#(ofc body shaming in all direction is the worst and i hate it with a burning passion)

[pummedraws]

The worst part is that when fat people talk about their struggles with fatphobia they're expected to ALWAYS have a disclaimer saying "Body shaming of all kinds is bad uwu even skinny shaming we're all victims of the same caliber of a body shaming society!" Lest they be seen as one of those Mean Fatties who hate skinny people and thus DESERVE to be systemically seen as unhealthy and lazy by society. I shouldn't have to reassure you that, yes, if someone tells you to eat a burger they're being an asshole. because I'm too busy being told I should kill myself for looking like a whale lol

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

perfect now - a close reading

only pure and true love for this one. it’s soft and sweet because the one he wrote it for is and needs cheesy uncool romcom soundtrack-worthy affirmations and it’s the most wonderful thing oh my the flurries 

some album booklet art for your viewing pleasure

((just a warning for below: while the lyric analysis was kept fairly neutral and close to the words and their meaning, more and more parallels did ensure me larrying out by the time the analysis kicked off so if you’re not into that, you can skip this one!))

⟼ check out @bluewinnerangel​ ‘s magnificent post with all the parallels to 1d/h&l bc it’s exhaustive and was a source for mine <3 thank you again for your service <3 bc this song really is a fanpiece of every song that has been important to them throughout their career so far, whether they wrote it or not, and it’s honestly kinda impressive

SUMMARY

you’re sad and i love you so much i will do anything to make that undone but while you’re sad know that i sill very much love you and you’re also strong enough to conquer all of this on your own but i’ll be by your side anyway

lyric breakdown ft. the many parallels, incl. little things, through the dark and wmyb

what this says about louis, his partner and the relationship he is in

never gonna dance again frenzy

identity 

louis is a marvellous majestic sonofabitch basically <3

walls, track 10

～ little things “you still have to squeeze into your jeans, but you’re perfect to me”

You don’t feel pretty and it’s hard to miss

You don’t feel pretty and it’s hard to miss

later lyric: “like a neon sign” - i see through you trying to hide away your insecurities

I wish that you could see my point of view As someone staring back at you

“you” is also staring at him, but perhaps is too insecure to realise how mutual the adoration is

i wish i could get you out of your own negative spiral and give you a look at yourself from my perspective

～ wmyb “everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you” 

～ wmyb “right now i’m looking at you and i can’t believe you don’t know you’re beautiful”

～ little things “you never love yourself half as much as I love you, and you’ll never treat yourself right darling but I want you to. If I let you know, I’m here for you, maybe you’ll love yourself like I love you”

On Friday night when we’re all out I turn to you and you’re looking down And you don’t wanna dance I know you love to dance You never stop given half the chance

heavy echoes of kmm again, but the opposite: the “nightmare on the dance floor” doesn’t want to dance

when “you” is confident rlly not being subtle with who i think that is, they love to dance <-> tpwk “feeling good in my skin, i just keep on dancing”

“i know you love to dance” = i know what you love bc i love you

“given half the chance” 

～ tpwk “giving/given second chances”

given a chance tattoo, making another appearance (see below for more tattoo meltdowns)

Just keep your head up, love, keep your head up

term of endearment <3 

～ dlibyh

this album is full of encouragement to keep going and as much as it gives me life it ruins me 

Don’t hide away, don’t ever change

“be happy, proud”

～ “just hold on”

“pick someone who’s supportive”

Keep your head up, love, keep your head up Don’t look away, don’t look away

don’t look away from me

～ through the dark “and I can see your head is held in shame”

Cause everybody’s looking at you now, my, oh my

they have the stage to themselves / new career paths they’re doing on their own

could also mean ppl they’re going out with are looking at them, which “you” interprets as sth negative, which makes them self-conscious, while they’re actually admiring them bc they steal the scene

～ wmyb “you’re turning heads when you walk through the door”

I guess some queens don’t need a crown And I know why Even when your tears are falling down Still, somehow, you’re perfect now

“you” is royalty to louis, to put it simply 

they don’t need something on their head to make it known to everyone else - they’re a queen and everyone knows it

gendered: female - also used in drag contexts - the only time L has used any gendered word to identify his partner on the entire album (more on this below)

～ steal my girl "she's been my queen since we were sixteen" can't believe i forgot this one thank you @mortalenemiestolovers for reminding me!!!

～ falling

～ through the dark “you tell me that your tears are here to stay”

You never do, but if you asked me to I’ll tell the truth lying next to you

“you” never asks for affirmations directly, but by saying shit like their pants are too tight make it clear enough to L that they do need to hear once in a while that it’s not true

Cause you’re the only one when it’s said and done You make me feel like being someone 

Good to you even at your worst

～ always you

i love you so much you are a force of life to me, and even when you hate me i want more

～ drag me down “If I didn’t have you there would be nothing left, the shell of a man who could never be his best. If I didn’t have you, I’d never see the sun. You taught me how to be someone” (sung by louis first, harry second) 

～ through the dark “even if you scream and shout, it’ll come back to you and I’ll be here for you

You steal the scene and it’s unrehearsed

reference to working on a stage - their natural presence wins everyone over - that charisma is never manufactured

Don’t you wanna dance? Just a little dance I’ll never stop given half the chance

L keeps encouraging them, will also not pass by any chance to dance with them

Every insecurity, like a neon sign, as bright as day If you knew what you were to me You would never try to hide away

“it’s hard to miss”

L sees through them trying to hide their insecurities, pretend to be strong

～ through the dark “but I know you were only hiding”

SYNTHESIS

Perfect Now is not a fan favorite and I am so not here for that discourse, so please do not pester me with negativity about this chocolate drop of a song. 

As others have pointed out, the parallels with other songs written by Louis, Harry or for One Direction are extremely present. Especially Little Things is echoed loudly, but there’s so much more to be read, as you’ve seen. These are songs that are clearly near and dear to Louis, bc he wrote them or bc performing them was special, like with Little Things and What Makes You Beautiful. A lot of the same emotions come back in Louis’s writing, so much so that you can’t help but see the larger story behind it all. Throughout Walls you can hear him singing about not giving up and holding your head high despite hardships, and if you look back at his earlier writing, it’s always been there. Through the Dark is an early and striking example of this style of Louis song: you’re sad and i love you so much i will do anything to make that undone but while you’re sad know that i sill very much love you and you’re also strong enough to conquer all of this on your own but i’ll be by your side anyway 

basically through the dark’s chorus:

Oh, I will carry you over Fire and water for your love And I will hold you closer Hope your heart is strong enough When the night is coming down on you We will find a way Through the dark

It is very clear that Louis is faced with a partner - I can freely say it’s Harry now right? are the antis gone by now? i think so - that struggles with his body, with his identity, with how he wants to present himself vs how opinions on that might push him down and dampen his spirit. Louis, always the supportive boyfriend, then tries his best to make him see the light, while keeping that space for his sadness, his struggles, or their joint struggles. Accept the sadness but don’t lose your heart to it.

