#just took one quote from maria and ran with it

[my-true-love-insanity]

So coquette 🎀🎀🎀🎀

Speeddraw

[mrs-barnes-rogers-writes]

Our Lost Girl, Our Babydoll - Part 2

Marvel AU

Pairing: Alpha Steve Rogers x Omega Reader x Alpha Bucky Barnes

Theme: A/B/O

Summary: A bookshop and a spilled coffee leads you to Clint. He leads you to Natasha, and you lead them both to your best friend Darcy. They try to introduce you to Bucky and Steve but you're full of excuses and Irish goodbyes. Until Bucky catches your scent on Natasha and he's sliding in your DM's and offering to help pack up Darcy's apartment. Steve wants to give their bookworm the world and your Irish goodbyes won't slip passed him, because his eyes never leave you. But what's giving you the lost look in your eyes?

Chapter Summary: Why is the reader late? And what is girl talk?

Bucky and Steve scrambled, knocking into each other as they tried to get to the door first. The noise alerted the others to the scuffling.

“It’s the coffees you idiots.” Natasha called from the now open door. "You would have smelt if it was her."

Clint sniggered as he went to help Nat, passing out the coffees as he returned.

“You know I thought it was just Clint that went to clown school.” Sassed Sam.

“Hahahahaha.” Bucky replied dryly.

“Oh leave them, it’s sweet how excited they are.” Came Maria’s reply.

“See.” Steve said looking at Bucky knowingly.

“She said sweet, not cute.” Bucky grumbled, as he perched on Darcy’s couch, pulling a danish from the bag that had been placed on the coffee table. Sam went to deliver another quip but Steve shook his head, noticing Bucky’s sulking.

“Don’t worry Yasha, she’ll be here soon.” Nat added, glancing at her phone. Darcy glanced over to look and then showed Nat something on her phone.

“To be fair it’s not like her to be late. Is she OK?” Maria asked.

Before there was chance to answer Steve and Bucky jumped to their feet, startling the others and started to dust themselves free of crumbs. Steve searched his pockets for a mint, wanting to avoid coffee breath and Bucky ran his fingers through his hair. Darcy decided to take the opportunity to tease them.

“You ok their fellas or did my best friend just walk up the street?”

There was laughter around the room as Nat stood, grabbing your Strawberry Frappe, a danish and a napkin.

“Wait, where are you going?” Asked Steve.

“Girl talk. Stay.” Replied Natasha, exchanging a quick glance with Maria, who nodded quickly.

“We aren’t dogs.” Grumbled Bucky.

“No, you’re over excited alphas.” She replied, pulling Darcy through the door and closing it quickly.

Bucky huffed and threw himself onto the sofa dramatically. The group tried to stifle their laughter. Clint struggled the most and let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, I know, I know, I’m over excited blah blah blah.” Complained Bucky.

“That’s not why I’m laughing actually, Nat was worse than you. She changed outfits four times, brought three different bouquets of flowers and ordered six different blankets. Y/N had to tell her to and I quote ‘calm the fuck down, you look like you’re about to hump her’. To be fair Darcy looked hot. I struggled and I just had my beta urges to contend with.”

“Yeah but at least you got a date, all we’ve got is avoidance.” Grumbled Bucky, “Steve stop staring at the door, she’s not gonna magic through it.”

Steve was now the one to huff.

“What exactly is ‘girl talk’ anyway?” He asked, as they all turned to look at Maria.

As you neared Darcy’s building you got a whiff of Steve, closely followed by what you now knew to be Bucky. You saw the main door to the apartment open and panicked for a second, worried it was them. Realising their scents were still a bit of a distance away you sniffed and got a whiff of your best friend and soon to be mate, spotting them both soon after.

You quickly brushed the tears from your face and took a deep breath. Time for the ‘I’m fine’ face.

“Heyyyyy, it’s moving day! I’m so sorry I’m late, my appointment ran over, I’m here now and I have everything” you kept your voice light, tapping your bag. Darcy barrelled into you, hugging you tightly.

“Why were you at the doctors?”

“What, errrr I wasn’t, it was an eyebrow appointment.”

Darcy pushed your hair away to look at your eyebrows and shook her head disappointingly.

“When did we start lying to each other?”

“Fuck” you muttered, “how’d you know?”

“First, we went three days ago to get them done together, remember, AND Natasha tracked your phone.”

“For fuck sake Romanoff!!!” You snapped as you shot a look at her, as she hovered a few steps behind Darcy.

“I have a danish and your awful pink drink.” Nat replied, holding them out.

You side stepped Darcy and grabbed your drink and danish from Nat’s hands, letting out a huff as you sat on the building steps.

Darcy quietly followed and sat beside you, brushing your hair away from your face again, this time spotting the tear marks on your cheeks. Nat sat a few steps back, observing you both.

“I’m worried.”

“Don’t be. It was a checkup.”

“On a Saturday?”

“Specialist clinic, runs twice a month, this was the only slot, I’ve been waiting three months. I’m sorry I was late, they were running behind and then I couldn’t get an Uber and then there’s an accident a few blocks down, I walked the rest, I’m sorry.” You went to stand but Darcy grabbed at you.

“What’s going on?”

“Darcy this is your day, you don’t need to hear my bullshit.”

“Yes, I do, you always hear my crap and I wanna hear yours. What is it? Is it your suppressants? Shit, is it suppressants sickness?”

You sighed.

“A little, my body it’s, well it’s not exactly happy about being on them so long and”

“And?”

“And…… I want a baby."

Enjoy this fic? Fancy a cuppa? My Ko-Fi.

Tag list

@shellybellysstuff

[spookberry]

👀 I would like to hear about the Oregon Vortex if you feel up to sharing!

sure! I mean I only just learned about it so I feel like I'm losing my mind a little bit that I can't seem to find anyone else connecting the two beyond like "oh yeah the crew went there and took a photo during the 2013 Mystery Tour." And wikipedia having a trivia note connecting the two.

But anyways The Oregon Vortex is a "Mystery Spot" in real life that claims to be the original House of Mystery that all other mystery spots take inspiration from. (they've got beef with the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot in particular) It was first opened to the public in 1930 by this man named John Litster. As the lore goes he's deemed a bit of a conman, but also a scientist? He was fascinated by the strange and eerie phenomena of Oregon Vortex and had a ton of wild theories about why it is the way it is. One of his theories is Aliens.

Some of the reported strange occurrences that happen at the vortex are: bottles rolling uphill, backpain disappears, hangovers get worse, people's physical height change seemingly at random, mysterious beams of light in photographs, inexplicable urge to visit, etc (claims of fairies, and walking through the 6th dimension, also throwing pizza to "the beings")

The House of Mystery itself, the main attraction of the Oregon Vortex looks like this fyi. It used to be an office for an old Gold Mining Company.

there's a sign that looks like this

But back to fuckin John Litser, like part of the lore with that guy is he did a bunch of research on the place and why its so wacky and weird (though arguably its probs just optical illusions) However all of his research supposedly got burned in a fire in the 60s.

I found this interesting article on Roadside America that's got some awesome quotes from Elena Cooper (who managed the vortex at the time?? It is owned and ran by the Cooper family but another source listed an Irene and her daughter Maria, idk who Elena is.) and some of the quotes are beautiful and others have me feeling like I'm being punked. like

"It's existed probably since the planet existed. To be a part of that is just fantastic."

"If this is the middle of the Sasquatch Intergalactic Highway, I may as well sell stuffed versions of him."

"by the end of a tour you could tell them just about anything and they'd believe it."

She is real life grunkle stan

Anyways this place has been mentioned in a bunch of things, like theres an episode of X-files on it, Ghost Adventures went there once, Fact of Faked declared it an optical illusion.

they haven't posted on their official twitter since 2019, but their facebook still updates.

[princeanon]

I made a modern adaptation of some R&J scenes (2.4 and 3.1) for a film project, and just had to share some of my favorite moments, in no particular order

“Queen Mab get to you again?”

- Benvolio, to Mercutio

The film was called Queen Mab, and it’s centered around Mercutio, with an emphasis on his dreams and hints to a time loop situation?

There was SO MUCH DOMESTIC BENCUTIO YOU HAVE NO IDEa

Like, Ben wakes Mercutio up and calls him sUnShiNe before handing him water

Also, he calls Mercutio “Merc” a few times throughout the film

All of the characters names are shortened in the script purely because I didn’t want to type them every time (Tybalt=Ty, Benvolio=Ben, Mercutio=Merc, Romeo=Ro, and Juliet was just Juliet)

Ben is CONSTANTLY checking his phone for texts from Romeo like he’s so worried poor guy

Meanwhile Merc is tormenting him

“I can see it now:

Here lies Romeo. Died from being left on read.”

- Mercutio, about Romeo’s crush on Rosaline

Ben extends an arm to Merc as they leave, and he takes it before grabbing his dagger

When they go to find Romeo, Ben brings a notebook with him that disappears once the Merc and Tybalt fight starts

Ben is wearing a shirt that says “MERCUTIO IS MY HOMEBOY”

a necklace with a purple gem (👀)

a cute blue and green jacket

and a beanie that does not fit properly at all

Meanwhile Merc is wearing a purple MIT shirt

When Ben and Merc spot Romeo, they hide behind a tree like those classic cartoons where you can only see their upper half sticking out of the tree

Our Romeo & Juliet were in a production of Sound of Music together as Maria and Von Trapp respectively so when I told them to act in love in the distance, they just started doing the Laendler choreography

Ben shows Tybalt’s “challenge” for Romeo to Merc via his phone, which implies that Tybalt texted Benvolio and was like “hey man can you let your cousin know I wanna fight him?”

We needed a shot of our Tybalt appearing behind Ben & Merc, and Ty was insistent that he climb a nearby tree and jump out of it

That shot took 15+ takes before we even got to his part, so he spent the better part of half an hour sitting in a tree waiting for his queue.

He jumped down too early during one take and had to re-climb the tree

Merc boops Ben several times throughout the film, and we had a few very flirtatious takes that didn’t make the Final Cut because we kept breaking character

“Careful, Good Benvolio, your irrefutable temper is showing”

- Merc to Ben when he complains about Romeo’s terrible decision-making skills

He calls him “Benny boy”

During one take, he accidentally said “bunny boy” and I told him he could definitely do that purposely if he wanted

Tybalt had recently done a production of R&J, so he asked to add the “peace be with you” line into the script, which I 100% supported, we spent a while during the shoot just quoting R&J back and forth, and he noticed all of my references in the script

Romeo was instructed to enter the Tybalt scene after a specific line, so he hid around the corner and FULLY RAN into the scene yelling “GUYS GUYS YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT I—“

Romeo is taller than both Ben and Merc, and he almost tackles both during his entrance

Oh my gosh Romeo and Tybalt have some kind of bromance going on IRL which is so fun but it was so difficult to get the two of them to pay attention because they were just hanging out with each other

Romeo had a line that goes “woah, Tybalt, calm down” and instead he said “Yoooo, Tybalt, chill out man” which made all of us break

When Tybalt confronts Romeo, you can hear a bird in the background, that stops the second Ty pulls out his dagger, which was accidental but iconic

I choreographed a sword fight, but Merc and Ty mostly improvised, they had a lot of fun

Our Juliet filmed the whole scene by the way, along with most of the other scenes

Also, in the script she had one line, in which she was supposed to say something with the word Capulet, and she kept joking to everyone that she was already off book

I ended up cutting the line for convenience and plot purposes, sorry Jules 😭

“Capulet”

- Not Juliet, since the line got cut

Romeo & Juliet joked about going to marriage counseling after they were struggling to film one of the scenes (J on camera, R with the boom mic)

They traded jobs after J accidentally filmed R for the entire take

In between shots, Ty and Merc were stabbing mushrooms with their daggers, Romeo was throwing rocks at a spider, and Juliet and I were just like, watching all of it happen

We had fake blood for Merc to put on his hand, and it ended up staining his hand so he spent like 10 minutes washing it off afterwards

When Merc dies, Ben holds his hand and rests his face against Merc’s head (also, he fully dies in Ben’s lap)

Then we went back and filmed the first scene and lemme tell you Mercutio is iconic but he was so so so bad at waking up

He kept asking me “how am I supposed to wake up???? How does one wake up scared???” And I was like “I don’t know man!!!!!”

Some lines taken directly from the play include “Romeo, my cousin Romeo!” (2.1) “A challenge, on my life” (2.4) “Come sir, your passado” (3.1) and of course, “Peace be with you” (3.1)

Also, Merc still calls Ty a ratcatcher, and Ty calls out to Ben and Merc by saying gentlemen

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Took 4 hours of filming for a 4 minute long film, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I played Benvolio by the way. Probably should have mentioned that sooner.

[aurora-313]

I would DM you, but if you decide to answer I think what you will say will interest more people than just me.

Do you think that Rukia's blind believe in Ichigo's greatness and goodness was because of Kaien and Ichigo's resemblence with him?

And if so, when did she truly started to see him as a separate person?

To me it seems that she gets attached to Ichigo to hard to soon, two months isn't really believable. I could get him, he's a teen and she has literally fallen from the sky and saved him from depression. Ichigo's defining moment was his inability to save his mother, his protectoress from death, him saving Rukia feels a bit as bookends, and actually the great personal stakes and this is personal battles were after that supplanted by over -the-top shonen paint by numbers battle scenes.

At the beginning both Rukia and Ichigo were people with a lot of emotional baggage.

This is a very layered question.

Rukia does see echoes of Kaien in Ichigo but that's not unique. Everyone of note in Soul Society's arc does, which is unsurprising because those qualities; the impetuousness, the moral virtue, the ferocious determination to follow that morality through to the bitter end in defiance of edicts and convention - they're all defining traits in the Shiba family. In the Kurosaki family too but ignoring that.

But I don't think Rukia latched onto Ichigo specifically because he looked like Kaien, though that might've been a tertiary factor. Especially in the case of Byakuya choosing to spare his life pointedly because of that resemblance. At the same time, I wouldn't be shocked to learn Rukia subconsciously saw Ichigo as her second chance.

A post by @kodoku-no-maria which posits the theory that Ichigo was originally intended to be Kaien's reincarnation before Bleach's story got lost up its own ass best encapsulates this idea. I quote their specific comparison:

She [Rukia] was afraid when Kaien died

She was brave when she met Ichigo

She ran away (Kaien)

She took action (Ichigo)

She couldn’t save Kaien from a hollow

She saved Ichigo from a hollow

She pierced Kaien with her sword and he died

She pierced Ichigo with her sword and he, you could say, was born

Her sword couldn’t save Kaien

Her sword saved Ichigo

She couldn’t be of any help to Kaien, felt powerless

She became the source of Ichigo’s power

Ichigo and Rukia both had extraordinary amounts of baggage at the start of the series, and through their brief interactions over two months (two months where she's been living in his bedroom wardrobe mind you), Rukia helped Ichigo by giving him the power he's always wanted to protect others, but helping him confront his demons and his mother's murderer. While it seems fairly one way initially, we need to take a revelation made in the SS arc into account.

