#neither of them are bad but holy fuck they are the exact same musical

[lyssified]

every musical from 2013 to 2019 that's remotely set in a high school looks exactly the same change my mind

[little-kat07]

Unrequited Roceit, endgame logince, and endgame dukeceit idea where Roman and Janus are a double dancing and singing act (think like the musical Chicago) and are in a relationship as well. Roman is just happy to have a career with the love of his life, while Janus is MUCH more interested in fame and money- with or without Roman.

Janus: The press LOVES us! My act is wonderful and the producers can’t ignore it for long.

Roman: You mean OUR act?

Janus: Right. OUR act.

Roman soon meets Logan, a Broadway director who offers them an audition for a play. Musicals and Theater isn’t usually what they do, but they need the money. During the audition-

Logan: *clapping* That was amazing!

Roman: *breathless* You really think so?

Logan: You are going to go far in the world with that kind of talent, Roman. We’ll see you at the first rehearsal.

Janus: Wait- what about me?

Logan: Janus... you were amazing. You have so much talent, and it really pains me to say it’s not what we’re looking for. I’m sure there are lots of other directors who-

Roman is PAINFULLY oblivious to the fact Janus doesn’t care about him, so he stands up for his ‘boyfriend’.

Roman: What? You can’t reject him! Logan, I’ve been by Janus’s side in our career for decades. Either you take both of us or neither.

Logan: I... I suppose we can find a role for Janus.

Roman and Janus travel from Atlanta to New York, where their career is supposed to start.

Logan can tell Janus doesn’t care about Roman, and is heartbroken that Roman would stand up for the snake so easily. But he’s not supposed to get involved with the personal affairs of actors, so he tries not to think about it too much. 

He has a hard time with that since during rehearsal, Roman won’t stop being so fucking adorable all the time.

Logan: Hold on, Roman, could you-

Roman: Okay okay so I know what you’re going to say but I DIDN’T MEAN TO RAISE THAT LAST NOTE, It just felt really right and I can totally stop, but I actually had a little riff on the end there I wanted to do if I could and I know it’s really confusing and I’m rambling but please?

Logan: ...I was going to say move a bit to the left, but go ahead.

Janus is VERY AWARE that Logan and Roman have chemistry, and normally he wouldn’t care since he doesn’t actually love Roman but this time, his ticket to fame and glory is riding on the fact that Roman stays with him, so he tries to intercept their relationship.

...at the very same time that Remus, (who is Logan’s brother in this AU and i’m so sorry to intrulogical shippers) wants Roman and Logan to get together. He has been waiting for Logan to find love for so long and he is NOT about to let some snake boi take away his brother’s happiness.

So, Janus and Remus have a huge, unspoken battle over getting Roman and Logan together OR keeping them apart. Remus sets them up to be alone together, Janus sabotages it or gets there at the exact time and drives Roman away. 

Janus: What is your PROBLEM?

Remus: What is MY deal? Uh, bitch, what is YOUR deal? 

Janus: My financial and social future depends on Roman and Logan staying apart. I need Roman to get me to fame. YOU need to stay out of it.

Remus: Logan is my brother who up until this point was lonely as fuck. I’m not letting you break his only chance at happiness. You don’t even LOVE Roman!

Janus: Can you not talk so loud? Someone is going to hear us.

Remus: Maybe I WANT THEM TO!

Janus: *puts a hand over Remus’s mouth* Keep quiet, rat.

Remus: *licks it*

Janus: EW!! EW EW EW- WHAT THE FUCK, REMUS?

Remus: *cackling*

Roman hears.

That’s really all you need to know- He was right outside when Remus and Janus had that conversation. He stormed back to his room of the hotel and waited for Janus to come back, where they broke up and Janus took his things and left.

This is where things get interesting...

Remus: *knocks on janus’s hotel room door* Uh... snake?

Janus: *muffled grumbling* *opens the door* Yes?

Remus: *trying to smother his worried feelings* Hey snake bitch! I noticed you haven’t tried to... sabatoge any of my plans lately.

Janus: Y e s.

Remus: ...and I was just wondering why? I-I mean I just feel like you’re planning something. What are you planning? 

Janus: ...your futile attempts at being aggressive amuse me. I’ll tell you.

Janus has been feeling strange lately. He tells Remus how he and Roman go together- They had been best friends in highschool, and Janus actually did like Roman once. They used to be an inseparable couple, it was only when Janus realized Roman had talent that could bring him glory, did he begin to stop caring. Now that they’ve broken up, it’s hard to say whether Janus MISSES Roman- because he doesn’t, not really, it’s not about Roman as a person. He missed the feeling of being cared for by someone, being held like fame and money didn’t matter, those little moments Janus missed so achingly much because he thought he would ALWAYS have them- and now he doesn’t, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself.

Remus: ...why did you tell me all that?

Janus: My life feels pretty shitty at the moment and I don’t see how spilling my guts to someone who’s already familiar with my less than pretty personality could bring me any lower.

Remus isn’t quite sure what to do with this information, he’s spent his entire time going up against Janus and hating him. Now he doesn’t see what he knew as Janus, he sees a confused and self-depreciating person- and he feels bad. But he knows he SHOULDN’T, he shouldn’t feel bad because Janus is the bad guy, Janus is the villain in the story-

But he isn’t anymore. This is what the villain looks like AFTER the fairytale, after the hero beats them- confused, lonely, and... crying?

oH my god, Janus is crying, do something, help him, holy fuck, nOoooOOO-

Meanwhile, Logan comforts Roman. 

Logan: ...I should have done something. I KNEW that snake was bad news. Now he-

Roman: I’m quitting.

Logan: I- what?

Roman: I’m quitting- Janus still has his role in the play, I don’t want to spend another second looking at him. He can have his fame and his money, I don’t care about revenge, I just wanna go home.

Logan: But- Roman, no- You have so much talent! You could show him up, get famous, spread your story in the papers and never have to deal with anything like that again-

Roman: I’m sorry, Logan- I’m not mad at him. I couldn’t care less about what happens to him- I’m going home.

Logan: Back to Atlanta??

Roman: Yeah... *sniffle* Atlanta. Or maybe Marietta, or somewhere in that area. Northern Georgia, basically- I don’t know how I can go back to Atlanta right now, not with all the memories and stuff.

Logan: But... Roman... what about me?

Roman: Huh?

Logan: I-I mean, what about everyone else? Virgil, Patton, and Remus- you’re just going to leave all of us behind? (he laughs, almost hysterically) how- how am I gonna find anyone on the face of the earth who can fit your role?

Roman: Oh, come on Lo. I’m sure anybody can fit my role in the play, it’s a simple character and-

Logan: N-Not that, Roman- Your role in our lives? How am I- How am I going to find anyone I love like I love you?

Cue crying confession, adorableness, all that Jazz. Logince pining FINALLY comes to a close- And the rest of the fic would focus more on the Dukeceit aspect.

Remus, at some point, comes to the glaring realization that he ENJOYED bickering and fighting with Janus. He almost stops BREATHING when he finds that, in fact, he likes JANUS. 

Like, Like-likes janus. (No, the L-word isn’t available yet sorry lmao)

Janus figures out pretty quickly that he likes Remus but he just came out of an awful relationship in which HE was the manipulative one, and he really isn’t in the mood to focus on romance right now. Partly for fear that he’ll hurt Remus like he hurt Roman, and partly because nOT EVERYTHING HAS TO REVOLVE AROUND ROMANCE, HE STILL HAS BILLS TO PAY AND JOBS TO WORK, YOU HEATHENS-

Anyway, we have a couple of chapters dedicates to healing the tear in Roman and Janus’s platonic relationship. Janus works hard to try and show Roman he can be trusted as just a friend. (When I say works hard I mean WORKS HARD. I mean, remember what he did? It’s gonna take some work to sift through this.) Eventually, Roman and Logan (newly dating) have a little talk about Janus’s attempts.

Logan: I just- I get that he’s trying to heal it, but... I don’t know. I think I’m just being protective because you two dated once and I thought, if you fell for him once... you might again. And then, he might hurt you again, or even WORSE, he won’t hurt you at all and I’ll have lost you to him permanently.

Roman: ...guess what?

Logan: What?

Roman: When I look at him, I feel nothing!!! :D

Logan: ...nothing?

Roman: *grinning* Nothing at all! Now that I look at him, he’s not even cute!

Logan and Roman continue to burst into laughter.

One day, this happens:

Roman and Remus: *being lovable chaotic idiots*

Logan: *sighs* Why do we love them?

Janus: No clue.

Logan: *eyebrow raise*

Janus: waIT WAIT Okay look I didn’t mean Roman, okay, I- I meant Remus, and- Wait no I- UGH! *slams head on table*

Logan: *smirks* You like my brother. I knew it.

Janus: I’m so sorry I keep falling for people you know.

A couple chapters dedicated to having funny group bonding time, until this happens-

Janus: *acting on stage* If only someone were to look at me with the eyes that Jeremiah does with Her, I might finally be complete and live on to learn to love. My heart-

Remus: *from the audience* I will!

Janus: *pauses and turns to look out* What?

Remus *waving frantically* I’ll look at you with eyes! I’m not sure how else I would look at you, so I’ll do the eyes!

Janus: ...What?

Remus: *groans* JUST DATE ME ALREADY!

Janus: *taken aback* Uh. Okay.

Remus: Wait, seriously?

Janus: Darling, just shut up, I’m doing a scene here...

Remus: :D

And they all lived. Happily ever after? Who knows. But they lived, and that was enough for them.

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

Do what you will with this idea! Tag me if you write or draw something though-

Reposts are appreciated!!!

[misterbitches]

ITSAY SPOILERS

it was so well done and good except liek ep1 WAY too much crying for my tastes but wow so many good scenes. tarn yelling at him was also great.

i don’t even think it’s necessarily “dumb” writing (i don’t think this show has dumb writing but i’m thinking of this particular situation) or implausible (as in would a real life person do that?) because teenagers aren’t that bright. and it’s for a reason, there’s a whole life you have yet to experience. that’s why the amount of crying is normal (but a lot for my grown eyes lmao) and that’s why i’m depressed. because these decisions are so childish and stupid and ridiculous and, ultimately, not ones that you make with a clear head .which is GOOD because they’re teenagers. 

but it sucks because it’s so stupid and the reason why tarn and tay’s convo is so important is because she points out that it doesn’t matter how pissed she is about the situation he’s just hurting himself. it’s actually bonkers and just not a good idea. her telling him that he is distracting her (even if she was hurt) is a perfect example. she’s spent this whole time studying for what she wanted first and so if things do go of course her future doesn’t rely on him.

i’m not sure how i would feel were i oh-aew. in fact, i know if that were to ever happen to me i know i’d do the exact same thing. it’s this absolutely stupid and misguided mistake that they BOTH TOOK (one basically yeeting cos of feelings, the other yeeting so the other one can take cos of feelings) and as much as it drives me wild it’s like.....holy shit the stupidity. which is profound.

it’s sad because hoon, though not as present in the story, has been such a good brother. calmer obviously and has more of a plan and he’s sure of himself (him waiting to introduce his gf is really big too and it’s a mature step while it is also something he chose to do—he made a choice for himself and was living a whole life without them being so privvy to it because it’s his life) and obviously he knows what’s going on but he’s so understanding. but the contrast is clear (and there must be about 6-10 yrs between them) he can regulate his life and feelings and is understanding but also like. he wouldn’t do that. 

because he’s older and knows the world more. all the people who are supposed to be more emotionally mature really are in this show and i think age and femininity are clear indicators that the show highlights. whether purposefully or not, but there’s a much different type of impulse and irregularity that people show than teenage boys. then there’s that expectation of what a boy should be anyway. but damn.

it was stressful to watch cause, esp for tay, you see yourself self-destructing in an effort to understand yourself. the sheer self-sabotage and also self-sacrificing bullshit. and imagine how happy oh-aew felt when he got in—that means that you can get over things. at least one thing was going right and he could move beyond tay for his future (WHICH MAKES SENSE HELLO), heartbreak really isn’t going to last forever but someone does something brash, rude, and stupid. lmao

anyway EYE personally think that they should be together. i think. like as a good ending as a romantic drama. howeverrrrrrrrrrrrrm you know. if this happened in the real world. well, i’m not sure what i would want. i think i’d prefer to stay friends with that person, real friends, if we could. or honestly i wouldnt bother at all. being a teenager is such a useless time. i feel, when i watch, like i’m kind of back in that same place. except my childhood was like not good very bad and my parents suck but all the circular and ridiculous logic and the anger and confusion.

i almost found no personal peeves or technical or creative faults from eps 2 and 3. the only complaint i have about 1+4 is the excessive crying. well actually in ep 1 it seems like they hadnt fleshed out the sound / music spotting and the rest of the eps NAIL it imo but other than that. i am not such a huge fan of constant crying but that’s very minor and i know many people have a flair for the more dramatic. it was a genuinely great hour and a half (?) almost. i kept wanting to fast forward cos i’m not always keen on drama drama (and i wasnt in the mood and i’m high) but the way it was done was REALLY captivating.

also holy shit instagram is stupid. when i was in HS we had just gotten FB and that was big i guess. it wasnt as developed as now, obviously in 2010 i turned 18 so...havent been a teen for a bit. phones were important then tho and we all had like blackberries before iphones (if you could afford it or your parents gave you one....neither was my option lmao) but the stupid fucking use of insta and the dumb lack of communication is HILARIOUS. on a gen z level....i’m not even that much older than the actors but still LOL and i’m 10 years older than an 18 year old...which seems like a huge leap now but not later. 10 yrs passes by so fast. but i would die if i was laying my feelings bare on insta like that. myspace was ENOUGH.

i have more to say but idk how to express it. strong stuff. 

oh also the jerking off scene was bonkers to me it was so good omg the use of like all the tired old tropes or the common things between the years that teens do. everything about it felt so major lmao i died 

anyway that was pretty fuckin metal. i’m not good with emotional fallout, i always need it paired with something violent or so actively psychologically damaging. so for me to feel stressed about things i’ve been through before, knowing that things will be alright as you get older.....that was good shit!

[jupitermelichios]

Smallville S3E1: Exile

So much happens in this episode and I am not emotionally invested in any of it. Not even Lex staring in the Castaway x Shutter Island crossover movie absolutely no one asked for.

Apparently ending S2 of a teen genre show with your main character peacing out after major trauma and then opening S3 three months later with your MC living undercover was just a thing. Although Buffy at least had it be her own trauma she was running from not a weird guilt complex thing where she has to make other people’s trauma all about her like Clark apparently has!

So Clark is living in Metropolis, dosed up on Red Kryptonite under the name Kal… and fucking robbing banks for a living! His solution to being sad is to just fucking take loads of magic space PCP and rob banks. You know, like a normal well adjusted person.

Lex aparently didn’t save himself from that plane crash, and is now legally dead. Given I know he’s in every season of this show, I’m really rooting for ‘living undercover as a hardboiled detective while he tries to uncover the truth’ for his s3 storyline

So as well as robbing banks for a living, Clark is also acting as a vigilante specifically stopping people robbing banks. Because even evil!Clark has to find ways to be a hyprocit.

You know a few years ago I’d have been like, why the fuck did the police just open fire on that unarmed man, and why did Clark just murder a load of cops, but it’s 2020 and I’m so tired and everyone involved in this scene is awful so fuck it, let them all kill each other

Holy shit I was right last episode, Clark has been gone for three months and everyone’s lives are better. Martha seems kind of sad and Lex is apparently dead, but everyone else is doing great!

Either they got a massive budget hike between seasons or they used their entire budget on this episode; we’ve had licenced music, CGI and Rutger Hauer all the in the first ten minutes

Apparently in the last three months the Kents have rebuilt their house and repurchased all their furniture. Like the exact same furniture. Like they couldn’t be bothered to get a new set so it’s literally the same kitchen

Okay so Lex just woke up on a deserted island with some other random guy and has apparently been living there for months and also has malaria but turns out malaria is nbd and just gives you occasional weird dreams and i’m pretty sure this is all just an excuse to have Michael Rosenbaum wander around set topless

So it’s Lex’s funeral, and I fucking adore how John Glover is playing Lionel’s speech. He looks so fucking bored. His words say it’s hard for a father to bury his son, but his face says “i’m missing Ellen for this”

Wait, cupboard sex doctor is here. What the fuck kind of explanation did she give anyone for how she escaped a plane crash?!

I think that’s three dramatic shirt rips so far and we’re only like ten minutes in

Holy shit the Kents also rebuilt the fucking barn. Why?! Why did they rebuild the exact same bloody barn?! Also apparently none of this was insured because they’re now going bust and moving into the empty apartment above the Talon. Apparently rebuilding an entire sound stage set is expensive, who knew!

Okay black widow angry cupboard sex doctor vs lionel luthor is the lionel family drama I’m here for. She should definitely marry Lex’s brother next and kill him off next, just as soon as the writers remember they gave Lex a brother

Exactly two people have worn sunglasses like that, Cyclops and apparently Clark Kent. Neither of them can pull them off

Apparently Lana’s solution to Clark going missing is to just fuck off to find him without telling anyone where she was going. Becuase two people going missing instead of one clearly improves the situation!

Wow, so the guy who’s on the same desert island as Lex is the son of a rich businessman who was emotionally abusive and who also has weird queer coding. Clearly they’re soulmates! The fact that the dude wants to murder Lex with a machete is maybe putting some kind of a crimp in the relationship but given Lex’s history I’m sure they can work through it.

Oh wow, there’s coincidence plots and then there’s Rutger Hauer hiring PCP!Clark to break into Lionel’s office to steal Kryptonite

Well then. Apparently Lex’s soulmate is a malaria hallucination, and now this random Jamaican dude is here to rescue him. Was Lex just on Jamaica this whole time? Oh my god, I really fucking hope he was just living next door to a resort full of tourists this whole fucking time, that would be so good, and honestly not even that weird compared to everything else that’s happened so far this episode

I love how every single version of Jor-El is just a complete prick. Do you think that’s a Kryptonian thing or just a him thing?