I’ve linked @bluewinnerangel​ ‘s post at the start of this post, but I need to stress how good it is once more as I also shamelessly insert a screenshot from it here bc it makes me feel a lot and summarizes perfectly just how deeply Perfect Now is woven into the history of their lives, relationship and especially “you”s/Harry’s personal struggle with their identity/body/confidence...

Because yes, i absolutely think these tattoos are being echoed in the song. “Never gonna dance again” as a lyric and then as a tattoo on Harry’s legs like shackles around his ankles represents the sensation of shame, of being stuck, bc of your desires, bc of your sexuality. Obviously we can never know why Harry got the tattoo, as in what experience pushed him to choose those lyrics or what exactly he recognizes in himself, but it’s safe to say it’s about the struggles of being queer and navigating relationships with that identity and with others.

Most importantly, the sense of shamelessly dancing, dancing like no one’s watching, dancing together with your lover, as a celebration of self, life, love, is the key here. Harry got that tattoo ages ago, at a time when he undoubtedly felt way more stuck. When he couldn’t dance freely the way he wanted to and with whom he wanted to. Perfect Now is a reminder to him, an encouragement to still dance if he wants to, no matter what people say or think. Significantly, then, Harry’s own Treat People With Kindness heavily features that same sentiment, but in an extremely positive light: i have found a place (in life and in myself) where i feel like i have given and was given second chances and now i dance bc i finally feel good in my skin.

Louis has obviously been there from the start, or at least from when or before Harry properly started experimenting with/questioning how he likes to present and how he identifies as. Before he ever dared to consider pulling on a pair of women’s skinny jeans, never mind a ball gown. Louis has seen him limit himself as well as being limited by others ofc and has always seemed to have been there, with a secure hand on Harry’s back, to encourage him. Even at a time when boys wearing nail polish or skirts was unthinkable. Just remember how much encouragement Harry needed when growing out his hair; Louis literally joined him. yes this might make me cry okay i need to stop bc i’m going off track and this is just becoming a larry breakdown while i was trying to hype up this beautiful song. 

What I’m trying to say is: Louis has always seen all of Harry. He’s always had his back, no matter what. He’s loved every part of him. And now, on a completely gender neutral album, in the sweetest, softest song off of the entire thing, Louis puts in the word “queen”, and that is so very deliberate it makes me want to scream. It’s Louis confirming his love again and again while affirming the multitudes contained by Harry, including everything involving his gender journey. brb crying

It’s a raw Louis, an honest, sweet, kind, loving partner, and both of them are fucking lucky to have each other, and I also wish that all of us end up in a caring and wholesome relationship like that. I truly do.

[breadclubrising]

Why do you believe another gl reunion would make Ibushi fulfilled? Bc last time he seemed pretty annoyed by the end of it, saying he was just being tossed aside as "Kenny's replacement" and "I have nothing else to do in this tournament" and ofc the "I've always been alone". Why would it be different now?

wellllllllllll because the GL story has a surprising amount of nuance for a wrestling storyline, and has kind of deliberately mixed kayfabe with real life in such a way that you can’t talk about them separately a lot of the time.

i DEFINITELY didn’t say he ‘needs’ it to be ‘fulfilled’, because that is a thing that would give me hives to say. i have many times said he doesn’t need Kenny and that’s been the point, is that they both totally can be great without each other, but they keep choosing each other and even if they’re successful in their careers, they are unhappy when they’re apart. if you find that disagreeable, please email kota (i know for a fact he does not check his email because of course he doesn’t). What I said was: it is how their careers will play out because they literally say that will happen and they have gone to LENGTHS in real life to make it happen.

i saw someone on twitter who bothered to take a screenshot of some galaxy brain on reddit finally figuring out that ibushi and omega see each other as endgame, and captioned it something like ‘golden lovers is the worst story in wrestling please stop.’ which is totally an opinion you are welcome to have but also, the part about them being each other’s endgame is a thing they both have said and kenny in particular will never let anyone forget. i do not understand why people give it the ‘lol shut up fangirl shippers’ treatment when it’s a thing that has been telegraphed since the beginning of time, unless you are calling ibushi and omega fangirl shippers, which you actually probably should bc no one ships GL more. anyway, i actually completely get why people who don’t like the storyline, or don’t like kenny, or whatever, have a different reading of the actual events that took place. but it means that you asking me this question isn’t going to get you a satisfying answer, and that makes me feel like you’re just asking me this to make me feel bad for liking a thing incorrectly. 

but you did ask, which is totally on you, so: Ibushi said (explicitly, in interviews, and on twitter) that he was frustrated with himself for not Reaching His Potential. He never expressed frustration with Kenny, or even with NJPW’s booking. He wasn’t even officially signed until a couple months after Kenny left. 

It was like this: he was an outsider in the company. He was always paired with the guy who is like, certified by the belt to be The Best Wrestler In The World. That guy had a problem like the bus in Speed, except instead of having to maintain a speed of 60mph to avoid exploding, the bus has to constantly say its boyfriend is the coolest. So Kenny, the best wrestler in the world according to kayfabe, is like ‘actually my mans here is the best wrestler in the world’ and kota’s like ‘thanks i love you too but i’m pretty sure you’re the one with the belt and the pwi cover and 437 meltzer stars you fucking labradoodle.’ (I’d bet money Kota does not know what a labradoodle is.) Kenny’s stanning was sweet and well-intentioned but to Kota it only highlighted the achievement gulf between them. And it did not help that his mentor Tanahashi was like ‘allow me to highlight the achievement gulf between you and your genetically inferior labradoodle boyfriend, whomst i don’t like for Reasons.’

And that made Ibushi be like ‘i’m 36 (at the time) years old and I have every muscle and yet, no accolades. the fact that i have not yet managed to be the unequivocal best and that i foolishly had a body and feelings is shameful and weak.’

That’s how he is: he beats himself up about stuff like goddamn taking time off to heal from neck surgery and a mental breakdown, and the unforgivable sin of not being quite sure what direction he wanted to take his career. It felt really bad! It deffos did! But his frustration was not directed where you think it was! But that’s the part I said you’re not going to agree with me on, so!

There was so much going ON in this story and it was really GOOD! Like all the stuff with Tanahashi was incredible and heart-wrenching and you just wanted to both smack and hug all three of them and it was a really good story! 

Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that bc people who dislike the Golden Lovers are very reductive about why they assume people like the thing they do not like. But yes, it actually is a good story, now that I type a tiny part of it out like that; not my fault some people seem to have missed the epic heroes’ journeys forest for the gay love story trees. Not that there’s anything wrong with gay love story trees; also very much part of the forest.

Anyway Anon, part of the reason earlier on I speculated that you just came to my inbox to try to make me feel sad for liking things in a way you did not was that... honestly. HOW did ANYONE watch Ibushi say “I was always alone, before” after he won the 2019 G1 and go “king said ‘new career who dis’ and deleted kenneth’s number from his phone! 👏always 👏alone 👏before 👏!!!’ 