The one thing that Rukia has always craved since being adopted into the Kuchiki clan, and the one thing Kaien and Ichigo gave her during their respective times with her, is normalcy.

Even when Rukia met the Shiba kin for the first time. When greeting Kaien, he responded with 'WTF was that?! I'm your XO ya little runt! Show some respect!"

When Rukia happened upon Ichigo's room, "WTF?! You're a crappy burglar! Get the hell outtta here!'

Both very normal reactions for the situations.

In those two months in the living world, Rukia wasn't the Kuchiki's leader's adopted sister; she wasn't an adopted noble expected to maintain some vaunted flaccid sense of hypocritical propriety; no expectations of any kind. She was an ordinary teenager going to an ordinary high school, living an ordinary life with occasional bouts of supernatural thrown in. Even though Rukia knew those days would inevitably come to an end, those two months would've been an absolute dream for her, where theoretically her biggest worry would've been an occasional hollow and finishing homework. I'd go so far as to claim it was a sinful indulgence considering the burden of her self-perceived sins.

And when Ichigo infamously blocked the Sokyoku, the blade as powerful as a million Zanpakutou, it was one of the first steps in helping Rukia recognise - or rediscover the value of her life. And later on when she defeats Aaroniero, she remembers a lesson and accepts that fact that Kaien had entrusted his heart to her, and that heart cannot live on if she values herself so little.

To summarise my longwinded ramble:

Rukia and Ichigo were mutual catalysts for each getting over their own individual traumas and moving on to live healthy, happy and productive lives, absolved of the perceived guilts and tragedies that used to weigh them down.

[mariasstreet]

#1: The Poet and I

Dear Reader,

I’m not one to spill my guts to the online world. But I must. There’s this poet. I don’t want to reveal his name for privacy, and yet he keeps invading mine. “Invading” is a strong word. Not invading. One would think, though, that in New York City it would be easy to never see the same face twice unless you purposely seek them out. Unless… no, he’s not seeking me out.

As I said, we met a few months ago. A few weeks ago, I saw him in a restaurant drinking alone at the bar. I was there to meet a friend and yet I felt the need to be polite and say “hello” to him. He, quite obviously, struggled to remember my name, which didn’t stop me from tuning out my friend, when she arrived, my body and mind focused solely on the poet I knew but didn’t truly know.

Then it was at a reading with my fiancé and his sister. When I saw him, in their presence, I felt ill. I just wanted to rush out of the building and retch on the sidewalk. Before, this man caught my attention deeper than I knew a stranger could. That night? He awoke a visceral need in me to vomit. Of course, my fiancé and his sister wanted to talk with him after the show because, of course, they’re friends. I felt my ears, without my consent, tuning them out, as if hearing them was painful. I could barely get out an “I’m good” when he asked me how I was.

And now, what has caused me to rush to the computer to confess, is meeting him on the streets of the city. We had never really had a conversation besides polite acknowledgements. We made progress. 

I spotted him standing outside of a record shop and, though I would tell everyone in person that this was a casual, coincidental meeting, I ran to meet him. He stared in the shop window for a few moments before he turned to see me standing next to him. I’m not a particularly punctual person, and my fiancé, his sister, and their friends I was meeting around the block at another restaurant already knew this. What’s a few minutes with another friend you’ve just happened to bump into?

He made the same face from a few weeks ago when he didn’t know my name, squinting at me. Finally, he recognized me and asked where I was headed. I hated to tell him the truth, that I had an obligation with a friend. Great, I thought, now he knows I can’t stay.

“You live around here?”

“Yes, in Brooklyn.”

“Do you like it there? I hate Brooklyn. I never go there if I can help it.”

How do you tell a stranger that you’re strangely drawn to that you took this as a personal attack not only on your sense of self but on your fiancé’s? And how do you wrestle with the fact that instead of your tongue forming the words to express your hurt, it instead rushed to blame living in Brooklyn on your fiancé, because you’re a unique and cool individual that has a spiritual connection with this poet? I’ve never been more thankful to hold my tongue.

He asked me about my fiancé and his sister, and I finally told him I was going to meet them. He didn’t want to “keep me,” as if he was my obligation and not them. I got some courage in our parting moments.

“Do you even know my name?”

“Maybe.”

“It’s Maria. I wasn’t sure—because you never say it.”

“Maria. Maria. Maria. Maria.” 

[DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A ROLEPLAY BLOG POST FOR A FINAL PROJECT IN MY STUDIES IN AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE. THIS POST REWRITES A SECTION OF New People BY DANZY SENNA AND QUOTES DIRECTLY FROM THE TEXT]

[therealvinelle]

How many people do u think the cullens have killed?

A lot.

I’ll try to answer on a Cullen to Cullen basis, and make my estimate as conservative as possible. Also, for this estimate I'll look only at direct kills, complicity doesn’t count, which for example means I won’t add Royce King II & friends to Carlisle’s count, even though he made himself complicit when he helped Rosalie plot their murders.

Without further ado:

Alice has had her accidents, plural, so 2≤ humans. After joining the Cullens, mind you, we don’t know how she lived as a newborn. I’d guess her visions told her to feed from animal blood early on, to accustom her to it sooner rather than later so life among the Cullens would be easier. The interesting thing about Alice having a body count is that her gift should be helpful in avoiding these kinds of situations, meaning that Alice’s accidents have caught her unawares. So, we have at least two humans, and considering the newborn army the number might be higher. Might. Jasper tried his damndest to keep Alice safe in that fight, so it stands to reason he killed anyone who got close to her. Alice might not have had the chance to kill any newborns. If she did, and counting kills she helped with, then I’d put my estimate at a conservative 0-1. Then we have Rosalie, who says she has the second best streak in the family, second only to Carlisle. Rose killed 5 humans (she corrects herself a bit later to 7, but this doesn’t make a difference. She’s still second best to Carlisle). She admittedly doesn’t mention Alice, but if Alice had a better record than her she likely would have. Which jumps Alice up another few steps, to 8≤.

Bella hasn’t killed anyone. 0.

Carlisle had a perfect record until the newborn army attacked. So, no humans, but most likely newborns. When Carlisle attacks Bree in “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner”, it’s a fast and brutal attack. I’ll just paste the scene: A blond vampire glanced at me, meeting my gaze, and his eyes flashed gold in the sunlight. (...) I turned and really ran for the trees (...) I was a few feet into the trees when a force like a wrecking ball hit me from behind and threw me to the ground. An arm slipped under my chin. (The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, page 91) For the record, holy shit Carlisle, that was so brutal! I can’t believe that the minute Bella steps off screen the guy rips off his shirt and becomes the Terminator. Damn. ... Point being, Carlisle was an active participant in that battle. It makes ethical sense for him to be, the newborns had to die, it would have been hypocritical to tell his family “you guys go roll in the mud, I’m too saintly to get my hands dirty”, and if he didn’t pitch in his family and the shapeshifters would be in danger. It becomes morally just to join in the battle, and with a zeal at that. Or at least that’s how he appears to have reasoned, because holy shit, Carlisle took the gloves off. So, Carlisle can reasonably be assumed to have killed at least 1 newborn, likely more. I’d say 3 at the most, though there’s the possibility that he co-opted some kills with the others. (I have more thoughts further down).

Edward left for four years to eat people. At first he ate junkies and homeless people, they did not taste good. Would this have motivated him to eat more than one every fortnight? Alas, I’m keeping my estimate conservative, so let’s wager no. So, one human per fortnight for four years. 26*4=104. That’s the lowest possible estimate of people Edward killed, though I’m inclined to think higher. Given his mission to stop evil, if Edward found a rapist it’s not like he’d go “aw shucks, I can’t kill him yet because it hasn’t been a full two weeks!” Add Victoria to that count, and we’re at 105≤.

Emmett killed his two singers, but considering Rosalie’s statement he too falls under the 8≤ number. He helped kill James, which adds +1 to the vampire tally. Then comes the newborn battle. Bree sees him kill one of the newborns, so we know he got some action. I’ll make the same assumption as I did for Carlisle, which is 1-3. So, 2-4 vampires total.

Esme is explicitly stated to have a worse record than Rosalie. She has killed 8 people or more. As for the newborn army, I’m not sure I can picture it. If Esme did kill anyone, I imagine it was along with others. Let’s put her down for 1.

Jasper my poor guy, he’s in another league. Turned in 1863, he lived with Maria until 1938, then met Alice and became a vegetarian in 1948. He’s had a few accidents since. From 1863 to 1938 I think we should assume one person per week, as strength was paramount in the world of newborn armies, blood was a reward for soldiers, and Jasper won Maria a lot of territory. They would not want for blood, and he recounts she rewarded him often. So, 52*75=3900 dead humans. Jasper then runs off with Peter and Charlotte, presumably eating at a normal rate of every other week. We don’t know when he split off from them, but let’s assume an even split and that he left after five years, leaving another five years of lone wandering where he tried to starve himself. So, 26*5=130 for his years with Peter and Charlotte, then assuming he made it a month each fast before surrendering, 13*5=75 for the lone years. We then have accidents. He’s had more accidents than any of the other Cullen children (I don’t think it’s every actually specified that he’s had more accidents than them all, meaning Esme could still have slipped more), putting him at 9≤ accidents. Then comes the vampires he’s killed. We know he killed Nettie, Lucy, and James, so that’s 3. Newborns take time to train, but to make up for that we have a lot of armies. Let’s assume Maria’s army got into one battle every six months. Let’s assume Jasper always killed at least 1 vampire. (See what I meant by conservative? In my defense, Victoria’s army was huge and not at all representative) That’s 130≤ vampires. Jasper also mentions that as a newborn he kept getting into fights with his brothers-in-arms, he killed several. So, let’s assume 4≤, since it sounds like it was certainly more than 2. More numerous are the vampires he executed. Jasper’s gift meant Maria could have a lot more soldiers than most, and he doubled her army’s numbers. His first major accomplishment was to make her an army of 23 newborns. Assuming he kept up this good work, knowing as we do that Jasper was the only vampire Maria never replaced, and assuming some newborns were lost to infighting or battles, we can assume a replacement cycle of Maria needing 20 vampires executed on a yearly basis. 20*75 = 1500. Which... does feel a little high, but Jasper’s backstory is extreme. As for the newborn battle, let’s assume 4.

Renesmée hasn’t killed anyone either, 0.

Rosalie we know for sure, 7 humans. Let’s assume as with Carlisle and Emmett that she took out 1-3 vampires.

(NOTE: When it comes to how many newborns from Victoria’s army each Cullen killed, all we can do is estimate:

The Cullens divided evenly with the shapeshifters. There were 16 newborns at the battle, giving us 8 newborns per Cullen. There were 6 Cullens present, meaning at least 1 each. Jasper did more than his fair share, and Alice and Esme can both be speculated to have been smaller parts in this battle. I think it’s fair to assume Carlisle, Emmett, and Rosalie killed at least 1 newborn each, though likely more, especially if we take shared kills into consideration. I think 1-3 is a fair assumption, and I’m tempted to assume Jasper killed was everywhere and it feels like lowballing to estimate 4.)

Total:

Alice: 8≤ humans, 0-1** vampire. 9 total

Bella: 0

Carlisle*: 1-3**, all vampires.

Edward: 104≤ humans, 1 vampire. 105≤ total

Emmett: 8≤ humans, 2-4** vampires. 10≤ total

Esme: 8≤ humans, 1 vampire. 9≤ total

Jasper: 4105≤ humans, 1638≤** vampires. 5743≤ total

Renesmée: 0

Rosalie*: 7 humans, 1-3** vampires. 8≤ total

*with both Carlisle and Rosalie we have an upper limit. Carlisle’s body count can’t be higher than 15, and Rosalie’s can’t be higher than 22 (I get the number 15 from 16-1 newborns, as there’s one vampire we know for a fact was killed by Emmett alone) and that would be in an extremely contrived scenario where he or she was somehow everywhere at once.

** when adding up the total of vampires killed by Cullens at the newborn army, regardless of the composition of who killed who, the sum is (assuming an even split with the shapeshifters) 8.

Added together, this gives us:

4240≤ humans and 1643≤ vampires.

If we remove Jasper’s past from the equation, because newborn army George who spent 75 years in a newborn army killing every day is an outlier and should not have been counted, then the tally becomes: 

144≤ humans and 10 vampires.

If we remove Edward’s rebellious era from the equation, as he was not a Cullen at the time, the human tally sinks to: 

40≤ humans. (This is counting Rosalie’s revenge. There have been 33≤ accidents.)

This is the lowest possible estimate. The number is likely higher.

Special thanks to @theunexpectedness​ on the Twilight Forever discord for digging up her copy of “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner” for me so I could get my quotes straight.

Also, feel free to point out errors in the math. I’m sure I’ve made some.

[amethyst-dreams-and-candy-canes]

Innocuous

AN: Written for @marvelmaree birthday challenge. Happy birthday, my love and I wish you many, many more! My quote will be in bold and is from Frozen. 

Warnings: Smut (that I still don’t know how to write), not really sex pollen but issa gas? If that makes sense? Awkwardness and embarrassment cause that’s my jam.

Pairing: Steve x Black!Reader 

Word Count: 2,836

"Well isn’t this grand." 

Maria sighed from the small wooden table in the corner of the hotel room. She had just finished pacing the floor and now sat with her head in her palm. You lounged on one end of the long, gray sofa while Steve occupied the other end, a light sheen of sweat forming on his skin. A long groan rose from him as his head lulled over the back of the sofa. Maria followed him with her eyes as she drummed her nails against the wood. Steve was murmuring to himself but the audible hum of the AC unit put you in a state of tranquility. The three of you had stripped out of your tact uniforms, only wearing a tank top and the black pants underneath and the cool air was welcoming to your still humid skin. 

"Banner, run all of that by me again." Maria ordered into the phone. Rolling your eyes, you propped up against the arm of the sofa and crossed your legs at the ankle. She had been so nervous, scared even, when Steve being ever heroic and dramatic jumped in front of her and was hit square in the face with some sort of gas. A bit wafted to you but Steve took the full brunt of it. He claimed to be unharmed, possibly to put the worried Maria at ease, but as the mission came to completion, it was clear that he wasn’t fine. 

