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late-to-the-party-81 · 1 year ago

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The best laid plans

AN: It’s so fluffy!!!! This is my first fill for this year’s ‘Into an alternate Juni-verse” and when I got Surgeon AU on my card I knew I had to revisit this pairing from last year's event…You don’t need to read it to understand this fic, but it will give you more context.

A big thanks to @metalbvcky for spitballing and cheerleading

Beta’d by the wonderful @drabbles-mc

Likes are loved, reblogs are golden

Mood board by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Bingo Fills -

@stuckybingo G3: Migraines

@steverogersbingo D2: Monica Rambeau

Build a Bucky Bingo by @buckybarnesevents: Feb: Forehead kisses

Into an Alternate Juni-verse by @buckybarnesevents : AU: Surgeon

@caplanbuckybarnes Weekly Writing Challenge Week 1; “Holding you like this is where I’m happiest.”

Master list | Alternate Juni-verse Master list | Stucky Bingo Master List | SRB Master list | BaBB Master List

Summary: With Steve’s hectic work schedule, their relationship was never going to be plain-sailing, but they have an uninterrupted 48 hours coming up. Surely nothing will go wrong?

Relationship: Small Doctor Steve Rogers x Bookstore Owner Bucky Barnes

Word count: 3.8k

CW: Modern AU, Fluff, Insinuation of spicy time, Bucky and Nat friendship, Teasing, descriptions of migraine, caring Bucky, Hurt/Comfort, suggestive and happy ending, implied bottom Bucky.

Steve was well aware of how his life was currently a study in contrasts. On the one hand there was the hustle and bustle and bright lights of the hospital and on the other, the cosy warmth of the bookshop where Bucky worked and Steve spent a lot of his off hours. There was the inherent stress involved in working in the ER, with the requirement he always be ‘switched on’, but then there was the gentle pace that life with Bucky forced him into.

Bucky.

He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed since those two chance encounters nine months ago, one in a bar and the other right here in the ER.

Steve hadn’t been looking for anything, heart still raw from a break-up that had seen him upsticks and relocate from Los Angeles to New York, but something about Bucky had gotten under his guard. After their unexpected reunion in the hospital following a very memorable one-night stand, Steve had known there was no way he could go on without the young bookstore owner in his life.

They were taking it one step at a time though. Steve’s job was obviously full-on, especially so as he’d decided to continue working towards becoming a surgeon, something he’d done most of the work for out in California. Between his ER shifts, and the work for his qualification, both practical and theoretical, they sometimes went days without seeing each other and Steve didn’t want to force Bucky into something he wasn’t able to cope with - there was a reason why a large number of people in the medical field struggled to maintain relationships.

Therefore he maintained his apartment, and Bucky still had his own over his shop. Admittedly that warm, lived-in space, as small and covered in white cat fur as it was, felt more like home to Steve than his larger, pristine loft that still looked like something out of a brochure. Also, Bucky’s place was a lot closer to the hospital than his. It made sense, really, to spend most of his time there. He kept thinking about ‘taking the next step’, but something was stopping him.

Steve let out a sigh. He hadn’t seen Bucky in a full 48 hours now, and there was still another six to go until he could leave.

Today was an observation day, where Steve would be watching his mentor while she performed a heart by-pass and she would ask him questions as she did so. He was excited for it, but even that couldn’t dull the ache within him which he knew would only be soothed by a Bucky-hug ™.

He watched Doctor Rambeau - Monica - scrub up, dexterously turning off the tap with her elbow, and then waited for her to move out of the space so he could do the same. He might not be performing the operation, but he still had to follow all the protocols. He knew what an honour this was, having her as his mentor. She was one of the best in her field, and under her tutelage he knew he would be able to make a difference to so many people. With his own history of health issues, he knew what it was like to have his life saved and was ready to pay it forwards.

“You ready, Doctor Rogers?” He turned to see one perfectly shaped eyebrow rise at him from behind an eye-shield.

“Absolutely. Lead on, Doctor Rambeau.” He knew his smile was hidden behind his mask, but hopefully she would hear it in his voice and see it in the crinkles around his eyes. He suspected not much got past her. The junior doctors were always making remarks about how Doctor Rambeau could see things that other mere mortals couldn’t.

“Soooo,” Nat drawled out and Bucky got ready for another round of being teased. “You’re seeing him tonight?”

“Yes,” replied Bucky. “He’s coming over after his observation shift and then he’s off for the next two days. Don’t expect to see much of me outside of work hours.” He waggled his eyebrows at his best friend and grinned as she rolled her eyes in return.

“Don’t I know it. If it wasn’t for his shifts I doubt I’d see you at all.” Despite her words, Bucky could hear the joking affection in her voice. However, what was the point in being best friends if you didn’t wind each other up at every available opportunity?

“You’re one to talk? How are you and Doctor Wilson going? I know he knows his way around….” Bucky’s dig at Sam’s field of specialisation was cut off by Nat placing her finger over his lips.

“Shush, you. We’re going just fine. Keeping it casual. He’s busy. I’m busy. Who wants to put labels on things?”

Bucky’s lips twitched. “Whatever you say, Natty-Nat-Nat. I believe you, thousands wouldn’t.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and then grabbed another armful of books to reshelve. “So apart from fucking, what have you got planned?”

Bucky shrugged. “Not a lot. Depends on how wiped out he is. Dinner tonight - I’m making lasagne - and a film. Probably far too much wine. Tomorrow? Maybe the Brooklyn Museum, and lunch. I know he wants me to test him on some theory, so I need to limber up my tongue so I can say complicated words I don’t understand.”

“Please don’t tell me how you’re going to limber it up,” Nat said with a snort, and Bucky squashed down the urge to throw a book at her. He knew from his own painful experience what it felt like to have a hardback, or several, bounce off his face. The only upside of that situation had been that he’d seen Steve again and gotten his number, even if it had been mortifying at the time.

“Things are still going well, then?” Nat questioned more softly.

“Absolutely.” Bucky let out a sigh as he thought about his diminutive blond boyfriend. Even before their eyes had met across the bar he’d been intrigued. There had been something in Steve’s movements, the way his fingers had held - near caressed - his beer bottle, that had filled Bucky with want.

That feeling hadn’t waned over the past months, and while he inevitably got frustrated when Steve’s shifts kept them apart, he also had an inkling that the periods of separation were also what had kept them in the ‘honeymoon’ phase so long. It heightened the anticipation, and when they did get to spend time together? Well it was a good thing that Bucky had no neighbours and Steve’s apartment had thick walls.

Bucky had always had voracious… appetites… but had been more than pleasantly surprised when Steve proved that he could, most of the time at least, keep up with him. He also hadn’t thought that such an outwardly respectable doctor could be so kinky, but….

“Earth to Barnes!” Nat snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Stop thinking about Steve’s dick on work time.”