Like yeah those are the words he said but, you know, words can mean a lot of things! and personally, I think it’s relevant that those words were enveloped by a heartbreakingly pained smile that says ‘GREAT question Tokyo Sports, i WILL cry RIGHT here at this FUCKING folding table if you do not IMMEDIATELY pretend along with me that my existence began earlier this evening when I entered this arena. thanks in advance!’ Like!

Yep, look at that smug fuck pretending not to know who his shitty ex is! Prolly thinking of some good labradoodle jokes.

(On the real i know that not everyone is good at ascertaining emotion from facial expressions. I get that, and I’m not gonna dog on anyone for it, because I myself am often not great at it. And honestly? If he meant this in the “I don’t know her” sense, I would probably have loved it, bc I am a Kota Ibushi fan first, a human second, an antifa supersoldier third, and then a Golden Lovers Scholar like somewhere in the low 20s. But... I can’t even pretend that reading works for me. I hate looking at these gifs. That’s how much this reads to me as Having A Bad Time, like this man’s face is among my favorite things to view on this horrible planet and my heart feels like it’s being poked with a broken toothpick every time these gifs loop.)

And finally, because of the thing I said in the first paragraph that I wrote when I was like “i’m just gonna write a quick answer to this ask” like some kind of fucking fool who has never seen my own blog: it would not “be different now”, it has always been this story, and both Kenny and Kota say that when they are able to. It mixes kayfabe with real life, and in real life it’s really clear that it’s endgame for both of them, and I’m very sorry to GL haters but please direct your displeasure with the narrative to the two nerds who are determined to continue it across decades and oceans.

[crazy-little-cool-cat]

Hand in Glove - Chapter 7 | Ben Hardy x OFC

A/N: I’m not sure you’re all ready for this. I’d like to dedicate this chapter to Kate, who inspired this shitshow (Alex and Julia this is for you, too). Ben and Gwil posted shit on IG and my ovaries are not ok. 

Word count: ~3.5K

Warnings: Emotional fucking rollercoaster. There will be smut. There will be fluff. There will be angst. I’M NOT EVEN SORRY.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

“Do we have any condoms left?” Annie breathed out as Ben covered every inch of her neck in sloppy, wet kisses.

“No,” Ben mumbled against her skin, his hands working their way down her torso, “don’t worry about it…”

Annie wasn’t sure if she was too drunk or just too damn horny, but whatever Ben was doing to her seemed to make her forget her own name. With a leg on each side of her, Ben sat back on his heels and admired the body in front of him, pulling his lip in between his teeth as he imagined all the things he can, and probably will, do to her. Condoms be damned.

With nothing but their knickers on and pure admiration shining in their eyes, they looked like a poster for some underwear company. Ben’s muscles rippled under his skin as he moved down to kiss Annabelle’s plump, red lips. Her breath hitched when Ben’s hand snaked under the waistband of her panties and his warm palm cupped her groin. His fingers trailed lines, up and down, teasing her, making her grind into his hand.

Travelling down the column of her neck, Ben’s fingers edged their way into her slit, collecting the warm slickness of her on them. Her back arching, Annabelle tangled her fingers in his mop of blond hair while he sucked on her tit, his tongue circling her hardening nipple. At a gentle tug of her hand in his hair, Ben looked up at her flushed face, smiling devilishly. He inserted one finger into her, never breaking eye contact, and worked her other nipple, feeling her squirm under him.

“Take them off already,” Annabelle grunted and shimmied her hips, “do I have to do everything myself around here?”

“Say no more,” Ben chuckled and swiftly ripped her panties right off her body, raising an eyebrow at her shocked gasp, “I’ll buy you new ones.”

“Jesus, Ben!”

Giggling, he worked his way down her body with his mouth, settling comfortably between her legs, bringing her thighs to rest on his shoulders. With his fingers firmly pressed to her hipbones, Ben wasted no time in getting to the point. His tongue licked up her wet pussy, flicking against her clit. Annabelle propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at her blond angel while he devoured her, her mouth agape with desire.

“I need your cock in my mouth,” Annie murmured, her hips bucking up to Ben’s face. Her request only egged Ben on. He went about his task with an intensity she didn’t know he had in him. The only thing coming out of her mouth now were gasps and moans, “Ben, please.”

He gave her one last lick, his tongue flat against her, before he leaned back up and shoved his tight boxers down his legs, kicking them off. Annie crawled on all fours, flipping her long hair back over her shoulder, before she settled in front of him. She glanced up and smiled when she saw his chin shining in the dim light from the wetness he had collected. Leaning in, her warm breath washed over him.

Ben gulped when her tongue darted out and licked along the vein from the base of his shaft to the very tip. Swirling her tongue around it, she took him in her mouth and moaned around him when his hands picked her hair up in a ponytail. Annabelle cupped his balls in one hand and pulled his hips closer to her face with the other, hollowing her cheeks and rolling her tongue under his twitching cock. A deep moan escaped his mouth when her nose bumped his pelvis, his grip on her hair tightening and tugging with every bob of her head.

Ben started pumping his hips into her face, controlling the pace. Hissing and grunting, Ben felt like he had died and reached heaven and this was his welcome party. He couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful face under him, the swollen red lips around his cock made his mouth water. He needed those lips to be everywhere, all at once. Annie reached down and started rubbing slow, lazy circles around her clit, her moans vibrating around him.

“Fuck,” Ben grunted and pulled his hips back, before he pushed Annie back and laid flush on top of her, pushing his hips against hers as he hungrily kissed her lips, “fuck, Annie.”

“I want to.”

Ben was so hard by now that he didn’t need anymore coaxing and guiding. Snaking an arm under her back and pulling her closer, he penetrated her, screwing his eyes shut at the feeling of her wrapped around him.

“Ben,” Annie grabbed his face in her hands, “I’m not on the pill.”

“Me neither.”

#########

Annie tried be as quiet as she possibly could, considering the circumstance. It was the middle of the night. Ben was sound asleep in his bed, Frankie cuddled up to his bent feet. Annie has not been feeling very well for a couple of days now; waking up in the middle of the night running desperately for the toilet. She even ended up falling asleep with her head resting on the toilet seat.

This time she actually managed to fully close the door behind her before her stomach turned into an erupting volcano, so she let herself heave a bit louder. Still, she’d hate to wake Ben up. She heard a light scratching at the door and sighed, knowing Frankie was just worried about her new gal-pal.

“Alright, baby girl,” Annie whispered as she opened the door, crawling around on her hands and knees, “but you have to be quiet, okay? Daddy’s sleeping.”

Just the other night, Frankie had a complete meltdown when she found Annie bent over the loo, emptying her guts out. She barked and yelped and woke Ben up, and he was beside himself with concern. Annie let one hand dangle over the edge of the toilet and smiled when Frankie licked it comfortingly.

“Annie? Franks?” Ben’s sleepy, croaky voice called from the bedroom, “s’everything okay?”

“It’s fine, Ben,” Annie tried to sound normal but her voice was too strained, “just had a bad dream, getting some water.”

“Bad dream?” Ben shuffled around the bedroom and appeared in the doorway to the en-suite bathroom, his hair sticking up in all directions and his face squished with sleep, “why are you hugging the loo, then?”

