#he's been avoiding them most of the time so when they're finally on closer terms they're just beginning

[dozenssporks]

wolfwood, on the phone: you found broom-head where?!

meryl: Like I said, the luggage compartment of a bus heading to North Dakota

vash, shoving his face next to meryl’s so he can shout into the phone: I was gonna see the world’s largest buffalo!

meryl: get off me, dimwit!

*meryl pushes vash away he trips backwards and hits a shelf, several books falling and hitting his head as he slides to the floor*

vash: am I hitting the books or are the books hitting me??

meryl, turning around and ignoring him: he’s jet-lagged out of his mind but he’s hopped up on caffeine or something and won’t take a nap

wolfwood: well, if you’re making him sleep in the motel tub again . . .

millie, who had been passing by with a cup of tea and paused to listen: oh no! we don’t do that anymore, his snores echo in there! Hi, mr. priest!

wolfwood: hey, big girl. What’s he been drinking to get himself so hyper? You know his weird system only gets sleepy when you give him coffee

meryl: there were a lot of cans in that luggage compartment and I did not and do not want to know what they were. Do you have any idea how to get him to sleep that isn’t hitting him on the back of the head with a laptop?

wolfwood: y’see spiky doesn’t like to nap when he’s jet lagged, it--

vash: IT GIVES ME THE HEEBIE-JEEBIES

meryl: stop using your freakishly sharp hearing to listen to our conversation!

millie: mr. vash, be careful! if you jump around like that you’ll spill your tea!

wolfwood: yeah like he said, gives him the heebie-jeebies.

meryl, pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a long frustrated sigh: what, pray tell, are the ‘heebie-jeebies’?

wolfwood: he has like these weird dreams about spiders an’ stuff crawling on ‘im and he can’t move. Or lizards. I can’t remember.

vash: they take turns! sometimes it’s rats! once it was butterflies drinking my blood!

millie: aw, no wonder you don’t wanna sleep

vash: thank you millie you are the only valid person

meryl: i have very kindly been restraining myself from wringing your neck so shut up!

wolfwood: er. there is a thing that might work.

meryl: please tell me. I’m beginning to remember you get the reward money even if you bring him in dead.

wolfwood: okay, but if you laugh at what I’m about to say you’re a bad person

meryl: I will take that risk. hit me.

wolfwood, sighing: hold his hand while he falls asleep

meryl:

wolfwood: you’re a bad person.

meryl: I didn’t say anything!

wolfwood: I can hear you thinking! Look, hold his hand and after he’s asleep stay in the room. if he starts making noises in his sleep just kinda quietly say his name until he stops.

vash: I refuse to hold hands! I’m saving myself for marriage! that was non-consensual hand-holding!

meryl: okay, two questions. One, how do you know this? Two, does it really work?

wolfwood: it works on the kids back home, I was on the verge of beating his spiky head in, I gave it a shot. Not a hundred percent success rate but fairly high.

meryl: Urgh. I guess it’s easier than getting rid of a body.

wolfwood: that’s the spirit. welp, since this isn’t my problem I’ll sign off. have fun and God bless!

meryl: drop dead!

*meryl hangs up and whips around. vash in the act of trying to climb a shelf freezes in place*

meryl: millie

vash: no. don’t.

meryl: grab him

millie: yes, ma’am!

vash, kicking and flailing in millie’s grip: noooo! you’re so mean! you’re still the only valid person but you’re so mean!

[lesbianmarrow]

i love this scene so much, and i find the dialogue quite interesting. the episode features a lot of miscommunication and lack of communication within the tara-willow-oz love triangle. willow doesn't tell oz she's with tara, tara sees oz in willow's room and assumes they've slept together, tara avoids telling oz that she's with willow but he figures it out anyway. and, importantly, willow doesn't tell tara what she means to her, in part because willow herself isn't totally sure. so tara is left floundering and uncertain as to where she stands with willow. her immediate assumption is that oz is more important to willow than tara is, and that willow will leave her now that he's back. willow doesn't dissuade that notion at first, because she still has to figure out for herself that it isn't true. but once willow has figured out what she wants, and understands that what she wants is tara, she makes sure to tell tara this in no uncertain terms.

willow shows up at tara's door and, once invited in, begins to say something. but tara cuts her off. tara thinks willow is here to break up with her to be with oz and interrupts willow to say that she understands. "you have to be with the person you love." but willow gently corrects her. "i am." willow corrects tara in a way that affirms the truth of what tara has said. she does have to be with the person she loves. it's just that the person she loves happens to be tara.

tara, uncertain but hopeful, meets willow's gaze (she had been avoiding it before) and says, "you mean...?" and this time willow jumps in and says "i mean." reassuring, loving, gentle. tara is so insecure about her place in willow's life, about her right to be with willow. she's insecure in her words and her ability to wield them; she speaks softly, she stammers and trails off, and often she chooses to say nothing at all. by repeating tara's words back to her, willow shows her support for tara and what she says. she shows tara that tara isn't wrong to speak or to hope that willow will want to be with her. she isn't wrong to voice that hope. again, willow reaffirming the veracity of what tara says.

"okay?" willow adds, checking to make sure that tara understands. there has been so much previous miscommunication that she wants to make absolutely sure that she's being clear. tara replies, "oh, yes." she gets it. they're finally on the same page. willow apologizes for her behavior earlier in the episode: "i feel horrible about everything i put you through, and i'm gonna make it up to you, starting right now." a sincere apology, but also a flirtation, as she steps closer to tara and smiles. a promise to show tara she loves her not just with her words but also with her actions. "right now?" tara repeats. another repetition, but now tara is repeating willow's words. tara's checking to see that she understands correctly, but she's also flirting back, if her smile is anything to go by. maybe she's also thinking about how it feels to speak of willow's love for her out loud, something she's avoided doing for most of this episode. willow's affirmation of tara's voice gives tara confidence. though tara has spent much of this episode minimizing her relationship with willow and avoiding mention of it, now she feels emboldened to talk about it out loud.

and then willow nods, and tara smiles and blows out the candle. cut to black. i love that this scene ends with willow and tara communicating without words. it's such a shift from earlier in the episode where they're frequently misunderstanding each other and uncertain of how the other feels. they've so fully succeeded in communicating their feelings that they're now in complete understanding and can continue to communicate without words. demonstrating the power of words, but also reminding us that words aren't everything. it also hearkens back nicely to 4x10 "hush", when tara and willow first bonded. their voices had been taken from them, so they were unable to speak, but they connected without words. there are things you can know without having to speak them aloud. but the speaking aloud can also be useful sometimes.

[nothomegal]

“Sharks or dolphins?”

Jason Voorhees x GN Reader

Summary: it’s been a couple of days since the masked man kidnapped you. The atmosphere was a mixture of awkward and terrifying, but you knew that for the sake of your own sanity, and possible future survival or escape, you’ll have to interact with him and get on better term. So why don’t start with a simple question?

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: tipical mentions of murder and violence.

It’s a relatively nice and calm evening inside of an old cabin. The fire inside of the fireplace gently cracked and flickered at times as it shared warmth and light.

(Y/N) was sitting on the couch as they read some animal encyclopedia they found in one of the old shelves. Not too far away, on a large wooden chair, was sitting their captor, Jason Voorhees himself.

The man was casually patching up his jacket that got damaged by one of the victims that day. It was a pretty large cut on the shoulder part which could hint to a serious injury he may got in that area, key words could and may, because this beast of a man was moving his arms perfectly fine and with no hints of discomfort. Hell, he even lifted (Y/N) like they're nothing but a bag of grapes when he wanted them to sit closer to the fireplace. Of course Jason didn't like the idea of touching them and scaring them further, but sometimes it's just easier to take them wherever he needs and let them figure out the message themselves.

While reading, (Y/N) would glance at his large frame, but these weren't just casual or fearful glances. They've been having the idea that maybe they should start getting on better terms with their captor since escaping is not an option right now, they're in the middle of the forest, with traps distributed in the most efficient and unexpected places. Not only that, but having this behemoth of a man, who's stong enough to skin a person with his bare hands and even rip their head off with a single punch, chase them through the woods is not an appealing idea neither. Attempting to escape now is an equivalent of juggling with raving chainsaws, basically asking to have a limp cut off.

So that's the main reason of this little idea, now the issue is to find enough courage to execute it. Like... What do they even say? What if he get's annoyed? Jason seems to be very easy to aggravate... Or maybe he'll think they're an idiot or attempting something? What if he becomes even stricter? Ties a chain to their ankle again? Acts cruel? Use their corpse as decoration for his mother's shrine?!... God, were there always so many terrible outcomes?!

Jason at some point noticed the glances, he subtly observed (Y/N) for a while and easily noticed their hesitation. He may never interacted with anyone beside his mother, but he's rediculously good at reading people through their body and behavoir.

When yet another hint of hesitation appeared in them, Jason took it as enough and decided to give them a little push of encouragement... In his own way. He puts the nearly fixed jacket down and slowly walks towards (Y/N), his movements slow and careful to avoid scaring them.

The closer he got, the more they shrunk in their place, their expression a mixture of sheepish and afraid, unsure what to expect from him. When practically in front of (Y/N), the man crouches down so he doesn't loom over them and simply stares.

(Y/N) let's out an anxious sigh as they glance at their book for a moment, eventually they sigh again, now more collected, and finally ask.

—"Do you prefer sharks or dolphins?"—

The question took Jason completely off guard, so much that it took him some good ammount of seconds to process it and tilt his head, clearly wanting them to elaborate.

(Y/N) notices his reaction, but when there are no hints of aggression they continue.

—"It's just... I'm reading about sea animals right now and I've noticed how little people know about sharks and dolphins, and how misunderstood the first ones are..."— you say as you point at the page with the picture of a shark. —"I personally like sharks more, sure they're scary, can bite people and have protagonized many scary and bloody movies, but they aren't that bad. They actually very chill and some species, like the Lemon shark, can form bonds with their favorite diver, and even get jelous if they give attention to another shark!"—

While (Y/N) talked, Jason listened to them closely, sharing glances between the book and their face. The more they talked, the more on ease they seemed to be, for a moment it was like they were talking to a regular person, a friend. Seeing them so relaxed and even excited to share this random knowledge made him almost smile, since the moment he revealed himself to them all he saw in those eyes was fear, fear towards him... And now, now he can finally see something else in their pretty eyes, warmth.

—"The dolphins on the other hand... Well, I admit, they're cute and very intelligent and all, but also very disturbing. They are one of the animals who intentionally kill other creatures for fun, even other weaker dolphins just for the spite! So yeah... I very much prefer sharks and-... "—

(Y/N) suddenly stops talking, as if becoming self conscious of how much spoke and how annoying and nerdy they probably sounded.

—"S-Sorry...! I uh... I got a bit carried away."— you shrink in your place a bit. —"It's just... I like to share some random facts I've learned, but people rarely bother to listen or straight up shut me up, so when you did nothing to make me stop I... "—

They slightly flinched when the man put his palm on their knee. They hesitantly look up at him and relax just a bit when they saw his single visible eye, which expressed warmth and understanding. This is one of the reasons why he and mother took liking of (Y/N), their genuine desire to share something as innocent as an animal fact was both adorable and heartwarming to see, a great contrast with other campers, who always behaved like the filthiest scumms on earth.

He softly careses their knee with his thumb, the act holding nothing shady, just a genuine attempt to soothe them. With his other, hand Jason points at the picture of the shark and then at himself before nodding.

(Y/N) observes his action silently, a bit confused, but eventually puts the pieces together.

—"Oh, you like sharks too?"—

Another nod, which causes them to smile a bit.

—"Heh... Guess we have something in common now."— you say as your smile grows a bit wider.

Jason doesn't reply with any movement, but by his visible eye they could tell he smiled a bit. Somehow, he looks way less scary than before, fact that made (Y/N) feel at ease, even proud of themselves that they're making some progress.

—"Uh... Would you like to hear another fact? I can read outloud so you can listen as you finish your task."— you say as you gently point at his jacket.

The man simply nods, agreeing with their suggestion. He stands up back to his full height, which suddenly made (Y/N) remember who they are trapped with. As if sensing their dread, he moves his large palm to their head and gently pets them, ruffing and messing up with their hair a bit before returning to his previous sit.

(Y/N) blinks a couple of times and let's out a breath they've instinctively held, a bit impressed to still be alive. With a shake of their head they retrieve their composure, and as promised, they began to read the encyclopedia outloud, gazing subtly at Jason time to time to see any signs of annoyance. And suprisingly to them, there were none.

They weren't aware but Jason was genuinely enjoying such interaction, he liked the sound of their voice and how at times it would switch from shy and hesitant to a more confident and calm tone. It's a beautiful process to him, like witnessing a little kitten show more and more trust to their owner. And of course, Jason is not stupid and deep down he knows what (Y/N) is trying to do, but he won't do anything to stop them, not now at least.

Who knows, maybe at some point they'll realize that he's not that awful of a person, not towards them at least. This is actually the reason why he said he liked sharks too, because just like these sea creatures...

He is also quite misunderstood...

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

alrighty then, written explanation it is because I've been trying to draw it out for the past couple of days but designs are not fun to hash out while working on other things but anyhow!

some quick notes on the celestial symphony au prior to events that take place:

So, in canon, the Daycare Division started with attendants Sun and Moon-however, in this au, the theatre and daycare attendant line started with Eclipse models-the body was made by the creator, but the software was left up to FazCo. While functional, there were some slight errors with the first prototype during testing prior to its release into the public, such as confusion over orders and unwritten personality guidelines, to name a few. As a result, the first Eclipse prototype was scrapped within the first five minutes of its activation. Unfortunately, it wasn't properly shut down when trashed in Parts and Service, and finally turned off after running out of battery within a span of a few weeks without motor control activation to reach a charging outlet.

The second model (aka the og eclipse from the sun and moon show) built did not have these errors and was green lit to be released into the daycare, with smooth sailing for about 8 months before an incident occurred. There appeared to have been an overlooked software issue that messed with the personality of the attendant, causing it to become more irritable and quick-tempered, with certain parameters stressed too much and overruling others. A guest was gravely injured (to say the least), and the Eclipse model was scrapped in Parts and Service like the first.

With the evident failure of the Eclipse models, FazCo decided to split the code into two separate AIs-Daycare Attendants Sun and Moon, who were much more successful than their predecessors. Two years after their creation, Lunar was added to help with the younger children. At this point in time, the Daycare is doing alright, but the profit isn't enough to justify the investment placed in corporates' eyes. To cut back on cost, human staff manning the theatre and assisting in the daycare were replaced with the previously scrapped Eclipse models, which was...a bit jarring for everyone involved.

