#in my normal story he's kind of their wingman and later on has sort of a family friend/uncle role

[lieutenantselnia]

2 things that have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but are kinda related to this blog, and that have been on my mind recently:

I'd love to make some kind of small custom merch some day, either of just my f/os or actually my self ships. Like stickers or a pin, maybe even a small keychain. Even if it was just for myself (bc idk if anyone else would even be interested in it, especially when it's including not just the canon character but my s/i as well), but I think it would be cute <3

What if I made a Davy x Selena x Maccus crack ship? For no particular reason other than silliness

[sleepy-exe]

Shapeshifter AU - 3

Iwaizumi x f!reader

<< Part 2 | Part 4 >>

Summary: Y/n has a mission to complete. Iwaizumi’s friend is in town.

Word count: 3k

Warnings:  work stress mentioned, alcohol + bar location, y/n makes bad choices (following a stranger to a second location, hanging out with the person she should probably avoid), also is kind of a creep (the creepy-ness won't last i swear), some people are drunk, including Oikawa, bless him, best boy is also best wingman, kinda, y/n refuses to put real names in her phone contacts, someone gets dumped/ghosted, Oikawa is so drunk

Not a warning but: Iwaizumi Hajime (27) Athletic Trainer. That’s what you’re here for, right? That’s what I’m here for.

Genre: sfw (for now, 18+ regardless), shapeshifter au, potential enemies to lovers

a/n: I introduced an OC in this part, Mizuki. I hope you come to love her. As someone who kins Oikawa, I gave him my “drunk persona” for the bar scene. He’ll be normal later, I swear.

Part 3: So We Meet Again

It was no secret among Y/n’s friends that she loved to visit the bars in downtown Osaka, but a locally owned bar in Ikuno was a favorite of hers when she wanted a change in scenery. It was small and cozy with friendly staff. Besides university students, mostly middle-aged men frequented here, but everyone seemed to mind their own business and leave her alone, as she preferred. 

Double doors closing behind her, she was met with the sounds of chatter from other patrons and classic rock playing from the sound system. The smell of alcohol was not overwhelming and someone definitely has hot wings. The dark oak counter was straight ahead, lined in front with at least a dozen matching stools with black leather on the seats, and shelves of alcohol bottles behind. Booths lined the side walls and high tables with stools were spread amongst the center.

She walked up to a part of the counter no one was occupying and waved to the bartender. A short middle-aged woman with dark hair, only slightly peppered with grey. She usually worked here when y/n visited, but she could never remember her name and felt too awkward to ask for it again.

“Hey sweetie! You haven’t been in here in awhile! I was wondering if I was gonna see you again,” the woman spoke cheerfully as she always does, “What can I get for you? Something fruity or thinking something different tonight?”

She smiled at the bartender. “You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she winked, “And I’m thinkin’.. strawberry vodka-Sprite.”

“Can do!” She leaned in closer with a grin, “Should I make that strong?”

She leaned in as well, grinning back, “Hmm.. Why not.”

“I’ll get right on it,” the bartender took off and got to work on the drink. She went ahead and grabbed money for the women, dropping it on the counter in front of her with a hand resting over it as she looked around the bar. Sometimes a friend or two would be here and she’d invite herself to their table, otherwise she usually just picked a stool at the counter and chatted with whoever was bartending that night.

“Here ya go, sweetie,” the woman placed a short glass in front of her and Y/n pushed the money towards her.

“Thank you,” she picked up the drink and hopped onto a stool, spinning her back to the counter as she sipped the drink; tending to be more comfortable with people watching than socializing with strangers. A table to the left was full of older gentlemen, two of them seemed to be arguing, and oh look, they have the hot wings. Some college girls were squealing over something nearby, colorful drinks on their table. She continued looking around the bar, idly sipping her vodka-Sprite, relaxing after a long day of work.

Eventually, a man’s voice caught her attention from the right corner of the bar. He has styled brown hair and seems pretty tall now that he’s standing in his booth, waving his hands around while yelling. Is he telling a story or fighting with the other guy at his table? The other guy growled something at him with a smack to one of his flailing hands.

Buzzing in her coat pocket grabbed her attention from the two. Lifting her phone she saw a text notification from a friend. Turning to face the counter once more and setting down her glass, she opened the text.

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “im so mad at him”

Mizuki’s never ending boy trouble it seems. Her taste in men usually didn’t end well for her; meaning she often had to console a sad or angry Mizuki. She brought her drink to her lips to sip at while she texted her friend.

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’:  “is that so”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “im serious! we made plans and he ditched me”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “AGAIN!!”

Didn’t she just say the other night that she wasn’t seeing this guy anymore? Either way, her plans are ruined and she’s not happy. She’s probably looking for someone else to hang out with tonight and vent to.

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “okay okay I’m sorry”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “are you home?”

Someone was now standing beside y/n ordering a drink. The sudden voice next to her had her glancing up by instinct. Only to immediately snap her head back to her phone, now leaning over the counter with it. Hair falling around her face.

It’s him.

Shit.

Well this wasn’t in the plan for tonight. So much for unwinding at the bar. She’s now fully winded and on edge.

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “no I’m out. Sorry.”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “where?”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “in Ikuno”

Raising her head, she sees the man from outside the woods is no longer next to her. Phone buzzing once more as she takes a gulp of the vodka-Sprite.

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “ugh are you at that dive bar?”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “its nice here. You can join me if you want”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “no thanks”

>> From 'My Best Bitch <3': “When will you be home?”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “i just got here.”

The bartender appeared once more and offered a refill now that her glass was pretty much empty. She nodded and thanked her.

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “what about blondie? I think he’s been dying to hang out”

Should she go see her? Probably. But Y/n’s on a spontaneous mission and her bestie was always up for a slumber party anyway, so he can help her vent and get all these negative emotions out. She looked over her shoulder to see if the man was nearby, only to catch his gaze from his spot at the table with the brunette man she determined to most likely be his friend. Neither of them are blinking and she mentally curses herself. Back to back buzzing broke her staring contest and she checked Mizuki’s messages.

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “yeah i guess he’s free.”

>> From 'My Best Bitch <3': “He’s coming to my place.”

>> From 'My Best Bitch <3': “If you get bored you know where to find us.”

The bartender handed over a new drink and she once again immediately paid for it.

What am I going to do about this? He’s staring too much to not know, right?

I could be overthinking this.

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “love you. Sorry your date was a dick.”

But it couldn’t hurt to keep an eye on him for now.

Once again looking over her shoulder, a new vodka-Sprite in hand, she gained some courage. Some. She could always abort the mission and was sure the nice lady behind the counter would save her if she came running. Hopping off her stool and walking toward the two men’s booth, the brunette looked her way and offered a smile.

“Hello, pretty lady,” the brunette’s smile turned smug, “What do we owe the pleasure?”

Once he spoke, the other man looked in her direction, looking a little surprised. “Hey..”

“Hey there,” looking between the men before she continued. What’s the plan here again? “Mind some extra company? I was chatting with the bartender, but she seems busy.”

“Of course! You seem harmless enough. I’m Oikawa Tooru,” he waved a hand towards the other man, “And this is Iwa-chan.”

“Iwaizumi,” Iwa-chan intercepted.

“Y/n. Are ya sure I’m not interrupting you two?”

She sat next to Iwaizumi after he shook his head, “Oikawa has been retelling a story I already know.”

Oikawa looked insulted, “I come to visit and you’re going to complain?!”

“Oh, you guys aren’t from around here?”

Plan decided. Well, half a plan. A mini plan until she figures things out later - but there needs to be a later. Find out where he lives or at least get his number in the case that he does actually know about the whole wolf thing, so she can find him if needed. Getting his number should be easy enough; if not Iwaizumi’s, then probably Oikawa’s. Because she is a pretty lady.

Thanks, Oikawa.

“Well, no, weren’t not, but he doesn’t even live in Japan anymore,” Iwaizumi pointed to his friend.

So maybe Oikawa is out.

“We grew up together in Miyagi,” Oikawa chimed in, “but I moved away to become an amazing setter in Argentina! He moved chasing dreams too.” He winked at Iwaizumi, who completely ignored it.

“You’ve always been an amazing setter,” Iwaizumi brought his beer to his lips.

“So you live in Japan still?” She asked, swirling the straw around in her drink.

He didn’t have the chance to answer before Oikawa answered for him, “Yup! But enough of that. What brings you to this place? There’s so many nicer bars and clubs in Osaka.”

“I found this place back in college. There are lots of options here, but this place is one of my favorites.”

He shot a disgusted look, “Why?”

Iwaizumi flicked a balled up straw wrapper at him, “There’s nothing wrong with this place!”

“Hate to make myself sound like an alcoholic, I swear I’m not, but I’ve never seen ya here before and I feel like I would have recognized you two if I had.” She played with a piece of hair near her face. Oikawa mouthed ‘oh’ and wiggled an eyebrow. To be fair, as pretty as he is she would have recognized him if she had seen him before.

“Funny, I think I’ve seen you around,” Iwaizumi returned his attention to his drink momentarily. Meanwhile, Oikawa was looking between the two across from him, straw between his lips.

Quietly sipping her own drink, she tried to think of some sort of reply to pick at that comment. He could have seen her here, but what if he’s referring to the parking lot outside the forest? Oikawa interrupted her thoughts before she could gather anything useful.

“So you live around here then?” She went wide eyed for a second and he immediately waved his hands in front of himself apologetically, “It sounds like you’re here enough if this is a favorite. I just figured-“

She cut him off with a chuckle. “You’re fine! And you could say I live in the area, yeah..,” she glanced at Iwaizumi, “Is it safe to guess you’re in Osaka too?”

He hesitated, “Yeah. Not too far from here.”

Good good.

“So Y/n, where are you from,” Oikawa pushed his now empty glass to the side, “Or have you always been in Osaka?”

“Ah, no. I moved here for college and stayed after graduating. I grew up in Hyogo actually,” she giggled, “Guess we all moved from home, huh? Though I didn't move as far as either of you.”

“Excuse me,” Y/n let Iwaizumi out of the booth then scoot back to take his spot. He grabbed his glass and Oikawa’s, “I’ll grab us new drinks.”

He looked at her asking if she needed anything to which she shook her head, then he took off with the empty glasses.

“So you both moved here for careers then,” Oikawa nodded towards Iwaizumi who was already halfway to the counter.

“That so?” She blinked at the fuzziness in her head. Miss bartender did indeed make her drinks stronger today. Should probably call it quits after this one if she hoped to sober up by the end of the night.

“After college he moved here to be closer to- Well, he was in Tokyo then here. But anyway, he’s an athletic trainer for the pro volleyball teams here,” Oikawa leaned in as he spoke. “Though it's too bad he won’t come to Argentina to work with my team! I do miss him.”

She gave a sincere smile, “Do you get to see him very often? That’s so far away..”

Oikawa’s grin dropped and spoke somberly, “I usually fly back home a couple times a year, and every time I come to see him.. We do talk on the phone a lot though.”

“Here,” Iwaizumi set a new cocktail in front of Oikawa, but that was the only drink he had in hand, “You weren’t talking shit about me while I was gone, were you?”

“You didn’t get yourself anything!” Oikawa complained, then went right to sipping on his straw as his friend slipped into the booth next to her.

“I’m fine for now. Maybe later.”

“Fine, Iwa-chan,” he settled back down, “Oh! It sounds like Y/n has been in Osaka longer than you. Maybe she can tell you all the fun stuff around, so you can do something other than hang with the guys and go to bars.”

Iwaizumi looked less than pleased by that statement.

She snorted, “Well, it sounds to me like we have similar hobbies. I probably don’t know anything you don’t know.”

“Really,” Iwaizumi eyed her expectantly.

“Well.. If you get tired of the lack of grass around.. Most of the area is concrete, but there’s a few tiny parks in the suburbs, and I think one downtown, or near there at least. ”

He looked at her emotionless, “Yeah? I don’t remember coming across any of those. But I have found the large forest east of here. It’s not terribly far.”

Right..

By now she was finishing off her own drink. Oikawa was going on about something that she’s pretty sure is volleyball related. Watching the men bicker, she not-so-carefully sat the glass in front of her before placing her hands on her thighs.

Iwaizumi broke his attention from Oikawa at the sound of glass clicking against wood and looked at her glass then her. “Sure you don’t want anything?”

“I’m hoping to not leave my car here tonight.” She grabbed her phone to check that Mizuki hadn’t messaged her. With the lack of notifications she figured that meant she was happy now.

>> To ‘Blondie’: “you are with Mizuki right?”

“Oh! You drive?” The bottom of Oikawa's glass hit the table hard out of excitement. Hopefully he didn’t drive here too. “What do you drive?” He’s excitable and full of questions, that’s for sure. Isn't she supposed to be the one asking all these questions?

“I do.. I have a Civic.” Playing with the straw and leftover ice in her empty cup.

>> From ‘Blondie’: “ur just now checkin???”

>> From 'Blondie': “I’m the better friend of course i showed up”

Ouch.

>> To ‘Blondie’: “i figured i just checkin”

Slumping back in the booth she was once again watching the boys talk. Oikawa is really animated.

“Are you texting your partner?” Oikawa winked, “Oh! Let me give you my number!” And he nearly knocked over his drink trying to slide his phone to her. Iwaizumi let out a string of curses as he kept the glass from falling and moved it out of the way.

Laughing, she took his phone and entered her number, going ahead and putting ‘Y/n-chan’ as the contact before sliding the phone back. “You didn’t drive here, did you?”

“Iwa-chan! Give her your phone!”

He sighed and grabbed his phone, opening the contact app before handing it to her. “He did not. We Ubered here.”

She put her number in his phone too, being sure to text herself with his phone so she would have his before handing it back.

Phone number down.

Oikawa tapped around on his phone and chugged the rest of his cocktail. A buzz from her phone followed.

>> From ‘unknown’: “seroius do u have a lover??”

She managed to half contain a laugh and save his number under ‘Oi-chan’.

“Welp! I’m going to get going. My Uber is here,” Oikawa pulled himself to his feet and smacked a hand on the table in front of Iwaizumi, “I’m going back to the hotel. Go on and keep the pretty lady company, Iwa-chan.” He kissed Iwaizumi’s head which earned him a slap followed by a friendly goodbye and promise of seeing him tomorrow. Then he gave Y/n a big smile before heading away.

Thanks, Oikawa.

Turning to Iwaizumi with a grin, “Yer friend is entertaining.”

“Yeah.. He’s a really good person and friend.”

She offered a soft smile.

“Not to rush or anything,” he started, “but is there a particular time you’re trying to get out of here by?”

“No no,” she straightened, “I had no real plans for tonight other than to chill here.”

And added, “Also didn’t plan on the bartender treating me with stronger drinks than usual either. So.. I gotta sober up before I can leave.. You were smart with the Uber.”

He chuckled, “Maybe remember that for next time.”

“Yeah yeah..”

The two chatted for a good hour, maybe longer. Iwaizumi told old stories from high school of his best friend, as well as what he was doing in Argentina now. He also spoke briefly about the volleyball teams he’s worked with as an athletic trainer. Apparently he moved to Ikuno to be closer to the team in Higashiosaka that he’s been working with the most.

Sitting there she caught the bright street lights outside the windows of the bar, though not too bright with the bar’s tinted windows. She remembered how nice it was out tonight. It would be a good night for stargazing, but with all of the lights in town it would be hard to see any stars. The best place for stargazing here is the forest..

But there is a public park north of the forest. Far from where she runs. It’s probably closed after dark, but all parks were and that never stopped her from sneaking into the forest. Though, the forest itself didn’t have open hours. Pretty sure.

Still looking out the window she started, “Hey.. The sky is really clear tonight.”

Iwaizumi glanced at her. She continued looking outside, “Obviously you can’t see stars anywhere near here.. But north of the forest pass Higashi’ there’s a park with a large clearing that would be perfect.”

He gave her an incredulous look, “You’re not saying you want to go on what, probably an hour drive to look at stars? Are you even good to drive yet?”

Humming she decided she was set on it. Plus maybe from there he’d let her drive him home. Then she'd be two for two - mini mission achieved. “..Can you drive a manual?”

Part 4 >>

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Hey! Do you have some Fanfics were they’re roommates? Preferably school related

Hey Nonnie,

Of course! Lovely trope, isn’t it? Please find a list below.

Hugs,

Marjan

Bed Mates by @missmichellebelle

Kurt did not come to college to babysit someone when they’re drunk, even if Blaine is ridiculously endearing when he is.

Cohabitant by @unshurtugal

Blaine is Kurt's worst nightmare as far as roommates go, but one day Kurt comes home and discovers something unexpected.

Faux départ by @hazelandglasz

Kurt and Blaine have never met until they become roommates in college. They completely get off on the wrong foot and kind of hate each other at first. Until they don’t.

I Know What I Need by @caramelcoffeeaddict

Kurt and Blaine are college roommates. Both boys have girlfriends and think they're straight. One night, after both of them suddenly find themselves single, they get drunk and turn to each other to abate their sexual appetites.

Instead by @xbeautifulunseenx

Kurt and Blaine are paired as roommates their first year in college. Told in four parts, this is their story of undying friendship, bitter heartbreak and, ultimately, unconditional love. Follow them freshman through senior year on their road to self-discovery, and their road to each other — including all the twists and turns along the way.

