#these ended up being longer than I initially planned oops sorry about that!

[oc-place]

For the OC questions; 3, 15, 22, and 37 for Dawn <3

Fifty OC Questions

Ok I'm putting this under a read more because I rambled way too much oops.

How does your OC feel about their birthday?

So I went with the 28th of December for her birthday, thanks to your help! Honestly, probably more positively now than when she was young? With it being in-between Christmas and the New Year, she never really expects much attention anyway. It always felt more like a obligation from her parents when she was younger, so she appreciated whatever she could get.

It was when she reached her teens, that she noticed how the people around her spoke to and about her differently than they used to before. All the talk of womanhood and expectations got worse with each year, and made her dread her birthday. Back then, the main person who was able to make her feel positively about her birthday was Gator, even if it meant they sometimes had to sneak away to celebrate.

It's only after she leaves, and lives with a more supportive family, that they start to encourage her to celebrate her birthday properly, even if she still doesn't expect much attention.

What item does your OC hold most dear?

Well there's the St Jude necklace she's had since she was thirteen (that has likely had to have the chain replaced a couple of times by now). I also think there's a good chance that back when they were dating, Gator got her a necklace with a bird on it that she used to wear all the time too. I think she would have taken that with her when she moved away too, trying to hold onto a scrap of hope, but I think after a couple of years, it probably ends up hidden at the bottom of a jewellery box. (Although it absolutely finds its way back to regular rotation after everything at the ranch) I don't think she was able to take too much with her when she left, so she had to prioritise necessities more when it came to packing, but I know there was more I was thinking of before that I frustratingly can't remember now. I think I'll be coming back to this answer and adding more when I can.

If your OC ever got the chance, would they go back in time? When would they go?

I had a feeling you would ask this one, and honestly it's a complex answer? A sort of yes and no? I assume we're talking about in their own life, and I think for a long time the answer would have been yes, and perhaps unsurprisingly she would have wanted to go back to the last time she spoke (or rather, argued) with Gator, the week before she left. She would always wonder if there had been something she could have said or done to make him come with her instead, so that's why she would have wanted to go back, to try anything to convince him.

Though when she got older (and obviously goes through therapy etc), those stronger feelings would fade, and she would think it was for the best that she left for her own wellbeing and that she didn't really have a choice? And honestly, even after everything that went down after they met again, she wouldn't be fully sure of her answer but she would lean towards no, because she feels that now due to her own experiences and her job etc, that she can help him more now? But obviously she'd still wish he didn't have to go through all that.

So I guess it depends how old Dawn is when the question is posed to her :P (If we're talking more general time travel, I don't think she would want to go back in time. If anything, she would want to see the future, in the hope that life would be better for people.)

What part of yourself do you love in your OC?

This is the toughest question I think! I guess the first thing that comes to mind is the idea of wanting to help others where I can? (And how that comes through with both of my OCs, just in different ways) The other would probably be that for obvious reasons, I'm not much of a physical person, so I have to use my words wisely too, especially in regards to fighting back or conflict resolution and all that I guess. So that's why it just felt right to go down that route for Dawn too?

[alreadyblondenow]

Love is not enough

– Jaehyun x female!reader  – High school au, SMUT, FLUFF, angst?  – 3,984k (this is a drabble for me, don’t expect) – Older Jaehyun by a year, Alcohol consumption, truth or dare, heavy cheating, protected sex, slight nipple play, jaehyun likes tits wbk, fingering, break up, virginity loss, hope I didn’t miss anything. 

The blaring music from your brother’s birthday party disturbed you from your nap… but in a good way because you have a lot of readings to do and you’re planning to pull an all nighter. 

“Y/n it’s me, are you awake?” 

And up you go to your door but you didn’t open it yet, “Yes. I’m awake but I’m studying” you said, teasing the man from the other side of the door. “Go back to the party, Jae. You’re drunk” you tease further. 

“I’ve been drinking soda the moment I arrived- Will you please open the door, I miss you” he sounded sincere, and honestly you wanted to know if he’s telling the truth about the soda. So you opened your door slowly… and see the handsome man leaning on your door frame. Smiling so sweetly and happy to see you in your… shirt and panties only. 

“Can I come in?” he asks nicely and you opened your door widely to welcome him. It was dark and only your lampshade was on. He saw your books on your bed, thinking maybe he really did disturb you. 

“Now what do you want?” you sat on the edge of your bed, him too. He looked so handsome in his simple clothes as always. He giggled and put his hand on top of your knee, slowly making its way up to your waist to pull you closer to him. You still can’t believe you scored someone so handsome and gentle like Jaehyun. 

“I want you. As always.” he said before he proceeds to kiss your neck, making you moan using his lips and showing you how much he misses you by the way he kisses you. Tasting a hint of coke from his lips, now you know that he was telling the truth about the soda.

“You know we can’t. My brother is downstairs, not to mention it's his birthday” you moaned when you feel him open your legs, pushed you down the mattress and stayed in between your legs while kissing you. 

“Liking someone older than you is not a bad thing Y/n, and your brother knows that” he said and lifted your shirt to expose your boobs to him. Sucking your left nipple immediately while kneading the other. Jaehyun’s touch always makes you crazy and lose control, it’s very luring and the next thing you know you’re asking for more. So you reached for his hand, sucked two of his fingers, and from there he knew what to do. 

Pulling your panties to the side and teasing your wet slit with his thumb before he inserts the two fingers that you sucked. Jaehyun reached deep, curling his fingers and pulling them in and out to make you crazy even more. Gradually, he finger fucked you faster, building the momentum but to be honest he just doesn’t want to end it so soon already. But too late, because you’re closing your legs and reaching for his hand for him to stop. 

While you were shivering and your legs are shaking, he pulled out slowly and made you decent again. He really wanted to fuck tonight but he respects your decision. If you’re not ready then he can’t force you. 

“You know it’s been six months since we started seeing each other… secretly. Why can’t we make it official- you know I love you.” He whined and used your tummy as a pillow. Feeling the vibration of your body whenever you talk.  

Was it really six months already now? Did he really ruined your innocence six months ago and since then, he always came back for more even though you always refuse to fuck? 

“Do you still remember the first time I touched you?” he asks. 

“Of course how could I forget?” you smiled and raked his soft hair away from his face and traced his handsome features with your fingers. It all started because of a stupid dare. A stupid dare that changed your lives.

He may be older by a year and you may be his best friend’s sister, but that didn’t stop him from liking and loving you. Sure he had a fuccboi reputation, but he proved to you that he can be serious when it comes to love. 

Six months ago 

It was dark in the closet room and the time is running. Jaehyun was really drunk and you weren’t. That’s why you said yes to the dare. A chance to be in a closet with the hottest, most handsome man in school? Who would say no to that? 

“Well you look innocent, are you scared?” even though he’s drunk he can still be a real gentleman. 

“A virgin but not scared, just kiss me and get it over with” you whispered to him, wrapping your arms around him to pull him closer. 

“Time is running. Let’s do something new, something more exciting than kissing and, make this memorable for the both of us, shall we? Just follow my lead” he says and planted a soft kiss on your lips. 

Before the kiss heated in no time and you feel Jaehyun’s cold hands going inside your shirt and knead your clothed boobs. Lifting your shirt slightly so he can see your boobs and pull your bra cups down, kissing your neck all the way down until he reaches your sensitive parts. 

“Fuck” you moaned but Jaehyun didn’t stop kissing your boobs. 

“Were not on the best part yet,” he said, smiling through the kisses while kneading your boobs and making you dizzy because of his touch. And just like that he put your right nipple in his mouth and sucked it. Licking it from time to time, squeezing it, and biting it slightly. 

Then the timer went off and that completely ruined the moment. “Okay times up-“ 

“Don’t fucking open the door!” Jaehyun yelled so loud that everyone from the other side went silent. “Sorry about that, you just looked so ruined. Here let me help you,” he put your bra cups back and pulled down your shirt. Patting your head and helping you fix your hair. “There, you look innocent again” he smiled and kissed you one last time. 

After that night, Jaehyun always looked forward to seeing you and has been asking you around. But being his best friend’s sister just put him in a more complicated position. 

One Friday night, your brother threw another wild party again and Jaehyun searched and searched everywhere for you, even asked you around but you’re nowhere to be found. “Try upstairs and don’t fuck her” your brother said and Jaehyun was smiling from ear to ear the moment your brother let him see you. 

With a beer in his left hand and a soda on his right, he made his way in front of your room and bravely knocked. “Second floor is off limits! Have sex in my brother’s room” you said shouted and continue typing for your paper. 

“I- uhm. But I don’t want to have sex in your brother’s room,” Jaehyun said awkwardly. He could have said ‘it’s Jaehyun and I’m here to see you’ but he didn’t because he was nervous. Then he knocked again. A little longer this time and now he’s really getting on your nerves. 

“What the fuck do you want?” 

But to your surprise it was Jaehyun. Smiling awkwardly and shyly. Where did the proud and mighty Jaehyun go? 

“I brought you a soda,” but he handed you the beer. “Oops. Sorry. I was nervous,” and he’s telling the truth because he can’t look you in the eye and you can see his hands shaking. 

“You’re not here for sex?” you blurted out. 

“No. I’m here for you,” he answered without hesitation and with all honesty. 

That night, you and Jaehyun talked comfortably in your bed until no one noticed that your bodies were incredibly close and you’re keeping each other warm. You don’t remember who initiated the kiss but you make out and touched each other before he leaves you. Leaving with a promise that he will come back tomorrow, even more sober and more confident he said. 

Day after day, your brother comes home with Jaehyun and your boyfriend comes bolting to your room the moment he steps inside your house. Kissing you like how he misses you, touching you like how he craves for you. 

And whenever your brother throws a party, you and Jaehyun stay in your room and spend time together. Sometimes when his friends want his full attention, he will sneak out and head over to your room and suck your tits for some time, make out, and flirt with you then he will go back to the party as if he didn’t just make you cum using his tongue or fingers a few minutes ago. 

But sometimes, there are quiet nights with Jaehyun where you just eat pizza in the kitchen in the middle of your Netflix marathon. 

“Let’s make it official,” he said while chewing his pizza. 

“What are you talking about? We are official,” 

“That’s not what I meant. Let’s go out publicly, let’s have a date without your brother- do you really love me?” 

“If you’re going to ask something that’s too much for me and then you’re going to doubt my love for you, then I think you should go home Jae-“ 

“Fine, I’m sorry I’m being too demanding again,” then he stopped and cleaned off the pizza crust from his hands. “You know asking you to have sex with me when I completely know that you’re not ready, is too much. That’s too much Y/n,” he said sternly, walked towards the door and went home. 

And that was your first misunderstanding with Jaehyun. It’s not that you don’t love him. High school is just… high school and you don’t want the school gossiping about you winning Jaehyun because you let him suck your tits. He doesn’t care about those kinds of things but you do.    

So he broke up with you.

And regret it every single day. But Jaehyun was really in love with you and reached out to work things out. Good thing you’re really in love with him too so you gave him another chance. From there on the breakup made your relationship stronger because you both learned a lot. He stopped being demanding and you start talking things out with him. 

Six months later 

“Will I be really leaving for college without having sex you?” he pouted like a kid and lie comfortably beside you. 

“Oh Jung Jaehyun shut up, you’re so demanding,” you whined and turned your lampshade off, making your room really dark and cold. Then you started whispering, “but I love you,” you said and kissed him in the dark. Feeling him smile through the sweet kiss. 

He waited for you to fall asleep before he goes home. Didn’t really want to leave but he knew your brother will kill him if he stays over. Locking the door silently, Jaehyun went back to the party and spend some more time with his friends before he comes home. 

The night finished how Jaehyun planned on doing it. Have a couple of beers with his friends then go home and rest. 

But he didn’t expect someone from his past to send him a text in the middle of the night. He wasn’t stupid, he knew it’s a booty call and fuck he’s having a hard time ignoring her texts. 

It’s been months since his last fuck, specifically the night he met you he stopped fucking other girls. But this time, he’s craving for it and he’s about to do a stupid decision. 

In the end he invited her over and they fucked until the sun comes up.

“You know the way out, right?” The girl nods while she continues to wear her clothes. “I have a girlfriend now, just so you know. And I love her. So much” 

“Couldn’t care less Jae, I’m here for your dick not for your heart. But why did you invited me if you love her so much?” she asks. 

“I haven’t had sex in six months,” she snorted and laughed. 

“Well that explains everything. You were a beast the whole fucking time. Anyway, thanks for tonight....and for this morning” she said and left him. 

Even though he poured out all his lust and frustrations during the sex he still feels incomplete and now the heavy feeling of cheating is crushing him. 

The next day, he went to your house with flowers which you don’t know what’s it for. He just smiled and told you that he just wanted to treat you more like a girlfriend even though you’re dating secretly. 

It was a good day for the two of you and as usual, you spend the day either watching movies or talking nonstop while you two are in bed, cuddling close. 

Jaehyun became extremely sweet the following days and maybe it’s because he knew he’s moving away soon for college and he’s not planning to waste even a second he can get with you. “Do you want to go to a party tomorrow?” you blurted out while you help him sort out his Vinyls. 

“Sure. And if people ask if you’re my girlfriend I’d say ‘no I was just accompanying my best friend’s sister’” he giggled. 

“No. Tell them the truth,” you finally said it but you didn’t make eye contact. “Tell them I’m your girlfriend” 

Your boyfriend then put down what he’s holding and attacked you with kisses until you’re lying on the floor and he’s towering you. Obviously, he’s happy, so happy that he’s in tears. 

Little did you know, Jaehyun just feels so bad because he cheated on you. Now he feels unworthy. “Don’t cry stupid, “ you said, raking his hair away from his face and kissing him so you could express your happiness. He returned the kisses and even deepened it to the point that you’re both horny already and you’re moaning. 

“We should stop, I think I’m losing my self control lately,” he said. 

“Then don’t stop,” you said and removed your shirt. Completely startling your boyfriend and shocking him because you’re removing your clothes, “Do you have a condom somewhere?” and that made him shake in nervousness. With quick and panic movements, Jaehyun went to his bathroom and looked for a condom. You on the other hand continued removing your clothes until you’re naked and went under his thick sheets. 

When he came back, he threw the condom on his bed and removed his clothes in front of you, leaving only his boxers briefs because he thought you’re still in your underwear beneath the sheets. Joining you in bed and slowly pulling his thick sheets away, to his surprise you’re naked already. 

“There's really no going back? Are we really going to do this now?” he asks. Crawling to your side and admiring you. He has never seen you fully naked even though you both fool around a lot. “This will hurt, I should warn you” he said and pulled your body closer to him. “Now that we're about to do it, I just want to admire you. You look beautiful,” he placed a kiss on your shoulder and slowly making his way to your neck, whispering more praises to you that makes you shy and giggle. 

“You’re not so bad yourself, now I can understand why girls like you,” you said and he shook his head and rolled his eyes playfully. “But this is about us right?” you said and pulled him closer, telling him to go on top of you. 

You watch him put the condom and shiver when he finally touches your knee to spread your legs open and ran his cold fingers on your wet slit. You stopped yourself from looking at him so instead, you were looking at his ceiling and avoiding eye contact as much as possible because you’re becoming shy. 

“Why are you shy?” he kissed you on the lips and reached for your hands, “Do you want to hug me while we fuck?” You nod without hesitation and Jaehyun hooked your arms around him. “I need you to calm down first, you’re so tensed” and his way to calm you down is to spread kisses on your body, kneading your boobs, sucking your nipples, giving your pussy a few kitten licks. All these so you know that it’s your boyfriend touching you right now. 

And when you’re finally ready, he lifted your legs and spread them open. You always knew that Jaehyun is big and you always knew that first times always hurt so you’re beyond ready now. 

He pushed in. Slowly. The head of his cock is already inside when you looked down, then you see your boyfriend struggling to push in because you’re so tight. 

You were breathing in and out heavily, gasping and groaning while you close your eyes shut and feel Jaehyun push his cock deeper. And when he’s finally in and you feel really full, he pulled out only to push back in a little harder but this time he’s kissing you. “It’s okay, you’re doing great,” he said and made sure that you’re still okay. 

After a few slighty hard and deep thrusts, Jaehyun now can thrust in and out smoothly. Although you’re still groaning and breathing heavily, but the pleasure is there now. Every thrust Jaehyun gave you was incredible and whenever he goes in deeper he made sure to look at you, watch you lose your mind. 

“Tell me if you’re close okay? I want to see you cum because of my cock for the first time,” and all you can do is nod. 

He sucked your boobs while thrusting deeper and harder now, groaning deliciously beside his ear from time to time and keeping him closer to your body. 

“Jaehyun I’m close,” you croaked and you started breathing faster. 

He doubled his pace and pulled his body away from you so he can watch you beneath him. Oh he loves how your eyes are closed now and your head is moving side to side, furrowing your brows and parting your lips. He felt you clenched and it felt fucking good around him that it made him, accidentally flop on top of you and crush you with his weight but you’re alright. 

He thrust faster and harder like an animal to the point that you're pushing his hips away because it's too much already. But the man above you knew what he was doing. The fast thrusts were replaced by slow and deep ones when he came already. 

Lips to lips and body to body. He kept you close while he shoots his cum in the condom and asks if you’re still okay before he pulls out. 

“More than fine,” you said and kissed his sweaty cheek. 

After he discarded the condom and brought you an oversized sweater, he was quiet the whole time while drawing circles on your thigh. “You okay Jae?” 

 You waited for his answer. 

“You were so beautiful while I was fucking you. Beautiful and special,” he blurted out. 

“Well that came out of nowhere. Stop making me shy,” you hide on his chest, you feel him snort and then pulled you in for a hug. 

 The whole summer before he leaves for college, you and Jaehyun spend your remaining days showing everyone that you’re together. Having dates and spending a lot of time outside, going to parties hand in hand, going to parties with Jaehyun’s jacket protecting you from cold. Everyone envied you. And when it comes to sex, you and Jaehyun fucked like rabbits but always in his house. 

It was the perfect phase in a relationship when you both thought you're never going to break up. Everything is fine, and you're going to be forever. And then suddenly someone or something will fuck everything up and ruin everything you both built. 

“Bough us a new box,” he was talking about the condoms. “Thin ones, this feels like we're fucking raw” he explains but you just stare at his phone when you finished reading something you didn’t expect to find. 

“Since when did we stopped respecting each other’s privacy?” He grabbed his phone from your hand and lowered himself so he can see your eyes. 

You were sitting on the edge of his bed and you keep your eyes on the floor. “Please look at me, I’m sorry I fucked up- but can you just please look at me so you know that I’m sincere!!!” He was getting even more frustrated that’s why he yelled at you. You weren't saying anything and you haven't talked about it yet, but he felt that he already lost you. 

So you look at him with angry eyes. Suddenly he forgot what he was about to say. 

Then you slapped him. You slapped him hard over and over again, but he didn’t complain or flinched. "Hurt me more. I deserve it. Punch me, I don't care. Come on," he forced your hand to slap himself, and now you're both in tears because you can see how your relationship is crumbling before you. 

