#I have a couple I have my eye on that I can order from hardware stores

[taibhsearachd]

In case anyone was wondering how this turned out... I got the X-ray. They didn't notice anything wrong with my bone, and my doctor offered no further interest or support despite me telling her I sometimes can't make it up and down the stairs in my own house to go pee. So I'm out the cost of the X-ray, and I would probably be better served by buying a cheap $200 folding wheelchair than trying to actually force some medical professional to identify what's wrong.

Very cool that in the US I have a problem with my ankle that's been ongoing for a year... on real bad days I can feel something in my foot grinding or clicking over something... and I gotta clear this with my insurance before I can get a test that will diagnose this problem I've been having for a year. Extra cool that I have to wait for the time of year when you're allowed to switch insurance providers, bc I want to negotiate with the new insurance providers vs the old ones about whether they should X-Ray my ankle that doesn't work.

[periprose]

Ps5 Peter Parker x reader inspired by this?

It's one of my favorite MerDer moments on Grey's anatomy 🙈😭

Peter explains something about physics or an idea for a gagdet...

🤣 this image really cracked me up lol thanks for the ask!! I've set the fic to take place in the first game, Peter and Reader are Otto's assistants at Octavius Industries. Please ignore the science mumbo jumbo in this fic.

/

Otto's lab was really cold this time of year. He barely had the funds to make rent in Manhattan, let alone provide optimal heating and other luxuries.

Still, you shiver, searching through your locker for your comfy, oversized jumper. You're just pulling it on when Peter pops up from behind you.

"Hey."

"Jesus!" You flinch and then rub your eyes. "Hey, Peter. How do you get behind me so fast? That's the third time this month I didn't even see you come in."

"Uh... I just have good reflexes, I think." Peter's mouth twists a little, as he tries not to laugh at your jumper. "Are you sure that's up to lab standards? Where's your lab coat?"

"Ah, Otto doesn't mind. He knows I'm cold." You explain, and Peter sighs.

"Well, he never gives me special treatment."

"Probably because you're not as cute as I am." You joke, but Peter nods and you feel a callous level of attraction towards him for being so nonchalant in terms of flirting.

You never really know where you stand with the guy. He's a naturally witty person and you refuse to read into anything any deeper, just for self preservation.

"Hey, I can't disagree with that." Peter laughs that quiet, soft laugh that makes you smile on your own. "Here, I got you a cup of coffee. That should help warm you up."

You look down and see, sure enough, Peter's holding a coffee cup tray, loaded with three cups, surely your usual orders- for you, extra black espresso to stay awake, for Peter, usually some kind of healthy tea hybrid, and for Otto, a large, creamy Italian coffee blend that's particularly expensive (Peter always jokes that Otto wastes funding on things like this).

"Oh, I'll pay you back." You reach back into your locker for your wallet, but Peter stops you with a raise of his hand.

"It's free of charge. No worries." He hands you the cup gently, and your hand skirts across his. You think for a moment.

"Nothing is ever really 'free of charge', Peter." You give him a side glance. In the last couple of months you've known this guy, you've figured out when he has an ulterior motive.

"... Alright, alright. You got me." Peter starts pulling you along by the hand, towards one of Otto's offices filled with white-boards and desks and equipment. You take a sip of your coffee and notice that it's still quite hot- Peter must've been really fast to make it so.

Not that you're complaining, and now that you're warmer you do feel more inclined to listen to him.

"Okay. You know how Otto's neural interface for the experimental arms have been glitching out?" Peter's got a firm look on his face, as you sit and listen.

"Yeah. It's a poor prototype, I think he asked us to leave it alone? He said he'd deal with it." You shrug. "I've moved on to his requests for a tighter, stronger arm. You know I deal with hardware."

"Yes, but even so, the neural interface problem still persists. Otto's lying." Peter looks at the whiteboard, and sees that half of it is covered all over with erratically drawn diagrams and equations. It's fine, he knows he can write what he needs in that space.

"Okay, look." Peter begins drawing a diagram of the neural interface's circuitry. "See how the voltage is really high?"

"Yeah- but isn't that what Doc wanted?" You grimace. "Last time I brought up the voltage issue, he told me to mind my business and continue with soldering. He wants so much power for some reason."

"Right, that's what I'm talking about. Notice how Otto keeps having those outbursts?" Peter sighs, a deeply upsetting look overtaking him. "He's getting a bit aggressive as of late, and I think it's because he can't figure this out."

"You're telling me. Just yesterday he chewed me out for clocking in a bit late." You sniff. "Okay, I was fifteen minutes late, but still."

