#it was fun playing dress up with her while i was gathering footage

[edains]

Mass Effect Legendary Edition / Francesca, Hozier: Ashley Williams & Kaidan Alenko for @deannastrois (insp)

Ashley Consistency Project

Ashley's Guardian Armory

Alliance Uniform Consistency

Ashley's Armor

Ashley's Hair

Ashley's LE3 Armors

Ashley's armor texture

Kaidan Alenko Overhaul

Kaidan Alenko's Andromeda Armory

Kaidan's LE3 Armors

Play as Padme Amidala

[darkmajesty-xo]

Ready Player 1 ? - Shigaraki x reader

18+ MDNI | masturbation, praise , video chats, crack-humor

most would consider it unwise for a girl like you to be in these chat rooms due to the questionable discourse and rather infamous patrons, but girls just wanna have fun right ?

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: saw an old couple today, could be me and shig but he’s playing ☹️

user2345: i think you mean planning* as in planning world domination and torment of quirkless losers like you.

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: oh sweetheart you’ll never get any pussy if you keep acting like one

user3333: damn bro, you gonna take that ?

user2345: who gives a shit about some villain groupie ?

user2345: she keeps her mouth so full of cum that it’s starting to affect her whore brain.

user2345: do you really think the true leader of the new world would make time for some dumb cunt like you ?

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: there’s probably a higher chance of tomura shigaraki and i living happily ever after than there is of ANY woman even looking in your direction.

this was a normal friday night, you simping over shigaraki in the forums and clapping back at the misogynistic incels that hid behind their keyboards in their mothers’ basements. but there was one guy that always stood up for you whenever the idiots got too out of hand. he was also a moderator so he had no problems blocking them.

the two of you would dm off and on about life , thoughts on hero society, hobbies , etc. from your chats you gathered that he didn’t walk that straight and narrow but that didn’t mean much to you. he would sometimes tease your about your crush on shigaraki and your general taste in men.

finalboss: honestly, what kind of girl likes a criminal?; who knows what kind of twisted shit the guys into— you’re not even a villain.

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: you know nothing jon snow

finalboss: that reference just confirmed btw

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: i’ll have you know that my beloved is a certified otaku fantasy nerd.

finalboss: oh yeah ? and how’d you obtain such info ?

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: i run 3 stan accounts on twitter and i belong to a shiggy fan club 🥹

finalboss: 😃

finalboss: seek help

finalboss: 😃

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: you wound me ☹️

finalboss: i’ll just leave that too your Prince Charming lol

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: oh lord , did you see the footage of his latest attack ?

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: he was dressed like a whoreee 😩😩

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: tits just out for my viewing pleasure

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: shigaraki is my shepherd, he know what i want.

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: wanna suck on those sugar nips and call him mommy

finalboss: you get weirder and weirder every time we chat

xoxo_|hisMC ✮: that means we’re becoming besties ㅤ♡ ︎

finalboss: ♡ ︎

it was nice having someone to talk to about your secret obsession, it’s not like your “real life” friends would understand. the two of you had carved out your own little piece of the internet to goof around in. he never disclosed much information about himself and typically kept the conversations focused on you, but you still felt an undeniable bond to this faceless stranger.

then he ghosted you.

weeks went by without a word from your friend. he no longer defended you in the forums and he didn’t respond to any of your dms. you’d started to get worried that he may have been arrested or worse. and at the three month mark you’d finally given up hope that you’d ever hear from your friend again. but then the unexpected happened.

finalboss is requesting to video chat.

this was completely out of character but after months with no word, you were desperate to hear from your friend.

you were prepared to chew him him out for abandoning you. thinking of all the ways you could insult him while simultaneously expressing your need for his comfort and company. but your mind went blank when the grainy screen loaded into the pixelated image of your companion.

whispy tendrils fell from his bun, framing the sculpted planes of his handsome face. his lips were dry, slightly chapped, with the only lubrication being the sheen of saliva left by the slow drag of his tongue. bloodied eyes bore into your own leaving you breathless and dazed.

“hey bestie”

his voice was low and raspy, almost like a whisper. a deep rumbling that echoed in your ear drums. it was oddly hypnotic. he was absolutely mesmerizing.

tomura chuckled into the camera, showing flashes of perfectly white teeth. he leans back into the chair, a hand on the back of his neck showcasing a broad chest and toned abs.

“didn’t expect you to be this quiet, bestie. is my outfit not slutty enough for you ? i could always take these off…” his hand fell from his neck to rest and the waistband of his black jeans.

you remained speechless, eyes glued to the light dusting of hair below his belly button.

more laughter and shifting. now you were met with the glorious girth of shigaraki’s cock clenched tightly in his fist. the darkened tip oozed a sparkling trail of pre that spilled down his length. his thumb swiped the fluid to spread over his veiny member.

“c’mon , doll. don’t leave me hanging” he teased, squeezing his fist upwards to produce more pre. “i thought you wanted to be my ‘mc’ ? seems more like an npc if you ask me”.

“y-you’re him” you stammered, eyes following the slow drag of his fist. “you’re tomura shigaraki”.

“in the flesh” he teased, shooting a wink that went directly between your legs. “well kinda, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. sorry i’ve been away so long, but you’d wait forever for me won’t you , perfect girl ?”

your nod was automatic. robotic even. you’d moved closer to the screen, completely engrossed by his ministrations.

“anything for you beyon—shiggy”

you both laughed at that. he appreciated your humor, especially with all the drama in his day to day. even in def con simp mode and being ghosted didn’t stop you from being undeniably you. that’s probably why he was as obsessed with you as you were with him.

“i know we probably have alot to discuss but todays been kind of shitty and i’d really like to explore our final fantasies”.

you snorted, “that was really bad , shig”.

he shrugged, “i’m a villain, not a comedian, beloved. “now show me that perfect little pussy”.

[marypsue]

fic writer self-recs

I was tagged by the lovely and talented @titleleaf!

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

I'm gonna try not to just reproduce the same list from the last time I did this (although I can't fucking find it, so who knows), and also shine the spotlight on some that I think don't get as much attention but that I'm still very proud of anyway!

(But also, the road goes ever on. It's always gonna be the road goes ever on.)

1. house rule #3 (MCU Thor, Avengers [2012])

“Darcy,” Jane says, firmly. “Breathe.” “I am totally breathing,” Darcy protests. “Look, after you offered me the job, she bought us a bottle of sparkling wine and thanked me really cryptically and I basically haven’t seen her since. And in that time, Selvig’s dropped off the map, and a supervillain calling himself Loki who could be her fraternal twin pops up and starts chewing German scenery in a helmet that looks exactly like the one in this book.” Darcy sits back in her chair, bouncing off the back. “Also, I told her about this professor who was a total pain in my ass, and like two weeks later he was on leave for ‘undisclosed reasons’ and he still hasn’t come back.” “This…could all be a coincidence,” Jane says, lamely. “Oh yeah. Same way that weird homeless guy you kept hitting with your car showing up inside that storm was all a coincidence,” Darcy says. “Oh, my god. I’ve been watching ANTM highlights with a supervillain.”

I love Darcy Lewis, I think the narrative voice in this one hits her sense of humour just right, and it makes me astoundingly nostalgic for the early 2010s.

2. definitely not bfu rpf (definitely not Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Unsolved?)

“Even Scully took it seriously when the shadow government gave her cancer, man,” Bryan says, when he sees the glitchy footage. “There – okay, there are two issues with that line of logic,” Zane says. “First, cancer. That’s detectable by current medical science. It’s not exactly a matter of belief. Second, Dana Scully is a fictional character.” “So you won’t get an exorcism?” Bryan says, sounding defeated. “Bryan, my dear, I think you already know the answer to that one.”

Back when the Watcher guys were still attached to Buzzfeed, there was a really popular fandom trope that went around that Shane was secretly a demon. However, nobody seemed to have taken the next logical step - that if Shane was a demon, he wouldn't believe it.

(I don't write RPF, because I tried it and felt weird about it, but I just had to get this written, so I changed everybody's names to something that rhymed with the real-life people's names. Legally Distinct Buzzfeed Unresolved.)

3. Girls In White Dresses (Supernatural)

Mary’s the first to appear in the kitchen doorway, pistol raised, eyes flinty. But she pauses, just for a moment, when she sees Dean, and Jess’ stomach drops. Whoever - whatever - Dean really is, he at least hadn’t lied when he’d said he was Sam’s brother. He’s Mary’s son. And Mary’d just had to watch, helpless, while one of her sons died. Mary’s going to hesitate. But Jess can already tell that Dean won’t. By the way Dean's grinning, she can tell he knows it too.

I had to unfridge some of SPN's many, many freezer-burned women. Also it was so much fun to try to think up ways to hurt all of them emotionally as badly as the show likes to hurt its big strong men emotionally. (Lady Gaga voice) It's equality.

4. i hold with those who favour fire (Crimson Peak)

Perhaps she looks too long. Perhaps her eyes are playing tricks on her, perhaps it is only the lingering warmth of the body melting away the fallen snow, but it seems there are more autumn leaves gathered under Edith’s frozen form, more reds and golds spilling from beneath her nightdress and her hands and her golden head. The leaves flicker and dance, as though caught in a high October wind, though any such wind would be stymied by Allerdale’s protective walls. It isn’t until the hem of Edith’s gown begins to blacken that Lucille sees that what she had taken for autumn leaves are flames.

This one was written for a prompt meme where I asked for a character and a monster/mythical being, and wrote something short connecting the two. I should do that again, that was fun.

5. Boiling a Frog (Rick and Morty)

“It’s strange,” she says, tipping the contents of her cup carefully into the drain under the vending machine’s dispenser and crumpling the cardboard cup in one hand. “None of this feels really...real. Like, Grandpa Rick should be here complaining about how hospitals are breeding grounds for superbugs and how sitting in waiting rooms is pointless because unless you’re a doctor, there’s fuckall you can do to help anyway.” Morty suddenly looks uneasy, but Summer’s not sure if that’s because of what she said or because of the coffee. “I’m glad he’s not,” he says, and then looks horrified.

I broke up with this show when it became clear it was going to wallow and spin its own wheels and suck Rick's dick forever and that at least one of its creative minds genuinely seemed to think that was great and smart and good storytelling and if you didn't love it then you were just too stupid to appreciate his brilliance. But every once in a while the show managed to do something really interesting by approaching something heavy and awful sidelong with absurdist sci-fi and gross-out humour in a way that just worked for me.

I tried to do that here and found out just how hard it is to get a handle on that tone of almost manic energy with total black despair oozing out around all the edges. I think it really turned out, here, and despite no longer having any interest in anything to do with the show, I'm proud of it.

Also, I still love Summer.

I'm going to tag @daddygrandpaandthebeaver, @bixxelated, @marzipanandminutiae, @definitely-not-a-bug, @aquitainequeen, and, as usual, anybody who'd like to do it!

[imagineabuttercream]

Never have I ever had a threesome (Jack x Joe x Reader Smut)

"Do I have to?" You grumbled, not really upset. You had been crashing at Joe's house for the last few days before your flight back to L.A. where you lived. You met Joe and a few of the boys on one of their stays last year. You two had hooked up, but you stayed really close friends...with occasional benefits.

"I know it's late, but Jack's video for tomorrow got erased and we're the only two in town that he can film with." Joe said, coming to stand by the bed.

"Fiiiine." You huffed. "You definitely owe me, though." You said, falling back on the bed.

Hopping over you to straddle your middle, Joe replied. "I'm sure I can find a way to make it up to you." His fingers playing with the hem of your shirt.

"Dream on, Sugg." You laughed. "I need to go hop in the shower if he's going to be here soon."

"Ooooo, I could join you." He teased, wiggling his hips on top of yours.

"I need to actually get clean this time." You replied, sitting up and kissing Joe. "Though we may have to do that before I leave. It was a hell of a lot of fun."

Finishing in the shower, you walked out across the hall in a towel. "Oh, shit. Sorry." Jack said, covering his eyes.

It was cute until he cracked his fingers and looked at you anyways. "It's okay." You laughed. Maybe he was still cute.

"I'm Jack, if you don't remember from L.A." He said, dropping his hand from his face.

"If we're going to talk, you need to follow me." You said, walking into the guest room. "And I definitely remember you. You streaked naked through the house you guys were staying at."

Turning red, he replied. "Oh, shit." He sat on the bed while you walked to the wardrobe. "Why do you only remember me by my drunk shenanigans?"

You laughed, picking out what to wear. "I remember meeting you, I just remember you best by your formidable attributes."

"Like what you saw, ay?" He asked, watching you from the bed.

"You could say that." You replied, dropping your towel, having only a thong and your bra on.

"Well, ahem. I do return the sentiment." Jack eyed you. "I thought you hooked up with Joe that trip.

"Oh, I did." You said, pulling a shirt over your head and finishing getting dressed. "It was a great trip." You winked and walked out of the room.

Jack watched you walk out and then looked down at his tented joggers. "This is going to be a long night." He said to himself, adjusting his pants and following you into the living room.

"What are we filming?" Joe asked Jack.

"I don't even know. I'm so fucked. That SD card totally died and I lost my whole video." He replied.

Grabbing a bottle of tequila out of the cabinet, Joe looked at the two of you. "Never have I ever?"

"I'm in. We were going to make margaritas later anyways." You replied, grabbing shot glasses.

"Well, that solves that problem." Jack said, setting up his camera.

You guys got about 15 rounds in, giving Jack loads of footage for a video and a bloopers video. "Okay. One last round." Jack said, reading from his phone. "Never have I ever had a threesome."

"Is this one staying in the video?" You asked.

"I'll skip our answers. I always keep one unanswered." He replied, shuffling his papers.

"Works for me. Answers in 1 2 3!" You all held up your boards

"You have?!" Joe asked you, with fake surprise.

"You too!" You scolded him. "You can't judge if you've done it too!"

"Looks like none of us can judge then." Jack said as you both looked at his answer.

"Yeah, no way we can keep that in the video." Joe laughed, dropping his papers.

Jack did his outro and you made your way to the kitchen. "I'm making pasta. You guys hungry?" You asked.

"I'm starved." Joe replied.

"I'm too drunk, so count me in." Jack said, coming to lean his head on your shoulder in true Jack fashion.

"You two look cozy." Joe commented, gathering ingredients for your late night meal.

"Mate, I'm sorry." Jack said backing away. "I didn't mean to overstep."

You laughed and Joe replied. "Buddy, you're good. Y/n can take care of herself. You won't get away with anything she doesn't want to happen." Joe clapped Jack on the shoulder.

"But aren't you two..." Jack trailed off.

"We're friends, Jack." You said, grabbing a box of pasta from Joe.

"And what a friend you are." Joe said, slipping his arms around your waist and pulling you in for a quick but passionate kiss.

"Am I that drunk or are you two confusing?" Jack asked, his eyes wide.

"We're good friends, mate. We just get a bit more intimate when we're both single. Which is most of the time." Joe laughed.

"Ah, friends with benefits." Jack answered. "Joe, I think your benefits are better than hers." He laughed.

"I don't know. I get plenty." you replied, smacking Joe on the butt.

Clearing his throat, Jack got up and joined you. "How can I help?"

"Why don't you cut those tomatoes up." You said, handing him a knife.

Dinner was fun. Flirty. Full of innuendo.

"So, I guess I should order an Uber." Jack said, messing around on his phone.

"Awww, you use us and ditch us" you said, sitting on Jack's lap. "I see how it is."

Jack's cheeks flushed and his hands ran down your thighs. "I just didn't want to overstay my welcome, love."

"You're always welcome." Joe said, coming to stand by the both of you, running his fingers through your hair.

Jack looked between the two of you, realizing Joe meant more than stay over at the house. "Are you two....am I? You gotta use plain words, I don't want to embarrass myself." Jack said, his cheeks getting redder.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" You asked Joe.

"Babe, we're always on the same page. It's why we work." Joe replied, dipping down to kiss you.

"Come on." You said, hopping off of Jack's lap and pulling him from the chair.

Joe disappeared somewhere and you led Jack to the spare room. Walking him backwards against the bed, his knees hit the edge and he fell back onto the cushy surface. "Are you okay, Jacky?" You asked, gliding your hands up his clothed thighs.

"Never been better." He replied, his hands making their way to your waist.

"Was your threesome with two girls and a guy or two guys and a girl?" You asked him, trying to get him used to the idea of messing around with Joe.

"I've...I've done it both ways." He said, pulling you down to kiss him.

"Good to know." You replied, running your hands under his shirt.

"Get started without me?" Joe asked, coming into the room with a few supplies. Condoms and towels for the shower after.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist our beautiful friend." Jack replied, letting you stand up.

"Don't worry. I can't either." Joe said, his arms snaking around you from behind. He unbuckled your jeans and then slipped his hand under your shirt, planting kisses along the back and side of your neck.

"Hey, Joe. I need to make sure we're going to be good after tonight." Jack said, sitting up. "Your friendship means a lot to me."

"Of course, mate. I promise." Joe replied, pulling your shirt over your head.

"Good. I don't think I could have walked away at this point." Jack replied and you laughed.

"Just relax and have fun." You said, beckoning him to come to you with your hands.

Feeling Joe pressed to your back and Jack pressed to your front was unbelievable. Literally two of the most attractive people you had ever met and they were all yours for the night.

The three of you slowly undressed, exploring each other's bodies and you were left completely naked with the boys in their boxers. You walked to the bed and scooted to the middle. "Come on, boys. Don't leave me hanging." You said, running one hand over your breasts while your other hand dipped between your legs.

"Oh, fuck." Jack said, starting to pull his boxers down but hesitating, looking at Joe.

You gave Joe a look and a nod and Joe turned to Jack. "I promised you our friendship would stay good after this. Right?"

"Right." Jack replied not knowing why he was asking.

"Promise me the same." Joe said.

"Of course. I'm down for anything tonight." Jack said, seeing Joe smile.

Joe slowly closed the gap between the two of them and placed his hands on Jack's hips. He placed gentle kisses across Jack's collarbone and up his neck until finally meeting Jack's lips.

Those two were hot and even hotter to watch together and you started rubbing your sensitive clit, your bent legs dropping apart a bit.

Jack was a bit nervous and stiff when Joe first approached him, but he quickly loosened up, his hands crawling up Joe's stomach to his chest and then his back.

Joe pulled away and looked up at Jack. "Come on." He said, dropping his boxers and crawling into bed with you.

Jack, flushed cheeks and heavy breaths, stared at the two of you for a second before pulling off his boxers and climbing up the bed to rest between your thighs with his chest against yours.

"You two are incredibly sexy." You said, running your hands through Jack's hair.

"You're not so bad yourself" he replied, kissing, biting, and licking his way down your chest and your stomach to the inside of your thighs.

"You have a talented tongue." You said, laying back and closing your eyes.

"I have to agree." Joe said, his eyes following Jack's motions down your body.

Looking over to Joe, you pulled his lips to yours, moaning into his mouth when Jack's tongue parted your already soaked center. "Mmmmm." Jack hummed against you. "You're so wet."

Breaking the kiss, Joe ran his hands through Jack's hair. "She liked watching us together. Got her all hot and bothered."

Jack nodded and hummed against you again, sending chills through your body. Pulling him back into the kiss, you gently ran your fingers up and around Joe's impressively hard dick.

You loved the slow build with Joe. You never worked too quick or too roughly, keeping him wanting more and more. He wasn't a big guy, but when he finally fucked you, he fucked you good.

Your orgasm was quickly building with Jack's talented mouth sucking and lapping his tongue on and around your swollen clit. "Ah, Jack." You yelled out, breaking the kiss and grabbing his hair with both of your hands. "There, right there!"

Jack worked you through your climax until you were too sensitive for him to continue. You pulled him away from you and fell limp to the bed. "Oh, baby. That mouth." You said, breathing heavily.

"Want a taste?" Jack said, climbing back up to kiss you, feeling his length press against your thigh.

Joe grabbed something from the table and came back to you two. Breaking your kiss with Jack, you pushed him up. Joe opened the condom and made eye contact with Jack. "Come here." He said, seeing Jack eye the condom. "Don't be shy now." Joe laughed.

"I'm not." Jack replied, coming to sit on his knees in front of Joe.

"Good." Joe said, leaning in and tasting you on his lips rolling the condom onto Jack's thick erection, making Jack moan at the touch.

"Joe, come lay down." You said, rising to your knees.

"Coming, love." Joe broke away from Jack, laying on his back with his head at the top of the bed.

"Oh, you will be." You said, running your hands up Joe's parted thighs then circling his throbbing dick with your fingers.

"Don't tease, y/n. I can't take anymore playing around. Please, love." Joe begged, giving you what you wanted.

"I got you. Just relax." You said, dropping your wet lips to the tip of his cock. Sliding your mouth around his length, you took as much of him as you could into your mouth, bobbing up and down a few times before coming up for air.

Wanting Jack to get the message, you scooted back a bit sitting on your elbows and knees, before taking Joe into your mouth again.

"Ah. Yeah. Love." Joe always mumbled incoherent little nothing's when you were going down on him.

You could feel Jack's hands smooth over your back and your butt, asking permission. "Y/n. Can I..."

Joe interrupted him. "Join the party, pretty boy." Looking down at you, your mouth surrounding his dick and your ass up in the air. "God, what a sight."

You felt Jack line himself up with your opening and slowly press himself in until he was pressed against the back of your thighs. Pulling off of Joe, you moaned. "Shit, Jack." You said, feeling him pull out and slam back into you.

"I've never been that long, but baby I'm thick." He said, thrusting into you.

Moaning, you took Joe back into your mouth, your fingers playing with his balls. "Ah, if you keep that up I'm not going to last." Joe said, his toes curling.

"Oh, wouldn't that be a shame." You smirked, taking a breath and taking Joe all the way into your mouth.

"You know it would. Mmmm, Y/n. I want you to ride me after Jack's had you." He said, tangling his fingers into your hair.

The next few minutes were filled with moans, gasps, and plenty of name calling. "Y/n I'm gonna cum." Jack called, his thrusts getting harder but less frantic. "Y/n!" He called your name, his orgasm rushing through him. He slowly pulled out of you and laid next to Joe, catching his breath.

You grabbed a condom off of the table and handed it to Jack. "Do the honors?" You said, pulling the used condom off of him and throwing it away.

Jack ripped the packet open and rolled it onto Joe. "Come here, baby boy." You said, capturing Jack's mouth in a passionate kiss.

"My turn." Joe laughed, grabbing you by the waist to straddle his lap. "Come on, gorgeous. Do your worst." He said, running his hands up and down your sides.

"Greedy." You teased, lifting yourself up to sit back down onto his waiting cock.

Joe moaned, sliding into you. His hands groped at your bouncing breasts. "That's it, love." He said, looking up and down your naked body as you continued to ride him.

"God, you two are so hot." Jack said, having calmed fully down from his orgasm.

"I think you two are hotter." You said, eyeing the two of them.

"I think that's a hint." Jack said, his hand trailing over Joe's chest and their lips meeting.

"Oh, God." You groaned, feeling another orgasm building.

Jack sat up and straddled Joe's legs behind you. His hands played with your breasts and he placed kisses on your neck.

"Love, I'm almost there." Joe called out, thrusting up to meet you with every move you made.

"Me too." You replied, feeling Jack's hand dip down to rub his fingers over your clit.

"Come on, baby." Jack whispered in your ear and you began to fall apart, feeling your orgasm ripple through you.

"Y/n!" Joe called your name, climaxing with you.

You would have fallen forward onto Joe, but Jack held you back against his chest, peppering the skin of your neck with kisses. He pulled you off of Joe to lay between the two of them. Joe stood and threw away the condom, walking to the bathroom to start the shower.

"Come on you two. Let's clean up and then we can go sleep in mine. It smells like sex in here." Joe said, grabbing the towels.