"Yes we made it to the hotel but Steve isn't looking so-" she was apparently cut off and her eyes snapped to you. "She's ok. No signs." You pointed to yourself before giving her a thumbs up before motioning to Steve and making a cutting action across your throat while sticking your tongue out and crossing your eyes. Maria gave you a deadpan look before turning her attention back to Steve. His eyes were wide and trained on the ceiling, his brows furrowed as if in concentration. She jerked her head towards him as her eyes returned to you. Frowning, you glance at Steve before throwing her a confused shrug. She glares at you as she motions to Steve again. 

"Steve?" You called to him as you scoot closer to him. He hums in response as he rolls his head towards the sound of your voice. You reach out to touch his forehead to feel for a fever but retract your hand as his eyes connect with yours. Maria, who was watching intently, clicks her tongue and signs as Steve shifts his body towards you. 

"You good, big boy?" 

"You see that fish on the ceiling?" he whispers before sighing loudly. Red blotches had begun to break out over his arms and you look around the room for something to cool him off. Maria nods towards the bathroom as if reading your mind and places the phone in the crook of her neck. Finding a towel near the sink, you ran it under cold water making sure it was drenched before returning to Steve. You didn't bother to wring it out and allowed the excess water to drip down onto Steve. You kneel on the cushion next to him and place the towel on his head as he reaches up to grab your wrist. 

"This ok?" You ask and hear Maria advise whoever she was talking to of your actions. Steve nods as his grip on your hand tightens. You flinch but keep your hand on the towel. Steve rolls his shoulders before turning to face you again. His eyes are wild, making you frown as you regard him, his blue eyes seem darker. His eyes find yours and you swear you see them dilate. 

"Uh, Steve?" He doesn't answer and he leans forward and rests his forehead against your chest, nose buried in the top of your cleavage. You hear Maria stammer through her sentence before hanging up the phone. She comes to your side and lets out a deep breath. 

"The only thing they know concretely is that the gas isn't lethal but they don't know all the effects it will have but you'll live." 

"Reassuring" the sarcasm dripping from you as you give her a fake smile. Steve turns his cheek to rest on your breast as he now begins to watch Maria. "I told them not to send us to the Everglades this time of year but no. No one listens-” you're cut off by the surprise of Steve wrapping his arms around your waist. 

"I can hear your heartbeat. It's fast, like a drum." He slurs and you turn to Maria. 

"What effects can that stuff cause?" you clear your throat loudly to hide your rising discomfort as he begins to run his nose over your breast. 

"Sweating, hallucinations, enhanced senses and libido, possible memory loss-" 

“Enhanced what?” you interrupt as you give her an incredulous look.  

“Hm?” Maria feigns confusion as she tilts her head to the side. She takes a tentative step back as her eyes wander over you and Steve with a mischievous glint.

“Maria...”

“Some of the side effects can be alleviated.” she paused as she crossed her arms as a smile spread across her face. You raised your hand to gesture for her to keep talking. “With homeopathic remedies.”

Confusion danced on your features as you replayed her sentence. Your mind wasn’t working at full capacity at the moment and Steve’s actions weren’t making it any better. With a huff, you look down at the mess of blonde hair hovering just below your nose. 

“Throw me a bone cause I have no idea-”

“Oh he’ll definitely throw you one.”

"You smell like jasmine." Steve interjects and inhales deeply for emphasis. Your eyes go wide as he nuzzles deeper into your bosom. Maria barks a laugh before quickly covering her mouth as you both stare at the man. His hands have started to roam your back before trailing downwards to your butt. You protest and try to wiggle away from him but his tongue darts out and licks across your chest. Realization hits you suddenly and you gasp. Maria makes a ding ding sound and you shake your head.

“I can’t. We can’t. He’s my superior! This violates so much in the rule book.”

“What rule book?”

"Maria, get him off me. Or at least take my place!"

"No, please. You feel so good." He pleads as he begins to palm your ass. You shoot a look at Maria who is watching Steve with growing amusement. "So soft."

“Looks like your commanding officer has chosen. Well, I should get going.” she moves to get her phone that she left on the small coffee table. You attempt to wiggle away from Steve who has begun to knead your ass and moves closer to you effectively caging you between him and the arm of the sofa. Maria continues to move about the room, gathering her things and ignoring your pleading gaze. “I’ve been cleared to leave but you two need to let the gas run its course.” Maria winked as Steve began to kiss up your neck. His large hands move down to your thighs and much to your chagrin, your body begins to react. 

You groan as your head begins to spin. Scooting back, you try to place as much distance between you and Steve, the arm of the sofa digging into your back. “No one ever listens to me.” you pout as Steve moves into your space once again to lay on your body. “You know, you’re way heavier than you look.” You hear Maria laugh loudly before the click of the door signals her departure. 

“Steve?” you don’t know why you whisper his name when you two were the only ones left in the room. He hums as his face is buried in your neck, one of his long legs now on the floor. “If we’re gonna do this, there’s gotta be some rules, ok? Sit up.” 

Begrudgingly he sits up and off of you, one knee bent on the cushion by your foot. You sit back as far as you can, the arm of the sofa still preventing you from going any further. “Do not hurt me. You’re a human tank, don’t break me. If I get uncomfortable at any time, you stop. Or I’ll shoot you. I’m not joking.” you pause to allow your words to sink in and you receive a nod of acknowledgement.

“Ok. Ok, I understand.” his voice is stronger than it was earlier and you take a deep breath before standing. You remove your shirt and as you move to unfasten your pants, Steve jumps up to follow suit. Before you can get your pants and underwear down your hips, Steve is already naked and waiting. You motion for him to sit back down on the sofa and he does so without breaking eye contact with you. His hands reach for you as you clamber onto his lap, your thighs spread over his. A nervous breath pushes from your lips as his hands resume roaming your body. He learns forward to press gentle kisses to your neck and as you bare more of your neck for him, a deep moan rumbles from his chest that permeates through you. He moves you over him, his length pressing your inner thigh causing you to tense. Steve brings his attention back to your face, cupping your cheek.

“I won’t hurt you.” the deep, lustful tone taking you by surprise. You lean back a little overwhelmed but he follows you and presses his lips to yours. The kiss is not what you expect; it’s softer, more passionate than you would have guessed given the current situation but you allow it to happen. Bringing a hand to the nape of your neck, he pulls you closer to him and effectively deepens the kiss. Your arms drape his shoulders as you relax in his grip which he takes as your final acquiescence. He shifts under you, his arm coming around your waist to position you over his waiting length. Breaking the kiss, you follow his lead and shift your weight downwards to lower yourself, the tip of him now at your entrance patiently waiting. You continue to lower yourself and as you slowly descend you draw a sharp breath at the burning stretch. Not noticing before, you realize you’re embarrassingly wet but thankful because you needed all the lubrication you could get. 

“Don’t hold your breath. Relax.” his voice floats around your head and you release the breath you weren’t aware you were holding. His arm is still wrapped securely around you and he uses it to pull you forward, taking one of your nipples in his mouth. You moan as his free hand moves to your other breast and gives it a gentle squeeze. Mollified by his actions, you begin to relax your muscles and in doing so you take more of him. Before you know it, you’re grinding your hips into him, your thighs spread further over him. His mouth moves to your other nipple and his hand drops to your hip, pulling you towards him in time with your rhythm. You pick up speed as your body comes to life, set ablaze by the man under you. 

Light nibbles to your neck and chest urge you on and as you feel the telltale signs of your release, your moans increase in frequency and volume. Steve grunts under you, his arm around you serving as an anchor. He wants so badly to take over, to fuck you harder but in his hazy mind remembers he made a promise. He keeps reminding himself of that but when your walls begin to flutter around him, his resolve begins to dissipate. He moves you against him faster as he leans forward for leverage. A cry of his name is the only warning he gets before he feels you spasm above him, your arms wrap tight around him as your juices leak from your body. A symphony of incoherent words and moans fill the air as you feel your back press against the sofa. Seizing the moment, Steve has maneuvered you under him as the tremors from your orgasm begin to subside. He hovers over you as your breath begins to even out and his lips find yours in a kiss too sweet for the situation. You allow him once more to control the dynamic of the kiss before breaking away when you feel him begin to roll his hips into you. 

Your hand presses against his abdomen, the firm muscles contracting under your touch. You moan as you try to vocalize your thoughts; you need a minute to compose yourself because it feels like every nerve in your body is in overdrive. But basic language skills allude you as he removes your hand and kisses each knuckle. He grinds down again and unconsciously your legs part further, a silent invitation for him to continue. He hooks his hands under your legs and brings the back of your knees to rest on his forearm. You both gasp at the sensation the new position brings and Steve moans low in his throat. 

His pace is polar opposite of his kisses; hard, focused, driven. Steve pulls two orgasms from you before his stride is interrupted by stutter in his hips. Your toes curl at his sudden jerking motion before yet another orgasm overtakes your body and your vision whites out. You can't hear or see but feel a warmth engulf your body seemingly inside and out. 

The warm feeling begins to subside and is slowly replaced by a weight. It pins you in place and you struggle underneath it. Your eyes peel open to a mop of blonde hair right under your nose. Your mind is fuzzy but soon clears enough for you to hear the low hum of the AC unit and feel the cool air on your naked legs. You try to shuffle away from the weight and gain just enough distance to see Steve’s naked body laying on your equally naked form. 

"Steve?" You call to him but his responding snore is all you get. You groan and cover your face with the one hand you have free, the other trapped to your side by Steve and rapidly going numb. "That really happened? Yes. It did." 

"And you guys have been sleeping for like half a day." 

You scream and jump at the voice, your eyes quickly scanning the room to find its source to see Bruce standing next to Maria who was wearing a Cheshire grin. The action stirs Steve who yawns and attempts to snuggle closer to you. Bruce moves to sit on the arm of the sofa by your head, careful not to place his ass in your face. 

"How are you feeling? Any lingering effects? Nausea?" 

"Bruce, can we not right now?" 

Maria snickers, moving to squat next to the sofa "Why? A little preoccupied?" 

"I see Steve has some atypical dermatitis but it seems to be fading. Have you noticed a rash on yourself or-"

"Bruce I'm begging you. Not now." 

Maria snorts a laugh before shaking Steve’s shoulder. "Wake up, Cap. Time to go." 

Steve grumbles something to her and sluggishly sits up. You quickly try to cover yourself but your arm, still numb, won't cooperate. With his weight completely off of you, you pull your legs up and let out a deep sigh resigning yourself to be half covered. Bruce begins to question Steve but when he doesn't supply an answer, you bashfully chance a glance at him only to see him staring at you in pure bewilderment. 

"What happened?" Steve directs the question to no one in particular. Bruce, never missing a beat, begins to explain the effects of the gas and with every word out of Bruce's mouth, Steve’s blush deepens. The impending embarrassment lingers in the air and you shield your face in the crook of your arm. Maria picks up on the growing discomfort and clears her throat to get Bruce’s attention. 

“Let’s give them a minute to dress?” she poses it as a question but is already ushering Bruce out the door. He protests with medical terminology that goes over your head and in seconds the room is silent again. Neither of you make a move and at last you turn to look at Steve. 

“Well,” your voice is tiny and hoarse which embarrasses you even further. 

“Well.” he repeats. “This is awkward. Not you’re awkward, but cause we’re…I’m awkward. You’re gorgeous. Wait, what?” 

You laugh in spite of the situation and he groans loudly. You reach over and pat his arm in solidarity. He sighs deep before turning to you. “Is it too late to ask you on a date?”

You laugh again which prompts him to finally smile. “I mean I usually don’t sleep with people on the first date, or beforehand, but I’m willing to make an exception.”

Tagging: @marvelmaree @sapphirescrolls @golden-ariess @avintagekiss24 @plussizeappreciationfics @bluestarego @steveslulbaby @titty-teetee 

[makbarnes]

Number 11

A/N: a huge thank you to @awesomerextyphoon for beat-reading and for the idea. I really had zero idea what do to woth this and she heloed bunches. Thanks love 😘💘

You tightened your hair around the curler and winced as you accidentally touched the hot iron.

“Why is Tony even throwing this party? Steve would be much happier with a simple private dinner.” You groaned as you fluffed your hair and laid out your makeup over the counter.

“Now now, don’t worry. I have a feeling I want to use a coupon tonight.” Bucky leaned against the doorway with his tie loosely hanging around his neck.

“Better not be another toy for me to wear. I don't know if I can keep a straight face for the press.” You smiled as Bucky leaned down to your ear and kissed softly.

“Might be a gift for the birthday boy.” You grabbed his chin down towards you and teased his bottom lip with your tongue before pushing him back to finish getting ready. You winked as Bucky left the room and you finished getting ready. Bucky knocked on Steve’s door and brought him in for a hug in the hallway. “Ready for your present?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Come on. I have a plan.” Bucky led Steve down to the lab and smiled as he opened the undercover equipment. “Take this and put this one.”

“Roleplay?”

“Look at you catching on. My take on it. Remember when Nat tricked Pierce and disguised herself as one of the board members?”

“Her best trick yet, if I say so myself.”

“We are switching roles for the night. Put one of the masks on, I’m putting one on myself.”

“Buck, are you sure this is the best thing to be doing the night of a party?”

“Want your gift or not Birthday boy?” Bucky chuckled as he slipped the mesh over Steve’s face. Bucky clicked a button on the side of the mask and Steve’s face changed to match Bucky’s. “Now you’re handsome.”

“Shut Up Punk.”

“Now you shouldn’t call people names. Especially people who are letting you sleep with their wife, Jerk.” Bucky slipped one over his face and instantly turned into Steve. They shared a sly smile before walking upstairs to spot you already at the bar mixing drinks for everyone. You threw a wink across the room to the two men as you switched places with the hired bartender.

“Nothing against Tony, but he should really hire someone with a heavy hand. The Avengers like it strong.” You straightened up to peck a quick kiss onto ‘Bucky’s’ cheek and smiled as the two men led you in front of the press. Better to get the questions over with now then later when you couldn’t see straight. You adjusted your dress as you locked arms with both men and posed as the lights flashed. You smiled and hugged closer to ‘Bucky’ as you laid a hand on his chest. ‘Steve’s’ hand dropped lower to give a gentle squeeze to your ass that made you freeze in place.

“{Y/N}!? {Y/N}?! What do you have to say about Sharon’s allegations of you sleeping with both men out of time?!”

“Sharon is envious of what I clearly can get. I am neither confirming or denying the fact let’s just say they may be from the past but they BOTH still have moves.” You winked for the cameras and laughed as you looked up to ‘Bucky’.

“Steve!? Have you had your eye on the director position ever since Maria resigned?”

“No, I’d prefer to be out in the field doing the work that really matters.”

“But if you were offered?”

“Even if they begged and pleaded. I like being out there first hand and saving the people that really matter.”

“What about you James? Director?”

