#the reason why I've decided to gif this particular part of the conversation is because it could very well be a conversation

[vulnus-sanare]

Gambit (2012) Alan Rickman, Colin Firth

[Lionel] - Let her invest in the deal coming off.

[Harry] - I see, sir. It's brilliant.

[Lionel] - Nonsense, Deane. It's elementary. [...] Prat.

[Harry] - Wanker.

[the-broken-truth]

Your Highness - Jamil Viper [Female Yuu] [Heiress Yuu] [Smug Jamil?] [Part 3]

Summary: Jamil received information that his family is no longer under the control of the Asim Family and has claimed the title of Royalty in the Lands of [Kingdom Name] Lands. He heads to Ramshackle to meet Yuu. On the way there, he overhears an interesting conversation taking place inside Ramshackle, and it sounds like Yuu is unhappy with the person she's speaking to.

[In Front Of Ramshackle Dormitory]

His stride bore purpose but his face was flushed and his mind was racing a million miles a second; so many things had happened within the timespan of a few days and Jamil wanted to see his fiancee - he needed to see the woman who captured his heart.

Jamil closed the gate to Ramshackle before he started up the stone stairs that led to the door, his hand reached out to grab the knob when his keen ears picked up on the voice of his diamond speaking to someone in the Lounge Room - he was aware that the lounge was down the hallway, but he was able to pick up on sounds from long distances, just in case someone was speaking ill of Kalim to plot against him or of his beloved diamond. He needed to get into position, just in case he needed to jump in to save his diamond.

With a feather touch, Jamil opened the door to Ramshackle and opened it in such a way that the hinges did not creek before he crept into Ramshackle and closed the door behind him without a single sound. The light coming from the Lounge caused his training to kick in and he sneaked along the floor until he reached the edge of the illuminated room and listened to the voices speaking within the room: He could make out two - One of them being Yuu - and the other was...

"Seriously, Herbivore, I don't know what the hell you are thinking: Getting engaged with that serpent and elevating him to the rank of royalty! What the hell is going on in your mind?"

'Leona Kingscholar?' Jamil's eyes narrowed, 'What the hell is he going on about?'

"I asked Jamil to marry me because I love him and I want him to stay by my side when I return home. Jamil is the other half of my heart and I cannot imagine my life without him in it." Yuu explained with an exhausted exhale - showing that she was getting annoyed with this conversation.

"Why him?" Leona growled at her, "I've known you longer than him and yet HE is the one you decided to choose? Why?"

"I have a great connection with Jamil, Leona. Whenever I am around him, I feel extremely happy. We don't even have to be doing anything in particular, just being in each other's company is enough for me. Whether we are cooking together, reading, watching him play basketball, or he's teaching me how to breakdance, it doesn't matter as long as I am with him. It could be as simple as having a study date or watching over Kalim, and I would still be content. Seeing Jamil's smile is enough to make my day." Yuu's words caused Jamil's blush to intensify and his heart to race, but he needed to calm down to keep his location hidden.

"It should be me and you know that." Leona spouted bluntly, making Yuu scoff.

"Leona, the only thing I have ever saw you as was a friend, maybe even an older brother, but I have never seen you in a romantic light and I never would. I love Jamil. Jamil is the one I want to rule my kingdom when I claim the throne." Yuu is silent for a moment before she speaks again, "I know what all this is about - you want me to choose you instead of Jamil because my kingdom is larger and stronger than the Kingdom of Sunset Savannah. You think marrying me and becoming king of my lands will allow you to finally beat your elder brother. Leona, you really need to let it go."

"What?" Leona raised an eyebrow at her.

"You are angered that you were born second, that's the whole reason you overblotted, but I thought you gave up those thoughts the moment I freed you from your blot and you never showed any interest in me, even when I started dating Jamil; you didn't start this until you heard I was a royal and the one who I choose to marry would be King." Yuu stood up from her seat and started walking around Leona, "There is so much more you could be - let go of your strife already."

Yuu was almost away from him when she felt his hand wrapped around his upper arm, stopping her from taking another step.

"Leona... Take your hand off me." Yuu warned.

"Give me a chance to prove that I am better than Viper, Yuu. I can actually offer you something." Leona said.

"I do not understand what you are trying to accomplish by constantly giving me headaches about your laziness or trying to create chaos between my kingdom and your brother's, just to prove that you are better than him. Leona, I refuse to play these games with you. You have two options: Either accept my relationship with Jamil and continue to be my friend, or I will have to cut you out of my life. I want to make it clear that I will not tolerate any further attempts to control or manipulate me. Now, I am repeating myself, please take your hand off of me." Yuu glared at him.

That was when Jamil stepped out of the shadows, "Get your hand off my fiancee, Kingscholar." This drew the attention of Leona and Yuu.

"Jamil? When did you get here?" Yuu asked.

"Not too long ago, My Diamond; however, I didn't want to interrupt your conversation but I wanted to keep close in case he tried something." Jamil glared at Leona, who returned the glare.

"I was raised to respect women, Viper; I would never do anything to harm her." Leona growled.

"Then, why are you still holding her by her arm when she told you to unhand her, twice might I add. If you really respected women as you claim, you would respect her choices, alas, here you are: Attempting to make her change her mind because you don't like her choice." Jamil glared into Leona's eyes; he was so tempted to Snake Whisper Leona, but he swore to Yuu that he wouldn't use it against her friends.

Leona said nothing else as he released Yuu from his grasp and walked out of the Lounge Room, bumping arms with Jamil, before leaving Ramshackle with a slam of the door. Jamil looked behind him for a while before he turned to his lover, walked over to her, and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss, which she gladly returned.

"You said you wanted to talk, My Viper?" Yuu smiled once they broke the kiss.

"You are very crafty, my love. You freed my family from the clutches of the Asim Family and elevated them to royal status within a matter of a few days. I know that you love me, but I never thought you would do that for them and you haven't met them yet." Jamil smiled.

"Not true, I met your sister once." Yuu smiled.

"On a video call, Diamond." Jamil chuckled before he held Yuu in a tight embrace, "You do so much for me, I shall do whatever I must to keep you happy."

"Just promise to love me and never betray me. That's all I want." Yuu smiled as she hugged Jamil.

[END]

[tellywoodtrash]

hiiiii tt!! hope ur doing well <333

i wanted some advice from you, if that's okay. i started college this year and the experience has been ... nothing like i imagined lol. basically, i've been lonely my entire life. i'm also autistic and i think thats part of why its so hard for me to make friends. i really thought college would change that, idk why. its not like i bought into the ultimate karan johar college fantasy or anything like that, i just thought it would be...better than my school life, at least. for the first month, it kind of was. i was talking to lot of people and even getting along with them, at least i thought i did. but then one by one everyone just, like, stopped talking to me??? i don't get it.

like, one of the first friend groups i made in college, almost all of them decided to join a college society together, while i decided not to because i wasn't really interested in that particular club. then they all but forgot about me, once they joined that society. they made new friends over there and of course, all of them were still friends among themselves, but it was like i didn't even exist anymore. maybe i shouldn't take it so personally but i genuinely made an effort to keep that friendship alive and literally got nothing in return from their side.

then i made friends with some other girls in my course and all three of them literally got boyfriends at the exact same time and they started ignoring me too. at this point i feel i am the problem. because the reason all of these people (who i have only known for a few months, at best) abandoning me hurts so much is because this is how i've been treated my entire life. and now i feel like i will never escape it. if i somehow haven't been able to form a genuine bond with ANYONE for my entire 18 years of existence on this earth, clearly something is very wrong with me. i have no friends (never had them in the first place) and i don't even get along with my family. i am so completely alone and i just do not know how to cope with that.

i'm tired of being ghosted by everyone i consider a friend and then only being remembered when they need something. they are only my friend when it's convenient for them. college was supposed to be a fresh start but it just proved that every new "start" of mine will have the same old ending. i hate to let my pessimism get the best of me but i have no hope left in me. i have always felt like i had so much love to give, but no one to give it to. now, however, i don't see the point in trying. i am scared to even try to talk to people at this point, i feel like i will just fuck it up like i always do.

this is way too long already and idek why i'm writing all this but thank you for reading ig. i hope ur doing better than i am 💗

Hi hi friend,

First of alll, come here youuuuu.

Secondly, it's not really you. It's just the age and inherent nature of most 18 year olds; they tend to be a little flaky and unreliable. Couple that with college being the first real taste of freedom desi kids get, and yeah...... This shit tends to happen. You're right in that you shouldn't take it personally. Sometimes people just don't vibe with each other and that's okay. Sometimes people are rude and uncommunicative, and again, that's on them, not you. You shouldn't let this stuff get you down or lose hope in ever finding your tribe. It takes time. Sometimes they're right in front of you and you don't really consider them your "kind" of person, until one random conversation/situation you're thrown into with them proves to you that they indeed are! All I am saying is that you have your whoooooooole life ahead of you, and you're going to meet soooooo many people through it, and you WILL meet someone or the other whose weird will match yours. Whether that be irl or online.

Your line of having so much love to give but no one to give it to really resonated with me, coz I've felt that way so many times in my life too. But there is someone who needs it - YOU. Give yourself that love and consideration. Use this time to build a strong sense of self and have an unshakable bond with yourself. Do the things you love and pamper + better yourself in every way that you feel like. Alone does not have to mean lonely, not at all. There's literally so much you can do by yourself, like take classes, volunteer, etc, that will be such an enriching experience to who you are as a person. In time, whenever your people do show up, they'll be a fun bonus. You won't NEED them, but they'll just be a wholesome addition to your grounded little life that centers all around yourself.

Sending you lots of love 🤗🤗🤗💖💖💖

[spookyclooky]

considering I will never shut up about this, and I see a lot of people ganging up on each other over this, I've decided I'm going to publicly share at least a few (if not all) of the slides from a powerpoint I made for my friends explaining why Stancy doesn't work and Steddie does

Keep in mind, this was not originally intended for general audiences but I've reached the end of my rope with this and I'm gonna show you some research I did (though I'm gonna exclude some of my slides cause they're introducing the characters for my friends who don't watch ST)

my first two slides, because some of this was jokes but I'm so actually fucking serious about this it's crazy

my summarization of both of their relationships (some of the Steddie one was jokes because they don't actually have a canon relationship obv)

and this is the summation of my analysis of both relationships (or what I think their relationship could be by analyzing the way they interact in Steve and Eddie's case). This doesn't even include the fact that Steve evidently wants a big family according to ST4, which Nancy straight up said is the last thing she wants. So, in being with Steve, she'd be trapped in her worst nightmare and would grow to eventually resent him. She even says this during that conversation:

Because she doesn't want kids! She expressed this early on the series when she's talking about her parents with Jonathan, telling him about how her dad was older and her mom married him for money. She didn't want to be like her parents, she still doesn't. She's trying her hardest to pave a path for herself in her journalism, by any means necessary. You think she can do that stuck in a house on the end of a cul-de-sac with someone she never truly loved in the first place?? NO!!! She says this to Jonathan in S1 E6, which just further proves my point

so hearing that, do you think she wants a cute little family with Steve, schlepping across the country with "six little nuggets" in tow? Absolutely the fuck not.

AND, for Steve, he straight up tells Robin that he doesn't love Nancy anymore. While he was on 'truth serum' from the russians. He doesn't even hesitate, and here's the scene if you wanna watch it again cause you don't believe me.

Even Murray, an outsider looking in, could see their relationship was not it

Like, do y'all not remember this?

Cause I do

this shows that even an outside party, who is JUST MEETING Nancy, can tell that she no longer loves Steve, and that's assuming she ever had feelings like that for him in the first place.

In S4, he SPECIFICALLY says, after the bit about crawling backwards, that he says when he gets a big enough thump on his head, he can change and move forward. He thanks her for helping him to 'crawl forward', which I kind of interpreted as a 'hey, thanks for showing me that the way I was acting before sucked, and you breaking up with me changed my life for the better', the breakup acting as his proverbial bump to the head in this particular case.

Speaking as someone who has been in an extremely unhealthy relationship in the past, I think that Steve is simply going through a denial stage at this point, his rose colored glasses coming back on to romanticize the good parts of his and Nancy's relationship instead of seeing the entirety of it. The good and the bad, even though from what we see as an audience, there's much more bad outweighing the good. Especially considering they weren't together for very long by the time the events of season 1 took place.

At the beginning of season 2, it seems like from Steve's perspective, the stuff involving the Upside Down (i.e, Barb's death, facing the demogorgon together, etc.), brought them closer together, but to Nancy, it made it easier for her to distance herself from Steve, for whatever reasons she personally may have found prominent at the time.

She at least acts like she's in denial at first about not being in love with Steve, but she lets that fall apart insanely quickly, considering she kisses/sleeps with Jonathan at Murray's a few hours after they talk about her love life/relationship with Steve where she says that she does in fact love him??

Delving into the mind of Nancy Wheeler is a complicated endeavor, the same could be said for Steve Harrington himself, but long story short, the idea that the Duffers could possibly be pushing them back together bothers me a lot because it'd be like Steve crawling backward all over again. It's like they don't know what to do with him unless he has some sort of love interest and it kind of shows. In S1 and S2, it was Nancy, in S3, it was Robin and now they're trying to come full circle which doesn't make any logical sense.

In all honesty, I think Nancy should just take a break from having a relationship all together, to finally let herself grieve Barb properly and Steve should have a partner that matches his emotional maturity that he's gained over the past seasons.

But that's all I'm gonna say, so thank you for coming to my TED talk and I hope you enjoyed <3

[joaquinwhorres]

gazes (joaquín torres x reader)

SUMMARY ››››› It's become increasingly apparent to Sam and Bucky that you and Joaquin cannot take your eyes off each other. Unfortunately for them, you two have decided to be Professionals and that means keeping your eyes, hands, and lips to yourselves. No matter how difficult it is.

WORD COUNT ››››› 3,716

WARNINGS ››››› sexy times implied

A/N ››››› Ok so these headcanons y'all have been sending me are incredible. I read these two back to back and I just had to write something connecting them.

The kid had no tact.

Sam wasn't exactly sure why he expected more from the guy who'd led into his theory that Steve was on the moon by referencing vague internet rumors, but even despite that, he'd assumed Joaquin possessed some sense of subtlety.

Instead he was over at the leg press trying and failing not to stare at Y/N as she bent over at the middle to help Bucky push deeper into the stretch.

"You know she could hit you with a harassment claim for staring at her like that."

