#I couldn’t find the groove of what the profs were looking for

[therealraeweber]

Art school is so completely draining and deflating some times

[haikyuu-drabble]

Soulmate AU | Terushima x Reader

hi i saw this post on tumblr about a colorblind soulmate au loool and so i wrote this... technically part two is in the works but idk if im a fan of where its going but if u guys really want it then ill try to work on it haha

terushima x reader | Colorblind

word count: 2670

__________________________

Black and white. That’s what you always saw, and you hated every moment of it. You’d been wanting to meet your soulmate for years. Out of all your friends you’ve wanted it the most. Every time you thought you might have found the person, when you reached out to touch them, nothing changed. You still saw black and white.

These days, most, if not all, of your friends could see in color. You’d constantly have them describe the shades or hues of things. You’d ask them things like what color your eyes were or what their favorite color was. You’d basically torture yourself.

Your friend laughed, “Maybe you haven’t met your soulmate because they can tell how desperate you are.”

You grimaced, “You don’t really think that’s it, do you?”

“Of course not!” you friend laughed, “Can you just relax? It’ll come when it comes. The best things always come when you’re not looking for it.”

“Well, can you blame me? My curiosity is only going to get worse the older we get. The number of people who only see in black and white in our age range is only getting smaller.” You grumbled.

You friend rolled her eyes and patted you on the back, “Just focus on what’s important to you right now, and it’ll show up.”

“Fine.” you sighed.

When it was time for your next class, you bid your friend goodbye. It was a new semester which meant new classes which also meant new classmates. This could be your chance. This could be the class that you meet your soulmate and finally see in color.

When you walked in, you saw a load of girls surrounding a particular area of the classroom. You tried to peak over the crowd to see what they were crowding over. It was a male student with short cropped hair. You raised a brow wondering why everyone was so preoccupied with him.

You decided to sit far away from the commotion. The professor gave the typical syllabus lecture, and in the midst of it, he announced that there’d be a partner project. He explained, “I already assigned your partners, and I’ll post them on the board after lecture. Be sure to communicate what you want your project to be about. I’ll be asking for topics next week.”

You felt yourself getting excited. This could be it. This assigned partner for class could be your assigned partner for life. You felt yourself fidgeting from anticipation of the list.

When class finally ended, you overheard girls saying things like “I hope I get Terushima” or “how lucky would I be to get Terushima as a partner?”

Frankly, you had no idea who they were talking about, but you also didn’t really care to know.

You were in line waiting for your turn to search the list when you overheard someone calling your name. You tried to look over the heads that were blocking your view and saw the same boy who was surrounded by girls earlier. You sighed to yourself. Great.

You waved your hand, and he grinned at you. You could hear the girls whispers around you, “she’s so lucky” and “I really thought I was going to be his partner”.

He walked up to you with a smile, “So, should we trade numbers?”

“How about emails?” you suggested.

“Isn’t it easier to communicate through text?” he raised a brow.

“If I said that I didn’t have a phone, would you believe me?” you faked a grin.

Terushima laughed, “No, but for that joke. I’ll settle for your email.”

You grabbed a scrap of paper and wrote your email on it. He did the same, and you two ended up trading the papers. He smiled, “I’ll email you some topics later!”

You nodded in response and walked off to your next class. All you could think of was how much work you’d definitely be putting into this project. He just seemed like the type of guy who wouldn’t carry his weight.

Later that night, you were watching television at your apartment. Getting used to going back into the groove of school always tired you out. You could feel your mind drifting off when your phone pinged. It was an email from Terushima. You opened it to see what it was about, and in it were over ten topics. How… did he already come up with so many?

You read over them, and you realized that they were all really interesting things to make a project about. You picked the three that were most interesting to you and emailed him back with your response. Within moments, he’d already emailed you back and said you should meet up to narrow down which one you wanted to do. You agreed.

The next day, you went to the campus cafeteria. It was the agreed meeting place, but you forgot how busy the room got when it was lunch time. You opened your email and asked him if he found a spot yet. However, there was no response. You tried to look around for him in the giant room, and after about fifteen minutes of looking you finally found him sitting at a table in the corner. You approached the table and sat across from him. “I’m sorry. I got here earlier, but I was looking around for you the whole time. I emailed you asking you where you were, but yeah…” you veered off.

Terushima smirked at you, “If we traded numbers like I suggested yesterday, you wouldn’t have had so much trouble.”

“If I could see color then I also would’ve been able to spot you better too.” You muttered.

He tilted his head, “You can’t see color, either?”

“Either?” you asked, “You haven’t met your soulmate yet?”

He shook his head and smiled, “Thankfully, no.”

You raised a brow, “What do you mean by ‘thankfully’?”

He leaned towards you, “Life would be so boring if I found my soulmate. I don’t want to settle.”

You propped your head up with your hand, “Finding your soulmate isn’t settling down. It’s finding your partner. Your whole life changes, and you can finally see in color. How is that settling down at all?”

“You see it this way, and I see it that way.” Terushima shrugged and put his hand up for a high-five, “Kudos to us for still being free!”

You stared at his hand, “Should you really be that open to touching people if you don’t wanna find your soulmate?”

Terushima lowered his hand and laughed, “I think it’s safe to say that neither of us get along that well. I highly doubt we’re soulmates.”

“Right.” You rolled your eyes and opened your laptop to start working, “So, what topics do you think should narrow down on?”

You two talked for about an hour figuring out the pros and cons of the topics. It took longer than you expected because you guys had to refer back to the original list since some of the other topics weren’t as easily researched as others.

Before you two split up, he asked for your number, and you had to agree. It would be annoying if you continued to communicate only through email.

You were glad that you figured out what topic to write about because now you didn’t have to worry about it until your professor had approved the topic.

Coincidentally, you came to class early the day the topic was due. You grabbed your study materials out of your bag waited for class to start. Someone sat down next to you, and you saw Terushima smiling at you, “So, did prof approve our project?”

