#‘What ain’t living can never really die’

[lexcat-11]

Love Like Ghosts by Lord Huron is so c!Aimsey w/ c!Guqqie, Beep, and Ghostboo

[ariundercovers]

Bad Man (joel miller x afab!fem!reader)

Words: ~1.2k

Summary: Joel was a bad man. Neither of you gave a single fuck about it. (there's nothing here but pure filth. i am not sorry nor will i apologize. it spewed out of my brain and now here you be)

Warnings: 18+ only, rough sex, unprotected p in v, ass slapping, neck grabbing, bruising mentioned, girthy age gap, slightly toxic internal thoughts/monologue

masterlist here

You’re not sure how you got into this position, got to this place.

Well… actually, that’s a lie.

You’re pretty sure of it, if you’re being honest with yourself, and it has everything to do with Joel’s big fucking mouth and his stupid, flirty personality. It has even more to do with his perfect, stupid, glorious tongue and his frustratingly fat cock.

The speckled gray hair and the crow’s feet at his eyes were just the icing on top of the cake for you, really. A well-worn man with just as worn hands, willing to use them to deliver all of the pain and pleasure you could possibly ask for. He fucks, and he fucks well. He fucks like someone who’s lived an entire life, knows exactly what he wants, and takes it. Every time.

It’s all that you can think about, all that you can manage to do as he spears his hips into you from behind, nearly knocking the wind out of your chest with every thrust.

Joel was a bad man. A very, very bad man. 

And you fucking loved him for it.

Every grunt you hear from behind you spurs you on a little further, makes your core get a little bit wetter, until you feel beads of sweat start to drip from his body and onto your back. You cry out for him as the fingers of one hand dig bruisingly into your hip, and the palm of the other takes turns slapping at each of your asscheeks until you’re sure they’re a bright, stinging red with the heat you can feel radiating off of them already. 

There’s nothing in your mind, nothing in your body, but Joel. Joel everywhere.

He stops his smacks, but not his thrusts, and grips you tightly at the nape of your neck, shoving your face down into the couch beneath you. He holds you there, barely enough room to get a breath in between your cheek and the cushion, but the new angle makes you absolutely see stars. You cry out for him, fingers digging into the couch as you try to find purchase anywhere you can manage.

You feel like your insides are on fire - and so are your asscheeks - everything is, really, because Joel is all over you and inside of you and everywhere and everything and it was so fucking perfect you could cum just from the thought of it all. 

You were sure this was what heaven must feel like. Did you make him feel just as good? He hisses behind you and you feel another rush of slick to your core as you think about it. 

This, right here, was heaven. You knew it. You didn’t need to die to get there, and hell, you surely knew Joel wouldn’t be coming with you, anyway. So this would be enough. You’d let Joel bring a little piece of heaven to you, just like this, anytime he wanted to. You’d never say no to him.

And the thing is, you were right. Joel was a bad man. A very, very bad man. And he knew it. He just didn’t care.

With Ellie leaving and Tommy off to start his own family, what else did he have left? Who cares if he started fucking the little stable girl, young and perky and pliant and willing… all for him, any night of the week?

Could you really blame him for not giving a rat’s ass about what anyone else thought?

Maria would have his head if she knew, probably chastise him for being a dirty old man, call him a pervert or a cradle robber or something even worse.

You were legal, though. At least legal to the standards of 2003… legality ain’t much of a thing, these days.

He grunts heavily above you, staring down at you like you’re some kind of magic, materialized beneath his hands. Your fucking skin is just so fucking soft… Not hard and war-torn like his. And your hands… Oh the way your soft, gentle hands make him feel when they’re wrapped around his cock. Don’t even get him started on your fucking perky, perfectly pouty lips. He might as well have a heart attack and go to heaven each time you wrap your lips around his length.

So, fuck it. He wants this. Damn near feels like, after all this time, maybe, just maybe, he even deserves it. Deserves a warm cunt to sink himself into at the end of the day, a perky set of tits to play with, a smiling face that calls out for him not in stress or frustration but in pleasure.

Yeah. He wants it. He really, really fucking wants it. And he’s gonna take it - and keep taking it - over and over again until you’ve had your fill of him or until he drops dead in the process. He’s gonna take you every way he possibly can.

With the most mental clarity he’s had since that moment in the hospital with Ellie, Joel’s hips stutter for a moment as his breath catches in his throat. It’s just a second - barely a blip - but you notice. Of course you fucking notice. You start to turn your head back to him as if to ask him about it, but he just keeps fucking you relentlessly into the couch, never giving you a moment to even breathe, let alone ask a question.

He keeps your face pressed down into the cushions beneath you, and one of his broad arms wraps around your waist, a single calloused finger rubbing softly at your swollen nub. It takes very few moments of his touch at your clit to send you spiraling into oblivion, your back arching violently away from him as he continues to pound into you, both hands resting at each hip. His fingertips dip into your hip bones as he pulls you up and down on his cock, bouncing you off of his thighs with each thrust. He doesn’t give you a moment to think, let alone come down from the high of your orgasm, until he can feel the familiar tightening in his balls, slamming into you once - twice - three more times before he’s pulling out of you just in time to splatter his hot cum all over your well-abused ass. 

The pearly white beads of his cum nearly sparkle across the reddened skin of your ass cheeks and he groans in satisfaction as he catches his breath, loving the look of you painted with his seed. His. 

His. 

The possessive, needy demon comes out in him as he slaps his hand down against your reddened ass one more time and smears his cum all the way across your backside.

“You’re fucking mine, little girl. You understand me?”

You mewl, eyes shutting tightly as you press your ass back into the touch of his hands. He’ll be gentle with you later when you’re alone upstairs, buried under the sheets, where it’s safe and he’s sure no one’s watching. His shell will crack and you’ll get a little glimpse into his miserable broken insides, but not now. Not yet. 

Now, he’s all sharp edges and teeth, rough and raw and oh-so Joel.

He slaps your ass again, smearing his cum across your back before raking his nails sharply down your spine.

You wouldn’t have it any other way.

~ ~ ~

A/N: if you liked it, PLEASE leave a comment and/or a reblog! your interactions are literally the fuel to my fire! Love you all! xoxoxo

[wynonnahyde]

The saloon was lively, most if not everyone dancing, drinking, or socializing. Two younger people had recently been wed, so naturally, it was time to celebrate the new couple. Wynonna sat at the end of the bar, smiling as she watched everyone dance around, a smile on her lips. It had been a little, at least in her time, about 3 weeks since her horrid week. She wasn’t healed by any means, but she felt much better than she did, just had to be careful as any harsh hit to her chest or stomach would make her collapse.

She wasn’t drinking, which came as a surprise to most people, rather, slowly eating some chips that the saloons owner had made himself. She hummed along to the song on the piano, smiling at a few people as they passed by.

Later into the night, a younger man sped into the building, eyes darting around until they landed on Wynonna, speaking to an older woman. He quickly passed the crowd, excusing himself as he intervened.

“A—are you Wynonna Hyde—? Sand-spider?” He asked, his voice trembling.

Wynonna looked at him, a little off guard as she looked at the boy. “Yeah? Why?”

“There’s been a sighting out by the towns watering hole, where we all put our horses during off season, and sheriff has gone missing.”

“Missing-? How long?” She was shocked, no one went missing, especially the guy who uses his gun more than handcuffs.

“4 hours now, he said not to get you, but I heard a yell up by there and— well you catch the bad guys! I’m just a watcher at the jail!” He rambled, hands shaking as he looked into her eyes.

She hesitated, but sighed, nodding as she stood to her feet, nodding to the woman as a goodbye as she started to walk away, the boy following.

They exchanged more details, apparently a guy who was a little to snake like was out by the watering hole, seeming to be waiting. “And when the sheriff left, I heard a yell and couldn’t find him! So—so I came to get you..”

“…I—I’ll see what I can do, okay kid? If I ain’t back you get some people to come looking.”

The boy nodded, watching the woman start to walk off, her shadow disappearing into the darkness. It was a moonless night, visibility was low, very low, meaning you couldn’t really see who was around. Her steps were slow, and quiet, scanning the area as she slowly made it to the watering hole.

“…Sheriff? Jacob sent me out here, said you was missing?” It was silent, no reply. “…Timothy? You out here?”

Yet again, there was so reply, making the hair on her neck stand up. She was looking at the water, the towns watering hole, somehow, the water stayed, it was deep, about 6 feet, some people said it was an old burry sight that got abandoned, then filled. Everyone sent their horses down here during off season, when there was no work to be done.

“…fuckin’ hell man, c’mon don’t do this, Mary and Andrew just got married, we don’t need a death…” she sighed, going to step back to walk more down west, before a snap of a twig filled the air, her senses firing as she turned her head, seeing Timothy standing by the waters edge, staring her down. “Shit! Jesus, Timothy you scared me straight a moment…are you okay? You look like you’ve done seen a ghost.”

“I should’ve killed you when I had Johnny.” He simply said, his voice calm, cold.

“…what…?” She took a moment to reply, raising an eyebrow. “…Johnny died at the hanging tree, his guts were ripped open, what the fuck do you mean by that.”

“You stupid woman,” he spat, stepping closer, hands twitching. “My daddy spent his entire life tracking your family and his, just to die three day shy of your wedding?! and you all get off SCOTT FREE”

“Johnny was turning his life around, that man was fixing what his family had done! Your daddy wouldn’t leave us alone! We had never done anything!”

“Exactly why your father paid me to end it, you were to valuable, if I caught you two, I would have taken the entire ring down!”

“…what.”

She stood still, staring at the man as he started to chuckle, rolling his eyes. “What..? You thought it was a random man? Idiot!”

“…you…no. You—you helped me take him down from the tree, you helped me keep his guts inside.” She said lowly, breathing slowly.

He scoffed, eyes rolling as he held a sick grin, “you did the easy part in killing your daddy for me.”

Wynonna just blinked slowly, her hand moving to her side, grazing the fan, and handing on the handle of her gun, her breathing turning ragged. “You…fucking…BASTARD.”

She ran at him, drawing her gun, which caught the man by surprise as he stumbled back, a few gunshots ringing out. They struggled, Wynonna blinded by pure rage as she tried her hardest to shoot the man, a few bullets raining into the air.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARD. HE FAUGHT SO HARD TO MAKE A LIFE FOR US. WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A CHILD. WE WERE GOING TO BE SAFE DOWN IN WASHINGTON.” She screamed, her voice ragged, a guttural yell.

The man simply grunted, looking for a way to get her down, the two ending up in the shallow end of the waters. He let out a yell, and hit her ribs, causing her to gasp, loosing air as she fell to her knees. The next moments were a blur as he struggled, shoving her down into the water with a splash. She let out a yell, trying to grab a breath of air before her head went under the water.

His hands wrapped around her throat, held down under water, she fought, she really did fight hard, but she was loosing air. She clawed, she hit, she kicked, she tried to get up, nothing. Her head was getting fuzzy, her eyes hurting, her chest begging for air. She inhaled, water rushing into her lungs as she gagged. She felt weak, her mind slowly starting to fade, and in her final moments, her thoughts were only one person, the one person she made a promise too. Rider, Doll, Juniper, June,

Junie.

[casanovawrites]

random sentence prompts  ━ from various tv shows, part 9

don’t look back. remember? this is all we need.

if we kiss, you’ll be healed.

it’s not real. you just need someone to save.

could you at least wait until i’m gone?

everyone’s scared of something.

words just kind of fall out of my mouth sometimes.

it’s hot, sexy, heroic.

i took the blame to protect you.

this whole time, i’ve been trying to prove myself. prove that i belong. that i’m tough enough, strong enough. 

i care about you so much, but it just doesn’t feel the same as it used to.

by the way, now would be an excellent time to have a reliable therapist.

if even one person sees you, you don’t count as invisible anymore.

i give, like, a huge fuck. i give the biggest fuck.

i know we’re family.

i’m actually dealing with life or death things right now.

do you think i wanna be like this?

i suffer from anxiety and dread.

you have no idea what i’ve given up to protect you.

i will never find a new you.

i’d give you anything, because i love you.

if you’re in that much of a hurry to fucking die, you should just go and do it.

the second we stop looking for answers, that’s when we lose. 

we could’ve died. there’s no way we could’ve survived that.

i don’t wanna find out who i am without you.

we could be anywhere, i mean we could be here, we could be there, we could be anywhere in the world, but it would not matter, because you are my home. and i would really like to be yours.

you’re pretty when you smile.

maybe nothing’s ever gone.

i have to remind myself to breathe sometimes.

who doesn’t want easy? who doesn’t want to just fucking be okay?

i’ve never been more scared before. i’ve also never felt more alive.

being ready and being nervous aren’t mutually exclusive.

i respect you. you don’t take shit from anyone, including me. which is very cool.

i didn’t think you’d be the type to be into sharing your feelings.

when we had sex, it didn’t mean anything. it was a mistake.

a final girl must have a high threshold for pain.

i lost my mind for a couple of days. it just felt good to have a distraction. 

whenever i see some filth, i think of you.

the universe decided to drop a reminder of my greatest failure on my doorstep.

always focusing on someone else’s problem makes it easier to ignore your own.

i always knew that there was a part of you that i could never touch.

the best that i could do was love you and hope that that was enough to keep you here.

i’ve only ever done my best to save lives.

do not talk to me about pain.

it’s broken. i’m broken. and i can’t fix it.

you said we were a family. you lied. 

i’d play the hero ten times over if it meant being here with all of you.

so, as it turns out, my life is wherever you are.

try to concentrate on everything you have waiting for you when you get out of here.

you have someone waiting for you. i do not.

yeah i fucked up, but i did it my way.

it’s real, and i’m fucking terrified.

i’m doing way worse than sending nudes.

i can just radically accept that my mom is a cunt.

i’m like obsessed with being cool and popular. it’s fucking pathetic.

i think shitty things keep happening because i’ve been a self-centered asshole.

she’s mean to me. am i into that?

you’re just jealous because someone actually loves me.

i’ve never been this close to someone i’m not hooking up with. i just have a fucked up sense of intimacy.

you always make loving me seem like the easiest thing in the world.

it’s exhausting to lose a loved one.

she’s really great. she’s so great it scares the shit out of me.

am i being shitty? i don’t wanna be shitty.

being back in that house just reminds me i’ve always felt really, really lonely here.

talking about you ain’t making it about you.

everyone stares at me. i’m famous.

we don’t really have a great relationship just ‘cause of the whole ‘dead’ thing.

i don’t wanna be here anymore. i wanna be where you are.

so you’re mad at me for pushing you to be better?

i wanted to be here with you, ‘cause you’re in my head.

your superpower is that you’re shameless.

it’s not the end of the world. it’s just the beginning.

i know you. you’re already making decisions out of fear.

you said you needed me.

i wanted to do it with you.

so you’re willing to lose me, too?

i uprooted my entire life for you. i put you first because i care about you. i can’t believe you won’t do that for me. you’ll never do that for me.

bullshit, you’re lonely all the fucking time. you’re gonna die that way, too.

i guess all the time i feel kind of trapped because i can’t describe how i’m feeling.

