#just kind of....spiraling over them. doing great. clearly.

[mrsbuckybarnes1917]

2: UNWELCOME DISTANCE

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Dinner with Bucky didn't go as well as you planned and now you're suffering from the outcome of being ditched in an autumn thunderstorm.

Word count: 3.2k

Warning: feelings of betrayal, shitty communications skills, illness (upper respiratory tract infection) description, Coney Island and cotton candy, jealousy, Bucky... Barnes is a warning

The following morning, you woke up feeling a little worse for wear. You buried your face in your pillow willing the tickle in your throat and at the back of your nose to disappear. A small groan left your lips as your attempt to sleep in was thwarted by the aching throughout your body. Sitting up did little to make you feel better, other than shifting the balance of mucus in your sinuses, making you sneeze and worsening the scratchiness of your throat. You looked up at the clock, you’d missed the breakfast time that you were expected to attend, but there weren’t any messages on your phone expressing concern from your friends.

A throb of self pity and doubt flashed through your mind. Did any of them even care? You had lost Bucky to another woman, but clearly none of your other friends had noticed your absence. You weren’t special, you’d only been invited to join the Avengers Initiative because of your powers. The thoughts were just forming, your mind ready to spiral into a storm of insecurity, when there was a knock at your door. Each movement felt like wading through molasses, and even sitting up seemed like an insurmountable task.

"Cricket?" Steve’s voice permeated into the room.

"Coming!" At least that was what you tried to say, your voice coming out as a small croak. You padded over to the door barefoot and opened the door to find Steve’s kind face looking down at you.

His concern was etched across his features as he took in your disheveled appearance. Dark circles clung to your eyes, and your skin had lost its usual healthy hue.

"Hey there, sunshine," he greeted, his voice gentle. "How’re you feeling?"

There was only one word that would succinctly sum up your emotional and physical state in that moment. "Shit," you mumbled, sniffing at the fluid that was threatening to leak from your nose.

He reached out, his hand cool against your feverish skin. His touch was comforting, grounding you in the midst of your misery. "You definitely have a fever," he confirmed.

As if to affirm his observation, your body pitched forwards in a violent sneeze, which you barely had the time to catch with the inside of your elbow. You ended the outburst with a pained groan, as the back of your throat burned.

Steve’s concern deepened. "You need rest," he said firmly, steering you back into bed. "I’ll make you some tea."

You followed his instructions without protest, not having the energy to argue. It would be best for you to stay in bed, you’d get better quicker with rest, and it was a great excuse to avoid seeing your best friend and his girlfriend. The practical side of you would use the excuse that you didn’t want to expose anyone to your germs. At least Steve would be protected by the serum, so you didn’t need to worry about him hanging around. So with a clear conscience, you snuggled back under your covers to wait for Steve’s return.

As he disappeared towards the kitchen, you sank back into your pillows. Maybe losing Bucky wasn’t the end of the world. Maybe having a friend like Steve was enough—a warm presence in the midst of your feverish chaos. And as the wind whistled outside, you realized that sometimes, friendship was the best medicine of all.

Little did you know that on his way to the kitchen, Steve ran into Bucky as he was leaving your room.

"Steve?" Bucky called after his friend.

"Hey, Buck."

"What’re you doing?" The real question he wanted to ask was ‘why are you leaving Cricket’s room?’.

"Just grabbing some things for Cricket. She isn’t feeling very well."

"What?" Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. "She was fine yesterday!"

"Well if you hadn’t left her alone to get drenched in that storm, she probably wouldn’t be so miserable." Steve hadn’t meant to be so harsh with his words, but you had interrupted his beauty sleep the previous night and he was feeling rather disgruntled.

"What’re you trying to say, Steve?

"You shouldn’t have left it so long to tell her." Steve was referring to Priya and how long he'd kept his relationship with her private.

"That’s my decision, Steve." Bucky countered, defensively.

"I know. But maybe you should think about why you were so ready to tell me, but not Cricket."

Bucky clicked his tongue against the roof of mouth, dismissing Steve's comments. "I'm gonna go and see her."

Steve thought about objecting, but decided against it, opting to fetch the things he had promised you.

Bucky’s footsteps echoed down the narrow hallway, each one a heavy reminder of his own recklessness. The storm had raged outside, rain pelting against the window panes like a thousand tiny fists. But he hadn’t been there to shield you from it. Instead, he’d left you alone, vulnerable, and now guilt gnawed at him like a persistent rat.

Your room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn shut against the gray morning. Bucky hesitated at the threshold, his knuckles grazing the wooden doorframe. He’d never been good with words, especially when it came to matters of the heart. But he had to try.

"Cricket?" His voice was soft, almost tentative. He stepped inside, the floorboards creaking under his weight. There you were, cocooned in blankets, your face pale against the pillows. The storm had taken its toll on you, and he cursed himself for not being there.

You stirred, eyelashes fluttering open. "Bucky?" Your voice was a whisper, fragile like a spider’s silk. "What’re you doing here?"

He crossed the room in two strides, perching on the edge of your bed. "I… I heard you weren’t feeling well." His fingers brushed against your forehead, checking for fever. "Steve told me."

You managed a weak smile. "Steve’s a tattletale."

"He cares about you," Bucky said gruffly. "We both do."

"I feel bad for dragging him out of bed last night."

"Cricket, why didn't you tell me you didn't have any way to get back home. I would have brought a car instead of my bike."

You shrugged, “I didn’t think I had to.”

He had been so caught up in his plans to introduce you to Priya that he hadn’t even considered the possibility that you might need a ride home. He had assumed you would find your own way, and he was just starting to realize how selfish that had been. He should have been more attentive, more caring. He laid a hand on your arm, “I’m sorry, Cricket. I should have been more thoughtful. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“Cricket, please, let me make it up to you. I was looking for you this morning. I made your favorite pancakes," Bucky continued. "Thought you could come and have breakfast with me and Priya, before I take her home."

"Sorry," you shrugged, hating this conversation more and more. Why was Steve taking so long to return?

"I was going to spend the day with her, but if you want, I can come back and we can watch some movies."

"Don't cancel your plans on my account." You rolled over, facing away from Bucky.

Your behavior stung, but he couldn't blame you for being angry. He swallowed hard, the lump in his throat threatening to choke him. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "For leaving you out there."

"See you later," you mumbled and Bucky knew he had been dismissed. 

Bucky couldn't shake the guilt that weighed heavily on his chest as he walked away. He had always been a good friend, someone who looked out for others and made sure they were taken care of. But in his excitement to introduce you to Priya, he had neglected to consider your needs.

As he walked away, Bucky couldn't stop replaying the conversation in his head. He had let you down, and he wanted to make things right.

Steve appeared a few moments after his departure, his arms laden with homely remedies and a bowl of soup which smelled incredible. Your stomach rumbled hungrily in response, making you blush.

"Here, take this first," Steve shoved a bottle of DayQuil under your nose.

Begrudgingly, you accepted the painkiller gratefully and then proceeded to slurp up the soup. "This is delicious," you hummed in approval.

"Hey, when you're feeling a bit better, I was thinking I could take you out somewhere… cheer you up a little." Steve stuttered towards the end as he saw surprise on your face. 

You swallowed your mouthful of soup before cracking a smile. “Steve, I'd like that.”

Steve smiled back at you. But suddenly, he reached out, grabbing the bowI in your hands, having noticed the slight hitch in your breath. A sneeze rocked your body forcefully and you groaned.

“Thanks,” you accepted the bowl back from Steve.

"No problem. Don't want to make a mess."

“No,” you sighed, finishing the soup in a sad silence.

“Want me to stay?”

“No, it's okay. I'm just going to go back to sleep.”

Steve took the empty dishes and kissed your forehead, glad that it didn't feel as warm as it had earlier. “Feel better, champ.”

You sure hoped you would.

*

A few days later, you were back in fighting form. But much to Bucky's chagrin, he could never seem to catch your attention for more than a passing nod or wave. He wanted to make things right with you. He missed you, he wasn’t used to being so close to you but not being able to talk to you properly. He had the sneaking suspicion that your distance might not just be ill-timed schedules. Were you avoiding him? He wondered if you were still angry at him for not giving you a ride back home after your dinner with Priya. A feeling of melancholy settled over him as he speculated on all the things he could have done that made you take a step away from him. Every reason under the sun spiraled through Bucky’s mind except the real reason for your withdrawal.

Bucky had hoped that meeting someone else, someone who was interested in him would help him push away the feelings he had for you. Closure. That’s what they called it in the movies these days. But this didn’t seem like it was going quite the way he had anticipated. In fact, rather than feeling happier, he felt more tortured than he had before. Maybe going out with Priya would take his mind off things, so he decided to give her a call and schedule a date, she had a way of soothing his turbulent thoughts. Not as well as you did, no one understood him quite like you did.

*

Steve was true to his word, and had whipped up a surprise plan for the two of you to spend the day together. He had chosen a Wednesday, explaining that it was a good time as the place would be less busy. He made sure you had dressed warmly, in spite of the sunny weather. 

"Don’t want you getting ill again," he smiled as you got into the car with him.

"Is that why we’re not taking the bike?"

Steve shook his head, knowing how much you loved riding motorcycles.

"So where are you taking me?" you asked. You’d been trying to get Steve to tell you for the last few days, but the tight lipped Captain had resisted all your wily techniques at information extraction.

"Coney Island."

"Ohh!" you exclaimed. "I haven’t been there for years!" You laughed before a thought popped into your head, a memory. "Are you sure you want to go there, Steve?"

"Why wouldn’t I want to go to Coney Island?"

"Well, I heard about… the… Cyclone Incident."

Steve blushed. "Bucky telling everyone that story, huh?"

"Afraid so." Your smile was soured slightly by the shadow casted by Bucky’s name and you turned to stare out of the window, letting Steve drive in silence.

Steve shook his head. He wanted nothing more than for both his best friends to be happy, and for the two of you to be happy together was the ultimate goal. He hoped that one day both of you would come to your senses, but until then, he would do his best to support you both.

The weather turned out to be fine and you had shed your top layer before even leaving the car.

"Oh come on! Stop being such a dad! We can always come back to the car if it gets chilly!" you responded to Steve’s disapproval.

"Come on then!"

It was a beautiful day filled with laughter and joy between you and Steve. He was glued to your side, treating you to all the rides, indulging you when you wanted to ride the Cyclone repeatedly. Every time you got to the end of the ride, you’d turn to him and make sure he wouldn’t spill his guts. Steve rolled his eyes dramatically as you laughed hysterically.

"What next?" Steve asked. "And don’t tell me we’re doing that again."

"Come on, the girl letting people in definitely has a crush on you! Why do you think we got on for free the last two times?"

Steve grabbed your wrist, "Come on!" He led you away from the rides, over to a cotton candy kiosk, dropping a few notes into the vendor's hand and selecting two cones. You took the liberty of grabbing the blue one from his hand and tucking into it before he had the chance to object.

"Bet I can eat this faster than you can!" Steve suggested slyly.

"Oh, bring it, Rogers!" You tore the stick out of the candy cloud and scrunched it up into a tiny ball, sticking it in your mouth and letting the sugar dissolve on its own.

Steve, who had taken several large bites, looked up in confusion and awe. He eyed your empty hands, then put his finger on your bottom lip, pushing it down and peering into your mouth. 

You indulged his disbelief, opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue. "See, all gone! I win!" you smile with glee.

"Wow!"

"You forget, I was the youngest of five! I had to learn to eat fast or I’d lose out." 

Steve chortled quietly at your story. "Fine, what do you want as your prize?" He waved around at all the game stalls, letting you pick your prize.

You gazed around, contemplating your options when you spotted a giant stuffed wolf. "That one!"

Steve was true to his word and threw every bean bag with perfect aim and you pointed at a white plushie which looked a little different to the others. 