“He said that he’s going to go over it a couple minutes before class ends.” You answered.

The rest of the class started flocking in, and that’s when the normal swarming of girls approached Terushima. You sighed and collected your things. Terushima turned to you, “I thought you said we still have to turn in our topic. Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry. I need a good grade, too. I’m not leaving.” You explained.

You moved away from the crowd, a couple rows in front of your original seat. It was much too early to deal with such a loud crowd.

Near the end of class, the professor explained that he was finally going to approve topics, and as soon as you were approved, you were free to leave. Since you were sitting near the front, you were one of the first people he checked. You quickly got his approval and texted Terushima the news. 

As soon as you packed your things and left the classroom, someone called your name from behind you. You turned around and saw Terushima chasing after you. Once he caught up with you, he asked, “Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“Well, he approved of our topic, and I texted you.” you held up your phone.

He checked his phone and saw the message, “Oh. I didn’t realize.”

“That’s because you were too distracted with the girls crowding around you.” You joked, “Maybe if you met your soulmate, you wouldn’t be so distracted.”

Terushima had a smile on his face, “Well, if you look at that. ‘Ms. Serious’ has jokes.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes, “It comes up on occasion.”

“Well, I know that now.” Terushima beamed, “So, where’s your next class?”

“I don’t have one actually. I’m done for the day.” You answered.

“Me either! Let’s get hangout” he invited.

“I don’t know. I’m kind of busy.” You veered.

You looked at his face and saw the slight disappointment. There was a part of you that wanted to give in, “But… I guess I can squeeze you into my busy schedule.”

Terushima grinned, “Great! I know the best place with the best bread!”

When you two got to the bakery, you grabbed some pastries. Terushima was ahead of you at the cash register, and you put your bread next to his, “I’ll pay for his food too.”

Terushima was taken aback, “What’s this about?”

You took out your wallet, “I feel bad since you found all the topics for the assignment. It had to have taken a lot of time because you got so many. So, consider this as my payback.”

You grabbed your bread and headed to a table to sit at. While eating, you got to know Terushima a little bit better. You asked, “Holdup. You played volleyball?”

“Played?” he repeated, “I still play! I’m on the school’s team.”

“How come I never noticed you, then?” you asked.

Terushima shrugged, “Maybe you just couldn’t believe such a perfect guy could exist.”

“Sure. That’s what it is.” You scoffed.

Once you finished eating, Terushima walked you to the station. Before leaving, you asked, “Next time, let’s meet up to research some sources.”

“I’m down.” Terushima grinned.

You planned to meet with the next couple of days, and after he walked you walked to the subway. You looked back one more time and saw that he was still looking at you. When he noticed you looking, he grinned and waved at you energetically. You couldn’t help but smile and wave back at him.

On the train, you couldn’t help but think that Terushima was an enigma. He was a flirt. That’s for sure, but it was strange. You thought with his direct way of speaking, you would have been able to get a grasp on him, but trying to see what he was actually feeling was more difficult thank you thought. One thing you did realize was that you got along with him more than you would ever admit.

The next day, you met up with your friend, Tendou. He hadn’t met his soulmate either, but you figured out quite early that you weren’t each other’s soulmate. You’d accidentally tripped, and he was quick to catch you. When there was no difference in your vision, you were disappointed. Sure, Tendou was a very eccentric person, but he was sweet and fun. But over time, you realized it was much better that you two were just friends. 

You had told him about Terushima and the group project. Tendou stuck up a finger, “That’s the wild guy on the volleyball team, right?”

“Am I the only person who didn’t know he played for the school?” you asked.

Tendou shrugged, “Hard to say. I used to play so maybe that’s why I took notice.”

“Maybe.” You sighed.

“Well, what’s your opinion of him?” Tendou got straight to the point, “You like him or something?”

You felt your face heat up, “T-Tendou!”

Tendou raised his brows, “That’s an interesting reaction.”

“No!” you denied, “It’s not even a reaction.”

“If you say so.” Tendou snorted.

You threw your hands up, “Let’s just change the subject!”

“Fine.” Tendou shrugged again, “Oh yeah! I’m starting a manga!”

“Again?” you laughed, “Please tell me you have better ideas than last time.”

The next day, you went to the library, and you texted Terushima asking where he was. He quickly replied, “I’ll come and get you.”

Within a couple of moments, you saw him waving at you, and you walked up to him. He whispered, “I already got started and found a few references.”

Once you got to the table, you saw there were a some of books and printouts. You grabbed a book and noticed that he’d even already bookmarked a couple of pages. You asked, “How long have you been here for?”

“I’m not really sure.” He answered, “I just came here after my class. I figured I might as well since I had nothing else to do.”

“Terushima, if you keep this up, I’m going to go bankrupt from buying you those hotdog breads.”

“I wouldn’t mind that actually.” He snickered.

He sat down in his seat, and you took the spot next to him. You opened your laptop and started looking for own searches to add to the collection. You knew that this class was going to be a lot of work, but you didn’t realize that it was going to be as much as it was. You were thankful that you had Terushima as a partner to complete the paper and presentation.

While reading an article, Terushima called for your attention, “Can you look at this article, and tell me if it’s usable for the paper?”

You tilted your chair to see his laptop screen a bit better. You were reading the part that he highlighted when you felt your chair start to dangerously lean over more. You quickly gasped, but Terushima grabbed your arm and caught you and pushed your chair back on the ground. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light. You flinched from it and closed your eyes. “Are you alright?” Terushima laughed, “Good thing I caught you. You really would have been a goner.”

You rubbed your eyes, and when you opened them, things looked very different. You could see color. Does that mean…?

In almost a breath, you asked, “Do you… see that?”

“See what?” Terushima laughed, “Your life flash before your eyes?”

“No! The—” You looked over at him, and you saw his golden locks. Terushima was blond. His eyes were a soft almond color, and his skin had a slight tan to it. He was... beautiful.