Oh no, apparently it’s not Kryptonite Clark’s stealing from the safe that was previously full of Kryptonite, it’s a maguffin so generic it’s literally just a featureless metal cube. I kind of love that they couldn’t be bothered to even get a fucking floppy disc or something, they just painted a cardboard box silver and called it a day

I realise Clark being on magical space PCP is real bad for the whole planet, but so far he mostly just seems to want to rob ATMs and pick up chicks, which isn’t great but is honestly probably less destructive than him being a good guy, so I’m really rooting for him to just fucking kill Jonathan in this confrontation and peace out. I mean I’m always rooting for absolutely anyone to kill Jonathan Kent at any given moment, but especially right now.

Wait, it’s just now occurred to me that the episode it over and we still don’t have any explanation for how angry cupboard sex doctor was supposed to have survived that plane crash. Because why would that be important information for the audience to have!

[findmeinpops]

FindMeInPops’ 12 Days of Christmas: Day Twelve - Southside Archive Secret Santa

Merry Christmas Liz ( @worriestothewind​ )! Here we have a festive friends-to-lovers oneshot for Female!Reader x Sweet Pea. I hope you enjoy reading this and that you have a wonderful festive season; I wish you all the best for the new year (and decade!). Harry x 

P.S. Thank you @southsidearchive​ for organising the Secret Santa, it’s much appreciated.

Prompt: Friends to lovers

Ship(s): Sweet Pea x Female!Reader

Rating: T

CW(s): Cursing, alcohol

Gifted: Liz ( @worriestothewind​ )

@riverdalebingo​ : A Christmas Bet

Reindeer Games: Prancer - Parties

As Y/N was pushing the pins into her hair to hold up her half-up half-down do, she could only think about how little she wanted to go out tonight. Every year the Southside Serpents held a festive party in the Whyte Wyrm - she had no clue how they could even afford the place considering their low budget but it probably did not hurt that FP, the current leader of the Southside gang, was brothers with the owner.

Y/N had joined the Southside Serpents three years ago so there had only been three parties since Y/N had first been permitted to go, and she was rather glad that she had only ever been roped into attending one of them; every other time she had been quite happy to stay at home, curled up in bed. Her best friend Sweet Pea had voluntarily attended each one, unfortunately for her, so she had been left at home alone to entertain herself. But this time he was dragging her along with him.

“I still can’t believe you persuaded me to go to this party,” Y/N complained, casually strolling out of her ensuite bathroom and standing in front of Sweet Pea, hands on her hips in the only act of defiance she could muster right then. He drew his eyes away from his phone, looking up from his position on her bed, not batting an eyelid at her half-clothed state.

It was an almost amusing contrast to see Sweet Pea in the setting of Y/N’s room; the floral pink duvet cover against the fully-black biker look, that Sweet Pea seemed to have had ever since he left the womb, would have been shocking to most. To be fair, his dark attire wasn’t all that different from Y/N’s typical outfits of choice, but she had an affinity for all things pink, pastel, and floral when it came to her decor and belonging, only preferring grayscale when it came to clothes.

Y/N and Sweet Pea had been best friends since birth, or near enough; they were both Serpent legacies, but Y/N’s family was somewhat more stable than Pea’s. When Sweet Pea hit the ripe old age of six months, his father took it upon himself to high-tail out of Riverdale to go and live with his pregnant mistress. A single, working, new-mother, his mom often resorted to leaving Pea with the Y/L/Ns’ and the pair became fast friends. They grew up together and, although they did occasionally venture outside of their partnership, they were each other’s closest friend. And it was for this exact reason that Sweet Pea had no reaction to Y/N standing in front of him in only a black mini skirt, fishnets, and bra.

“We need to leave in half an hour. Are you going like that?” Sweet Pea commented dryly.

“Pea,” She moaned, continuing to complain just in case he would allow her reprieve from their plans.

“It’s up to you, but I think FP may have something to say about your outfit of choice.”

“Pea, please?” She pouted, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

Sweet Pea sighed, dropping his phone between his crossed legs. “I believe we had an agreement, sweetheart.”

“Yes, and I will be forever grateful that you are not forcing me to go to the New Year’s party or any other Serpent festive gathering for the rest of this year, but,” Y/N crouched down, a hand on each of Pea’s knees, “would you not much rather be curled up with yours truly, hot chocolate, and a Christmas comedy on the TV?”

She tried to pull her most enticing puppy-dog face--which nine times out of ten melted Pea into a puddle at her feet, but not this time.

“A deal’s a deal.” He gave her a pointed look which softened slightly when he saw genuine disappointment flicker through Y/N’s eyes. “Hey,” he placed his hands on top of hers, running his thumbs over the back of them, “I’ll be there and I promise we can be back here by one am. I’ll even try to persuade your mom to let me sleep over and we can cuddle with hot chocolate and a comedy then.” The placating smile he offered did nothing as she rolled her eyes, pushing up from her position.

“You don’t need to persuade my mom to do anything.” She wandered over to her dresser, picking up her makeup bag before plopping herself down on the floor in front of the full-length mirror attached to her wardrobe. “She fucking loves you.” And didn’t Y/N know it.

‘Sweet Pea is such a nice boy’, ‘why don’t you date Sweet Pea’, ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if Sweet Pea was my son-in-law,’ – Y/N never heard the end of how much her mother adored Pea but what her mother (or Pea for that matter) did not know is how much Y/N and her mother were in agreement in wishing that Pea would date her.

For as long as they’d been friends, Y/N had known that she loved Sweet Pea, but it was not until a moment in their teens, when she had had the sudden urge to grab him by the neck and crush his lips to hers, did she realise the love was no longer solely platonic.

Y/N had a crush on her lifelong best friend and he did not have a single fucking clue.

She had briefly entertained the thought of initiating something between them but the potential of losing Pea over such a thing was a devastating concept and so the idea was killed in moments. Regardless, Y/N knew that Sweet Pea had a huge crush on Toni, not that he had told her this, but she had noticed the way he smiled at her - that was the smile of a boy who was crushing on a girl.

Each time Y/N saw that smile, there was always a small twinge in her gut but she was determined to make her best friend happy, no longer caring that it would not be with her. Sweet Pea deserved to be happy.

“But she doesn’t love me as much as I love you.” He sent her a faux sickly-sweet smile in the mirror, forcing her eyes to roll yet again.

Drawing on her eyeliner, Y/N could not stop her mind from imagining him meaning it the way that she secretly hoped he would. No, she had to reprimand herself, Sweet Pea had been with her through thick and thin, spent many evenings soothing her as she sobbed over this and that as well as always having her back. She loved him regardless of context and, because of this, she wanted and needed him to be happy – if Pea wanted to be with Toni then she would make it happen.

“I fucking love you.” Their little phrase left her lips as she finished up the liner on her second eye.

“And I fucking love you,” he replied, as they shared a genuine smile before delving back into their respective tasks – Y/N applying minimal makeup for the forced exertion from her home and Sweet Pea texting whoever.

******

Riding on the back of a motorcycle in a skirt was never really the best of ideas, but it was a dark December evening and no one would see. But what Y/N had not considered was how bad of an idea it was to ride on the back of a motorcycle, in the middle of December, at night, in fishnets and a skirt.

“Holy shit, I’m freezing,” she exclaimed, jumping from the seat as soon as Sweet Pea turned the engine off.

“Yeah, probably not the best of our ideas,” Sweet Pea reasoned, sliding off the seat a lot more smoothly. He placed a hand on either of her arms, rubbing his hands up and down her clothed skin, trying to create a little heat.

“Our idea? Please, I wanted to take the car but no, we were already late so you wanted to freeze my tits off.”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at that before gripping her wrist in one hand, pocketing his keys with the other, and all but dragging her towards the bar door.

“I’m freezing, my legs are going to fall off, and I do not want to be here.” Y/N continued to complain and Sweet Pea could only compare her to a toddler having a tantrum.

They stopped just shy of the closed door, muffled music and chattering could be heard on the other side, and the glow of multi-coloured lights could be seen through the frosted panes of the windows. It all looked rather cozy and, if there weren’t fifty other people in there, Y/N would have probably been quite happy to enter.

“Stop being dramatic, we had a deal. These parties normally suck--”

She opened her mouth to interrupt but a slight glare from Sweet Pea stopped the words in their place.

“--but my bestest friend in the whole entire world is here and you’re going to make the experience so much better. Then, we will go home, maybe catch a lift with someone since I quite like your legs being attached,” he spared a glance to her goose-bump covered skin, “and we will drink hot chocolate and watch a movie.”

He took one of her hands in his, neither of their fingers particularly warm, and began to push on the door before stopping and turning back to face Y/N. “Oh, and Toni’s here.”

Ah, how could she forget her plan, although she wasn’t entirely sure why Pea thought that this would be an incentive for her to enter, he had no idea that she was aware of his crush. Y/N was going to somehow get her best friend to ask out Toni by the end of the night, whether she said yes was out of Y/N’s control, but she would be sure to get Sweet Pea to confess... somehow…

With a small smile now gracing her lips, they both pushed through the door into the large bar area, welcoming the overwhelming warmth that hit them as well as the tangy smell of alcohol. Hog Eye, the owner of the Whyte Wyrm, had strung fairylights along the walls and a small Christmas tree sat on the bar, adorned with the same multi-coloured lights and several red shiny baubles. People were scattered all over the large room, drinks in hand, and loudly chatting away as Bing Crosby was crooning out ‘White Christmas’.

Y/N hummed along as she handed her coat to Sweet Pea to hang on the coat stand, nodding a silent thanks as she continued to take in the room. It was whilst doing this that she spotted several bunches of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, and then she had her plan. Now she just had to lure Toni and Sweet Pea over to one of the many bunches of mistletoe. She began to search for Toni but the latter had already spotted them and was waving them over to where she stood with a small group of her friends.

“Let’s join Toni,” Sweet Pea spoke before Y/N had the chance, sending a nod towards the fellow Serpent.

“Hey guys, cold out isn’t it?” Toni greeted each of them with a hug once they made their way through the crowd. This was not too much of a feat, though, as they tended to part easily for Sweet Pea as he towered over most people.

“Sure is. This idiot decided to ride on the bike wearing fishnets.” Sweet Pea knocked Y/N with his elbow, sending a kind smile to let her know he was only joking.

“Sure, sure, my fault, I know.” Y/N rolled her eyes goodnaturedly, bumping her best friend back with her hip.

“Well, at least it’s warm in here, you’ll be alright in no time,” Toni replied before pulling on the arm of a tall redhead beside her, who turned away from her current conversation. To say Y/N was shocked to see Cheryl Blossom in the Whyte Wyrm would be an understatement. It had been a few years since they had all graduated from Riverdale High, but Cheryl had always been an incredibly preppy individual, to put it kindly, who had deemed herself higher than most others around her. She and her brother, Jason, had practically ruled the school, hardly sparing a glance to others, particularly the transfers from Southside High who were made bottom of the food chain. She had obviously come a long way from her time in high school.

“Sweet Pea, Y/N, I’m sure you remember Cheryl.” Cheryl wiggled her fingers in a small wave and offered a sheepish smile as they were introduced. “She’s a ‘trainee serpent’, so to speak. FP is considering her for the initiation.”

Both Y/N and Sweet Pea’s eyes widened comically. Tonight was full of surprises. It was one thing for the Cheryl they knew to willingly surround herself and be associated with Serpents, but for her to also desire to become a Serpent - perhaps she had hit her head.

Cheryl must have noticed their expressions as she was quick to pull her hands together in a pleading gesture. “I know and I sincerely apologise for the unacceptable and truly horrible way I treated you and your fellow Serpents throughout our time at Riverdale High. I promise that I have changed my ways since graduation and, with the help of TT, I hope to show you how true this transformation is.”

“Of course, I’m sure we’ll see more of each other through Serpent business, but we can always hang out. It’s a regular thing we do with Toni,” Sweet Pea answered for both of them, swinging an arm around Y/N’s shoulders, signalling for her to nod her agreement.

“Brilliant.” Cheryl grinned.

A slightly awkward silence settled around the four of them, something that was most likely due to all of their being unsure how to act with Cheryl around. Y/N’s eyes flitted around the room, not knowing where to land, trying to avoid having to make stilted conversation. Her eyes just happened to catch on a particular bunch of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling above the bar.

Being in such close proximity with Pea heated her skin, something that was putting Y/N off of the whole scheme she had created, but the look that appeared on Pea’s face each time he saw Toni reappeared in her mind; she wanted only the best for him and for him to be happy and, because of that, she would continue forward with her plan.

“I don’t know about you, but I need a drink” Y/N broke the silence, and relief noticeably appeared on Pea and Toni’s faces, Cheryl seemingly oblivious. Pretending to notice Toni’s lack of drink in hand, you added, “Toni, why don’t you join us at the bar.”

Pea’s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to work out why she had intentionally omitted Cheryl from the invitation but seemingly settled on ignoring it for now, he released his arm from around Y/N’s shoulders before chiming in, “yeah, I’ll cover this round.”

“And I’ll stay here and make conversation with my soon-to-be fellow Serpents.” Cheryl did not seem overly bothered about her exclusion, smiling and nodding before making her way across the room to a group of younger Serpents.

Y/N led the three of them over, placing herself at the front of the group so she could strategically lead them over to the right-hand side of the bar where the mistletoe hung. She settled herself at the very far end, resting her arm on the sticky surface so that Toni and Sweet Pea would be forced to stand together at her left.

“Y/N, Sweet Pea, nice to see ya,” Hog Eye greeted, coming directly to the trio, bypassing a few already waiting patrons.

Y/N and Sweet Pea had helped out Hog Eye quite a bit over the last year. The Ghoulies, before they were run out of town, had made an attack on the Whyte Wyrm, destroying half of the bar, and the pair had been a part of a few Serpents who had helped reassemble the place. Veronica had pitched in the money necessary, due to feeling guilty about her father being partially responsible for the attack, so Y/N and Sweet Pea just offered some manpower, as well as occasionally taking up some shifts at the bar while Hog Eye was recovering from injuries he sustained during the ordeal.

Nevertheless, Hog Eye had been incredibly grateful and had no qualms ignoring the already waiting customers to serve them. “Toni too, I see. What can I get you three?”

“I’ll have a bourbon, please, Hog Eye, you know how I like it,” Y/N replied. “Pea’s driving so he’ll just have a coke?” Sweet Pea nodded to her question. “And Toni, what do you want?” Y/N turned to Toni who seemed distracted but requested a Jack and coke at her prompting.

As Hog Eye was pouring the drinks, Toni zoned out again, slowly gaining a mischievous twinkle in her eye paired with a not-so-hidden grin. “Y’know, Y/N, you’re looking hot as hell tonight.”

Y/N turned bright red at Toni’s words, and she wanted nothing more than to hit her head on the bar counter in embarrassment. A similar, but more subtle, pink dusted Sweet Pea’s cheeks. It was also joined by a small smirk.

“Um, thanks I--”

“Yeah, you look amazing, let me take a photo of your outfit. And Sweet Pea! Sweet Pea can be in the photo as well.” She was talking so frantically that neither Y/N or Sweet Pea really understood what was going on so when Toni suddenly gripped Y/N’s arms and spun her around for the picture, Sweet Pea had to grab Y/N by the waist to stop her toppling over.

“Perfect! Just perfect!” Toni exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket. “Now Y/N just move a little closer to Sweet Pea.”

“Do you know what the fuck is going on?” Sweet Pea whispered into Y/N’s ear, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She shook her head in answer but also to rid herself of the odd sensation, she could use that bourbon now.

“And smile!”

Toni took the photo. The pair began to move apart from the too-close position before Toni stopped them with a hand, that mischievous look taking over her entire face.

“Would you look at that!” She feigned surprise, tilting her head to the ceiling. Y/N and Sweet Pea followed suit, freezing at what they saw. Shit.

“Mistletoe. You know what that means?”

“No, Toni you were--”

“You’re under the mistletoe, you have to kiss.” Toni seemed to be enjoying Y/N’s squirming, but Y/N was more concerned about Sweet Pea unwrapping his arm from around her waist and pulling away, taking it as rejection. Although it was nothing short of what she expected, it still stung.

“No, Toni, I think Y/N wants you to come here.” Sweet Pea stepped back, motioning Toni over. Y/N could almost scream in frustration, this was not going how she had wanted it to go.

“No, it was supposed to be you and Toni under the--”

“Guys, just get on with--” Toni tried to interrupt Y/N, but Sweet Pea stepped in.

“Wait, you were trying to set me up with Toni?” Y/N swung around to face him, now incredibly concerned that he had taken offence. She had not considered Sweet Pea might consider her scheming overstepping.

“Yes, I just wanted to see you happy and I know you have a crush on--”

“Me? Have a crush on Toni?” Sweet Pea’s eyes were almost bugging out his head.

Their outbursts had gained the attention of a few of the nearest Serpents whilst Hog Eye was trying his very hardest to hold in laughter, his face beginning to resemble a tomato.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to--”

“I thought you had a crush on Toni!” His exclamation caused Y/N to freeze, both of them oblivious to the listening ears and the amused smiles of the entire bar.

“You--I--What?” Y/N could not believe a single word that she was hearing. How had he gotten the idea that she liked Toni? Y/N had noticed how he had always smiled when they approached her and whenever she was mentioned in conversation the same look reappeared; how else was Y/N supposed to interpret this?

“As entertaining as this is, we would all appreciate it if you both shut up.” Toni’s words brought their attention to the silence that otherwise filled the room and the fact that every pair of eyes were trained on them. If Y/N had been embarrassed before, it did not compare to how she felt now.

Heat filled her entire body, and not in a good way, her face radiating as she chewed at the skin on her lower lip. Sweet Pea was hiding his embarrassment somewhat better, but pink still tinged his cheeks and the tips of ears.

“You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss!” a shout came from somewhere in the small crowd.

Sweet Pea shot a glare in the heckler’s direction before he took a step closer as Y/N was still frozen in shock, reaching his hand to cup her cheek, gently tilting her head upwards to face him. His thumb smoothed over her warm cheek as he scanned her eyes for any form of protest--there was some hesitation but also a hefty amount of want. The same thumb ran over her lower lip now, his ring cold on her skin as he pulled her slightly bruised lip from between her teeth. Pea’s gaze left her lips, meeting hers and silently asking for her permission. After a nod, so small that only he would have seen, he brought his other hand up to her unoccupied cheek, guiding her face up so they met in the middle.