"Why don’t you take this one?" the vendor tried to shove a dark gray wolf into your arms, but you declined.

"No thank you, I’d like that one please." You selected one which had been stuffed on a high shelf, away from the others of its kind.

"Honey, this one’s going in the garbage, look at him, white body with one gray leg. It’s a defective product, they made a mistake in the factory. Happens from time to time."

But you were adamant, you wanted the white wolf with the transplanted leg.

"Whatever you want, miss." The vendor handed you the soft toy, which you hugged to your chest. There was something about him that you wanted to keep safe.

Unbeknownst to you, you had been spotted by someone unexpected. Bucky had had a similar thought to Steve, he had brought Priya to the ‘island’ on a quiet weekday for some harmless fun.

"Jamie, look!" Priya tugged at his sleeve. "Isn't that Cricket and Steve?"

Bucky's head whipped around so fast, he almost had empathy for whiplash sufferers. He frowned, eye searching the crowd in the direction of Priya’s outstretched hand. He couldn't believe that you would come here with Steve. He had often suggested a trip to Coney Island to you, but you'd never managed to make the time for it. So seeing you here with Steve made his insides burn with jealousy. Another part of him, his guilt-ridden conscience told him that he didn't deserve you. Naturally, you'd choose the classical hero, Steve. He was the golden boy, even when they'd been kids, Steve was the trouble maker, but somehow Bucky was the one his parents mistrusted. 

"Yeah," he grumbled.

"Let's go over and say hi!"

"I'm sure they don't want us to interrupt them." Bucky vetoed the suggestion with a sulky expression.

"Fair, I mean I wouldn't want anyone interrupting our date either." Priya smiled, taking Bucky's hand, leading him away. Bucky stole one last glance at his two best friends, a deep ache settling inside him as Priya dragged him away from you. 

*

Over the next week, you and Bucky drifted through the compound, both longing for the other but not quite able to find it within yourselves to seek the other out. For you, it was a simple matter of avoidance. You'd made the mistake of touching the flame and now you suffered the burn. But for Bucky it was different. He couldn't understand your absence and he knew nothing of your pain.

He could feel the frustration building up inside him, until one day he caught you returning to your room. And every one of his thoughts and accusations came pouring out.

"What is it? Why’re you upset with me?" Bucky demanded.

"I’m not upset… it’s not- I’m hurt. You hurt me. It’s not that you did something wrong. In fact you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just that I thought you’d share something big, like dating, with me. But you kept it secret. For four months! I thought we told each other everything. I … I just expected-" you shrugged. "And that’s the problem here. My expectations were wrong, and I’m ashamed. But you didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to apologize for. But somehow I feel like I’m going to lose you."

"You’ll never lose me, Cricket."

"But Buck, I already have. Like she said… she’s your best friend now." Bucky opened his mouth to interrupt, but you put your hand out to stop him talking. "I just need some time to deal with that. Is that okay?"

"I didn’t mean to hurt you," he mumbled. The sincerity evident in his tone and face.

"I know, Buck," you sighed. "I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty. Please, I want you to be happy. I’m happy for you."

"Please, let me make this up to you." Bucky grabbed your wrist, desperately.

"You can do that by making sure you take care of yourself. I’m always going to be with you, on missions and stuff, partner," you patted his upper arm. "I just think that our friendship’s going to change a little… and I just need some time to get used to that."

"Is this because of Steve?"

"Steve?" you repeated after him, feeling confused by the change in topic. "What does Steve have to do with this?"

"Are you together?"

"What? No! Bucky, why would you think that?"

"I just…" He shrugged, not quite able to bring up seeing you at Coney Island, or the moment of closeness you had had with Steve the night he had introduced you to Priya.

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[littlespoonevan]

If you are looking for prompts.... Eddie and Tommy realising they unintentionally excluded Buck ?

ohohoho this was fun to write but Sad also bc eddie is clearly thinking one thing and tommy is clearly thinking many things and buck is off in his loft thinking many, Many things but i hope you like it, friend 💛

.

Eddie hobbles over to his couch with Tommy’s help.

“There you go, man,” Tommy says as he gets Eddie situated on the cushion. “You need anything?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Eddie replies, waving a hand. “There’s beer in the fridge though; help yourself.”

Tommy doesn’t take him up on the offer, instead moving to sit on the coffee table next to where Eddie’s propped up his injured leg.

“So, uh, Buck can get pretty competitive?” He says it like a question, nodding to Eddie’s wrapped ankle as if in proof and it’s, well-

“No, actually,” Eddie says, and he feels…stuck between a long-ingrained need to defend Buck and confusion as to how they ended up here in the first place.

Because this isn’t like Buck. Because Buck usually spends his every waking minute actively trying to keep Eddie out of harm’s way. He sure as hell is never the cause. And Eddie knows he didn’t mean to, is the thing. But just calling it a simple accident doesn’t feel quite right either.

“I don’t-” he starts and then reconsiders what he’d planned to say. “Honestly, Buck’s been a little off this week so I think…”

He trails off. It feels weird talking about Buck with someone who isn’t close to them, who doesn’t just implicitly gets all the intricate mental gymnastics behind Buck’s every action.

Then again, Eddie’s not sure if anyone is actually as adept at figuring out how Buck gets from A to Z as he is.

“Is it because of me?” Tommy asks and he looks genuinely concerned.

Eddie replays every conversation he’s had with Buck this past week – every too bright smile Buck flashed him, every enthusiastic assertion that he thought it was great Eddie had a new friend – and then he, inexplicably, thinks about when he first joined the 118 and some things slot into place.

“I think he was maybe a little worried,” Eddie allows. “That I was replacing him with you.”

Tommy’s eyes do a slow, deliberate sweep of the living room and the multiple photo frames of him, Buck and Christopher on the mantel and the side table before he looks back to Eddie. “Is that even possible?”

Eddie shakes his head, letting out a laugh. “I mean, no. Obviously. But Buck just- sometimes he needs reminding how much he means to people.”

Guilt settles between his ribs then. He’s been too distracted this week, too excited about having someone he had so much in common with around to talk to. If he’d taken half a second to look a little closer he would’ve realised Buck was spiralling.

“I should’ve spoken to him,” he sighs. “Reassured him that we weren’t trying to exclude him.”

Tommy frowns. “You really think that’s how he felt? I thought you said he never wanted to play basketball when you asked?”

“I think it was more than just the basketball,” Eddie says, wincing – the memory of him asking Buck to babysit instead of coming to the bar with them feels particularly bad.

Tommy nods slowly, mind clearly working. He’s quiet for so long Eddie thinks about telling him not to worry about it, that he’ll deal with it, but then-

“Why don’t I go talk to him?” he suggests, confident and sure. “Clear the air? I don’t want him to think I’m trying to get in the middle of you two.”

It takes Eddie by surprise. There’s a strangely defensive part of him that wants to say he and Buck don’t need anyone to mend their fences for them but he shoves the thought aside and reminds himself that’s not what Tommy means. Buck had sought Tommy out too last week and they’d seemed to get along. Maybe Tommy wants to clear the air for his own sake.

So he says, “Yeah,” probably a few seconds too late and makes himself smile. “Normally I’d be the one driving to his house and forcing him to talk. But I guess I’m kind of out of commission right now.”

He nods at his foot and Tommy laughs, pushing himself up off the couch to stand. “Well, hey, I’ll be sure to pass on your regards.”

“Thanks,” Eddie snorts.

Tommy claps him on the shoulder as he rounds the couch. “Don’t forget to take those pain pills, man. I’ll let you know how things go with Evan.”

He calls the rest of his sentence over his shoulder as he heads for the door and Eddie manages a half-hearted, “Will do,” as he hears the click of the latch.

And he feels…how Buck has felt all week, probably. Confused and irritated and a little possessive. Like Tommy’s stealing his job. As if Eddie hadn’t just told him it was fine. As if Eddie could even make it over to Buck’s place right now. At least he managed to hold back the petty, “His name is Buck,” that had immediately rose up in his throat as soon as Tommy had called him Evan.

Shaking his head, he reaches for the paper bag with his prescription that Tommy had left on the coffee table.

He’ll talk to Buck tomorrow and everything will be fine.

[sad-not-glad]

could you do a soft Dom Steve x sub bucky x soft Dom sick reader?

where bucky wakes up all subby and wants his mama. he goes to look for her and cannot find her, he starts to cry but then Steve comes around the corner and tells bucky that mama has the flu and is lying in bed to sleep. Bucky than ask Steve if he can help mama feel better. Steve says yes, they spend the day helping the reader get better.

Hey love!! I’m so sorry it took me a while to get back with you, but it’s finally here! I wrote reader’s illness so it could either be just a bad flu, or a chronic illness since I deal with those and flare ups can be terrible aha. The ending is a little rushed and not my favorite but… I’m too lazy to fix it. Hope you enjoy!!

Soft Dom Steve x Reader x Sub/Little Bucky

Warnings: Bucky is scared of being abandoned, but that doesn’t actually happen. Illness. Other than that, just a whole lot of fluff.

(Part of the Sharing is Caring AU)

Blinking awake, Bucky was met with the comforting space of the shared bedroom. Steve’s sketches were littered on the walls, a couple of your nicknacks spread around. Even his own collection of books, stacked neatly on the shelf in the corner.

He could feel it, already brewing inside. The need to be coddled and cared for. The need to be nothing more than a good boy who pleased his Mama and his Captain. But they weren’t here. The bed was empty, only slightly warm. A whine huffed up from his chest as he rolled over on his back- where were you both? You were supposed to be here, covering your baby boy in kisses and compliments.

Bucky shuffled onto his feet, taking his time collecting comfortable clothes before putting them on. One of Steve’s sweaters you had stolen and been wearing for a week, it smelled like both of you. His softest sweats, the fluffy socks with silly cartoon cats on them. You and he had almost convinced Steve that a cat would be a great addition to the little family you had made together.

All cozied up and surrounded by the scent of his lovers, he stepped out of the bedroom at last. The little apartment area was quiet, which was unusual. If you and Steve were awake first, it usually meant the team had come for breakfast. Meaning lots of noise. So the silence piqued his curiosity, urging him further down the hall. He checked the bathroom, empty. So was the office, and even the little storage closet that you loved so much. (Mostly because it’s where you hide all the good snacks)

You both must be in the kitchen, he thought to himself. He needed his Mama, he needed his Captain, he needed to be a good boy and receive praises from you both. That he was kind and sweet, how proud you were and how much you loved him. Bucky was already thinking of breakfast, he would probably find his Mama and Captain cooking something. Maybe he could help! He was good at mixing things, and stealing the yummy bits when nobody was watching him. He was a renowned fruit thief.

Much to his disappointment though, Bucky found the rest of the house empty. The living room, dining room, kitchen, he walked through them all four times. And the only trace of life he found was a discarded soup can next to the sink. The silence was deafening, but somehow the heartbeat in his ears was louder. It felt like the ground had been pulled from beneath him, falling down a spiral of anxiety.

Were you hurt?

Maybe there was a mission nobody told him about?

Had you two gone out for breakfast without telling him?

Did you leave him?

Was he… alone?

It was as if the walls were caving in, stomach cramping with terror and bile rising in his throat. Bucky hadn’t even realized he was crying until then, but once he did it was like the tears wouldn’t stop. He was gasping for air, vision blurry as he wiped desperately at his eyes. Maybe this was his fault somehow. He was needy and damaged, never a good combination in his own opinion. Wasn’t he doing better though? Clearly not if his Mama and Captain both had left him-

“Bucky?”

He spun around wildly, already reaching out for the voice of his Captain. Bucky was swept up against a firm chest and the cries let loose. Steve was gentle and patient, petting his hair and shushing his tears until the poor man was able to form coherent words again. “Thought…I thought you were gone.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Steve sighs, pulling back so he could clean the brunette’s face with gentle hands and a soothing voice.

