#Because if Clinton loses and she loses

[abigailspinach]

TPM: Balls to the Walz

From 1:10ish

I think Kelly would have been good. I think she had kind of a lot of wealth to choose from. But I was I was rooting for Walz, and I'm glad that she kind of that she went there in the end. And then she got to make a decision based on what she wanted to do because, like, I think we have this feeling that if you're in this position, if you're high up in politics and you want to be president, then getting the opportunity is like a huge, you know, it's a great dream come true.

Right? But this is never going to be the conditions under what she would have wanted to make her bid for president.

Like she's got this crazy, truncated time to make the case.

Like if she wins, it's going to be an incredible accomplishment that she got her campaign up and running and made an impression in this really short time that she was able to shed the weight of the, you know, fair or not, of the Biden candidacy and the doldrums that were surrounding that and, and re-energized the party. And not only that, you know, became the first woman, the first black woman, the first South Asian woman to ever become president to do all that. I mean, that's so difficult.

It's so difficult. And the fact that she's doing well so far is just it's astounding. but none of this was her choice, right?

Like, she kind of had to wait for Biden to bow out and to give her this less than ideal condition to run in knowing that if she loses, she is putting the next woman president farther down the line. Because if Clinton loses and she loses, no, no matter the difficulties, that will be the conclusion that it is just too risky to run a woman.

So she's got all this going on, and I just think it's nice that she, like, got the opportunity to kind of pick a running mate that not only has these advantages to her ticket, but also that she like, really likes because this is an uphill battle for her. So it's a good that her kind of number one teammate seems to be just someone that she genuinely gets along with well and thinks is like a nice, fun guy to kind of wage war alongside.

[junglejim4322]

Kind of crazy how convoluted certain aspects of American politics are and how little the average person knows outside of whatever political ideology they’ve been around. To this day so many people don’t know Hillary Clinton won popular vote or had a massive voter turnout I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met people who are stunned to hear this because they genuinely thought she lost because people wouldn’t vote for a woman + didn’t know it was possible to win popular vote and lose the election.

A while back I was having a conversation with my friend and I said I wasn’t voting for Joe Biden and he said “you’re voting for trump?” Which did initially shock me and I said no I’m voting third party and he said “what other party is there?”. There is a level of ignorance that some people can maintain their entire lives because they don’t really have a reason to think things are more complicated than they appear which often comes from a combination of having the ability to ignore things because they don’t affect you but also the lack of education and lack of easy access to education on basic structures and processes and practices of our government. I am both proud of my own effort but also aware I am lucky to have had the ability to get into politics young and form my own thoughts and opinions early.

there’s a lot of people who fundamentally agree with many aspects of leftism and oppose the actions of the American government but either are not fully aware of the big picture or don’t use the same terminology to say it. What I will say is the average working class person with an iffy grasp on politics tends to be way more receptive to a lot of different ideas than “liberal in leftist clothing” types who are ready to throw away any advocation for entire groups of people being allowed to stay alive aside the second they think their own rights might have a chance of being threatened

[repulsiveliquidation]

Mikrokosmos || Grace Clinton

summary: Grace loved her little world. she didn't know if others would too.

a/n : i don't know what this is but it's fluff! there is insinuation of sex but nothing else.

Grace was a private person. She loved her people with her whole heart but she kept her work and family separate. Don’t get it wrong, she loved her team and adored being the baby but there was a bubble in her home that she didn’t want them in. 

Her mikrokosmos. 

There were two people in there that mattered more to her than football. She was willing to do anything at all to protect it from the outside world. 

You were sitting in a quiet little bookstore one day, your little nephew in your lap. He was munching on a bit of sausage from your sausage roll as you read a little novel in a corner. The smell of coffee mixed in with the books perfectly, you found yourself sitting here every other day to relax and get some peace away from your chaotic life. 

“Is this seat taken?” a Liverpool accent asks and it startles you a little. You look up and see the most beautiful pair of eyes looking down at you. The Liverpool accent smiles, pointing to the seat across from you. You stutter and nod, smiling at her awkwardly. 

“He’s cute,” the accent tells you, smiling at your nephew Jake. He giggles and the accent giggles back, her hand coming up to tickle his cheek. 

“Say hi Jakie,” you tell him, his hand grabbing at the girl tickling him. 

“Hi Jakie, I’m Grace,” she says, cooing when his little hand finds her finger. 

“He likes you,” you tell her, book and pastry forgotten. 

“That makes two of us,” she says with a grin, looking up at you. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing here with the cutest baby in the world?” 

“It’s quiet, plus he likes the strawberry tart Michelle makes.” 

She turns to Jake, who’s trying to eat your blouse, to boop his nose. “You, little man,” she begins, booping his nose again; he giggles, “have great taste.” 

Grace stands, eyes sparkling in your corner of the quiet bookstore cafe.

“Can I buy you another coffee and a tart for my new favorite person?” 

“Only if you promise to sit here a while and share.” 

“Deal.” 

“Baby! I’m home!” 

“Mama!” 

A two year old knocks into her knees and she picks him up, heart growing fonder when his little giggle rang through the living room. 

“Hi little buddy,” Grace smiles, walking into your office with Jake on her hip. He tucks his face in her neck, calming into her hold when he feels her rub his back. 

“Hi baby,” you greet Grace, looking up from your desk in the corner. Your heart melts when you see Jake already falling asleep in her arms; you were struggling to put him down for his nap earlier so he was a little grumpy at tea. 

Jake was your nephew but when your sister fell into some bad habits, he was about to go into the foster system. You loved him dearly and couldn’t bear the idea of leaving him so young so you made the decision to adopt him. He had always called you Mommy when he first spoke and didn’t know his mother to be his mother. She abandoned him when she got clean and wanted a new life abroad with her boyfriend so you raised him as your own. 

Sure it got your weird stares since you were so young and Jake looked alot like you since his mother looked like you too. But you didn’t care, he was going to be loved and cared for under your roof, who cared about who said what. 

When Grace came along, you warned her about the things you had heard people say about you. Her job would have only brought on more stress for you and her so you were prepared for her ‘i can’t do this’ speech on the second date.

But Grace surprised you with her honesty and willingness to work it out because she didn’t want to lose you and she certainly didn’t want to lose her little buddy. 

Grace was young and didn’t need to deal with a practical newborn and a girl who was still getting her life in order but she didn’t care. She wanted you both and she was willing to do what it took. 

One thing she did the best was protect you both from rude people and weird stares. She wasn’t afraid to call people out and make them feel bad for their behavior. It made you uncomfortable at first but when you saw that more and more people left you alone, you were grateful to her. 

“Jakie here needs his nap, I think,” she says, kissing his head. 

“I tried to but he refused so you’re welcome to try,” you tell her, watching as she got a cheeky grin on her face before disappearing for a while. You hear her faintly bargaining with a two year old down the hall before the only thing you hear is the traffic below and your rambling thoughts. 

Seeing the time and deciding to clock out of work and start on dinner, you walk out of your office after turning everything off. 

Grace isn’t in the bedroom or the living room where she usually is so you tiptoe to Jake’s room. 

Grace was in his bed with him on top of her, both of them snoring just a little. Her legs stuck out from the end and her hands touched the floor but you never loved her more than you did in this very moment.

“Oh Grace,” you mumble, pulling your phone out to take a picture. You send it to your mum and make it your wallpaper before leaving the door ajar to start on dinner. 

Grace walks into Lionesses training grinning at her phone. Millie T sees her and watches as the young striker types fast and doesn’t stop grinning on her phone. She sneaks up on Grace and it startles her, making her drop her phone in surprise. 

“Mills!” 

“Sorry Gracie, who’s got ya grinnin’ like that eh?” 

“Nothin,” Grace provides, checking her phone for cracks. Millie grabs it out of her hands and runs away with it. She dodges through the rest of the girls in the gym, laughing her head off as Grace chases her. 

“Mary! Stop her!” 

Mary, who’s just walked in, grabs the lanky Millie and holds her tight, before Grace grabs her phone off her. 

“Who’s that you’ve got on your screensaver huh? Grace has got herself a little wife, girls!” 

“Shh Millie!” 

“Who’s got a wife?” Tooney asks, drinking from her water bottle. 

“Little Gracie does.” 

“I don’t,” Grace defends, “not yet at least,” she mumbles to herself. Grace walks away from the girls who are gathering around her, putting her headphones in in hopes that they’d get the message. 

Beth comes and sits beside Grace, stretching as the young United player does. The rest of the girls have gone back to warming up, Millie T standing at the weights looking a little guilty for outing her friend. 

“I’m happy for you Gracie,” Beth tells her quietly after they get their boots on, leaving the girl conflicted. 

Grace comes home after training exhausted. Sarina had them working hard as they had some important games coming up. The smell of your world-famous lasagna filled her senses when the front door shut behind her. 

“Is that Mama I hear at the door?” she hears you tell Jake before the soft patter of feet gets louder and louder. 

“Hello, love,” Grace sighs, holding Jake in one arm while snaking the other around your middle. You feel her muscles relax when your warmth blends into hers. Jake wriggles around in her arms after a while and she puts him down, watching as he goes back to his building blocks on his play mat. 

“I missed you,” she mumbles, hugging you from behind as you stir the tomato sauce. Grace kisses your nape and you lean back into her a little, realizing you missed her just as much as she did. 

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” you tell her, both of you looking at Jake who was showing the dog what blocks he had, “we both did.” 

Grace pulls out and you turn over, watching her reach for the wipes she kept in her side table. 

You drag a finger over her warm skin as she cleans you both up, leaving soft kisses all over the marks she’s left on you. 

Her face says something entirely different though, like there was something bothering her. 

“Grace?”

“Hm?” she looks up at you and you watch those eyes you fell in love with look troubled. 

“What’s wrong, love?” 

“You’ve always been able to tell when something’s bothering me.” 

“It’s because I know you, darling,” you say softly, sitting up and reaching for her chin to look up at you. “What’s the matter, lovely?” 

“Millie saw you today,” Grace sighs, now sitting cross-legged with you. Her fingers trace along the insides of your forearms, beautiful eyes refusing to look at you. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Millie got my phone and saw you and Jake today.” 

“Okay,” you say, taking her hand in yours. “So?” 

“So? I’ve never told anyone about you two. Not even the girls.” 

“Why not?” 

Grace thinks, wondering what her excuse was. 

All the other girls never hid their relationships. 

Why did she?

“I love having you all to myself, I don’t want to share what we’ve got just yet.” 

“Oh honey,” you coo, realizing where all this was coming from. “The girls will understand, Gracie.”

“I don’t want to make you feel like you need to hide who you are with them.” 

“You’d never let that happen, Gracie,” you say, leaning in to kiss her soft lips. “Never.” 

You stand, walking backwards into the bathroom. You’re taunting Grace, hinting at round two in the shower. 

“Besides, I’d love to meet the girls who don’t know the baby has a baby.” 

||

“Who’s that?” 

“Who’s who?” 

“The girl Gracie’s with,” Maya gasps “and the cutest little boy ever!” 

“You wanna say hi little buddy?” Grace coos, taking Jake out of your hands before walking out towards the girls. You follow her and strike up a conversation with Beth, Lotte and Leah, watching Grace out of the corner of your eye. 

The girls fawn over Jake and seemingly Sarina joins in, practice for the day delayed by about a half hour. 

“This is what you’ve been hiding Grace?” Millie quips, tickling Jake a little as Mary makes faces at him. 

“They’re very important to me, Mills.”

“I get that,” she nods, “I’m happy for you Grace. Thank you for sharing them with us.” 

