#(This will be reblogged throughout the weekend and close Sunday night!)

[more-than-a-princess]

It's time for one of my seasonal starter calls! I do not offer starter calls often, only a few times a year (usually once a season, thus the seasonal definition!), so if you would like a starter with Sonia, please like this post after you have read and understand the following guidelines for this call.

If you'd still like to thread but not at this time, no worries! I post memes occasionally and send memes when I see ones I think I can work with.

Mutuals only.

Starters will be several long paragraphs. I'm not a one liner or one paragraph writer, barring the occasional dashcomm and crack interactions. You don't need to match length but please keep in mind my writing style.

Multis please specify muse. My default choice for verses is a modern contemporary verse between high school and early-mid 20s, or a non-despair AU for Danganronpa canon and OC muses. If you have a historical muse, I will try to match your muse's time period unless you have specified that they have a modern verse. I do not offer fantasy or sci-fi verses at this time.

Starters will be worked into my current thread reply list. However, I am hoping to have all starters posted within a two week time frame.

And the most important: Do not ask for a starter if you do not intend to reply. I completely understand that replies can take time to get to, but having starters go months (or even years!) without a reply or just ignored entirely is one of my biggest pet peeves and the quickest way for me to not want to write with you further. If you have writer's block, please reach out to me so we can plot! But do not request a starter from me if you do not intend to reply. I don't expect quick turnarounds, but I also don't want to be waiting a month for you to see and reply to my starter. I'm hoping to start some more active threads!

[crosbymalkin871]

The Price of Love (1/?)

CHAPTER TITLE: All It Takes is One Huge Paycheck…

RATING: M PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS: E. Malkin/S. Crosby

CHAPTER WARNINGS/KINK: Alcohol, Foul Language, mentions of Prostitution, Mario Lemieux, vague allusions to Smut

AUTHOR’S NOTE: FINALLY! AFTER FOUR-FIVE MONTHS OF NO HOCKEY, THE LACK OF MOTIVATION, AND ME ACTUALLY NOT HAVING TO DEAL WITH A LOT OF STRESS, I’M FINALLY BACK!!!! Originally I wanted to post this the night of game 1, but shit happened and then I tried to post it before game 2, but y’all are getting it today! XD As a piece of compensation on my end, chapter 2 will be posted on Sunday evening. I promise, and if I don’t keep my word, bash me in the head with a hockey stick until I get a concussion.

Before you all begin reading, I just have to say thank you to everyone who has messaged me their excitement and their support throughout these difficult moments, it really means a lot. I also wish to extend my appreciation to 3 specific individuals: my friends @justinschultzy & @eafay70, and my dear Zhenya aka @cakemakethme​ (who will also be my Beta from chapter 2 or 3 onward). You three were the ones I continuously messaged updates on and your cheerleading was what ended up leading me to finishing this. So thank you very, very much! xxx

I have been wanting to write this fic for…gosh, maybe 2-3 years now and it’s finally being presented to all of you. I’m so excited for everyone to read it and to join me on this insane rollercoaster that is The Price of Love. With that all said and done I hope you all enjoy it, like and reblog, and I will (hopefully) post more sometime in the near future.

DISCLAIMER: I am not the owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, or are associated with anyone in the NHL. I just have a very strong imagination.

A variety of noises ring out in Geno’s ears.

“Beer, over here!”

“Four sangrias for table three.”

“Vodka. Straight.”

“Whisky on the rocks.”

“Daiquiri. Make it a double.”

“Two champagne cocktails for table seven.”

Orders just keep coming and coming. He had been tossing and filling up a number of glasses and flutes for hours, sending them out left and right at the bar with almost no chance of having a small break in between. It was alright though, he grew used to it throughout his years of being one of the many favored bartenders at the Emperor Nightclub.

That, and he gets some real good money out of it, collecting all the large tips he gets whenever he cleans up the dirtied tables afterward.

With he and Tanger, his best friend and the other tender manning the bar, it feels like a marathon— albeit an easy one— to serve the feisty ladies and semi-agro men currently trying to take over the club.

The Emperor Nightclub is still up and running as the night starts to grow late. With a birthday bunch, a small group of ladies having a girl’s night, a married couple looking for a partner or two to join their bed (whether they were open or poly, Geno wasn’t sure), and college graduates dominating the patrons tonight along with the regulars— the nightclub roars as if it is New Year’s Eve in NYC instead of any other weekend in Pittsburgh.

No empty space could be seen on sight from where he was standing, with new patrons coming in the later part of the night, while the earlier patrons have made the decision to stay even after hours of partying and hollering.

Geno was given a small break as the crowd in front of the bar disperses, having been satisfied with the drinks they were given, taking whatever leftover bills he was given as a form of tip.

So far, it was a relatively good night for him.

Well…until a small, very familiar group came in, with the leader catching his eye like he usually does.

Being a bartender at a pretty famous nightclub in Pittsburgh, he sees a whole spectrum of people walking in and out of the nightclub’s doors: with some of them wanting to down tons and tons of alcohol that’ll make them black out until tomorrow afternoon, and others being on the prowl for someone to either take to their car, a nearby hotel, or even the nightclub’s bathroom.

One of them was about three or four, sometimes even more, prostitutes that are part of the latter category, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t take the time to chat with the bartenders, something that always brightened Geno’s night, especially when he was continuously swamped with drink orders…

…which is how Geno’s break ends: more people clamoring to the bar.

As of on cue, the moment that he continues to engage in dealing with patron’s drinks, the orders come rolling in even faster that he almost skipped a beat. From the corner of his eye, he could see the expression on Tanger’s face becoming more focused as his orders keep coming in with some extra flirting and touching from the patrons on his part.

He snorts at that. While Geno didn’t necessarily mind a customer or two coming up to flirt with him, he was never really interested in them, only responding back just to make their night a little bit better.