“Haha! I highly doubt they would put me in charge. HYDRA’s ex fist? Not a good look. If I had to nominate anyone it would be Stark or {Y/N}.” You rolled your eyes at your ‘husband’s’ comment and laced your fingers with his own.

“Last question for all of you. The mayor has been quoted as saying that the American Trio has been using stolen government weapons to aid them in their battles. Is this true? If so, what are your next steps?”

“If you want to be technical about it then yes, the government did make the serum that courses through our veins, they also made Steve’s shield and my own daggers. However, since we travel the world and do the job their military won’t, I think we will be keeping the ‘weapons’ and using them so they can keep their positions.” You chided back with no hesitation.

“The new mayor has always had an issue with all of us ever since he’s been elected. He is making false promises and I can say for sure that nobody on this team ever wanted him in office. I got this serum in 1950, after Erskine and Howard Stark’s energy chamber made me who I am today. What is he going to do to extract it from my blood?” ‘Steve’ chimed up behind you.

“HYDRA forcefully flooded it into my system as well as my wife’s, so technically the only serum that is stolen here is Steve’s and even the government back then pumped it into him. I am sure that the new mayor will respect the fact that we are saving this world and making it a better place. The Military isn’t going to do the things we do, they don’t care about the families and the small children growing up in this world. All they see is a threat to eliminate.” ‘Bucky’s’ hand tightened over your hand and you could feel his anger growing.

“What about the red letters in {Y/N}’s file that he released to the public this afternoon?”

“What…” Your face dropped in worry and the cameras took the opportunity to snap a few pictures. You looked between the men with worry and they moved in front of you to block you from the cameras. You rushed over to Tony and Pepper and they took you downstairs to figure something out.

“Looks like we caught her off guard huh?” The reporter smirked to herself as she held up her mic to the men. The two men shared a look before they each took a deep breath.

“I think that’s enough for tonight.” ‘Steve’ chimed in as ‘Bucky’ grabbed his shoulder assuringly. As they both walked downstairs ‘Steve’ stopped ‘Bucky’ and they agreed to take off the mesh until later. Bucky handed his to Steve and made his way down to the bottom level that you had disappeared to.

“Doll? Where are you?”

“Here. I can’t believe they would do that?! So what I have red in my ledger. EVERYONE DOES!”

“Hey, it’s not that bad. It’ll go away in a week. The new mayor just wants people on his side.” Bucky brought you in for a tight hug and kissed the top of your head.

“Tony’s kicking them out.”

“Good.” Bucky calmed you down as he rubbed your back and you focused yourself on his breathing. “So uhm, I had a plan for tonight.”

“With your coupon, I know.”

“Are you still okay with me using it?”

“If anything, use it now. I need to blow off some steam.” You easily moved to straddle Bucky and tilted his head up to connect your own lips with his. Your fingers played in his hair as his hand slid down to cup your ass. You smiled against him as you ran your tongue over his bottom lip and he let you take control. Slipping over every inch of his mouth you moaned as his free hand came up and held the side of your throat. You slid his hand up the bottom side of your dress and tried to lower yourself against his growing area. Bucky stopped you and winked as he pulled away.

“Mind if I stick to my plan?” You let out a heavy sigh as Bucky readjusted your dress. “Don’t worry Doll. You will have plenty of stress relief tonight.” He kissed behind your ear before you stood up and pulled him back upstairs with you. Bucky stopped just before walking around the corner and pulled you against him. “Whatever happens I love you. Don’t let the press get you down. Just enjoy the party and don’t forget to give the birthday boy a dance.” You hugged him tightly before making your way to the bar to grab another drink. Steve waved Bucky over and easily slipped the mesh mask back onto his face.

“I’m gonna warn you now, she is on a rampage tonight. You only get one round. Still gotta take care of my girl.” Bucky switched his face to Steve’s and carted himself off to the bar. You smiled as Natasha handed you a very strong Lemon Drop and gave you a quaint smile.

“It’s okay, Dear. When my files got leaked it was hard at first but at least it’s only a little red.” Natasha joked trying to cheer you up but you could only think about blowing off this worry with Bucky. ‘Steve’ came over to lay a hand on the small of your back and give you a soft kiss on your temple.

“Hey Steve, Can you not grab my ass in front of the press?”

“Can’t help it, D-Angel.”

“Mhm.” You gave him a smirk and winked over at ‘Bucky’ who was busy at the pool table with Thor and Sam. “How ‘bout that dance Birthday Boy?” ‘Steve’ took the drink from your hand and placed it next to his own that he was just drinking for the fun of it. A slow song from the ‘40’s, which was no doubt Steve’s choice, began playing as everyone found a partner. You noticed ‘Bucky’ had whisked Wanda to the floor and smiled as Vision quickly inserted himself between the two. You sent a pouty face over to ‘Bucky’ as ‘Steve’ turned you in a circle. ‘Bucky’ took a drink from his bottle as you danced. You smiled as ‘Steve’ told jokes and you felt this hand creeping downwards.

“It may be your birthday but you have to clear that with my husband.” You looked up at him in question as your hand went over his left sleeve. “Uhm, Steve? Why does it feel like you have Bucky’s arm?”

“Must be imagining it Angel.”

“Oh and I must have “imagined” you almost calling me Doll earlier too?” ‘Steve’ let out a sigh and moved you to the back corner of the dance floor. He reached up under his hairline and turned the mesh off and Bucky smiled at you wickedly. “I KNEW IT! What about downstairs? Please tell me I didn’t do that to Steve.” Bucky covered your mouth and glanced through the crowd to see himself leaning against the bar.

“No, that was me. It’s Steve’s present. Number 11. Roleplay. Please go along with it?”

“Lucky you are both hot.” You kissed him quickly and reset his dial as he turned back into Steve. You smiled as you led him over to ‘Bucky’ and switched their spots. “It’s my Husband’s turn.” Flashing a wink to ‘Steve’ you dragged ‘Bucky’ to the floor and began swaying with him. You angled his hand down to the curve of your ass and locked your fingers around his neck. ‘Bucky’ teased a kiss near your ear and you watched as ‘Steve’ locked his eyes onto the two of you.

“I think your best friend is jealous, Honey.”

“He is just impatient. Think we teased him too much.”

“Oh, that poor baby.” You tucked your face against his chest and instantly knew it was Steve. Your hand locked over his hips, You pulled his pelvis against your own. “Can we blow off some steam now?” ‘Bucky’ gulped heavily as you led him back over to grab a refill on your drink to take to your room. As you waited for the very slow bartender the two men pulled to the side and you couldn’t help but smile.

“She wants to go back to the room.” ‘Bucky’ looked nervous and watched ‘Steve’s’ eye for approval.

“Better enjoy it then. I’ll be right outside, Guarding.” ‘Steve’ laughed as you came behind ‘Bucky’.

“Ready baby?” You hooked arms with him and winked over to ‘Steve’. “Coming Stevie?”

“What?” ‘Steve’s’ eyes blew wide and you held back your laughter, having your own trick up your sleeve.

“It’s your birthday.” Smirking back to ‘Steve’ he quickly followed and let the men lead you to your room. You stretched your arms as you bended in front of ‘Steve’ and smiled as ‘Bucky’ shut the door.

“Okay, masks off.”

“What do you mean Doll?” ‘Bucky’ moved ‘Steve’ back and watched you reach for your zipper.

“Husband want to help me here?” You glanced back to see ‘Bucky’ approaching and you stopped him before he even got close. “I said my husband Stevie.”

“I am your husband.”

“No, you aren’t” You reached up under his hairline and pressed to turn off the mask. “Told you. I know my husband.”

“He told you didn’t he?”

“Maybe, still I would have figured it out myself. Don’t worry you can still use the coupon.” You reached into Steve’s pocket and took the coupon away from him. You picked up the small stack Bucky had left and tucked Number 16 in his pocket. You wrote a date on the back and kissed his cheek. “That’s your present, Gonna have to be put on hold however.”

“That’s no fair. Buck told me I could.”

“Well I want my husband tonight after that shit show with the press. I promise, I’ll rock your world later.” You opened the door and laughed as Steve walked out with a frown on his face. You smiled at Bucky and ripped the coupon in front of him. “Put the mask on.”

“What?”

“You heard me, put the mask back on, you want a roleplay? Let’s roleplay. See how well you can be Steve.” You walked over and began undoing his buttons on his shirt, You kissed his clavicle a few times before you reached up and clicked the mesh back to Steve and brought him down for a kiss.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Positive.” You sank down to your knees and ripped off his belt. You looked up at him as Steve and sucked in your bottom lip. “Want this Stevie? You wanna fuck my mouth?”

“Doll.”

“That’s not what Steve calls me.”

“Angel.” You smiled as you licked up his shaft and he groaned as you slipped him into your mouth. Bucky’s metal fingers balled up your hair as he quickly took control and pushed his full length in without warning. You switched your breathing and let him chase his needed finish from the night. You moaned around him and felt tears prick your eyes, You held yourself against his hips and felt your slick coating your thighs. “Buck’s right about this mouth. Shit.”

“Language Stevie.” You pulled yourself back a bit and smiled up at him as you wiped your lips.

“Fuck the language.” He pulled your back against his cock and you took in a deep breath as you swirled your tongue around his shaft and felt his grip tighten in your hair. He held himself deep into your mouth and quickly pulled out of your mouth. Picking you up easily he moved you onto the bed and hovered over you.

“Rough Stevie, I like it.”

“Yeah?” Bucky brought up his metal hand to cup your throat. “Is Buck this rough with you.”

“Even worse, Captain.” You smiled as he pulled your lips together and roughly pressed against your soaking core.

“Stevie, get you this hot baby? You like when the Captain uses you?” You stayed silent as you watched his eyes trace over your body.

“Come on baby, please? Fuck me Stevie, my husband’s gotta get some of me tonight.”

“Oh he will Angel, I promise.” ‘Steve’ winked at you, before he pressed wet kisses over your chest. You arched your back against him as you twirled your legs around his hips. You pulled him against you and tried to lace a hand down to him. He brought your hands back up and held them with his metal hand above your head. “Better behave Angel. Don’t make me tell your husband now?” Bucky smiled, as he easily ripped your underwear off and pushed his hand against you. Rutted your hips against his hand you let out a wanting whine for more.

“Want more baby?”

“Yes. Please.” You brought a hand out and reached up to rip off the mesh mask and threw it to the floor. “Enough play. Fuck me Daddy.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Bucky easily flipped you over and pushed your hips up as he pushed himself deep inside of you. You gasped into the pillow as your hands gripped the headboard above you. Your lip dug into your bottom lip as the sound of skin filled the room, Bucky reached up and pulled your lip out of your mouth and teased your tongue with them. Bucky warped his fingers around and pressed rough circles against your clit. Your walls teased him with a finish and he held your hips with force to keep you still.

“Oh! Yes! Shit, right there. Don’t stop baby. Please.” Bucky picked up his speed and angled your back up for him to hit your spot perfectly. Your fingers gripped the sheets while he plowed into you from behind and you felt a white heat growing up your spine. Bucky easily flipped you over, tucked his face against you.

“God , you’re so perfect Doll. I love you.”

“I love you too. Fuck I’m gonna cum.” Your nails dug into his back as white blinded your vision and you pressed a kiss against his neck. Bucky easily finished as your walls squeezed him and he relaxed next to you. “Coupon...well...spent.”

“I feel bad about Steve.”

“Don’t worry, I gave him our tape for the last one. It should hold him.” You and Bucky shared a laugh as he peppered kisses over your chest.

“Round 2?”

“Always.” You rolled over to straddle his hips with a smile.

SERIES MASTERLIST

[anjanettexcordonia]

Chapter 10: Ex-Mas

Book: The Royal Romance A/U

Catch Up Here The Spare Masterlist

Rating: Mature (18+); explicit language 

Pairings: Liam x MC

Word count:  1490 (+/-)

A/N: Excuse any grammtical errors. Here’s round 2. These two need a referee at this point. 

Disclaimer: Some characters/scenes belong to Pixelberry. Please excuse any grammatical errors. 

Tags: If you would like to be added or removed please let me know. 

PermaTags: @yourmajesty09 @gkittylove99 @kingliam2019

Series Tags: @mom2000aggie @indiacater @sfb123 @hopefulmoonobject @cordonianroyalty @texaskitten30

Cami sat on the flight back to Cordonia. She felt their fight was an overreaction. At least on her part. She didn’t mean the terrible things she said. Liam had never completely opened up to her about his relationship with Maria. None of that mattered now. She needed to see Liam. They needed to move past the obstacles they purposely placed on themselves. Drake had helped her see that Liam, things he had done were inexcusable, but he does love her. And she loves him. 

Maxwell greeted her at the airport, he and Drake had prepared her a room in Ramsford for her own comfort if necessary. She headed straight towards the capitol, to the palace. She needed to see Liam. She had avoided his calls for weeks unsure what to say. The closer she came to him, the more she had to say. She wanted to offer an explanation. She needed to tell him. 

Cami walked through the palace like she had been there forever. The guards and the service personnel looked at her with wide eyes. Cami noticed some of the guardsmen whispering into their ear pieces as she walked by them. As she made her way to the east wind of the palace, she overheard loud muffled voices coming from the top of the stairwell. Liam’s quarters. Cami froze in her tracks as she continued to try and make out the voices. “Parakaló” A feminine voice cried. “Lypámai, Maria. Bastien, get her out of here now.” Cami immediately recognized Liam’s voice. It wasn’t smooth and baritone as usual, it was high-pitched and full of regret. Cami continued to hide as Bastien brought the half dressed Princess down the stairwell. Maria instantly spotted Cami attempting to hide behind a large vase as Bastien dragged her by her arm down the stairwell. “This is your fault.” Maria pointed and screamed. Cami’s eyes were wide and immediately filled with tears. She knew Liam had been with her. 

Liam rushed to the top of the stairwell to see Cami standing there watching as Bastien dragged the Princess away. “Cami” Liam yelled. Cami looked up, her cheeks were already tear stained from the realization of what Liam had done. He was only in his grey sweatpants, no shirt, no shoes. His hair was a disheveled mess. Cami without a word turned and rushed down the stairs as fast her legs would carry her. Liam chased behind screaming her name. “Cami wait, let me explain.” She stopped and turned in the main foyer of the palace. “EXPLAIN WHAT LIAM? THIS WAS ALL A FUCKING MISTAKE.” Cami screamed in between hitched breaths. She felt she was having a panic attack. Her breathing became rapid, her vision blurred. Everything went black. 