“Just felt a bit queasy,” Annie forced a smile, “is all.”

“You sure?” Ben rubbed his eyes sleepily, “maybe you should see a doctor? Call in sick?”

“I’m fine, Ben,” Annie grumbled as she got up to her feet, “let’s go back to bed.”

“Are you -”

“I’m fine. Really.”

#########

Her head was about to implode. After having the worst day on set and hardly any sleep, Annie simply wasn’t okay with what the guys had planned for Joe’s birthday party. She knew it would be ridiculous, but she had no idea just how bad it could get.

The private room in the karaoke bar was now full of drunk people, trying to sing their favourite songs on a little stage - and failing, mostly. There was a huge screen splayed out on the wall, showing the lyrics and some bad scenery video clips. The disco ball hanging from the ceiling turned slowly, casting sparkles down on the entire room. Brightly coloured lights flickered around. Drinks were everywhere. Everywhere but in Annie’s desperate tummy.

“At least have one drink,” Ben was just about to reach his incoherent drunk state, “for me? Please?”

“No, Ben,” Annie scowled, “I told you, I’m trying not to puke again tonight.”

“Again?” Gwil peeked over the top of Annabelle’s head, “you mean it’s still going on? Annie, it’s been, what,” he scoffed, “around a week, now?”

“How do you even…” Annie started turning around and whipped her head back to Ben’s smiling face, “really, Ben?”

“They asked how you were doing,” Ben shrugged.

Joe collapsed on Ben’s lap and wrapped his arm around his neck, gazing romantically into his eyes as he serenaded to him. He whacked the microphone on Ben’s head a few times when he felt like Ben wasn’t paying attention. Annabelle and Gwilym looked at the two drunks and sighed.

“You know, you’re kind of ‘the other woman’ in this whole situation,” Annabelle wiggled herself under Gwilym’s inviting arm.

“Coming from a professional on-screen mistress,” Gwil pinched her side, “I’d take that as a compliment.”

“Okay, okay!” Ben managed to get up on his feet and grabbed the microphone, “s’my turn!”

Annie’s eyes widened in anxious anticipation as her boyfriend fiddled with the karaoke machine, perusing through the song selection. She figured he’d probably return Joe’s gesture and sing for him. The thought itself made her relax, ever so slightly. She recognised the song Ben chose within the first three seconds and rolled her eyes.

“Doesn’t take much to make me happy, and make me smile with glee,” Ben and Annabelle’s eyes locked, “never never will I feel discouraged, ‘cause our love’s no mystery…”

Annabelle groaned and shrinked back into Gwil, realising that Ben was about to get very awkward. His lack of shame after the right amount of drinks would usually go unnoticed by her when she’s just as drunk. This, however, was clearly not the case in point.

“Demonstrating love and affection, that you give so openly yeah” Ben’s head nodded to the beat, his clenched fist extended out and slowly pulled back in, coming to a stop right on his chest, “I like the way you make me feel about you baby, want the whole wide world to see!”

Moving his entire body to the song now, Ben walked towards a very embarrassed Annie, synchronised with the beat, singing “Whoa whoa, you got the best of my love…”

While Ben attempted to sing the chorus on key, Joe hurriedly scrambled to his feet and grabbed a spare microphone. Everyone’s palms immediately hit their faces. They all knew what was coming. Without exchanging a single word, the two belligerent fools turned Ben’s solo to a hopeless duet.

“Goin’ in and out of changes,” Ben pointed at his girlfriend as she peeked at him from behind her fingers, “the kind that come around each day…” Ben’s smile was so contagious, she couldn’t help but mirror it, “…my life has a better meaning, love has kissed me in a beautiful way!”

Ben and Joe managed to get through the chorus without sounding too awful. Annabelle looked at her boyfriend in awe, realising he would do anything he could to make her smile. He kneeled down in front of her as he carried on serenading her and took her hand.

“Demonstrating sweet love and affection, that you give so openly yeah,” Ben winked at Annie, making her burst into a fit of giggles, “The way I feel about you baby can’t explain it - want the whole wide world to see!”

Annie wasn’t sure when or how it happened, but she was singing along to the lyrics. She was having fun in a karaoke joint, without having a drop of alcohol in her system. Suddenly, her bad day was all but forgotten, and all that remained was her incredibly drunk boyfriend and his quite decent singing voice.

#########

“Well, you look like shit.”

Annie rolled her eyes at her co-star’s comment and sat down in her chair in the hair and make-up trailer. It has been nearly two weeks since her nightly trips to the loo have started, and she was sleep deprived, sick and tired.

“Will you please just shut it?” Annie snapped, “for once?”

“Unbunch your knickers, love,” Jamie reached over and poked her shoulder with his fingers, “I was just kidding.”

“Well,” Annie shot him a death glare, “you need to work on your jokes, then.”

“Sorry, geesh,” Jamie muttered, “what’s got you looking so drained?”

“Just feeling a bit sick,” Annie shrugged, “is all.”

“Still?” Jamie chuckled, “maybe you’re pregnant.”

“What did I just say about working on your jokes,” Annie grabbed the nearest object and threw it at Jamie, “you wanker!”

#########

“Jesus, Annie, are you okay?”

Ben peered over Annie’s shoulder as he held her hair back and rubbed her back soothingly while she emptied the contents of her stomach, once again. This was just over the second week that it happened, and Ben was getting genuinely concerned. People don’t just hurl every single day for two weeks. Annie pressed her forehead to her forearm and wiped the side of her mouth.

“I think I just ate too much fried food,” she was weak after praying to the porcelain gods, yet again. She wished this would just stop. “Or just had something bad for dinner?”

“Yeah, but for two weeks now?” Ben couldn’t help but laugh, “what did you eat, woman?”

“Please don’t mention eating right now,” Annie whimpered, feeling another wave coming, “could you maybe get me some water?”

“But then who will hold your hair back and tell you how gorgeous you look with your head down the crapper?”

“Ben, I swear to God -”

“I’m just joking,” he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and let her hair fall from his grip, “calm down.”

Their phones bleeped at the same time, making them both groan. It has been just over two months since they ‘came out’ as being in a relationship and the articles just wouldn’t stop. The tabloids were so desperate to create love triangles that just didn’t exist. Frankly, Ben and Annie were getting very fed up with being the talk of the day.

“Just ignore it,” Ben shrugged, “one glass of water, coming right up.”

“Thanks.”

When she was certain Ben had left the bathroom, Annie reached for her phone and unlocked the screen.

“I thought I told you to ignore it!”

“Yes, and it was a nice thought,” Annie tilted her head sideways, still feeling spent, “but then I thought I might as well ignore you, instead!”

“What is it now, then?” Ben passed her the glass of water, “are you dating your own cousin behind my back?”

“He should be so lucky,” Annie giggled and took a long, slow, sip, feeling the cool water travel down her throat, “no, actually. It’s just us two, this time.”

“Oh, good,” Ben kissed Annie’s temple, “come back to bed now?”

“How much longer do we have?”