Out of all of his friends, it was Tanger that got the most attention from the patrons, with he following at a close second. It made sense because the French-Canadian looked like a supermodel. And himself? Well he wasn’t really sure if American people have a thing for foreigners like him, but he continuously gets complimented on his ability to wear a suit. So he considers that a plus.

His other friend, Dumo, tended to get third; primarily because he got a lot of attention from the college kids, either doing an insane number of shots or just randomly asking about his athletic abilities. Needless to say, it was very amusing to watch him wrack attention from the younger crowd. Though if anybody were to catch his eye, they should be aware of how damn good a cook he was.

The other two bartenders, Big Rig and Schultzy, also managed to garner themselves some attention from the patrons. Big Rig, for his height as he stood almost 7 feet tall (much taller than Geno), and Schultzy, for his happy-go-lucky personality. It was always something that made event the downiest of drinkers smile a little.

Even if he feels just a tad overwhelmed by the all of the drinks he has to quickly make, getting a glimpse of dark, curly black hair and a thick, white fur coat was enough to quell his nerves.

“You all need some additional help?”

A voice comes from Geno’s left side and it makes him jump a little (but not enough to make him mess up an order, which he has done before and has given the person who scared him a very stern talking to). He looks over to see who it was and finds Dumo standing there with his usual laid-back smile. Geno may or may not have breathed out a small sigh of relief at his arrival.

“Possibly, considering that G has been trying to catch a glimpse of Sid rather than seeing how much booze he’s pouring in.” Tanger smirks, placing at Geno teasingly.

Geno rolled his eyes and answered with a scoff. “Yeah. Like you not staring at Flower too, Tanger.” He feels a little vindication when seeing the French-Canadian man scowl in return. “But help always needed, Dumo. Things getting a bit out of hand and no one planning on going home soon.” Even though he knows he’ll get teased about it even more, his eyes couldn’t help wander off around the club, looking at all the excitement that is still going strong.

And again, seeing black curls and a white fur coat— Sid was his name— releases some of the tension in his shoulders.

“Alright then.” Dumo clapped his hands before he started to roll his sleeves of his button-up. “No one is really wanting drinks on my end of the bar, might as well waste time by giving you guys a hand.”

Neither Tanger or Geno responded to him as he already accepted his first round of orders from the loud frat boys and flighty sorority girls welcoming him, leaving the other two to tend the ones lining up at their respective corners.

Within the next minute or so, all three of them found themselves falling into a rhythm as they worked side-by-side, the drinks continuing to flow out and tips continuing to flow in. And with more patrons visiting the bar, come more even more orders and even more tips.

The extra pair of hands certainly help a lot in making the work feel a whole lot easier.

Dumo serves every patron that tries to start a conversation with him, listen to their problems in one ear while paying attention to orders in the other. He also subtly brushes off any flirty advances, but he does throw a smile here and a wink there to please all who are openly staring at him. He even does a little dance to the beat of the music as a little extra entertainment.

“Should’ve been a stripper, Dumo.” Tanger tells him as he stuffs some more bills into his pockets. “Missed the chance to be Magic Mike in Hollywood, but there’s still a chance here.”

Geno snorts as he slides a mint julep down the bar.

“Ha ha. Very funny, Tanger,” Dumo states unamused. “Can say the same about you too.”

Tanger just flips him off while Geno snorts again.

Eventually, the orders died down and the patrons scattered about. Dumo returned to the other bar on the opposite side of the room with Schultzy and Big Rig, while Tanger cleaned up any spilled alcohol left on the bar top.

Geno, meanwhile, began pouring more cocktails, glasses of wine, and laying more beer bottles onto a tray; but these were for any of the people hugging their half-full drinks, or for the tables that were littered with empty glasses and lime wedges.

No. This tray of drinks are for a certain group that he had noticed earlier.

Carefully, yet a little giddily, he manages to carry the tray single-handedly, and without spilling a single drop of liquor, all the way to a very specific table within the Emperor Nightclub.

As he walks closer and closer, the wild pacing of his heartbeat grows more and more. When he finally reaches the table, standing behind the object of his secret affections, he quietly gulps and places a gentle hand on his fur-covered shoulder.

The man stops whatever he was doing and turns around to look at him. And Geno swears he could feel his breath escaping his lungs and his rapidly-beating heart stopping.

Aside from their beautiful curly hair, the man also had the prettiest brown eyes and the biggest, most kissable lips imaginable (not that the bartender would ever admit that to him). He also had on an outfit that was not afraid to show off his…well, assets; outside of the white fur coat, he wore a white crop top with a red maple leaf on it, black leather shorts that magically fits his ass, and past those long, thick legs were a pair of black stripped high-heels that decorated his feet.

Sid smiles kindly at him, his teeth showing behind those glossed lips. “Hi, Geno.” he calls in his deep yet sweet-sounding voice. It didn’t sound flirtatious or seductive, which is normally how he talked to his clients, with the bartender, he always sounded genuine and pleasantly happy to see him serving drinks to him and his friends.

Geno nervously smiled back. “H-Hey, Sid,” he replies, silently curing himself for stammering in front of a prostitute who he may or may not have a big crush on. “Flower, Segway, Mitch,” he also greeted, who were all looking at him before he grabbed Sid’s attention. He began setting down the cocktails, wine, and beer. “Here are usual orders.”

The three other men accepted their drinks: a margarita, a beer, and a glass of white wine, respectively.

Still smiling, Sid happily accepted his cosmopolitan, plucking a strawberry off the skewer that was resting atop the martini glass. “Thanks, G,” he says before popping the mini strawberry into his mouth. “I know everyone has their favorite bartenders, but I still say you make the best cocktails.”

Hearing that from Sid (and watching him eat a simple piece of fruit) was enough to bring a blush and a dumbstruck smile to Geno’s face. “H-Heh…Thanks, Sid.”

