raised his brow, stating.

"And this is the same James Buchanan Barnes that was, for a period of time, known as the Winter Soldier-a HYDRA operative."

McDaniel immediately stated firmly, her stance almost aggressive.

"Objection. Relevance."

The Judge nodded before looking at Leeds with a pointed expression.

"Sustained. Mr. Leeds, rephrase your question or move on."

Leeds hummed, nodding.

"Of course. Captain Rogers, would you agree with Sergeant Barnes has a complex history involving HYDRA?"

Steve became guarded again, his expression steeling as he responded with an assertive tone to his voice as he tried to not become offended by what the defense attorney was beginning to imply.

"I would agree that Bucky was a victim of HYDRA. He, just like (Y/n), was captured, brainwashed, tortured, and used as a weapon by HYDRA. After rehabilitation in Wakanda and with the help of Princess Shuri's technology, he is no longer under their control. In fact, he was fully pardoned and cleared for operations under the Avengers Initiative on the basis that he attends court-mandated therapy sessions overseen by Dr. Christina Raynor."

The defense attorney then asked as he turned to look around the court room, his voice carrying through the room like a cloud of poisonous gas.

"To your knowledge, did Sergeant Barnes have any prior connection to the facility in which (Y/n) (L/n) was found?"

Steve paused for a moment before he swallowed thickly, stating suspiciously.

"No."

"But Sergeant Barnes had previously operated in similar HYDRA facilities, yes?"

Steve then spoke with an offended tone, stating firmly as he sat forward slightly in his seat as his muscles tensed; ready for a fight.

"Yes. Against his will while under the control of Alexander Pierce—and through enforcement by Brock Rumlow and Jack Rollins. That was established in his pardon proceedings."

The room erupted into whispers again, and the attorney frowned heavily. Jack snorted from within his seat, and Steve felt his body tense up even more. The defense attorney then turned again, his gaze steeled as he asked.

“And yet, as we are to understand it: following her recovery, Sergeant Barnes became deeply involved in her rehabilitation. Would you say that’s accurate?”

Steve nodded, his voice clipped as he replied while glancing over at Natasha and Maria, who were glaring at the attorney.

"Yes. He stepped in to help. Since Bucky has experience with her type of trauma, he elected to help her."

The attorney nodded before smiling politely at the Judge.

"No further questions, your honor."

The judge nodded before glancing at McDaniel, who rose from within her seat and raising a hand.

"Captain Rogers, just two questions."

Steve nodded, recomposing himself as he breathed deeply, and McDaniel asked him after giving him a moment.

"To your knowledge, did Sergeant Barnes have any control over his actions while under HYDRA’s influence?"

Steve immediately replied, his voice firm as he shook his head.

"No. He had absolutely no control whatsoever."

McDaniel nodded before asking further.

"To your knowledge, did (Y/n) (L/n) have any control over her actions while under HYDRA's influence?"

"No."

McDaniel glanced at the Judge before she nodded.

"No further questions, your honor."

The weight of Steve's answers filled the room, silence overcoming the crowd as the simple scratching of pens from the reporters filled the atmosphere, and Steve was excused to step down. When he returned to the table, Clint hissed out as the Judge called for a recess.

"That damn attorney is trying to do everything except talk about the actual ordeal at hand."

Steve let out an exasperated noise, not sure how to respond, and McDaniel leaned over to whisper.

"That's kind of his job. Don't worry, we're gonna be okay."

Steve nodded, and McDaniel further elaborated.

"We've got a last-minute witness that we are going to call before Shuri begins her testimony."

Wanda then frowned, finally speaking after simply staying quiet and observing the proceeding the whole time.

"Who are you going to call in?"

McDaniel smirked and winked.

"You'll see. For now, let's just take a breather and get ready for the next part of the proceeding."

Once court was back in session and the prosecution was composed and collected, McDaniel stood up, calling to the judge as the room immediately became quiet except for the cameras clicking once more.

"Your Honor, the government respectfully moves, pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16(d)(2), to call Anthony Edward Stark as an additional witness for the limited purpose of authenticating the memory‑extraction files obtained from (Y/n) (L/n). We further move for their admission into evidence as Government Exhibit G."

Leeds immediately stood, his expression angry as he raised his voice as the court erupted into gasps. With the exception of McDaniel, the prosecution widened their eyes with shock while Natasha smirked and stifled a laugh. On the other side of the room, the defense immediately paled.

"Objection, Your Honor! Mr. Stark was not disclosed as a witness! We’ve had no opportunity to prepare or challenge his qualifications."

The judge gave Leeds a steely expression, pointing at him.

"Mr. Leeds, I advise you to correct your tone swiftly. Mrs. McDaniel, please explain yourself."

McDaniel nodded before she launched herself straight into the fire, stating confidently as the cameras furiously clicked.

"The files we obtained were de-classified and transferred to our office just before the court proceedings began. We notified the defense as soon as we received them. Mr. Stark's testimony will be confined to digital-forensic authentication to verify the chain of custody, cryptographic signatures, and checksum integrity of the evidence before Princess Shuri of Wakanda gives her testimony."

Leeds was glaring at McDaniel hotly while the judge became thoughtful, and after a moment of thinking, she sighed before stating.

"I’ll allow the motion, over objection, solely on the limited scope proffered by the prosecution. The defense may conduct voir dire immediately upon Mr. Stark’s appearance. You may proceed to call your witness."

McDaniel visibly relaxed with relief before Tony was called into the courtroom. Immediately the cameras began to flash and click, reporters calling out to him, but the judge was swift to yell while slamming her gavel down with a sneer.

"Order! One more time, folks! One more!"

She shook her head when the room quieted, rubbing her forehead in exasperation, and Tony was sworn in before being seated. McDaniel gave him a moment to get situated before she stood and addressed him.