You’re sitting in the stands with Jake, watching as his eyes light up when Grace shows off her skills. He becomes a little fussy at nap time and Sarina, to your surprise, takes him from you and holds him the entire hour he naps on her shoulder while you do some work on your laptop. 

At the end of training, Grace hops the barriers to get to you. The girls have already come over and taken Jake to the locker room, his giggling makes your heart grow fonder of the girls you’ve watched on tv for years and heard stories about. 

“I think that was a successful day in the office, don’t you think?” Grace says tiredly, sitting beside you. 

“Mhm, it was,” you turn and face Grace, her perfect smile on her face when your eyes lock with hers. “The girls love Jake and it’s clear they love you. Thank you for letting them into our little world. I’d love to share more of it with them.”

“I think they’d like that.” 

“Jake! I am utterly heartbroken that you said she was your favorite!” 

“HA! I told you he liked me better!”

“FUCK OFF LOTTE!” 

“Leah! Language around the baby!”

“PWUCK!” 

“Oh no.”

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured (Jenni's Version): Future

Grace Clinton x Reader

Summary: You need to leave

"Mami! Mami! Mami!"

You smile slightly, continuing to pack your suitcase as your son lays back on your bed.

"Yes, my James?"

He grins at you. "Can I come?"

You shake your head. "You know you can't."

"But why?"

"Because Paris is a long way away from Lyon." You add another set of pointe shoes to your bag. "And I need you to do a very special job for me."

You sit down on the bed, patting the spot next to you.

James is more than happy to crawl towards you, leaning close to hear his special job.

"You're a very responsible boy, aren't you?"

He nods. "I helped Mummy pick up Ollie's poo yesterday on our walk!"

Ollie's your family dog. Grace had gotten him for you when the first two rounds of ivf didn't take and you'd been so down about it. You were right in the middle of your third round and losing hope when Grace had come home with a German Shepherd puppy.

You called Ollie your good luck charm because two weeks after you'd successfully potty trained him, you fell pregnant with your other golden boy, James.

"That's very responsible!" You tell him," Because I need a very responsible boy to help me out."

"I'm responsible! I'm responsible! What is it?"

"I need you to be in charge of the house while I'm gone," You tell him," That's why you can't come with. You've got to make sure Mummy doesn't order takeout every day and cleans up Olivia's toys when she's done playing."

Olivia's the other light of your life, your nearly one year old daughter.

You didn't particularly want to leave either of them but you'd been called up by the Paris Opera Ballet to be their guest Principal for one of the shows they were putting on and you loved dancing in their venue.

Originally, you were going to say no but Grace pushed you to accept. She was more than capable of looking after both of the kids at once.

"I'll make sure Mummy eats healthy and cleans up!" James tells you," Can I go tell her I'm in charge while you're gone?"

"I'm sure she would love that."

James goes bursting out of the room and you take the time to finish packing.

Ollie whines a little as you zip up the bag.

"I'm sorry, Ollie," You say, gently stroking his head," You know I'll back soon."

Ollie's the family dog, technically, but, secretly, you know he's yours. He had been incredibly protective over you when you were pregnant with Livy and he had been super excitable as a puppy when you were pregnant with James.

Fully grown now, he loved being in the same room as you. He adored the kids and Grace, of course, but you had always been his person.

Frankly, you were getting a little worried he was lonely in the house alone all day so you and Grace had been in talks about getting Ollie his own puppy.

It was only fair to Olivia as well.

Ollie grew up with James. It's only right to have a puppy for Olivia to grow up with too.

But, that was a conversation for when you got back and after your planned trip to Spain in the summer.

It would be nice, you think, to have a puppy for Ollie to be the best big brother too just like how James is the best big brother to Livy.

Ollie follows you down the stairs, his favourite tennis ball in his mouth as you start pulling your suitcase down.

Grace appears at the bottom, hurrying up to swap the bag with Livy and carry it the down for you.

"Careful, beautiful," She says as you swap," You don't want to strain anything before you go on stage." She winks at you and you roll your eyes.

"Did James tell you I've left him in charge?"

"He did," Grace replies with a grin," I think he's already planning on demanding Big Bed access."

"Don't let him," You remind her but your wife just shrugs.

"I don't know. He's making a convincing case. Says that it would be cold without you and he should be there to warm it up."

"If you get him in the habit of sleeping in our bed while I'm away, Grace Clinton, then you're in trouble and I'm choosing what breed the next puppy is."

"Oh, come on!" Grace is laughing though so you know she isn't taking your empty threats too seriously. "Cab's here though. You finished up just in time."

"Okay." You pull on your coat surprisingly well for someone balancing a baby in the other arm.

You litter kisses all over Livy's face as Grace calls James to the door.

"I'll miss you, Mami," He tells you and you crouch down to give him kisses too.

"I'll miss you too, James," You say," I love you, baby."

"Love you too."

He curls into your arms and your rock him side to side softly before pulling away.

"Remember, you're in charge, okay? So I want you to boss around Mummy and make her eat healthy, deal?"

He nods. "Deal."

"I'll see you in a week, amor," You tell Grace, pecking her lips a few times and laughing when she tries to chase your kiss each time.

"Love you, beautiful."

"Love you too."

[decolonize-the-everything]

If only 1/3 of voters of vote and only half of those voters are democrats why do people care when democrats say "nobody else would vote a 3rd party"?

You mean Democrats wouldn't, right? They represent barely half of 1/3 of voters. They absolutely do Not speak for everyone. There is still 80% of the fucking country remaining.

I'm not talking to democrats about my candidate or asking for their opinion anymore than democrats ask for approval from Republicans. Why have the rest of us given them the power to speak over us?

So if you are a Democrat, this post is not for you

"It's splitting the vote" when I try appealing to the 80% of the country that doesn't vote? Then why don't dems yell at Trump about splitting the vote?

Cuz they know those are Republicans™ and have fundamentally different beliefs than them. It's useless. The people voting for Republicans would have no interest in Democrats, right? There's no point.

Interesting 2/3 of the country doesn't vote in that context.

It's interesting that 2/3 of voters said they would vote for a 3rd party in that context.

The country does not support democratic politics anymore. Accept it. Democrats are not entitled to anyone's vote and other candidates are not required to step down just to let them win.

You know what I mean?

3rd parties absolutely have a shot is what I'm saying.

Democrats don't listen to Republicans who tell them how Biden is a pedophile and shouldn't get elected do they? Why the fuck do people who support 3rd parties listen to what democrats think about them??

Reminder Trump won the electoral college vote in 2016 with 304 votes. Clinton had 227. 7 people voted for someone else. 227+7=234. Less than 304 still. And Clinton won the popular vote by millions.

Clinton didn't lose because of 3rd party voters or non-voters. The election was not that close. She lost because Trump was more appealing than she was to voters.

So again, why are we letting the 16.5% of America that doesn't even like their own candidate tell 3rd parties that giving Americans another option is useless and "swaying the vote?"

Non-voters need to be motivated to the ballot box or they simply won't show up like they've been doing. And Clinton wasn't as motivating to voters as Trump was.

She lost because she did Not have any 3rd party/non-voter appeal and could not sway people from Trump's camp. She needed to do one or the other to win the election and she did neither.

Just like Kamala is doing because she also is a centrist democrat. And she too statistically appeals to way less people than Trump does.

You know what I think? It's time to tell democrats to get fucking stuffed.

Sorry but if Dem candidates can't get the support of the half the country and even their own party hates their candidates, why the fuck should anyone let democrats tell them how elections work?

"it's not realistic" oh but it's realistic for 16% of the country to hold the rest of us all hostage to stop Trump instead? Gtfoh.

Anyway

This is who I plan to vote for because fuck Biden and Trump. The remaining 2/3 of us need someone who's up to our standards and stands to actually motivate people to the ballot box.

This person motivates me.

Jasmine Sherman is doing a 24 hr live on tik tok right now (July 27, 2024) if you have any questions about their policy. They're also streaming it on twitch too if you'd like to tune in without using tiktok (links at the bottom). They'll be there until 10pm EST.

Some things they support:

Abolish police

Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free DRC

Landback

Guaranteed housing

Reparations

Trans rights

Universal healthcare & healthcare reform

Universal basic income

Disability Rights

COVID regulations

Decriminalizing drugs & sw

And way way more!!

Tik tok live link: fatblacksocialist

If you are someone who usually doesn't vote and/or refuses to vote for genocide, please reblog this

[inuyashaluver]

hi hi hi I love your fics. I was wondering if you could more grace clinton. maybe about a new years kiss?? <33 also I love the way you add the social media posts very nice touch!!

happy new year - grace clinton

grace clinton x reader

description: in which you and your best friend don’t have anyone to kiss for new years, a friendly kiss won’t hurt, right?

warnings: long!! a little swearing

a/n: my love! you’re so sweet, thank you so much for the kindness and your request, enjoy ❤️ media posts till i DIEE, also can we tell i get to requests late HAHAHHA

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

since the day you and your best friend, grace, met, she has always been your go to person. you and grace had a bond that people could only dream about, radiating love, warmth and respect.

the two of you were truly a dynamic duo, stuck together like glue. unfortunately for the both of you, in a platonic way, something you both unknowingly wanted to progress further into something more.

it’s been that way since you were both 12, the best of friends through thick and thin. the bond between the two of you was very special, everyone could tell.

specifically through the way you both could laugh at anything and everything. the ability to be serious yet silly all at the same time.

sharing your stupid little inside jokes that had you both cackling while everyone shrugged around you because they really didn’t understand the joke. it was soulmate energy, affection begging to be shown between the two of you.

no one really understood you like grace did and vice versa. you truly brought out the best in each other, both on and off the pitch. it was honestly quite concerning how the two of you didn’t realise the amount of mutual infatuation you had for each other.

especially since you lived together, played in all the same clubs, spent each and every minute of everyday with each other, yet the confessions were never verbalised.

the amount of times the two of you had been ‘subtly’ told by your teammates that you both liked each other was unnerving. both of you dismissing it.

in your case, you were terrified to say something, the time didn’t feel right. you and grace had just been called up to the senior england team, both of your seasons at the spurs was going well, you didn’t want to jeopardise anything, you couldn’t afford to lose grace.

in grace’s case, she was also terrified, she could never really confirm whether your affection towards her was strictly platonic or not, you were notorious for being one of the kindest people in the world, you were incredibly affectionate, she truly believed you only viewed her as a friend.

oh how the two of you were just plain wrong. you’re absolutely perfect for each other.

—

grace was scrambling around your shared flat, huffing out in frustration when she couldn’t find her left boot. you both had to leave for training in 5 minutes.

“love, have you seen my boot anywhere?” she yells out, now for some reason throwing all the pillows off the couch.

you come into the room with a concerned expression, holding back a laugh at an annoyed grace laying on her stomach with her phone light shining under the couch.

“gracie” you call out, holding the boot in your hand with a cheeky grin. she whips her head towards you, letting out a sigh of relief and hurrying up towards you.

“you’re a lifesaver” she breathes out, grabbing the back of your head and placing a kiss on the top of it before she rushes back to her room.

your cheeks flush instantly and you have to fan yourself to calm down, moving to grab some pre-made smoothies from your fridge for the car ride, pressing them against your cheeks.

you sling your bag over your shoulder and wait for grace by the door, she was always the late one out of the two of you. she comes out with a smile, a little puffed out from all the hustle and bustle.

she takes one of the cups from you, also taking your bag off your shoulder and putting it on hers, “gracie,” you groan, ready to tell her you can carry your own bag.

she looks over her shoulder at you, winking when she caught your eye, “shh, let gracie help you, love” she mocks and shuts you up, making you shake your head fondly as she walks you out to her car.

when you’re both situated in your seats, grace wordlessly hands you the aux cord, sending you a gentle grin as your fingers brushed hers as you took it.

whatever song you played, grace made an effort to add it to her secret playlist dedicated to you, learning all the songs on there off by heart so she could scream the lyrics with you.

you and grace both entered the spurs training facility with bright grins, laughing loudly with each other as you stumble through the door, unaware the social media team was filming a little project at the moment.

