#i said i'd finish this year's prompts so here's another piece

[wondrous-eos]

XVtober 2023 prompt #9: family Sort of a reference to a memory scene from the game. 🚫 Do not repost. ⬇️4K wallpaper here.

[the-offside-rule]

Carlos Sainz Jr (Scuderia Ferrari) - Get A Grip

Requested: via wattpad

Prompt: Carlos was a huge red flag during their relationship and then when Y/n glows up after they breakup, he tries to get back with her but she was having none of it because she was seeing another driver on the grid (you can choose)

Warnings: Carlos getting eaten alive (not actually just...metaphorically) AND THID IS A GIVEN BUT THIS IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL

Monaco 2022. Y/n sat with her boyfriend in a nightclub as his shiny P2 trophy stood proudly on the table, surrounded by bottles and glasses. Y/n smiled uncomfortably as her boyfriend laid his arm around her shoulders and charted happily with his engineers. Yn played with the rings on her fingers, catching the attention of her boyfriend. Well that wasn't true. The engineer he was talking to noticed it and told Carlos. That made it worst. "You okay?" Carlos asked. Y/n nodded. "Is this one of those tricks where you say you are but you aren't?" She nodded again. "Well, whats wrong then?" He asked harshly. "I don't want to be here." She told him. Carlos reached into his pocket and pulled out the card to their room. "I'll be up in an hour. Order yourself food or something." She held her card in her hand, staring at it blankly. "Carlos, I want you to come with me."

"I don't want to leave yet." Carlos replied. "But I came here, not wanting to go out." Y/n said. "I got a podium. Of course I'm going to go out." Carlos scoffed. "You got podiums last season and we stayed in and had dinner. Why can't we do that?" She asked desperately. "Because we're in Monaco-" She cut him off"You got a podium in Monaco last year too!"

"Y/n, get a grip." Y/n felt her heart shattering. "What?" She asked. "Well, Im your boyfriend. I don't know how I am meant to help you with this." Carlos took another swig of his glass and set it down. "You could try and reassure me maybe. Just a thought!" She stood up and left, hearing Carlos call after her, but stopping after a single try.

"I don't know what to do Lily." Y/n sobbed in the bathroom. "I would dump him." Lily said, moving a piece of Y/n's behind her hair. "I- I can't see myself without him." Y/n sniffled. "Look, I couldn't see myself without Alex, sweetie, but if he spoke to me that way I'd find a way to be without him." It seemed so easy for Lily. Y/n physically couldn't think of a life where Carlos wasn't around. "I can't." Lily gave her fellow wag a sympathetic smile and hugged her. "Come on. Let's go. We don't want people seeing you like this."

Y/n and Lily walked through the dancing crowd, making their way to the VIP area where all the drivers stayed. As the security opened the red rope for the ladies to walk through,their eyes set on "What we're you doing with that girl?" Y/n asked, looking at Carlos with eyes full of rage. "She wanted a photo and we got a photo." Carlos said. "You kissed her on the cheek." Carlos groaned. "Wow, a kiss on the cheek. This is what I mean, you always-" She didn't like after that. It was seeing Carlos finally doing what everyone was telling her he does. "I'm done." She mumbled. "What?" Carlos asked. "I- I'm done." Carlos' face dropped. "Y/n-" She turned and walked away, leaving that life behind her. She would never let another man treat her the way he did again.

After the break up was announced, a lot of news came out about Carlos. A lot from girls he supposedly slept with at races Y/n didn't attend. How they all allegedly were invited to races Y/n wouldn't be at, and even some that Y/n was at. Regardless of if she was there or not, he cheated. God knows what would have happened if Y/n hadn't left the bathroom I Monaco. Maybe he would have gone further with that "fan". All she could do right now, was simply move on and build a life without him. And that was exactly what she did.

The 2023 summer break had finished and Carlos had partied more or less every weekend, racking up a body count but not wanting any of the girls to stay. He miled for photos and signed things for fans as he entered the paddock. As he walked on, past the flash mob and fans, another driver caught his attention. He heard the cameras flashing and turned to see Max walking in with a girl. It wasnt the girlfriend he had back at testing, she was different and he could tell by the colour of the hair. He pulled a face but continued walking to the Ferrari hospitality. He watched through the tinted windows to get a closer look. "Who are we stalking?" Charles asked, standing beside his teammate. "Max has a new girlfriend." Carlos muttered. "You're sure it's not the same as testing?" Charles asked. "No, the hair is different. So is the style." Carlos replied. "Hair dye, hired a stylist." Charles chuckled. "No, believe me. She's different! Look!" Carlos and Charles' gaze fell onto the girl holding hands with Max as the both laughed with eachother. Charles looked over to Carlos, waiting to see the moment realisation would settle in. "Is that-" He paused. Y/n.

"Well...she's a different girl." She was. Not only was she not the girl Max brought to testing, but she was barely even the girl Carlos had once dated. She changed immensely. She went back to her natural hair colour, instead of having it dyed and she changed her style. Her whole aura was different. "She is. Do you think Max has something to do with it?" He asked. "Or maybe your breakup." Carlos turned to Charles. "I'll go." Charles mumbled.

As the weeks passed, Carlos got sick of seeing Max winning, because it meant he'd see Y/n kissing him before he went to the podium each and every time, each time met with Carlos rolling his eyes.

In Qatar, Carlos didn't start and so he sat watching the race instead. As he walked through the paddock club, he spotted Y/n sipping a drink at a table with Jos. He didn't know what was happening, but he found himself walking over towards the table and before he could stop himself, he found himself shaking hands with Jos and having small talk as Y/n simply looked at him, Carlos looking back. "I need to go to the garage now, Carlos but it was nice catching up." Jos smiled as he turned to Y/n. "I'll see you there." Jos said to Y/n as she nodded. Jos left, leaving Carlos and Y/n to fill awkward silence. As Carlos stood there, watching the formation lap, he decided to speak.

"You know drivers move quickly." Carlos said to her. He face palmed himself in his mind. Why would he say that?! "Like how quickly you moved on from me?" Carlos clenched his jaw. Even when they weren't together, she drove him crazy. "You'd think you would have learned from the first driver." Y/n nodded. "The driver that has more bodies to his name than podiums? Yes. Of course." She rolled her eyes and went to walk away, but Carlos took hold of her hand. "Stop being like this. You were nothing like this with me, ever." Carlos said sternly. Y/b pulled her hand from his grip. "That was before you cheated. I've changed and you only think you have." He grabbed her again. This time when she looked back to him, the white in his eyes had turned as tears threatened to fall. "Carlos? Whats-"

"I- I can't find your face in these girls I try to be with. I need you. I miss you." Y/n swallowed the lump in her throat as she was faced with Carlos, crying. It was the first time she'd ever seen him crying but she knew exactly what she had to do. "Carlos-" Y/n began, regrettfully caressing his face, a soft smile on her lips. A spark of hope lit up in Carlos' heart. "Get a grip." She whispered, before turning and walking back to the Red Bull garage to watch her boyfriend go onto win his third World championship.

And Carlos watched in envy as Y/n kissed Maxs helmet, just as she once did to his. Get a grip. It was his yurn turn get a grip.

[biteghost]

State of Affairs: oh, it's not good. Bad, in fact!

listening music (lol)

Greetings, all! I apologize for not much communication, art or comics this month, but things were a bit out of my control! I'll cut right to the point: I had a big oopsie at the start of May, and the situation overall has not gotten much better since then.

Here's the scoop as plain as I can explain it: I dropped my external hard drive, and it no longer connected to my computer. My computer has a very tiny amount of memory (the OS capacity is less than 120GB), so I have used an external hard drive as the brain of my computer for years now. I have no back-ups either on another hard drive, older computer, or cloud service.

This external hard drive housed everything I have created and brought with me between computers since 2013. It stored all my art. All of it. My comic pages, my working files, my works-in-progress, my commission pieces, as well as gifts from friends and other artists. It had all the sessions of my at-home tabletop game 'Blueshift', which is a pretty big hit for me as I had only just finished the game. I didn't even have time to be happy the game was finished until I had to mourn a loss of it I had not anticipated.

I sent the hard drive to a data recovery company with good reviews. It had nearly 2TB of data on it, and I tried very hard not to get my hopes up that they'd be able to retrieve most of my data. Despite this, I still was disappointed by what they sent back.

To be blunt: they did not retrieve most of my data. In fact, I'd say in total they only recovered about 40%, if I am being generous. They were unable to recover any of my in-development projects (A Cure for Athanasia, Super Manifest: Steward Cycle, The Tenth, The Sword of Hours, etc), and unfortunately BACKLASH didn't make it out unscathed either. Old art files that I one day wanted to make Prints off have been lost, as well as small doodles and secret sketches which never made it online.

While reviewing the files that they managed to recover, I also noticed that whole chunks of BACKLASH's working page files have been lost or corrupted. This isn't a huge setback for the comic itself since all of BACKLASH is online to read. But it is hard and heartbreaking for me, because despite everything I did one day want to make a printed edition of BACKLASH. I wanted to hold my comic in my hands.

That dream is not impossible, but it is now much further away. I can recreate my old pages with what I currently have, but it will be a lot of extra work, and there is no getting around that.

Losing this much of my history, artistic journey, relationships and formative time as an artist has been really hard on me, emotionally and mentally. I'm very sad. It's hard to draw right now for myself. Commission work comes easily, since I am given a prompt to draw for someone else, but creative ideas are not flowing for me at the moment. My hands are frozen and dejected.

I am now waiting to get back the files that the data recovery people managed to retrieve for me (probably by tomorrow, they said), and I am looking into other places in order to get a second opinion of sorts. At this point there really is no harm in trying, and maybe a different operation might have better luck. Who knows? It may be grasping at straws, but at this point things can't get any worse than this.

When I get my data back I'll be able to finish up BACKLASH chapter 7. I want to finish it off - there are not very many pages left, and miraculously the few remaining pages are among the ones that were recovered! So that's good. I will be finishing up the chapter, and afterward BACKLASH will be taking a bit of a break. I don't know how long the hiatus will last, and I won't be making any kind of estimate. It'll take as long as I need until I feel I can put one foot in front of the other again. Maybe I'll work on something else for a while, maybe I won't draw anything. Who knows! I don't, haha.

Eventually I'll be okay, and I'll get back on the horse. Even in the midst of all this turmoil I really just want to be making comics ;_;

Until then, I just need some time. It's the only cure for this kind of problem, I think. So, I thank you for your patience, and I thank you for the love you've shown me, my work, and my characters. I couldn't be where I am and I couldn't have made all the work I have without your support and love. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

I'll see you when I get back! Much love and many kisses, xoxo 💖💖💖

(cross-posted from patreon)

[ash-whimsicalfanfic]

Agent Rushmore (CH 6)

Leroy Jethro Gibbs X Fem OC/Reader

Word Count: 1118

Warning: Mild language, violence, gore, guns, fluff, smut, angst, PTSD, graphic scenes…

Prompt: Special Agent Locklyn Rushmore, a highly trained Russian assassin who is skilled in all forms of hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, negotiating and more. When her cover is blown, she is returning back to NCIS headquarters in D.C…

Locklyn Rushmore's POV

My eyes open as sunlight shines through the curtains. I glare at the window, hearing a quiet groan as I'm pulled closer.

I look down, smiling when I see Gibbs' arm around my bare waist. My head was rested on his chest. Our legs were intertwined. My own arms were wrapped around him.

This was the safest and the most relaxed I've ever felt. I feel his fingers rubbing circles on my hip and I knew he was awake. Neither of us said anything. We just stayed in each others hold.

The blankets were hardly over our hips I didn't miss the growing tent in the blankets. I look up at him and he looks at me.

"Need a little help?" I ask.

"And here I thought you'd be sore after last night." He muses.

My cheeks flushed. Last night was the most epic sex I've had in my life. It started out slow when he realized it's been years for me. But, it progressively got faster and rougher. In fact, he has to repair a few spots on the wall where the headboard was hitting against the wall so violently.

I was sore. It was more uncomfortable than anything. I kick the blankets off of us, straddling him and looking down at him. He moves his arms behind his head, a small smirk on his face as he slowly looks over me. I grab his hard length, slowly lowering myself down on him.

I moan softly, feeling myself stretch and he grunts, moving his hands to my hips.

We so easily got lost in each other.

We didn't need words. We just moved. It was like we knew each other for years, when in fact it has only been a matter of days. Yet, we clicked so perfectly. Like a bunch of puzzle pieces.

The both of us seeking comfort in one another from our haunting pasts.

"Jethro!" I moan, coming and he grunts, pulling my hips down roughly as he comes.

I lean forward, breathing heavily and he leaves a kiss on my temple as his arms wrap around me. We stayed like that for a few minutes before we decided to get up. He let me have the shower, telling me he'd make breakfast.

I was relieved and so glad to get cleaned up. I pull the toothbrush out of my bag, brushing my teeth before styling my hair in loose waves. I pull on a white v-neck that hugged my figure perfectly, leaving nothing to hide. The neckline dipped lower than normal and showed quite a bit of my cleavage.

I pull on black dress pants that hugged my legs and my ass before my eyes dance across the different hickeys. I did not have all the makeup needed to hide these. I sigh, pulling on some heels before doing a light thing of makeup. I grab blazer, pulling it on before going downstairs.

He hands me a plate, the both of us sitting it eat in silence. He mumbles that he's going to go get ready. I finished eating, deciding to clean the kitchen up before I go to the living room to grab my sidearm and badge. I sit, staring down at my hands.

"Svetlana, get over here!" Kenzo snaps.

I leave his family, a feeling of nervousness washing over me. I've never felt this way. I've always be calm and collected just how I like it.

He pulls me into his study, closing the door before turning to me with dark eyes. I could see the fire burning in them and I knew I stood no chance.

"Yes?" I whisper.

"I told you to stop talking business. You are a woman. Learn you place." He snaps, smacking me.

I nod, staring at the floor. It was moments like these I wished to no longer be undercover. I desperately craved to return to my normal life, but I knew this case was far from over.

There were days when no one was around that I'd stand in front of a mirror to remind myself that I was Locklyn Rushmore and not Svetlana Yákov. The longer I was undercover, the more my identities mixed.

Both Svetlana and Locklyn have had pasts so cruel and brutal. Not to mention that both identities had a fiery red-head Russian woman.