[edenmemes]

red dead redemption 1 starters

❝ it’s wanting that gets so many folks in trouble. ❞ ❝ it ain’t no secret i didn’t get these scars falling over in church. ❞ ❝ if you win power, remember why you wanted it. ❞ ❝ you do a man wrong, he’ll shoot you for it. you do a man right…well, he still may shoot you for it. ❞ ❝ trust me. there’s things you’re better off not knowing. ❞ ❝ you remind me a lot of myself. how i used to be. stubborn and angry. ❞ ❝ i hope you will give me some warning if you get the sudden urge to kill me. ❞ ❝ my side wasn’t chosen. my side was given. ❞ ❝ a little sore, but apart from a couple extra scars, it will be as nothing happened. ❞ ❝ i don’t think you’re a bad person. a little stupid perhaps, but not rotten. ❞ ❝ i certainly don’t mind you asking, if you don’t mind me not telling. ❞ ❝ you are being deliberately obscure as a substitute for having a personality. ❞ ❝ so do tell me, have you needlessly risked your life since we last spoke? ❞ ❝ i came into this world fighting. and i’ll go out of it fighting. ❞ ❝ i hear you speak and suddenly i'm reminded of how the people i respected most in my life had a problem with authority. ❞ ❝ you're looking much better. considering you were almost buzzard food a couple days ago. ❞ ❝ power is like a drink. the more you have, the more you want. ❞ ❝ people don’t forget. nothing gets forgiven. ❞ ❝ sometimes in the service of what is right, you got to do terrible things. ❞ ❝ you have quite a story. i really am a little jealous. ❞ ❝ old friends make the worst enemies. ❞ ❝ i had everything, and gave it up in the pursuit of nothing. ❞ ❝ hah. you were always bad at lying. ❞ ❝ i’m not going to stand by and watch good people suffer. ❞ ❝ some trees flourish, others die. some cattle grow strong, others are taken by wolves. some men are born rich enough and dumb enough to enjoy their lives. ain't nothing fair. you know that. ❞ ❝ if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. ❞ ❝ now, if you don't mind, i'd hate to spoil such a beautiful afternoon on such beautiful land with any further unpleasantries. ❞ ❝ i, too, have a family, friend. and so that we may see our families again i suggest we part ways amicably. ❞ ❝ sometimes i tell myself that everything happens for a reason. ❞ ❝ i see the good in everybody. it’s a flaw of mine. ❞ ❝ well, try not to get yourself killed. ❞ ❝ see if you can keep your gun holstered for once. ❞ ❝ i don’t pay much attention to rumors. ❞ ❝ i swear, if it was down to me, i’d never have gone anywhere. ❞ ❝ lock all the doors. whatever happens, don’t come outside. you hear me? whatever happens. ❞ ❝ what would you care? i’m just a nuisance to you anyway. ❞ ❝ i’ve been hearing some things about you. ❞ ❝ i would rather be dead than a cynic like you. ❞ ❝ damn, a little gratitude wouldn’t kill you. ❞ ❝ trust me, i ain’t no hero. ❞ ❝ as it turns out, it's you or me. the way i see it, might as well be you. ❞ ❝ you live in a dream world. it ain’t like they tell it in books. ❞ ❝ i’m asking you to do what i say, before you get yourself killed. ❞ ❝ those who sit on the fence make a choice…in their own way. ❞ ❝ i’d do anything for you, you know that. ❞ ❝ better watch your mouth, my friend. i've cut out a man's tongue for less. ❞ ❝ there's nothing worse than a nobody thinking he's a somebody. ❞ ❝ you got it all wrong. i’ve always loved you, even now. ❞ ❝ what the hell were you thinking, going off on your own? ❞ ❝ first impressions are hard to erase. ❞ ❝ it’s a long story. too long to tell without a drink in my hand. ❞ ❝ i’m not angry. i’m disappointed. ❞ ❝ you know me. i’ll be late to my own funeral. ❞ ❝ that tone of voice ain’t so becoming on you. makes you seem all pent up and angry. ❞ ❝ you think i don’t know who you are. ❞ ❝ why don’t i get a warm and tender embrace? ❞ ❝ what do you want me to say? yippee? ❞ ❝ there’s always a choice. you’re just too blind to see. ❞ ❝ you’re not ready for that yet. one step at a time. ❞ ❝ every time you go off, i worry you’re not coming back. ❞ ❝ it didn’t have to be this way. ❞ ❝ come on now. try to look on the bright side. ❞

❝ after all i taught you…i’m ashamed. ❞ ❝ it’s easy to make promises you can never keep. ❞ ❝ we all make mistakes. i never claimed to be a saint. ❞ ❝ how does it feel to kill hundreds of men in cold blood? ❞ ❝ it ain’t the first time i had a gun to my head. ❞ ❝ you’re not perfect, and i’m sure not. but you’re better than they are. ❞ ❝ you alright? you’re not hurt, are you? ❞ ❝ this really couldn’t have gone more horribly wrong. ❞ ❝ you’re just like me. you can’t change who you are. ❞ ❝ my whole life, all i ever did was fight. ❞ ❝ you’re in no position to make demands. ❞ ❝ the bright side? there ain’t no bright side. ❞ ❝ my heart’s beating like a drum. ❞ ❝ are you sure you’re alright? i mean, i know all that business must have been hard on you. ❞ ❝ you’ll make me blush with all these kind words. ❞ ❝ i never took you for the jealous type. ❞ ❝ come now, you’re stupid, but you’re not that stupid. ❞ ❝ you’re weak. you always were. you never had the stomach for this. ❞ ❝ seems real quiet, don’t you think? ❞ ❝ you were always a hard and nasty man. ❞ ❝ see, i have nothing but your best intentions at heart. ❞ ❝ don’t talk about things you don’t understand. ❞ ❝ i guess there’s only one room for one hero in this family. ❞ ❝ for a wise man, you are a really stupid man. ❞ ❝ what would have happened if i hadn’t come along? ❞ ❝ you must have mistaken me for someone else, friend. ❞ ❝ you ain’t very talkative, are you? ❞ ❝ we cannot be too careful. the world is very dangerous. ❞ ❝ no, i’m not okay. do i look like i’m okay? ❞ ❝ you are so tense all the time. come, let’s have some fun! ❞ ❝ i will stay and fight. i am ready to die if necessary. ❞ ❝ i know i can’t change the past but i’m sure gonna do something about the future. ❞ ❝ i’ve given you no reason not to trust me. ❞ ❝ choose your tone rightly. remember who you’re talking to. ❞ ❝ there are guards everywhere. if they see you, they will kill you. ❞ ❝ it was nothing. i’m not a kid any more.❞ ❝ a lonely, forsaken place. some people say it’s haunted. ❞ ❝ i’m not sure your idea of paradise and mine are the same. ❞ ❝ maybe if you were more cordial to folks, they’d be better inclined to help you. ❞ ❝ i’ve been in far worse situations. ❞ ❝ you have the exterior of a violent man, but the soul of an angel. ❞ ❝ you’re not gonna pass out on me, are you? ❞ ❝ you’re no better. how many men have you killed? ❞ ❝ stay alert. something doesn’t feel right. ❞

❝ i'm going to hand you over to them and watch them tear you limb from limb…i'm just kidding. ❞ ❝ you love to talk badly of other people because it makes you feel better about yourself. ❞ ❝ it’s been a pleasure spending time with you. ❞ ❝ that’s a lot of sacrifice. i just hope it’s worth it. ❞ ❝ i’m not cut out for this. no, not cut out for this at all. ❞ ❝ i don’t need you to show me. ❞ ❝ men are born, and then they're formed. at least, that’s how i see it. ❞ ❝ a little flattery…now we’re finally getting somewhere. ❞ ❝ i thought you were supposed to be fearless. ❞ ❝ you are a man who has lost his spirit. ❞ ❝ if you were less secretive, people might be more inclined to trust you. ❞ ❝ me mean me no harm? this is funny. what harm could you do to me, exactly? ❞ ❝ come on, after everything we’ve been through, i think we can trust each other, don’t you? ❞ ❝ i can’t rightly believe it. just like in the books. ❞ ❝ i didn’t ask for your help back there. i owe you nothing. ❞ ❝ be careful. what’s stopping me from killing you? ❞ ❝ one day, i promise you, you’re gonna regret this. ❞ ❝ you know i’ll do whatever i can, but i have problems of my own. ❞ ❝ what would you know about leadership? ❞ ❝ you make a choice by not making a choice, you know. ❞ ❝ hold your excuses until you figure out which one to use. ❞ ❝ i'll give you a bad case of "someone just shot me in the head" if you don't hurry up. ❞ ❝ being honest though, this tastes bad enough to kill a man. ❞ ❝ do i look like i need saving? ❞ ❝ sarcasm should be beneath a man such as you. ❞ ❝ are you always this stupid or are you making an extra effort today? ❞ ❝ i don’t like to kill a man on his knees, even if he deserves it. ❞ ❝ don't forget you need me more than i need you. ❞ ❝ i’ll hunt you to hell and back. ❞ ❝ you’d best not be lying to me. ❞ ❝ let's get going. before the weather gets any worse. that sky don't look good.. ❞ ❝ thank you for telling me all that back there. it must have been hard for you. ❞ ❝ i know we ain't exactly old pals, but…have i ever done you wrong? ❞ ❝ your nobility's almost as affecting as your naivety. ❞ ❝ you are a romantic who wants to be a cynic. ❞ ❝ i apologize if i seem to be prying. ❞ ❝ strange place for a decent person to visit, if you don't mind me saying. ❞ ❝ well, you must admit…it's an unusual start to a friendship. ❞ ❝ i can’t really say i understand you. ❞ ❝ every man has a right to change, a chance of forgiveness. ❞ ❝ hello, old friend. it’s been a long time. ❞ ❝ i hope you understand now why i've been playing my cards somewhat close to my chest. ❞ ❝ nobody made my path but me. ❞ ❝ it’ll be a piece of cake. trust me. ❞ ❝ oh, don’t be so deliberately enigmatic. ❞ ❝ my word, what a difficult life you’ve lived. ❞ ❝ you have a strange sense of humor. ❞ ❝ stay and fight me, you coward. ❞ ❝ i ain't planning on staying very long. ❞

[lazywitchling]

“So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?”

(Yes I did just order a pot pie from the chicken fast food place. I’m watching 12 hours of movies, I ain’t cooking a whole pot pie!)

Okay. Look.

When I was younger, my cousin bitched about elves at Helm’s Deep not being in the book, but I didn’t think it mattered because it’s cool and I liked elves and it made me the fun kind of sad when Haldir died.

But now I get why. (I mean, ultimately it’s a fictional story so it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of life, blah blah, you get the drill. I will complain about this, but I don’t care if you like it, ya dig?)

So here’s the thing. Theoden’s whole storyline throughout this movie and into the next is that he does not believe anyone will help him. Gondor could have come to save his people, but they didn’t. Rohan was left on its own, and people died, and that sucks. So Theoden has succumbed to the depressive thoughts of “We’re all gonna die anyway, why bother fighting?” (Hey that’s a major— actually THE major point of this whole story!!) He has hidden his people away to hide because he knows fighting is futile because they will be alone.

It’s a big deal when he agrees to go out and fight alongside Aragorn as the Uruks are about to overwhelm the keep. I said last year, Tolkien’s brand of hope is the difference between “I only have one hit point left :(“ and “I still have one hit point left >:)” Theoden STILL has no reason to believe help is coming, but he chooses to act like it is anyway, because the alternative is just curling up and dying right there. And he is rewarded, because Gandalf shows up with reinforcements!! Eomer, who has every reason to hate Theoden, brought all the riders to help! Everyone is saved! Hooray!!

But the damn elves show up in the middle of Theoden’s “Aw nobody will help us :(“ thing. And then elf help arrives. And he goes “Yay, help is here!!” And then nobody really mentions the elves again except for Haldir’s brief dying scene, and Theoden is right back in his “Aw nobody will help us :(“ thing. It just slaughters the pacing of the story, and Theoden’s arc along with it.

Furthermore, the elves say they were sent by Elrond, who has chosen to have the elves fight alongside mortals once again to honor old alliances! Except that Elrond isn’t really participating in this portion of his own character arc, and in fact doesn’t reach that “idk maybe mortals aren’t so bad after all” point until RotK. So it’s somehow fully out of character for him at this point even though he’s not even there.

ADDITIONALLY, it fucks up ARWEN’S story, because the whole thing with her is that she has to choose between sailing to the undying lands and being with her people forever but losing Aragorn, or staying with Aragorn who will eventually die and then she has no one left and no way to get to the undying lands and will never see her family again and will just live until the heat death of the universe. See, I’m pretty sure (don’t quote me on this) that there’s like… a respawn thing that happens with Tolkiens elves. They’re not only ageless, they’re unkillable. They CANT die. That’s why Arwen’s choice is so difficult. She couldn’t even live out life with him and then jump off a bridge after he dies so she doesn’t have to see the heat death of the universe. She’s literally stuck.

But friggin Haldir takes a sword to the head and has a sad death moment, and then I’m left wondering why everyone is pestering Arwen so much. If elves can die, then she has no problem.

I’m pretty sure it messes up other storylines too, but my pot pie is getting cold.

[ladyisabelsblade]

My Live Reactions to X-Men Origins: Wolverine

A text thread between me and my friend.

---

Just watched the opening sequence and it’s so fucking funny when you’re high

Dude that guy with the two guns, his sequence kind of slapped

And then the other guy punched a tank. Yo….

This Deadpool looks like an idiot with the swords but he’s still pretty funny lol

Why does he know Swahili?????

Oh no! They’re colonizers!!???

But not Wolverine, he cares about black people, that’s how you can tell he’s the good guy

Little brother, breaking cycles of abuse

JIMMY

--wolverine says racism is wrong! --have u seen his cartoon claws yet?

They didn’t look that bad but I am high so I don’t care

The action sequences aren’t half as bad as in last stand

Or at least I’m too high to notice if they are lol

WOAH SGIRT OFF

--u see a lot of hugh jackman nipples

Lumberjack Wolverine, wow

Just wow he’s wow

"Your country needs you” “I’m Canadian”

Aw, I like this girl. She’s so gonna die

What the fuck is this stupid story?

Even Logan thinks it’s stupid.

Most clumsily overt foreshadowing ever

Oop, yep she dying

--lmao --yea she lasts under 10 mins thats hilarious

Damn fucking eviscerated

Manly man scream

He ruthless

LMFAOOOO AND THEN HE GETS HIT BY A TRUCK

--relatable tbh

He’s so oiled up

Damn the dramatic irony is dramatic irony-ing

The Adamantium looks like the aftermath of a lush bath bomb

--ooooh ur not at the cartoon claws yet --he’s still all boney

Yee

LMAOOOO THEY LOOK PLASTIC

HIS ASS OUT

--ASS ASS ASS

Cover up your tits you preening slut precursor

They look so stupid just do practical effects you idiots

YES THE JACKET

WHAAAAATTTT HOW COULD YOU KILL THAT OLD LADY WTF

I should have seen that coming

EXPLOSIONS SLAY QUEEN

--who exploded things?

Everyone but Logan exploding the helicopter was slay queen

--lol this movie is such a blur for me, i love reexperiencing in real time

Oh this is the bad part

Fucking blob omg

--ah yes --and will i am

I like will I am he ain’t bad

And boxer Logan, boxer Logan is saving this scene for me

--idr him good or bad, i just remember he's will i am

He is

I laughed so hard when his name came up during the opening credits

--its a great jumpscare

Local man discovers his girlfriend was fridged for his character development

REMY LA BOU

OH NO HES HOT

--is this the first time uv seen gambit in something? like have u seen him in the cartoons or stuff?

and poker? This is like combining every old lady white woman’s wet dream together: lumberjack, boxer, poker player

No I’ve never seen the cartoons man

--by far the most loved x-man

GRABBED HIM BY THE SPINE WHAT THE DUCK

gambit slays here dude

Will I am dead

--u have the best one liners omg

I’m over an hour in and I’m really enjoying this movie, being high is really elevating my experience

--its probably greaat high ngl

It’s just like fun moment after fun moment, I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense

--its my dad's favorite hated movie --its so fun

He’s right, I can’t believe you told me this was worse than last stand

--idr last stand at all ngl

Oh, well it was really bad

My man is more okay with jumping out of a plane than flying in one

SCOTT

YOUR EYES SCOTT

sir this is an operating room you can’t be here

Damn, this is freaky, I thought Stryker was a creep in x2

KAYLAS BACK

WHAT THE FUCK

oh it’s mystique isn’t it

NO ITS NOT WHAT THE FUCK

Damn that’s cold

No, poor baby he’s so sad

They were together for 6 years damn

Yo this is so dope

This fight

--have u gotten to deadpool

Kayla, now is not the time

Not yet

--thats THE thing

I know

But here he comes

HE LOOKS SO STUPID

XAVIER MY MAN

Yo the black around the eyes thing kind of slayed tho

Damn fucking sliced his head off

Oh shit damn

Do they look out for eachother because you kind of suck ass victor

YESSSSS GAMBIT

Kayla come on don’t die

Again

HOLY SHIT STRYJER

AYO WHAT THE FUCK

girl this movies good I don’t know what you’re talking about

That was so slay Kayla

But you’re still probably dying

PROFESSOR

I LOVE YOU EVEN THIUGH YOURE BADLY CGIED

LNAO THE MUTANTS RUNNING AWAY

he don’t even remember her that’s so fucking sad dude

damn wtf tear my heart out why don’t ya

This movies cheesy but it’s hitting all the right beats

Like this is a pretty good origin story movie

Probably a horrible stand alone movie, but if I pretend like I’m watching a bunch of flashbacks stitched together it’s pretty good

Oooo two post credits scenes

LMAO TEASING A DEADPOOL COMEBAJX BUT HE NEVER DOES

--he kiinda does

In Deadpool 2?