“our dynamic duo, what’s on your lockscreen?” she said, you and grace simmer down your giggles, taking your phones out and showing them to the camera.

“this is a picture of grace being an idiot” you chuckle, saying it while directly looking at her, she sticks her tongue out and puts her phone in front of yours, “here’s a photo of (y/n) being an idiot” she parrots cheekily, making you laugh when you see the photo.

you both wave to the camera and grace slings her arm over your shoulder, still carrying yours and hers bags when you enter the change rooms.

the comments on that video had everyone going insane, there was always the common debate about yours and grace’s relationship, considering how close the two of you were.

—

there were so many instances where you and grace were obviously in love, not uncommon in your day to day life.

you were both walking out to the pitch for training, grace telling you a story that had you laughing brightly, only becoming worse when she would keep adding to it, struggling through the laughs she was producing.

“and then i fucking dropped the drink on the floor and it went everywhere!” she laughed, you join her, stumbling over your feet about to fall to the ground before you felt a warm hand planted firmly on your waist.

grace pulled you up quickly, the force of it having you smashing into her side, “easy” she chuckles, rubbing up and down your waist quickly before she let it linger on your lower back, directing your steps.

your cheeks go pink, your breath quickening a little at the interaction.

grace looks down at you a little worried about your breathing, “you okay?” her thick, northern accent making your stomach lurch, butterflies were an understatement when it came to grace.

“yep, fine” you breathe out, grace narrows her eyes at you but nods, hand still on your back as the group gathers, only leaving your body when you had to train, and of course, you’re partnered up.

clearly the two of you were in a silly mood because you two could not stop giggling. everyone would smile at the two of you, honestly the both of you were big kids stuck in adult bodies and it was incredibly endearing.

you were a striker, grace decided to practise her set piece with you in preparation for an upcoming match. you were known to be a little unstoppable, a rising star in everyone’s eyes, you were relentless when it came to scoring goals.

grace kicked the ball to you and you plant it in the back of the net, grace runs over to you and hoists you up in her waist, running around with you as you scream and laugh. acting as though she’s never seen you score before.

“top bins” she yells, making you laugh brightly as she jumped up and down with you in her arms, you slap her shoulder with a laugh, “gracie we have to practise,” you chuckle, she places you down on the floor with a laugh, waiting for you to run up so she could pass you the ball again.

and when you manage to score again, she just could not ignore the amount of admiration for you, hoisting you up again and running around the pitch while the team laughs at your screams and laughter.

“$5 they confess right now” beth jokes, celin laughs brightly, “no way, i don’t think it will ever happen” she smiles, watching as grace puts you on the ground as you shove her, your smiles infectious for everyone watching. “they’re so stupid” beth coos.

“gracie, don’t do that anymore” you laugh, giving her chest a little shove, “never” she replies cheekily, giving your nose a little squeeze before running off.

you smile as you watch her running off, waiting for you by your water bottles and chucking yours to you when you were near.

“what a save! ever considered being a goal keeper?” she teases, you drink your water with a shake of your head and flip her off, making her giggle before you both chat back and forth, promptly getting yelled at by beth for being distracted.

—

changes were evident when you and grace got called up again for the senior team, only this time, you were both debuting.

you were both starting, grace managing to assist you in two goals and getting her own in turn. you both got subbed off 20 minutes till full time and collapsed on the bench with bright smiles.

“little superstar, two goals” grace smiles down at you, nudging your shoulder with hers, you smile at her, “little superstar, one goal, technically three with your perfect assists” you say cheekily, nudging her like she did to you.

she looked down at your lips for a second before swallowing harshly, suddenly hyper aware of where she was, she faced the front with a nervous expression. you missed it completely.

she quickly begins to feel comfortable when you joke about something, falling into comfortable conversation and giggles.

you both joked as you watched the match, both of you yelling when something bad would happen or when something went well. all grace could really focus on was you, only reacting when you would because you were actually paying attention.

when the match concluded, you jumped on grace’s back and without a second thought, she held you by the underside of your thighs as you went to talk to your teammates.

“are you two dating yet?” ella laughs when she saw you leaning down to whisper something in grace’s ear as she chuckled.

you both froze, alessia winces and slaps her best friend on the shoulder, “tooney!” she exclaims, ella looks at her offendedly, “what?” alessia shakes her head, sending you both an apologetic smile as she dragged ella away, promptly scolding the girl as they walked.

you clear your throat and wriggle out of grace’s embrace, awkwardly chatting while you walked along side each other but returning to normal when you both laughed about a sign someone was holding with both you and grace on it saying ‘bestie goals’. you both wished it said something else on it.

—

though, what really changed everything was a new year’s party the lionesses frequently had. you and grace both got ready at home and when you came out of your room to an awaiting grace on the couch, her breath hitched at seeing you.

you looked drop dead gorgeous, stumbling inside while adjusting your earring. her mouth was slightly agape as she took you in, “do you think this looks okay?” you say with a little uncertainty, giving a little twirl with a nervous smile.

“(y/n) you look so beautiful,” she says earnestly, her eyes staring into yours as you nervously shifted your weight between your feet. your cheeks were pink, and so were grace’s.

“really?” you breathe out, grace nods firmly, “really, love” she smiles, you look at grace up and down, smiling as you took in her appearance. you were unintentionally in matching colours.

“you look beautiful as well, gracie” you smile, “but you copied my colour” you tease, grace rolls her eyes amusingly, “fine, i’ll change” she jokes when she stands up from the couch, you catch her hand before she could move past her.

“you look perfect, no” you scold, pulling her towards the car. she swore she went into cardiac arrest then and there.

you’re still hand in hand by the time your reach the car, grace making an effort to open the door for you with a sheepish grin when you smile at her affectionately, a small, “thank you, gracie” escaping your lips that made her nervous.

when you both get to the party, you’re instantly thrust into different conversations, unfortunately being separated.

that didn’t mean you didn’t stop looking at each other, however, your eyes always managing to connect from the other side of the room before making your way to each other again.

you and grace opted to not drink, she had driven and you didn’t want her to be sober alone, she was incredibly grateful for you.

you both chat and laugh, engaging in other conversations while grace placed her hand on the small of your back again, claiming you needed to stay with her or she’d ‘go insane’.

it was 11:50 and you watched as your teammates and friends all neared their partners, sticking close to them so they could have that new years kiss.

you looked to your side on the small couch, grace. grace was there. like she always was.

you couldn’t help the lingering thoughts of how you wanted grace to be your new years kiss, something you dreamt about every year.

if only you knew about the war going on in her mind at that moment, she fiddled with the rings on her fingers as she watched the surrounding couples get increasingly affectionate as the time neared.

you and grace danced along to the music on the couch before you both got pulled up by ella, “no sitting!” she laughs, pushing you forward and making you stumble into her arms before she walked away with joe.

grace’s hands catch you by the waist, your own holding her shoulders for support as you looked up at her. she swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked at you, your wide eyes and plump lips making her incredibly nervous.

you glance over at the time quickly for good measure, 11:59. “it’s almost midnight” you breathe out, grace nods, humming at your words. “yeah, 1 minute” she points out, her head double checking before focusing back on you.

“should we kiss at midnight?” you blurt out, internally cursing yourself for your forwardness. though, to your surprised grace nods, “why not?” grace shrugs.

a little smile plays at the corner of her lips at the thought of kissing you. you were both incredibly surprised at how forward the whole situation was.

“nothing wrong with kissing your best friend” you stutter, “no, nothing at all” she rushes out, making you both giggle before you hear people counting down from ten.

your pupils were blown out, grace as well, additionally with the two of you so pink in the cheeks, it looked like you were sunburned.

both of your eyes would stare into each other’s before dropping to your lips, both of you were incredibly nervous but overall excited.

by the time it reached two, everything felt in slow motion as grace cradled your cheek in her hand, gently pulling you forward till your lips met hers.

“happy new year!” people yelled.

almost feeling as though you had done it before, you both kissed each other sweetly, expressing everything you felt just with the press against your lips.

she pulled you closer as your arms wrapped around her neck, pressing you against her as your mouths moved together.

grace lets out a happy sigh against you, her hand around you waist moving to give your hip and gentle squeeze.

you hum against her, making her grin against your lips, your own little grin making its way into the kiss before you both pulled away in need of air.

you’re both still incredibly close to each other, everything tuning out around you as your breaths intermingled with each other.

“i love you” she breathes out, you smile at her and without hesitation you reply, “i love you” making her grin and press another tender kiss against your lips.

you hear some faint cheering but you ignore it, only focusing on the girl in front of you. your girl. her girl. finally.

of course when you and grace pull away, you’re teased like no tomorrow, both of you just taking it with bright grins as grace back hugged you, her arms around your middle as she kissed your cheek, your hands holding onto her arms resting on you.

—

you both got home after the party and grace just couldn’t resist you anymore. kissing your neck gently while your shaky hands attempted to open the door.

she places her hand around yours holding the key, helping you open it with a chuckle and closing it behind her when she gently pushes you inside.

as soon as the door closes, you surge forward and kiss her, she hums out surprised against you, walking you backwards until you both reach the couch.

she sits down first, patting her lap and giving you an inviting smile that had you swooning. you straddle her lap and she pulls you into a kiss without missing a beat, your tongues exploring each others mouths before her teeth gently tugging your bottom lip.

you smile when she releases it gently, moving forward to kiss her again. she suddenly giggled against you and you pull away with an amused smile, cocking your head to the side questioning her giggles.

“sorry, i just never thought this would happen” she says adoringly, her hand moving to rub the apple of your cheek gently, “yeah, me too” you smile, carding your hands through her hair and gently scratching the back of her neck with your nails, making her completely melt under your touch.

you both talked and talked all night, interrupted by a few stolen kisses until you both fell asleep on the couch. when you woke up to grace’s head resting on your chest as your legs were tangled, you couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

you smooth down the back of her hair gently and she stirs awake, holding herself above you and smiling down charmingly before tucking her head into the crook of your neck.

she places a gentle kiss there before she straddles your hips, kissing all over your face until you broke out into a fit of giggles, making her giggle along with you just at the sweet sound.

“will you be my girlfriend, baby?” grace breathes out, nudging your nose with hers, you nod instantly, pulling the back of her neck until your lips met with hers gently.

“i’d love to” you whisper against her, another kiss placed on your lips that made you so dizzy, you were both absolutely blissed out.

—

when you both went back to training, let’s just say some money was passed around with groans at seeing your intertwined hands.

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you know the drill, just pretend it’s you! ily celin❤️

liked by ellatoone and 44,232 others

graceclinton_x: me looking at her like this even though she stole my food

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yourname: baby, sharing is caring

↳ graceclinton_x: sharing is caring when it only applies to you, baby girl

↳ yourname: very true xx smart girl!

↳ graceclinton_x: mhm

ellatoone: why don’t you ever look at me like that, clinton?

↳ alessia: ella

↳ graceclinton_x: ella

↳ yourname: ella

↳ ellatoone: what?