Joaquin jumped, the weights dropping suddenly with a loud clang. Across the gym, Bucky laughed as Y/N whipped around to face the two men. "Everything ok?" Her voice sounded genuinely concerned, and Sam couldn't help but smirk as Joaquin turned towards her, giving a little wave.

"Foot slipped," he answered, and she nodded, turning back to Bucky quickly.

"Foot slipped," Sam mocked.

"Dude, you scared the shit out of me."

"If you paid half the amount of attention you give to Y/N to your surroundings, you'd have known I'd been standing here for three minutes."

Joaquin gave a defensive scoff. "I wasn't staring at her--I was just--" he stopped, searching for an excuse, and Sam raised his eyebrows.

When it was clear Joaquin couldn't find a convincing enough lie to end the sentence, Sam shook his head. "You know, if you talk to her, she might actually let you take her out."

"I talk to her," Joaquin protested.

Sam shook his head, uncrossing his arms. "No, I mean talk to her. Chat her up. You've gotta have some game, right?"

"I've got game..." His sentence trailed off as he turned to look in her direction, finding her standing over Bucky's feet with her hands on her hips. "But like, we're co-workers, you know? I don't want to make things awkward around the gym or the compound or anything."

"Joaquin," Sam said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You're already making things awkward."

"He's staring at your ass again."

"And you're trying to get out of stretching again," you quipped, moving Bucky's leg closer to his chest. The super soldier tilted his head as if to acknowledge the legitimacy of your accusation.

"Doesn't change the fact that I think you're about to give him a heart attack."

"I highly doubt he's worried in the slightest about my ass. He's probably zoned out."

"He's definitely focused in...on--"

"On my ass," you finished, shaking your head. You might have given Bucky's claim a little more credence if it weren't for the fact that Joaquin Torres had been anything but the consummate professional towards you. He was friendly and upbeat and welcoming, and one of the few genuinely good guys you'd ever had the pleasure of working with.

You'd never caught him staring once, and it's not like the boy was exactly known for subtlety. Last time Bucky had asked him to cover for him so you couldn't come down and teach him the right way to train his body, he'd told you that Bucky had left the compound to get you a thank you gift for all of your hard work. All while staring at the gym door.

The heavy sound of weights falling against each other echoed throughout the gym, and you spun around to face the sound. Sam hovered over Joaquin's shoulder, the latter no longer working the leg press but instead looking as if he'd just received the scare of his life.

Bucky broke into laughter, and you smacked at his leg.

"Everything ok?" you called out, and Joaquin smiled, giving a sheepish little wave at you. "Foot slipped."

"It's a good thing he wasn't at the bench press. You might have killed him."

Your head snapped back to Bucky who was giving you a shit eating grin.

"You're an asshole."

"I'm right."

"Do you think if I ask nicely Wakanda will take you back?"

"So you know I'm right."

You chanced a glance back at Joaquin who was still talking to Sam before turning back around and placing your hands on your hips. "I'm calling Ayo."

You were running early.

Not to any event in particular, but just for the general course of your day. It was rare for you to wake up to your first alarm so completely refreshed, and with a fully awake brain, you found it much easier to navigate the morning. You were able to get dressed without crawling back in bed for a few more minutes, and didn't have to battle with sleepy indecision when choosing what you wanted to eat for breakfast.

One thing after another just continued to roll your way, leading you to the gym much earlier than usual.

And that's where the luck stopped.

Or maybe it didn't stop. But it definitely took a turn. Because while you fully expected someone else to be in the gym already, you hadn't expected just one person to be in the gym. And even if you had, you wouldn't have guessed that that one person would be Joaquin. And if, for some reason, you'd had the foresight to sense that, you definitely never would have pictured him to be running on the treadmill shirtless.

You stopped in your tracks, eyes falling to the bouncing dog tags on his chest and then lower to the well defined abs you'd somehow never seen before.

It felt like you'd seen just about every man in this compound shirtless. At some point, they all seemed to strip in the gym or during one of your group training classes you ran for those who weren't field agents. Bucky was shirtless half the time you worked together. It was so normal, you hardly even blinked an eye anymore. Seeing Sam without a shirt was more rare and quite the sight, but it'd never caught your breath quite like seeing Joaquin. Joaquin, who had never so much as worn a tank top in the gym, Joaquin.

And now here he was, chest bare and heaving, feet pounding rhythmically against the treadmill, hair still messy from his pillow and sweat. Your brain couldn't seem to function correctly, offering you images of the sight before you, only closer. Much closer. Hovering inches over your stretched out body as the headboard behind you rammed into the wall with the force of each thrust--

"Hey," Joaquin greeted, noticing you standing off to the side. You blinked, heat rushing to your face as he turned the treadmill down to a more leisurely pace. "Something wrong with my form?"

It was tempting to lie and offer to "help him fix it." Or to be completely honest and tell him you'd never seen a human form as perfect as his.

But neither of those responses were professional or even appropriate, and you needed this job.

You swallowed, shaking your head. "No, I was just wondering why you were wearing those," you said, gesturing to his dog tags, and allowing your eyes to fall to his chest once more. You followed a bead of sweat as it rolled down his body, heading to the waistband of his shorts. Joaquin reached to touch his tags, causing them to jingle together once more and pull your attention up to him.

"It's hard to let them go," he smiled, ruefully, hitting the button so the belt slowed even more. "I'd say it's a habit, putting them on, but at this point they're just like a part of me."

You nodded, wishing you'd taken this conversation anywhere but to the idea of dog tags and what they stood for. It wasn't so much a mood killer but a guilt inducer because instead of you feeling embarrassed and somber, all you wanted to do was grab them and pull him closer to you.

He must have read the conflict on your face because he gave a crooked smile. "Yeah, sorry, it's kinda morbid."

"No," you shook your head, clearing it of the daydream induced fog. "I probably shouldn't have asked."

"No, nah, it's cool," his smile grew into grin, as the belt came to a stop. He leaned his forearms against the console, staring at you as if waiting for you to continue the conversation. Which you were not equipped to do with a smiling and shirtless and sweaty Joaquin Torres right before you.

"Well, thanks for being cool about it," you said with a nod.

My God, something was wrong with you. They were just abs. And sure, maybe the abs belonged to the man who not only found the time to moonlight as a superhero but star in your increasingly dirty dreams of late, but it was just a body party that you'd seen a million times.

But never on Joaquin.

You blamed everything your brain was doing to you on Bucky and all of his stupid comments about Joaquin's supposed fixation on your ass. You wondered what he would say if he could see you now. "And I thought I was half machine. I could practically see your brain short circuiting." or "If that's what you're like when you see him half-naked, how are you ever going to--"

"Yeah, of course," Joaquin said, still smiling, his eyes lifting up over your shoulder as the other door to the gym opened and Sam came in. "Hey," he greeted with a jerk of his chin.

"Hey," Sam said, drawing closer, his eyes on you. You forced a smile on to your own face, and lifted a hand, not trusting anything that was coming out of your mouth.

"You're here early," the other man said, stepping onto the treadmill next to Joaquin's, and putting his water bottle down next to the machine.

Both of them were looking at you now, and it's not like you could handle staying in this gym any longer. "I came down looking for my water bottle. I think I left it here yesterday."

Sam raised his eyebrows glancing around the gym, and Joaquin stepped down off of the machine. "Do you want help looking for it?" he asked, and your whole body seemed to tense up at the idea, your brain transporting you to a future scenario where the two of you wandered around the room, Joaquin next to you or behind you, so close you could feel the heat radiating off of him, all the while searching for a water bottle that was sitting on your dresser.

"No." Your voice came out too high, but you tried to play it off, shaking your head. "I've already interrupted your workout enough. It's either by the weights or not in here."

"Alright," he nodded. "If you need any help looking around the compound though, let me know."

"Thanks," you said. And then you gave another stupid wave and beelined it for the weight racks because you had to get out of here.

You made a show of looking next to each section of weights, even bending over to check underneath of them as if it could have been knocked under somewhere. After you felt an appropriate amount of time had passed to be convincing, you straightened up, empty handed. You turned back to Joaquin and Sam, both watching you rather than continuing their workouts as you might have hoped.

"Not here," you called back with a shrug and then left the gym and headed straight up to your shower.

He was nothing if not predictable.

The minute Y/N bent over to check behind the weight rack, his eyes were glued to her. Or perhaps more accurately, the bright teal spandex shorts she wore. As she pulled herself back up from searching for her water bottle and turned to them, Joaquin quickly looked to Sam as if the two had been talking the whole time and then "casually" returned to her.

"Not here!" she said, shrugging and then walking out of the gym, her footsteps quick and purposeful as she left through the door Sam had just entered by.

"So, what'd I interrupt?"

Joaquin looked up at Sam as if remembering he was there. "What?"

"You know, when the two of you were sitting by this machine making eyes at each other? Did you actually say anything to her or….?"

Joaquin shook his head. "No, she just came in and, uh, we chatted for a second, and then…" he trailed off, as if not fully remembering any of the past ten, twenty, however many minutes.

"You just chatted," Sam repeated, the disbelief on his face edging into his voice.

"Yeah," Joaquin nodded.

"Anywhere in this chat you finally ask her out?"

"Nah, it didn't feel right."

"It didn't--she was practically taking off the other half of your clothes with her eyes," Sam sputtered, gesturing to Joaquin's shorts.

The kid laughed and shook his head as if Sam didn't know what he was talking about. Joaquin moved to exit the gym as well. "I'll see you later, man," he said, leaving a very exasperated Sam behind.

Bucky Barnes was a motherfucking liar.

"Let's grab a drink on Friday," he said.

"Consider it me making it up to you for being such a pain in your ass," he said.

"I'll buy," he said.

Mothefucker.

This wasn't just you and your favorite co-worker getting a drink. This was a goddamn set up. Because one hour and three mojitos into the night, Sam and Joaquin walked in the front door.

"I fucking hate you," you said, glaring up at his stupid smug face.

"Well, what a surprise, he grinned, as you shook a finger up at him.

"I told you in confidence I'm a flirty drunk."

He snorted, giving you a look out the side of his eyes. "You told me you were a flirty drunk after you sent me several highly inappropriate drunk text messages about what you wanted to do to a certain Lieutenant, who," the self-satisfied smile was back on Bucky's face. "Is making his way over to us right now."

"When I get home, I swear to God, I'm buying you a ticket to Wakanda."

Bucky quirked an eyebrow. "You're not going to do it now?"

"I didn't bring my credit card because you said you were paying," you huffed.

Before Bucky could respond, Sam and Joaquin were next to the two of you, greeting Bucky with hand slaps and one armed hugs. Sam came around and wrapped an arm around you first before sliding into the seat next to Bucky, and Joaquin came forward, giving you a quick hug.

Which was a first.

More than the feeling of his back underneath your palm, or the way he seemed to emanate warmth, you were done in by how absolutely incredible he smelled. But before you could fully identify whether it was his shampoo, a cologne, or just him, he pulled away and took the only other available seat near the group--the one next to you.

"I see you started without us," Sam said, raising his eyebrows at the assortment of glasses that sat before you. Most of them were Bucky's as he downed beers faster than should have been humanly possible.

"Hard drinker, huh Y/N," Joaquin teased, shooting you a smile.

"Pfft," you dismissed. "Only three are mine."

"Three?" Sam asked, leaning forward to better look at you. "How long have you been here?"

"An hour," you said, completely unnecessarily leaning forward too.

Bucky shrugged. "I got the time wrong."

"Guess we better catch up then," Joaquin said, and you sank back into your chair, narrowing your eyes at him in challenge.

"If you can."

They did.

You were outpaced fairly quickly against the two soldiers and one super soldier. The rum-induced fuzziness around the edges of your brain was compounded by having Joaquin so close to you. At some point he'd pulled his chair a bit closer to yours so that he could better hear the conversation, and you don't remember when it happened, but his arm had also slid around the back of your chair. To your relief neither Bucky nor Sam seemed to acknowledge this. In fact, Bucky was positively quiet and normal all things considered. Everything was going better than you could have expected.

Until the music kicked up.

Sam was the first to be dragged onto the dance floor. He was Captain America. Of course he'd been targeted by the stunning girl in the red dress who'd only had to come up and ask "Does Captain America dance?" to succeed in pulling him off to the dance floor.

Bucky was next. Although he wasn't tugged onto the dance floor by his hand the way Sam was. It was the sight of the person in the tight black number that did him in, luring him away to the dance as if drawn by a magnet.

And then it was you and Joaquin, sitting at the bar. Alone. Together.

You looked up from your drink, pushing the straw down into the ice to stir up the clinking sounds, and he took a swig of his beer before putting the bottle back down on the bar.

"Alright, let's dance," he said, nodding with his head towards the crowd, and you let out a disbelieving snort.

"I don't know how to dance. I mean, I can dance," you attempted to clarify, although you had a feeling words were failing you at the moment. "But that's real dancing, and I can't do that."

"I guess you're lucky you have a really good teacher asking you to dance then," Joaquin grinned, holding out a hand. You looked down at his open palm, hesitating only for a second before you slid your hand into his and jumped down from your chair.

He led you out through the moving bodies expertly, dodging couples who were clearly more into the dancing than each other and couples where the complete opposite was true. The small bit of space he found you was closer to the center of the dance floor than you'd usually feel comfortable with, but when he turned towards you with that look on his face, any of your residual anxiety had vanished.

"Ok, come close," he said, and you took a small step closer to him, causing him to laugh. "Closer." He gestured, and you moved forward some more, Joaquin's hands finding their way to your hips and pulling you even closer. His hands rose, one finding its way to your mid-back, pushing your elbow up to rest on his, as the other took your hand and placed it over shoulder.

"This ok?" he asked, eyebrows raised, and you nodded, trying to keep your attention on him, his instructions and his words, and not the way that you could feel just about every part of him from the way he was angled against you. His right side was flush against your left, and his knee pushed between yours.

"Just follow me," he said, his head bent close to yours. Before you could even respond, he started to move, pulling you along with him through the dance. It was smooth and rolling and you'd never seen a guy able to roll his hips like Joaquin. He seemed to know exactly how to guide you, moving his body to push and pull yours along whenever you hesitated or felt lost, coaxing waves and movements out of you that you didn't know you could do. Each success was met with a small word of praise and a brilliant smile, as his hands shifted to hold you closer, and you wrapped your own hand around his neck to better feel and predict his movements.

