#genuinely effecting us. but some of you need to step outside and see what actually fucking matters

[herosbrine]

no way i just saw a whole ass adult use "pannie" derogatorily towards pansexuals without an inch of irony. can we grow up please. that is such a childish insult to use in genuine anger. i thought we were over this years ago

[thesugarclubs-blog]

Sweet Disposition - Bucky Barnes x OC

warnings: big city girl OC x small town boy, strawberry farmer Bucky, lost love, friends to lovers, soft smut, 18+

word count: 10.5k

WP: https://www.wattpad.com/1368315076-sweet-disposition-daisy

Masterlist

From the moment Daisy stepped foot off the plane, the air felt different. Cleaner, fresher — the effects of nature easing its way into her lungs with each breath, and it was like her body sagged in relief after five years of New York air. 

Stepping out of the small arrivals hall, she awkwardly dragged her suitcases behind her. They were heavy, filled with anything and everything she could fit from the small studio apartment she had to give up. 

She loved that apartment. 

She loved her job too, but when the PR company went under, it took her right with it — straight to rock bottom. 

Daisy sighed, swept her hair behind her ear as she looked for directions to the nearest car rental place, and she was about to set off lugging her bags again when someone called her name. 

“Little Daisy-May back from the big city, huh?” 

Daisy whirled around, a deep frown on her face, to see Steve — Stevie, her brain helpfully supplied — jogging towards her. All broad shouldered, blonde haired, six-foot-two of him in tattered jeans and a dirty white t-shirt.

“Your mom sent me,” he reasoned, palms up in defense, “she said she’d text you to let you know.”

“She probably did,” Daisy replied, “reception has never been great out here though, has it?” 

Steve just shrugged as he reached his hand out for a suitcase, and Daisy noticed the grease and muck under his nails, a stark contrast to her perfect manicure. 

“You’re still at the auto shop?” 

“Yep. Your pops just made me manager actually,” Steve replied with a proud grin. “Come on, truck’s this way.”

Daisy stared at him as his lips curled in a genuine, reassuring smile and for some reason it was really hard to believe that scrawny, asthmatic Steve was now standing in front of her; one big hand wrapped on the handle of her suitcase, and one thumb pointed behind him to what she was sure was still his father’s scrap of a truck.

Somewhere along the way, she forgot how the most unusual things held a certain emotional meaning.

“Manager, huh?” Daisy managed to croak out, plastering a smirk on her face to sell the best impression of what she was supposed to look like. 

Steve’s smile faltered for a second as he turned to lead the way.

"Yeah. Wasn't that much of a change, as I already did the office stuff for your pops anyway." They were walking outside of the building and towards the parking slots until Daisy's eyes met the rusty silver truck she had expected. Of course, he didn't buy a new one. 

"Still the same truck, huh?" Her lips curled into a tiny smile while she looked at him. Steve smiled back at her, before rounding the truck to place her suitcases on the back seats.

"Everything ages like fine wine. You just need to know how to take care of it." he winked at her.

"Down cowboy," Daisy gave him a tight, forced laugh. 

Preparing to come home had been a nightmare, mostly because it had been the last place in the world she had wanted to end up. She had watched her mother grow stagnant here, her mother that would surely die here and Daisy swore she'd never let that happen to her.  Postcards from home made small town life look pleasant and sweet, relaxing even but it was anything but for her. Small town life was suffocating, like a piece of twine wrapped around her throat until her lips turned blue. 

"Daisy," Steve leaned against the open passenger door, the wind pushing his hair around his face. "Your mom didn't say much about why you're home but you're gonna be okay." He smiled at her, instilling that hope he held on to so fiercely into her.

The drive into town was just as she remembered. Fields and more fields, a cow and a horse here and there, and then suddenly old country homes and faded storefronts. Everything was lived in and loved, used and passed down and nurtured to last because that’s what the people here did. 

“Nothing’s changed,” Daisy murmured as the truck bumped over the dirt track that led to her family home. 

“Some things have,” Steve replied with a soft smile, and Daisy didn’t have time to ask what that meant before Steve was killing the engine and the front door of the house was swung open to reveal her mother.

Smile wide, white apron firmly wrapped around her waist, Katie waved her hands in the air to catch their attention from the front porch.

“Oh, God…” Daisy chuckled, shaking her head slightly, and some of the tension holding her heart hostage eased its grip. 

“My sweet, sweet baby!” Her mother squealed just as both of them climbed out of the truck, power-walking toward them. “And Stevie!”

“Hello, Mrs. Moore,” Steve grinned brightly, glancing at Daisy. “Look who I found at the—“

But just as he tried to make his bad dad joke, Katie tackled Daisy into one of the biggest hugs she’d received in a long time. And the tension, for a brief moment, was completely gone.

Daisy melted into the hug, her fingers dug slightly into her mother's supple back as she hugged her even tighter. Not an inch of space left between them and if any was left would just be filled by all of the love emanating from her. 

Catherine Moore always gave the best hugs. 

When she was little they were capable of fixing any problem Daisy might be met with, but she wasn't that little girl anymore and her hug wouldn't bring back the life she lost in the city. She felt guilty, still longing to be back there, in her own space while in the warm embrace of her loving mother who always longed for her to come visit, to let go of a bit of work and spend some time back home. 

Daisy closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, holding on to her mom a bit tighter. "Hi mama," she whispered.

"Hi, my sweet girl," says Katie while holding her daughter tightly. “We’ve missed you so much. I feel like it’s been forever since you last visited!”

Daisy smiled at her mom, knowing where this conversation was going, “It has not been so long, mother. I visited that one Christmas.” Her mom always finds an opportunity to scold her about not visiting them enough.

“That was four years ago, Daisy!”

Blushing, Daisy pulled back from the hug. "Sorry... Things were always so busy and... I always tried to call at least."

Her arms still on Daisy's arms, her Mom softened, smiling patiently up at her before patting her gently. 

"I know darling, but that won't be a problem now that you're home, right?"

Daisy held back the grimace, not wanting to admit that she didn't really want to be back in her hometown long term, "Sure, Mama."

Katie glanced at Steve, "You're coming to her welcome home dinner tomorrow, right?"

"Of course, Mrs. Moore! Wouldn't miss your homemade strawberry cake!"

Steve backed away toward his truck leaving Daisy to fend for herself with her overbearing mother. “Come on inside now, we have too much catching up to do and not enough time.”

Daisy chewed on her lip, “you know what mama I think I’m going to go for a run, clear my head. I feel so cramped up from the plane.” Her mother eyed her suspiciously, knowing that Daisy wasn’t ready to enter the mausoleum that had become her childhood. “Tell you what,” she unhooked the truck keys from the door inside and chucked them at Daisy. “Run to the farmers market for your mama, I forgot some things for dinner.” 

“The one in town?” Daisy asked, looping the key ring around her finger. “I didn’t see it when we passed through?”

“Oh, no. The one in town changed days last year — we had a vote, so it’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays now, which Aggie down at the greengrocers hates but the silly goose didn’t make it down to town hall quick—“

“Mom,” Daisy chuckled, “you can catch me up on the gossip later. Where am I going?”

“Sorry, sorry! Head over to Greenwood,” Katie replied as Daisy nodded and made her way towards their family truck, “and take your time, make sure you check out all the stalls!”

“I will!” She said above her shoulder, relishing the square smile her mother flashed her before leaning against the threshold to look at her go. 

“Greenwood, Greenwood…” Daisy murmured as she settled into the driver’s seat and started the engine, sighing deeply at the sputtering noise she received in response. 

The ride was filled with silence as she drove almost all the way on autopilot, glancing at the landscape that seemed preserved in amber— every barn, every field, and even the clouds.

By the time she pulled over in the parking lot and climbed out of the truck, Daisy had to wipe away from her face a deep scowl, knowing perfectly well that a farmers’ market meant seeing familiar faces, lots of whom she probably had yet to meet since she ran away years before. 

With a deep breath, she walked under the wooden arch on which grew undisturbed vines, impossibly green and vibrant. Daisy let her eyes wander around the stands to find the first item on her mother's list: Chicken wings.

Remembering all the Sunday afternoons her and her father had been watching football and eating chicken wings on the couch in front of the television while being screamed at by her mother to be careful to not ruin the leather. A smile crawled on her face, while she was looking for the right stand to get some chicken.

Three stands further down the aisle she could see a big sign with "Sam's Red Wings" and a familiar face standing behind the large fridges.

Sam Wilson and Daisy had been on the same local High School, sharing a lot of classes with Steve and their mutual friend Bucky. 

After leaving them behind to move to the city, she hadn't been able to hold contact with any of them.

 "Got some new chicks, Wilson?" she screamed in his direction. Sam's eyes widened when he saw his former friend, opening the arms in a welcoming gesture.

"Daisy Moore. Welcome home. Missed the clean air and friendly people?"

"There are plenty of friendly people in New York, too. Mama needs some chicken wings for dinner tomorrow and I see you took over your father's chicken farm. Although I renamed it."

"Yes, I decided to go for a different breed than dad. These are New Hampshire Reds. They are easier to keep than the ones my dad had." Sam pulled his phone off his pants and proudly showed her some pictures of the chicken on his farm. 

"They are really... red," Daisy commented, obviously not sharing Sam's enthusiasm for chicken. 

"Yeah. Makes it easier to find them, when the little assholes decide to break out of the coop again and run through town."

“Definitely won’t have any trouble finding them!” She chuckled, taking the package of wings he held out for her.

He waved away the money she offered, giving her a broad grin.

“They’re n the house Dais, call it a welcome home gift.”

“Well thank you Sam, I appreciate that. Let’s catch up soon, OK?”

“Sure thing Dais, you know where to find me.”

With a final grin at her old friend and a heart that felt a little lighter than before Daisy made her way around the market, checking off bread from Hill’s Baked Goods, and cheese that she got from Coulson’s Dairy.

Reading the final item on the list she raised her head and scanned the stalls. Strawberries. Where would she find strawberries?

There it was, in a little corner hidden almost from view. Well, if you could call it a strawberry stall, that is. It was so… bland. She could have passed alongside it and wouldn’t even notice that it was there. The stall had no colors, it was just a plain and boring wooden stall with the fresh fruit on top with a small sign that said ‘strawberries.’ It wasn’t inviting and she wondered if this was something that she could help the person in charge with. 

Daisy approaches the stall, ready to pick up the fruit when she notices who is behind it, “Bucky?”

Hearing a voice he thought he would never hear again, Bucky's eyes widened. "Daisy?" He blinked, then blinked again, afraid that she would vanish from sight like she did all those years ago. "You... you're home?"

Daisy's heart thudded wildly in her chest as she drank him in, golden strands of sun kissed brown hair floated around his face highlighting his painfully blue eyes. He was wearing a dark riding shirt that was unbuttoned around the collar and a pair of jeans that looked more than worked in. He rubbed his hands on his pants and stood up straight, really getting a good look at her. 

"Hey Buck," she whispered with a nod.

“Hey,” He said, jutting his jaw to the side and leaning forward to rest his palms flat on the wooden stand. “What brings you back to town?”

“Uh, I—” She stuttered, fighting against both a blush and his intense stare, glancing around the stand to find a way to sidetrack the conversation. “I just got here and my mother already sent me for errands.”

He nodded, taking in the way she kept fidgeting with the strap of her bag, relishing in how she was nibbling into her lower lip. Daisy had never been good at hiding her emotions, at least not from him.

“Hm. That’s classic Katie,” Bucky somewhat grumbled, bringing back to life memories on memories of his interaction with her mother. He vaguely gestured around himself, “How can I help you?” 

Daisy’s eyes snapped on his, a single idea now taking over the entirety of her colorful mind. How long had it been since her creativity sparked like that?

“I was looking for strawberries. Do you happen to know where I can find some?”

“Ya know, I’m sure I saw some around here somewhere…” he muttered, rubbing his chin and staring around.

It took a moment but Daisy finally caught the slight wobble of his chin as he tried not to laugh and she burst into chuckles herself.

“How you been, Buck?” She asked with guarded affection.

“Not as good as you it seems,” he replied, casting his eyes over her.

Her smile faltered a little at that. Although her life was good for some time, it wasn't like that now, was it? At that moment, she didn’t like the thought of him thinking that she had failed to hold onto that dream that was her life. The dream that made her ran away from home and, ultimately, him. 

Daisy pushed those thoughts aside, “Like what you see, Buck?” She knew she was teasing him, but she couldn’t help it. “Now, how about some strawberries?”

Bucky swallowed thickly. He turned and lifted a couple of containers full of strawberries before putting them down in front of her. "These are the freshest that I have. Picked them just this morning." 

He stares at her like he wonders what has brought her back here all of a sudden. Daisy had been so set on life in the city and getting out of here. Bucky ran one hand through his hair absently, making it stand up in odd directions.

Daisy picked one from the container, pressing it to her lips and tasting a bite. Even in heartbreak and disappointment she had always loved his obsession with her lips and seeing how his eyes grew made her heart flutter quickly. 

"They're really good, Buck," Daisy smiled, looking at the bundles.

"They were always your favorite." She swore he said but when she looked back over at him he was digging through a box, avoiding eye contact.

Daisy watched him for a moment, eyes trailing over his broad back as he turned away. She remembered how he would look, head buried under the hood of a car in her dad’s garage, tinkering and humming and dancing towards her with teasing hands, covered in grease. 

She wondered what made him buy a strawberry farm when her dad was talking about him taking over Moore Motor Repair one day. 

Clearly she wondered out loud, because Bucky was turning back, a shy smile on his face. 

“I like being out in the sun, nurturing the crops — it’s a different kind of satisfaction when the produce is good. I grew these, Dais!” He laughed, featuring to the punnets on the table. “And um, I might get an endless amount of your mom’s strawberry cake in exchange for the fruit that isn’t quite saleable.”

“Oh, so you’re in it for the cake?” Daisy chuckled softly, “figures.”

"I've always loved dessert." He winked at her, before quickly turning around to sort some of his strawberries into a new container. 

"Must be satisfying," Daisy mumbled. Her thumb and index finger were rolling another strawberry around while getting rid of the leaved that were still on top of it. With a smooth movement the fruit landed in her mouth.

"What do you mean?" Bucky still hadn't turned towards her, his hands occupied with sorting the unperfect berries out of different boxes and into larger container with a shild "Not perfect, but still delicious. Try me!"sticking to it.

"Seeing the crops grow and knowing that they only do that because you took care of them." 

Daisy's lips were stained dark red from the juicy strawberries and she saw Bucky turning around, she painfully slowly licked the juice off her lips.

His blue eyes followed every movement of her tongue patiently.

“What can I do for you Daisy-May?” He asked, her childhood name was a song from his lips.

“Mama needs a punnet of your best, Buck,” she replied, her cheeks flushing as red as the berries spread before her.

“Can’t believe she’s gone through a whole three punnets in two days but still…what Katie wants, Katie gets.”

He picked up a wooden carton and surveyed the array of fruit before him. Picking one or two from each pile, eyeing them critically, he placed those that passed inspection into his carton.

“Only the best for Mama Moore,” he hummed, throwing a flirty wink at Daisy that made something thump in her chest.

Daisy picked up the carton with the strawberries, “Thanks, Buck. Well, this is the last item on mama's list. I guess I better get going. Maybe I’ll see you around?”

"Oh, I'm sure we'll cross paths," he says winking at her, "it's not like you can hide too much here, being a small town and all."

She laughed softly as she tucked the carton under her arm. "I'm sure we will too. You be good, okay?"

Daisy looked around her, taking in all the laughing families and smiling vendors, noticing that Bucky’s stall was tucked away and completely unseen by anyone. She turned back to him to find him still staring at her.

“Can I help you Daisy?” He smirked at her. 

“You stall is lame,” she quipped and watched him rub the back of his neck with his hand uncomfortably. “I mean like, it’s not as busy and it should be.” She tried to recover.

Nice save, Daisy-May,” Bucky replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and Daisy cringed. 

“Sorry, it’s just— look, how long have you had the farm for?” 

“Three years,” Bucky replied, “and you should have seen it before, I’ve honestly turned it around.” 

“Uh huh.” Daisy wasn’t convinced but Bucky seemed to bristle, straightening up in the way he’d always done when things hit a nerve.

“Daisy. I have the stall, and I sell to local supermarkets. I do okay.“ 

“But you could do better,” Daisy urged, “this is what I do, Buck, let me help!” 

Bucky resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If you're going to suggest social media to me, I'm not really into all of that stuff. I never have been, and you know that."

Daisy sighed and shook her head. "You are so damn stubborn, Barnes."

"I get the last name treatment now?" he laughed.

"You should always get it," Daisy rolled her eyes. "Let me help."

"Im not a pet project," his tone dropped. "You can't come home for a day and-"

"Blah, blah, blah. This isn't for me, it's for you. It's for the strawberries."

“Daisy, I’m not doing this right now. You’re driving away customers,” Bucky hissed, and the cute, frowny, little crease between his eyebrows appeared. 

“What customers, Buck? I’ve been standing here for ten minutes and nobody else has come over. Everyone loves strawberries, Bucky. But why should they buy yours? You gotta draw them in!” 

Bucky scowled, arms crossed over his chest. 

“You left, Daisy, you left town and I’m not— I can’t just welcome you back with open arms and let you solve all my problems. We’re not eighteen anymore.” 

Daisy took a startled step back and narrowed her eyes at him.  "No," she said firmly. "We're not." She sighed. "When you're willing to get help, you know where to find me." Daisy sat a few bills on the counter before she turned and started her trek back to her truck. People never change.

Later that night Daisy was curled into the hammock on her mama's porch, tucked in tight with a blanket and checking her emails when her phone rang. 

"Hi Bucky," she cooed into her phone, hiding the shake of her fingers and the tremble of her nervous voice. "What can I do for you?" 

"Come to the farm tomorrow," he gruffed, "and Daisy?"

"Yes Bucky?" She smiled. 

"For the love of god, don't wear heels, borrow a pair of your momma's boots." He warned.

“This is cute,” Daisy beamed as she hopped out of the truck the next morning, wellies hitting the mud and squelching thanks to the overnight rain. 

“Thank you?” Bucky replied, pulling a face as he looked down at his shirt, “although cute wasn’t really what I was going for when I dressed this morning.” 

“And to think your sense of humor is what attracted me to you in the first place, whatever was I thinking?” 

Bucky grinned, big and lopsided, his nose scrunching in the way that always gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling in her belly. 

“Daisy, Daisy… are you gonna help me, or keep insulting me on my own damn farm?” 

“Give me a tour then, farmer boy.” 

Bucky slung his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the field of berries, and Daisy couldn’t help but revel in the warmth and weight of him beside her, just like old times.

She threw her arm across his back, a smirk tugging at her lips when she felt the way his muscles tensed under her touch. 

Daisy took in a selfish breath of his scent, closing her eyes softly as the mix of amber and oud of his perfume flooded her senses. A faint sweet smell from the strawberries accompanying it but all of the thoughts swirling in her mind replaced it with the smell of leather and grease that was usually mixed in with his perfume when they’d lay together on the porch swing. 

A small tug from towards him broke her away from her trance and when she looked back, Bucky’s eyes were looking back. 

“Where’d you go there, Blossom? You okay?” 

Her heart clenched at her old pet name and she shook her head, smiling back at him, “Great yeah, so whatcha got going here Barnes?” 

He narrowed his eyes just a touch but she saw how he quickly let it go, almost like he didn’t want to dig up their past. 

“Let’s go check out the beds, yeah?” 

“Mmm not sure if we’re there yet Buck,” she teased raising a brow.

Bucky rolled his eyes, but a small smile ghosted his lips he never could help but enjoy her witty banter when they were younger. "The strawberry beds, gutter hound."

"It's your fault," she countered. "You made me this way."

For a moment Bucky fell silent, his blue eyes sucking her in like they had so many years ago. Then he cleared his throat, "Right. So."

Daisy waited patiently while he hesitated then started again after looking away. "Maybe I do need your help after all," he admitted. "I don't know anything about social media," he huffed, "And maybe it would help."

“Start with something small,” Daisy said. “What do you want the farm to stand for?” 

She palmed a plant in her hand, gently caressing the strawberry as she waited for his answer. 

“Family,” his eyebrows knitted together. 

“So where are they?” Daisy asked looking around. “The families? You should be holding days where people can come and pick themselves. Or events for the kids during summer vacation.” 

He stared at her in awe, “what?” She laughed, shrugging him off. 

“You found yourself out there,” he swallowed tightly, “didn’t you?” 

“I thrived,” she gave him a soft, heartbreaking smile. “Doesn’t matter though. It wasn’t enough.”  

“You were always enough for me Daisy May,” he said so matter of factly. “In fact most days you were too much.”

A pang rang through her chest as Daisy’s heart clenched. 

“Well that’s not true,” she breathed, “you always knew how to handle me Buck, I was never too much…even when I was.” 

They held each other’s gazes and Daisy saw that soft boyish twinkle in his eyes come back for just a touch as he smiled down bashfully.

Daisy couldn't help but to smile at him, feeling that tightness in her chest like she did all those years ago, before she left. She cleared her throat and turned to walk down the row, in between the strawberry beds once more. "Anyway... um... family days are a good idea, let people pick their own berries. You could set something up for events too."

"Who would want to come here for an event?" he asked. 

"A lot of people. Tourists, people on vacation. Or even as a date or family day, like you'd mentioned. Do you can the strawberries here too? Or just sell the fruit straight?" she asked curiously.

“Do you not talk to your mama at all Daisy May?” Bucky laughed running a hand through his hair. 

“I avoid it when I can it’s usually laced with guilt trips over my lack of visits and phone calls,” Daisy groaned. 

“She cans it all, I sell it at the market on the weekend.” Bucky nodded, his gaze falling to ground as he turned to lead them further into the farm. “You know the guilt trips would be alleviated if you called more.” 

“Now you sound like her,” Daisy groaned kicking a clump of dirt. 

As the day went on Bucky had Daisy on her knees, fingers turning the soil and digging the weeds. She oddly enjoyed the heat beating down on them, the sweat licked at her shoulder blades and dripped down her neck between her breasts. 

“Two fingers,” Bucky whispered over her shoulder, guiding her hand beneath the weed and plucking it up. “That’s my girl,” he laughed as the weed popped out. 

“I didn’t miss the heat but I feels good to just be here,” she admitted as he rolled back on his heels and chucked the clump of weeds into the wheelbarrow behind them. 

“You’re gonna need a bath,” he grinned at her. “Maybe two, before your mama lets you back in the house.” His eyes flickered to the wheelbarrow. “Get in,” he nodded to it with his head. “Like old times.” 

Bucky used to sit her in that big rusty bucket behind his house and roll her down the hill to the creek. Daisy could still hear his laughter echoing as she squealed and giggled holding on for dear life.

Daisy rolled her eyes before she pushed herself up from her heels and let herself fall into the stack of weeds in the load. Giggling when she heard Bucky’s feigned groan at her weight shifting the wheelbarrow. She settled her hands at the edges of the tray and looked back pointedly at Bucky, “This isn’t a race Barnes, I’m watching you.” 

Bucky smiled brightly making the butterflies that had settled in her stomach flutter all over. 

“Hmm I don’t about that Blossom,” he mused looking up towards the barn house at the far end of the field. “I think I can get us over there pretty quick, wanna time me?” 

“James Barnes I’m serious!” Her last words came out as a squeal as Bucky lifted the wheelbarrow and bolted down the green like their life depended on it. 

Daisy’s laughs and screams fell in perfect harmony with Bucky’s laugh as they got lost to the nature that surrounded them. And before she even noticed they were coming to a stop a in front of the quaint barn house’s red door. With nothing but their pants ti be heard as Bucky settled the wheelbarrow down and held his hand out to help her out.

“Are you trying to kill me Buck, I just got here,” she voiced with a playful shove. 

“I would never my sweet Daisy-May, but I sure missed that laugh.”

She shook her head at him as she dusted herself off. As Bucky walked in front of the wheelbarrow, she pushed him again, making him fall into it. 

Seeing his shocked face mad Daisy double over in laughter. It was the first time she’d been able to get one over on him. “Finally!”

Bucky stared up at her wide eyed, the corner of his mouth turned upwards. "Only took ya about ten years." 

"Better late than never." She grinned, taking a breath to slow her panting. Even with the sun starting to dip in the sky it was still sweltering. She wiped her brow as she held out her other hand for him to take. "C'mon blue eyes, let's get this mud off of us." 

Without hesitation he slipped his hand into hers. She planted her boots into the ground holding herself as he went to climb out of the wheel barrow. Daisy squealed as her feet slid in the mud and they both fell back into the barrow. Her body pressed against his as he let out a grunt when she landed on him. Her cheeks flamed as she picked up her head, her hands gripping his biceps feeling the developed muscle he didn't have all those years ago and his hands gripping her waist. 

His gaze found hers, an unreadable look on his face until he bursted out laughing. "Still as clumsy as I remember." He breathed in between laughs.

“I only ever tripped over you if I remember correctly!” She pushed off his chest, heart pounding and fingers tingling as she helped him to his feet. 

Daisy should have known better but she couldn’t help the groan that fell from her lips when Bucky wrenched on the hose and cold water sputtered out. 

“Come ‘er,” he smiled rolling the hose over his boots and then his hands. 

“That’s freezing Buck,” Daisy hissed as the water hit her skin. 

Bucky scoffed, “woman I have seen you jump in the creek a week into November quit your whinging.” 

“Please Buck let me use the house,” she continued with a pout that she wagered would have him caving to her request. 