"Mr. Stark, can you please state your name and affiliation for the record?"

Tony smirked slightly, his demeanor calm and relaxed as he stated almost cockily, eyeing the other side of the room with glee when Steve just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Anthony Edward Stark, CEO of Stark Industries and inventor of Stark Forensics cryptographic suite. Oh, did I mention I'm an Avenger as well?"

The judge immediately gave Tony a deadpan look, pointing at him.

"Stark, do not test me."

Tony huffed slightly, and McDaniel gave him an annoyed look before asking.

"Mr. Stark, you reviewed the digital files of the extracted memories of (Y/n) (L/n) that Princess Shuri of Wakanda obtained, is this correct?"

"Yes, in fact, I did."

McDaniel nodded before she asked.

"What steps were taken to ensure the absolute authenticity of these memories?"

Tony immediately sat up, a slight grin on his lips as he boasted.

"Listen up, you're gonna love this. First, I confirmed the SHA‑512 hash values matched those generated by Dr. Shuri’s extraction device. Then I ran end‑to‑end checksum comparisons after each data transfer—through Stark Forensics servers, to CIA evidence lockers, and finally to the court’s repository. All checksums were identical. I also verified the embedded Wakandan quantum‑seal certificate using our cross‑jurisdiction key exchange protocol. Pretty amazing, right?"

McDaniel gave Tony a hard look before continuing.

"In your expert opinion, has Exhibit G been tampered with or edited in any way since its initial extraction?"

Tony shook his head.

"Nope. Exhibit G is as authentic as it gets. I mean, they're direct recordings of these memories as they happened in real time."

McDaniel nodded before stating and moving back to sit down at the table.

"No further questions, your honor."

The judge nodded before regarding Leeds with a firm look.

"The defense may proceed to voir dire the witness."

Leeds wasted no time in standing up, giving Tony an annoyed look as he asked from his spot behind the table.

"Mr. Stark, you're not a neuroscientist nor a medical doctor, correct?"

Tony tilted his head, confirming with an intrigued look upon his face.

"Yes, that's right."

Mr. Leeds then smiled slightly, a haughty look upon his face that had Tony becoming annoyed.

"So you cannot guarantee the accuracy of how these memories were extracted-only the authentication that these recorded memories matched the digital files that were attached?"

Tony glanced to the side before looking at the man with an exasperated look.

"Considering my testimony is to ensure the authenticity, that would be correct."

Mr. Leeds gave Tony a dirty look before stating firmly.

"Nothing further, your honor."

"Then, the court will notion that Exhibit G is moved to admission for evidence."

Tony smirked and once he was excused, he practically skipped over to the prosecution table where he plopped down into a seat next to Steve. The Judge instantly looked at Tony, asking him.

"Mr. Stark, what the hell are you doing?"

Tony shrugged, gesturing with his hand wildly.

"Oh, this is a show that I don't want to miss, your honor. You understand, right?"

The judge instantly smacked her elbows onto the table, covering her face as she groaned and threw her hands up into the air.

"Whatever. Not a damn peep, Stark. Can we please move on? Mrs. McDaniel, your final witness if there are no further surprises?"

Steve gave Tony a firm look while Tony smirked at him and winked before looking back at McDaniel as she stood after sighing heavily for a moment as if she was regretting calling Tony as a witness.

"No more surprises, your honor. The prosecution would like to call Princess Shuri of Wakanda to the stand."

The room, although controlled, erupted into more murmurs and whispers as Shuri walked into the room. Her head was held high, a serious look upon her face as she walked in while adorned in her royal garbs. When the woman was sworn in and sat down, McDaniel greeted her.

"Princess Shuri, would you please state your name and affiliation to the court?"

Shuri couldn't help but to smirk slightly.

"Princess Shuri of Wakanda. I am the lead scientist of Wakanda."

McDaniel nodded before asking the woman respectfully, clasping her hands together as she spoke.

"Princess Shuri, you were the creator of the Wakandad technology that was used to isolate, delete, and repair the mind after the effects of mind-control and installed programming, such as the Winter Soldier programming, for Sergeant Barnes and later, (Y/n) (L/n). Moreover, the neural-interface extraction technology used to obtain the memories of (Y/n) (L/n), correct?"

Shuri nodded, elaborating while wincing slightly as she held a hand up.

"Yes, though, if I may correct you? The technology that I created specifically after managing to completely reverse Sergeant Barnes' Winter Soldier programming is an AI that is capable of identifying HYDRA's programming. Not only that, but as well as detect the intensity and depth that it runs. It gives possible solutions and suggestions on what to work on first...and tells me when something activates the program."

The room erupted with hums and small exclamations of awe, and Tony couldn't help but to nod proudly as she spoke. McDaniel's smiled kindly as she asked.

"Can you go into depth about the core principles of this technology that you created?"

Shuri's eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands together as she began to explain.

"Oh, absolutely. Our system uses a vibranium‑infused quantum synchronic scanner to non‑invasively map and record synaptic transmission patterns in the hippocampus and temporal lobe, which is responsible for memory. It captures any memories as they are encoded, then encrypts them with a multi‑factor quantum key, ensuring absolute chain‑of‑custody integrity."

Shuri was smiling, proud of her creation as she spoke, and McDaniel couldn't help but to grin back before asking with a spring within her step and a confident tone blooming within her voice.

"And how exactly do you identify the validity and accuracy of these memories that you are able to extract?"

Shuri launched into the explanation, gesturing all-the-while almost excitedly.

"My program, as well as Mr. Stark's own programs that were used in unison, are put through the AI system that is able to identify the difference between what may be a dream and an actual memory. We look at the synaptic transmissions and cross-reference them with current memories that are located within the hippocampus. After, they are put through a technical audit, overseen by Mr. Stark and his Forensics technology."

