#20 bucks says they haven’t heard 3$BY

[are-we-really-doing-this]

Top comment on Anthrax’s I’m The Man is “Still better than Limp Bizkit.” and come on now. Haven’t we learned not to pit two bad bitches against each other?

[stellar-constellations]

"Christmas isn't in July?!"

        Writer! Fem! (Y/N) x Flower shop owner! Tanjirou

        Prompt from a prompt generator: "A owns a flower shop and one day B��comes in. B slaps 20 bucks onto the counter and then asks  "How do I passive-agressively say 'fuck you' in flower?" and A bursts out laughing before making a bouquet for B"

        The Kamado family was famous for their bakery’s fresh bread and flowers. The eldest son took over the bakery not too long ago and helped make a huge profit out of the family business with their diplomatic advertising and their delicious recipes.

        I became a regular customer soon after their eldest son took over. Their mother and sister tends to the garden growing organically grown flowers of many different varieties. 

        I figured that I needed to go outside instead of being cooped up in my bedroom all day writing as I multitasked from looking out the window and at half-typed page that I haven’t touched in 20 minutes. I quickly grabbed my keys and locked the apartment, deciding to leave and go get coffee. I took my laptop too in case I randomly get hit with inspiration or a idea as I spend an hour curled up on the side of some poor owner’s wall typing away at my keyboard (don’t ask why that was so detailed).

        It didn’t matter that I was in my pajamas and my hair was a little messy from just waking up 2 hours ago (it also didn’t help that I didn’t brush my hair when I woke up either). But that’s fine, lots of people go to places with coffee while looking like they got hit by semi-trucks. Besides, with a gamble of my luck, my hair might just fix itself. 

        I walked into the shop, noticing instantly that I was the only customer. The bell rang as I entered, walking up to the cash register and observing the menu. I’ve never been here before but I’ve heard of it from a friend or two. They said the place was really good but looking around this place looks absolutely deserted.

        Maybe I should call up one of my friends to see if they want to stay here with me, this place is a little creepy alone. I thought. Actually, never mind, I wouldn’t get any work done that way. 

        The sacrifices of being an anti-social writer I must make. Sacrifice my work or my comfort? I decided on my comfort, especially after I made eye-contact with a boy who started walking to the cash register from out of the kitchen door. If I leave now, I’ll feel guilty. 

        “Hello! What can I get started for you today?” the boy asked cheerfully.

        Chill, it’s only 3 p.m. right now… I thought, not quite enjoying his energetic persona.

        “Um…the raspberry lemonade?” I smiled nervously.

        I just realized that I don’t know how to explain what a Carmel Macchiato from Starbucks is so the boy could copy it nor did I realize how attractive the male was until he got closer.

        I suddenly felt self-conscious of my morning appearance as I started fiddling with my fingers and shirt as he typed the order down.

        “Anything else?” he questioned.

        I quickly looked at the menu, noticing the flower menu. I looked at it confused. His gaze followed mine as he smiled.

        “The flower menu? My mother and sister works on the garden in the greenhouse outside. The flowers are organically grown with no pesticides or chemicals so their all natural.” The boy explained. “They’re really pretty and great for gifts! I can explain the flower language for you if you want.”

        “Um, okay… I’ll have a vase and a white-pink orchid.” I answered.

        “Great choice! Did you know orchids have different meanings such as luxury, wealth, fertility, good fortune, and abundance?” he explained excitedly. 

        I felt a smile creep onto my face as his contagious energy got to me.

        “I didn't know that. I’m getting the flower so I can get good luck to being productive today—fingers crossed.” I smiled and crossed my fingers to liven my words.

        He smiled back. “Well, in that case, allow me to give you my own fortune.”

        Before I could ask him what he meant he disappeared behind the doors and didn’t come back until a few minutes. I waited semi-patiently as I looked around the small yet homey shop.

        I saw small heads peek out from behind the counter, easily being able to figure out that it was the other Kamado siblings. I looked at them nervously, unsure what to do as they stared at me curiously. Do they not think I can see them?

        I settled on smiling shy and awkwardly as I waved at them. They smiled, giggling as they scattered outside in excited and speaking in childish voices I couldn't understand. 

        I smiled slightly, well at least I made them laugh. The boy said soon came back from the back of the store with a vase filled with white-pink orchids. 

        "Here you go!" he smiled, placing the flower pot gently on the counter. 

        "Uh...I said one..." I mumbled awkwardly as I thought about how much that would be in total if I got them all.

        I'll admit, it looks prettier with all the flowers together but I don't plan on spending 30 bucks for flowers and lemonade for myself. 

        "I said I'll give you my fortune, didn't I?" he spoke gently, causing my heart strings to be pulled. "I was originally going to give you an extra but it seems my siblings wanted you to have more." He chuckled nervously as four heads popped out behind him in sync. 

        "W-what!? I didn't give her one!" one of the kids shouted, his face going red. 

        "Yeah, you did! Don't you lie, Takeo!" a young girl said. 

        "Besides, even the dullest flower can bloom the brightest with another's touch." The eldest smiled.

        I smiled back nervously. "W-well... thank you for thinking of me?" I commented.

        "The flowers are free." He smiled, reading my mind as he got straight to the point.

        "Free? You don't gotta, I can pay." I spoke, flabbergasted.

        "No, no! I insist! Though the lemonade you'll be paying for." The boy chuckled nervously.

        "Way to be a gentleman..." The young sister spoke sarcastically, puffing out her cheeks and giving her brother a disapproving glare.

        "Lady killer...and not in a good way." The tsundere brother teased as he placed his hands behind his head.

        I giggled, seeing the playful sibling banter between them.

        "You're all siblings, right? I heard this bakery was family owned." I asked, making small talk as I grabbed my wallet from my pocket. 

        "Yes. I'm Tanjirou Kamado, the new owner. These are my siblings, Hanako, Takeo, Shigeru, and Rokuta. My other sister is out back along with my mother." The boy, Tanjirou, explained.

        "I'm Y/N. You're the new owner, huh? How has that been treating you?" I questioned, trying to last the conversation as I slid him 20 bucks.

        "It's very exhausting..." he physically deflated, causing his youngest brother, Rokuta, to poke him and giggle. "Oh. The lemonade was two dollars." Tanjirou explained.

        "Consider it a thank you for the flowers and your hospitality." I smiled as I picked up my flower pot. "You think I could hang here for some time? I have some work to do on my computer and I love your bakery's atmosphere; it's calm and it'll help me think." I spoke. 

        He smiled excitedly and nodded. "Stay for as long as you like; we don't mind!" 

        That was the first time I met Tanjirou. Who knew my work would lead me to becoming friends with a locally famous baker? His bakery has now expanded and is now located a bit further from my apartment, yet I make an effort to try and get there every day. Whenever I skip a day, I'm greeted with kids huddled around me as Tanjirou they sulk about how much they missed me. 

        Tanjirou being Tanjirou, he's turned the bakery into a fundraiser too. Orphaned children and the children's hospital patients come here and hang out to get away from bad news or to enjoy their time with friends. I volunteered to read kid books and family-friendly novels for the children since I'm aware my books aren't exactly kid-friendly.

        Tanjirou was absolutely flabbergasted when he found out I was a writer, specifically the new trending writer Y/N (yes it was hilarious watching his face morph from excitement to confusion to embarrassment to guilt to straight up tears of how he didn't figure this out sooner).

        For months, I'd come in and help out. On days I didn't help, I'd work on my book or buy flowers. Tanjirou's been studying a whole bunch of flower language to try and figure out flower facts I don't know so he can impress me explain the meanings in more depth, but I believe it's endearing. Throughout our journey of getting to know each other, I've found myself to be slowly falling for him.

        "I need blue hydrangeas, some white lilies, and iris!" I explained in a rush as I ran up to the counter.

        "For your father? It's Father's Day! Did you know hydrangeas represent gratitude, grace, family, and beauty? And white lilies mean purity, innocence, rebirth, and caring. And Iris represents love and trust." Tanjirou explained.

        "Yes! I'm aware! Thank you!" I smiled, tapping my foot anxiously. "And I'm late to dinner!" I cried out. 

        "Oh! Oh no!" Tanjirou exclaimed. "I'll get your flowers right away!" he ran quickly, getting my flowers in just a few minutes.

        I slammed money down on the counter, not bothering to check the amount as I ran out towards the door.

        "Good luck! Tell your dad I said hi!" he screamed. 

        Yeah, my dad doesn't like you but I'll tell him. 

        Other encounters went like this.

        I slammed 40 bucks on the counter and looked at him Tanjirou irritated. "Give me the most hateful and rudest bouquet you can make while the flowers look pretty!" I huffed out.

        "U-um...what happened? If you don't mind me asking." Tanjirou questioned, nervously. 

        "I'm going to a party with my friends and we're doing Secret Santas. Unfortunately, my friend gave me my ex as the person I'm going to be gifting." I explained, glaring at the counter. "And I don't like them but I want it to be passive-aggressive." I smiled. "And, I'm petty." 

        "Um...okay." He laughed nervously, disappearing out back.

        He came back and handed me a bouquet.

        "Geraniums represent stupidity, foxglove represents insincerity, meadowsweet represents uselessness, yellow carnations represent 'you have disappointed me', and orange lilies represent hatred." Tanjirou explained. 

        "One more thing." I slammed another 40 bucks on the counter, this time more gently. "Give me a whole bunch of lavender, pink bluebells, peonies, roses, and red chrysanthemum." He gave me an extremely confused look yet agreed. 

        He came back with the flowers and looked at me confused. "I thought you said you hated your ex?" Tanjirou questioned. 

        "Yeah? Well, happy birthday and I love you." I blurted out, handing him back the love bouquet as I grabbed the hate bouquet and ran.

        "Thanks? But wait! Christmas isn't in July?!" Tanjirou exclaimed. 

        "The flowers are for you!" I shouted, before shutting the bakery door and racing out of the apartment, ignoring the smile present on my face.

        Have any requests? Check my masterlist to see the characters I write for: Masterlist

[moonstone27ls]

Just random/unpopular opinion...

So the Owl House will be ending soon.... and I will write my opinion on the finale but this is more of the show in general....

You know what annoys me a little. That even if we cut these three eps in half. Looking back, it’ll be forever known that Disney... a company that says “We love our LGBTQ fans”. They gave a very popular show that was trying to give a good story/and representation to the LGBTQ only 6 episodes(again if you cut the whole hour long eps in half) when THEY decided to cancel it.

But they’re giving Big City Greens 20 whole eps, another season and apparently a movie. Now before someone says “Dude don’t hate on this show”. I’m not, I get it. Its popular/its cute kids love it, in general. Its not about the show in general its about how unfair Disney has been to the Owl House.

Now again not hating on the people from the studio who supported Dana Terrace. From what I hear(again hear, I have no legit refs), the staff and such were good to her. And yes I’ve heard rumors that when season 3 was green-lit, besides Disney being Disney. Rumor was they want to blame the COVID era on why they scrapped it, instead of giving it a chance.

I would believe that except Amphibia was made during COVID era and its finale was allowed to have the normal amount of episodes. The Ghost and Molly McGee was made during COVID-era and they were GIVEN 20 episodes and are having their second season air soon. Now Moon Girl and Devil Dino you could argue that. But even Moon Girl got more than 6 eps for her first season. BIG CITY GREENS was also here and its been saved. Again I’m not trashing these shows.

I still like Disney, I love Amphibia, I love Moon Girl (Lunella is both adorable and likeable), Molly McGee’s show is good(haven’t had time to catch up), Big City Greens... depends on eps. Not the point, the point is it feels like from day one the Disney big wigs want to say they care but when push came to shove they pushed Owl House under the bus. 

Why? To save bucks for this multimillion dollar company? To save face in Florida? I honestly don’t know. But its gonna forever bother me that the Owl House wasn’t given a fair shake. And I will forever blame Disney. And in addition Disney is to a degree a monster. Just the company as a whole, I’m not gonna touch on the problems and complaints. Just... sorry Owl House, sorry Dana Terrace. You had a great show. It was incredibly great and my niece loved it. 

And this won’t mean much from nobody online. But what I’ll miss most was Luz. Granted she’s Dominican and I’m Mexican. It was for the first time in ages, if I can be honest. That I saw a who knew Spanish girl, and had the same interests as me. I didn’t know many Latina/Hispanic girls in my community/or family tree who liked what I liked. They all liked boys, their hair/fashion/makeup... but I was the odd duck who liked manga/music/ anime/mythology. And the other classmate girls went through fads. 

So yes while I learned Luz wasn’t the same ethnicity as me. It just gave a sense of I dunno relief/gratitude that I could see a character who had same tastes as me and like me when I was her age. I struggled in school because I was different. I dunno I can’t just “representation matters”... because I dunno if I’m allowed to say that cause if I’m right Luz was Afro-Latin American? and I’m just Mexican I’m fairly certain I can’t say it. But I dunno its her character that appealed to me. Sorry I’m rambling.

I just wish I could tell Dana Terrace thank you for making Luz and giving a face to me and probably any other kid who’s struggling because we’re the odd ducks. And I wish more could had been done for her.

[itoshi-s]

can I ask you Sae or Kaiser on the weekend at their house with their s/o and can't stop teasing each other before you know 🤭...

I love your writing <3 thank you so much !

hii anon !! went with sae for this one as of i dont write for kaiser ( and i am biased hehe ), hope you like it !!(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭

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*.✧ ft. sae itoshi

*.✧ wc: 4.3k. not proofread. nsfw / 18+ only / minors dni ! - fem reader, sae's a pro player and in his early 20s. mention of masturbation, asphyxiation/choking, hard dom! sae (but turns softer), sae dirty talks a lot, he calls you a whore once :'>, squirting. note: inspired by in heat by hentai xander !!

*.✧ the heatwave takes it's toll on you, but sae doesn't really like excuses.

although rare, there are times where you regret flying to spain with sae.

it’s usually during one of your screaming matches, when he lets his mouth run and says a few words too many. (he’s quick to widen his eyes though at the sight of your wobbling lip, and soon has you in an embrace so strong there is no way you’re going to run away from him.) sometimes, it’s when you two can’t enjoy a peaceful night out, having to leave early because you can see people start to gather outside the club, having heard of the opportunity to see real madrid’s prodigy in the flesh. and then, it’s days like this - when all you can do is lay nearly naked on the once cool sheets, the ac blasting, and yet, your skin still shines with sweat, making the tee you’re wearing nearly see through as it sticks to your flesh.

it’s not like you’re a total wimp - you’ve always liked the humid heat that had so many people visiting spain all year round, and it even made you giddy when you could finally start wearing the skimpy, flowy clothing that back in your hometown, you only got to wear on the few hottest summer days. now, as you nearly feel lightheaded, you figure that 40 degrees celsius might just be the temperature that beats you. 

“it’s almost 6 and you still haven’t moved from the bed,” sae sounds amused from his spot on the balcony, glancing at you through the ajar doors. you turn your head to his direction, brows furrowing as you lean up on your forearm. 

“you’re letting the heat back in,” you whine, throwing your legs over the edge of the bed as you stand up rapidly. sae seems unbothered at the annoyed expression you wear, instead finishing his unknown iced beverage with a slurp of the straw, only turning your attention to you when his sight of the city below is blocked by that of your bare thighs. “this really doesn’t bother you, not one bit?” 

craning his head up to look at you, sae places the glass down and snakes his hands on the behind of your thighs. massaging the flesh, he can feel just how heated your body is - the warmth making his abdomen stir. 

“got used to it,” he shrugs, a shadow of a smirk playing at the corners of his lips as your hands quickly work on prying his off your legs.

standing between his spread thighs, you are a sight that is just enough to make him harden in his shorts. he has to shift in his seat, hips bucking up momentarily and he knows, sees that your eyes flicker downwards, to where his hard on bulges in the 5 inch inseam shorts. 

“gross,” you scrunch your nose, but the slight shudder of your chest tells him otherwise. “don’t even think ‘bout it. i can barely stand in this heat, let alone keep up with you.” 

the attitude you’ve been sporting since yesterday, when the temperature started to rise abruptly, has been keeping sae on his toes ever since he first  noticed the grimace on your face. now, that you were finally in his arms’ reach and he won’t have to share you with anybody else, it seems like life decided to punish him for all his sins and selfish ways. the first time you rebuffed his efforts, it made annoyance bubble deep within his chest and he had to bite on his tongue as to not say something that’d only push you away further. if there was one thing sae hates, it is to impose on you- it’s all against everything that ever got him going. needing, craving you - wanting you all over him. nothing can rile him up the way your teary eyes do, whimpers and pleads turning to blabbering, muscles aching to touch him - but now, the image seems as far away as it did months ago, when thousand kilometers kept you separated. 

kissing his teeth, sae stands up from his seat and delivers a single smack to your bottom, fingers grabbing at the flesh, forcing a yelp from your throat. “watch it,” he quips, a finger sneaking behind the waistband of your thong to playfully snap it back. “you don’t want me joinin’ in.”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　✧

yeah, you didn’t want him to join your little teasing game. that you know for sure, but you suppose it is too late for regrets now, when the temperature is still breaking the records and yet, sae managed to kindle an even stronger heat inside of you.

you have many things at the back of your head to keep worrying about, but somehow, sae and his presence all around is on the top of the list. now it isn’t just the mind fogging heat you have to suffer from, but also sae and his screwing around and to make it worse, you can’t escape it not even for a minute - you really do feel trapped with the consequences of your very own actions, right in your and sae’s top floor apartment. the heat is bringing you two main obstacles, that you just cannot seem to win over: you cannot leave the house to get back at sae and focus your mind anywhere else (you would quite literally melt), and, similarly, sae can’t leave either, considering the temperature’s high enough to keep people from doing daily tasks outside, yet alone practice and exhaust themselves (unlike you, he is very much thankful for the few obligatory days off). this leaves you in a position where you have to either swallow down your pride, give in to your urges - which feel almost primal to you now - and start begging your boyfriend for even just a lick of his attention. 

as if having to admit defeat wasn’t enough, you’re met with a wall that sae managed to build up almost overnight - one that’s made of thick glass, so that it keeps him out of your needy reach, but allows him to stare down at you with a condemning glare, a glint of a smirk on his lips, as if saying see, i told you. you’ve tried just about every trick in the book to ignite the spark in the emerald orbs you’ve grown to love, but it’s all old news to him, it seems, and he doesn’t budge no matter how desperate your efforts are. 

or so you think - just because sae doesn’t barge in right through the bathroom door upon hearing the muffled moans as you shower, doesn’t mean that the sound leaves him unbothered. your legs almost kick out involuntarily from the dopamine rush as you feel your walls squeeze at your fingers, orgasm rushing through every nerve and making you keen softly. sae, sae please - he can hear it all, and knows very well that it’s exactly what you wanted of him when you left the door ajar, inviting. he has to grab at the throbbing in his shorts, giving his cock a single squeeze to relieve at least a crumb of the pressure or otherwise, he just might lose his cool and give in to you. he exhales through his nose, the knees that can carry him through the whole field in a flash now feeling weak under his weight as he listens to your moans die down. 

the heat doesn’t let up, even though it’s been two days already - the forecast says it should start moving north soon, finally give spain a moment to breathe - but sae’s stubborn, and you know that the tight knot that seems to tighten with each of his looks sent your way won’t come undone anytime soon.

oh, you have no idea how hard this miffed face you’ve put on makes him. he sees you trying, of course he does, the way you started wearing your tiniest cropped tops and some flimsy panties around the house - even though you both know that it’s easier to fight the heat when wearing loose clothing. but if you wore anything else, he wouldn’t have the view of your tits perking up as you stretch, sitting on the other end of the leather brown couch, the underside coming to view and luring him in to touch - and that he knows, too. he’s well aware that each and every time he groped and grabbed at the flesh of your bottom, he’s made it clear just how obsessed he was with the soft muscle there - and now you’re using it against him, as you bend over to reach for something under the sink. if only sae didn’t know just how much of a whore you could be, he’d think that the wet spot on your panties was just his vision playing games with him. but he knows, and yet it doesn’t make it any easier on him to not give up and submit to his need.

you can feel your eyelids grow heavy, struggling to keep your focus on the random movie you’ve put on the tv to kill the time. the sunlight seeps through the blinds, scolding at your heated skin as you shift, clammy skin sticking to the leather brown sofa. you hum softly, head tilting to the side as you hear sae stop by the back of the couch, peeking at the scene playing out on the flat screen. one warm hand rest on the crook of your neck, sending a surprised shiver right down your spine, and your eyes wearily flutter open as you feel sae’s fingers slowly snake around your throat. giving a few light taps to your jugular, he gives no effort into knocking the breath out of your lungs as his hand gently squeezes. you were nearly dozed off just seconds before, but now you’re back awake and alert, heart racing as you feel sae’s hand fully wrap around your neck - a whimper ripping from your throat, thighs rubbing against each other at the thought that this might just be it.

sae almost jolts at the quivering sound, pulling his hand away quickly, “oi,” he mumbles, fighting back a smirk as he notices your shoulders tremble. he got you good. “sorry. i thought you were asleep,” the hand comes back up to ruffle your hair. “won’t disturb you anymore.” and just like that, he’s already walking down the hall, soon disappearing into your bedroom, leaving behind a burn at your neck and a throb between your legs.

the all-time high hits a few hours later, when sae wakes from his afternoon nap and reluctantly gets off the bed, slides padding softly against the hardwood floors. he scratches at the back of his neck, heading to the kitchen to grab a cold drink,

“hey,” he’s greeted by your voice, sweet but hushed, as if the heat sucked all of your energy out and only left a shadow behind. (you’ve always been so soft when tired - it always made him press kisses to your reddened cheeks and just below your glassy eyes.) sae gives a small nod and notices the bright blue popsicle in your hand, eyes moving from the iced treat upwards, to your face - just in time as your tongue lolls out to take a long lick.

sucking a breath in, he forces a smile, “hm, you took the last one,” he notes, turning his back to you as he grabs a glass from the cupboard and fills it with tap water.

“yeah,” you hum, slurping, and sae feels his knees buckle.he keeps up his act, leaning back against the marble counter as you lock eyes. the juice is leaking down your fingers and you move to lick it off, a slow lap up your hand,  “m’sorry, sae.” red starts to seep into his view, gaze zeroed on your tongue as it works around the tip of the lolly.  “couldn’t help myself.” and then, it snaps.

you jump in your seat as sae slams the glass down on the table, and you want to knit your brows together and urge him to be careful - but seeing his restraints break makes your heart race and pussy throb. you are shameless, but it doesn’t matter anymore. not when it has him so feral, desperate to feel you. he doesn’t give you time to react - he’s known worldwide for his quick reflexes, after all - before he’s already pulling your hand away to the side and presses his hungry lips to yours.

you don’t have it in you to even joke about him making a mess as the popsicle falls to the floor from your hand, mouth full of his tongue as it licks at your cheeks and grazes along your teeth. it has you moaning, a lewd muffled sound, as sae quickly works on pushing his sweatshorts down. he breaks the kiss as he hears you struggle to breathe, a strong hand wrapping around your throat in a firm grip instead as it pushes you down. your head spins at the urgency of his movements and the grunt he lets out when your knees hit the floor.

“you’ve been actin’ like a real fucking whore,” he grabs at your jaw tightly instead, fingers digging into the flesh of your cheek and forcing your mouth agape. “you know that?” one would’ve thought that it’s embarrassing, the way he has you on your knees in a matter of minutes, tongue hanging out, saliva pooling at the tip - but to you, this feels right. your hands pull at the waistband of the grey sweats, tugging them down promptly and a groan rips from sae’s throat at the feeling of his cock springing free. you reach to wrap a hand around it, just below the reddened head, and flick your thumb over the beads of precum that already seep out the tip. you crane your head up to watch sae’s brows furrow at the initial rush of pleasure and keep your wide eyes right on his as finally, you lean in to get a taste.

reaching one hand behind him, he grips the edge of the dining table and leans against it, other hand trailing up from your neck to grab a fistful of hair. he twists the locks around, hearing you wheeze at the sudden surge of pain, and cuts your surprised sounds off by pushing his hips forward.

“ha-ah-” he gasps, eyes trained on your face and how the tears already start to cling to your lashes, “fuck- show me you’re sorry.” he grunts, shoulders rolling back before he adjusts the tight grip on your hair and pulls your face towards his abdomen. and if you didn’t feel sorry for teasing the fuck out of him yet, then you were surely regretting it now as he bullies his cock deep into your mouth, until your small hands grab at the back of his muscled thighs. “yeah, that’s it. take it.” you squeeze your eyes shut at the burn in the back of your throat, at the feeling of sae’s cock nearly rubbing up on your tonsils. it makes you gag, saliva spilling from the sides of your mouth already, and you feel rivulets of tears rush down your face as he pushes your head even further. 

your nose presses against his abdomen, well trimmed and smelling of his shower gel and sweat. it turns your mind foggy and head dizzy - or is it the lack of oxygen? - as he starts thrusting, forcefully, other hand coming up to the back of your neck to gain better control of your movements. “you know tha- ah- that i hate fuckin’ brats,” your nails break the pale skin on sae’s thighs, crescent moons glowing bright pink as you grasp at the sturdy muscle. it’s starting to ring in your ears, and your neck cramps from sae’s grip. “and yet, you want to be one so badly.”

your hands scurry to grap at his legs, desperate as white dots start to sparkle across your jet black vision and yet, he stills his hips, so deep you can almost feel him in your guts. you know he adores the free use you let him have of you, and that he has his moment to pull out perfectly calculated, knowing your limits better than even you do. but, sometimes, you wonder if he’s going to push you even further, until your muscles grow limp, throat relaxes around his girth-

you heave and gasp at the sudden flow of air as sae abruptly pulls you off of him, hand flying up to clutch at your chest. there’s saliva pooling on the floor, a shameful image of filth that he forces from you each and every time, and from the corner of your eye you see sae step out of his shorts and kick them to the side.

