#I WAS S O READY TO LOVE THIS SHOW GUYS HONESTLY THE DISAPPOINTMENT WAS CRUSHING

[words-writ-in-starlight]

Please tell me all about your complaints with BBC Merlin, bc I too have Many Complaints (ft. Miscommunication and Secrets Are Good For Drama to a Maximum of One Season and Certainly Not Five; Morgana is a Terrified and Oppressed Woman Who Is Made Evil for Being Terrified and Oppressed and Does Not Deserve It, Much Like All Mages; and Everyone Has A Serious Case of Forgetting Their Character Growth when The Plot Requires.

*deep breath*

Honestly I think my ultimate complaint about Merlin is that it suffers from an absolutely crippling case of narrative cowardice, which is a concept you might recall from my Inevitable Tirade About SPN.  Basically: if you open your show with a large portion of it predicated on a conceit that has to be drastically altered in order to accomplish the ultimate goal of the plot (in the case of Merlin, switching from uther’s Camelot to Arthur’s Camelot), you can’t be a shit about it and you have to actually goddamn do it.  CHANGE YOUR PARADIGM, YOU LIMP NOODLES.

No, I’m dead serious, all their problems basically boil down to a critical inability to change the paradigm.  Let’s do an experiment to prove it.

Merlin’s magic, obviously.

Two things here.

First, Merlin hiding his magic.  At the beginning, Merlin can’t tell anyone about his magic on pain of death, because Uther.  This implicitly sets up the eventual transition into Arthur’s Camelot as a shift into a ‘safe’ Camelot for magic users in general and Merlin in particular, because we all know a little bit about Arthuriana and we know that Merlin becomes Arthur’s trusted adviser, magic and all.  So in order to accomplish that transition, what ‘should’ happen (by ‘should’ I mean, ‘the thing that makes intuitive sense to someone waiting for the plot to advance’) is that Merlin’s presence and involvement in Arthur’s life gradually makes Arthur more comfortable with magic, until finally a crisis forces a reveal in which Merlin comes clean and puts Arthur in the position of deciding once and for all where he stands.  Plot and precedent in every other Arthurian legend requires that Arthur decides, at the very least, that Merlin is not evil and that consequently magic can be used for good.  This would by virtue of necessity put Arthur and Merlin against Uther, and moreover mean that it would be the two of them scheming together in order to save the kingdom every couple weeks, which would be an excellent way to develop their relationship and progress toward Arthur’s Camelot.  Instead, by trying to uphold the ‘secrecy’ conceit, the plot is forced to relapse to Square One every couple of episodes, and therefore when Arthur’s Camelot does come ‘round, it’s not safe for Merlin to come clean, Merlin still doesn’t really trust Arthur, Arthur’s playing checkers on a board where the other side is playing chess, and We The People feel pretty fucking cheated.

Second, Merlin’s magic in general.  FRIENDS.  COMRADES.  IF YOU ARE GOING TO GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO SET SOMEONE UP AS THE MOST POWERFUL MAGE IN HISTORY, I WANT TO SEE THEM BE THE MOST POWERFUL MAGE IN HISTORY.  Honestly by about season 3 there’s no point to Merlin being worried about coming clean, because we’re told repeatedly that he’s powerful enough to not worry about being burned at the stake or whatever.  According to what we’re told, Merlin should have the raw power to walk into Uther’s courtroom and announce “Hello, all, I am a warlock and I dare you to mess with me” and then go back to his business.  But since we never see him actually carry that out–y’all he fucking killed Nimueh with lightning, why didn’t we see that again?–Merlin’s power level is mostly an Informed Attribute, which leaves the viewer frustrated and confused by a lot of the tension the show sets up regarding threats to Merlin’s life.  We see Merlin demonstrate multiple times that it would be almost impossible to execute him by traditional methods, and yet we’re still supposed to agree that it’s too dangerous.  Like.  Listen, my friends.  Here is a pro tip.  It’s actually not a narrative-ending problem to have a ludicrously OP character (which is what Merlin would be if the writers were consistent with his abilities), but you have to acknowledge that they develop a whole different set of obstacles than someone who isn’t ludicrously OP.  It just takes some creative thinking.

Morgana!

Morgana is horribly mistreated by the narrative and I’m not gonna question you there, but moreover, a lot of the problems with her magic plotline are, again, about a fear of changing the paradigm.  So, like, okay, let’s all agree that it would make infinitely more narrative sense for Morgana to go to Arthur, her foster brother and trusted friend, in distress and tell him that she thinks she can do magic, which Arthur would tell his servant Merlin.  The two of them recommend that Morgana keep it under wraps, and maybe that’s how Arthur starts to come around on the magic thing, rather than Merlin’s influence.  Sure, super chill.  Instead of just doing an about-face on the whole loyalty thing because…what…she’s not the heir?  (It’s been A Minute since I put myself through this show.)  Instead of that whole mess, maybe Morgana comes to Merlin when Uther is wounded and begs him to help her find a way to heal him, because surely, surely, if his beloved ward (and daughter) uses magic for something so pure and innocently good as healing the king, it can’t be evil.  When that inevitably backfires, Uther banishes Morgana from Camelot, and Arthur tells her to go because it’s safer.  Morgana, betrayed by Uther and perceiving herself to be abandoned by Arthur and Merlin, turns on Camelot in a rage and allies with her sister Morgause.  This plotline gives Morgana more agency, avoids the rather unsavory “madness leads to murder” overtones, minimizes the predatory vibe of Morgause’s plotline, and actually contributes to developing Merlin and Arthur as leaders and characters alike.

The problem, of course, is that this plotline hinges on Arthur’s character not being a static piece of shit that would honestly fracture under even the most minimal paradigm shift.  So instead, Morgana draws the short straw for a sudden face-heel turn so that there can be a motivation to enforce Arthur’s hatred of magic and Merlin’s fear of telling the truth, and then she disappears for half a season only to show up again crazy and homicidal, which…honestly there’s not a lot of emotional punch there.  At no point in time did I sympathize with Morgana because, update, I do not believe that fratricide and patricide are legitimate responses to her situation in the show.  But since they presented it as a problem that should have been sympathetic, I was mostly just angry rather than disinterested.

Merlin and Arthur’s friendship!

Honestly this should be pretty blindingly obvious, but Merlin and Arthur…I actually don’t super care for their relationship, because there are so few occasions when Arthur counterbalances his constant insults and judgement with the kind of do-or-die loyalty Merlin shows him.  And like on the one hand it’s clearly meant to be largely in good humor, but there are plenty of times when it’s Clearly Not.  But the worst part is that I can’t even hold it against Arthur because Merlin is not telling him the truth, which in turn I can’t hold against Merlin because Arthur is pretty much a narrow-minded magic-hating prick, which never changes because Merlin isn’t telling him the truth, because Arthur has never given him reason to think he’d stand by Merlin against Uther, and so on down the line.

And you expect me to believe that relationship develops into something strong enough to build a kingdom on?  To build a legend on?  I think the hell not.  In order to develop that relationship into something that feels as last-gasp-devoted as the show tells you it should, someone’s paradigm has to shift and it basically has to be Arthur because See Above and, again, the showmakers are fucking cowards.

Arthur’s personality AS A WHOLE

Once again: I am existentially exhausted by the whole Arthur Is A Dick thing.  And I don’t blame Merlin for starting it, but it’s definitely a peak concentration of the whole phenomenon, and I fucking hate it.  I eventually stuck it out and watched three seasons and change and I did genuinely enjoy a lot of things, but I attempted the first episode three times and had to stop because I was so fucking aggravated with Arthur’s character.  And basically, in order for him to move firmly out of Spoiled Rich Prick With Issues into Competent Merciful Leader With Tragic Backstory That Panned Out Well In The End, he needs to acknowledge in-narrative that he’s been, A, contributing to the persecution of magic users and that’s something he’ll never truly be clean of, and, B, he’s been not only mocking but actively penalizing Merlin for what Arthur does not realize is saving the country.  Basically, it would require Arthur to grow up, not just in his status as king but in and of himself as an individual, in his relationships as well as in his throne, become more than a war hero with more courage than is healthy.  It would require Arthur to spit out an apology that sounded like an apology, and start trusting Merlin’s word as an adviser rather than a conveniently intelligent servant.

And like.  That paradigm shift would probably have made the showrunners shit their pants on the spot.

If you, like me, couldn’t move past these issues but still want(ed) to enjoy the characters and universe, I have a solution for you!  Here is the most magnificent series rewrite I have ever seen in my life, and as far as I am concerned the One True Merlin Canon.  The link is to the Season 3 rewrite, which is where it goes hard AU and solves a lot of problems. 

In conclusion: fuck this noise, everyone go watch Legend of the Sword instead, @Guy Ritchie please make at least one sequel.

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Tony Stark’s son (Part 2)

Tony Stark x son!reader

warnings:

a/n: had to split it into 2 parts bc i hit the text limit dhshaggags

prompt: continued

part 1

~sokovia was ur first big mission~

“why is y/n here, stark?” -cap

“the first mistake was letting me become a father”

“good god, tony...”

you having the time of your life crushing robots

“WHEEEEEE”

also proving useful by saving avengers a handful of times

“thanks for the assist, stark clone” -clint

rip pietro

rhodey was actually the most worried about you if we’re being honest, he didn’t understand why they let you in this one???

“y/n? y/n, talk to me! are you alive?”

“yes, uncle rhodey! i’m perfect, stop worrying!”

“i love you, kid! be safe!”

✨a good family you’ve got✨

soon the avengers broke up bc your dad cant get along with steve and it was just really awkward

but you chose your dad’s side

“sorry, steve! he pays my allowance!”

peter was actually a little okay, you know!! spazzy at first, but he was cool

“dude, you’re y/n stark! you’re tony stark’s very own son! i’m talking to mr. stark’s only child!”

“yep, that’s me. i’m what earned tony the title of ‘DILF’”

teenage teamup? ofc

“am i doing alright?”

“looking a-okay, pete!”

tony was worried fighting steve would traumatize you so he made you wait at the hotel with happy and peter

“don’t do anything to embarrass me, y/n. i dont want to see you on the news for something stupid”

you and peter ended up hanging out in your room and watching tv and ordering room service

“how do you do that so smoothly? i’d just freak out and go get it myself”

“years of experience as a spoiled rich brat”

absolutely positively being up all night and trying to fight your exhaustion

“you two seem to be getting along well. couldn’t be me” -happy

“for someone named happy, you never seem to be happy”

“not around teenagers, no”

“i remember when you loved me, ‘uncle happy’”

peter texted you every day after that

whenever flash picked on peter for “never meeting tony stark” he’d show a picture of you and him taking selfies in the lab together yes you invite him over much to the dismay of everyone else around you

plus tony was out of town and you were finally trusted enough to be left alone unchecked so like, happy would just leave at the first sign of peter

“that’s not real!”

“jealous?”

you actually showed up for homecoming on a dare (but in disguise)

didn’t wanna attract all the attention, you just wanted a high school experience

but you got called into avengers tower to help move early on :/ bad timing too cuz peter had to fight his first villain and u missed it

“dude, how do you feel?”

