#if I had a nickel for every time I fell for a blonde guy with a yandere au version of themself | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jbbarnesnnoble · 4 years

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Hello lovely humans!

I’ve recently hit the 500 follower milestone and want to celebrate with another challenge! This time, dark fics are welcome!

I have a lot of prompts here and what doesn’t get used will probably be put aside for a future challenge. I like to make sure there is a wide array of prompts to be chosen from and tend to go overboard. Whoops.

The Rules:

1. Use the hashtag #JBBNN500

2. Dark fics are welcome - Just be sure to utilize trigger warnings and indicate that it is a dark fic.

3. Even if you aren’t writing a dark fic, use trigger warnings if the content warrants it. If you write something that has heavier themes, like those that delve into mental health topics, be sure to label it appropriately.

4. Selecting Prompts: Just let me know which one you want to do! 2 people per prompt! Tell me which subheading and the number of the prompt so I can mark it down! If it’s a lyric prompt, please give me the song and the number!

5. You don’t have to be following to participate!

6. Deadline: January 11, 2021

Yes, I’m giving about 3 months for this. January 11 also happens to be my birthday, so I figured that would be a good date to choose.

The subheadings are: dialogue prompts, sentence prompts, quotes from popular media, and song lyrics!

Find the prompts under the cut!

Dialogue Prompts

“Life is made up of maybes and regrets. I don’t want this to be one of them.”

“You can’t do this. It’s my choice to make, and mine alone. If you don’t agree with it, the door is there. Feel free to use it.”

“I used to be afraid of the dark, you know. Until I learned that the real monsters thrive in the light.”

“So, what you’re saying is if I gave you a nickel, you’d do it.”

“No, I don’t know how the cheese got there, and honestly, I don’t think I want to know.”

“You’re sounding more like a cult leader every time you open your mouth. Don’t think I’ll be accepting any Flavor Aid from you anytime soon.”

“How did you...you know what, I’m going to forget I saw a thing, and go read a book. Or bathe in Holy Water. Or both. Both is good.”

“If you say one more word I swear--” “One more word” “I hate you”

“You can’t come in here singing my favorite song and expect forgiveness, that’s not how this works!”

“No. You mean nothing to me. You never did. You never will.”

“But if it did, it would work and you can’t convince me otherwise.”

“You are simultaneously the smartest and least intelligent person I have ever meant. Truly, an amazing accomplishment.” @bonkywobble

“Next thing you’re going to say is that ghosts are real...please tell me that’s a joke”

“All I’m saying is, I could do that blindfolded.”

“But why was there pizza on the ceiling?”

“If you write me a four thousand word essay on why you think that’s a good idea, then sure.”

“I didn’t think you were serious. Do you know how illegal this is?!”

Sentence Prompts

Feel free to change the pronouns used to suit your needs, even if they aren’t bracketed! You can also change the tense if you need to!

The January rain fell, feeling like razors against [your/her/their] skin as [you/she/they] stared out over the horizon.

This was it, the moment where life as [you/she/they] knew it ended.

[His/her/their] gaze fell on [her/you], like a lion circling its prey.

You never thought that it would come to this, come to being the one to end it all.

You took a moment to calculate [his/her/their] next move, figuring out the perfect counter.

Hanging by your ankles from a tree was most definitely not how you planned on spending your Saturday.

Glancing around the room at the decor, one thing was obvious: it was [his/her/their] doing.

Hurt was the only thing you felt, the only thing you could cling to in this abyss.

Lies, it had all been lies and they were crumbling around you.

The screech of tires on the pavement sent a shiver down your spine.

He/She used to love this time of year, the beauty of it all.

It was like climbing Everest: ambitious, dangerous, and maybe a little insane.

Forgiveness was not something you were willing to offer so freely, not this time.

Chaos may as well have been the code name of this mission. @nekoannie-chan

Silence was your new best friend, one that never seemed to leave you alone.

That smile, that smile was something you could get used to waking up to every day.

Your face twisted in disgust as you realized what you had fallen into.

You were beginning to wish you had taken [him/her/them] up on that trip to Madrid.

Quotes from Popular Media:

With these prompts specifically, you can use the full thing, paraphrase, etc, since some of them are quite long, or just write something based off an idea it sparks.

“There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero... never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith. Ain't that a bitch.” -Epsilon, Season 13, Red vs Blue

“We're so arrogant, aren't we? So afraid of age, we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone. Someone who doesn't drive you to commit murder or doesn't humiliate you beyond repair.” - Daniel, P.S I Love You

“After centuries of men looking at my tits instead of my eyes and pinching my ass instead of shaking my hand, I now have the divine right to stare at a man's backside with vulgar, cheap appreciation if I want to!” - Denise, P.S. I Love You

“Life isn't just death. Don't ignore the living.” - Vada Sultenfuss, My Girl

“Life's full of barbaric customs. But I hope they all end with a kiss like that.” - Vada Sultenfuss, My Girl

"You're a little scary sometimes, you know that? Brilliant ... but scary." - Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

"I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there." - Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

“Sweetie, this is one of those times when I know what's right and everybody else is confused.” - Angela Montenegro, Bones, Season 3

“Oh, God. I'm in the middle of something, aren't I? Oh, look! Dead guy!” - Cam Saroyan, Bones, Season 5

“Don’t make it sound trivial when you know it isn’t. You keep talking about how we just need a little more time, but you’re not the one having to struggle.” -Nora, RWBY, Volume 7

“It's called survival. But I forgot, you two at best are functional morons.” - Crowley, Supernatural, Season 5, Episode 10

“I once had to judge a tighty-whitey contest for Lambda Kappa Pi. Trust me, I can handle anything.” - Elle Woods, Legally Blonde

“How were we supposed to know? It's not like we run background checks on all her boyfriends.” - Kathryn Kennish, Switched at Birth

“Don’t try to get on my good side. I no longer have a good one” - Ouiser, Steel Magnolias

“I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” - Shelby, Steel Magnolias

“You have the handwriting of a serial killer” - Clairee, Steel Magnolias

“I didn’t know if you would hire someone who might be married to someone who may or may not be a criminal” - Annelle, Steel Magnolias

Lyric Prompts

What Do You Think Of - Lauren Alaina ft. Lukas Graham

What do you think of when you think of me?

When you look back on us what do you see? Is it the good times, is it the bad times, is it somewhere in between?

I can’t even drive down 8th Avenue because the whole damn town reminds me of you

Hurts to Know - 1551

But you stayed when I made another promise to keep

And you waited and waited for the life you saw in your dreams

You walk in and begin to try to heal me again, but each night is a fight that’s getting harder to win.

Sick - 1551

Everyone I meet feels like another target

I’m feeling sick, I’m feeling twisted, I wasn’t home before this feeling existed

I never knew that wrong could feel so right

seven - Taylor Swift

Sweet tea in the summer, cross your heart won’t tell no other, and though I can’t recall your face, I still got love for you

Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long

I think your house is haunted, your dad is always mad and that must be why

We’ll hide in the closet, and just like a folk song, our love will be passed on

the last great american dynasty - Taylor Swift

How did a middle class divorcee do it?

The wedding was charming, if a little gauche

And they said “There goes the last great American dynasty. Who knows if she never showed up what could have been.”

epiphany - Taylor Swift

With you I serve, with you I fall down

Something med school did not cover

And some things you just can’t speak about

Chapters - Brett Young

Chapter one, I was raised on the Dodgers

There’s no perfect life, you can’t hold back time

Everybody expecting perfection

Things change in the blink of an eyelid, guess my body knew way more than I did

The Daughters - Little Big Town

Girl, know your place, be willing and able

Girl, watch your mouth and watch your weight

Pose like a trophy on a shelf, and dream for everyone but not yourself

I wash the dishes, feed the kids, and clean up all this mess, do my best, forgive myself, and look good in this dress

It Won’t Always Be Like This - Carly Pearce

I remember how I couldn’t wait to get out of my hometown, now I’m looking for every excuse to go back on the weekend

I remember hearing the door slam, twenty-two, didn't have a clue who I was, who I could trust, and who were my real friends

The heart won’t ache forever, no matter how hard it gets, it won’t always be like this

Next Girl - Carly Pearce

You overlook a lot when he looks like that

He’ll charm your mama with that smile, hide the red flags for a while

He’ll make you think it’s love, but I promise you it’s not

Bar Back - Lauren Alaina

You can have that coffee shop we went on our first date

I’ll give you back that sweatshirt, that one you know I love

I’m taking back that little hole in the wall, the red door sign saying “come on in y’all”

If I Was a Beer - Lauren Alaina

Honey you’re in luck, ‘cause I’m a fine, fine, wine. I’m a slow sweet pour, I can be a little bitter, but I ain’t a hard hitter, like a 30 from the grocery store

Waiting for Superman - Daughtry

She says “he’s still coming, just a little bit late”

She’s talking to angels, counting the stars, making a wish on a passing car

If life was a movie, then it wouldn’t end like this

Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi

When you hurt under the surface, like troubled water running could, well time can heal but this won’t

Before you go, was there something I could have said to make your heart beat better?