While the sex had been focused on all three of you, the shower was your time to be pampered. Jack held you against his chest under the hot water while Joe cleaned himself and then they switched spots. They both took turns running their soapy hands all over your body. Lazy kisses being shared by all.

When you finally went to bed, you slept on your side with Jack against your back and Joe's back against your chest. Your arms held Joe tight to you and Jack's long arm draped over the both of you.

"Good night, loves." Joe sleepily said.

"Hey, before we go to sleep. Thank you." Jack said, tucking his face into your hair.

"Like I said. You're always welcome." Joe replied, twining his fingers with the hand Jack had laying over Joe.

"Goodnight, boys." You said, feeling safe and loved in the middle of the two of them.

--------------------- A/N - I'm drunk. Someone tell me if this is full of grammar mistakes and the like. <3

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

What a Time to be Alive - Diego Hargreeves x Reader

Chapter 2- The Frankel Footage

Summary: After receiving a surprise visit from Five, you quit your bar tending job, quickly followed him to find Diego, and then broke Diego out of the mental hospital all in one day. Now you, Diego, and Lila, are free and ready to tackle whatever new problem awaits.

If anyone else wants tagged just hit me up.      Tagged: @white-wolf-buckaroo

You three ran for a couple blocks out of sight and away from any nosy law enforcement officers and their annoying sirens. Through back ally’s and down side streets, until you came upon a cluster of parked cars. Where you three hid behind trying not to be seen.

“This way” Diego whispers while getting up to race across the street, you and Lila trailing after him.

Hiding behind an apartment building, you and Lila look back from where you just came. “All right, we can’t stay here for too long. They’re gonna be looking for us.” Diego quietly warns.

“The cops or those large Scandinavian fellas” Lila asks, still on lookout.

“Both” you say quickly, turning to follow Diego’s lead.

He suddenly jumps up on a dumpster then on top of an outhouse type building. “D, what are you doing?” You ask confused, not quite catching onto his plans just yet.

Grabbing clothes off the line and throwing them to you, he replies, “Me and you aren’t gonna get very far dressed like a lobotomy case.”

“Fair point”

“Hey what about me?” Asks Lila, as Diego jumps down off of the small shed, walking back over to the two of you, and quickly throwing her some clothes in the process.

Diego turns around while taking off his shirt, “Look, I appreciate your help, but now we...” He points to you for a second, who’s changing into a different shirt, from the previous hospital staff attire. “Go our separate ways.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re gonna be looking for us, together. You stand a better chance on your own.”

“What, you guys need me, we could make a good team, I don’t mind third wheeling.”

“No”

“Okay did you forget how great I am at causing distractions, or sneaking in small weapons, or when I saved your ass when...” Police sirens begin shouting through the air, cutting her off mid-sentence, catching all of your attentions with it. Sending a surge of panic through you, there was no way in hell were you getting caught.

“Oh shit” Lila whispers, turning to abruptly dodge under a car and out of sight like a literal ninja, who is this strange woman?

Looking at Diego you happen to spot a hiding place behind a small pillar of bricks. Grabbing his arms once again, you pull him with you towards the spot, hugging him tightly as you look over his shoulder. Hearing the whrr of a siren, you listen and watch as the cop car rolls past, agonizingly slow. Looking up at him once again, you can’t help but notice the close proximity between the two of you, your face breaks out into a large grin. Relishing in the contact that you’ve been so deeply deprived of.

“Is that a knife in your pants or are you just happy to see me?” You ask while flashing him a cheeky smile.

“Why are you like this?” He whispers grinning back down at you, amused at your never ending ability to joke around at the most inappropriate times.

“Hey guys, let’s take my car.” Lila says, while eyeing up one of the parked on the street.

Looking back into Diego’s dark eyes, you swiftly catch his lips with yours, not being able hold yourself back anymore. He tenses for a split second before he melts into you, relaxing completely. The kiss is sweet, hungry, and full of longing. You can both tell how much you’ve truly missed each other.

Breaking away, Diego follows your lips, disappointed in such a small intimate moment being ruined. “We gotta go, our getaway driver is here.” You beam, satisfied with what you could get.

Jumping into the stolen car, you take the passenger seat making Diego sit in the back.

“Let’s roll kids” Lila says grinning, as she hastily backs out of the parking spot.

——

After sleeping in the front seat next to Lila, and Diego grumpily trying to find a comfy position in the back. You three made it through the night and are now currently up and ready to roll. Diego in the passenger seat now, with you at the wheel and Lila in the back. Parked in front of some library that Diego insisted on going to you as you could only assume it had to do with the president, most likely.

“All right, here’s the plan: Oswald finishes his shift at 4:30 p.m. Once he walks out those doors, we force him into the front seat.” Diego tells you, while looking out the window intensely.

“I’m in the front seat” You reply while looking out at some birds eating something in the grass.

“Okay, fine. In the back seat.”

“I’m in the back seat.” Lila says, also unimpressed by Diego’s plan. She makes knowing eye contact with you in the mirror.

“Okay in the trunk, Y/N is gonna pin his arms, I’m gonna cut off his trigger finger and tell him he has 24 hours to exit Dallas.”

“That’s your plan?” Lila asks. Sharing another glance with you.

“You got a problem with it?” He questions sassily.

“Why don’t we just kill him” You say with a casual shrug.

“What?

“I agree with Y/N, I mean, you think he’s gonna shoot the president right?”

“Right”

“Fine, so we kill him. Put a bullet between his eyes.” She says, as you make a finger gun and a boom sound. “Problem solved”

“No, no, no, we’re not going to kill a man before he’s committed a crime.” He says, annoyed.

“That’s stupid” She retorts back, tired of Diego’s dumb idea already.

“Excuse me?”

“In fact, your whole plan is stupid. What, chopping off a guys finger?” She smiles amused.

“No, it’s not just any finger, it’s his trigger finger, all right. You can’t shoot a gun without a trigger finger.” He says defensively.

“What if he’s ambidextrous?” You ask, egging him on.

Diego looks at you in defeat at both of yours and Lila’s points. She finally says, “How do you get through a day?

“Both of you get out. I can do this on my own.” He grumbles quickly.

“Dr. Moncton was right, this hero complex is no joke. I mean, Y/N how do you even put up with his shit.” She wonders turning to you.

“Don’t answer that. This is not what this is about.” He’s says, you laughing at his sour mood and Lila’s call out.

“D, she makes a compelling argument.”

Nodding at you she quips back, “Of course it is, you want to prove to Daddy that you’re a big success.” She says, realization clear on her features.

Snorting you raise your eyebrows at Diego, who says, “No, out of the three of us, you don’t know anything about me, Lila.”

“I don’t have to be Y/N to know anything about you. You are an open book written for very dumb children.” She says matter-of-factly.

Holding in laughter you face away from Diego, as you peer out the window so he won’t see the amusement clear on your face.

You love Diego, and fight crime with Diego, but you don’t do it out of a hero complex like he does. You do it because it’s fun and it helps people sometimes. You’ve never seeked it out in the way that he did, like buying a patrol caller, walking into crime scenes to gather information, and continuously wearing that stupidly adorable childhood domino mask. You prefer to stay in the shadows and hunt down rapists and human traffickers when the opportunity arises. So yeah, Lila calling out Diego on his shit, that he doesn’t realize is his shit, does entertain you.

“I’m not. Trying. To. Be A. Hero, okay!” He says slowly with frustration lacing his voice, like we can’t understand him.

“Then why are we doing this?” You reply facing him again. All of a sudden Five appears in the back seat next to Lila, who screams and backs away. Clearly not expecting a 13 year old boy to just teleport randomly into the car.

“Because he’s an idiot” Five replies smartly, with a smug grin on his young face.

Calming down again she looks at Five confused, “Who the hell are you, I mean Diego did tell me Y/N is kinda like a vampire but not really a vampire, so?”

Giving Diego your what-the-fuck-did-you-tell-her-about-me face, he briefly grins at you when Five answers her, “Hi. I’m his loving brother.”

“Who left me to rot in a nut house.”

“To protect you from yourself.”

“That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to him, I’m gonna cry.” You reply, while wiping a fake tear away.

Rolling his eyes Diego points to the three of you, “Okay, all of you, out.” Diego says done with all of your shit.

“Lose the crazy lady, you two are coming with me. We have important business.” Five says frustrated.

Diego turns to look out the front window. “I am not going anywhere with you.”

Looking out the window, Five spots a security guard walking down the street. “Okay, fine.”

Not buying into Five’s surrender, you follow his gaze seeing the officer walking away from all of you. With a big smile plastered on his face, Five takes this moment of improvisation to call out loudly. “Officer!”

“Hey!” Diego snaps, reaching past you in record time, silencing Five by grabbing his jacket. “What are you doing?”

Grinning like the little shit he is, Five answers sassily, “I hear there’s a reward out for you two, and an unidentified jailbreaker accomplice last seen helping two patients escape.”

“He’s bluffing.” Lila says.

Watching the intense stare down between the two of them you reply, “He’s not.” Knowing better then to doubt Five. Cause let’s be honest he would watch you get arrested for fun any day of the week.

“Fine. We’ll go with you.” He says defeated yet again.

“What about me?” Lila asks.

“She yells at Diego when he’s being an idiot, crazy lady can come too.” You tell them while nodding to her.

“You yell at me when I’m being an idiot too, Y/N.” Diego remarks bluntly.

“That’s fair. But I feel like she’s good at playing eye spy, and you’re definitely not. You have no patience, I swear.”

“I don’t know what I just got myself into but I’m glad I met you guys.” Lila exclaims enthusiastically, pleased at your positive answer.

--

A short drive later, you, Diego, Five and Lila begin walking up the steps into Five’s new friends building. Not being overly impressed by much and concerned for this mans mental well being at the fact that he’s Five’s so-called “friend”, you keep walking as Five leads you three up the stairs. When you reach the top, you hear footsteps and the sound of a gun click. Glancing up, you observe a scrawny looking man with confusion and fight in his eyes. He starts to speak all stressed out and loud, barking at you four. “Where did you get the film? The Frankel Footage. The truth this time.” He demands while still holding up the gun at the four of you. Oh yeah, this is Five’s new friend? Seems about right.

“You know this lunatic?” Diego wonders at Five.

“God, his hearts beating so loud, I’m gonna have a headache.” You groan, this guy is on full adrenaline, jeesh.

Five sighs, “New acquaintance. He’s harmless.”

“Are you sure about that?” Lila asks, puzzled.

Without warning this new friend of Five’s starts to yell, sounding like an off cord scratchy violin in your hyper sensitive ears. A quiet room with sudden loud noises makes your hearing extra perceptive. It’s not exactly a beneficial attribute to have at the moment.

“Are you or are you not an enemy of the people?!”

Giving you a precious moment of peace, Diego answers back. “Such an open-ended question, yeah.”

“Really depends on the people.” Adds Five calmly.

Raising the gun up higher the angry guy speaks again, less loud this time. “You move one more muscle, I will blow y’alls brains out.”

“Yeah good luck with that, you’ll deeply regret it in a couple seconds.” You tell him bluntly as he gives you a weird look.

“You want to take this or should I?” Diego asks Five. Always ready to throw hands at any given moment.

“No, I got him.” He replies with apprehensive determination.

An abrupt flash later, Five is in front of the mysteriously angry gunman. Grabbing the gun and pushing the barrel upward where it then goes off. Shooting a bullet into the ceiling. And sending a symphony of booming racket directly into your ears.

“Fucking hell” You mumble while pursing your lips together as the pain in your ears wears off.

Looking back up, you watch as Diego unloads the gun and the crazy southern guy looks at everyone in confusion.

“What the hell just happened?” Lila asks with an amused smile, clearly not expecting anything more weird to take place again.

——

After the fun little greeting Elliot gave you, you and Diego tied him up, you know just normal couple things. So Five could play some home movies, or in other words that Frankel Footage Elliot was yapping about earlier. Leaving him in a dentist’s chair, Lila sat down and started to paint his toe nails some kind of green color. While Five was playing the old film footage, Diego sat on a counter to his left, knees up and knife in one hand. Meanwhile you sat cross legged on the same counter near his shoes leaning your right knee on Diego’s bent legs.

“I love old couples. I’m always so proud of them for not murdering each other.” She says randomly.

“Why are we watching this?” Diego suddenly asks Five, who’s intensely focused on the footage. “Shush” He’s tells him, hyper focused on the projection screen.

The people on the screen begin talking about who they are and where they happen to be at the moment. Dallas, Texas. November 22, 1963. Oh, shit. You think, knowing exactly where this specific moment is going to lead.

Leaning in closer Diego says, “This is it. The grassy knoll. Kennedy’s about to get shot. How do you have this?” He quickly questions Five.

“Hazel died to get me this footage. It must be the key to stopping doomsday.”

“Hazel?” You ask curiously, remembering the masked guy who shanked you with an old iron antique boat when you first met him and Cha Cha shooting up the Umbrella Academy. Damn, he’s already dead.

“Long story.”

“What’s doomsday?” Wonders Lila in confusion.

“Longer story.”

“What exactly did he say to you?” Diego questions in bewilderment.

“Well, he was killed before he could explain. But whatever he wanted us to see, it’s on this film.” He answers earnestly.

Without warning, gunshots go off in the background, signaling that President Kennedy's been shot. All of you watch closer with wide eyes as you three try to spot what Hazel was talking about. Five rewinds the tape for better inspection, moving around to slide the projector back. Giving everyone a better view to watch the footage. “It can’t be.” He says astonished.

“Okay, you guys gonna fill me in now? What the hell is this shit we’re watching?” Demands Lila, weirded out by how the three of you are acting towards this random footage.

Standing up and walking closer to the screen, you, Diego, and Five look on in stunned shock, spotting him. “What the fuck?” You say perplexed.

“No, that’s impossible.” 

“Clearly, it’s not.” Mutters Five.

From behind you three, you hear the muffled voice of Elliot. “What...what is it?”

“Dad” Diego and Five whisper dumbfounded. You only look on in deep thought. How could he have been there, and what the hell was old Reggie doing there in the first place?

——

“Of course Dad would be involved in the assassination. I should have know.”

“No, you’re jumping to conclusions.” Replies Five, while pacing back and forth.

“It’s a bit of a stretch, Diego.” You tell him shrugging.

“What else is he doing standing on the grassy knoll, holding an open umbrella on a sunny day in Dallas the exact same moment the president gets shot?!” Diego yells back at the two of you.

“It doesn’t look good, I admit.” Replies Five.

“No, he’s the signalman for the whole goddamn thing.” He says convincing himself.

“Easy Diego. Seriously.”

“No, it makes sense. This is what Hazel was obviously trying to tell you.” Diego says looking intently at Five. “We have to stop Dad from killing the president.”

“Diego, calm down, all right. Dad was no Boy Scout, but presidential assassination? It’s never been his thing.” Five argues, and you’d have to agree, Diego’s truly jumping ahead of himself.

“How would you know? You skipped out on his golden years.” Diego snaps back.

“Skipped out?” Five scoffed stepping closer, “You think I had it easy, Diego? I was alone for 45 years.” Deciding he’d had enough of Diego’s dad and killing the president shit, Five growls back at Diego. “You know what? We don’t have time for this right now. Dads clearly in Dallas, right? Let’s just go talk to him. Maybe he can help fix the timeline.” He ends with, walking around the room.

“Dallas is a big place. We need to find him first.” Diego replies bluntly.

“Gee, if only we had some magical, old times way of finding people and their addresses.” Five sasses back while putting his hands on his small hips.

“Alright smart-ass, I’ll find the phone book.” You quip, getting up off the counter and walking towards Elliot’s office. Finding the thing laying under a couple of papers and a stapler, you grab it and set it down on the nearby desktop.

“Let’s start simple. His name.” Five says as Diego reads off the names in the H section. “Shit, nothing here.”

“Try his company, what was it Five?” You ask while standing behind them.

“D.S. Umbrella Manufacturing Co.” Five says without missing a beat.

“Yeah, I know the name. Thanks.” Diego replies sarcastically. Continuing his search by flipping through the pages. “Uh....Holy shit. D.S. Umbrella.” He looks at Five surprised, “Eighty-two Olive. Let’s go.” He says, shutting the phone book.

Pulling up the white film screen and walking through the doorway Diego turns to Five. “He okay to leave here like that?” Referring to Elliot who was still tied to the dentist chair.

“Yeah, he’s fine. What about the girl?”

“She’s chilling in the dark room getting some air. So where are we going?” You remark casually.

“The hell is she doing in there, or you?” Diego wonders.

“We were having some quality girl time, nothing you’d be interested in, I promise.” You say winking at him.

———

Pulling up to the building of the hour, you all get out, shutting the doors and walking up to the glass doors. All collectively feeling a bit uneasy about meeting Sir Reginald Hargreeves, that is if he decides to make an appearance or not.

“How long’s it been since you’ve seen the old man?” You ask Five, who looks like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Forty-Five years.”

“That’s a trip.”

“No kidding.” Five sighs, leaning against the brick wall as Diego makes an attempt to lock pick the doors. “You know, when I was stuck out there in the apocalypse, there wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t hear his voice in my head.”

“What was he saying?” Asked Diego, still fiddling with the lock.

“I told you so.” 

“Well, if Dad’s here, he’s never met you before, so he can’t say, I told you so.” Diego says trying to boost Five’s dampened mood.

“I’m sure he’ll find a way.” Five says while looking back around at the grassy yard. Catching your eye, you nod to him to help Diego out. A flash later and he’s on the other side of the door, unlocking it with ease and letting you two inside. “Right. Gotta remember that” Diego says, clearing his throat, standing up and walking through the now unlocked glass doors. You following right behind him, as Five holds the door open.

Walking fully inside the office building, Five goes to turn on a lamp only for it to flicker off again within seconds of being turned on. “Shit. Guess Dad wasn’t much for home decor.” Says Diego eyeing up the place.

You look around the room yourself, fully taking in your surroundings, as your eyes immediately begin adjusting in the dark room, you’re now able to see everything clearly. Observing the lack of care and vacancy in the area you nod to Five. “This feels more like a front, some kind of decoy maybe?”

“A front for what?” Diego asks, confused.

“Beats me” Replies Five still uneasy about being in here.

“Well, me and Y/N will take the left. Yell if you, uh....get in trouble. Y/N will hear you.” Remarks Diego, swinging the door open.

“Don’t get shot, remember your safety training.” You smirk at Five jokingly, as you walk through the open door that Diego is holding open for you.

“How could I forget.” Fives replies back, slightly amused at your ability to seem calm in a place like this.

Walking down the hallway, Diego opens a door leading into someone’s office. The air smells old and stale to you, clearly no ones actually been in here in quite a while. Diego blows off dust laying lightly on top of a file, who just leaves a random file lying around for anyone to snatch? He starts to flip through it, concentrated on finding a scrap of evidence. When your ears prick up at the sound of light footsteps that apparently Diego can’t hear yet. Then a door opens and the footsteps sound like they’re retreating out the doorway. Diego abruptly looks up at you for reassurance, wanting to know for sure you heard what he just heard too. You nod at him, making your way towards the door to find this mystery person. Diego walks towards the door hot on your heels, catching up and moving past you swiftly. Determined to catch sight of the cryptic individual himself.

Opening the doors, you catch a glimpse of the mystery man briskly walking into the thick foggy night air and out of sight.

“I’ll go after him, you circle around and hopefully catch him off guard if he decides to run.” Telling you the plans, Diego turns ready to catch up with the guy, giving you a flash of a nervous smile before he goes. And then he’s gone, into the fog and out of sight. Yeah fuck that, it’s dark out and this guy could be legitimately dangerous for all you know, idiot. Following behind Diego from a distance were he wouldn’t be able to notice you. Not that it’d be hard anyways, considering you’re kinda a master of stealth yourself.

You climb up into the rafters of this weird barn type building, you hear the faintest sounds of Five yelling for you two from within the office building. As you’re about to jump down to help, you spot Diego walking when another figure drops out of the shadows kicking him in the ribs. Great. Deciding you’d like to sit back and watch for a bit, you climb closer for a better view. Diego then throws a knife and the stranger ducks, completely missing him. “Damn, I bet he’d be fantastic at laser tag.” You mumble letting your intrusive thoughts work their way out subconsciously.

Watching Diego twirl around and make some compelling hits gives you time to get closer and bring yourself nearer to the ground. Incase you needed to lend a hand or two if things got messy. As you finally drop yourself onto the damp floor, you look up to see Diego apparently losing the fight a bit. Getting flipped onto his knees for a second before he runs forward pulling out some type of metal stick from a bunch of wooden crates. Where he then proceeds to backflip off said crates and stick the landing with ease. Show off. He starts swinging it around, advancing on the stranger who’s doing a decent job at holding his own ground.

That is, until the guy looses his dark face-covering, only to reveal, holy shit, the one and only asshole himself, Sir Reginald Hargreeves. Diego must have been just as shocked too, because the next moment you hear a soft “dad” from Diego’s lips. And then Reginald lunges, you see a flash of gold and hide a muffled scream as a small knife plunges into Diego’s side. You hear “amateur” before he turns around and casually walks out of the barn without a single fuck to give.

Gasping you ignore the need to question Sir Reginald, racing over to Diego who’s lying on the floor wide eyed in bewilderment as to what just unfolded a couple seconds ago.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, Diego what the fuck!?” You say panicked, ripping your thin jacket off and covering his stab wound with it.

Moaning in pain he looks at you. “I should have let you take him.” He whispers tiredly.

“Shut up I know, FIVE get the fuck over here!” You scream in a desperate panic.

Teleporting to you, he looks down surprised. “Jesus Diego I leave you alone for 5 minutes and this is what happens.” He says bluntly while shaking his head.

“Just go get the car.” You growl at him, while pressing the fabric into Diego's side to help stop the bleeding.

[rainydaydream-gal18]

Bucky Barnes x Reader: Shall We Dance?

(Author’s Note: Hey all, I’m back but this time with a Bucky fic!  I just thought this was an adorable idea, and I even found a soundtrack for it.  You could play some 1940′s instrumental jazz in the background while reading this fic to enhance the experience, or not.  Up to you!

Also, this is sort of an AU that takes place after Civil War, but where the Avengers don’t separate yet.  So yeah I’m jumping on the bandwagon of Avengers still living in the tower with Bucky joining them XD)

   “Are you sure about this?” you asked, poking your head around the corner.  Taking note of what the guests were wearing, you immediately felt out of place.  Despite the party having a 1940’s theme, most of the ladies were wearing rather modern dresses that were long and elegant and touched the floor.  Some did go as far as pinning their hair in updos that were fitting for the time period, but even so, you glanced down at your old-fashioned evening gown and perfectly matched shoes with doubt.  It was a beautiful deep blue dress that went almost to your ankles.  The sleeves were a tad puffy at the shoulders before tightening into long sleeves the rest of the way to your wrists.  The outfit was very lovely, but it was most definitely out-dated compared to what the guests were wearing.

   It was a birthday celebration for Steve Rogers- a surprise one at that.  Stark had volunteered a floor of the Avengers tower for the venue, and Natasha and you had the neat idea of making it an old-fashioned party complete with music from the 1940’s to make things feel more like home.  You and Nat had fun researching the sort of clothes worn back then, but apparently not everyone had taken the theme so literally.

   “You kidding me?” Natasha responded in a low voice, brows furrowing slightly.  “You look great.  Now, let’s get out there and own it.”  A smile crept on your face, and you were glad to have a friend go into the party with, especially someone as confident as Romanoff.  She was dressed in a 1940’s gown too, though hers was a pretty dark green which complemented the red lipstick she wore.  “We were pretty specific about the theme of the party,” she continued.  “Technically, most of these people are the ones out of place, not us.”

