#look at this little squeaky balloon of a dog

[madegeeky]

My Mom's dog does the funniest whine. I've started calling him a leaky balloon.

(I should note he's whining here because Mom dared to leave the apartment to do something real quick. I know, she's a monster.)

[gloriabomfim]

Certainly, let's create some montages and titles with actions and dialogue transcripts for Joey meeting canine species in "Oggy and The Cockroaches." Here are the first 9 montages:

Montage 1: "Joey's Canine Encounter"

Title: "Dog Day Afternoon"

Action: Joey sneaks into Oggy's backyard.

Dialogue: (Joey whispers to himself) "Time for a little mischief."

Action: Joey encounters a big, playful dog.

Dialogue (Dog barking excitedly): "Woof woof!"

Action: Joey tries to outwit the dog but ends up in a comical chase.

Montage 2: "Joey's Close Call"

Title: "Barking Up the Wrong Tree"

Action: Joey climbs a tree to escape the dog.

Dialogue (Joey panicking): "Oh no, I've got to get away from this mutt!"

Action: Dog barks at Joey from below.

Dialogue (Dog barking): "Woof woof!"

Montage 3: "Joey's Dog Disguise"

Title: "Paws for Thought"

Action: Joey disguises himself as a dog using a fake tail and ears.

Dialogue (Joey chuckling): "This should fool him."

Action: Joey walks on all fours, trying to blend in.

Dialogue (Dog sniffing Joey): "Sniff sniff…"

Montage 4: "Joey's Doggy Dilemma"

Title: "Canine Confusion"

Action: The real dog befriends Joey, thinking he's a fellow canine.

Dialogue (Dog happily): "Woof! You're a funny-looking dog, but let's play!"

Action: Joey reluctantly plays fetch with the dog.

Montage 5: "Joey's Failed Escape"

Title: "Chasing Tails"

Action: Joey attempts to sneak away from the dog.

Dialogue (Joey whispering): "I need to make my escape quietly."

Action: Joey steps on a squeaky toy, alerting the dog.

Dialogue (Dog excitedly): "Squeak! Let's play more!"

Montage 6: "Joey's Doggy Adventures"

Title: "Tales of a Tail"

Action: Joey goes on an unintentional adventure with the dog.

Dialogue (Joey laughing): "I never thought I'd have a dog as a partner in crime!"

Action: Joey and the dog cause chaos around Oggy's neighborhood.

Montage 7: "Joey's Change of Heart"

Title: "The Canine Connection"

Action: Joey starts to bond with the dog.

Dialogue (Joey sincerely): "You know, you're not such a bad dog after all."

Action: Joey and the dog share a moment of friendship.

Montage 8: "Joey's Doggy Dilemma"

Title: "A Dog's Life"

Action: The dog's owner arrives and takes him away.

Dialogue (Owner calling the dog): "Come here, Max!"

Action: Joey looks a bit sad as he waves goodbye to the dog.

Montage 9: "Joey's Return to Mischief"

Title: "Back to Roach Business"

Action: Joey returns to his mischievous ways after the dog is gone.

Dialogue (Joey mischievous): "Time to cause some real chaos again!"

I hope you enjoy these montages and titles for Joey's encounters with canine species in "Oggy and The Cockroaches." If you'd like to continue with more montages or have any other requests, feel free to let me know!

Certainly! Here are the next 10 montages with titles, actions, and dialogue transcripts for Joey meeting canine species in "Oggy and The Cockroaches":

Montage 10: "Joey's Doggie Day Out"

Title: "Paws and Pranks"

Action: Joey ventures out with the dog for more mischief.

Dialogue (Joey excited): "We make quite the team, don't we, Max?"

Action: Joey and Max create hilarious chaos in the neighborhood.

Montage 11: "Joey's Canine Capers"

Title: "The Dog and the Roach"

Action: Joey and Max explore a park.

Dialogue (Joey playful): "Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into here!"

Action: Joey and Max playfully chase birds.

Montage 12: "Joey's Doggy Dilemma"

Title: "Bones of Contention"

Action: Joey and Max discover a buried bone in the park.

Dialogue (Joey excited): "Look what we found, Max! A treasure!"

Action: They dig it up, only to realize it's a fake bone.

Montage 13: "Joey's Canine Carnival"

Title: "Carnival Capers"

Action: Joey and Max sneak into a local carnival.

Dialogue (Joey amazed): "This place is a goldmine for pranks!"

Action: They playfully interact with carnival rides and games.

Montage 14: "Joey's Balloon Adventure"

Title: "Up, Up, and Away"

Action: Joey and Max accidentally float away with helium balloons.

Dialogue (Joey panicked): "Max, we're flying! How do we get down?"

Action: They float high above the town, causing a commotion.

Montage 15: "Joey's Return Home"

Title: "Land of Misfits"

Action: Joey and Max land back in Oggy's backyard.

Dialogue (Joey relieved): "Phew, we made it back in one piece, Max."

Action: Max happily runs off, back to his owner.

Montage 16: "Joey's Canine Inspiration"

Title: "The Dog's Lesson"

Action: Joey reflects on his time with Max.

Dialogue (Joey contemplative): "Max taught me something about friendship."

Action: Joey decides to be less mischievous.

Montage 17: "Joey's New Perspective"

Title: "Roach Reformation"

Action: Joey helps Oggy clean up the mess from their previous antics.

Dialogue (Joey sincere): "It's time for a change, guys."

Montage 18: "Joey's Misadventure"

Title: "Oops, We Did It Again"

Action: Despite his intentions, Joey, Marky, and Dee Dee accidentally cause chaos.

Dialogue (Joey frustrated): "Old habits die hard, I guess."

Montage 19: "Joey's Doggy Daydream"

Title: "Max's Legacy"

Action: Joey daydreams about Max, the dog who changed him.

Dialogue (Joey reflective): "I'll never forget the adventures we had, Max."

I hope you enjoy these additional montages and titles for Joey's encounters with canine species in "Oggy and The Cockroaches." If you'd like to continue with more montages or have any other requests, please let me know!

Certainly! Here are the final 10 montages with titles, actions, and dialogue transcripts for Joey meeting canine species in "Oggy and The Cockroaches":

Montage 20: "Joey's Prank Gone Wrong"

Title: "The Fetch Fiasco"

Action: Joey tries to teach Oggy's dog a mischievous trick.

Dialogue (Joey scheming): "This prank will be legendary!"

Action: The prank backfires, and Joey ends up being chased by the dog.

Montage 21: "Joey's Doghouse"

Title: "Canine Confinement"

Action: Joey hides in Oggy's doghouse to escape the dog.

Dialogue (Joey whispering): "I'll be safe in here."

Action: The dog finds Joey and playfully drags him out.

Montage 22: "Joey's Doggy Disguise Revisited"

Title: "The Tail of Deception"

Action: Joey tries another dog disguise.

Dialogue (Joey determined): "I won't give up that easily!"

Action: The dog sniffs Joey and recognizes him.

Montage 23: "Joey's Doggy Dance"

Title: "Paws and Pirouettes"

Action: Joey and the dog engage in a comical dance-off.

Dialogue (Joey laughing): "Let's see who's got the better moves, Max!"

Action: They dance clumsily, making Oggy laugh.

Montage 24: "Joey's Canine Chaos"

Title: "Doggone Mayhem"

Action: Joey and Max accidentally knock over a stack of pots.

Dialogue (Joey panicked): "Uh-oh, we're in trouble!"

Action: They both try to stack the pots back up, but it's a mess.

Montage 25: "Joey's Dog's Day Out"

Title: "Max's Adventures"

Action: Joey follows Max around the neighborhood.

Dialogue (Joey curious): "I wonder what a dog's day is like."

Action: Max explores, plays, and interacts with other dogs.

Montage 26: "Joey's Friendship with Max"

Title: "Canine Camaraderie"

Action: Joey and Max share a heartwarming moment.

Dialogue (Joey heartfelt): "You're more than just a dog, Max. You're a friend."

Action: They sit together and watch the sunset.

Montage 27: "Joey's Farewell"

Title: "Goodbye, Max"

Action: Joey says goodbye to Max as he returns to his owner.

Dialogue (Joey emotional): "Take care, Max. You'll always be in my memories."

Action: Joey waves as Max happily reunites with his owner.

Montage 28: "Joey's Changed Ways"

Title: "A Roach's Redemption"

Action: Joey continues to be less mischievous and more considerate.

Dialogue (Joey sincere): "I owe it to Max to be a better roach."

Montage 29: "Joey's New Perspective"

Title: "Roaches and Redemption"

Action: Joey, Marky, and Dee Dee decide to reform their ways.

Dialogue (Joey determined): "From now on, we'll find better ways to have fun."

Montage 30: "Joey's Lesson Learned"

Title: "Max's Legacy"

Action: Joey reflects on the impact of his encounter with Max.

Dialogue (Joey reflective): "Sometimes, unexpected friendships can change you for the better."

These 30 montages and titles chronicle Joey's adventures and transformation through his encounters with canine species in "Oggy and The Cockroaches." If you have any more requests or questions, feel free to ask!

[super-famicom-star-inactive]

Friday Special #9

January 30th, 2021

So I was digging through my bag of DS and GBA titles, and noted that one of them was a Game Boy Advance VIDEO cartridge that contained the first two episodes of Sonic X. Popped it into my DS to relive some nostalgia and it occurred to me that there isn’t anything like this anymore besides those PSP UMD VIDEO disks that had whole movies on them. 

So where did they come from and how did they come to be?

For this week’s Friday Special, we’re gonna find out. 

For a little backstory, the Game Boy Advance handheld console was released back in 2001 and it was marketed as the successor of the Game Boy Color. With its resolution of 240 x 160 pixels (which was a lot at the time), 15-bit RGB Color Support (it was capable of producing 512 colors in character mode and 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode), and Dual 8-bit DAC for stereo sound, it was a fascinating machine and a work of technical art. It was super successful world-wide and garnered millions in sales. 

So what exactly were the Game Boy Advance Video titles?

The Game Boy Advance Video cartridges were a special class of cartridges where based on the amount of memory, it featured one to four episodes of popular shows of the time like those from Cartoon Network and Nicktoons. 

Here is the complete list of games:

GBA Video Movie Pak vol. 1

Shrek

GBA Video Movie Pak vol. 2

Shrek 2

GBA Video Movie Pak vol. 3

Shark Tale

GBA Video Movie Pak 2-Movies-In-1!

Shrek

Shark Tale

GBA Video Movie Pak 2-Movies-In-1! Vol. 2

Shrek

Shrek 2

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron vol. 1

"Brobot"

"The Big Pinch"

"Granny Baby"

"Time is Money"

All Grown Up! vol. 1

"Susie Sings the Blues"

"Coup de Ville"

Cartoon Network Collection vol. 1

Ed, Edd 'n Eddy: "Stop, Look and Ed"

Courage the Cowardly Dog: "Magic Tree of Nowhere"

Johnny Bravo: "The Perfect Gift"

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: "Crawling Niceness"

Cartoon Network Collection vol. 2

Codename: Kids Next Door: "Operation T.U.R.N.I.P."

Courage the Cowardly Dog: "Courage the Fly"

Johnny Bravo: "Balloon Platoon"

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: "Mandy the Merciless"

Cartoon Network Collection Limited Edition

Ed, Edd 'n Eddy: "Key to My Ed"

Courage the Cowardly Dog: "The Queen of the Black Puddle"

Codename: Kids Next Door: "Operation M.I.N.I.G.O.L.F."

Dexter's Laboratory: "Big Sister"

Cartoon Network Collection Platinum Edition

Codename: Kids Next Door: "Operation T.O.M.M.Y."

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: "A Grim Surprise"

Courage the Cowardly Dog: "Cowboy Courage"

Ed, Edd 'n Eddy: "The Luck of the Ed"

Cartoon Network Collection Premium Edition

Dexter's Laboratory: "Double Trouble"

Courage the Cowardly Dog: "The Shadow of Courage"

Johnny Bravo: "Cookie Crisis"

Ed, Edd 'n Eddy: "A Glass of Warm Ed"

Cartoon Network Collection Special Edition

Ed, Edd 'n Eddy: "Oath to an Ed"

Johnny Bravo: "Beach Blanket Bravo"

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: "Billy and the Bully"

Dexter's Laboratory: "Dexter's Rival"

Codename: Kids Next Door vol. 1

"Operation R.E.P.O.R.T."

"Operation N.O.-P.O.W.U.H."

"Operation B.R.I.E.F."

"Operation D.O.G.F.I.G.H.T."

Disney Channel Collection vol. 1

Lilo & Stitch: "Slushy"

Kim Possible: "Ron the Man"

Disney Channel Collection vol. 2

Lilo & Stitch: "Poxy"

Kim Possible: "Rufus in Show"

Brandy & Mr. Whiskers: "To The Moon Mr. Whiskers"

Dora the Explorer vol. 1

"3 Little Piggies"

"The Big River"

Dragon Ball GT vol. 1

"A Grand Problem"

"Pan's Gambit"

The Fairly OddParents vol. 1

"Foul Balled"

"The Boy Who Would Be Queen"

"The Information Stupor Highway"

The Fairly OddParents vol. 2

"Father Time"

"Apartnership"

"Ruled Out"

"That's Life"

Nicktoons Collection vol. 1

SpongeBob SquarePants: "Pizza Delivery"

The Fairly OddParents: "The Big Problem"

All Grown Up!: "Chuckie's In Love"

Nicktoons Collection vol. 2

SpongeBob SquarePants: "Nature Pants"

SpongeBob SquarePants: "Opposite Day"

Rocket Power: "The Big Air Dare"

The Fairly OddParents: "Odd Ball"

Nicktoons Collection vol. 3

SpongeBob SquarePants: "Squeaky Boots"

The Fairly OddParents: "Tim Visible"

Danny Phantom: "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale"

Pokémon vol. 1

"For Ho Oh The Bells Toll"

"A Hot Water Battle"

Pokémon vol. 2

"Playing with Fire"

"Johto Photo Finish"

Pokémon vol. 3

"Pokémon, I Choose You!"

"Here Comes the Squirtle Squad"

Pokémon vol. 4

"Beach Blank-Out Blastoise"

"Go West Young Meowth"

The Proud Family vol. 1

"Twins to Teens"

"Tween Town"

Sonic X vol. 1

"Chaos Control Freaks"

"Sonic to the Rescue"

SpongeBob SquarePants vol. 1

"Bubblestand"

"Ripped Pants"

"Jellyfishing"

"Plankton"

SpongeBob SquarePants vol. 2

"Mermaidman & Barnacleboy"

"Pickles"

"Hall Monitor"

"Jellyfish Jam"

SpongeBob SquarePants vol. 3

"Walking Small"

"Texas"

"Hooky"

"Mermaidman & Barnacleboy II"

Strawberry Shortcake vol. 1

"Meet Strawberry Shortcake"

"Spring for Strawberry Shortcake"

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! vol. 1

"Depths of Fear"

"Planetoid Q"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vol. 1

"Things Change"

"A Better Mousetrap"

Yu-Gi-Oh! vol. 1

"Friends Until the End Part 3"

"Friends Until the End Part 4"

Although the first of the GamePaks (the other name that they went by) started to appear in 2004, the original name was GBA-TV a year earlier. The first cartridges to be released in May of 2004 were when Majesco was able to acquire rights for 4Kids properties such as Sonic X and Yu-Gi-Oh! for the earliest released titles. Later in June, select shows from Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Nick Jr., and Funimation were added to the line-up when Majesco acquired the rights. The Disney Channel soon was added as well late in November of that year, creating even more cartridges for the roster. That next November in 2005 was the time for when Majesco was able to acquire the rights for Shrek, Shrek 2, and Shark Tale from Dreamworks, where for the first time, the Game Boy Advance Video series would now feature full-length movies, which was a marvel at the time due to the Game Boy Advance’s limited memory. 

In total, 36 cartridges were made in the entire line-up with more slated for released but were cancelled for various reasons, whether they be because of low sales of previous cartridges or copyright issues.

Here is the complete list of cancelled games:

Drake & Josh vol. 1

"Pilot"

"Dune Buggy"

Even Stevens vol. 1

"Swap.com"

"Stevens Genes"

Kirby: Right Back at Ya!

Ugly Betty vol. 1

"Pilot

"The Box and the Bunny

Sonic X vol. 2

"Missile Wrist Rampage"

"Chaos Emerald Chaos"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vol. 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! vol. 2

Speaking of copyright, there is a reason that the GamePaks were only viewable on Game Boy Advance systems as well as the first two DS systems but not the GameCube's Game Boy Player accessory. It was because the owners asked Majesco to make it so that making the games incompatible with the GameCube’s GBA Player would protect their properties from getting ripped onto VHS tapes and DVDs, which was what the Player was capable of doing. It would not have mattered however, because the low quality would have shown on the TV, making the ripping process useless. 

The low quality of the cartridges were due to the heavy compression of files in order for them to fit on a GBA cartridge, causing noticeable artifacts on the screen, even more visibly on a later system like a DS console. The low quality was the biggest disadvantage for the Game Boy Video cartridges as they eventually became obsolete by the late 2000s/ early 2010s when the DSi was released with no backward capabilities.

Despite them being obsolete by today’s standards, they can still be found online on shopping sites like eBay and depending on the condition can go for a pretty penny. The rarest one in the entire roster is the cartridge for Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! vol. 1 as only a limited number of copies were made and are now so rare that they can fetch almost $200 on eBay, where that is the only shopping site to even have them for listings. 