Cami woke up to voices around her. “Love, wake up.” Liam kissed Cami’s knuckles. Cami immediately remembered what happened and recoiled her hand. “Don’t touch me.” She grumbled. “Get away from me Liam,” Cami eased herself up from the sofa of Liam’s quarters. “Excuse us Bastien.” “Sir.” Bastien nodded and walked out of the room. Bastien slipped his phone out of his pocket and dialed Drake. “Drake, she’s here. The Princess was still here when she got here.” “What the fuck was she still doing there?” Drake grumbled into his phone. “I knew she should have stayed at Ramsford. I’m on my way.” “She’s in His Majesty’s quarters now. She passed out.” “Fuck. This won’t end well.” 

“Camilla, it’s not what you think?” Liam spoke once Bastien had left them. “Isn’t that how all great lies start out Liam, it’s not what you think?” She air quoted. “Will you listen?” “What is there to even listen to? You obviously can’t stay away from her and why should you?” “Cami. Please.” “No, you’ve wasted enough of my time.” “Lypámai..Se agapó.” Liam whispered. “What does that even mean, I don’t speak fucking Greek Liam.” “It means I’m sorry and I love you.” Cami started laughing hysterically. It was either, laugh hysterically or cry uncontrollably. “You love me, that’s rich. Great explanation why you had someone else in your bed. Did you sleep with her?” “I did not sleep with her.” Cami felt the anger boiling inside her. “Liar.” She mumbled. Liam had enough. “Last I checked Camilla, you're the one that broke up with ME. You kicked ME out.” Cami whipped her head around to look Liam in his eyes. “The last words you spoke to me, was I was fucking crazy. You couldn’t wait to hop into bed with the woman that you claimed destroyed you.” Cami’s words cut Liam like a knife. His palms balled into fists and he dug crescent shaped slivers into his palms with his fingernails as Cami continued her tongue lashing. “Just couldn’t fucking wait could you? When we met in the Maldives this isn’t who I thought you were.” “YOU LEFT ME. YOU LEFT ME AGAIN. What the fuck did you expect to happen Camilla? YOU destroyed me. Not Maria. YOU.” Liam’s voice boomed as he pointed his finger at her. Both of them stood in front of the other. “She was nothing to me. YOU are everything. Why can’t you fucking see that?” “THIS once again. THIS IS WHAT IT TOOK FOR YOU TO SEE THAT?” Cami screamed and tears continued down her face staining her t-shirt. “You’re blaming me?” Liam’s eyes went wide, his voice boomed. “YOU DID THIS TO US. You just can’t Skáse and listen can you?” Cami sat down with her head in her hands. “We were doomed from the beginning. And for some reason, I am the only one getting hurt.” She mumbled through her hands. Liam knelt to his knees and took Cami’s hands in his. “I’m so sorry. I love you so much. I missed you.” “Liam, you miss me more than you love me.” “One more chance, please Cami please.” “You couldn’t give me anything, but now you want everything from me?” Cami looked Liam in his deep eyes. “Cami I will give you everything. You already have everything of me.” “No I never did. It was all pretty words and kisses. Nothing was ever real. I am going home.” “No, please Cami.” Liam could feel the sting of tears in his eyes. “You have no idea.” Cami mumbled, making her way towards the door. “Enlighten me then.” He whispered through his tears. “We were over long before we ever started.” Cami twisted the door knob. “Cami, I’m not chasing you this time. If you leave I will never step foot in America again.” Liam snapped as she opened the door. He made one last ditch effort to change her mind. “I never wanted you to chase me from the start. You can have your precious kingdom and your precious fucking Princess Liam. I don’t fucking want any of it and that includes you. Your majesty.” Cami seethed as she made eye contact with Drake and Bastien. Cami walked out and headed back to the foyer. Liam let out an inhumane guttural scream, he picked up a large crystal vase full of flowers and threw it full force at the wall. He was still standing in his quarters. His knees buckled beneath him and tears and sobs overtook him. Drake ran in to comfort his best friend and try to make sense of it.

Drake instructed Bastien to take Cami to Ramsford while he would deal with Liam. He texted Maxwell to make sure she doesn’t leave. There was something pressing he needed to know if she had told Liam. Drake sat on the floor holding his friends as his sobs slowly stopped. Drake thought Liam and Maria’s break up was bad, he didn’t see this coming. Drake pulled Liam to the sofa and poured him a large tumbler of scotch. “What happened Li?” “Maria, Drake. Cam wouldn’t listen. It’s over. I think it’s really over this time.” “What did she tell you?” “That it was over. What else?” “Li.. I shouldn’t tell you this.. Hell I shouldn’t even know this… but when I called Cami to talk to her.. She answered in tears. She thought it was you calling but the more we talked the more she broke down. She loves you Liam. And.. she’s pregnant.” Liam looked up at Drake, his eyes bloodshot. “What did you say?” Liam was stunned by Drake’s information. “She never told me what she was doing here… we never got the chance. She was already here when Bastien got Maria out. Fuck, Drake what have I done?” “Take me to her. Where is she?” Liam questioned. He needed to get to her. He couldn’t let her walk out of his life. “She’s at Ramsford. Merry Fucking Christmas Man.” Drake looked down at his phone that vibrated in his hand. Maxwell: She’s gone Drake. She booked a flight before she got here. She packed her stuff and Bas took her to the airport. 

[write-a-bad-romance]

Theocona Hurt/Comfort Request

Thank you for the request @delicateikemenmemes​! And thank you for notifying me about the link. It’s working now!

Disclaimer: This fic deals with Covid-19 and health workers fighting against the pandemic. I mean no harm towards real-life health workers, their families, and everybody whose lives are directly affected by Covid-19. I pray that all of us stay safe and healthy, wherever we are.

"Why not look this way, darling? I know you've been dying to see me for a week~"

"Hell no," Theo directed his eyes to the steaming mug of coffee by the desk lamp. The truth was, he'd rather die than being caught blushing at the sight of his not-boyfriend after what seemed like forever. "As if I'd been looking forward to your perverted face."

"Wah, so mean." Arthur pouted, his movements looking sluggish due to poor connection. Behind him stood rows of drab navy blue lockers and what seemed like a long-unused water dispenser. "And after all the trouble I went through to get to you."

Theo understood what he meant. He imagined the hospital staff, young and old, taking turns to use the dim, cramped room to video call home. He was lucky Arthur still managed to call him from his apartment once in a while.

 Their calls often leave no room for....friskier activities. Arthur moaned about not being able to show how much he'd been missing "Little Theo" and other obscenities the Dutchman pretended not to hear.

 Because, really, this was enough.

"So I was saying," Arthur continued, completely ignoring Theo's perpetual frown. "This bloke came in with a snakebite from a cobra. So, naturally, the boy ran around trying to administer antivenom to this poor sap."

"Listen to yourself, sounding like the epitome of an empath," Theo commented dryly.

 "Oh, the story didn't end there." Arthur waved, his hand a static blur on screen. "The lass who nursed him told me the guy had apparently gotten drunk and tried macking on his pet cobra."

 Theo involuntarily snorted a laugh despite himself. It felt good, he had to admit.

 "Aw, look, you're laughing!" The criminally handsome doctor smiled. "You look positively lush when you're laughing."

 "Shut up." Theo snapped immediately. “That’s not funny.”

Arthur's laughter rang free, a welcome sound in the desolate locker room.

"Remember the old gentleman who came to the ER saying he desperately needed a sick leave letter because he wanted to go on a holiday in Santorini?”

 "Yeah, the sod who dumped his entire life story on you, what about it?" Theo could not help but notice the distinctive dip in Arthur's tone.

"Well, he suddenly messaged me saying he quit smoking after considering my advice," Arthur flashed a reassuring grin. "That's great! His mum is high-risk after-all."

 "Uh-huh." Theo nodded, taking a swig of his coffee, hoping to calm his nerves.

"Today, you see..." Arthur trailed off, his voice trembling. "Today, there was this sweet old lady."

Don't go there, Theo warned inside his head. They would always come to this point in each of their conversations lately, without fail.

But he'd rather be there and piece Arthur together again after he collapsed.

"I think I've told you that we'd let the patient record messages before they get strapped to a ventilator, yeah? And she, um." The usually vibrant young man stuttered to find the words. "We had to retake it several times because she kept forgetting what she wanted to say. I mean, we couldn't blame her and— and then she finally said she wanted to talk to her granddaughter one last time."

Stop. Theo wanted to scream before Arthur could finish his story. Don't—

Arthur took a long, deep breath before resuming. "My mate sent it to her daughter since they're living across the country. We dinna' replay it."

No matter how Arthur changed the way he described his ordeal at the hospital every time, everything sounded the same to Theo. 

It's hard. We know it's supposed to be hard. And it still pains me every single time.

"Dr. Newcomb... Old Simon, you remember. For once, he didn't yell at us when he saw us slumping down in the hallway gutted and all." Arthur babbled, trying to erase the apparent dejection in his voice. "But hey, there's no better way to teach us 'rookies' to 'toughen up' for the job. We signed for this. We've made our bed, and now we gotta lie in it."

Theo could hardly take it any longer.

"Sometimes, Theo, I...."

"Enough," Theo shut him down. "To hell with that old fart and everybody else who keeps telling you how to do your job." he snarled.

"Woah, I didn't mean—"

"Listen up here, Arthur." He knew that wasn't the point, but Theo couldn't care less. "I can't bullshit my way and tell you everything is fine. I can't fathom one bit how all of you manage out there. You hanging on despite all that hell outside, that's just—"

"Theo," Arthur tried to soothe the Dutchman.

"No, Arthur." Theo was, in fact, at a loss for words. He knew he was rambling at the top of his boiling head. What he wouldn't do to save Arthur from the brink, and this was what he resorted to. "I know I can't tell you to suck it up and go on like a robot, but for fuck's sake."

For your sake,

"But for fuck's sake, be a little more caring to yourself." Theo managed to scale his tone down a notch. "The last thing I want is seeing you broken."

"Theo—"

"When you pull through," It's an if, not a when. "We will meet again when you win."

"Theo?" Arthur called, his glasses reflecting the light of his screen. Theo was glad he didn't have to see the tears he knew were budding in the corner of the man's eyes.

"When this is all over," he sighed. "I promise I'll come see you."

This time, it did the trick. Arthur seemed to calm down, easing back into his chair. Theo wanted to believe Arthur’s mouth was crooking into a smile.

"That's awfully sweet of you." He finally spoke. "Thank you, Theo."

Theo couldn't help but smile back, even if only for a bit. "Graag gedaan."

But the moment was cut short when Arthur suddenly looked towards the direction of the door. "Ah, bollocks. My shift is starting. See you again, old boy?"

Theo put on his signature deadpan face. His fit had drained more energy than he thought. "Sure."

"Don't you dare mess with some other bird while I'm away!" Arthur waved. "Ciao!"

"I should be the one telling you that, klootzak," He bit back weakly. "Welterusten."

Theo took off his headphones and threw them on top of his Macbook. In the privacy of his room, the man planted his face onto his dry palms.

He wanted to curse at his own clumsiness. Out of desperation, he yelled at the man who deserved his harsh words the least. At least, not this moment.

His old self back then had been too engrossed in denial and childish comebacks to let the frivolous doctor into his heart. Theo regretted it. Regretted it all now that there was a genuine possibility of not seeing him again. 

And possibly for good.

Theo wasn't a religious man, but he prayed for his brother often, prayed for others but himself. Never himself. But as he pictured Arthur walking out in full gear made him think if he wasn't a little too selfish this time.

So, he prayed. He prayed despite the selfish masses out there who refused to listen. He prayed in the face of a wall too high to climb, amidst the rising numbers, against what seemed to be an inevitable downfall. 

He prayed for a tomorrow where he'd still find him there.

Stay safe because I want to be alive at the same time as you.

Notes:

*1 The cobra incident is a real-life story from Asha’s (ashavazesa) friend who’s a co-assistant doctor. I wrote it into my fic with permission.

*2 The part with the recording is also taken from real life. I referenced it from this article from The Harvard Gazette website, which I highly recommend reading. It’s very eye-opening and heartwrenching.

*3 The final line is taken from lovelysuggestions with very slight changes . Big thanks to Emma & Maria for the quote.

Personal Comments:

Theocona, eh??? Well this was quite the challenge since I expected writing mainly from Theo’s perspective because I thought I wouldn’t be able tonail Arthur’s character properly. Thankfully, I got some help from @ashavazesa​ so everything went smoother than I expected.

But to be honest, this fic was... very hard to write. Yeah, I wrote the entire thing out of my own free will but even then I needed to take breaks every now and then to ground myself.

A little bit of background: I have a dear friend who currently has to work mobile from town to town. She’s not a health worker, but the fact that she’s out there meeting so many different people makes me anxious. There’s not a day I don’t think about her. In fact, most people here have no choice but to work outside.

I can ramble all day long about the depressing state my country is in right now, but I think I’d rather spend my energy on something else.

Sorry for the sudden rant. Thank you so much for reading until the end. 

[michaels-blackhat]

bro-back mountain.

So, it’s still my birthday and I’m still being self-indulgent, so here have another remix. This time it’s @insidious-intent‘s frat boy!michael ‘verse.

-

“Bro. Dude. Seriously, I’m begging you man.”

Alex wasn’t sure why the SigEp boys didn’t seem to know his name. They always called him ‘bro’ and ‘dude’. Maybe, if Jacobson ever called him ‘Alex’ he’d be more inclined to listen to him. As it was, he was grumpy and waiting in line for his coffee at the stand in the engineering building an hour and a half before his first class and definitely not in the mood to be bro’d by anyone.

“Maybe if you actually used my name I would consider listening to you,” he replied as he took his very large iced coffee from the student worker.

“Alex,” Jacobson said, reaching from his caramel blended monstrocity. Alex glared at the glorified milkshake. “Alex you know how he gets when he doesn’t see you for a few days.”

“Yes. I know.” Alex took a sip of his iced coffee. “It’s the only reason I’m on the wrong side of campus at 8 a.m. instead of still in bed.”

Michael had given him a manic smile when he spotted him outside the building. Alex could still feel the sharp press of the brick in his back where Michael had pressed him against the building and kissed him, sloppy and uncoordinated, but enthusiastic.

“I’m not too sure he’s slept? Like at all. And he keeps stress baking, like all the time.”

“That’s not new. He has his interview for that internship after class today, of course he’s stress baking.”

“There’s been like, twenty cakes and I’m pretty sure he hasn’t actually made an edible one yet.”

Alex paused, straw still in his mouth. He knew he was blocking the doorway, but he didn’t particularly care.

“Everything he makes is good.”

“He forgot the flour bro. Twice.”

“Fuck,” Alex swore as he lead the way out of the building toward the green.