I’ve Been An Awful Good Boy by thenightbird (WooziOveralls)

Blaine has a bit of a roommate problem (written for the Klaine Bingo Prompt: Roommates)

Kiss Me, It’s For Our Sanity by znkser

College Roommates(ish)!Klaine Au where loud music, rivalry and less-than-subtle plans occur.

Misapprehension by @antarcticbird

Blaine makes assumptions and Kurt gets hugs. (aka 5+ times Blaine thinks Kurt and Elliott are in love and one time he realises why jumping to conclusions seriously does not make life any easier.)

Not Just My Wingman by @lady-divine-writes

Kurt and Blaine are roommates, living in the loft together after Blaine graduates from high school and moves to New York. Kurt is determined that he's over Blaine, and tries to prove it by helping him get a date…or ultimately, get laid. But when Blaine succeeds in finding a guy that's actually interested in him, will Kurt realize that he wasn't as over Blaine as he thought?

Off Limits by @munchkinpandas24

For once in Blaine Anderson’s life he was pretty happy with how his life was going.  He had an epic college experience with his best friend Jamie.  They partied way too much, studied way too little and slept with their fair share of the best ASU had to offer.  But one rejection letter later and Jamie was moving to San Diego to pursue his PHD while Blaine got accepted to the doctorate program at their Alma Mater.  ASU without Jamie didn’t make sense to Blaine and he was not happy about it.  To top everything off Jamie asked Blaine to look after his little brother Kurt who was starting his freshman year of college.  Kurt wasn’t the little kid he pictured when Jamie asked Blaine to let him move in and it was clear things were about to change even more than Blaine had expected.  In short, Blaine Anderson was screwed.

Secret Urges by @kookaburrito

Fill for the Glee Kink Meme. A fic about Dalton roommates Kurt and Blaine (starting as acquaintances but progressing through friendship to eventual relationship) who keep inadvertently walking in on each other masturbating, then a time or two when the "discovery" is intentional. Their reactions reflect the current state of their relationship, following canon timeline.

Stay by @bowtiesandboatshoes

Written for the prompt: Kurt and Blaine’s parents are close friends, so they sort of grew up together even though Kurt is 5-10 years older than Blaine. Blaine has just graduated university and Kurt offers to let him move into his apartment until he can find something better.

Take The Risk by TeegyBee

"Hey Kurt, can I ask you something?...Have you ever wanted to do something that could potentially be considered really risky and stupid?" Follow best friends, Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel on their journey of discovering their sexuality. Klaine. Fluff. AU.

The Pulsing Rush of Longing by @missmichellebelle

It’s what Blaine does, it’s what Blaine does with Kurt, and it stops being different and becomes absolutely normal.

Wandering Around Back to You by @munchkinpandas24

From strangers to floormates to best friends, to roommates, to the closest two people can be. This is the story of two boys who found each other and never let go.

Your Song by morethanwords/@somethingfishyfan

When Kurt advertised for a new roommate.. a thirty year old, gorgeously attractive man was the last person he expected to apply.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

American Gods 2x05 “The Ways of the Dead” Review

This was one heavy episode, fam. Written by Rodney Barnes, the fifth episode sees Shadow learning the ways of the dead with the help of Mr. Ibis and Mr. Nancy at the funeral parlor in Cairo. Like almost everything about this show, he isn’t learning about it in the most straightforward of ways because who has ever been straightforward with Shadow in his life? That way of living just doesn’t simply exist in this universe. We also see Mad Sweeney and Laura embarking on their own adventure to New Orleans for some voodoo practice. Oh yeah, and Mr. Wednesday is as elusive as ever and he’s trying to be a wingman to Salim and the Jinn because there doesn’t appear to be any happiness in paradise on that front at the moment.  

So this episode starts with a sequence of events from yesteryear. Trigger warning for those that need it: a black man is being lynched for, what appears to be, the death of a white woman. His body is then shot at, kicked, prodded, and dragged in the dirt. It’s all incredibly demeaning and gross. This all, however, appears to be an incredibly powerful dream of Shadow’s. He wakes up, naked, with the cat meowing in his ear. (Remember last episode, y’all?  How many repeat performances is Shadow going for?) He makes his way to the mirror and he grabs the shaving razor and holds it to his throat. He looks at himself in the mirror and sees his head surrounded in flames. Shadow manages to release the razor and is greeted by the dead man from his dreams. Just like a ghost, the man vanishes, but Shadow is still very clearly shaken. Can Shadow just have one night’s rest, PLEASE?

Looking for answers, he heads downstairs and is met with Wednesday peeing on a plant, chanting. Not a sight one wants to see first thing in the morning. Anyways, Wednesday kind of brushes off Shadow’s assistance for the day, telling him he has places to go and people to see by himself. I can only imagine how frustrated Shadow must be feeling. He knows he’s needed by Wednesday, but Wednesday has a habit of just pushing him to the side and not being as forthcoming as he should be. Wednesday leaves Shadow with Mr. Ibis for the day and, honestly? This is the best storyline of the episode.  

A young black man, who we learn is named Jamarr Goodchild (Percy Anane-Dwumfour), crosses paths with Mr. Nancy on his way to a drug dealer’s house. He gets a small packet of a white, powdery substance and, as he’s leaving the house, a cop busts him. He ends up swallowing the packet and makes a run for it. At a deadend street, he comes face-to-face with the very same man that Shadow saw that morning, except it’s just his head on a stake covered in flames. While completely paralyzed in fear, the boy is wrestled to the ground and arrested by the cop that was chasing him.  

The boy ends up on Mr. Ibis’ table with cuts and lesions all over his body with the reason for death being an opioid overdose. The marks all over this boy’s body resembled those of the man in Shadow’s dream. Mr. Ibis tells the story of Will James (Warren Belle), a black man who had the unfortunate encounter of crossing paths with a white woman, who later ended up dead. All the witnesses to this encounter (i.e. white people) went to the sheriff and, from there, Will was hanged, shot, beheaded, and his body desecrated. “Memento mori” is what Will utters to the men he shows himself to. “Remember that you have to die.” It’s a death sentence to these black men.  

If the name “Goodchild” rung a bell, you’d remember that Ruby Goodchild (Mouna Traoré) was mourning her grandmother in the last episode. Jamarr was her brother. She had lost two family members in a matter of days. The only reason why Jamarr went to the drug dealer’s house was because he had lost his grandmother and was in mourning. We catch up to Ruby back at the funeral parlor as Mr. Ibis is putting together Jamarr’s body. Ruby’s chatting with her preacher, Reverend Hutchins (Glynn Turman). Ruby had been wanting to leave Cairo with Bilquis, but the reverend and Bilquis believe grief is clouding her judgement. (Can I just say that I love Bilquis and her quest to learn more about companionship between people and their faith?) Ruby is losing her faith due to her loss, that much is very clear to see.

Mr. Nancy makes his entrance during storytime between Mr. Ibis and Shadow and Shadow ends up leaving because Mr. Nancy always finds a way to piss him off. Once it’s just the two gods, Mr. Nancy accuses Mr. Ibis of purposefully killing his worshippers in that town because, you see, Mr. Ibis seems to have a steady income of dead black people. Mr. Ibis and Will James working together in that way.  

When Shadow ventures out to cool off, he gets some one-on-one time with Will James. Will worships death. He sees it as a sweet release from his brutal death at the hands of white people. As Mr. Ibis was telling Shadow during storytime, Will felt abandoned by his own people when he was dying. Will ends up possessing Shadow. He tells Shadow, “You are unlucky. You are unloved. Walk with my burden. When you share it with the world, I will release you.”

Shadow returns to the funeral parlor right at the end of the Reverend's sermon for Jamarr. There’s a literal flicker in Shadow’s eyes that prove that it’s actually Will James who is speaking. Ricky Whittle does some of the best acting of the series this episode. His whole body is no longer Shadow. He is a man possessed. Shadow goes on to say that he once believed that death overpowered life. Now, he looks into the soul of death and welcomes it. “Memento mori.”  

We catch up with a drunken mess of a Mad Sweeney in New Orleans. Laura has caught up to him and I absolutely cannot stand this storyline, but I’ll do my best to get through it. They go looking for Sweeney’s voodoo friends who can help bring life back to Laura Moon and Sweeney can get his lucky coin back. That’s all it is. That’s all it should be. That’s all it’s apparently not going to be. We’re introduced to the lovely Maman Brigitte (Hani Furstenberg) and Baron Samedi (Mustafa Shakir), the most lively of guest stars this episode has to offer.  

Food and drink is offered to Sweeney and he seems to be having a grand time, surrounded by lovely women. Laura is shown on her own in the crowded bar where Maman Brigitte and Baron Samedi reside. I’m having an awfully difficult time actually believing that this show wants us to see Sweeney and Laura as having a romantic connection. These two have been nothing but toxic to each other since they’ve met. Sure, we’ve seen Sweeney grow softer towards Laura, but has Laura returned the gesture? Not that I’ve seen. She still won’t do us all a favor and just give Sweeney his coin back. Sweeney feels responsible for Laura’s death. Mr. Wednesday and he played a part, but Laura was just as negligent in her life as she is in her death. She played her part too. She was destined to die and I wish she had just stayed dead, or at least her part was just as miniscule as it was in the book.  

When the crowd leaves the bar, that’s when the foursome can finally sit and talk about why they are all there. Maman Brigitte knows Laura is just as much of a cheater as her Samedi is. I don’t know why Laura has the nerve to look insulted at that. The facts are that she did cheat on her husband and she died while committing adultery. Brigitte seems to not mind Samedi’s cheating ways because, at the end of the day, Samedi worships her even when he’s fucking other women. I think that is...so gross. I will never have any sympathy for Laura’s plight, yet everyone seems just fine with it. Laura hasn’t even really apologized to Shadow for cheating on him with his best friend. Samedi kindly informs Laura that she betrayed Shadow when she told him she loved him the first time, not believing she meant it at all. You know what? Thinking back to “Git Gone” in Season 1, I can definitely see that. Laura was just drifting through life. She was dead behind the eyes before she was even close to dying. She had an apathetic way of living.  

Anyways, Samedi cannot resurrect Laura yet. He brews some kind of remedy, but is still missing an ingredient. He needs “blood infused with love”, whatever that means. It’s the closest Laura has gotten to life yet and it’s still just out of reach. Samedi asks for truth as payment. He asks what she will do with this second chance at life. Instead of answering, they start hooking up. While Samedi and Laura are getting hot and heavy inside the bar, Maman Brigitte and Mad Sweeney get hot and heavy outside. It’s the weirdest paralleling sex scene I have yet to witness, especially when it actually stops paralleling. In a show that has had nothing but creative sex scenes, you’d think this one was pretty normal, by comparison. Well, it was at first. Through magic and a sex haze, Maman Brigitte and Laura switch partners. (Keep in mind the two parties were in different locations.) In some sort of mindmeld, Laura and Sweeney ended up fucking each other. They knew what was happening and they still went with it.  

I don’t know if this ship is sailing or not because they are still as toxic as ever and that’s proven by their behavior the morning after the sexcapades. One thing is for certain, Laura and Sweeney got played. Laura is accusing Wednesday and Sweeney of continuously fucking her over and that Sweeney is just Wednesday’s little errand boy and whore. Well, honey, Sweeney actually hates Wednesday. He doesn’t work for him, but he does owe him. These gods have an alliance to each other and hold each other accountable. If one owes another a favor, they stay true to that bond. There’s something admirable about that.   

While all this is going on, Wednesday catches up to the Jinn and Salim. The Jinn and Salim were discussing Salim’s devout faith to his god. Without fail, it seems as if Salim never misses a prayer. The Jinn seems perturbed by it. He doesn’t fully understand what Allah has done for Salim to be so devout to the monotheistic god. In a world that has shown Salim that there are many gods, why is Salim so devout to just the one? As a strong Muslim, Salim quotes the first pillar of Islam, “There is no god, but one God.” This seems to be a never-ending conversation between the two that seems to leave the Jinn feeling frustrated.  

Luckily, that’s when Wednesday makes his boisterous entrance. The Jinn and Salim have brought Odin his spear and they are now off to see the King of the Dwarves, Alviss (Lee Arenberg). Alviss has no interest in joining Wednesday’s war. Wednesday tries to bribe Alviss with the offer of fixing up his spear. Alviss knows he’s the best forger amongst the dwarves. However, he points out that it’s the runes on the spear that need work. For that, Wednesday will need to find Dvalin. A quick google search shows that Dvalin is the one who introduced rune writing to the dwarves. Needing to regroup, the trio split up and head to Cairo. Wednesday takes Betty and the Jinn and Salim are back on the motorcycle and sidecar.  

The episode ends with Wednesday back in the funeral parlor with Mr. Ibis, Mr. Nancy, and Shadow. Shadow is no longer possessed and he’s mad. He wants to know what happened to him. He wants to know what Will James wanted with him. The three gods play it off and continue joking. They never give Shadow a straight answer. They continue to play with Shadow and his thoughts and emotions and that’s a really hard thing to see. Shadow keeps getting pulled back and forth by these gods. He must be exhausted.  

Some thoughts on the episode:

I’ve got to say: I really hate how much they hang black men on this show. First Shadow and now this man, Will James.  

I very much love just how diverse this show is. I can’t recall another drama like this one growing up. There’s quite a few out now, but I’m most proud of this one.

Mr. James, I assure you that Shadow is VERY much loved.  

If I said it once, I’ll say it a million times: Just kill off Dead Wife already.

I could watch hours upon hours of just Shadow, Ibis, and Nancy just shooting the shit.

I want Bilquis to take Ruby under her wing.

Mr. Wednesday was extremely aloof this episode and I kind of love that careless attitude (when it’s not directed at Shadow).  

Ricky Whittle is a talented son of a bitch and I stan Shadow Moon to the moon and back.  

American Gods airs Sundays at 8/7c on Starz.

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

For the pride month thing: could you do one with one of the kids accidentally outing themselves to the trolls only to find out troll culture is 100% supportive.

(since I was allowed to choose kid and label for this one, I went with demisexual Toby)

(Un)Certainty

There were certain things, certain truths, known throughout the Arcadia High student body.  What the various cliques and friend groups were.  What passing gossip was popularly spoken of.  What was only whispered when it didn’t seem like anyone was listening.  Where to find the ice cream sandwiches in the cafeteria’s freezer.  How to get there when none of the faculty was looking.  There were some things that always remained the same.  Other things, fluctuated on a weekly basis.

A prank involving the school’s mole costume that got its regular wearer temporarily suspended (through the next game) from wearing it would be forgotten after a few days.  But an ongoing, clearly evident feud between two best friends who everyone knew had been close since their diaper days?  Talked about for the entire week while it lasted.  Mostly on the grounds of curiosity of what exactly had caused such a rift.  Well, that, and it was a slow period for gossip.  Even Mary Wang hadn’t been able to get a good scoop anywhere.  The kids needed to talk about something.

Toby wished they’d all just go back to ignoring him (and Jim) already.

No, he wasn’t avoiding Jim.  He was avoiding what Jim wanted to talk about.  Jim just didn’t get It.  Get how bad this was.  Nobody tried to say Jim’s sexuality was something he was making up or that it didn’t really exist.  Not in the same ways they talked about Toby’s demisexuality.  That it was just normal.

Look, Toby had tried to be normal.  He’d tried for years, even before high school when things really set in with crushes (or lack thereof), figuring out the whole “dating” thing, and all that.  He’d watched as his classmates stumbled through their first romances and relationships.  Witnessed Jim’s crushes and failed attempts to talk to those he had crushes on.  Toby had wondered when Those Feelings would set in for him.  They never did.  Not really.  He just didn’t feel that way about anyone.

And he couldn’t really imagine himself with Those Feelings for anyone either.  Not unless he already knew them rather well (cause appearances and first impressions really wasn’t enough to go on with that kind of thing).  Toby knew he would like to be in love, but he wanted there be to be a deeper feeling.  One you couldn’t just have with someone you didn’t really know and then happened to get a crush on anyway.  An emotional connection, he realized at some point, was the missing piece he’d been looking for.

It took Toby a while to find the word demisexual, but when he did, he realized it fit.

For a while, it didn’t matter that no one else really got It or accepted him.  Except Jim, because Jim was, well, Jim.  The idea that Toby’s best friend would leave him over his sexuality was unimaginable.  Jim had been the first person Toby texted when he found his label and, so far, the only one to celebrate outright with him at its discovery.  As long as he had Jim, everything would be fine.  Awesome sauce, even.

And then the trolls had found out.

Toby and Jim had been relaxing in Blinky’s library after a particularly rigorous training session.  Joking around.  The usual.  Since they were alone and safe, they’d started joking about the lack of straightness between them.

And then Blinky had walked in.

Right as Toby was saying something about demisexuality.

Blinky had asked what that was.

Toby had bolted.

He hadn’t been back to Trollmarket since.  He knew he should, but he just couldn’t bear the thought of the trolls being…being like Nana, who didn’t really understand it and always looked puzzled whenever he tried to explain.  She loved him no matter what, she told him regularly.  But it would just be nice if she got It.