“My alarm will go off in exactly two and a half hours.”

#########

“Just pee on the fucking thing already!”

Annabelle’s nostrils flared as she looked at Clara’s furrowed face. This isn’t the first time they have been in this situation, neither is it the last. The two girls stood in Gwilym’s guest bedroom, feeling like it’s deja-vu. With a groan, Annabelle snatched the rectangular cardboard box and stomped to the adjoining loo, slamming the door behind her. Clara jumped back at the loud ‘boom’ and started pacing the room, making little eight-figures as she nervously waited.

“Clara?”

“Yeah?”

“Has it been 5 minutes?”

“Yeah.”

“Stupid bitch!” Annabelle hissed and opened the door, chucking the white stick at Clara, “I am a stupid, stupid bitch!”

Clara flipped the stick over and blinked, gobsmacked. She gently placed the stick on the dresser and left the room quietly. Not long after, she came back, Gwil at her heels.

“What?” Gwil’s eyes darted between the two eerily quiet girls, “what’s wrong?”

Clara pointed at the stick on the dresser with one hand, the other biting down on her nails nervously. Gwil raised an eyebrow but picked the stick up. He shook it a few times as if it was an Etch-a-Sketch, flipping it around, hitting the dresser with it.

“Annie,” Gwil tried to keep his voice nice and calm, “are you sure you did it right?”

“I peed on the thing and that’s what came out, Gwil,” Annie whisper-screamed, “so yeah, pretty bloody sure!”

“Fuck,” Gwil rubbed his face with his hands, “alright, okay. This might be a mistake. How many of these did you pee on?”

“Seriously, Gwil?!”

“How many?”

“Just this one.”

Gwilym nodded quietly and left the room, leaving Annie and Clara alone. Seconds later, he came in with Jamie in tow.

“So, there’s a situation,” Gwil started. Jamie’s eyes scanned the three worried faces before  his gaze landed on an all too familiar white stick.

“Uh oh.”

“I’m going to have to ask you to go ahead and buy a few more of these, please,” Gwil spoke in a hushed voice, “right now.”

“Wow,” Jamie chuckled and looked at a very unamused Annie, “this brings back some memories.”

“This is not the fucking time, Jamie,” Clara snapped and lowered her voice again, “just go, please?”

“Where’s Jamie going?” Joe sauntered into the room, a bottle of beer in his hand, “what are you all whispering about?”

“Nothing! Everything’s fine!” Clara snapped out of it first and tried to make her voice as chipper as possible.

“Yeah, Annie’s just feeling a little squeamish,” Jamie said, unaware of the fact that he’s waving the white stick around as he spoke.

“Jamie you fucking idiot!” Annie hissed and drew even more attention to the man.

“Is that -”

“I’ll get to it, then!” Jamie saluted the group with the stick and walked out, leaving a baffled Joe in his wake.

“Was that a -”

“It was.” Gwil answered before the question was completely out there.

“Whose…”

“Take a wild guess.”

“Clara?” Joe asked hopefully.

“By whom?!” Clara snorted, “the holy bloody ghost?!”

“How much time do we have?” Annie sounded utterly defeated.

“Ben won’t get here for another hour.”

“Okay then,” Annie’s eyes were closed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, her other hand gripping the door frame, “I’m going to need lots of water. Now.”

#########

Timers were dinging left and right. White sticks littered the bathroom floor. Every time Annie picked one up, she felt less and less mentally stable.

“Banana?” Gwil’s comforting voice came from behind the door, “everything alright?”

“It’s open, you can come in.”

Gwil’s head peeked through the door. His face fell when he saw Annie’s broken expression, right in the midst of all of the discarded kits. There she was, sitting back on her heels, on the floor, her hands buried in her hair, gently pulling at it.

“Are they all…”

“Yes.”

“Is it horrible that I’m actually really happy for you?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“Probably.”

“Can you please use more words?” Gwil laughed uncomfortably, “you’re starting to scare me.”

Annie looked up at her cousin with wide, bloodshot eyes. For the first time in years, she was crying. It wasn’t a sobbing, heaving cry; it was silent. She just sat there as tears fell down her cheeks, not making a sound. Gwil had seen her like this only once before, and he hated it more now than he did then.

“Please don’t cry, Annie,” Gwil crouched in front of her, wiping her tears away with his fingers, “please?”

At the mention of the word ‘cry’, Joe pushed the door open and rushed down to Annie’s side, wrapping a comforting arm around her. Clara started picking up the used kits and placing them neatly on the counter.  Jamie leaned against the door frame, his eyes fixed on the tile flooring.

“Guys?” Ben’s voice boomed from the hallway, “where is everyone?”

“Go!” Annie tried to scramble to her feet.

“Guys?” Ben’s voice drew closer and closer.

“Over here!” Jamie called over his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Ben’s face scrunched up in confusion before he took in the pathetic sight of his girlfriend, sitting on the bathroom floor, tears streaming down her face, “Annie?”

“We’ll, uh -” Joe started.

“You two need to talk.” Jamie hissed at Ben, bumping his shoulder on the way out of the room.

When they all filed out of the room and closed the door behind them, Annie stood up and wiped at her cheeks, harshly. Ben just stared in bewilderment at the sight. He had never, ever seen her cry before. She was one of the most resilient, strongest people he knew. Nothing could ever make her cry. He scanned his surroundings, slowly walking over to the neat row of white sticks on the counter. He picked one up, studied it, put it down and moved on to the next.

“Those are mine.”

“Oh, okay,” Ben said, not paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth until they hit him like a piano had been dropped on his head, “wait, what?”

“What part of what I just said did you not fucking understand?” she rolled her eyes, practically growling at her boyfriend, “fucking twat.”

“These are -”

“Yep.”

“That means you’re -”

“Good job, Sherlock!”

“Oh, enough with the bloody attitude!” Ben chucked one of the sticks at her, “are you pregnant?”

“Seems like it.”

“Oh my God.”

Ben couldn’t help but smile. Clearly, that was not the reaction Annie had expected.

“No…”

“Annie, that’s -” Ben’s smile faltered when Annie made a bee line for the door, “wait! Where are you going?”

Without so much as a glance, Annie flung the door open and walked out.

#########

TAGLIST: @ramibaby @xgoingdownx @clara-who @violetpond @sweeterthancheese @drummerqueenrmt @westansstuff @rogerinamainbitch @justgivemethekeys @borhaprogerina @blondecarfucker @cheeseedreams47 @rogerspoison

[creativeashproductions]

The Pencil // Jason Blossom

Summary: Roped into going to a party your so called friends decide to match make in the worst way. By getting you plastered and nearly taken advantage of by the party host. Their plan works though when a certain Blossom cares for you.

Characters: Reader x Jason Blossom, Chuck Clayton, Alexis (OFC), Dot (OFC), and Reggie (mentioned)

Words: 1132

Disclaimer: I do not Riverdale or the characters involved. I do not own any gifs, images, jokes or songs that may appear.

Warnings: Swearing, teenage partying, underage drinking, mention of attempted sexual assault, angst, and fluff.

