#he asked me a question and when i gave him an answer supported by scientific studies he said ‘i’d have to see evidence of that myself’

[dmitriene]

— chemistry of emotions.

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ «you can run, but you cannot hide»

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌«don't say you want me»

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ «don't say you need me»

 ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌«don't say you love me»

summary: a new job in the laboratory as a biologist brought you new acquaintances and even feelings, but you did not expect that it would be so confusing. content: luis serra x gn reader tags: fluff, hurt x comfort, falling in love, flirting, kisses. author's note: first long work for luis and maybe this is contain kind of my headcanons about him, but i hope you'll enjoy this one) enjoy your reading) 🧪

When you first started working in the laboratory, the atmosphere on the first day of work was charged with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, the unfamiliar environment, the buzz of activity and the feeling that you are a beginner aroused suspicion when you walked through the confusing corridors and entered the noisy laboratory, your heart was pounding from anxiety and uncertainty.

The sight of complex equipment, rows of lab tables, and researchers absorbed in their work was both awe inspiring and terrifying, and you were acutely aware of the weight of expectations on your shoulders, the desire to make a positive impression, and the longing to find your footing in this new environment.

Amid a sea of faces, Luis Serra stood out like a familiar beacon, his presence exuding confidence and approachability, a combination that drew you in despite your misgivings, his warm smile was like a lifeline in a sea of uncertainty, and the twinkle in his eyes promised camaraderie.

As you cautiously stepped forward, Luis noticed your uncertain expression and approached with slight grace, his charismatic charm immediately relaxing you — «First day, huh?» he asked with friendly warmth in his voice, the words were like a balm, soothing the trembling that had taken root in you.

He introduced himself, his laughter and casual demeanor dispelling the tension that had been building up in his stomach.

He shared stories of his early days in the lab, emphasizing that everyone was once where you are now, his words were both uplifting and motivating, reminding you that you are not alone in this moment.

Luis's willingness to take you under his wing and show you around lessened your fears, he walked you through the intricacies of the lab, introduced you to colleagues, explained protocols and answered any questions with genuine interest, his presence turned the intimidating atmosphere into one of camaraderie and support, as if you were now part of the team, not an outsider.

As the day progressed, the initial anxiety gave way to a sense of belonging, the atmosphere changed from insecurity to curiosity, from nervousness to excitement, Luis's friendly gestures, support and genuine interest in making you feel comfortable set the stage for a new chapter in your scientific journey.

The memory of running into Louis that first day remains cherished —a chance encounter that set the tone for your time in the lab, an atmosphere of anxiety replaced by an atmosphere of opportunity fueled by an unexpected bond with someone who would become both a mentor and a further friend.

᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

The lab hummed with an orchestral symphony of activity, fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead, casting sterile light onto rows of lab tables adorned with assorted equipment, the air was faintly scented with chemicals and solutions, a distinctive odor that indicated the field of science.

The rhythmic clinking of glass on glass created a subtle harmony as researchers pipetted precise drops of liquid into waiting vessels, microscopes stood like silent sentries, their eyepieces revealed hidden worlds in slides and specimens, the periodic buzz of a centrifuge interrupted the background hum, its vortex motion separated substances from moderate efficiency.

Laughter and hushed conversations rippled through the air as colleagues shared their thoughts and discoveries, teams of scientists gathered around blackboards covered in hastily scribbled equations and diagrams and collaborated to unlock the mysteries of the natural world.

The laboratory was a place of special attention where the desire for knowledge was combined with the excitement of experimentation, data screens flickering with graphs and charts, each line and point was a puzzle piece waiting to be deciphered.

Papers, notebooks and open textbooks scattered across the surface testify to the ongoing search for understanding.

Amidst this controlled chaos, there was an atmosphere of camaraderie — the researchers exchanged knowing glances and nods, their shared passion for discovery made connections beyond their projects, the clatter of keyboards and the quiet rustle of lab coats providing the backdrop for a symposium of intelligence and exploration.

The laboratory was a canvas where ideas flourished and innovation flourished, it was a space where the boundaries between the known and the unknown were pushed apart and where the search for truth was pursued with unwavering determination, and in this tapestry of science and research, amid the hum of machines and the smell of decisions, a tender story unfolded affections, weaving their intricate threads into the bright fabric of the laboratory atmosphere.

᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

Working alongside Luis Serra was a whirlwind of charisma and playfulness, every day in the lab was filled with his infectious energy, and his flirtatious nature added excitement to even the most mundane tasks.

As you both put on your lab coats and gathered around your work area, Luis grinned mischievously and said — «You know, you've got that scientific allure today, you're making those molecules bond and my heart race!» his words were accompanied by a wink that would make anyone's heart flutter.

Laughing, you answered — «Luis, you're like a walking encyclopedia of cheesy pickup lines» the banter was a constant undercurrent weaving a sense of intimacy between the two of you.

During the experiments, Luis's voice became conspiratorial — «Watch closely, sweetheart, chemistry isn't just about reactions — it's about sparks too, and believe me, i'm an expert at igniting them» he pointed dramatically at the boiling solutions, playfully raising an eyebrow.

— «Is that so?» you sneer, raising an eyebrow in mock skepticism — «I thought you were more into biology than chemistry»

— «Ah, but the laws of attraction apply everywhere» he thought, leaning closer — «Just like how the right elements come together to create a beautiful compound, so do people»

The teasing didn't stop on the lab bench, even during lunch breaks Luis's flirtatious comments continued to brighten up the atmosphere — «You know, senorita, you're like a rare specimen in this jungle of research, my heart races every time i see you navigate these papers»

Blushing, you would answer — «Luis, you really need to tone down the romantic analogies»

— «But they're so much fun!» he objected with a smirk — «Life needs a bit of whimsy, even in the lab»

Days turned into weeks, playful banter turned into a comfortable routine, flirtatious exchanges like inside jokes only the two of you shared, creating an unspoken bond that transcended the sterile lab walls.

And in the midst of these playful interactions, a spark grew between you and Luis, his flirtatious comments created delicious tension, but behind it all, you felt a real connection, it was this mixture of chemistry and sincerity that made working with Luis an experience you wouldn't trade for anything else.

᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

As the days turned into weeks, you caught yourself thinking about him more often than not.

His smile lingered in your memory, and his voice turned into a comforting melody on repeat, every interaction with him left an indelible warmth in you, as if his presence could drive away the chill of uncertainty.

You started noticing the little things — the way his eyes squinted when he laughed, the subtle changes in his expression when he was deep in thought, the way his fingers traced patterns on the lab bench as he explained a complex concept, it was in those ordinary moments that you began to see what an extraordinary person he was.

Your heart pounding every time he entered the room and the air seemed to crackle with unspoken electricity, you looked forward to his teasing remarks and flirtatious glances, cherishing each of them as a unique gift meant just for you, the feeling of being next to him was akin to on the brink of a precipice, the awe of the unknown mixed with deep seated certainty.

But it wasn't until you caught yourself thinking about him outside the lab that you realized the depth of your feelings.

His presence entered your thoughts, occupying a space you didn't even know existed, the realization hitting you like a gentle wave washing over you with a sense of wonder and vulnerability.

As you lay in bed at night your mind replayed the moments spent with him, the laughter, the camaraderie, the stolen glances that seemed like secrets exchanged in a crowded room, and in those quiet moments of reflection you admitted the truth — you fell in love with Luis Serra.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions, an exhilarating rush that left you holding your breath and worrying about what each new day would bring, realization brought with it a mixture of joy and awe, the excitement of a new beginning combined with uncertainty about where this whirlwind of feelings would lead.

Falling in love with Luis was also a journey of self discovery, a journey that illuminated parts of you that you didn't fully understand, as if his presence shed light on the corners of your heart, revealing emotions that were waiting to be acknowledged.

Falling in love with Luis Serra was like discovering a new world.

᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

The atmosphere in the lab changed slightly as you began to show Luis the same attention and affection he showered you with, in what had once been a carefree dance of jokes and playful glances, now lurked into something more tender and sincere.

As you plunged into the chemistry of your growing feelings, the air seemed to buzz with anticipation, your interactions marked by shared smiles that lingered a moment longer, touches that contained only a touch of lingering warmth, conversations once casual and light now had a deeper meaning carrying unspoken messages of connection.

But amidst this evolving dynamic, you began to notice subtle changes in Luis's demeanor, his playful teasing, once a constant presence — became sporadic, the mischievous gleam in his eyes flickering at times to a wary expression, his responses becoming a bit distant, making you feel like you were swimming adrift in a sea of confusion.

The atmosphere took on a bittersweet note, like a melody that started off joyfully but gradually turned into a more melancholy tone.

The lab that had once been a place of shared laughter and camaraderie now felt tinged with tension, the quiet moments when you surreptitiously glanced at it accompanied by a sense of longing, as if something that once held in your hands had slipped from your fingers.

It was at this stage that you encountered a whirlwind of emotions.

Confusion mixed with resentment, and the fear of losing the connection you cherished gnawed at the edges of your thoughts, the camaraderie you shared still existed, but it was shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty.

᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌  ᠌ ᠌ ᠌᠌ ᠌ ᠌ ᠌༻✦༺ ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺

One day, the two of you found yourself alone in the corner of the laboratory — a rare moment of solitude amid the usual scientific bustle, when the door closed behind you, the atmosphere seemed to hold its breath, a palpable sense of anticipation filled the air.

Taking a deep breath, you turned to face him, your heart pounding with nervousness and determination — «Luis, we need to talk» you began in a flat voice, despite the raging emotions inside.

He looked up from the table, surprise and curiosity mixed in his eyes — «Sure, what's on your mind?»

You took a moment to collect your thoughts before continuing — «I've noticed something changing between us, and i can't ignore it anymore, it feels like you've been pulling away, and i don't understand why»

Luis's expression changed, a mixture of indecision and vulnerability — «It's not that simple..» he replied, his voice heavy, which spoke of the complexity of his emotions.

You made eye contact with him, silently inviting him to share what was really going on, and then, as if the floodgates opened, his words poured out — «I'm scared, scared of getting too close, of letting myself fall for someone» his voice trembled bearing the coarseness of his confession.

The atmosphere seemed to change, the air heavy with the weight of his emotions, you stepped closer, your heart clenched at the vulnerability he was showing — «Luis, you don't have to be afraid..» you said softly, and your voice carried a real calm.

But then, suddenly, his composure collapsed, tears welled up in his eyes, and you could see the turmoil inside him.

When he wiped away a tear with the back of his hand, your heart sank in sympathy — «Oh, Luis..» you muttered in a soft voice of sympathy.

He looked at you, his gaze was filled with a mixture of emotions — fear, longing and a hint of despair, and at that moment the distance that had grown between you seemed to disappear, replaced by unspoken understanding.

Without thinking twice, you reached out, your fingers touching his cheek as you wiped away his tears, the vulnerability in his gaze touched your heartstrings, and you leaned in to kiss his forehead gently, it was a gesture of comfort, a silent confirmation that you were there for him.

He closed his eyes briefly, his breath hitching as he allowed himself to let go of the emotions he was holding back, and then, as if in response to the shared vulnerability that hung between you, you leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

At that moment, the atmosphere changed again, but this time it was a shift towards acceptance and connection, the kiss was a bridge between your feelings, a common moment carrying a load of understanding and compassion, the tears he shed seemed to wash away the barriers that separated you.

When you pulled away, his eyes met yours, in their depths mixed surprise at your actions and sincere, childish gratitude — «Thank you» he whispered in a voice soft with excitement.

You smiled gently, your heart was filled with a sense of awareness and complete acceptance of his experiences, his detachment — «You don't have to face this alone, Luis, we'll figure it out together, trust me»

As you stood in the dimly lit lab, the atmosphere seemed to contain a newfound sense of intimacy, a space where vulnerability and connection converged, and in which the tears he shed were evidence of revealed emotions, the kiss was the promise of a journey ahead — a new path of understanding, acceptance and the possibility of a love that can overcome even the deepest feelings of fear slowly withering deep inside him.

He has the right to love like everyone else.

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[alli-a-baba]

Happiness Is A Butterfly - Zack Addy x Reader

They/Them pronouns. 2,400 words. Pt.1.

Being a part of the rotating interns was difficult. Trying to keep up with Dr. Hodgins comments only his friends understood was difficult. Dr. Brennan's impossibly high standards for the professional environment were petrifying, and confusing from her friendly relationship with Agent Booth. Angela was emotionally intelligent but touchy on certain subjects. And Camille was the boss.

The way they flowed together was unmatchable, it was good for Y/N.

When the team was boiled down to their main characteristics; Hodgins was sarcastic and wanted someone who had thick skin to appreciate his pointed remarks, but smart enough to understand them.

Dr. Brennan just wanted you to do your job, and be understanding of how much time you have to allocate to keep the position. Agent Booth wants someone to understand his un-scientific humor.

Angela likes to talk about things you see outside of the lab, but also wants the discourse and drama of the people inside. Camille wants you to be able to testify and not annoy her with anything other than basic polite company and case related topics.

Y/N is a chronic people pleaser.

Then their is Dr. Addy. Dr. Zachary Uriah Addy, to be precise.

Dr. Addy was Brennan's previous grad student, her set grad student. Until he made pals with a serial killer and ate somebody. Their was little media coverage on who was caught for the crimes the serial killer committed, but it happening at the Jeffersonian?

People talked, and you listened.

It was fascinating to be in the place where it all happened, but you couldn't ask any of your coworkers about him. Anytime his name was said it was followed by a quick glance and a reminder that "Dr. Addy no longer works here."

Camille never referred to him by name. Everyone else did. The case you were working on now Hodgins had him at the forefront of his mind, "Zack would know more about this.", "Zack would've said that-"

You can't be Zack, but the fascination pressed on.

"Ask him then." Y/N said bluntly. The skull had damage all over and they were examining it, subtly watching Hodgins mannerisms.

"It's not that simple and you know that" His face was a little red and he had a soft line in between his bushy eyebrows. He was annoyed.

"Would you hurry up with the head Brennan will be here any second and I have to get the particulates."

You raised your eyebrows and the sudden outburst. "Its 'The Cranium' actually." He gave a dejected snort and a small smile at your attempt to lighten the mood while handing over the skull.

"Why isn't it that simple?" He stopped, "What do you mean."

"Asking Zack?" He took a deep breath and kept walking back to his station. Inclined for an answer you followed.

"Right, I forget you don't know him."

"Dr. Addy did some bad things and isn't working here anymore that's all nothing more nothing less." Camille snapped a fresh pair of gloves on her hands.

"You said their was some flesh flakes for me Y/N?" You laughed a little, "Yes Dr. Saroyan theirs some skin left behind in between the metatarsal bones and phalanges on the feet, what do you make of the scraping? it's all over the remains." Camille's eyes slightly opened in recognition. She pressed her lips into a thin line, moving to the table the bones rested on, "I'm not sure that's more a... Dr. Brennan question."

"Okay sounds good I'll just wait I suppose." Camille gave you a tight lipped smile as she walked away to examine the skin.

"Put the markers on this and give it to Angela, I have to go talk to Brennan." Hodgins shoved the skull into your hands, the marks were rough to the touch. He shuffled down the stairs towards Dr. Brennan using the pole for support. Probably contaminating it with the gloves he carelessly forgot to remove.

While placing the identifying markers and cleaning the pole with a chlorine based disinfectant spray, Y/N listened in on their hushed conversation. Only hearing bits and pieces. Talk of Zack and the scraping looking familiar but deeper and more rigid. When they walked up to give Angela the skull, the conversation died out and Booth cleared his throat.

"I've placed the markers," Handing the skull to Angela, "-and the remains are ready for you Dr. Brennan."

"Yes lets do that now."

They suspect cannibalism, and you knew they were relating it to Zack.

-

Dr. sweets was your friend in all of this. Feeling left out of their flow you talked about them together. Growing up in a household with angry spontaneous parents, you read people. You knew what they were feeling and knew what to say to keep peace. Growing up in the foster system Lance did the same. You two had that in common.

"So the remains are covered in teeth marks, were suspecting cannibalism." Sweets choked on his Miami vice cocktail. He drinks them because he likes Miami vice as a show, but mostly he cant take the flavor of more 'manly' drinks.

"Sorry, here." you hand him a napkin.

"Their all relating it to Zack?" He said gingerly dabbing his mouth.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He tilts his head to the side scanning the left side of his brain, recalling events.

"I was there when it happened. Even though I barely knew him, It's still the first thing in my mind."

You look down absent mindedly running the rim of your finger around the mouth of your drink resting your cheek on a loose fist. "What's on your mind Y/N?"

"Don't treat me like a patient Dr. Sweets," He gives a lopsided smile and ducks is head down to your slumped eye level. "They asked me to come back tomorrow since I've 'seen so much of the case already."

"Odd?"

"Yes!"

"And you're not happy?"

You sighed while sitting up to see him clearer,

"I'm happy, just tired." Sweets takes a sip of his drink to wet his throat,

"I'll see you tomorrow then-"

"Why"?

"Look whos asking questions now." He raises his eyebrows and gives you childish grin,

"They want me to ask Zack about some things, something sodium or the other. Which is salt so that is odd. I think everyone knows that's salt. Right? Anyone I was thinking someone should come with me but their all so hesitant to face him-"

"Sodium Bicarbonate, baking soda. We found traces if it on the remains- is that in invitation?" You both knew it was, but with sweets you don't need to read in between the lines when you can ask.

"Ill need to talk to Brennan and Booth but yeah, I need a mediator for the science talk."

"I think you could hold your own," You say, finishing off your drink, "but if I have to we should celebrate." they get up to order more drinks.

"Don't pretend like your not excited Y/N"

-

Case file in hand, you had everything laid out. You had your assumptions and everyone's findings written down systematically. Like how deep the teeth marks on the bones were, and the sodium bicarbonate particulates. As well as the traces of hydrofluoric acid in the left over skin on the toes. Having no clue on who he was besides talk, it was hard to think about how to act appropriately. So Y/N went with the basics. They dressed in blues since the color has calming properties, and parted their hair to the left, which conveys intelligence.

"Don't you look professional. Sweets said opening the door for them.

"I'm going for the nice kindergarten teacher look." Y/N said.

"More like the science teacher in middle school that plays movies every Friday after a shitty test." Perfect.

"Even better." He moves his arm behind their headrest to reverse,

"You nervous?" Completely and utterly, but saying that out loud made it true. Y/N was scared to meet him like one was scared to meet their favorite band. That they won't live up to unrealistic expectations.