And ARRRGGGHHH!!! and Blinky?

His wingman, Toby was scared would be too much like Nana.  He was one of the smartest trolls Toby knew.  But it still took him a while sometimes to sort out new ideas in his head.  What if he didn’t get there with this one?  What if—sometimes it felt like ARRRGGGHHH!!! was the only one who truly understood him.  Toby didn’t want to lose that.

Blinky.  Blinky was even worse.  He’d probably want to dissect every last bit of Toby’s identity.  He’d ask ten thousand questions and try to poke holes in it.  Blinky would probably try to tell him it didn’t make sense.  That demisexuality couldn’t be real because of x, y, or z reason.  Because of some troll story or something that didn’t really translate to humans.  Toby would start to doubt himself again and, and it would be worse than chicken surprise day in the school’s cafeteria.

Yeah, no.  Toby wasn’t going to even consider that one.  At all.

So Toby avoided the trolls and Trollmarket, and Jim who wanted to talk to him about it.  While everyone around them at school gossiped about what could have gone wrong between them.

It wasn’t exactly a fun time of his life, to be sure.

Toby was relieved when he didn’t see Jim in the yard at lunch that day.  It was the hardest to avoid him there.  They didn’t have all their classes together and Toby could generally ignore Jim’s notes in the ones they did.  When they were both home, Jim generally gave him his space.  Though, that one Toby was a bit guilty about.  With his mom’s work schedule, Jim didn’t exactly have anyone else to talk to unless he went to Trollmarket.

A part of Toby knew he should just talk to Jim already.  Longed for that, really.  Toby missed his best friend.  He honestly kind of hated what he was doing.  But a stronger part of him liked Trollmarket and the trolls and all the adventures.  If he didn’t address the fact he’d been outed, nothing had to change.  Not really.  Toby wouldn’t have to deal with the fact they potentially wouldn’t accept him.  He could just pretend like nothing, nothing at all, had happened and…he didn’t know.  He was making this up as he went and he had a bad feeling he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

Toby felt a tap on his shoulder.  He nearly jumped, but it was just the school’s mole mascot costume.  Or rather, Darci in the costume.

“Oh.  Hey, Darce.”  He tried to make his voice lighthearted, but didn’t really manage it.

The person in the costume maneuvered one of its arms so it was handing Toby a piece of crumpled paper.  Toby took the paper.  It read:

Meet me by the soccer field after school.

“Um, ok.  Can’t we just talk now?  While—”  Toby looked all around, but Darci was gone.  “Well, that was weird,” he said to himself.  “Wonder what’s going on?”

“Hey, Darci?  You here?”  Toby walked around the soccer field, but no one was there.  “This better not be a prank.”  He added a bit louder.  And there better not be some kind of mud monster, either.  I’m definitely not in the mood to deal with one of those.  He added mentally.

Movement caught Toby’s attention.  One of the mole costume’s arms waved at him from behind one of the trees at the side of the field.  He started walking over.

“Seriously, Darci?  You’re being really weird.  What’s going on…” He trailed off as the mole costume’s head popped off and it was Jim underneath instead of Darci.

“Sorry, Tobes, but I couldn’t think of a better way to do this.”  Jim shrugged sheepishly.

Toby turned to go.  So that was it, huh?  His best friend had resorted to trickery?

“Wingman.”

Toby froze at ARRRGGGHHH!!!’s voice.  Turned around.  The big troll was hiding in the shade the trees provided from the sun, but it was still dangerous for him to be here while sunset was still hours away.  How had he…?

“Miss wingman.”  ARRRGGGHHH!!! continued.  “Sad you gone.  Want make things better.  Talk?”

Toby opened his mouth to tell his friends to go away.  That there was nothing to talk about.  But, but he was tired.  And he really didn’t want to do that.  He wanted to be able to be with them again.  How exactly did he say as much, though?

Blinky stepped forward from beside ARRRGGGHHH!!! before Toby got the chance.  “Both ARRRGGGHHH!!! and I would like you to know we fully support you and your identity.  Master Jim has not explained anything to us.  He said that was yours to tell, if you so wished to.  Just know, whether or not you do, we support you.”

Though ARRRGGGHHH!!! didn’t say anything, he nodded.  Toby had known him long enough to be able to read concern and care from the big troll’s body language too.

Toby heaved a sigh.  Looked between the two.  “But you don’t even know what it means.”

“No, we don’t.  I would like to ask you a few questions to help clarify that.  But only if you’re up for answering them.”  Blinky went on, “I do not need to fully understand a subject to accept it.  I do not know the full mechanical and magical process that’s required for making a gyre work, but I am able to see the gyre exists and functions regardless of my lack of knowledge.  Though, I could, I suppose, research the subject and…I’m getting off topic.  You have my apologies.”  Blinky folded both sets of hands.  “Master Tobias, over the time we’ve gotten to know each other, I have come to see you as a friend.  I am deeply sorry that I have helped to create an environment where you felt unsafe opening up to us about a part of yourself that is of great importance.  I hope to rectify that starting this very moment.  You will always be welcome and accepted by us.”

“Yes, wingman.”  ARRRGGGHHH!!! came forward.  “No fear us.  Love Toby.  Always love Toby.”

“Awww, guys.  You’re gonna make me cry.”  Toby began to tear up.  Then the old thought about Nana came back.  Unease settled in his gut.  The fact was, Toby did want them to understand.  A lot.  “But if I let you guys ask questions you aren’t like gonna try and prove to me that demisexuality doesn’t exist or anything?  That I’m actually fooling myself and I’m really something else.  Cause I mean, yeah that would…it wouldn’t be very cool.  I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it.  I know it’s what I am.  I mean it might change later cause anything might change later.  Like The Taco Shack may actually use one of my suggestions for once.  Actually, that would be kind of awesome but totally not related.”  Toby took a deep breath.  “I know I’m demisexual right now and that feels good.  I don’t need you guys trying to convince me otherwise or something.”

“Goodness gracious, no.  You’re demisexuality, as you put it, is not, under any terms, up for debate.”  Blinky answered.  “However, I would like to have a definition so I may add it to my Human Dictionary, which, as you know, I’ve been trying to grow for quite some time.  Actually, this is splendid.  Now that I think about it, there has to be a parallel troll term.  It would be fascinating to see if there’s more shared history between our worlds.  Our communities share so much already—”

“Hey guys,” Jim finally spoke up, interrupting Blinky.  “This may be a conversation best had in Trollmarket.  Not at the side of the soccer field.  I’m fairly sure there’s going to be a game later.  We don’t want to be here when that happens.”

“Ah.  You certainly are correct, Master Jim.  Should we reconvene at Trollmarket?”  Blinky looked between everyone in their small group.

“Hmm.  Meet other trolls?  Like Toby.”  ARRRGGGHHH!!! looked to Toby.

“There’s trolls like me?”  Toby asked.  That was…he hadn’t expected that.

“An excellent idea, ARRRGGGHHH!  I cannot say for sure if there are trolls like you specifically, Master Tobias, but Trollmarket does have a thriving community based around gender identities and sexualities.”  Blinky turned to Toby.  “I am sure you will find some who are welcoming there.  We trolls may not be the most welcoming bunch to outsiders, particularly to humans.  Though since Master Jim became the Trollhunter, I do feel that is changing.  If very slowly.  But our culture has accepted those of any gender and sexual identity for millennia.”  He grinned.  “So shall we head for Trollmarket?”

“Yes, let’s go.”  Toby finally smiled.  Things definitely were looking up.  He breathed out and let go of his anxieties.  It felt good to be back.

Jim asked Toby, “We good?” as they walked.

Toby answered, “We awesome sauce, dude.”  He paused.  “but you might wanna return that mole costume before Coach Lawrence realizes it’s gone.”

“Oh, right.”

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

My Eyes - Part 19 [END]

Pairing: Bucky; Steve x Fem/Reader

Word Count: 5,294

Story Description: Steve is a good man, America’s golden boy, a hero. He’s Captain America for christ’s sake! So it’s normal to want what he has… right? Bucky knows he doesn’t deserve her. He doesn’t even deserve the second chance at life he’s been given. But Bucky can never let him know. Steve can never find out that his friend is in love with his best girl.

Story takes place post “CA: CW” and all tension has been resolved.

----

“Y/N, I’m not going anywhere.” Bucky pleaded, almost sounding like a child.

“If you don’t get out of this house… So help me god, Bucky.” She snapped back.

Meanwhile, Jimmy was looking between his two parents with awkwardness. He already had his hiking boots on and his backpack hanging off one shoulder.

“You are suffocating me. I can’t take it anymore.” Y/N lectured as she moved about the kitchen, grabbing things.

“She does have a point…” Jimmy offered quietly.

Bucky glared at him. “Who’s side are you on?”

“Mine, obviously.” Y/N answered for her son. “We both decided that you need some fresh air. And I…I need 5 damn minutes without you hovering over me. I love you, Bucky. But if you can’t stop treating me like I’m completely helpless, then I’m kicking you out of the house for a few hours.”

“Come on, Buck. We haven’t gone on a hike in months.” Jimmy added lightly.

It was their thing. Bucky was a Brooklyn boy. But Jimmy, having grown up in a nature paradise, couldn’t relate to the love of a busy and loud city. He was more like his mother in that way. So they started going on hikes together. It was therapeutic for both of them.

“Y/N, your due any day now. I’m not leaving you alone.” Bucky was attempting his final defense.

As if someone heard it, the front door opened.

“Well, I’m not going to be alone.” Y/N smiled, knowing that she had finally won the battle. Seconds later Nat, Wanda, and Pepper walked around the corner.

“Barnes, she had to call in reinforcements. Go on the damn hike and get out of here.” Nat smirked, already knowing that Bucky was being stubborn even though she hadn’t witnessed the ongoing argument.

Bucky finally sighed and nodded his head.

“Can I drive?” Jimmy asked excitedly. Now that he officially had his license, he felt the need to drive absolutely everywhere.

Bucky tossed the keys at him. Jimmy caught them and kissed his mom on the cheek before practically sprinting out the door and to the car.

“We already ordered pizza.” Pepper announced before her, Nat, and Wanda moved out of the kitchen and into the living room.

It was just Bucky and Y/N now.

“Are you mad at me?” He muttered, looking like a kicked puppy.

Y/N couldn’t help but giggle softly. She stepped towards him and pinched his chin. “No, you drama queen. I’m not mad at you. But we’re both getting a bit crazy. Me being cooped up in this house isn’t all that bad. I’m a homebody and I have my greenhouse and my garden. But you’ve never stayed in one place this long. You need this more than you think.”

Bucky nodded slowly.

Y/N kissed him. It brought a bright smile to his face.

“Plus, Jimmy misses hanging out with you. He needs some father/son time.” She added softly.

“You’ll call if you need anything, right?” Bucky asked.

“I’m not going to need anything.”

“I know but if you do…”

Y/N kissed him again. “Stop worrying.”

Before Bucky could say anything else, Jimmy was honking the car horn outside.

She playfully shoved him in the direction of the door. “Go! Have fun. Try to relax. And don’t worry about me.”

Bucky smiled at her bossiness. It wasn’t an every day occurrence for Y/N, but Bucky secretly liked it a little. He started walking backwards but then rushed forward for one last kiss.

“I love you.” He muttered after he barely pulled away from her lips.

“I love you too.” Y/N laughed and then pushed him again. “Now go!” 

---

Luckily for Jimmy and Bucky, they didn’t see a single soul as they hiked. Jimmy usually chose the more challenging trails, sometimes even dangerous. Anything else was too easy for him and it got boring quickly. Despite the workout, neither of them were breathing very hard. It was basically a walk in the park for them.

“Hey, Bucky?” Jimmy asked behind him as he jumped between two boulders gracefully. “When did you…ugh…umm…”

Bucky stopped moving for a second to give the boy a look of concern. Jimmy was blushing and appearing somewhat uncomfortable. Steve used to look exactly the same when he was forced to discuss a risqué subject.

“What is it, Jimmy?” He tried to ask in a reassuring tone.

“Right.” The teenager took in a deep breath. “When was the first time you…you know…with a girl?” He stared at the ground as he asked, but his eyes managed to find some sort of bravery and flickered up to Bucky.

“Is this about Sam?” Bucky couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

“Kinda.” Jimmy admitted.

“I don’t know if I’m the best person to have this talk with. Maybe you should ask your mom, Jimmy.”

“She gave me that talk a long time ago, Buck. That’s not what I’m asking.”

Bucky smiled to himself as he imagined Y/N talking to Jimmy about the birds and the bees. She had always complained about the conservative take America had on sex. Y/N prided herself for being sex positive with her son.

Bucky could tell that Jimmy genuinely wanted to have a discussion about the topic. So he stopped the hike for a second and found a ledge with a view to sit for a moment. “What exactly are you asking me, Jimmy?”

He followed Bucky’s lead and sat next to him on the rocks, looking out below him at the trees and blue sky.

For a few minutes, they both just sat in silence and listening to nature.

“When do you know when it’s the right time? Or that they’re the right person?” Jimmy finally asked.

Bucky sighed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. How had he ever ignored the possibility that this conversation would come up at some point?

“I gotta be honest with you, Jimmy. When I was your age, I didn’t always treat girls all that great.”

Jimmy’s brow creased. “But mom and Sam say that you were a ladies’ man…”

Bucky shook his head. “She told you that?”

“Well…she might have said it a little bit differently.”

“I was charming and smooth. But I got bored easily, chased after a new girl every other week. I even dragged your poor dad into it when it was necessary. He was forced to make a fool of himself in an attempt to be my wingman.”

Jimmy nodded slowly and then glanced at him. “Did you sleep with all of them?”

Bucky shook his head. “Not all of them. Things were different back then. But…there was a decent amount.” He didn’t say it with any pride. More with embarrassment.

Jimmy was quiet. The distance in his eyes made it clear that he was deep in thought. “Did you love them? I mean…the ones that you did sleep with.”

To his surprise, he saw Bucky’s eyes light up a bit at the question. “I’ve only loved one woman in my life, Jimmy.”

“How did you know?” Jimmy voice was quiet.

“What?”

“How did you know that you loved mom?”

Bucky’s jaw clenched. Jimmy was only vaguely aware of the weird timeline between Bucky’s love for his mom and his father’s death. He figured out a lot of it on his own. No one ever flat-out told him that Bucky loved Y/N while she was still with Steve. Jimmy didn’t think it was appropriate for him to ask either of them about it. Every once in awhile, he was brave enough to ask Sam or Nat, but never his mom or Bucky.

“I know it was before dad died.” Jimmy confessed gently.

Bucky just nodded, not all that surprised by it. Jimmy was smart…practically a genius with his privileged and enhanced education.

“Every time I saw her, I felt this draw to her. After everything with Hydra, there was a weird weight inside me. But whenever I was even just in the same room as Y/N, I felt normal again. You can’t rely on another person as your only source of happiness, Jimmy. But whenever I saw how kind and beautiful your mom was, it just became a challenge to make myself better.”

“To make yourself worthy of her?” Jimmy offered softly.

“Exactly.” Bucky looked back to the scenery in front of them. “Your mom never treated me like the Winter Soldier. I was just your dad’s best friend. She cared about me even though I was terrible to her.” Bucky sighed, trying to figure out if he wanted to say the last part. “I knew I loved her when I could see her with your dad, completely in love, and be okay that it wasn’t me. Because all I ever wanted was for her to be happy.”

Jimmy smiled shyly. That sounded like his mom.

“When we first moved here, I was the weird new kid. One of the guys in my grade saw me as an easy target, I guess. I was walking to the bus, him and his friends tried to pick a fight. When I ignored them, they grabbed my sketchbook out of my hand and threw it in a puddle. Sam, she was shorter and smaller then…like me.” Jimmy laughed lightly at the memory of his tall and athletic girlfriend before she grew into a young woman. “She came out of nowhere and yelled at them, even pushed the boy into the mud. She grabbed my sketchbook and told me how much she liked my drawings. Sam was always popular and cool. People love her. I never understood why she did that. Or why she kept talking to me as if I wasn’t this weird and shy new kid.”

Bucky grinned at Jimmy.

“Sam saw me before the world found out that I was Steve Roger’s son.”

“And before you went through puberty.” Bucky teased, taking in Jimmy’s 6’3 height and broad frame.

Jimmy laughed lightly.

“Sounds like you already have it figured out, Jimmy.”

He shrugged. “I just wanted you to know.”

Bucky gripped his shoulders. “I’m glad you told me.” Their little moment was over and he got back to his feet, stretching slightly. Then he pointed seriously at Jimmy. “But if don’t use some kind of protection, you’re getting your butt kicked at training, do you hear me?”

Jimmy rolled his eyes and got to his feet too. “Did you forget who my mother is? She started buying me condoms like over a year ago. And I’m gonna talk to her too.” He didn’t want to admit it, but he wanted to a female perspective on the matter. Sam was really important to him. He didn’t want to do anything to upset or lose her.

Bucky’s cellphone started ringing in his back pocket. “Speak of the devil…”

“Don’t talk about my mother that way!” Jimmy joked as he started climbing a rock wall that was a completely vertical angle.

“Hello?”