A/N: Short but sweet personally.

Masterlist

Prompt List

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You couldn’t believe you had managed to be roped into attending the end of the year party at Chuck Clayton’s house. Somehow your friends had dragged into the house raging with music, teenage hormones, alcohol and typical high school stupidity. You liked attending parties because they were fun but only when someone respecting women and men alike were throwing it. Not some wannabe lady killer with only his daddy as the reasoning behind his popularity.

It didn’t help that Chuck Clayton had sexual harrassed your childhood best friend creating a mess of emotions and a lawsuit. It was no secret that Dorothy, nicknamed Dot, was from a family financial unable to go throw a lawsuit and the humilation for their daughter. The next day Dot Smith and her family cleared their house and moved away. You hated Chuck for pushing your friend to leaving.

“Drink?” Jacy asked with sinister red painted lips. You sniffed the cup in question before taking it, Jacy knew what you drank and how keg beer was shitty tasting for you.

“Thanks.” You smiled, “Where’s Alexis?”

“With her crush. They’re so going to be together by July.”

“Everyone knows that but them. Cliche best friends blind to the others feelings.” You grinned happily.

“I heard the Blossoms will be here. I know how you and Jason are friendly.”

“I borrowed his pen once. Don’t go planning a wedding.” You giggled knowing that Jacy had wishes for you to get the guy, “Besides Cheryl would never approve of a low level Y/L/N dating her brother.”

“Sometimes I wonder about them.” Jacy hummed, “Well I’m going to go goggle Reggie shirtless in the pool. See you later!”

The next hour went with you mingling with people and drinking the cups your friends placed in your hands. By midnight you were a little past wasted with more alcohol coming and you didn’t notice the way your friends smiled to each other when they spotted Jason coming inside. Without Cheryl.

“Hey Jason! Y/N was looking for you earlier.” Jacy grinned towards the popular red head.

“Where is she?”

“Kitchen.”

Jason, following their directions, happened to walk in on Chuck beginning to approach you in the way he recognized quickly. There was a way to how Chuck changed when there was a female involved, he swaggered and oozed confidence. Jason was angry that Chuck set his eyes on a wasted female and more so that it was you. 
“Hey Y/N.” Chuck smouldered leaning against the counter.

“Can I help you Clayton?”

“Yeah. I have a lump that needs to be looked at. I heard your mother was a nurse, I bet she passed on more than her gorgeous looks.”

“No thanks.” You grumbled blinking, “I don’t want any medical problems from you.” 
“Come on Baby, don’t be like that.”

“Leave her alone Chuck.” Jason said walking towards you, “She said no.”

“I didn’t hear a distinct no. Butt out Blossom or you won’t be on the field.” Chuck glared.

“Threaten me and you’ll be the one running from town. Seeing as your sexual needs drove a girl from her hometown.” Jason glared, “Need I remind you who I am? Do you really want to threaten a Blossom?”

“Whatever. She isn’t worth it. Not enough ass or boobs on her for me.” Chuck grunted shoving his shoulder against a stone wall Jason.

He observed on you swayed on your feet barely able to focus your eyes on anything. Jason wasn’t known to go out of his way for people but it was different with you. The minute your gorgeous coloured eyes looked at him for a pen he was gone. 
“Y/N, are you okay?” He questioned.

“Yeah. Are you a Blossom triplet?” You hiccuped confused. You swore he was familiar but also a stranger, “I once borrowed a pen from Jason. Man would I like to run my fingers through his ginger hair.”

“Really?” Jason grinned, “I’m sure he would enjoy that also.”

“Too bad everyone thinks he fucking his twin.” You chortled, “Really is a shame. I’d love to go out with him.”

“I would too.” He smiled avoiding even thinking about the first part of the sentence you spoke, “Maybe we should get you home.”

“Home is where the heart is. My home is many places. My parents, and Dot. But even Thornhill is like home because that’s where Jason lives.” 
“Where is home exactly?” Jason questioned slipping his arm around your waist.

“Too many places. I’m tired.” You yawned slowly losing function of your body. Jason slid his other arm below your knees to swing you into his arms bridal style.

“Where do your parents live?”

“M’ tired.” You groaned slipping into an odd world of colours of reds and the Blossom mansion. Why you were dreaming of the place you weren’t sure of being the star of the dream wasn’t that bad.

Jason was at a loss when he saw most of the party had emptied out leaving passed out teenagers and the loud moaning from many rooms. He knew the book would have more entries and leering would happen but first he needed to help you. He had no information where you lived so he did the only think he could do.

Cheryl was with their parents in a neighbouring town for business leaving his home quiet except for his granny yelling at the maid. He carefully maneuvered you into his bedroom before turning the lock on his door and changing in the bathroom. He didn’t want to chance you waking up to see him naked.

He grabbed one of the unused pillows and a throw blanket that was more expensive that probably your wardrobe he slept on the floor. It was peaceful until he woke up to a scared yet quiet scream. 
“What the hell?! Why am I here?” You yelled towards the sleeping lump on the floor. 
“I saved you from Chuck last night and you passed out on me. You weren’t giving me your address and your friends left already. I brought you here to be safe.”

“No funny business?” You hesitated.

“None. I changed in the bathroom and slept on the floor all night.” Jason defended before pointing towards a tablet and water on the bedside table, “I brought you medicine and water.” 
“Thank you.” You whispered, “For everything. For caring for me.” 
“I’d like to care for you more. Would you like to get away from Riverdale and have a date? Where we can just be Jason and Y/N?”

“I’d like that.” You whispered blushing. Who would have thought that you two would end up on each other’s radar just by borrowing a pencil.

“How about some pancakes?” Jason questioned beginning the start of a tradition. Pancakes Saturdays.

Forever Tag List

@cityofsobbingfangirls @tas898 @barbidollash @trustnobodyshootfirst @winchesterfanfiction @deanwinchesterisamazing @oh-my-hecky-padalecki @padackles2010 @msimpala67 @deangirl5509 @heyitssilverwolf @therealme13posts @petlaufeyson @professionally-crazed @winterhurricane @tearsandbloodofmyenemies @blackwidow-romanoff @crazybarnes @marvelofcourse @takemetothefictionalworld @destiel67bellarke @ohmy-sammy @fightinthepain @vivabucky @waituntilthedustsettles @daydreaming1393 @cumonbucky @inhumans-of-shield @basicwhiskeyprincesss @soulfull-ofevans @spookass @glitterintheairblog @girl-with-wild-dreams @frickin-bats @darkestgrungeuniverse @shamvictoria11 @buckyappreciationsociety @sammysgirl1997 @fly-f0rever @archer-whovian-violinist @jenn0755 @anamarieswift2194 @unicornofdanger @ifyoudie @jealousbitxh @stormin-thru-glitter @sparklyaura @stilescstilinski @curlyxtomato @katshrev @its-sanaa-k @theoismydad @im-a-light-child @tmriddler @flirtswithdanger @divide-supermarketflowers @arkhamasylumpatient-blog1 @introverted-fandom-human @jennylj16 @potterandbucky

Riverdale Taglist

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[hellv1ra]

The Cruelty Of Fate: Chapter One

Word Count: 2955

Pairings: Eventual Bucky x OFC

Warnings: None.