"I've been there, you don't even have to justify it." Peter laughs, and begins drawing squiggly lines. You can't help but notice how his strangely muscular arms are tense and visible through his lab coat as he scrawls, and you take a sip of your coffee, savoring the view. Looking isn't illegal, you try to rationalize, but you quickly banish these thoughts as Peter looks back with a sly glance, to make sure you're paying attention.

"This is the electricity flow... and it should be heading this way, but the neural interface is made incorrectly and the flow of energy is heading back this way... towards the-"

"The battery of the arms, not the interface." You suddenly realize, and take a scrap piece of paper off the desk, scribbling down notes. "Hmm... maybe the wiring used for the arms is absorbing too much energy? Or the batteries are too big?"

"Maybe, but neural interfaces are tricky business." Peter winces as Otto yells at something in the background of the lab. "I told Otto not to get too involved with it- it's far too easy to accidentally mess with your brain, and then suddenly you've got anger issues or worse-"

"Dementia." You finish his sentence with an equally grim expression. "Okay. I hear you, but how are we supposed to fix it, exactly? I can only think of using different, smaller wires, or a less cost heavy battery- but then it won't move at the speed Otto wants it to."

"Yeah." Peter's shoulders slump a little, and you feel bad. He's always just one dude trying to take on the entire world's problems.

"Peter, it's not your problem, really. You can only do so much- the man has made up his mind, he's going to have to take the brunt of the problem." You try to console him, but Peter has that determined Parker Pride you've seen far too often, and you know he's not going to let it go.

"Wait, wait. Okay..." Peter starts frantically drawing on the board, and seeing that he's running out of space, without missing a beat, begins to draw on the wall.

"Peter! You're drawing on the wall!" You admonish him, and to your shock and utter horror, but not to your surprise, he keeps going. "Now you've completely lost it- it'll take two seconds to erase the board-"

But Peter isn't listening, in that overly stubborn, inventor way that you know you've done before. He's too lost in his own thoughts, and you know that spark will disappear if he takes a moment to stop drawing.

"I'll clean it. It's fine. We got to get a move on." Peter points to the new diagram on the wall. "Look at this."

Peter's drawn a rudimentary depiction of the robotic arm prototypes you've built for Otto, but the battery pack has been split up into several, smaller batteries that extend over the course of the arms. Something about the way the arms move in Peter's drawings look a lot more... smooth, silky, like a cephalopod.

An octopus.

But you are amazed at Peter's capabilities, either way. "Using multiple different batteries, so the energy isn't drawn away from the neural interface in a great capacity?" You blink, a bit amused at Peter's eager expression. "It would work, I think, but only if Otto is willing for a slight decrease in power."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. We don't need to sacrifice power at all." Peter draws a set of gears, interlocking through the squiddy looking arm, and you clap your hands, clambering up out of your seat, finally enthused by his idea.

"Peter Parker, you genius!" You shake his arm excitedly, and he turns a bit pinker as he watches you, grinning. "Otto wanted the arm to be almost entirely synthetic material- but if it has rotating gears, the less it will jerk around. It'll be faster, smoother-"

"Thus requiring less power anyways, and less power will be redirected into his neural interface. And, hypothetically, no more angry Otto." Peter grins, and you smile up at him. "I mean, it'll still take some tinkering to figure out, but incremental improvements are still improvements, right?"

"Definitely. Plus we can always try to convince him about solar power again." You joke as Peter snickers.

Peter opens his mouth, about to say something to you, but he stares for a moment too long and hesitates, especially because in the nerdy excitement, he had gotten so close to you, and he was a liar if he said he had never checked out his cute co-worker. Any second now, you should be teasing as you usually do- but your eyes are wide and Peter gets the sense you've been swept up in this too.

He's never been so... close. He can make out individual eyelashes, tiny scars, imperceptible to normal people, but not to him.

And his phone buzzes with some kind of alert. He looks it over with bright, concerned eyes, while you take a moment to step back, much to Peter's mild irritation.

"Ah... must be MJ?" You ask, trying so very hard not to sound like a jealous girlfriend, just a curious colleague. You have nothing against MJ- you just feel that she and Peter are so meant for each other, and this is exactly why you've been trying to protect yourself.

Who are you kidding? You and Peter are both so busy- you'd never have time to be his doting, adoring girlfriend. You just have to remember him as a friend.

Already you feel the walls coming into place, your expression turning neutral, your heart becoming steely, when Peter looks at you again, surprised.

He can tell you're holding yourself back- and he doesn't like that. He wants you to come back to him, to be close with him again, and it drives him nuts that it has to be your choice, but he respects that.

"Not MJ. We broke up a while ago." Peter swallows, hoping he's saying the right things. "Uh... I don't think we're going to get back together. She's dating someone else now."