He pouted at her. “Spoilsport. And anyway, it wasn’t his dick I was thinking about, it was his fing–”

Nat threw her hands up over her ears. “LA-LA-LA,” she shouted before walking back towards the front desk and the customers who had just walked through the door. Bucky giggled and continued to restack books while indulging in his daydreams.

Steve slowly pushed the surgical gown down his arms with a sigh and winced at the bright lights in the scrub room. He hadn’t even been doing any of the heavy lifting during that op, but he still felt absolutely wrung out. However, it had been the most wonderful experience, getting to see Monica performing the by-pass so assuredly and asking her questions as she did so. He was also proud of the fact that he’d been able to answer her questions too, although those had been more inquisitorial than plain curious like his. But it was the end of his shift now - more or less on time too, for a change - and he couldn’t wait to get to Bucky’s apartment and relax in the arms of his boyfriend for two whole days.

He washed up and said good-bye to Monica and the rest of the surgical team and headed towards the staff room and the locker containing his street clothes, keys, and wallet - he hadn’t spent this much time in scrubs since medical school. As he made his way along the white walled corridors, the sounds of a hospital at work swirled around him - the beeping of machines, pained cries of the young and old, the urgent, hushed conversations of other medical professionals, the weeping of family members and loved ones. He liked to think that he was partially immune to these noises - they were the soundtrack to his daily life after all, but for some reason, they felt rawer than usual, scraping across his bones like nails down a chalkboard, and Steve couldn’t hold back an involuntary shudder. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling appeared to be taunting him too, their beams piercing his eyeballs and the almost inaudible humming making his teeth itch.

“Bucky,” he muttered to himself. “I just need to get home to Bucky, then I’ll feel better.”

When Steve finally made his way outside the sky was dark, but the streets were lit up with street lamps and car headlights. Each shaft of light felt like a needle sliding into his brain via his temples and he took a deep breath in through his nose to stave off a wave of dizziness.

There was a light drizzle in the air, making it blessedly cool, and despite the damp Steve decided to walk to Bucky’s apartment instead of schlepping it on the much dryer, but ultimately more cramped and warm, subway. It took him longer than anticipated though, his shoes feeling like lead weights upon his feet, getting heavier and heavier with every step.

Finally, he reached the bookstore, the interior shrouded in darkness, but with lights shining from the windows above. Steve walked, half staggered, down the alley at the side and let himself in through the door that would lead him up the stairs and to Bucky. He was glad that Bucky had given him a key a few months back, otherwise he would have had to wait in the rain while Bucky came downstairs to let him in. That had happened enough times at the beginning that Steve was now very much over that part of their relationship. Having keys felt good. What didn’t feel good though were his sodden socks, or his throbbing eyeballs.

He trudged up the stairs, each step harder than the last, until he reached the top and all but fell through the interior door. Bucky must have heard him because Steve’s name was called out joyfully, a sound that normally made his heart leap in his chest, but in this moment, all he could do was let out a pained whimper as Bucky’s voice cut through his brain like a chainsaw.

He heard Bucky’s footsteps get closer and he squinted against the brightness of the room.

“Hey, Stevie!”

Bucky pulled him into a rough hug, squishing Steve’s face against the ubiquitous black t-shirt he always seemed to wear on days he was working. The smell of Bucky’s cologne, normally one of his favourite scents, assailed his nose, combining with the smell of garlic that permeated the apartment and Steve felt his stomach roll.

“Buck… please,” he slurred as he uncharacteristically pushed himself away from his boyfriend’s embrace. Everything around him just felt like too much and he felt himself tip backwards against the wall.

“Oh, Steve. You don’t look too hot.” Bucky’s voice was full of concern, and Steve was sure that if he could manage to focus properly, he’d be able to see Bucky’s dark brows pulled together in a frown.

“Jeez, thanks,” he managed to push out with a small upturn to his lips. “Just what I wanted to hear after not seeing you for two days.” He closed his eyes, intending to do so for just a moment, and felt the ringing pain in his head lessen minutely.

Bucky’s body brushed against him as his holdall was taken from him by gentle hands and his coat was slipped from his shoulders.

“Is it a migraine?” Bucky had modulated his voice to a whisper and Steve decided that he hadn’t ever been so glad for anything in his life.

Eyes still closed, he nodded and let out a noise of confirmation from his lips. “Mmm-hmm.”

“Okay. Let’s get you to bed then. I’m prescribing Advil, earplugs, an eye-mask and an early night.”

Steve snorted and instantly regretted it. “I thought I was the doctor here?” he quipped, his voice low and gravelly.

“You are,” Bucky replied, his lips brushing Steve’s temple. “But I’m the boyfriend, so what I say, goes.”

“Is that so?” Steve queried, a note of amusement in his voice.

“Very much so,” Bucky confirmed. “Now you keep your eyes closed if you want, I’ll guide you.”

Steve rolled his eyes, but still kept his lids closed. He had a feeling it was the only reason he wasn’t throwing up right now.

“Such a mother hen,” he chastised without any real bite and allowed Bucky to steer him, arms looped together, through the small apartment. A soft bump against his ankle let him know that Alpine was now part of the proceedings.

“It’s why you love me. Right, you just sit down here…” Steve felt his shoulders clasped by Bucky’s hands and he sat down, completely trusting that he wouldn’t fall on his ass. “Can you manage to get undressed while I go find the pills?”

Steve cracked one eye open. “Sure. I love you, you know that?” Bucky shot him a soft smile, pressed another kiss to his forehead and then went through to the small bathroom, rattling around inside the cupboards.

Steve kicked off his shoes, glad he had on loafers that came off easily, and struggled out of his shirt. It felt like an octopus trying to envelope and suffocate him. He flopped down onto the mattress and squeezed his eyes shut again, feeling the bile begin to rise in his throat. Not only did this suck, big time, but he also felt so guilty, a feeling he vocalised when he felt the bed dip on Bucky’s return.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I know that this wasn’t what we had planned. What were you making for dinner?” He felt Bucky’s hands on the waistband of his slacks, deftly pulling them from his body in the most un-lust-filled, and therefore strangest, way possible.

“Lasagne, but it will keep until tomorrow. And you don’t need to apologise. These things happen and you have been working really hard. I’m actually surprised you didn’t have one of these sooner.”

Steve shuffled under the coverlet, letting out a sigh at the coolness of the sheets against his skin. Bucky pressed two tablets into his hand, and he propped himself upon his other elbow so he could pop them in his mouth, swallowing them down with a drink from the glass of water Bucky proffered him.

“I’ll make it up to you, Buck. I promise.”