“six,” he speaks, cutting through the spiraling the asphyxiation put you into. “that’s how many times you’ve lead me on.” you whimper as sae grabs you by the forearm, pulling your body up from the floor. he takes notice on how it already feels putty in his hands as he backs you up against the table and pushes at your heaving chest until your back hits the wood. standing between your spread legs, he waits - listens.

“i’m- ‘m sorry,” you hiccup, voice wet with tears as one of sae’s thighs presses right against your clothed heat. he clicks his tongue, feeling the dampness against his skin, and he crams his muscle against your pussy harder. “you were- you were teasin’ me, ‘n i needed you,” your hips stutter unwittingly, an attempt to spark some friction on your throbbing clit. sae notices, stoic eyes taking a short glimpse down to where you’re pressing up against him, before he focuses back on your pretty face. 

“huh?” he fakes astonishment, fingers working to pull the thin material of your thong to the side, “i thought you didn’t want me? said somethin’ about the heat?” you gasp at the touch of his fingertips, the sensation turning your brain to mush, forcing quiet thankyouthankyouthankyou out of your mouth. keeping his stare on your expression, he places a thumb on your awaiting clit, and stills. 

your back arches, a sob ripping through your chest, hand clutching at his wrist. “sae-”

“shh,” he hushes, slowly starting to rub precise circles, feeling the nub throb under his thumb. “you’re a lucky girl, you know that?” his other palm rests on one of your knees, slinging your leg to rest on his shoulder. your head smacks back against the table and you’re pretty sure sae’s change of pace is giving you whiplash as he presses a kiss to your ankle, right by the little charm adorning the gold chain he’s once bought you.

“only you can treat me like that and still deserve to be touched.” two fingers prod at your entrance, collecting the translucent cream that seeps out. you rest your forearm across your eyes, cheeks growing red as you can feel sae’s eyes zero in on your pussy, oozing with need. he dips a finger in, experimentally, watching out for a reaction as softly, he massages it against your front wall, barely two knuckles deep. 

your body shivers, and sae wraps one arm around your leg, still resting against his chest to keep you from squirming. leaning down, he kisses you, mouth hot on yours as he drinks up every little gasp and keen as he works his fingers right against the sweetest spot he could find. pressing his palm flat on your clit, he picks up the speed, and you grab at his bicep with a breathy cry.

“gonna cum,” you blabber, but sae already feels it around his digits as they reach deeper, knuckles bending to kiss at the right spot. he hums - a quiet permission - with his fingers flexing on the flesh of your thigh as he holds you close through your high. he groans at the stuttering of your hips and squeezing of his walls on his fingers, so tight that he can barely move them to ride your high out, and rests his forehead on your collarbone. he feels, hears the translucent liquid spray against his palm as it rubs across your clit, grinds on it heavily. one of your hand is still holding onto his wrist, dainty fingers gripping on the bone as you squeal, the sensitivity making your nerves tingle. 

sae eases his fingers out of you and he feels his cock throb at the sheen of your juices all over his hand - a tell tale sign of just how good he could make you feel - before he wraps it around his length, giving it a few firm pumps. you watch with half lidded eyes, saliva thick in your mouth as you try to pull your hips back. sae sends you a stern look, eyebrow raised, and you blush at the expression.

“wait a second,” you breathe, but feel sae’s cock slide between your folds anyway. with a low grunt, he grabs your other leg and puts it on it’s place on his shoulder. 

“‘ve waited enough, i think,” he retorts, the fat, throbbing head catching on your sensitive clit and it makes him suck in a breath. you’re squirming underneath him, his hands on your hips not doing much in terms of keeping you still, but he’s just too focused on the warmth of your pussy across his length. you reach a hand down, fingers just barely wrapping around his cock as you guide it at your hole. 

with just the slightest move forward of his hips, sae pushes right against the tight entrance, brows knit together as he bottoms out in a single motion - and his shoulders drop at the feeling, chest relaxing as if all the pent up tension had finally its’ outlet. your vision blurs as his hands move to your thigh and waist, creating just the perfect leverage to manhandle your body for his own pleasure., and you have to bite at the back of your hand to muffle your cries as sae sets a quick pace.

you’re incoherent as he strokes deep inside of you, hips smacking against the back of your thighs, heavy balls slapping on your ass. it sounds so fucking filthy, so borderline obscene, and yet, when you manage a glance at sae’s face, he looks so fucking tepid. you’ve seen this face before, usually on the big screen at the stadium as the camera zoomes in on his face as he handles the ball expertly. if there are two things that sae itoshi knows, it is soccer and fucking you dumb. he has his eyes trained on your pussy, at the creamy white ring that forms just at the base of his cock, and he grunts.

“you take me so well,” he breathes, one hand letting go of your thigh to smack across your ass. it leaves a handprint, a pretty pale pink that burns on your skin, a reminder of tonight to stay on your flesh for the next few days. he wraps one hand around your throat, palm pressing on your jugular as he leans forward, sturdy chest pressing right against your tits, barely covered by the skimpy top you’re still wearing. you struggle to catch a breath, but sae only watches with observant, sharp eyes; soaks in the fucked out expression drawn across your face. 

“you gonna cum for me ‘gain?’ he asks, euphoria in every breath as he drives his hips against yours even harder. he reaches one his hands just below your bum, pushing it upwards, creating a new angle that allows him to thrust right against your favorite spot. it makes your eyes roll back, chest trembling with a sob as you nod your head quickly, urgently.

“please,” you whimper, and sae presses his forehead against yours.

he grunts, grip on your neck tightening as he braces himself to push into you harder, deeper. he feels his balls pull against his body, a shaky breath slipping past his parted lips, and he listens to the broken moans he’s forcing out of your abused throat.

sae isn’t at all surprised his ego reaches the highest of heights - not with his name all over every  sports site, every magazine, stamped onto tens of trophies. not when he can get you to cry for him like that.

“ah- fucking hell-” he moans as he feels your pussy clamp down on his cock, a clear sign of your orgasm hitting you full force. your voice gets caught in your throat, but he can feel the tears sink into his hand as they stream down your face and jaw; he can feel your jittery hips against his, the pulsating of your walls on his throbbing, aching cock. 

he feels the tight knot snap and with a deep groan, he bottoms out and stills his hips. white paints his vision as he breathes against your mouth heavily, pressing hot, messy kisses on your love bruised lips. you can’t feel your thighs anymore, the stretch of the mating press having exhausted them to their limit, but you still whimper when sae pushes even deeper. his cock kisses at your cervix, filling you right up to the brim, and you feel him shudder. 

you move your hands to rub up his biceps, taut and strong as they hold him up, and moan out as he slowly pulls his hips back.

sae takes a proper breather, heart hammering still against his ribcage as he straightens himself. he lets go of your neck eventually, instead smoothing his hands up your hamstrings and calves, slowly easing your legs back down and to wrap around his hips. you look at his face and feel your tummy flutter at the fucked out expression, the way his already dull eyes has grown even darker and how the blush spilled across his cheeks. he notices your staring and smiles slightly, having caught his breath eventually.

“go clean up,” he sighs, giving your bottom a pat. “time to cool down.”

　　　　　　───────────────────────────　　　　　　

reblogs are greatly appreciated ! :)

© itoshi-s. do not plagiarize, repost as your own or mention on other sm platforms.

[soft-boi-eli]

Hello Hello!

I just wanted to say I love your fics!

ALSO!

Could I request a CC!SBI X Gn! Insomniac Reader! Where the reader is an insomniac (Obviously-) but is somehow a pro at MC!

Like they are basically god at the game! They also REALLY enjoy horror games! They don’t get scared easily and LOVE horror movies! They basically love anything horror/creepy-

ANYWAYS!!

The reader lives off of ramen and Monster energy drinks (For fun-)! They have a Twitch (Which has about 18 mil followers and 14 mil subs!) and a YouTube channel (Which has 20 mil followers!)

They mainly play horror games (Obviously-) and MC!

You can do headcanons or scenarios/images with the SBI! Maybe like playing a horror game together or MC? OR! Maybe some things they do together? Or when they meet up? Or-to many ideas Nightmare-

ANYWAYS!

I don’t really care! And don’t worry about taking too long on it!

ALSO!

Maybe we could be friends? Only if you want too!

Remember to eat, drink, and get enough sleep!

<3

Yes. I lovesthese ideas and I'm gonna choose headcannons due to they are a bit easierfor me to write.

And yes I'm perfectly fine with being your friend! I'm actually happy to make friends on this app so yeah!

Pronouns:nonbinary

Tw: cussing. Insomia, mentions of horror movies. Mention of horror games. Fluff.

SBI with a horror streamer friend head cannons.

*Ahem* tommy wanted to paly a game with you so you choose a game that didn't look like horror until the middle. He screamed at the jump scare and it made both of your chats so happy.

When phil decides to play with you there is literally a silence after a jump scare. Everyone thought he had a heart attack and honestly so did you until he spoke up about accidently hitting his mute button when he jumped.

Wilbur. He's a bit better then tommy but more scared then phil would be. Any little noise won't get him but when it starts to get noticeable the noiseless to him. The jump scare, he'd fall out of his seat and stay on the ground for a bit. You ask if he's good and he literally doesn't answer. He's dead. You killed him. Congrats.

Techno. He'd handle them a bit better then everyone else. Not as good as you but heisnt very paranoid. He literally runs at the noises trying to get jumpscared. While you run after him telling him to stop because if he doesn't then you'd lose and die. And technoblade never dies.

If you all play together both tommy and wilbur pussy out. Techno last the longest and phil the second longest. While you remain the ruler of horror games.

Now how you all met was dream invited you to the dream smp to add to the chaos. Needless to say it got extremely chaotic due to you being on almost 24 hours. You first ran into techno. He seemed confused and skeptical.

You both found eachothers love for potatoes. You set up camp quote close to techno but not too close.

Phil popped in when he needed something for a build and noticed a new name. Talked to you in chat and asked to join your VC. You both found each other talking for a bit.

Wilbur was next. Wilbur got curious over the new person and just hoppedinto the same VC as you techno and phil. He was quick to realize that you were a famous youtuber. Mainly for your horror videos and your extreme Parkcore skills.

In minecraft that is.

Tommy noticing that all of you were in the same VC joined in with shouting. He was low key jealous that everyone was obsessed with you. Then he saw why.

You literally cracked jokes at his shouting.

"Is that an angry pomeranian? Nah nah. It's an angry child. Even better an angry blonde!" - you.

He was shocked and immediately started joking and laughing with you. He wasn't fully angry for long.

Now about your diet. When they heard that you had only eaten ramen and drank angry drinks they were concerned. You lived quite close to techno so when you guys met up he was shocked that you looked as healthy as you did.

He hated the fact that you literally didn't eat anything else.

You told him occasionally you have something other then ramen but you were just too lazy to really cook anything and that you didn't feel like burning the house down.

One month phil, tommy, wilbur, and techno decided to organize a month long sleep over so that they could celebrate your birthday. Phil being quote the father figure cooked different, but easy dinners every night just so you didn't eat only ramen that day.

When they actually arrived though you got a text from Phil asking about your address in your dms. Not think much of it you just sent him your location.

You were going to take a small nap. Just to bost your energy before you went and streamed later that night.

As you were sleeping there was a car heading to your house.

Phil, wilbur, tommy, and techno were all just existing in the car. And when they arrived to your house they didn't expect to actually see a clean house.

You woke to a loud knock.

When you opened the door in your half dazed state you expected a package. But to see four people standing on your porch.

You nearly jumped out of your skin.

You were stuck there blinking at them.

Finally snapping out of it you let them in. Confused on why in the ever loving fuck they were here.

Phil explained they were here to celebrate your 21st birthday and they were here for a month.

You stared at them for a while. Confused on what to do since you haven't had people over in almost 2 years.

But you got use to it.

So when you got done streaming and smelled something other then ramen you were thrown off guard. Like what was that. I haven't smelled that in years.

But after the second day you got use to it too.

For your birthday phil literally made a feast.

Like he found your favorite food other then ramen and cooked it. With that he prepared everything you could dream of.

Your sleeping habits. Let's dig into those.

I'm in no place to talk as right now it's 3:05 in the morning. And here I am.

But when they are over they don't let you stay up till no 3-4 in the morning. They all know the importance of sleep.

But there are those nights where no once can sleep and it results in a late night stream. And streaming for hours none the less.

The amount of accidental all nighters everyone has pulled was immense. But that's what happens with jet lag, adhd, and insomnia.

Literally you get tired randomly. Sleep for only 3 hours. Wake up. Drink coffee, energy drinks, highly caffeinated tea. And don't sleep till late at night.

Pillow forts.

It's a must and it happens. Horror movies, pillow forts, and snacks. Like you all are in this massive fort, watching horror movies, one by one you all are falling asleep. You and techno were the last up due to technos active mind and your body not letting you sleep.

You two literally just vide there, changing the movies from horror to some silly animated movies, like how to train your dragon, frozen, Luca, and many others.

You two pull an all nighter and it's actually a bet to see how long anyone else takes to notice.

You bet an hour. Techno says all day.

You won. Philza notices the worse eye bags under both you and technos eyes and immediately starts scolding.

He is papa bird and he won't let anyone of his children neglect their needs.

"Did you even drink water at all? You guys should of been sleeping not binge watching horror movies all night!" -philza

You could only offer a smirk, along with a laugh.

"I think we did I just can't fully remember. Also we were watching animated films. Not horror. Surprised you didn't wake up to let it go." - you.

You turn to techno.

"You owe me 15 bucks pig boy!"-you again.

Handing you the money he rolls his eyes. "Yeha yeah. Rub it in." -techno.

Ah yeah they found a horror game that you were scared of surprisingly. It was actually surprisingly you hadn't played it yet.

Outlast.

You had been holding off that game until you finished your other one but here you were. Bored out of your mind.

So you decided fuck it.

That game teriffed the shit out of you. It was so good though.

When you screamed they all came rushing up due to the fact that you never scream.

They say you out of your chair, on the floor, blinking. They thought you were hurt.

But you sat up and looked at your computer.

"Damn. That was actually really good." When you looked behind you and found the boys all staring you smiled and waved.

"You need something?"-you

"You screamed. We heard a thud. We thought you fuckin died!" -tommy.

"No I'm alive. My soul almost divorced my body but it's still quite here."-you

That day made highlights.

The popular y/n actually got jump scared. The one person who never screamed at horror games screamed.

When they left you were sad yes but they were still your best friends. Ready to talk when ever you want.

Sometimes I think that you guys talk all through out the night. Them forgetting that you were actually in a different time zone.

Sometimes they pop into your streams, be it MC, horror, you just talking to your fans, or even the once in the blue moon, cheerful games.

They just pop in and start talking to you. And you talk back like they were there since the beginning.

Phil is now one of your moderators too. Along with tommy, wilbur, and techno. When they pop in they make sure no one picks on you.

And since you are now close to the SBI. You are now part of it.

You didn't choose the fans did. But they are your new family. No matter what.

Even if they disagree with your eating habit.

Or energy drink addiction.

Or insomnia.

Or you mainly playing horror games.

Or you basically living in your streaming room.

Or even the nearly 24 hour streams.

I could go on but I'm not gonna.

I'm tired. But I can sleep. 2 days and I get to have a tour of my new school.

And it took so long to finally get into it.

We have been going through a huge hassle even before school started to get me enrolled.

And then we had to get me into this program.

But now on Monday I get to go in. Get a tour. Then start either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Anyway hope you liked. It's now 3:50 and it's no proof read I'm sorry

[justkending]

Moral of The Story. Chapter One.

Summary: Marrying too young out of highschool leads to a naive and failed marriage. Now 10 years later, word comes that the divorce was never actually completed. Bucky and Y/N have to come back together after all these years to settle what wasn’t all those years back. Passive attitudes, miscommunicated endings, and reminiscing of an old love all comes back for the two.

Pairing: Bucky x Y/N

Word Count: 2600+

A/N: Ok, here is the first chapter! If you have not already listened to the song that evoked this idea from my imagination land, I suggest giving it a go! Moral of the Story by Ashe. I’m excited for you guys to see what this story brings and I really hope I do it justice! As always, comments and thoughts are welcome as they help me grow as a writer and let me see what you guys notice:) ENJOY MY LOVES!!! <3

(The posting will be once every other day until I have finished the series. If I finish early, I will post an update once a day:)

Read the Prologue here first!

Chapter One:

"You already got the flight?" Nat asked, perched on Y/N's couch as she ran around frantically packing. "Don't you have a huge meeting next week with that new business? What was it called? Bee's Knees?"

"Yes, but it's not until Monday evening. I highly doubt I will be there longer than a weekend to sign a few divorce papers. I'm planning on coming back early that afternoon, so I shouldn't miss it," she answered, not even stopping to look at her as she ran through the rooms and bathroom in the apartment.

"How soon did you book that flight?"

"As soon as I hung up the phone with Murdock," Y/N sighed. Nat sent her a questioning look not knowing that name. "New lawyer. The guy who took over for the sleazeball known as Justin Hammer," she rolled her eyes.

"Right," Nat nodded. "So, are you staying at your dad's house?"

"I would take my dad's house over my mom and Jerry's any day. You know this," Y/N paused in her actions, sending her a bitch face.

"I know. Just didn't know if you'd be all fancy and rent a hotel room to escape the smothering that is bound to happen from good ol' Mr. Y/L/N," Nat grinned.

"It's been so long since I've seen him not via facetime. And we both know that's barely seeing him as he doesn't know where the camera is even after a hundred calls," she laughed.

"Parents. Either they're technologically challenged or know how to work it better than us. Never in between and it's weird." Nat watched as Y/N froze in her stance and looked lost trying to think of something else to pack. Deciding she needed a distraction, Nat changed the subject some. "Hey, did you get Melody to go on that date tomorrow?"

"Yes!" Y/N answered proudly. "I know your aunt wants grandbabies from her daughter, but that girl just needs a night on the town more than anything. She's in her early 20's and holes herself up at the office almost more than I do, and I'm the boss."

"Cousin's got my work ethic. What can I say?" Nat shrugged smugly.

"Well, she needs to get your spirit in living some too."

"Touche," Nat pointed. "I need to have Yelena take her out. She's the real party sister out of us two."

"That is true. How she's able to party for 48 hours straight and still wake up at 8 am for mimosas, blows my mind," Y/N commented on Natasha's younger sister. "She's only a few years older than Melody, right?"

"Yeah, Yelena is 24, and Melody is 22. They were best of friends growing up, but once they got to high school, they kinda went different routes about life. Lana, the party gal, and Mel the studious bookworm."

"I'm not surprised by either of those," Y/N shook her head before collapsing next to Nat on the couch. A loud breath and sigh escaped her body.

Nat watched as her mind escaped back to the original issue at hand.

"What's going on in that brain of yours, Y/N/N?" she said, softly touching her shoulder. "Not that I don't already know, but maybe letting it out will help unscramble those thoughts."

Y/N lazily rolled her head to the redhead next to her.

"How is he?" she asked.

Nat was a part of their friend group from middle school through high school. She kept up with all of them still, whereas Y/N kept up with all of them except one.

"I actually haven't talked to him in a while. Steve on the other hand..." Nat nodded. "From that source, it sounds like Barnes is just as surprised and freaked out as you."

"He's freaked out?" Y/N asked, a hint of interest peeking out.

"Who wouldn't be? You get a call from a lawyer saying your marriage is still intact after 9 years of breaking it off, I would be freaked out too."

"He deserves it. I hope he's just as freaked out as me, if not more," she responded bitterly, crossing her arms across her chest like a pouting child.

"Y/N," Nat sighed.

"No. Don't. Don't defend him to me, it's pointless," she put up a hand. "I know you're still friends with him, but you guys still don't understand the pain that that man brought on me."

"He fought for you, Y/N. He didn't mean-," Nat countered.

"Again, you're wasting your breath. Defending him now does nothing to change the past," she said stubbornly, getting back up and carrying on with her packing. "You can still take me to the airport tomorrow, right?"

Her best friend wanted to keep pushing, knowing she had harbored this heartbreak for too long. Sure what had happened between them sucked and was a horrible chapter of their lives, but neither made an effort to talk it out and understand the other's side of the story. Faults of being young, immature, and not knowing how to handle a grown-up decision.

"Yes, I'll pick you up at work at 10. Flights at 11:25, right?"

"Yes, and you know California traffic. That will probably get me there 10 minutes before my gate closes. I had to get an early flight though because that time difference is going to kick my ass. It'll be close to 5:30 in my head and 8:30 there by the time I land... " Y/N huffed, rolling her bag to the front door for tomorrow. "You mind taking this tonight and keeping it in your car for now? That way I don't have to lug it to work?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll grab it on my way out. But we're still having a girl's night, right?"

Y/N laughed some before going to the kitchen to grab beers. "I Survived is already recorded and ready for us."

___________________

"Shit man... When's the last time you talked to her?" Steve asked, sitting across from his best friend in the chair diagonal from the couch, leaning forward on his knees after listening to the new news.

"Since I was supposedly signing our divorce papers. And even then, we didn't really talk. She sat there quietly straight-faced until it was signed and then rushed out the doors," Bucky sighed, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "She was out of the state within the next hour."

Steve nodded before falling back into the single seat.

"So, do you guys have to see each other again, or is it one of those situations where you can sign separately?"

"I don't know. I just got off the phone. All I know up to this second is that Y/N and I have been married for the past 9 years without knowing it," Bucky said somewhat harshly. Steve didn't flinch at the tone knowing it wasn't directed at him. "I'm sorry. I-I just can't wrap my mind around this."

"It's ok. This is crazy shit, Buck," Steve waved off. There was a long pause before Steve decided to ask the question he was sure anyone would want to know. "Do you want to see her?"

Bucky slowly looked over to the blonde. God, he had been asking himself that question for the past 10 minutes himself.

On one end, yes. He wondered where she was now in life. How she was doing. What accomplishments he knew she would be making. He knew a few small things just by the whispers and small talk of her with their shared friend group that he still hung out with, but a majority of the time, they didn't bring her up around him. They knew what it did to him.

On the other end, he never thought about facing her again. I mean maybe for the year after their divorce, but when he never heard anything back from her all those times he still tried to reach out and she blocked him on almost all forms of social media, he gave up any hope of them falling back into good terms again. He hated it, but he wasn't going to push her when she clearly hated his guts.

And honestly, he deserved it. His young, stupid, college self was not a smart guy when it came to relationships. Even ones that had been there from the beginning of time practically.

Yet again, she wasn't perfect either. She made some mistakes of her own that pushed him to act the way he had.

"Hey, you both are older and more mature now. I'm sure you if you guys do have to see each other again, you can handle it like adults," Steve reassured, seeing Bucky's face turn to a soft frown. "Ok, so she may be a little stubborn..."

"A little?"

"Ok, a lot. But she's older now. She's not the 19-year-old girl that you remember," Steve defended.

"I believe that but I'm sure she still holds a grudge that is very, very, very, very-," Bucky was going to go on about 10 more very's before ending with BIG, but Steve cut him off.

"You don't know that," Steve shook his head.

"Really? Because usually when you no longer hold a grudge against someone, you might just reach out to that person and reconnect possibly," Bucky argued. "I mean that's what mature people do, right?"

"Not always..."

"So she's either not mature or still just as stubborn. Hell, for all we know, both," Bucky shrugged, pursing his lips.

"If you go into this with that mindset, nothing good is going to come out of it." Steve pointed an eyebrow at him.

Bucky rolled his eyes not replying to Steve. He knew he was right, but he was still bitter after all these years about how Y/N handled the situation. Sure, he messed up, but she had to. Yet she made him into this big bad wolf that was at 100% fault in the downfall of their relationship. It made him feel like shit, and though he tried to make amends knowing he did some fucked up things, she acted like she was Miss Perfect and didn't do anything wrong the entire time.

Damn, even after all this time, it still lit a fire in his chest with annoyance and hurt.

"When's the meeting?" Steve once again interrupted his thoughts.

"I guess Saturday morning. They said they were coming in on their off hours to fix up a few cases they found like ours," Bucky answered.

"How many cases were there?"

"Eh, I think he said it was single digits, but there were a shit ton of other cases in different areas that were worse off. The divorce ones are a small number compared to those."

"Damn. That sucks for all the couples who got a call today then," Steve huffed, running a hand down his face.

"Yeah, you're telling me..."

"Hey, we were going out with Wanda and Vis tonight. You still up for that, or...?" Steve stood up.

Bucky looked back at the beer on the coffee table and then at the TV still playing I Survived stories quietly in the background.

"You know what? I'm going to need a stronger drink than an IPA to get me to sleep tonight," Bucky nodded, standing and wiping his hands on his jeans before walking to his room.

"Looks like I'm the DD tonight then..." Steve sighed.

___________

"Vis," Wanda motioned to her fiance as he came back from the bar. "Nat just texted."

"About what? How is she?" Vis smiled as he sat next to her with Sam across from him. Sam tagged along at the last second since his other plans got canceled.

"She's good, but it's not about her," Wanda waved off, still reading whatever lengthy text was sent her way.

"Wow, that looks like a novel," Vis noticed with wide eyes as he looked over her shoulder.

"Wait 'til you hear what it's about." 

Sam shook his head as he took a sip of the beer Vis had brought over.

After reading the rest of the text out loud from where she had left off, everyone at the table looked at each other with shock ridden faces.