“We would never leave you, and you know that. (Y/N)- Mama is sick, baby. She’s not feeling good today, we were in the guest bedroom so we didn’t disturb you baby boy. M’ so sorry, I should have let you know.”

The guest bedroom, that made sense. He hadn’t even thought to look in there, it was never used for anything. None of you had family to visit, and all your friends also lived within a reasonable distance for daily visits. Bucky looked up at his Captain, eyes still wet with tears, face red and puffy from crying already.

“Mama’s sick? Can I help her be better?” He felt so small, he really just wanted to be useful somehow. Especially if his sweet Mommy wasn’t feeling good. You didn’t get sick often, but when you did it was never pleasant. Bucky had seen it on occasion, the underlying illness in your body flaring up with a vengeance. It left you nauseous, weak, miserable. And he didn’t want his Mama to be miserable.

“Of course baby boy, you want to help make her some tea?” He gives a little nod and is rewarded with his Captain’s charming smile. They take their time making the tea, Steve giving his baby boy extra love for the fright he endured and explaining a little more. You had been throwing up- and Bucky needed his sleep. He had been on too many missions lately. So you insisted on moving to the spare room, hoping he could get some extra rest. Next time he would definitely have to write a note to make sure your sweet boy didn’t worry like this again.

The tea was finished with no spills. Bucky held the mug close to his chest and walked carefully down the hall, his Captain following with a fond chuckle. He was shuffling his cat socks, pausing if the drink shook too much with that cute pout of concentration on his face. Once at the door he stopped, and Steve could see the gears in his boy’s head turning. How was he supposed to open the door? Sure, he could hold the mug with just one hand. But… it was hot, and he was holding it with his sleeves. The mug would slip away before he could open the door, and all his mama’s tea would be on the floor.

His pondering was answered as a large body wrapped around his back. Reaching around the man, Steve turned the knob and gently pushed the door ajar before urging Bucky inside. He knew that seeing your baby boy would immediately help you to feel better.

Bucky peeked through the gap, eyes landing on the mess of sheets and pillows on the bed. There was a small bin at the side, there in case you got sick. Discarded soup and water on the nightstand, curtains pulled tightly together. You hadn’t even noticed him yet, face buried in the sheets and you wrestled with the ache in your bones. His heart pulled together, his poor Mommy. You were clearly miserable.

As quietly and carefully as he could manage while still balancing your tea, Bucky shuffled his way inside. He could hear you groan from your spot on the bed, moving a little faster at the sound until he arrived at your beside.

“Mama…?” There was a shuffle, and you peered out from the sheets. The sight you were greeted with was just…precious. Your sweet Bucky, wrapped up in your favorite sweater to steal from Steve, a mug that smelled nearly diving held carefully in his hands. He was watching you with a nervous smile, presenting the tea for you to drink. “Here you go, made tea so you feel sick no more.”

Heart melting in your chest, you took the mug and gently set it to the side on the nightstand. Bucky was confused, you could see the pout forming as he began to think the worst. But before your baby boy had time to spiral, you lifted the blankets and reached out for him. “Thank you, sweetheart. But right now Mommy just want lovin’ from her best little boy.” The smile that lights his face could heal anything as he slid into the space provided, curling his large body up against your chest. You smoothed back his hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead before fussing with the blankets. Steve stepped up, taking over and tucking the comforter around you both with a fond grin. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, now that I have my baby.”

The blanket shook with a little giggle, you and Steve sharing a small kiss. Sick days were unavoidable sometimes, but they were always easier with both your boys at your side.

[hereticdrws]

it's a little specific, but was thinking about loser!mizu going with reader to a karaoke as official girlfriends (yay!) and discovering that reader was a massive theater kid in high school or something, seems in character to me lol

Karaoke

a/n: I loved this sm I rlly hope u like it 😭 I'm a sucker for loser mizu I need to write headcannons for her 😭

For texting akemi is pink you are purple

Word count:997

Warnings: swearing, alcohol mentioned, I think that's it? Lmk if I missed one

Mizu x reader enjoy ☺️

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

The lights beamed across the floor of the karaoke bar, a small disco ball decorating the ceiling of the room, drenching the room in small flickering lights, the floor and the small platform was covered in confetti, probably from a previous party.

I looked around for my girlfriend who thankfully was right behind me, following me like a lost puppy.

"You good hon?" I yelled over the beating music of the speakers and whoever was singing

"Yeah I'm fine" She smiled, still a nervous blush adorned her cheeks and tip of her nose at the closeness of the crowd

We had been invited to a karaoke bar by taigen, akemi, and mizus best friend ringo after we had officially become girlfriends after months of dating and even more pining and flirting (though the flirting was more you while mizu did the blushing ;])

I grabbed her hand as we made our way to the bar, sending akemi a quick text that we had arrived and were grabbing drinks

Hey!! We're here js grabbing drinks what room r yall

We're in room 4 ☺️

Great well be there soon!

"Mizu! Their in room 4!" I yelled over to my girlfriend as she grabbed our drinks, I leaned over grabbing mine from her hand

"Great, are you ready?" She inquired

"Yeah! Cmon let's go!" I said radiating excitement.

We made our way through the crowd mizu grabbed my hand squeezing it, obviously uncomfortable with the overwhelming amount of people, I gently pulled her arm towards me, her front pressed against my back.

"You good baby?" I whisper yelled into her ear to ensure she could hear me

"Yeah, crowds just a little much" She sputtered, flashing me a small smile "let's just get to the room, I think it's upstairs

"Ok" I nodded at her, changing directions and heading towards the stairs, not letting go of her hand

Once we finally made it to the room I knocked to let akemi know we were there

"Y/n! Hey omg it's been to long" She squealed as she hugged me

"Its been 2 days" I laughed

"I know! Way to long" She said back with a giggle at the end as she moved over to hug mizu

"Oh mizu! Youre gonna love this! Don't worry" akemi said since mizu had always been the shyest of the group so obviously karaoke would send mizu into a spiral, I mean cmon, singing infront of people? Are you crazy? But she had been convinced somehow

As mizu and I followed akemi into the room, taigen was already belting his heart out to an katy perry song, clearly already very tipsy

"HI mizu" ringo smiled brightly at his bsf

"Hey" She smiled back, moving to sit next to him, dragging you lightly behind her by your intertwined hands

"Mizu! Cmon sing with me!!" Taigen yelled drunkenly at her

"No I'm good" She chuckled nervously, obviously very uncomfortable with the idea of singing katy perry I front of her brand new girlfriend

However that attitude changed the second te alcohol hit her system

2 hours later, 5 drinks in, and at least 17 songs later, mizu had been convinced to start singing, as I was laughing at taigens idiocy with akemi and ringo, mizu and taigen were searching for more songs to do

"The Heather's? Tf is that" taigen slurred, the alcohol had already hit his system awhile ago

"They have heathers?!?!" I practically jumped from my seat, rushing over to where my girl friend and taigen were sitting, pushing taigen away

"Oh my God no way I fucking love them!!" I said towards mizu

"You watched the heathers?" Mizu said, kind of thunderstruck

"Yes!! I used to be the biggest theater kid" I said vibrating with excitement as I looked ta the songs

Mizu just sat there with the biggest doe eyes looking up at me"What?" I laughed as I looked at her adorable shocked expression

"I didn't know you liked them" She mumbled looking away shyly her blush turning a bright red making her palms sweat

"Cmon! Sing with me!" I said as I turned on dead girl walking

We spent the rest of the time belting out lyrics and arguing about the best song/musical, and ofc my favorite was ride the cyclone while mizus was phantom of the opera

Once everyone was all tired out mizu and I headed toward my car

"So.." mizu started, something obviously on her mind

"So..." I said with a giggle bumping her

She let out a small laugh, her blush from earlier returning once more

"I didn't take you as a theater kid" She stumbled out

"No?" I laughed

"No definitely not" She laughed back

"Well aren't I just full of suprises" her blush deepening as I winked at her, throwing my arm around her neck, forcing her down a bit since she was very tall, leaving a few pecks on her cheek, finding it oh so amusing as to watch her blush become deeper and deeper turning her into a tomato

"Alright alright cmon we gotta get home" She stuttered out

"Whatever you say Rudolph" I winked and laughed at her annoyed expression, opening the passenger door for her

We rode home with the ride the cyclone soundtrack on low as I told her all about the plays I did in middle school and high school

"No way you were in a Beetlejuice play you're fucking with me" She said with a laugh

"I'm not!" I giggled at her punching her lightly

"What part?" She said through her laughter

"Lydia deetz!!" I said still laughing along with her

"No way you got a lead part”

“I did!!”

Once we got home and changed into pajamas, I put on beetle juice and we spent the rest of our night cuddled up watching our favs

"Goodnight Rudolph" I mumbled sleepily with a subtle smirk adorning my face

"Goodnight my little theater kid" She said right back

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

Thank you for reading I hope yall liked this ☺️

[ily-fictional-women]

Date Me?

Summary: Not so close coworkers to friends. But with a caring bond like that, it's kind of hard to love someone just as a friend. 

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Warnings: None that I know of, but if I should add anything let me know! 

Word count: 1104

a/n: Reader and Wanda are the same age post Age of Ultron I just couldn’t find a good source for her age around that time. (Reblogs are welcome and critiques/advice are heavily encouraged, but please no translating.)

There was a gunshot for comedic sake on the show Wanda was watching, and suddenly she was back there. The day that about seven gunshots took him away from her, her brother. The first week without him was a blur, and all it took was the sound of a gunshot to bring her back into that blur. Her breath quickened with tears starting to stream as she slowly moved her knees to her chest in a sitting fetal position. 

The room continued to feel smaller by the second, but then she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She was worried it was Steve entering to give her another one of his generic pep talks– but a relief washed over her when she realized it wasn’t him. The words didn’t come clearly to Wanda

till she brushed a hand against Wanda’s jaw motioning for her to look at her. 

“Hey, hey, you’re having a panic attack. I’m gonna ask you a few questions alright?” Wanda nodded her throat still feeling tight. “Good, okay, what’s your name?” She stuttered, her breath shaky, “Wanda. Wanda Maximoff.” Y/n rubbed her back gently, “Good, good. You’re doing great. Okay, now, what are two favorite colors?” 

“Red and orange.” As she answered Wanda noticed that her tears were still falling but they became slower, and so had her breathing. “That’s cool, you’re doing amazing. One more question that’s all okay? What’s a show you like?” 

“Bewitched.” Her breathing had finally regulated, and when it came to the crying all that was left was a few tears she quickly wiped away with her long sleeve. “Better?” Y/n asks with a soft smile. Wanda nods, “Yeah actually thanks.” Y/n lets her eyes wander around Wanda’s room but puts her focus back on her, “Do you want to be left alone now.” 

Wanda twists around the hem of her sleeve in her hand, “No, not really.” Y/n sets her hand that was on Wanda’s back down onto the bed they had both been sitting on watching the TV that was still playing, "Okay, that's fine."

"Can you remind me what your name is again?" She looks back at Wanda that soft smile coming back faintly, "Y/n. We didn't get much time to talk the last few times we were around each other." Wanda stammers at the reply, "I- uh. I didn't do anything to you those first few times did I?" 

Y/n quickly shakes her head, "No, and I wouldn't be mad right now if you did." 

"Why not?" 

"Because you were doing what you thought was right. It wasn't your fault you were misled." Wanda looks down at her hands, biting the inside of her cheek a little. She hadn't had these powers for long and she already caused so much pain and chaos with them. 

Y/n could tell she was starting to spiral, or at least get lost in her own world, "Hey. The rest of the team was planning on ordering takeout and watching a movie soon. Did you want to come with me? It might feel good to get out of your room for a little." 

To most people, Wanda would have said no. But with Y/n, it felt a little easier, better, and less forced. "Sure." 