   “Good point.”

   “This is for Steve anyway.  I’m sure he’ll appreciate the gesture.”

   It wasn’t necessarily the guests that concerned you.  Or Steve.  A certain someone would be in attendance, and you strived to be cool as a cucumber.

   “Alright, here goes nothing.”  You stepped out from the hallway and couldn’t help but smile.  The music was jazzy, and the lights made the scene even more charming as couples danced on the floor while others conversed at little tables or the bar.  Natasha walked beside you, eyes scanning the room.  They rested on Bruce, who was talking to Tony with a drink in his hand.

   “You going to say ‘hi’?” you asked, giving her a playful nudge.  She played it off as if she couldn’t care less, but you knew there was something going on between her and the scientist.

   “Maybe later.”

   A waiter approached with a tray, and Natasha gratefully accepted a shrimp cocktail while you decided to take a chance on a pastry.  As you bit into your snack, you looked to your friend.   

   “You look beautiful,” you complimented. 

   She flashed a warm smile, a rare but lovely sight from the secret agent.  “You look beautiful too,” she said.  Then, her eyes seemed to dart to something behind you.  “It looks like someone else thinks so.”

   Your mouth fell open.  “What?”  You snuck a glance over your shoulder in the most subtle way you could before quickly turning away when a pair of dark blue eyes gazed in your direction.  Your heartbeat quickened as Natasha raised a brow.  “It’s Bucky.”

   “Yes, it is,” she nodded, though her probing gaze didn’t leave your face as she took in your expression.  “Something wrong?”

   “No,” you said quickly.  A little too quickly.

   Her eyes traveled to the former Winter Soldier before a hint of a smirk appeared on her lips.  “Oh, so you still have a thing for him?”

   “What?  I never told you that.”

   “Didn’t need to.”  Her smirk grew.  “I sort of read people for a living, and it’s written all over your face whenever he walks in the room.”

   “Well, glad I was being subtle,” you remarked with an eye roll.  “I just get so nervous.  He’s a good friend, and…”

   “And he’s coming over here.”

   “He’s- what?”

   “He’s walking this way,” she mumbled under her breath.

   You followed her eyes to see those eyes fixed on you as he approached.  Though his dark hair was still somewhat long and unkempt, he wore a nice suit and shoes.  His lips pressed together in an awkward smile as he entered the space where you and Natasha stood.

   “Hey,” he greeted with a small wave.

   “Hi,” you said, smiling.  Natasha didn’t speak.  She only observed the interaction as your eyes wandered the room in desperate search for something else to talk about.  “This turned out to be a nice party,” you commented.  “You think Steve is having a good time?”

   “Yeah,” Bucky agreed, looking over to see the Captain having a dance with Sharon.  “It is nice.  I think he’s having fun.  Sure looked happy to see everyone when he walked in.”

   You laughed as you remembered his reaction- your friend and teammate’s look of pleasant surprise and then a big smile as everyone shouted “surprise!”  You even asked that Tony get a picture from the security footage.

   “Definitely loved the look on his face,” you said.  The conversation between the two of you quieted for a minute as both of you looked at your surroundings until Bucky spoke up again.

   “You like the music?” he asked, gesturing with a metal hand to your feet.  You hadn’t even noticed yourself swaying in place to the tune.  The realization caused you to give a sheepish smile and shrug.

   “I think I do.”

   Bucky’s little awkward smile widened, and his eyes held warmth as he asked, “do you wanna’ dance with me?”  Your eyes travelled to that inviting gaze of his, and it was like your heart was doing flips.  You nodded, and he extended his other hand to take yours.  Then, he looked to Natasha.  “Mind if I steal her for a dance or two?”

   Natasha smirked again.  “Not at all.  Have fun, you two.”

   Bucky glanced your way again before leading you toward the dance floor.  You shot a look at Natasha over your shoulder, mouth falling open in shock that this was happening.  She gave a nod of approval.

   Bucky stopped before going too far into the crowded space, turning to put the metal hand at your waist while you put your arm around the back of his neck.  He exhaled sharply in a silent chuckle, glancing down at his feet.  “Sorry,” he said, eyes darting back up to yours.  “It’s been a while.  I haven’t danced with a woman in….well, about seventy years.”

   “Oh,” you said quietly.  An ache grew in your heart at the thought.  He’d spent a lot of time brainwashed and forced to do awful things for Hydra.  Before you could dwell on it much further, you remembered where you were and tried to keep the conversation light-hearted.  “Well I hope I don’t disappoint you.  I haven’t had much experience dancing to this kind of music.”

   “_________,” he said, starting to sway to the music.  You let him lead you in the beginnings of the dance.  “You are far from disappointing me.”  He stepped back to give you a twirl, and you followed through with a smile on your face.  “And since I’m out of practice, we won’t do anything fancy.”

   “Sounds good to me.”

   A warm feeling gathered in your chest, and you were absolutely elated as you and Bucky let the tune carry you both.  The grin never left your expression.  He seemed to be smiling even wider as he got more comfortable.  Hearing this kind of music on the radio used to feel so strange to you.  You’d breeze past it to the next station in search of something more to your taste, something more modern.  But being there in that moment, dancing with Bucky, it felt so real.  So alive.  You could see why people enjoyed it.  From then on, you’d never think of it the same way.

   “You look gorgeous, doll,” Bucky said over the music, drawing your attention from the live band and back to his gaze.  The lights reflected as a splash of glowing color amongst the beautiful blue of his eyes.  “Where’d you find a dress like that?”

   You ducked your head slightly from the compliment.  “Oh, I got it online.  It was Natasha’s idea.  We were hoping everyone would dress up, but turns out it was just us.”

   “Well, I like it.  Love it, actually.”

   “Thank you.”  He gave you another twirl just as the song ended, and both of you pulled away to applaud the band along with the other couples.  Then, the band took a short pause to turn pages and take a breather before playing a slower song.  As the other couples drew closer to dance slowly, you stole a glance at your dance partner, wondering if he’d want to dance this song with you or take a break.  Before you could ask, he offered his hand.  You smiled, uncertainty vanishing, as he gently pulled you forward and put an arm around you.  Your face was inches from his shoulder, and you decided to just go along with it by wrapping your arms around him.  You took your first few steps of the dance carefully, adjusting to the slower tune.  Despite the hair raised on the back of your neck and the way your breath caught in your throat at the sweet moment you had dreamed of many times, it felt so safe there.  So secure.  You didn’t want to leave anytime soon.

   “So I’m impressed,” you said.  “No feet have been stepped on yet.”

   He pulled away ever so slightly to give you a humorous look.  “It’s been some time, but I have danced before, _________.”

   You laughed.  “Actually I was talking more about myself.”

   “Ah.  See, that makes more sense.”

   “Oh, please,” you joked.  “I’m not that bad.”

   He chuckled softly and rested his cheek against yours, like you’d seen in old-timey movies, as he swayed with you.  “No, no that bad indeed.”

   You were stunned into silence again at the contact.  Your steps weren’t a concern anymore because it felt like you were floating across the dancefloor.

   “Is this okay?” he asked.  The question was so quiet considering how close his voice was.  

   It felt wrong to nod and break the contact, so you just uttered a hushed, “yeah.  It’s more than okay actually.”

   How long had you been dancing?  You weren’t sure.  All you knew was eventually the band announced that they’d be taking a break, a well-earned one in your mind.  Everyone at the party applauded, and you and Bucky hesitantly pulled away.

   “Hey, Buck,” a new voice greeted.  “Hey there, _________.”

   “Happy birthday, Steve,” Bucky said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.  “You’re in pretty good shape for being, what, ninety-eight?  What’s your secret?”

   Steve gave a chuckle.  “I already heard that one a few times today.  But thanks, my secret is that I go for a run every day.” 

   “Happy birthday,” you chimed in with a grin, giving him a hug.  “Do you like the party?”

   “Yeah, I really do.  I heard you had something to do with the theme?”

   “Me and Nat both did.”

   That Steve Rogers smile appeared on his face, softening his features even more.  It was the kind of smile that made anyone feel like a million bucks because it was always so genuine.  “Well, thank you.  It was very sweet of you both.”

   “There he is!” Thor called, and the three of you looked over to see him holding up a glass.  “The birthday boy!  Come hither and tell us one of your tales of victory!” 

   Steve hesitated, looking at you and Bucky.  “Ah, guess I’ll be right back, then?”

   “Go see your other guests,” Bucky told him, giving him a nudge.  “We’ll catch up with you later.”  Steve gave one last wave and approached the group, causing them to erupt in cheers.  You and Bucky exchanged looks, laughing.

   “How long do you think they’ll keep him?” Bucky asked.

   “A while, for sure.”  Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Natasha and Bruce conversing casually.  Wanda and Vision walked past, both glancing your way and waving.  They looked so cute together.  With the music gone, all you could hear was quiet chatter and the clinking of glasses and silverware.  It was such a peaceful atmosphere.

   “Want something to eat?”

   You nodded.  “Yeah, I do.”  He stopped a waiter so that the two of you could grab a few appetizers and go find a seat.  You found a few lounge chairs near the window where you could look out at the city lights in the dark.  There was some playful banter, as usual, and some brief talk of superhero work before you settled on a game of truth or dare.  So far, Bucky had dared you to try a new food that you weren’t so sure about, and you had dared him to throw a straw wrapper at Sam just to get his attention.  It was your turn to pick again, and you chose “dare.”

   “I dare you,” Bucky began, narrowing his eyes as he leaned back in the chair in thought.  “I dare you to save me the next dance, and the one after that.”

   Your smile faded at his words while you played with the hem of your dress.  “Hm, okay.”  You paused.  “Truth or dare?”

   “Truth,” he said.

   “Alright, here’s my question: Is there a reason you want all these dances with me?”

   His gaze was fixed on you sincerely as he opened his mouth to reply.  Unfortunately, this happened to be the moment that Steve returned.

   “I’m back,” he announced.  “Sorry about that.”  He halted to observe the way you and Bucky looked at each other so intently.  “Oh, am I interrupting?”

   “Um, no, we were just…”

   “Playing a game.”  Bucky said quickly.  “Truth or dare.”

   Steve nodded.  “Gotcha’.  Hey, was that why you threw straw wrappers at Sam?”

   “It was only one straw wrapper,” Bucky corrected.  “And yes, it was the reason.  If you talk to him again, you should tell him that it was ___________ who put me up to it.  I was just following the rules of the game.”  He feigned innocence with the casual shrug of his shoulders.

   “I bet,” Steve chuckled.

   Just then, you noticed the band heading back to their instruments.  It appeared that their break was over and they were beginning to play again.  Immediately, Bucky looked at you and then his friend.  

   “Speaking of rules of the game,” he said.  “__________ here owes me a dance.  Are you up for it?”

   You smiled, rising from the lounge chair.  “Sure.  It was a dare, after all.”  In reality, you both knew that it was a joke and you didn’t have to comply with the dare if you didn’t want to, but the thing was, you did want to.  You wanted to save all your dances for him.  As he led you to the dance floor again, you didn’t see Natasha walk over to Steve with her arms folded.

   “You think they’re going to get together?” she asked.

   “It’s their business,” Steve pointed out.  “Not our place to get involved”.  Natasha glanced his way with a raised brow, and he sighed in defeat.  “Okay yeah, I think it’s going to happen soon.  Back home, Bucky was never this hesitant when it came to dates.  He’s really taking his time with her. I think it’s because he really cares about her.”

   “That’s sweet, but how do you know he feels that way?”

   “He told me.  We’re best buds, remember?”

   “I thought you and I were best friends,” she deadpanned.  They shared a humorous look as they watched the two of you moving to the rhythm of the jazzy music, big smiles across your faces.  “I just hope it happens soon.”

   “I hear that.”

[hithisischris]

Her moans N.M x Reader

Authors note- ngl Im in love with Nat and I really don’t see much smut for her which makes me cry LMFAOOO so Here!

Warning: THIS IS FLUFFY AND SMUTTY YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED 

———————————————————————

The vlog squad at a club was always interesting to see, David loved the footage he’d get from them and how lively a club felt so every time he would say club they would all get ready to get drunk. Y/n had been to a couple clubs but this was her first time going to one with the vlog squad and she had only come after Natalie begged her to come claiming she did not want to be alone, y/n would always give into Natalie as she had a long time crush on the girl.

As she got ready at her place she put on a tight skirt and a white crop top she had her hair down, but put a hair tie around her wrist just incase. While she didn’t like partying hard she always loved getting dressed for a party. David and the rest of the vlog squad were picking her up so when she heard the vibration in her phone she grabbed her bag with the essentials and made her way to his Tesla. To say she looked hot was an understatement and as she entered the car and sat on Corrina's lap they praised her looks it confirmed how good she looked she beamed at confidence boost she had received. Catching Natalie's eyes in the mirror she winked at her making Natalie blush and smile.

That was their game after all small, flirting and teasing waiting to see who makes a move first. It had started as clickbait for David's vlog which led fans to ship them. It had become a fun thing to do in front of the camera without ever admitting their real feelings. It then became a game of feeling revelations, while Natalie around y/n was a shy little thing it never got in her way to tease the girl into making the first move. Y/n never gave in though, she almost did once when David asked Natalie to kiss Jeff for the vlog and she got a little jealous but she never did anything.

The drive to the club was short they all proceeded to get out and go into the club they settled in a booth and the binge drinking started. “Okay Natalie since David is once again designated driver and I am here because you begged me to come, you’re my new drinking buddy babe” y/n said as she sat next to Natalie. The girl felt herself blush at the nickname, it wasn’t the first time it had come from y/n’s lips but it never ceased to stop making her jittery and blush.

They ordered a round of shots and after they had drank them David ordered some beers to get Zane and Ilya drunk. The girls all had stayed with them to provide Dave his footage but y/n walked to the dance floor wanting to be away from the mess there would be and she dragged Natalie up to dance with her. As they reached the dance floor Natalie was a little nervous at their proximity and y/n noticed “don’t be nervous Nat it’s just me” she smiled and Nat felt butterflies “it’s why I’m nervous” the brunette blushed y/n smiled and squeezed her hand. “So when is this silent torture game of ours gonna end?” Asked y/n as she swayed her hips to the sound of the music Natalie took notice of her movement and couldn’t help but stare “hmm I- I don’t know what silent game you mean” Natalie tried her best to make her voice sound strong and not nervous but as soon as her mouth formed words it was no use. “Yes you do. If you didn’t know which one you wouldn’t be ogling at my hips right now.” Y/n giggled as Natalie lifted her head to look at y/n. She was so pretty, sometimes she doesn’t even know realize it.

“I don’t like the way Jeff looks at you” whispered y/n into Natalie's ear, it brought her attention back to the girl “how does he look at me” she asked glancing at the booth filled with their friends. “Like he wants you, like he’ll do anything to have you” y/n sighed, this was one of her doubts with Natalie; that their game was just a game and one day she’ll wake up not wanting to play it anymore. “It’s a good thing that the only person I want is standing right in front of me” Natalie had admitted back to y/n. This had taken her aback and she stopped dancing to the music, “do you mean that” her heart was beating at a fast pace she felt it might be louder than the music itself. She watched Natalie nod and move closer to her, “of course I mean that. Which also means you won the game” y/n smiled and wrapped her arms around the brunettes neck crashing her lips with hers. The moment for both girls was like time had stopped and placed them in a bubble to be consumed by one another. After a couple minutes their kiss had become needy and they both looked for more in it. Natalie slipped her hand under y/n’s skirt feeling the wetness on her underwear she rubbed circles on the girls clit causing her hips to buck at Natalie's hand and a low moan erupt “you’re a naughty girl y/n. Letting yourself be touched in public this way.” Her dominant side wanted out. They were still making out and with the bodies of people surrounding them no one noticed. Y/n began to whimper at the want for more after a while Natalie stopped leaving y/n breathless. Y/n was beetroot red and hot she glanced at Natalie who carried a smirk on her face.

“Do you want to go back to my place?” Y/n asked Natalie as reality rushed back to them. Natalie nodded her head and led y/n back to the table with their friends to tell them a half assed excuse. “Hey Dave I’m gonna take an Uber back to y/n’s apartment, she’s not feeling well and I wouldn’t want her to die without supervision” y/n giggled at the excuse but nodded along the table watched both girls knowing of their secret feelings for one another. David nodded and told Nat he’ll see her back home afterwards Ilya yelled “yes more alcohol for us” to which the table laughed at and order another round.

The girls didn’t wait long for an Uber as the night for most people had just begun. “You are so gonna get it Nat” y/n whispered into Natalie's ear as she held her hand and rubbed circles. Y/n’s statement caused Natalie's stomach to do a backflip in anticipation. She had imagined this moment for such a long time and now it was here. The ride to y/n’s apartment was filled with giggles and soft kisses. Natalie knew that although she was bold to touch y/n at the club, it didn’t make her dominant towards the girl she was kissing. As the car came to a stop Natalie and y/n jumped out with a quick ‘thank you’

The ride up the elevator was anticipating and exciting for them both, y/n wanted to jump Natalie's bones and the second she opened her apartment door she did. Natalie was up against the door legs spread apart and y/n’s hand softly on her throat. Kisses up and down her neck she whined for more, finally y/n reached her lips the kiss was slow after a while it became heated. Y/n’s hand led a trail down Natalie's chest pulling at the girls left nipple, Natalie moaned quietly “please-” y/n paused her actions “please what baby?” The y/h/c haired girl asked. Y/n’s hand threaded even slower “do you want me to touch you Nat? Rub your little nub till its all swollen and sensitive? Is that what you want baby.” Natalie felt exasperated trying to close her legs for some type of friction only to be stopped by y/n’s legs between them, she nodded softly at the girl who’s hands were still on her throat. Y/n let go of Natalie's throat and said “okay. Follow me”

Natalie nodded back, y/n was now walking into her room she sat on her bed patting her thigh silently directing Natalie to sit on it. Natalie did so sucking in a breath her heartbeat loud, could y/n hear it? Y/n kissed softly on her neck sucking what would be a purple bruise in the morning on the girls neck. Her hand unzipped the black dress Natalie wore for the night, the dress straps slipped from her shoulders exposing her breasts the cold hitting her nipples made her shudder. Y/n kissed down the girls cleavage reaching Natalie's right nipple she kissed around her erola and latched her mouth on her nipple, rubbing and pulling at her left one. Natalie's head fell back from pleasure and her hands found y/n’s head pushing it closer to her. Y/n switched on Natalie's nipples for a while the girl a whining mess (just where she wanted her) Natalie was sure her underwear was ruined from her wetness she tried grabbing y/n’s hand to push it down. Y/n moaned at the movement pulling away from the girl to undress her entirely.

Natalie felt awkward and as though she wanted to hide as y/n looked at every inch of her trying to remember her like this. Y/n pulled Natalie back on her lap spreading her legs apart y/n’s fingers danced their way to where the girl needed her most, Natalie felt her breathing halt as y/n’s hand loomed over her pussy. She tried to buck her hips trying to catch the girls fingers. “Now who’s the naughty needy girl Nat?” Natalie whined loudly leaning her head on the girls shoulder kissing on y/n’s neck. Y/n resumed her teasing for a while until finally giving in, her hand cupped Natalie’s pussy pushing her lips apart to gather the wetness that had built up on her fingers, spreading it around Natalie’s pussy she rubbed softly on Natalie’s clit. The room filled with Natalie’s soft moans as y/n rubbed harder. Y/n’s fingers edged on Natalie’s hole dipping two fingers in Natalie hand squeezed the girls shoulder moaning loud “don’t stop” y/n looked into Natalie’s eyes “I wasn’t planning to stop” the sound of Natalie's wet pussy mixed in with the girls moans she slowly felt the familiar feeling in her lower stomach. Y/n felt the girl clenching on her fingers moaning at how close Natalie was she fingered her until the girl came around her fingers. She pulled her fingers out tasting Natalie on her finger she moaned and after cleaning her hand she kissed Natalie wanting her to taste herself. Y/n pushed Natalie on her bed to lean back, she kneeled in front of the girl opening her legs she kissed up the girls thighs reaching her destination. She used her hand to open Natalie's pussy and licked up from her hole. Natalie moaned loudly directing her hands to y/n’s hair she pulled at it softly.

Natalie’s second orgasm was close, y/n licked faster but slowing down every once and a while to draw figures with her tongue. Natalie’s moans are pretty y/n thought  I want to hear her make those sounds forever. Natalie felt the coil in her stomach snap as her second orgasm washed over her, y/n kissed around her softly letting Natalie ride her high. As Natalie's breathing got back to normal y/n got up to get some water, Natalie sat up to look at the y/e/c eyed girl. “where are you going?” she asked softly stopping y/n on her tracks, “I was going to get you a cup of water” she smiled at Natalie. “but i want to taste you” Natalie whispered shyly y/n giggled and walked back to the girl, she leaned down to kiss her “you will baby, just not tonight.” as she left the room to get the cup of water Natalie leaned back on the bed getting under the covers. Y/n walked back in with the cup after handing it to Natalie she went into her closet to find a shirt she could wear, after finding one she went into her bathroom grabbing the makeup wipes she made her way towards her bed. Natalie observed her every move feeling the bed dip she smiled. Y/n opened the wipes grabbing one she used it to clean of Natalie’s makeup “i can do it myself you know” she giggled “I know you are more than capable of doing it yourself, but I want to do it.” Natalie nodded slowly stealing a wipe from the girls hand she started to do the same. “you are pretty, not just that but gorgeous.” whispered y/n, Natalie felt her cheeks heat up and stopped her movements, she held y/n’s hand and kissed her softly. Both girls felt butterflies in their stomach. 

“you have no idea how much I love you y/n” whispered Natalie. Y/n smiled and responded “I think I have a big clue as to how much you love me, but I love you even more.” as they finished taking of their makeup they got comfortable on the bed, wrapping an arm around y/n’s waist she leaned her head on y/ns chest feeling the girls heart beat lulling them both to sleep. 

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A/N : Here is the long awaited smut piece with my beautiful baby Nat, I lowkey hate it but love it. I have another piece still in the process of writing but you guys will see it when I cross the bridge of writing it. 

[fanficimagery]

Natalie’s Half-Sister [Part 1 of 3]

Summary: Imagine being Natalie's half-sister and visiting her. Your week long vacation gets prolonged into a month and you hit it off with quite a few of the group.

Words: 4.3K Warnings: Language. Drinking. Most likely OOC since this is my first time writing for the Vlog Squad. I told myself I'd never write for real people, but the Vlog Squad got me fucked up, man. That said, I'm 95% sure I'll only keep these imagines platonic-friendly because I find it weird shipping someone with a real person. Then again these are the Vlog squad boys and they're quite flirtatious.

Having finished filming for David's latest video, a few members of the squad stick around to help David and Natalie clean up.

So after all the glass and broken drywall is swept up, the water all mopped up from where Zane threw a bucket of it on a small fire, and the demolished trash cans and ping pong balls taken out to the curb, everyone drops onto the couch with a tired sigh as Mariah proceeds to order a smorgasbord of food through Postmates.

"So David," Natalie drawls, attention focused on her phone as she addresses her friend. "I have a favor to ask."

"No, Natalie! You can't go on another vacation."

Those surrounding them laugh, Natalie included, but she rolls her eyes fondly as well. "Shut up. Y/N is coming to visit and I was wondering if she could stay with us."

"Y/N?" David lowers his camera. "Your sister Y/N?" He then slowly grins.

"Wait, what?" Zane leans forward in his seat, gaze darting between his two friends. "Natalie's got a sister and we're only hearing about this now?"

"It's because she's hot. She's hot, isn't she?" Todd laughs.

"She's my half-sister," Natalie says at the same time David answers, "Definitely hot."