“We do things my way Daisy-May. There are blankets in the barn, I’ll warm you up after.”

Daisy closed the distance between them leaving just enough space between them so that their bodies were barely touching. She pressed her hand to the half-open box plates of his shirt and held them tightly in her fists. 

“Well damn, I leave for 5 years and all of a sudden your Mr. We do things my way Daisy-May.” 

Bucky’s cheeks flushed and her lips upturned playfully in response. 

“Do you wanna get washed up or no?” He laughed, raspily and low. His tongue jutting out over his bottom lip. making her insides turn every which way as her heart pounded against her ribcage. 

“Yes,” she whined, “just be quick but also I don’t wanna freeze okay, will rip this off if it’s too cold, Buck.” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time Moore,” he winked, “I got plenty of more shirts don’t worry and I already told ya’ I’d warm you up.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him and tightened her hold on his shirt, “I’m a man of my word, Blossom. I gotcha.” 

Daisy let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and nodded back in response, slowly. Closing her eyes tight as the cold water hit her bare arms once more. She relished in the feel of his fingers skating carefully along her arms brushing away the dirt and sweat that had collected along them.

Once he had made sure her arms were clean, goosebumps trailed up her skin as he stepped back from her, holding the hose in his hand. That same boyish grin spread across his face as she raised a brow. "James Buchanan Barnes, don't even think about it." 

Bucky tilted his head back and laughed again, "I won't darlin'," he crouched in front of her, his blue eyes blazing in the sunlight as he peered up through his lashes to catch her gaze, "your reaction was priceless though." 

She shook her head but couldn't help the smile that formed across her cheeks. He began spraying off her boots, his freehand wrapping around her ankle. She swore she felt his thumb trace a small circle before saying "Hold on," and eyeing her until her hands rested on his shoulders. Daisy sucked in a breath unable to help her fingers digging into his shoulder muscles while he gently lifted her foot, making sure the mud and grass was completely gone from one before moving to her other foot.

The water was ice cold, but she wouldn't lie. It did give a bit of a reprieve from the awful heat of the day. She looked down, between her arms as James ran the hose along her calves, then her knees, making her squeak. "That's freezing Bucky!"

“I think I got it all,” he laughed at her protests, his fingers tailing up her calves to the back of her knees.

“I swear you do this to torture me,” she made to push him off but her fingers made contact with the soft waves of his hair. Her breath hitching in her chest as he looked up at her and every adolescent memory came flooding back. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” he whispered, his fingers flexing around her thigh as he rose to his feet. 

“I ain’t looking at you like nothing James Barnes, grow up.” Daisy scoffed turned away from him trying to hide her feelings. 

“That’s the problem isn’t it? We grew up,” he grabbed her wrist. “You’re freezing,” he sighed like it wasn’t his fault she was so cold. 

“You promised me blankets,” she said pulling from his grip because she couldn’t stand the way he was staring at her.

Daisy wrapped her arms around herself in search for warmth as she shifted her eyes away from him. 

Away from the longing sea of blue that filled her with regret and want for the soft sweet boy that loved her for exactly who she was. The same blue that begged her not to break things off, that begged her to try things out and go the distance but she couldn't stand it. She wasn't strong enough to hold onto him no matter how much she wanted to, it broke her and she broke him. She never really forgave herself for that, which is one of the reasons she never wanted to come back. Now she didn't really have a choice and here he was, still hurt, still with questions left unanswered but right beside regardless. 

"I'm a man of my word," he whispered, his hand reaching for hers once more. Daisy's eyes drifted from his outstretched hand to his eyes and she reached out her own, her fingers falling right into place between his like pieces of a puzzle. 

"Let's go get you warmed up, pretty girl."

He tugged her gently inside the barn, leading her to the ladder up to the hayloft. "Up you go." Bucky dropped her hand only for a moment to let her climb the ladder. 

Daisy smiled, taking one rung at a time as she made her way up. When she reached the top she peeked down at him, staring back up with her. "Were you staring at my--" 

"Nope!" Bucky cut her off, finally removing his gaze from her as he continued up behind her. "I definitely was not staring at your..." he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as Daisy laughed. 

"Breathe Barnes," She crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk, trying to make the playfulness in her voice obvious. "Where are those blankets you promised me?" 

Bucky left out a sigh of relief and moved around her, grabbing an old green plaid blanket from on top of a haystack. He shook out the folded blanket before holding out to her. "Your blanket ma'am." The lopsided smile returned to his cheeks and she smiled reaching for the blanket. Once she had it wrapped around her, he jutted his chin towards the square opening on one side of the barn. "You wanna know what I love about the farm the most?" 

Daisy nodded as she followed him to the edge of the opening, sitting down next to him as he got comfortable on the wooden floor. 

"Even on rough days, I can come up here and just watch the stars." He glanced up at the sky like he was remembering a silent memory. "They never change. They're always there and no matter how far away you are from someone, they'll always be the same." 

She glanced up to the sky. Sunset had taken over and a warm orange hue had cascaded over the fields of strawberries that grew below them. It was beautiful and quiet for miles. No wonder he loved it up here so much. But something in his words made her think that he wasn't just talking about the stars.

Daisy took the chance to look over at Bucky and watched as he focused on the setting sun and the slowly emerging stars. She remembered looking up at the sky at night back in the city, especially when she’d first moved. She remembered being so mad that she couldn’t see the stars. The city wouldn’t allow it. 

“Bucky… is there something you want to tell me?”

“Every day since you’ve been gone the only thing I’ve reminded myself was that you shouldn’t have left Daisy, I shouldn’t have let you.” Bucky licked his lip. “But then I saw you and I realized it was never about leaving or being left. It was about loving you even if that meant letting you go and god Daisy when you left you were just a cocoon of what you should have been but you came home a damn butterfly.” 

Daisy didn’t know what to say but the tears pricked at her eyes and her chest tightened. 

“Bucky,” she sighed, unsure how to even respond.

She shifted in her spot, turning to face him completely, with tear-riddled eyes and took in a deep breath to settle her racing heart. 

"I- I never wanted to leave you... I just, I needed to find myself." A tear rolled down her cheek and she let her face fall only to feel the soft brush of Bucky's thumb collecting it before lifting her chin tenderly. 

"All of that potential was just that if I stayed here. And I-, asking you to come with me no matter how much I wanted to in that moment would've been to ask you to be someone who you truly weren't. I didn't want you to lose yourself while I found Daisy. And I didn't wanna lose my Bucky."

“It was the worst day of my life when I watched you drive out of town with your car piled full of your stuff.”  Bucky shook his head and his tongue darted out to moisten his bottom lip. “Steve had to stop me from chasing after you.”

“I nearly turned straight back,” Daisy admitted, reaching up her hand to lay against his where it rested on her face.

“You never lost me Dais. I’m right here. I always have been.”

Daisy tried to hold back her tears, but the tears she refused to spill raced down her cheeks at his words. She felt Bucky’s finger gently sliding over her cheek drying her tears away. That small gesture cracked her heart open. He was always so gentle with her, always taking care of her. 

“Don’t cry. Please, don’t cry,” he mumbled, “You know it breaks my heart to see you cry.” Bucky leans a little, touching her forehead with his. 

“I’m okay,” she whispers. “But I want you to know that I never meant for this to happen, for us to hurt like this. But I knew that if I didn’t do what I had to do I would’ve been unhappy, and I couldn’t live with the thought of making you part of an unhappy memory. You were my heart then, and you are my heart now. You’ve always been.”

"You've always been my heart too, Daisy." Bucky scooted closer to her as he continued to gently wipe away her tears. "I may have hated watching you go... but seeing you the other day, seeing the person you've become. I know it was a good thing for you, to go and follow your dream." “Dreams die,” Daisy shrugged, “the world is cruel and I was afraid to come home because it felt like failing but I think it was exactly what I needed.” 

“I don’t want your dreams to die blossom,” Bucky pushed his head against hers. “Maybe there’s a way we can bring them back to life, together.” 

She sighed, there was that relentless hope that seemed to be drilled into everyone in this town. But for the first time in a long time she could feel the warmth of it spreading across her chest. Blossoming again like a field of wildflowers basking in the country sun. 

“Together?” She whispered. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Dais,” Bucky murmured, eyes shining with mirth as he pulled back a little, “but I own a strawberry farm. And I know — I know — you never wanted a little life like this, heck, I don’t think any of us grew up wanting this really, but I know I want a life with you. We could make this work, Blossom.” 

“What are you saying, Bucky?” 

“I’m saying, I want to own a strawberry farm with you. If you want to? Your skills could be very valuable to Barnes Berry Farm.” 

Daisy peered up at Bucky, her lips parted as her eyes flitted across his face. From his eyes, creased at the edges and so, so blue, to his lips, glistening pink and bitten. And suddenly she couldn’t hold back any longer, with her fingers buried into his hair, Daisy tugged Bucky closer.

Her lips found his and Bucky moaned contentedly, the sound she'd missed so sending a shot of electricity through her nerves. She took his bottom lip between hers and they both melted into the kiss like they'd never once stopped kissing each other.

Bucky's hand slid down to her neck while he settled his free one at her lower back pulling her toward his lap. Daisy smiled into the kiss and pulled back slightly tugging on his lip playfully with her teeth. She settled into his lap and brushed her thumbs softly along his cheeks, her eyes never leaving his.

"I'm guessing that's a yes, then?" he teased with a laugh.

Daisy smiled. She had missed the sound of his laugh. For five years she didn't think she'd be able to hear it again. Too busy to come home and too scared to call and see how he was. But now? She never wanted to go another day without hearing it. Without seeing the way his eyes crinkle at the corner and how his nose scrunches when he really laughs. She leaned into him, kissing the corner of his mouth. "A definite yes." 

That same smile she loved so much returned to his face as he tangled his fingers into her hair at the nape of her neck. He stared into her eyes for a moment before his smile faltered for just a moment, "Are you sure?" He asked so softly that it almost came out pained, "because if you aren't... if you're plannin' on leavin' again," Bucky paused, his gaze dropping from hers, "I don't know if I could take you disappearin' on me again." 

Daisy combed her fingers through his hair, shaking her head. "I came back because my firm failed," she whispered softly. It was hard to admit that everything she thought she loved had crumbled before her, "I'll admit I didn't want to come back home. I was scared and I felt like a failure on my own but seeing you, seeing everything that you've accomplished." Daisy sucked in a breath, "I'm not the only one who found myself in the past five years Buck. I missed out on watching you grow with your strawberries, I don't want to miss another day."

“You don’t have to, Blossom. You’re home, here, with me, and I’m gonna make sure you feel that every single minute.”

“I do feel it Buck,” she murmured, bringing their faces close together once more and ghosted her lips across his.

With a soft moan he pulled her closer, his hand tightening on the back of her neck as he closed the distance between their lips.

She giggled against his mouth, feeling his strong arms grip onto her tightly. Daisy's laugh quickly turned into a moan as the blanket around her shoulders fell to the wood floor of the loft. She gripped onto his hair and the back of his shirt as she opened her mouth to him, memories flooding her mind at the mere taste of him. 

When she pulled away slightly, Bucky whined, making her laugh. "I just want to tell you something."

"What is that?" he asked, his eyes back on her lips again. 

"The entire time I was gone... I never once stopped loving you." "Say it again," Bucky groaned as his hands became needy against her body. They trickled down her back and found the gap in her clothes, digging into the skin as his teeth grazed her bottom lip. 

"I love you Buck," she breathed heavily, "I never stopped."

Bucky flashed her a dopey smile, nose scrunching before his lips found hers again in the kind of kiss that was so long overdue that it felt like she was truly coming home. Bucky licked into her mouth, groaning as she tangled her tongue with his. 

“Fuck, we were always so great at this,” Daisy whispered into the kiss, “and your kisses still taste the same, I missed you so much.” 

Bucky chuckled, pressing a series of soft, sweet kisses across her face before finding her mouth again.

“C’mere, my sweet girl,” he murmured, breathless, and then they were falling backwards, Bucky’s back hitting the blankets that had pooled around them as Daisy practically melted against his firm chest.

Daisy pressed her lips to his as her hands drifted to his chest, making quick work of his shirt buttons as their tongues danced together. 

“I thought you were gonna rip it off,” Bucky teasingly mumbled against her lips, she giggled and pulled back just enough to slide the sleeves down so he could pull his arms out. 

“Oh we’ll have plenty of opportunities to rip ‘em up hot shot.” She winked and rolled her hips atop him pulling back slightly as a deep moan slipped from his lips. 

Her hands slipped under his still damp white muscle shirt. Fingers tracing his taut muscles before she dragged her nails softly up his chest, a satisfied smile gracing her kiss-licked lips as he rolled his hips into hers, fingers digging softly into her waist. 

“Can I take this off, Buck?” 

Bucky nodded slowly looking back at her through hooded eyes. 

“I need to hear you say it, handsome.” She hummed, stopping her soft touches along his chest she knew he loved so much. 

“Angel please, quit teasin’ me” he whined.

Daisy laughed softly, "That wasn't a yes," she countered, dipping her head and pressing her lips to his collarbone, kissing the bits of his exposed chest she could reach. She felt his grip on her hips tighten as he squirmed under her. "All I need is a yes honey," she rasped. 

Bucky chuckled tightly, groaning as she rolled her hips against him. "Jesus Daisy, Yes." 

She lifted her head with a triumphant smile continuing her soft touches as she moved to pull on the hem of his undershirt. Bucky sat up carefully, wrapping one arm around her back until they were steady enough he could help her pull it over his head. Her eyes roamed down his chest, taking in the hard plains of muscle that now adorned his body. "You really did grow up." She smirked.

“Dais…” he whispered hoarsely, his face flushing as he smiled shyly at her.

“What? I’m just making a very honest observation,” she said but the innocent tone of her voice didn’t match the salacious look in her eye.

Trailing her fingers down his chest she dipped her head and followed them with her tongue, punctuating her journey with little nips and soft kisses before making her way back up to capture his lips once more.

Pulling apart to catch their breaths she whispered, “It’s been so long since I had you inside of me… since I tasted you.” Daisy kissed his neck and down his chest, hearing Bucky’s breaths turn shallow. 

She brought her hand down south, and gently ran her fingers over his navel following the dust of hair that hides underneath his waistband. “Would you like me to take them off?”

“God, Blossom,” Bucky mumbles, “You’re killing me here.”

Daisy continued to run her fingers across his waistband, “Bucky, yes, or no?”

“Yes,” he panted, “Take them off.”

Daisy flipped his pants open, bringing the zipper down she reached inside grabbing his hardening cock, “Finally. Mama’s gotta eat, right?”

Bucky stared up at her with wild eyes. "Are you going to swallow it all, baby?" he asked, a wry smile on his face. "You used to love it..."

Daisy quirked an unimpressed eyebrow and palmed at Bucky’s cock with a mischievous smile. 

“Baby, you know talking to me like that gets you nowhere. You really wanna put your patience to the test right now? After five years apart?” 

Bucky whined, gasping out a soft ‘c’mon Dais, please,’ as Daisy danced a fingertip over the ticklish skin of Bucky’s hips, kissed the sharp lines of muscle, and felt him shiver beneath her. 

“Please, Daisy. I’ve missed your lovin’ so much, Blossom. Been goin’ stir crazy without you. Fuck,” Bucky babbled, and then he groaned as Daisy tugged down his jeans and exposed his cock to the cool air of the barn.

She ghosted her lips along his strong muscular thigh, slowly planting a trail of wet kisses just until she reached his hip. She jutted her tongue out and licked a stripe along his hip bone, peering up at him through thick lashes as her hands found purchase against his chest once more. Heat pooling at her core as she felt him tense beneath her, ragged breaths egging her on in her quest.

Daisy smiled and moved her lips just above his aching cock, twitching against his stomach as she blew a cool breath, paying no attention to it as she pressed her lips to his other thigh. Her name slipped from Bucky’s lips like a prayer pleading for her to take him. 

“You’re being such a good boy for me, Buck” she mused against his skin.

It was as if his whole body shuddered with her words, "Daisy," he drawled out, slowly in rough groan, "please." 

She smirked against his skin, her fingers dancing along his pelvis just out of reach of his length. "I forgot how pretty you sound when you beg for me Buck." Daisy smirked when he groaned again. 

"You're driving me crazy Angel," He rasped, lifting his head to look down at her. The blue was completely eclipsed by the lust in his eyes but she could still make out a small ring of the sky blue she loved. His fingers tangled in her hair, "don't forget I remember how pretty you sound when you beg too darlin'." 

Daisy grinned, the heat in her core seemingly burning at this point and a rush of arousal shot through her as she wrapped her fingers around him, "I missed this," she whispered not giving him a chance to respond as she pumped him a few times slowly before swirling her tongue around his tip.

She licks the glistening bead of precum that gathered at the tip while she continued to pump him one, two times before stopping. 

“Daisy,” he growled, “stop with the teasing. Either finish me off or come here, so that I can show you how much I want to slip this cock inside that wet pussy of yours.”

Daisy bit her lip before she pressed her lips to the head of his cock. "Is that a promise?" 

Bucky sat up and grasped her by the arms before quickly flipping them over. He pinned her hands over her head and smiled at her devilishly. "It's a guarantee."

Bucky dipped his head to mouth at Daisy’s jaw with hot, wet drags of his tongue, and she moaned at the delicious scratch of his stubble over the sensitive skin.

“Wanna see you,” Bucky murmured, voice gruff and muffled as he kissed further down her body, tugging at the soft material of her top. “All of you.”

She was so hot; her top couldn’t come off fast enough. She needed him touching her everywhere. 

Her top fell to the floor, her bra followed. Bucky’s eyes scanning every inch of her breasts. She barely heard him whisper ‘gods, you’re beautiful’ when she felt his mouth closing in on one of her nipples. 

“Oh… Bucky.” Her eyes rolled back, savoring the moment. It didn’t take long before he was giving the same attention to the other one. 

“You like that, Angel?”

"Yes!" she moaned, her back arching. She ran both hands through his thick hair, trying to keep him in place, but only moaned again as he trailed his tongue down the valley of her breasts and to her navel.

"I need you, sweet angel. I need you so much, it hurts," Bucky panted. He unclasped her shorts and smiled as she lifted her hips to help him remove them and add them to the ever-growing pile of clothing. He met her eyes and smiled as he lowered his head and grasped her panties with his teeth before pulling on them, removing them with her assistance.

A part of her felt bad for teasing him because watching him tear her clothes off was proving to be too much for her coupled with his lips tracing lines back up her legs and his fingers gripping her thighs, Daisy was ready to fall into him again. "Bucky please," She whined, lifting her hips as he brushed his nose over the inside of her thigh. 

"Who's impatient now?" He grinned. 

Daisy groaned earning her a laugh from him as he pushed himself up, hovering over her. Bucky dipped his head and pressed a needy kiss to her lips as he settled between her thighs. She felt one of his hands skate down her body until the pad of his index finger found her clit and began rubbing slow circles. "Not so fun when you're the one being teased is it?" 

She let out a breath, "It's still fun," she smirked, "this was my plan the whole time." 

He raised a brow, lining himself up with her as he continued to stroke her, "Really now?" Bucky asked pushing into her just enough to cause her to gasp. A satisfied smirk fell over his features as he dipped his head to kiss her again, "I've missed that too." 

Daisy groaned, "I need more," She whined softly, her hands roamed down his back until she had a handful of his ass and did her best to pull him to her. "Please," She whispered.

Bucky chuckled as he lowered his head to kiss her deeply, swirling his tongue around hers as he slowly lowered his hips a tiny amount, making Daisy whine. As he pulled away, he panted. "I'm holding myself back sweetheart... if I let go, I'm afraid... I don't want to hurt you."

She lifted her hips to meet him, "You wont," she breathed. "Please." 

Bucky groaned as he shifted his hips sliding further into her making them both moan in pleasure. "I fucking missed you Angel," he breathed as he slowly moved his hips. 

"I missed you," she moaned.

Bucky dropped to rest on his elbows as he bottomed out for a moment, making both of them moan in pleasure. “Fuck." He rested his head on her chest as he panted, then slowly began to move. "You feel so good, angel."

It didn't take long for his hips to start moving at a faster pace. Both of them lost in each other. Daisy tangled her fingers into his hair with one hand, finding purchase on any part of him she could with her other. He nipped and kissed at her skin. She let out a moan as he hit that spot in her, growing her closer to the edge. "Bucky," she moaned.

"I know," he moaned, pumping his hips, making the wood floor creak slightly. "I'm right there with you..."

She had missed this. Having him in her arms and his weight on her. Bucky knew her body like the back of his hand and every kiss he placed on her skin, every where his hands roamed felt like they had been thrown back five years. It was a reminder of everything she had missed out on. Most importantly his love. She pulled him down to her, kissing him as every nerve ending in her body began to spark with the way he was handling her. 

He pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting hers as he pressed his forehead to her own. "Don't leave me again," Bucky whispered desperately as his hips picked up pace. 

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," She replied through breathy moans. He was everything she was missing in the city. She loved her mama and her dad, but Bucky… he felt like home to her and being in his arms was exactly where she needed to be. 

"I can feel you blossom," he groaned, "it's okay," he urged, kissing her, "let go for me." 

Daisy whimpered against his lips as his hand slipped between them and he rubbed fast circles over the throbbing sensitive nub. She gasped again, followed by a string of praises as she fell over the edge into her orgasm.

“That’s it,” he moaned, feeling her clamp down around him as he continued to circle her clit, helping her ride out her orgasm. His own thrusts turned erratic and fast as he grunted. “Fuck ye-s,” he moaned, filling her up. 

As Bucky stilled he removed his hand from her body and propped himself up to lick his fingers clean. Meanwhile Daisy stared up at him. He was her everything and the spot that always felt empty back in the city. Bucky made her feel whole again. 

“James…”

Bucky settled himself over her body again, pushing back the hair stuck to her forehead, "Daisy," he said softly as she stared up at him, "Move in with me." He blurted the words and his eyes went wide. Her mouth dropped open slightly as he closed his eyes for a moment. "That's not how I wanted to ask that." 

He slid out of her, rolling onto his back next to her. "You just got home," He said to the roof of the barn, his eyes avoiding hers. Daisy rolled onto her side, a soft smile forming over her lips as she propped herself up onto her elbow watching him work through whatever was going on in his mind. "I want you here," he finally said after a moment, "with me." Bucky rolled his head to the side to look at her, "I meant when I said I wanted the farm to stand for Family and I can't imagine bringing that to life with anyone but you." 

Daisy watched him for a moment, "You want to have a family with me?" 

"Angel, you already are my family." He smiled softly, "I just want to bring my family home." 

She grinned, ignoring the burning sensation behind her eyes as she leaned over to kiss him again. "Yes." She whispered against his lips. 

His smile grew wide as he wrapped his arms around her, tugging her on top of him. "Really?" 

She laughed as he ran his hands down her side, tickling her softly and nodded, "Yes Bucky, Really." 

"Your mama is gonna be pissed if she finds out you're moving here and you just got home." He said smiling as if he really wasn't that worried. 

Daisy laughed, "We'll just bribe her with strawberries." She leaned into him again when he laughed, kissing him like it was the first time again.

Bucky laughed as he placed kiss after kiss on her face and anywhere else he could reach. “Speaking of your mom… don’t you have a welcome home dinner you should be at?” He asked. “I believe we’re going to be a bit late.”

“Shit!” Daisy bolted up and began reaching for her clothes while Bucky laughed. 

He let her rush for a moment before slowing her down. “Easy angel, it’s okay. I told your mom things might run over when we were on the way out to the fields. She didn’t mind at all.”

Daisy sighed. “You’re lucky I love you, Barnes.”

Bucky smiled brightly. “I love you too, my Daisy May.”

[dangerously-human]

3, 26, 50 for the writer ask game :)

Thank you for your patience, I know I took forever to answer all of these but this one took even longer because I decided to indulge myself with ALL the details and that was a time-consuming genuine delight. 😅

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

I am a big fan of playing with metaphor and challenging myself with defined structure. Years ago, I wrote a Continuum fic (Still Here) with POV from every character in the story, with the swaps happening in a sort of chain based on who the characters interacted with - Dillon talks to Carlos, then we're in Carlos's POV until he thinks about Garza, then we're with Garza until she picks a fight with Emily, and so on - all looking at the same theme of how Kiera returning to her time left a hole that deeply affects everyone she left behind. Love giving myself a theme to work around, like chapters in developing relationship fic each based on a color of the rainbow. As is probably quite apparent, I enjoy writing "five times/things" fics and drabbles, and combining the two. Sometimes I go a step further and do the variations on a theme thing for five interconnected drabbles, like the Sparky five senses series. I like giving myself a challenge with fanfiction so it still feels like I'm growing my writing skills, even though a lot of things come easier than with original works.

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?

Easy, I write fics sans dialogue all the time. I do really enjoy dialogue and I think I've improved my ability to write it a lot, but introspection is still where I thrive.

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

Oh goodie, love this question! I'm going to answer 29: What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for [Here's a Safe Place to Lay Your Heart Down]? Explain your choices if you want!