The first prototype, aka Solar, is tasked with manning the theatre, while Eclipse is sent off to be of more assistance in the Daycare, which results in some rising tension as both models realize how quickly they'd been replaced and how little they're actually needed. Sun, Moon and Lunar are hesitant to allow Eclipse to handle the children due to his less-than-stellar history with them, and Eclipse himself struggles between anger and betrayal over his replacement and the fear of a repetition of his lash-outs that resulted in his decommission. To avoid the other models, Eclipse typically stays away from that part of the plex and hangs around the theatre to bother Solar and help out with some menial tasks.

(Solar and Eclipse are on okay terms here for the most part-though Solar is a bit bitter about the fact that he was replaced so quickly without being given the chance Eclipse had, he recognizes the similarity in their situations, and they're a little closer than they are with the other attendant models. Sun, Moon, and Lunar don't mind Solar much since they couldn't really find anything about his past that was as bad as Eclipse's, and he stays out of their way for the most part. They're on good terms, with Solar helping Moon with any technical issues that should arise and entertaining Lunar after closing.)

This arrangement continues for several months before Earth's arrival to restore the theatre under the threat of the entire Daycare department being shut down and all the attendants scrapped.

[pricescigar]

Yandere Platonic 141 HC's

Requested by: @emtynessinmyworld

Description: So , if you okay with it...What you think of Platonic Yandere "Ghost" Simon Riley? Or maybe even the whole TF-141?

(Why not do the whole team ;) )

No gender specified all for everyone to enjoy!

For those who don't know a platonic Yandere is; Someone who is absolutely obsessed with another person, harming anyone who gets in the way of the relationship, but the obsessed person constantly stresses about how they're just friends and it isn't a romantic relationship at all.

-

Cpt. Jonathan Price 🚬

"What the hell you talkin' about you muppet? Course I don't see them that way!" As he would always say.

Price isn't scared of relationships, and understands the commitment to it. But due to him being in the army, it becomes quite difficult of course.

But of course meeting you was different, almost like ... He became obsessed with you completely.

Price couldn't even explain the feeling— Even if he wanted to tell you, he just... He felt the need to protect you, from everyone in this cruel world.

He's never been the jealous man. Never, but seeing other men around you. The jealousy boils his blood to the core.

Hell he even punched and threatened his coworker once due to them flirting with you.

Ever since then, men have been avoided you. Because they all know that they'd have to face the wrath of Captain Price himself.

Despite all of that Price always reassures that you guys are just friends, just friends and nothing more.

Every second of the day he reassures that, all the time. Always will remain as friends, and nothing more... To save the professionalism.

Price always reassures that you're okay, and always stressing about you all the time. Especially when you go on missions with him and the team.

Overall he knows how strong you are, how you take care of yourself. You're pretty badass But still, Price always feels the need to protect you. Always.

Despite everything, he cares for you very much.

Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley 💀

"Take one step closer to them, and I'll kill you."

The menacing Simon Riley to love someone? Never. The word "love" Scares him a little still.

Ghost is scared of commitment, and has major trust issues due to his upbringing, he always thought the world was against him. He had to fend for himself.

Ghost was so independent at a young age, he always believed at a young age that he didn't need anyone in his life.

He was scared to fall in love, to fall so hard for someone only for his heart to be broken? Ghost never wanted to go through that kind of pain again.

Which is why most of the time he ousted people away... Keeping them at a certain distance, he was hurting, his inner child and self needed to heal.

After joining the army, he slowly come to terms thst not everyone is out to get him, nor to inflict harm on him. Gradually, he finally felt peace.

After meeting you, a spark inflicted inside of him. What was that feeling? What was it?

Ghost couldn't explain how he felt, but he felt the undying need to protect you, to make sure you were safe, and no one would ever harm you!

Everyone was deathly scared of Ghost, after some mishap that had happened with a coworker, no one else glanced, talked or even be near you again.

They'd always see Ghost looking over you, watching everyone's move. Just to protect you.

Does he see you in a romantic way? Honestly no, not really. But his gut tells him that he wants to protect you till he dies himself.

He finally has someone, a person in his life to protect, to care for. With all feelings aside, he has something to protect.

And that, was something worth living for.

Sgt. Kyle "Gaz" Garrick 🧢

"No, you got it all wrong. Course I don't love them! Who told you that?"

He loved how funny, caring, amazing you was. Laughing at all of his jokes, being there... It was just beautiful.

The young Sargeant Garrick, it may not seem like it but he's extroverted and interactive. He loves meeting new people and getting to know one and another.

He's quite adventurous as well, trying new things that he came across. After all, you only live once, as he always said.

After meeting you, there was a different kind of excitement within him. One that he couldn't explain.

He didn't like it how others talked to you, how others would flirt, show off and trying to get close to you.

To others... They saw Gaz being all loved up, but Gaz saw it differently than others.

Gaz convicned himself that he was jealous and nothing more, trying to ignore his own feelings didn't help.

"Don't touch them you prick!"

No one had ever seen Gaz like that, but his conscience told him so. You were just so amazing... He had to protect you.

Was he going too far? No of course not, if it meant protecting you, to hell with it.

People had always questioned if Gaz truly loved you, nope, to his words he professed saying you two were just friends. Just friends, he would say repeated.

It was interesting to say the least to see the Sargent himself act like this, even those who known him for a while.

But as long as you were safe, that's all that matters.

Sgt. Johnny "Soap" MacTavish 🧼

"Haud yer wheesht! I don't love em'!"

The thought of a relationship never crossed his mind, well– He has a lot of things in his mind.

Soap is career driven, happy being in the military, playing football in his fretime and doodling alway in his sketchbook.

Still young as ever, full of energy, who in their right mind has time to fall in love?

He met you just after he passed selection, let's just say... You are the one thing, that's always in his mind.

Soap even drew you in his sketchbook, humming to himself and smiling wjrn he finished drawing. He fell hard for you.

Now, he couldn't exactly profess these feelings to you without being seen as a bloody weirdo, but the moment your attention wss taken away from him. Soap becomes jealous.

Oh how he hates it when your attention his taken away from him, how people hang around you, talking, gossiping, all of those things...

Soap didn't make it obvious though, although he got caught glaring at someone one. He quickly changed his attitude once he was caught out of line.

Why does he hate it when people talk to you? He couldn't understand, he can't to terms that he wants you. You, all to himself.

He absolutely hates it when people tease him about being all loved up. But that's how the others see it, don't they?

But he didn't love you. That was the thing, he had Ghost's undying desire to protect you, from everyone, to have your attention all on him.

Soap, the jelaous man in the Barracks, he hated being teased that way.

He drew the line where he said that he didn't love you, and that you two are just good friends. Wether they'd believe it or not.

Even to this day Soap is running by a small thread, so close to punching someone

[thesparklingwriter]

a trip to remember

“Forgive me, you simply cry a lot these days."

tags: pet names, Zhongli is very pure, soft Zhongli, fem!reader, Zhongli and reader are in a relationship, reader is still pregnant lol, they're kind of on their honeymoon, they're in Inazuma

ao3 link | taglist | masterlist | next

please do not repost or edit my work without credit. reblogs are greatly appreciated!

i'm also taking requests for the rest of the flufftober days, PLEASE leave any suggestions, no matter how self-indulgent they may be, cause i am running out of ideas...

taglist form

“Zhongli, I appreciate all this, but I really do feel a bit too nauseous to be shooting across Teyvat. Can’t we just delay our honeymoon? We aren’t going to die without it.” Even as you complain, you pile an extra set of clothes into your bag. You know he’s going to insist you go, and you don’t actually mind, but if there’s any chance you can change his mind, you’ll take it.

“It’s my fault we didn’t go closer to when we were wed and I don’t wish to delay it further.” Zhongli turns to look at you as you collapse onto the bed with a big huff. “And let us be realistic, when do you expect us to go after the child is born?”

“Can’t we just ask someone to babysit for us when they’re like four?” You ask. You and him both know you’d never let anyone babysit your child whilst you were out of the nation. No way.

“You deserve a break, love.” He sighs.

“I know, I know.” you sigh. “Take a break, stop working yourself so hard, I know it all.”

You want to continue, but Zhongli looks so suitably frustrated and sympathetic at the same time that you stop in your tracks. You feel bad for eliciting that kind of response in him, so you take a deep breath, crack a smile, and pull him into a gentle kiss. “I know it all, so let’s go. I won’t complain. If I do, you have my permission to throw a rock at me. Okay?”

“I would never throw a rock at you.” Zhongli chuckles, smiling softly.

He would never throw a rock at you, sure, but he would throw you smug looks when he could tell you were on the verge of complaining. Which was often. You refused to let Zhongli carry you, as you claimed it was unnecessary fanfare, but your feet hurt, all the time. By the time you got to Inazuma, you were tempted to buy a cart and insist Zhongli drag you around town in it. You suggested it, and he pointed out it would be significantly more conspicuous than him carrying you.

And, all jokes aside, you were looking forward to going to Inazuma most. You’d heard only good things about the nation—their food, their clothes, and their murderous archon. You’d been trying your best to drag information about the Raiden Shogun from Zhongli, but he seemed to avoid the topic.

“Come on, what’s she like?”

“I cannot pass judgement on her actions, but I’m impressed by her tenacity.” Zhongli says finally.

Which, in Zhongli terms, is just a way of getting you off his case.

“Alright, I get the hint.” You huff. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“But, my love, it was you insisting we talk about the Raiden Shogun,” Zhongli teases, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you close. As much as your mood swings have been giving him whiplash as of recently, he can’t help but find them endearing. Which serves to irritate you further.

“I don’t care anymore. Let’s look at the clothes stalls. I want to get a traditional Inazuman dress as a souvenir.” You beam, dragging Zhongli along behind you. You figure that if you’re going to have to be here, you may as well enjoy yourself thoroughly. It’s not like you’re going to have much time to visit in the near future anyway.

The streets are strangely quiet or the time of day—had you been in Liyue, you would have had to fight through the crowds, and you also would have had to fight through the inherent stress that would cause.

“It’s so quiet here. Imagine if we’d been out and about at this time at home,” you marvel, as you peer into another store, bowing politely to the stall owner.

“It’s not usually this quiet,” the owner admits, shrugging lightly. “But there’s a festival on the other side of town, so I assume most people are there.”

As you engage them in polite conversation, Zhongli looks at the clothes up for sale. At first, he wonders why the clothes are so small—but of course, that was his own myopia coming into play. He never considered that stalls like this would sell clothes for infants. By the time he’s had a good enough look at everything on sale, you’ve already taken directions from the shop owner to find a vendor for the dresses you’re looking for, and you’re waddling down the street, promising to come back when you’ve secured your loot.

“Can I help you at all?” The vendor smiles.

Zhongli glances back at the wall of clothes, smiling softly to himself. “If you wouldn’t mind terribly.”

Zhongli keeps his purchase a secret until you get back home—despite your constant complaints about his secrecy. It’s not like you’re trying particularly hard to get the information out of him. You ask, and then you fall asleep, exhausted by the events of your honeymoon and the constant travel.

You don’t see the item Zhongli bought until a few months later, when you’ve forgotten about the whole situation in its entirety. When he brings it up, you curse him for his sneakiness but wait to see the reveal in hopeful anticipation. In the back of your mind, you’re hoping for jewellery, or a new vase to replace the one you accidentally broke whilst attempting to make a surprise dinner (No, you don’t want to talk about it. It’s a sensitive subject.)

So when Zhongli hands you a wrapped package with two sets of baby clothes inside, to say you're surprised would be an understatement. And maybe it’s the hormones, or that fact the clothes are exactly what you’d pick, but tears begin to prick at your eyes.

“You don’t like them?” Zhongli asks. He’s learnt the hard way that, as of recently, your tears can mean anything—from implicit joy to bone-shattering pain. He’s figured it’s better to ask than to jump to conclusions.

“Of course I like them.” You sniff. “When have I ever not liked something you got me?”

“Forgive me,” he chuckles, sitting beside you and pulling you into a hug. “You simply cry a lot these days.”

You pull away from him. “Of course, I’m crying all the time. I’m eight months pregnant and All you do is pull stupid little adorable stunts like this! I have every right to be emotional.” You sob, holding the clothes to your chest. “They’re beautiful.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

a/n my irl friend told me to write this and, whilst i'm not the kind of girl to sit down and do as she's told, it was actually a pretty good idea so i merged it with one of rin's ideas which means i have now officially finished all four even though it wasn't a checklist. as usual, will check tomorrow, i think this is kind of bad but it's content so i won't complain

[bucksfucks]

         amorosa // steve rogers

  chapter six: between the sheets

 chapter one // chapter two // chapter three    

                    chapter four // chapter five

               ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

                             main masterlist

                            series masterlist

summary || after bucky let’s the name peggy slip from his lips, steve not giving you the answers you’re looking for, you take matters into your own hands.

pairing || sugar daddy!steve rogers x reader

word count || 1,135 words

warnings || sugar daddy/sugar baby themes, financial issues, undefined age gap, mentions of legal troubles, mentions of crime — 18+ ONLY//MINORS DNI

     Bucky's voice replayed in your head the entire ride back to the hotel room. Steve's hand rested gently on your thigh, normally comforting, but right now it felt like it weighed about a million pounds, anchoring you down. 

    You were quiet, silently sliding out of the car before stepping into the elevator with him. Steve hummed a tune as you ascended before the door was opened to a dark room. Your heart seized at the sight of it, the name Peggy echoing in your mind. 

    "I'm gonna go take a shower." You said, not waiting for him to acknowledge you before you locked yourself in the bathroom and tried to drown your thoughts out with hot running water. 

    It didn't work.

    Why did Steve hide her from you, you had told him about your previous relationships, even asked him about his and he simply brushed off the question saying he was always too busy for anything long term. 

    Here you were finding out he used to be married from his best friend that you had just met. 

    "Hey, Princess?" Steve's voice sounded from the other side of the door as you snapped your head in its direction, "you okay? You've been in there for a while." 

    You wanted to scoff, rolling your eyes as you shook your head, "I'm fine." 

    When you stepped out of the bathroom you had the lush bathrobe wrapped around you as Steve had discarded his tailored tuxedo in exchange for a simple pair of sleep pants and a white shirt. 

    You hated how good he still looked. 

    The air around you two was tense, sad eyes flicking up to meet his as he stood from the bed. 

    "What did Bucky say?" His voice was a quiet whisper, the least confident it's ever been as you cast your eyes down to the floor. 