“Are you having fun?” Y/N asked lightly

But Bucky instantly noticed something wrong in her voice. “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

Jimmy’s head whipped around at the question and he immediately jumped down from the wall to rejoin Bucky.

“So, everything’s completely fine. Don’t panic.” Then she took in a deep breath. “It’s just…ugh…my water may or may not have broken.”

“What!?” Bucky and Jimmy yelled at the same time.

“The girl’s are taking me to the compound right now. The team of doctors are already waiting for me.” Y/N felt so bad for making Bucky feel so bad about being overprotective. Now he was miles and miles away from her as she was going into labor.

“We’re on our way right now.” Bucky tried not to yell.

“Hey, Bucky?” Y/N asked lightly.

“Yeah?”

“I love you, okay?” That’s when she finally sounded scared.

“I love you too, Y/N. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Okay…” She didn’t sound convinced.

“Y/N.” Bucky voice turned firm.

“Yeah?”

“I promise, everything’s going to be okay. We’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.” She sighed in a small relief.

With that, Bucky hung up.

He shared a look with Jimmy.

“Race you to the bottom?” The teenager asked. 

---

Jimmy was holding on to the handle of the car door as he sat in the passenger’s seat. Bucky was screaming down the roads at a speed he’d never witnessed before. He wasn’t complaining, but he’d never seen Bucky so panicked before. Even when Y/N had been kidnapped by Hydra, Bucky maintained a calm and collected soldier mentality. But this…this was something different.

They were sprinting into the medical wing of the compound an hour after they hung up the phone.

The entire team was waiting outside the room.

Nat was the first time talk to them. “Well you two sure made it in record time.”

Jimmy elbowed Bucky. “You go in. I’ll stay out here with everyone.”

Bucky just nodded and rushed into the room.

To his surprise, it was Sam who was sitting next to Y/N’s bed. He was holding her head as she squeezed every time a contraction hit.

Sam looked at him. “Wanda and Nat’s hands already got bruised by her grip.” He explained before Bucky could ask.

“Bucky!” Y/N sighed in relief.

Without saying anything else, Sam pat Bucky on the back and left the room.

“Hey, doll. I’m here.” Bucky sighed, ignore the chair and sitting next to Y/N right on the bed.

Y/N nodded and was taking deep breaths. Her skin was sweaty with pieces of her hair sticking to her forehead. Bucky couldn’t understand how she still managed to look beautiful through the pain and exhaustion.

“You’re doing great.” He whispered to her and kissed her forehead.

Y/N grabbed his metal hand. “Whatever you do… just don’t leave.”

Bucky shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere doll.”

---

The labor went on for hours. Y/N handled it like the badass woman she was, never complaining, only asking if the baby was okay every other minute. Bucky didn’t know how she did it. Y/N was his hero.

But the room disappeared when their child finally entered the world.

Bucky swore his heart stopped when the doctor’s announced the new arrival.

It was a girl.

They’d decided to keep the gender a surprise.

Bucky had tears filling his eyes as soon as he saw her.

Now Y/N was fast asleep in her bed. The doctors brought their daughter into a crib at the side of her bed.

But Bucky had struggled with finding sleep after all the excitement. He couldn’t believe he was a father.

Instead of resting, his eyes just watched his two girls sleep.

That is, until the little one started fussing.

Bucky jumped up, not wanting Y/N to wake up. He tiptoed to the crib that was next to the bed. Ever so gently, he picked his daughter up.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. Daddy’s here.” He whispered to his baby. She instantly quieted at the sound of his voice. “Your mom’s so tired. We gotta let her rest. She’s been carrying you around for so long and then you caused quite the ruckus when you decided to come out.”

Bucky carefully cradled her to his chest, put most of her weight on his flesh arm. He was already scared of accidentally harming her with his metal arm. Y/N immediately noticed the awkward shifts and movements he made and caught on. She kindly reminded him that he never once harmed Jimmy in all of his life. It made Bucky relax a little bit, but he couldn’t completely stop his paranoia.

“I still can’t believe you’re here.” Bucky whispered. “Frances Stevie Barnes.” He said the name with pride.

Y/N had said she wanted to use a name from Bucky’s true time period. Frances was his grandmother’s name on his mom’s side. His parents used to tell him that he got his charm and good-looks from her. Y/N reminded him that he’d mentioned it to her. She always loved the name. As for the middle name…Well, it was for Bucky’s best friend and the first man that Y/N ever loved.

Y/N didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. But Bucky insisted.

So here she was: Frances Stevie Barnes.

She was healthy and beautiful. Bucky instantly asked the doctors a hundred times if her health was okay. It took Y/N sending a calm surge with her powers for him to finally believe the doctors when they said Frances was perfectly healthy.

“Don’t tell your mom, but I started to hope you were a girl.” Bucky’s voice was so soft and breathy as he rocked her. Then his eyes stared at Y/N, sleeping peacefully. “She’s so beautiful, isn’t she? If you’re lucky, you’ll look more like your mom than your old man.”

Frances cooed as if she didn’t quite agree with him.

Bucky sighed and decided to sit down in the chair next to Y/N’s bed. “I’ll be honest. I don’t really know what I’m doing. But I promise I’ll protect you with my life. I’m going to do my best. I’ve made a lot of mistakes before I got you. I hope I’ve learned enough from them to be the father you deserve.”

The next morning, Y/N woke up with Bucky sleeping in the seat next to her bed, Frances in his arms. The sight warmed her heart. She never doubted that Bucky would be an amazing father. This was just the first of many times he proved her right.

“Did you sleep okay?” Jimmy whispered when he entered the room. He’d already met his little sister in all the chaos. He yelled at the team to go away and leave his parents alone. But he also wanted to spend some time with Frances. He’d always hoped for siblings when he was younger. It might have come later than he imagined, but he couldn’t be happier to finally be a big brother.

“I slept like the dead.” Y/N answered with a light laugh.

“Looks like Bucky’s already a baby whisperer.” Jimmy giggled and then he picked up his camera and snapped a few photos of Bucky and Frances sleeping. He’d already taken a hundred photos yesterday.

“I have a sneaking suspicion that our Frances is going to be quite the daddy’s girl.” Y/N chuckled.

“She better be.” Bucky retorted with a husky voice, eyes still closed.

Jimmy and Y/N shared a laugh at his joke. ---

4 Years Later

Bucky was in the living room, lounging on the couch, and reading a book when his assassin senses heard it: someone approaching him from behind his head. He immediately smirked and pretended to keep reading as he heard the little pitter patter of feet that were trying so desperately to be quiet.

Then a small body was launching itself onto his chest. Bucky played up his groan from his daughter’s attack.

“Did I do it? Did I do it?” Frances was breathing heavily and her eyes were excitedly awaiting his answer.

“I was so surprised, Frankie!” Bucky gasped dramatically, making sure to widen his eyes.

Turned out that the older Frances got, the more she hated her name. She insisted on being called by the nickname Frankie. It suited her, seeing as she was such a tomboy. She never wanted to wear dresses or skirts and hated bright colors. It wasn’t rare to see her wearing a backwards baseball cap, making strangers sometimes mistake her for a little boy. But she never seemed to mind.

“You’re lying, daddy.” Her face scrunched into a frown.

Nat or Tony had once mentioned something to Frankie about her father’s old profession. Her young mind didn’t fully understand Bucky’s past. But she always wanted to be just like him. Therefore, she thought the first step was being silent, but deadly. This started a routine of constantly trying to sneak up on her dad.

“But you’re getting better.” Bucky encouraged as he brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Frankie had her father’s eye color and dark brown hair. But her facial structure was all Y/N. Bucky always thought it was a nice compromise. But he always frowned when Y/N made jokes about Frankie’s blue eyes winning her all the boys.

The little girl now splayed her body across her father’s chest, resting her ear over his heart. Bucky welcomed the movement and placed his book on the nearby coffee table before wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.

“Daddy?” Frankie asked softly without lifting her head.

“Yeah, sweetheart.”

She raised her head slowly to look him in the eyes and then placed her hands on his cheeks, squishing them sweetly. “Mommy’s sad today.” She whispered.

Bucky’s heart sank a little at his daughter’s observation.

Today was always a depressing day in the year.

It was the anniversary of Steve’s death.

Y/N hadn’t mentioned it to Bucky, but they both always knew when the dreadful day came.

“She hasn’t laughed. I don’t think she’s smiled too!” Frankie exasperated, her little voice filled with concern.

“Well, today is a little sad for your mom, sweetheart.” Bucky explained as he rubbed her back.

“Why?” Her curiosity had recently reached a high.

“Um… someone really important to me and mom died on this day… a long time ago.”

“Jimmy’s daddy?” Frankie asked. She understood that Jimmy was her brother, but Bucky wasn’t his real dad. And just like her brother, she was far smarter than other kids her age.

“Yeah, Jimmy’s dad.”

“Are you sad too, daddy?” She whispered, her blue eyes studying his so intensely.

Bucky just nodded.

Frankie leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Mommy does that when I feel sad!” She giggled innocently. “It makes it better.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Truth be told, hearing his daughter’s laugh could kill any sadness. “Do my kisses help you too?” He asked playfully.

Frankie giggled again. “No, that’s mommy’s superpower! Not yours!”

Bucky’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

Before she could answer, he quickly grabbed Frankie and started attacking her with kisses. She tried to escape, but it was useless. Her laughter filled the entire living room as he added tickling to the mix.

“Daddy! Stop!” Frankie cried out through a smile.

“What’s going on in here?” Y/N asked with a shy smile.

The two of them paused their play at the sound of her entrance. But Bucky kept Frankie caged against his chest and sitting on his lap.

“Frankie says I don’t have magic kisses like yours.” He explained as if it was a very adult thing to say. Then he leaned down and pressed a few rapid kisses to his daughter’s cheek.

“Do mommy’s kisses work on you, daddy?” Frankie asked, beaming.

“You know how in Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, the knight’s kiss is the only thing that wakes them up?” Bucky asked. His daughter nodded. “Well… that’s what your mom’s kiss did for me.”

Frankie’s eyes went wide. “Mommy is your knight?”

Bucky smiled at her awe and nodded.

“I like that!” She declared to neither of her parents surprise. At the age of 4, she was already trying to dismantle gender roles and stereotypes.

Bucky then stood up from the couch with his daughter in his arms. “How are you, doll?” He asked Y/N as they walked toward her.

Y/N just shrugged. She gave him a side smirk, but it didn’t reach her eyes. No, her eyes were filled with a hidden sadness that even her daughter caught.

Frankie leaned up to Bucky’s ear. “Daddy, you should kiss mommy to make it better.” She whispered.

Bucky didn’t break his concerned gaze with Y/N when his daughter gave her instructions. But then he leaned forward and kissed Y/N. It was more than a peck and some parents probably would withhold kissing like this in front of their child. But Frankie didn’t seem to mind. At least she could see how much her parents truly loved each other.

Y/N was reluctant to pull away, staring deeply into Bucky’s blue eyes after their lips disconnected.

“I’m going to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner. Any requests?” She asked.

“We can come with you.” Bucky offered.

Except Y/N was already shaking her head. “I’ll be fine. You two stay here and keep having fun.” But what she really meant was that she needed some time alone.

Bucky just nodded slowly.

Y/N grabbed her purse and keys. She tried to make her escape, but Bucky caught her wrist lightly. She looked at him, expecting him to say something like ‘be safe’ or ‘hurry back.’

Instead, Bucky pulled her in for another kiss. “I love you.” He urged afterward.

“I love you too, Buck.” She muttered back and then kissed her daughters cheek while she was still in her father’s arms. “You two be good.” Then she was out the door.

Bucky looked at Frankie. “Hey, I have an idea.” She looked at him curiously. “How about we make your ma’s favorite dessert?”

“Yeah! That will make her happy!” Frankie cheered in agreement.

“So you’ll help me?” Bucky asked.

She nodded energetically and scurried out of his arms to sprint to the kitchen.

---

They were about to put the flourless chocolate cake in the oven when the front door opened.

“Anyone home?”

Frankie’s entire face brightened. “Jim-Jam!” She practically screeched before sprinting in the direction of the voice.

But Jimmy was already entering the kitchen when he was attacked by his little sister. He instantly picked her up in his arms, like a natural.

Bucky smiled at him. “What are you doing here, bud?” He walked over to give the boy a huge while Frankie clung to him.

Jimmy ended up going to school at M.I.T. After a long discussion with Tony and Bucky, he agreed to go to college before he did anything even remotely close to Avenging. Everyone knew he did it more for his mom’s benefit than his own. He thought if he gave her four more years of normalcy, she would accept his risky profession of saving the world a bit better.

“Thought I’d come home for the weekend and surprise mom.”

“Mommy’s sad.” Frankie told her brother.

Jimmy shared a knowing look with Bucky.

“Well how about we go to the greenhouse and pick some fresh flowers to bring in, huh?” Jimmy asked her softly. She nodded.

Bucky watched them go out the back with a soft smile.

Frankie and Jimmy were thick as thieves. Some of their family wondered how the two would get along with the awkward age gap between the two. But Frankie has been following her big brother around since she could walk. When Jimmy went to college, she didn’t handle it so well. But he kept assuring her that he was only a few hours away. Even less if one of the Avengers happened to pick him up on a jet.

But it was clear that Jimmy would die before he let anything happen to Frankie. He loved her with all of his heart and felt even more protective of her than his own mother.

Bucky put the unbaked cake into the oven just as Y/N walked in with grocery bags in her grasp.

“Need any help?” He asked.

“Nope. I managed.” She answered.

There was still a distant look in her eyes as she started putting items away.

Bucky gently touched her forearm, halting her movements. “You want to talk about it?”

Y/N shrugged. “There’s not much to say. You know what day it is, Buck.”

“I know. I miss him too, doll.”

“I know it’s been so long. But I still think about him all the time.” Then she looked up at him with sudden guilt. “I hope you don’t think that means I love you any less.”

“I know you don’t, Y/N.” Bucky sighed. “I think about Steve every day.” He admitted. “It might sound weird, but I wish he could’ve met Frankie. I always thought him and I would raise our kids together, you know?”

Y/N laughed lightly. “No. I get what you mean.” Then she suddenly looked around the kitchen. “Speaking of Frankie… Where is the little monster?”

Then she heard the back door open and Frankie talking her head off.

Frankie was very different than Jimmy in a lot of ways. While her brother solidified a position as an outsider, Frankie could charm just about anyone. Bucky grinned any time he took her to the park and watched as she made about 5 new friends before they left. Everyone loved her. Y/N blamed it on the Barnes’ charm. But Bucky knew it was a lot of it was from her too. However, Frankie inherited the same gene of righteousness and protectiveness that Jimmy did. She was already standing up for her friends and calling out the meanies.

Jimmy rounded into the kitchen with Frankie sitting on his shoulders.

“Mommy! Look who’s here!”

“Oh my god!” Y/N cried out.

Jimmy giggled at his mom’s reaction. “Thought I’d surprise you.”

Y/N launched herself into her son’s arms. It was always comical to see the size difference between the two.

“Mommy, we picked you some sunflowers.” Frankie announced, still perched on her brother’s shoulders. She handed a bouquet down to her mother with a proud smirk. “And daddy and I made you cake!”

“Well aren’t I just the luckiest mommy.” Y/N hummed.

The rest of the night consisted of Bucky making the four of them dinner. Like every other night in the house, Y/N had her music blasting. But everyone’s laughter was a nice accompaniment to it. Y/N leaned against the counter laughing as she watched Jimmy dancing with Frankie on top of his feet. Every once in awhile, he would dip her or swing her body around crazily.

Actually sitting down for dinner wasn’t all that different. Frankie would joke around with Jimmy. Bucky would try to ask Jimmy about school whenever his daughter took a breath. But mostly Bucky would watching Y/N while she had a expression of pure happiness as she watched her children goofing around with one another.

Frankie and Jimmy did the dishes and then he promised to read her a story if she went to bed on time.

The night ended with Jimmy in his room calling Sam, Frankie was fast asleep, and Bucky was with Y/N on the back porch.

“You know… we did good.” Y/N sighed, cuddling closer into Bucky’s side.

He looked down at her. “We did, didn’t we?”  

“They’re such good kids.” Y/N whispered. “I don’t know how it’s possible that we get to be their parents.”

“Give yourself some credit, doll.” Bucky chuckled. “But I have an inkling that Frankie’s going to give us hell when she’s older.”

Y/N laughed in agreement.

“I already see the boys flirting with her on the playground.” Bucky groaned.

“Oh, don’t start with all that already.” She sighed.

“I know, I know.” He defended, fully aware what she was warning him about.

A peaceful silence settled between them.

Then Bucky took in a deep breath. “I never knew I could be this happy…never knew I could get this life, Y/N.”

She looked up at him. “I know you didn’t. That’s why I had to prove it to you.”

THE END

------------------------------------

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that messaged me, reblogged, and reviewed this story. I never thought it was going to get reception it did. So truly...thank you. 

But it’s NOT OVER YET...technically. 

I thought it was would be fun for people to send me requests for this little Bucky x Reader (Jimmy & Frankie) Universe I’ve created. 

So if you have a ONE SHOT/DRABBLE involving Bucky with Frankie or Jimmy, please send me a message. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be specific. I hate generic requests. But also verify how old you want the kids to be (obviously the age gap between them will remain the same).  I hope this makes people excited and less sad about the ending of this little series of mine. 