Our every moment, I start to replay, but all I can think about is seeing that look on your face @arrowsandmixtapes

Hard to Forget - Sam Hunt

It's kinda funny how I can't seem to get away from you, it's almost like you don't want me to

You’ve got a cold heart and the cold hard truth

Told me to leave all your things out on the porch on the swing

Oh you’re breaking my heart, baby you’re playing hard to forget

This is It - Scotty McCreery

You can open your eyes

Can’t you see forever

On top of the world here together

If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, this is it

Wish You’d Miss Me - Chase Wright

I was good for you, you were bad for me

I was solid ground, you were broken wings

I gave you love you gave me pain

You gave me hell, I gave you grace

I knew all along that you were gonna leave

What a Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers

I’m not trying to be your part time lover, sign me up for that full time @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad

This Feeling - Chainsmokers ft. Kelsea Ballerini

I lay out all my reasons you say that I need help

They tell me think with my head, not that thing in my chest

They got their hands at my neck this time

I tell you all my secrets and you tell all your friends

Hold onto your opinions and stand by what you say

What Are You Gonna Tell Her - Mickey Guyton

She thinks life is fair

But what are you gonna tell her when she’s wrong?

What are you gonna tell her when she figures out that all this time you built her up just so the world could let her down?

Do you tell her not to fight?

Can you look her in the face and promise her that things will change?

#writing challenge #marvel writing challenge #jbbnn500 #mcu #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #bucky barnes #sam wilson #wanda maximoff #marvel

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not-close-to-straight · 5 years

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Summer Nights (One) (Stony Grease AU)

A commission for @simplynerdy-gal who wanted a Stony twist on Grease!

Note: This doesn’t take place in the 50′s like the movies, but definitely not modern day either. Let’s settle on that magically vague period of late eighties to early nineties when no one had cell phones but everyone had terrible fashion and sprinkle in a few modern day things for the lol factor.

Also, I don’t follow the movie line for line/scene for scene but rather tried to reference our favorite scenes for nostalgia reasons.

SUMMER NIGHTS MASTERLIST HERE

Enjoy!

*************

The sunset was gorgeous, filling the clouds with first orange and yellow, and then pink and purples that darkened to a stormy blue as they touched the ocean. The waves crashed loud against the rocks, the sea gulls called as they circled on the evening wind and hidden away on a soft, sandy part of the beach, a summer romance was coming to a close.

“I’m going back to New York tomorrow.” Steve eased away from a long kiss and sighed. “How am I supposed to say goodbye to you, Tony? This has been the best summer of my life and now it’s ending. It’s not fair. None of this is fair.”

“Don’t talk like that, sweetheart.” Tony leaned in again and coaxed another kiss from Steve’s lips. “Nothin’s gotta end yet, c’mere and let me show you.”

“Tony.” Steve was helpless against the brunette’s charm, and when their kiss grew heated, he let Tony lay him back into the warm sand, shivering when Tony’s fingers crept under the hem of his swim shorts. “This-- this won’t spoil anything will it?”

“How could it spoil anything?” Tony flattened his palm to Steve’s stomach and smiled as the blond shuddered beneath the touch. “Just gonna make it better, right? We’ve been in love all summer Steve, ain’t like we’re rushing into this.”

“I know, I know we aren’t, and I guess I’m ready but--” Steve’s beautifully blue eyes filled with tears and Tony sat up in a hurry, whispering something soft and reassuring as he wiped them away. “This is so stupid, I shouldn’t be crying but Tony, is this the end? Is this the end of us?”

“Of course not.” Tony was lying and they both knew it, but Steve didn’t argue when Tony pulled him up into a hug and held him close. “Course not, honey. This is only the beginning.” Tony swallowed back his own tears and pressed a kiss to Steve’s blond hair. “M’gonna love you forever, sweetheart. Nothin’s ever gonna be better than this summer with you.”

“Will you--” Steve clutched at Tony’s side and drew in a deep breath. “Will you call me? Or can I call you? I know summer romances are supposed to end in the fall but I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye.”

“Oh my god, of course I’m going to call you.” Tony comforted him. “Long distance calls are real expensive, but I’ll get a part time job so I can pay for it. We’ll talk every week and maybe at Christmas you can come see me again or I can come see you or something. We’ll figure it out.”

“Are you sure?” The words were muffled in Tony’s shirt. “Cos Tony this isn’t-- this isn’t me, you know? I don’t do this sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing?” Tony combed Steve’s hair back out of his eyes and dotted a kiss to his nose. “What don’t you do?”

“Kiss strange boys on the beach.” Steve blushed bright red and Tony nearly melted. “Getting adventurous for me usually means not studying before a test, or wearing mismatched socks, not talking to random guys and staying out past my curfew to hang out on the docks and that sort of thing. I’ve never wanted to do this with anyone but you.”

“I’ve never wanted to do this with anyone but you either.” Tony admitted, his voice hoarse and eyes uncertain. “Steve you make me um-- you make me wanna be different, you know? I’m gonna call you after you leave and I’m gonna do everything I can to see you again and um--”

He stopped, biting at his lip and Steve whispered, “Tony?”

“I love you.” Tony framed Steve’s face with both hands and crushed a kiss to his mouth. “Steve, I love you and nothing is ever gonna be better than this summer with you. Nothing could ever be as great as spending a day with you.”

“‘Cept maybe the summer nights?” Steve fell back onto the sand and dragged Tony with him, wrapping both arms around Tony’s shoulders and kissing him back as hard as he could. “The summer nights with you are pretty amazing.”

“The summer nights are pretty amazing.” Tony agreed, and in a near inaudible tone, “Tell me you love me, Steve.”

“I love you.” There were tears again but neither Tony nor Steve were sure who was crying. “I’m never going to forget you.”

“I’m never going to forget you either.”

*************

Bucky “Bronco” Barnes hated everything about school. He hated the teachers and the way class started so got-dang early in the morning. He hated how the rooms smelled and that he couldn’t have a smoke in the hall and had to go all the way outside for it. Ugh the homework and ick the pep rallies.

In fact the only thing that made school worth it were all the pretty people, and as Bucky popped the collar on his leather jacket, lit up his first cigarette of the morning and checked out the talent walking up the way, he grinned to himself.

Gonna be a good year.

And then from across the parking lot came an all too familiar yell and Bucky’s cool guy persona slipped just a little when he caught sight of Valkyrie, Sam and Clint all running his way.

“Bucky!” Clint whooped out loud and launched himself over the carefully trimmed hedges in an attempt to beat Valkyrie to Bucky’s side. He caught his foot on the top branches though and bowled right into the girl, and Valkyrie screamed, taking Sam down to the ground as well as she flailed around for a handhold.

“Damn it!” Sam cried at the same time Valkyrie yelled, “My lunch got squished!” and Clint just barrel rolled out of his sprawl and popped to his feet, the leaves in his hair doing absolutely nothing to distract from how big his grin was for Bucky.

“Whaddup Bronco!” He held up his hand for a high five and Bucky rolled his eyes and punched the goofy kid right in the thigh. “Ouch! My leg! I’m wounded!”

Sam shoved a hopping Clint out of the way and socked Bucky in the shoulder. “Bronco! Where you been all summer! We didn’t see you at the arcade or nothing!”

“Had better things to do than hang out with you kids all day.” Bucky made a show of fixing his jacket collar again, smoothing back his already slick hair. “Been haulin’ boxes at the docks to save up money for a car. Whad’ya’think about that?”

“I think it’ll have to be a pretty sweet set of wheels to get the girls to look at you twice.” Valkyrie snorted and Bucky flicked her ear in annoyance. “M’just sayin, you aren’t exactly the best looking outta the group!”

“Speaking of the best looking, where’s Tony, you seen Tony yet?” Clint piped up. “Where’s that boy at?”

Bucky scowled over the idea that Tony was better looking than him, but he twisted around looking for his best friend anyway, scanning the growing crowd of students for that signature black leather jacket. He hadn’t seen Tony all summer and when he’d called last week to ask after him, Mrs. Stark had said he was out walking the beach which... didn’t seem right at all. Tony didn’t do beaches and he certainly didn’t do long, solo walks as the sunset, so Bucky had figured Tony had lied and snuck off with someone pretty for the night, and promised to call back later.

Work had gotten busy and Bucky had never called back, so now he grinned when he finally caught sight of Tony, put two fingers to his mouth and whistled sharply, waving impatiently when Tony seemed to hesitate before turning their direction.

“Tony!” Valkyrie all but tackled the other brunette and Tony oophed under her weight, laughing a little as he shoved her off, only to be taken out by Clint and Sam as well.

Bucky thought maybe Tony wasn’t laughing at all that time, and his blue eyes narrowed when Tony even back up a few steps from the group, dusting off his jacket and smoothing his hair before shoving his hands in his pockets.

“How’s it goin’, bud?” Bucky waited a few seconds for Tony to collect himself, then put an arm around his shoulders. “What’d you do all summer, how come I didn’t see ya?”

“Heya Buck.” Tony was a good two or maybe three inches shorter than Bucky and Sam and just at eye level with Clint, but he tipped his chin up and set a stance like he was taller than all of them, his eyes glinting with determination and more than a healthy amount of cockiness as he answered, “Spent the summer down at the beach, too damn busy gettin’ lucky for all your bullshit.”