"Oh." You squeeze Peter's shoulder as comfortingly as you can. "Peter, I'm sorry. I would've been less of an ass if I'd known."

"No, don't be." Peter fixes a firm, kindhearted glance at you, taking your hands, the warmth of his own making you feel especially treasured. "You're great."

There's a teeny bit of hope working it's way into you, into your silly, girly heart despite all the steel around it, and Peter has a soft smile reserved just for you- you know that smile, you've seen it before when he comforts you when an experiment goes poorly, or when you've had a Eureka moment.

He rubs your hands. "Jeez, you're cold! I know women are usually freezing in the workplace- different body temperatures on average and all that- but I'm going to have to talk to Otto about making it warmer in here."

"Lest I die of hypothermia, right." You snort, and Peter snickers, but he still stays close, as if he's using this as an excuse. "Well, at least I have your hands."

Peter's phone buzzes again, another alert, which he apologetically takes a moment to read after letting go of you. Something about Fisk's thugs making their way through Grand Central Station- he shouldn't leave right now, but he can see your curiosity is piqued.

"Just a news alert. Nothing big." Peter lies, and you don't quite buy it, but you don't want to pry at this moment after he's complimented you and been so nice to warm up your hands.

Otto bursts through the entrance of the room, sighing.

"Will you two lovebirds stop canoodling with each other and test out the circuitry? You know, like I'm paying you to do so with very limited funds?" He barks, and then inhales. "Sorry. Just... try to stay on task. And I know you're young and all... but stop drawing on the walls!"

He leaves, grumbling about youth being too romantic and wishing they would understand sensibility.

You're about to refute whatever Otto said, so Peter doesn't feel uncomfortable, when he speaks first.

"I take it he isn't a romantic." Peter jokes as he grabs some paper towels, and you laugh, feeling that Peter's flirting was more genuine than you thought.

[i-me-mine]

𝙈𝙧. 𝙁𝙞𝙭 𝙞𝙩 | 𝙀𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙈𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙭 𝙛𝙚𝙢!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

Header done by the loveliest soul in the world @aftermidnightwriting Thank you! 💜 Older!Eddie pic is from by the incredibly talented @eddiemunsons-missingnipple

Summary: Moving to a new home after your divorce meant having a house requiring a lot of repairs - and Eddie, who was once your crush, was the helpful staff member of the hardware store that would help you fix what was broken.

Word count: 3.3k

My Masterlist | AO3

≿━━━━ ᴹʳ. ᶠᶦˣ ᶦᵗ ━━━━≾

As you entered the hardware store for the first time, a strong smell of sawdust and paint filled your nose, and the store was quieter than you expected. At a glance, you saw some of the things you were looking for, nails, screws, a hammer… but you know that to get everything on your list, you would need help.

It shouldn’t be a problem, right? Except it was. The only employee you saw around was sitting behind the counter, discreetly eating a donut while checking what seemed to be a catalog or an order book, wearing an apron with the nametag written “Eddie”. Not that it was needed; you would recognize those curls anywhere.

He glanced up, greeting you. “Welcome to Boyd Hardware Store. How can I help you today?”

He didn’t recognize you. You felt your chest heavy, reminding yourself he had no reason to remember you.

The last time you spoke was still burned in your mind. You were just a stupid girl asking the Corroded Coffin guitarist to go with you to the Junior Prom and being rejected.

You knew that Eddie despised those school events, but you had a crush on him, and back then, it seemed like a good idea, but the outcome left a bad taste in your mouth.

You swore that no one would reject you again; you started cheerleading, and as you joined the popular circles, you and Eddie grew apart as he was seen as the town freak, and you never spoke again. You hated to admit that even over a decade later, you never got over his rejection.

“What can I do for you?” Eddie insisted, staring at you intently.

Blood flushed your cheeks as you noticed how weird you were acting, standing there silently. The back of your hand rubbed against your forehead to clean the sweat forming. While you wished you could blame the hot weather, it wasn’t even that hot - the matter was that you felt like a spotlight was focused on you, waiting for you to mess up. It was stupid to be so self-conscious, and you knew that, but learning how to deal with everything alone was not getting easier with time. Finally, you took a deep breath and opened the piece of paper that contained your shopping list, which was already crumpled from being handled so much.

“Would you help me get these, please?” you handed over the list to him, wishing that it wasn’t in such a deplorable state.

His eyes scanned the list, and he turned to get a shopping cart, nodding for you to follow him while he entered the aisles, starting to pick the items listed, occasionally asking if you had any preference, while you just answered with a shrug.

“So the happy couple is getting a house renovation…” he teased.