[ninjagoat]

Supergirl 3x14 Speculation Post

As some of you may have heard, episode 14 of this current season of Supergirl will feature Academy Award Nominee Laurie Metcalf as Winn's mother, Mary, who abandoned him as a child after his father committed mass murder.

We know that she's been out on location with Ms. Benoist, possibly with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Wood. So far, it doesn't seem much like the kind of reunion we've seen in 3x03 with Maggie and her dad, or the "I'm dying and I want to make amends" type a la Iris and her mother we've seen on The Flash. The episode title, 'Schott The The Heart' is a play on the Bon Jovi classic 'You Give Love A Bad Name', and that would suggest heavy Mon-El or, indeed, Imra involvement.

Ms. Metcalf is great. She's been great for DECADES. And, as the ever-so-slightly angry people at the Winn end of the fandom will attest, Mr. Jordan brings it pretty much every single week (which is why he gets the Jeremy Jordan Award For Doing So Much With So Little time and time again). Their scenes together will be great.

This post is not about their scenes.

This post is about the *other* big scene: who does Winn confide in? Who does he tell his sob story to?

Because that's the actual story. 'Childish Things' is not the story of the Winslows Schott, but the story of Winn and Kara. Whoever gets told that backstory is the focal point of Winn's arc for the episode and - let's not kid ourselves here, because he's not likely to get another one - the season.

So let's look at the options.

Kara

Kara seems like an obvious choice. Not only does it rhyme with 'Childish Things', but Kara's been... distant from him recently, from him more than others. She's said some questionable things about their friendship. This would be a chance for her to reconnect with him, and by extension, with Kara Danvers.

Kara will absolutely tell him he needs to give Mary a chance. When she says compassion for all, she means it. But Winn might not go for it. After all, why should it be his job to forgive the woman who convinced him, intentionally or not, that he would only ever be his father's son?

Lena

It's not going to be Lena. But I really want it to be.

It would be my absolute dream for this show if Winn showed up at CatCo after the initial encounter with Mary, looking to talk to Kara or James, he can only find Lena; and, in one of her moments where she believes she's good with people (she is, but it's an individual, case-by-case basis thing), she takes him into James office, expecting much ado about nothing.

And Winn dumps *everything* on her. His mother, his father, his time in foster care, everything. And she realises she's totally out of her depth.

Yes, Winn and Lena have paralleling backstories. But Lena's experience happened largely in isolation, both from other people and from the consequences of her family's actions: Winn's dad kills six people, he lost everything; Lena's brother tries to nuke California, and her immense wealth and privilege carries on as normal.

Winn, on the other hand, went into foster care. He'll have met ten, maybe twenty other kids while he was there. He'll have heard their stories, or at least parts of them. He probably doesn't even consider his story to be *that bad*, compared to others.

This would cause Lena to rethink her own history, and her attitude toward it. It would also put an end to the endless "Am I Evil?" stories, because if Winn can make it... she's got no excuse.

She should probably tell Winn that he should stand his ground against whatever Mary wants; but, more likely, will tell him he really needs the advice of someone else, because she is nowhere near qualified to handle this.

J'onn

Most of Winn's scenes this season have involved J'onn. Winn is also has a significant functioning relationship with J'onn's father, M'yrnn (or Mr J). J'onn's story this year is basically built around 'fathers and sons'.

You can see where I'm going with this.

J'onn being a father to Winn in this scene would be the final link between everyone being Winn's friends and people he works for to actually being his family. Plus, J'onn having lost his own mother, and known the joy of being reunited with his father, he is in a unique position to offer advice.

Mon-El

Mon-El has been, hard as it will be for some to believe, Winn's most consistent friend. He has always respected Winn: promises to let Winn make his superhero suit (even though he had no intention of being a hero when he did - I'll get to that later); congratulates Winn when he learns about Lyra, and asks Winn for relationship advice when he needs it; supports Winn when Lyra gets kidnapped; and, my personal favorite, his aphorism "Hope for the best, have Winn Schott plan for the worst".

He *also* knows which of Winn's buttons to press to get him to do things he doesn't want to do, or rather, says he doesn't want to do. This is a quality you want in a good wingman.

And, of course there's his *own* issues with his parents, which gives he and Winn a shared perspective. The most likely advice he would give about Mary would be that which mirrored Winn's previous advice to him; i.e, listen to her, but tempered with his new found leadership skills, he could emphasise that Winn doesn't have to give her what she wants, and he should stand up for himself.

ALEX

Dipping into speculation on the Winn/Mary side of the episode for the moment:

- Winn's supposed to be moving into some sort of leadership role this season (this may have just been the cross-over, or that might be foreshadowing for this arc)

- Mr. Brooks's IG pic shows him, Ms. Benoist and Mr. Wood in kind of a golf-cart, in the middle of nowhere. This feels a lot like a corporate 'team-building' exercise.

- The pic of Ms. Metcalf with Ms. Benoist appears to be at the same location, and her hair/costume choices seem... very Alex.

So, a theory. A decision is made: in order to beat Reign, Supergirl and Guardian and Mon-El will have to work as a team - kind of like National City's very own Trinity - with Winn as... not Overwatch, exactly, but in a similar leadership role as Iris currently has on The Flash; and so, in order to get them all working together, J'onn sends them all off with Alex to DEO boot-camp, where they'll get training from a legendary instructor.

Everyone's excited, but Winn's nervous too. He's never done anything like this, and he's got a huge responsibility here.

And it only gets worse when he finds out the instructor is Mary.

Now, to me, this would be very cool - which is why it's pretty much guaranteed not to be what happens - but the thing about it is that this moves the focus away from 'will he forgive her?' to 'will he win her approval?', while still being part of the main story arc.

So how does Alex fit into this?

Mary is Alex's possible future; a future where she can't balance her current life as a DEO agent with that of her desired life as a mother. Alex is going to see a woman who abandoned her child at a time when he needed her most - the kind of mother she has no interest in being - and she's going to hate her breathing guts.

And then she's going to tell Winn to kick Mary's ass at whatever challenge she's thrown at him, because that woman can go to hell. He doesn't need her approval. He can do this *his* way.

Those are the most likely candidates (and Lena). Here's my thoughts on the others:

JAMES

Please no. I can't sit through James giving his patented generic-but-somehow-uniquely-unhelpful advice on a subject he can't possibly understand (given that he never seems to go home to see his own mother at all). This is a bad idea.

(It's going to happen, isn't it?)

IMRA

An interesting idea, given that Imra's supposed to be a telepath, and particularly given the vague motions toward SaturnNerd in 3x07 and 3x09. She could put his muddled thoughts into order for him, help reconcile what he's saying with what he's thinking. But she'd need to develop a personality very quickly for that to work, because she sure doesn't have one now.

BRAINIAC 5

It'd be hilarious, but no.

CAT GRANT

There's no way. There is absolutely no way that this is happening.

BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE? :-D

So, there's my thoughts. Feel free to kick my ass/leave thoughtful comments.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: 7 Holiday-Themed Anime Episodes To Get You in the Spirit of the Season

  Here in the midst of December, it’s time to get your playlist of fun holiday episodes together. You might be thinking, “Oh no, there’s too many anime episodes that are holiday themed! Which one do I decide to watch?!” Well, thankfully, I’m here to represent the Holiday Anime Awards Association, aka the HAAA, and tell you which episodes have just now become winners! You’ll be certain that any of these episodes will fit in perfectly with any holiday playlist with awards such as Most Wholesome, Most Chaotic, and Most Heartwarming. So, let’s take a look at our new award winners!

  Most Wholesome: K-ON! - “Christmas!”

  Image via VRV

  One thing people tend to do when it comes to the holiday season is find ways to make the people they care about safe and happy — especially by gifting them family and friends items that will keep them snug and warm. Yui and Ui, they both decide to give each other the gift of warmth but there’s an issue … the Light Music Club decides to host a gift exchange, which could potentially throw a wrench into the two of them receiving the right gift. This episode is also fun thanks to Ui getting duped into thinking she needs to prepare for a nonexistent talent show as well as kid Yui’s antics to make sure Ui could see a white Christmas. It’ll certainly make you feel nice and warm inside, just like Yui and Ui eventually do.

  Best Episode To Avoid A Love Triangle and Still Enjoy A Concert: Lovely Complex - “A Love Triangle With My Ex!?”

    Somehow, Lovely Complex manages to pack in multiple holiday episodes into the series, but we’re going to focus on the first one which winds up being the second episode. Risa and Atsushi’s plans to see their favorite performer, Umibozu, on Christmas nearly goes awry when Atsushi’s ex-girlfriend suddenly comes back into the picture. This makes things complicated as Risa is beginning to try and sort out her feelings when it comes to Atsushi. Risa begins to think she’ll get ditched, which would make for a very disappointing Christmas. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen because Atsushi doesn’t skip out on their plans to hang out with his ex. While these two will go through a whole lot of drama as the series progresses, this leads to a fun Christmas outing for the two.

  Most Heartwarming: Cardcaptor Sakura - “Sakura’s Wonderful Christmas”

    Like I mentioned earlier, an important aspect of the holidays is the feeling of being warm. You can accomplish that by putting on warm clothes, doing nice things, or just by … setting things on fire. That’s what happens when Sakura tries to give a gift to Yukito for Christmas, but oh no! The amusement park begins to catch fire due to The Fiery card! Being trapped in a burning amusement park is not how people want to be warm during the holidays, but thanks to Sakura, her pals, and some clever card usage, she’s able to put out the fire and acquire a new Clow Card in the process — just in time to still be able to give Yukito the gift she made for him.

  Most Chaotic: Persona 4 The Golden Animation - “Not So Holy Christmas Eve”

    This episode is a comedy of errors and I love it for that. The Investigation Team wants to get together to have a big meal and hang out for the holidays, which is pretty normal for the group. Except Naoto somehow gets it in her mind that someone is out to kill her and ends up stumbling into a variety of scenes that play into her warped idea, such as stumbling into a room full of “bloody” bodies. It’s a series of escalating and ridiculous scenes that eventually culminate in Naoto realizing she’s been mistaken the entire time. This episode never fails to make me laugh, which is something you also need during the holidays. There’s nothing better than a good hearty laugh with friends and family during this season.

  Best Episode To Truly Learn How To Make Friends During Christmas: A Place Further Than the Universe - “Partial Friendship”

    There’s a very small percentage of people who can say they’ve celebrated the holidays in Antarctica. The girls of A Place Further Than The Universe experience this first hand and also get a lesson in the complicated nature of friendships. Yuzuki has certainly had a hard time making and keeping friends throughout her life, being a child actor and having to navigate having time to hang out and work. Most of the time, that’s just not worked out. Even though she’s been with the other girls for a while now, she still is unsure if she can call them friends. This leads to a tense and emotional standoff as Mari gets offended when Yuzuki offers them “friendship contracts.” Thankfully, the girls are able to work things out and show Yuzuki that they’ve been friends for quite some time now and make sure to celebrate Yuzuki’s birthday, albeit a bit later than when it actually is. I’m sure this puts Yuzuki in an even smaller group of people who got to celebrate Christmas and their birthday in Antarctica.

  Best Wingman on Christmas: MY Love STORY!! - “My Christmas”

    Takeo and Rinko are a model couple, so it makes sense that they’d want to help out their friends and set them up. The problem with that — especially during the holidays — is that it can be a real awkward time for everyone if things don’t go as planned. This almost happens for Takeo’s friend, who wants to get together with one of Rinko’s friends. When situations like this arise, it’s key to have a good wingman like Takeo on your side to make sure you don’t blow it. Takeo’s certainly the kind of friend who will want to keep his friends happy, but also give them the right kind of pep talk to straighten them out if things are going awry. Of course, this pep talk eventually leads to his friend climbing a giant Christmas tree to retrieve a star — and that’s the kind of act that makes everything work out. Just maybe don’t try climbing any Christmas tree you find because I’m sure that’s not going to end well for you.

  Most Cozy: Laid Back Camp - “Christmas Camp!”

    Honestly, camping out for Christmas doesn’t sound like a bad idea, if the weather permits. Rin, Nadeshiko, and the rest of the girls from the club do exactly this and get to all sorts of camping activities such as playing with a dog, eat sukiyaki, and mess with their teacher. What a fun and cozy way to spend the holidays! Plus, we get to see that Rin is truly beginning to come around on the idea of group camping, compared to where she was in the beginning of the series as a solo camper. Certainly, if you need an episode to give you a nice and cozy feeling during this holiday season, this is one you should be adding to your playlists.

  There you have it. Some of the best holiday-themed episodes (but let’s be honest, every Christmas anime episode deserves an award) to check out as we close in on the end of the year. These episodes will get you fully into the holiday spirit and ready to celebrate!

  What are some of your favorite holiday-themed episodes and what award would you give them? Let us know down in the comments below!

      Jared Clemons is a writer and podcaster for Seasonal Anime Checkup and author of One Shining Moment: A Critical Analysis of Love Live! Sunshine!!. He can be found on Twitter @ragbag.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Jared Clemons

[taronfanfic]

Graduate’s Escape

Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8

Chapter 9

A week had passed since you last saw Taron. You texted every day but the conversation was always interrupted by the demands of your jobs.  It was always going to be difficult when you worked nights and he worked days. So as your regular Saturday evening off work approached you grabbed your chance and invited Taron round to your flat. The thought of him coming over filled you with nerves, your flat was tiny and filled with second hand furniture, but it was the best an Art Graduate could afford. You’d put your bed in the smallest room to free up the master bedroom as a make-shift art studio. The living space tagged onto the kitchen and was separated with a small breakfast bar which was tonight doubling up as your dining table. You’d offered to cook, something you usually got great enjoyment out of, but tonight’s nerves had taken hold and things just weren’t going your way. The small kitchen sink was overflowing with used pots and pans, growing higher by the minute as you tried to multitask without burning anything.

A small knock at the door signalled Taron’s arrival so you rushed round to open it. A bouquet of beautifully wrapped red roses filled the doorway and started to move forwards towards you as Taron made his way into your flat.

“Hey!” he greeted you cheerily as he lowered the roses and leant forwards to kiss you on the cheek. “I got you these.”

“Oh wow! They’re beautiful, thank you.” You were taken back by his gesture, the most your ex had managed was a single red rose on Valentine’s Day, bought at the table of a restaurant just to conform with everyone else there that evening.

“Something smells good.” Taron commented as he looked over your shoulder and into the kitchen behind you.

“Shit! I need to sort that out, just give me 5 minutes and then I’m all yours.” You ran back to the kitchen to rescue the sauce from the hob.

“No problem, shall I put your roses in a vase?” Taron called back from the entrance as he took his shoes off and hung up his jacket.

“That would be amazing, I think there’s one in…. First door on your right, top of the shelf on the back wall.” You called back, leaving Taron to explore for himself. “You’ll need to use the bathroom sink for water though, this one’s a bit full!”  

He returned a few minutes later and added the flowers to the end of your breakfast bar.

“You didn’t have to go to so much effort, I would have been fine with a take away. It’s so good to see you again though.” He admitted, a hint of shyness creeping in to his voice.

“It’s just lasagne, nothing special, and this looks worse than it actually is.” you replied, gesturing to the state of your kitchen. “My art room is normally a total state, but I actually tidied that this morning.”

“Creative mess is different though, it’s a sign of good things. I didn’t want to be too nosey but that large painting you’re working on is so good! How long has it taken?” You took Taron back through to your art room and talked him through the pieces you were working on, explaining how they linked together as a series and were a continuing idea from your final degree work. He was taking in every word you said, asking loads of questions and smiling warmly as you talked with passion. You told him about your plans to show your work in a gallery somewhere, hopefully sell a few paintings and save up to buy your own studio space so you could finally have a bigger bedroom back.

“Sorry, I’m talking too much. My family stopped asking about my work years ago so I must have bored them to death!”

“Don’t be silly, I’ve been answering questions all week so it’s nice to be able to ask some and just listen for once. You’re so talented and it’s a very attractive quality.” The cheeky tone returned to his voice as he flirted.

“Right back at you!” you pushed him playfully causing him to laugh. “You hungry?”

“Always.”

***

You’d continued to flirt playfully with each other whilst you ate. As your friendship grew you could tease each other with insults and push the boundaries with your sense of humour; both of you had been crying with laugher at one point. It made for a good change compared with your usual lust for sex when he was around. Taron checked his watch quickly as he lowered his cutlery to his empty plate.

“You don’t have to rush off, do you?” You asked him.

“No, I’m here for the night… hopefully.” He crossed his fingers. “I had to film the Jonathan Ross show a few days ago and it’s on tonight. I was hoping you’d like to watch it with me?” he couldn’t hide his smile.

“…Why? …What have you said?” you asked with strong suspicion.

“Well I don’t know what’s going to make the final edit, but I’m pretty certain one bit will and I know you’ll love it!”

You grabbed a tub of ice cream and two spoons for dessert and snuggled down together in front of the TV waiting for the show to start.

“Is it not weird watching yourself on TV? I’m pretty sure I’d hate it.”