“Yeah?” Bucky’s grin stretched a little wider at the typical-Tony response. “How was the action at the beach?”

“Oh you know.” Tony huffed a laugh. “As good as it always is. Barely made it out with my pants on.”

“Yeah.” Clint butted into the conversation. “Must’ve been hard with all them pretty people hanging around you, huh? I sure know how that is.”

“Only thing that hangs around you are flies.” Sam shoved Clint away and asked, “So what, you just chased tail all summer? Couldn’t call us once?”

“Nah.” Valkyrie decided. “Nah, there was someone special, that’s why he didn’t call us. Look at him blushing like a fuckin’ idiot. Who was it, Tony?”

“Wait, what?” Bucky peered a little closer at the tell tale red on Tony’s face. “You punk! Holdin’ out on me? What’d you do, go and fall in love?”

“Yeah right, Tony Stark doesn’t fall in love.” Tony denied quickly, almost too quickly. “I mean, there was this one guy. Blonde, real hot, smokin’ boyd. He was uh--” Tony cleared his throat. “--he was sorta special, I guess.”

“So he put out like a vending machine, gave it up for nickels.” Bucky decided and the other three howled in laughter. “Ain’t that right, Tony?”

“That all you think about, Buck?” Tony pulled a face and Bucky nodded decisively, “You know th’hell it is!”

The bell rang, covering whatever Tony said in response but when Bucky caught what looked like sadness in his buddy’s eyes, he grabbed at Tony’s jacket to slow him down before they made it inside.

“Tony, what happened this summer, you gonna tell me or what?” Bucky wanted to know. “You don’t gotta tell me everything, but I wanna know if you found someone good. You’re my best friend, that sorta shit matters.”

“Tony Stark doesn’t fall in love.” Tony repeated the words a little louder, almost as if he were trying to convince himself like he was trying to convince Bucky. “But if it makes you happy, I’ll give you the dirty details at lunch, you horny bastard.”

“Oh, do you know the way to my heart.” Bucky clasped a hand over his heart and Tony finally laughed out loud, shoving at his friend and jogging up the steps. “Glad you’re back around, Tony. Senior year, baby!”

“Senior year!” Tony jumped up to slap the frame of the door, trying to hide the lingering heartbreak over Steve under another shout. “Here we go!”

“Here. We. Go.” Natasha Romanov unknowingly echoed Tony’s words as she stepped from her car and swung a bright pink jacket around her shoulders. “One more year in this piece of shit place and then we’ll be free.”

“This place is a piece of shit, but at least we’re seniors this year.” Pepper wobbled and nearly fell on sky high heels but managed to save it, balancing rhinestoned sunglasses on her nose and shrugging into her own jacket. “This time we rule the school. Andover High is ours for the taking.”

“Damn right we rule the school.” Carol tore open a pack of Oreos and licked the frosting from the middle of a cookie before discarding the rest and opening another. “Nobody’s gonna tell us what to do this time around!”

“Okay maybe not, but still oh my god, stop that!” Pepper smacked Carol with her clutch and tried to knock the cookies away. “That is so adolescent!”

“Well I mean--” Carol shrugged and destroyed another Oreo. “We’re still here for one more year right? Technically we still are adolescents.”

“Okay just don’t flaunt it.” Pepper adjusted her bra and Natasha asked, “Stuffing this year, Pep? Gave up on asking Santa for new boobs, huh?”

“For all you know I could have gone up a size this summer! This could really be me!” Pepper cried, and then shrieked when Carol reached over with a “Honka Honka!” and squeezed at the bra. “CAROL!”

“Definitely stuffing but it sure felt fancy.” Carol’s eyes widened. “Oooh! Are you wearing one of them new WonderBras?”

“I hate you!” Pepper hissed and Carol tossed her head back and practically cackled with laughter as Pepper tried and failed to run after her in those stupid shoes. “Carol! I hate you!”

“One more year.” Natasha said to herself, straightening her skirt and lifting her chin. “One more year and then I can get the hell out of here and away from--”

Pepper was still shrieking in the distance, but that didn’t distract from a few sideways looks as a group of girls passed Natasha, nor did it cover the whispers as they shared no doubt pointless, hurtful gossip about the easiest girl in school.

“--away from all that bullshit.” Natasha sneered at their smirks and tugged her shirt down a little further to show off another inch of cleavage. “Bitches.”

************

Back in New York Steve had spent all his time with a small group of friends who had enough in common to make the school days easier. They had studied together, been wall flowers at dances together, were always in student government and sat at the same table at lunch. They might not have been the most popular kids in school, but they were fun anyway, and as he walked into Andover High for the very first time, Steve would have given just about anything to be back in New York with them again.

It was bad enough moving without any notice at all, he’d had to say goodbye to his friends over the phone while unpacking boxes at the new place. It was even worse that his parents had decided to move without even going back to New York. There had been a new job opportunity for Steve’s Dad and the perfect house opening up at the perfect time and his Ma had been so excited about it all working out--

--neither of his parents had even thought to ask what Steve wanted, when all Steve could think about was how Tony would have called the New York number only to reach a disconnected dial tone.

Steve was sick to his stomach thinking about how heart broken Tony would be, or worse how angry Tony would be, most likely thinking Steve had given him a fake number. Steve had spent nights tossing and turning trying to come up with ways to track down Tony’s number or maybe even his address so he could write an apology letter or at least explain what happened. Tony probably hated him now and it just wasn’t fair-- it wasn’t fair-- and Steve thought he’d never stop being sad.

He was pulled at least partially from first day nervousness and soul wrenching melancholy by the presence of his school assigned guide Thor, who was extra big and extra friend and really difficult to stay miserable around.

Thor swept Steve through the halls of Andover High with wild hand gestures and loud explanations of various teachers, showed Steve the trick to kicking a locker door open if he couldn’t remember the combination, and at lunch, Thor wrapped his giant hand around Steve’s wrist and pulled him through the cafeteria and out to the tables, cheerfully announcing over his shoulder, “My friends are sort of terrible, but I promise you’ll like them anyway! Come on!”

“Oh, they’re… terrible?” Steve asked, but Thor was already making a beeline for the lunch table on the far end of the yard and Steve knew there was no stopping the massive blond. “Well I mean, I guess I need to make new friends at some point?”

Thor might have been enthused about school and making new friends, but Natasha was already ready to jump out of a window and drop out of Andover entirely and it was only noon on the first day.

“Hey.” Carol reached over and snatched at Natasha’s dessert before plopping down on the chair next to her. “Tasha, did you check out Tony this morning? He is looking fantastic this year. He’s got some weird, broody thing going on and it’s wonderful.”

“It’s ancient history is what it is.” Natasha muttered, poking at her food. “Stop talking about it.”

“Well sometimes ancient history repeats itself.” Pepper needled, “And Carol’s right, he does have this broody look going on. Nothing’s cuter than a damaged boy, right?”

“Right, cos that’s what I want. A boy who needs fixed.” Natasha shoved the less than edible food away with a huff. She wasn’t willing to admit how much it had hurt that Tony hadn’t called her once all summer, especially after they’d gone together for a while last year. And Tony did look good this year, older and a little more serious but Natasha was willing to bet good money that it was another line, another play, another attempt by another boy to just be stupid because that’s all they ever were.

“I barely wanted Tony last spring.” She said calmly. “I certainly don’t want him if he’s going to be high maintenance and need his feelings cared for.”

Carol and Pepper exchanged a look that Natasha did not appreciate at all, but before she could say anything about it, Thor shouted at them from a little bit away and waved excitedly, so she let it drop.

“Hey girls!” Thor was bigger than most of the boys at the school, bigger than most of the teachers for that matter, over tall and over muscled and just the nicest person in the world, and even though the table shook when he sat and Pepper fussed over losing one of her rhinestones in her food, everyone had a smile for the guy.

“Thor, that shirt is--.” Carol looked over Thor’s too tight tank top with raised eyebrows, then glanced up at Steve. “-- well your nipples certainly aren’t shy, are they? Anyway, who’s your friend?”

“This is Steve.” Thor announced proudly, and tugged Steve closer. “He moved here from New York and doesn’t know anyone and I thought he’d fit in just fine with us!”

“Ladies.” Steve offered a somewhat awkward wave and sat gingerly at the table, smoothing the pleats of his khakis self consciously. “I appreciate you letting me sit with you. This is all very different than what I’m used to.”

Carol, who had her hair in pigtails and was slurping at a smoothie like it was her last meal, only waggled her eyebrows in apparent approval of Steve while Pepper, who seemed quite a bit more mature than the other girls only sent Steve a coolly appraising glance over her sunglasses. He felt like Natasha immediately didn’t like him, the tiny redhead’s eyes narrowing and arms folding as she asked, “New York? What part? You seem a little small town to be from the Big Apple.”

“Small town.” Steve repeated, not sure if he’d just been insulted or not. “I um-- I’m actually from Brooklyn but it’s still part of New York City.”