McDaniel then moved on, asking.

"Now, did these memories that you have extracted include memories of interactions of Jack Rollins?"

Shuri immediately smirked at Jack, who was glaring at her with a murderous look within his eyes as his jaw clenched.

"Without a doubt."

She then looked at McDaniel, her smile slowly falling as she further explained.

"These memories include many instances of Jack Rollins' supervision of (Y/n) (L/n). They contain traumatic sequences of rape, sexual assault, physical abuse, punitive training sessions, and other abuse tactics that are consistent with HYDRA's Winter Soldier regime."

McDaniel nodded before looking at the Judge with a determined expression.

"We would like to submit these clips to the court. Please let it be known: the following clips are incredibly disturbing, and viewer discretion is advised among the court."

The Judge nodded, her expression serious as she gave the go-ahead. Instantly, a white screen descended as the clips began to play. the first clip was of (Y/n) being held down on the ground, her legs kept spread as Rollins' face smirked menacingly at her.

There was blood covering her thighs and pooled beneath her body. She was trying to struggle, thrashing as he seemed to be shoving an unknown object inside of her. Her vagina was blurred, thankfully, but it was no secret what was happening within the clip.

The courtroom erupted into horrified gasps and gags, and Tony had to look away, becoming stone-cold as he listened to the room react. Beside him, Steve was frozen, his eyes unable to leave the screen from the shock and horror. Natasha and Maria were eerily quiet, and Clint made a noise of disgust. Wanda closed her eyes and covered her mouth, becoming emotional and beginning to cry.

The next clip was of (Y/n) standing in front of Rollins, his face angry as he held a baton within his hand, and though he was speaking, there was no audio. The next second, he violently brought the baton down, and (Y/n) was knocked to the ground, blood spitting from out of her mouth. She shakily sat up, her hands trembling as she unbuckled Rollins' belt and unzipped his pants. The clip ended abruptly, and the next one began almost immediately.

The next one was worse: Rollins was standing above her with a knife, sawing into her skin with a maniacal look on his face as a doctor stood by in the background. His face was covered in her blood, parts of her skin hanging by mere threads and others freshly sewed back. Although her vision blurred for a moment, there was a moment where her head fell to the side, and the court was able to clearly see her face.

(Y/n)'s lower-half of her face was completely covered in blood and open wounds, her eyes bloodshot and one completely red from a busted blood vessel in her eye. She was crying, wailing although no sound came out, all the while Rollins began to rape her, and the clip was turned off.

Tony had to close his eyes and begin breathing as deeply as he could. Steve was angry, his body trembling and the table beginning to break beneath his grip. Natasha stared with a stone-cold face as she watched, and Maria had to look away in disgust. Clint was slack-jawed, his eyes glazed over from the fury that had went through him, and Wanda continued to cry silently as she kept her face covered.

Steve slowly looked over at Rollins, and the only thing that stopped him from lunging at the man was Tony's harsh grip on his arm.

The man was smiling at him. Not a single ounce of remorse or guilt upon his face. Tony was giving Steve a harsh look, stating.

"He's done. He's done for, Cap."

There were angry tears in Steve's eyes, and the man almost felt ashamed for losing his cool for a moment. After a few more clips, the white screen was retracted, and the court was completely quiet. No cameras clicked, no pens scribbled. It was deathly still and quiet. Nobody dared to even breathe. Finally, McDaniel stated quietly.

"No further questions."

The Judge was quiet, her eyes glaring slightly at Rollins before she looked at Leeds.

"The court recognizes that these recordings are authenticated direct memory extractions, reviewed by two expert witnesses and voluntarily submitted. They will stand as evidence. Counselor, proceed carefully."

Mr. Leeds swallowed thickly, his gaze accusatory towards Rollins before he simply muttered, defeated and slumped within his seat.

"No questions, your honor."

The judge was quiet for a moment, quietly scrutinizing the man before stating.

"Counsel, having heard all the testimony and reviewed the admitted evidence, the court will now hear closing arguments. The government may proceed."

McDaniel then stood, her gait filled with solemn but determined fire as she began to address the jury.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you've heard testimony from decorated agents, government officials, and technological experts. You've seen firsthand accounts authenticated by the most advanced technology known to man—memories, extracted directly from the mind of a survivor. And in those memories, you saw Jack Rollins.”

She began to pace in front of the jury, who was giving her their undivided attention as she continued to speak.

“You saw him inflict cruelty. You saw him carry out the most heinous torture, discipline, and manipulation. You've heard a recorded confession from the Director of the CIA, Dean Holloway, admitting to the CIA's involvement with Jack Rollins and HYDRA under the guise of national interest; effectively enabling these crimes.”

McDaniel then shook her head, her voice raising just the slightest as she raised her hand.

"This is not just about a shadow that is hidden within history. This is about men in power who made repeated decisions that cost lives; who destroyed a person's humanity and called it patriotism. Who destroyed a man who was once a war hero. And who continued these operations years after HYDRA was thought to be gone."

McDaniel then turned to look at Jack Rollins and Dean Holloway for a moment before spinning back to the jury.

“Jack Rollins committed the most atrocious crimes known to man, and Dean Holloway enabled them. And now, you hold the power to deliver justice—to say, unequivocally, that what happened was not just wrong—it was criminal. The government asks you to return a verdict of guilty on all counts for all parties involved.”

McDaniel regarded Leeds with a haughty expression, the man stewing within his seat, and the second that McDaniel sat down, Leeds stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow. He walked to stand in front of the jury, who all seemed almost disinterested in what the man had to say.

“You’ve just heard a powerful argument. You’ve seen painful images. You’ve listened to compelling witnesses. And I don’t doubt for a second that you are angry. That you want someone to blame, but in a court of law, emotion and sympathy is not enough. In our government, we deal in facts, admissible evidence, and the burden of proof."