Sweet Pea wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers, unable to believe that this was happening and savouring the moment. Y/N broke out of a trance, bringing one arm up to wrap around his neck, threading her fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck, ensuring he would not pull away quite yet. It was too soon.

Her lips were on fire, but it was the sparks that spread from their connection through all the nerves in her body that racked her with shivers and set her akin alight. Her other arm settled against his chest, clenching the material of his jumper in her fingers as one of Sweet Pea’s found its place at her waist, pressing her against him, trying to get as much contact as possible.

And then Y/N began to move her lips in a gentle caress, Sweet Pea following suit. There was no rush or urgency, they had time but also a passion as they poured their love for one another into this kiss. The pair moved almost in opposites, caressing each other in turn. Y/N took a gasp of air so Pea seized the chance to run the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, not needing to deepen the kiss further, but savouring the feeling, her touch, her taste, when they were no longer connected. Y/N moved to wrap her other arm around his neck but a loud clearing of a throat registered, triggering Y/N to remember just where they were.

She leant her forehead against Sweet Pea’s chest, her cheeks turning even redder whilst her lungs were still trying to catch up, snickers beginning to filter through to her ears. How could she forget where they were? She probably would have allowed them to progress to a full-on makeout session, without intervention, completely oblivious to the audience they had gained.

Sweet Pea pressed a kiss to the top of Y/N’s head, the hand not on her waist smoothing through her hair. The contact of his skin sent a shiver down her spine, her body obviously not registering their audience.

Once she finally caught her breath and calmed down, she pulled away enough for Sweet Pea to press a small kiss to her nose. An involuntary grin took over her lips and stayed in place as she finally twisted her head to look at the Serpents gathered around.

A chorus of cheering and wolf whistles broke out. Toni still stood behind her, only now joined by Cheryl, who had wrapped an arm around her waist; the former wore an incredibly smug expression whilst the latter simply looked thoroughly entertained. Fangs, on the other hand, who stood a few metres from them, had a slightly childish pout on his face aimed solely at Toni.

“Told you I could do it tonight,” Toni simply said in answer to his expression. “You’re going to have to pay up.” She held her hand out, making a ‘gimme’ motion.

“I don’t have the money on me right now! I was so sure…” the last part seemed to only be spoken to himself.

“You bet on us!” Y/N cried indignantly, wrapping her arms around herself, interlocking her fingers with Pea’s at her waist.

“Only last week,” Toni placated, as if that made it any better.

“If it’s any consolation, Y/N,” Hog Eye spoke unexpectedly. He was leant casually against the wall behind the bar, a smug smile that rivalled Toni’s, adorning his face, “me and yer’ mom have had one going for years.”

“My mom!” Y/N was not angry, per se, but more frustrated with the fact that everyone seemed to have been in a secret conspiracy, even her mom.

“Just don’t tell her about all the mistletoe I put everywhere.” Hog Eye began to full-on belly laugh when Y/N’s eyes bugged out of her head. The rest of the bar, still listening, joined in too.

Y/N twisted back around to properly hug Sweet Pea, wanting to fully gauge his reaction. It seemed she was not alone in her embarrassment, but by the chuckles that were beginning to vibrate through his chest, he was finding the humorous side of things. Y/N sighed. She supposed it was all good-natured.

Y/N‘s gaze flickered over Sweet Pea’s face, taking in the small smile, the slight flush to his handsome features and the twinkle in his forest green eyes. He was truly gorgeous.

“I fucking love you,” she whispered to him, smoothing a lock of his hair back from where it had fallen into his face.

“And I fucking love you.”

[maladaptive-ninja-returns]

The Bad Guy

Bucky x fem!Reader

Theme: It's a good day in New York City for Bucky Barnes, who seems to feel right at home till his morning is disrupted by a bad guy. Maybe New York isn't the same place after all.

Series: I don’t know if this is a series.

Chapter warnings: swearing. so much swearing.

A/N: @writing-prompt-s​ once gave a prompt last year that stuck with me...I don’t remember the exact wordings but it had something to do with the reader/writer being the villain having a crush on the hero, always finding excuses (or crimes) to meet them. One day they are getting their ass beat and you decide to jump in and save the day. This one is same but with a liiiiiiiitle twist

Word Count: I cannot believe there are days when I wish I can poop at will, like my brother, and not just sit there constipated. Today has been one of those days.

MASTERLIST in bio, love. Tags are open

“Get the fuck outta my face, you asshole!”

The anger rushed through the burning veins to press on the car horn for as long as that bald guy could; or till other vehicles standing there impatiently started cussing at the boomer to hold it together. To add fuel to the fire, a flock of pigeons made sure it got to do its business right in the middle of newly washed windshields. A woman stood by the crossing, watching everything unfold through her bloodshot eyes as she smoked the scene away in broad daylight while a stray dog peed at the lamp post she supported herself on. A man walked by, catcalling the same woman with the kind of smile you do not want to witness; but when you do, it is difficult to remove from your brain. “Slut,” the man spewed when he did not get anything for his manly advances. “Boo-hoo,” uttered the woman with pure disinterest, going back to looking at the woman standing across the road, trying to balance her grocery bags in her arms while deciding the right moment to cross the road.

Ah, yes. It was just another day in New York City.

It did not feel normal till the exhaust fumes filled up your lungs when you stepped out into this articulate maze of a city to go about your day, just like anyone else. That rusty smell of iron and concrete along with a splash of dust in the alleys, the stench of piss in those missed corners in the back alleys and parks, the howls and so-called greetings by the men at every woman passing by that caught their eye.

Some things never change. That’s what Bucky lamented this morning, feeling himself caught off guard for a split second as two women walked by with a knowing smile just for his blue eyes. Never indeed.

So, he still had it, didn’t he? Feeling like the same Brooklyn boy before the war, catching secretive gazes and moans of all eyes alike, greeting the elderly, petting a dog and stroking a cat as he felt a skip in his step. It was so good to be outside.

Two weeks. Two weeks since he had come back from Wakanda, deciding to join Steve, Sam and Stark in whatever little shenanigans they had running at the compound in the city outskirts; saving the world and all that. It had been a good start since the whole Hydra and Snap events. He had settled pretty well with the rest of the Avengers. Turned out it isn’t that hard to live with people who are just the same amount of weird as him. But the relief came from the fact that he wasn’t the only ex-assassin in the house. That redhead was super rad. I should maybe ask her out if she and Steve aren’t a thing already…though I doubt that.

But just because he had come home did not mean he forgot about the previous one. He would still get occasional memes in his inbox from Shuri and he would try to use them- what he thought- the right way, peppering them into conversations as much as possible. 

I wish Shuri was here, Bucky sighed as he looked at the Times Square announcement for the Young Leaders Summit happening this weekend, smiling to himself in gratitude for that young scientist making him well enough to enjoy the bustling crowds again.

The walk through this massive city was no joke. But the Winter Soldier took his sweet time to watch the life of the loudest and the quietest corners before he decided where he wanted to get his coffee from.

Just by the corner of the University was a little shop with the cosiest ambience- everything furnished in wood, old advertisements for wall decorations and some good old jazz music playing on the vinyl satiated his soul just the right amount.

“Coffee and uh…eggs and bacon, please,” he requested with a slight smile as he settled on the stool, trying to ignore the snickers and giggles coming from the booth behind him.

“Oh my gosh, he’s so hot,” his sensitive ears caught, forcing him to clear his throat and grab the newspaper kept on the counter.

“So fuckable,” another whisper came. Okay, some things have changed, he shuddered, gladly turning his attention to the police sirens in the distance instead of having to hear what a couple of strangers had to say about him.

“I wonder if he goes dow-“

A crash and a peal of horrendous feminine laughter drowned out everything else, breaking open the can of fight or flight instincts- neither of them containing the ‘go back home, its none of your business’ choice.

Stepping out, Bucky was greeted with one end of the street bustling with cars and people getting out of them to witness a woman stand over one with a bag swinging in the air as if to mock whoever who was standing opposite her. Bucky could not get a clear view thanks to the tree line in his view.

“I said put that down,” a commanding voice said out loud. Wait a second…

“Good Lord! Would you relax!” the woman called out, her back still to Bucky. By the casual pose, he could tell she was not scared of whoever was standing in front of her. “It’s just a smoke grenade in one hand the most expensive painting in New York in another. Also, the shittiest,” she shrugged before taking the piece out of the bag and forcing a gasp out of everyone, “I mean, who decided to pay a hundred mil for this stupid looking square drawn over a circle?”

Bucky moved along the tree line, right where her blind spot was, reading the scene to realise she was some idiot out to cause chaos in the streets. I guess the police have it cover-are you kidding me?!

“As much as I would love to agree with you,” a very tired Steve announced, his shield resting on his arm, “I’d rather make sure Tony gets this back in one piece.”

“Well, he can pay my student loans and I’ll draw him a better one,” you negotiated, almost making Steve laugh.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “that’s a good one. Now come on. I don’t want you to get hurt. Give that ba-“

“Why not?” You tilted your head at him, making the Captain pause. Bucky stood behind an SUV, furrowing his brows at Steve and the woman.

“Wh-“ Steve was left with his lips in a confused pout, not really understanding the question while the summer sun made that soft blonde glow like a truly lost boy in the jungle.

“Why wouldn’t you want to hurt me?”

Bucky could swear by that colour of hurting emotion in her voice that she was looking at Steve as if he had betrayed her. Holy cow, she’s good. But then again, it’s Stevie.

“I..uh-“

“It’s okay. You have my consent. We should keep a safe word though.”

“O…kay I think that’s-“

“How about…Shield?”

Bucky nearly gave up his position with the involuntary snicker that left the back of his throat. Nonetheless, he had a perfect view of watching his best friend choke on embarrassment till he was red.

“’ Cause, you know, it’s safer to use protection.”

Steve was lucky. Really lucky the first time for having the street evacuated so as not to face the public embarrassment of being broken by a woman in a leather jacket and black jeans. That’s it. No weapons. He turned lucky the second time when an explosion in the art gallery behind him turned all the attention away from this weird one standing on top of a car and flirting with Captain America.

But Bucky was not going to let Steve forget this. Ever.

“Nat, what was that?” He called into his comms.

“Aw! Come on! I was just starting to get to know you!” She groaned. “Okay, I won’t burn this trash and we go on a date. What say?”

“We’re done here,” Steve declared before turning towards the three policemen standing behind him for aid, looking at him for further instructions, “cuff her up.”

Bucky moved next to the police car, taking the spare windbreaker resting on the front seat to walk towards the woman without giving away his identity. Not that there was much to give there.

“SO IS THAT A YES ON THE DATE?” she shouted in Steve’s direction while the cops cuffed her up. One of the policemen was quick to figure out the man doing the murder walk in their direction was not a part of the team.

“Hey, excuse me. What do you think you’re doing?“

Bucky tried to raise his hands to signal him to keep it quiet but something else was already catching his attention. That something being Steve body hurled out of the glass building like a rag doll.

It was a split-second reaction of him catching the arms of the cuffed-up woman. “Hey! You’re not going-“he broke as the face turned towards him, that weight in his voice slowly dissolving in those angry eyes- “anywhere.”

.

You had your share of bad luck. Who didn’t? It was New York fucking City. The whole place was a mess. So, it was a given that today was going to be just like any other day. Because who gets to rob an art studio and have their crush come and personally arrest them only to be called off by some other douchebag robbing the same place.

Now, it would have been great had things just halted there. But as fate would have it, embarrassment hit right when you got cuffed, watching the man of your fantasies being thrown out of glass and landing on the pavement with a groan.

No one hurts him but me, you growled, already trying to make your way towards Steve before a pair of hands wrapped themselves around your arms to stop and turn your around. “Hey! You’re not going-“

Oh, now what! You turned around to lock eyes with deep ocean eyes turning fifty shades lighter. “-anywhere.”

You did not know where that jawline came from but if he hadn’t been so beautiful you swore you would have punched the lights out of him right there and then.

Who is he, a part of you was purring.

Gunfire sounded behind you, making you break out this ten-second bliss to turn back to Steve hiding behind his shield from…was that a sniper you just saw on the roof?

Trying to walk towards Steve again, you were once again stopped by that blue-eyed guy.

“Let me go,” you declared, “he’s in trouble.”

Bucky scoffed. “That’s Captain America, doll. I think he can handle himself.”

You scrunched your nose at him, making him wonder it was Steve he was talking about. “Doll? What century are you from?”

Bucky stopped short of saying something. Let’s just not go there, darlin’.

“Let me go, he clearly needs help.”

“From a thief?”

“She tried to threaten a crowd yesterday,” one of the officers spoke, earning a death glare from you.

“And I am threatening to kill you right now if you don’t let me go,” you announced ever so softly to the officer, who walked backwards with every step you took in his direction, his hand resting on his gun, ready to take it out as soon as you were to become a legit threat.

“Lady, I am telling you to calm down,” he declared, his friends backing him up.

“Okay, no need to get-“

Bucky’s words were drowned by another explosion and before anyone could make sense of the situation, you were already breaking out of the handcuffs with one good yank, running straight towards the explosion, jumping over the cars to land on the concrete grounds of the studio.

“Uh…this is on the new guy,” the officer stressed, pointing at Bucky. Bucky looked at him with judgmental eyes before running behind you, trying to catch up as you disappeared behind the smoke, landing on the ground from the cars just in time to miss a screaming man that came flying in his direction; or rather, he missed a man that was thrown in his direction.

“What in the-“ Bucky walked into the smoke cautiously to hear the impact of fists made with ribs and bodies being thrown into walls and grunts coming from something wild trying to fight those men in tactical vests.

The chopper above cleared the smoke in time- thanks Natasha- for the Winter Soldier to witness you blocking an attack on Steve before crushing the attacker’s wrist and knocking him unconscious with your elbow right in his face.

“You okay, Cap?”

“They’re not with you?”

“Wha-Who? These Chads and Hunters? Not even if I was being paid for it, no.”

Steve apologised for the quick judgment, looking around at the men lying on the ground groaning in pain. “You know you’ll still be arrested for the theft,” Steve stated with heavy breaths, trying to wipe off the blood from his lips.

“Eh,” you shrugged, looking in Bucky’s direction, “I’ll live.”

For a second Bucky lost all sense of direction as you walked towards him, your eyes stuck on his. And was that blood on your cheek? Were you really hurt? How does someone look just as…pretty when half their face has been smashed? Everything ran in his mind like a freight train- which came to a deafening halt right what you stopped in front of him, drawing your hands up, palms out.

“Okay, now you can cuff me.”

Steve was a bit confused by the interaction while he stood outside this bizarre bubble between his best friend and this crazy woman who apparently had the hots for him. What was more surprising was watching Bucky lose all that made him ‘Bucky’ and stand there like a mute fool while you waited for him to do something with your hands.

“Oi!” you tried to snap the man out of whatever daydream you thought he was running through, “we going or what?”

Bucky never turned his gaze away from your y/e/c eyes as he tried to find the zip ties that he had on him, taking them out and securing your wrists in them, not bothering with the judgy brow Steve was throwing at him right this moment. He could deal with that later.

“Oooh,” you cooed at Bucky as he turned you by your arm towards the police cars waiting for you, “looks like someone is always ready for some action. I like that.”

Bucky was about to open his mouth to say something cocky back when he felt you push him back to grab the knife and the hand holding it, twist and break it before kicking the tactical vest guy in his knees. “Stay down, punk,” you commanded. And at that very moment, one more person in the universe started believing in something called ‘the one’.

.

“Why did you steal the painting?”

“Sweety, can we do this at the station. I’m tired and I could really use a quiet ride.”

Bucky licked his lips as he walked you back, not really content with the answer. You knew it too. It was hard to miss when Bucky’s hands on your arm changed the intensity of the hold. Not to mention the walk back was getting awkward the more distance was covered towards those pea-brained cops.

“…that painting could sell for millions online, ruin the name of this shady studio and win me a date with Cap.”

Stopping right next to the car, you turned and smirked at him, making Bucky wonder about this strange feeling in his stomach. “That’s all you get, pretty boy.” With those last words, you got inside the car, the cops driving you away as Bucky stood there alone for a few moments, replaying all of them back and questioning what exactly he had done today to have led him to this.

Just as the car disappeared from the view, Steve came to stand next to him, looking in the same direction.

“So, zip ties, huh.”

“So, a pretty stalker, huh.”

“She’s the bad guy, Buck.”

Bucky was still looking far out with this little last hope of you coming back. “…really?”

.

“First she impersonates an ambassador’s daughter to get access to the military secrets of three countries, then she crashes two military drones, and when that wasn’t enough thrill for her she comes after me!”

Pepper closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “It was a painting, Tony.”

“Well, today it was!” He stated matter-of-factly. “Tomorrow she’s going to try and steal one of my cars. Or maybe even Steve.”

Steve- who had an icepack pressed to his swollen cheek- rolled his eyes.

“Oh, definitely Steve,” Natasha agreed before passing a smirk at an irritated Rogers.

“It’s not funny,” Steve muttered.

“She said something about the Studio being shady.”

All eyes turned on Bucky. The unwelcome chill down his spine told him he was being questioned quietly till he could come up with something more.

“Tony, you said this painting was shipped yesterday.”

Tony nodded. “It was supposed to be delivered here today.” He turned and looked at the canvas covered in brown paper standing in the corner, waiting to be attended to.

“Could she have been after the studio?”

“Wow, he’s really not stopping today, is he?” Tony uttered to Steve.

“I’m standing right here.”

“Why would she go after the studio?” Pepper questioned. “What are they, some drug dealers or traffickers?”

Everyone stared at each other in silence for a second before Tony called Friday to run diagnostics on the painting and give him everything.

Within five seconds, the results were up.

“There’re traces of unsanctioned medical drugs along the outer frame. I have also found a microdrive that contains in total seventy-five identities. On running a deeper search through the internet, I have found these seventy-five identities belong to the girls that have been missing for the past one year from the middle eastern countries. All these girls have a codename next to them. Would you like me to run a further search on this, sir?”

Silence.

“Yeah, you do that.”

Tony watched in contemplative silence as Bucky crossed his arms across his chest, waiting for the call.

“How do we know she’s not with the bad guys who have these girls?”