"Hurt me but please don't leave. I will change," he said but it's too late for that. You slapped him one last time, so hard that he fell on the floor and can't do anything else when you stand up and gathered your stuff. Leaving his room and banging his door. 

Jaehyun never hated himself so much. 

Weeks before his graduation and your brother’s graduation, he begged and begged you to come back. Calling your phone every hour, texting you with long messages every day, and even reaching out through your brother. But Jaehyun is not welcomed in your home anymore, so he can’t see you and talk to you too. He can always approach you in person at school, but he's afraid that will only make things worst and he doesn’t want to make a scene at school because that can put you two in trouble. 

He was helpless and he's running out of options on how to win you back. 

One Friday night, you went home pretty late alone and Jaehyun waited for you to come home. He was standing beside your gate and you just ignored him and walked past by. But Jaehyun grabbed your arm tightly. Not because he’s mad but because he’s scared of letting you go.

“How can you come home alone this late? You could have called me, I can pick you up” he said, you didn’t care. “Please talk to me, I don’t want us to break up. I made the wrong decision and I promise it won't happen again, please Y/n.” 

Then he bravely hugged you. 

"This shit that I put you through it's my fault, you're heartbroken because of me. Please let me fix this, I'm sorry. I really don't want us to break up" For a moment there he felt you melting in his embrace. And honestly, you were because you knew that he's sincere and he will be dead serious about him fixing your relationship. 

But you were hurt. And you don't know if you can handle fixing at this time because what he did to you was a whole new level of cheating. You saw the messages, he was the one who invited the girl. That means he chose to hurt you secretly that night.

You love him. So much. But you don't know if love is enough reason for you to give him a chance.  

“You’re forgiven,” you finally said it and returned the hug, which finally made him smile and was about to kiss you but you refused. 

“You’re forgiven but I’m still breaking up with you. Happy graduation. I- uhm... I guess I'll see you around” 

And that’s how Jaehyun lost you. 

[nev3rfound]

guiding you home : b.b

after many years, bucky found the perfect gift for your birthday even if you were no longer around to see it. (1.5k) 

okay so it’s angsty - i found this on my other blog and initially intended to write fluff tonight, but ended up with this oops (warnings: character death, funeral, general sad angst) 

masterlist / permanent taglist 

- i also have an etsy shop, i just released wandavision themed tshirts if you’d like to check those out! -

(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website without being credited, it has not been approved to be shared by me. all rights reserved.)

“Go on, open it,” Bucky can’t stop the smile spreading across his face as you sit upright in bed, taking the small bag from him as you eagerly remove the tissue paper.

“You’ve outdone yourself once again, Buck.” You chuckle, motioning to the effort he has put into the packaging before you lift out a framed image.

Watching you closely, Bucky can see the light in your eyes twinkle, something he’s loved since he first met you. “What do you think?” Bucky asks after a long pause as you carefully eye the framed image in your grasp.

Averting your gaze from the photo, tears glisten in your eyes. “You really did this, for me?” Your voice cracks as Bucky leans closer, resting his hand on your cheek as he softly chuckles.

“I know how much you love them, doll. I had to get you one.” He tells you before leaning in to kiss you, never wanting to let go.

Until Bucky opens his eyes as gentle purrs sound against his neck bring him back to reality.

Forcing himself upright, Bucky glances to the bare side of the bed, still untouched. “Just a dream.” He mumbles to himself, burying his head in his hands whilst Apline jumps off. “It was just a dream.” He repeats, despite the fact it felt so real. It felt like you were there with him, like old times.

As the morning carries on, all Bucky can think about is your reaction. His dream didn’t do it justice, he couldn’t feel the warmth of your skin or the bitterness of your tears against his lips. All he wants is to hold you close, and never let you go.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Steve knocks on the ajar door, stepping through to see Bucky sat in front of your old dressing table.

Your makeup and perfume remain untouched as the dust begins to collect on the items, but your scent still lingers.

“I, I’ll be a minute.” Bucky replies in a hushed tone, not even lifting his gaze from the framed photograph of you and him from your third anniversary, stood outside of your new home with keys in hand. Both of you unaware you wouldn’t make it to Christmas when he had planned to propose.

“Okay, just, we’re all here, you know.” Steve comments with a tight-lipped smile, watching as his oldest friend silently nods before the door closes, leaving Bucky with his thoughts once more.

*

“Thank you all for coming,” Bucky starts as everyone stands with him in the beach as waves crash in the distant. “this was Y/n’s favourite place to visit, even if she complained about the amount of sand that would end up in her clothes or shoes, or moan about it in my metal arm once we got home.” He chuckles, and a series of soft laughter follows suit.

Looking past everyone Bucky smiles as the moonlight reflects against the ripples of the ocean. It was nights like these that always felt special between you both, moments where no one else mattered, whatever was said was kept between you and the sea.

“But regardless, she loved it here.” Bucky carries on, picturing you beside him, holding his hand and squeezing it tightly. “On one of our first real dates outside of the compound, Y/n told me about her love for the stars and the universe. How everything happened for a reason.” Bucky explains, looking at all the glossy eyes and sad smiles. “I told her about my past, about HYDRA and if that was part of this ‘plan.’“ Bucky chuckles, remembering how you weren’t phased like he had anticipated about the details he was ashamed to share.

You sat with Bucky on the edge of the beach, just past the rock wall, telling him it made him who he is now. And without that, who knows what would’ve happened.

“Sometimes, on rare occasions, I questioned her logic. And now, I can’t help but question it more than ever.” Bucky pauses, swallowing the lump in his throat as Sam steps forward, but Bucky raises his hand and nods, he’ll carry on for now.

Averting his gaze from everyone around him, Bucky focuses on the dark sheet of velvet above him as all the stars are out to watch and guide him through this speech in honour of you.

“Today is Y/n’s birthday, and I wanted her to have something that would be unique. She was something else, unlike anyone I had ever met and brought so much light into my life.” Bucky pauses briefly, taking a steady breath before looking back at everyone. “I wanted to find something to reflect that, so with Steve’s help, I got her a star.” Bucky’s voice trembles as he lifts his hand up, pointing up to the sky. “Just past the moon, three stars to the left, that’s Y/n.”

Whilst everyone turns their attention to the sky and attempt to pinpoint said star, Bucky wipes his eyes in a moment of solace.

“And I hope she’s found peace out there, that she’s with everyone else.” His eyes glance over to his friends, all who have lost someone in one way or another. “Even though Y/n is gone, she’ll always be beautiful, watching over us.” Bucky can’t stop his voice from cracking as Wanda passes Steve and passes him a tissue, resting her hand on his back.  

“You did great, Bucky.” Wanda mutters. “Y/n would be really proud of you.” She comments as tears fall from her eyes.

Taking a moment, Bucky inhales deeply before composing himself once more. “Y/n, she er, she’ll never be forgotten.” Bucky wants to finish his speech, for you, but his hands start to shake and everyone’s eyes on him feel like they’re piercing through his skin. “She, she’ll always be the light of my night, guiding me through.” He forces the words out as he falls to the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks as he bites his tongue, holding the sob back that wracks through his body.

Without glancing up, Bucky knows his friends and colleagues are closer to him, standing guard. “It’s okay, Buck,” Steve whispers as Bucky grips Steve’s shirt as his silent whimpers subside into quiet sobs. “you did her justice.”

“Come on, I’ll drive him home.” Sam calls out as Steve helps Bucky across the beach, not daring to look back at the sky.

*

“You think he’ll be okay on his own?” Sam questions as Steve walks out from the house that you were supposed to grow old in, noting the withering flowers that once bloomed.

“I hope so,” Steve answers truthfully. “I think it’ll just take time.”

Inside of the house, Bucky sits in the kitchen, nursing a glass of scotch despite it doing nothing besides burning his throat, it was a needed distraction. Yet all he can see in the brown liquid is the moonlight pouring through the large windows.

When you chose the house, you adored the big windows, allowing as much natural light to radiate through the floors. You hated feeling claustrophobic, and this eased that fear. After living in the compound for so many years, living in a house was grounding for you both, a place just to call yours.

Now it couldn’t be further from grounding as it felt like a taunt of what Bucky once had.

Downing the last of his scotch, Bucky throws the empty glass at the window, shattering the scotch glass into pieces.

The sound of Alpine meowing alerts Bucky, snapping him out of his anger at everything.

“Alpine, please, stop.” Bucky grumbles, but Alpine persists from upstairs.

Sighing heavily, Bucky traipses up the stairs, finding Alpine looking out from the balcony in your shared bedroom.

“Alpine?” Bucky calls out, seeing his cat situated happily on the wooden panels as he looks up at the sky as the moonlight illuminates his whiskers. “Come on in, pal.” Bucky motions as he stands in the doorway of the balcony, but Alpine meows in protest once more.

Admitting defeat, Bucky sits down beside his cat, looking up at the sky and focuses on your star.

“I know, I miss her too.” Bucky speaks up as Alpine curls up on his lap.“But she’s looking out for us, just up there.” Bucky smiles sadly as he points up to the sky, but Alpine is fast asleep.

Remaining in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Bucky takes everything in. He’s not been on the balcony since you passed, everything just hurt too much. But maybe this was part of the ‘plan’ you always talked about.

Maybe healing won’t be as painful as Bucky has pictured it being, but you’ll be there, whether he can see you or not.

“Happy birthday, Y/n.” Bucky mutters as a tear falls down his cheek as he focuses on your star, swearing he can see it twinkle like the light in your eyes, one last time.

t a g l i s t (thank you for the support!) link in my bio and at the top of this piece to add yourself☺️(if your user isn’t tagged, it’s because nothing comes up sorry!)

@biss-stuff @psychicforest  @lourightm @mywinterwolf   @justsomedreaming @stanlux17 @smokeandnailz @supermoonchildbroski @xrosegoldwolfx @courtneychicken @marvelsangels @supraveng @tommy-lee-81 @smilexcaptainx @fandom-princess-forevermore @sarge-barnes-sir @pleasantlysecretdream @decaffeinated–fangirl @howdyherron @kirby-boo @florencxs @eldahae @handmesomecoffee @hi-my-name-is-riley @dev1lbella @thanossexual @alissaginger @sambucky8 @notbrooklynsblog @nikkixostan@cosmiccaptian @adoreyou976 @sarcasticallywitty15 @multi-fandom-princess07 @16boyfriends-and-me @courtneychicken @mackevanstan80 @torchwoodoctor @pleasantlysecretdream  @yougottalovefandoms @magicalxdaydream @soccer-100000 @tenaciousperfectionunkown @talksoprettyjjx @btsonthedaily @jessyballet @katiaw2 @buckyswildflower  @lucrea @weenersoldierr​

[4kominato]

Part II: The Younger Brothers

Part I: The Older Brothers

A/N: GOD IDK WHY I HAD SUCH A HARD TIME WITH THIS... probably not gonna do as well as pt 1 but mehhh its fine... idk if ill be doing more Obey Me reactions in the future since i have trouble connecting with some of them but we'll see. Hope yall enjoy this though ✌🏻

DESCRIPTION: Female MC making the brothers hard for the first time. Assume MC x Demon are in a fairly new relationship. [[NSFW below]]

(Word Count: 529)

[Asmo ♡]: Where are you? Your food is getting cold

[Asmo ♡]: Hello?

[Asmo ♡]: Are you ignoring me?

[Asmo ♡]: Is everything okay?

[Asmo ♡]: You’d better be in your room, I’m checking on you once dinner is done

You awoke to the sound of your D.D.D buzzing next to your ear, messages blowing up on the bright screen and making you squint. When you saw it was your boyfriend Asmodeus, you decided to give him a quick call back to let him know you’re okay. It was finals week and just before dinner, you’d finished taking your last exam. After pulling multiple all nighters, you ended up crashing as soon as you’d gotten back to your room.

“Oh my gosh, you’re alive!” Asmo exclaimed, answering after only a few rings.

“Yeah sorry, babe, I was exhausted after my exams so I took a nap. Are you still coming to my room?”

“Mhm! Just give me a few minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

Ending the call, you placed your phone back on your nightstand before making yourself presentable, and just as he’d said, within a few minutes there was a knock at your door and when you opened it, you were met with a smiling Asmodeus.

“I packed up your dinner for you,” he said as you let him in, “I warmed it up too!”

“Thanks, babe,” you smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek as you took the food from him, “You’re the best!”

“Oh stop, you are,” he giggled, pressing a kiss to your lips.

The two of you became official a few weeks before finals, but with both of you so busy preparing for the semester's end, you hadn’t gotten the chance to spend much quality time together. This would be the first time you were hanging out together without having to worry about school.

“You should eat,” Asmo spoke as the two of you made yourselves comfortable on your bed, “Skipping meals isn’t good for your beautiful body.”

“But I just woke up… Let’s just cuddle for a bit first, I missed you.”

“Well, I can’t say no to cuddles. I missed you too.”

As he pulled you closer, you slung your legs over his thigh and wrapped your arms around his torso, your head resting against his shoulder.

“Wow, we’ve never cuddled like this before,” Asmo beamed as he ran his fingers through your hair, “It’s been almost a month now and our intimacy has hardly progressed!”

“We were busy, it couldn’t be helped.”

“It can be helped now,” he suggested, his lips forming into a smirk as he stared at you pleadingly.

“I… can’t disagree with that,” you replied, returning him a smirk as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

He didn’t even hesitate for a second before pressing his lips against yours, gently laying you down on the bed as he made himself comfortable between your legs, his hips flush against yours.

“Asmo…” you started, face flushed feeling his bulge pressing against you, “You’re um…”

“Excited? Can you blame me? I’ve been waiting to do this for so long! Just relax, I’ll take good care of you.”

(Word Count: 527)

It’d been a while since Beel and you had last planned a date, both of you being backed up with school work and other responsibilities. Finally though, you guys were able to find an opening in your schedules, so you decided to have a picnic together in the RAD garden.

The two of you had woken up early to prepare, knowing that cooking and packing the food would take a while, given Beel would always eat some of the food during the preparation. It took you a few hours, but finally, you were able to finish making the food and packing everything, so the two of you headed off to the RAD garden to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

“Here, Beel,” you offered, holding a rice ball up to his mouth to feed him, cupping your hand beneath it to catch any droppings.

“Mm,” Beel hummed happily as he took out half of the rice in a single bite, and then quickly finished it with another. It always made you so happy to see Beel enjoying your cooking, so you continued to pick at the various dishes you’d created and feed them to him. It didn’t take long at all for the two of you to finish all the food, but you did have one more thing up your sleeve.

“Hey Beel,” you announced, a cheeky grin on your face as your hand dug through your purse to pull out a small tupperware, “It’s not much, but I made these last night and hid them as a surprise dessert for today.”

Carefully opening the lid, you revealed that what you’d prepared was some chocolate covered strawberries. You were about to grab one and feed it to him, but somehow, he managed to beat you at snatching the fruit and to your surprise, he held it up to you to eat first. Despite your shock, you couldn’t turn down his offer so you took your first bite into the strawberry, some of the chocolate breaking off and falling into Beel’s free hand.

“Mm, sorry,” you replied bashfully, before licking up the remaining chocolate bits from his hand. When you looked back up, you could see the bright pink tint brushed over Beel’s cheeks, a rather flustered expression on his face. While you were initially puzzled by his strange reaction, it didn’t take long for you to at least get an idea of what may have caused it. Focusing back on the strawberry, you took another bite to finish what was left of the fruit, but this time, you let your lips linger on his fingers for a bit longer than you normally would… and you were right.

You didn’t think it was possible, but his cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red as you finally withdrew from him, a cheeky grin forming on your lips.

“Um…” Beel started, breaking eye contact as he rubbed the back of his neck, “You always feed me… so I wanted to try feeding you… I think I like it more than expected.”

“Hm, I see,” you teased, noticing the tent in his pants, “Wanna feed me more then?”

(Word Count: 524)

It was just a normal day for you at RAD; your classes had just finished and you were on your way back to your room… that is, until you were startled by the sound of your D.D.D ringing loudly in the hall. It was Belphegor.

“Hello?”

“Hi… are your classes done?”

“Yeah.”

“Come to my room then.”

“Why?”

“Just come...”

“Alright, I’m on my way.”

“Great. See you soon.”

Stopping in your tracks, you made a 180 and started making your way to Belphegor's room instead. It didn’t take long to get there, and upon your arrival you knocked firmly on the door. You were greeted almost immediately, followed by Belphegor pulling you into the room and pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

“I missed you,” he giggled as he led you to his bed, “Come take a nap with me.”

Lifting the covers, he gestured for you to climb into the bed first, and then he joined shortly after.

“I love napping with you,” he smiled as he took your hand in his own and scooted closer to you.

“I love it too, Belphie… but you should really give me more notice when you wanna nap together, you always tell me so last minute.”

“But that’s so much work… Besides, I don’t choose when I feel like napping with you, it just happens.”

“Alright, fine…” you caved, given that he did have a valid point.

Snuggling up against his side, your hand rested comfortably on his stomach as you let your legs entwine with his. He hummed in contentment at the intimacy, his body relaxing as he prepared for his nice, soothing nap.

Unfortunately, he was only able to sleep for a short while before being suddenly awakened by you stirring in his hold. As you shifted around on the bed, your legs began to rub against his thighs, occasionally riding up higher and approaching his crotch. He tried to close his eyes again and ignore it, but there was no way he could simply stop feeling what you were doing to him… even if it was unintentional.

“Are you okay?” you asked groggily, feeling that his body had become abnormally tense.

“Mhm,” he hummed quietly as he took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down before you could discover what was really going on.

Unlucky for him, as you squirmed around even more, trying to make yourself comfortable, your leg slipped just a little too high and brushed over his bulge, eliciting a soft moan from him.

“Oops, sorry,” you giggled at the realization, “Didn’t realize you were all… excited.”

“Well if it weren’t for you feeling me up in your sleep…” he grumbled, a tinge of pink forming on his pale cheeks as he turned his head away from you.

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” you argued, cupping his face in your hand and forcing him to look back at you, “I’ll tell you what, since I caused this ‘problem,’ would you forgive me if I took care of it for you?”

“Hmm… sounds like a fair trade,” he grinned, knowing exactly what you meant.