He was looking at you with a confused look, and your heart dropped. You could tell by his expression that he wasn’t seeing what you saw. He wasn’t seeing in color. You knew that could only mean one thing. Terushima was your soulmate, but... you weren’t his.

[onenightstandsdontsharesweaters]

One Night Stands Don’t Give You Their Sweaters When It’s Cold

Frat parties are great places for mistakes and I guess that’s where he comes in. I attract crazy like a magnet, whatever it is about me that brings situations like this towards me, I wish I could tell you. Sometimes I wish I could stop it. It feels like everyone else’s world keeps on turning and I get stuck, upside down, with no gravity.

It started like how a lot of things start for me, a boring day and my impulsiveness to say yes. 

Three hours, I was in a three hour night class. I was absolutely fine with rapidly scribbling down notes as the prof flipped through slides just a little too fast. Nothing bothered me until an opportunity popped up on my phone. 

This has happened before, two of my roommates text me, telling me about how Travis, a guy across the hall, needs to bring a girl to some fraternity party. It’s always for some requirement of whatever weird pledge thing they’re putting him through and they sacrifice me for it every time. 

It’s understandable though, my one roommate, Emily, has varsity skating at six in the morning, so partying is definitely out of the question. While for Shikha, she kind of had a thing with Travis the first week, we don’t talk about it, they’re still good friends, but she would never want to go to a party alone with him because of it. So that just leaves me, excluding our fourth roommate, but that’s a tale for another time.

Anyways, immediately the texts awakens me from my note-taking trance. It’s the two of them and once again Travis needs a girl and apparently, I’m that girl. I, of course, agree to it, I have no oppositions in the first place, plus Travis is my friend and I want to support him. I text him and receive a surprising lack of response considering they told me this was an emergency.

It throws off my groove, but whatever, if it wasn’t meant to be. 

It was quite cold outside for it being only late September, but I still found myself sweating in jeans and a long sleeve. The streetlights lead me down the sidewalk back to my dorm, one of the few things I love about that night class, an excuse to put some headphones in and stroll back home under the moonlight as if I was in an old movie.

Any sereneness I might have felt quickly dissipated when I made it to the third floor of my dorm and stopped by Travis’ room, just to see what was happening with this thing.

If you’ve ever had a six foot four, deaf, Polish guy wearing a full suit grab you by the shoulders, yelling, “You have five minutes before the bus comes, go!” Then I don’t have to describe how offputting it is, because I couldn’t even if I tried. My head was spinning, he was in a full suit, I was trying to ask him what I should wear, but he was too distracted to answer, and for some odd reason someone was screaming in the background, which I learned later on in the year that that’s a common thing for their room.

In the end, the two us, plus a girl he knew from high school, managed to get across the street to the bus stop, only to decide to take an Uber. I was pretty happy I already had mascara on from class, I had just enough time to put on some concealer and change into my token party outfit, high-waisted shorts, and the plunging top with the criss-cross that makes my boobs look really good (obviously important). The whole ride there Travis was lecturing me that shorts weren’t enough since it’s cold outside and my only protest was that I was sweating and at least I brought a flannel.

Needless to say, Travis ditched me and his high school friend the second we stepped out of the car and her and I spent most of the party awkwardly moving to different corners of the room, trying to find something to wash away the taste of the shitty, watered-down beer they provided us with. 

Okay, so this is the part of the story I’ve been gradually getting to. Now, there is something at parties I do that you need to know. Whenever I go to a party for the first little while I’m there when I haven’t started dancing yet and am still drinking, I scope out the crowd for cute guys. I usually pick out a handful that stick out to me and make really crappy attempts to get next to them whenever I get bored. 

This tradition continues on at this party as well and there’s this one guy with really cute hair, who I’m into the most out of all the ones I chose. Throughout the night he keeps coming into my field of vision and obviously I have nothing else to do, especially once Travis’ friend leaves to Buffalo the frat guys (if you don’ t know what that is, urban dictionary it, it’s the drinking game one, not the sexual definition), so I make a few shit attempts to stand next to him to get him to notice me. But I was way too sober for this event so I end up perched on the arm of the couch trying to charge my phone enough to call my friend Anthony to come and pick me up. 

When for the love of God my phone dies before Anthony has a chance to answer me and at the time I didn’t know what a blessing and a curse that’d be because the guy with the cute hair comes over and needs a partner for beer pong. Everything kind of goes downhill from there. 

From foosball to beer pong I was better than him every time, so of course when he invited me back to his place how could I refuse kicking his ass one more time and if I didn’t know any better I would’ve been naïve to what games he really wanted to play. 

One of the saddest parts of this story is I lost at Mario Kart, he whooped my ass hard, in more ways than one ;) Okay that was an awful joke, but if you’ve made it this far in the story then you gotta put up with my shitty humor. 

So, I’m usually not inclined to stay the night anywhere since I prefer my own bed and as much as I love the crude way of removing my eye makeup with hand soap and toilet paper, I like to shower at my own place. But when its three in the morning and someone’s offering to drive me back home the next morning, fuck it, pass me that Bath and Body Works. 

Needless to say, we both barely slept that night, tossing and turning and him letting me keep the window open despite the fact that he wanted it closed. So when seven a.m. rolled around I was ecstatic when he left to go pick up his car from the frat. So there I am, in this plush robe and t-shirt that isn’t mine fucking around on my phone because it’s too bright to go back to bed, like who the hell doesn’t have curtains? One of his roommates already left before he got up, leaving one left.

Now I should mention all night whenever we were both in his room he would lock the door, so I figured it was habit and did it too, but when he left I thought it’d be if I did weird since he’d have to get back in and I didn’t want to get up etc.

So here I am, in this guy’s robe, lying Paint Me Like One of Your French Girls style across the bed, I hear the other roommate get up since the floorboards were really creaky whatever. But from growing up in an old house I have a knack for telling where someone is in a house by the creaks and I swore I was hearing them come closer to the bedroom. Which was weird, since the bathroom and roommate’s room was on the other side of the open area, there was nothing to be over here for, so I just dismissed it. 