I never used to be the kind of writer who had separate playlists for individual projects (outside of the occasional original work), just one massive playlist for the fandom. It's been a fun way to focus on some of the more effort-heavy, long-term WIPs! Here's the one for the ring fic:

The Graduate - The Arcadian Wild: The bittersweetness of growing up and your perspective shifting so you see the world as it truly is, for better and worse simultaneously. "When you were younger, you dreamed of being tall, but you discovered growing up just leaves you feeling small" / "Failing is fruitful, so long as we do not forget to move" / "We are wandering through the wild, we are wondering when not if we'll reach the other side... When we were ever alone? Together we'll make our way home"

Anomaly - Angels & Airwaves: Lockwood crush angst! "I never wanted to say how much I liked you, I never wanted to be one of your sad discoveries" - not feeling worthy of Lucy

Dark Mirage - Matthew Parker, HIDDEN EYES: Lockwood struggling and Lucy feeling helpless. "I don't possess the power to drive off the darkness that's haunting you, I pray the truth gets louder" - Felt fitting for the wallowing portions of this fic, considering Lockwood vastly overestimates his negative effect on Lucy. Also like... this level of angst is exactly what Lockwood is terrified of inflicting on Lucy, it's not actually like this but he's worried it could be if he's not constantly on high alert (which is what Lucy tells him she's willing to do if he ever needs it)

Taxi Cab - Twenty One Pilots: Ooh, this one hits hard on so many Lockwood & Co levels. "I wanna fall inside your ghost and fill up every hole inside my mind, and I want everyone to know that I am half a soul divided" is just such a good way to showcase Lockwood's growth, from the soul divided being between life and death to being part of a whole (with Lucy). The repetition of "don't be afraid" throughout a lyrical story that is so Lockwood all over just. Argh, it's very very hard for me to put this one into words. Like how the "don't be afraid" could at first be giving up but then it's a promise not to. And it gets at the same idea as the books do with Lockwood as both Christ figure and the one saved ("and then I asked them, am I alive and well or am I dreaming dead? And then one turned around to say, we're driving toward the morning sun, where all your blood is washed away and all you did will be undone"). There's a lot of imagery here I associate with the Other Side and the return, and so I connect it with Lockwood sort of dying and, upon symbolic resurrection, choosing a new life that involves opening himself up to Lucy... Ugh, yeah, this one's harder to explain, it just means a LOT to me

Hot Tea - half•alive: Obsessed with this as Lockwood being pathetically in love, tbh ("Wanna be here ar your door 12am and sleeping on your porch until you get in, looking into your eyes endlessly, crawling into your lap desperately"), and "can't afford to lose you any longer" fits very well for the canon era chapter, but also just the warmth of belonging to each other ("Hold you in my hands like hot tea, knowing I'm safe 'cause you want me")? That is always the Locklyle vibe I'm going for, but especially in this fic. Also the line "sip you through my front teeth" makes me think of Lockwood and his blue whale thing, hahaha

Spiders - Bear's Den: I will eventually come back to write the spiders symbolism kidfic that slots in later in this series, which is the only reason I did not end up using these lyrics for this fic despite it fitting the vibe so well. (Love, I'm Trying had at least three WIPs competing to use it as a title for a while there.) But, yeah, the whole thing with spiders as indicative of a haunting lends extra power to this one in an L&Co context, with lines like "I can't take back all the hurt I've caused, everything I love I have somehow lost, it's four in the morning abd the spiders are crawling in my mind, replaying pictures of all I can't undo, love, I'm trying, but I can't oull myself when the darkness comes" - and that being when Lockwood has to learn to go to Lucy, because that's what they do for each other, they pull each other out when they can't do it alone

Rain Clouds - The Arcadian Wild: The growth! While usually I associate this song more with Lucy, it does still work for Lockwood and the guilt he carries, moving from "I'm being shadowed by my past, reminding me of what I was and what I could become" to a sort of conversation of "I need someone to be my guide, listen to my voice, close your frightened eyes, hide behind my love for you, fear's only a choice, one that we all must make someday"

BREAKFAST - half•alive: Chosen as the title source for good reason; this song is all about vulnerability and the mortifying ordeal of being known, and practicing embracing the safety of leaving your heart in someone else's hands - starting out feeling reluctant and even panicky at the idea of openness ("I fled to the walls, yeah, be sure I'm surrounded, where no one can find me") to fighting your instincts and opening up no matter how hard it is, and being met with the reassurance of being seen and loved in all your complexity ("say you're open through tears and trembling, it's a major step, it's okay to fret, here's a safe place to lay your heart down"), and the reminder that messing up doesn't mean you've broken the relationship irreparably ("it's a second chance, it won't be your last"), which is a message Lockwood really needs to hear from Lucy in this fic, as they repeat old patterns with new endings

Lifeline - Angels & Airwaves: The forgiveness and gentleness Lucy offers Lockwood - "We all make mistakes, here's your lifeline"

Your Burden is Mine - Sarah Sparks, Kenny Komatsu: The doing life together part, a reminder that it's pride that intereferes with letting love in - "Don't spare me from anything, your burden is mine" / "Careful, my brother, there on your own, for it is a fool who suffers alone, there's none self-sufficient, only those who try, so swallow your pride, your burden is mine"

TrusT - half•alive: Ooh, this song absolutely messes me up re: redemption, and also unchanging adoration/stability even in the midst of conflict. Lockwood needs to hear it from a romantic relationship perspective ("rest and know the love you hold won't be taken back, no, how sweet the taste of certainty, the gift you gave is safe with me"), but it hits hard for me from a Christian theology perspective - and isn't that just the surprise theme of this fic, the ways marriage is meant as an echo of Christ's love for his bride, the Church. Also fits really well for this in-between space they find themselves in as they have an answer for the Problem yet are still working on the solution ("the tug of war in the now-not-yet... can you tell me why I feel this way? I have faith that the world I'm in will be redeemed again, but there's a weight that I can't explain, so tell me why I feel this way"), which I think is a tension in the background of most of my work in this particular series

The Kitchen - Tow'rs: For the imagery of dancing together in the kitchen as a way of making amends after a fight - "You made me dance in the kitchen with you, if I was the night then you were the moon"

What Home Feels Like - The Afters: Gosh this song is so CUTE, and that is the Locklyle vibe! Just the idea of finding home and belonging with the person you love - "There is no place I'd rather be for the first time in my life, I know what home feels like" / "No, I never wanna leave, 'cause I've found where I belong, this is what home feels like"

Let's Get Married - Bleachers: This is THE love post-trauma song, and fits the warmth of 35 Portland Row so well along with Lucy and Lockwood promising to make it work even when it's crazy hard, because they recognize where they're a little broken but they also believe building a life together is worth it

[armpirate]

UNDER YOUR SKIN || JJK || Ch. 6

Pairings: tattoist!jk x fem!reader

Genre: smut, angst, friends to lovers, tattoo au, virgin reader.

Summary: You were awful on anything related to flirting, guys and sex. He was the perfect ladies man. You wanted to get rid of your virginity. And he was there to help you with everything you needed. You didn't have the best start, but that didn't mean you wouldn't have the best of the endings.

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

I pack the last few things, just one more jumper and a jacket in case it gets cold there, which could easily be the case this time of the year. And while I'm waiting, sitting on the couch, eyes fixed on the turned off television, I keep making up excuses in my head so I can save myself from going. 

I'll be surrounded by people I don't know,  and with whom I'll just keep some small talk and superficial conversations. So, in that sense, I'll be relieved by Tammy's presence and controller energy. I'm low key sure she'll try to introduce me to everybody, and will be the one in charge of building my new friendships.

But Jungkook...

After what happened in the supermarket, we didn't talk much on our way back -more like we didn't speak at all. Not even when he offered to -genuinely- drive me back home. I didn't even use words, I simply nodded and muttered a low "Thank you" before I got off his car. And I'm ashamed. I acted all bitchy and still he offered to drive me back home.. 

Wait, I'm not feeling bad for him, am I?

Maybe it's because I knew he was right when he cornered me last week. Jungkook drives me nuts, but at the same time, I can't deny he has something that makes me lower my guard as soon as he's just centimeters away from me. Like my rational and mature side knows I should step back and keep some distance, while my needy side feels he's everything I've been waiting for. And what is this shit? A side effect of not living my teens the way I had wanted to? Is this a way to settle every phase of my life?

Seriously...

He's an asshole. And a little reminder for you, horny virgin, he has a girlfriend. Not only you should be thinking he's a dick, but he's also taken. And his girlfriend is someone you're trying to be friends with. Is that enough?

I've been so deep in my thoughts, I hadn't realized my phone was shaking in my pocket for a little while. Well, enough time to get three calls from Tammy. 

—We're waiting for you —she sings—. Are you coming now or should I go up and drag you outside?

Yeah, no. I don't need that. I get up and give one last look to my house, making sure everything is correct before I place the strap on my shoulder and close the door behind me. I'm surprised to see one of my neighbors getting out of the lift. Ever since I moved in here -and it's been a few years-, I've barely run into any of them. And mister Hallagan, who lives next door, is no exception.

I rush to get in the elevator before the doors close. I try to look at my reflection through the painted and scratched mirror, but it's impossible. I give up, turning around again to face the small entrance once the doors open again on the low level. A loud bell noise in my back, that gets lower to  sound loud back again before it suddenly stops, officially informing me the elevator reached the first floor.

I'll end up being thankful for being able to get away from this place, even if it's just for a day. 

But that happiness doesn't last long enough. Actually, the moment I cross the main door and see the black SUV that took me home last week, my expression fades. I feel tempted to turn around and get back to the elevator.

Could be it's Melanie's car.

I see Tammy leaning out the backseat window, waving at me while telling me to put my things in the car trunk. 

With heavy steps, I walk to the car and do as she says, making sure I close the door correctly before I join her in the backseat. Although my eyes first see Tammy with a big smile, and Jungsoo looking excited to see me here, my thoughts get totally blinded by that annoying lip ring reflecting and those doe eyes looking at me through the driving mirror. 

The longest four hours of my life.

Jungsoo and Tammy seem to rekindle the conversation they were having before I joined, and I really try to include myself in it. Trying hard to focus on their talk and avoid as much as possible the look he keeps on giving me.

Is this some type of revenge after what I did last week? Staring at me so deep until I get uncomfortable enough?

—Shall we stop somewhere and get something to eat? —Soo suddenly suggests.

—Yeah —Tammy lets out a sigh—. It'll also be okay to stretch out our legs.

—Imagine not eating anything until we get there —Soo jokes—. 5 pm, we safely arrived, but one of us is missing an arm.

While we're still on the road, and one of the moments we go absolutely silent, I pay attention to their gestures -or more like the lack of those. They aren't touchy, they don't playfully hold hands, don't look at each other. And Jungsoo didn't even talk to him. Maybe they're that kind of couple that rather show affection behind closed doors. And why the fuck am I even dissecting their relationship?

Two hours and a half later, the speed of the car decreases until it stops in a service area. We found it in the perfect moment, while we were close of going insane because of hunger. We kept saying to wait a bit more while we drove past some roadhouses. But as soon as we were hungry enough, that our guts were battling with one another about who's in more need of food, it seemed like all the bars and restaurants disappeared. 

—I'll go to the restroom fast —I say as soon as we get in—. If they want to take our command, I'll get whatever you do —I talk to Tammy.

While they take a seat at one of the several empty tables, I head to the white door that's on the left side of the counter. 

While I'm washing my hands, after finishing, I think Jungkook could pull a cliche and be waiting for me, bending on the wall in front of the restroom bathroom. I rub my hands harder, and as soon as my eyes reach my reflection on the mirror and see a flash of a smile, I know I'm in trouble. I suddenly stop smiling, and see my own expression being replaced by a disgusted face.

—What the fuck is wrong with you? —I scold myself.

I bend over, just so I can splash some water -and sense- on my face.

I sigh in relief when I open the door and the blank wall welcomes me back, along with the silence in the corridor and some choky noises from the kitchen.

I join them back shortly after, and my stomach roars as soon as I see they all have their drinks -which means the waitress took their orders already and food won't take too long. As I get closer, I realize Jungsoo and Tammy are sitting together in one of the benches. The only empty space is right next to Jungkook. I frown while I think about why they didn't sit together. And why do I even care?

If I thought things would get better the moment we started eating, I was wrong. The moment we get our burgers, he man spreads. His thigh and knee rubs against mine all the time, and I'm unable to think straight every single time it happens. Even the warmth coming from his body is giving me shiverings. I'm close to losing the appetite. I blame my lack of experience for this, but I refuse to believe he isn't bouncing his leg against mine accidentally. Although the way he keeps his head down, eating his burger makes me believe he might be doing it unconsciously.

And even if he was aware, most probably he'd apply the law of silence. The exact same one he's been practicing for a week. And that makes me wonder if he got offended at some point.

We don't spend much time there. We eat, rest for a bit and rush back to the car so we get to Seneca lake as soon as possible. Just two hours left. 

I think maybe a good choice would be trying to sleep on our way there. But my body reacts by itself before I can even decide if I want to sleep. The accumulated tiredness and the burger I've just eaten seem to take a toll on my body, because once my head is lodged against the window, my eyelids seal and I forget about everything.

✸ ✸ ✸

I don't feel embarrassed when I wake up and all eyes in the car are set on me, nor when I realize I slept so deep and good I ended up drooling and soaking my sleeve, nor after entering the cabin and feeling like an intruder and see there's more people than just the guys I met in the bar -although Soo already told me the day I decided to join them. 

Nope.

What makes me embarrassed is the fact that they already distributed the rooms, and everyone was pretty much aware of who'd be their roommate. Everyone but me, obviously. Oh, but it can get even funnier. Because my roommate is no one else but Jungkook. But it gets even worse when I decide to speak up. They all look at me confused, but burst out laughing the moment I say it's weird and it makes no sense making me sleep with him, when Jungsoo is the one dating him.

Would be great if they explained the joke.

I catch Jungkook laughing with the rest, probably a bit louder than them. It's the first time I've seen him like this ever since we started our trip, and that doesn't augur anything good.

—Jungkook, my boyfriend? —Soo asks after trying to put herself back together— Did you tell her that? —she asks Tammy.

My friend shakes her head fast, still laughing from my comment. And all I can think of is encouraging her to keep laughing, because once we're back in town, she'll remember this. Especially when we start planning the shifts.

—You talked about him the first night, you have matching tattoos —I point to my own wrist—. And, when I told him, he kinda confirmed it.

—I talked about my boyfriend, Mark, he was the one that met Tammy in the tattoo studio. Jungkook and him are partners —she explains—. He's my brother, the one I told you that was just starting to hang out with us.

Yeah, I remember that. 

—About the tattoos, well it's a siblings' thing. It's our initials. I have his, and he has mine. Why didn't you tell her we weren't together when she told you? —she confronts her brother. 

He's still laughing out loud, before he breathes out loudly to answer.

—She looked so convinced —now he looks at me—. How could I dare to contradict her? —his eyes challenge me.

I'll kill him. He better sleep with one eye open, because I'll kill him.

[maybuds]

Believe me I’m no fan of late-stage capitalism, but I do feel like that last anon is in a particularly doom-laden mood with regards to creative works right now?! Yes of course the big studios and streaming services have a stultifying effect. But step even a tiny bit outside the mainstream big-budget stuff and there are amazing films being made. Not to mention that non-English language independent films are exciting and interesting and able to reach a bigger audience than ever before, thanks to the internet. Additionally, the sweeping statement that “the music isn’t even that good” just seems…unjustified? There’s loads of amazing music out there right now, even on the most mainstream labels. And you have the opportunity to fund a massive range of creators directly via Bandcamp and Patreon! But beyond that, what about all the people who don’t go to gigs just to take insta-content? What about all the people who go to watch tiny local rock bands play in the pub? Or folk bands play in a barn? Or world music played at a night event in a museum? If you spend a lot of time looking at instagram and TikTok, of course you’ll see the shiny people who only go to activities in order to film themselves there. But there are so many people who don’t do that, who listen and watch and pay attention in the moment. Who close their eyes against tears because they’re finally seeing the band they loved when they were 13, and weren’t allowed to go. Who use VPN to hunt down obscure Hong Kong movies from the 90s. Who go to themed film festivals at their local independent cinema. Yes it’s annoying that the Western mainstream is largely so shallow, but there are so many ways to access more interesting art these days…I just feel like a completely negative view is misguided and misleading. I hope the other anon can find joy in turning their attention away from the most dominant (and chronically online) Western pop culture in favour of things they value and love.

i love those descriptions, and they give me a lot of hope; they’re actually a much needed reminder about what meaningful engagement with creative works out there can still do if we just look for it. but at the same time, i also understand where the other anon is coming from, because there really is something to be said about the state of creative media production these days in general and especially the media engagement that currently happens a lot on social media. so that even if it wasn’t the barbie or oppenheimer movie but, say, some other foreign independent arthouse film from the late ’90s, or of one of the local rock bands, the way people ‘aestheticize’ it and flatten it out on social media is … frustrating to say the least. and the fact that this is one of the surest ways to really get more people to listen or watch is just so bleak to look at right now when you want to share your art to people. in a sense, it’s difficult for those who want to create meaningful art and live off of it, when all you get is this celebrity-obsessed culture. it’s like the way you can earn sufficiently from it is if you made ‘creative content’ that’s as consumable and as palatable to profitability as possible, plus you have to have your ‘identity’ (branding) down too. and even if you decided to exit the mainstream and wanted to go independent, you will still need income anyway. art is not separable from the material world, no matter how abstract it is. the way so many creative minds and energies are being ruined right now by branding and market logic is just a grim reality we’re being faced with more and more, even outside the west. and we get this excess of shallow media, and it’s what’s everywhere right now, and it’s melting all our brains, no matter if we still engage with meaningful art whenever we can.

still!!! i do have to thank you for a very hopeful message re: creative work and genuine engagement to works of art. despite everything genuinely loving art really is what it’s all about! just have to keep looking for more hehe

[burgeoning-ambition]

Studying and Staying Motivated When You're Mentally Ill

Mental illness is hard and I physically cannot sugar coat that. It sucks and makes things harder. But that does not mean you can't create ways to combat it.

I have struggled with neurodivergence and mental illness my whole life and it can be incredibly hard to deal with sometimes. But over that time I've found some things that have helped me stay caught up with my studies even when things feel impossible.

Of course, these are things that work for me, and may not necessarily work for others. It isn't perfect, it's just what I've found helps when I'm struggling. Try any of these tips to see if they work for you, too!

So: Here is my list of Things That Can Make Studying and Motivation a Little Bit Easier When You're Mentally Ill:

Doing a little bit is better than doing nothing. I used to really struggle with the idea that I had to either complete something fully or not start it. Don't follow that mindset. Writing a few words is better than writing nothing. Drawing bubbles to fill in with outline ideas for a paper is worth doing even if you can't actually fill the ideas in. Opening a textbook and looking over the names and page numbers of assigned sections is worth it even if you can't actually read it. Even the smallest steps in the process are steps.

Focus on the things you're interested in, if you have any classes you're interested in. The work comes easier if you're interested in what you're working on. Sometimes it can even motivate you to do a little bit of work on the subjects you don't care about. I know it's tempting to try and force yourself to finish the assignment from that class you hate, but that's rarely going to work. Do the things you care about first, and then move on to the harder/more boring/"I hate this class" stuff. I know this sounds a little counterintuitive, but in my experience during depressive slumps it's far more effective to start with what you like and let that motivate you to look at what you don't.

If keeping your grades up is important: Drop any supplemental work that you're only doing as an add-on to existing work. When motivation is low it's hard to get enough energy to do both the required material for classes and any supplemental material you're doing in your personal time. If you do duolingo in your free time and continuing your streak would sap too much energy away from finishing more important tasks, stock up on streak freezes and take a break from it. If you do math practice that you won't be graded on in your spare time and it takes up a lot of your energy, skip it for a few days. The game here is clearing your schedule as much as possible so you can have more time and energy to work on actual class assignments. Recreational activities that bring your energy back up are equally important to actual schoolwork in this context. If taking a walk helps clear your head to focus on an important assignment, take a walk. If you really, truly need to keep your grades up or catch up on your grades, dropping extra material may give you the extra bit of reserved energy you need.

Go outside for a bit, and if you can't do that, use natural light. I know this sounds basic and ineffective, but it really does help. Going outside for a bit if the weather permits, opening your curtains or blinds, opening the window (again if weather permits) can all genuinely make a difference. If you start getting overwhelmed, take a break from whatever you're doing and go on a walk or sit by a window or something to engage with natural light and outside. Changing your scenery can help reset any negativity you have stewing, and sunlight really can help you feel better (just make sure not to burn!). On top of taking breaks and going outside, try and study with natural light as much as possible! Studying with my curtains open just feels better than using artificial light, and small things like that really are important when your mental health is in the gutter.

Take breaks! Feel no shame about taking breaks! Breaks are incredibly important! I've mentioned taking breaks in passing in some of the other notes, but it really is fundamental. It is not effective to just work nonstop and try and get everything done at once. It'll just sap your motivation faster, and when you have very little motivation that is exactly what you want to avoid. When I have low motivation, I give myself extra breaks to account for it. It's like having a rechargeable battery- at your most motivated, it can fully charge and you can go longer without needing to take a break to let it refill, but when you're at your least motivated, maybe it only reaches 15% of its total capacity. You need to take more breaks because you have less motivation and energy and need more chances to replenish it. Never feel guilty about taking breaks when you need them. If you work past what you have the energy to do you'll wind up with more negatives than positives. Please allow yourself to take breaks when things are too much.

Eat, drink water, and sleep. It can feel impossible to do these three things when you're struggling, but please do them. If you let water, food, or sleep fall by the wayside it will be harder to focus and harder to pick yourself back up. I don't say these things to scare or stress anyone, I say these things because they are important. Try your best to eat when you're hungry, drink water consistently (if you avoid drinking water because you don't like the taste you can always use any number of flavoring drops people sell, but try for plain water when you can), and get enough sleep. Take it slowly if you need to, gradually increasing how much you sleep/eat/drink water. Your mind and body depend on these things to work right, so if you can't do anything else, try to at least fulfill your basic needs.

I hope these help! They definitely help me. There are, of course, more tips out there (and more tips I could give!), but these cover a handful of the basics.

Asks + messages are open if anyone wants to discuss these (or anything else)!

[albrechtsenalbrechtsen88]

replica burberry scarf 26

Genuine Burberry Scarf For Sale Lastly, observe the tag, its high quality, and fonts. phoenet.tw burberry scarf replica As you probably can see, nearly all of these scarves come in either wool blend or acrylic fabrics. Yet, I’ve managed to seek out some exceptional cashmere versions of the Burberry scarf! In the highest left nook, you possibly can see the equestrian knight emblem, and to the right, there's a square block that depicts the sample and style of the headscarf purchased, in this case, it’s Giant Check. A true image of high-end fashion, stepping out in classic Burberry’s basic checked pattern by no means fails to show heads. Our favorite way to showcase the bold design is by sporting a scarf. First, we are going to check out the fake vs actual Burberry scarves on the outside facet of the wash tag, and then, on the interior facet. What made me marvel though is whenever I visited the location, my Malwarebytes program would warn me I was visiting a bad site. If you don’t have Malwarebytes in your computer, you could need to add it. They have a free version and a paid version. I used the free version for several years, then finally purchased the paid model. What an amazing publish Susan – we’re material agents who promote to designers and producers in North America and one of the mills we cope with is strictly Cashmere so I know all about knock offs. In this photograph you can compare the perimeter of the 2 scarves. Also, make certain to examine out the under video displaying 10 super straightforward methods to wear the classic Burberry scarf with type. Many scarves may have the detail “London” sewn somewhere beneath the brand, and most will also embrace where the product was made. The fonts of these location particulars may differ slightly with each scarf, they'll both be sewn in the identical standard Burberry font, or in a thinner, cursive fashion like the one pictured below. The classic Heritage Nova Check sample, or any of the other glam kinds from the brand, provides the perfect amount of colour to any outfit, which these celebs highlighted flawlessly. At the free place, however, it is not uncommon to find very prime quality, costly objects. Black/gray market designer acessories are a worldwide drawback. wikipedia scarf The economies of Italy and France in particular are impacted. Unfortunately, the fakes may be fairly darn good. It’s so dumb of them to take chances like that with their brand! I watch a lot of YouTube movies on-line about fashion as a end result of I just love studying about it, even if it’s a model or product that I’m not thinking about shopping for for myself. In the final couple of months, I’ve noticed all of the YouTube people who love and buy Louis Vuitton have began complaining that the standard has slipped. This was apparently the scarf I had purchased on eBay via what had turned out to be a hacked eBay account. I hadn’t anticipated to receive something in any respect. I instantly known as eBay and they assured me I had been credited for the scarf. Besides our high-quality replica Burberry scarf, we're additionally well-known for our other Fake Burberry merchandise which are manufactured from the identical supplies because the authentic one with our impeccable workmanship. Shopping for the most effective fake Burberry scarf that looks and feels similar to the true thing? Look no further as we've the best mirror-image Burberry scarf replica available within the market. In the picture above, you'll be able to see how the full packaging of an genuine Burberry scarf should appear to be. We have placed the picture above only with the genuine example of the Burberry scarf simply so you can have a greater view of how the genuine tassels should seem like. On the opposite hand, the authentic Burberry scarf has all of its letters accurately positioned, as there is similar distance between all of the letters. On the other hand, the genuine Burberry scarf has its textual content trying thicker and more outlined than the one met on the counterfeit Burberry scarf. If you are right here since you want to discover ways to spot fake Burberry scarves, you might be in the right place. Finally, the width of the fake label was not measured accurately, because it needs to be narrower, with smaller texts on it. For some reason, replica factories always appear to get fonts mistaken. In this case, the letters in the right picture are bolder, thicker and everywhere when they are alleged to be thinner, exquisite and symmetrical similar to it is on the genuine label. You can tell a lot concerning the authenticity of a model by observing its label. Even the true ones are slightly fuzzy, just not as much because the fake one I was sent. If it’s from Bloomingdales, it should be fantastic. Louis Vuitton Outlet Paris with silk and wool vuitton household journey blanket, Kashmir made once more turn out to be later scarf and quilts. In 1914, Louis vuitton shop in Paris final dream at champs-elysees avenue 70 the world's largest journey leather shops. While some trench coats are made at a manufacturing web site in Leeds, a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, some Burberry scarves and different products are made in China. When on-line purchasing, it’s best to stay to well-known and established retailers, such as Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, and naturally the official Burberry web site.