    "Oh you know, nothing much, just that you were married." You were hurt, emotions running through every word you spoke as Steve recoiled at the sound of them. He remained silent, running a hand through his beard. 

    "Why didn't you tell me about her?" You asked, still avoiding contact as you felt the familiar thickness in your throat as tears prickled their way in the corner of your eyes. 

    "She's not important," Steve said as you looked up at him in disbelief, "you were married." You reiterated as he sighed, taking a couple of steps closer to you. 

    "It didn't end well, okay? She isn't who she said she was." He told you and you had to fight the urge to roll your eyes again. 

    You slide past his body, moving towards the bed as he spins around to face you. 

    "I want to know about her." You say confidently, meeting his gaze as he clenches his jaw. 

    "No, sweetheart, no you don't." He warns you as you narrow your eyes at him. You're frustrated, heart leaping out of your chest as your stomach churns and you feel bile rising to your throat. 

    What could he possibly be hiding? Did you want to know? Did you even know him? 

    Your thoughts were wild, racing and causing your heart to palpate as Steve stands a few feet away from you, trying to calm you down. 

    "I want to go home." 

~

    Four days, that's how long it's been since you'd come back from Paris. 

    You were still trying to adjust to the switch in time zones, sleeping through most of the days and awake during most nights as you filled your time with anything other than thinking about Steve. 

    He had texted, tried to call you and even sent you flowers every day. 

    You didn't reply, sending one text to him saying that you need time and going ghost after that. 

    How could you keep your mind off of Steve when everything reminded you of him. Opting to stay in an air bnb proved to be lonely and you missed the company that Steve provided you with, missed the way he would kiss the tip of your nose or massage your thigh. 

    The thought of him with Peggy made you miserable. The thought of him willingly keeping that part of his life a secret, though, made you absolutely despondent. 

    You couldn't keep sitting on this anymore, if Steve wouldn't tell you about her, you'd just have to figure it out on your own. 

~

    "Thanks, Parker, I owe you." You smiled, chuckling as he enveloped you in a half hug, an armful of files in the other you both sat down in the quaint coffee shop. 

    "Think of this as a favour," he smiled, setting them down on the table before you began gnawing on your lip. 

    "Although, I gotta admit, this is some pretty heavy stuff. Are you, I mean, are you sure about this? Have you asked him about it?" He wondered and you sighed, nodding your head, "he said that I wouldn't wanna know." 

    You watched Peter's face contort into a cringe, the same cringe he had worn when he raced over to your house in high school venting about how he had just messed up the most important date of his life, that MJ would never speak to him again. 

    Funny how life works out, the two of them now happily married with a baby girl on the way. 

    "Their divorce was finalized in 2019, four years after Mr. Rogers, sorry, Steve, had filed for it." Peter began, opening the beige folder and turning it over to you. 

    "The reason for divorce is simply put as difference in opinions, but it never goes further than that." His eyes are big as he looks up at you, "Peggy isn't exactly as innocent as she sounds." 

    "From money laundering, fraud, tax evasion, bribery, I mean, she's done it all basically. Steve was left with nothing and had to face all the consequences." Peter explains and there's a weight that's lifted from your chest. 

    "It's also noted that it wasn't an amicable split and that well, Mrs. Carter is a powerful woman and has ways of… disposal." Peter's words sting you as your heart flips, "you have to be careful, no one's seen her in years, but she's still out there." He finally concludes, quickly closing the files before handing them over to you. 

    "If I were you, I would listen to Steve when he said that you don't wanna know her." 

    Your breath was shaky as you inhaled, hand over the files as you hugged them close to you. 

    "Thanks so much, Parker. I gotta go, tell MJ I say hi and that if you guys ever need a babysitter, I'm around." You smiled, giving him a quick, but tight hug before hurrying off to find Steve. 

    There's a funny thing about gut feelings because they're almost never wrong.

tagging // @jennmurawski13 | @nakedrogers | @vollzeitliebe | @kelbabyblue | @jevans2 | @babyyhoneyydarling | @cloudystevie | @lahoete | @speechlessxx | @aikeia

[doubleshotofsomething]

To Hell & Back

Part Two: “Lucky for me, your kind of heaven’s been to hell & back”

Summary: You still hate Bucky. But you need him to keep you from going to jail... So, what’s the harm in inviting him over to dinner?

Prompt: “I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.”

Warnings: Angst?? (i think). Probably typos( which will be fixed). Implied violence. 

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader

--

Part one [In case you missed it]

----

It's Saturday.

Your day off. Well, what used to be your day off until it was turned into a family therapy session.

Well... Not an actual therapy session. It is literally just dinner with your family, including your sister's husband - a man you refuse to identify as your brother in law for reasons that will end in you being called the j-word. The husband, because he's the only son-in-law your parents have, has been dubbed the "referee" of the Saturday Sessions.

Each session, since you've been discharged, has made committing murder seem more and more appealing.

So appealing, that you're standing in front of your neighbour's door with a basket of muffins and a please-keep-me-from-committing-felonies smile.

Bucky, because he just spent the afternoon searching for a new bar, is standing on the other side of the door. Both confused and frightened to see you at his door voluntarily.

"Is there a bomb in that basket?" He asks, eyes roaming over you suspiciously. "Believe me, it's not gonna work."

You blink at him, then at the basket. Then back at him. "Why would I put a bomb in a muffin basket and then hold it?"

He raises a sceptical eyebrow at you.

You huff. "Fine, they're poisoned. I accidentally added laxatives while making them-"

"Accidentally?"

"Yes, accidentally-" you glare at him. "-they're not for you. They're from us."

He blinks at you, confused. You haven't spoken to him, actually spoken to him, for a few months. You avoid him like he has a disease and when your paths do cross, you just glare at him like he threw your cat into on coming traffic.

It's been a few days since the coffee machine incident. He has a brand new one - better than the last one - sitting on his kitchen counter, waiting for him to develop the courage to give it to you. It should be easy. He has mastered the art of making amends.

But... He can't, for some reason, bring it to you.

"Wait-" he frowns, your words finally registering in his head, "-did you just say from us?"

You set the basket down. "So, remember when you broke my one shot at happiness?"

"Oh god." He forgot how dramatic you are, as well.

"Yeah, you can fix that little error by being a doll and-" you pause, then frown, struggling to find the right words.

"Muffin poisoned your tongue?"

"I'm trying to ask you to be my plus one for tonight's dinner-" you grit your teeth, your blood beginning to boil. "-at my parents house."

You didn't look him in the eye when you said that. And by the sounds of it, he doubts this is something he should be going to. Or something you should be going to. Not if it brings out this side of you.

"Who are the muffins for?"

They were for your sister. You broke her nose last week, which was never your intention, and the guilt has been eating you up alive since. The punch was meant for her asshole husband.

"You coming or not?"

"Let me grab a wine and the keys."

"We have muffins. No need to waste your good wine on mediocre tastes."

"I'm bringing the wine."

"If you make us stop to pick out flowers, I will watch porn with the volume on full blast every night for a week."

"Why are you always so violent?"

--

"So, how bad is it?" Bucky asks.

You've been in the car for a half an hour, because you chose the busiest route and the most congested during rush hour, and that's the first thing either of you have uttered since you politely dragged him out of his apartment.

You shrug. "Three roads lead to this one, so we'll be here another half hour."

"I mean the situation-" he drums his fingers against the wheel. "-you literally chose to be in a car with me, for the longest time possible. Either you want to get there late or you don't want to get there at all."

"Maybe I just like spending time with you."

Bucky scoffs, but doesn't question you further.

The car is silent, aside from the traffic outside, and you could almost relax. For just a moment, you could close your eyes and imagine you're somewhere else.

But you can't. Because you're not. You're on your way to a dinner that shouldn't be happening and is only happening because you're part of your neighbour's redemption list.

Because he just had to have a conscious.

"I punched my sister last week," you mumble.

Bucky wants to laugh. He wants to laugh so badly. He has met your sister, a handful of times - at the hospital, outside your room and outside your apartment door.

Every time she'd come over, she would knock hard enough to make him think she's part of SWAT team. And each time, he would could hear you scramble to switch off all devices that could alert her of your presence inside.

One time, you'd both arrived a few minutes after each other. His door was closer and already open, so you shoved your grocery in his hand and dived into his apartment to hide from your sister. He had to pretend he hasn't seen you since you left for work , and that the packet of sanitary pads that fell out were for his girlfriend.

He didn't have one.

He wants to laugh, because he doesn't like her at all. But he doesn't, because she's your sister. "What did she do?"

"She married an asshole-" you scoff. "-and decided to get in the way and I tried to punch said asshole."

At this, he grins. "And you need me there because?"

"I need you to keep me from trying to kill him," you begrudgingly admit. "I'm too high maintenance for prison."

"How bad is this guy that you need me to help you not kill him?"

"Bad enough that I'm gonna need you to park a few blocks away from the house," you turn to look at him, his confused eyes meeting yours for a quick second. "I told them we're taking the bus."

"Wow."

"Which means we only get to spend less than two hours there, if you drive a little slow-" you pause when he drives passed a McDonald's. "-hey, can we stop and get milkshake?"

He deadpans. "We have dinner plans with your parents."

"I get that you and them might have gotten along since you decided to be a hero," you glare at him. "But they're not as cool as the hospital visits made them seem."

Your parents have invited him over to dinner a handful of times, and each time he had to decline. You and him weren't on the best of terms, and he didn't want to make things worse by showing up for dinner without your knowledge.

He knows, first hand, that a few interactions aren't enough to give the full depth of a person. But he saw how devastated they were, how heartbroken they were, at the sight of tubes and needles sticking out of you.

He doesn't believe, he can't believe, for a second that they're as bad as you say they are.

But he won't argue with you. Not about this. "We'll get milkshake after."

"Hey, remember that coffee machine you br-"

"Oh, fuck you!"

***

You're not a fan of wine. At least, not the wine Bucky brought to the dinner.

An hour into the dinner and you've already had enough glasses to have Bucky worried. The wine is halfway to empty by the time dessert rolls in, and when your sister's husband clears his throat, you abandon the glass and drink straight from the bottle.

The second hour into the dinner is where things got interested. Interesting enough for Bucky to take the bottle from you before you could throw it at someone's head. Mainly because he wanted to throw it at someone's head. Your sister's husband's head to be specific.

Just as your mother gets up to start making tea for the muffins you brought, Bucky is the first on his feet and the first to use the 'we have to get going before we miss the bus' excuse.

You grin at him, vision slightly hazy from the wine you drank on an empty stomach.

"Mhmm," you hum as you cling into him to get to your feet, "the bus. We gotta- the bus. Bah-yeee."

"I'll make sure she gets home safe," he promises to your parents and they believe him.

Hell, you believe him. If there's one thing you can trust your neighbour to do, it's to save your life. But not your coffee machine.

He guides back to the car, which is parked exactly where you told him to, and he's never been happier to have listened to you. You sing all the way back, some ridiculous song about when you're fat and old, and you're the most content he's ever seen you.

Drunk off wine, eyes glassy and smile wide, as you try to mimic his steps. You sigh when you get into your seat, even though you fight him on opening your own door, and fumble lazily with your seat belt until he helps you clip it in.

Your struggle to find a comfortable position, but forget all about that when he parks the car outside your favourite coffee shop. You're out before he can even unclip his seatbelt and you're inside before he makes it to the door.

"Hi," you whisper-yell as you lean against the counter. "Pssst. Hi. Hello."

The barista blinks at you. Bucky cuts in before he can get a word out. "We'll take coffee. Filter. And anything that's bread-"

"-don't listen to him, he breaks hearts for a living. Sometimes he rips them out." I jab your pointer finger against the countertop. "I will take the strongest coffee you've got. I'm in the mood for bad decisions and-"

"We'll be at the booth, in the back." Bucky gently pries you from the counter. "One coffee and two bottles of water-"

You try to smack his hands away. "Why must you be so- Barnes, I swear to god, I will take your parking space."

He shoves you into the booth, then takes a seat opposite you. You attempt to make a break for the counter, but the glare he fixes you with is enough to keep you in your place.

It should scare you. The look he gives you. You know what he is capable of, without mad scientists to control him, you know the damage he's done. It takes a special kind of strength to face people like the flag smashers, and a special kind of crazy to go after them.

Bucky is both. And yet, his glare doesn't scare you. So much so, that you return it.

"I hate your brother-in-law-"

"Sister's husband," you cut in to correct him. "I refuse to recognise him as my anything."

He nods. "Right. So, let me get this straight-"

Bucky pauses as the barista sets down the coffee, the water, two croissants, some breadsticks and a garlic roll. When he's satisfied that there's nothing else, he leaves you alone with Bucky and the breads.

"You got work tomorrow-" he puts sugar into your coffee and stirs, before handing it to you. "-so you're gonna need to eat as much, so that it absorbs all that wine."

You glare at him but still do as he says. He's right and you'd rather sulk than admit it.

"So," he clears his throat to get your attention. "Your sister is an asshole, that married an asshole. And your parents are enablers of all that bullshit?"

You nod, practically shoving the garlic bread into your mouth. You didn't touch the food your mother cooked and, other than that milkshake Bucky bought you, you haven't had anything to eat all day.

"Instead of just sending you to therapy-" he scrunches his face in disgust at the thought. "-I can't fucking believe I'm advocating for that, but instead of paying for therapy. They do that? Host a dinner, sit a circle and kumbaya the problems away?"

Taking a sip from your coffee, you continue to nod. "Is it helping?"

He frowns, meeting your eyes. "What?"

"The mandated sessions-"you swallow. "-I heard you and Wings talking about it."

Thin walls. Shared balconies. Despite not being in each other's life, both of you know more than enough because of your apartments.

Your balcony and his are separated by a small barrier, but you can still hear his conversations - and visa versa- if you leave your glass door open enough when he's out there.

The wall that separates your apartment is thin enough for him to pick up on your habits. You don't think you're a creature of habit, but he would disagree.

He can tell, just from your foot steps, what you're going to watch or do in the living room. From the little sounds you make, he can tell which series you're binge watching for the umpteenth time and which one is on just for background noise.

If you weren't a creature of habit, he wouldn't have found you in time. You wouldn't be sitting in front of him, asking about his wellbeing, instead of dealing with yours.

"Wings is Captain now," he corrects, and you accept the deflection.

You would never overstep, or push. Not with him. Never with him.

"If Captain, why Wings?"

Narrowing his eyes, he pushes the bread sticks closer to you. "Fine, Captain Wings."