“Something like that,” you shyly replied, your right hand instinctively reaching out to the finger on your left hand where your wedding ring used to be. So he did remember you after all; he just didn’t know how your life had turned upside down recently.

“I never imagined I would see you here; I thought you’d hire contractors or something like that to get things done.”

“No, I’ll do it all by myself,” you replied, staring at your hands.

“I cannot picture you as a do-it-yourselfer at all; I’m afraid that’s too much for you. I’m not sure if you can make it…” he said quickly, smirking, and you felt that he was laughing at you.

‘For Christ’s sake, Eddie! I don’t even have a choice! I’m all alone and don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I don’t need you to tell me I’ll fail; my mirror already tells me that every day; thank you very much!”

You bit the inside of your cheek and shut your eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling; the feelings of rejection and insufficient filled your body and itched your legs, fueling them to run away from there. The warm touch of his hand on your shoulder stopped you, and when you opened your eyes, his chocolate button eyes filled with concern were looking straight into you.

“Hey, I-I’m sorry. I d-didn’t mean to upset you. Shit, that was awful. I was trying to make you laugh. I didn’t know.”

“That’s okay, Eddie; we don’t talk anymore. You couldn’t have known,” you murmured, embarrassed.

Eddie opened his mouth to speak but closed it again without saying anything, with a conflicted look. He finished taking your items and helped you wrap them when your fingers touched. You felt an odd exhilarating shiver run through you. You withdrew your hand, embarrassed.

“My shift ends in 15 minutes. I can give you a ride home, so you don’t ha-”

“I’d hate to be a burden, Eddie,” you interrupted him.

“You won’t be. Please, let me take you home.” he tried to infuse his ask with as much sincerity as he could and opened a big smile when you agreed.

You haven’t noticed how much you craved to have a normal conversation with another human being until being in the car with Eddie. At first, you were worried that there would be an awkward silence during the ride, but being apart for years meant that there were a lot of stories yet to be told, and the atmosphere was like you were still just two kids having fun and laughing.

The sudden car stop at your door brought you back to your reality. You were genuinely having a good time in what seemed to be forever and didn’t want it to end.

“Wanna come in? For a coffee, a beer, or something?” you wondered if he would notice that you were desperate for his company or would just think you were being polite.

“Sure!” he rejoiced, picking up your bags and following you to your door, happily entering right after you. “Wow, where are your things?” his voice echoed in the empty house.

You were so blind by your excitement of having Eddie tag along that you forgot that your house was in no condition to receive guests, with little furniture and scattered boxes.

“He left me empty-handed. I was able to get my personal stuff, but no more than that… I… I lost everything.”

Sadness sinked its claws into your heart and filled you with the pain of having wasted years of your life in a failed marriage and being left with nothing, not knowing how to move on. You could feel your body curling in as the shivers that loneliness caused you started to appear again until a wave of warmth and coziness invaded you: Eddie’s arms wrapped around you. The comforting feeling of his hand petting your hair and breaking down the walls you’ve built to appear strong.

He kissed the top of your head, whispering that it was okay, that you’re not alone right now, and you allowed yourself to cry, to be vulnerable for the first time in ages. The weight of life has been too much for you, but Eddie, in these few moments you’ve shared, seemed like a ray of sunshine chasing away the dark clouds that have populated your life for so long, and you decided to enjoy it while it lasts.

“The house is not that bad; it just needs some love, some repairs here and there… we can do it! We can go to the thrift shop later and get you some nice furniture...”

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘we’?” you interrupted him.

“You and me. I’m your neighbor; my house is just down there, so it’ll be easy to come here to help.”

“You don’t have to.” you countered without thinking.

“But I want to. If you allow me, of course.” his smile was so contagious that you just mirrored it, agreeing with it.

≿━━━━ ᴹʳ. ᶠᶦˣ ᶦᵗ ━━━━≾

For the following weeks, you threw yourself into the house repairs, with Eddie stopping by almost daily to help you with something. You were in the middle of the room, surrounded by paint cans, brushes, and drop cloths - You had decided to face the daunting task of painting the walls, but instead of being scared of it, you were both grinning from ear to ear. It was so much easier to face life having Eddie by your side!

Your fingers brushed very briefly, and you felt that current zapping again through you like a shock. You gasped involuntarily as you felt it going all the way down to somewhere deep inside you. Eddie had his sleeves rolled up and his hair in a wild bun, and you couldn’t help but notice how big his biceps were, the details of his tattoos, and how cute he looked with the small curls that the bun couldn’t hold falling on his face, imagining how it would feel to be in his arms or to touch his face, his hair…

“Hey, sweetheart, let’s get to work; I’m not painting this alone!” he chuckled while pressing play on the radio, metal being the soundtrack for your work.