[crazycookiecrumbles]

Her Favorite Lawyer (2)

A/N:  reblogs/comments desired/appreciated greatly. I don’t know if I’ll do a third part, I mean I SORT OF, have an idea if I turned this into a story, but I really just wanted to write a date.

Main Masterlist ​

Pairings/Characters: Matt Murdock x Reader

Warnings: talks about violence (bc Frank Castle is a treat), drabble, no warnings, really, some kissies

Summary:  In the middle of a heatwave, you find none other than Matt Murdock in your neigborhood.

WC: 2,691

After everything that had happened with Frank Castle’s case, you knew that it’d probably be a little while before you saw Matt again. You may not have been in the court room that afternoon, but you’d heard about the outburst that had gone down and you knew that that was the worst possible thing for an attorney to get out of their client.

To be quite honest, you didn’t expect to hear from him at all ever again. The rumor around the courthouse was that Frank’s outburst effectively destroyed the small firm of Nelson & Murdock, which made you feel disappointed. They were some of your favorite attorneys, simply because they were polite, they never shouted, and they always kept a decent pace when you were on the record. To hear how badly the Castle case had taken them down, it was disappointing for you.

But, funny enough, one day after all of this Frank Castle, Punisher chaos happened, you were out and about one Friday afternoon after work. You were busy getting a few groceries you needed before heading home, debating whether or not you’d even use these groceries when you got home, or get takeout and use the excuse that buying groceries meant you totally deserved a treat on top of it.

Stepping out of the grocery store, you were heading home when you spotted Matt Murdock feeling different oranges from the fruit basket outside. Tilting your head to the side, you casually strolled over to him and cleared your throat to announce your presence.

“Ah, Ms. Reporter, how are you?” Matt asked you before you could say anything.

You smiled in surprise, “How did you know it was me?”

How could Matt explain that he had been thinking about you, wanted to see you, but was trying very, very hard to not appear to be a stalking psychopath?  His trial was over so he had no reason to head back to the courthouse any time soon, thanks for that one, Frank, and he was currently on the outs with his best friend, Foggy, Karen, and wondering what the hell happened that cause Frank to turn like that.

But, damn it, stalking really was the truth for a situation like this.

“Your perfume,” he said after a moment. “I recognized it, it’s very distinct to you.”

“Can I take that as a compliment?”

“Please,”he nodded.

“Good,” you replied. “It’s nice to see you again, Counselor. I’m sorry about your case.”

He snorted, “Are you? You don’t have to be polite.”

You shrugged, “It’s one part polite, one part genuine. You had a very, very interesting, difficult case. You know? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t type of situation. He was obviously very hurt in his service to his country and as a result, well, you get the Punisher, but it’s so….so not black and white like Reyes was saying. But what do I know? I generally distrust attorneys as a rule of thumb.”

Matt was intrigued by this. He understood this baseline level of sympathy from Karen, but from you? The reporter who only experienced this case from the morning to the afternoon each day? It was curious, and he did want to know more, given that he himself was working on this.

“You must not want to talk about work right now, though,” you said quickly with a laugh.

“Actually,” Matt cleared his throat. “What do you think about him?”

“Him, or the case?”

“Him.”

You shrugged, “I’ve only got half the info, but it’s tricky, isn’t it? On the one hand, he shouldn’t be a decider of people’s lives, right? On the other hand, all these people he’s killed, that’s exactly what they do, or they traffic women and children, rape, murder, exploit the honest, the good, the young…why should we punish someone who is trying to do the right thing that the law can’t do? Which, by the way, the law is bound by an old, archaic system designed for and by the white man to protect just that.”

“And yet, you’re a court reporter.”

You shrugged again, “I have no standing in these matters, I just write down what is said.”

“So you support the Punisher?”

You sighed, “I wouldn’t give him a gun, but I wouldn’t block his way, either.”

“That is a very lawyer-y way to say you support him.” Matt teased.

“I think this case is way more complicated than just a yes or no-type of an answer, you know what I mean?”

“I understand,” Matt said.

You watched him. This man’s head was tilted off to the side. With the way his mouth was drawn into a tight line, brow furrowed, you felt like you had already ruined his day. Maybe Frank had been his client, but it seemed like Matt was simply representing the man and ignoring his own bias against him, as a lawyer should do.

“I feel like you definitely don’t like me as much now that I’ve said what I think about Castle,” you cleared your throat and looked around. “So this was fun — “

“I respect your opinion, and it is yours to have,” Matt said thoughtfully after a moment. “He is no longer my client, the case is over, and he is in the custody of the law, now. I don’t see why anything related to Frank Castle should come between us.”

“Yeah?” You raised an eyebrow, “You’ll love my opinions on the death penalty, then.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, yes. I think we should have hourly hangings in Times Square, and create Twitch livestreams out of them.”

Matt snorted in amusement and smiled softly, “I’d heard reporters had a special brand of humor, I didn’t realize how dark it could get.”

“Oh, you have no idea, Mr. Murdock.”

“Maybe you can educate me over dinner,” he offered. “If you aren’t busy at the moment.”

You laughed a little nervously. You’d basically just told his man that you  understood why the Punisher did what he did, this man, a lawyer, one who you were certain had a tendency to lean towards the ‘good’ side of the law, given his client history and the types of cases he took on.

Yes, you stalked him online.

Yes, you definitely enjoyed what you saw, and the reviews you’d find of him online.

“You mean to tell me, even after what I just said about the law, lawyers, Castle, you still want to have dinner?”

“Despite our difference in opinions, I do find our conversations to be interesting, and the reasoning behind your opinions is insightful, even though it’s different from my own. I just think that we could have, maybe, fun talking about anything else other than the law.”

“Well, having dinner with you does go against my anti-lawyer beliefs, but I think we have the potential to find a good balance here,” Matt offered. “If you’d like.”

“Sure,” you glanced down at the grocery bag in your hands, “I do have to put this away, though. Would you mind? I don’t live far.”

“Not at all, allow me —“

“No, no, I can carry them,” you said as you two started walking.

“A blind man can’t carry groceries?” He teased.

“You know what? Yes. That’s exactly my reasoning,” You snickered. “I can’t risk you tripping and crushing the ice cream in here, Murdock.”

“I would, too, if I don’t like the flavor.”

“Yeah?” You told him your favorite flavor, “How do you feel about that?”

“Like I may fall over and take your bag with me,” He joked, reaching for your bag.

You laughed and slapped his hand down and out of the way while he chuckled, his hand instead resting on your arm for guidance as the two of you walked the hot city streets together.

“Smooth,” you commented under your breath.

“Thank you,” Matt smirked to himself.

~*~

After arriving at your apartment, you quickly put your groceries away so that you and Matt could get going. Matt pretended not to notice you texting on your phone the second you entered the apartment, and he feigned knowledge that, given the sound that each key emitted, that you were telling someone, a friend, clearly, that you and a man were in your apartment together, and that you told them exactly who it was in case you were mysteriously murdered or disappeared.

Well, he had to give you credit there, you were thorough.

“I didn’t even offer you water,” you said after a moment. “Sorry. Do you want any?”

“Depends, will you poison me?”

“Only if you turn out to be some undercover serial killer,” you remarked as you poured him a glass. “Just need a sec, and we can get going, okay?”

“Sounds good. Thank you,” Matt took the water from you and sat down by your kitchen counter. He shamelessly listened as you left a quick voice message with your friend about where you were going and what you were doing.  Matt was learning the type of person you were, careful, considerate, funny, which lead to you being charming in your own way.

“Let’s kick it!” You said, leaving your bedroom with a different purse and grabbing your keys off of the counter.

You and Matt made it all of three steps out the door before the background humming of lights and air conditioning suddenly turned off. You both froze in place, Matt listening to the sound of every single light in the building going off, followed by air conditioning, the elevator shutting down, and people now shouting in anger.

“Power outage, I think,” Matt said. 

“Shit,” you muttered under your breath, “Great. All my stuff is gonna go bad — fuck that, we should see if it’s just the building or — “

“The neighborhood, I think,” Matt said after a moment.

Curious to know if he was right, you walked towards the hallway window. Sure enough, the power was out for at leas ten blocks out, and that’s just from the direction you could see. Sighing heavily, you chewed your lip before spinning around. “I should call you a cab, send you home now before mayhem breaks loose. Not that it’s a bad neighborhood and you’ll get murdered here, but who knows if it’ll go to the rest of the city and — “

“But what about all that ice cream you bought? Can’t let that go bad,” Matt reasoned. “If, you know, you wanted company to help finish it.”

“Thought my ice cream taste was unacceptable?”

“I’ll allow it.”

You pondered on this for a moment, “I do have food that’s going to go to waste now since the power’s off and I don’t know when it’ll come back.”

“It would be a crime to let it go to waste. I’d have to report you.”

You chuckled, “Well, Matt, no funny business, okay? I’ve got a gas stove, a lot of knives, and people that know I’m with you.”

“Please, Y/N, I’m just an honest, Catholic man.”

“Oh, god.” you rolled your eyes and laughed, “The depravity in that sentence alone is incredible.”

Back in your apartment, you were gathering candles, lanterns, and your hand-crank radio. Matt listened as you explained all the supplies you had for ‘just in case’ moments like this. He sat at the counter and listened to you rattle off all the things you had to eat in your refrigerator. With a gas stove ready and a couple of candles lit, he was assisting you in reheating some old leftovers, and using the excuse that he wasn’t familiar with your kitchen in order to bump into you and press up against you from time to time. Of course, you were wise to this, but you didn’t exactly mind. 

You ended up sitting at your kitchen counter together, Matt wondering why he was offering to take you to dinner when your cooking skills alone were enough to have him wanting a second and third date already. Eventually, you moved on to the ice cream and other snacks you had in your freezer. It was almost like the two of you were children left in Wonka’s chocolate factory.

As much as it may have pained you to admit this, this was one lawyer you could get along with. Aside from that Punisher talk, chatting with Matt was easy. He was funny, sweet, charming, it lead to you accidentally making a Ted Bundy joke, but, thankfully, he laughed it off rather than saying you were right, grabbing a knife, and hacking you to bits.

While you were listening to the radio together, you glanced over to Matt and noticed chocolate at the corner of his mouth. You reached up to wipe it clean, and he froze for a moment before straightening up and twisting his body to face you.

“I think you’ve got some on your face as well,” he commented as he pulled your stool closer to him and reached up to cup your face with both hands.

You laughed, “Yeah? What, you see that?”

“No,” Matt replied. “I’m just making an excuse to kiss you.”

You squeaked quietly as Matt began to lean in. You leaned in as well, meeting him halfway before your lips tentatively brushed against his. Matt smirked and kissed you with a little bit more pressure, fingertips dancing along your jaw and feeling your hair as he tilted his head to the side. 

Suddenly the lights came on, the hum of your air conditioner returned, and you groaned as you realized you ate your bodyweight in ice cream for no reason.

“I guess you could say our kiss was electric,” Matt joked.

“Ugh,” you laughed and cringed. “You’re awful, Matt.”

“Yet, you still kissed me, Y/N,” he replied. Matt tilted his head to the side, a smile on his face, tongue running along his lip until he could hear a commotion taking place outside. He cleared his throat and straightened up,  “I should get going, I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“This was definitely an interesting first date, Matt,” you said as you walked him to the door. “At least let me call you a cab?”

“That’s all right. I’d like to walk, actually.” he said as he reached your door. “Don’t worry, I won’t trip into traffic.”

“Darn, I really wanted to see something funny on Twitter tomorrow morning,” you sighed while he shook his head at you.

“You’re dark, Y/N.”

“Yes, yes I am, Matt. Hopefully that’s not too much of a problem for you to handle.”

“Actually,” He cleared his throat. “ I look forward to it on our second date. Maybe we can get to go somewhere next time. Brunch?”

“Next time, hmm?” You hummed and smoothed down the collar of his shirt as you stood in front of him, “I could get behind that.”

“Good,” Matt leaned down, lips ghosting over yours as he spoke, “Good night, Y/N.”

Pouting, you quickly squished his face together in your hands as you leaned in and pressed your lips against yours. You pulled away, leaving him with a giddy smile and a dazed look, “Good night, Matt. Text me when you get home.”

“But I don’t have your —“

“I programmed it when you were busy going over the intricacies of a Meyer lemon versus a regular lemon,” you replied. “Fascinating chat, by the way.”

He chuckled and shook his head, “They have important distinctions.”

“Oh, I know, I know. Dweeb,” you teased. “I mean it, text me when you get home so I know you’re not dead.”

“Of course,” Matt nodded his head. He stole another kisses from you before leaving your apartment. After a moment, you shut and locked the door behind him, leaning against the door with a satisfied sigh.

Meanwhile, once he was outside your building, he marched right into the alley. He took a pashmina that was laying around your apartment and wrapped it around his head as he ditched his walking stick, jumped onto a fire escape, and ran to catch up to the theft he could hear taking place from your apartment building.

[kaitsawamura]

would you like to stay forever?

SUMMARY⎮   Sparring with Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro in his private gym at his home doesn't seem like a bad idea if you don't count the fact that you really, really like him.

STATS⎮ minors do not interact, 18+ ⎮  Rating: M (for mature)  ⎮  WC: 5525  ⎮   Pairing: Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro x Fem!Reader  ⎮   Tags: Aged Up Character(s), Friends to Lovers, Sparring, Smut, Fluff, Age/Experience Gap (if you really squint)  ⎮  AO3

NOTES⎮  Thanks to @spacelabrathor​ for listening to me scream about this and to @some-kindofgnome​ for fueling my Kiri fever dreams.  Yes, that title is based on a Mulan quote. This whole fic was based on THIS POST and Kirishima seemed like the perfect character for this pwp.  Hope y'all enjoy!  (Also please for the love of God, click on the banner to see in HD if you’re on mobile, it looks so much better lol)

It was Saturday and even though you’re on your way to becoming a Pro Hero, you can think of several things you’d rather be doing with your one day off than going to Kirishima Eijiro’s house to spar.  But here you are pulling into his driveway, going over combat moves in your head as if your life depended on it.  They weren’t really serving their purpose which was to distract yourself.  Kiri had offered up his personal gym, encouraged you to stop by with one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck as if he was nervous.  

A couple of his friends had already taken him up on the offer.  You were the only one he’d offered who hadn’t come over yet.  He had texted you a couple of weeks later saying he was starting to take it personally…  and then immediately texted with a laughing emoji just to clarify he was only giving you a hard time.  It brings a smile to your face now as you remember it.  Yesterday he had also clarified it would just be the two of you if you were self-conscious sparring in front of other people.  You’d have the whole place to yourselves.  Like that should mean something.  Which it did.  It does , you realize with butterflies growing in your stomach.  Kiri doesn’t need to know that though.

The two of you had been toeing around something since you had been hired at Fatgum’s Agency a year ago.  Neither of you had made a move.  Kirishima, the Red Riot, was a big Pro Hero and while you took pride in your quirk, it didn’t hold a coin to some of the others you’d come in contact with.  It had surprised you when Toyomitsu had brought you on.  But he had mumbled something about “liking your spunk” and that he thought a teleportation quirk would be a useful one to add to his agency.  The first day you had shown up, Kiri had immediately caught your eye.  Not for the obvious reasons.  Obvious reasons being the fact that he was climbing the Pro Hero charts or the fact that he had a dynamically interesting quirk or that at twenty-five he was already built like a brickhouse. 

Those were all valid reasons, yes, but what had pulled you in was his smile and his genuine interest in you outside of your quirk.  But he was just like that you had quickly discovered.  He knew everyone’s coffee order and what they liked for lunch.  He knew when to push and when to back off.  He knew when to talk and when to listen , knew when he still had a lesson to learn.  The kids flocked to him.  Even now you’re still entirely convinced that’s actually his quirk, getting people to like him.  It’s not a difficult thing to do though.

Your brain stutters back to the present when a text notification pings from your cell phone as you sit in Kiri’s driveway, picking at non-existent lint on your gym shorts.  The cute ones you’re still convincing yourself were your only clean pair and that’s the only reason you wore them.

KIRI : i saw u pull up, u gonna come in or what 😂

Had he been waiting for you to get there?  You tapped out a quick response, one that hid the little flip in your stomach at the thought: creeper, you were watching for me lmao

Response bubbles immediately flash on your phone screen but you’re angling out of your car and shutting the door before he can reply.

Somehow, this house fits Kiri perfectly.  It isn’t big.  You had seen pictures of other top-ranking Pros’ houses.  Enji Todoroki’s house, for example, was fucking ridiculous.  But even without a massive floor plan, Kiri’s house is nicer than any you’d been in for some time.  Clean, straight lines and lots of windows.  In fact, you can see straight through the floor-to-ceiling windows out to his backyard when you reach the front door.  Is that a pool ?  Kiri had tons of fun showing pictures at the agency; it was a well-deserved investment for his already multiple years of service as a Pro.  The pictures hadn’t done the place justice though.

Kiri comes to the door, throwing it wide open with a huge grin that shows off his sharp teeth.  You ignore the way your mouth goes dry as he drags you in, babbling on like an excited little kid at you actually coming.

“I really thought you were gonna back out!  I mean, that would have been fine, of course.  I just can’t see the point of having the whole place to myself all the time.”  He’s irresistibly cute, walking around showing you the living room and the kitchen and pointing out to the backyard where, yes, there is indeed a pool.  “You can come over any time and use that too if you want!”  You thank him, warmth pooling in your stomach at how incredibly nice he is.

“Uh, we should probably get in the gym.  I have… stuff to do later,” you finish lamely.  You don’t have anything to do later but very quickly you’re realizing how far out of your depth you are here.  The familiar beginnings of the head over heels fall is washing over you in steady waves.  But you’re coworkers and the thought of coming to work every day and having to see his adorable face and not doing anything about it is almost making you nauseous.

“Oh, yeah, it’s just down the hallway,” he rumbles, leading the way and you follow trying and failing miserably to calm the nerves flashing through your veins.  You’re here alone with Kiri , the man you’ve been crushing on since you’d started working with him a year ago.  And now your stupid brain isn’t just thinking about what it would feel like to run your tongue along his teeth or how his hands would feel between your legs.  No, your stupid brain is thinking about what Kiri looks like when he first opens his eyes in the morning.

Your one-track mind is not getting any help, especially when Kiri walks through the doorway of the gym addition and immediately proceeds to pull his shirt up and over his shoulders and tosses it to the side.  Shit.  His back muscles ripple with the movement and when he turns to face you, it’s heart-wrenchingly obvious that he has no idea the effect he’s having on you.  He has to know .  Doesn’t he?  From your end, it seems wildly obvious that someone as good-looking as him should know .  

You glance around, eternally grateful for the fact that the gym is also attractive.  Floor to ceiling windows span two of the walls here as well and there’s a large set of French doors leading out to the yard.  You find yourself actually in awe when you get a better look at the landscaping.  It’s so green .  There’s a small patch of lawn but the rest is just artfully arranged native flora and fauna.  Violets, tulips.  Huge hosta plants.  And cherry trees heavy with their signature sakura blossoms.  

“Kiri, it’s beautiful!”  He comes to stand beside you, looking out the French doors as well.

“You like it?  I guess it is pretty nice, huh?”  You glance up at him, your chest expanding on a lurch looking at his smile.  You’d never noticed before but he has a light dusting of freckles across his nose.

“Yeah, really nice.”  You look out again, letting the silence grow until it feels like the most comfortable thing in the world.  After what seems like an eternity Kiri clears his throat, rocking back on the balls of his feet.  “What are you thinking for today?”  The question leaves your lips and you’re immediately regretting it; your stomach flips again when Kiri looks at you like you’re prey.

“Close combat, hand-to-hand combat.  You did mention a while ago you wanted to strengthen that, right?”  You throw your head back, rolling your eyes, and groan.  The two of you make your way to the center of the mat.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d be scared to take me on too,” Kiri says, large hands on even larger hips.   He isn’t as tall as some of the other heroes at six foot three inches but he’s wide , thick.  You know for a fact you couldn’t wrap your arms around his waist and have your hands meet.  He’s wearing the biggest shit-eating grin you’ve ever seen.  The sharpened points of his canines are out and on prominent display.   Famous last words you think as a snarl erupts on your face.

“I’m not scared , Kiri.  I just don’t want to wear you out .  You’re a Pro Hero.  You’re on the job a lot more than I am.  Plus, you’re getting kind of old.  Is that a little gray I see coming in?”  Kiri bares his teeth even more but it’s not lost on you that he quickly reaches up to rake his fingers through his hair.  There isn’t any gray, obviously , but the thought has Red Riot distracted.  Distracted enough that when you plant your feet and your fist connects with his face, your knuckles hit skin and not the reinforced rock of his quirk.

“ Shit.”  Kiri takes a step back, reaching up to cradle his jaw.  His tongue swipes out to lick at the blood on his bottom lip.  His vermillion eyes find yours and if you didn’t work with him on a regular basis, you would have felt fear at this moment.  You know he wouldn’t hurt you but even now, a thrill races through your veins like electricity.  He looks as if he’s going to devour you.  You take your own step back, readying your quirk, reaching out to it as your fists hold their position in front of your body.  A dark chuckle spills from his chest as Kiri calls on his own quirk.

Now it was your turn to be distracted; you had always been fascinated by Kiri’s quirk, the way his body looked when it hardened up.  The ripples of muscle still visible under the toughened skin.  The divots and ridges and how they mapped their way across his shoulders and chest and abdomen.  You knew how it felt to the touch in fake combat.  The Fatgum heroes all took pride in maintaining a healthy routine; sparring was a common workout that was previously done at a local public gym.  You wonder absently what it would feel like to touch him slow and at the moment.  When you could give extra attention with extra time. 

Kiri closes the space between the two of you at the moment your mind strays and you barely are able to teleport out of the way to avoid him crashing into you.  You try to take a swipe at him as you materialize from in front of him to behind but this time he’s ready for you and he’s using his quirk.  Instead of moving out of the way, he plants his feet and allows your punch to hit.  Pain radiates up through your fingers and wrist.  It always irritated you that you had to prepare yourself to strike Kiri when he was using his quirk.  Otherwise, you’d be in for a whole lot of hurt every time you landed a punch.

Teleportation is a pretty handy quirk.  It gives you a pretty good advantage the more you work on your close combat skills.  The trick with Kiri was to keep going at him until he ran out of energy.  You hadn’t gotten to that point yet; your quirk had its limits as well.  You were only two years out of UA, Kiri was out by seven.  His strength was already fairly unmatched; sparring with him was always good practice.  You relish the thought of the day you can win a sparring session without tapping out.  It surges through you like pure energy.  

You teleport to stand in front of him again, shifting your weight into your hips and up through your right hook.  This time your fist connects with Kiri’s side and he lets out a small grunt.  Your fingers don’t hurt so bad this time and by the time Kiri is retaliating, you jump back a few feet.  He hmms, a sound that reverberates from his chest.

“That’s all well and good but how do you expect to do anything if you jump that far away?”  He lunges forward at a running start, leaping at the last second, sending his gloved fist into your stomach.  You were fast, but still not always fast enough.  You double over, the air rushing from your lungs and your pre-workout protein smoothie threatening to exit back the way it went in.  Sweat is already beading on your brow and sliding under your tank top.  You take a few breaths through your nose when an idea pops into your head; you stay bent over.  “Hey, I didn’t hit you that hard.  You good?”  

Kiri comes to stand in front of you, leaving him vulnerable.  He can’t see your smirk until it’s too late.  You wail on him, using some of the basic combos he’s taught you before today.  Satisfaction rolls through you when he actually takes a step back.  But then he puts his arms up in front of him, clenching his abdomen and bending inward to protect his core.  He drops just a fraction and before you realize what’s happening, he’s swiping his leg out to push through yours.  You watch in slow motion as you see his laughing face then the ceiling of the gym as you flip and land on your back.

If you thought you were out of breath before…  “Fuuu-.”  It’s a wheeze that feels like it’s ripping your chest open.  You’re seeing stars.  Kiri stands over you, hands on his hips again.  You stare at his face; the hero has his hair pulled back into a bun.  You snort, rolling your eyes.  Why does he still look so fucking good?  The sweat has caused some of the pieces falling out of his hair tie to curl.  His hair has curl to it?  You’ve never noticed before, considering he always gels it into spikes.  You like the curl.  “Are you--are you gonna help me up, or what?”  It was still painful to talk.

Kiri tilts his head to the side, just slightly, and crosses his arms.  “I’m thinking not.  Last time I let down my guard you got those good combos in.”  You stare in stunned silence, sitting up so you’re supported by your elbows.  Kiri shifts slightly and if you didn’t know better, you’d say he’s backing up to… get a better view.   

“Is that any way to treat your student,  Red Riot?”  You know you get under his skin when he clicks his tongue against his teeth and holds out a hand with a begrudging eye roll.  He pulls you up with ease, quickly enough that you almost lose your balance, swaying into his space.  You look up, eyes moving back and forth between his.  