"Wait a minute." Jeff looks up from his phone to address his friends. "So does this mean that if Natalie won't go on a date with me, then I can ask her sister?"

"Jesus," Natalie groans and then grips a couch pillow to swat Jeff with. "No hitting on my sister."

"No promises," He, Todd, and Zane all muse at the same time.

The room erupts with laughter.

Then finally, David says, "Y/N can stay with us. I don't mind."

"Thanks. She's only staying for a week, so.."

"That's fine," David assures her. "When does she get in?"

"Two days from now."

After a three and a half hour flight, you're more than ready to find your sister in the busy airport and go wherever it is she's putting you up for the week.

With the strap of your duffel bag hooked over your shoulder and you pulling your rolling suitcase behind you, your tired gaze scans the crowd waiting for their loved ones. It doesn't take you long to find your sister in the crowd, a familiar face at her side with a camera attached to his hand. David still looks the same, but it's obvious he's grown into his dorky appearance. The other two men, however, is what gives you pause. Both are incredibly good looking, dark haired, one clean shaven and the other with a fair amount of facial hair.

They're all joking and laughing, and you already know your week with them is going to be an entertaining one. The two unknowns with your sister put their heads together, laughing as they play a quick game of rock, paper, scissors. The clean shaven one loses and after David has his camera pointed at him, the stranger stands up on a chair and shouts that he loves penis. Several people stop and stare while others laugh and continue walking. A few young teens get excited over seeing them, so while the guys are busy taking photos with their apparent fans, you pull down the sunglasses over your eyes and attempt to walk on by.

You've barely made it a few feet before someone is rushing in front of you, shoving a camera in your face. "Did you really just walk on by us, Y/N? How rude!"

You laugh and playfully shove the camera away. "Well if it isn't Dobrik all grown up. Tell me, David, have you boned my sister yet?"

David only cackles in response, lowering his camera to give you a brief hug. "You haven't changed a bit. Thank god."

"Neither have you," you say. "Well I lied. You finally grew into your looks."

"Hey!"

Laughter erupts and you watch the two other men join David, smiling. Arms wrap around your waist from behind and you manage to turn your head just so in order to spot your sister's beaming expression. "Natty. God I've missed you." You turn in her arms and give her a proper hug, sighing. "LA suits you, sister-mine."

As soon as she pulls out of the hug, she gestures to her two other friends with David. "Sorry for the welcoming committee. The whole squad has been non-stop trying to dig information up on you since I told them about you, and these two threw themselves into the back of David's Tesla when we were leaving to come here."

"Hey. I'm Jeff."

"And I'm Todd."

You laugh at their too charming smiles, shaking your head as David films the entire encounter. "Y/N," you say. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too. And let me take that for you," Jeff says as he reaches for the strap of your bag. "It looks kind of heavy."

"It's not."

"And I'll take the suitcase," Todd's quick to jump in, taking your suitcase from your hand.

You laugh as your sister groans. "Aw, Natty, your friends are adorable."

Arm in arm, you and your sister then walk out of the airport as David continues to film you and his friends acting a little too chivalrous. David and Natalie end up taking the driver and front passenger seats, leaving the boys to play yet another game of rock, paper, scissors to see who would be sitting with you in the middle seats. Todd wins.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" Natalie asks after setting up David's camera on the dash.

"Honestly? I just want to keep things chill. And that goes for my entire stay here. Don't go out of the way to plan something special. If you're gonna stay home and edit videos, that's fine with me. I'm seriously okay with whatever."

The entire car goes quiet and the group start to nervously chuckle.

"Goddammit," you grumble. "What did you do?"

"There may or may not be a party happening tonight to welcome you," David giggles.

Smiling, you shake your head. "You're really trying to get me to relive my party days. Shame on you, Davey."

"Party days," Todd muses. "That makes you sound old." Laughter fills the car, it dwindling when you shrug.

"Well I am older than Natty."

Todd quirks an eyebrow. "How old?"

"Old enough."

"Yes!" Jeff cheers from the back. "I can hit on this one without feeling weird."

Glancing over your shoulder, you wink. "Flirt all you want, hot shot, but I don't do hook-ups or relationships."

Natalie turns around in her seat, smirking. "Fun fact about my sister, guys, is that Y/N doesn't have sex."

Todd practically gapes. "Like at all?"

You shake your head. "I will hold hands, I will cuddle, and I will make-out, but nothing more. I'm just- I'm not hardwired like everyone else."

David suddenly cackles, he pulling over to the side of the road and picking up his camera. Turning around in his seat, he says, "Look at Todd and Jeff, guys. They just found out that Natalie's sister doesn't do sexual intimacy and they look like someone murdered their dogs."

You and Natalie laugh, and you reach over to grab Todd's hand. "Aw. Don't pout. If it helps any, you and Jeff are really attractive. I just don't feel the need to have sex with you."

Jeff leans forward. "But you will make-out with us. Right?"

You glance at him again, grinning. "We'll see."

- X - X - X - X - X -

David's house leaves you in awe when you get there. He and Natalie give you a tour when Todd and Jeff take their leave to get dressed for the party, and you end up shedding a couple of tears over how proud you are of him. David laughs it off, but you and Natalie can see how much it means to him to hear that you're proud of him.

Natalie then ends up ordering the three of you a late lunch/early dinner and encourages you to eat as much as you can because the alcohol will be flowing later that night and she doesn't want you to get too sick. Then after you nap off your food baby in the guest room Natalie had set up for you, you shower and dress in a pair of black, ripped skinny jeans and a white sports bra that's visible through your mesh crop top.

You go searching for your sister, only to find her in David's room and helping him choose a decent outfit. Laughing, you fall onto his bed and then snatch up one of his numerous Clickbait caps.

"Hey, can I wear this?" David glances at you and watches as you put his cap on backwards, fixing your wavy hair to drape in front of your shoulders.

"Yeah." He turns back around, but then quickly faces you once more. "Hey, I forgot to ask earlier, but is it okay if I use the footage with you in it? I kind of need your permission to post anything you're in."

"Yeah. Go for it. I don't mind."

"Thanks."

People soon start showing up and you're introduced to every one of Natalie's friends. Zane is, by far, the loudest and most blunt with his first impression of you. Being called baby and hot amuses you to no ends, and then you're relieved to see that when the camera is turned off their personalities are a lot more calmer.

There's a bit of pre-gaming before David turns his camera back on, Todd and Jeff letting everyone know about your personal choices pertaining to dating, or the lack there-of, when Jonah and Dom take their flirting a little too far. Everyone seems a little surprised, but you're relieved when they respect your choice and a few volunteer themselves to make-out with you should you feel yourself wanting to kiss someone. You laugh it off, but make no promises.

When everyone is loose-limbed and loose-lipped, David finally turns his camera back on. Lights are dimmed, multi-colored lights flash, and a tray of shots are passed around.

"A toast!" Zane shouts, already glassy-eyed. Everyone gathers around, shot glasses raised. "To Y/N! Baby girl, you are a hottie and I honestly hope you let loose enough to stick your tongue my throat. I'm game." The group cheers and you snort, laughing.

"To Y/N!" Everyone then shouts before downing their shot.

"Y/N. Y/N, wake up." You startle at the voice and the gentle nudging of your shoulder, flinching as the lights are suddenly flooding the room. David laughs and you groan when you see the camera in hand, pulling up the sheet to cover your face. "Wake up, sleepy head. Your sister went out to get some lunch."

"Screw you. I'm never drinking with you guys again." David laughs some more. Then after making sure you're not going to barf, you shove the sheet away. "How bad was it? I feel like shit, so.."

"You and Mariah ended up dancing atop my pool table. I've never seen Heath look so happy before."

"Anything else?"

"Not as bad as you're thinking. The squad really likes you. Natalie was happy you got along with everyone."

"That's good."

"Yeah. Now get up and shower. Natalie will be home soon."

"Okay," you mumble, rolling over onto your side and letting your eyes close once more.

"I'm serious, Y/N. If you don't get up in five minutes, you're not going to like your wake up call."

Unfortunately for you, you don't listen to David and then someone's bursting into the room. Water splashes you and you shriek, sitting up only to see a hungover Zane cheering. "Ice bath, baby! Get 'ya perky ass up. Food's here."

"You. Are. Fucking. Dead."

Zane blows you a kiss and takes off running.

- X - X - X - X - X -

After taking a warm shower, you dress in a pair of leggings and yet another sports bra beneath a baggy tank top. You accept Zane's hug and apology for the rude wake-up call, and then eat the greasy burger and fries Natalie had slid in front of you.

Your sister and David have hours of footage to go through and edit for his next video, so you have absolutely no problem dropping onto the lovesac (giant beanbag) in the living room while they edit on the couch several feet away from you, but only after you've down some ibuprofen. You're in and out of sleep, eyes fluttering open every time someone pops in real quick for a visit.

Todd, Scott, and Jason stick around, laptops in front of them and headphones plugged in as they edit their own stuff.

You end up falling asleep, only to be jolted awake by something jumping onto your lap. "Wha-" There are sounds of panting and then slightly heavy footsteps walking up your body until a flat tongue is sweeping across your cheek. "Aw. Doggie," you sleepily chuckle, petting the animal.

"Nerf, no! Get down."

You manage to fully open your eyes and spot Jeff looking a bit alarmed that the dog has jumped on you, but you wrap your arms around the dog as it lays down atop your chest. "He yours?"

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout him."

"Don't be," you smile, gently scratching around the dog's neck. "Dogs are my favorite." Turning onto your side, Nerf slides off of you but he doesn't go far. In fact, he lays right in front of your chest and snuggles in. Then chuckling softly, you curl around the dog. "Oh my god. I want one so bad."

"Hey Jeff," David suddenly pipes up. "How does it feel to have the hot girl cuddling your dog rather than you?" His friends all laugh, including your sister who snaps a picture of a pouting Jeff as he stares down at you.

"Like a cosmic joke."

"Aw, Nerf, daddy seems jealous. Should we allow him to cuddle too?"

"Yes." Before you can even laugh, Jeff is sliding up behind you.

Everyone laughs louder and more video/pictures are taken. "I'm down for some good cuddling, but if your hand ends up on my tit I'm gonna throat punch you."

"She'll do it too," Natalie muses. "Trust me."

"Noted." Jeff's arm stays draped over your bare waist and you soon find yourself drifting off back to sleep.

"That dog is seriously the luckiest little shit I've ever met," Todd grumbles.

You have no idea how long you've been asleep until a phone ringing startles you awake. You're no longer cuddling a dog, but a person instead, and as you glance up at the equally sleepy face you grimace. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Jeff yawns. "Did what?"

"When I get cold I tend to curl into the nearest source of warmth. I'm so sorry."

He chuckles as you unwrap yourself from him. "Don't be. That was the best nap I've had in a while."

Then glancing around, you notice the living room is empty and it's starting to get dark outside. "Where is everyone?"

"Hey, you guys are finally awake!" Natalie enters the room and she readily pulls you up from the giant beanbag you'd fallen asleep in. "Since last night was a bit wild, David rented out a theatre for ourselves. We can watch a movie and still be loud little shits without ruining anyone else's movie night."

"That's fine." You stretch and then guiltily glance at Jeff before looking back at your sister. "I really wish you'd have woken me earlier. I only met your friends yesterday and already I wrapped myself around one like a-"

"Y/N," Jeff chuckles. "It's fine. Really."

"It really isn't," you frown. Natalie faintly smiles as she wraps an arm around your shoulders. "We only met yesterday and if I made you uncomfortable-"

Natalie snorts. "Doubt it."

"Listen to your sister," he tells you. "It was only cuddling. I know where you stand and I'm cool with it. At least this way I know you're the only girl I can actually just sleep with without you trying to wheedle anything out of me."

You nervously chuckle at his pretty smile. "You sure? Like I didn't cross any lines?"

"I'm positive. In fact, if you want a cuddle buddy for the rest of your stay, all you have to do is ask."

Sighing in relief, Natalie finally laughs at you. "Now that that's settled, you two need to shower and get dressed. We're getting dinner before heading to the movies."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

The next few days are a whirlwind of drinking, laughter, cuddles, and pranks. You seemed to fit in rather flawlessly with your sister's friends and it was a running joke that you'd end up in a threesome with both Jeff and Todd because after that night with you cuddling Nerf and then cuddling Jeff, the boys seemed to find you fair game as a cuddling partner. More often than not, it was Jeff or Todd cuddling you or placing their head in your lap and falling asleep when your nails lightly raked against their scalps.

Now it's the morning of the day before you're set to fly back home, but instead of doing anything, you're laying in bed with your sister as you lazily scroll through social media.

"You ready to head back home tomorrow?" Natalie asks.

"No," you mumble. "I've forgotten how much I loved being around you and I've grown quite fond of your friends."

"They're your friends too," she grins. "Even though some might secretly wish there was something more going on."

"Christ," you chuckle, rolling onto your side to face your sister. "I've never met a more attractive group of people. I recently found myself wishing I was sexually attractive to people just so I could sit on one of their faces."

"Oh my god!" Natalie cackles, her phone falling and hitting her in the face. Her hands then cover her face as she continues to laugh, it completely masking the sound of her bedroom door opening.

"Room for one more?" You turn and see David standing there, still a little sleep mussed with his camera and laptop in hand.

"Sure."

As Natalie tries to control her giggles, you roll out of bed and let David take the middle. Then once he's situated, you climb back in. "What did I miss?" He asks, absentmindedly turning on his camera and angling the lens towards you three. When you only smile and shrug, he then says into his camera, "Look, guys, I'm living the dream right now." He moves it around to show you and Natalie on either side of him.

You flip off the camera just in time for Natalie to tell him what he had missed moments ago. "Y/N admitted to wanting to be sexually attractive to our friends so she could sit on their faces."

David cackles as a blush heats your face. "Who?" He wonders.

"Nope. Not telling. Knowing you, you'll tell them what I said or put this clip in your next video and surprise them. I'm not stupid, Davey."

"Come on, Natalie, tell me since your sister won't."

"I don't know either!" She laughs. "We didn't get that far into the conversation."

Luckily for you, before David can pester you for any more information, your phone starts to ring and you see Boss Lady flash across the screen. "Oh shit, guys. I need to take this." David and Natalie instantly calm down, and you sit up to answer the call. "Hello?"

The call goes no way near what you expected and your blood slowly starts to boil as your boss reprimands you over the phone. You can feel yourself getting agitated, so you crawl out of bed, choosing to pace by Natalie's closet. "So let me get this straight," you say, voice cold. David and Natalie lose their grins, the snickering coming to a full fledged stop as they watch you. "Because no one wanted to listen to me when I said nurse Tyler wasn't ready for solo rotations, I'm the one being punished for her screw up?"

The bedroom door slams open, making you flinch, but before a clearly exuberant Zane can say anything, David and Natalie wave him off and gesture for him to join them on the bed. Seeing your eyes flash and jaw clench as you remain on the phone, Zane clamps his mouth shut and plops down on the foot of your sister's bed. "With all due respect, ma'am, this is such a bullshit call. I'm well aware I was the one in charge of her training, but I warned you before I left for vacation that nurse Tyler wasn't picking up as quick as you'd hoped. I told you she wasn't prepared to be on her own and even left clear instructions for the other nurses on shift to help nurse Tyler should she find herself overwhelmed."

Once again the door opens and it's almost comical as the three other occupants of the room wave their arms in hopes of catching Jeff's attention to not make any noise. His smile quickly falls and he warily joins the others on the bed as you huff over the phone. Aware of all eyes on you, you will yourself to not cry the angry tears threatening to fall.

Your boss' next words have you freezing, eyes subtly widening. "Suspended without pay?" You repeat the words back, almost in disbelief. Even your sister and friends seem shocked. "Are you kidding me!? It wasn't my call to let nurse Tyler out on the floor!" More words are had until your shoulders slump in defeat, but the anger is still there simmering. "Aw. Bless your heart, ma'am," you mockingly coo. Natalie snorts. "But I have a better outcome for you: I quit." With that you end the call, squeezing your phone until you just let it drop with a sigh.

The room is eerily quiet until, "Did you just say bless your heart?" Zane muses.

Natalie starts to giggle. "In Texas speak, she just told her boss fuck you."

David and Zane laugh, and Jeff appears surprised. You shrug. "She wanted to punish me for someone else's mistake. The hospital I work for has been having a lot of problems lately and a couple of the doctors are sketchy as fuck. I've been meaning to look elsewhere for a job and she just gave me the push I needed to finally quit."

"Hold up!" Zane sits on his knees, staring at you intently. "You're a nurse!?"

"Yes." And before Zane can ask anything else, you hold up a hand. "And no I don't own a sexy nurse costume, nor will I model one for you."

He deflates. "You're such a buzzkill."

Everyone laughs and it's David who then finds his voice, realization dawning. "Holy shit. Did you really just quit your job?"

"Yep."

"You know what this means. Right?" Natalie then asks. "You don't have to fly out tomorrow. With no job, you don't have to be back home for anything."

"What? No," you laugh. "I've already disrupted your lives for a week."

"So? Lets make it a month." You gape at David, content to let him record whatever plan he's no doubt concocted in that brain of his. "Anyone got a quarter?"

"Yaassss, baby," Zane cheers. "Where we going?"

"What?" You glance around in confusion and it's Jeff who takes pity on you as Natalie searches for a quarter.

"The last time David flipped a quarter, if it lands on heads, we go on a trip of his choosing."

"Oh."

You tiredly sigh and pick your phone up from the floor. "You okay?" He then asks.

"Hmm?" You see Jeff's concerned expression and flash him a small smile. "Yeah. I really have been meaning to find a job elsewhere. My boss just gave me an excuse to finally quit and get on with it."

"You can always find a job out here," he then muses. "It's LA. There are jobs everywhere."

"Aw. Are you gonna miss me, Jeff?" You tease.

"Maybe." He shrugs. "But Natalie will miss you more. Since you've been here, she's been a lot more happier. Everyone can see it."

"You say that now. Just wait until she has to see me day in and day out for a month. She'll be ready for me to leave then."

Jeff grins, but then Zane catches everyone's attention as he makes phone call after phone call to the rest of their friends. He tells everyone to get to David's asap without giving away the surprise and half an hour later you find yourself with your legs draped over Jeff's lap as you both absentmindedly look at hospitals hiring around the area just in case.

"Okay so what's going on?" Heath asks as he and Mariah are the last to show up.

David stands, camera in hand, recording. "Y/N just quit her job earlier today and from the sounds of it she had a real shitty boss." Everyone boos and glances at you in sympathy. "So to cheer her up, I thought we'd play a game." David pinches a quarter between his forefinger and thumb, holding it up for all to see. "Heads we go to Vegas tonight, tails we move Y/N out here tomorrow."

"What!?"

"Deal." Natalie snatches the quarter from David, beaming. "Its a win-win for me," she says. "I either get to go to Vegas with you or I get to live with you. I'm taking this deal for us." And before you can refuse, Natalie flips the coin.

Everyone seems to hold their breath and then when it lands, David zooms in. "WE'RE GOING TO VEGAS!"

The whole group cheers simultaneously, laughing hysterically. Natalie rushes over to you, falling into your lap and making Jeff groan. "This is going to be so much fun."

[erissthemean]

Boy o boy do I have an idea

So I was skimishing through miracoulus tags and by accident I found 2 amazing blogs. First one is brilliant @zoe-oneesama and second is angst master @lenoreofraven

And because of this two and because of an enormous amount of fanfics I got an idea for a Akumanette which could never work in the show but gave me a lot of fun to think about.

Sorry for my English, it's not my first language!

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

***

So, everything happens just after Lila "exposed" Mari as a thief. Hawkmoth fails to akumatize the girl because Nathalie can't transform, she has attack so the Akuma doesn't even fly out.

Marinette is allowed to go back to class to gather her things. She goes, still fuming, still in a mood to attack someone. She slowly gets her things... But then Lila stabs her last one time.

... But it's not her who does it.

Mari just... Hears it. Silent murmur that slowly swims to her. Murmur of people who... believed Layla. Who started to blame Marinette. Who... Believed she did it. That she was able to do it.

And it hurt. It hurt because she couldn't! Because she thought that they knew that she couldn't. That she would never, ever hurt another person like that. Didn't she prove that she was a good person? Didn't she help others so many times? Wasn't she a person that everybody could trust, wasn't she a person that was giving everyone a helping hand? Why did they fall for Laylas lie? Why it was so easy to mistrust her now?

Before she knew, tears were dropping on her desk. Why? She didn't want to cry.

"She's playing the victim now..."

Who said that? She didn't know. She just heard it. And it hurt so much more because... It wasn't Lila. It wasn't Chloé. It was someone else, someone who she thought was her friend. It was too much. She grabbed her things and run out of classroom.

Alya tried to get up but what she could do? She just sat down again. Miss Bustlier called Marinette but girl didn't listen. It was Adrien who ran after her- and it was him who SAW.

He saw her running towards the stairs. He saw how her bag opened and spilled all of her things on floor. He saw how she trips and then falls. And falls. And falls... To the bottom of stairs.

"Marinette?"

She didn't answer.

"Marinette!"

She didn't move.

"Marinette!"

He ran to her... But it was too late. Rest of the class spilled out of the classroom and the air was pierced by few screams. Others tried to rush to the laying girl but they were used away. Someone called the ambulance.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

***

She was in coma. Her parents cried so hard they couldn't even hear or understand doctors. Their daughter was laying on hospital bed, with millions tubes and screens around her. She was pale and layed yet so still. They couldn't believe it. How did this happen? Why?

Only Alya, Nino and Adrien came to visit blue haired girl in the hospital. They were talking about the school, what was happening, who got akumanitazed... And how Ladybug was nowhere to be seen. How Chat Noir was breaking the charm but no one could repair Paris and how no one could stop reakumanitazation. It was only a month and a half and everything was just... In chaos.

And Marinette layed there, pale, unresponsive.

One day she got one more visitor. It was Master Fu. He sat in the silence. After a while he started talking. Hours passed and he finally got to the part that was so hard to tell.

"Marinette... I have to take your miracoulus. Paris needs Ladybug and you can't make it. I'm sorry."

Tikki cried silently. She was watching her dear friend, forever loyal. But she knew she couldn't do much. Not alone. And... She couldn't do that, not again, not with the cost. She kissed girls cheek and then she faded, just as Master Fu took the earrings.

...

And it hurt.

Marinette screamed. Not that anyone could hear. She was screaming and trashing in her own body for over a month and no one noticed. She heard everything. She wanted to get out, to hug her parents, to let everyone know that she still was there! And yet, they talked like she was so far away. Like... Like she would never return.

But she had to. Even if her parents lost hope, she would break this damn Dream. This... Sleep. Even when her friends sounded so defeated she knew she would wake up. After all... She was Ladybug. She was the protector of Paris. She had to wake up.

But now... Even Master Fu and Tikki lost their hope. Even they didn't believe that she would make it.

Her determination quivered. And then all of her emotions swallowed her to the point where she couldnt breathe. Machines started to cheep and some doctors came in but she was still laying there. They gave her a mask so she could breathe but they couldn't do much more. So they left. Like everyone else.

Hawkmoth never felt such a rush of negative energy. It was big. It was... Deafening force that didn't seem to have a target.

Marinette was hurt. Because no one believed she would wake up. Because she wouldnt be in a coma if she didn't fall. Because she wouldn't fall if her friends believe her. She would be fine if not their mistrust... And if not for Lila. It was because all of them she couldn't wake up now. It was because all of them she couldn't be a Ladybug they so clearly needed.

They deserved every Akuma that was sent their way now. They got rid of her. They... did it to her.

And suddenly, the swirl of emotion found their target.

Hawkmoth hesitated for second. Could he do it? It was... More than ever. Could he play with so much?