--yea lol

Comes back just to die

--good

lol he wasn’t too bad but I think I’d have a different opinion if he was sober and there weren’t already two other great Deadpool movies

[lost-in-wond3rland]

Ima ask you to walk with me for a moment, okay?

—————————————

SO. Quarter Back Katsuki (like professional, NFL level) and water boy Izuku right?

But. BUT!

Season for Katsuki? Starting rough TM. They have two games left to the playoffs, and if they don’t win they’re out.

Cut to Katsuki staying late to practice, he walks into the locker room, and Izuku is fucking with the white board. Katsuki is (unsurprisingly-) PISSED. It’s do or die time, they have to win, or his season is over. Izuku, stammering and muttering as he does, is trying to explain the change in play. Katsuki yells at him to fuck off and be does. Katsuki takes his shower, looks at the board and ya know what? It’s not a bad play. But wtf does a little water boy know ANYWAY? He changes it back.

We make it to game day, they’re down by 1 touchdown and Katsuki feels himself being backed into a corner.

UNTILL! He looks over and catches Izuku. He (in his very Katsuki way) grabs a clipboard and stomps his way over to em.

“Write it down.”

“E-excuse me?!”

“The play from last night ya damn nerd. I ain’t gonna ask you again.”

And so, Izuku does. Katsuki looks it over, nods, and goes back over to the team with the clipboard.

And guess what? They run the play.

And they win.

Color Katsuki surprised, they live to see another game.

The stadium clears out, teams gone, and Katsuki finds himself in the locker room with one Izuku Midoriya who’s putting away bottles and things.

“Oi, nerd.”

Izuku starts, looking up at him.

“Nice play.” He says before stalking out of the locker room.

Next game comes, and it’s not much better. They’re tied, they’re best offensive player (prob Kiri or something idk-) is out, and they either make a touch down or get thrown into overtime exhausted. They’re lining up and Katsuki hears him.

“CALL A TIME OUT!!” Katsuki tries to ignore Izuku’s yells, but after eventually ends of calling it.

“The fuck do you want, you damn nerd!?”

“I have a play.”

“Excuse me?” (Coach Aizawa hi, nice to meet you-)

“What, you think cuz I used one play from you last time, im gonna do it again? Who’s to say it wasn’t a fluke?”

“Maybe it was. But you know without Kirishima, if you run the play you’re about to run, you’re going to lose this game.”

And Katsuki hates it, the fire and defiance that he finds in green eyes. Hates it as much as he kind of loves it.

“…give him a fucking clipboard.”

“Is this smart, Bakugou?”

“You got any better ideas old man?!”

“…”

“Give him the fucking clipboard. DUMB ASSES! Huddle up!”

(Guess who wins the game hehehe)

Cut to a season of Izuku and Katsuki becoming a WILD team, Izuku becoming a playmaker and officially moving on from water boy duties. He gets a headset and everything, working right along side Aizawa during the games.

And the tension grows.

“You know more than I’d expect, for a water boy.”

“I wasn’t always a water boy kaachan.”

“‘Tch. You’re really sticking with that name huh?”

“Depends.”

“On what.”

“Are you gonna stick with ‘Deku’ and ‘nerd’?”

“You can bet your ass I am.”

“Then I’m sticking with Kaachan!” He looks up at the blonde, smile blinding and playful.

AND THEN-

“You said you weren’t always a water boy.”

“I did.”

“What’s your story, Deku.”

“Win the next game, and I’ll tell you.”

And they do, making it to the Super Bowl.

The night before:

“You said you’d tell me.”

“I did…”

“…so? Come on nerd, don’t leave me hanging.”

“I played. In high school, and first two years of college. I was a pretty good running back, if I say so myself.”

Katsuki looks Izuku over, eyes trailing over his body. “Yeah, I can see it. Explains the build… always thought you were too fast and built for a water boy.” Izuku smiles at him, though it’s kind of sad. “What happened?”

“I was…stupid. That’s what happened.” He chuckles, though it’s self deprecating. “I was never the most…popular in school. Sophomore year of college, I started to get pretty popular on campus. Went to a few parties. One night, I was driving home and I… shouldn’t have been. Wrapped my car around a pole. Shattered my knee, broke my neck… was paralyzed for a little bit but thankfully that didn’t last. A lot of months of physical therapy later, and I could walk again. Started running even. But, I was never cleared to play again. If I suffered another neck injury well…the doctors said no amount of pt would bring me back again. So… that’s it. I haven’t played, and I haven’t drank, since.”

The realization slams into Katsuki, the look on Izuku’s face when Katsuki showed up at his apartment drunk, Izuku hysterically yelling at Katsuki about drinking and driving (spoiler: he didn’t drive, he called an Uber. Katsuki would never-). “Shit…”

Izuku just nods, offering a sad smile. “It’s not all bad…I like watching. And…this past season? Kaachan it’s… it’s meant everything to me,” he admits, eyes watering. “It feels like playing again, and…regardless of how it started, you gave this to me. You trusted me enough to let me do this and I…just. Thank you.”

Katsuki swallows the lump in his throat, heart aching for the man in front of him. “Honestly? I wouldn’t trust anyone else… Dek- Izuku. This season? Is as much yours as it is mine… you’re our playmaker, our morale. Shit, the entire mood of team hinges on you. Without you? We’re not a team.”

Izuku smiles, silent tears falling. “Thank you, Katsuki.”

And hearing his name, his real name, sends a shock through his system. Katsuki reaches out a hand, thumb catching falling falling tears. “Izuku, I-“ he starts to whisper.

Izuku grabs his wrist, and shakes his head. But there’s a spark in his eyes that soothes Katsuki’s nerves immediately. “Tell me tomorrow. Tell me tomorrow, after you win.”

Katsuki can’t help but match Izuku’s smile with his own. “After I win.” He says, like it’s an inevitable. And maybe it is.

(Ahem, cut to game day, sorry this brain rot is everywhere lol)

It’s a close game. A REALLY close game. The other team gets Katsuki with a hip tackle, and his knee is on fire from the fall.

“Kaachan, you can’t-“

“Oi,” he says, grabbing Izuku’s shoulder and forcing him to meet his eyes. “The doc cleared me, I’m wrapped, and Shoji isn’t gonna let anyone get close to me.”

“But-“

“Hey. I promised you a win didn’t I? You trust me?”

“More than anything.” Izuku says, without hesitation.

Katsuki smiles, dropping his head to place a chaste, barely there kiss on Izuku’s lips. “We got this nerd. You, and me.” He whispers, staring right into his eyes before heading back out onto the field.

(A few plays later and guesssss who has his first Super Bowl ring hehehe. In my head, it’s Katsuki rookie year. But he’s Katsuki so of course he’s the starting qb with something to prove all year. And boy did he PROVE)

“Katsuki! Katsuki! Now that you’ve won, and in your rookie year no less, what are you going to do?” Katsuki’s eyes go over the reports head and a smile splits his lips as he sees a cheering Izuku crying on the sidelines.

“What am I gonna do? I’m gonna go plan my fucking date-“ with those words, Katsuki weaves his way through the crowd, breaking out into a run and scooping Izuku up when he reaches him, placing a proper kiss on his lips this time.

(Alexa play the alchemy by Taylor Swift, specifically, “cheers chanted, cause they said tere was no chance. Trying to be the greatest in the league. Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me-“ section)

The team cheers as they’re QB and Playmaker finally make it official.

“Damn problem children.” Aizawa sighs, sitting down on the bench, soaked in Gatorade.

“I think it’s sweet,” Hizashi smiles down at his husband. “Reminds me of another young couple I knew.”

Aizawa hums, brushing his lips gently with his husbands. “We weren’t so bad, were we?”

“Oboro and Nemuri were about ready to lock us in a room and leave us there had we not figured it out when we did.”

Aizawa laughs, soft and genuine. “Fair.” He stands, walking over to his QB and playmaker. “You coming back next season?”

“No shit old man.”

Aizawa nods, before raising an eyebrow at Izuku.

“M-me?”

“We need our playmaker, right?”

“Damn straight we do.”

————————

Anyway the end- LOL. Thanks for taking this journey with me, ‘twas a nice walk, have a great day 😅

[ray-gt]

A Night at the Quasar Cafe [gtgotcha4gaza]

For: @biggnansmol, @gtgotcha4gaza Prompt: First Date (giant/human) Summary: Sabine Ducote is professionally curious, or at least that's how she likes to describe her work. Part private eye, part bounty hunter, she makes a living dealing in other people's business. But when a favour sends her to a sketchy out-of-quadrant "Boundary Bar" to meet with an informant four times her size, Sabine realises just how dangerous curiosity can be.

CW: side character death, descriptions of minor violence

[ao3]

The Informant

Sabine’s ship communicator flashed a bright red and she didn’t know whether to smile or groan when she saw the ID. She decided on both. She ignored it for a while, focussing on navigating to the jump point, hoping the call would die.

On the back of her neck, the hairs pricked.

Let him wait

But when it began bipping incessantly - angry at being ignored, like a toddler pulling at her pant leg - she finally answered.

“With all this cold calling, Jay, I’m beginning to think you’re sweet on me.”

Jay’s voice erupted with something between a cough, a bark, and a laugh. Sabine could imagine the volcanic ash pouring from his thick, scarred lips, and between his black mandibles, as he sat in his office, looking over the bright lights of Blue Marine, the casino empire he built from nothing to cover an entire moon.

No doubt, there was a Nethulyan cigar between his pincers - Sabine could almost smell the smoke through her ship’s speakers.

“Ah, Saba,” He said with a wheeze. “You know me, can’t be tied down. But if I were to go for one of you gross, fleshy humans, you’re first on my list.”

“Every girl’s dream. Though really, Jay, being first hasn’t exactly done me any favours.”

“The Irixes still on your tail?”

She couldn’t help but tense her fists around the ship controls. She fought every instinct in her begging to turn around, to check no one was sneaking up on her. Rationally, she knew it was impossible for the Irixes to be on her ship, but it didn’t stop the slow wave of goosebumps washing over her skin.

“Yeah, yours isn’t the only list I’m top of.” She muttered, reworking her route to accomodate an approaching comet. “Hugo got life.”

“I heard. Took every lawyer within 20 systems to stop him getting a sunset. Well, that’s the business, ain’t it?” She heard Jay’s mandible’s click together over the line - his equivalent of a mother’s disappointed tut. “Lotta money in the Go’oran trade, but it’s a risky market and the competition’s killer.” This earned another laboured laugh, chuffed at his own joke. “Hugo’s top dog. They’ll be lost without him for a while.”

“And they’re channeling all that loss into finding my arse and roasting it on a spit.”

“Come on, Saba. That’s not their style. They’d much rather spaghettify you in a black hole.”

“Which is why I’m getting as far away from Keridian as I can.”

“This is what happens when you take jobs with the authorities. No protection, no thank you - just a lowballed cheque and lot of enemies. Never met anyone more crooked than a judge, I’ll tell you that much for free.”

“About the only thing you’d do for free.”

“I have something you might like.” His voice peaked in a tease, like a used ship salesmen slapping a claw on a vessel that wouldn’t even reach orbit.

“I’m lying low.”

She knew there was no point hinting with him. It wasn’t that he was daft. He’d pick up a hint, but he’d prefer to crush it between his pretty orange pincers than take it seriously.

“I know, but I’ve always said the best way to get over an old job is to pick up a new one.”

“We’re talking about one of the biggest crime families in the galaxy, Jay, not one of your exes.”

“Eh,” He offered in response, taking a long drag of the cigar. She knew he was rolling his head on his neck, unconvinced. “You want a job.”

“I want quiet.”

“Quiet’s boring. You want something that makes you curious.”

“Isn’t that what kills the cat?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Earth thing.”

“Ah.”

Her navigator flashed, warning her she was approaching the jump point.

“Look, Jay, I’m about to make a jump and I’m not calling you back.”

Jay clicked his mandibles again and voice became unusually sober.

“I need you to take this job, Saba. I don’t trust anyone else. Consider it the Favour.”

Sabine ground her teeth together and veered her ship off-course, pulling out of the high-trafficked bottleneck leading up to the jump point.

Jay wasn’t a good person but, really, neither was she. He was one of her first clients when she entered the trade and they quickly formed a profitable partnership. Sabine was good at getting information and Jay was good at using it. It wasn’t a question of morality - they’d both happily take money from the sinners and the saints - but there was an unspoken honour code to these things. Once you commit to a job, you finish it. And a favour is always repaid.

She put the ship into an idle orbit around a nearby moon and stood up. Pacing, she took groups of her braids and begun weaving them together into one large plait. She couldn’t speak. It was like she’d been caught snitching by the Moth-Ean cartel and had her jaw sealed shut.

“You still there?”

Sabine rubbed her eyebrows.

“I can’t believe you’re calling in the Favour. With the Irixes sending word to every contact in the Quadrant. I’d be surprised if my face wasn’t slapped on every Keridian bounty board available.”

“Stop acting like this is your first time in hot water. You want safe, Saba? I could’ve given you a job working tables at Blue Marine. The Irixes are no worse than the Tooras, or the Solaris Siblings, the Li Party, or any of the other targets you’ve had.”

Sabine sighed and shook her arms in an effort to rid them of the tickling nerves shivering within. He was right. This wasn’t the first time people had tried to intimidate her and stop her from working - if they killed her or chased her off, that’d be a win for them. She had to keep going like they didn’t scare the living shit out of her.

But, there were very few people as deadly as Hugo Irix. It’d taken more time, resources, and personal sacrifice than she’d like to admit to become a trusted member of his circle, learn the key nodes of the Irixes Go’oran trade network, and systematically turn them in with enough evidence to get Hugo a life sentence in maximum security.

The look she’d shared with him as she stepped up to testify….

“What’s the job?”

“There’s my Saba! I was afraid I’d lost her. Don’t worry, compared to Hugo, this is child’s play.”

Sabine doubted that. Knowing Jay, he wouldn’t use the Favour on something simple. He had a better eye for value than that. She didn’t interrupt him though and he kept going.

“And it’s far enough away from Keridian that the Irixes won’t follow you. They have very little presence.”

“Out of Quadrant?”

“Boundary. Have you ever been to the Quasar Cafe?”

***

Sabine approached the Reeka woman from across the adjusted bar, weaving past other mixed size gatherings. As she passed, she heard snippets of conversations, locking any interesting details away in case they became relevant later.

Mostly, the folk who occupied the mixed size bars wanted to keep their business to themselves. It wasn’t illegal, per se, to mix with other species of such varying sizes, but it definitely wasn’t the norm. The hushed chatter of business deals or awkward flirting floated around her like the gentle thrum of a ship engine.

There was the shabby business woman whose eyes never left her cradled glass as a large, brick wall of a Hexigal slid a black bag across the table with his pinky. It would take her both arms to lift it. As it was nudged, the bag squirmed but made no sound.

“As promised.” Grumbled the Hexigal. The woman neither moved nor spoke.

Then there was the over-confident human, teething a martini olive as the reptilian skin of the large Olura (nearly double his height) opposite him shifted from a deep blue to a brilliant chartreuse. A blush if Sabine could hazard a guess. Or, at least, close enough.