“Look at Maximoff out of her room and everything.” Clint grinned, followed by a quick glare from Y/n when Wanda’s back was turned. “Where is everyone?” Wanda scans the large living room, besides Clint the only people left were Sam and Bucky. Clint shrugs, “Last minute mission or something,” he smiles cynically. “And I was planning on going back to Laura and the kids because you all annoy me.” 

Y/n takes Wanda’s hand in hers dragging her to the couch, “Love you too old man.” After a few murmurs from Sam and Bucky with confirmation they weren’t going to stay for the movie and Clint finally leaving that left Wanda and Y/n alone. “So, do you have any movie suggestions?” Wanda curls up into a nearby blanket shrugging, “No. You have any ideas?” 

Y/n pauses tapping the remote against her chin trying to think. “Oh! Have you ever seen Enchanted?” 

“No, what’s it about?” Immediately Wanda could see Y/n’s eyes light up, “Basically this animated princess winds up in the real world, in Manhattan, and its about all the craziness that happens because of it!” Wanda tries to hold back a big smile at Y/n’s excitement, “Sounds perfect.” 

Midway through the movie Wanda turned over to Y/n, “Can we do this again? It’s just nice.”  

“Yeah, yeah that’d be great.” 

// 

For a few months, Wanda had gotten closer to Y/n. Although to her realization it wasn’t as close as she wanted. The first time she realized this was when she was during another movie watch. It was the way she slowly grazed her hand against hers before holding it. Or the way she could be so reassuring after missions. 

“How do I tell her I like her?” Clint groaned at the question, “What does this have to do with the mission report?” Wanda pleaded, “Please.” Clint hopelessly closed her laptop. “Do you know if she likes you back?” 

Wanda shrugged, “I don’t know maybe.” Clint raised an eyebrow, “Can’t you read minds?” 

“Yeah, technically, it’s complicated around her.”   

“Well, then the best you can do is be honest with her. Hope for the best.” Wanda sunk into her chair, “Amazing.”  

// 

“You ready for movie night?” Y/n stood outside Wanda’s door, a blanket already draped over her shoulders. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be down a minute.” 

“Well don’t take too long I picked a good one.”

Watching the movie was nice, but the closeness was nicer. Gathering up the confidence to ask Y/n she gently squeezed her hand for her to look at her instead of the movie Y/n put on earlier. "What's up Wands?" Typically the hand squeeze was a sign she was nervous, which wasn’t totally false. "What if we went on like a date? Maybe to like a bookstore?" Y/n looked at Wanda cluelessly, "What are you saying, Wanda?" 

Her tone went quieter, "What if we dated? Like more than friends." A small smile crept onto Y/n’s lips "I'd like that." The moment would have been nicer if it weren’t for Sam, "HOLD UP!" Sam said dramatically from a distance getting closer. "So the two of you weren't dating this whole time?!" Y/n looked at him confused, "No why?" Sam facepalmed groaning, "I just lost $20 to Bucky."

[pinazee]

Psy vs. Psy

I genuinely think that if they were going to bring back any psych villian, Lindsay Leikin would pose the biggest threat. She knows Shawn isn’t psychic, she has adequate motivation to target him personally, and has the skills to prove he’s a fraud and do it slyly as she is also highly skilled in deductive reasoning (she did manage to get them to the counterfeiter to begin with so she has legitimate talent). She could even orchestrate it from prison. Maybe her parole was denied again so, like, what else is she going to do? Plus, she’s kind of nuts. Faking being a psychic with the FBI is a whole other level of bold compared to a local precinct, then she met a counterfeiter and was like yes please, more crime, then killed him when he tried to run, slept with Shawn that same night, then tried to take him hostage when she got caught. Its just a shame she wasn’t a bit more charismatic or eccentric. They had her play it as a very normal girl swept into a life of crime because of a guy (probably because she was a “love interest” for Shawn) when the receipts show she was an absolute lunatic (look at her face after they found the guy she killed. This bitch is smiling).

Also, she just kinda gave up when she was caught. I wish she’d have been screaming “he’s a fraud!” as she was taken to the car or even had a heart to heart moment with Lou Diamond Phillips because she did betray him after all. Idk, i just wanted more. (But i think maybe the writers recognized this and thats how we get Declan later??)

Gus is basically siri at this point. Between the archeology, safes, online poker, the law, tennis players, space, comic books, of course pharmaceuticals, and now studies tender from all over the world- its a smaller list of what Gus doesn’t know. Gus clearly likes learning. I’m surprised he never thought of becoming a teacher or college professor, to try to pass that love of learning to the next generation. Though i guess we see he’s not that great with people surprisingly, considering he’s a successful salesman. (OH MY GOD WHAT IF THIS WHOLE TIME GUS ACTUALLY HAD LIVED UP TO HIS POTENTIAL AND BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL SPY. He knows all these things because of his job, psychs only been able to stay open because Gus can fund it from his spy job, joining psych was a good front but he was also lonely from never getting to be himself. I kid, i kid, but its a fun idea for me haha)

No fucking way shawn doesn’t know what a drill is. Henry definitely would have beat that kind of man stuff into him. The military time too. I just felt the need to point this out. its like the show itself is dissing my boy and i have to defend him lol

I love when Gus is proud and smarmy over shawns talent. Look at his face here. My boy about to prove you wrong.

And do you think Shawn is actually afraid of competition or do you think he learned at an early age from his father that he didn’t have value unless he was the best? Huh Henry, huh???(Weekend warriors “you don’t want to be a loser” comes to mind)

Henry trying some reverse psychology here. I can’t tell if its because Henry is actually concerned for Shawns safety like he said he wasn’t in the previous episode, or if he’s still taking it personally that Shawns using the gifts he “gave” him to be psychic. Probably both. We know he was really bothered by his motorcycle accident, so i wonder if he’s been kind of spiraling, and adding up all the crazy situations he’s been in. (Which, i don’t think Shawn tells him about. i think Gus calls him like a weekly report haha) I think the fact that shawns cases are becoming more dangerous he suddenly doesn’t like the idea of him being a detective, well a detective this way at least, because i think in his mind he’d be safer if he was an actual cop where he had a partner with a gun, and back up, and rules, and training. I mean we know he wouldn’t be, (look at what happens to Lassie and Juliet)

I just wanted to gif this because it’s one of my fave jokes in the episode!

Mildred to the rescue! Im not entirely sure how this worked but it did and thats what matters haha

*Appropriate reaction is appropriate*

[3xen]

under the gentle sky; i. r                                                               when you see a fellow classmate—in dire need of help, it’s only a natural instinct to assist them in any way.

n. as you read, my writing gets worse. possible pt.2 (?)

c. strangers to lovers, rainy day au, “soccer” is portrayed as “football”, profanity, reader & rin are hs students

raindrops pitter and patter across the brick tiles of the sidewalk—water flooding the streets of kamakura. the sole of his shoes, drenched, as the result of the sudden downpour. his hair soaked—almost as if he stepped right out of his bath. rin knew better. when the murky clouds begin to conceal the once mellow sky, it should have clicked in his mind—an umbrella would be of great use in this kind of weather.

his mother informed him of the weather that morning. but even so, he was reluctant to bring proper protection. the traveling distance from his home wasn’t far. he wasn’t going to be stopping anywhere on the way home—an umbrella was not necessary.

but here he was; jogging—surveying the area to find a place for shelter. rin mentally cursed the weather gods—if he caught any sort of cold from this weather, he’d be furious. just the thought of skipping football practice was a no-no.

after a few more moments of jogging, his eyes darted directly to a bus shelter—just at the corner of an intersection. he neared closer—finally having the chance to take a relieved breath as he sat seated on the metal bench. he slicked his hair back—away from his line of vision. he wondered, how could he get home now?

he could always resort to calling his mother—no. he couldn't do that, that's totally disrespecting his mother. sae? no. he shook his head—maybe the storm would cool down after a while. once the storm passed, he would leave.

“fuck.” he sat in silence for six solid minutes. the rain, in fact, spared no mercy for him today. the rain hadn’t stopped, even till now.

suddenly, rin hears a few light footsteps from beside him. he doesn’t pay any mind to them—ignoring their presence as a whole. but, the shoes look so familiar. his eyes scan the figure from the bottom of their feet till he can see their face—where he can clearly make out the identity of the person.

you wring out the water from your hair, almost like a shirt. you, too, don’t pay any mind to him—until you notice his lingering gaze. immediately, you can easily identify who it is. that football genius.

he looks away—shoving his fists down his pockets. you had never seen the football genius so powerless. itoshi rin? forgetting to bring an umbrella? something as simple as that?

you bask in the silence for a few more seconds—really not knowing what to say. i mean, did he even wanna hear anything at all? he was a quiet individual and didn’t seem like the type of person to tolerate others. it was already difficult enough to even approach him without some sort of unease.

“did you forget your umbrella?” his ears perk up at the sudden question. though his eyes are mainly focused on the somber road before him—you know he’s listening.

“yeah.”

“well,”

“you can have mine.” you continue, offering him your umbrella with a gesture of your hand. he turns—giving a short, quick glance to your offering, then back up to you. he looks displeased, but nonetheless, takes the umbrella.

his expression is visibly questioning your antics but he can’t urge himself to ask. it’s foreign—the kind gesture of yours. it caused a spiral in his head.

it was the first time—anyone witnessed his venerability. he let himself fall victim at your hands. it was shameful—rin never allowed hospitality from outsiders.

rin’s eyes flickered over to you as you begin to rise from your seat—all he could think was, oh. you weren’t gonna head home in the rain were you? it’d be pretty shitty of him to take something that you would desperately need in weather like this.

you pointed to the approaching bus—his eyes followed the direction of your finger and finally he understood what you meant. he felt somewhat relaxed—reassured that you giving up your umbrella was for good purpose.

he remained seated on the cold bench—watching your soaked figure enter the vehicle. you gave a brief, respectful bow to the bus driver and hurriedly went to find an available seat.

rin walked in silence that night—his thoughts in a daze. it was such a small, simple act. and it had him in shackles just like that. the reminder of your gesture quickly became the only topic on his mind for the remaining night.

© 3xen

[lunarwritesthings]

☆— From Darkness to Light —☆

Paring: Noah Sebastian x Gn!Reader

Fandom: Bad Omens

Request: No

Summary: Noah comes home from a day out with the band to find his friend crying and does everything in his power to cheer them up.

Noah was just getting home from a great day out with his band mates when he saw me, his best friend, crying. He stopped in his tracks and immediately noticed the tears. He moved slowly forward and kneeled down next to me. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft and concerned.

The crying continued as I, through choked sobs, tried to explain myself.

Noah knew he needed to help. So, he reached out and comforted me, hugging them close and rubbing my back gently. "Everything's going to be okay..."

Noah knew right then that he needed to do whatever he could in order to cheer his best friend up. Whatever it took.

Noah kept rubbing my back as he spoke in a soothing voice. "It's okay. I'm here for you. Whatever is bothering you, we'll get through it together." The friend slowly started to calm down and the tears slowly dried up. Noah continued to rub my back and provide comfort. We sat there for a few moments, just listening to the sound of each other's breath.

Suddenly, I grabbed onto Noah and clung onto him tightly.

"Thank you..." Noah could feel the relief and appreciation radiating from my voice. He kept hugging me tightly and rubbing my back. "It's no problem. I'm always here for you. You know that, right?" I sniffed a little and nodded my head. It was clear I were still shaken up, but felt significantly better from the hug and comfort Noah provided.

I was clearly shaken up and distraught. When Noah stopped to try and understand what was going on, he realized that I looked like I had been through hell. my body language was defeated and tired, my eyes had a haunting aura, and my face was soaked with tears. Noah could tell I was in pain.

He spoke with a quiet voice and said, "What happened? Why are you so upset?"I shook my head slightly and tried to get my composure. When I spoke again, there was still a hint of shakiness in my voice but it was stronger than before.