It felt as if a fog had rolled in over the dancefloor, obstructing all else from view so it was just you and Joaquin, eyes locked to each other as you moved together, occupying the same space.

The song faded into the next one, and Joaquin stopped. You went to move backwards, to give him space and have him move on as many other of the more skilled dancing couples seemed to do, switching partners amongst each other. But he kept you close to him, hand sliding down to your waist.

"Now you can really dance," he teased, his eyes shining as they stared into yours.

"Only with you." It was supposed to be a self-deprecating joke, but it came out too quiet and earnest. Joaquin licked his lips, and your eyes followed the gesture, flickering between his mouth and his eyes.

You don't remember making the decision. You only remember, moving even further into his arms, and pushing yourself up to reach his lips with your own. He bent down to meet you, pulling you even closer and pressing his hard body into yours. His lips moved as slowly and sensually as his hips had, drawing you in and guiding you through a careful rhythm that promised much, much more.

Sam sat with Bucky at the bar. Joaquin and Y/N had disappeared somewhere amongst the dance floor, hidden amongst the crowd.

"You think it worked?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam.

"If it didn't we're screwed," Sam shook his head, taking a swig from his drink.

As if on cue, the two emerged from the swaying bodies, hand in hand, sweaty and much happier than they had been when Sam had left them at the bar.

"We're gonna head back to the compound," Joaquin said with practiced casualness.

"Yeah?" Bucky asked, and Sam swore there was mischief literally glinting in his eyes.

"Yeah," Joaquin nodded too fast and too many times. "Yeah, Y/N forgot about something there…"

"What'd you forget?" Bucky asked, turning to Y/N with a wolfish smile.

"Nothing. We're going to have sex," Y/N said, flatly, causing Sam to nearly spit out his drink. "And if you say one more word, I know a pilot who will fly you to Wakanda himself. No ticket needed."

Bucky mimicked zippering his lips into a smug look, and she rolled her eyes before tugging Joaquin out of the bar by his hand. And he followed. Eyes glued to her ass.

[the-bau-quinjet]

You're an Idiot

Summary: Bucky panics when he thinks Y/N is catching on to his surprise.

Warnings: angst, mostly fluff

Word Count: 3531

a/n: This request is honestly so cute. It just makes me smile. :)

Masterlist

"Did you get it yet?" Steve skipped all formalities upon entering Bucky's room.

Bucky's head snapped up from the book he was reading, eyes immediately going to the closing door to make sure nobody was in the hall.

"Well? Did you?" Steve pestered, eager to share in his friends happiness.

"I did." Bucky sighed, knowing there was no keeping this from Steve.

"Let me see it!" There are no words to explain how excited Steve is for his best friend. When he first got Bucky back, a part of him was worried he would never recover from the pain and guilt.

That is, until Bucky met you. It wasn't an instantaneous change, but meeting you definitely affected Bucky.

He was more willing to spend time with the team. He was more likely be found in a common area instead of his own bedroom. Hell, he even smiled more.

Bucky carefully pulled out the drawer of his nightstand, retrieving a dark green velvet box. He opened it, his own eyes taking in the beauty of the ring before he turned it around to show Steve.

"Buck... She's going to love it." Steve smiled, eyes watering slightly. He's always been a romantic. "Have you decided how you're going to ask her?"

Bucky shook his head, quickly returning the box to its place in the drawer. He ran a hand through his hair, a physical manifestation of his nerves.

"I don't know. I have so many ideas, but none of them seem perfect." Bucky chanced a look at Steve, rolling his eyes at his friends exasperated look.

"Bucky. She'll think it's perfect because it's you. Trust me." Steve encouraged him, knowing he needed a bit of reassurance.

"Are you sure?" His recurring self doubt as beginning to peek through.

"Sure about what?" You popped into the room, never one to knock when it came to Bucky. Similarly, he never needed to knock to know he was welcome in your room.

"Just that Bucky deserves to be happy." Steve avoided Bucky's glare as he moved to exit that room.

"Well, that I can agree to!" You plopped down across his lap throwing your arms around his neck. You felt a familiar shiver as he moved his hands, one to your back and the other over your thigh.

"Well, it's a good thing I have you." Bucky pressed a quick kiss to your lips, waving at Steve as he closed the door.

"You make me happy too." You responded in kind, leaning into his embrace.

-

"So?" Steve questioned.

"Not yet." Bucky sighed, still unsure of the perfect way to propose to you.

"Buck. You've had it for 2 weeks! Just ask her!" Steve whisper yelled since the two were in the kitchen. Unfortunately, nosy ears still caught the conversation.

"Ask who, what?" Sam eagerly inserted himself into the conversation.

Bucky and Steve shared a look, only giving Sam a better idea as to what was going on.

"Oh my god. Oh my god! You're going to ask Y/N-"

"Ask me what?" You cut Sam off as you entered the kitchen, heading for the fridge.

"To train with me!" Sam quickly threw out an excuse.

"Okay? We train together all the time..." You looked between the three men confusion evident in the furrow of your brow.

"Well, yeah. But you've never flown before." Sam tried to further explain the lie, earning an excited smile from you and a glare from the two super soldiers.

"Seriously! Sam you swore you'd never let me fly your suit. What changed?" You narrowed your eyes, suspicious of the three men.

"Yeah, well Barnes practically begged me. He wanted to surprise you, but I guess I ruined that. My bad!" He replied, swiftly exiting the kitchen before you could further question him.

"Bucky, that is so sweet! Thank you so much! You know how much I want to fly that suit!" You ran to him, throwing your arms around him in a bear hug.

"Anything for you, doll. Anything for you."

-

"I think he's going to propose." You laid it all out on the line during girl's night. Three margaritas in, and you couldn't keep the thoughts to yourself anymore. It didn't matter how embarrassing it would be if you were wrong. Not when the tequila was doing the talking.

"Oh my god!" Wanda squealed, just as excited as you.

"Wow." Nat smirked, containing her happiness much better.

"I know! I'm just not sure when." You bit your lip, fidgeting a bit.

"Well, what do you know?" Nat asked for details.

"He was talking to Steve about something when I walked in and Steve said he deserves to be happy. Then, this morning Sam was freaking out about a question he was going to ask me. I mean, he covered it with something about letting me fly his suit, but still. I just have a feeling." You couldn't stop the smile from spreading across your face.

"Okay. He's probably just nervous then." Nat replied easily.

"Just drop some subtle hints that you would say yes. Maybe he just needs some reassurance!" Wanda grinned over the glass of her own margarita.

"Okay. Subtle hints. I can do that." You nodded to yourself, thoughts spinning with ways to let Bucky know you would say yes.

-

"I've got it." Bucky rushed into Steve's room, a wide smile on his face.

"You do?" Steve jumped from his desk, excitement overflowing.

Bucky vigorously nodded before explaining his plan.

"Two more weeks?!" Steve was dying for Bucky to just ask you, but if his plan had to wait two more weeks, so be it.

"Yes. It's perfect. She'll be so surprised!" You and Bucky had briefly talked about marriage before, but nothing in detail. Just enough that he knows you want to get married.

"I'm happy for you, bud. You really do deserve this." Steve patted him on the back, as he went through the plan one more time.

-

"Bucky?" You had been looking for him all over the compound before finally checking the living room.

He paused the film, turning all his attention to you. He smiled in greeting, gesturing for you to join him on the couch.

"What do you need?" His brows pinched together in concern, earning a sweet smile from you.

"I just wanted to ask what color you think I should paint my nails!" You showed him the various bottles you were carrying.

"Oh." His pinched brows now showcased his confusion. "Um, okay. Any particular reason why?"

"Not really. I'm thinking of getting a new ring soon, and I want my nails to look good when I take pictures of it!" You tried to sound nonchalant, but your heart was racing. Was this subtle enough?

Bucky's own heart picked up speed at the idea of you finding out before the surprise he had planned.

"Oh, that's nice. I'd go with the yellow. It's happy." He turned his attention back to the movie, trying to cut the conversation short.

"Okay, thank you!" You pressed a kiss to his cheek before leaving the room. Clearly you needed a better plan.

-

"Hi, Doll." Bucky greeted you as he entered the kitchen. "What are you making?"

"Italian Wedding Soup!" You exclaimed, excited to try another hint. "Don't you just love weddings?"

Bucky nearly choked on his water. "Um, yep. Yeah, wedding's are great. I've, uh, got to meet Steve for training! I'll see you later!" he nearly ran out of the room.

"Well, that didn't go well." You muttered to yourself, now angry at the soup.

-

"Bucky, can I ask you something?" He had been practically avoiding you for the last two days, ever since the soup incident.

"Of course." He met your eye, the nervous tone of your voice causing his heart to ache.

"Do you ever think about getting married?" You decided to just bite the bullet and ask him what you've been wondering for the last few days.

"Nope." He panicked. 100% panicked. "I don't believe in marriage."

His nerves caused him to miss the way your shoulders dropped.

"Oh."

"Yep. It's not for me. Just can't picture it." His head was screaming for him to stop talking, but he just kept rambling.

"Well, okay. I was, um, just wondering. Ya know. Wanda was talking about it the other day, so I was curious what you thought." You tried to cover your sadness, at least until you could get out of the room. "I'm actually going to grab lunch with Wanda now, so I'll see you later. Bye!"

You quickly ran out of the room, leaving Bucky to contemplate what the hell just happened.

-

"I was so wrong." You burst into tears the minute you entered Wanda's room.

"Honey! About what?" She pulled you across the room to her bed, wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

"Bucky!" You cried harder as you said his name.

"What about him?" Wanda floundered, unused to seeing you so distraught.

"He doesn't want to propose! He doesn't believe in marriage." Your heart broke even further as you said the words out loud.

"What?!" Wanda's eyes were wide. Her mind went blank at the shock of hearing why you were so upset.

Suddenly the door swung open, Nat entering before quickly closing it again.

"I could hear her crying from down the hall. What happened?" Her own voice was laced with concern as she quickly moved to comfort you from the opposite side of Wanda.

"Bucky doesn't want to marry me!" You cried into your hands. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Y/N, Bucky is crazy about you." Nat, ever the voice of reason, tried to calm you down.

"I know he loves me, but he doesn't wanna marry me." Your cries were calming down, silent tears streaming down your face as you hiccuped every so often.

"How do you know he doesn't want to marry you?" She questioned further, trying to get to the bottom of this. Nat knew, with 100% certainty, that he was planning to propose. She's seen the ring, even if nobody knows that she's seen it.

"I asked him if he ever thought about getting married..." You took a shaky breath, trying not to sob again. "And he said 'Nope. I don't believe in marriage.'"

Wanda and Nat made eye contact, each expressing their confusion over the words.

"Oh, honey. It's okay. Cry it out." Wanda let you lean into her and cry.

"I just, I feel so stupid." You sighed once more.

Marriage was never something you thought about until you met Bucky. Well, maybe when you were little, but who doesn't?

Ever since you discovered what it meant to be independent, you knew you didn't need to get married to live a fulfilling life. It wasn't something you deemed necessary.

At least, not before Bucky.

There's just something about how much you love him that makes you want to announce it to the world in front of your closest friends and family. You want to share that moment with him, where you express how completely devoted to each other you are.

Finding out Bucky doesn't want the same thing hurt.

"Y/N. You are absolutely not stupid. You love him, it only makes sense that you would think about a wedding." Wanda tried to console you as Nat put the pieces together in her head.

She knew Bucky must have a surprise proposal planned. He must've panicked when you asked him about getting married. Why he would panic that much is unknown to her, but still. That's the only explanation that makes sense. Of course, she couldn't tell you that.

"Bucky's an idiot if he doesn't want to marry you." She settled for blindly supporting your emotions instead.

"It's not me is it?" Your eyes went wide with fear.

"No, of course not!" Nat panicked. "You two are perfect together."

"Not perfect enough for him to want to marry me." You cried into Wanda's shoulder again.

Nat shook her head, silently pleading for Wanda to take over consoling you.

-

"Steve. I fucked up." Bucky couldn't stop replaying the look on your face when he said he doesn't believe in marriage. "And before you say anything about my language, there's no other word for how badly I just fucked up."

Steve eyed his friend with concern. "What did you do?"

"Well, Y/N, she's been hinting at wanting me to propose." He stalled briefly, not really wanting to admit it.

"That's a good thing. It means the two of you are on the same page." Steve tried to reassure him, blissfully unaware of what happened.

"I know. But, she flat out asked me if I ever think about getting married... and I panicked." Bucky refused to look Steve in the eye, opting instead to pace the room.

"Panicked how?" Steve's voice was hard. He always thought of you like a little sister, and if Bucky hurt you he would be livid.

"I told her... I told her I don't believe in marriage." Bucky mumbled under his breath, but Steve could still make out the words with his enhanced hearing.

"YOU DID WHAT?" His eyes went wide, mind stuttering with shock. All he could do was yell. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why on earth would you say that? Y/N must be so heartbroken right now! You know that she wants to marry you, and what do you do? Tell her you don't. You've really outdone yourself with the stupid this time, pal-"

"Steve! I know! I didn't mean it! I just didn't want to ruin the surprise. It's supposed to be this Friday!" Bucky tried defending himself, but he knew it was futile.

"Well, you can still do what you were planning... right?" Steve questioned, unsure if you would agree to the date.

"I hope so." Bucky nervously chewed his lip, trying to come up with a back up plan.

-

You were avoiding him. Everytime he tried to talk to you about going on a date on Friday, you somehow evaded the conversation entirely.

If you weren't on your way to training, you had plans with Nat or Wanda. If it wasn't plans with them, you absolutely had to finish a mission report. You always had an escape route, and it killed him that you felt like you needed to hide from him.

Bucky finally managed to corner you in the gym Thursday morning.

"Y/N!" He nearly screamed from the other side of the gym.

You took a deep breath, trying to ready yourself for the conversation.

"Hi Bucky." You greeted him with a small kiss.

It was time. You needed to talk to him. If he didn't want to get married, that had to be okay with you. You'd rather live your life with him as your boyfriend forever than not have him at all.

He seemed stunned by your greeting, having grown used to you trying to escape the second he entered a room.

"Hi..." He suddenly got quiet, not wanting to spook you.

"Um, what are you doing tomorrow?" He hasn't felt this awkward asking you on a date since the first time he asked you to get dinner with him.

"Nothing, I think." You were feeling just as awkward as Bucky.