You wondered if he noticed that you were daydreaming about his beauty but decided to focus on the task, brushing into the paint and spreading it across the wall. He followed you, filling the spaces you missed, you both working together in a kind of synchronicity, moving around each other, laughing as you painted, as Eddie pretended to play guitar using the paint roller, and occasionally, you had fun painting each other instead of the walls.

As the work progressed, you were more and more covered in paint, your clothes and faces splattered with colorful splotches, but you didn’t care; you were having too much fun. You danced around each other, singing along to the radio and making jokes as you painted.

When you finally finished, the room was transformed, and you were both tired but happy. You were sitting cross-legged on the floor, taking out and sorting some things still in boxes.

“What kind of filthy things you hide here, huh?” his lips quirked up in a half smile. Eddie was holding one small box with “Do not open” written on its side.

You tried to take it from him, but he was already opening it. Photos, music tapes, cards, drawings… that box contained many things from when you were young that you locked there and did not allow yourself to look back on anymore.

“Is this what I think it is? Have you kept it?” he asked while holding pieces of wood.

“Yes…” you murmured, burying your face into your hands, ashamed.

Many years ago, you were paired with Eddie during an art and craft activity in school. You created a wooden heart piece that he painted, transforming it into a flaming heart. “It will look more metal,” he said. Later he also drew the corroded coffin logo and signed it, giving it to you as a gift.

Unfortunately, you mistakenly took it as a sign that he liked you, which got you the courage to ask him to the Junior Prom. He reacted very badly, you discussed, and when you pushed him in a moment of anger, you dropped the heart, and it broke into pieces, the same pieces that he was holding now. You kept those pieces because they represented how heartbroken you were that day.

“I was so stupid… I got scared. It’s not an excuse, I know… believe me, I would change it if I could.” He put the box aside and gently tried to hold your hands, to pull them away from your face. “I lost you that day, didn’t I?”

“It’s in the past, Eddie. We were just teenagers; it doesn’t matter anymore.” you let go of his hand and stood up. “I think we both deserve a rest. Thanks for the help.” you left the room, running to your bedroom before he could see the tears in your eyes.

≿━━━━ ᴹʳ. ᶠᶦˣ ᶦᵗ ━━━━≾

You regretted later the way you reacted. There were not many house repairs left, which already made you worry that he would stop coming to see you after it was done, and you were afraid that you just gave him more reasons not to come back. But the next day, he was at your door, happy to continue helping as if nothing had happened. The final touches were done, you had lunch, and he went to complete the last fix needed.

You stood in the doorway, watching Eddie work diligently to repair a broken shelf. The way his muscles flexed while lifting the heavy tools and materials was mesmerizing for you. Despite the sweat on his brow and the dirt on his hands, he was still gorgeous.

You were captivated by how the light streamed through the window and illuminated his body. You couldn’t help but notice how his curls caught the sunlight, how much you wanted to run your hand through his hair, how his eyes sparkled with concentration, and how his smile lit up his face when he finally fixed the shelf.

You could barely remember the pain and the loneliness that you felt when you had to move to that house. But meeting Eddie again changed everything; his company made you feel happier, lighted the weight of the hardships of life, he made you feel like life could be great again.

At that moment, you felt overwhelmed with gratitude and admiration for him. You felt lucky to have him, someone who was strong, capable, kind, and caring. As he wiped his hands on a rag and turned to you with a smile, you felt your heart swell with love and appreciation.

“Thank you, Eddie,” You said, wrapping your arms around him. “You’re amazing.”

He chuckled and pulled you close, holding you tight. You then felt that strange sensation in your chest, your heart beating faster than usual, the fluttering in your stomach. You try to push the feeling aside, telling yourself it was just the excitement of seeing things done and Eddie being friendly to you.

But as he pulled away and looked at you, You saw something in his eyes that made your heart skip a beat. There was a tenderness there, a warmth that you had never noticed before or maybe have not allowed yourself to see it - and you realized that you were really in love with him.

The realization hit you like a ton of bricks. You tried hard to shield your heart against it, but it had no use. You felt torn between your feelings for him, the knowledge that he might not feel the same way, and the fact that he already broke your heart once. You wanted to tell him how you felt, to pour out your heart, hoping that he would feel the same, but you were also afraid of ruining what you have built together recently, of losing him again if he didn’t feel the same way.

“I need to go now… but would you let me take some of that lasagna home?”

You smiled and hurried to the kitchen to pack his lunch leftovers. When you came back, he was already at the front door. As you said your goodbyes, you walked back inside, and he walked away. You then stood there momentarily, noticing an addition to the repaired shelf.