"Fly my little Akuma and darken her heart!"

She would cry if she had the chance to make a sound. Her mom just finished brushing her hair. She brought two pretty ribbons and made two pigtails, just like her daughter always did. She wiped her tears away. She couldn't cry now. Not again.

"Bye bye Marinette. I have to go. Your dad and I will make cupcakes today. It's a bit harder since last villain broke our wall but we will still make it. I will leave some creme for you. Oh, and don't worry. I am cleaning your room. It is still just like you left it... Even the pins. They... " she choked a little sob "The pins are waiting for you to create more. I can't wait till you make me a new dress. Or apron. My apron has a hole in it but... I didn't sew. I'm wai-waiting for my little fashion queen. I can't to this as well as you. So... Yes. I-I have to go".

Sabine quickly ran out of the hospital room. She couldn't pretend. Not now when she just wanted to wail cause her little daughter looked so... fragile and broken. And she couldn't do anything about it.

Just then a little dark butterfly flew into the room. It rocked above blue hairs for a while and then it sat on the pretty ribbons.

"Hello Princess Justice. No... Hello Jinx. Your friends and family didn't believe you were a good person and now they don't believe you can come back. I can help you prove them wrong, to show them what you could really do if you were as horrible as they believed you were. In return, you will give me miracoulus of Ladybug and Chat Noir. "

The link was silent. But then, from the deepest parts of mind came response.

"Yes, Hawkmoth"

Purple mist swallowed unmoving girl. She was still binded to the hospital bed but it didn't stop her. After all, only her body was broken, her body was a trap. And... Now, she could escape.

So she did.

***

At first no one noticed. It was simple things, knocking things from tables, tripping when there was nothing to trip onto. Then it started to get worse. Objects falling from high, machines breaking while being used, endangering those around. Stairs becoming slippery. Brakes not working. Walls cracking.

It was Alya who noticed first. She saw a her in the corner of the eye. Pale and... When she turdes around, she couldn't see her anymore. But it must have been her. Right...?

It was getting worse. Everything that could go wrong, went that way. You would fall into the hole that wasn't there a minute ago, people were falling into the water, tripping, pushing, animals were snappier than usual and everyone somehow always managed to get hurt. It was bad... But it was only beginning.

Jinx made her first real appearance when first person died. She was hovering about the poor man with a little smile on her face. Man just got hit in the head with a flower pot and a little bit of concrete.

She looked like her old self. Almost. She was floating, half transparent, flickering here and there. Her ribbons were longer, swirling around her body like if they were alive. She had a black costume with white hearts on shoulders. The same hearts that worked as her new freckles. As she was looking at the dying man, new heart formed on her costume, this one the biggest of all.

She hummed.

"What a shame... You really had a bad luck, huh? But don't worry... Everyone in this city will have it as bad as you~!"

She looked at the horrified crowd and giggled. Such fun! Just then, two cars hit each other. There was a lot of smoke... Screaming... And she vanished, with five new hearts on the costume.

***

She stood in the spotlight. Every camera was looking at her. It was her moment.

"Greetings! I am Jinx, your little helper of the week!"

Yes, week... She was slow. But Hawkmoth listened to her plan and agreed to wait. She would success.

"You know what I can do by now"

She showed a footage of accidents. Cars smashed together. Construction that fell down and crushed a house nearby. Accidental fires. Death. Death death death.

She switched view to her face again.

"Some of you are afraid to leave your houses... Fear not! I can get you in there too~!"

She giggled. What a joy!

"But... I suppose I can ease my actions. All I ask is you give me my 'friends'. My old class who believed that I was someone horrible. Give me girl who calls herself Lila. Give me a chance to properly thank them for what they've done to me."

She gritted her teeth. Now is not the time. She relaxed a little.

"Oh... And Chat Noir? If you want to stop me. If you want to save Paris..."

Now. Now she had the attention. She had to do this.

She went to Master Fu before and discovered he didn't have her kwami anymore. He gave it to Chat, so the hero could choose himself a new partner. Bastard took some others miracoulus but not all of them. So she stole the rest. It was her job to take and give miracoulus, was it not? And now...

She looked straight into the camera.

"Give me your miracoulus. And give me MY MIRACOULUS BACK!"

And just like that, every screen shattered.

[rvdispatch]

EPISODE TWO SUMMARY

Episode Two aired on May 7th, 2021, on MNet. 

Episode Two gave us our first big challenge, dividing the trainees into teams and getting them to learn nine songs-- which songs they would be performing, however, wasn’t up to them. The goal of episode two was to see the trainees bonding, tensions rising, and to show how the trainees acting under significant pressure, seeing as this turned out to be the biggest challenge in the history of all three seasons. But little did they know, so much more was about to happen.

The episode started with the trainees waking up in the dorm. Shots were shown of various trainees getting ready, be it alone or in groups. Then producers lead them to the main stage, so they can be given their next challenge. Before that happens, however, each grade group votes for their team leader, with the results being Hwa as A grade leader, Ilhoon as B grade leader, Hope as C grade leader, and Minah as D grade leader.

When the challenge is announced, most trainees meet the description with a look of confusion– to help the viewers understand, MNet provides step-by-step graphics on how the episode play out. And then the teams are made. They are all are assigned a laptop with the songs, lyrics and choreography loaded and a room to practice in for the week, with many trainees noting in their confessionals that they had been given these songs to practice before the show started-- some of them revealing that they perfected the songs, and others revealing that they hadn’t practiced at all. 

All the groups watch the nine performances together in their respective rooms, with competitors ranging from excited to focused to scared. The trainees from Liberty, in particular, seem especially stressed about learning so much choreography so quickly.

In Team One, Hyunjoo takes the reins as the natural leader of the group. Not only did he compete on the previous season, where they had a challenge much like this one, but he and Eunyeol are the only trainees in this group that aren’t foreigners, and Eunyeol is a Liberty trainee. Despite how Hyunjoo typically comes off, he is a very helpful and patient leader to his teammates, going the extra mile to re-coordinate choreography formations so everyone gets a part that they know somewhat well. 

Team Two is definitely a little more split-- While Ilhoon, Minsuk and Inho all are familiar with working with each other, it leaves the other two trainees feeling a little left out. Ilhoon does his best to keep everyone included, but when the choreography is being put together, it’s clear that there’s a disconnect between the Higher trainees, and the other two.

Team Three skews particularly young, with Haebi, Kahoru and Shiyin all being underage and fairly new to being a trainee. With Hwa being primarily a vocal trainee, a lot of the pressure falls on Hope to lead, which adds added difficulty with the language barrier. All five members of this team seem very eager to do well, and after some big bumps in the road, they manage to figure out how to communicate efficiently. 

Team Four is very split from the beginning. It’s clear that Mirae wants to take control, and in confessionals, Minah and Yoora both agree that Mirae is the most qualified, as she is the highest rank, however Taeri seems to fight her for control, causing Mirae to snap and tell her off. Tension are very high for the entire time they are rehearsing.

And then the show comes screeching to a halt. Many confessionals are shown of the trainees explaining what happened and why production shut down, as well as how they coped with it. And, whether or not they thought the show would return at all. The trainees get back to work, though, and it’s easy to see which trainees kept practicing during the break, and which ones gave up and are rusty. Finally, however, shots are shown of the audience filling into the building for performance day, and Adonis (as host) taking the stage.

The teams are all brought onstage. The host spins a wheel, and it picks Team One to go first. It is spun again, and Team Six is set to go against them. All teams are sent back to the dressing room to get ready for their respective first stages, and the host reveals that Juliette’s Lion Heart is first on the docket. 

Team One performs first, and their hard work is apparent. Hyunjoo did a great job making sure any wobbly parts are hidden. This team has the vocals to pull this song off, too-- despite Hyunjoo’s voice being a little too deep and standing out a lot, this team does very well. Some of them fall into the trap of making feminine choreography a bit of a joke, but most of them try their best. Team Six does a fairly good job as well, however their vocals aren’t strong enough to do the song justice.

Teams Two and Three are picked to go next, with Team Two out to perform first-- their song being Merci’s Lady. Inho in particular really stands out; despite being the youngest competitor, he has a lot of confidence and charisma, and does Jiae’s part well. Team Two has the right attitude for the song, however they don’t have the vocal power-- the whistle note in particular being hard for their vocalists.

Team Three had the opposite issue-- with none of them being rappers, and most of them having language barriers, the rap parts left a lot to be desired. However Hope did a very good job carrying the chorus, with Yihwa proving once again that she is one of the strongest vocalists in the competition.

Team Four and Five are the last to perform, with their first song being Pirate King. Team Four has some trouble with choreography, with many of them noticeably lagging behind Mirae, who for her part, did the song very well. Team Four’s inexperience and lack of synergy overall brought the song down. Team Five wasn’t memorable, but they put in a solid effort.

None of the winners of the matchups are shown– MNet keeps that footage until the end of the episode, to build suspense. While in real time, the trainees got to watch their stages after the first day, it is edited so that all nine matchups are first, trainee reactions are second, and the rank and matchup winners are last.

The editors continue as if it were the same day, and Team Four and Team One await onstage as their song is picked– Love Me Right. The production team has a fun time squaring up trainees against each other, with Mirae and Hyunjoo competing, as well as Eli and Mint. Team Four performs first, and while the choreography still seems a little out of some of their leagues, they have an easier time with this one than on day one. Thet has some trouble carrying the song, however Mirae nails the vibe of Love Me Right and gives an engaging performance. Team One does equally well, with the hosts calling this one one of the most even matchups yet. Hyunjoo, like Mirae, seems to fit the song very well, and his extra work with the formations shines through once more-- while the choreo is clunky, it’s disguised.

Team Two and Team Six both perform Venus’ Breakthrough. Adonis comments that this is one of the least well-known songs on the docket for this week, which could prove to be difficult, seeing as the other songs might be ones trainees practiced at their companies for evals.

Team Two goes first. While they do a very good job and their choreography in particular is top notch, Eda critiques Inho specifically, telling him that while he is a very good rapper, he went too hard for this song, and that beign a good rapper also includes tone and knowing when to go hard and when to be softer to suit the music. In a closed-door meeting between the judges, She comments on how she personally thinks a bit of unintentional misogyny is at play, with Inho not wanting to sound too feminine, or thinking this style of rap isn’t good (though she clarifies that she’s just speculating). Team Six is full of Venus fans, and while they do a good job, they get a little to excited, and their stage is a little sloppy

Team Three and Team Five compete with Empire’s Bang Bang Bang. In a confessional, Hope says that this was the song she wanted to do the least, since Kyuyeol and DK were both judges, and would be nitpicking people doing their own song. Team Three notably shifts the line distribution around, splitting both Prince and DK’s parts so that Yihwa gets the power notes and Hope gets the lower difficulty ones, and it works to their favor, with this team performing a near perfect stage. Team Five does well, but they had a particularly hard act they had to follow.

As for day three, the performances start with Team Two and Team Four performing I Am The Best by Reign. This is Team Four’s best stage, with Yuan commenting that it’s likely because of the less difficult choreography. Kyuyeol states that they had the right sort of confidence for this stage, and for this song in particular, that was what was most important. As for Team Two, the boys from Higher do well, but the other two lag behind. Adonis comments that since they are from Higher, they’ve likely had to perform this song before, and that it showed-- their performance came out a little hollow.

Team Five and Six go head to head with Inferno’s Devil next. Both performances are mediocre at best.

Finally, to finish off the performances, Team One and Team Three perform Haze’s Electric Shock. This is Team One’s best performance-- it’s the easiest choreography they’ve had to do yet, and while Hyunjoo’s voice is a touch too deep for the song, they all seem to be having a lot of fun. It’s a tight race, though-- Team Three has the same amount of fire and bubbliness to their performance, with DK mentioning that this one is going to be a photo finish.

MNet plays the shots of the trainees watching their own performances back, and then more random clips are thrown in too. The trainees are gathered in the Main Stage area with the coaches and the host, to see who won each match up. The votes for each trainee are to appear on the screen one by one, and then at the end, the overall tallies, to indicate who won. 

For Lion Heart, Eli got the most votes, with Team One winning the match. For Lady, Hwa gets the most votes, however Team Two brings home the win. For Pirate King, Mirae gets the most votes as well as the win for Team Four. For Love Me Right, Mirae gets the most votes once more, but Team One wins. For Breakthrough, Minsuk gets the most votes and Team Two bags another win. For Bang Bang Bang, Hope gets the most votes and the win for Team Three For I Am the Best, Mirae once again is voted the highest, and Team Four wins. For Devil, Xueying gets the most votes, and Team Five gets their first W For Electric Shock, Hyunjoo gets the most votes, however Team Three wins.

The ranking is then revealed to the trainees and the audience, and the episode ends.

[iphoenixrising]

I was thinking about the Titans working with the Avengers Kon and Bart still a little ticked at how Tim was treated brag about how fast Tim bonded with the Avengers. How Tony is seconds away from adopting Tim. How Bucky and Tim have come so close that he is in agreement with Tony to kidnap their new son. How they had to drag Tim out of Tony's lab where he and Peter were playing with DUM-E. To add insult Cass shows up and says how happy Tim is. Dick & Jason are off to get their baby bird back.

Hi babe.

WELP. This is not exactly what you were thinking of, but dammit. Dammit. Angst, you know?

But I mean, I really do enjoy two things: Tony Stark taking Tim in the Tower so they can literally wreck ALL the things; also, the Bats realizing the absolute fuckery of how Tim pretty much got booted out of the role as Robin, then running elbows over assholes trying to get him back and make up for it.

So, I kind of thought it might start out like this maybe...

**

“How do we look, Tin Man?”

“We look fantastic as always, Klondike. Sexy is our aesthetic. See anything from your perch?”

“You know what I’m looking at, Tones.” The Winter Soldier only partly means the view in Gotham.

And yes, Iron Man already has JARVIS focused on the two vigilantes walking around their Robin’s penthouse apartment. He knew letting Tim come back to Gotham was a bad idea, but dammit Steve had been adamant, saying they shouldn’t try to sway the kid.

“He needs to make his own decisions, Tony. We want him to come back because he wants to, not because we’re pressuring him, right?”

Tony and Buck had immediately called bullshit, but couldn’t argue when Tim himself, old backpack and worn hoodie, no mask over his eyes or utility belt around his hips, just a 19 year old kid that looked so much younger, so timid, so broken without his alter ego.

“It’s time for me to go back,” he’d said quietly to the gathered Avengers, a whole different kid without the mask. “I just wanted to say good-bye.”

His eyes are violet-blue and soft when he looks around at them, seemingly satisfied he’d single-handedly brought the team back together after the shit show that was Civil War. He can leave now since the mission he’d set out to do is accomplished, and is apparent since they’re all gathered in New York City once again, leaving the Compound for the new incarnation of SHIELD with Fury at the helm, pretty much infiltrating the Tower to start the road back to becoming the family they used to be.

(And God is it crazy, fighting and living together with the insanity that is their lives.)

It started with a broken metal arm, alien invasions, and a plate of superior nachos.

It ended up with the team saving each other’s asses, coming to an understanding, fighting it out, then crying it out.

It ended with Wanda sobbing in Tony’s chest while his arms around her are almost as tight as Peitro’s once were, with Steve red-eyed on Tony’s other side, whispering in his hair how never again – together means together, with Bucky’s forehead against the back of his neck and tears streaming down his face, with Bruce and Nat holding hands while their legs tangled with Tony’s, Steve’s, and Vision’s, with Sam laughing at them all while he’s wiping his eyes, with the whole group literally jumping on Thor the minute he touches down with the new haircut and air of perpetual weariness, with them taking up a big table in their favorite 24-hour diner feeding each other and telling stories about what they’ve all been up to since that awful thing at the airport.  

Red Robin’s run with them started with fractured friendships and ends with them tripping all over each other during meals and movie nights. Bruce’s curry, Nat’s homemade dressing for the salad, Thor dipping in to snatch bites from everyone’s contribution. But this time around, it’s Sam and Wanda chopping vegetables while Bucky directs a sleepy Tony to a barstool close but out of the traffic, turning around to let the mechanic tie up his hair for him before he joins the cooking fiasco.

A week after they all move back in, he feels good leaving them with the rooms in the living quarters of Avengers Tower full of light and voices and warmth, just like it should have been. He’s giving himself a million vigilante points for this one – even if he’s going back out with no team and no safety net. It’s fine. He’s fine. He can’t stay forever anyway.

Besides, Kon and Bart have been trying to find him again, so it’s time to move on before they get too close. And really, he’s got no other excuses to stay. Bucky’s arm is maintained regularly, the broken team is working and the Accords (thankfully had been attacked on more than one side, thanks to big industries like WE and Queen, Inc. alongside Stark Industries) are modified to protect superheroes rather than stop them from doing what they do best.

All-in-all, he’d say the mission has been a success.

“Tim,” and the Captain moves away from Tony and Bucky’s side, one hand automatically out toward him, “you absolutely don’t have to go.”

“I appreciate the offer,” and he clears his suddenly tight throat, making sure the hood and too-long hair obscure his face. “But, it’s time.”

It only takes a glance back at the full team crowded around the communal floor television while the four player Mario Kart game stays on pause. The faces full of devastation make the message clear enough. With a decisive nod at the silent statement going through the team, Steve turns back to try arguing, the teenager is just–

–gone.

Tony, however, can’t shake the feeling of wrongness in the abrupt departure, and absolutely starts tracking the second he can pull away from the team to set-up protocols to trace the steps of their vigilante.

He listened to Steve’s half-hearted, “you know we can’t interfere with the Justice League, Tony. And Batman? Gotham is his territory. We go there, and there’s no guarantee we’ll be making it out if we even get past city limits.”

“Those guys might have the whole city wired with traps,” Natasha grudgingly admits. “Everyone knows the capes are unpredictable and terrifying. We should at least go through proper channels to get permission. Even if he’s still–”

“Oracle has nothing on me,” Tony’s eyes are all for the blipping red dot on his floating holo-screen.

Steve and Bucky exchange a glance behind Tony’s back, eyes meeting with a silent message. Bucky smirks and slides the muzzle up his face. Steve briskly turns on a heel and leaves the workshop with a plan already forming on how he’s going to run interference with the JLA so Tony and Bucky could sneak into Gotham without making a fuss.  

Bucky strides the opposite way, hand on Tony’s bicep, leaning in to talk low, “tell me ya got something more stealthy than red n’ gold, Doll. That or yer gonna play my Oracle, and get me in the kid’s penthouse from somewhere safe n’ sound.”

“Oh hell no. You’re not going anywhere without me. I’ve got a trick up my sleeve, Buckeroo, and it’s going to get us an audience with our disappearing vigilante.”

Tony’s satisfied grin makes him look adorable enough that Bucky has to literally bite down on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from kissing (their) the engineer until he begs.

(Not like this. Steve had to be there when they were finally ready to tell Tony how they felt about him. Soon, they’d agreed last night after finding the exhausted mechanic asleep on the kitchen table with a tablet clutched in his hand and could finally admit to themselves how much he made them want.)

“I’ll bite. What d’ya got?”

“Just a little something super waiting in the wings. JJ, fire up the Quinjet. We’ve got a Robin to visit.”

With the Winter Soldier watching the two vigilantes facing Tim through his scope, Tony stands on a closer rooftop with the very new, very nice stealth armor, recording the footage of Nightwing and the Red Hood. His blood heats when it looks like they’re yelling at Red Robin while the younger is obviously bandaging himself up after a bad run-in.

And they’re not even helping him for fuck’s sake.

“Wow, that’s cold,” Bucky says softly while the comm in their ears are giving them the whole conversation. Something about Tim taking on a guy named Bane by himself. Seems to Buck like the kid took the asshole down, so the ass-chewing the other vigilantes are handing him seems to be pretty fucking ungrateful.

“They don’t deserve him. We have more sciency things for him to do. Crime fighting is always fun, but why not build amazing shit in-between?”

“Aw, c’mon Tones. Gotta let ‘im outta the lab so’s we can spar. Kid’s always got tricks. Makes fer some fun.”

“I know that’s why you like him so much, Barnes.”

“What, like I ain’t seen you fightin’ outside the suit before?”

“I’m not teenage vigilante kind of street-smart. I will punch the hell out of you, make some nifty explosions, re-configure your systems...oh.”

“Finally gettin’ it are ya?” And he can’t help it when his tone drops a little, watching Nightwing’s arms flail. “S’why I like ‘im. Reminds me of you, Doll.”

“...you might actually make me blush, Soldier. How novel.”

“If it helps, Steve never believed ya were just a guy in a suit. Not from the moment he met ya.”

“Where the hell did that come from?”

“Like I ain’t hung out with ya the past few months? I know how ya think, Stark, and ya ain’t just the armor.”

“Sure, sure. In all actuality, I’m the most well-paid consultant that ever lived.”

The Winter Soldier’s eyes flicker over where the Mark XXI is ducked in the shadows, jaw clenching because Tony’s odd self-deprecating tendencies bothers him just as much as it bothers Stevie. At some point, they’re going to address it with Tony, face-to-face. Not now, but that day is going to come, so help him.

In the meantime, Bucky tunes back in on the conversation happening inside, flips the safety on his rifle, and starts moving closer to Tony’s roof since they might not even need Plan B after all.

“What does that even mean, Timmy?”

“Calm it down, Big Wing. Pretender, look–”

“Do you see a fucking R on my chest, Hood?” And even from where he’s trucking over rooftops, Bucky can see the tension in Tim’s spine, the fast, angry movements as he tapes gauze pads to obviously fresh stitches. “I’m not ‘pretending’ fuck anymore. So how about you fuck off with that ‘Pretender’ shit.”

“...all right. That’s fair, so my bad. But lookit, B is all about ya coming ta the yearlies, you feel me?”

“What part of ‘it’s not my place’ isn’t clear here?”

The sigh from Nightwing is loud enough to hear it over the microphone Tony planted when they touched down.

“You have got to get over this thing,Tim. Dami’s been Robin for–”

“That’s what you think? That I’m fucking jealous, Dick?”

“He was a kid. He’s not still crying about the past–”

“Get. The Fuck. Out.”

The quiet calm of Tim’s tone is enough to make Bucky pause, and the sleek black Iron Man armor to step out of the shadows.

“I’m serious Tim! Listen–”

“I’m done. Done with you, done with the Bats, I’m fucking done. So do us both a favor and forget you were ever here.”

Nightwing flinches, his shoulders and back getting tight by the time Bucky is beside Iron Man, frowning behind the muzzle.

“I think we’ve heard about enough,” is distorted but still so Tony through the suit’s synthesizers. “Want a ride, Red Dawn? We can show up and be the likeable ones for once.”

“Really, Iron Man? I thought only Cap got special rides.”

“Well, I will always make an exception for my Bucky Bear, you know,” and he wiggles an arm, sighs a little as the Winter Soldier steps up against the suit, stepping up on to the rocket boots.

Having Bucky against him is something he can keep locked in the secret file in his brain he pulls up when he has bad days. Things like Steve hugging him, trips to the ball field, Bucky hanging out with him in the workshop while Steve drew or read or did paperwork on his tablet.

(Things he can never have. Sure, he can want, but he can’t let it get too real. Locking it away is safer for everyone.)

Knocking on the door of Tim’s balcony, shaking up the Bats, is really much more satisfying than Tony would have thought ten seconds ago.

He knows Tim is shocked, had probably been expected the big, bad Bat at his door rather than two Avengers waiting for entrance.

In his black and gold stealth armor, Tony waves metal fingers when the curtains pull back and Tim’s mouth drops open on the other side.

The door is wrenched open, and they can both hear, “we ain’t done here, Tim,” from inside, but Tim absolutely ignores it to stare wide-eyed at Iron Man and the Winter Soldier just, you know, hanging out on his balcony of all the fucking places.