“I know you will, you lug. But for now here’s the eye mask.” Soft satin was placed over his head, settling over his eyes and helping to black out the last of the light making it through his eyelids. “And here are the ear plugs.” Bucky dropped them into Steve’s palm and curled his fingers shut over them. “Now don’t worry about me,” he placated. “I have a whole garlic bread and a salad to make my way through, plus a date at Stars Hollow with Lorelai. I’ll be fine. We’ll pick this up tomorrow if you’re feeling better, and if you’re not I’ll just pump you full of drugs until you are.”

Steve smiled into the darkness. “You know that’s not how that works?”

Bucky placed his finger over Steve’s lips. “Ssh, sexy Doctor Boyfriend has spoken. Sleep now.” He moved his finger and replaced it with his lips, kissing Steve softly.

“Sir, yes Sir,” Steve replied, bringing his hand up in salute.

“Punk. Sleep well. I’ll come cuddle you later.”

“I will, jerk. And thank you.”

He heard Bucky mumble under his breath and then pad across the room before he pushed the earplugs into his ears, cocooning himself in silence to go along with the darkness, and snuggled down into the sheets to pass out.

Bucky closed the bedroom door with a soft ‘click’ and padded back through to the living room, trying to quell the disappointment. It wasn’t Steve’s fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Migraines happened, and he hadn’t been lying when he’d said it was a surprise that Steve hadn’t had one already - he really had been pushing himself to the limit. But, Bucky supposed, that was one of the things that made him love Steve. His tenaciousness, bordering on stubbornness, was endearing, and was probably one of the main reasons they were still together. He wasn’t going to lie - those early days had been tough, but Steve had found every spare moment he could and made it available to Bucky, whether that was hanging out at the bookshop during the day in the middle of a split shift, or rolling into the apartment just to curl up beside him in bed for the eight hours between the end of a late shift and the start of an early one. There were the surprise DoorDash deliveries when a shift had run over and dinner plans had had to be cancelled and Steve knew Bucky wouldn’t have anything in. There were the long nights of loving and the frantic, heated quickies and everything in between. And he couldn’t be prouder of what Steve was achieving right now. Once he’d passed his surgeon’s qualification things should get better for them - less double shifts, although probably more that would run over. Swings and roundabouts he supposed.

Crossing to the small kitchenette, Bucky pulled out the lasagne, watching the cheese and white sauce bubble on the top as he placed it on a trivet to cool. He was glad he’d cooked something that wouldn’t spoil from not being eaten right now. He then picked up the bowl of salad, and the garlic bread that had been keeping warm in the toaster oven, and meandered over to the couch. As he ate and watched the residents of Star Hollow navigate complex family relationships, Bucky realised that even though he was in this room and Steve was asleep in the bedroom, he didn’t feel alone. He could feel Steve’s presence in his home and it just felt so right.

A couple of hours later he snuck quietly into the bedroom, the only sound the soft snores emanating from Steve’s mouth. He brushed his teeth in the bathroom, careful to only turn the light on after he’d entered and turn it off before he exited, and then tip-toed over to the bed with only the light from the street outside to illuminate his way. He slipped in behind Steve and gently tugged him into a hug. Steve mumbled in his sleep, but didn’t wake.

Bucky reached up to lightly stroke over the top of Steve’s head and pressed a kiss to his bony shoulder blade.

“I love you, Stevie,” he whispered. “Holding you like this is where I’m happiest.”

Maybe tomorrow would be the day he took a leap of faith and asked Steve to move in with him?

When Steve woke he felt entirely disorientated. It took him a moment to remember what had happened the night before, and when he pulled out the earplugs and lifted the eye-mask he was happy to note that the stabbing pain in his head had reduced to a dull throb. He blinked a few times to get the sleep from his eyes and then focused on the clock next to the bed.

12:37pm

He’d been asleep for almost eighteen hours!

The bed beside him was cold, indicating that even his slug-abed boyfriend had gotten bored with sleeping at some point and decided to get up. He had vague recollections of being pulled against Bucky’s front in the night, but that was it. He frowned to himself - he’d gone far too long without consciously touching him, something that he needed to rectify immediately.

He pushed himself upright, and took a long drink from the water glass next to the clock. He still remembered the first time he’d woken up in this bed, in the middle of the night and getting ready to make a hasty exit after an alcohol fueled hook-up. Now he didn’t think there was anywhere he’d rather be than right here.

From the end of the bed, Alpine lifted her head and narrowly opened her eyes, obviously not happy to be disturbed from her slumber. Steve reached out and scratched her under her chin in apology.

When he stood, it was on slightly wobbly legs, and he took a moment to grab a pair of sweats from Bucky’s drawer, taking care to pull the drawstring tight and roll the waistband over. Steve then walked quietly through to the living room, stopping to lean on the back of the sofa as he watched an oblivious Bucky, also only in sweats, singing along to the radio, a spatula in hand acting like a microphone, as he made a grilled cheese sandwich. It was the cutest thing Steve thought he’d ever seen and it just made him want Bucky more.

Steve padded closer, and when he reached out to touch Bucky’s shoulder, Bucky jumped with a shriek.

“Jeez, Steve. You scared me.”

Steve grinned at him and looped his arms around Bucky’s waist, drawing him closer and nuzzling at his neck.

“I’m sorry, baby. Maybe I can make it up to you?”

Bucky let out an amused chuckle. “So you owe me twice, that’s what I’m hearing. You feeling better then?”

Steve fastened his mouth to Bucky’s throat and gave it a suck, creating a dark pink patch on Bucky’s already flushed skin. “Absolutely. Although I can think of something else that will make me feel even better.”

“I bet you can,” replied Bucky with another giggle. “Do I have enough time to eat my grilled cheese, or…” he trailed off as Steve pushed his hand under Bucky’s waistband. “Oh! L-let me just turn this off…” Steve smiled into Bucky’s skin as he leant across to turn the stove dial and move his pan onto a cold ring. “Okay - you were saying?”

God, how Steve loved this man. The hand he had down Bucky’s sweats and shorts moved - encompassed - and Steve watched as Bucky’s eyelids fluttered, his dark lashes fanning his cheeks, and how his mouth dropped open into an “O” shape. First he was going to do what he hadn’t been able to last night and then he was definitely going to ask Bucky if they could move in together.

Tag list: @christywrites, @alexakeyloveloki, @doasyoudesireandlive, @galactusdevourerofworlds, @crayongirl-linz, @km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989

#Stucky #stucky au #steve rogers x bucky barnes #pre serum steve #pre serum bucky #connect 4 #caplansweeklywritingchallenge #build a bucky bingo 2023 #steve rogers bingo #stucky bingo

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saelterlude · 10 months ago

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link click musical list pt.6, (longer bcs i keep accidentally posting these early, gotta make up for the short pt.5)

also hi, this one took a while bcs i keep getting sad over not finding a Wang Yifei-Zhu Hanbin LG uppies clip :')

(pt.1, pt.2, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5, pt.7 here)

81. 24/03/2024 night, Zhu Hanbin wore his shirt inside out lol, there's a good chance it was like that the whole performance since LG actors don't change costume. Also, I love how Zi bowen shouted his name, it's cute.