“We can always send Steve in to question her,” Pepper suggested.

“You too Pepper?” Steve felt betrayed by the one person in the room he thought was not going to get in on this. “And I don’t think I’ll be of much help. She never talks sense around me.”

Natasha chuckled, pouring herself some whiskey from Tony’s bar. “That’s true.”

“And Nat’s not going to talk to her because the last time they were in the same room she tried to kill her dog.”

“You had a dog?” Tony gasped. “When?”

“I just pushed him away a little hard from the fighting…with my leg. And it was Y/N’s dog,” Natasha stressed.

Y/N. Bucky ran that name inside his head again and again till it settled like a layer of his own skin on him.

“That’s called a kick,” Steve chimed in blankly.

“That’s definitely a kick,” Tony added, narrowing his eyes at the Black Widow, earning an eye roll.

“I can talk to her,” Bucky volunteered, “she doesn’t know I’m with you guys. She thinks I’m a civilian. I could get in her good books and find out what she knows.”

A brief moment was taken to put some thought into it. “I like that idea,” Natasha finally spoke. “If she’s the bad guy then we can put a stop to whatever she’s up to.”

“If she’s not…” Bucky began.

“Then Cap can finally go out with her without having to think of the greater good,” she concluded with a smug grin.

So, it was settled. Bucky was going undercover to find out the truth. Quite possibly the easiest mission of his life. But if it was this easy, then why was his heart bubbling with this strange sensation? Maybe because it was his first mission after so long. Maybe it was something he was yet to discover.

___

So...what do you think?

[parkerspicedlatte]

Disconnected-Chapter Three (Luke Hemmings)

Summary: In an alternate universe where everyone has a soulmate, Luke and his soulmate share the rarest of them all. Some people have matching tattoos, others feel each others pain/emotions, but mental connections are the least common. The connection that Luke and Lynn share is that they can hear whatever song the other is singing. When they are close together they will be able to hear each others voices but for the meantime, they can only hear the recorded versions.

Pairings: Luke Hemmings x Lynn Corby (OC)

Warnings: A few swears. Naked Luke, nothing to worry about seriously....

Content: little bit of angst, nothing bad. Let’s share some love!

Featured Songs: Hey There Delilah (Plain White T’s), Your Body is a Wonderland (John Mayor), The Next Episode (Dr, Dre), Patience (Guns ‘N’ Roses), Dirty Little Secret (All American Rejects), Swing-Swing(All American Rejects), Gives You Hell (All American Rejects), Meet Me in the Hallway (Harry Styles), Sign of the Times (Harry Styles), Carolina (Harry Styles), Two Ghosts (Harry Styles) aaaaaand an unrecorded song.......

“Two days. He’s been like this for two days. At what point do we step in?” asked Calum as he walked into Ashton’s room handing the older boy a cold beer, fresh from the refrigerator.

“I have no idea.” Ashton sighed taking the beer from Calum. “Is he still locked up in his room?”

“Door’s shut so I’m assuming, yeah.”

“I think we should call Liz.” said Ashton with a grin on his face. “She could get him to snap out of it.”

“You’re not wrong,” Calum chuckled, “but I don’t think he would talk to her right now.”

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, each sipping away at their own beers. In the kitchen, a squeaky toy could be heard and occasionally a bark from Duke or Petunia. After a while Duke came trotting into the bedroom proudly, dropping the toy at Calum’s feet and letting out a little yip to show off his possession.

“Did you take Petunia’s toy you little monster?” Calum asked picking up the small dog. Seconds later Petunia sluggishly walked in after Duke.

“Has Luke even fed Petunia today?” Ashton asked looking down at the dog with a concerned frown.

“Nope, I did when I fed Duke. She ate so fast that I’m wondering if she even had any food last night.”

“Poor Piggy.” Ashton said sympathetically, reaching over to pat her head. Petunia pushed against Ashton’s large hand, her way of asking for more attention. Ashton complied by setting his beer and phone on the nightstand to sit down on the floor with her. Immediately she crawled into his lap and tried to lick his face.

“That’s it.” Calum huffed in annoyance while setting Duke down on the floor. “He can’t just neglect his dog.” Calum fumed as he walked out of Ashton’s room and towards Luke’s. “The little shit better have a good explanation for this.” He muttered to himself.

As he neared Luke’s bedroom, Calum heard the bathroom door down the hall click shut and the shower turn on. Calum pushed the bedroom door open and once he was sure that it was Luke in the shower, and not Michael coming home early, he started his search.

The bed wasn’t made and there were some clothes hanging out of the laundry hamper. The closet door wasn’t shut but other than that, the room looked like it hadn’t been touched in days.

“Strange.” muttered Calum.

There was a laptop and an open notebook lying on the unmade bed. Going against his better judgement, Calum picked up the notebook and began reading the open page.

Hey There Delilah-Plain White T’s                                         5:46pm

Your Body is a Wonderland-John Mayer                                5:50pm

Patience-Guns N’ Roses                                                        5:54pm

The Next Episode-Dr Dre                                                       6:01pm

***

Dirty Little Secret-All American Rejects                                11:01pm

Gives You Hell-All American Rejects                                    11:04pm

Swing, Swing-All American Rejects                                      11:07pm

Meet Me in the Hallway-Harry Styles                                    2:13pm

Sign of the Times-HS                                                            2:17pm

Carolina-HS                                                                          2:23pm

Two Ghost-HS                                                                      2:26pm

 “Find anything interesting?” Calum jumped at the voice coming from the doorway of Luke’s bedroom. He hadn’t even heard anybody walking in.

“Nothing except a notebook with songs and the time beside them, it’s weird,” Calum said to Ashton who, by then, had walked into the bedroom and sat himself at the edge of the bed. Petunia followed and settled herself at his feet with a small grunt. “The last time written in here is from a few minutes ago. I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean though.”

“Check the laptop,” said Ashton bluntly, “it’ll still be open and we won’t need a password.”

“Little invasive don’t you think?” Calum muttered while handing Ashton the notebook to reach for the laptop anyways. As soon as his fingers traced the mouse-pad, the screen illuminated with the last web search Luke had entered.

I swear to god the silence is breaking me

Both Calum and Ashton’s faces scrunched up in confusion as they read the sentence and then scanned over the search results.

“I actually have no idea what this is supposed to be.”

“Me neither.” said Calum to Ashton who peered over his shoulder.

“Check the other tabs.” Ashton said pointing to the top of the web page.

“Don’t put your finger on the screen!” Calum whispered harshly, smacking Ashton’s hand away. Using the sleeve of his sweater, he wiped the smudge from the glass. “Luke’s gonna notice because he can’t stand dirty screens. Then he’ll know we snooped.”

“Whatever.” Ashton rolled his eyes then reached over Calum’s shoulder to move the cursor to the next tabs. The tab opened to a YouTube search. The search bar read:

Music>Singer/Songwriter>”Nothing”

“I think that’s just him listening to music. Next tab.”

“Wait!” Calum smacked Ashton’s hand away again before he could change anything, earning a small yelp from his friend. “Luke didn’t open any of the videos, see? No red line.”

“Sooo?”

“I don’t know, yet. But don’t you think it’s weird?”

“Sure Calum. Come on next tab! Luke’ll be out of the shower soon!” Ashton half-whined impatiently.

Calum’s eyes narrowed at the screen as his brain tried to chase a thought before it got away unanswered. How did they connect? A notebook of songs, a YouTube search for a song with no artist and a search with…

“Are those lyrics?”

“What?” asked Ashton.

“The first tab, the weird search; do you think those were lyrics he had been searching for?”

“Uh maybe,” Ashton scrunched his nose while thinking. “Yeah actually. That would, that would make sense, I guess. Maybe it was a song he heard on the radio or something that he wanted to find, I don’t know.”

“Mmm close, but whatever this is has something to do with why he’s been locked in here for two days. It’s gotta be bigger than some song on the radio.” Calum thought aloud, more for his own benefit than for Ashton’s.

Both Calum and Ashton were silent for a few minutes as they tried to connect the dots in their heads. The silence was broken by Ashton muttering something that, in a way, sounded more like a question.

“What?” it was Calum’s turn to ask.

“The next tab, the last one, it looks like it says soulmate. Maybe this could have something to do with his soulmate. It would make sense because of the whole song connection thing right?”

Calum froze. His fingers that he’d been subconsciously drumming on the laptop froze in mid air.

Holy crap Ashton’s right! Calum mentally slapped himself for not thinking of it earlier. It’s not like he didn’t know about the ‘soulmate consultant’ business card that Michael had found.

Before Calum could continue his train of thought, it was interrupted by the sound of shampoo bottles falling to the bottom of the shower and the shower curtain being ripped open aggressively three rooms over. Within seconds, a soaking wet Luke ran into the room with a panicked look in his eyes. Luke scanned the room frantically, not seeming to realize, or care, that Calum and Ashton were there. Luke had bigger things on his mind.

Clad in only a towel, the tallest blond started throwing the blankets and sheets of his bed around, looking between the layers for something. He grabbed the pillows and chucked them across the room, still not finding what he was looking for. Calum and Ashton stared on in bewilderment, not saying a word.

Finally Luke, Calum and Ashton’s eyes all landed on what Luke was looking for at the exact same moment; the notebook on Ashton’s lap.

Luke dived across the bed but before he’d even gotten close to Ashton, Ashton was on his feet and holding the notebook behind his back.

“Ashton, hand me that notebook!”

“No.” Ashton told him firmly.

“Ashton, hand me that notebook, please.” Luke tried again growing more and more annoyed with Ashton by the second.

“Not until you tell Calum and I what the hell is going on.”

“Give me the notebook Ashton!” Luke said more aggressively this time. Each syllable sounding harsh on his tongue.

“Not until you-”

“No! You don’t get it! I don’t have much time! Give me the notebook before she’s gone!”

“Before who’s gone, Luke?”

“For fucks sake, give me the god damn book I don’t have time for this!” Luke lunged at Ashton again but finding it difficult to do so and hold up his towel at the same time. Calum still hadn’t moved from his spot on the bed. He was debating on whether or not he should be helping Ashton or letting Luke go at him. Ashton, at this point, was holding the notebook up and over his head away from Luke.

“Ashton you can’t do that I’m taller than you!” Luke stated, grabbing for the book yet still failing despite his height advantage.

Nobody had noticed that Michael had come home until he was at the bedroom door not seeming to care about the scene in front of him, the scene that involved a naked, wet Luke using one hand to hold up a towel that was unraveling from his waist and his other hand to knock something out of Ashton’s hand. In addition to the scene, off to the side Calum was watching the entire thing from the mangled bed.

“Hey guys are we out of-”

Luke pounced on Michael in less than a second, nearly knocking the wind from Michael’s lungs when they landed.

“Michael, take your shirt off!” Luke demanded attempting to roll Michael onto his stomach.

“What? No! Why?” Michael sputtered, his voice muffled from the carpet that his face was pressed into. The sheer force of Luke’s desperation was enough to roll him over quite easily. Luke sat on Michael’s backside as he pushed up the fabric of Michael’s faded denim jacket and t-shirt, reaching for a sharpie on the dresser at the same time.

“Luke! Why are you sitting on me while you’re wet and naked! That’s weird, even for you!” Michael yelled while squirming from under him. “Hey, that tickles!” he giggled at the feel of the fat, felt tipped marker on his skin. “My soulmate is going to wonder how the hell I managed to write on my back you know.”

“Hold still!” Luke said clenching the cap of the marker between his teeth as he continued to write on Michael’s back while holding him down.

“Luke, get off of Michael!” Ashton told him as if he were talking to a dog, instead of one of his best friends and band mates.

“Ashton,” Calum finally spoke up from the bed, “just let him write down what he needs to write. I’m pretty sure you’re making this worse.”

Instead of doing anything, Ashton and Calum stood there watching Luke and Michael. Michael had realized by then that Luke was not getting off of him no matter how hard he squirmed. He realized that if Luke was only writing on him, that he could live with it. Michael had stopped fighting and had brought his hands up to his face and rested them under his chin while looking up at Calum and Ashton.

“His stupid wet ass is making mine wet.” he huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes at Luke’s behavior. This was a new kind of weird for Luke, but they’d all learned to adapt to each other’s weirdness by then. Michael just hoped that this wouldn’t become a reoccurring thing, he was sure his face and Luke’s knees wouldn’t leave without a bit of rug burn.

Luke’s hand eventually stopped tracing patterns into Michael’s back with the marker. The cap went back on with a snap. He silently got off of Michael and sat against the wooden dresser bringing his knees up to his chest. All three boys watched as he did so and tried desperately not to accidentally look up the towel. They were brothers but they didn’t need to be perverts, sometimes there was a line.

“Luke what was that?” Calum asked, his voice soft in comparison to Ashton’s and Michael’s a few moments ago.

“I’m sorry.” Luke whispered quietly, resting his head on his knees and wrapping his arms around them, doing everything except crawl into the fetal position and rock himself back and forth.

“What was that?” Calum asked again.

A few minutes went by. The clock on the side table read 2:32, then 2:33 and then finally 2:34 before Luke responded to the question.

“It was her.”

“Your soulmate?” asked Michael, not moving himself from his spot on the carpet he’d been previously pinned to.

Luke could only nod his head, tears at the brim of his red eyes warned them of his strong emotions. Luke tried to blink back the tears but they ended up falling anyways, leaving a shinny, wet trail down each of his checks.

“I’m sorry.” he said finally, “I’m sorry I’ve been a douche for the last few days and I’m sorry for just now. I just, I really need to find her.” His voice cracked at the last three words making the tension in the room instantly melt away with his sincerity.

Ashton dropped down to the floor and sat beside Luke, handing him the notebook.

“I’m sorry; I should’ve given it to you when you asked.”

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat only for it to bob back up again, as if to remind him that has was nearly crying in front of his best friends, again.

“Hey Luke, it’s alright. We’ll find her okay.” said Ashton reassuring “Tell you what? From now on I’m going to do everything I can to help you find her. This comes first okay?”

“Me too.” Calum said nodding along to what Ashton had said.

“Me too, but only if someone tells me what this nut job wrote on my back.” Michael stated as he sat up and crawled the last few feet over to Luke and Ashton with a goofy grin on his face making everyone laugh.

“Well I’d like to know what Luke Hemming’s soulmate is writing songs about so come on then, off with the shirt Michael.” said Calum, earning another low chuckle from the group.

“I get to keep the rest of my clothes on right?” Michael asked, making a point to gesture at Luke who was still not dressed in the most indiscreet way possible.

“Yeah yeah just take it off so I can copy it into the book ya wanker.” Luke told him.

As the shirt came off, Calum and Ashton crowded around Michael’s back to read the writing leaving Luke to stand up and search for a pair of pants.

 I’m sitting in a white room these bright lights are blinding me.

I guess that’s what happens when you wear your heart out on your sleeve.

The clock on the wall says it’s half past three and I swear to god the silence is breaking me.

 Luke smiled softly at the words as if he felt and understood them perfectly. In a way, he did. 

Series Masterlist

Regular Ol’ Masterlist

A/N: Poor Michael. Soooo what did you think? Too cheesy? Too weird? TELL ME! jk jk but seriously, I would like to know how you felt about this chapter. Next chapter I promise we’ll get more Lynn in there. Thank you for reading

-xx Reetz ;)

Taglist: @madformichael @h0tsos @fiesty5sos @misskarynie @negative-love@captivatingcal @beautifulplacesforhappines@felonystevefoundthe1975 @mellany1997 @caswinchester2000 @babylonduke@castielanddeanthedog  @katsen13 @abby-landolf  @aulxna let me know if i missed anybody! :)

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

“Us” (2019) - Thoughts (SPOILERS!)

So I watched Jordan Peele’s “Us” today at the cinema and I just need to get some stuff off my chest about it because I went alone and have no one to discuss it with xD

Please do NOT read if you want to avoid SPOILERS!!!!

This movie creeped the fuck out of me - it wasn’t a particularly jumpscare-filled movie but it was creepy as fuck

So the movie opens with Adelaide going to this funfair/amusement park and wandering off into a house of mirrors. There she meets an exact clone of herself (Red) and she’s not the same since. She’s traumatized and can’t really speak about it, though they say she takes up dance or something as a way to express herself

That opening with the creepy choir music and rabbits? What the fuck? I did not need that nightmare fuel?? :))

I literally had no idea about the amount of tunnels that are apparently under America but woW OKAY THAT’S NOT UNSETTLING AT ALL

Fast forward to present day and she’s an adult with a husband and kids, and they’re at the beach where the above stuff happened, and she’s super freaked out about it.

The Tyler family are literally so white privilege - and I say that as a white person. It’s fucking hilarious. “It’s vodka o’clock” - lmao that really is such a white thing to say

Also the twins?? They were Ross and Rachel’s daughter, Emma, in Friends when they were babies?? 

I actually liked most of the humour to be honest, it kind of lulled you into a false sense of security

Zora pretending to turn off her phone and then continuing to use it once her mom had gone was so relatable tbh

I probably shouldn’t have taken my glasses off and redone my hair at the exact moment the Tethered people showed up because I’m blind as a bat and it was a blur for a full minute whilst I tried to rearrange my goddamn headband

Pluto (Jason’s ‘Other/Tethered’ person) was literally so fucking creepy; maybe it was the mask, maybe the movements, maybe everything put together...but holy S H I T. NIGHTMARE FUEL

The story that Red was telling about the shadow?? Y I K E S. 

Also Red needs to drink some water, it was super unsettling

I’m never going to look at scissors the same way again

Yo the Tylers getting murdered happened so fast WTAF 

Love how we were tricked into “oh they’re out there?? oh no they’re not, haha cool...fUCK o_O”

I probably should not have laughed so hard when Kitty called out to “Ophelia” to “phone the police” and it went “now playing fuck the police” XD

Also “Ophelia”?? I see you with your “Alexa” parody, movie!

Can I just say that the twins and their Tethered selves doing gymnastics freaked me out way more than anything else in any other horror movie yIKES

The scene where Kitty’s doppelgänger (Dahlia I think?) puts on lipstick, goes to hurt Adelaide but then cuts her own face open instead and laughs?? Literal chills, man

Being a gore fan, I really appreciate the sheer amount of blood in this film, 11/10 high-key recommend 

I can’t believe that every time we eat anything, the Tethered versions of ourselves have to eat raw rabbit like??? gross?? definitely not having nightmares about that...