"Perfect. I've got a surprise for you." He pulled you into a hug, feeling a sense of calm just from holding you.

"Oh, really?" You would have thought a proposal would be the surprise, but because of your last conversation you're left clueless.

"Yep." Bucky relaxed for the first time in days at the sight of your smile. "I'm taking you to dinner. You deserve it."

You couldn't stop the way your heart fluttered at seeing his cheeky smile. I can live my life like this. You thought to yourself.

"Ooh. Okay, well what should I wear?" You were already thinking over outfit options.

"Whatever you want. Something comfortable though." He was honestly nervous you would say no, so this is more progress than he expected.

"How mysterious. Okay, I've got to go. I'm supposed to meet Nat and Wanda. I love you." You kissed him quickly before leaving the gym.

-

"Ugh. I haven't been this nervous for a date with Bucky since... well since ever! I wasn't even this nervous the first time." You whined to Nat and Wanda. It felt like you had gone through every outfit in your closet and you still haven't found something to wear.

"Y/N, relax." Wanda picked out clothes for you, handing you one of your favorite cute and comfy outfits. "Wear this."

"The two of you love each other. That's all you need to think about right now." Nat reassured you as you changed for the fifteenth time.

"Exactly. Just go enjoy your date." Wanda encouraged you as well.

"What did I do to deserve the two of you." You pulled them into a group hug, laughing when they pushed you out the door.

You were still smiling when you ran into Bucky in the hallway.

"Oh. I was just coming to find you!" You kissed him quickly. "I wasn't sure what time you wanted to leave."

"That's what I was coming to find you for. I'm ready when you are, doll."

"Well, then. Let's go." You grinned when Bucky took your hand, leading you out of the compound and down to the lake.

He brought you right up to a picnic blanket that was already setup on the dock.

"I thought we could picnic tonight." He looked at you with a shy expression.

"Bucky, that's perfect. There's actually supposed to be a-"

"A meteor shower tonight." He finished for you. "That's actually why I planned a picnic."

The feelings of doubt and heartache that had been plaguing your mind for the last few days all but vanished in the blink of an eye.

"I love you so much." You leaned into his touch, sitting next to him while he pulled food from the picnic basket.

"I love you too." He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, handing you various foods.

The two of you fell back into natural conversation throughout the night. Any lingering nervousness left you, although Bucky kept fidgeting throughout the night.

It wasn't until after dessert that anything out of the ordinary happened.

"The meteor shower is supposed to start in a few minutes, do you want to go sit at the end of the dock?" Bucky stood, his hand out for you to grab.

You pulled yourself up, not letting go of Bucky's hand as you walked the short distance to the end of the pier. Just as you took the last step, you could see a few meteors shoot across the sky.

"It's beautiful." you gazed up at the stars, missing the deep breath Bucky took before sinking to one knee.

"Y/N, I think I fell in love with you the moment I met you. I didn't know it at the time, but I felt it. Every minute I've spent with you since then has been a gift."

The expression on your face could only be described as a mixture of shock, awe, love, and annoyance.

"When I was young, I used to think about who I would marry. I never thought of someone as incredible as you. After everything that happened, I didn't think I'd ever be worthy of someone's love. I still don't know how I convinced you to fall in love with me, but I'm grateful everyday that you did. There is nothing that would make me happier than spending the rest of my life as your husband."

He took a deep breath, looking right into your eyes as he asked the question.

"Will you marry me?"

"I- Yes. Of course I will marry you." You didn't even realize you were crying until Bucky wiped a tear from your cheek.

"I love you so much." He whispered as he slipped the ring on your finger.

"I love you too." You kissed him as soon as he stood up. Immediately stepping back to hit him.

"What was that for?" He looked affronted.

"'I don't believe in marriage.'" You mocked the deep timber of his voice.

Bucky laughed, pulling you closer to him. "I'm sorry." He pressed your foreheads together. "I really panicked when I thought you were going to ruin the surprise."

"You're such an idiot." You laughed. The two of you were all smiles as you held each other.

"Trust me, Steve let me know just how much of an idiot I am." Bucky shook his head. "He'll just be glad I've finally done it."

"Finally? How long have you had the ring?" You smiled as you glanced between your left hand and Bucky's face.

"A month. Not too long really. I think he was more annoyed with how long it took me to get the ring." He smiled, looking into your eyes.

"We've only been dating for 2 years. I wouldn't say that's abnormally long." Your brows furrowed.

"That is correct..."

"But?" You encouraged.

"But I told him I wanted to marry you the second we finished our first date."

permanent taglist:

@averyhotchner @jesuswasnotawhiteman @madewithsebstan

[fireinmoonshot]

SPIDER | BUCKY BARNES x READER | PART NINE

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER.

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | | PART FIVE | PART SIX | PART SEVEN | PART EIGHT

Summary: Bucky doesn’t know what to make of you when he meets you. You’re friends with Sharon, and you seem pretty easy to read on the surface. But the more time he spends with you, the more he seems to uncover, and the more he becomes tangled in the web you unwittingly weave. Pairing: female!Reader x Bucky Barnes Fandom: Marvel / The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Word Count: 3730 Warnings: SPOILERS FOR THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER. Mentions of blood, guns, being shot and death. A/N: This part is technically the last part to follow the storyline of the show! I've had part of this planned out for months – there's one scene in here in particular that is my baby. I'm assuming you'll know which one. Thank you for the love on the last part, even though it'd been forever since I'd last posted. There will be one more part after this one, which will follow the last little bit of the show and then the future! I hope you enjoy this part!

There’s plenty of time for you and Bucky to talk on the way back to New York. There’s a whole car ride to the airport, then the few hours on the plane, and then the cab to Bucky’s apartment. But neither of you say a word about your unfinished conversation before Sam and Sarah had interrupted you.

You decide, as you start to slowly unpack your luggage, that you’ll bring it up tomorrow. Maybe you’ll take Bucky out for coffee just to talk. Get rid of the slight tension in the air. Finally talk about whatever the hell that was on the dock. You wouldn’t tell him how you felt – you’re not that stupid – but surely clearing the air would be enough. Now that things are normal again, that you’re home and Bucky has tied up his loose ends with Sam, there should be more time for normality.

That’s what you’d expected, anyway.

Because the second Bucky returns to the apartment with a bag of Chinese takeout from the place around the corner, his phone starts buzzing in his pocket. He sits the bag down and you dig in, setting your dinner out on the coffee table in the living room as he settles on the edge of the couch, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

“Sam? What’s up?”

You’re one mouthful into your dinner when the look on Bucky’s face changes. He thanks Sam, tells him he’ll see him soon and ends the call. His head falls into his hands with a long, shaky sigh.

“Bucky,” your voice is full of worry. “What’s happened?”

“It’s happening now. Karli, she’s making her move.”

You drop the chopsticks onto the table. “Now? Like, right now? Where?”

He looks up and meets your eyes. “Here. New York.” He pauses. “I need to go.”

You curse under your breath as Bucky stands, leaving the living room and heading to his bedroom to get his gear. It’s happening. Here, tonight. In New York. Just when you thought you might be able to settle, to let your guard down just a bit. And now the reason why you knew Bucky in the first place was rearing its head again.

It’s clear to you that you have no choice but to go with him.

You stand up and follow him, gently knocking on the door to make sure he’s decent before you enter. Bucky stands on the other side, pulling on his boots. He knows what you’re going to say before you say it.

“No, you’re not coming with me.”

“Like hell I’m not,” you cross your arms over your chest. “I’m coming. Sharon sent me with you, Sam and Zemo to help you. So if you think I’m staying behind now, when this is finally happening, then you’re not as smart as I thought you were.”

Bucky’s lips quirk up into a smile unintentionally. What else would he expect from you? You, who had always been willing to run into danger with him and Sam? You, who were stubborn and guarded and smart as hell?

“Fine,” Bucky relents. He has no time to fight you on this, and he knows he wouldn’t win even if he tried. “But you stay with me unless I tell you otherwise. I’m not letting you get hurt. Not this time.”

You stare at him. “Last time was a vibranium shield to the stomach, Bucky. It left a bruise, it didn’t hurt me,” you roll your eyes playfully. “I know how to fight. I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t need to do that anymore,” Bucky says, walking across the room and resting a hand on your shoulder. “You don’t need to put your guard up around me anymore. I’ve got your back. I’ve always got your back. You believe that?”

His words are truthful and you know it. The man in front of you is not the same one you met weeks ago in Madripoor. He’s someone you’ve grown to care for more than anyone you’ve ever known. He’s someone you’ve allowed yourself to feel things for, things you hadn’t thought you were allowed to feel. He’s home.

“I believe you,” you tell him. And you mean it.

~~

As you walk towards the large building together, Bucky reaches down and takes your hand in his. It’s become something of habit for him, holding your hand. You think it’s more for his sake than yours this time. There are police and people surrounding you, guarding the building and watching the scene unfold, and Sam is speaking into both of your ears. You’re essentially walking in there blind, and it’s a little daunting.

“I’m almost there,” Sam says through the comms.

“What’s the plan?”

“Karli’s gotta be close. Keep your eyes open.”

“Well, it could be anybody.”

He keeps hold of your hand as you walk past the guards who greet him with a “Sergeant Barnes” and don’t even question your appearance. You being by his side is clearly enough of an ID for them.

“And by the way,” Sam continues in your ears. “I called in some backup.”

You hear a voice from behind you. “Excuse me, are you two supposed to be here?”

Bucky spins around, his guard up instantly. His grip on your hand gets a little tighter as you both look at the beanie-clad man. Then, he reaches up, presses the side of his face and pulls off the beanie and… his face to reveal… Sharon.

“It’s me.”

Relief fills your body at the sight of her and it takes everything in you not to let go of Bucky’s hand and pull her into a tight hug. She meets your eyes and smiles briefly.

“Sharon, what the hell are you doing here?” Bucky is less pleased to see her.

“Relax, no one’s looking for me here.” She steps towards you both and pulls you both off to the side. “It’s good to see you. I hadn’t thought you’d be with Bucky,” she says to you, briefly. There isn’t much time for a catch up.

“Do I hear Sharon?” Sam’s voice comes in from the comms again.

“Unfortunately.”

Sharon smirks a little at Bucky’s voice. “Hey, Sam. Thought I’d get the band back together.” She looks at you as she speaks, and then reaches out a hand to squeeze your shoulder. It feels right, having her back here. Like a piece of home found its way back.

“Thank you. You’re risking a lot coming here.” Sam’s voice.

“I hear pardons aren’t all they’re cracked up to be anyway.”

You narrow your eyes at her. It was reckless. No matter how happy you were to see her, it was reckless, and it would be so easy to lose her here, now that she was in the United States again. Worry filled your body as you looked at her. Bucky on your left and Sharon on your right – the two most important people to you, and there was the chance of losing either of them here tonight.

Sam warns you three to be ready, that they’ll be moving on the building soon.

Bucky leans down towards you. “I’m gonna let go now, okay?” He squeezes your hand again. You can tell that he doesn’t want to let go, but neither of you can fight while holding the others hand, and it would come down to fighting.

You nod and he lets go. You both feel the warmth from each other’s touch disappear as soon as he does, and neither of you like it. Instead, you tuck your hands into the pocket of your jacket, seeking warmth in another way. But the warmth of your pockets is no match for the warmth of Bucky’s hand.

“You guys are gonna have to do something,” Sam’s voice comes in through the comms again. He sounds a little out of breath, like he’s already been fighting, as the three of you make your way inside the building. “Don’t let them out of the building.”

Bucky heads through the metal detector first, followed by you and then Sharon.

It goes off, buzzing irritatingly. Sharon reacts with a small “Oops.”

His gaze lands on a man walking past the window to the right. He’s unmistakably one of Karli’s. “There’s one of them. I’ll get the evac,” he says. He fixes you with a look, beckoning you to follow, and starts to walk away.

You hurry after him. “Bucky,” you call. “I’m gonna stay with Sharon.”

He stops, looking back at you. He doesn’t want to split up with you, but he’s not going to fight you. Like he’d chosen not to do when he ‘allowed’ you to come along tonight. “Are you sure?” He offers you the choice.

There isn’t much time, and he doesn’t want you to make the wrong decision.

You hesitate, looking back at Sharon. Both of them are your family. But you hadn’t known Sharon would be here tonight. Bucky… he would be stronger if he didn’t have to look out for you, and you would be stronger by Sharon’s side. You were certain of that. You didn’t want to be the reason Bucky got hurt.

“I am,” you finally settle. “I’ll be of more use with her than with you. We’ve fought together plenty of times before, so it means I won’t get in your way.”

Bucky stares at you for a moment. The way your eyes seem to see every part of his soul. They don’t just look at him, they see him. Somehow, they always have. The way you’re standing strong even though he can tell that you’re afraid. The way you’re holding yourself together even when the whole world seems to be falling apart. The way you’ve always held yourself together, except in those handful of quiet moments when you’ve let Bucky really see you.

He’ll be away from you, fighting on his own. You’ll be out of his protection.

But you’re you. You’re strong and you’re a fighter. You’ve proven that to him before.

A little voice in his head says ‘Fuck it. What if this is your only chance?’

His legs are moving himself towards you before he really realises what he’s doing, but by the time he comes to his senses he knows exactly what he’s doing, and he does it without regrets. One of his hands cups your cheek, the other gently holding the back of your head as he leans down and presses his lips to yours.

He kisses you deeply, passionately with all of the emotion of the past few weeks. His thumb strokes your cheek gently. Like it might be your last kiss, even if it’s only your first. He doesn’t want to stop kissing you. He wants to pause this moment right here, forever. He doesn’t want to watch you walk away from him. He can’t lose you. When he does eventually pull away, he rests his forehead on yours and breathes shakily.

“You could never be in my way, doll,” he mutters softly. “Please don’t get hurt.”

Your brain can barely formulate thoughts at what had just happened, but you find the words to answer him. “Same goes for you,” you reply, out of breath. “Come home safe, okay?”

Bucky smiles softly, stroking your cheek with his thumb once more, and then with that, he’s gone, hurrying off down the hall. It takes everything in him not to turn back and look at you as he goes.

You step back to Sharon in a daze and find her looking at you inquisitively.

“We have so much to talk about,” she says. “But later. For now, let’s go.”

~

“So, when the hell did that happen?” Sharon asks in a rush as you head downstairs. You’re headed to the underground parking lot at Sharon’s request, and you know her well enough to know that she knows what she’s doing.