Sid nods, eyes shining with a glint of something as he takes a sip of his cocktail.

It was a small moment or two of awkward (on the bartender’s part at least) silence before he coughed. “I, uhm, I’m best get back to work, so…bye.” With that, he quickly flees back to the bar.

(As he did so, he heard the soft giggles coming from Sid, but he failed to see him lightly admonish his friends as they smirked at the obvious crush the bartender had.)

After that little incident, Geno spent the rest of the night catering to any other patron that walked up and asked for— or sloppily demanded— drinks. Whenever he had a spare moment or two, he would glance up at table eight, watching the small group of friends chatting, laughing, and attempting to flirt with some of the other patrons that would stop by their table.

Part of Geno’s heart crumbled whenever he saw Sid respond to some of the men’s flirtatious mannerisms, whether it be throwing out seductive words, or a teasing touch, or even a tickle of breath or the faint press of lips.

He knows Sid isn’t tied down to someone. Why would he, the man was a prostitute after all. But that didn’t mean watching him act like that with others didn’t hurt.

From the moment he first met Sid, back when they were teenagers to young adults and Geno had just started working at the Emperor Nightclub, he always harbored secretly feelings for the young Canadian. He remembered the first time he ever plucked up the courage to speak to him and slide him a cocktail: one of his first attempts at a watermelon cooler, too easy of a drink to mess up on.

It was a bit strong on the booze and not fruity enough, but Sid didn’t tell him that. He just smiled and thanked him in a voice that oozed sensuality and charm, throwing in a wink for good measure. When he saw how awkwardly the bartender responded to it— by stammering and not completely picking up the subtle cue— he dropped the act, apologizing for making him feel awkward. To which Geno has to apologize as well, because he didn’t meant to make the moment awkward, he just wasn’t good at responding to someone who was cute like him.

That made Sid pause and blush, looking away from the bartender for a split second before gazing back up at him, a gentle smile on his face. This caused Geno to smile back, the both of them feeling a bit more relaxed than before. When the awkwardness of it all faded away, the two of them began to chat during the bartender’s break, or whenever he would get a breather from serving. In those small conversations, he realized that the flirty prostitute was actually…very dorky.

A dorky man who had a passion for history, craved mozzarella sticks and cheesecake, and had a strong affinity for sports just like he once did. And he had the goofiest laugh Geno had ever heard and thought it adorable. Seeing this, Sid’s true colors was what made him slowly start to fall in love.

But deep down, he knew that Sid would never feel the same about him. To him, it was fairly certain that he would get rejected upon confessing his feelings. So, in every encounter the two had after that, Geno would simply swallow his feelings and allowed Sid to flirt and be affectionate with other men that weren’t him.

They were just friends, nothing more.

(Although he can’t help but secretly wish for that to change one day).

Geno sighed sadly and began to untie his apron, ready to go into the staff room and change back into his regular clothes when Tanger tapped him on the shoulder. He looked over at him, ready to tie his apron back on, when he sees him pointing to the stairs near the back of the nightclub.

Coming down the stairs was owner Mario Lemieux.

He turned back to Tanger, brow raised. “So? He does that a lot.”

“Yeah he makes his rounds like he usually does, but does he ever personally come to us for anything? Usually it’s Jen that does it for him.” Tanger points out as they see Mario making his way over to the bar areas.

Geno hummed. He had a fair point, usually it was Jen, Mario’s personal assistant, that went and searched for them whenever he needed to have a conversation with them. In any other instance, the bartender would not hesitate to flee whenever he could, but she would usually find him in the end.

But Mario himself coming out to talk to one— or maybe all of them— was highly unusual.

It was even more unusual when he realizes that Mario coming towards him. He didn’t know whether he should run, or accept whatever was going to be handed to him.

Still tying his apron back on just in case, he meets Mario halfway: near the dance floor but not that far from the tables.

“Ah, Geno,” he says as the bartender comes up to him. “I was just coming to talk to you.”

“Need me to stay extra hours?” he asked, seconds away from letting out a tired sigh. He doesn’t like the idea of staying later than 1 or 2 AM on most days, but if the boss says so, he’ll make an exception.

“No, actually,” Mario shakes head making Geno confused. “I wanted to give you something.” He hands the bartender an envelope.

Taking it, Geno still looked confused as to what it was until he opened it, then his eyes widened in shock.

“Boss, are you— Are you serious?!” he exclaimed as he looked between the envelope in his hand, then back at Mario.

“It’s just little bonus, if you will, for being one of my best workers.”

“This more than bonus and you know it!”

Mario placated him by resting a hand on his shoulder. “As I said, you deserve it,” he reassured. “I know it’s more than what you normally make, and more than the other bonuses I give, but there’s nothing wrong with giving a little bit more to hard workers like you.”

Geno gazed back down at the envelope. Inside was a bonus check of over $10,000.

“But—”

“No buts.” Mario tells him seriously. “I mean it. You’ve been very dedicated to your work from the beginning, even if you were completely new to it. But you quickly improved over time and became a favorite amongst The Emperor’s patrons. It’s not hard to see why, Geno. So, go on, take the extra bonus. Do whatever you want with it, a gift from me to you.”

With that, he gave the bartender a pat on the back before heading back upstairs to his office.

The whole time, Geno’s eyes never left the check.

It was a large amount of money. In fact, it was double than what he normally makes for a bonus: $5000 at most, but if his boss said that he deserved it…well, who was he to deny himself a paycheck like this.

Finally, his eyes left the large sum of money, trailing back to the beautiful prostitute that was still sitting at table eight.

Maybe…maybe his chance had finally come. He may not be able to have a proper relationship with Sid, but he could at least spend one magical night with him, for however long he could make it.

He didn’t know what Sid charged for his services, but he hoped ten thousand dollars was enough to satisfy him (he was sure that it was, he was just being really nervous about confronting him).