"They're still married?" Vis said softly as if it was a secret.

"Apparently..." Wanda nodded with wide eyes.

"So that Hammer guy was a sham?" Sam questioned.

"I told her not to go to him. He had some shady hole in the wall kind of establishment," Wanda chided. "But she said they needed something cheap and fast. She hated his guts and wanted it out of it then and there. Plus, they were 19. They didn't have much money anyway."

"Why didn't they just ask their parents for help?" Sam questioned. "Isn't Y/N's mom loaded?"

"Yes, but she refused to help her. She said it was her own fault for getting married so young and that she had warned her. Told her she had to get out of the mess on her own," Wanda answered.

"What about her dad?" Vis jumped in.

"Bucky and her dad were close. She was off in Colorado for school and didn't want to put her dad through that or make him have to help her in cutting him off. Bucky was like the son he never had and they were bonded at the hip. No matter how much Y/N hated Bucky, she wasn't going to ruin or take away his relationship with her father. That would have been cruel, and Y/N is anything but that."

"Weren't Bucky's and Y/N's dad's best friends?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they were old-time war buddies. They're the reason Bucky and Y/N had known each other since birth. But Bucky's dad died when he was about 13, and Y/N's dad, Thomas, kinda took him under his wing. Growing up a teenage boy without a father figure messes with you, and Bucky was on the edge of a bad path after losing his father."

"He's still rather close with Thomas, but I'm sure Y/N doesn't know that. Unless Thomas has said something, and with how everything came to an end for the two, I'm sure he doesn't bring it up knowing how tender of a subject Bucky is to her," Vis added.

"Makes sense..." Sam nodded. "I only knew you all from the start of college, so I'm still a little lost in all the beginning stuff."

"All good. It's complicated with those two. Their past and upbringing are so interconnected with the other, it makes their downfall all the more intense and messy," Wanda sighed. "God, if this is the news, he's going to be a wreck tonight..." She looked up worriedly at her fiance who shared the same concerns.

"It could go two ways. Either he comes in all solemn and says three words all night, or Steve's going to be the DD and he's waking up with a head-busting hangover," Sam noted with a small grin at the thought. "I'm going to go with the latter though."

"Poor guy," Wanda sighed, taking a drink with a sad face. Ever the sympathetic one.

"We'll be here to listen if he wants to talk. If not, we act like we have no idea and don't bring it up," Vision spoke up, throwing his arm over her and running his hand up and down her shoulder.

"I'm going to tease him still most likely," Sam shrugged nonchalantly. Wanda sent him a warning glare. "Fine, mama bear! I'll be nice... Until he starts making a fool of himself." He added the last part quietly.

Moral of the Story Taglist:

@taylormobley @ximaginx @vicmc624 @leyannrae

Marvel Tags:

@thejourneyneverendsx @death-unbecomes-you @heyiamthatbitch @lizzymacy555  @srrymydood @xa-dia @redhairedfeistynerd @morganclaire4 @connie326 @captain-asguard @mollygetssherlockcoffee @teenagedreams-bucky @shower-me-with-roses @pham-tastical

My Lovelies forever:

@natura1phenomenon @lauravicente @kakakatey @traceyaudette @notyourtypicalrose  @laneygthememequeen @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @sandlee44 @thorne93 @thefaithfulwriter @essie1876 @greyeyedsmile14 @capsiclehan  @xostephanie @averyrogers83 @awesomenursingstudent @gh0stgurl @cs-please @carls1022 @jjlevin @rainbowkisses31 @anise-d-castle6 @deannotmoose @their-bibliophile @kitkatd7 @willowbleedsonpaper @mariaenchanted @snffbeebee @couldabeenamermaid @rebekahdawkins @alyispunk​ @princess-annna

Bucky Barnes Tags:

@chloe-skywalker @charmedbysarge @jbarness @bellamy-barnes @katiaw2 @aikeia

[bbiemochi]

Hey love, if I may request..

Since I feel like hell right now, may I request for Diluc comforting his Fem!S/O when she completely breaks down after months of shouldering everything by herself? She's the kind to hide everything to herself and she always says "I'm alright." She pushes Diluc away but this time, he's had it. He's firm, yet gentle. Since young, she has been taught that her problems don't matter and this has been ingrained in her, that's why she doesn't ask for help, but instead is incredibly selfless when it comes to other people needing help.

This is very personal I'm sorry.. I just need some angst/comfort/fluff(?) right now. Thank you bby, you're the best. ❤

𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚛𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚠 | diluc ragnvindr x reader

[an]: hi el, have u eaten yet? if you haven’t pls do and drink lots of water <3 sorry for posting this late and pls remember that ily

summary: everyone can’t hold in forever, even for someone like you, and diluc always knew that.

pairing: diluc ragnvindr x reader

genre: angst, fluff at the end

warning: slight tw for reader’s parents

music to listen while reading:

***

you hated it.

you hated how much you needed help, even though you refused everyone’s concern towards you to avoid any trouble for them.

you hated how when you wanted to cry, you couldn’t find a reason to. you were raised in a strict yet wealthy household. your clan was a definition of a life of a wealthy tiger. full of buck in their eyes but strict. everything you do, they often praise you for your hardwork, yet you didn’t even wanted to do it. it was only for the sake of your parents, who rarely even care about you at all. so what was their sake for?

a prize with no use.

it was like winning a race yet they said that everyone’s a winner. it made you feel…disappointed of yourself. the things that you’ve been doing for the sake of others however for yourself, they weren’t justified. it had always been like this since you were a child.

“sharing your problems to others won’t fix the situation you are in,” your mother once told you while she was finishing up her pile of workload on her desk. you frowned, hugging your stuffed bunny close. “if you want to truly fix it, then think about it and keep it to yourself. they don’t matter much anyways to anyone. it will only cause the person you are sharing with more trouble. don’t make me repeat myself, y/n l/n of the l/n clan.”

your eyes were droopy from sobbing so much in your household bathroom earlier. you still had few more private lessons left to do by your tutor to truly extinguish the true meaning of what it’s like being a l/n member. it sucked for real, but you had no choice but to oblige. “lady y/n..” a knock at the bathroom door arrived, “your tutor is waiting for you downstairs. they said to please hurry it up in the bathroom.”

‘speak of the devil…’

“uhhh, tell them yeah i’ll be right downstairs, real quick…!” you answered back, wiping the small bits of tears off your face. there was silence before the maid outside the door questions once more; “milady are you alright in there?”

‘well fuck, what do you think?’

“i-i’m fine! don’t worry, just tell them that i’ll be there…!” you chimed, nervousness almost cracking over your voice while shouting those words without handing hints that you indeed not ok. “understood, lady y/n. i’ll make sure to inform your tutor,” and for a few seconds, you heard the maid’s footstep head off, and you let out a sigh of relief.

this…was getting really tiring. despite your knowledge stacked up like a bookshelf waiting the books to be read, your parents think that your potential to become the next head of the l/n family wasn’t ready just yet, and you were already in your 20’s. make this tutoring nonsense stop already, you were tired. you wanted to run away forever. well—this was the last lesson after all. and then maybe later you could relax near the fireplace. not worrying about anything else.

wiping your face off with a towel, you gently opened the door to head off downstairs. the vague scent of fresh baked pastries headed through your nostrils when you walked out, and you were wondering if your tutor had brought some baked-goods on their way here. you stumbled a bit down the stairs while taking a small peak from the tiny bit of holes the stair railways had.

on the table near the kitchen, there was seated a basket full of the pastries you were smelling. the scent was strong, and your mouth was watering from the delicious sight. did a guest from outside send those to your home?

“ah, lady y/n—just in time. a young man from the dawn winery left these bake goods earlier while you were in the bathroom,” the maid that was washing the dishes from the kitchen says, her eyes spotting you right at the staircase. “he says it’s a thank you gift for helping him out at angel’s share yesterday.”

‘diluc?’

“ah, that’s great to here…” you murmured heading downstairs in a hurry to look what was inside the basket. “they’re from the nearby bakery, milady. we could always fetch some there if you’d like.” the maid insisted. you waved your hand as a decline, “oh no it’s alright, no need to trouble you i’ll…” a sudden pause came to your throat…

‘i’ll thank diluc later.’

“i’ll head off to my lesson then…” you said, before heading off to the living room.

***

how in the hell did balancing became a matter to your family? was it really that important to become perfect? idiotic…

after almost a whole day of those nonsense lessons just to be perfect for your family, you were making your way down through the rain towards the dawn winery—feeling nothing while the rain pours down on your shivering figure, yet you paid no mind to it. it was always like this. you wanted to at least take a break for once.

your eyes traveled over the huge house in front of a large grape orchard, it smelled nice, you liked it a lot. you’ve always wished to have free time to travel around in mondstadt like this however of course…you can’t.

once you had made it to the winery, you knocked on the door, a little loudly over the pouring thunder behind.

no answer.

you knocked again.

and this time someone opened the door.

“yes?—oh! dear me! miss y/n you’re dripping cold!” the one who answered the door was adelinde, one of diluc’s maids. “what happened? hold on come inside i’ll let master diluc know you’re here, b-but please do dry yourself up before you watch a cold…!” she adds, you smiled at her. “it’s alright, adelinde. i just came here to thank diluc—

“of course, but miss y/n please come inside even for a while. the rain is hard right now and you’re going to catch a cold,” adelinde cuts you right off, grabbing a hold of your arms gently whilst pulling you inside.

“hillie grab a dry towel for our guest! moco, inform to master diluc that miss y/n is here…!”

“yes, miss adelinde!”

adelinde guided you to a comfortable chair, slowly and gently. the maid also knew who you are and were, after all a close friend of diluc’s is well-known to adelinde’s perspective, and one of them is including you. the older woman grabbed the towel that hillie handed over to her and then gave it to you, assuring you to wipe yourself dry. “thank you, adelinde…”

“miss y/n would you like me to prepare a warm bath for you?”

“oh no need to its ok…! i’ll just have a small talk with diluc then i’ll be on my way..!” you replied, a sheepish smile over your face. adelinde frowned, yet bowed and leaved you be to go and fetch you some snacks and some hot tea. while waiting, your eyes scanned down over to the pictures hanging over the winery’s walls—they were…very fancy? almost reminding you of the paintings in your home. just almost a little…dry. you had no idea how to describe it, thinking about it…you don’t know how to describe your emotions right now as well.

“y/n??”

your head turned to where the voice came from, and expectedly, you saw diluc standing from the top of the stairs, his face a bit surprised from your ‘wet’ arrival. the young male hurriedly rushed down the stairs, moco following by while his steps puddled over your drying figure. “hey, diluc,” you greeted, nonchalantly.

“y/n what the heck are you doing here? did you get caught up under the rain?” he questions, and you shyly nodded your head—thanking adelinde for the small meal she had brought over. “sorry for being here without notice. but i’m only here to thank you for the pastries you delivered over earlier.” you had spoken. diluc sighs, a hand over his face, “ah, it was only about that. y-you didn’t had to walk all the way here, you know? now look at you…” he sighs again, before looking over at his maids. “prepare her a warm bath, and please try to look for some extra clothes that may fit her.”

“yes, master diluc.”

“what?? no diluc it’s ok..! i’ll be heading off soon anyways…!”

“nonsense. with a look that says dripping wet, there’s no doubt you’ll get a heavy cold because of that…” diluc declines, crossing his arms. “besides, i wanted to ask you something as well…”

“oh…” you gently gripped the teacup in your palm, a small red dusting over your cheeks. same goes for diluc. the maids seem to also notice this. “is master diluc blushing…?”

“i think he is…!”

“ehem, you two.” adelinde stares sternly at moco and hillie who were gossiping once again. “i believe master diluc asked the both of you to prepare a warm bath and some clothes for miss y/n now did he?” the two maids shrieked. “s-sorry, miss adelinde…!!”

***

“you’re done?”

the towel that was wrapped behind your neck started to slide off when you saw diluc out of his usual black jacket, yet instead was wearing a white sleeved shirt and his fluffy red hair still tied into a ponytail. what a view. bashfully, you looked away, covering half of your face with the towel and your eyes scanning down on the floor. “uhh…y-yeah i am…”

“do the clothes fit? apologies i don’t have much fitted attire for you here…” the red head says, his hands tidying up the pile of papers he was filing. you shook your head, “oh no it’s quite alright…! the clothes are a fit for me anyways.”

“oh archons that’s good to hear…” the man reassuringly sighs, and on forward with cleaning his desk. with small steps, you walked over to sit down on his (surprisingly) huge bed—your hands still rubbing your wet dripping hair from the bath. “i’m a bit busy today, i apologize…”

“what are you apologizing for, idiot?” you laughed. “anyways, you didn’t had to go walk over to a bakery and buy me some pastries as a ‘thank you’ reward. it’s too sweet of you, diluc. really rare to see. no need for such formalities,” you told the lad, showing him a sweet smile over your face. diluc rolls his eyes before shoving in the last file in his shelf. “of course i need to show it. you were a big help yesterday while charles was on break. i don’t know what kind of proper ‘thank you’ i should propose but i guess that’s enough now is it?”

he stops for a moment, walking closer to your side. “besides, how can i just say a simple ‘thank you’ while you were busy with your lessons? that would be very improper of me to just bulge in if i may say.” your fists curled a little when he mentioned the lessons your parents forced you to take. yeah, memories were popping right back up. and you didn’t liked it one bit. you were here for some peace and quiet with someone you adored. why did he have to mention it at this state youre in?

“the maid also mentioned…” diluc began, and your eyes glued to the ground. “that she noticed that you don’t frequently enjoy your practices or lessons one bit. she’s worried, you know? if it isn’t my business to intrude then—

you cut diluc’s sentence short with a lively laugh. “i-it’s nothing really…! i didn’t notice that one of my maids would become worried of me because of that ahaha…” avoiding eye contact with the man in front of you, you fiddled playfully with your fingers. “it isn’t that much of a big deal i’m honest. it’s just that sometimes the lessons payed for me can get a bit…” you choked a little on your sentence, “…harsh…i guess i can see why the maids tend to worry about me. h-however it’s fine…!”

“are your tutors hurting you or anything?” diluc interrogated. you shook your head again with the sheepish in grin. “no, no, no…! not like that, diluc…! i mean like you know, strict perhaps? the amount of things i needed to do to perfect a simple lesson like i’m sort of princess…” diluc spots you balling your fists in frustration, and the man understands. to peek with someone like you, diluc notices how much your lively attitude had been starting to change ever since your parents planned you to become their next heir of your clan. it’s normal for you to feel irritated like this when your parents were the one who brought you to continue your family’s legacy.

he understands that quite well…but when you’re breaking down like this, there’s something that didn’t fit well with him there. “y/n, are…” he began to whisper, looking over at you with wide eyes.

“��are you crying?”

you snapped back to reality when you felt small teardrops begin to fall out of your eyes. what the hell…? and here you thought you could be able to make it without anyone noticing. yeah, why are you crying? your parents are providing everything for you after all! a huge house, food, things you need, even tutors to help you become the professional they needed, so why are you upset…?

there was no need to drag diluc into this mess you’re in. this was yours and yours alone. no need for others to intervene because of your problem. you were supposed to be raised perfectly as the next head of your clan. there was no time for damages like this to happen. “ah i’m sorry..!” you popped, and diluc shakes his head—his hand reaching out to hold yours. but you quickly pulled away. “y/n, what’s wrong?”

“nothing’s wrong i’m sorry i-uhh…just a little sensitive over these types of matters,” you replied with a cherry chuckle. the red head frowns even more. “i’m not believing that, y/n. what’s bothering you? is it something y-

“i said nothing’s wrong,” you cut him off—sternly this time. the young man was astonished by your sudden change of place in your actions as he watched you stand up. “i’ll head home now, i just wanna say thank you for the pastries and uhhh…lending me extra clothes…i’ll be on my way…” says you—walking towards the door. the silence felt like a a heavy soul pounding in your chests while you reached for the door’s handle. “is it something you don’t feel like telling me?”

“my problems don’t matter. it’ll be best if you stay out of it so you won’t get involved.”

“i don’t care if i’m involved with this matter you’re in. i care about how you’re going through this matter, y/n. so please…” diluc begs, holding your wrists to stop you from exiting his room, “tell me what’s the matter…”

archons, how you hated how diluc was able to crawl through your heart and mind. your feelings for the rich tycoon of the dawn winery were a big package—it hurts you to the bone. as more tears fell from your e/c eyes, you can feel diluc pulling you close to him from behind, his head laying on your shoulder while he listens to your small sobs that you desperately tried to hide from him. “i-i’m…” you were stammering. more drops begin to fall more…

you hated it.

you hated everything.

but you can’t just bring yourself to hate him.

slowly sinking down on your knees, diluc follows along your shaking and weak figure, still hugging you tight behind you—making sure you weren’t feeling alone. “shh…shh…” he hushes, hands now intertwining with yours from the hug. “it’s alright…it’s going to be alright…”

“how is it going to be alright? when everything’s just becoming worse and worse…?!!” you sobbed, and you feel him nod his head. “maybe not now but…it’s still going to be ahead of you…and this time…you’re not alone.” diluc was reassuring you that he was there…he was always there. when you tears are slowly disappearing from your eyes, you took a moment to hold tight onto his arms as he never stopped himself from hugging you nor letting you go. “stay strong, y/n…i know it’s going to be a tough road and you’ve been on it since forever probably but…it’s not over yet—this time i will be with you, and that’s a promise.”

you looked at diluc from behind, “a promise…? to what?”

and this time, the answer was a response that was made by the archons and celestia themselves when diluc smiled softly, pressing his forehead against yours. “a promise to cherish you and love you forever. do not fear about what’s going to be ahead, i promise that i will be there for you.” he hugs you close, breath fanning over your cheeks stained with tears, “and i’ll be there forever.”

you hope so. fighting alone was hard. but this time he was standing by your side.

there was nothing to hide anymore.

nothing.

***

a/n: HOLY SHIT THIS WAS POSTED SO LATE IM SO SO SORRY PLS FORGIVE ME I HATE SCHOOL TOO I HOPE U LOVE IT BB ILY

request are currently: closed :(

[princessmadafu]

Their Truth is very boring

Episode 1, part 3...

It's snowing, I'm freezing, going to bed shortly in two sweaters and a coat and I'll still be shivering 'cos the dog and cats always hog the duvet.

6:00 Meghan showing off Archie's California accent. Meghan showing off Harry's brainwashing when he says their love story is only getting started and how M sacrificed everything she had in order to join H's world before he had to sacrifice everything he had to join M in her's... which includes chickens. And M enthusing about how nice it is to let Netflix into their world and let everyone see how nice they are.

Cue some private family photos (which they've been keeping private for their monetary value) and letting on that "a friend" suggested they keep a video diary for posterity (ie monetary value) oh and Harry not knowing what day it is again! Does she keep him in a cupboard? Maybe she only lets him out when she wants him to perform tricks.

8:10 She thinks her kids have roles to perform in this really historical family she despises so much! Wth!!! Is she really that thick or is she acting again? The kids have no future as members of the modern, slimmed-down RF. The junior executives left the company, they don't get to send their kids back to Buck Pal for tiaras and trips in horse-drawn carriages.

8:55 There's the line about it making more sense to hear their story from them; her problem there is, she's lied so much already that we don't trust her.

9:00 and it’s London 2016, M travelling with her girlfriends... looks like they're on a yacht! Lindsay Roth pops up to say nice things about her. She was so intent on being single and just having girltime (ROFL). Lucy Fraser pops up to say nice things about her. "And then came H" - she calls him H, remember.

10:15 H says he met her on Instagram, scrolling through his feed, sees M with cartoon dog ears and dog nose on a Snapchat thing of a friend, and the friend then sets them up. Jeez this is so boring. Pics of H in Africa. M at Wimbledon 2016 with some friend called Jill Smoller who was trying to fix M up with an actor. So much for wanting to enjoy being single, eh! Some friend called Silver Tree pops up to say nice things about her. Description of first date. Do I really have to suffer this? We've heard all this before about how late he was - you told us last year. They're just so self-obsessed, so self-indulgent. Nacho pops up to say nice things about them.

17:00 H plays the Diana card; she made decisions with her heart and he is his mother's son, he says. So's your brother William, by the way. Interesting shots of black Londoners cheering Charles and Diana on H's birth in 1984; funny thing that, black and white people all cheering the RF together - racism didn't seem to bother anybody in 1984 - or in 20-whatever-it-was when H&M had their £30million wedding. It must be a recent idea that Londoners have only just been told they've been doing... since, you know, about 2019.

I'm still only 20 mins into Ep.1 and my mind is going numb. Nothing new here. They haven't actually whinged too much yet, just talked too much goo-goo about nice they really are. Going to have a break and put on some Ovaltine - very hard to get in this country so it's tonight's bedtime treat.

xxx

[imonthinice]

The Criminal Psychology Majors, Jason Todd x Fem!Reader Part 19/?

Word Count: 4.1k

Author’s Note:

Warnings: Mentions of the court system, fighting, swearing, no beta bitch we die like Jason Todd

 Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15) (Part 16) (Part 17) (Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20)

Time Skip lol, February, next year. Finals.

She and Jason had been together for 6 months around February. When finals started coming up. The distance and tension between the two was fucking palpable. They hadn't fought or anything, but the stress between them had caused a slight riff. They just had space to focus on their studies.

They would see each other at work. She was his secretary. Everyone, all their friends, even their families, swore they just needed to bone. Which, considering they both heard about this from Bruce first, didn't mean they wanted to do it.

If you had asked Y/N, she would have said she wasn't dressing for Jason. But that was a lie. She was tempted to go with the advice everyone was giving them, especially before they went into their first finals exam. She walked into his office.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well, I'm your secretary. Seeing if you need anything."

"I don't."

She turned to walk out.

"That doesn't mean you can walk out."

She smiled to herself, "Alright." She sat on the chair in front of his desk, "I won't walk out."

"Mhm."

She frowned, he didn't even look up from his computer. "What do you want me here for, Jay?"

"Close the blinds on all my windows, baby."

"It'll become dark."

"Good."

"Your eyes will fry from the light of your computer."

"Trust me, they won't."

"Uh-huh," she doubted as she closed the blinds.

Jason walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head in the crook of her shoulder. She smiled and leaned her head on his.

"Exams fucking suck," Jason said.

"Couldn't have guessed from the riff in our relationship, really? You don't say?" she sarcastically retorted.

"It's not like we had it easy this entire time, either."

"Fuck you don't say? At least my attacker was admitted to Arkham and my friends got out."

"Can't catch a break," he paused because his buzzer went, "Can't catch a fucking break!" he exclaimed, exasperated. He went and answered it, "Jason Todd, who's using Y/N (Last Name)'s buzzer," he said, sounding annoyed.

"Hey, it's Dick. You two aren't fucking right, B will be pissed."

"Shut up. We aren't. What do you want."

"Someone's pissed. I need paperwork."

"Come and get it."

She crossed her arms and laughed when Dick entered the room. She slightly waved. He slightly waved back.

"You know, you two should bone. But not here," Dick joked. He walked over to one of the many, many filing cabinets to search for the paperwork he needed.

"You're really just riding the wave into Jason running you down, aren't you?" Y/N said.

"Well, we're always up for sparring."

"It probably won't be sparring, Dick. You know your brother. He's staring daggers into the back of your head."

"For Valentine's, I'll be giving Barbara the stress of taking care of me after Jason beats me to a pulp."

"At least you'll get one last Gala?" she joked.

"Will you be coming?"

"She will," Jason said.

"Amazing. Don't fuck on the dance floor," Dick joked.

"Fuck you."

"Love you too, Jase," he turned to walk out, "Love you too, Y/N."

"I'll be sure to tell you I love you at your funeral, Dick," she joked as he walked out. She paused before turning to Jason, "Gala?"

"Come, please," he said before going to hug her. "I miss you."

"You see me every day, Love."

"But we haven't been," he paused, "Well, a couple. In weeks. I miss you. The fun one who got me to run down the streets of Gotham on a skateboard."

"Dress code?"

"White tie."

"Dammnit. Guess I'm shopping."

"I'll give you my debit card?"

"I don't need it, baby. However," she joked, "I sure will take it."

He laughed and forked it over to her, "Don't spend my Ph.D. funds."

"I will gladly spend your Ph.D. funds."

"No," he laughed, "Please, I need those."

"I mean if you insist I spend it all," she said, laughing.

"The Gala's later tonight, you can take the rest of the day off."

"Kind of you to do."

"I know, I'm a gentleman."

"Truly," she kissed him. "I'll see you tonight."

"Can I come to get you?"

"Feel free too."

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you," she said before she left the office.

Getting into her car, she fumbled with the mirror a bit. She looked like a mom. The bags under her eyes and the formal get-up for an office job did her in.

They had said "I love you" for the first time around Christmas. She wished she caught the moment where they were fucking around and she just said it.

The Christmas lights surrounded them, hung in the trees. They had gone to see the New York City tree in Times Square. He was setting up a photo to take of the two of them and she just said it.

She could have sworn his fucking eyes lit up with green. Like they glowed.

Reminiscing on those small moments with Jason was something that would make her smile without fail. That man somehow unlocked a new set of feelings, stronger feelings. She was in touch with herself.

She went to her house first, to see how A/N was doing. To see her on the steps. She pulled into the driveway.

"Hey, you good?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, of course. Why?"

"I have to go get a dress for a Wayne Gala trademark, do you want to come to help me?"

"Of course I do!"

---------------------

"I guess you could say we didn't narrow shit down about a dress," Y/N joked as she came out in the 16th dress she had tried on.

"Okay, well, that one is the best so far," A/N said, seeming like they finally made progress.

"Wow, this is news, we've narrowed it down."