The white people’s boat is called B’Yacht’ch I fucking cannot

Also usually in horror movies, it’s a cliché that the “token black person” dies first but in this film it’s the irritating white people who all die, and all of the black family survive this is good content

The soundtrack is A+

The fight scene/dance duel scene? With the remix of “I got 5 on it”? BEAUTIFUL. POETIC CINEMA I SWEAR

THE TWIST AT THE END BYE

I am so confused and questioning everything I know, what the fuck Jordan Peele

Okay so the “twist” deserves it’s own section because bitch the FUCK

So the huge twist (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) is that Adelaide and Red switched places right at the start of the movie - so the person who we think is Adelaide is actually Red, and vice versa

I’m not saying the twist was bad but I kinda knew already that Adelaide and Red were switched at the beginning of the movie - I mean the moment is heavily implied in the trailer!

I think they drop so many hints/clues throughout the film that it starts to add up quickly

First of all, the fact that Adelaide-who-is-really-Red only drinks water and barely eats anything. Like she repeatedly refuses to drink any alcohol too

It’s mentioned that Adelaide-who-is-really-Red doesn’t talk a lot, and at first it’s like “oh it’s the trauma of whatever happened in the funhouse” but then it makes sense that it’s actually Red

Adelaide-who-is-really-Red REALLY did not want to be back at that beach - again you assume it’s because “trauma” but nah, it’s because she knows what she did

The way Adelaide-who-is-really-Red killed one of the doppelgängers was kinda reminiscent of how the Tethered were killing people

The story that Red-who-is-really-Adelaide tells about giving birth to those ‘monsters’ seems oddly human for something supposedly without a soul (since she mentions that the experiments duplicated the human body but they couldn’t do the soul) - and then it’s like “...oh fuck”

Red-who-is-really-Adelaide knows that ‘real’ people eat proper food because she ate it herself; ‘real’ children get proper toys because she did too, etc. 

The reason that Red-who-is-really-Adelaide’s voice is so hoarse/raspy is because Adelaide-who-is-really-Red choked her into unconsciousness before taking her place

To add, Red-who-is-really-Adelaide is the only ‘Tethered’ who can actually talk

The fact that the beginning of the movie shows Red-who-is-really-Adelaide watching an advert for People of America on TV (the people holding hands across the country), it’s on her t-shirt when the switch happens and then that’s exactly what the Tethered start to do. Also, near the end of the film, you see her cutting up those paper-chain-people who are holding hands 

The Thriller t-shirt; right at the end of the Thriller music video, there’s the whole identity question of “is he who we think he is”? (I think)

So, here are a few gripes I had despite overall liking the movie;

It started off kinda slow, which was good in some ways because of tension and character establishment etc, but putting a whole two to three minutes opening credits thing really slowed it down a lot after the opening (though I did like the soundtrack during those credits)

Despite the switch being relatively well-done and a good twist, it just seemed really obvious after seeing the trailer

The twist sort of brought some plotholes but I’m going to bring that up in my question section in a sec since it may be intentional (you’ll know what I mean in a second)

I feel like a few times during the film, it was building up tension to be terrifying/scary but then the “punch”, as it were, came too soon to reach its full potential - like it peaked a tad too early

Finally, questions I have after the movie! (and boy, do I have questions)

Does Red-who-is-really-Adelaide not know that she’s not one of the Tethered? Did she forget completely? Like why does she want and plan to kill all “normal” humans? She must retain SOME memory because she talks about food/toys, plus the People of America/holding hands thing. 

Also does Adelaide-who-is-really-Red not remember that she’s one of the Tethered at all before the end of the film? 

The Tethered are all shadows of the “normal” people (for lack of a better phrase), so why is Adelaide-who-is-really-Red able to a) speak normally, b) dance so well, c) move more “normally”? And why does Red-who-is-really-Adelaide not move “normally” (eg. the dance parallel) when she’s “normal”?

^^ I wonder if over time they both forgot or repressed those memories, and only fragments remained. And then Adelaide-who-is-really-Red only remembers at the end that she’s actually a Tethered-person.

Adelaide-who-is-really-Red is a Tethered-person, right? So does that mean that the “normal” Zora and Jason are half-Tethered? Is that why they manage to survive so well or...?

Why does Red-who-is-really-Adelaide want to kill everyone in the outer-world? Is this supposed to reflect not separating “us” vs “them” or something? She clearly got loose from being cuffed to the bed, so why didn’t she escape after and go back home?

^Also, who uncuffed her? And why? Was it the Tethered?

Sometimes it’s like the Tethered completely mirror the “normal” versions, and then other times they don’t. Which is it? Why?

What happens next?? What is the purpose of the Tethered all holding hands in a line? What are they hoping to achieve? Are they trying to send a message?

Jason seems to realize that Adelaide-who-is-really-Red is...well, actually Red - and so does she now. What impact does this have? Is she going to go crazy and kill her family? 

Do Tethered have feelings? Or emotions? Because Adelaide-who-is-really-Red married Gabe so...? You know?

Is the fact that neither of them remember the switch that well/they both adapted supposed to signify that souls aren’t a real thing?? Because supposedly that’s what the Tethered lack?

Are there Tethered for ALL of America or just Santa Cruz? And what about the rest of the world? Do I have a Tethered-version of myself??

Finally, if there is a Tethered version of me out there, I’m sorry for eating so much since that means you’ve had to eat a fuck ton of raw rabbit :’( Please don’t kill me, we can be friends!

Overall, though, I did enjoy the movie! :)

[wiggly-blue-shite]

Chapter 31 From the Top!

(Prof H X Ted)

Hello Professor.

Hopefully we can discuss it in person soon

Henry woke up to Theodore still hugging him. Ted was still asleep so Henry didn't move. Don't want to wake him up before he has too. Everyone will be stressed enough as it is.

For a second Henry forgot everything that happened almost as if it was a dream. A really fucking shitty dream. Henry thought he had woken in Ted's arms after a very pleasant yet foggy day together. Perhaps that's what his dream was. He never did remember his dreams.

Henry loved Theodore. In that moment Henry had hope. He believed in Theodore. And he knew that Theodore believed in him. They got this.

Ted began to stir. He was waking up. Ted opened his eyes.

"Good morning." Henry smiled. Ted looked very messy having just woke up. Then again who looks good after waking up?

"Good morning." Ted yawned and rubbed his eye. He smiled back at Henry. Ted sat himself up in bed after letting go of Henry. Henry sat up as well.

"I love you." Henry needed him to know. They were in a situation where Henry didn't want a moment where Theodore didn't know his feelings. They might not make it out alive so it's important.

"I know." Ted chuckled a little bit.

"Rude! Really pulling a fucking Han Solo." Henry faked offended. He wanted to maintain this blissful mood because he knew it would be ruined really soon.

"I'm kidding. I love you more." Theodore smiled. He grabbed Henry's hand. Henry wanted this to be the rest of his life this moment. Nothing else. Not the infected. Not the media. Not biology. Just music and Theodore.

"Impossible." Henry kissed Theodore. Some of the pain had gone away. God that was cheesy wasn't it. I guess cheesy is nice.

"I'm scared." Ted's face dropped. Henry knew that they were in a serious situation but he just didn't want to focus on it.

"Me too." Henry has hope but not a lot of hope.

Paul came out of his bedroom. Emma following behind him. They looked in much better shape than they were last night.

"You guys can borrow some of my clothes." Paul offered as he walked into the kitchen.

"Well Henry's place is on the way. They can get clothes there." Emma sounded very tired. Henry guessed that she didn't sleep at all. Henry didn't blame her. He wouldn't have fallen asleep without Theodore there.

"Ok." Paul started pouring coffee.

The morning was very quiet. Everyone was freaking out silently to themselves. Paul and Emma were basically attached at the hip. Theodore and Henry were the same. None of them ate breakfast, just coffee.

Paul and Emma went back into their room to change.

Henry kissed Theodore's forehead. Henry was going to have to give him something to wear. It might be a little big but Ted will survive.

"Are you ready?" Ted asked.

"No."

"Me neither." Ted smiled sadly.

Emma and paul bolted out of their room clearly wearing whatever the first thing they touched was.

And they were off to Henry apartment. Henry held Ted's hand tightly.

When they got to his apartment Henry quickly rushed into his room to get dressed. He didn't want to hold everyone up. Ted followed behind.

"Here take this." Henry threw an old sweater at Theodore.

"A black turtleneck..." Theodore's voice trailed off.

It struck Henry. He had been wearing almost the exact same sweater that day 4 months ago. It's sweet that Ted remembers that.

Henry shook himself out if the sentimental stage of mind. They didn't have the time for this. The two men got dressed quickly. Henry tried not to stare at Ted changing.

With that they were in there way to the news station. Henry didn't know how this was going to work. He didn't know protocol for news shows. But he tried to maintain hope.

When they got to the studio where they filmed the show. Henry didn't know how this was going to work.

They walked inside. There was a secretary who barely gave them any attention when they walked in. There were a whole bunch of other people all probably with there own stories they want to put on the news.

Henry walked up to the front desk. He was still holding Ted's hand. He saw a couple of men jeering out of the corner of his eye. Henry presumed that they were homophobic assholes but they could also be jeering at the gaudy clothing they were wearing. Henry wanted to flip them off or to kiss Ted in front of them to get the point across but that would probably lower there chances of being put on air.

"What's you pitch?" The woman behind the desk did not look up from her computer.

"We are from hatchetfield. We were there that day." Henry squeezed Ted's hand as he said it. They were actually doing this.

The woman looked up from her computer screen. She looked skeptical.

"Everyone died from the hatchetfield incident." Her voice was serious.

"We didn't." Emma met the receptionist with a passive bitchiness.

"So then what happened?" That's exactly what Henry was fearing she'd ask. There's no way to not sound insane.

"We'll sound crazy but you need to here us out." Theodore replied. Henry was beyond nervous.

"We fear what happened in hatchetfield could spread if we don't raise any awareness." Henry tried to sound professional. Make her see them in a more serious light.

"You're lucky the producers want more hatchetfield news. Wait here." The receptionist gestured to the bench near her desk. She picked up her phone.

The four of them sat down on the bench. Across the room were the men who sneered at Henry and Ted. Henry didn't let go of Theodore's hand. The world might fucking end he can't let a couple homophobes ruin his love for Theodore.

Henry turned and kissed Ted in the cheek. Fuck you possible homophobes.

"What was that for?" Ted looked back at Henry and smiled.

"Nothing." He had obviously not noticed the asshole across the room. There was no need to point them out.

They sat there for a good twenty minutes. Every second was agony knowing the infected could be drawing ever closer. Ted's arm had moved around Henry's shoulder. This was a comfortable position to rest in. Henry kept his eyes on the other three and no one else in the room.

"Hatchetfielders." The receptionist called out. Everyone in the room looked up. Everyone's eyes were on them as they walked up to the front desk.

"Yes?" Paul was in front of the pack.

"The producers want to talk with you. Go through that door." The receptionist pointed to a door to her right. Ok wow they were doing this.

When they walked through the door they were met by a sharply dressed man and woman. They had note pads. They appeared surprisingly approachable, which Henry was not expecting.

"Hello my name's Raffael." The male producer stuck out his hand for someone to shake. They just kinda all took turns shaking his hand.

"And I'm Louise." The woman smiled not sticking her hand out after seeing the catastrophe of a handshake that happened previously.

"I'm Henry."

"I'm paul."

"Emma."

"Ted."

All of the introductions felt uncomfortable.

"So you're from hatchetfield." Louise sat back in her chair. Henry couldn't read her expression. He was too nervous.  Ahhh

Henry nodded. He was a little tongue tied. This is a stressful fucking situation.

"So let's cut to the chase. What happened?" Raffael took a pen out and put in to the page.

Henry had to not sound insane. If they didn't believe them they're fucked. The whole plan rides on getting other people to fight.

"Before I start we are not insane. I have a doctorate in biology. I know what I am talking about." Henry took a deep breath. If they didn't believe him, what could they do? "The asteroid that hit did not rupture a gas line. The asteroid carried an organism, a pathogen really. It infected the people of hatchetfield, rearranging their genetic structure, functionally rewiring their brain. The infected had a certain bloodlust to kill, and spread the pathogen. You may recall the claims of sailors near the island, claiming to hear music coming from the island. Well,  I did studies on the organism briefly, and it has an attraction to music, singing specifically."  The producers looked confused but they don't look skeptical.

"We think that the music that can be heard are the remaining infected." Ted took a breath, "sooner or later they will find a way off the island. Once they get off the island, we're fucked. Excuse my language."

The four of them sat in silence waiting for them to say something.

"We're are going to need you to say exactly that on air. Same inflection and everything." Louise pointed her pen at Henry. Oh god. Ok they did it holy shit.

Henry turned to the other four. They looked hopeful.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hidgens but there was nothing we could have done to save them." The doctor had a remorseful tone. He's probably had to say that at least 5 other times today alone.

"Thank you for trying." They're gone. Steve had left the hospital. Probably to go out to a bar. Henry contemplated going to stop him but he would do the same. Leighton was sitting there stunned.

Henry say down next to him. They could make it out of this, together.

Henry got off the set and the other three ambushed him with a group hug. It must have gone well.

Henry was completely dazed. He really tried to remember what happened but he just blacked out. Henry's brain was just slowly giving up on him really.

The four of them walked back to Emma and Paul's apartment. On the way Henry asked what happened but the other three insisted it went well and didn't say anything else.

"What do we do now?" Henry looked to Ted. Henry grabbed Theodore's hand. It felt like the quiet in the middle of the storm.

"We prepare." Ted kissed Henry's hand. It didn't really matter what happened. If the other three are this hopeful it couldn't have been that bad. Henry's confidence grew.

"I think I'm going to stay in my apartment tonight." They were already on Henry's block. He didn't need to be around everyone for comfort. He wants to spend some time in his own apartment before whatever happens when the infected get there.

"Oh ok." Emma smiled at Henry, "see you tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself, man." Paul patted Henry's shoulder awkwardly.

"I'll make sure of that." Theodore smiled. Of course Theodore was going to stay with Henry. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Emma and paul headed off to their apartment. Henry walked up to his apartment Ted following behind him.

"I'm really proud of you." Ted was too sweet sometimes, "You did great." They walked into the apartment. Henry was glad that Ted decided to stay with him. He got to think of something other than what's going to happen. He just had to think about Theodore.

"Thank you." Henry intertwined his hand with  Theodore's.

"You give me hope." Ted smiled softly. Henry let the world fall away while looking in Theodore's eyes. Henry knew that nothing could go wrong, nothing. Ted kissed Henry.

"I haven't eaten all day." Henry dragged Ted into the kitchen. It's not like Henry has any food. Theodore wants Henry to take care of himself and eating is  pretty important in self care.

"I'll cook you something." Ted leaned on the counter and smiled. Henry doesn't really have ingredients to anything.

"You don't have to do that." Henry leaned up against the same counter.

"I want to." They were very close to each other. Henry maintained eye contact with Theodore.

They kissed once again.

"Today has been too long." Henry chuckled a little bit. Henry was very tired. Really fucking tired.

Henry was glad that Theodore was with him. Life would really be insufferable right now without him. 