Then my head pops up as the door slightly cracks open our eyes locking, between bubblegum lips a soft voice says “hi”, the two of us looking like a deer caught in headlights, both unsure which one of us was the deer and which one was the car. After a hot second, obviously not being the person she was looking for she closes the door and I go back to my games.

Whenever I tell this story a lot of people freak out thinking I just met his girlfriend, now if I did, well fuck that sucks, but after explaining a few details like the separate room situation and that the house wasn’t the frat house, people usually chill out especially since the reality is a lot weirder for a university student with their own house. 

“So, I see you met my sister.” Was the first thing he said when he came back.

“Oh yeah, she seems nice.” You know if I can’t be sarcastic what else can I be?

“Yeah, I was gonna get us coffee, but after she texted me that, I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here, figured you either be asleep or gone.”

Well sorry to disappoint dude. 

To be honest, the morning could have gone worse, I got dressed in the shorts and flannel not wanting to squeeze my body back into that black shirt like butter in a tube sock, so I tied it around my purse and threw up hair up in a bun. The lucky son of a bitch got to put on sweatpants and a sweater, sliding on these wire owl glasses that I did not he wore, reminding me of my step-grandpa. Thank God he didn’t put those on before otherwise, I wouldn’t have stopped thinking about him. Breakfast was crepés made from batter that was in the fridge with peanut butter on them since those were the only two breakfast items he had.

But to be honest it almost felt cold, we didn’t really speak, from the little kisses and snuggles he gave me last night it seemed like a complete flip of a card. Going from hearing about his depressing breakup with his ex ‘cause she slept with the president of his frat and having him hold me so close even if I turned away to barely exchanging a few words besides some dry sarcasm was a little like a slap in the face. 

You would think the rest of the morning would be fine, whatever I met his sister, shit happens. Well, I guess he didn’t think that he’d be too tired to drive, so we took the bus. Yes, we took the bus back together to campus. Which wouldn’t have been so bad except I’ve never used this city’s bus system, a lot dicier than the GO bus back home and because it was colder in the morning so I had to hear him patronizing me.

“Why are you wearing shorts? It’s cold out.”

Well, I didn’t exactly have a catwalk collection to pick out from this morning.

“Who the hell wears shorts to a party?” 

Those who are going to a house party in September, that’s just obvious.

“I would give you my sweater, but I don’t think I would be getting it back and I kind of need it.”

Wasn’t gonna ask, but I was dumb to think you might’ve. Because as much as I didn’t admit to myself, I wanted and imagined he would.

The asshole put on headphones, leaving me to stand awkwardly facing him for about a twenty-minute bus ride and I’m pretty sure everyone knew what happened to me. Who else ties their shirt to their bag at 8:30 in the morning? The only reassuring part of the bus ride was he told me when my stop was leaving with him wishing me luck in my Spanish class. Which didn’t help.

I take no more than three steps before familiar laughter explodes behind me and I turn around to see two girls from my floor absolutely dying. They ask for details, what happened, who I slept with, etc. When I jab my thumb to the still open bus doors and say, “him.” Which erupts in another explosion of laughter.

When I finally make it back inside my dorm, I am relieved to see my roommate still waiting for me in the cafe as she slowly claps for my catwalk of shame to which I have to dramatically bow back, getting some pretty confusing looks from others.

Now I guess there is no point to this story, there was one originally when I started writing this all the way back in September when I felt the irritation of the guy’s comments and the lack of kindness when he spoke to me in the morning, the awkwardness of the bus ride back and the slight embarrassment of the story being passed around my floor.

But so much has changed now, I’m even less inclined to stay over at a hookups place anymore, I’ve never had to ride the bus back from a one-night-stand again and the strangers who once playfully teased me for my elaborate hookup story (which is better in person, since it would be too much to include all the details in writing) has become my family. 

I guess a part of me hookups with guys not only for the sex, but for the moment where you almost feel loved and cared for, and during my first university one-night-stand, I was a little more naïve and maybe deep down, hoped someone would love me. But a hookup doesn’t love you, no matter how much it may feel like it and I guess I had to get the mirror shattered for me because no matter what, one-night-stands don’t share their sweaters when it gets cold.

- Stella V

[howlingbarnes]

Falling Up - Part Five

Characters - Bucky Barnes X Reader, OFC Tesla Banner, Steve Rogers, Maria Hill, Brief Tony Stark, Mentions of other minor characters

Word Count - 2668

Warnings - Language, Cliffhanger

AU - Prof!Bucky

Song - Falling Up by Mike Dupree ft. Maddi Jane

A/N - Steve explains himself. How does Bucky know where we live? Time to find out. The next part is one of my favorites in the series!!

Falling Up Masterlist

You were startled out of your sleep by the sound of your ringtone cutting through the calm, quiet air in your bedroom. The clock informed you that it was 5:47 am which was the most you could read through one squinted eye.

“Hello?” Your groggy voice croaked into the phone.

“Y/N.” The urgent voice on the other end belonged to your sister. “What's going on? Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?”

“Erm, what? No.” You groaned and sat up in the darkness of your room. “Tesla, I’m fine. Why are you calling me so early? You do know that I go back to work today right?” Your voice came out mildly annoyed as you slid out of your big, comfortable bed and began sleepily making your way to your bathroom with closed eyes.

“Okay, first of all, I’m a mother and we don’t sleep. Second, I’m a wife and Bruce just left for work. Third, I got your text about Clint.” You rested your elbows on your knees as your sister spoke in one run-on sentence during your morning pee. “I knew he had a girlfriend months ago…I know that’s why you stopped talking, but I had no idea that they were still together, living together even. What are you gonna d- are you peeing?” Her curiosity cut her short as the sound of a flush rang through your bathroom.