"Honestly consider it a miracle. Thank God Jason let you go from work early. Are you getting a full day's pay?" A/N asked.

"Probably. I told Bruce I didn't want a full day's pay if I wasn't there, but Bruce said it was in my contract. I think he's just being generous," Y/N said with a sigh.

"Did you not read your contract?"

"I did! That's why I think he's being generous. I don't think I'd forget something like that."

"Watch you did forget those words. You should ask him to see your contract, if he's disobeying it then the board members are probably at his ass about it," A/N explained.

"God, please no. I would hate being a contention point for the board members."

"They probably want you fired. And they're probably mad that you won't be fired because you're with Jason."

"Well, I'm also just a great secretary"

"See, each time you say that I assume it's because you give him a little something-something under his desk every day."

"I'll have you know we've never had sex in that office."

"Did you have sex in another office?" A/N questioned.

"I'm pleading the 5th to any further questioning."

"Wait, oh my god."

"Nope! Going to go try on another dress and ignore you now!" Y/N exclaimed with a joking tone.

"This one's the best," A/N said.

"We're making progress! I'm thinking if I go with this one, I add gloves."

"God, are you trying to give Jason a hard-on?"A/N joked.

"I would like to plead the 5th to any further questioning on the matter," Y/N retorted.

"You're evil. If you're going to be evil, you might as well wear a suit."

"I wish. After all the shit I've been through, I want to stick it to the fucks who keep judging me. I'm already so jeopardized, though. Jason goes through a lot of shit dating me. I'll wear the dress."

"Old white people are old white people."

"Well, Bruce is nice at least. If he's judgemental, at least I don't hear about it on the news," Y/N said and twirled. "Yeah, this one. I like this one."

"I also like that one. There's something about silk. Always gets someone to look like 50 million dollars. Probably worth that too."

Y/N fumbled with the tag, "It's not pure silk, so it's less. Only 1000$."

"Only 1000$? God, that's like our rent."

"Rent is more."

"Well if we weren't in a house it would be the same. That's insane. That's like 3-4 months of groceries."

"I know it's a lot to us commonfolk, but Jason is rich. He wouldn't mind. We might, but he wouldn't."

"Yeah, but do you feel okay with spending that much of his money?"

"I have no idea. We'll see. I'll go try another dress on."

"This is cute," Y/N said.

"Well of course it is, it's probably worth your college scholarship, though."

"God, don't remind me of prices."

"It's hard to forget prices when we're given a lot of money to spend."

"We can't spend all of it!"

"What's he using it for?" A/N asked in a half-joke.

"He's getting a Ph.D. in Criminal Psychology when we graduate."

"Okay, okay. So he needs it."

"Yeah, he doesn't let Bruce pay his bills, remember. He's making his own money, minus the working-for-his-dad part."

"Yeah, the working for Bruce part seems a bit counterintuitive."

"If he's getting paid, it doesn't matter to him."

"What's it even like working with his family? Especially with the tension between you and Jason?"

"It sucks. Jason and I haven't fought, yet. We have to act like we aren't fighting. Which makes everyone think we are fighting. Which makes both of us mad. Because apparently," she paused, "The way to fix fighting is having sex, apparently."

"So have sex?"

"Shut up."

"Family on your nerves?" A/N asked.

"They're so involved, but I love them all. I just wish we had a moment alone, I know it's hard to do in a fucking office, but still."

"Go try on another dress. Show up looking like a million bucks."

"You are simply so right."

"I feel like this is the mature version of the black sparkly spaghetti straps one," A/N said.

"It's like you mashed a bunch of words together and suddenly I have to sell you my first-born son."

"Well, it's true!" She laughed, "It's a grown-up version, what someone, old white people, would expect of you."

"Old white people expect a lot."

"Jason's going to be one, one day," A/N joked.

"He's got not-white features," Y/N said, trying to picture his face. There was something about him. Something not-white. She had always picked up on it, but she could never tell what it was.

"Well, it's not like you can ask his mom her ethnicity."

"Jeez, that would be so rude of me to do. Let's just say it's... it's not my place."

"He's got secrets?" A/N questioned.

"Tall, handsome, mysterious. That's my Jason."

"A little bit of everything, all of the time," A/N said in a sing-song tune, specifically the "Welcome to the Internet" tune.

"Don't quote Bo Burnham to me, that album broke me," Y/N joked

"Who didn't it break? Oh, wait, probably Jason."

"He probably sobbed like a baby at it, I don't know where you got the "Emotionless" trope from, A/N."

"Can you blame me? He's a Wayne."

"Those are some of the most emotionally connected people I know? Like, genuinely, they're probably more in touch with themselves than you and I."

"Well, they don't exactly have the reputation for being able to discern their emotions, you know."

"You need to stop interacting with tabloids and their articles," Y/N said, seeming exasperated with the tabloids and the line of conversation. But that was nothing new. She hated the press, the articles, the paparazzi. She hated them all.

"Yeah, probably. You hate them for a reason."

"Do you not know about that time they made it so we couldn't get into our car?" Y/N asked.

"You did, you did."

"Fuckin' tabloids."

"Go try on another dress before you explode from rage."

"Valid," Y/N said, laughing.

"God, if only this wasn't a white tie event," Y/N said and sighed.

"I mean, you could just wear it."

"I will get my ass handed to me, however," she said, taking a picture, "Maybe Jason will just let me get it if I pay him back?"

"You don't have the money right now?" A/N asked.

"I need to get paid and I'll have enough," Y/N explained.

"Don't tell me this is worth more than our rent."

"I will just simply not tell you."

"Girl, you can't."

"Money is dumb and I hate it."

A/N laughed, "Which one do you want to go with?"

"Uh, probably the silk one."

"Temptress."

"I will literally buy and wear a corset to make Jason's life hard to get you off my back," Y/N laughed.

"I implore you to do so for the joke."

"Shut up," Y/N joked.

She still sent the picture of the last dress to Jason off-handedly. Asked him how he felt about it since she knew she loved it.

Why don't you just get it? He had sent back.

Can't afford it.

I can.

Please let me pay you back for this.

Just take me on a date.

I can do that.

You should.

I'll see you soon.

She laughed and grabbed both dresses.

"Jason's buying both?" A/N asked.

"Mhm! I have to take him on a fun date in return."

"You were probably going to do it both ways, honestly."

"You just know me so well."

-----------------------

They had gone and gotten the gloves before heading back to their house. Laughing and blasting rock songs the entire time. There was something about the bass running through the car and having the windows rolled down while screaming the songs. It was insane.

One of the songs they blasted was "I Think I'm OKAY" by Machine Gun Kelly and YUNGBLUD, switching out the vocals. It was fun to take breaks like that and, just enjoy each other's presence. Especially during finals season, where both of them were stressed because of their respective finals.

Everyone was stressed. Finals did that to everyone. Whether someone was in school or not, they felt the teenagers and college students lose their minds about it.

They got out of the car at their home and took the dresses inside. A/N went to go study in her room while Y/N went to go hang up her dresses. She entered her room and instantly remembered why she hated her laptop.

The laptop fan was deafening, it's why she barely had Jason over at her house anymore. She cleaned it constantly but, it kept going and going.

She brought it to the Wayne Manor over the Winter Break because she had work to do but wanted to see Jason, and everyone, everyone, commented on the thing.

They compared it to a screaming goat, an electronic mess, a horse-powered fan, anything they could put together with electronic, goat and fan, they called the laptop that.

Bruce even offered to buy her a new one, but she declined. She didn't think it was broken, so it didn't need to be replaced or fixed. If it was still in working condition, she was going to use it until it bluescreened on her.

Much to everyone's dismay.

She hated the fucking thing. So if she could drown it out with music, you bet your ass she did. She was grateful that her parents had sent it to her, but she assumed it was because they hated it too. She was right. No one liked that laptop.

She went to go shower. She figured if she fucked with her appearance and hair a bit, then the press would get off her back. She hadn't exactly tried to impress them thus far. But she wanted to just live her life.

She figured doing her hair, makeup, wearing the right clothes, she'd get harassed less. There was a lot of pressure dating a Wayne, she had realized.

She was constantly in the media, somehow she became an idol for little girls in the span of months. It was a lot for someone to take on. She embraced it normally. With open arms normally.

But A/N had told her that she started sleep-talking. Screaming about the eyes, the people watching her. She knew it was probably connected to the stress she was under dating Jason, but she really didn't want to deal with it.

If she ignored it, no one could tell her to deal with it. If she hid it, no one had to see it. She was looking into soundproofing her room so that A/N didn't have to see it.

Was it healthy to do that? Probably not. Probably far from the concept of healthy coping mechanisms.

She got out of the shower and started playing with her appearance. If she ended up with loud makeup and hair after this, she was going to just accept it.

She did end up with pretty loud eyeshadow. But her hair was fine, as acceptable as it could get for everyone judging her. Only nude lipstick that was just two, maybe three shades darker than her skin was what she needed. She kind of overdid the eyeshadow, so it had to be balanced.

Nerves by Icon for Hire was playing in her room. And in a way, that was how she felt. There was a lot of feeling in her, that she wasn't made for the life she was starting to lead. That being an idol was how she was going, but she couldn't do it.

She sighed and put on heels. White heels. It would be easier to put them on before the dress and gloves. The corset came on next. IT wasn't anything special, and she was capable of putting it on without help.

But then the dress.

"She loved that dress, but it wasn't the other one. The other one sparked a little bit of joy in her, while this one just conformed to everyone's opinions of her.

She wanted to wear the other one, so, so, fucking badly.

And finally the gloves. It was an outfit she thought was cute but would be torn to shreds in the media. She knew that.

The media liked to eat her alive.

Part of her wanted a break from it all. The other part wanted to do an interview with the press, to shit-talk all of them and make them weep. She wanted to be the one to destroy them.

Revenge was best served cold though, and the rage was far too hot in her head to even begin a proper essay on why they sucked.

She turned off the music in her room and was greeted with the lovely sounds of her computer fan. Comforting, but hatred.

Jason was going to be there any minute. Was she even ready for a Gala?

They had been through so much.

---------------------------------

She walked to his car. He brought one of the fancy ones.

"You couldn't just like, own a not expensive car?" she joked.

"Why would I do that?"

She laughed and handed him his debit card, "I don't know, to keep the press off your ass?"

"I think they'd find us no matter what," he said as he backed out of her driveway, "You look beautiful by the way."

"Thank you, Love. You're as handsome as always."

"Simp."

"Alas, I admit it," she joked as she turned on the radio. "I swear the media is going to have a field day today."

"When do they not?"

"That's fair."

"I'm sorry this school year's been fucking our relationship," he sighed, "We deserve better and a better chance than what we've been dealt."

"Unfortunately that's how school works."

"Fuck school sometimes. Not everyone gets as hit as badly as us."

"It's the psychology teachers. If any teachers are strict, they are."

"We still deserve a break."

"Well, there's always when finals are over."

"I swear we're doing something nice when finals end."

"That's not that hard to do."

The tension in that car was palpable. Truly, you could cut that with a knife. A diamond's edge.

They got to the Gala before anyone, except the Waynes.

"Hey lot," Y/N said.

"Y/N! Glad you could make it!" Stephanie said and pulled her into a hug, "The guys suck, so I like you the most today."

She laughed, "What did they do?"

"They won't play rooftop tag with me."

"Why do you even play that game?" Y/N asked.

"Agility! I'm a track star, duh. I drag them with me."

"Ah, how could I be so foolish," she laughed as Stephanie pulled her towards the other girls. Y/N waved at the boys while laughing. "You do know I have a boyfriend who wants to see me, right?"

"It's Jason."

"Good observation."

"Shut up. I claim you."

"You can't claim me!" she jokingly exclaimed, loud enough for the boys to hear.

"Steph, that's my girlfriend!" Jason yelled back.

"Not anymore!" She yelled as she pulled Y/N into the building.

"Explanation?" Y/N asked, "Do you have an issue or something?"

"I don't. Babs does."

"Go on?"

"Ask her."

Y/N sighed and walked up to Barbara and Cassandra, "I heard you have an issue or something?"

"Yes! You! Okay so," Barbara said, "We're all worried about you and Jason."

"Oh, Jeez," Y/N sighed.

"No no, listen. We can feel the tension. Have you been fighting?"

"I told you before, we aren't."

"Then what is it? 'Cause I'm known for being a detective, hello, I'm Jim Gordon's daughter. And even I can't figure it out."

"Probably exams. Exams suck."

"Oh! It's because you're not used to the fame," Cassandra said.

"Okay, Cassie. Listen, it's-"

"It is isn't it!" Stephanie exclaimed.

"Ugh. Yes. Are you happy now?"

"C'mon, it isn't that bad is it?" Barbara asked.

"It is. They've been at my throat with daggers ever since I met Jason."

"Who's been at your throat with daggers?" Jason asked.

"Don't worry about it," Y/N said before anyone could open their mouths and say to the contrary.

"Well, then. Everyone should be here soon," Bruce said. "Wish we had entertainment this time."

"Can't Y/N sing?" Tim asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Y/N said.

"So sing," Tim said.

"Tim. C'mon. Don't do me like this, man."

"Think about it," Bruce said and put a hand on her shoulder, "It could be fun."

She laughed and everyone scattered except her and Jason.

"So, the daggers comment?" he asked.

"Media reference."

He sighed, "You can always step out of the spotlight, my love. Step down, walk away from their eyes but still be in mine."

"I'll think about it."

He took her hands, "You should think quicker," he joked.

She laughed and he pulled her into the ballroom she knew all-too-well at this point. The first time she was there ran through her mind like no one was watching, the beauty in her memory for capturing it like that.

She knew once the pictures were released she'd probably attempt to paint it.

Galas were stuffy and full of people. She didn't like the people aspect. When strangers would come up to her and start talking, she'd get freaked out. They knew her, but she didn't know them.

She wasn't involved in getting to know people high-up in the world. She was a simple secretary who was dating one of the CEOs.

She'd get twirled around by people's sons. Stuck in dances and conversations. She almost always found herself with one of the Waynes after she ran from someone she didn't know.

She did figure if she sang she'd get away from everyone. So, in a fit of trying to get away, she found her way to Selina.

"Hey!" she said.

"Y/N! Are you running again?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Do you want to sing or something, Bruce said he asked you to."

"He did, and I figured, "Fuck it" so here I am."

Jason came up just as she said that, "Duet?" he asked.

"Now that's an idea and a half."

"You kids, always doing crazy stuff," Selina joked, "Le me see what I can do for 'ya."

"We're really doing this?" Jason asked as Selina slinked off.

"I guess so!" she exclaimed and he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Really saying "Fuck you" to the press today, huh?"

"Well, they're always saying "Fuck you" to me."

[popculturebuffet]

Owl House Season 2 Reviews!: Separate Tides

Hello all you happy witches! I’m Jake, and I review things reguarlly. You might of seen my reviews of Enchanted Grom Fright or Wing it LIke Witches. Wether you have or you haven’t i’m proud to welcome you to my blog. I review episodes of animated shows beat by beat, getting into the ins, outs and what have yous and ocassionaly I cover shows at they come out, having Covered all of Ducktales Season 3 and Amphibia Season 2, and since I slept on the second half of season 1, I’m now doing so for Owl House Season 2! If you’d like me to cover the rest of season one, consider joining my patreon! Just one buck helps get me closer to my next stretch goal of 20 bucks a month, and hitting that means monthly reviews of season 1 in addition to weekly reviews of season 2 when i’ts active. So if you end up liking this review and want more more more, your best way to get that is to help sign up and doing so gets you access to my discord, your pick of a short when I do a bunch of them for my shortstaculars, and access to my exclusive reviews. So line up and sign up if your curious, LINK IS RIGHT HERE. Patreon allows me to get paid for my work as well as keep doing it as much as I am so any help is appricated and if you can’t I fully understand given these rough times we’re just now barely escaping from.

Onto the part you actually care about: I enjoyed Owl House season 1 quite a bit. It had some issues sure: the subplots often felt disconnected from the main plot and overarching stories during the first half of the season and one or two episodes could’ve been cut, but for the most part it was genuinely excellent and gave us a fun, weird, macbre , well crafted world with likeable heroes voiced by great actors, great jokes and most notably a bisexual lead with a lesbian love intrest, something that would be notable on ANY show, especially for my bisexual self, but especially on Disney, where the most we get from them on a good day pride wise are minor gay characters that can be easily cut out, and half hearted tweets that are heavily mocked by one of the voice actors on this very show who you may of heard of. 

This is the second time i’ve gotten to use those tweets and sadly it probably won’t be the last. I”d also say he makes Disney sound like some clown version of the hulk but Clown hulk was evne more rediculous than Disney’s blatant pandering. 

Did I really need to include a picture of the hulk posing as a robotic clown juggling a seal, a horse and an elephant drawn by the one and only Jack Kirby?... yes I absolutely did. 

Point is the show was damn impressive and I was eager to see what was in store. So yeah I did see the first episodes ahead of time as they were released early to select viewers as part of a charity stream for pride month. I just held off on the review because while most fans would’ve seen these eps by now, many were probably holding off for the airdate, and I wanted to be respectful. 

So now we’re all caught up how does the opening salvo of season 2 stack up? Is it better or worse? Does it involve a loveable golden shithead and Hooty finally making a friend somehow and causing Blitzo to have an especaially chilly day? The answers are waiting for you inside, full recap/review with spoilers under the cut. 

The season starts with a cold open: Luz, in her badass cape from the finale, where she confronts a myserious monster on a bounty poster.. who turns out to be using the light to make himself look bigger and thus the biggest problem Luz has with the guy is getting him out of king’s mouth like the little demon just found a piece of steak. 

We then get the spiffy new credits.. which are spectacular. Seriously their gorgeous both showing off how far our heroes have come and how close they are now versus where they started, especailly Amity whose gone from “trying to look aloof” to confidently showing off her power with a wiry smile. Likewise the escalated stakes are shown off as the three portraits for the hexside crew have been replaced with Lilith, Kiki and Golden Guard, and the shot of King playing with his toys is replaced with Belos standing powerful.

What i’m most impressed by.. is that Dana got THIS much changed animation in. Western cartoons usually keep the same intro for a while and the most star vs got changed in season 2 was a frame. Ducktales also somehow remained mostly the same minus a few subsittions (Such as swapping in gizmoduck for littlebulb, adding Della to teh shot of launchpad, and adding Della to the credits period). So while it’s not 100% new, the shot at the end and the race with the monster thing are both kept, it’s still almost entirely new stuff and while it’ll likely last into season 3, it dosen’t make it any less impressive Dana got this. Not the most impressive thing she’s gotten away with but given the most impressive thing is “letting her have a bi lead on a network that at most let a character have a gay friend in the past”, it’s understandable. 

So with that we get into the meat of the episode as Luz vlog’s to her mom. Given she probably can’t send the message it feels more like a way to try ane perk herself up as well as fill in new members of the audience. It’s very clear from this scene and especially the next after it things AREN’T okay: We see Eda still trying to use her powers and while it turns out she has a scrap of magic left, i’ts not enough to actually do anything. Lilith is coping badly with the sheer weight of her actions against her sister and her fall from grace in the public eye, and the house has a whole has to now bounty hunt to scrape out some money. Theirs still SOME hope for Luz getting home at least as she has the key to the door, but otherwise despite her best efforts to say otherwise and stay positive it’s clear the reality is a lot more yikes than sh’ed like to admit. 

Things aren’t better when they go into town as our heroes get smacked in the face with how much worse off they are: the Emperor, like any pety dictator, has cracked down hard in the face of resistance, putting up more emperor's coven sponsored stalls in the marketplace. It also shows that as breifly lived and kinda sudden the people turning against Belos and for Eda in season 1 was it’s had some nice lasting consequences: Belos is clearly just a tad rattled the people turned against him and is taking steps to make sure that NEVER happens again by cranking up his authority as much as he can without making them turn against him harder. After all if he comes down TOO hard on them, it’ll just make them rebel more. But if he say simply adds a few more stalls and some more propoganda, no one’s going to protest... and more importantly they’ll be too afraid to. 

It helps thoguh that his main opposition has taken a PR Hit. Eda barely gets any money for her cart of bounties as the asshole at the cart and everyone around knows she lost her powers. Lilith has also, to her horror, been swiftly replaced by the new kid in town: Golden Guard, aka the mysterious teen we saw at the end of last season and in the opener. Belos has likely done this for two reasons: because he needed a new mouth of sauron to spread his bullshit the public would love to replace the liked and respected Lilith.. and because he likely knew Lilith didn’t like GG that much and promoting him in her place would piss him off. GG is a magical progidy, and despite only being 16 according to word of god he’s already high up. 

So yeah our heroes aren’t in a great place and Eda shoots down Luz’ suggestoin of taking on a Selkiedama, a rare sea creature with a massive bounty. But with her mentor and new ally both having taken a hit to the self esteem pancreas, it’s Luz’ turn as she overhears Eda talking to lilith.. and finds out Eda’s not eating. She can’t get any apple blood because she needs to spend what she can food wise on Luz, as there’s not much Luz can healthily process out here. It’s a sad and often far too often real circumstance: a parent forced to not eat or barely eat so their child can.

This honestly reminds me of Steven Universe in the best way. Like Steven for Luz while this wasn’t a game, as shown by both’s hard work and dedication towards becoming a crystal gem and a witch respectively, it was still a fun adventure like something out of a fantasy novel. Sure there was danger and the constant threat of Eda getting caught and her curse acting up.. but both were manageable. Eda was so unstoppably powerful only Belos could challenge her and with him unwilling or unable to leave his castle to go fight her, there was no one who could stand a resonable threat. The Most Luz had to deal with was interpersonal stuff and by the time of the two part season 1 finale most of that was settled: Amity had gone from hating her due to a series of misunderstandings to having a massive crush on her, Willow had gained confidence, Gus was.. gus (He might just need a touch more focus this season just saying), and the one threat at school in Boscha had been taken down too many pegs to matter anymore. By the time of the finale Luz had gained magic, friends, love, and confidence. She had everything except how to tell her mom about all this really.

The finale.. sent all that crashing down. It showed just how precarious everything outside her friend group was: the curse finally overwhelmed eda, Lilith sunk to her lowest to mamke it happen, and Belos very nearly won. While Luz proved capable fighting various mooks and still ultimately won the day out, her fight with Belos showed how ultimately out classed she was. This went from a fun magical adventure to a genuine battle for freedom and for the very soul of the boilling isles.. and one Luz is now throughly aware she’s badly outmatched in.

To make matters worse her own choices left them in no shape to fight said battle: Luz’s decision to try and cure Eda with the hat lead to her capture and Eda going full owl, and while it was partly Eda’s own decision to destroy the door, it was Luz who ultimately had to push that button and did so on the boiling isles side of it, trapping her here possibly forever. While Luz made an udnerstandable decision in the first case and the right one in the second, they still had conseqeunces: lilith had to give up her own magic and take on part of the curse to get Eda back.. and eda was left with no magic, no income and no clue how to move forward. Before doing the right thing either lead to some wild shenanignas that ultimately turned out fine or lead to good things.. now Luz is seeing sometimes being a hero means that even when you did everything for the right reasons or did everything you SHOULD have done.. it still costs you. She’s now stuck here making Eda’s life visably harder, not that Eda cares.

I genuinely love this: it adds depth and weight to things: while Luz can still HAVE fun one off adventures, her adventures have now left a mark and while she still has her loveable optimsim i’ts slowly slipping.. it breaks this episode as we’ll see and while i’ts restored by the end of the same, i’ts very clear she won’t make it out of this the same person she came in. 

 So while Luz and King sale the seven seas, Lilith tries to put her mind at ease kicking off her subplot.. which i’m covering in full now because they don’t intersect at all till the last scene. So Lilith is not taking loosing everything well and instead is just having a mope sesh. Eda walks buy with a bandolier of potions like she’s some magical version of Cable... side note whoever writes the next cable ongoing, consider that will you? That’d be dope. Eda’s apparently realized there’s ANOTHER avenue for her powers: potions. They don’t require magic, so she can just sell some minor ones off. 

Lilith, wanting to both prove her sister and Belos wrong while also GENUINELY wanting to make up for how shitty her behavior was, decides she too can make a potion, a scrying potion into the palace. With Eda still a fugitive it would be handy to have a peak into Belos castle. 

But getting the ingredients proves harder than expected as Lilith can’t accept she’s just not as powerful as she was or that she actually needs help now. Help comes in the form of Hooty.

No seriously he is an actual help... coming to genuinely help Lilith because he assumes their friends. Granted he assumes he’s everyones friend when really out of those he’s met outside of those random mooks King actively despises him, Eda is constantly annoyed with him, Luz is the same but tries to be ncier about it, Willow and Gus are terrified of him and Amity tried to murder him. Granted ALL of that minus king is warranted: he tries way too hard with everyone so he ends up pissing them off or creeping them out. 

Lilith only tolerates him because he is mildly useful and clearly won’t go away aka the reason everyone does. But her reason for rejcting his help, later screaming in his face to go away, is personal: Lilith wants to prove she can be self sufficent. To prove she can do this herself. In hindsight.. that’s always been there. She doggedly insited on trying ot cure Eda her way. Said apparently cure involved someone else sure but it was someone stronger who Lilith trusted over anyone else, even Eda. Lilith lost EVERYTHING  making things right with Eda and is just depsperate to prove she can still be useful, that she isn’t outmoded without the coven or everything she dedicated her entire life to. 