Everything will be alright.

~~~

Ohh long ass messy chapter! Idk what the fuck this really.

[elizabethrobertajones]

13x04 watching notes

TBH that is my exact strategy when I am tired and want to go home.

-

it's 2am and I just woke up after a lengthy power nap/full REM cycle because going to bed at 9 is for cool kids so uh I'm watching the episode but also it's 2am. I didn't do it deliberately but here I aaaam.

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Getting right in there with Dean telling the the truth in the recap - is he really gonna spill it all to a therapist? experts have been awaiting it ever since 1x10 so

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"experts" being me, I am an independent judiciary body

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*grief grief grief* *Jack angst*

Oh yeah Cas recap because Cas is back

Should I even write expectations for this episode? I'm a bit late since I already started watching :P Blah blah Glynn blah blah probably going to be fine, blah blah swear I saw someone say she's "never written Cas before" but uh we just had recaps from 12x19 so I mean who wrote that?

-

this guy has a weird reaction to the dead wife coming back

like, oh, okay, that happened. guess we say hello

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Is this the "understated" reaction when Cas comes back

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Oh we're doing regular old stabbing? Is this a shapeshifter thing or a revenge curse thing? Is it all going to be romantic couples? because lol pls don't

Also the recap did expressly list off 2 dead moms and a dead crowley along with a dead Cas who is also a brother and father to active main characters

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Sam like "hey"

Dean like >.> Are you trying to be friends after I yelled at you?

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Sam being remarkably cool about Dean's netflix and holy oil suggestion

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Dean being extremely less cool about Sam's suggestion

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They're sort of recapping the argument from the end of last episode for us, which is good because it wasn't in the recap unless it was but it's 2am and my brain randomly discarded that

-

oh my god it was

okay these are not meta notes

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Sam's trying to play at grief counsellor and it's super not working because he's using it as their fight. You don't get in a snappy comeback about "oh so you want to move on"

Dean looks extremely murderously done with all this because How Dare etc

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"For me"

God damn puppy dog eyes.

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awww Jack's watching The Clone Wars. Because he is a wee new baby and this is his star wars generation I guess.

mittensmorgul pffft. (I have never seen Clone Wars so I have no idea what that even means)

elizabethrobertajones It's the adventures *drum roll* of Darth Vader when he was still Anakin, before he went evil Ashoka or however you spell it is his Padawan

mittensmorgul aahhh

elizabethrobertajones Jack's identifying with her and not with the pre-evil but still getting the Imperial March music layered over his bad decisions Anakin the entire show is 10000 episodes just an endless "we can't make him go evil because that happens in the movie but we can tease basically everything up to that" stuff

mittensmorgul At least he's iffy about Anakin...

elizabethrobertajones yeah good choice, basically it's also brand new he found the non-dinosaur version of Star Wars of the previous generation :P and it's less political than the prequels I think The Clone Wars is generally well-liked whereas nerd rage dictates the Prequels are the Worst and I guess it's Too Soon to get into the newer Star Wars films since we don't know how the arcs of the new kids pay off

[side note: I haven't watched it per se because there's tons of it but I've been in the same room as my brother watching it, and seen a lot of pop culture general knowledge that I've sponged up so I could be wrong about some little details as I mostly know how it's been described to me]

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Also Jack's identifying with the female character, because fuck off toxic masculinity, she seems awesome and he has no idea he isn't “”supposed”” to. She also is one of the aliens with the huge tentacle things on her head so idk if it's a good idea for him to get too into this without  meeting more of the general population - Sam's probably right

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Uhoh, Jack kinda does a snarky eyebrow about "you're the good guys" - Did Sam fail to sell it or is Jack really just starting to have trust issues now he's watching TV with black or white morality (literally a dark side and a light side - hrm.) and given his experience of the Winchesters yelling their very shades of grey takes on him at each other

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Well he hasn't learned to be cagey about overhearing that

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*blink blink blink* *sigh*

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"You're *using* me"

Oh no, poor Jack :(

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He also implicitly trusts Dean's judgement more than Sam's bonding, despite how Sam has made all the movements towards him. As people have been meta'ing, Dean's being extremely honest and Jack's setting his markers by that, even if it's horrific to the point of deciding he has to be evil because Dean thinks so.

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Sam says he, Dean and CAS closed the rift - hey, Cas got knocked out by Lucifer in round 1 of that as a distraction and Crowley helped you close it.

They probably have not explained Crowley to him at all.

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At least Sam is being honest now about what happened with the rift, and that it's their mom

and Jack speaks the language of lost moms. Now HE looks at SAM with sympathy.

Probably also explains Dean...

I think Jack is defaulting back to thinking about Dean way more than Sam's opinion of him, although perhaps he may like Sam more now he was upfront and some of why "so uh yeah I was KINDA using you" is on the table

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Jack was wearing a darker henley, which tbh with Dean wearing them again all of a sudden makes it blurry to me if this is not about his Dean-alignment more than colour coding his feelings on being evil (like how Amara's nail polish started off black and got right down to light grey by the end of the season). Now he's swapped to being the Cas Intern.

Ow.

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and aww all the fake IDs. There's a lot to take in about these guys :P

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Oh no Dean said "loony toons" on the episode which may or may not be an exact use of 8x08 for Cas, for Jack. Jack's a bit more of a trial run about wanting to BE a hunter since he is mostly just curious. Also amused Dean has to rephrase for Jack because he actually knows he's a week old or so, and he's not going to enjoy repeating himself or explaining, while he always found it kind of funny to just say a whole string of incomprehensible pop culture at Cas without slowing for a breath.

Not funny now, is it Dean?

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Wait have they never actually fought a revenant aka, idk, it sounds like a naturally occurring zombie? They mention it from time to time but as far as I remember they've never actually called zombies revenants because they're one of the shows where they just embrace the horror movie tradition about zombies completely, so it always seemed like revenants were something slightly different, at least, in the sense that they get named like a different category. And they just lumped them in with ghosts here, as restless spirits but i guess this time *with* the body?

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Dean tells Jack to sit, like he was a dog being kept in the car.

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Unlike dogs he knows how to work the door handle.

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Jack no don't touch the blood

oh good Dean stopped him

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Aw no he's still wearing the dark henley under the tan jacket. That's awful :D

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Pfft Dean's like immediately "it's a revenant" because they know what those are really well after a billion years hunting and we've never watched them ever name anything on screen a revenant before with that vocab, and they're really sticking with not crossing them over with zombies exactly...

I mean Dean said he wasn't a revenant after he got back from hell and I think they've chattered about them before

if I check this on superwiki it's way too early for there to be a spoilery "so it's not a revenant" line from later in this episode highlighted when I hit the search :P

Oh good, I'm glad I'm right.

A revenant is a visible ghost or animated corpse that returns to terrorize the living, usually people it knew in life. Unlike the zombie, a revenant is not under another person's control, and has returned from the grave on its own for a specific and often personal purpose. In 4.01 Lazarus Rising, Bobby accuses Dean of being a shapeshifter or a revenant. Dean proves he's neither by cutting himself with a silver knife. In 8.06 Southern Comfort Garth takes a call from a hunter asking how to deal with a revenant. Garth tells him to get a casket and some silver spikes, then nail it in and bury it. He also warns that getting bit will hurt like hell, but will not turn you into one.

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I wonder if those were revenants in 4x07 and I only ask because it was like almost exactly an anniversary to it in OUR time :P It's still May or maybe June for them in-show

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Okay Dean left Jack to dig but Sam chased after Dean rather than it being a synchronised Winchester ditching of Jack :P

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Little on the nose about "You're starting to sound like dad!" :P

"Is that a bad thing" Oh Dean, no.

Fortunately the theme of this season is fathers so I suspect you're gonna have to deal with this at some point or another

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Sam like "the drill sergent thing won't work on Jack" to the sound of Jack merrily digging in the background because Dean told him to

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I really hope that wasn't an on-set hazing that they actually left him to dig :P

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I love my smol gravedigger son

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I love how Jack did all the digging anyway because Sam's still not actually dirty and Jack's still standing in the hole

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Lol not a revenant, well there's a surprise. I'm glad I double-checked the lore anyway because I have the time to so I'm not going to spend the rest of the episode like "wait what IS the difference between them and zombies anyway and why have we never seen one?"

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I mean it's not gonna be a ghost either, we're 9 minutes in and they're salting and burning because it makes more sense to Dean to do that than not to - I guess a precaution for accidentally angering her spirit for digging her up...?? :P I mean no he still thinks she's a ghost but I mean maybe it's not a total waste of salt.

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OH NO Jack don't ask about if Kelly is a ghost, that's very painful.

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OH NO I thought he was going to ask about Cas but instead Dean said "what gets burned, stays dead" and that hurts a lot

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FORTUNATELY for me the viewer as opposed to Dean the grieving ball of angst over there, I can go check up on Cas immediately.

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He doesn't seem to be doing too good but more in an existential way since he's at least up and walking about.

I like how Jack woke him up but it's probably got to be like a baby bird has to hatch itself.

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He's using up all his "hellos" on the void. Save one for Dean.

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You know if the MotW is imitating dead loved ones I have to say I am not exactly looking forward to this :P I didn't say earlier but the cold open gave me 11x13 vibes and honestly I don't want a repeat of the stress of waiting for Cas to show up for Dean but it not happening... Okay, belatedly 10 minutes in, there's a baseline expectation for the episode that that doesn’t happen. Then again I forgot to check the names at the bottom of the screen except for being happy to see Misha's there so they could spring anyone on us

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Throw a real curveball in just like bring some random dead loved one from the first 3 seasons back :P

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Or waste Jim Beaver's season 13 appearance on it and he's never even in the AU with Mary :P

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Anyway Jack is waiting patiently in the car.

(or, well, not so patiently.. He's starting to get an idea of how the job works, and that Dean is usually repeatedly wrong about everything as he throws spaghetti at the wall about the case...)

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Anyway, dead son, dead wife, so that's quite a neutral combination.

-

Asking what they had in common probably means the grief counsellor, but Dean says that and then we go back to Cas right when I've been musing on the loved ones coming back for them thing and honestly it's like Dean's words are just summoning Cas right now.

....... 8x08 used flashbacks to summon Amelia for Sam, just saying

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I hope Cas finds Billie and hopefully a bar immediately and they can become drinking buddies.

I don't even think she's in this one?

-

I like those assertive footsteps though. "I have no clue where I am, I am just going to walk in this direction like I mean it"

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Lol they're in Madison i was KIDDING about bringing back a dead loved one from like season 2 or something. Oh well, if it's her, it's her. I'm still bitter about Sarah because I only just re-watched it with my mum the other day.

I should probably stop bringing up Sam's dead or lost girlfriends because it's just bumming me out on his behalf.

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Teehee "he's not our intern"

well

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"I asked you to keep an eye on him" "I can see him"

It's amazing Dean didn't volunteer just to get away from Jack

-

Sort of weird existing in a post That Declaration world where I can just canonically know Dean staring at Jack is making him think sad things about Cas without any fear whatsoever

-

Oh boy killer grief counsellor probably. "Mia is promising to provide the catharsis I've been craving for so long" and then she gets ripped to shreds by her son.

I feel a little bad reading this woman's diary, but the first line is about not "getting over" it and learning to live with it. Blah blah heal and rebuild yourself, blah blah whole again but never the same

-

"Shrinks... Snake oil for the mind." "Or how healthy people deal" Pfft

-

Jack being baffled by the issues of customer vs hot dog guy without understanding it's an ancient war fought across the world

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Dean equates "catharsis" to "happy ending" - I can't tell if he's innuendo-ing or accidentally revealing too much and being mournful about it.

-

The house has a great fence - its parts are all misaligned. Very visually uncomfortable :D

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Awww someone said "hello" to Jack and Jack was like !!!!! another person!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO! :D :D :D

how can you possibly think he's bad

-

Anyway I was about to type that Dean hates it because of course he feels the most vulnerable talking about his feelings all the time, either for performing Dean reasons about needing to keep up a facade of strength (LET YOURSELF CRY, MAN) or because feelings for Cas being inconvenient to him

-

UHoh Dean grabbed Jack's shoulder - he did it to Mick to be threatening last year in a Glynn episode, while Mick was wearing a long tan coat. And called Jack "Spock" which is not really accurate characterisation at all. Jack's pretty much nothing but a bundle of emotions, he's just not used to using them around other people. Now CAS on the other hand.....

-

I do like that Mia decided to see them because Jack is sweet and was upfront about losing his mother and he's just adorable.

They bluff their way in by losing a collective mother, Sam once again lining them up as family and siblings.

Play it cool, man. You’ll scare Jack off.

-

I'm starting to think we haven't seen Cas between scenes for a while because Dean hasn't said anything angsty enough

-

But idk if we trust her or not. She has a lot of alcohol stashed on that shelf.

-

Jack wisely doesn't sit on the sofa with them all.

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"Oh well Mom was great and now she's dead so what's the deal with catharsis" Dean, no.

-

Sam continues with what should be the pre-arranged plan of spill closed truths like well we don't journal but our dad did

also I am so annoyed that confirms they don't keep hunter journals??? grarghgh

Google has ruined this generation

And Dean makes fun of journaling as being for little girls, even though Sam literally just said that about John. Last year in 12x04 he said he was a 13 year old girl when trying to text Mary so he's actually regressed even further backwards at losing her again >.>

-

"I'm good with death, closure, the whole friggin bottle of Jack"

it's a shame he would never put a bumper sticker on Baby, because that...

-

Oh boy we're still having this fight. "My brother's delusional..." yeah oh dear.

Is this going to be one of those things where I basically just want to transcribe the whole thing?

Dean calls out Sam for not being able to even admit that Mary's gone so he hasn't even moved past denial - which to be fair, Sam IS right she's not dead and that they DO have a means of getting her back and everything... Was thinking about how last season was a "Dean is right about everything" season and this time is clearly a Sam is right about everything one... but of course both only to a certain degree, and in this case it's much blurrier about approach and how these fights are going because of course Sam's not being a perfect Saint Sammy that Dean is being unfairly awful to in the entirety of what's going on here. Sam IS struggling and resisting confronting things in his own way and adopting Jack as a pet project is definitely a form of avoidance or at least wanting to get concrete closure on Mary's death before he will fully mourn. Which makes Sam and Dean existing in the same place terrible because they're only in the same physical location

anyway Dean's about to yell  about how hard this all is for him too so I better unpause once I'm holding a stuffed toy again

"At least you had a relationship with mom" WAHEY

I mean that was awful but I'm delighted Sam yelled that because there's ALWAYS something else going on underneath Sam, and I've been waiting for more Sam and Mary angst, since I spent so much time on them last season and at least obliquely referred to this... Talked a lot about how hard Sam had it to reconnect with Mary... That Words with Friends scene from 12x07 was basically floating along waiting to come back up at some point or another, but it took Sam a long time to reach out to Mary personally, and really only in 12x14 (hi Berens, I just accept you and Glynn are brain twins these days) did he pick a side in THAT fight and picked Mary. And we said it was to get closer to Mary but he made it all about the BMoL instead of just confronting that he wanted a relationship with her, and the BMoL ended up just keeping them apart ANYWAY and tl;dr am I going to have to write the reverse version of A World Without Monsters from Sam's POV or can we just agree that my subtext in that fic was exactly what just bubbled up here? :P

-

I just spent the entire length of that paragraph trying to work out when I wrote the meta about how Sam felt about Mary and it took me until that last point to realise it was not a meta, it was a fic where I roundly abused poor Sam for the sake of making that point.

-

Dean's like hey therapy is great! *eyebrows at Jack* *snarky smile at the doc*

-

Sam is like *anger-drinks water*

*refuses to cry as well*

BLOOD

(CRY, DAMMIT, SAM.)

-

That sign was down earlier

is this the poor receptionist?

-

Or... ew, shifter gunk?

-

LOL Dean just takes a flask out of his pocket in the middle of their appointment

Mia asks him to look at Jack, which is the last thing he wants to do, but blah blah meta about 12x22 and how he needs to "see" Jack, and she's pointing out that Jack is terrified which is exactly what Dean needs to see about him

subtle

She actually points out his anger issues as well so I think Dean's getting homework whether he has to write it in a journal or not :P

-

*suddenly everyone is pointing guns*

Hey if she's a a shapeshifter why does she live in an all-white house when shifting makes bloody goo stains everywhere?

Or her assistant, I guess. They haven't had eyes on him :P

-

Ooh that explains why the guy was not surprised to see his wife. Well, kind of surprised, but not nearly horrified enough.

-

Sadly if she is telling the truth that means someone else is using her method to get their guard down to kill them for kicks...

-

Also shades of 9x13 because they had that spa where the monster would use their unique skills to help, but then of course another of their kind - a sibling - had to go and ruin it...

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Oh hey, it's Cas! I guess the time ran out on a good transition from Dean, so we go over here on "I'm telling you the truth"

-

Lol it's another Cas... Who ever would have expected it. /Misha being the worst at spoilers

Or something with a very silly voice. "Friendly neighbourhood cosmic entity" that sounds like that and won't show its face is either someone pranking Cas or about to go very bad.

Cas is like "do I look like that" "I'm getting a new coat as soon as I'm alive again"

-

if this thing is The Empty itself it's probably kinda crazy after eons being nothing

-

Oh NO Cas's face when he says "every angel that ever died is here?" because oh boy did you put like 90% of them in here yourself. There's about 3 faces you'd be happy to see again of the entire lot. Hey, it's never too late to give Cas that guilt all over again that made him stay in Purgatory out of penance.

-

I mean among other things but it's probably worth mentioning there are a whole bunch of lil purgatory parallels here in the loosest sense of it being a hostile other realm, and the way Cas is basically Dean in Purgatory in here.

-

Cas has been back for like 5 minutes of screen time and I want to protect him and wrap him in blankets