"It's just..." I paused again, trying to collect myself for another moment. "Something bad happened and I just couldn't handle it. I didn't know what to do."

Noah continued to hug me, his arms wrapped around me tightly. He felt my body tense up slightly from the physical touch, but eventually I relaxed into his arms.

"It was just, so scary..." My voice grew even more shaky again as I seemed to spiral back into my fear. I trailed off, my breath quickening.

Noah, picking up on the rising panic, tightened his grip on me, gently rubbing my back in a soothing manner. He spoke in a low, quiet voice, "It's okay. It's okay. It's over now."

For several minutes, the only sound was the my breaths as I rested in Noah's arms. Eventually and hesitantly, I spoke up again.

"Can I tell you something?" Noah didn't respond at first. He simply continued to hug me and provide comfort, listening carefully. After a beat of silence, Noah finally spoke. "Of course, what's on your mind?"

I took a deep breath and hesitated for a second. "It's a bit personal..." I said. But Noah immediately spoke up, assuring me. "Don't worry, I'm here for you. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise to keep it between us."

I was silent for a beat, collecting my thoughts. Finally, I spoke up, letting out a deep sigh. "Okay."

"So, the thing is..." I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "Lately I've been going through a lot. You know, with school, family drama, life stuff. It's been kind of hard to handle at times and..." I trailed off, not knowing exactly how to phrase my words. I took another deep breath to compose myself.

"Basically, I've just been really stressed out and overwhelmed. And today, something really bad happened. It just...it tipped everything over the edge, I guess..."

Noah leaned in closer, listening carefully. He realized how hard this was for me and wanted to make sure I felt comfortable and safe. He spoke up gently.

"Don't force yourself to say anything you're not comfortable with. Take your time."

Noah kept hugging me tightly, listening quietly and allowing them to express my feelings. He could feel the tension from the my slowly melt away as I talked, Noah's arms had become the safe space needed to let me vent and feel comforted.

Eventually, I paused and looked up at Noah, finally speaking once more. "So...that's kind of been the situation. And today, it just...it just finally got to me. I couldn't handle it anymore." I sighed heavily, looking defeated.

Noah smiled gently. "It's okay. Just remember I'm here for you." I eventually took a deep breath and spoke again. "Thank you...you don't know how much this means to me."

With the help of a friend, the darkness can fade and the light can come out.

[traincat]

got the sudden urge to re-read 'work song' this weekend after years of not really being into spideytorch anymore. the fic is still incredible, it's reminding me why i used to love them, but it got me wondering -- was there ever any canon fallout from sue, reed, and the kids being gone like that? i had already stopped reading the comics at that point.

It's funny, I've been thinking of Work Song recently too. I obviously like to get into the guts of canon in a lot of my fic, but Work Song was really an exercise in getting into the emotional fallout that comics tend not to deal with -- for both good and bad reasons. (I think the modern lack of dealing with pretty much any emotional fallout is bad, but also if you have a serial story you have to keep a certain amount of action going. Idk, complicated thoughts about pacing and sacrifices made for genre standards and the shifting of those standards from decade to decade, etc., etc.)

And the answer to whether the fallout is ever addressed in 616 canon is... kind of no? I think there were attempts made -- both Zdarsky in his Two-in-One series and Bendis, somewhat, in Infamous Iron Man were sort of digging into things, albeit notably before Reed and Sue were actually back. (Both of those series deal HEAVILY with their absence, though.) But both of those series were also cut short, and they have finales I'm not quite satisfied with, which in this case is the fault of neither author. I think Zdarsky tried with his final two issues of Two-in-One especially, especially the one that focuses on Johnny and Sue, but just didn't have the space to address the issue of Reed and Sue essentially leaving Johnny and Ben with the gravitas and nuance that it deserved. And given that Johnny is, you know, flat out suicidal over this issue in the first ten issues of Two-in-One, that's a problem. (IIM also has a disappointing final two issues, but it focuses much more on Ben and Doom than on Johnny. Hell of a setup, wish it didn't feature the biggest copout resolution of all time.) And again I don't think this is either writer's fault -- they were both clearly trying to do something interesting and emotional, and 2n1 had a really good set up and character work. It just wasn't given the space to stick any kind of landing before everything had to be wrapped up in a tidy little bow so Slott could write some mystifyingly bad stories. (I don't believe Slott ever seriously addresses the fallout, but I could be wrong. I skimmed the back half of that run hard.)

And also I think this was something of a foundational problem that sprung from Reed and Sue and the kids going missing not as an actual story point but as a hissy fit over film rights. There was never any solid plan in action for where they were or what they were doing or what Ben and Johnny fought over that caused Ben to leave for space and Johnny to spiral out of control -- it was all just "this is happening now because we canceled the Fantastic Four comic because we want the film rights." It's very hard to build a story on shaky ground like that when you've got multiple writers, all who seemed to have slightly different takes, and apparently no one on an editorial level actually managing all of that to make sure there was a cohesive story in place. Even if the reader doesn't have that information, there should be some kind of established story for the writers to follow, and it kind of seemed like there just wasn't. (I say "kind of seemed" because obviously I wasn't there and I don't know for sure, but also like, we know for sure that there wasn't. By reading the comics it was very clear that there wasn't.) It's frustrating to think about it now because it could have been some really great storytelling, and instead it was addressed just barely and then kind of rushed along. And I feel similarly about Superior Spider-Man's fallout, except they keep resurrecting that concept every two years and kicking it around like it has anything interesting left in it.

[punkassbookjockey26]

Show and Tell, Part 2

This has kind of taken a life of its own. Here's part 2. It's rough and relatively unedited, so please be kind.

Rating: Probably T or M - there's a spicy bit.

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

It was the end of the school day, and Rowan slowly put his things away in his messenger bag. He always went a bit slower than usual these days, even though the students had long left campus. If he were completely honest with himself, he might have acknowledged he had been waiting for a fiery blonde woman with an equally feisty daughter who just happened to be in his class. But it had been a month since that enlightening day, and while Everly remained a constant source of enthusiasm, he had seen neither hide nor hair of her elusive mother.

And he had looked. Every day for the past month, he stood outside the school helping children find their rides. If the principal thought it was unusual for him to take so many after-school duty shifts, she didn’t say anything. But each day, it was a person that was not Aelin that arrived for Everly. It seemed to fluctuate between a woman with dark brown hair and a man he had, somewhat embarrassingly, mistaken for Aelin initially. Once, it had been an older woman with striking features with those same turquoise eyes ringed in gold. But for the last several weeks, he had not seen her.

She had been a force to be reckoned with that day. Fiercely protective with a smart mouth that almost immediately set him on edge. As upset as he was at her blatant suggestion that he would allow bullying in his classroom, he was equally intrigued about the fire that so clearly burned underneath her skin. He had hated to be the one to dim that fire that day, but he was glad to see she recovered almost immediately, brushing off the embarrassment with sarcasm and bright laughter that he could still hear echoing in his ears.

He knew it was ridiculous, being this interested in a woman with whom he had spoken for all of five minutes, no matter how stunning she was or how she was so deftly able to put him in his place. It hadn’t helped either that he now knew what manner of help she preferred in her alone time. The utter mortification he felt that day had been burned away by visions of a woman on fire, deep in the throes of ecstasy as she repeatedly brought herself to the edge with a pink, glittery vibrator.

Great. He was now standing in his classroom sporting the evidence of his depravity. Rowan sighed and ran a hand down his face. He really needed to get ahold of himself. If she hadn’t returned in a month, she obviously didn’t feel whatever spark he thought he felt between them. Not that there could be a spark. Everly was still his student, and he was a consummate professional.

Even if his dick didn’t agree with that assessment.

His shame spiral was interrupted by a loud chirping on his phone. A brief flash of anticipation was quickly tempered when he reminded himself that Aelin couldn’t possibly know his cell number. He looked down at the screen and frowned at the message.

Fen: hey man, can you do me a solid?

Rowan quickly typed a response: what do you want this time, boyo?

Fen: can you get me some condoms? i’ve got a lady friend coming over later, and ya boy needs something.

Rowan: So get them yourself.

 Fen: No can do, chief. No time.

Rowan: Whose fault is that?

Fen: Looking this good takes time, Whitethorn. You’d know that if you spent more than five fucking minutes getting ready in the morning.

Rowan: Sorry, I’m busy.

Fen: I’ll do the dishes for a week.

Rowan pondered this. While he didn’t particularly enjoy doing the dishes, he kept it to a rigorous schedule. There was no way that Fen would be able to adhere to it when the man barely remembered to put his laundry away half the time. But that got him thinking…

Rowan: You have to deep clean the bathroom to my satisfaction. I want it sparkling, Moonbeam.

Fen: …

Fen: Fine. Now get me the damn condoms

Rowan: You’re lucky I needed to go to the store, anyways.

----------

Thirty minutes later, Rowan was staring at an aisle full of condoms. It had been a while for him, but he was sure there hadn’t been this many types the last time he picked some up. The last time had been with Remelle about two years ago, not that she let him forget it. He had been taken in by her cool confidence and found out quickly that she was a petulant narcissist. He had immediately ended the relationship, much to her ire, and she had been relentless ever since. She was not a mistake that he would make ever again.

However, that still didn’t solve his present dilemma: procuring condoms for his flatmate.

Rowan knew he should just grab a box and finish it. If Fenrys had an issue with the condoms that he purchased on his behalf, he could get over it. Or better yet, get his own. But some part of him, some annoying big brother type, wanted to ensure that even though Fen had a different partner every night, he was safe with them. So he focused on his task.

Just as he picked out a box, a bright voice carried over the din of the store. “Teacher, Teacher!”

Rowan turned his head down the aisle and paled at the sight of two blonde pigtails trailing behind a small child with a grin that took up half her face.

“Hi, Mr. Teacher! Whatcha doin’?”

Rowan gulped nervously. “Um…Hi Everly. I’m just, uh, doing some shopping.”

“Cool! Me too!” Everly beamed happily at him.

Just like that day in class, Rowan couldn’t help but marvel at the absolute innocence that Everly displayed when faced with something not quite so. She was standing in an aisle full of all manner of adult items, including all manner of vibrators, and didn’t even bat an eye. When did stores even start selling these things? He couldn’t remember ever being able to pick up a vibrator at a grocery store, yet just a brief glance told him that, yup, it was there.

“Whatcha got?” Within seconds, the tiny child in front of him looked at a box of condoms in his hand, and Rowan wished he could die. Everly reached out her hand to grab the box he held. While usually, he would reprimand her for trying to take something that didn’t belong to her, he was still stunned by her presence to do anything.

“Oh yay! Balloons! Are they for school?” Everly was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, joy radiating from her. Her hand grabbed onto the box tightly.

Rowan cleared his throat, trying to wrench the condoms away from her. “Sorry, no. These aren’t for school, Everly.”

Everly paused momentarily and seemed to ponder his response, but the bright smile returned to her face a moment later. “That’s okay!”

And she grabbed the box in his hand and ran down the aisle, leaving Rowan staring open-mouthed behind her.

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath and went down the aisle after her. However, no sooner than he turned the corner did he run into the woman that had been living in his mind since the last time he saw her.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Aelin smirked at him. Rowan froze as he watched Everly turn and face her mother, still holding the box of condoms in her hand.

“Look, mama! Balloons!” Everly lifted the box to mother, and Rowan could feel dread sink into his stomach like a stone. Aelin took one look at the box in her daughter’s hands and laughed out loud.

“They’re not mine!” Rowan sputtered. He felt heat creeping up his neck as he glared at the offending box in Everly’s hands.

“Oh?” Aelin quirked one amused eyebrow at him. “And pray tell, how did my child get her hands on these?”

Rowan ran his hand over the back of his neck uncomfortably. “I was buying them for my flatmate, and Everly took them out of my hands.”