It should be mentioned that around the same time, Sony was releasing PSP UMD (Universal Media Disc) Video disks for their PSP systems that were capable of playing whole movies, but that’s an article for another time. 

Thoughts From the Head

As stated above, I actually do have one of the Game Boy Advance Video cartridges in the form of Sonic X Vol. 1 that I had bought years ago at a local video game store. It still works, and although you can definitely see the age on a DS screen, it’s still super impressive how much they had to compress in order for the data to fit. 

It’s still a really neat piece of history and it’s something that would’ve never happened in today’s age of gaming with everyone being as tight-lipped about copyright to the point of it being detrimental to creativity. That being said, if you have a GBA, its succeeding systems or the first two DS systems, I’d say to track them down while you can, especially if your favorite show is on the list (unfortunately, I have no hope of getting the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! vol. 1 cartridge as that is like trying to find an ant in a haystack but I have the Sonic X one and that’s good enough for me). 

Here’s some photos of mine!

So do y’all think about all of this? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Thank you for reading!

[captainchrisfics]

Paps Meet Politics

About: While working on A Starting Point, Chris takes a liking to a particular Congresswoman. Amidst speculation that he’s dating his co-star, she tries not to think too much of it when he asks her to be his plus one to a gala, but a probing reporter clears the air in the end.

Word Count: 6,650

Requested By: @spilledinkindumpster​ - Thank you for your patience and sending this idea my way, I hope you enjoy!

P.S. This fic is also known as the soliloquy of cevans’s eyebrows- Will they be raised in surprise? Dropped in disappointment? Cockeyed with confusion? The drama!

“Thank you for the interview,” Chris said so genuinely it made me feel as if I’d done a whole lot more than sit there and talk about my job. It was easy, I could go on about being a Congresswoman forever with an eager light in my eyes and passion pouring out of my voice. Ever since I was young, when my father was first elected and we got to take the train to D.C. from our home in Brooklyn to visit him on weekends, I wanted to be sat in the same maroon chair behind my own mahogany desk, doing my best to represent and support my community he’d fostered such a deep appreciation for in me. Little did I know Chris Evans of all people would be sitting on the other side someday. 

He reached out to shake my hand, grinning a perfect smile that seemed to be made for the camera. “You’re doing great work here. I’d love to talk about it more sometime,” Chris said with an honest tone that surpassed politeness by a mile. He all but seeped a sincerity I’d come to find was rather rare in this city. 

In actuality, our conversation drifted from my policies about combating climate change to how disgraceful it was that I was a Yankees fan and what brand of squeaky toys he buys his dog since mine manages to tear through everything. Sure, there’d be a hell of a lot of b-roll, but I think we both needed the break. To talk to another person as a person, letting the conversation flow naturally without having to stay on task all the time and genuinely listening to each other, wasn’t something it seemed we got to do often enough. You could tell by the enthusiastic way we gushed over salads at only the mention of breaking for lunch that we’d had enough of the grind, at least for an hour or two. 

He squeezed my hand tight one more time before letting go. “We’re having a small gala for some of A Starting Point’s supporters to raise a little money for the project. I’d really like you to come, if you’re available?” Chris looked up through his dark eyelashes with a sort of puppy enthusiasm in his eyes. 

“I’d love to, but I’ve got a lot of meetings and everything...” I bit my lip as I thought about it a little more, trying to come up with anything to stop the corners of his mouth from turning down any further. “You know what? Why don’t you have your people talk to my people, you know how it goes,” I said sarcastically, driving it home with a roll of my eyes. 

Chris chuckled, swiping his thumb across his bottom lip. “You don’t know how many of your colleagues actually mean it when they say things like that. Let’s keep it old-fashioned,” he said, tugging his phone out of his pocket to exchange numbers. I laughed and said that he shouldn’t be so sure as I handed him mine and punched my name into a new contact. 

“Well,” Chris said as he slipped the device back into his pocket without breaking eye contact. He rolled up his button-up’s sleeves to his elbows, resting a hand lazily on his waist, as if he wasn’t straining the clasps around his chest enough for it to make my knees weak. He was about to say something else, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting with bated breath, before the producer rushed over to hurry him on to the next office for another interview. We’d spent so long talking he was behind schedule. 

Chris sighed, his chest caving like a deflated balloon with the release of a breath I didn’t realize he’d bottled up, picking his suit jacket off the back of his chair. “I certainly hope we’ll see each other again soon,” he said with a small smile of apology, the kind that crinkled his eyes closed in the slightest.

“Me too,” I confessed, tucking my hair behind my ears nervously. Chris stood there for a beat or two, looking conflicted as he stood partially turned to the door, but not making any moves. I shifted my weight from my toes to my heels, feeling nervous under his scrutiny. 

He turned to leave, stretching to scratch the back of his neck as he took a few steps before whipping around again, sending the coat in his arms flying. “You, uh, you really mean that?” he asked, shoving a hand in his pocket.

I nodded, a little taken aback by his question. My eyes searched for some sort of answer in his slumped shoulders, raised brows, and the way his eye was half-winking almost in a wince. It was a sharp contrast to his behavior during our banter earlier, like someone sucked the air out of our atmosphere. Chris didn’t elaborate anymore, though. He only nodded back at me like a bobble-headed reflection, taking slow steps out of my office and then, as he picked up speed all at once, he was gone. I fell back into my chair, chest caving as everything left me in a heavy sigh. 

One of the interns entered before the door had even finished swinging shut, clutching salads to her chest as if her life depended on it. With a slack jaw and popped-out eyes, she said all too breathlessly, “That was Chris Evans.”

She passed me my lunch with a shaking hand. “That was awkward,” I shot back with a little bit of a laugh. “I think he asked for my number… for personal purposes?” I admitted, trying to make sense of the whole thing. Although the words felt wrong on my lips and silly to my ears, I wasn’t sure what I was meant to feel in the first place.

The intern took a seat opposite of me, cracking open her own lunch container. “Did you give it to him?” she inquired hesitantly, like she was trying to put her own puzzle together. I confirmed her theory with a shake of my head, but the hum she responded with made me question it. 

“I’d hate to rain on your parade, honest, but I’m pretty sure he’s dating his co-star from that new Netflix movie?” she said, giving me a minute to chew it over while she took a bite of her lunch. “I mean,” she started again, her mouth still full, “obviously no one really knows for sure. It’s just speculation, but…” She shrugged, giving me an apologetic look. 

I waved her off, insisting it was probably for the better anyway. Still, I couldn’t help the way my stomach sank with disappointment. I tossed my lunch to my desk, my appetite suddenly gone.

Next to the abandoned container, my phone buzzed. I picked it up curiously, not really expecting a text from anyone in particular. Next to the green bubble, the notification only read Chris, not that I needed much more of an indication as to who that was. I opened it to see he’d taken a picture for his contact, a bad one from a low angle with his tongue stuck out and crossed eyes.

Hope you’re enjoying lunch. I was thinking about checking that place out on break- What do you recommend?

I smiled as I typed out my usual order. Chris responded immediately, even though I knew he was supposed to be working, telling me that he thought I had good taste.

We texted like that for a week, on and off throughout the day and then almost incessantly at night. About some of the stupidest things, like arguing over whether Dunkin or Starbucks was better with statistics to back us up. Other times Chris would ask what the best part of today was and usually it would be something like reading a really kind email from a constituent, but once I honestly told Chris just hearing from him had made my day. It was easy to talk to him without having to look at those crystal clear blue eyes, feeling like he could see straight into my soul. I spilled it all anyway, feeling the familiar flutter of butterflies in my stomach like I was back in middle school passing notes to a crush.

Chris didn’t seem to have any qualms about telling me anything either. In fact, even the small things, like if he had a particularly good jog with Dodger that morning, I’d hear about it. It was a refreshing change of pace from the way we’d left things in person, returning to the comfortable ease we’d felt sitting across from each other, only this time it was on the other side of a screen.

At the same time, no matter where I went, I couldn’t escape the rumors about Chris and his co-star. Every magazine headline as I checked out at the grocery store, every paparazzi photo when I channel surfed past E! News, even every clickbait article title on Snapchat’s discover page. All of it being a constant reminder that the warm feelings that came to a boil every time my phone buzzed with a new message from the man himself. Some heart-eyed emoji-filled message to a picture of my dinner I’d sent or an update on the book he’d been reading that was so detailed I’d never have to check it out myself. Something that made me fall a little harder and reminded me of how painful it’d be once my bubble bursts simultaneously.

I felt incredibly guilty, continuing to talk to someone else’s partner when I knew I was developing feelings I couldn’t suppress forever, but it was nice to have a friend that wasn’t all the way back home in Brooklyn.

It’d been just over a week since I’d properly seen Chris in person. I knew he was lurking around Congress somewhere, interviewing as many of my colleagues as he could and making every connection possible, but I didn’t get out of my office very often. In fact, it was usually in between committees that I’d see him running down the hall to catch up with someone before their next meeting. Something inside of me, call it my fight or flight response or good old cowardice, always pulled my feet to take me out of his sight, ducking into a bathroom or behind another corridor’s wall. My heart would race until his voice, asking when he could squeeze into someone’s calendar for only half an hour or if they’d be more comfortable chatting over coffee before jumping in front of the camera, faded as he walked away. 

I wasn’t sure exactly why, but seeing Chris in person made me debilitatingly nervous in a way that messaging him never did. It was easy, the manageable way my stomach flip-flopped when the three little dots indicated he was texting me. But when he looked at me, like really looked at me like he was listening to the lilt in my voice as well as the twitching tick in the corner of my eye? Forgetting what I was saying when he scratched his beard contemplatively or loosened his tie? That made me feel like I was about to toss up my last meal. 

At least I thought I was safe within the walls of my own office, but it wasn’t a sanctuary for long. One day, right before lunch, Chris sent me a very odd text. My eyes were downcast, reading over a bill for the second time and trying to highlight the parts I wanted to edit when my phone buzzed. With my break nearing and my brain growing too fuzzy to make much sense of the convoluted document, I caved into the distraction.

Not to be a creep, but green’s definitely your color.

My gaze drifted even further down to the pine-colored pantsuit I’d picked for the day, feeling that tingle in my spine that only watching-eyes could bring. My eyes shot up, searching and failing to find Chris anywhere in my office. Then I caught the twinkle of his mischievous blue eye behind the crack in my door.

“Should’ve seen your face,” he laughed with a wide grin that made his crow’s feet more pronounced as my tense muscles relaxed. I rolled my eyes, but my smile gave me away as I swore I’d get him back when he least expected it. 

“How’d you know I was even available?” I spluttered, caught totally off guard by his presence. My words were muffled by the marker cap stuck between my teeth, but it didn’t bother Chris who sauntered over to the seat across from me like he owned the place, his plaid blue suit hugging his hips immaculately. He took off his jacket and hung it over his seat as if he’d done in a million times before, revealing a starched white shirt with buttons that strained when he took a seat.

“We talk for this hour every day, figured it was when you scheduled lunch,” Chris retorted with a shrug, taking his tie off and undoing his shirt by a couple buttons to make himself comfortable. “So I brought you something better to chew on than that highlighter.” He dropped a bag from the restaurant I recommended the first time we met onto my desk in between us. 

It dropped from my lips as I ogled I the bag and then Chris again before lunging for it, distributing our meals, drinks, and silverware. Anything to distract myself from the way his forearms flexed as he rolled up his sleeves and placate the burning blush of my cheeks.

We were halfway through lunch, too busy stuffing our faces to talk very much, when I finally broke the silence. My curiosity was eating away at me like it was on break too. “What’s got you in my neck of the woods anyway?”

Chris dropped his salad to the table as he chewed, silently holding a pointer finger up to ask for a minute as he fished around his coat pocket. Letting out a satisfied hum as he found whatever he was looking for, he pulled a white envelope in between his fingers. Chris stretched across the desk toward me and I held my breath as he reached behind my head so I wouldn’t drown in his intoxicating smell, an impossible mix of fresh air and lavish cologne. I averted my eyes to the ceiling, trying to save Chris some modesty by not gawking down his open shirt while he tugged a pen out of my bun. I only caught a glimpse of the course, dark hair smattered across his chest, accentuating the soft curves of his pronounced muscle, but it certainly made me sweat like a sinner in church. It seemed to last an excruciatingly lustful eternity before he leaned back. 

My hair sagged, partially held up by the utensil resting lazily in his hand as he scribbled along the front of the envelope. The tip of his tongue peeked out of the corner of Chris’s mouth when he focused and his eyebrows dropped dangerously low as they furrowed.

“There are pens right in front of you,” I pointed out, trying to make sense of what just happened. Chris only shrugged and changed the subject.

“Sorry, I almost forgot,” he said, shoving the pen that’d been in my hair with the others. “I wanted to hand-deliver this to you.” Chris slid the envelope to my side of the desk. He’d written my name in his chicken scratch’s best excuse for cursive, but other than that it was rather plain.

“What’s this?” I asked, giving Chris a cautioned look. He slouched back in his seat, balancing his salad on his knee while shrugging and looking down at his food, pushing cherry tomatoes around his cucumbers as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

“If I told you, wouldn’t that defeat the whole purpose?” he countered, staring up at me through his long, dark lashes. I only nodded since I didn’t trust my voice too much not to break when he looked at me like that. Like he was the one who was nervous, as if I was the one in dangerously close proximity.

I reached to take the only other thing holding my haphazard bun together, my letter opener, which unraveled my hair completely. As it fell across my shoulders, Chris took a sharp intake of breath, shifting in his seat suspiciously. I eyed him with curiosity as I opened the envelope before focusing on its contents.

“It’s next weekend. I’m sorry it’s last minute, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all week now. You’re an awfully hard person to pin down,” Chris explained as I delicately unfolded my invitation to his gala. “Your receptionist, we’ve gotten to know each other well. She always says you’re in a meeting or a little too busy to be bothered, but… if’m honest, I can’t help feeling a little avoided.”

My gaze lifted to him, seeing how his broad shoulders folded inward like he was about to collapse into an anxious origami of his former self. His hands wrung in his lap and I realized he must’ve been highly strung after all. 

“Nothing like that,” I lied in a soft voice, trying to catch him before he crash-landed. Well, it was partially true. I mean, I was steering clear of Chris, but not for any of the reasons it seemed he suspected. My receptionist, being one of my closest friends in this city, knew the nature of my feelings for Chris and probably decided it’d be in my best interest to put some distance between us. “It’s just been really hectic around here lately. I’ll make up for it at the gala, promise.” I tried to smile encouragingly.

It seemed to connect with Chris as his own stretched across his cheeks. “In that case, well, I was-” Chris stopped to clear his throat, head tilted as if he was trying to put himself together with an internal pep talk. “I was hoping maybe, if you want to, you’d be my plus one?” 

My fork clattered to the tabletop as I stuttered with shock. I felt like a machine missing a piece, something small like a gear, something that made my place in this not make very much sense. I mean, I wasn’t his girlfriend, shouldn’t he be asking her?  It seemed too good to be true, Chris offering to tote around such a public event, in front of the other members of Congress nonetheless, with me on his arm. Matching his tie to my dress, posing for pictures together, walking me to my door with my heels in his hand and his coat around my shoulders after a long night. It just couldn’t be what he meant.

“Only, uh, again it’s only if you want to. Really, I don’t want you to feel any obligation,” Chris started to backtrack, running an anxious hand through his slicked-back hair. “I mean, if you haven’t got other plans already, of course, I thought it might be- I don’t know. Could be fun, is what I’m trying to say.” He started talking with his hands, waving them frantically and nearly knocking my pens over. Chris huffed as he straightened their jar, eyebrows raised as he retracted his hands back to his lap.

“I think it would be too,” I admitted, chewing my bottom lip. Despite my better judgment, I told Chris I’d go. After all, he made it clear it wasn’t a date based on his fevered reaction, trying to clarify his offer to make sure I didn’t misunderstand his intentions. Plus, a night with Chris did really seem like it’d be a nice break from the stressors of my weekdays and the dullness of my days off, especially considering I wanted to make the most of his time here before he had to jet back to L.A. At least for one night, I could indulge in playing a guilty game of pretend.

“That’s just…” Chris sighed, a relieved smile gracing his lips as he collapsed back into his chair. He closed his eyes, allowing a little bit of peace to wash over him with the worst of this conversation being over. “Great. That’s great, thank you. I’ll pick you up at 8,” he said, although it came out more like a question. “God, let’s hope I’ll be better at asking people for money than that,” Chris joked as he laughed through a sigh. 

“And if not,” I said, raising my bottle of iced tea for Chris to cheers, “that’s why you have me.” Chris smiled in thanks as his drink met mine with a gentle tap, a quiet pause ensuing our swig.

“That’s not all you’re good for,” Chris commented, his head tilted as he looked at me. He maintained a crooked grin as he eyed me from across the desk. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a look of admiration.

“You’re right,” I confirmed before taking another bite. ‘Oh, really?’ Chris challenged silently with a raise of his eyebrows. “Mhm,” I mumbled. “I can also stuff enough little appetizers wrapped in napkins to feed a militia into my purse in case the main course sucks.”

That earned a laugh from Chris, the kind that stemmed from the bottom of his belly and nearly caused him to choke on his lunch. His hand rose to the left of his chest as he threw his head back, absolutely relishing in it to the point where it was infectious. I wasn’t even the one who thought it was funny, but I couldn’t help grinning so big it made my cheeks hurt. A part of me I tried to shove down the thought that I could get used to hearing that laugh, the pride pulling it out of Chris brought.