"You okay?" Gibbs asks quietly.

I look up to notice that he was leaning against the doorframe. He was dressed for work, but I'm going to guess he's been there for a few minutes.

"Yes. Sorry." I say.

"Rule six, never say you're sorry." He says.

"You have a rule for everything, don't you?" I ask.

"Almost. Do you want to...talk about it?" He asks.

"You've gone undercover before, right?" I ask.

"I have, but never as long as you." He says.

"I think that's my issue. I was undercover so long, it was getting to a point it was like...my identities were mixing. There was me...then Svetlana." I say.

"Yeah." He murmurs, urging me on.

"It got to the point I would stand in front of a mirror when I knew I was alone and I'd remind myself that I was Locklyn Rushmore, not Svetlana Yákov. Both my undercover identity and true identity have gone through such tragic lives that I think the lines started to blur. But, there was no one I could talk to—as Locklyn. I was alone and had to be Svetlana. Any information I had, I would leave at drop offs or I would text from my burner. even doing that was risky. And there was no casual conversation. I'd get one little response back. Received." I explain.

"Locklyn...your right. Your not Svetlana. Your Locklyn Rushmore. An NCIS agent with one hell of a track record. You are a phenomenal agent and person." He says.

"A good or bad track record?" I ask quietly.

"Good. You may not have had anyone when you were undercover, but you have an army now and we are all here for you. We weren't there and we don't even know where to begin to understand what you went through. But, we will be here to listen and to help you through this. Being undercover is hard enough. I can't imagine five years. Your a very strong and brave woman, Locklyn." He says.

"Thanks Gibbs...the same goes to you. I know your probably not much of a talking person, especially about feelings...but it does feel good to let it out." I admit and he hums, smiling slightly.

"I'll think about it. Come on. Let's get you back to NCIS." He says and I nod.

[scottxlogan]

Year of the OTP challenge 2023

So I post a lot of my fanfics on here to share with everyone because well I write them when I'm inspired. That being said last year my dear friend @mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea convinced me to sign up for the @yearoftheotpevent challenge which was unlike any I'd ever taken the opportunity to participate in before where each month you were given prompts to use as guidelines and tell stories with them. I decided at the beginning to go with something that told a WinterIron story from a beginning and over the months evolved through a year's time (or I should say two timelines as the story truly begins decades earlier and is mixed with the 'present'). Throughout the year the story took a lot of twists and turns becoming it's own epic thing in it's 12 different monthly story installments telling a larger picture for these two along the way. It's a lot of story because well it took a whole year to produce and develop, but it's one that I'm particularly proud of because it was a HUGE accomplishment for me that I can proudly say I finished. With that in mind if anyone likes WinterIron and is looking for something with some length behind it to give them a read through the colder time of year, then I welcome everyone to take a look at this year long project under the cut as I had a lot of fun with it!

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this one and encourage me along the way in writing. It was truly a once in a lifetime adventure challenge and so much fun! I learned a lot about myself as an author through it and I would encourage anyone up for a challenge to give it a try in the future as well!

Year of the OTP challenge 2023

For the year of the OTP challenge there will be a story each month tied together by the one shot chapters. They will be listed below:

January: First Meeting(Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating T)  Bucky Barnes is living a life of solitude on the run and hiding from Hydra in the hopes that he can find his way back to himself and his freedom again. On his path to freedom, Bucky encounters a younger Tony Stark hiding out from danger and hoping Bucky will play along in helping him escape the threat he's facing. When the two share an unexpected first meeting sparks fly and it opens the door to something more for each of them moving forward.

February: Surrender (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating M) In the present day Tony wakes up handcuffed to a bed beside the last person he imagined finding in captivity. Together they are forced to face some unfamiliar feelings with one another while in the past Tony spends Valentine's Day morning with someone he realizes he can't live without. Both experiences open the door to something bigger than Tony had imagined possible.

March: Happy Birthday Baby (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) Tony's unable to shake the aftermath of his time spent in captivity with Bucky. When Tony's feelings for Bucky prove to be more than he was prepared to face, Tony looks deeper into the past to discover a shocking reminder of a life beyond his reach. In Tony's search for the truth, he uncovers a secret that could change life for everyone around him.Meanwhile in the past Tony takes Bucky to meet his parents during a weekend retreat, but will their journey together prove to be nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen as a face from the past threatens their future together?

April: Turning Point (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E)  In the present Tony reaches out to an old alliance to cope with the new truths he's uncovered about those he trusted. While revisiting those missing pieces of his past, he finds himself facing a darker truth about those people in his life he'd come to believe held his best interest at heart.

May: The Break (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) In the aftermath of what happened the night of Tony's big presentation, Tony makes a hard choice about the future where his relationship with Bucky is concerned. Pushed into a corner, Tony makes a difficult decision that takes him back down a dark road while Bucky deals with the aftermath. Longing to be together, Bucky and Tony work to find a way to return to what matters most to them in their relationship.

June:  Right Here Waiting (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating M)  It's June and Steve's still struggling with coping over discovering the truth about Bucky and Tony's relationship. When Pepper plans a post-birthday celebration party for Tony's birthday to bring everyone closer together, the scene erupts when tension reaches a boiling point. In the aftermath Tony takes matters into his own hands and has a few surprises in store for those around him.  After a tense night at the tower, Tony takes Bucky back to where it all began for them decades earlier. As they explore the past they left behind them, Tony decides to take Bucky to his very first Pride where the two share a day filled with romantic surprise

July: Betrayals (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) Steve learns a horrific truth from the past that threatens to destroy the future. With the Fourth of July around the corner Bucky and Tony make plans for the future before their conversation leads them to the past where things become increasingly complicated.

August:  If I Could Turn Back Time (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) In the past Bucky's dark history comes back to haunt him in the worst possible way. Meanwhile in the future Tony and Bucky are headed towards happily ever after when tragedy strikes under suspicious circumstances and Loki decides its time to intervene on his friends' behalf to make things right for them once and for all in ways that could change everything forever.

September:  A Whole New World (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Loki/Rhodey Rating E)  Loki and Rhodey discover what other changes have been made to the new world that their journey into the past has created. Although it appears the world has become a better place in some ways, there are changes that leave them struggling to sort it all out. The quiet morning after Rhodey and Loki's return Tony and Bucky share some family time and discuss their friend's strange behavior upon returning from their honeymoon.

October: Making It Work  (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) Now that the threat to the future is out in the open, Bucky is struggling to make things work with the addition of the latest team member's arrival. After the TVA put one of their own into the scene, it feels as all the rules have changed with Bucky trying to figure out what comes next for him and the team. Sensing his husband's discomfort Tony decides to take Bucky away where their time alone refuels and energizes them as they work towards deciphering the mystery that Peggy's journal and Howard's mysterious ending have left wide open for them.

November: The Center of the Universe (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating M) Tony Stark has always had a complicated relationship with his father Howard. Even with all the changes that have taken place after Loki and Rhodey traveled through time and changed the future for the better with Tony's family like with Bucky, Tony is still haunted by the mysteries that Howard has left behind for him to unravel. Struggling to make sense of what's been happening around him, Tony finds himself plagued by dreams and memories involving Howard that could prove to play a big impact on his future.

December:  The Beginning of the End (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) In 1989 Tony Stark is convinced that he's found his soulmate in the man who rescued him at a low point in his life. From their first meeting sparks flew, but there's a part of Tony that's seeking out even more from his new roommate. Will Tony be able to convince Bucky to take things to the next level between them.After a year of ups and downs Bucky and Tony's story comes full circle as we travel back to the beginning to see where it all started before finding our way to the present where things reach the dramatic conclusion. Will Bucky, Tony and their friends find their way to happily ever after or crash and burn when the enemy's plans come full circle?

[not-krys]

35. Hold My Hand (Houki, Ophelia, Thea, Abby, Miri)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kind of last minute as I had intended to finish these by the end of the month, but as it's Valentine's day today, I figured I'd post these entries early.

When choosing this prompt, since I had done 'Love' prompt last year, I had wanted another theme that could evoke some kind of romantic feeling, but... that didn't exactly happen with some of these.

And since I had wanted to participate in Julie's Love Booth event, those prompts (plus the theme of the month) seemed to lean more towards a platonic vibe for some of these little ramblings. Nothing wrong with that, it's just where the vibes took me.

Regular warnings apply: Raw, unedited writing, Houki's entry has pregnancy in it's theme, Abby's has a little self-deprecation, some spoilers for Nightbringer Lesson 38 for Miri, the usual stuff.

Check out my Masterlist!

-----

Houki

(Knowledge, "Let Me Take Care of You")

Dawn's early morning rays peeked through Mitsunari's window, blinding him temporarily before his eyes adjusted. Things seem to be the same as he and Houki had left them last night. Books placed in haphazard places, Kitty sleeping on his discarded sleeping robe near the bed, and his lovely Houki sleeping as well, her hand resting on her swollen belly.

Lord Hideyoshi would be here soon to bring breakfast, he thought. Houki, now in the later stages of her pregnancy, was relieved of her chatelaine duties to allow her to focus on her (and his) soon-to-be born child, so Lord Hideyoshi had taken over meal duties, making sure the two of them had regular scheduled meals now that Houki couldn't in her condition. Lord Hideyoshi didn't mind as he used to do this long before Houki came along. It was a return to form, to speak. But it did mean that Mitsunari was alone in getting ready for the day.

Today, however, would be different.

Set aside were both his clothes and Houki's, in neat piles thanks (again) to Lord Hideyoshi.

He was going to do it. He was going to dress himself and Houki. It was only fair after the number of times she'd help him get dressed and made sure he looked like a proper lord. Plus, it was getting more difficult for her to do basic tasks now so heavy with child. He wanted to help her, now more than ever.

With a nod and a small kiss to her nose, he rose from the bed, determined with his goal. He walked towards his pile, examining each article carefully. They were his own clothes, it shouldn't be difficult to dress oneself, after all. Just one piece at a time.

After several minutes, he did indeed dress himself. All his ties and strings were in place, tied neatly. Only one or two things were still askew but he was comfortable with this. His mission was just to dress himself and his wife, not to make sure they were immaculate for a visiting noble or something.

Next, he examined Houki's garments, similar to his own save for a few key items. Under clothes were pretty much the same, as was the kimono itself. Her blue jacket he could understand. Her obi and sashes, however, were a little confusing to him. He'd seen plenty of women in town and castle maids wearing bows with their sashes, but to make one with his own hands confounded him. Even the book he read over last night also called them a mystery. Mitsunari frowned.

He could ask Lord Hideyoshi about how to make one since he was regularly correcting others about their crooked obis and fixing them as needed, but he did want to try it on his own first. Houki would know how to tie the ribbon in the back, surely. The maids taught her and she learns things so quickly.

Maybe that should be his course of action, ask for her help as he's helping her get dressed. He nodded again, turning when he heard her stirring behind him. Mitsunari smiled brightly.

"Good morning, my love," he said quietly, kneeling by her side, "I still adore waking by your side."

"Good morning, Mitsunari," she said, her voice still heavy with sleep. "But, you're already dressed."

"Lord Hideyoshi is coming by soon, so I wanted to wake up early to help you get dressed."

Houki reached for her glasses, sitting just at the edge of her pillow, but Mitsunari grabbed them, remembering to grab by the frames rather than the glass and handed them to her.

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I want to help you."

She nods, still affected with sleep.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

Mitsunari holds out his hand for her hand, helping her to stand on her feet. Kitty flicked her ear, still sleeping on his robes.

"Is he kicking?"

"Not yet. I guess he wore himself out last night."

"He must have been intrigued by the story we were reading to him."

"It was quite exciting. I even dreamed about the story, with our little boy in it."

"You see him in your dreams?"

"Sometimes. It's how I'm sure he's going to be a boy. The maids have been placing bets ever since I started showing."

"I've heard whispers of Lord Mitsuhide running bets as well."

"I didn't doubt he would. Lord Hideyoshi wasn't pleased with him."

She looked down at her stomach, slightly peeking through her sleeping kimono.

"What do you think?"

"I trust your judgement, but… even if we turn out to be wrong, we'll still love them regardless if they are a boy or girl."

Houki nodded and started taking her off her robe, Mitsunari helping her take it off the rest of the way. He then picked up her inner kimono, slipping it over her arms. He then moved in front of her, adjusting the fabric so it closed over her properly. He then repeated the process with her outer kimono, adjusting as needed.

"One of the older maids gave me the wider obi sashes," Houki said, "She said it help her in her pregnancies, saved her back when the baby started getting heavy. They seem to be starting to be fashionable amongst the nobility."

"I've started to notice them more often whenever noble ladies visit Lord Nobunaga and Lord Hideyoshi. Perhaps it's more comfortable?"

"It's… more supportive, I suppose. My back doesn't hurt as much when I wear them."

"Is he starting to get too heavy?"

"A little bit. I don't mind, as it's a good sign he's growing and healthy."

Mitsunari rubbed her lower back and kissed her temple.

"Let me know if it starts hurting too much. I want you to let me take care of you."

-----

Ophelia

(Revenge, "You make me feel complete with your love.")

"Thank you for your kindness, Abbess." Two monks bowed to Ophelia, accepting the folded robes from her pale hands.

"Thank you for trusting me with the mending work." She bowed in return, "I know how important keeping up with one's clothes is."

"It looks a little different to the stitching that I'm used to, but it looks stronger than before."

"I grew with quite a number of younger siblings!" She smiled, "The stitching had to be strong to withstand the test of time and rambunctious little ones testing out their hand-me-downs."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"Thank you again, for making such quick repairs."

"You are welcome. I hope that you will come to me again if you need any more mending."

They both bowed once again, leaving Ophelia to stand in the hall entrance, a hand on her hip.

Moments later, a familiar hand found her shoulder, making her smile.

"So that's what you up doing for so many nights."

"Needlework isn't that hard for me. It was a common expected duty of a wife back home."

"Yet, your handiwork was remarkable, even for some simple repairs."

"Like I said, I had a lot of siblings that were always up to something." She shrugged, nonchalant.

"I would also like to point out that eavesdropping is an unbecoming, dear Abbot."

Kennyo chuckled.

"Forgive my curiosity. You refused to tell me what or why you were sewing so long into the night. I was starting to get worried."

Ophelia placed her hand on top of his, resting on her shoulder.