there's no need to be mean, The Empty, just because you got woken up... I say... at nearly 4am... because I woke up when I didn't want to...

you know what, The Empty's being mean to Cas probably kind of justifiably, even if it's a dick.

-

pretty clever to use a shifter as the motw in this episode too

-

oh, poor Cas is horrified to think Sam and Dean made some sort of deal for him

he says "I don't know" which is ironically what Jack's saying all the time

like father like son

-

LEAVE HIM ALONE

-

last episode we had James keeping memories of Missouri, who he had cut out of his life, in a box. Now Mia has a box still dedicated to "Buddy" her asshole ex who hurt her, and good on her for leaving him. He's another shifter, we're halfway through the episode, so we probably need to find him now, and also have a good 10 minutes more of whatever's going on with Cas. :P

She also owns up to have done much worse things in her past with Buddy, although presumably not killing people, and probably because they were super toxic together, and she had the sense to get out and try and help people now.

-

Jack said "I'll come with" which is adorable. He's learning to be like them :D

-

Wheeeee he's riding shotgun! Guess Dean couldn't make him stay in the back without Sam around.

-

Sam's plan's don't always work out :< Oh no, Dean, you still don't have much faith in Sam's ability to handle himself.

Fortunately this does seem to be a mostly Sam is right season, and I think of all the overwhelming reasons why you don't trust Jack, not trusting Sam to trust Jack is probably relatively low on the list underneath the Cas stuff or you'd have just yelled that at Sam the other day instead.

-

Uh, why do I feel like the shifter just phoned Sam and somewhere between here and there something went really wrong?

-

Oh god I'm going to have to watch the face peeling scene with my own two eyes at 4 in the morning, aren't I?

-

Meanwhile Mia explains why her catharsis works to Sam - I hope he doesn't sneak back at the end of the episode for a chat with "Mary" because that would be AWFUL.

-

Oh it was that other guy - wait, also, Sam was already doing this before Dean phoned? Seems like he doesn't trust Dean's methods either :P

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CAAAAAAAAAS

-

I love how Cas is so practical like, "will you pay me $200 to stop annoying you and go away?"

UHOH guess we're getting right into it. "You don't want to go back" "Sam and Dean need me" You don't want to be needed, you want to be wanted!

Wheeee text on that and also wheee over on the other side of the story last week Dean finally made the i/we distinction about Cas. Now we just need to get them alive and well and actually dealing with crap

-

oh boy I shouldn't have paused there except that i suppose for the sake of meta-ing remotely clearly it was probably a good idea not to watch straight through from that into the empty accusing Cas of having feeeeelings and "I know *what* you hate, I know *who* you love, what you fear." especially since Cas hates being needed but not wanted and uh Dean made the i/we distinction at long last over on the other side of the story so um does Cas fear something related to all that?

I mean to be fair Cas has been through this exact thing before with "he's in love... with humanity" / "all of it for one man" which was an "i/we" distinction of planetary proportions :P Of course he just mutely responded to it there because he was sad Dean was dead, and had no idea Metatron had accused him of being in love in any form, so that was Metatron's private joke to himself.

-

The Empty telling Cas there's "nothing for him back there" also makes like next to no sense if you take season 12's family read at surface value and has the bonus of being, I'm pretty sure, a line Elrond tells Arwen in the movie when he's trying to make her leave Aragorn and go across the waters to the undying lands.

-

I know they're just starting with it in a long selection of terrible things that happened to Cas but starting with his grace being stolen really sucks :P

Especially when I am still daily haunted by his season 9 arc.

See above: Metatron and "in love with humanity"

-

More miscommunication of the "didn't bother to call you" variety (I hope this doesn't blow up in Sam's face, although of course trying to nurture Jack is slow mo doing that, especially if he and Dean are meant to swap stances on the kid >.>)

The intern pulls Mia aside for a chat.

OH NO Jack wants to see his mom. OH NO OH NO

I will be so upset if that happens...

Oh nooooooo

he's crying.

Who can say no?

This is extremely awful.

I guess Glynn didn't want to let Kelly go like that. I'm glad if Mia was going to do this for anyone it would be for Jack and not Sam and Dean's cycles of nonsense.

I REALLY hope the bad shifter doesn't burst in here and try to/actually kill Mia right now. Jack doesn't need that in his life.

In the mean time, Mia better friggin HUG Jack even if it's technically hollow and he would know it.

Also did she do the whole disgusting skin thing or can she transform on the spot?

-

HUGS FOR THE NOUGAT BOY

-

They look so much alike :')

Oh no Jack you probably don't feel anything because they made you horribly depressed within 2 days. Also you have angel grace. Historically not good for helping you feel things. You're sweet and cry about your mom and feel bad about stuff in other ways so I think you have a heart no matter what, like Cas does.

Mia gets some catharsis from getting to hug Jack and reassure him that even if he's a monster and what makes him in-human isn't letting him emote how he's supposed to, he can still be good. She's got a monster soul, after all. There's a lot of good monsters out there.

-

I was about to say lol is this now Sam not on the phone because he actually is a shifter now mostly to tease past!Me but then they panned down and Dean's unconscious, which makes sense because they probably still want to show us Dean tearing his own face off at some point and honestly I'd rather just get it over and done with because if it's still to come after this D:

"that was too friggin easy" though - Dean getting overwhelmed in another fight. He's really not had a great rate of success... He only beat the wraith last episode with Patience's warnings, and other than that it's been a terrible track record even if he fights back as hard as he can when he gets jumped

-

shifter!Dean2 better not go in and try and kill Jack

-

Not gonna have much luck, I just don't want to watch it :P

-

MORE HUGS FOR JACK

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WAIT NO YOU CAN'T HUG HIM AND THEN HAVE HIM KNOCKED OUT IN THE SAME SCENE

I TYPE NOT LOOKING AT THE SCREEN BECAUSE DEAN'S RIPPING HIS FACE OFF

-

Shifters are gross

-

Oh no don't call Cas a disappointment, The Empty, we're so proud of him!

-

He just told him to "save yourself" which is probably going to have the direct opposite result to what he wants while I'd hope Cas goes and does exactly that

"I'm already saved" blah blah Cas insults The Empty and I love him, "because somehow I'm awake, and I'll stay awake" - exactly how many times can I use "i love him" as punctuation in one sentence?

-

Where is that gif of the woman banging the pots and pans about not getting any sleep so they're not getting any sleep

that's something I ought to have saved :P

Someone almost certainly has made a post already.

-

Cas is the literal embodiment of "fight me"

-

This Buddy guy is a total douche. He says in this world everyone uses everyone. Which is a theme of the season I guess - Cas feeling used, Jack feeling used... He's the villain with the most negative version of the theme in his mouth right now

-

Dean's got to pep talk Jack if he wants to save the day or Jack goes and saves the daaay - I'd prefer Jack does it

Look, Mia's getting hurt and she was kind to you and in the most literal use of character mirroring in 1000 miles is an actual stand in for your mom!

-

Ooh is Jack gonna save Sam instead? Dean just pep-talked him specifically about how Sam believed in him which was having to start to admit that Sam, well, believes in Jack. Which Dean couldn't even accept last episode when he was saying that he was just using Jack

-

Yay thanks Jack, kinda figured Sam wouldn't get shot :P Jack's powers are fascinating - he's definitely bending time... from Sam and Dean's perspectives last time they were caught in it they were at least sort of aware of things, but Jack pretty much works in bullet time.

-

I also like how he kind of had a ridiculous "NooooO" because he's been watching Star Wars. I don't know if there's a "Nooooo" in the Clone Wars but I mean have you met a Star Wars

-

Anyway good riddance douchey ex with extra douchey powers.

-

I love the shot of them all standing together and Jack has that benign :3 face on again. He's really insufferably cute.

-

Ewww the Bunker sink is gross. I assume that's from decades of lying in disrepair and that those are stains Dean could not get out.

-

I guess Jack's getting a glass of water and Dean's midnight snacking. I have no other explanation for this encounter despite the fact it could theoretically happen at literally any point of the clock :P

-

Oh gosh, is he going to give Jack a beer

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Yay, actions helped

-

Aw, the other beer is for Sam. Guess this doesn't have to be midnight after all. I thought he might have a longer chat with Jack

-

oops is this the beginning of the slide in the other direction? Sam's been undermined and even though he was proven right to Dean's eyes and Dean's had to grudgingly hand Jack the win in the case and admit it to Sam, Sam's like, "I guess"

And they don't know what Jack asked for from Mia because patient confidentiality! Argh!

Oh no Sam don't start wondering if Dean is right.

AAAH they're actually talking about things really well. Dean's like "don't say that" - even if he can't believe it he doesn't want to HURT Sam and rob him of his hope... Sometimes yelling about things does make them get better in the long run once you get it out there >.>

And Dean deputises to Sam for the feelings. And admits how HE has been feeling, because he believes in nothing, because all his faith has been taken away because there was only one thing he ever ended up believing in no i didn't see the next scene transition before i hit pause what are you talking about

-

Again, though, if this is Cas back in the mortal plane after annoying his way back to life (worrisome, since he's 2 episodes out of reuniting with them and where's Billie? Oh gosh is Billie back for reals too if he IS back? Whaaaat.) then that's another awfully convenient moment to transition scenes from. Dean finally using "i" instead of "we" about Cas and making it abundantly clear that he and sam didn't feel the same about that, was, whether the direct reason or just narrative karma they chose to bestow on Dean, what made Jack reach out to Cas. Now he admits out loud that he doesn't believe in anything with the implication when you look at Dean vs belief that this is about Cas, and we go over to Cas definitely at least in an improved situation.

Goddammit that's the new coat which means he didn't come back naked but wait! Lizzy's hope wasn't the same as everyone else's at all! Although that was a shallow moment of defeat :P Mwa ha ha, I was hoping Cas would come back and be gifted a whole new Cas get up and lo and behold unless he chose to manifest these clothes onto himself and there's noooo ulterior motive at all going on here (uh... probably not going to get more than 1 per show and we used it up on Mary :P) but he's confused and waking up and the last time we saw him he was in the clothes he died in... So of course if he's being sent back to earth then someone else chose the battle armour he'd be returned in. One Cas, fit for purpose.

Also, realising once he sat up more it was the new coat makes me pretty sure he is back on Earth.

Also he looks happy to be here and I think he can tell :P

Same, Cas. Same.

[lunaschild2016]

How Do You Want It - Part 1

Rating: M (Smut, Violence, Language)

WARNING: This is pretty much just straight smut!

They were playing a delicious game of Cat and Mouse until a prank ups the stakes in a way that neither had imagined but both craved. The wait has been such sweet torture but how much longer can they play this game before they give in? Eric/OC M AU (Smut, Lemon and fluff)

Inspired by: Bebe Rexha ‘I Got You’, 2Pac ‘How Do You Want It’, Boy Epic ‘Dirty Mind’

A/N: You can thank a night of listening to old school music and drinking with a friend for this gem. The title should say it all…love me some Tupac.

@kenzieam@ericdauntless@jojuarez26@jaihardy@iammarylastar@captstefanbrandt@captainviolets@badassbaker@readsalot73@fuckthatfeeling@dani5102@beltz2016@beautifulramblingbrains@affabletimelady@irasancti@meganbee15@pathybo@lauraaan182​@gylisaa@scorpio2009@gylisaa @bookgirlthings

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Part 1

He was bored sitting in the big conference room around the big wooden table. The meeting was one of many that he was forced to attend about the upcoming training, status of security, patrols and same old shit different day kind of things. He had  become the master of looking like he was engaged and riveted but really his mind was wondering to a million other things.

He lost that boredom pretty quickly when something caught his eye. No, not something. 

Someone. 

Her. 

Cass Eaton, twin sister to his nemesis and oddly enough the one that leadership had taken on as a leader in training at the same time as him. Not that it surprised him too much, she had been ranked third under him. Four had turned down his spot and it went to her next.

She was so unlike her brother though it really was a wonder to him that they had shared the same womb. She was a fucking mystery to him and had been since their initiation together. It seemed at times his favorite thing to do was watch her. He couldn’t get enough of it.

Right now she had his full attention and had him wondering what the hell was wrong with her. A faint sheen of perspiration dotted her forehead, her skin was slightly flushed and her breathing was picking up. He knew all of this because she was right beside him. Close enough that he could hear her breathing coming out in pant and gasps.

He might think she was feeling sick or something like that if it weren’t for the one thing she was doing that hinted at something else altogether….her rubbing her thighs together and pressing them like she was trying to prevent herself from getting off. Or she was trying to get herself off.

As soon as that thought hit him he felt the waves of heat coming from her but also start to build in him. He had wanted her bad from the moment he saw her. Part of it had been just to piss her stiff brother off but that desire quickly went away and it had been all about her.

He never went there though because something had started to happen between them that he found he had enjoyed so much more than just seeking out some release and then moving on.

Early on in initiation he found out just how different she was than her brother. She was a bit of a wild one. 

While their mutual past, which had him wanting to tear her fuck of a father’s spine out just at the thought of it and him doing that to her, had made Four brooding and a loner. In Cass it had made her vibrant, rebellious, fearless and sensual as fuck.

She made friends fast and hard, becoming a favorite of the other initiates, senior members and charmed the hell out of Leaders. She wasn’t afraid to dress the part of a Dauntless but she also wasn’t vulgar about it. She hadn’t been the strongest in the fighting but she was fast and fierce. She had dominated in the weapons though right alongside Eric and Four. Then came the fear sims. Four had less fears but she wasn’t that far behind. In fact she had the exact same amount as Eric had. Seven fears. She also came in just seconds after Eric. 

He had always wondered about that because when she got out Four and her had a huge fight. His attitude and hers suggested that maybe she could have done better but hadn’t. Either way he had never felt threatened or even offended by her or that. It just added to her mystery.

During their time in training though another thing had added to it. Their attraction was palpable but they were both content to dance around it. Sometimes taunting each other with words sometimes with brief physical encounters. Then midway through training there had been a party thrown for some member attaining seniority. It was really just another excuse to party really.

They had all attended. There was drinking, dancing, dares or challenges. She had been stunning in a black body con dress that had cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It went to her mid thigh and was of a silky black material with lace over it. Sexy and sensual but not too revealing. It hugged those long curves on her tall frame nicely and highlighted just how physically fit she was becoming. Her creamy skin had just made him want to taste it and was highlighted by the color of the dress. Not pale and not as tan as her brother but somewhere in between.

She had left her chocolate hair down in the curly waves it had naturally that went to her elbows. Her makeup had been made to highlight those beautiful azure eyes and the slight red tint of her full lips. A deviation from her brother’s mismatched ones was that both her bottom and top lip were full and made for the smiles she freely gave, the smirks that made her look sexy as hell or imagining those lips wrapped around someplace altogether indecent.

They had started the night with their bouts of flirting, exchanging of simple taunts or words before each moved on to be with their friends. Neither got very far out of each other’s sights though. Eric didn’t hold back from hooking up when the mood struck him and it usually did after a session of just that behavior with Cass.

Cass however, if she has ever, is discreet and he never heard a word of it or saw it. Smart for the fuckers that went there with her. They might not be together or even have fucked. But he made it no secret that he had a thing for her and anyone that dared to go there better look out the next time they walked the corridors alone. He wouldn’t kill them but he was going to enjoy the shit out of the physical release of his anger on them. He realized he was insanely jealous when it came to her and he didn’t care. She was his and they both knew it.

So it was a surprise to him when what she did next turned him on to no end. The party was in full swing and the dance floor was pumping. He had been holding up a wall with some friends just drinking and shooting the shit. Her group had been standing not too far off and he could tell they were engaged in a game of challenging each other.

He knew the minute that she had been challenged and that it had something to do with him. Her eyes had moved over to him in a slow and languorous way. The same way she moved those eyes up and down his body. Not before she knew she had his attention though. She did it on purpose. The same as when she lightly parted her lips and licked them slightly before smirking and turning back to her friends.

He couldn’t hear what she had said but he saw their eyes widen just before Zeke got a shit eating grin and then raced to the DJ for something. To get to the dance floor she had to pass his group. She did so, swaying her hips and eyes locked with Eric’s. When she got close though, and fuck if she didn’t get very close, she walked her fingers down his arm to where he was holding a bottle of beer. Somehow her touch loosened his hold and it was out of his hand into hers before could say shit.

She lost never lost eye contact with him as she lifted the bottle to her lips and in the most erotic sip he had ever witnessed she tilted it back and drunk deeply. Afterwards, when she had taken her fill she drew the rim of the glass bottle lightly across her lips as if in a caress. Her head tilted and following the movements of Eric’s tongue that had unconsciously slid out to his own lips.

She must have been waiting for the signal or the song because when it started her lips parted in a impish smile and she handed the bottle back to Eric, leaning in close.

“Enjoy the show, Eric.” She purred next to his ear and before he could register anything that had just happened much less her words, she was a whirl of chocolate curls and wafting of honeysuckle skin.

“Holy fuck! What just happened dude?” Hector, his friend had gulped beside him and downed his own beer.

Eric didn’t know and he didn’t care for the look in his friend’s eye or the fact that he was sure he was sporting a woody just as hard as his own was. “If you want to live you will reign that shit in and not go there in your thoughts even.” His voice was dead calm and dead serious, causing Hector to gulp for another reason and nod emphatically.

Eric quickly turned back to Cass though because on the way to the dance floor she had grabbed the shirt of Liam. An initiate that he didn’t really care for but didn’t hate either. His first response was to start to get pissed but then she locked eyes with him again and as she danced with Liam her eyes never left his.

He also never knew she could dance like she did. From pulling moves straight from belly dancers to spinning around Liam then dropping down, spreading her legs and rolling her body up, ass first. She would mouth the words to Eric with a wicked little smirk on her face before running her hands over her body but pressing against Liam. The message was clear to Eric, this was a show for him and her imagining him that she was dancing with, possibly even more. He had been glued to watching her and no one existed for either of them during that time. If he hadn’t been hooked on her before then he was for sure after that night.

It became a game with them. He had even participated once, to test her and see what her reaction would be. He had been drunk as hell and for the past week his fear sims had him messed up. They were all messed up about their fear sims and he was looking for release. He had already found his anger release in a match at a fight ring they had at the bar he was at. It was a seedier one in Dauntless and he hadn’t expected her to be there. He should have known though because she could be just as dark as he could. She had watched his fight and it had spurred him on to new heights in how brutal he was. Her parted lips and flush were there for him to see and he knew she was just as turned on by it as he was. But they both enjoyed the damn game they had started to play too much to act on it.

He needed something though badly. So at that same bar he had found a girl to hook up with. He had been focused and forgotten where he was or that Cass was most likely still watching. But she had seen it all as he stalked towards a random girl. He pulled her to him and started to kiss her for all he was worth. The girl hadn’t objected and was running her hands over him. He caught the eyes of Cass when he had come up for air. He saw her being pissed yes but he also saw her desire and that she was enjoying it to some degree.

He went back in for kissing along the girl’s throat and neck but his eyes never left Cass. Each swirl of his tongue, when he bit down or when his hands moved to her hair and tugged…it was all for Cass as he imagined it was her.

The chicks moan broke him from the trance he and Cass were under and had him scowling. As soon as she had opened her mouth he lost interest in her. Cass had disappeared when he had pulled back and he had walked away leaving the girl cursing him.

He was cursing too but only because it was taking entirely too long to get back to the dorms and a shower where he could take care of himself again to the thought of Cass and him and whatever strange games they were playing. They turned him on more than he had ever been and left him more frustrated than he would ever admit but he didn’t want them to end.