The wooden heart from your childhood stood there in one piece, with a card next to it. You recognized Eddie’s handwriting, which has not improved over the years: “Here I am, trying to glue your little heart back together.”

You were not sure if he realized how much this meant to you. You felt lost and confused, afraid to be once again misinterpreting the signs. You knew you had a decision to make but didn’t know what to do. All you know is that you have never felt this way before.

≿━━━━ ᴹʳ. ᶠᶦˣ ᶦᵗ ━━━━≾

You had been nervous all day, your stomach hurting each time you thought about telling Eddie how you felt. So when he showed up in the afternoon suggesting watching a movie, you accepted it, thinking that this would give you more time to plan what to do.

It turned out that it wasn’t such a good idea. You couldn’t concentrate on the movie, feeling again that familiar electric current that seemed to happen between you two. Once in a while, you glanced in his direction, and he didn’t look relaxed either. You felt an overwhelming craving to touch him that was not fading, but you made an effort to keep your hands holding a cushion until you mustered up the courage to talk to him.

“ThankYouForTheHeart,” you said quickly, and it sounded like it was a single word.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. D-Did you like it?” he turned his body to look at you, ignoring the TV altogether.

You took a deep breath and looked up at him with a serious expression.

“Yes. But I have to tell you something.” your voice shook slightly. “I already made this mistake once; I won’t do it again.”

Eddie looked surprised and took a moment to process what you had just said. You notice the sadness in his eyes as he starts looking down. Then, he takes your hand, and you feel the warmth and connection you longed for.

“I understand…” he said softly. “I blew my chance years ago, I know… but it was worth trying again.”

“Wait, no. I have not finished” You shake your head, your eyes filling with tears. “My mistake was assuming things and never coming to talk to you about how I felt.”

You took another deep breath and raised his head so he could look at you and told him, your voice barely above a whisper, “I love you, Eddie. And I’m scared as hell about it.”

Eddie gently squeezed your hands and smiled a warm, affectionate smile that made your heart skip a beat. “I love you too. Maybe I always have; I just didn’t realize or had the courage to admit it until now.”

You nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over you. You were afraid of confessing your feelings, but he said he loved you too. You sat silently for a moment, both lost in your thoughts and emotions.

“I don’t want to rush things if you are not ready,” he said. “But I also don’t want to hide how I feel. I care about you too much to stay away.”

Your face lit up with joy as Eddie leaned forward to kiss you. You smiled into the kiss and cupped his cheeks as you kissed him back. Unlike other kisses you had before, kissing Eddie seemed natural and comforting.

Your lips molded into each other, finding a perfect rhythm, and soon you were opening up, breathing him in, and letting him kiss you dizzy. You kissed with a tenderness and passion that you have never experienced before, feeling as if you had just discovered a love that was both new and familiar.

“You deserve more than being loved by a broken girl with a broken heart, Eddie.”

“I thought you would have noticed by now, sweetheart… If it’s broken, I can fix it.”

You then kissed him fiercely, grabbing his shirt to tug him closer. But, instead of satisfying you, the kisses had the opposite effect of increasing your need for him. He skipped his hand under your shirt and traced his fingers over your abdomen, and you felt as if you were melting into him as he held you closer and closer while exploring each inch of your body.

You didn’t want him to stop. And he didn’t.

[weemsgay]

Topic of Study

Can someone tell me why I have two other fics planned besides this and Love Notes??? I'm obsessed.

Larissa Weems x PhDstudent!Reader

Summary: Arriving to Nevermore on fellowship is a normie PhD student writing their dissertation on Normie/Outcast rhetoric and relations. The best way to research is hands-on, so reader has decided to make Principal Larissa Weems their main object of study.

AO3 link

As you exit your Uber in the Jericho town square, you start to glance around for the Nevermore Academy driver expected to meet you. Hm, not here yet. The coordinator you were in contact with offered to have you collected at the train station in Burlington, but you preferred to use the time in the quiet solitude of the Uber to think and prepare instead. Your Uber driver didn’t seem to mind, and for that, you were going to leave a large, thankful tip.

Once out of the car, you were excited to stretch your legs and chug the rest of your water. You check your phone before heading to the trunk for your luggage. You’re not exactly sure who is meeting you now, because there is an automated email saying the usual Nevermore driver is out sick with stomach pox (whatever that is…).

Resolved to figure it out as you go, you pull your bag and suitcase from the trunk and wave a thank you to your Uber driver as they seem to scurry away quickly from Jericho. You begin to walk towards the fountain in the middle of the open space surrounded by shops and sidewalks. The town square looks quaint; you notice a flower shop, a convenience store, a hardware store, and a couple other small businesses throughout the square. However, what truly caught your eye was a café. Caffeine sounded so, so good. Traveling always exhausted you. Too much to think about and plan. It made your anxiety flare.

