#i’ve just been calling her producer she doesn’t have an actual name but maybe she doesn’t need one

[viatrix-glow]

a producer who loves her knights

[katsukinq]

Here’s a draft of my most recent story that I’ve been working on titled: Dangerously Yours! I’m excited to post this and see what people think of it! This isn’t the final version of the chapter, but I wanted to post this draft anyway. I hope you guys enjoy reading this first chapter!

~~~

You always enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together from a young age. This is how you landed your dream job as a mechanic for the all-famous Fazbear’s Inc. You worked in one of their few facilities, building and fixing parts for animatronics. You and your co-workers specifically produced spare parts for the animatronics, they were then shipped off to Freddy Fazbears Mega Pizzaplex. You couldn’t even begin to count how many staff bot parts you’ve made for the place, how do they keep breaking? You decided to ignore the large claw marks on the destroyed staff bots that were sent back for salvaging.

You take pride in your job, seeing as you were paid generously. But most importantly, you took pride in being able to play your part in creating actual artificial beings. You just wish you were able to meet them. It was hard not to get absorbed into your work which is why you didn’t notice your boss calling your name until you felt a light tapping on your shoulder, jerking you from your trance. You looked up from the white chica arm you were currently working on and smiled sheepishly at the culprit.

“Sorry… I didn’t see you there,” You say quietly with an awkward laugh.

“It's fine, I just need to talk to you in my office real quick,” Your boss waved it off, giving you a smile.

She then turned around and motioned for you to follow. You stand up nervously and fall in step behind her. Was something wrong? Did you do something wrong? Your palms became sweaty at the thought of being fired as you inch closer to the office door. Once inside, your boss sits down on her sleek black office chair, gesturing for you to sit in the seat across from her. You sat down quietly, fidgeting with your hands.

“Alright..” She begins, reaching into one of her desk drawers and pulling out a beige file, piquing your interest.

“I called you in here because I have a job offer that I believe suits your expertise,” She says matter-of-factly, handing you the file.

Oh so you weren’t being fired, you exhaled. You let out a quiet thanks before opening the file and examining its contents. The papers inside contained multiple blueprints, you recognize, of the Pizzaplex’s daycare attendant. From what you know, this particular animatronic has been around for a couple years now. You’ve even had the privilege of making a few parts for it. You look up at your boss curiously, closing the file and letting it rest on your lap.

“Are you wanting me to make more parts for the daycare attendant?” You questioned, thinking maybe this was her weird way of asking.

Your boss shook her head. “No, this is something more complicated. Fazbear’s Inc. requested our facility to send one of our most experienced workers to decommission the daycare attendant.”

“Decommission? Is something wrong with it?” You ask, completely overlooking the indirect compliment.

“It's not that there's anything wrong, per se. Fazbear Inc. is just planning on closing down the Superstar Daycare for major sanitation reasons. At least that's what they disclosed to me. They’re going to be replacing the area with some brand-spankin’ new attraction related to the Glamrocks. Kids rather visit the main four, ya’ know?” She explains, shrugging her shoulders.

“Pardon me for speaking out, but that artificial robot must’ve cost a ton of money in the making. I’m finding it hard to believe Fazbear’s Inc. would just decommission the thing rather than repurpose it.” You say in disbelief.

The situation feels unrealistic to you. Who would just throw away an artificial intelligent robot, simply because it doesn’t have a certain area in the plex anymore? Your boss leans forward on her desk, hands intertwined and resting under her chin.

“Now I'm just going off of what I've heard, this might just be a rumor,” She says in a whisper-like voice, glancing down at the file.

“I’ve been told that an employee over at the Mega Pizza Plex had witnessed the Daycare attendant starting to act out of character, specifically around nap time or lights out. It’s been told the robot has taken on a more violent personality in the dark. The employee said it was a glitch in their system, but it hasn’t been confirmed.”

“Oh… Well, this project shouldn't take more than a week,” you say, standing up with the file in hand.

That's too bad, you never got to meet the bot. Maybe you would have even taken a crack at the supposed glitch in its system.

Your boss stops you by holding up her hand. “Here's the catch, this is going to be more of a long-term project for you,” She says, making you tilt your head in question.

“Recently the daycare attendant’s handler quit, meaning they have no one to watch over it and its maintenance,” She pauses, “seeing as you're going to be decommissioning it anyway, Fazbear Inc. thought it would be a good idea to send you there early to take place as its handler.” You nod, soaking in the information.

You could easily fix the bot up, sure, but a handler? Babysitting the babysitter?

“As its handler, you’ll be essentially watching over the daycare attendant and helping it do its job watching over the kids in the daycare.” You freeze at this. Kids weren’t exactly your forte. Before you can mention this, she begins speaking again.

“I know watching over children isn’t what you signed up for, which is why Fazbear Inc. is offering to pay you double what the usual handler makes. In addition, you’ll still be earning money for decommissioning the daycare attendant at the end.” That would give you enough money to look for a better apartment, you ponder, maybe even buy a house.

“The daycare closes two to three months from now. All we need is your approval and we’ll have you starting as early as Monday. If you don’t accept, we’ll pass this offer on to one of your co-workers.” She states, sliding a contract toward you. You sat there in silence for a moment.

“I’ll do it,” You say, making her crack a smile.

True you weren’t the best with kids, but the pay was so good that you’d be insane to pass on the offer. It's not like you’ll be there for too long anyway. You grab the pen resting on the contract and sign your name in the designated area.

“Alrighty, I’ll send Fazbear Inc. the news. You should receive your new uniform in the mail.” She smiles.

“So–I uh, start this Monday?” You question.

“Yep, Monday! You’ll receive an email full of instructions. Oh, and don’t worry about your workstation, we’ll have your co-workers finish up your incomplete projects for you,” Your boss says, standing up and walking over to the door.

You give your thanks and quietly make your exit, feeling as if you signed your life away to monstrous children.

—

That upcoming Monday, the nerves were eating at you. It felt as if it were your first day of school again. You slipped on your uniform that consisted of a white button-up shirt, and a black tie–which you choose to set aside–paired with black slacks. You picked up your Freddy Fazbear themed duffel bag that was packed with your lunch, water bottle, and essentials.

Feeling as if everything was in place, you refilled your cat's bowl and gave him a last pet goodbye. You shakingly grabbed your keys and made your way to your new, but temporary, job.

—

When you arrived at the already packed parking lot, you quickly located the employee parking area. Even though the Plex wouldn’t open until about an hour from now, people eagerly lined up at the entrance, hoping to get a headstart before the crowd. You spotted a colorful-looking sign in front of one of the few spots and what looked like it was written in bright red marker were the words, “Superstar Daycare Employee Parking!” You internally cringed at the childishness of it, but parked your car there anyway.

Once you walked in through the employee entrance, you quickly found yourself thrown into a world of blinding neon lights. Your nose was infiltrated with the smell of greasy pizza and the food court wasn’t even close! You pulled out the map that was mailed to you along with your uniform and groaned at the sight of complicated paths intertwining across the paper.

Eventually, you located the daycare area and you scanned your ID to lift the huge garage-like door that separated you from the Superstar Daycare. Immediately you were met with the sight of two large golden statues. It displayed two lanky figures, one having a face full of rays and the other a simple nightcap. You recognized the two robots from the blueprints that were now tucked into your duffel bag. A smile crept onto your face at the sight of the cool designs and you wondered if they looked like their statues. Except not slathered in gold.

You examined the slide entrance, your inner child tempting you to slide down it face-first. That was until you looked beyond it and saw it would lead you into a germ-infested ball pit. Your nose scrunched up in disgust and you turned toward the nearby staircase to make your descent. You soon spotted a set of huge wooden doors with an employee scanner right next to it.

When you got through the huge doors, your eyes roamed around the huge area. There were big colorful playsets for children to crawl through, maybe even get lost in. In one of the corners was a craft area with tons of drawings plastered to the walls. In the opposite corner, a huge tent decorated with stars occupied the area. In front of its entrance though, were stacked tables and toy bins, blocking the area off. You shrugged and looked on. Other than the ball pit, the place looked fairly clean for a daycare. The place must have a good clean-up crew. You eyed the balcony for a second, but you assumed it didn’t lead anywhere. You looked to the left of the entrance and found the security desk that awaited you.

This would’ve been easier to find twenty minutes ago if you had a guide, but no. They gave you a confusing map and a slap on the back. You sat your duffel bag under the desk and situated yourself onto the desk chair. Propping your face up with your hand, you pondered over what was supposed to happen next. You looked at the clock on the computer and sighed. The daycare didn’t open for a good half-hour.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when the shout of laughter rang throughout the daycare. Your eyes instantly landed on the balcony hanging high above the ballpit and you spotted a familiar tall lanky robot emerge from behind the red curtains. It resembled the golden statue with rays from the entrance, you realize. It bent its knees and its hands came together in a diving position.

And then it jumped.

Into the ball pit.

You jumped from your seat and rushed towards the ballpit. Were you gonna have to repair the thing already on your first day? Did the Plex even keep a spare tool kit in the Daycare? Stopping at the edge, you peered over at the mass amount of colorful plastic balls, looking for any signs of the yellow animatronic.

Your search was cut short when all of a sudden it popped up directly in your face, just mere inches from touching your skin, greeting you with a loud ‘hello.’

You immediately stumbled backward, your foot tripping over a stray toy making you fall onto your ass. All too soon, the robot was kneeling down beside you, sputtering out apologies here and there. You sat up with a groan, rubbing your now sore butt. You looked up and locked eyes with the white-eyed robot, finally starting to register what it was spurring on about.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, no! Never!” It let out, fumbling his hands.

“It's… It’s alright, I just didn’t expect you to pop out of nowhere, let alone jump off a balcony.” You say, standing up whilst emitting an awkward laugh. You dusted off your pants, having a hard time meeting the bot's intense gaze.

“It's nice to meet you daycare attendant, I’m going to be your new handler from now on.” You give your name, holding out a hand to it.

It simply stared at your extended gesture, tilting its head to the side. It then shot up to its full height and holy shit it was tall. If you had to guess, you’d say it stood at a good Seven feet. The bot disregarded your hand, beginning to talk again with its chipper tone.

“Oh silly thing, my name is not ‘Daycare attendant!’” it laughs, making you fluster in embarrassment. “I’m Sun, but the children tend to call me all sorts of nicknames! There’s Sun, Sundrop, Sunray, Sunny, and so much more!” Its rays spun enthusiastically.

You were starting to catch on to the theme it had going on. The documents you were given always referred to the robot strictly as the daycare attendant. If only they would’ve told you its name beforehand to save you from your current humiliation.

“Sorry about that Sun,” You awkwardly rubbed the back of your neck.

“All is forgiven! Now, I’m required to teach you the basics of the daycare, Shall we begin?”

“That would be great,” You smile.

So far your first impression of the robot is outstanding, It speaks so human-like and it seems to have adapted its own personality! You couldn’t find a single thing wrong with it, which nagged at you further.

The next ten minutes consisted of you both running through the list of rules enforced in the daycare. Sun mainly emphasized rule number one, keep the lights on unless it’s nap time. This made your mind wander back to what your boss had told you before you accepted this position. What if the rumors were true?

Apart from the rules, you were also filled in on how you’d be able to assist the bot with the children. You almost couldn’t keep up with how fast Sun was unpacking everything on you, Fazbear’s Inc. sure made Sun fairly energetic.

—

It was exactly three minutes before the Mega Pizza Plex opened, meaning the oncoming wave of children was rapidly approaching. You could practically taste the disdain in your mouth.

Sun called your name, causing you to turn your head to look at it. “I know it's your first day, and you must be nervous… but! I thought it’d be good for you to check in the children today, instead of you standing to the side and watching me.” It clapped its hands together.

Its words settled in like a punch to the gut. “Sun- erm. We haven’t even gone over how to check in a child.” You reason, your hands gripping at your pants.

Before Sun could respond, a child who looked no older than eight ran through the daycare entrance. Who you assumed to be his dad trailed slowly after him. You looked to Sun anxiously, not sure what to do next.

“I’ll check in the first child so you’ll have an idea of what to do! You're gonna have it down in no time Sunshine!” Sunshine? Where’d that come from? You nod.

The little boy stopped once he was right in front of Sun, looking at the robot with a big toothy grin.

“Hello friend, it’s so good to see you again!” Sun halved It’s height so as to not intimidate the child.

“I want to play! Can I!?” The kid hurriedly let out.

“First you have to check in Sam, you know the deal!” Sun addressed the boy.

The dad finally reached where his son was, taking his wallet out to fetch out his Superstar Daycare ID. Once in his grasp, the man held out the card to Sun which the animatronic simply stared at.

After a few seconds, the bot twitched. “All done! Here's your wristband, friend!” Sun said, putting a sun-themed wristband around the child's wrist.

As soon as Sun’s hands left the kid, Sam let out happy hollers before running straight past Sun, disappearing into one of the many tunnels connecting to the play structures. The man let out a huff of air and put his wallet back in his pocket. He gave you a nod before turning around and exiting, presumably heading off to work. You gave Sun a questioning look, wondering what the hell just happened.

“How’d you check Sam in?” You say, confusion written in your voice.

“Oh, I’m so so sorry dear! I forgot to tell you” Another nickname? It sure is friendly.

“When the parent presented his Superstar Daycare card, I scanned the barcode on it with my internal scanners. This is so I can check if the parent or guardian is in the database. Of course, you’ll be using the handheld scanner. ” Sun said, motioning to a black scanner that was laid on top of the check-in desk.

“You’ll also check to see if the parent/guardian matches what's on the child's profile! If the child is a newcomer, they should have already filled out their information before coming to the Superstar Daycare! You can leave the confused people to me though, sunshine!” Sun finished clasping it’s hands together excitedly.

“What about the wristbands, does that determine anything important?” You look over at Sam who has managed to already crawl his way to the top floor of the play structure.

“Oh, those are very important, yes. Every child that signs into the daycare is required to wear a wristband to ensure they are all accounted for. If a child manages to slip out of the daycare–which has never happened under our watchful gaze, of course–a staff member can spot the wristband and help the child find its way back to the daycare!” The ‘our’ catches your attention, but it might just be a glitch in its voice box.

You bring a finger up to rest beneath your chin. “That's actually a very smart system, I didn’t expect the Plex to think everything to the last detail.” You smile.

“A-actually! It was one of the animatronics that came up with it!” Sun interrupts. The capabilities of AI never cease to amaze you.

Before you could respond, another parent walked in, practically dragging her daughter behind her. The woman was dressed in a fancy business suit, one of her hands holding a phone to her ear—which would explain what she was yelling at. You gave Sun a nervous look. In return, it gave you a thumbs up. How reassuring. Once the woman stopped in front of the desk, you quickly grabbed the handheld scanner.

“H-Hello and welcome to Superstar Daycare” You stammer, causing the woman to raise an eyebrow, “are you here for check-in?”

She excuses herself to the person on the phone, making eye contact with you. “Yes, I’m dropping off my daughter. Let me get my ID.” The woman said, hanging up her phone before digging a hand in her purse to fetch her daycare-themed card.

She soon pulled out her ID and you held up the scanner to it, hearing a beep not long after. You look at the computer and see the child's profile pop up. You glance over the assigned guardian, recognizing the mom in the picture. You then click the green check-in button and it emits a ding sound.

“You're all good to go! Here's your wristband.” You place the paper bracelet around the little girls wrist. “You're free to go.” The child ran in screaming–which Sun thankfully put a stop to soon after. You turned back to the lady to find she had her phone to her ear again and she was already storming out the exit.

Well, that wasn’t so bad, I mean no mess ups right? You give Sun a large smile, which it returns with a brighter one. You then hear an “ahem” from behind you, causing you to turn around.

Before you laid an increasing line of parents holding onto their restless children, ready to be checked in.

Oh god.

—

About an hour or so passed when the check-in line finally cleared up. You felt a sense of pride looking at the now empty line, you did well on your first day. There were no upset parents and you only made minor mistakes, like forgetting to put a wristband on a few children.

You walked behind the security desk, looking at Sun who had children attempting to climb all over its frame like a jungle gym. You could vaguely hear the bot's worried cries when a child almost slipped off. Your hand came up to cover your small chuckle, not wanting to be caught laughing. Sun’s frame twitched, peeking over its shoulder to look back at you with its permanent smile.

It then turned to the children, crouching even lower than usual. You could tell it was whispering to the kids about something with the way the children's faces began to light up with glee. And then they whipped their faces towards you, a young girl stepping forward, leading a few kids in front of the security desk.

“What's up, little one,” You ask casually, trying not to take a glance at Sun who stood a few feet away, suspiciously rocking back and forth, whistling to the daycare tune.

“Please play hide and seek with us! Please, please!” The young girl pleaded, clasping her hands together. The stray kids behind her nodded along, copying her puppy eyes.

“I’m not any good at that game, you wouldn’t want me slowing you guys down.”

“Why, Sunshine! I think you’ll be amazing, the kids and I won’t judge you one bit!” Sun piped in, swaying side to side.

Well, it's not like you could avoid children your entire shift, might as well give them what they want before any of them breaks out into a tantrum.

“Alright, I’ll play a round or two with you guys, but don’t blame me if I’m not any good,” You laugh.

The children loudly shouted out cheers and excited laughs as you stepped out from behind the desk. Sun’s rays spun happily and without touching you, it ushered you to the center of the playmats where the other children waited. You rested a hand on your arm, slowly rubbing it up and down awkwardly as kids continuously stared up at you. Once every child who wanted to play joined the circle, Sun clapped its hands together excitedly.

“Now that everyone's here, we can begin. Who wants to be it?” Sun asked, looking around the group of children. Immediately a little girl shot up her hand, repeatedly volunteering herself.

“Then it's settled, little Rachel here will be our brave seeker!” Sun announced, picking her up in its arms as she laughed. “Does everyone remember the rules when we play hide and seek?” A couple of children nodded, some newcomers shaking their heads.

“It's simple. No fighting over spots, no cheating, you have to stay in the daycare, and you most surely can’t go behind the security desk. But the most important thing is to have fun!” Sun's rays did a spin, you had realized it did that every time it was excited or happy. It was endearing almost.

Sun set Rachel down. “Ok Rachel, are you ready?” She nodded, “great! Close your eyes and count to sixty for me and then we can begin.” Was it weird you could hear the smile in its voice?

Rachel quickly shut her eyes, even putting her hands over her face. “One…Two...” She began, causing kids to quickly scurry about in search of a hiding spot. You gave the daycare a quick look over, your eyes landing on the ball pit. You assume it's deep enough to sink into and the plastic balls would provide good cover, but… yuck. You shook your head grimly at the thought and made your descent into one of the play structures.

You crawled through as fast as you could, it didn’t help that you were a full-grown adult inside a structure made for small children. You passed a few snickering children on the way, but you chose to ignore them, you had a spot to find after all. You could hear Rachel's counting reaching its end and you quickly chose to hide inside one of the plastic tubes with no windows. You let yourself lay down, groaning at what the slouching did to your back. Lucky little beasts, they’re able to fit through these structures easily.

After Rachel had begun counting, Sun had quickly disappeared from your view. You pondered over where it went. Sun’s a abnormally tall robot, so it’ll for sure be one of the first caught. You doubt it could even crawl through the play structures like you had just done.

As you stared up at the plastic tube’s ceiling, your thought process was interrupted by a familiar little girl's giggle. You attempt to sit up and see Rachel standing behind you, a finger pointing straight at your form.

“I found you!” She exclaimed, a few children she had caught were grouped behind her.

You smile. “Good job, I was hoping you’d find me soon.” which was true, you wanted out of the tight play structure. Next time you join a game of hide and seek, you're for sure gonna avoid them.

“Help me find Mr.Sun, please! He’s that last one!” Rachel said, grabbing ahold of your hand. You almost got a rubber burn trying to keep up with her as she dragged you out of the play structure. How come the kids haven’t found it yet? There's no way Sun is last. You checked all the kids that had been found and realized they were all accounted for. Well then.

You and the kids checked all over, behind structures, inside toy chests, and even behind the security desk in case Sun was cheating. You stood around dumbfounded for a minute, disbelief written on your face. That is until you saw movement in the corner of your eye. You turned to the ball pit and saw what looked like a yellow tiny shark fin poking up from beneath the layer of balls. You almost laughed at your stupidity. Of course, something as big as Sun would fit in there. You slapped a hand on your forehead and snickered at Sun’s moving ray which looked like a shark fin in a sea of plastic balls.

“I found you Sun,” You managed to say as you laughed at the absurdity of it all. Sun lifted half its faceplate, revealing only its eyes which stared right at you. OK, now Sun was just being cute. You quickly paused at the thought and shook it off. You extend your hand out to Sun, offering to help it out of the ball pit. Sun’s eyes looked down at your hand and kept on staring. You're sure it could easily get out on its own, but you wanted to be as kind as it’s been to you.

Sun reluctantly shifted a few steps closer to you, slowly reaching its hand out to yours. You swear you can see Sun’s hands shaking as it’s hand connected with yours. You smile almost sadly at it before tugging back. It helped that it supported its own weight and got up without too much struggle.

You don’t ask about the shaking, but you do have a few thoughts about it. Sun was less willing to physically touch you than the children. Was it like that with only adults? Did something happen to make it like that, or is it just programming?

Sun stared down at you, hand fidgeting by its sides. The children rushing toward it were able to snap Sun back to the present and it quickly accepted the children's tackles.

“You all make amazing seekers! You were even able to find me!” Sun happily said, stroking the kid's tiny egos. The sight made you smile and you chose not to ponder over your last few thoughts.

—

It's been a couple hours since your shift had started and already your feet were hurting. Ever since the game of hide and seek, you have been continuously interacting with kids. A part of you wanted to talk with Sun, but it was occupied with handfuls of children. There were a couple children that acted out, but Sun stepped in before you could do anything, which you gave the animatronic a grateful smile for.

Now you sit behind the security desk, allowing your body to relax a bit before you're thrown back into chaos. You groaned as you leaned back in the chair. Hopefully, the next few days won’t be as restless as this one. You noticed the children's movements began to slow down, most gathering around Sun. You leaned forward in your chair, trying to hear what was going on.

“It’s time to settle down now friends, we have to go ahead and get our mats out! Everyone to the cubbies,” Sun ushered, leading the line of groaning children.

You got up to follow behind, hoping to ask Sun what's going on. When the line came to a stop, kids were being handed sleeping mats one at a time by Sun who was grabbing them off their respective shelves. You also noticed a stack of blankets on a lower shelf.

You step around children and approach Sun. “What’s going on? Is this some kind of activity?”

“I suppose you could call sleeping an activity.” Oh, you see where this is going, “It’s naptime sweet thing!” Of course, there's a nap time. It is a daycare after all! How could you forget? You almost laugh at your stupidity, but instead, you grab a handful of blankets to pass out.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, I-I’m quite exceptional!” Sun nervously jittered. Was it programmed to be this anxious?

“I got this Sun,” you say assuringly, “I want to help out after all.” And with that you turned away from the tall robot, heading over to a group of kids sitting on their mats, ready to receive their blankets.

Once every kid had their mats and blankets, you looked up at the bright beaming lights. How were they supposed to nap if the lights were blaring down on them? You looked around for Sun, wondering where it went off to. As you did though, the lights shut off, sounding off a sound similar to a generator powering down. You blinked a couple times, your vision having a hard time adjusting to the sudden change. As you rubbed your eyes, you heard a deep cackle somewhere above you. Your head shot up towards the ceiling, spotting two red pinpricks in the sky… flying?

It landed gracefully without making a noise and stood in the middle of the children who were eagerly greeting the thing. Was it Sun? Did it always put on some kind of show when the lights went out? You inch closer to the kid's soft murmurs, the animatronics' deep voice can be heard over them. When you were close enough to make out its figure, you realized something. That's not Sun. I mean, the body shape looked the same, yes, but its color scheme was completely new to you, and there weren’t any rays–instead, there was a nightcap littered with stars.

You stepped closer, your foot making a sound as you got closer. This made the animatronic’s head do a full 180, its body still facing the other way. Its red eyes pierced through you, a glare apparent on its face as the robot brought a finger up to its permanent smile. It then pointed behind you, at the security desk. Oh ok. Getting the hint, you swiftly turned around and quietly made your way behind the security desk, still looking over to where the animatronic sat.

It was then that you heard a music box turn on, the song ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ emitting from the bot. Okay now that was cool, how did you overlook that in the blueprints? You feel the lack of sleep pull at you, the music sounding way too relaxing. You slide down in your chair and lean back a bit and—against your own will—close your eyes.

It wasn’t until minutes after the music ceased that your eyes fluttered open. That's right, you're still on the job. You can sleep when you get home. When your eyes fully opened, you noticed you were surrounded by a red glow. Looking at the cause of it, you pause and go to let out a gasp until a cold metal hand clamped over your mouth.

“If you wake even a single child, I’ll make sure you are punished.” The night animatronic growled slowly. You nodded slowly, a little creeped out by the thing. It didn’t sound like Sun, that's for sure.

“Sun..? Is that you,” You ask, feeling awkward about how it wouldn’t stop staring at you.

“While the Sun is away, the Moon gets to play,” It responded rhythmically, its head turning to the side.

“Is that your name? …Moon?” It nodded. You see the celestial theme going on here, it's pretty clever actually.

“So where’d Sun go?” You look around again, just to make sure. It tapped on its head. “Inside.”

It took you a moment of thinking before you got the gist. “You guys share a body?” It gave you a look that said, ‘Oh really?’

“That– that's really cool actually,” You quietly laugh.

“You don’t belong here.” Your laugh comes to a sudden halt, “go away.”

You won’t lie when your heart sinks a bit. Yeah, this thing is definitely not Sun, this guy is rude. “I work here, I can’t exactly drop everything and leave.”

It scoffs at you. “I’ve seen through Sun how unfit for this role you are, you can’t even begin to keep up with Sun.” It jabbed at you. You turn your head away from its gaze. You didn't know how to respond to the insults.

“Go away.” It repeated.

Your stomach grumbled right after, signaling your lack of food. “I guess I should, huh?” You whisper back at the bot.

You weren’t gonna let it hurt your feelings. You stood up with a slight frown and grabbed your duffel bag from underneath the desk.

“I’ll take my lunch for now, but I will be back when Sun is out.” You state, making Moon scowl.

You didn’t wait for a response and headed out the large wooden doors. Once you were seated at one of the many dining tables in the atrium you whipped out your prepared sandwich and bottled water. As you ate, you thought over your day so far. Sun was a really nice robot, and its personality could easily be fooled for a person. You won’t admit it, but the sunshiny daycare attendant was growing on you. Maybe with time, you’d feel the same about Moon.

You shake your head. No, you can’t allow them to grow on you. It’ll just make completing your project harder.

—

You had long since returned to the daycare, having been greeted by an enthusiastic Sun who was happy to see you. Currently, It was now around closing time—thankfully. You didn’t know how much more you could take. When you finally handed off the last child to their respected parent, your shoulders slumped. It felt good knowing there were no more children left to terrorize you. You look to Sun and see it was picking up each and every toy and storing them away in the multiple toy chests. Wanting to help out, you gathered up some toys that were scattered across the floor and walked over to where Sun was dumping its handful of plushies.

“My, shouldn’t you be on your way home?” Sun asks, closing the now full chest.

“Yeah, but I can’t just leave you with all this cleaning, it wouldn’t be right,” you yawned, putting the plushies in a toy bin.

“You're very insistent on helping little ol’ me, aren’t you?” It asks. “I don’t mind, it’s just that earlier handlers of mine would leave me with all the grunt work—unless asked of course.”

“Personally, I don’t think that's right. I’m not trying to shame them or anything, but it’s common courtesy to lend a helping hand, even if it’s not asked of you.”

“Why, you're just a doll!” Sun's rays spin. It crouched in front of you so its faceplate is at level with your face. “But I must say, You look very tired. And- and you’ve been occasionally yawning ever since you’ve gotten back from your break.” It observes.

“I think it’d be best if you went home and got some rest. I’m perfectly capable of cleaning this place top to bottom! I’ve been doing so for forever now.” Sun says, Its hands fumbling.

“Wait wait wait,” you pause, “I thought there was a clean-up crew or something, doesn’t the Pizza Plex have any janitors?”

“That's what the staff bots are for! Of course, they're not able to climb through play structures or head on into the ball pit with those wheels they travel on.” Sun placed a hand under its non-existent chin. So it can fit in the play structures. “That’s where I come in, I was made to be quite flexible in order to give children the best play experience! Naturally, I can get into those nooks and crannies, no biggie. It does give me something to do while the Plex is closed.”

You can’t imagine how long it must take for Sun to clean the entire daycare all by its lonesome, it only made your resolve stronger. You instantly headed towards the storage closet within the daycare, leaving Sun behind you confused. You collected a bottle of disinfectant and a rag. You emerged from the closet, Sun's eyes locking in on you. The lanky robot stood there speechless. What could possibly be going on in that head of yours?

You stopped a few feet away from Sun and gave the robot a determined smile. “How about this, I promise you I'll be able to get a full eight hours of sleep IF you allow me to keep you company.” Sun visibly flinched, It really was surprised with almost everything you did. The animatronic silently nodded, turning around to collect the remainder of the strewn toys.

After a while of scrubbing at smudges and stains, you begin to get annoyed with the daycare theme song. You’d been listening to it non-stop this whole time with the exception of nap time. How Sun can withstand listening to the same song day in and day out is beyond you. Why was it still playing after closing anyway?

“Hey Sun,” you call out, distracting Sun from its endeavor of cleaning up the craft area.

“Yes sunshine?” It replies, its faceplate spinning to the opposite side of its body to face you. Just like Moon, you noted.

“Is there anything else we could listen to rather than the usual daycare music? It’s nice and all, but it gets insufferable after a while.” You ask.

“Sorry to disappoint you sunshine, but the daycare speakers were programmed to only play this one song,” If it could frown, you're sure Sun would right about now.

“Is there a chance that aux or Bluetooth may work?”

Sun perks up at this. “I suppose Bluetooth would work, are you wanting to hook your device up to it?” You nod.

“Fine, but I ask that you don’t play any inappropriate music, it would taint my poor ears.” It said, a hand dramatically coming up to its forehead dramatically.

You snicker at its display. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Sunny.”

You quickly search through available devices to connect to in your settings as you sit next to Sun who peered over your shoulder. Although Sun remained close, it never touched you. If you shift a certain way, Sun would inch back.

Sun then pointed to a random device you could connect to, claiming that was the one. You hear a ding come from the speakers over you, confirming the connection. You stand up and load up one of those YouTube Lives that streams non-stop Lo-fi music. It was something you would listen to if you were busy doing something–like cleaning!

Sun clapped its hands. “This is delightful sunshine! It’s very new.” It said, picking up a clean rag and spray to join you in your scrubbing journey.

Throughout the whole cleaning process, you and Sun exchanged stories, jokes, and whatnot. Sun’s memory capacity was a true treasure, It could date back to when it first booted up! You laugh together and just have a good time honestly. It made you look forward to tomorrow, minus the children.

“You know, you really are a fascinating AI. When I talk to you, I feel like I’m talking to a person,” You smile, pausing your scrubbing.

Sun looked at you, its inner fans kicking up. “Dear, you flatter me!” Sun laughs, fanning its face for extra effect. Seriously, why would Fazbears Inc. want to scrap this robot, It’d be a much better investment to repurpose it!

Sun sat down its rag and took yours from you as well. “That's enough cleaning, the daycare looks spick and span!” It says, throwing the rags into a dirty laundry hamper located inside the storage closet. You helped by putting the sprays back on their respective shelf. You’d hate to leave now, especially with how much fun you were having with Sun.

It spun on its heels to face you. “Let's play a game of hide and seek!” Sun encouraged.

“Again? But we already played that earlier.”

It tuts and shakes its head. “It won’t be the same as last time. Now it’ll be just you and me.” Sun says in a giddy tone.

Well if it meant delaying your departure. “Sure.”

Without a further response, Sun threw its hands over its pale white eyes. It can’t close its eyes after all. It then started counting down from sixty, causing you to frantically start looking for a spot. You looked at the play structure and shuddered. Never again. You race toward the storage closet that was left open. Looking around, you find a spot to hide underneath a shelf. There was enough room so you wouldn’t be squashed and there's less likely to be kid germs. You got onto the floor, quickly sliding your body under the shelf, checking to make sure your full body was hidden.

There’s no way Sun will guess you're in here, the thought makes you crack a smile. That smile quickly fell when you hear the daycare lights turn off, leaving you in pitch-black darkness. The lo-fi music you had put on also ended abruptly, the speaker disconnecting from your phone.

Then came a familiar husky cackle. Why you? Why now? You're sure Moon will reprimand you for staying past closing if it catches you. You shrivel in on yourself as much as the small space would allow.

But then something cold wraps around your ankle, in the shape of a hand. You yelp as you are ruthlessly yanked from your hiding spot. This left you dandling from Moon's hand. The animatronic held you upside down by the leg, it peered down at you with that creepy smile.

“Hi there Moon,” you smile sheepishly.

You almost expect to be dropped on your head, but instead, Moon turns you the right way up and sets you on your feet. Awe. You don’t stare It in the eyes, opting to look down at its funny slippers. You could tell Moon was staring at you though, seeing as your face was covered in the red glow emitting from it’s LED lenses.

“Are you ssscared?” Moon hissed, breaking the silence.

You look up at it, confused. “No, Why would I be?” Sure Moon could be creepy if it wanted to, but you refused to be scared of it. You kinda wanted to get on the robots good side. Moon gave you a disapproving look before looking off to the side, as if avoiding you.

“You should be.” Moon then backs away from you until it stands outside the storage closet. You could make out something lowering down behind Moon, a metal click following soon after. The tall bot then proceeded to lift itself up into the air, leaving you surprised. So that’s how Moon was flying earlier! It floated up to the balcony that Sun had emerged from that very morning, disappearing behind the curtains. So that's it huh?

You walked over to the security desk and grabbed your duffel bag with a frown, pausing to look back up at the balcony. You lift your hands to cup around your mouth to make a makeshift speaker. “Goodbye Moon, and if you can hear me Sun, goodbye to you too!” You say loudly throughout the empty room. You hoped the animatronic and its counterpart had heard you.

You then walk out the tall wooden doors, turning around to take one last look at the daycare. After you clock out, you swiftly make your way towards your car and tiredly begin your drive home.