I wished I could’ve bottled up that feeling, the utter confidence I felt in that moment, and taken a shot of it while I waited for Chris that night. Probably would’ve burned less than the liquid courage I’d tried to emulate it. I looked myself over in the hall mirror for the hundredth time as I waited, trying to do anything other than count the seconds he was late by. 

I wore a long tulle dress with one shoulder and a ribbon cinching the smallest part of my waist. It was a shade of green a bit lighter than the suit Chris liked on me and, considering we were going as nothing more than friends, I tried to push the thought of whether or not he’d like this better far out of my mind. Tried, being the operative word.

I stood there, examining myself in the mirror with a cocked head, when a knock out of nowhere startled me. I ran my hand through my hair quickly, trying to break up the curls so it didn’t look I’d tried as hard as I did, before answering the door. “Hi,” I breathed the word, looking Chris up and down. He wore a simple black and white tux with a bowtie, something I wouldn’t have pegged for, but it was a pleasant surprise. 

“You’re…” Chris’s eyes roamed my body from head to toe, taking me in as he held his arms out wide like he was standing before some great sight like the grand canyon instead of me, standing awkwardly and over-dressed for my living room. His cheeks puffed out as his eyes grew wide, meeting my gaze with a wide smile. “Gorgeous,” he concluded, saying it like the word wasn’t enough. Smiling like it wasn’t wide enough. “Tell me again how I got lucky enough to even stand in your shadow?” Chris asked jokingly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I rolled my eyes and stepped out to meet him, closing the door behind me. “Don’t kid yourself, Evans. You’re not one to talk in that suit,” I returned the compliment, hoping it was dark enough that he couldn’t see the firetruck shade of red it felt like my whole face turned in a furious blush.

Chris extended a hand to me, offering to lead me down the steps to his car. I took it, eyes cast down partially to watch my step in these heels, but also because I don’t think I could bear to look him in the eye while I was thinking such unsavory things about the way the jacket hugged his bicep, how perfectly the slim-fitting pants were tailored to his thighs…

“No way,” Chris dismissed my compliment, pulling me from my thoughts. “I look like a penguin.” We reached his car and he held open the passenger door for me, but I hesitated to get in. Instead, I just stared at him with my jaw hovering maybe an inch or two from the asphalt.

“Well, then, I guess it’s a good thing they’re my favorite animal,” I said as I composed myself, gathering my skirt before sliding into the front seat. Chris shut the door, but leaned against the open window instead of walking to his side. 

“With the way you’re looking at me, there’s a joke in there about some beastiality implications,” he quipped, his tongue-in-cheek humor coupled with the callout catching me completely off guard. I gaped at him for a beat too long before I started stammering, trying to come up with some sort of apology coupled with an excuse. Chris only stood there with this goofy smile as he said, “But I’m certainly too decent to make it.”

“I’m not looking at you in any sort of way,” I told him matter of factly, crossing my arms over my chest and tilting my chin up righteously. The last thing I needed was Chris thinking I was undressing him with my eyes, even if there was a sliver of a fraction of truth to it. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or have him mention something to his girlfriend and raise her suspicions.

“I know, it was just a bad joke,” he reassured me. I relaxed then, until Chris’s hand reached to comfortably to rest over mine as if holding hands was something we did all the time, giving me a gentle squeeze to say it was alright, but then he didn’t let go. I tensed, staring at his hand as if it was a bug that suddenly landed on me instead of an act of affection. Chris didn’t notice, keeping his eyes on the road, until my brain caught up with my racing heart and I pulled away from him.

“What’re you up to, Evans?” I asked, although it sounded a lot more like an accusation. I certainly didn’t plan on being his “other woman” in D.C. while his girlfriend had no clue all the way in California. Chris gave me this glance in between green lights, a confused furrowed brow and pursed lips like he was focusing on figuring out what just happened, that made me nervous I was being hypervigilant.

“Nothing. I’m sorry,” he said smally, adding that he didn’t mean to make me feel uncomfortable under his breath, clearly taken aback by my reaction. It became evident that he hadn’t been trying anything with me, that I really just misinterpreted his intentions by a long shot, so I apologized too.

The rest of the drive was painfully quiet, until we pulled up to the venue. Between Chris’s famous friends and some of the country’s most prominent politicians attending the gala, I should’ve expected the plethora of paparazzi waiting outside, lining the entrance and snapping shots before the car doors even cracked open.

Chris parked and climbed out of his door, asking if I could wait for him to open mine. I nodded, feeling a bit guilty that he needed to ask if I was okay with the simplest gestures now. As if it wasn’t the most achingly awkward drive of our lives, Chris tossed his keys to the valet and helped me out. He stuck his hand in his pocket, but I reached to wrap my arm around his.

Chris’s eyebrows perked up in surprise as his eyes snapped to mine, looking for some sort of assurance that this was alright so I nodded encouragingly, tugging us by our interlocked arms toward the entrance. While we walked through the alley of reporters, all taking pictures with bright flashes and shouting questions as Chris and I drew closer, I felt his muscles tighten as he grew tense. I snaked my arm up his, rubbing his bicep with the hope of helping him relax, but it only fueled the roar of inquiries thrown at us.

One member of the press, an older man who looked like he’d spent far too long in all sorts of seedy establishments, jumped forward with so much force he nearly caused the barricade holding them back to topple. He bumped into Chris, grabbing his attention as his forehead wrinkled with discontent and his lips turned down in a frown. 

Instead of apologizing, the pap took the opportunity to shove a microphone in Chris’s face. “Who’s your date tonight, Mr. Evans?” he asked, voice crackling with years of smoking damage. I turned away from his camera instinctively, only to be met with a barrage of other blinding flashes from the opposite side. “We’ve heard from reliable sources that you’re taken, so who is this girl supposed to be?”

At the mention of his girlfriend, it felt like a rock had dropped off a cliff and plummeted to the pit of my stomach. Of course, everyone else knew he already spoken for, too. The press was never kind, especially to politicians, so I’d gotten used to the tabloids and right-wing sources disparaging comments. However, knowing TMZ and the lot would be picking apart my intense blush, the look in my eyes I couldn’t hide around Chris, the tight grip I held onto him with, it wasn’t something I was prepared for. I didn’t need speculative news to plant any ideas in Chris’s head, or his girlfriend’s for that matter. As badly as I may want it, nothing was going on between us. The rest of the world didn’t need to think there was.

Chris scoffed, muttering that his relationship status wasn’t any of their business. “Especially at a political event, I shouldn’t have to tell you to fact-check your sources. That’s blatantly untrue, her and I haven’t even spoken since that premier months ago,” Chris chided, nearing a snarl. He must’ve been so fed up with those rumors by now, especially if it wasn’t true.

Wait, it wasn’t true?

We took a few steps away, posing for some more pictures from other reporters as we turned our backs to that unbridled pap. “Were you being honest back there, when you said you weren’t dating your co-star, I mean?” I asked Chris, barely in a whisper as I tried to keep the conversation between us. Even just the small bit of hope that I could actually have a chance felt too big for my chest, filling me up until it felt like I was about to burst.

“Of course it is. I wouldn’t have taken you on this date if I was with someone else,” Chris said like it was obvious. We took another couple steps and posed, Chris’s smile appearing much more like a grimace.

“This is a date?” I shot back with so much perplexion it elicited a laugh from Chris, barely able to process the rest of it.

“Mhm, if you’re alright with that,” Chris hummed, staring down at me with an inclined eyebrow and a patient partial smile. He paused to shoot the paparazzi another supposed-to-be smile that made him look more pained than anything. “I’ve been trying to build up the courage to ask you out since we met. Thought this was as good a time as any, considering the free dinner,” he elaborated with wiggling eyebrows, taking a few more steps.

The pictures that came out of that moment are not my best, to say the least. The one where I’m slapping Chris’s shoulder, yelling at him for not being nearly clear enough and ruining what could’ve been a perfectly good hand-holding moment with his ambiguity, looking like I’d smite him if I could was his phone’s home screen for far too long.

“I’m sorry,” he said, although his laughter implied completely otherwise. “I thought you knew. I mean, I did ask you to be my date.” Chris shrugged, shuffling down the carpet a little more. 

I shook my head, still gaping at him with shock. “No,” I emphasized, all but wagging my finger as I scolded him. “You asked me to be your plus one. When I bring a plus one to a wedding, it’s my best friend and our very own bottle of wine. But when I have a date, I bring- I don’t know, condoms instead.” 

“I hate to break it to you,” Chris started, sounding awfully naughty in his endearing sort of way. “But would it be insulting if I said I slipped one of those into my wallet just in case? I’ll give you a hint,” he leaned down, tickling my cheek’s sensitive skin with his beard as he whispered gruffly, “the wine wouldn’t fit.” Chris laughed again when he pulled away, finding my astonishment so funny he utterly guffawed until his eyes squeezed shut and he was nearly doubled over.

“You are unbelievable,” I said, feeling terribly light-headed as if I’d forgotten to breathe, which I probably did. All I managed to do was smile at him with everything I had, my lips and my eyes and my whole soul started beaming.

“Really, though,” Chris said with a sudden seriousness as he caught his breath after his laughter subsided. We turned to face the other half of the press as he took his hand out of his pocket, wrapping it around my waist and tugging me into his side. I think he may have just wanted to speak quietly enough that our conversation remained private amidst the many recording devices. “I just want to be clear this time. You do want to go out with me?” he asked, imploring me to be honest, reassuring me that there was no pressure.

“Only since I met you,” I confessed, feeling like a heavy weight left my chest for the first time in a week. “I really like you. I just- My intern told me something and then it was all over every gossip column. God, it sounds so stupid now, but I really thought you had a girlfriend.”

We posed for a picture where I leaned my head on Chris’s chest, just in the slightest. Now that I could express it, to everyone else, including Chris, I wasn’t going to waste a moment of showing exactly how I felt about him.

Chris chuckled with a rumble that made my head vibrate against his chest, wrapping his arm around my shoulders in a half-hug as he pulled me closer and said, “I’m hoping I will soon.” I looked up at him, not entirely sure how to respond. After all, I’d been hoping- no, dreaming of hearing him say something to that extent for what felt like forever. He winked at me and, for a moment, every shouting reporter and every camera flare ceased to exist.

Then the reporter who’d berated Chris earlier caught up to us, shoving through the length of the barricade to get our attention again. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with Chris’s response. “So who’s this new girl, then? Another movie promotion project?” he sneered, reaching as far as he could to get the mic back in Chris’s face. He only rolled his eyes and shuffled down a little farther, hoping we would be left alone. We seemed to be in the clear, almost to the gala’s entrance, when the pap spoke up again. “Maybe another charity case, then? Definitely a downgrade in arm candy!”

Chris stopped dead in his tracks, causing me to fall back to his side when I tried to race forward without letting him go. “Come on,” I urged him. “He just wants a rise out of you. It doesn’t bother me, they’ve said worse. Let’s just head in,” I begged, only wanting to escape the onslaught of reporters and get out of the limelight if only for the night. We could deal with the gossip in the morning, but, right now, Chris didn’t need to cause any more incited trouble.

Instead, Chris didn’t budge toward the door by an inch. I nearly stomped my foot trying to bargain with him, but Chris only gave me this look like he was apologizing for something that hadn’t happened yet. The harsh, angry lines carved into his features that may as well have been sculpted from marble softened and his stone-cold gaze warmed as he looked at me for a split second before his head snapped to the reporter.

“You want a headline?” Chris challenged the reporter. He hesitated for a moment, eyes darting between Chris and I, before nodding eagerly and jutting his microphone further into his face. 

Chris cleared his throat dramatically. “She,” he said, gesturing a lazy hand to me. I smiled and waved awkwardly, entirely unsure of where this was going. “She is my intelligent, beautiful, successful, kind, funny, incredible date,” Chris paused to give me a pointed look, “who is in no way attached to any of my work, charity or otherwise,” he spoke from low in his throat, stopping again to shoot the reporter daggers before turning back to the camera with a dauntingly serious glare, just daring someone to even think any less. 

“She, however, does a lot of amazing work for her city and this country. Amazingly, all on her very own!” Chris’s mouth gaped with mock bewilderment before he started laughing again, unable to take any of this seriously. “Report about that. Now, I’m sure you have plenty of questions,” Chris said, raising his hands in self-defense and shaking his head with a tight-lipped, roguish grin. “Since you guys love using your sources so much, Google New York’s 9th congressional district representative. I’m sure you’ll find that she’s a lot more interesting than calling her ‘arm candy’ implies, although she’s awfully good at that, too.” Chris shot me a wink, his scowl morphing into a smirk. If the mic had been in his hand, I’m sure he would’ve dropped it just for the dramatic flare.

For once, the media seemed to be stunned to silence, allowing us to make our grand escape without interruption. I grabbed Chris by his lapels, for the first time in however long, I could remember completely disregarding the cameras and microphones pointed in my direction. Instead of worrying about my image or what anyone other than myself would think, I was overcome with one desire. 

I pulled him in for a kiss as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then, right under the harsh lights of the red carpet, we melted together. My hands started at his cheeks and then snaked around to the nape of his neck, pressing Chris impossibly closer to me. His rested at the small of my back as he dipped me, bending into the kiss and holding me tight like I was about to vanish into thin air. 

We shared a tender glance when we broke apart before Chris cracked a smile. He jokingly bowed and held his hand out to me as he said, “If that doesn’t prove how I feel about you, I don’t know what will.” I rolled my eyes as I wrapped my hand around his gratefully, hoping with every bit of me after our fingers intertwined that he’d never let go this time.

Tags: @patzammit​ , @thegetawaywriter​ , @coffeebooksandfandom​ , @captainsteveevans​ , @intrepidandabitcrazy​ , @super100012​ , @spilledinkindumpster​ , @torntaltos , @amiquette

[literarydissection-blog]

Captain Supermarket

Chris Evans x Reader

Author’s Note: As requested by my wife. As always, my inbox is always open for requests.

Word Count: 766

Warnings: Mentions of Fondue

Summary: You’re making plans with your boyfriend at the supermarket.

Captain Supermarket.

At least that’s what you muttered as you walked through your local grocery chain, boyfriend in tow. Occasionally, a gaggle of teenage girls—accompanied by a flock of teenage boys that were trying to pretend they were unaffected—would approach and say hello. They’d ask for autographs and selfies, and eventually, they’d leave you alone. 

Chris didn’t mind. He even enjoyed it to an extent, but he always wore sunglasses and a hat if he was hoping to go incognito. You would never admit it out loud, but most of the time it worked like a charm.

This was one of those times.

Betty, a lovely old cashier with a Mrs. Claus charm, greeted you as you walked in. Chris leaned securely on the basket with the weird wheel he always seemed to manage to acquire, and you clung to the agreed upon shopping list for dear life. Last time you deviated from the list, Taco Tuesday became Taco week and as much as you love tacos, too much of a good thing and all that.

“So,” he began with a straight face, “come here often?”

You cast a side-eye in his general direction and then visibly rolled your eyes when he was looking. Attempting to fight against the grin that was already pulling at the corner of your lips, you idly grabbed a bushel of bananas to put in the cart.

“Probably. Depends on who wants to know.”

You placed the bananas in the basket and stared up at him. His posture automatically straightening as he put on his best costume face. “Ma’am, do you know who I am?”

“You better say Captain Supermarket because Captain American bought 13 different flavored dog biscuits for a certain pup who shall not be named.”

Steve Rodgers had vacated the building faster than you had previously thought possible and Chris was back. Shocked at your accusation as he leaned back with his hand over his left peck as he stood in mock indignation.

“Dodger needed those treats!”

“And I needed that milk you forgot.” You couldn’t help it as the smile broke through the small balloon of annoyance.

He started grinning, adjusting his glasses away from his eyes so he could see you a bit better. Nudging you a little with his hip as he walked by, the list in your hand—plucked away as if you were holding it for this purpose.

Reciting the list back to you, he leaned against the metal rail of the produce line and waved the list around. “I’m not seeing anything exciting here.”

Squeaky basket be damned, you headed over there, and even though he was a bit taller than you, the list was once again yours. “You aren’t home for long, and I’d rather do a few mundane things with you and save some energy so you can relax a bit.”

“Relax a bit? Like at a bar night?”

You went back to the basket, “Bar night?”

“Maybe some smooth karaoke, a few drinks, and who knows.”

“Fondue?” You finished for him.

“It’s like you can read my mind.”

You laughed, “It’s not your mind I’m reading.”

He walked up beside you and brushed his lips against your temple. It was brief and fleeting, and the warmth of his arm around your waist made shopping seem so trivial, but being cursed to 109 years of shopping wouldn’t have been so bad with Captain Supermarket by your side.

“Okay.” You said, shaking him off. Waving the list in the air frantically. “Bad karaoke, drinks, and maybe some fondue, but only if you can behave and help me find everything on this list.”

He nodded and took another glance at the list, this time from over your shoulder.

“Hey, can we add some ice cream?”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head. Following as he helped gather the household supplies.

Fleeting as they were, these precious moments meant more than anything. You didn’t have the glory of bickering daily or the warmth of a gentle kiss that meant more than anything else you said all day. These fleeting moments meant the world.

“Have a great day honey!” Betty said after ringing you up. You realized your mind had been stuck on Chris for a moment and you’d gone into a bit of a trance. It was almost like she knew because as Chris started packing away the groceries, the old woman leaned over and smiled. “They don’t stay young forever.”