“Oooh, Brooklyn.” Natasha raised her eyebrows. “That city carries a certain sorta reputation I have a hard time believing you live up to--ow!” she scowled and rubbed at her leg when Thor kicked out at her. “Damn it--”

“Oh yoo hoo!” a voice cutting through the general lunchtime noise and whatever else Natasha was going to say. “Ayoo-ahoo-ahoo! Don’t think you can hide from me, because you can’t!”

“Who--?” Steve started to ask and Natasha sighed as if the very words pained her as she answered, “Scott Lang. The most obnoxiously, over cheerful, pain in my-- Hi!” she looked up with a smile that was closer to a snarl. “Scott! How are you!”

“Oh, oh my gosh.” Scott was cute, bubbly and sweet and with a smile at least a mile wide, and entirely oblivious to the layer of hostility at the table. “I love the first day of school don’t you? It’s just the biggest thrill of my life! And oh! You’ll never guess what’s happened!”

“...Probably not.” Carol said around a mouthful of sandwich. “Gonna tell us anyway though, aren’t you?”

“The nominations for student council just came in!” Scott’s impossibly wide smile got even wider. “And you’ll never guess who’s up for Vice President!”

“Surprise us.” Thor said calmly and Steve hid a tiny smile at the giant’s attempt at politeness.

“Me!” Scott burst out and then laughed out loud. “Isn’t that the most! I mean, to say the least.”

“The absolute, very least.” Pepper sighed. “So, Scott--”

“Oh my god, you must think I’m the worst for not introducing myself to your friend!” Scott hustled his way around the table and plopped right down into Steve’s space. “Hello! I’m Scott Lang! You must the new kid because I don’t know you and I know everyone! Where are you from? You sound like you’re from New York, but don’t worry, that terrible accent will fade super quick and you’ll be talking just like us beach bums around here!”

“Uh--” Steve blinked a few times and Scott rushed on, “You have to come to cheerleader tryouts! I know what you’re thinking, cheerleaders are girls! But no! We have to have someone strong to lift the girls into the stunts right! Say you’ll come! We’ll get to share so many experiences and have so much fun and get to be life long friends!”

“Life long--” Steve couldn’t quite manage to match Scott’s energy. “I mean-- sure?”

“Oh my god, leave the poor kid alone.” Pepper said in exasperation and shoved at Scott’s shoulder. “Steve, you don’t have to be a cheerleader. No one except Scott is that peppy.”

“Nothing wrong with a little pep!” Scott said cheerfully. “What do you think, Steve?”

“I think being a cheerleader would be a great way to make some friends…” Steve started slowly, but apparently that was enough for Scott, who clapped his hands in excitement and started rattling off try out times and practice locations and oh wouldn’t Steve just love their uniforms, he looked like he was born to wear red white and blue!

“Steve.” Carol took pity on Steve’s slightly glazed expression and reached across the table to tap at his hand. “So what’d you do all summer? Anything fun?”

“My folks rented a cottage and I was down at the beach every day.” Steve smiled when Thor made an “oooh” sound. “I um-- I met a boy there. We spent the entire summer together.”

“You hauled your cookies all the way to the beach for a boy?” Natasha took a loud sip of her drink. “Sounds pretty pointless to me.”

“Well I mean.” Steve rubbed at a spot on his button of shirt, a streak of pink splashing across his cheeks. “He was pretty special.”

******************

All the way across the football field, Tony sprawled onto the bleachers alongside Bucky, tossing pebbles at Valkyrie and Clint as they arm wrestled and jeering down at the jocks with Sam. It was weird to be back in school after what felt like an endless summer, weird to be back in his leather jacket after living in soft shirts and board shorts and during some wonderful afternoons, no shirts at all, just skin to skin with Steve as they kissed and touched and….

“So hey.” Bucky finished his lunch and tossed the trash away, bumping Tony with his elbow and jostling him from his thoughts. “Tell me about the guy this summer. All that beach action. Was he taller than you?”

“Everyone’s taller than Tony.” Sam joked and when Tony scowled at him, put both hands up and apologized, “Damn man, sorry. Thought the height thing was okay to joke about.”

“Ignore him.” Bucky kicked Sam’s drink over just to be a jerk and smirked when Sam shouted in protest. “Tell me about him, Tony. Come on.”

“Nah.” Tony didn’t really want to tell anyone about Steve, he sort of wanted to keep that memory just for himself.

Besides, it wasn’t like the summer had ended nice or anything. Tony had kissed Steve bye and then waited a week to call just to make sure the beautiful blond would make it back to New York, and then he’d called twice a day every day for a week and a half before someone had finally picked up.

But the person on the other end hadn’t been Steve or anyone who knew Steve, just a confused sounding lady telling him, “No one named Steve lives here, honey. You must have the wrong number.”

Tony had hung up, looked down at the number he had so carefully copied and repeated back to Steve at least a half dozen times so he knew it was right, then tossed the paper in the trash and cried himself to sleep for the first and goddamnit, the last time in his life.

But now for some reason his leather jacket felt like it fit different and his stiffly styled hair look unnatural in the mirror and Tony knew he had bags under his eyes big enough to pack clothes in, but he hadn’t slept much at all since that day and he was freakin’ miserable.

So no, the last thing he wanted to do was talk about the sweet blond that had both stolen and broken his heart so, “Nah.” was all he said, and went back to picking at his food.

“Hey!” Bucky protested loudly. “What’s this bullshit about keeping secrets! Come on! You promised horny details, damn you!”

“Horny details--” Valkyrie yanked away from the arm wrestling and Clint yelped as he splatted forward onto the bleachers. “Dumb ass! That woudn’a happened if you weren’t putting all your weight into trying to beat me! Tony! Let’s hear horny details!”

“I’m down for horny.” Clint sniffed loudly and straddled one of the bleachers. “C’mon Stark, don’t hold out on us. I didn’t get lucky once all summer, help me out here.”

Valkyrie, Sam and Clint were egging him on and Bucky was looking at him like he didn’t understand why Tony wasn’t willing to give up any details, so Tony did the only thing he felt like he could do--

--popped the collar of his jacket, ran his fingers through his hair and tipped his head back with a cocky grin, drawling, “Alright alright alright. You guys wanna know what happened? It started with a blond.” he let his smile slide slow and knowing, hiding the sadness he couldn’t quite seem to shake. “And ended with a--” Tony let his hand hit the bleachers a few times, bang bang bang, and Sam howled out loud as the others erupted into cheers.

“Yeah that’s right.” It was easier to pretend he was okay so long as he didn’t talk about any feelings, so Tony basically leered as he said. “It was a blast, you feel me? Happened so fast, so damn easy. I met this smoking hot blonde. Real tall, bright blue eyes and a body that just--” he shuddered and Clint whistled.

“He was crazy for me.” Tony said confidently, and that wasn’t a lie at all. “Just freakin’ crazy for me.”

“Oh yeah?” Sam tore open the wrapping on a candy bar and shoved half of it into his mouth. “Did you get real far?”

“Yeah, that’s what I wanna know.” Clint agreed. “Details! Details! Details!”

“Oh come on, you know how it is.” Tony laughed when Valkyrie and Clint started banging on the bleachers. “Same old, same old.”

************

“So tell us about him!” Pepper ignored Natasha’s glower and urged Steve, “How did you guys meet? Did he have a car?”

“Oh well.” Steve didn’t even know if he could talk about Tony without crying, but he gave it a try, managing a nearly heartbroken smile as he answered, “I don’t know about a car, but uh-- we met cos he was trying to show off. He was running down the beach and tried to dive for a football and ended up just kicking a bunch of sand at me.”

Steve’s smile turned a little more genuine thinking about how Tony had tried so hard to be suave. “He was really cute though, and apologized about sixteen times so I forgave him.”

“How did he make it up to you?” Carol flicked a french fry at Natasha just to make the redhead frown and added, “I mean, boys are generally the worst, so what did he do to make you fall in love with him?”

“Just the usual things, I suppose. “ Steve’s blush got a little deeper when Scott squealed something excited and propped his chin up in his hands to listen. “We went bowling and he was terrible, and I laughed so hard when he tried to be cool about it that he finally stopped and was just dorky with me.”

“Oooh he was dorky?” Natasha rolled her eyes theatrically. “Sounds like a keeper.”

“... he was a keeper.” Steve said sadly. “He was wonderful.”

“Tell us more.” Scott demanded. “I want to know more about your Prince Charming.”

“Oh I don’t know--”

“Tell me more! Tell me more!” Scott chanted. “Tell me more!”

**************

“So we’re both in the water, right?” Tony dropped his sunglasses down over his eyes and affected a casual tone. “He goes swimming by me in these little tiny shorts, little red and blue striped things? Just slutty, I swear. Begging for attention. Then he gets a leg cramp and almost drowns, I’m telling ya, it was a good thing thing I was there.”

“Uh huh, uh huh.” Bucky crowed. “So you rescued him and he thanked you in all the good ways?!”

“Don’t you know it.” Tony scrunched his nose and grinned. “He nearly drowned okay? Without me there, the world been have been less one hot blonde. Real shame, that. And oh my god, he was so grateful, you know?”

“Did you get down doobie down?” Sam wanted to know and Valkyrie hit him in the shoulder with a, “We’re practically adults, Sam! Just call it sex!”