“Yes, you woke me up, dork. As for Clint…” You sighed, drying off your hands before making your way out of the room and downstairs to your kitchen. “I’m not going to do anything but stay away from him - forever.” Tesla hummed in agreement.

“Pietro! I already said no. Now, go get dressed so I can get Wanda ready for daycare, please.” She sighed and you could almost picture her fingers running through her long hair out of frustration at the seven-year-old. “Okay, so what are you going to do about Steve? Did you ever answer his text?” She asked as her attentions were brought back to the conversation.

“I swear, your ‘mom tourettes’ get worse every day.” You chuckled, pouring yourself a cup of coffee and silently thanking yourself for setting the timer on the pot. “No I didn’t but I guess I’m gonna talk to him today.” You groaned and sipped your liquid energy. “I can’t avoid him forever, I work for him. Plus, maybe he’ll leave me alone if I do.”

“I hear ya, sis. Well, just call me if you need anyth- Pietro! No, you’re not taking that to school, put it back! Do I need to call daddy?” She hollered, causing you to move the phone away from your ear. “Sorry, Y/N. I gotta go, have a good day at work. I’ll talk to you later.” You laughed and agreed before hanging up and continuing your morning routine.

It was strange being back in your office after a two-week vacation. You felt like you had to lie to each person that asked you how it went or if you enjoyed it. After so long, it was like the place you practically lived at for the past eight months was new and uncomfortable. You sat down and picked up on the work that had been left by your assistant in your absence. You spent the remainder of the morning going over a case after case. It wasn’t long before you got back into your normal groove. You’d gotten so deep into your work that you didn’t even realize that it was time to take a lunch break at least not until your assistant was at your door.

“Miss Y/L/N?” She knocked as she spoke.

“Yes, Maria?” You called back to her without looking up at her.

“Mr. Rogers wants to see you in his office.” Her tone was just on the borderline of informative and curious.

Your fingers froze and you looked at her over your computer screen. You never really took the time to look at Maria before; she was beautiful. Though you could tell that she was older than you, she still looked young. Her brown hair was pulled back into a bun that showed off her face and looked cute along with the black framed glasses that sat on the edge of her nose. You wondered why in all the years she’d worked there that she chose to remain an assistant. Pushing these thoughts to the back of your mind, you smiled.

“Thank you, Maria.” You responded and waited for her to walk away before releasing the tense breath you had been holding. On the way to Steve’s office, you felt a wave of heat wash over your body though you kept repeating to yourself that everything was fine.

“Thanks, Tony.” The sound of Steve’s muffled voice traveled through the large wooden door, making you stop dead in your tracks.

“No problem, tell your parents I said hello,” a slightly older gentleman replied.

You’d never met Anthony Stark before but the air of intimidation that radiated off of him reached you through the big slab of oak between the two of you. You were almost afraid to move for fear of being accused of eavesdropping so you stood where you were and waited for your turn to go inside.

“I will. Hug Pepper and Peter for me.” Steve said and you could hear the knob on the door turn. There he was, the co-owner of your company. Though he was intimidating, there was something soft about him. He nodded hello as he walked by and his lips curled into a smile that you returned. The smell of a strong cologne trailed behind him as he made his way down the hall. Once he was out of sight, you quickly composed yourself and made your way to the door. You knocked firmly and waited.

“Come in.” Steve’s voice was stern and serious, contrasting the tone he carried with Mr. Stark just moments before. You pulled the door open and stepped into the large office. Steve sat behind an oversized, mahogany desk.  He worked his expensive fountain pen between his fingers as he read. Finally, after signing the paper, his blue eyes took in the figure standing by the seat facing his desk.

“Y/N.” Steve sounded almost surprised to see you. He sat up straight and moved his paperwork to the side. “Have a seat, please.” It was a professional sounding sentence, yet his tone was that of someone talking to a friend. You sat down in the large armchair wondering if everything in the room had to be as big as he was.

“You requested a meeting, Mr. Rogers?” You said almost bitterly. Steve continued as if he hadn’t noticed. Nodding his head slightly, he looked around the office awkwardly.

“I haven’t gotten a chance to really talk to you since the last time you were here.” He paused, trying to gauge your reaction. Once he realized you didn’t have one, he began to speak again. “I wanted to apologize to you. I’m sure you have some questions, and I - I want to answer them.” You couldn’t help the sarcastic chuckle that vibrated your throat.

“Alright, Steve.” You leaned forward and looked into his eyes. “Are you married or not because you were wearing a ring, I know you were, and suddenly now you aren’t.” Both you and Steve were surprised at your sudden confidence.

“No.” he sighed, “Well, yes. Tech-Technically, I am,” he stuttered. You were being thrown for a loop, you’d never seen Steve get flustered before yet there he was with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and rosy cheeks.

You crossed your arms and raised a brow. “Well we’re off to a great start aren’t we?” You muttered, making him lower his eyes.

“We’re separated, okay?” His tone was serious and heavy. “Peggy and I have been at emotional odds for nearly a year now. She’s still my wife, I still really care about her so I wear my ring. I don’t think about it, it’s just first nature after nine years.”

Steve looked up at you again, his eyes pleading for some understanding. As much as you wanted to stay mad, you weren’t sure you could. At this point, you weren’t sure what to feel. You liked Steve, sure, but there was a history between husband and wife that you wanted nothing to do with. Steve’s marriage was something you simply didn’t want to be caught in the middle of; mistress just wasn’t in your job description.

“Y/N, I ju-“ You put up your hands and closed your eyes briefly, cutting him off.

“Steve, I’ve heard enough.” It was your turn to sound serious. “I think you really need to figure out things with your wife, what was her name?” You paused, waiting for an answer.

“Peggy.” He barely choked out the name before his thumb reached to touch the metal circle that wasn’t on his ring finger.