“I know.”

“Take care. Both of you.” She smiled, and then you left with your boyfriend in tow.

[askyourfavouriteotp]

8th August - Robbie and Chris’s 1st Birthday Party

.

“Rawr! I will get you, you little goblin!”

*Robbie runs away and squeals*

“Steve, I thought we agreed that if you won’t help me to set up everything for our kids' first birthday party, you would at least not get in my way.”

“Hey, I am helping. I am keeping kids occupied. And stop worrying! Everything looks great, you did an amazing job with that Prince and Princess themed party!”

.

“Don’t sugar coat me. You were supposed to give them a bath and change them.”

“Well, dirty kids are happy kids, right?”

“...”

“Uh oh... Chris, help me here.”

*Steve talks in a high pitched voice* “Everything will be okay, mommy. Don’t worry. We love you!”

“That’s not fun---” *starts laughing*

“Seems that it is. And I think that first guests arrived earlier!”

*Knocking on the door*

“Hey, Steve got some gifts for the munchkins.”

“And I brought Anastasia over for Chris and Robbie. Haha, you should have seen your face Tony come on I’m not that reckless.” *He rushes over to Robbie and wrinkles his nose.* “Robbie what did you get into?”

“Wow, Tony you did a good arrangement with the sweets. Where do you want the presents?”

*twins are happy to see their uncles, Robbie blabs as if telling a story to Bucky*

“Oh my God, does Robbie smell? STEVE! Why does Robbie smell?!”

“Calm down, she doesn’t smell. You know that Bucky has a sense of smell like a hunting dog. But seeing that you are here earlier, how about giving your favorite niece and nephew a bath?”

“Sam, you can put them at the table in the corner.”

“And then you can help Tony with the rest of decorating!”

“Can you not push your kids’ responsibilities on others? Fudging lazy butt.”

“Oooh. I love when you curse at me in a baby-friendly way. Being married with kids is so much fun. 10/10 would recommend.”

“I don’t mind giving the munchkins a bath. She probably just made a big boom boom. Like really Steve what do you feed her. Something so small makes bigger mounds than Anastasia.” *He laughs carrying both babies to get washed*

“Tony calm down and let me help you with the decorations.” *He places the gifts where Tony asks.* “Alright tell me what you need and where. It looks good already. You did a great job.”

*meanwhile Bucky is bathing the babies*

.

“Aww you having fun splashing Becky.”

*Another set of knocking on the door* 

“Hey! Tony, Steve, it’s... Hi!” *Looks over them before hugging them* “God, I’ve missed you two. It’s been a while. Everything looks wonderful! Wow. I can take pictures! I brought my camera bag.”

“Hello superdaddies. We come bearing presents for the little prince and princess. And two apology cards. Wait, double that. There’s two for Sam and Bucky, too.” *whispers* This is a great way to start a party.

.

“Uh, Wade, my love, darling, light of my life. What the hell are these?”

“Ohshit. I grabbed the wrong cards... They were releasing steam cards and... I am so sorry everyone. Hopefully you can laugh at them?” *Quickly* “Or take frustrations out on me because I was dumb and careless.” 

“Those are great. We will frame them and put on the fireplace for everyone to see.”

“Love to Russel and Ellie. Too bad they couldn’t come. SAM! Ballons on the right! On the other right! And where is Bucky with my kids?!”

“Tony will you calm down. I don't have to help you. And Bucky is giving both of them a bath or don’t you remember.” *Sam places the balloons correctly before looking at the card and laughs.* “Real cute kid Wade. They get that sarcasm from you or Peter.”

*Bucky brings the twins back out from getting a bath* “Hey Wade and Peter glad you could make it.”

“I’m really glad we could make it, too. Everything is great. Perfect and peachy keen.”

“Aww, is someone moody because he’s worried his superdads are still mad at him when they laughed at the cards and are okay?”

“...”

“Okay, yeah. Drink this and eat uh... *Pulls a GoGo Squeeze out of his pocket*. Apple grape, you’ll feel better in a bit. Hi, Bucky. How’s it going? The kids look all squeaky clean.”

“Oh my gosh, Pete, relax. I am practically invincible to such drama after what you put me through when I was mentoring you. If you take nice pictures today, I might not tell those stories to your husband. And there are my little muffins. Time for daddy to dress in your pretty clothes. Steve, hold the fort!” *takes babies from Bucky* “Thanks, Buck.”

“Yes, sir!”

"Oh hey, guys! Sorry, are we late? Vision almost forgot the gifts for the twins. Where are my favourite niece and nephew?”

"Hello. It's great seeing everyone together again. How are the babies doing?" *places the gifts on the table next to the others* 

"Wow, you've really outdone yourself with the cakes and decoration. It's beautiful! We also have a small gift for you and Tony."

“Hello everyone! Hope we aren’t late for the party, traveling by magic isn’t the most convenient thing in the world.”

“Well at least we made it. So good to see you all again! We brought gift’s for the little one’s from Camelot. Hopefully they will like them even though they aren’t modern.”

“Hey gang! I come bearing gifts and two lovely people are with me. *whispers* Head’s up, Matt may or may not have a slight concussion so if he’s acting off.” *Just nods*

“Hello! Happy birthday, Chris and Robbie! It’s so good to see all of you! And non modern gifts are awesome if you ask me. Wow, these decorations are. Wow. Tony, you’re really good at this and parties. Best birthday party ever.”

*Matt just waves* “Hi everyone. ... The food smells good.”

“Hi, team! Make yourself at home. And thanks for the gifts, Wanda and Vis. It is nice to get something, recently our kids get all the good stuff! And mine and Tony’s wedding anniversary is coming, so thanks for thinking about us.”

.

‘‘We thought it would be nice for your anniversary indeed. I hope you like them.’‘

‘‘Of course, Captain. How could we ever forget about you? I also do hope Tony doesn’t get too upset that we chose to put his birthdate on it.’‘

“Aw, thanks, guys. Well, Tony knows how old is he, he will survive, I think... I am glad you all could come. We don’t have a lot of occasions to hang out together--”

*interrupts Steve* “Oh, hey, everyone is here already! Attention, please! I introduce to you Princess Roberta Margaret and Prince Christopher Edwin Stark-Rogers.” *walks in with the twins*

*Robbie cooes looking at her uncles and aunts*

*Chris is fidgeting, not liking his clothes*

“Tony... Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“What? They chose those clothes on their own. I think they look adorable. Peter, I hope you are taking photos.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Stark.”

“Well I think they look quite adorable. Poor Chris doesn’t seem to like it though.”

“He still looks dashing. Next time we visit i’ll have some fine clothes made for them, they will look like real royalty. Even though little Robbie seems to already know she is a princess.” *chuckles*

*Robbie sees Arthur and doesn’t let her eyes off him*

“Uh oh. Seems that Robbie still has a crush on Arthur.”

“Seems so. Wonder how uncle Bucky will ever survive being his goddaughter’s second favorite.”

*laughs* “Sorry, little one. You are lovely but I am spoken for. Also, I am very much too old for you.”

“She is so adorable, even though she is attempting to woo my love.” *laughs* “Here.” *he uses his magic to make a flower and give’s it to Robbie* “For the loveliest princess.”

*Robbie walks to Arthur to take the flower, blabbing happily*

“Now third favorite. I will need to have an eye on you, young lady.”

‘‘The twins look so adorable! Aww, come here Chris. I think you’re the cutest prince I’ve ever seen.’‘

‘‘Yeah, your daddy dressed you well, little prince.’‘

*Chris goes to play with Wanda and Vision, giggling happily*

“Hey just cause I cleaned up her number two doesn’t mean I’m the number two godfather. Seriously you won’t think she’s so cute when you witness one of those.”

“Aww poor Chris stuck in a suit. I bet you’d rather be running with just a diaper on.”

“Did you just say that my baby girl isn’t cute?”

“Aw, look at Chris being all happy with aunt Wanda and uncle Vision.”

*Chris blows kisses at Wanda and Karen*

“... Why both of my babies are flirting. Tony, I blame you.”

*looks up from camera screen, laughing* “Make sure there’s some blame in there for you too, Steve. I bet they watch you two flirt all the time.”

“What? Flirting isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It means they have a lot of love to share and that maybe they see the good in everyone.” *smiles at Robbie and Chris, mumbling something to himself*

*twins blab to Wade*

“They’re charismatic. It’s a good skill to have and it will definitely come in handy for them when they’re older.” 

“All I’m saying is she makes bigger boom booms than Anastasia. Otherwise she’s cute and a trouble maker but she gets that from both of you.”

“But like Matt said they’re both charming and have you both wrapped around their finger.“

“Looks like that skill is already more handy to them than you thought, Matt. But that’s alright, right Chris?”

“I think Steve and Tony play a role of their own in that, too. They’d do anything for these guys. They’re awesome, loving parents, and some of the best I know.”

“Cheers to Robbie and Chris!”

Happy 1st Birthday, Robbie and Chris!

[nanowrimo2k18blog]

Chapter 4: The Plot Actually Starts to Move

I somehow found myself more and more on that little dock, sometimes with a sketchpad, sometimes with a book, and sometimes with nothing at all but my thoughts. I had gotten used to the idea of swinging my bare feet over the glassy surface. I figured that as long as it was sunny and warm, nothing would try to eat my toes without me noticing it first.

I hoped so, anyway.

That was a thought I didn't dwell on. 

The conch shell hadn't come off my being since the day I first put it on. It felt like it belonged around my neck, and to take it off would be a crime. Sometimes I wondered about it's previous owner, KC. I wondered if they were nice, if they had a dog, if they were searching for their necklace.

If I found them, I wasn't sure I would be able to part with it.

Three months passed, and the season changed from rainy to windy. Going outside could be risky; the item you're holding tight in your hand could suddenly be whisked away into the aether with no hope to get it back. Many a child had lost a balloon in this season.

One particularly blustery morning, I woke up to my mom banging around angrily in the kitchen. Whenever she was mad or stressed, she turned to making her own percussion band in the kitchen.

I winced as I climbed out of my loft bed, sliding down the ladder to the soft carpet. Those clangs didn't sound comforting.

"Are you okay?" I squinted, my eyes trying to adjust as my mother scurried around in her safe space.

"No. I'm stressed as heck. If you don't need anything, then scoot."

Yikes.

I tiptoed around her, trying to decide if I should ask what was stressing her.

Fiddling with the wrapper around my muffin, I dared to say, "What's stressing you?"

My mother didn't stop chopping the garlic clove. "I have to go into work early, I'm so far behind on some commissions its not even funny. Your grandmother keeps harping on me about stupid stuff. It's a lot of things, America. It's tough being a mom."

Tell me something I didn't know. "I'll stay out of your way, then."

"Have a good day."

I scurried from the kitchen to the garage, where the toxic fumes from paint roughly greeted me.  Wolfing down my breakfast, I checked to see how my paintings were drying. Somewhere fully dried and some were still tacky. 

When I went back up to my room to get dressed for the day, I found that I had missed a call from Ethan. Which was weird in and of itself, because he always texted me.

I called him back. "What's up?"

"Hey, are you busy today?" He sounded nervous.

"Not really. Why?" I cradled my phone on my shoulder as I wiggled into my skinny jeans.

"I was thinking we could hang out today."

"Yeah of course. You didn't need to call for this, I thought something was wrong." I laughed.

"It would be just the two of us." He finished.

I froze as my mind tried to wrap around that. "Just us?"

"Yeah." Now I understood why he was so nervous.

"Are you sure that that's such a good idea? Gossip will fly faster than Dr. L can get drunk, and Dr. L is the biggest lightweight in town."

"I know. I just need to tell you something important and I don't want to drag Curly and Austin into it."

I ran my fingers through my hair, then accepted. "Okay. Sure. When and where?"

"I'll meet you at the corner of Fourth and Ace street. Five minutes?"

"Cool." I hung up, then stared at my reflection. 

What could he possibly want to tell me that was so secretive that only half of our group could know? And why me? I was already a social outcast in the town. I didn't want or need more people whispering about me.

Why was I an outcast, you might be wondering? Because this town is big on "perfect" families, or at the very least, perfect on the outside. That meant a mom and a dad and at least one kid. But it was just my mom and me. My dad...I didn't like to think about him. I wanted to believe he was out there, somewhere, living the dream, sailing and collecting treasure.

I shoved my feet into my boots and headed out, grabbing a sweatshirt on the way to the front door.

"I'm headed out!" I called.

"Be safe!" My mom called back.

That was a ritual we always shared. One of us leaving and the other wishing good fortune. It was something that made me feel warm and cozy.

I trudged to the other side of town, the wind wild and annoying. Ethan was waiting for me, his hands in his pockets and his head down as he leaned against the wall of the candy shop.

"What's this oh-so-secret thing you wanted to tell me?" I asked as he straightened.

"Come with me." He started walking.

His legs were long and I cursed them, having to walk double-time to keep up. "Could you maybe slow down just a hair?"

"No." He replied.

I glared at him. "I'm short."

"You're average."

"I'm shorter than you!"

He didn't grace me with a response.

"Grump." I mumbled under my breath.He took me back to the beach, where the gigantic bonfire had been. By now, all traces of it were gone, leaving only the sandy plains behind.

He plunked himself down where that log had been, and I lowered myself next to him in the scratchy sand. For a while he didn't say anything, just stared off into space. I played with the sand, creating new dips and curves and patterns as I waited.

"Lewis keeps pressuring me about the future." Lewis was his stepdad, the mayor of this dinky town. "He wants me to take over for him at some point."

I didn't say anything snarky, knowing he would shut down and this whole endeavor would have been pointless. I didn't say anything at all.

"But to do that..." He trailed off.

"You have to get married, or at least be dating someone seriously." I filled in for him.

He nodded. Both of us were quiet again, me waiting for him to say something, and him trying to work up the nerve to finally say why he had brought me here.

"If I had to be with someone like that...I would want it to be you."

I stopped drawing.

"Out of everyone I've met in town, every girl I know...none of them make me feel as comfortable as I do around you." Ethan was picking up speed and I was too dazed to really get a grip on what he was saying. "I feel like I can do whatever I want or say what's on my mind because I know you won't judge me or anything. I know this is the biggest curve out of left field but I wanted you to know."

I scrambled for something to say. "Oh." Was all that came to mind, and it felt lame. "So...are you asking because you like me or because you feel pressured?"

"Both? I've liked you for a while and I guess this was the push to make me say something." Ethan was still anxious, digging his hands into the sand and fiddling with the grainy substance.

"I don't...I don't know what to say." I was too overwhelmed, too bewildered, that to make a decision now would have consequences that I wasn't ready for.

"Think about it? I don't need a response today." He offered.

I could tell that he didn't want to wait, and I knew that waiting a while would be cruel. But... I didn't have an answer. "Yeah. Can I sleep on it?"

"Of course." He watched me stand up and dust myself off.

I smiled at him weakly. "I, uh, have things to do. I'll see you around. Oh, and Curly wanted us to hang out at her house this evening. You coming?"

"Yeah. Sure." He sighed.

I felt terrible, and quickly escaped as if running away from him would banish all the awkwardness. 

 ~!!~

I walked aimlessly around town, trying to figure out what I was going to tell Ethan. Yes or no? Yes or no? Yes because I liked him? The idea of dating him had been fleeting, when I was 15 and boy-crazy. No, because the idea just seemed weird, like I was dating my cousin? That seemed more likely. But if I dated him then both of our families would be happy...but would I be happy?

I heard cries of exclamation rise from the docks, and, my curiosity getting the better of my fear of the ocean, I wandered over. 

About three men were struggling with a fishing net and chattering among themselves. "Oh my god, it's disgusting. Look at it's eyes!!"

"What's going on?" I asked.

They all turned. "Ah, America! You're just in time! Look at what we caught!" One gestured grandly to the side of his boat.

I peeked at what they were looking at. Strapped to the boat, tangled up in the fishing net, was a mermaid. Long fingernails were desperately grappling at the net as it struggled to free itself. It bared sharp teeth at me when I bent a little closer. Milky, white eyes were panicked as it tried to free itself, only for the net to get tighter. It's tail was a silver color, but noticeably iridescent as the light reflected off of it. It was curled up awkwardly around it in almost a painful way. The overwhelming smell of fish nearly knocked me out, but I wasn't sure if it was from the mermaid or the fishing boat.

One of the fisherman clapped me on the shoulder, startling me. "Keep an eye on it, eh? We're going to go report to the mayor."

I blinked as they all strode away, laughing gaily amongst themselves. They knew how much money they would make off of a mermaid, and they obviously trusted that it wasn't going anywhere. Why would they worry? It was tied down and I never even dipped my toes into the water. As far as they were concerned, the money was theirs.

I turned back to the pitiful creature. It had stopped struggling, and I could tell that the net was so tight it could barely breathe. I had almost convinced myself that if it was stupid enough to get itself caught, then who cares where it ended up when it wheezed out a "please."

All my tough-girl thinking fell away, and I came face to face with the fact that it was going to die if I didn't do something. It needed help, and for me to walk away would be cruel. 

But, the ocean. What else was down there? What if, as soon as it was freed, it dragged me down into the pitch blackness? The idea of it was so scary I could barely breathe.

But so couldn't it. The breaths it took were squeaky, wheezing, strangled noises that it hurt me to hear them. The net was leaving bright red marks on it's fair skin that hurt just to look at.