"A little, but I'm mostly excited." He glances at you, he knows that's not the whole truth but it goes unspoken. The two of you are left with silence. But not a comfortable silence like usual.

"Don't get too excited he's not that cool." and then it melts away,

"Is someone jealous?"

"Get off your high horse, were here."

"Oh-" he softly grabs your hand and you flinch, "Y/N."

He takes the folder and sets it on the dash taking your other hand,

"are you okay?" He says quietly. You squeeze his hands and nod,

"You tore the folder a little with your nails, I know you're scared but he's harmless." Your eyes meet and he gives you a reassuring nod.

"He killed someone Lance, that's terrifying." He sighs and looks down before cupping his hand and whispering in your ear, "Between you and me, no, no he didn't"

"What-"

"Please state your name and why you're here?" The guard says though the speaker.

"Here to see inmate Zachary Addy, I have an appointment for 12:30?"

Sweets looked at you over his shoulder at you, apologetically.

"You can go through." The gate buzzes and slowly opens.

-

"We didn't have an appointment until Monday Dr. Sweets-" A voice says lowly through the door. As they walk through, he stops himself and stares at Y/N.

"who's that?" Zack asks tentatively, not bothering to ask you directly. His face was smooth having small patches of hair across his chin an jawline. It was light enough to be unnoticeable. It contrasted with his dark, disheveled hair.

"Their just here to explain the case better than I can Zack."

Zack thought for a moment, fiddling with the thick black gloves that encapsulated his hands.

"That was unnecessary, the file could've been handed over without explanation ." Zack holds his hand out for the folder, still staring at Lance. His eyes were dull and half lidded, emotionless to the situation. Sweets pulled out your chair for you and sat in his own, parallel to Zack. His hands were in cuffs with a chain linked to the table. It didn't calm Y/N's anxiety, he was a genius. Cuffs couldn't hold him if he truly wanted to get out.

The Dr. furrowed his brows in confusion, making connections in his mind. The cuffs, the way Dr. Sweets seemed to be so friendly with you, "You're my replacement."

He finally looked at you, his dull brown eyes swirled with something. Jealousy? Concern?

Y/N met his eye contact willingly, forcing the nervous cringe of their face back. You never show a predator weakness.

"Me an about a dozen other people." They flip open the folder and graze through the papers breaking the heavy eye contact, landing on the sheet that listed main points about the case. Picking out high resolution photos of the bones as well. They wanted to ask all about why Zack was in here. Why he was, how he could do that, what convinced him it was a good idea to cause such grief. Most of all if he really didn't kill that man.

He studied them, like a case of his own. Carefully looking them over, limb by limb, over the buttons on your shirt and the steady rise and fall of your chest. His eyes burnt into them, it was hard to focus.

"Their an intern Zack, we just have some questions and I'll be back tomorrow morning to pick up the file." Sweets was uncomfortable, Y/N handed him the sheets of paper so he could have a little control in the quickly unfolding scene. Lance gave you a small smile in return.

As he laid out each paper, you explained the case like you were on stand at trial. Dr. Addy never looked at the papers being placed on the table, opting to openly stare at Y/N. Wanting to keep their ground, they met his stare only glancing down every few moments to see which paper was next. It was a one sided conversation, and when you were finished he finally looked down at the images systematically placed in front of him.

"Can you work with that, Dr. Addy?" Y/N said, Zack's eyes widened at the professional connotation.

"Yes." Sweets stood up, "Great! Then were done here, Y/N?"

"I guess so." They stood up and ran their hands across the fabric of their top, smoothing out the imposed wrinkles from sitting down. Taking notice of Dr. Addy's brown eyes that followed the movement of their hands.

Zack stood up as well, stretching the chain on his cuffs to its full extent. He was tall. Taller than they thought, probably around 5'11 or 12. Y/N's eyes followed him up to the looming position he had over them. "I'll be seeing you both tomorrow then." His eyes met theirs, the smile paired with his relaxed eyes was unsettling. Involuntarily, Y/N shivered looking away at Lance. Breaking their stance in the unwavering staring contest he just wouldn't let go. Zack turned to Sweets, but never looked at him.

"No, just me Zack." He grabbed the folder that held the remainder of the case from your limp grasp, and tossed it on the table. The force made methodically laid out papers clash together. It startled Zack, his chains clamored together cutting through the silence. Lance grabbed your shoulder and pushed you to the door, swiping his card.

"Tomorrow then." Zack said.

Peeking out from behind Sweets, Y/N looked at Zack. The sides of his lips were turned, like he knew something they didn't. It was unsettling and you wanted to delve into his psyche and swim in his thoughts.

"Why won't this damn card work?"

[barelytolerabled]

Part 06

Spencer Reid x fem!Reader

Summary: The killer's latest victim and the team's race against time to catch the murderer.

previous | next

You were glued to your computer screen, staring at the images of the latest victim. You couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt and despair as you saw the young girl's innocent face. She reminded you so much of yourself when you were that age. The killer seemed to be taunting you with each new victim, making you more determined than ever to catch them.

Dr. Spencer Reid walked into the BAU bullpen, coffee in hand. He immediately noticed the look of exhaustion and distress on your face. He made his way over to your desk and placed his hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" Spencer asked, his voice filled with concern.

You shook your head, "No, I'm not. I can't stop thinking about this case. It's consuming me, and I feel like I'm losing my grip on reality."

Spencer nodded, understanding the toll that the job could take on one's mental health. "Have you talked to anyone about it? Like a therapist or a support group?"

You sighed, "I don't have time for that. We need to catch this guy before he can hurt anyone else."

Spencer gave you a sympathetic smile, "I know, but taking care of yourself is just as important. Trust me, I've been there."

You looked up at him, gratitude in your eyes. "Thank you, Spencer. It means a lot coming from you."

“Of course”, he said then quickly kissed your lips.

The team gathered in the conference room to discuss the latest developments in the case. Garcia had managed to trace the killer's movements and found a possible suspect who fit the profile. You had his name, but you needed more evidence to link him to the murders.

As the team left the conference room, you stayed behind, your mind racing. You couldn't shake the feeling that you were missing something crucial, something that would lead you to the killer.

Spencer walked back into the room, noticing your distraught expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.

You shook your head, "I don't know. I feel like we're missing something important, something that could break the case wide open."

Spencer sat down next to you, "Well, let's think. What do we know about the killer so far?"

“I can’t focus on anything Spencer”

“I repeat my question”, he said softly as his hand found your thigh. “What do we know about the killer so far?"

You closed your eyes, trying to recall all the details you had gathered as you could feel Spencer’s hand going higher. "He's targeting young girls who remind him of himself or someone he knows." You could feel Spencer’s thumb drawing circles on you. "He's leaving subtle clues that only someone with a similar background would understand. He's organized and calculated, not someone who acts on impulse."

Spencer nodded, impressed with your analysis. "That's a good start, you’re doing an amazing work. What else?"

You frowned, "I don't know. It's like we're missing a piece of the puzzle, something that ties it all together. And you touching me is really not helping me concentrate Spencer"

Spencer placed his hand on your shoulder, "We'll find it, Rachel. We just have to keep looking."

"And there is some scientific evidence to suggest that touch can have a calming effect on the brain, and that it can help reduce stress and anxiety. Touch releases the hormone oxytocin, which is associated with feelings of love, trust, and social bonding, and can help reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Interesting isn’t?" he said smiling at you.

As the days passed, the team worked tirelessly to gather more evidence and build a stronger case against the suspect. Your obsession with the case continued to take a toll on your mental health, causing you to withdraw from the rest of the team.

One afternoon, while the team was in the middle of a briefing, your phone rang. You quickly excused yourself from the room and answered the call.

"Hello?" you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

"Agent," a familiar voice said your name on the other end. It was the killer.

The killer chuckled, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm still out there, watching, waiting. And there's nothing you can do to stop me. I just wanted your attention."

Your heart raced as you tried to keep your composure. "What do you want?" you asked, your voice shaking.

The killer hung up, your breaths coming in short gasps. You tried to steady your breathing as you made your way back to the briefing room, your mind reeling with fear and anger.

As you walked in, the team noticed your distress and immediately gathered around you, asking what had happened. You took a deep breath and explained what had transpired on the phone.

Hotch's face darkened with anger, "We need to trace that call and get a location on the killer."

Garcia nodded, "I'll start working on it right away."

The team spent the next few hours tracking down the source of the call, but their efforts were in vain. The killer had covered his tracks too well, leaving no trace of his whereabouts.

You sat at your desk, your mind racing with thoughts of the killer and his twisted game. You couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching you, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Spencer walked up to you, "Hey, are you okay?"

You shook your head, "No, I'm not. I can't stop thinking about what he said, about how he's still out there."

Spencer placed his hand on your shoulder, "We'll catch him, love. We just have to keep pushing."

You looked up at him, tears in your eyes, "I don't know how much longer I can do this. It's tearing me apart."

Spencer took your hand, "I know it's hard, but we're in this together. You're not alone. You stay at my place tonight?"

You nodded, grateful for his support. You knew that you could always count on him to be there for you, no matter what.

As the day wore on, the team received a new lead on the killer's identity. It was a long shot, but they were desperate for any new information that could help them catch him.

The team worked tirelessly to gather more evidence and build a stronger case against the suspect. Your obsession with the case continued to take a toll on your mental health, causing you to withdraw from the rest of the team.

One evening, as the team was getting ready to leave for the day, Garcia called out, "Wait, I think I've found something!"

Everyone gathered around her desk as she pulled up a file on the suspect. It contained new evidence that linked him to the murders, giving the team hope for a breakthrough in the case.

Hotch looked at the team, "Let's bring him in. It's time to put an end to this."

The team rushed out of the BAU, ready to apprehend the killer and bring him to justice. You felt a sense of relief wash over you as they made their way to the suspect's location. You knew that this could be the end of a long and painful journey.

As you closed in on the suspect's hideout, you felt your heart race with anticipation. You knew that this could be a dangerous situation, but you were ready to face it head-on.

The team burst into the room, guns drawn, and apprehended the suspect without incident. You breathed a sigh of relief as you watched him being led away in handcuffs.

As you walked out of the building, Spencer placed his hand in yours, "We did it. We caught him."

You smiled weakly, "Yeah, we did."

The team gathered around them, congratulating them on a job well done. You felt a sense of closure wash over you as you looked at the faces of your colleagues.

You knew that this case had changed you in ways you never thought possible, but you were grateful for the experience. It had brought you closer to Spencer and the rest of the team, and it had given you a renewed sense of purpose.

As you made your way back to the BAU, Spencer walked beside you. "You did a great job," he said.

You smiled at him, "Thanks, Spencer. I couldn't have done it without you."

Spencer looked at you, "I just wanted to ask you if you would agree on going on a date with me? Now that everything is over?"

"I’d love to Spence"

But just as you were about to celebrate, your phone rang. You hesitated before answering, but your intuition told you to take the call.

"Hello?" you said, your voice shaking.

"Hello again Agent, I hope you're proud of yourselves for catching the wrong guy," the voice on the other end of the line taunted.

Your heart sank as you realized the implications of the call. You had been so focused on building a case against the suspect that you had missed crucial evidence that would have led you to the actual killer.

You knew that you needed to act quickly to find the real killer before he could strike again. You turned to the team, "We got the wrong guy. The real killer is still out there."

The team sprang into action, but you could feel the weight of your mistake weighing heavily on you. You had let your obsession with the case blind you to the truth, and now innocent lives were at risk.

As you raced against the clock to find the real killer, you couldn't help but feel like you had let everyone down. Spencer tried to reassure you, telling you that you would find the killer and make things right.

[queenlucythevaliant]

Hi! If you don't mind my asking, you support theistic evolution correct? Do you believe in a historical or metaphorical Adam and Eve? I know that theistic evolutionist Joshua Swamidass has a book called The Genealogical Adam and Eve where he distinguishes common genetic ancestors from common genealogical ancestors. I don't know if that's your sort of thing or if you agree, but I figured I'd ask you your opinion on the subject. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, though!

This is absolutely my sort of thing, though I haven't read the particular book you referenced. Thank you for giving me another opportunity to talk about origins! I was really excited when I saw this in my inbox! That said, buckle your seatbelt because this will get long lol

Quick little caveat: I don't have any formal education in anthropology and only have a little bit in human evolution. My academic focus is on microbial evolution. That said, I've certainly spent time considering questions of the historical Adam and Eve, so I'd like to think I can opine on the subject usefully :)

To no one's surprise, let me start off with a Lewis quote. This is from The Problem of Pain chapter 5:

For long centuries God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself. He gave it hands whose thumb could be applied to each of the fingers, and jaws and teeth and throat capable of articulation, and a brain sufficiently complex to execute all the material motions whereby rational thought is incarnated. The creature may have existed for ages in this state before it became man: it may even have been clever enough to make things which a modern archaeologist would accept as proof of its humanity. But it was only an animal because all its physical and psychical processes were directed to purely material and natural ends. Then, in the fullness of time, God caused to descend upon this organism, both on its psychology and physiology, a new kind of consciousness which could say “I” and “me”, which could look upon itself as an object, which knew God, which could make judgements of truth, beauty, and goodness, and which was so far above time that it could perceive time flowing past. [...] We do not know how many of these creatures God made, nor how long they continued in the Paradisal state. But sooner or later they fell.

(I've used ellipses to condense a bit since the full passage is rather long. I think I've maintained the integrity of what Jack was saying, but please do go read the whole thing.)

I absolutely hold that an historical Adam and Eve existed. A metaphorical approach implies either (a) that man's sin nature is the result of something "timeless and eternal" in the human heart, as Karl Barth argues (sorry Kaylie-but at least I'm disagreeing with him here!), or else (b) that God created a world in which sin was already inherent in creation. Furthermore, Paul and other NT writers treat Adam and Jesus as equally real and historical; thus, I believe that I am obligated to do the same.

That said, I'm with Lewis (and many others) in the belief that humans are indeed part of God's unified creation through evolution; overwhelming scientific evidence, both genetic and paleontological, indicates that humans share a recent common ancestor with apes and, more broadly, a universal common ancestor with all other living creatures. Likewise, population genetics indicates that it would have been near impossible for a viable population of Homo sapiens to arise from a group of fewer than a thousand individuals. We actually see evidence that other humans existed contemporaneously with Adam and Eve in the Cain and Abel account - Cain has a wife, and after he kills Abel he fears that other people will kill him. (Note: If you or anyone else would like a more in depth discussion of the data in genetics, population genetics, common ancestors, etc., just shoot me an ask; I try to streamline these discussions so I don't necessarily go into the scientific minutia, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to if there's interest.)

Thus, I don't believe that Adam was the first modern hominid and, for reasons that I'll get into a minute, I'm likewise not convinced that he was necessarily the first Homo sapiens or even humanity's MRCA. I do believe that he was the first Homo divinus - the first individual to be endowed with the unique image of God and with a human soul. I see this in the Scriptural text when God breathes life into Adam's nostrils (Genesis 2:7), a much more intimate act then the rest of the descriptions we get in the creation account. Whether in Africa or in Mesopotamia, I think God endowed Adam and subsequently Eve with His likeness and made them representatives for all humanity - much like Christ is our representative. Denis Alexander (British biologist/theologian) calls Adam "the federal head of all humanity alive at the time," and I quite like that description.

As I've indicated, I don't believe that Adam and Eve were necessarily the common ancestors of all humanity, either genetically or genealogically; for one thing, humanity has different matrilineal and patrilineal MRCAs and they likely didn't live at even remotely the same time. As to when Adam and Eve did live, I'm honestly of two minds on the issue. For simplicity's sake, I will number the possibilities that I consider feasible (1) and (2):

(1) The simplest answer is that Adam and Eve lived in Mesopotamia sometime during the Neolithic Era. This aligns with the descriptions we get of Eden's geography and leaves us with a lot less time to account for between Adam and Abraham.

However, this view does leave us with the issue of the many, many Homo sapiens preceding Adam and Eve who presumable lived and died without souls, despite the evidence that they behaved in very human ways (made art and musical instruments, cared for the sick, were curious and inventive, etc.) This isn't impossible to square with what I laid out above - like I said, I consider it the simplest explanation for when and where Adam and Eve lived - but it doesn't sit 100% easily with me.

(2) The other possibility is that Adam and Eve were among the first Homo sapiens and that they lived in Africa between 300 and 150 kya. Old Testament scholar C. John Collins out of Covenant Theological Seminary (Reformed and generally theologically conservative) makes the case that Moses wrote Genesis 1-11 using a kind of "anachronism." It's very likely that Moses had access to pre-existing sources while writing the Pentateuch, and he may have "'reconstructed' the past, working backwards from ordinary human experience to what must have caused it, giving us a tale that provided contrast to the other stories [Mesopotamian and Egyptian creation myths]." Of this "anachronism," Collins says, "a text may well have described aspects of the older times in terms of what the writer and his audience are familiar with. This does not necessarily detract from the historicity of the text, since the text still refers to actual events."

The issue with this view is that it obviously places us in much murkier territory than option one in terms of how we view the infallibility of Scripture. I believe that we're to take the Biblical histories seriously as fact, but not literalistically (would love to do another discussion explaining in more depth what I mean by this if there's interest; again, shoot me an ask). I do believe that all Scripture is infallible. Thus, this explanation also doesn't sit easily with me, but I do lend it credence because I trust Dr. Collins's theology and exegesis in other areas.

Ultimately, I'm going to bring the issue back to the C.S. Lewis excerpt that I started on; for now, I am content to say "We do not know how many of these creatures God made, nor how long they continued in the Paradisal state. But sooner or later they fell." I do fully intend to continue exploring the issue with an inquisitive mind and a humble heart, hoping that as I grow into greater theological and scientific knowledge I might come to an understanding of the Fall that does sit well with all that I know to be true. I'm still young :)

Please do always feel free to drop by my inbox with follow-ups/any other science/faith questions. I love these issues so much that I've chosen to study them academically; it is a joy to discuss them with you!

[lesbegays]

thinking about how i hate my boss’s husband <3

[serxeinxx]

Florist bakugou!— ; a headcanon!

↻featuring:: our beloved florist! Bakugouuu

↻paring:: fem!reader x florist!bakugou [quirklessAU]

↻wc:: 787

↻a/n:: it's been a while guys!! How r u guys?? + remember when i said about making florist!bakugou happen?? THIS IS IT >:)) + im back :v + it was earlier than i expected ;-;

(e/c): eye color ; (h/c): hair color

↻BAKUGOU;;

— he was surprised to himself that he, THE GREAT ALMIGHTY BAKUGOU KATSUKI would be a florist someday. Sure, all of his life was filled with anger, him being bratty in his whole life, and being just a petty person.