Gulping, the bartender slowly— and anxiously— makes his way back to table eight. Along the way, he tries to remember all of the fancy restaurants that are in Pittsburgh, and there are quiet a number of them within the city and the surrounding area.

There was the Altius that has an amazing view of the city… the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is one of the most famous restaurants… LeMont has been around for decades and is still highly regarded… most of the locals would know about the Grand Concourse… since he liked boats, one of the Gateway Clipper’s Dining Cruises would be nice…

Maybe the Hyeholde since it almost be like dining at a castle… the Carlton has a lot of national recognition… Bravo! Italian Kitchen has a good menu and they do have creme brûlée...

Or…he may just happen to like the Cheesecake Factory instead.

Before he could even make a final decision on what he was going to say, he was standing right in front of Sid (or behind, since his back was turned to him). Luckily for him, his other friends were either out on the dance floor or chatting up the other bartenders; maybe they were in the back lounges, but Geno doesn’t really care, he needed to focus on his main objective right now: gaining Sid’s attention, even if it was for one night.

Reaching a hand out, he hesitates for a split second before he decides to gently tap Sid on the shoulders.

The prostitute turned around to see who was standing behind him again, smiling when he realized who it was. “Hey, G. What’s up?” he asks curiously while he licks something sticky off his fingers.

Geno stared for a hot minute before quickly snapping out of it. “U-Uhm—!” He blushed and scratched the back of his head. “I-I want you to know that Mario gave me big bonus just now…”

Sid smiled wider at that. “That’s great, G! How much of a bonus was it? The usual 5k?”

He shook his head, looking away shyly. “No…gave me double that.”

Brown eyes widened as he exclaimed, “Wait. He gave you $10,000?!”

Geno nodded, showing him the envelop with the check in it. “Yeah, and uhm…was wondering if…” He blushed darker, still keeping his eyes away from Sid. 

The prostitute was looking at him with concern now. “If uhm…You want to spend a night with me…?”

Sid stayed silent for the longest time, staring blankly at the bartender as he processed what he just asked him. “Geno, are you— Are you asking me to…service you?”

“Yes. I mean, no! Argh!” The bartender shook his head, feeling more embarrassed and stupid now. “What I’m mean is…I take you to fancy restaurant, maybe do shopping, and…” The blush on his face grew darker. “I-If you wanted, we can go to hotel and… you serve me.”

A blush now came to the prostitute’s face. “O-Oh…”

Geno makes a flustered noise, still not looking Sid.

“I don’t— I-I don’t charge that much for a night's service, Geno,’ he tells the bartender with a shy voice. “Y-You can’t spend 10 grand on me in one night…”

“I-I’m know,” he nods. “But I’m try.”

Sid’s blush grew darker as he now looked away from the bartender. Neither one of them really knew what to say after that, the moment growing tenser and more awkward by the second.

Eventually, the prostitute was the one to speak first. “E-Even if you can’t spend all that money on me…it’d be nice to spend a night with you.”

Geno’s head snaps back to Sid, his own dark brown eyes widened at what he said. “R-Really?”

A small smile came to the prostitute’s face as he nodded. “Yeah,” he admits shyly, now looking back at the bartender. “I really do.”

He’s never admitted this to him, but he’s had a crush on Geno for a very long time now, ever since they met as teenagers in this very nightclub. He always thought the bartender would never want to be in a relationship with him because of what he does, but after hearing what he just said to him, he might actually have a chance to see if they would really work out.

“Uhm, great!” Geno exclaims with a grin.

Sid smiles a little more. “Did you have a particular restaurant in mind?”

The bartender pondered on the choices he thought about earlier before finally making a decision. “Altius?” he asks. “Is on Grandview Avenue and have good view of skyline.”

“Sounds great,” Sid nods in approval. “Maybe we could stop by the Cheesecake Factory afterwards. I haven’t had any in a long time and I’m overdue for a craving.”

“I figure you say that,” Geno chuckled. “Had that in back of mind in case you say no.”

An embarrassed giggle managed to escape the prostitute’s lips. “I guess I make my love of cheesecake very obvious, eh?”

“You do, but is okay,” Geno reassures. “I like that about you.”

Another giggle, this time, one that was more airy and a little bit giddy-sounding. “So, when did you want to do this? Tomorrow night?”

“We can do that,” he nods. “I take night off.”

“Are you Mario would allow that?” Sid raises a teasing brow at him. “I mean, he did just give you a big bonus. He may change his mind when he hears you taking a day off.”

Geno waved at him nonchalantly. “Eh. He not mind.” he tells him. “Besides, be nice to get away from club for one night. And I spending night with you, so is good reason.” He lightly smirked at him.

Sid’s blush couldn’t get any redder, but it manages to with the bartender’s words. Just then a waiter came by and served him another drink, this time, a vibrant sunrise cocktail.

He takes the drink with a nod and a slight smirk before the waiter walks away. He takes a sip before turning back to Geno, his smirk growing in seductiveness. “So,” he starts before licking his lips, a little cayenne salt sticking to them. “Will I be seeing you tomorrow night?”

The bartender gulped and managed to nod, trying to keep his dirty thoughts at bay. “Yeah…see you tomorrow night.”

[sgtjaamesbaarnes]

Caught in the Crossfire [Chapter 1]

Pairing: Detective!Bucky x Mobster!Reader

Summary: Throughout his life, Bucky was always certain of three things; Steve would always have his back, never miss Sunday dinner, and live by the law, at all costs. Until he meets a girl with Louboutin’s and a berretta on her thigh. Will he be able to ignore who she really is? Or will be lose the girl that shows him what it means to truly live?

Word count: 1.8k

Warning: language, violence, sexual and adult themes, 18+

A/N: I’m excited about writing my first series on here. Please don’t forget to comment and reblog to give me feedback. 