[butterbeerblurbs]

i absolutely adore all of your works you are BEYOND talented!! i have a request for the 1+1 drabble game if you’re feeling it! situation 27: seeing each other for the first time in a while and sentence 14: “well geez if you don’t like what i’m wearing i can go and change” where the reader and fred have been separated all day leading up to the yule ball so that he doesn’t see the readers dress and there’s a big sweet reveal and he’s sorta speechless?? there seems to be a lack of yule ball fics with an established fred x reader relationship!! up to you if you want to continue on to the ball but never change your writing it’s incredible!!

ahhh thank you so much for this :") your message is really, really sweet!!! and i'm a sucker for some yule ball action LMAO SO I DEFINITELY WENT AHEAD WITH THAT DARLING!!! i hope you like this!!

note: the 1+1 drabbles game is over! this is the last one, hehe. i’ll do another drabble game soon! >:)

a small little drabbles game based on this list! [web masterlist] | [tag: 1+1 drabbles]

situation: 27 - seeing each other for the first time in a while sentence: 14 - "well geez, if you don’t like what i’m wearing i can go and change.”

fred had no idea how this could have happened. the one night he had been anticipating for the longest time since he got together with you and he... lost sight of you? let’s not even mention that he had waited for you by the stairs–oops, got distracted for like a second–and he’s told you’re gone? 

it made no sense!

he spends the first thirty minutes of the ball trying to look for you. high and low, past every table and again just in case he missed a person. his feet is killing him at the speed he’s darting back and forth but he can’t help it. he wanted to see you so much that each minute away is a minute gone from being able to spend this magical night with you.

his search for you ends when he feels a tap on his shoulders, just by the doors of the entrance (which he planned on leaving to start searching for you outside the hall). he turns around, expecting george or something to tell him he’s being an impatient arse for nearly forty-five minutes but instead... he sees you.

his jaw drops involuntarily when his eyes drink in the image of your beauty. your dress is a different color than you had told him about; rather than white, it’s a light violet that still compliments your skin. an off-shoulder a-line dress hugs your body, the straps gracing your mid-arms and the middle straps your waist; contrasting the flow of your dress lining over your knees. your hair, clipped with flowers blossoming between the roots; the faint dusting of makeup on your face (though he always argues you don’t need any). altogether it felt like a portrait of you he’d want to embed in his mind forever.

he feels his lungs closing in, unable to breathe properly. his silence is biting your insides the longer he goes on without saying anything. nervously, you rub the back of your neck, your other hand lightly hits his chest.

“w-well, jeez, if you don’t like what i’m wearing, i’ll go change,” you try to lighten the mood under fred’s heavy gaze, only to find yourself talking to yourself when fred still doesn’t talk.

you can’t even admire him properly as he’s dressed in his dress robe; the lovely brown fabric accenting his whole black and white look that was supposed to match your white dress. his hair, effortlessly combed as it flows below his ears. if you weren’t so nervous, you would’ve been swooning over your own boyfriend... who still can’t speak, apparently.

“sorry i wasn’t able to meet you by the stairs. some arse-face spilled a drink over my dress and i had to do a quick change and angelina was a real life saver with–!”the remaining words to your sentence is muffled and swallowed when fred darts forward with his hands on your cheeks, pulling you towards him for a kiss.

initially rushed, it mellows out into a slow dance of your lips against fred’s. you lean closer, hands snaking up his shoulders and around his neck, tugging him down. he gladly obliges, grinning into the kiss, allowing one of his hands to wrap around your waist and anchor you close to him.

when fred pulls back from kissing you, you’re breathless. blinking up to him past the twinkling lights hovering in the ballroom, the kind of spark in your eyes setting fred’s heart ablaze the more he stares at you. he presses his forehead down on yours, smiling.

“you look so beautiful,” he murmurs, his hand on your cheek now brushing the corner of your lips, “so breathtakingly gorgeous,”

“you don’t look half-bad yourself, freddie,” you giggle, allowing your fingers to dance along the ends of his hair behind his neck.

“can i finally ask you to dance with me?”

“if you didn’t, i think i’d kick you in the shin right about now,”

“can’t have that then,” he snorts, retracting his hands from you, only to grab onto your hand and drag you to the dance floor. you yelp, feeling the air pack out of your lungs as fred guides you towards the center; maneuvering past everyone to get there. 

when you do, it feels like the spotlight’s shining on you and fred–though it could be in your imagination–but all you see is fred. and through fred’s eyes, all he could see is you, too.

[ayybtch]

Alcoholic Juice Box

Bucky Barnes x f!Reader

Summary: Adulthood sucks. You know what doesn’t suck? Blanket forts and alcoholic juice boxes.

Word count: 1,773

Warnings: Liberal use of the word ‘fuck’ and variations of the word ‘fuck’, brief mention of financial troubles, brief mention of crappy friends and family who are too focused on their own nonsense to care about the well being of anyone else, alcohol mentions and some alcohol consumption at the very end.

A/N: This maybe got a tad personal and self indulgent (oops). Before anyone asks, yes this was my actual stress response. I’m not proud of it but it worked! 😂 also, a very special thank you goes to the lovely @kellyn1604​ for giving this a quick read for me 💕

A Mutual Weirdness Masterlist 

Bucky sighed in relief as he finally sat down in the back of the Quinjet. He, Sam, and Steve had been on a mission nonstop for the past twelve days tracking down Hydra agents. His whole body ached and he was desperate for some normal human interaction. Specifically, he was desperate for normal human interaction with you. All nonessential phone calls or text conversations had been prohibited, so it truly had been twelve days of uninterrupted Steve and Sam. Normally they made for great company and he enjoyed being around them. But now? Now Bucky was almost ready to never see their faces again. He thought on multiple occasions during the mission that all SHIELD trainees should have to endure Sam’s singing for hours on end as a part of their hostage training. If they can survive that with Steve’s occasional attempts at harmonizing, they can survive anything.

Once the Quinjet was in the air, he took out his phone and sent you a quick text saying they were on their way back. Not even a minute later, Bucky’s screen lit up with an incoming Facetime call from you. His heart surged at the thought of seeing you hours before he initially expected to and answered without a moment's hesitation. The smile written on his face fell as soon as he saw you.

You looked terrible. The exhaustion he felt after twelve days of work suddenly seemed like nothing compared to the exhaustion written on your face. You tried to smile at him, but the smile didn’t fully reach your eyes. Bucky’s gut twisted.

“Doll, what’s going on? Are you okay?” he asked, his voice dripping with worry.

You tried to nod yes but burst out in tears instead. The tears kept coming and after a few minutes, Bucky really started to worry.

“When you feel ready, take a couple deep breaths for me. Tell me what’s going on so I know how to help.”

It took a few minutes, but your tears started to slow and your breathing began to even out. Bucky smiled at you reassuringly as you took a few deep breaths before starting to talk.

“Bucky, I’m so sorry. You’ve been on a mission and here I am crying before you even had the chance to say hello,” you said, wiping away a stray tear rolling down your cheek.

“These past few days have just been really hard. Well, the past couple of months really, but everything’s starting to hit me all at once. School sucks, I can’t believe they’re allowed to charge me what they are. College is stressful enough as it is, why does paying for it have to be challenging too? I work thirty hours a week during the semester and over forty during breaks, yet I still can’t afford to go to school without taking out student loans. It’s bullshit. On top of all of that, I still have my regular bills to pay too!

“And as if financial stress isn’t enough, my family and friends have all decided that this week was the week to start up as much drama as possible…” you trailed off and a new round of tears began.

Bucky’s heart broke as he watched your body shake with each new sob. He desperately wished it was his hands wiping away your tears instead of your own.

The tears ended a little quicker this time, but the sadness didn’t quite leave your face as you started to speak, “My family is fighting over something stupid and using me as the go-between because I wasn’t there when the argument started. But at the same time, they’re bitching at me for ‘never being there’ when it’s their own fault for not inviting me!

“My friends are also upset that I don’t have the time to see them as often anymore and are bitching about that. One of them is freaking out in particular because she thinks she’s about to be dumped, while another is complaining about how much she doesn’t like being married because now her mother-in-law expects grandbabies. I’m fucking tired of everything and everyone.”

Bucky waited to see if you were going to continue before he spoke. “Doll, I am so sorry. That’s a lot to handle all at once. What can I do to help?”

You shook your head. “I don’t think there’s much you can do, Bucky. I just let things build up too much and they all exploded at once.” You paused for a moment and let out a bitter chuckle, “This whole adulting thing is a load of garbage. What a fucking scam. I can’t believe I ever wanted to grow up.”

Bucky couldn’t hold back his laughter. Before he could say anything though, you spoke up again

“You know what? Fuck it. I’m done being an adult. I’m going to go do something childish and ignore all my adult responsibilities.”

Bucky snorted. “Oh yeah? What childish thing are you going to do?”

You pondered for a moment, eyebrows furrowed together as you considered your options. Bucky could see the lightbulb go off in your head before a smug smile crept up onto your face. “I’m going to build a blanket fort. Nobody expects adult things from someone who’s hanging out in a blanket fort”

If you hadn’t looked and sounded so serious, Bucky would’ve laughed again. Instead, he just nodded and smiled.

You weren’t amused by his lack of enthusiasm. “Oh c’mon, are you really telling me that a blanket fort isn’t the obvious solution to my problems?”

Bucky went to reply, but you cut him off with a gasp as a look of pure joy swept across your face. The joy soon transitioned into a look that screamed pure chaos. Bucky suddenly felt nervous.

“I’m going to go to the store and get juice boxes before I start. The blanket fort was a brilliant first step in my ‘Fuck The Scam That Is Adulthood’ plan, but the juice boxes -” you mimed a chef kiss “- are the icing on the cake.”

“Juice boxes, huh? That one’s a little surprising,” he teased. “Do you want me to make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to go along with that? Or maybe you’d like some fruit snacks?”

You smiled devilishly back at him, “Well, it needs to be an alcoholic juice box though. That’s the one part of adulting I do like, so it gets to be the exception.”

This time Bucky didn’t even bother trying to hold back his laughter. “I’m not sure anything describes you better than an alcoholic juice box.”

“Agreed. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go buy myself some juice boxes, make the blanket fort of my dreams, and then hide in it whilst pretending the world doesn’t exist. Come over as soon as you’re home and ready. Bring some food with you!”

The call ended abruptly and Bucky stared at the screen in disbelief for a moment before he chuckled. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, wondering how he ended up with someone as beautiful and crazy as you. He was still worried of course. Everything you had mentioned that was contributing to your stress was a lot. He fell asleep trying to plan out how to help you and what he could do to help keep things from being bottled up for this long again.

Three hours and a hot shower later, Bucky found himself walking up the steps to your apartment with food from your favorite Chinese restaurant in hand. He unlocked the door and made his way in, kicking off his shoes by the door.

“Doll, it’s me. Where are you?”

He heard you giggle slightly before calling out to him, “I’m in my room.”

He made his way back towards your room and his feet froze before he was fully in the door. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. You had built the most massive blanket fort he had ever seen. Fort was no longer the appropriate word to use; it was a blanket castle. He knew you were chaotic, but this...this was an entirely new level of chaotic, even for you.

Chairs from the living room and kitchen had been brought in as support beams, packing tape was being used to hold up one side of a sheet against the wall, and couch cushions were arranged to create a small tunnel as an entrance to the fort. The empty bed frame suggested you had even moved your mattress onto the floor for the sake of this damn fort. Once the initial shock wore off, he crouched down and carefully crawled inside.

Every pillow and cushion in your apartment was inside the fort with you, along with the few blankets that somehow hadn’t been used in the fort itself. You were curled up under your comforter with a bottle of wine in hand.

“I have to say when you said you were building a blanket fort I certainly did not expect something this big.” He leaned forward and gave you a quick kiss to the forehead as you giggled at his surprise.

““That’s what you get for underestimating my fort-making abilities,” You took a long sip of wine straight from the bottle before handing it to Bucky.

“I commend you on your taste in juice boxes, though I’d hardly call this a box.” he teased. He held up the bottle and looked at it closer before adding, “You also seem to have drunk most of it already. Guess I should have brought my own.” He estimated there was barely enough wine left to fill half of a glass. You sat there and shrugged.

“I’ll have you know I did consider getting a boxed wine to be more authentic. I decided against it though because that one’s harder to casually drink from. But bottle, schmottle - it’s a minor detail at this point. As to your astute observation about that one being almost empty, there are two more in the fridge. You can go open one up if you’re wanting some,” You paused for a moment before continuing, “The far more important concern right now is if you remembered to get extra egg rolls. You know how much drunk me loves egg rolls.”

Bucky rolled his eyes before dutifully reaching into the bag of takeout that had been haphazardly pushed to the side and pulling out three orders of egg rolls. A happy squeal and a quick peck on the cheek was all he needed to think that maybe your approach to adulthood wasn’t half bad.

[kyber-crystal]

steady || obi-wan kenobi

summary: even amidst the chaos of the war, obi-wan is always there to remind you that you don’t have to carry your burdens alone. 

words: ~1.8k

warnings: mentions of death, violence, flashbacks to traumatic events (essentially mild PTSD), angst-to-fluff, mutual pining (oops my cliche side has jumped out here)

a/n: requested by the one and only @rentskenobi !! i’m sorry if this was really bad lol this is actually my first time writing for him. the middle-end was really poorly written i’m so sorry fffff

The war was beginning to take a toll on you.

It was affecting everyone to an extent, of course. As you walked around the halls you were met with tired eyes and lowered, worn-out voices telling you that you weren’t the only one who felt completely drained.  

You threw yourself into your work—working extra hours with the Council and helping strategize battle plans, organizing committees and having longer meditation sessions with Yoda. If sacrificing a good night’s sleep was what it took to keep all the intrusive thoughts at bay, then you were more than willing to take up on the offer. 

You did your best to keep your head held high but as time passed, it grew increasingly difficult. Hope seemed too far away on the horizon for you to reach out to it and actually believe it was in fact, going to get better. You were trying, but it got harder every day.

And Obi-Wan noticed. As a Jedi, you’d trained yourself to show no emotion whatsoever, or very little if you ever did—but being as observant as he was, he was quick to notice. It was all the little things that gave it away—the way you were constantly clearing your throat before speaking because it sounded hoarse and wobbly—as if you were on the verge of tears, the dark circles underneath your red-rimmed eyes, and how your hands always went up to fiddle with the moon-shaped charm he’d given you that hung from your neck.

You hadn’t eaten or slept in a solid six days. The dull migraine at the back of your head and sharp hunger pangs in your stomach told you to rest up and get proper nutrients into your body, but you ignored them. Maybe if you keep yourself on your feet, it’ll be easier to forget, you told yourself. 

But no matter how much you tried to convince yourself that you were okay, the guilt still sat heavily upon your shoulders. 

You knew you could’ve stopped them; you had all the power to. But you didn’t. You couldn’t, and you failed.

It was only a few weeks into the war when you’d lost your old mentor, your friend, your parental figure whom you stayed close to long after you’d completed your Trials—and, being who you were, you took it upon yourself to put all the blame on your shoulders. Because technically, it was, was it not? You knew if you’d gotten there in time, if you were even just the tiniest bit faster and more observant and paid better attention, she would be alive. 

You caught a glimpse of your reflection in the bathroom’s mirror as you entered your quarters, and did a double take. 

Gripping the edges of the sink, you stared back at the woman in the mirror. Her hair, normally plaited in elegant braids or pulled back into an updo, tumbled loosely and informally down her shoulders. Were those eye bags always there to begin with? Or had they recently appeared?

It was maybe half an hour or so later that you finally crawled into bed—without bothering to change. Fatigue was pressing down on your body rather heavily, but sleep never came.

You woke up screaming. 

There was no way in hell you were going back to sleep—not when the prospect of your premonitions coming true were still fresh in your mind. You weren’t going to lose him the way you lost your master—the thought alone was too much to bear.

Without thinking about what you were doing, you got out of bed and quietly made your way down the hall. 

Obi-Wan yawned as he opened the door and rubbed his eyes with one hand. “It’s 2 in the morning, what—Y/N, what are you doing awake?” He immediately paused when he saw the remnants of teartracks on your cheeks, falling silent as he placed a gentle hand on your back and ushered you inside. 

Without a word, you climbed into bed, and Obi-Wan didn’t say anything either as he pulled the sheets over you. 

You longed to be like him—to spend your nights not worrying about being plagued with terrifyingly realistic nightmares, to fall asleep almost at the very moment your head hit the pillow. The last time you remembered such a thing happening to you had been nearly a full year ago—but with the way time passed you by now, it felt like a lifetime. You wanted to ask Obi how in Force’s name did he sleep so well amongst an intergalactic war with seemingly no end to all its pain and suffering?

"What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” you mumbled as you turned your face more towards the pillow. It smelled just like him—warm coffee and citrus—and for a moment, it seemed to calm you down.

He sighed, and carefully slid in between the sheets right next to you. “Why don’t you try and sleep, alright? You need rest.” 

"Mhmm.”

“Now get some rest, my love.” 

You woke up sweating bullets, chest rising and falling as you struggled to catch your breath. You initially panicked when you looked around and couldn’t see Obi-Wan, but your shoulders sagged in relief upon seeing he was still there, sleeping peacefully right next to you, his hand brushing against yours ever-so-gently.

He stirred in his sleep slightly as you pushed yourself up into a sitting position. 

“Y/N?” he mumbled, still only half-conscious as he turned to face you, immediately sitting up as well as he saw you staring blankly ahead. “Y/N. Are you alright? You’re trembling.”

“I’m fine,” you replied, but the shakiness in your tone gave it away. “Obi-Wan, go back to sleep. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” He took your hand in his, gently rubbing patterns into your palm. Force, the way his blue eyes shone brightly even in the dark...the way the seemed to stare straight into your soul... 

“I can’t sleep.”

Obi-Wan paused for a moment. He got up out of bed and motioned for you to do the same. 

“What are you...”

“Shh. Come with me, there’s something I want to show you.”

His warm hand slipped into yours again as he led you down the hallway and up a long, winding staircase, and kept holding on until you finally reached the top, pushing open the heavy doors together to reveal a sprawling, open balcony. 

“What is this place?” You were practically speechless as you stared up at the star-littered sky. 

“It’s one of the meditation balconies...I often come here when I find that I can’t fall back asleep. Stargazing is rather helpful in clearing the mind.”

“It’s beautiful,” you exhaled. “It’s so hard for me to find time to come even during the day...”

You sought solace in staring up at the skies. It was rare, being able to gaze upwards into a cloudless, clear abyss when you were so often surrounded by the atrocities of war. So you were grateful for any night in which you were able to see the stars.

“You seem tired,” he noted, gazing worriedly at your appearance. 

“Who isn’t at this point?” you exhaled, faking a laugh. “I’d be genuinely surprised to find someone around here who gets adequate rest.”

“Y/N, please tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m fine, Obi-Wan. I keep telling you there’s no need to worry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“What?” The sudden sternness in his tone took you by surprise. 

“You’re not okay, Y/N. You haven’t slept properly in a week, nor have you had any proper nourishment along with it. You almost passed out in the middle of sparring with Anakin, and Master Windu released you from yesterday morning’s meeting early because you were on the verge of knocking out cold. You don’t think I’ve noticed? I’m worried...if you don’t tell me what’s wrong, how am I supposed to help?”

You bit your lip and anxiously fiddled with your thumbs. “I haven’t slept in six days. Seven...if you count when I fell asleep during that meeting.”

“A week? If you keep it up, you’re going to fall ill. You almost have.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

You shook your head. “I had a bad dream."

“And you didn’t bother to tell me?” Obi looked more concerned rather than upset. “Y/N.”

“I didn’t want to be a burden to you. You have enough on your plate as it is,” you mumbled. 

“You’re not a burden. I’d much rather listen and help you than have you go through it alone.”