“Alright fine.” Sam huffed. “Did you get sex, Tony? There, you happy Val? Now I sound like an asshole.”

“You always sound like an asshole.” Bucky retorted. “Keep goin’ Tony. Tell us more.”

“We made out under the dock.” Tony said slyly and Sam whistled under his breath. “Sand was warm and the water was cold and he didn’t believe in wearing a shirt so it was just a whole lotta golden skin everywhere. Plus he had this sexy little East Coast accent, something in New York. He’d get all flustered and it would get thick and just--” that was a little too true for comfort and Tony forced out a teasing whistle. “All good things.”

“Wait.” Clint grabbed at Tony’s leg. “Wait, lover boy was a virgin? If he got all flustered when you’d kiss then--”

“What can I say, those good boys love me!” Tony laughed out loud and everyone else joined in.

“Even though for a good boy, he sure kissed real nice.” Tony admitted. “Never met anyone who kissed half as good as he did, and I’ve spent a whole lotta time kissin’ a whole lotta people. He was the best.”

“The best?” Bucky said skeptically, and Tony’s smile edged towards sad as he repeated, “Never kissed anyone like that before, and never gonna kiss anyone else like him again. I swear.”

***************

“Oh my gosh, he was sweet.” Steve sighed a little. “Almost ready to turn nineteen, and he was handsome enough to be a model but then had these dark brown eyes that could get just about anything out of me. Bambi eyes, you know?”

“Just about anything?” Pepper’s pretty lips parted in surprise. “Out of you?”

“Well not everything.” Steve glanced around the table, from Natasha’s bored expression to Scott’s wide eyed interest. “But there’s nothing more romantic than summer nights, right? Walking under the stars and being on the pier as the sun goes down?”

“That sounds wonderful, and I absolutely hate that romantic nonsense.” Carol declared. “Tell us more. Did he spend a lot of money on you? That’s real love, when they buy you things.”

“Preach.” Pepper reached over and high fived Carol. “So Steve? Lots of presents?”

“He bought me lemonade every day and then we would share it while we wandered along the boardwalk.” Steve said wistfully. “Cotton candy at the Fourth of July fair. I didn't need presents, it was just nice to be with him. He got all friendly wanting to hold my hand and he’s the first boy I ever kissed and it was amazing.”

“Sounds like a drag.” Natasha fake yawned into her hand and when Pepper sent her a look, she shrugged, “What? It sounds too pure for me. Practically prissy. Call me when the story gets good.”

“Ignore her.” Thor decided. “Tell me more. Where is he now?”

*************

“Could he get me a friend?” Clint asked eagerly. “I need someone to kiss.”

“No one wants to kiss you.” Valkyrie said flatly. “So what Tony? You kissed this guy and then-- I mean, did he make you work for it? Give it up like it was going out of style? What?”

“He got all sortsa friendly down in the sand.” Vaguely, but meaningful, Tony waggling his eyebrows pointedly. “All sortsa super friendly, alright? Didn’t take much at all. Those summer nights, you guys. Just ice cream, romance and gettin’ lucky. Easiest thing in the world to get lost in all that, over and over.”

“And over and over and over!” Bucky hollered. “YES, Tony! Was he any good?”

“I told you he’s the best kisser I ever had.” Tony objected and Clint countered, “Well yeah, but just cos someone kisses like they know what they’re doin’ don’t mean they actually know. Remember the Bruce debacle?”

“He says debacle like he knows what it means.” Sam tossed a pebble at Clint. “He’s got a point, Tony. Bruce walks around kissin’ like he’s tryna fuck you right then and there but you said when you tried to get friendly, he turned you down.”

“Eh, maybe I’m not his type.” Tony hedged and Bucky argued, “Nah Tony’s everyone’s type. S’just that Bruce is one’a them that only likes kissing but doesn’t like sex, you know?”

“That just doesn’t seem right at all.” Valkyrie declared. “We call the guy the Hulk for a reason, a damn waste to not use all them inches for the greater good.”

“The greater good--” Bucky snorted soda out of his nose and spluttered a few times. “Damn Val, warn a guy before you say something like that!”

“Anyway.” she rolled her eyes and turned back to Tony. “Alright, so you got lucky with the guy all summer, he was hot and made you feel all shivery and shit. What then? What happened?”

“It got cold.” Tony tried to shrug as if it didn’t matter but Bucky tipped his head and frowned when he saw a flicker of sadness across Tony’s face. “And summer romances, they gotta end at some point. It got cold, he went back to New York, end of story.”

“End of story.” Sam repeated. “You don’t call him or anything?”

“Tony Stark doesn’t do long distance.” Tony cocked an eyebrow like it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “Summer fling, don’t mean a thing. I told him we’d still be friends, maybe if he ever came back this way then we could do it all again. That was it.”

*************

“He told me he’d call and that he wanted to see me at Christmas and try and be together next summer.” Steve sighed, and next to him, Scott sighed as if it were his heart breaking. “Then he told me he loved me, and I told him I loved him, and we promised to never forget each other. That was it.”

“That was it?” Pepper gathered up her lunch trash and the rest of the table stood to start heading back inside. “You spend all summer with him, fall in love, and the guy didn’t even lay a finger on you?”

“It wasn’t like that.” Steve shrugged, a hand to his stomach as it twisted uncomfortably all over again. Tony must hate me now, oh my gosh. “He was a perfect gentleman and saying I love you was enough. We didn’t need to do-- to do everything else.”

“Sounds fake.” Carol decided, jumping up onto a table so she could climb onto Thor’s back and get a ride to class. “I don’t see how anyone would spend a summer with a boy who looks like you and not be climbing into your pants.”

“You aren’t ever going to see him again?” Thor wrapped one big hand around Carol’s calf to hold her steady, then hooked his other arm around Steve’s shoulders and clicked his tongue in sympathy. “Didn’t you exchange addresses or phone numbers or anything?”

“I gave him my number in New York.” Steve’s blue eyes dimmed in distress. “But then my folks decided to stay here and we moved our belongings with a service and never actually went back to the East Coast.”

“So he thinks you gave him a wrong number?” Natasha cut in. “Wow. He probably hates you now.”

“He probably does.” Steve sounded so miserable Natasha actually felt bad for her comment, and cursed under her breath before awkwardly comforting, “Well i suppose he probably thinks he wrote it down wrong.. I mean maybe he doesn’t hate you?”

“What was his name?” Carol asked from Thor’s back, peering down at Steve curiously. “Was he local? This isn’t that big of a town, we might recognize the name if he’s one’a them tourists that have a summer home here or whatever. If he comes back every summer, maybe we could help you track him down.”

“I suppose it can’t hurt.” Steve smoothed his khakis again. “His name was Tony. Tony Stark.”

“TONY STARK—“ Thor stumbled to a stop and and nearly face planted, and Carol screamed as she catapulted over the blond’s shoulders and into the bushes.

“WELL!” Tasha said loudly, smacking Thor’s midsection so he wouldn’t say anything else. “Steve, I think your summer love sounds um— sounds—“

“Peachy keen!” Pepper interrupted. “Just absolutely peachy keen!”

“And you know.” Natasha bared her teeth in a fake smile. “If you believe in true love and um, miracles, I’m sure you’ll see your Prince Charming again.”

“Do you really think so?” Steve absolutely lit up, blue eyes sparkling. “Thor, do you think so?”

“Ummmm.” Thor glanced at the girls helplessly, then reached and hauled Carol from the bushes, brushing the leaves from her hair. “I… I think we should get to class, Steve. Let’s worry about Prince Charming another day.”

Thor hurried Steve away, sending a concerned look over his shoulder as they went, and Carol whirled around on Natasha immediately, nearly screeching, “Tasha! Prissy McGee’s Prince Charming was Tony?? Weren’t you two just playing tonsil tennis and doing the dance with no pants?”

“Oh god, Carol!” Pepper gagged. “Don’t say it like that!”

“Whatever Tony and I were doing was neither tennis nor dancing because both of those things require good hands and stamina and Tony Stark has exactly none of either.” Natasha scoffed. “A Grabby Quickfire is all he is. Steve is welcome to him. I certainly won’t miss those three minutes of grunting and groaning and cleaning up the mess after.”

Pepper sneezed a laugh into her compact and then cursed when the powder flew into her nose. “Oh damn it Tasha. Seriously, though. How the heck does that happen, and what are you going to do about it?”

“What am I going to do about it?” Natasha snatched Peppers compact and carefully reapplied a thick layer of bright red lipstick. “I’m going to make sure our new friend doesn’t get anywhere near Tony for the next week and then re-Introduce them at the pep rally on Saturday. Nothing like a spontaneous reunion to keep things interesting, right?”

“That seems harsh.” Carol ripped the wrapper off a lollipop and shoved it in her mouth. “Gonna mess Steve up real bad to see how Tony really is.”

“Well, he won’t be the first to be heartbroken, will he?” Natasha clicked the compact shut and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Let’s go ladies.”

*************

SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHAPTER! (I love approximately 120931928 things about this AU and I can’t wait to scream about it with you guys!)