82. Cai Lu's short vlog, includes Guo Hongxu and Ji Xiaokun karaoke, JXK being bad at basketball, and chilling in the dressing room.

83. 28/03/2024, Cao Muzhi getting manhandled by Cai Lu (I drew it hehe) and also giving the biggest laugh when he won first round of RPS against Zhu Hanbin plss.

84. 01/04/2024, Wu Hanglu bullying Bai Zhuoming, Du Guangyi being aggressive, and BZM being confused and overwhelmed in RPS. If you're asking why DGY shouted his line, it's bcs BZM and WHL were too busy bickering to beckon him to the couch like they're supposed to do. Also, they sing 'Dive Back in Time' together.

85. 29/03/2024, Wang Yifei, please stop bullying Wu Hanglu, don't squish her, look at her, she's tiny. See? Now she's bullying you back.

86. 05/04/2024 night, piglet is back!! Wu Yihan, Cai Qi. WHY ARE YOU BOTH SO MEAN TO THE PIGLET?? WYH does not let CQ play around with RPS (by not doing them at all)

87. 05/04/2024 night, bonus to the performance above. WYH does not hug in "Pursuing Light" for once.

88. 06/04/2024 day, New Cai Qi pair unlocked with Guo Hongxu. Awkward eye contact and GHX just assumes he won RPS when he didn't lol, don't you know CQ cheats? Also, Zuo Yiping looks so short between them, helpp.

89. 30/03/2024 night, Wu Yihan going *finger points* "whos singing the sofa song?", and Qian Dongyue's birthday!

90. 13/04/2024 day, I think, Wang Yifei scared Guo Hongxu with that overly enthusiatic jump hug.

91. 13/04/2024 night, Jing Yanqiao 21st birthday!! Let's go! There's actually a full video of your encore now.

Also, #90 and #91, both GHX and JYQ caught off guard by WYF and ZHB's mic cupping habit during 'Dive Back in Time'

92. 06/04/2024 night, I can't find a clip showing Wu Yihan drinking vinegar, but I can show you Cao Muzhi being cute as he walks across the table. And saying 'be careful' in 'Dive Back in Time' bcs something happened with WYH offscreen, i think he hit a camera.

93. 06/04/2024 night, nevermind! Shimmer to the rescue! Here is Wu Yihan drinking vinegar! (he Du Guangyi-ed himself (#19 and #31))

94. 14/04/2024 day, Guo Hongxu has successfully been influenced to cup their mics. Also, I'm now declaring that Guo Hongxu and Wang Yifei is the perfect disgruntled cat-oversized puppy duo, just look at their hug.

95. 14/04/2024 day, another POV of the performance above so you can see Wang Yifei nod approvingly once GHX uses his method.

96. 14/04/2024 night, just a shortclip of Wang Minhui putting Cai Qi in a headlock.

97. Event clip, mostly just explaining the basketball event itself but I wanna show you all Du Guangyi being bad at basketball in the last 10 seconds.

(speaking of event, the theatre is gonna count which actor scores the most during basketball scene/"Faith of Friendship". me and the musical brainrot gang over in the lc 18+ server are doing bets on which actor is scores the most by the end of the month)

98. 19/04/2024, poor Deng Xianling just wanna tie her shoes, stop bothering her lol.

99. 19/04/2024, same performance as above. English boy Teng Chunpeng is very excited abt basketball.

100. 20/04/2024 night, have Jing Yanqiao, shamefully losing 2-8 to Zhu Hanbin

101. 21/04/2024 day, Bai Zhuoming won the match, he teases Wang Minhui about it the whole encore to the point he messed up the entirety of RPS song lol. (Also, they got 15-12, they were conspiring together)

102. 22/04/2024, Shu Rongbo getting startled by Cai Lu's leg and Du Guangyi adding to the leg jenga is very precious, I wanna draw that. SRB also won basketball 36-0 bcs DGY is a softie granpa, I guess we knows who wins this month.

(and no, as much as i favored him, i did not bet on srb :') )

(also, did i wait for the 22nd so i can get at least 1 srb video this post? yes.)

*Please give a big round of applause to @shimmeringweeds for all xhs clips. I could not navigate that site at all.

Bonus time! Made a list (here!) of Zhu Hanbin and Jing Yanqiao performances the other day, thus that's the bonus clips you're getting for this part. Please check them out, they're really cool.

But I guess I might as well add this funny video of Cai Qi and Cao Muzhi performing 'Mia Famiglia' from Apollonia musical. It's gold, just for the fact that CQ acts as if he's in a drama while CMZ acts as if he's in a comedy.

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toytle · 1 year ago

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happy anniversary to my first viewing of this movie and the subsequent rewiring of my brain forever

flashpoint paradox appreciation ⚡️

#srb #(the anniversary was technically yesterday but i forgot that these went hand in hand)#since starting my dc dive these were my first drawings of barry ever #but the thing is that i still think of this as the one True barry? esp the bottom 2 busts #i rly like how i draw him in general and i like seeing how he’s changed as my reading of the character develops #but smth abt this just feels pure. like the baseline that i go back to if i stray too far #before the dannification but after the analytical influence #a valuable relic in time (1 year old)

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agardenandlibrary · 5 months ago

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Books Read in September 2024

Did I read anything this month? *checks StoryGraph* apparently yes! I also moved this month into my new house (!!!) so it’s a miracle I managed to finish anything.

Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold

Vorkosigan saga continued! The sequels are currently packed, so we’re putting a pause on the series until I find it again.

This is a sort of in-between book. Miles and Ekaterin are waiting for their children to be born and get sidetracked to untangle a diplomatic mess in quaddie-space.

It’s definitely nice to have the context of Falling Free before you read this one!

It was nice to see Bel Thorne again! Nice to get a kind of closure on its story.

A good installment in the series but not mindblowing. I kinda feel like we covered a lot of this ground with Cetaganda, though obviously Miles’ perspective as an expecting parent is very different from Lt. Vorkosigan’s.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

PLEASE IMAGINE ME AS THE GUY SALUTING AND THEN SCREAMING.

I can’t think about this book before I go to bed because then I can’t go to bed.

Local villain enjoyer gets isekai’ed into her favorite extremely violent series, wakes up as the villain who’s about to be executed. BUT. BUT LISTEN. Rae does not remember book 1 very well. You know. The book she just landed in. Fake it ‘til you make it. Lie your way through. Bend reality to your will. Really truly be the villain.

Very meta. We love meta. Who is a villain? Why are they the villain? Is the fainting beauty who everyone loves given any more choice than the villain? Whose story matters?