— his friends we're surprised that he has a floral shop just on his own. Deku couldn't believed it. even his own MOTHER TOO. don't get me wrong, mitsukia and masaru supported him.

: "you gotta be kidding me katsuki?!"— that what mitsuki commented when he said that he has a floral shop.

: "really kacchan? that's cool! who would've that a person like you would—" "GO TO HELL!" "—i was praising you!"

— after that happened, bakugou was forced to apologize, by his mom of course.

— okay, after he setted down on his little flower shop, he didn't expected to be this successful. since it's a flower shop, people wouldn't mind of it. But oh boy, he was wrong.

— everyday, people would come here to take a good look on the flowers, making resevations, and purchasing it. His friends would come and visit him.

: "i think your business was booming could be two things. ONE, the flowers. or the most obvious reason why, number TWO, your hot looks!" — it's something kaminari would say and kirishima agreeing to it.

— bakugou would be an actual nerd to the scientific names of the flowers. It would irritate him if someone said the wrong pronounciations. he's a fucking PERFECTIONIST after all.

: "acting like ya know the flower's name— just buy it already!"

— time skip for his business. Months has passed, his little shop became a well-known one in musutafu. A huge thanks to his friends, people slowly got to know his shop.

*cling!*

— a sound from the little bell caught his attention. There you enter his own shop. The hem of your summer dress sways along with the small wind. And a pair of (e/c) obrbs scanning the shop.

: "uhm, do you.. work here?", you asked.

: "ha? I'm the fucking owner of this shop. What do you want?"

— he cursed himself for saying that. he didn't mean it. but it can't be helped since its was a stupid question. For him. You walked around the shop to see what you're looking for.

— bakugou was curious on what what flower you we're looking for. his eyes widened to see the tsubaki (camellia).

: "i'll be taking that.", you pointed at it.

— bakugou grabbed a couple of them and give them to you. Imagining giving you one of his best flowers and— hold the fuck up. Why was he thinking 'bout that someone he just met?

— he gave you the flowers that you needed. The way you hand bruhed on his, made a small current of electric feeling flowed through his hand.

— he needs to do it. It's now or never.

: "uh, sorry for being rude to you earlier.", bakugou started.

: "seriously it's okay. That was kind of a dumb question anyways", you laughed.

: "say, are ya single?— i mean- fuck."

— you looked at him, facing on the wall, coveing his his with his hands. You tilted your head to beagn to process what he said.

— you gave him a small chuckle to which he turned around to look at you chuckling.

: "i'm single. i'm l/n y/n. What's your name?"

: "bakugou katsuki.", he answered.

— his name was quite familiar to you. You slammed your hands on the counter to make him jolt in a sudden movement you made.

: "wait- you're the, bakugou? That famous kid on highschool?"

— what the fuck. That's what bakugou would think right now.

: "i didn't realized it sooner. Man, what a bummer.", you added.

: "-so you're sayin' that you and i are on the same school?", he asked and you nodded.

: "yep! I heard of you. Like a lot. Girls in ny class used to talk about how hot u we're-"

— in just an instant, you face became red. Bakugou saw it. HIS SMIRK GREW as he looked at you feeling embarrassed. Now it was your turn to turn around and cover your face in both hands.

: "n-now that i have the f-flowers, i gotta go!", you tried to reason to go away.

— he can't let you go that easily. not a single chance. he never had this funny and fuzzy feeling on his life. why would he let that go?

: "come on, it's not that i would bite you or anything geez. How about this, let's have a date or a hang out. Sounds good?"

— you couldn't answer.

: "i'll take that silence as a yes.", he smirked. "saturday, 10 am. Same place. And don't be late."

— with a sudden meeting of you and bakugou, who would ever miss the chance?

© 2021 maialoveskatsuki. All Rights Reserved. Do not repost. Do not plagiarize.

↻tags!::

@lalalemon101 ​@peacchfuz ​ ​@pluviophilefangirl ​@uwiuwi ​ ​ @marshmallow12435 ​ ​@omkie ​ ​@barbs12 ​ @jazzylove​​ @animesuck3r ​ ​ @justme2042 ​ ​ @hawksismybabydaddy @aomi04 ​ ​ @l0kisbitch ​ ​ @call-me-drartemis ​ ​ @gloriousdonutnut ​ ​ @5sos-wdw ​ ​ @cloudsgathering ​ ​ @ambi0311 ​ ​ @xiaexactsblog @atsushiki​​ @dabiisgay69 @lordmypantsaresocool​ ​@let-love-bleeds-red ​ ​ @ssc7514 ​ @eimivalla ​ @rosemoonshine13 @simpxxslutxx ​ @arael-asuka ​ @babygirlxupxnext​ @ayoooooooooooo @randomblob000 @untitled42864 @bunnibabe ​ @cyuuupid ​ @the-shota-king-masayuki @that-levi-kenma-kinnie​ @psdck88 ​ @blubblekey​ @sanemishina​ @that-yaya ​ @rebekah-trader ​ @lazyafgurl ​@troubledwithlife @tjmaxx556​ @meliii0 @pvt‐only @hornehlittleweeblet2 ​ @devilsbooksworld ​ @thirstybunzy ​

[mutigold]

∞ teacher’s pet — i.n.

summary: in which the top student fails a test and gets extra help from his favorite professor.

pairing: student!jeongin x teacher!reader

genre: college!au

warning: sub!jeongin, dom!reader, pet play, noona kink, exhibitionism, handjob, ear licking, humiliation, quirofilia, seduction, he still has his braces.

word count: 1.9k

authors note: i really don’t know where this idea came from, but all i know is subby jeongin = 🤤. thank you for supporting me! watching people like my little writings really make my day.. hope y’all enjoy this <3. stream “Going Dumb”!

“would anyone like to explain what it means to be dependent on an organism?”

jeongin’s eyes concentrated on you, as he listened to your voice encompassing the leveled platform. today’s lecture was based on the living organisms in the world and you seemed to be determined for everyone to learn the curriculum.

however, jeongin could not focus on anything except your figure. you were wearing a white skin-tight turtleneck and black formal pants that emphasize your ass. all topped off with a large suit jacket and black louis vuitton heels.

it overall made his heart jump for joy just enjoying the view.

he thought about how those heels would look wrapped around his waist as he pounds into you; screaming his name. or maybe how your tiny hand would slip around his throat as he begs for your come.

“mr. yang?”

jeongin quickly snaps out of his trance to hear you calling his name. and not in the way he wanted.

you looked up at him with sad eyes, upset at him for not paying attention to your favorite lesson. “what’s going through that head yours? is it more important than organisms?”

he quickly fixed his posture, shaking his head rapidly, and responded with, “n—no, i’m sorry noona. i just was thinking too hard about something. i’ll promise to listen from now on.”

you hummed with caution, continuing the biological lecture. the student sighs gratefully for you letting him go off easily and tries to at least take some notes.

“yo, i.n. you okay?” a familiar voice whispered.

jeongin turns to see his two close friends, seungmin and felix, staring down at him in question. “yeah, you seem a little off today.”

confirming he says, “uh. y—yeah; i’m okay.”

“mhmm. okay with staring professor y/n down huh?” felix smirks.

the heat on i.n. 's cheeks becomes noticeable when hearing about his staring. he then tries to ignore the statement by writing his name and the current date in his notebook.

“leave him alone felix. he’s just probably having some problems with the lesson; you should perhaps ask noona for help.” seungmin tries to intervene.

“yeah; i mean, maybe noona can also help you with other problems. if you know what i mean.” felix grins bumping jeongin’s arm.

“f—felix!”

“boys?! care to tell us what is so interesting other than my lesson?” your voice suddenly booms throughout the room. jeongin jumps at your tone and begins to apologize again once making you soften.

“that’s alright, but please pay attention. oh, and jeongin, stay after class for a few minutes to speak with me.”

he didn’t know what to think at that moment; with felix oohing in one of his ears and seungmin trying to shush him in his other or the fact that you wanted to talk to privately.

alone, with no one around, made his mind officially shut down.

“you wanted to speak with me noona?”

you shifted around to see jeongin’s stiff form; then took note of how nervous he looked and gave him a light smile. “hey, kiddo. i just wanted to see how you were doing lately.” you wished to see some type of relief release through him.

but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

he still looked kind of anxious to speak with you, letting you know how intimidating you seemed. “hey it’s all good, you're not in trouble or anything, i promise. i’ve noticed how you’ve been acting recently in my class and how your scores dropped a little,” you reassured.

“ai! i’m so sorry noona!”

you giggle at the student’s consistent apologies. in your mind, you thought how cute he was; like a puppy aching to gain approval from its owner.

maybe you could make him as your puppy and work hard for that admiration.

immediately, you shake your head from the naughty images. ever since the semester started a few months ago, your thoughts almost ran around yang jeongin.

how his pretty smile, concealed by clear braces, shined at your speaking, how his crescent-shaped eyes followed your every move; making you feel sexy, how large and veiny his arms grew over time within the season, etc.

“that’s alright, jeongin. i just want you to feel comfortable in my lectures. how about this, you and i have a session later this evening to cover the material for the next exam. what do you think pup’?” you offering, accidentally calling him by the pet name you gave him.

after catching the tiny nickname, jeongin clumsy drops his possessions while feeling something swell in his pants. he begins to overthink the word. pup’? why did that sound so nice coming out of your mouth? and how was he gonna hide the fact that his dick got hard in the middle of their conversation?

“i–i’m sorry!”

“oh! no worries hun! here; let noona help you out.”

you instantly proceeded over, bent down, and gathered i.n.’s school objects. starting with some of his blue pens, his macbook, and then his green two-subject notebook. “n–noona! i got the notebook, it’s okay.” jeongin stuttered.

it was almost like he was trying hard to hide something in the notebook, and suddenly it all made sense as it opened to the front page.

yang y/n. it was his surname combined with your first name.

it seemed as if time swiftly froze with silence when discovering the secret. however, it didn’t bother you essentially much as jeongin thought it would have had. “aw, pup’, this is cute. yang y/n has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

the air that was in jeongin’s lungs properly stopped working when distinguishing how seductive your tone became. “i–i..”

“relax a lil’ pup’. listen, will you promise to meet me later this eveningfor some tutoring. i think you could really use it. plus if you’re good–”

you shifted closer to the student’s ear lobe and whispered, “–noona could give you a reward.”

jeongin swore he felt some pre-cum drip down from his pants. “y–yes, noona.” he swallowed trying to moist his dry throat, then jumped moaning in pleasure when your small hand gripped around his erection.

“good. see you then, pup’.”

a few hours later, jeongin ends up at the university’s public library, not knowing what to expect. though, he did make sure to be ready for any possible situation. what did you mean by rewarding him? did you feel the same way he did?

you must have since you did touch his swollen cock during your conversation. or maybe it was just his imagination?

jeongin sighs restlessly thinking of the concept while waiting for your arrival. that soon ends as he hears your alluring voice greet out, “hiya pup’! ready for our lesson?”

he peers up from the library’s table to see you wearing informal clothing. a tight crew neck that reveals your smooth arms extending down to red-painted nails and large breasts bouncing with every step you take.

“ah! i hope you weren’t waiting too long, i got held up in traffic.”

“t–that’s okay noona! i just got here.”

you smile at his nervousness, now acknowledging where it came from, and sat down in the hard chair right next to him. “good, we can get started. i hope you’re ready,” you whispered, feeling an urge to dominate.

jeongin gulps recognizing a certain excitement coming from his pants within hearing your tone and replies with, “r–ready?”

“so, what does adaptation consist of?”

jeongin couldn’t comprehend what you were saying being he focused on the way your glossed-up lips looked. the way he could imagine it wrapped around cock or it traveling up and down the side of his neck molding kisses; it worked him to the point where he was solid hard.

“pup’, what is going through that mind of yours?”

“s–sorry. it’s just, i guess this lesson isn’t grasping in my head yet.” he tries to explain not wanting to upset you.

however, instead of upsetting you, your colored eyes just darken. “oh! i have any idea; remember when i said i would reward you if do good–”

jeongin nods excitedly, making you giggle.

“–well, i know you understand the concept of this chapter. so to push you a little more, i’ll ask you a question and if you get it right, that little cock of yours will get to come.”

the student freezes up at your approach, thinking it was a dream too good to be true. “w-wait what?”

“what is the definition of homeostasis?”

“i, uh, i think it's an organism's constant adjustment to maintain stable conditions in itself?”

you reached under the table discreetly and unbuttoned the pants on jeongin grasping his swollen cock. “o-oh my god, noona!”

“shh, pup’. you gotta be quiet for me; now onto the next question. who created the biogenesis theory?”

jeongin’s breath became too much for him to handle feeling the pre-cum drip from his blood-filled tip. “n–noona, please.”

“come on puppy, tell me the answer or i stop.”

his mind starts to rush trying to find the answer before you let him go. it took him a couple of seconds, but once he got it, he hurried to speak. “henry charlton bastain!”

“good puppy.” your tiny hand moves faster, satisfied with the statement. you felt his cock throbbing with every stroke you took. like jeongin, you dreamt of this same exact moment. you wanted to control the poor student every time he walked through your room, when he made eye contact with you, or even when his plump bottom lip was bitten from his teeth.

and finally, it was happening.

“oh, who’s a good puppy for noona?”

“m-me! i am noona.”

“that’s right pup’. next question, what are the five steps to the scientific method?”

i.n.’s vein from his cock popped out sensing the rubbing moving faster than before. “i only know four noona!”

“too bad, i wanted five or i slow down.” you coldly demand.

jeongin began to try to think hard on the five steps letting the sensation run through his body. “o-okay. it’s defining the problem, making a hypothesis, testing it, analyzing the results… then..”

your hand slows at his hesitation. “give me the last one puppy.”

“oh! noona, don’t stop! i–i. is it d–drawing the conclusions?”

“good puppy!”

his cock grows bigger when your finger grips at the base. then, you painted nails lightly scratch at his tight balls. “oh! noonaaa. that feels sooo goood. pleaseee.”

“continue to answer like a good pup’ then i’ll keep going.”

soon after the next few questions, jeongin sits near his breaking point. “nooonnnaaa! please!”

“grab your textbook and hold it up.”

i.n. clutches the hard-covered biology book to cover both you and him from public eyes. suddenly, you lower yourself to his lips, deeply kissing him with tongue, and wander towards his earlobe. “one more question, pup’. what does stimulus mean?”

“uh! noona! please let me come! make your puppy come!” he moans a little too loud.

“shh. answer the question, then i’ll let you come.”

“s-stimulus? it m-means anything an organism responds to.”

you then move your head to spit down to moist his penis. “good puppy! getting your small cock rubbed in front of everyone like a little slut.” you cup the back of his neck feeling the shivers release through him.

“you can come pup’, come for noona.”

jeongin then lets go, coming hard in your hand. “o-oh! thank you, thank you noona!”

after guiding him to his high, you let go of him and licked the white, sticky substance from your hand.

“good puppy. i’m sure you’ll be ready for that next exam.”

[purefrickingspite]

Why Phil Can't Fly

So I saw this post a while ago about how phil can't fly on the server (use elytra) because his wings got damaged protecting wilbur from the explosion

My friend took that idea and came up with their own reason can't fly, and gave me permission to post it since they don't use tumblr

~

Scientifically speaking, birds are able to fly because nothing seems to weigh them down. Their bones are hollow, their frames are small, and their feathers are aerodynamic. Physically, they are built to fly. But there have been cases where, even when in perfect physical conditions, birds are grounded because of a serious mental trauma. Something that happened, whether it is a mother witnessing the loss of her chicks, or a young bird watching its family get torn to shreds. These experiences stained them, filled their hollow bones and ruffled their perfectly laid feathers, making them unable to fly again.

Phil is human, so physically he is built different than birds. His bones are not hollow, he does not have feathers (other than those on his wings, of course), and he is by no means small in stature as a grown human man. However, he has still always seemed to have an air of weightlessness around him; it was almost like he was floating, even when his wings were tucked in nice and neat. Maybe it was how pure his heart was; taking in one boy after another until he built a small family of three + him, raising them each and encouraging all of their interests, even if they were...unorthodox (Techno’s obsession with orphans was always worrisome, but he supported him nonetheless). Maybe it was how content he was living small; he kept to his hardcore world, never really getting involved in outwardly affairs, keeping his hands mostly clean. He was rarely caught without a smile, and it was impossible to weigh him down.

At least, it seemed that way.

As the ashes rose and he heard his son, his beloved son, screaming about his unfinished symphony, he felt his world stop. He felt his heart slow as he tried to process what had just happened, his ears still ringing and his back still aching from being thrown into the wall by the force of the explosions. His lungs filled with dust, his ears with screams, his mouth with grime, but all he could seem to focus on was Wilbur. Wilbur, as he screamed, and his wings began to droop. Wilbur, as he turned to him, a wild look in his eyes, and his heart began to grow heavy. Wilbur, as he drew a sword, asking, no, begging to be killed, claiming how everyone would want it, and suddenly he wasn’t involved in just his own affairs. Wilbur, as he took one last look at the man he thought he raised, the man he thought he knew, and he thrust forward the sword. Wilbur, as he died in his arms, the last words on his lips being a question he just couldn’t answer, “Are you still proud of me?”

No wonder Phil can’t fly. After all, there’s lead in human blood, and his hands are stained with Will’s.

#thanks to my friend for semi teaching me how TF tags kinda work #I'm still relatively clueless

[wizkiddx]

the worst case scenario 2

i did decide to make this a little parter thing, but really want to be as sensitive as poss (honestly using this as a sort of therapy for what I see myself ah). So please   do not read if anything in the warnings may trigger. I very much am not trying to ‘romanticise’ these sorts of situations in any way but also be aware medically this is NOT accurate.This part is short but I think there will be more.

warnings: hospital - ICU, respirators / mention of death , maternal mortality / talk of family dynamics and abandonment of a child

[previous part]

The sight Nikki walked into is something that as a parent you never want to see. Walking into this cold and otherwise empty ‘relatives room’ to see her son collapsed in a world of pain onto his best mates chest. Tom was too busy sobbing to even notice her entrance but her and  Harrison instantly locked eyes . Not even able to muster up a greeting smile, Harrison just nodded her in, admitting her entrance to the most horrific situation. 