“bruh sound effect number two”

“oh my god”

FRIDAY heard him and pulled up the sound and you were WEAK you couldn’t stop laughing

“please....i think i broke a few ribs. cant laugh until tomorrow”

tony offered peter the avengers gig and peter said no, you were very disappointed but u understood that not everyone wanted to be in the spotlight like that

but you and peter obviously still hung out

oh, tony proposed! they interviewed you on sight!

“y/n, how does it feel to know that you’re going to have a stepmom soon?”

“you guys are aware that pepper helped raise me, right? right?!”

moving on, life was smooth for a while, there was some wedding planning, talk of you being a best man (which rhodey fought you on)

“no, i’ve known your dad longer!”

“i’m his son!”

i n v a s i o n

oh boy that was rough

bruce was surprised that you had fucking grown so much in the past 3 years good lord

“y/n...your VOICE”

“puberty, i know. when’s it gonna happen to you?”

“it hurts more when it’s from a teenager”

“uh, did you forget my birthday?”

peter’s back! peter’s back!

finally, man

“spider-kid, i could use an assist!”

“on the way!”

“aliens, why did it have to be aliens?”

up up and away for tony and peter, leaving you on the ground with all the earthly chaos and fear

“you two are the absolute worst, you know that? DAD, PETER, GET BACK DOWN HERE”

“no can do, kid. i—” *cuts off*

“oh great, no service on the space donut, huh? find a damn wifi password and call me back you asshole”

pepper was probably having a heart attack bc the news stations were having a field day but you were one of the only active avengers left, meaning you had to help clean this up

“bruce, we gotta get going”

“what? where?”

“upstate”

patching up the avengers as best as you could to take care of the threat

but you guys always win, this should be a cake walk, right?

wrong.

this was bad, very bad

after a lengthy battle with thanos in wakanda, you had failed. thanos got the stones, he snapped. the world was in ruins. but you didn’t get to see that part

you dusted away

“tell dad i’m sorry and i love him”

tony finally came back to earth hoping to see you, but upon seeing pepper’s face, he knew you were gone

“he did everything he could, tony! he didn’t deserve it!”

she was extremely upset, she saw you like a son of her own

soon, her and tony restarted their life and had a daughter, dad always wondered what it’d be like to have a little girl. it was different, it really was

she was eager to meet you

morgan stole pictures of you to hang up in her room

“when i meet y/n, im gonna give him a big hug! then we’ll have a tea party!”

tony has a picture of you and peter in the kitchen, he misses the two of you, but found comfort in the fact that you may be with each other

an ounce of hope, he had to try something

save his only son, and his other son

when he got to 2012, he was disappointed that he hadn’t let you become an avenger yet because he couldn’t see you here

yada yada he fucked up now he’s in the 70s and he fixed the fuck up and now hes in 2023

and bruce snapped

and you were all brought back and the way you kicked ass was inspiring

tony had to see his son now. right now.

“y/n, dear god! you’re okay! oh, man. i love you so much, kid. i missed you”

“i love you too. and i can’t believe you went to space without me, meanie”

“get over it”

ah, back to old times

peter and you obviously had to team up for this one! come on, what a story to tell!

and then, a snap and the warriors began to fade. you turned around and saw him on his knees

“no...”

you rushed over to where peter already was and tried to hold back tears, to be strong for him

“hey, dad. i’m here. no more missed goodbyes, okay? i’m here.”

you sat beside him and held his hand while the rest of your family made their peace with him and he finally slipped away

“y/n...are you okay?” -peter

“not even a little”

peter was worried about you, but you were worried about peter

mutual worry

meeting morgan was...surprising

pepper forgot to tell you they had a daughter while you were gone

she was so sweet and for the first month you lived at the cabin, she slept in your room

you got NO space

“i love you y/n”

“love you too” *thinking about dad bc she just reminds you of him so much*

“i love you y/n”

“love you too, morgan”

over and over

peter and you had sleepovers a lot, usually at his house bc you were the only one besides ned allowed over bc of all the spider-stuff

ned fanboyed over you

also sleepovers at peter’s were a nice break from being at tony’s cabin where you were constantly reminded that he wasn’t there

“y/n, i’m going to europe for a field trip! it’s gonna be awesome!”

“dude, you’re gonna love it. are you bringing your suit?”

“no, this is my offical vacation. no spider-manning”

“good for you, man!”

peter sent you all the pictures he took on his phone

all of them

Peter-Man: And this one is me and Ned in our crappy hotel room. And here’s the river. And here’s MJ covered in birds, and here’s the airplane, Mr. Harrington fell asleep on me

you had to come to europe once you heard what was going on

happy and you picked up peter and he was a mess

“you gave away dad’s glasses?”

“i think we’re past the point that i am not smart”

“jesus, peter. you should have called me about them. i would have taken them off your hands if you weren’t ready for them”

having to make sure that you guys didn’t get hurt bc this was honestly your guy’s first solo pair-up

there wasnt much backup here

finally, you defeated the evil (who apparently held a very large grudge against you. sorry mister beck) and were able to go back home

“call me if you need anything, pete”

“i will. i promise.”

and the next thing you know...peter’s identity was exposed

“i left him alone for one day!”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedgiant // @emygirl // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm //

[shhhlikeme]

Hi love, just wanted to say that you’re so gorgeous and have a lovely smile. I’m a dark skin black girl and have often been told/read hurtful posts about us, but now I’m more confident than ever about being a dark skin girl 🥰.If it’s not too much to ask could you do any character you want with that has a date with his s/o and when he arrives she just glowing in her yellow dress. Like idk if you get the vibe I’m tryna put down but the melanin is hitting different 🤤

Thank you so much for the compliments omg ❤️❤️❤️

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL. YOU ARE beautiful! I know black women don’t hear that a lot and that’s why I will tell y’all everyday if I need to. Also, today is national economic blackout day for the culture, therefore I waited to post this today.

& as per your message I absolutely get the vibe!!!!! And you know I had to choose the GOAT Akaashi for this since you left it up to me👀

Here goes:

————————————-

Akaashi Keiji x Black Crush In a Beautiful Yellow Dress (Fluff)

————————————-

Akaashi was NOT ready.

You and Akaashi had been besties for 10 or so years, because your moms have been in the same book club since elementary school

Even though you recently graduated from to different high schools, you both had a good and healthy friendship

You knew that he wasn’t big on talking a lot but you spoke even less than him so it honestly worked well

He was into volleyball and you were really serious about dance

Your moms would always say you just “get” eachother

To Keiji, he was content with having the best of both worlds as best friends: Bokuto: the loud boisterous one, and You: the quiet, beautiful one

Wait did he say beautiful? He meant um... the quiet, wallflower one. sure

Nah he definitely meant beautiful too.

Tbh, Akaashi was very attracted to you via your personality because you were thoughtful, intelligent and relaxing to be around

He thinks of you as the human embodiment of a warm bath at the end of a moving day

And as for your looks.....

Bokuto put his best friends physical attraction to you into words best when he said:

“You want to have Y/N’s babies, don’t you Akaashi? Hmmmmm?”

Akaashi, deadpanning asf, would always answer

“No I do not.”

But when Bokuto would continuously catch him on your instagram page he would keep asking like the pushy friend he is.

At Bokuaka sleepovers, or when they were completely alone is the only time Akaashi would reluctantly but honestly respond to Bokuto’s question with a:

“I wouldn’t mind.”

which is basically undying admission of love by Akaashi standards

Basically, he was crushing on you hard

He admired your dark hair that you always changed into different styles because he never understood how you made them all look attractive

He admired your full lips that he always seemed to have to internally yell at himself to stop staring at when you spoke

He admired your kind and gentle spirit that always seemed to gravitate toward earth tones in attire-expression and he never seemed to understand why

He guessed that being the wallflower that you are; dark colours like black, brown, beige, grey, moss, etc. Acted as a shield as to not bring too much attention to you

He didn’t really care that you stuck to wearing earth tones because you looked beautiful no matter what you wore

But in his dreams he’d always pictured you in bright pink, blue, orange lingerie shirts

He was curious so he asked one day

totally not because he wanted to know how realistic his dreams could be

“Y/N, why do you only wear dark colours?” Asked the most beautiful guy in the world Akaashi as he turned the steering wheel making a left onto the parkway.

The two of you were going to his brother’s wedding rehearsal dinner. You had decided to wear a simple dark button down blouse tucked into a grey pencil skirt. Your curly hair was up in a messy bun and you had your glasses on. You thought you looked whatever.

Akaashi, on the other hand, thought you looked stunning. And like a hot librarian. He tried his best to keep his eyes on the road and not your exposed legs as you sat beside him in the passenger seat.

“Do I?” You looked down at yourself and sighed. You’d never really noticed before, but he was right. You just felt more comfortable in tones that didn’t make you stand out.

“Yeah. Why don’t you try wearing a bright colour sometime? I think......I think you’d look really nice.” Keiji’s eyes looked unaffected as ever but inside he was kicking himself for flirting with you, knowing how shy you are.

“Oh, okay.” Your heart fluttered at your friend’s compliment and you distracted yourself by taking your eyeglasses off and using your blouse collar to clean it where it opened on your chest.

Akaashi almost crashed because when you did that your blouse opened more exposing your glowing chocolate skin. In his mind, his imagination took over and he pulled over to ravish your beautiful skin by ripping open the blouse and kissing your gorgeous dark skin. His eyes glazed over as he imagined you telling him that you want him closer than this car allowed and so he dropped your seat down and got on top of you, kissing your delicious lips and then going back to taste your delicious skin. You were moaning in his ear which was the best sound he’s ever heard and then it was his turn to moan when you reached down to stroke his hard........

“KEIJI-SAN WATCH OUT!”

Keiji was thrust back into reality when he rapidly swerved back into his own car lane. The first thing he did was check to see if you were okay and he was able to breathe again when he saw you looking back at him laughing that angelic laugh. You placed your glasses back on your beautiful face and Akaashi apologized. He asked if you were scared and wanted him to stop driving because he was obviously a new driver. You only placed a hand on his arm and shook your head, assuring him in your quiet voice.

“It’s okay Kashi’, I know you’re a great driver. I trust you.”

“Y-you do?”

“Of course. I trust you more than anyone.” You gave him that smile that he thinks about before he goes to sleep every night and just like that he relaxed and all was well in the world again. He thought back to Bokuto’s daily question, admitting to himself that he not only wanted to have your babies, he wanted to have the pleasure of calling you his girlfriend or anything higher. He’d definitely accept wife.

“Maybe I’ll go shopping with my mom and find a colour to wear to the wedding, you know, take your advice.”

“That would be great.” He pulled into the beach wedding venue parking lot. “I’m ready to see the new Y/N.”

But Akaashi was NOT ready

He was absolutely the furthest thing from ready, 3 weeks later, when he picked you up on his brothers wedding day.

He knew you were still getting ready inside and so he decided to enjoy the weather and lean on his car hood to wait

You never took long because you were a natural beauty, but you put on a little bit of makeup today

You grabbed your clutch and touched up your edge control before spritzing yourself with some of Akaashi’s favourite perfume

You went outside and locked your door.