~~~

That’s all for now! Did you like it? Hate it? Criticism and helpful tips are always welcome! I’m gonna go back and heavily edit this bad boy, so this isn’t the finished product! I will be attempting to add many more details and try to more accurately capture the daycare attendants mannerisms. Thank you for reading :)

[rosheendubh]

just as point in fact…no one ever paired Tywin Lannister and dad-bod in the same sentence…

—Just sayin’…a mid-60s/maybe early 70s, lean, mean, ruthless, pragmatic, cunning, disciplined, battle-machine. He walked into that throne room when Cersei was about to kill herself, and her son, with more presence than Filoni’s rendition of Thrawn (no fault to Lars, but he was both not well cast, and not well directed) could to an entire ISD hanger’s worth of Fart-Gas Zombies held together by red duct tape chanting his name…which is also quite out of character, whether from Legends/canon EU books. Thrawn’s characterization with Zahn is many things, but excessive displays of aggrandizing isn’t one of them (cue: the apologetics for “but 10 years in Exile”)…it also doesn’t help that none of the actors look like they’re taking their lines seriously (and with the over-long, melodramatic pauses, long-range 10000 yard stares, and ChatGPT level dialogue, who can blame them?—no honestly, I’ve seen ChatGPT dialogue that sounded exactly like that exchange between Sabine and Ahsoka on the ship, with her training…down to the actual tags/and descriptors), and move through the space around them so stiff and hesitant, you can tell no time was taken to smooth out scenes largely cast on green-screen between the production team, and the actors. Which is why, even the action bits appear awkward, and without much dynamism.

—To each their own, but this portrayal of such a pivotal character is definitely Filoni’s (horridly, but only IMHO) misconstruction. —and as for Ezra and Sabine’s reunion…*wah-wah-wah*—whaaaa??? Anyone recall Sansa and Jon Snow’s embrace after ALL THE ABSOLUTE SHITE they’ve survived over the years? I will still rewatch that moment—ya’ll should too. It’s very cathartic compared to Gazoo-moment everyone was rewarded with, between Ezra (“Hey, Girl, Waz’Up-Word”)-lost-boy-for-a-decade-SpaceAladdin, and Sabine (I’m supposed to be in my late 20s/30?-with the emotional maturity of a teen who just lost cell phone privileges-so flipping annoying-you wish Shin actually had gutted her and decapitated her…omg—how do people think she’s *sooo awesome*—and goes shrill on a Wolf-Horse for…reasons?? Oh, dramatic tension, she’s a very tortured and *fiery* warrior…I’m a woman, and a feminist, but this ain’t how ladies should be written…this is how fanboys think STRONGFEMALECHARACTERS act…take a pass, go watch EmilyBlunt in ‘TheEdgeofTomorrow*…).

—GoTs has A LOT OF ISSUES (mostly with S7/S8 of GoT, and its early Season1 episodes were admittedly…difficult. For a while, I called it LotR with T&A$$…but by that SeasonFinale, as Daenerys stepped out of ashes with 3 lil’Bebe Dragons, and Jorah kneels to her, vowing that line, “Blood of my Blood”—a line that could have fallen in flat-trope-tripe—hell no, hello, Drama Hook. We were on Team Dany…). —Genera differences aside, Team Filoni needs to take some lessons from what the GoTs writers/producers learned as they re-vamped (apparently, an even worse original filming of S1E1 of GoTs, that went back to the drawing board, it was so awful…so urban legend/DenofGeek alleges)—get fresh eyes to look at what you’re doin’ dudes…and maybe someone who’s read the actual source material. But isn’t in love with it—like Gilroy. I still think that’s why ‘Andor’ carried such a different essence—and a much needed sophistication for how science-fiction, and SpaceOpera ought to land. Fuck, go read some DeathStalker too, if you’re looking for bombast with tropes, and a good time. Watch bloody ‘The Expanse’. Someone mentioned, if Filoni required a lesson on how to communicate back-story as a balance between narration, and scene progression, to bring a largely uninformed audience up to speed on a Universe/World building Plot mythos with which most audience isn’t familiar, watch the first 15 minutes of ‘Serenity’. And maybe the entire Season of ‘Arcane’?. —which leads to the ultimate conclusion, Thrawn shouldn’t have been used by Filoni at all in ‘Rebels’. They needed a BigBad, and he ought to have just contrived his own generic Imperial of the Week. Which is what he did. And named it Thrawn. And yes, I know, supposedly he consulted Zahn. I’m more convinced, Zahn is diplomatic, and either felt (as he’d mentioned a few years ago), he was done writing Thrawn’s arc, and so, resigned his BlueManArtLovingAdmiral to the Disney drain of EU archives from which Disney borrows when it can’t be bothered to create its own original characters; or, he’s going to quietly retcon Thrawnius back into Zahn shape—given the rumors of recent months where he seems to have reconsidered revisiting Thrawn/Chiss arcs. Who knows? —My suspicion with ‘Rebels’ (of which, I completely can figure out the story-line, *secret*—it’s not that complicated for anyone who’s read any sort of children’s literature, or young adult books through their youth. Yes, I’ve tried watching episodes—it’s a cartoon made for kids—would’a loved as a kid…probably/maybe? As an adult, I’m wondering what other fodder people read and watch to consider this *quality*). I think what no one admits is, the animated series needed a big name from popular Lore to draw viewers, so there was computer-animated, cartoon-Thrawn…Filoni’s Disney Imperial. —okay, soap box rant done—we all have our OPs. I’m holding out for Andor/S2, but after that, cancelling Disney+. Actually, might even cancel before, and just renew when Andor/S2 comes out…

[moonlightreal]

Rambling thoughts at the end of Fate

Trying to put together my last opinions I keep running into the question of whether aspects of Fate are actually bad, or if they’re just not the kind of storytelling I’m used to.  Is it Fate or is it me?  And there’s not really any way to know, so I’m just going to dump my thoughts out.

Starting with complaints!

The big problem, the broad-brimmed hat of a problem that sits on all the other problems, is that the title is The Winx Saga but Fate has nothing to do with Winx other than some broad story elements and some names.  So people looking for Fate: The Winx Saga are going to be disappointed.  How a group of television producers set out to make a live action Winx and ended up with this is a mystery for the ages.

So let’s take the hat off and look at the problems with what I’ve been semi-sarcastically calling Fate: Tales from Elemental Academy.

The next biggest problem I see is the very un-magical magical world.  The girls live in The Otherworld but they constantly reference Instagram, Harry Potter, AirBnB, TED talks and Barbie dolls.  There’s also almost no mention of Otherworld media or institutions.  We don’t even know what animals exist in the world, and things like changelings being bad are never explained. I had fun theorizing about fairies being unable to create anything new so they are forced to copy humans, and there is some actual lore backing this, but I don’t think that’s what Fate’s writers were going for.  I think Fate’s writers were just lazy.

But even here with my biggest complaint I wonder if it’s a me problem.  After all, I watched two seasons of The Witcher without a single clue what was going on or who half the characters were and I enjoyed the heck out of it because I was having so much fun laughing at Geralt being comically stoic.  So is Fate’s problem a lack or worldbuilding or a lack of an actor who can carry the show on his armored shoulders?  Is Fate just not fun enough?

The other problem that really got to me is the way the girls never really seemed like friends.  They never seemed to trust each other and like each other.  Now this could be a me problem.  Maybe the writers were going for a tense and drama-filled friend group and it’s just me who wanted a show about a solid friendship.  Or maybe the scenes where the characters did act like friends just didn’t make enough of an impression on me.  And the drama in the first season was supposed to be there; Stella’s evil bitch-ness, Musa’s standoffishness, and Terra’s neediness are their story arcs.  They’re supposed to start out as strangers and become friends, but it never felt to me like they really became friends.

And part of this friendship problem is Bloom.  Abigail Cowen does a great job, but she’s doing a great job at… playing a kind of awful person.  Bloom never seems to really want to be friends.  She never confides in her suitemates or the adults, never seems to enjoy anyone’s company except maybe Sky’s, and up until the very end is keeping important information to herself and determined to go be the protagonist all on her own.  This never asking for help leads Bloom to basically storm around making bad choices and wrecking things.  She’s just not a character I want to root for, and she’s the central character!

And Bloom’s character is making her bad decisions for the wrong reason.  The scripts never seem to remember she just got to the magic world for the first time.  She should be asking a million questions, getting everyone else to infodump all that worldbuilding that we never get!  And she should be making bad choices because she doesn’t know anything about the magical world.  But I never got that “reasonable, innocent mistakes” vibe with her.  I felt like the writers didn’t think about that aspect of her character at all.

I have a bunch of other smaller complaints but we’d be here all night so I’ll pick one: the “transformations.”  They were not terrible; they were really pretty!  I liked the wing designs.  I just felt they were incomplete from a couple different angles.  The wings were pretty but the girls’ clothes, hair, makeup and lighting didn’t change so I don’t think it can really be called a transformation.  The music that played in the final sequence was pop music, projecting the feeling of something “modern” and “cool” not something ancient, epic and magical.

And the lore was patchy and kinda dull. “Accept all emotions” sounds good, I like the Jedi vibe of it, accept your emotions both positive and negative.  Not terrible.  But there could have been more to it.  Why not have each fairy make some kind of breakthrough of self acceptance?  Stella could come to the realization that she has the power to break away from her abusive mother and follow her own moral compass.  Terra could understand that her bumbling insecure self has a core of pure competence when things get serious.  Aisha could accept that she can’t make decisions for others no matter how much she cares for them, or decide to reject bigotry and give Grey another chance.  

But instead we get “accept all emotions” which works, but it feels too simple.  Hearing those words is all it takes?  Bloom is the first fairy to transform in ages so nobody figured it out?  What did Rosalind tell her at the end of season one that let her transform?  After she did transform, why couldn’t she tell the other girls how?  Why didn’t they even ask? It just kind of falls apart.

So that’s what I didn’t like about Fate.  

In spite of all these problems, which are big, I did not hate Fate.  I liked a lot of things about it, mostly some of the characters and their story arcs.

-Stella.  She had a story arc!  The transition from “Stella is a terrible person” to “Stella is scared” to “Stella is a victim of child abuse” was great! Unfortunately we missed the later steps in which Stella would get some kind of triumph over her abusive mother and find happiness, possibly with Beatrix.  I think that would’ve come in season 3. Hannah van der Westhuysen did an amazing job with Stella in season 2 when we unfortunately get to see Stella try and fail to call out Rosalind and protect Bloom using her social power as a princess.

-Terra, in season one.  Terra is insecure about her weight and has kind of a cute but socially bumbling personality, but when disaster strikes Terra steps up and is suddenly super competent.  This is just kind of a neat juxtaposition. Season two’s Terra doesn’t really show these traits and she got a bit pushy and controlling of her friends, especially trying to keep Flora away from Riven.  Which is sensible; Riven is kind of an awful person and Terra has history with him, and Terra knows her cousin is a bit of a wild card…. But still.  Not Terra’s business.  But season two also has Terra and Kat and they are so darn cute.

-Riven. Yeah, he’s an awful person but he’s also a charming hobbit and I like him.  I can only guess this is the actor’s charisma coming through since Riven the character is pretty unlikable for most of the show.  He’s the loser kid to Sky’s good kid, he does drugs, he says nasty things to Terra (and she says nasty things back in season two) he gets shippy with Beatrix who starts as a straight up villain. And yet whenever he does something the slightest bit nonawful I immediately like him.  And judging from the entirety of Fate’s tumblr presence I am not the only one who likes Riven.  The only conclusion I can come to is that Freddy Thorpe is a good actor and I hope he goes far.

-Beatrix.  Has a story arc!  From “B is slutty” to “B is a villain” to “B is a villain because she was raised by fanatics” to winning season one and then losing everything and then “B and Stella are shippy” and “B has chosen good over evil, maybe” to being dead and then having a new plot point dropped on her posthumously.  Also Sadie Soverall seems to have had a grand time laying on the melodrama.  

-The three teachers.  In season one they are the only characters who feel like they have lived lives in the magical world.  They’re also the characters who feel like real friends in a way the girls don’t.  They care about each other, Silva obviously cares deeply for Sky, Mr. Harvey cares for his kids and Dowling struggles with not being able to show emotions and a plot that requires her to be kinda sus to set Bloom up for failure.   This made the three of them my favorite part of the first season, and the thing I most missed in season two.

In the end my feeling on Fate is that it has a lot of good pieces and a lot of potential.  It keeps being almost great, and I keep thinking with one more season all the great bits might pull together and outweigh the problems

So what are we missing since there will be no season three?  There are plenty of little things like all the ships and how we’re now down to one teacher so we need more adults. But there are two big plotlines: Bloom and Beatrix, and our next villain.

Bloom just met… her mother?  Who lived a thousand years ago, also has the Dragon’s Flame, and exiled herself after losing control and killing a bunch of people who became the Burned Ones?  Will Fate-Marion be a loving mother or has she turned evil after a thousand years of solitude in the Realm of Darkness? Or is it someone else entirely who Bloom found?

Beatrix has two sisters.  Isobel and D’arcy and while I couldn’t read their last name the internet seems to think it’s Daniels.  Which is weirdly mundane.

Beatrix may not be dead for long. Sebastian was using the portal to summon a being called “Shadow” that can raise the dead but whose presence puts the world in danger. While watching I didn’t realize that Shadow was the name of a being and I thought the being in Bloom’s visions was a Burned One.  But it seems like it was Shadow who appeared at Beatrix’s grave.  Ready to bring her back so she can continue her plotline?  Shadow must be the Shadow Phoenix, Lord Darkar.  Darkar was not much of a villain in Winx but what he’d be in Fate is anybody’s guess.

And that’s Fate.  A whole two seasons, a lot of thoughts, and my opinion just boils down to, “It could have been so good, and it’s such a shame that it wasn’t.”

[astramthetaprime]

Update:  The New Normal

Okay so like I said I’ve got a job finally.  If this next week is anything to go by, it’s going to be 35 hours a week.  Which, ya know, not bad.  Money will still be tight but it’s better than zero, right?  I can cover most of my bills.  Maybe.  Won’t be able to eat, but hey ... 

Of course that’s 35 hours a week I won’t be writing fanfiction or anything else.  But I’m going to keep doing so, if I can.  I need to write.  Just I don’t know if I’m going to have the mental and emotional wherewithal to do so.  Or if I’m just going to be so drained that all I’ll be up for is vegetating in front of the TV again.  

I’m worried about that, actually.  I’m worried that with my autism the fatigue of working is going to be worse than it would be for an NT.  It’s a somewhat physical job, I’ll be on my feet probably a lot of the day.  I’d wanted just a cashier job but they’ve put me in the produce department.  Which, okay, may have an acceptable ratio of mind-numbing repetitiveness and slight variety.  Don’t actually know, I’ve spent the last four days reading training manuals.  Ask me in a couple weeks.  I’m trying to cope with a hell of a lot of new information.  I’m just hoping I don’t get fired the first day, y’know? 

So I’m sort of ambivalent about the whole thing, to be honest.  

My boy Genji has not been coping well, but today was the first day he let me leave for work without a problem.  I’m hoping that continues.  Separation anxiety, thy name is Genji the Half Corgo Prince.  

I guess I’m just not too sanguine about living to someone else’s schedule again.  Back to the NT-dominated capitalist hierarchy.  

Haven’t spoken to my mother for several weeks, but then again she has made no efforts to get in touch with me either.  She can’t help me anymore, she hasn’t gotten her phone fixed or called me with my stepfather’s phone, so I can only assume she doesn’t want to speak to me.  So yeah, Mexican standoff.  I’m basically acclimating myself to conditions post-parental involvement before the event occurs.  Is it a dick move on my part?  Like I said, if she wants to contact me she can.  She hasn’t so I can only assume she doesn’t.  /shrug  I’m tired of trying to second-guess her.  

So yeah, life goes on.  The times, they are a’changin’.  

[bajuuuu]

Bookstore magic

A short story

Our tale begins in a small bookstore, with a cobble path leading into it, neatly squished by the surrounding buildings, the white walls covered by green and red vines sprawling over the facade, the building nearly blends with the surroundings, visible only to those who know what to look for. There in this small unassuming house, behind only a pair of old doors and a vintage door bell lies a kingdom of stories- a land of books, a domain so distant from the outside world some visitors believe it to be a separate dimension. Those would be the closest to the truth and maybe just maybe also the ones who could believe the actual truth.