“It was weird the first few times but I’m kinda used to it now. I don’t watch every single interview I’ve done, but I had to be here to see your reaction for this one.” Taron teased again, rubbing his hand up and down your thigh in anticipation.

The show started in its usual fashion, panning round the Green Room to announce all the guests. You let out a small cheer as they showed Taron on screen, causing him to chuckle gently beside you. The first guests were brought out and interviewed, nothing very exciting had happened so far, but both of you were still absorbed in the show. During the next advert break you could feel Taron’s body temperature rising, he was starting to fidget more and show his nerves.

“Please give a warm welcome to our final guest of the evening, Mr. Taron Egerton!” Jonathan Ross announced.

“Oh hello! Someone’s looking handsome in their sharp suit!” you commented as you watched Taron walk out to the audience, giving a big smile and wave.

“How are you doing young sir?” Jonathan asked.

“Very well, thank you.”

“Good, I’m pleased to hear it. Now you’re obviously here to talk about the new Kingsman movie, The Golden Circle…” he paused to let the audience cheer. “But before we get to that, there’s something I need to ask you about…”

“Go on…” Taron looked genuinely intrigued.

“Now last week we had the delightful Hugh Jackman on the show.” The camera cut back to show Taron pursing his lips as he tried not to laugh. “… and he showed us something very interesting.”

“I think I know where this is going…” Taron smirked. “I was actually out in a restaurant last weekend when my mum started facetiming me to tell me what was going on!”

“He showed us this photo.” Jonathan gestured towards the large screen which once again showed the same topless photo of Taron, causing the audience to erupt into screams. “… and he told us that you’d drunk text him with it and a winking face!”

“I think I should explain…” Taron spoke up, hiding his embarrassment behind a confident exterior. “It was actually a dare. I was playing a game of truth or dare, and my dare was to send a topless photo to Hugh.”

“Now that’s not what Hugh told us, so one of you isn’t telling the truth here are they… Taron.” Jonathan accused him. “We were under the impression that Hugh had been your wingman and left you chatting to a lovely young lady, and that this photo was meant for her, but you’d had one too many and got the wrong number!”

“Well half of that is true. Hugh is an excellent wingman, but after he left the game of truth or dare started…and the very, very, lovely woman dared me to send it.” Taron explained further.

“Sounds likely…” Jonathan didn’t buy his story.

“Well people are going to believe whichever version they want and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Taron folded his arms, defeated.

“Very, very lovely, am I?” You asked Taron before kissing him quickly.

“Wait wait, I don’t think they’ve cut it!” Taron looked back towards the TV.

“Actually, there is one more thing…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I bet Hugh didn’t show you his reply to my text…”

“No!” you shouted as you sat forwards. “Taron you didn’t!… Fuck!”

Taron reached over and showed Jonathan the photo on his phone.

“OH MY GOD that’s not real!” Jonathan did a double take at the photo. “Bloody hell!”

“I know right.” Taron put his phone back in his pocket.

“We can’t show that!” Jonathan was still in shock. “To give you some kind of indication it was a very… excited Hugh Jackman. Taron, why do you still have that photo on your phone? You’re not claiming it as your own are you? Using it to attract beautiful women?” Jonathan continued to probe.

“If I was they’d be very disappointed when they got to the real thing…” Taron was quick with his comeback, glancing down to his crotch as he raised his eyebrows.

“Is that what happened with the very lovely woman who you were playing truth or dare with then?”

“Oh so you do believe me now then?” Taron carefully swerved the question.

“If it makes you happy, then yes. So has she seen the photo?” Jonathan was persistent.

“She has.”

“and…”

“and, we didn’t.” Taron was being deliberately short with his answers now.

“We did before though!” you scoffed.

“Ah I’m sorry, Taron. Hugh had high hopes for you both, he wanted to be best man and everything.”

““It was only the first time we’d met, you’ve got to be treat a girl right first!.. It’s still early days…and she is very lovely.” Taron finally caved, giving an adorably cute smile.

The show cut to another advert break, giving you a chance to recover from all the excitement. You could hear Taron’s phone vibrating in his pocket as messages came in, presumably from his family and friends.

“You handled that so well.” You wrapped your arms around Taron’s shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

“You think so? I was trying not to say too much. It’s hard though because I just want to tell everyone how amazing you are.” Taron pulled back from your hug so he could look into your eyes as he told you.

“I think you’re amazing too. I feel so lucky to have met you” you finally admitted out loud. Taron leaned in and kissed you tenderly.

“Did you notice how many roses I bought you?”

“No, why?”

“Apparently the number of roses has a meaning, so I chose 10.” He explained.

“10… Am I going to have to google it later?” You giggled nervously.

“It means you’re perfect.” He smiled widely. “Perfect 10.” As your lips met again you took things slowly, caressing his face and drawing out the affectionate kiss for as long as you could.

[a-daydreamers-stories]

~So this is a collab with me and my lovely co writer @ineedthesons! This is going to be a series but here is the first chapter of the first story. Hope you guys enjoy!~

Tig’s POV

“Come on Hap! Please.” I begged for what felt like the billionth time. Happy just grunted and continued to drink his beer. He only said no once and every other answer had been a grunt. “I know that you’ll have a good time, please Hap!” It was just his kind of place, he’d just never been there. And besides, I needed a wingman. The bouncer called it a “caretaker” but we all knew what he actually meant.

“I can have a good time here, and spend less.” Happy took another drink, tapping on the bar for the prospect to give him a new one.

Cheap bastard. “Hap, I’ll fucking pay your way just come with me!” I snapped. Happy froze as he reached for the new beer and I knew I had him.

“Fine, but if I don’t like it, I’m leaving.” Hap warned me. Of course he would do that, but I knew he was going to like it. And honestly the drinks weren’t too bad in price; after all you weren’t there for the alcohol but the entertainment.

“Great! I’ll pick you up at 8!” I winked at him playfully. I then had to rapidly duck, because on top of his growl he’d tossed the coaster that his drink had been sitting on. At least it wasn’t his drink. More than one prospect had caught his beer in their faces after pissing him off.

I chuckled and ran out the door after ducking the throw. I hopped on my bike and headed home to get around for tonight.

 Happy’s POV

This was stupid. I wasn’t cold, but we were waiting for the doors to open out here in the night air. Chained was the place and Tig liked it so much he was here early. Only reason I’m here is for the drinks my brother was paying for.

I looked around; lots of leather, but certainly not like our leather. This was kinky, titillating. Some of the girls were pretty but no one that I could see really stood out.

“Oh, we’re movin’!” Tig bounced excitedly, where I just switched my footing and flipped my toothpick to the other side of my mouth. I could see why my brother was excited but this really wasn't me. A couple of drinks, that’s all I’d have. Then beg off, or more accurately tell him I hated the place and then leave.

They started letting us into the club. It was more or less normal looking. A circle bar in the middle, a dance floor, stage, and tables. There was a hallway leading somewhere probably to the different rooms Tig was telling me about in an agonizingly large amount of detail. Which, of course, I was ignoring except for polite noises and nods. I headed straight to the bar, letting my eyes wander briefly at the bartenders. A good mix of men and women, wearing little but the matching collars were at least interesting. Made for something to look at while I nursed the drink Tig bought me. He didn’t need to spend that much either, so one drink it was until I could leave.

Which would be a lot sooner than I planned; none of the girls were really my type. So I finished the dregs of my drink and got up, heading to the door. Tig could settle his tab later.

Then I saw her. The most beautiful woman there. Not just there, but the most beautiful woman I’d ever, ever seen. She was wearing a tight leather dress that really worked for her. She was also talking to another man right near the door. I narrowed my eyes at him immediately thinking of ways to get rid of him. Temporarily and permanently. I couldn’t help it, and didn’t.

“Hey! Bro! You so aren't leaving yet!” Tig came up and put his hand on my shoulder. I grunted and shook it off. I didn't look at him though. Honestly I couldn't pull my eyes away from her.  “C’mon, man we just got here! At least have one more drink, we just got paid. What’re you lookin’ at, Hap-holy shit.”

I finally tore my eyes away from the girl to look at Tig. He was looking at her, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open slightly. Damn. Of course I had competition now. Suddenly, he smirked and looked at me.

“You know brother, I don't think that man over there is good enough for that angel.” Tig said. And he was going to enjoy it; the competition between the two of us. May the best man win, seemed like.

“No.” I’m not the biggest talker already, but the look of her, it made me even more quiet. I just moved forward, looking at her because I could do nothing but. I felt Tig moving with me as we made our way to her. She was leaning against the wall so she wasn't looking at us and we went up the stairs behind her. I glared at the man that was looking our way before giving him a full view of the back of our leathers. Even here we still had respect, the Sons of Anarchy meant something and maybe he’d take the hint and move off. Which he did take the hint and practically ran away from the girl. While she was in the middle of talking, she trailed off from whatever sentence she was saying and I heard her sigh.

Immediately Tig pounced. “Guys today, tsk tsk. No manners, eh?” He flashed a smile and batted those blue eyes at her. She turned around to face us. Her eyes filled with surprise, which I wasn't sure was at there being two men behind her or at the looks of us. Once her surprise was gone, she smiled softly at us which caused me to be surprised. Not sure why, this was the kind of club where rough guys like us were celebrated.

“None at all it seems.” She replied.

“What’s your name, Doll?” Still smiling, he approached her though he didn’t realize that I was just that much closer. I stepped a little in front, making him introduce me. “That’s Happy, I’m Tig.”

“Angel.” She said simply.

“Well I know that but what's your name?” Tig asked. Fucking moron. She laughed at his stupidity.

“My name is Angel.” She told him.

A fucking moron or not, it was working. I had to intervene. I looked her up and down, because if I was going to stare I’d at least do it politely. “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

“Well unlike my name, I'm not an angel.” She smirked at me.

Progress. I let myself grin; I know it freaks people out but she didn’t seem the sort to. “I like a little devil as much as I like a little angel.”

“Maybe I'll show you both.” She took a step closer to me. Of course my jeans were getting a little tight as she approached, and no doubt she could see the beginnings of what she was doing to me.

I reached out and moved to stroke her cheek ever so lightly. I felt like I could break her if I used too much force right now. That could come later. “Now how would you show me...want punishment for the devil or a reward for the angel?”

“Who says a punishment can't be rewarding?” She asked.

“Punishment ain’t supposed to be rewardin’ Angel doll.” Tig piped up. “Much as I would like to take your side on this.” He smirked and I took a sneaky glance at his own pants. Definitely tented though no doubt he’d been walking around like that since they let us in.

“But a punishment for me can be a reward for you.” She looked at him as she answered.

This girl was way too smart-assed for her own good. Which only fueled my want for her even more; honestly I adored the sassy ones, the ones with a bit of fire. Or more than a bit, sometimes. They made me laugh and this one was no different. “Like the reward I’ll get spanking your ass for your mouth?”

“You mean the reward of making me dripping wet?” She looked back into my eyes.

I held hers, I couldn’t stop myself. “That’s just a side benefit, I don’t have to stop when I’m ready to fuck you, little girl.”

“I really wouldn't want you to stop.” She smiled as she took a nice long look up and down my body. I shifted so that she could see it all; I’m vain, so what? I work hard to look this good.

Tig was pouting though, and his feelings were hurt that I was flirting more successfully with Angel. “Well, yanno Angel...Hap here’s got a bad habit of stoppin’ at the wrong time…” Ooh, pouty and petty. I had a feeling I’d see him in the ring tomorrow, after I sent Angel home. “Kinda like the conversation we were havin’, about that guy who has no manners.”

“You mean like you?” I glared at him. I heard Angel giggle and I looked back at her with a softer gaze.

“You boys fighting over little old me?” She asked.

I didn’t answer right away. I knew the value of silence and patience and Tig would stick his foot in his mouth eventually. Of course I didn’t have to wait very long. “Not fightin’ baby girl, I’m winnin’.”

“Oh are you?” She asked as she laughs.

“Yep. ‘Sides Happy was on his way out.” Well I had been, I couldn’t argue that but clearly I wasn’t going to be leaving now. I wanted this girl, she wanted me and the sooner Tig understood that and backed off, the better it would be for all of us.

“Well… what if I don't want you to leave?” She looked at me and bite her lip as she looked back at Tig. “...Either of you…”

You know how you get in cartoons, like the sudden scratch of a turntable and the characters just kind of stare blankly? That’s what Tig and I both did just then. This beautiful woman wanted both of us, and obviously wasn’t going to be the sort to allow herself to be won over by one or the other. She cleared her throat and blushed. “I'm sorry if that was too far…” She said as she took a step away from us.

No, she couldn’t leave. I wasn’t going to allow it and so I took a step closer.  “Nah, doll, no Angel.” Tig did the talking now. “Jus’ took us by surprise is all.” He grinned apologetically. “Ain’t often one girl wants two of us.” Tig laughed with it and reached out his hand for her. “We’re a handful. Are you sure?”

“Trust me, I'm going to be the handful.” She smiled and took his hand. She held out her other one for me to take. I’m not big on sharing, but Tig didn’t seem to mind and he could deal with her in the morning. I wanted to get laid, so I took it. As it always did with women and me her hand seemed so much smaller than mine, but she didn’t seem to care. Just held it tight and tugged us along to one of the rooms that Tig had been talking about.

The room she lead us to looked like a bedroom. Of course it had a half-dozen or so hooks on the three walls without the bed, some empty and some with various implements of sexual torture. Or pleasure, depending on how you wanted to use them. She let go of our hands and stood just in front of the bed.

 Tig’s POV

Happy looked like he was going to devour her, and if I was honest with myself I wanted to, too. But I also wanted to have a little fun; I came to Chained for a reason. “So baby girl, whaddya think?” I gave a grand gesture at the walls with all the house toys. “See anythin’ ya like?” She smiled and looked at the toys. Some she ran her fingers over.

“What's the safe word going to be?” She asked as she looked for the perfect one.

Good girl. I was glad she asked. “Gotta use that stop light shit here. Red is stop, yellow’s check in, green’s go.” I let myself smirk at her, wanting to rub the front of my pants. I did manage to hold off, though. “I’ll also take Harley Davidson, if ya can’t remember anything else. I always listen f’r someone talkin’ about a Harley.” She picked up a flogger and twirled it in her hands as she looked at us.

“And what would each of you like to be called?” She asked us. I heard Happy let out a little growl as he looked at her twirl it.

“Daddy.”

“Daddy.” We both answered at the same time and Happy and I looked at each other. It wasn’t surprising, really but obviously we couldn’t both be Daddy.

“Daddy Happy and Daddy Tiggy.” She smiled like it was the simplest solution in the world.

And really she wasn’t wrong in that. Hap was seriously considering making some kind of commentary on my actually having children, but wisely he shut his trap and just nodded his agreement. “Sounds good, baby girl.”

“Will this work, Daddy Tiggy?” She held up the flogger.

I took it and gave an experimental swing of my own. Good weight to it, and it was a nice supple leather that was also thick, giving it a lot more thud than actual sting. Angel knew exactly what was going to be best for a new playmate and it made me smile. “Very good, little girl.” She smiled at the compliment. I gave the flogger another swing and then held it out to Happy without looking so he could give it a test too. And I could pet myself again. “I like your dress baby girl, but I think I’d like it better on the floor. Ow!”

Happy had smacked me upside the head. “Our girl can hang it up. Treat leather good.” She giggled and turned around, so her back was to me and also the zipper of her dress. She moved her hair to one side and looked back at me.

“Help me, daddy?” She asked in a sweet little voice.

I didn’t need the shove Happy gave me with the flogger end, though I won’t deny that there was a little thrill that went through me. Happy isn’t into guys though so I buried that. (Me? I like getting off.) But I approached her with a bit of a growl. “Oh, baby girl. What’s the magic word, hm?” My hands wandered down her back and lightly touched her ass; it was, like the rest of her, perfect.

“Please?” She moaned slightly as my hands touched her ass. I smirked and squeezed her ass softly.

“Good girl.” Happy said from behind me. His voice sounded positively wrecked and I couldn’t help but smirk a bit. He didn’t even want to come, and here he was about to help me flog a gorgeous woman’s ass. I gave her another squeeze and then finally slowly drew her zipper down. I couldn't stop myself from leaning down and kissing her exposed back. I felt her shiver under my lips and smirked. I pulled back but didn't pull the dress off of her yet. I looked back at Happy.

“What kind of panties do you think our baby girl has on?” I asked him.

He’d been watching the proceedings and just smirked. “Who are you, Juice?” Referencing our dear brother’s obsession with panties. “She’s a naughty girl. Answer’s none.”

“You think? I'm going with a simple black thong.” I smirked. “Want to bet on it?” I raised an eyebrow and lightly took the top of her dress in my hands.

“Always.” But never with money, that wasn’t Happy. His bets were usually pretty fun, if I was honest. “You take the next run we go on, if I’m right and you’re wrong.”

“Ugh! Fine, deal…” I grumbled and quickly pulled her dress down. I almost said “A ha!” Before noticing that she really wasn't wearing any panties. Happy just grunted, clearly pleased with his underwear guessing skills. I groaned. “Fine, I'll go on the next run.” I pouted slightly but honestly I was pleased she wasn't wearing any because now she was standing in front of us with just a black lacy bra on. God, her ass really was perfect.