"Or jealous, perhaps? I was sure you'd recognize the robes of your own temple."

"Sewing a man's robe that wasn't my own, jealousy was starting to sew it's seeds into my heart, I'll admit."

Ophelia chuckled.

"But I had no doubts that your intentions were pure."

"Oh? You trust me that much?"

"You did promise me that no other man would make another hole in your heart, once upon a time."

"I suppose I did say that."

"And I wouldn't let you stray that far."

"Oh, would you now?"

"You mean too much to me for me to let you go, now."

"Hmm… I'm inclined to agree. I like you a little too much to leave you now."

"Only like, dearest?"

"Just a little bit."

He moved his hand from her shoulder, only to intertwine their fingers.

"Shame, I was hoping it was a little more than like."

"How much do you want me to like you, then?"

"Enough to make me feel complete with your love."

"A tall order, I hope you understand."

"I'm sure you'll try your best, Abbess." He pressed her hand against his cheek.

-----

Thea

(Scholar, "I don't understand people at all… yet I found myself quite curious to know everything about you.")

"Thanks for coming out with me today, Isaac." Thea smiled back at her companion, "I really appreciate it."

Isaac looked down at the street, unsuccessfully at hiding the pink on his cheeks.

"Sebas was busy with chores today, so he couldn't come. And Theo's always busy with selling paintings." She chattered away. "So, thanks again. I don't think we've really had a chance to spend time together yet, have we?"

Isaac said nothing. Thea only grinned more.

"Let see. We ordered Leonardo's cigarillos and some more fruit to be delivered later. We got the different brands of blue inks for Mozart and Arthur, since they like using blue ink in their work, but not the same one at Mozart's insistence. It's a little silly, if you think about it, all this fuss over different brands of ink. Not even the same specific brands each time either. One time I got them mixed up and neither of them seemed to notice. It was kind of funny, when I told Sebas about it."

"You…" Isaac mumbled.

"Hm?" Thea stopped and looked back at Isaac, the blush stronger on his face.

"You… talk a lot."

Thea laughed softly.

"Sorry, forgot you're not much for talking." She put her hand on her hip. "If it bothers you, just tell me to shut my pie hole. No hard feelings on my part, I know I talk a lot. My dad Liam complained about my chattering all the time. Only for Papa Beni to swoop in and starting chatting with me too, just to get on Liam's nerves."

"Dad? Papa?"

"They're my fathers. Well, they took in my mom and me when we had nowhere else to go. They're not my dads in the biological sense. just practically raised me from the ground up. They were all friends when they were young, my mom, Liam and Beni. They refused to let their friend be homeless."

"They… they sound nice."

"I wish you could meet them." She smiled, "Well, if they can get over me time-travelling to the past and meeting famous figures of the past that have been turned into vampires first."

Isaac didn't say anything, letting the freckled girl chatter on as much as her heart desired. He didn't like that she prattled on so much, but he knew he wasn't great at starting conversations (or keeping them going, really), so really, the fact that she didn't seem bothered by him being quiet at all was both relieving and a little unnerving. Not that she ever ignored him, she was attentive when he had something to say, but still, he should be contributing to the conversation more, surely?

The crowds were getting denser, Isaac noticed. Thea was tall, but it didn't bode well if he lost her in the crowd. Would Theo come after him if he lost her? Would Arthur? The thought irritated him.

He then heard the sound of screams of horses and fast spinning wheels. Of course, someone was speeding through the street when there was high foot traffic-!

Isaac reached out thoughtlessly, grabbing a hold of Thea's warm hand, just as the careening carriage turned the corner, narrowly missing the girl, thankfully only blowing back her hat. She whipped her head around, looking angry at the fleeing vehicle.

"Hey! Slow down, asshole! Il y a des gens qui marchent ici, connard!"

Isaac flushed pink, embarrassed.

"Honestly," Thea huffed, "the nerve of some people! It's only gonna get worse when cars start getting mass-manufactured. Man…"

Isaac was still too stunned to speak, looking stupefied at their still joined hands.

------

Abby

(Monster, "I'm Not Worthy of Love")

The library this time of night, usually a quiet place that was often the favored place for the more solitary residents (or even the ones that just wanted a place to nap) but at this time, there was two of the residents there together at the table, the scratching of pens against paper filling the silence. Abby looked on as Jean made broad, careful marks in his notebook, his writing script not unlike a small child just learning their letters. She was proud of him, learning a valuable skill practically taken for granted in her time. Watching an adult struggle with something so basic and commonplace as reading and writing, it made her think more considerately, as Jean had come from a time where reading and writing had only been taught to a select few. It wouldn't do to tease him that came so naturally to her. Sword fighting didn't come to her naturally like it did for Jean, after all.

After a quiet pause, Jean stopped and put his pen down, comparing his scratches to Abby's much more experienced handwriting.

"You're improving," she said with a small smile. "The shakiness will go away with practice."

Jean nodded, confident in his own way.

"You have been patient with me, mademoiselle."

"Writing and reading are valuable skills." she explained. "It'll help with your business a-and you can keep up with events, like reading the paper like Theo does each morning."

He nodded, looking over the work again. He then closed the book.

"I want to try reading again."

"O-okay!" Abby stood up from her chair, looking over the tomes surrounding the two of them. "What would you like to try tonight? Sebas helped me pick out some easy readers at the book market when it was in town the other day."

"The Ugly Duckling."

"The Ugly Duckling?"

"Hmm." Jean nodded.

They had read it several times, Abby thought, picking it from the nearby shelf.

"Do you like the story?"

"I relate to it the most."

"A-ah, I see." She sat beside him again and opened up to the first page. "What do you find most relatable about it?"

"The duckling being ostracized because of his appearance. My brothers often teased me for having a feminine face. And…" His singular eye looked to the side, looking at the patch over his other eye.

"Yes, the story certainly doesn't shy away from telling the reader that if you don't have a pleasing appearance, you will be teased mercilessly… and bullied."

"Do you find the story relatable too, Mademoiselle?"

"…Yes, I do."

"But you are beautiful."

Abby blushed bright red, her eyes wide.

"T-Thank you."

"Were you bullied, then?"

Abby froze.

"No, you're beautiful, so you couldn't have been." Jean relaxed his grip on his sword, talking to himself. Abby closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"I wasn't good enough, actually." she clenched her hands in her lap.

"Hmm?"

"When you try the best you can and it's not enough." Abby sighed. "That the things you love and care about, aren't worth much in the grand scheme of things."

Jean was silent.

"People can be cruel, sometimes, until you meet some high… high standard that shouldn't be-"

Abby put a hand over her mouth, realizing what she was saying.

"B-but, that's enough about me. We're supposed to be reading? Do you want to read to me this time? I bet you've gotten better with how much you've been practicing."

Jean stared at her, his dark eye staring at her curiously. He then reached for her hand cradling her face, pulling it away and holding it gingerly.

-----

Miri

"Oi! Hey!"

The biting wind cut into his skin, not helped at all by the somber atmosphere with the angels. And watching his younger brothers being dragged under the ice didn't help either. He knew they were all tough, of course, they would join up with them eventually, but right now, he was the only one left to look after Miri and she wasn't looking so hot either. Well, the icy wind probably did most of that, but she didn't look physically well either. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt a small, human hand grabbing onto his unexpectedly, and, while she wasn't a demon like Diavolo where his hand was so hot it made his palms sweat, Miri's hand was too cold for a human.

"Sorry," she apologized, looking down.

"Don't just go grabbing like that, kid!"

Her hand was like the ice they were walking on. Mammon frowned.

"You okay?" he asked, "Did you grab me because you're cold or because you're scared?"

"…Both."

Her shivering was much more obvious now that they were connected.

"Not like you to get scared."

"I still get scared sometimes. A lot of times, actually."

"Worried about Lucifer?"

"Yeah."

Mammon sighed and gripped her hand tighter.

"We'll find him, stupid. And make him pay for putting us through all of this. Only fitting, if you ask me."

Mammon snorted.

"He's gonna owe us big time. I mean, really. Bringing all of to the lowest level of Cocytus, freezing our asses off. Even Simeon, Luke, and Solomon are worried about him. Hells, we even got Mephisto, of all people, helping us get that jerk back. So, don't worry so much."

Miri looked up, seeing Mammon's grin.

[winchesterandpie]

Sleigh Ride

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x reader

Word Count: 1035

Warnings: sooo self indulgent, soft Bradley, reader plays piano

A/N: Welcome to Top Gun Christmas! I have a few winter-themed fics (some specifically Christmas, others generic winter) that I have written/planned that I'm going to put out over the next few weeks and I'm hoping to write some more! If you have ideas/prompts, please send them in! I'd love to have some fun little things to write! For now, enjoy this one!

Also, for reference, here's the duet mentioned (no, these aren't my family friends who play it, but it is the right arrangement)

You were sitting at the piano, trying to remember the right notes when Bradley got back from the store. He set the bags down in the kitchen, just in time to catch you in his arms as you bounced in to greet him. You were lifted easily into a quick spin that made you laugh.

“Hey, you’re home!”

“You know I can’t stay away from you for long, baby.” He grinned at you as he set you on the counter with a chaste kiss.

“I can help put the groceries away, Roo,” you said when he started to move away. Rooster leaned back in to give you another kiss, longer this time. You wound your fingers into his hair, pulling a hum from his lips. When he pulled away again, he tapped your nose lightly.

“You help me plenty, let me do this. Please?”

“You are too good to me.”

“Mmm, I disagree. I’m just the right amount of good.” With a last kiss to your forehead, he moved back to the groceries. “What were you playing?”

“Oh, I was just trying to remember a piece. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard it, but I can’t find the right sheet music online either.”

“What piece?”

“Sleigh Ride. This couple--family friends--played it at the Christmas party we went to every year when I was a kid.” You smiled softly, leaning your head back against the cabinet as you remembered those days. “It was my favorite part. They played a bunch of duets, but Sleigh Ride was the one they played every year. We would all clap for the whip sounds--we got pretty good at the timing too!”

“That sounds like a really great time,” he said, tapping your knee so you would shift so he could put snacks in the cupboard behind your leg.

“Yeah, it was. They were the sweetest people too…” You trailed off, your brow furrowing as you tried to find whatever was tugging at the corners of your memory. When you found it, you brightened immediately, pulling out your phone. “I might actually have a video of it, let me check.”

You scrolled through the older photos and videos you had saved, looking for what you thought you remembered. Bradley finished putting the groceries away while you searched, coming to lean against the counter next to you.

“Aha!” you crowed triumphantly. “I found it! Do you want to see?”

In response, he shifted to stand between your legs, leaning back against your chest. You slung your arms over his shoulders so you could hold the phone for you both to see. You both tilted your heads together for the trip down memory lane.

Two weeks later, you and Rooster pulled up to your house after a long, fun day on base testing a new piece of equipment in your jets. He grabbed the mail, including a larger envelope, but tucked it into his bag with a sly grin. You pretended you didn’t notice, letting him sling an arm across your shoulders as you made your way into the house.

You left it alone until after dinner when you both dropped onto the couch. He had been glancing furtively at his bag all evening, but he maintained his silence.

“Anything interesting in the mail?” You tried to sound nonchalant--like you hadn’t spent all evening dying of curiosity.

“Actually, yeah.” Bradley hopped up and retrieved the bag, unzipping it to pull the mysterious envelope out. “I, uh, I talked to those family friends of yours.”

“Family friends?”

“The ones that played Sleigh Ride.” He handed the envelope to you to open. “I asked if they could point me in the direction of the duet and they offered to send a copy.”

“You went looking for it?” You unsealed the flap so you could pull out the score. Astonished, you turned through the pages, skimming your fingers across the printed notes.

“Yeah. I thought maybe we could learn it together. If you wanted to, of course.” There was the slightest tremor of nerves in his voice.

“You did this all for me?” You looked from the music to him, overwhelmed by how much Bradley loved you. He saw the extra shininess in your eyes, but in his nervousness, he misinterpreted the cause.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to, that’s totally okay,” he backtracked quickly.

“No, no, I would love to.” Setting the music aside, you took his face in your hands. “You sweet, sweet man. What could I possibly have done to deserve you?”

Bradley relaxed at the contact and your reassurance, his hazel eyes soft. His eyes said everything you could never find the words to say, but at last, he replied simply, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You weren’t sure who moved first, nor did you care, as you soon found yourself in a gentle kiss. His hand skimmed up and down your back, making you warm and pliant against him. Your fingers returned the favor, delicately mapping out the planes of his face that you adored so much.

It didn’t last terribly long, as you were too excited about the idea of learning a piece together. Once you pulled apart, you were bouncing up from the couch, music in hand as you tugged him toward the piano. He laughed, sweeping you up in his arms to attack your neck with kisses that made you giggle.

Bradley let you go at last, watching you fondly as you set the music on the piano. He loved your smile, your laugh, your happiness. You were it for him, and he vowed to himself that he would bring a smile to your face every day of the rest of his life. You didn’t know he’d bought it yet, but there was a little velvet box burning a hole in one of his dresser drawers, waiting for the right moment.

He couldn’t wait for all the precious little moments like this one that you would surely accumulate together. Until then, he joined you on the piano bench, pressed a kiss to the side of your head, and fumbled with you through the first of many practice runs of the duet.

Top Gun Taglist:

@malindacath @army24--7 @mads-weasley

[fountainpenguin]

Hello! This isn't trying to pressure you or anything, I'm just genuinely curious and wanted to know about your plans for Mario content (since I know you've wanted to do that for a while). Any fun worldbuilding you'd like to share? :)

Thanks for the Ask!

Man, I wrote Mario world stuff ages ago that I completely forgot about... I had a 100 Prompts series and I think I got into the 30s before it stopped. I had tons of worldbuilding for Cackletta and Fawful specifically since they were my favorites :)

I do still keep my [current] Mario drafts around, but unfortunately I'm not sure when I'll post them... I'm never satisfied. I like the canon worldbuilding the way it is and it Does Not Translate very well into my writing style. I've tried for years, but it just... doesn't.

My Mario stuff is "okay," but it just feels very "meh" to me. I think I'll get there someday if I'm willing to work on it, but I'm not able to do that right now. I HAVE actually thought about it and I might post the occasional one-shot, but I'm not sure yet. My worldbuilding is still all over the place and it's very messy and I'm not in love with it.