Turning around, you literally wanted to freeze this moment in time, because THE Keiji Akaashi—literally the most stunning boy 90% of girls have ever seen—was standing outside of his car, much to your surprise

He had his navy blue tuxedo jacket folded over his left arm and he wore a light grey dress shirt underneath held together by a black bow tie. His disheveled hair looked like he had sat in the barber chair of Jesus himself and he hadn’t noticed your arrival yet since you were still on the steps of your deck.

You took a second to compose yourself before stepping toward him as if everything was normal—as if you weren’t lawlessly crushing on this man.

Hearing your heels clack on the smoothed pavement, Akaashi lifted his head up to see you

Remember when I said he was not ready?

Allow me to show you exactly what he wasn’t ready for:

Akaashi felt as though all the air left his lungs when he saw you.

He told you to wear a bright colour but he didn’t know the yellow dress and your dark skin-combo would make him feel like crying

After seeing you in greys and blacks and dull nudes his whole life and still looking pretty, he couldn’t handle himself when you wore a colour that accurately communicated how he sees you: like his literal light

“Good God,” Akaashi gulped.

Keiji is a well-known quiet guy, but even his loudest friend Bokuto wouldn’t be able to beat how loud his emotions screamed at him from inside when he looked at you. You literally had him by the heartstrings, looking like that.

He realized that he is embarassed to admit all that he would give to see you in a yellow bra and panty set.

You smiled up and him and did a spin, so he could see the full picture of the dress. His eyes missed the dress because he couldn’t stop looking at your face.

“I saw it on a mannequin at the mall the other day and never thought my skin would go with it... but after what you said I went back to get it and—“

“Y/N. You— you look—-that colour—-your skin—-You—I—Good....God,” he repeated himself. Akaashi was only slightly disappointed that he couldn’t express to you how much your skin tone WAS MADE for this colour. You were magical.... a queen.

He didn’t want to go to his brothers wedding anymore. He wanted to stand there and stare at the way the sunlight hit your complexion and glistened. He wanted to stand there and have you spin around for him again. He wanted to have your mf-ing babies.

“You’re doing that thing again, Kashi. The thing you did in the car? Don’t we have to go pick up Bokuto, now? Let’s go!”

You gave him a ‘chop chop’ snap and climbed in the car.

When you got in you were so thankful for your dark skin because your blush wasn’t showing. The way your best friend has been looking at you was too passionate, too deep, too full of emotional and physical desire. It made you want to tell him your feelings.

outside, Keiji had still been in a trance, letting out one more “Good.....God,” before he had to literally slapped himself and hopped in the car.

Think of Bokuto Think of Bokuto Think of Bokuto, he chanted internally before pulling out of your driveway.

Speaking of the devil......

“AKAAAASHI!” Yelled his grey-headed best friend as he pulled open the back door of his car. “And, who’s that—wait—Y/N?!”

You gave your best friend’s best friend a weak smile. You were so embarassed by the way he was looking at you.

Bokuto slammed the door behind him and applauded loudly. “Now, I’ve always been jealous whenever you take my Akaashi away from me because he wants to spend time with you, but now I understand why. You’re a 10 when you aren’t hiding behind those freaking vampire colours!!!”

“Bokuto.” Akaashi reprimanded his annoying friend and Bokuto pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key.

Meanwhile, you were regretting wearing this colour. It drew the attention that you always tried hard to avoid.

Akaashi noticed your internal regret, even while driving....so he reached over to place a hand on your thigh.

“Y/N, you said you trust me right?”

You looked at him for a second before nodding.

Keiji elevated at the admission. “Then, trust me when I say you look beautiful. I’m so happy you wore that dress today.”

You smiled, that smile only reserved for him again, and he just about proposed on the spot.

“AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! Hey, hey, hey! Maybe you two love birds should be the ones getting marr—“

Akaashi deadpanned in the rear view mirror, catching Bokuto’s eye immediately. “Bokuto.”

Frightened, Bokuto muttered a quick “Shutting up.” Before actually doing so.

Don’t get him wrong. Akaashi was happy to have his best guy friend at the wedding.

Very happy.

Because Boku was like an alarm...warning him whenever he was acting like a freak around the the girl he has a crush on

Bokuto would just nudge him and smirk whenever Akaashi was drawing attention to himself because he was looking at you in the crowd when his attention should be on his brother and his fiancé saying their vows.

When Akaashi saw you and your mom run over to dip your feet in the water on the beach, then run away because a cold wave hit up to your shins, your smile radiant and your yellow dress flying in the wind, Bokuto nudged him again because he was staring when he had to take pictures with the groom

At night, when Keiji was throwing back shots way more than Bokuto knew his best friend to even like, simply because one of his brothers groomsmen had been talking to you for the better part of the hour and he didn’t fucking like it, Bokuto not only nudged Keiji but he told the bartender to cut him off.

“Go talk to Y/N.” Bokuto grabbed the drink out of Keiji’s hand and drank it.

Akaashi shook his head. “No. S-she’s out of my league.”

Bokuto scoffed. “You do know that you’re literally the best looking person I’ve ever seen in my life right? Like seriously. You look like your face was made in a fucking lab. By chicks. By hot chicks, like Y/N, working together to come up with concoctions to Science their way to make the best looking dude—“

Keiji rolled his eyes. “Is there a point coming at the end of this?”

“Yeah. There is, impatient pants. I was going to say that I wonder if the hot chicks who made you wore bikinis the whole time while they leaned over eachother fighting over the pencil for the blueprint sketches—“

“A point about Y/N, Bokuto! Y/N. The only girl I care about. The only girl I want to talk about. Come back down to this earth. Where. Is. The. Point?”

“Oh. Yeah. Geez, take a chill pill will ya?”

“Bokuto......” He warned. Already on edge because you were now slow dancing with that guy at the wedding instead of being the wallflower you usually were. He liked it better when he was the only one who noticed you. In a way.... But then he remembered how colourful you looked when you got complimented all day and he immediately retracted the thought. Akaashi wanted nothing more than for you to reach your fullest potential, and wearing colours that expressed your beauty would be step one. He yearned to be the one who could bring you up the rest of the steps, because he’d tell you everyday how damn amazing you are. He just wished you weren’t so damn alluring to the majority of men.

Bokuto held his hands up in surrender. “Damn! Okay. Look, my point is...that it doesn’t matter how good looking you are or Y/N is, because everyone knows that even if you two were fugly you’d still have the love story of the generation because your connection is on a whole other level.”’

“What?” Keiji jeered. He didn’t like the idea of your name and ‘anything but beautiful’ being in the same sentence.

“Man, chill. Look, I won’t say anything else. I’m just going to grab Y/N from Mr. I-Didn’t-Make-It-To-The-NFL-But-I-Can-Still-Pull-A-Trophy-Wife over there. When she gets here, try not to ‘Good God’ her to death, hm? She’s gorgeous, yes, but like I said—so are you. Inside and out.”

Without listening to his denial like always, Bokuto somehow slipped in to the dance you were currently having and began dancing with Y/N

As a dancer, you loved moments when you could do it, and Akaashi was falling harder for you every time you spun around elegantly

Bokuto made some bs excuse about not being able to dance for long and waved his best friend over

Akaashi’s legs moved automatically because he has been wanting to be near you the entire night.

Like a fairytale ball sequence, Bokuto handed you off and you were now met with the waiting and hesitant arms of your best friend

Keiji asked if it was alright to touch your waist and you smiled and said yes

As you two danced, you going at the pace you knew Akaashi would be best at.....you took a second to really feel the energy

Your bodies were like magnets and you two were feeling the pull like never before

you leaned forward to rest your head against your best friends chest as you settled into a simple back and forth sway

As he held your waist closer and rubbed his thumbs soothingly in the crevice of your back dimples......

You understood that what you were now feeling was love

What you’ve been feeling for months, what you felt when you spoke to him of trust, when you watched him drive, when he put an extra blanket on you when you two watched movies, when he looked at you in your yellow dress, when you rested your head on his chest.....your mind, body and soul were all telling you one thing. They were louder than ever now. Shouting at you to tell Akaashi those 3 magic words so you two could see where the next level of your relationship would take you. It wouldn’t take much to say—

“I love you.”

Flabbergasted with yourself, you jumped back from his chest so you were looking at him. You couldn’t believe you had the audacity to say it!!!!!

Your mind now jumbled, you thought of an excuse to blame it on the 0% alcohol you had had before you realized..........that you don’t have a deep voice............nor have you opened your mouth since you rested your head on your best friend’s chest.......

“Wh-what?” You asked breathlessly.

Akaashi was looking down at you, confident that he had made you wear a dress that brought out your beauty so fiercely that it ultimately forced him to confess.

“I love you, Y/N. And if we’re always talking about trust......Then trust me when I tell you that I think I always have.”

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

I find I enjoy writing both nsfw and fluff equally and you guys request it basically half and half, so the next post will be much more smutty cause you know--balance. 

[lygerastia]

emotional jinx (Nero) - Part 2

Summary:  You are Nero's childhood friend who disappeared on him one day, leaving him heartbroken and confused: and straight into Kyrie's arms.

Now, you have returned--and the demon hunter's world turns around as he remembers his forgotten feelings for you. But he's with Kyrie and... What will he do? And what will you do when Nero believes you like Dante?

Warnings: none

Chapters: 2 / 4 [Completed] 

READ IT ON AO3. 

Part 1. / Part 2. / Part 3. / Part 4.

**

“[name], pass me the sunscreen, please?” Nico, the one you got the closest to, says, extending her hand. Today was beach day—Dante (go figure) proposed that you relaxed for the day after weeks of fighting demons. It got tiring and everyone was cranky and on edge. Before an internal personality battle could ensue, this idea popped into Dante’s head. So here you guys were: the end of the world forgotten, your group just trying to enjoy a good sunny day.

“You’re so lazy, Nico, it’s right next to you.” You roll your eyes at her antics, a playful smile on your face. You still pass her the recipient after seeing her pouting.

“Thank youuuuu!” she sings in her thick accent, applying the cream on her arms.

A short laugh erupts from your lips, then you resume relaxing, putting your sunglasses back on your nose. It was the perfect cover that let you admire Nero from afar without looking like a stalker (even if it kinda was a pervert move). You weren’t doing anything bad: beautiful things were meant to be worshiped. And your childhood friend surely had a body that was intended to be praised. Six pack abs, nice muscles on his thighs and arms—a wonderful well-built back. Not to mention that sweet ass of his. All were waiting for you to drool over.

“Nero!”

Except that, he wasn’t yours. Kyrie was here. Just now, she was running toward him in her cute and simple costume that made every male turn their heads. She had a certain innocent charm and you could see her appeal. Nero was one lucky man. Meanwhile, you felt like you were trying too hard, with your over-the-top and revealing swimsuit. It left little to the imagination, unlike the other girls’ outfit. You thought you were over Nero, your feelings subsiding, especially after seeing him around his girlfriend. Seems like your mind still wanted to believe—to be admired by him. You pretended like you didn’t care, though; so you were unsure if it really had any effect. It didn’t work on Nero, but Dante was certainly interested. The older man made a perverted comment about your costume, which you ignored with a polite laugh. Dante’s presence…Well, you could say that he was rather attractive and his comments made you flush with confidence. Everyone liked to be complimented from time to time, and you were no different.