The doorbell chimes and its heavy sound carries across the room, filling all space and as the shopkeeper raises her head she is met by the tentative gaze of a businessman. The man is in his thirties, his dark suit, black top hat and polished shoes contrast the old hardwood floor and dusty shelves, his unsure look tells much about him. He cleared his throat. “Good evening.” His voice is as unsure as he is, his eyes flicker around the room, unwilling to settle on any one thing in particular.

“Evening.” The shopkeeper replies. “Can I help you?” She closes an old book she has been reading and gestures to the man to come closer. As the man steps up to the counter an old dog opens one of its eyes lazily before continuing with his slumber. But even the animal, in its short gaze can spot the obvious, this man doesn’t belong to this part of town, nor to this store. They don’t get many visitors apart from the monthly book club and yearly gathering of the Keeper Society from the vicinity, if they do happen to get visitors it’s not people like this.

The shopkeeper smiles nonetheless as she looks him over. Were he to come here for a book for himself, she would no doubt have to point him to the mystery section, maybe even dust off some older detective stories but it’s the look on his face that tells her it’s more complicated than that. He’s not here for himself.

“I- am looking for a specific book for my wife.” He declares. “It is a book on herbalism, here is the title.” He produces a small business card from his pocket, the corners are already rounded and dirty from frequent handling. Apart from the name of the man and his company, the other side of the card has a short handwritten note. “I’ve been to at least five other stores now and no one has it.” He continues on expecting the shopkeeper to listen but not making sure she does.

“I see why.” The woman replies, her tone bearing a mixture of emotions, the primary of which is startled. “I can look in the back for you, I should still have a copy somewhere.” She takes the note into her hand, discreetly studying the neat handwriting.

Ordinary people don’t come here for books like these. This is an old book, a powerful book not only on the natural power of plants as the man no doubt believes. That is the most curious part. Those who would be interested in practicing the old magic don’t send messengers to pick up their spell books. For generations now the Keeper Society has been gathering magical knowledge and sharing it amongst themselves, making sure it doesn’t fall into total obscurity but also remains hidden from the general population. This man is not a part of the society nor its wider circles which are extended onto smaller magic users and their trusted friends. This man is from the ordinary world, regardless of how night the social ladder he’s climbed. So what is he doing here? And should he be given access to this book? It should be harmless in his hands but what about his wife? She is the recipient after all and she remains a mystery.

“Thank you!” The man speaks up a little louder than he intended, causing the dog to give him another questioning look.

As the shopkeeper disappears behind a curtain to scour her storage for one unusual book, she calls back to the man. “May I ask for your wife’s name?” She hopes it’s not too direct of an approach but she needs to know. “It’s just that for these old editions with only a limited number of copies we like to keep track of the names of people who have them. It’s a tradition of sorts.”

“Uhm, Adriana.” The man speaks up before realizing he is in fact talking.

“Adriana Lance.” The woman murmurs, now to herself, reading the front of the business card in her hand. “Adriana… Lance.” She continues her murmurs as she searches for the book. “Adriana- wait. That Adriana?” The shopkeeper stops in her tracks for a while. It’s been a while since she’s heard that name but it must be that Adriana. There aren’t many other Adrianas in the society and none of them would pass up an opportunity to chat about the new developments in their respective fields of magic or stop for tea for a while.

There aren’t many people who have been denied access to the society after being first let in. There are even fewer who do it of their own volition. And yet there is Adriana Lance or Bakar as she was known back then. Her departure from the society and eventual cutting of ties with any of the magic users has always been veiled in mystery and while some genuinely believe that she has tampered with forces beyond her and somehow managed to live to… well not tell the tale- she never told anyone why exactly did she leave- but walk away, the general consensus amongst the society’s members remains that she had disagreements with the leaders over her choice of a non magical husband. The presence of this man in the bookstore would support this narrative well but as the fall of the old leaders scattered both magic and knowledge around the world, no one can know for certain. Come to think of it Adriana left in the best as well as worse moments she could have as only a few months later the old leaders began to quarrel and fight among each other which led to their eventual downfall. By leaving, Adriana has stayed clear of all the chaos that ensued. But were she to stay she could have had both her husband and the society as many laws and beliefs loosened after that. Then again, if she knows of this book and intends to use it, it seems she did still get the good from both worlds.

The bookkeeper continued further in and took in the familiar smell of old books as her fingers ran across their spines. Of course she had the book Adriana wanted, it was one of the few herbariums that stayed intact and the only book predating the leaders’ fall that was awaiting a sequel from its author. The old and powerful magic user from the woods had written the first book and filled it with natural and magical remedies for many injuries and illnesses but as the world evolved she had clearly deemed it appropriate to add onto her vast knowledge. Many might be hesitant to give Adriana the herbarium, or any magic book for that matter- officially she wasn’t officially part of the society anymore- but what was the harm in giving it to her? She knew magic without it. She could practice other magic well without it. And with it there would at least be a smaller chance of an accident. “Found it!” The shopkeeper called out, taking the hefty book into her hands. As she did a crash was heard followed by a sound of falling books. “So sorry.” She could barely hear the man say. Returning back to the store front she could see him crouched down by a fallen pile of books, previously stacked on top of each other near the mystery section. She had intended to sort them out but never quite got to it, maybe this was the spark that would get her to finally do it. “It’s okay, let it be.” The bookkeeper called out, placing the book on the counter.

“Excuse me.” The man walked back to the counter as well with an apologetic smile.

“Don’t mention it.” She smiled back, warmly. “Anyways the book. What’s the occasion, if I may inquire?”

“Oh yeah. You found it! Thank you, I thought I’d have to give up, no one seemed to have it! It’s for my wife, she is expecting a child and I wanted to give her something. I asked her and this is what she sent me out with, she said it has something to do with her old life, though if I’m being perfectly honest I didn’t really understand what she was saying.”

“She wants to stay prepared for the child’s arrival, I see.” As the man gave her an odd look, the shopkeeper explained. “It’s a book of natural remedies, though I assure you it is far from the pseudoscience some modern books would like you to use.”

“Ah okay.” The man sounded even more confused than he was when he entered the book store. “Well I trust my wife knows what she is doing.”

“Oh I wouldn't doubt that. Please extend my good wishes to her, she is no doubt an extraordinary woman.” As the shopkeeper spoke, she took a bookmark with floral patterns from under the counter and pressed her thumbs into it briefly. She caught a few stray sun rays coming from a window onto it. “I hope the book serves her well.” She placed the bookmark into the book, closing it gently.“And one more thing, if she comes by in a month or two, we are expecting a sequel from the author, I believe she might be interested in that.” She covered the book by wrapping paper so it doesn’t get damaged on the way and pushed it across the counter towards the man.

“Thank you.” He nodded, producing a wallet from his coat pocket. “I will let her know.” He paid, grabbed the package and with a quick “Goodbye.” left.

The protection spell on the bookmark wasn’t much, a better one would require more time and an actual verbal component but maybe that can be another reason for Adriana to come by someday. For now there is the toppled pile of books the shopkeeper has to take care of.

[bananasofthorns]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Bdubs doesn’t linger very long after Gem leaves even though he clearly wants to. As soon as Etho’s sure he’s not coming back, he sits down cross-legged next to the fireplace and pulls Joel’s note out of his inventory. The paper has the distinct feel of something handmade; it’s nice, but not as perfect as it would be if it had been mass-produced at a farm or something. Etho likes the rough feel of it beneath his hands.

For a moment, he just stares at it.

He’s not scared. It’s just...okay, maybe he’s a little apprehensive. He probably shouldn’t be; Joel’s nice. And he clearly cared enough to send a note with Gem all the way from...wherever he is now. Empires, Etho thinks? He’s not sure.

That’s not the important thing here. What’s important is that the last time they saw each other, they were soulbound even as ghosts, and even now, weeks later, Etho still finds himself glancing over his shoulder or calling out a warning before he catches himself. Which is weird, right? He barely knew Joel before all this.

...but also, he reasons, all this is kind of a big deal. Probably. He feels like other people would consider a third run of a death game a big deal. And he’s currently holding a paper that Gem said was from Joel, so—

He opens the letter.

Etho, it starts, in Joel’s scrawled handwriting that Etho recognizes from the few notes he’d left around their base before it burnt. Hi.

This is weird. I don’t write letters very often. Gem said this would be easier than just telling her something to tell you. She’s probably right.

Don’t tell her I said that.

How are you? I’m doing pretty well. There’s a part that was scribbled out; Etho squints, but he can’t make out more than the word “you.” Next to it says, Been building lots.

I was going to message you the other day before realizing I never saved your contact. I’m guessing you don’t have mine, either. Well, now you do! Congrats. There’s a short line of code written out that Etho guesses is what he’ll have to enter into his comm to get Joel’s contact. He doesn’t think he’s ever actually done that with anyone before. Huh.

Hopefully that works. If not, you can just send another letter along with Gem or something and we’ll figure something else out.

Talk to you soon, I hope.

Beneath that is a scribble that Etho’s pretty sure is Joel’s signature. He assumes that’s what it is, at least. It kind of just looks like a long scribble. He can kind of make out a J, or maybe an S. Joel has a really bad signature.

Etho stares down at the letter.

“Well,” he says, lips curling into a soft smile.

He enters the line of code into his comm. It only takes a handful of seconds for it to load, but he doesn’t exhale until Joel’s name appears in his contacts.

Etho whispered to Smallishbeans: hey hey Etho whispered to Smallishbeans: did it work?

It only takes a few moments for Joel to respond.

Smallishbeans whispered to Etho: holy hsit

A second later, Etho’s comm starts buzzing. He picks up the call before it’s rung twice.

“Hey,” he laughs.

“That actually worked,” Joel breathes, delighted. “Oh my gods.” He pauses. “Hi, by the way.”

Etho smiles, leaning back against the fireplace with his comm tucked against his ear. “Hi. How’re you?”

Joel hums. “Good. Busy. I’ve got an entire empire to run, you know.”

“Really?” Etho was right about Empires, then.

“Mhm. Stratos. I’m building floating islands this time, which is super annoying to do. But it’s coming along really well so far.” Joel pauses. “Oh, and I’m a god now. Super strong and powerful and sexy and tall.”

“Really?” Etho repeats. “All that.”

“Why’d you say it like that?!”

“I don’t know about tall,” he teases, trailing off to let Joel’s indignant noises fill the silence. “I had at least six inches on you, last time I checked.”

“Well now I’m eleven foot. Beat that. I bet you can’t, huh?”

Etho laughs. “Are you serious?”

“Wh— of course I’m serious, Etho! Why would I lie about being eleven foot?”

“I don’t know....” he says, grinning when Joel yet again sputters at him. “I’ll believe it when I see it, man.”

“Come visit Empires, then.”

Etho blinks. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“I’m not whitelisted,” he points out. Joel scoffs.

“So? I’ll just get fWhip to whitelist you, then. We did it for Grian last world, it was fun. Except for the time where they killed me.”

Etho hums. It isn’t a hard decision.

“Okay,” he says, warmth curling in his chest when Joel cheers. “When...when are you thinking?”

“Dunno, I’ll have to convince fWhip, first. Give me a few days...? We’re kind of on rocky terms right now, but he’ll get over it. Especially if I bribe him.”

Etho laughs. “Oh, nice.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation lapses into silence for a moment. It’s nice. It reminds Etho of late nights on The Relation. He’s distantly surprised to realize that he misses Double Life. Parts of it, at least.

Maybe he just misses Joel. That would make more sense. Double Life was fun, but also, objectively, a lot of it was bad.

He’s pretty sure he just misses Joel. Man, I’m going soft, he thinks.

Joel clears his throat. “What’ve you been up to?”

“Well, I’m back on Hermitcraft, which is nice,” Etho starts. “I’m living in Bdubs’s basement right now.”

Joel laughs. “Are you really?”

“Mhm. He already had a staircase leading down here, I think it was some sort of worldbuilding thing or something—”

“Lore,” Joel says sagely. Etho grins.

“Yes, exactly. So I just dug into the wall where he didn’t have anything and built my own little area. It’s coming along pretty nicely. I’ve got my chests, and an enchanting area, and a few small farms for flowers and things. Working on getting caught up, since I joined late and everything.”

“It sounds nice. Maybe I can visit someday.”

There’s something wistful in Joel’s tone that says he doesn’t actually think he’ll be able to visit. Etho frowns even though he’s probably right; Hermitcraft has always been pretty closed off from visitors. That doesn’t mean there can’t be exceptions, though.

“Maybe,” he agrees, trying to convey more hope than what Joel had had. He clears his throat. “Bdubs and I had to get a Warden out of here the other day.”

Joel laughs, any trace of disappointment or resignation gone. Etho smiles. Success. 

“What was a Warden doing in your base?”

“Impulse put it there!”

“Ah, I see. fWhip and Pixlriffs tried to do the same thing to me a few days ago. It didn’t go very well.”

“How so?”

“Well, it killed fWhip. And me, a few times. And then I killed Lizzie by accident. It was stuck underground, so they blew up part of my landscaping to get it out. And then we killed it.”

“Oh, nice.”

“What did you do with your Warden?”

“Dropped it down a hole,” Etho says. “It’s still down there, I think. I hear it grumbling every once and a while.”

“Well, that’s one way to do it. Have you tried a fishing rod on it? I tried it on mine, but I’m not sure it worked very well. I couldn’t really see, so.”

“I didn’t, no. Maybe if I want to bother Bdubs one day I’ll see if I can get it back up here. He’d probably kill me, though.”

“Eh. Just kill him first,” Joel points out. “Have the Warden do it for you.”

Etho laughs. “Sure, man. What if he kicks me out? I’d have nowhere to go, it would be so bad.”

Joel scoffs. Etho can perfectly imagine the eye roll that goes with it. “He wouldn’t do that. Are you serious?”

He smiles. “No, I know he wouldn’t.”

The conversation lulls again. Etho is about to say something else - he’s not even sure what, just that he doesn’t want the call to be over yet - when Joel swears suddenly.

“Lizzie!” he shouts, voice distant like he’s away from his comm. “Why are you up here? Stop shooting me!”

Lizzie says something too indistinct for Etho to decipher. Joel groans.

“Sorry, Etho,” he says. “I’ve got to go, Lizzie’s threatening to trample my crops again. Look, I’ll talk to fWhip in a bit and see what he says, okay?”

“Okay,” Etho agrees, ignoring the pang of disappointment in his chest. It’s not like Joel’s leaving forever, he reminds himself; they can still text whenever they want, and they are actively making plans for Etho to visit him. “Say hello to Lizzie for me.”

“You can tell her yourself, she’s right here. Hey!”

Etho pulls the comm away from his ear with a slight grimace as there’s a scuffle.

“Hello!” Lizzie says.

“Hi."

“Joel says goodbye,” she tells him. “I’m going to go steal his comm now. Where should I hide it?”

There’s a distant shout of protest from Joel. Etho laughs.

“I dunno,” he muses. “Maybe somewhere small where he can’t reach. Since he’s so...big and strong, or whatever.”

She snorts. “Oh, is that what he’s telling you? Right. I’ll go do that now. Thanks for the idea!”

The call disconnects. Etho sets his comm down, unable and unwilling to fight a smile. It was nice, getting to talk to Joel again.

Yeah, he’s totally gone soft. Bdubs is never going to let him hear the end of it.

[bisexualbuckleyy]

the likelihood of characters dying in chain of thorns

this is just my personal opinions based off of my interpretations of the characters and the current content we have in the shadowhunters universe. this is an incredibly long post cause i never shut up so i'm putting everything under the cut!

james: 1/10

highly highly unlikely that he will perish cause someone has to carry on the herondale name

but honestly who knows at this point

like i would be genuinely shocked if he died

and incredibly confused cause someone has to go on to produce heirs that will lead to jace 

cause the lost herondale is a whole different thing 

cordelia: 1/10

also highly unlikely cause it’s almost certain that she’s the person who produces the herondale heirs

cause her and james are already married and i have confidence they’re going to get their shit together 

lucie: 1/10

again pretty sure she’s the one who’s going to be producing blackthorn heirs and we know there are many more blackthorns to come

also i just don’t know what could kill lucie herondale 

but yeah pretty sure she’s safe

matthew: 9/10

listen this man is not making it out of this series alive i’m almost sure of it

he has all the makings of a tragic hero

i feel like there isn’t enough time to give him the healing/redemption arc that he needs so i feel like he’s just going to sacrifice himself 

and it’s going to be horrible and i’m going to cry for a minimum of 8-10 business days

but i just feel so strongly that this is where his arc is headed 

thomas: 6/10

not sure about this one honestly

i’ve always been a little scared for thomas since the fake family tree said he died young (and yes i know it’s not correct but there has to be some reason why that’s listed as his death date even if it’s not when he actually died)

i hope cassie wouldn’t do that to sophie and gideon since she already killed barbara but who knows

there are other male lightwoods so he doesn’t need to live in order to carry on the family name

also i wouldn’t want him to be the one to carry on the family name cause him and alastair need to get together

but i’m worried about him cause i definitely think he’s in danger 

i also will cry for a minimum of 8-10 business days if he dies 

alastair: 5/10

again we’re not sure

honestly my confidence in his survival hinges entirely on the gender of the baby carstairs 

cause if the baby is a boy then there’s a male carstairs to carry on the name 

cause obviously there’s more since emma exists 

but also if the baby is a boy then there is a much higher chance of alastair dying

cause like matthew i think he has the potential to be a tragic hero and sacrifice himself 

i’m hoping his arc will not end like that cause i think there’s enough time in chain of thorns to wrap it up but i am still scared for the fate of my son 

best case scenario him and thomas run away together at the end of chain of thorns 

christopher: 2/10

i’m almost certain he’s okay cause i’m pretty sure he’s the one that carries on the lightwood name 

but also there are two other male lightwoods in this book who have the potential to carry on the name 

but i’m pretty sure he’s gonna be good 

if he dies i think it would be mostly for shock value and cassie doesn’t do that often and normally only once or maybe twice in a series which i think she already did with barbara and elias 

so yeah we’re pretty sure he’s safe 

grace: 2/10

again according to the family tree she marries christopher and they make lightwood babies together 

also i don’t think killing her off would make much narrative sense

cause she was kind of a pseudo antagonist and i think killing her off would be a cheap ending for her

again it would probably be for shock value but i just don’t really see it happening 

anna: 8/10

yeah she’s in danger 

very concerned that snippet that’s like “all that effort to convince you i wasn’t in love with you, and here i am, dying in your arms” is gonna be her at ariadne (kamala? i’m not sure what we’re calling her sorry)

i’m not sure how cassie could wrap up her character in a satisfying way in chain of thorns so i’m worried she’s just gonna kill her 

again it could be a kind of tragic hero moment where like she’s been selfish for so long and then she sacrifices herself for the people she loves 

but i hope she doesn’t die cause i love her 

ariadne/kamala: 4/10

honestly i have no idea but i’m pretty sure she’s gonna be okay

cassie mentioned something about how she’s going to pick a new name for herself by the end of the book and that doesn’t make it sound like she’s gonna get killed off

but cassie is also the queen of misdirection 

so who knows

but again i think if she killed her off it would just be for shock value and it would be kinda cheap after everything she’s gone through 

jesse: 1/10

honestly i’m the most confident about him which is ironic considering he’s spent the last two books being dead

but he’s currently the only blackthorn that could carry on the name and there’s a lot of blackthorns later

but it would feel really cheap to spend so much time focusing on bringing him back to life only to kill him in the next book 

so yeah i’m almost positive he’s gonna be fine 

charles: 3/10

god i wish i could say with confidence that he’s gonna die but i really don’t think he is

i think he’s gonna find some woman who’s dumb enough to marry him and then he’s gonna be a miserable asshole for the rest of his life and help carry on the fairchild name 

cause we know someone does 

and i seriously doubt it’s going to be matthew 

so unfortunately i think he’s probably going to stay alive

but there’s always a chance so who knows 

feel free to comment/send me asks/message me about your thoughts on my predictions or any predictions of your own or just literally anything about this series cause i am desperate to talk about it

[whereyabeenloca]

Nancy is nine years old when she first meets Steve Harrington. She has her long brown hair twisted in a neat bun at the top of her head, and white fleece-lined tights to keep her warm in her ballerina costume, and she is holding her little brother’s hand with impatience, huffing to get him to walk a little faster. “C’mon, Mike, just three more houses, and we can be done,” she tells him, the five year old dragging his feet tiredly against the asphalt. Their mom is at home, the first year she’s letting Nancy and him go off on their own, and she is desperate to prove her independence, that she is responsible enough to take care of both of them as long as they stay within the neighborhood.

“Nancy, my feet hurt,” he whines, because he has no idea yet how fun the night is, the older kids in their masks scaring him and he is normally allowed only one or two pieces of candy from the treasure trove, but he is in kindergarten now, and she wants so badly to help him grow up. Mike plops down on the sidewalk and has to let go of her hand because of it, making her jack-o-lantern basket fling and spill candy. She sighs and has to carefully crouch so she doesn’t stain her costume, and her fingertips bump into someone else’s. It’s an older boy, maybe a fourth grader instead of third like she’s in, and he’s in a Superman costume, with fluffy brown hair that’s been carefully gelled into the signature curl at his forehead. He gives her a crooked grin that shows off his missing bottom tooth then goes back to picking up her treats, helping her stand up again so she doesn’t need to touch the asphalt to bounce up.

“Here, if you’re trying to just get more before taking home, then just, have this,” he says as he reaches into his own basket, pulling out a fistful to put in both her own and her little brother’s pillowcase. Nancy blinks at him, narrowing her eyes as she waits for the catch- for him to push her down or something, or snatch away Mike’s entire bag. But he just gives her a funny look, like he’s confused as to why she looks ready to punch him, and then that crooked smile is back, albeit a little more cautious this time. “My name’s Steve? Steve Harrington?” The little boy offers like it’s a question and then holds out his hand for her, like his dad had just recently taught him to shake hands and he’s all too happy to do it every time he meets someone new.

Nancy glances down at it and then back up to him before shyly placing her hand in his, squeezing and swinging once before letting go. “Nancy Wheeler, how do you do?” She asks, in a voice trying to mimic Grace Kelly’s, like she’s trying to be more grown up than she actually is. Steve’s smile broadens and he glanced over his shoulder when someone calls his name. “Thank you, for the candy.”

“No problem, Nancy Wheeler. Happy Halloween!” He calls before he’s jogging back up to the group of boys all making kissy faces at him until his ears turn as vivid pink as her leotard. She cocks her head, curious and contemplative, before reaching down to grab Mike up by the elbow to steer him back to their house.

—.—

Nancy is two months shy from turning sixteen when she sees Steve again, actually sees him, not just the facade of bravado and cockiness he loves to show off at school. She is with her mom going grocery shopping, helping her pick out some apples for a pie they’re going to bake this weekend, when she hears a chortle and a smack of someone’s shoulder. Turning her head back to see what the noise was, she sees Steve on the other side of the produce section, attempting very badly to juggle some grapefruits with a fashionable older woman that she can only assume is Mrs. Harrington, who has the same lovely brown eyes as he does that are rolling at her son fondly.

“Poor thing, hey, Nancy, don’t stare,” Karen chides her and starts pushing the cart. Nancy straightens and starts to follow her, her mom leaning in closer to whisper, “That’s the first I’ve seen of Patricia in God, weeks now. She hasn’t been to bridge in over a month now. It’s just terrible what her husband did.”

“What did Mr. Harrington do?” She asks, not exactly discreet about her nosiness which makes her mother cast another glance in her direction.

“Well, he.. He had brought another woman to their house, while Patricia was out doing some shopping and her son I think was at school. He came home and found them together.”

“Steve did? Her son?”

“Yes, and don��t you say a word about it, Nancy. I’m serious, if she knew I even breathed a word about it, oh. She would be furious. Her husband is just. Well, he’s not a very good man. And I’m sure it would just be devastating to her reputation, if everyone talks about it. All the bridge ladies know, but I don’t know about anyone else. Anyways, we shouldn’t be gossiping about it. I am just- glad to see her smile again. Lord knows she must not be doing much of that lately,” Karen sighs, returning to look at the list she’d neatly written on yellow lined paper, and Nancy furrows her brow a little bit before turning her head in their direction again.

Steve is absorbed in his own world with his mom, clearly being silly, which he’s well known for of course. He’s the class clown, always the loudest in the room, has a head of hair every girl in school has imagined running their fingers through. And yet here she is, in the middle of Piggly Wiggly, taking such an intimate glance into his own private world and finding he is absolutely not like she had assumed he would be. That he doesn’t care if it’s lame to be shopping with his mom like he’s a kid again; he’s jumping on the cart to push it and teasing her and acting like he’s ten again because his mother is probably desperately lonely, heartbroken. She feels something twist in her gut, pursing her mouth a little, and decides later that night, when she is all alone in her bedroom staring up at her ceiling, that she is going to find a reason to talk to him at school the next day.

—.—

Nancy is eighteen and barely holding it all together the next time she sees him. She’s talked to three different cops so far and none of them are taking her seriously about Victor Creel, all of them trying to steer her in the direction they want the case to be solved, Fred’s body having been taken to the morgue only a few hours before. She is getting impatient, desperate for someone to just listen to her. Her eyes glance over when she sees another car pull up and suddenly her heart leaps when her peripheral catches a very familiar head of hair, broad shoulders, and tan skin. Something sparks in her gut and she can’t quite name it, but she knows she has felt it before, has had this pattern come up over and over again. Because for as much as she loves mysteries, there is one puzzle she has never been able to quite work out, and it is standing only a hundred feet away with several kids in tow.

Her brow pulls together and she has to swallow thickly to keep herself from tearing up, raising her fingers to signal him. I see you. Thank you.