He cleared his throat before he began to speak, becoming a bit frazzled as he watched one of the reporters roll their eyes at him.

"M...My client, Mr. Rollins, has been accused of crimes based on memories extracted by experimental technology. Technology that—even if groundbreaking—still raises concerns about accuracy, interpretation, and consent. Furthermore, Director Holloway’s statements were recorded under questionable circumstances—without legal counsel, and without assurance that what he said wasn’t coerced or misunderstood.”

The defense attorney gestured widely with his hands, pleading.

“I ask you not to ignore the pain you've seen—but to remember your oath. That you would base your decision not on outrage, but on evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. And when you do that, you will see that this case, no matter how sensational, is riddled with shadows. Shadows that cast doubt—and doubt, ladies and gentlemen, demands acquittal.”

Once Leeds sat down, dabbing more sweat from his brow, the Judge then instructed the jury.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will now receive instructions on the law before retiring to deliberate."

The judge then began to give her instructions, and once the court was called into a recess for the jury to deliberate and she left the room, Mr. Leeds began to quietly berate Rollins, who didn't seem to be listening to a single word that he was saying.

In contrast, the prosecution was deathly quiet, nobody daring to utter a single word, save for Clint, who was comforting Wanda carefully and gently. Tony simply muttered to Steve after a moment.

"I told you. I told you they were fucking horrible."

Steve's jaw clenched as he eyed Tony, and Tony glanced at Steve. Steve was almost surprised at Tony's teary eyes, and Steve looked away. He couldn't even speak, unable to properly word his thoughts, and Tony took a deep breath.

"I say after this, we all get drunk and take (Y/n) on a vacation."

"Wakanda is her vacation, Tony."

Natasha stated numbly, and Tony rolled his eyes. When the Judge entered the room again, the atmosphere immediately changed. Instantly, everyone shifted within their seats, and hearts began to race in anticipation.

"Will the jury foreperson please rise?"

A woman stood then, seeming to be in her 50's and a strange look upon her face as she looked at the judge. She was holding onto a small piece of paper, her lips pursed as she glanced around the room, looking almost nervous as she began to read from the paper.

"In the matter of the United States versus Jack Rollins, on the counts of all charges brought against Jack Rollins—we find the defendant: guilty."

A murmur moved through the crowd, and Steve and Tony both took a relieved breath. Natasha and Maria subtly fist-bumped, and Clint, Wanda, and Shuri remained quiet and stoic. The woman then took another breath, reading from her paper once more.

"In the matter of the United States versus Director Dean Holloway—on the charge of obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting war crimes—we find the defendant: guilty on all counts.”

The judge nodded and the crowd began to buzz with anticipation as the woman spoke.

"Thank you, members of the jury. Your service in this difficult, historic, and timeless case is noted and praised by this court and your country. Sentencing will be scheduled for a future date. Court is adjourned."

Her gavel smacked down with finality, and the courtroom immediately went wild. Cameras began to flash, reporters shooting up from their seats as they tried to get both the prosecution and the defense to answer their questions. However, security was adamant about keeping a path cleared for the parties to exit the courthouse.

Once everyone was outside, it became worse. Steve, Tony, Natasha, Clint, Wanda, and Shuri were all completely surrounded by reporters, spectators, and protesters yelling and screaming. Steve was immediately overwhelmed, and Tony took off his sunglasses as a reporter shoved a microphone in his face.

"Mr. Stark! Given how long she was with HYDRA, do you think (Y/n) (L/n) is even capable of being a real victim—or is she just another trained killer playing the sympathy card?"

Tony blinked as the crowd suddenly became for half of a beat; tension immediately rolling through the air, and Tony's jaw clenched. He leaned forward into the mic before stating firmly.

"You know what I think?"

A beat, and then.

"Fuck this guy."

Tony immediately shoved the reporters out of the way, and the rest of the prosecution followed. Once everyone climbed into Tony's limo and the vehicle drove away, everyone finally took a breath and relaxed. Steve's head fell back against the seat, and Clint stated softly.

"We did it, guys. At least we did it."

Natasha sighed before stating, shaking her head as she pointed out.

"The fight isn't over yet. HYDRA is still out there, and now that they know that the world knows...finding them is about to be a lot harder. Ten bucks that they are already trying to clear out."

Shuri hummed, her fingers drumming against her thigh as she replied with a firm gaze.

"Not if we can help it. We will root out every HYDRA agent until there are none left to poison this world with their disgusting presence. I can assure you of that. You have Wakanda's full support...unless my brother says no."

A small chuckle went through the group, and Tony stayed staring out the window with an angry expression on his face. Steve glanced over at Tony, asking carefully.

"Are you alright?"

"Besides never being able to unsee those clips? I'm just peachy, Cap, thanks for asking."

Steve felt almost bad for asking, and after a moment, he was surprised by Tony's voice asking him softly.

"And you?"

Steve pressed his lips into a firm line, closing his eyes and becoming instantly haunted by the images of the clips. Shooting his eyes open, Steve just sighed.

"Angry."

Tony nodded before he simply stated as the world began to feel a lot heavier.

"Good. Remember that for later."

Steve wasn't exactly sure what Tony meant, but Steve decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he watched the world go by as he silently wondered if Bucky had been watching the whole time.