“Peggy.” You repeated with a sharp nod. “Yeah, get your shit together before bringing anyone else into the equation.” You spoke clearly and calmly but your heart was pounding in your ears. You wanted to forgive Steve, you wanted to apologize for overreacting and to give him a chance. From what you knew, he was a good man and he obviously had a big heart but for something like this, you had to go against your own selfish wants. Steve said nothing, his eyes stayed fixed on his fingers that were laced together on his desk. You stood and began making your way for the door.

“Y/N,” Steve called from behind you yet his body remained unmoved. “I also wanted to offer you the promotion. I do hope that you accept it despite this mess, you genuinely deserve it.” You closed your eyes as your hand rested on the doorknob.

“Thank you, Mr. Rogers.” You breathed out before opening it and stepping out.

On the way back to your office, you felt a tightness around your heart. You felt like an asshole for rejecting Steve the way you had and even worse that he promoted you right after. You freaked out on him and painted him as a monster just to find out that he’s going through a difficult time. You felt horrible. Upon approaching your office, Maria stopped you just before you could open your door.

“I have a,” She squinted at the small note in her hand, “Clint Barton on line one.” You sighed heavily, the last thing you were in the mood for was Clint.

“Thank you, Maria.” You huffed as she offered a tight smile. You sat in your big leather chair and picked up the phone. Your head rested in the palm of your hand and you squeezed your eyes shut as a migraine teased at you.

“What do you want?” You asked bluntly.

“I...just wanted to see if you were free for lunch?” Clint answered, sounding wounded.

“No. Don’t call me again.” With that, you hung up and went back to your work.

You spent the rest of your work day the same way you had started it; going over cases, typing and putting on a fake smile for the people stopping by your office uninvited to give you their congratulations. The day was consistent except for the lingering unhappiness you felt. You couldn’t wait to get out of there, away from Steve and away from the back to back calls from Clint who didn’t seem to take a fucking hint.

As soon as your twelve-hour mark hit at 9 pm, you were out the door. You said goodnight to anyone that said it to you and set out for the garage. You couldn’t have thanked yourself for driving the car your father had given you instead of your hybrid; this beast was much faster. You climbed into the sleek car and set out for your destination.

Hours later, you found yourself staring at your phone. The music in the small space was blaring, the air was smoky and everything was blurry. Surprisingly enough, you were able to call the person your drunk mind was searching for in your contacts. Without any regard for what time it was, you hit the green call button on your screen. The line rang three times before it was answered.

“Hello?” a raspy, groggy voice came through to your ear.

“Hey!” You excitedly squealed at the sound of the voice. “Can you come help me find my keys?” You slurred.

“I know I told you to call me but, Y/N, it’s 3 am. Are you okay? You sound drunk.” You giggled and shushed the voice as you stumbled out of the bar. You were under the impression that the Earth was moving you toward your car.

“I’m not drunk! I’m just drunk. Come on an’ help meowt.” After a painful seventeen minutes of trying to figure out how to explain where you were, you hung up. You laid across the hood of your car and decided it was a good place to hope that everything would stop spinning. The metal cooled your face and chest, a content sigh left your lips and your eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment until you felt a pair of hands gripping your hips.

“You got three seconds before I turn ‘round an’ kick yer ass.” You warned the unknown bearer of the set of frisky hands. You stumbled backward into a thick, muscular chest as they pulled your body back and off the car.

“Whoa. Easy, tiger.” You turned around and was instantly greeted by the shine of those, now familiar, icy blue eyes you’d grown fond of. “Remind me not to piss you off.” He smirked while assessing your balance capabilities. You gripped his broad shoulders and blinked until you were seeing just one of him.

“Bucky!” You were downright giddy to see the professor. “I found my keys.” You informed him, pulling your keys from your pocket where they had always been. Bucky drew his bottom lip into his mouth and nodded.

“Alright.” He shook his head before his eyes roamed the bar’s parking lot. “Now to find your car, I took a cab so now we’re both kinda stuck.” Your laugh echoed throughout the crisp night air.

“This is my car, Bucky.” You gestured at the monster before you, and Bucky’s brows.

“This...what is this a ‘69 Charger, is your car?” He asked in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

“Uh huh, s’ma baby.” You beamed, gesturing at the beautiful black car. Bucky shrugged and smiled when your keys fell into his open hand.

“Alright. Get in, I’ll take you home.” He guided you to the passenger door and opened it for you.

“How?” You paused to gather yourself as the world began moving once again, “How do you know where I live?” The question came out before you even had a chance to think about it. Bucky helped you into the car and rubbed the back of his neck.

“You uh, you went to NYU Law…I work at NYU. Student records are easy to get to.” He admitted, mainly because he was sure you wouldn’t remember his confession the next day.

“Ahh, sneaky sneaky, Professor Barnes.” You giggled, pulling your legs into the car. “I don’t want to go home, there are too many stairs.” You pouted as he leaned over your lap, buckling your seatbelt before closing your door and climbing into the driver’s seat. The car came to life with a roar, the sound of soft music coming through the radio making Bucky smile in the dark.

“Oh? Where do you want to go, doll?” He asked, amused at how different your drunken personality was from how you normally behaved.

“Does your place have stairs?” You asked quietly, looking over at him with glossy eyes.

“No,” he replied with a raised brow, “It doesn’t.”

“Take me there, Bucky.”

Tags - (forever/closed) @bovaria @bionic-buckyb @marvel-ash @purgatoan @mamapeterson  @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @feelmyroarrrr @my-blackbird-universe @hellomissmabel @huffleypuffelycas @alexx-in-wonderland123 @thirstybitchqueen @palaiasaurus64 @callamint @takemetoneverland91 @seargantbcky @marvel-fanfiction @hollycornish @toc1985 @lillianfromaccounting @viollettes @sincerelysaraahh  @anyakinamidala @teamfreewill-imagine @debzybrazy

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[dirtdiggersanddinosaurs]

#PressTrip This weekend marks 3 weeks since we experienced the delights of Timber Festival and 3 weeks until we fully immerse ourselves in our next Wild Rumpus adventure at Just So. But before you start to hate me too much, I’ll crack on and tell you all about how we got on at Timber.