Summary: Picks up right after the battle of Azzano right before Steve’s rescue of the 107th.

A/N: This is kind of an introductory chapter for my OFC and other original characters, and part of the dialogue is taken from Captain America: The First Avenger.

Prologue 

Nov 3rd 1943

   “Colonel Phillips?” She Saluted him.

“Yes” he says glancing up from his task

“I have another stack of letters for you to sign” She could see the sadness in his eyes as he grabbed the file from my hands.

“Lieutenant Jones?” he says turning back to his task at hand.

“Yes Sir” she chewed at the inside of her mouth

“Why is it that you’re delivering these to me and not my secretary?” he didn’t even glance up from his desk, still signing paper after paper.

“Boredom I guess? I’ve got some down time until my next assignment. I know that what you’re doing right now isn’t an easy task. She had a stack that was finished and I was already on my way out here, figured I could cut a little time for the two of you to make this go process go quicker.” She knew that this was one of the shittiest parts of war, informing the families of fallen soldiers that their brothers, sons and husbands weren’t coming home.

“Thank you” He sighed “Have they to-” he was interrupted by a man approaching the tent

“Colonel Phillips” They both glanced over at the large man and Agent Carter standing in front of his desk.

“Well, if it isn’t the Star-spangled Man with a plan, and what is your plan today?” he deadpanned. ‘Ah’ she thought looking at his outfit, this must be Captain America. she’d seen his posters around base. She stepped back from the colonel’s desk giving him and Agent Carter more room.

“I need the casualty list from Azzano sir” The colonel raised an eyebrow in his direction

“You don’t give me orders, son” The insistent look on the large man’s face was saddening.

“I just need one name. Sergeant Barnes from the 107th”

The colonel glanced over at Peggy and pointed his pen at her

“You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won’t enjoy” Lieutenant Jones shot a sympathetic grimace her friends way.

“Please tell me if he’s alive sir. B-A-R” The increased octave in his voice did little to hide his desperation

“I can spell” The colonel stood and filed the papers away “I have signed more of the condolence letters today than I care to count, but the name does sound familiar. I’m sorry.” For the briefest moment, the look of exhaustion from the day creeps into the colonel’s features. The sadness and grief in the captain’s eyes is heartbreaking.

“What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?” The colonel’s stony gaze returns, his features hardening.

“Yeah! It’s called winning the war”

“But if you know where they are, why not at least-” The colonel interrupted the man exasperation evident in his voice

“They’re thirty miles behind enemy lines. Through the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We’d lose more men than we’d save. But, I don’t expect you to understand that, because you’re a chorus girl” The captain’s eyes hardened

“I think I understand just fine”

“Well understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly you have somewhere to be in 30 minutes” as Colonel Phillips turns his back to the captain, he stared at the map on the wall before turning and leaving the tent.

Colonel Phillips was looking over documents on a table and without breaking conversation he pointed to Agent Carter

“If you have something to say, now id the perfect time to keep it to yourself”

Peggy scurried off after the Captain.

“Sir, I don’t you think you were being a bit harsh? He clearly lost someone close to him” She said approaching him.

“Ma’am, it’s not our job to coddle people, this is war”

“Chester, showing compassion isn’t coddling, it’s called human decency” She put her hands on her hips expressing immense displeasure at the situation.

“Lieutenant, don’t you have a mission to attend to!” he asked her agitatedly at her.

Spying one of her men out of the corner of my eye with a large manila envelope in his hands.

“As a matter of fact, I do. Have a good day sir” he waved her off as she left the tent to meet up with one of my officers.

  “Miller” She nodded at him.

“Ma’am, we got the orders” he handed me the folder.

They walked to the tent of their unit, as they entered the tent she saw her men sitting around and laughing amongst themselves. Sitting in a chair behind the desk that encompassed most of the space she began examining the documents provided to her. Everything seemed standard pictures of their target information on his rank within the Third Reich, coordinates and aerial photos of where they were heading.

I grabbed my bag that contained my gear and uniform, I slung it over my shoulder and headed towards the flap in the wall of the tent that lead to my quarters. I stopped short of entering my room.

“Let’s lock and load ladies, we leave in the hour” Lieutenant jones smiled as she went through the “door” leading to her adjoining tent where she slept, the cheers and jeers of the men fading as she closed the flap.

Changing out of her standard skirted uniform into field clothes. She was dressed no differently than the men of her unit. In the field, they dressed as equals no gender identifying clothing. Sitting on her cot she laced up her boots. Grabbing the tactical belt she’d modified to hold her rifle, ammunition and various knives. She walked over to the mirror above the wash basin in her tent. Taking a wash cloth she removed all traces of makeup from her face. Looking at the dark hair framing her face, Shame I gotta ruin a good hair day she thought tying her hair in a not at the base of her neck.

She grabbed her weapons and strapped them around her body. She nearly forgot the thigh holster she’d recently made to giver greater ease and access to her hand guns, the last item being my bolo knife, it was impractically large but she’d grown attached to it and it had saved her ass on more than one occasion.

 Shoving open the flap of the tent she entered to the murmuring room of her unit dressed and ready for action.

“Alright boys, let’s go kill some Nazis” She smiled, and slapped miller on his shoulder as they all cheered and headed for the jeeps that would be taking them to their next mission.

 November 6th, 1943

 The sun had only just begun rising when they were finally making their way closer to base in the early morning hours. they had received intel that a high-ranking Nazi scientist was hiding out in Croatia. The mission was a success. The target in question a Doctor Johan Wagner was cuffed and gagged in the backseat of the jeep following me, they didn’t want him trying to off himself with some cyanide pill like some of other Nazi cowards they had tried to capture in the past.

The five of them make up a small, lethal team, that officially didn’t exist. Unofficially however, they worked for the Strategic Science Reserve, after being lent to the organization by the US Army. The only people on the ground who know who they are and what they do in an official capacity are Colonel Phillips, Agent Carter and Howard Stark. What the team does is very secret and very off the books. There will be no written history of what they did. Their names will never grace the insides of history books for the work they’ve done. Especially not mine. She mused thoughtfully driving the jeep down the winding path back to base. Hell, even the name that I go by doesn’t even belong to me. It was the name they chose for her so that she wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

  Their objective as a team was a simple but dangerous one, capture their targets, take any data or intel they may have and bring them in for questioning. What happens to them afterwards wasn’t their concern. The current piece of garbage we obtained had been working on weaponizing a new and deadly strain of anthrax. One that is set to be resistant to any of current treatments. Samples of the work were obtained before torching the underground bunker, effectively (they hoped anyway) destroying the work the doctor had made.

 The team made it out mostly unscathed, Second Lieutenant David Miller will have a new scar running over the top of his left eyebrow, thanks to the butt of a Nazi guard’s rifle. Warrant Officer’s John Davis and Tom Andrews have a few bumps and bruises nothing so far too bad has happened that will make their wives hate me. Chief Warrant Officer Richard Taylor however got it the worst, shot twice in the arm because he decided to be a hot shot.