“It’s getting so bad that I think Max has only consumed red bull in the last week and Michael just asked if he tried mixing it with espresso.” Both Jacobson and Alex scrunched their noses up at that. “Yes. It was disgusting. And he snapped at the pledges. He made them cry. Pretty sure he was about to throw a punch too, but that was at Valenti, so who knows if that was related. Whatever. Please dude. You’re our only hope.”

Alex sipped his iced coffee again. “I’m your only hope to what? Take my boyfriend to a cabin so that he doesn’t continue to destroy your already disgusting house?”

Jacobson took a loud slurp of his coffee milkshake thing and nodded. “Just a weekend alone with his boyfriend, doing things he loves. You know, snowboarding and fucking you.”

Alex glared at that. It was true, but he didn’t have to say it.

“You know that he’s not the only one who’s busy, right? Yeah, he’s stressed, but I haven’t been around because I have performances. Fuck, I have an exam Tuesday and a new program due on Wednesday. I can’t just spend the weekend away because my boyfriend is grumpy, sleep-deprived, and barely able to feed himself, let alone the rest of you.”

“You can bring your shit! Come on man! You’ll have privacy! The only one’s there will be the two of you. You get out of your dorm and you don’t have to come to the house.” Alex stopped again. Jacobson knew he was winning. “You’ll have your own bathroom for a weekend Alex. The only person you have to share with is Michael.”

Alex stared at Jacobson. Jacobson smiled.

-

“I swear to fucking god Guerin, if I find one piece of hair left in the drain trap you are kicked out of the cabin. I don’t care if you have to sleep in your truck all weekend,” Alex said as Michael pulled the truck in front of the cabin. It was exactly what Alex imagined when Jacobson said ‘dude, Erik has a cabin you can use’. There was a covered porch, one story, a chimney, and presumably a clean bathroom with a door that actually locked.

“Are you seriously more excited to not have a communal bathroom than you are to spend a weekend with me alone?” Michael put the truck into park and cut the engine. “Like, I know the dorms are bad, but it really seems like you’re more into the shower than me right now.”

Alex gave him a look before he got out of the car and walked around to the driver’s side. He opened up the door and blocked Michael’s exit. He leaned in and gave him a kiss, tongue pressing into Michael’s lips and quickly back, a quick tease. He pulled back with a smirk.

“Can’t I be excited about both?” He moved in for another kiss, this one long and languid. He could feel the moment that Michael thought ‘screw it’ and moved to wrap his arms around Alex to just pull him back into the cab to makeout in the front seat, but Alex pulled back before he could. “Might be a little more excited for the bathroom.”

Alex laughed at Michael’s outraged cry and ran towards the porch. He barely got the key in the door when Michael’s arms wrapped around him and he was hauled over Michael’s shoulder. Michael carried him into the cabin and placed him flat on his back on the couch. Michael climbed on top of him with a smile.

“You sure I can’t make you more excited?” Michael’s right arm supported him above Alex, while his left hand wandered from Alex’s neck to his chest. He rubbed at Alex’s chest as he brought his face closer to Alex’s, as he rubbed their noses together and angled his head so that his lips just brushed Alex’s. His lips brushed Alex’s as he said, “I think I can convince you.”

Alex barely let him get the sentence out before he moved his head to kiss Michael properly. His hands that were laying uselessly at his side moved towards Michael’s ass, gripping tight as Michael nipped at his bottom lip. Michael groaned into Alex’s mouth.

They didn’t leave the couch for a while.

-

They’re on the mountain for maybe an hour when it happens.

“Come on bro, let’s try another slope.”

Michael didn’t realize what he said, not at first. He was too busy checking the map for a new trail. Alex had frozen the moment ‘bro’ had left Michael’s mouth. It took a moment, but Michael’s words caught up to him.

“Fuck.”

“What did you just call me Guerin?”

“Alex, babe, I’m so sorry it just slipped out!”

“Your hand is on my ass and we were just making out, yet somehow the ‘bro’ just slipped out? You do that with all your bros?”

Michael hand, which had moved from Alex’s ass to a more appropriate for public location around his waist, tightened where it gripped on his side.

“Oh my god,” Alex gasped, fully aware of the stereotype he was portraying but completely uncaring. This was too big to care about his image as a stoic, emo bitch. “Who?”

“I mean, not since we started dating, so it’s been a long time and--”

“Who, Michael? I need to know!” Michael refused to turn his head to look at Alex. “Come on, tell me. I’m your boyfriend, you can tell me anything.”

“If I tell you, you’ll just go text Maria and Isobel, and I don’t want them to know.”

“I promise, I won’t! Who could it be that you don’t want Isobel to- Wait? Was it MAx?”

“Oh gross no. He’s basically my brother.” Alex opened his mouth but Michael beat him to his comment. “Basically my real brother, not like in the frat scene.”

“Ugh,” Alex groaned and leaned his head on Michael’s shoulder. He looked up at him through his lashes and asked again. “Tell me, please? It wasn’t Valenti was it?” Michael finally looked at him at that, disgust clear on his face. “Hey, I just needed to be sure, don’t look at me like that.”

“Fine. It was Jacobson.”

Alex pulled his head back so that Michael could see his disbelieving stare.

“Jacobson? You mean the man who begged me to take you away for the weekend so that you could quote “do your favorite things”, one of which is me?”

“Well, yeah,” Michael said, tone saying that it was obvious. “How do you think he knows you’re one of my favorite things?”

“Pretty sure he was just making a lewd sex joke and he wasn’t serious.”

“Oh, he was totally making a sex joke. It’s also true. After that first party you went to I basically stopped messing around with anyone else.”

“But we didn’t start dating until weeks later?” Alex asked, voice soft in the mountain air.

“I know,” Michael said, voice just as soft and he used the arm around Alex to pull him in closer. “But I already knew I liked you, had since that class we shared, and I thought that maybe, you giving me even one chance, could mean something good for us in the future. Wasn’t going to mess that up for some hook up.”

He finished his sentence by rubbing his nose against Alex’s. Alex gave him a quick peck on the nose, his lips almost burning hot compared to the cold skin of Michael’s nose.

“I think you just made up for accidentally calling me bro,” Alex said with a smile. He kissed Michael’s cold cheek. “You’re cold,” he continued with a smirk, “why don’t we go back to the cabin and warm ourselves up?”

-

“We should probably wash the sheet,” Michael said from the mess they had made of the bed.

“There’s a lot we should probably clean,” Alex said from the bathroom. “I really don’t know how you managed it, but there’s definitely dried cum on the tile in here.”

“Think they have a cleaning person who will take care of this?”

Alex popped his head out of the bathroom. “I know I make fun of your cleanliness levels constantly, but you are aware of how gross it is to make other people clean your body fluids, right? Like, we are more than capable of wiping down a few walls and doing laundry.”

Michael poked his head out of the blankets. “We do clean the house, you know that right? I know you’ve been there when we’ve cleaned it.”

“I don’t think picking up after a house party really counts.”

“Fine. We’ll clean.” He groaned as he rolled out of the bed. His feet didn’t quite make it under him and he fell to the floor. “Hey,” he said as he popped up from where he fell. “I thought you wanted to study a bit before we left. Are you going to have time to do both?”

“Of course,” Alex smiled as he made his way to the bed. He gave Michael a quick kiss before he started pulling the sheets off and rolling them up. “I’ll start the laundry and study while you clean the bathroom.”

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it.”

“Love you babe,” Alex called as he walked out the bedroom door. “There’s bleach spray and a cleaning rag in the bathroom.”

-

It was Monday morning and Alex was once again waiting in line at the coffee cart in the engineering building. Michael was a sleepy presence at his back, face smashed into Alex’s neck and his arms wrapped around him Alex. He was doing a convincing job of imitating an octopus, or really anything overly clingy.

“Michael let go, our coffee’s ready.” Alex moved towards the worker who had his iced coffee and Michael’s mocha.

“No,” Michael mumbled into Alex’s neck. “Don’t want to let you go.”

“You’ll see me in four hours once my exam is over.”

“No.”

“Michael, seriously I just spent all weekend with you, we’ll survive a few hours.”

“But that still doesn’t make up for the week before,” he grumbled, but he did loosen his arms so that Alex could untangle himself to get their coffees.

“We were busy last week,” Alex admitted when he came back with his iced coffee. He handed Michael his mocha. “And the only thing we have this week is that project I have due for my programming class. It won’t be like the last few weeks.”

“I really liked this last weekend,” Michael admitted.

Alex smiled. “I liked it too.”

“We could do it more often.”

“I don’t think Erik would be cool if we stole his parent’s cabin every weekend,” Alex said with a laugh.

“I kind meant more like, I liked waking up with you every morning, cooking you breakfast, falling asleep with you.”

“I liked that too.”

“What if we did it every day.”

“Michael, are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Yes, but before you say anything I don’t mean at the house. I meant more like, what if we got our own apartment? Then we’d never go days without seeing each other, because even if we’re busy we’ll always be going home to each other. And you’d be able to play your music whenever because it’ll only be me and you know how much I love it, and I’d get to-”

“Ok,” Alex cut him off before he could work himself up more. “Ok. Let’s start looking for places for next semester.”

“Really?” Michael’s smile was huge.

“Really.” Alex kissed his cheek. “Now go, you only have three minutes until class.”

“Oh Shit!” He gave Alex one last kiss. “Bye,” he said into the kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Five minutes later Alex got a message with an apartment listing.

Pay attention to class he typed back to Michael. He smiled and made his way towards his dorm. He still had another hour before his exam.

[thekenwayfam]

Haytham paced the room as he heard another scream of pain from the other room. He ran to the door but groaned as he realised he wouldn't get to his lover anyway as he would be stopped. He continued to pace back and forth as the screams continued.

Edward shook his head from where he sat. "It will be worth it." He said as he continued to read the book. "More gain than Pain." He added.

Haytham looked at his father with a cold stare, ready to bite his fathers head off unsure why his father even decided to come here with him. "Don't give me that look. You know I'm right." Edward said unbothered by his son as he turned the page again.

Another cry joined in this one louder and higher than the one before. Haytham ran to the door and waited for a few minutes frantically looking inside and rushing past the nurse left letting him inside the white room.

He paused as the air left his lungs and he stared at the bed and the people inside it with a deep loving passion. He slowly walked forward his legs feeling like jelly and for the first time in his life brain empty of thought apart from the feeling of Love.

Shay smiled weakly his long black hair down and wet with the hours of effort and his skin paler than it was supposed to be. "Hey, babe... Meet Connor." He said closing his eyes for a few seconds. "No more." He said fondly. "We both know that's a lie." Shay added after a second.

Haytham slowly sat down beside Shay and kissed his lips slowly before bending down and looking at the small babe laying on his Papa's chest eating. "He is so small..." Haytham said after a small pause. "He is..." Shay confirmed. "Here..." He said as he passed him to Haytham. "Careful with the head."

Haytham looked down. His son was so small his eyes opened wide as he saw this unfamiliar man that smelled nothing like the person who gave birth to him. But the voice sounded familiar. He gave a small whimper and it was all it took for Haytham to panic. "I can't do this... I'm not going to be a good father. I never had a good father I don't know what they do." He said tears in his eyes.

His husband smiled fondly. "And I don't know what I'm doing either. But we will figure it out. Together... Like always."

(Should I expand my headcanons and quotes into different characters in this universe or should I just stick to the kenway Fam? I have a few ideas for the Auditore family that I could do. Maria is Haytham's cousin in this Au linking the families together x)

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

True Faith (Part 1.) (Favored Ones, Part 17.)

Series description: Many things were surely fucked up in the year 2038, but no-one ever told anyone how all of it went down. What happened before a group of people left for Seattle to handle personal matters? Why did one girl refuse to leave all of it be? And why there were so many dead in the end?

Quote for the chapter: “I feel so extraordinary... Something's got a hold on me.” - Lotte Kestner

Part summary: Many could feel that something’s in the air when Ellie started to drift away from the reality. And the only thing that could save her and put stop to all of these thoughts was you.

A/N: Okay, okay. I know I am going against the cannon game now, because Seatlle happened at the end of March of 2038, but trust me, this slower pace will pay off in the end. And boy, does it feel good to jump back to TLOU fandom.

Warnings: Gore, angst, description of hatred and other mental states.

Word count: 3.2 K

Tagging:   @nemodoren @xxgoldenhour @missdictatorme​​ @peakymarvels​​ @davnwillcome​ @pickleriiick​ @jodiereedus22​ @gladiosamicitias​ @tamkashi​ @eternallyvenus​ @avengerssstuff​ @fangirl-inthe-us​ @avery-miller​ @mikah-writes​ @mad-hatter-98​ @sadiaafrin99​ @flavorishy

Series master list: H E R E

Joel Miller’s playlist for the bonfire occasions: H E R E

Youtube playlists: JACKSON DAYS | SEATTLE DAYS

"I've seen what happened down there, sugar." - A voice resonated through the darkness, suddenly. It seemed as if you were somewhere deep underwater. There were this cracking sounds inside of your head, making your ears ache, yet the burden you were feeling in your heart was way worse than that. But the voice was sharp, almost deafening. And sadly, you wouldn't change the voice with anyone else's. It felt nice, but horrifying at the same time to hear her. - "How are you holdin' up, hm? You're still sure you'll outrun me in a race?"

Slowly, you took a breath in, looking around you as you stood there. It was the fucking pottery shop you've been in, the one you've visited her in a thousand times. The one you remembered by your heart. And your heart was sinking low when you saw her... Just sitting there. As if she never actually left you in Jackson alone. She was looking at the machine in front of her, making a mug out of scratch. Just like the last time you've had a proper conversation with the lady. Well... You've spoken at the hospital, but... The pottery shop reminded you of Eve the most.

"Given how your leg looks like, I suppose you ain't be runnin' for quite a long time, honey." - The woman smiled at one of her creations, slowly taking it to her palm as she started to draw another of her flowers on it.

"You're dead, you know that, right?" - You answered in a joking manner. Jesus, they must've given you some darn good drugs for you to reach such a state. No matter if it were the soldiers or Bobby, they did hella good job. - "I've been talking to your tombstone for the last few months." - At that, Eve gave you a nasty grin, tapping the side of her head with her index finger.

"As long as you're aware of it, I know it. You're not so dumb that you'd make out this is real, huh?" - The woman asked you with a light chuckle at the end, leaning her back into the chair. Sure, it was obvious that you're talking to yourself. But your brain didn't want to syke you out, even more, to present you sitting... Somewhere. It could be also Joel or Ellie whom your brain would choose to project... But it was her. - "I thought that. But really, Miller? You, sugar, are surprisin' me even when I'm dead, I tell you that."

"You've caught a few words from Tommy and Joel here and there, but you never spoke like a Texas-born woman." - You answered instead of straight answering the lady. At that, she chuckled, shook her head, and looked at you. She seemed... Different. As if she got younger. She had fewer wrinkles and her eyes were full of life.