“Um, two minutes ago.”

Sharon glances back at you, eyebrows raised. “You mean to tell me that’s the first time you’ve kissed Bucky? Jeez, and you two have been pining all this time?”

“Shut up,” you mutter. “Neither of us are good at emotions.”

“Tell me about it,” Sharon smirks in reply.

You reach the parking lot just in time to see the employees being ushered into armoured police vans. Something about the sight unsettles you as the pair of you stop behind pillars to watch.

Sharon sighs as you watch the vans leave, taking everyone away from the building when Sam had specifically instructed all of you to not let anyone leave. “Seriously, Bucky, you had one job,” she huffs.

“You worry about your guy. Doll, you okay?” his voice comes in through your comms and you feel a sense of relief at hearing his voice again. He was safe. He was okay. Nothing had happened to him.

“I’m okay,” you inform him.

“Good, stay that way,” Bucky’s voice comes in once more before you hear the sound of a motorbike engine starting, and then squealing out of the parking lot. You wish you could have seen him.

Sharon waves a hand in front of your face to snap you out of your thoughts. She points around the pillar to the man walking towards you, unaware that both of you are there. He’s one of Karli’s.

“Meet me over by the staircase door, okay? I’ve got this.”

You nod, slipping out from behind the pillar and moving as swiftly and quietly as you can past the remaining cars and towards the door. You can hear Sharon apologising for running into the man in the distance. You’re stood by the door when you hear the screech of tires and a muffled explosion a minute later.

“Well, that’s one down,” she says.

“How’d you manage that?” comes Sam’s voice.

“Mercury vapor, amongst other things.”

She meets you at the door as she’d planned and leads you towards the stairwell, going back upstairs. You take them two at a time. Now that all of the people Karli wanted to use were out in the streets, the level of danger was higher than before.

The night air is cool once you get outside and you shiver involuntarily at the breeze. You can hear the sound of a helicopter above and the buzz of chatter from pedestrians and police.

“You better speed things up, Sam,” Sharon says. “The chopper’s about to take off.”

~~

You’d follow Sharon anywhere. That much was clear. That much had always been clear. But as she leads you underground into the tunnel on William St, you can’t help but be confused as to what you’re doing there.

“Sharon, why are we here? Shouldn’t we be with Sam and Bucky?”

She turns to you and holds a finger to her lips, signalling to be quiet. “Later.”

You take a seat on an empty barrel and knot your hands together, looking around the room. It’s dimly lit, and quite cold. Your mind is running in circles. Is Bucky safe? Is Sam safe? Why are you down here with Sharon when you should be up there helping the others find Karli and save the hostages?

That was what you had come to do. To help. Not to sit and wait.

You have answers for none of your questions. But you give Sharon the benefit of the doubt. She was the only family you had before you’d met Bucky and Sam. She was the one constant in your mess of a life, and you have no reason to believe that she has any bad intentions in bringing you down here. And so you trust her. Maybe she’d come up with a plan with Sam before. That seemed like a reasonable explanation.

It’s minutes later when Sharon ushers you behind a stack of empty boxes and pulls a gun out from behind her coat. Your eyebrows furrow. Why does she need a gun? Who’s here? You haven’t heard anyone come in. She looks at you, as if sensing your worry, and mouths the words ‘Do you trust me?’

You nod. She’s one of the only people you trust.

‘Then stay down’ she mouths.

“Dovich?” You hear someone speak, proving you wrong. “Dovich, is that you?”

Sharon looks away from you and stands up, gun raised. Revealing herself to whoever was in the room – a clear threat. “Drop your weapon, Karli.”

Your breath hitches. Karli? Here? How had Sharon known?

“I said drop it.”

Silence follows momentarily, and then Karli speaks.

“I’m disappointed in you.”

“That’s what I was gonna say.”

Why do they sound like they’ve spoken before? You can still see Sharon from where you’re crouched down behind the box, but Sharon acts as if you’re not there.

Your heart tells you to step out and reveal yourself, confront the pair of them and ask Sharon what the hell was going on. But it’s two things that will you to stay put – your head and Bucky. Because if you stood up now, odds are you’d get a bullet from Karli’s gun, and the thought of that happening, of not seeing Bucky again, was not worth your growing anger towards your best friend.

“You know, when you came to Madripoor, you reminded me of a young me,” Sharon glances briefly at you, your eyes locking before she looks back at Karli. “I took you in, gave you an opportunity. And you betrayed me.”

“Because you wanted to control a world that hurt you. But I wanted to change it. I’m not interested in power or an empire. I have bigger dreams,” Karli speaks.

“What, like this? Come back and work for me again. All of you. We can make a difference together.” She looks at you again. “That includes you. Madripoor is your home, too. You’re my family.”

Karli furrows her eyebrows in confusion as you have no choice but to stand up and reveal yourself. Your heart is beating so fast in your chest that it feels like it’ll explode – especially when Karli raises her gun right at your head.

Sharon holds up a hand. “She’s with me, it’s fine,” she assures Karli.

Regardless, Karli eyes you. She doesn’t lower her gun. “You just want me because you need your muscle back. Without us Super Soldiers, how much power does the Power Broker really have?”

Sharon’s answer is cold. “More than you.”

Your heart is in your throat. The Power Broker? Sharon is– the Power Broker? Why hadn’t she told you? Why had she kept this from you for so long when you were supposed to be her family? And she… she hasn’t denied it. Karli spoke the truth.

“Sharon, I– what is going on?” Your voice is nearly inaudible.

She looks at you apologetically.

Your legs feels weak and your body feels cold. Has everything been a lie?

“So, you’re the Power Broker.” You hear footsteps and another voice.

“You hired Batroc to spy on me.” Karli moves the gun back towards Sharon.

“Karli, you know I’m always prepared.”

“Get out of my way.”

Batroc holds up his gun towards Karli. “I’m done with these games.” He switches to speaking French. “Now Power Broker, you will pay me four times what you said you would. Four times. Or I’ll tell the whole world who you are. Okay?”

Sharon is quick in her response. “I don’t do blackmail.”

She lifts her gun and shoots towards Batroc. You flinch backwards, falling against the fence behind you as the gunshots ring out. Two of them. Karli had raised her gun and shot, too, hitting Sharon and sending her to the floor. You can’t move, even though you want to. Even though you’re feeling betrayed, you want to go to her side.

Karli advances towards Sharon, holding a hand to her wound, and the threat of Karli killing her right in front of you finally forces your legs to move. You fall onto the ground beside Sharon, your hands moving to press onto the bullet wound in her side. Your hands are shaking. There’s so much blood.

You don’t even notice Sam arriving until Karli speaks to him.

“So, what’s next, huh? You kill ten this time, then, what, a hundred? Where does it end? Please, let me help you.” His voice is calm, reasonable. You feel a tiny bit safer knowing he’s there.

But his words don’t work on her anymore.

“Don’t try and manipulate me.” She holds her gun up again, pointing it towards you and Sharon. You instinctively close your eyes, preparing yourself for the inevitable. I’m sorry, Bucky, you think.

“Karli, don’t!” Sharon manages to yell, just as Sam activates his wings and launches himself towards her. The gun goes off regardless, Karli having pressed the trigger just as Sam had hit her.

You feel a sharp pain in your left arm, a warm sensation flooding your sleeve, and risk a glance down at your arm. The bullet had skimmed you, cutting into your arm and lodging itself in the wood panel behind you.

Well, at least you weren’t dead yet.

Sharon looks up at you with worried eyes as you continue to put pressure on her wound, even with your arm screaming at you in pain. You watch the fight from afar, glancing up every now and then as Karli and Sam throw each other around. You can still die here, you think. That’s still possible, even with Sam here.

The noise of the fighting stops abruptly.

You can see Sam and Karli in the distance. Karli is holding a gun to Sam’s head and your heart is in your throat again, but your limbs have turned to lead and you can’t move. Even if you could, what would you do? You’re no Super Soldier.

Sharon, on the other hand, has no trouble in pulling herself up from the ground despite her wound. She pushes you away from her and picks up her gun from where it had landed on the ground, advancing towards the pair. She fires it three times, hitting Karli with every single bullet.

You watch as Karli falls to the ground and Sam moves to hold her.

The room is eerily silent now. The echo of the gunshots is long gone. Your arm is throbbing, your hands are still shaking and covered in blood that isn’t yours and the concrete floor is cold beneath you.

And Karli dies in Sam’s arms.

~~

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[mimisempai]

Do you really care for me or is it just a trick?

Summary:

Loki, destabilized by the versatile behavior of Mobius, can't figure out if the man really cares about him or if Loki is just a means to an end for him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32050993

1392 words - Rating G

"Look, I know you have a soft spot for broken things."

Loki, with his head pressed against the door, managed to hear a few fragments of the conversation between Mobius and Ravonna, the judge of the TVA who seemed to be his superior.

"But Loki is an evil, lying scourge.

Loki couldn't even blame her for saying that, she was just one in a long list of people who thought they knew him.

"That is the part he plays on the Sacred Timeline."

Especially since for this "world" -he didn't even know what to call it- it was apparently his destiny. So here even less than anywhere else, no one would try to find out if he was someone else.

"Maybe he wants to mix it up."

Until this particular odd man.

The first person to question his destiny.

Loki didn't understand Mobius. He seemed convinced that Loki was someone else and yet believed hard that the Time Keepers and all that crap was real.

Mobius was to Loki a strange mixture of candor and trickery.

He had never met anyone like that.

"Sometimes you get tired of playing the same part."

If he only knew...

Hearing nothing more distinct, Loki returned to sit where Mobius had left him.

He had to admit that once again the man had read him perfectly, and that scared him a little. No one until now had really been able to see beyond his antics.

He had to try to take control, he couldn't let anyone see his flaws. The other man had already seen too much.

So when Mobius came out of his superior's office, Loki went straight on the attack.

He jumped around the advancing man and tried to lock him in a stream of words, "You're probably wondering what happened out on the mission. That was your first lesson in catching a Loki. Half the fun of being a trickster is knowing everyone knows you're a trickster, and then, many of your tricks can come from exploiting the fact that you know that they know..."

Mobius raised his arms to stop him, "Okay. Just… just shut up!"

Oh, this was getting interesting, for the first time, the man was breaking out of his smile and showed an uncontrolled emotion.

Oblivious to what was going on in Loki's head, he continued, "Please. What happened to the guy I met on the elevator? Who didn't like to talk. Remember him? Now I'm stuck with this guy who won't stop yacking away about what makes a Loki tick!"

What a hypocrite, he was the one who had told him that he wanted to know what makes a Loki tick. And now that he had it, he didn't want it anymore?

Loki asked him, "What? Isn't that precisely why I'm here?"

Mobius, annoyed, replied, "No. I don't care what makes you tick. You're here to help me catch the superior version of yourself."

This was it.

Loki should have known better.

It had been another smoke and mirrors. Mobius had only told him that, made him think he was interested in Loki, to achieve his goal. Loki was only a means to an end.

He wouldn't show him. Loki wouldn't show him that he was troubled.

Mobius added to make his point,"That's it!"

Loki tried to stop him, "Hang on. I'm not sure 'superior' is actually quite the right word."

They stopped in front of the elevator, face to face.

Mobius got even more annoyed and retorted, "See? There it is. Right there. I believed, stupidly, that insecure need for validation would motivate you to find the killer. Not 'cause you care about the TVA mission or bein' a hero, but because you know this Variant is better than you and you can't take it."

Wow, talk about a low blow.

Loki smiled, deceptively of course and replied, "Very nice."

Then he approached Mobius, and adjusted the man's tie as he spoke, "I mean, it is adorable that you think you could possibly manipulate me.  I'm ten steps ahead of you. I've been playing a game of my own all along."

If Mobius believed that he was Loki as the world saw him, willing to whore himself out to get what he wanted, well, he'd let him believe it.

Mobius replied, that familiar smirk on his lips, "What, charm your way in front of the Time-Keepers, hustle them, and seize control of the TVA?"

Well done Loki. Mobius has proven to you once again that men and gods are all the same.They don't care who you are, they just want to fool you. You are not disappointed.

"Am I getting warm? A double cross by history's most reliable liar." Mobius added while going to call the elevator.

However, in spite of all this, something didn't add up. If Loki was just a means to an end for Mobius, then why bother defending him like that in front of Ravonna?

Loki couldn't help but ask him, "Okay. Why are you in there sticking your neck out for me?"

Mobius came back to him and replied vehemently, "I'll give you two options, and you can believe whichever one you want. A, because I see a scared little boy shivering in the cold. And you kinda feel bad for that ice runt. Or B, I just wanna catch this guy, and I'll tell you whatever I need to tell you."

Wow, when Mobius was pissed, he didn't mince words. But no matter how much it hurt, no matter how condescending it sounded, Loki wanted to believe in answer A. To believe that, as Loki thought just before, Mobius was the person who was able to see who Loki was.

But that meant doing something Loki had never done.

Trusting.

As the elevator doors closed, he couldn't help but make another brash statement, "I don't need your sympathy," because he wasn't going to be pitied.

Mobius replied in a tired tone, "Good, 'cause I'm runnin' out of it."

Loki continued on, "I have a tendency to provoke this reaction in-"

"Oh once again, shut up!"

Loki replied with a mocking smile on his lips, "Make me."

And it was as if a dam broke in Mobius.

He grabbed Loki's tie to pull him to him and before the god had time to wonder what he was doing, Mobius leaned in and placed his lips against Loki's.

The kiss was sweet but messy, their lips moved together repeatedly, both coordinated and chaotic. Just like them.

Mobius didn't pull back until Loki grabbed the front of his shirt and squeezed the fabric in both hands. Mobius looked at him and couldn't help but laugh as they bumped noses together, a flush spread across Loki's cheeks and nose, which contrasted with the paleness of his skin in the dim light of the elevator.

Loki stared at him with wide eyes and a stunned look.

It seemed that Mobius had succeeded in silencing him.

Mobius let go of him, smiled, and went out the doors that had just opened.

Loki held him back by the sleeve.

"Wait, what was that for?"

Mobius put a finger over Loki's mouth before telling him, "Well, you asked me to make you shut up, mission completed."

Loki lost his smile and asked in a lower voice, "Was it just for that reason?"

Mobius pushed a strand of Loki's hair behind his ear, then as he walked back, he replied in a mysterious tone, "Who knows?"

Loki ran behind him until he was walking beside him, closer than before.