He draws in a breath and drags his bottom lip between his teeth.  “First of all,” he says as he places his hands on your upper arms, “I’m not your teacher.  I’m not that much older than you.  Secondly,” he mutters as he tucks a stray lock of hair behind your ear, “our relationship isn’t that formal is it?”  He’s so fucking close.  This is getting dangerous.  Dangerous because Kiri is within kissing distance.  Dangerous because this gentle side of him is making you lose more breath than falling on your ass.  Dangerous because the thought of Kiri taking you on the floor right now is almost too much to bear.  

So you fall back on what you’re here to do.  Fight.  You flash him a wicked smile before rallying your quirk and teleporting a few feet away.  His hand is still raised in mid-air and when his head whips to look in your direction, his crimson eyes are narrowed and his nostrils are flared.  He laughs and rolls his neck, dancing on his toes.

“Okay.  I see.  I’m not gonna go easy on you, you know?”  You snort and put your fists up in front of you again.

“As if you were going easy on me before, Kiri.  Bring it on.”  He smiles, the sharp points of his teeth enough to make your thoughts swerve again before you bring them under control.  “Bring it on,” you whisper more to yourself as you brace for the fight.

Two hours later, you feel the strain in your muscles.  Your quirk is running low on reserves and you know you won’t be able to use it much more.  Kiri looks like he hasn’t wasted a breath but you can see he’s getting tired in the way his feet don’t move as sharply.  And if the length of time he’s using his quirk is any indication to his state of mind, you know the two of you will be calling it a day soon.  But you’re also both stubborn.  And you’re dying to get one more good move in on him.

The cockiness the two of you had at the beginning of the sparring session hasn’t gone away but has burned hot into determination.  No more smiles, only clear-headed concentration.  The two of you are an arm's length from each other, throwing various punches and switching quickly between using your quirks and not.  You’re breathing hard, sweat gathering at your brow as you throw another right hook that Kiri easily blocks.

“Get out of your head.  You can be too predictable sometimes.”  He doesn’t mean for it to come across as rude but the words strike a match to a guttering fire.  You bare your own teeth at Kiri even though they aren’t sharp and probably don’t look nearly as threatening but it helps you feel powerful nonetheless.  You drop without a second thought, lowering to your palms and sweeping your leg out in front of you in a wide arc.  A grin spreads across your face when your calf meets Kiri’s ankle.  He’s too physically dense for this move to work if he had seen it coming.  But he doesn’t.  And his solid 220 pounds of muscle falls hard.  

You allow yourself the satisfaction of the moment for only a split second; Kiri’s recovery time is much shorter than yours so it isn’t long before he’s scrambling forward.  He goes straight for your wrists to subdue you but with a smirk, you realize in his haste he’s put himself in the perfect position for you to possibly gain the upper hand.  You scoot up away from him just enough to drag his arm forward and swing your legs around his neck.  Then you elevate your hips and lock your core.

It’s over from there as you squeeze with every last ounce of strength left in your body.  It doesn’t take long for him to tap out.  You release as soon as you feel his loose hand tap your arm; he collapses over you and you’re too tired to move away or push him off.  Now his breathing is rough and you feel a surge of pride.  You reach up and place your hand on his head where his bun has come undone; he’s so heavy but it doesn’t feel bad.  In fact, the feel of Kirishima resting his head and upper chest on your stomach is feeling nothing short of good .  He’s still between your legs and suddenly the air is crackling with a new kind of energy when you gently comb your fingers through his hair.

He rises up, his hands on either side of you.  His hips rest between your legs; the mingled heat radiating from both of you is almost more than you can take but there is no way you’re going to move anywhere.  He leans forward, so close you can see the flecks of burnt orange in his eyes.  If you moved forward just a little, you could close that space between you.  He leans down more, his mouth right next to the shell of your ear.

“Maybe not always predictable.  You did good today.  Probably some of the best fighting I’ve seen from you so far.  Keep it up.”  He grunts, a shift of his hips allowing the curve of his cock to brush against your clothed sex through his gym shorts.  He stiffens in what you think might be embarrassment.  “Shit, sorry, let me just, uh--”  The stuttering mess he becomes right before your eyes makes something lurch in your chest; you reach for his face without thinking.

“Kiri,” you whisper, rolling your own hips against his.  His cheeks are burning a shade of red almost as vibrant as his hair.  You bring up your other hand, holding his face between them and bringing him down to settle over you once more.  Your lips meet his; he seems to war with himself for just a moment.  A suspended second in time.  But then he gives in, slipping his tongue against yours in a delicious sliding vision of what’s coming.

He reaches between you to slip his hand under your tank top; his hand is big and nearly encompasses your side.  But it’s warm and gentle.  Gentle.  Who would have guessed that Red Riot could be so fucking gentle?  But he is and when his hand moves lower to slide below the hem of your shorts, you give yourself to him with no reservations.  His middle finger passes through the mess of your sex; a hissed breath rattles through his chest as your back arches on a ragged groan.

“ Shit.  You’re so wet .”  He slides his finger back and forth, gathering your slick on the thick digit.  He takes his hand away and you mewl.  “Can I?”  He asks breathlessly as he hooks his hands on the hem of your shorts.  You nod, eyes half-lidded.  He pulls them down along with your underwear and the way he looks at you, at what’s between your legs, you don’t even have the wherewithal to feel self-conscious.  Adoration.  It’s the only word you can think of and it makes you wonder if you’d made a mistake waiting so long.

He’s on his knees when he takes your legs and drapes them on either side of his hips; this time he doesn’t hesitate in slipping his finger into your cunt.  You nearly see stars just from that and if one finger is any indication, you’re in for it.  Slowly, he adds another, his hand pumping into you in a steady rhythm.  You’re grabbing for the ground, grabbing for him as a strangled noise pushes from your throat.  He reaches out with his other hand to splay it across your sternum and it’s the only thing anchoring you as he adds the third finger before scooting down to put his mouth on your clit.

“ Kiri,” you keen, shoving your hips into his touch, frantically scrabbling for his wrist that’s on your chest just to have something to hold on to.  He’s done this before, he’s had to.  He’s too good.  Too fucking good.  Already there’s coiling in your gut as incomprehensible words tumble from your mouth.  “Shit.  Shit.  Kiri I’m--I’m gonna--”  He rumbles approvingly against your clit; the vibrations send you closer and closer to the edge and when it crests, your back arches near pain as you cry out, your voice echoing in the gym.  It’s deep, roaring through all of your limbs but  Kiri keeps going, fingers still pumping, tongue still swirling around your sensitive nub.

Another orgasm breaks over you sharp and quick and the overstimulation has your legs quaking as your arousal gushes over Kiri’s hand and tongue.  But then he’s moving again, and you’re blearily aware that he’s shoving his own shorts and boxers past his hips to free his cock.  You stare as it bounces back to sit near the planes of his stomach; it’s already leaking steadily with precum.  Kiri looks back at you and when your eyes meet, you dart your tongue out between your lips to wet them.  Another time, maybe.  

Kiri leans forward to lift you up and the closer you get you can barely see any red in his eyes; his pupils are blown, his nostrils flared as he lifts you like you weigh nothing .  He could snap you like a twig.  But he won’t.  You know without a doubt this is the safest you’ve ever felt, even as he lowers you slowly over his cock and it does feel like you’re being split .

“ Fuuuck…”  You wrap your legs around him, your mouth dropped open, your hands gripping his shoulders.  You try not to dig your nails in but it’s almost impossible with how you’re being filled.  You knew Kiri was big but this was almost too much.  His forehead drops to yours as he pants.  But he’s not moving, won’t move until you tell him to.  It makes your heart ache and your cunt floods, drunk on the affection thrumming through your veins.  You roll your hips experimentally and the friction is bliss.  “Oh fuck, ohfuck.”  You move again, pushing yourself up and back down, listening to the hitch in his breathing.  “ Kiri, please, ” you whisper.  Those words… they’re enough.

Kirishima grips you by the hips, his fingers splayed and digging into the flesh; it’ll leave bruises and the knowledge cracks through you like electricity.  Let him leave marks.  Let him leave them everywhere.  He’s moving you up and down his cock, grunting, mumbling.  “Tell me, Kiri, tell me.”  His eyes meet yours again and his own mouth drops open.

“Fuck, you’re so good.  S’ tight.  Jesus, I-- ” Kiri moves his hands from your hips to support you as he lays you down on the floor of the gym.  The idea should be questionable but it’s not, it’s fucking not and you can’t concentrate on any other thoughts when Kiri grabs your wrists and pins them gently above your head with one hand while the other comes back to your hip.  He thrusts into you at a brutal pace but… it feels like home and you think in that moment as your cunt begins to seize around his cock that you would give up forever to continue touching him.

“Yes, Kiri, yes.  Right there, right--shit yesyes yes. ”  He pistons up, the veins of his cock rubbing just right and when he releases the grip on your hands, they’re moving to wrap around him on instinct.  He’s planting kisses along your jaw, mouthing up to your lips and back down to graze his teeth over your pulse point.  “Do it, fuckin’ do it, let them know ‘m yours, ” you slur and when he bites down you crash over the edge on a groan that’s really more of a scream.  Everything goes black but you're cradling him to you as his movements become more erratic.  The snapping of his hips is getting sloppier by the second and a steady growl punches from his lungs with each breath.  “Cum, Kirishima, cum inside me.”

He’s never heard those words before and it lights a fire in his veins.  His head is buzzing and then he can’t hear anything as his cock releases and he’s spurting searing hot ropes of cum into your cunt.  He goes until you’ve milked every last drop from him and he’d be lying if he said his world didn't suddenly feel whole.  Finally, his body settles and his chest drops to yours.  Everything slowly bleeds back into focus and somehow, everything seems more colorful than it did moments before.  You’re still clinging to him.

“Kiri.  Kiri, babe, I can’t breathe,” you say and he slowly rises, taking in your blissed-out expression.  Your eyes can barely stay open, your cheeks are flushed.  He backs up to see his handiwork on display, hyper-focused on the trail of the mingling cum dripping from the mess of your sex.  But you’re smiling.  Lazy and tired, completely at ease.  “Wanna take a shower?”  When you nod he doesn’t hesitate in standing to kick his underwear and shorts the rest of the way off his legs and then he’s grabbing you, scooping you into his arms and against his chest.  He pads out of the gym and across the hall to his bathroom where he deposits you on your feet, only after he’s sure you can stand and only long enough to turn the shower head-on.

He puts his hand under the water, waiting for it to get warm.  Steam billows from behind the glass door when he’s turning back to you to remove your tank top and your sports bra.  Thank god you chose the front-closure one today; you didn’t think either one of you wanted to struggle to get one up over your head right now.  When your breasts spill out of the high-impact fabric, you notice with tender amusement that his cock is half-hard again.  His eyes go dark again and he leans in for a kiss.  But it's slow and sweet. 

"You're so fuckin' beautiful," he whispers.  He ignores his arousal, ushering you into the stream of water.  Your care is the only thing that matters to him right now.  The heat slides across your body, and when Kirishima steps up behind you and begins soaping up your shoulders, it feels like heaven .

You take turns washing each other until you’re both blissed out in a different kind of way and the only thing either one of you can think about is sleep.  But the afterglow is fading and doubt is creeping in.  When you step out of the water, you stand awkwardly as Kiri hands you a towel.  “You okay?”  He’s actually concerned and you can’t put your finger on why you’re so fucking grateful for it.

“Yea, just tired.  I should, uh, probably get going.”  Kiri freezes and you think you’ve said something wrong, already crossed a line.  Your brain is like a broken record as the stomach-curdling image of having to see him at the agency flashes across your eyes in vivid detail.  But then he’s stepping into your space and pulling you in for a hug.  A hug.

“Don’t go,” he whispers into the crown of your head and it has you smiling like an idiot against his chest.  His skin smells clean and warm with a hint of spice.  You bury your face further in as you nod against him.  Then he’s leading you to his room, to the king-sized bed.  He peels back the comforter and the white sheets and pulls you in beside him.  Your back is against him and he hooks his foot around your ankles, bringing you even closer.  

He doesn’t say anything more, just lets out a huge sigh as he wraps his arm around you.  The last thing you notice before your eyes flutter shut is how your heartbeats are thumping at the same steady rhythm.  

Late afternoon sunlight slants in Kirishima’s bedroom window, creating interesting patterns across his blanket.  It’s pushed towards the end of the bed, your legs intertwined and tangled in the sheets.  He’s still dozing, his breathing not quite that of someone sleeping but not of a person fully awake.  You reach out to cup his cheek, stroke above his eyebrows, caress his lips with your thumb.  A contented sigh leaves his chest as he grabs your hand and kisses your wrist.  His eyes are open now and he watches you.  You smile at him, snuggling closer, not wanting the moment to end.

“Hey,” he says quietly, suddenly serious.  “I just want you to know, I don’t do this all the time.  I mean, I’ve been with other people before but I don’t…  I don’t really hook up .”  Things start clicking into place as you realize what he’s trying to get across.  He just fucked you stupid in his personal gym and somehow he looks bashful.  And because you love it, you’re not going to help him along.  You just watch, biting your lip to keep from giggling.  “I just.  I guess what I’m trying to say is I like you.  I’ve liked you for a long time.  And normally I would have wined and dined you first but...  Well.  Here we are.  Would you like to stay for dinner?”

That’s the last straw; your laughter comes bubbling out of you and Kiri is leaning back to look at you with a quizzical expression on his face.  “Is something funny?”  That just makes you laugh a little harder but the confused look he’s wearing has you leaning in to press your lips against his.

“I’ve liked you from the first day I met you, Kiri.  I’ll one-up your offer and tell you that I might like to stay forever.”  A grin rips across his face and your heart blooms with warmth and affection.  The world seems full of possibilities but none of them matter except for the possibility laying right in front of you.

[prof-peach]

if fans wanted to include peach in stuff they write, would that be okay? and how would they write peach's personality? aside from "FIGHT ME" anyway, i think that much is a given lol. i only really write the anime characters 'cause that's what i know, but it sounds like it'd be kinda fun to try making a version of ash that fits into this blog's universe! nerf'd Obviously, but i think she'd probably appreciate how hands-on he gets when training his pokemon!

Ok, I get a lot of these messages, and I often hear folks wanting to throw peach into their stories and comics and writings, and I will always simply ask that if it’s published online publicly, to be linked to it so I can snoop and enjoy the content too. If someone asks about her in your work, let them know about the blog I guess? But literally I love that people take this stuff, these characters and stories, and make new stuff with it. No ones making money off my work here? So where’s the issue? Go for it buddy, knock yourself out, I’m all for it.

For you, and all the others out there who want to add peach, and other characters to your world building, I will give you a detailed rundown of the main lot, and how they behave, what they do, how they function. You can use that, use bits, or use none of it, I do not mind at all. If you’re creating something, you’re in control, not me.

So, peach doesn’t actually fight people as much as you’d think. She’s very aware most cannot and do not want to do that, and so she likes to keep to herself with regards to that aspect of her life, she doesn’t ask to spar with people, or even bring it up at all, but people ask her all the time, even if they clearly would lose or become hurt should she miscalculate during the fight. She looks at people like they usually create problems, and often has a somewhat reserved nature to other humans. You have to work quite hard to get anything more than formalities out of her. She will dead-pan handle people with blunt and very to-the-point statements, aid whenever possible, but very quickly get back to handling the Pokemon she so carefully tends. Her focus is clear, she’s all about hard work, her very small select family, and the Pokemon.

Her brutal, loud and brash personality only comes out with friends, family, difficult humans, OR any Pokemon. She will joke and laugh and play with Pokemon, but clam up around humans, maintaining tight body language and generally will be a little cold by regular standards. She does however have some weaknesses in this emotionless shield she puts up. When peach was young she was always angry, which swung so fast to sadness, back and forth. Her teenage years it just got worse and worse, it was crippling at points. She is to this day, full of fire and rage, even sadness, but now she has learnt to control it, to use it. When she sees that in others, it’s familiar, and she is pushed to drop the front, and be very real with the person. Underdogs I suppose, people who get bad reps, but deserve the same as everyone else. She can’t ignore it.

Once you start to pry open her personality, you’ll find she’s a lot more laid back and fun than originally appeared, you just have to work hard to find that side of her. She will meme reference, can’t dance to save her life, loves her coffee, and can be caught in quiet contemplation while gardening. This hobby is her calmest, and often is why she can stay so level headed when her quiet rage boils up again. Without time outside she will become grouchy, a little snippy, and lethargic. Will not go in the ocean for any reason other than life or death, is fine with ponds and rivers, or water at wading height. Likes the rain.

With regards to her training others, they usually have to tolerate her somewhat strict nature. She is a little....unforgiving, holds a grudge if you make a lot of mistakes, and has no tolerance for ignorance in the age of information that we all live in. In previous posts I’ve mentioned she’s only recently selected two students, after many years of testing kids who want to learn from her. Hundred tried out, only two have ever been approved. How she teaches is very fast paced, be prepared to get some scrapes and bruises, she will test your physical and emotional tolerances with intense tasks, carefully watching students like a hawk. Bad posture in your stance? She’ll be the first to tell you to sort it out. Not hearing your Pokemon partner? Right, now you spend the day without using words trying to communicate, let’s see how you like not being listened to.

This is a woman who has spent her life saying very little, and watching everything, she watches Pokemon and can see an issue from a mile off, and in battles, her observations are why she can react fast, and chose effective strategy to avoid damage and achieve results. Don’t let her body fool you, her strongest asset is analysing, watching, planning. Those skills have over the years transferred to people too. As a student, mistakes don’t go unnoticed with this professor.

Her methods are harsh but fair, and should you prove yourself, she will protect you with her life.

Because of her disinterest in kids and lots of noise, she does pass the training of students on to the other staff members whenever possible. Grey takes on the lions share of battle lessons, he is far calmer, more open and friendly, with patience for people, and an empathy that peach sometimes struggles to have. When you go through a lot of harsh training, and difficult events, it’s hard to change how you feel or think, with peach, well, she’s been through it. Most do not come out the other end in one piece, but she did, and it made her strong. You may think I mean strong like buff and big, and yeah sure she is, but I mean it mentally more than anything. Peach will not quit. She has learnt to destroy the boundaries that stop people getting hurt, gone is the fear that freezes you in your tracks, that feeling that you’ll pass out if you go one more step. She’s learnt to ignore it.

This means she’s a little forgetful at how it is to be normal, to be vulnerable and soft and squishy like students so usually are.

She has her issues, but for the most part, visitors get a laugh, a smile, a calm assertive confidence, and facts. She will indulge those who have genuine interest, or show a connection with nature, an understanding of the balance that needs to be struck for everyone to live well together.

Despite her many flaws, she’s fiercely protective, and will go above and beyond to defend the island, it’s staff, the Pokemon and the visitors. Injustice is her biggest gripe, along with littering, and she doesn’t stand by quietly if something happens that seems unfair.

You will not see her without Valka, her vulpix, close by. That Pokemon doesn’t like to be touched by strangers, at all, and will run the second someone comes at her with that intent. Peach will scold you for pushing yourself onto her, should you persistently try to get close to pet Val. They are in sync, if peach is sad, Val is sad, if Val is stressed, peach is stressed, and so on. They are inherently connected, it’s just been that long, the psychic bridge between them has been built, and reinforced over the years.

The only other Pokemon who follows her so endlessly is Booker, a teddiursa who’s pretty rough looking. He quietly trots behind, grouchy and stoic, they fight closely together a lot. He lost his mom a long time ago to poachers, and peach took him in, and changed her whole life for him. Not many people know, but Booker was the reason she left the rangers, changed career, and got so strong. Will tolerate people petting him but isn’t keen at all, grumbles a lot and tries to move away.

You may also need to know about the others, for the sake of writing, she here a few more bits that may be important to you, or others wanting to do this.

Grey is very tall, very burly, composed, tells bad dad jokes, is a bit of a goof if allowed to be. If he sees a pun, he’ll say it. Can’t help himself. Very nice guy to work with, good at keeping people calm and grounded. Pokemon are drawn to him like a moth to a flame, he gives off warm energy, and has inhuman amounts of patience. If you wrong his family however, he will snap back.

He grew up in the city, loves to swim and hike and cycle, can snowboard, is really sporty. A total brain box with held items, and boosting stats. He will explore many paths, to make sure visitors and students get the information they need, in a way that can be remembered and retained for later. Is a huge guy, but will get on the floor to play with a tiny Pokemon. Treats big “meaner” looking species like babies, very good with all pokemon.

His free time is spent either tinkering, swimming, or trimming his bonsai trees. This guy stares at screens a lot, so appreciates time away from them. Peach built him his own little greenhouse for his trees and tools, which he keeps clean and loves dearly.

His methods as a teacher are built around fun and games, he makes hard work easier to do by distracting trainers from the difficult bits, and focusing in on something more interesting or compelling.

His most commonly seen Pokemon would be a houndoom, Saxon, old battle veteran, retired now to herding and being a good boy. Very gentle, loves a pet.

Pari, now a fully fledged nurse, often oversees the labs front desk and pokecentre features, such as healing pokemon, and informing trainers who come to visit. Her skills with eggs and hatchlings is high, she’s great with younger Pokemon, and hands out good advice to trainers a lot. She’s not a fighter, never was, but can find any file, any study, any book, and any refrence you may need. A true bookworm, loves her romance novels, chat shows and upbeat celebrity gossip mags. Will cry at a lot of stuff, be it sad or happy.

She’s got a seriously upbeat personality, but if caught off guard or shocked, she gets a little flustered. Too much chaos will overwhelm her, but usually she’s on top of things. The years spent on the island have made her better at maintaining composure in emergencies. With lots of siblings, she’s very competent with others, and has a good ability to disarm cagey people with her jolly nature. Because of this, she can sometimes gain information from trainers that some of the more harsh professors may not have access to. Charming is a word for it.

Her partners are an eevee, and a happiny. They are quite sweet and well adjusted, the eevee gets a bit bouncy if you get it too excited.

[miraculouscontent]

A Change of Heart (post-”Miraculous New York”)

"Kaalki, divide!"

Ladybug felt Kaalki's light wash over her, the kwami emerging and flying a small distance away. They were up on one of the rooftops in New York, overlooking an interview that was happening on the street.

Kaalki hummed in interest, taking the time to see the tall buildings. "What a grand city." Then, her gaze dropped down and she squinted, adding with distaste, "Quite crowded though."

"There's an interview going on right now. That's why. One of their supervillains was just taken down," Ladybug explained, placing her foot up on the edge of the building and peering down to look at the crowd.

"And, what precisely are we here for?" Kaalki asked, hovering near Ladybug's face to follow her gaze.

"Not what, but who. We’re here to see Eagle," Ladybug answered, pointing at the eagle-themed superheroine being interviewed. The crowd was enthusiastically cheering at just about every answer Eagle was giving, and Ladybug couldn't help smiling at the fact that the person she gave the miraculous to was still doing well.

As the interview came to an end, Eagle's eyes shifted from the interviewer to Ladybug, who had made sure to be where the red-and-black of her suit would stand out; she wasn't exactly the definition of "stealthy," and it worked to her advantage in this case.

Eagle jumped up to the nearest rooftop, then waited for the crowd to disperse before leaping over to where Ladybug was. "Hey, Ladybug! What are you doing here?" Her brows creased in seriousness, and she held her fists up like she was raring for a fight. "Did Hawk Moth come back to New York?"

Ladybug waved dismissively. "No, no, it's nothing like—"

"Pardon me," Kaalki said, making sure she was loud enough to be heard. She puffed her chest out haughtily and gestured to herself with a hoof. "I'm Kaalki, the kwami of migration. Pleased to meet you," she said, her tone forced as to imply that she didn't appreciate being ignored.

"Uh... hi," Eagle greeted flatly, then looked to Ladybug for an explanation.

"Sorry about her. She was my ride." Grabbing Eagle's wrist and leading her to the center of the rooftop, where they were less likely to be seen from the streets, she explained, "Anyway, I came here because I was hoping that I could get your help."

Eagle leaned to the side, curious. "My help? What for?"

"Well..." Ladybug hesitated. "This is going to sound like a weird request, but..."

—————

Eagle crossed her arms in thought, still seemingly absorbing the explanation. "You want me to use Liberation on you? To get rid of your—"

"—romantic attachments," Ladybug cut in stiffly, the word 'crush' and 'love' sounding extremely un-Ladybug-like. She blushed in embarrassment and looked away, bringing a hand up to partly hide her face. "Listen, I know you probably don't get this sort of thing. It's already awkward to talk about it while I'm Ladybug, but—"

"No, I get it," Eagle assured, though her expression was neutral.

Ladybug looked at her in surprise. "You do?"

With a slight roll of her eyes, Eagle replied, "Okay, so I don't get all the love stuff exactly, but Uncanny Valley has her own thing for me to deal with. She always wants to help people; she can't help it. Besides, Liiri says that there's always something stopping people from reaching their full potential. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's good, and it's my job to figure out what it is." She glanced Ladybug up and down, as if to gauge something. "You really think it's that bad?"

Ladybug responded with a wince, bad memories already starting to surface.

"Alright, wow," Eagle said, hands raised as she took a step back, the reaction having already convinced her while she herself clearly wanted no details about it. "Are you ready then? You know this is only going to last five minutes, right?"

"Wait—" Ladybug blinked in surprise. "You're really going to help me?"

"Yeah?" Eagle replied. Half-offended, she asked, "Did you really think I wouldn't?"

"No! Sorry!" Ladybug rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "You'd be... surprised, by how bad this stuff usually goes for me."