*************

@ships-galore @ceealaina @izziebladez @cwar1864 @hausoffro @lookuplaughing @tonystarkisanangel @multishippinglife @girlnic @iam93percentstardust @water-colouredmemories @paranormalmoonlight5 @igotloki @moosette05 @wayward-student-philosopher @kaz-brekkers-gloves @atomicfandombomb @desitonystark @1fuckingshitup69 @agentlokii @here-for-your-bullshit @livewire28 @flowers-and-honey @bluedreamdino @blackreaders-assemble @pidgist

#ncts fics #stony #grease au #steve rogers #tony stark #bucky barnes #natasha romanoff #pepper potts #thor #carol danvers #clint barton #sam wilson #valkyrie #t-birds #pink ladies

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texanredrose · 7 years

Text

I Need A Hero

Yang Xiao Long lived for the thrill.

When she was younger, she’d be the one climbing trees and jumping from cliffs by her house into the water below. The rush invigorated her, made her feel alive and fierce, and while their mother had always gently chided her about being so reckless, she also praised the little blonde with pigtails for being so fearless.

When she got into her teens, she took just as many risks, because that was right about when her powers became noticeable. She rode her motorcycle a bit too fast and she ran with the bad crowd, the sort their mother would’ve warned her against were she still alive. But for every broken bone, for every punch across her jaw or kick to her gut, she got stronger, until she could start an inferno with the snap of her fingers. Keeping the liquid fire running through her in check came second nature but those moments when she could let loose were far and few between, and she usually used a bonfire or something similar to cover just how she expressed her passion for life. It wasn’t exactly the honest way to go about it but it was the safest.

Luckily, her younger sister didn’t seem to posses the same penchant for the dangerous as she did, her latent super speed only rivaled by her sheer brilliance in the engineering field, but she certainly had a noble streak to rival Yang’s recklessness. So, when Ruby decided to don a ridiculous mask and cowl, to fight the bad guys in the most direct method possible, it seemed only natural for her big sister to step in and help out.

They operated independently but with close communication; she always knew where her sister was and vice versa. If they caught wind of something big going down, they’d time their arrivals so it appeared like they’d stumbled upon the scene independently, even joked with each other like strangers would, or coworkers who didn’t actually spend much time working side-by-side. The news didn’t seem onto them and the local police force, although publicly critical of their methods, didn’t seem too interested in unmasked the super powered, masked vigilantes in their city. As a result, Vale had become relatively safe from petty crime but something of a hotbed for those with something to prove.

On the upside, the majority of their frequent fliers were the theatrical sort, more than willing to take hostages and wait a few hours for their ‘arch nemesis’ to show up rather than straight up endangering innocent people. But there were a few who had enough screws loose that she found herself sincerely concerned about if she could live with the consequences of being late, even once, when they were involved.

That’s what had her running along a rooftop at o’ dark thirty on a Monday, gathering up the fire in her veins and exploding upwards as she jumped to the next one, the rain sliding across her visor hardly impeding her sight in the slightest. On the other side of town, they’d learned about a weapons shipment to supply one of their longest running acquaintances- a man who’d once been a hero and had turned towards ruthless methods of exacting his twisted version of ‘justice’.

“Flying high, Eagle?”

“Heading to roost, Owl,” she said, trying to keep the grim excitement from her voice. They’d devised the codenames- entirely unrelated to their public images or secret identities- as a method of ensuring that, were their channel ever compromised, nothing important would be relayed. At least, nothing anyone but themselves could understand, anyway. “Got the birdseed?”

“Three bags. What about you? Any nickels?”

“Oh, I got plenty.” They’d timed it out so Ruby would arrive first this time, scope out the area before she ever got close. Honestly, she was running a bit ahead of schedule, already crossing over the city’s main thoroughfare when she should be just hitting the rooftops of the south side. “Thing’s’ll be shiny tonight.”

“No doubt.” Ruby grunted, though a smile could be heard in her voice. “I’ll let you know when I get back to the cage.”

“Sounds good.” She reached up and deactivated her mic, finding the button built into the underside of her helmet with practiced ease. Honestly, she felt more like a turtle with all the armor, but the gauntlets, chest piece, and greaves had saved her a few times, not to mention the knee pads. After the first time someone had broken one of her kneecaps with a metal bat, she’d learned that ‘pain is gain’ just wasn’t a feasible plan all the time. The whole ensemble- from the track suit she wore beneath the armor to the individual pieces- was a deep, dark blue, very far removed from her typical color choices, and she’d recently incorporated a lighter blue trim around the edges after the last time she’d been quite nearly blown up. The whole get up gave her normally muscular and curvaceous silhouette a blocky, stout build, and she’d stood in front of cutouts of her alter ego without anyone thinking twice about it.

In other words: the perfect disguise.

As she landed on the next rooftop, Yang skidded to a halt. Out of habit, she’d glanced over to the rooftop of the city’s police department, the main building downtown that housed the highest brass. Although they strictly maintained their public discouragement of the vigilantes’ activities, every now and again Ruby or Yang would find someone standing on the roof with an old fashioned lamp burning overhead. Archaic, but it got the point across; whatever was going on, the masked duo were the police’s best shot at cracking the case, and they weren’t above admitting they needed that glimmer of hope.

She looked across to the next building, biting her lip beneath her disguise. Ahead of schedule and nearly to her destination but with some time to spare, she could at least swing by and see what the cops wanted. Knowing her luck, it would be something equally big, and the sisters would have to wrap up their night as quickly as possible to start recon on the next big takedown. She just hoped it wasn’t another cartel; they always carried way too many guns for her to be entirely comfortable relying on her sister’s speed and sleek, bulletproof armor to keep her safe.

Yang squatted low and jumped high into the air, venting heat from her body through the contours her sister had designed to act as thrusters of sorts, allowing her to cushion her fall as super heated air worked against gravity. Ruby liked to joke that she was full of more hot air than most blimps, so she should be able to float by all accounts, but that was usually countered with a friendly reminder that, no matter how fast she was, the younger sister could never beat her at Mario Kart. For some reason, that remained a sore spot, even into their twenties.

As she lightly landed on the top of the roof access, lilac eyes fell on the particular officer waiting for her and she had to bite back a curse.

A crisp pair of slacks and a dark blue overcoat with a white shirt beneath, hair like moonlight pulled into a tight bun while her bangs fell over her right eye, arms crossed and blue eyes staring off into the distance- Detective Winter Schnee was a woman not to be trifled with, in any sense of the word. She typically worked homicides but had been tasked with ‘tracking down’ the vigilantes when murders suddenly decreased in the city, the average person absolutely terrified of finding themselves on the receiving end of the sisters’ particular brands of justice. A straight laced police officer with a short but stellar record and a former stint in the military, had the woman been provided the ample tools and resources, she probably would’ve had both sisters in cuffs by the end of the first month. She could be intense, a cool persona and a colder voice making it seem like she embodied her namesake but she had a... playful side, too, though it came out very rarely. Her younger sister, Weiss, had joined the police force as well, but an incident shortly before Ruby and Yang arrived in the city had dashed any hopes of her following Winter’s footsteps. Their paths had crossed initially at the physical therapy center Ruby worked at, the better job part of the reason they moved to Vale in the first place. The sisters had stuck together after their father died much like Winter and Weiss had after being disowned by theirs.

Well, technically, Weiss got disowned, and Winter disinherited herself immediately after; the Schnees had a long standing history in Atlas as public servants and though the current generation had chosen to live in a different kingdom, the transgression of being injured on the job seemed too high to be forgiven.

Yang had heard the whole story a time or two over the months. At first, they were just casual acquaintances, exchanging small talk in the lobby while she waited for Ruby to go on her lunch break and Winter waited for her sister’s physical therapy to end. The first time she met the woman outside the clinic, it was as a masked vigilante delivering a drug dealer to the proper authorities. Since then, it seemed the more she saw the woman when they both were ‘off the clock’, the more she’d see her on it as well. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, that probably constituted a dire concern she’d need to worry about if she wanted to keep her identity hidden...

But Yang lived for the thrill and she rather liked the woman’s company.

“So what’s the story, Flat Foot?” She hopped down, landing a few feet away from Winter and turning around slowly, as if bored. Some part of her hated putting on the facade of someone disenchanted and occasionally hostile towards police officers, but it was all part of separating the two identities. “Who’s ass do I have to save now?”

“You act as if you don’t enjoy it,” the detective replied, brows furrowing briefly before the woman sighed. “Must you insist on doing this little dance every time?”

“Only when Vale’s finest can’t live up to the title.” Yang frowned, noting how it seemed like nothing she said elicited a reaction. Usually she’d get a tightening of Winter’s lips, a twitch in her brow, sometimes even a small huff that seemed to be picked up from her sister as opposed to the other way around. She’d gotten used to hostility and annoyance hidden behind practiced poise, not this... almost stone like countenance. “Seriously, what’s going on? You’re usually more chatty than this.”

The detective watched her, unable to see past the visor. She couldn’t see how Yang’s brows knit together in confusion, how her lips tugged into a small frown- it was starting to feel more and more alien to stand there, looking up into cool blue eyes, and pretend she disliked the woman and the organization she represented. If her previous recklessness hadn’t saddled her with a rap sheet, she would’ve taken the obvious route and joined the police force herself- and encouraged Ruby to do the same- rather than run around at all hours of the day and night, beating up drug dealers and megalomaniacs in the streets of Vale. She’d done it to herself and now she had to live with it, even the bad parts, so she tried to think up something else to get Winter to spill whatever information she had.