At least Dante noticed your efforts.

“Stop starin’ at Nero, that’s gross,” Nico scrunches her nose in mock disgust.

You blush a deep red, protesting, “No, I’m not!”

“He has a girlfriend. Hands off.”

“I’m his friend, Nico,” you roll your eyes. “Childhood friend, in fact. I know everything about Nero!” You weren’t going to admit that you’ve been indeed stalking him. No one needed to know about your crush. And, knowing Nico, she might spill it out to the wrong people.

“You were an item, then? Before?”

The mere thought of you and Nero being a couple opened up a badly stitched wound. You bristled, going defensive, “No—we’ve never…ahem, it wasn’t like that, honest.”

“Mmmhhhmmm,” Nico wasn’t convinced. “Tell that to someone who buys your bullshit.”

You frowned, pissed. “What makes you think that, then?”

“I’ve seen the way you two ogle at each other. Can’t lie to me!” The dark-haired female seemed very proud of herself for finding something out that wasn’t true. You just wanted to swat that victorious smirk off Nico’s face. She went on, “I don’t know what Kyrie is going to say about that when I tell—”

“Don’t you dare!” you snap, jumping on your feet with cat-like agility. Your nostrils flare with despair, glaring daggers at the smiling female. “Seriously, Nico,” you lowered your voice as to not attract attention, “there’s nothing going on between us.” You spread your arms, helpless. “Don’t tell—”

“Bla bla bla bla,” Nico mocks you, sticking out her tongue playfully. But you weren’t amused. “I’ll just go right now—”

“Nico!” you grab her shoulders, shaking her with vigor. When you saw her befuddled expression, you stopped, calming yourself down. You weren’t helping your situation by acting all crazy about it; don’t show anything was wrong and no one will care. “Kyrie already knows the truth. She’s been with us since forever and she knows we’ve never done things like this. So…”

“You could’ve hidden from her,” the woman continues on teasing you.

“Nico…” This was getting tiring.

“Alright, alright.” She conceded and you removed your hands with a sigh.

“Honestly—”

“SYKE!”

“Wha—”

Like a leopard, she leaped to her feet, pushed you out of her way, and darted toward the couple (who were minding their own business and acting all cutesy with each other). “NICO!” This time, you didn’t hide your anger; she had no right to meddle in your affairs, even if you considered her a friend. You started running after her at an impossible speed, the likes of which you were never capable of even when fighting demons. But you had to stop her—you might play it off as a stupid joke (since no one took the female seriously), but Nico wouldn’t let you live it down. “NICO! COME BACK!”

“HEY, NERO! DID YOU KNOW [NA—]”

Before she could say something incriminating, the air goes out of her as you tackle her to the ground. Nico falls faceplanting in the sand, with you on top. You struggle to keep her there while smiling as innocently as possible at your childhood friend (and his consort). “Hi, Nero! Don’t listen to what Nico—”

“Pfaaaaaaa!” Nico groans, lifting her head and spitting out sand. With fierce determination, she squirms underneath you until you lose your balance. She was very violent and her outburst took you by surprise. She manages to topple you, triumphant—but instead, you grab her in a grip-lock by the arms, wrestling her into submission. But she was a wild stallion, and her mouth couldn’t shut up. “DID YOU KNOW [NAAAAME] AHAHA, that tickles!”

Nero, sighing in frustration, runs a hand over his face, while Kyrie kindly giggles by his side.

“Will you two quit it before someone gets hurt?” he says, looking done.

“Get’er off me!” Nico shouts, extending a hand toward her partner. At the same time, you were pleading him not to listen with your eyes. Nero doesn’t look that convinced, but his curiosity gets the better of him. “Nero, please!” Nico continued to plead.

“Just—Let her tell me. It can’t be that bad.” He shot you an apologetic look when he saw your venomously betrayed one. “C’mon, [name]. You said to not believe her, anyway. I believe you.”

Damn your easily excited heart and his kind words. You grimace.

“Ha ha, I win!” She immediately regrets it when she looked into your eyes and sees a death threat in them. She gulped, whimpering. “Um...”

Tell him and you die (metaphorically).

“She—She, uhh, l-l-likes…” Nero cocks his head to the side, crossing his arms over his chest: but curiosity was written all over his face. [name]’s grip on Nico tightened just a little bit. “SHELIKESDANTE!”

“…”

“:O”

“Oh my…”

“Say that again? Didn’t hear ya well, Nico.”

Nero was really curious about this; did he hear correctly? You like Dante? As in like-like? He hates the feeling that was stirring in him, a strange kind of jealousy in his chest. Meanwhile, you let go of Nico, face drained of color—yet darkening a dangerous shade of black. She was so dead.

“She—She—She uhh, likessss…ummmm…” Nico couldn’t continue, fearing her incoming demise.

But Kyrie heard her very well, “Dante? You like Dante?” The redhead chuckled amused yet extremely innocently. The prospect of romance entertained her and, honestly, you couldn’t be upset at her for spilling it out. You sighed, judging by Nero’s expression that he believed it completely and that you were fucked. Great—if Dante finds out this lie, he’ll make fun of you until your mind explodes.

You sigh, getting off Nico. The girl scrambles to her feet, stepping away from you, hands in the air, afraid. You let her off, dejected, shooting Nero a hurt look, “You said you won’t believe it…”

“I—I don’t!” he says, defensive. He did—you knew better.

“I don’t like Dante,” you say anyway. “Nico’s just joking.” You sound sadder than you wanted, more disappointed that Nero didn’t get jealous or something. But what the fuck did you expect? Kyrie was standing right next to him—did you really think he was going to betray some imaginary feelings while she was around? Silly [name]. Of course he wasn’t going to, even if he was rather transparent when it came to his feelings. You could read his emotions like a book; or used to, anyway. It’s been a while, no? Things have changed. It wasn’t as if he was going to be as easy to understand as before. You could see the loving way he gazed at the redhead; there was no place for you in his heart. You knew that.

You still hoped, though.

“Ok, ok,” Nero attempts a teasing smirk, grabbing Kyrie’s hand for comfort. A movement that doesn’t escape your eye. You try not to be disappointed. “Well, you’re in for a challenge. I’ve never seen Dante with a lady—and I’m not referring to Lady.”

Kyrie flashed him a confused look, “Didn’t you use to accompany him to strip clubs when—”

“Kyrie!”

You laughed dryly, “Busted, Nero. I know Dante’s a skank anyway,” you rolled your eyes. “Now—” you cracked your knuckles, “—excuse me, I’ve got something to take care of.”

You turned, bellowing, “NICO!”

The girl in question yelped. She tried to run away from you while you weren’t paying attention, but she wasn’t fast enough and you weren’t going to leave her live with her mistake. “GET READY, NICO!” With that threat, you started running toward her, using your fiercest battle cry to scare her off. It had the effect you intended and, with a squeal, Nico dashed away from you while all laughed.

The game was on.

**

After you dunked Nico into the sea a couple of times to make sure she got the message (never fuck with you again), you got tired. With a sigh, you tried to pay attention to the melting ice-cream in your hand, but you didn’t have an appetite. All of the joy disappeared when Nico opened her big mouth and lied. You could play it off as nothing, as if the girl had nothing better to do than make fun of you. But they would be suspicious now and would never look at you and Dante the same way. They’ll really think...

You sigh once again, taking a tentative lick at the sweet.

“Never knew ice-cream could make someone sad, but there’s a first time for everything.”

Of course: Dante.

The man of the hour coming at the right moment, as usual. He had no care in the world, lazily smirking in your direction as he leans on the table you were sitting at. You tried not to hold a grudge against him since he wasn’t at fault here. He was a ‘victim’, if you could ever call Dante innocent. He was far from a saint, a devil in disguise tempting you on the path of sin. If you were weak-willed, you probably would’ve fallen for him, for his sweet words. He talked as if he was always trying to charm the pants off of you (which he probably did), except when talking to Lady and Trish. They were old friends, you thought; or, at least, so it seemed. You weren’t aware of any past romance involvement between them.

But you’ve only been with them for a few weeks. You wouldn’t know.

“Hey, Dante,” you eyed him up and down, sort of liking what you saw. “Where’ve you been?” He has been missing the whole ‘party’, even if he has been the one to suggest it. Still, he was a sight, on par with Nero. You might even say they are related. Only a coincidence. Anyway, he was distracting in all the good ways, muscles and curves. He noticed you staring and his smirk grew larger, flexing his arms so you can get a better view. You laughed at that—he was ridiculously cute.

“Ya know, around.” You shot him a suspicious glance. Dante raised his arms in surrender, as if he had nothing up his sleeve, but you didn’t believe him one bit.

“What are you up to?”

Dante feigned hurt, but he was sneaky either way, “Nothing. What gave you that idea?”

“I hope you don’t plan on throwing water balloons at people again,” you roll your eyes, laughing at the ridiculousness of this suggestion. But Dante’s rather guilty and mischievous expression told you that he was gonna do just that. “Dante, NO.”

“Come oooooooon,” he whined, leaning over to you with his puppy eyes.

“I don’t think the girls would appreciate you throwing water balloons at them.”

“What if it’s balloons—with color?”

You sigh in frustration. “Dante, please—”

“You can’t stop me—”

“—you’ll get in trouble—”

“—so you just have to join me.”

“I won’t! Why did you tell me?”

“Cause I want you as—”

“—as your scapegoat—”

“—partner in crime. I want you as my partner.”

The use of that word, regardless of the context, reminded you of your problems. You shouldn’t be seen with Dante alone—who knows what people might think? There was no way you would help him pranks the guys; they’ll get revenge as soon as possible. If Dante wanted trouble, then he was welcome to do it to himself. Besides, you haven’t got beef with anyone except—

Nico!

She hasn't been punished enough.

Dante saw the fleeting smirk on your face and knew he got you hooked. Damn him for actually knowing how to pull your strings to get to agree.

“Dante, no, only Ni—”

But your words got lost when the ground started to shake. Both of you looked at one another, alert all of a sudden: this was not a normal earthquake. They knew better and it meant one thing.

A demon.

“Seems like we have to postpone your revenge for another time, birdie,” Dante says, putting his game-face on. You cringed at the pet-name he usually gave you (and many others, he just liked to alternate between them and come up with new ones every week)—they were uncalled for, even if no one ever called you that. No one really showed you excessive affection; not even Nero dared to call you in some way. Which only dampened your spirits—but you pushed the feeling away. This was not the time. “Here comes trouble.”

A deep rumble came from the sea and you both turned around to look at the source. At first, there was nothing. But with a terrifying groan (which left you two unimpressed, judging by the shit you’ve seen during your life), a figure—tall, menacing—started emerging from the waves. It kept on growing, reaching skyscraper height. Dante whistled in admiration, while you frowned at the people around you: they were gaping like fish at the incoming threat instead of running away. Who stops to look at whatever monstrosity will come out of the waters? You would believe they’d know better.