“Hang up your dress, little girl.” Happy told her, she nodded and dropped her hair so it was hanging down her back again. She stepped to the side and bent down to pick up her dress. I groaned at the sight and heard Happy growl. I could see her smile as she came back up and put her dress on an empty hook.

“Good.” This time I needed to praise her and held out my hand for the flogger. Happy gave it up, his faux apology for winning the bed. “Very good little girl.” I stroked her ass again and gave it a good swat with an open palm. Just a warm up. And I’d be the warmup for Hap. “Show us your pretty tits now.”

“Yes daddy.” She turned around to face both of us as she reached around to undo her bra. She slowly took it off. Once it was off she let the bra fall to the ground which was where my jaw had fallen to. Jesus Christ, how could one person be this fucking perfect? Wait, a better question was why was this perfect person here with the two of us? She shuffled nervously as neither Happy nor I made a sound. “Is… Um everything okay?” She asked.

I had to speak instead of Happy, because he was still in some kind of shocked state. “Oh, Angel. You’re so fuckin’ beautiful….why are you here?”

“What do you mean?” She smiled as I called her beautiful. “It’s a great club.” She laughed like it was obvious.

“With us silly girl.” I laughed a little just like her.

“No one else I've met here, or anywhere really, has made me feel like you two do.” She told me as a light blush spread across her face. “And I haven't even fucked either of you yet. Why are you here with me?”

I suddenly didn’t have any smooth words to say, but Happy saved me with a quiet little growl. “What else would a couple of demons do but stop when they see an angel, hm?” He stepped up beside me, putting one arm up on my shoulders and leaning. “Now, baby girl. Turn around, and bend over the bed. Show us that pretty ass again.”

She blushed and did as he said. She leaned over the bed slowly giving us a nice view of her ass. I could already see how wet she was, her core glistening even in the dim light. “Whaddya think, Hap? Should we make her count or is she too...distracted?” I let myself laugh as I reached and gently brushed the already warm flesh of her backside. There was unevenness under my fingers that I couldn’t totally place the shape. Scars, maybe, but of what? I didn’t think about it right then, just gave her a slap before I stepped away just the right amount to swing perfectly. “Ready, doll?”

“Yes daddy, please.” She moaned out lightly. She pressed her ass up more and I chuckled at that. I didn’t give her much time to consider what was happening, and when, just took a swing and landed the leather tails of the flogger perfectly across the thickest part of her backside. The whoosh followed by the crack! was straight out of a porn movie and so was her moan. God, this was going to be a permanent entry into the spank bank.

That time I did give her a moment to get her bearings together, before swinging and landing flogger right where I aimed it. “Good girl.” I was already panting and I had to undo the top button of my jeans; really I wanted to lose my pants as the seam was digging wrong but I wasn’t sure what Happy might do. Angel was soaking, almost dripping to the floor. I wasn't going to need any lube to slide right into her at this point. And it had only been two hits; I was just the warmup for Happy besides. Happy will probably have her ass bruised by the time the night is up. I had a feeling she’d like the party favors.

“More daddy please…” She whined out softly. I smirked and landed a harder blow to her ass and she moaned even louder than before.

“You like it hard, doll?” I smirked and did it again, harder. Her cry out, a little strangled but clearly needy for more, finally made me hand the flogger to Happy and slip my hand inside of my pants, giving myself a good stroke. “Ohh, daddy is gonna give it to you real hard….daddy Hap, that is.” I was way too distracted and he looked like he wanted a go. He got a wicked gleam in his eyes as I handed it over to him. He placed his hand over one of her ass cheeks and squeezed it before pulling back. He lifted the flogger up high and brought it down hard, harder than I had. She let out a loud scream mixed with pain and pleasure. I could have sworn she came right then and there, the way her hips were twitching but on second look I knew she hadn’t. “Oh, what a good little girl.” I was still stroking myself beneath my jeans. “Not gonna cum til Daddy says so?”

“No daddy, I won't cum…” She moans out breathlessly. Her arms were shaking slightly and her ass was very red now.

“Good.” Happy growled, deep enough to make Angel visibly shiver before he flogged her again, and again, without a break for five good hits. Our girl was definitely going to have lovely bruises; I’d have to get her to send me a picture. Which was a weird thought; I’m more a one night stand kinda guy and I’d never wanted the women I was with to contact me again. But here I was, making plans for Angel. I already knew I was going to want her again though. This girl was absolutely perfect and one taste wasn't going to be enough this time. Fuck I wanted to be inside her, I felt like I was going to burst just watching and listening to her. Happy sent another couple blows to her ass before I stopped him.

“I think our baby girl deserves a reward for being so good, don't you Hap?” I smiled at her whimper from the loss of the flogger. I also scanned Happy careful not to get caught checking him out. He had a bulge in his pants too. “Daddies fucking her wet tight little cunt.” She moaned at that sentence.

“Please daddy! I need you inside me.” She whined.

“Me first.” Happy’s voice was wrecked and I wasn’t sure if he was just going to take his cock out or actually undress first. He seemed to consider it too and then smirked wickedly. He couldn’t even wait, he just unzipped his jeans and his dick just sprang out from his also-tented boxers. It almost made me laugh; for someone who didn’t really want to be here he’d been prepared to get laid. Speaking of. I took a condom out of my kutte, handing it to Happy.  He grunted a thanks and put the condom on. I wanted a different view, so as he started to caress her hot, tender ass I climbed onto the bed, shucking my boots, kutte, shirt, and pants in that order before I was on my knees right in front of her in nothing but my own boxers. She looked up at me with a smile. She leaned forward and kissed me through my boxers.

“Oh, what a girl..” I felt my face heat with the romantic gushy-ness of it but also didn’t stop from stroking her cheek. “What, do you want both daddies at the same time?” Happy was giving me an evil eye, delaying him like I was.

“Can I daddy? I want both of my daddies to fill me.” She smiled and reached a hand up to the band of my boxers. She slid a finger under it as she looked up at me.

Instead of telling her what I wanted, I just nodded and slightly braced myself because I saw Happy’s hips start to twitch. He gave her a warning smack to her ass before he buried himself with a moan. She moaned too and pulled my boxers down as he did. Surprising me, a little; very few women had that kind of control when Happy was deep dicking them. My cock jumped out on its own practically, fortunately not hitting her in the face.

She slowly stroked it as Happy began to pound her. Her hand slightly shook with his thrusts. She took the tip of my cock in her mouth and started to suck on it. I let out a groan and tangled my fingers into her hair. She moved her head further down my cock. Happy gripped her hips harder and thrust in hard and deep, which caused her to go further down my cock. I felt her choke slightly as it happened and sent a look, be more careful, to Happy. If she wanted to gag on my dick herself that was one thing but forcing her to do it, that was something else completely.

Happy did heed my look and slowed down just a little, just enough that he wasn’t forcing her to deepthroat me. At least not on every thrust. Eventually, she started to deepthroat me on her own. She was also moaning around my cock, sending waves of vibrations up my cock. I tightened my grip on her hair and it took all my effort to keep still. “Baby, baby girl...Angel...s-so good…” The heat in my belly started to turn into an inferno and really I was entirely too close for how early it was in the night. Before I could blow my load down her throat, I pulled out. The sound she made, needy as she tried to lean forward and catch my cock again almost had me reconsider but I wanted to make this last a little bit longer. “Angel girl, daddy’s gonna take good care of ya.” I stroked her cheek which made her quiet a little, and then she howled as Happy slammed into her. I barely had enough time to move out of the way. Happy took a hold of the hair that I let go and he pushed her down into the mattress of the bed. Even though Happy was being rough, there was still a gentleness to him that I've never seen in him before.

For one he was actually talking. Soft, but usually Happy was silent when he has sex. “Yeah, girl. Tight, yeah. So good, baby.”  I've seen him fuck a lot of croweaters, and he's never given a compliment before. And he was much more careful with her, physically. Still rough, but not uncaring about her pleasure; one hand even reached between her legs to lightly play with her clit, slapping at it and rubbing it in circles. I had a feeling that we were both wildly screwed.  “Angel…” He growled and I had to focus on her.  

She was in ecstasy, her face showing just how much pleasure she was in. She was moaning out so loudly that I was worried the rest of the club could hear us. “Shoulda gagged you, too bad you weren’t wearin’ panties.” I laughed as I stroked myself once or twice, just to stay hard.

“Fuck! Please daddy! I need to cum” Angel practically screamed.

“Be. Polite.” Happy almost snarled with a thrust at each word, though as much as it sounded mean and angry it was like he knew how she’d respond, practically melting into the bed. Damn if I wasn’t going to have a hell of an act to follow.

“D-daddy Ha-Happy please may I c-cum, Daddy I’m so close!” Angel begged. Her voice was so desperate that I almost said yes for him. Which if I had, would have earned me a punch to the face probably.

He wasn’t going to be too cruel though, apparently. “Good girl.” Happy murmured, his own thrusts slowing down and stuttering. He was a lot closer than I first thought. “C-cum for me, Angel-girl.” She didn’t need to be told twice because almost as soon as the words were out of Happy’s mouth, she was cumming. She moaned out Happy’s name as she came. Her moaning out his name seemed to affect Happy a lot. He was breathing heavily and looked as if he was trying to remain still. It wasn’t working; he twitched occasionally as she squeezed around him with aftershocks of her own orgasm. I’d say I was jealous but I knew my turn was coming. She slumped against the bed as she tried to catch her breath. “Shit.” Happy panted as he slowly pulled out, careful so as not to let the condom slip off. When he was all the way out, he swiftly tied it and tossed it into the provided bin.

While he did that, Angel moved and I watched her as she got up on her hands and knees. She turned around so her ass was facing me and wiggled it at me. I raised an eyebrow amused at her actions. I looked at Happy who was also watching her with a smirk on his face as he tucked himself back in. “Yes, baby?” I gave her ass a swat just to hear the slapping sound go through the room.

“Fuck me, Daddy Tig.” Okay, that--that was unexpected. She’d literally just gotten fucked and she wanted another round? I looked at Happy again and his confusion mirrored my own.

“What?” I couldn’t help but ask. Was she serious? Judging by the way she was squirming like a cat in heat, she was.

“Fuck me, Daddy Tiggy! Please…” She  begged me softly. “Need your cock inside me too, Daddy Tig.”

Now who was really in control here? Angel was, apparently because I just had to grab a condom after she begged like that. I just needed to be inside of her. I put the condom on as fast as I could and lined up to her entrance. I pushed inside of her slowly, groaning as her pussy wrapped around my cock tightly. Happy had left bruises on her hips so I grabbed up a little higher and pulled her back so I was filling her completely. She moaned and rotated her hips, which caused her to groan and I moved my hands up to her breasts. I squeezed them hard and started thrusting in and out of her.

 Angel’s POV

Fuck, I think I died and went to heaven. These two men were… They were just fantastic and I didn't want this to stop. Tig was pounding my pussy and I looked up at Happy who was watching silently. He wasn't paying attention to my face so I moved forward and licked from the tip of his cock to the base. I felt him jump slightly as my tongue touched him. I looked up to find him smirking down at me. He put his hand on the back of my head and guided me back to his cock. I wanted him to tangle into my hair, to really force the issue but he didn’t. Just surprisingly gently, for how rough he’d been, pushed me back down to take him in. Happy was big, and I could taste myself on him; it made me want to reach between my legs and touch my clit. But Tig wasn’t giving me a chance to adjust to Hap’s girth, at least not enough for me to just go with what he was doing. I had a feeling it was intentional so I couldn’t get off so quick. Which wasn't so bad since I wanted this moment to last as long as possible. I whimpered around Happy's cock as Tig kept making it difficult. “Atta girl.” Tig gasped as he sunk down all the way inside me again, pausing for just a moment. Just enough that Happy could smirk down at me and slide all the down into my throat too. I attempted not to gag around it and just barely managed. My eyes did water a bit, though, and I tried to keep from letting them overflow.

Happy stroked my hair softly, almost like he was praising me. That made me shiver. Then Tig started moving again and pushed Happy's cock a little further down my throat. I couldn’t help but gag that time and Happy chuckled. Clearly he didn’t mind, considering how he bucked again to make me do it once more. “Hap, k-knock it off. She keeps squeezin’ me.” Tig laughed and swatted my ass. Which caused me to moan around Happy's cock. I heard Happy's breath hitch as I did. Once I knew I wasn't going to gag again I started sucking on him. “God you’re so tight already.” Tig started rocking, sliding in and out with ease because of how wet I was. And close, so so close. I moaned around Happy's cock again and pushed back into Tig’s thrusts. Which caused me to start moving up and down Happy's cock.

“You’re gonna bounce on it next time, little girl.” Happy growled as he watched me, dark eyes even darker with the pupils blown the way they were. His fingers tangled in my hair softly and he started moving in and out with me, pushing his cock a little further down my throat each time. Between him and Tig pounding into me, I was so fucking close to cumming. And I hadn’t even touched my clit. “Better wait for Tig, little girl.” Happy put on a deeper, rougher voice that was clearly for orders. “He gets to cum first. Do you know why?”

I couldn’t put together an answer, not right away. I shook my head as best as I could with his cock in my mouth. “Because daddies cum first.” I should've known the answer but god it was hot to hear him say it. I think Tig liked the answer he gave too because he started thrusting in harder and with less restraint than before. Somehow he hit the best spots inside of me, which of course I couldn’t stop moaning. As much as I could around Happy. Happy's grip in my hair tightened and he let out a loud growl. I knew that both of them were getting close to cumming now. Tig’s grip on me tightened too. “Don’t cum til I say so, little girl.” Happy panted.

I would have shaken my head but his hold was firm. It was like no matter how close I had been before, now I just couldn’t get over the edge until Happy’s voice allowed me. It was surreal; the control this man, the both of these men had over me and we had just met. It was so insanely hot too. Happy and Tig were panting and grunting loudly and before I knew it, they were both cumming at the same time. Happy’s cum was salty on my tongue for the brief moment it was there before I swallowed it, and I could feel Tig’s cock throbbing as he buried himself to the hilt, all the way into my pussy. It was weird but I kinda wished he didn’t have the condom on. I wanted to feel his cum splashing inside of me. Wanted to leave something of himself inside. Same with Happy, now that I let myself think about it. But I would put those thoughts away until later, now I just wanted to cum so badly. I whimpered around Happy’s cock again. He looked down at me and smirked. “Wanna cum, baby girl?” I still couldn’t nod so I just whined around his cock again. “Tig make our good girl cum.” Happy told him while looking down at me.

Tig slipped out, careful with the condom as well. I heard him tie it off and throw it out before he leaned forward, pressing his whole lean muscular body on my back while wrapping his arms around me. Briefly he rubbed my tits. “God, you’re so hot. Gonna come see you again.” He growled before his hands moved downwards to start to almost agonizingly slowly rub my clit. I moaned and then whined again as Happy pulled out of my mouth. I took in a deep breath once he did though. I looked up at him and he leaned down to kiss me hard. For a moment shifted and I thought he was going to move, but he didn’t, just kept on using those perfect fingers on me until I was once again squirming.

“Cum, little girl.” Happy straight up ordered. Between that order and Tig’s fingers, I couldn't help the powerful orgasm that rocked through my body. I could only moan out a loud “Daddies!” I was glad they were so close, Tig practically holding me down while Happy kept me anchored in other ways. It felt so good, I was fairly sure that I was going to fly away if they weren’t. Happy stepped away first, I honestly wasn't sure if Tig was ever going to let go of me. In fact he pulled me to my side on the bed, clearly intending to cuddle. I was perfectly okay with this, except when I looked up Happy had slipped out of the room so he couldn’t join us.

  Happy's POV

I practically ran from the room as soon as I had my clothes on. I wouldn’t, or couldn’t, admit it to anyone else but the feelings I had for this girl, the strength of them was incredibly scary. I don’t “do” feelings, and yet, for this woman I was. So I had to get out of there. I definitely couldn’t stay and cuddle. I was hoping Tig would come out behind me because if he didn’t then that meant that he stayed in there with her. I didn’t look though, not until I was out of the door of the club and on my bike backing out. I felt uneasy and had the urge to go back in as I noticed Tig didn’t come out. My hands curled and I cursed softly. Fuck, he was in there with my girl. Did I… just... ? I pulled out of the parking lot as fast as I could. She wasn’t my girl… I didn’t do that stuff.

The road was good to me. I could leave everything, my thoughts, my girl-- no, goddamnit!-- the girl, all of it behind and just let the feel of it course through me. My big bike beneath me, we were one and we raced along that black ribbon in the dead of night. Unlike normal though, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was beautiful, she was kinky, she was sweet at the same time. I pulled into the clubhouse parking lot and lit a cigarette. I breathed in deep and let out the smoke. Really I needed more than this. Get her gorgeous face out of my head. Maybe I should go find a croweater… The idea sent a sick feeling into my stomach. I didn’t want a croweater, I wanted her.

Okay, that made the sick feeling go away, even as nerves came back to replace them. Nerves and something else. Indignancy? It felt like the stereotypical butterflies. I ignored them, because I’m Happy Lowman. I don’t do these things. She was hot, of course I wanted her. She called me Daddy, I like that. Like when a girl does it. Any girl, not just Angel. But, the way Angel said it though… I shivered and my eyes closed as I could hear her calling me it. I shook my head and took another hit off of my cigarette. This was just some chick, nothing more. I just had to stay away from her for the rest of my life basically. Not that hard, I just didn’t go back to the club. It was fun once, I went with Tig and he’d stop begging me, but it wasn’t my thing. Too controlled, that’s what it was.