"Okay. Okay. I just..." Plunging myself into the water was more than I could bear.

I thought I was actually dying when I tugged off my shoes. Actually losing my mind when I slid into the cold water. The icy numbness shocked my brain, and all I could do for a moment was stare at the half-submerged creature, who stared back at me with apparent helplessness. I doggy-paddled over, tangled my own feet in the netting and worked to untangle the knots that kept it bound to the boat. My breathing was so irregular it was a miracle I had any air in my lungs at all. Up close, I could tell that it wasn't female like I had first thought, but rather, a male. 

"How did you get yourself into this mess?" I grumbled, trying to ground myself and not let my mind think about how I was a foot away from a merman, half submerged into my biggest fear.

"It's complicated." He replied, sharp, white teeth flashing, studying me with such intent that it made me feel wiggly.

"Stop staring." I said, still fighting with the knot.

He tried to look away, but there wasn't much to see, and he didn't really have pupils to really look in a different direction. At least he was trying to be polite.

The first knot was free. Bracing my feet on the side of the boat, I pulled as hard as I could on the net. It snapped, and the merman splashed free. I pulled away from the net and went fully under the water. I screamed when it reached for me, a garbled noise, too scared to do more than weakly flail in an attempt to fight it off. But all it did was clumsily put me back on the docks.

"Thank you." He whispered, then disappeared back under the waves.

I stared at the spot where it had vanished, salty water streaming into my eyes and making them water, before scrambling to my feet and fleeing from the scene of the crime. If those guys figured out what had happened I would be so screwed.

I was too rattled to come up with a good response when my mom asked me why I was dripping all over her hard floor.  "I slipped and fell into the ocean." I said weakly. "I'm a little traumatized."

[samsexualdeancurious]

Blind Love | Chapter 25

Pairing: Dean x Castiel

Words: 2,572

Story Summary: When Dean is blinded on a hunt, Cas loves him through it.

Chapter Summary: Dean’s birthday!

Betaed by @manawhaat​

Masterlist

Dean doesn’t have to miss his friends for long, because Cas decides he wants to throw a huge party for Dean’s birthday. Dean’s never really celebrated his birthday- not since he was little- and there have been some years when he’s missed it entirely. Use to be he would drag Sam to a restaurant and get a free dessert of some kind, or free drinks at a bar. That’s mostly stopped since he and Cas started dating- he prefers to spend the night in with his boyfriend, probably having sex of some kind. In short, a party is not Dean’s scene.

“Cas, you don’t have to do all this,” he insists for what must be the hundredth time. He’s lying upside down on the bed, socked feet up on the headboard. Cas is seated at their shared desk, making a long to-do list.

“I want to,” Cas replies, also for what must be the hundredth time.

“I know, but you don’t have to.”

Cas sighs heavily and twists in his chair- Dean can hear the squeak of the wood. “Dean. I want to do this for you. If you would like me to stop, I can do that. I don’t mind. We can have a quiet night in like we usually do.”

Dean thinks about that for a moment. He loves their quiet nights in- he really does. But the last time he had a party, he was too little to really remember anything beyond cake and lots of people and brightly colored balloons, and he wants that. He wants that really bad.

“No,” Dean says quietly. “You can do it if you want.”

Cas reaches over and takes Dean’s hand. “Good, because I do want to. I want to give you all the things you’ve never had, Dean, because you deserve them and I’m going to make sure you know it.”

Dean blushes and turns his face away, but he doesn’t let go of Cas’ hand.

Cas has it all planned out.

Sam helps him put streamers and balloons in the library- they’re able to start on this a few days before the party because Dean can’t see the giant “Happy Birthday” banner spanning the library or the streamers wrapped around the pillars.

Cas tries to make a cake on his own, using a box he had Sam pick up, but it turns out so bad that Dean insists on making the cake, even though it’s for his birthday. Sam decorates it, leaving Cas to make sure that all of the snack foods they got are ready and properly arranged on a library table.

Jody arrives the night before. She fixes Sam’s cake decorating, takes over making food for everyone else, and literally kicks Dean out of the kitchen with laughter on her lips at the way the blind man gropes her foot against his ass with one hand, his other in front of him to make sure he doesn’t run into anything, and takes over making food for everyone else. It’s not going to be a huge event- just the people who came for Christmas- but Cas is excited to be able to celebrate Dean’s birthday properly.

Donna gets there the next morning, bringing Claire and Alex with her. Charlie and Eileen are the last to arrive, just before lunch. Charlie comes bearing the complete box set of Doctor Sexy, much to Sam’s amusement. Dean goes red, but he clearly appreciates the gift and Cas has a feeling he’s going to get caught up on the show very soon. Charlie didn’t need to bring a present, though.

Cas has actually been planning this for months and all of their friends have pitched in on the present. He had wanted the gift to be ready by Christmas, but that was unfortunately impossible. Dean’s birthday works fine, though. In fact, the timing is almost better.

They have burgers and oven baked fries, and then cake and ice cream. Pretty much everyone got Dean a little present- most of it candy- just so he has some things to unwrap. When it comes time for the main present, Cas’ stomach is in knots.

“Dean, we, as a group, got together to get you this gift,” Cas tells him, holding his lover’s hand tight. “But if you don’t want it, it’s not too late to return everything. Someone else can use it.”

Dean’s brow is furrowed, but he’s smiling. “Where is it, Cas?”

“Not here yet. It won’t be ready for another few weeks, because you’re needed for the last bit, but we have all the supplies.”

“Cas, stop beating around the bush and tell me what it is.” Dean’s tone is light, teasing. His thumb rubs gently over Cas’ knuckles.

Jody brings out the big box and Dean rips off the paper with the exuberance of a child at Christmas. The first item he pulls off the top is a squeaky toy in the shape of a bone. Dean frowns, but more in confusion than anything else, turning the item over in his hands.

“Cas, you got me a dog?”

“Not just any dog,” Cas specifies. “A seeing-eye dog.”

He can see Dean processing, understanding those words and what that means for him. “Oh,” he says softly, seemingly unaware of the fact that everyone is watching him, waiting for his response.

Cas bites his lip, forcing himself to hang onto Dean’s hand. He really wants this for Dean- it would help him be more independent, help Sam and Cas to not worry so much about him. He also thinks that a dog, in general, would be really good for Dean. It would give him something that depends on him and give him some more purpose.

“Okay,” Dean says finally. “I’ll give it a try.”

Cas is practically bouncing in the backseat of the Impala. He’s like a child and Dean can’t help a small smile despite his reservations about this whole thing. Their lifestyle, despite recent changes, doesn’t really lend itself to pets, and while he knows a seeing-eye dog isn’t really a pet, it’s still another mouth to feed and another life to worry about.

“Is this it?” Sam asks, pulling the car over to the curb where the GPS has told him to stop.

“Yes,” Cas replies, already opening his door. “Come on, Dean! I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

Her. It would be nice to have a female touch around the bunker, even if said female is a dog.

He allows himself to be dragged from the car and up to the front door of the business. The porch steps squeak a little under his feet. His heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of his chest and his stomach is twisted in knots. He’s pretty sure the last time he felt this nervous was Christmas.

Dean’s expecting to hear a dog barking when Cas knocks on the door. Instead, all he hears is the sounds of someone coming to answer the door and Sam coming up the steps behind him. The door opens and Dean has to remind himself to breathe.

“Castiel!” a bright female voice says. The way she greets him gives Dean the distinct feeling that this is far from the first time Cas has been here. “You’re right on time. This must be Sam and Dean”

“Hi,” Dean says softly, feeling very unsure.

“I’m Amanda, the trainer. Come on, come in.”

They’re ushered into the house. Dean feels hardwood floors under his feet and smells pine needles. Judging by how strong the smell is, it’s probably a candle or a wax melt. He holds on tighter to Cas’ hand.

“She’s just down here. Lizzy was running through some commands with her. Dean, how long has it been since you lost your sight?” She asks, and unlike others, it’s not intrusive when she does.

He clears his throat, “Uhh, about… seven months? I haven’t really been keeping track.”

“Not too long, then. You seem pretty well adjusted compared to a lot of clients we work with. So a seeing-eye dog was just a natural progression?”

Dean shrugs shyly. “Nah, it’s a birthday surprise, actually.”

“How are you feeling about it?” Amanda seems a little concerned, but she’s doing her best to keep it out of her tone.

“I’m nervous but excited,” Dean admits. “I think… I think it could be really good for me, but I’m also scared that things won’t work out.”

“You’ll be fine,” she assures him. “Want to come meet your dog?”

He nods, hoping he’s not coming across as too eager.

“Excellent. Right this way.”

They’re led down a hallway and into another room, where Dean can very clearly hear the sounds of an animal. The dog is calm, thankfully, and busy listening to another woman, who’s giving her instructions.

“Hi, Cas,” the new woman, Lizzy, says. “How are you today?”

“I’m well,” Cas replies. “Lizzy, this is my boyfriend, Dean, and his brother, Sam. Sam, Dean, this is Lizzy, Amanda’s daughter. And this,” he leads Dean over to hold out his hand toward the dog, “this is Lady.”

Dean swallows hard, feeling a cool, wet nose nudging along his fingers before a slightly rough tongue licks his palm.

“You can pet her,” Lizzy says. “She’s very calm and friendly. Perfect for this job.”

Dean lets his hand be set on the dog’s head. She has very short fur, which he can imagine will make her easier to care for when it comes to grooming, and floppy ears. Her skull is rock solid and broad;  he can already tell that she’s a very heavy set dog- not in a “fat” way, but simply in the way she’s built. He crouches down to her level and scratches down her neck and shoulders, taking in her broad chest and the powerful muscles coiled beneath her short coat.

“She’s beautiful,” Sam says behind Dean, a smile evident in his voice. The dog wiggles a little under Dean’s hands as he feels her out and he can only assume she’s wagging her tail at Sam’s comment.

“What kind of dog is she?” Dean asks, unable to identify it for himself.

“She’s a pit bull,” Amanda tells him, “which will probably get some weird looks and the occasional not so nice comment, given their reputation. They’re not the typical breed used as guide dogs, but they’re very intelligent, incredibly loyal, strong, sweet, dutiful...all the things you want from a guide dog and more, and Lady was born for this role. She’s one of the best dogs I’ve ever trained... and I’ve trained a lot of dogs.”

Dean doesn’t know much about pit bulls, except that they’re unfairly discriminated against. Sam likes to talk about dog breeds and Dean has sat through a few rants about how pit bulls are treated. He finds himself looking forward to learning more about them just so he can treat Lady right.

Speaking of.

“Hi, Lady,” Dean says quietly, voice a little shaky as he pushes past a sudden wave of emotion he wasn’t expecting. She makes a tiny whining sound, nuzzling closer to his hands, and he can hear her tail thumping against the floorboards as he scratches behind her ears. Dogs have never really been his thing- he personally prefers cats, despite the fact that they make him sneeze and his eyes water. But he knows, despite all his reservations, that this is right. This is going to be special. “I’m Dean. We’re gonna be friends, right?”

She sniffs his face and then licks his cheek. Dean can’t help but smile.

“Yeah,” he says. “We’re gonna be friends.”

Lady is actually done with her training, but now it’s Dean’s turn. They spend several hours going over the commands Lady knows. She shows him up easily and Dean quickly starts to feel more than a little dumb, but she seems to sense when his mood drops and will lick his hand to try and cheer him up.

She reminds him a little of Sam, to be honest, but he would never say that to his brother’s face.

When their session is over, Dean doesn’t want to leave her. He knows they’re going to be back soon, but he’s already attached. He shouldn’t be attached. He shouldn’t have let his guard down. Last time he did that, he had to leave his new friend behind with a couple of hippy freaks and even though he knew they would take good care of him, it hurt. He doesn’t want to go through that again.

“Are you feeling better about this?” Cas asks when Dean is reluctantly seated in the passenger seat of the Impala. A strong arm falls over Dean’s shoulder, offering a hand which he happily takes.

“I don’t want to go,” Dean admits. Sam’s still chatting with Amanda. He can hear his brother’s deep tones through the window. “I don’t want to leave her.”

“Just a week or two more and she can come home with us,” Cas assures him.

“I know, I just… I don’t want to wait that long. What if something happens and she can’t come home with us?”

“Nothing will happen, Dean. We’ll be back tomorrow to practice some more and we can work on stuff at home. The more you practice, the sooner she can come to the bunker. Right?” he gives Dean’s hand a squeeze.

“Right,” Dean mumbles as Sam gets into the car.

Dean’s feeling pretty motivated when he gets home and he makes Cas quiz him on all the commands he learned from Amanda. He wants to be as prepared as possible for their session tomorrow because Cas is right. The sooner Dean learns this stuff, the sooner Lady can come home with them, the better Dean will feel.

It only takes Dean a week to get everything down and when Amanda says they can take Lady home, Dean almost cries tears of joy. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be this excited about having a dog, he would have laughed in their face. Now, he doesn’t even mind the dusty paw prints she’s probably leaving all over the backseat of the Impala and his jeans. He chose to sit in the back with her, where he can scratch her ears and let her lick his face and tell her all about her new home, all while ignoring the sickeningly fond smile he knows Cas keeps sending his way.

When they get to the bunker, Dean lets Lady take her time exploring. He shows her the bed in the corner of the bedroom he shares with Cas and the food bowls in the kitchen. She’s already housebroken- kinda had to be in order to continue onto her guide dog training- so he puts reminders into his phone to take her out at regular intervals.

Cas got all the gear they need, including toys, her vest and the handlebar thingie, and enough food to last at least a month, but probably longer. He picked a food that’s certified people-grade or something, so it has real nutrients and will be better for her than regular dog food. Dean rolls his eyes at that- Cas has clearly been spending too much time with Sam- but he doesn’t complain. Anything to take better care of her.

She’s only been home a day and Dean never wants her to leave.

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Team Forever: @laughing-at-the-darkness @mrswhozeewhatsis @books-and-icecream ​

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[dzmoot]

THE STIKFIGORS FROM GENERICVILLE PT-2

Everyday was a good day for the Stikfigors. They were always so smiley and happy and the sun and the flowers were so pretty. Everything in Genericville was so pretty but not as pretty as the Stikfigors. Their houses were pretty, the grass was pretty, the sidewalk was pretty and even the plain white sky was pretty. But the Stikfigors were the most prettiest things of all. All except one.

Sam woke up and didn't do his usual shtick of staring at the wall and rubbing his eyes. He rose from his bed, took Max for his little stroll and made his way down to the edge of town. He once again stuck his hand through the sky and felt the three or four growths protruding from his hand. He yanked it back towards him and for a brief moment, he saw what was on the other side through the tiny hole his hand made. He saw stars and a glowing blue ball and what appeared to be piled up rocks. But the tiny hole dissolved in no time despite Sam's efforts to prop it open. When he put his hand through again and looked through the hole, he saw several oddly shaped creatures roaming about the rocks, all with more than two eyes! Sam was repulsed. He hesitated to stick his hand through again in fear one of the creatures would bite it off but eventually went through with it.

This is nuts!

Now Sam was about to do something drastic, something stupid, something totally bonkers! He knew for sure there was life on the other side and was determined to figure out the meaning of his existence in Genericville. So with one BIG step foreword, Sam stepped through the white sky....

Max, fearing the worst for his master barked nonstop until he felt a strong tug on his leash and.....

landed right atop his master, although Max was no longer a dog. He rose from Sam's chest to find a halo hovering above his head and wings on his back. He also noticed that Sam was no longer a Stikfigor but a giant blue rabbit kangaroo hybrid. The two looked around, puzzled at the new exotic place they ended up in. The wicked creatures were even more repulsive up close and both of them ran for their lives as they approached them, their breath smelling of 200 year old egg salad. As they were running, a green blur dashed past them, dropping several small stones atop their heads. Then, all the memories of their past lives came running back to their brains. Zappy and Yam Yam were back. With their memories restored and a thousand or more questions piling up on their minds, Zappy and Yam Yam turned around to see the giant bubble they had been imprisoned in.

It was like a giant distorted parade balloon floating off the ground from a string. It didn't take them long to realize that the spell the wizards Uno and Kermort casted put them in the balloon, causing them to live as different entities entirely and repeat the same day over and over and over again. Yam Yam had the perfect statement on this matter.

It was like living in the worst children's book ever written!

Zappy's long ears were steaming.

I'm gonna kill those wizardly d-bags! Why if I hadn't come to my senses in there, we could have been in there for an eternity!

Yam Yam reached into his pocket to pull out his wand and with a slight squeaky sound, he summoned his pet pterodactyl Harriet, the green blur who helped them come to their senses. Harriet made a circle around them just before landing right before their feet and closing her wings. She then started squawking in a reptilian manner, in a language only Yam Yam could understand. Zappy was curious as to what she was telling Yam Yam. Yam Yam turned to Zappy, his lip trembling.

The wizards, they've succeeded with their plan. Most of the Tuuns have been turned into Cronies. Very few Tuuns are left.

Bummed out, Zappy plopped down on a rock.

Great, this moon's gone to hell yet again.

Harriet continued squawking. A slight smirk came over Yam Yam's face.

But there may be a way to undo all this. We have to stop Munders.

Zappy looked bewildered.

The gang and I already did. He's history!

Yam Yam shook his head.

No Zappy. Munders endured. He used an ancient dark magic to preserve his spirit and it possessed two Tuuns. His physical form is almost complete. When that happens, Uno and Kermort will be no more and he'll be back in full force, possibly more powerful than before.