“Did she now?” Aelin seemed to stifle a laugh as she turned down to her daughter. “Everly, sweetheart, why don’t you hand those back to Mr. Whitethorn and go pick out a treat from the toy aisle.” Her daughter politely handed him back the condoms without much to do and walked the next few aisles over.

Once she was out of earshot, Rowan sighed with relief, his shoulders sagging. He could feel the heat lingering on his face as he turned to look at the woman who had haunted him for the past month. The last time he saw her, she had been in an impeccable business suit, without a hair out of place. She had been beautiful then, almost intimidatingly so. But this time, she was dressed in a pair of skin-tight jeans and a bright red shirt that bared her shoulders. Her golden hair flowed down her back with a gentle curl at the end, and her stunning turquoise eyes focused on him and filled with delight.

“I swear to god, I did not give her those. I would never.” Rowan pleaded with the woman standing in front of him. She only laughed again and smiled at him. His breath hitched in his throat as he took her in and realized that he had missed that smile, even though he had only seen it once before.

“Mr. Whitethorn, both you and I are well aware of how my daughter can sometimes be.” Rowan watched as a bit of red flushed her cheeks as she spoke, and his mind returned to their last meeting. Rowan chuckled a bit, even if he was dying on the inside. This now made two embarrassing interactions with this woman; he really wasn’t putting his best foot forward.

“Yes, I am only too aware at this point.” He said in a self-deprecating tone. “But they truly aren’t mine.”

Aelin laughed again. “Mr. Whitethorn, after our last meeting, it wouldn’t matter if they were yours or not. My five-year-old daughter seems intent on driving us together in the most awkward situations possible.”

Rowan loosed a breath and smiled at her. “Glad to see that you were able to take things in stride. And please call me Rowan.”

“Of course,” she replied. “Growing up with a cousin hell-bent on embarrassing me every chance he got meant that I developed some thick skin.”

“Cousin?” Rowan froze. It couldn’t possibly be the same one. “Does he happen to look like you?”

Aelin raised an eyebrow. “He might as well be my twin. My parents used to get us confused all the time growing up.”

“Ahhh…I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.” Rowan scratched the back of his neck again. “I, uh, may have confused him for you one day when he was picking up Everly from school.”

Aelin laughed again, clutching her stomach. “Oh my god, you were the teacher that hit on him!”

Shit. That flush he felt earlier grew into a fire on his face. “I also hoped he would have kept that one to himself.”

“Oh, no, not a chance.” She smirked at him. “Aedion and I share everything. Seems I left a lasting impression last time I saw you?” She didn’t seem perturbed, though, that he tried to woo her cousin. Quite the opposite, in fact. Rowan breathed a sigh of relief.

“You could say that.” His voice deepened, and he saw her features soften toward him. Perhaps she did feel that same strange tug he felt, and maybe he could bend the rules just this once –

“Mama! I found a toy!”

Everly’s voice broke the moment as she waved a doll towards Aelin. Rowan watched as Aelin bent over to pick up her daughter, clutching her close to her chest as she turned to him. “Well, Rowan, it’s been nice to see you again. Perhaps next time, we can do it on purpose.”

She winked at him and pushed her cart away, Everly waving cheerfully at him over her shoulder.

------

Rowan slumped on the couch, leaning his head against the frame. He was an absolute mess. He set rules for a reason and dating his student’s mother was one of those rules. It muddied the waters, making it hard for him to remain impartial regarding the students in his class. But even after two embarrassing meetings, he still felt utterly enamored with Aelin Galathynius.

The door to the flat opened, and Fenrys strode in a girl hanging off his arm. Rowan lifted a terse eyebrow at him, and Fenrys saluted as he made his way down the hall. Rowan had thrown the offending box of condoms on his bed, and even though they got him another chance to speak with Aelin, the embarrassment was enough to keep him from handling his flatmate directly.

His phone chirped next to him. Not wanting to deal with Fenrys’ passive aggressiveness, he reached over to turn off the ringer when he saw a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: Mr. Whitethorn, this is Aelin Galathynius. I found your cell phone number on the teacher information handout you sent home. I was wondering if we could set up a time to meet one on one regarding Everly’s behavior in your class.

Rowan had never saved a phone number faster in his life.

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

Tag List:

@highqueenofelfhame

@faerie-queen-fireheart

@1islessthan3books

@superspiritfestival

@jesstargaryenqueen

@ireallyshouldsleeprn

@morganofthewildfire

@chieflemming

@swankii-art-teacher

@rowaelinismyotp

@mariamuses

@booknerdproblems

@story-scribbler

@whoever-you-choose-to-love

@nehemikkele

@thegreyj

@livsdriverslicense

@elentiyawhitethorn

[bloodofgrapes]

AA thoughts time

I’m the last person to ever “criticize” Ace Attorney for being unrealistic, because a) it’s a story, and thus designed for entertainment purposes, but b) I believe its wild premise allows it to explore real issues, emotions, etc in a way that winds up being beautifully authentic because reality is often stranger than fiction

However, if there’s any one thing that I could change in AA, it's that nearly everyone would be just a tad older. Don’t get me wrong, I think AA does great with what it has--Phoenix being a rookie attorney fresh out of law school, young and headstrong and still kind of naive while being an accidental genius at what he does, contrasting with the fact the Edgeworth burnt out this hard after only four years of practice. But it has this anime problem, where everyone is clearly written to be established professionals in their field (including characters like Gumshoe) while acting like 30 is old somehow.

I could, and possibly will, make an entirely separate rant about all the “prodigy” characters AA has, and my firm belief that Edgeworth is the only one that should have ever been allowed, but I digress

To get personal with things for a moment, I first played AA when I was a teenager, and I remember how it felt then--Phoenix and Edgeworth did feel so old and mature at the ripe age of 24, worldly with education and experience that seemed far beyond my grasp. However, revisiting the series as a man in his mid thirties has been interesting. They do still retain that feeling of being older and mature, but now I can’t help but feel that  their ages ought to reflect that.

@themumblingmouse turned me on to the idea that Phoenix likely worked as Mia’s paralegal through law school, and I could see him sticking with it for some time as he worked as her junior partner, doing all the behind the scenes work outside of the courtroom while she took the lead. More specifically though, I think about Edgeworth’s downward trajectory. As I said earlier, I do think it fits him well enough that it was only four years for him to go from a relatively bright eyed and bushy tailed bratty little asshole to, well... this

But time goes by fast the older you get. Four years is practically nothing. And to be fair to Edgeworth, we could even lend him some leniency and say that his life under Von Karma likely extended that, and we could consider basically all of his time as a teenager to be part of the spiral downward, but again, he was upbeat when he was twenty. It seems far more likely that it didn’t begin until he was working in earnest, slowly forking over little bits and pieces of his soul with every case, racking up that bad (and well deserved) reputation. To my mind, that sort of thing takes time, because you often don’t realize you’ve slipped into a hole until you’ve been in it for some time, especially if you’re the sort of person that’s used to brute forcing your way through life, finding justifications and rationalizations for your actions.

Phoenix was obviously the turning point, but that turning point would hit a lot harder for me if they were both older, I think. This entire post is a little inspired by that request I got about them hugging it out in Trials and Tribulations--the observations in the tags about how desperately Edgeworth needed to just let go are absolutely spot on, and at this point I basically HC that he had at least a decade to spiral down down down until finally hitting rock bottom, with Phoenix to raise both of them from the ashes. Ace Attorney has sincerely brilliant symbolism around death and rebirth, so why not allow them a little time between their lives, so that spiral meant something, instead of being a brief and regrettable footnote from one’s early twenties?

[thesilliestgooberao3]

Ghost is ticklish and Soap finds out

Originally posted on Ao3 (repost because my account shit itself lmao)

Fluff, Not Beta Read, author tried their best to write a scottish accent, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Homophobia(but its like one sentence)

WC 973

Ghost, the living enigma, an infamous legend, a nightmare-inducing powerhouse had a secret. Well technically it wasn’t a secret, it was a normal human reaction. But for such a terrifying man, normal human functions were not really thought about. He was only thought of as a tool for killing. 

His “big secret” was that he was ticklish, like very ticklish. Many thought he didn’t like physical touch because he was some kind of monster and the touch from humans ate away and dissolved his skin but he was actually just some guy that happened to be ticklish. Ghost didn’t want people to know because he thought if people knew they would think he was weak, and the thought of being seen as weak sent him into a spiral. So he just kept up the “big mystery man” act.

Thankfully many people respected his wishes to not be touched, likely out of fear that he would snap them in half but whatever. But one person likes pushing Ghost’s boundary, his name was Soap. The first time they met Soap had lightly punched Ghost on the shoulder. Luckily Soap touches were never anywhere near where Ghost was ticklish, which was his neck area, armpit, and hips. 

Unwillingly, Ghost grew closer to Soap, the man had a nice face, was easy to talk to, and put up with Ghost’s never ending supply of dad jokes. He was perfect friend material in Ghost’s book. 

Everyday they would eat together in the cafeteria, train and gossip about the rookies, and Ghost would annihilate him in Uno. It was great. Soap managed to wiggle his way in Ghost’s cold heart and his mind and within a little over a year they started dating. 

Ghost didn’t have a lot of experience when it came to dating, he had none in fact. Everyone in the town he grew up in had it engraved in their minds that being gay was a sin and so Ghost kept his mouth shut. Soap was willing to help him learn how to open up and was very respectful of his boundaries, except for the physical touch one, but Ghost never mentioned anything about it. The first time Soap ever came up behind him and hugged him from behind Ghost nearly snapped his neck, he’s gotten better with sudden touch but sometimes he can’t himself and utilise his knowledge of violence. 

However Soap had started an obsession for Ghost, he loved hugging his lover and if he couldn’t do that, he would be touching him in some other way like lurking right behind him. When Ghost had found out that Soap was ticklish in the area where his skull met the back of his neck, he teased him relentlessly. When Soap was talking to some rookies, Ghost would come up behind him and brush his fingertips against his neck and chuckle when Soap flinched and quickly threw his head back and raised his shoulders to scrunch up his neck. 

One day Ghost and Soap were hanging out in Soap’s room and Ghost was up to usual antics. Soap quickly turned around and attempted to wave away Ghost, “Yer always tickling me, don't ye have anything better to do?”

“No, and even if I did, bugging you is way more fun” Ghost bluntly responded with a smile clearly lacing his words.

“Leave me alone won't cha’? How would you feel if someone kept randomly coming up to ye and tickling ye?”

“I wouldn’t know because it’s never happened to me”

“How about I make it happen?”

“Wha-” Ghost barely had time to register what was happening before Soap had his hand up and tickled Ghost’s neck. Soap had pulled the fabric of his mask up to actually make contact with Ghost’s skin and was pleasantly surprised when Ghost tensed up the same way he did and was letting out small laughs. 

Ghost had started backing up in a pitiful attempt to get away and Soap followed him, the movement helping Soap when he found a spot that made Simon let out a small wheeze. The massive grin that grew on Johnny’s face from being able to make Simon let out such a noise hurt, Johnny didn’t think he’d ever smiled so big and hard before. Simon’s laughs only increased when Johnny made a leap of fate and quickly went for the man’s armpit. The small squeak of surprise followed by an ever harder wheeze had Johnny’s ego through the roof.

Johnny pulled back for a second to give Simon some time to properly breathe and make sure he wasn’t doing anything wrong. With a giant shit-eating grin and the most adoring eyes, Johnny watched as Simon continued laughing as he calmed down, reaching his hands up to lightly grab onto Johnny’s forearms, “How was that fer gettin’ tickled out of nowhere constantly?”

“I still don’t know, that was only out of nowhere once”

Before Johnny could go and start tickling Simon again, Simon grabbed the Scot’s wrist’s and held them in place, “You better grow eyes on the back of yer head luv, I’m gonna be sneakin’ up behind ye and tickling ye, see how you like it” Johnny said with a smug grin.