Next to the Reeka, a Zidirin (half Sabine’s height) and a Vojuk (5 times and then some) spoke in low tones over a game of mahjong. Seeing the familiar Earth game in a Boundary Bar half a galaxy away almost made her do a double-take. How did it get there? Where’d they learn it?

Despite the sea of curiosities that flooded the bar, the Reeka woman stood out, and not just because she was four times Sabine’s height. Reekas were a colourful and extravagant species. Jaunty, gaudy, vivacious. It was said Reeka weddings often ended in funerals when someone inevitably laughed, drunk, or danced themselves to death.

Sabine had never met one before. The few she’d seen were only in passing as they rarely ventured outside their territory. Her skin was a pale green and her hair a vibrant candyfloss pink. And despite the attention she garnered simply by existing, she was nervous.

Coy.

Her eyes, like polished peridot, kept glancing around - aware of everyone, focussing on none. Her long, slender fingers knotted themselves in the bright orange fabric of her skirt. She’d clearly come straight from work. The clash of orange and red fabric was harsh, even for the Cafe, and reminded Sabine of the uniforms diner waitresses used to wear in the 1950s.

She looked like a fresh hunt, unsure of the cage. Trusting neither the feeding hand, nor the whip. The patter of rain and the rattle of chains were, to her, equally menacing.

Sabine had met with a lot of informants before - blabber mouths who didn’t know the meaning of ‘relevant’ and the tight-lipped types who’d rather have their teeth pulled than give anything up. The opportunists, cowards, good Samaritans.

The ‘What’s in it for me's…

The ‘Maybe if I’d’s…

The ‘You didn’t hear it from me’s…

But for the most part, they looked like this. Baby giraffes on gangly legs, wide-eyed, wondering how everyone else can walk around normally when the ground was shifting beneath their feet.

Most people in the galaxy didn’t know how to turn on a stunner, let alone fire it. Most people couldn’t fly an interplanetary ship, let alone interstellar. Most people heard Hugo Irix’s name for the first time when he was arrested. They weren’t as tightly woven into the fabric as Sabine. The weren’t aware of the back rooms, back alleys, backstabbing.

This kind of informant both comforted and saddened her. Could she even remember a time when the universe shocked her with its real face?

She rolled her neck on her shoulders as she approached.

There was one part of this job which was different from the others. Her first Reeka. Her first… well, anyone this large.

In principle, the big folk handled the big folk. The same went for Sabine and her circles. People kept to their business, and that business only mingled in the most extraordinary circumstances.

Well, Jay, She thought. Consider me curious.

“Vivara?”

The Reeka’s head snapped up, both over-prepared for and surprised by the interruption. Though her gaze went too high - too used to meeting her own kind at eye-level. It took her a beat to realise the empty space ahead of her and adjust. She seemed, if only just, surprised by just how far her eyes had to travel before they landed on Sabine.

It didn’t matter that she was expecting a human, or that she was meeting a stranger at a Boundary Bar in the mixed section - she still looked surprised. She didn’t even attempt to hide her shock and fascination. Like her childhood doll had suddenly sprung to life and called her name.

She wasn’t alone. Much to Sabine’s own surprise, her skin began to buzz when their eyes met. While she’d dealt with larger folk - mostly walls of flesh valued for the way their arms resembled tree trunks - she could hardly call them ‘big’ now. Here, in a way that was entirely foreign, was a towering creature, both impressive and lithe. Powerful and delicate. Features refined and precise. She existed at scale that should be considered brutish, but there couldn’t be a word less apt. Under her rounded stare - innocent, fascinated, unsure - Sabine was hyper-aware of herself. To be swallowed whole in one glance left her feeling like she was naked with a cold wind tickling across her skin. An odd sensation to be sure, here at the back of an intimate, humid bar in a forgotten corner of the Galaxy.

She cleared her throat, pushing the feeling away with a shake of her head.

Focus.

“Sorry, I’m late.” She said as she sat opposite the Reeka, adjusting her jacket in a stolen moment to compose herself.

From her pocket, she produced a small, round device. It looked like a standard communicator, mid-range and unremarkable, but had been modded with far more sensitive microphones to record their conversation. She pressed a small, indiscernible button on the side and placed it on the table between them

She wasn’t late. She’d been at the bar since before Vivara arrived, tucked into a corner and watching to see if anyone was tailing her or if she truly was alone. Only when she was satisfied, did Sabine make herself known.

“The IH472A was a nightmare.” She continued. “But you know how the end of the week is.”

The Reeka woman didn’t say anything. Despite their difference in size, she seemed intimidated by Sabine - scattered and frozen like the shards of glass that stared back at you after taking a bat to a mirror. Not that Sabine knew anything about that.

It didn’t bother her, she knew how these things started. Now she was seated and ready to interview, she felt that initial buzz begin to fade to a dull, distant hum.

She met the large peridot eyes again and smiled her best smile, which Jay thought still needed work after all these years.

What the fuck is that, Saba? Are you trying to fuck me or kill me?

It wasn’t the first time he’d suggested mandibles would make her face more appealing.

I know a girl - very talented. She did Charley’s second pair. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do anything about Charley’s personality.

“I’m Sabine,” She said. “Thanks of meeting with me, Vivara. I know this all must be overwhelming.”

At the mention of her own name, Vivara’s green cheeks deepened in colour. It was as if it shook her from her trance and made her aware of how much she was staring. Her shoulders ever so slightly relaxed back onto her chair and she untwisted her fingers from her skirt to tuck a loose strange of pink hair behind her ear.

“Sorry,” She muttered, her voice lower than her pointed, elfin features suggested. “I’ve never been to a place like this.”

She gestured around her with jagged movements. From her jumpiness, her waitress uniform, and the neat curl of her pink hair, that was hardly a revelation. But she suspected there was more in the comment.

Sabine nodded. “That’s ok. I’ve been to enough Boundary Bars for the two of us.” Liar. “They’re aren’t as scary as they seem. Jay’s people chose the Quasar for your benefit more than anything else.”

She frowned. “Really?”

“Yes. They figured you would want a place where no one would recognise you, but that wouldn’t require you to leave Reeka territory.”

“I appreciate that. Can you imagine if people knew I was going to a Boundary Bar.” Vivara’s laugh was breathy, and the sound of it made Saba’s buzz spike. “I feel like I’m so out of my depth here. But if I went into your Quadrant, I don’t know if there would be anywhere I could even fit through the door. And if I could, where I wouldn’t be gawked at.”

There was a harmony in the way she spoke, a natural fluidity that took her from one word to the next. Sabine could see the version of her that existed prior to her being involved in this mess. Open. Free. Unburdened. She decided not to tell Vivara that even here, in the Quasar Cafe, where Reekas were regulars and mixed meetings were the norm, she still drew the attention of everyone present. Every now and then, the focus of the mahjong players on the neighbouring table was broken by a glance in her direction. She didn’t blame them, even Sabine had been shocked when she saw Vivara first arrive.

But it did make things difficult for Sabine. With everyone so aware of the beautiful Reeka in the room, either consciously or subconsciously, they’d be suspicious of why someone like her would be in a place like this. As she chipped away at the wall of strangerhood between them, Sabine worked through options. What legitimate reason would she have for being here? With her of all people.

“You’d be surprised.” She said. “The galaxy is much more diverse than you might think.”

“Are most people in your Quadrant as… - sorry, there’s no other word - small as you?”

For reasons unexplained, Sabine felt her blood go hot. There was something about that word, small, that brought the difference in size between them back to the forefront. She’d never been described as small before, being above average height for a human woman. She’d been called weak - even short by a few of the taller species - but never small. Small felt all-encompassing. An assessment. A metric of how little space she took up. Small could be dismissed with a flick of the wrist.

It set her jaw.

“You’ve definitely never been over the border have you?”

Vivara’s cheeks deepened again. “Sorry. No. I haven’t. I don’t really know what I’m meant to do here.”

Sabine rolled her head on her shoulders, enjoying the way the space between the vertebrae popped as she did.

“There’s no rush, we can start when and where you’re most comfortable.”

Saba read the files Jay sent through a few times when they arrived. This wasn’t even her first interview on the matter. Before arriving at the Qasar, she’d spoken to a few cursory people. But this was her most important.

Jay’s son, Jayron, had, without his father’s knowing, began dealing with a powerful Reeka crime syndicate, with the intent to establish his own Blue Marine in Reeka territory. However, before Jay could put a stop to it, Jayron disappeared.

His last known location? Back booth of a diner, served by the only waitress on shift - a green-skinned Reeka with bright pink hair.

Which is why they were there, meeting at the Quasar. Jay didn’t want a Reeka investigating, having little knowledge of their networks and who was on whose payroll. And he didn’t trust the authorities, particularly when it came to inter-quadrant cases.

“I don’t really know if I’ll be of any help.” Vivara rambled. “I didn’t even know anything was wrong until your friends contacted me.”

Saba’s lips twitched at the implication she and Jay’s network were just a group of friends. That she was there for any reason other than professional obligation. It was sweet - the kind of naivety she was always so hesitant to tarnish.

If she could be honest, Sabine never really liked Jayron. Where Jay’s over-confident irreverence painted him as a seasoned and savvy businessman, those same traits were brash and childish in his son.

“Let me be the judge of what is and isn’t relevant. All I need from you is what you remember.”

“Ok.” Vivara nodded. Then she frowned. “So, what are you? A bounty hunter? A private eye?”

“Sometimes.” Sabine shrugged. “I like to think myself as professionally curious.“

She paused. Behind Vivara, she noticed another Reeka walk past and sit himself down at a nearby table. He had bright orange skinned and blue hair, and when he glanced in their direction, his eyes were cerulean. They flicked between her and Vivara. There was a squint in his gaze and tension in his shoulders, and his fingers danced on the rim of his glass. He wasn’t, as some might assume on first inspection, here for leisure.

He was here for Vivara.

There you are.

She knew they’d send someone. Nothing like a Boundary Bar to make everyone think they’re more discrete than they actually are. That was the real reason for the Quasar - information. Some from Vivara herself, and the rest from what her presence would tease out, like mice from the walls.

The last thing she wanted was to make Vivara aware of anything that would make her even more nervous. Sabine’s priority was to diffuse suspicion and collect the information she needed without putting Vivara in any further danger.

In this instance, she had the advantage of anonymity. The Reeka networks didn’t know her name or face. They had no reason to suspect this was anything more than two people having a drink together.

Just then, a waitress walked past them and Sabine waved her down. She was another Reeka woman with deep blue skin and black hair. While her clothes were dark, her smile and demeanour were bright.

At her approach, Vivara’s eyes found the floor - as if she were embarrassed that another of her kind would find her in a place like this. Even though, to the waitress, they were the least interesting patrons she’d served that week, let alone that night. She worked the mixed section of a Boundary Bar between different sized territories, while striking, Vivara was far too vanilla to be anything more to this waitress than a passing thought.

“Welcome folks!” The waitress beamed. “Can I get you anything to start?”

Sabine smiled, “Just the house for me. Vivara?”

She looked over at her informant. The floor must have really taken her because it took Sabine repeating her name to get her attention. And even then, she seemed to refuse to meet the waitress’s eyes.

“Ummm, the same, I guess.”

“Easy!” The waitress said, unperturbed. “And how long have you two been together, if you don’t mind me asking?”

That got Vivara’s attention. Her head shot up, her face, neck and chest flushed a deep forest colour. But before she could protest, Sabine interjected.

“Actually, this is our first date.” She made a point of sending a coy look at Vivara. “A mutual friend set us up. And we picked the Quasar because… well, you know.”

Vivara couldn’t have looked more lost if she tried. The poor thing could only stare, embarrassed, as Sabine took charge of the conversation.

The waitress placed a hand on her chest as she cooed. “Of course, aren’t you lucky! I wish I had friends like that. Well,” She said with a knowing smile. “I’ll get your order sorted. Have a good night, girls. Sing out if you need anything.”

When she was well out of sight, Vivara leant across the table, her size more pronounced the closer she got and Sabine found herself leaning back and away despite herself. She could feel Vivara’s breath wash over her.

“Why’d you say that?” Her whisper was harsh and it sent an unfamiliar thrill through Sabine’s veins.

“What?”

“That we’re on a date!”

Sabine shrugged. “It’s always easiest to go with what people believe. Why would I waste the effort trying to conjure a new lie that would barely convince her. You’re so obviously nervous. You’d sweat less if you were trapped in a tin can on Venus - that’s a planet from my system.” She clarified when Vivara frowned. “-You can barely look me in the eye and you’re stammering through every sentence. And that’s normal.” Sabine added softly. “She thinks you’re acting like that because we’re on a date. Let’s roll with it. We’re on a date and you’re telling me a story.”

Vivara pursed her lips. “Usually my dates are taller.”

Sabine felt her eyebrows raise on their own accord. “And mine are more articulate.”

Vivara’s shoulders sagged.

“Sorry,” She said for the third time that evening and guilt wound it’s way around Sabine’s heart and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll tell you everything.”

Sabine’s eyes stole a moment to glance at the shadowing Reeka man. He was typing into a communicator. She raised a hand to Vivara.

“Not yet. Let’s start again. We’re on a date.”

“Right. Yes. Wow, it’s been a while since I was last on a date.”

“You’re joking.” Sabine wasn’t even acting. Even if Vivara turned around and told her exactly where Jayron was and all the contacts involved with his disappearance, that at would be the second most surprising thing she could have revealed that night.

Sabine didn’t date often either. She told herself it was because she was busy, or that it was risky. That she didn’t want to bring innocent people into her world, and that the people in her world were too far gone to ever be in a healthy, trusting relationship. Scavengers and bottom-feeders don’t thrive in partnership. They always end up eating each other.

That was her experience at least. A couple of flings that either burned out pathetically or exploded in a violent supernova. And now, she could hardly claim to be the most appealing piece on the market with her back in the firing line of every Irix contact in the Quadrant. The few beds she was welcome in would turn her away now.

She couldn’t remember the last time she made someone blush. She could barely remember how. And she could hardly take credit for Vivara’s nervousness - for her flustered sentences, her dry-mouthed rambling, her fidgeting fingers. The darkness in her complexion and the avoidant gaze were far more attached to what Sabine did than anything to do with who she was.

That was fine. That was the life she chose. If choice was the word.

But Vivara? Was she falsely interpreting the stares of other patrons? Were Reekas just that otherworldly that Vivara’s smooth, lush skin, gemstone eyes, and bouncy fairy floss bob were just average?

Vivara shook her head. “No, I don’t date often.”

“I can relate.”

“I mean, I get a lot of… approaches.” Vivara clarified and Sabine smirked. “Particularly at work, but the kind of clients I get at the diner are hardly the kind of people you’d want to spend any time with.”

Ah, there it is.

The Reeka man was looking at them again. Sabine made a point of laughing, and began weaving her braids together, eyeing Vivara with intent.

Vivara, unaware of their observer, let out a breathy chuckle. She pressed her hands to her cheeks.

“Is it warm in here, or just me?”

“It’s warm.” Sabine smiled, granting Vivara escape from her own flushing cheeks.

“Ok, good.” Vivara fanned herself with her hands. “I was going to say, you usually have to work harder to get me to blush like this.”

At that moment, their waitress returned with two glasses of a clear spirit - one that fit in her hand and one she pinched between her fingers. Of all things, that’s what made Sabine’s palms go clammy.

“Here you go!” She beamed, placing the glasses in front of them with a wink. “You let me know if I can help out with anything else.”

“Thanks.” Sabine smiled and Vivara echoed it with a low mumble.

Any time she became aware of the crowd at the bar, Vivara closed up. Sabine couldn’t let that happen. She needed her to feel confident enough to speak.

She took a sip of the spirit. It was harsher than she was used to, burning the back of her tongue like she was swallowing lighter fluid. She did her best to hide it, but it made her eye twitch.

Vivara seemed to have no issue. She sipped at her glass as if it were water. She met Sabine’s eyes and laughed.

“Strong?”

Sabine coughed. She didn’t need to, but it did the trick. Vivara laughed harder, resting a gentle hand on her chest. The sound of it, the music, made Sabine’s tongue feel heavy.

“Much stronger than the stuff I’m used to.”