---

One of my stories is called "Political Machines" and it's about how the name "Mario Kart" came to be; it's Peach POV and delves into the culture of racing Yoshis back before karts came around. I like the idea of it a lot, but it's extremely info-dumpy and I've been struggling with it for years. I think I need to write something else first, but I haven't figured out what. Here's a scene from that:

I also love how savage Peach is skdflj:

---

I also have two Bowser stories (a one-shot called "1-Down" which is Kamek POV and covers the deaths of Bowser's parents, which I LOVE but can't make it hit right) and a very loose draft for a story called Carapace Rex which is a Bowser backstory 'fic. Here's a good scene from the former:

I do miss this 'fic... I really like how extreme Bowser is despite how badly bullied he is by his abusive mom; he's vicious to her and I love that.

tbh it's actually really nice and maybe I'm overthinking it. I'd love to finish it; I just can't get the emotions right.

That said, I might take another whack at it soon and post when I'm done fiddling since I've already seen how I'll fiddle with it for years if I don't commit to a date /shrug. It's definitely one of the stories that ever was... It's just not hitting the emotions I need it to.

---

I LOVE the opening lines to Carapace Rex (not sharing for major "1-Down" spoiler reasons), but I probably won't write the latter since it's been almost 6 years since I started it back in 2018. Getting older, hoping to publish original work, and starting a new long 'fic wouldn't be a good idea (Dog's Life draft started in early 2022 and Factor in 2018; I'm just wrapping up existing projects for now, but Carapace was always super vague so I don't really want to get into it). I might turn it into a one-shot though since I really love the voice in it.

-> The concept behind Carapace was that Koopas were predators of Toads... I actually reskinned the intro for Carapace into a piece of original content I used in my advanced creative writing class in college, then reskinned it again as the backstory for my OC Courtney the snow leopard, then reskinned it again to be the original project I took to a writer's conference this year...

I'm dying to do something original with predators and prey, but I've had a lot of talks with agents and editors and professional authors and we agreed it's not the right time for this content. To make a long story short, I'd either have to strip the fantasy politics out and de-age the characters so it's "animal people middle grade" or I'd have to age up the characters and push the adult angle and I... I don't know how I feel about my public author persona being "adult furry content"...... that's not what I want; I just want wolf kids hunting in the woods for their coming of age and growing up in this post-war world of fantasy politics and ceremonies... sob. The publishing world has categories though and you have to play by the rules.

Maybe someday... but I have a weird relationship with Carapace because of that, because I'm in LOVE with the scenes from it but I'd hate to use them in Mario fanfic when I'd like to use them in original work. Tsk-tsk. Maybe someday once I've already gotten my foot in the door. I'm keeping this project on the backburner as something I might self-publish but I've talked to a lot of people and I'd rather get something published traditionally and try to build my author platform before I invest, because self-pub is... expensive.

Honestly right now Dog's Life is giving me my "we're way too young to be carrying the weight of this many interspecies politics on our shoulders" fix, so at least I have that <3

---

I also have an 8-chapter 'fic called "Out of You" which is about Kamek trying to raise the Koopalings (and Junior). I'll probably scrap most of that and rehash it as something else; I don't think there's much worth saving...? I'll have to think about it.

But here's my favorite WIP scene from it, ft. Ludwig and Peach:

:)

Potential's good, fun is good... Just need to find the right kind of worldbuilding that satisfies me. I'd originally hoped to post Mario stuff before the movie came out in April, but I just never got around to it. Maybe someday? It just doesn't feel right, though, and I can't invest my energy in something I'm not in love with.

---

That's all I have to say right now; I don't want to say too much about my worldbuilding since it's still super messy. I have ideas about what would be "cool" or "interesting" but I just... don't love those ideas enough to make them part of "my take" on the world. There is a fine line between "Riddle's usual magical realism writing style" and "At this point it's an AU." I think I need to cull back the crazy ideas and stick closer to canon.

Is that "boring" and "uncreative"? Eh, I think that's just where my passion lies; I write fanfics because I love the media, and if I didn't love it, I wouldn't be writing fanfics. When I write, I want to continue writing the worldbuilding that I love, which means basing it closely on the media. I guess I'll always be canon compliant at heart even in a fandom where I'm okay with writing AUs, ha ha.

Maybe I'll dig up some of my really old one-shots from that 100 prompts project, clean them up a little, and post some of them. I know there were some Baby Bowser and Doopliss pieces in there. Might be a nice icebreaker.

[aelaer]

Hey dear, do you still play the ask game? If you don’t mind, here’s 🎁💡💘? Thank you so much for your answer!!!

From this post.

This one actually reminded me that it existed and I finally had a couple hours of energy to answer them yayyyy.

💘 Is it easier to write angst or fluff? I can write both, so long as neither is romantic in nature ahahahah. I don't know if either is easier or harder in nature--it more depends on my mood? I think it's harder to write a contained plot with fluff that isn't wildly OOC with the characters I write. It's definitely possible, and done quite well by some authors, but I think it can be harder. There's more angsty situations presented in canon and by the nature of their personalities.

💡How many WIPs do you currently have? Oh boy. So I am *not* counting the ones in the LOTR fandom that have remained untouched for like, a decade, haha. RIP LOTR. With the MCU... *sigh*

Ones that have a lot of content for them (one-shots are over 50% done, multi-chaptered fics have at least 20k written): 4 pieces

One-shots that have a scene written for them that I'm still planning to finish and publish: 2 pieces

Multi-chaptered fics that are unlikely to ever be finished/published due to being crossovers that I was way too ambitious about: 2 pieces

One-shots that have outlines that I still plan on completing: 3 pieces (these are all prompt fics requested in 2019 and 2020... I'm so sorry... the asker likely isn't even in the fandom anymore, lmao)

One-shots that are remaining prompt asks that have nothing planned yet: 2 pieces (including the new 2022 one from blossom, I'm so sorry, lord know when I'll get to it with this current schedule)

Floating snippets that are just ideas with no set plot to them, and thus may never be published beyond this blog: 3 pieces. Snippets really.

So 6-16 depending on what you count as a WIP.

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share? I posted two of the snippets in the other asks. Here's one from a one-shot that's like 90% done, I just need to figure out how I want to end it (which is harder than I'd like -- endings can be rough for me. Will probably need to ask my beta for her ideas because it hasn't gone anywhere for 2 years >.<)

.....

It was during one passing group, just as he was about to give his excuses, that Wong learned that the kid had super-hearing. A rather unfortunate time to discover such a fact.

And once Peter learned the news, it was just a matter of a few texts before every Avenger knew.

"We'd like to help out," Tony said, being the first to call Wong. Wong had given his number to a couple Avengers on the off-chance Stephen was wounded while working with them. He hadn't expected his number to be used in this fashion.

"Us sorcerers handle our own affairs," was Wong's gruff reply. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be retired?"

"Special occasion."

Wong said, "We're fine," and hung up before Tony could retort, then sighed. Stephen would be displeased if Iron Man ended up dying after all the work he did to save him in the multiple future fiasco. He was just happy Stephen managed to get to 16 million (and severely lower the amount of time it took to get everyone who left back), but that was another topic altogether.

Then Tony gave out Wong's number to the others.

"It really would be no trouble," Steve said. "We consider all of you our allies after Thanos."

"You're supposed to be retired, too," was Wong's exasperated retort.

A pause. "Well, I did pass on the mantle of Captain America to Sam, sure, but that doesn't mean I don't go out in the field here and there. Just less public."

Wong hung up on him, too.

"We really would like to see him safe," was Bruce's call.

Bruce was a little harder to hang up on; he had been visiting the New York Sanctum frequently for meditation purposes, to better understand and work with the other side of his personality and come to some sort of balance with it. According to Stephen, Bruce had achieved something like this on his own in other futures, but he was certain the resources at Kamar-Taj could help him achieve this faster and with potentially better results.

Still, Bruce Banner was not a sorcerer. "I appreciate the offer, Doctor Banner, but this is a matter for our order," he told him, then hung up before the other could retort.

"It's pretty slow right now; you'd be doing everyone a favor in letting us help," Natasha admitted when she called.

Wong pulled the phone away from his face to sigh; if it weren't for the very slim chance of Stephen potentially calling him, he would have turned off the damn thing. "Weren't you supposed to retire from field work, too?"

"People like me never retire," she answered. "Think on it, Wong."

He grimaced and hung up.

"You have to let us help!" was Peter's plea. Peter had been barred from the Sanctum until the issue was settled—Wong knew that Stephen wouldn't want the kid involved—but apparently Tony Stark was more than happy to give Peter Parker his phone number, as well.

"Stephen would want you to stay out of this," he told the kid without ceremony, and hung up on him, too, though he felt a little bad doing it.

This was getting ridiculous. The other Masters had decided the Avengers shouldn't be involved, but if they had to endure what Wong was enduring, maybe they'd change their minds. Besides, the extra eyes wouldn't be a bad thing to have, at least in Wong's opinion. 

By the time a sixth call from an Avenger in under an hour occurred, Wong was ready. He positioned himself in the Masters' strategy room as they discussed leads and next steps, then let the phone ring beside the others.

They caved in less than two hours.

[heejojo]

Love Isn't Beautiful But With You It Was

✰ summary: y/n and niki's journey from being enemies to friends to much more than that.

✰ pairing: Niki x fem!reader (and a Jay apperance)

✰ genre: fluff, angst, enemies to childhood friends to lovers

✰ warning: a few sad scenes but I'm not sure they'll be too bad! death

✰ word count: 1.8k (the most so far tbh)

a/n: this is my first fanfic so please leave comments about what should be improved. if you have any requests feel free to leave them! it's past 12am now and I need to sleep but I hope you have a nice day!

prompt gotten from @moonlight-chi77 thank you!

“Love isn’t beautiful but with you it was”

Life disappears in the blink of an eye, but the memories created and the human connection formed does not. The memories created are embedded in our hearts and follow us through different paths of life. Whether those memories are good or bad, they become something we reflect on in later moments.

Nishimura Riki couldn’t exactly remember the first time he met you but all he knew was that he had never hit off with someone the way he did with you.

September 2012

Although Niki couldn't pinpoint the exact date you guys started talking, he knew it was in September of 2012. He knew at first he disliked you and wanted nothing to do with you because you had stolen his spot on the swings.

“That's my spot, I told Jay I was going to stay here forever,” he said while his friend who was behind him nodded enthusiastically, backing him up.

“Your name is not on it and you didn’t buy it so why should I leave?” you asked him without coming down because you got there fair and square.

“I called dibs on it,” he said while puffing out his chest.

“Dibs are for babies,” you say while continuing to swing. “I’m not a baby,” he retorts.

“If you say so, then why are you wearing a Talking Tom T-Shirt?” you ask and his face begins to turn red. “It's cool, isn't it Jay?” he nudges his friend asking him for support. “Cool man, girls just suck” Jay responds and they both leave. “At least I dress myself!” you yell at their retreating figures

After that day, Niki made it his mission to disturb you every day and never wore his Talking Tom shirt again after that day.

August 2016

“Niki!!” you screamed as you felt another water balloon hit your leg. At this point, your entire body was soaked. The young boy continued to laugh and run as you chased him. You were beginning to regret spending your summer break with him when you could be watching TV instead. Eventually, you give up chasing the blond-haired boy and go into the house to dry off. Thirty minutes later, Niki comes in with a bottle of orange juice as a form of apology. You snatch it without further thought and drink it. Looking up at him after you finish drinking it, you both burst into a fit of laughter. “You’re lucky I love food,” you say. Maybe spending the summer with him wouldn't be so bad.

December 2018

Your crush on Niki was painfully obvious to everyone but him. Your friends teased you, his friends teased you yet when you were together you denied it with so much vigour. Niki had liked you for a few months now. Everyone was enjoying the slow burn that was going on between the two of you; the soft glances across the room, the way you always looked for each other among crowds, the way he knew where your secret birthmark was even though your close friends didn’t.

It was the way you complimented each other that made everyone cringe and aw at the same time. The jacket you got him for his birthday was his most prized piece of clothing and the only person he let touch it was his mum. This year though, you gathered enough courage and told him how he meant to you and how you were content with being just friends even if it hurt a little. But you weren’t expecting Niki to say he felt the same way, even more so. Your friends heaved a sigh of relief and choruses of ‘Finally’ were echoed.

It felt good being with someone.

January 2019

Everyone argued with people they loved right? Your parents did, the old lady that sells fruit and her boyfriend did so you and Niki weren’t an exception. After being childhood friends for so long you’d think you could trust each other enough to talk about the things that bothered you but he refused to, claiming that he didn’t want you to see him in a different light and how it would hurt his pride. You would tell him that no one knew him more and cared about him the way you did. At times, you’d let it go not wanting to push him but that day you couldn’t take it.

“We need to talk. Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?” you asked him.

“I’ve just been busy” he replied.

“No, you’ve been avoiding me. I know you well enough to know when you're hiding something” you said.

He wouldn't budge, he never did especially when you cornered him like this. He started to get irritated and said, “I said I’ve been busy so forgive me if I can’t give you attention all the time. Not all of us are as clingy as you” You winced; it was your fault for pushing him to the edge like that. Nevertheless, you wouldn't give up. “ I just want you to say how you feel and what bothers you. I’d never look at you in a different light and you know that. You might want to be strong but it’s okay to show some sort of emotion, it doesn’t make you weak rather it makes you look like someone that acknowledges what is wrong and doesn’t try to ignore the problem or solve it on their own” you comforted him. As the words entered his ears, you could see the walls surrounding his heart crumbling. “It’s okay to ask for help or just to rant to someone. Even if we won’t be able to provide an immediate solution, it should help” you added taking a few steps forward and grabbing a hold of his hands. You squeezed them tightly.

“I...I’m just scared you’ll leave once you see the not so perfect side of me” he managed to say. “I will stay with you, why don’t we make the best of everything without worrying about the future?” you asked while smiling. He returned it and pulled you in for a hug. “Thank you, truly,” he said and you smiled under his embrace.

After a few minutes you spoke up, “Oh yeah, Niki?” you called his attention and he hummed in response. “Don’t ever shout at me like that again, I can deck you and you know it” you said.