[wilwheaton]

Of course, it's clear that she wasn't talking about forced reeducation camps or anything like that. She was musing over how those "formal" deprogramming techniques might translate into political strategies for defeating Republican extremism—because the solution isn’t clear. Naturally, this sent the exact people she was talking about into absolute fits. "Deplorable Moment times 10!" tweeted former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEneny, whose career depends on ratcheting up panic inside the extremist Republican base. As for evidence that Trumpism remains a cult, look no further than Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel (née Romney), who confusingly called Democrats "chaos and pro-criminal" as the Fox News chyron screamed, "HRC CALLS FOR 'DEPROGRAMMING' OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS." McDaniel is the chair of a party currently on its way to nominating a man facing 91 charges in four jurisdictions, a man whose attempts to retain power after losing an election resulted in violence inside the U.S. Capitol. With all due respect, shut up.

Hillary Clinton: ‘Maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming’ of Trump’s extremist cult

[lucawrites11]

the lionesses biggest problems against france and my solutions

keira walsh unable to lose her marker

the lack of a left footed centreback

poor defending of corners especially from hampton

terrible substitutions

a lack of speed and players in the box

a lack of creativity in line-ups making us completely predictable

okay, let's look at these problems in depth:

sarina loves a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 looking something like this:

however this line-up has multiple problems. the first is that it's predictable, it is a slight modification of the same line-up with the same people that has been used since the euros except it no longer has the same level of success because the opposition has figured out it's weaknesses.

the first major risk is the reliance of Keira Walsh. Germany had figured this out by the Euros Final. as one of the best holding midfielder in the world, she's absolutely crucial in terms of the passes she provides forward and her ball recovery but if you just put one player on her all game (in France's case it was Kenza Dali) you can mark her out and remove England's ball recovery ability and ensure that they struggle to get the ball forward.

Another weakness is that if Sarina choses to start Greenwood, as she did yesterday, there is no defender with a good left foot and that leaves the defence vulnerable and also limits the connection that Hemp can have with her full-back down the left. Furthermore, without Lauren James, Ella Toone doesn't provide the same speed running in behind in the 10 role and that switch with Russo to allow Russo to overload the midfield and start goal scoring play. It was something that she did multiple times against France but Toone didn't make her way into the box like James and there is no finishing. English is struggling without that out and out striker, and Lauren James compensated for that gap. Without James, speed in the frontline is also lost, leaving Hemp the fastest forward player and no one chasing after her to get into the box with her.

Also loosing Earps meant that Hampton was shaky and thrown off coming on and she has never been as strong at set piece defending. Khiara may be a better option to defend set pieces where France are deadly but that's too much pressure for a debut game almost. I would like to see Khiara get her first England cap in the next Ireland match to allow be more of an option for Sarina as competition for Earps and Hampton. Sarina also failed in terms of not making a subsitution until the seventieth minute and bringing on experience where England clearly needed more speed and fresh legs. Leaving Jess Naz, Grace Clinton and Jess Park's speed on the bench was criminal.

what's the solution?

in my opinion, sarina has to use an entirely new line-up that does a few things:

either takes Walsh off the pitch or uses a midifeld overload that allows her more freedom

brings more speed into the attacking line

places a winger or ten behind Russo with the ability to get into the box

makes space for a left-footed centreback

there are a few options:

3-4-3

this is my least favourite option. it solves the keira walsh problem by taking her off the pitch but that leaves stanway as the sole holding midfielder. furthermore, it gives space for a left footed centreback in alex greenwood but it means bronze is pushed into the midfield which she can play effectively and would allow for speed in the attack but can leave a defensive hole on the wings. also without a clear left midfielder (carter could maybe play where i've place clinton and if she does, clinton should replace kirby). however clinton has speed to get into the box and as does kirby. this is also tiring for the midfield however england does have the midfield depth to bring on in park.

4-4-2 (diamond)

4-4-2 is on the left and the diamond option is on the right

both are strong choices for this england side and i think that hemp can also play up front next to russo with mead on the right with bronze and clinton or stanway on the left. two centre-forwards in russo and mead/hemp allows the centrebacks to be occupied and for a high press which can interfere with the french attempt to play out from the back that they love. clinton allows has the pace to run in behind when russo or mead manage to steal the ball allowing for a quick counter attack. four in the midfield can also overload the three that the french place in the there and challenge their ability to mark keira walsh out of the game. furthermore, a strong press in russo and hemp/mead allows the midfield be bypassed because the four doesn't always provide a full overload. two upfront can also compensate for when russo drops into the midfield and to hold up the ball, this also allows for the full overload with five in the midfield to pull markers off keira. with a strong left back in greenwood who can play centreback, williamson can also drop into the midfield for an overload. a four at the back with the left-footed defender allows for a deep block if the ball is lost, something that is likely to happen if france play in the midfield again.

3-5-2

this is my favourite line-up

the five in the midfield allows for a complete overload that can release walsh and give her the freedom to pass forward. furthermore, there is the left-footed centreback in greenwood. bronze and hemp playing as wing-backs also allows for a deep block when they drop back and they are both fast at getting both back and forward on the defense and attack which can be the main weakness of this line-up however bronze and hemp can play well as wing-backs. furthermore, bronze, hemp and clinton can overload the final third to support the high press of russo and mead that ensures players in the box and speed on a break to that can work quickly to throw off a french defense and a build up of play from the back

i think this will solve a lot of england's problems going forward and back and release keira walsh in the midfield as well as throwing france off with a new line-up that they wouldn't be expecting

i would also like to see jess park and aggie beever-jones up front to provide support as a striker for alessia russo or speed in behind replacing grace clinton

[woodlandcreatur]

I feel like we've lost sight of the fact that... Hillary Clinton was just a profoundly unlikeable person.

- she was practically the textbook definition of "establishment, career politician"

- her husband was, up until 2016, the most widely disliked president in recent American history

- the perfectly timed email scandal didn't help

All this is to say... I don't think misogyny is what did it.

She was a boring candidate with some serious baggage and wasn't offering much of anything. She didn't lose because "America isn't ready for a woman," she lost because she was a uniquely bad choice.

Meanwhile Kamala pretty damn good record as mayor, despite her judicial evils, and to top it all off: she feels like a human when she speaks.

[iamafanofcartoons]

Why voting for Biden is Crucial for 2024

Right now, we're suffering an alarming issue. Next year we will be voting for the presidential election. It will be Biden vs Trump again. One problem. Biden has made some decisions that weren't popular. Because of that, people are somehow saying he's not deserving of their vote. Okay, I want everyone to remember the last time we had a flawed presidential candidate. Hillary Clinton. Like Joe, Hillary spent 8 years working with Obama and helping him heal America. in 2016, she ran against Trump. But she wasn't squeaky clean. So people decided that they would feel better staying at home or tossing their vote. So not only did we fail at getting the first female POTUS? We got trump in the WH and all that hard work Obama did over 8 years got undone. Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat its consequences. We vote Biden in for 2024, he and the Democrats can continue their work of healing America, and Trump can no longer run, and the GOP will self-destruct. Or? We repeat the stubbornness of refusing to vote for a Democrat who is flawed, Trump gets into the office again, and we basically lose America to religious fundamentalists. "But Joe is enabling Genocide!" If Trump gets elected, the genocide of women, POC, LGBT, and atheists will happen in our own backyard! Focus on what's happening right in front of you before you focus on a region 3,000 or so miles away. We can deal with the middle east in full after we make sure that there is still a democratic America left to deal with the Middle East conflict. You can't have your cake and eat it! Compromises are one of the things a leader has to make. And we have to decide what we want to compromise. You have the ability to learn from 2016 and make the right decision this time by voting for Joe, flawed democrat or not. I beg of you...please take it! America's future? Or short-term gratification? Choice is yours. Please don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

[deadpresidents]

Is there any truth to the claims that Obama pushed Biden to exit the race?

I think Obama was one of many voices within the Democratic Party that was urging President Biden to step aside. I think Biden takes anything coming from Obama more personally because they have a more complex relationship now than when Biden was Obama's Vice President. They had one of the closest personal relationships between a President and Vice President in American history during the Obama Administration, but there has been a change because Biden was hurt in 2016 when Obama basically made it clear that he believed Hillary Clinton was a better option to succeed him than Biden was.

Biden felt validated in 2020 when he was able to do what Hillary couldn't do and defeated Trump, and the Biden-Obama relationship has been more distant since then. I think it's also probably a weird dynamic for both of them because Obama was obviously the dominant figure throughout his Presidency and I imagine it's difficult for him to have the tables turned now that Biden is President. In the public events that they've done together during Biden's Presidency, Biden always seems overshadowed by Obama and I think that causes some friction, as well. There is a genuine personal friendship between Obama and Biden, but there's also a competitive dynamic to their relationship. Biden has wanted to be seen as his own man in the Presidency, and Obama has wanted to protect his legacy, which he believes is undoubtedly linked with Biden, especially since there's so much overlap with their respective White House staffs.

It's been pretty obvious from the reporting over the past week that President Biden is still having some difficulty coming to terms with the idea of not running for re-election. I've seen sources outright saying that the President is "pissed off". I don't think Obama was as big of an influence in getting Biden to step aside as some of the senior Congressional leaders, like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Jim Clyburn. It sounds like once Biden lost Pelosi, it became clear that things might get ugly if the President didn't make the decision to step aside on his own. Pelosi is still an enormously powerful figure in the party and a juggernaut when it comes to fundraising. If she was working behind-the-scenes against Biden, the President was probably on his way to losing the support of pretty much everybody in Congress -- that's how powerful Nancy Pelosi still is. I don't know how direct Obama was in those efforts, but the fact that many of Obama's closest political operators -- David Axelrod, David Plouffe, the Pod Save America crew (Favreau, Pfeiffer, Lovett, Vietor), etc. -- were making the argument on Obama's behalf was pretty clear to me.

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Oh, I'm A Mess... (Affinity Series)

Alpha!Bucky x Sweet Little Omega!POC!Reader

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

Wordcount: 7243

Summary:

You and Bucky have officially bonded! So why does Steve still smell so damn good to you? After getting injured on a mission, Bucky connects the dots and is able to shed some light on the situation. What could this possibly mean for the three of you?

Warnings:

Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Shameless Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Domestic Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Shower Sex, Naked Cuddling, Breeding, Protective Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Feels

Notes:

Hello, Hello, Hell-O, Once again I started out writing with one plan in mind and well my characters just said "NOPE. This is where we're going. Don't fight it." And thus this, a bit plot heavy, fic was born. Have no fear though, there still we be snapshots of just Bucky and his Omega, as well as some with just her and Steve. What can I say, the characters have officially taken over and I'm just here to transcribe it all to you. Happy reading! This snapshot was heavily inspired by GUESS IM IN LOVE by Clinton Kane. Give it a listen to set the mood if you'd like. Also the lyrics used are from Tears Dry On Their Own by Amy Whinehouse. I do not own any rights to this song and you should give it listen!

Bannner by @cafekitsune Divider by @firefly-graphics

The hearth is filled with a crackling fire, it’s soft amber glow filling the space with warmth as you lounge in your favorite pj's, wrapped up in a blanket cocoon. A pint of Ben & Jerry's in your lap and Supernatural playing on the flat-screen. Dean Winchester is truly the best distraction. Currently you're all alone in the house as The Avengers have been called away on a quick mission.

Having recently made your bond official, you decided to stay at Bucky and Steve’s for a while, so you can remain close to your mate. You had some paid time off you needed to use or lose at work anyway and this seemed the most appropriate way to utilize it. 

Your phone goes off, alerting you of an incoming text.

My Alpha 🐺: Hello my sweet little Omega. The mission’s over but it’s gonna be a bit before I get home. I have to go to the infirmary when we land. I got injured protecting a group of children. Just got struck with a stray bullet or two and a cut to the forehead. Nothing too serious that my Super Soldier serum can’t heal quick enough, but it’s protocol to get checked out after any injury in the field. See you soon babygirl. I love you 😘 Me: 😲 Oh my goodness Bucky! You better be okay! Get here as soon as you can so I can see for myself that you are still in one piece! I love you too ❤

This news turns your calm energy to one of anxiety. You begin to seek out items to make yourself a nest. A place you can find comfort and safety as you nervously wait for your Alpha to return home.