Vivara raised her eyebrows, “Really? I was about to say it’s a bit weak.”

“You’ve got to be joking.”

Vivara shook her head and her pink hair bounced around her shoulders. “No. What we serve at the diner is a lot more intense than this.”

“I think that would probably kill me.” Sabine muttered. Half of her meant it, wondering what kind of battery acid Reekas drank casually at a diner. The other half of her leaned into the hyperbole, itching for another hit of the Reeka’s laughter. She got it and with it, her whole body flooded with a warm hum - much faster than what anything in her glass would achieve.

“I can’t imagine you at the diner.” Vivara said. “This is strange enough.”

Sabine was too focussed to be offended by that. This was her in. Vivara was talking more openly, more naturally. Their conversation was so boring that any inquisitive ear would have turned away.

“Who do you usually see at work?”

Vivara’s expression became serious as she caught on. It wasn’t ideal, but Reekas weren’t known for their stoicism. All emotions were as easy to read as an alphabet picture book. Her brow settled lower over her eyes and she took a swig of her glass.

Her unoccupied hand returned to burying itself in knots in her skirt.

“It’s a busy place.” She started. “Loud. The tables are always full and we’re always understaffed. We get a mix too - families like it because kids eat cheap, lonely folks like to disappear in the noise, people come during their lunch break or after work. We’re open early until late.”

“Regulars, or mostly strangers?”

“Both. Definitely some I know by name, but also plenty I don’t.”

“And in the case of the night two weeks ago?”

Vivara shook her head. “They weren’t regulars, but they didn’t stand out either. They just struck me as normal businessmen. From the way they dressed, I assumed they were workers from a nearby office. Probably higher paid than most. I’ve been working at the diner long enough to know who will and won’t tip.”

“And this group looked like they would?”

Vivara rolled her eyes. “No. The richer they are, they less they tip and the more they expect you to perform. I knew as soon as they walked in that this group was going to be trouble.” She stopped, and bit her tongue. “But not trouble like -“ She waved her hand mostly in Sabine’s direction. “That.”

Sabine smirked. That. Could she blame Vivara for painting everyone associated with Jayron’s disappearance as that? Victim, perpetrators, investigators - they were all, in their own way, trouble.

“Gotcha.” She nodded. “Wealthy, put together. Enough to make you groan, but nothing to set your alarms off.”

Vivara nodded. “That was until I arrived at their booth to take their order, and I saw… well…”

“Jayron.”

“Yes. Though I didn’t know that was his name. When I said we usually serve a mix, I meant a mix of Reekas. It was the first time I’ve ever seen anyone from another species in person.”

Sabine had to make a concerted effort to stop her jaw from dropping.

“You’re not serious.”

“I am.” Vivara’s face flushed again. “I didn’t realise my life was so sheltered.”

Sabine whistled. “So, I must really be a freak of nature to you.” She laughed at Vivara’s appalled expression and waved down her building defence. “Only a joke. You’re doing great for a first timer.”

“Thank you.” Vivara said though she looked bashful, embarrassed by her own naïveté. “If I’d known other species were so pretty, I’d have ventured out sooner.”

Sabine felt her own face warm and suddenly her jacket felt too tight. She couldn’t stop her furrowed brow.

Vivara leant in closet and a tension curled in Sabine’s chest.

“We’re on a date, right?” The Reeka offered in explanation.

The tension released and Sabine let out a long breath. She admonished herself for the small twinge of disappointment she felt now knowing it was just part of the act.

Unaware of her own effect, Vivara continued her account.

“I was so rude when I saw him.” Vivara groaned. “I didn’t know what to do. I just stared. And the others at the booth seemed to think that was funny.”

At that moment, their waitress walked past their table. In response, Sabine made a show of leaning over and placing her hand lightly on Vivara’s. She laughed and pulled her braids over one shoulder.

“Oh my god!” She crooned. “That’s so funny. You have to tell me more about it!”

In the back of her head though, she hyper fixated on the smoothness beneath her fingers, the warmth. The size of the hand beneath her own. Every minute pulse and flinch was on display below her. She could feel them in intense detail.

Vivara stared down at the offending hand - at where the two strangers touched for the first time. The waitress passed and they both pulled their hands away.

Sabine’s gaze flicked to the orange Reeka man. He was, or at least pretending to be, distracted by a game on a high screen above the bar. A few patrons were equally captivated. By the sounds of the spectators, the local team was losing. Sabine didn’t recognise the sport - probably Reekan in origin - but she did recognise the way the man’s head flung back.

“Ummmm,” Vivara said, bringing Sabine back into focus. Vivara was still staring at the space where their hands had met. Her cheeks awash. “Sorry, I forgot what I was saying.”

Sabine smiled. “You saw Jayron for the first time. Can you tell me more about that? How did he look, what were they talking about, how many people were in the booth? Those kinds of details are really helpful.”

“He looked… well, it’s hard to tell because he’s so different. But I’d say he looked overwhelmed. Constantly looking at the others, but I don’t know if it was for reassurance or out of fear. He’s about half your size and he was sitting up on the table, which I don’t think he liked. I mean,” She gestured between the two of them. “At least here, there are mixed sections and we can sit here as equals. But at the diner, the power imbalance was scary and I wasn’t even part of it.”

“That’s probably why they picked the diner. Crowded, loud, full of a species so much bigger with no one else to relate to. They would’ve wanted to isolate him.”

Vivara shivered. “That’s so scary. They stopped talking when I approached and I must have looked so stupid! My usual waitress spiel died as soon as I saw him. Then one of the four men prods Jayron with a thick finger and says, I don’t think she likes our pet, Little Jay…and I laughed!” She buried her face in her hands. “It just came out of me. I laughed. He was in trouble and I just laughed.”

Sabine buried the feeling of secondhand humiliation. But it mingled with her exasperation. Of course Jayron had to pick a Reekan syndicate for his first grand venture. Of course the desperation to out-do his father led him well out of his depth. Led to him going missing. Led his father to getting involved. Led to her getting involved. Vivara getting involved. How long would that list get before he was found? If he was found. And, if he was, Sabine knew he’d just go off and do it again. The cycle would start over.

And beneath all of that, there was her sadness for Jay, who knew his son didn’t have the gumption to take on his empire, and yet encouraged him to dream.

Behind Vivara, the Reeka man sipped his drink and watched the game. Then he paused mid-sip when his communicator flashed. He returned the glass to the table and inspected the new message. After a moment, he began typing furiously.

Once, and so briefly you could argue it didn’t happen, cerulean met obsidian and then both glanced away.

Fuck.

“It’s ok.” She said to Vivara, identifying the easy exits she’d scouted when she first arrived. As always, she had back-ups for the back-ups. “It’s a normal reaction to laugh when we’re stressed. Maybe part of you knew something was amiss, and for your own safety, you played along.”

Vivara glanced up from her palms. Her shoulders relaxed and she nodded, almost desperate for the out Sabine offered. “Yeah. Maybe that was it. I think I suspected something. All conversation died when I came to the table again with their orders but later, I heard more of what they were discussing.” She chewed her cheek. “I don’t usually make a habit of eavesdropping, but for some reason - nosiness, fascination, or fear - I was paying extra attention to whatever I could catch whenever I walked by.”

Sabine nodded, she found herself pulling in closer. This would be the lead. Maybe here would be something she could work with.

“And?”

Vivara took her glass and downed the rest of her drink in a way that would surely burn a hole in Sabine’s throat if she were to do the same.

“It was only snippets.”

“It usually is.” Sabine said, there was an anticipation curling and writhing in her stomach.

“I heard just a few phrases in passing. I remember ’next shipment’, ‘Florean Sector’, ‘Marcho Galvoni’, and ‘each pretty pincer’. But I don’t know if that’s helpful?”

Sabine steepled her fingers and pressed them to her lips. She nodded, committing the snippets to memory. She knew she had the communicator recording everything, but trusted her brain better.

Next shipment.

Florean Sector.

Marcho Galvoni.

Each pretty pincer.

They weren’t answers, but it was enough. She’d worked with less before.

Jayron, you fucking idiot.

“And when they left,” Vivara continued. “I didn’t see Jayron. I remember, despite the rush, looking for him as they left and being confused. But then,” She shrugged. “I didn’t see him when they entered, and the cafe was busy.”

Sabine frowned. “Did they have any bags with them?”

Vivara’s eyes widened like an angel first encountering sin. “Oh yes, they did. I remember. Just a brief case.”

“Would it have..?” She left the question unfinished. Vivara was already nodding.

“I think so.”

“And their colouring? The men in the booth?”

Vivara frowned, and for a second Sabine wondered if there was a better way to phrase that question. Vivara didn’t correct her, but that didn’t mean much.

“One had a deep red complexion and neon yellow hair. Another two were so similar I’m sure if they weren’t twins, they were at least siblings - pale blue skin, mustard hair. But the one who was doing most of the talking was all white - skin, hair, eyes. He was mean - cruel. I struggled to look him in the eye.”

What does that make me? Sabine thought as she could count the few times during their conversation Vivara had actually met her gaze.

She noted the descriptions. This last seemed unique enough for a Reeka that she could get a lead or two. But before she could follow-up, the shadowing man stood from his table, drained his glass, grabbed his communicator and began walking toward their table. She froze and admonished herself when Vivara noticed.

“What?” She frowned, beginning to look around.

“It’s nothing.” Sabine lied.

But then ‘nothing’ stopped beside Vivara at the mixed bar. The two of them together were an impressive sight - all-encompassingly large, dominating her entire view with their bright, saturated colours.

Noticing his presence, Vivara seized. Her whole body when rigid and her gaze once more returned to the floor. Her green face was ashen and Sabine thought she might faint.

But, despite Sabine’s assumption about their shadow, he paid Vivara no mind. Instead, his bright sea-blue eyes bore into Sabine in a way that sent an electric bolt through her nerves and left them sizzling like powerlines in the rain. Now, more than any time before, she was aware of the difference between them - the sheer gap in size, strength, presence. If she were to be cornered by him, there would be little she could do.

She didn’t recognise him but the look in his eye was knowing, which unnerved her even more. She was well-known in some circles. Mostly in circles where being well known did more harm than good.

“Sabine Ducote?” He asked and she didn’t grace him with a reply, simply opting to maintain his stare. If he knew her name and face, this was just performance.  “I thought it was you, but had to check with a few contacts to confirm.”

Vivara’s pink curls bounced as her head swung frantically between the two and their silent standoff.

“What’s happening?” Her voice was rising in urgency.

The Reeka man placed a gentle but firm hand on Vivara’s back, making the larger girl freeze. Her eyes when to Sabine’s with some silent plea for comfort. Assurance. Sabine wondered if this was what Jayron looked like at the diner.

“Don’t worry.” She said and knew it was unhelpful. She wasn’t willing to give anything away yet.

“I agree.” The man smiled. His hand still lingered on Vivara’s shoulder and the Reeka woman’s expression was as if she thought it would leave a stain. “You have no need to worry, love. Your girlfriend though?” He smirked down at Sabine who, was calculating whether reaching for her communicator or her stunner first would be wiser. “Well, see for yourself.”

He placed his communicator on the bar between them. It was huge next to Sabine’s own and what she saw on it made her feel as if all her bones had suddenly dissolved - that she’d flop onto the floor to be mopped up by the waitress later.

There, on the display, was her face - her white, thin braids, her dark skin, the scar across her nose. It was a candid photo but she couldn’t place where it was taken. It was too zoomed in to gauge any location. What she did recognise was the Irix sigil stamped in the upper left corner of the photo.

Bounty brand.

Across the bottom of the photo was her name. Another instance where the Hugo prosecutor’s screwed her over. Instead of using her case alias, they, in front of Hugo, called her to the stand by her full name.

She swallowed when she saw ‘PRICE NEGOTIABLE’ underneath her name. Open priced bounties were beyond rare. This would send every money hungry hunter in the Galaxy after her, even well outside Keridian territory.

“Hugo sends his regards.” The Reeka man grinned.

But before his hands could move to the stunner tucked under his coat, she had hers drawn and ready. One quick pull and there was a pretty new red freckle between his surprised brows. His cerulean eyes rolled and as his body crumpled to the floor, his hand slid off Vivara’s shoulders, causing the larger girl to shriek.

Around the bar, all eyes turned to them and Sabine sighed. Her heart pounded. She was in deeper shit than she or Jay could have ever imagined. As patrons began to stir, uncovering the cause of the interruption, Sabine snatched her communicator and quickly deleted the bounty message from the Reeka’s.

“What’s happening?” Vivara’s voice was wavering and panicked.

Sabine looked at her and peridot clung to her gaze desperately. Her chest aches at the sight. She didn’t have time to explain. Their Reeka shadow knew nothing of Jayron business as Sabine assumed, but was instead there for her - for the mess Vivara had nothing to do with.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she reached over and stole a precious second to place a sure hand on Vivara’s again.

“I’m sorry.” She said, and meant it. “Thank you for everything. I hope you never have to see me again.”

And then she bolted, leaving Vivara in a stunned silence as fellow patrons and staff of the Quasar swarmed around her. They were intrigued more than anything, and did not share Vivara’s horror at the lifeless form beside her. It was, after all, a boundary bar.

As she ran towards the closest exit, Sabine heard their waitress tut her tongue to a couple she was serving.

“Been there.” She said.

Sabine didn’t have time to think about anything except getting as far away from the Quasar Cafe as possible.

Though lingering in the back of her mind was a stupid thought she couldn’t quite shake.

All things considered, not a bad date.

______________________________________________________________

(@biggnansmol - thank you so much for donating! I'm sorry it's been a while coming. I hope you enjoyed xx

I loved this prompt and wanted to put a different spin on it. And let's be real, if it's a story by me it will have two key components: awkward gay flirting and batshit insanity. And added bonus if it's in space.

I had so much fun with this one. Someone sent me an ask recently about there not being enough wlw stories in GT - happy to make another contribution with these girls.

-ray xx)

[katieaki]

My ✨ post-apocalyptic Lesbian Cowgirl Mailman choose-your-own adventure✨ has just updated! Read it here for free on my Patreon and vote in the poll! There is a summary of the first part, here, the second part, here, and the third part, here. They have everything you need to know about Lou, her requited-but-complicated love, the religious assassin who just beat the tar out of her, the worst person she's ever met, and the ill-advised journey she is on! There is also now a discord where Pony Express readers from all across god's green internet can gather, here!

Read the update for free on my patreon & vote on what happens next! Excerpt below the cut.

“Holliday! Gal! Open your eyes, dumbshit! No she ain’t! The jig is up! You think she was sending you letters from out here? How? You seen a Pony Express in the last three weeks? You seen a living soul in the last three weeks? How did you think this was working? She was just walking the letters into town?”

“Lou–” Holliday tried to cut in, but Lou ignored her and kept talking. 

“Then why wouldn’t she have come seen you if she loves you so damn much? She was lying to you! She was lying to you! Them letters, all them pearls, they was just scavenged ones coming from Fountain Springs or Flea Trap or what have you and you were so desperate for somebody that might stoop to tolerate your wretched ass that you believed her! I know you ain’t stupid with all your fancy words and shit, but fuck me, you’re dumb! Dumb and so selfish you’re willing to let two random people— people who never did nothing but try to help you— die for nothing,” Lou said. 

Holliday looked back at her with her lips white from how hard she was pressing them together. Her hands were folded neatly, one over the other, held primly in front of her. Lou wanted to spit on the ground at her feet but her mouth was too dry. 

“What’s it matter if I die, anyway, right? I’m just some yokel. You seen that I have nobody. That I’m nothing to nobody. Nobody in Hereafter gives a rat’s ass if I make it back. You just needed some patsy you could use up to get you there. Some little pissant who was already sucking hind tit. Who cares what happens to her on the way back? And you’re right. It’s true. Nobody’ll miss me when I die out here in the wastes. But what you didn’t account for is that you’re dying out here with me because none of that was fucking real. We’re all out here dying because a couple of goddamn liars got carried away lying to one another.”