The swing shift is never easy, especially on a Friday night. Bucky usually sat behind the wheel of his patrol car flipping through files of upcoming court cases he needed to attend the following week. A possession charge, two illegal open carries and a domestic dispute. All easy enough, but rereading his reports would help refresh the details he would need to recall once he got on the witness stand.

He rubbed his eyes as he looked at the clock, nearly hitting midnight. Only thirty minutes left until he was off for the weekend. That was, unless his best friend and Captain Steve Rogers called him in on a new case.

Bucky reread over the possession charge before he turned the vehicle back on and drove back to the precinct. Walking into the station he noticed things were relatively quiet which wasn’t unusual for this time of night. Things didn’t tend to pick up until about two or three in the morning in Brooklyn.

He threw his folders down on his desk, causing Sam, his fellow detective and more often than not, partner, to jump from the sudden noise.

“Wake up, Sunshine. Don’t get your drool near my stuff.” He kept his eyes on the files as he put them away in his locked desk.

“Oh ha ha. How was the drive this evening Mr. ADHD? See anything good?” Sam lifts his head and rubs his eyes.

“Not unless you call an already drunken bachelorette party and entire frat house of drunken idiots interesting, then no.” He grabbed his jacket off the chair as he stood up.

“Yes that is exactly what I find interesting. You can use the whole cop thing to your advantage on drunk bachelorette parties. They eat that shit up.” Sam chuckles and shakes his head. “Sometimes I don’t know what’s wrong with you man.”

“You know that’s not my style. I don’t do trashy drunk girls.”

“ I wouldn’t know. It’s been what, three years since you’ve brought a girl around here.” Sam teased him.

“Goodbye, Samuel.” Bucky smirked as he turned to leave.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll see you at Sunday dinner. Don’t forget to bring your side this time.” Bucky smiled to himself and waved to his coworker without turning to look at him. A drink. Bucky needed a drink.

He took the subway from the station to the bar by his apartment. It wasn’t a long ride, but enough for a week’s worth of barely enough sleep to catch up to him. Stepping out of the subway, the man made his way to the small bar. There was nothing inherently special about it, but it reminded him of the bar his father used to take him to after he graduated from the academy.

“Old Fashioned please.” He ordered as he sat down in front of the large television that replayed the sports highlights of the day.

“Long day, Sarge?” Stan, the old, greying man asked behind the counter.

“Not too bad, just need to unwind before the day is over.” He smiled at the man. He was always charming and seemed to remember every detail about the patrons in his bar, no matter how short the amount of time it was since they had first walked into the door.

“One Old Fashioned for the gentleman in blue.” He smiled and headed him the drink with a napkin and Bucky nodded in thanks.

Things were calm. The noise from the speakers was the perfect volume as a softer tune played from it. He took his time sipping on the bitter drink, savoring the burn as it went down his throat.

There was a couple that sat in the back booth, cuddled next to each other, both sipping on their beers. Three buddies, all wearing trucker hats, sat at the table by the juke box, laughing with the occasional arm wrapping around another. The pool table was surrounded by a crowd of young men that looked barely old enough to be there. Bucky kept his eyes on them.

They were all dressed in khakis with polo shirts, a tall tell sign that they were of upper middle class. Three wore hats, two had sunglasses hanging from their collars and one had too much hair gel for his own good. The detective chuckled to himself, remembering a time when him, Steve, Sam and Tony tried to leave the house looking like that. Thank god they had Natasha to give them at least a little fashion advice.

They were louder than the others which was to be expected. Young men in their early twenties tend to feed off the energy of those around then, and with this crowd, their night was only just beginning. Cheers and groans could be heard periodically as their game went on, it was obvious that Mr. Hair Gel was winning like he had expected too.

“That’s what I’m talking about. I told you I was the King!” The young man puffed out his chest and cheered for himself.

“Yeah, if you count cheating then you are.” One of the lesser looking men mumbled a little too loudly.

“What did you just say?” Mr. Hair Gel walked to the other side of the table to intimidate him.

“I said you cheated.” Not backing down, the smaller of the two men tried not to show fear.

“And how would I have cheated?”

“You always cheat, Chad.” Of course, his name was Chad.

“Right. Like you would know shit about me. Or is it one of your wet dreams to follow me everywhere?” Mr. Hair Gel, now known as Chad, started to get in the man’s face.

“What? No… all I’m saying is that it’d be nice for someone else to get a chance for once.” The other man finally looked away. Bad move.

“Why would I let anyone else win? This is my world after all. I’m making it that way.” He smirked as he noticed the young woman walking from the back of the bar.

“Speaking of.” He reached out and grabbed her arm. “Hey there sexy.”

The young woman looked him up and down before pulling her arm away from him.

“I don’t think so.” Chad didn’t take too kindly to that.

“Don’t walk away from me.” He grabbed her arm again as Bucky moved to stand up.

“Wait a minute, give her a chance.” Stan smiled at the young lady and Bucky sat back down.

The young woman raised a brow at the young man before grabbing his arm and twisting it with ease. Chad yelped out in pain as she yanked and pulled him towards her then put her hand on his crotch, giving a little squeeze.

“I’m sorry, did I owe you something?” She narrowed her eyes at him as he let out a small whimper.

“No ma’am.”

“What was that?” She squeezed harder.

“NO MA’AM.” He said loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Good. So, you better keep your hands off things that aren’t yours.” She kept her eyes on the young man.

“Now you may want to intervene. She may not let go of him without force.” Stan commented before going back to wiping out the freshly cleaned glasses.

Bucky stood up and moved towards the group, looking at the young men surrounding the scene.

“I suggest everyone call it a night.” He stood over the group, showing his obvious dominance. All the young men other than Chad took off out of the bar, grabbing their things and stumbling over the chairs that they had messed up to begin with. The young woman stood there with Chad still in her hands, keeping perfect eye contact and remaining silent. Bucky walked up to her.