For a moment, Eagle looked tempted to ask, but shook off the thought just as quickly. Placing her fists to her chest, her gaze went firm, showing that she was ready.

Ladybug stood in place, almost nervous at the prospect of doing this. She was essentially taking out a piece of herself, but it was the only way to test it; the only way to know for sure.

"Liberation!" Eagle called out, spreading her arms as a single light burst out of her.

Ladybug flinched, her fighting instinct kicking in, but she held firm and let the light touch her. For a moment, she was frozen, able to sense Eagle's presence in her mind and even hear her voice. Eagle's voice was calm, but tempting, offering the freedom so desperately desired.

"Ladybug, your love has taken over your life. I release you from it!"

—————

Marinette quickly stashed the glasses in her purse as she checked her phone's timer. She had four minutes and forty-five seconds to do this, and she took a steady breath before stepping out of the alley she'd been hiding in.

As she raced across the street, the fencing students were just filing out out of Françoise Dupont. The moment she saw Kagami and Adrien leaving, she raised a hand, raising her voice so she'd be heard. "Hey, Adrien!"

Adrien and Kagami stopped and glanced her way. Adrien turned to Kagami, saying something and briefly tilting his head in Marinette's direction. Kagami nodded at him in response, and they separated, Kagami heading in one direction and Adrien heading in Marinette's.

At first, Marinette was nervous, her worst case scenario being that Liberation had truly failed or worn off when she de-transformed, or that her feelings were somehow so strong or messed up that even Liberation somehow couldn't help her.

Yet, as Adrien approached, she found that she wasn't shaky at all. Her heart wasn't pounding either. She didn't even feel the slightest bit of awe from his presence.

She was normal. She was okay.

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien greeted with a smile. "Did you need something?"

It took her a moment to answer, still stunned that it'd worked and she'd truly been freed of her crush, even if it was for five minutes. "Oh. No, actually, just..." She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, checking the time, then kept it at her side as she asked genuinely, "How was fencing?"

Adrien looked briefly caught off guard, though whether he was surprised at her acting differently or just the question was anyone's guess. He then brightened, replying excitedly, "It was great! I got paired up with Kagami again, and you know how Mr. D'Argencourt is with fencing, so he..."

The conversation continued as nothing but casual from there, and Marinette almost felt silly at how amazed she was by such a simple thing. It was actually like she was Adrien's friend; like they were on the same page and she could actually hold a conversation with him. He looked and talked the same way he always did, yet she was perfectly fine. Students passed by and maybe tossed them a brief glance, but completely ignored them otherwise because she wasn't acting "weird."

At worst, she was grinning just a little wider out of the pleasant surprise of the whole thing.

When she'd first thought to "liberate" herself of her feelings for Adrien, she was certain she'd be disappointed by it. She honestly thought that she would see Adrien and miss the heart fluttering, the weak knees, and the sheer dreaminess he used to radiate.

But she was wrong. With her crush gone, she could see herself from an outside perspective and reflect without fretting over the things she would've otherwise. Where she thought there'd be disappointment, there was relief that she could actually breathe and not turn into a mess around him. Her mind wasn't clouded with thoughts, and her eyes could drift wherever she wanted without some brainless thought intruding and warning her that she might miss Adrien blinking if she looked away.

She'd needed this. It was nice; more than nice even. Is this how it could be all the time if she truly moved on from him? No more mocking, no more jealousy, no more "crazy Marinette"? It'd be like a celebrity crush that she grew out of; an embarrassing memory of the past and nothing more.

More importantly, she would remember this. She would remember this feeling; the sanity of not being in love with Adrien, or not feeling whatever that emotion was actually called. To say the word "love" seemed so... wrong.

Still mid-discussion with Adrien, Marinette's phone suddenly beeped with a warning message. She turned it in her hand, seeing that she'd properly set the timer earlier to warn her when there was a minute and half left of Liberation.

Adrien leaned over to look at the screen, but jumped when a loud honking noise abruptly sounded off from behind him. Marinette tried not to snicker, but it was difficult; seeing someone else be the jumpy one was quite the experience, and she'd have to remember that too.

Adrien looked over his shoulder at his limo waiting for him, then glanced back at her apologetically. "Sorry, I gotta go. Can we talk later?"

"Oh, sure! Definitely!" Marinette stashed her phone back in her purse, then waved to him. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Marinette!" Adrien exclaimed, waving as he rushed off. "It was fun talking to you!"

"You too!"

Marinette pursed her lips, trying to contain herself as she watched Adrien get into the limo and ride off down the street. She waited until it was out of earshot, then let herself start squealing, even hopping around and doing a twirl for effect.

"M-marinette?!" Tikki called, concerned. "Did it wear off? There's still time—"

"I'm gonna delete all my Adrien pictures!" Marinette exclaimed. "And take down that disaster of a wallpaper!"

"W-wHA—!!" Tikki gaped. "Marinette, when your feelings come back—"

"That's future Marinette's problem! This feels great!" Marinette cheered, having to suppress her excitement just so she could talk. Raising one hand dramatically, she placed the other to her chest, saying to no one in particular, "Oh, what's that? Me, crushing on Adrien? Ew, no way! We're just friends!"

She laughed triumphantly, a bounce in her step that made it seem almost like she were jogging. She crossed the street, reaching for the bakery door's handle and practically singing to herself, "Just friends~ We're just friends~ Me and Ad~ri~en are just good—"

She paused as she opened the door, seeing a familiar mix of blue and black standing at the counter and talking to her parents. At the chime of the bell, all three looked over at her, Luka's smile welcoming and his lips partially coated in white from what seemed to be a powdered donut.

"Hey, Marinette," he greeted. "We were just talking about you."

"Oh, he's such a sweetheart," Sabine cooed. "He came all the way here just to see you."

Luka blushed a light shade of pink at the obvious teasing, Tom jumping in to exclaim, "And he really thought he had to pay us for sweets! I told him, you're friends with our daughter, you better not put a single coin on that counter, young man!"

The three had a laugh together; clearly, they'd been getting along before she came in.

Yet, Marinette's smile fell from her face, a mental 'oh' echoing in her mind.

She hadn't even considered Luka when she'd thought of taking away her crush on Adrien, but it made sense; Eagle had said love, and Marinette wasn't foolish enough to think that she hadn't felt anything romantic for Luka. It only made sense that her crush on him would go too.

But it wasn't the same. The relief didn't follow the lack of feeling. With Luka, there'd always be a little leap in her heart, then a wave of calm washing over her, but neither were there and she couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Luka's smile disappeared as he noticed her expression. He approached, concern written all over his features. "Marinette?"

They were friends at that very moment; that was all the feeling she had on the matter, but she wanted what she'd had before. She remembered his confession at the TV station and yearned for the warmth in her cheeks when he stared at her and told her how much he loved her with words that were entirely his own; words that told her that he loved her as herself and filled her with a confidence she seldom had outside of being Ladybug.

Everything clicked. Her crush on Adrien represented stress, anxiety, and losing herself, but her crush on Luka represented peace, happiness, and being herself.

She missed how she felt about Luka. She didn't miss how she felt about Adrien.

That was all the answer she needed.

Almost on cue, her phone beeped again, this time to signal that Liberation was over. Marinette took in a shaky breath as she felt pleasantly familiar emotions rush through her again, and she welcomed them back like she would an old friend.

Luka's blue eyes gained vibrance and allure, his lips being coated in powdered sugar suddenly became incredibly cute, and she could think of him as no less than the most handsome boy in the world.

"...Sorry," she said breathlessly, waving a hand to assure him that she was alright. "Let's just say I went through a lot of emotions today. I'm happy to see you, really!"

Luka's smile came back, filling her with its warmth. "I'm glad," he said in relief. Then, taking a glance at her purse, which was still letting out a muffled, melodic beeping noise, he asked, "Sorry, do you have to be somewhere?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not really." She took out her phone to shut off the timer, then flashed him the screen before closing the app and storing the phone back in her purse. That done, she paused to consider things, then dared a glance back at him. "Hey... can we walk for a while?"

He blinked, mildly surprised, but nodded. "Sure. Did—" He froze, apparently only now realizing that he had powdered sugar on his lips. He swished his tongue around to lick it off, then started over with, "Did you want to talk about something?"

Smiling almost smugly in response, she felt confident enough to offer him her arm, as if he were a damsel she was leading around. She'd never seen his eyes widen quite so much before, but he also didn't protest, happily taking hold of her arm.

Knowing that her parents would just be giving their looks of approval if she glanced back, she stepped out of the bakery and led Luka towards the park.

"So, it took a little longer than I hoped, but... do you remember when you were talking about me getting clarity?"

[egoludes]

satisfaction guaranteed.

summary: your super soldiers hear there’s a new contender in the bedroom; they intend to learn all about it.

pairing: stucky x reader.

notes: ok, i’ll admit it - this is so outrageously self-indulgent and fully inspired by a recent, um, purchase. i was hoping to get it out in time for valentine’s day, but then work kicked my ass - so consider it a delayed love letter to y’all heh. my apologies in advance to the manufacturers of the sex toy featured here; please don’t sue me? borders from deathlyrph!

warnings: nsfw / 18+, threesome, sex toy, implied & light overstimulation

He doesn’t mean to listen in - scout’s honor.

There just isn’t much that Bucky’s super soldier hearing misses and the raving of some very giddy --- and very drunk --- Avengers is nowhere near that list. He’s actually pleased to hear the way you, Natasha, and Wanda are carrying on when he rounds the corner. Missions have been taking a toll lately, keeping everyone on the team on edge and up late. You, in particular, have been distant, putting on a facade that never quite reaches your eyes, and he and Steve have been on wit’s end trying to perk you up.

The ladies, it seems, have it all figured out.  You’re laughing freely for the first time in weeks, and Bucky’s grateful that no one (particularly Sam) can see the way the sound makes him utterly lovesick. His adoration keeps him still a few seconds longer, basking in how free you seem, but he doesn’t intend to stay much past that. In fact, he’s a half-step into leaving when he hears it:

“So, wait -- have you tried it yet? The Satisfyer?” 

Confusion brings him to a full stop. Satisfyer? 

That feeling only grows, knitting his eyebrows, when you’re the one to answer with an emphatic, and damn near dreamy “Yes.”

Bucky’s an intelligent man and the name alone is a pretty effective context clue. Still, he doesn’t really put it together until Wanda squeals and Nat (who he can see in his mind’s eye, clear as day, leaning into you with that cheeky smirk) pushes you for more.

“It’s kind of...overwhelming,” you continue, pausing to refill your glass, “but in the best way. Like in a ‘How did I ever masturbate before this’ kind of way. My knees literally buckled when I got up after. Can you believe that? Buckled! I was fuckin’ woozy! ” He can tell you’re animated just by the way your volume starts to rise and whatever you’re doing must be endearing because even Natasha is chuckling.

Bucky still loves it, don’t get him wrong. In fact, he adores you excited like this, especially after all the darkness lately. But, there’s something genuinely puzzling about so much excitement around a sex toy. He hadn’t even known you’d bought something new. When had you tried it? Where were he and Steve?

His thoughts start to swirl, intrigue and curiosity mounting in a wave that he pushes past with a step, then another, as he reminds himself that he has somewhere to be.

No chance he’ll be forgetting about this, though. 

Steve hears about it from Bucky. 

Secondhand stories can be tricky; full of exaggerations and misunderstanding. But, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe it. He just doesn’t comprehend the implications of it until he experiences it for himself. 

That happens on a Saturday afternoon. 

You’d been tense in training, taking hits you’ve dodged a thousand times and fumbling moves you’ve done twice that. A bad bout typically doesn’t do you in, but Steve can tell by the way your attacks grow more and more stilted, that you’re overextending just to make blows meet. 

It gets so bad that he breaks one of his few cardinal rules -- never pulling rank with you or Bucky outside of missions -- to get you out of the spar, and your frustration with it is as clear as the exhaustion that sags your limbs. You’re out the door before he can apologize, or explain.

An hour later, he’s showered and changed, seeking you out in your corner of the compound with peace offerings at the ready. This time, they come in the form of your favorite snack and a promise to spar with you himself the next time you’re scheduled - no holds barred. 

But, when you pull open the door at his knock, he’s surprised to see that he may not need them.

You’re completely...sated. The tension you’d had in your shoulders when you left the gym is nowhere to be found and in its place is a sheen of satisfaction. It’s all over you: in a dopey smile, lidded eyes, and the faint whiff of your cunt he gets when he leans into you.

In an instant, he puts two and two together, and Steve feels his body warm at the realization that you’ve just finished touching yourself. And not just that: it had been so good that your entire mood’s flipped and you’re beaming at him, no walls or reservations.

He makes his apology all the same, though, and your smile widens as you reach for him and the snack in a tease: “Better not back out on that fight, Captain.”

He grins back, pleased you’re feeling better, but making a mental note to speak to Bucky as soon as you let him go.

I think we need to check out this ‘Satisfyer’.

They ask you about it on Valentine’s Day.

You’re running on the high of a beautiful evening: dinner in DUMBO and drinks in Brooklyn Heights. The latter -- a couple cocktails for you, white wine for your boys -- finds you buzzing as you let them into your room back at the compound. You feel eyes on your hips from behind, heavy gazes that sear the curves, and you sway pointedly, smiling at the sharp breaths that follow. 

You know where the night is going ---- know the way a good date makes them handsy. So the attention is no surprise. Neither is the cool press of metal to your back and the kiss to that spot under your ear. “Bed, pretty girl,” Bucky drawls against your skin, intent pressing -- and growing -- against your hip as he settles against you.

Steve rounds you from the other side, not touching but so close you can feel the rise of heat from his body. You look up just in time to catch him watching you back, blue eyes darkening with each step into your bedroom.

Your dress is easy work, pooling at your ankles with a few good pulls, But, Steve and Bucky take their time with everything else. You’re in something special, after all --- pretty lace and dewey colors that deserve an extra look, an extra touch. They’re on you the moment it’s revealed to them, thumbing the fabric with murmured praise through the lips all over your skin. 

The daze it sets follows you all the way to the mattress where you lay back against Steve’s chest (still clothed, to your chagrin) with his arms settled around you. His hands end up bracing your thighs, naturally at first, then deliberately as Bucky starts to kiss trails up and over your calf. With the latest string of missions, you can’t remember the last time you had their mouths on you and the anticipation as Bucky’s creeps closer is almost crippling. Your body tenses with each point of contact, eyes lidding as they watch him rise, inch by tortuous inch. 

“Sweetheart.” Steve’s voice pulls you out of your focus with a rumble you can feel in your back. “We wanna try something new with you tonight.” You turn just enough to watch him, answering with a hum to urge him on. “Can you tell Buck,” he continues, dipping to run his nose along yours. You feel tiny when he bears down on you like this, and he can see the way it affects you just in the flutter of your lashes. “--where you keep your ‘Satisfyer’?”

What?

In a split second, you’re sobered up, no hint of the lust or buzz that’d been following you for most of the night. Bringing toys to bed isn’t new by any means, but they have never, ever referred to one by name like that. Nor requested it specifically. It’s so startling that you don’t know what to say for a moment, mind utterly blank until you feel Bucky’s hand tighten around your thigh to bring you back.  “You -- my what?”

“Satisfyer,” Steve echoes, hand resting on your tummy. From below, you can feel Bucky’s eyes burning into the side of your face, expectant. “Buck’s heard you mention it before, and we’d like to know what all the fuss is about. ---- If you’re willing, that is.”

You look back and forth between them, mouth gaping for a second before you swallow your shock down whole. Two super soldiers can be a lot to manage on their own -- adding a toy that’s knocked you on your ass a few times over now seems like a very dangerous game. But, you can feel Steve hardening against your back and can’t deny the slick that’s seeping through your panties at the thought alone. So you nod, lip pulled between your teeth, and direct Bucky to the left side of your bottom drawer. 

When he’s back between your legs, it’s with the rose gold toy in hand. The mere sight of it makes you clench; something he doesn’t miss when he’s that close to your core. “Someone’s excited,” Bucky muses, brow arching before his gaze returns to his hand. The Satisfyer is unlike any toy he’s ever seen, shaped more like some alien gadget than a vibrator, and no amount of Google sleuthing could’ve prepared him for what it feels like in person. The smoothness of it in his hand, the unique curves along his palm. You bite back a giggle at how intently he inspects it, turning it over this way and that to get used to its weight.

“Hmm.. that’s definitely different,” Steve chimes in, as focused on the toy as Bucky is. It isn’t hard to work out how it’s used from the design alone, but what they’re still itching to know is what it does. How it unravels you so well, until your knees buckle even. And it doesn’t take long for that anticipation to trump their curiosity and you’re brought back to the moment when Steve ducks his head to your shoulder, pressing kisses to the skin there as he smooths hands down your inner thighs. He draws his palms back and forth a few times until they suddenly still, and he’s holding your legs -- and you -- wide open. “How about we give it a go, pal?” 

Bucky says nothing in return, but he probably doesn’t have to. The toy clicking to life is enough, a rhythm that fills the room with anticipation. Your tummy tightens at the sound -- another reaction neither man misses -- and the tension stays put, coiled tight until the Satisfyer closes over your clit.

The first pulse knocks air out of you that you hadn’t realized you were holding. The ones that follow unfurl you, melting your anticipation in favor of a soft, thrumming pleasure that coats you head to toe. It’s odd, having someone else use it on you, but in a good way. The best way. 

You surrender to it, relaxing into Steve’s hold as Bucky holds you open with two fingers.  So far, that’s no different than normal --- you’re always this pliant for them, putty beneath their fingers once they get to work. But, tonight, they’re greedy. Tonight, they want more from you; want whatever this toy has been able to draw out in their absence.

Bucky kicks things up a notch, turning the pulse up two speeds. The change is subtle to them, clicks coming just a smidgen faster and louder. For you, it seems to make all the difference. Immediately, you react, back arching up from its place against Steve’s chest with a sound that makes the Captain purr behind you.

“Mm...must feel good,” he notes, a hand gliding along your tummy until he can palm your breast. “Can you tell us, sweetheart?” He punctuates the question with fingers around your nipple, tweaking lightly.

Your lips part, but no words follow; not at first. It’s like your body and mind are disconnected, static in the places where they usually go together. The fuzziness is welcome, but hard to speak through, and it’s all you can do just to whine when Steve gives your nipple an urgent pinch. Bucky joins in with a cool finger pressing at your cunt, the light whirring from his arm giving you something concrete enough to focus on. ‘S good,” you finally pant, twisting to tuck your head into Steve, “so good.”

Bucky huffs out a chuckle and your entire body goes tight; with his face so close, you can feel every breath. “That mean you’re gonna let us finish you up, just like this?”

It’s a rhetorical question --- has to be, the way he presses the toy tighter to your clit. Still, you answer with an eager nod, legs widening some as if to give him the go ahead. “Please, Buck, ‘m close already, it -- right there, I-I’ll--” Your pleas are pretty, a desperate melody, and they appease every base instinct Bucky has. He’d wanted to keep you on edge a little longer to explore the toy more, but he’s a sucker for his girl; always has been. You win him over without even trying. 

Steve isn’t far behind, cock leaking in his dress pants seeing you so desperate. He hasn’t gotten his hand on the toy yet, but even he seems to feel its effect. The hand that isn’t cupping your breast spreads over your tummy, delighting in the way the flesh underneath tightens and spreads. You’re certainly close --- he knows your body as well as you do. And the thought of it makes him hungry, makes him press teeth into the skin behind your ear as he urges you on: “Go on, honey -- make a mess for us.”

Your peak comes fast after that, punching you in the gut with its intensity. The first wave of orgasm runs right through you, leaving a tremble in its wake, and your hips twist instinctively to escape the toy. Bucky, however, isn’t so forgiving, metal curling around your hip in a vice. Ride it out, he seems to say with a dark, lidded glance from between your legs. 

You whimper in response, head tipping back against Steve’s chest as you fumble for purchase in the warmth of Bucky’s free hand. 

Something tells you this will be a long night. 

Forty minutes later, you can’t see straight.

Your first orgasm had been gradual, as tentative as the men watching this new toy work you. But, after that, it’s like a flip switches in Bucky and Steve, making them greedy for as many more as they can get.

The second one isn’t long after the first. Bucky turns the Satisfyer up to the highest setting, the other end of the spectrum that you hadn’t even gotten a chance to try on your own yet. The first contact lights fire through your sensitive body and you’re on the brink in just minutes.  Toes stretching and curling into the sheets by Bucky’s hips, you’re practically squirming with need and it only takes one good twist of the toy for you to crumble all over again. They give you a break after that, but most of it is spent kissing you too long for you to catch your breath.

You don’t mind that too much, though.

The third orgasm is Steve’s fault. Ever the strategist, he starts thinking through the ways they can play with frequency and angle to make you cum again. You don’t notice it in your foggy comedown, but he’s fished his phone out and flicked through to a page he’s looked over more times that he cares to admit. And when Bucky settles between your legs to get you going again, he finally speaks up. “Buck, I found this review online---” Both you and Bucky turn to him, curiosity in the way you gape, but he’s making a face back that’s loud and clear:  ‘do not ask’. “---that said they were able to cum in a couple minutes with this alone. Had some interestin’ suggestions about how, too.” He grins around a Brooklyn drawl, that handsome face stirring something in you when it looks so devious. “You think we can get our girl finished faster than that?”

They pull it off -- embarrassingly easily at that -- and it’s in the pale of that third climax that they finally, finally press inside you. 

Your cunt is soaked, supple and warm around Steve as he sits you down over his cock. After so much play, the stretch is nothing, a pleasant burn in the pit of your belly that makes your eyes flutter closed. 

“Tell us how you feel,” Steve asks for the second time that night, his voice strained around the effort to keep from fucking you. Even if you’re taking him well -- easier than ever before, in fact -- he’s cautious not to lose his head, no matter how much he wants to. 

No matter how much the urge to plow you into your mattress dizzies him.

Your eyes are still closed when you respond, tongue over your dry lips as you part them with a needy sound. “S-Still good…,” you sigh, mind swimming. You want to move, start to move in a mindless search for some friction. But, the rocking doesn’t last long, stuttering to a stop when you hear the toy click to life  and try to focus through the haze of your pleasure with eyes darting for answers.

You find them in the smug grin on Bucky’s face as he palms the Satisfyer in one hand and works his cock out of his pants with the other. “What,” he purrs, voice lilted in a taunt, “you didn’t think we were done with this yet, did you?”

Oh yeah --- this’ll definitely be a long night.

[boldlyvoid]

the guy at the rock show

she/they reader x Spencer Reid

request for @boba-king-iroh ♥︎

summary: Y/N lost their parents when they were 17, finding a new home and solace in Penelope Garcia and taking the Garcia name. They're the top forensic specialist in D.C, in a band and they drive a motorcycle... not to mention they are madly in love with the cute doctor who works with their sister.

warnings: fluff, mutual pining, getting together, love confessions, friends to lovers, idiots in love, PDA, secret relationships

word count: 5666

a/n: there will be a smutty part 2 eventually because I can't not do that

THE PLAYLIST THAT GOES WITH THEIR SETLIST IF YOU WANT TO LISTEN WHILE YOU READ

Read on Ao3 here!

Taking Garcia’s last name wasn’t something they had to think hard about, Penelope basically raised them; she was like a sister, a best friend and a mother, even a bit of a fairy godmother to Y/N.

They met when Y/N was 17, they were sitting at a support group for dead parents in D.C. Right beside the lovely, overly cheerful, always helpful, Penelope Garcia. At first, Y/N couldn’t stand her, wondering how a person like that could be running a group for mourning people, it made her sick.

It wasn’t until she heard Penelope’s story for the first time, knowing how similar it sounded to her own and how, actually, you can take your grief and turn it into something beautiful. After the meeting, they pulled Penelope aside and gave her a big hug and a thank you.

It was the start of a lovely friendship, one Y/N didn’t know they needed until they were smothered in all the love you could possibly imagine.

The age gap between them wasn’t too big, Penelope was 10 years older than them which meant she was always one step ahead of Y/N and full of advice. Be it fashion, boys, girls and everything in between. They bonded in a way that was unbreakable, they were each other's family.

Penelope even helped her get into med school before she eventually switched to forensic science. Taking on the FBI academy, unlike Penelope, and joining the bureau officially. Penelope was there for her every single step of the way, making her career possible. She loved her dearly and wanted Y/N to succeed more than anyone in the world.

Getting to introduce herself to people as Agent Y/N Garcia, not to be confused with technical analyst Garcia, was one of the best feelings in the world.

Not many people ever mistook them, however, for whatever Penelope was, Y/N was the exact opposite.

Y/N preferred all black everything, she didn’t enjoy partying or close contact or the in-your-face-ness of Penelope’s way of life, she loved her band and motorcycle and being alone. They were quote-unquote edgy, not just for effect, but because it was how they felt the most comfortable, it was who they were and they liked it that way.

They were possibly the best Forensic Specialist the FBI had, keeping her in DC for all the most important cases. Helping her avoid Penelope and the BAU team as much as possible. They were great people, she didn’t hate them at all, it was just a lot of energy that they didn’t have to give to 7 other people all day long.

Spencer was the only one she could tolerate. Rather, he was the one she wanted to spend the most time with, even more than Penelope. He understood Y/N in a way others didn’t.

He was also quiet, like them, he didn’t pick on them or call them mini Garcia, baby-baby girl, or infant as some of them started to call her more recently.