Heading towards the Weathervane Café and Bakery, you find yourself grateful to have a place to rest for a moment and wait for your now unknown Nevermore driver. The gloomy, overcast sky looked like it could open up and pour rain at any moment.

Shuffling your suitcase in the door to the café, you eye a back booth out of the way so that you don’t disturb anyone with your items. You’re not sure you would bother anyone since there aren’t many people here anyway—maybe the post-lunch lull is in full effect. You notice a black-haired, tattooed barista making an espresso for a customer. After looking around and deeming your belongings safe enough, you dash over to the counter to be next in line.

“What can I get you?” you hear coming from the black-haired woman behind the counter. In response, you ask, “May I please get a light roast vanilla latte for here?” You aren’t sure how long you’ll be waiting to depart for Nevermore. You might as well get comfortable. Before you could mutter “thank you,” the barista nods and takes your outstretched payment before turning around to complete your order.

You briefly walked back over to your claimed booth to take off your jacket and check your phone for any notifications. You didn’t expect the barista to bring you your drink. As far as you could tell, she was the only one working out front. Turning to you, she speaks almost teasing, “New, huh?”

Your eyes meet the luggage at your feet. “Yeah, I guess the suitcase does make it hard to blend in.” You notice the woman has a tousled bob and nose piercing; she stood looking at you, expecting you to continue. “I’m doing a fellowship year at Nevermore Academy to finish my dissertation.”

The barista eyes you suspiciously as if she is trying to make up her mind about something. You catch on and ask “What’s the look for?” Finally, she relents, “Okay, I don’t want to sound insensitive and ignorant, but are you an outcast?”

There it is. Honestly, you were waiting for this question. “No, I’m not. I’m actually researching outcast and normie relations. I figured the best way to dive into the issue was to live it and immerse myself in it as much as I can.” There are only a couple of all-outcast schools in the U.S. You applied to Cresthaven in Virginia and didn’t bother with the one out west. You heard it was in an underground bunker and immediately crossed it off your list. The most promising (and controversial due to recent events) was Nevermore.

To be frank, you were a little nervous for how your research would be perceived after following the news and disruptions here over the last year. Scary…but also kind of exciting having first-hand knowledge and experience relating to your work.

The barista seems to lower her guard. You learn her name is Imogen, and you two begin to share some of the funny TikTok’s you’ve seen about outcasts and normies. You’re giggling when the door opens and a bell chimes signaling a new customer.

The tallest and most attractive woman you’ve ever seen enters. You’re not sure how someone can seem so delicate and feminine yet powerful and in control at the same time. This is coming from someone quite well-versed in queer theory and the wonderful fluidity of gender and power. To have you stumped and frozen by this statuesque woman is quite a feat.

“Oh, there you are!” pronounces the woman cheerfully, as if she had been searching for you. Her voice was lilting, a touch of rasp, and delicious like honey.

You hesitate, trying to find out if your silence would encourage more of the beautiful sound. She then introduces herself as Larissa Weems, the principal of Nevermore. At the end of her detailing what happened with the original driver, you notice you’ve been staring at her throughout her entire introduction. Suddenly, your mouth goes dry and your cheeks flush. Imogen, the barista, chuckles and gives you a wink before backing away to let you flounder.

You begin to reason, “I apologize for not waiting outside where we had planned. I did not know who would meet me, and I wanted to explore a bit of Jericho before heading off.”

“Nonsense. In fact, let’s sit and have a cup together.” The taller woman visits the counter, and you overhear her order a hot chocolate. Jealousy showing, you didn’t even think to order such a cozy drink. You love hot chocolate.

Eventually she comes back over to you with her hot chocolate in hand, also deciding to forgo the to go cup. You attempt small talk, saying you adore hot chocolate and that you should have gotten it in the first place. The principal assures you that it is delicious and lives up to the hype. You vow to order one to go, jokingly. She, unexpectedly, offers you a sip.

Principal Weems had already been sipping the drink, and there were red lipstick stains on the mug. Throwing caution to the wind, you look her straight in the eyes and make a choice to bring your mouth to the same spot hers was. Her momentarily taken aback expression fades quickly into an unreadable façade.

“Mmmmm, you were not lying.” You let out, feeling the warmth travel down your throat. “Thank you for letting me try it.” The other woman looks down at where you had taken a sip and back to your lips. She sees that there is a bit of her red lipstick on your own lips now. She calmly removes the glove from her right hand, leans forward, and swipes her finger across your lips to collect the red residue.