“Tony. Bucky, what the hell–”

“Leave you alone for a few minutes, and you’re all kinds of hurt. Why am I not shocked? Winter Wonderland, are you shocked?” Tony gives no shits about interrupting this cute little family get-together and absolutely pushes his way in to Tim’s penthouse without a fuck to give.

As normal, Bucky is more of a doer than a talker when he’s in the mask, so Tony gets to watch him do that incredibly sexy murder strut right over the threshhold and grab a hold of Tim’s elbow. He snickers at the older vigilantes obviously gawking as the Winter Soldier pushes the third Robin down in a seat at his kitchen table right by the open first-aid kit.

“Zadnitsa,” the Winter soldier snarls in rebuke, already digging out more gauze pads.

“I missed you too, Frosty,” Tim shoots back, obliging the dangerous assassin by holding still while the gauze pads are taped down and more alcohol wipes are used to disinfect a serious slice on Tim’s shoulder blade.

Honestly, Tony has no idea how he even managed to stitch it himself, but the helmet swings over to the two surprised vigilantes.

“This sure as hell ain’t a good way to show it, y’know,” Bucky pulls the goggles off but leaves the mask, metal arm moving seamlessly while he gently pats the remaining slice with disinfectant.  

“Well, I didn’t expect you two to just drop in or anything. Or else, I might have a nice psycho for you to take down.”

“Well, shows you, don’t it?”

“I guess so. But I do have a bag full of plums in the fridge, so you’re in luck.”

“Hell yeah, Red.”

The faceplate of the helmet kicks up and Tony is grinning beneath it, “aww, plums for our favorite murder bot? What about coffee for your best engineer friend–”

Bucky pauses abruptly, and Tony sees the movement, a soft sigh of sound, but only just. The knife as long as his forearm is just suddenly out, metal hand on Tim’s good shoulder, holding him down, some automatic instinct to protect the kid makes Tony bite the inside of his cheek so he isn’t smiling.

The other vigilantes, however, are really intimidated in their own right since Red Hood has twin .45s in his gloved hands and Nightwing’s escrima sticks spark a few times for good measure.

“Tim, get up slowly and step back,” Nightwing’s voice is just this side of dangerous.

“We gotcha back, Tim, you feel me?” Hood’s thumbs flick the safety, a whole lot of not fuckin’ around happening right here.

“Do me a personal favor,” the unmasked vigilante deadpans, “and go fuck yourselves.” Tim wiggles out from under the hold on his shoulder and stands, gingerly puts a hand on Bucky’s brandishing the knife. He waits for those blue-gray eyes to slide over to him.

“C’mon, Bucky,” Tim tries to cajole softly, “these guys aren’t a threat. The knife is very nice. Is it new? You know I like to look at new weapons, but you can put it away. Promise.”

“Malyutka,” is a question more than a statement.

Tim huffs in annoyance because honestly, he’s not a kid.  (Welp, take into account, 100+ year old assassin, and maybe he can see the point.)

“My apartment, my rules, and if anyone, anyone,” he stresses, glaring at the two tense vigilantes, “gets blood on my floors or walls, then it’s fucking on. Everyone get that?”

“You’ll have to forgive us for being jumpy,” Nightwing deadpans, “we have a tendency to treat legendary assassins with immediate attention when one’s in our city, right Hood?”

The stiff angle of the guns doesn’t waver, nor does the helmet move. “Gotta say,” Hood’s voice is deep, even with the synths, “always thought this might go down different if our paths ever crossed again, Soldier.”

From behind the muzzle, Bucky’s teeth flash white, a terrifying smile, “last time my Handler wouldn’t let me kill you, Red Hood. Wanna to give it a go now that I don’t have one?”

“Sounds like a fucking party to me, sweetheart. Ya gimmie a time n’ I’ll bring the motherfuckin’ confetti.”

“Any. Fuckin’. Time–”

“As entertaining as this is,” Tony interjects, the soft haaa when the armor opens up to let him step out, “our host absolutely said no blood, right boys?”

Slowly, weapons lower, but the tension is high in the room, only broken when Bucky points a gloved finger back to the chair Tim was previously in.

(And during the time Tim had spent with the Avengers, none of them knew the Winter Soldier and Red Hood had met before. He’s going to want some details on that little scuffle.)

“Thank-you. I’m glad good manners are winning out over bullshit posturing,” and Tony pours on his media smile, giving Nightwing and the Red Hood something else to look at while Bucky gently finishes up with their vigilante. “Because really. We’re literally all on the same side here. We just happen to go through legal channels to beat the shit out of bad guys. Not as much fun, but you can’t beat the tax breaks.”

“Mmhm, I’m really hoping you aren’t in Gotham as Iron Man, Mr. Stark. You know there are rules about being in this city.”

And Tony would bet his entire fortune Nightwing has a listening device somewhere in that ridiculously tight suit for the Dark Knight to monitor what’s happening in Red Robin’s apartment right this moment.

(Especially the fact they know his civilian identity and are comfortable enough calling him by his real name. They probably aren’t going to be on any Justice League party invites for a while after this. He wonders how Steve is doing with Superman and Wonder Woman right about now.)

“I asked them to come,” Tim interjects, not bothering to glance at either vigilante, “they’re here to help me with a case. My lead is a dead-end, so we’re all going to be out of Gotham as soon as fucking possible. The Batman will have to deal with it.”

Tony hums, crosses his arms over his chest. He meets Bucky’s quick glance, quirks a grin since maybe they could convince him to come to New York instead. Or, if his Plan B is still waiting in the wings, they could do something altogether different.

(There’s a whole floor available in the Tower, and wouldn’t that be some incentive for Tim to get it together and land somewhere more permanent?)

“Tim…” and the wealth of warning there isn’t enough to earn Nightwing the youngest vigilante’s attention after the last gauze pad goes on.

But the youngest of the vigilantes stands from his chair, turns to give them the same fuck you and the zip line you rode in on attitude, “don’t fucking even with me, N.”

“You can’t come to the yearly gathering for one night, but you can pal around with the Avengers?”

And oh! Is that jealousy he hears? Tony has to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking because wow, Nightwing does not sound very happy.

“It’s none of your fucking business–” and that tension is back in the square of Tim’s bare shoulders, the flex of his forearms.

Tony easily picks up his discarded nerd shirt, pointedly steps between him and the glowering vigilantes, shoves the shirt over the kid’s head and ignores his sputtering.

“I’m sure nothing that would interest you,” Tony makes a point to stay between the two groups, “I mean, you don’t work with Red Robin anymore, right? So he’s a free agent. Believe me, he’s been super helpful with us in New York, I don’t know if we'd all be in the same room without him.”

Tony is being absolutely innocent about it, letting Tim shove his arms in the right places while he grins at the obviously unhappy vigilantes over his shoulder.

The glare Tim levels at him would have probably withered anyone else. Good thing Tony has very, very little shame, and between him and Steve, the best troll in the Avengers award is still undecided. This might just put him over the top. He doesn’t need Bucky to remove his mask to know there’s a smirk underneath.

“I’m sorry, what now?” The whiteouts swing from Tim to Tony, “since when don’t we work together? We only have since you were twelve–”

“And we haven’t since your Robin kicked me the fuck out of my home. I’ve been out of the Cave, out of this city, and out of your life since then, so don’t come here with some attitude about it.” Tim’s eyes slide to the Red Hood. “You two coming here to ask me about the yearlies? Like I’ve been there for the last three? Like I haven’t come back unless someone called me in because, let’s face it, I’m just another body to fight the good fight, right? So this? Acting like I’m just going to forgive and forget? You can both absolutely go fuck yourselves.”

And some tiny part of Tony feels utterly proud in that moment, feels somewhat vindicated at how cold and calm Tim is, how he’s just laying it all out on the table, no bullshit, no contingencies, no taking the high road, no giving in, and it’s so much the Tim he knows, squaring his shoulders and facing both older vigilantes with anger so cold it burns.

“I–I mean, Tim–”

“There is literally nothing you could say right now that I’d want to hear, Nightwing. Nothing. All those years of fighting together, of being partners? I never would have guessed you’d be the one to stab me in the back, but I guarantee you won’t get another chance.”

But, the night gets that much better when Nightwing and the Red Hood gives them the death glare of doom before Tim pretty much kicks them out of his apartment.

Tony isn’t cheering out loud, but wow does he want to.

“Timmy,” Nightwing gives it one last, desperate try, turning at an impossible angle with one leg out the window to face the de-masked vigilante, tone low and serious.

“You’re a few years too late, Nightwing. Now get the fuck out.”

Tim had flicked his hand out behind him, a flat palm telling Tony and Bucky to stay back when he pretty much forced both vigilantes out of his apartment with a sneer of disdain and a promise to set his security protocols to shock the utter fuck out of them if they ever tried to come back to his last hold-over in Gotham. By the way the Red Hood stood shock still, and Nightwing’s frown deepened, they apparently believed him.

While Tim shuts the windows, locking them with finality, Bucky finally pulls off his muzzle and goggles, exchanges a worried glance with Tony when he realizes Tim’s hands are shaking.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Is soft but firm, is obvious Tim is trying to put himself back together.

“Well, as I said earlier–”

“Don’t bullshit me, Tony. There’s no case.”

With how empty and cold Tim sounds, how his hands are fisted at his sides, the tremble going through him, Tony pauses to take in the rest of the signs. He catches Bucky’s eyes and makes an executive decision.

Plan B it is.

“Okay, you’re right. No case. But, what I do have for you is more interesting and important than a case right now. Meaning, I still need your help with it.”

And when the kid finally turns to face him, face them, Tony can see the effects of dealing with Nightwing and the Red Hood in the clench of Tim’s jaw and the way he won’t really meet Tony’s eyes. A distraction is exactly what he needs, a reason to get the hell out of this city before he drowns in his own misery.

Instead, Tony turns his head toward a window, “all right, kid. Time to make your dramatic entrance!”

The super speed never gets old.

Not to mention the fact, Superboy is absolutely adorable when he’s just suddenly there, grabbing Tim around the waist and hugging him a little desperately.

“Oh my God, Kon?!”

Blue eyes blown wide, Tim’s eyes go from the meta-human wrapped around him to Tony’s soft smile to Bucky’s gentle smirk.

“Tim, Tim I can’t– I just! I...I missed you so much, Tim. We all missed you so much,” and Kon-El’s voice is barely a croak, heavy and thick with emotion, his face buried in the side of Tim’s throat, his back hunched over the smaller vigilante. “I needed to see you. Sorry about this, but...I’m not really.”

Like muscle memory, Tim’s brings a hand to the back of his best friend’s neck, making small circles against the tight tendons with his finger tips, still looking more shocked than pissed.

Tony is absolutely going to take it as a win.

**zadnitsa means ass or asshole kind of. Thanks Google Translate :D

[kirayun]

The Journey Of Destiny (Eng. Version) - S1E01: Pilot

AO3 Link

Previous Chapter Tumblr: X

Summary: Skye and Jemma thought they had missed their chance and would never see each other again. But on the first day of work for Agent Coulson's new team, the two girls get a big surprise. 

Jemma Simmons was excited for this new adventure, the opportunity to be on this chosen team alongside her best friend and investigate all that was mysterious and new. They had already started with something big: an explosion and an apparent new superhero out on the streets. Apparently they also had a lead on a hacker belonging to The Rising Tide that Agent Coulson and Agent Ward had gone to pick up, but she had been assigned with Fitz and Agent May to inspect the explosion site.

During the trip his mind went back to a certain brunette she had met in a diner during her leave. That day she had felt something special, a connection she had never felt before with someone she had just met, not even with Fitz with whom at the academy she had immediately bonded for their love of science.

For Jemma, the encounter with Skye had made her believe for the first time in something superior to science and the facts proven by it, as if some cosmic force wanted the two of them to be destined to meet, to be part of their own lives. Unfortunately, however, it had all happened so quickly that she had forgotten to find a way to stay in touch with the other girl and was now convinced that she would never see her again.

.

Skye was looking around inside this strange interrogation that she was sure was inside a plane. Officer T-1000 was dozing on his desk after their "interrogation". And even though she believed the soporific effect was true and she was actually sleeping, she wasn't entirely convinced that the truth serum story was truly legitimate and that they were just playing with her. But she didn't mind that. She liked Agent Coulson's style, and besides, she was playing her little game too. It was part of her plan that they track her down through the Mike Peterson footage and take her inside. She had spent months hacking into SHIELD in a desperate search to find answers about her parents, and all she got was a document censored by the organization that was now holding her. Skye was taking a lot of risks with this operation. Trying to infiltrate the world's largest intelligence agency could have her locked up forever, but what other choice did she have? Besides discovering her origins, she really didn't have any other goals in life, and the only time her mind thought of something different in life, she let the opportunity slip right under her nose…

"Billions of dollars of equipment at your disposal, and I beat you with a laptop that I won in a bet?"

Thinking back to the sentence that Skye had said to the two agents shortly before, it reminded her of the young scientist she met in that diner. Jemma…

For the first time she had felt a real connection with someone, the desire to have a person next to her and the possibility of building something with them. She already knew that Miles liked her and that he wanted something from their "relationship", but for her he was just a way to not feel alone and pretend that she really has someone by her side. Not that she liked using anyone like this, but she had tried to clear things up with Miles several times before, but he seemed to believe that one day things would change.

But with Jemma it had been different. A brief meeting one morning was enough to make her feel that something, that magnetism towards another person and the need to always have it in one's life. Destiny had been mocking, however, because as quickly as he had sent the English girl into her life, she was immediately taken away from her even before she had the chance to create something. And so, once she got her soul at peace, she plunged back into her mission.

Now Skye just had to find a way to get into Agent Coulson's good graces and be able to stay as long as possible…

.

Jemma had just gotten back on the bus when Agent Coulson approached her group.

"Everyone in the meeting room, we convinced our guest to tell us what she knows about our mystery hero." Coulson said.

Jemma followed her superior into the meeting room ready to work on whatever information this girl had to give, when her world suddenly froze. Because the hacker of The Rising Tide front of her was no stranger. It was the girl from the diner she had given away her previous laptop to during a bet: she was Skye. The girl she lost contact with was a hacker who had hacked her agency and was now working with them to investigate.

Immediately the same thing was happening to Skye, that while waiting for the rest of the team, the last person who expected to appear in front of her was Jemma.

Jemma who apparently worked for SHIELD. The same SHIELD she was infiltrating. This complicates everything. How did she use the agency for her own purposes and at the same time finally get the chance to meet the girl she couldn't stop thinking about? Looking at her she was immediately captured again by that innocent and joyful charm that the English girl emanated without even realizing it.

Coulson's voice roused the two girls from their quick thoughts that had gone unnoticed by the rest of those present. "Skye these are agents Fitz, Simmons and May." He then proceeded to quickly illustrate the duties of the aforementioned agents. Plus now Skye finally knew Jemma's last name.

During the quick introductions neither of the girls gave evidence that they had met before. It was as if through a single glance between them they had mutually agreed to keep this little secret, at least until they had a chance to talk privately face to face.

Everything else passed quickly enough. The team had Mike Peterson to handle and an explosion case to solve.

.

As a first mission Jemma certainly did not expect all this: a device that was a mix of all known sources of superpowers and unstable and dangerous enough to generate strong explosions, the sudden reappearance of Skye, Fitz acting strangely while he talked to her on speakerphone… and now they'll have to figure out a way to make the dendrotoxin rifle (she still refuses to call it a night-night gun) to make Mike Peterson helpless before Agent Ward is forced to kill him. And as their superior had said, that would have meant leaving a child orphaned of his father. She tried to calm Fitz by comparing the assignment to an exam, hoping that her best friend would be able to concentrate and together they would solve the problem as they always had.

But the worst part happened when Agent Coulson revealed that Peterson had taken Skye and was now standing right next to a human bomb ready to go off at any moment. Jemma was beginning to wonder if she'll ever really get the chance to have that real reunion with the young hacker, or if there will just be an eternal chance they never got to grab and try. She prayed with all her heart that everything would be fine and that no one else would lose their life today.

.

After they managed to stop Mike Peterson without killing him and handed him over to the SHIELD medical team, everyone could finally take a deep breath and recover from the last very grueling hours. They were all back on the bus and immediately divided for different purposes: Coulson and May were in his office debriefing, Ward was setting up the equipment in the armory, Fitz was in the laboratory, and Jemma was looking for their host so they could finally talk face to face.

After wandering around the bus, she finally found her outside, in front of the other girl's van after the latter had just changed into a red dress with boots. Apparently he would have accompanied Agent Coulson to deliver Ace, Peterson's son, to his aunt. Jemma took a breath and gathered all the courage to get closer and finally begin their long awaited chat.

Skye, hearing footsteps approaching, turned to find Jemma Simmons facing her. She had been waiting and at the same time dreading this meeting a lot and now the time had finally come.

"Hi…" Jemma began hesitantly.

"Hi." Skye replied in turn, without the confidence that had distinguished her during their previous meeting at the diner.

Neither of them knew where to start. Both seemed to be waiting for the other to move.

"So ... you're a The Rising Tide hacker." Jemma said first.

"And you are a SHIELD scientist." Skye retorted.

They were from two opposite worlds: one fought for freedom of information (and in secret to discover their origins) while the other was part of the most secretive and powerful intelligence agency on the planet. Yet in reality neither of them was frightened or worried by these factors. Inside they were just happy that they could meet again.

“You know, you still owe me breakfast. Last time you ran away without even giving me your number. A girl could almost think you did it on purpose. " Skye said with self-confidence again and started to look like the girl flirting with the scientist that famous morning ..

Jemma was blown away by Skye's newfound attitude. "N-no ... that morning I was in a hurry and I forgot ... I swear I didn't mean ..." She mumbled the sentences trying to say something that didn't suggest that she really had done it on purpose not to give her number to the other girl.  

Skye's little laugh stopped Jemma from her babble. "I'm making fun of you. I too forgot to leave a contact that day. " The girl sat on the edge of the open compartment of her van and motioned for the scientist to sit with her.

Jemma joined her and the two were now sitting side by side looking into each other's eyes.

“After you left and I realized we hadn't even left a phone number or email, I was convinced I wouldn't see you again. I didn't even know your surname to try to find you. " Skye confessed.

"I don't know your surname either for that." Jemma pointed out to the other girl.

"But I don't have a surname, I'm just Skye." The hacker responded in turn.

“Only Skye huh? Somehow I doubt that you've never had a surname in your entire life ”Jemma reasoned smiling.

"Yeah, only Skye," she said smiling too. Technically because of the Sisters of St. Agnes Skye she had a surname, and another name as well, but she certainly had no intention of embarrassing herself in front of Jemma.

The two girls would have gladly sat there staring at each other and talking about anything forever, but unfortunately they were joined by Coulson who was walking down the ramp of the plane.

"Skye we are ready to go, Ace has finished medical checks and said goodbye to his father" The agent in charge of the team said in their direction.

Skye looked up in his direction "Yes I'm on my way, a minute" And as the agent walked over to Lola, her vintage car, she turned her eyes back on Jemma "This time I'm the one who has to go."

The young scientist was frightened at this, convinced that she would never see Skye again, again. "Already?! But…, ”she said, unable to put into words the wish for her to stay longer.

Skye smiled at this and stood up, walking past the other girl. “Don't worry, I'm not going to disappear. Something tells me we'll meet again soon. " She concluded the statement with a wink and then walked to the red car while Jemma sat there with her mouth slightly open staring at her and with a slight blush caused by Skye's latest action.

The hacker wasn't lying when she said she wasn't going to disappear, now she had two reasons to be able to try to stay around SHIELD. Now she just had to find a way to get inside…

And as if someone were listening to her prayers, Agent Coulson had words to say to Skye once she reached him in the car. "As we go, I have an offer that maybe you might be interested in."

Perfect, it was as if destiny wanted to give her a hand. Not only had her journey to truth come to a turning point, but a new one also seems to have begun. A journey that included a beautiful English scientist named Jemma Simmons.

[whimperwoods]

29-Day Whump Challenge - Day 9

Day 9:  Car Wreck || Starvation

I did a vampire whumpee last time so I thought I’d do a werewolf whumpee today? Day nine of @yuckwhump‘s 29-Day Challenge. This one’s... uhh... long. But I couldn’t not get to some kind of reasonably comforting resolution.

tw: starvation, tw: trafficking, tw: incarceration, tw: neglect

****

Matt kept his chin up and his feet steady as he walked down the corridor, trying not to show his hand or blow his own cover. The button camera on his shirt would catch all of this. The people who watched it would know everything he said was faking. He just had to get through without getting caught. That was all. He could do this.

The woman leading him on his tour was appallingly cheerful for someone working in a place like this. He knew his own smile wasn’t so convincing, but as long as she kept talking, as long as she kept gesturing toward the open bars of the small cells so that he’d have an excuse to look at them, his smile didn’t have to be real.

There were rows of identical cells, tidy at first glance, but with no rhyme or reason to how their inhabitants were organized. Yeti stared out at him through badly matted fur, gremlins and goblins cowered in the corners of their cells, and vampires glared at him over tight muzzles, the ones who didn’t look at him pleadingly and make his heart half break. He kept careful control of himself, focusing on getting the footage. He just had to get the footage. That was it. Then he could do something about this.

He wasn’t sure he’d ever get the sight of filthy fur and tattered feathers out of his head, but then they started passing a set of doors on his right that were almost entirely closed, solid metal with small windows instead of open bars. The only thing worse than knowing what was happening to the beings in the cells was not knowing, and he drew to a halt, pointing toward the set of doors, four in a row.

“Hey, wait a minute,” he said, trying to sound jovial, “Don’t hold out on me! What do you keep in there?”

For the entirety of this hellish tour, his guide had been nothing but upbeat and relaxed. Now, for the first time, he saw a hint of hesitation cross her face before the big smile came back. “Oh, that’s nothing, Sir. You’ll be wanting something ah - better behaved, I’d imagine. They’re only in there if they’re too dangerous for the regular guards to handle.”

Shit. He’d been careful. Intentional. He’d dressed the part, trying to look casually rich, shallow enough to like the idea of a ‘monster’ pet without ever thinking too hard about it. He looked harmless. Naive. Weak.

He puffed his chest out anyway, grinning more broadly and hoping he wasn’t too transparent. He faked a laugh. “Oh, come on. I’m sure I can at least see, right? It’s my money, after all.”

It wasn’t. It was the group’s money, raised over the course of two months, and it was only sitting, hot, in his jacket pocket because it had looked legitimating for when he got here.

The woman bit her lip.

He pouted, trying to look like he imagined someone would who’d been spoiled their whole life. “Come on. Just a peek! I won’t go in or anything!”

Her fake smile came back, but something in her eyes was still tenser than it had been before. “Of course, Sir,” she said, her voice cheerful as ever, “I didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just - anything in here is, uh, shall we say less than top-of-the-line? Not permanently, of course, or what would you need us for, but those rooms are more for people looking for - labor. Not really anything to show off to your neighbors yet.”

You have that on tape, he thought to himself, you have that on tape and now you just need a look inside. Stay calm.

He started moving toward the window in the first door, keeping his voice light. “Oh come on, that could be fun! Show off how tough it is to the guys? Maybe get some free gardening out of the deal?” he barked a laugh, “I bet something like that would make a pretty impressive pool boy. And keep all the girls from getting distracted from me.”

That might have been too much. It might have been too much, and he might have overplayed, and she might be about to realize he was pretending all of this. His palms were sweaty. He peeked in the door while he still could and found nothing behind the window.

His guide sighed. “Very well, Sir. I still think you’d do better with some of our higher-end stock, but if you want to see - we’ve only got one occupant in progress right now. But you should be warned, he’s a dangerous one, and it’ll take some serious work to make him safe.”