But Lilith learns the hard way that you really can’t do everything yourself and ends up annoying a colony of flaming bees.. or was it fire hornets.. I don’t know the point is they create fire and they sting people I think semantics aren’t necessary here. Lilith ends up surrounded and admits she needs help from hooty.. who gladly comes back, saves her ass and takes her yelling in stride, it’s what friends do. And it’s what Lilith needed: to see she dosen’t HAVE to do this alone and prove herself. What she was is gone but she can still be something new. And in the process Hooty FINALLY makes an actual friend, not by trying to force himself into their life or jabbing them in the eye while annoying them after they specifically said if he annoys them again they’ll kill him, but simply by doing something nice and being genuinely friendly. Both got what htey needed: lilith needed some support from someone she hadn’t horribly wronged and thus dosen’t have a complciated relatoinship with, and Hooty needed a friend. Awwww. they also got the ingredients for the potion so we’ll see how that panned out after the main plot. 

Back a few hours and aboard a ship, Luz hops aboard, embracing the pirate’s life .. well a pirate’s outfit even though she’s a sailor. Look you can only wear a pirate outfit in about ten ways that are socially acceptable, I can’t blame her for getting after it. For the record those settings are: 1) A Pirate’s funeral 2) Halloween 3) A Funeral At Halloween 4) In honor of Stefan Karl Steffanson who played Robbie Rotten, either his birthday or his death day. Or just in general. I miss you man.  5) To kick Johnny Depp in the Nutsack 6) To drink Rum 7) To Pirate Media over the internet 8) At your Pop Pop’s funeral 9) As a sailor 10) To reinact Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

IT’s sad getting older is what i’m saying so if they want to dress like pirates they can. Oh and for added irony the vessel is working for the emperor and GG is on board. Oops. Luz is unaware though and successful wins over the sailors by scraping barnacles using king’s horn, swabbing the deck and doing a jig as all pirates or sailors do, to a traditoinal she shanty. 

Okay sadly not but come on Disney, you can afford “Lean On Me” and “All I Do Is Win” but not this? 

Anyways King decides to go looking for crackers and instead finds a message with the emperor’s sigil.. and the golden guard who quickly grabs him. 

But while our heroes prepare to follow the Selkiedama to it’s lair, they instead get a shock when a mystery pirate grabs their pay.. which the emperor decided was a good idea to keep on board with a crew that could steal it at any time, in a raging sea where it could be lost at any time, and with a crew going after a sea beast that could capsize the thing in an instant. 

Luz and mystery pirate scuffle over the loot.. only for the Loot to get lost in the sea. As for the pirate it’s naturally Eda, which did genuinely floor me on first watch. Season 1 had the two off doing unrealted stuff as often as it had their plots intersect or had both in the same plot, if not more, so I figured Eda was going to show up in Lilith’s plot instead, or at the very least at the end of this plot. Not smack in the middle. Luz learns two things from Eda: one that the Selkiedama is actually peaceful as long as you don’t piss it off and that’s the REAL reason she didn’t take the job rather than not wanting to risk Luz, and two, this is an emperial ship. 

The two argue for a second before the real threat arrives: We finally PROPERLY meet the Golden Guard. GG is played by Zeno Robinson, who is now double dipping Disney Show wise as he’s currently Remy on Big City Greens. He’s also the Green Poncho on Craig of the Creek, a storyline I really need to catch up on.. and a show I need to catch up on in general. Point is he’s awesome at what he does and also has the best twitter handle i’ve ever seen. 

I also did not know before pointing out his twitter handle he also added the golden guard name to his name but clearly is VERY proud to be part of this series and rightfully so. 

He’s an utter treat in this role too as the Guard is awesome from second one. He starts putting on the offical airs planning to arrest Eda and force Luz to continue sailing for money and easily curbstomps both. Eda is a bit more understandable as while she apparently can fight hand to hand, she’s far more used to either using her staff or her magic. Luz though we saw curbstomp a good chunk of the emperoror’s soldiers and scratch Belos. She didn’t remotely stand a CHANCE against Belos, but still the fact she was able to do anything to the strongest witch on the island is an achivment. GG just easily rolls her over. 

We then get his REAL game: he’ll let both off free if they kill the selkiedama for him> He doesn't even know WHY the emperor wants him dead... he’s just following orders and clearly respects the man as much as Lilith did. It also gives me the feeling he’s been doing black ops style stuff for the emperor, stuff the Emperor couldn’t risk with Lilith as if she had to do some attrocites that werne’t business as usual, she might get suspcious and belivie lilith. His loyal possible son though? Someone he probably at least partially raised? GG will gladly do whatever the emperor asks with a smirk. Well presumibly. That is not an expressive mask. Is damn cool. 

So after the two resist he simply gets a bit flustered/ annoyed and just pulls out his trump card: King, who acts like a scared dog and says he’ll kill this bird if they don’t do what he asks. Also he somehow thinks king is a bird... as @jess-the-vampire​ put it when we talked about the episode he’s either never seen a bird in his life or was just mocking them. Me I like to think of him like Jeb from scott the woz, just replace Gex with Birds. 

Golden Guard: What about last week? \ Belos: That was a car wash. 

Anyways with no other options Luz commits to doing a murder and Eda heads after her. Eda finally confronts Luz on why this is so important and we get easily the best part of this episode that dosen’t involve everyone’s faviorite golden little shit. Luz opens up that she heard all of that, and while Eda tries to deflect it with a freaks stay together Luz snaps at her her that doing so has only gotten her hurt. This is where that point I mentioned about things sinking in and the stakes being way higher comes in: Luz feels like being in Eda’s life has COST EDA TOO MUCH. The petrifcation, the loss of her powers, having to scrimp to feed only one of them... it’s just too much. Luz dosen’t want to keep runing her life. 

But as Eda explains in her own way... Luz made her life BETTER. She made Eda want to be a better person, made her try harder to be one. Luz being around makes her better so no matter what has happened or what she’s lost to keep the kid... Eda will NEVER regret the gains. She gained a daughter, and that’s more than enough. It’s what Luz really failed to realize: sacrificing for someone you love isn’t a burden. It was Eda’s choice. Eda could’ve barely fed both of them. but she choose making sure luz got something she could digest and could thrive. And when you look back a lot of the choices were Eda’s: eda choose to keep using her powers to save Luz knowing what woudl happen, choose to hide the condition in the first place, choose to hide how bad it was and WANTED Luz to destroy the door over hre own saftey. Eda has always put Luz over herself like any good parent would and it took Eda just outright saying that for Luz to realize it: that no matter how bad thigns are.. they aren’t worth what they’ve gained. Luz isn’t protective of Luz because she thinks less of her.. she’s protective because this is her kid and she’ll do anything for her. 

Still Eda has no intention to let Luz murder an innocent creature either and they come up with a plan, puttnig on a shadow play that makes it look like they killed the selkie dama using light magic. GG ... geninely keeps up his end of the bargin. Sure he leaves them stranded, but even that’s not too bad when you think about it: Luz can use ice magic, he likely knew that before even fighting her. While it won’t be an EASY voyage home, he knows she can manage it. He then warns luz to try and stay out of trouble for her own saftey. It shows beneath the mask of being the emperor’s servant he’s a decent kid who genuinely thinks he’s doing the right thing: He’s what Eda COULD’VE been in his shoes, someone with all the power and convidence.. but unlike Eda the exact wrong person telling them what to do. He’s also a massive loveable dork, lifting up King’s curtain over and over again just to see him scurry around panicked and best of all popping a FUCKING WHEELIE and going BYEEEEEEE. i just.. I have no words. It’s perfections. I already loved this kid for popping a witch wheelie but then he goes and added BYEEEEEEEEE to it. Beautiful. Can’t wait for more. 

So after going to Eda, who pulled off her first glyps in the process, and confirming the selkies are all alive the selkie barfs up a fat lump. HIS NAME’S GENE! that turns out to be selkiegris which like Ambergris is worth a LOT. So our heroes are fincially secure and playfully roll around in the barf. I love a job that allows me to say things like that. 

So wrap up: our heroes head back home, now secure, Lilith shows off her potion which our heroes aren’t sure what to do with and as they prepare to drawn on hooty, with Lilith promising to protect her bestie... we get a bit deeper into the castle and find BELOS HAS REPAIRED THE DOOR. “knock knock, human”

Final Thoughts: Seperate Tides is an EXCELLENT opener. it greatly strengthen’s luz’s character, introduces a great new threat and wonderfully expands on the fallout from the finale while helping deepen lilith and givng her her own weird animal sidekick in Hooty, a friendship I never expected but sure as shit love. It also greatly improves on the subplots of season 1, with this one being unrelated but still help forwarding plots and characters. While I didn’t hate most of season 1′s subplots, a good chunk were just irrelvant hyjinks with eda and/or king that made them feel like side characters in their own damn show. Hopefully the trend keeps up> This is an impressive opener and I hope the season keeps up this level of quality

Next Time: It’s Luz vs a magical Karen as we meet Amity’s mom. Also Lilith and eda try to master Glyphs. All this next week. 

[wiypt-writes]

Riding High

Ch25: Keep it Simple

Chapter Summary: The events of Boston behind them, Frank, Fliss and Mary look forward to Christmas…and Frank has a big surprise planned. 

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut…NSFW and NO UNDER 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings:  Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

 A/N: So here it is, the last in the series Riding High. Thank you to everyone who has helped and re-blogged and commended in any way. Do not fear, Frank and Fliss will be back in the next instalment of their adventure Riding On

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 24

If you should ever leave me, thought life would still go on, believe me, the world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I’d be without you…

"Mary can you just hold on a second, please!" Frank sighed, grabbing the back of her coat to stop her shooting off into the crowd that streamed down the busy Manhattan sidewalk. "But Frank!" she turned and looked at him, her woollen hat jammed down over her ears "I just wanna see the stall!" "Yeah but you can't just run off!" He grumbled and beside him Fliss gave a chuckle. He turned to look at her "who gets so excited about damned wooden tree ornaments?" "Oh hush!" Fliss leaned up to give him a pack, her cold nose brushing his. In retaliation he pulled the front of her baby blue sparkly bobble hat down over her eye and she shoved him in the chest, laughing. "Fuck you!" "Chance would be a fine thing" he grumbled, taking Fliss’ hand as they headed after Mary. "Awww is that why you're grumpy?" Fliss grinned as they walked "Coz you haven't had any in nearly 3 days?" Frank pouted "No." "Liar..." "Ok, look...Frankie has needs..." he whined "I completely over looked the fact hanging out with an 8 year old in the room would be a cock block." "Always the shower..." Fliss teased and Frank snorted. "Yeah, right. Can you imagine? I give it 3 minutes before she came looking for us." "We go home tomorrow. I'll make it up to you then." Fliss grinned and he sighed. "What?" She laughed. "It’s just...you look so hot in all this winter clothing." Frank grinned. And he meant it. Seeing her wrapped up in a coat, hat and scarf had made her look all cute and cozy...and it had done inappropriate things to him for some odd reason. "Hmmm, you know most men get more turned on the less clothing their girls wear." She teased and he grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm not most men" She gave him a smile which he returned with a soft kiss as they stopped by the stall where Mary instantly dived into looking at the array of ornaments. After a few moments of looking she handed Frank one in the shape of a reindeer stag, and a doe for him and Fliss before selecting a robin for herself. "I think they're so pretty." She looked at the bird in her hand "I saw one at Evelyn's over thanks giving." "Ever heard the saying robins appear when loved ones are near?" Fliss asked. Mary shook her head. "No" "Well, I don't know about here but certainly in England we say it because there is an old belief by some people that a robin is a message from heaven, that a loved one is watching over you." "Do you believe that?" Mary looked at Fliss. Fliss hesitated "Well when my Dad's dad died I was 20 and I remember getting up the morning after he died and there was a robin on the fence of the back garden. Bill told me it was my granddad Alex come to check I was ok." "Do you think it was? Really I mean?" "I dunno sweetheart." Fliss sighed "I'd like it to be true..." "Then you should believe it was." Mary said, looking at her "Because isn't that what faith is? Believing something you want to be true?" Fliss looked at Frank who smiled and gave a small shake of his head. She turned back to Mary, smiling softly as she dropped a hand to the back of her head. This kid was unbelievably wise, but with such an innocence behind it all. "Yeah, I suppose it is." Fliss nodded. "Do you think the robin I saw could have been my mom?" She asked, her eyes wide. Frank at that point stepped in, carefully picking an answer that was ambiguous so as not to say yes, but also not dampening her spirits. "If your mom could I'm sure she would come and see you, make sure you're ok." Mary gave a nod, before she turned back to the stall, her attention back on the ornaments. "We need a dog for Thor, and a cat for Fred oh...and a pony for Monty." "What about Cap and Heidi?" Fliss asked, moving to inspect the selection of decorations. "Oh, yeah!" "This is gonna bankrupt me." Frank grumbled, his hands on Fliss' hips, chin resting on her shoulder as he observed the two of them. "Scrooge" Fliss shot back with a smile "Do you think Verity and Bill will like this one?" Mary held up a snowman. "Absolutely" Fliss nodded. "And can I get one for Evelyn?" She asked, selecting a snowflake. Despite the fact that they were now well into the fifty buck range for fucking tree decorations, Frank couldn't help but want to smile at Marys face. She was so thoughtful, the purity behind it all was, as usual, humbling. So he nodded "Sure she will appreciate it." He smiled. He moved to lift her up so she could hand the ones they had picked over to the guy behind the counter who asked Mary what names she wanted on each one. As she told him, he allowed her to sit up on the edge of the little surface, held in place by Frank to watch as he burnt the names into each ornament before he bagged them up and she took them with a thanks. "Our first family tree stuff!" Mary grinned and Fliss smiled, bending down to give her a hug. They set back off towards the hotel, stopping by a burger joint for dinner before they dumped their bags and returned back out for their final evening in the City. Frank had loved every second of their trip, and so had Mary and Fliss. Seeing Mary's reaction to snow and the Christmas lights had been amazing, along with all the bands on street corners, people walking around dressed up. It was magical and he wasn't afraid to let his inner child come out to play either, as Fliss had just found out. "Whose idea was this again?" He asked as Mary was bouncing up and down in the queue. "Yours!" Fliss scoffed as he took Mary's hand in his right "I seem to recall the very visible horror on your face yesterday when I told you I'd never done it before..." "That’s because it's an abomination that someone who's 34 has never been ice skating." "I was a professional athlete." She shrugged "I was banned from doing anything deemed dangerous " Frank looked at her "What do they consider more dangerous than flying a half tonne animal almost 2 meters into the air?" "Bungee jumping, sky diving, jet skiing, water skiing, ice skating.." Fliss shrugged "just to name 5" Frank shook his head as the queue shuffled forward a little. It wasn't too long now, luckily they had timed it right by arriving 20 minutes or so before the next lot of General Admission to the famous Rockefeller rink opened so there weren't too many people ahead. After another 10 minutes they got to the front and Frank nudged Fliss out of the way as she tried to pay. She scowled at him and he simply rolled his eyes and handed his card over. It wasn't cheap but then, he was in New York. What was? Together they headed onto the ice. Frank, having done it a few times as a kid found his legs fairly quickly and didn't stop himself laughing as Mary's completely went from under her and she landed with a thump on her ass. "Here..." he chuckled, offering her his hand. He pulled her up and moved her in front of him. "Give me your hands..." Mary extended her arms to the side and he took her mitten clad hands in his, holding her in front of him. Fliss was moving tentatively behind him, using the sides for support a little. "Ok slide your right foot forward, like on your roller skates..." Frank said. Mary did as she was told "now left...right...left...right..." He continued his chanting and glanced over his shoulder to see Fliss was concentrating on her feet, her tongue poking out slightly. "You good?" "Yup." She said, raising her hand to give him a thumbs up before she skidded slightly and went down in a tangle of limbs. Letting out a laugh he gently pivoted Mary so she could hold onto the side and offered Fliss his hand. Pulling her up into his arms he held her steady for a moment whilst her laughing subsided. He watched her for a second, her face creasing up into those adorable dimples, eyes crinkled so much they were almost shut and her shoulders shook with the force of her giggles. "I fuckin' love you..." he grinned and she smiled at him. "Back at ya sailor" After another few laps Mary and Fliss had managed to get the hand of it which meant Frank could leave them a little bit as he went off for what he called a proper skate. The girls watched calling him a show off as he crossed his feet and turned, skating backwards a little. Both of them debated sabotaging him and tripping him up but they decided not to, instead they simply pretended they didn't know him, resulting in him grabbing Fliss from behind just beneath the large tree, and spinning her round to face him. "Can I help you?" She teased and he gave a snort. "Yeah, you can... Mary?" He called to her where she was trying to perfect a turn and failing as she almost stumbled again. She looked up and headed over. "Can you take our photo?" "Only if you're gonna kiss..." she replied, making smooching noises. "Well we can’t disappoint her..." Frank shrugged and Fliss grinned, her smile turning into a shriek as Frank quickly grabbed her hips before he took one hand, keeping the other round her back and dipped her so she was bending backwards, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. She laughed against his mouth as he gave her a wink, before kissing her a little deeper and then setting her upright, his eyes boring into hers which were shining in the Christmas lights surrounding the rink. "Oh that was great!" Mary howled and he turned to face her as she handed his phone back. Frank checked the photo and had to smile, it was a dammed good shot. He showed it to Fliss and she beamed. "A framer?" She asked. "A framer." He agreed. It took them ages to get Mary to finally leave the rink. Even a bribe of hot chocolate, marshmallows and cookies wasn't doing it. Eventually Frank put his foot down and told her it was time to go as it was almost 9pm and they still had that tree to go see before they headed to Central Park for one last walk in the lights. After handing their skates back and retrieving their belongings from the lockers they followed the path to the tree. As they round the corner Mary gasped. "It's huge!" She turned to look at Frank and Fliss, her eyes wide "Oh my God!" Frank smiled kissed Fliss' cheek as Mary walked slightly ahead of them down the walkway that was flanked with smaller trees and the famous lit up trumpeting angels . As they caught her up he slipped his spare hand in his pocket, his fingers curling round the small, leather box inside. The damned thing had been burning a hole in his pocket since he had bought it in Boston just after Thanksgiving. Fliss, Verity and Bill had all stayed for a very pleasant week rounded off with a damned good proper Thanksgiving dinner and the three of them had flown home on the Friday, as Fliss was starting to stress about her business. He and Mary followed on the Sunday after she had been given the all clear to fly after a week’s check up at the Hospital. On his spare afternoon, he'd taken a trip into the city with one goal, and it had been surprisingly easy. The first jeweller he has walked into had a perfect ring, and despite the fact he had visited several others none of them caught his eye like that. So he had gone back and asked the assistant for a closer look. It wasn't a huge rock, white gold and emerald cut with in a pave setting, but everything about it had screamed Fliss. It was delicate and feminine but with a wonderful sparkle just like her. He knew that sounded so lame when he had told the assistant but she has just smiled and told him that if he had that much conviction, it must be right. He had been lost when she asked him what size, but in a sudden inspiration he had remembered the Pandora ring he had bought her when he had gotten his first new pay check as supervisor. He mentioned this to the assistant who beamed and said she could easily size it from that by using a simple conversion chart and told him to come back the following day. His sudden good spirit had fallen as he explained he couldn't do and asked her to see if here was anything she could do, even contemplating taking it and having it sizes back in Florida. But, after the shitty run of events over the last week, his luck was in after she returned 5 minutes later with a slip of paper, informing him it would be ready by the end of the day. When he had told Mary he was going to ask Fliss to marry him, she'd been so excited. She'd asked when, where and when he said he didn’t know she'd given him the most exasperated look on the planet. The only one of his friend who he had confided in, Greg, hadn’t been much help either, simply telling him to do it in a way that meant something to them both. Simply put he just hadn't a fucking clue. He had agonized over how to pop the question. On the boat? Or maybe a sunset on their favourite spot at St Pete's beach? Did he wait for New York? As such, Frank had taken to carrying the ring around with him, waiting for that moment when it felt right. So far it hadn't happened at home and as it stood New York wasn’t faring any better. He had thought about it at the top of the Empire state, but it had been too busy. Then there was a moment in Central Park after they had been snowman building that might have worked...until Fliss had nailed him in the face with a snowball. So they'd had a snowball fight instead. Then when walking over Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline behind them… then when they walked back to the Hotel after seeing the Lion King on Broadway, going the long way round to see the display in Macy's window all lit up...and then that moment before when Mary had taken a picture of them kissing under the tree on the ice rink... but none of it felt right. It didn't feel like the moment for them. But now something stirred in his gut. This could be it. It wasn't too busy, the place was gorgeous, right in front of the tree Fliss had been so desperate to see... Ok Adler, you can do this. Taking a deep breath he pulled the box from his pocket when he heard Mary give a squeal. "Oh...wow! Frankie look..." Fliss' voice was a whisper and she nudged him, pointing to the base of the tree. He followed her gaze to see a blonde haired man down on one knee, presenting a ring to a dark haired woman who had her hands clasped over her mouth. Frank slipped the box back into his pocket and stared at the man as he placed the ring onto his now fiancés finger and did his best to look like he cared when Fliss let out a soft "Awwww" The man looked around excitedly, his eyes falling on the three of them before he asked Frank if he or Fliss would mind taking a photo for them. "Course not buddy, congratulations." Frank smiled. Fucking prick... ***** "It was AMAZING!" Mary gushed to Verity as they walked to the car, Fliss' parents having come to pick them up from the airport. "we saw so much stuff but nowhere near all of it but Frank said we could go back next year in the summer maybe and do a bit more." "Looks like someone else had a good time too." Bill smiled, nodding to Fliss who let out a loud yawn. Frank chuckled "She was up all night, I told her not to have more food so close to bed time." "I wanted a hot dog and a pretzel." Fliss mumbled, "Besides, it's nothing to do with the food...we did a lot of walking." Bill gave a snort "You ride horses for a living, you should be fit enough to walk round New York" "I probably skated about 4 miles too..." Fliss said looking at Mary "Someone wouldn't come off the ice rink" "You been sleeping ok otherwise?" Verity looked at her "I'm fine mum." She smiled "No anxiety?" 'V, she said she's fine so leave it" Bill said gently and Fliss shot a grateful look at her dad. She knew her mum was only concerned but she was fed up of assuring people she was fine. After the attack from John she had suffered a bout of delayed shock which had manifested in a few panic attacks, nightmares, and restlessness at night and on one occasion nausea. Luckily Frank had been brilliant at keeping calm when she had an episode, helping her work through it and the last incident she had suffered had been over a week ago. Once they were all in the car, Frank took the passenger seat after Verity offered it to him, Mary continued to chat all the drive home about New York, Fliss and Frank butting in here and there. They arrived home little after 30 minutes later and Fliss headed up the steps with Mary, Thor almost sending the pair of them flying when they opened the door. "Oh puppy I missed you!" Fliss smiled as she gave him plenty of attention and he kept licking her face, whining and emitting quiet little barks. "Did you miss me? Did you?" "Yerress" Frank did his best Scooby Doo impression as he walked past and Fliss let out a laugh, as she stood up and headed into the living room behind Mary, bumping into the girl as she stopped dead, giving a squeal as she saw the Christmas Tree in the corner. "Mum, Dad?" Fliss called, smiling "I take it you did this?" Frank appeared behind them both, smiling as Fliss and Mary exchanged a glance before they all turned to Bill and Verity who were stood in the doorway. "Well we know how much you like to get your tree up as early as you can and, well we were picking one up for ourselves so we got you one. You don’t mind do you?" Verity, looked at Fliss then Frank. "No, of course not!" Fliss grinned. "Saved me a job." Frank nodded "Thanks guys." "Can we decorate it tonight?" Mary asked "Pleeeeeeeaaaasssseee Frank!" Frank glanced at his watch before giving a sigh, he knew she wouldn't go to bed if he said no anyway so what was the point? Plus she was at the University tomorrow which didn’t start until 10 so... "Ok, but if you so much as grumble tomorrow morning when I get you up you'll be in deep trouble." He looked at her sternly as she stooped to pick Fred up. "Cross my heart, hope to die, we all know Fred's got one eye..." she chanted off, nodding. "We brought your box of decorations from the annex." Verity smiled at Fliss, nodding to the box on the floor. "We thought you could pick what you want to keep now you're combining."

“Speaking of decorations…” Frank said, looking at Mary.

“Oh…yeah…hang on…” She said, running to the sofa where she had dumped her little pink rucksack. She fished out the paper bag they had gotten from the stall and found the Snowman they had bought. With a smile she handed it to Verity who looked down at it, her face curling into a smile as her eyes started to prick with tears.

“Fliss said you wouldn’t mind the names Mary wanted on them.” Frank said, watching carefully.

“Of course we don’t mind!” Bill smiled, picking Mary up to give her a hug “We are Nanny V and Poppa B ain’t that right kiddo?” “Yep!” she grinned, hugging him.

“We’ll save it to hang tomorrow when you come over after school.” Verity said as Bill set Mary on the floor and she hugged her tightly.

After a little more chat Verity and Bill left and Frank instructed Mary to change into her Pyjamas before they did the tree. Deciding that was a good idea, Fliss did the same and before long they were all in the living room. Fliss and Mary going through the boxes of decorations, Frank wrestling with the tangle of fairy lights. How they managed to get so fucking knotted up after simply being in a box for 12 months was beyond him.

He had just about managed it when Thor came over to inspect what he was doing, and dropped straight onto his back on top of the string.

“Thor…get out of it…” he grumbled, pushing the dog who simply rolled over, taking half the lights with him, tangling them round his legs and his tails. “Jesus Christ…stand still…for fucks sake…”

Thinking this was a huge game, Thor started to bounce around, barking, and Frank shook his head. “Fliss, sort this mutt out….” Fliss gave a laugh and dropped off the sofa, calling Thor to her. He sat down, allowing Frank to remove the lights before he stood up, shaking them out. Together the 3 of them wound them round the tree before they made a start on the decorations.