Anyway, the waters finally recede from the corpse of the demon and you get a good look at it. It had dark skin, the body was slender, skeletal: you could see the skin flapping in the wind around his ribs. Disgusting—but you were used to all the things that would’ve made anyone barf. Two red eyes, sunken into the skull, stared into nothingness, full of evil. You would’ve shuddered; but those long arms and sharpened claws didn’t scare you. Not anymore. The demon had no mouth, which made it uglier and horrific than anything. Many people started screaming and they grabbed their kids and started running—finally.

“That’s one ugly motherfucker,” Dante comments, then smirks at you. “Where’s your gear?”

“In the van,” you point at it, a few meters away. Great—you had to run to get there. But that was no problem. “You?”

“Uhh, I left my coat somewhere—” he scans around and sees it in Trish’s hands, who was dangling it over tentatively. She was very sassy, hand on her hip, a raised eyebrow; Dante smirked in return and, for the first time, you wondered if there was something going on between them. You wouldn’t have minded, not one bit—it will just save you from the rumors probably running behind your back. “Well, there’s my ride.” You chuckle, rolling your eyes.

“Trish is always your savior, huh?”

“Why, you jealous?” He likes teasing you—like usual.

Before you could respond (and, fuck, are you blushing?), the demon decides you ignored it enough. He bellows out a cry, one that creates a big wave of air, throwing everything in its path away. ‘There goes my brand-new towel’ you sigh, dejectedly. You just bought it with the little money you had—so it was a shame. You stand your ground though, shielding your eyes from the sand with your hand (while Dante stands in his chair, as if nothing could move him). You roll your eyes at his bravado, watching things fly by you and trying to dodge things that were getting too near you. No sweat; you just had to wait until the monster finished so you can start kicking ass then take names. It took a few seconds to notice that something sticky and cold was running down your fingers and hand (and probably has been since Dante came into the picture). You looked down at your empty cone and yell in distress:  

“Aw, fuck, my ice-cream!”

You were extremely disappointed; this was probably the only thing that you were excited about today (that, and Nero). It would’ve cheered you up, but you completely forgot about it, lost in your thoughts about your lover boy. Then there was Dante—you shot him a foul look, as if it was his fault you weren’t paying attention. He shrugs, showing off a rare honest smile, “I’ll but you another one as an apology, ok?” To prove his point, he ruffles your hair.

You sigh, but you’re pleased with his answer. You’ll hold onto his promise. “Yeah, kay, whatever.” You snatch a nearby towel that was flying around just then and wipe your hand. Lucky you. “I think we have a demon to destroy, huh?”

“I guess so,” Dante cracks his knuckles. “Ready?”

“Born that way, baby,” you respond, grinning widely.

“I like that.”

In unison, you two start to move, dashing with a start and trying to fight off the current to get back to the van. It’s not that easy but not as hard; obviously, Dante is doing way better than you. What a badass—you envied him for his demon blood and his not-giving-a-fuck attitude. That was one quality (and only quality) you admired in Dante. Maybe his hotness too—but ehh, Nero toppled him. And why the hell were you thinking of Nero again? Probably because you were worried. As you were running, your eyes kept on searching for the white-haired boy, but he was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, he was fine.

You didn’t have time to think about that anymore since you finally arrived at the van. You open the door going inside and grabbing your gear, while Dante disappears from your side, reaching Trish to take his coat and whatever he had stashed there. You took your favorite weapon, the guns, the slick katana, holstering them to the belt at your waist. You had no time to change from your bikini, but you had no problem with that. Fewer stains to clean afterward. Demon hunting was a messy job. Besides, you’d probably get rid of this costume after all this. When you were ready and prepped, you got out, jumping on top of the van to survey the situation. The demon decided to stop trying to blow you all away, and was watching something in the distance, toward the city, an unknown point of interest. Uh-oh—seems like he had other plans. But your gang is going to stop it right here, right now.

You were about to say something, when something incredible happened: the monster vanished. You blinked, confused as to where it disappeared, when you heard a hissing sound behind you. Turning, the demon was rapidly making its way toward the city, undisturbed by you guys. Incredible! What a rude demon, not even acknowledging you. Oh well—seems like it wanted you to give chase. And that’s what you were going to do. You spot your handsome boy and call out his name:

“Nero—”

“I’ll get Kyrie to safety,” he is not even listening to you, though. He’s holding the red-head by the waist, close to him. Kyrie clings to him, scared. Your heart sinks. He wants to go alone? He really could use a hand with this, he can’t— “[name], go with Dante.” Nero looks at you, awaiting your approval. You can’t believe it; he really was blowing you off to…to…He’s secretly eyeing Dante and you know what this is about. You wanted to yell at him to fuck off, that it was not true: but you keep quiet, not hiding the hurt in your eyes. It shames Nero, but he’s obstinate and looks away, mouth set in a straight line. “You guys can handle it, no?” he is paying more attention to Dante than you.

“No problem.” Dante nods. “You protect your lady.”

Ugh. You jump next to Dante, ignoring Nero, who picked Kyrie bridal style and started running away. You humphed: that was really uncalled for. But you had a job to do. And you were going to do it efficiently and clean like always.

You look at Dante—he was ready.

**

The demon got inside the city before you two reached him, despite riding Dante’s motorcycle. But you were there now, right behind it, and you got down off of it, somewhat missing the demon hunter’s scent. He insisted on this ride (you weren’t going to say ‘no’ in favor of running), saying that it was faster. ‘And that looks like an urgent business.’ You agreed and held onto Dante tight, racing the van holding Trish, Nico, and Lady.

“Look!” you point out at the demon, at the big red swollen spot on the nape of its neck. It shouted ‘weakness’ in bright lights.

Dante hums, takes his gun out and fires, on point. It doesn’t do much damage, but it certainly hurts the demon. Like a mosquito bite. Not wanting to be topped, you charge your gun and fire at the same spot. You like impressing people with your skills, and Dante whistles in response. However, your bullet attracted the demon’s attention. It hurt him. He lets out a groan, in pain, puts a hand over the blob, and slowly turns around. Those deep ruby eyes (more like holes) stop on the two of you, hatred and malice. It seemed to say ‘Don’t get in my way’, but of course you were going to get in the way.

“That certainly got his attention,” Dante laughs.

You shrugged, “Wasn’t that the point?”

“I like that you’re direct.” He winks.

“Think we can take it down before the others arrive?”

“Definitely,” he turns to you. “Can you keep up with me?”

“Puh-lease,” you roll your eyes.

The white-haired demon hunter doesn’t answer; instead, he takes out Rebellion. Likewise, you unsheathe your katana, taking a stance. You were both ready and, with a fleeting gaze at one another, you acquiesce to what you need to do. No words pass between you—it was like with Nero. You didn’t need to say anything, just think the same way. It was something you two had—that connection was special, you didn’t want anyone to intrude. Especially not Dante. But Nero fucked you over and screw it! You were disappointed Nero wasn’t here to see how the two of you were interacting (little did you know). Nero shouldn’t complain—and you had half in mind to let him be alone from now on. He clearly needed no partner. But hey, this was just your current bitterness talking. Nero would do something to win your affection again. It was weird, though: it looked like Nero was jealous.

No way.

So, after agreeing to (hopefully) the same thing, the demon starts attacking, thinking that you were easy targets. He uses one clawed hand to attack you, swooping down to swat you like a bug. It’s slow and you dodge to the side easily. It tries again with the other hand: still the same result, jumping off its arm and twirling. You don’t anticipate the demon shooting lasers out of its eyes, though. It almost zaps you, but you’re picked up from the air and into some strong arms. Dante saves you from harm and you pout, not liking the position you’re in. But what can you do? Getting killed? You wouldn’t forgive yourself for this mistake.

Luckily…

“Never took you for the damsel in distress,” Dante chuckles, dodging red lasers with ease. However, buildings and roads started exploding behind you. It was mayhem, loud sounds all over, deafening, but you didn’t even flinch as rubble flew around you, almost scraping your cheek, dust getting into your eyes. Ugh, you fucking hated this part of the fight. Why couldn’t demons be clean and nice and not make a mess out of things?

Finally, the laser runs out of steam, and Dante finds a place to stop, on a rooftop. He puts you down, but not before running his hand on your hips, cheekily. You squeak and glare at him, while he smiles cutely.

“Stop that,” you threaten, but you’re more bark than bite. Being appreciated by a man by his caliber wasn’t something that bad. “We need to focus.”

Dante raises his palms in surrender, “Hey, your outfit is really distracting.” The white-haired demon hunter winked, leaning closer to you, “Who are you trying to impress, huh? Is it me?” His tone of voice is alluring and you’re tempted to just tiptoe and kiss him. What would those velvet lips of his taste like?

You’ve always wondered that Nero’s would…

“I—” you want to say ‘no’, to deny it. Isn’t it time to move on from Nero? He’ll always be with Kyrie—those were your insecurities talking. You can’t forget Nero and so what if you’re a hopeless romantic at heart that can get no romance? Your luck will come; you’ll just have to hold on a bit more. Maybe Dante will be the one—for now, you put on a rather flirty, dare you say, smile, batting your eyelashes at him. “No—but I appreciate admirers.”

Dante likes that, judging by the spark in his eyes. He leans even more and you can smell his minty breath on your lips and there’s nothing stopping you from reaching out. You just need a push and he can be all yours, right here, right now. But there’s hesitation in you and he can sense that. You see the same hesitation in him, like he’s not ready—no, like he never considered this prospect in the first place. He was only flirting for fun, not because—the realization blows your mind and you’re relieved. But he goes on anyway, asking you:

“Hmm, then who has your heart, darling?”

You don’t get to answer—and you don’t want to. Telling Dante about Nero would be a huge mistake. Luckily (or not so), the demon starts attacking you two again, as if reminding you to pay attention to him (Hello, we’re fighting here?). This time, you go on separate ways, but there was no way you’re going to dilly-dally again. Honestly, you’ve wasted enough time. So, with a meaningful look at Dante, who somehow ended up on the other side of the street, you jump as high as you can, ending up on the demon’s shoulder. With a perfectly executed twirl and a well-placed target, you aimed at the weak spot and shot at it. It isn’t enough to do any real damage. Dante follows your lead, does the same thing: but you need to change your tactics.

“We have to bring him down, Dante!” you say as you two land down.

“Easy,” he dashes at the same time as you. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

You huff in agreement, focused on the task at hand. You go right between the demon’s legs, each of you slashing the Achille's heel. The monster hisses in pain and opens the mouth you didn’t think it had and yells. It’s a deranged sound and it makes your skin crawl, but you’re glad to see that it made the monster kneel. It falls on its fours, looking even grotesque now that it was down. You don’t waste time and you two jump on it, aiming your weapons at the weak spot. You hack and slash and Dante uses one of his fancy moves to give it the finishing blow. The red bubble bursts into a cloud of intoxicating smoke, a few drops of blood—acid—fly toward you but you dodge them before they can burn you, jumping off the body in case it exploded or something. Nothing of the sort happened, but you’re still a few feet clear of it, Dante grinning by your side.

“Good job, sweets,” he roughly puts a hand over your shoulder. “We make a good team.”

You laugh half-heartedly, thoughts back on Nero. You wish he was your partner again, to share this moment with him, not Dante. But he’s not here.

And maybe—maybe that’s fine.

Who are you lying to?