“I already have eyes in the back of my head and for someone in the military you are awful at being quiet and sneaking up on people”

“Hey! I’m good at being quiet!”

“That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told, you’re good at clearing house but when it comes to being quiet you're dogshite”

Johnny let out unintelligible mumbles, likely swearing but was cut off when Simon grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss. He squeaked in surprise before relaxing into the kiss. The moment was oh so beautiful and Johnny couldn't help but ruin it by tickling Simon again.

-

Masterlist

[coffyao]

just one of those self-indulgent nights

summary:

After Margaret breaks the news that she is going off to university, Mordecai ends up spiralling downwards, and Rigby is unfortunately left to pick up the pieces. One late night however, when he comes across a Mordecai that is ready to drink all his pains away, what better way to help to help him in his self-destruction by drinking with him too.

link to my a03: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalaloopsyland

“Mordecai? what are you...” 

“Overdue for a refreshing and long drink.” 

Mordecai opens the fridge, and takes out a few beer bottles from it, placing them in the middle of the table. He then pulls out his chair, and sits on it, his right arm lazily placed on the top of it. 

“c’mere rigby.” 

It was the first time he saw Mordecai come out of his room in weeks, and it clearly showed through his unkempt look, where his wolf cut mullet had stuck out in the wrong places, and his crusty five-year-old boxers made a reappearance. His white shirt had dried coffee stains, and his eyes were puffy and swollen. 

Your still crying over her?  

“... you shouldn’t be drinking,” rigby said, reaching out for the bottles until Mordecai gripped his hand, his resolve for a drink, immoveable. 

“Well, I need to. So, either drink with me or go the fuck away.” 

Mordecai loosened his grip and rigby hastily pulled his hand away, nursing it slow rubs against the skin.  

Mordecai had been depressed over Margeret before, but not to the degree rigby had been aware of before. Mordecai had always been the stronger one, the one who could bounce back from any kind of trouble they got themselves in.  

But he was never resilient when it came to his lovesickness. His undeserved love for Margeret. 

And now, his obsession had started to negatively impact his life, and he's pushing the people that care the most for him. 

She really isn’t special.  

Rigby pulls his own chair, and sits down, taking the beer in his hand. 

“I guess I'm going to have to join you then,” Rigby said, unscrewing the top and taking a long sip from it. He then smacks his lips and lets out a dramatic sigh, obviously pointed towards Mordecai. 

“so, you drinking or what?” pushing the bottle towards mordecai, lifting his eyebrow. 

“... Of course I am.”  

---

“god, my life really sucks,” mordecai slurred, finishing the fifth bottle before knocking it to the side. 

“Why does it suck,” rigby asked, tipping the beer into his mouth.  

“B-because, margeret man...” 

This guy.  

“margeret isn’t the only woman in the world,” rigby said, and leaned his elbows forward, looking straight at mordecai. 

“...y-you will meet someone better.” 

Mordecai shakes his head and continues his self-deprecation. 

“no...no I'm useless with other women, I can’t...” 

which was partially true. Mordecai wasn’t great with women in general, but when he invested his time and energy into one person only, he could be pretty decent at it. Unlike Rigby, he had a lot of potential. 

“you aren’t...”  

“I m-must be if the p-people I like want to leave me.” 

what about me?  

“...not true. pops, benson, skips, high-five ghost and....” listing each with his fingers, becoming more unsure as he named them. 

Mordecai scoffs condescendingly and takes another bottle into his hand. 

“That doesn’t...fuck...count.” 

“...Why wouldn’t it? They're your friends, aren’t they?” 

If it was a year ago, Rigby would have laughed at the idea of being friends with hardcore stickler Benson, or the sheltered weirdo pops, but once he got to know the whole gang, he started to think of them as a second family.  

Not that I would admit this.  

And although they tried to get Mordecai out of his slump, he stubbornly remained in his room, and let himself succumb to his own heartbreak.  

But Rigby didn’t get it. Margeret was just a regular chick.  

She doesn’t know him like I do.

“... and I'm still here, aren’t I?” rigby mumbles, a vulnerable slip of the tongue that he regretted once he said it, as his cheeks grew hot and mordecai sported an unusual emotion on his face. 

Fuck me. Fuck...  

“Yeah. I guess...that's uf...true.” 

Mordecai lets go of the beer bottle and stands up, stumbling towards the sink until he gets a hold of the edge, and runs his face off with cold water.  

He finally turns the tap off, and turns toward rigby, as his hair blocked his eyes and his damp shirt stuck to his chest. It made for a pitiful sight. 

“so...get wasted with me all night alright? I'm counting on you.” 

but it didn't feel bad that he was only one that could be counted on.

"as long as you don't choke in your own vomit."

__

[taxinealkaloids]

I do adore how absolutely unhinged all of the Eye-aligned characters are; Jon is trying his best to be normal but is also the "it's remarkably easy to buy an axe in London guy," Gertrude mutilated a man and threw his body in a hole, and Jonahelias did...all that. Maybe the spooky eyeball really does eat social skills/morality because the 3 of them are freaks of the highest order

Oh I think you’re sort of getting at something that I consider one of the defining features of the Beholding as an entity! (Keep in mind this is all just my interpretation and I don’t claim to be the defining authority on this subject.) 

 While the Eye certainly could be the reason for the general unhinged-ness of our three featured avatars, I would like to submit the alternate theory that it was the other way around; they were Already Like That, and that’s what drew the Beholding to them. I feel that the Eye is kind of unique in how it views its avatars. Many of the entities behave primarily as predators; they are interested in their avatars only insofar as they can use them as tools with which to hunt, and they override their original form and personality to facilitate this. They don’t really exercise their own will anymore; rather they exist as an extension of their patron. In ep 47 Jon asks The Distortion, Michael, whether he owns the hallways Helen got lost in; in response, Michael replies, “Does your hand in any way own your stomach?” I think this sums up the way avatars become incorporated into their patron entity really well. Michael isn’t a person anymore, he’s an appendage, grabbing the Spiral’s prey and dragging it into the hallways to be digested. Now some entities, notably the Web, clearly DO have agendas beyond simple consumption, but the Web is, to put it lightly, a control freak. It doesn’t have any interest in its avatars having free will. Annabelle is a puppet with a head full of spiders. She’s not herself anymore either. Basically, most of the entities don’t gain anything from their avatars having free will, so they take it away. 

The Eye, though? The Eye does gain something from its avatars having free will. In fact, their free will is kind of the POINT, isn’t it? Elias, Jon, and Gertrude aren’t puppets, because puppets aren’t any fun to watch. In my opinion, the Eye isn’t USING its avatars so much as it is excitedly observing them like lab rats. You wouldn’t want your lab rats to be puppets subsumed by your own will, because that would be boring as hell and also pointless. You wouldn’t learn anything that way, and nothing exciting would happen because you’d already know everything the rats were going to do. You want them to participate in the experiment! Their participation is essential, actually! So, instead of taking over their minds or twisting them into monsters, the Eye provides its avatars with the necessary tools (compulsion, partial omniscience, etc) to be really great at data collection and then it just sort of…sets them loose and watches to see what they find out! Of course, for this laissez-faire approach to work, it needs the sort of people who are already inclined to do the necessary legwork. If you’re a voyeuristic eyeball god and you have the ability to bestow individuals with cosmic powers, you’re gonna give them to people who are gonna do something interesting with them, and Elias, Jon, and Gertrude certainly don’t disappoint. Even before Jon started to feel any of the physical effects of Beholding’s hold, he was exploring the murder tunnels, stalking his coworkers, and  throwing himself in the path of avatars in a desperate attempt to satisfy his own curiosity. Gertrude was basically running around trying to fistfight every single entity and blow up their shit. Both of them were basically putting on the best show possible. Tragically, we don’t know much about Jonah’s own path to Beholding, but I bet the room the Eye allows for its avatars to retain their free will and find things out for themselves would have drawn him to it over the other entities. (I do also headcanon that he originally was quite impulsive, inclined to throw himself into potentially dangerous situations in order to satisfy his curiosity like Jon, and had to learn over the years to temper these inclinations in the interest of not dying.)

Anyway, tl;dr, the eye WANTS freaks of the highest order and that’s why they’re all Like That. Thanks for your ask <33

[acanvasofabillionsuns]

IT'S STILL VALENTINE'S DAY, HAVE THE PROMISED VALENTINE'S DAY FIC

Summary: Nimona's got a girlfriend, and her family insists on meeting her. Warnings: uhhh none? Wordcount: irdk man. probably between 1-2k

Nimona didn’t spend all of her time in the kingdom. That would drive her crazy, with all the people who hated her, specifically, with a single-minded intensity. She found herself drawn to the place, never staying away for very long (she’d managed a decade, once, and then whatever drove her back to Gloreth’s kingdom had kept her there for a couple centuries afterward until she got itchy enough to leave again), but she did leave every now and then. It might’ve been more often, if not for the intense regulations and constant patrols that made slipping out and back in again so very difficult.

She’d actually gone to explore just a little under a year before everything went down with Ballister and the Director and people starting to Actually Not Hate Her. And though this change was definitely something that Nimona wanted — needed — to see play out, she had a very good reason to leave the city again so soon.

Someone was waiting for her, after all.

At the thought, Nimona stretched and rolled into a stand. She trotted away from her sunspot to find Ballister, enjoying the patter of her little cat feet against the ground.

She found him in his workshop, tinkering away at something she didn’t care to examine as a peppy tune cheered out from his radio. She leaped and landed delicately on top of it, one paw gently pressing the stop button.

“Heya, Boss, got a question for ya.”

“Nimona?” Ballister squinted down at her. Even after a week, there was still some mush in his eyes when he looked at her, like he still couldn’t believe she’d come back. “You didn’t have to pause my music. What’s up?”

Nimona shot him a catty little smirk before asking, “Do you know what the security for the wall is like these days? Like, if I left, would it trip any alarms or anything?” She’d heard something about them opening the wall, but as she’d spent all of her time here, it was only scant mentions.

Ballister turned to face her fullywith a look of alarm. She had his full, serious attention now, but, like, why? Was it because she’d (indirectly) referenced her sacrifice and what she’d missed while reforming? Because she was totally fine now.

“Is everything okay?” Ballister asked, flashing sad eyes at her. And Nimona was the cat here, geez.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.” She batted a paw over her ear so she wouldn’t have to face Ballister’s sad look, even if for a few seconds. “I just wanna go visit my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?!”

“Girlfriend??” came Ambrosius’s echo, even more bewildered than Ballister. He peeked his head around the doorway. “Who has a girlfriend?”

“Nimona!” Ballister turned to him, and they shared incredulous looks.

“Since when??”

“Now, apparently!”

“Since before I even met either of you two bozos,” Nimona interjected, tail lashing in annoyance. What was so shocking about her having a girlfriend? They were partners, clearly they were familiar with gay people.

“Why haven’t you mentioned her before?” Ballister asked, turning back to Nimona with another sad look.

“I don’t know if you remember,” Nimona drawled, “but we were kind of going through a lot of things. Not much time for irrelevant stuff like my relationship status.” Also she hadn’t been in a great spot mentally, spiraling over all the negatives in her life, and good things like her girlfriend had been hard to think about. But that was also irrelevant.

Ballister’s face fell a bit in realization, and Ambrosius snorted.

“She’s got you there, Bal.”

“Oh, hush.” Ballister flapped a hand at him without looking. “Who is she? Would we know her?”

“I doubt it,” Nimona snorted. “She’s outside the walls. That’s why I asked about security.”

“Outside the walls?” Ambrosius and Ballister echoed in identical concerned tones.

“Yeah.” Nimona rolled her eyes. “So…? Am I going to have to sneak out? Do you think I could just guilt trip them into letting me? Would I set off any alarms if I just went for it? What’s the situation here?”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Ballister spread his arms and shook his head. “Back up. You have a girlfriend?”