I have so many questions about the rest of the world – is Rae’s sister out there reading the story, wondering about the changes? Will another person get yeeted into the story? Is Rae going to Scheherazade her way through book 2?

Please read this book so that SRB can publish book 2 & 3. I need to know what happens next. Please. For me.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (re-read)

Audiobook this time!

I reached the relief swarm part of this book right as I reached the end of Long Live Evil and let me tell you. Those two events sure stack in a devastating manner!!

This series is very good. I highly recommend it.

(the month of 3-named authors)

Currently reading:

Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee (re-read, audiobook) - let’s fuckin’ goooooooooooooo

Worn by Sofi Thanhauser

A Frozen Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

#cara reads 2024

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leavingautumn13 · 2 years ago

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okay, so, during the interview scene with nick, when asked if he really doesn't know anything about the institute he says, "Some kind of security setting strips or blocks out those memories, and it's not just me. Any synth that gets trashed, left behind, or escapes the institute has the same problem. Probably some kind of failsafe."

so like--how does this line up with other lore? number one, "trashed or left behind" to me implies second or earlier gen synths--obviously, the institute is pretty invested in keeping the third gens around, or else there wouldn't be an srb or coursers. does nick know more synths that have escaped? have he (or amari, more likely) poked around inside a deactivated second gen's head to find the institute?

two, it's established that the institute CAN'T just flip a switch to make a synth do what they want them to--again, otherwise there wouldn't be an srb or coursers. so what gives? can they affect a synth's mind remotely or not?

three, glory remembers the institute (albeit not much) and will tell sole about it if asked. but not about the relay, which dez is surprised to learn about later on, even though glory says she mostly worked on surface detail and in the robotics lab--which means glory would HAVE to know either 1. about the relay or 2. about a way into/out of the institute that connects to the surface.

so like. what. anybody have any thoughts about this? am i missing something? i would love to hear others' thoughts about this.

#bethesda iron out your fucking lore #nick valentine #fallout 4 #glory fallout #putting this in the tags to get some action because this line broke my brain #like ik what i'm doing with my fic but i would also like to know what canon is on about #yfeel

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hey-loser · 2 years ago

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TLDR: SRB Zoom Chat

In case you missed it, Sarah did a webinar on Zoom a couple weeks ago hosted by The Sunday Morning Transport to answer questions about Tears Waiting to be Diamonds. You can get a 60-day free subscription to access both the story and the Zoom over on Sarah’s tumblr, but for those who are unable to access for any reason, I received a request to provide a little recap, so here goes! Tried to make it somewhat organized but also it is going to be a little chaotic haha.

New IOL Deets

The scene of Luke and Elliot getting together and confessing their feelings was almost only ONE SENTENCE LONG. Many thanks on behalf of the fandom to the anonymous critique partner of Sarah’s who told her that absolutely wouldn’t fly.

Elliot and Luke Post-IOL

Sarah says that Elliot doesn’t go over the border much, even though he is able to. Luke is afraid of Elliot going somewhere where he can’t follow, and even though Elliot doesn’t even think of it as a possibility, he tries to be respectful of it.

Pet names: Elliot sometimes will take classics and make them weird (like he does at the end of IOL). Luke will occasionally embarrassedly call Elliot “darling”.

Luke has fairly regular contact with the harpies. Elliot tends to spearhead their contact in terms of keeping up correspondence - he knows relatives even Luke doesn’t, and they often attend harpy festivals. According to Sarah, it’s a classic case of the in-law being the favorite kid. She jokes that he could have just gone to the harpies and lived with them when he was exiled, and they would have gladly taken him in.

WHY SARAH

TWTBD Parts 1 & 2 were initially meant to be published on consecutive Sundays. SARAH SUGGESTED THAT THERE BE A LONGER WAIT IN BETWEEN.

Why Elliot do that?

Even though Elliot has made some progress with his insecurities, he still thinks that Luke doesn’t truly know the worst that he can do, and just puts up with him. Over the years, they have worked through smaller issues, so he’s learned that he can be forgiven for these things (while before that he considered himself completely unloveable). Once he’s committed treason, he thinks that is the worst possible thing, something completely antithetical to Luke’s value system as a soldier, so he considers it inevitable that their relationship is over.

Sarah likened it to “the mortifying ordeal of being known” – Elliot never holds himself back from being completely known, because then he can be loved for who he is. But Elliot doesn’t think that Luke knows the worst he can be (even though Luke obviously does and accepts him for it).

Luke’s Letters

Luke starts with angry letters, then more worried, then back and forth between the two. Some of the letters Luke sends to Elliot are well thought out and composed (probably because Serene helped him), while others are basically drunk late night texts that he has to admit to Serene later with shame (side note from me: anyone wanna write the fic that comprises all his letters? or am I gonna have to do that myself).

Luke doesn’t even consider them broken up in the first place and was entirely unsurprised to hear what Elliot had done when he returned, while Elliot dramatically thinks they’ve been broken up for months. He doesn’t want to hurt himself by looking at the letters when he thinks he knows that they will say.

The meantime:

It had been a month since Elliot was exiled by the time Luke and Serene returned from war. By the time Luke arrives it has been almost four months. A lot of that time was spent figuring out what thad happened, possibly variously threatening people who had been planning on executing Elliot.

“A lot of Elliot’s diplomacy relies on the fact that there are people who will enact violence for him”

Peace is not a stable thing, and there isn’t an easy answer for it. As they get older, it becomes more difficult, since adults are held more accountable for their actions than children.

Serene and Luke actually were trying to figure out the diplomatic way to solve the situation: i.e., sending letters to form a plan once communication was initiated. After getting no response, they tried to get him pardoned, which was difficult considering someone apparently has a transcript of a long speech Elliot gave that essentially said “I did it and I’m not sorry”.

Luke and Serene would sometimes spontaneously decide they were going to go find him alone, and the other would talk them down from it, or they’d decide to go together, and Golden would convince them to wait.

Where’s Serene?

The story was unfortunately too long to include Serene, or even the few references to her that were initially included (such as Mark mentioning a rumor of the Sunborn Champion being involved with her).

Logistically Sarah couldn’t get Serene to the battle, since Luke would have flown to get to Elliot as fast as possible. She says that Serene definitely arrives within the day.

What happens after TWTBD?

Luke and Elliot have to have several conversations, starting with a yelling conversation, a tender conversation, and then the normal combination of yelling/tender/insults.

“If Elliot says loser, Luke knows that he’s okay and so pretty much the first words that Elliot said to Luke in the battlefield were reassuring because when he says loser, he means I still love you, which is what Luke was getting worried about.”

Elliot puts himself in tall towers and high places specifically so Luke can find him.

Sarah specifically quotes “This Ain’t a Love Song” by scouting for girls: “I know I’m lost, but I’m waiting to be found”.