With your mating bond being still a little new, he can feel just how out of sorts you are and although he’s trying to send calming vibes down the bond you're still out of sorts. It’s increasing his need to protect you and is starting to put him on edge. He knows he can't get to you until he’s cleared by the doctor. 

Steve hasn’t left his side since they boarded the Quinjet. He didn’t sustain any injuries himself and is perfectly fine to leave. He’s only still here because he wants to make sure his best friend is alright. 

He turns to Steve sitting in the seat next to the exam table he is laying on. “Hey, would you mind heading home ahead of me and making sure my Omega isn't scared and alone while she’s stressed out over me. I can’t stand knowing she’s in that house by herself right now. I'm afraid my instincts will take over and I’ll bite someone's head off the longer I sit here feeling her anxiety through the bond and I can't get to her.”

The blonde agrees of course, wanting to make sure you're okay himself. “Yeah, no problem Buck. I’ll make sure to try and keep her calm as much as I can. You just get checked out and hurry home as soon as you're able to. I’ve got her til then, pal.”

“Thanks Stevie. Now go take care of my girl.”

Upon entering the house, Steve finds you sorting through the blankets in the living room. “Hey there, Doll. Buck sent me to check in on you. Said he could feel your anxiety through the bond. He’ll be here soon. He’s just waiting for the all clear from the Doc once she’s done with anyone with major injuries first.” 

You drop the blanket in your hand and rush to him, wrapping him up in a giant hug, happy to no longer be left alone with your treacherous thoughts. You just need to be held for a moment and he smells like Bucky since somehow his blood is on his undershirt. Seems he had taken off the top half of his uniform at some point. 

The urge to take his blood stained shirt is increasing the longer he holds you. You must have it for your nest. Taking a step back, you thrust your hands underneath the fabric, running them along his abs and up his chest until you can pull it off him. 

Steve stands there motionless, in shock from the unprompted groping you just gave him. He watches as you inhale a big whiff of their mixed scents through your nose, as you clutch the shirt to your chest and face. 

It starts to actually calm you. Which is interesting since you're newly mated and Steve is not your bonded Alpha. Maybe it's because Bucky’s always with Steve and they’ve known each other so long. Maybe it’s because you know what his dick tastes like on your tongue. Or it can be a whole other thing entirely. You’ll have to figure that out another time though, because right now all you care about is trying to stay calm until you lay eyes on your Alpha again.

Yes, Bucky reassured you it’s just surface wounds that’ll easily heal within the day but until you can visually check that he’s okay you're going to continue to feel unsettled. 

A now shirtless Steve, shakes himself out of his stupor and begins to try and relax, releasing calming pheromones into the air. You just want to go back to your nest and continue to perfect it until Bucky is back. So that’s just what you do. “Thanks for coming home to check on me Stevie. It means a lot. Really. I’m gonna head back into the room now though. Holler if you need me for anything.” 

From time to time, Steve ducks his head into the bedroom to check on you. He watches as you fidget with your nest, trying to get it just right. Seeing you like this is doing something to him he can't quite understand. It’s making him feel all warm and content, but also a bit melancholy. 

He’s really struck out in the love department throughout his life. No one seems to just fit for him. He’s very happy that his best friend has found his Omega though. You two really are perfect for each other. Even now, mated to Buck, your scent is still mouthwatering to him. Just your mere presence can soothe his overactive brain. He’s drawn to you like a moth to a flame and even though he’s not quite sure why that is, he truly enjoys the feeling. But that’s a secret he’ll have to keep to himself.

You lose yourself in constructing your nest until you hear voices filter in through the hall, right as Bucky’s thick scent hits you. “Where’s your shirt pal?”

You run out of the room, pausing once you reach the end of the hall and spot Bucky. Taking a visual account that he’s all in one piece. Other than a cut that is already healing on his forehead, he looks disheveled, but perfectly fine. 

“You're okay.” You whisper and run into his arms. Soaking the bond in relief and love. Burying your face in his neck, saturating yourself in his sandalwood and whiskey scent. You pull back to gaze into those soulful baby blues.

“Hi, babygirl.” He kisses your nose.

“Hi, Sarg.” You kiss the cut on his head. “I’m so glad you're back. But you look a complete mess.” He chuckles at you and squeezes your ass that’s cradled in his hands. “That so Omega?” 

You bite your lip and nod your head. “Mmhmm. Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

“As you wish, sweet girl. Night Stevie. Thanks again for checking in on her” You wave goodnight as your Alpha carries you off into the hall.

Steve watches your retreating forms with longing in his eyes and an ache in his chest until you're out of his sight. 

Someday I’ll have that. 

Bucky carries you through his room to the en suite, noticing the nest you made on his bed along the way and smiling to himself.

He places you on the counter as he reaches in and starts to warm up the shower.

You take your time undressing him and kissing every bump, bruise and healing laceration. “Keep that up Omega and we won't even make it into the shower. Now lift your arms up so I can help you out of these clothes.” 

You raise your arms and he steals a kiss after he removes your shirt. Tracing his fingers down your torso til he reaches your hips and taps them to let you know to lift them so he can remove your bottoms. He leaves a trail of kisses up your calves and thighs as he makes his way back up. With one more tortuous kiss he lifts you up and carries you into the large walk in shower, now filled with steam and sets you down underneath the waterfall spray.

You reach over and grab the shampoo off the built-in shelf on the wall. “You’re too tall for me to reach you all the way up there so I’m gonna need you to either bend down or kneel so I can get my hands on that scalp of yours.” 

He kneels before you.

With your breasts level with his face, he can't help but sneak a little kiss to your sternum as he wraps his arms around your hips. As you begin to massage and lather up his scalp, you feel the tension leave his body. The content purrs emanating from his chest send vibrations through your lower abdomen. You continue on this way for a few more minutes until it’s time for him to rinse. “Up and at em Alpha. Time to get all these suds out so I can clean the rest of you.”

With a dazed and tranquil look in his eyes, he pulls himself back up. Keeping eye contact with you until he tilts his head back and let’s the water wash away the white lather. As he’s rinsing his hair, you prep the loofah with his favorite soap. Once his head has returned to the upright position you begin to cleanse your Alpha.

You run the loofah along his strong torso and shoulders. Down his large biceps and forearms. Over his thick thighs and defined legs. Purposely ignoring the hardening length rising from his patch of curls. 

Kneeling before him you look up into the handsome face of your Alpha. “Turn around for me please, so I can continue on.” He gives you a little mischievous smirk and takes his time turning towards the wall, giving you his back side. 

You start at the bottom and make your way to the top. Soaping up his calves and the back of his thighs. Skimming over his taut buttocks. Taking your time to worship his strong back and lay kisses across his shoulder blades and scars before you lather them up. You slide the loofah down his arms, pulling yourself closer until your chest rests against his back.

You bring the suds to the rigid thickness standing proud between his legs. Taking your time to cover every inch and making sure you don't miss a single spot. 

You drop the loofah, to aide him in rinsing off his body. Your tiny hands wander over every dip and valley of skin you can reach until you wrap them around his girth and begin to stroke his length. He can't help but moan out at the feeling of you taking such good care of him.

He places his hands against the wall to maintain his balance as he gives in to the pleasure you're giving him.

You deepen the pressure but keep up the languid speed as you feel your Alpha’s breath begin to quicken, groaning out. “Fuck baby that feels so good.”

“Good. You deserve it Alpha. You’re a good man who does amazing things and will put his life on the line for others. Making you feel good is the least I can do.” You lay a kiss between his shoulder blades and increase your speed. 

His breath hitches in his throat and he lets out a deep growl, shaking your chest with its powerful tremor. Before you can even comprehend what is happening your back hits the shower wall and in one solid thrust, Bucky is deep inside you. 

You scream out from the stretch and utter uncontrolled ferality your Alpha just showed. 

“You wanna make me feel good Omega?” 

“Always.”

“Well nothing feels better than your tight little cunt wrapped around my cock as it takes a pounding.” 

Your eyes roll into the back of your head at his dirty words and deep strokes. 

“You have no idea how desperately I want to bury my knot in you right now, Omega." He skims his lips across the sensitive flesh of your exposed throat. "Unfortunately the shower is not the greatest place to be stuck together. What I can and will do though, is fuck you so deep and hard you cant help but turn into an incoherent mess.” 

All you can do is whimper, wrap your arms around his chest and hold on to his shoulders. 

You Alpha is nothing if not a man of his word. He starts fucking you so deep your seeing stars. Pulling orgasm after orgasm out of you, over and over again. You’ve lost track of how many times you’ve fallen over the edge. You have no idea how he’s lasted so long. Damn super serum.  

He couldn't be happier with himself, seeing that cock drunk look in your hooded eyes.

“Look at you, Omega. All pliant and fuzzy headed. Hind-brain taking over. Too bad were not in your nest, otherwise I would for sure be stuffing you full of my knot and fucking a baby into you.” His hips begin to speed up. “Fuck just thinking about you all round with my child growing inside you is making me wanna pop my knot right now and get a head start on our family. Would you like that, my sweet little Omega? Want your Alpha to breed you and keep you full until there’s no way you aren't pregnant with my child.” 

“F-f-fuck please Alpha. Please. Fill me up.” You mumble and slur out as your walls begin to clamp down on him as you reach the precipice of another climax.

“Fuck. You really do want that don't ya, Omega? Your little pussy is squeezing me so tight. Trying to milk me for everything I got.” His rhythm starts to falter. “That’s it baby. Fuck . Need you to come for me one more time and I'll fill you up. You can do it. Come on pretty girl. Come for me Omega. Come. Now.” 

That command was all it took for you to shatter and explode in tidal wave of pleasure. Taking Bucky along the ride with you. If it weren’t for your Alpha pinning your thighs to the wall and your arms wrapped around his shoulders, you surely would have collapsed to the floor. All you can do is cry out as he pulls back at the very last second and pops his knot against the outside of your entrance.

Your greedy pussy milks what length remains inside you for every last drop. Draining him dry as he bites down on your neck, reclaiming his mark into your supple flesh. Chest heaving up and down from the sure willpower it is taking him to not bury his knot deep inside you and making sure not a drop of his seed is wasted.

You take a moment to collect yourselves as the warm water continues to cascade down your skin. You’re placed back on your feet with a gentle kiss and satisfied purr. “Looks like we're both dirty again. You wash my back and I’ll wash yours. Deal?”

You lightly nod your head and laugh at your Alpha’s antics. “Deal. But no funny business. It’s been a long day and I just want to get clean, crawl into my nest and fall asleep wrapped up in your arms.”

“That I can do Omega.” He begins to clean you up as you do the same for him. Trading sweet kisses along the way. Once you’re both fresh and clean, you turn off the shower, dry off quickly and head off to bed.

It’s time for some skin to skin snuggles, just how you like them. No blanket could ever be as warm as your Alpha’s chest.

You’re starting to drift off when you feel Bucky move his arm as if he’s grabbing something. "Omega. What's Stevie’s shirt doing in here?"

You freeze for a moment before burying your head in his chest and rambling. “It smells like you even though it's mixed with his scent because your blood is on it and I don’t know why but I just had to have it in here. It just felt right, okay.”

He runs his flesh hand lightly up and down your back feeling you begin to slightly panic. “Omega, it's okay. I do have a question for you though.”

You swallow. “Yes, Alpha.”

He kisses the top of your head, sending reassurance through the bond. “Please answer me honestly if you can. I'm truly just curious. I know we're mated now, but has Steve’s scent changed for you since I placed my mark on this pretty little neck?”