-

STORY NOTES: please don't make me summarize this a;lskdjf;alsj THE MANS IS GUILTY

TRANSLATIONS:

None, thank god

TAGLIST: @buckvoidsyy @chonkybonky @seemsxsketchy @tilldeathripsusapart @vicmc624 @mgchaser @aash3 @samfunko @seventeen-x @valckenaux @babybeeelle @sc4rrc @cjand10 @bane-y-zane @notsostrangerthing @thenameswinter99 @bumblebeebutter @torntaltos

[notsodelirious]

Secret, unknown languages

synopsis: you’re having a hard time adapting to big changes

notes: SFW, this is the second version of the reader losing their hearing prompt that I promised and then just never posted but here you go :3

tags: hearing loss, Jason Todd being a sweetheart, ASL, hurt/comfort, 1k words

also tried to keep the ASL as close to actual ASL as possible but a) I’m British and know more BSL than ASL and b) ASL isn’t really a written language so kudos to my friend for helping me out

anyway, enjoy and here’s my masterlist <3

initial prompt and response

•─────⋅☾⊱♰⊰☽⋅─────•

“Babe,” Jason called as he waved at you, but you remained oblivious to his attempts, scrolling aimlessly through your photo gallery for a stupid meme your friend couldn’t herself. “Babe.”

He didn’t raise his voice—the neighbours would file another noise complaint because they never cared enough to figure out why anybody was speaking loudly.

He picked up a small mouse toy at his feet–a very generous gift from your cat before he decided to fuck off into your bedroom–and chucked it at your head, watching as you looked up mildly disgruntled at having a half-chewed cat toy thrown at your face.

“Yeah?”

“… you filed?” he asked, and you only frowned.

“What did I file?”

‘INTERVIEW ????.’

Your face scrunched further, as if you had just bitten into a rotten lemon.

You repeated the sign with a frown.

Your irritation wasn’t his fault—it wasn’t his fault he was already fluent in the language, that his father and brother had drilled multiple languages, including ASL, into his little child noggin, and you just weren’t there yet.

But it was still frustrating—endlessly so.

‘TRANSCRIPTS,’ he fingerspelt, and your shoulders dropped a little when the whole picture finally clicked into place.

“What do you want with the interview transcripts?”

‘WHERE?’

“Cabinets,” you said, pointing towards the appropriate cabinets under the TV. He thanked you quickly before he slipped off his chair to find the file he needed.

You set your phone down as you watched him crouch and rifle through papers, irritation still niggling in the back of your skull.

It didn’t have to take that long—it shouldn’t have taken that long. You didn’t have time for it to always take that long.

Where did you put the interview transcripts you filed?

That had been the whole question. It was a stupidly simple question.

And yet.

It worked out and you knew it had worked out and that was the important part but that didn’t make it any less frustrating—never in your life had you had such a huge gap in communication—when you were a child, people understood the gap, learning to speak for the first time, you expect to be patient, explain, repeat, slow down, change language; but you were an adult, people expected you to have had your entire life to practice communicating.

And you were losing it.

You knew you had missed the first, second, third, fourth, nth time he had called your name, nickname, legal name, pet name, anything to grab your attention, but it fell on deaf ears.

Deafening ears.

It sucked ass; losing oral communication, all the while still being behind on sign language. On bad days, it made you want to tear your hair out and cry and grieve.

On good days, just grumpy.

Jason looked up at you as he returned to his seat.

‘OK?’

You shrugged.

“Want to get better at sign.” He regarded you for a moment, tossing the manila folder on the table before kneeling in front of you.

“You’re already doing …”

You sighed, rubbing your temples, closing your eyes momentarily before opening your eyes again. There had been a shoot-out yesterday—you might have been part of the problem. You hadn’t gotten hit—thank fuck or Jason might have wrung your neck for being so careless—but it had left your ears aching and the world just a little more muffled than before.

Not quite bad enough for Jason to stop speaking to you—but your lip reading was just as shit as your signing.

‘AGAIN?’

“You’re already doing great,” he repeated, signing along with his words, “It’s a language, practice.”

Your face soured again, and he offered his hands, rough and calloused—they held so much power and yet held your own hands so gently, like he feared he would hurt you, or restrict you.

You squeezed back quickly before pulling away.

‘LONELY.’

You had been told it was what you deserved—after a lifetime of inflicting pain, handling a gun without proper protection, it was a foreseen consequence.

You’d always known, ever since your ears first began ringing, that it could—would—happen.

But still.

It was isolating. Demoralising.

‘SORRY,’ Jason signed before resting his hand on your forearm—there wasn’t much more to say. There was nothing else to do. Jason could feel sorry for you all he wanted, but at the end of the day, the reality was the same. People stopped talking to you, never bothered to learn to communicate to stay close to you.

You would adapt, you had to. There was no alternative, no going back, so you just had to move forward.

He opened his arms for you, and you slid down to the ground, burying yourself in his embrace as you rested your head on his chest—you couldn’t hear his heartbeat, not the soft, gentle da-dum, but you could feel it against your cheek.

You would always be able to feel his heart beat in his chest.

You sank into his touch when gentle hands began petting your hair, and the deep tenor of his voice vibrated in his chest—you could make out his voice, but not his words.

Maybe there were no words. Maybe he simply hummed for you softly as you sat on the kitchen floor, ignoring how tears welled in your eyes and splattered against cold tiles—your grief was not yours to nurture while Jason held you close, singing a tune you must have once heard him sing.

You don’t know how long you sat there for, letting him hold together the pieces of you that threatened to shatter until you finally felt whole enough to pull away.

“Thank you.”

He tilted your chin up, his smile a little crooked as he met your eye.

“…you.”

You realised too late you had forgotten to read his lips, far too entranced by sea-green eyes. You blinked. “Huh?”

He rolled his eyes and grabbed your face.

You chuckled into the kiss, tilting your head to return it with just as much eagerness—chapped lips and sharp teeth were home to you, and you could never get enough of him, but eventually you parted for air.

“What did you say?”

“I said I fucking love you!”

“Damn, why are you screaming?!”