"You know that's not going to stop me from talking, right?"

He knew he was trying to hold on to a twig, but he couldn't help but hope.

Mobius turned his head towards him and said, a playful sparkle in his eyes, "I sure hope so, the more you talk, the more I'm going to want to shut you up, and now that I know how, I'm not going to stop myself from doing it."

"And that' s me the God of Mischief...?!!"

Loki rolled his eyes, but his smile wouldn't fool anyone, and it didn't fool Mobius, who just gave him a little nudge with his shoulder.

So for now, Loki decided to let go, just a little, to let hope take a little place in his heart.

________

The whole serie here : The story of Loki and Mobius

Not beta'd

I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

[jtrokujo]

𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕿𝖜𝖔 𝕺𝖋 𝖀𝖘

✩｡: * • .───── ❁ ❁ ─────. • * :｡ ✩

❝𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐀 𝐊𝐄𝐈❞

word count: 1.6k

3RD PERSON POV

Like every morning, the big line of glasses is waiting for his girlfriend, but the two youngsters have no plans to go to school because it's the weekend, no, they enjoy their togetherness for all times.

Even if the two have known each other for a long time, that doesn't mean they've been together that long.

For the two of them, it was unimaginable to be in a relationship with the other, but things always happen and change.

Anyone who has asked the respective person about this relationship has long since forgotten because they apparently did not / do not care.

Back to the present.

Tsukishima looked annoyed at the clock on his cell phone and sighed in annoyance, he can't be delayed, even if it's 3 minutes.

It is not rare or common for his girlfriend to be late.

He actually prefers to pick her up instead of waiting for her, not only so that she can hurry up, but also so that she can meet her boyfriend carefree without any bad ulterior motives or any nuisance.

Well that's one of the reasons he hates being late, but he didn't tell his girlfriend about that fact himself.

Because of this particular incident with his brother, he has a strong weakness to trust someone or to trust someone, there are moments when he trusts his girlfriend, sometimes not, it mainly just depends.

But as a good friend, she shows understanding for him, she is too fond of him.

She knows his problems, his fears and the insecurities that almost eat him up, but she still knows the good side that she doesn't see every day, but better than never.

Like, for example, his love for her, his interests in the dinosaurs or his good tutoring when the two do their homework together.

Trapped in thought, someone took him out of it, or rather, something.

The boy's cell phone rang loudly, his heart pounding and he answered the call "Tsuki, where are you?" his girlfriend asked in amazement and tried to ignore the anger.

"In front of our favorite bakery, the question is more where are you, (Y / N) I've been waiting for more than 10 minutes and the weather is not very pleasant at the moment."

"Tsuki, we had agreed that we would meet in front of the museum, that you were present for our last conversation, I knew, but if you went straight into your own world, you have been really so bad in the last few days."

"(Y / N)?" Tsukishima said in a normal tone, "Yes?" she said, however, surprised that he speaks so calmly.

"Didn't we agree that if we'd only go to the museum right after we ate a piece of cake and went for a walk, because it only opens at 2 p.m. and now it's only 10:27 a.m."

"I'll be there in 5 minutes." was the only thing his girlfriend could say hung up as quickly as possible.

Yes, this behavior of his girlfriend wasn't seen every day, but he gets along reasonably well with it.

Of course there are moments or even days when he can lose his last nerve and there have been moments when he insults his girlfriend even though it is not his intention.

Fortunately, however, she knows him too well that she sometimes understands him, but only sometimes.

The one time she showed no understanding was when he was training again with his team and since Hinata was again better than usual, it annoyed him so much that he took all his anger and frustration out on his girlfriend, which caused her ignored him for almost a week.

Back to the present, holding hands, the couple are on their way to coffee.

The fingers are folded together, the wind blows stronger and stronger every second, but if you think that such weather could ruin their mood, you are one-sidedly wrong.

Once there, the two ordered a hot cocoa and a small cake, (Y / N) should already choose a place while Tsukishima delivers the delicacies with a tray.

They talked about their interests and what movie to watch tonight.

While walking around town, Tsukishima looked at his wristwatch that his girlfriend gave him and said, "The museum will open in about 20 minutes."

The friends who make (Y / N) s face shine cannot be overlooked.

Of course, she doesn't really like the museum because she's not really interested, but she knows too well that he likes the dinosaurs that she talked him into going on a date at the museum without any problems.

But he wanted the two to spend more time together, that is to say;

The coffee, the walk and the night at his house had been all his idea.

In the museum, the friend looked at a dinosaur, or rather a Gallimimus.

"What is it, Tsuki?" she asked him and shows it on the Gallimimus. "

From A to Z, her friend explained every information he knows about the Gallimimus.

"They were also a kind of group like wolves, but from the dinosaur genus of the Ornithomimosauria during the Theropoda. They lived for the most part in East Asia. Furthermore, as you can see, they were not small, they were 4 and 6 meters high and weighed up to to an example of 200 kg. "

"You seem to know your way around this, don't you?"

"Because I can." he said roughly, but grabbed his girlfriend's hand and said like a little boy, "Come on, you have to see the others first." and pulled her right after you with you.

TIME SKIP / 3RD PERSON POV

Back at home, the couple meets Tsukishima's brother.

He sighed annoyed and skilfully ignored him, but greeted him out of sheer politeness.

They have known each other for a long time, which is why they have an appropriate relationship.

In other words, a friendship.

You talk now and then.

However, their friendship does not belong in the level where you occasionally write to each other, make phone calls or go to town together.

But that's probably a good thing before Tsukishima gets the last nerve.

Tsukishima is not the kind of friend you ask if you can go out with this person or if he is having trouble going out with this person, knowing other people's passwords or reading through chats.

They know each other too well and also trust what is important in a relationship and therefore find this behavior strange from other couples, because, as I said, trust is part of a relationship.

When he got to his room, Tsukishima took his pajamas and said to his girlfriend "I'm going to get changed in the bathroom, okay?"

She nodded and answered him and also took her pajamas out of her pocket and changed a little faster than usual.

Finished dressed, she stuffed the clothes she was still wearing into her pocket and then put it down.

"Are you ready?" it came out the door.

"Yes I am, can come in."

The door opened and you not only saw Tsukishima in his pajamas, but he also held a small tray with (Y / N) 's favorite sweets.

But not only that, but also a small box.

The friend quickly got up to help her friend "Let me help you." and wanted to grab the tray right away, but Tsukishima pointed to his clothes, which is between his forearm and waist.

"Do you already know which film to watch and how." Tsukishima asked his girlfriend.

"No, I thought you would decide because I was 'allowed' to do it last time." she said and put his clothes where they belong.

"I would prefer if my dwarf would choose a movie." replied Tsukishima and set the tray down on his bed.

"Aww, since when was such a tsuki?" provoked (Y / N) Tsukishima and came a few steps towards him, while at the same time she looked at him gourmet.

Annoyed, he sobbed with his tongue - held a hand on her face and gently pushed her away from him.

He then gave his remote control to his girlfriend and finally said, "Come sit down and choose a movie."

And thus also knocked on the bed.

About half an hour has passed.

While (Y / N) stares obsessively at the screen and slowly eats the candy, Tsukishima secretly observed his girlfriend and the small box.

Breathing deeply, he said her name, while she turned and looked at him, "Is something?" she asked worriedly.

"No, it works. You remember when we were in town about a week ago, there was this shop. It had this chain that impressed you, so I made up my mind yesterday ..." without finishing his sentence he made it to his girlfriend.

She opened the box nervously.

The necklace that (Y / N) wanted, she got from her boyfriend as a present.

She just stared at it with no comments like, 'I want this.' 'Can you get it for me?' or something else, maybe he knows (Y / N) just too well.

He took the chain and asked "May I?"

"(Y / N) turned so he could tie the necklace together," What for, Tsuki? Have you ever seen the price? "She asked him and from now on ignored the film being played.

"When I saw the price, I wasn't too thrilled, but I just had to remember you being pretty amazed as a dwarf, so it wasn't too bad to spend my money."

The tray put away, the television switched off and the blanket over the couple's bodies, they slept cuddled up.

The two of them will not get rid of this event so quickly.

[skzluvs]

Strawberry Cheesecake 🍰; Han Jisung

Genre: Fluff!

Warnings: Swearing

Word count: 2.3K

A/N: Reuploading this one cause it had too many mistakes!

She tasted the saltiness of the caramel Frappuccino she ordered next to her a strawberry cake her ultimate favorite.

"So tell me Y/N how's school" Chan asked with a smile while he sipped his iced americano.

You where sitting at table in a vintage local coffee shop surrounded by aesthetically pleasing neon signs and flowers.

"You know being a college freshman is way harder than I thought" You sighed looking at him. Discomfort written all over your face.

“I know that face you make when something is troubling you, what it is exactly? I truly doubt is school related" He spoke softly.

" I swore I wasn't going to fall for him Chan, then tell me why I can't take him off my mind" You almost banged your head on the table as a sign of frustration.

You just couldn't understand why he made you feel that particular way and why exactly had to be him the one who everyone wanted the one you absolutely just couldn't have.

“He just has that effect on people Y/N"- Chan laughed showing his cute dimples.

" He truly does but that's not the point Chan you are supposed to be my friend and tell me to stay away from him before I fall in deeper"

Chan knew him they're weren't exactly close but they both shared American literature and that means they have talked here and then. Also they share a lot of things in common for example they were majoring on the same career.

" I can't do that sweetheart because indeed I'm your friend and if you like him I guess I support it"- He raised his shoulders innocently.

" Christopher Bang Chan! I never said I liked him to begin with and second of all you are such a bad friend this is why Woojin will always be my favorite"- You replied to him with annoyance raising your voice a little. Causing some customers to look at you.

Yes, you had the guy on your mind 24/7 but you just couldn't afford to like him. It was not safe, there were a million reasons why you couldn’t fall on that trap and mainly because you didn't wanted to become another one of the so called “fans” he has too many of those already.

" I feel disrespected but let me remind you woojin is still mad at you because you ate his precious chicken" He snapped back.

"What part of I was drunk both of you don't understand I was about to passed out and that chicken was the only thing that was on the fridge it was totally not my fault in fact you guys should do the groceries more often just saying" you responded with a sassy tone.

You were too busy fighting with Chan to noticed that a group of guys entered the coffee shop. And in that small crowd of young boys the protagonist of your chaotic nonexistent love life.

" Y/N I think we are missing the point here" He said trying to go back to the initial conversation.

" And that is..." You said waiting impatiently for him to answer.

" To admit that you do like him" a grin spread across his face.

You wanted to beat him so hard for being such a cheeky bastard.

"Fuck you Christopher I'm just going to pretend I didn't heard you assume my feelings like that" You scoffed in disbelief.

" What are you so afraid of though" he questioned raising an eyebrow at you.

" I already told you. First of all he's never going to like me back we only talked like twice and that's only because my clumsy ass bumped into him in the library"

" Don't you guys share a clase together" Chan asked while taking a sip of his coffee.

" Yes economics, but you know Mr. popular sits in the back surrounded by girls who are staring at him all day admiring his beauty while on the contrary I have to sit on the front so I can actually listen to Wilson talk about Adam Smith and his invisible hand of capitalism for an hour straight"

" Sounds like fun" he repeated mocking you.

" Today you are acting like a real asshole and I'm questioning why I'm still friends with you"- You said sending him a dead stare.

"I guess someone not in the mood for jokes" He said grinning.

"I'm just stressed out okay!"- You growled.

" Well I'm just going to say, you can keep denying it all you want I know you better than anyone else and unfortunately I can tell you are already in love with the poor man"

Mental note never talk about your love life with Christopher Bang because he has no fucking clue about anything else but music.

" When did you gotten so wise ? clearly never because all you are saying is nothing but bullshit" You crossed my arms in denial.

" Whatever you say Y/N. Why haven't you eaten your strawberry cake yet this matter must be really affecting you today because you tend to devore that thing in seconds"

The straberry cheesecake was just there sitting lonely on the table dripping the red syrup while the big chunk of straberry on top was slowly melting. You stared at it lost on your own thoughts.

There are too many reason why is even risky to think You were to like him but You couldn’t help to suppress a smile when You thought about him laughing or just walking confidently along with his friends through the hallways. You felt like a high schooler all over again having this secret crush on someone who can be seen as unreachable.

To you he was a like a shinning star in a sky, someone I wished upon up every night knowing that even with my extended hands I was never going to be able to touch because he felt too high for a simple mortal like yourself.

" HEY BANG CHAN"- a voice called for my best friend who rapidly turn his head looking for the owner.

You stayed there frozen In your place you could recognize that voice anywhere Seo Changbin one of the richest and most admired guys in school and of course for my misfortune his best friend.

“Hey Seo how you been?"  He asked while greeting the boy with a typical handshake.

There was no surprised that Changbin was talking to Chan they're both Music Majors, talented creative, self producers who were extremely passionate about their career unlike you who selected probably the most boring and time consuming career it could possible exist.

That's correct You were a Med student. Exciting knowing You’ll probably die before I get the chance to graduate.

"I've been well but actually I wanted to talk to you about a song I've been working on, do you maybe want to help me with some tracks ?” He asked directly and I could've sworn I heard Chris gasp.

" Of course mate I would love to" He replied with that beautiful smile showing off his dimples once again.

" I'm actually not that busy right now do you mind if we go to my place and work on it I barely started the beat" Changbin suggested.

" I don't mind I'm not busy either" Chan said immediately.

" Then let's go! can't wait for you to hear it" Changbin said turning around quickly.

You turned to face him for the first time since he got here, they were just talking comfortably as they pretended You wasn't even there but honestly You didn't mind at all, that's what happens when people with similar interests get together also nor You wanted to interrupt their personal conversation.

" I'm leaving Baby! I'll see you tomorrow I'm sorry we couldn't finish talking about you know what but I'll treat you to dinner next time"- Channie said while taking his jacket from the chair and standing up to follow Changbin.

" Don't worry about me, have fun with your new friend" You gave him a smile before he disappeared through the crystal doors of the coffee shop.

And then you came back to your thoughts while you kept on staring at my favorite dessert that didn't look as appetizing as before when you purchased it about 30 minutes ago.

As you was having this mental battle of trying to figure out my feeling for the dark haired boy you didn't even noticed that someone approached your table and stand there looking directly at you.

" Y/N" A sweet voice called out your name taking me out of your trance.

"Huh"- You said looking up confused.