His hand raises up to hers in return, just a flick of a gesture, a salutation. Don’t mention it. I’m here. I’m here for you.

Nancy takes a shaky breath and tries to drown out the sound of her racing heartbeat with the new chief of police’s monotone, something like anticipation in her belly, like maybe she’s a little bit closer to solving the mystery that is and has always been Steve Harrington.

[ddarker-dreams]

Buds of Marigold. Yan Childe x Reader x Yan Scaramouche

Warnings: Implied forced marriage, unhealthy relationships, depictions of anxiety, darling threatening violence against someone, mild not SFW implications.  Word count: 2.5k.

“I never thought the day would come where I’d be so stumped,” Ying’er runs her fingers over glass bottles of essential oils and varying plant nectars. “For such an important customer too… everything needs to be perfect.”

You don’t lift your eyes from the task in your hands, scrubbing valiantly at a stain blemishing an incense pot. To affirm you have been listening, even if you won’t spare her a glance until you’ve finished cleaning, you hum with a rising intonation. Ying’er sinks to the ground with all the grace of a drunken sailor, sniffling in a final attempt to pry out your sympathy.

She hobbles over to where you’re sitting and places her head on your lap. Your body tenses at the sudden touch, but you steady your breathing before it can get noticeable.

“Oh, almighty Yun, the lost Archon of fragrances, have thee no pity for thy devout follower,” Ying’er lifts the back of her hand and presses it against her forehead in a show of unparalleled theatrics. The sight does as she intended, a light giggle leaving your lips at the impromptu melodrama. Her timing lines up well as the stubborn grime you were fighting finally concedes.

You place the incense pot aside and sheepishly pat her head. “Ying’er, how are you going to learn if I give you the answers every time?”

“By your ingenious example!” She exclaims, jutting out her lower lip into a pout. “I’ve already picked out the base, I just need a little nudging in the right direction for the top and mid notes.”

Your eyes soften and your heart is strum with conviction. You soothe your grumbling friend by stroking her hair, humming a soft tune, all the while feeling somewhat baffled by your growth thus far. A few moons ago, you couldn’t have pictured allowing yourself to be touched like this by anyone. It wouldn’t matter how innocent the contact was. The moment someone got too close for comfort, you were willing to reduce them to nothing but a pile of cinders.

You pause your ministrations and sigh. “Fine, fine. I’ll help you compose your perfume. This is the last time though, okay?”

Ying’er ailments seemingly vaporize into the air at your begrudging assistance. She shoots up from her kneeling position like her feet were coiled springs, an overflow of gratitude fumbling past her lips.

“You’re the best, Yun,” she praises and pinches your cheek, much to your chagrin. “Now that I’ve won you over with my charms, how about—”

The front door’s chimes ring, alerting you both of someone entering. You two exchange a look of confusion, as Scent of Spring is closed for the day, the oil lanterns extinguished and doors locked. Your finger twitches by your side in anticipation. Ying’er is blissfully ignorant to your Vision and subsequent ability to command forward a blade, a façade you wish to sustain.

“I’ll handle it,” Ying’er says before you can contemplate your options another second. You nod, an unspoken appreciation etched onto your countenance. The details of your circumstances were purposefully murky and she never presses. Whatever conclusions Ying’er has come to, you prefer it stays that way, not wanting to upset the delicate balance that is your current life.

You straighten out her collar which had wrinkled. “Call me if anything’s wrong.”

Ying’er winks reassuringly and presses her hands over yours, the touch featherlight. “I’m a fearsome opponent, no one would dare cross me.”

Let’s hope that’s true, you think. Frowning, you observe her retreating figure, taking caution to remain out of sight. Ying’er steps out of the backroom, the thick wooden door closing loudly behind her. You keen your ears to listen, cursing internally over how the thick walls muffle their voices. Her voice is one you instantly recognize, but the other belongs to someone with a deeper timbre. Your boss is an elderly woman, so that rules her out. A Millieth, perhaps?

You’re not left waiting for long, much to your relief. Ying’er pops her head back in a few minutes later.

“It was just a returning customer who was pleased with his latest commission, the one you helped me with no less. He had nothing but high praises for it!”

Waves of relief crash over you, but your senses remain on high alert.

“I’m happy to hear that. Still, how did he manage to get in? Didn’t you lock up for the night?” You inquire, hoping you don’t sound overly paranoid. In the back of your mind, you can’t fully discount the idea that it’s him, the thought alone enough to have you shaking in place.

“Must’ve forgotten or something,” she shrugs. You let out a breath you were holding in at her nonchalance, it seems plausible given her airheaded nature. “By the way, Yun, can we work on the perfume in the morning? I just realized how tired I am.”

“Of course. It has been a long day... I’ll finish things up here, go home and get some rest.”

Ying’er waves and wishes you a good night.

It’s now your turn to slump onto the ground, grasping your chest when your knees hit the floor. Deep breaths, deep breaths, you tell yourself. Everything is going to be okay.

This peaceful existence that you’ve fought tooth and nail to build for yourself… the only way it could ever get be stolen from your hands is if air no longer filled your lungs. Your fingers travel underneath the foreign fabric of your Liyue garments, the warmth of your pulsating Vision giving you solace. Tending to the last few chores, your subconscious drifts elsewhere, to an island beyond the sea. What is it you would be doing this time of day again? Ironically enough, you realize you’d be working with incense as you are now, but for different reasons. The reason you excel with curating incense to produce the best aroma is because you were trained to do so.

Your work now is your lifeblood, giving you enough to scrape by undetected. Those days, however, were a different story. It constituted survival like now, but to a far more humiliating degree. It was expected of you to perform your duties with grace and discipline. You would retire early to your shared chambers, prepare and burn your husband’s favorite incense, and fuss over your appearance in the vanity. Then you would loosen the sash of your obi, just enough so that if it had been a frustrating day, he could lose himself in your body for a momentary escape. Those customs had been ingrained into your mind. Had you needed to, you’re certain you could’ve done everything with your eyes closed from memory.

You head for the back exit. Surely, your past self would be thrilled to know your meticulous plans had come to fruition. All those smiles through gritted teeth, submissive language, and patience that could rival that of a god… everything was worth it.

Now you’re no longer the number Six of the Fatui's Eleven Harbingers’ spouse. You’ve taken the identity of Yun, a Visionless worker for a perfume shop in Liyue, everyday defined by freedom. To do as you please, go where you please, speak to who you please. The little details that were stolen from you by his hands return like tentative buds in spring.

You’ve yet to fully assimilate with Liyue’s cuisine, but it’s steadily growing on you. Maybe you’ll make an Inazuma-inspired dish tonight? In the months that have passed, you’ve found a taste for your nation’s food coming back. So as not to repeat Ying’er’s mistake, you double-check the backdoor’s locks, finding it is as it should be. Behind the humble shop is an alley which you use to creep back home. It’s best not to risk traveling out in the open if you can avoid it, you never know what eyes might be hiding in plain sight.

“Liyue apparel compliments you very well.”

With the speed of a descending phoenix, you pivot on your heel, summoning your weapon and pressing it to the jugular of whoever spoke just now. Squinting, your eyes take a few long seconds to adjust. Once they do, your body feels like it’s being drug into the underworld, the air in your lungs forced out. This man… you’ve seen him before. He gives you an all teeth grin, azure eyes swirling with delight and face contorting in amusement.

You remain steadfast through your bewilderment. “Try and scream and I’ll slit your throat.”

“I’m not much of a screamer,” Childe replies, laughing as if the situation was comical. “It’s good to see you too, [First]. Never thought I’d happen upon an old face in Liyue. I knew I recognized that unique combination of perfume, looks like I was right.”

It hits you that this is the first time you’ve heard your actual name in months. How Childe says it doesn’t feel right, he utters it with familiarity. Though, from what you remember, he’s never been known for having boundaries. Scaramouche would complain about his conduct for hours if given the opportunity. This would be the first time you’ve spoken with him, not from a lack of trying on his behalf. When Childe paid a visit to your husband’s estate, you were expected to be present at the start of their meetings. They would discuss business together while you stood there and looked easy on the eyes. Occasionally, you would refill their tea, but that was all you were permitted to do.

The look Scaramouche shot Childe when the latter tried speaking with you was enough to give you nightmares for days.

“What… what are you going to do now?” You murmur, anticipating the worst. This isn’t going to end well no matter what. If Fatui are in Liyue, that means Childe’s likely told someone where he was going; meaning that him going missing would be suspicious and warrant an investigation. On the other hand, who is to say he won’t just return you to Scaramouche if you let him live? You doubt your tears and pleading would have any effect on the youngest Harbinger. He’s similar to your husband — acting altruistic and kind — only to show their true colors when it suits them best.

“Right now? I’m trying not to get my throat slit,” he raises an eyebrow like that was the most obvious answer.

You bite your lower lip. “We both know you could get out of this hold if you wanted to.”

“Emphasis on the ‘if I wanted to’ part. As of right now, I don’t believe I do, being held by you is rather enjoyable,” Childe tests the waters by moving forward, humming in contentment when you lessen your grip as not to slice through his skin. “See? You’ve never even killed someone before. Call it intuition, but I don’t think you could.”

He reconsiders the proposition for a second. “Well, maybe if it was him...”

“You’re as insufferable as I remember,” you hiss, imbuing heat into your blade. Childe barely backs off and the unspoken threat. “Everyone who refuses to take me seriously comes to regret it.”

“Don’t worry, I fully agree with that. The Balladeer reduced you to nothing but a pretty little ornament. He underestimated you and this is the consequence.” Childe has an easier time maintaining eye contact than you do. It’s another minute detail that expresses the gap in your experience. You may be adequately trained in combat, but that pales in comparison when faced with a trained killer. This sorry charade will end the moment he wants it to.

Hate floods through your veins like venom. He’s looking down on you, just in a different way than how your husband would. Where Scaramouche was condescending and sadistic, Childe is brutally honest and teasing. It’s a split-second decision on your behalf, one motivated by the desire to prove this smug bastard wrong more than self-preservation. You loosen your grip on him and jump back. It’s not a lot of space, however, it should be enough to allow you room to react when he strikes.

He goes silent. It’s painfully obvious that he’s trying to get a read on you, now that you’re veering into unexpected territory.

“You were waiting for an opening, weren’t you?” Your words come out with more strength than you thought possible, deep from the chest and guttural. “Well, here you go. It’s the best you’re going to get.”

Childe blinks. Once, twice. His shoulders start to tremble, his chest following soon after, and he lifts his gloved hand to cover his mouth. Hearty laughter leaves his lips and pierces your self-esteem. You don’t understand what’s so humorous to him — though you’re well aware these Harbingers hold no humanity — repulsion flooding your system. This feels nostalgic in the worst ways possible. Early on in your marriage, Scaramouche would regard your resistance with a similar air of blatant dismissal, like your protests were nothing but a tantrum.

“You were wasted with him,” Childe’s loathsome cackling dies down, a maniacal grin splitting his face ear to ear. “Now I understand… the way you’re looking at me now is chilling. Exciting. In what ways have you evolved to survive? I love the fight in you, unlike him. Your adaptability is remarkable, like that of the most cunning prey. ” 

Prey. The dehumanizing word makes you frown, yet you remain firm in your stance. This is the best chance, you think, now that you’ve managed to surprise him once. There’s plenty more where that came from. Tendrils of molten flames, like they were stolen from the sun itself, would make for a considerable challenge. Harbinger or not, he should know better than to charge in without thinking twice when you hold a Pyro Vision.

His face returns to a more casual visage and he waves his hand. “I never had any intention of bringing you back to Inazuma. You think a Mora reward would be a good enough motivator for me to do that?”

“T-then why are you here?” You challenge, ever the skeptic. Childe can weave a tale of lies as much as he wants. That doesn’t mean you’ll allow yourself to be ensnared in it.

“I wanted to see how you’d react,” his nonchalant admission leaves you speechless. “Needless to say, you didn’t disappoint. A pretty face with the feist to match. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”

“Oh, fuck off with that,” you snarl, your vision almost going red from the fury holding you hostage. Now that you no longer need to play the subservient partner, vulgarities come to you with ease, and you have no shortage of them for this blight in the flesh.

Childe’s smile widens. “No can do, I’m afraid. My curiosity has gotten the better of me this time. Could I tame you? Break your spirit better than he did? So show me your resolve to be free, sweet [First].”

He readies himself and you do as well. It’s in the dull illumination of the overhead lanterns that you realize there is no light in his eyes. How fitting, you think. That even his body has come to accept his lack of humanity.

“Go on. I’ll give you a ten second head start. After that... well, you’ll just have to find out, won’t you?” 

[incomprehensiblelentils]

Bering and Wells Reunion Panel Transcription (4/17/2021)

This is from the ClexaCon Virtual panel with Joanne Kelly and Jaime Murray, with Dana Piccoli as moderator and Mark as ASL interpreter. I spent around six hours on this and there were really only a couple of brief bits I couldn’t make out - I tried to make this as thorough as possible even though the audio quality was iffy at points and there was a lot of overlapping talking. I also included all of the ums and uhs in the interest of thoroughness so sorry if that gets annoying. Let me know if I’ve gotten any screen names wrong.

Content notes: brief discussion of on-set injury, allusions to homophobia from higher-ups, discussions of hostile workplace experiences due to gender, brief discussion of the ovarian cancer subplot, Jo misgenders Mark once and then corrects herself.

Dana: And I think we are live! Hey everyone, welcome, welcome, this is day 2 of ClexaCon Virtual. So glad to be here with you for our Warehouse 13 Bering and Wells panel. What a great video! I believe that was Mal that made that. Fantastic work! [They showed a fanvid prior to the panel on the stream.] Uh, I want to take a second to introduce Mark, our ASL interpreter. Thank you so much for being here, Mark. Well, I know that the Bering and Wells fandom is still going strong and, um, I’m so excited to be able to present this panel to you today, so without further ado, let’s get started. It’s been seven years since we last embarked on the wonderfully quirky world of Warehouse 13 and we’re thrilled to have not one, but two of the show’s stars here with us, Bering and Wells in the flesh, please welcome Joanne and Jaime!

Jo: [laughs] Hi!

Jaime: Hi guys!

Dana: Hi!

Jaime: Oh my goodness, I was tearing up watching that, that was just...

Dana: It’s so good, right?

Jaime: And Mal made it, of course, I mean just, the fandom is so amazing, that we have a fan who made that amazing movie, and I’m sitting here... were you tearing up, Jo?

Jo: Yeah... [laughs]

Dana: She’s like, I can’t talk right now!

Jaime: Aww.

Jo: Yeah, it’s, you know, it’s like, it’s like a, a wormhole, it’s like going in a wormhole, really, to see that put together in that way, and just, that somebody did that is, um, crazy, wonderful.

Jaime: Yeah.

Dana: When, when we are in person in, uh, in, in Las Vegas, I’m often backstage with the actors as they see these videos maybe f- for the first time, and your reaction is the reaction that everyone has. They all get teary, they all just like hold onto each other, it’s, it’s really sweet and wonderful.

Jaime: Oh my gosh, I, I wish I could go back in time and like, we film more of it and, and enjoy it more, because sometimes when you’re in it, you’re just going so fast and, you know, you don't even realize the meaning of, of, of what you’ve created until you see it through the eyes of the fans and what it meant to them, and then I, I wish I could lean into it more. [laughs]

Dana: Well, we’re certainly gonna get into that. [laughs]

Jaime: [laughs]

Dana: Alright, well, let’s kick things off! Uh, as of a we- a week ago, I was prepping to interview Jaime, and then suddenly the heavens opened up, and what was one became two. [they laugh] Joanne joined the party! How did this crazy kismet even happen?

Jo: I’m trying this new thing where I say yes. [laughs]

Jaime: [laughs] Well done!

Jo: Thanks. [laughs] Um, it’s a new thing I’m trying. Um, Jaime texted me and she’s like, I'm doing this thing, we had talked about it, I think the last panel we did at Dragon*Con maybe?

Jaime: Yeah.

Dana: 2018.

Jo: And she had told me about ClexaCon and I was like, that, because I really enjoyed that panel that we did, it felt, you know, I think one of the reasons, and I think that the work between us is, and I look at it now and I’m so touched because I, and I also just think the world of Jaime as an actor, I think she’s brilliant and her choices are so clean and-

Jaime: Ditto.

Jo: -full heart forward, like I, I’ve always been a fan of what she bought, and just personally on set I was in a, it was a very male environment, and Jaime came and I was like, oh my god, like, someone to talk to, someone who cared, and she took care of me, like she really - so I just, I don’t know, when she reached out I was like, of course, yes, yes.

Dana: Like it’s in two days, sure! Let’s, let’s go!

Jaime: We missed each other as well. It was also an opportunity to hang out, like, we missed each other!

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: We had this flurry of texts of like, checking in with each other, and what-

Jo: What have you been watching? what are you doing?

Jaime: Yeah.

Jo: Where are you?

Jaime: Yeah, so.

Dana: Oh, that’s amazing! So you’ve maintained this really wonderful friendship since, since the end of the show.

Jo: Yeah, I mean, actors are nomads and we’re very sort of, I feel, Jaime, I don’t know if you feel the same way, but it’s like those friends that you have that you don’t see forever, but when you see them you fall back into a rhythm automatically, there’s never, it doesn’t feel push or pulled, it’s just, it’s just nice.

Jaime: I, I think also for us, um, I think there’s a sisterhood as well, you know, I think that, you know, Jo just touched on it. You know, often in a cast there’s, um, it’s changing and it’s evolving all the time, and this was seven years ago, and it was seven years before that, it started, so like fourteen years ago-

Jo: Oh my god. [laughs]

Jaime: But there’s, ninety nine point five percent of the people behind the camera are men, the majority of the parts are often men, or it’s, it’s male and women, but the men have the more heroic bits and the funnier lines and you’re kind of struggling with that and you’re glad to be working so you’re kind of making good and making it okay, but you’re kind of like, you know, getting feels, and, you know, as, as Joanne said, it, you know, you’re laughing at dick jokes when you don’t find them particularly funny- [all laugh]

Jo: Like wow! Oh! [sarcastic thumbs up]

Jaime: And so when I came in, I saw Jo - I had been on shows, like I was on a show called Hustle, I was the only girl in the cast, and then everybody, uh, behind the camera was, um, all men. Um, on Warehouse we had one female writer on some episodes, um, we never had a fe- uh, um, a female director on anything or a producer-

Jo: No we had, we had Tawn- [presumably about to mention Tawnia McKiernan] we had two fem- we had a few, but we were-

Jaime: No- no- not on my, not on my episodes.

Jo: Oh, on yours.

Jaime: But it was just like, I came in and I saw Jo and I understood, and I knew what her experience was, and so there was this kind of kinhood, this sisterhood, and I think it, it’s not a male-female thing, but it’s, it’s a minority and majority thing. When you’re in a minority and the majority is doing something, you either have to get down with the program and go with that flow, or you get kind of fe- you feel like you’re difficult or annoying to everybody. And I kind of came in and I just was like, oh like, I get it, it’s hard, and I’m gonna give this woman, like, my, my energy and my love and, so it was-

Dana: So you were like I- you looked at Joanne and you were like, that is someone I can smash the patriarchy with!

Jaime: [laughs] Yes.

Dana: Let’s do it!

Jo: No, I read a lot of books [laughs] when we weren’t filming. I would like get on my chair and just be like this. [mimes holding book in front of face]

Jaime: Yes!

Jo: [laughs] Like I’m doing this now, I’ll see you guys when we’re rolling again, you know, it was really- and, but also, you know, it’s so, and it is changing, it’s changing and evolving in a really, um, at a wonderful rate, but also I would get so excited to be in a scene with another woman that wasn’t about a man, you know, or that we weren’t- uh, it was just so nice to have girl-girl scenes. That never happens, it hardly ever happens. Like, the majority of scenes that you do are about love or acrimony with men, um, and it’s so nice to have a relationship with a woman that’s, um, sort of reflective of how relationships with women actually are. Um, I’ve been, I shifted into writing because of frustration with just not reading stories that I felt were reflective of our, my experience as a woman, you know, that sort of, um, and I think that Bering and Wells sort of in, I mean, that’s when that ship turned for me, as well.

Dana: Well ho- hold that thought, we are, we are going there!

Jaime: And, and also because it wasn’t, it actually wasn’t written. Um, there was, in a way we were able to steer that ship, and then we’d already kind of given a road map for the way this energy was, so it wasn’t written in the conventional way. Like, even like, when a, when a, when a, when a woman will have a love interest it’s, it’s often written by men and it’s o- often in a conventional kind of way, whereas our relationship, at a time before people were even kind of, uh, exploring this that much, um, now, now much more, thank god, it’s more, more inclusive. But it was more kind of, um, uh, complicated than, than maybe would’ve been written about, so it was given more nuance, yeah.

Jo: You mean like, do you mean like actual relationships? [laughs]

Jaime: You what? Say that again?

Jo: Like actual relationships! [laughs]

Jaime: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [laughs]

Jo: You know, that don’t come in and you have a “where they start and where they finish,” like that we, oh, we know where they’re gonna end up so we’ll just gonna-

Dana: Right, right.

Jo: -move them around like chess pieces. It was actually an energy that Jaime and I created, and the story sort of evolved from that energy as - it was inside out as opposed to outside in, which I think made it a real relationship.

Dana: Well, so my friend Dorthy Snarker, she once said that HG and Myka’s storyline has been main text pretending to be subtext, which feels really apt to me.

Jaime: Yeah!

Dana: So at what point-

Jo: Very smart.

Dana: What point in the show did it really click with the two of you that this connection that HG and Myka shared was something much deeper?

Jo: Jaime just had, Jaime, you just explained this very coolly in, in, um-

Jaime: One of our chats.

Jo: Yeah, yeah. Why don’t you speak to this, why don’t you take this?

Jaime: Well, well, first of all like I said, there was like kind of this sisterhood when I came in and, um, Jo, uh, Jo wasn’t like, like it wasn’t like I came in and she was like hey let’s be friends. I came in and she was behind a book, and she wasn’t particularly accessible, and she wasn’t, like, she was a bit grumpy, you know. And so I was like, my personality type is like, how do I crack this nut? [laughs] How do I make this woman love me? [laughs] This is the most unaccessible woman-

Dana: That explai- Jaime that explains a lot! [laughs]

Jaime: This is the most unaccessible women on the set, the mo- the most unaccessible human to me. How do I make her fall in love with me? So it’s like partly my narcissism-

Jo: [laughs] Jaime Murray in a nutshell, everyone!

Jaime: -and my ego, um, so I was kind of winning her over off set, and then, you know, as she was opening up to me and, you know, she was kind of telling me about some of the challenges she was coming up against, I was like, yeah, that’s, that’s not fair, and yeah, I completely get that, you know. So we were kind of like having that kind of journey, I’m like, like, I’m like, oh no, you’re not crazy, everyone else is crazy! Like, let’s smash the patriarchy!

Jo: [laughs]

Jaime: And then, and then unfortunately, um, Jo hurt herself really badly doing a stunt, and, um, you know, there’s no time to hurt yourself on a film set, and there’s no time to take time and, and kind of heal your back or anything like that. So she was taking some pretty strong painkillers and she was working through it, and I had spinal surgery, I, I know what back pain is like, it’s, it’s the worst. I mean, it’s literally everything, you know, you feel like an old person. And so I was, um, taking care of her as best as I could, and we had the scene, and it was the scene in the street where, I, I think it's the first scene that, where I get the grappler out-

Dana: Oh, the grappler.

Jaime: And I shoot it into the air and I put my arm around her and we shoot up-

Dana: We’re very familiar with this scene. [laughs]

Jo: [doing grappler motion] [laughs]

Jaime: Yeah, so, so it’s like, it had like, physicality, and also it was a really, um, we always laugh that Toronto has about five seasons in one day, so you’ll like start shooting the scene and then suddenly there’s a, like a snowstorm! Bright sunshine!

Jo: Then it’s sunny! Then rain!

Jaime: Torrential rain, wind - and it was one of those, and we had to move to a new location, we were really behind in the day, and she had this one pice of hair that kept on like blowing in her face-

Dana: Oh, I know where this is going, Jaime. [laughs]

Jaime: And she was, the thing was, she was like, also these painkillers-

Jo: I was like, I can’t even see with the hair, I was like, I was hopped up on so many painkillers...

Jaime: Yeah, she was hopped up, she was like, I can’t even get my hair out of the way!

Jo: I think I actually called that day, it was the only time where I was like, guys I can’t work anymore, like, I literally, the doctor was like, you need to rest and I’m like I can’t. And the first AD came over to me and he was like, you’re gonna have to say stop, because nobody is gonna stop the filming, and I didn't wanna do that because you don't want to be the person that, that loses the day.

Jaime: That’s part of it, isn’t it? You’re, you can’t be, you can’t have any vulnerability or be a woman in any way, any shape or form on a film set. [laughs]

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: So I knew in the morning, and so I’d been like trying to take care of her and had, had like this experience of having spinal surgery, so I was like caretaking as much, as best as I could. I’m a Cancerian as well, so it’s in my nature.

Dana: Sure.

Jaime: And, um, and we‘re in this scene and we’d had to kind of cut so many times, and this hair just kind of-

Jo: [laughs]

Jaime: -came over her face like this, and I just lent forward and on my line I just moved the hair out of her, um, face and put it back, and there was this, this look of genuine-

Jo: [laughs]

Jaime: -surprise and shock in her face because we hadn’t rehearsed it and, and, and you know, we rehearse everything, and then, and then Joanne, what did you say that you-

Jo: I said I had this feeling, you know, when she did that I was like, oooh, um, what’s happening? [laughs]

Dana: [laughs]

Jaime: What are these feelings I’m having?