You let out a long sigh and crossed your arms over your chest, staring blankly out at the darkened horizon. It seemed that everything nowadays served as some sort of bad omen. “I’ve been having these dreams for months on end...but I don’t even know if that’s what you can call them anymore. And I can’t lose you. I can’t let any of this become real.”

“You won’t lose me, Y/N, you have my word.”

“Are you sure?”

“Dreams pass in time.”

Releasing a shaky breath, you leaned forward and pressed your forehead against his broad shoulder, letting him slide his arms around your waist and gently kiss the top of your head. He lets his lips linger there; neither of you say anything about it. 

Obi-Wan found himself going down a risky path. He knew better than to grow attached. But now that he was made well aware of your fear over losing him, his equal fear towards having you taken away from him as well had become too prominent for him to to keep brushing off to the side. If he couldn’t do so much as protect himself from imminent danger, he would do everything in his power to keep you safe under his wing for as long as he could. 

He glances down at your peacefully dozing figure for several moments. You looked so serene, so young, while you slept all curled up against him and wrapped up in the sheets. And right then and there, the thought of wondering how it’d be to wake up next to you every day for the rest of his life hits him like a truck. 

Brushing your hair away from your forehead, he places a hand to your face and skims his thumb across your cheekbone. He wants to stay like this, even if it’s only for a little while longer.

This isn’t right, he tells himself. But he can’t resist; there’s something about you that prevents him from doing so.

“You’re staring,” you mumbled, eyes still closed.

Obi blinked in surprise, slightly taken aback. “You’re awake.”

“...What time is it?”

“Half past nine.”

“I’m going back to sleep,” you muttered, throwing the sheets over your face to cool yourself down. Despite your effort, you could still feel your face burning. “I haven’t rested in six days. Goodnight.”

He chuckled, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “Alright. Sleep well, my love.”

tags (including sw mutuals that might be interested): @haydens-moles @thedevilwearsbeskar @propertyofdindjarin @arkofblake @stardust-kenobi @poesflygirl @voguesir @fl0ating @anakinswhore​ @rynhaswritersblock​ @dracos-jedi-marvel​ @marvel-dameron​

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[heyitssmiller]

Chop It Like It’s Hot

Chapter 4: A Whisk We’re Willing to Take

I think this is turning into a much longer story than I had initially planned... oops. To the anon who sent that lovely ask about the dream they had - this one’s for you! I changed it up just a little bit, but I definitely got the inspiration from you! Also, thank you to everyone who’s been keeping up with this! I appreciate each and every one of you. <3 

In case you missed them, here’s the links to the previous chapters! 

Chop It Like It’s Hot Masterlist

@lumosinlove

 I think we need to talk.

Logan panicked the entire time he and Finn wandered the hallway trying to find someplace quiet to talk, Finn’s words echoing in his head. ‘We need to talk’ was never a good thing.

Especially when he had just almost-kissed someone who wasn’t Finn.

Fuck.

They finally found a secluded corner. Logan was already nervously talking before Finn had even turned around. “Look, Finn–” The redhead’s hand over his mouth prevented him from continuing.

“You like Leo, don’t you?”

Logan refused to look at him and took his hat off to run a hand through his hair. “I… Finn, I’m sorry. Who does this? It’s so messed up, I’m so messed up–”

“Well then I’m messed up, too!”

“What?” He finally looked up, scared of what he might see. But Finn, against all odds, didn’t look mad. Quite the opposite, really.

He looked ecstatic.

“I like him too.”

“What?”

Finn grinned, nodding enthusiastically. “I’ve been researching poly relationships for about a week now.” He suddenly grabbed Logan’s hand in a fierce grip. “And it’s not messed up. We’re allowed to love whoever we want, and screw anyone who thinks otherwise.”

“You never said anything!”

“I was scared you wouldn’t feel the same!”

Logan laughed in disbelief. “Are you kidding? It’s Leo.”

“Yeah.” Finn said with a dreamy look on his face.

“And to think we could’ve been pining together all this time.” Logan pulled Finn in for a hug, burying his face in the taller boy’s shoulder. “You know, I thought there was going to be a lot more drama involved in this.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know, I just thought there’d be a lot more miscommunication or only one of us felt this way or something. I guess I thought this was going to end badly since I started feeling like this.”

“We’ve always been on the same wavelength, Lo. I’m not surprised it’s the same with this.”

Logan’s relief dimmed just a little. “What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

Finn sighed, tightening his grip on the brunet. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How about we test the waters first and see if he might be interested instead of just assuming the worst?”

Logan leaned back to squint at Finn. “Do you mean we should flirt with him on national television?”

“We flirt with each other on national television all the time.”

“I mean that’s true, but it’s not the same and you know it.”

“Yeah,” Finn hummed. “You got any better ideas?”

***

“Today we’ll be working on your baking skills, recruits!” Dorcas cheered, much to everyone’s dismay. “Are you ready to bake some cakes?”

“No.” Logan muttered. He’d tried to make a cake with Celeste for one of the kid’s birthdays one time, and he’d been banned from the kitchen ever since.

“We’ll also be testing your abilities to read recipes, so there will be no demonstration today.” Leo added. “You have two hours to complete this task, and your time starts now!”

“Holy shit!” Finn threw an apron over his neck and frantically began looking for cake pans at his station. “I’ve never made a cake before!”

Logan pre-heated his oven. “I have, and I almost burned the kitchen down.”

Finn cackled, thumbing through the printed recipe. “When was this?”

“Katie’s fourth birthday. We had to call the fire department and everything.”

“Oh, I bet Celeste was so mad.”

“Yeah. Kids thought it was cool, though.”

The two boys started carefully measuring ingredients out: Finn separating his wet and dry ingredients, while Logan kept them all in one bowl.

“Lo, I think you’re doing that wrong.”

Sure enough, Leo had spotted them. “Logan, have you been reading your instructions thoroughly?”

“Yeah.” Logan said absentmindedly, already lost in cornflower-blue eyes.

“So you know that you’re supposed to mix your wet and dry ingredients separately.”

“Yeah, but they’re all going in the same place anyways, so I figured I’d save myself some time.”

“Actually, one of the main points of mixing them separately is to save time.” Finn watched Leo’s eyes light up as he began explaining. “See, when you mix the dry ingredients together and then the wet ingredients, you’ll have very little mixing to do once you combine them. It also helps prevent overmixing your batter. The less you mix the flour, the less the gluten has a chance to develop, so you end up with a fluffier cake.”

Finn kept sneaking glances while he added his ingredients to the stand mixer, watching Leo gesticulate with his hands as he turned the mixer on –

And went straight past the first setting to the sixth.

He shrieked as batter flew everywhere, fumbling with the settings as he tried to turn it off dear god make it stop.

The same hands he’d been watching earlier reached over to brush against his own and switch the mixer off. The silence was startling until it was filled with a laugh.

“General word of advice: start on the lowest power and work your way up.”

Finn turned to see Leo absolutely covered in batter, but still laughing with his eyes crinkling up at the corners.

“Got it.” Finn breathed, unable to look away.

“You’ve, uh, you’ve got a little something there.” Logan interrupted, motioning to his face. Instead of waiting for Leo to take care of it he reached up and wiped off the batter himself, letting his finger drag gently across soft skin. Finn’s jaw dropped when Logan put the same finger in his mouth to lick the batter off.

“If it’s any consolation, Finn, your batter tastes good. Too bad it’s all over the kitchen now.”

Leo’s cheeks were so red. “I, uh, I’ve got to – other contestants. Um.” He gave an awkward smile and hurried off. As soon as he was out of earshot, Finn turned to gape at Logan. “Jesus Christ, Lo. Are you trying to kill me?”

Logan sent him a wink and started over on his batter, making sure to mix his wet and dry ingredients separately.

***

Dorcas delicately spit Logan’s cake out onto a napkin after tasting it. “Oh my god, how much vanilla extract did you put in this?”

“I don’t remember? The measuring spoon said Tbsp, I think.”

“Yeah, but the recipe said one teaspoon.”

“Yeah. A Tbsp.”

“No.”

“I mean I can’t taste anything other than vanilla,” Leo said, poking at the cake with his fork. “But the texture is good.”

Logan nodded excitedly. “It should be extra fluffy; I kept my ingredients separate and mixed the batter as little as possible.”

He received a warm smile for that, which was better than any compliment about his cooking.

After a few more contestants were judged, it was Finn’s turn. He watched nervously as Dorcas and Leo cut into it and tried it.

“Finn, this is perfect.”

He blinked. “What?”

“He’s right,” Dorcas said, taking another bite. “It’s light, flavored really well, and the buttercream is perfect. Well done.”

Finn smiled, still confused, but made his way back to his station where Logan gave him a congratulatory fist bump. “Nice one, Fish.”

*** 

Post-Episode Interview

*Dorcas grinning like a maniac while being shown footage from earlier*

Dorcas: The crew and I have termed it “The Batter Incident”. I can’t stop watching it. *she motions to Finn and Logan on the screen* They’re pretty obvious, aren’t they? 

Camera man: How does Leo feel about all of this?

*Dorcas sighs, looking back to the camera*

Dorcas: That’s the question, isn’t it?

*** 

Leo dropped his keys on the island in his apartment, listening to the dial tone on his phone finally stop and his mom’s voice take its place.

“Hi, sweetheart! It’s so good to hear from you! How was your day?”

He swallowed harshly, letting his head hang. “Hey, mama.”

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

I did it again. I caught feelings for someone who isn’t available. Except now it isn’t just one person, it's two.

“Nothing,” Leo said, staring out his apartment window at the light-polluted sky. “Just a long day.”

[kaetastic]

Adapting

pairing: Agent Whiskey x F!Agent!Reader

summary: After a mission gone awry, Agent Whiskey and Agent Brandy had no choice but to find refuge at an isolated lodging. It seemed only one of the pair seemed open to the idea of adjusting to the change of plans.

word count: 3k+

warning: nothing spicy, just fluff, angst, mention of death, mention of violence, discreet mention of sexual intercourse oop

note: when i was making this, i based this whole thing around cottagecore aesthetic, however, i want to say that there had been some things in said-community where it’s not right. so, i will not associate cottagecore with this. i honestly just wanted to write this very descriptively, then, i was unforunately hit by w****r’s b***k :( i’m sorry i haven’t been writing much, or i haven’t been that active on this platform :(( x

The creaking of decaying wooden hinges shrieked into the light air. It scraped along the canal of ears, leaving back permanent damage. The rusted flakes that coated the hinge looked like a shy amount of shredded slice of chocolate, the thin line would melt into one’s tongue within seconds. Although, the taste wouldn’t be as delightful as the sweet delicacy. The noise of soft rustling from the leaves from birds who have finally arrived back to their home from their exhausting journey danced with the orchestra of petite lambs. Their gentle ‘baa’s lingered longer in the air, the conversation extended in the warm afternoon sky. Well, it could’ve been assumed it was an argument for it went on and on. The weaving of grass padded by their fluffy feet stomped a song of approaching closing to the day.

The scent of freshly plucked out grass (consumed by the wandering animals) lingered in the air, a refreshing smell- almost comforting. There wasn’t much controlling of the weeds and the greeneries for the only two humans who had occupied the lodging had no experience with said- mowing. Whiskey had been nudged at an attempt; however, with scissors, it would’ve taken hours... or years. So, that task was left behind to be the factor for the spurting growth of grass. Even though the memory of Whiskey suggesting the idea of using his lasso to possibly cut the grass still remained in the jar, it wasn’t brought up much. Disasters then lead to a small branching river of fires, nothing the two agents couldn’t stop by scurrying with horrid-to-the-eyes stitched blankets in their arms.

The blanket of wearing-off white paint peeled away from the wooden fence, creating waves of thickness. There were random bulges and bumps, an inconvenience- more like an uncomfortable blotch of area to graze one’s fingers over. Y/N let out an exhausted huff, arms aching from the hefty wicker basket that hung in her arms. It was her underestimating the fresh fruit from the ground that caused the heavyweight of possibly two dozen ripe strawberries to only bring one basket. If she had not thought less of the weight, she would’ve either brought another basket or have dragged her other accompany. Although, he was quite occupied with his own set of chores. All the ones he had proudly chosen. Y/N couldn’t help but be amused at the thought of Whiskey leading the cattle. It would be an entertaining sight. One she had been blessed to graze her eyes upon once. 

While making her way towards the petite cottage that contrasted warm tones to the walls of glowing trees, she couldn’t help but let out an exasperated sigh. It had been roughly a week and a half since they had found shelter in the lodging. Rough weeks for the two, although, rougher for the woman since she had been the one to have to put up with the other. Hours of Whiskey had somehow made her want to regurgitate whatever she had consumed at the thought of him and the drink. 

Even though the mission was going great, the inches at the ending had not been so great. There was joy at the realization that it was going smoothly before it churned into moments of disaster. Chaos. That was the reason for their staying at the cottage. Somehow- as if it was written in prophecy, a perfectly maintained house had resided in layers of forest trees, bedded by greens and towering weeds. The only reason they even stayed there was to stay off-radar from those who were chasing the pair. They stalked nearby. 

Stranded with no way of communicating the agency as there would be a chance those they were running away from would be able to pick up the signal, there was not much they could work with. It only made sense if the two agents had stood in front of the wallpaper, blended within barks. An idea that neither of the two liked. Something they had in common, other than the fact that they were both agents at the Statesman. Whiskey had been rambling on and on about having no way of communicating with Champagne or anyone at the agency. Y/N just wished he would zip his lips up or else she would have the dig through the stacks of books on the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s bookshelf.

The man had tried every possible method of initiating communication. Although the reason he told Y/N was to inform them of the intel they had received, she knew otherwise. Whiskey wanted to do nothing but flee away from the pesky bugs that crawled up his walls. Within a week and a half at the cottage, he had at least complained five times a day about the littlest things. It all piled up to his objection to staying at the ‘abandoned’ cottage, so he says. In parentheses because there was no owner- no one who roamed the property, not even a sole photo frame. However, it was peculiar since there had been animals who did not look slightly malnourished. There had been water in their pots, their grass had been at a perfect height as if gingerly trimmed and looked after, and there were no quivering traps spun by spiders. Almost as if the house was cared for, loved.

With every feathery graze of her foot against the odd shapes of the stone steps that seemed as if it had been watered down by rough bites of water, she made a step closer towards the cosy house. It was indeed comforting, almost too comforting. The wallpapers were warm yellow, brown stripes splayed in random measurements to create a soft pattern to the eyes, and the floor let out gentle cries that played a lullaby if one choreographed the notes.

Despite Whiskey facing the truth and embracing the fact that the house wrapped his chest in a fuzzy feeling that he had never felt before, the words had not clawed out of his throat. He refused to say so even though he had accepted the feeling that he would not usually feel in the puzzles of skyrocketing towers. 

Digging into the soil-packed ground were heavy slabs of stone which were placed as if thrown. The steps were bubbly shapes, set apart from each other quite spaciously. An extended skip hop with a rise of land between each level. The front of the house had already been a sight, the appetizer to what rested inside the walls. Shrubs ruled over the small land, vibrant flowers peeking out of the twigs while packs of rocks splayed over the ground.

A squeaking plea from the door trickled into the tranquil air. Even though the animals that were in the fences within the properties boundaries, a slight smear of noise only made way into the house. Muffled ‘baa’s from the lambs was replied with guttural ‘moo’s from the cows. It was boisterous outside the house, now it’s just a forgotten radio player that caused chaos for people who are in search of the sound. The hallway welcomed a new path to her right, the petite kitchen that she had somehow made possibly to cook meals in. 

Y/N let out a huff as she swung the basket onto the small island in the middle of the kitchen. The aching in her muscles was no different from the time she had her arms chained up in the air. Although, that’s a story for another time. Once she had slipped her way through the small space between the island and the counters, and she had managed to pull out a bowl from the ancient cabinet without having the stack tumbling down upon her, she gingerly went through the fruits individually- with care for any visible faults. That was when the time she was enjoying all by herself eradicated with a blessing of presence by none than the other, Whiskey. Whiskey and his infamous Stetson-Cowboy hat. Just when her head and mindset was in a tranquil and quiet place.

The man let out an exasperated groan, either from his time wasted on scrambling about his horrible time at the cottage or since he had been the one to put at task to chop a bundle of wood. All so they could be warm.

“You know, if you actually helped me, you would be doing much more important work.” Whiskey murmured while his eyebrows quirked towards the victorious strawberries that managed to pass the trial of being without fault. Y/N rolled her eyes at his words. Of course he would jab at the chore she had was assigned to do since it was him who decided to take upon the manly job of chopping up wood. The man had to swing an axe while she hummed a song, caressing strawberries. It was all his fault. Although, every time she confronted him about the truth, he just grunted in frustration before he stormed off. 

“If I left them there, it would’ve been a waste.” 

Whiskey made his way towards the small circle table that resided in the sad corner, the ragged wooden planks he had pierced through had jagged ends, splinters bulging from the surface from his frustration, “It should be enough for two days unless someone demands for more warmth.”

“It was an exceptionally cold night.”

Whiskey hummed, “Sure,” He pushes down the planks to flatten them on the surface before a cranky groan let his lips- most likely from his ageing body. “Goddamn it, these woods.” 

Y/N rolled her eyes at the sight of his hand resting upon his aching back. As she hurled another bright red strawberry onto the cascading pile, she inquired without glancing up, “Did you water the plants?”

“Yea, gave them plenty of water, too.” Her eyes hurled to gaze into his dark ones. His pupils had been painted with slight humour, almost as if he had been amused at what he told her. Y/N did not need any more explanation as she understood what he meant perfectly. She exhaustedly groaned, feeling the weight on her shoulders at taking care of the man as if he was a child. 

“I told you not to drown the pots, you just- I’ve shown you how to do them before.” Y/N hissed out. The thought of the soil being soaked in litres of water had done more than annoy her.

Whiskey hummed, “I must’ve forgotten how to do it.”

The devil crawled onto her shoulder, the corners of its lips curled up at the tainting thoughts it had plagued her with. Anger, frustration, yet, somehow- Y/N did otherwise. She felt her energy balled up from his stubbornness, thrown out of the window, “I’ll teach you again tomorrow, just start the fire, it’s nighttime.”

Heated waves crawled up her arms in shy bites, fearing for what would be inflicted if they had blanketed her whole body in one engulf. Despite the generous percentage of warmth she had embraced all to herself from the dancing flames, she could still feel her toes shiver. The cottage would be warm during the day; however, with cracks in the walls, at night, it was bound to offer the frigid air a place to rest. 

The noise of the fireplace crackling, a sound she had got used to, well, more like forced herself to get used to, trickled along her ears. Y/N would drift off to sleep, her eyes fluttering to shut while the natural music sang her a lullaby. Except, the night did not apply that same ending to the day. No, Y/N could not find an ounce of willingness to melt into the small tattered loveseat even though minutes ago, she had been shaking the whole house with her series of exhausted yawning. It was either from the stuffings of the seat that had been harder than bone, although, Y/N liked to believe that she had got used to the way disobedient stitches would pierce into her back with every shift of her muscle, or the credits for her to wander away from the path of sleep was all handed towards the presence in the living room. The same presence that would find comfort elsewhere- his designated room. 