It was about half an hour since she had been texting Haz, arranging when they’d be able to come and visit the newborn in hospital or whether it would be better to just wait till the new family got settled back at home, when Nikki had got a call from Tom’s number. With an excited grin she had instantly whipped her phone off the kitchen counter within one ring- a facial expression that didn’t last long at all. 

Met with the distant sound of crying first, Harrison’s deeper voice then emitted itself from her phones speaker, alerting her to the fact everything was very not right. He’d asked her to come to the hospital, said it was Y/n, that the baby was fine and then hung up. Dom immediately agreed to come with her but right now he was still parking the car, having dropped Nikki off right at the front. It had sounded that bad. 

Now, she knelt down infront of Haz and Tom, the latter who still was leaning over the arm rest and currently silently crying into his friends chest. Haz didn’t miss Nikki’s hands shaking as she reached out and rubbed up and down her sons back, the action prompting him to suddenly lean up to face her. He was broken. Totally and completely broken. Wordlessly, Nikki looked up for a second, communicating with Harrison so as if rehearsed he stood up and Nikki took his place in the chair - giving him a break from being Tom’s support. Beyond appreciative of how well Nikki could read a situation, Haz quietly but still in a hurried fashion made his way to the door. 

Because he was about to crack too - Tom couldn’t see him like that, not right now at least. And so his legs, completely of their own volition, carried him down the hallways. He had absolutely no idea what time it was, all sense of time passing had completely been thrown off earlier in the morning. He was oblivious to a lot, very much in his own thoughts and only realised where he had ended up when a nurse he vaguely recognised managed to garner his attention. 

“You’re here for baby Holland? She’s just round here.”

“I-“ He couldn’t respond but the nurse just nodded and then started off down the hallway, practically forcing the blonde to follow a couple of meters till they got to a perspex viewing window. 

“She’s the little cutie in the far corner over there.” The brunette middle aged lady softly spoke as she pointed through the glass to the incubator in the corner. “ Don’t worry about all the equipment, the doctors already come round and cleared her. She’s good to go home when you guys are…are ready.” Her words had trailed off, Harrison guessed she didn’t know how to phrase the current ‘situation’ Tom and Y/n were in either. After a couple of moments, the nurse placed a gentle hand on Harrison’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “You want to have a cuddle? I know your not dad but…”

“Yeh-yeh…please.” 

Harrison just felt awful. The little girl was barely hours into life and yet she wasn’t receiving nearly as much as love as she should be. Instead unnamed and alone in a cold and clinical setting. So he silently nodded away, taking in all the instructions the nurse gave as she sat him down in the arm chair next to the incubator. 

Once she placed the little blanket wrapped bundle in his arms the nurse smiled gently up at Haz “You want to feed her? I’m sure she’d prefer it from you than me love?” Ah. Now Haz really was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She’d never been given a feed before - except presumably the midwifes. 

“I-uh Y/n hasn’t even  so I probably shouldn’t…”

“I can promise you Miss Y/l/n would probably want her baby to be cared for by someone that loves her and that Miss Y/l/n trusts herself.” Ooof. How were nurses so intuitive? She literally read his mind and broken down all the ill-founded ideas Harrison had built up. 

“I’m not her Dad.”

“But you care.” Looking down once and briefly at the squished little face that wormed herself into Harrisons broad chest a little more, he then immediately nodded in agreement. Looking almost relieved, the nurse handed him a bottle and directed him as to how to hold it. After mere moments she gasped happily, leaning back whilst the blonde boy waited for her input. 

“She’s latched on easy peasy. You’re doing great, I can leave you to it if you want - I’ll only be round the corner.”

“Can you check if there’s any news on Y/n?” The kind lady nodded, before promptly exiting the room - leaving the two actually alone for the first time ever. 

He didn’t even think about it, whilst Haz cradled her in one arm and held the bottle up at the angle shown by the nurse, he quietly spoke to the little bundle. 

“I’m sorry you were lonely… your mum and dad love you lots and lots… we all do.” Not realising he was crying, Harrison almost scared himself when a single strangled and repressed sob escaped from his chest. “ You’re mum…. She’s a pain in the arse right?” Haz laughed a little wetly “ She’s sarky as hell and she always has an answer… you’d probably think she’s a badass… she is. And-and…. Your dad is just scared… He loves you I promise, he just… he’s worried about you mum.” Now there was actual tears welling up and overflowing his lower lash line, not matter how much he tried to blink them away. “But whatever… whatever happens. You got all of us kiddo… you got me.”

Jolted out of his thoughts by the ladies knuckles rapping twice on the door, Harrison immediately shook himself out of it, wiping his face on his arm to hopefully remove all the evidence of the slight emotional breakdown. 

“Mr Osterfield… the doctor wanted me to let you know he’s on his way to talk to Mr Holland.”

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Harrison managed to get back to Tom, Nikki and now Dom before Dr Webber returned, so with a greeting nod to Dom he too took a seat opposite Nikki and Tom. His best mate wasn’t crying anymore, which could be considered a positive were it not for the sinisterly empty look in his eye. He looked almost robotic, staring almost straight ahead at the light grey wall, sat straight and rigidly except for his one hand clasped in Nikki’s. 

“You went to see the baby?” Nikki broke the silence, making Harrison smile sadly over at her with a nod. It didn’t even look as though Tpm heard his mum speak, even if he was sat right next to her. “She’s okay?”

“Yeh…I gave her a bottle. She-she’s very cute.” Harrison could see Nikki’s face morph into one of kindness before she looked left toward her son. Nikki was still yet to see to unnamed girl but just thinking about her made her heart flutter. And then stop when she thought about what that little girl was already going through, barely hours into existence. 

“You hear that Tom? Maybe you could go down and see her soon? After we’ve spoken to the doctor?” Nikki was only trying to do the best thing, Harrison knew it and deep down Tom did know it too. But now really really wasn’t the time for some gently encouragement from his mother, it wasn’t just Tom being a little stubborn. This was his whole entire world falling apart around him. He didnt have the energy or focus to even shoot down his mother, instead Tom chose to stay completely still - engrossed in his own thoughts. 

From the outset, when you take that leap and say to a person ‘I think we should try for kids now’ you are completely putting yourself at the mercy of the other. But when they agree? Then it’s a commitment. Not it the same way marriage is - because that’s a completely selfish gesture, you get married because YOU want to be married to each other. Rather, agreeing to have a kid is a promise, a promise of something more. Promising that you are bringing this life into the world - and half of that life is yours. You create it together and it becomes a joint responsibility. You can never, no matter what people think, ever stop being a parent. At the end of it all there will be another person that knows, scientifically, it is half you. Even if they never met you - they still ‘knew’ you. They would know you had to exist, they would see things in themselves that cannot be explained rather than the influence of their creator. 

And sure, it didn’t always work out that way. A parent would up and leave, a child always with questions and a sense of betrayal. But that child… they know you. Because there is half of you in them. 

So it was Y/n and Tom together that was slumbering blissfully on a ward downstairs. That was the scary thing. Tom was so sure he didn’t have it in him. He  wouldn’t do this without her. He couldn’t be a dad to a baby without a mum. He couldn’t be a parent without Y/n. 

Almost thankfully for the atmosphere in the room, a soft know had them all snatching their heads up the very same grey slightly potato like doctor waddled in, this time followed by 2 others; a tall, dark haired woman with a soft and empathetic smile; then another man but this one tall and slender, unlike the other two who were wearing professional clothes, he was donned in scrubs (with the scrub hate too).

“Mr Holland and uh… family” Dr Webber awkwardly greeted the new arrivals of Nikki and Dom, somehow apparently sensing they were Tom’s and not Y/n’s parents who were hours away. Oh fuck, Tom hadn’t even phoned them yet. 

“This is Dr Alison Goodwell and then Dr Rohan Avinash, he is Y/n’s surgeon.” They filed in and took seats surrounding them, Dom and Harrison standing up to stand off to the side, not wanting to get in the way of the doctors. All Tom could do though was overanalyse everything. Why was the surgeon here? What was this other lady doing here? A  pathologist? — no, he wasn’t going to think like that. Then the taller and most scary looking of the three inched forward, commanding the attention of the whole room.

“Mr Holland, I just wanted to go over what happened. Ms Y/l/n developed plactental accreta, which was the cause of the what we call here a post partum haemorrhage. When you raised the alarm she had already lost, at best guess, 3 pints of blood which is a lot, there’s no denying. Dr Webber and his team quickly brought her up to my team in surgery. We transfused her with blood but we couldn’t stabilise her and the bleeding didn’t show any signs of stopping so we had to perform emergency surgery….” Dr Avinash slowed down as he took in how close Tom looked to bursting out in tears once again, offering him the chance to have a moment to collect himself. Vehemently shaking his head in refusal, Tom crung his hands together furiously. He just needed to know. “Okay… Now the nature of the surgery, because we had to be so quick…it is quite invasive and is a lot of stress to put on anyones body. That and the amount of blood she had already lost makes the situation very dangerous. Sometimes when this happens a persons heart-“ Tom’s breath halted in his throat at the mention of her heart, Harrison sharing the bleak trigger which made him shift uncomfortable between his two feet. “-notices this, it goes into what we call hypovoloemic shock, this just basically means its not getting enough volume of blood to pump properly. So we have had to stimulate Ms Y/l/n’s heart with electricity to keep it pumping-“

“You shocked her?” He felt so numb and now adrenalin was coursing through his own veins, images like you see on TV shows of her body arching up not he table from the volts of electricity.

“I’m afraid we did have to but it meant we could keep her stable enough to fix the bleed. I am sorry to say this but we’ve had to remove her whole womb because it was so damaged.”

“But Y/n?” Again Harrison lost all willpower of control, though to be fair he wasn’t sure if he was being impatient or not -  this doctor appeared to be delivering this news painfully slowly, as if to torture everyone as much as possible.

“Your fiancé lost a lot of blood and her body went through a lot” The towering doctor kept his focus on Tom the whole time, Harrison’s interjection seemingly falling on selectively deaf ears. “We’ve had to use a machine to control her breathing  and for the moment she is still in a very dangerous place. Right now she is stable but I don’t want to make any promises to you. We are nowhere close to out of the woods yet.” Seemingly, feeling compelled to add in, the brunette doctor spoke for the first time since entering.

“But it’s still one hurdle she has got through… Now that the surgeons are finished with Ms Y/l/n me and the other intensive care doctors will be keeping a very close eye on her okay? We are all going to be working with you and your family 24/7, to keep Y/n as comfortable as possible.” Her soft smile managed to somehow break through to Tom, who jerkily nodded while Nikki squeezed his hand tight. There had been a lot of that going on  today and even if Tom would say he wished nothing more that it was Y/n rather than his mums grip - he still appreciated it. The doctor continued, leaning forward so her elbows were resting on the tops of her thighs. “Right now she’s asleep and probably will be for quite a while. We first want to be sure she’s not in any pain, so she is sedated. Now assuming everything goes okay tonight and she stays stable we might want to think about possibly reducing that sedation, however for right now I hope you are all in agreement that we just want to make sure she’s comfortable?” The whole room nodded steadily in response which the doctor acknowledged with a satisfied smile. 

“And we are all aware this is a lot to take in so if you have any questions or think of any please just let us know - it’s important that you guys are all fully in the know… How is your daughter?” Dr Webber started off so well, Tom was almost going to smile thankfully at him, until he mentioned it. Instantly, the cold and empty look reappeared behind Tom’s eyes as the room was held in silence for long enough to be uncomfortable. To be fair, the doctor wasn’t to know that recently Tom had taken to refusing to acknowledge he even had a child. 

“I-she’s really good… the nurse there said she’s ready to leave whenever” Harrison had to show that at least someone was looking out for her, he couldn’t not. 

“Okay” sharing a knowing look with Harrison, Dr Webber pitifully clasped his hands together, before looking back to Tom. “Would you like Dr Alison take you up to see her, sir?” 

again pls let me know if anyone is very not okay with this, i can take it down and not write any more!

[steves-on-a-plane]

The Ambassador

Words: 1613 Square Filled for @buckybarnesbingo: Bodyguard Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Summary: Reader is a young ambassador tasked with setting up with a new US embassy in Wakanda. She is less than pleased to find out she's been assigned a body guard to watch over her.

"Enjoy your flight!” The attendant said as they handed you back your ticket. They waved you through the ramp and assured you that your luggage would be taken care of. You texted your boss, letting him know you were about to board your almost thirteen-hour flight to Wakanda. It was just the first item on a laundry list of tasks you’d have to complete in order to set up the first US embassy in Wakanda.

till tapping away at your screen, you sat in the nearest plush leather seat. You had a few emails you needed to send before the flight crew made the rounds and asked everyone to turn off electronic devices. The same attendant from before came by and took your drink order. You took note of the five other passengers on board. Traveling in a private jet might not be cheap, but so far it was more comfortable than commercial.

“Ambassador [Y/L/N]?” You looked up from your phone when someone called your name. Standing in front of you was a handsome man with neatly cropped chestnut brown hair. He was wearing black jeans, a black moto jacket and black leather gloves. Not your typical diplomat’s style. “My name is James, it will be my job to keep you safe while you’re in Wakanda.”

“I wasn’t aware I was in any danger.” You told him in a bristly tone. “It was my understanding that the Wakandan government was in full support of us building an embassy.”

“It’s standard protocol apparently.” He assured you.

“I don’t need a baby sister, James. I suggest you get off the plane now before they start to taxi us to the runway.” You advised.

“No disrespect, Ma’am, but I’m staying.” He sat down in the chair across from you. The bag he had slung over one shoulder was tossed to the floor with a thump. “I’ve been assigned to protect you and I’m a man of my word so that’s what I’m going to do. At least until the embassy is up and running and you have a full security detail.”

“Well then I’ll have you reassigned.” You took out your phone again, but the cabin crew had already closed the doors and seatbelt indicators had been turned on. It was too late to turn back now. You were stuck with him for at least the next day.

You rolled your eyes and swiveled your leather chair, so you were facing the window. It would be at least thirty minutes before you’d be allowed to use your phone or laptop. You looked out the window and watched the earth descend below. You began running through your mental checklists. You had a checklist for everything that needed to get done once you landed. You had a checklist for the welcome dinner the first night you were in Wakanda. You even had a checklist of work you wanted to accomplish during your day long flight.

What you didn’t have a checklist for was the new bodyguard you’d been saddled with. Protection details were common with embassy work, but usually the team was cleared well in advance. They weren’t just thrown onto a plane with you in the last minute. Still, it wasn’t this guy’s fault he’d been stuck with you. You swiveled your chair again to face him.

“Have you ever been Wakanda, James?” You asked, trying to make conversation.

“Once or twice.” He nodded. “You?”

“No.” You confessed. “Have you ever worked security for an ambassador before?”

“I won’t get in your way Ma’am.” He assured.

“You’d better not.” You smirked. “But I wasn’t trying to imply anything. I just think if we’re going to be working so closely together, we might as well get to know each other.”

“No thanks.” He reached into his bag and removed a book. “Kumbaya isn’t my thing.” He opened the book and began reading. You took out your laptop and got to work. You had checklists that needed tending too.

The flight crew came around and brought everyone their drink orders. When a cool glass of whiskey was placed in front of the bodyguard, he put his book down and sipped slowly. He watched you over his glass.

“Why Wakanda?” He questioned suddenly.

“I thought we weren’t talking.” You commented before drinking from your own glass.

“I don’t want to braid your hair or talk about our hopes and dreams. Sorry.” He rolled his eyes. “I want to know why an ambassador with such little experience was chosen to set up a new embassy with the US’s most important ally.”

“Not that I owe you any sort of explanation,” You sighed. “But from what I understand I was the only one who wanted it. Those ambassadors with more experience don’t want to put in the leg work needed to set up an embassy. They want to go somewhere already established, to bring their wives or mistresses somewhere romantic like Italy or France. Not to mention they aren’t dedicating their spare time to learning about the culture or the people in the nation they're assigned to.”

“And you are?” He raised his eyebrows and sounded surprised.

“You might not think so, but I’m not an idiot.” You huffed. “I’m not going to Wakanda to bring the America way to them. Wakanda’s made more technological, medical, and overall scientific advances in the last decade than we have in the past three. The US needs Wakanda far more than they need us. But it’s my job to make this whole experience feel like a mutual partnership. It’s not something I take on lightly.”

“You know.” James yawned, reaching for his book again. “I’m willing to bet if you gave that exact same speech to the king, that might be all he needs to hear.”

“Thanks for the input.” You huffed sarcastically. “I don’t know why you asked if you were just going to mock my answer.” You looked back at your computer screen.

“I wasn’t trying to mock you.” He said earnestly. “This is a genuine piece of advice, so do with it what you will, but T’Challa would rather you be honest with him. He’s very good at reading people.”

“So he’s just T’Challa to you?” You couldn’t help but smirk. Surely this man wasn’t implying what you thought he was. You looked over at him again. “Are you trying to tell me you’re on a first name basis with the King of Wakanda?”

“As a matter of fact,” He said, turning the page in his book. “I am a close friend of sorts. The royal family really helped me out of a bind a while back.”

“I thought you said you’d only been to Wakanda a few times.” You remembered.

“I said once or twice. I didn’t say for how long. I’m going to back to this now.” He said, pointing at the book.

You weren’t sure if he was bluffing and you weren’t sure if you wanted him to be or not. You thought about spending some time researching James Barnes trying to see if you could verify his story but decided that it would be better to take him at face value. After all, he had no reason to lie to you. Instead you’d sped as much time in the next ten hours as possible reworking your dinner speech and some of your other talks planned for the week. It never hurts to have a backup plan.

Six hours into the flight, Bucky had finished his first book. You’d been tapping away at your keyboard aggressively nearly the entire time. As he read the last sentence on the page and closed the book, he realized you’d gone awfully quiet. His eyes flashed to you, you were sleeping.

It didn’t look like you were sleeping comfortably either. You were still sitting upright, your head lolled to one side. If he left you like that, you’d wake up with a neck cramp and probably be even crabbier than you were before. He picked up a cashmere blanket off one of the vacant seats.

“You’re not so scary when you’re sleeping.” He whispered to himself. He leaned over and saved the document you were working on. He caught a hint of the perfume you were wearing. It smelled like Jasmine and sandalwood. He secured your laptop and reclined your seat ever so gently. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in the act of being nice to you. After ensuring that you were still asleep, you draped the blanket over you before tip toeing back to his own seat.