“Ma’am, I think he’s learned his lesson.” His voice was calm and even, showing no threat to her.  She flickered her eyes to him then back to Chad.

“Have you learned your lesson?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, fuck, just let me go.” The frat boy pleaded with her. She finally dropped her hand and stepped back from him.

“Not as much of a man as you thought, are you?” She teased with a smirk as Chad rushed past her.

“Crazy bitch…” He mumbled under his breath and before she could grab him again, Bucky had him by the collar of his shirt, pushing him out the back door and into the alley beside the bar. The young man’s back was thrown against the wall as Bucky got close to him.

“Let me make one thing painfully clear for you. If you ever, and I mean ever, use that tone or those words towards another woman again, I won’t hesitate to let her finish what she wanted to do to you. Am I clear?” All Chad could do was nod slowly back at him. Bucky let up on his grip and let the man fall back to the ground.

“Good. Now leave before I change my mind and let her do it just for the hell of it.”

The young man scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could out of the alley way and towards his friends. Bucky turned his head to see the young woman standing in the doorway.

“I apologize for intervening. I wasn’t really in the mood to break up a bigger fight tonight.” She kept her eyes on him as she remained silent. He nodded to her.

“Again, I apologize.” He moved towards her to make his way back into the bar before her hand appeared on his chest and he looked down, seeing they’re closer than he had anticipated. Before he could process what happened, her lips are on his pulling him into a bruising kiss.

He slid his hands up her sides as he backed her against the wall and she moaned against his lips, pulling on the back of his neck to force him deeper into the kiss. His leg instinctively moved between hers to force them apart slightly, but still gave her the upper hand if she wanted to stop. With no objection from her, he kept his lips on hers.

“Why don’t we take this somewhere other than a back alley?” He moaned, moving his lips to her neck. She let out a small chuckle.

“Now what kind of a girl do you think I am?” Bucky smirked against her neck.

“I don’t know, doll. But I think I’d like to find out.” She took that moment to push him away with a devilish smile.

“Oh, I’m not so sure about that. You have a good night… Sarge.” She took a few steps back, and disappeared into the night of New York City, leaving his hair disheveled and his heart pounding fast.

[sporadic-writer]

Straight out of the movies

Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: drinking, swearing

Summary: every great story or scene starts with a girl's night out

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Ah girl's nights. A cherished and universal concept known to all. Friends gather in their best outfits for certain occasions and let loose. Just as you and your friends were doing throughout the city of New York. You had a long weekend from your school, 3 friends not too far at NYU, and none of you opposed the idea of hitting the town. Gathered in hot party outfits you went from bar to club and back again. None of you were sloppy drunk, but you certainly weren't sober. It was just a perfect night to get drinks, dance, and have fun. However, as the night progressed you all got hungry.

The night was still young at only 12:30 so you popped into a less occupied bar close by to Central Park. There were a few people in the bar; older men were playing darts and manning the juke box, a couple couples together, and just a handful of people your own age in their own group. The smokey scent filled your nose and you all stepped forward to sit at the bar. Being a bit overdressed made some heads turn, but quickly you girls were ignored. After ordering your food and some more drinks, you all giggled and talked together in happiness. Fries being done, you looked around to check the place out. It was a nice contrast to the clubs and bars you previously visited. It was a classic dive bar and oddly made you feel relaxed. Turning to your friends, you spoke up to change the topic.

"Who wants to play some pool?" Your friend, Olivia, hopped off and said she wanted to. Grabbing some quarters and your drink, you smiled and both walked to the table.

The men by the music smiled kindly at you both. "What song would you ladies like to hear?"

"I don't care. Y/N?" Eyes looked to you.

"Uhh Cheap Trick? I've had Surrender in my head all day or some reason." They remarked in appreciation for your song choice. You racked up the balls in the wooden triangle and let Olivia break. You smiled and teased her as nothing went in. Soon the song played and you both danced as you played, you sang softly to yourself as well. While in your own world the group if you failed to notice the group of younger guys checking you out.

"Dibs on the blonde at the bar." Mark sipped his beer and kept his eyes on the girl he overheard be called Whitney, if he even heard correctly.

His friends chuckled, and one guy named Greg spoke up. "Yeah because we are even going to approach them tonight. They have clearly been out and not looking for guys. Although that hasn't stopped Tom from staring at the girl who picked the song. But I don't blame him, in that outfit every time she bends over the table to play I even can't help but appreciate the view. They aren't even trying and they're hot." This caused Tom to stop looking at you, smiling and singing, and laugh at them.

"So what? She seems cool and looks good. And he's right I think we might get shot down if we try. The girl at the bar in the blue dress has glanced at us a couple times though." Looking back over to you, he saw you and the girl he heard you call, Liv, do a round of shots with the older men playing darts. They weren't being creeps, just nice guys appreciating you all enjoying yourselves. They were almost living vicariously through you all.

Harrison scoffed and stood to get more drinks. His friend saw how you and Liv glanced and slightly looked over them each. "Ridiculous. We are good looking forgeiners and they are beautiful locals. There is 4 of them and 4 of us. Tom come to the bar with me please. We are going to get the 2 playing some new drinks and play them next. You can have the y/h/c." Tom sighed and follwed along. They ordered their drinks and he held your martini in his hand.

The sound of the boys walking made you look up as the game finished, you being the victor. "Hello boys! To what do we owe this pleasure?" Your half smirk, half smile made Tom lost and almost bump into Harrison. He recovered and got the chance to check you out properly. The maroon dress and black heels you wore made your skin glow under the table's hanging light. Each ring on your finger glittered as you leaned on the pool cue. Harrison speaking broke his trance on you.

"We simply wanted to play the next game against you and come bring you each some drinks." Handing Olivia her gin and tonic she blushed and told them to rack up. Tom watched you strut and look to him.