Whiskey was the one who claimed he wanted the only available room which had no fireplace, unlike the living room, saying he had gone through terrible weather conditions whilst working in missions- something he kept bragging on about, even though Y/N had been on the same list of terrible weather missions about seventy-five percent. “Nothing I can’t handle.” The man would say. That night, Whiskey couldn’t peel his eyes away from the gentle swerving of the flames. His arms were crossed, legs tensed, yet, he could feel himself drift away faster than the time he had spent in his own room. Maybe warmth wasn’t so bad after all. 

“What do you think they’re doing?” Whiskey quirked up, his southern accent smeared along the heated air. It was the first thing he had resounded in the room in hopes of steering him away from the need for sleep. He knew he deserved every fraction of slumbering from the chores he had worked hard for, but he didn’t quiver under the thought of it. 

“Hm?” Y/N grazed her eyes across the room to land on the man who perched himself on an uncomfortable, solid-looking armchair. The main fabric seemed to be a young teal, something Y/N had assumed ever since the day they had arrived at the cottage because no other cloth overlapped or covered said-colour. Other places were patched over with square cloths of floral designs, some atrociously hard to the eyes. 

“Do you think they’re looking for us?”

The woman let out a chuckle before a shiver crawled down her spine, “They just lost one of their best agents, I’m sure they’re doing everything they can,” Y/N spotted the smug smirk growing on Whiskey’s face. Only a second of pride lingered before it flattened back to his pressed lips. “I’m not talking about you.” 

Oh, she knew how to press his buttons. She knew what to say, she knew the perfect speed of the syllables that would fall off her tongue for the best reactions, and the following actions- everything. It had always bothered the man. Sure, they had gone to missions together. And sure, they had been side by side in moments where death stood in front of the door. Yet, the chemistry seemed to only spark up in situations where their adrenaline gets fired up. Y/N managed to bring his hopes up, filling his container by caressing his ego, fuelling up till the brim. Then, within milliseconds, all of it vanishes into the air. Not a speck of dust remained. 

“What makes you think you’re the best agent?” The man finally squeezed out the words. He had been slightly reluctant to the thought of saying it, yet, his tolerance was only so limited. Even though he was holding back the whiplash of his tongue, he couldn’t help it.

“I don’t think it, I know it,” Finding her words amusing as it brushed on a familiar set of egoism from the man, she let out a chuckle, “I’m sure Ginger just says it to butter me up.” Another sentence rested on her lips, ready to be launched into the air when another chilling shiver spiked down her body.

Whiskey quirked his eyebrows in confusion. He pushed himself away from the chair to sit on the edge, “Do you need more blankets? I’ll go grab some more.” 

“All of them are here.” His eyes brushed over the cocoon Y/N had wrapped around her body. It seemed to be a thick mess of heat, possibly suffocating her blood vessels, ready to crack her ribs. Her cheeks reddened. Although, she wasn’t sure if it was from the confession of her using all the possibly blankets offered by the house or the last reminiscent of heat she had to quench upon.

“Well, there’s no point in adding more wood, it’ll just be the same. We’ve already shut every window, you’ll have to bear with it. Unless…” Y/N pulled away from the brim of the blankets where some had poked out to cover her lips, her eyes meeting his in hope. In hope of getting away from the annoying coldness. 

“Unless?”

Whiskey glanced at the fireplace before suggesting the thought while his eyes gazed into hers, “Unless we make use of our body warmth.”

Maybe he should’ve said the words better, he could’ve rephrased the suggestion in a more… approachable setting. Or maybe, it was Y/N’s head that was stuffed in the gut, because his idea had not been comprehended the way he thought of it, “Whoa! I’m not sleeping with you.”

The man could feel his eyes roll at her words, “I’m not saying I wanted to sleep with you, I’m a gentleman- I wouldn’t ask so straightforward.”

“That definitely makes it better.”

Having enough of her opposing to his only possibly good idea, he hovered over her resting body, “Move, I’ll sit at the edge.”

“Such a gentleman.” There weren’t any other suggestions they could take. They had done everything so Y/N wouldn’t feel cold during the night. She had no choice. She had to comply with the much more friendly idea, compared to that of diving straight into the fireplace, if she didn’t want to be shivering all night. 

Slightly reluctant to the thought of slumbering the night away on a cramped loveseat, Y/N shifted away to press her back against the backrest. Whiskey nudged his shoe down before slithering himself into the cocoon. The first thing that came to Y/N’s mind was the extremely close distance between the two, while Whiskey inquired himself to how she had not fainted at such a temperature, especially with the addition of the fireplace. 

“Okay, get some sleep, a day’s waitin’ for us.” No rules had been hung upon the board, no restrictions, yet, during the night, unconscious two pairs of arms slithered to snuggle the other. 

[azems-familiar]

2, 4, 19, 39 for that pairing ask thing, for revan/alek/bastila of course

2) how’s their team work? do they share well?

so this Really depends on what era/verse of the gang but in 90% of them Alek and Bastila have this Silent Petty Rivalry going on for ages while Revan is utterly oblivious because holy shit Two Whole People. Revan is not smart. given that i write them as a V (haaard headcanon Bastila as a lesbian), Alek and Bastila utterly refuse to admit they’re friends for ages - oh my god the rivalry in the hp au is especially hilarious - but they Band Together the moment anyone threatens Revan. there are petty contests over who gets to get the closest seat next to Revan and many other things, it’s objectively hilarious, especially since they’re all completely awful at communication.

they do eventually get their shit together though and end up a good, solid team. there are a lot of things Revan shares with Alek that Bastila just can’t in the end understand, especially related to the war in my canon verse (i could give you a whole other set of paragraphs about them in the hp au ask me on discord if you really want that ramble), but post Star Forge there’s also a lot that Revan can only really talk to Bastila about - re the Council, the mind wipe, and Bastila understands the fall and return a lot better given that Revan post-Reveal went a little off the deep end into the Dark Side before realizing that oh, she doesn’t actually Want That. so they manage to find their footing and a good dynamic because Alek and Bastila both love Revan a lot and so are able to put aside their differences for her. (although there’s a whole lot to work through immediately post-SF re Bastila’s whole. imprisonment. which is a bit of a mess. but that’s another subject i’m rambling OOPS)

4. first impression of each other? was it love at first sight?

Revan and Alek met in the creche when Revan was five and Alek six. they Instantly Bonded. Alek’s realization of oh shit i’m in love happened the night they were knighted - Revan was nineteen and Alek twenty, and look he knew he’d had feelings but he’d been trying to avoid them, but then they went out and stole a speeder together and took it for a joyride and Revan was laughing into the wind and oh. oh no. then he spent four YEARS suffering in silence because she was too stupid and oblivious to pick up on it or realize her Own feelings until midway through the first war.

meanwhile, Revan’s first impression of Bastila was her fighting Brejik after the swoop race. Revan watched her and went oh no and Carth, who had previously been rebuffed because “i don’t do romance”, went “yeah i think i’m just not your type”. he was very right.

Bastila on the other hand has had a sort of hero worship crush on Revan since midway through the Mandalorian Wars, when she would hide bootleg holos of Revan’s fights under her mattress and even though she had no idea what Revan actually looked like it was a Whole Thing. meeting Revan as Shala did not help this crush in the slightest.

19) what do they fight about? what are their arguments like? how do they make up?

Actual Arguments are pretty rare; most of the times their fights are about incredibly small, stupid, petty things and they’re just bickering. all three of them bicker with each other as a form of affection. the Real Actual arguments tend to come over things like Revan deciding to abandon a planet to save Alek’s life during the war (because oh Yeah does that come out at some point post-amnesia) or about Revan’s sacrifices in general or about Revan running off to do something incredibly stupid alone because clearly that’s her best plan.

Revan and Alek get extremely sharp and cutting with each other if it’s bad, or they just get snappy in general because Revan is Determined and Alek is equally determined because he’s worried, damn it, Revan, and then Revan storms off and there are shields for like. a few hours. HOURS max. they’re too codependent to be apart longer than that especially with the bond. post SF it’s a bit different but i haven’t quite worked out all the details of their relationship there yet. they generally make up with a lot of silent apology and promises of affection across the bond and a lot of cuddling. Alek is almost always the one who gives in first.

Revan and Bastila’s arguments are a lot more explosive because Bastila also has a temper, they are vaguely less codependent, they tend to say things they’ll regret later and then Revan will go complain to Alek about it and he’ll get very annoyed. (on the Hawk it’s Jolee who plays relationship counselor. he is so tired. s o  t i r e d) eventually Revan finds a way to apologize without actually apologizing and generally attempts to like, do something thoughtful or bring Bastila something nice to help. Bastila, who is less ridiculously proud, can actually say the words “i’m sorry” without having an allergic reaction.

Alek and Bastila.... well. they can go for days on end without speaking to each other, while remaining perfectly unified on Revan’s Behalf. is this a healthy dynamic? perhaps not. but when has this triad ever been healthy.

39) who initiated the relationship? who kissed who first? when did they realize they were in love?

oh my god you’re hitting me with ALL the juicy questions today. SO.

i’ve already written a little of this and in the answers above, Alek realized he was in love with Revan on Coruscant when they were both knights, but he and Revan have a Force bond so clearly she Knew and thus if she Felt The Same she’d do something about it, and she never did, so clearly his feelings weren’t reciprocated, so it’s F i n e, clearly, he suffers in silence until a year into the war - i have written this scene! - at which point Revan kisses him while they’re back on Coruscant for her promotion to Supreme Commander. she’s going to figure out that she’s in love with him (as opposed to just loving him) either after Fett injures him on Lantillies or during the whole. Clefar shenanigans, i don’t know the specifics, i haven’t written it yet and i didn’t think they’d get together this early in the war so there’s that. they don’t actually Talk about being in a relationship like, at all, ever, they just don’t talk about this Thing between them, because there’s the war and then there’s Vitiate and then there’s the Sith and then there’s another war and then-

they do end up talking about it post-SF at Bastila’s encouragement because Revan finally gets most of her memories back and is Clearly Moping and Alek is Also Moping. god i’m going to have to write that aren’t i.

with Revan (should i say Shala?) and Bastila, hmm. i’m honestly not so sure on this one in my canon verse? it’ll make itself more clear as i write that fic, but i know that Shala has a hell of a lot of realizations post-Leviathan and i feel like this is one of them. i really want to say their first kiss is in the fucking, submarine thing on Manaan on the way back post-Star Map, because that was a Hellish experience, and then they do things Bastila regrets (except she doesn’t except she does except-) on the Hawk after, and then ofc the Leviathan happens. Bastila definitely kisses Revan first and i think she might realize she’s a little in love on Kashyyyk when Revan does the whole free the Wookiees thing? hmmm i’m going to have to poke at that more. 

anyway they have this whole scene at the temple of the ancients which is one of the few things from the kotor fic i have visualized in my head because it’s the moment Revan decides she’s going to choose the Light over the Dark and it’s massively important character-wise and i’m actually super super excited to finally get there so i can write it. post-SF they’re actually dating because they finally have a Sort Of Talk about it.

oh my god this got so long but i’m Not Sorry and i have approximately 30k more words to say on the subject especially related to the HP AU but i will shut up now lol. thank you for the questions!

[taeguboi]

BTS Crush On You: Truth or Dare [Jin version]

I decided to make another series to keep myself occupied with as I also make my other series ‘a care package to you’ 

This one is a mixed sleepover with the boys and some of your girl friends in which [member’s name] has a crush on you.

I seem to keep starting with Jin hahah oops oh well

Crush On You: RM // Suga // J-Hope // Jimin // V // Jungkook

Care Package To You: RM // Jin // Suga // J-Hope // Jimin // V // Jungkook

New Fiction Masterlist here

The initial scenario

Tonight had been planned for ages. You, all your girl friends and the boys. Everyone had been so busy lately with their heavy schedules of work, studying, the lot and everyone agreed that on the next night they were all available, you’d have a sleepover at one of your friend’s shared student houses (which was to be free with it being the holidays,) just like old times and to take time out from your young adult lives.

For some reason, you were never too old to be playing the classic game of truth or dare. In the spacious living room, already in your pyjamas, the group of you sat in a wide circle, some on the floor, some on the sofa, and sleeping bags were scattered everywhere. Many drinks had been consumed and now a space in the middle had been cleared for one of your empty bottles.

One of your friends spins the bottle and you all watch to see who it chooses….

Dare

“Alright, Seokjin-hyung…” begins Jungkook as the bottle spins to the eldest boy’s direction. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare” replies Seokjin.

“I dare you… to kiss y/n” says Jungkook, knowing something that the rest of you don’t. 

A while ago, Jin had accidentally let it slip out to Jungkook when the former had had a few to drink after the two were at the end of a night out with you and y/f/n. 

They had just seen that the two of you got to your door safely from the taxi and throwing themselves back into the taxi, Jin started acting a bit what Jungkook thought as odd.

“She’s a good un’ that one” began Jin.

“Who? Y/f/n?” asked Kook.

“What? No, I mean Y/n” slurred Jin.

“So you’re saying y/f/n isn’t a, quote, ‘good un’’?” chuckled the younger.

“You… you know what I meant” sighed Jin, feeling rather sleepy sat on the taxi seat, his head wobbling with the bumps of the road.

“I suppose… So did something happen back there? I mean for you to be talking about specifically y/n like this…”

“I wish!” boomed a drunken Jin then becoming aware of the volume of his voice. Jin cleared his throat, opened his eyes, sat up and started again. “What I meant to say is… she’s… nice… you know….”

“Oh my goodness, Seokjin! You have a thing for y/n….” replied Jungkook only to be interrupted by a prolonged -

“SHHH!”

Ever since this little admission, Jungkook - only very occasionally - would tease his hyung. Whilst he kept it to himself, Jungkook would often startle Jin by the things he said, often putting the elder on edge that his big secret would get revealed.

At first Jin tried to laugh it off like ‘I was drunk’ and ‘I didn’t know what I was saying…’ but Kook knew better; he had always believed that a drunk mind spoke a sober mind and that when his friend was trying to laugh it off, there wasn’t an ounce of truth in his eyes whenever he tried to say he didn’t like you as more than a friend.

Back to the game, Jin could feel his heart flutter; he had always wanted to kiss you ever since he realised his feelings for you, but now it was actually going to happen, he had a sudden urge to make his excuses and leave the room. But he didn’t.

“Uh…” is all he can nervously say. “So, how do you, like, want to do this?” he asks you awkwardly, rubbing his neck.

Now this causes most of the group to laugh out loud. Not in a horrible way; Seokjin had kissed many girls and the group had him down as quite the expert on the subject… why was he being so shy now?

“Oh come on Jin, really?” laughs one of your friends, unable to believe what she just heard.

“Hey!” he exclaimed defensively. “I was trying to be polite!” he continues folding his arms.

You can’t help but join in with a small giggle because bless him, but then you interrupt the laughter. 

“Okay, thank you Seokjinnie for being so considerate” you smile, nodding excessively to prompt the noise to quiet down. You stand up and walk over to him and sit next to him as Taehyung who is sitting next to him shuffles over to make space.

The next thing Jin knows, you’re already initiating the kiss. Whilst he can hear a few of your friends going “wahey!” and all the rest, he suddenly feels like this whole sleep over is some sort of dream because of how surreal this feels.

But now he’s a little worried. Even whilst kissing you, all of his initial worries run through his mind but even more exaggerated. What if this makes the friendship weird? What if he acts weird? Are you even enjoying this? What if the look in his eyes after you kiss him gives everything away about his feelings?

Although all this runs through his mind, he actually manages to keep his cool because what you see and feel is a completely different story. You wouldn’t even guess that he is feeling flustered; no shaking, no general awkwardness, nothing like that.

Afterwards, Jin does his best not to overthink any of what just happened. After all, that wouldn’t be good for his brain, and after all… it was probably nothing to you.

Truth

This part is much longer than the dare lmao I’m sorry

It’s a few hours after the game of truth or dare and most of your friends have dozed off now, asleep in their sleeping bags or passed out on the sofa from staying up so late. Jin however, couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. It was only a dare kiss, so why was it everything he imagined?

You’re still sitting next to your friend Seokjin and you found you were having trouble sleeping after trying to at least doze off. Maybe it was the hard floor that made it difficult or the sudden shiver down your spine that made you feel chilly since 15 minutes ago… maybe it was something else.

You get up to pour a glass of water, hoping that someone else might be awake and show that they acknowledge you are, but there isn’t much response as you return to you sleeping bag - apart from a movement from Jin’s sleeping bag.

“Hey, ‘Jin?” you whisper, causing him to shuffle again. “Are you still awake” you ask in an even quieter voice.

“I’m awake” he replies, turning over to see you, eyes squinting a bit at the light still on in the room. He must have had his eyes shut longer than he thought despite not actually falling asleep.

“I can’t sleep” you tell him.

“Me neither”

“You wanna talk or something?” you ask unknowingly simply holding that glass of water… okay it was a beer, you got a beer instead.

Talk? You want to talk? About what? Inside, he panics a little, yet on the outside he manages to calmly reply “sure” as he sits up.

The two of you spend the next hour or so talking the night away about everything and anything. How this was a nice catching up session amongst your group of friends, stuff about your jobs and studies, how drunk Jimin got tonight and the antics he got up to, the latest episode of a tv series you both like.... How tonight was fun....

“You know what?” you say, grabbing your beer bottled which was emptied a good half hour ago now. “Let’s continue the game of truth or dare...”

“But everyone’s asleep y/n; there aren’t exactly many dares we could do that wouldn’t wake them up...”

“Well y/f/n seems to have fallen asleep with her phone in her hand, unlocked...” you joke

“Y/n!” exclaims Jin through his teeth “We’re not sending fake messages from our friends to their mums” he laughs softly.

“Okay, okay...” you sigh, a little disappointed despite your idea being in jest. “How about we take in turns, just truths?”

“Alright then” replies Jin, no idea how he’s managing to keep his cool, though he can feel his cheeks heating up a little.

“Would you rather...”

“I thought this was turth or dare?” he asks. “Well, truth or truth” he corrects himself.

“Well... you will have to answer truthfully” you reply, bringing a small smile smile to his face. “Would you rather be the funniest person in the room or... the most intelligent?”

Before he answers, Jin involuntarily has a quick something of a reality check. You’re talking normally to him, he can talk normally to you. He can and will just talk to you as a friend and not worry about this. He will just be himself.

“Aren’t they really one in the same?” he asks puzzling you a little.

“Are they?” you question.

“Yeah, to be funny, you have to have some intelligence, right?”

“What about slapstick comedy?” you fire back at him.

“What about the fact that I am already both of those things and therefore I don’t need to choose?” he jokes, placing the back of a hand under his chin to pose.

“Modest!” you chuckle. “Alright I’ll leave the ‘would you rather’ thing for another time... Let’s see...” you hum trying to think of a question, and then you can’t help but wonder about earlier. You aren’t sure why this thought comes to you but you kind of wanna know...

“How was earlier for you?” you blurt out, mouth acting ahead of your mind.