Hitting a bump in the road, Taylor moaned and whined from the back.

“we’re almost there Ricky, you big baby” She called out from the driver’s seat. “You’ve got no one to blame but yourself for your injuries.” He had decided to run into an unsecured room guns blazing and is now paying the price for it. Lieutenant Jones shuddered at the memory. It could have gone much, much worse. He could be dead.

He wasn’t the only on hurting from this mission she had personally taken a bayonet to the side while they had made their way through the facility. The bastard who stabbed her had gotten an up close and personal view with a .45 caliber bullet between the eyes.

“what ever happened to women being maternal and nurturing?” he whined

“Do I look like your mother?” she asked him incredulously.

“You don’t look like anybody’s mother, you Sheba” She could feel the flirtatious waggle of his eyebrows burning in the back of her head.

“Easy there dream boat, save it for the share crops you seem to be so fond of.” She turned her head to glare at him.

“Don’t be such a fuddy-duddy” He teased her “it’s not my fault they can’t keep their paws off me, I have a reputation to uphold”

“A reputation as a skirt chasing Casanova pig” I sneered at him “Keep it up with that bullshit and I’ll make sure that they keep you in the infirmary until you’re fully healed, so you won’t be able to show off to all of the pretty girls when we get base leave”

“You wouldn’t” he sat up wincing at the pain from his arm.

“Oh, you know I would, and I’ll make sure that it’s the ugly nurse too, with the big forehead, and that she’ll be the who gives you long luxurious sponge baths” I laughed.

“You’re a monster” he grumbled at her as he lay back down.

“Damn right I am” she chuckled, they remained silent for the last 20 minutes of the drive back to base. Only stopping as they approached the makeshift gates of the base.

“Good morning Private Smith” she said to the young bright-eyed man who waved them in.

“Good morning Lieutenant Jones” he saluted as I drove through.

They were met by immediately met by Military Police and the medical staff as soon as they were parked. A flurry of busy bodies tending to the prisoner and the wounded Taylor dramatically flung his arm over his eye trying to earn sympathy from the pretty nurses who met us.

“Don’t be gentle with him ladies, he’s just playing it up” Davis laughed as he pulled our prisoner from the jeep and shoved the him into the waiting arms of the MP’s.

As she started making my way towards the tents to change my clothes before meeting to debrief Colonel Phillips on the mission, watching the hustle and bustle of the camp. She stopped dead in her tracks, from the looks of things there were hundreds more men in the camp.

 “What? Where did they all come from?” She said to no one.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Miller said coming up from behind her.

She looked at him like he was crazy “Where do you think? I’m gonna go clean up and head to the Colonel for debriefing”

“Like hell you are” he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the medical tents “Not before you hit medical to have that wound tended to”

She sighed pulling away “You know I don’t need it.”

He stopped her from leaving again looked her in the eyes “I know you think that you’re invisible and indestructible but making sure that they didn’t pierce any organs with that stab wound won’t kill you. We can’t afford to lose you.”

“Fine.” She agreed glaring at him.

He just smiled and bowed with outstretched arms leading the way to medical. She glowered at him and begrudgingly marched over to the awaiting medical staff. An hour later she was stitched up and cleared of any major damage being done to her body. She and miller were told they were off duty for the next two weeks and Taylor wouldn’t be cleared for at least a month.

She left the medical tent and headed off towards the tent Colonel Phillips was current seated. “Colonel Phillips” She saluted him

“At ease Lieutenant, you here to debrief me on the mission?”

“Yes, sir.” He nodded,

She continued “Mission was a success, the target, his files and his experiments were obtained, we had no casualties on our end and a few of us only have minor injuries.”

“You call that stab wound on your side ‘minor’?” He said eying the bloodied hole in the side of her shirt.

“I’m standing here in in front of you, aren’t I?” he chuckled at my statement, motioning for her to sit. He seemed more relaxed than usual.

“And the bunker?” She gingerly sat down in the seat across from him.

“Annihilated sir” She looked around at all of them men now walking outside. “Chester where did all these men come from?”

“They’re the rescued troops from the 107th.” He stated frankly

“What? But how? I thought you said that there was no rescue mission? If you I recall correctly your exact words were ‘Yeah! It’s called winning the war’ when did that change?” He gave me a pointed look

“You gonna stop asking questions long enough for me to answer?” She looked down at her hands and he continued “I didn’t order the rescue mission, Captain Rogers did it on his own”

“Captain who? I’ve been here for months I’ve never heard of him.” She knows she would have remembered a captain in their ranks.

“Captain Rogers, you might remember him better as Captain America?”

“The chorus line guy?” She asked him incredulously “How?”

“Stark and Agent Carter took it upon themselves to drop him over into enemy lines.”

“But how was he able to manage this?” She asked pointing at the now full and bustling camp. “He did it by himself?”

“Do you remember Dr. Erskine?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Project rebirth ring a bell?” Her eyebrows raised curiously and nodded he reached behind him and pulled out a file and handed it to me. The tab said ‘Rogers, Steven Grant’. As she looked over the file seeing all his 4F rejections from the military. The medical history of this man was terrifying, it truly was a wonder how he even made it through adolescence, let alone to adulthood. She read over Dr. Erskine’s notes on him, the words brave, courageous and selfless were used with frequency. She spied the picture of a very small and thin man, in disbelief she held up the photo.

“This is that guy?” she asked pointing at the USO poster featuring Captain America.

“Yes.” She looked at him in disbelief.

“THAT-” she pointed at the poster again “is THIS guy?” she asked shaking the photo in here hand back and forth.

He gave her a look that would have had a weaker man cowering.

“Holy mackerel!” he rolled his eyes at her exclamation. She can only imagine how proud Dr. Erskine was of this achievement. “I can’t believe it really worked” she whispered under my breath. “why hasn’t he been active duty if the serum was a success?”

“The whole idea of Project Rebirth was to create an army of super soldiers, not just one.” She looked at him like he was crazy

“All this time Chester, what the hell were you guys thinking? Were you even thinking? Do you know how much of a load someone like him could have taken off my shoulders? We could have used him, hell I-”

“It wasn’t just my decision, they told me to scrap it, so I did, and it’s all moot point since he’s active duty now” he interrupted

“Excuse me Sir” A soldier came into the tent, saluted and then handed the Colonel a telegram.

“Thank you” he said dismissing the private “Are your men cleared for travel?”

“Yes, but only Davis and Andrews are clear for any kind of combat. Jones and I are two weeks out minimum and Taylor is at least a month out.”

 “We’re not heading out for any kind of combat just yet, you will however need to pack your things. We’re headed for London.”

“London? I’ll let them know. Anything else sir?” She asked standing up.

“No, just be ready to leave in two days.”

“Yes, sir.” She saluted the Colonel as she left his tent and headed for her own feeling a renewed sense of excitement over finally being able to have some leave from this god forsaken war.