“Are you finished?” Holliday asked, infuriatingly calmly. She looked down her nose and through her eyelashes at Lou and Lou wasn’t sure if this was more of her weird, practiced frigidity, or if she really felt unshakably justified.

“It’s a shame you’re never gonna meet this gal, because you two really deserve each other,” Lou said. “Match made in heaven.”

[yourmomxx]

— random relationship headcanons for jj maybank —

male!reader

a bit nsfw under the cut

just to be clear from the very beginning, we are talking about a secret relationship here

I mean come on, jj has a dead-beat dad, he’s not just gonna go all out and tell him “yeah i’m fucking someone with a dick fyi”

ain’t happening

starting a relationship with jj was hard, he kept pushing you away because of his fear of attachment and his trust issues

But you didn’t let him push you away

It took a while for him to let you in

But after those walls were broken, he was justKirk the most affectionate boyfriend ever

Everyday he would wake you and not know how he deserved you, and the pogues would never hear the end of it

so yes, obviously the pogues know about your relationship

even if he kept it a secret from them, too, at first

kie was the first to actually figure it out

because john b is a bit slow

and pope thought y’all were just really good friends

(no one had the heart to tell him what really made the bumping noises in the next room)

but they all love you

while you’re dating jj, you’re a pogue now, like it or not

you most definitely had it easier than sarah

but hey maybe that’s because your brother wants a psychopathic killer

speaking of siblings, if you have some (younger ones), jj adores them

like, seriously, he always tries to include them whenever you do things together, and jokes and plays around with them

if your siblings are older, they’re a bit suspicious of him first, but eventually grow really fond of him and start seeing him like a sort of a little brother too

we ain’t mentioning JJ’s dad in this house

except for the times where you threatened to beat him up until it was him lying in a hospital bed rather than his son

jj always held you back tho

he told you his father wasn’t worth a sentence in prison

you always take care of JJ’s wounds, even when he’s reluctant about it at first

silent smoking sessions where the two of you simply enjoy each other’s company

“who’s the man in the relationship?” “there’s no man in our relationship, idiot, but if there was, it’d be me.”

he always brags about you when he’s with the pogues

“did you know that y/n did …”

“y/n actually told me …”

“have you seen how fucking good y/n looks today?”

“can’t believe I fucking pulled that.”

the pogues mostly just smile and nod along, knowing how happy you truly make him

he’s just drooling whenever you walk over to him, shirtless with wet hair and only in swim shorts

his brain short circuits

It’s like that one slowmo scene in baywatch ya know

jj plans the cutest dates

like stargazing, small roadtrips, surfing together, campfires with roasting marshmallows

soft touches

and because you two aren’t in a public relationship, I am so heavy on this

like imagine you’re walking to the beach with the pogues, all together laughing and chatting

and you walk so close to jj that your shoulder always *accidentally* bumps his. all the time.

or bonfires

sitting next to each other and each talking to someone, but your knees are so close that they are just touching the entire time

you can feel jj’s warm skin against yours and it sends something like electric waves down your body

fingers linking slightly when you stand near each other or walk with the pogues to the beach

putting your head on the other’s shoulder because that’s not gay you’re “just tired”

shoulders or arms grazing when you’re close

your pinky linking with his thumb when your hands are placed near each other

f o r e h e a d t o u c h e s

hello and goodbye kisses

puts his arms around your waist from behind and lays his head on your shoulder or upper back when he’s tired (and you’re with the pogues)

falls asleep leaned against you when you’re at john b’s hanging out with the pogues

such dramatic golden retriever puppy energy

says he will literally die if he doesn’t get enough touches and kisses from you

jj practically lives at your apartment

he has his own toothbrushes over there and everything

when he’s at home he sleeps in your clothes because they smell like you and it comforts him

will literally return said clothes to you and tell you to wash/wear them because they lost your scent

with jj’s impulsive personality it’s hard, but the two of you do your best to argue as little as possible

and even when, you try your best to not yell and trigger him, but to be honest - the two of you rarely argue. like, heavily

of course there’s some harsh exchanges from time to time but not ever screaming fights or something like that

communication is key in your relationship

you’ve ensured that from the very beginning

you promised to talk things out when you feel like there are problems or something that needs to be talked about and then you can work on it together

there is literally no grudges you hold that could be thrown at each other to worsen arguments

cooking breakfast for him because you want to let him sleep in

stealing away from parties or bonfires to have some private time

his wardrobe is mostly your clothes

you would go to jail for each other

“jj i swear if you don’t stop pissing off police officers-“

you meet him at the beach to watch him surf

because he’s so talented, of course, not because you want to see him shirtless or anything

he’s the best at cheering you up

he’s everything but a dry texter

you mostly cook because the only meal this man knows how to make is toast and pasta

how he’s survived this long without you is a mystery

jealousy because, again, secret relationship

“I thought you weren’t the jealous type?”

“oh, I’m not.”

“so the girl over there that’s talking and smiling all over jj has totally nothing to do with the fact that you’ve absolutely crushed your plastic cup?”

“mhm.”

but not in an i don’t trust you and I think that you will cheat on me-way jealous, more in a you’re mine and seeing you with other people that i know don’t know that physically hurts me-typa way

has his own private smile for you, all teeth and giggles, and just so in love

you give jj your clothes and he gave you one of his leather bracelets to wear

knuckle kisses

just staying in bed all day and cuddling

he has less nightmares when he sleeps next to you

whenever jj got out of the water after surfing, he would make sure to hug you, no matter how much you struggled to push him off you, so you would get just as wet as him

— nsfw ————————————————

you actually had to introduce jj to a few things because he had never done them before or ever even heard of them

he’s good with girls but the whole boy thing? that was new territory

so you had to teach him some stuff

but it turns out, jj is a quick learner - when he wants to be

he’s a switch but mostly bottoms

it’s his inner child that just wants someone to take care of him

sometimes the sex helps him to calm down after his dad hurt him, but that is a thin line to walk

he whimpers

he has a praise kink

“so beautiful” “my handsome boy” “atta boy that’s a good one”

those just do it for him

there’s times when it’s just rough and emotional and angsty (cue choking, knife-play, heavy dirty talk and degradation)

and other times that are slow and soft and loving (cue praise, careful movements, private mornings, many and long kisses)

he takes a shower and you just surprise him by stepping in too

quickies on the boats that jj is supposed to clean (you officially keep him company for “moral support”)

his sweaty surfer curls sticking to his forehead after while he’s grinning at you😫😫

head in small caves at the beach

hickies because “if that girl tries hitting on you one more time, I am gonna hit her. with my car- ”

the pogues tease him about them the morning after

“ayo jj had a rough night I see?”

teasing. like so much. from both sides

whether it be “innocent” touches or well-placed words … it’s all over the place

high sex

handjobs in the back of john b’s twinkie

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

Oh he getting uglier and uglier by the day what’s happening he use to be cute but now he looks bad with this haircute and the facial hair oh this means obx4 is being filmed for sure because he only gets worse when he filming that show like he gets worse and worse for each season maybe that’s the point all the bs getting to his character, it makes sense honestly I can see it!

He will never be fine and I need y’all to wake up bc aint no way y’all lying to yourself this much bc u like his psychopath character, he gonna be the new Timothy who was the new Noah I’m afraid I can’t take yet another one!! Truly in his worst era and that’s saying something bc he was horrendous in s3 too wonder what happened to him at one point he was cute and okay looking and now he turning into just not it at all!

Streets saying he’s a method actor so for s5 he’s gonna be walking around like a corpse looking dead because his character will be six feet under love to see it but on a genuinely real level what’s happening to him why he decomposing in front of our eyes something is off fr

Forgot the drew freaks existed for a good minute since I ain’t seen his ass nowhere since obx ended and now it’s all back because they live on this app and on tktk like the true loser freaks they are but what’s worse is they out here making me defend rudy like he ain’t mid himself he just happens to be the 2nd hottest guy on that show sharing it with Nick out of the yt men he’s hottest but the bar was non existent so can’t even give him that win bc it’s not a win if there’s no competition but how dare they make me defend Rudy just he he’s not ugly like drew or below mid like drew but above mid

why they acting like he’s Jacob when he ain’t even Jacob foot in terms of good looks and talent is never coming near his pinky yt psychopath character stans are so weird yet so fascinating to me because they genuinely believe these men are hot bc they like their psychopath characters, I remember Kylo ren stans were ready to die on actual hill saying Adam Driver was hot I just can’t with them never laughed so hard in my life at first I thought they was joking but nope they was dead serious too whenever I remember I laugh so hard my stomach feels like it’s about to fall out, what’s not surprising nor shocking to anyone was they were all divorced hag yt woman and white unloved teens with issues! What a niche type of yt woman/teens who like them these ugly men and why do they all look almost exactly the same somebody needs to study that, there just has to be a study on it why they are always hag pushing 40 white woman or teen girls liking them all because they like their weirdo character a little bit to much and they also like and think real life serial killers are hot and have fan accounts and meme accounts for them sickos for real! may they get help for this illness

I get liking Jacob and thinking his character Nate was hot because the man is hot even tho his character is garbage but liking and thinking drew or Adam driver is hot bc y’all like their weirdo character yeah that’s to far way to far off the sanity 🏊‍♀️! let’s be serious about this

Adam driver attractive hot 😂 funniest shit I have ever heard in my life drew by s5 really gonna look like him to

[thewhumpcaretaker]

❧ 𝔽𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒 𝕄𝕒𝕟 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕝

Michael Corleone x Reader (gender neutral), 700 words

In the wake of Fredo's death, with his wife gone and his family in shambles, Michael reluctantly talks to you about what he has lost.

TW: grief, hurt/no-comfort adjacent (reader tries to comfort him but somewhat fails)

Image Source

The leaves are moving over the grounds of Michael Corleone’s home. An unseen force of northern wind hurries them away, where they will tumble over the wooden dock, and then into the lake. The master of the house sits watching them, and watching nothing. He’s not even smoking his cigarette.

Fredo Corleone is dead.

“Michael.” His name is an address, a well-worn and star-studded thing. It isn’t like other people’s names, it isn’t like other words. It has become a title. But a man still lives inside it.

He doesn’t look at you.

“Will you tell me what you’re thinking about?”

It confuses him that you’re addressing the man and not the title. He has forgotten how to answer as a man. He clears his throat. “No.”

You stay silent until the no becomes a yes.

“My father’s birthday in 1941. We were all gathered, all of the brothers and Connie too. They bought this big…this big cake, and we were all talking about the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, the soldiers there... And Sonny told me something I’ll never forget, he said: ‘They’re saps because they risk their lives for strangers. Your country ain’t your blood, you remember that.’ And that’s when I told ‘em I enlisted in the marines.”

“How’d they take it?”

“Just got too quiet. Sonny even tried to knock some sense into me but he got held back. And then they all filed out and there I was.”

Another silence that you spend not saying the wrong thing until he speaks again. “The only one who said a kind word to me was Fredo. Too stupid to know any better.”

"You wanted to follow your own path. I get it. It's not like you knew where it would lead."

He twitches, a fraction of a movement, like he’s responding to something internal that’s so unpleasant he has to physically shy away from it. He looks so old.

You say the one thing that has to be said: “I’m sorry about Fredo.”

He flicks at his cigarette so hard you think it’s going to break in half. You know exactly what happened, of course. It’s obvious to anyone who knows the intricacies of the situation. His own damn kids will know. “That’s rich. Apologizing to the devil for the fall of man.”

And now you’re out of words. You can’t exactly say it’s not his fault. The best you can do is, “I’m sorry things turned out this way.”

Finally, he looks at you, and it’s with those too-wide eyes, that look that proves he’s held a gun before. Suddenly he’s yelling. “SORRY FOR WHAT!? Sorry I lost everything? Sorry I RUINED everything?”

“Yes.” That shuts him up. Your frankness – that’s the one thing you have that can disarm him when all else fails. “You’re a good man. You love your family, and that has never changed. It’s a tragedy, how things got torn apart. I want to do something for you. I want to make this hurt less.”

“Well, you can’t.”

“I know. You need your family. And I’m…not. But this isn't about me. I'm just somebody.” You were never really a part of that circle. Not like Kay, and even then, even for her, even before she did everything wrong…she wasn’t enough. She didn’t pull him back.

Still. Doesn’t it mean something, that somebody sits beside him now? Anyone at all. He puts his head in his hands. Maybe if you hadn’t been here, he wouldn’t have bothered to do that. Maybe he would have just kept staring at those leaves until the sun went down, or until there was work to be done.

Instead, his head is resting in his hands, and there is a hand on his shoulder, too. “You’re not alone, Michael.” He can’t take it. He’s sobbing, because he is alone in every way that matters. You do not matter to him. So be it.

So be it if you cannot help him. You will die trying. So be it if you’re not enough to stop the pain. You live to make sure that someone, anyone, sees him.

You do not matter to him. But he leans into you anyway.

[pumpkinsy0]

I ain’t the best writer, it’s real hard to write one shots 🙏

Everything was a mess, and he wasn’t only talking about the apocalyptic world. The surviving group he was currently with clashed together constantly, with their arguments, or different opinions on what they should be doing instead. But they always worked together properly when it’s most important.

But glory, he really wished Darry and Sodapop were here with him.

He was home that day when they left for work, along with Two Bit, who had offered to take care of him while they were out, quietly reading a book on the couch. They had said they would come back soon enough, but they never did.

He could understand why now however. During one of their searches, they had stumbled upon the DX station, hoping that there were some food that they could take, and even better yet, his brothers was hiding out in here. He was right. Not in the way he wanted it to be.

His mind constantly flashes him with pictures of his brother’s decomposed, rotting bodies, hissing and snarling towards him. He remembers his violent trembles, as he can no longer recognise Sodapop, the one who he was so close to, the one who he told everything, his movie star appearance was no longer of that sort. His skin was a sickly colour, a mixture of brown and grey that lingered the smell of rotting flesh. Darry being the exact same way. They were barely decomposed by the time they had found them.

One thing he could never forget however, before they were shot dead, was their position. Sodapop being cradled by Darry in a hidden room of the DX station, where they had been hiding out. Obvious marks of a zombie bite on them.

Finding the last bit of comfort between brothers before they die. He kills them so they would never have to live as these monsters.

He still constantly gets nightmares of the bullet shooting clean through their brains, with blood and brain splattering everywhere.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when a hand was placed onto his shoulder, gripping tightly. “Something on your mind?” Only to look up and see Tim Shepards eyes peering down on his.

Tim, Curly’s older brother, had found him along with the rest of his gang when they were in the midst of being surrounded by the undead. And since that day, they had stuck and been through everything together. Especially with the walkers and the constant raiders that come to try to steal their weapons, food, gas, everything they had that were useful.

Ponyboy had always thought of Tim Shepard to be an alley cat, hungry and restless, and a guy who will do anything necessary to get something or survive. His and the Shepards gang always had a mutual relationship, but he was always warned not to be affiliated with them by Darry, as he might end up in real deep trouble if he were to go along their schemes.

It doesn’t exactly stop him from hanging out with Curly Shepard, however. He wonders how he is now, last he heard, he was in the reformatory. He sort of missed him.

Ponyboy hoped he was okay.

He looked up to see that they were walking behind a bit from the rest of the group, who seemed to be talking amongst themselves, meaning it gave them time to talk without any distractions or eavesdroppers. Biting his lip nervously, he peered back up to make eye contact with Tim. “I’m okay.” Was all he responded with.

Tim wasn’t at all like Sodapop, he was a greaser but not like them. He was a real street hood and criminal who was friends with Dally, even if they do fight each other a lot. It wasn’t like he felt afraid to tell Tim anything, but he wasn’t easy to talk with either. Despite all they’ve gone through, all the people he witnessed being killed, both socs and greasers, being saved by the group time and time again, they would’ve become closer. And he truly did, especially with Tim.

But he could never replace his big brothers. Nobody would.

With an affirming nod, Tim calls back the rest of the group in order to get their attention. It had been only a few months since the apocalypse had started, and they were beginning to think that Tulsa wouldn’t be so safe anymore. Sure it had good enough buildings to hold down a fort and keep the undead away, but what were they going to do for food and drinks?