Again, you obey the silent instruction.

"Where were we-"

"We were plotting an asshole's abduction," you tell him, "and then dropping him off at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. If that's not available, then maybe near Dyer Island."

He raises an eyebrow at you. “Why would we drop your sister’s husband on an Island?”

"It's a place, with a shitload of great white sharks."

"And you know this because?"

"I like to always be prepared."

"For what?" His brows furrow. "Do you just know random places to dump people that–"

You cut in. "–will lead to an inevitable death by natural causes? Yes."

He stares at you. Actually stares. Openly, at you. He can't remember the last time he did that, looked at you, for no other reason than to just look.

You didn't always hate him. When he first moved into your apartment building, and the landlord introduced you too, you were indifferent. He didn't think you knew who he was, most people don't at first glance, so he was relieved. Indifference was definitely better than everything else.

That was until you walked passed him and Sam in the lobby of the building, a week after he moved in.

"Sarge–" you nodded at him, as you checked your mail. Then nodded at Sam as you made your way out of the building. "–Wings."

You knew, you always knew who he was, and just didn't care. That was refreshing, to say the least.

The hate only came that night, or the following morning, he wasn't sure. All Bucky knows is, he meddled, and now you hate him for it. For saving you.

He's tried to talk to you about it. Countless of times, he's tried, and each time you hate him a little bit more. Or so it seems.

He wants to talk about it now. It's obvious in the way he's looking at you, like he can't believe you're here, in front of him. You can't either, but you won't ever admit that to him.

Hell would sooner freeze over before you actually admitted that maybe, just maybe, he should have meddled sooner.

You won't. So, instead, you put down the bread stick and sit back. "I know a really cool coffee place... If you still need a new place to hang."

It's an olive branch. You don't ever say what you really mean, he knows that, and he smiles at that little fact. That he knows that, he knows you.

"Is the barista as dramatic as I hear?"

"Only to strangers that break down her doors," you shrug. "Oh, and guys who break her coffee machine–"

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

You grin. Because you're just as petty as he is.

---

Tags: @sunflowerxbarnes , @ginger-swag-rapunzel​ , @arctic-duchess​

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 35

💖first time reader click here💖

Reader and Eddie going on their mission. They're all morons, okay? Some canon-typical violence, bad guys being bad guys. You guys can see that I treat the fighting plot points as total crack, right?

Eddie Brock was pissed, at the Avengers mostly - for not telling him of my accident - but also at me, for the fact that I didn't call him sooner. Venom had taken over at some point, eager to participate in my plan - and it I was being honest, my uncle's space boo was the one I had relied on to participate in the mayhem that was to be caused to finally let my family breathe in peace.

The Avengers wore various expressions of guilt when an angry Eddie stormed the tower, berating them for not getting into contact with him when I was in danger. Venom growled at them, too, just the right amount of teeth and drool for Tony to quickly usher me out to 'take a walk, have some fun, build a snowman' with uncle Eddie and Venom. It was almost too easy, too predictable. The guilt that reared it's ugly head was stomped down by me and two glasses of whiskey in Eddie's rented Airbnb as I went into the fine details of my plan.

Both I and Eddie were equally surprised when Venom dropped their sarcastic, angsty teenager attitude and approached the topic with maturity, giving valuable input. The goth space goo was much, much smarter than their first impressions showed. I belatedly remembered their remark about being an apex predator species... Scary.

The plan was pretty simple.

Eddie was a professional investigative reporter and an unregistered mutant, his files being hidden so deeply due to the alien nature of the symbiote that it was unlikely that underground gangs would have any idea as to who he truly was. His involvement with SHIELD was buried under so much red tape, even Coulson himself had very little idea about Eddie's body-mate.

My uncle would sniff around the mutant underworld, just enough to catch a whiff of the mercenary's whereabouts. It should be enough if he was as famous as Natasha claimed him to be. And if it wasn't enough... I'd be bait. I doubt that the merc knew the box has been retrieved and secured; every now and then, I still caught chatter about the SHIELD agents trailing me catching a person sent to monitor me. They weren't even trying to hide that hard.

I had my suspicions SHIELD was indirectly using me as bait, too, and both Eddie and Venom were inclined to agree with the notion. Over beers and ridiculous amount of chocolate cake, a third side of the operation Baby Thief had been formed. SHIELD played their own game, the Avengers and SI threw a ridiculous amount of resources on their own and then there was me and Eddie, two halves of a whole idiot.

For once, the plan didn't go south immediately off the bat. Eddie and Venom got the information - there was a lot of uproar in the mutant community, rumours about an artifact that would let them assume their rightful place in the world, pushing the pesky humans off their pedestal. I definitely supported mutant rights - but the common notion that violence was necessary to achieve the recognition of said rights didn't sit well with me at all. Eddie agreed with me, his own curiousity pushing him to dig deeper into the situation.

My uncle could be a brilliant investigative reporter with the proper motivation and his significant other at the side. I could never tire of Venom's stories: each and every time they saved Eddie from making a clown out of himself was remembered, documented and brought up at the quickest available opportunity. I haven't laughed so hard in months.

The positives of our plan? We got a hot trail and enough information to know about the mercenary's whereabouts. We possessed the manpower needed to off him in record time, Venom eagerly offering his digestive system for our convenience.

The negatives? We'd need to bring me. Apparently there was a hefty bounty on my pretty little head and the merc himself had given up trying to chase me, hiring a bunch of muscle to do the legwork for him instead. The mercenary, a man who went by the nickname Cadre, was an ex-shield agent, who knew enough to successfully avoid the organisation following hot on his heels.

And neither SHIELD, nor Tony nor Eddie knew who had ordered the retrieval of the artifact. The mysterious person had deep pockets: all of the men were supplied with high grade weaponry and the mutants participating in the missions had equipment specifically tailored to their powers.

Perhaps, I wasn't as clever as I wanted myself to be. There was something big and ugly brewing and the bounty on my head was just the tip of the iceberg. But what was done, was done, and Venom was looking forward to a hefty meal and we set the date of Eddie "kidnapping" me in a few days time.

I hoped I'd make it home for Christmas.

The biggest surprise was that nobody suspected anything. Not even Natasha's watchful eye and inherent knowledge of shit about to be stirred - somehow, Nat always just knew those things - had revealed itself and that's how I knew it was absolutely necessary for me to be successful. There was no room for failure. In the day before my planned trip to Cadre's lair, I forced the team into a movie night and took extra time with everybody, seeing as even the most cheerful people - Thor and Wanda - walked around with sullen faces for most of the time. Perhaps, deep down, I knew that chances of my plan going awry were pretty damn high.

It felt like I was leaving for war. And perhaps, I was. The nervous, anxious energy increased as the hour X drew closer and I couldn't hide it anymore. My insomnia wore Tony's face: I could see his disappointment as clear as day, but I figured he'd forgive me for the betrayal eventually. Every single thing I hid from my newfound family made me feel a traitor. Unfortunately, there was simply no other option.

That afternoon, Eddie picked me up from the tower and drove me to one of the hideouts that belonged to Cabre. He'd tied my hands together and blindfolded me, all for show of course, whilst Venom briefly connected with my body to induce a drowsy state of mind. I didn't actually mind to be drugged and was way more wary of the symbiote's effects on my body but the space pudding extended his tentacles so quickly, I barely had the time to even swear at them.

To my (and their) surprise, it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. In my hazy state, I briefly head Venom growl that I could be a decent short-term host if something would to happen with Eddie; I did not know how that information made me feel but did not disregard it completely. I was out of my depth on this one yet marched on towards the danger with grim determination.

"Here's the girl," Eddie's voice penetrated through the curtain of chemicals that Venom had dosed me with; I was tossed none too gently on what felt like a mattress, the landing haphazard but not painful. Venom must've dulled my pain receptors, too. "Where's our money?"

I was unceremoniously groped, my face examined by a man with ice-cold hands. Whatever he found, he deemed it satisfactory. "I'm impressed," He whistled. "We've been trying to get her for months. Care to share how you achieved this?" The strange man sounded suspicious.

"WE HAVE OUR OWN TRICKS," Venom's deep voice filled out the room like thick smoke and I just knew that the man who had been groping me was twitching in discomfort. "SO?"

"Alright, alright," The man mumbled, voice unsteady. My drowsiness slowly began to recede and I finally could focus my eyes somewhat; Eddie was partially obscured by the writhing, onyx mass of his symbiote and the man was dialing up the phone, speaking in a rapid-fire dialect I did not know. "Cabre will be here in an hour. Care for a beer?" Just like that, the man was obviously attempting to placate Eddie.

"HOT CHOCOLATE," Venom announced flatly and I had to struggle to hold back my laughter at the image of a seven feet tall tentacle monster sipping hot cocoa from a tiny porcelain cup. My nerves had me feeling ten types of way, as usual, and props to Ven making me unable to speak. I would have already killed myself by running my mouth ten times over.

The hour passed by with me floating in my mindsphere, Eddie loudly playing Candy Crush on his phone and Venom consuming ridiculous amounts of hot chocolate. It was absurd and the eerie calm was beginning to make me suspicious; I had expected... More. Threatening thugs with guns, experiments, blood tests and physical violence. Instead, the man who met with Eddie was sitting with a vacant, bored expression as he practiced card tricks in the corner furthest away from Venom.

Finally, a knock on the door forced all of us to pay attention to the newcomer. It was a tall, massively built man in his early forties. His face was covered in scars, narrow red lines that looked like small cuts; one of his eyes was completely black while the other was blue. He looked like the man at the coffee shop but at the same time, nothing like him at all.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," His voice was low and quiet. If not for the heavyweight weapon hanging over his shoulder, I would have considered him to be one of those men who only look threatening but actually are gentle giants. With steps too quiet for a man his size, he approached me, crouching down to look me in the face. "Hello, child. I've been looking for you for a long time. It's a shame we had to meet this way," He removed the strands of hair sticking to my face. For all purposes, his touch could have been considered fatherly. "Richard, bring the money." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the man who was babysitting me and Eddie and he promptly disappeared behind the steel door.

"Hello," Eddie briefly shook his hands with Cabre after the merc left me alone. I noted Venom had disappeared into the reporter's body completely. "We are Venom," Eddie introduced himself (they introduced themselves?).

"Cabre," The Merc watched my honorary uncle with a sharp eye, taking note of Eddie's lack of weapons, his worn clothes and the shaggy hair, the bags under his eyes. "Tell me, Venom, what do you know of this child?"

"Not much," Eddie shrugged, convincingly. "Just that the Avengers picked her up for some reason and locked her up in Stark's tower. We're guessing she didn't like it much 'cuz she kept sneaking out and trying to shake off the tail. Had to go through quite a few SHIELD agents to get to her," Just like we agreed, Eddie spoke with slight disdain towards Tony and SHIELD, making sure to let Cabre believe he was on the mutants' side. "We just need the money, man. Not many people will hire us," To top it up, Eddie spread his arms, showing his skin ripple and move on it's own prominently under his ratty t-shirt. Atta boy!

Cabre appeared to have bought the lie, chuffing sympathetically, before pulling out a tablet and typing on it. "Well, not for long. My superiors have found an artifact that, if unlocked properly, will render most of the technology suppressing mutant powers useless. They won't be able to get rid of us that easily anymore."

Eddie nodded eagerly, for all purposes appearing to be ecstatic about the news. "Yeah, heard some rumors here and there. Well, you and your superiors know where to find me. I could always go with some extra cash," He scratched his head, carefully watching Cabre's fingers dance on the keyboard. "What's the kid got to do with it anyway? Seems like an ordinary spoiled brat to me," Eddie threw me a look, blinking twice. The fatigue and wariness, courtesy of Venom, had begun to recede quite some time ago; with Eddie's signal, I knew the shitshow was about to start very soon.

Eddie was smart, however, finding out the bits of information SHIELD hadn't bothered to disclose to me. The residue that the cursed box had left in me was removed, so I could not understand why SHIELD was still guarding me. There had to have been another reason, a reason that neither of us knew for sure.

Cabre paused his typing. "We've been watching her for years. She's a genius. We were hoping she could help us solve a few problems..." The merc paused to rub the bridge of his nose. "We tried to get her to come willingly but her parents forbade her from it. My superiors suggested to use the artifact but something malfunctioned." For all purposes, Cabre was looking apologetic. "I am not overly fond of kidnapping children but some things just need to be done." With that, the man turned around, landing his eyes on me. "Glad to see you're up and about." Something about his smile was unnatural, forced, malicious.

"Charmed to meet you," I sat up, dazed and confused about the turn of events. The things he was saying, they didn't add up. I hadn't received any requests for my participation in ANY kind of project, illlegal or not. No scholarships, no internship offers. Something was very, very wrong.

As soon as Cabre's back was turned, Venom enveloped Eddie, turning themselves into the seven feet tall outer space monstrosity I had seen on the first day. Their combined form was terrifying - but Cabre's fingers merely twitched at the rapid change of the situation as he took slow steps towards me. "Hmm," His voice still quiet, he once again crouched in front of me. "You fought us off once but we are many. There is nowhere to run, child," Cabre's eyes began to darken, his speech turning flat.

I recognized the speech pattern, recalled the expressionless, vacant face that stared at me. Cabre was infected with the Legion from the cursed box; I hadn't prepared for that, hadn't even regarded that, thinking the little epic speech the demon had given me was a mere intimidation tactic. Fear bloomed within me, opening it's jaws like a hungry Venus flytrap but I refused to succumb to it, clenching my fists against the waves of paralyzing terror.

Venom made a confused growling noise behind me, extending a tentacle to push Cabre away; with a sickeningly wet splat, their whole form collided with the opposite wall, sliding down it like a puddle of misshapen goop. "MORSEL, GET OUT." The symbiote growled, reforming itself back.

"Silence, beast!" Cabre shrieked, unstrapping his weapon and aiming it at Venom. No bullets came out as he pressed the trigger but my ear started ringing, eyes watering as the whole form of the symbiote began to morph and ripple. Pained groans and whines came from them. A sonic gun?

"Screw you, man," I attempted to draw Cabre's attention to myself by kicking out a leg towards the gun, disrupting his arm briefly. Things were going to shit faster than a party full of teenagers and alcohol. "Fuck you, listen, FUCK YOU!" I knew antagonizing people was my best skill and that's what I did, figuring the time needed for Venom to reassemble themself could be acquired if Cabre was pissed off enough at me.