**

Nero sees all of it. From the beginning to the end. And he’s envious by the obvious chemistry between the two of you, how easy was for you two to understand each other. Was it the same with you and him? It makes him wonder and he’s definitely jealous—but he has no reason to. He’s just happy to see you, his childhood friend, after such a long time. He has always liked you—spending time with you. Precious memories he wouldn’t trade for the whole world. So of course he wanted to keep you for himself. But you—liking Dante.

It sounded impossible. It always seemed like you...admired him. Now—fuck, he was at a loss, he wasn’t sure you felt the same as you did all those years ago. But he had Kyrie, why was he thinking about you when—

‘You know the answer, Nero.’

He does. He never forgot about it.

Dante knows he’s there. When you’re not paying attention, he turns around and offers him a look that had only one message:

What are you going to do about it, kid, if it bothers you so much?

Nero had no clue.

–

[masterlist]

[beyond-the-yellowbrickroad]

Movies Watched in 2019 - Filmes assistidos em 2019 (part two / segunda parte)

111. About a Boy (2002) Directed by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

I liked it a lot! The Kid is amazing and just imagine my face when I found out he was Nicholas Hoult…

112. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Directed by Anthony Maras

It’s a very heavy movie to watch, even more because is based in a real life history… the amazing cast helps to make it even more realistic.

113. Toy Story 4 (2019) Directed by Josh Cooley

I’m angry and very disappointed. It may sound childish of me because “people change” and “leave our lives” but was that really necessary? I think NOT!

114. Widows (2018) Directed by Steve McQueen

I didn’t like it that much but it was probably my fault… I was expecting something more like Ocean’s 8, but it’s completely different from that. Anyway, the cast is great.

115. Final Destination (2000) Directed by James Wong

116. The Final Destination (2009) Directed by David R. Ellis

117. Final Destination 5 (2011) Directed by Steven Quale

So I re-watched all of the “Final Destination” Series at once, and I had the most fun!

I had already seen de second and the third one when I was little (I was about 6 or 7, grown ups were crazy in the early 2000′s) but I had never seen the others and, for my surprise, I loved almost all of them! (I really don’t like the fourth one and I rather pretend it doesn’t exist)

The second one is still my favorite, but the others are as crazy and fun! I LOVED IT!

AND THE ENDING OF THE FIFTH MOVIE, OMG, I WAS NOT READY!!!

118. Liar Liar (1997) Directed by Tom Shadyac

Jim Carrey making funny faces for no reason for 86 minutes straight

119. John Wick (2014) Directed by Chad Stahelski

120. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Directed by Chad Stahelski

121. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) Directed by Chad Stahelski

So I also watched all the “John Wick” movies all at once and all I can say is: it’s really great to see treined assassings kill people to revenge their dogs and to see Keanu Reeves being amazing, sexy AND kicking other people’s asses.

122. The Perfection (2018) Directed by Richard Shepard

I saw this weeks ago and I still am absolutely shocked with everything that happened in this movie

123. Us (2019) Directed by Jordan Peele

Literally, a masterpiece of horror and comedy. The cast it’s incredible!

124. The Lion King (2019) Directed by Jon Favreau

Nice, but… it’s the same as the original, but more… dull. Impossible not to have fun though, because it’s the same movie as the original.

125. Long Shot (2019) Directed by Jonathan Levine

Now I really want to go to a club with Charlize!!

126. The Angel (2018) ‘El Ángel’ Directed by Luis Ortega

Beautiful photography, and the cast is really great! The music is also incredible.

127. Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) Directed by Michael Showalter

It’s a nice reminder that everyone has it’s own time for doing things… sometimes you star things eary and sometimes, other things happen in life before others, and that OK! I loved it!

128. The Lake House (2006) Directed by Alejandro Agresti

It’s romantic, well done and super interesting! Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock looked so good together! I really loved this sci-fi love story.

129. Pride & Prejudice (2005) Directed by Joe Wright

Honestly, everything is absolutely pefect in this movie… like when Mr. Darcy always look’s like he’s about to throw up everytime Lizzie is around, how Mr. Bingley is an absolutely sunshine, how Jane it’s his perfect match, how Lizzie is perfecly sassy and smart… I, obviously, and I can not stress this enough: THE HAND FLEX!!! (and when Mr. Darcy cofesses his eternal love to Lizzie in the rain and them they fight and them they almost kiss… AMAZING CINEMA!)

I loved the movie and I can’t wait to finally find time to read the book too…

130. Creep (2014) Directed by Patrick Brice

131.  Creep 2 (2017) Directed by Patrick Brice

Both weird movies, but the first one is more amazing because you spend more than a half of it not knowing what it’s happening.

132. Vox Lux (2018) Directed by Brady Corbet

Natalie Portman is amazing and this movie is also weird.

133. Austenland (2013) Directed by Jerusha Hess

A thriling saga to my Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen obcession…

So, the fake Mr. Darcy (Mr. Noble) looks like young Tom Hiddleston so now I have a huge crush on him.

Also, I think it’s a very fun movie and I had a good time.  

134. Good Sam (2019) Directed by Kate Miles Melville

Fun, I guess… honestly, the romance was unecessary.

135. Almost Famous (2000) Directed by Cameron Crowe

The bus scene when they all are down and then suddenly starts singing to “Tiny Dancer”… The most beautiful thing I saw in my life.

136. The Losers (2010) Directed by Sylvain White

It’s a very fun movie!

But I have an observation: It just don’t sound truthful that people would make fun of a hot, nerdy, super uncle, not being that good with girls Chris Evans… really, he is absolutely hot and cute in this movie, it just not make sense!

137. Sing (2016) Directed by Garth Jennings

I watched this because of Taron Egerton singing “I’m Still Standing”, but I loved it for so much more!!!

138. Candy Jar (2018) Directed by Ben Shelton

Fun for spending the time.

139. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019) Directed by Gideon Raff

Nice movie and great cast!

(also, I know thi isn’t the point but Chris Evans is beautiful in this movie to)

140. The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) Directed by Robin Swicord

I loved this so much, but I also feel kind of sad because I don’t have friends to make a Jane Austen book club with me and also I will never get married with nerdy and cute Hugh Dancy.

141. The Hustle (2019) Directed by Chris Addison

Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson deserved better!

142. The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) Directed by Ry Russo-Young

I don’t want to be mean but, this was horrible!

143. Descendants 3 (2019) Directed by Kenny Ortega

This movie was already going to be very emotional because is the last one of the trilogy, but the recent evens with the super talented actor Cameron Boyce, it was twice as emotional... I cryed a lot.

Also, the movie is increadible in every way: the songs, the dancing, the characters, the cast... I loved it!

144. Brightburn (2019) Directed by David Yarovesky

Well, that was a disaster...

145. Parasite (2019) ‘기생충’ Directed by Bong Joon Ho

Okay, so this movie... there’s so much to talk about this movie...but I don’t want to spoil it... BUT,  everything is absolutely PERFECT! OMG! I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH!

146. Otherhood (2019) Directed by Cindy Chupack

Great cast, fun to watch!

147. The Craft (1996) Directed by Andrew Fleming

ICONIC!

148. Wild Child (2008) Directed by Nick Moore

EMMA ROBERTS: I’m sorry for every time that I sayd that you were not a great actress. You are, and this movie is a masterpiece.

149. Mandy (2018) Directed by Panos Cosmatos

That was a crazy ride and I LOVED IT! Nick Cage it’s amazing in this and I really love this scrypt.

150. Falling Inn Love (2019) Directed by Roger Kumble

This couple is so beautiful and I really wish they could date me as well.

151. Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) Directed by Marc Lawrence

I did not like the movie that much but the cast is nice, so is not that bad to wach.

152. Bacurau (2019) Directed by Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho

This was, honestly, the best thing I saw the entire year. It made so happy and proud of my own culture, and was so increadible to watch, with a great cast and characters that are truly amazing... and as if all of this wasn’t enough, the movie (as a coincidence) talks direcly with Brazil’s currently politic scene. 

When the movie was over, I felt like crying of happines... I so proud o f brazilian cinema and how it gets better and bigger each year!!  

PURE PERFECTION. 

153. Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019) Directed by Scott Aukerman

There was scenes that I really found funny and there were times that I was just confused... but I liked it.

154. Last Holiday (2006) Directed by Wayne Wang

QUEEN LATIFAH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE BE MY FRIEND!!

Honestly, this movie is everything a romcom should be... PERFECT! 

155. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) Directed by Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston

I’m absolutely angry with the fact that Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in the same movie and they even looked at each other! CRAZY THING RIGHT?

156. Rumor Has It… (2005) Directed by Rob Reiner

Just imagine a world were Jenifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo are a couple... 

The movie was SO WEIRD!!! (but good) 

157. It Chapter Two (2019) Directed by Andy Muschietti

The first one still is my favorite, BUT this is so great... I’m not even going to begin to write about the cast, ‘cause everyone knows it’s absolutely PERFECT, but really, BILL HADER GUYS! JUST, AMAZING.

Anyway, I did not got even a little scared, but who cares, it’s a great movie.

Also, the scene were Bill Skarsgård  show up without the Pennywise makeup... his acting was SO GREAT!

 158. Midsommar (2019) Directed by Ari Aster

Today I saw someone describe this movie as “a bunch of white people killing other people and dancing in circles” and honestly, this is the perfect description for this.

159. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) Directed by Beyoncé Knowles

i CAN’T BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE FEELINGS I FELT SEEING THIS! This woman is beautiful, super talented and a genius! 

YOU JUST MIGHT BE A BEYONCÉ IN THE MAKING!! 

160. Frozen (2010) Directed by Adam Green

HORRIBLE! OH MY GOD! I FELT SO BAD WATCHING THIS, IT WAS TERRIFYING! OMG!

161. Hush (2016) Directed by Mike Flanagan

I NEVER FELT SO UNCONFORTABLE IN MY LIFE! Truly a good idea for a scary movie and a very well executed one to! Loved it!

162. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) Directed by Vince Gilligan

The perfect ending for one of the best suporting characters on a TV Series.

163. Little Monsters (2019) Directed by Abe Forsythe

Lupita Nyong'o deserves way more recognition from the Movies Industry because she is so great and even with a fucking OSCAR on her shelf, she barely has any leading characters on her career and is SO UNFAIR!

This movies is funny, scary, the cast is great and there’s Shake it Off by Taylor Swift was sang by a bunch of kids and Lupita dressed on a beautiful yellow dress all dirty of zombie blood, sooo... you should go and watch it!

164. The Blair Witch Project (1999) Directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez

The movie it’s okay until it gets on it’s last 15 to 10 minutes... then so much starts to happen and you just want to stop seeing it, but can’t because you want to know the ending of it, and it’s so scary and crazy... Really I totally get why lots of people are crazy about this one... SO SCARY!

Also, look out for the website they made for the three filmakers that “disapeared” ( AKA were killed by the Blair Witch), it’s so good and there’s a lot of more information that makes the movie even more scary.

165. Yesterday (2019) Directed by Danny Boyle

It could be SO GOOD! But it was SO BAD! Lili was this movie, the guy that played Richie in Skins was in this movie and I still did not like it... The sountrack was made by BEATLES SONGS and I still did not like it... SAD.