“Shh!” he hushes you, not unsimiliar to the way the hushed Jungkook in car that night. 

“Sorry” you whisper apologetically, hand over your mouth.

“No, I’m sorry, sorry it was just a bit loud and it might have woken the others... Uh what I meant to say was....”

And then Jin stops again and his mind has another sort of reality check / epiphany; this is silly. He’s a grown man and he’s been living in this carry on of never talling you or even showing you how he feels, keeping it all inside, hung up on someone who might not even like him back in that way... is this one of those ‘now or never’ situations??

He hadn’t noticed how long he had paused for until you took him away from his thoughts by saying “Jin? Seokjinnie..??? Seokjin Kim..??” You wave a hand in front of his face, wondering if you can get him out of his trance. Is he just tired, or...?

“Sorry” he apologises again, gently moving your hand away from in front of his face and resting it down, leaving his hand on top of yours.

“Are you sure you want to know the answer to that?” he asks you.

In return, you give him a confused expression; what did he mean by that?

“Sorry, I’m royally fucking this up” he apologises - again.

“Okay, firstly just stop saying sorry” you nervously laugh because again, bless him.

“Okay, sorry” he replies making the both of you laugh quietly again.

“What’s up?” you ask

‘Right. Now or never’ he reminds himself internally and again, his thoughts put him on a delay and leave another silent patch.

“Please just answer the question” you plead as you start to worry if it was actually that bad for him that he doesn’t know how to tell you.

“Okay, it’s like this” replies Jin with a sigh to prepare himself to answer the question truthfull just as you had asked.

“Oh God, you hated it didn’t you?” you mumble with dread.

“No!”

“Shh!” you hush, mirroring the way Jin had just hushed you.

“So when you said did I enjoy earlier, you meant...”

“Yes, the kiss!” you quietly exclaim, getting impatient for the answer.

“And you’re sure it didn’t weird out our friendship?” he asks, still beating around the bush. However, he quits stalling upon seeing the unimpressed expression on your face. “Right... here goes... That kiss... that kiss felt... amazing” he admits, finally.

“Phew!” you sigh with relief. 

“I believe it’s your turn for our little game of truth or truth, so... I’d like to ask you the same question: How was earlier for you?”

“I... liked it too”

“Only ‘liked’ it?” he challanges with a smile. “Maybe I need to remind you of how earlier was for you...”

“Maybe you do” you smirk, almost mischeivous in the way you smile back at him.

“Maybe I do” he smirks back, hand hovering over your cheek.

You guide Jin’s hand to stay cupping your face, and you both lean in for first a quick kiss, then another short kiss, followed by grins on your faces, followed by more kissing...

...followed by one of your friends waking up. It’s Jungkook.

“Oh my god! Yes!” he blares excitedly. “Guys! Wake up! It’s finally happening!”

*******

Crush On You: RM // Suga // J-Hope // Jimin // V // Jungkook

Care Package To You: RM // Jin // Suga // J-Hope // Jimin // V // Jungkook

[jango-fettish]

The Asterian Saga: The Jedi

Chapter 1

Summary: As the daughter of a High Priestess of Asteria, Paghs Makosh was forced to live two lives: one of a Jedi and one that followed traditional Asterian ideals. After returning from a year long exploratory mission in uncharted space, Paghs discovers that her once peaceful home planet is on the brink of a civil war and those in charge, including her mother, are doing nothing to help the people. Now, Paghs must now grapple with her own beliefs and fears as her understanding of the Force and her place in the universe is tested by unforeseen forces.

Rating: R

Pairings: None yet; will be WolffeXOC

Warnings: descriptions of violence and injuries, death, talk of death/meaning of life (sorry if I forgot any, I am new at this)

Word Count: 2851

a/n: This is an OC story, so there is no use of “y/n” or second person perspective. The OC and her planet/culture are entirely my own creation: I cannot take credit for anything else. This takes place during TCW, but I have altered the timeline to fit my story, oops.

Gif by celebrate-the-clone-wars. Can be found here 

They had been taken by surprise, not realizing they were being followed until it was too late. The planetary monitoring systems on The Spectator had picked up no life forms or machinery in the sector the 00 Covert Commando Platoon landed in. It was supposed to be simple and easy, they were only surveying the land. 

The sound of blasters being fired was quickly followed by horrified yells and monstrous growls. The planet they landed on, Cromia P0F5 as the troopers called it, offered little options for cover, with only a few boulders and sparse trees jutting out from the barren ground granting the 36 troopers safety from the assault. 

Jedi Master Paghs Makosh of Asteria crouched behind a large rock with two of her men, Clone Commander Crusher and Dent. She was as much as a shinie as Dent was, with this being her first melee since passing her Trials and being sent on this exploratory mission. 

“Only took 326 days to see some sort of action,” Dent joked, as he fired at the enemy. 

“What are we dealing with, Commander?” Paghs asked, ignoring Dent. She would have found his comment more amusing, had it not been for a large boulder that flew inches from her head moments before she found cover with the two.

“Ground scans say 40 beings approaching from the west,” Crusher said. 

“How did our initial scans not pick this up?” Paghs asked herself. 

“Pace said they looked similar to Trandoshans,” Dent commented. 

Paghs cursed. She hadn’t been able to get a clear look at the creatures when they first attacked. If the creatures were similar to the cold-blooded species she was so used to seeing around the Republic, then they could surely have the ability to camouflage themselves from the scanners on The Spectator. 

“I hate lizards,” Crusher mumbled. 

Paghs clicked a button on her wrist communicator, opening the direct line with The Spectator. She didn’t have time to worry about scrambling their signal, “Captain, I’m going to need an immediate pick up in sector 3. I repeat, immediate pick up in sector 3.” 

“General,” the ship captain’s voice responded, “Sector 3 is surrounded by mountains, it’ll be difficult to navigate.” 

“Just do it!” she shouted in the communicator before ending the call. 

The snarls and growls and awful hissing noises from the unseen enemy suddenly stopped. It was too quiet, the only thing Paghs could hear was her heartbeat thumping in her ears. Her grip on her lightsaber was tight enough to make the orchid-colored skin of her knuckles nearly white.

The surrounding mountains did little to hide the scorching heat of the setting sun. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. As she wiped it away with the back of her hand, she felt a roll of uneasiness pass through her. It was like a thousand pins were being pricked into her skin, not hard enough to cause pain, but enough for her to be uncomfortable. It was a sign of danger. 

“Move!” she yelled to the two clones. She tried to Force push them out of the way, but the top of the rock they were hiding behind suddenly shattered, launching Paghs forward a few feet. 

Her chest hit the ground harder than expected, but it was her hands that took the brunt of the fall. Tiny rocks made a home for themselves in her palms and she could already feel the bruising begin to form. The rough landing disengaged her lightsaber, the green blade disappeared with a small hiss. Crusher landed to her right, far more gracefully than she had. He quickly positioned his weapon toward the rock. Paghs managed to roll to back, ignoring the burning ache that settled in her body.

She heard Dent’s screams before she realized what she was looking at. 

“Great Goddess,” Paghs said in horror. 

Hunched over the broken rock was a large lizard-like creature, it’s scaly arm outstretched and holding onto Dent’s neck. Three sharp claws dug into the clone’s helmet, puncturing the plastoid-alloy material.  He was screaming, trying to get his gun at the ready, but his screams only seemed to piss the creature off more. With a single squeeze from the large claw of a hand, the scream was replaced with a sharp snap. 

“Dent!” Paghs screamed, scrambling to her feet as the creature threw his lifeless body haphazardly to the side. 

“Definitely uglier than Trandoshans,” Crusher commented. She didn’t say respond, afraid that if she opened her mouth, more than just words would come out. 

The creature slowly began climbing down the rock, its body contorting to easily get around the jagged edges. Two black beady eyes examined her from their giant scaly sockets. It stood on all fours, its barbed tail, which was equally as sharp as its claws, whipped through the air with a crack. The creature’s large mouth curved upwards into an open smile, revealing razor sharp teeth. It was mocking them, mocking the death of their comrade. She didn’t notice two smaller creatures approaching from the sides until she felt a hand grab her arm, forcing her into a retreat. 

Scrambling to her feet, Paghs ran towards the rendezvous point. The Spectator was a klick away, hovering above the ground. A few of the faster clones had made it aboard. Those that struggled to keep up were taken down from their flanks by the pack of creatures. It was a hunt for them. They were being hunted.

“Ahh!” Paghs heard from her right as one of the smaller creatures swiped at Crusher’s feet, bringing him down. She skidded to a halt, igniting her lightsaber. Crusher’s helmet was forced off his head in the fall, landing at Paghs’s feet. 

The smaller creature swatted at the fallen trooper, dragging its claws down his face. Crusher screamed in pain, pulling the trigger of his blaster and unloading everything into the creature’s body. It cried out in pain and in a puff of smoke, it slumped over and fell to the side. 

Paghs ran to Crusher’s side. She couldn’t look at his face, too fearful of the bloody mess that would be looking back at her. Her mind was racing as she knelt next to him. She was supposed to protect him, she was supposed to protect all of them and she was failing.

Crusher groaned in pain. His hand reached to his right ankle; it having been injured in the fall. 

“General, watch out!” Crusher called. 

His warning came too late.

She heard a whoosh through the air, as the creature she thought Crusher had killed, swung its formidable tail at her. She tumbled forward, the air violently escaping from her lungs for a second time. Her hands and face scarped on the gravel laden ground. There was a searing pain in her back, but she was too dazed from the fall to react. As the creature ripped its tail free from the skin of her back, a few of the spikes broke off and rooted themselves into her flesh.

This time she screamed.

The creature grabbed her ankle, pulling her closer to its mangled body. She squirmed, turning onto her back. She bit the insides of her cheeks bloody, holding in her cries as the ground pushed the spikes further into her back. The creature jumped on top of her and began swiping its claws towards her face. Paghs used her weaning strength to keep the creature at bay, holding onto its arms. It roared, the loud guttural tone drowning out the screams of troopers. It lurched its ghastly face forward, teeth bared and dripping with saliva.  

“I kriffing hate lizards!” She heard Crusher yell before a red blaster shot hit the creature in its head. 

The creature’s black eyes slowly lost their life and its body began to grow heavy. It dropped dead to the ground, half of it still laying on Paghs. Its open jaw just missed her face. She mustered her strength and attempted to push it off of her, the muscles in her arms throbbing with each push.

“I got you, General,” Crusher said from behind her. He looped his arms under hers and began dragging Paghs’s out from under the creature. She cried out in pain as one of the barbs in her back was pushed down, elongating the cut it had originally made.

“I know, I know…I’m sorry,” Crusher whispered.

“We are not going to die on this stupid planet,” Paghs growled when she was finally free. She tried to ignore the searing pain in her back and could feel the blood freely flowing down and seep into the leather plackart. 

She wrapped her arm around Crusher, his ankle no longer able to keep him standing steadily. They were surrounded by at least six of the creatures, each growling ferociously and circling around them as animals did when they cornered their prey. Paghs looked around, trying to find a weak point in their circle. 

“General,” a voice from her wrist communication device called, “Are you alright? We lost sight of you for a moment.” 

“I’m fine,” she said, “Captain, move the ship to my starboard, keep her a good 40 feet from the ground, we don’t know how high these things can jump.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“What do you have planned?” Crusher said weakly. He was pointing his gun at the largest creature, the one that killed Dent. 

“You are not going to like it,” she answered.

“Paghs,” Crusher warned. 

“Do you trust me?” she asked. 

He paused for a moment, “With my life.”  

“We’re going to be okay,” she said, finally looking at Crusher. “You’re going to be okay.”  

*********

“General, are you okay? General?” a voice asked, forcing the Asterian out of her memories. It was the warm hand on her shoulder that fully pulled her back to reality. She jumped up, nearly falling out of her seat. Crusher stood next to her, his helmet was placed on the table next to her. Three jagged lines were painted into the side of it. Crusher told her it was a memorial to the people they lost, Paghs just thought it was another way to remember a terrible day. 

“You sure you’re a Jedi?” Crusher jested. Though his tone was light, Paghs could see concern in his eyes. “You’ve been staring at this blasted thing for hours. ”

Paghs turned in her seat lethargically to stare at the blue toned holomap of Cromia P0F5. It had been weeks since they escaped the planet, weeks since she even thought of those creatures, of the men she lost. Her mouth felt dry.

“Sorry,” she said, clearing her throat, “Was just trying to finish the write up.”

“Thought I told you I was going to do that,” Crusher said, narrowing his eyes at her.

She looked at him, or rather looked at the scars that ran down half of his face. The three thin lines were pink and irritated, one running through the corner of his mouth giving him a permanent frown. She wondered if they hurt as much as or more than her own. The medic droid did what it could, but Bacta couldn’t fix everything.

“I’m faster at it,” she replied, trying not to catch his eyes.

“It’s been weeks,” he said flatly. She didn’t respond and looked away in shame. “Am I really that ugly to look at?”

Paghs tried to choke on her laugh, “Sorry.”

“Stop saying sorry,” he said with a sigh. He pulled back an open chair next to her and sat down. “We’ll be back in Coruscant in less than six hours, which means you’ll be presenting everything to the Senate in seven.”

“Unless this ship falls apart first,” she snorted. The Spectator, while a good ship, was old and outdated.

“Go get some rest, I’ll finish this report.”

“Jeez, I thought I was the superior officer here,” she half-heartedly joked. “I’ve had enough rest, thank you very much.” It was a lie. She had barely been able to sleep through the nights, plagued by nightmares.

“You excited to be back?” she asked, wanting to change the subject. She stretched her arms up, feeling a twinge of pain in her back as the skin stretched.  

“I’m excited to not be stuck on this ship anymore,” Crusher said nonchalantly.  

“Is my company really that bad?”

“Not as bad as the food.”

“You wound me,” Paghs said, dramatically putting a hand to her chest. “After all I have done for you, this is how you treat me.”

“Are you excited to be back?” Crusher asked, ignoring her theatrics.

“Oh totally,” she said sarcastically, “I am so ready to face the Senate and tell them all about our little adventures. You know she’s probably going to be there. That woman is insufferable.”

“Aren’t all Senators?”

“You know what Master Plo told me before communications with the Republic cut off? That she is the leader of the damn opposition for this mission.”

“You let her affect your feelings too much.”

“Great Goddess, you sound like the Council,” she said.

“Something else bothering you?” Crusher asked. He knew the answer. Of course something else was bothering her.

“I’m fine,” she lied.

“The boys are worried about you.”

She sighed and leaned back in the chair, running her hands through her silver hair, letting her fingers tug at the knots. She looked back at the holomap of Cromia P0F5, a deep frown settling on her face.

“You’ve been thinking about it again, haven’t you?” Crusher asked, breaking the silence.

“I always think about it,” she whispered.

“There wasn’t anything you could have done.”

“I could have felt around in the Force, acted quicker. I could have saved everyone.” Paghs knew it wasn’t exactly how the Force worked, but she felt like she had to make an excuse for what happened.

“This is what we were created for, General. To die in battle...to die for the Republic is an honor for any clone.”

“It’s also an honor to see what you are fighting for survive,” Paghs countered. “You’re not just soldiers...you’re men,” she paused, “They at least deserved a proper burial.”

“Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la,” Crusher said softly. Paghs had heard the Mando’a words multiple times since their time on Cromia P035. One of the medic clones had told her it was the Mandalorian words for the departed: Not gone, merely marching far away.

It was her fault the clones had to say them.

The conversation had taken a turn too heavy for Paghs to handle at the moment. She looked back to Crusher. His eyes were shut, enjoying the moment of silence. He looked peaceful, the most peaceful she had seen him in awhile. She would have to remind herself to give him and the rest of the team the proper leave time when they returned to Coruscant. They deserved to be able to actually relax before being thrown into another battle.

She looked to his scar again and felt the bile raise up in her throat. She didn’t understand how he was able to be so nonchalant about what happened. Maybe it was the clones programming or maybe it was because he was experienced in the field. She remembered staying by his bedside in the Medic Wing. She nearly tore apart the medic droid for the quick, almost sloppy, work it did dressing his wounds. Even after her outburst, they still did not give the same amount of care to Crusher’s injury as they did with hers.

“Will you please get a medic to check that thing out before you finish the debriefing for me?” she asked gently.

He opened his eyes, a large grin forming, “What’s that blasted droid going to do that it hasn’t done already? Besides, I’ve been told that Coruscanti women go crazy for one of these.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” Paghs said, rolling her eyes. She looked out the main window on the command deck. They would reach Coruscant soon enough.

As the hundreds of stars passed by in the cerulean haze of hyperspace, a dull ache formed into the base of Paghs’s head. It creeped up her neck and into her skull, settling just behind her eyes. It gnawed away at her mind, forcing any other thought or semblance of peace away until it was the only thing present. She had felt this only once before, just before they left the atmosphere of Coruscant all those months ago. She had tried to forget the awful feeling, believing that it was just her nerves of going on her first solo mission. But now she couldn’t ignore it; she couldn’t wish it away. 

“Something wrong, General?” Crusher asked.

“We’ve been gone for over a year,” she began. “Great Goddess, we haven’t even heard from anyone outside this ship months. I’m just...maybe I’m just worried that we aren't coming back to what we left.” She said with a frown.

“I’m sure they’re worried too.”

“What do you mean?”

“We aren’t the same people that left a year ago, General,” he said. “And that should worry you as well.”

[rubyzizes]

LOVESICK BLUES (SELF-PARA)

who: ruby zizes (ft. @lemonlopez​ & @bbpuck​ ) where: the choir room when: friday, nov. 13, 2020 what: ruby decides to audition for glee club (with a little help from some friends) just as taylor swift vs. dolly week comes to a close

Life post-cheerios was...kind of depressing. Nearly two weeks after her expulsion from the squad, Ruby was trying to keep a low profile for the most part. After one fucked up slushie to the face, she was in no rush to have a repeat of the situation. She had always prided herself on being a confident person—someone who rose through the ranks against all odds. It definitely knocked her down a peg to see the way she was treated without red polyester hugging her in all the right places, but this was an important lesson. After weeks of teary conversations turned into screaming matches with her parents, Ruby was done moping around. She was determined to get to the bottom of it.  

She had a three step plan. Step one was working with Bell Pepper to figure out who leaked the nudes before wiping them from the internet. That plan was already in motion. Step three, the final step, involved working with resident cool girl LJ Holliday and the rest of the angry Titans to organize some sort of protest to get back at the blatantly sexist administration. That part of the plan was also in motion. That left step two...arguably the hardest step of all. 

Make new friends. 

Ruby had seen the true colors of a lot of the cheerios and while she wasn’t a grudge keeper by any means, she’d always remember this moment—who showed up for her and who didn’t. She knew girls could be catty, but she hadn’t expected this level of selfishness. It just went to show her how naive she truly was. There wasn’t much she could do about it other than try to find some new people who would mean it when they said they were in her corner. She didn’t have a clue about where to start, but when Lemon suggested the New Directions at Mr. Schuester’s wedding...well, it was kind of appealing. 