Ultimately, Yang was beaten to the punch, for once.

“You’re going after Fang, aren’t you?” The detective pushed off the wall she leaned against, making her superior height all the more noticeable, but she didn’t try to strike an intimidating pose. She’d seen Winter grill potential suspects with exacting questions and a sharp gaze before yet now she seemed more... reserved, almost muted. “We’ve heard talk about an especially large shipment coming in soon, but none of our informants are willing to give us more than that.”

“I’ve heard the rumors, too.” Rolling her shoulders, the vigilante feigned disinterest as best she could, thankful the disguise helped conceal her true feelings on the matter. “I’m sure it’s nothing. And if it is, we’ll take care of it.”

Winter pushed out a breath through her nose, agitation showing through. “Because nothing can bring down the mighty Steam and Aurora, is that it?”

As far as monikers went, they weren’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but they’d agreed anything that sounded appropriately cool would probably come back to them somehow. Especially given her thorough appreciation of puns.

“I can take care of myself.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Yang did her best to sound unconcerned as she continued. “Everyone else should just stand clear. I’ll take care of Fang, if he shows up.” They’d done this song and dance a few times and, though it never got any easier. Typically, she wouldn’t be concerned about whether or not her words came off as exceptionally rude- she did what she wanted and she had fun; people could keep their opinions to themselves- but she’d actually liked the straight laced detective. Not just for being a break from the rest of the force, who would gladly turn over their entire jobs to the vigilantes if possible, but for being a very staunch and sincere friend ever since they met. “Do you have anything for me or not? I got your job to be doing, ya know.”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said, reaching into her coat and pulling out a single flower- freshly picked, by the looks of it, from the park down on Fifth.

Yang’s eyes widened. A yellow snapdragon. Her favorite.

They were walking through the park earlier that day, having run into each other and opting to grab lunch together. She’d looked over and seen some growing, excitedly confessed they were plentiful and wild back home but she hadn’t seen them in the city yet, and Winter had smiled in the enigmatic way that she did. Something had lurked in her eyes then, something that went unvoiced no matter how much she gently prodded, and now she had the answer as to why.

“If you would truly rather handle this yourself, I suppose there’s nothing we can do to stop you.” The detective brushed her fingers along the petals. “But... I would like to request you be careful. As much as you can, at any rate.”

Taking a look around, letting the helmet do the work her eyes couldn’t to ensure the coast was clear, Yang took a step forward and reached up to deactivate the face plate portion of the helmet, lowering her voice in the process. “How long have you known?”

“Truthfully? I didn’t, until just now.” The woman let out a quick sigh of relief before her expression turned dark. “Now, tell me the truth. Is Fang’s shipment tonight?”

The vigilante debated for all of a second before relenting. “Yeah, it’s tonight. The abandoned docks on the northwest side of the city.” She reached out, putting a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “But you can’t bring out the big guns this time, Winter. Whatever he’s got, it’s bad, and we can’t tip him off.”

“What if we stood by a few blocks away?” Winter gestured to the building below them. “No helicopters, as many plain, street vehicles as we have-”

“It’s too risky.” Yang shook her head. “It would put too many people in danger.”

“So you and Aurora are going to pick this fight on your own?” The detective blinked, then tilted her head, and it was obvious she’d put the pieces together. “This is reckless.”

“This is me,” she replied, glancing away briefly. “I know you don’t approve but this is how I’m going to deal with it. All goes well and I’ll be delivering Fang to you in the morning.”

“Hey, Eagle, landed a while ago.” Ruby’s voice sounded tense in her ear. “Birdbath’s a little full.”

That meant that things were already not going well.

“And if it doesn’t?” Winter’s voice had a harsh edge, the same one she used when reprimanding a fellow officer or putting a stop to her sister’s self deprecating comments about herself. “You know very well that Fang’s dangerous; he will not hesitate to kill either of you.”

“We know.” She winced at the slip- though, seeing as no surprise registered in the woman’s face, she supposed it wasn’t nearly as telling- and continued slowly, surreptitiously flicking off her microphone for the moment. “I know the risks. But there’s no other option. Fang must be stopped and there’s a very short list of people who can do it.”

“Eagle?”

With a cringe, Yang reached up and flicked her mic back on. “I’m here, Owl, just... I’ll be there soon.”

The detective took a deep breath and released it slowly, looking down at the snapdragon in her hand. Tucking it carefully back into her coat, she pulled at her lapel and straightened it out, composing herself. “There’s no point in trying to talk you out of this.”

She looked up, noting the helpless pain in blue eyes while silencing her mic. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”

“You’d better be.” Winter paused, then darted forward, kissing the end of her nose. “For good luck.”

Yang couldn’t help the dumb little smile that came to her lips. “Uh... thanks...” She reached up, preparing to turn on her mic and slide the face portion back into place but hesitated. “Hey... you free some time this week?”

“I... should be off on Thursday.” The corners of her mouth lifted and a touch of coyness infected her tone. “Why do you ask?”

“Well... maybe we can grab dinner together?” With the press of a button slipping her mask back into place, the vigilante spread her hands. “I mean, dating a superhero, not a bad gig, right?”

Winter chuckled. “Very well. Dinner, Thursday. Now, try not to get yourself killed.”

“Ten-four, Flat Foot.” Hitting the mic, she turned and started running, jumping from the top of the precinct building to the next and venting a little heat to boost her. “Sorry, Owl, got a bit distracted.”

“Well, tonight’s really not the night for that.” Ruby sounded slightly frustrated. “There’s... a lot more pigeons here than we thought.”

Yang winced, landing on the next building a bit harder than she intended and immediately translating that energy into her next jump. “Well, then, guess we’re going to have to be hawks.”

“I’m... not sure if pigeons are hunted by hawks.”

“Tonight they are!” Yang suddenly felt lighter than she had in a long, long while. Having someone in on the secret was one thing but having a date on top of it was another. “I’ve got about five nickles and some change.”

“Got it!” Her good mood seemed to bolster her sister’s confidence.

It was going to be a good night.

Winter watches as Steam disappeared into the night, following the woman’s silhouette as long as she could before reading into her pocket and pulling out her scroll, dialing a number by heart.

“Did you get the location?” He sister didn’t bother with a greeting, worry pulling her voice tight.

“Yes. Northwest, abandoned docks.” Making her decision, she turned towards the roof access door. “And I’m coming with you.”

“What? Winter, no, that’s ridiculous.”

“It wasn’t an option.”

“You don’t even have any powers!”

“Let me worry about that,” she said, pulling the door open and descending the stairs two or three at a time. “Meet me by the coffee shop in twenty minutes.”

A moment of silence, and then: “Fine.”

As she replaced the device, she reached into her coat and felt the petals of the snapdragon. The detective once again felt thrilled her hunch proved true, partially to obtain the information her sister and girlfriend wanted.

But, if she was honest with herself, it was mainly because she really didn’t want to choose between the bright blonde whom she’d become rather fond of and the brash barbarian she’s become fixated with recently. Knowing they were the same person meant she could enjoy both sides of the woman’s personality, provided Fang didn’t manage to kill her tonight.

“Detective Schnee?” The officer in charge of the department’s armory raised a brow as she burst through the door without sparing a glance around the room, zeroing in on them instantly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m calling in a favor,” she said, gesturing towards the cages with heavy padlocks and thick metal surrounding them. “What do you have my size?”

They laughed, pulling a large keyring from their hip and flicking through the keys. “You know, I always had a feeling someone would step across that line someday.” They shook their head. “I’d feel sorry for whoever pissed you off, but I’m sure it’s a long time coming.”

“It may very well be,” she said, more to herself as she hoped back up would arrive before Yang- and Ruby, who probably arrived first- were in too bad of shape.

“You’ll have to tell me all about the thrilling conclusion.” The officer paused. “But, uh, not too many details. I’d rather not testify against you.”

#Elderburn #Elderburn Week #Day 2: Superhero AU #TRR writes

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danithebookaholic-blog · 5 years

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The Haunting of Elmwood Manor (A Pekin Dewlap Mystery)

By Pamela McCord

Published by: Acorn Publishing Publication date: March 1st 2019 Genres: Middle-Grade, Mystery

Synopsis:

Pekin Dewlap hasn’t seen a ghost since she was twelve. But she’d do anything to get them back. Starting a ghostbusting business with her two best friends, Amber and Scout, seems like the perfect way to accomplish her goal. Of course, playing with ghosts isn’t high on their wish list, so Pekin has to do some arm-twisting to get them on board.

Once committed, Pekin and her friends find themselves in deep, trying to solve the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Miranda Talbert. Miranda went missing in 1918, and her spirit has wandered the halls of Elmwood Manor for the last hundred years.

In the midst of finding Miranda, discovering her budding feelings for Scout, and consoling a terrified Amber, Pekin is met by an angry ghost set on thwarting her plans. Will the Ghosties be able to help Miranda, or will Pekin’s business die before she solves the mystery?