Zappy nearly swallowed his tongue.

So Uno and Kermort were just two random Tuuns. How are we gonna kill Munders without killing them?

Harriet continued as did Yam Yam.

We need to go to the Hitchcock Hillhouse. There's a special weapon hidden away there. It will drive Munders' spirit to hell and free the Tuuns of his control.

Zappy nearly threw up his tongue.

The last time I was at that place, I was cut into salami, apparently. I don't even remember! I don't wanna go to that place!

Yam Yam concluded.

We have too. If we want to save Tuunkind, my family, everyone, we have to try.

Zappy looked back over at the balloon. Tears formed in his eyes.

What about my family?

Yam Yam tapped Zappy's shoulder.

Hopefully, when we destroy Munders, his spell will die with him. We'll free them, Zappy.

They both got to their feet and with Harriet hovering around them, they headed to the Hillhouse.

From afar, from the lens of his telescope, Munders saw their plan take shape. In the tallest tower of his castle, Munders rallied an army of Cronies to take down the good-doers.

My plan will not fail! Those Tuuns will not stop the era of Cronies! I shall be victorious! Destroy them! Send them back to the balloon or infect them! Do what you want!

To be continued.....

[darkisucksanditwrites]

Chance meeting

for @tetsucchin, kikasa + balloons. idk why you ask me for kikasa since I cant write them for life but here goes XD 

“Stop pulling me. I said-Taichi. STOP!”

Yukio wrung his hand free from his younger brother’s grasp and glared.

The younger boy stomped his foot and returned the look with his own. Yukio felt as if he was looking in the mirror for a moment.

“What’s up with you? Do you want to go home so soon?”

“No!”

“Don’t shout.” Yukio bit back and felt his brow twitch. They just got off a carousel and he was feeling a bit queasy. He didn’t need to add headache to the mix.

Yukio sighed and told himself to calm down.

“What’s up.” He tried to be patient. Taichi was only eight and their dad promised to take him to the new amusement park on the weekend, but work came up and Yukio being the next of make kin (his other brother could barely sit yet) was granted this wonderful privilege.

Yeah. Right.

Taichi was obviously disappointed, since he wanted to go with dad and not with his older brother (it seemed that the age of ‘my older brother is the coolest’ still haven’t arrived, or Taichi just didn’t get the memo), and because he turned out to be too young for most of the rides, so they had to attend more of the kiddie stuff which just left him bored and frustrated.

Yukio could basically feel the humiliation radiating from him.

“Hey. What do you want? Tell me.” He nudged the smaller boy.

“A balloon.”

Yukio blinked.

Taichi pointed to a nearby stall.

“Don’t point.” He lowered his hand. “That’s rude.”

He looked at Taichi and then at the stall again.

“You sure? I thought you were too old for the pony carousel, but you want a balloon?” Yukio wasn’t trying to mock him, but the boy looked away, his cheeks lightly dusting.

“Nevermind then.” He mumbled.

“I didn’t say no.” Yukio shook his head and sighed. “Come on.”

They had to wait in a sizable line during which Taichi got bored and twitchy. Yukio couldn’t blame him, but he was starting to disturb other people so he grabbed him by his hoodie collar.

“Stop that.” He hissed. “Next time I’m leaving you with Shu and mom.”

“He’s a baby.” Taichi said the word with such contempt and offence Yukio couldn’t help but snort.

“And you are starting to behave like one. Maybe next time I’ll put you in a carriage.”

Taichi stuck out his tongue at Yukio who pulled at his ear.

“You shouldn’t act like that to your parents.”

Both Yukio and Taichi looked up and saw a tall, blonde collage student who was minding the stall.  

“He’s not my dad!” Taichi replied scandalized and Yukio tugged at his hoodie, trying to discipline him at least a little.

“I’m his older brother.” Yukio clarified and then grunted. “What do you want.” He nudged Taichi with his knee. “And be quick.”

The boy glared at Yukio and then turned around to the stall, ready to place his order when the blonde guy gasped loudly.

“What? What’s wrong?” Yukio said alarmed.

“Senpai!”

Yukio raised an eyebrow at that.

“Excuse me?”

The guy stared at him in shock.

“It’s me!”

“Huh?”

“Kise! Your junior. From college?”

Kasamatsu blinked and then narrowed his eyes.

College wasn’t that long ago, but still there were a few years separating him from that moment in his life. He frowned trying to remember.

Kise’s wide smile turned into a pout in an instant when Kasamatsu didn’t show recognition.

“I can’t believe you don’t remember me.”

“Uh, sorry.” Kasamatsu shrugged. “Where you on the team?”

“No.” Kise said disappointed and sighed. “I wanted to join, but I got injured in high school. But I attended all your, I mean the your team’s games.” He said proudly.

“Huh, thanks.” Yukio said and fell silent.

“Wait. How was I supposed to remember you then?” He asked suddenly.

To his surprise the tall guy, who oozed self confidence and a little bit of arrogance too, turned sheepish.

“I joined one of your study groups one time.” He finally said.

Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow.

“My study group? What for?”

Kise looked away and Yukio thought his face changed color from normal pale to slight pink.

“Nevermind senpai.”

“Don’t call me that.” Yukio snapped, embarrassed. “I haven’t been a senpai in years.”

“Doesn’t matter! You’re still a senpai to me.”

Yukio felt a slight twitch of annoyance in his shoulders. He really wanted to shove or jab the kid with an elbow. He cleared his throat and composed himself.

“What was the study group about?”

“Advanced sports medicine. Terribly boring.”

Yukio snorted.

“Well that’s what you get for attending a senior’s study grou-“ He stopped when realization hit him.

“Kise?!”

“Me?”

“Yes you! You’re that Kise!”

Kise blinked.

“Pardon?”

“Oh.” Kasamatsu drawled while shaking slightly. “I remember you know.”

He changed a bit and they haven’t seen each other in more than a year, but he remembered him now.

“You disturbed the study group. Every. Time.”  Yukio remembered vividly the female students giggling while Kise flirted with them , or even when he was ignoring them too.

Even when he tried to pay attention, he was still a nuisance.

He also had an annoying habit of obnoxiously greeting Kasamatsu every time they saw each other. How could he even forget someone like Kise?

“Aaahhh.” Kise laughed nervously, straightened up and put some distance between himself and Yukio. “I remember. Sorry about that.”

Yukio felt a vein twitch in his neck.

“I had to retake that exam.”

“Sorry.” Kise smiled.

Yukio opened his mouth but then Kise clapped his hands.

“Right. The order. What will it be young man?” He asked Taichi who was beginning to get restless again.

“A horse.” The boy answered without a beat.

Kise blinked.

“What?”

Taichi crossed his arms over his chest.

“I want a horse. Like that one. ” He pointed to the horse shaped balloon flying over their heads as a prop.

“Riiiight.” Kise looked up. “Anyway, I recommend a dog?” He said and showed Taichi the toy. “Look he’s cute.”

“No.”

Kise grimaced.

“Just make a horse please.” Yukio said.

“I uh, I can’t.” Kise admitted in a whisper, so that the boy wouldn’t hear.

“What? How come? You are minding the stall with balloons.”

Kise looked around and then leaned forward to whisper so other clients wouldn’t hear him.

“It’s my friend’s gig, I need some extra cash. But he never showed me how to make them…all of them.”

Yukio sent him a distasted look.

“I want a horse!” Taichi whined and stomped his feet.

“Listen.” Yukio rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just give him the damn balloon.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“It’s a prop! I can’t just sell it”

Yukio sighed and let his younger brother tug at his sleeve.

“Then what can you make? What have you been selling here anyway?”

“Ah! Just a moment.” Kise grabbed one of the balloons and turned on the helium bottle. He turned back when the balloon was full of gas and started putting it together, making squeaky sounds all the while. Yukio and Taichi couldn’t see what he was doing. When Kise grabbed a sharpie, he raised an eyebrow.

“Ta-dah!” He turned around and showed them a perfectly straight balloon with two knots on one end and drawn on eyes.

“What’s that?” Taichi asked.

“A snake!” Kise beamed. “Here.” He gave him the balloon. “Snakes are cool right?”

Taichi looked over the toy.

“I guess.” He shrugged and shook the toy.

Kasamatsu looked unimpressed.

“Sorry.” Kise said sheepishly. “Oh! Maybe I can make it up to you? How about we go for coffee? I end in an hour.”

“No thanks. We have to go back.” Yukio shot him down as quickly as he could.

“Whaaaat?” Taichi whined.

“You heard me.” Yukio grabbed his hand and tugged at it.

Taichi wanted to wriggle out, since it was embarrassing.

“I swear.” Yukio sighed. “Next time I am really leaving you with Shu.”

Taichi stuck out his tongue.

“Aaand we’re back to square one. Let’s go.” He said and grabbed his little brother’s wrist.

“But-“ Kise started.

“Sorry kid.” Kasamatsu said over his shoulder. “Maybe some other time.”

He rolled his eyes at Kise’s crestfallen face.

At home, the balloon meet it’s end very quickly when Taichi jumped on it and it popped with a loud boom, waking Shu up.”

“Christ.” Yukio muttered when he was cleaning the remains of the balloon, Shu wailed in their mother’s arms and Taichi sulked in the corner.

He was about to throw it out when he noticed his hands covered in black ink.

“What the hell?” He suddenly remembered how Kise grabbed a sharpie to draw the eyes on the snake, and he also remembered that it took him a bit longer than usual.

He looked over the deflated balloon and saw a string of numbers which, however smeared still could be readable.

Kasamatsu felt his ears prickle for a moment and his vein throb again.

Damn brat.

He was about to throw it for real again when something hit him and he paused.

And despite his own nature, he put the piece of plastic with Kise’s number in his pocket.

Maybe. He told himself to quiet the nagging voice in his head. Only maybe.

[ruthoakenshield]

The Lady in the Black Leather (Ch 22)

Catch up here [chapter 21]

Harley, Graham McTavish, Martin Freeman x Amanda

When Graham returned with Phantom, you were dozing. He quietly unhooked the leash and hung it on the handle of the closet. Then came around to the side of your bed.

You cracked open an eye and then looked over at him. He smiled. “Thought ya were sleepin’.” He said.

You shook your head. “Naah, just resting. Can you tell me about your travels and about Scotland?” you ask as Phantom hops up onto your bed and lies down at your feet. You motion for him to ‘come’ and you take his vest off for a while. He lays down at the side of your good leg and takes a nap. You hand the vest to Graham.

He gets a BIG grin on his face and nods. He asks you if your laptop is here and you nod. “It’s in my backpack. I think Scarlett put it in that closet over there.” You tell him.

He walks over to it and hangs Phantom’s vest over the side of the chair, then opens the closet and pulls out your backpack. He opens it up and pulls out your computer and the power cord for it. Then puts the backpack back in the closet and closes the door.

Graham hands you your laptop and swings around the bedside table. He helps you set up the computer and then starts googling different places he has been to and tells you different stories about the places he has seen. You both spent the morning with him sharing stuff like that and you learned a lot about Scotland, New Zealand and Graham.

You look up at the clock when a nurse appears at the door and asks if you’d like to order anything for lunch. You shrug and ask to see the menu. You look at the menu, but nothing really screams “eat me”. So you decline.

Graham chuckles. “Hospital food is never that good anyway. I can go get ya somethin’ Sweetie. What would like?”

You think. How about a Shawarma from Ali Baba’s West Side? I love their food!” you ask. He grins and nods, “Ok, Sweetie, I like their food too! I’ll go see if they’re open. If not, what would ya like?”

“Ohhh…how about a Jacob’s Patty Melt (no onions) from Jacob’s Pickles!!!!” you tell him excitedly. He chuckles and tells you he’ll go see what he can find and will be back in a little bit.

Graham heads out and you recline the bed back a little bit. You doze off for a while trying to catch up on some sleep.

After about a half hour, you hear a soft knock on the door and Phantom’s soft “wuff”.

“Come in” you reply sleepily and move the bed so you’re sitting up more.

You grin when you see Martin, Amanda & Graham come walking in. “Look who I ran into at Jacob’s Pickles!” Graham exclaims.

Amanda giggles and comes to give you a hug. She takes the flowers and balloon Martin was holding and puts it on your bedside table. They were yellow and white daisy-like flowers with purple roses all put in a big, yellow ceramic coffee mug with a huge smiley face on it.

You grin “It’s so bright and sunny!” you exclaim. And chuckle at the ‘get well soon’ balloon with sparkly Band-Aids all over it. “Thank you!!!” you tell them

Martin smiles. “How are you feeling, Harley?” he asks as Amanda puts their flower bouquet on the counter by the sink, since your windowsill was running out of room.

“I’m feeling all right. I’m tired, but that’s cuz the dumb nurses wouldn’t let me sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time. The cop assigned to sit with me finally told them to bugger off and let me sleep for the night.” You giggle.

Martin and Amanda chuckle. “How’s the leg?” Amanda asks.

“It’s sore. I got some nice pain killers, but the Doc said I have to stay off my feet for several days. It’s hard to sit upright, cuz it puts some pressure on the exit wound at the back of my thigh.” You explain. “But I’ll survive.” You say grinning.

“And who is this big ball of fluff?” Amanda says as she holds out her hand for Phantom to smell.

“This is Phantom. My security dog.” You tell her. “Phantom, this is Amanda and that’s Martin, they are our friends, okay?” you tell him.

Martin holds out his hand for Phantom to sniff and Phantom smells his hand too. He licks both Martin’s and Amanda’s hands and lets them pet him. Martin scratches Phantom along the collar and Phantom’s leg starts thumping on the bed making everyone laugh.

“I suppose he should get brushed at some point today… probably outside so his hair doesn’t end up floating all about in here.” You say.

Graham nods. “I’ll take him out and brush him for ye later on, Sweetheart. Don’t worry. Might take him for a good walk too and let him burn off some energy, since he’s been cooped up for a day or so.” He tells you. “And I still gotta work off that effin huge bowl of ice cream Aiden bought us yesterday!” Graham says laughing.

You nod. “Thanks Graham.” You tell him.

Martin and Graham unpack the food they bought and you motion for Phantom to ‘get down’ and he jumps off the bed and goes to his food and water bowls and eats for a bit then goes to lie down on his bed and watches everyone.

Graham rolls the bedside table back in front of you and everyone grabs their food. You frown realizing your coffee and your water are both empty. “Could someone fill this with some water for me?” you ask holding up the water mug the nurse had given you.

Martin hops up and grabs it. He heads out to the nurse’s station for some ice and then fills it with water from the sink, comes back in and hands it back to you.

“Thanks Martin! I didn’t realize they had ice available!” you happily exclaim. He grins and gives you a wink.

“Martin told me about the ‘ice hockey’ game you had played with Richard. We tried it, and I must say it was quite fun!” Amanda giggles. “Thanks for telling him about it!” she tells you.

You grin and see Martin’s face go pink as he takes a bite of his food and Graham just laughs. “I do not want to know!!! So do not say anything!” he tells Martin and Amanda, while grinning from ear to ear.

You and Amanda just smirk and take a bite of your sandwiches. The four of you sit and talk as you eat. Martin and Graham sharing embarrassing stories about their times in New Zealand on set for The Hobbit films.

Once you all are done eating, you ask Graham if he could take some pics of each of the flower bouquets you have gotten. He nods and you hand him your phone and open up the Camera app on it. He goes around the room snapping photos of all the flowers and balloons you have gotten. Then he takes a pic of you with Martin & Amanda, then hands the phone to Martin who snaps a pic with you and Graham.

Amanda takes the phone and shoos Martin to get in the picture and she takes one of you, Graham and Martin as well.

“Oh! Here, Harley. Rich just sent you a text!” she exclaims as she hands you the phone.

“Hi Love! How’s your day going? I’m on lunch right now. Been thinking ‘bout you all morning. How’s Phantom holding up?” he texts.

You reply, “Doing all right. Graham has been keeping me entertained. Got a LOT of flower deliveries! Thanks for the gorgeous roses, Sweetie! I love them! <3 <3 <3” You send to him along with the photos of the flowers you’ve gotten so far.

“Graham got me lunch and Martin and Amanda are here having lunch with me and Graham right now.” you send with the pics of you with them.

He replies, “Glad you’re being entertained. Miss you! Bed was too cold last night without you in it. ☹” he replies.

“Awwww, miss you too Honey! Phantom says ‘hi!’ and Graham took him outside a little while ago. Phantom’s been really good and is enjoying his doggy bed.” You reply and snap a pic of Phantom watching you all with a lovesick puppy look.

Richard replies, “Awww! He looks so bored! Didn’t Graham and Lee get him any toys to play with?”

You ask Graham if they got Phantom any toys to play with. He gets up and finds the bag with the toys in it. He pulls out the squeaky mallard duck and the rope toy. Phantom’s head pops up and his tail starts wagging. “wuff” he says quietly.

Graham chuckles and cuts off the tags for the duck then tosses it to Phantom who catches it and starts shaking it back and forth, making the thing squeak. Graham tries to take it away and they end up in a tug of war, making everyone laugh till they are crying.

Finally, Phantom loses his grip on the toy and it goes flying into Graham’s chest. You laugh when you see the astonished look on Graham’s face. Martin and Amanda are practically rolling on the floor they are laughing so hard and Phantom just gives Graham and you this cheeky look and he goes back to his bed and lays down.