The backhand hurt, not going to lie. I saw stars from that one sloppy hit the possessed merc delivered to my face. The adrenaline rush allowed me to stay somewhat coherent and just like that time when I was trapped in my nightmares, I dove for Cabre, winding myself around him as both of us landed on the floor in a heap of limbs.

Despite my best hopes, Venom remained a puddle of black on the floor. I saw something shiny attach itself to Eddie's chest; apparently that something prevented them from combining into one again. My smaller size proved to be a great advantage; I remembered Venom's words about being a suitable short-term host and with a shriek, I placed my palm into the nearest piece of symbiote I could reach, my vision being obscured by blackness a second later.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie @mikariell95 @gladiosamicitias @warrior1-19 @toomanyrobins @i-cant-hangout-im-drumming

[fiveisnumber1]

I'm getting attached to way too many 5SOS songs for these two but you recommended it and I got hooked so here's another impromptu music analysis cuz can't stop, won't stop:

Here I am waking up Still can't sleep on your side There's your coffee cup The lipstick stain fades with time If I can dream long enough You'd tell me I'd be just fine I'll be just fine

I have SO MANY THOUGHTS. I analysed these verses as both Reader and Five. Sort of like a split screen/back and forth thing.

Reader obviously can't sleep in Five's room or stay there too long in the beginning before the grief of his disappearance threatens to make her cave in on herself. She finds his hidden stash of coffee beans and coffee cup cuz of course she got him that cup, she knew how much he loved coffee but that Reginald didn't allow it, so she knows where he keeps it and it makes her cry thinking about it cuz she misses him so much. She holds it and it's like she can feel the ghost of his fingertips still. And when she falls asleep finally after running on her own caffeine highs to avoid sleeping (before Diego and Grace catch her out), when she crashes she manages to sleep long enough to dream of Five who whispers to her that everything will be OK even though when she wakes up he's still not there and there's an emptiness in her soul and next to her.

Similarly, with Five: He also can't leave Reader's makeshift grave for the first few weeks. He can't bring himself to leave but he can't bring himself to stay long either cuz he's in despair over her loss. Her diary and locket is the "coffee cup" for him and like her, if he manages to sleep, she always haunts his dreams and tells him he'll be okay and that they'll see each other again which is hope he can't bear to give himself but simultaneously needs to keep going.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth Dancing through our house With the ghost of you

They both drown out their reality and misery. They try to forget. Reader dances around the manor pretending to be happy but she's still haunted by the memories of Five because it's literally his home and he snuck her around all these halls so they're tainted with him mumbled the stories for her in their one-sided conversations when she was invisible and trying to avoid getting caught.

For Five, Reader's ghost is literally with him at all times through his hallucinations so he tries to use that to forget that Reader isn't actually with him. His reality of the apocalypse is the bitter truth despite him making Reader up in his mind to keep him company to drown out the loneliness.

They both pretend to be happy with each others ghosts but those ghosts simultaneously remind each other about their bitter truth that they're actually far apart. They're simultaneously trying to drown out and chase the truth of each other with the remnants they have of each other.

Cleaning up today Found that old Zepplin shirt You wore when you ran away And no one could feel your hurt We're too young, too dumb To know things like love But I know better now (Better now)

So I imagine Reader finding Five's notebooks where he was calculating for time-travel and just sitting down with her head in her hands and shaking because Five just had to go and prove himself to Reginald who just had to be an asshole and refuse to be understanding. If only he had treated the Hargreeves all better maybe Five wouldn't have been so hurt and angry and the desire to prove his superiority to Reginald for some measure of control wouldn't have existed and forced him to be rash while lashing out.

Five probably finds something in the rubble belonging to Reader or maybe just her diary entry detailing how hurt she was when he left her behind but also talking about understanding his pain and it makes him ache because she understood him and his hurt and his ambition unlike everyone else and he took it for granted.

And they're obviously so young and just children but they're in love. They're too dumb to understand what it means or how to deal with it cuz it's so much emotion in such a small time but they know how it feels now that they've lost one another. They regret not saying anything and they know themselves better now and wish they had realized the depth of their feelings earlier.

Too young, too dumb. To know things like love. Too young, too dumb

The repeated lines just make my heart ache even more. It's just emphasis on their longing for each other and sort of speaks to that heightened desire over the years to see each other again the more they are apart and their hearts grow fonder. Theoretically, they were kids who shouldn't have had such a deep attachment to each other but they did. Five made a dumb mistake that landed them in a mess but it wasn't entirely his fault either and it led to their separation.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth That my feet don't dance Like they did with you

This last line hurts like a bitch. They'll continue to move on and pretend everything is fine cuz they need to keep going but they're missing their most important piece which means they can't dance exactly the way they did when they were together. They falter without each other cuz there's an empty space next to them both occupied by each other's ghost just waiting to be filled by the real person they miss. They'll drown out the truth of their emptiness as much as they can but they can never drown out the fact that the person who made them want to dance was each other.

Anywho here's my analysis. I can't wait to see what you add and I hope you liked it! :D

As always I love your analysis! I wrote a lot so I’ve put read more link below:

Here I am waking up Still can't sleep on your side There's your coffee cup The lipstick stain fades with time If I can dream long enough You'd tell me I'd be just fine I'll be just fine

When I hear these lines it gives me the feeling of time standing still, nothing is changing and it’s only little things that even dictate the passage of time. I think this is really fitting for both the reader and Five. The academy is frozen in time for the reader. The rooms of the building are the exact same and untouched from when she left to when she arrived in the future. Nothing has changed, especially so with Five’s room. It’s little things like the amount of dust collected that even show that time has passed. As for Five every day is the same in the apocalypse. It’s only the rising and setting of the sun and the changes in weather that really dictate time. 

In terms of the coffee cup, I imagine after a while the reader starting to use it as it makes her feel closer to Five. She’d keep it in her room and take perfect care of it using it for whatever drink she had. The color of her lipstick staining the glass. Somehow when exploring the academy ruins, Five finds the cup perfectly intact with the lipstick stain of the reader’s on it. Five takes care of the mug but as the days, months, and years go on, the lipstick stain fades away and it breaks his heart because it’s just another part of her that he realizes is gone.

The repeated line of “I’ll be just fine” can also refer to what the reader tells other people who are trying to care for her like Grace and Diego during such a difficult time. She continues to push the issue away when they try to help by offering up the excuse of I’ll be just fine even though she won’t be fine and she is not fine.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth Dancing through our house With the ghost of you

With this, it’s both Five and the reader trying to ignore the reality of the situation they’re in.  The reader tries to involve themselves in a brand new life. They make a group of friends, they spend time with Diego, they do piano, they do boxing, they work on their powers. The reader is drowning out the pain with other things but when it comes down to it she can’t escape the ghost of the memories living in the academy house. 

As for Five, he turns to drinking to drown out the problem. When the pain of knowing that the reader isn’t there is too much he will chase down the problem with a shot of truth. Truth, in this case, being alcohol.

Cleaning up today Found that old Zepplin shirt You wore when you ran away And no one could feel your hurt We're too young, too dumb To know things like love But I know better now (Better now)

Even more so than finding his notebooks, I can see the reader helping Grace clean up some of the old rooms (excluding Five’s) and underneath Klaus’ bed she finds and old academy uniform, and although it’s not one that directly belongs to Five it’s still the exact outfit he wore on the day he ran away because he was angry and hurt by Reginald’s dismissal of him.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth That my feet don't dance Like they did with you

When I think of these last lines I imagine that on really lonely nights Five and the reader both get up and dance alone. They have their arms placed as if they were dancing with someone else as if they were dancing with each other, but there’s no one there but the empty air. Dancing alone, even in the loneliest of moments, is never the same as dancing with the other person. 

Also like imagine this as a scene in the show with this song in the background: On a starry night in the apocalypse, Five is having a drink next to the reader’s makeshift grave at the ruins of the academy. Wanting some form of familiarity he gets up and starts to dance with the imaginary version of the reader that he has, even though he knows she isn’t real. At the same time, the Reader is in her room on a similar starry night and decides to pretend to dance with Five even though she knows he is not there. As they spin around dancing, the scene goes back and forth between Five in the apocalypse and the reader in her room making it look like they’re dancing together even though they are in two different places alone. As the song nears the final lines Five spins the reader out and there is a split-screen where Five is in the apocalypse with one arm extended and the reader is in her room with one arm out. It looks like they’re holding each other's hand but then the shots pan out and there’s nothing there. And the two of them sadly once again realize that they’re dancing through the shared house with a ghost of the other.

Just wanna add, I listened to the live version of the song, and god does it hurt to imagine Addison taking the reader to a concert and her hearing that song for the first time live. Like while everyone else is waving their cellphone flashlights side to side and having fun singing alone she just gets a distant look in her eyes as she remembers Five. Thinking of that is just like ugh, a stab in the heart really. I’d recommend it if you wanna be sad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsXebE_f64 (watch 0:00-3:53)

[unfolded73]

Hi, could you please write a part 3 of the Lieutenant Duckling smut, where they're finally married and can make love and enjoy each other? please, and thank you

Finally, I finished this, hooray! As with everything I’m writing lately, it’s pure filth, albeit fluffy feelsy filth. Enjoy. 4900 words, rated Explicit.

I’ve reposted this on ao3 as a separate 3-part fic here.

(Part 1)(Part 2)

Part 3

Emma lifted her head, flipped her pillow over, and punched it before flopping her head back onto it. She closed her eyes, counting to fifty. She rolled onto her back, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes hard enough to see spots, groaning in frustration.

There was just no possible way she was going to fall asleep.

Finally, she sat up with a determined frown and swung her feet down onto the cold floor. She reached for the extinguished candle on her bedside table, then thought better of it, leaving it where it was. Emma pulled on her robe and walked over and carefully opened her bedchamber door, listening for the footfalls of a night watchman. Hearing nothing, she slipped out into the passageway.

On the eve of their wedding, Killian had been put in a room in a different wing of the castle, far from Emma’s bedchamber. But after so many years of sneaking down to the kitchen for a midnight snack, it was an easy matter for Emma to avoid the watch’s patrol pattern and make her way to Killian’s bedroom, the location of which she’d made a point of memorizing. Ducking into an alcove and waiting until she was certain she wouldn’t be observed, Emma dashed to the door and carefully opened it, letting herself inside. She locked it behind her.

She heard a fumbling sound, and with her eyes straining in the dim moonlight, she saw Killian’s hand shoot out and knock his candle off the table.

“Who’s there?” he said, his voice raspy with sleep.

“It’s Emma,” she whispered, hurrying over to the bed. “Don’t… raise the alarm or whatever.”

“Emma? What are you doing in here? I’m not supposed to see you, it’s bad luck.”

“I know, sorry, but I couldn’t sleep.”

Killian sat up in bed, completely bare-chested, and Emma gulped at the sight. Reaching out for her, he took her hand and kissed it. “Too excited about tomorrow?”

“Too nervous about tomorrow.”

He smiled at her. “Not nervous that you’ve made the wrong decision, I hope?”

She punched him on the arm and then sat down on the bed at his side. “No. Nervous that something will go wrong, I guess. That I’ll get up in front of all those people and trip and fall into the wedding cake.” Killian chuckled at that. “And… I’m nervous about the wedding night.”

Killian squeezed her hand. “Me too.”

“Why are you nervous? It won’t be your first time,” she said.

“It’ll be my first time with you, Emma. My first time with the woman I love, the woman I intend to spend my life with. My wife,” he added, and the way his voice caught on that word made her heart skip a beat. “Of course I’m nervous.” He pressed his lips against her hand again.

She hesitated for a second and then decided to forge ahead with her original plan. “So let’s get it over with.” And then she winced because that had sounded much better in her head. “I mean, not get it over with because that makes it sound like I’m dreading it and I am definitely not, but if we do it now, then we won’t be distracted during the ceremony worrying about… you know.”

Killian was quiet in answer to her rambling, and Emma bit her lip, waiting for him to say something.

“My love… are you sure that’s what you want? You’d be going to your wedding day no longer–”

“Killian, if you say ‘pure,’ I’m going to smack you. You know how I feel about all that patriarchal nonsense.”

“Aye, and you’d be right to strike me, darling.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I just don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret.” Chuckling uneasily, he added, “And I think it would be a shame if your father were to find out and murder me mere hours before I am to wed you.”

“I locked the door,” she said, and then inched a little closer to him. “Look, is there really a difference between right now and tomorrow in terms of the commitment we’ve made to each other?”

“No, of course not.” He reached out and touched her cheek, and Emma shivered at the contact. “I love you, Emma, and I will be yours for as long as I live.”

She felt pinpricks of tears behind her eyes at his declaration. She knew what had driven her to sneak into his room was a mixture of lust and pragmatism, but right now it felt like so much more. “I love you, too. And I don’t want to wait another second to share this with you.”

Killian launched himself up from the pillows, taking her in his arms and sealing his mouth forcefully over hers. Hoping that was his answer, Emma brought her feet up onto the bed, letting her momentum carry them down so that she ended up sprawled on top of him as they continued to kiss. He was still under the covers and she was on top of them, and there was a bit of fumbling as they tried to correct that fact without letting their lips part.

Emma still wore her nightgown and robe, she realized, and with a frustrated grunt, she sat up and struggled to untangle herself.

“Let me,” Killian said, his hand gently curling around her shoulder. “Let me undress you, darling.”

Unable to find her voice, Emma nodded.

His fingers deftly worked the knot in her robe before easing it off. Her nightdress was tied with a ribbon at her neck and he pulled it loose, moving aside the neckline. Leaning over, Killian kissed her bare shoulder, and it felt startlingly intimate to have his lips on a part of her they had never before touched. It seemed to affect him profoundly as well, and his movements as he lifted the nightgown up her body and over her head were rushed. Emma shifted her weight to assist him, and before she knew it, she was completely nude.

As much time as they had spent pawing at each other over their clothes, and sometimes under them, Emma still felt terribly exposed, and she moved her arms instinctively to cover her breasts.

“Oh, don’t,” he whispered. “You’re the most beautiful vision I’ve ever seen, let me look at you.”

Hesitantly, Emma lay back, her arms falling to her sides, and let Killian take her in. Cool air and nerves made her shiver, and he gently brought the covers up around them as he settled down beside her.

With a little smirk, Emma rolled toward him and reached for the drawstring of his trousers. “You’re overdressed.”

He laughed in response. “Aye.” She untied the laces and he pulled the sleeping trousers off, tossing them on the floor.

His skin was pale in the moonlight, the hairs that covered his body a stark contrast. She’d seen his cock before, but never in the context of the rest of him, had never been able to let her eyes follow the trail of hair down his abdomen to his erection, jutting proudly toward her now like some kind of divining rod.