You awoke with only an hour left of your flight. You stretched your limbs and opened your eyes. You noticed someone had covered you with an incredibly soft blanket. The urge to snuggle up to it and go back to sleep was strong but you still had a lot of work to do. You looked to your right and James was still there, reading his book.

“What time is it?” You yawned.

“Just about three.” He told you.

“Three?” You exclaimed. “You let me sleep for six hours?”

“You looked like you needed a rest.” He explained logically.

“No what I need is…” You stopped yourself. “Look I’m under a lot of pressure to make this work. If you’re planning on being glued to my side for the foreseeable future. You’re going to have to get used to my…”

“Bristly attitude? You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve got thick skin Ma’am.” He said, casting his eyes back to his book.

“You can just call me [Y/N], James.” You told him.

“Buck.” He corrected you. “My friends call me Bucky.”

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Bio-Terrorism

The gaping maw was the most imposing location on the entire planet of Savan VI. 

Since the dawn of Gillden’s civilization it had been an almost holy place for their people. A place that judgement was cast upon the accused and should they be found wanting their bodies would be cast into the bottomless hole and their memory erased from existence; a fitting end for those whose crimes were monstrous enough. 

As the ages had passed and the Gillden’s had become more technologically advanced building was built around the maw which became known as the “Hall of Justice” while the surrounding area became known as the government district of the world. While more modern facilities were built as the Gillden entered the galactic stage they still held to their old beliefs and still held trial for their most severe crimes at the maw. 

Criminals were led into the hall from a narrow walkway to a grav unit podium in the center of the room. As the accused reached the podium the walkway would retract leaving the accused on the floating island of the podium while being observed by those around them held aloft on similar grav unit benches and stands. 

In the event the accused was found guilty the podium they stood upon would slowly tilt sideways until flipping upside down and casting the guilty into the gaping maw below. Before righting itself again for the next case.

The hall of justice today was a chorus of hushed voices; its occupants speaking in hushed tones, eyes darting at the nearest sound louder than a whisper. 

The Arbitrator General sat atop a large stand opposite the podium slowly going over papers strewn across his desk.His thin fingers slowly turned each page with the dexterity of a archaeologist handling the find of a century, the thin strands of his hair being casually flicked out of the way more by reflex rather than conscious action. 

Finally having read enough, the Arbitrator gave a subtle nod and the doors to the hall opened opposite him. 

A lone figure was shoved forward through the door and fell to their knees. They wore the grey garments of a prisoner of Saran VI yet they themselves were not Gillden.

The human stood to their feet unsteadily and after a moments hesitation continued walking along the gangway to the podium. 

“Prisoner 47893″ the Arbitrator spoke as the human reached the podium and the gangway retracted. “You stand accused of crimes against the Gillden people. How do you plead?” 

Shielding their eyes with their right hand the human took in their surroundings for the first time. They saw the faces of the Arbitrator and the onlookers all watching them with their crimson eyes. It was like being watched by demons in the dead of night waiting for the campfire to die out. 

“Not guilty.”

The onlookers raised their voices in uproar at the humans words, waving their fists and some even trying to hit them with thrown objects. 

“SILENCE!” 

The Arbitrator’s voice was deafening and the onlookers fell silent like school children. 

“The prisoners stance is recorded. Accuser, you may begin.”

One of the onlookers stepped out of the benches and on to a separate platform that drifted towards the center of the room. 

“Noble Gilldren’s,” they began as their platform slowly spun in place so the Accuser could see all of the onlookers, “I have come here before you, to our most holy sight, to prove that this human is a monster beyond all recognition.”

The Accuser pointed at the human with what the human thought was meant to be an intimidating star but if stares could kill than this Accuser’s was about as deadly as a water pistol. 

Pulling up a data pad, the Accuser hit several runes and large hologram display panels appeared overhead. “State your name for the record.”

“Silva Torris.” the human spoke. 

“What is your profession Ms. Torris?” 

“I am a biochemist.” 

“And what does a biochemist  do?”

Silva cocked her head to the side. “Are you people fucking stupid or have you not advanced past the dark ages yet?”

More clamor came from the onlookers but a slam of the Arbitrators fist against their stand silenced them. 

“Permission to treat the prisoner as hostile?” the Accuser asked the Arbitrator General. Receiving a subtle nod the Accuser pressed another key on their data pad and the shackles of the human sent a strong jolt of electricity coursing through Silva’s body.

The suddenness took her off-guard and she recoiled as if she had just been punched in the stomach. She was bent over when the Accuser repeated the question and she straightened herself out. 

“I study the chemical reactions of living organisms.” 

“Do you know why you are here today?” 

She shrugged. “Clearly not for my sense of humor.” To which she was then shocked again by the Accuser. 

“You are here,” the Accuser began as his platform circled Silva’s podium slowly, “because you released chemical agents on Savan VI that have resulted in the deaths of more than 400 souls.” 

They leaned in close to Silva. “Do you deny this?” 

Silva looked at the Accuser, matching his stare. “Before I answer your question, would you answer one of mine?” 

Silva received another shock but this time was better prepared for it. 

“You can shock me all day but you won’t get an answer from me until you answer my question.”

The Accuser was about to shock her again when the Arbitrator held up a hand to forestall it. They looked down at Silva with a inquisitive look. “What is your question, human?” 

Relaxing slightly at not getting shocked again, Silva rolled her shoulders to stretch them out and looked at the onlookers. 

“Is a human or Gillden more biologically perfect?” 

The onlookers and Accuser laughed and even the slamming of the Arbitrator’s fist was not enough to silence them this time. 

Floating in front of her again the Accuser looked down at her. “Gillden’s are clearly superior to humans.”

“And how do you know that?” 

The Accuser looked at the human in puzzlement. “It is a simply a well know fact.” 

“Do you have proof of it? Reliable sources” 

The Accuser seemed unsure how to answer and coughed before attempting to regain the initiative. 

“We are getting off topic now. I have answered your question now you mus-”

“But you haven’t.” Silva cut in, “You have answered my question with a statement supported by nothing but ones beliefs. Belief does not change the world around you. I could believe that I can fly and escape this prosecution but that does not make it fact nor will it change my situation. Therefore your belief that you are superior holds as much weight as your belief that I am guilty.” 

The only sound to come from the Accuser was a series of starts and stops of replies of sentences of rebukes and counter arguments not being made and dying in his throat. Rather than say anything the Accuser reached for their pad and triggered a shock causing Silva to bend over again in pain. 

When the shock finally stopped Silva coughed several times before spitting out a blotch of blood on to the podium. 

“Is that how the Gillden do things?” she mockingly said. “When you are proven wrong by facts you seek to undermine those who have proven you wrong? Do facts mean nothing?!”

The Accuser was bristling in rage now. 

“Since you seem so keen on facts let us bring up some.” 

With a wave of his hand the holograms changed and showed footage of a crowded plaza near the market district. The footage was from a floating security drone that monitored the area so the quality was immaculate.

Out of the corner of the busy plaza came a large moving van. It came to a stop on the outskirts of the plaza and the drivers cab door opened just as the Accuser paused the video. 

“That is you Ms. Torris is it not?” 

“It is.” she confirmed as the video continued playing. 

Hopping out of the van’s driver side door and approaching the back she slapped the side of the van three times and the back opened up. Two cargo bots stepped out carrying between them a strange metallic cylinder. Once it was set down Silva stepped forward and began twisting and turning several nobs on the device before leaving it and returning to the front of the van. 

The two loader bots hopped back into the van as the back closed and the vehicle drove away leaving behind the strange device. 

Several seconds passed and everything on camera appeared normal until an elderly Gillden collapsed to the ground near the cylinder. Those nearby rushed to their aide but upon getting within a foot of the collapsed Gillden they too began to spasm and collapse to the ground. 

Spreading out from their like a wave as the seconds passed more and more of the people in the Plaza began to convulse and collapse to the ground clutching at themselves wildly. Some tried to grab their young and carry them to safety only to fall and crush them under their own weight. 

In a matter of minutes the entire once bustling plaza was left littered with the bodies of the dead. 

The Accuser turned back to face Silva. “The fact is that three days ago you entered the market district and unleashed a deadly chemical agent. Within the hour the entire district was sealed off as the contagion began to spread from person to person like fire and rages on even now.”

They glared down at her, her mask of disinterest all the more infuriating to him as he seemingly nailed her to the wall. 

“Do you deny that it was you in the video who murdered those Gillden?” 

Silva shook her head, but before the Accuser could pronounce her guilt she continued. 

“That indeed was me in the video but it was not murder.” 

Rounding on her in surprise the Accuser had to stop themselves from physically striking her.

“What else would you call such madness?!?”

She once again shrugged her shoulders. 

“A scientific experiment.” 

The Accuser’s mouth hung open in disbelief so Silva continued. 

“For centuries the Gillden people have proclaimed themselves as you have just now to be the most supreme species in the entire universe. I put that question to the test with a common mutagenic from my homeworld and released it into your populace to study the results. I was unimpressed by the results.” 

The calmness in which she casually described this horrific act shook everyone present to the core. 

Wrongfully thinking she had correctly assumed the expressions of those around her Silva continued. “My first case was somewhat inconclusive as you interrupted me before I could finish gathering data so I prepared a second test to further disprove your superiority belief and replace it with hard facts.” 

This was a surprise to all present. “What do you mean “second test”? Have you planted another device on our world?!?” 

Silva shook her head. “This time I thought it best if I witnessed the results first hand.”

Before the Accuser could continue his line of questioning he felt his muscles begin to tense. His eyes began to become blurry and he wiped them away as he tried to focus. He looked down at his sleeve to see to his horror that it was smeared with his blood as his eyes became blurry once more. 

Coughing and gurgling could be heard behind him and he turned to see the onlookers and even the Arbitrator General showing similar side effects as their eyes began to bleed and their muscles locked up. He saw the Arbitrator begin convulsing rapidly to the point they lost balance from their stand and fell into the great maw below them in a silent scream of horror. 

The Accuser collapsed to their platform and nearly fell themselves before they grabbed hold of the edges. He looked up through blood clotting eyes to see Silva kneeling over him looking at him with an ponderous gaze. 

“The chemical agent is neutral in liquid form,” she began calmly as if the Accusers dying gasps were nothing but a nuisance, “but once the liquid evaporates it becomes active and turns into an airborne agent. Frankly rather hard to design chemically but I would settle for nothing less for my experiments.

Silva slowly knelt down and drew her finger across the dried blood she had coughed up earlier. “It is amazing when one species is so completely immune to something they can even carry it in their body as if it was nothing more luggage.” She looked over at the Accuser with a look of disdain. “Your people really should have spent more time doing medical checks than beating me in prison.” 

The Accuser attempted to make a lunge at her with one of his free arms but missed as his body suddenly convulsed. He lost his grip with his other hand and to his horror he could feel his body begin to fall into the gaping maw below. 

“I guess you weren’t as superior as you thought.” 

Silva’s final words to the Accuser rang out to him as the darkness of the maw swallowed him whole.  

[soldierswar]

Kobik - X (Final Chapter)

Bucky x Reader

Pure fluff

Synopsis: You're just gonna have to read the fluff to find what this chapter is about. ;)

Masterlist

....................

“Okay but seriously…Where the hell are we going?”

You may have not been able to see Bucky through the blindfold, but you could have sworn that you could hear his eyes rolling.

“Y/N, you do realize that that defeats the entire purpose of a surprise don’t you?”

You crossed your arms and let out a loud and dramatic groan sinking down the passengers’ seat of the car.

“We’re almost there,” Bucky chuckled.

You rested your hand on your belly and playfully whispered to it.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

Again, you could sense Bucky’s eyes rolling.

After about 30 minutes of driving, the car came to a stop.

“Can I take the blindfold off?”

“Not until I tell you, doll,” Bucky ordered.

You could hear him get out of the car before opening yours and carefully guiding you to step out.

“Oh, how gentlemanly of you,” you remarked sarcastically.

“You know, I can turn around and take us back home,” Bucky joked while guiding you to walk backward with him for an alarming amount of steps. You didn’t know if you should continue to be annoyed, or if you should be nervous or…excited?

“Okay,” Bucky said breathily.

“Take it off.”

You nervously untied the bandana and removed it taking a second to let your eyes adjust to actual sunlight. When you managed to be able to see you saw none other than…A house?

“Is this where Kobik lives?” you asked.

It was a really nice two-story house painted a deep blue on the outside. It was almost exactly the kind of house that you had always dreamed of having since you were a little girl. It had a little garden of roses in the front yard of the house which was enclosed by a short, black wooden gate. You could see that there was also a backyard, and the most beautiful porch on the right side of the house.

“I thought she lived a little further away than 30 minutes…”

“Yes she does,” Bucky answered.

“Okay, then why are we he—”

And then you found yourself pausing.

This place looked familiar. Eerily familiar. But at the same time, you could have sworn that you’d never seen this house before.

You found your attention pointing to exact spots that were clearly familiar. This was…

“Bucky this isn’t…”

He didn’t answer. He just stayed behind you continuing to rest his hands on your upper arms.

“This can’t be…”

You turned your face to his direction to see none other than that sly smile on his lips and a raised eyebrow.

“It can’t?”

“No…That’s impossi—”

But you could see it in his eyes. You were exactly where you were thinking you were.

It was your secret spot.

But now it wasn’t an old broken-down shell of a house. The giant blocks of broken concrete that you sat on barely weeks ago where you told Bucky some of the most shocking news of your life were gone. Everything was…Perfect.

“Surprise!” you heard a familiar voice yell moments before the little figure bolted out of the magically opening door giving you the biggest hug. Oh, how you missed her hugs.

As you swung her around and held her tight another realization hit you. And you froze.

The amount of time that it had taken to clear all of the rubble, build a new house, and create the type of atmosphere that surrounded you was almost…No, literally impossible. Unless…

“Kobik?” you questioned, holding her as she continued to hug you.

“Did you do this?”

She pulled away and gave you the happiest nod.

“I wanted it to be my first big project!” she exclaimed.

“I could see in your mind that you wanted a house just like this.”

You turned to Bucky who was smiling at the both of you.

“Project?” you asked dumbfoundedly.

“This was her idea. I just helped her with some of the details…And I think you forget that she’s kind of a mind-reader.”

“Bucky you can’t be serious…”

With Kobik still in your arms, he pulled closer to you and kissed you on top of the head and said,

“Welcome home.”

…

Kobik was incredibly antsy to show you every inch of the house. And they were right. It was a complete replica of what you had always wanted. Even a little more.

The living room had an old-style brick wall with a fireplace along with a small dining area painted a deep red.

In the upstairs area, there was a massive bedroom painted black and white decorated with photos that you had put in storage not too long ago. And the highlight, the biggest walk-in closet that you had ever seen in your life.

“Come on!” Kobik exclaimed hurriedly.

“I haven’t shown you my favourite parts yet!”

She excitedly took you by the hand.

She took you into an electric blue room with a twin bed covered with a comforter decorated with big lighting bolts.

“You said I can come visit right?” she asked hopefully.

She made her own room. And it made you want to cry.

With her hand holding yours, she knew how you felt.

“And…” Bucky added.

“The grand finale.”

He swung the last door open, and you couldn’t believe what you saw.

It was a room decorated with your favourite animal. Elephants. Along with…a crib and a really comfy-looking rocking chair. Things that would be needed for a room for…a baby.

Now…You were in tears, and Bucky came up from behind you and held you tight rocking you while you giggled and composed yourself.

“Do you like it?” she grinned.

How did you get so lucky?

…

You, Bucky, and Kobik spent the rest of the day together in the…in your new house.

During Kobik’s time away from you, she had been learning so much more about her powers. She was way more powerful than she or her new guardians had anticipated. Not even Kobik knew how powerful she could be. She excitedly told you stories next to the fireplace (with a blue fire manifested by Kobik), about what she was learning to do. She even talked about what she considered to be the ‘boring’ parts. But they were things that were extreme scientific breakthroughs.

The thing that mattered to you most was that seemed really happy. And despite the hole in your heart that you felt when she wasn’t around, you were incredibly happy for her. Bucky was right. She needed to grow, and growing was exactly what she was doing.

Suddenly you could have sworn that you could hear a little pitter-patter upstairs.

The first time you tried to disregard it. But after the fourth time, you had to ask.

“What the hell is that?”

“What the hell is what?” she replied.

Before Bucky or Kobik could answer any further, a white cat with electric eyes somewhat like Kobik’s emerged through the wall exactly how Kobik would when she was too underwhelmed with the notion of opening and closing a door to enter and exit rooms.

“What the hell is that?” you shrieked.

“Alpine there you are!”

What did she say? What did she just call her? And why was she so familiar with her?

“Alpine?”

“She’s all white and Kobik thought it just made sense.”

“She was kind of an accident. But she’s really friendly,” Kobik explained.

“Whoops.”

“I mean we’re not exactly new to accidents. Right, Y/N?”

You smacked him on the arm.

“Let me guess…The supernatural cat is staying with us isn't she.”

“Hazel’s kind of allergic to cats,” Kobik cringed.

“Here kitty,” Bucky called, and Alpine trotted over to him and rubbed herself against his knee.

You rolled your eyes, giggled, and submitted to keeping the freaky but friendly-looking cat.

This was it. Even if you didn’t know it this was everything that you could have wanted. There you were sitting in a house that weeks ago was nothing but an abandoned lot with a broken building that oddly you and Bucky sometimes found as a sanctuary. A place where you had revealed that whether you were ready or not you were going to start a family. And most of all, the place where Bucky revealed to you a true treasure that was no one else but Kobik.

You were happy.

They were happy.

And the most important thing…All of you were loved.

Notes: HEY GUYS! Thank you so so much for being patient with these last few chapter updates. Life just got really stressful, and bad, and then ended up in a mental hospital last week lol. (Idk why I'm admitting this.)

I want you to know that this isn't the end of Kobik. I'm way to attached to her to never write about her again so you'll see some one-shots every now and again. Let me know if you would like to continue to be tagged.

I hope you enjoyed the ride. Thanks for being so supportive.

Tagged: @blakefc @cherry-shake @buckylove123 @teenagedreams-bucky @typicalnerd98 @veroxloki @white-wolf-buckaroo @acciosiriusblack @pastel-boy-sungjae @flightsandfantasy @noiralei @unstablesleepygal @general-latino

[zombiekillerky]

{ROTTMNT Fanfic} - Insomnia

(This Fanfic was inspired by @dovelydraws​ with their wonderful fanart they made of Rottmnt. Please go show them some support on their account!!)