Ruby could hold a tune and she loved music. Did she possess Ivy's level of intensity about show choir or Stevie’s competitiveness or Julien’s shameless passion? Definitely not. But from what she understood about the New Directions, they were like a family or whatever. A group of kids who didn’t all fit together perfectly but somehow found it in themselves to be there when it counted. That was the energy she needed. So, after working all week long on a song with the help of Lemon Lopez-Pierce who brought on Baby Puckeman, Ruby finally felt ready to audition for the New Directions come Friday. 

She walked into the choir room alone on Friday, but felt immediately supported by the affirming look she got from Lemon and even Baby. Apparently she wasn’t the only one looking to join, so she took a seat next to Lemon and watched with bright eyes as the allegedly homophobic Vince Hart took to the center of the room and performed a seemingly impromptu Taylor Swift medley. Ruby’s jaw dropped when she realized this was absolutely a gay serenade. If every week was this eventful in glee club? She was definitely in the right place. 

She clapped at the end of Vince’s performance and watched amusedly as Cam’s sister started tearing up on one side of the room while other people congratulated Vince on his audition. Once the initial excitement died down though, Mr. Schue got everyone focused again and called Ruby up to the center of the room. Oh fuck. She’d almost forgotten she was here to sing too. “RIght,” she said, taking a quick breath before she got up and planted herself in front of the New Directions. “I’m Ruby,” she started, heart thumping nervously in her chest as she glanced around at all her peers—some of which were also cheerios, “you guys probably already know that.” Ruby tried to take her mom’s advice, to picture everyone in the crowd wearing their underwear...but that didn’t really work when the entire audience had seen her in her underwear (or less). Oh well, no backing down now.

“I’ve never really done this before,” she admitted, mostly to Dan Schuester, “so I like...I asked for some help. I hope that’s cool.” Another page out of her mom’s book. She grinned as she waved Baby and Lemon over to her side. When choosing a song, she knew she wanted to do Dolly. Lemon and Baby had shared stories about their moms and the ‘unholy trinity,’ which was what inspired the trio arrangement and the simple but sharp choreography. 

One they were in their places, Ruby eyed one of the band geeks and gave them a nod—“hit it.” Lovesick Blues from Honky Tonk Angels (notoriously linked to the walmart yodel boy) was one of Ruby’s favorite songs of all time and as soon as the music started, a devilish smile graced her face and she opened her mouth to sing. 

Got a feelin' 'cause I'm blue, oh, Lord, since my daddy said goodbye. 

The three girls sang in their triangle formation with Ruby at the center. With Lemon and Baby backing her up, Ruby felt supported and confident. 

Now I'm in love, I'm in love with a wonderful guy, that's what's the matter with me. Well, I'm in love, I'm in love with a wonderful guy, but he don't care about me.

The longer the number went on, the more fun she had, and by the time they reached the final verse, she was belting her heart out like her life hadn’t fallen apart a couple of weeks ago. 

I've grown so used to that man, and how and I'm nobody's sugar baby now. 'Cause I'm lonesome, I got the lovesick blues.

Ruby let out a breathless, almost surprised chuckle as the song came to a close and she was enveloped in a hug by Lemon and Baby while the choir room filled with applause. Had they really just done that? Holy shit. “Um,” she gulped, unable to stop grinning from ear to ear, “that was pretty fucking cool.” Oop. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth. “Sorry,” a shrug, “can we curse in here?” She placed her hands on her hips as she tried to compose her joy. "So...what do I do now? Am I in?” The tea about the New Directions was that everyone got in. Dan Schuester formally welcomed her and told her to take a seat before making his way over to the white board to scrawl next week’s lesson in marker—Lorde vs. Cher. As Ruby settled into her seat and looked around at her new teammates, she felt a calm wash over her. It wasn’t the cheerios, and it certainly wasn’t perfect, but she’d take it.  

[bugaboosandbees]

Reine Ruse Part 2

Hello all!

I'm sorry that this second chapter took so long to write. I'm a bit of a recovering perfectionist, so it's still strange to share my writing with others and I ended up putting it off quite a bit...

As a result, it's not been closely proofread so as to avoid giving me time to second guess myself.

(This chapter is quite a bit saltier than I'd planned it to be... oops! I discovered how difficult it is to make it reasonable for Mari to want to spend her time with Chloe if everyone else isn’t being kind of pretty awful.)

Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions on how I can improve. Seeing what you all think really makes my day. :)

Also, feel free to let me know if you’d like me to add you to the tag list! (Or remind me if I’ve forgotten... computers are hard sometimes.)

Tikki

Tikki was worried about her bug. Of course, she loved all of her chosen deeply, but Marinette was so young. She was also the first in such a long time to have such unbridled joy in creation. Tikki could feel her powers sing in harmony with Marinette’s soul as the girl drew and sewed, knitted and baked, and tended the steadily growing garden on her rooftop balcony. And then there were the days when her young chosen would do something so reckless or chaotic and it would strike Tikki like a bolt to the chest how much Marinette could remind her of Plagg.

She knew that it was stupid and illogical, but sometimes when she slept at night, she selfishly dreamt that the girl was really theirs. Beyond loving Marinette as a partner and a friend and a mentor, Tikki loved her as a mother. And it was tearing her apart inside to see her chosen, hers, so distraught. She tried to be there for Marinette as best as she could, pressing into her side from inside her purse and offering encouraging words. She had never wanted quite so badly to be human, to have arms to hug the child of her spirit with. She knew she was being selfish, she would never dream of taking Marinette away from her human mother who had those arms, ready for hugging, if only she could persuade her chosen to make use of them!

She cursed everything that she’d said to Marinette in the beginning. Lessons to make her into a better Ladybug be damned, she’d somehow managed to convince her chosen that the weight of the entire world rested on her small shoulders and that she didn’t deserve to ask for help in carrying her burdens and nothing she said now could convince the girl otherwise. Plagg’s wayward chosen certainly wasn’t helping either! The next time she saw her other half, she was going to have words with him about disciplining his kit.

She had to admit that she was actually grateful for Chloe Bourgeois. That wasn’t something she thought she’d ever say. She’d disliked the girl from the moment that she’d first heard her belittling her chosen from her hiding place in Marinette’s bag. That being said, for some reason, she was the only rock that Marinette seemed willing to cling to in the storm she was fighting through. It had been a week since she’d first seen her bug fall into the Bourgeois girl’s arms through Marinette’s transformed eyes. She’d found herself accompanying her chosen to Chloe’s balcony every night since seeing a new side of the blonde as she treated her chosen as the treasure she was.

She was relieved that Marinette was allowing someone to pick up her broken pieces. She wished she could do more to help, but she would be there, right by her chosen’s side until the very end, and that would have to be enough.

Marinette

Walking into class the morning after she had fallen apart in the comforting arms of the girl who’d bullied her for years was easier than Marinette expected. She looked up as she crossed the threshold of the room. It wasn’t unusual to see the entire class gathered around Lila and Adrien’s desk, or, unfortunately, the death glares the group sent toward her as soon as she’d come through the door.

“Good morning.” She hated how her greeting was quieter than it had been since the previous year, since before she’d met her first real friends. Now she was back to wondering what awful things would happen if she spoke too loudly or took up too much space in this room. She couldn’t afford to be further targeted by Lila, she couldn’t afford to be akumatized. If that meant returning herself to the sidelines, that was what she was going to have to do.

“Marinette!” It was Alya, voice strong with the righteous anger that used to fill Marinette with awe and pride in her friend. “How could you?!”

Marinette wasn’t quite sure what exactly she was supposed to have done, but she shrank back from Alya’s anger nonetheless. She must have looked confused because the class bristled.

“I’m sure there’s some explanation,” Lila simpered tearfully from the middle of the group.

“Explanation?!” It was a wonder Alya’s screech didn’t deafen her. “She convinced Gabriel Agreste that you stole your designs for the contest from her because she was jealous you won the internship! There is no explanation or excuse to defend what a bitch she’s being!”

E tu, Alya? Marinette’s jaw dropped. Lila had been discovered? But, she never talked to Mr. Agreste. She’d cried and given it up as a lost cause. Even if she could somehow get in contact with Mr. Agreste, she’d die before letting her idol know the trouble she was facing or how weak she was. But if she hadn’t told Mr. Agreste that Lila had stolen her designs, who had?

Chloe

It had been a week since Chloe returned from vacation with her mother to find that everything had somehow gone wrong at school in her absence, the entire class fawning over the shady Italian exchange student who was obviously lying through her teeth and glaring daggers at the little-miss-too-perfect-for-words Marinette Dupain-Cheng as they’d rarely even dared glare at her in the past. When Cesaire of all people had led the charge in tearing down Marin--- Dupain-Cheng for claiming that Liar-la’s contest-winning designs were actually hers, Chole found herself breaking into the conversation (not to be nice or anything) out of sheer shock. She left the class alone for two weeks to spend some (admittedly disappointing) time with her mother, and they apparently no longer had two brain cells gathered between them.

After the disastrous Monday of her return, Chloe had initially planned not to do anything about the strange situation at school. She had no interest in Lila’s plans, whatever they were, and it was frankly amusing to see her holier-than-thou classmates fawning over the liar. Then, after Ladybug had left that first night, Chloe had found herself, quite against her will, thinking of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, running out of the classroom, tears streaming down her face. Something about Ladybug’s story had reminded her of the sudden changes in the class’ attitude toward the blue-haired designer and, even if she’d never been and would likely never be friends with the baker’s daughter, she could certainly appreciate the appeal of working out her frustrations with Ladybug’s traitor friends on the class full of turncoats she did have sway over. Besides, it had become significantly more fun to irritate Dupain-Cheng since she’d begin to grow a backbone and it irked her to see her rival losing the confidence she’d somehow obtained over something so stupid.

It had been easy to get her father to request a word with Gabriel Agreste who, though a recluse,  wasn’t stupid enough to ignore a request to talk to the mayor of the city his fashion empire was based in. It was almost physically painful for Chloe to tell her father to inform Mr. Agreste that Lila had stolen her designs from Marinette, but she admitted that it would look like a repeat of the derby hat competition if she didn’t have proof that Lila was lying, and she’d learned the hard way about the lengths her classmate went to to prevent the theft of her designs. She told her father to suggest that Mr. Agreste should turn the designs upside down and inspect the stitching that Marinette was sure to have hidden somewhere in her images.

She’d expected to go to class the next day and wade through a sea of satisfying guilt and self-deprecation as her classmates groveled at Marinette’s feet, but it appeared that she’d underestimated either how good a liar Lila was how utterly ridiculous her classmates could be. Lila had somehow managed to convince them that Marinette had tricked Gabriel-fucking-Agreste into believing that Lila was a liar because she was jealous. Chloe was well aware (and somewhat disappointed) that there did not appear to be a vindictive bone in Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s body. She’d seen Marinette’s perfect parents and home long ago and had terrorized her for years, hoping that at some point she’d snap and show that she wasn’t so perfect after all, but no matter what she did Marinette never rose to the bait. She’d even thrown Chloe a fucking party when she’d become Queen Bee. It was thus completely un-fucking-believable to her that the entire class was buying this shit. She was half certain at this point that if Jagged Stone himself came to class and said that he’d never had a kitten, Lila would be able to pass it off as a weirdly specific case of amnesia. Chloe would clearly need to rethink her approach to taking on the interloper, but for now, she had more important things to focus on.

It had been a week since the first day that Ladybug had appeared on her balcony at the beginning of a rainstorm crying and six days since Chloe had discreetly slipped a note to Jean Baptiste, requesting a collection of books -- five since she had returned from school to find them stacked on her desk. She started reading immediately. Ladybug seemed determined to come to her of all people, and she was going to do her level best not to let her hero down. For the rest of the week, Chloe filled the hours between school and Ladybug’s visits with books on imposter syndrome, on dealing with trauma, and on learning how to move on from broken relationships. (If some of those had hit rather too close to home, well, she’d never admit it.) She’d practiced what advice to give and how to respond in front of her bathroom mirror and strategically placed even more pillows than usual on the couch that Ladybug favored. After all, she was a Bourgeois, and when a Bourgeois wanted something done, it was done right. (If she was a bit obsessive about preparing, that could simply be chalked up to never actually having been the one to do any of the aforementioned somethings previously.)

What she lacked in experience of these matters, she made up for in enthusiasm, as evidenced by the cup of hot milk and plate of cookies ready in the room at precisely 8:55 on Thursday night, exactly 5 minutes ahead of Ladybug’s arrival. The heroine had taken to arriving at 9:00 and staying until around midnight, clearly wishing to spend as much time as she could in an environment where she didn’t feel the weight of others’ judgments and expectations. (And didn’t that just make Chloe cringe with regret at the memories of her first several interactions with the spotted hero.)

It did appear that miracle of miracles, the visits were actually helping Ladybug. She hadn’t yet been as distraught as she’d been the first night, and for that Chloe was grateful. They’d mostly chatted about lighter topics or watched movies. Once, Ladybug had actually painted Chloe’s nails, as if that hadn’t given her a minor heart attack. Sometime during the evening, if she’d been on patrol or dealing with akumas, or if it had just been a bad day and she’d stayed out too long, Ladybug would take the plate of cookies and head for Chloe’s bathroom, emerging several minutes after she’d gone in. Neither girl verbalized how much trust was in that action, but Chloe knew it down to her bones and she sure as hell wasn’t going to make Ladybug regret it.

She looked down at her watch. 8:59. Any moment now… Her head shot up at the loud noise from her balcony. What the? Ladybug burst into the room like a dervish, panting and shaking. She ran for the hallway and as she passed Chloe, her panicked eyes locked with the blonde’s.

“I’m not here. If he asks, I’m not here. Please, Chloe.”

Shocked, Chloe nodded and Ladybug darted inside Chloe’s bedroom and shut the door.

Warily, Chloe walked over to the open balcony doors and looked outside. What was going on?

Tag list:

@demydreamer-otaku-and-book-lover  @anastasian-dreamer  @donegonewrong  @twinkletoes-rp  @asandygraves @fatimaabbasrizvi 

[kyber-crystal]

Whatever it Takes

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~4.1k

Summary: In which Steve is always there for you through thick and thin. And in return, even when everything seems like it’s going wrong, you give him hope for a better future.

Warnings: angst (I mean this is Endgame, what do you expect), soft steve, mentions of death, violence

A/N: CRINGEY AF BC THIS IS AN OLD ONESHOT. I’m currently working on something else so I’m just putting this up as a filler oops

Tags: @pies-writes-and-more​ as always :)

Steve sat outside the compound staring at the floor, deep in thought. With the only possibility of victory no longer an opportunity, he didn't know what else to do. 

Then, a deafening noise broke the silence in the distance and he glanced up, seeing a familiar Audi R8 speeding towards the entrance. The car pulled over to him but went a bit too far, then reversed. Tony rolled down the window as he stopped.

"Why the long face? Let me guess, he turned into a baby."

"Among other things, yeah. What are you doing here?"

Tony got out of the car and walked around to the back, ignoring his question. "That's the EPR Paradox. Instead of pushing Lang through time, you might've wound up pushing time through Lang. It's tricky. Dangerous. Somebody should've cautioned you against it."

"You did."

"Oh, did I? Thank God I'm here. Regardless, I fixed it," He held up his right hand with a device on it, "A fully-functioning Time-Space GPS. I just want peace. Turns out, resentment is corrosive, and I hate it."

"Me too."

"We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities: Bring back what we lost? I hope, yes. Keep what I got? I have to, at all costs. And...maybe not die trying will be nice."

"Sounds like a deal," Steve nodded, reaching out to shake his hand.

Tony reached back into his trunk to pull something else out, Steve's shield. He handed it over to him but he hesitated for a moment.

"Tony..."

"Why? He made it for you," he referred to his father, "Plus, honestly I have to get it out of the garage before Y/N sneaks over and takes it sledding. I wouldn't give up just yet."

He finally took the shield from him and fit his arm into it.

"Thank you, Tony."

"Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn't bring one for the whole team....We are getting the whole team, yeah?"

"We're working on that right now."

"Steve."

The super-soldier looked up, confused at the sudden seriousness in his tone. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being there for Y/N...when I failed to do that, you were there to take my place," he explained. "Being a single parent was the toughest job I was ever faced with. Her mother disappeared without another word as soon as she gave birth, and I was left to handle Y/N all on my own. I was only 18. I'd made a shit ton of reckless decisions before and now, I was stuck and didn't know what to do. So for her entire life, before Pepper came along, she had to grow up with only one parent. She became defensive and cold-hearted and I couldn't do anything about it. I try to push her, she pushes back, or she shuts herself out altogether. I try to understand why, she sinks deeper. Sometimes I don't know just what's going on with her and as much as I try to be understanding, I can't. But you saved her, Rogers. I don't know what you've been doing to make her change but it's working, and I want to thank you for that."

"Tony, you did a good job raising her. But you have the rest of the team to thank as well."

"I think she's softened up because of you."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never seen her look at a man the way she looks at you," the billionaire pointed out.

"With hatred and a burning passion to kill me if I ever stepped onto her bad side?"

"No, her eyes get all sparkly and shit. She's in love with you. But I swear, if you do anything to hurt her and break her heart, I'll kill you with my bare hands."

Steve's eyes widened slightly, and he put his hands in the air in surrender. "Okay, I won't."

"One more thing?"

"Yeah?"

"If all of this, what we're doing somehow goes south, something goes wrong, I need you to promise me one thing. Take care of Y/N. I need someone to watch over her when I'm gone, and I don't think there's anyone more qualified for that job than you."

"I promise."

...

"And I...am...Iron Man."

You looked over in horror to see Tony snap his fingers with a loud 'CLANG' and a blinding flash of white. Rocket fired at a Leviathan and before it devoured him, it crumbled into ash. The Black Order started crumbling to ash as well. T'Challa and Quill looked around in surprise; Steve looked on in exhaustion, knowing that they had won. Thanos, in horror, looked around and saw his entire army disintegrate. He looked at Steve, who just stared blankly at him. Thanos sat down, mourning before slowly being erased from existence himself.

The raw power of the gauntlet's energy left Tony's entire right side fatally injured. He stumbled for a bit before his body collapsed besides a pile of debris. Rhodey soon swooped in and went up to see his long time colleague and friend slowly fading away before his eyes and not long after, Peter did the same as well.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter ran up to his fallen mentor, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. "Can you hear me? It's Peter. Hey. We won, Mr. Stark. We won. You did it, sir. You did it. I'm sorry—Tony—"

He barely had any energy left to respond as Peter choked on a sob, wrapping his arms around him before gently being led aside by Wanda as she put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

Pepper sat down in front of him, "Hey."

Tony was barely able to move his head, but managed to look her in the eyes. "Hey, Pep..."

She placed her hand on his arc reactor, and he rested his hand on hers as she took a good look at his injuries.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

"Life functions critical."

Tony smiled with tears in his eyes.

"Dad? Hey, you're okay," you said softly as you approached him, "You did it. We're gonna be okay."

"Hey, angel," he said weakly as he took your hand in his. You tried to ignore how deathly cold it felt. "You did so well. I'm so proud of you."