Killian gathered her into his arms, and Emma finally felt what it was like to have his bare skin pressed all along the length of hers. She sighed into his mouth with joy at how wonderful it felt. It was like something clicking into place, being with him like this. Like her heart and body were finally in sync.

While they kissed, Emma could feel the wet press of the tip of his cock against her belly, and she couldn’t help but fixate on what it would feel like to have that part of him inside her. She both wanted it desperately and feared it at the same time. Would she be different, afterward? Would people just be able to look at her and know?

As if he sensed her trepidation, Killian’s kisses slowed and his hand rubbed her back, soothing her with his warmth and comforting embrace.

“Emma, if you don’t want this, you can change your mind, darling.”

Shaking her head, she shifted onto her back, letting her legs fall open. “I want this. I trust you.”

He kissed her again. “May I touch you?”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “It’s nothing you haven’t done before.”

Killian’s hand trailed down her belly. “I know, but it’s different now,” he said. He skimmed past her sex and cupped her inner thigh. “Isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly because it did, it felt so different from those times with his hand under her skirts. She felt more vulnerable, naked and in his bed as his fingers inched up and came in contact with her folds. The slick way his fingers moved against her skin made her aware of how wet she was, her body anticipating and needing him. At least now she knew that he found the wetness arousing.

“You feel so good, love,” and Emma stifled a moan as he began to stroke her with more purpose. “So ready for me.”

“Yes, I’m ready, Killian.” She couldn’t help but writhe against his fingers, her hips moving instinctually as he slid one finger into her easily.

“There’s no rush, Emma. I want this to feel as good for you as I can make it. All right?”

Nodding, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the sensations his fingers were creating between her legs. He focused more and more on that tiny nub of flesh that made pleasure radiate out like sunlight inside her veins, and very quickly she felt the tell-tale sparks of an impending orgasm. She almost didn’t want it to happen, wanted to save it until their bodies were truly joined, but something about being in bed with him, their naked bodies close together, seemed to heighten the experience of being touched so intimately and her climax crested over almost against her will. Emma bit her lip, the only noise coming from her throat a choked off squeak.

“I love it when you come,” Killian murmured, his lips brushing across her sweaty brow. His fingers continued to stroke her down below, stimulating her over-sensitive flesh, and then he adjusted his hand and Emma felt the pressure of being entered again, this time with what seemed like two fingers. She gasped.

“Does that feel okay?” he asked.

It didn’t hurt, but it was more of an intrusion than she’d ever experienced, so it felt slightly strange. Emma hesitated, and then she nodded.

He continued to gently move his fingers in and out, and her body quickly accommodated them. Emma felt renewed desire and pleasure, and she moved her hand to Killian’s cheek, stretching up to kiss him. “Make love to me. Please.”

Killian seemed to tremble as he positioned himself above her and she spread her legs to bracket his hips. The first touch of his cock sliding across her folds made both of them moan.

“We need to stay quiet,” she whispered, and he nodded.

“I know, but gods, I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long, and you feel so good.”

He continued to just thrust against her, not pushing inside, and as lovely as that felt, Emma wondered what he was waiting for. She felt uncertain, like maybe there was something she should do to allow him entrance that she didn’t know about. “Killian–”

“Can I?” he said at the same time she spoke his name. Emma nodded. Propping himself over her with one arm, he reached down and took himself in hand, and then she felt the tip right against her opening. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to her that he might need to direct the angle of his cock with his hand, and Emma almost giggled at her own naivete. It felt huge, like there was no way it would fit inside her, and that same mixture of anticipation and fear swelled in her chest.  Then he was pushing and there was pressure, and then a sharp twinge as the head of his cock slipped inside. Emma gasped, and Killian stopped.

“Does it hurt?”

She felt a burning at the way her body was being stretched, but it wasn’t terrible. “A little, but it’s okay. Keep going.”

Very slowly, he pushed inside her, and the slight pain persisted but something about it also felt good, like nerves that his fingers couldn’t reach were being stimulated by the size and length of him. She was almost surprised when she felt his hips come up flush with hers and she realized he was all the way in.

With panting breath, Emma opened her eyes and looked at him. She felt full and strangely complete in a way she never had before. Their bodies were like puzzle pieces, finally put together after so many months of being separate parts of a whole.

“I love you,” he said, and she felt him move just a bit as he pinned her down with his hips.

“I love you,” Emma answered. “I’m so glad it’s you.”

He moved then, pulling out and pushing back in and Emma gasped again. A few more shallow strokes and the pain was almost gone.

“Oh,” she said, and she could hear the surprise in her own voice. Having him inside her like this was everything she had wanted since she had fallen in love with him. “Oh.” Again as he pulled out a little farther and pressed back inside with more force. Every time felt better and better.

“All right?” His voice was strained and breathy.

“Yes, gods, it’s… yes.” She spread her legs wider and clung to him, giving herself over to the rhythm of his movement.  

Killian didn’t last long, his back arching and a pained grimace on his face as he climaxed. Emma was a little disappointed it had been so quick, but then she remembered how excited she’d been and how quickly she’d come from just his fingers, so she could sympathize with his lack of stamina. As he pulled out, Emma felt a little stinging twinge of pain between her legs, and she pressed her thighs together. Rolling onto her side, she felt a flood a moisture run out onto the inside of her leg, and she grimaced. Sex was strange and messy, she thought as she tried to get comfortable, but it was also wonderful and sort of life-changing.

“Are you all right?” Killian asked, his hand coming up to caress her cheek.

She snuggled close to his chest, kissing him tenderly. “I’m… good. And looking forward to doing that again.”

He grinned. “Less nervous about tomorrow, I hope?”

Pondering that, she nodded. “Yes, I suppose I am. But I wish I didn’t have to sneak back to my bedchamber.” She felt bereft at the thought. After such an intimate act, the last thing she wanted to do was leave Killian and return to her own bed alone. She needed the comfort of his arms around her, cradling her through the night.

“This is the last time we’ll have to sleep apart,” he assured her, kissing her forehead. “After tomorrow, there’ll be no getting rid of me.”

“Promise?”

“Aye.”

~*~

“You’re going to look so beautiful, Emma,” Snow said, carefully fingering the embroidery on the wedding dress in the morning sunlight. It hung on the door of her wardrobe, ready to be put on. “Are you excited?”

Emma took a sip of her tea, then returned to brushing out her long hair. She was excited, but the lack of sleep made it challenging to match her mother’s energy level. “I’m excited.”

Snow’s face fell a little bit. “You don’t seem excited.”

“I am, I am, I’m just…” It was impossible to articulate how she felt. Sitting there at her dressing table, she was aware of a slight soreness between her legs, and it just made her feel all the more like the fact that she’d given up her maidenhead a day early would be obvious to anyone who looked at her. “Nervous.”

Snow eyed her, and Emma could tell there was something on her mind. Her mother took a deep breath.  “We should talk about tonight,” she blurted. “The wedding night. You know.” She wrung her hands together.

Emma’s eyes widened. “Are you really going to bring up sex with me at the very last possible moment to bring it up?”

“Sorry, but this is hard for me, talking about this sort of thing with my only daughter. You’re still a little girl to me in a lot of ways.”

A surge of anger surprised Emma with its ferocity. The idea that without Ruby, she would have been left all alone to try to figure out her physical reaction to Killian and how to navigate that aspect of their relationship suddenly made her furious. “Well, I’m not a little girl. Killian and I have already done things together,” she blurted.

Snow crossed her arms and frowned. “What things?”

She felt a perverse sort of thrill at the idea of shocking her mother, although if what Ruby had said was true, it was nothing she herself hadn’t done.  “I’ve been physical with him,” she said vaguely, thinking more of their months of stolen moments in empty rooms in the castle than of the night before.

She expected shock or anger or both, but what she got were her mother’s eyes glassy with tears. “I should have been here for you before this,” she said.

Emma shrugged. “Ruby was here for me,” she said, unable to resist getting another dig in.

“That’s hardly comforting,” Snow said, sinking down onto the bed.

“I’m just saying, you’re off the hook,” Emma said to the mirror as she brushed her hair.

“I don’t want to be off the hook. I’m your mother, and I failed you.”

Turning around and looking at Snow face-to-face, all of Emma’s anger melted away and was replaced by guilt for making her mother feel bad. “I’m sorry.”

“Is he… kind to you? And giving?” Snow asked timidly.

“Very giving.” Emma experienced a visceral flash of memory, of the way he’d once hiked her skirts up and let her wrap her legs around him, grinding his hardness against her until she’d had a powerful, shuddering climax against the wall in an alcove behind the armory.

“Good.”

“I didn’t know loving someone could feel this way,” Emma said. “I thought I loved Baelfire, but it was nothing like this.”

“It was destined to be,” Snow said with a dreamy look in her eye. “From the day he saved your life–”

“He didn’t save my life–”

“The day he pulled you out of the water then,” Snow said. “You were destined to fall in love.”

Emma shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Do you know when you first realized you were in love with him?”

“Realized it? I don’t think I actually realized it until the first time we kissed, but I’m pretty sure I was done for when I was fifteen and he put on that naval uniform the first time.”

Snow giggled. “Men do look good in uniform.”

~*~

Indeed, the sight of him at the altar in his formal dress uniform took Emma’s breath away.

The ceremony went by in a blur, and Emma was hard-pressed to remember the details later. She remembered the way her hands trembled, the shaking of the delicate flowers of her bouquet making it terribly obvious. She remembered struggling to repeat the words she was supposed to say as she got lost in the blue of Killian’s eyes. She remembered his voice catching as he said his vows, and that catch making her own tears flow. She remembered the warmth of his lips as he leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss. She remembered the blur of happy faces as they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.

The receiving line that followed was boring and exhausting but the ball was fun, at least in that she got to dance almost every dance with her new husband, save the one reserved for her father and a few more that she was diplomatically obligated to share with visiting royalty from neighboring kingdoms.

“Are you happy?” her father David had asked as they spun around the room.

“Very happy.”

“I can tell; you’re positively glowing today. There’s already something different about you.”

Emma had blushed at that, her head immediately filling with images of the night before.

The ball went by so quickly that she was almost surprised when one of her ladies-in-waiting said it was time for them to go.

They had a honeymoon on the coast to look forward to, but this first night was going to be spent at the very hunting lodge that they’d once stolen away to, an easy ride from the castle since they knew they’d be too tired and it would be too late to embark on a long trip immediately after the wedding.

“Oh, thank the gods, there’s food,” Emma said as they walked into the main room, where a servant had set out a selection of fruits and cheeses for them in front of the fireplace in which a lively fire danced. Someone who knew she would barely have time to eat at her own wedding must have arranged for the spread, and Emma would have gladly kissed whoever that was.

She caught Killian staring at her as she ate, and she swiped at her mouth with a napkin in case she’d made a mess of herself. “What?”

He smiled. “Nothing, just… you’re my wife.”

She grinned back. “Yeah.”

When they had slaked their hunger for food, Emma stood and held her hand out for her husband. “Let’s go to bed,” she said, and his expression shifted to lustful in an instant.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

They undressed each other slowly, removing the traveling clothes that they had dutifully changed into even though she would have better enjoyed watching Killian peel off his officer’s uniform, just as she would have preferred to feel his hands unlacing the stays on her wedding dress. But there was a protocol to these things, and at least in this case, they had followed it.

Emma was alight with desire as he leaned over and took her nipple between his lips, his tongue flicking it and making her moan. The staff who had readied the hunting lodge for them had returned to the castle, and they could make as much noise as they wanted.

“Do you regret last night?” he asked hesitantly as he lowered her to the bed, his body covering her and caging her in. In the firelight, she could see everything more clearly, but she wasn’t as nervous about being bare in front of him this time.

Emma shook her head, smiling up at him. “Not even a little.” Killian moved his hips against hers, his cock dragging against her flesh, and she winced.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, not wanting to mar this perfect night, but he gave her look that said he didn’t believe her. “I’m the tiniest bit sore, but not enough to matter. I want to make love to my husband.”

Killian planted a line of open-mouthed kisses down her throat, his teeth scraping against her collarbone. “Let me make sure you’re ready first,” he said, a dark rasp in his voice, and then he began working his way down her body, his mouth focusing on her breasts for a while before he covered her flat stomach with little sucking kisses.

His intent became more than clear when he positioned himself lower on the bed, his shoulders spreading her legs apart. Emma couldn’t believe the way he was examining her sex so closely, and she felt the urge to close her legs to his scrutiny, but she held herself still.

“Relax, darling,” Killian said, no doubt noticing that she was tense. “I’m merely going to service you the way you did for me in that closet a few weeks ago. When I had to go make conversation with your mother over dessert while all I could think of was the way you looked with my cock in your mouth.” He placed a closed-mouth kiss right over her opening, and Emma gasped, her leg twitching. “I’ve fantasized about this so many times,” he murmured, and the tickle of his breath on her skin made her tremble. “I’ve caught your scent on my fingers and wished for the freedom to taste you and pleasure you the way you deserve.”

He licked her then, the flat of his tongue running all the way up between her legs, and Emma cried out. Humming with satisfaction, Killian’s lips pressed against her pleasure center, that nub of flesh that was so sensitive. “Now that you’re my wife, I intend to give you every pleasure your body can stand. Is that something you want, Emma?”

“Yes,” she whispered, shuddering as his tongue swept over her again. “Oh, yes.”

She sank into a pool of liquid pleasure after that, losing all sense of embarrassment about the way her husband was acquainting himself with her body as he worked so diligently at his task. At some point, she felt his fingers on her, then inside her, and the combined sensations brought a series of nonsense sounds from her mouth.

When he stopped, Emma almost screamed in frustration, her thighs shaking, her body positively thrumming with need. She wanted him to keep going, wanted to push his face back down between her legs and make him keep licking her until she climaxed, but then he was up and kneeling between her legs and before she knew it he was pushing his cock inside.

It was easier than the night before, the discomfort less, especially now that she was so aroused. Killian again took it slow, working inside her inch by slow inch, staying up on his knees this time instead of stretched out over her like he had been the night before. Emma took the opportunity to watch the way his abdominal muscles flexed as he fucked into her, the way the muscles in his forearms moved as he clutched her hips.

“Killian, you feel so good,” she gasped, her hips circling even as he held himself still, buried to the hilt and straining for control. “Gods, I’m so close, please, oh gods, I need, I need…”

He pressed his thumb down accurately against her tiny bud just as he started to move, and Emma writhed and gasped, aware of every thick slide, every circle of his talented fingers.