Cass’ actions and predicament now were not apart of that game she played with Eric. Though his presence next to her certainly wasn’t helping her at all. She just couldn’t believe the fuckers had decided to pull the prank on her in the middle of her damn leadership meeting. By some damn miracle the serum they had slipped her hadn’t hit until towards the end of the meeting.

She just had to hold out a little longer and then she could make a break for it. It was so very hard because the urge to fuck or be fucked was building faster the longer she ignored it. Her breathing was becoming more strangled and she saw out of the corner of her eye that Eric had most certainly noticed judging by that damn bulge that tantalized and teased her constantly.

She tried not to lick her lips at that, failed and gasped. Then she was forced to grab the table in a death grip when she saw it swell even more in his pants. Their eyes locked for a few seconds but she looked away when her flush increased even more and she felt her ears go to flames.

This drew some looks but she was able to give a glare that made them avert their eyes quickly. Eric matched the glare too and that helped matters along. He didn’t know what was going on with Cass but it was clear she was putting off signals his body was responding to and hardcore. He resolved to ask her about it after the meeting but as soon as they were dismissed she was up like a shot and out of the door.

He followed quickly because fuck if he wasn’t going to find out if she did that to him on purpose or what the matter was with her.

Cass was frantic and she knew she wasn’t making it to her apartment. It was too far and the urge had her almost doubled over. She could only clutch her abdomen and look around desperately.

The bathroom. There was a co-ed bathroom on the floor of the leader offices. It would have to do. She barreled in and into a stall. She barely got the stall door slammed and locked before she was shoving her pants down. She leaned so that she was bracing one hand against the wall and the other found her center.

The heat was terrible and wonderful at the same time. As soon as her hand made contact her moan tore from her chest. She was beyond caring if there was someone else in the bathroom with her but Eric did.

He wasn’t that far behind her and caught her first gasp and moan. As soon as he heard that sound he was in. He locked the door to the bathroom altogether and didn’t give a shit if it pissed people off. No one was going to hear her like this but him. He could only listen to a few of her moans before he was finding a stall of his own to follow her example.

He had already been hard before but now it was raging.

The sweet sounds of her moans and whimpers had him closing his eyes and stroking himself slowly. He could literally hear the frantic pulsing of her fingers inside of herself from the wet sucking sounds that came from the stall beside him.

His nostrils were flaring as his chest silently heaved and he sucked in his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Oh gods….yes please I want it…” They were the first real discernible words she had said and they had his eyes snapping open. The burning within him was fierce to know just what and who she wanted.

It didn’t stop him from his own tending to himself but he did slow down. He was torturing himself with this.

Cass was frantic and furious. How dare they do this to her! No matter that she had done something similar and worse to both Pedrad’s and Edward it was beside the point. At least they both had people to get proper release from.

Just her working her hands over herself and stimulating things wasn’t working. She needed more but it wasn’t likely she was going to anyone for it. There was one thing she could do and she did that now. She was well practiced in this by now. She did it often enough and had from the moment Eric and her had collided, literally, on the roof of the compound when he had reached out to break her fall when she had jumped. That was all it had took for her to become enamored of his body first and then him and his brutal and domineering ways. His laugh he rarely let loose but had and still did for her. That sexy as fuck smile that she imagined right now, spreading slowly across his face at the thought of her laid out before him.

She imagined them together as she had a million times before and tried to keep those images internal and not verbal as best as possible. She was never a very quiet climaxes or just quiet in sex period. She had tried to get better about calling out a name though it snuck out from her from time to time.

She had an arrangement with the one guy she had been with. Trey. He didn’t ask questions and neither did she. They had only slept together a handful of times and only when she had pushed herself beyond being able to stand the tension anymore.

It was also an unspoken agreement that if he wanted to survive unharmed he wouldn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. He valued his skin and life too much for things to get back to Eric.

That was who she imagined now as she tried to get a release that would abate the serum’s effect. Eric and all the things she wanted to do to him or he to her.

“Please yes…make me take it.” Cass moaned softly and in a plea. Images flashed through her mind in a frenetic pace as she worked her way closer. Each one had her uttering some response to that image or just groaning.

Eric could hear she was closer and he picked up his own pace. Gods he needed to know if it was him. It better fucking be him she was imagining. Because all he could see was her there with him and he wanted more details of what she was imagining. Her whispers of vague references and commands were enough, for now, to drive him to go towards his edge.

As his hand stroked faster and gripped tighter his hips moved in time to the sound of her fingers slamming into herself and he was begging for her to release soon.

“Yes…gods yes…feels so fucking good…..fuck…” Her screams were getting louder and she didn’t care, was beyond caring because it was all her raging hormones right now. As she slammed her hand into her one more time she had moved to lean against the stall and reached down to move her other hand over her clit.

She was there and what put her over the edge was the image of Eric pounding into her, with her legs wrapped around his waist and his eyes boring into hers. She pinched on her clit and slammed hard into herself and screamed her release then his name.

“Eric!” Her crying out his name was deep and sexy. It was exactly what he needed and wanted to hear. He barely contained his grunt at his own release and all he could think was her name as he did. He was leaned over the toilet and using his other hand to brace himself. It and he was trembling after he released in the bowl. He heard her panting and imagined her trembling as well. His smirk must be a mile wide at the knowledge it had been him. Those things she had been thinking and whispered pleas had been for and about him.

Why had he doubted it?

It also made him want more but still not going there with her yet. He still liked this thing they were doing to each other too much. Because in between the taunts and other teasing they talked. During leadership meetings, work, lunches and dinners they talked and became something more than he had ever thought of being with a female. Friends but more. It was hard to describe and he was sure as fuck not losing it either.

So he would take his time with this and think of something. Now that he had a taste of her moans and her real passion he wasn’t going back to just what they had before.

Cass’ legs were trembling as she recovered from the climax. She knew she would feel more later urges because it would take a while for the serum to work its way out of her system but for now she was sated and could make her way to her apartment. Then after it had passed she would make them pay.

“Uriah and Edward are dead men.” She muttered. “Fucking slipping me that serum. What the fuck were they thinking? At least I waited until they could be near release and not in the middle of their fucking jobs. Pansyass bitches…” She pouted and muttered angrily at the end of the rant. She withdrew her fingers from herself and whimpered at the overstimulated nub she still had a hold of.

She started to pull her underwear up and clean herself up when she noticed that they were absolutely drenched. “Fuck! Are you serious? Gods they are fucking drenched. I can’t wear these. Fuck it. I am just going to take them off and go commando.”

At that she started to angrily strip and remove her underwear. A thought struck her and she chuckled as she muttered it out loud. “I should take these things and shove them down their throats….but then again they might like it.” She shook her head and sighed.

Once she was dressed she shakily left the stall and carelessly tossed her underwear on the top of the trash. The door to the bathroom was locked and she paused for a second but then shrugged. She must have locked it on her way in, thank fuck. At least she knew that no one had heard that shit then.

She hurried to make it to her apartment before another wave could hit her.

Once Eric was sure she had gone he stepped out, smug smile still in place. So he had Edward and Uriah to thank for this? Well he might just buy them a drink before their funeral when Cass recovered. Because if that was a serum, and judging by her body reactions and frenzy it was, she was going to be busy for a little while.

He knew she was removing her underwear when she had muttered about it but he had thought for sure she was taking them with her. His shit eating grin when he saw them laying there for the taking carried him through the rest of the day. That grin sent shudders through most people when he moved about the compound. Whatever put that smile on Eric Coulter’s face could not be pleasant and none wanted to find out just what he found so pleasing.

One whiff had him moving quickly to his own apartment. He would find a way and fast to up their game but he wouldn’t play it much longer. He had tasted her now, indirectly, and he knew he would make her officially his soon. For now he had something of hers, maybe it would bring inspiration?

One thing was for sure, the journey there would be so fucking sweet.

[iamvegorott]

Taken Away Ch 4

Abandoned 

“The sky’s getting darker again, we should be at the town soon.” Mark commented, finishing up his apple.

“I hope there’s different food at the town, as much as I love fruit, I’m starting to get sick of them at the moment. A nice juicy burger sounds amazing right now.” Jack handed the last piece of banana to Callie. The creature sniffed it and tossed it aside, a look of annoyance on their face. “Looks like Callie’s sick the fruit too.”

“Do you think they eat meat?” Mark asked as they stepped over some tall plants.

“No idea.” Jack ducked under a branch and let out a cheer. “The town!”

“Finally!” Mark threw the core to the side and the two men walked into the town, finding it empty.

“There are no people.” Jack commented, voice heavy with disappointment.

“No people, cars or anything that shows there’s life here.” Mark went up to a house and started knocking on the door. “Hello? Hello is anyone there? We need help?” Mark turned away and leaned against the door, seeing Jack putting his hands next to his mouth before shouting.

“Hello!?” Mark could have sworn that he heard that man’s voice echo throughout the entire town,

“I knew you could get loud, but damn, man.” A familiar voice said.

“Wade!” Mark and Jack ran over to the man, who was standing with Bob several houses down.

“Are you guys okay? Where’s Felix?” Jack asked.

“We’re fine and we don’t know where Felix is. We landed in the middle of the forest and just got here not too long ago.” Bob answered.

“All of the houses we’ve passed are empty. We haven’t seen anyone at all.” Wade added.

“Neither have we, it must be abandoned.” Mark said. “What are we going to do now?”

“First, we need to find Felix, he’s been alone this whole time.” Jack said.

“We could try getting to the top of one of the taller buildings and look for him.” Wade suggested.

“If this town is abandoned, then nothing should be locked or we could break into them if needed.” Bob looked around as he spoke.

“Not like there are cops to worry about.” Wade muttered.

“Have you guys eaten anything? We still have apples and bananas.” Jack offered.

“We’re good. We found this weird plant that had kiwis and strawberries on them.” Bob said.

“Never knew I could hate fruit so much.” Wade groaned.

“Maybe we can find some cans of food or something here, the town still looks brand new so they must have just left.” Mark said.

“Quick question, what the fuck is that?” Wade asked when Callie climbed out of Jack’s shirt and sat on his shoulder.

“Oh, this is Callie.” Jack introduced the creature. “They kind of just joined us, they’re the one who showed us where to get the apples and bananas.”

“And they understand what we’re saying.” Mark added.

“Seriously?” Bob leaned towards Callie. “Nod your head twice if you understand.” Bob moved back when Callie did what they were told. “Well...holy shit.”

“I knew you said you wanted to get a pet, but I don’t think that’s what any of us thought you’d get.” Wade said.

“And you think I did?” Jack scoffed.

“Let’s try to find Felix before it gets dark again.” Mark said.

“That happened really fast.” Bob scratched the back of his head. “It didn’t make sense, how does the sun become the moon? That’s not how that works.”

“I’ve given up on the whole questioning this place.” Jack said. “Think that building’s open?” The man pointed at a hotel.

“If not, we’ve got a great battering ram.” Bob patted his stomach.

“When in doubt, just throw Bob against it.” Wade chuckled.

“Remind me of that next time I get in an argument with someone.” Mark said as the four headed over to the hotel.

“It’s locked.” Jack groaned after trying to open the door.

“Alright on the count of three, we all push.” Wade said as he held the doorknob. The other three gathered around Wade and pressed their hands against the door. “Ready? One...two...three-ah!” The door opened easily and Wade fell to the floor. “What the hell!? You said it was locked!”

“It was!” Jack protested. “I know we like to pull dick moves on each other sometimes, but I don’t think now is the appropriate time for that.”

“You good?” Bob asked as he helped Wade to his feet.

“Yeah, I just landed on my face.” Wade huffed, making the others laugh.

“Do you think the elevator works? We’ve been walking all day and I don’t think I can handle stairs.” Mark said while they all looked around the lobby.

“Do we trust an elevator in an abandoned hotel?” Bob asked.

“I’m pretty damn lazy.” Mark chuckled.

“Found one.” Jack called, waving his hands at the other men.

“Have you tried it yet?” Wade asked as they walked over to Jack.

“Nope, but if it doesn’t work, the stairs have to be close.” Jack stated as he pressed the button, shocked to see it light up. There was a soft ‘ding’ before the elevator doors slowly opened.

“Are we really going in there?” Bob asked.

“You wanna take fifteen flights of stairs?” Wade asked back, going into the elevator with Mark and Jack.

“I’m good.” Bob stepped in as well and pressed the top button.

“No elevator music?” Jack mused.

“I could start singing.” Mark offered.

“I don’t think going deaf will help us.” Wade teased.

“My singing is not that bad, a lot of people actually like it. Which one of us was in the Five Night at Freddy’s Musical?”

“And who couldn’t hit that one high note?” Bob sang.

“How dare you, good sir?” Mark put a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended.

“Considering that he’s not a professional singer like Nate, he didn’t do that bad.” Jack said.

“At least someone’s being nice today.” Mark stuck his tongue out at Wade and Bob.

“But that high note was terrible.” Jack added.

“Asshole.” Mark flicked Jack’s arm.

“We’re at the top floor, we’re going to have to take the last flight up by stairs.” Bob said when the doors opened.

“That room’s open.” Jack pointed out and went up to the hotel room.

“This has jumpscare written all over it.” Mark muttered.

“There’s someone in there! Hey!” Jack went into the room, Mark going in as well.

“Don’t just intrude in someone’s room!” Wade huffed. “Fine, don’t listen to me.”

“If someone is in there, maybe they can help us find Felix and get home.” Bob said as he went after the two. Wade just let out another huff and followed.

“Hello?” Jack was shocked to find the room fully furnished, just like the lobby. If this place was abandoned, why did it still look and work like people still lived here? “We just want to get back home, can you help us?” Callie twitched their nose and hopped off of Jack’s shoulder, joining Bob and Wade at the desk.  

“I don’t think anyone’s in here.” Mark said.

“Looks like a family lived here before they left.” Bob commented, holding a picture frame in his hand. “Two parents and a little boy by the looks of it.”

“I recognize that kid.” Wade said.

“You do?” Mark asked, looking at the photo as well.

“Yeah, he and his parents were at the convention. The little boy gave me a wooden car he made himself, it’s still at the hotel.”

“You mean, like this wooden car?” Bob asked, picking up a toy from the desk he got the photo frame from.

“The exact same one…” Wade took the toy and examined it. “That’s really creepy.”

“It just has to be a coincidence. Right?” Mark chuckled weakly.

“Fucking-hell!” Jack’s curse made them turn their heads and they all yelled when they saw their friend being attacked by a large being in a gray trench coat. “Get away from me, you fuck!” Jack stumbled back and landed on the couch, holding the being away from him. Jack grimaced as drool slowly dripped through its sharp teeth and onto his shirt.  

“Get off of him!” Mark shouted as he grabbed the being by its shoulders and pulled him away from Jack.

“Move, Mark!” Bob warned, a baseball bat in hand. Mark quickly ducked and Bob cracked the being upside the head with the bat and made it fall to the ground.

“Damn, Bob.” Wade complimented.

“What I lack in speed I make up in with strength.” Bob chuckled. “But I think I’m going to have a heart attack.” Bob handed Mark the bat and sat down on the couch with Jack. “That adrenaline did not last long.”

“You good, Jack?” Mark asked.

“Yeah, little stunned and wet, but I’m not damaged.” Jack answered.

“Good to hear.”

“Is it dead?” Wade asked, jabbing his foot into the creature’s side.

“We could toss it out the window, I think there’s an awning beneath us it can land on to make its landing a little softer.” Mark said.

“Let’s just leave it, it doesn’t look like it’s getting up anytime soon.” Jack said.

“Alright, were there any more bats, Bob?” Mark looked over the bat before handing it back to Bob.

“I know there’s a second one at the desk. That’s where I found the first one. If we find the bedroom, we might find more.” Bob suggested.

“I only knew the kid liked baseball cause he was wearing his baseball shirt, he went on and on about being happy his team won the tournament this year.” Wade said as Mark started searching. “The kid in the picture was wearing the shirt, same number and all.”

“That’s extra creepy.” Bob said.

“This hotel is pimped out.” Jack commented, petting Callie’s head when they went back on his shoulder. “Most hotel rooms don’t have a separate living room and kitchen and bedroom.”

“Bedrooms.” Mark corrected. “The kid and the parents have their own.”

“I’ll go help him, you two recover.” Wade said before leaving the room.

“Kid is a baseball fanatic.” Mark commented from the child’s room. “Like, this room just screams ‘I’m a preteen boy’, it almost looks fake.”

“It’s like someone tried to make a room for someone that they only know one thing about them.” Wade agreed. “There are four more bats in here? No normal child has five bats, no matter how much they like baseball.”

“At least there’s one for Felix too when we find him.” Mark said, grabbing two bats while Wade got the others.

“You two ready to go?” Wade asked, handing one of his bats to Jack.

“The parents have some as well?” Bob asked, grunting as he stood.

“We found them all in the kid’s room.” Wade stated.

“The kid has five bats? That’s at least three too many for one kid.” Jack said, getting back up as well.

“The room was too much for a kid.” Mark said. “Way too much baseball stuff.”

“That’s the parent’s problem, let’s get to the roof.” Bob said.

“Wanna lead, Mr. Strength?” Mark bowed as he gestured towards the door.

“As long as you don’t mind going up stairs slowly.” Bob chuckled and left the room with the other three men behind him. Jack looked at the creature again before shutting the door all the way.

“Um…” Bob blinked, closed the door and reopened it. “We’re already on the roof?”

“What?” The four men stepped out through the door and found that they were indeed on the roof.

“Who builds the top floor on the roof like that?” Jack asked, looking at the structure. “Someone did not pay attention in school.”

“The fewer stairs the better.” Bob said, going to the edge of the roof.

“Do you see him?” Mark asked as he, Jack, and Wade went to the edge of the roof as well.

“Nope.” Bob popped the ‘p’ of the word.

“Felix!” Jack screamed.

“In my ear dude?” Wade snapped.

“You got any better ideas?” Jack asked.

“Point taken. Felix!” Wade screamed as well.

“Felix!” Mark and Bob joined in.

“Guys!?” They stopped when they heard a response.

“Felix!?” Jack called back.

“Where are you!?” Felix yelled from the forest.

“Follow my voice!”

“I’m trying!”

“I think I see him!” Bob pointed down. “Jack, Mark, go down there and get him, me and Wade will stay here to make sure you get to Felix.”

“Gotcha!” Mark and Jack got up, took their bats, an extra for Felix, and ran back into the building.

“Elevator’s faster.” Mark said as he pressed the button, the doors opening immediately.

“I hope Felix is okay.” Jack said while they rode back down.

“He shouldn’t be too bad off if he’s able to yell back like that.” Mark said.

“True, he’s probably starving.”

“He might have found a weird combo plant like all of us did.”

“Come on, move faster.” Jack groaned at the elevator.

“It can only go so fast.” Mark said.

“I know!” Jack huffed. “Thank the Lord!” Jack took off when the elevator opened back up, Mark following right behind him.

“We were at the back of the building and Bob and Wade should be able to guide us from there.” Mark said.

“Felix!” Jack called as they reached the back of the hotel.

“I think I’m getting closer.” Felix called back.

“Go a little to the right and you’re good!” Bob said from above.

“Felix!” Mark yelled this time.

“Mark!? Jack!?” Felix pushed several branches away, eyes widening when he saw the other two men. “Finally!”

“You okay, man?” Jack asked.

“I’m all good, are you guys okay and where are Bob and Wade?” Felix saw the bats in Mark’s and Jack’s hands. “And bats?”

“We’re fine, Bob and Wade are on top of the Hotel behind us and the bats are from inside the hotel.” Mark explained.

“Fuck!” The three men looked up when they heard Wade scream.

“They’re being attacked!” Jack yelled.

“It’s probably the asshat who attacked you! We have to help them!” Mark was about to go back around the building but stopped when he saw one of the three figures fall off the roof. The figure was too small to be Bob and too tall to be Wade.

“Oh shit!” Felix cried out when the being landed on the ground in front of them, it’s gray innards splattering. “I-” Felix bent over and threw up.

“Gross, man.” Jack groaned, looking away while Mark struggled not to vomit as well.

“Mangos and Oranges are not that good coming back up.” Felix groaned.