( WARNING : This is not Turtle x Turtle related at all, this is purely just some family scenarios with no relationships at all what’s so ever. Just regular day in the life turtle stuff)

Leo would never admit it to anyone that he was starting to get Insomnia. His usual joyful and sarcastic self would never tell anyone about his sleepless nights he had been having. Ever since the fight with Draxum and Big Mama at her hotel about the ooze-squitos. He hasn’t been able to sleep at least a couple of hours. He could pin point why he wasn’t having any luck on one thing that came to mind every time he thought about it. Him falling from a skyscraper that had at least around 52 floors or more. He would say it could be PTSD, but he chose not to think about it and just ignored it for the time being. Pushing everything to the side in order to make it through the day with out being questioned over and over by his family. The turtle in blue would say the last time he had a decent sleep was last week or maybe the week before. The fight took place on what he thought was Tuesday. So 9 days he hasn’t been able to catch a few Z’s in order to function properly. It was getting to the egotistical turtle a lot, taking a toll on how he acted and functioned during the day. His reflexes a lot slower then normal and barely any comebacks and puns left his mouth as the days went by. Yet he couldn’t tell his brothers what was going on with him, feeling as though he would just be bothering them at this point. But the looks they give him during the day make him realize that they are on to him more then he thought. 

Leonardo walked out of his bedroom, covering his mouth as he let out a small yawn before returning to the front area. His brothers had just woken up at their regular times of the day. At least from what he thought since he could hear some of their voices in different rooms when he first decided to leave his dark room. Yet here he was not a wink of sleep, walking out like a zombie that rises fresh from the grave. Did he want to make a joke about himself, yeah, but he had to keep his personal issues a secret. At this point in time he was sure his brother’s had noticed a change in his body and the way he has looked. It was one of the things the turtle in blue didn’t want to deal with or talk about at the moment. He just wanted a calm day, maybe by himself if he was feeling up to it. As the laid back turtle walked in to the kitchen area his brother glanced at him in confusion. Mikey quickly glanced around the corner to make sure Leo was in there before going to his brothers in Donnie’s lab. As he walked in they both gave him the same look he thought they would give him before he fully entered.

“What’s up with Leo guys, he looks so tired and sad all of a sudden....do you think something happen to him?” Mikey asked as he hugged himself thinking about how he has been looking the past couple of days. He’s been wanting to ask him about it for a while now, but knowing Leo he would just tell him he’s fine and brush it off. Leo has always never really wanted to talk about his true feelings with things. They were all almost used to that aspect of him by now from previous times. But the state his brother was in was starting to worry Mikey greatly. He would do anything for his brother to make sure he was okay. The youngest of the three turtles glanced to the oldest for answers, watching his tense and anxious nature was not helping him at all.

“I don’t know but he keeps stealing my coffee in the morning and it’s starting to annoy me. That’s one of the main things that keeps me going and not having all of it is taking me down a notch” Donnie replied as he turned in his chair to face his younger brother standing behind him. The words that left his mouth seemed like he was more annoyed hen worried at the moment. Even though they were very serious about their brother’s condition and state of mind. Taking note on his worried face he had at the moment like it was a surprise to him. Donnie wouldn’t admit it but he has noticed his brother’s sudden change in behavior lately. His usual annoying self has died down a bit which he would say was good. But it was so weird not hearing his sarcastic come backs and his puns he always says through out the day. He also didn’t want to admit it but he did kind of miss his sarcastic attitude he had in certain situations. Realizing this is what it would have been like if he made his gift to him permanent. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted things to be like that now that he got a small taste of this attitude.

“Do you think something is bothering him?”

“Of course there is Raph other wise why would he look like a zombie coming out of his room every morning the past couple of days then?”

“Nightmares?”

“I don’t think Nardo would get that scared of nightmares like you and Mikey do when you both have them” Donnie replied, a frustrated sigh followed as he rested his head on his palm. Not wanting to continue his sentence in worry that his brother’s would get offended by his words, which they would have. But his main thought was trying to think of a possible way his brother could be acting so different then normal. He felt as though he would be the only one to find out why especially with his scientific skills on board. The overly smart turtle over heard his older brother sigh as he glanced out of the lab. Watching their brother in need walk out of the kitchen with a coffee cup and a cookie in his hand for his so called breakfast. You could smell how strong the coffee was from where they were standing. Raph couldn’t unseen the look on his brother’s face, the tired, emotionless look he was giving like he was in thought all of the time. This wasn’t the Leo he knew no, there was defiantly something up with him and he was desperate to know what. He was supposed to know what was wrong and how to make things better. He was the older brother, this was his responsibility to know what was up. He felt like he was failing him in some way not officially knowing what was making him sad.

“I should just go and ask him-”

“No you’ll just annoy him by asking him Raph, I’ll handle this alright just give me some time.” Donnie replied as he turned back around to work on his bow staff. The simple taps of his foot hitting the ground showed he was in thought at the moment. Raphael bit his bottom lip as his brow knitted together. It didn’t look like he was trying to figure out what was wrong with their brother at all. It almost looked like he didn’t care that much if he was being quite honest. Maybe this was just Donnie’s version of tough love that he gave. But Raphael wasn’t having any of it, he needed to know what was up and now before things got worse. The eldest of the turtle’s in the room started to walk out. His gaze turned to Mikey who was following right behind him. Already knowing what his older brother was up to and wanted to help out like always. The duo of the lighter colored masked turtles made their way out of Donnie’s lab as quickly as they could. Making it to a point where they could actually speak to each other in private of their other brother’s in their home.

“What are we gonna do now Raph....what if Leo says nothing to us?” Mikey asked suddenly, doubting his skills to help his brother in need. Raph was honestly thinking the same thing at the moment. But he knew he couldn’t tell his younger brother he had the same doubts in mind. He needed to stay positive about this whole thing and hope for the best out come. 

“Well we aren’t going to force him in to doing anything....we just need to make sure that he is alright....if he doesn’t want to tell us what is going on then he doesn’t have to if he isn’t comfortable enough.” Raphael replied, watching the ends of Mikey’s lips curl in to a small warming smile. The leader in red wasn’t to sure about his own skills in comforting his brother at the moment either. But he needed to try, he has vented to Leo in the past about some problems of his. So he needs to make sure he knows that he is there for him too. The turtle in red sighed slightly, covering his mouth with the end of his fist as he stood there in thought. Thinking of the best way for him to go in there and ask him what was up. His overthinking nature was taking over his mind at the moment, making him unsure of everything. Raph soon stopped himself, clearing his throat before walking over where his brother’s room was. His steps were quiet as he walking carefully over. Noticing the light was off that he usual turned on when he woke up. Raph’s gaze went back toward his little brother behind him. Getting a quick thumbs up with a small grin that followed for good luck. His hand raised and returned the gesture before walking in after knocking on the side of the cement in the doorway. 

“Hey Leo what are you doing?” Raph asked calmly like any other normal day of the week. Watching Leo set his comic book down he seemed to reread over and over every once and a while. He took note on the look on his face, the bags underneath his eyes. Not to mention how slow he was really moving. The turtle in blue stretched slightly, hearing a small pop of his back before shrugging ever so slightly as a reply. Raphael soon walked in after, feeling like he was sort of welcomed in by his brother. The end of Leo’s bed sunk due to his weight being on the end compared to Leo’s in the middle. The awkward silence was very unsettling as they sat in the dark bedroom next to each other. Something neither of them were used to with their quite loud family they have. 

“Nothing” Was the soft reply that was heard coming out of Leo’s mouth. His expressions were slow and his excitement was minimal then what his normal range was. Raph’s eyes darted around the room for something to talk about, feeling as though he shouldn’t get straight to the point of why he came in to his room. 

“D-Did you need something? Wanting a training partner like you said yesterday?” Leo asked to try and lighten the mood. Faking acting like he was himself when Raph could see right through his brother’s charade. Raphael leaned forward and rested his hand on Leo’s shoulder. The laid back turtle glanced up in to his brother’s eyes questionably. Already bracing himself for the questions to come once he saw the worried look in his eyes. His gazed went to the side and found his much younger brother in the doorway as well. Acting as if he wasn’t there and Leo couldn’t see him. But right now he needed to pay attention to what his older brother was saying.

“Are you okay?”

“Define okay.....I think I’m fine why?”

“Like overthinking? Sleeping issues? Nightmares at all?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Leo don’t deny it, we have seen you coming out of your room the past few days looking like you haven’t slept at all. It’s starting to worry us even if you don’t see that. I’m speaking for all of us at the moment” Raphael replied as he moved closer to his brother on the bed. Taking note of his expression of thought he had at the moment. The turtle in blue was trying his best to make up an excuse, a lie of some sort to make it seem like he was fine. But the truth was screaming to be let out of him, hoping they could help him in some way. This whole no sleep act was getting to him in more ways then he could count. He couldn’t take this annoying pain away no matter how hard he tried, he just always seemed to wake himself up. Leo’s eyes darted around the room, finally locking with Raph’s as he stared down at him. He would never be able to lie to his face even if he tried. The turtle in blue bounced his leg out of anxiety, running his hand behind his head all the way down to his neck nervously.  

A sigh left Leo’s lips as he leaned forward and rested his forehead on his brother’s muscular arm. Giving up on trying to lie to his brother trying to help him. Raph happily wrapped his arm around him to comfort his brother in need. Watching his eyes stare out at the wall as they screamed for help but no words came out of his mouth. This was his plead to him he felt almost with how quiet he got. 

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Raph asked Leo in his arms, feeling him shake his head calmly and slowly up against him. This concerned Raphael greatly once he learned of that. He bit his bottom lip slightly as he glanced back at Mikey standing there nervously. His eyes went back down to his brother sitting there up against him. Things were now tying up together from what Raph assumed before hand.

“How long has it been since you have actually slept bro.....please be honest with me here?” The older brother in red asked calmly in a soothing tone. Hearing a small sigh as Leo shrugged his shoulder’s slightly in return. Worrying Raph even more so then before hand.

“I don’t remember the last time I had a really nice sleep if I’m being quite honest Raphie” Leo replied with a warn out grin on his face to hide away the pain. Raphael’s brow knitted together as he thought about what he had said more and more. Not being able to understand why his brother was suddenly having bad sleeping issues. Leonardo was one of the main turtles that got good sleep being as though he complained when not getting his usual hours when he woke up to early. Why hasn’t he even told him about this before hand, Leo was one to speak his mind about something he thought was off. He spoke his mind about Big Mama and here she was a villain after all. 

“Why haven’t you been able to sleep.....is there something wrong? Something keeping you up at night Leo?” Raph asked softly, watching Leo’s eyes squint as he tried to think of something. Raphael waited patiently for him to answer, watching his expressions change as he rested against him. The turtle in red couldn’t really pin point anything on his bad sleeping issues at all. Not knowing what was bothering him made his heart ache, he should know after all. The guilt was rising in him that he didn’t know and wasn’t there for his brother when this first started to happen. Feeling idiotic for not realizing sooner and acting sooner then this.

“I-I don’t really know if I’m being quite honest..... the only thing I can really think of is when I was thrown off that roof top back when we were fighting Draxum on Big Mama’s hotel building....nothing comes to mind besides that moment and it’s the only thing that ties up to when I started not being able to sleep I think....I’m not sure other then that.” Leo replied as he glanced up at Raph in front of him. Raphael’s eyes widened in realization as he recalled that night clear as day. Draxum held him over the roof top and asked Raph either his brother or the bugs. Raph was sure he was bluffing, being that he thought every villain does. But once he saw his brother was thrown off the roof as soon as he said no to giving him the bugs. He dropped the jar of ooze-suitos immediately to go and save him. It was close he would admit and he wasn’t sure how he activated his powers. But he saved his brother from falling at the last second and made sure he was okay before they made it back to the others. He hadn’t even realized that fall had caused his brother trauma secretly. He had just assumed since they have been up on the roof tops for ages that he would have been used to the fall and the height. Raph’s eyes darted back down to Leo sitting there with his tired look. His arm keeping him up on the bed soon wrapped around his shell and pulled him in closer.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t see this before bro, I should have noticed this sooner then I did and maybe we could have helped you earlier then this....maybe I could have acted faster then I did back then and saved you quicker”

“no no Raph it’s not your fault bro come on, it’s okay....I’m okay....i forgive you if that’s what you want to hear....but it’s not your fault”

“I am really sorry though Leo....truly I am”

“Yeah we’re so sorry Leo” They both heard Mikey say from the door way with a guilty look on his face. Leo smiled softly as he held his hand out, motioning for him to come on to the bed. Which Mikey immediately did so and joined in on the group hug as soon as he could. For once Leo actually felt safe, he felt all the anxiety go away from him in their arms that held him tight. Comfortable like nothing could touch him like the times when they were little.

“It’s alright guys....I-I’m fine really....I just need to get this under control”

“Well we are here for you bro no matter what, we’ll always be here if you need us” Mikey replied lovingly as he hugged Leo tighter, making the laid back turtle chuckle softly. 

“Well....we could try sleeping medication now that we have found the route of what has caused you such trauma and stress lately. Getting that off of your chest is the first step and if things don’t go back to normal sleeping medication is the next answer for now” The three turtles on the bed glanced toward the door way and found Donnie standing there propped up against the side. Arms crossed as he gazed inside with a small worried look on his face he hoped they couldn’t see. This was the “I try to cover up my worry” look as Leo likes to call it. The turtle in blue smiled softly at him as a thanks, not even daring to move away from his brothers holding him. He didn’t even notice sleep taking him over slowly as he sat there with him.

“Sounds like a plan then D” Leo replied with a small yawn, resting his head back against Raph’s arm tiredly. His eyes slowly shutting as a result of the lack of sleep he has been getting. Raph only smiled as he held a finger to his lips at his two other younger brothers in the room.

“Looks like we’re gonna have a day off today then guys” Raph soon said as he heard the small snores coming from his brother in blue in his arms at the moment. Realizing comfort was one of the things the turtle needed all along to help him get some shut eye. The eldest turtle slowly moved up against the wall in order to rest. Having Leo moved on to his plastron and Mikey right beside him. Noticing Mikey was falling slowly asleep too as he spoke. Raph’s eyes darted over toward Donnie walking in to the room slowly. His hands carefully grabbed a hold of the somewhat folded blanket on the edge of the bed sheets. For someone so loud in their lab he was moving extra carefully and quietly to not wake Leo up.

“His body has probably given up on the resistance of sleep due to the lack of it this whole time.....It seems like you both have helped him by comforting him” Donnie said as he carefully laid the blanket over his overly exhausted brother sleeping up against Raph. Noticing Mikey’s falling asleep as well. 

“Do you want to join too D? I know you stayed up til 3 last night so don’t play games with me.”

“Well I do have some projects I would like to work on....but I am running low on sleep too soooo...” Donnie replied as he looked down upon them on the bed. Noticing Raph smirking since he knew what his answer was going to be. Donnie sighed as he took a step on to the bed and laid up against Raph’s other side. Taking his battle shell off since he wasn’t gong anywhere before laying down comfortably up against him as well. The turtle in red smiled softly to himself as he stared up at Leo’s ceiling. Getting nostalgia from when they were younger since this was how they used to sleep some days. The turtle in red’s eyes slowly started to shut. Glad that he could help his brother in need when he could at that Leo was finally getting some sleep. 

[the-most-slytherin-hufflepuff]

Chapter 7

It has been scientifically proven by no one that writer’s block sucks. I hate it, but i managed to finish this chapter so I guess it’s ok. Credit for the characters goes to @lumosinlove. The idea came from @heyitssmiller and her anons. I hope you enjoy the chapter. 

Masterlist the flower that literally no one asked for

Finn smiled fondly when they saw Leo hiding behind one of the trees. Katie came running up to them and tapped their leg to get Finn’s attention. “Have you seen Leo?”

They pretended to think about it. Katie had been trying to find Leo for at least ten minutes, but every time she came close to finding him he sneaked away.

“Sorry sweetheart, I haven’t”. Her face fell slightly, “maybe Lo has seen him.” Katie smiled up at them before running to where Logan was talking with June and Adele.

Finn walked to where they had seen Leo hiding. They were looking at Katie to make sure she wouldn’t accidentally see them. “Nice hiding spot.”

Leo jumped a little, a small noise of surprise leaving his lips. He turned around and glared at Finn, hitting them on the shoulder lightly. “Don’t scare me like that.” Finn laughed at Leo’s glare.

Leo shushed them harshly, he looked back to make sure Katie was still looking for him. Finn lifted their hands in mock surrender and backed away slowly. “Sorry”, they whispered.

They could hear Katie’s giggles as she ran to where Leo was hiding, but he and Finn weren’t paying attention to her anymore. Leo felt her hug his leg from the side, “I found you!”

“Damn”, he whispered. “How did you find me?” He said loud enough for her to hear him.

“Logan told me where you were.”

Leo saw Logan wave at him with an innocent smile on his face. Leo sent him a mock glare that made Logan laugh.

“Did he now?” Katie nodded in response before turning around and running inside the house.

He started walking towards Logan, Finn following behind him. Leo sat down besides June, crossing his arms and pouting at Logan. “Why did you tell her where I was?”

Logan shrugged before answering. “You try saying no to that kid. It’s impossible.” Both June and Finn nodded in agreement while Adele just rolled her eyes. “No it’s not Logan”, she began, “you are just weak.”

Logan made a sound of indignation. “Have you ever told her no?” he challenged.

“Yes Logan.” She said it like it was the most obvious thing ever. “It’s really not that hard. Mom does it all the time.”

Logan sighed in defeat. “Yeah, you’re right.” He hung his head in shame. “I’m weak.”

Logan lifted his head up when he heard Celeste calling them inside for lunch. Leo really liked Celeste, she was kind and gentle with him. He had been nervous to meet her, even though deep down he knew she wouldn’t be like Walburga his brain still found a million and one reasons to worry.

They got up and went inside. June sat between Adele and Katie who was sat besides Marc while Leo, Finn, and Logan sat opposite to them with Pascal and Celeste sat at either ends of the table.

“What are you three doing today?” Celeste had taken to asking about all three of them instead of just Finn and Logan. The two had rarely left Leo’s side since they had arrived anyway.

“We were planning on taking Leo to see the town.”

Leo turned away from his conversation with June when he heard Logan mention his name. “Wait”, he looked between Finn and Logan, “really?”

Finn smiled softly at his childlike enthusiasm. “Yeah, I mean only if you want to.”

“Of course I want to”, he was practically bouncing out of his seat from excitement.