Jo: I did not expect all these feelings.

Jaime: Someone is being nice to me in this hostile world!

Jo: I was like this is so, it was like, pink light came up and there was glitter all of a sudden, and a unicorn in the back and, um-

Dana: Yep.

Jaime: They were really good drugs, you can’t, they’re illegal now, you can’t get them now cause they’re illegal now, but-

Jo: [laughs] No, no! But that point I’d say that the storyline really developed from inside out, you know outside, it was actually something, she did something that made me respond in a certain way, and as an actor you have those openings and you can choose to go, you either close them, like if, if I don’t like an actor [laughs] and someone does something, I might go like, no, I don’t wanna gonna go with that- [laughs]

Jaime: Yeah.

Jo: -and change the track, but because I love Jaime and, and that happened, I sort of just was like I’m gonna go with this energy and see where it leads. And so it was a very organic, and it took me completely, and I had not expected it, it took me completely- but I liked it, so I started, then that...

Dana: So you are the reason, you two are the captains of the Bering and Wells ship. You made that happen!

Jaime: Yeah.

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: But also I felt like HG, you know, she came from an era when the suffragette movement was, um, happening, and she was active in that, however, she had to write under her brother’s name, um-

Dana: Yeah.

Jaime: And as a woman, you know, she couldn’t be even open about her brilliance and she had to let her dimwitted brother take credit for it, and then she was frozen. So she was an activist before her time and suddenly she’s waking up in a world where there’s this dynamic woman, gun-toating woman kind of using her wits and brainpower and like, god bless Pete [laughs] but he was a little bit, like, she was the brains and the brilliance, and often he would be kind of like, you know, taking the credit for it or like having the girls flirt with him, and I just felt like if I grow up, if I woke up from, you know, a dream of, of being a suffragette and I woke up and I saw Myka, surely I would be more fascinated-

Jo: [laughs]

Jaime: -by this woman who is everything that I had ever wished to be, so I started playing off this fascina- I was fascinated by her. Pete was just as stupid as my brother. [laughs]

Jo: And I do have to say, I do have to give the showrunner Jack Kenny credit here too, because Jack really let us run with it and started to lean into it, and the writers were all very accepting, so it was, and, and Jack particularly, you know, we had a lot, we had our creative differences, but he was really generous in this storyline with us, like I think, he gave us a lot of rope to play with-

Jaime: Yeah.

Jo: And it was interesting rope, because they never-

Dana: It was attached to a grappling hook is what it was!

Jo: Yeah, and they never, like what i really loved about it is the never like put it on the nose it was always very elliptical, we always had room to breathe, um-

Jaime: Well partly I don’t, I think that it was, it was, it’s funny to talk about it now because it doesn't seem that long a- long ago, but it-

Jo: But it was so long ago...

Jaime: -it was unusual-

Jo: For that.

Jaime: -for the genre and for the audience that we were going for to, to actually go there, um,

Dana: Yeah. Seven years ago, you’re absolutely right. Things have changed tremendously, and especially in the last five years.

Jo: Yeah, yeah.

Jaime: And, but I think that Jack and Drew, they were kind of excited about what we were doing, but actually, you know, we weren't sure what the network would say or what the advertisers might think, and so, um, you know, I’m really proud of the work that we were able to, to say-

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: You know, being the first in some ways.

Jo: It’s interesting, you know, like Jaime texted me, she sent me this video and I was looking at it and I was just so proud-

Jaime: I sent you Mal’s video, I sent you one of Mal’s other videos.

Jo: She’s wonderful, so like shoutout to her!

Jaime: Yeah

Jo: That’s, yeah, it was gorgeous, and I was really proud of the work, you know, after, it’s, you create these things in a bubble and, I haven’t se- I haven’t seen Warehouse, I never watched it. [laughs] so I’m always very surprised to see these videos, it feels like I’m cracking open-

Jaime: And I want to say as well, you know, when we say we haven’t down and watched all the shows, or you know, in some peoples’ cases, many of the shows, you know, it’s, it’s not because we don’t love the show and we don't love the work that everyone else has done, done, it’s actually a lot of actors don't watch, um, their own work. It’s, if, if you’ve ever heard your own voice on an answer phone or something and you're like, who’s that? Oh my god, that’s me!

Dana: [laughs]

Jaime: Like, so when you see yourself on TV or screen it’s like that on crack, it’s absolutely terrifying, and, and you’re like oh my god, like behind a pillow, like-

Jo: Filled with self loathing and despair. [laughs]

Jaime: Yes.

Dana: That’s okay.

Jaime: Which is a work in progress, I’m trying to deal with that now.

Dana: Well, when, at what point did you realize that queer people were actually starting to flock to the show to support this direction with these characters?

Jaime: We, we didn't know, we didn’t know-

Dana: No?

Jaime: Well, we, um, I, um, Jo’s not on social media so I don’t know when she knew, other than maybe when I told her. I saw replies on twitter-

Jo: Comic Con.

Dana: Somebody didn’t like hire a plane and like, around the area with like, a Bering and Wells forever…?

Jo: I, I remember, I remember going to Comic Con, for me because that’s’ when I had the fan interaction, um, because I wasn’t on Twitter-

Jaime: Yeah, there were fans that told us.

Jo: And, and, uh, a lot of the women, I remember being asked some very specific questions during panels, and, you know, there's a lot of guys who like to talk at those panel so I didn’t get to talk a lot but I made it quite, I, I made it quite clear about how important that storyline was to me and it, it, I realized very quickly that it was important to a lot more women than me. I didn’t really realize, too, that storytelling wasn’t represented in that way, at that point, you know. I didn’t feel that. I didn’t feel like that was a groundbreaking choice, to choose to be attracted to a woman in a scene to me is life, it’s how I live my life, I, I’m you know, I don’t have those, I’m not in a box [laughs] and it so when I realized, it was a eye-opening moment. I’m like, I’m like, wait, wait, this is, this is something new that’s not being done?

Dana: You guys were kind of on, you were like right here [miming going up a hill or mountain] and then shortly after Warehouse, it started going like [woosh noise of going down the other side of the hill] and this wave of representation started happening.

Jaime: Well, ev- even in Warehouse, there was an openly gay character in, in Warehouse.

Dana: Right, yes!

Jo: Yeah, yeah, there was Aaron.

Jaime: But it’s been, it’s been incredibly, um, powerful for, for, for, for me, um, you know, I I, think that a lot of people, some people are like oh my god, you know, I wish I could go back to my childhood or my teenage years, I, you could not pay me anything for, I would not go back to my teenage years for love or money. It was, it was a incredibly painful time for me, um, and not a particularly happy time for me, and, um, you know, just awkwardness, you know, all the stuff that, you know, all the stuff people feel in their teens, all the bad stuff I felt in my teens, so when I’ve spoken to people at conventions, um, and they've’ spoken to me about, um, Warehouse having, and our relationship in Warehouse having a positive effect for them in their teen, in their painful teenage years, it’s, it, it, it can bring me to tears, because i- if I could have imagined having kind of that, some kind of impact when I’d been a teenager maybe I wouldn't have been so miserable, but, um, I’m really humbled by it. it’s really lovely.

Dana: Yeah, you, you most certainly have had a tremendous impact on a lot of peoples’ lives and I’m so glad that you are able to take that and keep it in your heart.

Jaime: Yeah.

Dana: Speaking of this kind of sea change of the last few years, do you think that if Warehouse had been airing now that things might have ended differently? Do you think that maybe that subtext really would have been pulled much more into main text?

Jaime: You’d know better, Jo.

Jo: I...don’t know the answer to that question, um, perhaps, actually, absolutely! It’s twenty twenty-

Jaime: If we were writing it, maybe.

Jo: I mean, that’s what I’m trying to do. [laughs] Um, yeah, I think so. Maybe we would have been able to lean more into that storyline, um-

Jaime: Maybe we would’ve had a, be a stronger voice in shaping the narrative there.

Jo: It, yeah, I mean, Jack was, Jack was great about it, but it, it was a different, it was a different era. I think now is, is really a beautiful time for storytelling in the sense that it is really becoming so much more inclusive and we have representation, which, I mean, seeing ourselves represented in stories is how we understand ourselves in the world, and that’s, it’s so important, you know, it’s so important where we’re going, um, and I wish there could have been more of that in Warehouse, but I’m glad there was what there was.

Dana: Yeah.

Jaime: I, I, I also think that, um, you know, it’s changed so much in just such a short space of time, but particularly in the last couple of years, like, women were always, um, portrayed like, like, women always had to be perfect and kind of cute, and, you know, there had to be kind of something attractive or charming about them at all times, you know, and so we always had to put a bow on a woman to make her acceptable. And one of the things that I’m really loving is, you know, that women can be flawed and they can still, you can still love them and, you know, one of the things that always stun- stunned me is that I’ve been so welcomed into a community of kind, inclusive, um, you know, powerful activist, um, women, uh, um, and I’m like, why do these amazing women even like my characters when I’ve played such, um, a bad character, and it’s like-

Dana: But, but we love that! Queer women love a villain!

Jaime: Well, it’s like, flawed characters, and it’s like, and then recently I watched this show called, um, I hate Suzie Pickles [actual title of show: I Hate Suzie], um, there’s a show called, um, uh, I May Destroy You. They’re British shows, actually, both are.

Dana: Oh, yeah, it’s so good.

Jaime: And they, these are complex, um, women who make bad choices, and they self sabotage and they do things that are kind of frowned upon in society, and yet I love them, these women, and it’s like, if I can love these women for all their flaws, then maybe I'm okay too. And I think that we, we have to allow women to be flawed and lovable instead of just being cute little heroines that kind of support men at all times. I mean, it’s changed so much, that’s kind of, like the old, the old order of what it used to be, like, but yeah, it’s exciting.

Dana: That happe- That was what was written in my yearbook! Just, Dana Piccoli, flawed but lovable.

Jaime: Ah! [laughs]

Dana: So I totally, I totally can appreciate that.

Jaime: Was it that? Was it- that would be the best!

Dana: [laughs] I love that.

Jaime: Flawed and lovable, not but.

Dana: Oh yeah, yes, flawed and lovable, sorry, sorry. That’s, that’s what, that’s where I went wrong in the yearbook.

Jaime: Exactly.

Dana: Uh, J- Jaime. A lot has been made of this, the apples scene.

Jaime: Yes.

Dana: Do you think I smell apples is basically saying “I love you”? Were you, what do you think that Helena was trying to express at that time?

Jaime: I, I, I think that it was, um, a sense of, uh, acceptance, and, um, and, and, and, and, and love, I mean, uh, because Helena had always been such a, kind of a troubled character in so many ways and she had kind of, um, these struggles and this darkness and these mental health issues and I think that “I smell apples” was a, a, a wa- wa- was, she, she’d kind of come to the light, you know, she, she had, had kind of accepted herself, and it was such an altruistic act of love, she was sacrificing herself in order to save the others, that it was true love, like she’d overcome the darkness. So it was, uh, I, I, I, I, love that, uh, moment, yeah, that kind of-

Jo: I know we wanted, uh, one of the most beautiful definitions of love onscreen is recognition of your soul in someone else.

Dana: Mhmm.

Jo: That’s really what happens, and I thought that when Jaime did that, there was a very beautiful, I mean it’s sort of like Romeo and Juliet. You see this moment of, and we talked about it earlier, that energy, that to me is that. what that is-

Jaime: Yes.

Jo: -the scene is, “I smell apples.” It’s these two people who see each other in each other and are profoundly connected, whether, in whatever way that it is, it’s just a profound connection, you know, and so often we find boxes to put these connections in, you know, as humans, we want to make sense, we want to make logic of them, you know, which is, I think, um, why storytelling suffers in the representation, because you want to define what a thing is and kind of, um, the most beautiful things about some of the most special relationships is they, they're beyond what you can say they are, they’re beyond categorization, they are, you know...

Jaime: I, I, I definitely think that, although it wasn’t written in that way, I mean, if you actually go back and look at the footage, I’m saying “I love you” to, uh, uh, HG is saying “I love you” to Myka and Myka is is let-

Jo: I only think that’s what she was saying.

Jaime: -letting, letting it land.

Dana: Confirmation, folks! Confirmation, um, everyone!

Jo: In here. [points to head]

Dana: Write it in your vows, write it now in your vows!

Jo: Dana, you’re funny! [laughs]

Dana: Thank you!

Jaime: But wh- when, when did I come back and I was like, married to, what-

Dana: You, you weren't married, you were with a gentleman, and he had a, a young child and-

Jaime: And he was a bit of a drip as well!

Jo: And the house was very suburban, that’s all I remember was, I like walked into this house and I was like-

Jaime: That was, was that, I don’t really know the chronological, um, ordering, but like, I had like a ponytail, and I had a, possibly-

Jo: You were probably like driving a minivan.

Dana: You were teaching, you were teaching, weren’t you?

Jaime: Cause wasn’t I [indecipherable]

Jo: It’s okay, Jaime, I [indecipherable]

Dana: You were like in Phoenix or something.

Jaime: Yeah so, so what was that, after a bit I, so like “I smell apples” was the ending of my character, right? So like that, was that after a bit-

Dana: Right, and then you got rev- you were brought back-

Jaime: Right.

Dana: And then you kind of disappeared for a bit.

Jaime: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dana: Yes. Yeah, um-

Jaime: Yeah.

Dana: The, um, the, the, uh, the fans [laughs] were, um, confused by that, were like what?

Jaime: I d- I’m confused, I’m confused! [laughs]

Jo: Not just the fans, not just the fans.

Jaime: Well, I actually, um, I, I, I really want to go back and see that scene, um, I, I feel like you came to, I don’t, I was living in like suburbia-

Dana: Mhm.

Jaime: And, and didn’t you come to-

Jo: I don't remember.

Jaime: -the house and I, I think you came to-

Jo: I remember that horrible house though, because it was like, it… [makes disgusted face]

Jaime: It was so weird and I was like hello, I’m kind of like a completely different woman!

Jo: It was like very Stepford, I like, I walked in and, I don’t know why Myka was so accepting, I would’ve taken a baseball bat to the house, gonna be like, we’re leaving!

Jaime: So, so, so, so, I, so I, Jack, so Jack, Jack-

Jo: Get out of here, you drank the Kool Aid!

Jaime: I remember Jack was there and I was like, um, uh, oh, like this, like, like this doesn't work because of this and this doesn’t work because of that, and I was having a little, kind of like a creative difference with him, and, and he left for the day, he left for the day, and I really want to go back and see that s- that, that scene, because I remember I was asking him if I could, yeah, I know it’s, it says this but could I play it like this? And I do- I remember he didn’t want me to for the storyline, but I remember he left. [laughs] So I’d love to go back and see, I, I remember think- feeling like I was quite naughty, that I actually got away with it, but, uh-

Dana: Oh, I am loving all the subversive shit that was happening behind the scenes. [laughs]

Jaime: Yeah. [laughs]

Jo: Do you remember the park bench as well? Remember that scene, it was-

Jaime: Oh, yeah, a bench.

Jo: Wasn’t that a bench?

Jaime: Oh, that was a love scene, that was a love scene.

Jo: That was a, yeah, we really went for that one. [all laugh]

Jo: Everyone was like, what? And I’m like, well, we’re doing it. Might as well!

Jaime: [laughs] And we’re in like, Toronto, and everyone behind the camera, like, they’re very blokey, and it’s not in the script, and then they're like, “oh I didn’t, they’re, they’re, oh I didn’t see that coming!” [laughs]

Jo: They were like, what are you guys doing? We’re like, we’ll figure it out! [laughing]

Jaime: Exactly! We’re just doing our own thing. [laughs]

Dana: Oh, a little, a little mutiny, a little bit! [laughs] Well we, we, we’ve ha- we’ve had such incredible conversation so far, and I have so many fan questions for you, and if we were onstage everyone would get to come up to the mic-

Jaime: Aw.

Dana: -and ask you questions, but I do have a bunch of questions that were sent in, um, so I do want to get to your fans, because your fans are so integral to keeping this like-

Jo: That’s why we’re here.

Dana: -story alive. Uh, let’s see here. Let’s kick it off. Alright, so wellsbering wants to know, what personality traits do you share with your characters?

Jaime: Well I think, I think that, um, I, uh, definitely always get cast as the baddie for whatever reason, but then I think that, um, really the quirky mess that I, I, I morphed into is basically me. [all laugh]

Jo: I like that answer, that’s great. Um, I, uh, am very A-type when it comes to certain things, and Myka very much, I’m very like, flowy, Myka wa- didn’t flow, but there are certain parts of my life where I’m not flowy around. My work is one of them, writing is another one. Um, and I’m very afraid of letting people down. I think that’s why I've been, I was te- telling a lot of the people that I was talking to today that, you know, the reason I didn’t do this a lot when the show was on, I couldn’t understa- i was like, why do people wanna meet me? They're gonna meet me and be disappointed.

Dana: Ohhhh.

Jo: Yeah.

Dana: I think everyone thinks that though, I think that’s very common.

Jo: I think tha- yeah, I think that’s the human condition, right?

Dana: Yes.

Jo: Um, but, but I think Myka and I share that sort of reserve, you know, that thing where you’re like I don’t, no, don’t get too close. I’m like a Monet, stay back. [laughs]

Jaime: And I, I think that was part of the chemistry as well, it’s like, you have that kind of like, you know, protectio- protective-

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: -kind of like, edge. And so it’s like, if, I think that i- in a way, the gift that we had by it not being written for us is, if had been written we would’ve, the characters would’ve made each other, um, accessible to each other far too quickly. It was like the slow burn of, Myka could be quite prickly, and my character was completely messed up so it was kind of like, this kind of like energy between them where they were kind of like, you know, like working each other out, feeling each other out-

Jo: Is there? Is there an energy there?

Jaime: And then the laughs were well earned, and the smiles, and the deciding to work together was well earned. There was a, a lot of suspicion around each other, and when they opened up or they kind of let their guard down, it was hard earned, and and it was like, you know, something you would wanna rejoice at.

Jo: Yeah, aw, I love that.

Dana: Um, okay, so this is from mayberrycosplay, uh, you may remember mayberrycosplay, I believe one of them dressed as HG at a con, uh-

Jaime: Oh!

Dana: -but they wondered-

Jaime: I’ve seen a few HGs.

Dana: You’ve seen a few HGs.

Jaime: [laughs]

Dana: This is for Jo about, uh, Myka’s experience with ovarian cancer and, uh, like, how the awareness of this silent killer of women, like how that storyline, what that storyline meant to you and how it felt to portray that?

Jo: I was really nervous about that storyline, you know, anything that has affected people and their families and, and it’s always, I, you know, difficult territory to walk as an actor, especially in a show like Warehouse where there's so much happening on such a grand level that I’m like, are they going to pay attention to this? Are they going to really honor a storyline like this? was my concern, you know, like very often things like that are added like, uh, it’s like putting a robot arm on a story, and you're like oh, and by the way, there’s ovarian cancer! And so I was really, you know, concerned about showing up for that and, and, and and serving it in a way that people understood and, and could identify with that, you know, it’s such a catharsis, that’s what I think it’s supposed to be. Um, so it was, uh, I, the fans told me I pulled it off, that’s the only way that I know.

Dana: Well it meant a tremendous amount to, to mayberrycosplay and so that’s why they, they sent that in because it, it really affected them because of their own personal-

Jo: Yeah.

Dana: -you know, family journeys and such.

Jo: Well I’m so, so, thank you, I mean, I’m still wondering, you know, I worked really hard to make sure that was in there. We’ve all lost somebody to cancer, we all know what that’s like, we all know- I mean, I mean, I certainly have, to feel a lump and be like [does the Home Alone face] you know. I have two friends right now who are going through it, so I try to honor it in the best way. I- it’s one of the things that makes me want to be an actor, uh, that I think is so special about it is that you get to tell stories that people, it’s a group catharsis, you know, so I’m glad that, glad they think I, the only thing that, if they think I sh- I showed up then... [laughs] yes, good, good, good.

Dana: Um, let’s see here, cloxy813 wants to know what was your favorite, favorite scene to film together?

Jo: Probably the heaving bosoms scene. I was excited for the heaving bosoms scene, which was all like [mimes placing gun to forehead] kill me!

Jaime: [laughs]

Dana: Hashtag heaving bosoms scene.

Jo: It was so hot that day, I remember my tank top-

Jaime: So hot, oh my god, it was like-

Jo: It was like, my tank top, I would like look down and find, I was like, my boobs are out, um. [laughs] I just saw him sign, them sign, um.

Jaime: We were by that lake, I just wanted to dive in there. It was-

Jo: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I loved, I loved, I loved doing that scene, I have to say. And, and the chess scene, I remember that.

Jaime: Oh yeah.

Jo: I remember that very well. Um, I really enjoyed my work with Jaime because I, as I said, you know, there’s not a lot of scenes that are two women just being women. It was so, it was like a breath of fresh air and so I, I wasn't, I was, uh, you know, a lot of the times Myka was there to witness Pete-

Jaime: Or, or, or to laugh, or to kind of laugh and sigh at his super funny jokes.

Jo: The funny jokes... um, so, so it was so nice to not ha- be in a scene from that point of view. So often women are are written as accessories-

Jaime: Yeah.

Jo: You know, and, and this was a storyline where I felt like she was a whole person and I could be like a whole, real person, I didn't have to be like-

Jaime: I, I, I, I, I was on a show called Hustle and there was a character on it called Danny Blue, and he had all the funny lines, and one of the refrains that I had was “oh Danny. Oh Danny,” where every time he said something cheeky or naughty or a joke I’d go “oh Danny,” and I remember just being so excited to get the job, but then after awhile like me saying “oh Danny” really wore thin, especially as off camera I feel like I was more witty! [laughs] In that space I was much more funny, but all the funny was written for him, and I was going “oh Danny.” So when I came in I really, I kind of, um, you know, I knew the frustration of playing the, kind of, you, you know-

Jo: Straight man.

Dana: The “oh Danny.”

Jo: -if you were playing, right, right, the brainiac, uptight brainiac, and Pete had all the funny lines, so obviously we were in a lot of scenes with the rest of the cast and keeping the story going, but I felt as though all the character stuff that we had as, as women came from the scenes when we were on our own, and obviously that first scene with the grappler, um, you know, was, it was kind of the first scene where I’d been playing kind of like a little, kind of kind of like sneaky little looks and curiosity and fascination with this woman-

Dana: Yeah, we noticed.

Jaime: And, but, but, I, but, it wasn’t until the grappler scene that I thought that, that i was starting to get this, kind of, this chemistry going, and then there was a scene, do you remember the scene where I didn’t know how to work a computer or open it, it was like a, I was like a monkey-

Jo: Yeah [laughs] yeah.

Jaime: I was like a, it was like, I didn’t know what this is, we were-

Dana: Well, I mean in, in f- in fairness you had been in bronze for a long time.

Jaime: -we were in like a stu- a student room, a student's room, it was-

Jo: Yeah, we were at the college, we were at U of T.

Jaime: And, and. and we’d, it was the first time we’d deci- you’d, you’d kind of begrudgingly decided that we could work together, and HG was kind of a little thrilled, and you were a bit begrudging and-

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: There was all, we, we still had to, ‘cause like, in sci-fi there’s a lot of storyline and exposition and kind of fantastical stuff, which is super fun, but actually as actors you really get excited about the character stuff and there was always just this great character stuff whenever we were on our own with a scene-

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: -um, because we didn’t have to worry so much about servicing all the other characters, we just serviced each other.

Dana: Well, you know, there are only two kinds of queer women. It is thrilling or begrudging, it’s one or the other. [all laugh]

Dana: They fit perfectly in there.

Jaime: I mean maybe that’s why it resonated so well, and maybe it was the reason it was so great, that it wasn’t written, because you had these two kind of like, kind of sli- slightly spiky kind of like flawed women, kind of like o- one, you know, one not particularly into the other at all, you know, so-

Jo: It was interesting, I still remember, I still remember receiving that energy and receiving that stuff and realizing, sort of plotting, cause I’m like, how long would it take Myka to figure this out?

Jaime: [laughs]

Jo: Seriously, I was like, cause, Joanne is not her,, I’m, you know, I’m wasn’t in the box that she, I always thought, Jack’s like, you’re exactly like that character, I’m nothing, I’m not- [laughs] I mean there’s a part of me that’s uptight but there's a part of me that’s most definitely not, so I was like how, and I really wanted to do the discovery of it within her, the like, this, the, this feeling started, and then her sort of, and M-Myka to me as a character as a whole was always somebody who was afraid, this is somebody who was always very scared of everything and presented themselves in this very [mimes acting stuffy and uptight] way because there was so much going on here [gestures to heart] and it was slow in the five seasons, I really wanted her to like, you know, relax and start laughing and not be so, and I was like, there’s a certain amount of wonder that was like-

Jaime: Endless wonder.

Jo: -ohhhh, ohhhhh, ohhhh, like you kind of see her, one of the things about that journey is you start to see her discover sort of herself and her own feeling surrounding that, which I thought was really special.

Jaime: And also you, um, you, you kind of ended up, you, you know, HG was kind of like a tricky character and she was always one step ahead, um for, that first season, but then when she started to fall apart, you were the one that kind of put her together, and then I felt like there was also this humor introduced, this lightness introduced to your character through the humor el- elements-

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: -and the surprise, which was, um, really lovely for your character.