He waved her off, moving on to the next door and trying to look eager instead of terrified.

Her keys rattled, and she opened the third door.

*****

Drew listened to the voices outside, too tired to do anything about it even if he’d known what to do. He remembered being hungry. No. He was still hungry. He remembered thinking about hunger, but that had been - well, it had been two or three ‘guests’ ago, and he was pretty sure buyers weren’t here every day.

Now, he was just tired. Tired to his bones, which felt like all he had left. He shivered, cold even in his werewolf form.

It was hard to imagine he’d once pulled at his chains and tried to get free. It was hard to imagine being the person who’d struggled so hard he’d raised bruises around his neck from the collar, around his ankles from the shackles.

Every part of him hurt. It hadn’t, at the start. At the start, he’d had a little fat, a lot of muscle, and the hunger had lived in his gut, twisting and painful, but now all he had was bones and the hunger was beating at them, radiating through his body the way heat used to, the way it was supposed to.

He was so cold.

He was so tired.

He listened to the woman talk, as her voice got closer. Dangerous, she said. He wasn’t dangerous. He wasn’t anything. He might have been, once, though he’d never meant to cause anyone any harm, but now - now he was nothing, lying dizzy on the floor and trying to stay warm.

He expected the man to buy her excuses. He expected the footsteps to start up again, a laugh ringing through the hall as they left him behind. Instead, a set of keys rattled, and the door to his prison swung open.

If he raised his head, he would get dizzy. He’d learned that - some time ago. He didn’t know how to measure time, anymore. But he couldn’t look up, and he couldn’t look scary. He had to seem safe. If he was ever going to eat again, he had to look safe.

He gathered the little energy he had left and forced himself to transform again, his fur retreating and his limbs and head reshaping themselves. He cried out weakly with the pain of it, but for once, it wasn’t much worse than everything else.

His body broke out in goosebumps and he shivered, suddenly freezing and unsure that he’d have the strength to transform and get his fur back again. This was it. This might actually be it. If the woman didn’t believe he was safe, while the door was open and someone was actually looking, this might be the end. He wanted to lift his head up, to see what she was thinking, but he didn’t have the strength. Not after the transformation. He closed his eyes and cursed the tears that sprung unbidden from them, reacting to the cold. One dripped down his nose, leaving a trail of more intense cold where it flowed.

Dangerous, she’d said. He whined in the back of his throat, unable to work out the words to say to that, unsure that he’d be able to say them even if he tried.

*****

Matt had kept a straight face since he walked in the door. He’d been so careful. So careful.

But the creature in the room was - his face twisted in revulsion, and it took him too long to hide it. It must have taken him too long to hide it, and he just had to hope his guide hadn’t seen.

The creature was a werewolf, but not like any werewolf he’d ever seen. Its fur was dull, lifeless where it should be glossy, and it was lying sprawled against the ground like it had fallen and just stayed there, its limbs spread out instead of tucked up in a circle. Then again, that might have been because of the chains.

A heavy collar bound its neck, and there were shackles on its ankles, chains running from all three of them to the wall and giving the werewolf access to only half of its small cell. It was lying at the end of its chains, like it had tried to come to its door, like it had tried to ask for help.

Then its body was shifting, and as the fur receded, he thought he must be seeing things, his eyes playing tricks because they wasn’t used to watching bones rearrange themselves like that.

But then the bones stopped shifting, and the figure on the ground, still lying limp and listless on the polished concrete, was unmistakable.

It was a man - or at least more man than boy - with long, filthy brown hair and scarred skin with a grayish cast to it, as sickly as his fur had been.

Matt had never seen so many visible bones in one human being. He was like a skeleton, like some grotesque science display meant to teach only part of anatomy, like Mother at the end of Psycho.

Except, no. He wasn’t. Because his chest was still rising and falling, shallow but steady, and he was shivering, which meant he was alive, and beneath the stark ribs and bone-thin arms, his stomach was weirdly bloated, like his body had admitted everywhere else that it was empty, but was trying to convince itself there that it wasn’t empty after all.

The man whined softly, but didn’t look up at them. He didn’t move his head at all. He didn’t move anything, except to breathe and shiver, and he didn’t look like a thing that should be alive.

“Oh dear,” the woman said beside him, giving him just enough warning to force his face back into - into what? He couldn’t smile, but he forced himself to relax, to look thoughtful instead of furious, even as she put a hand on his shoulder to push him toward the hallway and his chest swelled with rage.

“I’m sorry, Sir, I didn’t realize he’d been a biter. We don’t usually - we’d better be moving on. They’ll feed him up, as long as they’re sure the biting has stopped but it’ll be-”

“How much?” he asked, surprising even himself.

“Sir, I can’t possibly-”

Don’t look angry. Don’t look angry. He kept his face as relaxed as he could, as if he could be neutral, looking at a thing like this, as if anyone could be neutral, and he repeated himself, cutting her off. “I asked how much. If I take him.”

Why? he asked himself, Why would she believe me? Then he really did manage a fake smile, against all odds, and felt as brazen as he ever had in his life. “I bet you could give me a real good discount on this one. I mean look at him! He’s practically half a werewolf. I bet he’d do anything if I fed him. I bet he’d follow all my orders. I want him.”

The woman looked pale, now. “You’ll, um - you’ll have to sign extra paperwork. You’ll have to sign an NDA. It’s -” she paused, choosing her words carefully, “It’s extra protection for us, if he tries to attack you. To take care of the liability issues. You understand.”

“An NDA doesn’t change your liability.”

“We’re not usually in the business of selling half-completed products either, Sir, to be frank, and if something goes wrong because you insisted on this one, we don’t want our name attached, not even in the secret circles I’m sure you keep to. Not like we would for - the high end creatures.”

Matt kept breathing. He kept his face level. “I mean, I guess so, but-”

The woman got her fake smile back to its full brightness. “Of course, if you’d like to, we could also keep him here and finish his training for a small upcharge, and you could come claim him when he’s ready. Or I can check in the system for a werewolf who might be more - finished.”

He kept up the fake smile and tried to sound affable. “Aw, come on, finishing’s the fun part, right? Like getting to pick out all your own paint colors or something.”

“If you’re certain, Sir, I can take you back to the office with me, and we’ll have him delivered to the front by the time you’re done.”

Matt’s hands were shaking, and he was terrified that she’d see. He didn’t know if it was rage or fear, but either way, he’d committed himself, and now he had to go through with this.

He thought about shoving his hands in his pockets, but then she laid a hand on the door and he thought of how that heavy metal was going to sound, clanging shut and locking the werewolf away from him, where he couldn’t see him anymore, where he couldn’t protect him, and he stuck a hand out instead, stopping the door before it could close.

“Aw, come on,” he said, “It’ll be fine. He looks like he’s learned his lesson.”

He shoved past her, ignoring her protests, and came up to the other man, kneeling beside him and laying a hand gently on his face to turn it toward him and look into the man’s eyes.

Yes. This was worth it. This was reckless, and meant less footage to use to shut this place down, and meant losing the money he’d been meant to come back with while he ‘thought about which one,’ and it was worth it.

The man’s eyes were half-blind and unfocused, dripping tears.

He looked up at the woman. “You’ve got keys, right? Might as well take him to the office with me. He is about to be mine.”

An extra hard shudder ran through the man’s body and Matt stroked a hand through his hair, wishing he could tell him it would be alright, could just admit right now that things weren’t the way they seemed.

The woman bit her lip, but then started sorting through her keys again.

The collar and shackles came away to reveal old bruises and cuts, partially healed, which made him wonder how long it had been since the man had moved any real distance. He cupped the man’s face gently, trying to communicate that he was alright, then scooped him into his arms.

Matt had never been a strong man, but the werewolf weighed shockingly little. It was like carrying his friend’s doberman, not that he expected the werewolf would particularly appreciate the comparison.

The dog had been hard to carry up and down the stairs when it broke its leg not because of its weight, but because of how much it weighed while also trying to wiggle out of his grasp. The man was perfectly still, only hard to carry because of the way his weight sagged and the awkwardness of keeping ahold of a person Matt suspected might be taller than he was.

He could feel the man shivering against him and pulled him closer. He had to get out of here. They both had to get out.

He tried to keep his breathing steady and his face light, and he stepped out into the hall.

*****

Drew didn’t understand what was happening. The hand on his face and in his hair had been gentle from the moment the man touched him, and the chains were coming off as if - as if they’d noticed how weak he was, probably, but it still felt - it felt - he should be able to move his limbs, when they were this much lighter. He should. It should be better.

Being picked up was dizzying and disorienting, and he felt his eyes tear up again, the world blurring into an even more confusing mess, but then he was in the man’s arms, cradled against his chest, and the cold of the concrete floor was gone, and he didn’t have the strength to move himself, but he had the strength to press just a little into the warmth, to lean just a little into the man’s chest.

The man took a few halting steps and then asked the woman to throw Drew’s arms over his shoulders. She did, rearranging him like he was a doll or a puppet, and he felt more tears springing to his eyes, tears he’d have said, yesterday, that he didn’t have left in him to cry, as dry and hollow as he felt on the inside.

He had the strength to turn his face into the man’s shoulder, to hide the tears, and he did it, and he was rewarded with the slightest, gentlest squeeze tighter, and his throat couldn’t sob and his breath couldn’t hitch and still keep moving, but the tears flowed faster and faster, hot and wet, soaking into his new master’s shirt, and he didn’t know how to stop them.

The man pulled him closer and, when the woman split off for just a second, whispered, “It’s going to be ok.”

He wasn’t sure his mind believed it, but as his body kept crying into the weird, textured cotton of the man’s polo shirt, he knew at least some part of him did.

[lovelivingmydreams]

We are family baby

Hi baby Say hi baby Just look at you Baby This is home Baby

You see the clock and know that you are running out of time. So you skip forward. In fast forward you see yourself grow up. Waddling around the Jolly Roger, swinging toy swords, twirling around in cute dresses or running in sturdy play clothes. Always surrounded by loving family. And then you find the memory you’re looking for. “What do you have there sweetie?” Mom asks from behind the camera. “Pwesent fwom daddy!” Three year old you exclaims excitedly. Waving around the giftbag. Nearly hitting dad in the head as you do so. “Want to show us what’s inside?” Mom giggles. You nod and open the bag and pull out a small toysword. You frown confused. “Daddy! I already have a swod!” you exclaim in a slightly exasperated voice. “I know lass. But this one is for someone else, a little playmate.” “Neal?” You ask confused;. “No,” dad chuckles a little nervous. “Hope... Would you like to be a big sister?” he asks seriously. Your eyes widen. “Wealy? I get a little bwother?” you asks vibrating with excitement. A weight seems to fall off dad’s shoulder. “Told you she’d be excited.” Mom states smugly. “Aye, that you did.” “When is my brother comming? Can i tell my friends?” You press on the speed up button again until you see yourself in the hospital looking at mom in the hospital bed nervously. Dad is gently guiding you closer. Your eyes are glued on the little bundle in mom’s arms. “It’s alright sweetie. Come say hi to your brother,” she whispers. You let dad lift you on the bed and look as he sits beside mom and wraps his arms around both her and your baby. His gaze drifting between you and the newest addition to the family. You scoot closer, obstructing the view from the camera held by a friendly nurse. “He’s so small!” you gasp. “That he is. As were you once,” Dad informs you warmly. “Not that small,” you prote Making your parents chuckle. “What’s his name?” you ask. “Charles, Charles Liam Jones,” Dad says warmly. “Hi Charlie,” you whisper to him. You speed up again and now you find footage from a nannycam that caught you sneaking into the nursery during Charlies first afternoon nap at home. Charlie is making some displeased sounds and you gently rock the crib. “Shhh, mommy and daddy are weally tired, they fell asleep too. But don’t worry. You’re still safe. We will all protect you. Daddy says you’ll grow up to be as big as him. But even if you don’t you don’t have to be scared. Daddy and mommy are supew stwong and bwave. And i’ll be stwong and bwave fow the both of us. So sleep Charlie. I’ll look after you,” you promise. You skip ahead again. You see you and charlie growing up. Playing together, discovering each other’s magic when the time comes. Learning together... You always had each other’s back. You stop when you are 14 and dressed up for a dance. “Mom, do we really need to record this?” you ask nervously playing with your dress as you look in your full lenght mirror. “I want to document your dad’s face when he sees his princess all grown up,” she insists, but trough the reflection you can see the pride on her face and the tears welling up in her eyes. “Sure,” you allow. Then you frown. “This was a mistake, I’m not going,” you decide. The camera is put down but mom forgot to actually turn it off. You see her turning you around so she’s looking at you. “Why? You’ve been looking forward to this all year,” she points out . The worry is clear in her voice. “I know...” you mutter, not meeting her eyes. “Hey,” she insists as she directs your face back in her direction. “We aren’t going to force you to do anything you don’t want. If you don’t want to go to the dance, then you don’t have to go. I’ll call Clara’s parent’s right now to say that you don’t need to be picked up after all. If you want me to give them an excuse, I will. But I’d like to know what changed all of a sudden first.” You remember this. You felt so embarrassed that day. Worse is you felt like a coward. “I’m... Everyone is going to be staring,” you admit. “Of course the are. You look beautiful. But that doesn’t matter. You just have to focus on having fun,” she assures you with a proud smile and a gentle stroke over your cheek. You sake your head. “No, i mean... I’m true love’s firstborn second generation. Neal told me people were all over him on his first ball I don’t... I just want to be normal tonight,” you explain. Mom chuckles gently at that. “First, nothing in this town is any version of normal,” she points out. “And, everyone is a little different. Your different just happens to include magic. Your friends love you with or without, and the rest of the world can go choke on a bag of nails. You don’t have to be anything other than yourself Hope.” she says your name so gentle, as if it’s some kind of fragile treasure. “We called you this, not because you have a destiny. Not because we expect anything form you.  We chose your name because you were the answer to every secret wish your father and I dared to make when we were young. Before we knew each other, and even while we started dating.” She smiles at a fond memory. “You  were already everything we hoped for by being born. That’s it. If you want to go on adventures that’s fine. If you want to work a simple nine to five out of town then that’s’ perfect. The only expectations you have to meet are your own. Don’t ever doubt that we’ll support you. And forget about anyone else.” She pulls you into a hug. Which you return eagerly. “So? What do you want to do?” she asks. You step out of the embrace and smile at her. “I am going to dance until my shoes fall apart.” You both giggle at that and mom picks up the camera and you head downstairs. “Finally, I was about to go looking for you two,” Dad exclaims as mom joins him in the living room. “Perfection can’t be rushed,” she teases as she aims the camera at his face. He rolls his eyes but before he can shoot back a witty reply his eyes land on you and he can only stare in awe. “Wow! You look like a princess!” a ten year old Charlie exclaims in the background. You blush You remember blushing and looking at your dad, greying and wrinkles showing up on his face. Then a sad but proud smile graced his features. “Hope darling... You’re as beautiful as your mother,” he says gently. “Thanks,” you reply as you walk over to hug him. “You be careful, and if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, you just call us. I don’t care if they’re underage,” he tells you and you laugh. “I don’t think that’ll be needed, but thanks dad. I love you,”  “I love you too darling,” he smiles. “Family hug,” Henry announces as he walks into frame and gathers you, mom and dad  in a hug, you remember Charlie hurried over and wrapped himself around your leg. You felt so safe and loved... Suddenly you jump up at the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Before you can event think about answering the door it’s opened with magic and there stands your baby brother, now a grown man. He looks a lot like dad. Though everyone says he also resembles granddad in his younger days. “Hey, you alright?” he asks. You laugh humorlessly. “I’m crying on mom and dad’s livingroom floor while looking at old videos of us. No I’m not okay,” you confess. He comes to sit beside you and holds you close. “I don’t think I can do this. I don’t know how they...” “You have the answer in your hand. Charlie points out. “They had family to rely on. And so do you. I’m here. Henry and Alice are here. All of the town is behind you. And no one faults you for falling apart for a bit.” You hold on tighter, overwhelmed with guilt. “I feel so selfish,” you confess. “I should be there for you and Henry... but...” “You are. You’ve always been there for us whenever you could. You are an amazing sister Hope. We’ll get trough this together.” You nod into his shoulder and feel something buzzing in his jacket pocket. “It’s time isn’t it?” you wonder. “Yeah...” he confirms. You h let him help you up and try to fix your dress and hair. “How do I look?” you ask. “Like a princess,” he assures you. “If they were here they’d be  proud,” he assures you. You nod. He is right. There’s never been a day in her life where she didn’t feel like they weren’t proud of her. Even when they were mad they made her feel loved. “Let’s do this then,” you nod with a tightening in your chest. “Long way?” Charlie guesses. You nod. You need a moment to collect yourself. Using magic wouldn’t give you that time. You take his arm and let him lead you outside. Into the unknown.

[cutesuki--bakugou]

Ancient Soul

Time Travel, Quirkless, Feudal Japan AU

“Your soul does not belong here.” Those were words you never thought that you would hear. Now, thrown into the past in feudal Japan, you must find a way to survive, all while struggling to avoid the growing feelings for one hot-headed war general. War, romance, death and love drive you forward, to find the place where your soul truly belongs.

Bakugou Katsuki x Fem!Reader

Want to start from be beginning? Check the Ancient Soul tag. New chapters released every Wednesday as long as schedule permits.

Genre: Romance / Angst Story Rating: Explicit | Adult Themes, Sex, Death, Depictions of Violence, Alcohol

Chapter 1:  Hey, Hey, It’s Haunted, You Know?!

Chapter Rating: No Warnings Apply Words: 3367

The sound of your blaring alarm from your phone was something that you hated with every fiber of your being. It was a horrible, annoying ringing that would be more at home in some B-rated SiFi movie, but it was the only thing on your phone loud enough to rip you out of sleep. So, with a loud groan into your pillow, you reached across and snatched the device from its resting place, attempting to press the ‘dismiss’ button three times before you were successful. Once it was off, you only took a quick glance at the time, only to further confirm that it was indeed six in the morning.

It was no one's fault but your own that you were so exhausted. You had stayed up late with your friends, shamelessly ditching homework for some voice chat and video game fun. Yes, you knew you had to be up early and that your eight o’clock class was brutal, but you felt like you had deserved that little break. Your life the past few years had been nothing but grinding away at school work, barely even having a social life that didn’t involve the occasional trip to a karaoke bar. That is also how they talked you into skipping class today to come on a little trip with them to some… haunted shrine.

A mixture of exhaustion and the desperate need for companionship had prompted you to agree, and so you all busied yourselves by scaring the wits out of each other on some horror game. You had all planned to meet up at ten, so you had wanted to get a little more sleep. But again, you had crashed the instant you lied your head on your pillow, thus completely forgetting to turn off your alarm. Now what? Should you attempt to go back to sleep and possibly end up sleeping through your meetup time? Or maybe getting up and taking a nice, long shower would be good for you.

You did neither at the moment, beginning to scroll through your social media alerts on your phone that you had been ignoring. Even your friends there seemed… distant from you. You hadn’t made an update or post on anything in a couple of weeks, so overwhelmed with school work that you could hardly even breathe. Just the thought that you were going to skip class today was making you nauseous, so in an attempt to avoid the thought, you rolled over to face the wall and began searching your destination on your phone.

Shōshitsu Shrine, or The Vanishing Shrine, just a few hours drive outside of Kyoto where you were currently attending university. How dumb, you thought, scrolling through the numerous stories and claims of supernatural happenings in this place. Why would they want to go to this place knowing all the weird stuff that has happened? I swear, if something happens I’ll never forgive them. I bet Mirio wants to do this just to get some type of footage!

With a heavy sigh, you let your phone fall out of your hands onto the bed beside you, figuring that scaring yourself before you even got there wasn’t a good idea. You knew that there was going to be a constant conversation about all of this on the drive, so getting all worked up about it was pointless. Tamaki may be able to keep the conversation away from that stuff just because he’s as nervous as I am… Though Nejire will most likely not be able to stop, I think she’s the most excited just because it’s something new.

Dreading the thought, you finally dragged yourself out of bed, giving a hefty sigh as you stretched. Aching bones gave way and popped, giving relief to your basically mangled body. Sitting in a chair in front of a computer playing games all night has a tendency to do that to you, but again, you had no one to blame but yourself. Just as you couldn’t blame anyone else for your phone slipping from your hand and nearly landing right on your foot, making you curse out and jump back a bit to avoid it. “Damn it. Clumsy.”

Gathering your clothing for the day, you sheepishly shuffled into your bathroom, giving your [fur color] cat a soft pat on the head as you passed its favorite sleeping spot. “Good morning, kitty.” You were greeted with a fluttering meow in response, bringing a smile to your lips as you shut the bathroom door behind you. Purposefully avoiding looking at yourself in the mirror, you set your clothing down on the edge of the vanity countertop to begin your regular shower routine.

It went by in a blur, your exhausted mind struggling to keep hold of your surroundings, and by the time you exited the bathroom nearly forty-five minutes had passed. Normally, a shower would have you feeling refreshed, but all it had done was make you want to crawl back into bed. You refused to do so, knowing that you couldn’t bail on this trip, and laying back into bed would ruin it all. So, for the two and a half hours that you had to spare, you first busied yourself with a bit of cleaning up and piddling about online.

When you finally descended the steps to your apartment, you couldn’t help but give a small shiver, finding that it was quite a bit cooler than normal for summer. The puffy, dark grey clouds in the distance were obviously the reason, and you hoped that during the drive, you would outrun the rain. One, because you didn’t have an umbrella or jacket with you, and the thought of going back up three flights of stairs to get those items wasn’t exactly exciting. Before you could truly make your decision, a car pulled up beside your building, honking excitedly at you.

“Hey, hey, [f/n]!” Nejire called from out of the back window, waving you down excitedly. “Hurry! We have to get there fast, it’s going to rain, you know! Can you tell?”

“Did you guys bring umbrellas and things?” You asked after hurriedly approaching the car, sliding into the backseat beside your nearly bouncing friend. Her long periwinkle hair was tied into a braid over her left shoulder and she was dressed for hiking, which you were… not. “Oh no, are we going to hike?! I didn’t know that!”

“Oh, yes!” Nejire watched you closely as you buckled in. “There are a lot of stairs and woods around there, you know, and they don’t take care of it.”

“Ah don’t worry about it, [f/n]. I checked it’s not really hiking, just a lot of stairs.” Mirio piped in from the driver's seat, giving you a comforting glance of his always present smile. “And we have enough umbrellas!”

“That’s not true, Mirio, we only have two! See!” Nejire picked up one from the floorboard next to her feet. “And mine is small! Do you think two people could fit under here? Hm?”

You couldn’t help but release a small squeak of surprise as the umbrella suddenly opened, nearly smacking you right in the face. “Oh geez, Nejire, close it! We can test that when we are out of the car.”

“It’s bad luck to open umbrellas inside,” Tamaki spoke softly from the front, nearly incoherent behind Neiire’s rambling on about how cute her umbrella is. “And Mirio can’t see to drive.”

Nejire gave an airy laugh, finally closing the umbrella. “What?! You can’t get bad luck from opening an umbrella inside a car! That’s just inside a building. Oh, oh, it would be really bad luck to open it in the shrine! Should we try?”

You gave a small shake of your head, pulling out your phone to hopefully distract your mind from the conversation you knew was about to start. “Can we even get inside of the shrine?”

“No,” Mirio gave a small shake of his head. “I mean, sure, if you really tried to I bet we could. But we were just going to look.”

“And not desecrate or be disrespectful. That place is no joke, someone vanished from there just last week.” Tamaki shifted a bit in the front passenger seat, looking back at you over his shoulder. “Did you hear about that?”