During the first few everybody had collectively brought everything they could, but now it was starting to run out. There wasn’t enough ammo for their guns anymore. Relying on close combat would be too risky when it comes to big herds, you’ll be a big fool to even try it.

But Ponyboy had dreaded when they talked of leaving town, possibly the entire state itself, but they couldn’t. This was all he has ever known, with his parents. With his brothers.

He wished he could properly say goodbye.

twd au,,,,in MY inbox????? the world has truly changed for the better, anon i love this sm<333

read this like the morning newspaper, im gonna shake u ferociously i loved this sm, maybe one day i’ll make a one shot of the au too,,,perchance i shall,,,one day,,,u have inspired me,,,

“he wished he could properly say goodbye”

EATING THIS UP WOOOOOO

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

@chaoticdelinqueerwithglitter

Kakucho and Sanzu's parallels, let's go!

[Kakucho] - [Sanzu]

"I'll follow the man I offered my life to into hell, if that's where his path lead" - "As you fall deeper into the shadows, no matter if you kill me along the way, I will give all of my life for you, […] Mikey" = deep devotion

Similar relationship with Mucho = "You taught me how to be a real man" - "I would've loved to have a big brother like you"

Toss away his family name - Changed his family name. Which leads to them both more or less metaphorically becoming someone else, changing identity

Dead Family - Dead to him family

(+ Kakucho says he lost all of his family members, so we can't tell if he was an only child or not since he never explained what family members he had to start with)

We can argue that both became devoted to Izana/Mikey when they were around 8 y/o, following a traumatizing incident (Kakucho and Izana first met when he's 8 + he just lived the car accident & got his scar - Sanzu's scars happened when he was 9 but like. close enough. Kakucho could've also been 9 for what we know of. He was in 3rd grade after all)

Only listens to Izana (Ran to South, chapter 227: "Nah, Kakucho ain’t gonna listen to you. In fact, he wasn’t really one of us until Izana told him to be.") - Only listens to Mikey (don't think I have to justify that one)

Have no will to live on their own if Izana/Mikey die. Izana/Mikey is their will to live. Suicidal empty shell when their king dies with no goals (canon for Kakucho when South goes to 'recruit' him - it goes without saying for Sanzu, no need for a canonical proof or Wakui's confirmation to understand that)

Both see Izana/Mikey as their 'King', and take on a subordinate role

Has morals but will ignore them if Izana orders it - Got rid of his morals to do anything that Mikey asks, will go out of his way to do things Mikey doesn't ask

Does (criminal) things only if Izana asks for it + there are instances where he tries to stop Izana (Emma's death, claiming that Tenjiku lost,...) - Does criminal things even if Mikey doesn't ask for it + would only stop doing them if Mikey demands he does

First friend Izana made - First friend Mikey had

I think that's all I can think of as for now

Will edit this if I remember anything else

Ah. Both have facial scar too. I guess that's what I should've started with

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Mess With The Best. Die Like The Rest. (Affinity Series)

Alpha!Bucky x Sweet Little Omega!POC!Reader x Alpha!Steve

Wordcount: 6235

Summary:

A certain someone from your past tries to rain on your parade of love and is dealt with accordingly. 

Warnings:

Domestic Fluff, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Shameless Smut, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Mating Cycles/In Heat

Notes:

A little angst never hurt anybody. Don't worry it is rare for me not to have a HEA. I don't like writing angst for angst sake. Happy Reading Heathens 😈

Bannner by @cafekitsune Divider by @firefly-graphics

It’s a glorious Saturday afternoon.

The sun is high in the cloudless sky as you drive along the country roads deeper into the compound. You sometimes forget just how large this place really is. Tony made sure to have enough space so that anyone on the team could make a home without feeling suffocated with the day-to-day that is being an Avenger.

As your taking in all the lush greenery around you, you feel the car begin to turn onto a road you have never seen before.

“Ooh. This is new. Looks freshly paved.”

“It is. Finished just a couple days ago actually.” Bucky states.

“I wonder what it could possibly be all the way out here?”

“Well, stop pondering and just let your eyes wander, Doll. I’m sure it will show itself soon.” Steve quips with a poke to your side from the backseat.

Just as you turn in your seat to give the cheeky Alpha a sassy retort the tree lined road opens to clearing. Revealing luscious green grass surrounding the most beautiful Victorian Gothic house you have ever laid eyes on. It looks as if someone had reached inside your head and brought your dream home to life.

“It’s so beautiful.” You whisper to no one.

“Want to take a look inside?” Bucky asks, while gently grabbing your hand to place a kiss on your knuckles. You hadn’t even noticed that the car had stopped.

“Can we? I don’t want to disturb whoever lives here.”

“It’s a brand-new property. Tony only let us know about it last week.” Steve answers.

“Then yes, please. I’d love to take a look inside before it gets snatched up.” You quickly unbuckle your seatbelt and reach for the door handle. Launching yourself out of the car as fast as your legs can carry you.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, there little Omega. The house ain’t going nowhere. Pump the breaks, baby girl.” Bucky chides you.

“Sorry.” You quickly reply. “I’m just so excited to see what the inside looks like.

“Well, I’m the one with the keys so you’re going to have to at least keep pace with me.” Bucky teases.

“Get a move on then Alpha.”

“Brat.” Steve whispers in your ear as he gives your ass a smack. “Behave. I know your excited, Doll, but there really is no rush.”

You take a calming breath, trying to tamp down some of your excited energy. That all goes out the window the moment Bucky unlocks the stained glass adorned front door.

Your Alphas are quickly forgotten as you race around the house.

Once again you feel as if someone made your dream home a reality. From the black, gray, crimson, copper, and white aesthetics adorning the walls and standard fixtures. To the ornate clawfoot tub in the master ensuite.

You make your way back to the surprisingly bright and open kitchen. The windows let in the perfect amount of light to make the most used room in any home feel warm and inviting.

 “What do you think, little Omega?” Bucky asks as you dance your fingers along the marble island.

“It's stunning. Tony really out did himself this time. It's like its torn out of the pages of a gothic romance novel.” You swoon.

“I agree. I think it's perfect. Do you think we could be happy here?” Bucky queries.

Turning to face him you answer truthfully. “I’d be happy anywhere my Alpha's are.”

"What he means to say is…" Steve begins.

You watch, eyes wide, as both men get down on one knee. Bucky on his left, Steve on his right, allowing them to connect in the center where together they hold an open velvet box containing two rings that interlock to create one magnificent piece. 

It's dainty and elegant. With just a hint of danger. Another thing that seems plucked from your dreams. 

Steve continues. "Will you make us even happier than you already have by becoming more than just our sweet little Omega…"

"But our sweet little wife as well?" Bucky finishes.

With the tears brimming in your eyes, threatening to fall, you whisper your answer. "Yes."

"What was that? Couldn't hear ya. Need to be a bit louder, baby girl." Bucky teases.

"Shut up. You heard me. Super soldier hearing and all."

"Well I'd like to hear it again just to be certain."

“Me too.” Steve adds.

"Yes. James and Steven. A thousand times yes."

They grin ear to ear as they place the rings on your finger.

“We promise to fill this home with all the love and babies you can handle, little Omega.” Steve declares.

You pull them both up by their collars so that you can seal the engagement with a kiss.

“Please tell me, we get to stay here tonight?” You state, staring adoringly at your new ring.

“Just say the word and Pepper will be here to help select furniture and have it delivered before the day is over.” Steve informs.

“Oh, wow. Being mated to Avengers certainly has its perks.” You chuckle. “What about all our things at the apartment?”

“Movers are on standby. We weren’t leaving anything up to chance. We know our sweet little Omega. There was no way you would resist moving as soon as possible.” Bucky supplied with a kiss to his claiming mark along your collarbone, hugging you from behind.

“Well then. Make the calls.” You pull out of Bucky’s arms, kissing each man on the cheek. “I’m off to go find the perfect place to put my nest.”

You hum to yourself as you saunter through your new home. A shiny new ring adorning your finger and a promise for forever brightening your smile.

The first morning in your new home…

You’re awoken to the feeling of your body being moved. Followed by a tickling across your legs and the feeling of something wet sliding across your folds. You open your eyes to find Bucky with his face buried between your parted thighs.

A moan escapes your throat before you can begin to speak. “A-alpha. W-what are you doing? I was trying to get some sleep after the night you and Stevie put me through.”

"I couldn’t help it baby. What else am I supposed to do when you're lying in our bed looking all cute. My shirt that you stole to sleep in; being the only thing you have on, is bunched up around your waist because you can’t help but twist onto your tummy and bend your leg up regardless of if one of us is there to wrap around or not. You've got that sweet, sweet peach on full display looking ready to be played like bongos. And then when I run a finger along your outer thigh, and you arch your back like good little Omega in heat, teasing me with a glimpse of the treasure you keep between your thighs. Well what can I say. My brain shuts off. Goes right into autopilot and I can’t be held accountable for the wicked things my tongue does when left to its own devices." He confesses. 

"You're a menace, Sarg."

"Yes, I am. But you love it. Now let me get back to my breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day after all."

You lay your head back down, spread your thighs a bit more and enjoy the early morning spoiling.

Steve, having just finished his morning run, is drawn to the sounds emanating from the bedroom. Upon his approach he leans against the doorframe. He’s shirtless. His grey joggers sitting low on his hips. His dick print elongates, creating an uncomfortable bulge as he watches his best friend and packmate please you.

“I don’t know what I want more. To listen to those sweet little moans get louder as you get closer to coming undone or to muffle them by filling your throat with my cock.” He gives his dick a squeeze and your glazed over eyes focus in on the movement and never stray. You lick your lips at the thought of getting your own shot of protein for breakfast.

“Want my dick in your mouth little Omega? Want me to feed you just like your feeding our head Alpha?” He pulls his dick out of his sweats and gives it a slow pump.

You whine and nod your head. Bucky stops teasing your clit and pulls back just enough to growl against your mound. “Use your words Omega.”

“Yes. I want your cock in my mouth, Captain.”

“Good girl.” Steve purrs. Stepping over to the bed and running a finger across your cheek. “Open up for me, baby.”

Bucky takes that moment to flatten his tongue and lick a path up your slit. Collecting all your slick honey along the way. “Fuck. You always taste so sweet, Omega. Better hurry up and get to sucking before your too stupid to remember how.”

You waste no time teasing your tongue along Steve’s length from base to tip. Making sure every inch was nice and wet. Wrapping your lips around his tip, you up into his ocean eyes and proceed to suck him down to the back of your throat.

You allow yourself a moment, mouth full to bursting, as you figure out how to breathe with so much thickness restricting your airways.

That is when Bucky chooses to suck on your aching pearl. Running the smooth underside of his tongue against the sensitive button, causing you to moan around the girth in your mouth.

The vibrations of your voice box along Steve’s shaft evokes a steady growl from his chest, and a slight jerk of the hips. “Fuck, Omega. You know what moaning with my cock in your throat does to me.”

Pulling your head back, you release him. A string of saliva connecting your bottom lip to his spit-soaked tip. “That’s the point, right? I thought you wanted me to be a good little Omega?”

“Fucking brat,” You hear Bucky whisper against your thigh. Giving it a nip before getting back to his meal.

You take Steve’s silence as your que to swallow him back down. Focused on bringing him to his knees, you suck the life out of his cock. Bucky’s not the only one with a ravenous appetite.

Just as you can feel Steve teetering on the edge of his climax, Bucky slides two of his thick metal digits knuckle deep inside you. He even takes the time to curl them upwards. Hitting that sweet spongy spot that brings your orgasm to the forefront. Within moments you’re pulling off of Steve and falling apart on his tongue. Screaming out your pleasure to fill the room around you.

Your body quakes with aftershocks from the intensity to which you just came. You are not to be deterred though. You NEED your Alpha’s to feel as good as you do right now.

You scramble off the large bed. Lowering yourself to your knees on the plush area rug you had placed the day before. “I need both of you to lose the sweats and come stand before me.”

“That what you need little Omega? To suck both of us off. One dick to service isn’t enough for you this morning?” Bucky teases.

“Never. Always want both of you. All the time.” You whimper.

They exchange a look with each other before removing the offending sweats from their bodies and coming to stand in front of you shoulder to shoulder.

“I’ll never get tired of seeing you on your knees, baby girl.” Bucky whispers out as he traces your lips with his flesh hand.

You squirm on your heels. Waiting rather impatiently to service them. That fuzzy hindbrain has taken over momentarily and all you can think about is pleasing your Alphas.

“Please.” You whine.

“Such good manners.” Steve praises you. “Go on, Doll. Make us feel good. Earn yourself a tasty little morning treat.”

That’s all you need to hear to place a hand around each of their dicks. Giving a slow tug until a pearl of precum makes itself know on their tips. Stretching out your tongue you make sure to collect each enticing drop.

You then proceed to alternate between them. Deep throating one as your hand jacks off the other. Teasing their knots until they are tight and ready to pop.

Leaning back on your heels, you open your mouth wide. Signaling to them that you’re ready for your creamy reward. With both being so close to brink of ecstasy, it doesn’t take long before they succumb to a mind-numbing orgasm of their own. Coating your tongue, face, and chest with rope after rope of their combined seed. Staining the shirt you slept in like a Jackson Pollock.

You can only imagine how crazed you look. Hair a mess. Smiling from ear to ear as you’re covered in the very essence of your mates. Your broken from your blissful revelry when the now cum stained shirt is pull off your body.

You watch in horror as Bucky goes to toss it in with the other dirty clothes.

"No! Don't put it in the hamper!” His arm stops midair. The shirt still clutched in his fist. “I want it in my nest. It’s the perfect blend of all of us. I need it." You plead. Sounding whiney even to yourself.

You know your heat is coming soon. You can already feel the pre heat symptoms slowly creeping in, but you don’t care. You need that dirty shirt in your nest.

"Should I be concerned that her needing to have a shirt that's covered in our cum is turning me on right now?" Steve questions.

"No. I think that falls into your possessive pervy wheelhouse. And I’m right there with ya, pal." Bucky agrees.

You shake your head. "Knotheads. The both of you." Snatching the shirt from Bucky’s grasp you head off to your nest to find the perfect spot to place it before claiming the first bath in your glorious new tub.

The following weekend…

The main compound patio and lawn has once more been transformed. Any excuse for Tony to throw a party he is on top of it. Well, Pepper is. Tonight he’s throwing his favorite mated pack a housewarming party so that we can announce your engagement semi publicly. If that is what we wish to do of course.

Seeing as how the party is in your honor, you made sure that your best friend Arlo got an invite. And the Alpha couldn’t be happier about it. Not since he quite literally bumped into Bellamy, one of Bruce’s Lab Assistants and seems to have made a connection. Could it be love? Who knows, but at least it’s been fun to watch.

When Bellamy gets pulled away by his fellow techs to take a round of shots you seize the opportunity to cozy up with your bestie.

"Who knew you were attracted to something other than gym bro betas and service Omegas?" You tease.

"Watch yourself little misses. Your track record until of late was not the greatest either. Your picker was broken too" He jabs back.

"Good thing I used mine instead, huh?" Bucky chimes in.

You all hear a loud obnoxious laugh ringing out over the crowd followed by a girlie giggly. Wanting to know what all the commotion is, you find your eyes scanning the party for the culprit.

That’s when your eyes land on the large solid frame of your abusive asshole of an ex, Caleb and you freeze. Your breath halts in your lungs and you turn pleading eyes to Arlo.

"Oh no.” He whispers. “Not that face. Please tell me your seeing things."

This alerts Bucky who is already at your side and Steve who had just made his way over with fresh drinks in hand.

"What's going on? Why's our Omega frozen in fear like that?" He demands.

"One word.” Arlo sighs in exasperation. “Caleb."

"You mean her waste of space Alpha asshole ex that shouldn’t be breathing let alone at a party in our honor, Caleb?" Bucky grits out.

"One and the same. Looks like he's attached to one of the female agents. Must be her plus one" He observes.

Steve tracks where your eyes have returned and sees a well-dressed man with his arm around a young omega agent that he recognizes. Clearly working his charm on the group that surrounds him.