Jo: Yeah, I, I think for m- for me, you know, it was a decision I made like in season two that I k- she had to evolve and grow and sort of, um, I couldn’t, I was, I was, I was like, I can’t keep coming to work and putting a giant stick up my ass [laughs] like we’re doing, like I need just to like expand her and go towards her relaxing and really finding, I think for her the big thing was always finding connection, you know, this-

Dana: Sure.

Jo: -we, we see in the beginning of the show is, it’s very cut off, very isolated, very like, and I, she lost her partner, that was, when I read that script, immediately I was like, this is someone who’s so scared of losing people again that she’s never gonna let anyone else in, and that was sort of like my understanding of her. And when Jaime came on, it was such a great way to explore that, Myka opening, you know, as feelings developed, her opening, you know-

Dana: Well, that, the growth, the character journey that both of your, your characters went on, I think that is what makes the show still so enduring to fans, like why they feel so connected to it, because we do, we saw that journey, you know, both of you had your own journeys to go on and you somehow managed to cross, cross paths, and it may not have ended the way fans had wanted it to, but we still go so much out of it.

Jo: I’m so glad.

Dana: I wish it was endgame, but what can I do?

Jaime: We, we, we need a spinoff show for Jo and I, we, we need a spinoff show.

Dana: Okay, yes, the spinoff, okay! You need to talk about that because-

Jaime: Who do we need to talk to to make that happen?

Dana: I got in a lot of trouble on Twitter yesterday for not asking a spinoff question, uh, what, like, what would a spinoff look like between between HG and Myka?

Jo: I think it would be have, to be now, which we-

Dana: Yeah.

Jo: And we’d have to get her, there’s no ponytails in this story, there’s no suburbs, there’s no fucking ponytails, um, no-

Jaime: I won- I won- I wonder if, um, it could be now, but, or, I wonder if I, I had to come in for a mission and then I actually pulled you back into my time, that might be an interesting way to turn it on its head.

Dana: Ooh, Jaime Murray, there we go!

Jaime: If we both had to go back-

Dana: I love me some period.

Jaime: -into my time or you know what made me think that [she does the Jaime Murray hair flip™] what I-

Jo: [laughs]

Jaime: I saw that, I saw that ne- The Nevers-

Jo: I miss that hair flip!

Jaime: -the, the, the a- the adverts for The Nevers on HBO, and I’m like that is the HG Wells spinoff right there, and I was like super fucked that I wasn’t in that, and then I read that Joss Whedon was a consultant and I was like [inaudible] really bad, so, but, anyway I think that that’s what we should do. I, I’m also obsessed with that time period.

Jo: I mean, yeah, and also like it was real, yeah-

Jaime: It was the beginning of ps-

Jo: Yeah.

Jaime: -psychology, of like Tesla, of of like different thoughts, there was like, they were like spiritual, um, kind of scientists and atheism and there was all it this opportunity for change, which actually wasn’t taken, but it was actually, it’s super interesting right at the time, there was suffragettes-

Jo: Also a fish out of water for me would be so wacky, because I’m a fish out of water too, alright.

Dana: I’m curious if yo all saw the Saturday Night Live sketch the other, uh, last week with, uh, lesbian period drama-

Jaime: Oh!

Dana: -and how, how every lesbian, like anything that features lesbians now has to be- [laughs]

Jaime: Well have you e- have you ever-

Dana: -it’s like the Edwardian or, like the Edwardian times.

Jaime: Have you guys read Sarah Waters, do you know this?

Dana: Oh, of course!

Jaime: Like, so, and maybe that is actually what helped me get to HG Wells, but I loved those books when-

Dana: Oh, they’re so amazing.

Jaime: -I was growing up and I feel like we should make those o- we should remake one of those b- Jo, you’ve got to read those books, and then-

Jo: I’m writing it down! I’m taking notes!

Jaime: Oh, it’s amazing.

Dana: You two would be amazing in her most recent one.

Jaime: She writes these amazing Edwardian, Edwardian kind of wanton lust and then there’s like, like the vervain or whatever, that kind of drug that they used to take back then-

Jo: Opium?

Jaime: -so it’s like slightly, kind of like psychedelic, oh, it’s amazing, yeah, she’s amazing.

Dana: [laughs] Well, we unfortunately are out of time, and it’s been so much fun to talk to the two of you, and I, I love the love that you have for your characters, for your friendship, for the fans, uh, it’s, it’s so lovely to see, and thank you so much for making this work in your schedules, I know you’re both super busy doing your own projects, um, and I want to think Mark. Mark, you’re amazing, thank you so much for, for interpreting.

Jaime: Thank you, Mark!

Jo: Thank you, Mark!

Dana: Um, do you have anything you want to end with, to say to the, to the Bering lesbians out there?

Jaime: Well, first of all, I want to say that, um, if anyone sends me messages to, you know, pictures or anything that that Jo needs to see, I’ll make sure that Jo, Jo gets it, ‘cause she’s not on social media, and I’ll, I’ll share stuff with her so that she can kind of know the love from the community.

Dana: Yeah, great.

Jo: I think, um, I’m actually gonna try to put together a newsletter because I’m trying to get my shows made and I could use this community, you know, to help-

Dana: Oh, we will support you to the end! We will march off that cliff with you.

Jaime: I could help you make a Twitter account, just for our community.

Jo: I don’t wanna do Twitter, I wanna do a newsletter. [laughs] I don’t wanna, I don’t know how many characters are in it, but it’s not enough. [laughs]

Jaime: But Jo, Jo, you have to actually read some of the fanfiction. The fanfiction is epic.

Jo: I have a book that I got, somebody wrote a book-

Jaime: Unbelievable, oh my god.

Jo: -like a novel.

Jaime: They’re brilliant, these people are brilliant, like best fans ever.

Dana: There is some really incredible work out there.

Jaime: Well, do you want to-

Jo: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone, um, you know, I don’t do these very often, and just like, the outpouring of love, like just the connection, I really appreciate it, I’m so grateful, so thank you.

Jaime: Yeah, it’s such a beautiful community. I feel really proud to have been welcomed into it and, uh, very grateful.

Dana: Well, we’ll hope to see you another time, and thank you all who turned in to this panel. [Jaime blows kisses]

Jo: Thank you.

Jaime: Bye, guys.

Dana: Do you smell apples?

Jaime: Bye, Jo, I love you so much.

Jo: Do you smell apples? I love you too. [blows kiss] I’ll talk to you soon.

Jaime: Yes, I’ll see you later. Bye bye, darlings.

Jo: Bye.

[seita]

the contract girlfriend | semi eita (m.)

˒ pairing: semi eita/reader ˒ genre: angst, fluff, smut ˒ wordcount: 𝟺𝟹𝟹𝟷 ˒ tags: friends2lovers, fake dating, musician!eita ˒ cw: dirty talk, loss of virginity, virgin kink if u squint: sweet talking, pet names, mean girl ex, mutual pining, unrequited love(?), angst with a happy ending, UNEDITED

+ note: this is a collab along with the other writers for the kkc! i would also like to thank @bokutobabie​ 𝖿for her help with this plot bc it was kickin’ my ass.

˖˖ summary: when he was an unknown musician, his girlfriend left him. now that he’s made it, he wants to make her jealous at a fancy party so he can get her back.unfortunately, he asks you to be his fake date. the downside? you have a very real crush on him.

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collab masterlist!

© all content belongs to seita 2020. do not modify or repost.

“I have a proposition,” is never a sentence you want to hear when you sit down to lunch with your best friend. Especially when that friend is Semi Eita. 

“What..?” you ask apprehensively, taking the cup of coffee he’d obviously gotten to bribe you. You took it regardless, not willing to pass up the offer of free coffee.

“Nana is gonna be at the party this weekend,” he muttered, swirling his fingertips around the rim of his cup. You felt your heart drop into the pit of your stomach at his words, “I want you to come and pretend to be my date.”

Just as you’d expected. Not something you wanted to hear.

Nana was Eita’s first love, his first serious relationship, really. They got together when he was fresh out of highschool, the two of them spending almost all of their time together. 

It was when his career as a musician was just beginning, he was playing small gigs and there was nothing really successful. But he was happy. And he thought she was too.

Until she dumped him in favor of a much more famous man. He was a big movie producer and offered her a leading role in an upcoming film. Of course, she took the offer. 

She would much rather be mingling with the rich and famous than be hanging out with “a nobody like him”, as she put it. You remembered the hurt Eita felt, the tears and heartbreak it took almost 3 years for him to get over. 

“Why?” you finally asked with a sigh, “What will that accomplish?”

“Well if she gets jealous, she might want to get back with me,” he grinned impishly, shrugging his shoulders like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

You recognized the look in his eyes, one of determination. So you sighed, nodding your head, “Alright, I’ll be your date.”

He beamed, uttering out endless thanks to you as you went on with your lunch until he decided to go back to the studio. He slipped his hat on low, making sure his mask was in place before hugging your goodbye and leaving you sitting alone at the table. 

You sighed, downing the last of your coffee. Your spirits were low; you had no idea what to expect from this party. 

Would she fall for it and run back into his arms now that he had had his big breakthrough and became mainstream? She surely must have known by now; his band was already breaking records, wracking up fans by the thousands, his songs were being played on the radio. 

Maybe now that he was famous enough, she’d actually want to be with him. Not that she deserved him. And he didn’t deserve someone like that, either. He was too good for her, too good to be treated like that. 

You let out another sigh and stood up, grabbing your purse from the back of the chair.

This was going to be painful. You weren’t sure how you would cope with pretending to be his girlfriend all for the sake of him getting back with her. 

Surely your heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

Because as much as you tried to hide it, you were irrevocably in love with your best friend.

The entire getup was supplied to you by Eita; from the jewelry to the dress itself. You felt like a different person. Despite the fact he was your best friend, you hadn’t attended one of the big parties since his band’s breakout single. 

This particular party wasn’t in celebration of his band, but he was invited regardless so naturally he went. He was still enjoying the high life and was getting used to tasting fame. You were glad it hadn’t actually affected his personality. 

“You look nice today,” Tendou complimented with a breezy smile. He was nursing a glass of champagne, which was uncharacteristic to say the least. He had always been more of a whiskey kind of guy.

“Thanks,” you shrugged, “I’m not really a fan of this kind of thing.”

“I know,” he grinned, “You look terribly uncomfortable, that’s why I came over to be such a good pal and keep you company while your darling boyfriend is off galavanting with the people!”

You rolled your eyes, “He’s not my boyfriend, Satori.”

He giggled, taking glee in your embarrassment, “But you wish he was.”

“Are you already drunk?” you raise a brow, making him snicker.

Someone called his name from the crowd and he flashed you a knowing grin, “Eita may be too dim to see it, but the rest of us aren’t!”

You pout and find yourself alone once again. Looking around, you search for your ‘boyfriend’. Suddenly, a heavy arm falls across your shoulders and the familiar scent of his cologne reaches your nose. 

“Hey, babygirl,” he coos, making your heart skip a beat at the pet name. He sounds so fond and you feel yourself smiling before he busts out laughing, shaking his head before letting his arm fall from your shoulders, “That’s just so weird. I dunno if I’ll be able to get through this tonight,” Ouch. “Anyway, Nana just arrived so…” he takes your hand but you can’t bring yourself to smile as you feel the ache in your heart at his words.

If he takes note of your deflated behavior, he doesn’t say anything, merely leading you over to the balcony. You breathe in the fresh air and feel the ache in your chest dull.

“Eita? Is that you?” a perky voice makes you cringe. 

“Nana,” Eita breathes, tugging you against his side as she breaks through the crowd to stand in front of the two of you.

Her smile promptly disappears at the sight of you crowded in Eita’s arms.

“Eita...who’s this?” she asks, a smile returning but you can tell it’s plastic. 

You remembered everything you had gone over with him before the party; the two of you had sat down for a few hours to sort out your story and rules. It had felt like you were making a binding contract with him when you told him no kissing on the lips. It was your only stipulation and you swore you saw a brief downward tug of his lips when you told him before he beamed and readily agreed. 

Maybe you were imagining that disappointment in his eyes too. 

“This is my girlfriend, _____,” Eita introduced, giving your arm an affectionate squeeze.

“Oh,” she gave you a strained smile and held out her hand for you to shake. When you slipped your hand into hers, she gave it a tense squeeze that made you flinch, “I’m Nana, Eita’s ex.”

“I’ve uh…” you cleared your throat and pulled your hand away, “I’ve heard stories about you.”

“All good I’m sure,” she replied flippantly before setting her sights on him once more, “We should totally catch up, you know? Reminisce about the good old times~”

The sultry, flirtatious undertone made your skin crawl. Even if you weren’t really dating, she thought you were and for her to not respect that made you angry. But still, Eita pulled away and placed a kiss against your temple that set your heart ablaze.

“Sure, why not?” he grinned and gave your hand a squeeze, “You go have some fun, sweetheart. I’ll catch up with you later.”

You gave him a hollow wave as he quickly vanished into the crowd without a second glance your way. You knew this was the end goal but still, to see him walking away hurt. A sense of rejection was seeded within you and you felt your spirits slowly being crushed. 

It took all your power to continue on with the party until it felt acceptable to leave. Throughout the party, you kept getting glances of the two of them. 

Eita wore a serene smile, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her. Whenever she looked at him with a flirtatious smile and a subtle caress, you felt jealousy pool in the core of your stomach. You wanted to march over there and scream “he’s mine!”. But you couldn’t, because he wasn’t really yours. 

He was only pretending to be yours so he could have her. 

Your phone vibrated as you downed your final glass of wine, making you look at the screen with a frown.

“I’m heading to Nana’s apartment for the night! See if Satori can give you a ride home, thanks for the help!!”

Your jaw ached from how hard you were forcing yourself to keep from crying. When you tried to find the elusive redhead, you found he was drunk and dancing with two girls so you decided to leave him be and simply call an Uber. 

For just a short time, you had simply been a contract girlfriend for him to use. Though you knew it was fake, it still felt so nice to be called his. 

So you went home, removing your expensive clothing like Cinderella after the ball and decided to relax on the couch. It was only a little past midnight when you got out of the shower, turning on the TV to watch whatever late night nonsense was playing. 

Eita thought that being with Nana again would be everything he wanted. But as he laid beside her, her head resting on his naked chest, strangely all he could think of was you. 

When he asked you to pretend to be his date, he hadn’t thought of the possibility of how it would really feel. Sure, he had touched you before, naturally. Sometimes he hugged you and held your hand. But that night, when he placed the kiss against your head, the way your eyes lit up in response had his heart stuttering when he thought back to it. 

Truth be told, when you told him he couldn’t kiss you he felt so...disappointed. He had thought of assigning the same rule but decided against it at the last moment, secretly thinking about how nice it may feel to kiss you. 

He had quickly dashed that though because of how wrong it was to think of you like that. 

Yet there he was, thinking of you with his ex girlfriend back in his arms again.

“Eita?” Nana asked, lifting her head to look drowsily at him, “Are you okay?”

“Um...yeah,” he clears his throat, “I should probably get going.”

“Why?” she whines, “Don’t worry about her.”

“Huh? Who?” he asks, confused.

She giggles and clings to his arm, “Your girlfriend! She doesn’t have to know!”

His heart ached at those words -- true, you weren’t really dating but he felt like he had done something wrong. And for some reason Nana’s blatant disregard that he had cheated with her made him nauseous.

“I...I just want to see if she made it home safely,” he gave her a tight lipped smile and picked up his phone. 

She rested against the pillow, head propped up on her hand as she watched him dial you. When you didn’t answer, he gave a frustrated sigh and dialed Satori instead. 

It rang a few times before the slurred voice of his best friend answered, “H-Hey man, what’s up?”

“Satori, did you drop _____ off okay?” Eita asked.

The redhead made a confused sound over the line, “What’re you talkin’ about? She never asked me to take her anywhere.”

“What?” Eita frowned, “Did you see her leave the party?”

“Gotta tell ya, man, I wasn’t watchin’ her,” Tendou replied, a feminine giggle in the background making Eita frown, “Wasn’t that supposed to be your job?”

Eita sighed, shaking his head, “Alright, dude, just...let me know if you hear from her.”

“Hah? Why would she call me?” Satori chuckled, “Why don’t you just check on her? Better safe than sorry...I mean, she’s a cute girl, you never know what kinda scoundrels were eyeing her in that pretty little dress tonight. If i was a less honorable friend, she would be the one in my bed right now!”

Eita scoffed and hung up as his friend started cackling gleefully over the line. Eita stood up, shaking off Nana’s grabby hands as he slipped his jeans back on.

“You’re not going back to her, are you?” she pouted.

Eita sighed, “I gotta check on her. No one knows where she went off to.”

“She’s a big girl, c’mon Eita~” she purred, letting the sheet fall from her bare body as she crawled towards him.

He shook his head and threw his shirt on, grabbing his keys off of her dresser before moving to the door, “I gotta see her.”

He ignored her obnoxious whining as he bolted out the door. Any sleepiness that was in his system had evaporated at the worry he felt over you. 

The drive to your apartment was quick enough, it went by in a blur. He took two steps at a time up to your place on the 3r floor, not patient enough to wait for the elevator. 

The knock on your door made you jump. Throwing the pillow you held in your lap aside, you checked through the peephole to see a familiar head of sandy blonde hair. 

Pulling the door opened, you looked at him with wide eyes, “Eita? Aren’t you supposed to be with--”

“I couldn’t get a hold of you,” he breathed, stepping past you to enter your living room.

“And?” you laughed, shrugging your shoulders.

“I got worried! Why didn’t you go home with Satori?” he sighed, sitting on your couch with a huff.

You chuckled again, though it was humorless, “He looked like he was having fun, I didn’t want to impose.”

He sighs and relaxes against the couch. As you sit next to him, for a second things feel normal. 

You almost feel okay, as if you could forget about everything happening. It’s so easy to forget your crush on your best friend and the fact he wanted to be with another woman. 

It was easy to forget it all until it came rushing back into your face in the form of Nana. 

You and Eita were having a lunch date, as was normal for the two of you. Unfortunately, amid his retelling of a story you had heard a million times over, she showed up with an obnoxious screech of his name.

“Eita!” she squealed and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders. 

You let out a soft sigh, your eyes falling to your half-finished plate.

“Nana…” he greeted, eyes wide in shock, “H-How did you find me? What’re you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you, silly!” she chirped, taking a seat in his lap in a way that was far too comfortable. Suddenly, her gaze shifted to you and the smile vanished off of her face, “Oh, you’re here.”

“Nana…” Eita sighed but didn’t make any move to get off of him.

“What? I thought you were going to break up with her?” she whined loudly, making your cheeks burn as people looked over at the two of you, “You said you were going to dump her!”

“I--” Eita started.

“You should go,” Nana grinned at you, shrugging her shoulders as she hugged Eita closer to her, “Seriously, he’s mine now. He was fucking me at that party instead of you.”

Although nothing about your relationship that night was real, the humiliation you felt at that very moment was. She was smug that she had gotten your boyfriend to cheat on you and was making a spectacle of her victory. 

Biting your lip, you reached behind you to grab your purse, “I-I’ll see you later, Eita.”

“______ wait!” he called but you were already rushing towards the entrance. 

You had no idea that he was hot on your heels until you reached your apartment. You went to close it only for the foot to intercept it. Looking over your shoulder, you found Eita panting before he was pushing the door open completely.

“_____ I--” he paused, “Why are you crying?”

“I am?” you wiped under your eyes and frowned when you felt the moisture there, promptly wiping it away, “Sh-She completely made a fool of me, Eita. I don’t know what you ever saw in her and I don’t know why I helped you get back with her.”

“I know, look…” he ran a hand through his already messed up hair, “I feel the same, alright? I’m sorry I pulled you into all this, _____, I really am. Alright, I told her to get lost.”

You sighed and took a seat on your couch, “She only wanted you back because you’re famous now. You know that right?”

He chuckled and sat down, nodding his head, “I guess I was just...hoping for something I guess.”

“What?” you asked.

He shrugged, “I don’t really remember anymore,” he confessed. 

“Well,” you didn’t quite know what to say, simply leaning back on the couch to appear relaxed, “I always wondered why you didn’t date after her anyway.”

He shrugged once more. How was he meant to say that he didn’t want anyone impeding on his time with you? 

“I guess...no one really came along, you know?”

You nodded, “I guess it’s the same for me.”

He snorted, “You’ve never even dated anyone before.”

“You don’t have to bring that up!” you whined, playfully shoving his shoulder.

He laughed, melodic and pretty, “I think it’s cute. What’s your story then?”

“Eita, we’ve been friends since high school, you know everything about me,” you smiled, feeling your cheeks warm at the soft look he was giving you.

“Yeah but…” he bit his lip, fingers inching closer towards you, “You’re...pretty and sweet. There’s plenty of good looking guys around me that have tried flirting with you before. Hell, Satori even said he was into you.”

You smiled and shook your head, “No, none of them are right…”

“Who is right then?” he asked, unable to hide the hopefulness in his voice.

“Eita…” the smile falls from your lips, your heart hammering in your chest as he moved closer towards you, “I…”

“Hm?” he hummed, his nose brushing against yours, breath fanning over your lips.

“I...I won’t regret this, will I?” you asked. 

His breathing stuttered against your skin and he shook his head, bringing his hand up to cup your cheek, “You won’t.”

After those words left his mouth, he brought your lips to his in a sweet kiss that was perfect for a first. You could tell he was experienced, knowing exactly how to move. 

There was something sweet lingering on his tongue that you found utterly addictive. 

You wish you could find it strange or even scary to wind up in bed with your best friend. The fact your entire relationship was going to be changing should have concerned you but all you felt was anticipation. 

He hovered over your body, the two of you stripping your clothes with unhurried ease. His body was firm from working out, a habit he never let go of from his time as a volleyball player. 

His hands were calloused and warm as they touched your body, caressing your breasts in a way no one ever had. The feeling of him thumbing over your nipples had your back arching in arousal, your panties becoming soaked embarrassingly fast. 

He was hard and throbbing in his jeans, the constricting material almost painful but all he really cared about in that moment was seeing all of you. 

Hooking his thumbs into the band of your panties, he pulled the material down. He cursed under his breath at the strings of slick that attached to the fabric. 

“You’re so wet,” he breathed, licking his lips as he tossed your panties over his shoulder to be lost somewhere in your room. 

“Sh-Shut up, don’t tease me…” you mumble, feeling embarrassed by your body’s own reaction to him.

He smiles, pressing a soft kiss against your knee, “I’m not, baby. It’s sweet...I love knowing you react so honestly to me.”

“Eita…” you whined, reaching up to cover your face as he spread your legs.

“Hmm?” he bites his lip, sliding two fingers between your folds to spread them apart. 

Your hole clenched around nothing, drooling more slick for him to gather on his fingertips. He used it to rub smooth circles around your clit, the sweet moan that fell from your lips at the pleasure he so easily gave you. 

“I’ll get you nice and prepped, baby,” he cooed, the nickname making your heart soar. 

You were so wet, making it easy for him to slide two thick fingers into your pretty cunt. You clamped down tight around the digits, making his cock throb at the mere thought of what that would feel like around his hard cock. 

Twisting his wrist, he crooked his fingers up to hit your sweet spot, his thumb coming up to circle around your clit. The inexperience of your body made it so easy for him to bring you to the edge. 

You had never felt this, no one had ever touched you so intimately so your body was more reactive than ever. 

Reaching down, you wrapped your hand around his wrist, meeting his gaze with wide eyes. He smiled, capturing his bottom lip between his teeth.

“You cumming?” he asked, though he could very easily feel your walls spasming around him. 

Still, you nodded, mouth falling open but no sound escaping, “E-Eita…”

“C’mon, baby,” he groaned, fasting his pace to fuck your dripping cunt. The sounds were wet, lewd and if you were with anyone else you would have been completely ashamed. But it was Eita, the person you trusted the most in the world. He groaned as your body began to quake, “Let it go, pretty girl. Cum for me, that’s it.”

At his encouragement, you released with a shrill whine of his name. He eagerly fucked your gushing cunt through the high, only slowing when your back met the bed again. 

Pulling his fingers from your hole, he was mindful of your sensitivity. He still couldn’t resist placing a fleeting kiss against your throbbing clit before sitting up to meet you for another heated kiss. 

Your body was still trembling as you wrapped your arms around his neck, your thighs spread open around his waist. His clothed cock hovered above your sensitive core and he made sure the rough material of his jeans didn’t make contact.

“Please, Eita, c-can we…?” you asked, biting your lip, too embarrassed to utter the words.

He smiled and nodded, brushing some hair behind your ear before sitting up to discard the remaining clothing on his person. His skin was pretty, tanned and built. His cock reached his navel, dripping precum down the length which he used to easily slick his cock up with his fist. 

The sight of your best friend jerking himself off over your naked, trembling body felt beyond taboo. But it only made you more eager to have him. 

“Please, Eita...I want you,” you breathed. 

He flashed you a smile and sat up on his knees, sliding the dripping tip between your folds. Brushing past your clit, you whined at the sensitivity. 

“It might hurt a bit, pretty baby,” he whispered, positioning himself at your entrance. 

You had already guessed it. He was big just by looking at him. But nothing compared to when he began to sink into you -- that’s when his size really became apparent. 

“Ah, Eita!” you whined, digging your nails into his shoulders.