You Text back to Richard, ‘Yes, they got him some toys, just forgot to take them out of the bag. He just played tug of war with Graham and a squeaky mallard duck. Phantom tugged then let go of it and it went flying back and hit Graham square in the chest. Graham had an astonished look on his face & Phantom looked at him cheekily and went to lie down on his bed. LOL!!!!”

You get a text back with “ROTFLOL and a laughing while crying emoji. Wish I could’ve seen that one! Back to work, Sweetie. See you in a few hours when I’m done for the day. Xoxo Rich”

Graham chuckles and tosses Phantom the duck. It lands on his foot and Phantom shoves it off to the side of the bed and noses it till it lands on the floor next to the bed and out of the way. Graham looks over at Martin and Amanda and shakes his head. “Awww, come on, it wasn’t THAT funny!” he states, frowning.

They crack up again and laugh some more. “Oh! I wish I would’ve recorded that, Graham!” Martin finally gets out. “The look of utter shock on your face was priceless when he let go of the duck and it hit you square in the chest!” he says and starts giggling again.

Graham rolls his eyes and looks at you. You’re giggling and trying to be quiet, but lose it when he turns his glare on you. “Oh, lighten up Pops! He was just playing, but I do think he did that on purpose. He had such a cheeky look on his face!” you say giggling again.

Graham smiles at seeing you giggling once again. “Well as long as it gets you to smile, then I guess I can’t be too mad at him.” Graham replies. “Though, we should probably get things cleaned up. Rich said the lawyer was to be here for 1:30pm.” He tells you.

You nod, then decide you should probably get some help to the restroom. You call for the nurse while Graham, Martin & Amanda clean things up. The nurse helps you out of bed and hands you crutches. She checks the bullet wounds and then helps you to the restroom.

You don’t notice the looks on your friends’ faces when they see your bare legs and all the scars on them. Graham is surprised and frowns. Martin looks at Graham then at Amanda. Amanda shrugs and looks at you worried.

When you get into the bathroom and the door is closed, Martin finally asks quietly what they all are thinking. “Where did she get all those scars from?”

Graham shrugs and rubs his beard. “I have no idea. They look old though. Like she’s had them for a while.”

Amanda says quietly. “My guess is she either has been abused by her ex-boyfriends, or she had a cutting habit. It’s not really any of our business, though. If she wants to share about it, she will, in time. No prodding!” She tells them while pointing a finger at each of them in warning. “It’s probably why she is in pants all the time.”

Graham thinks back to when you had been trying on the skirts and dresses. “I don’t recall seeing them though when she was trying on the skirts at the store the first day I met her. She had bare legs then!

Amanda chuckles, “Graham, there are nylons that we wear that are skin tone colored. They are designed to hide things like scars, tattoos, and other imperfections we don’t want the world to see when we wear dresses and skirts. She probably had a pair on when she was shopping, figuring she would be trying on skirts and dresses.” She replies.

They finish cleaning up the room and you come hobbling out on the crutches and stop at the sink to wash your hands. Then you groan and hobble over to the bed. You lower it a little so you can sit on the edge and scoot yourself back.

You hand the crutches to Amanda and she leans them against the wall.

“God, I hate these shorts!” you reply with a laugh, feeling some kind of tension in the air, but not being sure what caused it. “Don’t they have anything in black or a little better fitting!” you say giggling.

It seems to break the tension and Graham and Martin chuckle. “What, Blue not your color?” Martin teases.

You grin, “Not this hideous shade of it, no! I feel like I’m swimming in them!” you reply giggling. You look down and sigh. “I suppose you’re wondering how I got all the scars.” You say quietly.

They all look at each other nervously. You see their uncertainty.

“It’s okay. You’re my friends, and you deserve to know.” You explain.

“Honey, you don’t have to tell us if you aren’t comfortable doing so.” Amanda tells you. “We’ll understand and won’t be upset.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” You reply. “They are from my old boyfriends. They used me as their plaything and treated me horribly. I didn’t realize it was abnormal, until a Doctor asked about it when I went in for a physical. My exes were into, what did the Doctor call it??? They were into BDSM, and I ended up being the naïve victim…I guess you could say.

I didn’t know any better and believed what they had told me. It’s how I got such a high pain tolerance, how I can drink the strongest whiskey the Squawking Raven has. It hurts, but my brain doesn’t react to the pain anymore.” You explain. “It registers it, but just goes, ‘Meh’, and doesn’t send a signal to react to it.”

Your friends stare at you for a moment then look at each other wide-eyed. “Wow. You really have been through the wringer, haven’t you!” Amanda says quietly. “Well stick with Rich, Sweetheart. He’ll never treat you like that.” She tells you. “He’s always been a sweet man and very, very kind.” She encourages.

You nod. “I hope to. I’ve never had someone treat me the way he does. I still feel like I fell into some dream and keep waiting to wake up.” You say sheepishly as you tuck your legs back under the blankets. You wince a couple times from moving your injured leg, but don’t let it bug you too much.

“Well, Harley, we gotta get going. We still have a bunch of errands to run today.” Martin tells you. “Thanks for letting us come and crash your lunch.” He says grinning. “And please do stay with Rich. We haven’t seen him so happy in a very long time. You’re good for each other.” He tells you and gives you a hug. Amanda does too.

“Thanks, you two.” You reply. “You can come crash my parties any time. I’m stuck here for the next week according to the Doc.” You sigh.

They grin and nod. “We’ll come visit again.” They both promise and wave goodbye.

Graham chuckles at them as they leave. He sits down and looks at you. “Sweetie, does Rich know about these scars on your legs?” he asks.

You nod. “Yeah. He saw them the other night when he offered me the shirt and sweatpants for pajamas.

Graham nodded. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did he react? Did you tell him how you got them?” he asks.

You sigh. “I think he was upset at first. He seemed to be seething and trying to control his temper. He reached over, pulled me against him and just held me close. I could hear his heart pounding in his chest and him growling as I told him how I got the scars. He seemed to calm down though after we were able to talk about it.

I could tell he wanted to pummel my ex though when he saw him at Aiden’s, before my ex pulled the gun on us. Rich grabbed me and held me close behind him as he backed us up to the car. His heart was racing, and he had one hand in a tight fist, like he wanted to just beat the guy to a bloody pulp.” You explain to Graham.

Graham nodded. “Well, Sweetheart, that’s understandable. I think if I would’ve known about this earlier, I may have done it for him. When I came out and saw you laying there in Rich’s arms and the look on his face I was ready to strangle the guy, but Phantom had the guy’s arm in his mouth and was sitting on him, growling, so I let Phantom handle him. I just punched the other guy to keep him knocked out till the cops got there.

We were so scared he had shot you someplace that was more critical, though the Doc said the bullet just barely missed your main artery, so you were lucky. Somehow, he missed Rich’s leg though and hit yours. We still can’t figure that one out!” Graham informs you.

You shrug. “Lucky shot, I guess.”

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[teachingoutsidethebinary]

Father’s Day

Summary: Bucky Barnes is absolutely horrified when his four-year old daughter tells him she's getting married. When he tries to figure out what the heck is going on, he gets the best surprise of his life.

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Readers, OFC Becca Barnes

Warnings: Insane amount of fluff

A/N: So, this is super, ridiculously fluffy, but it’s Father’s Day and Bucky, not I’m not apologizing :P As always, thanks for reading!

Check out the other two stories with these characters!

Mother’s Day      She Gets It From You

Bucky Barnes had no idea what time it was, but he knew it was way too early for a pair of blue eyes to be staring him in the face.

“Becca, go back to bed,” he mumbled, pulling the covers over his head. He felt the bed dip as his daughter climbed up and cuddled against Bucky’s blanketed form. A small hand stroked the top of his head, and he couldn’t help but smile. He pulled the covers off and greeted his little girl.

“Hi sweetheart,” he whispered, trying not to wake you. “What are you wearing that for?”

Becca was decked out in her “fancy” clothes as she liked to call them. She wore a nice pair of black leggings and a neon blue shirt. A pinstripe suit-vest covered her shirt, and she wore one of Bucky’s navy ties around her neck. A fluffy purple tutu completed the ensemble.

“I need you,” she whispered back. “Please?”

“What could you possibly need at-” He paused and looked at the digital clock beside his bed. “At 6:55 in the morning?”

“I’m getting married!” she exclaimed. “C’mon, daddy!” With no further explanation, she hopped off the bed and ran out of your room. Bucky stared after her with his mouth hanging open.

“What did she want?” you asked from under your pillow.

“She’s...she said she’s getting married,” Bucky finally managed to get out.

“She’s what?!” you yelped, bolting up. You and Bucky quickly pulled off the covers and hurried after Becca.

You both gasped once you entered the living room. Gold and blue paper streamers were messily taped up on all four walls. They were mostly Becca height except the areas where she managed to stand on the couch. Very tiny balloons were wrapped around the TV stand, coffee table, and doorknob. She pushed the coffee table to one side of the room and strategically placed her stuffed animals in two sections on the floor as the audience. A line of pillows separated her stuffed animals to create an aisle. Becca stood in front of your TV with her favorite Bucky Bear stuffed toy that Steve had gotten her for Christmas two years ago.

“Honey, what are you doing?” you asked carefully.

“I’m gettin’ married to Bucky Bear!” Becca announced enthusiastically. She ran over and pulled you both to the front row of her wedding party. You were both completely shell-shocked. Sure, Becca had seen weddings in the movies, but you had no idea she wanted to put one on in real life.

“Ladies and gentleman, teddy bears and stuffed dogs, thank you for coming to my wedding,” Becca said, taking on a serious tone. She cleared her throat and looked to Bucky Bear.

“Do you, Bucky Bear,” she began with a deep voice, “take Becca, the funniest and prettiest girl, to be your wife?”

Becca scooted behind her stuffed toy. “I do!” she replied in a squeaky voice.

She moved back to the center and deepened her voice again. “And do you, Becca, take Bucky Bear, the bestest bear in the whole wide world, to be your husband?”

She moved to the empty space she once occupied. “I do,” she confirmed in her normal voice.

Becca took a deep breath and moved to the center one last time. “And, now, for the most important part of the wedding…”

“Oh god, the kiss,” Bucky groaned. You hushed him and poked his side, but he couldn’t help it. Pretend weddings he could deal with. Seeing his four year old kiss her stuffed animal “husband”? That he was not prepared for, especially before 7am on a Sunday.

“No, silly!” Becca interrupted in her regular voice. “The dance!”

Bucky blinked his eyes slowly. “The dance?” he repeated. “What dance?”

“The daddy-daughter dance!” She walked up to Bucky and held out her hands. “Will you please dance with me?”

Bucky stared up at his daughter from the seat on the ground. “You...you want to dance with me?”

Becca nodded and yanked on his hand. Bucky slowly stood up as if he was in a dream and let his daughter guide him to an empty space on the floor. She took his left hand in hers and wrapped her arm around his back. Well, it was more like his thighs with her height. Bucky reached his right hand down and gently placed it on her shoulder.

Bucky heard the soft tinkling of a music box playing, and he immediately knew which song Becca had chosen.

 I’ll never settle down,

That’s what I always thought

 Your wedding song.

 Yeah, I was that kind of man,

Just ask anyone

 Becca began leading the dance, swaying her tiny body side to side as the song played. She hummed along just like she had heard you do a thousand times before. She looked so serious, and she concentrated on every step she took.

“1,2,3,” she whispered to herself as she shuffled her feet.

 I don’t dance, but here I am

Spinning you around and around in circles

It ain’t my style, but I don’t care

I’d do anything with you anywhere

Bucky looked over and saw you standing in the doorway with your phone out and recording, a mischievous smile on your face. He knew in that moment that you had helped Becca plan the entire thing. He shook his head and smirked at you when you made eye contact. He imagined how ridiculous he and Becca looked dancing in the middle of the living room. She was absolutely adorable in her fancy clothes, while his messy hair complimented his bare chest and worn grey sweats.

But he didn’t care at all. He didn’t care because Becca had chosen this dance as the most important part of her “wedding”.

She had chosen him.

 Love’s never come my way,

I’ve never been this far

'Cause you took these two left feet

And waltzed away with my heart

 Bucky never imagined he would ever get married, much less have a baby. But you stuck with him even in his darkest times. You broke down his walls and showed him what it was like to feel loved again.

When you had first told him you were pregnant, he had been terrified. He was convinced he would be a horrible father after everything he had been through. But once he held Becca in his arms, his heart practically stopped beating. She was so beautiful, and so tiny. Even when she was a baby, she would only stop crying if she was in Bucky’s arms. It made for a lot of sleepless nights, but it was so, so worth it to him.

 No, I don’t dance, but here I am

Spinning you around and around in circles

On the word “spinning”, Bucky picked Becca up and whirled her around. She giggled hysterically and hugged Bucky. He continued to dance with his daughter in his arms.

“It ain’t my style,” he sang to her, “but I don’t care. I’d do anything with you anywhere. Yes, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl. 'Cause, I don’t dance.”

Becca smiled and looked at Bucky with the adoration of a little girl who truly loved her father. Bucky dipped her low to the floor and pulled her back up again, causing her to squeal in delight.

“Again, daddy!” she begged. He did it two more times and then paused as the music began to slowly fade out.

Bucky softly sang the last few lines of the song. “Yeah, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl. 'Cause, I don’t dance.” He continued to move back and forth across the living room as the song finally ended.

“Did you like your present, daddy?” Becca asked shyly.

Bucky pulled back and gave Becca a kiss on her forehead. “I loved it, sweetheart. Thank you so much.”

Becca cupped her hands around Bucky’s cheeks and kissed his right cheek, left cheek, nose, and then forehead. She squished their noses together until their foreheads touched.

“Happy Father’s Day, daddy. I love you.”

A/N: The song is “I Don’t Dance” by Lee Brice

TAGS: @buckyappreciationsociety @iamwarrenspeace @melconnor2007 @theassetseyeliner @almondbuttercup @purplekitten30 @rednamrahc @fuckkoffcourtney @bovaria @buckyywiththegoodhair @hellomissmabel

If I tagged you, but I don’t normally, this is the only fic I’ll tag you on unless you tell me otherwise :)

[coutelier]

Another chapter of Asterion up.  And... you know what I’ll just post the whole chapter here.  It is kind of fluff on the surface, but of course it’s in fact there so we learn a little bit about the characters.  We see a little bit how Jen’s mind works, learn a little bit about Sayuri, and see Kaya bounce back from what happened to her in the club earlier.

If you want to help out with beta reading and giving feedback, just message or send me an ask.  I’m uploading all the chapters to a password protected blog here on Tumblr, or you can email me for a document if you prefer (see my about page).  I’m currently working on... well, lets say second draft.  It’s a bit complicated, but I’ve written lots, playing around with different ideas, but now I’m selecting what I want and stitching it all together.  Anyway, here is the chapter I promised below the break.

Jennifer looked sceptically at her drink.  She didn’t know what it was.  She’d asked Sayuri, leaning on the bar next to her, what she should get and the bartender, Amara, suggested something sweet.  She tasted it.  It was tangy and fruity and not unpleasant at all.  She liked it, but was unsure whether to drink it quickly in the hope the others would hurry up as well and they could get out of here, or to try and make it last as she didn’t want to get drunk or spend any more money in this place.  Kaya hadn’t returned from the bathroom yet so she supposed she would just have to wait anyway.

“So,” she asked, “what do we do now?”

Sayuri hummed, then said, “just chat, I guess.”

Jennifer was afraid of that. She hated just chatting.  She never knew what to chat about.  She already knew what the weather was like, and she didn’t know Sayuri’s family well enough to ask about them.  Once, when she was younger, she’d heard that someone’s dog had won a competition so she asked them about that, only to discover that the dog had been kidnapped a few days before.  She felt that she should have known that as everyone else immediately made it clear that they did, and never got over the shame, embarrassment and guilt she felt at possibly upsetting those poor people.  It had long felt like there was a private club that everyone in the world was a member of except her.  At least she’d never been invited to join, until now.

She supposed there was one thing she was a little bit curious about.  “How did you and Kaya become friends?” She asked.

“Nothing special,” Sayuri shrugged.  “The band wanted a drummer.  I’m a drummer, so I joined.”

“Oh,” Jennifer was really hoping she would have kept talking a lot longer than that.  Now she had to think of something else.  “Why did you take that up?”

“It’s a great way to release negative energy and emotions, you know?  And it attunes you to the natural rhythms all around.  You want to try it?  When Kaya’s done we can go back to the garage.”

Jen admitted she was a little curious to see if any of that was true.  But she’d never had any musical talent and didn’t want to embarrass everybody.  “I-I’m okay,” she uttered meekly.

As if reading her mind, Sayuri said enthusiastically, “don’t worry.  It’s easy.”  Jen thought that Sayuri hadn’t considered that perhaps it was just easy for her because she’d been doing it for years, in the same way that engineering was easy to Jennifer because she had practiced at it.  Before she could continue that thought, Sayuri asked her, “what kind of music do you like, Jen?”

“I don’t know,” Jen answered honestly.  She often heard songs that she liked, but she never really thought deeply about them nor was she wedded to a particular style or artist.  “All sorts I suppose.”

“I thought maybe with all your robots you’d be into heavy metal.  Or sea shanties since you live in a lighthouse.  Or Pirate Metal.  Did you know that’s a thing?”

“No,” Jen confessed, taking another sip.  “I like Blow the Man Down.”

Sayuri snickered at that, for some reason.  It took a moment for Jen to realise that she might have thought something dirty, but by then Amara had returned to them, making herself look busy by wiping the bar. “You still in that band?” She asked Sayuri.  “What was it called… The Killer Aqua Babies?”