You didn’t have time to shove him away before sharp teeth sank into the apple of your cheek, laughter and pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears.

•─────⋅☾⊱♰⊰☽⋅─────•

Didn’t post this one earlier for the same reason as the previous post—I just wasn’t too happy with the characterisation so you got the other version instead but I figured some people might also like a softer Jason so here you go

at the time of this being posted I’m pretty sure requests are closed but checked my pinned comment for more info and here’s my masterlist for more of this <3

[strawberrybuni]

BEING FLUENT IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES

A/N: request for shigaraki with a reader who speaks multiple languages!

❥ He’s genuinely in awe of you when you were recruited to the League. You became quite the asset in case they needed to speak to anyone overseas.

❥ He’ll get this wide eyed look when you speak in one of them, he just can’t himself when he catches himself staring which dabi of course likes to point out like an asshole.

❥ Once you two start dating, he just can’t get enough of you speaking in your other languages, he thinks you sound so pretty and cool. 

❥ Loves when you speak to him in your other languages, even if he doesn't always tell you how much he loves it.

❥ Demands when you say "I love you", to say it in each of the languages you know or else he's gonna be extra grumpy.

❥ Wants you to teach him all sorts of swears and insults so he can say them to other people whether online or in person.

❥ Secretly learns compliments in your other languages so he can randomly use them on you just so he can surprise you, he really does love that smile you get.

❥ Lowkey thinks it's hot when you get pissy with him in other languages, he'll act irritated just to rile you up more so you yell at him more.

❥ He just overall thinks it’s very impressive since he really only knows some english, but it’s really only the basics, swears, and other insults that he’s learned through his gaming.

❥ He SO brags about you to everyone. You truly are like the coolest person he knows, and he believes everyone else should too.

❥ His favorite thing when it comes to your skills has to be when it comes to his online gaming. If someone is being an asshat and happens to speak one of your languages, he has you chew them out on his behalf.

You were peacefully chatting with Kurogiri about some stuff when your oh so grumpy boyfriend came storming into the bar area, headset around his neck and a pissed off look in his red, bloodshot eyes.

“I need you, now.” His tone held no room for argument as he grasps your wrist with his index finger raised as he drags you along with him to his bedroom while you apologetically wave to Kurogirii since your conversation was interrupted.

After all, when Tomura wants you, he’s gonna get you whether you like it or not. Not that you ever complain, of course.

He shuts the door behind the two of you once you two enter, revealing his dim bedroom, the bright light coming from his computer screen being the only thing illuminating the messy room. That’s when you realize he’s playing League of Legends and you know exactly what he wants.

He slips his headset back on, clicking a button on his keyboard to enable the voice chat once again. “Will you shut the fuck up… yeah I’m back… listen here fuckface my partner speaks English.” With that, he slipped his headset off completely as he held it out to you expectantly. You already knew the drill at this point as you slipped on the headset.

Tomura watched you with that same look of awe as you went off on the person, pride swelling in his chest as you defended him and roasted whoever was giving him issues. No one ever stood up for him the way you do, getting mad at whoever on his behalf when they insult him.

He doesn’t think he deserves you at all, but he’s far too selfish to ever let you walk away.

[vellichor-lover]

He’s a drama queen. He’s a history nerd. He has green eyes and dark hair. He’s obsessed with exy. He’s Irish. The man he considered his brother broke his dominant hand, so he learned to play with his other one. He recruited Neil because he saw his potential. He can speak fluent French. He gave Andrew something to live for, taught Neil Raven drills every night even when he thought he would be dead by finals, held Jean to his promise and gave him a new life. He’s a bitchy, insufferable diva. People can’t seem to stop falling in love with him. He’s a superfan of the Trojans because they play the game like it should be played, like his mother intended when she created it, because their kindness matters. He grew up in a cult torture facility. 2 is just a number now, it doesn’t define him because he refused to let it. His father comes to all his games. He switched to his left hand mid-game and scored the winning goal two seconds before the buzzer. He’s the main character. He is only getting books from his perspective more than twelve years after the original trilogy was released. He’s an anxious alcoholic. He’s never been skiing, but he’d like to try it one day. He’s the queen of the court. He’s the deadliest piece on the board. He is the beginning and the end of everything.

[calamaroo]

In an art slump and wanna yap, so take this for your travels~~~

Octonauts Culture Headcanons: (mostly Barnacles because he's my favorite) (with a focus on languages):

Be warned, this is long af lol

Barnacles (& his family):

1. I've said it before, but he's Inuit, and was raised to speak Inuktuk (the language is very varied in names, with many dialects, but by my research, that is the broadest term for it)

2. In the Navy, it was mostly drilled out of him, and he practically forgot it for many years until he spent his angst time with Bianca and Tracker and re-learned it. Now, he loves to speak it with them, and sometimes yaps in it with his crew to mess with them (because no one understands it)

3. When the cubs visit, they speak Inuktuk with Barnacles, and often have to be reminded to speak English with the Octonauts (again, because no one understands the language, and they're hyper little children taking 90 mph)

4. Sometimes when Barnacles is talking about/to Bianca, Tracker, or the cubs, he'll use their Inuit names, and anyone else in the conversation has to be like "pause, who was that again?"

5. In the cub scouts, everyone spoke Inuktuk, or Russian, as the cubs all unanimously decided to learn it to surprise Natquik (I imagine it was his birthday or smthn, and they all sprung out and said "Happy Birthday!" In Russian. He cried tears of joy for hours.) --- I headcanon Natquik is half Inuit, and also knows the Russian dialect : Nunik.

6. When Barnacles wants to yap/is homesick but can't get in touch with any other Inuit characters, he gets down in the dumps because no one else will understand him/relate to his culture. So, in an effort to eliminate these sad spells, the crew are trying their best to learn more about Inuit culture and languages.