“Yeah, yeah, did you hear! Some older man, he just… poof!” Nejire did an exploding hand gesture along with her description, before clapping her hands once loudly. “But, as long as you don’t go there alone, it’s fine! Staying together is how you stay safe! And ignore the foxes!”

“Foxes?” You looked at your friend curiously, watching her hair bob as she nodded energetically. “I didn’t know there were foxes there.”

“Mhmm! I did a lot of research on this, you know, I bet I could tell stories the entire drive!”

I bet you could. You gave a tired sigh, rubbing your cheek as you lied your head back on the headrest of the seat. The feeling and sound of the car driving down the highway was comforting, and you could have sworn that even Nejire’s excited voice was lulling you to sleep. Just as soon as you closed your eyes, you were suddenly jerked awake by the feeling of the car coming to a stop. A familiar, heavy grogginess and a sour taste in your mouth told you that you had fallen asleep, though you were surprised to find that you were right at the entrance to the shrine.

The stairway was marked with a crumbling torii, the dark wood decayed and worn from the abuse of time. It was ominous, a clear sign that this particular shrine was not worthy of upkeep for one reason or another. There were no warning signs, but there were remnants of proof that a team of police had been here recently to conduct a search for the missing elderly man.

With a heavy intake of breath, you forced yourself to exit the car, taking a moment to adjust your t-shirt. Being up higher in the mountains, the air was cool and refreshing, though there were the sounds of a nearby road. It was comforting to be able to still have some grip on civilization, knowing that if something happened, you could find help easily.

“Wow, it’s so creepy! Look, even the trees are growing away from the torii!” Nejire pointed up towards the trees as she made her way close to the entrance. “I wonder why that is! Hey, Mirio, do you know? Hm?” She patted her friend's shoulder eagerly as he came to stand beside her, which he ignored in favor of crossing his arms over his chest.

“I have no idea! C’mon, let’s go!”

With that, he began to make his way up the steps with Nejire following close behind, though she did take a moment to stop and curiously touch the wood of the torii. With a heavy sigh, you were about to make your way up with them, though you noticed that there was a particular person who had not yet gotten out of the car. Coming to stand beside it, you leaned over to curiously peer inside, immediately recognizing the worried furrow of Tamaki’s brow. “Hey, are you okay?”

He gave a quick shake of his head, only giving you a quick glance before back down at his phone he was clutching tightly in his hands. “I think I’ll stay down here for… for a while. Go on up before you lose them.”

“Are you sure? I can hang out with you until you’re ready.”

“N-No, I’ll be ready in… In a little while. You can go.”

You gave him a small, comforting smile before moving away from the car, starting towards the stairs. “Just text me if you need me to come back!” If he answered, you didn’t hear it, trying to focus on the uneven, cracked stone steps. That’s all you would need is to fall down who knows how many stairs just because you didn’t see that one particular crack. The further up you went, the more you felt like the trees were closing in on you, darkening your surroundings and bringing a further chill to your skin.

Just as Nejire had said, it was creepy. It was so damn creepy, in fact, that you almost felt the urge to fly back down the stairs and hide in the car with Tamaki. It was almost as if there were eyes on you, watching your every move. You could only imagine chancing a quick glance up, only to be met with the glare of a ghoul that would steal you away. Perhaps they were behind you right now, so close that the wind on your nape could easily be the breath of a forlorn spirit. Shivering from the thought, you quickly made your way up the stairs, focusing only on the thought of your destination and not the cold feeling of clammy hands on your arms.

You were panting heavily by the time you reached the top of the stairs, but you didn’t dare stop until Nejire and Mirio were in your sights. Leaning over and propping yourself up on your knees, you struggled to catch your breath, barely able to hear Nejire calling your name behind the pounding in your ears.

“[f/n]! Did you get scared? Huh? Why are you so tired? Look at this shrine, it’s so much smaller than it looks online! Oh! It has bugs!”

Recovering, you stood back up, starting to make your way towards them as you tried to restrain your heavy breaths. “Wow, it is a lot smaller and… not anywhere near as creepy as the way up here.”

“You were creeped out on the way up here? I thought it was pretty! Oh, oh, Mirio take a picture of me with this statue!” Nejire seemed quite uninterested in what you had gone through, but the fact that they hadn’t noticed the odd energy made you feel even more uneasy. Deciding to just brush it off, you began to wander a bit, observing the crumbling ancient shrine. As you made your way over to the left side, you had to hop up over a fallen beam, careful not to trip as your sandal shifted unevenly beneath your step.

Suddenly, a flickering of light caught your eye, pulling your gaze down along the wall of the shrine. There, a small wooden box sat, with a picture, flickering white candles, and white flowers. Curious, you stepped closer and squatted down beside it, finding that the picture was of an elderly gentleman. Instantly, you felt your skin crawl, knowing that it must have been the man who had vanished just recently. The fact that the candles were lit meant that someone had just recently come up here to grieve, and you immediately felt like an asshole for showing up just to gawk at a place that housed so much suffering.

Just as you were about to stand, it began to rain, just a light drizzle. After peering up at the darkening sky, you turned your focus back to the tiny altar in front of you, feeling a twinge of sadness as the candles were put out by the rain. Placing your palms together in front of your chest, you bowed your head and gave a quiet prayer for the man’s soul, before standing to find your friends to hopefully avoid a similar fate.

“Mirio! It’s raining! We forgot the umbrellas and Tamaki!”

“He’ll come up when he’s ready, and it’s just a little- ah, okay, it’s raining hard.”

“C’ mon, let’s go get the umbrellas, quick! Besides, you’re the only one who can get Tamaki to come up, too!”

It was then that you heard the footsteps of them rushing down the stairs, joined in by the loud rush of rain on stone. Feeling panic bubble within you, you were quick to try and rush back to the pillar you climbed over before. “W-wait, hey, don’t leave me up- WAH!”

The pillar, aged with mold, became slick in the rain, and your foot slipped out from under you the instant you tried to push yourself up. You landed hard on your backside, the pain making you hiss out and lay down in defeat. “O-Ow… Damn sandals!”

For a moment, you just laid there, hips pulsing in pain and the rain falling on your face. You could have almost admitted that it was… peaceful, to lay there like that. All peace was jolted from you, however, as there was a rustling in the brush beside you, making your eyes instantly flash open and heart race violently. You were frozen in your spot, and yet the rustling grew closer. You could just imagine a ghoul crawling towards you out of the darkness, body contorted and blood dripping from whatever hole could possibly be the most terrifying.

Damn stupid haunted shrine! I swear I am never going anywhere haunted ever aga-... A fox?

You found yourself face to face with a fox as it came to stand over you, peering down into your [e/c] eyes as if it were a human. Cautiously, you shifted yourself to the side and sat up, breathing heavily from your momentary terror.

“A-a fox… out in the rain. At a haunted shrine. I must have hit my head and passed out or something…” You adjusted your sitting position to sit on your knees, resting your hands on your thighs as you leaned over a bit to look down at the fox. Its gaze never left your face, watching you so intently that you figured it must have been scared. Though, it didn’t have a frightened body posture, nor was it snarling in any way. The orange and dark brown fur that covered the animal was oddly dry looking, even with the pouring rain, but you couldn’t really say you had ever seen a wet fox before.

“Uhm…” You felt a bit stupid for even thinking it, but you had an unending urge to just… talk to it. “How’s it going… foxy?” As if in response, the animal’s left ear gave a twitch, bringing you to notice that it was missing quite a large chunk out of it as if it had been bitten by something. Plausible, of course, since it was a wild animal. What you still couldn’t get over was the way it looked at you, as if it could truly understand you or even… read your mind? It was so bizarre, so intimidating that you were beginning to feel a bit sick to your stomach. “I… Maybe you should go.”

“No. You are the one that does not belong here.”

The wispy voice that filled your mind startled you so badly that you were suddenly frozen with fear, gaping down at the fox as you struggled to comprehend what was happening. D-did it just talk to me?! Did I just imagine that? What the hell--

“You are not imagining anything.” Again, the voice came to your mind as the fox stood from it’s seated position, taking a few delicate steps towards you. It was then that your flight responses kicked in and you backed away, quickly finding that you were pressed up against the stone wall of the shrine.

Breathing heavily, you cowered as far back as you possibly could. “G-get away! I don’t care if this is some hallucination from falling or if it’s real, you need to get away!”

The fox did not move from its spot, though its tail did sway a bit. “It is not a hallucination. But, I am not the one that needs to leave.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll leave. I’ve obviously gone insane.” Your voice trembled as you spoke, feeling your entire body shaking as you began to stand. “I’m gone! I’m out of here forever.”

“You misunderstand me, [f/n].”

Again, you found your body frozen, fearful gaze locked on the fox as it stared up at you. You couldn’t move an inch, not as it approached you and not even as a wicked grin crept across its lips, revealing human-like teeth.

“It is your soul that does not belong.”

[atinyidea]

Glitch | Ateez Gang! AU | FIVE

⟶ gang!au, hacker!au, love triangle? poly? female!original character

How curious it is, the fact that the police just gave a media conference, confirming ATZ’s involvement in Kyungri’s families newly-appointed murder, just as she sat down for her best friend, Jaehyeon, to be tattooed by one of the gang members?

⟶ glitch ml! main ml!

⟶ prologue | previous | next

⟶  note! @bri-ne @atinyluna @iis4d @untainted-memories @thegirlwiththedorkydad !! if anyone wants to be on a tag list for this fic just let me know!

⟶ 2983 words

⟶ edited 08.03.2020

FIVE: Warning Signs, Colour Change And The Text

SAN, KQ HEADQUARTERS

Sunday 26 October 2025, 03:25

What was he doing? He was practically slamming his own head against a wall numerous times. Why was it now that he turned into a teenager again, stumbling over himself about a girl? San felt like he was sixteen again, about to tell the first person he liked that he actually liked them. He felt weird.

He felt old, thinking about his sixteen-year-old self, nine years ago. He released a sigh from his lips, looking up at his room’s ceiling. He was practically hanging off the edge of his sofa bed (because when he was younger, he was too edgy for a standard bed and now he was older he was too lazy and sentimental to get rid of it) as he contemplated actually sending the text or not.

With a groan as he sat up, rubbing his face with a hand as his other hand played around with his phone. He was twenty-five now. He shouldn’t be so worked up about a stupid text. He’d done it so many (not that many) times before so why was he concerned over this?

Then he remembered who exactly he would be texting, and he groaned again, flopping back on the bed.

He’d be texting Pyo Kyungri. The girl whose laptop he had placed a bug on not even twenty-four hours ago. The girl who had sent Hongjoong into a small frenzy after she had found two of their gang members as quickly as she did – or maybe he was in a frenzy because she found them on a police file? – and they had spent the next few hours investigating her. When he and Yeosang had heard she was a hacker – right from the source herself – their little plan was more than needed.

San had thanked his lucky stars that the events unfolded as they did, it had made his job so much easier – to plant the bug while Kyungri had excused herself to the bathroom and her friend, whose name he hadn’t actually learnt yet, had been called by her boss to teach Yeosang how to work a coffee machine.

It had been easy. And now San stared his phone, her number already saved, the text already typed and ready to be sent. San couldn’t help himself, he was curious by nature. It didn’t help that she was, in fact, as pretty as her friend had said.

“She’s pretty too, don’t you think? Do you think she’s pretty?” She rested her head in her palms, her gaze lever leaving him. “She’s single too, there’d be no competition to win her over or anything.” San hadn’t meant to let his imagination get the best of him – “Pretty, smart and single. She’s a triple threat right, everything you could need right. Do you like pretty smart girls? Pretty, smart girls? I reckon you’d look great together! I mean, you’re just sat next to each other, and I’m already being attacked by the visuals! Think of the children!” – but the only reason he had blushed was that he had indeed let his imagination get the best of him. He assumed that was one of the reasons why he was so caught up in his head.

San could feel himself blushing as he thought back to the words of the orange-haired girl but shook his head to get rid of the feeling like he was physically shaking the blush from his cheeks. He didn’t know why he was blushing. Blushing! Of all things!

It was times like these that he would have gone to Wooyoung, or Mingi, to try and figure out exactly where his head was. His members, his best friends, always knew how to help him clear his mind – especially when his curiosity got the best of him and created a confusing, jumbled mess of his thoughts. But Wooyoung had been away since last night, given the task of the arms deal, so he hadn’t even been home to be told about Kyungri and her impressive hacker skills, and Mingi was most likely asleep. San wouldn’t want to wake sleep-deprived younger man anyway – even if he did want to, he wouldn’t. Waking Mingi up was like antagonising a bear or something. San wasn’t looking to get mauled because he couldn’t work up the courage to text a girl.

So, San did what he did best. He let himself be curious and finally (after twenty minutes) sent the damn text.

TO: Hacker Girl: Hey there, your overzealous orange-haired friend gave me your number, and I just got out of work so I thought it would be the best time to text in case I forgot in the morning and made the worst mistake of my life – gotta give Jaehyeon something to talk about, don’t we? 😉

THE LOFT

Sunday 26 October 2025, 03:27

“We are so incredibly screwed.”

Chaeyoung was sat on the floor, crossed legs dressed in a set of plaid pyjamas, a towel around her neck as she ate chicken while Kyungri was dying her hair. Kyungri, who had just had her first load of bleach put on, was also in a pair of pyjamas – these ones checked – hummed in agreement.

Gongmyung had passed out a half-hour ago, letting the girls get on with their hair knowing it would take a while. The girls had also decided to scrub through the recordings from their hidden cameras to gather as much information as possible, projecting the video onto the blank wall in front of them.

“So, so extremely screwed.”

“We’ll be fine, stay still,” Kyungri mumbled, pulling the dark brown dye through freshly bleached locks.

“We were seen, held conversation with and even taunted three of the most prolific members of NCT. They know my face! I got up in their faces!”

“Calm down, we weren’t talking to them for more than ten minutes tops. The only features they would really remember are your bright orange hair and your sickly-sweet voice. Which is not your usual voice and we are curren,tly changing your hair.”

“You weren’t looking at them Ri.” Chaeyoung’s voice was calmer now, the video paused on the faces of the three gang members they had spoken to just hours ago. “That red-haired one, Yuta, he hardly said anything. He was just looking at me. He’s definitely got my face committed to memory or something.”

“We don’t have to worry about it now okay, don’t get worked up about it today,” Kyungri told her softly, wanting to comfort her but not wanting to dismiss her fears either. Chaeyoung went to nod but refrained from moving her head, letting out a little hum in agreement as she un-paused the video. They were watching her footage.

She gasped a little, reaching to pause the video again, moving her body suddenly. Kyungri managed not to spill any hair dye when she did so. “Look!” Chaeyoung exclaimed, pointing. “Isn’t that Mr Lover boy from your fun escapade in X-Clusive?”

When Kyungri looked up, she too let out a gasp. Because Chaeyoung was right.

The image was slightly blurry, but his form was distinctive: silver hair, low cut shirt, an array of ear piercings.

“Oh shit.”

“Do you think he saw you?”

“I don’t know!”

“What are you going to do if he did?”

“Well, I'm currently bleaching my hair blonde so.”

The girls settled into silence once again as Kyungri tied up Chaeyoung’s hair and slipped off the gloves.

“Kyungri…” Chaeyoung started, voice low in volume. Kyungri hummed for her to continue, making her way to the bin, getting a piece of chicken on her way back. “Just, have a look at your laptop real quick.” Kyungri’s expression twisted to one of confusion, opening her mouth to ask why but stopping herself as soon as she spotted the serious look in Chaeyoung’s eyes. “I think it may need to be put on charge or something.”

Kyungri made her way over to the desk where her laptop was sat, right where she and Gongmyung had left it to carry out a longer hack. She bit into her piece of chicken as she lent down to take a look at it. Her chewing motion stopped for only a second as she noticed that the webcam light was on, directly recording anything it saw. She didn’t acknowledge it, nodding to herself and looking back to Chaeyoung, “yeah, I think I’m gonna let it sleep for a while.” She said, slamming the lid closed.

Once the lid was closed that the webcam was no longer filming them, Kyungri brought a finger to her lips when Chaeyoung opened her mouth to speak. She then motioned for her to wake Gongmyung up. They couldn’t make themselves any more suspicious, and they couldn’t be sure if the person hacked into her laptop hadn’t separately hacked into the laptop’s microphone. “How did it get this low?”

Chaeyoung did as instructed, shaking Gongmyung awake – “Where even is your charger?” – as Kyungri practically ran to her room to get a whiteboard and pen. She was back in the room in under a minute writing furiously on her whiteboard.

WE’VE BEEN BUGGED.

“It might be in the kitchen, can you check?” Kyungri asked, keeping up with the little act she and Chaeyoung had started. Chaeyoung indeed went to the kitchen, but not for the charger (because the laptop had been connected to the entire time) but for another one of Kyungri’s laptops.

Gongmyung opened his eyes with a groan, his words cut off by Kyungri’s hand before he could get them out. She held up the whiteboard for him to read, shouting back to Chaeyoung in the kitchen, “Can you grab me a coke or something while you're there?”

Chaeyoung came back with an empty glass,  – “Here you go, one glass of coke and one laptop charger!” – swapping over the other laptop for the whiteboard. While Kyungri made sure all the files from the closed laptop were stored on the hard drive of the new laptop, Chaeyoung started writing on the whiteboard.

ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?

Kyungri closed the new laptop and nodded.

Chaeyoung dropped the glass, the sound of it almost echoing through the loft. “Oh shit!”

Kyungri had picked up the old laptop and promptly hit it against the side of the wooden table as hard as she could and then proceeded to snap it in half to the best of her ability before letting it drop to the floor to become a new floor mat.

The three of them shred a glance, not wanting to speak in case it wasn’t just the laptop that had been hacked into. Gongmyung gently took the whiteboard from Chaeyoung’s grip.

I’LL GO RUN A SEARCH ON THE SERVERS.

Both girls simply nodded at the man, watching as he left to go downstairs before making their own way to the bathroom. As if the morning wasn’t crazy enough, Kyungri’s phone let out the familiar chime indicating a new text.

FROM: Unknown Number: Hey there, your overzealous orange-haired friend gave me your number, and I just got out of work so I thought it would be the best time to text in case I forgot in the morning and made the worst mistake of my life – gotta give Jaehyeon something to talk about, don’t we? 😉

FROM: Unknown Number: Uh, it’s San btw

Chaeyoung took one look at the text and let out a laugh, so loud, and powerful Kyungri was almost worried about her organs.

“Of course! Perfect timing MISTER SHADY BUT SURPRISINGLY HOT TATTOOIST!” Chaeyoung shouted at the phone.

“Are you… okay?” Kyungri asked tentatively.

Chaeyoung looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes that made her look like a child instead of an adult. “I think the fumes are getting to me. We should probably wash your bleach out now.”

“But what about the…” Kyungri motioned to her phone and then vaguely around the room.

Chaeyoung simply shrugged. “There isn’t anything electronic in the bathroom, it’s a safe haven.” She giggled, eyes widening at the sudden revelation before she grabbed Kyungri’s wrist and pulled her to the bathroom. “Plus it’s like almost four in the morning, he can’t expect you to reply instantly, let him think you’re sleeping.”

“But I’ve opened it, he’ll see that I’ve read it.”

“It’s your fault for putting read receipts on then.”

Kyungri grimaced a little but nodded in agreement anyway for Chaeyoung was correct, as per usual. “Help me!” She shined like a child, almost jumping up and down on the spot. She wasn’t sure why she was so worked up about it. It was just a text, she’d texted people before.

“Just reply.” Chaeyoung deadpanned, “But do it after I wash your hair out, it’ll burn your hair off if you leave it too long.”

“That’s a myth, and you know it,” Kyungri replied but knelt down to bend over into the shower anyway. It took just over fifteen minutes to get everything out, and when Kyungri straightened up, she was appreciative she could finally stretch her back again.

“I am so unbelievably grateful my mother is a hairdresser,” Chaeyoung mumbled, grabbing the pile of discarded foil strips and throwing them in the bathroom bin. “It’s always a good thing to know how to properly bleach someone’s hair. You look great, I don’t even think you’ll need a second coat.”

“I bless the world for your mother.”

“We still have to tone it though, get the orange ends out for good.”

“You’re good to me, but I thought we were cutting it?”

“Oh yeah!” Chaeyoung smiled, playfully flicking Kyungri’s own hair into her face. “We’ll still tone it anyway.”

A knock on the door started both girls a little. Chaeyoung let out a shallow laugh as Kyungri called out a small “come in,” watching as Gongmyung’s head popped around the door.

“They accessed one of the servers, I managed to lock them out, but whoever it was most likely knows where we are now.”

“Oh shit. We have to get out then. Like out of Seoul. Like out of Korea.” Chaeyoung rambled, getting louder as she continued. Kyungri placed a hand over her mouth, rubbing her other hand up and down Chaeyoung’s forearm in order to calm the younger girl down.

“We don’t have to leave Korea, we don’t even know who it was.”

“All the more reason to leave the country! What if it was NCT? Or ATZ? We’re gonna get shot in our sleep!”

Kyungri looked back up at Gongmyung to help her reassure a now crying Chaeyoung, but she was met with a serious and solemn expression. “It would be best if you probably weren’t in the country anymore.” He spoke slowly, moving more into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. “I can lead them away to another city, but if you took them overseas, they’ll be baffled for sure. It wouldn’t be more than a couple of days.” He concluded, taking out his phone to look at the next flights out of Seoul.

“We can’t just leave the country! We all have actual jobs to do, you know!”

“I’m your boss, think of it as a job.”

Kyungri had to admit, Gongmyung had a point there. Her eyes flickered back to Chaeyoung. “She has two other jobs, though.”

Chaeyoung gently removed Kyungri’s hand from her mouth. “Working at the hairdressers with my mum isn’t a real job –”

“You get paid for it.”

“– and my boss at the café can’t deny me the two weeks of paid leave I have built up!”

“We can’t leave the country!”

“Why not? It would both be safer for us and would scramble their was of getting to us!”

Kyungri was at a loss for words. Why couldn’t they leave the country for a few days? She shrugged to herself. “I’ll let my aunt know I have a long job and won’t be home for a couple of weeks then.”

Chaeyoung squealed.

“How’s Bora Bora sound?” Gongmyung asked, “the plane leaves in twenty hours, you can be done in under twenty hours, right?”

“I can have us done in two!” Chaeyoung grinned. “Just need a couple more minutes for my hair dye, and then we’re cutting Ri’s hair, but I can have bags packed for a couple of days in Bora Bora done in an hour!”

“Don’t rush yourself, get it done and get some sleep. I’ll buy you guys breakfast later.” Gongmyung smiled, purchasing tickets for Bora Bora there and then. “We need to be at the airport four hours before departure so maybe rush a little.” He said, promptly leaving.

They were going to Bora Bora.

“This is exciting! You might as well tell San you’re leaving the country! That’s a good way to start a conversation!” Chaeyoung winked before switching the shower on again to wash out her hair dye.

TO: Jaehyeon’s Crush: Sorry for the late reply! I’m just a little busy trying to get everything together before I can head for the airport hehe ^.^

Kyungri practically slapped herself in the face after the text was sent. Hehe? What the fuck was that? She was so incredibly fucked.

TO: Jaehyeon’s Crush: I might not be available in a while, so apologies in advance!

Things were getting worse.

TO: Jaehyeon’s Crush: but wow you finished late then!

That was better.

“Hey!” Chaeyoung shouted from under the water. “Stop texting your tattooist boyfriend and be a good person and help me with my hair!”

Kyungri shook her head with a smile before locking her phone, putting it on the floor (subsequently the big mistake of the day) before making her way to Chaeyoung who let go of the shower hose and left them in a drenched bathroom.

Her phone was going to need some rice, that was for sure.