He hissed but didn’t stop you, eyes falling to where his cock was steadily stretching you open. When he got halfway in, he pulled back until the head remained within your clasping walls. With an experienced roll of his hips, he pushed his cock back in, this time easily bottoming out. 

“Fuck!” you squealed, back arching. 

He could feel you gushing, dripping down his balls. There wasn’t a single sign of pain in your features so he quickly began to move, the both of you riled up and eager to have each other completely. 

Everything felt so right, so sweet. Having him in your arms made you feel so happy. 

“You’re mine now, baby,” he groaned, burying his face in your neck, “All mine. N-No more, fuck, of this friend shit...I love you.”

“Eita,” you whined, tears pricking your eyes as you hugged him tightly against you, “I love you too. P-Please make me cum.”

“Fuck, I’ll get you there, baby,” he promised, reaching between your bodies to find your clit. Your walls immediately clamped tight around him as he played with your little bud, “C’mon. Cum for me. I wanna feel you cream, pretty baby. Can you do that for me? Show me how good this cock makes you cum.”

His filthy words, whispered in his sweet, deep voice were enough to throw you over the edge. As you squeezed around him, trembling and gushing through the amazing orgasm, he spilled within you. A soft whimper of your name fell from his lips as his balls throbbed, cock spitting out load after load until you were so filled, it dripped from your cunt. 

Finally, the both of you stilled. He leaned back to look in your eyes, tucking some damp hair behind your ear before pecking your lips. 

“I meant it, you really are mine now,” he said.

You nodded, “You’re all mine too.”

“Well,” he gave you a teasing grin, “You have to share me with my millions of adoring fans.”

“Don’t be so full of yourself,” you giggled, biting your lip as he pulled out, “You have thousands at most.”

“Oh, way to bruise a guy’s ego,” he laughed.

You were grateful to have him, everything with him was so easy. Everything between you was fine, perfect even. And you didn’t have to worry about ever losing him to another girl again.

[calpalirwin]

I Think I Like You

Summary: Bucky falls for his best friend’s sister

A/N: I told y’all I wasn’t ready to let them go yet

Word Count: 5k

And away, and away we go!

__

1936

The ache in my knuckles was starting to occupy more and more of my attention as I followed Steve into the apartment complex. “So, this is home, huh?” I asked, flexing out my hands.

“Something like that,” he quipped, digging around in his pocket to produce a key, before letting us into one of the apartments.

I was about to ask what he meant by that, but stepping into the home quickly answered the question for me. There was something… acutely feminine about the place. It was tidy, much tidier than my own apartment down the block. Magazines were neatly stacked on the coffee table. In the kitchen, the counters were wiped down. And on the dining table, a vase of flowers. All subtle signs of the home containing a woman’s touch. “Oh?” I said suggestively, taking a seat on the couch.

Steve just rolled his eyes, as he sat down next to me, sighing deeply as he sunk back in the soft cushions. I looked over at him with a smirk. Alright, if he wanted to keep his secrets, he could, I decided. I also wondered if I looked half as bad as he did. His lip was split, and he was already beginning to bruise along the right side of his face. I looked down at my own hands, flexing them again. No doubt they’d bruise too. But that was about the extent of my own injuries compared to my friend.

The door clicked open behind us, and both of us swiveled our heads to look at the woman walking in, a bag of groceries in her hand, and a bag slung over her shoulder with papers all but spilling out of it. She was smartly dressed in a crisp blouse tucked into a black skirt that hugged her small frame tightly. She toed off her heels, blonde curls falling to obscure her face from my view. She didn’t seem to acknowledge my presence as she walked over to the couch, pressing a soft kiss to Steve’s cheek, her face pinching into a frown when he winced. “Oh, Steven, what did you do now?” she asked, moving to set the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter, her tone suggesting that she was used to seeing the man this way. She didn’t appear to care for an answer either, as she turned out of the kitchen and disappeared down the hallway, returning a few moments later with a small first-aid kit. Only then did she acknowledge my presence, blue eyes sweeping over me with slight disdain. “Bringing your fights home now, huh?” she asked, tongue clicking in her cheek, as she grabbed his face, examining the damage carefully.

“We were on the same side,” he replied bluntly, sitting still for her while she cleaned up his face.

Her gaze flickered back to me, her tongue clicking again. “For being on the same side, it looks like he got out better than you did.”

“He’s a better fighter,” Steve explained with a shrug.

“And who is he exactly?”

“James Barnes, ma’am,” I told her politely. “Pleased to meet you. Wasn’t aware Steve here had a lady.”

Steve gave a bark of a scoff, “She’s not a lady.”

Her own eyes rolled. “What he meant to say was that I’m his sister. And I’m no ma’am either. It’s ‘miss,’ Mr. Barnes.”

“My apologies, miss.” I bit back my smirk. Not Steve’s lady, and not a ma’am only worked more in my favor. “And would you happen to have a name to accompany your title?”

“That would depend on who’s asking.”

“That would be me.”

“Then, that information would be classified, James.”

I chuckled, definitely toeing a fine line of getting in way over my head, and not caring the slightest bit. “Well, then, I suppose it’s only polite to ask if you prefer ‘sweetheart’ or ‘doll’ then.”

“From you? I’d prefer neither.” She flashed me a sweet smile, releasing Steve’s face, and snapping the first-aid kit shut. Then, she was on her feet, going back into the kitchen, and returning with two ice packs. “Might wanna ice your face and hands there, sluggers,” she said, tossing one to Steve, and the other to me. “It’ll help with the swelling.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a sister, let alone one that was a nurse, and we’ve been friends for how long now?” I questioned Steve, letting the ice pack rest across my knuckles.

“2 years. And she’s not a nurse. Just a nuisance,” he quipped, leaning his head back and placing his ice pack against his face.

“You’re the one who comes in here all bloody and bruised. So who’s the real nuisance here, dear brother?” she retorted.

“That would still be you, by a long shot. I fight bullies. You just like to fight.”

“No, I command respect. Feeble-minded men only view that as liking to fight. And you?” she asked, turning her attention to me. “Steve fights bullies. I fight for respect. What do you fight for, Mr. Barnes?”

“I fight to protect those I care about.”

“Mmm, how noble,” she said, clearly not impressed with my answer.

“And half a lie,” Steve snorted. “Go on, Buck. Tell her what you do at school.”

“Buck?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A nickname,” I brushed past. “And I’m on the wrestling team. So, sure, one could make the argument that I have fighting in my DNA. But as I’ve said, I use the advantage I have in fighting to protect those I care about.”

“Mmm, well maybe next time care a little quicker about my brother, yes?”

“With all due respect, miss, your brother has a tendency of getting himself into fights before I’m around to help get him out of them.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true… Steve, do me a favor, and put up those groceries would you?”

He pulled the ice pack off his face to squint over at her. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

She rolled her eyes. “What’s the point of you being home if you’re not going to be useful?”

He grumbled, but got to his feet to do as she asked anyway. “So, how’s Mother?” he asked her.

“Still dying,” was the answer. “And still asking why you don’t visit.”

Steve sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to visit,” he started.

His sister held up her hand, cutting him off, “I know. Watching her die isn’t exactly pleasant. And she knows you’re busy with school, and stopping by her to help me. Nobody blames you, Steve. But she’s getting worse, so I’d make time if you can. Sooner rather than later. But not too soon. Wait until your face heals a bit. James, has my brother offered you anything to eat or drink? Or is he as bad a host as he is a fighter?”

“We were barely home a minute before you came bursting in, and started chastising us,” he told her.

She ignored his excuse. “James, can I get you anything? A glass of water?”

“A glass of water would be lovely, thank you,” I smiled at her.

“So, safe to assume you’re a friend of Steve’s from college,” she continued to make conversation with me as she filled a glass with water, then came to join me on the couch while Steve finished with the groceries. “Do you prefer to be called James? Or whatever it was he called you? Buck?”

“James. Buck. Bucky,” I shrugged. “Either works. I’m not that picky.”

“Why Buck?”

“Middle name’s Buchanan.”

“Oh, a middle name after a president, just like Steve.”

“Y/N,” Steve said in a warning. “Don’t you have studying to do?”

“Don’t you have a fight to get into?”

“Y/N?” I asked with a slight smile, liking how her name sounded on my tongue.

She glowered at Steve, not liking that he’d given her the one edge she had over me. “Yes,” she said begrudgingly.

“Pretty.”

Over the course of my afternoon spent in the apartment, I learned a great deal about the girl with the pretty name. For one, she wasn’t just Steve’s sister, but actually his twin, and she hated how adamant he was about the fact that he was still technically older. And the chip in her shoulder was just as justified as the one in her brother’s. They had a rough go of it after their father had passed a few years prior, and with the economic situation being what it was, and their mother falling ill herself it was crazy to me that they still had their education as a priority. But as someone who valued education myself, it was a trait I greatly admired.

The longer the afternoon dragged on, the more I liked her, and the more she seemed to warm up to me. Although I was uncertain if she was warming up to me because she was as equally infatuated with me as I was with her, or if it was strictly a means of stirring annoyance in her brother. Either way, I had her attention, and I wasn’t complaining.

And when the evening did draw to a close, while I wasn’t brave enough to ask her out directly, I was brave enough to suggest my interest in her.

“Bucky, can I ask something of you?” she asked, pulling the front door shut behind her to allow for a brief moment of privacy between us.

“Of course,” I asked, trying not to take too much glee in how she said my name.

“Well, I suppose it’s not really a question. But more of a request to take what I said about caring about my brother quicker seriously. He has a strong tendency, as I’m sure you’ve witnessed, of doing what he thinks is right, without stopping to think about the consequences. And he doesn’t have the… erm…” heat colored her cheeks as she fought to find the right words, “physique like you do to defend himself, despite his best intentions. So if you could be a bit quicker with that ‘I protect those I care about’ bit you were mentioning earlier, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

Did she just admit she found me attractive? “That would require me to be around your brother a lot more, you know that, right?”

“It’s a good thing you two are friends then, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I meant that it would mean I would probably be around more if I were to do that. Which I can do, no problem. Steve’s a great friend. But I would hate for my presence to ever make you uncomfortable.”

“Why would your presence make me feel uncomfortable?”

“Well, you didn’t seem all that keen on me. And if I’m being honest, I still can’t really figure out what your opinion of me is. I’m hoping it’s favorable.”

“In my defense, I came home to find my brother with a bloody face, and you with bruised knuckles. All the same, I do apologize if my original assumption made me come across as cold. Because it’s become clear to me that my brother holds you in a high regard as his friend, and I’ve never known Steve to be a bad judge of character.”

“Well, if being around Steve more for the sake of getting him out of fights quicker means I can see more of you, consider your request granted. G’night, Y/N.”

“G’night, Bucky.”

~~~

“So my sister, huh?” Steve asked when I saw him a few days later.

“What about her?” I asked, playing dumb.

“You’re smitten with her, aren’t you?”

I sighed, opting for honesty rather than something that would be an obvious lie. “Do I find her to be beautiful and charming? Yes. But would I go so far as to say I’m smitten with her? We barely know each other.”

“But you want to know her?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” was all he said.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“You’re my best friend, and she’s your sister.”

“You’re both adults. And it’s Y/N. She’d go out with you just to spite me if I was stupid enough to warn her away from you. Which I have no reason to do anyway.”

“So if I did want to ask her out, I’d have your blessing?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Buck. I’m simply saying I wouldn’t be mad about it. But if you do ask her out, which I don’t recommend doing anytime soon because she has a lot on her plate as is, she likes roses and dancing.

~~~

I was there when their mother passed away a few months later. I sat with them in the kitchen while they tearfully planned a funeral, offering to make the necessary phone calls that left their own words choked and stuck. And I stood between them when they buried her, one hand resting firmly on Steve’s shoulder, the other hanging limply at my side, fingers begging to stretch out and pull her hand into mine. 

When Steve excused himself to talk with the minister, Y/N sighed deeply next to me. “He’s all I got left,” she murmured with sad finality. “I mean, we always used to joke that it was just me and him. And I knew this would happen eventually. But… I’m not ready for it. I’m not ready for Steve to be the only family I have left.”

“He’s not,” I told her. “You have me, too.”

She blinked up at me. “I do?”

Heat colored my cheeks, and I rubbed at hand at the back of my neck as my nerves kicked in. “Y-yeah. I mean, I’m friends with Steve. I have no interest in ending that friendship. So you can count on me to be around if that’s something you want to count on.”

“Steve, yes. So a relationship with each other via proxy? Seems like quite the investment on your end.”

“Well, I’d hardly say our relationship with each other is strictly via proxy of your brother. I like to think we’ve become at least friendly with each other, if not friends directly.”

“And is that what you would like? A friendship?”

I hesitated. There was no way of answering her without condemning myself one way or another. If I said yes, then that’s all I would ever be to her. But if I answered no, I risked losing her before I had her. Either by her thinking I was insulting her by not wanting a friendship, or scaring her off if she interpreted what I said as being too forward too soon. “I’ve told you that I protect those I care about. Which means if you need me, for anything, I’ll be there.”

“And do you care for me simply because I’m your friend’s sister? Or do you care for me because you genuinely care for me?”

“You’re a smart girl, Y/N. Surely you can answer that for yourself.”

~~~

1937

“Steve,” I groaned as he dragged me through the streets of Brooklyn towards his place with a grin on his face. “I told you I didn’t want to do anything for my birthday.”

“I know. And that’s what I told Y/N, but you know she doesn’t listen to me.”

I groaned louder. “What did she do?”

“It’s just cake,” he promised. “So even by Y/N’s terms, this is very tame. But, you have to act surprised because she’ll kill me if she knows I told you.”

“Alright, alright,” I relented with a laugh.

“Close your eyes,” he said as we bounded up the stairs to the apartment.

“Is that part necessary?” I asked, closing my eyes anyway and letting him push me inside.

“Surprise!” both him and Y/N yelled, and I opened my eyes to see a small banner hanging up on the wall with the words “Happy Birthday,” sprawled across it, and a small cake waiting on the kitchen table. “We know it’s not much,” she went on, “but we wanted to do something.”

“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “But you didn’t have to.”

“I know we didn’t have to. But we wanted to. Turning twenty is something special, Bucky.”

“Well again, thank you,” I told her as I took a seat at the table, noticing a small parcel wrapped neatly. “What’s this?”

Her eyes went wide. “That,” she said, snatching it off the table, and hiding it behind her back, “is for later.”

This time, it was Steve who groaned. “Y/N, we agreed on no presents. Now I look like an ass.”

“This is what makes you look like an ass?” she questioned.

“Ha-ha,” he deadpanned humorlessly. “You’re hilarious.”

“Okay, this you really didn’t have to do,” I told her with a chuckle.

“Bucky? Shut up, and make a wish.” With that, she grabbed a small lighter, lighting the candles on the cake.

While she and Steve sang “Happy Birthday” I thought about what wish I wanted to make, no matter how silly the notion seemed. But my mind couldn’t think of anything to wish for. I already had everything I wanted. So ultimately, I decided to wish for things to stay the same as I blew out the candles with a huff of breath.

“Okay,” she said, setting the small parcel in front of me, after we’d eaten the cake and Steve excused himself. “Now, you can have this.”

Carefully I tore at the paper, revealing a hardcover book, the words “The Hobbit” etched across the front cover. “Wow,” I breathed, running my fingers across the cover.

“The lady at the bookstore said it was popular. But if you end up not liking it… Well, I kept the receipt, so we can return it for something you would like,” she offered as explanation, a soft embarrassed mumble

We. “No,” I said quickly. “No, I love it. This is great, thank you,” I smiled at her.

“Happy Birthday, Bucky,” she smiled back. “And uh, if you don’t mind, when you’re finished with it, I’d like to borrow it. Didn’t have enough to buy two copies.”

“Or,” I suggested, a thought coming to me, “we could read it together.”

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. “How would we do that exactly?”

“I could read it to you. We could… make an afternoon of it. Or a few afternoons of it.”

“That sounds suspiciously like you’re proposing a date.”

“And if I was?”

“I think I’d like that.”

I grinned. “How’s Saturday, then?”

~~~

“This is going to sound stupid,” Y/N interjected when I paused in my reading.

“What’s going to sound stupid?” I asked, looking at her over the top of the book. She looked cute, resting on her stomach, her elbows propped up as she cradled her chin in her hands. Her hair blew softly with the light spring breeze, and her eyes held a dreamy look to them. Okay, she looked way more than just cute. 

“I like the way you read,” she said. “Your voice… it’s nice in general. But there’s a certain flow to how you read. Your voice does this thing where it rises and falls with what you’re reading. It’s… animated. Very engaging.”

“Well, I can easily say that’s the first time someone ever complimented my voice,” I said with a chuckle.

Her cheeks turned pink. “I told you it was going to sound stupid.”

I tucked a scrap of paper in the book, marking our spot before setting it aside. “It’s not stupid. It’s a nice compliment. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Her eyes flickered from me to the book. “Are we done for the day?”

“No, I can keep reading if you want me to,” I said, picking up the book and opening it.

She smiled up at me, and then, in a move I wasn’t expecting, she rolled over onto her back and then shifted her body perpendicular to mine, resting her head on my outstretched leg. I stiffened at the sudden intimacy of the contact. “Is this okay?” she asked.

“Y-yeah,” I choked out with a cough, forcing myself to relax. “Yeah, it’s, uh, fine.”

She gave a small giggle. “You know, you’re pretty cute when you get shy, Bucky.”

“You’re pretty cute all of the time,” I mumbled back.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I said you’re pretty cute all of the time,” I said again, this time without mumbling, but glad I had the book in my hand to block my face from her view.

Her hand gently pulled mine down, the book closing once more. “Bucky, if I ask you something, do you promise to be honest with me?”

“Course,” I nodded.

“Do you like me? Romantically that is.”

I swallowed thickly, nodding. “And if you want the whole truth, it’s the ‘I’m falling in love with you’ kind of like. And that terrifies me.”

“Why does that terrify you?”

“Because it means I have more to lose.”

She let out a soft “oh,” as she pushed herself to sit upwards, a timid hand stroking up the length of my arm. “You’ll never lose me, Bucky.”

Try as I might, I couldn’t hold back. I shifted to lean towards her, my hands going to cradle her face. And then my lips were on hers, and it was sweet and powerful. And my thumbs were brushing along her cheek bones as the rest of my fingers bunched up in her hair. And her own hands were looping around my neck, her fingers tugging lightly at my hair. The air came rushing out of my lungs, and I couldn’t breathe but I didn’t dare break the kiss, savoring every sensation. 

There was a sharp intake of air and I wasn’t sure which one of us had done it, because our lips stayed locked, and I had to drop one of my hands to brace myself as the kiss grew hungry and she moved in closer, practically on top of me. I moved the hand that was still holding her face to wrap tightly around her back, needing her more than I’d ever needed anybody else before.

~~~

1939

“Whoa, slow down there, doll,” I chuckled, pulling the glass away from her lips.

“But it tastes like juice!” she told me, her eyes big with excitement.

“I know, but those drinks have a lot more alcohol in them. And if I bring you home drunk, Steve will kill me.”

“He can try,” she scoffed, grabbing the glass from me and taking another big drink. “And neither one of you can get mad at me drinking, because you both do it too,” she half sang.

“Again, your drinks have a lot more alcohol in them than our drinks do. And for another, I’m a lot bigger than you. My body can handle more.”

She set the glass down, scowling over the rim at me. “You’re no fun.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t have your drink, doll. I’m just asking you to slow down.”

“Well, can you order me another one? This one’s almost empty.”

“Of course,” I said, kissing her forehead before going back over to the bar to get us each another drink. I could feel the eyes of other girls on me as I drummed my fingers across the tabletop of the bar while I waited, but they didn’t bother me. I already had the girl I wanted staring at me like they did, and she did a whole lot more than just stare. When I turned with the drinks, I saw the way other guys in the bar were looking at Y/N back in the booth. Now, that made my skin prickle. So I squared my shoulders and slid in next to her placing a heated and heavy kiss on her cheek, smirking in triumphant as the looks dropped. “A-are you growling?” I asked with another chuckle, becoming aware of the low rumble in her throat.

“I hate the way they stare at you,” she whispered with disdain.

“Jealous?” I teased lightheartedly.

She scoffed into her drink. “Me? Jealous? Please…”

“Good. Because if anyone should be jealous, it’s me. You have the attention of every man in this bar.”

She scoffed more. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“You,” I said, kissing her cheek again. “Are the most beautiful girl in here, and everyone knows it. And I’m the lucky son of a gun that gets to take you home.”

Her eyes went wide, and a grin broke out across her face. “Take me home, Bucky.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I held her steady as I let her into my apartment, and she blinked in her surroundings. “This isn’t… Where are we?”

“We’re at my place. Steve would kill me if I brought you home like this.”

“I-” her face flushed. “Bucky, I’ve never…”

“We’re not,” I said softly. “I’m going to help you into bed, and then sleep on the couch.”

“Oh.” It was a simple utterance both of understanding and… was that disappointment that nothing would come of the night besides her safely sleeping her intoxicated state away?

I gave her one of my shirts to sleep in, turning my back to give her privacy, before helping her into bed. “G’night, doll,” I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”

“Wait,” she whispered, her hand reaching out to grab me by my shirt. “Can you stay?”

I looked down at her, the blanket pulled up tightly around her. My bed had never looked more inviting. And what was the harm in sleeping? I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I can stay.” I stepped out of my pants before joining her on the bed, but staying on top of the covers. “G’night, doll,” I whispered, clicking off the light.

“You don’t want to marry me, do you?” she asked me, her voice filled with sorrow.

“What gave you that idea?”

“You can’t even share the covers with me!” was the wailed explanation of despair.

“I-” I sputtered, shocked at whatever had caused this outburst. “C’mere,” I coaxed, lifting up my arm for her to curl into me. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

“So you want me?”

“Of course I want you, doll.”

“Then how come you haven’t asked me to marry you?”

“I- You’re the most independent woman I know. I didn’t know you wanted to become a wife.”

“I don’t want to become a wife. I want to become your wife.”

“You’re gonna need to give me time to buy a ring.”

“But you’ll ask?”

“Until I’m blue in the face,” I promised.

“And we can have a house, and kids? Not an obnoxiously big house, but not a tiny one either.”

“We can have a medium-sized house, and fill it with as many kids as you want. And you can teach, and Steve and I can open up a mechanic shop. And every night,” I said, shifting to get under the blankets and pull her closer, “we can fall asleep just like this.”

“I love you, James Buchanan Barnes,” she breathed in content.

“I love you too, Y/N Y/M/N Rogers.”

“It’s Rogers-Barnes.”

~~~

1943

“Why do you keep fiddling with your pockets?” Y/N asked as we walked through Central Park, one of her hands holding mine, the other clutched holding a picnic basket with the flowers I’d bought her poking out the top.

“I’m not,” I lied, feeling the small box drop as I pulled my hand out of my pocket and waved it in her face. “See?”

She narrowed her eyes playfully. “You’re plotting something.”

“If by plotting, you mean enjoying a nice picnic with you, then ya got me. And it’s hardly plotting if you already knew.”

“Mmm,” she hummed, as we came to a stop underneath a large tree by the lake’s edge. “And what are we reading today?” she asked as I busied myself with laying out the blanket for us.

“Steinbeck.”

“Oh, I love him,” she marveled, kneeling on the blanket and pulling out our lunch.

“I know you do.”

With her head resting in my lap, and between bites of sandwich, I read from the small paperback novel. Our lazy Saturday tradition that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I only stopped reading when I heard the soft sigh as she started to doze off like she usually did. “You still with me?” I asked with a small laugh, tracing her cheek with one of my thumbs.

“Mhm,” she murmured like she always did, keeping her eyes closed. “Just thinking.”

I frowned. Her normal answer was “Keep reading.” “What are you thinking about?”

“How much I’m gonna miss this when you’re gone. How much I’m gonna miss you.”

My heart sank as I thought about the draft papers sitting on my kitchen table. “It’s just basic training. Couple weeks and I’ll be back. And I’ll only be in Jersey.”

“Ugh… Jersey…” She opened her eyes to roll them.

“I’ll be so bad at being a soldier, my sergeant will yell at me and ship me back home to you,” I laughed.

“You will do no such thing. You’ll do what you have to at camp, and then you’ll come home to me,” she told me, sitting up. “And then…” Her voice broke off, not wanting to finish the rest. After camp came Europe. And that was more than either of us were willing to think about. Camp. Camp was first. Camp had clear dates we could work with. 3 measly months. And what came after didn’t matter.

“And then,” I said, slowly pulling the box out of my pocket.

“No!” she interrupted, sternly. “James Buchanan Barnes, if you say one damned word about Europe, I will drown you in the lake,” came the threat.

“Y/N!” I laughed. “Can I tell you what happens after I get back from camp, or not?”

“Bucky…” she whined.

“Please? I really think you’re gonna like it.”

“What could I possibly like about what you coming back from camp means?”

“Because it means you’ll be my wife,” I told her, presenting her the box, snapping the top open to reveal a small gold band. “Marry me, doll.”

__

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[bonky-n-steeb]

𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐵𝐸𝑆𝑇 𝐷𝐴𝑌

𝘽𝙐𝘾𝙆𝙔 𝘽𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙭 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍

𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧: doctor!reader has no clue that Bucky is a secret agent and she soon finds out.

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: Fluff, minor angst.

ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴅ, sᴏ ᴀʟʟ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ

MASTERLIST

Bucky was finally back from his business trip. He had been gone for two whole weeks and you both had missed each other terribly.