That the minute your heart stopped for a couple of seconds and suddenly You forgot how to properly breathe. The most beautiful man was standing right there next to you with his hands on his pockets and his beautiful brown hair styled to the side. He was wearing sweatpants and a red hoodie but he still looked like a model.

"Can I sit here or are you waiting for someone" He asked offering that smile you always end up falling for.

Was he actually talking to you? You questioned mentally. You don't even know each other like that You wonder how is it possible that he even knows your name maybe he has a good memory and remembers you as the girl who tripped with the books on him on the library.

“God why did my mom had to made me uncoordinated” you said unaudible feeling your ears burn in embarrassment.

Your hands were sweating and You couldn't get the words out of your mouth you was suffocating on them.

" You can sit" you said rushing your words as you could spitted fire. If Chan ever needed a back up rapper you think you could do the job.

He proceeded to pull the chair in front of you and plopped himself on it while putting his elbows on the table and resting his cheeks on his hand his eyes looking directly at me. You instantly broke the eye contact and focused your gaze on that strawberry cheesecake again.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes were neither of you made a sound until he decided to end it.

" Y/N i need to ask you something" His sweet voice sounded a little preoccupied.

" What is it" It was so hard for you to pretend to play it cool in front of him. The one who haunted you even on your own sleep a place where you thought it was safe. But not anymore.

"I know we haven't talked much but I found you really interesting" He scratched the back of his head nervously. "what I'm trying to say is that I would really like to get to know you I mean if that's okay with you of course" He said so fast no wonder why he's actually a rapper.

The red of your cheeks were just as the color of the strawberry syrup from that cake. How was you supposed to answer that while not long ago you was rejecting any possibility of liking him.

" I know this question might sound stupid to you but why me? You know there's absolutely no one in this one who hasn't fallen for you yet" I questioned still unable to believe on his words.

" Oh I know there's one, You are the only one who hasn't" He said obviously.

" So you are saying you find me challenging because I can resist to your charming face " you raised an eyebrow starting to feel offended you clearly wasn't going to be a game to him.

" Not quite I'm saying you are different and I like that maybe you don't realize it but even if the whole world liked me I would still only look at you, I mean I have been since you came in late the first day to Wilson's trying to fix yourself because you looked like you ran a marathon to get there" His laugh overflowed the whole room.

"Excuse me but my alarm didn't worked that morning and I didn't even got to eat breakfast so yes I ran my way all over there sorry I didn't looked presentable to your eyes but some people don't want to be late on their first day" You snapped back messing with him a little.

It was comfortable being with him like this right now. Something told me you was going to cherish this moment forever.

"I never said you looked bad in that moment I thought wow that messy girl is the prettiest one I've ever seen" A smirk spreading across his face.

"Are you just trying to cover up the fact that you literally just roasted me" You said laughing.

" Hey I didn't!” He said puffing outhis cheeks and You must admit he looks adorable every time he does that.

“By the way I was also meaning to ask is strawberry cheesecake your favorite as well?” He asked looking at the almost melted dessert.

" Yes it is. I have tried many variations but I always come back to this old friend, trust me I can eat strawberry cheesecakes for life I just haven't eaten this one because I was too distracted"

"Mine too! I love all kinds of cheesecakes to be honest with you, but no other flavor can surpass the deliciousness of the strawberry one. I must say it's my favorite because in some way it reminds me of you"

"How so" You asked curiously trying to hide the blush on your cheeks.

" It's really sweet but not to the point my teeth would hurt and the juicy texture of the strawberry just melts with the cheese and the cookie crust that's kinda how you are Sweet enough for me to like you with a twist personality that makes it even more fun"

You grabbed the fork and cut a piece of the cake while You shoved it on his mouth.

"Just be quiet for a moment you are being cheesier than the cheesecake" You said pointing at the plate while laughing at his sudden confession.

“Mmm this is delicious” He said savoring the taste on his lips. Liking them slowly in a teasing way.

“By the way, just for the record I was the one who purposely bumped into you at the library I'm sorry I had to grabbed your attention somehow" He winked at you with a smirk.

"JISUNG" You yelled at him.

You both talked about many things that afternoon but one thing you would never be able to forget is how his lips also tasted sweet like that strawberry cheesecake you shared.

[castor-comet]

In defense of Finn

Alright so I've been seeing many posts about Finn "using" and "manipulating" Sean.

But I'd like to clarify a few things.

Let's start back at the very beginning, let's go over a few things.

Warning: This is fucking long. Grab a snack.

Sean first meets Finn when he encountered Cassidy playing her guitar for money. Curious Finn decides to introduce himself to Sean and Daniel.

As Cassidy and Sean have a side conversation, Finn is just starring longingly at Sean the whole time, like a love-at-first-sight type of thing. Or at least he seemed a bit infatuated with Sean. He hardly takes his eyes off him the whole time until they decide to leave. When this first aired I've seen speculation that Finn seen Sean as some sort of rival for Cassidy which could have been a reason he was checking him out the whole time or sizing him up but after seeing episode 3, I believe he had a look of adoration for him.

Episode 3:

Right off the bat Finn is expressing his obvious attraction towards Sean, and the wink, don't even get me started on the wink.

After work Sean is feeling a little beat up, takes a moment before he gets out of the truck.

Finn was the only one to stay behind to check up on Sean, seeing how down he was after their long day of work.

"Aww, you'll get scars, but, you'll get it. Part of the fun, and...sexier."

Ah there he goes, commenting how he finds Sean's scarred up, calloused hands sexy.

It seems like every time he shoots his shot, such as risky compliments, he quickly changes the subject. As if he's afraid of Sean's reaction or response.

He opens up to Sean about his past with his father, which couldn't have been easy but it seemed like Sean had deemed himself trustworthy enough for Finn to tell him about who he was before he got to where he is. It's not a subject one easily talks about.

Finn doesn't sugar-coat anything either, he tells it like it was. He was being vulnerable, and you could tell he had trouble talking about it.

Later that night, sitting around the campfire, they talk about their worst memory. Both Sean and Finn choose not to comment but it's worth noting Finn already kinda told Sean one of his worst memories, his own dad narced, giving Finn and his brothers jail time.

The player is giving the option to either go to bed early with Daniel or get a haircut and hang a bit more with the gang.

"Hans and I aren't together, sweetheart."

When Sean asks Finn and Hans how long they've been together or asks why they don't sleep in the same tent, they both laugh and Finn tells him they're just fuck-buddies. Then places his hand on his thigh as if he's reassuring Sean that there's nothing between him and Hans.

Finn then expressed his sexuality, showing Sean he likes both guys and girls.

If Sean tells the group he finds boys cute, Finn is quick to ask what his type is.

Cassidy tells Finn to slow his roll, and Finn confidently says, "He knows I'm cute."

Now If Sean tells the group he finds boys attractive, Finn won't take Hans up on her offer for a one-night stand, claiming he's too tired.

Then turns to Sean to give him a small smile.

He sees he has a chance with Sean and it's not just all in his head, so he turns her down because he actually wants to pursue Sean in a romantic sense and doesn't want to mess up his chance with him.

The next day they go collect their pay but Daniel is being a lil shit like always and fucks that up. Big Jo pins Daniel to the ground and Daniel makes an ashtray fly at Jo's head, Big Jo gets furious and asks the group who was responsible for the act. If Sean says nothing, Finn takes the blame.

He puts his arm out in front of Sean as if to protect him and keep big Jo's attention on Finn.

Finn is a true ride or die, willing to take the blame if it means protecting the ones he loves.

Afterwards it seems like he holds no hard feelings about taking a punch for the two, Daniel shows the group his power and they think it's pretty awesome and promise not to tell anyone.

This is where Finn comments how the place is loaded with cash, suspicious Cassidy asks Finn how he plans on getting into the safe, he looks at Daniel as if to suggest they could use his power. Cassidy gets furious and tells Finn his idea was stupid and would only lead to them in jail.

When Cassidy asks Finn how he could be so selfish, he automatically snaps back, "Sean and Daniel are out of work, they deserve this!"

That was his first thought, meaning he only had Sean and Daniel's best interest in mind when he thought of the idea, I doubt he would have even considered the idea if the events of earlier such as the brothers getting fired didn't happen.

Seeing as this was their last night together Finn wanted to make sure they left with money, so they'd be able to take care of themselves.

But Cassidy yells at him, demanding he can't involve the kid into his bullshit, Sean adds in that he wouldn't have let Daniel do it in the first place.

Finn, seeing as he's outnumbered in this, decides to leave while telling Sean they should have a beer and forget about his lil brain fart.

As he leaves Cassidy warns him again, Finn looking like a kicked puppy, walked away with his head down.

As Sean joins him, sitting down on the log, Finn opens up a bit more. Reminiscing about the time he first got out of jail and his ultimate decision to say fuck everything and everyone and took off into the sunset.

Finn tells Sean about how he's been in search for "A new daddy'' or "new bros" to sum it up, he's been in search of a new family.

A family you could say in which he's found within the group.

But he wants more security, he's tired of always being on the move and just wants his beach house where he could raise his little rugrats someday.

I feel like Finn is extremely homesick, maybe not for his old home but rather he's homesick for a home he's yet to make.

Finn has expressed his Interest to settle down on multiple occasions, not wanting to he constantly moving from place to place. And as a result he gets teased by the others.

So I don't see how people can think Finn's love confession to Sean was forced or sudden, when in reality he's been flirting with him the entire time.

Which brings us to the big choice.

Finn tells Sean he deserves more than he's been given for the shit they've been through, he proposes his plan to Sean once again.

As he explains his plan, it was always about getting the money for the boys in order for them to get to Mexico with cash. I believe Finn really was thinking about Sean and Daniel's best interest and not so much himself, wanting to make sure they were set with cash for food and a roof over their heads. That they'd be able to support themselves out there.

"I wouldn't let you in on this if I had any doubt."

That right there shows he wouldn't have even brought up the idea if he knew it wouldn't be successful. So I believe Finn 100% seen this whole money grab scheme going off without a hitch because in his head, with Daniel's powers they'd be in and out like ninjas. Completely unnoticed.

If the player chooses to go along with the plan Sean expresses his worry, asking Finn to reassure him they could do this without getting busted. Finn confidently says it'll be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Sean says fuck it and tells him that he and Daniel are in.

Finn excitedly tells him that he knew Sean would understand because they're the same, that he felt it from the start. Finn takes the opportunity to bring up him wanting the brothers to stay with the group after everything is done.

Finn's desire for a family-home life could be Implied, over time they have spent together he grew to deeply care about the brothers. I'm sure Finn has met plenty of people on his travels, people he knows he'll probably never see again.

But when he met Sean and Daniel he knew he couldn't let them go that easily.

Finn confides in Sean, stating he felt the two had a strong connection, laughing nervously.

It's safe to say Finn has had a thing for Sean since they first met, whether it started as 'Hey he's kinda cute' and grew into something much stronger or maybe he's been completely obsessed from the moment they locked eyes. Who knows but the point is Finn has always been very upfront about his feelings for Sean throughout the entire episode.

If Sean tells him that he feels the same way, Finn asks him what he's afraid of, placing his hand on Sean's lap.

I like this little detail because I've noticed whenever Finn expresses his deep interest in Sean, he has always put his hand on his lap.

But sadly this is where everyone freaked out because some believe Finn's kiss was to manipulate Sean, as a 'seal-the-deal' type of thing.

Which I find complete bullshit and here's why.

When I first seen this particular scene that thought never crossed my mind and you know why? Because that wasn't the point of it at all.

You've got to think, Finn has been completely obsessed over Sean since the beginning of the episode, calling him multiple pet names and basically flirting with him every chance he gets.

He's been so upfront with Sean about his feelings for him not beating around the bush to the point where it could cause a certain fear for Finn to think, "I've been obviously flirting with this guy, either he's oblivious or he's not into me that way."

But hearing Sean has the same feelings for him, obviously made lovesick Finn fall even harder. Realizing they both had feelings for one another, they take the moment to have their first kiss.

Wow Finn decides to kiss Sean after he confesses he feels the same?? sounds pretty normal to me.

So let's talk about the alternative route.

If Sean refuses to do Finn's plan, he'll try and convince him once more but after Sean shuts him down fast, he gives up. Finn's obviously hurt, but says he respects his decision. His voice is very sad from here on out, and he goes back to his kicked puppy state.

Looking for a way out of this conversation Finn tells Sean he should go enjoy his last party but that Finn's stoned so he'll just "zen out" on the log.

I think that was just Finn's way of wanting to be left alone, he's saddened and hurt by Sean not believing in his plan.

In Finn's eyes, both his best friend (Cassidy) and the guy he has the biggest crush on said his plan was dumb and had zero faith in his idea.

I could imagine how heart broken he must feel.

As previously stated before, if you agree to his idea he gets excited because he knew if anyone would understand him, it'd be Sean. They just get each other like that.

But in this sense it's "I thought you'd at least understand, but you're just like Cassidy."

So yes, I think it's appropriate he didn't kiss/ get to confess to Sean if you don't agree to his plan because at that moment in time he's discouraged and heart broken, believing everyone is against him.

Not the best mood atmosphere for a confession not to mention a kiss.

It's not about "oh I guess he didn't really like Sean at all if he doesn't confess to him if you refuse his proposal."

It's more of "oh Finn doesn't confess to him because he believes that Sean thinks he's a bad person for wanting to use Daniel's power and had hurt his feelings when Sean basically said it was stupid."

Considering the fact the only reason this idea came to Finn's head is when Sean and Daniel were leaving camp, and Finn was worried about them financially.

Sure there would be enough money to go around in the group but Finn's priorities were always about Sean and Daniel.

Introducing the lake scene with Cassidy:

If you choose to go to the lake with Cassidy after the kiss on Finn's route, there's an option where you could choose to show an interest in Finn.

Cassidy will comment that he likes Sean. Which goes to show Finn either talks about Sean to Cassidy, or she just picks up on all the flirting he does... Maybe both?

Both.

Both is good.

She goes on to ask Sean if he's blind, and adds "You seriously can't tell?"

Sean sheepishly admits he likes Finn as well and mentions they've even kissed.

So it's safe to say even outside of agreeing or disagreeing with Finn on his plan, everyone knows he has a thing for Sean.

It's all just a matter of time and place, Finn has a crush on Sean whether you agree or disagree with his plan, if they continue to have Cassidy and Finn in future episodes (low-key doubt) I'm sure there would be a better opportunity for Finn to confess to Sean if Sean had said no to the plan and didn't romance Cassidy in this episode.... Or ya know... Finn doesn't die.