“Yep.”

“Outside the walls.”

“Yes.”

“That you’ve never mentioned before.”

“Like I said, never really seemed like the right time.”

Ballister stared at her for a moment, then put his head in hands. “Nope. Not computing.”

This was starting to get annoying. “What, do you want to meet her?”

“Yes, actually.” Ballister raised his head to stare at Nimona almost challengingly. “I do want to meet her.”

Nimona shifted to human to cross her arms at him. “Fine. You can come with me to visit her.”

Ballister crossed his arms right back. “Fine. We’ll do that then.”

“Good.”

“Awesome.”

“Incredible.”

“Glad we’ve got this sorted, then!” Ambrosius cut in, looking between the two of them hesitantly.

Nimona rolled her eyes and left the room, calling, “We’re leaving tomorrow!” over her shoulder.

—

“Nimona, how far away is this girlfriend?” Ballister asked for the third day in a row. He should be grateful they’d managed to secure a ship large enough for the three of them and supplies, or it would’ve taken a lot longer. Humans and their easily-tired legs — they’d already had to stop multiple times each day just for them to stretch. Because not-walking all day was apparently also a strain. This was why being Nimona was 100% better.

“Not far now,” she acquiesced.

She wasn’t actually entirely sure, having taken a much more leisurely, wandering route last time. But she’d gotten back to Gloreth’s kingdom in about three days, and Nimona going slowly was probably about equal to a ship making frequent stops. So it couldn’t be too far off.

An hour or so later she stiffened in excitement as she spotted a familiar crumbling skyscraper poking up through the trees. Ballister and Ambrosius both noticed, looking up from their books.

“What is it?” Ballister asked. “Are we there?”

“We’re close,” Nimona grinned, and then jumped out of the ship and twirled into a HummingBomber (minus the bombs, unfortunately), zipping ahead of the ship to look around. The city had changed radically since she’d been here last, with destroyed buildings made over to useable and what looked like a neighborhood with people in it.

Nimona swooped low, distantly registering the ship behind her scrambling to follow suit through the trees. Once she was close enough to the ground, she tumbled into a jaguar and roared with joy, sprinting towards the city.

There was an answering, much louder roar and a Mega Jaguar emerged from the city. Nimona pushed herself faster.

When they were only a few lengths apart, they both shifted back to human and ran the rest of the distance.

“Kipooooo!”

“Nimonaaaa!”

They collided, spinning in a hug and sinking to the ground to hold each other. Kipp began peppering her face in kisses and Nimona hugged her tight, trying to crystallize this moment in her memory.

There was noise behind her, electronic whirring and footsteps rapidly approaching, and Nimona almost bit at them before remembering who it was. She swallowed down the shark teeth and turned to give a nonthreatening grin to Ballister and Ambrosius.

“Guys, this is my girlfriend.”

Kipo had also tensed at the sound of them approaching, hugging Nimona closer to herself protectively. She relaxed when Nimona greeted them.

“Hi! I’m Kipo!”

“Hi,” Ambrosius said, taking over introductions. Ballister was examining the two of them, a thoughtful frown on his face. Nimona raised an eyebrow at him. Immediately the expression cleared and he shot her an encouraging smile. Nimona rolled her eyes and turned back to bury her face in Kipo’s shoulder, soaking it all in and letting the others’ words wash over her.

“Mona,” Kipo called quietly, tapping her shoulder. Nimona hummed and dragged her head up, smiling at her. “Do you want to show your friends around Las Vistas?”

“Sure!” Nimona stood in one fluid motion, pulling Kipo up with her. “I mean, you should really be the one to do it, it’s your dream and I haven’t been here in ages and I can see there’s so much new stuff and everything, but yeah, let’s go!”

“Oh my gosh, there’s so much to catch you up on,” Kipo gushed. “We’ve set up a couple new neighborhoods, and we’re figuring out a public transport system, and— oh, I can’t wait to show you!”

“I can’t wait to see!” Nimona grinned. Kipo’s joy was always so infectious.

Kipo’s grin widened and her arms shifted into paws. “Wanna race?”

Nimona crouched at the ready, shifting to match Kipo, before she remembered Ballister and Ambrosius and glanced back at them. Ballister was particularly wide-eyed, though they both seemed startled. Did they not realize Kipo was the Mega Jaguar? Or just that she could partially shift? They didn’t seem repulsed, either way, so it could wait. She stood back up and faced them.

“Would you guys want to be riders?” Nimona offered. It would complicate things a bit — Kipo would have to shift fully, and so Nimona would have to find a form to match her — but she wasn’t just going to leave them. If they really didn’t want to, they could all… walk. (Nimona really hoped they were fine being riders.)

“…Sure,” Ballister agreed, exchanging glances with Ambrosius, then repeated it more confidently when Nimona grinned in excitement. “We can do teams. Nimona and I and then Kipo and Ambrosius. If that works for everyone…?”

“Sure!” Kipo chirped. She shifted into her full form and bowed to allow Ambrosius to climb on.

Nimona beamed at Ballister. “What do you think we should do, Boss?” They could always go for a matching Mega Jaguar, though something with wings might be faster. There were also the other Mega Mutes to consider, though Ballister wouldn’t be familiar with them to pick one. Though… Ballister probably wouldn’t be familiar with anything big enough to compete with Kipo. “Bunny or dog? I guess I could do something else, but those are what I’m most familiar with, so they’re our best bet for winning.”

“Dog?” Ballister said, looking confused right up until he was scooped up onto a giant setter’s back. “I don’t know I’m ever surprised anymore,” he muttered fondly, patting a bit of Nimona’s head that was within reach.

Nimona barked instead of responding, because she didn’t think Ballister meant for her to hear that. And because mutes were a bit weird—she could shift into them, of course, but something about their changed physiology made shifting into a Timbercat feel different than a regular cat. It wasn’t hard or bad, more like stretching a stiff limb, a kind of pleasant strain. Mega Mutes amplified this feeling. Something about the “changed but still dumb” aspect made it easier to communicate nonverbally in their forms.

Kipo growled in response, a smooth rumble that grew louder until they were both vibrating with tension. Nimona barked and they both took off.

Nimona had picked her form for speed, but Kipo knew the area inside and out, and that won her the race. Nimona shifted to human, making sure Ballister landed safely on the ground, and pouted at Kipo. She let Ambrosius clamber off before shifting back. Nimona immediately pouted harder once she was back to human and Kipo giggled, coming over and kissing her.

“How do you like your second place prize?” Kipo murmured, placing another kiss on her cheek.

“I don’t know,” Nimona copied her low tone. “What’s the first place prize?”

“This.” Kipo kissed her again, slow and sweet. Nimona’s form rippled, near bursting with emotion. Her new bunny ears flopped on either side of her head and Kipo broke away to huff a laugh as they brushed against her. “Oh, these are cute.”

“Not as cute as you,” Nimona argued. Kipo blushed.

“Thank you.” She gave Nimona a soft smile, then put her hands on her hips and looked over Las Vistas. “Okay, I’m thinking we should start with a tour of the shopping district, and I can show you all the new stuff, and Ballister and Ambrosius—“ she glanced over for confirmation. Nimona nodded “—can see everything for the first time. And then I can take you home and show you the new neighborhood stuff on the way and you can see everyone.”

“Sounds good with us,” Ballister agreed, he and Ambrosius coming over at their names.

“Awesome!” Kipo clapped her hands together with a bright grin and began the tour.

—

Later, when they got a moment, Ballister pulled Nimona aside.

“Okay, so I know the animal people, mutes, aren’t really like you, but, Kipo?” He looked so hopeful for her. “She’s done human and jaguar stuff, is she— y’know? Like you?”

Nimona smiled at him and tried not to make it sad. “Not really. She’s got the two forms, and she can kind of half shift, but that’s it.”

“Oh,” Ballister’s face fell. “I mean, I’m happy for you, of course, but… I know how important finding someone like you can be.” He looked over at Ambrosius, who was chatting with Lio.

“Yeah, but she can still relate to some things,” Nimona told him. “I’m not totally alone.”

“That’s true.” Ballister smiled at her, a fond thing that always made Nimona’s insides squirm happily. “And you’ll always have us.”

“Yeah,” Nimona agreed, then darted in for a hug.

[theminecraftbee]

Was going through my posts and I saw that one post you did about like, Joe, (corrupted) Cub, and e!false being a Spontaneous Villain Trio. Do you have any further thoughts on it? I want to spin this idea around in my head but I'm not quite sure what you had ideas for (if any beyond just that idea)

so in my head what happens is... so it starts out relatively close to canon in that joe leaves hermitopia, only we're taking this slightly more seriously. so he packs up and leaves and regrets it once he realizes he Really Has Nowhere To Go but he's banned by the time he considers going back, a thing that he has some amount of resentment for. (oh boy, i'm sure that won't come back to bite anyone later!) he hands out his resume to a bunch of people and false accepts the resume, and pays him with a place to live.

unlike in canon we're assuming, however, that everyone is in empires much longer and the timeframes here are much longer, and that way everyone has more time to like. bond. and spiral.

anyway so unlike in canon e!false decides she likes what joe has done for her and hires him somewhat more full-time. his job is to try and note down what happens when she doesn't remember and any information about the other false who is spying on her. once joe and e!false work out that h!false is a different person entirely and e!false realizes she's one of the hermits, joe is told to spy on the hermits in general - although he's still banned so he has some trouble doing this.

due to combination "e!false is kind of a wet cat and joe feels bad", "e!false can trust joe more than some people because she's both paying him and he has literally nowhere else to go so betraying her would end very badly for him", and "neither of them really have other people at the moment" the two of them end up bonding very closely. which means that once joe starts to work out the Murders e!false is doing he just kind of... rationalizes them. also once people start to realize the joke of the banning thing has maybe gone too far (like scar or probably cleo idk depends on what i'm feeling when i write this) joe is Not Enthusiastic At All and decides that no, screw those guys, he's actually a citizen of cogsmede. they didn't ban him in cogsmede. he even got to decorate his own apartment.

(and like, joe. the murders. probably even including joe's own periodic murder. but remember our timeframes are longer here.)

anyway so joe is spying on the hermits and now ACTUALLY the traitor he was accused of being and e!false is doing e!false things, right, but how does cub come into this? well he comes into it by getting possessed, obviously, but also by the fact that he runs into joe, attempting to clean up all the sculk catalysts, and has also been kicked out for reason of "he keeps on trying to possess everyone and that's a problem". he and joe and also e!false as a result of "joe hangs around e!false a LOT in this au" all start running into each other more often and joe notices cub like... isn't doing great.

he also notices the start of the build-up of hermitopia's more... terrifying elements... and e!false's nervousness, and the fact that even the other emperors are strangely disconnected from e!false, like she doesn't have any allies. and cub doesn't have any allies either. and since joe is pretty good friends with cub and honestly got over the whole trash can thing basically immediately the reason he holds so much of a grudge is "kicked out in a strange world for being discontent", and joe does miss the other hermits, and also because e!false could USE someone who is as clearly scary to other people as cub is, they strike up a deal with each other. cub can hang around as long as he doesn't start sculking up specifically the places in cogsmede that joe has cleared out and is willing to defend them, and joe and false will defend him back.

which means cub starts working on joe and false who ALREADY AREN'T DOING GREAT to get them on-board with his sculk nonsense and it mostly doesn't work but they DO get pretty apathetic towards it happening to literally any of them that are not specifically them, right, which to most other people, given that they're also directly harboring cub, is basically the same as doing it themselves.

and THAT'S ABOUT AS FAR AS THAT AU HAS GOTTEN IN MY HEAD i got stuck on "i need to have a better idea of what the false things the falses are doing are" in order to properly flesh out the false side of this au but like. that's the concept in my head.

...this got really long.

i hope you like it!