"I'm just what you've made of me, you know? This is how you remember me now. So thanks for agein' me down a bit. Also, the accent suits me, huh?" - The woman said. Technically yeah, you said to yourself, but that wasn't the subject of the conversation at the moment. - "That's what you wanted, hm? And I can understand that. Have my wrinkly face on your mind all the time... It would sadden me too." - She joked around, making you sadden at the statement. That was exactly what you wanted to happen. And until that point, it was working. But now, you wanted to remember Eve just the way she was, with all her wrinkles, grins and jokes.  

"Do you realize... That if you wouldn't go on the patrol with Tommy... Then maybe, the man you've fallen in love with would be dead? Most likely?" - Eve leaned her head to her shoulder, sending you a concerned look.

"What good does it bring when I'm most likely dead?" - You asked back immediately. The imagination inside your head chuckled, looking away for a moment. - "If you'd be dead, sugar, we wouldn't be havin' this conversation at all. Dyin', yeah, sure, maybe, but dead? Hell no." - The woman dismissed with a dry chuckle, getting up on her legs to pour herself a glass of water.

"What now?" - Eve asked you, looking out of the window into the void around the pottery shop. For a moment, you were looking at her back, and because she knew you don't know what to say, she started to talk again. - "I mean... These people are there somewhere. Abby and Owen ran away just when your friends showed up. Doesn't that make you worried, honey?" - Her voice was resonating through your ears, there were still these cracking sounds inside your ears. What you've been trying to tell to yourself? Did it make any sense?

"What is your point?" - You asked after a moment of thinking, having the old woman turning to you. Suddenly, her face started to re-shift into someone else as the surroundings changed with it, making you dizzy in the process. Of course, it was Joel's house, and you had to close your eyes instead of looking at the man, falling on the ground right after as you threw up. You were panicking, Abby's face was flashing in front of your eyes accompanied by the manic expression in her face. The whole thing was about Joel, right? So this was what your brain immediately clicks to when you'll see him? Abby and her knife? Jesus Christ, it was a lot take in.

But as soon as the man touched your shoulder, it was like flipping the card around - finding yourself in his embrace as you both were falling asleep just hours before the patrol. But the touch wasn't making you feel good at all. To be honest, your eyes were slowly slipping towards the window as you searched for something in the darkness. It took you a long time to figure out where she was standing, but when you did... She was still standing there, looking into the window. And you were watching her back.

Hell, you couldn't make out what the fuck was that all about, but you've been trapped in a loop, circling between Joel and Abby. And you couldn't tell how long is that going to take. And neither could they.

Meanwhile, in Jackson:

The weather got drastically better after everything went down. At least the blizzards had stopped and the sun was slowly melting the snow everywhere. The Jackson was just going forward, not stopping because of what happened. Why should the whole city stop because of two people? Sure, people were saddened by what happened to you, but it wasn't their business in the slightest. Some animals needed to be taken care of, clothes to be repaired and pottery to be made. Tommy was a prominent figure in the hierarchy of Jackson, but the whole responsibility was put directly on Maria's shoulders.

There was one person whose world had stopped completely. All they did was that they sit at their home all the time, trying to think of a single reason why the fuck would someone do such terrible things to other human beings without having the reason to? Something like a regular sleep schedule? They didn't know what was that? The image of Tommy laying in blood on the ground was still carved inside their brain as they woke up every night with nightmares.

If there was something that needed to be said about Tommy, he was alive. Alive, yet not awaken. There was many possible outcomes for Tommy - he could wake up and have a memory loss. He could wake up and be crippled, whether physically or mentally. Tommy may never have the chance to talk like normal people. And... Bobby was sure that his condition is stable for now, but really, there was also a possibility they overlooked even the smallest crack in his skull. As soon as Joel brought the boy, Bobby started to check his skull, stopping the bleeding - when that was done, she sewed and took care of the wound, moving on to his broken knee and left forearm. And there was the possibility that he has a concussion, internal bleeding, and many other things. The people did a number on him.

And as for Y/N... Holy fuck. Bobby had never seen such screwed up ligaments above the knee. They also needed to tear a few nails off your fingers because the nails completely tore if off from the nail beds. It was pretty disgusting, sure, but Bobby was trying to keep you alive. While no-one was sure if Tommy has internal bleeding, Bobby almost cried with happiness when she was sure you didn't have it - as soon as your nose was put back in place, and it wasn't as swollen as when Dina brought you in, your breathing got into the normal state. Also, your pulse was checking up perfectly, so apart from the reality that your upper thigh muscles were ripped apart.

Sure, most likely, you'll be able to walk normally once again... After some time. But it was obvious that you'll be climbing for a few months at least. But most likely, you were about to be okay.

This was making the person at least a bit calm. But Ellie couldn't help herself - she wasn't falling asleep at night, all she could do was to think about the persons. Who were they? Where did they come from? Sure, she went back to the cabin to look through it, but not even the dead man Dina had shoot had nothing on his. These people were ready to leave at any given time. These weren't some stupid hunters, cannibals, or anyone like that. These people knew what they were doing. But... What did they search for? Why did they need to fuck you up when you were innocent? How did you and Tommy even get into the fucking cabin in the first place? Did they drag you in?

Ellie sat in the cabin for quite some time, on the couch, watching the stain of Tommy's blood, remembering every second of finding her uncle laying there, barely breathing and unconscious. The golf club was thrown on the ground and the window was opened up as someone ran away from the room. Now, it was too late to look for them, which was making Ellie more desperate to find them. The snow was now far gone, they didn't leave anything behind - inside or outside the house.

It didn't matter how much Dina was trying to make Ellie smile again - Ellie was still wearing the same expression, barely talking, looking into the ground as the incident wasn't leaving her head. She was only waiting for you or Tommy to wake up - and as soon as she'd hear who they were, she was ready to sneak out and come for each of them. It was inside her every time the opened the door to her house. As soon as she unlocked it, the image of Tommy laying in his blood just flashed in front of her eyes, making her panic for a second. Usually, she sat down on her bed, put a hand on her chest, and tried to breathe deeply. Soon enough, she stopped crying every time she saw Tommy on the ground.

The rage which has gotten into her once she was you fucked up on the chair as you frantically mumbled something to Jesse hadn't left her for a single second. It was making her sick from her stomach, hopeless and... She felt hatred for everything around her. Once, someone had a dumb comment regarding her and Dina, and even though she didn't say a word to the person, she threw her plate on the ground, walking straight to them. Maria, thanks to God, has stopped Ellie in the last second, catching her and dragging her away.

Not even Joel wasn't able to make her talk, no matter how hard the man tried to get at least a word out of her. Sure, she was now spending time at his place a lot, because what happened was a family catastrophe and they both needed to carry the other one through what happened. But she never spoke to him.

Yet, there were moments when Ellie spoke to someone. The problem was that you couldn't answer her. She wasn't exactly speaking anyway. She brought her guitar with her, the one which was in Joel's bedroom, singing to you while they waited for you to wake up. Sometimes, she sang you Take On Me, and other times, she pulled out Johnny Cash, since Joel told her that these are your favorites. Sure, she was a was perfectly aware that singing won't help you recover sooner, but it was probable that it will make you at least feel better.

Her fingers were picking the strings lazily as she proceeded to play the slow melody which was reflecting everything going on inside of her at the moment. Ellie didn't know that Dina was standing behind the door the whole time, but it relieved her girlfriend when she heard Ellie singing. Yet no matter how relieved she felt, she didn't dare to interrupt the moment happening in the room. It took Ellie another twenty minutes to finish the small concert for one person before she put the guitar down, looking at you sleeping on the bed. At that, Dina finally entered the room to change the artificial nutrition hanging next to your bed, sending Ellie one shy smile.

"You've been listening behind the door, weren't you?" - The redhaired girl asked quietly, shifting her focus from you to Dina. Her girlfriend just smiled but didn't give a straightaway answer right away.

"You are a good a singer, what can I say, baby?" - Dina whispered, making sure that everything's in check. It was a week and a half and you were still sleeping. Sure, you'd most likely be awakened by that time, but Bobby decided to keep you under the medicaments for some time - at least before your hands get in check somehow and until you wouldn't tear your muscles of your knee when you'd stand up. There was a wheelchair prepared for you, but with the amount of pus leaving the wound every morning, Bobby didn't want to rush any of it. You've been through pain and a severe shock. You needed some rest.

Of course, the medics in Jackson knew that they can't let you sleep for too long but at that point, you were still fine. That was the last thing that made Ellie still standing and being contained because she knew you'd wish so. The girl almost freaked out when Dina put her elbows around her neck, kissing the small sweet spot below her ear as both the girls watched you.

"What is going on inside your head, baby?" - Dina whispered after a small while, as she sat on your bed. While Ellie's eyes were pinned on your face, she could at least tell it is you at that time, Dina was smoothing the small strands hair off Ellie's face.

"You know what's going on in there." - Ellie muttered out, quickly flashing her look at the black-haired woman. These two were very much in love and if the incident wouldn't happen, their relationship would be most likely blossoming at the moment. But there were different thoughts inside of Ellie's head. The hatred she felt was immersive - it was almost as painful as on the day she got to know Joel had kidnapped her from the hospital and killed Marlene to protect his baby girl.

How could the man be so calm about the whole situation? It seemed that having his brother almost paralyzed and his girlfriend almost dad didn't move a single thing inside of him. At least that was what Ellie thought. Of course, he was in deep grief and an immerse state of anger, but there was nothing to do at the moment. Who would he be hunting down? Who were they? Where did they come from? Will they come back? Joel knew better than letting the anger flash out just like that. And more importantly, he knew that if you wouldn't ish to speak of them or tell him specifically to hunt them down, he won't be going on a killing spree just like that. He had a family to protect now and a future to go towards...  Yet Ellie was just nineteen-year-old kiddo, in the end, she didn't know better.

"Ellie... I'm not sure I want you to fuck around with these people. You hear me?" - Dina asked quietly, catching Ellie's palm in her hand. At that, Ellie left out a small chuckle, shaking her head.

"This isn't a thing you're deciding about. This is my own decision to make." - Sadly, Ellie was right. And Dina knew that. Even Maria, Tommy, and Joel knew that - if Ellie had decided to avenge you, there was no way they could stop her in her quest. Only you had the power do put a stop on that, and even about that, Dina wasn't sure entirely. The only way to stop Ellie was to make sure you won't tell her about the people once you or Tommy wake up... But there was this high probability of Tommy starting a witch hunt by himself because he was a hell of a proud man.

"And is it yours to make? Ellie, what if she wakes up and tells you she doesn't want to go after the people? What if Tommy wakes up and tells you he doesn't want you to go?" - The black-haired girl scoffed ironically, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend's pride. - "You don't know the first shit about these people. What are you even planning on doing?" - Dina asked quietly. She was glad that she hears Ellie talking after those few weeks, but at the moment she wasn't so sure if it was making her feel good to hear Ellie talk about what she had inside. This behavior was selfish, hasty, and suicidal. The only thing Ellie was about to archive was getting herself killed... And Dina knew that. Ellie did too, somewhere deep inside. Yet her ego and pride when it came to these things was... Huge.

"I'm gonna find... And I'm gonna kill... Every last one of them." - Ellie whispered, her eyelid twitching with anger. Slowly, she breathed out, closing her eyes. Dina watched the girl slowly pumping her palm open and close tight for a moment before Ellie gathered enough calmness to speak. - "And you can't stop it, no matter how hard you'll try, Dina. Joel can't, Maria can't... No-one can't. I'm not gonna let these fuckers get away with this." - It hurt Dina more than just some slap, knowing Ellie is already sure that no matter what, she'll get the justice she desired for you. Dina just closed her eyes for a moment before getting up to walk around the room, catching some breath.

"If you're going, I'm going." - Dina demanded silently, covering a good portion of her lips with her palms. - "But promise me that wed go only if she wishes us to go. If she tells you to stay put, you will." - Dina begged silently, knowing Ellie will find them on her own if she'd have to. But the false promise Ellie made with a silent nod calmed Dina down. It was just for a moment, but it did help somehow.

[gayregis]

boppinrobin replied to your post: “Question. Part 1. Hi. I like your blog and your analytical analysis of books,”

aauuuughhh tysm for ur analysis as always

thank you for reading and liking it!!

arinasassymessi replied to your post: “Question. Part 1. Hi. I like your blog and your analytical analysis of books,”

Thank you again for your response! I wrote anonymously because I was a little embarrassed by my English, but to be honest, I've been reading your blog for a very long time, and I've always wanted to discuss some topics with you. Thank you, I feel more confident now. First of all, I apologize for the fact that I considered this scene pro-life.

The thing is, I've reread the witcher books countless times (mostly because of Regis, lol). And if in the first times I was so fascinated by the plot and characters that I did not notice any obvious sexist/homophobic moments, then after rereading the books more consciously, I caught very unpleasantly, conservative motives, which Sapkowski is not shy about.

I remember that the first time this scene, even though it caused a bit of misunderstanding, still touched me with its warmth and how Geralt emotionally supported Milva, helping her make a rather difficult decision. And the way Regis was pleased with his actions, smiling at him, awww.

But after studying the books in more detail and the messages that Sapkowski puts in them, it seems to me that I began to see a catch everywhere. At first, I was also delighted to learn about Ciri's relationship with Mistle, wow, progressive author, LGBTQ+ representation! But after seeing this relationship "live," I felt cheated, and since then, I have returned to this scene with Milva.

I thought, oh no, isn't everything here the same as I believed? Most of all, I was afraid of Regis because he is my comfort character, the voice of reason, and a progressive medic. Does Sapkowski put pro-life ideas in his mouth?.. After a couple of discussions with friends, this fear only took root.

However, after reading your in-depth analytical analysis, I agreed with it, looking at the facts in a new way, and was glad that my first guesses and feelings from this scene were close to the truth. Now I can rest in peace, lol.

About "medicament/medicine" and "agent." I have read books in Russian, and now I am rereading "Baptism of Fire" in English to practice. I think the difference between the words "medicament" and "agent" in English is somewhat unclear, and it is impossible to say precisely which of them has a negative connotation.

Both of them sound entirely neutral and normal to me, but again, I'm not a native speaker, correct me if I'm wrong. In Russian, instead of the word "agent," we have the word "snadobye" (the closest translation is 'potion,’ and in Polish, it is 'ziola’). And while "medicament" means only medicine, a remedy, the word "snadobye" can also mean medicine, but has more folk properties (?).

It is brewed from herbs and a synonym to a potion/drug — a poisonous, magical, and forbidden drink, usually attributed to witches and wizards. For me, Geralt's refusal to use the word "medicament" — neutral and scientific-medical — in favor of a word that has a more magical/negative connotation seemed rather strange. But again, this is just my guess.