You shift nervously. “Umm. No it hasn't. Every other Alpha’s has, but not his.”

He continues to rub your back. “Do you like the way he smells?”

You take a deep breath and answer honestly. No sense in lying to your Alpha. “Yes. I do. Even more so when it's mixed with yours. I can't explain why either. I'm so sorry Bucky. How can I be bonded to you and his scent still smells so good to me. I’m the worst Omega.” You can feel a panic attack coming on. 

He pulls you in closer to his chest, lifts your chin with his metal finger and makes you look him in the eye. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, babygirl. You are not the worst Omega. And quite frankly, I’m not even upset. Rather intrigued, actually. If you're up for it, I wanna test something out.”

You shakily nod your head. “O-okay. What do you have in mind?”

“I’m going to ask Steve to come in here. I’d like to have him join us in the nest, if you're okay with that of course, and see if he’ll sleep here tonight. I know he’s a bit shaken by today’s events too. Is that ok with you Omega?”

Your brows begin to furrow as you think of him sleeping all alone after such an exhausting and your sure, emotional day. “Oh poor Stevie. I don't want him to sleep alone. Of course he can come in here. Technically his scent is already in the nest. Do I need to get fully dressed though? Our skin to skin contact is kind of important to me right now.”

He can’t help but smile at how adorable you are. “That’s all up to you babygirl. I mean the man’s dick has been in your mouth and he’s watched me fuck you more than once. I’m not going through the effort of getting dressed for the little jerk. If he’s uncomfortable he can figure it out.”

You shake your head and laugh at his antics. “You really can be an asshole sometimes. I’ll keep being naked then and just stay under the blanket cuddled up against you for now.” You kiss his chest. “You can go ahead and call him in.”

Bucky calls out and Steve peeks his head through the door. He's a bit taken aback by the feeling of happiness, lust and underlying longing he has as he gazes upon you two cuddled up in your nest. 

“You rang?” He hits you with that mischievous little smile of his.

“I found where your shirt went punk. It’s right under her pillow. Apparently our scents combined does something to her. Go figure. Anyway, I know you’re probably feeling out of sorts after today's mission and we don't feel like you should be sleeping alone. Wanna hop on in the nest and help me keep this little one warm and cozy?”

His eyes widened and his brows scrunch up. “What!? You just recently mated and you want me in your nest? Shouldn't my scent bother you now?”

You start to fidget in Bucky’s arms and look at the blonde. “I can't explain it but it's never changed for me when it comes to you. And he wasn't lying. Your scents mixed together makes me feel calm and safe. I’d really like it if you slept here tonight Stevie. No pressure though if it’s too weird for you.”

He scoffs. “Weird for me. My dick has been lodged in your throat. This is pretty tame.” 

“See told ya” Bucky laughs out as you smack him along his ribs. 

Shaking his head at his best friend he responds to you. “I’m more than happy to join you. There’s only one problem. I sleep in the nude and I’m sure you won't appreciate that.”

A coy little smile lights up your face. “I prefer skin to skin. Your level of comfort is up to you.”

He turns to your mate. “You sure about this Buck?”

Rolling his eyes at his best friend he replies. “Stop being a scaredy cat and just get in already Stevie. You can be awkward about it in the morning, alright pal.”

Not wanting to risk Bucky's temper, he undresses and climbs in behind you as you curl up tighter against your Alpha's chest. He keeps his distance though, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

Bucky can feel your distress thinking you’ve freaked Steve out. “You got something against cuddling up against my girl with me?”

“Huh?”

“You got in the nest, but are way the fuck over there. I’m not gonna bite your hand off.”

“Buck...”

“Fuck this.” He leans over you, grabs Steve’s hand and places it on your bare hip. 

You stiffen at the touch, until Steve scoots closer, his chest flush against your back, wrapping his arm around your waist.

“There. All better now. Get some sleep babygirl.” Bucky lets out a low purr along with Steve that begins to lull you right to sleep.

The next morning…

Bucky rouses first, as the sunlight reaches his eyes and sneaks out of bed to start some coffee. When he returns to the nest he finds you cuddled up against Steve with your head on his chest, a serene look across your face. He watches as Steve cracks his eyes open and just stares in awe at the sight of you curled up against him.

“You could wake up to that view more often ya know?”

Surprised by his words, Steve looks at his best friend. “What on earth are you talking about Buck? She’s yours. It’s your bite mark on her neck, not mine. This is the only time I’ll ever have this view. I’m just trying to savor it and imprint it in my brain, so I can revisit it when I’m all alone again.”

He softly strokes your cheek and hair.

Bucky can’t stand this pity party any longer. “You’re an idiot ya know that? She clearly has two mating glands and apparently two True Mates. How else would her scent not have changed for you when we mated like it did all the other Alpha’s on the team. And your scent hasn't changed for her either. She told us that just last night.”

Steve can feel himself starting to get agitated. “That’s ridiculous Buck. An omega with two Alpha’s is extremely rare. Don’t patronize me thinking I have a chance here. She’s yours, okay. I get that.”

“And I’m telling you that she might be yours too. What’s so wrong with that?” He inquires. 

“Yes please do tell me what is wrong with that, if that's the case?” You speak up.

Neither of them had noticed that you had awoken.

Steve looks down at you lying on his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with that IF that's the case. I just don't believe it is. I think my best friend and his omega are just feeling guilty that I’m all alone and keep catching them in the various stages of love. It’s ok guys. Really.”

You abruptly sit up.

“You think I pity you? That I'm just humoring you by letting you get close to me when I'm feeling vulnerable. That your scent doesn't provide me a sense of calm and safety just as much as my Alpha’s does. That I haven't been confused and trying to figure out why the fuck you still smell so damn good when I’m now mated to Bucky.” 

Your eyes begin to water. “You think I chose to have somehow fallen for my Alpha’s best friend too.” You slap your hands to your mouth with your outburst and turn to Bucky. 

“I’m sorry. This is just all too much. Excuse me.” You scramble out of the twisted bed sheets, running straight into the bathroom and locking the door, uncaring of your current state of nudity. 

Steve stares after you, mouth agape, as he processes your confession. Bucky just pinches the bridge of his nose. “Way to go, Stevie.”

The taunt shakes him out of his stupor. “How are you so calm right now? Your Omega just basically said she’s also in love with your Alpha best friend.”

Bucky just looks at him with a deadpan expression. “Keyword there pal…ALSO. She isn't any less mine or in love with me because her biology gifted her with two mates instead of one. We’re not typical Alpha’s, so it’s not that much of a stretch to think we wouldn't attract a typical Omega. Unless you're telling me you aren't drawn to her and want to be with her just as badly as I do.” He glares at him. “Now that would most certainly raise my temper.”

Steve lets out a huff. “So you’re telling me, that if I admit to you that I’m drawn to her. That her scent literally calls to me. That I’ve replayed that night we all hooked up together over and over and wish I had gotten a chance to at least have kissed her. That I live for the moments when it’s just the three of us here in the house, locked in our own little bubble, and I hate that I have to go to bed alone while she’s wrapped up in your arms. You're telling me, that saying all of that, doesn't make you want to punch me in the face?”

Steel Gray eyes meet the Cerulean ones of his best friend. Making sure that he focuses on what he is about to say. 

“If I hadn't seen first hand how she reacts to you and cares for you, yeah, you admitting all that shit would make me crazy. But I know my Omega. I see the sadness in her eyes that she tries to hide from me when you go off to bed alone when she’s here. Or the pure joy in them when you compliment her cooking after we’ve shared a meal. Hell she takes care of you as much as she does me. I’ve never seen her do that with Sam. Not that the asshole deserves it any way. He openly flirts with her just to piss me off.”

He stops himself before he gets too far off track. “I’m not going to tell you what to do here Stevie. Especially not with her most likely crying in the bathroom right now. What I will tell you though, is that I’m not willing to let her go even if she does have two True Mates and the other happens to be my best friend. I love her. She’s worth it.”

You’ve heard their entire exchange so far through the door you're resting against. Your tears have dried up and breath returning to normal. A warmth has spread through your chest at Bucky’s declaration. Even though you want to stay in here and protect yourself from further rejection you need to let your Alpha know how much you love and appreciate him. 

You stand up and grab one of his shirts from the hamper and throw it on. You’re feeling exposed enough and need a barrier to further protect yourself. You open the door and catch his gaze as he turns to you. Without sparing a glance to Steve you walk up to him and wrap your arms around his neck.

“God, I love you.” You pull his mouth to yours and lay a soul-deep kiss on him. Resting your forehead against his as you pull apart. “You’re worth it too, ya know. And I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me Alpha. Whether or not that includes some excess baggage. I’ll have to get back to you on that front though.” You place a soft kiss to his chin and turn around in his arms, you need his strength at your back for the next part. 

You take a deep calming breath and stare into the ocean eyes of the golden Adonis sitting on the bed before you. “I’m sorry for my emotional outburst, Steven. It wasn't fair of me to do that. Your feelings and desires are your own and I respect them. No matter how much those words stung I shouldn’t have reacted that way. Again, I’m sorry.” You turn back around and look up at Bucky. “Smells like the coffee’s ready. I’m gonna go get a cup and start breakfast. Eggs and bacon okay or do you boys need something more after the day you had yesterday.”

He knows what you’re doing. Trying to take care of him and take your mind off of the rejection you feel without distressing either of them about it. Damn sweet little omega. Even when she’s clearly hurting inside because of him she’s still taking care of both of us.

“Eggs and bacon sounds great babygirl. Anything else you feel inclined to make is a bonus.” He kisses your forehead and you shuffle out of the room. Leaving the awkward situation before Steve can even really respond to your apology.

“She could barely look at me other than when she said she was sorry. Which was unnecessary to begin with.” Steve barely manages to get the words past his lips. 

“Yeah, well. She’s trying to protect herself from feeling rejected further. I can bet she doesn't want you to feel obligated to try and make this work because she was upset. She would never want that.” Bucky clarifies.

This shocks him. “What? Rejected? I didn't reject her. I would never reject her.”

As coff escapes the brunettes lips. “Stevie. You told us that you think we're just feeling guilty and sorry for you instead of the possibility that she has two mates. Sounds like a rejection to me, pal.”

“No, no, no. That’s not…I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that I wasn't lucky enough to have something like that be true. Of course I want her as mine. I’d be a fool not to.” He can feel himself start to panic. 

“Well you're a fool who put his foot in his mouth and made her upset. Figure out what it is you want before digging your hole deeper. I’m going to ask you point blank and I want an honest answer. Do you want to be with her?”

Without hesitation he responds. “Yes.”

“Do you think she could be your true mate?”

“Yes”

“Does the thought of her being mine first bother you?”

“Surprisingly, no. You deserve someone like her Buck. She really is perfect for you. I would never want to mess that up. That’s the main reason why I hid my feelings.”

“Okay. Would you want to make us a bonded pack instead of just a bonded pair?”

“Yes. I would. I’d feel honored to be in a pack with you. It feels right.”

“Alright. Then you need to tell her that. I’m not the one who needs reassurance. Make it right with her and we’ll go from there.” He turns and heads out of the room. 

Steve quickly grabs his boxers from the floor, slips them on and follows Bucky out to the kitchen where they find you cooking, hips swaying as you sing along to Amy Whinehouse playing from the Bluetooth speaker on the island. Cant beat cooking and good music to brighten your mood up.

“Even if I stopped wanting you A perspective pushes through I'll be some next man's other woman soon I cannot play myself again I should just be my own best friend Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men He walks away The sun goes down He takes the day, but I'm grown And in your way In this blue shade My tears dry on their own”

You can feel their eyes on you as you finish cutting up the fruit and placing it in a bowl. You spin around to check on the bacon cooking on the stove. “You gonna stand there all morning gawking at me or are ya gonna help out?” 