For those of you who read my preview (if you didn’t, catch up here) you’ll know that Timber Festival was our eagerly anticipated start to the Summer and this year’s festival season. We were looking for a chilled out vibe, with lots to keep the kids happy and generally we wanted to spend some quality time together continuing on from our holiday.

So how did it measure up?

Well if you’re expecting a run down of the acts and experiences I’d listed in my preview as our must sees, then you’re going to be slightly disappointed…why? Because when we got there, the site was so beautiful, calm and spread out that we kept getting distracted and stumbling across other things by accident. We were then completely absorbed and forgot all about what we were meant to have been doing.So basically we decided not to be ruled by the programme, and instead discover, explore and enjoy the festival on our own terms. Yes, we did miss a few things that we wanted to see but this way we found we took in things that we wouldn’t have necessarily chosen on paper. Plus, it gives us a few things to add to our Timber 2020 bucket list.

Practicalities for Parents.

Timber Festival takes place in Fearnedock near Ashby in the National Forest and runs over a three day weekend. The festival encourages families to immerse themselves into the heart of the forest while exploring their relationship with trees and nature.

The site is relatively well spaced out and there is a fair bit of walking involved for those with little legs but luckily we had a wagon, well I say lucky but I’m not entirely convinced that Ben considered himself lucky when he was pulling two sleepy children and our gear (we took chairs and a large picnic blanket) back up the hill when we left!

There were plenty of water points throughout the site so take a reusable water bottle with you and stay hydrated, especially if the sun is shining. There was also a cashpoint near to the entrance although some of the vendors took card payments.If you feel slightly nervous of taking a baby to a festival set in a forest then fear not, we were your happy little guinea pigs and took Eli (8 months) with us.

Imagine my glee when I discovered A BABY CHANGING TENT. This was a tepee style arrangement that was laid out with changing mats and also a selection of biodegradable nappies and wipes too should you find yourself running low. So no trekking back to the campsite each time to change a nappy, or trying to balance a baby on your knee while you do the honours! Not necessarily high up on everyone’s priorities when choosing a festival but it certainly made my day a whole lot easier. Mama’s you’re with me on this, right?

Our Foray into the Forest.

After trading in our tickets for wristbands we headed into the site intending to meander down to Field Notes to chill out for a bit and get our bearings before exploring. This however didn’t happen as Stanley spotted a familiar mini gypsy caravan in As The Crow Flies and we had no choice but follow a very excited 5 year old into the woodland clearing.

Ian Douglas Campfire Stories

In a totally non-stalkerish way [honestly] we tend to follow Ian Douglas around a bit, over the last few years we’ve caught up with him at ‘A Day at the Lake’ which was held at Rudyard Lake and annually at Etruria canals Festival. So it was a complete no brainer that we would listen to his stories at Timber as my boys (and me) absolutely love him.

Any campfire would be a pretty sad and lonely place without the incredible Ian Douglas, the storyteller to end all storytellers. Storytelling inspired by British folk tales and world myths.

So we settled in around the fire, and allowed ourselves to get taken into a magical world of adventure. Be warned: audience participation is not only actively encouraged it’s almost compulsory, and adds to the theatre. Stories need sound effects and we became waves crashing up against the rocks.

Hammer & Chisel

Could this have been any more perfect for my boys?

Wild play rules at our unique woodland playground. Under the supervision of our forest play experts, create your own world or add to ours using pallets, ladders and ropes and help us put together a myriad of walkways, dens and secret spaces. Pick up your tool of choice and get ready to build a Timberland.

Well, unsurprisingly they wholeheartedly threw themselves into this. I actually think Ben enjoyed it just as much as the boys did, there’s something about men and tools…they are instantly drawn to them.

After waiting, and waiting and a bit more waiting I gave up and left them to it and happily headed back to the campfire for another story this time to be enjoyed without a child wriggling around on my knee – bliss!

Professor Pumpernickel’s Mind-bending Science Show.

Eventually the boys downed tools and joined me at the campfire just in time for Professor Pumpernickel’s science show. I know what you’re thinking..sounds a bit boring right, this is a festival not a classroom! Well if you’re expecting a tweed wearing professor with half moon glasses you’re going to be in for quite a shock when I introduce you to Professor Pumpernickel.

Professor Pumpernickel travels the country with his laboratory of lunacy. His mission:- to enthuse all ages and abilities about science in hope of seeding some of our future inventors, explorers, life savers and superheroes.

If you like fire, explosions, loads of mess and mind-bending magic, you’ll love Pumpernickel. We certainly did. From his crazy blue hair, to his mad scientist accent there was nothing at all boring about Prof Pumpy.

James was enthralled and took it upon himself to move seats to get closer to the action so he could try to catch the bright orange smoke rings that the Prof shot out of his homemade ‘cannon’. Stanley found the whole show hilarious, giggling his way through.We weren’t out of the woods yet, quite literally! Our next adventure was just around the corner.

TwistingSpace Giant Marble Run

Seeing is believing with this one, the giant marble run was suspended between the trees and was skillfully made from culled rhododendron. It was a beautiful thing to behold, an work of art in itself.

It was also a lot of fun too as the boys raced their marbles down the twisting tracks.

Aside from the main run, there was also a section with pieces that you could build yourself. Coming from a household full of wooden Brio train track, my boys loved creating their own mini marble run and we spent quite a bit of time here.Naturally, we did do a fair bit of hanging around watching the boys play but there was such a relaxed feel and the setting was stunning. It was lovely to just stand and breathe in the forest.