More IOL

Sarah has said this before, but just in case anyone has missed it: she definitely has ideas of what happens to the characters in the future. She has said she has a strong story idea which would also need another novel in between to explain the middle events – so essentially a trilogy. TWTBD would take place in between these second and third books – the second would explain the events up to TWTBD, and the third would continue on from there. To be clear, Sarah has not confirmed whether this is actually in the works yet, or whether these would take full-length novel form or short story form.

On Trans and Nonbinary Individuals in IOL (specifically in elven culture):

Sarah says there would be some more freedoms for nonbinary/trans elves or dwarves than in human culture, but they would be restricted in other ways.

Sarah acknowledges that the IOL universe has been represented in a more binary way thus far; she plans to delve more into gender beyond the binary in the future after taking time to get the details and complexity right.

Long Live Evil Information

Sarah’s new upcoming novel! The protagonist is thrown into her favorite fantasy novel, but is unexpectedly classified as an evil sorceress and cast out with the rest of the villains. From how Sarah talks about it, the novel delves into villainy in fiction and what truly makes a villain. It also explores the joy of finding magic even if you think you’ve reached the stage of your life where you’re past it. (I AM SO EXCITED)

Hopefully this was somewhat coherent!

#in other lands #iol #twtbd #tears waiting to be diamonds #sarah rees brennan

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gcantread · 5 months ago

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September 2024 reads

[loved liked ok nope dnf bookclub*]

Agnes Grey • The Empire Wars • Vita Nostra • 17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future • Somewhere Beyond the Sea • A Sorceress Comes to Call • Tress of the Emerald Sea • Long Live Evil • Books Do Furnish a Room • A Sunny Place for Shady People • Mansfield Park* • The Butcher of the Forest

I read 12 books in September, though several were short (and one was a... multimedia experience? What are we calling 17776 anyway?) I've been feeling a little burnt out on ARCs and @bellasbookclub -screening reads, so after the first week I took a break from those. Just as well, because I was once again abruptly drowning in new releases! Luckily only four library holds were ready at once this month. Have I learned my lesson about hold requests? Not at all.

Agnes Grey ★★★☆☆ - I enjoyed the semi-autobiographical "being a governess SUCKS" parts of this book (that bird scene holy shit), but I think I would have liked it better with a less milquetoast love interest.

The Empire Wars ★☆☆☆☆ - Oooooof. I thought there was no way any of the books in my self-imposed Bombed Books Week Challenge could be worse/less enjoyable than Hurricane Wars and TGUWG, but this one took the cake. There's "I wrote this at age 15" (impressive) and then there's "I wrote this at age 15" (and it shows/and I can't believe multiple literate adults in the publishing industry greenlit it.) "Hazen Creed" is the new Xylen Rayder or whatever the 4th w!ng guy's name is

Vita Nostra ★★★★☆ - I was promised weird shit and this book delivered! You don't get it? Good news, nobody gets it, we're literally just vibing

17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future ★★★★☆ - Some interesting themes and a lot of fun! (I liked when it started zooming in on Denver and I was like wait a fucking second is that Ball Arena??)

Somewhere Beyond the Sea ★☆☆☆☆ - Yeah, I can't lie, this was a hateread. No other series makes me feel more like the child in "The Emperor's New Clothes." Like, people enjoy this?? Adults?? Adults think this is good storytelling??? I'm not even trying to be mean (well, maybe a little), I'm genuinely baffled. Remember when I described Book 1 as "like driving behind a Coexist bumper sticker for several hours"? Book 2 is like driving behind a Coexist bumper sticker while also listening to someone read you the worst parts of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix but in Kindergarten Teacher Voice, and for even more hours. Lesson learned: I have got to stop picking these up imagining I'll somehow see the appeal this time.

A Sorceress Comes to Call ★★★★★ - My first ever T. Kingfisher! I've always been hesitant to believe the hype, but to my pleasant surprise, this one was fantastic. The stakes, the characters, the evil fucking horse had me on the edge of my seat. Pretty crazy when the interior of a book lives up to its gorgeous cover. Had to rush out and buy this one from my local bookstore!

Tress of the Emerald Sea ★★★★☆ - Fun and cute! The main draw is definitely the silly writing style.

Long Live Evil ★★★★☆ - Took its time to get going, but the second half really gained momentum. This book's main flaw is that it isn't In Other Lands, but it's nevertheless nice to see SRB cut loose and write a silly isekai/harem trope pastiche that is somehow also a thoughtful cancer survivor catharsis.

Books Do Furnish a Room ★★★☆☆ - When I picked up this coffee table book at the library on a whim, nothing could have prepared me for its Caricature Of British Aristocracy tone. Like at one point this author calls Africa "a country." Seriously, they do not edit the text of these things. Pretty pictures, though.

A Sunny Place for Shady People ★★★★☆ - I'll read Mariana Enriquez's grocery list. On the whole, Sunny Place wasn't as gripping as Our Share of Night, but some of its individual stories (it's an anthology) stood out—I loved the nuance of My Sad Dead and the nightmare fuel of Black Eyes! Some choice body horror in here.

Mansfield Park ★★★☆☆ - A reread for Bella's Book Club's September discussion! I think I liked it better this time around? I definitely noticed more of the character arcs. I like that this is lowkey the messiest Austen. [Community episode voice] now THIS is a man who KNOWS HOW TO MARRY HIS COUSIN

The Butcher of the Forest ★★★★☆ - I'm slowly working my way through Tordotcom novellas and so far they all slap. This one had such an interesting ending, ngl I'm having to quash the Fanfic Urge about it!

DNFs: None, but boy would I have dropped The Empire Wars like a hot potsticker on about page 2 if it wasn't the last (or second-to-last, if you count control group Crown of Starlight) book in my own challenge.

September superlatives

tbh a lot of these books could swap spots with each other. I'll definitely be rereading Sorceress, and probably LLE when the next book in its series comes out!

Next up:

I still haven't gotten around to Crown of Starlight, so it looks like I'll be finishing up my Bombed Books Week Challenge in October. Nor have I gotten to my ARCs of Ruin Road or Sundown in San Ojuela, so those are both on this month's agenda. My current read is A Dark and Drowning Tide (I seem to be the one reader on the planet who didn't much like A Far Wilder Magic, but I like to give authors a second chance, and that cover + the fact that they're lesbians, Harold got to me.) I'd love to squeeze in a King in Yellow reread if possible, and our Bella's Book Club pick this month is Murder on the Orient Express, so...perfect October rereads? I'm kinda stoked!

previous months:

july august

#monthly wrap ups #september 2024 #september 2024 reads #currently reading #bookish #booklr #bookblr #bibliophile #read in september #a sorceress comes to call #tress of the emerald sea #mansfield park #jane austen #the butcher of the forest #long live evil #vita nostra

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kornwulf · 1 year ago

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Now, if you're a fan of the human urge to anthropomorphise machines (and who among us isn't, to be honest), the story of LES-1 may interest you. LES-1, or Lincoln Experimental Satellite 1 (SATCAT 01002) , was a failed experimental communication satellite launched in early 1965 on a Titan IIIA booster. Due to a failure in it's orbital insertion SRB, it failed to achieve it's planned orbit, and wound up ceasing transmission in 1967, when radiation exposure from the Van Allen Belts was thought to have killed it.