“Frank got me this for my first Christmas.” Mary said, hanging a red bauble which had her name on it. “The glitter has all fallen off it now.”

“We can add more if you want.” Fliss looked at her and Mary shrugged.

“I kinda like it.” It didn’t take them long, and their wooden trinkets from New York were the last ones they hung, Mary ensuring they took pride of place. Frank then lifted her up so she could place the star at the top before they stood back.

“Ready for the big turn on?” Frank asked, grinning. Mary and Fliss cheered and began a countdown from 5. When they hit 1 Frank hit the switch and the lights on the tree came to life. He stepped back, looking up at it, his arm curling round Fliss’ shoulder, his other dropping to Mary as she grinned.

“Best Tree ever.” she smiled.

“Yeah, and now it’s time for the best bed ever…” he looked at her.

“Seriously?” Mary complained

“No moaning, remember?” Frank instructed her. “That was in the morning.”

“Well I just extended it to now as well.” he said, shrugging “Because I can, so get…” “Fine, fine, I’m going…” she grumbled. “Night Fliss.” “Night sweetie.” Fliss dropped a kiss to her head before Mary shot a filthy look at Frank who met her with a passive one of his own.

“I’ll be in in a second.” Frank shot after her, watching as she headed down to the hallway. He turned back to Fliss who was watching the tree, a smile on her face.

“Not exactly up to Macey’s standards…” Frank chuckled and she shook her head.

“I love it.” “It looks like an Elf threw up on it.”

“All trees should be like that.” Fliss shrugged, before she gave his cheek a peck. “Now, you go sort Mary and I’ll get us both a beer.” “Actually…” he said, looping his arms round her waist. “I believe there was something else you promised me tonight…” “Oh, yes, of course, Frankie has needs…” she replied with an almost uncanny impersonation, which made him snort. “Does that mean no beer?”

“No beer.” “You want me to wait in bed.” “Yes I do.” he nodded “Go, I’ll let Thor out and lock up.”

Grinning she accepted his kiss and smiled as she turned around, casting him a quite frankly sinful look over her shoulder which almost had him hard right there and then. Not wanting to wait a moment longer he sorted the dog, locked the door, poked his head into Mary’s room to wish her goodnight, and headed into their bedroom. Fliss was hanging her jeans in the closet after having simply discarded them on the bed earlier, and wasting no time Frank pulled off his T-shirt, tossing it to the side before he stepped up behind her, spinning her round to face him. He pressed his lips to hers, deepening the kiss as he slid his hands down to cup her ass and she smirked into the kiss.

“I like your ass.” he muttered. “I like yours too” she said back, “And your arms”

He laughed and pulled back to look down at her as her fingers trailed up his biceps. “My arms?”

“Yeah, your big, strong arms, and your big, broad shoulders and your stupid, handsome face…” she muttered, pulling him back down to her. In between the dizzying kisses Frank steered her towards the bed, and as her legs collided with the edge he stopped to gently trail kisses across her bare collar bone. His lips found her jaw and then, with a wicked quirk of his eyebrow he reached down for her thighs, and grabbing them he pulled them forwards, causing her to fall backwards as he pitched them both onto the bed. As she laughed he chuckled slightly before he kissed her again, and then it was a scramble to get out of his clothes as fast as he could before he fell back on top of his girl, his hands pulling up her camisole top, lips kissing at the spot just below her ear before he slid down her shorts, his mouth gently kissing a trail up from her belly through the middle of her breasts, up her neck and finally back to her mouth.

Fliss was utterly lost now, in the usual whirl of love, and lust and passion and kissed him back, hard as his hand gently dropped between her legs and he felt her slick against the tips of his fingers as he gently coaxed at her clit, continuing until she was nothing short of a writhing mess clawing at his back, aching for him. They locked eyes as he took her left hand in his, and slowly worked into her, both moaning simultaneously at the sensation, Fliss’s eyes rolling back at the exquisite stretch inside. Frank began to move his hips slowly, deeply, his thrusts weren’t measured in the slightest despite the fact he was absolutely aching for her. He wanted to take it slow, end what had been an amazing trip in the same mood it had started in, absolute pure love.

His mouth moved back to Fliss’s neck, nipping gently at her skin and she let out low moan as he picked up the pace ever so slightly, his spare hand kept hold of her hip, keeping her as close to him as she could possibly be.

“Fuck, Frank, right there…” she groaned as he hit her spot and he smirked slightly, he loved the way she got like this with him, ever so demanding at times, such a far cry from the timid woman he had fallen for the previous year.

“Yeah?” he panted as she gave a soft cry, her body tensing underneath him “Good.” “So good…” she moaned, arching her back. His mouth found hers again and his hand slid from her hip to gently tease her nipple and she rolled her hips to grind up against him, changing the angle slightly causing him to go deeper.

“Lissy…” he panted as he drove into her deeply, slowly, and then again and again, his pace increasing ever so slightly. Every single sense Frank possessed was on fire and he broke the long, lazy kiss that they were sharing to stifle a moan against her cheek when he felt her clench around him, a tell-tale sign she was nearing her release. The sheets rustled underneath and around them both as his hips pushed up against hers, and Frank saw Fliss’ head tip back, her throat bared to him in utter bliss as she came hard, her moans soft and breathy into his ear. Frank picked up his pace slightly, chasing his own end as he pushed her through hers, and when he felt that snake in his belly beginning to unravel, he gave a low grunt which morphed into a gasp as he clung to Fliss, spilling himself into her, his hips slowing to a stop as he collapsed forward. Fliss gave a soft chuckle as her hands gently slid up his back and into his hair, as she moved and pressed a soft kiss to his head.

“I know I keep saying it but I really do fuckin’ love you Cowgirl.” he said, voice muffled as his face pressed into her neck.

Fliss gave a chuckle “I’ll never tire of hearing it Sailor. “

He moved to look at her, flashing her a grin before he caught her mouth in a sweet kiss. **** "You still not managed it?" Greg asked as they stood at the bar, waiting for their drinks. Frank sighed and glanced at Fliss who was sat with Bonnie in the booth, the pair of them sniggering at something. "Do you see a ring on her finger?" He looked at Greg. "No" "Well there's your answer." "What's the hold up, man?" Greg frowned. "Nothing has felt right." Frank sighed "she won’t want a huge fuss in front of people so that basically ruled out all of New York...bar one moment when I thought it was time, in front of the tree at Rockefeller...and then some douchebag went and beat me to it, proposing to his girl whilst we watched..." "You're over thinking it." Greg said, looking at Frank "Take a step back. When are the pair of you at your best? The time you enjoy most, I mean" "Honestly?" Frank shrugged "at night when Mary's gone to bed and we finally sit down and just watch TV or joke around." "Well there you go." Greg shrugged "What, at home?" Frank frowned "Why not?" Greg looked at him "the point isn't to be showy or flashy but to show her you wanna spend the rest of your life with her." Frank pondered this for a moment. Greg has a point. They were at their happiest doing the simple things, spending quiet time together, being fucking normal. Fliss loved it when they curled up and Frank would simply cuddle her close and kiss her head, easy signs of affection that she had craved all through her wreck of a marriage. And Frank loved it too, because it made him feel grounded, time for him to simply be Frank in his own right, the very thing he used to use his Friday night drinking sessions for. Now he could feel it every night, thanks to Lissy…

And then, suddenly an idea came to him, out of nowhere.

Oh, it was perfect! "Greg..." he smiled, slapping the man on the back "you are a genius." "Glad I could be of service." Greg smirked "This means I get best man duty, right?"

Frank smirked at him, shrugging, not giving anything away. His eyes flicked back to Fliss who had now stood up, Simon having returned to the table sliding in next to Bonnie. Frank’s eyes travelled up her bare legs, from her high-heels up to the short little pink playsuit she was wearing, which was printed with black palm trees and other patterns, the small straps settling on her tanned shoulders, the front showing him just enough cleavage. She was wearing a black butterfly necklace that she had bought in New York and her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders in soft curls. Her brown eyes locked onto his and he smiled as he remembered the last Circle Of Truth Christmas outing the previous year, when he had told her he loved her for the first time. And here they were, now 5 days away from their second Christmas together.

“Hey beautiful” he smiled as she reached his side. His arm curled round her and he pressed a kiss to her cheek “You ok?” “Yeah, just thirsty.” she smiled. “Can I get a water as well as my gin please?”

“Sure…” he turned to look at the bar tender who was pulling their drinks together. Once he had attracted his attention and added a bottle of water to the order he turned back to her as Greg spoke up.

“Frank said you enjoyed New York.” “Oh, it was fantastic.” she smiled “Every bit as magical as I thought it was going to be.”

“Good, I’m glad you all had a good time.” Greg smiled “You deserved it after everything that went down.” “Yeah well, he’s banged up now. His brother is going to go down for Endangerment or whatever it is you call it, its’ done, it’s over.” Fliss smiled, “We got the rest of our lives ahead of us now.” “Well, if that doesn’t call for shots then I don’t know what does…” Greg smirked as the bar tender placed their drinks in front of them.

“No, Greg…” Fliss started to protest but Greg cut her off.

“Yes Greg!” he smirked, turning to the bar tender, “Can I get a bottle of Tequila pal and 8 glasses.” Fliss groaned “I’m teaching at 9 am!”

“Dumbass…” Greg looked at her and Frank gave a snort.

“I told you to switch them out…”

“I can’t!” she pouted “I already did for Boston and New York…” “Well…” Greg smirked as the bar tender set the bottle and glasses down in front of him “Looks like you’re doing it with a hangover honey.” “Fuck my life…” **** Fuck my life indeed. Fliss spent the following morning throwing up, groaning once more that she was never drinking tequila EVER again. Frank reminded her of how many times she had said that over the time he had known her and she’d simply let out a huge fake sob and thrown herself face down on the bed again declaring that she didn’t want to adult anymore as it sucked.

The days before Christmas passed in the usual chaos. Presents were wrapped and stashed under the tree, more drinks were had with Friends. Evelyn visited for a few days, which had actually almost pleased Frank a little. She wasn’t staying for Christmas, her arrangements having already been made, but she had hinted that maybe next year she could, to which Frank and Fliss had both agreed. She had been taken with Mary’s gift to her and had laughed out loud when Bill and Verity had presented her with a case of Malbec, the same Malbec she’d smashed a bottle of over John’s head. Her gifts to them both had been a substantial chunk of money, in the thousands, and when Frank had protested at the amount on the cheque she had waved it off as 8 years of owed presents. Mary’s was wrapped so it was placed under the tree for Christmas morning. Evelyn headed back to Boston on the morning of Christmas Eve, Frank and Mary driving her to the airport instead of her driver, where they had both bid her a Happy Christmas and waved her goodbye as she headed off to spend it with her friends in Newton.

After the final preparations were made Frank, Fliss and Mary collapsed onto the sofa for a Marathon of Christmas Films. Mary was, as usual, excited and the copious amounts of chocolate and candy she was shovelling down weren’t helping either, but what the hell, it was Christmas after all.

"You ok?" Frank glanced at Fliss as she sat on the other side of the couch. Love Actually was playing, the final film of the evening before Mary went to bed. Fliss, however didn't look like she was paying attention. "Huh?" She looked at him, blinking. "I said are you ok? You look like you were miles away"

“Yeah, sorry, I was errr…just running through things in my head, making sure nothing was forgotten.” Frank smiled. They were hosting Verity and Bill tomorrow as Steven and his family were at his wife’s parents for this year, flying out instead of the 28th to spend New Year’s with them all. Fliss had asked Frank if they could host, as she’d never had the chance to do that before and of course he had agreed, not least because of the excited look on her face when she had asked.

“The table is set, food and everything is ready to go…” he chuckled, looking at her “Just relax…”

He reached round Mary, his hand gently rubbing at Fliss’ back and she smiled at him, turning her attention to the TV.

20 minutes or so later the film finished and Mary jumped up, grabbing Frank’s hand to make him dance to God Only Knows as the final closing scenes played out. He smiled and picked her up, resting her on his hip as he twirled her round to the song, the pair of them laughing before he eventually dropped her down and told her it was bed time. She scooted off, Fred trotting behind her, his tail swishing as she skipped and Frank headed in about 5 minutes later to tuck her in, before he came back to the living room.

“She wants you to go and say goodnight.” he smiled,

Fliss nodded and stood up.

“You sure you’re ok?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, honestly, I’m just tired.” she assured him. Giving him a kiss she headed up the hall and Frank watched her go before he smiled to himself, and set about quickly putting the last touches to his plan.

She came back about 10 minutes later and he smiled at her as she walked into the room.

“OK, now she’s out of the way…I got something for you...” Frank smiled.

Fliss looked at him before she shook her head, chuckling a little “I got something for you too…Frank, I have-” “Me first.” Frank cut her off.

She looked at him for a second, his bright blue eyes were shining as he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine…” she smiled, “Ok, you first.” He grinned and then folded his arms “You gotta find it.” “What?”

“It’s hidden, on the tree, and you gotta find it.” Her face lit up as she gave a laugh “You are such a dork!” “Yeah, I know…” Narrowing her eyes playfully she moved to the tree, glancing at it. “Ok so it’s not very big then, seeing as I can’t see it straight away.” Frank shrugged as she continued her search.

“I haven’t put it high up, seeing as you’re a short ass…” “I’m perfectly average for a woman thank you.” “Trust me baby girl, nothing about you is average.” he winked and she let out a snort.

“Charmer.” she grinned, turning back to the tree.

“Ok, you’re miles off…” he said, and she moved to her right “Gettin’ warmer…warmer…ok, yep, nearly there…” Fliss continued to search, and then something caught her eye. There was something shiny handing from the nose of her Doe ornament. She stepped forward slightly, and when she realised what it was her right hand flew to her mouth. Frank’s breath caught in his throat as she spun to face him, her eyes wide.

"You, me and Mary have been hanging out together since August last year now...” he said, clearing his throat slightly “How do you feel about hanging with us forever?" He watched, holding his breath as Fliss' chest heaved with emotion as she looked at him, those brown eyes he could happily stare at all day were full of tears, the hand which had flown to her mouth in surprise was now shaking as it slid to the spot beneath her throat, that dip in her neck that he could nuzzle at forever. "I'll hang with you for as long as you'll have me..." she whispered, taking a deep breath. "Is that a yes?" Frank inhaled sharply and a watery laugh burst through her tears. "Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes!" Frank's face split into a huge grin "shit..." he sputtered before she threw herself into his arms and he lifted her up easily, her legs wrapping around his waist as he held her close, kissing her neck. She pulled back and placed a kiss to his lips, long and short pecks being shared as she laughed and he laughed, the pair of them simply lost in the moment until eventually he set her down and with a shaking hand he reached out to retrieve the ring from where it was hanging. Taking her left hand in his, with a deep breath he slipped the diamond onto her finger.

Fliss looked at it, admiring the way the delicate band sat underneath her knuckle, the beautiful diamond twinkling in the lights of the tree.

"Oh Frankie...it’s gorgeous..." she whispered, before she looked at him, taking his face in both his hands and pulling him down for a deep kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He smiled, kissing her again before he pulled away, his hands linking behind her back. 

"I err, got us some champagne." He smiled, "I know it was presumptive of me but figured we could have it tomorrow if you turned me down." Fliss looked up at him, blinking before she took a deep breath “First I need to get you…just wait here…” He released her from his hold and she turned and headed out of the room, Frank watched her go, blinking for a moment before he shrugged and headed to the fridge, the smile still plastered on his face. She said yes! 

Not that he had doubted she would, not really, but there had always been that little bit of fright she may have done. But that was all gone now. As he popped the cork on the bottle he found himself thinking about how he would be doing that soon enough on his wedding day. He poured 2 glassed and headed into the living room with them wondering if maybe a late Autumn wedding next year would be nice, October perhaps when it started to cool off slightly. They could do the beach wedding she always wanted, hire a marquee... Lost in his thoughts completely he jumped a little when Fliss spoke his name and turned to look at her as she stood in front of him, the back of his thighs brushing against the sofa slightly. He noticed her hand was in her pocket, clutching something. Playfully he nodded towards it “I assume that’s not a spanner." He chuckled, referencing the joke they often shared and Fliss shook her head, biting her lip. "No it’s a bit bigger than that" With a shaky hand she pulled out a small, white stick of plastic and held it towards him. It took Frank a moment to understand what it was and as soon as he did his eyes widened and he looked at her, then it, then back again.

"You're...we're...no!." he stuttered, reaching out to take it from her. "I found out this morning." Fliss whispered, watching his reaction carefully "I suspected last week but thought it might all be down to stress and stuff but..." "How, I mean..." "I should have started a new pill packet when we went to Boston but I forgot to take it with me. I thought I'd be ok if I started as soon as I got back but..." "There's a baby in there?" Frank cut her off as he stumbled over his words, nodding to her stomach "Yeah" Fliss nodded. "You put it there." Frank's legs grew shaky and he dropped onto the sofa, staring down at the test in his hands.

2 blue lines. 2 blue lines that had just changed his world forever. "I'm sorry, I know this is sudden and I should have been more careful..." Fliss took a tentative step towards him and he reached out, his hands on either side of her hips, gently pulling her t-shirt up. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her belly, his forehead resting just above her navel. "I'm gonna be a dad." he pulled back, his eyes watering. "Frankie, you already are." Fliss said, her own tears once more springing forth. "I know you hate it when I say that about Mary but it's true." He looked at her, a dazed smile split his face into two as he pulled her onto his lap, where she straddled him, and he kissed her, hard, leaving her slightly breathless before he rest his forehead against hers. "Fuck, Lissy." he whispered, his eyes closed "You're cooking a little person..." She spluttered a laugh, nodding, her forehead brushing his as she did. "Was it made in Boston...is that the right word?" He pulled back to look at her and she laughed, brushing her hand through his fluffy hair as his gently reached out to rest against her stomach. "Yeah and most likely." "It's a little Boston Bean" he grinned and she laughed again, pressing her lips to his. "You're ok with it then? I know it's probably not what you would have planned but..." "Ok? Of course I'm ok!" He smiled "I love you and the thought of us making a little person that's half me, half you...fuck, it's amazing." She smiled and nodded, her voice a whisper "I know..."

"There is one problem." Franks said, his arms wrapping tightly around her. "What?" "You just ruined Christmas forever...because nothing is ever gonna live up to this ever again."

****** Fliss, Frank and Mary’s adventure continues in RIDING ON

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

Oh oh you should do song number 2 (One of Them Girls) for the song fic?? that would be so good

Thank you for the request.. Suggestion idk what it would be but I do hope this is as good as you hoped! Also like first Charlie Fic I've written!!! Though he was actually my original choice for the Owen fic I wrote. Anyway the Songfic,

One Of Them Girls

Charlie Gillespie X Fem!Reader

Summary: You like to make them wonder if you're one of them girls 'cause he's one of them boys who'll trade his whole world, for one of them girls who likes to act all quiet sexy, not even tryin'

Warnings: none really? Mentions teen pregnancy.

Song: One Of Them Girls by Lee Brice

Are you one of them girls? That peels off the Bud-Light label

You were sitting in a booth at a bar and grill, picking at the label on your beer bottle. You were waiting for your childhood best friend, as well as one of his other friends. You looked over at the door, seeing Owen Joyner and his friend walk in. You smiled waving them over.

"Owen! I've missed you!" You said hugging him once he was near the table. "And you must be my replacement as his best friend!" You said turning to the other guy.

"I didn't replace you!"

"Or did you?" You asked laughing. "I'm y/n." You put a hand out to shake.

"Charlie." He smiled shaking your hand.

Just might run a pool table, roll your eyes if I call you an angel ain't you, one of them girls?

"What do you say? Game of pool?" You asked standing up .

"I'm down." Owen said. "Come on Charlie." Charlie up following the pair of you to the pool tables. After a while you won.

"Good job angel." Charlie said smiling. You rolled your eyes.

Ask you to dance, you say, "No" just to see how far I'll go

You walked out of the restaurant with Charlie and Owen behind you.

"Y/n come here." Charlie said pulling you by the hand to Owen's car.

"Owen help! I'm being kidnapped!" You cried out jokingly to your friend, but he just laughed. "Charlie let go of my effing hand." You said glaring at him.

"Sorry." Charlie dropped it before he pulled his phone out, then he started playing music.

"Owen... You replaced me with a dancing monkey." You whispered to Owen as Charlie tried to get you to dance with him.

"One dance. Please angel." Charlie said you huffed but gave in.

Your song comes on and your eyes closed that's when I know, yeah you got your heart on lockdown got a wall I gotta knock down

"Bye!" You gave Owen a hug, before you waved at Charlie and walked to your car.

"Is she single?" Charlie asked.

"Dude! That's my best friend." Owen said.

"It was just a question." Charlie laughed. "But is she?"

"Yeah... Good luck with that." Owen said pushing him gently before he got into the car.

Kinda wanna do a shot now, come on now and you're one of them girls that ain't tryna meet nobody

You walked into your apartment, tossing your purse down onto the floor. You walked in smiling as you heard small feet running to you.

"Mommy!" The little girl exclaimed. You smiled lifting her. Followed by the young girl was, your teenage neighbor.

"Hiya babygirl." You smiled at your daughter, before looking at the teen. "Hi hun, thank you for watching her how much do I owe you?"

"20 bucks." The girl said. You nodded grabbing the money from your wallet and handing it to her. "Bye!"

"Bye, liv say bye."

"Bye!" Your daughter waved at the girl.

You're just here for the party if I'm wrong then stop me, yeah

Owen had invited you and your daughter over to hang out. Owen was one of the few friends who stayed friends with you in high school after you got pregnant with Olive. You were in your senior year, being 18. You held the four-year-old on your hip as you let her knock on the door of Owen's apartment. You were always thankful when he invited both you and Olive over since you couldn't always leave her with a babysitter. The door was opened by Charlie, who you were almost positive didn't know about Olive.

"Whos this?" Charlie asked. You had met him the week prior, he was still in town hanging out with Owen.

"I'm Olive!"

"Hi olive I'm Charlie.

"Whatevwer where uncle Owen? Mommy said Uncle owen lives here!" Olive said pouting. You stepped into the apartment and sat the little girl down, she ran straight to Owen.

"How old is she?" Charlie asked you.

"4."

You're one of them girls that ain't handin' out your number

"Can I get your number?" A guy asked you as you were at the bar and grill with Charlie and this time Olive.

"Solid 3." Your daughter answered for you. You busted out laughing unable to control yourself, Charlie copying.

"You heard the kid get outta here." You said in between laughs. "Good job Baby girl." You high-fived her.

You like to make us want you you like to make us wonder if you're one of them girls 'cause I'm one of them boys who'll trade his whole world, hmm, yeah

In the two weeks Charlie was in Oklahoma visiting Owen, he got close with you. Which led to texting and talking over the phone after he went back to LA.

"Hey angel." Charlie said.

"Stop calling me that!" You said glaring at him through the face time call.

"I don't want to! Now where's the little princess? I want to say Hi to her!" Charlie said smiling. You smiled back.

"She's at preschool." You answered.

"Awe." He said disappointed. You couldn't help but feel happy.

For one of them girls who likes to act all quiet sexy, not even tryin'

"Why are you so quiet Angel?" Charlie asked. You shrugged.

"I don't know." You responded in truth, you were stuck thinking. You never thought about dating again after you broke up with Olive's dad when you were 18, but now being 23 and falling for the Canadian you thought about it a lot. You were almost positive he would never date you though. You had a daughter, you were a teen mom. You've known him almost a year at this point.

"Okay, so did Owen tell you Julie and the phantoms season 2 is coming out soon!" Charlie said smiling at you.

"Ooh olive will be so excited she loves seeing her Uncle Owen on tv." You said.

"What about me?"

"She'll love seeing you on tv too."

Yeah, you know I ain't lyin', damn right you one of them girls broke every heart in your hometown on the day you rode out

You leaned back in bed sighing. You wanted to tell Charlie you wanted to date him, and it seemed like a good time as him and Jeremy were coming to visit Owen, and in turn you. Jeremy hasn't met you yet, but he heard a lot about you from both Owen and Charlie. You lifted Olive from her car seat before you grabbed her hand and walked into the apartment building, and to Owen's apartment. Once there you opened the door which you knew was unlocked because Owen texted you.

"I brought a kid! Keep what ever your doing PG!" You hollered walking in.

"Charlie!" Olive exclaimed running over to Charlie giving him a hug. You smiled softly.

"Hi, I'm y/n." You said to Jeremy. "That is Olive."

"Hi, Jeremy."

"Olive where's my hug?" Owen asked.

"Hi uncle Owen!" Olive smiled.

Got 'em all wishin' on stars now if I find one of them girls that ain't tryna meet nobody

You sat out by your car looking at the starry sky. Olive fell asleep on Owen's lap when the five of you were watching Moana. You just came out for air. You didn't notice Charlie walking up behind you.

"Ah! Oh, you scared me... Hey Charlie." You gave him a smiled.

"Hey whatcha doing?"

"Thinking you?"

"Came to find you." Charlie said. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead." You nodded looked at him.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked shyly.

"Yeah."

You're just here for the party if I'm wrong them stop me, yeah you're one of them girls that ain't handin' out your number

You smiled at Charlie when he walked into the kitchen of his apartment where he found you and Olive having a impromptu dance party. You were in LA visiting him for a few days, the long-distance relationship was hard but you made it work. Olive absolutely loved Charlie anytime she saw him she got excited.

"Can I join?" Charlie asked taking Olive's hand, spinning her. You smiled watching them dance.