7. He's good with accents as he's heard hundreds in his travels, and can mimick most of them, including the thickest ones (uses this to bond/mesh with his crew's wide range of accents)

8. Pretty good at Vegimalese, but still sometimes has to ask Shellington what a certain string of chirps and trills meant

Languages/ spoken : AMER English, EURO/UK English, Inuktuk (several dialects), Spanish (for Peso), French, & Scottish Gaelic (he pretty much speaks at least a little of everything from hearing it all over the world)

Kwazii (& Calico Jack):

1. I've toyed around with his background for a long time, but I finally settled (at least for now) that the two pirates are from Barbados. So, they grew up speaking with both pirate slang and Bajun English (Barbados-Cajun English) along with a flurry of other languages because pirates were a giant mixing pot of cultures)

2. Sometimes, Kwazii's Bajun accent will escape, and he has to remind himself to tone it down because it and the many other accents he's accumulated into his speech are so thick that no one can understand him. (Calico Jack is way worse and often goes on and on speaking in utter incomprehensible gibberish)

3. Being a pirate (and because i said so), Kwazii had always been good with pixking up on languages and dialects, so when Peso was still new to the crew and had no one really to talk to (as everyone intimidated him and no one knew Spanish), Kwazii learned it so they could bond (super freaking cute)

4. Calico Jack learned Brazilian Portuguese when stuck in the Amazon, cuz that was the natural language for the animals and such. So he taught it to Kwazii, and they occasionally chit chat in it.

5. When talking to Calico Jack, they speak a hundred different languages, all mingled together at one time (often several la,guages in one scentene), and it gives anyone trying to listen in whiplash. It's a very effective deterrent/security measure when sharing secrets in public.

Languages spoken : AMER English, Spanish, Brazillian Portuguese, Bajun English, Scottish Gaelic, and tidbits of other languages from the pirate mixing pot (he's the most fluent of the crew in Inuktuk, although it's proving to be a challenging language to learn)

Tweak (& Ranger Marsh):

1. Florida people. /j

2. Southern Floridian (very yeehaw, very demure) raised to speak English, but also half Cajun French (on her mom's side) and can speak several dialects of French, but is most comfortable in Cajun French. (Tweak and Kwazii bond over being partly Cajun in language)

Languages spoken : French, AMER English

Dashi (& Ryle):

1. African-Amer-Australian, but hides the thickness of her accent well. When she gets mad, though, she goes crazy with slang (Kwazii thinks it's funny and makes her mad on purpose to hear "her funny words")

2. Shellington is Scottish, and they are besties, so she took it upon herself to learn Scottish Gaelic for him

3. She learned French for Tweak, too, because she's a girl's girl (and a girlboss)

4. Learned Spanish for Peso so they could gossip (pop off besties)

5. Used to be a pilot (which is why she can so easily fly the Octoray) and Japan was her favorite place to travel, so she learned the language.

6. Like Kwazii, she is good at picking up languages (cuz pilot = going everywhere (but isn't as good as Kwazii))

7. When video calling/hanging out with Ryla, her accent gets thicker untentionally

Languages spoken : AUST English, AMER English, EURO/UK English, Scottish Gaelic, French, Spanish, & Japanese (with tidbits of others)

Shellington (& Pearl and Periwinkle):

1. SCOTTISH MAN, SAVE ME SCOTTISH MAN

2. Grew up speaking both EURO/UK English and Scottish Gaelic (very fluent in both)

3. When visiting Pearl and Peri, they all speak Scot. Gaelic. One time, they brought Kwazii along, and out of nowhere, he picked up on the tea-time language and joined in. It freaked the otters out fr

4. Peri forgets to speak English to the Octonauts like the polar bear cubs (they are scout-group friends, change my mind) (I also ship Bianca x Pearl, sooooo they are all kinda step-siblings)

5. The only member to fully understand Vegimalese

Languages spoken : EURO/UK English, AUST English (for Dashi, although his accent isn't very good), Vegimalese, & Scottish Gaelic

Peso (& his family):

1. Hispanic. I will fight you for this. /j (AMERICAN DUB RAAAAH 🦅🦅🦅)

2. He knows a good deal of Bajun for Kwazii and Calico Jack and learned Brazillian Portuguese for CJ, as for the first few years of his Octoagent-cy, it was what he spoke the most

3. A lot like Barnacles in the fact that he knows a ton of languages, but it's mostly just how to ask medical questions and comfort frightened patients

4. Pinto also forgets to speak English with the crew and speaks ONLY Spanish with Peso when they are alone. Peso will try to talk to him in English and Pinto with exclusively respond in Spanish (younger brother activity fr)

5. Learning Gaelic to better listen to Shellington's yap sessions (nerds = best bros) (or bf's, cuz I fw that)

Languages spoken : EURO/UK English, AMER English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, & some Scottish Gaelic.

Inkling (& Min and Natquik):

1. Grew up speaking EURO English, but learned Chinese Mandarin for Min, and sometimes speaks it without realizing.

2. 🗣🗣🗣HE AND NATQUIK ARE GOOD FRIENDS BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH BARNACLES'S FATHERS. So, he learned Russian to better communicate with Natquik, who forgets to speak English often

3. He learned Gaelic for Shellington because they are scholarly nerd friends, they yap together

Languages spoken : EURO English, Scottish Gaelic, Chinese Mandarin, some Inuktuk (for Barnacles), & Vegimalese

[livin4woso]

Breaking the media

Chapter 4- moving on in

Your alarm rang at the ungodly hour of 7.30 you quickly shut it off and forced yourself out of bed training didnt start till 9.30 but knowing you its going to take atleast 2hrs to get ready. You wandered into the small kitchen and realised that you needed to go shopping you had been so caught up in being ready for training that you hadn't had the chance to get shopping. Your first thought was to just find the nearest shop and buy what you needed however you thought going to a local cafe was a smarter choice and would be better than your terrible cooking skills.