I consider the Russian translation closer to the Polish one because it belongs to the same language group, but I don't have access to the original to check what words were used there. In any case, I think that since Geralt decided to use one instead of the other, they should differ in some way, but it is not known in favor of which word this works. I also like your version.

I also had a lot of questions about Milva and her actions. She's probably my second favorite character after Regis, and I didn't understand her actions until a certain point. She was not satisfied with a woman's position in her society, so instead of the usual role, she decided to participate in Geralt's journey?

I was also not very clear about their conversation and Geralt's conclusion: "someone else's child for your own, life for life." Why? After all, she could stay in Brokilon and give birth, but if she didn't want a child, she could have an abortion (for example, she rather cruelly compared her child to young wasps that eat caterpillar alive).

Recently, the Russian Witcher community posted a short theory that Milva was in love with Geralt and therefore went after him. Milva's thoughts in Brokilon speak in favor of this — she finds Geralt attractive (although she felt something similar for Cahir when they were waiting for Geralt and Buttercup to be released from prison at night).

*not Buttercup (have no idea what is it), JASKIER

Also, their conversation outside Regis' hut at night, when Milva bitterly remarked that Geralt needed another woman — a scholar, a wise one, a beloved one (Yennefer), desire to get emotional support exactly from Geralt and and insisting on his presence during the miscarriage, her further refusal to marry the baron, and perhaps Sapkowski's sometimes ANNOYING idea that any woman should go crazy in Geralt's company. But again, these are just guesses, and I would be interested to hear your opinion.

I also didn't know that tumblr has a word limit in comments, so my replays look pretty stupid now, lol.

yes!! i also read the books first just for the plot and then went back and later, when my mind was clearer, noticed a lot more of political views in the writing. it’s the fact that a lot of sapkowski’s other takes are shitty (re: feminity, lgbt individuals and relationships), or at least come off as shitty because they are not explicit enough to actually be a progressive opinion, compounded with the fact that the scene with milva is not very clear on exactly what regis is asking geralt, why he is polling them, why geralt is upset, or what they even intend to do. i think also, because the subject is so important and people have very intense opinions about it, it makes you nervous to see it come up in a fictional story, even if the author is promoting a good message - it’s the feeling you described of, “oh no, isn't everything here the same as i believed?” 

and yeah, you’re right, in english i’d say medicament and agent both have neutral connotations, “agent” to me sounds more scientific, somehow? like it would be used in an experiment? i think i have usually heard it more in descriptions of products, like “cleansing agent” in relation to something dealing with chemistry... but then again, i am not a scientist, doctor, beautician, etc...

and about milva - agree, i love her too :D!! these are my personal opinions and takes on her character motivations but:

i think her ‘not being satisfied with a [traditional] woman’s role in society’ extends beyond not being satisfied, it’s being disgusted with it - in tower of the swallow, she describes how she as a teenager experienced sexual assault at the hands of her stepfather, and her mother didn’t do anything (assumedly because of the societal roles involved, and you can (unfortunately) see this occur in real life as well, mothers don’t protect their daughters from the men they stay with). milva beats him to death and runs away, and never goes back to that life. additionally, in baptism of fire, she talks about her name - milva, and why she changed it, and she says that her original name, maria, along with a lot of other “feminine-sounding” names beginning with M (this is at least what i got out of it, they sound like sweet names given to peasant girls), get your ass pinched in taverns (this is my best recollection of the quote). 

it’s clear that she has not only experienced discomfort, but really just blatant violence at the hands of “traditional feminity/women’s societal roles,” and so she goes to rely on only herself at first, hunting in lower sodden, and then finally being ‘adopted’ (kind of) by brokilon and eithne, becoming affiliated with them and working for them and the scoia’tael. this makes sense to me, because of course brokilon is a matriarchy, and the elves are mentioned to raise (and thus, treat) male and female elves the same way.

i won’t rule out that sapkowski intended for milva to have romantic interest in geralt, but i think that even if he did, it wasn’t interesting and i disagree with that direction for her character. my takes continued are that:

re:  "someone else's child for your own, a life for life." in this conversation, she talks to geralt about the differences between “milva” and “maria,” her two identities that seem to be at ends with each other. she didn’t want to stay in brokilon to have the child, because by societal means, she is no longer a “woman” in the traditional sense - she’s milva, not maria - she kills, she laughs as she pulls out the arrowheads from corpses, etc., like her chosen name, ‘milva,’ she is a red kite, a bird of prey. 

she doesn’t fit the societal expectations of a woman, and was never trained in being a mother (she ran away from home as a teenager, she hasn’t done ‘traditional woman things’ like keep house and cook, raise and deal with children, weave (?) and work in a house since she was 16, and she is older than that now (i’d say she’s at least past her early 20s, because she is described as a “young woman” compared to angouleme’s “very young woman” in lady of the lake, and angouleme is approx. 18-19). but since she doesn’t fit these expectations, how can she expect herself to raise this child? thus, she likely wanted to drop the baby, but since she was raised in a conservative rural society in which women are expected to bear children and not have abortions, she may have felt guilt and shame for wanting to do so. thus, she wanted to follow geralt - although she would have intentionally lost her child, she would have intentionally saved another, absolving her of her guilt. it’s like as regis described to geralt in the middle of the book, about penance and running up debts, this is a large theme of the book - a baptism of fire, fire which not only purifies, but burns (a challenge which absolves one of guilt, but it is painful). 

these are just my takes, i think sapkowski’s intentions were more along the theory that milva had a crush on geralt, but as i said i think that’s just boring and the “easy way out.” he also did that with cahir and ciri, making heterosexual love the motivation for a noble deed, and it’s just like... these characters have so much other depth and serious individual issues, and you want to reduce their motivations to just simply “they were in love”? okay... so yeah i don’t think sapkowski really may have intended any of the above, or if he did, it was to a lesser degree, but this is my interpretation of it.

[marvels-writings]

Hi! Love you're writing ☺ Could you please do a Maria Hill x reader where the reader is an avenger and has some sort of powers and accidentally hurts Maria. Reader runs away, Maria does everything she can to find reader and get her to come back. Angst and fluff please. Thank you ☺

A/N: Thanks anon, appreciate it, anyway so quick background, y/n and Maria are already in a relationship, y/n came back from a mission, you now have fire powers, you can heat up your skin and shoot fireballs but you aren’t invincible, you can be hurt. So have fun with this, hope you like it! And the single quotes will be like flashbacks of what the person said. And another thing, i changed it so y/n goes in her room, thinks of running away and decides not to. I’m really sorry if that’s not what you wanted. 

‘You are just a weapon, nothing more’

These words rang in your head with every punch to the punching bag. You’d just returned after a mission to infiltrate an arms dealer who worked with HYDRA. It had been a simple mission, in and out with intel. 

No one knew about your past with HYDRA except for Fury, Hill and the Avengers. 

No one knew how you got your powers, at least you thought so until now. 

Someone random just talked to you about your past, you’d been experimented on and trained to just kill. Kind of like the Winter Soldier, but you’d ran away from it when you still had a conscience. 

You’d run to SHIELD, they had given you jobs to use your skills for a better purpose, you loved your job now. Until this last mission. 

‘A weapon can’t be loved’

The punching bag flew towards the wall of the gym, a prominent burn mark from where you’d just burnt it. 

You brought out another punching bag from the back, to find Maria standing next to the burnt one. She wore a tight navy blue workout top and high waisted black leggings with her hair tied up into a high ponytail. Somehow no strands coming out from the sides.  

“That bad?” she asked, sitting down on the bench beside the bag and leaning forwards on her elbows. You grumbled in response, setting up the punching bag and punching it over and over again.

Maria sighed in response and got up, holding the punching bag so you won’t have to wait for it to keep coming back. You stopped and blinked. 

“Stop,” You stated, almost angrily. 

“Talk to me, and continue punching.” Maria replied, still standing behind the bag and holding it forwards a bit. 

“I’ll hurt you, and I don’t want to talk about it.” You said, backing away from the bag. 

“I read the mission reports anyway,” Maria started conversationally, your eyes widened slightly. “Something about someone knowing about your past and calling you a weapon.”

“Those reports were classified.” You seethed, your skin starting to burn a little from the anger. Your powers always tended to get a bit out of control when you were angry, but you and Maria were ignoring the signs. 

“I’m the deputy director?” She joked, then backed off when she saw your expression. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked, you looked down, your hands burning up even more when you remembered what he said. 

“Because you’d tell me he was wrong, when I think he’s right.” You muttered, knowing she could hear. 

“The report didn’t tell me what he said,” Maria confessed. “I was hoping you’d fill in the gaps.”“I’d rather not.” You sneered, then got back to the punching bag, uncaring if Maria got hurt. You needed to get this out of your system so badly, you didn’t notice the surprise on Maria’s face when she started skidding backwards. 

“Try to.” Maria suggested, trying to regain her footing before your next punch. 

“NO!” You shouted, punching harder, you didn’t notice your powers getting out of hand, you noticed Maria’s panicked expression. “He called me a weapon, and he’s right.” You stated, punching harder, each thud pronouncing your words. 

Maria regained her footing, using her body weight and some extra force to repel your punches on the bag. “We both know he’s wrong.”“Did you miss the part where I was created to murder and kill? Did you miss the part where I ALREADY FUCKING DID?” You asked angrily, backing off from the bag. 

“Y/n,” she started softly. 

“DON’T, DON’T TALK TO ME AS A PERSON IN NEED OF SYMPATHY!” You yelled, punching the bag as hard as you could, big mistake. 

The blow sent the back flying off the hook again, burnt completely through. The burn went into Maria’s shirt and partially into her skin. The bag smashed into the wall on top of Maria, her head hit the wall first, knocking her out completely. 

You stood still for a few seconds, unable to comprehend what just happened, once you did, tears started welling up with anger. Clenching your jaw, you walked over to the bag, got on your knees and took it off Maria. 

The burn wasn’t too bad, it would need medical attention, but Maria might have a concussion and maybe a broken wrist from where she was holding the bag. You took a deep breath, picked her up once your hands had cooled down. 

Your heart broke at how limp she was, her head fell back as a bruise started to form. The tears started to break as you walked her into the medical bay. Her shirt was quickly wet with the tears from your eyes. 

Once you got in, everyone was asking you questions, you didn’t really care. You dropped her on the main bed, her body sliding out of your hands as you walked out, shutting yourself in your room. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Maria woke up groggily, a throbbing pain in the back of her head and basically her entire body, a sharp stinging pain on her stomach. She groaned, getting off the bed, finding herself in the medical bay. 

She remembered what had happened, you’d managed to make the bag burn and fly off the hook at the same time, sending her into the opposite wall. After you’d talked about yourself being a weapon. She didn’t recall who had carried her here though. 

Maria rubbed her neck, lightly feeling the bruise as she got up, ignoring the ache everywhere. She needed to find you, she needed to find you so you wouldn’t blame yourself. Glancing at the clock, she saw it had been just over 2 hours. 

“Ms. Hill, you aren’t supposed to be ou-” Dr. Cho instructed, Maria cut her off. 

“Where is y/n?” She demanded, ignoring the medical jabber. 

“In her room, she hasn’t been out after bringing you here.” she said, walking off after. 

So you’d carried her in here. Maria looked down to find the shoulder of her shirt slightly soaked. Maria sighed, rolled her neck despite the pain and headed over to your room. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

“Y/n, it’s me,” Maria said outside the door, you didn’t need to second guess the voice. “Let me in.”

“Are you okay?” You sniffled, backing up into the opposite wall from the bed, right against the window of your room. Your entire room was a mess, the covers thrown everywhere from when you’d tried to sleep but failed, clothes from when you’d thought of running away. After crying, thinking, and panicking, you’d ended up putting on one of Maria’s hoodies and disassociating for an hour. 

“I’m fine, open up.” Maria said, knocking again. 

You curled into yourself further, currently, you were in a ball in the corner of your room, staring at the door. Burying your head in your knees and refusing to talk to anyone, like you had been for the past half hour. 

There was some hushed arguing, it sounded like the voices of Tony, Friday and Maria, then the door opened. Tony gave you a sympathetic look then walked away. Maria looked at you, her heart breaking at the sight. 

There were mascara streaks running down your face, your hair was disheveled from when you’d been grabbing at it in stress earlier and you were curled up in a tight ball against the window. Maria started walking towards you, her palms facing you. 

“Don’t, don’t come closer.” You stuttered softly, practically gasping at this point. Your sobs still hadn’t completely subsided, and you couldn’t stop shaking. “I’ll just hurt you.”

“You won’t,” Maria said, you opened your mouth to say something but she cut you off. “I promise this time.”Before you could protest, she sat down beside you, you scooted away, still terrified of hurting her. In turn, she scooted closer to you. After a few moments of uneasy silence, you leaned your head softly on her shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” You whispered, tears threatening to break out again. To be honest, you were terrified she wasn’t going to forgive you. “I just got so mad, and my powers got out of hand again, I know I promised you I’d try to keep them under control but, I’m so so sorry, I didn’t want to hurt you, please, just, please forgive me.” Your voice wavering, then finally breaking at the last word. 

“Hey, hey, shhh, you’re okay.” Maria comforted, turning around and pulling you into her arms. You buried your face in her shoulder, still crying. She started rubbing your back in an attempt to comfort you. 

“Please, I’m sorry, please forgive me.” You continued sobbing, still terrified she wouldn’t forgive you. Maria felt so guilty you thought she wouldn’t forgive you. 

“Y/n, it wasn’t your fault in the first place.” She stated, pulling away to look you in the eyes. You hesitantly looked up to be met by her icy blue eyes, filled with sadness. “But my powers,” You began, breaking eye contact. Maria reached out to cup your cheek, forcing you to look at her. 

“You have no idea how many times Bruce, Steve and even Thor have let their powers get out of hand and hurt people, you’re fine.” She joked, you chuckled slightly, burying your face back in her shoulder as she continued rubbing your back. 

“You know, for a person with heating powers, you’re really cold.” She joked, pulling you up on the bed and lying under the covers with you. You chuckled at the joke, and snuggled back into her side.

You smiled slightly as Maria continued to comfort and cuddle you, you'd been scared for no reason. Maria would love you and care for you no matter what. And what she said was true, Thor broke your headphones before, you were still pissed. 

A/N: This is kinda unedited, so if there are grammar mistakes or not enough detail is because of that. I changed the storyline a bit, im really sorry if that’s not okay. But i have my history exam tomorrow so this is the only writing I’ll be posting today. SO feedback in comments and reblogs is amazing, i love likes too but it’s so much better seeing what people thought about this. THanks!