I almost dropped my cigarette as a thought hit me. What if Tig made her his old lady…? Her on his arm, his crow on her body, wearing a ring even? That made my stomach start turning again and I couldn’t even deny it was jealousy. If it happened there wasn’t going to be a way I could stay in Charming, at least not for a while. Maybe I should go back to that club, then. Just to get her out of my system. Then Tig could have her until he got bored with her, and then I could go back to crows. Or whoever I wanted.

Just one more time, when Tig goes on that run. Just one more time and I’ll be done with her. I got off my bike and headed into the clubhouse. Even as I thought about just going one last time, I wasn’t sure I entirely believed it.

~Let us know what ya think!~

[freedom-shamrock]

Not Subtle

Also on AO3 This directly follows “Short Leash.” 

"I'm so sorry," Marinette said, repeating herself for the eighth or ninth time as they descended her ladder.  He'd lost count.  "I really should have charged my camera over night."

"It's okay, really," he insisted.  Today's photo shoot, featuring the Date Suit for all genders, was a bust when her battery died a few photos in.  It was a sunny day, so they'd gone to a rooftop a few blocks away.  "These things happen."  She didn't know the half of it, and unfortunately, he couldn't tell her.

She sighed, hanging her jacket back up.  "I just feel like I should be more respectful of your time, Chat.  You don't get a lot of daylight free time for this, and we've seen what my camera does for night shoots."

He chuckled.  Their first attempt at this process had yielded washed out Chat Noir with freaky glowing eyes and insufficient detail on the clothes.  "I have some ideas to deal with that."  He shrugged.  "Honestly, it was nice to get away from my life for a while today.  And like I said earlier, I enjoy spending time with you."

"Even when Maman is being nosy and embarrassing?' she asked.

He grinned.  "Even then.  It's nice she cares about you."

Marinette fixed him with an intent stare and he wondered what he'd done wrong.  "Doesn't your family care about you?"  She knew his father was overbearing, but that was it.

"My mom's been gone for years, presumed dead," he said quietly.  "My father is as cuddly as a velociraptor, and I'm pretty sure I'm just an asset to him."

She looked furious.  "I want to punch your father."

That startled a laugh right out of him.  If only she knew who she was offering to punch.  "I do have a question about what your mom said though."

She stared at him, blue eyes wide, almost panicked.  

"What did she mean about you and Adrien?" he asked.  Based on the wink she'd tossed him, he was pretty certain Sabine knew who was under the black cat ears.  It should have been a terrifying thought, and perhaps later it would be.  "Isn't that your model friend?"

Marinette let out a huff.  "Yes, that's Adrien, but he's so much more than just a model."  She glanced over at the class photo from this last year, hanging above her desk.  "I'm low key in love with him, have been for freaking ever, but I have no chance with him."  She sounded disgusted with herself.

He was glad she wasn't looking at him just now.  He was sure his expression was quite telling.  He pinched his forearm to snap himself out of the shock.  "Ahhh, I bet you have a chance with him."  That sounded normal and supportive, right?  What the hell.  Was he being his own wingman now?  

She snorted and looked at him, so he called on his years' of modeling and acting experience to come off as normal.  "No.  He doesn't see me that way."  There was resignation in her voice, like she'd accepted it, even if she hadn't exactly moved on.

"I'm pretty sure he does," he insisted quietly.

"It's not like he has time anyway."  She shook her head.  "He's even more over-scheduled than you.  

"Oh… yeah."  There was the wrench.  Even if he wanted to date her, which he was starting to think would be really nice, he had no free time as Adrien.

"So to my parents' annoyance, I don't date."  She rolled her eyes.  "Because I'd feel completely dishonest trying to date someone else while I'm still hung up on him."

 "Our boat is the same," he said.  "Ladybug doesn't want me that way, and knowing how I feel about her, no one else wants me either, not for a relationship."  If she already loved the Adrien side of him, was there a chance she could be interested in the Chat side?  Her mom seemed to think so.  What if she was just holding back because she didn't want him to think he was second choice.

Marinette watched Chat out of the corner of her eye.  His voice had sounded so… off after she told him about her feelings for Adrien.  He was stiff and tense.  Was he maybe jealous?  But no.  He'd said he loved Ladybug.  Well, not in so many words.  But he also sounded like he'd given up on that, and was waiting for the feelings to fade, much like her with Adrien.

Oh god.  What if Maman was right?

She shook her head, banishing the thought.  Would it really be so bad?  Of course not.  Chat was one of the kindest sweetest people she'd ever known.  And to be fair, he was a very pretty kitty.  Was there a chance he could be interested in her, too?  How was she supposed to figure out if he was?  Flirting.  Alya always encouraged more flirting.

But not right now.  Right now he needed comforting, because her kitty was clearly out of sorts.  She walked over to where he was carefully hanging up the suit he'd prepared to model.  "I don't think no one wants you, Chat," she said quietly, slipping her arms around his ribs and pulling him close.  "Maybe you just need to look a little harder."

Oh god.  That was not subtle.  She pressed her face to his chest to wait out her blush.

Next in series > Staffing Issues

Day 10 of Marichat May 2017 - prompt "what if" This is also a continuation of my Miraculous Acts of Kindness series proposed by Squirrellygirlart on Tumblr. One of the first people who ever interacted with me on Tumblr was @obbsessedturtle / @miraculousturtle . It's actually entirely her fault that I got sucked into Miraculous Ladybug because I read some of her ML fics, and then HAD to see the show. You can find her on Tumblr or check out her fantastic stories here on AO3.

[ashleybenlove]

Title: Flirting Is Not A Competition! Except When It Is.

Prompt: OT6 trying to see who can flirt the best! Cheesy pick up lines galore!

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid/Fishlegs/Snotlout/Ruffnut/Tuffnut (polyamorous gang)

Word Count: 2045

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Kissing, Suggestive Comments

Disclaimer: I don’t own the source material in this fanfic. That’s to whatever company or person owns it. I would never claim to own it.

Notes: There are probable influences from fandom and whatnot in this story. A prompt from @astridthevalkyrie when I asked for polyamorous gang prompts. The poem that Fishlegs’ reads is not written by me, it’s Sonnet 18, by William Shakespeare. This story takes place during Race to the Edge, at an unknown point after the events of Edge of Disaster in season 2.

And it is under the read more.

Hiccup felt that this had to be the weirdest competition they’ve ever had. Why does everything have to be a competition with them? Why can’t they be a normal polyamorous gang? Astrid argued that well, this was Normal for them.

It all started at breakfast one morning.

Hiccup and Toothless had walked into the Clubhouse just after sunrise, their overnight patrol shift having just ended.

“Good morning,” Fishlegs said.

“Morning,” Hiccup said, sleepily.

He got a chorus of “Good morning” from the group. And Fishlegs, Astrid, Ruff, and Tuff had all gave him a cheek kiss as he made his way to sit down at on a chair at the table.

Snotlout opted to say the weirdest thing ever, “Did you just fly in here on a dragon? Because you’re the handsomest Dragon Rider around.”

“Are you flirting with me, Snotlout?” Hiccup asked. He turned to Astrid, “Did he just try to flirt with me? I’m not just sleepy?”

“Yep, that’s exactly what happened,” Astrid said, a grin on her face. “He literally outdid us all. We only kissed your cheek.”

“That I did, babe,” Snotlout said. He clicked his tongue and pointed at Astrid, before going over to Hiccup, kissing his cheek, and then sitting down at the table.

“Oh gods,” Hiccup whispered. He then spoke a little louder, “Are you trying to make flirting a competition?” Even though he wasn’t directly speaking to Snotlout, Snotlout chose to respond:

“Well, obviously, I’m the best, so no, but… we could.” Snotlout grinned.

And it was at that moment that Hiccup knew that try as he might, he had no chance of stopping his friends and partners from turning flirting into a competition. So, why not let them? It was fun. And truth be told, Snotlout’s pickup line was cute.

“You’re on,” Astrid said to Snotlout.

“I’m in, my darlings,” Fishlegs replied. He winked at them. He was definitely flirting with all of them. He then paused, “I’ll have to give it some thought though.”

“I’m gonna win at this,” Ruffnut said. She grinned hugely. “Also, Fishlegs that was so cheesy.” She cackled and winked back at him.

“I bet I can be the cheesiest! I’ll get Chicken to help me out,” Tuffnut exclaimed.

   After breakfast, as Hiccup lay in his bed, Toothless just feet away, as Hiccup waited for sleep to overtake him, he wondered what kind of flirting shenanigans his partners would get into. And also, what sort of flirting moves he himself should pull on them.

“What do you think about the Hand Thing as a way to flirt?” Hiccup asked aloud.

Toothless snorted. And then he covered his face with his tailfins.

“Some wingman you are,” Hiccup replied.

   When Hiccup walked into the Clubhouse around lunchtime, he saw that Astrid was sitting in a chair, and for some reason, or rather, obviously for reasons involving flirting, Ruff was sitting in Astrid’s lap. Astrid had one arm around Ruff’s waist.

“Should I sit in your lap, too, milady?” Hiccup asked. He laughed at the expression on Astrid’s face, which was set in a sort of frown.

“Only if you kiss me first,” Astrid said. She winked at him.

“Ah, Astrid flirted!” Ruff exclaimed. She then kissed Astrid’s cheek. She stayed sitting in Astrid’s lap.

“So, you’re gonna just stay there?” Astrid asked, looking at Ruffnut.

“Yes, I like it here,” Ruffnut replied. She gave Astrid a pat on the cheek. “I’m on a beautiful lady’s lap. And you’re that beautiful lady. Who has strong, shapely arms around me.”

“Laying it on a little thick, Ruff,” Hiccup said.

“You’re just jealous I’m not sitting in your lap!” Ruffnut replied.

Hiccup noticed Astrid’s hand going up and down Ruff’s arm.

“You’re flirting right back, Astrid,” Hiccup said softly.

“Do you blame me?” Astrid asked. “A beautiful woman is in my lap.” She made sure to look directly into Ruff’s eyes when she said this, all the while stroking her arm.

Ruff sighed contentedly.

“I’d say it’s a tie between the both of you,” Hiccup whispered. He might as well have not been in the room, they were both completely focused on each other at the moment.

“We both won,” Astrid said.

“Yup,” Ruff said.

“Give me a kiss,” Astrid murmured.

Ruffnut pressed her lips to Astrid’s for a good long time. Both women shut their eyes for the duration of the kiss.

When they finally pulled away, they both smiled at each other, both took a deep breath, and then Ruffnut stood up from Astrid’s lap.

Astrid looked briefly disappointed to no longer have someone in her lap, but the disappointed look switched to a look of amusement when Ruffnut immediately went over to Hiccup, who was sitting just feet away, minding his own business and sat in his lap. She put an arm around his back and smiled at him.

He yelped in surprise.

“Hello, there,” Ruffnut said. “Is that Inferno in your pants or are you happy to see me?”

Astrid laughed.

“Uh, uh,” Hiccup stuttered.

He was interrupted from actually responding with actual words when Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout came into the Clubhouse.

“Are you offering your lap for people to sit in?” Tuffnut asked. “Because that’s a cool idea. Is she telling you what she wants for Snoggletog?”

“Can I sit in your lap, too?” Snotlout asked. He wiggled his eyebrows at Hiccup. 

“One person is enough in my lap,” Hiccup said, hoping to discourage having multiple people sitting in his lap. He could hear Tuffnut mutter an “Aw, man!”

“I was flirting with him, you muttonheads!” Ruffnut exclaimed.

“By using the exact same tactic that you used with me,” Astrid said. 

Hiccup noticed that Snotlout was rubbing his chin as if in thought. Oh, Thor.

“It worked with you, though!” Ruffnut exclaimed. “They had to go and spoil the vibes I was laying down!”

Ruffnut was still in his lap and he was concerned that she might get further upset at Snotlout and her brother, and so he went with the thought he had considered before he went to sleep.

He placed his hand on Ruffnut’s head. It wasn’t exactly perfect, seeing as how she was in his lap and he was sitting and the Hand Thing was best done while standing directly in front of a dragon.

“Hey, honey, are you a dragon, because The Hand Thing worked on you?” Hiccup asked. He was inwardly facepalming. He knew it was a terrible, cheesy flirty pickup line the moment he said it. He felt so awkward as he said it.

A moment later, Snotlout had let out a shriek and started to laugh uproariously. Tuffnut also erupted into laughter. They were exclaiming “Cheesy!” in delight.

Hiccup removed his hand from Ruff’s head and faltered on where to set his hand, before settling on his own thigh.

“Missed opportunity,” Ruff said softly, only to him. “You should have put your hand on my thigh. I would have loved that.” She winked at him. “In a moment, I’m gonna kiss you, okay?” When Hiccup nodded, she then loudly said, “Hey, muttonheads, shut up!”

She and Hiccup then kissed, which for a very brief moment shut the rest of the group up, before the group hooted and hollered.

He wanted to continue to kiss her but she pulled away and stood up, walking to take a seat in an actual chair, with a smug look on her face.

A moment later, Snotlout approached Hiccup, stood directly in front of him, grinning, and then did the Hand Thing at Hiccup himself. Snotlout’s hand on Hiccup’s forehead. His hand then drifted to Hiccup’s cheek and gave it a gentle pat. Hiccup couldn’t help but lean into the touch but then grabbed Snotlout’s wrist, and then kissed the back of Snotlout’s hand.

Snotlout looked stunned.

“Is that Monstrous Nightmare gel on your hand or is your heart on fire for me?” Hiccup asked. He squinted and then rubbed his finger on Snotlout’s hand, just to be sure. No, thank Thor.

“Haddock recovers!” Tuffnut exclaimed. “Bravo! Encore!”

    The reason for Snotlout’s thoughtful look at Ruffnut having used the same flirting tactic became very clear in the days that followed. Because he used the same line on everyone that he had used on Hiccup. He pretty much only changed the adjective. Astrid and Ruffnut heard, “Did you just fly in here on a dragon? Because you’re the most beautiful Dragon Rider around.” While Tuffnut and Fishlegs heard, “Did you just fly in here on a dragon? Because you’re the handsomest Dragon Rider around.”

When Astrid and Fishlegs called him out on it, he exclaimed, “But you’re all handsome and beautiful! It’s true!” He then muttered, “Shut up, Astrid. Shut up, Fishlegs.”

    “Did you know you’re the strongest and most beautiful person in my arms right now?” Tuffnut asked.

“We’re literally cuddling, Tuffnut, you kinda don’t need to flirt,” Astrid replied.

She was the little spoon to his big spoon at the moment, it was night time, and it was time to sleep. And he chose this moment to say a line at her.

“But I wanted to get my flirt on,” Tuffnut replied. “Chicken suggested that line. So I was gonna use it.”

“Tuff, I love you, but go to sleep, okay? Just hold me,” Astrid replied. Astrid let out a pleased sigh when Tuffnut pulled her closer.

“Okay,” Tuffnut replied. “But you are very pretty and very strong.”

In the morning, when she woke up, she was lying on her back (and so was Tuffnut), so she moved closer so she was lying up against his body, an arm wrapped around his torso.

“Good morning,” Astrid whispered.

“Morning.”

“Is Valhalla missing a warrior? Because you’re so handsome and an excellent battle partner,” Astrid whispered.

“Morning flirting, Hoff?” Tuffnut replied. “Nice. And we do make quite a team, don’t we?”

Astrid smiled at remembering how they held the Edge against Dagur and Ryker.

“I can’t wait to tell the gang your pickup line,” Tuffnut said. He moved like he was going to get out of bed.

“No,” Astrid said, grabbing onto him. “Later.”

   Several days passed by from the beginning of the flirting competition and Fishlegs had yet to pull any sort of major flirting on them. Everyone else had. Fishlegs had certainly been flirted at (Hiccup, in particular, had managed to make him giggle when Hiccup had told him he liked his brain and compared him to Bragi and Baldur while they had been working together on something, for example) by the others, and had flirted back, he hadn’t attempted any lines. 

Five of them were relaxing together in the Clubhouse, not doing anything in particular, just enjoying each other’s presence, when Fishlegs came into the Clubhouse, holding a piece of parchment.

“Whatcha got there, Fishface?” Snotlout asked, noticing it first.

“Did someone write to us? Is it for me?!” Tuffnut exclaimed. He tried to grab it from Fishlegs, but Fishlegs kept it away from him, and Astrid and Ruffnut quickly got him to sit down.

Hiccup had a feeling they were going get something interesting from Fishlegs.

“I wrote a poem,” Fishlegs said. “It’s to all of you. May I read it?”

When they gave their various versions of assent to hear said poem, he read his poem:

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

“Oh,” Hiccup whispered.

“Fishlegs wins the flirting competition,” Snotlout said, looking just a little teary eyed.

“Yep,” Astrid, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut all agreed.

A moment later, the five of them got up from where they had been sitting and gave Fishlegs hugs and kisses.