166. The Witches (1990) Directed by Nicolas Roeg

NOT A KIDS MOVIE! Really, it’s so scary! OMG!

167. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Directed by Edgar Wright

It’s a very diferent zombie movie, but I really liked it! 

168. Maid in Manhattan (2002) Directed by Wayne Wang

IT WAS JUST LIKE CAMP ROCK!!

Very cheesy, not the best romcom I ever watched, but also not the worse... If you want a good JLopez movie, go see Monster In Law!

169. Monster House (2006) Directed by Gil Kenan

ALSO NOT A KIDS MOVIE! This was actually very little apropriate to kids and so fucking sacry, OMG, how this was made up to be a kids movie? 

170. mother! (2017) Directed by Darren Aronofsky

I will never get over this movie, I feel marked for the rest of my life, thanks very much Aronofsky! (no, really, THANKS!)

171. The Meddler (2015) Directed by Lorene Scafaria

Honestly, the “I was visiting my daughter, she just shot a pilot!” joke was THE BEST THING I EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE! Also, “I have to go home, my hands are loud!”.

172. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) Directed by Stephen Chiodo

I don’t even know what to write about this one... It was weird and not scary at all, but was kind of... diffent? I mean, you don’t get literally scared but you feel unconfotable, like, a lot! Go check it out and you will hopefully understand what kind of feeling I’m trying to describe, it’s just... weird.

173. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) Directed by André Ovredal

WHAT ON EARTH PEOPLE KEEP MAKING THOSE SUPER SCARY MOVIES ANT SAYING THEY ARE FOR KINDS? This was so scary Jesus, and It was great. But not for kids.

If you read the books I don’t know how you going to feel about it, but in my experience from movie adapttions from books, you probably going to feel like shit. But I did’t read the books and loved it, so, you might to :)

174. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) Directed by Joe Berlinger

Not ever close to be as great as the first one, it’s crazier, more things happen and you still feel crazy with the characters, but, it’s not as great. But it would be a great stanalone, if the first one did not existed. 

175. Vacation (2015) Directed by John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein

This is a comedic MASTERPIECE and I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! 

I love comedy movies, but I always expect to much of them... but this served me EVERYTHING that a good comedy should have to make me laugh until my breath runs out. LOVED IT!

176. Walk the Line (2005) Directed by James Mangold

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are absolutely babes and so increadibly talented! 

The movie is a bit slow (maybe only if you not a particularly big Cash fan), but is great! 

177. Love Happens (2009) Directed by Brandon Camp

Jennifer Aniston is amazing and goergeous as always but I didn’t conect with the characters so... it didn’t work to much for me, but it’s not bad eigther.

178. John Tucker Must Die (2006) Directed by Betty Thomas

Talking about perfect comedies, this is ONE OF THEM! FOR SURE! 

179. You’ve Got Mail (1998) Directed by Nora Ephron

I’ve got three things to say:

One: TOM HANKS

Two: I could never date someone that led me to bankruptcy, I could however punch this person multiple times.

Three: MEG RYAN!!!

180. The Prince & Me (2004) Directed by Martha Coolidge

Okay, so I was not expecting anything big from this movie and I only watched it because of Julia Stiles, BUT OMG I’m so thakfull that I gave it a chance, because it’s an amazingly done cliché and the Prince it’s totally hot!

 181. Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) Directed by James Bobin

I WAS SO SURPRISED THAT IT WAS SO GOOD! I really wasn’t expecting that! SO GOOD! 

182. Me Before You (2016) Directed by Thea Sharrock 

méh.

But Emilia, I want to be your best friend!

183. Late Night (2019) Directed by Nisha Ganatra

To Queens that almost coused my death because of how much a I laughed in this... it’s ligh, fun and dramtic and real... AMAZING!

184. Let It Snow (2019) Directed by Luke Snellin 

Kiernan Shipka and  Mitchell Hope singing The Whole of the Moon awakend my bissexuality.

Shameik Moore and Isabela Merced to!

185. When Harry Met Sally… (1989) Directed by Rob Reiner

MEG RYAN!!! 

So... this is the movie that every fanfic is based on? I really loved it!

186. Bringing Down the House (2003) Directed by Adam Shankman

Queen Latifah always brings a smile to my face... she’s perfect!

187. Joker (2019) Directed by Todd Phillips

Huum... Joaquin Phoenix it’s a very great actor, OMG! 

188. Penelope (2006) Directed by Mark Palansky 

It was very hard for me to watch this movie and not get distracted by James MacAvoy’s perfect face and body and not so perfect hair in this one, but does anybody really care? It’s beautiful James McAvoy! 

Also, the movie is so great! I didn’t knew about the plot and I was so surprised! It’s very, very good! 

I love the final scene when Penelope just let’s the children run wild while she swings with her hot boyfriend...

“Take of your mask!” ~proceds to kiss Christina Ricci very dramaticly~

189. Mad Money (2008) Directed by Callie Khouri

Everything about this movie was PERFECT

190. Baywatch (2017) Directed by Seth Gordon

Great opening scene, the rest was kind of a mess.

191. Noelle (2019) Directed by Marc Lawrence

CUTE! CUTE! CUTE! 

But I will complain about the lack of Bill Hader content.

192. Every Day (2018) Directed by Michael Sucsy

Another surprise this year, a very good one! 

It’s cute and dramatic, also, this actress kissed every teeneger and young adult in Hollywood!

193. Over Her Dead Body (2008) Directed by Jeff Lowell

A good and weird movie! Gave a few laughs. 

Paul Rudd is in it, so, totally worth it!

194. The Skeleton Twins (2014) Directed by Craig Johnson

A dramatic, surprising and “few good” comedy! 

I really wish I could hang out on Halloween with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig...

195. Eat Pray Love (2010) Directed by Ryan Murphy

I didn’t quite understood her journey but I quite liked it. 

Veeeery long movie.

196. Death at a Funeral (2007) Directed by Frank Oz

197. Death at a Funeral (2010) Directed by Neil LaBute

I know I should have loved the original version more but the american version... I don’t know what it is (probably the many actors that I absolutely LOVE), but I coul not stop laughing! 

James Marsden was an absolute STAR! 

198. The Other Woman (2014) Directed by Nick Cassavetes

I wish I could personally thank Cameron Diaz for every great movie I watched because of her.

Thank you, Mrs. Diaz! 

That last scene was peak COMEDY!!!

199. The Back-Up Plan 2010 Directed by Alan Poul

JLo! PERFECT!

Honestly, I was thinking this movie was going to be very problematic, but it wasn’t that much... it was actually pretty cute! The birth scene was sacry and funny at the same time!! 

200. Muriel's Wedding 1994 Directed by P.J. Hogan

Don’t judge me, I didn’t liked it, it fact, It made me feel pretty shitty, so I just wnat to forget that it existis. 

[absentauthor]

Halloween Homebody

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You spend Halloween alone every year, eating candy, baking, and watching scary movies. This year, Bucky invites you to come along with him, Steve and Sam to Tony’s Halloween Bash. Things don’t end the way you hoped they would.

Warnings: A bit angsty. The reader is a bit insecure.

Words: 1400+

Halloween was always your favorite holiday. As a kid it meant dressing up and trick-or-treating, coming home to get into pajamas and watch spooky movies while sorting your candy with your siblings.

Once you grew up, it became about scary movies and baking sweet treats. You didn't really do well with the parties. You loved everything about Halloween; just not the parties. You had a few bad experiences with them in the past and after a while you never got invited to them anyway, so creating your own traditions maintained your love for the day. Even when you joined the Avengers and received an invitation to Tony's yearly Halloween Haunting bash, you still chose to sit out the party.

Instead, dressed in Jack-o'-lantern printed pajama pants and a Halloween poster sweatshirt, you ignored the raucous race to get ready for the party and hid in the residential kitchen, baking cookies and listening to your ‘Spooky’ playlist. Complete with songs like The Monster Mash and Bette Midler's I Put a Spell on You.

The latter being the one you were currently dancing and singing along to while baking slutty brownies. Sliding across the floor in your fluffy socks and singing into your ice cream scoop, Halloween was already shaping up pretty okay.

"I put a spell on you, and now you're-"

"Nice moves, Doll."

You jumped at the sound of a voice, yelping like a heroine in a horror movie. You dropped the ice cream scooper you were using as a microphone, staring up at the reason for your surprise.

You were a generally klutzy person. Bucky Barnes (and your immense crush on him) didn't help that fact. Especially when he appeared in doorways, all smirking and clean cut, dressed like he'd just stepped out of a 1940's recruitment office. Decked in an army uniform from the 40's, Bucky was increasingly meta and undeniably gorgeous.

You couldn't pinpoint when exactly you fell for Bucky, but it was moments like this that you wished you knew how to function like a normal frickin' person instead of some lovestruck moron.

"What are you doing here?" You ask abruptly. "Shouldn't you be leaving for Tony's party?"

He came to stand beside you, glancing over your shoulder at all the baked goods you had spread out on the counter. His sudden proximity wasn't doing much in the way of keeping you calm and collected. He smelled good. Looked good too, especially up close.

"Just waitin' on Sam and Stevie. They're dressed as soldiers too," he said with a smile, stealing one of your already baked cookies. You giggled as he popped it into his mouth, eating it whole.  

"You'll have all the girls swooning and wishing they were born in 1942," you mutter before you can stop yourself.

"According to Sam, that's the plan."

You tried not to dwell on his response, focusing on cleaning your ice cream scoop and returning to your latest batch of pumpkin shaped cookies.

"What's with all the baking?" He asked. "Aren't you dressing up for Tony's party?"

"No. I'm not going."

His surprise was undeniable, clear in his strained and shocked, "Why?"

"Halloween parties aren't really my thing."

He had that cute little crinkle between his eyebrows, his confusion resembling a puppy. "But you love Halloween."

"Yeah, just not the parties. I was never really invited to them and when I was I always ended up disappointed. So now I decorate, buy candy and bake, all before sitting down for a spooky movie marathon."

He leaned back against the counter, taking another cookie before meeting your eyes. You swallowed hard and looked away, unable to handle the intensity of his bright blues eyes on yours.

He smiled, "That actually sounds fun."

Should you ask him to join you? No, he has plans. Why would he want to join you?

"I-I'd ask if you wanted to join me, but Sam and Steve would probably kill me for messing up your lil' group costume."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he chuckled. "Why don't you come and hang out with us at the party? If anything can make your night interesting it would definitely be watching Sam strike out again and again and again."

You considered it, you honestly did. But part of you knew that watching Sam hit on girls left the possibility of watching Bucky hit on them too. He was very much single and a real flirt. He was just being nice in inviting you; you weren't a factor in his love life and you knew it.

But he was a factor in yours and you knew your ego couldn't really take watching him flirt with another girl right in front of you.

You shook your head, "I don't want to be a fourth wheel on your guy's night. And besides, I don't have a real costume. Just these pajamas."

"Doll, you wouldn't be a fourth wheel. And I bet you've got somethin' in that closet that looks like a costume."

You heave a sigh. He's just being nice. Stick to your guns.

"Bucky, it's okay. I love Halloween. And I've been spending it like this for years and that hasn't changed. Don't worry about me. Just go and have fun!"