Her orgasm was shattering, and Emma cried out loudly as she rode the waves of it, the intensity of which she’d never experienced. She was barely aware of Killian falling just after she did. By the time she became conscious of anything but white-hot pleasure, he was carefully pulling out.

Emma lay unmoving as Killian collapsed at her side with a huff of breath.

“That was… amazing,” she said finally, her throat dry and uncomfortable. “Was it amazing for you?” she asked, turning her head but the rest of her body unmoving

“Aye.” He reached over and pulled her close. Shifting her bottom a little, she felt a wet spot on the sheets and tried to position herself to avoid it. She wished she’d thought to ask Ruby what to do about the fact that things got so sticky afterward. “It was unbelievable,” he added, and then noticed her squirming. “What’s the matter?”

Emma blushed. “There’s a wet spot on the sheets,” she said with a grimace. Why couldn’t these realities of their bodies be whisked away somehow with a magic spell?

“Ah. Hang on just a moment.” He levered himself out of bed, and Emma watched his naked form greedily as he went over to the washbasin and picked up a cloth. Returning to bed, he wiped between her legs gently, and once again Emma was dumbfounded at the intimacy between them. She’d thought many times about what sex would feel like, but never about what it would be like to have a man be so casually intimate with her body in other ways. She decided she quite liked it.

“Shift over,” he said, settling down where she’d been lying when she followed his direction.

“Then you’re just on the wet spot,” Emma pointed out as Killian arranged the blankets over them both.

“I don’t care, love. I’m about to spend the night with my wife in my arms. I couldn’t possibly be happier or more content than I am right now.”

Emma curled into him, relaxing into his embrace. “Me too.” She traced a finger down from the hollow of his throat to his chest. “Although if you want to wake up and do that again in a few hours, I probably wouldn’t be opposed.”

His gentle laugh was like warm syrup. “Have I mentioned how much I adore that you’re insatiable in the bedchamber?”

“No, but I assumed.” Yawning, Emma shifted against him and felt sleep weighing her eyelids down. “Sex is just so much fun.”

“Better than Parcheesi, even?” he asked, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

Slapping his chest, Emma closed her eyes. “I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“I do.”

[survivor-ingary]

Episode 2 - "I DON'T WANT THE MYSTERY MOUSE-CA-TOOL BESTIE" - Ellie

At the tribal, Ping was voted out of the Pendragon Tribe nearly unamimously. Tribal immunity for this round is Pictionary.

I bet all these bitches know i voted for Keith and now they are going to come kill me in my sleep if i die i blame dylan

yass round 2 i either think im in the best position on this tribe or theyre all secretly coming for me thats all

Tribal went as well as I expected it to go. No major drama. It seems like Keith is in real trouble if we do go to tribal again though which would put me in a very tricky spot. For now, though, I will be trying my best in the upcoming challenge. The problem is, however, timezones and schedules. Jon is going to be our drawer, but he can only do it tonight or in the early afternoon tomorrow which I will not be there for. Additionally, Keith is asleep so we have no idea what his schedule is going to be so we basically had to schedule the challenge without him. And Nya could only do right before the deadline tomorrow which Jon cannot do. I hate this for us, truly. I just hope that Moth and I can rub our brain cells together for this one so that we can pull out a win. OR somehow the other tribes fail horribly. On the bright side, I am finally starting to catch up on Duolingo exercises. They're a lot easier than I thought, but it is still going to be tedious af to save up enough coins for some of the higher end products at the shop. As a final note, I am going to work with Nya in the long term as we promised each other to. Hopefully that actually works out. Time to actually be loyal and be a hero this time around. Need to try something different.

If we lose this challenge, I will be very upset. We went so hard on this challenge!!! I believe that we can at least get second place, but I don't know how crazy the other tribes are. So, let's see what goes on

Ayyyyy soooooooo looks like the four, Colin, me, Ava, and Brayden are officially in an alliance!? I’m really hyped to be working with everybody and already have sights on who should go if we have to go to tribal 👀 but like I’m gonna feel so bad if we go to tribal and I orchestrate a whole plan to take someone out I gotta do it when I’m not in my feels and the planets aren’t fucking with my emotions too heavy. But go alliance ! This means I’ll be able to stay safe until hopefully a merge and hopefully we can avoid a tribe swap till then which I get those vibe from it !! But I’ll be here to survive two more tribals just in case which is pretty rad. Other then that hopefully me offering to draw doesn’t end us up in the bottom and we can keep killing ! But anyways that is it as off know hopefully I have a lot more coins tomorrow morning and I get hit the hat shop bright and motherfucking early.

Just got asked to be apart of an alliance <33333 the besties in the group trust me which maybe ain't the right move but for now we gotta love the bonding. exciting!!!

YAY FOR ROUND 2! Okay, so I meet once again with the Hat Shop and... third times the charm! Except,,, the charm is getting nothing AGAIN lmao I'm not complaining though, still got that extra vote :P I stayed up at 1 AM for this challenge, and I honestly think our team popped off. Anastasia was guessing a ton, and Riley was amazing at drawing real quick! I have a relatively good feeling about our performance, so I hope I wake up to the news of our tribe being immune :D

so yesterday I set myself on a mission to get an alliance. I wanted Ava + Brayden + Toph + me as a majority alliance. it was our day off from tribal so I thought it was the perfect day to do it!! I talked to Brayden about it first because he's the person I feel the most comfortable with, and then after a lot of coordination and careful communication I was able to pull it together!! I think the most important thing when making alliances is making everyone feel like they're a big part in it. So I was careful to ask each person how they feel about the others, about the game, and made a point to say that I wanted to work with them specifically. Some may call that a little manipulative, but I wanna make sure that I'm an essential part of the alliance!! i need everyone to feel like they need/want me there.

all of this happening so soon into the game is a testament to how aggressive I'm playing this time around. I usually like to lay low and just rely solely on my social game in the start, but I'm trying this out to establish myself early on! I wanted to play the tribe leader and I think I'm doing that in a smart and subtle way!!

so yes now we have a 4 person majority alliance named "duolingo owl hate club" because fuck that guy. I think we're the 4 most active and present people on the tribe so it's only natural for us to work together, but I think it's definitely worth noting that I was the one that was pulling the strings here.

We just did the pictionary challenge, I have a good feeling about it!! Toph was an amazing artist, and if we win, all credit rightfully goes to him!! I think the guessers also did great of course, but like come on, the artist has to be the mvp. I'm really hoping we pull through!! I don't mind going to tribal, but I genuinely don't wanna vote anyone out yet. I'm fine just playing the game in a precautionary way. I know I'm in a great position if we do go to tribal, but it's always preferred that we don't go.

Everyone else on my tribe: doing the challenge and kicking ass

Me: I’m sleep

Riley (Tumblr has once again chosen violence so only the first 10 get banners 🥲)

I think our challenge went pretty well! My team were good guessers. Feeling like I've established some Integrity now. Hope it keeps me safe later!

Toph Soooooo we finished the challenge with 32 points and like wig !! I was a quick as drawer for 32pts expect when my internet lagged, but still ! I think we whooped some ass and if we do go to tribal I know it won’t be me going, thanks to Duolingo owl hate club but I’m also worried same could have and advantage because they seem pretty kean on learning a lot in like 3 hours and then tried to cover that statement to not seem so threatening but like babs s a huge threat too apparently they love Duolingo and know 5 laugnes ? This is from brayden but If so go babs ! That’s absolutely iconic for real Life but fucking scary in this game ! I gotta be buddy buddy with them so hopefully if they do have something it won’t be them going home first and it will be Ava. But I’m thinking we might get second place again unless someone is a fucking wizard at this.

Dennis hmm i think we did well enough in the challenge to not see tribal tomorrow but who knows i guess we shall find out tn

the way ellie was so on top of stuff yesterday only to oversleep the challenge makes me giggle maybe shes freaking out about it which makes me also giggle but i dont think its really a big deal

anastasia asked me to call yesterday and i was like sure lets talk but it is damn near impossible to hold a conversation with her idk i tried BUT she did tell me “yeah i just got off a call with ellie” im like i see. she says shes down to work with ellie but that quickly switched from ellie being ~experienced~ but good to know ellie is also playing hard. anastasia also mentioned that she talks to riley a fair amount who i still have yet to connect to well. but dat makes me think ellie is def talking to riley too miss debate team is definitely a talker. but good on her for the social game i guess

kenneth keeps being like haha we’re the same person and im like yeah👁 i bet we are👁

i just wanna win and not think about tribal just keep it slow and chill for now keep learnin my welsh i guess

Ava Second challenge was Pictionary and I had a ton of fun playing. The tea is: toph did a great job. He was pretty vocal about not being a great artist but really I think he did great. However, Babs was super inactive yesterday and ~too late~ said they were a great artist and should've been picked to draw. It was kind of like.... k babs thanks for the belated "help". They did do great guessing which scored a point in my book. Brayden was supposed to play but last minute logged off without saying anything so we did the challenge without him :/ sorta a bummer. Anyway the lack of participation from Sam is kind of popping off so we'll see where that leads them... Overall a fun game and fingers crossed we did well!

Moth I think we did okay at the challenge. Today I am dying from the heatwave so I’m not thinking too straight! Stay cool everyone

Ellie So yesterday Anastasia and I called for about an hour!!! I’d say we’re definitely way closer, she’s someone I really wanna work with although the idea of her and Brayden eventually being on the same tribe is kinda scary cause I know how close they are. Still she’s so fun to talk to and I just love her energy so much!

Pictionary challenge results: Jenkins Tribe wins with Penadragon second, Hatter Tribe has to go to tribal council on the following day.

Ava Well well well seems our bob ross, toph, didn't pull through (y'all think babs would've pulled it out for us or slept through our challenge like they said they almost did?) I can't wait for tribal. I'm in it for the drama. I'm hashtag voting Sam off - didn't even bother to be apart of our challenge and not too sure they've even been online for a full 24 hours. Weed out the weak.....

Anastasia

Brayden https://imgur.com/n60Lz0c

guys i dont know what to do someone help me out

Dennis i hope damn brayden gets the boot

Raffy Woo! We don't have to go to tribal again! We stan!

Ellie So I figured I’d go idol hunting today cause the shop was about to close and I just wanted to see what had been bought and what possible hats there were, I see that there’s a hat I have enough for that hasn’t been bought and I decide fuck it let’s get it

APPARENTLY ITS SOMETHING THAT IM NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW WHAT IT IS OR HOW TO USE IT YET???? THEY SAID ILL FIND OUT ABOUT IT LATER

I DONT WANT THE MYSTERY MOUSE-CA-TOOL BESTIE

Sam Well you see. I like all my tribe people. And I think we did real good on that music video! So, I think rather than voting anyone else off, I think I should just vote myself off if that is possible! Ahhh

Babs So sad to see Sam not only go but go through what they're going through :( same w Toph :( they all seem so lovely

Keith Not sure if i submitted a confession after the last tribal. But if I didnt here it is.

Happy I made it out of that tribal. I had raffy backing me with whom I played. Last time we played. We were at odds. We didnt work together but whats worse that we were against each other. It was either him or me goin out. Hopefully thats the past n we can work together. I jus need to keep things calm n show that Im not here itching to make big moves. So they dont feel threatened by me. N its easy cause right now. I havnt made that kind og bond with anyone on my tribe. To even think of such moves. Lets see what round two holds for me.

Colin so uh

we lost! :(

I was really bummed tbh. Like I thought we did well but circumstances with the challenge were just really unfortunate, from conflict about who wanted to be the artist to people disappearing the moment the challenge started, I think we did well despite all of that. Except we did kinda get stomped anyway. Oh well!! The game moves on. Tribal has to happen.

Initially I was gonna push for Babs, just because I feel like I don't wanna attach myself to them too early on. I've seen how much of a bitter player they can be, and lets just say I'm not the most loyal ally to have. however! 9 minutes after we lost, Ava announces to our alliance that she's voting Sam. I wasn't surprised, Sam has been the one not really pulling their weight. But I had some good connections with her!! we both did colorguard and shes so sweet and easy to talk to. I was really conflicted for a little bit, debating on whether or not to actually push for Babs. I think brayden sensed my hesitance but we both knew there was nothing really I could do to stop Sam from being the vote. At first tribal, the initial name always spreads like wildfire.

However, my mess was stopped abruptly by Sam asking to be voted out. welp!! okay then!! babs stays i guess!! i'm not too bothered. I'll never turn down an easy vote hehe.

Pretty sure there's a swap tonight. I'm kinda scared of that

uwu

Brayden

i almost forgot to upload this but dont worry i just remembered

Colin screams

Toph So we’re going to tribal in 20 and all I have to say right now is if there is a tribe swap after I’m gonna so scared but I ducking called I had a vibe and it was right that’s what is gonna win me this game trusting my intuition. I’m holding on now and gonna be the biggest comp beast next challenge in case I get fucked on this swap !!!! Or at least if it is a swap 🤔

Riley I don't know what this announcement's gonna be I'm worriedddd... Ginny said it probably means we're swapping teams but I don't wannaaaa I like our team.

Toph Sam self sacrificing made this the easiest vote ever and me being safe is a plus I guess 😎

[yes-i-also-miss-our-talks]

I'm super angsty so how about a one shot of like, when Libby starts developing feelings for Lee at the very beginning and her trying to distance herself from him for a while because like she seems to believe he'd be better without her sadly and him not realising why and being sad but then she realises it's not helping either of them and he doesn't find out why she did it but it's cute and they're friends again at the end please and thanks lol

Ahahahahahahahahahahaha I can’t write short things so here’s a case study of their relationship loosely (?) based on this ask whoops I have important assignments to do but nope here I am

“He’s cute, don’t you think?” Zoe asked, leaning in conspiratorily. “In a puppy kind of way. One look at him and your heart just fuckin’ melts. I want to cuddle him so hard.”

Libby gave her a concerned look. “You know he’s sixteen and I’m an adult, right? I think it might be illegal for me to answer that question.”

Zoe rolled her eyes and laughed. “Okay, you got me there. Say in two or three years, when he’s not jailbait anymore, would you agree that he’s schnuggle material?”

Libby wrinkled her nose in mild disgust. “Is that some sort of euphemism? I hear you use it a lot and Evan’s face gets really red whenever you do...”

“What? No!” Zoe’s face was a mixture of horror, confusion, and mild amusement. “No, it’s like snuggling, but not. It’s more warm and fuzzy than snuggles, so we call it schnuggles. It’s a Murphy family trademark.”