He called them Y/N, he talked to them about star trek whenever he was visiting Penny, and he respected their pronouns. Using both she and they interchangeably, when he spoke of them, unlike most people who only used she and her because it made more sense in their small brains.

However, she wasn’t the only one who got teased. Spencer did as well, almost more because he was around the BAU team constantly. She hated hearing them bully him, he didn’t even count it as bullying but it’s basically what it was sometimes.

They put him down, they didn’t clue him in on things, they called out his stims and didn’t let him finish his sentences, especially when it had to do with his hyper-fixations. He was the brightest light in the room and they just picked his brain till he wasn’t useful anymore, before trying to turn out the light. It made Y/N furious.

They got called Mr and misses genius when they were on a scene together, remembering the first time she ever had a case with the BAU which was also the first time she snapped at someone for being mean to Spencer.

Someone asked Spencer a serious question, to which he did his fucking job and answered. Giving as much detail as humanly possible, being the absolute genius he is and should be praised for, only to have Emily poke him in the cheek and say; “wow, he’s so life-like?”

“Well yeah, cause he’s a fucking human who deserves respect from the people who use his brain all day,” Y/N cursed under their breath from the crime scene, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Leaving the sweetest man on earth to find them later and give them a hug. Thanking them for all that they do, and appreciating what he has to offer. That’s when she realized she liked him, more than just the guy who sometimes sleeps on her couch because he’s friends with her sister.

It was difficult being surrounded by men unlike Spencer, specifically the older men in her field who didn’t understand anything outside of money, guns, and violence. The worst part of the job being the politics in the background; the hierarchy and ass-kissing all because she worked in the nation's capital.

They were sure it was probably better in a smaller facility, a local police station where no one knew her and they could finally have some peace and quiet.

But she’d miss Penelope, and Spencer too for that matter.

At first, they’d hide in their room when Penelope brought him over for movie nights or when he crashed on the couch after bringing her home drunk from the bar. In the early days, she worried that he was going to be her new boyfriend, taking all of Penelope’s free time and leaving Y/N with nothing.

But then he started coming over all the time just to hang out, sitting on the couch with nothing to say, being the third wheel while Y/N and Penelope spent time together. For the last 7 years.

Over that time they had many conversations alone, she learned that he was really smart, he was a lot younger than most of the team because he blew through high school by the time he was 13, and he was genuinely the sweetest man in the whole entire world.

One time, Penelope was running late when Spencer showed up at the door with chips and candy, ready to watch his weekly movie with his friend. Only she wasn’t going to make it home in time, and Y/N didn’t want him to have to go back to his apartment all alone.

“You can come in and watch it with me if you wanted to?” She offered, smiling softly. “What was it you picked for tonight?”

“It was Penelope’s night to choose, so you can pick instead if you want?” Spencer offered right back, walking in like he owned the place.

He was more confident now than he was in the beginning, but that was probably because he was 23 and she was 18.

Back then he’d barely look at her and sometimes he’d shake when they made eye contact or when she got drunk and hugged him goodbye after a long night with Penelope. He was like that with Penny in the early days of their friendship too, apparently, so she didn’t feel too bad about it.

He warmed up eventually, making her wait 7 years for him to do something about the growing feelings they both shared.

“You like Marvel movies right?” She bit the inside of her lip as she waited for his answer. Watching him walk around the kitchen for a bowl that he could put his snacks in.

“Yeah they’re great, I haven’t watched past the second Thor, I think the next one is another Captain America?” he’s all smiles as he joins her on the couch, closer than normal, as close as he’d sit with Penelope, but then again she was a cuddler and Y/N wasn’t.

Sometimes Y/N would come out of her room to find Spencer’s head on Penelope’s lap, resting on a pillow as she ran her fingers through his hair to soothe his perfect mind after a long day. A few times she’s walked in on him crying or even sound asleep in her arms. They had a friendship Y/N admired, they were each other's person.

They comforted each other in the exact way they needed it; Penelope giving him the physical touch he craved and he would often compliment her. He was always telling her she was the best and buying her gifts to show his appreciation, calling her the most beautiful and smartest person he knew. He knew that she needed to hear it, needed the reassurance that she was still a good person and he made her believe it.

It made Y/N love him more seeing how much he cared for her sister.

“The winter soldier is the best!” She gushed, sitting close so they could share the chips as she waited for the movie to load up.

He was very quiet when he watched movies, smiling and laughing at the right parts but typically he paid so much attention it was like he was a statue. Y/N spent more time glancing at him than the actual movie.

“Is there something on my face?” Spencer asked, nervous when he noticed her glance at him for the 100th time that night.

“Oh, no you don’t,” she panicked lightly, swallowing quickly before looking away.

“What?”

“I don’t know, I just think you’re fascinating,” she whispered because then she didn’t really say it, and it didn’t really count.

“Oh,” he smiled softly, leaving it at that and forcing his attention back on the movie.

After a while, Spencer started to get even closer. He put the bowl on the coffee table and sat back almost on top of her, reaching an arm behind the couch so that Y/N was right against his side. He had done it with Penelope before, confident in this little living room, almost forgetting it was Y/N beside him.

Y/N rested her hand on his knee, rubbing her thumb over his jeans in a soft little circle as she pretended to watch the movie. More concerned with Spencer’s breathing and the feeling of his hand inching towards their shoulder than anything else.

Then they heard keys at the front door. Pulling away from each other quickly to curl up on opposite sides of the couch and pretend they weren’t just cuddling.

“Hey, you still came!” Penelope cheered, a little drunk from whatever she was doing before.

“I’d never miss a night with the Garcia’s,” Spencer smiled at her, looking calm and collected as ever while Y/N turned bright pink.

“Oh, I love Bucky! Oh my god let me go change and I’ll come watch too!”

That was just the first time they ended up cuddling, certainly not the last.

—

It wasn’t often that Penelope was too busy to spend time with Y/N, rather the contrary. Sometimes Y/N had to beg her to leave her be at certain events. Like when their band was playing at any of the local bars and Penny started inviting everyone she knew to come and watch her sister play.

It was embarrassing, to say the least, but Y/N loved her support.

When Y/N peaked her head out to see the crowd before a show, normally Penelope was sitting in the front with a drink and at least 4 friends, cheering and chanting their name, ready to rock out to their covers.

Tonight she didn’t see Penelope at all, she knew she wouldn’t, Penelope was in London visiting Emily with Derek for the second time in the past year, leaving no one to come to the monthly show Y/N’s band put on, or so she thought.

Spencer came all by himself.

He was sitting in the front, at a table with a bowl of pretzels and a ginger ale, not interested in the drinking or the socializing, just there to support Y/N. It made her feel giddy, like a schoolchild seeing their crush at recess.

It was so nice of him that it gave her butterflies, and normally that didn’t happen. They could go on and play a show in front of ten thousand people and feel nothing, but the second Spencer Reid was there to cheer them on, they were a mess.

“What song are we doing first again?” Y/N asked Evie, their lead singer and best friend outside of work.

“Who are they?”

Y/N was taken aback, “What?”

“You’ve never been nervous, who came to see you?” Evie clarified her question.

“No one, for fuck sake, I thought we left all the profilers at home tonight?” she sighed, shaking the nerves out of their body as they jumped up and down lightly.

They paced back and forth for a few minutes to wear down the nerves but only managing to make herself sweat to death and discard the leather jacket she always wore on stage. She walked in a circle aimlessly, remembering the setlist in their mind and how the spotlights typically made it so they couldn’t see the crowd anyway so it’s not like she could fuck up by making eye contact with him.

And it’s not like it was the first time he had seen her play, Spencer comes every month with Penelope, he liked a lot of the music they covered from when he was an emo teen in university. They’ve bonded over it before sharing albums and records back and forth, but she was still scared shitless at the prospect of him caring about her enough to come alone.

Especially when he hated being in situations like this in the first place.

It was their turn to go on, the manager of the bar gathering them and telling them to go on and so Y/N started walking towards the stage door, only to be pulled back harshly by Evie’s cold hands.

“Don’t forget your sticks, god who do you wanna fuck so bad it makes you this stupid?” She placed the drumsticks in Y/N’s hands, “get it together.”

“Sorry, it’s the guy in the sweater vest, front row,” they whispered in response, putting their head down and heading to the stage before she could tease them about it.

“The Forensic Lyricists are here once again folks!” The Manager introduced them to the crown, “get ready for them to dig up some classics!” Always the same dumb joke before every show.

Opening with crushcrushcrush by Paramore, thank god she remembered, it was an easy song to play as they warmed up and pushed the nerves away. They could play it in their sleep, with their eyes closed, and so that's what they did.

Eyes closed, mouthing the words as the adrenaline of the night took over the anxiety and made them go insane, like most nights. They didn’t need drinks or drugs to feel hyped at most shows, all she needed was a smile from penny and a good luck text from Spencer.

Playing by memory until she felt more confident and then getting into it. “They taped over your mouth, Scribbled out the truth with their lies, your little spies…”

“Crush, crush, crush, crush crush two, three, four!!” Y/N sung backup for each chorus, finally getting into it.

“Nothing compares to, a quiet evening alone! Just the one, two! of us who's counting on! That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again.”

They tried their hardest to push the images of that night on the couch with Spencer out of their mind as they sang along, trying to harmonize and cover the backup for Evie as best as she could.

“Let’s be more than this now!”

She always took the bridge, as the drummer and the most passionate one, it only made sense. Y/N always got the crowd on their feet, roaring along as they jumped to the beat.

“Rock and roll, baby, Don't you know that we're all alone now? I need something to sing about. Rock and roll, hey! Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now? I need something to sing about! Rock and roll, hey! Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now? Give me something to sing about!”

“Nothing compares to, a quiet evening alone! Just the one, two! of us who's counting on! That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again, let’s be more than, noOoo!”

She had a crush on Spencer fucking Reid and one now noticed as they tried their hardest to focus on the words when all that came to mind right now was his body heat and how good he smelled and how nice it was that he came to support them.

“Nothing compares to, a quiet evening alone! Just the one, two! of us who's counting on! That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again, Let’s be more than this, more than thiiiiiis, oooooooh, mmmmmmhmmm,” she sang the ending of the song along with Evie, their harmony sounding more perfect than any performance before.

Critics always said the performance is better when you mean the words you’re singing. With that, they accepted their crush on Doctor Spencer Reid after 7 long years of knowing him. They pushed through nerves so that they could go and see him after and do something about it, now that Penelope wasn’t home to tease her for it.

Leading right into Dear Maria, Count Me In. Their bass player, Kat taking the lead for her favourite song. Being an all ‘girl’ punk band was her idea, and now they all enjoyed taking turns singing their favourite songs in front of mostly strangers, once a month.

Every single song made her think of Spencer in some way as she remembered the rest of the set, it had 5 songs in total and each one included at least one reference to something she knew about Spencer.

It was hard to not think about him while he stood at the edge of the stage with everyone and bopped his head along to the beat, a smile growing on his face as he also noticed the little references to them in the songs.

The Rock Show by Blink182 was going to hit a little too close to home as she sang the words all but to him, making eye contact with him as he moved to the best spot to see them play, much like Penelope would do every time.

She didn’t realize how much this song actually represented her life before tonight, starting to sing her song alone while Spencer watched. Deciding on the spot to dedicate it to him in the most fucking obvious way possible, taking her chances because he must have come for a reason.

“Hanging out behind the club on the weekends. Acting stupid, getting drunk with my best friends, I couldn't wait for the summer and the Warped Tour, I remember that it's the first time that I saw him there!”

Spencer was smiling then, noticing the lyric change as they made eye contact, nodding along as he watched. Genuinely enjoying himself and the show, it was lovely to see. She couldn’t help but smile against the mic as she sang and played. Wondering how his face will change with the next verse she watched him from the corner of her eye.

Her bandmates turning to see her as they played their guitars, nodding in agreement at the lyric change, they knew what she was up to. It wasn’t the first time they used the stage to bring someone home with them.

“He's getting kicked out of school cause he's failing. I’m kinda nervous, cause I’m sure all his friends hate me! He’s the one, he'll always be there, I took his hand and I’ll make it I swear,

“Because I fell in love with the guy at the rock show! He said what? and I told him that I didn't know. He's so cool, gonna sneak in through his window. Everything's better when he's around. Can’t wait until my parent goes out of town, I fell in love with the guy at the rock show!”

Spencer’s smile was priceless, it made them even more confident to sing all the words, wanting him with zero shame, it’s not like anyone who knew him would know about this.

“When we said we were gonna move to Vegas I remember the look your mother gave us 17 without a purpose or direction We don't owe anyone a fuckin’ explanation”

“Because I fell in love with the guy at the rock show! He said what? and I told him that I didn't know. He's so cool, gonna sneak in through his window. Everything's better when he's around. Can’t wait until my parent goes out of town, I fell in love with the guy at the rock show!” Making the softest eye contact with him, they moved their whole body to play to him.

“Black and white picture of him on my wall, I waited for his call, he always kept me waiting, and if I ever got another chance I'd still ask him to dance, because he kept me waiting!”

“I fell in love with the guy at the rock show! He said what? and I told him that I didn't know. He's so cool, gonna sneak in through his window. Everything's better when he's around. Can’t wait until my parent goes out of town,”

“I fell in love with the guy at the rock show!” She had never been this passionate while playing this song in all the years they had played it together.

Her bandmates taking the lead singing, “with the guy at the rock show!”

“I’ll never forget you,” she sang in the middle of their chants, “I’ll never forget you, I’ll never forget you, I’ll never forget tonight, I’ll never forget tonight…”

She shot a wink at him before turning back in her seat to face the drum set the best way. The last two songs were Evie’s and Kat’s, she covered the backup vocals, making the occasional glance towards Spence as she thought of him.

Counting down the minutes till she could go see him.

Come a little closer by cage the elephant, an obvious title with lyrics that would clearly bring every memory of brushed hands against lower backs as they slipped past each other in crowded rooms, lingering as long as possible before they were gone again. Goodnight hugs when Penelope was already asleep and he could hold her a big longer and tighter, resting his head on her shoulder while she rubbed his back and breathed him in. And that night on the couch, not to mention all the mornings she walked in on him sleeping peacefully, brushing the hair out of his face, softly, in the hopes he didn’t wake up.

“Come a little closer, then you'll see, Come on, come on, come on, Things aren't always what they seem to be… Do you understand the things you been seein' Come on, come on, come on! Do you understand the things that you've been dreaming… Come a little closer, then you'll see! Come a little closer, then you'll see!”

And even when he did she had a coffee ready for him when he sat up and smiled, giving them a few hours alone before Penelope would wake up. Talking all morning about star trek and dr. Who, smacking his knee as he made jokes that genuinely made them laugh while trying to keep her voice down so they didn’t wake Penelope.

Not many people made her feel like that in her life.

“Come a little closer, then you'll see! Come a little closer, then you'll see!” Staring at him, enticing him to do it the next time they had the chance.

The intro to I’d Do Anything by simple plan was one of her favourites to play, smiling wide as she began to drum as her best friends sang the words.

Waiting for the chorus to sing the words at Spencer, really sending the message, he wasn’t dumb, not in the slightest, he would get it. He had to, she had already been so obvious there was no turning back now.

“This could be the one last chance to make you understand,”

Her arms were starting to hurt as she played along with the most energy she has had in years, playing like a teenager whose parents just died and she needed to hit something, once again. It was freeing, playing with what she could only imagine was love in her chest instead of anger. It’s how she was supposed to play.

"I’d do anything Just to hold you in my arms To try to make you laugh Cuz somehow I can’t put you in the past I’d do anything Just to fall asleep with you Will you remember me? Cuz I know I won’t forget you,"

Focusing on the drumming and ignoring the lyrics as her bandmates covered the lyrics, letting her go hog fucking wild on the drum set, almost kicking the chair out from under herself as they kept going. Joining for the chorus again before beating the shit out of her drum set.

I close my eyes And all I see is you I close my eyes I try to sleep I can't forget you Na na na And I'd do anything for you Na na na Naaaaaaa

“I’d do anything!” She closed her eyes as she pushes the words past her vocal cords, again and again, passionately playing the drums as her hair flew all over the place, worried she might break the sticks as she played.

“Cause I know I won't forget yoooou!” She plays the end of the song, snapping the left drumstick in half before throwing the right one into the crowd, right into Spencer’s hand, sending him a wink before saying goodbye to the crowd.

Sweaty as hell from playing the drums, they brushed their long black hair back behind their ears and in a low ponytail so it would fit under her motorcycle helmet on the way home. Putting their leather jacket back on and heading into the main bar to find Spencer.

“Hey,” he smiled as she walked towards him, the drumstick now resting in his pocket as he approached her.

“I can’t believe you came here all by yourself?” Y/N laughed slightly before pulling him into a thank-you hug.

“I wouldn’t miss it, I’ve been coming for a year now, it’s always a great time,” his smile was perfect, his teeth were so white and straight and she wondered how they’d feel against her neck.

“It’s been that long?” She pretended that she didn’t notice, biting their lip as he ran the calculations in his mind.

He nodded with a soft, pressed-lipped smile, the Spencer classic. “Yep, it’s been exactly 14 months straight now.”

“I know you don’t like bars and loud noises and people you don’t know, or germs which makes this like a nightmare of yours I guess because of the close proximity of people and the germs being spread as everyone screams in a crowd,” she ranted before he was pulling her into another hug, “so this means a lot to me,” she finished her thought beside his ear for only him to hear.

“Anytime,” he whispered as he held her, his arm on her back and chin resting on her shoulder.

“Did you need a ride home?” She offered, thinking about how nice it would be for him to wrap his arms around their body as he sat behind her on Patsy, her motorcycle.

“Yeah, unless you wanted to go to your place and watch another movie? I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting,” he spoke just loud enough to be heard over the music.

“Yeah, I’d love that, it’s been lonely while Penny’s gone,” a smile erupting on her face as she got the reference, “come on then.”

She took his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers and dragging him backstage towards her locker. She had a space to keep her things for practice and other shows she did during the week, keeping an extra helmet and jacket in the locker for nights like this, however, normally it was a cute stranger. Not the man she’s been crushing on since she was a teenager.

“Oh, you brought Patsy,” Spencer’s face went white.

“Did you not want to ride her? Come on, everyone wants to ride her at least once,” Y/N teased him as she put the helmet in his free hand.

Her bandmates staring at her with proud smiles as she took the guy from the rock show home; the one in the sweater vest from the front, the one who was the most into the whole show, they both gave Y/N a wave and a smile as they slipped out the backstage door.

They walked out to the parking lot, still hand in hand with their helmets in the other. Stopping at her dark purple Suzuki GS650 GT, it was her most prized possession because it used to belong to her parents.

She put her hair in the right spot before putting the helmet on, sitting down and starting the engine, revving it for everyone in the lot to see as Spencer put his helmet on and threw a leg over the seat, nervous as ever.

He fit behind her perfectly, just enough room on the seat for his chest to press against her back as he placed his hands gingerly on her hips. It made her laugh.

“You’re going to want to hold on better than that pretty boy,” she teased him before revving the engine once more, kicking the kickstand up and speeding out of the parking lot.

Spencer gripped her tightly as she took off down the street, taking the longest route possible to her home. She didn’t hit a single red light for at least 5 blocks, zooming through traffic as Spencer squeezed the life out of her.

He felt amazing, his hands were so big as he fully wrapped around her, reaching around completely so his right hand was on her left hip and vice versa. He was so close she could feel his heartbeat against her back.

He was nervous, he flinched every time she turned and held on even tighter somehow.

So she did another lap of the block, around the park’s bend so she could lean the bike as far as possible as Spencer’s fingers dug into her hips fiercely. Breathing deep enough that she could hear him over the engine, but he wanted her to keep going. Not ready to let go of her yet, this is the closest they had ever been to each other.

When she finally pulled into the parking lot of their apartment complex, they bumped over the curb and his hand grazed Y/N’s boob, he pulled back so fast it was barely there, she just shook her head and laughed. Parking the bike and putting the kickstand back down.

Spencer let out a sigh, relaxing against her as he rested his chin on her shoulder again.

“Have fun?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” he laughed, his voice deep and dry from breathing with his mouth open, it was cute.

He got off first when his legs were finally able to work again, still vibrating from the rev of the engine he walked like Ariel when she got her legs. It was priceless, no one has reacted like that after getting a ride from them, not even Penelope.

She took her helmet off while still on the bike, shaking her hair out of the ponytail as provocatively as possible before getting off. Spencer’s jaw fell open once more as he watched, breathlessly, just as she expected.

Either he liked them before and never told them, or he was going to start now.

Either way, it excited Y/N to their core, taking his hand once more and leading him inside, this time they could be as close as they wanted to and no one was going to walk in on it. She stopped at her locked apartment door, looking at Spencer as softly as possible so he’d know her feelings were real.

“I know this will cause the teasing we already get to skyrocket, so if you wanted to keep it between us, I fully understand,” she whispered.

“Is that what you want?”

He was so sweet it made her heartache, never before had anyone made her feel like this; like she wasn’t in control of her body or mind, like an override in the system her brain and heart chose Spencer and there was no stopping them.

“I just told a whole bar of people that I’m in love with the guy at the rock show before taking you home in front of everyone,” she laughed, “I don’t care if people know, I just hate when they tease us, they belittle everything we do like we’re 17 forever, it’s not fun for me.”

“I hate it too,” he pressed his lips together awkwardly once more, “I’d like to keep you to myself for a while.”

She cupped his face in her hands and pulled in, pressing her lips against his as they both tried to repress their tightlipped smiles. Finally, finally kissing after all those years staring at each other's lips while they explained something, passionately as ever with the most attentive ears.

“Exactly, me too,” she smiled wider as she pulled back from him, unlocking the front door and pulling him inside for that movie he mentioned.

tag list: @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria @spookyspence @reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @samuel-de-champagne-problems @jswessie187 (dm me if you want me to remove you)

[astaroth1357]

IT'S RAINING (DEMON) MEN!!!

I asked my sister for a prompt to get my creativity going. She played this song. Nuff said.

Intro:

It's been two months since the MC went back to the human world, and the demon boys are getting desperate to see their human… How desperate are we talking? Desperate enough to try their hands at some questionable sanctioned magic to get themselves to the human world... Good news is, they'll get there!

Just probably not in the way they expected. 🤷‍♀️🤭

Lucifer

He is going to KILL Mammon the next time he gets a hold of him…

He had no intention of taking an impromptu trip to the human world. He actually has clearance to go there when he needs to, thank you, so he didn't need to use any underhanded tricks to go between realms...

But he had made the mistake of walking too carelessly into Mammon's room while looking for a book he stole and stepped on a sigil half-obscured by an old pizza box…

...which is how he ended up falling from the Devildom to the human world at an unimaginable speed. It was like someone was yanking him to the Earth by the goddamn foot!

The unsuspecting MC was just out window shopping when suddenly an empty parked car across the street was utterly decimated by his falling body…

Of course, HE was fine, but that poor car never stood a chance… 😣 They had to help Lucifer pry himself out from the caved-in metal…

While he watched the MC fuss and try to brush all the broken glass off of him, Lucifer had only three things in mind:

(1) They look so cute when they're worried about him for practically no reason...

(2) Since he's already here, he may as well keep them company for… oh, a couple days at least?; and

(3) He was going to punish Mammon slightly less brutally than usual this time… May just fling him into a car too and leave it at that. 😌

Mammon

Okay, Mammon isn't stupid. He can do magic, he swears!!

He's just… rusty. Yeah. That. 🙄

That's the only reason the sigil that he haphazardly drew in his bedroom flung him to the human world like a catapult instead of neatly teleporting him like it was supposed to...

When the MC woke up that morning, they heard something familiar… Sad, pitiful little cries for help from outside their bedroom window….

Really only one person sprang right to their mind.

When they ran out to check, they indeed found Mammon tangled up in a tree like a wooden spider's web... He wasn't even facing upright!

It took them a half hour to detangle their poor demon from the tree… They almost gave up halfway through and had to call the fire department to pull him out like a trapped kitten... 🤦‍♀️

To say that Mammon was pretty clingy after they got him down hardly covers it. They were now his savior! (Yet again)

They had better not have any plans for the next day or two because he's going to want to spend every second he can with them… 

Or at least until Lucifer finds him and drags him back home by the back of the neck… 😰 (Hope they don't mind housing this figurative fugitive for a while…)

Leviathan

So in his defense, he didn't actually think the "Return to Lover" spell he saw on TSL would work, but he got so desperate to see MC again that he half-jokingly tried it one night...

Unfortunately for him, he also forgot that Simeon tends to use a lot of real-world influences in his writing, so… 😥

He hadn't wanted to be dragged to the human world quite so violently, and let's say he is NOT a graceful faller (arm flailing, girly screaming, spinning all over the place, etc.). 

Only when the smell of beach sand and sea salt hit his nose did he begin to calm down a little and get a good look at the surroundings he was hurtling towards… The ocean!

Video game logic dictates that if you land in water, you should be fine, right?? (Well, that's not how it works in real life, but when you're in a super sturdy demon body, there can be expectations 🤷‍♀️)

The MC was not expecting someone to splash down into the water next to them like they fell out of Heaven, nor for them to enter the water with the poise of an Olympic high diver…

They REALLY weren't expecting to see Levi surface beside them, demon form in the all it's sea serpent-y glory, totally stoked that the stupid thought he had actually brought him to them!

… Of course, he also has no idea how to get back, but who actually cares about that?? Lucifer will figure out he's not in his room eventually. For now, there wasn't anything in the ocean or beyond that could separate the MC from their adorkable otaku… 🤭

Satan

Okay. Teleportation magic is hard. Very, very hard. It basically requires bypassing several different physical laws by breaking down one's essence into a transmigrational-uh...