“Bunnies,” Sayuri corrected, turning her attention away from Jennifer.  “We’re a couple of members short since we split up with Candace and Ashley.”

Amara’s nostrils flared as if detecting a foul odour.  “Never liked those two.  Grown women shouldn’t be acting like my kid brother with his ‘gang’.”

“It was a long time coming. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about putting out an ad…”

They continued to chat about something Jennifer felt didn’t really concern her.  She would have liked to have heard her friends play some time, but – maybe just a recording.  Things sounded better if they were recorded properly anyway.  She could do that.  She had a sound proofed room and plenty of acoustic recording equipment at the lighthouse. She used it to record the ghost and werewolf noises to keep children and teenagers from getting too close, among other things.  There wasn’t much point suggesting it now, as there wasn’t a band and Kaya would ask if she wanted her to do that.

As Sayuri and Amara carried on, Jennifer noticed there was couple arguing on the other side of the central dance floor.  Or rather it looked they both worked here as they both wore white shirts and black waistcoats.  There seemed to be a problem with one of the restrooms and were debating whose job it was to fix it and whether they should inform the manager, who presumably was Stan Greif.  There was a balcony overlooking the dance floor, and through a window up there she could see Stan pacing and yelling at his phone.  Some more people had arrived in the club, including a man and a woman. The man had his arm around her, holding her tightly to him.  She didn’t look comfortable with it, but Jennifer wondered if maybe he was another gangster, used to threats against his life and that was why he was being protective. She couldn’t make out anything they said.  She couldn’t make out when anyone was saying anymore as there were at least a dozen people talking and she got snippets here and there but for the most part it was just one continuous drone.

She sunk forward, focusing instead on the pleasant sound of the bubbles in her drink.  Where the bubbles formed revealed tiny imperfections in the glass, which the bubbles would be stuck to until they grew large enough to float away.  She imagined them being like little squeaky voiced balloon people who spent their short existence just trying to get big enough to make it into heaven.  Which made it seem sad in a way, as when they escaped they in one sense ceased to exist.  But then they became part of the greater atmosphere, so…

Jennifer must have been considering the cosmology of the bubble people for some time as she suddenly felt her shoulder pushed and looked around to see Sayuri peering concernedly at her.  “You okay?” She asked.  “Looks like you zoned out.”

That was accurate, but Jennifer realised her behaviour must have seemed strange and inappropriate. Her cheeks flushed as she shifted upright on her stool.  “Sorry,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sayuri patiently said.  Jennifer would worry about it.  Telling her not to worry about it only made her worry more.  But she appreciated the kindness.  “We should get out of here anyway.  What the hell is Kay…”

Kaya chose that moment to appear again, her face, far more cheerful than when she’d left, thrusting between Jen and Sayuri as she put an arm around each of them.  “Alright my bobby-dazzlers, you ready to go?”

“Where have you been?” Sayuri quizzed.

“Told you. Bathroom.  Now hurry and finish up and let’s go.”

Jennifer squinted, not understanding the sudden change in her mood.  “Don’t you want anything?”

“Nah.  We’ll get something from a store.  Drink up.” Kaya was very eager and insistent, and the others just found themselves being dragged along in her wake, downing their drinks and heading with her to the door.  “Don’t run though,” Kaya suddenly cautioned.  “It’ll make us look guilty.”

Jennifer and Sayuri both stared, asking at about the same time, “guilty of what?!”

Jen looked back over her shoulder.  Mei Lin had just gone into one of the restrooms – the one she’d noticed the two employees arguing about.  Seconds later there was a faint splash and then an angered, tortured scream.  Mei Lin came running out, water dripping from her hair and flowing through all the channels around her muscles.  Stan Greif came out of his office, leaning on the balcony railing to see what the commotion was.  And then he saw the three women walking away.

“Cade!” He roared, muscles straining all around his face and neck.

“Okay,” Kaya said as she inhaled.  “Now run.”

[victorluvsalice]

We’ve completed a week with the McFlys, so it’s time to move onto the next family on the list -- Eric, Andy, and Laserwolf! What amazing adventures will they have during our stay with them?

. . .Well, right off the bat, Laserwolf needed a trip to the vet. Apparently Ice Fur is going around the world, and poor Laserwolf ended up catching it off-camera. Can’t have our poor doggy feeling -- and looking -- blue! Now, Eric actually had a Wellness treat in his inventory that would have cured this immediately, but I chose to take Laserwolf to the vet instead for two reasons:

A) I’ve been meaning to get Eric and Andy a cat, since Andy has the Cat Lover trait, and sending them to Brindleton Bay to befriend and adopt a stray sounded like fun

B) . . .more honestly, I completely forgot Eric had that treat. ^^;

So yeah, it was off to the local Pawspital to get Laserwolf treated by our favorite alien vet, Katy Woo. As you can see, it was a fairly busy day at the clinic, with pets coming in for all sorts of reasons. Including Victor showing up with Dinah, because of course. XD I swear, at least one of the Liddell-Van Dort family is contractually obligated to show up in at least one episode of every other family’s updates. . .

Anyway, Laserwolf was happily seen pretty quickly, and Eric was able to afford the best treatment without issue, so it wasn’t long until our favorite pupper was cured. But what was Andy doing while Eric was seeing to the health of his beloved dog?

[petitprincess1]

Saccharine Madness

Summary: Clemencia asks Black Hat to go on a mission with her and he has some…thoughts.

Words: 982

Characters: Black Hat, Clemencia, Demencia (mentioned), and Flug (mentioned)

Warnings: Blood and slight gore.

Ngl, I’m sick and tired, so this was slight self-indulgence. I also wrote this for three other people. @emile-hides for creating this Swap Ship rp that we do and greeting me to this ship and dealing with me, @amarynthian-fortress who puts up with too much of my crap and for inspiring me so much, and @azulazurite who most likely doesn’t ship this, but deserves something in return for having too much patience with me. Thank you guys so much and thank you to even those who I didn’t I tag!

~~~ Black Hat didn’t know how to feel when he was asked by Clemencia to come on a mission with her. She seemed horrifically excited that she seemed as if she was actually vibrating, which made him so confused as to what that would even mean. Then again, a lot of things that Clem did completely confused him. Hell, her even wanting him made him feel perplexed.

It started completely without warning, as well. It seemed like it was just yesterday that the unicorn witch was chasing after Demencia like a dog in heat, needing a leg to hump against. Clemencia would gaze longingly at her, join in on her little massacres, eat the disgusting “food” that harlot concocted (just to puke it all out later), and even steal some of her clothing and possessions. The next thing the Victorian demon knew was that he saw the top half of Clemencia’s head was peeking at him over the edge of his desk, staring at him with gross, sparkling eyes.

And her behavior…oh, her behavior! How did Flug describe it? Some stupid phrase that only degenerates of his kind would use? ….Lol, so random….eugh. Black will have to send Lil Jack after him for even allowing such a phrase stick to his mind. He’ll have to think of something better. Anyway, Clemencia would often sit next to him when he was doing paperwork, sew such stupid hat cozies, leave ridiculously sweet desserts on his desk that he was sure would make him go into shock by staring at it, and her giggling! She always is giggling at every single damn thing! If it wasn’t for her horn being infused with White’s damn powers, he would strike her dead….possibly.

And yet…Black Hat never did. Why? She was such an untamed idiot! Using her powers without warning, dancing to loud, terrible k-pop, smiling widely at all his insults and threats! Why does he keep her around!?

“Blackie, lookie!” Black Hat got thrown violently into reality when he felt something wet on his cheek. He wiped it off with a claw, looking at the red liquid before licking it off, and watched Clemencia at work. When she asked him to join, he expected it to be some peaceful diplomacy between a hero and a villain or something very, mildly PG. Yes, Black heard that she was an assassin, but didn’t know what that meant.

So, when Clemencia started off by throwing a party bomb in a warehouse that spread, not only confetti, but also shards from disco balls, as well as giving off a quick burst of blinding light. Black felt a thrill go up his spine at all the screams that followed after and the giggling from the mad witch that was within. The demon had to conjure a chair for him to collapse into as he watched the girl spray silly string on a few criminals and light the string on fire, making the idiots run around desperately and roll on the ground to dampen the flames. The smell of burning flesh and pure fear made his mouth water.

Now, Black watched Clemencia repeatedly beat some man’s head in with a bat, while the eldritch sat, sipping a cup of tea. The mad lass turned sharply to a criminal that was attempting to sneak up behind her and jumped him, biting into his throat, despite not have the sharp teeth to breath through. However, that didn’t stop the man to release a blood-curdling screech as he called out for anyone to help him.

Clem giggled and gave a muffled, “Okay~!”

A stomach-turning, wet popping and tearing sound came from the two as Clem turned her head swiftly, ripping out the man’s throat and showing off all the torn veins and muscles within. A gorgeous waterfall of blood came out from both the man’s mouth and unhealthy looking hole in his throat. Clem backflipped off of the criminal before he fell down with a loud. 

The unicorn witch giggled psychotically as she looked around for more victims, just to see the leader of the group trying to sneak out. Her horn glowed a dark pink and black as she teleported in front of the woman, conjured a sledgehammer, and smashed it against the lady’s knees. A guttural scream came from the leader as her shattered bones pierced through her skin, making her fall hard to the ground. Clem smiled widely, eyes sparkling in excitement, as she flipped her over and stood above the woman, holding the sledgehammer above her head. The woman cried and begged for her life, trying to get even the slightest bit of sympathy from her.

It fell on deaf ears as Clemencia continued giggling and swung the massive hammer down. A high-pitched, desperate scream came from the leader as she stupidly tried to protect herself…only for a squeaky toy sound to come from somewhere. The woman looked up and saw the sledgehammer was replaced by a toy, balloon one. The unicorn witch grinned playfully and winked down at her, “Made you look!”

The woman then passed out quickly afterwards, making Clemencia pout as she skipped off of the woman towards Black Hat. She asked, rocking on her heels, “Did you watch? Did you like it?”

Black stared at the blood soaked girl in a unicorn hood that had the most innocent look on her face, while she twirled a sledgehammer as if it were a simple baton. He placed down his cup of tea and walked up to her, saying breathlessly, “Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.”

Why did Black Hat deal with Clemencia? Why did he join her? The madness. The absolute saccharine madness that followed this seemingly innocent and random girl around that he hungered for. He would consume that madness again and again, savoring every minute of it, and never feel full. …And that excites him!

[jeaniegenlow]

Mr. Fudge, Your Balloon Man, in the Tampa Bay Times

Award Winning Author –  Alexandra Zayas is an award winning writer who wrote an article about my balloon business in Tampa a few years ago. It wasn’t until most recently when I figured out just how many awards she had really won!

I remember her as a kind, fun-loving reporter sitting at our kitchen table asking me questions about what I did, why I did it, and some of the more enjoyable moments in my career. I thought she was one in a million as I had just finished with a few other reporters at the time. Boy was I wrong! I did an event for a few photographers at the Tampa Bay Times this past weekend and found out that EVERYONE on their staff is fun and a pleasure to be with.

I also found out just how much of an honor it was to be written about by Alexandra. Just five days ago she won the Livingston Award which honors “outstanding achievement by professionals under the age of 35.” She is also a finalist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, and the winner of the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting.

If you wish to share with Alexandra one of your untold stories, you can contact her at the information below. She is always looking for ideas in the greater Tampa Bay area.

Phone: (813) 226-3354 Email: azayas@tampabay.com Twitter: @AlexandraZayas

Mr. Fudge, Your Balloon Man in the News! Tampa Bay Times

The Balloon Story she wrote was found in the Tampa Bay Times and can be read below or visited at the following link: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/florida-artist-builds-sculptures-that-take-his-breath-away-balloon-art/1055114

LUTZ Jonathan Fudge sleeps among balloons, thousands and thousands of them, grouped by color, lined up in rows, stuffed into boxes and stacked by his bed. When their time comes, they’ll fill his apron in slots assigned to each type — opaque and clear, powder soft and squeaky, yellow and marigold.

They’ll hang out like long, skinny snakes until he needs one. He’ll dip in, pick it out, blow it up. He’ll twist it into a monkey, or a motorcycle, or a monkey riding a motorcycle flinging poo. And he’ll give it away.

Sometimes, he’ll charge a few bucks. Sometimes, he’ll charge a few thousand. Sometimes, he’ll have to split the cash with other balloon twisters who help him out.

Like the time he built a life-sized balloon statue of Ernest Hemingway, in a Key West scene, surrounded by eight palm trees, a macaw and a six-toed cat.

Or that time he built a 12-foot-high replica of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, complete with windows, a tail and periscopes shooting out the top — using just those strings of latex, the occasional pump, a little help from his friends.

And the air in his lungs.

• • •

At 23, Fudge looks back thousands of balloons ago to his very first. It was magic camp. He was 8, and a lousy magician.

The head magician, a big man named Daniel P. Fite with a Capt. Kangaroo moustache, also twisted balloons. He gave one to Fudge and told him to come back when he’d blown it up.

It took the boy a week, and it showed. The balloon was ugly, deformed. He handed it to the moustached magician.

The man ripped it in half.

Fudge’s heart sank to his stomach. But before a tear could come to his eye, Fite took one balloon in each hand, simultaneously blew them up and tied them. And with swift twists of his fingers and flicks of his wrist, turned them into two dogs.

“This guy,” Fudge says, “became my balloon hero.”

He returned to camp every year after that. And sometimes, he followed the magician to theme parks like Disney World, where they would make swords and flowers and hearts for people standing in line. At 15, he made his first tip: $5.

A year or two later, a relative asked him to talk about balloon art at the Great American Teach-In. He needed some expert advice, so he put out a message on the Internet. A woman known in the balloon world as Grandma Maxine Baird wrote him back. She had been looking to sponsor young artists. She told him she would pay his way into a face painting and balloon conference in Orlando. All he had to do was bring fudge.

So the teenaged Fudge showed up with his fudge and stepped into another world.

The hallway was lined with what looked like mannequins. They were human models, standing very still, being painted from head-to-toe. As Fudge walked past, artists begged him to stop, saying they needed another body. But he kept walking, toward a room he heard was the setting of a “balloon jam.”

Think of a jazz jam, people playing their own instruments, exploring their own creativity, synching up if they find a vibe they like. The same is true for balloon jams — you start with small pieces and build as you go.

Evidence exists that the Aztecs once made balloon animals out of the inflated bowels of real animals. But the art of rubber balloon twisting is only a half-century old. And it’s evolving exponentially. Balloon hats and toys have grown into haute-fashion costumes and sculptures bigger than buildings, made for high-paying corporate sponsors.

Some of these ideas are born at balloon jams.

“I get to the balloon room,” Fudge remembers, “there’s a couple of clowns sitting in the corner, Elmo Twist and Peaches. They’re seasoned clowns. They can’t drive at night. Elmo Twist taught me a balloon swallowing routine — for adults only.”

The room was full of such characters, people Fudge would later learn were big deals in the balloon world. He taught one how to make a snail out of a balloon. They didn’t tell him who they were, but they liked his enthusiasm for teaching. He was in.

At a later convention, one big-deal artist asked if he wanted to help create an installation. He did. It was a castle, complete with a long-haired Rapunzel and an alligator swimming in the moat.

He was still in high school, balloon-twisting at five or six restaurants a week, making $150 in one night, what he made in two weeks working at Domino’s Pizza.

• • •

Fast-forward to early this November. Fudge stared at a small toy replica of the Yellow Submarine. He was being paid to copy it into a really, really big balloon version for one of the biggest social events of the year, the Make-A-Wish Ball, where the best tables went for $20,000.

Gone were the simple days of sword balloons.

By now, he’d fulfilled even the strangest on-the-spot balloon twisting requests: a life-sized bed that floated on water, a refrigerator, a banana hammock — “that’s a banana in a hammock. I made it clear I wasn’t going to make anything else.”

He had worked for agencies and started one himself, trained artists who went on to train other artists, stood on a street corner in Okinawa, Japan, making mostly butterflies and octopuses, since those were the only Japanese words he knew.

And now he had landed the submarine gig. He teamed up with master artist John Watkins and brought in a third guy to help blow balloons.

After staring at the toy, they broke its shape into parts. The base looked like a big, yellow whoopee cushion. They started that first, and they kept building — filling balloons with enough air to create a full shape, but not enough to make it pop when twisted.

They inflated 800 balloons. They worked 77 hours.

The party’s theme was Imagine. A big sign announced “All you need is LOVE.” The LOVE was made completely of flowers. In the middle of the ballroom, a big disco ball hung from the center, projecting images of the Beatles.

“It was like a dream world,” Fudge remembers.

And the Yellow Submarine needed to make an entrance.

The song blared. The crowd parted. A parade of stilt-walkers and Beatles bobble-heads built up the crowd. Then the giant submarine floated in, swimming above their heads.

They didn’t realize it was made of balloons until it got closer. The people who have everything were astounded. Oohs were oohed. Ahhs were ahhed. Camera flashes twinkled. Under it all, Fudge raised and dropped his arms like waves as he held his submarine.

He wouldn’t see his work after this night. And it wouldn’t last much longer than that. But right now, in this moment, the exhausted balloon artist reminded himself to smile.

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at azayas@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3354.

Your Balloon Man To contact balloon artist Jonathan Fudge and his Tampa entertainment agency, which provides other types of entertainment as well, visit www.YTEevents.com or call him at (813) 310-5900.