You like to make us want you, you like to make us wonder if you're one of them girls

You took a deep breath as you began packing up the things in your daughter's room. You and Olive we're moving to LA to live with Charlie, you've been dating Charlie for a year, and finally tired of the long distance relationship you decided to move up to LA. Owen was over helping keep a eyes on Olive who is now 6 so you could pack.

"Woah." You sighed looking at the now empty room, you haven't see the room empty like this since you moved in 6 years ago. You moved away from home when you turned 19, going to make a life for you and your daughter, now at twenty five your farther then you ever thought you would be.

"Have you see Olive? We're playing hide and seek." Owen said peaking in the room breaking you from your thoughts.

"No."

Well I'm one of them boys who'll trade his whole world, yeah for one of them girls

You stepped into the new apartment you and Charlie got together. His was nice but it only had the one-bedroom, and Olive would not have been happy if she didn't get her own room.

"This place is nice mommy! Where's my room?"

"I'll show you Princess." Charlie said grabbing the girl's hand before the went down the hallway. You sat the box you had down on the counter smiling softly.

You're one of them girls I wanna put my lips on hold all night long write a little love song

There was movement in the bed before a tiny body found it's self situated comfortably in between you and Charlie.

"Hunny?" You yawned looking down at Olive who was laying there hugging her stuffed bunny.

"Cuddles?" The girl asked. Charlie who has woke up aswell rolled over pulling the girl onto his chest before pulling you into his side.

"Shh go to bed." He whispered.

For one of them girls that ain't tryna meet nobody you're just here for the party

"Olive! I need to asked you something big." Charlie said parking the car at a McDonald's.

"What?" She asked unbuckling. He looked back at her.

"Let's go get food then I'll tell you okay?"

After they got their food and were sitting at a table. He got ready to ask her.

"What would you say if I asked your mommy, to marry me?" Charlie asked before eating a fire.

"That would he so cool! Would that make you my daddy?"

"Yeah." Charlie chuckled.

"Awesome! I'm gonna tell all my friends my daddy is an actor!" Olive said happily.

If I'm wrong then stop me, yeah you're one of them girls that ain't handin' out your number

You were on a date with Charlie, a much more romantic ones then the usual ones you went on together. It was usually a picnic or adventure date, but you were at a fancy restaurant.

Charlie mustered all his courage before he dipped to one knee.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

You like to make us want you, you like to make us wonder if you're one of them girls well I'm one of them boys who'll trade his whole world (his whole world) for one of them girls hmm, one of them girls

A/n: first off when I was looking for a good name for Olive I kept coming across the names of my brother's crazy exes like I turned down at least 7 options just because of it 🙄 Again thank you for the ask!

[rogerslovesstark]

Pulling Away pt. 1

Pairing: Bucky x fem!reader, cheating!bucky barnes, CEO!Steve x AssitantReader, Mention of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Sam Wilson

Words: 1.3k

Warnings: Angst (Its not too angsty, but just wait to see how bad it’ll get lol)

Your bed was cold, you hadn’t properly woken up yet, but you felt that the right side of your bed was cold. Bucky normally slept on that side of the bed because it was closer to the bathroom. You stirred and rolled over to Bucky’s side of the bed, his smell faintly on his pillow. For the past two months, Bucky had been pulling away from you and your relationship. Always working late and leaving for work early, meeting with Steve and Sam at weird hours of the day. You had suspected that he was cheating on you, but ruled it out because he promised you that he would never do that to you. You trusted Bucky with all your heart, wanting nothing but the best for the two of you. You grabbed your phone and check the time, it was 9:20 am on a Saturday, where the hell was he? You tried to call him but it went straight to voicemail. You both had your location services on to see each other's locations, so went tried to check that, but he had turned it off two hours ago. What the actual fuck was going on?

Annoyed that your boyfriend was being weird, you realized that your anniversary was in a couple of days, you smiled because he was probably coming up with a surprise for the two of you. Going into your kitchen, you start making breakfast for Bucky and yourself, you always made breakfast for the two of you. Working for Steve was pretty difficult, he had you working long hours, but he paid very nicely. Almost too nicely. And whenever you requested time off, he would give it too you. The front door opened and you smiled once again, you turned towards the door, to see Bucky in a loose muscle tee, his hair ruffled and with scratches on his neck and back. “What happened to you?” You asked him, concerned with his injuries. Bucky barely even noticed you and huffed out a “hi” He walked to your bedroom and into the shower. You stormed behind him and grabbed him by his arm. “Bucky, what the hell happened to your back?” You shouted, annoyed that he wasn’t answering you, and his wounds looked extremely suspicious, they looked like someone had dragged their nails down his back. He looked at you with annoyance in his eyes, you stepped back, shocked that he would even look at you like that. “Can you stop being so fucking annoying, god damn, always on my ass about something, always got something to say about everything,” Bucky shouted at you, bursting with anger that he had been suppressing for almost two months. “You really wanna do this now?” You whispered to him, hurt that he had said that. Bucky nodded, “We haven’t been the same as we used to be Y/n, you’ve become so annoying and overbearing, I can barely breathe when I’m around you, why do you think I’m never home?” You narrowed your eyes at the man, “Have you been cheating on me?” You whispered, your hands shaking and sweating. That was the only explanation for the marks on his neck and back. Bucky huffed, feeling a weight lifted off his chest when he confirms your suspicions. “Yeah I have, I can't say that I’m sorry because I’m not,” Tears started to stream down your face, this was it, this was the end. You grabbed a bag and started to fill it with clothes, you have had enough. You were leaving and your heartbreaking while you were. Bucky had closed the door to the bathroom and stepped into the shower, unbothered that you were leaving. You have most of your important things packed in under five minutes, and you were out the door, sobbing silently when you got into your car. Once you closed your car door, you started breaking down, sobbing loudly, where did your relationship go wrong? Could you have done something to change it? You looked up at your apartment window one last time before you drove off, you didn’t know where you were going, but it sure as hell was going to be as far away from here as possible. ++++ Once Bucky got out of the shower, he heard his phone ringing, he only had a towel wrapped around his waist, going to grab his phone. The caller ID showed that it was Steve. “Hey punk, what’s up?” Bucky asked as he looked through his wardrobe for something to wear for the day. The scratch marks down his back stung whenever he lifted his arms or when he was showering, but he loved the feeling of it. “Buck, can you tell Y/n to look through the email that I sent her, it's important, tell her to give me a call as soon as possible, she’s not picking up,” Steve asked, the email contained important documents for work that he needed filled out and filed. Bucky frowned, annoyed because even when he got rid of you, you still managed to pop into his life. “I broke up with Y/n Steve, we aren’t together anymore,” Bucky stated nonchalantly, not even fazed that he had broken up with his girlfriend of almost 3 years. “What the fuck do you mean you broke up with her?” Steve asked loudly, almost shouting through the phone. You were one of the best things to have happened to Bucky. Before you, he was a bum who had nothing going for him. “We broke up, what part did you not understand about it?” “You’re a fucking dumbass, you’ll regret ever letting her go Buck” “Nah, I found someone else, which by the way she’s calling me so I’ll call you later,” Bucky said and hung up the phone to pick up the incoming call from his mistress. “Hello, Dot,” ++++ Steve frantically tried to call you and after three tries, he was able to reach you. “Hello?” You said weakly, tired from all the crying and weeping you had done. You had to pull over 4 times because you were crying so much. “Y/n, where are you? Are you alright?” “Steve, I need some time off, I can’t anymore…” “Take as much time as you need doll, but you need to tell me where you are, okay? Can you do that for me?” Steve pleaded, worried for his friend. Even if you had worked for him, you were his best friend's girlfriend, well now ex-girlfriend. “I’m in Pennsylvania, I’ll send you my location,” “Okay, I’m coming, alright? Please don’t go anywhere it's not safe for you to even be driving right now,” “Okay Steve,” You sniffled, exiting the freeway, you noticed a small motel. If you were going to be waiting for Steve might as well be comfortable. “Hey, I’m at Dries motel, I’ll text you my room number,” And with that, you hung up the phone and pulled into the parking lot. ++++ “Stevie, stop it” You giggle as Steve kissed up and down your neck, tickling your sides and making you a giggling mess. It’s been almost a year since the breakup with Bucky and you barely ever thought of him. Once Steve got to the motel, he held you for two hours while you sobbed your heart out. After that he had suggested that they moved to California, he had friends out there and a San Francisco office, so working from there had been the option. After living with Steve for three months, you two finally kissed, Steve confessed his love for you and you two were happily dating for the past seven months. You were on your way back to New York for a meeting with BannerMedical, Bruce being a close friend of Tony Stark, and Steve being business partners with Tony, you were able to set up a meeting. After was the Stark party, where you and Steve were going to attend for only an hour and then jet off back to San Fran. Steve was acting all cute and cuddle on the jet, keeping you in his lap the whole time, never complaining about you being too heavy or anything. He was the perfect guy.

Part 2

[zewninz]

Dialogue Prompts #2

(italic/bold-colored texts = different person)

1. I only have one emotion and it’s anger. Last night you drunk-texted me a hundred heart emojis. Out of anger.

2. I don’t have time to explain how wrong you are . . . actually, it’s going to bother me if I don’t—

3. *name*, I started seeing someone. As in dating or hallucinations?

4. You know what 'fine' stands for? Fucked up, insecure, needy, and emotional.

5. Hey, *name*, I just got home. Where are you guys? The hospital . . . What? Why? *name* swallowed a watermelon seed. So? It’s not like it’s going to start growing in their stomach. . . . we’ll be home in ten minutes.

6. Today, I'm going to show you how not to be a noob at Fortnite.

7. Can we please stop saying the word 'sugar daddy'? Glucose guardian.

8. Have you ever considered . . . not breathing?

9. Guys, there's a monster under my bed and it's really ugly. Honestly, fuck you.

10. I've spent far too long doing this damn makeup to start fucking crying right now.

11. Everyone, hold your horses! Hold them close, cherish them— What? I don’t know, I haven’t slept in three days.

12. I love your eyes, but I love my eyes more because without mine, I can't see yours.

13. Take me to art museums and make out with me. But they said to not touch the masterpieces. That was the smoothest shit I've ever heard.

14. I look at *name* and I just . . . it's like when the Grinch's heart grows three sizes.

15. Question is; do I stay in bed or get out of it? Both. You get out of bed and get in mine. Why are you suddenly so smooth, I—

16. I can't talk to cute people, okay? I don't know how to fucking flirt!

17. Do you guys realize that we never stop tasting our own tongues? How about I taste yours for a change? That was smooth as fuck.

18. How many fucks do I give? Oh, yeah, zero. Therefore your comment is irrelevant.

19. Fuck you. If you want, go ahead.

20. Being single sucks. Maybe we should just marry each other.

21. I'm going to shower. Pfft, I don't get an invite?

22. I'm no longer a human being. I identify as a chicken nugget.

23. What's your favorite thing about me? Probably your smile. Seriously? Okay, fine, I love how you can kill a man in only two seconds.

24. My microwave is smarter than you.

25. Aside from cooking, what basic life skills do I not have? Oh, *name* . . . I’m not sure we have time for that.

26. Alright, guys, this doesn't have to be a big deal. Whoever ate my muffin, come forward and all will be forgiven. *nobody does* Smart. You knew I would never forgive you.

27. They’re tiny mints that live in a plastic prison. . . . I said let’s talk TACTICS.

28. I think your cat wants to kill me.

29. I can't believe we're finally here, I never thought we'd make it. Oh, for fuck's sake, my driving isn't that bad.

30. You don't need to kill off any more brain cells.

31. On a scale from 'Damnnnn, Daniel' to 'Fre sha voc ado', how are you feeling? It's between, 'It's an avocado, thanks!' and 'how did you defeat Captain America?', but as a solid answer I would say, 'I don't need no degree to be a clothing hanger'. How about you? Probably 'road work ahead'.

32. My number one rule is ignoring everything you said.

33. Why do you guys hate each other? We do not! It's just . . . if you offered me 500 dollars to stab him, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd do it for 5 bucks.

34. Shut up, your IQ's probably lower than a fly's.

35. Water can solve many problems. Want to lose weight? Drink water. Clear skin? Drink water. Get rid of someone you hate? Drown them. *name*, no!

36. Sorry, the wind must've blown away all my fucks.

37. When life gives you lemons, you— Squeeze them into your enemy's eyes as you watch them suffer in agony, while you squeeze more lemons so they can't see. *name*, no!

38. I wouldn't call it stalking, more like far distance admiring.

39. I accidentally ate *name*'s muffin . . . how much time left do you think I get to live? Ten. Ten what? Nine . . .

40. You're going to burn in a very special level in hell—a level they reserve for child molesters, animal abusers, and people who talk at the theater.

41. Don't break someone's heart, they only have one. Yeah, break their bones. They have 206 of those.

42. I'm listening to you, I'm just not paying attention.

43. You fell and hit your head. Do you remember anything? Uh . . . only the ambulance ride to the hospital. That wasn't an ambulance . . . But I hear a siren? Oh, that was *name*. He was screaming all the time. I was worried!

44. Oh, but sweetheart, you already look like a fool.

45. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, are you awake yet? Fuck off. That sounds like a yes to me.

46. Since my dog likes you, then I guess I like you too.

47. Alright, *name*, what does a yellow light mean? Slow down. No, it means ‘speed up, red is coming’.

48. Why did you two stop? Keep flirting.

49. You’re useless. Not totally. I can be used as a bad example.

50. I'm sorry, did you just order fifty pieces of McNuggets for here, for all yourself?

(I don’t own any of these. Credit to their respective creators. I simply made a list.)

[tumbling-odyssey]

Games I played in 2020

Just felt like getting my thoughts out on all the games I played this year. I’ve been wanting to do something like this for years but I always let it pass me by. Well not this year! Fuck you laziness! 

I played the first half in 2019 but finished it in 2020 so I guess I'll count it. DQ11 was my intro to Dragon Quest and what a good starting point. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best traditional JRPGs on the market. Characters, story, combat, it all clicks in just the right way to make a flawless game... until the end credits roll that is. 

I have no idea what happened with the post game but by god does it dive off a cliff. It undermines everything you worked to do in the main plot. The characters act brain dead and it shamelessly reuses events from the main game. Please pick up and play DQ11 but for the love of god just stop when the credits roll.

Doom is a game I knew I'd like. The heavy metal ascetic and soundtrack were right up my alley, but I just never found the time. With Eternal on the way though and having found it on the cheap at a pawn shop I figured there was no time like the present. Needless to say but I was right. I loved everything about this game. The thrill of combat, the screech of the guitars, and the silent take no shit attitude of Doomguy. Make no mistake though, I SUCK at this game. I played on easy but still got my ass handed to me on the regular. But I don't care, I was having way to much fun.

I flipped my shit when this game got leaked at the tail end of 2019. Zero 3 is my all time favourite game. To celebrate this getting announced I went and 100% Zero 3 as I hadn't done it on my current cart, and Zero 3 was still the first thing I played when I got this collection! I love that game to death and I’m glad to have it on modern consoles again. As I was under a bit of time crunch with other games releasing soon I only played 2 other games in the collection Zero 4 and ZX Advent. Until the DS collection those and 3 were the only Zero/ZX games I had so I have a lot of nostalgia for them. 

Zero 4 hold ups better then I remember. Not as good as 3 but a damn solid game with tweaks I honestly wish hit the series before its end. I remember having issues with the stage design and ya it’s not perfect, but it’s far from as bad as I thought. For ZXA this was the first time I beat the game on normal difficulty. For some reason the ZX games have always given me more trouble than the Zero games, so finally beating one on normal was very exciting. Maybe I can now finally go and beat ZX for the first time...

The Mystery Dungeon series rising from the depth to punch all those unexpecting in the face was a very welcome surprise. I had a lot of hype going into this one as I have very fond memories of my time with Red Rescue Team and even more with Explorers of Darkness. And the game lived up to it! The remastered music is great and crazy nostalgic, the 3D models are well used and don't feel as stiff as they do in the core series, and the QOL changes are near perfect... So why did I drop this game like a rock once I finished the main quest? 

Anyone familiar with Mystery Dungeon will know that the post game is the real meat of it. The story is short and all the really cool shit comes in after it's done. But I just couldn't bring myself to put more time in after I finished said story mode. I'm definitely chocking that up to me just not being in the mood then an issue with the game. Here's hoping we get an Explorers DX sometime soon. That will fucking hook me for all it's got.

Second verse same as the first. I loved this game and sucked at it horribly. Out of all the games I've played this year Doom Eternal is the one I want to go back to the most. I was not the hugest fan of some of the changes made and retained a stance that I liked 2016 better. First person platforming has never been a fun experience in my opinion and Eternal did little to change that. And I know this a lukewarm take at best but fuck Marauders!. They are so unfun to fight and ruin the pace. The Marauder in the last mook wave took me so long I was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish the game. But the more I've seen of Eternal after my playthrough makes me think I was being far to harsh. I haven't played the DLC yet either. Mostly cuss I haven't heard great things about it. Gonna wait for the rest of it to come out to see if it's worth getting. Might just replay to whole game at that point to see if it clicks with me better.

This was my second favourite game of the year, and was going to take the top slot until a certain other game came out. Addressing the elephant in room right away, I hated the ending. But I was expecting something like that, I think we all were. I won't let the ending ruin the rest of the game though. Not gonna let 1 segment colour everything that came before it. We have to see how the later parts play out to truly see if this ending was trash or not anyway. 

It took Square over a decade but they finally got an action RPG battle system that works and feels good to play. This may be my favourite battle system in an RPG period honestly. All four characters are a blast and it only gets better the more time you spend with it. Figuring out the nuances of each character’s skills and how to combine them not only with the skills of the others but how to enhance them with the right Materia set. This makes fights thrilling and satisfying when you finally best whatever was giving you trouble. Tis was the best way to bring 7′s mechanics into the modern landscape while also fixing the BIGGEST issue the OG had. The fact every character feels the same aside from Limit Breaks. 

All this on top of graphics that just look fucking stunning, a few glitched out doors aside. Fuck I still feel blown away looking at the characters models (mostly Tifa) and see how god damn pretty everyone is. Also Tifa’s Chinese dress is gift from the Gods and I still haven’t picked my jaw up from the floor after I first saw it.

In my circle of the internet there was a lot of hype for this game. So much so that I ended up buying it to see what all the hubbub was about. I had never played a Streets of Rage game before and my only experience with beat'em ups was playing a LOT of Scott Pilgrim and last year's River City Girls. Turns out Streets of Rage plays quite a bit different and it kicked my ass! So sadly I had to switch to easy to make it through but I still had a fun time with it. 

I started playing mostly as Blaze but once Adam hit the scene oooooh fucking boy. I didn’t play anyone else. There's a deceptive amount of content in this game. You can unlock almost every character from the previous games and all of them rocking their original sprites and moves. If I had more of a connection with this series I'm sure I would have gone nuts on unlocking everything. I stopped after my one playthrough and I was happy with that. Always glad to support a long overdue franchise revival.

To properly talk about P5R I think I need to air a lot of my feelings on the original game and the importance it has to me. You see, prior to 2017 I barely played games, only sticking to specific franchises. AKA Pokemon and Mega Man/Mega Man like games. Until 2016 though I still bought a lot of games. Eating up Steam sales and deals I found at pawn shops. This lead to a Steam library and shelf filled with games I've never touched outside of maybe an hour or 2. So in 2016 when I took interest in the newly released Kirby Planet Robobot I made a deal with myself. I could get the game but I HAD to beat it.  And I did just that, gaining not just a new fav Kirby game but a new rule for game purchases. If I knew I wouldn't beat a game I was not aloud to buy it. Now what does ANY of this have to do with P5 you may ask? Well... almost everything.

 I was immediately interested in P5 when it hit the west in 2017. I loved the 20 or so hours I but into P3 years ago and really liked the P4 anime I had watched around the same time. So of course with all the hype around it I wanted to dive into the series full force with P5. But I knew myself. Putting over 100 hours into a game was beyond me and I had a weird relationship with home console games as I was predominately a handheld gamer. Add in the fact I didn't even have a PS4 and I was convinced P5 would be something I always wanted to play, but never would. So when I went to the mall with a few friends and they showed me that P5 had a PS3 version, I had a dilemma on my hands. I knew I wanted to play it and I now had a way to do so. But doing that would require me to change 2 HUGE hang ups I had with games. Would I being willing to waste 60 bucks with so much working against me? Apparently I was. I immediately started going to town on this game. Making sure I spent no less then 2 hours a day playing NO MATTER WHAT. Which may not seem like a lot but it was to me... at the time.. I also had just moved to my current house, so coming home from my still relatively new job and going straight into P5 was the first real routine I formed during this heavily transitional part of my life. 

I of course ended up loving P5 and put 200 hours into it. As such my outlook on gaming was forever changed. Console games were no longer out of reach and I knew I could handle playing monster length game. I started playing way more games then I ever did before and trying out generas I never thought I would play. P5 is the main reason for this and why I'm able to make a post like this. To actually touch on Royal though? It's unarguably the better version of the game and Atlus learned all the right lessons from P4G. The new characters are great and the added section at the end is possibly the best shit Atlus has ever written. I only wish Yoshizawa joined the party sooner so I could play as her more. 

The release of this really came out of nowhere huh? Wayforward announced it was being made mid way through 2019, then there was its weird half release on the Apple store... and then suddenly it was out! Very little fanfare for this one. Is that indicative of the games quality? Luckily no. Seven Sirens is a solid addition to the series and follows up Half Genies Hero nicely. The game goes back to Shantae's Metroidvania roots and makes a TON of improvements. 

Transformations are now instant instead of having to dance for them (don't worry dancing is still in the game) making the game feel more like Pirates Curse in its fast flow. They also added the Monster Cards which take heavy inspiration from Aria of Sorrow's Soul system. A feature I'm happy to see in any Metroidvania since Aria is one of my all time favourite games. Sadly though the game does not take the best advantage of these improvements. 

Over all the game feels kinda empty. The dungeons aren't super exciting to explore nor are they challenging in any way. And the plot is very repetitive, with each dungeon repeating the same beats. Really this game feels more like set up for a better game down the line. The mechanics are all here and Wayforward has a solid art style with the sprites from Half Genie Hero. Hopefully they capitalizes on this for Shantae 6 and we get the best game in the series.

While it may not have been the most thrilling game, Seven Sirens really put me into a Shantae mood. So much so that I went back to play the 2 games in the series I had never touched. This being the first game and Risky's Revenge. Shantae 1 really is a hidden gem in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, it's the definition of jank, but there's a lot of heart to this game. The sprites are great, the soundtrack is good, and the characters are funny... but it's still on the OG Gameboy and that's a massive hindrance for any game. I'm hard pressed to recommend this with how poorly its aged but I think it's better then it looks. 

Risky's Revenge on the other hand was a game that shocked me by how little it had to offer. I know this game went through a hellish development and what we got was far from what Wayforward planned to make, but it's hard to imagine a world where this was the technical BEST Shantae game. It's not a bad game by any stretch... just a boring one.

For the record my ranking of the games goes Pirates Curse>Half Genie Hero>Seven Sirens>Original>Risky’s Revenge

Sword and Shield are mediocre games at best. I know, real steaming hot take there. I managed to make my Sword playthrough a lot more fun by not spoiling myself on the new Pokemon designs for the first time since Gen 3. Either way, I enjoyed myself enough that I didn't mind playing more of it with these DLC campaigns. Plus I love the idea of Game Freak switching over to this method as apposed to making a third version, so I wanted to support it. 

Klara is a fucking top tier Poke Girl both in design and personality and is probably the highlight of Isle of Armour. GF actually went out of their way to give her multiple expressions to sell her toxic bitch personality and I love every minute of it. She sadly drifts into the background for the second half of the DLC’s story which hurts an already rough section even more. Not more then having to grind Kubfuu all the way to fucking level 70 though! That put a serious hamper on my motivation to finish the story but I pushed through anyway. Having to solo the tower with Kubfuu was at least a fun challenge though, as was the final fight with Mustard. Fuck the Diglett hunt though. Ain’t no one got time for that.

Crown Tundra may be my fav of the 2 though even if there isn't a character as good as Klara in it. The hunt for the legendaries was just pure adventure and I had a fucking blast doing it. The joy I felt when I figured out Registeel’s puzzle put a smile on my face unlike any Pokemon game since I was a kid. The whole Regi stuff was honestly a nice Nostalgia trip to my times with Emerald. The story around Calyrex was enjoyable, even if I still hate its design. Not revealing the horses before release was a good call to as it gave an honest surprise. Having to chase down the Galar forme Birds in the overworld is a great way to evolve the roaming legendaries idea and I hope GF sticks to this. Plus the Galar forme birds are some of the best legendary designs since Gen 5 and I love Chocodos way to fucking much. 

Here we are folks, my GotY. I love Panzer Paladin so fucking much. A combination of mechanics from Mega Man, Castlevania, and Blaster Master? Sign me the fuck up! This game is tailored made for me and I knew I had to play it once it started making the rounds on social media. I'll admit though, I was a bit worried when the the first full trailer dropped and showed the weapon mechanics. Breakable weapons that you have to sacrifice for checkpoints and power ups? I'm not sure about that.... Luckily I was being a complete moron and those mechanics are near perfect. 

I love the set up of each boss being a mythological creature from different cultures. They didn’t just pull the easy ones either. A lot of these things I learned of for the first time here. I love how Grit controls. Using the upward stab as a double jump and being able to pogo off enemies Shovel Knight style just felt great and satisfying. Flame was limited but it made her sections feel tense. She does more damage then you think she could at first glance. Also the only way to heal Grit being to use pods that only Flame could access was a cool idea. 