They scramble to get into the kitchen. Steve beating Bucky just barely. “What can we do?”

You’re still having a hard time looking at him right now but you can get through this. “Um. Why don’t you grab me the eggs from the fridge Steven so we can get them cooked up and Sarg you can set the table while I finish up the bacon. Good?”

Bucky saddles up behind you, wrapping his thick arms around your waist and pulling you close. He runs his nose up your neck and whispers in your ear. “I know you're feeling some type of way right now babygirl, but please just try and let him remove his head from his ass. He’s just scared. I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you hear him out. Plus I’ll be right over there if you need me.” He kisses your temple and heads off to set the table, swatting your ass on the way for good measure. Cheeky Alpha.

As you're flipping the strips in the skillet, Steve hesitantly moves up next to you, an egg carton clutched to his bare chest. “Need a hand with cooking the eggs so you can focus on the bacon?” he tentatively asks. 

You turn to look at America’s Golden Boy and find an awkward and somehow withdrawn man standing next to you. Is this my doing? He looks so sad. Oh Stevie.

You give him a small smile. “Sure. I’d love the help. Hey Sarg, how do you want your eggs?”

“Are we having toast?” He queries.

“Only if you're making it.” You quip back.

“Then I’ll take ‘em sunny side up, extra runny please. Steve can manage not to screw that up.”

“Ha ha. Very funny Buck. What about you, Doll? Any particular way you’d like yours cooked?” He’s got all of his focus on you as he patiently waits for your answer.

“Scrambled will be just fine for me, Steve. Thank you.” You can feel that warmth starting to spread through your chest again the longer he stands beside you, bathing you in his citrus and cedar scent. 

“You got it, Doll.” He gives you that devastating smile of his and you can feel the threads hanging on to your bruised ego starting to fray. Stupid handsome Alpha messing with my hormones.

You continue to cook in silence. The only sound coming from the speaker on the island. You exchange small subtle touches as you pass over one another for this or that as you finish making breakfast and place it on the table. The tension has slowly built and you have no idea when or if it will break. 

Bucky sits at the head of the table with you to his right.

Surprisingly, Steve chooses to take the seat next to you instead of across the table. After a couple of awkward silent bites Bucky pipes up. “This is perfect, Omega. You're always taking such good care of us.” 

You feel heat rise to your cheeks at his praise. “I can’t take all the credit this morning. Steve helped out.” 

“Well it wouldn't have felt right if you did it all yourself. I’ll always help you out whenever I can, Doll.” He’s gazing at you with such an earnest look in his eyes. 

He reaches for your hand. “Doll, there’s something I need to say before I lose my nerve.”

He has all your attention now. “Go ahead. I’m listening.” You give his hand a little squeeze just as Bucky slides his hand onto your thigh and gives a squeeze as well. Just letting you know he’s right here with you if anything goes wrong. 

“I need you to know that I wasn’t rejecting you. I was feeling sorry for myself and on the defensive. I spoke out of fear and you got hurt because of it. It’s killing me inside that you could believe, even for a moment, that I wouldn't want you.” 

He intertwines his fingers with yours. 

“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in an Omega and it just so happens that my best friend got to you first. I’ve been harboring feelings for you for a long time now and had just come to terms with the fact that I would most likely end up a lone Alpha forever when your scent didn't change after Buck claimed you. That night we all hooked up was the closest I thought I would ever get to having you. And I didn't even get to kiss you.” 

You cock your head to the side. “You wanted to kiss me that night?”

“Oh little omega, I always want to kiss you.” There’s that confidence you love so much rising back to the surface.

“I just wasn't allowed to. I knew my place and I would never do that to Buck. You're made for each other. So when he suggested that the one thing I crave for, could very much be a real possibility, I felt like a joke was being played on me. How could I be so lucky to not only have found a true mate but share her with my best friend. An omega with two mates was rare even in our day. I didn't want to get my hopes up for it to all come crashing down and I lose not only you but my best friend in the process.”

You push back a blonde lock that had fallen into his eyes back into place. “I get it. I do. That’s why I apologized for my outburst.”

He squeezes your hand in his and places the other against your cheek. “No, no, no. You didn't need to apologize. You had every right to feel that way. I’m just an idiot who was lost not only in his head but in the past as well. I might be this big strong Alpha now, but some of those old insecurities of the smaller me make an appearance from time to time. That was one of those times.”

He runs his thumb along the apple of your cheek. “What I’m trying to say, is that I’ve fallen for you too. It’s more than just being drawn to your scent. No matter how mouthwatering it is. You're sweet and caring. You never exclude me when you’re around and you treat me like a real person not some Superhero to be adored. You keep me grounded and I have never seen Bucky more like himself than when he started seeing you. If you're willing to try and Buck is truly okay with it, I would like to see where this goes. Ultimately I would like us to become a pack. I would want you to be mine as much as you are his. What do you say, Doll?”

You stare into those deep pools of cerulean, full of nothing but adoration and a hint of fear. Placing your hand against the nape of his neck, you pull him forward into a kiss. It starts off slow and sweet, quickly morphing into an inferno of need and passion. You pour everything into this kiss, uncaring that your Alpha is watching, until you pull apart, desperately in need of air. 

His eyes are lust blown and he’s sporting a dopey lovesick grin. “I take it, that’s a yes then.”

Bucky busts out laughing. He can’t help himself. “Oh, man. You really are still that skinny little awkward punk. All dopey eyed after one kiss from a Dame ya like.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Oh shove it, asshole. I remember you wandering around the house all love drunk when she kissed you the first time. You have no room to talk.” 

You turn to Buck with a slackened jaw. “You got all twitterpated after I finally let you kiss me goodnight? Awww, Alpha.”

Not embarrassed by it in the slightest he leans in towards you. “Damn right I did. That kiss was fucking magical. I’d never felt anything like it before.”

You place a sweet kiss on his lips and then turn to Steve and do the same. “I’m sure this back and forth ribbing between the two of you will never truly die down. So who’s up for movies and snuggles? I might even be willing to be talked into a little heavy petting.” 

You get up from the table, starting to clear the dishes, when Bucky stops you. “Omega let us do that. You are to relax the rest of the day.”

You place the plates back on the table. “Does that mean my movie marathon is a go?”

Steve wraps his arms around your hips and pulls you close, laying his head on your stomach as he gazes up at you. “Yes, little omega. We can have a lazy day full of movies, snuggles and most certainly some heavy petting. Buck and I just have to check in for a quick debrief with Tony, but we can do that over video in my office after we clean up breakfast. Why don't you go make the living room all cozy for the three of us and pick out the movies you want to watch and as soon as we’re done with business we’ll be all yours.”

You’re smiling from ear to ear, thankful this morning has turned around and excited to explore this new dynamic together. Who would have thought you’d have not one, but two True Mates. Best friends at that. You’re sure this ride is gonna be full of twists and turns but you can't wait to get started. 

“Just don’t keep me waiting too long.” You kiss his forehead as he releases you and then place one on Bucky’s cheek as he passes by, taking the dishes to the sink. 

You begin to walk into the living room, grabbing the hem of Bucky’s shirt you're still wearing. “Oh and boys. Clothing is optional.” 

You pull the shirt over your head and continue on your way, sauntering over to the couch, two sets of blue eyes locked on your bare bottom. You hear them both mutter simultaneously “Fuck” before a flurry of movement is heard. 

Knotheads.

[thefallennightmare]

I Guess I'm in Love [one shot]

*credit to whoever created the gif. found on google/Pinterest *

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 764. Short but lovely.

Warnings: pure and disgusting amount of fluff with a tiny bit of implied smut.

Summary: Bucky can't help but reflect on his love for Reader on their lazy Sunday afternoon.

Authors Notes: So this is a request that @playboystark sent in forever ago and I'm finally finding a few minutes to write it. I hope you like it! This will be in Bucky's P.O.V. and it's based on the song I guess I'm in love by Clinton Kane so give it a listen to get the full effect!

The soft breeze blew through our opened window, dancing with the long curtains, as I laid in bed with her head on my chest, fingernails trailing down the bareness of my skin. I held her tighter, her smell engulfing my sense of smell and I fluttered my eyes shut at the familiarity. 

Roses. She knew how much of a sucker I was for that smell and made everything about her that smell. 

There was a tune playing throughout the speakers in our shared home as I adjusted the sheets over our naked bodies, the actions of our lazy Sunday replaying in my mind. 

I found myself becoming obsessed with the feeling of her head on my chest and she carefully traced the scars on my shoulder where flesh met vibranium. She knew about my past, everything I had done as The Winter Soldier, and even if I hated myself for it, she didn’t. She loved everything about me, the good and bad. There were plenty of times she could have left after many nights of nightmares but she refused. 

Her love for me was bigger than the tragic memories. 

I had lost hope after Steve left to go back in time, leaving me alone. But when she came into my life, hope began to fill my veins; hope for a happy ending finally. I never believed I deserved one but she began to prove me wrong. 

Any time I began to over think any small thing, I looked into her bright eyes and I couldn't stop myself from catching a breath because she made me lose it all over again. When I look at her, that’s the end of all of the bad thoughts.

Years together and I can’t stop the nervousness or butterflies in my stomach when we stare at one another. 

Her soft lips kissed the scars, something she had always done, and I wrapped my arms tighter around her while my own lips brushed a kiss to her forehead. The smile that graced her beautiful features awoke those damn butterflies once more. 

It had been years of loneliness and heartbreak but the second she came into my life, everything changed. She worked at the local coffee shop and was there every time I had gone in for a coffee and to read. After the second time, she had memorized my order. 

Small black coffee with a chocolate croissant. 

The moment I realized I was in love with her was when she had my order waiting for me, seconds before I arrived at the shop. 

She had become everything I wanted when I thought I couldn’t find anyone. 

Her petite fingers traced the graying stubble along my chin and I fell into the touch, a large smile on my face.

“We should probably get up,” I muttered against her hairline. “Alpine hasn’t been fed.” 

She groaned while burying her face deep into my neck. “But I’m comfy.” 

A sly smirk pulled at my lips. “How about I bend you over the bed and fuck that pretty little hole again?” 

Her eyes met mine, lips parting as she mimicked a fish, the words feeling foreign on her lips. 

God, I love the way she couldn’t find the words to say. 

Our Sunday afternoon had drifted fast into the night and we were seated on the floor of our living room, two large pizza boxes that were empty sat a few feet from us. The television played one of her favorite movies but that did nothing to stop her from fidgeting, her nerves getting the best of her. 

“Doll, you need to sit still. It’ll be alright,” I assured her with a squeeze to her knee. 

She shook her head. “I can’t! We leave tomorrow for Greece and I suddenly remembered there’s a list of things to get done.” 

We had this vacation planned for years and now that it was fast approaching, she was a nervous wreck. But I didn’t mind. I was so in love with her that I would run anywhere with her because the two of us were enough. 

“Come here,” I pulled her into my chest with my vibranium arm and she quickly melted into my embrace. 

Whenever we were in one another’s arms, it felt like home. No matter where we were. Everything I had gone through in my life, good or bad, I knew it was all worth it because it led me to her. 

We shared a deep kiss, one that others would say belonged to two people who were so in love with each other.