"This for me? Thank you Tom." As you grabbed it from his hand, fingers grazed each other lightly.

"You do know who we are. Here I thought we were unknown to you girls." He smiled as he grabbed a cue.

You chuckled lightly and sipped the new drink. "Nah I noticed once I started playing. I don't know who the 2 going to my friends are, but you and Harrison are hard to not notice. You're out of place in a New York bar a tad."

"We are passing through. I have press stuff in the city and the other guys are some friends from old sets who live here." Olivia breaking made your head snap to look at the game. The older men put on Hotel California and the 4 of you played while your other friends at the bar chatted with their new company. After time the boys were winning and you tried to up your game.

"I don't care how famous you are, we are winning this." Playfully you grumbled a little and stomped your foot. The others laughed at your antics.

"Come on Y/N, show them your skills. After this game Whitney and Sam said the guys would take us to hang out in the park. A nice evening stroll. You and Tom are joining right?" Olivia looked to Harrison as she finished speaking. But it was one the older men who spoke in return.

"Ha they will for sure. These boys would be nuts to not hang out with you ladies on a fine evening like this." Tom and Harrison looked to you and Olivia and smiled.

"Let's finish this and we can head out"

Nearly 5 or so minutes later, the boys won the game and everyone paid their tabs before walking towards the park. Whitney and Sam walked with Greg and Mark. Trailing behind was you, Olivia, Tom, and Harrison. Somehow you all paired up with the men respectively. As a group you all made idle chit chat and got to know each other.

"Are you guys staying in the city long?" Whitney's words made your heart flutter with hope that they would be. You also noticed how she was holding Mark's hand gingerly. The thought of how soft Tom's may be lingered in your mind.

"Until Wednesday I think. Why? Dreading us leaving? Getting attached rather quickly ladies." Tom looked to you as he replied.

You smiled at him, "They live here, go to NYU. So no need for them to dread. I however live in Connecticut. I go to school there. I go back Sunday or early Monday." Hands brushed each other and heat rose to your cheeks. Luckily the night hid your blush.

"Damn. Tom get her number now then. Make the night count. He's smitten Y/N, don't let him fool you." It was Tom's turn to blush as Greg spoke. He acted unfased though as he grabbed your hand and threaded fingers through each other. Biting your lip, you smiled at him while handing him your unlocked phone.

He looked to you in question. "He's not wrong. Get to it movie star." Doing as he was told, he let go of your hand and added his information. As he handed it back his arm went around your waist rather than back to your hand. The night was progressing swimmingly as you all sat on some rocks in the park.

As it began nearing 3 am everyone got tired as the alcohol wore off. Sam told the guys were all of you lived and they offered to walk you all back. Tom's hold on your waist made you want to walk back as slow as possible. You laughed a little at how the night turned out. He looked to you in question again that night.

"This night was fun. Started as a girl's night, then we end up meeting handsom Brits at a bar and take a moon lit stroll. Almost like something out of your movies."

"Well, it is only Friday, Saturday morning to be technical. I say we pick it all back up at lunch. But either way, I'm going to kiss you to cap off the evening." Turning to him you looked in teasing shock.

"Is that so? Think because you are a big shot and I am enjoying the walk you get to be so bold?" He laughed and you caught Liv looking at you together. Slighly, you winked at your friend. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood. But you don't have to wait til we get back you know." He stopped as the others trailed ahead. Looking at each other, you leaned closer and he got the message and met you half way. The kiss made you sigh contently and he pulled you closer. Harrison yelling to keep up made you break apart.

"I wanted to do that when I saw you at the pool table. Your singing along to rock and roll was the best show I could ask for." You shoved him lightly. "It's true! You are very eye-catching Y/N."

The next thing you knew everyone was at your place. Everyone was saying goodbye and then it was just you and Tom as the guys waited for a ride.

You smiled at him. "I am growing fond of this little film sequence we are apart of movie star. Don't let tonight be the end of it."

He kissed you again. In order to leave your impression, you bit his lip a little as you pulled away. He groaned, "Oh Lord trust me I won't. It will continue I promise. I will text you later darling. Goodnight." He kissed your cheek and walked off to his friends. You simply smiled immensly and walked inside to your friends.

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Like and reblog! Feel free to leave feedback darlings!

[nacrepearl]

This anniversary, I wanted to pay tribute to the show by redrawing my favorite SDCC poster. With a few changes. It’s been 3 years since this poster came out on the internet, but it’s the poster for the first SDCC I experienced in this fandom. Below the cut is me being sentimental because I really love this show and its impact on my life is greater than one would think.

March 26th, 2015. I decide to watch Steven Universe after seeing gifsets of the first Stevenbomb on my dash from lingering members of the people who worked on my previous hyperfixation Attack on Space (A spinoff AU from the parent series Attack on Titan, which my interest in was fading quickly). I opt to watch the episodes that are on demand because they’re easier to access. I watch Alone Together first, Full Disclosure second (actual quote from me, who hadn’t known about SU’s musical nature: “Since when is SU a musical?!”). I then spend the next week or two watching the episodes on demand, then going onto KissCartoon to watch the series in order, in its entirety. (Quote when watching S1E05 Frybo: “I’m glad I’m watching these now before this inevitably becomes my new hyperfixation.” I have second hand embarrassment moments from this episode to this day). My brother decides to watch with me occasionally.

Fast forward to the end of March. I’m caught up with the series (back then only up to Joy Ride, which aired the day I began this journey). My friend Zac and I are now both into the show, and the following week Attack the Light comes out the same day that Say Uncle airs. Say Uncle is the first episode I watch live. I download ATL and finish it within a week. The rest of the weekly episodes (you heard me: weekly) were to follow and I was excited to officially be involved in the fandom. The beginning of April, I found the comics and I got to issue #5, the one where Pearl sucks in a gem-embedded book into her own gem and becomes ill from it. that was the day that I realized Pearl was my favorite character. Hurt/comfort is my way to tell.