Next stop was the bar (hooray!!) and compared to other events the prices were reasonable and we hardly had to queue as there were bars situated in every general ‘area’ of the site. Once you’ve paid for your (reusable plastic) glass, it’s yours to keep which makes for a nice keepsake of the festival too.Finally, we made our way down the hill into Field notes and set up ‘base’ we sat and enjoyed the sun soaking up the atmosphere. The boys ran around the field and played on the hay bales with some other children. I just love how children make friends so easily.

One of the other boys told Stanley about a giant game of Guess Who, and as he and James came running over to tell us all about it we knew that our time relaxing was about to come to an abrupt halt! So, wagons roll we were off to Halcyon Days!

Beginner’s Luck

This was actually a huge amount of fun, we laughed A LOT!

Dreamt up and brought to life by the Wild Rumpus artistic team, expect to become a human meeple in a giant game of Ludo, crush your opponent in our enormous, ridiculous game of Guess Who and wrestle our gigantic Tiddlywinks into submission!

Watching two Dad’s bellow questions from either end of the Guess Who board…it was huge, they really did have to shout, bless them!..to be greeted with a huge chorus of YES or NO from all the kids who then charged around knocking the characters down was just hilarious and a bit bonkers!

It was fab, and everybody was in such high spirits too, they didn’t even mind too much when James got carried away and started randomly knocking the characters down between turns. It was fun and it was inclusive of all age groups. What a brilliant idea!

We also managed to catch Sweep of Swallows as they passed through. These giant yet graceful swallow puppets toured the site throughout the day.

Next was a much needed comfort break. Now, we all know festival toilets are the stuff of nightmares legend so this wasn’t something I was particularly looking forward to. Timber is a eco friendly festival so the toilets weren’t your standard portaloo’s. Outside each block was a container of straw with a handy sign that read ‘one scoop per poop’. I’m pleased to report that we are no longer compost toilet virgins…and it was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting! Phew!

Back over to Field Notes and we were set to experience my absolute highlight of the Festival…

Otto & The Mutapa Calling

Wow, these certainly made us get our groove on! Even now as I’m typing this 3 weeks later, I’m smiling at the memory.

Otto & The Mutapa Calling were full of energy and we just couldn’t help but dance along. They put on a great show with fab music and showed everyone how to get their bodies moving and shaking along.

James just loved this group and as some of the musicians turned dancers were dancing side to side in front of the stage James tried to copy them. It was so cute, he loves dancing and was very much enjoying himself.

We weren’t the only ones dancing though Otto & The Mutapa Calling in their brightly coloured shirts and headbands seemed to get the whole of Field Notes up onto their feet!

For the next couple of hours we just relaxed in the last of the sunshine, the boys played bubbles with their new friends and we enjoyed an ice-cream from one of the many vendors situated in The Common.

We also had fun rolling down the big hill from the Hollow Way lookout, yes I had a go too but thankfully there’s no photos of that!

Simon Watt’s Frogs & Friends

Frogs might be brilliant but, sadly, they are dying out. In a comedic lecture Simon Watt explores why frogs are better than people!

I found myself alone (Ben and the boys had gone for a stroll) as I gave Eli his bedtime bottle and cuddled him to sleep, sitting listening to Simon’s performance. It was both educational and funny, and I found myself chuckling along with the rest of the audience. It was something completely different and I was glad I got to experience it even if it was slightly unintentionally.

Once the gang came back we headed over to The Canopy via the Eyrie Stage. Esya was performing and we stopped to listen for a while. The stage is in such a beautiful setting that it really is something special. The lighting makes it almost look magical, Stanley described it as an elf house.

Once in The Canopy we settled in and awaited our final performance for the day. We knew it would be popular and got there a little while before it was due to start to grab a good spot.

The Baron in the Trees, Lost in Translation Circus

The Baron in the Trees is a playful, romantic fable set in the 18th century. In this surreal tale the 12 year old son of the Baron climbs a tree in protest at being forced to eat snails, vowing that his feet will never touch the ground again!

To be honest all that was lost on us, ironic given the name of the circus performing the show! HOWEVER, we thoroughly enjoyed the performance regardless. Stanley was completely spell bound watching the amazing acrobatics taking place in the tree tops above him.

We also witnessed high flying stunts, a human tower balancing act and plenty of juggling. There was also a tree top trapeze swing which Stanley said was amazing. After giving the circus a huge round of applause, the sky had started to darken so we decided to call it a day (reluctantly).

On route out of the site we were once again (too easily) distracted by giant bubble blowing in Halcyon Days and stopped to watch a while.

Our Final Say

As a final farewell we climbed up to Hollow Way Lookout for a second time to watch the sun set on what had been a truly memorable day.

Timber is such a treat, a completely chilled out festival suitable for everyone. It’s family friendly but also offers something for those wanting to learn about nature and conservation, enjoy some awesome live music, or simply relax and while away the weekend in a beautiful setting.I personally felt there was a real sense of community among the Timber parents, children made new friends, items of clothing and snacks were shared and at one point we had a little boy climb into our buggy for a nap while Eli was enjoying rolling around on our picnic blanket. I was also asked a couple of times whether I would like a drink fetching because I was trapped under a sleeping baby! Our only regret is that we just attended for one day, but I think you’ll agree we crammed a lot in. We have already put the date in the diary for next year, and we want to do the full weekend next time.

Book Your Tickets for Timber 2020

Tickets for Timber Festival 2020 are now on sale at timberfestival.org.uk. The award-winning festival (Best Festival in the UK 2018) returns to the beautiful 70 acre woodland of Fearnedock in the National Forest from 3-5 July 2020. A limited number of Early Bird tickets are now available to buy online, with a 25% discount on all tickets for residents of the National Forest.

Disclaimer: We attended Timber Festival as a press trip. Tickets were gifted in return for blog coverage, a review of the event and promotion across my social media channels.

All images are my own unless otherwise credited.

Five Go into the Woods: Timber Festival Review 2019 #PressTrip This weekend marks 3 weeks since we experienced the delights of Timber Festival and 3 weeks until we fully immerse ourselves in our next…