“Got it, boss. Sorry for being a jerk”

June 2020

You usually went on diets and exercised a lot but you were losing weight at an extreme rate and you weren’t even on a diet. Niki was worried but you brushed it off telling him it was stress from school but it got worse. You found it difficult for you to balance yourself, you felt nauseated, getting even more frequent headaches and being tired all the time so Niki decided that enough was enough and took you to the hospital. Neither of you had expected the result of the scans that were run.

“I’m sorry but there is a tumour in your brain,” the doctor said. The air left your lungs. “You can choose to get the surgery and live in the hospital for 8 months or live with the tumour for 3 months” he continued. You thanked him and left the hospital. The elephant in the room was very much alive and neither one of you wanted to address it. Did you want to stay in the hospital for the rest of your life or did you want to say with your loved ones? You thought that they would go through and that won’t be worth it.

“Niki” you called out.

He looked at you with a sad smile and just pulled you in for a hug, careful not to hurt you. “Do you want to tell your parents?” You nodded. You couldn’t just leave without saying anything. Picking your jacket, Niki drove you to your parents house.

“I just wanted you guys to know, I couldn’t just leave without saying anything,” you said with your eyes cast downwards. You couldn’t bear to look at your mom who was already crying or your dad who was blaming himself even when it wasn’t his fault or your sister who was basically your best friend. Niki had given you guys privacy but you knew it was just an excuse for him to be with his own feelings.

“I’m going to stay close to home in the meantime so I can be closer to you guys,” you said. Your eyes were already becoming glossy with tears. You inched towards your mom, taking her hand in yours and said, “You did an amazing job of being my mom and I love you so much”. Moving to your dad, you said “You did a good job of protecting me so don’t think otherwise. Let’s make all the memories we want to now without any regrets”. At that, your sister burst into tears “I… I can’t bear to lose you” Your heart clenched. “I can’t bear to lose you too” She continued crying. Your mom wiped her eyes and said, “From today, live the way you want to. Eat what you want and do what you want.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Niki staring watching the whole scene. After an hour, I stood up and went home with Niki. The car ride was a long and awkward one. When we got home, we just slept hugging each other.

Starting tomorrow I was going to live.

July 2020

The pain is getting worse but the smiles on my family and friends faces are enough to keep me going. I wrote letters and got gifts for them. Niki looks at the calendar every day, I can’t tell him to stop because I can tell he’s hurting so much. Why can’t I just be okay for everyone?

August 2020

The time comes faster, Niki and I went on a getaway for a few days. He deserved a break from everything that has been going on.

September 2020

I never thought I'd die as silly as that sounds. I asked my parents and sister to leave when I got to the hospital. Niki refused to leave and stayed there till I took in my last breath. He kept crying begging me not to go and how he’d do anything.

“Does it hurt a lot?” he asked between sniffles

“No it doesn’t, it just feels like a needle” it hurt like a truck.

“Liar”

I chuckled and held his hand till I couldn’t anymore. “I love you’’ I say as the lights fade.

╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗

Dear Nishimura Riki,

When you see this, it means I’m already gone. First of all, don’t beat yourself up too much. I could write for ages about how much I love you but now that I need to, my mind goes blank. You’ve done so well for putting up with me, hats off to you. You might not want to but move on, even though id like you to remember me; let your heart heal and be happy.

Take care of yourself and don’t skip any meals. Eat well and be happy, make sure you visit the places we never got to visit and enjoy yourself. Live life the way you want it every day. Be nice to people and smile more.

Thank you for all the happy memories, my love, I’ll be forever grateful for you. You made my life colourful and worth living.

Love isn’t beautiful but with you it was.

Yours truly,

Y/N.

[talkfantasytome]

AHH! 😂 Lovely image! I'm counting that as a lot. 👀

So, that took me a minute cause I had to read to just remember the piece and pick a good spot. But here's something I think I've only shared anything about in, like, its title. I actually wrote most of it monthssss ago. And I'd really like to get back to it to finish. It's a long one-shot of another canon-divergent piece. One where ACOSF didn't happen (I mean, maybe call it a fix, but really it's just a prompt I gave myself, and for all I know it could be problematic in its own right 😬), and basically they just kept giving Nesta space, and now two Solstices after ACOFAS. And it's been an entire year since Cassian's seen Nesta because he's stayed away, in Illyria, unable to continue watching her go down that path and unsure how he could help her. (Maybe, if people want it, and we're all lucky - including me - I'll keep going and be able to publish it on the Winter Solstice 👀.)

"Were we last to get here?" Cassian asked, unable to say the words he really meant. He looked around the room again, and then focused on his hearing to see if there was a sound elsewhere in the house he'd missed.

Rhys exhaled a breath and clapped him on the shoulders. "Let's join Az and grab a drink." He steered Cassian toward the bar cart where Az was now pouring a knuckle of liquor into two more glasses.

"Rhys," Cassian sighed, his eyes begging his brother not to treat him like a child.

Az handed them each their glass and then, before sipping, casually asked Rhys, "Did Nesta say when she'd be getting here?"

And just like that Cassian's heart burst out of its gate, racing along as if it were trying to beat the world record for most beats per minute. Perhaps Rhys was right to try and ignore the question. Still, Cassian was grateful for Az - answering his question indirectly, while also offering up what likely would have been his next one.

"Not fully," Rhys responded, taking a sip of his own drink. "Just that she'd let Feyre know when she was ready. Honestly, I thought she'd be here by now. She said she'd likely only be about an hour with Gwyn."

"And you believed her?" Az chuckled, and Cassian could have sworn a soft light sparkled in his eyes. "She could have gone up there at noon and the two would still be talking about Cauldron knows what."

Rhys huffed a laugh as well as he agreed, "That's true."

Cassian just stood there, looking between his two friends, trying to dissect every piece of information he'd just received, which was a hell of a lot more than he'd had all year - though, that was really his fault. He got about as far as realizing that dread didn't seem to lace their words at the thought of Nesta showing up when he heard the front door open and close.

He'd never turned so quickly to see who was about to walk in the room, as if he couldn't tell. As if he hadn't smelled her the second the door opened and the breeze blew her scent in. As if he hadn't, to an extent, felt her even before she'd walked into the house.

Mor was, once again, the first out of the room to greet the newcomer, and Cassian was shocked to see it and then hear joyful hello's from the two females. But they didn't join right away. Mor led Nesta away for a moment, and Cassian barely saw the fabric of her dress trailing behind her.

He was frozen in place, waiting desperately. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mor returned, Nesta Archeron behind her and pausing in the open doorway.

Blue-grey eyes met his and Cassian nearly had to take a step back from the impact of her stare.

Nesta.

Beautiful didn't do her justice. She'd always been devastatingly gorgeous - that steel gaze, those sharp lines, her perfect figure, but tonight, she was so much more. There was a light in those eyes, which no longer sat over purple bags. She'd gained back the weight she'd lost, and even seemed to have packed on a bit of muscle. She looked healthy.

She gave him a gentle smile, and Cassian nearly died at the sight of it.

You didn't tell me... he said to Rhys, mind-to-mind.

You didn't want to know.

Send roses and I'll provide one sentence for each one from a current WIP.

[gerrydelano]

i'm going to be totally honest with you here- i have appreciated the fics and meta you and ren put out, and your opinions by and large, but for several months now ive been feeling more and more uncomfortable with the way the two of you handle race and gender. yes, the TMA fandom is racist as a whole in ways you don't fall into- but sitting here watching you and another white TME person talk about how you (unlike everyone else) don't do xyz racist thing, how you (unlike everyone else) think about the transfem experience, etc... it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. i can't remember the last time either of you boosted the voice of a PoC about racism in the fandom, or even more so, the voice of a transfem person about transmisogyny. your heart seems to be in the right place but it really feels like the two of you have kind of developed a superiority complex about how you handle race, ethnicity and transfemininity in your fics and meta. and i'm not here to act as a sensitivity reader (seeing as I am, most importanly, not southeast asian- also, i would want to be paid, lol) but I can tell you that your depictions of race are also very much not without flaws. please just stop with the whole "i can't belieeeeve how white-centric transmasc-centric the fandom is" schtick. it's annoying

ah whoops, i'm the last anon and i just checked your about page- i thought you were white from having seen a selfie of yours, and i see now i am wrong about that, my apologies. still, my point about transfemininity, and of representing cultures that aren't yours, stands

oh ngl i wasn't even going to go out of my way to correct you on that last piece (though i appreciate that you checked/came back to add that, thank you) because i have worried about this very thing before and don't want to ever separate myself that way. i would much rather be told to knock it off than ignorantly continue to present myself like that. it's good to be told how we come across to people who don't know us personally/talk to in a group chat about these things because, like. yeah, it matters. this was never my intention and the idea that it looks like this at all is embarrassing, shameful, and something i want to address.

under a cut purely for dashboard courtesy! no defensive spiel, i'm just responding to be fully transparent and make it clear that i take this feedback seriously. i want to apologize & tend to the issue in any way i can.

tldr: the solution we agreed on right now is to honestly just stop talking about these things at all, barring replies to people engaging with us about our own content (because that can include critique) and boosting voices, like you said, which is pretty much all my main blog is dedicated to in the first place.

i did just take a look and the last thing i even reblogged about any of these subjects was from june of last year by a mutual of color, so i don't really know what prompted this right now? i'm still going to accept this because you pointed out that this was several months coming, i know i was very vocal once and have already been implementing change based on criticism from back then, but that doesn't mean that this never happened at all. i'm truly sorry for making you feel this way.

the only thing i'd like to actually elaborate on/explain is just the way you specified that i haven't boosted any voices as of recently; this looks to be an unfortunate consequence of the way i've been trying to gradually extract myself from the fandom completely with the intention to eventually just leave tumblr. being here for so many years has damaged me, i have been people that i am not proud of, and things like this kind of mistake i have made are a big part of that. so for a while now i have just been like. trying to quietly finish my series, with private consultation with people when necessary, and not really look at any fandom content or conversation anymore. so, that much at least has honestly been because i no longer participate in the fandom at large but you ARE right that things we do still interact with on that front should be reblogged from others who have more weight. i've unfollowed a lot of blogs and straight up don't See conversations take place anymore, and i am often too tired to like. even contribute fully anyways. i don't WANT to make posts anymore, and generally haven't been.

so actually i do feel a little bit like i'm being approached for something that ren does a lot more of as of rn and they agree that this probably should have gone to them? we may be close, but i can't speak for or apologize for them, so they'd like the chance to be held accountable for their own actions and respond themself. that obviously isn't to say i haven't watered this image myself, and we are talking actively about ways we can both improve. they're going to reblog this and reply, too. i'll leave that to them.

as for accurate portrayals; i never claim i'm perfect at that either skdjkf i would much rather be corrected or told to look further into something than, like. not. i know very well that i don't do anything perfectly, as that's an unattainable standard for anybody especially one in my limited position, so i just. want to agree with you that i am sure there are flaws and i can't expect you to know how much effort gets put in when i don't publish those conversations/that research process either.

okay, i hope none of the clarifications made here looked like shirking accountability or arguing, i am in agreement that this image is irritating and should not be a thing. i really appreciate that you sent me this and am genuinely sorry for the discomfort that has been caused. i hear you! and am going to continue to adjust myself on my way out.

[sebstanseabass]

Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 10

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

A/N: Thank you guys so much for the support and feedback! I'm so glad you're enjoying this fanfic <333 Feel free to like, reblog and comment. Would love to hear more of your thoughts! Love u guys <3

CHAPTER TEN

Just like last time he was here, Bucky grabbed some cereal box, poured the contents on a bowl followed by a tall glass of milk dumped over, making a mess on the kitchen island like a ten-year-old kid. You just finished changing into some new clothes when he finished pouring the milk in the bowl.

You followed into the kitchen, pouring yourself a hot cup of coffee from Peter's new coffee maker he got just two weeks ago and cleaned the mess that Bucky had left.

"How is it," you started just as he was about to walk out, "that you can flawlessly make a drink without making a huge mess but not with a cereal?"

He plopped down on the couch and placed his feet on the coffee table and turned on the television. He shrugged in response, eating a mouthful. "I was just trying to impress you. You're Peter's best friend. I want you to like me."

You just hummed and sat down on the love seat as soon as you finished, lifting your knee to your chest and letting the warm liquid slide at the back of your throat, letting the caffeine sit in me. You gave him no response as you didn't know what else to tell him. You just gazed at him, watching him like a hawk, as he continued to take a mouthful.

But you weren't staring at him like you did before. You were, somehow, trying to read his mind because the person sitting right now on your couch felt and looked so much different from the person who kept giving you lingering stares at the bar. One moment he was complimenting your photos, and the next your face. It felt like there were two of him and you didn't know which one attracted you more.

No one had ever looked at your photos the way he did. No one had ever talked about your photos the way he did. And no one had ever succeeded in getting a sudden yet fleeting internal reaction from you by calling you "doll."

"It's rude to stare, doll."

Except Bucky.

You apologized, and averted your gaze from him towards the television screen which showed the news channel. You took a huge sip of your coffee and ignored the searing pain of the hot liquid on the roof of your mouth. That's gonna leave a mark.

You hibernated inside your room for the next few hours, watching some sitcom on your laptop. You would hear Bucky yelling at the television screen from time to time or into his phone. Some names unfamiliar to you were mentioned. You hated the feeling of isolating yourself from the world but here you were, cocooning because you didn't know how else to be around Bucky after what happened that one night.

Plus, it felt like you were a child stuck with your babysitter.

He would knock on your door, check up on you, ask you if you needed some snacks, or if you wanted to do anything else besides locking yourself up in your room. The last time he called out for you, he was asking you to lunch, to the little Italian place across the building. Starving, you agreed to come with him only if he paid.

He just shook his head with a smile on his face. "I feel like you're taking advantage of me."

"I am." You said, locking the apartment door behind. "It's not like everyday I'm out with a rich guy."

"You gotta stop calling me that. I'm not rich rich."

"Compared to me, Buck," you said, "you are. Come on, let's go, I'm starving."

Just as you anticipated, Marco was beaming at you two once you entered his place, clearing a way for you, parting the customers like Moses did with the Red Sea. He pulled out two chairs for you and Bucky. Marco, as you assumed, was more than happy to see Bucky and more of his money. Bucky shook hands with Marco, thanking him.

Once you ordered, you turned towards Bucky who was busy looking at the photos of the gorgeous places in Italy on the walls. There was a bridge of silence between you as you continued to stare at him, still trying to read him. He may be an open book but it felt like his pages were complete blanks. Pages that were deep, far away from the cover, hidden and hoping to never see the light of day.