However, in 2012, it started spontaneously transmitting again, becoming one of the oldest known "Zombie Satellites" (which are satellites in a stable orbit that are only partially able to be communicated with)

It's thought that the batteries failed in such a way that the solar panels shorted directly to the transmitter. As it tumbles through space, it occasionally gets enough juice to resume trying to transmit. There's something tragically romantic about a failed little satellite waking back up after a 40 year slumber and trying desperately to call to a home that's no longer listening or caring what it has to say, it's mission never being accomplished.

#wulf's wafflings #satellite #space #space exploration #zombie satellites #les-1

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wildtornado-o · 1 year ago

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Manifesting him. I want G3 Porter so bad y'all </3

Potential g3 Porter design... (and a little Spectra and Porter doodle bcs i have a huge soft spot for them)

Im really bad with fashion but i wanted to give him something streetwear like so i hope it looks ok dhsjs

#The struggle of favourite characters being in 1 (one) movie from the series #srb

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late-to-the-party-81 · 9 months ago

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Meet, Greet, Indiscreet - Chapter 1

AN: I’m back again trying to shoe-horn in a few more bingo fills before the end of the month, so I have a three part Shrunkyclunks for you. Thanks to @endlesstwanted who had to deal with my tired brain not aligning my tenses when they were beta-ing.

Likes are loved, reblogs are golden.

Mood board by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Join my tag list here

Master list | Stucky Bingo Master List | SRB Master list

Summary: When Captain America, Steve Rogers, and his boyfriend, YouTuber Bucky Barnes’ private relationship gets accidentally made public, they end up being interviewed about the romance between them as part of the PR repair. How did these two love-birds meet, and what happened to make hot gossip for the media?

Relationships: Modern Bucky Barnes x Cap! Steve Rogers

WC: 2.3k

CW: Modern Bucky Barnes, Cap! Steve Rogers, Anxiety, Fluff, TV Interview, Flashback, Canon typical violence, meet cute/ugly, flirting, flirting at an inappropriate time, brief non-consensual kiss.

Bingo Fills and Challenges

Stucky Bingo- Flashbacks

Steve Rogers Bingo - Battle of New York

The lights were shining bright and hot on his face and the buzz of people moving around was loud in his ears. Steve sucked in a deep breath. He could do this, he had been in front of the cameras numerous times. However, this was different. On all of those occasions he’d been doing it as ‘Captain America’. Today, while he was still that, sort of, he was having to let a bit more of his private self - a bit more of Steve - show.

The host, a genial man in his late fifties with dark hair and glasses, flashed him a sympathetic smile, if somehow knowing the internal struggle he was dealing with.

“It’s gonna be fine,” the host placated. “I’m not gonna go off piste with the questions. Try and think of this like any other interview you’ve done, but with a different focus. Not so stern and stiff. And you’re not here alone, either.” He gestured towards Steve’s companion on the plush sofa.

Bucky grinned at him, leaning nonchalantly against the soft fabric, arms draped along its back. Steve wished he could be that relaxed. However, as he and Bucky were here more out of a PR need than any real want to be interviewed, he thought he could be forgiven for his stiffness.

Various crew members bustled around the stage, measuring the light levels, checking that microphones were attached properly, and dusting powder onto the host’s forehead, when Steve felt Bucky lean across to him. “I’m right here.”

Such a short phrase, but one that immediately helped to lessen the anxiety building inside him. Which was good, because at that moment the director stood up.

“10 seconds ‘til we’re on air, people. 4. 3.” He went silent for the last two seconds, holding up his fingers instead. The host immediately seemed to morph into someone else, right before Steve’s eyes.

“Welcome back. It’s time for our next guests, who need very little introduction. It’s Steve Rogers - Captain America, and YouTube and gaming sensation, Bucky Barnes!” An applause track started to play and Steve felt his face morph into a rictus grin, which made it difficult to get out his greeting. Now he knew what a deer caught in headlamps felt like. But then Bucky, his sweet, silly and loving boyfriend, slipped his hand into Steve’s where it lay between them and started to brush his thumb back and forward over Steve’s knuckles. His anxiety lessened even more and he managed to tune back in to where he was, realising that Bucky and the host had exchanged some silly pleasantries while he’d been sitting looking like the most awkward human to have ever existed.

“So,” the host continued, getting into his script, “you’ve come here today to talk about your relationship, which you had been keeping private until it came to light in an unexpected way a few weeks back. I know there was some speculation - some rumours - about the two of you after a previous incident a year ago, but I don’t think anyone was expecting your announcement, or the form it took.”

Steve felt his pale Irish skin betraying him as he felt a hot wave of embarrassment rush up his neck. “Well - I -” His tongue felt thick in his mouth. The words didn’t want to come and then he felt Bucky pressing his leg against him as well, grounding him. “I’m quite a private person, at least compared to Buck, so we weren’t really trying to hide it, but I will say that we didn’t ever plan to announce it like we did.”

Both the host and Bucky chuckled at Steve’s choice of words. ‘Announce’ was really the right word. ‘Unveil’ would have been more appropriate.

“Well, before we get to that part of the story, let’s start at the beginning. The first incident - the one that sparked the initial rumours - was after you met at a Stark Gala, is that right?”

Bucky grinned. “It was definitely where we were first introduced, but it wasn’t where, or when, we first met.”

“Ooh!” said the host, with such genuine interest Steve almost forgot that it was at least partially scripted. They, or rather their PR team, had divulged there was more of a story to tell, but not what it was, only assuring the TV executives that it was safe to be aired and would add an extra aspect of romanticism. “Tell me more!”

Steve couldn’t help but smile as he looked over at Bucky, forgetting for a moment he was being recorded live on national TV, mooning over his boyfriend. “Yes - it was totally unexpected. Apparently fate had an agenda we weren’t even aware of….”

Flashback - New York 2011

It was utter chaos on the streets of Manhattan. Steve was pressed to the ground, on his back, as one of the aliens that had come through the portal opened by Loki was trying to push its bladed weapon into his face. With a sharp and desperate wrench, he managed to twist the glowing edge aside, giving him room to backhand the creature and then follow it up with a jab. His assailant flew to the floor, unmoving. Steve assumed he’d broken its neck.

As he staggered back to his feet, the voice of Clint, positioned up on the rooftops as Steve had asked, sounded in his ear. “Cap - the Bank on 42nd, passed Madison. They’ve caught a lot of civilians in there.”