Today he had decided to make it up to you, and had taken a day off from his work, and so had you. Instead of a simple date, you both had decided to spend the entire day idly roaming around the city. It was a nice reprieve from all the stress that came with being a surgeon.

While walking, you stopped in front of your favorite boutique. The dresses there were expensive but chic and you were friends with the owner and designer, Maria. Whenever you wore one, you used to turn all the heads in the room. Currently there was no special occasion coming up, and you already had enough of the dresses so you decided to window shop.

“Why don’t we go inside?” Bucky asked. “Buck, I already have so many of the dresses and I don’t need another one as there is no special event coming up anytime soon.”

“My doll doesn’t need a special occasion to look good.” He said kissing your temple. “Buck...” you tried to protest but he nevertheless dragged you in.

“Welcome! And congratulations you are our lucky customers.” You looked at her dumbstruck, Maria wasn’t a person to give any discounts. “Lucky customers?” You asked.

“Yes, today is the 7-year anniversary. And we had agreed that the first person to walk in the boutique would get 75% off on any dress of their choice.” She said with an infectious smile.

“75% off? On any dress?” You squealed. You looked up at Bucky and he gave you his signature smirk. You were a sucker for sales. As you looked around, your eyes were captivated by a dress. It was maroon, with long bell-shaped sleeves. It had a V-shaped neckline and was a flowing gown.

“You like that one doll?” Bucky asked as he saw you staring at the gown. He knew you would like that one. “Yes. I love it.” You said excitedly. “Alright then, pack it.” In your excitement you failed to notice the understanding nod shared between Bucky and Maria.

You were super excited and were talking nonstop. That was one of your traits when you got excited. You couldn’t believe you walked in at the right time, and the credit was Buck’s, he was the one who dragged you in. You couldn’t believe your luck.

The next you decided to visit the bookstore you usually frequented. The moment you entered, the book store clerk, Simone happily waved at you as if she was waiting just for you.

“I have something for you.” She said as she bent down and produced a book. It was your favorite one. “Open it. It’s a signed copy.” You couldn’t believe your eyes. Your favorite author had signed that book along with a sweet message scribbled just for you. “Oh my goddddd!!”

You couldn’t believe that this day was even real. “Bucky, I don’t know what is happening today, but it’s already the best day of my life.” You squealed and he pulled you closer to him, “It’s definitely the best day of our lives.” He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips.

After around an hour later, your beauty salon lady called up and informed you about her latest offer. And so, you decided to give her a visit while Bucky went home. Once you were done, you were looking exquisite.

You were too euphoric to notice all the coincidences. Everything was perfect until you went home. Bucky face was worried. “What happened? You look worried.”

“It’s Nat’s birthday today. We both forgot. Don’t worry, Steve has arranged a party. So now let’s get dressed and go.” Nat and Steve were Bucky’s colleagues and best friends.

You knew this universe was giving you signs. After all the shopping you did, it was worth it. You decided to wear the new elegant dress.

When Bucky saw you and his jaw dropped. He himself was wearing an expensive navy-blue suit. “I swear to god, if it weren’t so important, we would’ve never left this house.”

Once you reached the location, you were surprised to find no one was there and it was completely dark. But then a sudden focus of light was out on where you stood with Bucky.

Just then Bucky got down on his knees and produced a velvet box. “Will you make me the luckiest man alive by marrying me?” He looked flustered and scared. Without thinking twice, you squealed “YES!”

Apparently, Bucky had already bought that dress for you, there was no offer at Maria’s. Also, he had arranged for the signed copy and the salon well. He just wanted it to be the best day of your life in all sense.

———

Maybe you had been wrong. It had been a week since your engagement, but today was the best day of your life.

After learning the news, you had been euphoric. You wanted to tell Bucky as soon as possible, but he was too busy today and you knew better than to disturb him.

Before going home, you decided to celebrate a little and went to the nearby cafe. You ordered your favorite pastry and sat at one of the tables.

Suddenly there was a small pat on your shoulder. You turned around and saw the last person you expected in this cafe. “Tony?”

Tony Stark was a billionaire. Despite having all the money in the world, his heart wasn’t as healthy. And that’s when you came in. When he had first come in due to an emergency, you had treated him and ever since then he had become your patient.

“What are you even doing here?” You asked as he took the seat in front of you. “Having some coffee, I guess.” He said shrugging. And then his eyes fell on your ring.

“Woah! I see someone is engaged. Didn’t think you’d break my heart so ruthlessly.” He said pretending to be hurt. You excitedly nodded, “Just a week before.”

“Well, so who is the lucky man?” He asked. “Bucky Barnes.” You said smiling giddily. “I’m sure he must not be more handsome than me.” Tony quipped.

“You’ll be disappointed!” You took your phone out and showed him a picture of Bucky. Tony squinted his eyes and took your phone into his hands. “This is Bucky?” He asked skeptically.

“Yeah. Why?” Tony seemed confused and then pulled out his own phone. “As long as I remember, his name is Andrew and he is already married.” Your eyes widened at that.

“What? You just be mistaken. Are you sure it’s him?” Tony nodded. “Yeah, see this. I met him around a week ago, that’s why I remember. Not gonna lie his wife, Sonya was impressionable.”

He said giving you his phone. There was a picture of Tony and a couple. You couldn’t believe your eyes. It was indeed Bucky, and the worst part was, his ‘wife’ was none other than Nat.

~~~

You were sitting on your couch and crying when Bucky came home. “What happened?” He quickly kneeled on the floor besides you.

“I’m gonna only ask once, because I can’t emotionally afford to ask twice; what is going on between you and Natasha?” You ask, your eyes were blood red and puffy from all the crying.

“What?” Bucky took your hands in his and pressed kisses. “Don’t lie, I know everything. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“I don’t get what you are saying, doll.” You took out your phone and showed him the pictures Tony had sent you. At that Bucky scoffed, “Oh this!”

“Oh yes Andrew! What the fuck is even your name you liar!” At that Bucky’s demeanor grew serious. “Listen, it’s not what you think. Wait right here.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead and went upstairs.

“See this.” He said running downstairs and giving you a file. “And what is this? Your marriage certificate?” You asked incredulously. “Just read it once please.”

You took it and started reading. First it didn’t make sense but after some time it did. Bucky was an agent working for a secret government organization called ‘Avengers’.

“What is this Bucky?” He slowly started wiping your tears. “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long now. But I always thought that I’ll tell you tomorrow; but turns out tomorrow never came.

I know you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so this is the proof. My own file. I’ve worked as an Avenger for years. That day at Tony’s party we were undercover. And we pretended to be married. The ‘two weeks business trip’ was actually an undercover mission.”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “Bucky seriously! You couldn’t tell this to me before? Do you know what I’ve felt in the past two hours? I literally found out in the worst way possible, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did.” He pulled you closer to him and pecked you on your cheek. “This was some True Lies level shit.” You said laughing.

“So... now that you know this, I might as well confess something more.” You raised your eyebrows and wondered what all news today’s day was going to bring.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” You nodded, you remembered that day very clearly.

It had been an excellent day. Your surgeries had gone perfectly but you were tired. So, you decided to do what you did every time you had a good day; go and eat a pastry.

As you entered the cafe, you could see the pastry section to be completely empty. You pouted and were sad to break the tradition. You inquired but they weren’t going to make any more pastries for the day.

As you were about to turn around and leave, you came face to face with the most handsome man you had ever met, his eyes were so captivating, you feared you’d get lost in them.

“I saw you wanted a pastry, well, I guess I have one and you can have it.” His voice was smooth and you swooned. “Uh, no it’s fine.”

“Oh, I insist.” You looked up at him and gave him a pleasant smile, “Why don’t we share?” You asked shyly. You spent the entire evening chatting and decided to meet the next day for a proper date. And that is how you had met.

“It wasn’t actually my first time. I had seen you before that at the hospital but I was undercover and so I couldn’t approach you.

But then I just got too shy to ask you out so I used to follow you around. I didn’t mean to creep or stalk. I just... God! This is embarrassing. But I kind of learnt your routine and habits.

I knew when you had a good day you would go and have a pastry at the cafe. That day before you went in, I bought all of the pastries. So, when I asked you whether you wanted to have mine; I actually had at least 23 pastries with me.”

You giggled at that. “Wait you are not mad?” You shook your head. “Actually, I would’ve been, but now that I know how you are, and that I love you so much, this is actually pretty cute.”

You stopped laughing and said, “Well, now that you’ve shared your secrets. I’d like to share something too. I fear I won’t be able to love you in the future as much as I do now.”

Bucky tensed up. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked adorable. “Because when a mini version of you will be running across the house, I swear to god I won’t be getting any reprieve.” You said snuggling him.

“I... what? Are you? Wait, is it what I’m thinking it is? Are we pregnant?”

“YES! You’re gonna become a daddy, James!”

[leviiattacks]

Head canons for mafia boss levi being interested in Starbucks barista reader please

note :: this idea is so cute i wrote a scenario i hope you don’t mind. i can still post some headcanons for it too if you really want me to! i’m sorry if it’s not what you wanted me to write anon :-( ALSO this is super casual writing it’s not like the way i usually write it’s just bullet points i mean idk i wanted to try something different and more relaxed lmk if this style is okay for some requests :D

if anyone would like any more requests with this levi please lmk!! i could go in more detail tbh maybe the pacing of this isn’t too good bc it is a short request but yeahhh

+ idk why the formatting looks so odd i tried my best to fix it myself ?!.!/!:£:& but yeah sorry again!!

levi has always been one to keep his business meetings lowkey

i mean, realistically who is going to suspect mafia boss levi is lingering in a starbucks???

the place is well-suited for his hushed meetings, he finds it to be quiet enough and clean enough

but then one winter everything changes

you start working there

he’s waiting in the queue texting erwin asking when he’ll be able to get there

it’s been a RUSH and the traffic is crazy as expected from the bustling city so he doesn’t expect to see erwin for a while

that’s when he hears you for the first time

“HEY!! Mister in the fancy suit it’s your turn to order”

your hands are placed on the counter and you lean forward eagerly waiting for what he has to say

levi rolls his eyes because he thinks you have to be ogling his designer watch and shoes (you really aren’t)

“black tea, no sugar and... a cinnamon swirl” he’ll order for erwin later. “i’ll be eating in.”

“ooohhh you’re a tea guy? name?” you’re smiling at him radiantly and it irks him because you have nothing to be smiling about really

eyes narrowing he responds “no shit, i just ordered tea.”

“and why the hell do you want my name?” he snaps on reflex

he then remembers he’s at a starbucks and you are not interrogating him, you’re doing your job

“sir... this is starbucks?? is this your first time here?”

you blink in confusion but then your face lights up “oh my, would you like to sign up for a starbucks card?? you can collect stars and get rewards and it’s so muc–“

“do i look like i need a starbucks card?”

“everyone looks like they need a starbucks card”

he doesn’t carry on that part of your conversation instead he looks you dead in the eyes “levi, is my name.”

his glare intimidates you and you awkwardly laugh

you think he’s probably having a super bad day and choose to not bother him that much

as he’s waiting he sees the way you clumsily navigate behind the counter, you’re juggling a number of things in your arms

automatically his face sours

he’s not expecting the tea you produce to be any good

he doesn’t care how nice you are if you can’t do what he wants he won’t be leaving a tip

he’s stingy like that

a clatter is heard and all the noise you’re making just makes you all the more aggravating

he’s been coming here for years and never has encountered a barista as bothersome as yourself

at some point you call out the name “SCROOGE!” from behind the counter, levi finds it embarrassing that anyone would ever call their child that

like... out of all the names this is what they choose??

damn they have to hate parenthood

“scrooge i’m begging you collect your drink.”

he looks up pissed that whoever this scrooge is has the audacity to hold you up because that by default means they are holding him up

then he sees you staring directly at him with that warm smile again

yeah, that smile, it could thaw ice

then it settles.

he’s scrooge?

turning around he notices no one is behind him then he sees that no one else is waiting apart from him

jaw clenching he heads towards you and makes it a point to “tsk” in frustration

he takes his cup and his cinnamon roll and you wave him goodbye

usually levi prefers to silently sit in the booth furthest from the action, he wants no attention drawn to him at all

but that day he finds himself sitting closer to the counter

he’s kind of stunned when he does that because he’s just sat there thinking why the hell did i just do that?? why did i sit here??

but he convinces himself it’s because he wants to see erwin when he’s about to walk in so he can prepare to scold him for not arriving on time

he takes a sip of his beverage expecting nothing above mediocirty but weirdly, your brew, it tastes perfect

levi’s eyes linger on you and he notices the way your behaviour is consistent

you’re helping an old woman pick what she’d like from the menu

you compliment her jumper, says it really makes her blue eyes stand out

you don’t have to be as nice as you are and it’s ticking him off

it ticks him off seeing someone so pure and sweet for no reason

when did people decide to not have ulterior motives anymore? did you decide those were too old school for you?

tongue poking at the inside of his cheek he activates his poker face and looks away

you, are a random person. a random, annoying person. he is going to stop thinking about you.

turning his attention to erwin instead he calls him and when he picks up levi makes his point very clear

“i was just called scrooge. get the hell here so i can order for you.”

erwin chuckles, his throaty laugh makes levi’s mouth twitch downwards in irritation

“and who exactly called you scrooge?”

“is that relevant?”

“very much so if you’ve mentioned it yourself”

levi is silent and erwin laughs once again at his colleagues anti social way of interacting

“i’ll be there in five, feel free to order.”

grunting a sound of approval levi hangs up

“you’re back! how may i help?”

the way you treat being a barista so seriously, he finds it oddly endearing

“one doubleshot iced coffee.”

nodding to yourself you hum a tune happily and get to work

ever since that day levi finds himself frequenting that specific starbucks more

at first it’s a whole lot of “i’m pissed and i don’t have a reason so i’ll go down there and have her annoy me, then i’ll have a real reason”

then you talk to him more and you both engage in small talk

then it develops when he doesn’t mean for it to

you tell him about what you study, where you’re from, how your mother has recently developed arthritis but she’s still so determined to cook to the best of her abilities despite the pain

that reminds him of you

each visit he learns something new about you

sometimes he’ll let you in on his life

“what do you work as, i’ve always wondered?“

“accountant.“ no way in hell is he going to scare you away, telling you isn’t an option

you burst out in laughter holding your knees

“accountancy is well paying what is your point...?”

“do you not know what that means” your laugh is muffled as you press the sleeve of your jumper against your mouth

he shakes his head completely clueless

“people say their accountants when they’re actually strippers. it’s a tiktok thing.”

you pause for a second staring at his face

he feels the way his ears grow red under your gaze but he ignores it looking as bored as ever

“ah well. i did not know that.”

“clearly not you are an old man.”

then you turn away to brew his tea and he lets the ghost of a smile sneak its way onto his face

you aren’t looking, it’s okay

but he knows it’s dangerous getting attached to you

it’s stupid relaxing

and it’s even worse loosening up

so he doesn’t.

he’s always cold, bitter and frigid in his responses as he’s always been with you

but that doesn’t stop you from kindly smiling

or absentmindedly brushing the surface of his skin on rare occasions

it doesn’t stop you from calling him scrooge

and it certainly doesn’t stop you from slowly thawing the frosty exterior of his heart

then one day you let the words “my scrooge” slip out of your mouth

he doesn’t know why he let’s it happen or even how it happens exactly but he can’t help the smile that makes itself evident on his face

“HEY YOU JUST SMILED HELLO?????? you can do THAT????”

he smiled in front of you, that’s it he’s fucked

he quickly drops it and is back to his normal narrowed glare

“i did no such thing”

you give him a knowing look but sigh airily there’s no point in getting the man to admit it

“what would you like today, a frappe?”

you ask the sarcastic question even though you know he hates change. his usual order is already ingrained in your mind. you know it off by heart

he sighs in exasperation

“is your memory really that bad?”

“nope. cinnamon rolls and black tea it is!”

[gallifrey1sburning]

Hi 👋 a prompt you can take or leave: Draco is very unsure whether he is being flirted with or this is an extension of their office rivalry that he doesn't understand (or the reverse!) Ty!

@skeptiquex and @ihavesomeideawhatimdoinghere, I read both of your prompts back to back, and they worked really well together, so I squished them into one. I hope you enjoy! Thank you both for sending me things, and thanks to @mxmaneater for the fast beta ❤️

—

The Tally

“One more for me!” Harry crowed, scratching a new tally mark next to his name on the chalkboard behind Draco’s head. “Better luck next time, Malfoy.” The board had a partner behind Harry’s desk, and the tallies recorded on one would reflect on the other, but Harry took great joy in invading Draco’s space and rubbing his victories in his face at every opportunity. Not that Draco was any better. It was part of the fun.

“Please, that one hardly counted,” Draco objected reflexively. “You only caught him because you tripped, for Merlin’s sake. Hardly an impressive arrest.” 

Harry shrugged and grinned, perching on the edge of Draco’s desk. “An arrest is an arrest.”

“Whatever,” Draco grumped. He and Harry had been playing this game for over a year now, and the margin was always extremely close. Harry was just barely ahead, at the moment, but Draco would catch up to him soon. He and Parvati had a potions ring bust coming up that Harry and Weasley weren’t involved in. Once that was done, he’d have overtaken him, and the smug expression currently gracing his colleague’s face would disappear along with his lead.

“So, any big weekend plans?” Harry asked, ignoring Draco’s pout.

Draco dropped the expression when it failed to produce the desired reaction. “Nothing too exciting. Yourself?”

“I’ve got tickets for the Puddlemere game on Saturday, actually. Ron was supposed to come, but something came up, so I’m trying to find someone else who might want to go. It would be a shame for the ticket to go to waste.” Harry was biting his lip and looking hopeful, and for just a moment, Draco thought— but no. If he’d wanted to ask, he would have asked, he told himself firmly. 

Taking care to keep his expression light, Draco pondered for a moment before saying. “I think McCutcheon is a Puddlemere fan. Maybe try him?”

“Oh, right.” Draco almost thought that Harry looked disappointed for a moment, but on second glance, his expression was clear and friendly. “Thanks for the tip. I’ll see if he’s free. Have a great weekend, Draco. Parvati.” He knocked his knuckles against the desktop twice before straightening and walking off, hands in pockets. Draco watched him go, sighing as he rounded the corner. It really was a pleasure watching him walk away.

He was brought back to reality by his partner smacking him in the back of the head with a stack of paperwork. “Ow! What the fuck, Patil?”  

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she hissed, looking even more exasperated with him than usual. “Every time he’s over here, you spend the rest of the day mooning, and he finally asks you out, and you say NO?!” 

“I do not moon!” He did moon, and he knew it, but he wasn’t about to say so. He still had his pride. “And he didn’t ask me out, either.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“He didn’t! He just said he had an available ticket! He very clearly had an opening to invite me, if he wanted to, and he very clearly didn’t.” There had been a number of moments like this, in recent months, and Parvati kept insisting that Harry was flirting with Draco. For his part, Draco kept insisting that she mind her own business, because she obviously could not read Harry Potter at all if she thought he was interested in Draco.

“You are an absolute moron.” Parvati shook her head in disbelief, but let it drop.

— 

They made the bust on Tuesday. Monday had been a rush of preparations and contingency planning and final logistics, and the stakeout had lasted all day, but in the end, it had been worth it—they’d brought in six players in one sweep and were confident that at least one of them would give up the rest in exchange for sentencing leniency. Draco had dropped into bed exhausted but elated.

He was still riding high when he sauntered into Harry and Weasley’s office on Wednesday. He leaned ostentatiously over Harry’s desk, stretching almost directly over his perpetually-tousled head to grab a piece of chalk and carefully add six perfectly straight tally marks to his own side of the board, giving him the lead by three. 

“And that’s how you do it,” he gloated as he straightened, smirking smugly down at Harry. “Suck it, Potter.”

Across the office, he heard Weasley groan and mumble something that sounded suspiciously like ‘he wishes’ under his breath. Harry looked a bit pink, but still smirked right back up at Draco, so it was probably just the heat. “Played that one close to the chest, didn’t you? But don’t worry, I’ve got something in the pipeline. I’ll be back on top before you know it.”

In Draco’s peripheral vision, he saw Weasley bang his head against his desk. “I’m getting tea,” he announced, stalking out of the office. Draco raised an eyebrow at Potter, who shrugged. 

Now that he was here, Draco didn’t quite want to leave yet, so he searched for something else to talk about. “How was the game?” he finally asked.

“Huh? Oh, the Quidditch game. Yeah, I didn’t end up going, actually.” Harry rubbed the back of his neck, not making eye contact. “Wasn’t really in the mood.” 

Draco wrinkled his brow, not really sure what to make of that, but then Harry asked a question about the potions bust, and Draco forgot about it, instead focusing on a dramatic retelling of his glorious victory.

— 

Harry’s next arrest came after a particularly brutal double homicide. It was all anyone was talking about when he arrived that morning, but, despite Draco’s expectations (and perhaps anticipation), Harry didn’t appear at his desk to brag about it. He was feeling a bit anxious by the time he finally saw him passing by his door in the late afternoon, and the feeling only grew when he did. Harry had bags under his eyes, and his usually confident posture was slumped. He didn’t look as though he had slept. He also didn’t look like he was going to stop.

“Hey,” Draco said, rising from his desk to catch him before he passed by completely. “Haven’t seen you today.” Are you okay?, he didn’t say, but he thought it was probably audible in his tone anyway.

“Oh. Hey, Draco.” Harry looked up at him, seeming a little lost. He looked hollow behind his eyes, and Draco could feel his eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Yeah, I’ve been…” he trailed off and glanced past Draco, into his office, to where the chalkboard hung prominently on the back wall. He seemed to curl even further in on himself. “I don’t want to count this one, okay?” he said, finally. “It doesn’t really feel like a victory.”

“Yeah, of course,” Draco said immediately, and he suddenly felt completely helpless. “Can I—” he hesitated, and then put a tentative hand on Harry’s slumped shoulder. “Do you need anything?”

He was half sure that Harry would pull away from his touch, but he didn’t. If anything, he seemed almost to relax into it. “I’m okay,” he said, and it wasn’t convincing, but Draco didn’t want to push it. “Thanks, though.” He reached up and gripped Draco’s hand where it lay on his shoulder, so briefly that his hand was gone before Draco could even fully register it, and then stepped back, continuing on his way.

Draco stood and stared at the chalkboard for a while when he got back to his desk. Then, he picked up his eraser and carefully removed one tally from his own side.

— 

Their next bust, they were on together. A small Neo-Death Eater group that the department had been keeping an eye on, but who hadn’t done much of anything until now, had suddenly decided to make a grand statement by threatening a large-scale attack on Diagon Alley if their (entirely insane) demands weren’t met. Needless to say, the Ministry was not interested in negotiation, and the whole Auror force had been called out en masse. 

Somehow, Harry and Weasley had ended up working in tandem with Draco and Parvati, and now Harry and Draco were back to back in a dead-end alley, dueling a pair that seemed to be the last desperate stragglers, while Parvati watched the street, ready to block anyone who might try to interfere, and Weasley stood to the side, clutching his ribs and sweating but still managing to hold a fairly steady shield charm. There was an unconscious, Incarcerous-ed body on the ground near him; his Stunner’s aim had been true, but the assailant had gotten off one last hex before it hit. He wasn’t in imminent danger—Draco had been hit by the same spell before, and it was extremely painful but didn’t cause any lasting damage once reversed—and although that would be easy enough to do, they didn’t have a wand to spare at the moment.

Harry and Draco worked together like they’d been born to it, and if their respective partnerships hadn’t been working so well for so long, Draco might have considered it a waste that they weren’t paired together. Spells flew around them like fireworks, and they cast and dodged and shielded and attacked without speaking, without pause, until, suddenly, it was over. 

“Ron!” Harry cried as soon as his wand dropped, but Parvati was already by his side, countering the spell, and Ron’s body relaxed almost immediately.

“I’m fine, mate. Great work.” 

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief and then turned to Draco, chest still heaving with exertion. Draco couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face even as he tried to catch his breath. He could feel sweat tracking down his face, his neck, his back, and he was streaked with dirt and—he suspected—blood; but they had won, and no one had died, and he was almost high on the rush of it. “I’m not sure who those count for,” he said, half laughing. “It happened too fast. Did you catch who took them down?”

Harry was grinning now, too, the buzzing energy of their win almost visibly coursing through him. He beamed at Draco, and he looked so fucking beautiful, even though he was just as dirty and dishevled as Draco was, that Draco couldn’t help but glance, just for a second, at those lips that he’d surreptitiously observed for so long as they stretched wide with joy. When he snapped his eyes back up, however, it was clear that Harry had seen, because the smile had morphed into something that Draco couldn’t put a name to, and his eyes were searching Draco’s for something. And then— 

“Fuck it,” he heard Harry say, and then there were hands on either side of his head and he was being—quite thoroughly—kissed, right there in the alley. He melted into it immediately, pulling Harry closer to himself almost instinctively. There was an iron tang of blood as their tongues met, and Draco wasn’t sure whose it was, but he didn’t particularly care. He didn’t care about much of anything, right now, besides Harry’s hands, and Harry’s lips, and the press of Harry’s chest and hips against his own, and whether Harry might want to reenact this moment later but somewhere with a bed and a lot less clothes.

“I TOLD YOU!” Parvati yelled triumphantly in the background.

“Fucking finally.” Ron sounded both amused and exasperated.

Draco ignored them in favor of sliding his hands into Harry’s birdsnest of hair, pulling lightly and making him groan into the kiss. He supposed this one counted as a win for both of them.

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