Finn's heart and Intentions were in the right place, it just wasn't a well thoughtout plan.

I don't agree with Finn's idea of putting a kid in danger, he's not thinking about the consequences of their actions. It was a spur of the moment. But I don't think Finn deserves as much hate as he's getting for this.

[rogue-barnes-16]

THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF NATASHA ROMANOFF (part III/?)

Summary: after the too convenient disappearance of Natasha Romanoff, the Avengers —a local biker gang— search for help in the most unexpected place in order to get their friend back. Will it help, or will the situation just get more twisted and dangerous?

Pairing: biker!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Genre: angst-ish (biker gang au)

Tags:

The mysterious disappearance of Natasha Romanoff:

@shirukitsune @retrxbarnes

Permanent taglist:

@notexactlythatgirl @thisismysecrethappyplace @sofreakinmanyfandoms @pizzarollpatrol @bubblycypress87 @1a-girl-has-no-name1 @loislp @lovenaturefirst @dyanna-corona @2ptonpt @goodnightmode @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @mannls @cutie1365 @catch22inareddress @mybooradley @sebastianisasnack @butifulsoul125 @unlikelygalaxygiver

Warnings: language, kinda angsty but not too much

A/N: third part of these because I think I'll go crazy if I stay in this kind of semi-hiatus any longer. Hope you enjoy my darlings <3.

The mysterious disappearance of Natasha Romanoff masterlist

Rogue-barnes-16 masterlist

BUCKY’S P. O. V.

Her hands were on the sides of my ribcage to provide her some balance while I was riding to the nearest diner.

It was an odd, though familiar feeling. The way her grip on my leather jacket briefly tightened when I took a turn, or the contact her the front of her legs made with the back of mines.

And I really really didn't want to stop driving, because I had missed that feeling, even if I wouldn't admit it out loud, even if I wanted to think I had moved on.

But I started to slow down the moment we reached the nearest diner's parking lot, and her hands left my jacket to hold herself steady using to the back of the bike.

As soon as the bike was parked, my feet reached the ground, still straddling the vehicle for us to be safe while taking off the helmet.

Once I had accomplished that task, I looked over my, slightly turning my torso to see if Y/n had done the same.

"Wow! okay" I chuckled while that magnetic girl I had just met in the bar —thanks to Carol— combed her recently messed hair with her fingers. "that was... Wild." her eyes were still widely open, but a half smile was now tugging the corner of her lip. "such a ride."

"first time riding a bike?"

"first time in bike with you" she replied, climbing off in a very surprisingly smooth way . "you really gotta slow down, I didn't even have helmet, boy."

I mimicked her movements and grabbed my things before approaching her. "well, I can fix that." we walked side by side to the bar. "I'll get you one."

"you seem pretty confident about me riding with you ever again."

"got a feeling you'll end up liking it" I replied with a smug smirk, opening the door of the establishment for her.

She shook her head no, peeking at me with a half smile tugging the corner of her lips. "Keep dreaming, Bucky."

"with you?" I questioned, following right behind her back into the bar, where both the gang and Carol waited for us. "Always."

"Cheesy."

READER'S P. O. V.

I let the helmet rest on my seat between my things while I combed my hair with my fingers. No matter how short or covered it was, with or without helmet, it always ended up tangled.

I had forgotten that minor inconvenience of riding a bike, specifically with the man I rode with.

"Ready?" he asked, holding the handlebars firmly. I gave him a lazy nod in response and proceeded to hop off the bike. "Let's go then." he walked side by side with me to the diner and when we reached the door, he opened it for me.

As soon as we sat down on the booth that was the furthest from the patrons of the place, the waiter came to take our order, which were just two black coffees, one of them iced.

Bucky waited until we had our coffees to speak, in order to avoid nosy ears, I figured. "It was two days ago." he started, swallowing the first sip of his coffee. "Nat had been keeping an eye on a guy for a while." I motioned for him to continue.

"Why would she do that?" I questioned with a frown. "Thought you were that type of gang, now were you?" I added with sarcasm.

"Wait a fucking second, will ya?" I motioned him to keep going with my hand. "the dude was following this girl." I tilted my head with confusion. "Stalking her."

"I got it the first time, James, I'm not that dumb." he muttered something under his breath, taking another sip of coffee. In reply, I just scoffed. "Why help that girl in particular?"

"We owed his brother a favor. Big one" he added, not quite focused on what he was saying. "Tasha's gonna scare him y'know? But turns out this guy wasn't a creep." he nursed his cup. "He's a rival gang member."

I opened my eyes widely, letting myself fall against the backrest of the booth. "Holy fuck." I always had assumed the Avengers were the only gang. Never in my time with them had I heard about a rival gang, I only knew that was dangerous shit.

Bucky’s blue eyes flickered to me, realizing too late that this was completely new information to me. "Yeah... I told Natasha to quit, we could protect this girl in other ways." he shook his head no. "she said she'll stay, just in case what was happening involved us."

"And then she dissappears." I sighed, massaging my temples, wondering what the fuck I was thinking when I decided I would help. "Bucky, I really don't see why I'm the only option."

"I-- listen." he lifted his gaze subtly to check no one was observing us. "I'm not supposed to be tellin' ya this."

"But you're gonna do it anyway."

He straight up ignored my comment as he mirrored my posture. "we have an inside problem."

"a something or a someone?" I was now definitely regretting the decision of going to my ex's house to lend a hand to his gang. "fuck, James, you better tell me it's a something and not a someone."

His sorry eyes and pursed lips killed my lame hope. "you want me to lie?"

"Yeah, for once I actually want you to lie." he clenched his jaw and diverted his eyes from me. "I went to your place and you have a fucking mole." Bucky’s gaze returned to me intently, shushing me. "don't fucking shush me" I retorted, internally freaking out. "I just put myself in danger 'cause I was stupid enough to decide to help."

"You're not in danger." he replied in low voice.

"okay now, you don't fucking know that."

"Whoever the problem is, they ain't there."

"Yeah sure." thousands of different scenarios that ended up with my corpse in a ditch went through my panicking mind as I stood up to walk away. "this was the worst fucking idea I've ever had." I mumbled under my breath, stepping out of the diner.

The fact that I didn't hear Bucky’s heavy combat boots after me in order to try and change my mind was surprising enough.

What was also surprising was finding another bike approaching the parking lot of the diner, and Clint almost jumping off it.

He took off his helmet way too fast for it to be safe before close to shouting my name. "Y/n!" For some reason, I stopped walking to wait for him to get to me. "Listen--"

"I'm out, Clint. I'm sorry." my apologies were genuine, because I knew how much Natasha meant to the dirty blonde man.

"No! Fuck- hold on for a second please." he begged, raising his hands in front of me to stop me. "I don't know what Barnes told you but--"

"Said that you got a mole inside."

"Fuckin'... Okay, I know you feel like your life is in danger if you help us but listen," his eyes spoke how desperate he was to get to his bestfriend on time. "Nat... You know I can't lose her and I swear if you help us, I'll protect you with my life okay? But please, Y/n... I'm sorry you got mixed into this but we- I really need you to help us."

I clenched my jaw, trying to meditate coolly about my reply to his beg.

I had put my feelings aside in order to think clearer, and that was one hell of a headache, given the people who were involved.

"Y/n please. Please, I swear on my fucking life I won't let anything bad happen to you." Clint assured me in a whisper. "please."

BUCKY'S P. O. V.

I stayed sat in the booth for a brief moment after Y/n had left.

I really didn't know what else I could do to convince her to help us. I didn't know how to make her believe me, to assure her that she wouldn't get hurt on my watch.

I didn't know how to get her to trust me if I promised to keep her safe at all costs, because once you break someone's trust —specially someone's like Y/n's— there was no going back 99% of the times.

"Fuck."

I rushed to the door, attempting to reach Y/n, because I had to convince her. I owed it to Natasha, to Clint, to Sam, to Steve; I owed it to myself, because I kept losing my grasp on Y/n, and in this situation, letting her leave wasn't an option anymore.

When I got out, both helmets in my hands, I saw Clint in front of Y/n, practically begging for her aid.

"Clint... I'm sorry. I really am..." she spoke. "I can't."

"Yeah, you can." she spun around at the same time as Clint's eyes laid on my form over the girl's shoulder. "you can, and you have to."

She was suddenly fuming. "what the hell did you just say?"

"Bucky shut the fuck up and stop making it worse." Clint warned me while Y/n took a couple of steps towards me.

"You have to." I repeated as confident as I could whilst my heart pounded in my chest. "You have to, that's why you came all the way from your fancy ass apartment in Manhattan." it was the fourth sort of conversation I had with the girl I hadn't talked in a year, and I had decided to push her buttons. "'cause no matter how you fucking hate me, y'know you won't be able to sleep at night—"

"Shut the fuck up, Bucky." Clint repeated, almost hysterical as I went on, my eyes locked with Y/n's in an attempt to make her know I meant every word.

"—if something happened to Natasha when, knowing you could've, you refused to help." Y/n pursed her lips, refusing to retort anything. "whether you like it or not, I know you Y/n, and I know you're not gonna leave."

It was the riskiest stunt I had pulled in a while, but after a dreadful instant of silence, I realized it had worked.

"You're so goddamn confident about it, aren't you?"

"I also know you're probably considering leaving, just to fucking prove me wrong."

Silence again, her eyes dug into mines as she closed the distance between the two of us to grab her helmet. "You're so full of yourself."

"I'm right, though." I couldn't help but retort with the lightest tinge of amusement in my tone.

"I'm riding with Clint."

[emmappreciate827]

Conversations About Pleasure in Fictional Media: A Brief Overview

This past year, I got to take both a class on the relationship between gender, sexuality, and social media as well as a class on the social politics of sex education. To close out my junior year of college, I've decided to make a small post connecting some of what I've learned from these two courses.

There are many things wrong with our current sexual education systems, but one key lesson that is absent is what pleasure is and why it is essential. When students feel empowered in their right to have pleasurable sex, they are more likely to have safe and healthy sex. This kind of empowerment can allow students to better advocate for condom use (they are allowed to enjoy sex without the fear of STIs or pregnancy!). Additionally, centering some pleasure conversations around masturbation can encourage students to learn more about what they enjoy, which will also allow them to better advocate for what they want (Hirst, 2012).

As most of us know, though, these topics are rarely covered in sexual education courses. So, where can students learn about them? With the growth of different streaming services, students are increasingly learning from TV shows and movies. In this post, I'd like to discuss a few shows and their depictions of pleasure.

1) Bridgerton

To be quite honest, watching this show is what inspired this post. There's a lot to be said about the many steamy scenes, but I'd like to look specifically at Daphne's beginning - her first experience with solo sex. Personally, watching that was the first time I had ever seen female masturbation depicted on screen. I think the most interesting part (that I've come to learn was intentional) was that Daphne is fully clothed for that whole scene. The intimacy coordinators aimed to make this depiction solely about a woman exploring herself and learning what she likes. She was not pandering to the male gaze (Konstantinides, 2021). This shows women that they have the right to learn about their pleasure on their own terms, even before having any other sexual experiences.

2) Sex Education

When looking at shows that taught people about sex ed, this is an obvious choice (if for no other reason than it's all that comes up when you google "sex ed TV shows"). Netflix's Sex Education is not afraid to talk about any "taboo" topics, and people (youth in particular) have praised in for that. In the words of one young girl, it "answered some of [her] weird questions about sex" (Smythe, 2020). In addition to its nitty gritty conversations, this show is also praised for its focus on female pleasure. The storyline of Aimee in particular emphasizes that women have a right to pleasurable sex. In one episode, Aimee is talking dirty with her partner when he stops her and asks her if she is doing that for him or because she enjoys it. Her partner asks him to tell her what she wants to do during sex, and she realizes that she doesn't fully know. She ends up trying out masturbation, and has a glorious montage of pleasurable discovery. The next time that she's with her partner, she is able to advocate for herself and tell him what she wants (Sarmiento, n.d.). This is the perfect example of how solo sex can increase pleasure in partner sex, and it shows why it is so important to teach students about masturbation and its benefits.

3) Industry

For my final show, I'd like to look at HBO's Industry. This one is a little less well-known than the previous two, but it is often regarded to have changed the game of pleasure on TV (alongside Bridgerton) (Firth, 2021). Throughout this show, the main women are depicted as sexually empowered. They are decisive and know what they want. They are horny and fulfilled women, and those two things are not mutually exclusive (Chapin, 2020). (Interestingly, this show depicts the women receiving oral sex more than they engage in penetrative sex, which really shows its focus on female pleasure.) This show is a great example for the kind of confidence that women can have in their sexuality.

This is just a small view of what good depictions of pleasure can look like in fictional media. I do not intend to imply that these shows are without fault (I could write a whole post about whether Simon and Daphne's relationship was healthy) (hint: it was not). But those faults only further emphasize why we need to be teaching students about pleasure in their sex ed courses. Media is what they are turning to. These three shows have some good examples, but the vast majority of television does not. Students have a right to pleasure in their sex lives - beyond all of the personal benefits that they will get from these lessons, they may even go on to know how to depict pleasure in the media that they create.

References:

Chapin, A. (2020, December 18). Thank God for the Horny Women of Industry. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/2020/12/harper-and-yasmin-are-the-horny-women-of-industry.html

Firth, E. (2021, January 28). Women are finally having great sex on TV. https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/sexual-tv-bridgerton-industry-normal-people-b900763.html

Hirst, J. (2013). ‘It’s got to be about enjoying yourself’: Young people, sexual pleasure, and sex and relationships education. Sex Education, 13(4), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2012.747433

Konstantinides, A. (2021, February 4). The “Bridgerton” masturbation scene shows “how far we’ve come” in portraying female pleasure, according to the show’s intimacy coordinator. Insider. https://www.insider.com/bridgerton-masturbation-solo-sex-scene-female-pleasure-2021-2

Sarmiento, I. G. (2019, January 16). From Masturbation to Nude Photos, “Sex Education” Makes Female Pleasure a Priority. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/netflixs-sex-education-prioritizes-female-pleasure

Smythe, P. (2020, January 22). “It answered my weird questions”: What do teens really think of Netflix’s Sex Education? The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/22/it-answered-my-weird-sex-questions-what-teens-really-think-of-sex-education-netflix