"Hey, Bucky?" you said, grabbing his attention. "What did you mean that night? When you told me I was something else? And please, don't give me one of those 'you're not like most girls' crap." You gave a snort of disgust.

He chuckled, biting the inner part of his lower lip before speaking. "I wasn't, anyway. You just intrigue me, that's all."

You subtly glance at him. "I intrigue you?"

"Yes, honestly you do. And you're fun to be with. It's not everyday someone agrees with me to scare off a one night stand the first day we meet." He laughed. "And I would like to get to know you better. And not just here."

You knitted your brows together in utter confusion. "Wait, what do you mean not just here?"

He shrugged, his eyes leaving yours and looked at somewhere else besides you. "Like outside."

"Like outside?" You repeated, the realization dawning on you. "Bucky, are you asking me out on a date?"

Bucky lifted his head and proceeded to look at the spotty ceiling, his lips curved downward. "If you want it to be."

You chuckled, shaking your head. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Then, he shot his head towards you, an agonizing frown marring his perfectly chiseled face. "Why not?"

You could think of many reasons why it would be a bad idea. First, you haven't been on a date for a very long time. Every person who had asked you out never had the luck of receiving a good answer from you. Second, Bucky was a complicated man.

And third, it would feel like betraying Peter.

"You're Peter's stepbrother." You sighed, defeated. "I can't do that to him."

"Right. Peter."

Marco came just about damn time to give you your newly-cooked food. Bucky ordered the same thing he got last time he was here: an Aglio Oglio pasta, paired with two large slices of pizza and garlic bread while you got a footlong Italian sub dripping with Marco's secret family sauce he never dared reveal. Marco said something in Italian before going back to the counter to tend to other customers.

Bucky smiled at you before you started digging in and began to speak. "How about this? Just two friends hanging out, not in the apartment, not here, not even at the bar, and getting to know one another. No funny business. Just like this. How does that sound?"

"As long as you promise not to give me those weird creepy stares you've been giving me since last night."

"Please, you also couldn't keep your eyes off me." He rolled his eyes. "Plus, I do have to admit you do look hot making drinks." He scrunched up his nose, taking a bite of his pizza without his eyes leaving yours.

A wave of confidence surged right through you, prompting you to ask this next question: "Did the whole cleavage thing push things?" You winked.

Bucky tilted his head to the side, just like he did this morning in the apartment, swallowing his food. "I'm not gonna lie, doll, that was also pretty hot."

"You should thank my friend Nat for that then."

He smirked. "I'll be sure to. So, uh, are you in?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well, I don't know how you kids these days ask things. Is it like that? I feel like it is."

You rolled your eyes, chucking a piece of garlic bread to his face. "I'm not a kid. By the way, how old are you?"

"I'm turning thirty-nine next month."

"Thirty-nine." You repeated. "Wow, if we were to go on a date, you'd be the oldest guy I've dated."

"Well, I'd be honored."

After your little lunch, Bucky went back to his office in his penthouse to deal with a few things with his associates while you, on the other hand, headed to the bar and started to fix all the stuff accordingly. A few hours later, Nick and Nat silently creeped up behind you, scaring the shit out of you and nearly making you drop the bottle of whiskey you were holding. You scolded both of them which they just, in turn, shrugged off.

You pulled Nat into one of the booths, making sure you were out of Nick's sight and wouldn't be able to hear you.

"Bucky kind of asked me out on a date." You whispered.

"Holy shit, I knew it. I knew he has the hots for you!" She said with a voice louder than you would've liked.

"Sshh, keep your voice down! I don't want Nick to hear this."

"Oh right, 'cause of the whole thing."

"Yes." You replied. "So anyway, I told Bucky it wouldn't be a good idea because it feels like I'm betraying Parker."

"He's just his stepbrother. Honey, you wouldn't be betraying anyone at all."

"But Parker's my best friend -- "

"Exactly." Nat's eyes bore into yours. "He's just your best friend, not your boyfriend so go date whoever you want to date. Just not Nick. He's kind of a loser."

"Isn't there some kind of code?"

"Like a bro code?"

"Yes, something like that."

"Did you and Peter have an agreement that you shouldn't date his stepbrother?"

You shook your head no.

"Then it's okay."

"Isn't dating your friend's siblings a part of some unspoken rule?"

She rolled her eyes at you, obviously fed up with all the excuses you have been trying to make. "As long as you're not hurting anyone then it's fine."

An exasperated sigh came out of your mouth. "Well, Bucky seemed to kind of agree to it, so what was supposed to be a date turned into just friends hanging out and getting to know each other. His words, not mine."

"Right, and once you get to know each other, you two can go on expensive dates and such."

"I don't know, it doesn't feel right."

"Now, now, don't be too sudden with that thought. Deep down you kind of want this to happen. If you didn't, you wouldn't be having second thoughts about this."

Oh, what you would give to prove Nat wrong but there was nothing else you could give because you knew she was right. You were fleetingly staring at Bucky as much as he did with you. And right from the get-go, there was spontaneity which opened up a whole new thrill in you. Something you never thought you'd ever feel.

The rest of the night felt excruciatingly slow.

There were some familiar faces in the crowd and some unfamiliar ones brought in by the regulars, having fun on Saturday night. While you were taking orders and making drinks left and right, your eyes kept roaming in the nameless faces inside the bar, hoping to see Bucky but your hopes were crushed when you found no sign of him. You were forced to take your mind off him for once as you were flooded with more orders, and complicated drinks that weren't on the menu. In the middle of your shift, there was even a small argument between a college student and a man in his thirties at the pool table. Eventually, the man, assaulting the poor boy, got kicked out of the house by Steve which was just a piece of cake with all the muscles he was packing.

Steve approached you with a stern look on his face. "If you see that guy again, don't let him in anymore alright? I don't want any fights in my bar."

"Got it." You said, taking note of the man's face from earlier. You warned the other bartenders beside you and the waitresses going around. You sighed, thinking to all the times you've told Steve to hire bouncers for the place but he just said:

"What do you need bouncers for when I'm here?"

And it was kind of hard to argue with that because it did make sense. The only problem was he was always cooped up in that small office of his. You never bothered to learn the secrets he was keeping in there. He couldn't always be doing work stuff. But after a few weeks of working with him, it was best to let those things slide as he was your boss.

Once your shift ended, you texted Bucky where he was but you never got a reply. You exchanged numbers right before he went back to the White Wolf.

You were greeted by an unlocked apartment once you got there but there was no sign of Bucky.

"Bucky?" You called out his name as you removed your jacket and placed it on the coat rack just beside the door. "Are you here?"

Silence answered you back. You went into your room and changed your shirt into something a bit more comfortable: an oversized sweater. A few seconds after you changed, you received a message from Bucky telling you to go to the rooftop.

You immediately went up, the chilly New York air touching your cheeks. You emerged from the ladder with a bewildered look crossing your face. The once grimy floor of the rooftop was perfectly cleaned up, leaving no dust and dirt behind. There were two large crates in the middle, big enough for two people to sit on. On top of the crate were a large box of pizza (you assumed it was from Marco's), and two bottles of ice cold beer.

"What on earth?" You gasped, finding Bucky emerging from behind a big box just casually standing against the brick walls.

"Hey, doll." He greeted you with a cheeky smile.

You stepped towards him, enveloping yourself in a hug in an attempt to warm yourself up against the cool air. "Did you clean our rooftop?"

"I may or may not have. Who knows? Anyway, I got us some pizza. I figured you were hungry from your late shift."

As a matter of fact, you really were. Drained from the endless orders and demands, you usually didn't have the time to sneak a bite of food or even a sip of water.

"I got the pizza from Marco's. He's a really nice man and was more than glad to see me when I stopped by."

"Of course he was." you laughed, sitting down on one of the crates. You opened the box, your mouth already drooling from the sight of Marco's mouth-watering pizza. "He likes the dough. Ha! Get it?"

He rolled his eyes at you but with a hint of a small smile in his lips as joined you on the crates. "So, are you gonna spend the night in the apartment?" You asked.

"Yes."

"What, got another girl back in the penthouse?" You teased, nudging his shoulder.

He gave you a throaty, sarcastic laugh. "This time, no."

"Too bad. I was ready to give a performance of a lifetime." You chuckled, glancing at him sideways and catching him with a big smile on his face.

You looked around you. The only source of light you had was the city lights towering above, and ahead of you. "You know," you started, "if you hung those little lights on the walls or just above us, this would seem like a date."

He pretended to wipe some sweat off his forehead. "Phew, dodged a bullet over there huh?"

You giggled, tipping the cap off the ice cold light beer and bringing the top of the bottle to your mouth. The liquid felt cold in your mouth but soon warmed up, nestling inside your stomach.

"This is nice." you commented then started to ramble on some more. "It'd be nicer to see New York during sunset though. Ever since I got the night shift in the bar, I rarely do. It's all the traffic and bright city lights."

You painted Bucky a picture of the last sunset you've watched. You had no recalling memory when it was but you remembered it as another cold day (but not as cold as tonight). The colorful sunset hues plastered in the high skies. Seeing it from the rooftop felt like they could easily be reached, as if they were wanting to be touched. And without a warning, the sun started to go down millisecond by millisecond.

"To others, what happens after a sunset is just another sign of the darkness to come. And then poof, city lights." you continued, then proceeded to gesture at the sky. "But for me, the feeling after a sunset is what I love the most. The sun wallowed in serenity in the pale break of light in between those dark clouds forming. Ugh, I just love that."

"I see what you mean." Bucky hummed, withdrawing his eyes to the sky to look at you. "It's like an afterglow."

"Yes, like an afterglow." You agreed, meeting his intense gaze. "If seeing something so beautiful makes you feel good then the after of it all must be... more pleasurable."

"A lot of people tend to miss that detail after sunset." He replied. "But not you. You're a photographer, y/n. The details in nature, in people are some things you can never miss."

You just hummed in response, taking a huge sip of your beer. " So, when did your love for photography start?" Bucky asked.

"It started when I was young." You replied. "I would play around with my parents' digital cameras, take photos of literally everything around me, especially when we were on vacation. It was just a hobby then. I never thought of it as a means of living until I was in college. God, I hated business school. Every second of it. I just did it to make my parents happy but I really wanted to be out there, embracing people, embracing everything in life. It's like -- "

"Capturing people's stories in a different light?" He continued for you, as if reading your mind.

"Exactly." You smiled, quite happy that he saw it the way you usually did.

"If it wasn't for the hotel business I also would've been an artist. Maybe an actor."

"So, why didn't you?"

"Because business is all I know." He sighed. "Tony Stark, the guy who adopted me, taught me everything there was to know. As he was building his empire, he pulled me towards it and now, I'm running one of his hotels. Y'know, I don't think of him as a father or anything. More like a friend, a wingman."

And just like that, Bucky peeled himself like an onion. Slowly. Layer by layer by layer. But then he stopped. He opened his mouth to say more but then he decided to stop. You waited but nothing else came out. As much as he wanted to know you, you too wanted to know him — and not just his wild adventures but the things that were deeper than that.

It felt nice to talk to Bucky this way. Actually, it wasn't just nice. It was very comfortable that it gave you a warm sensation on your chest.

Seeing that he wasn't as comfortable as he was before opening up, you steered to a different topic. "Have you ever felt that kind of feeling?" you asked.

"What feeling?"

"The afterglow feeling."

"No," he chuckled, "I don't think so. I'm stuck in a routine, y/n. Business, party, booze, girls. Nothing exciting, nothing out of the ordinary. Everything's the same, everything feels like nothing after."

You agreed with him. "I guess I'm also stuck in a rut." You harmonized with his laughter, seeing your life flash before your eyes. "Cheers to that."

With that, you drank the night away.

[dayseternal-blog]

Hi Days! I'm a huge fan of your work and your tumblr blog bc you give so many naruhina fanfic recs and talk about your stories, etc.

To sum it up, you're my favorite person lol, I'm a bit shy so I'm asking this as an anon, but I wanted to tell you something random just because I've always just thought about it and maybe you would agree or comment on it.

Have you ever listened to mitski? If you haven't I recomend you do bc she's amazing, but anyways I was listening to a song of hers called "washing machine heart" and it reminded me of naruhina, like the fic "together you and I" but different you know, like naruto only married hinata because he couldn't have sakura, she was his second option and every time he looked at her he wished and pretended it was Sakura, so Hina tries her hardest to look pretty and try to be the person he wants, always getting saddend by the idea that she isn't the one he wants, she knows his heart will only belong to Sakura. She let's him trample all over her heart and use her because she loves him unconditionally, maybe cry to her on some nights because he longs for Sakura's love that will never come.

I've read so many fanfics and I've never encountered one using this concept, I'd write it myself, but I'm not good at writing, maybe I'm reaching but it could inspire an angst story made by you or just a prompt or idea/concept for anyone to use. The hurt in this could be inmaculate and I bet a good writer could bring everyone to tears if they read a story like this. You don't have to do anything ofc I'll love you either way, I'm not meaning to push you to write a whole story with this concept by any means or to even post this ask, it's just something I made up/ related to this certain song, so I wanted you to see it, perhaps share your opinion or thoughts on it or just think about it. I love pain a lot hahaha bc I'm not a narusaku shipper in any way, I actually dislike the ship a lot.

Thank you for reading this and pls keep up the awesome work!! I'll always be a fan and support you and your spectacular writing❤️❤️

GAH What an awful fic idea you have 💔

“The Ring that Binds” by softwind - Rated M, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete.  Naruto and Hinata are married.  So why is Naruto calling “Sakura” in his sleep?

“Girl No 10″ by meeiwen - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Naruto makes a mistake with a dancer one drunk night.  Years later when he meets her again, he begins realizing his perfect life is a lie, but he’s too late to fix it.

And

“Territorial” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated M, High school AU, Multi-chapter, Complete.  When Hinata takes advantage of Naruto’s desperation for love, they’re both a little too much for the other to handle.

Are similar to what you have there.

HERE’S MY VERY QUICK AND INCOMPLETE STAB AT YOUR PROMPT IT’S UNEDITED UNREVISED CANON-DIVERGENT AU RATED T FOR LANGUAGE BUT I HOPE YOU LIKE WHAT I COULD COME UP WITH 😘  THEY ARE NOT MARRIED BECAUSE I WOULD BE TOO SAD

...