“I’m on it,” Steve replied and set off running. As he reached the bank, he could see army and police standing outside, unsure as to what to do. It wasn’t as though there were protocols for this sort of thing. Going in through the front door would probably be a bad idea - that would be too obvious and he’d be shot at as soon as he made it through. However, looking up, he could see the open windows on the second floor and a plan coalesced inside his brain.

Taking a run up, and using an abandoned car as a ramp, he launched himself up into the air, the shield in front of him to protect his eyes. He burst through the opening and, as hoped, he had the element of surprise. Five of the alien creatures were standing up on this mezzanine, gesturing threateningly with their energy weapons. He rolled across the floor, and as he came to his feet, Steve launched his shield at the closest, incapacitating him immediately.

He dived across the space, slamming into a coffee table as two of them opened fire, before engaging one of them in hand to hand combat. Almost effortlessly, he broke its neck and threw it over the balcony onto the floor below, the hostages gasping as they got out of the way.

“Everyone! Clear out!” he shouted, but suddenly another alien grabbed him from behind, its clawed hand grasping at his face and snagging on his cowl. He jabbed it in the ribs - or where ribs would be if it was human - and backflipped over its shoulder, able to turn it and use it as a shield as one of its comrades fired. Dropping the body to the floor, he realised something. That first one - it had been holding a device in his hand that had dropped to the floor. A device that was now beeping louding. Beeps that were getting faster and faster.

The last alien standing picked up the device - the bomb -, raising its arm to throw it at him. Steve rolled over the floor, picking up his shield on the way. He jumped into the air, curling up as small as possible behind his shield just as the device was thrown at him. It exploded, taking out the last alien, but the shock wave also sent Steve shooting back through the window he’d come through, out into the air above the street.

Time seemed to slow down, and for a moment he was floating. However, the world soon sped up again and he was falling, landing face down onto the car he’d used to get in, crushing the roof with his ribs taking most of the impact.

With his ears ringing, he got to his feet, trying not to wince, and in that instant he really took in what was going on around him. The scale of the destruction, the complete hopelessness of the situation hit him. How on earth were they going to get through this? Survive this? Off to the side, the police were evacuating all of the civilians from the bank, trying to get them to a safe place somewhere underground. All Steve could do was try to breathe.

From the corner of his eyes he saw someone duck under the arms of the first responders, and he turned, worried. It was a young man, maybe only 20 years old. He had shaggy dark hair poking out from beneath a baseball cap, and he wore a bright orange T-shirt and knee-length shorts. It was definitely a look. As he got closer, Steve could see he had ice blue eyes, plump lips and a bottle of water in his hand. He stopped in front of Steve, the bottle extended in his hand, and Steve took it with a nod.

“Are you okay?” the guy asked. “You just got blown out of a window!” His face was doing a strange thing, where he was obviously excited but trying not to look like it.

Steve finished drinking the water and looked around for a trash can, trying not to grin at the guy’s demeanor.

“It takes a lot more than that to stop me,” he chirped back, and launched the empty water bottle across the street and into a can that was tilted at an angle. As the plastic thunked in, he wondered what on earth he was doing. He was in the middle of a catastrophic event, and somehow he was flirting. Now was definitely not the time or the place, even if the young man was extremely cute.

With a cough, he squared his shoulders and tried to put on his best ‘Captain America’ face.

“You’d best go back and join the others. Get to safety.”

His new fan opened his mouth to say something in response, but Steve didn’t even get the chance to wonder what it was going to be, because in the next instant all the blood drained from his cute face and he grabbed hold of Steve’s forearm, yanking him down.

“Look out!” he cried, and Steve ducked his head as he allowed himself to be pulled down. A shot from an alien weapon zipped across where his head had been, fizzling into the lamp post behind him.

Almost immediately, he shook off the young man, stood and threw his shield at the creature that had shot at him. The vibranium ricocheted off the alien, knocking it to the ground where it twitched for a moment and then went still. Reaching down, he pulled the man who’d now saved his life back to his feet. “Thanks for the assist,” he said, not even trying to keep the smile from reaching his eyes.

The young man looked back at him, his own eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, before blurting out, ”Woah! You just keep going, don’t you?”

He didn’t know where it came from, but he let out a chuckle and then gave him a wink that could only be described as flirty. “I can do this all day,” he intoned, more than a small note of amusement in his voice.

”Cap!” Clint’s voice sounded in his ear again. “Are you taking a nap? We need you.” Despite the fact that he should have turned all of his attention to the information Clint was giving him, he couldn’t help but drink in the sight of the beautiful young man out of the corner of his eye. With all the directions memorised, Steve turned with reluctance to say goodbye.

”I gotta go. Stay safe, please.”

He was about to turn away, about to start running back down the street, when a pair of arms twined around his neck and a pair of soft lips pressed briefly against his own. “For good luck,” the stranger said as he stepped back. “Go save New York.”

Steve raised his fingers to his lips as he watched the young man return to the group of civilians being ushered to safety, his mind reeling on what had just happened.

“Cap! For Thor’s sake, get over here!” Clint shouted at him over the comms. With a shake of his head, Steve turned and ran back into the fray.

The present

The show host looked utterly enraptured, his elbows resting on his desk and his face cupped in his hands. Steve was also certain the man was making goo-goo eyes at him. At his side, Bucky was grinning while hanging on his arm and resting his head on his shoulder.

”And you didn’t see each other again for over 10 years?”

Before Steve could open his mouth, Bucky interjected. “No, but obviously I never forgot him. Who would forget being saved by Captain America?”

“Seems to me that you saved him in return,” the host replied.

Now it was Steve’s turn to butt back in “He certainly did. And despite the intervening years, I never forgot him either, even if I honestly thought I’d never see him again. I hadn’t been out of the ice for long. Hadn’t really gotten a hand on this century and its freedoms compared to what I was used to. Bucky here made a lasting impression.”

“So the years went by and then came your fame, Bucky, and an invitation to Tony Stark’s Nouveau Tech Gala. Were you nervous, knowing that you were probably going to see your hero again?”

“So nervous,” Bucky said with an emphatic nod. “I thought I was going to look like some kind of mad stalker because I was sure that he had forgotten almost as soon as he’d gone back into the fight and I knew I’d end up fangirling over him.”

“But I hadn’t forgotten,” commented Steve, placing his free hand on top of their joined ones.

“And I’m forever thankful.”

Chapter 2

Tag list: @km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989, @kombatfather1796, @christywrites, @alexakeyloveloki, @doasyoudesireandlive, @galactusdevourerofworlds, @crayongirl-linz, @mightstill, @nicoline1998enilocin, @starrkermarvel

#Stucky fic #shrunkyclunks #steve rogers x bucky barnes #steve x bucky #stucky bingo #steve rogers bingo

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