It didnt take long for you to find a cafe with the help of Google maps and being placed in a busy small town. The cafe you had found was very reserved and ran by an old spanish women which was happy to greet you as you stood with your Barcelona sweats on and a giant backpack filled with your training kit. "Thank you so much, how much is it" you asked after having the best avocado on toast you had ever tasted and a mocha that was brew to perfection "its on the house dear, you're welcome back anytime" she said clearling you plates away "no no please let me pay" you practically begged the older women to let you pay but she refused.

After excepting your fate and enjoying your time in the cafe you forgot to check the time and saw it was 9.10 am you'd spent an 1hr in the cafe "shit" you mumbled to yourself and waved the old women goodbye. Now if miracles exists this was one you were 25 minutes away from the training ground and somehow you had made it there for 9.25. With 5 minutes to spare you walked into the changing room to find that you were the last one in and everyone was waiting for you. You knew that wasn't the best impression but atleast you weren't late "captain im so sorry, i didn't mean to show up so far behind i wont do it again" you pleaded to your new captain as you had a feeling she was ready to snap at you from the gaze she gave you "dont apologise its okay just next time be earlier, its your first day dont stress" she said and put a hand on your shoulder in reassurance.

Training had gone well for you, you had very quickly proved yourself to fit to the rumors of being a promising young talent. If football was a language you were fluent everything made sense to you the way the ball moved at your feet it was natural. Everyone was fairly impressed with your skill "you worried luce" mapi joked digging her elbow into lucys side "don't even" she said deadpanning her face of course lucy was the starter over you but you were definitely a threat you were half of lucys age and developing quicker than ever. You walked back to the changing room and got changed quickly sending everyone a goodbye before heading off the walk home as you needed to shop.

This is when lucy needed to bring up your living suitation but she had no power to get this changed she needed to tell alexia "ale, can i talk to you" she said dragging the spainard to the side of the room "sure whats up" she said back "its about y/n" lucy said trying to figure out whats the best way to word this "whats wrong?" Alexia responded her eyebrows knitted together she cared for you and she didnt understand why she was so protective over you even though the two of you rarely spoke, you rarely spoke to anyone unless it was for a drill. "Ermm so basically she's living by herself the team have bought her an apartment and shes been walking to the training ground.. and like yes i know she probably can take care of herself. But shes 16.. and" lucy was rambling "what? She's living by herself she knows no spanish and probably doesn't know how to wash her clothes... we've got to sort this" alexia said almost shocked in the stupidity of the management team what were they thinking a 16 year old by herself.

Alexia had went to talk to jona after she told lucy she would sort out the issue, "jona were abouts does y/n live?" She questioned him "its in de la tres torres apartment 4b" he said "why?" "Im going to check up on her and tell her she is moving in with me, im not having a 16yr old live by herself in a foreign country" she said back firmly grabbing her car keys out of her bag and storming off to the car park before jona could protest against the captain l, you were living with her she didn't care she had a spare room and was quite happy to share it as she wouldn't mind the company on her days off. She drove to your apartment parking her car outside she was preparing for your stubborn attitude to not be willing to leave as she knows how teenagers can be.

It was 5.30pm when the knock came at your door you were about to head off shopping so you had no idea who it could be. You opened your door to find alexia stood outside "am i in trouble?" You questioned it would be the only reason she was at your door "no course not how about we have a seat" she said as you brought her to your sofa "nice place" she commented glazing around the room it was nicely decorated but it wasnt a home "yeah its alright, just a bit lonely sometimes" you said sitting down next to her. "So i was wondering if instead of living here by yourself, you come and live with me in my apartment i have a spare room and it would be much nicer and you would have less responsibility" she began "ermm i dont know captain i dont wanna crash your place.. honestly im fine here" you said almost believing your own words. You weren't fine in that apartment you had no idea how to live by yourself but you didnt want to burden alexia with your problems or with your presence. "No no pequeña, please come live with me honestly it would put me at peace of mind that you are well fed and rest" she said back "really?" You questioned you almost couldn't believe she cared that much for you "of course but please stop calling me captain and call me alexia or ale whatever one" she said almost jokingly.

You had agreed to stay with her and you began to pack but it was getting late and you hadn't eaten yet "umm ale.. alexia can we just go now im really hungry and have no energy to finish packing" you said walking into the living room where she was lay on your couch "of course pequeña how about tomorrow you come back after training then call me when you're finished packing" she said looking up to you. You just nodded you were so tired and it was only 6.30. She brought you to her car and you slipped into the passenger seat the drive was longer than you had expected it was a 30 minutes away yet thats all it took for you to drift of asleep in her car your head resting against the window. Alexia looked over to you her heart almost melting at the sight she knew how hard this must be for you and yet you still hadn't spoke to anyone. The car had pulled into alexias driveway and just as she turned the car off you had stirred awake from your sleep "we're here amor how about you get your bags from the boot" she said getting out the car and made her way to open the door to her house. Her house was beautifully furnished it was so her stylish yet not over the top you couldn't believe you were going to be staying in her home. "How about you start putting your stuff in the bedroom while i cook us some food" she said as she showed you to your new room.

The dish was simple it was just some pasta but it was so tasty you had been craving a home cooked meal. "Thank you so much" you said as you moved to wash your plate in the sink, "no worries amor just wash your dish then you can head off to sleep and i will wake you up" she said giving you a smile. You had climbed into bed this time the sheets felt a lot more comforting and your bed felt so much warmer you had fell asleep with ease. Alexia had came up to check on you but as she peeked her head through the door she found you passed out asleep and she decided to let you sleep.