Naruto finally makes it to the Hokage’s office, having had trouble shaking off fangirls on his way.  He can immediately tell he’s the last one there, even though it’s the eve of the Rinnegan Festival.  Tense expressions greet him, the atmosphere somber.

Sakura whips her attention back to the desk before them.  “Rokudaime, with all due respect, I don’t think Naruto belongs on this mission.”

Her behavior has confused him all night.  First moving away from him so that Hinata would sit between them at Ichiraku when Hinata could have just sat on the other side of him.  Then pushing him to follow Hinata back home.  He said aloud that he’d be seeing her later, and that he wanted to catch up with everyone first, but Sakura just glared at him...

She’s been pushing him away, more and more every day, breaking his heart to smaller and smaller pieces...whether knowingly or not, he’s not sure about that, but she’s never rejected him from being her teammate on a mission.

Worried, he meets Kakashi’s gaze.

“I understand your concern, Sakura.”  His tone is heavy.  His usual careless attitude nowhere in sight.  “Call it just my gut-feeling...you’re going to need Naruto’s strength for this mission.”

-

Hanabi was kidnapped.

Hiashi and Hinata are nowhere to be found.

“What do you mean...?” Naruto finds himself asking.  “I just saw her.  We just saw her.  Not even an hour ago.”

“When Sai reported Hanabi’s kidnapping, believe me, Naruto, we moved to notify her family immediately.  Anbu can’t find them.”

“What?”  The last memory he has of Hinata abruptly leaving dinner and running off without hardly a word nags at him, inexplicably tightening his chest.  “She’s fine.  Hinata’s strong.  She can take on anybody.  No one would dare-”

“Naruto,” Sakura interrupts, her gaze cutting sharp.  “She’s nowhere to be found.  And as much as you believe that, no one is invincible.  Not even Hinata.  We need to form a plan, otherwise we’re losing precious time.”

“No one is invincible.  Not even Hinata.”

An emptying numbness invades his insides, discomforting slickness muting him.

This isn’t his fault, is it?

-

What if she needed to tell him something?

She was acting strange at Ichiraku.

Quiet, unusual for her as of recent...

But how was he supposed to notice?  Should he have followed after her, like Sakura said?  But they were supposed to meet at his apartment later on anyway, so why did she have to come out early like that and ruin the good time he was having?  She knows how he hasn’t given up on Sakura.

She knows everything about him.  She’s been his rock after Sakura tried to shut him down for good.  So how can it be that she’d just disappear?  There’s no way.

There’s just no way that she disappeared right after she left...

-

Hours.

Hours of wandering around in abandoned, desolate, war-stricken villages in god-knows-where, and nothing.  No one.

He’s asking for the hundredth time, but he doesn’t care, he’s past the point of desperation, and anxiety-laced tension fills the air.  “Taku, you really don’t see anything?!”  The Hyuuga they have on their team led them into this godforsaken wasteland.

Taku turns on him aggressively, getting in his face in reaction, and yells, “What about you??  You think I’m not trying my best?!  This is my family!  Just because you’re Hinata’s boyfriend doesn’t mean you’re any more worried than the rest of us!  You don’t sense her??”

No.  He doesn’t.

His Sage Mode has never been so useless.  In fact, he senses no one besides them in this place, and it’s with terrible unease that he begins to entertain the thought that she’s gone for good.

“There’s no one even here besides us!  Nothing!  Why’d you take us down here?  Where are we even?!  How do we get out of here in the first place?!” he argues back.

“Sakura-san was right!  You don’t belong on this mission!  I don’t know what Hinata-sama could ever see in you, I haven’t seen her smile in months!”

“What do you mean by that?!  She smiles all the time!  I’ve never seen her act so cheerful in my life!”

“So you fucking know it, too!”  Taku glares at him with an incredulous expression.  “That she’s just acting!”

“What the hell do you mean by that-”

And he doesn’t know what happened next, but Sai’s grabbing onto Taku and he himself is locked in Shikamaru’s shadow manipulation.  Chakra’s sparking off his own hands, while blue embers warp along Taku’s.

“Calm down,” Shikamaru orders both of them.  “We’re not getting anywhere if the two of you keep fighting.”  He waits for Taku to loosen his stance.

Sai lets go of him.

Taku throws an insulting glare around before sauntering off.

Shikamaru sighs.  Hard.  “Go cool your head, Naruto.”  He retracts his shadow, and Naruto wastes no time walking off in the opposite direction, far from wherever Taku is heading.

Yet Taku’s ridiculous words ring in his head.  “That she’s just acting.”

But she said that she’s happy to be with him.  That she doesn’t mind that he’s still in love with Sakura.  She said that she’s just happy to be with him.

She said that.  She did.  And she wouldn’t lie to him, right?

She was just acting?

“You’re not going to finish your ramen?” he asked her on their date last month.

“No...”  Suddenly, she smiled brightly, something she’s been doing more often ever since he mentioned that he’s always liked how genki Sakura is.  “Do you want the rest of mine?  I’m dieting.”

He scrunched his eyebrows at her.  “Dieting?  Why?”

“Well...”  She looked thoughtful for a moment before seeming to come to a decision.  “Naruto-kun, you like thin girls, right?”

He knew she was talking about Sakura.  “...I guess...”

“I want to make you happy,...” she started.  She bit her lips for a hesitating moment before continuing, “so I’ve been trying to lose a little weight.”

“Oh.”  He didn’t know what to make of that.  Unbidden, he looked her over. 

“Can you tell?” she asked, her characteristic shyness lowered her lashes, yet she didn’t fidget under his examination, and he could tell how she was trying her best to have that confident persona he admires in his former teammate.

Despite her recent changes in attitude, Hinata’s still been so physically small compared to himself and everyone else.  Under her jacket, he couldn’t tell if she looked skinnier or not, and even if she was, he doesn’t think she really needed to be skinnier.

But then she looked up at him with that heavy, hopeful weight in her gaze, and he couldn’t let her down.  Not when she’s trying so hard for his approval.

He fibbed easily.  “Yeah.  You look really good.”

She shined another smile at him that made him feel good.  Even if their relationship wasn’t traditional, he could at least still make her happy.  He could at least tell her some sweet words and see her sweet smile and-

She was lying.

She wasn’t happy?

He never made her happy?

Then what was the point of any of it?

No, she must have been happy, right?!  She said so!  She told him so!  Many, many times!

After all, he asked her.  All of those times he thought she was faking her smile, he asked just to make sure, and she vehemently told him that she was really happy to be with him.

She said he could talk to her about all of it.  That she could take on his heartbreak because her feelings were so much bigger than...

“Uzumaki Naruto.”

The unfamiliar voice has him leaping to his feet.

A man as pale as a ghost with piercingly icy eyes is floating down to him on some strange platform.  “You’re really as pitiful as I expected.”

“Who the hell are you?!”  He readies his stance.  He’s not in any mood for games, and he’s ready to let loose some of his stress on this very suspicious character.

“Hinata’s fiance.”

“Hinata?!”  Fire races through his veins, heating his feet, and he’s ready to leap at this guy.  “Where is she?!”

“With me.”

His heart rate exponentially explodes, beating into his ears, his skin practically bristling.  “Let her go,” he demands, and the threat of his words leaks from every pore of his being.  “Now.”

The man almost snorts.  “What makes you think she wants to see you?  You only ever used her, broke her...”  His collected expression hardens, and Naruto can sense that he has no intention of releasing her.  “I’ll make her happier than you ever could.”

Several thoughts fly too quickly through his mind to properly process any of it, leaving only residual uncertainty and that deepening sense of his culpability in her sudden disappearance.  But he doesn’t linger on the unpleasant sensations.  “What the fuck do you know?!”  And he’s charging at him, a Rasengan heavy in his hand.

The enemy is far more powerful than he appeared, immediately blowing him back with some kind of focused chakra.  “Weak, pathetic.”

“GIVE HER BACK!”  He replicates himself a dozen times, each of them throwing Rasenshurikens at the man.

Yet more of that strange yellow chakra protects him.  He’s unscathed even under his shadow clone onslaught.  “No.  I gave her a choice, and she came with me.  I’m just here to get rid of you, take revenge against you for her sake.”

He hardly comprehends the nonsense spewing out of the enemy’s mouth, and he rallies his clones into close combat, but the man manages to avoid many of the attacks while landing hits of his own.

Clones poofing away only to be replaced by more, frustration and fury starting to blind him into sloppier and sloppier moves.

“I love Hinata.  That’s why I deserve her.”

He chokes on his own breath, and in his momentary loss of concentration,...

He’s falling.

------------------------*

aaannnnd that’s as far as I want to go with that.  Imagine the rest of the team arriving in time to notice Toneri making his escape toward the sky, and I guess the rest of the story would sort of follow the rest of The Last...Naruto self-reflects a lot in a bundle of depression for a long time and yeah.

...ahhh...  I encourage you to write the fic you want to see in the world ❤️

[beggingwolf]

hi so I've just eaten too much ice cream, feel vaguely ill, and I'm here to tell you All About How I Failed At Outlining for SGKF this year!

that's partially just a fun tagline, but it's also a bit true. I told my friends I'd be trying to use several different outlining methods to try and knock out a plotty piece for the fest, and things did not go to plan!

important to begin with: I am what is referred to as a "pantser." I tend to just start writing. this is strangely contradictory to my personality, which deeply loves plans. unfortunately, what often happens is plans and outlines ruin my excitement and drive while working on a project (it tricks me into thinking I've done all the work and resolved the plot), leading me to abandon it.

and though I can throw together pretty words and made a decent fic, my fics never turned out as good as they could have been. I kept telling myself that if I planned in advanced and worked out what I was doing BEFORE I did it, I'd be able to craft a fic with such care and attention as to make it really SHINE.

so, uh, kinkfest rolls around, and since I was a mod I could see all the prompts before they even got released to the public, so I basically had a WHOLE EXTRA two-ish weeks to start planning and writing.

did I? NO.

so, despite the fact that I collect writing advice like a magpie , I'm not the greatest at implementing it. if you go into my SGKF google folder, you'll find a few instances of me TRYING to implement writing advice like metawriting:

(and you'll see some fics that didn't get finished/make it into the fest!)

my issue was (and still is) that I think I value every little word too much. this is a bad thing: I'm an overwriter by nature. when I get words down, I want to keep them because I feel like I worked hard for them, even if they're not great or don't actually serve the story in the way they should. that's not to say all my metawriting was bad; it wasn't. I tried it out for A Drowning in California as well [which will henceforth just be referred to as "California").

I had a whole subfolder for California. what kind of amazed me is how different my initial notes for the prompt are from what the story actually ended up being. here, take a look:

literally almost none of this is in california. the WWE and UFC stuff made it in, and so did sid wrestling with horny, but that was it. I was going to start this fic in the locker room, with sid wrestling someone, and it was seriously going to be a story about sex—about sid wanting to hold geno down in bed. that was the premise.

and instead, we got a really emotional story about familial rejection and the isolation it can make people feel. SO! something happened along the way, right?

when I started getting into the plot that would support this supposed sexfest, this is where I went at first:

geno wants the relationship to get serious, sid is like mentally still a 12 year old who just wants to wrestle people and doesn't want to talk about his emotions, and prefers to use physicality to communicate. this doesn't work for geno, who wants ... more

we can start to see the actual emotions come through, the things I was interested in: sid using touch to talk, and geno desperately wanting more

what did the most good for me, in the end, was "doing" the metawriting by talking with my friends.

I told them what i thought this story was about ("I'm thinking about making this a story about relationship-defining, maybe? and the communication needed for a lasting adult relationship? I think I'm going to set it in california/LA, where Sid has invited Geno along for the first time for his California Summer Fun/Training/Escape, whatever, and Geno's going to be emotionally preoccupied with Defining The Relationship—maybe they've been on-again-off-again? maybe they're just new to this, like almost a year deep, and they're not getting younger—and thinking this trip is about that [or hoping this trip is about that, and realizing it isn't, and being disappointed].") and they told me what jumped out at them.

Jes told me what would ramp up the tension would be a deadline of some sort; "Geno’s going to break up with Sid or make some decision or something, or there’s something approaching where they have to make a will they or won’t they decision of some kind related to the core ‘defining the relationship’ issue. Geno’s going back to russia and in previous summers they’ve always slept with other people while apart? or Sid has a wedding coming up and he’s offhandedly mentioned taking someone else as his plus one?"

I liked her thoughts. it made sense to add an external pressure to all this, and that wedding idea stuck out to me the most.

Lis said I should add a jealousy angle, so you can largely credit her for the club scene: "one thing i like to sort of headcanon/imply about sid's california trips is he uses them to hook up anonymously. so you could have, like, sid and geno seeing sid's friends, but also accidentally running into some of sid's friends. and geno's like oh, great, so here i am doing this horrible summertime training that i hate because i don't need to train in the offseason actually, and i'm learning what exactly sid gets up to when we're apart."

My magical solution these days is GOING FOR WALKS. do it if you're able. it clears out your brain. so on my walks I ended up deciding that I wanted a taylor crosby wedding. I like taylor as a character, and as a person with sisters I just like writing her in. best of all, she and sid are close and I like writing "I'd do anything for my family" sid.

and then I was like. oh. what if it's not that sid is afraid/nervous to bring geno, it's that he can't.

I... wasn't as conflicted as I thought I'd be about writing sid's parents as homophobic. I prefer to write them as supportive; I think troy crosby's been eviscerated more than he should have been in older fanworks, and though I respect their right to make fictional!troy whatever they want, I've been a little skeptical of outlandish takes on him ("he doesn't say I love you to his son because a camera caught them mid-interaction once!") ever since I read how the media has found him a convenient narrative villain while he tried to keep his underage son safe from the media as a child and while they needed to cook up Spicy Stories about squeaky-clean sid.

uh, tangent aside, I always thought I'd never write a "parents are the villains" story, but I did here. it felt right. it was easier, too, because they're not PRESENT in the story. I didn't have to write trina actually being horrible to her son. I just had to skirt the edges of the wound.

which works well on two fronts: I don't have to actively write the crosbys being horrible to sid, and I also leave more to the imagination of the reader, and that almost never fails to make the work better. whatever the reader imagines them saying to sid, it's going to be 10x more hurtful than anything I'd write.