He opens his mouth to protest, only for Sam and Steve to walk into the kitchen before he can.

"Y/N! You're baking?" Steve asked with a furrowed brow. Bucky may use the confused puppy-dog look from time to time but Steve had it down pat.

"She's not going to the party," Bucky blurted before you could even attempt to answer Steve.

"What? Why? You've had your Halloween decorations up since September!"

You sigh and glare a little at Bucky. He seemed frustrated now and you couldn't understand why.

"I have my own little traditions, boys. Including baking the cookies Wilson is currently stuffing in his mouth and pockets because he thinks I can't see him."

"Shit," Sam mumbled through a bite of sugar cookie. "Run!"

He took off for the door, handing Steve a couple of cookies from his pocket, only for the Captain to follow suit, running out with a ghost cookie sticking out of his mouth.

Soon enough it was just you and Bucky, locked in a disagreement you didn't fully understand.

"Your friends are waitin' on you, Sarge," you said, trying to break the indescribable tension.

It was his turn to sigh. He fixed his hat on his head, stepping towards you again. You didn't step back this time.

"Doll, if you change your mind, I'll be there. I'd love to see you there." He stepped in your space again, this time leaning in and pressing a kiss to your cheek. "Happy Halloween."

He turned and left, leaving you standing there with a hand over your suddenly warm cheek and a racing heart.

"Happy Halloween, Sarge."

---

Sometime during your viewing of Orphan you came to a decision.

You'd give Tony's party a chance. You'd put the effort in and maybe it would pay off. The prospect of spending the night talking to Bucky was a powerful notion, especially when it felt like his kiss was imprinted on your cheek. Maybe you'd misread a signal, maybe he saw you as someone who could be more than a friend.

You rushed to your closet, searching for something resembling a costume.

Everything looked pretty plain, until you came across the full-skirted red dress you wore to your friend's wedding a year earlier. Tea length and satin, it was the prettiest dress you owned. It gave off an old Hollywood glamour vibe; one that you could maybe pass off as some starlet from the 50's. . .maybe even the 40's.

You dressed quickly, pinning back your hair and applying your favorite red lipstick. Your nerves were returning, the anticipation of disaster returning in droves.

But you pushed them away. You let yourself hope. You walked into the Tower's intricately decorated lobby with your head held high.

It only took a moment for everything to change.

Some naive part of you hoped you'd been missing out on something, especially when the man of your dreams was the one encouraging you to step outside your comfort zone and show up to a type of party you never enjoyed.

You ignored every warning and every inkling that came to you, everything that protected you from the usual disappointment that came from a once eventful night for you.  

You showed up at the party. You took a chance, a risk.

Only to be faced with Bucky locked in a passionate kiss with a girl dressed as a frilly-skirted maid.

You turned and left. Maybe you’d be back in your pajamas in time to watch Jennifer’s Body.

You realized that maybe you were just better off spending your favorite holiday alone in your bed after all. 

___

Part 2

A/N: So, I wrote this lil’ oneshot. I hope you all like it; I do have a part two planned, if you’re feelin’ it. Happy Halloween, witches!

Disclaimer: I do not own any character that is a part of the MCU or Marvel universe.

[studiobeebo]

DO YOU WANT APPLES, OR BEES!? @izukulove

anyways i decided to make this a kaminari x reader, ik u like izuku but i just thought this matched denki’s memeing ass so well fjsfh (also ik i dont generally do scenarios but o h w e l l)

Being friends with Denki was..surprisingly fun at the best of times and a downright challenge at the worst. To be honest, he was one of your best friends and no matter how many times his crappy jokes or horrible flirtation attempts annoyed you, he always had this way of drawing you back in with that electrifying smirk and lame one liners. Unfortunately for him, his lighthearted personality and the fact that he was very much a ‘class clown’ was his downfall when it came to you.

It was true that when he first met you, his initial greeting was ‘I may not be a photographer, but I could totally picture me and you together. Name’s Denki, and you are?’, which wasn’t all that serious as it was just part of who he was as a person to flirt with every attractive girl he saw and you were definitely in the ‘attractive’ category. The more he got to know you though, the less playful and more serious his flirting attempts became and before he knew it you were on his mind nearly twenty four seven. When he told his friends about it though, even they didn’t believe it as they just figured this was just another ‘crush’ he’d forget about in two days when he passed a cute girl on the street or something, but this time, for once, he really was serious.

He could hardly explain the way you made his heart race every time you’d laugh wholeheartedly at one of his jokes and he practically lived for the afternoons where the two of you would lay around and watch movies or play games together. Maybe his friends were right that he usually didn’t stay interested in one person for very long, but this was different, and he knew it was different because when the other girls he liked seemed to show interest in others, he just sort of shrugged it off and moved onto the next one, but when you mentioned to him that you had a date coming up he was inexplicably jealous.

“Well why the hell are you going on a date with him if you don’t even like him!?” He shouted after nearly spitting out his drink only for you to shush him since the two of you were currently eating in the cafeteria together.

“Jeez, don’t be so loud! And I don’t..not like him, I just don’t like like him!”

“Well what’s the difference!?” He whisper yelled back, trying his best to heed your warning but this was honestly just blowing his mind. One moment you’re talking about how you recently started talking to an acquaintance, not even a friend, might he add, and the asshole had the audacity to ask you out on a dinner date and you said yes even though you weren’t even into the guy in more than a platonic way!

“Well I’m just trying it out! Who knows, maybe i’ll hang out with him and we’ll click or something, I don’t know!” You huffed, getting increasingly frustrated with both yourself and your idiot of a friend.

See, you had thought that recently, once you realized how you felt about him, you had made your interest in him very obvious. You were practically begging him to finally legitimately ask you out rather than jokingly flirt with you like you were sure he did with every girl in sight, but every extra brush of your arm against his own or flirtatious comment of your own seemed to go unnoticed. You were starting to think that maybe he just really wasn’t into you and that your friends who had been reassuring you all along were wrong, so when you were asked out by an old ‘friend’ a few days after you began talking again, you figured why not? You could use the distraction anyways and maybe this guy really could be a rebound for your slightly broken heart.

Kaminari groaned for extra measure, but decided to shut his mouth about the topic as he sullenly played around with the food leftover on his plate. Part of him was screaming to just tell you about just how much he liked you, but the part of him that convinced him that he probably didn’t have a chance anyways kept him quiet. The two of you chatted for a bit more, but for the rest of the day it was clear that he was a bit down while you were preoccupied with your own thoughts.

By the end of the week you were so ready for a few days off considering how rigorous your school work and training had become and you were actually sort of excited for your ‘date’ and even went as far as to doll yourself up and dress like you weren’t exhausted for once. It was a bit awkward seeing your date for the first time since middle school once you met up at the train station, but after talking for a few minutes it wasn’t all that bad. You were also pretty happy to wind up at his restaurant of choice which happened to be an Applebee’s because you weren’t really looking to blow every cent you had on a meal and something casual  made you feel less pressured to appear too impressive. That, and you knew that recently Kaminari had picked up a part time job here so you figured if anything, if he was even working, you could get him to make some excuse for you if you felt like ditching.

By the time you had been seated, your date had excused himself to the restroom which left you fiddling with your phone before hearing that familiarly and annoyingly charming voice ring out from beside me.

“You really couldn’t spend a day away from me, huh [Name]?”

You rolled your eyes before even looking at Kaminari, thinking it was some sort of stupid coincidence that he not only happened to be working, but he appeared to be your server as well.

“How else am I supposed to make fun of you for that stupid outfit?” You teased, gesturing to the horrible ‘Applebee’s’ hat he was adorning.

“Well I’m not the one on a date at an Applebee’s.” He chided back, figuring he might as well put in his two cents about his everlasting distaste for this whole situation anyways.

While you waited for your date to get back, however, the two of you chatted about whatever came to mind and unsurprisingly, your date wasn’t too happy to come back only to find a server with one palm on the table leaning a bit too close to you for his comfort. You didn’t even notice him coming, so when Kaminari randomly stopped mid sentence only to say the most ridiculous shit you had ever heard, obviously in an attempt to weird out your date without you even noticing, you were honestly shocked.

“-It’s kinda dumb they don’t call boxing “fisting”, isn’t it? Anyways welcome to Applebee’s, can I get you guys something to drink?”

The second he said that you absolutely lost your shit, nearly choking on your own spit while doubling over in laughter, however your date didn’t find it nearly that funny. He simply scoffed at Kaminari, before sitting down with brows furrowed. When you noticed he obviously wasn’t happy, you tried to stop laughing by pursing your lips, but you couldn’t help the innocent little snorts that came out as you tried to order a soda since Kaminari was just giving you a ridiculous grin because he fuck did it feel good to make you laugh so hard and completely ignore your date’s new found dislike for him. The moment he left after also taking your date’s drink order, your date immediately started talking about how ‘gross that dude was’, and when your smile faltered and you began defending him, saying that he was a close friend of yours and that you thought his jokes were funny, he just shrugged you off.

The rest of the evening was painfully awkward as your date became rather childish and pouty the more Kaminari came over and made jokes or little comments that would send you into fits of giggles. By the time your meal was over, your date was kind enough to pay for your meals, but still made the excuse of saying he got a text about an emergency and couldn’t walk with you to the station, even though he hadn’t picked up his phone at all throughout your date, before dashing. You didn’t mind all that much though, so you just waved him off and when Kaminari came back around with a satisfied smirk on his face you gave him the best ‘disappointed mother’ look you could muster, though it was hard to keep yourself from smiling for long.

“You did that on purpose.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” He gasped out, acting astonished but smiling as you just shook your head and laughed upon realizing just how ridiculous this whole situation was. You were getting tired of dancing around him like this, acting like you hadn’t fallen for him and using lame dates you didn’t even want to participate in as a distraction, so with a final sigh you decided to just get it over with and rip off the bandaid.

“You know if you dislike my dates so much then maybe you should just try to improve them yourself.”

Kaminari laughed, but when he saw the questioning look on your face, his face fell flat as he realized you were being serious before choking out a shocked. “S-Seriously!?”

You shrugged in response, your cheeks beginning to burn a bit in embarrassment as you couldn’t really tell if that was a good ‘seriously’ or a bad ‘seriously’, but even though you could have easily made it out to be a joke, you decided to continue on anyways.

“Yeah seriously, I mean, If you want to.”

“Are you kidding!?” He exclaimed, his face lighting up again like an excited puppy. “I-I’d love to! That would be totally wicked!!”

His smile was infectious as a relieved smile of your own spread across your face, but before you could continue your conversation his name was called out by an angry looking manager who was pointing at a table of people that must have been Kaminari’s duty to serve.

“Jeez, that old fart can’t even give me two seconds! This is so lame to say, but I’ll text you! About the..the date thing.” He nodded excitedly about a hundred times while giving you a thumbs up before turning around and hurriedly walking over to the waiting table of people with a pep in his step.

You probably could have stayed there forever, watching him give that adorably sheepish smile while he apologized, but you gathered your things and began your walk back to the station, no longer bothering to hide the smile on your face and the enthusiastic racing of your heartbeat knowing that in the end, your date had gone even better than you could have ever imagined.