I carry on watching the episodes throughout the month, and then after Reformed airs, we are faced with a hiatus. back then, a month and a half was a long time. Then, I got into the Pearl theories. I was all over the so called “nacre theory” right up until the theory had been confirmed in Back to the Barn (I still am, though the term “nacre theory” takes on a whole new meaning that I’m not sure will see the light of day now that we know more about Homeworld). You should have seen me go ham reblogging things about Pearl being lower-class, a lowly technician (ha), a maintenance drone. And all Pearls looked exactly the same back then in the fanart.

May 26th they announced the second Stevenbomb, half the fandom combusted. So did I. Sworn to the Sword happened and I had more fuel for the NT. I woke up that Thursday morning to a gifset of Pearl and Rose’s fusion dance because We Need to Talk leaked and spontaneously combusted right there. Then they announced Week of Sardonyx and our naive selves said “another one?” I went camping that weekend, which was also the weekend of SDCC. I nearly had a heart attack from my over-excitement when I got home that Sunday.

Week of Sardonyx came and went, with even more fuel to the fire for the NT. Cartoon Network does their greatest fuckup of the year by accidentally putting all of the Summer of Steven episode titles a whole year before they air. They changed the release date for the weekly episodes from August 6th to September 10th, and then we were graced by small Peridot on September 24th.

Back to the Barn airs. I die.

Then we go into a very long hiatus until Stevenbomb 4, airing in January 2016. This marks the first epsiodes to be leaked with the traditional screenshots + 2 minute clip. This was our first look at both diamonds + their pearls, and people were reasonably excited. Then we entered what we thought was the longest hiatus in fandom history–and we got the In Too Deep special earlier than expected.

Following the special, they announced the Steven Nuke/Summer of Steven. 4 weeks of episodes every night from mid-July to mid-August. Mr. Greg was the first musical episode and the crew hyped it up so much and yet it still had a huge impact on those watching that night. It was nominated for an Emmy one year later in 2017. We got some of the most intense episodes of the show in that bomb, with Amethyst’s arc, Bismuth holding the first half-hour special, the revelation that Rose supposedly shattered Pink Diamond, and Centipeetle’s corruption being explained further. Following SOS, there were weekly episodes and then another short hiatus, until Gem Harvest’s release in November. A short hiatus and then Three Gems and a Baby aired in early December.

During 2016, I meet two of my best friends through the fandom - @always-make-it-gayer and @hackerperidot. Gale and J have been my friends since that summer and because of this fandom, I’ve been less lonely and have had a blast in the ever growing group chat we have (Reverse Garden of Eden). I love you guys, and of course everyone else in the chat.

Following 3GAAB, in early January 2017, the entirety of Stevenbomb 5 drops on the app. Pictures with the diamonds and the zoo and the famethyst were on the internet in seconds. I had been on holiday break from school, and the night this all dropped was the first school night when the break was over. I stayed up very late, watched the episodes when I woke up for school in the morning, and listened to What’s the Use of Feeling Blue on repeat in the cold, snowy weeks to come. This was also right around the time my mom bought a house and we were ready to move in.

I got another birthday episode–Rocknaldo, airing on February 24th. Could’ve been better. I’m not complaining though. SU was crucial during this time because I was feeling very depressed and closed off due to the move and missing the apartment. The New Crystal Gems was the last episode the apartment got to see, and I promised to show Pearl’s backstory when it eventually aired, but we moved too early for that to happen. I like to imagine it can see my journal entries (you can ask if you want, in short it’s a coping mechanism I developed). Thereafter, we had another hiatus leading up to the sixth Stevenbomb with Aquamarine and Topaz. That bomb ended with the saddest episode in the series, finalizing season 4. Then the Wanted event aired, and we got so much lore content and more hints to the Pink Diamond mystery.

There came the biggest hiatus in the fandom’s history to this day. We were so thirsty for content. It was dry as fuck and the only light in the dark was SDCC with the Lars of the Stars clip (which would then air months later) and the trailer for the first half of season 5′s kickoff bomb.

Gemcation airs, and everyone finally understands Pearl’s quirk with covering her mouth in discussions about the diamonds. We all were getting so antsy at this point to find out what was happening with Pink Diamond and the lore behind the show and by god where is White Diamond?

We get Stranded in January 2018, allowing us to spark the “diamonds get revealed in January” meme with the Pink Diamond face reveal. Of course, this is debunked by Legs From Here To Homeworld in July 2018.

We get more episodes in March, and then are plunged into the final reveal in May with the half hour event, Can’t Go Back and A Single Pale Rose. The fandom collectively freaked out with the revelation that Pearl and Rose were diamond and pearl and faked the shattering in an effort to end the war. The people who survived this saw the Heart of the Crystal Gems arc in July. This was the week that held the Rupphire wedding.

Reunited airs, and I am surrounded by 3 of my best friends ( @asassynerdnamedgabbs, @neroblackcat, and @hackerperidot who had been visiting New York from Australia that week ) so I hold myself back from reacting too much. I cried that night out of sheer joy that my favorite show was the first cartoon to show a lesbian wedding on national TV. Of course, we get the diamonds and then SDCC the following weeks, with Legs From Here to Homeworld. I am at my cousin’s graduation party the day of the panel and my phone is slowly losing battery percentage as I try to keep up with the tweets and posts about what was going on. It was a huge deal.

Now we arrive here. Nothing had been shown at last month’s NYCC which is unusual, but that’s okay. We are still on hiatus, and it is SU’s 5th anniversary of being on the air. I am patiently waiting for the show to come back, and I’ll have more memories to make with this fandom in the months to come.

Happy Anniversary, SU!