Goodreads

Excerpt:

The idea was scary. Exciting. Overwhelming.

She wanted to tell her best friends, Amber and Scout, about her new ghost-hunting business. Amber being Amber, she would freak out and say no way before Pekin could explain all the reasons it was a good idea.

Pekin had decided to do all the legwork before telling Amber and Scout about her big plan. Get her ducks in a row, be ready to answer any question or objection they threw at her. The next day, she would convince her friends how exciting this adventure would be.

Despite her anxiety, Pekin slept fairly well and was awake half an hour before her 7:30 a.m. alarm. She rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, nervous at the prospect of coming clean with her friends. With extra time before needing to get ready for school, Pekin propped up on her pillows and looked around her room, going over her plans.

Her bedroom reflected her personality, more practical than all fan girlie over the latest boy band. She kept it clean, her bed made every morning. Clothes were never tossed on the floor. She wasn’t into the rumpled look. A full-length mirror was tacked to the closet door for examining her outfits, since changing her clothes multiple times before deciding on the perfect look was her norm.

Two posters graced the walls, both copies of the ones hanging in Agent Mulder’s office in The X-Files, one reading “I Want to Believe” and the other proclaiming “The Truth is Out There.” A white bookcase reflected her obsession with the paranormal, as it was stocked with tales of haunted houses and ghostly visitations. Ghosts weren’t the only thing Pekin loved. Her bookshelves also contained a healthy dose of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. Sure, they were popular when her mom was a kid, but they were still full of great ideas for teenage sleuths and fueled her daydreams of solving mysteries.

Her gaze fell on a photo of the three friends she’d stuck in the mirror of her dresser. She loved this picture. It was taken six months ago, and showed Pekin, bookish and nerdy, and Amber, looking short next to Pekin and Scout, her beautiful auburn hair wisping around her face. Then there was Scout. Tall, good looking in a Bill Gates sort of way, glasses, studious. And the reason Pekin loved the picture.

Pekin had known Scout since second grade (he was in third grade at the time, an older man), and this year he’d blossomed (if you could say that about a guy), shooting up three inches, getting contact lenses, losing the braces. Her heart plunked the first time she saw him after summer break was over and he’d come back from spending two months in Europe with his family. But he couldn’t know about that, and she made sure not to let on that she liked him, not even to Amber, who would no doubt let it slip to Scout. Pekin would be so embarrassed if he knew.

Twirling a strand of blonde hair around a finger, she pondered how to approach Scout and Amber. Pekin wanted to be a ghostbuster. She wanted excitement, and imagined herself and Scout searching for ghosts in haunted houses. Amber would be there, too, of course, but Amber didn’t figure in Pekin’s daydreams the same way Scout did.

Still dressed in pajamas, Pekin wandered into her walk-in closet and inspected her options. Jeans, of course, but what top? She selected a white T-shirt with a big orange Cheshire Cat grinning on the front. She loved the way her hazel eyes popped when she wore it. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned sideways so she could admire the way it fell around her shoulders and down her back, then headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower.

During her shower, Pekin considered her outfit, the one she’d picked for the day. Scout once said that the Cheshire Cat was his favorite Alice in Wonderland character. She hoped he’d notice her shirt and admire it the way she wanted.

As if. The three of them had been friends for ever. They’d grown up together. Scout probably thought of her as a sister. Just because she now saw him in a new light didn’t mean he felt the same about her.

Amber had already started attracting attention from boys. Pekin was a bit jealous, but not about the other boys. She only wished Scout would notice her in that way.

Pekin stepped out of the shower and used a wide-toothed comb for the damp tangles of her hair, confiding in Grandma Virginia that this business was a perfect fit for her. She’d been obsessed with all things ghost for as long as she could remember. She couldn’t count the number of times she, Amber, and Scout had sat in her family room watching scary movies or TV shows.

Pekin was nervous about meeting Amber and Scout for lunch. She’d been nervous pretty much all the time since she’d taken steps toward making her big idea a reality. As her planning had taken shape, she’d found it hard not to give off any clues that something was different with her.

The time had come to fess up.

The number “2” was hanging upside down. She thought she saw something move in the third-floor attic window, but upon closer inspection the window was empty and she couldn’t for the life of her pinpoint what had caught her attention. Even so, goosebumps broke out on her arms, and the hair on the back of her neck prickled and stood on end.

Pekin was both excited and leery. She liked the idea of having a client, but it suddenly hit her that she would have to deal with an actual ghost. Apparently, a ghost who didn’t like visitors. From the comfort of her bedroom, it hadn’t seemed such a scary proposition. Seeing ghosts in the past was one thing, an encounter with a potentially violent entity was on a whole different level.

Scout waved his hand in front of his face. “It smells like a house that hasn’t seen a human in 50 years.” He walked into the room to the right and pushed aside the heavy drapes covering one of the tall windows along the front of the house. Before he could say “now we can see,” they covered their noses and mouths, coughing and sneezing as decades of dust billowed out of the threadbare curtains, and tumbled back out the front door so they could breathe fresh air.

Pekin noticed a stairway leading up to a single door at the top of the next landing. It was narrower and ricketier than the main staircase. “We have to go up there.”

Amber stamped her foot, disturbing layers of dust. “No! This house is dirty and ugly and I hate it. I won’t go into another scary room.”

Scout looked skeptically up the stairs. “I don’t particularly want to go up there either.”

“You guys, it’s part of the job. What if that room is where Miranda hangs out?”

“Hence, I don’t want to go to that scary room.” Amber crossed her arms and pressed her glossed lips into a tight line.

“Why are you making me do this?” Amber scrunched her shoulders as if to make herself as small as possible. She shined her flashlight around the dark room and screeched when her beam fell on a scowling face.

“Quit complaining. We have work to do,” said the face in question.

“But…what if we find something?”

“That’s the point, silly.”

The third-floor room’s only window was opposite the door. Pekin’s flashlight picked out mist-shrouded forms as she made her way to the window. A cold chill ran down her spine as she remembered seeing something in that window when Campbell drove her past 12 Elmwood. She thought she had seen something. She peered out the window, then stepped back and stared at her reflection in the window, holding her breath, preparing to run if a scary, ghostly shape appeared in the glass behind her, á la a million haunted house movies. When nothing happened, she allowed herself to breathe again and swung her flashlight back into the room.

Pekin headed down the hallway. She gulped before grabbing hold of the doorknob. It turned, but the door didn’t open. Pekin pushed on the door, and jammed her shoulder into it, but it wouldn’t budge. Before she could take her hand off the knob, the house seemed to shudder and moan. She slowly backed away, then turned and ran back to her friends, and they all flew down the stairs.

Scout and Amber turned in time to see what looked like a nickel roll across the floor. Pekin followed the coin as it rolled out the door of the study and made a sharp left turn and then a right before it bumped into the bottom step of the staircase and fell over. She gulped. The coin seemed to have a deliberate destination in mind. She hoped her friends hadn’t noticed, but when she looked over her shoulder she saw two faces looking back.

Amber pointed at the window and stammered, “There was a face. I saw a face.”

“What kind of face?” Pekin wanted to know.

“The scary kind! It was wavery and vague.”

“Was it Miranda?” Pekin asked.

“I don’t know. It was wavery. And invisible.” She brushed at the grass on her bottom. “And did I mention it was scary?”

“If it was invisible you wouldn’t have been able to see it,” Pekin said logically.

“Miranda,” Pekin whispered, stepping inside. She whispered again, a little louder, but there was no answer. She stepped backward, but was pushed from behind. The door slammed shut, plunging her into darkness. Landing on her hands and knees, the flashlight went flying off into the distance. She was too scared to feel any pain where her knees had been skinned raw from hitting the hardwood floor. She crawled around, searching for the flashlight.

She scrambled backward on her rear end until she felt the door behind her. Jumping to her feet, she grabbed the doorknob. It twisted uselessly in her hand. She was trapped. She pounded on the door, calling for help she was certain would never come. She cried as she thought about how they’d find her cold dead body in the morning. Her ghost would wander the halls of Elmwood with Miranda and the thing under the bed.

A sound came from the direction of the bed, like something heavy being drug out from under. Or was crawling out from under. And scary, scary laughter. She covered her face with her hands and prepared to die as something cold wrapped around her ankle and started to pull her across the floor.

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Author Bio:

Pam was born in Arkansas several decades ago. She’s not sure if that makes her a Southern Girl or if moving to Southern California when she was five revokes her Southern Girl card. She started writing later in life when she was challenged by a friend to create a book out of his story idea. Reaching the first 5,000 words was a milestone, but with time and hard work she managed to finish an entire book, much to her surprise. Since then, she’s written several novels, in several genres. Romance, middle grade and paranormal comprise most of her work. Pam has spent over 40 years working as a legal secretary at a law firm in Orange County, California. Aside from writing, she follows the stock market, buying, selling and trading stocks and options. In contrast to that, she loves trips to Las Vegas where she can spend many happy hours at the Pai Gow tables. She shares a condo with her very own My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.

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From one bookaholic to another, I hope I’ve helped you find your next fix. —Dani

Have a book you’d like to suggest or one you’d like me to review? Please feel free to leave your comments down below.

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