“Somehow, I’m still not convinced.”

“You’re the worst. And don’t think I don’t see how you’re trying to avoid the question.”

Sighing in defeat, Libby looked across the room to the corner where Lee was sitting alone, face partially buried in a book. His leg tapped consistently and the end of one of the strings of his hoodie was stuck between his teeth. Despite the nervous fidgeting, he still turned the pages of his book without a problem, and his eyes showed quite clearly that he was far, far away from the rest of them. 

Zoe was right. There was something undeniably endearing about Lee Paige, but Libby just couldn’t put a finger on what. If it was his big, dark blue eyes, the way his floppy hair always looked soft, the naturally sweet, boyish way his face was put together, or something else entirely. 

Two years later, Libby still can’t figure out what it is. His eating habits have improved, so there’s now a glow to his skin that hadn’t been there when she’d met him. He’s become more comfortable with laughing louder and smiling with teeth. His mindset still wasn’t always positive, but he could at least be honest with his friends about when it was bad. There were still days that he couldn’t, of course, like two weeks previously when he’d had a panic attack while helping Libby study for her upcoming finals.

She’d never dealt with a panic attack before. Alana going into sensory overload or her mother sobbing uncontrollably after waking from a nightmare, sure, but this was uncharted territory. She’d heard enough from Evan and other kids with anxiety to know that telling someone to take deep breaths only made it worse. So, instead of trying to make Lee calm down, she’d wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, dimmed the lights in her living room, held his hand loosely, and hummed the lullabies her dad had sung to her as a kid. Eventually, his distress had left him be but drained him of energy, so Libby had to call Annaliese and explain why her barely eighteen-year-old son was going to be spending the night with a girl who was nearly twenty-two.

Lee ended up asleep on her couch, wrapped in the same blanket she’d given him at the start of it all. Libby had dragged a sleeping bag out of her closet and slept on the floor next to the couch. When she woke up the next morning, the first thing she saw was Lee. As she made that first, cat-like stretch of the day, her hand accidentally brushed his hair. It really was quite soft. She spent several long moments playing absently with his hair before realizing what she was doing and bolting into the bathroom.

They’d spoken over breakfast at the cafe down the street from her apartment. She walked him to his car and hugged him before he got in. For all intents and purposes, Lee and Libby had parted on the exact same terms they had been on when they met up the previous evening.

Still, they hadn’t spoken since. Libby had tried texting him, had even typed out messages and been a millimeter away from hitting send, but her mind always conjured the feeling of his hair between her fingers right as she went to make a decision.

I can’t have a crush on Lee. He’s young, inexperienced, wracked with insecurities - and this is all assuming he’d like me back. He’s still got so much growing to do, and I’d try to convince him to do it my way whether I meant to or not. I can’t do that to him.

With that in mind, Libby went back to hanging closer to Alana, even if it made her the third wheel to the mush fest that was her cousin and Zoe. Lee went back to hanging on to Jared. Ben made a friend. Finals came and went. Libby got her credential. It worked out alright.

“Hypothetically, which two team members would be the ultimate power couple?” Jared read. They were doing a lighthearted Q&A for the You Will Be Found YouTube channel and most of the questions had been similar to this. “So I guess we’re excluding the actual couples we’ve got here, then.” The rest of the gang nodded in agreement. “Alright, since this is purely hypothetical and not at all bound by reality, I’m gonna go straight out and say Alana and me.”

“Was that a lesbian pun or a pan pun?” Zoe asked. “Because there’s nothing straight going on between the two of you.”

“Yes,” Jared replied, not looking at her. “Either way, Team Autism for the win. Everyone else can go home.”

Zoe snorted and poked him with her foot. “Well, I’m formally nominating Libby and Lee.”

“Ooh, I’m with her on that,” Alana agreed.

Libby looked down at her hands. She did not want to know where Lee was looking.

Jared turned and gave Alana a look that was both annoyed and betrayed. “You’re with Zoe on everything,” he whined. “What am I, chopped liver?”

“You’re a dick,” Connor corrected. “And I’m with Zo and Lon on this one. Hypothetical Lee and Lib would kick Brangelina’s ass.”

“Enough from you, Wednesday,” Jared decided grumpily. “Is anyone on my side?”

“I nominate Lee and me,” Ben decided. It was one of the few times he’d opted to participate in a video and a single of perhaps a handful of occasions when he’d spoken unprompted.

Jared groaned and threw his hands into the air in surrender. “Alright, alright, Leeb wins. I’ll set the wedding for labor day 2017.”

Zoe frowned. “Leeb is a shit ship name, Kleinman.”

“I didn’t ask for this!”

The comments of the video were widely people either debating ship names for Lee and Libby or cheering on the fact that there were others who ‘saw the obvious romantic tension’ between the two of them. Libby felt mildly sick to her stomach.

“He was kidding about us getting married, right?” Lee asked, coming into the kitchen and startling Libby from her thoughts.

She laughed. “Oh, yeah. He loves you way too much to hitch you to me of all people. The internet will be disappointed, but you’ll be safe.”

Lee shrugged. “I can definitely think of worse things than you.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but you’re allowed to have the bar a bit higher than that.” She laughed as she took a sip of coffee.

“I think the bar is right where it needs to be.”

Libby smiled and set down her now-empty mug in the sink. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

“I need you to know that you didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve been crappy lately and none of it’s on you. If you can swing it, I’d like to go back to where we were. If not, I totally understand and I’ll respect it. Any and all the space you want, you can have.”

Lee gave her an amused smile that lit up his sweet, boyish face in a way that made Libby’s heart melt.

“Did you miss the part where I said I missed you, too?”

[graphicallysam]

Para:: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Who: Sam and Mercedes

When: First Day of School 2010

Where: WMHS Halls

What: Samcedes meet for the first time

Stepping off of the bus, Sam looked up at his new school with a sigh. The bus had been noisy and crowded, and from the looks of all of the students pouring into imposing building, that was going to change as his day went on. Immediately, he missed the  He tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack and looked down at the worn paper in his hand even though he’d memorized most of its content. He headed up the stairs, narrowly missing being rammed into by a guy trying to catch a football. Sam glared a little and shook head. He already missed his smaller school back in Tennessee.

He narrowed his blueish-green eyes as he passed by lockers, looking for his own which was in a separate hall altogether he realized belatedly. He finally managed to find his numbered metal container and put his combination in just as a girl walked over to hers, catching his eye. He paused and took in her curvy form and unique style. She didn’t dress like any girls he’d known, but he liked what she was wearing. “Nice shoes,” he said, glancing down at her sneakers. They were really awesome.

Mercedes had just taken off her headphones as she headed to her locker. The first day of school was always like a zoo.  She was humming softly, oblivious to nearly everything until she heard someone speak to her.  She turned and was stunned slightly as she saw the very cute guy that seemed to be looking at her. That was something that never happened. “Huh, oh? My shoes? Thanks.” She smiled brightly.  Mercedes was an avid sneaker lover and these particular ones were blue, red, and black and made her think of Spiderman.

“Are you new?” She asked him after a few seconds of getting her lock open, not recognizing the face, because she would’ve definitely remembered a face like that.  She had lived in Lima all her life and knew mostly everyone that had gone to school in the same system.

When she turned to fully look at him, it kind of felt like time stopped. It was like one of those moments in a cheesy romance movie where the two characters are like staring at one another and all of the people are walking past them in slow motion. It was a really weird feeling to have, one he'd never experienced. He smiled at her thanks and tried to think of something funny to say, but the only thing he could think to say was “you're welcome, little lady,” like Elvis even though he rarely did impressions of Elvis. He cringed internally and fought the urge to bang his head against the locker door.

She started opening her own, granting him a moment of reprieve for which he was grateful. Then she looked at him again like she was studying his face before she asked if he was new. “Oh...uh...yeah, my family moved her from Tennessee in July. I kinda spent the summer working on getting rid of my accent so I didn't sound like some kind of hick you Yankees.” Why was he so nervous? He felt really nervous, and he knew he was nervous because he couldn't stop rambling. He had to physically force his mouth shut for a moment to get himself to stop. “I'm...I’m Sam…”

Mercedes thought her cheeks would explode she was smiling so much. His voice was so sweet, and she even let out a chuckle at the Elvis impersonation. It was pretty dead on actually.  Even the way he kept talking was adorable! He was a new kid at a new school and he thought he had a weird accent, how did this cutie end up talking to her of all people?  She began pulling things out of her black and purple plaid backpack, getting her locker the way she liked it.  She had a purple framed magnetic mirror for checking her hair throughout the day, then she began to put up her various magnets. Music notes, Storm and Gambit from X-Men, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Spider-Man. She used the magnets to hold up the pictures of her friends and family.

“Hi Sam. Welcome to Lima,” she beamed. “I’m Mercedes, and yes, like the car.  Also, don’t lose your accent, you don’t sound like a hick.  Makes you sound unique, which is a good thing.” That was something she struggled with a little, but she was slowly realizing that there was nothing wrong with being different than people expected.

His eyes widened as she pulled the magnets out of her book bag. He hadn't wanted to bring his, unsure of what the other students would be like, but seeing hers, he felt kind of silly and very impressed. “Where’d you get those magnets? They're…” his voice hit a twang, and he cleared his throat. “They're really awesome. Are you into comic books? Because I've never met a girl that was really into them. Usually they just like Thor and Iron Man because they think they're hot and stuff.” He blushed when she called him unique and nodded.

“I got most of them online, but my big brother took me to the Wizard Con in Columbus this summer and I got these really awesome Storm ones there. She’s my favorite superhero hands down.” She had tried to hide her geekiness once she got to high school, but her best friend told her people need to learn to accept each other as they were instead of being fake, so here she was, letting her geekiness be free.  She wrinkled her nose a little and hoped he wasn’t one of those guys that didn’t think girls could actually like this kind of stuff.  “I do like comic books, and Thor is extremely hot. I don’t care for Iron Man like that, but I respect his skills.  Even though Black Panther is richer and smarter, but most people don’t realize that.”

She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. His ears were a little red, which was weird, but in a cute way.  “So what grade are you in Sam?” She was curious if she would have him in any of her classes.

“What’s Wizard Con? Is it like Comic Con? Because I've always wanted to go to that,” he admitted, feeling himself starting to relax. “I think Storm is one of the best X-Men. I really like Wolverine.” So she knew her stuff. That was kind of refreshing. She was beautiful and geeky, and Sam found himself wanting to linger in their conversation. “I never thought about Black Panther. I didn't really read those comic books, but that's true!” He shifted on his feet and leaned against the lockers. “I'm in the 10th grade. What about you, Mercedes?” he asked, trying out her name on his tongue.

“Yes it is. I’d love to go to Comic-Con one day, but that’s a lot of money to save up since it’s in California.  Wizard Con is closer and they have cool booths and panels, and there are so many cosplayers.” She was very pleased to hear he liked Storm too, most guys liked Jean Grey or even Mystique. It was nice to talk to someone that knew stuff without talking down to her like she knew nothing.  When he said her name she felt her face get really warm and her stomach did a weird wavy, flip-flop thing. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, it was a completely new and weird feeling and it was a bit scary.  “Oh, cool, me too,” she said quietly, her voice sounding weird to her own ears.  “Uhm, do you know where your classes are?” Which was a dumb thing to ask. Of course he didn’t know, he was new! She really wanted to take that sentence back, but it was too late now.

“Next time Wizard Con is going on, you should let me know. I mean, if you want. We could maybe go together?” He framed it as a question so that she could decline if she wanted to. Then he realized it sounded like a date. He hadn't meant to ask her on a date, but he also didn't mind the idea of taking her on a date. It was all kind of confusing. “No, I don't know where like...any of my classes are. They don't give you a tour when you're new.” He was actually a little worried about it.

“Okay. I don’t see why not, as long as our parents are okay with it.  My brother was the one that drove last year, and it’s just under 2 hours away.” She didn’t even register his question in terms of a date, she just figured he wanted to go see all the cool comic stuff. Besides, she couldn’t date yet, per her daddy.  Which was no big deal anyway, guys at this school weren’t into her like that. She shook her head as she closed her locker. This school was a mess, no kind of orientation for new students? “Well, it looks like I am going to be your McKinley High tour guide then.  What’s your first class?”

Sam cleared his throat, smiling a little when she offered to be his tour guide. “Um...I have English.” He handed his schedule over to the girl so that she could see his classes. “Are the teachers here...nice? I'm supposed to meet with the guidance counselor this afternoon to go over my success plan.” He really hated that he wouldn't have teachers he knew and who knew him and his learning style.

She took the offered schedule and gave it a quick once over as they began to head down the hall. “Your schedule actually looks decent.  You might want to try and get out of Mr. Jennings Geometry class though. He has a tendency to do pop quizzes a lot. Most people barely get out of his class with a C.” She looked up at him and smiled.  “Our guidance counselor is really nice, a little quirky, but she’ll make sure you get the right fit with everything.”

He stepped closer to her to avoid walking into another student, feeling hyper aware when their arms brusher together. She seemed unfazed by the crowded hall, and he tried to imitate that. “Thanks for showing me around,” he said as they turned the corner. “You don't have to, though. I'm sure I could figure it all out. I don't wanna take up your time.”

“I know Ohio isn’t the south, but we have good hospitality here too,” she teased. She was used to being bumped into in the hallways by other people, but she was entirely too aware of Sam’s closeness.  He smelled really good.  “I don’t mind, I like helping people.  I’d feel like a huge jerk if you got lost.”  She stopped by the door of his English class.  “Each hall is a different subject for the most part, so if you can remember which hall you should be good to go.  Obviously, we’re in the English hall right now, science is to the left and math is to the right, that should get you through until lunch, and you probably go to see the counselor after that.” She handed him back his schedule. “If you see me at lunch, you should come say hi.”  Not bad Mercedes, an open invitation that didn’t sound like ‘OMG sit with me at lunch you gorgeous southern fried cutie!’.

Sam was pretty sure he’d made his first friend at McKinley, and he was kind of impressed with himself, especially since it was a pretty girl. He gave her a smile as he took back his schedule and nodded. “Yeah, I will. Thanks for showing me around, Mercedes,” he said when they were stopped in front of his class. He wanted to talk to her some more, but then a bell rang. “I should probably head in there…” he said with a little shrug.

“No problem. If you need help with anything else, you know where my locker is,” she smiled. When the bell rang she waved at him and headed off to her own class.  She hoped she would get to see him at lunch, or maybe he’d be in one of her classes. He seemed like a really nice guy, and it would be cool to have a friend she could geek out with about Marvel.