"Tony. Look at me," Pepper moved closer to you as she made sure Tony got a long look at her smiling face. You involuntarily leaned into her, as you felt the familiar sting of tears to your eyes. "We're gonna be okay. You can rest now."

With that acknowledgement, the light in his arc reactor flickered off for good. Unable to contain your grief, you let out a tortured cry, sobbing into Pepper's chest as she started to cry on his shoulder.

Earth's best defender was dead.

Dead.

Your father, your everything, the light of your life. Dead.

You flinched when you felt someone's hand on your shoulder all of a sudden as you stood up, jolting you from your thoughts. Steve stood there with glassy, red-rimmed eyes, which was a rare sight because he never displayed any emotions other than confidence and complete control—and it was beginning to take a toll on your already broken heart. He was always strategizing and planning things out, charging headfirst into battle without a second thought and now he was on the verge of breaking down, tucking you close into his side.

So you let yourself collapse into his touch, a sob escaping your lips as you clung on to him like you did to Tony when you were a little girl.

You're not quite sure how long you stand there like that, tightly clutching America's war hero like you'll slip away if you let go. He was a life raft, and you were stranded at sea, hopelessly lost with the stormy waves violently crashing over you and choking you as you struggled to escape.

Eleven years. Eleven years had passed since you first met Steve Rogers, and his unwavering promise to you that he'd stay by your side no matter the circumstance still stood. Since the day you first joined the Avengers Initiative he'd been a major figure in your life, always sticking by and supporting you when no one else was around to do so. He picked you up when you fell; he didn't judge you on your rough past nor your worst mistakes.

Now you found that you were needing him more than ever.

And in that moment, Steve knew, he had to keep his promise. Not just for your sake, but for Tony's as well. 

So he swore to himself on his life that he’d never leave your side.

...

With a heavy heart, you dragged yourself out of bed to get ready for Tony's funeral. Alongside Pepper, you carried a wreath out of the house with his first arc reactor framed with the words 'Proof that Tony Stark Has a Heart' and laid it on the lake, watching as it slowly drifted away.

Everyone was finally gathered together as one, although it wasn't in the way you'd imagined it to be. Happy, Rhodey, Pepper, you, Peter and May. Thor. Bruce, Strange, Steve, Wong, Scott, Hope, Janet, Hank, Quill, and the rest of the Guardians. T'Challa, Okoye, and Shuri. Clint and his family. Wanda. Bucky. Sam, Harley Keener, Secretary Ross, Maria Hill, Carol, and even Fury, who was silently watching in the back.

After it ended you stood at the edge of the lake, hands stuffed in your leather jacket's pockets as you stared blankly out at the water. It was hard for you to think about how you were supposed to move on after losing one of the most important people in life, hard to imagine who you'd turn to now that the one man who gave you better advice than anyone you knew was gone.

"You know, I wish there was a way—that I could let him know," you said without looking behind to see Steve, who'd been watching you for a bit, "how much I loved him. Because I didn't get to tell him before he—you know."

"He knows," he said as you turned around to meet his gaze, "and he loved you more than anything." Almost as much as I do.

"I never got to tell him," your voice broke, lashes brimming heavy with unshed tears, "I just—I just wish I could turn back time and tell him that. But I didn't, and—"

Before you had the chance to finish your sentence, he circled his arms around your waist and pulled you close. At that moment you broke down into heaving sobs that ripped through your chest and your throat and your heart, unable to contain your grief for any longer, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. And he just held you there in silence, rocking you back and forth slowly as your tears soaked his suit.

Steve wonders exactly how much more heartbreak he can take because to see you in a condition such as this one wasn't doing him any good, making his heart feel as if it was being shattered into a thousand pieces, then put back together only to be broken again into a million more smaller parts. He hated seeing the woman he cared about so much in pain and found himself wishing there was just some way he could just take it all away from you.

"I just really miss him," you choked out, "I...I don't know what Pepper and I are gonna do without him."

"I know. I miss him too," he murmured, pressing his lips to your forehead and pulling you closer, rubbing soothing circles onto your back. "We all do."

"You're not going to leave, are you?" you mumbled into his chest, "Please don't leave me."

"I won't, I promise," he reassured you, smoothing your hair back, "Whenever you need me, I'll be here."

"Okay," you let out a shuddering sigh, "okay."

...

You headed back inside, as Steve led you to the living room with a hand on the small of your back as you sat down on the couch, taking the letter that Happy gave to you.

"He hated writing letters. Always insisted on typing everything up, but he hand wrote this for your sake," Happy explained quietly. "I've never seen someone love their kid as much as he loved you."

"I loved him, too," you smiled sadly. "Thank you, Happy. For everything."

"No worries, sweetheart," he nodded solemnly. "Anything for his little girl."

The super-soldier gripped your hand encouragingly, lacing your fingers together and squeezing tightly as you unfolded the paper.

To my sweet Y/N.

If you're reading this, it means I've been faced with my untimely death. I mean, not that death at any time isn't untimely. This time travel thing that we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow...it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. That's the thing. Then again, that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end. But what am I tripping for? Everything's gonna work out exactly the way it's supposed to.

When I first found out I was getting a daughter, I was sure I'd never be able to handle the responsibility of having a child. I didn't plan on becoming a parent so early and I was afraid, terrified I'd fail you as a father. And I feared that I did, many times. I was afraid you'd grow to resent me for what I'd done. But I persisted, because I wanted to give you the best possible life I could despite that raising you alone was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done. But it was all worth it in the end, because I got to see you grow up and become this beautiful, accomplished and talented young woman who would do anything for those she loves.

Look, I don't want you to make the same mistakes as I did. When the time comes, I want you to find a man that's willing to settle down with you and give you his whole heart- that's how you know he's the one. Hell, if you're going to go and get with Rogers, I wouldn't mind that either. Over this past decade, I've never seen someone as dedicated to protecting you and staying loyal to you as him and if you decide to get together, I'd be more than happy to give you my blessing. Honestly, I think the entire team's been shipping you two since the day you first met (Don't tell Sam I exposed him as a softie, though, he's going to kill me if I do. Or Clint). Seriously, though. Capsicle loves you, more than you'll ever know. And much more than he's willing to admit himself.

Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to let your guard down, to be vulnerable and let the ones you love in. I know you're afraid of getting hurt, I know you believe that by building up those mile-high walls around your heart you think you're saving yourself, but it's really only going to hurt you in the long run. Love is messy. Sometimes you gotta suck it up and deal with the pain; that's just how it is. You get hurt, you get heartbroken, and there's a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. It's a messy process.

If you ever feel like giving up, like you just can't go on any further, just know that there's always someone out there who's rooting for you. You got me, the team. SHIELD's got your back, so does Happy, and even Peter. Know that there's always hope.

Remember that your past does not define who you are. Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.

You are not what has happened to you. You are what you choose to become.

Thank you for being born and coming into my life, becoming the best thing that's ever happened to a guy like me. Remember I'll always be with you no matter what, angel. I love you 3,000.

From, the arm-wrestling champion, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, your dad, and #1 fan. I love you so much. -T.S

A tear slipped down your cheek and dripped onto the paper, staining the corner with a dark spot as you folded it back up and set it on the table. You rested your head against Steve's broad shoulder as he wrapped an around your waist in a protective manner, pressing a lingering kiss to the side of your forehead.

...

Several days passed and Steve knew it was growing closer to the time he would be forced to make the most difficult decision of his life. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew what he was about to do was absolutely necessary to restore the universe to normal once again.

Night after night for the next three weeks, you woke up screaming with sweat streaming down your face, a shiver running down your spine and images of Tony dying in front of your eyes with you not being able to do anything about it flashing in your brain. He'd come into your room without question, climb into bed next to you, and hold you close, rocking you back and forth and humming old lullabies his mother used to sing to him as a child until you fell asleep, your breathing and rapid heartbeat finally steadying.

Everyone could tell something was going on between the two of you, but because you were so heavily weighed down by your grief that you didn't think before you did anything, they didn't question why you were suddenly so close to the super-soldier. He was your anchor, your safe haven you so desperately needed and were convinced would sink below your endless stream of thoughts without.

The dreaded day finally came and with a heavy heart, Steve got up and watched your peacefully sleeping figure in bed for a moment before leaving and heading outside.

Bucky, Bruce, and Sam were already waiting by the time he met them by the time machine.

He then walked over to Bucky. "Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back."

"How could I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

The two men both exchanged a quick hug with each other.

"Stay safe, buddy."

"It's gonna be okay, Buck. If this somehow—takes longer than it's supposed to—or I don't come back at all—promise me you'll watch out for her, alright?"

"I will," Bucky nodded.

Steve went over to the Quantum portal, donning the red and white suit.

"How long is this going to take?" you asked.

"For him? As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds," Bruce replied.

The super-soldier picked up Mjolnir 2013.

"Ready, Cap? Alright. We'll meet you back here, okay?"

"You bet."

"Going quantum. Three, two, one—"

With that, he disappeared into the quantum tunnel.

"And returning in five, four, three, two, one—"

Steve didn't appear on the pad right away, and Bruce looked around the equipment in confusion.

"Where is he?" Sam questioned.

"I don't know. He blew right by his time stamp. He should be here."

"Well, get him back."

"I'm trying."

"Get him the hell back!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!"

"Sam," Bucky cut in.

Sam walked towards him, and him, Bucky, and Bruce saw his familiar broad-shouldered figure in the distance, so they went near him.

"Go ahead," Bucky gestured over to him with a small smile.

Sam went over to Steve, who was silently staring out at the water ahead with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He still looked the same, with his signature leather jacket and khakis. If it weren't for the subtle lines etched in his face from years of enduring hard battles against both himself and other enemies, from his newfound grief, one would think he was barely over thirty years old.

"Cap?"

"Hey, Sam."

"So did something go wrong, or did something go right?"

"Well, after I put the stones back, I thought, maybe I'll try some of that life Tony was telling me to get."

"How'd that work out for you?"

"It was beautiful."

"I'm happy for you. Truly."

"But when I saw how happy she looked living her life...I didn't want to take that away from her," the super-soldier explained. "Seeing that she was able to move on made me realize I could do the same. I can't stay in a relationship when I know my heart belongs to someone else. I made Stark a promise to look after her....I can't do that if I'm not here."

"Is that why you didn’t stay?"

"Yeah," Steve smiled faintly, "I couldn't leave her behind."

"Well, uh...she's inside, if you're looking for her—"

"Steve?"

"Uhhhhh....never mind, there she is," Sam gestured to you as you were stepping down the porch and making your way across the lawn to him. "You want me to give you two a moment?"

"Yeah. That'd be nice."

You picked up your pace, sprinting towards him as fast as you possibly could into his embrace. 

"Y/N—"

"Why'd you come back? I thought you were going to, you know—stay with Peggy—"

"I couldn't, Y/N, and you know that."

"Why not?"

He pulled away, letting his gaze linger on your face for a bit before brushing a stray hair behind your ear. "I made a promise I couldn't break. I'd never be able to forgive myself for it if I did."

"What promise?"

"Tony made me swear on my life that I'd stay no matter what happened."

"Steve..." your voice wavered as you forced yourself to look straight up at him, those icy-blue eyes that never seemed to fail to give you chills and make butterflies flutter around in your stomach, "Why did you throw away your one chance of having a happy ending? Now I'm the reason why your last chance of living the life you always wanted was taken away from you. I can't—I don't want to stop you from being with whom you love. You came back, even when you had the chance to live out the future that you'd been looking forward to for so long. And you didn't take it. Why?"

"I don't need to stay, when my entire future is standing right in front of me. Y/N, you are my future."

"Oh my god—"

"Shut up," Bucky hissed, elbowing Sam in the side, "let them be!"

"So he's been in love with her this entire time and I had no clue?! He's been in love with her for five whole years? Took them long enough."

"Ten. Catch up, birdbrain."

"Look, I'm sorry—"

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Steve reassured you in a soft voice, "I made my decision, and I'm staying here, whether you're in favor of that or not."

You let out something that was a mix of a choked sob and a laugh. "I can't get rid of you?"

"Unfortunately not," he chuckled, "as far as I know, you're sticking with me, because I love you too much to let you go."

"I hate to break the sentimental mood you've created here, you mumbled into his chest, "but...do you mean like...you're actually in love? Because that's what Dad would always say. If a man doesn't leave your side he either just wants to annoy the hell out of you, or is hopelessly in love with you."

"He's not wrong."

"Okay, then I—"

Steve quickly silenced you by leaning down and placing his lips lightly on yours, which took you completely by surprise. It was as if the entire world stopped when your lips met, your body warming up under his touch - a feeling that you'd never really get used to although you'd been working with him for as long as you could remember. You felt as if you were going to explode from the sheer amount of passion and adrenaline coursing through your body.

"I was going to say I love you too," you let out a sound that was a mix between a choked sob and a laugh. "before you—uh—cut me off like that."

"Oh," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as his cheeks flushed a bright pink, "sorry."

"I'm gonna say it! You two. Have taken. Too damn long! To admit! You're in love! With each other!" Bucky clapped with every few words he said. "That’s all you say in response to her telling you she lo—"

"Man, shut the hell up," Sam grumbled. "as if you're dating anyone right now."

[inspired-by-the-music]

Love Sick (Jun)

Requests are encouraged! Please check my Guidelines before submitting your request!

Summary: Jun swears you have a crush on the most popular guy in school, and it’s driving him crazy. Featuring best friend Minghao and jock Mingyu

Word Count: 1160

Jun couldn’t figure out why you were so smitten with that jock. Sure, he was an athletic superstar; and he wasn’t exactly dumb, since he ranked near the top of your class academically; and apparently he was popular with all the girls, judging by his following of adoring fans. 

You initially didn’t fit in with the group of girls who openly admired the jock; instead, you were a part of the much larger community of distant admirers. You stole glances at him from afar, behind the concealment of your locker or from the faraway table in the corner of the library. 

And honestly, it made Jun sick. You couldn’t even get through a conversation with him without staring at that guy— as if Jun hadn’t spent the last several years of middle school and high school gawking at you with that same lovesick expression. 

But when that guy started winking at you after he gave you his phone number, and you started texting him between classes— that’s when it became too much for Jun.

Jun knew you were desperate for that guy to ask you to the upcoming school picnic, as all of your chats revolved around your plans for the event. Between your nonstop ramblings about ways to confess and the entire student body’s speculation on who the star athlete would attend the picnic with, Jun felt like he was going crazy. 

He was helping Minghao prepare his basket when he finally snapped. “What’s so great about that guy anyway?’

“His name is Mingyu,” Minghao reminded as he peered at Jun over the tops of his glasses, which were sliding down his nose. “And do you mean aside from being handsome, smart, and athletic? Y/N probably likes hanging around him because he acts like he likes her.”

“I act like I like her,” Jun argued. Furrowing his brow, he grumbled, “I’ve liked her way longer.”

“No, you acted like her friend,” Minghao corrected. Then, more sternly, he added, “Now you’re acting like a jealous child.”

And Jun knew he was being irrational, but he couldn’t help but explain, “I just don’t trust that guy. He has cheerleaders tripping all over him, and he suddenly has a thing for our Y/N?”

“You mean your Y/N— I don’t claim dibs on her.” Minghao rolled his eyes, advising, “And maybe don’t tell her that you can’t imagine why anyone would choose her over a cheerleader, Jun— seriously! I can’t believe you’re acting like this.”

As if Minghao couldn’t be more annoyed, and as if Jun couldn’t be more embarrassed, Minghao exploded as he accepted Jun’s completed sandwich. “Yah! Did you spread whipped cream on this sandwich?”

“Oops.”

But when Minghao met Jun’s flustered gaze, he had to take pity. “Wow, this Y/N situation has really turned your brain to mush. Look— if it’s any consolation, I don’t think she’ll be talking to Mingyu much longer—”

“Why?” 

“Because she doesn’t even like him that much,” Minghao claimed. 

Jun’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “Come on, everyone likes him.”

“Not Y/N,” Minghao maintained, rolling his eyes. “She has her eyes on someone else.”

“How do you know that?”

“Just believe me.” Minghao sighed deeply before admitting, “I know way too much about  how you and Y/N feel. But there’s only so much I can do when everyone swears me to secrecy.”

“I—” Jun’s voice dropped abruptly as he realized what Minghao was alluding to. But he needed confirmation, so with widened eyes and a drop jaw he asked, “Does Y/N like me?”

But Minghao refused to answer, evidently taking his vows of secrecy to heart. Instead, he lunged at Jun, screeching, “Hey! Stop making food! I don’t need another whipped cream sandwich!”

However, Jun didn’t feel butterflies about your alleged crush for long. That next Monday at school, following the picnic, you were noticeably forlorn. You didn’t offer any explanation, and Jun couldn’t bring himself to ask. 

After hearing whispers of the star athlete’s newest romantic conquest, Jun reasoned that Minghao must have been mistaken about how much you liked that Mingyu guy. And although he felt a throbbing, stinging sort of pain at the realization that Minghao must have also been wrong about your crush on him, Jun pat your back comfortably as he sat next to you in the cafeteria. 

“Sorry things didn’t work out with that guy,” Jun forced himself to say. 

“Who?” You only deduced who Jun was talking about by following his gaze, which was fixed on Mingyu eating lunch with his new girlfriend. “Oh. I mean, I knew it would be difficult to work that project with him, since he’s pretty busy with practice and parties, but I guess I can live with an A-.”

“You’re better off without—” Jun cut himself short as he studied your words. “Wait— a project?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I just got our grade back. It’s not up to my usual standard, but it’s alright.”

So you had only been talking to Mingyu because of some assignment? Why hadn’t Minghao just said that, instead of being so mysterious all the time? 

“Well,” Jun spoke to distract you from his apparent confusion, “then why do you look so sad?”

You shied away from Jun’s stare as you explained, “I’m still just disappointed that you didn’t come to the picnic. I told you that I wanted to confess, and I stayed up all night making my basket, but you didn’t even show up. I ended up having to hang out with Minghao because his girlfriend was sick.”

Immediately Jun apologized, but his heart was still racing. You were going to confess to him? And not to Mingyu? Because Jun didn’t want you to misinterpret his absence from the picnic as a lack of interest in you, he had to admit, “I thought you were gonna be all lovey with that jock—”

“You thought I had a thing for Mingyu?” You hadn’t even finished the question before laughing hysterically. 

“It’s really not that funny,” Jun mumbled. He was so embarrassed, he looked away from you and picked at his food. “I was going crazy because I thought you liked him.”

“Come on, don’t look so sad.” You rubbed Jun’s arm comfortingly before pulling something out of your bag and holding it in front of his face. 

It was a heart shaped cookie on which you had written his name in icing. Jun accepted it, thinking only about how deeply he regretted skipping the picnic. But instead of saying that, he decided to tease, “You must really like me, huh, Y/N?”

You nudged him with your elbow. “Not as much as you like me, obviously.”

Jun realized this was the happiest conclusion to years of having a crush on him, and he suspected that nobody could be happier than him; however, Minghao was just as happy— perhaps even happier— because he would no longer have to observe his vows of secrecy.