I dug really deep on some personal emotions and fears I experience as a gay person for a lot of sid's arc here. sid is deeply imperfect in this story, and he's internalizing his pain and the horrible thing that's happened to him, which is making him pull away from his partner, and sid is not responding how geno wants, nor is he responding well, period, though he's trying in his own wounded, stilted way.

and beloved geno, whose tender heart is so hidden away for fear of someone hurting it. I really like writing geno; he's huffy and emotional and sometimes bitchy and feels things SO deeply.

once I had more of an idea, I was already working on a more detailed outline. this is where I seriously took Jes's advice and WROTE EVERYTHING OUT! it made it so much less daunting, because I didn't have to be figuring out my next steps AND crafting sentences at the same time. also this is where I tell you that the title of this post is mostly a lie, it was metawriting I failed at.

This outline also meant I avoided writing large swaths of things that should've been cut. Another beta told me I should delete three scenes and condense a bunch of emotions into the club scene, and she was SO right. Cutting events out of an outline is WAY easier than cutting out pages of text.

Ironically my outline kind of deteriorated after the club scene, but that's alright: after I wrote the club scene, I actually had a clear vision of what I wanted the end to be. I just had to trust myself. I CAN do this, I CAN still just write intuitively sometimes!

I think California did what I wanted it to do. I'd love to try something out that's longer and has more story arcs in it (jes has a post for that too!) but I think that's best saved for another, longer project, though 18k isn't short.

next up is maggie stief's writing seminar that I bought a month back. I'm going to start working on that this month and see how I like it. I have a few halloween fic ideas, plus spookfest, so these next two months we should be cooking in the kitchen!

[fayeimara]

Meant To Be || One For Every Billion

6. By My Side | Pt 5

It takes you just a moment to understand his last message but you're already looking up as the dots are being connected and there he is, walking towards you with a real smirk on his real face.

So when he reaches you, you immediately say, "Definitely cute." and watch his mouth drop as he blushes.

Pretty boy didn't think you'd say it, did he? People should really know better than to dare you.

Although he gathers his composure pretty fast, responding after a beat, "Not cuter than you."

You laugh and shake your head, finishing the rest of your drink before standing, "Do you want anything?"

"I'm good, I just had a milkshake from the snack bar on the corner."

He moves to let you pass by him, following your lead as you move to exit the lounge and comment, "That's how you got here so fast. Where are the others?"

"Decided to do their own things, I guess. I think Maki was tired. I don't know what Iwa-chan and Mattsun are up to."

"Uh huh." You had a pretty good idea. They're probably busy being some of the best wingmen ever. That or Toru just ditched his friends, but you don't think he'd really ever do that.

But he'd also be complaining a little more that they ditched him if he didn't have some sort of idea so... you don't know what to think. Which is becoming a constant issue in his presence but it doesn't feel bad or scary.

At this point, you're not going to question it. If everyone is okay and happy, then you're going to focus on the now. Toru is really good at bringing that out in you, you realize as you come to a stop in the warm night air.

Turning to face him with a smile, you ask, "So, then, any requests from the birthday boy?"

His eyes light up with excitement and he responds, "Yes, but it's a surprise!"

"Okay, but.. shouldn't I be surprising you?" You question as he starts to lead you away from the lounge entrance.

"You already did! Now I know we have all night to enjoy the rest of the park."

"Or at least until it closes in a couple hours."

"Then we can gather anyone who's still up and have a party in my room!"

"Yeah, that's real ambitious. We'll see on that but- what's first?"

He stops briefly when he sees a cotton candy stall and answers in his sing-song manner, "First, something sweet for my angel."

Oh he's so cute. Seriously. But you let him buy it for you before prompting, "And now?"

"And now," he looks over at you with a satisfied smile, "we enjoy a ride down a river in a boat." He reveals, just as the two of you reach the entrance to the small, peaceful dock.

"Don't they close the river rides after dark?"

"In ten minutes, actually. So we should hurry because it'll drop us off to our next destination."

You look at him in surprise as you both join the relatively short line. Did he have this planned for before, when he thought you were going to leave? It's a little bittersweet because that's really thoughtful but, it also makes you sad to realize that would mean that maybe he thought the two of you wouldn't see each other again until the next time you visited. It also made you question... Were you unintentionally pushing him away when you visited?

Or you're just overthinking as per usual and he just puts this much effort into it every time he's spending time with a girl he might like. Right.

The two of you reach the front of the line in just a couple minutes and listen to the instructions from the staff member who tries to hand you down into the automated boat. You say 'try' because Toru's hand cuts in between and he helps you instead, giving the guy a pretty condescending smile. He's not even threatened, just.. acting like there was no other possibility because, well, it's not even a contest. You can't lie, you like it.

You settle down and he gets in after you, pretty steady himself as he elegantly plops down into the seat next to you, his arms stretching forward for a brief moment before leaning back into the seat, shifting his legs forward, and placing his hands in his jacket pockets. And whatever he just did there.. that's pretty hot too.

As your boat moves away from the dock, you're struck by the romantic atmosphere of the ride. The quiet melody of the water you're gliding through, the trees dotting the sides of the river that sway with a breeze every so often, their branches reaching towards the water like the leaves are looking for a cool, gentle place to lay. You and Toru, under the stars that are peeking slightly out of the sky, like shy observers to your secret little adventure.

He isn't saying anything either, studying the environment and in his own thoughts you suppose, but you don't mind the silence. You do, however, offer him the cotton candy, tilting the base of the cone you're holding so it's angled towards him. He pulls a hand free from his pocket to reach out and grab a tuft of the cloud-like candy before popping it in his mouth with a smile.

"Do you think about where you want to be in the future?" He's looking up at the sky, head tilted back against the seat, when you look over at his question.

You bite your lip, considering what he's asking. You think way too much about it sometimes, you suppose. "How far in the future?"

He looks over at you in surprise, like he expected a quick answer instead of your clarifying question. Now it's his turn to think. "I guess in a few years, after graduating. What do you want to do?"

"What I want to do is probably very different from where I might be, I think."

"How so?"

You're both looking at each other, lost in another bubble together, so you try to be as honest to yourself as you want to be with him, "In an ideal world, I would either write or play volleyball. Realistically, I'll end up tied to... my family business more than I'd like. Which means I likely won't have the time or energy left to do the things I love."

His eyes are wide, you think he's realized he just turned a mountain, not a rock. Maybe even you wouldn't know what to say in response to someone who just said what you did. But then he surprises you yet again, "If you know what you want to do, what stops you from making sure that's where you end up instead, no matter what?"

"You know," you smile at him softly, "That's exactly the battle I'm currently fighting. So we'll see how it turns out, I guess."

"So," his voice turns teasing, "will you pick writing or volleyball, when you win?"

"Probably writing," you answer with a laugh, releasing the weight that just took a break on your shoulders.

"Why?"

"You love volleyball, right? So much that you can't see yourself doing anything but that for the rest of your life?"

He sends another shocked, wide-eyed look your way but you're surprised he doesn't realize how clear that is to read on him, how easily you figured it out really early in the course of your correspondence this past year. You tuck that away for another day and continue your answer to his question.

"I love both like that and, the way I see it, I'm lucky to be able to love more than one thing at a time. And because I do, they'll both always have a place in the future I want. So it's not really that I'm making a choice between one or the other, I'd be incapable of that. Volleyball will always be in my life, even if it isn't the same way it is now. It's just that I'll pursue writing as my vocation while continuing to enjoy volleyball however I can."

"So you won't go pro." He doesn't state it as a question but it sounds like there's still one in there somewhere.

"I don't think so. That's... a little more complicated."

He shifts to turn more towards you, pulling another piece of the cotton candy you're holding between the two of you and encouraging, "I've seen your videos, Y/n. You're as much, if not more, talented than either of your cousins."

You laugh again, "Aren't you a little biased, Oikawa?"

"Sure, but I'm still telling you the truth as I see it. You've already filled the gaps they lack as players, you almost seem to have none. You're part of the powerhouse teams in your region, even country. And you can only improve from there."

"Yeah. But it's not talent or skill or even anything about volleyball itself that makes me so sure about its role in my life."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I promise, I will another day. But I know it'll be a long discussion and I want to hear your answer."

"My answer?"

"Where you want to be after you graduate."

"Don't you already know?" His lips pull up into a confident smile, "Because you said it, Y/n-chan. I can't see myself doing anything but playing volleyball for my future."

"No matter how you get there?"

"No matter how I get there." He confirms, watching you with a tilt to his head, "But I will get there."

"Of that, I have no doubt. I've seen you play, too."

And like that, his smile twists into a satisfied smirk, "Just on video, huh? You still have to come to one of my games in person, though."

"Oh, I do, do I?" You're grinning as the two of you fall back into lighthearted teasing.

"Of course. I think there's still a thing or two I could teach you."

"I'm sure. Without a doubt."

By the time the boat reaches the end of its line, the cotton candy is completely gone, much like any space between you both. The two of you are just short of leaning into each other, your sides already pretty much pressed against each other for most of the fifteen minute ride, as you and Toru talked and joked about various things with only the blinking stars and swaying trees as your witnesses.

You take a deep breath in as your boat approaches the dock, starting to pull away from him slightly, but you also catch the now-familiar scent of some product Toru uses and it smells divine. It's the sort of scent that makes you want to lean into his chest or neck and just relax while he holds you.

Oh my god. You need to slap yourself. That was pathetic, right? And after just one romantic boat ride, holy shit. You still have another hour and a half to go unless you completely bail on him. And for what? Because you caught yourself slipping? Again?

Ugh. No. You're here to be a good friend. And okay, take it slow and see what else could be between the both of you. But that shit wasn't slow.

You've pulled away, physically and metaphorically, by the time your boat docks but you still accept his hand as he helps you off, blocking the attendant yet again. He doesn't pull away though and neither do you, so you're still holding hands as you and Toru walk to your next destination.

Just taking it slow. Right... Shit.

Turns out your next destination is the carousel. You two keep switching horses, messing around until you're politely removed. After which you hit up some of the rides like the one that spins really fast so that you're pressed back against the reclined wall, or the one where you sit in a claw that swings you up, down, around, etc.

Following that, it's mini coasters and then upgraded back to some of your favourite thrill coasters from earlier in the day. You tell him it's a completely different experience at night. After the first one, he agrees. So you two hit up four more.

By the time the two of you get off the last one, teasing and laughing about who was screaming louder (it was him, obviously), you only have a little over twenty minutes left before the park closes. So your hand finds Toru's, your fingers lacing together with ease and electric familiarity by now, and you pull him along in order to run back to the hotel through the remaining crowd.

"Why are we going back?" He's barely even out of breath as he easily catches up to race beside you, but you guess neither are you. Thank you, conditioning.

"It's a surprise!"

The concierge barely startles when he sees two teens just run through, raising his hand to call out before lowering it in defeat. You're already gone anyways. You reach the elevator bay and hit the button for your floor, thankfully the door to the middle one opens immediately with a smooth tone. When the two of you get in for the ride up to the top floor, the pace steadies and you're just looking at each other while you each catch your breath, then you burst out laughing again.

"Okay so you're still not going to tell me?" There's a little bit of mock attitude in his tone but it's washed away by his genuine smile.

"Just wait."

The elevator dings as it reaches your floor and you're pulling him out with the doors barely open. The two of you reach your room and you swipe the card over the lock, opening the door, pulling you both through and closing it in swift motions before letting go of his hand and running to the balcony.

"Come on!"

You look back to encourage him forward as you open the double doors and he strolls up to your side before you both step out together. Just as you reach the rail, faint music starts to drift up from the park's speakers, getting louder and louder until you can hear its strains clearly, playing the orchestral melody that indicates the park will be closing in fifteen minutes.

It's what you can see only from up here that you wanted to show him. Because with the music that plays, there are lights quite literally at every inch of the park that turn on in an incredible show.

Many people gather on the streets or at particular locations for the ground level view. But those are always crowded and honestly a pretty limited view of the show's true scale. It's the guests who have park facing rooms and know to stop for the view from their balconies at this time that experience the true and complete nature of the stunning spectacle.

"Wow." He barely says it, it's more like a word he releases with his breath, but you're so happy knowing you were right.

This is the perfect ending to an incredibly special day that deserves no less. You and Toru stand there, side by side for the full fifteen minutes, still under the carpet of stars that seem a little closer from up here. The two of you hold hands, arms and sides pressed against each other as you both lean on the balustrade and listen to the crescendos and decrescendos, glancing at each other with smiles and the occasional comment. Sometimes pointing to a corner or edge of the park laid out beneath you to pull the other's attention with a tug on your linked hands.

And when the music starts its final rise only to move into its final descent, you look instead at Toru and find him looking back at you. With your hands still linked, you lean into him further to place a soft kiss on his cheek, mirroring the one from a year ago, this on his other side. Then you lean back to look at his flustered but happy face with a soft smile and add your wish for him to your blessing-

"Happy Birthday, Toru."

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Masterlist

Behind The Scenes!

-ngl but that moment when Toru takes a seat in the boat was fully inspired by my memory of him at the Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa match, just after Iwa hops over the seat like wow, but then the way Oikawa stretches out from his previous position... just more wow. Sorry, I can't explain it. I love that scene (and the others with those two that follow) and I don't know if I'm the only one it stuck with like this...

A/N: Okay...time for the vent... I will be the first to say that I love Kuroo and Suna primarily, and both the Miyas are a close second.. but I DO NOT KNOW HOW OIKAWA KEEPS PULLING THIS ON ME like... this whole episode really got away from me again. I mean, I did like Oikawa as a close second to Kuroo (who's been my steady the whole time, js, it's unwavering) for a LONG time before being intro'd to Inarizaki but... then Suna just came in and turned my head until I was like.. Oikawa, who? But maybe this just goes deep, so I didn't know he was always still in there. He IS incredibly lovable after all, you can't change my mind about that, and I really respect him as a complex character and okay, yeah, I honestly can't remember who was my first between him and Kuroo at this point because I was simping for them both before I really even remembered their names (and was trying to avoid being teased by my bf for rewatching scenes with them since he had to bribe me to watch the show in the first place). Anyways, I don't know what I'm saying anymore since I desperately need to go to sleep, maybe for a whole day, so I hope you guys like this one! Because.. just, yeah. Toru <3 I guess

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