“Can we braid your hair again?” Katie asked Leo with a pleading look in her eyes. Logan was right, Leo thought, saying no to her was hard. “Sure thing Katie”

After lunch Katie, Adele, and Marc took Leo away to Logan’s and Finn’s room. The girls sat him down on the bed he had been sleeping on the past few days while Marc went to get some flowers to decorate the braid. Leo picked up a book to read while the girls worked, the three of them settling into a comfortable silence.

Adele parted his hair in the middle, handing half of it to Katie so that she could begin her braid. When Marc got back he dumped a bunch of multicolored flowers at the foot of the bed and began carefully putting them into the braids that Katie and Adele had made. He placed the flowers where the braids were separate, stopping where the two braids turned into a single one, making it look like Leo was wearing a yellow and blue halo.

Leo looked up from his book when he heard knocking. “Who is it?” Katie yelled from behind him.

“It's Logan.” His reply was muffled by the door. “Can I come in?”

“No”, answered Adele.

“Why not?”, this time it was Finn’s voice that came through.

“Because”, Katie said in a condescending tone, “you’re gonna ruin the surprise.”

Leo heard who he suspected to be Logan groan, a small thud followed by the sound of someone sliding down the door making him chuckle. He felt Katie smothering her giggles on the back of his shirt. He was beginning to think she just liked to annoy Logan like any good sister should.

Adele gasped dramatically. “Something's missing.” Leo stared at her dumbly.

“What?” He asked.

“I got it!” Leo did not like the mischievous glint in her eyes. She got off of the bed and walked toward Logan’s wardrobe, Leo’s eyes went wide when he realized what she was doing.

“No.” He said bluntly.

She ignored him, taking one of Logan’s worn long sleeved jackets. “Adele”, she looked at him, “I can’t wear Logan’s clothes”.

“Why not?”

“Because they won’t fit”. That wasn’t the real reason, but it was as good of an excuse as any he could’ve come up with right then and there.

“Oh don’t worry about that, this one is actually a jacket he stole from Finn”, she gave him a smile, “it should fit just fine.” She tried to make herself sound innocent, Leo didn’t know what she was trying to do, he didn’t want to know either. He just knew she didn’t look, nor did she sound, the least bit innocent.

Leo sighed, he wasn’t getting out of this one. Either he admitted to the feelings he knew he shouldn’t be feeling right now or he agreed to her making him wear the jacket. “Fine”, he said, “I’ll wear it. But if Logan gets mad at me for putting it on I’m blaming you.”

“And I’ll throw the blame on Katie, he won’t say anything to her.” Leo saw Katie nod, a feeling of dread building in his stomach. “The two of you are a menace.” He saw Adele smirk and Katie looking proud of herself.

“Can we show Finn and Logan now?” Katie nodded at Marc’s question, getting off the bed and walking towards the door. Leo, Adele, and Marc following after her. Leo put a hand on her shoulder, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. She moved out of the way so that Leo could open the door.

Leo opened the door abruptly. Logan fell through, the wood no longer supporting him. He looked up at Leo and froze, if he hadn’t already decided that Leo was the most gorgeous man he had ever seen this definitely confirmed it for him. “Hey”, he tried to make it sound like a complaint, he failed.

Finn’s hands were covering their face as they tried to stop their laughter. When they managed to get it under control they offered a hand to Logan so he could sit up. He took it, grateful to have something to look at that wasn’t Leo.

Leo with flowers in his hair. Leo who was wearing his jacket that was actually Finn’s jacket. Leo with his pink cheeks and dimples and eyes shining with mirth.

Logan looked at Finn for a moment. He noticed the moment they looked at Leo, he wouldn’t have caught it if he wasn’t sitting so close to them. He saw Finn swallow, heard their breath hitch, Finn’s fingers tightening around his hand. Finn’s eyes met his for a moment, and Logan knew they were thinking the same thing he had.

“Is that my jacket”, was the first thing Finn said.

Logan saw Leo blush, he didn’t think Leo could get any prettier. “Y-Yes”. Leo’s nervousness made Logan melt a little. He thought maybe he shouldn’t be so in love with someone he had known for such a short time, but who was going to stop him anyway.

“It looks good on you”, Finn said. “It actually, you know, fits”. They gave Logan a pointed look. To anyone else it would seem like they were making fun of how big the jacket was on Logan, but he knew better. Leo wearing the jacket that belonged to Finn, but Logan usually wore, made sense. The same way their love for him and each other made sense to Logan and Finn.

“Thanks”. Leo fidgeted with the sleeves. “It was Adele’s idea.”

Of course it had been her idea. She gave Logan a knowing look. Adele always knew them too well. She was the one that helped Logan realize his feelings for Finn. She was the one that Finn first told about how they weren’t really a boy, but they weren’t a girl either. She had been the one that helped Finn feel comfortable enough to tell everyone. It was always Adele, and now Katie, if the smug look she was giving them was any indication.

“Can we take Leo to town now or do you plan to kidnap him again”. Finn looked at Katie for an answer. She pretended to think about it before answering, “you can have him, but I’m gonna need him back tomorrow.”

“Why?” Logan asked.

“Because he promised to teach me how to paint the sky. June is better at faces than landscapes.”

Logan nodded. He and Finn stood up from the ground and looked at Leo, he still had a small blush on his face.

“Come on”, Logan said softly, “if we leave now we can be back just in time for Celeste to not kill us from being late to dinner.”

Leo laughed lightly. People might think it was Pascal they should be worried about, but after meeting both of them he realized Pascal spoiled every single one of his kids. Celeste did too, but she also preferred to know where all her kids were at all times and her worry for them was usually masked under a mix of mock anger and amusement.

When they reached the living room they saw June talking with Celeste and Pascal. Katie ran up to him and tugged at his sleeve. He picked her up and looked at the others. “Heading out I suppose.”

Celeste turned away from her conversation to look at them. “Don’t disappear for three days again.”

After reassuring Celeste that they wouldn’t disappear again and picking up the bag with the stolen crown they headed out. Leo had almost forgotten about it, the crown had always been there but the three of them barely talked about it. Celeste and Pascal had been both angry and proud when Logan told them why they had it. It hadn’t come up since, and Leo had been too distracted to actually care.

“Do you want to return it before or after exploring the town?” Finn asked.

Logan was the one to answer. “Before. Let’s get it over with, I’m kind of getting tired of carrying the bag around.” Leo nodded in agreement. Logan looked about ready to throw the bag over the castle wall and let them deal with it.

They reached the castle gates sooner than Leo had expected. He was glad, they could finally let go of the crown and walk around.

Logan walked up to one of the guards at the castle gates. He had a scar going down his face over one of his icy blue eyes. The guard looked at Logan suspiciously.

“Hello”. Logan sounded nervous. He took the bag that was slung across his back and handed it to the guard. “The stolen crown is in there.”

The guard raised an eyebrow at Logan before opening the bag, his eyes going wide at the golden circlet. “Where did you find this”

“My friend and I, we actually stumbled upon the Carrow twins in the forest, and my friend is an idiot with a hero complex. He decided that we had to do something about it.” Logan sighed, the memory of Finn’s stupid decision almost bringing a smile to his face. Almost.

“So you guys just”, the guard paused, tone disbelieving, “you just took it and ran?”

“Pretty much. We almost lost our heads but it was worth it.”

“You must want some form of compensation for this? So, what's it gonna be?”

“Oh, no. It’s fine really, we don't want anything, just give that back to whoever it belongs to, I guess”. Logan said, scratching the back of his neck.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t even know what we would ask for”.

Logan turned when he heard his name being called. He saw Leo beckoning him over, the viola flowers in his hair making him look almost ethereal.

”That would be my cue to leave”, Logan turned back to the guard before continuing, “have a nice day sir”.

“It’s Jackson, and thank you for returning this”, he said as he lifted the crown up, the metal reflecting the midday sun.

“It was no problem, really”.

Logan walked up to Finn and Leo with a smile on his face. “Where to first?” he asked. He saw Leo’s face brighten up in excitement, “I don’t know. We didn’t really plan this out.”

“We should go to the market, see what we find there.” Finn put their arm around Logan’s shoulders and began walking. “Calling you my friend was the weirdest thing ever.” Logan thought about it for a moment before speaking again, “scratch that, calling you he was the definitely weirder.”

Finn had to laugh at that. Being called he didn’t really sound all that weird, it didn’t feel right but they didn’t really tell anyone they didn’t trust to use their proper pronouns, they were used to being addressed as he. But being called Logan’s friend was definitely laughable. The two of them had never been just friends.

They looked over at Leo. He was looking around at everything, his eyes shining in amazement. The town’s market was filled with people, there was a group playing music and children running around.

Leo turned to look at Logan and Finn with a smile on his face, “This place is amazing.”

They spent the entire afternoon going through all the shops in the market. At one point Leo had started dancing to the music that was being played, everyone had joined him. Seeing Leo being so happy and carefree made Logan smile. It was hard to believe this was the same man that they had met in that tower. By the time the sun had started to set the three of them were headed back home. Leo didn’t know when he had started considering the house home.

He was walking a few steps behind Finn and Logan. The two were talking in low voices about something. Leo wasn’t paying them much attention, he was more interested in the few stars he could see now that the sunlight was dimming.

“Leo.” He heard Finn say his name. He managed to stop himself before crashing into Logan. He hadn’t noticed when they stopped walking.

“Yes?”

“Can we talk to you for a moment?” Logan asked. He kept his tone even but he still noticed Leo tense slightly.

“About what?” Finn didn’t like that Leo sounded scared.

Logan cursed under his breath, “we didn’t really think this one through did we?” He sighed. “We kinda need to talk to you about something important.” He sounded nervous, it put Leo on edge.

“Ok”, Leo’s voice was shaky.

They got closer to Leo. Logan wanted to take his hand, he didn’t. Instead he grabbed Finn’s, they both needed someone to hold onto right now.

“Umm, I don’t really know where to start.” Logan said, his cheeks turning pink.

Finn sighed, there was no easy way of doing this and they had already put Leo on edge. If they kept stalling things would start going wrong.

They took a moment to think about what they were going to say. “We are both kind of maybe falling in love”, they took a deep breath before finishing their sentence, “with you.”

“What?” Leo choked out.

“We both like you”. That was an understatement, Logan thought. “A lot.”

Leo didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think he trusted himself enough to speak anyway.

“Please say something”. If Leo didn’t say something soon Logan was sure he would go crazy.

“You both like me?”

“Yes.” Logan tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

“Why?” Leo couldn’t help when his voice broke.

Finn placed their hand on Leo’s cheek gently, they didn’t miss the tears that were gathering in Leo’s eyes. They looked at Leo. Really looked at him for the first time since they had started the conversation. He looked tense, Finn hated it. So they did the only thing they had been thinking of doing every time they looked at Leo.

Leo’s eyes fluttered shut when Finn kissed him a small noise of surprise leaving him. He heard Logan’s breath hitch. He thought maybe he should care more about the fact that he was being kissed by someone who already had a boyfriend, but he didn’t.

Because it felt right. Because he couldn’t imagine being kissed by anyone else and it feeling the same. Because even though Finn already had Logan and Logan had Finn he wanted to have them both. And maybe they both wanted him and maybe that was ok.

When Finn broke the kiss they looked at Leo. His eyes were still closed, but he didn’t look as tense anymore. His eyes opened slowly, almost like he didn’t want them to.

“Is this real?” Leo’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Very real.” Logan didn’t sound mad. He got closer to Leo.

“You’re not angry?”

“Why would I be angry at you Leo?” Logan got even closer to Leo until their faces were inches apart.

“Because your partner just kissed me and I thought maybe-”

Whatever Leo was going to say was interrupted when Logan kissed him. It was different than Finn. They both kissed differently. Leo liked both, he didn’t know how he could like them both the same for such different reasons but he did.

When they broke the kiss Leo let his head fall to Logan’s shoulder. “You both like me.” It wasn’t really a question, but Logan nodded regardless, arms wrapping around Leo.

“You kissed me.” Again Logan nodded. He didn’t really know what else to do.

Leo felt another pair of arms wrap around him tightly. He felt himself relax, leaning into both of them. He was surprised by how right it felt.

“What now?”

“Will you be our boyfriend?” It was Finn who asked.

“Is that even allowed? Can we love more than one person at once?” Logan didn’t like how small Leo sounded.

“I don’t think love has rules, sweetheart.” Leo smiled at the word. “But even if it did, we clearly don’t care for them.”

“Alright”, Leo said softly, “I’ll be your boyfriend. For as long as you’ll have me.”

Finn kissed Leo’s hair softly because they could now. “Nothing is taking you away from us baby.”

“You promise?” Leo still sounded unbearably small.

“I promise.”

[dannyphantomisameme]

Happy New Year!

I’m your secret Santa @faebiie! I decided to write a fic that incorporated both themes you requested: angst and Danny and Clockwork bonding. I hope you like it!

Danny’s fingers fidgeted nervously as he stared blankly at the floor. He sat at the edge of his bed, having woke up from his blaring alarm thirty minutes ago. His hair was a knotted mess from all his anxious tugging, tufts of hair twisting and turning in awkward directions. Dark bags encircled his eyes, hinting that he hadn’t slept in the past week or so.

Today marked the fourth anniversary of Danny’s accident, but also the day he swore to tell his parents his secret. He’d been dreading this moment for so long. Danny knew his parents wouldn’t mind the fact that their child was half ghost, as they hadn’t in alternate timelines where he accidentally revealed himself, but he was still terrified at the mere notion of them knowing. There always existed that slight possibility that they might reject him. He hoped the chance was slim.

Jazz was fine with his secret. Within a few months after the accident, she stumbled upon Danny transforming and secretly aided him until it became imperative to tell him that she knew. Yet throughout, Jazz had always been supportive of him, so there was no reason for his parents not to, right? Wrong.

The Fentons parents were notorious for being the ultimate ghost hunting duo. Maddie, of course, was the brains of the operation, however, Jack did not fall short behind. Together, they made several breakthroughs in the realm of paranormal science, a field that had been regarded as pseudoscience till the Fentons came along. The duo firmly believed that ghosts were inherently sinful formations of post human consciousness. In essence, to Jack and Maddie, ghosts were abominations; objects that needed to be eradicated. Moreover, there was one ghost in particular that they absolutely despised, and that, by pure coincidence, had to be Danny.

Over the past four years, Phantom, Danny’s ghost persona, had become quite famous in the quaint town of Amity Park. By now, the majority of the town viewed Phantom as a hero since he stopped ghosts from attacking harmless humans on a daily basis. The Fenton’s, on the other hand, had convinced themselves that Phantom’s true intentions were to destroy the town once he’d gained their trust. And while initially, the Fenton’s had been working towards  terminating all ghosts, over time the duo has gradually lessened their hatred and become more open to the notion of ghosts as they now constitute daily life.

It might seem like inappropriate timing for Danny to tell his parents, but he knew he’d feel guilty if he didn’t sooner or later. He spent his entire high school shielding his true self from his parents and now that he would be off to college soon, he felt it fitting for them to know the real him. Plus, he’d definitely get made fun off by Sam and Tucker if he didn’t go through with his plan. For the past week, his friends had been hyping him up, ensuring him that his parents would be supportive and that he needn’t worry. Tucker even calculated that the likelihood of his parent’s supporting him was 90%. All Danny could do was worry about that 10%.

Letting out a groan, he swiftly laid back into his bed, closing his eyes. He tried to steady his breathing. In two, three, four. Out, two three four. He might’ve sat there for eternity, hoping to be engulfed by his bed and taken anywhere but here, but he was so rudely interrupted by Jazz’s knocking.

“Good morning Danny!” she said from behind the door to his room. “Come downstairs for some breakfast. Mom made your favorite!”

Bacon and eggs sounds so good right now. The thought of a nice breakfast pulled him into a sitting position, yet he was still hesitant to walk. Getting breakfast meant seeing his parents. Seeing his parent’s meant talking. Was he ready to talk? Absolutely not, but he needed to for his own sake.

Finally mustering up a bit of courage, Danny stood up, and headed towards the bathroom. He began brushing his teeth and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. To put it briefly, he looked like shit. All this worrying had put him in a terrible physical state. He needed to get this done with and finally feel free.

As he finished up, Danny went back to his room, put on a shirt, and headed for the stairs. He reached the end of the hall and paused before going down, feeling a tight ball of anxiety forming in his chest. He stared at the carpet as if it were the source of all his worries. There was so much doubt in his decision, but he could also smell the sizzly aroma of bacon. And god, was he hungry.

He grabbed the railing beside him and slowly made his way down the stairs, one step at a time.

“Hey Danny!” called his mom’s voice from the kitchen after hearing his soft steps. “Come sit down, I’ve got your plate waiting for you.”

“Danno!” a bellowing voice belonging to his dad interrupted Maddie. “I knew you wouldn’t resist!”

Hesitantly, Danny walked towards the kitchen, not making eye contact with anyone. He sat in his usual seat at the dinner table, a plate stacked with his favorite food. He so badly wanted to snatch the plate and run to the safety of his room before anyone could speak. Around him, Maddie was in the kitchen making another batch of scrambled eggs. Jack and Jazz were seated at the table with Danny, eating away at their food. Although, Jack was simultaneously building some sort of ghost contraption.

“How’d you sleep sweetie?” Maddie asked.

Danny, having begun eating with a spoonful of eggs in his mouth, choked with wide eyes at the sudden question. He wasn’t ready to speak yet. Let me eat first!

“Good” he muffled in reply.

“Looks like you haven’t slept in days,” Jack remarked as he glanced away from his machine towards his son.

Jazz gave him a playful slap. “Dad, manners!”

“Whaaat? I’m just tellin’ the truth.” Jack gleefully smiled and returned to his food.

Danny brushed off the comment and continued to eat his food. Dad isn’t wrong, Danny thought. His heart was racing in his chest, anticipating an unfavorable conversation. He might’ve been eating too quickly as it garnered attention from his family.

“Woah slow down there Danny.” Maddie said as she brought the latest pan of cooked eggs from the kitchen to the dining table. Jack eagerly took a plateful. “You don’t want to choke.”

“‘’m good,” he repeated with food stuffed in his mouth.

“Anyway your dad and I are planning on spending the day in the lab if it’s alright with you kids. We’re so close to perfecting the Fenton Bazooka.” Maddie began washing the dishes.

Jazz stood up and left her finished plate next to the sink. “Sure mom. Danny and I will be fine.” Maddie smiled in reply as Jazz left for her room upstairs.