[furryprovocateur]

i feel bad for vote blue no matter who types tbh because like reality must just be a pinball game to them where things happen without them ever understanding how or why they do. like how did hillary lose 2016? the nuanced answer is because the dnc specifically chose donald trump as the person they thought she could beat + she polled terribly in swing states and didn't do enough to change that + the clinton baggage. but to the vbnw type it's because uhhh i guess green party voters. just completely divorced from reality. i really do pity them.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

deAdder

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 28, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Aug 29, 2024

Former president Trump appears to have slid further since last night’s news about a new grand jury’s superseding indictment of him on charges of trying to overthrow the 2020 presidential election. Over the course of about four hours this morning, Trump posted 50 times on his social media platform, mostly reposting material that was associated with QAnon, violent, authoritarian, or conspiratorial. 

He suggested he is “100% INNOCENT,” and that the indictment is a “Witch Hunt.” He called for trials and jail for special counsel Jack Smith, former president Barack Obama, and the members of Congress who investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. And he reposted a sexual insult about the political careers of both Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign has today escalated the fight about Trump’s photo op Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, where campaign staff took photos and videos in Section 60, the burial ground of recent veterans, apparently over the strong objections of cemetery officials. Then the campaign released photos and a video from the visit attacking Harris. 

Arlington National Cemetery was established on the former property of General Robert E. Lee in 1864, after the Lee family did not pay their property taxes. At the time, Lee was leading Confederate forces against the United States government, and those buried in the cemetery in its early years were those killed in the Civil War. The cemetery is one of two in the United States that is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army, and it is widely considered hallowed ground.  

A statement from the Arlington National Cemetery reiterated: “Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign. Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants. We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.”

Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio first said there was a “little disagreement” at the cemetery, but in Erie, Pennsylvania, today he tried to turn the incident into an attack on Harris. “She wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up?” Vance said. “She can go to hell.” Harris has not, in fact, commented on the controversy. 

VoteVets, a progressive organization that works to elect veterans to office, called the Arlington episode “sickening.”

In an interview with television personality Dr. Phil that aired last night, Trump suggested that Democrats in California each got seven ballots and that he would win in the state if Jesus Christ counted the votes. As Philip Bump of the Washington Post pointed out today, Trump has always said he could not lose elections unless there was fraud; last night he suggested repeatedly that God wants him to win the 2024 election.  

When asked his opinion of Vice President Harris, Trump once again called her “a Marxist,” a reference that would normally be used to refer to someone who agrees with the basic principles outlined by nineteenth-century philosopher Karl Marx in his theory of how society works. In Marx’s era, people in the U.S. and Europe were grappling with what industrialization would mean for the relationship between individual workers, employers, resources, and society. Marx believed that there was a growing conflict between workers and capitalists that would eventually lead to a revolution in which workers would take over the means of production—factories, farms, and so on—and end economic inequality.

Harris has shown no signs of embracing this philosophy, and on August 15, when Trump talked at reporters for more than an hour at his Bedminster property in front of a table with coffee and breakfast cereal at what was supposed to be a press conference on the economy, he said of his campaign strategy: “All we have to do is define our opponent as being a communist or a socialist or somebody that’s going to destroy our country.” 

Trump uses “Marxist,” “communist,” and “socialist” interchangeably, and when he and his allies accuse Democrats of being one of those things, they are not talking about an economic system in which the people, represented by the government, take control of the means of production. They are using a peculiarly American adaptation of the term “socialist.”

True socialism has never been popular in America. The best it has ever done in a national election was in 1912, when labor organizer Eugene V. Debs, running for president as a Socialist, won 6% of the vote, coming in behind Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft. 

What Republicans mean by "socialism" in America is a product of the years immediately after the Civil War, when African American men first got the right to vote. Eager to join the economic system from which they had previously been excluded, these men voted for leaders who promised to rebuild the South, provide schools and hospitals (as well as prosthetics for veterans, a vital need in the post-war U.S.), and develop the economy with railroads to provide an equal opportunity for all men to rise to prosperity. 

Former Confederates loathed the idea of Black men voting almost as much as they hated the idea of equal rights. They insisted that the public programs poorer voters wanted were simply a redistribution of wealth from prosperous white men to undeserving Black Americans who wanted a handout, although white people would also benefit from such programs. Improvements could be paid for only with tax levies, and white men were the only ones with property in the Reconstruction South. Thus, public investments in roads and schools and hospitals would redistribute wealth from propertied men to poor people, from white men to Black people. It was, opponents said, “socialism.” Poor black voters were instituting, one popular magazine wrote, "Socialism in South Carolina" and should be kept from the polls.

This idea that it was dangerous for working people to participate in government caught on in the North as immigrants moved into growing cities to work in the developing factories. Like their counterparts in the South, they voted for roads and schools, and wealthy men insisted these programs meant a redistribution of wealth through tax dollars. They got more concerned still when a majority of Americans began to call for regulation to keep businessmen from gouging consumers, polluting the environment, and poisoning the food supply (the reason you needed to worry about strangers and candy in that era was that candy was often painted with lead paint).

Any attempt to regulate business would impinge on a man's liberty, wealthy men argued, and it would cost tax dollars to hire inspectors. Thus, they said, it was a redistribution of wealth. Long before the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia brought the fears of a workers' government to life, Americans argued that their economy was under siege by socialists. Their conviction did indeed lead to a redistribution of wealth, but as regular Americans were kept from voting, the wealth went dramatically upward, not down.

The powerful formula linking racism to the idea of an active government and arguing that a government that promotes infrastructure, provides a basic social safety net, and regulates business is socialism has shaped American history since Reconstruction. In the modern era the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954 enabled wealthy men to convince voters that their tax dollars were being taken from them to promote the interests of Black Americans. President Ronald Reagan made that formula central to the Republican Party, and it has lived there ever since, as Republicans call any policy designed to help ordinary Americans “socialism.”

Vice President Harris recently said she would continue the work of the Biden administration and crack down on the price-fixing, price gouging, and corporate mergers that drove high grocery prices in the wake of the pandemic. Such plans have been on the table for a while: Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) noted last year that from July 2020 through July 2022, inflation rose by 14% and corporate profits rose by 75%. He backed a measure introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)—who came up with the idea of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—that would set standards to prevent large corporations from price gouging during an “exceptional market shock” like a power grid failure, a public health emergency, a natural disaster, and so on. Harris’s proposal was met with pushback from opponents saying that such a law would do more harm than good and that post-pandemic high inflation was driven by the market.

Yesterday, during testimony for an antitrust case, an email from the senior director for pricing at the grocery giant Kroger, Andy Groff, to other Kroger executives seemed to prove that those calling out price gouging were at least in part right. In it, Groff wrote: “On milk and eggs, retail inflation has been significantly higher than cost inflation.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[decolonize-the-everything]

Hi :3

So someone said Kamala is the female Obama and I've been thinking about it....

And then did some internet sleuthing about it.

Hear me out

Didn't Dems use Obama to win Black voters after losing the previous election to Bush cuz Al Gore (like Clinton) lost?

And didn't they blame the 3rd party candidate Ralph Nader for Al Gore's loss?? Much like they blamed Bernie Bros?? Even tho the truth was that al Gore was hardly better and lacked the charisma Bush had? (Again, like Trump?)

So are we sure this is actually democrats conceding anything at all?? Are we not sure they put Kamala in the WH just to adjust voters to the idea of her being president anyway? That maybe they do realize the need for change but have chosen to err on the side of token progress that keeps them in power...again?

Article from Dec 2010:

At first glance, the president and Harris have much in common: Both are mixed-race children of immigrants raised by a single mother; both are eloquent, telegenic big-city lawyers with strong liberal credentials who catapulted from relative obscurity to the national stage. And like the first African-American president, Harris has broken a long-standing barrier — she’s California’s first African-American attorney general and the first woman to hold the office.

[...]“She’s a rare talent who will be a national figure shortly,” said Chris Lehane, a former Clinton aide who is now a consultant in California. “People call her the female Obama. It’s more apt to say she is the female Obama that progressives thought they were voting for.”

Are we absolutely positive that we have been learning lessons from history; like even recent history even? Because she isn't actually much different from Obama at all and this was Obama's legacy:

People were then reassured by Obama and rather than voting for 3rd parties in 2012 like they said, they elected Obama again. Just like y'all tried to do with Biden. And definitely like what will happen under Kamala.

He even got people to vote for him cuz of his promise to secure abortion rights and he did this right:

But tell me how that stopped the supreme court from stripping it???

Don't fall for this again

Cuz people were fucking pissed after Obama weren't they. Progressives wouldn't put up with a moderate like Clinton even compared to Trump. And that was unexpected wasn't it, progress that they couldn't come back from. So they lost to Trump, but what a convenient reset! Suddenly settling wasn't so bad for the American people, huh? And y'all elected Biden.

Who, outside the homoerotic Biden/Obama memes, people didn't like (and I'd argue those memes are what made him likeable to the younger generations to begin with).

But things have been tense, haven't they? The displeasure of voters didn't completely go away when Biden remained a centrist. It wasn't enough, especially when he supported genocide. And now they give us Kamala after we wanted Biden to step down for supporting Israel?

....But she still supports Israel?

Nobody knows how/if progressives will show up for Kamala because we can all feel how much Kamala isn't pleasing anyone. The tension is still palpable. Democrats have made an awful bet.

And I am DONE.

Dems have been manipulating voters away from 3rd parties every single election while making promises they never keep good on, while doing NOTHING to actually protect any of us or make anything better. While killing people, deporting them, and justifying war crimes! While liberals promise to push them left and never do and ALSO tell everyone not to vote 3rd party "right now"

All they do is perpetuate the systems that serve each other. I mean we're in 2000 & 2008 again, politically. Already.

They will never ever systematically support progress the way that 3rd parties do. And they don't care to listen or change cuz they know they can Force you to vote for less by making sure that a centrist Democrat is always on the ticket with ballot access in every state and nobody else is.

They make sure if it in fact

If progress is what you want it's time to Genuinely start listening to people who tell you a vote for democrats is worthless for your goals.

I'm just fed up mexi-ojibwe american adult who grew up with shitty presidents and grew up with full access of the internet to educate myself about what led to this mess.

So are a LOT of other adults who feel this way!!!

And what we know led to this situation is the two party system. And how the system has been enabled by scared liberals who listen to fear-mongerering Democrats every election.

Democrats want history to repeat because it keeps them in power. Because what they do and how they treat you keeps them in power.

Is that what you want? To be treated like this in perpetuity for almost nothing in return?

Me neither.

So unless you have a better idea or plan to start burning shit down yourself then your most realistic option to break out of this abusive cycle is to vote 3rd party.

"vote blue in the primary, it's our only realistic option!" -> "if you don't vote blue you deserve trump" -> "can't you just be happy republican/trump lost?" -> quietly not doing much between elections-> "vote blue in the-" etc

Cycles don't end on their own, that's the thing about cycles in fact.

So vote 3rd party. Yeah it's scary. Yeah it might not work. But again, do you have a better idea? Because what we're doing and have been doing for the last 30 years, this "lesser evil" & "vbnmw" thing was the liberals' idea and that isn't working for any of us At All. Its keeping us here in this cycle where nothing gets better but it can Always get worse.

If you can't vote 3rd party in your state ask yourself why that is then do something about it.

Quit expecting democrats to give a shit about the equality you need when you've been protesting genocide for nearly a year and they still welcomed the war criminal for a conversation in the white house.

Any right you've won under democrats is as superficial as Obama's executive order and that's been proven.

⭐ Tldr ⭐

According to all available history: FUCK DEMOCRATS; You NEED to be supporting 3rd parties if you support progress and you need to do the work of getting their names out. Democrats DO fight and suppress 3rd parties. So its more work to support a 3rd party than a democrat, yeah.

But if progress is worth anything at all it should be worth at least trying to do the work it takes to get a viable 3rd party on the ballot.

DO THAT PLEASE.

Thank you