I am begging you Tribute Games, you have to make more Panzer Paladin games. Slap some new upgrades on Grit and expand what Flame can do and you have an even better sequel  on your hands. Also maybe not have so many 'gotcha' moments with enemy placement. That's really my only complaint about the game. Great music, great sprites, giant robots, unique premise, and a reference to Canadian legends. The ultimate self indulgent game for me.

It felt super out of left field for Curse of the Moon to be getting a sequel. The games fucking amazing but it was really just a tie in for the main Bloodstained product. Not something I expect to get a continuation. Either way I was pumped. If this was even half as good as the original then I was in for a great time. Which held true... cuss this legitimately is only half as good as Curse of the Moon. I still like the game, quite a lot actually. I mean how could I not with a fucking Corgi piloting a Death Train Mech. 

Something was just missing here that never made this click like the first game. Maybe it was the stage design, maybe the bosses, maybe the fact that it's a bit to long. I'm not sure. All I know is I couldn't bring myself to play all the modes like I did in the original. . Stopping part way in to the one where you can get the first games characters. I want to go back some day... I just don’t know when someday is.

This was an announcement I never saw coming. A Gundam Verses game coming to the west? That hasn't happened in the entire time I've been a Gundam fan. I had played a bit of Full Boost on my old roommates PS3 thanks to him having a Japanese account and I played Force on the Vita a few years ago. But to have the latest version fully translated with open servers? Holy hell that's a dream come true. 

Having the open betas every weekend leading up to launch was some much needed fun during this shit hole year. I had a lot of fun just fucking around with different suits and seeing what I could do with 'em. Absolutely trashing two Bael players as the Kapool is a memory I'll keep with me for a long time. Fucking danced on their graves. This gave me some new appreciation for suits like the Baund Doc and Hambrabi, the later becoming a lowkey fav as it was my main.

I've fallen off with the game in the last few months but I definitely want to go back. I hope to start learning the game and take parts in tourneys when cons aren’t death sentences anymore.

It felt like everything in my life was SCREAMING at me to start the Yakuza series. From 2 of my friends playing 0 recently, a youtuber I following live tweeting as he played through the WHOLE series back-to-back, and Yakuza 2 having a run at AGDQ 2020. Plus the constant pleas to play this series you get from following Little Kuriboh on Twitter. I finally broke and picked up 0 in the middle of August. Boooooooooy howdy did I not know what I was getting in to. And no I don't mean the content. I knew Yakuza was a series of wildly conflicting tones between the main story and side quests. What I mean is the length. I legit thought this was gonna be a 20-30 hour game. When i reached hour 30 of my playthrough and realized I wasn't even close to a conclusion, I think I knew I had bitten off more then I was planning. That misstep aside I ended up loving this game and want to play the rest of the series.... I just need to rest up first before I dive into Kiwami 1.

 Let's actually talk about the game for a moment here. Kiryu and Majima quickly clicked as likeable characters to me and I cared about their stories. Combat is fun and the multiple styles are all great.... though both the default styles take a while to get there. The mad rush I felt at the end was fantastic and the last bosses are a joy to fight. Only real complaint is the pacing of the side stories. I loved being able to just stumble into various different events while on route to the next plot objective. But this became less common as the game went on and side stories started getting more tucked away. Also hot take here, the host club mingame is more tedious then fun and I like Kiryu’s business stuff as I could do that in the background. I’m excited to dive into Kiwami and probably Kiwami 2 this year... Though I’m not sure when just yet.

Just gonna say it flat out, I think this is better the the 2018 game. The smaller scale helps in this style of game and Miles just naturally has a better move set then Peter. I'm not sure if they actually tightened up the combat system or if they just threw less bullshit enemies at you but fighting feels so much better in this one. Traversal is better too,  simply because they changed the button for tricks. In the original you have to hold down 2 face buttons to enter trick mode??? In hindsight that was such a bad call. 

Having both the heal and venom powers run off the same meter was a good idea. Making the choice between keeping yourself alive guaranteed or potentially ending a fight quicker/disposing of a problem enemy is super fun. The player having to make small choices like this during combat is what helps it not be brainless. I love all the different venom skills you get. While they all achieve the same thing in stunning opponents, how you achieve that goal is up to you. Do you want to just slug the bastard, throw 'em up in the air, tackle the shit out of them? The choice is yours. 

Only real big complaint is certain upgrades being NG+ locked. I know you want to encourage replays, but this is a shitty way to do it I feel. Also can we retire Rhino for the next game. Man has had 2 shitty boss fights now and I need a break. Between this and Spider-Verse, I'm honestly starting to like Miles as Spider-Man more then Peter.

I got this game more on a whim then anything. I was definitely interested when it was first announced for the west. Vanillaware's beautiful art style in a story about giant robots beating the shit out of Kaijus? Sign me the fuck uuuuuu-oh wait it's an RTS? I had never played an RTS's before, mainly due to the sheer concept stressing me out. So I let it fall to the wayside. The game started coming up again though towards the end of the year with GotY on everyone's minds.  This revived my interest, especially as what I HAD planned to be playing around that time was... well. Cyberpunk. Don't think I need to say much more. Also I had worried for nothing as the Real Time Strategy was not that Real Time. 

This game really lays on the analysis paralysis once you're out of the tutorial. Do you want to fight, do you want to do story, who's story do you want to do, what branch should you follow, how much should you play with this one character? It's very overwhelming at first. I decided to not go ham on just one character and swap around all the time. The twists in this game are equal parts exciting and infuriating. Learning something new always came with the caveat of more questions, or something you knew 'for sure' being disproven. Like when I learned 1 characters was actually 4 separate ones! Anyone that's played knows exactly what I'm talking about. 

Natsuno ended up being my fav and not just because of.... obvious reasons. BJ was cute if unfortunately named and her relationship with Mirua was my favourite in the game. Not that there was much competition except for maybe Ogata and Tomi. I ended up really liking the combat but I can see why RTS fans say it's the weakest part. It's far from complex and I had a winning strat by the third or so real fight. Aka spam turrets and have the Gen 1′s gank all the bosses.

One quick thing I want to share was how I beat the boss at the end of Area 2. The one where Inaba is singing. I had Hijiyama use the limit break skill to bum rush the boss right off the hop. I took out half its health in one hit but Hijiyama’s Sentinel was on death’s door. Only thing that saved him was sending in Amaguchi to blow up a bunch of missiles. Hijiyama took it out on his next attack but lost his Sentinel at the same time. It was a real clutch victory and crazy fucking anime. 

The best way to really describe Carrion is that it's a fantastic proof of concept. Can you make a game where you play as The Thing? Why yes, yes you can. Carrion just needed a bit more tweaking to really bring this concept home and be the A+ game I know it can be. As it is now the game is a bit empty. The level design is super samey and the lack of a map is fucking brutal at points. I know it would make no sense for a blob monster to have a map but somethings you just have to gameify for convenience. The level design must have done something right as even though I was completely lost I still moved from area to area properly. Hell by the time I actually looked up a map I had 1 more item to get and I learned I was one door away from beating the game. 

I love the idea of losing mass as you take damage and gaining more by eating people, but having abilities tied to size was a terrible idea. It just leads to tedium as I have to go and shed myself to the right size, do the puzzle, then of course I'm going to go back and rebuild myself to see if I can do the next segment at full power. Just make it so you can swap between abilities using the d-pad or something. I hope this game gets a sequel just so this sick ass concept can be fully realized.

[lozzypoz321]

Word count: 3.8k!

A/N: this is one of my favourite things I’ve ever written and I’m super proud of it, also the biggest word count I’ve ever done, hope you enjoy and pretty please leave feedback!! <3

Warnings: brief mentions of underage sex, calling of child services, brief mentions of an anxiety attack

Avengers college AU

-

Bucky: Guys I’m really desperate

Bruce: what?

Steve: wdym?

Bucky: does anyone have the first period free tomorrow? Can’t afford a babysitter for Riley :/

Tony: nah can’t, I’ve got a busy schedule

Clint: economics man

Bruce: science m8

Nat: same as Clint I’m afraid Jamesy

Clint: wbu Steve?

Steve: library club and I can’t skip

Bucky: >: I

Bucky: I think I may be having a midlife crisis.

Tony: okay 1. You’re 20 and 2. You shouldn’t have gone an’ knocked up a woman at 17

Nat: Tony!

Bucky: You’re acting like you didn’t get some at 17 Tony

Bruce: he has a fair point.

Nat: and anyway Riley’s too pure for your insults Tony

Bucky: uwu

Tony: you have officially turned into every teenage girl Barnes

Nat: anywayyyyyyy, Thor how’re you coping with your brother’s “phase”

Tony: I am starting to think Loki’s goth phase isn’t just a phase Natalie, I caught him walking around in a skull T-shirt with chains this morning

Clint: oh daym

Steve: what are you going to do?

Thor: I am going to show that I respect him by buying him some flowers!

Clint: What abt a chain tho?

Nat: wait, does anyone wanna go to laser tag at some point?

Tony: oooh yes!

Bruce: yeah I’m down! :)

Steve: I’ve got time yeah thanks

Bucky: I never back down from a laser tag game

Nat: great! I’ll book it with Tony’s card

Tony: wait what?

Bucky: oh shit, I’ve gotta go, Riley’s just run away somewhere brb

Clint: oh damn.

Bucky shoved his phone hastily into his pocket and looked around, desperation filling his eyes as they searched for any sign of his daughter. The bushes swayed with the evening breeze and very few people strolled around campus, either going on a walk, meeting up early with friends or getting food. The young adult heavily sighed out of relief when he caught sight of Riley, excitedly chatting to a man, who James quickly identified him as one of his other friends, Sam.

Braking out into a light jog, he made his way across campus to the pair while also trying to avoid bumping into the other students that were now staring at him, in college he was basically known as the fuck boy. Not that he was, the only reason behind it was that he had a daughter at 17 and everyone apart from his friends never saw past that.

“What’re you doing here munchkin?” He asked the small girl who was now shyly smiling at her father. Sam chuckled at the duo and turning his attention away from Riley, “wasn’t her fault dude, just telling me how she’s going to chemistry class tomorrow, can’t wait to see that” he said with a sly smirk on his face.

Bucky mentally sighed, yes it was going to be very tough tomorrow. Not only was she very restless, but she also was very talkative and wouldn’t put a filter on around people older than her, which most of the time could be very offensive. “Yeah! I promised him I’ll be good!”

“Oh really? Well I kinda hoped you’d have something to say to Professor Demon”

“Sam,” he groaned and ran a hand through his hair “his names Damon, if he caught you sayin’ that then we’d get suspended so quickly dude” Riley giggled and looked up at her dad innocently “and then we’d go poor because you suck at getting jobs”

“He sucks at everything” Sam mumbled, earning a glare from the other man. “We better go get some food now, there’s literally nothing in the fridge except a can of tuna, some ketchup and packets of sour sauce from takeout awhile ago”

“Oof man”

The walk to the diner that he had decided on going to after he couldn’t be bothered going grocery shopping was a long one. Riley insisted on stopping for every dog they saw, to ask to stroke it. “Ri’ baby, we can’t keep stopping, we gotta get back to the dorm before it’s your bedtime”

The pout she sent him instantly melted his heart before he realised she knew exactly what she was doing and he readjusted his grip on her hand so she didn’t end up running away again like she did earlier.

-

“Ri’ what do you want?” He asked the child once the waitress had come over asking for their orders. She gave a nonchalant shrug and turned her attention back to the video that was playing on Bucky’s phone that he had given her for the wait. “M’kay so, can we get a,” he took a pause to take a quick glance at the kid’s menu on the table “chicken nuggets and chips please with… chocolate milkshake?”

Riley nodded and the waitress, who from the name tag on her apron, was named Elizabeth, began to write down both his and her order but halfway through gave a quick glance up to Bucky, but when he caught her cheeks flooded red that made his daughter snort.

“Is that all sir?”

“Riley shut up” he quietly told the girl as Elizabeth walked away with her head down. “She was flirting with you dad” she laughed making him jokingly nudge her across the table “Oi, and anyway she’s not my type munchkin”

“Well don’t be too loud, the creeps staring at you dad”

He didn’t mean to, but without thinking his head whipped round to instantly make eye contact with the woman who was biting her lip, her eyes now as big as plates. His cheeks heated furiously as he immediately turned back around to face his adorable giggling daughter. “You better like those chicken nuggets munchkin cause I’ve got to go through this to get them”

“I will dad, I like chickens”

-

“Riley, come on you gotta get some sleep” he groaned once she’d slid onto the sofa where he was writing his assignment last minute for the fifth time that night.

“But dad,” She whined and pulled on the sleeve of the college logo sweater he had pulled on without even thinking about it once they’d got home as he had only just realised he had a paper to write, “I’m not tired and I don’t want to be alone”

His eyes softened at the pleading look on her face that would get him to do anything she wanted him to “m’kay baby, how about we go into into the bedroom and you try to get some sleep while I finish this up”

She nodded enthusiastically and he picked up the study books and paper in one hand and Riley in the other, deep eye bags could be found on his face from the lack of sleep that he had spent pulling all-nighters working on college work and began to make his way into the small room that had a single bed pressed up against the wall with a mattress next to it, an abundance of blankets on both.

He set the small girl onto the single bed and lowered himself down into the smaller one, using the bed frame to press his back against and using a hardback book underneath the paper to rest on.

“Why do people stare at you?” Bucky only just heard Riley mumble as her eyes struggled to keep open. He stopped writing but kept his hand in the same place while grinder his teeth, wondering what to say. “Cause baby… people don’t really think that I should have you this young,” he struggled to find the words as he felt his daughter roll onto her back to listen “but they don’t understand that I love you a lot, don’t I munchkin?”

Riley giggled behind him and uttered a small yes. “At least they haven’t tried to take me away again”

The young man's breath hitched in the back of his throat at the memory flashed through his mind. They’d been watching a movie with Steve after their classes and a knock had sounded on the door.Apparently, Child services had been called by one of the students and they tried to take her away but he wouldn’t let them, they had threatened to take him to court because the living settings were not meant for a child but 17-year-old Steve had calmly spoken to them outside the room while James had been on the edge of a panic attack inside.

“Yeah, scared me Ri’” his horse voice answered back making her eyebrows scrunch in confusion “I’m not going anywhere dad. Well, unless I die but y’know”

He sent her a bitch face look over his shoulder which made her uncontrollably giggle. Bucky chuckled and set his attention back to the essay while absent mindedly talking to her about random things.

“Is Loki gonna be at the laser tag place?” She asked and added on excitedly “oooh can I come dad?!”

“Sure doll, let me tell the guys”

Buck: we got plus ones on this laser tag thing?

Bruce: whyyyy??

Thor: oooh if that is the case I would very much like to take my brother!

Nat: oh are you bringing Riley then?

Buck: yup

Steve: I don’t see why not

Tony: I’m off to speak to this really hot girl

Clint: what that spice girl?

Buck: do you mean pepper?

Clint: ah yes!

He chuckled at the screen and chucked his phone to the side while looking up to his daughter on the bed above him, going to tell her they approved before stopping and smiling to himself as he caught sight of her peaceful, sleeping form.

Without waking her up, he got off the mattress and tucked in the blankets, quietly laughing as he retrieved the earbuds she had borrowed in the diner from her pocket. “Night munchkin”

-

Bucky groaned as the ringing of his phone awoke him, the technology next to his ear from when he had fallen asleep sat up. “Wha’?”

It was so early in the morning that he didn’t even have the energy to think of a proper sentence, never mind say one.

Steve: hey guys make sure your ready, it starts an hour after school

Clint: Steve. School. Finishes. At. 6. Pm. What. Tf. Do. You. Mean. It. Starts. In. An. hour. After.

Nat: we thought you could do with a late start

Tony: fuck you Romanoff

Clint: ten bucks says she’s smirking rn

Buck: ughhh

Bruce: I feel exactly the same way

Buck: no you don’t. I spent up until 6 am doing that English essay I forgot about

Tony: oof

Bucky: I will physically be running on caffeine this morning so be ready

He took a look around the messy room before deciding he would clean it another day and raised himself onto his feet before making sure Riley was still on the single bed asleep. He made his way to the tiny kitchen that held a mini-fridge, microwave, kettle and an oven with two counters on one side to make himself a cup of coffee that he was depending on if he had to spend an hour of his day running around in sweaty gear and a fake gun while making sure his daughter didn’t run away to get some sort of snack.

“Fuck” he mumbled as the loud whirring of the kettle started, sure to wake Riley up. “I’m tired” he heard a voice groan behind him, making the man whirl around, instantly making eye contact with his daughter. Sighing out of relief and returning back to the drink he was previously making. “So am I doll, yet you can’t have coffee”

He made her go get dressed and brush her teeth while he had a mental breakdown over what he was going to do about the paper he didn’t manage to finish before he fell asleep last night.

“Dad,” Bucky looked up to find Riley once again dressed in a pair of Joggers and a baggy T-shirt that she’d dragged out of the very few clean clothes in her draw “someone’s messaging your laptop”

She struggled to hold up the open device that showed multiple emails from one of his professors questioning his performance in class for the recent weeks. He inwardly cursed and took the laptop from her to begin emailing her back, choosing to ignore the insults she had thrown at him and his daughter in the middle of it.

“She is so full of-“ he stopped halfway through the sentence, noticing that Riley was sat next to him, quietly playing a YouTube video on his phone. “Whatcha watching Ri’?” He asked, his attention still focusing on trying to be professional in the email back. “c- c-“ she struggled to pronounce the word so she passed it to him.

“Commentary channels?” The man asked with a laugh, thinking about how most parents wouldn’t even let their 4 child near a video like that but yet again he wasn’t like most parents. He was 20 and had to do this alone.

“Oh yeah”

“Come on munchkin, we gotta get to first period before we’re late” he told her and grabbed his backpack to quickly shove his college things in before glancing at the digital clock on his phone and scooping Riley up so they could get there quicker.

Halfway through the panicked running across campus, the small girl decided she needed a nap and fell asleep against his shoulder, making Natalia laugh as they passed.

As soon as he arrived in the classroom he knew it was a bad idea when 11 pair of eyes fell to his, heavily panting and holding an asleep 4-year-old.

“Sir he’s late” a girl, younger than him moaned to the teacher who was now shrugging his shoulders “I don’t care”

“But professor, why’d he bring the baby?”

Bucky had enough of everyone staring at him, he readjusted the bag on his back before making his way to the back of the class, sitting in an empty seat in between Sam and Tony and placed Riley on his lap.

“That’s a good question Jaimee, Barnes?”

“Couldn’t find anyone to look after her professor” he mumbled in response, making sure to be loud enough to hear. “No babysitter?”

“Can’t afford it sir”

He didn’t once make eye contact with anyone in the room, instead putting his attention on the books that he was bringing out of his bag. “You alright man?” Tony whispered across the desk and flicked a pen at him, “Oi” Bucky hissed as the metal came in contact with the side of his head making Sam laugh loudly at him.

“Dad,” a mumble was heard quietly, making the older man look at his daughter, eyes that were previously closed were now looking up at his wide with pleading “I’m hungry”

If he was anywhere else in the world he would have sworn loudly, but right now he was in a class with 10 other students and his daughter. “Okay baby, but you're gonna have to wait for a while, we’re in my class but I’ll get you something after okay?”

She nodded and rested her hair back against his chest, making him smile slightly as he went back to taking notes of the class. “I’ve got skittles,” Sam held out the family-sized packet of sugary sweets making Riley do grabby hands towards it. Without asking Sam gave her it, earning a goofy smile from the girl. “Thank you dude but she’s literally gonna get the biggest sugar rush possible now”

“Aha, can’t wait to see that”

-

By halfway through the period Riley was already rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, on the spot next to Bucky’s chair, his hand holding hers to make sure she didn’t run up to the front and distract everyone. “Dad, are you going to work tonight?”

“Yeah munchkin, not for long though, you can stay with Stevie. How about that?”

“Yeah, m’kay”

Suddenly the professor spoke up, directing his attention to Bucky “Barnes, the symbol Sb stands for stibium or stibnite. What is the modern name of this element?”

“That doesn’t sound like English dad” Riley loudly whispered to him, making the class laugh, “and what do you think the answer is?”

The girl pondered for a second and looked at her dad with seriousness drawn upon her features “...tell me,”

-

“Laser in the house!” Clint exclaimed in excitement once everyone had found their way to the front of campus where they’d agreed to meet.

“I like lasers,” Riley gushed while smiling brightly making most of the young adults chuckle, Loki however, did not. “Why did you have to bring me?” The man grumbled, sending a death glare towards his brother.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

“Riley no-“

“Did you go through childhood trauma to endure this?”

“Ri’ you can’t ask-“

“Why is there a child?” Loki asked as if he had only just noticed she was there. “She is Barnes’ daughter brother” Thor said and gently patted her head, making her scowl.

“You have a daughter?”

“I’ve had her for 4 years dude”

“Oh”

Steve grabbed his phone from his pocket and glanced at the time “guys we’ve gotta be there in half an hour we better get goin’”

“Alright Rogers, you really do like to keep track of time don’t you?” Tony asked and rolled his eyes making Nat nudge him in the ribs. “Tony, I’m not that old”

“You're 21, everyone else is 20 punk” Bucky teased him but stopped when he sent him a death glare. “Erm, I’m not 20.” The young girl pointed out while everyone else started making their way to the entertainment place. “Smart girl Ri’”

“Wait, do we need to decide the teams?” Bruce asked everyone once Bucky and Riley had caught up with the rest. “Ooooh,” Clint exclaimed with wide eyes “dibs on Natasha! She’s got good aim.”

“I’m gonna stick with you. Power team” Bucky whispered down to the stupidly smiling girl as she nodded furiously. By the time everyone had chosen their teammates and managed to agree, the group had arrived. “This’ll be great” Bruce sighed once they’d caught sight of the room of light-up vests with attached laser guns.

“Rules,” a middle-aged man who looked like he’d given up on life, walked into the room with a clipboard in hand “No Running, No Physical Contact, Hold Laser with Both Hands, No Climbing, Players must be careful when manoeuvring around interior arena walls, Please let us know if any of your guests suffer from the following: Asthma, epilepsy or suffer from seizures caused by fog or strobe lights.”

Everyone was quiet for a second before Steve quietly spoke up with a blush “I have asthma, sir.”

The worker took a pause and pondered for a moment, as though this had never happened in his whole 68 years of working there, “just… don’t start a fire alright?”

They all nodded in agreement, just happy that he’d been let in, and began to enter the massive room where the game was about to take place. “Right, so, let’s not rugby tackle people like you did last time,” Steve said and mostly directed it to Thor who smiled sheepishly “cause- err, there’s a kid, yeah, Riley, that’s it”

Bucky chuckled and picked up the fake laser gun as the lights began to darken, “let’s get this party started”

As soon as the words left his mouth, chaos ensured, young adults setting off running to find a place to set-up camp. As he wanted to be fast, Bucky quickly picked up Riley and began to run towards a pillar so he could hide behind it, so he’s able to get a good view of people.

“How does it work?” Riley whispered from the spot of her back pressed against his chest so she could also see and indicated towards the gun. “Gotta put your finger on the trigger” he instructed and took ahold of her index finger and brought it over to the weapon, placing the rest of her hand on the handle while her other one held the underneath of the top part, trying not to drop it.

The whole room was silent for a good 5 minutes before Bucky decided to make a move, taking hold of the collar of her jacket to gently pull her up with him. Not holding Riley’s hand as she would have ended up dropping the laser gun if she didn’t have two hands on it.

The two of them scouted out the place trying to be quiet so they didn’t get caught. Suddenly, making them jump, a loud zapping sounded in the distance, indicating that someone had found an enemy. He began to run away from the sound, after making sure his daughter was following and attempting to find somewhere to hide again but this time he didn’t find a deserted place.

“Aha!” Nat yelled and jumped out from behind a pillar while aiming the laser at Bucky’s chest. His panicked yelling and screaming filled the air as he made a run for it, completely forgetting about his teammate left behind and the rule “no running”. Suddenly, before he could brace himself his body went flying, his foot getting stuck on a stray shoe that belonged to Thor. At the same time Steve had jumped out, meaning to get the man in the chest, but instead Bucky had landed on him, using him to muffle the landing, earning an “ow man...” in return.

Bucky wanted to move, he really did, but he just couldn’t. He was in a trance, his and Steve’s baby blue eyes made eye contact, without knowing what he was doing, Steve’s body involuntarily leant up: closer to the younger man. His lips never looked more inviting, but all of a sudden a yell broke out in the room.

“Dad! Help! Nat nearly got me!”

The father scrambled up off the floor, his mind going a million miles an hour about what just happened and why it was wrong. He was his best friend. He should only see him as a friend.

Without meaning to, he ran away from him, not bothering to even spare Steve a second glance in search of his daughter, who was now cowered in one of the room's corners, trying not to get shot. Bucky chuckled slightly at the tactic and crossed the room, luckily not being noticed by Tony and Nat who were having a shoot off at each other from their opposite ends in the room.

“Nat nearly got you Ri’?”

“M’ yeah and you weren’t there.”

Guilt coursed through the mans veins as he remembered that he’d left her, but before his mind could go wondering to the events after it, he stopped himself, “sorry munchkin”

“Is’ okay, just don’t do it again dad”

He silently laughed at the sincerity in her voice and grabbed her hand to lead her away from the battle scene so they could get somebody else in the laser tag game. In quiet discussions they settled on Bruce, the one who was most likely to not be paying attention, and if he was it would still be easy to take aim without him seeing.

“Come on Ri, we got this.”

-

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