Whatever, the point is it's difficult, and mistakes happen even to the best of us.

Satan genuinely thought he triple-checked the symbols on his sigil… He must have made a crooked stroke or forgot a step in completing the seal properly… Either way, the spell he intended to bring him right to MC might have made a… slight miscalculation.

Rather than effortlessly stepping out beside them, he found himself hurtling towards the human world like a falling comet… If he hadn't known a few spells that could slow down his fall, he'd have had a pretty nasty meet with the ground... 😣

The MC was visiting a local park when pretty much everyone in their vicinity heard the sound of trees rapidly snapping nearby. At first, they were concerned it was a large animal… and then Satan stumbled out covered in twigs and leaves!

They, of course, ran over to see if he was alright, and the cheeky bastard just denied that anything had gone wrong. "Apparently," this was all according to plan… 

(Truthfully, he'd rather call Mammon some unsung genius than admit that he got the spell wrong, even if it was complex… 🙄)

Truthfully, Satan wasn't going to try making a return sigil for a while, so at least he and MC could be together for a time! Do they know if there were any cat cafes nearby??

Asmodeus

Asmo was PISSED at Solomon, furious even because he wouldn't help him sneak away to go see his beloved human! Didn't he know how hard the distance was on him?? The nerve!!! 😤

So, to him, it only seemed fair to steal some of the sorcerer's tomes and equipment… If he wouldn't help him in person, he could at least (unknowingly) do so in spirit!

… He just wasn't expecting the spells to be that difficult. Asmo is decent enough at magic, but some of those explanations were honestly beyond him… They bordered well into Satan or even Lucifer territory...

He tried his best, he really did, but the gentle teleportation that he was after actually flung him to the human world like he had been shot out of a cannon…! And while it was raining in the human world too!! 😫

The MC was walking home in the rain, umbrella and everything, when they heard screaming from the sky...

Thankfully, Asmo remembered just enough magic to cushion his fall… But that didn't save him from landing right into a massive puddle right next to the MC, effectively soaking them both.

On any other day, he'd have been angry that his expensive clothes were covered in rainwater, but that day? The second he saw the MC was there (and also tastefully soaked in water 😏), he just flung himself at them with a squeal of delight!

The MC had to convince him to let them get inside before they got too cold, but every step of the way was full of laughter and cuddles between the two of them...

Asmo would have to call Solomon to fess up to his theft, but hey, he got to see MC out of it! The bruised tailbone and ruined clothes were more than worth a treat like that.

Beelzebub

Beel genuinely wasn't intending to go to the human world; he really wasn't. He hated the distance like everyone else, but he knew better than to mess with magic that dangerous…

What happened was that he was walking by Satan's room one day and he smelt something inside… apples. A lot of them. He just couldn't help himself…

He didn't know that Satan was using those apples as test subjects for his teleportation magic… Unfortunately, the first fruit that he grabbed actually put him right smack dab in the middle of an incomplete sigil…

Beel kind of blacked out for whatever happened during the next part, it happened really fast, but it was the smell of more apples that woke him back up… and pears, peaches, pineapples, plums-

It's a farmer's market. Beel fell into the apple stand of a farmer's market….

The MC was out shopping there when they heard two things: the screams of shock and horror from the end of the market and a familiar voice shouting, "I'M HUNGRY!!!"

Of course they ran towards the screaming, defying all survival instincts (because who else are we talking about here?) and found Beel, mid-rampage, eating every scrap of food he could get his hands on…

But he actually stopped when he heard them shout his name. That's right, he stopped eating right then and there to turn and see them in the crowd... Oh, the smile that popped up on his face could have reignited a sun!

Beel had no idea how he got there and even less idea of getting back, so the MC had to eventually call Lucifer. They did get to spend the day with their gentle giant, though! (Just don't mention the massive bill for all the fruit he ate… 😣)

Belphegor

So here's the story. Belphie was sleeping in the library, as he sometimes does, and the next thing he knew, he was free-falling through the sky.

No, he didn't know what happened either. Maybe he rolled onto a stray sigil Satan left behind. Perhaps he was accidentally summoned to the human world. Mayhaps he even dreamed about MC so hard that it broke a rift in space-time to try and bring the two together... 

Who the hell knows? His more pressing concern was less how he got up there and more where he would end up.

Unfortunately for him, all he could see below him was a human residential area, and even worse yet, it looked like he was hurtling towards someone's roof… The MC's roof, to be exact!

MC was incredibly lucky to have already been up and starting their morning routine when the seventh-born came crashing onto their bed. Who knows how much damage he could have done if he had landed on them...??

That didn't change their shock to see Belphie, covered in plaster and wood fragments, sitting himself up while looking more annoyed to have been woken up than that he… you know... crashed through their roof...

He was grateful to have popped up close to them because it would have been pretty awkward to land in some random human's room. The MC was… less enthused that they now had some significant repairs to do.

Smooth-talker he is, Belphie not only managed to convince them that Lucifer would take care of the payment (which he would) but also not to call him just yet. Not until he could get himself cleaned off and maybe have a nap or two… Say, they weren't going anywhere today, right? Good. 😏

Check out my Masterlist for more wacky ideas.

[caelestis-composition]

killshot anon! YEAH i totally agree w/ your view on kaeya. it's so weird to me that people will blame him for his role in a situation he was forced into as a child through no choice of his own. that itself had to be traumatic, not to mention everything that happened later. i hate when people say he's untrustworthy - like yeah, he's lied, so has everyone? it's clear he does it mostly to protect himself. not to mention that (& sadism) can be symptoms of trauma. kaeya deserves nothing but happiness

take a seat folks it’s time for a “brynn should’ve been an english major” lesson! today we’re gonna learn some literary theory; specifically, we’re gonna apply psychoanalytical trauma theory to kaeya’s backstory and current character. killshot anon i bet you never thought this would result in a whole ass essay.

disclaimer one! you are allowed to dislike kaeya! i am not saying you need to like him or his character, you’re entitled to your opinion and i’m not here to change your mind.

disclaimer two! i am in no way an expert and this is all for fun! this is just my silly little analysis of one of my favorite characters as someone who’s studied literary theory and rhetoric and can also apply personal experience. seriously analysis is like a hobby to me and this is just an excuse for me to ramble about kaeya.

disclaimer three! this contains lots of spoilers! basically for everything we know in-game, general knowledge as well as stuff from his voicelines and character story. don’t read this if you don’t want spoilers.

since this is going to be filled with spoilers and is about to get really long, everything will be under a cut. for those who wanna read my dumb super informal essay: enjoy!

final note: yeah this is over 2000 words long can you tell i like analysis

⭒

let’s start by getting a quick rundown of trauma theory out of the way. to begin, what is “trauma?” in this case, trauma is going to refer to an experience that greatly affects and changes one’s life; attitudes, memories, behaviors, mental state, etc. while not all changes may be bad, per se, the overall effect of trauma is generally a negative one, which is why it’s so significant. literary trauma theory, then, explores these changes and the impact of trauma in literature. it analyzes the psychological and social effects of trauma, explaining what those effects are and why they happen. in the context of a specific character, trauma theory breaks down said character’s behaviors, feelings, and general mentality in relation to their past experiences; trauma theory hopes to explain to others the reasons for why a character may act or feel the way they do, all based upon the character’s experiences, particularly traumatic ones. our character today is the lovely kaeya alberich, with the “literature” being genshin impact. i’ll be referencing kaeya’s wiki page to ensure i get all details correct for his character story and voicelines.

it would be good to review kaeya’s backstory before delving into the actual analysis. though we don’t know much about his life before living in mondstadt, we’re told he was sent as an agent of khaenri’ah. and by “sent,” i mean his biological father abandoned him in a completely unfamiliar land to serve khaenri’ah’s interests and fullfil his mission—what this entirely entails hasn’t been revealed. mondstadt, however, welcomed kaeya “with open arms when they found him.” crepus ragnvindr took him in as his adopted son, with diluc as his adopted brother. kaeya and diluc were “almost like twins,” so close they “[knew] each other’s thoughts and intentions without a word.” he’d began a new life in mondstadt, one surrounded by friends and family that loved him; one that was completely shattered by crepus’s death. kaeya arrived at the scene of the disaster, and was led to believe diluc was the one who killed their father to “set his father free” from the effects of his delusion. there’d always been one big question in kaeya’s life: if it came down to it, who would he support? the nation that abandoned him, but he still felt loyal to, or the nation and family that took him in and really loved him? overrun with guilt, kaeya confessed his purpose to diluc, sparking a fight between the two brothers. in this fight, kaeya receives his cryo vision. though both brothers stepped away alive, they’ve never been able to make peace with one another. now, kaeya is the eccentric and charming cavalry captain of the knights of favonius; a man who gets his way by using any means necessary, regardless of whether or not it seems right.

kaeya’s not evil; he’s morally ambiguous, and that stems from what appears to be a general distrust of others. his life is one shrouded in secrecy. from the moment he stepped foot into mondstadt, he was surrounded by secrets. even now, he doesn’t talk about a lot of things, namely his past, vision, and feelings. though he’s always willing to get information out of others, kaeya never reveals anything about himself. he repeatedly tells the player they can confide in him, but whenever you try and pry into his life, he deflects your questions with some sort of witty comment or flirty remark. anything he does reveal is vague, or spoken in some sort of “code.” for example, his “interesting things” voiceline. he tells us about the owl of dragonspine, how it “seems to look right through you, while letting go of none of its own secrets,” and then tacks on a “quite fascinating, don’t you think?” it seems like an awfully accurate parallel to himself; kaeya does all he can to get information from others, but never gives anything about himself. now, this whole thing—his relationship with diluc falling apart and his need for secrecy—could have probably been avoided if he had just come clean about his mission years ago. so why didn’t he? to start, kaeya was a literal child. not only are children unable to properly tell the difference between right and wrong, but they’ll also typically follow their parents’ orders blindly. kaeya had just been abandoned, and he wouldn’t want to risk being cast out by mondstadt as well if he came clean right away. you see, there’s this thing about trauma, something that trauma theory states. traumatized people feel a sort of shame or guilt regarding their traumatic experience; they’ll keep quiet because they don’t want to cause problems or bother others with their issues. of course kaeya wouldn’t tell the truth about his past, he doesn’t want to destroy the genuinely loving relationships he’d built in mondstadt. his fight with diluc only proves what he was afraid of: if he’s honest, he’ll be abandoned again. and if kaeya’s used to all the lies, why should he bother changing?

another thing, if he’s not going to tell the truth, then why would he have initially gone along with his father’s plans? again, he was a child. he really had no choice, and was forced into a very wrong and cruel situation. there’s a good explanation for this, too, which is also stated in trauma theory; traumatized people will still do their best to please their abusers. especially if said abuser is a parent, that will drive traumatized people to work even harder to please them. although his father hurt him by ruthlessly abandoning him, kaeya still sought to make him and his homeland proud. he was willing to be used as a tool for their gain; that is, until he found people who actually cared about him. he was an impressionable child, of course he’s going to obey orders. but as he gets older, he feels torn. does he serve those who abandoned him, or those that took him in? his father—and arguably, khaenri’ah as a whole—hurt him, sure, but he still feels some loyalty and connection to his former home. instead of revealing anything, he lets the situation play out. that way, he can’t be blamed when things fall apart.

the thing about claiming he’s untrustworthy is that hardly anyone in-game believes that. he’s adored by the older folks in mondstadt, and foes and allies alike find him easy to talk to. despite seeming lazy and uninterested in work, kaeya takes his job very seriously. in fact, his story states that crepus’s death was the “first and only time kaeya failed in his duty.” the “only time” is especially important, because it signifies kaeya still fulfills his duties successfully. he’s had a total of one slip-up, and hasn’t failed since. no, kaeya is not untrustworthy. rather, kaeya finds everyone else untrustworthy. it’s not unlikely that this is a direct consequence of being abandoned as a child. although it’s been established that kaeya and diluc were very close as children, when crepus dies, kaeya assumes diluc is the one that killed him. in order to jump to such an extreme conclusion against someone he was so close to, there had to be some underlying sense of distrust. furthermore, kaeya expresses feeling as though he doesn’t belong anywhere. he was abandoned by khaenri’ah, and then worried he wouldn’t be accepted by mondstadt. he is, but there’s still that worry. if you place him in your teapot as a companion, he tells you that your home feels like someplace he belongs, following it up with a “heh, who’d have thought…” kaeya still feels as though he doesn’t belong in mondstadt; despite the fact that he’s a high-ranking knight of favonius and rather popular, he still feels like an outsider. he doesn’t trust that anyone actually wants him around, and he finds joy in testing peoples’ trustworthiness. it’s noted in his story and through his voicelines that the beloved cavalry captain has a rather sadistic nature. he likes putting people into difficult situations, to see what decisions they will make. he does this to both opponents and allies, testing to see who’s going to back out and who’ll keep fighting; in the sake of allies, who can he trust? or who will turn tail and abandon their teammates at the slightest hint of danger? i mentioned it previously, but kaeya doesn’t care what measures he has to take so long as his job gets done and he gets the answers he wants. it’s a sort of self-preserving mindset, putting himself above the safety of others. kaeya’s trying to protect himself, which makes sense with all he’s been through. he doesn’t want to be hurt, and instead finds pleasure in threatening harm upon others. it’s twisted, sure, but it’s because he can only trust himself in a world that he believes is out to get him. he’s got as many enemies—if not more—as he does allies; of course kaeya focuses on protecting himself first, whether physically or through keeping his secrets, well, secret.

his most obvious traumatic effect is definitely his alcoholism. but he uses it as a distraction, not just to wallow in self-pity. this is seen again in his story, particularly in story 3. it’s found that when his favorite drink, death after noon, is out of season, mondstadt’s crime rate is decreased drastically. at face value, this just means kaeya spends more time working when death after noon is low in supply. but kaeya doesn’t skip work to go to taverns; it’s already been established he takes his job very seriously, so this means he actually patrols and tracks down threats while off work when he can’t indulge in his favorite alcoholic drink. he doesn’t get drunk simply because he’s depressed. if he did, there wouldn’t be a drop in incidents when death after noon is out of season. no, kaeya uses both the alcohol and fighting to distract himself. after all, it’s a little hard to think about feeling sad when you’re either drunk out of your mind or fighting for your life.

despite being so secretive, kaeya gives us glimpses of his true emotions from time to time. as previously mentioned, his flirty attitude is nothing more than a mask to hide how he really feels; and kaeya is terribly, terribly lonely. that may be why he seems so extroverted. constantly being around people should, logically, drive away that feeling, but it doesn’t work like that. when he talks with the player, he frequently expresses disappointment when you have to leave. each time, though, he dampens the weight of his words with playful or flirty language. he’s lonely, but doesn’t want you to know that, like he’s afraid of asking you to stay. he takes the seriousness of his feelings, and basically bends it into some sort of lighthearted joke. kaeya hides his true feelings—negative feelings, to be exact—so that he doesn’t bother anyone. which is, again, something that happens with traumatized people. he displays that hesitance to reveal his true feelings, because there’s a shame or guilt that comes with his past. he doesn’t want to bother others or hold them back, so he puts on a smile and amps up the charisma. one other very important thing—but very small detail—i would like to note is his feelings toward family. his fell apart not even once, but twice, and kaeya still holds familial relationships in high regard. we know he doesn’t exactly care how he goes about getting his work done. he doesn’t pay attention to what’s “right” or “wrong,” so long as he gets what he needs. but one of his informants, vile, notes that the cavalry captain has one exception: he won’t work with those who threaten others’ families. in fact, kaeya claims those who do should be hunted down and destroyed. even though his own families have caused him so much pain—and he ended up estranged from both—he still understands the importance of having people who love you in your life. because he didn’t get that.

kaeya’s not evil. ultimately, as a knight of favonius, his goal is to protect others, because no one was there to protect him. and because no one was there to protect him, because he’s been hurt time and time again by people who were supposed to love him, kaeya has taken to protecting himself. he hides any and all negative feelings with a charismatic, friendly façade, because he thinks it’ll drive away his persistent loneliness. any “bad” actions of his were hardly his fault; he was forced into a life of secrecy and lies, and then abandoned by the first people who truly loved him. kaeya’s a multi-faceted, tragic character, one that toes the line between good and evil, and that’s what makes him so interesting.

[masterjedilenawrites]

I’m not good at making requests, so forgive me if anything come out wrong.

But, could you do something were reader and Tech are fixing some eletronics and listening to cientific things, and start talking about a wrong thing people said there, so they get distracted and when realize, they’re in to a awkward position (like him btween her legs or sth like that)

I love your writing and thanks (: <3

Omg I've been so soft for Tech lately and this prompt is perfect 💚 I hope this is what you were looking for, I really enjoyed writing it!

Tech x reader | 2k words

...making bacta the most important scientific achievement in history...

"Dank farrik," Tech huffed beside you.

You came out of your daze at the sudden exclamation and looked at your friend with concern, trying to quickly figure out what had gone wrong. You were helping him with a project, though what it was exactly you weren't completely certain of. All you knew was it involved digging into the walls of the ship and untangling a lot of wires. You'd been instructed to hold onto several of them, keeping them pulled taught out of the wall so Tech could fiddle with the other ends, and the dullness of the task had caused your mind to wander.

"What's wrong?" you asked, doubtful you'd understand any explanation, but wanting to be sure you hadn't done anything to mess up his progress.

He waved a hand at you dismissively, not pulling his attention away from the work in front of him. "Just the radio," he mumbled.

You hadn't been paying attention; it had only been turned on as background noise to keep you from going insane with boredom. And since it was tuned into some kind of scientific news frequency, you didn't really understand much of what was being said anyway.

...with the most influential application simply being in the field of medicine, providing us higher life forms with a versatile tool in maintaining our quality of life, and potentially even prolonging it...

Tech huffed again. Scoffed. Your mouth quirked at how upset he was getting. It was kind of cute.

But, you had to debate whether engaging with his frustration would be worth it. He had only recently calmed down from his outburst earlier that day, the only time you had ever seen him genuinely upset. Wrecker had accidentally knocked over a piece of machinery that was... well, something very important, apparently. No one was too sure. But Tech had spent most of the week carefully arranging its parts just-so, so that when all his hard work went crashing onto the floor, his breathing had suddenly resembled that of a charging Nexu. He'd drawn himself up, trying to match his brother's height, and ordered the poor guy to never step foot in this part of the ship again. The other Batchers had tried to defend him and were subsequently banned as well.

That left you as the only option for help.

Maybe that meant he wouldn't kick you out for debating him....

"Sounds like they're saying some pretty reasonable things. Am I missing something?"

Tech's fingers, which had been deftly working through the wires before him, clipping some and splicing others, finally froze. The clone's face tilted over to you, his eyes looking a little too judgmental through those glasses for your liking.

"You think bacta is the most important scientific achievement?" he asked. You didn't like his tone, either.

You scrunched your mouth in thought, actually giving the question serious consideration. While you mulled it over, Tech stood up from his hunched position in the wall and started pulling on some of the wires, unraveling them from their tangled mess.

"Yeah," you finally decided. "I think medicine in general is pretty important. And bacta specifically is the strongest known substance to deliver fast and effective healing."

Tech was mostly focused on the wires, but he spared you a glance.

"And treating symptoms is the most important thing for humanity? Here, hold this." He added another wire for you to hold in your hands.

You knew it was a loaded question so you chose to answer it with one of your own. "Well if it's not bacta or medicine, then what would it be?"

"Electricity," he said quickly and assertively, as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. He continued to focus more on his work and you were annoyed he didn't seem to want to offer up an explanation to his opinion, despite having made you give one. He'd finally untangled the wires and was back to leaning into the cavern in the wall and setting them into their proper places.

"Why electricity?" You hated how dumb your question sounded; obviously you understood the concept and understood its importance. You just really wanted to challenge him to give you some explanations.

"For one, most medicines would not be able to be mass-produced were it not for the electrically-run vats in which they are made." He held his hand out behind him and made a grabbing motion. "Blue, please."

You sorted out the blue wire and passed it over.

"For another," he continued, his voice sounding distant as he leaned further away into the wall, "we must ask what constitutes a quote-unquote important achievement. For example, is an achievement worthy of the title simply because it improves our quality of life? Green, please."

You handed over the corresponding wire. "I'd say it's more about preserving life. Even outside of war, there's enough injury and illness that would end life were it not for medicine to heal them."

"Ah, but in that same reasoning, electricity also sustains life. It powers sources of light and warmth, which can also provide a means of boiling water and cooking food. All keys to survival. Yellow, please."

"So does fire," you shot back. "People survived long before electricity, and there's still plenty of civilizations living fine without it."

Tech finally emerged from the wall and took the last few wires from you, the red and black ones. He met your eyes with an earnestness that let you know how much he was enjoying this conversation. "And people have survived without medicine. At least the manufactured forms that you're arguing for, like bacta. Traditional medicine is as sufficient as fire."

Before you could respond, Tech moved to the side, motioning toward the wall with his head and holding up the remaining wires.

"Now, unfortunately these last ones need to be clipped in down below. I'm not able to fit through the lattice of the floor, but someone of your stature easily could."

You stepped forward and peered down. It was a mess of machinery and pipes and beams, but you could clearly see the port where the wires had been yanked out earlier. You knelt down, resting your stomach on the edge of the wall, but paused before bending over.

"If it wasn't for bacta, you wouldn't have been born." You were confident in your comeback and thus didn't linger for his reaction, turning to bend down into the ship with your wires instead.

You were disappointed to hear his soft chuckle from above you.

"And what do you think powers the bacta tanks that hold the clone embryos?"

You were glad he couldn't see the frustrated frown on your face. While you tried to think of a new point in your debate, you snapped the red wire into the proper port. But then you realized you couldn't quite reach the black one, and started carefully shimmying forward, deeper into the wall.

"It seems we have circled back to the initial question," Tech offered in your silence. You felt his hands hold on to your hips, steadying you as your legs lifted from the floor, most of your body now inside the ship. You didn't think anything of it, though, your focus split between your task and his words. "What makes an achievement the most important? Both medicine and electricity are capable of preserving life, but neither are essential to survival. So, what criteria are we left with?"

You were finally within reach of the last port and pushed the wire into it. "Sounds like you already have the right answer, so why don't you stop teasing me and just say it?" you called up to him.

"I...I didn't mean to sound like I was teasing."

You could hear the apology in his voice, how truly caught off guard he was to hear that you had perceived his attempts at a friendly debate, a conversation, as mocking or disrespectful. Your stomach knotted up in guilt, making your journey to wiggle back out of the wall a little more difficult.

"I'm sorry, Tech," you said through a grunt as you tried to push yourself back. "I didn't mean to sound rude. I just don't know the answer."

You felt his arms snake around your middle, pulling you the last of the way out. You came to rest on your knees, breathing heavily at the sudden increase in air supply. Tech was crouched alongside you, his chest against part of your back, his arms still holding you.

"I honestly don't know the answer, either," he blinked down at you, speaking quietly. "I don't know what criteria would constitute the most important scientific achievement. I thought maybe we could figure it out if we kept discussing it."

You craned your neck around to look at him, unconcerned about the discomfort it took to do so. You needed to face him fully. "Or... maybe we don't need to figure it out? I mean, does there need to be one achievement labeled more important than any other? Can they not all be valued equally?"

"I suppose..." he relented. But only a little. "It is a fun thought exercise, though."

You smiled at that, and it made your heart flutter a little to see him return the expression. There were a few seconds between you where you sat pleasantly in each other's arms... before the realization hit that you were in each other's arms.

"Uh," Tech stuttered first. His eyes looked about frantically as if the more he saw of you practically sitting in his lap, the more he would know what to do about it.

Your face was hot and your heart thumped forcefully in your chest. But you weren't panicking. Even though you'd been around the Bad Batch for a while now, this was the first time you'd gotten physically close to any of them, especially this dorky genius, who made you feel just a little better about life than the others did. You hadn't been sure why, not until this moment, your face being mere inches away from his own. Now it clicked.

His arms had removed themselves from your frame and he was starting to crawl backward on the floor. You quickly grasped his shoulder to stop him.

"Tech, wait."

He froze, looking at you with wide, apprehensive eyes. His shoulder was tense so you relaxed your grasp and simply let your hand rest on it gently. You gave him a small smile. Thankfully these little gestures were enough encouragement for him to lean back to you. He still looked at you timidly, but he wasn't pulling away anymore. It seemed like maybe he had been feeling the same things about you.

"Yes?"

He was waiting for you to make the next move.

"So, this project," you stalled, needing just a little more time to work up the courage. "What is it again? Why did I just crawl into the bowels of the ship?"

Your face was creeping closer to his, breath gently fanning across each other, warm but refreshing.

"I... I..." Tech seemed to be short-circuiting. "I was just, uh, re... redecorating."

Your nose had just brushed his when you suddenly frowned and moved back to look at him questioningly. "Redecorating... wires?"

You were very amused at how flustered he seemed to be in this situation. But then the tables turned as Tech rolled with it.

"Yeah, I didn't like the way they looked in there. Wanted to change things up. You know me."

The smile on our face spread as he talked and you couldn't hold back your laughter any longer. You bent forward, resting your forehead in the crook of his neck while your body convulsed with giggles. Tech laughed along, bringing his arms back around you to hold you in place. When you finally looked up at him and the shit-eating grin he had plastered on his face, you knew you'd finally found your courage.

"Oh, Tech..." you chided, pressing your smiling lips against his own.