"Vivienne." he growls.

"The omega that has been giving you issues in training is here with that scum?" Bucky asks.

"Not for long. She has the option to stay as she is part of the lesser teams. But he has to go. I don’t want to make a big deal about it, so I think it's best if you and I handle this quietly."

They exchange a look with each other. One that conveys that no matter what happens they are on the same side and will protect you at any cost.

"Arlo, why don't you take our Omega out on the dance floor and get her mind off things." Steve suggests. His Captain voice leaking through.

You snap out of your fear-stricken haze and turn to your Alphas. "You're leaving me?"

"No baby." Bucky coo's, nuzzling your cheek. "We're just going to go take out the trash. Didn’t want you worrying when you should be celebrating."

You look at Arlo. "Come on sweets. Let's destroy the dance floor and show these Avengers how to really party."

You look to your Alphas once more. "Okay. But you owe me a dance when you get back."

"Oh my sweet, sweet, little omega. Nothing could keep me from feeling that glorious body grind up against me while you’re lost to the music." Steve teases. "Have fun ruining our friends."

"I swear one of these days, those hips are gonna get somebody pregnant." Bucky jests.

"Is that so bad?" You state with innocent eyes.

He pulls you close and whispers in your ear. "Watch yourself little Omega. I just might take that as a challenge." He kisses you behind the ear and then turns to his best friend.

"Give your Alphas a kiss for good luck baby girl." He requests and you happily oblige.

Steve takes the liberty of deepening his and making sure to get your sweet scent all over him. "Now I can handle business properly. We won’t be long, Doll. Arlo, don’t let her out of your sight."

"Aye aye Captain!"

You shake your head. "You just had to make it awkward. What am I going to do with you?"

"Come on. I couldn’t help it. It was right there." Arlo laughs.

"You're lucky I love you." You jest.

"I’m a damn delight and you know it. Now let’s go shake our asses and turn this party up higher." He grabs your hand and leads you out on to the dance floor.

Bucky and Steve watch you saunter off before they face each other once again. "Got any ideas how you want to do this?"

"Just follow my lead." Steve replies.

"Aye, aye captain."

"Wow. Et tu Bucky. Et tu?"

"How's everybody doing? Having a good time?" Steve asks with a friendly smile on his face.

"Hello, Captain Rogers. It's a great party. Congrats on the new house. I'm sure being closer to work is nice." Vivenne greets him.

"The privacy and extra space was needed." He looks over to Caleb, his public mask firmly in place. "You're a new face. Hello, I'm Steve Rogers."

"I know who you are, Sir. And the Winter Soldier as well. I'm Caleb Withers. It's a pleasure to meet you. As my lovely date has already said, this party is great. Never been to a housewarming so big."

"Yeah. Usually Tony goes too over the top, but our Omega deserves all the bells and whistles."

"That's just the sweetest thing. I want my Alpha to gush about me like that someday. Where is she? I'd love to congratulate her as well." Vivienne carries on.

"She's on the dance floor with her best friend Arlo." Steve answers. Smile sat smugly on his face.

At the mention of Arlo's name, Caleb's brows furrow. "Arlo Ducant?"

"Yes, actually. Do you know him?" Bucky inquires with a darkened glare.

It's at this moment that the wind (or possibly a tipsy Scarlett Witch) kicks up. Pushing the scent of you mixed with your Alphas in Calebs direction.

He can't help but inhale. The familiar scent invading his space and evoking memories of the Omega who got away. The one who practically maimed him the last time he ran into her.

Ever the observant soldier, Steve notices the subtle changes happening before him. "Ah. Looks like someone finally figured it out."

"You’ve got to be fucking kidding me." Caleb spits out.

"What’s going on?" A confused Vivienne asks.

"Your date is our Omegas ex. I’m not going to get into particulars here but it's time for him to go." Steve succinctly states.

“Excuse me?” Caleb pipes up.

“You heard him. You’re not wanted here.” Bucky steps forward.

“Yeah. No.” Caleb stands taller and takes a slow sip of his drink. “If she wants me gone, she’s going to have to come over here and tell me herself. Not send over her little minions.”

“Caleb, what the fuck?!” Vivienne says on a gasp. “I am so sorry Captain. I didn’t know.”

“We’ll talk about this on Monday before training. You're dismissed.” 

Not willing to have her risk her job over some asshole, Will, a fellow agent and Alpha, grabs her hand. “Come on, Vivi. Let’s go refresh our drinks.” He quickly spirits her away without further issue.

“I’m really not a fan of repeating myself. So place the drink down and let’s go. We’ll personally escort you out since you have such a hard time following direction.” Steve dictates.

With a clench to his jaw, Caleb downs his Vodka in one gulp, maintaining eye contact with Steve, before placing the glass down on a nearby table.

“We’re all going to walk calmly out of this party. I assume you didn’t bring a car. But that’s of no matter. Tony always has drivers on standby for parties.” Steve states. “Let me make one thing abundantly clear. You will not make a scene on our way out. Your presence alone nearly sullied our entire night. I will not have our Omega embarrassed over some poor excuse for an Alpha.”

Caleb glares at the only somewhat larger Alpha before him.

Bucky shuts him down real quick. “I wouldn’t get any funny ideas right now if I were you. The only reason your still standing is because besides Arlo and our Omega, we’re the only ones who know what kind of an Alpha you really are.”

“It’s time to go. After you.” Steve cuts in before Caleb can spew a retort.

The walk out of the patio was uneventful. Upon venturing through the darkened pathway that ran along the side of the compound, Steve, with the quickness only a Super Soldier can possess, grabs Calebs collar and pins him against the wall.

The little shit laughs in his face and shakes his head. “Oh wow. The little bitch really has you in a chokehold doesn’t she. I mean I know that pussy is magical but damn.”

“Watch your mouth when you talk about our mate, pal.” Steve grits out.

“Our mate? Both of you claimed her. What kind of old school bullshit is that?”

“She has two mating glands; therefore she was destined two Alphas. She was meant for a pack not a pair.” Bucky states while remaining deadly calm.

“And she chose a murderer and America’s bitch boy to mate with?” He starts laughing once again. “Fucking figures. She was always so..”

His words are cut off when a fist makes contact with his jaw. “Say whatever the fuck you want about us. We’ve heard it all. But what you won’t be doing is bad mouthing our girl. I should kill you where you stand for ever thinking it was okay to hurt a woman. I’d get away with it too. Benefits of being, what was that you called me, oh yeah America’s Bitch Boy.”

“Him I could believe. You? You wouldn’t have to balls to actually do it.” Caleb goads.

Bucky sighs in exasperation. “Fuck. Here we go.”

Without saying a single word, Steve begins to rain down fist after fist to Caleb's face and abdomen. He knows he’s broken at least three of the douchebags ribs. Besides a possible fractured orbital socket. Hard to tell when his eye is swollen shut.

“Which hand is your dominate one?” Steve demands.

He raises his right hand as his left holds on to his chest. Steve takes the hand and proceeds to break every finger. When the bastard starts to scream, he pins him back up against the wall with a hand around his throat. Choking out any sound.

As the anger that this man caused you pain rises. That he left you bloody and bruised and had the nerve to try and intimidate you even after you got out of that situation. His grip around Calebs throat tightens.

It’s when Bucky notices him start to turn a bit blue that he steps in. “Alright, Stevie. He’s had enough. Both Pepper and our little Omega will be pissed with us if there’s a body that needs cleaning up. Let the douche bag go.”

Coming to his more rational senses he loosens his grip. He lets Caleb fall to the floor, gasping for air, faced muddled in bruises in fresh cuts. There is no way he is showing his face here again.

While his best friend catches his breath, Bucky reaches down with his metal hand and pulls Caleb up from the floor by the back of his shirt. Not wasting any more time, he continues their intended trek out to the driveway where a car is most likely waiting to take him away.

You’d think being nearly beaten to death by Captain America would have knocked some sense into him or at least kept him quiet. But Caleb was determined to have the last word. The entire journey to the town car, he continued spewing his hate. Calling you horrible names and saying all you were ever good for was a tight pussy and decent looks. That he and Steve must have really low standards if they chose you.

By the time they reached the car, Bucky has had enough.

Happy was standing off to the side, making sure his drivers were ready at a moment’s notice. Not batting an eye at the battered man being dragged by the Winter Soldier, he approaches them.

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your sweet little lady? Not out here taking out the trash?”

Steve, having emerged from the darkened pathway answers for him. “This particular trash needed special handling.” He takes out a handkerchief and begins wiping his knuckles free of blood.

“I see. Raymond, I’ll be driving this man myself. Keep an eye on things for me will you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Happy opens the back door as Bucky lifts Caleb up to lean against the car. The asshole has more parting words for him. “We’re not so different you and I. One of these days she’s going to open that smart mouth and say the wrong thing and your hands will lash out without thought.”

Bucky leans all of his weight into the man. Making sure to add extra pressure to his ribs. “Just because I saved you from my best friend murdering you on our night of celebration doesn’t mean you’re safe. I’ll be keeping tabs on you myself. You better be on your best behavior. You won’t see me coming until your slowly bleeding out.”

He shoves him none to carefully into the back seat and slams the door. “I don’t care where you take him Happy. Just get him away from here. And make sure your drivers keep their mouths shut about what they’ve seen.”

“Already done.” Happy agrees. He gets into the driver’s seat and takes off down the long and windy driveway.

“You can’t walk back into the party like that, pal. Your shirt is covered in blood.” Bucky chuckles with a shake of his head.

“I don’t give a fuck about that. I need to see our Omega. Know that she is okay.” He growls out.

“Down boy. I’m going to go get her and then we can all head home. Okay?”

“Yeah.” Steve bobs his head.

Bucky whistles for one of the valets to grab their car. When it arrives he addresses the still clearly agitated Alpha. “Get in the back and try to calm yourself down man. I’ll drive us home so our sweet little Omega can sort you out in the back. Got it?”

“Don’t take forever.” He retorts, sliding into the backseat.

You’re blissfully unaware of the carnage that has taken place as you make your way to the car with Bucky. You know Steve is waiting for you and even though this was a party for you all, your social battery is just above empty. You just want to be at home with your Alphas.

You reach the idling car in no time and Bucky opens the back door for you. You slide in and a gasp leaves your mouth. Steve’s shirt is covered in blood. Your Omega instincts kick into high gear and you begin checking him for injuries.

“Little Omega, I’m okay. It’s not my blood.” Steve says in a soothing tone.

“Then who’s is it? Was the compound attacked?” You ask, still frantically checking him over.

“No baby. The compound is safe. We just had a little discussion with Caleb on his way out. Things may have gotten a little heated.” He states.

Bucky, having started the car, chimes in as he makes it out of the driveway. “The idiot kept running his mouth and Stevie almost killed him for it.”

You look to your Alpha as warmth settles low in your belly. This man loves you so much that he almost killed a man just to protect you. You can’t help the sinful smile that spreads across your face.

Who knew defending your honor so fiercely was such a turn on. Could be instincts. Could be that your heat is so close. The reason why is of no matter. All you know is that you need to show your Alpha just how appreciative you are of his protection.

You hike your dress up and crawl into Steve’s lap. He tilts his head at the sudden change in your demeanor. A question clearly poised on his tongue. One that never gets to see the light of day as you lean forward and place a devastating kiss to his pillow soft lips.

You hum into the kiss, feeling your temperature rise, he pours the same amount of emotion into it as you have. You break away from the kiss and start praising your big strong Alpha for standing up for you. Pulling his hands up to your face and kissing his angry knuckles. Then sucking on his thick fingers like you would his cock.

You’re driving him crazy, and he just needs to feel all of you. He needs to remind himself that you are okay, and nothing will ever happen to you on his watch. With those quick reflexes you love so much, he spins his body and places you on the seat. Lowering himself down into the footwell, where he places sweet kisses to your thighs before ripping your panties off your body.

With a rumbly growl, he leans forward and begins feasting on your dripping pussy.

Glancing in the rearview mirror Bucky can’t help but point out his observations. “This seems vaguely familiar yet different all the same.”

Clearly, he is referencing the night you fully met the team for the first time. When you and Bucky were fooling around in the backseat on the way home while Steve drove. The night you first tasted Steve on your tongue.

Next thing you know you’re coming on Steve’s tongue. The orgasm was amazing but it’s not enough. So you proceed to pull your Alpha up by his disheveled hair. Your fingers waste no time unzipping his slacks and pulling his hardened cock out. “Please, Alpha. Need you inside me. Now. Want your knot.”

Once more he lifts you up and spins so that he is now seated with you hovering above him. “Then take it little Omega. It’s all yours.”

Slick is leaking down your thighs and your temperature is continuing it’s steady climb. You am more than ready to take his thickness. You notch his weeping head to your entrance and slide down his length with ease. He grips your hips as you begin to undulate above him. When his dick hits that sweet spot it’s all over for you.

Like an addict jones for a fix you make him graze it over and over again. It’s intense and hot as hell.

Poor Bucky almost drives off the road because he’s so turned on and keeps checking the rearview. He even cracks the steering wheel with his Vibranium hand.

Another orgasm is ripped from your body as you’re pulling up your driveway to the garage. Your spasming walls massage Steve’s girth, and he can’t help but pop his knot. He throws his head back as you continue to ride him until you collapse against his chest. Panting and locked together.

Steve kisses your forehead. “Hey little Omega, I know you’re feeling just as good as I am right now. But we have to get inside. Bucky is going to open the door and I need you to wrap those sexy legs around my waist for me. Can you do that, doll?”

You nod your head before burying it deeper in his neck. Being the amazing team that they are, having so much history together, it doesn’t take the Alpha’s much time at all to get you both out of the backseat.

Steve leads the way inside, with you wrapped tightly around his waist. The entire walk to the nest you’re a whiny needy mess. Begging to be filled with their pups. Telling them you don’t care about a wedding. That you just want to start your family already. 

Clearly your heat has been triggered. And with how intense the sex in the car was you may have triggered their ruts as well.

You make it to your nest just as Steve’s knot has deflated enough for him to pull out and place you down gently.  You immediately remove your dress and unclasp your bra. Letting it fall to the ground, before pulling Bucky forward and ridding him of the layers that are keeping you from his warm skin.

“Someone is very eager tonight? Is there something you wanna tell us, Omega?”

Instead of giving a verbal answer, you turn your back to them, kneel on all fours and present like a good little Omega.

“As good as you look presenting so pretty for me. I’m going to need to hear your words before we’re all lost to our hormones.” Bucky states. Always the stickler for consent. Something you very much love about him.

“Heat. My heat is here, and I need your knot Alpha mine.”

He grips the base of aching cock at your words. “And that’s exactly what you’re gonna get, Omega. Gonna keep our girl nice and full.” He lets his hind brain take over.

The haze setting in as he teases your cleft before thrusting to the hilt. Your pussy tightens around him immediately, setting off his need to breed you. To claim you from the inside out. To give you the pups you’ve been begging them for.

Everything else fades away as he goes to town on you while Steve recovers. Who takes the time, while his mind is till clear to make sure the room is set for your first heat/rut cycle in your new home.

You’ve lost count of how many times you’ve come. Lost in the feeling of pleasure and being so full. With a roar resounding through the air, you feel Bucky’s knot pop deep inside you. Locking you in place as his teeth sink into your mating mark and he fills your womb with the seed you so desperately crave.

Laying on your sides, you play with the metal fingers on his Vibranium hand. Placing it against your chest to help cool you down. Steve, having stripped himself, makes his way into the nest to join in on the cuddle puddle.

Your nose wrinkles as he get’s closer. “As hot as you defending my honor is. I think it’s time for a shower and for you to burn those clothes. They faintly smell like Caleb and that’s just a lady boner killer.”

“Wasn’t such a problem when you were riding my knot in the car.” Steve quips back.

“Momentary heat induced insanity. I’ve cum, therefore the scent must go.”

“Only if you come wash my back. Make sure there’s no trace of him left.” He counters.

“What do I get out of it?”

“A white wolf between your legs getting his fill.” Bucky stage whispers in your ear.

You bite your lip at the image his words provide. “Deal.”