Once Jazz was gone, silence ensued as everyone carried on with their own tasks. Maddie washing the dishes, Jack tinkering and eating, and Danny finishing his breakfast. The mood was peaceful for everyone except Danny. His heart was pounding in his chest because sooner or later he had to say something. Shoving in the last bits of egg in his mouth, he could feel his heart quicken. It’s pace grew faster and faster, to a point where he felt his heart may as well explode out of his chest.

You have to do it. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Just... SAY IT!

“Mom! Dad!” Danny said a bit too loudly, causing his parents to turn to his voice with odd looks “...I have something to tell you.” He kept his gaze focused on the empty plate before him. Was this really happening?

Maddie then suddenly lit up. “Oh Danny, I totally forgot! Would you like some more breakfast? We’ve still got some left.”

Danny shifted in his seat, not expecting that answer. He gripped the edge of his chair, feeling like he might fall over. Why are my palms so sweaty? “N-no it’s not that. It’s-”

“You sure? You never pass down your favorite breakfast!” Jack said with a side glance.

“Yea I’m s-sure.” Danny was tripping over his words. It was as if time was passing far quicker than how long it took him to formulate his thoughts. What was he supposed to say again?

“What I wanted to say was-” he paused. Danny felt weaker than ever. His grip on his chair tightened as he shut his eyes and attempted to center himself. He couldn’t. He did but didn’t want them to know. What if- what if-

JUST SAY IT ALREADY.

“I’m Danny Phantom.” the phrase came out like an exhale. Danny didn’t want to open his eyes.

No, that was a lie. He did want to open his eyes and see their reaction. He just wished he hadn’t.

Looking up from his plate, he first locked eyes with his dad. Jack’s face was as if he’d been hit with a blow. The normally boisterous man had been reduced to a mere shell of shock. Danny couldn’t discern what his dad was thinking.

Danny next glanced at Maddie. Whose brows were furrowed and eyes glued to the plate in her hand. The sink was still running. After a moment, she resumed her cleaning and turned to Danny with a smile.

“Heh, funny joke. It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that you share first names with a scum like him, Danny.”

Jack quickly looked at Maddie, confusion etched into his features. “Mads…”

Danny, at the same time, also confused, looked at his mom. “I- I’m not-”

“Mads think about it.” Jack interrupted in an unusually soft voice. His unfocused gaze hadn’t moved from Danny. He stopped tinkering and slowly sank back in his seat. “It… it would make perfect sense.” Maddie now turned off the sink and turned towards her husband, crossing her arms.

“Jack, there is no way in hell our son is also a ghost. It is scientifically impossible.”

“...mom.” Danny shrank in his seat when his mom looked at him. He couldn’t tell her now. There’s no way she’d react the way he hoped. But… he would never forgive himself if he didn’t tell them. It took every fiber in his being to not turn invisible and flee. His heart picked up pace again as he averted his gaze to his hands which were now fidgeting in his lap. “I’m not lying. Please don’t get mad but b-back when u guys were building the portal, I was snooping around the lab like an idiot and I-I accidentally turned it on while I was inside.” Danny explained with a barely audible voice.  

“It would make so much sense.” Jack mumbled. “The portal activation… why our gadgets go off around Danny… why Phantom’s always got Fenton tech.” Danny hadn’t expected his dad to accept it so readily.

“Jack, you can’t be serious…” Maddie’s voice trailed off as if lost in deep thought.

“I- I can show you. I’m half ghost...” Danny couldn’t believe what was happening. This wasn’t what he expected. They were supposed to accept it and move on. No questions, no jokes. Then why were they so confused? There was no way this would end nicely. Danny could feel his anxiety crawling back and settling at the pit of his stomach. He wanted to curl up into a ball so badly.

It seemed Danny had been lost in thought for too long. He missed the moment his parents both locked eyes and came to an understanding.

In one swift move, Maddie pulled two ecto blasters from her jumpsuit while Jack followed suit. In a single second, the both were standing side by side with their weapons aimed at their only son.

Danny jumped back in his chair at the sudden change of attitude. It caused him to tip over and fall to the ground with his back now against the floor. His eyes were wider than ever shifting between his parents and their guns.

“I can’t believe you’ve tricked us thus far, spook.” Maddie spoke as if her words were laced with venom. “Where’s Danny?!” Maddie nudged her head to Jack who took off running down to the basement.

His heart raced even faster. Hands shaking. “M-mom. What do you mean? I’m Danny!”

Maddie spoke in an unnaturally calm tone. “As if we’d fall for that. How long have you been hiding our son?!”

“N-no no. Please. I’m telling the truth. I AM DANNY!” he shouted from the floor. “S-see look!” he gestured his hand along his frame. “It’s Danny! Please, I can show you Phantom.” He pulled his feet towards him, ready to stand up, but rather got interrupted.

Maddie took a step forward, cocking the guns in her hand. “NO! Stay where you are and don’t come any closer. Don’t you DARE claim you’re my son. You’re nothing but a bunch of of...  ectoplasm!”  Her emotions began to show through her calm facade.

At that moment, Jack came rushing up the stairs, large weapon in hand. “That’s right, spook. The bazooka may not be finished but that doesn’t mean it's not gonna hurt.” He aimed the gadget at Danny.

“Answer me. H-how long?!” Maddie’s voice quivered slightly.

Danny was horrified to speak. They really wouldn’t shoot him, would they? “I-I’ve been half ghost for four y-years now…” he barely managed to say. “I’ll show you…”

He found that cold feeling deep within his chest and let it surround him. Two blue rings encircled his waist and one traveled to his head while the other to his toes. As the ring passed, his raven locks were replaced with a silvery white sheen. His pajamas became the iconic black and white jumpsuit. His eyes, when opened, went from their baby blue to electrifying neon green. He’d become Phantom.

Maddie and Jack hadn’t said a word. Their goggles, which were now over their eyes, masked what they were truly thinking. Their weapons were still trained on their son, but their posture seemed to stiffen as if they were in shock. All this time, Phantom had hidden among them.

Danny dared to look up at his parents who still stood silent. He couldn’t take the silence.  “S-see?... say something...”’

Instead of words, Jack chose to reply with the whine of an ectoblast.

Jazz chose the moment to make her appearance as she walked down the stairs. “Why are you guys so loud…” Her eyes swept the room and landed on her little brother's ghost form. He turned to look at her voice, raw fear seeping through every inch of his features and eyes brimming with tears. It took Jazz a moment to understand the situation, but she was too late.

“Danny!” Jazz sped towards her brother as a crackling green ray fired from Jack’s weapon, making its way towards Danny and hitting him squarely on the chest. Danny flung back into the wall, clutching his chest with one arm which burned so very badly. He could feel every nerve in his chest searing with pain. It was worse than any blast he’d received before.

His breath hitched in his throat. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t fight back. They were… they were his parents! Why would they hurt him? Why… why couldn’t they understand?

Jazz was now sitting next to her brother, shocked at the sight of the nasty, bubbling burn. “What did you do?!” she shrieked at her parents.

“Jazz get away from that- that thing! He’s brainwashed you!” Maddie cried as she rounded the table and grabbed Jazz by the arm.

“N-no STOP IT! You’re hurting Danny!” Jazz wrenched her arm under her mom's grip, but her attempt was poorly made as she was pulled towards Maddie right as Jack fired a second blast from the gun. Tears freely flowed from Jazz’s turquoise eyes. Danny had zero time to react before-

Before the blast had frozen in thin air a foot before him. No, that wasn’t true, everything froze. His parents and Jazz. They were all still. What?

Danny felt the coolness of a time medallion on his neck. Suddenly, a swirl of blue appeared before Danny and out came a familiar specter.

“I normally don’t interfere with the events of time, but you seemed like you needed it.”

Danny’s breath came out raspy “...Clockwork?”

The master of time nodded with a smile and outstretched his hand. “Come my boy. Before the Observants find out.”

With one hand still clutching his chest, Danny took Clockwork's hand and stood up shakily. The blue swirls encompassed the two as they were transported to the ghost zone. Specifically, to the living room within Clockwork’s lair.

Danny took a deep breath as he gradually took a seat on the couch behind him. His head was pulsing and the pain from the ecto ray hadn’t subsided. Around him, several clocks and gears lined the wall, all ticking or moving synchronously. Before him sat numerous screens displaying several different events surrounding him.  What he was witnessing went beyond any imagination.

“I had to interfere for your own good.” the master of time said as he floated into the room with a first aid kit in hand. He pulled out a burn ointment and began catering to Danny’s wounds. Danny hadn’t noticed, but at some point, he had transformed back to his human self. Danny hissed at the feeling of the cream on his wound.

Clockwork looked up and followed the halfa’s gaze to the screens. “What you’re seeing is the various alternate timelines in which you reveal your secret to your parents at this point in time. In all scenarios, they don’t take it, uh, lightly.”

Danny couldn’t believe it. On one screen, his parents were chasing after him around the city. In another, they had him strapped to a table. Before he could watch some more, Clockwork shut them off.

“I’m going to be blunt, but unfortunately, no matter the circumstance, your parents never accepted you in this moment of time.”

Danny hadn’t averted his gaze from the screens yet. He was still in awe of it all. The alternate timelines, his parents, the blast. He managed to squeak out one word. “Why?”

“Their puny human minds can’t comprehend the duality of your being.” Clockwork said as he now took out a set of bandages from the kit and began wrapping it along the boy’s torso. “Thus they reject you.”

“Y-you can’t be serious.” My parents? Hating me? “...impossible.”

“You witnessed it for yourself. They hurt you. Was that not enough?”

“N-no. They're my parents! They’re supposed to love me no matter what!”

Clockwork got up, slightly angered, unlike his collected self. “You call that love?!”

“I-” Danny was at a loss of words. No matter what Clockwork told him, he couldn’t wrap his head around his parents not believing him. It all felt like one sick joke. He wanted to throw up. Despite the horror of the situation, there was still one question gnawing at him. “W-why are you helping me?”

Clockwork turned so his back was facing Danny and paused. “I cannot let you suffer. Especially after everything you’ve done for our realm... You didn’t deserve the destiny given to you. After all, you were only fourteen when you received your powers. My interference was merely nothing compared to what you’ve dealt with. Your kind is so rare as well. I cannot let you perish.”

It was odd of clockwork to act so carelessly. Risking his position as the master of time just to save a teenage boy with paranormal powers was, well, weird. But from what Danny had heard just now, it seemed that Clockwork was firm in his decision.

At this point, Danny didn’t want to think anymore. His brain felt like mush from all the events that had transpired. Mom. Dad. Jazz… what were they doing right now? What were they thinking of him? Did they really believe he was-

“Get some rest. I’ll bring you some food when you awaken.” Clockwork said.

Danny decided it was best to follow Clockwork's orders so he managed a mumble as he lowered himself into a sleeping position on the couch. “Mmm?”

Clockwork floated next to the boy and patted his raven matted hair. “Sleep well Daniel.”

Danny quickly dozed off on the blue sofa, unaware he had found his new family. <3

[lokis-army-77]

If You Please

Chapter two

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 1726

I'm bad at writing descriptions, so this is basically a reader insert into The First Avenger and then we'll see how it goes from there.

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Masterlist

Early the next morning, before the sun was even out, I was awoken by something gently stroking the side of my face. Then Bucky's gruff morning voice greeted me.

"Hello Doll, I've been waiting for you to wake up," he whispered, breath tickling my ear. I replied with a short, soft grunt and buried my head between us. I felt his chest jerk ever so slightly from him chuckling at me. I felt him try and scoot my body away from himself so he could get up, but I wrapped my arms tighter around him.

"Doll, let me go, I've got to get up. You don't want me to be late shipping out do you," he questioned while trying to pry my arms off him.

I shook my head saying, "No I'm not letting you leave, you have to stay right here."

"I know, but I've got to go, not even you can get me out of this one. I'll be back here in your arms before you know it." He lifted my head up so we could look at each other. I saw the traces of sadness in his eyes as he looked at me. "Will you come to see me off?"

"Of course I will. I wouldn't miss that for the world,” I paused, “Steve will want to come too." I slowly let go of Bucky and watched as he slipped out from under the covers and threw his legs off the side. He fumbled with his shoes for a minute and then stood up. Then he turned around and looked at me.

"I'll need a proper goodbye kiss before I leave," he smirked. I huffed out a laugh and inched my way over the bed to where he stood. I got up onto my knees, snaked my arms around his neck, and pulled him down into a sweet but firm kiss. I felt his hands grab at my hips and a second later he was pulling me closer. The kiss lasted a moment longer and then I gently pushed him away.

"Go, before Steve catches you here or I change my mind on letting you leave." He gave me a quick peck on the lips before he made his way to the window and opened it. He slipped out quickly and quietly, soon after it was like he'd never been in my room at all.

Two hours later at seven I had woken Steve up and gotten breakfast ready.

"Hey Steve, I'm going to the docks to see Bucky off, do you want to come with me," I asked while putting the plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.

"Yeah, that would be great. What time does the boat set sail?"

"Boarding starts at eight so I'd say the ship sets off at about 8:30. We'll need to leave in a little bit, it's a twenty-minute walk and you need to get dressed.

When Steve and I had made it to the pier it was so crowded you could barely move two feet without bumping into someone. We looked around for a good ten minutes before I heard someone calling out mine and Steve's names.

"Hey, I'm over here! Steve!"

"I see him over by the rope fence, let's go," Steve declared while grabbing onto my hand, to lead up to where he had seen Bucky. Pretty soon we were both scooped up into a group hug. We all three laughed and pulled away.

"I’m glad you both could make it,” Bucky smiled.

“You’re family, we wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Steve grinned.

“Now don't go do anything stupid until I get back, that applies to both of you," Bucky says while pointing at Steve and me back and forth. I gasped and feigned offense.

"How could we, you're taking all the stupid with you," Steve retorts jokingly.

Bucky shakes his head, "You're a punk, you know that right?"

"And you're a jerk, so I guess we're even. Stay safe Buck," Steve sighed and gave Bucky a hug.

Then Bucky turned to me and teased, "Now I mean it when I say stay out of trouble. You're a handful and then some.”

“I make no promises Barnes,” I countered, playfully shoving him. He then grabbed me and brought me into a tight embrace, placing a peck atop my head. I could feel the tears coming when we pulled away from one another. “Please be careful Bucky and write to us when you can.”

He wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled sadly, “ I will kid, I will.” He turned away and gathered up his bags and then turned back to Steve and me. “Well, I guess I’m off. I'll see you two again in no time.” he started to walk away and I moved closer to Steve, grabbing hold of his hand.

“Don’t win the war until I get there,” Steve called to Bucky’s retreating figure.

“Sir, yes sir,” Bucky called back, turning to give us one last salute. We watched him as he boarded the ship. I kept my eyes on him the whole time, waving to him whenever he looked our way. The ship finally left port and a few minutes later the crowd started to disperse.

Steve and I stood together watching as the ship grew smaller and smaller on the horizon. He squeezed my hand and looked over at me. “We’ll see him again, he’s too hard-headed to leave us alone,” he laughed.

“You’re right, he’s been a constant pain in my side for the last thirteen years. Come on let's go home, I've got the day off.” I turned around to start heading back to the apartment. After walking a few feet I noticed that Steve wasn’t following. I looked back at him, he was standing with his head hung low and hands in his pockets. I slowly walked back over to him and poked his arm. “Penny for your thoughts,” I asked.

“I don’t want you to freak out but I have something really important to tell you,” he started. “Yesterday night before you and Bucky found me, I went to another recruitment office.”

“God Steve, we talked about this already, if they find out that you’re lying on your form you’ll be arrested. You need to stop doing this, I won't be able to get you out of legal trouble.”

“Well you see,” he started, but I was quick to interrupt him.

“Oh my God, Steve, how are you not in jail. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this last night,” I chastised.

“I told you not to overreact, let me explain. I did get caught but there was a doctor there who represents this group called the Strategic Scientific Reserve. He was interested in why I have tried enlisting five times. When I explained my reasoning, he decided to give me a chance.”

I stood quietly beside him for a while, processing what he had said. Working for the SSR I already knew he was talking about Dr. Erskine. “What do you mean chance? Like you've been recruited,” I speculated.

“Yes, he's given me the chance to do something, to be more than the little guy at home not doing anything. I can’t just sit here and let others go fight for our country without even trying to join them. Even you’re closer to this war than I am. I just want to do what’s right,” he said with conviction.

“I know you do, but I’ve already got one person I care about going to the front, I don’t think I can handle you going also," I sighed. "I won’t try and stop you, but I don’t know how I feel about you doing this.” I grab hold of his hand again and tug him along. “Let's go, we’ll have to start getting your things ready for basic training.”

“Alright, but stop tugging on my arm, I’m right behind you.”

“Sorry, just making sure you’re following.”

“Anyways, thanks for understanding. You know your support means everything to me, Shortie,” he said lightly nudging me with his shoulder.

“You’re welcome and stop calling me shortie. I've been taller than you since I was 13,” I shook my head laughing. “Now can we get going, I want to be home before lunch.”

After lunch had passed I got to doing chores around the house as Steve packed up his trunk in preparation to go to Camp Lehigh. We were both running around the small Brooklyn apartment doing our own little things.

“When do you have to be at Lehigh,” I called out to Steve who was walking back and forth from his room to the bookshelf in the small living area.

“I have to be there tomorrow. We’re jumping right into training, but I'm ready, I’m excited,” he answered while carrying a handful of books to his room.

“Steve, sweetie, I don’t think you’ll be needing that many books at boot camp. I doubt you'll have time to even pick one of those up,” I giggled, putting the laundry basket of folded clothes onto the kitchen table.

“‘I know I probably won’t but if I do have the time, I’ll want some form of entertainment. Anyways, it's better to be over-prepared than not prepared at all,” he quipped back.

“I guess you’re right. Here, they’ll give you your uniform when you get there but it’s good to bring some of your regular clothes.” I grabbed a stack of Steve's clothes and walked over to hand them to him.

“Thank you,” he said softly. I watched as he neatly placed the stack into the trunk at the foot of the bed.

Sighing I sat next to the trunk. “Are you sure this is what you want to do,” I questioned?

“Yes I’m one hundred percent sure this is what I want to do,” Steve confirmed. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. It won’t be easy. All of it will be harder than anything you have ever faced before.”

“I expect it to be. If it wasn’t a challenge they would let anyone join if they wanted.” He looked up from the trunk and gave me a small smile then went back to what he was doing.