With a smirk and feeling quite cheeky, you remark, “Talk about normie/outcast relations.” The woman looks out the window in an effort to conceal her own budding smirk and seems to be slightly flustered at the interaction. Or possibly the implication.

You’re unsure if she seems flustered due to the likelihood she’s almost always in control or if she has her own internalized barriers to outcasts/normies or sexuality. You file away this information, because, honestly, it was fun teasing her. To your surprise, though, she continues to drink her hot chocolate from the exact same place as before.

You two end up talking for another 45 minutes about your travels, your program, and the work you hope to complete at Nevermore. You ask about her job, the students, and what she does in her downtime on the campus. You also ask her if it’s possible to get some background information surrounding Jericho. In response, she offers to walk around with you if the weather permits.

Before you can fully gather your belongs and head towards the door, Imogen the barista catches you to give you her number and say goodbye. You begin to push your luggage towards the door when Principal Weems offers to carry it to the car for you. After some convincing, you yield to the obviously stronger woman. The taller woman takes your suitcase and bag as if it is the easiest thing in the world to lift, not even wrinkling her fashionable ensemble, and makes her way out of the Weathervane. The van parked across the street is a short trek, and you two place the luggage in the back and lock the car. Principal Weems looks at you expectantly to initiate a stroll in one direction or another.

Of course you are trying to understand as much history surrounding Jericho and Nevermore as you can. Knowing a bit more about the current and past state of normie/outcast relations can kick start your deeper research into local lore. You also can’t help but want to prolong the time you have with the tall and comforting older woman. At your current height, she is almost a foot taller than you, and you must pick up the pace a bit when beside her.

With the scenery change, you finally have the chance to examine the woman without the obstructing table and barista’s curious eyes. Principal Weems embodies femininity in a manner you could never accomplish. She is wearing heels and exquisite clothes; you don’t know anything about designer brands, but you’re sure they pale in comparison to her impeccably tailored clothes. Her hair is frozen in the most pristine updo that liken her to a Hitchcock heroine. You’re not sure a Hitchcock heroine’s figure would hold your eyes as long, though.

You are struck with the overwhelming urgency to know as much as you can about the woman. Does she have secrets? What is her skincare routine? What is the feeling she gets after finishing a good book? How much older than you is she? You’d like to know anything—any morsels of information you can obtain from her or about her.

The two of you continue walking and talking, and occasionally your fingers accidentally brush against each other as your arms swing side by side. The sun is starting to set, and the taller woman looks at her watch and curses under her breath that time has gone by so quickly. She implores that you two need to head to the academy.

Having made it back to the van, you two sit in comfortable silence for the 20 minute drive to Nevermore. Mentally, you make a note to discuss outcast powers and identities since she likely has a wealth of information at her fingers as the head of the school. You hope the older woman is content with you asking about her professional and personal life.

Once Principal Weems carries your luggage up the steps of the school, she informs you of your rooming accommodations. As a fellowship candidate, you will be staying in the faculty residential wing, rather than the student dormitories. You blurt out impulsively, “is that where you stay?” The woman lifts an eyebrow at the inquiry but answers honestly that her living quarters are downstairs attached to her office.

It being fairly late, you part ways with the captivating woman and begin to get settled in your room. You end up going to bed with a warm feeling in your stomach as you ruminate over the day’s activities and conversations. After a few minutes, you sleepily turn over and jokingly jot down a new title for your dissertation thesis.

“Examining Attraction Between Outcasts and Normies: A Case Study of Larissa Weems”

[rosalind-hawkins]

TLDR: Duke is smart boi, Mastershipping good.

Been thinking about Duke's arc in the anime, and here's the thing.

He was "in talks" with Pegasus about DDM, but it wasn't greenlit yet, yeah? It didn't get finalized and Pegasus just stops responding to his emails, hence the whole going-after-Yugi thing blah blah blah.

(Side-note about how clever and diabolical Duke is to go after Yugi via his good friend Joey; damn Duke, you make a good antagonist, I'd love and fear the version of you that goes full villain.)

But despite Duke not having the green light or official production yet, he's still got the DDM dice; probably a sample batch from manufacturers, okay, I can believe that they made a 100-bag batch or something as an early order. But he ALSO has a duel arena fitted out to be adapted for DDM specifically, and this can only exist a couple of ways.

Industrial Illusions commissioned the custom DDM arena from KC as an early model and it was delivered to Duke. (I think this is unlikely since, again, no final say from Pegasus yet.)

Duke bought a Duel Arena from KaibaCorp, studied it, took it apart, and made his own adjustments to convert it into a DDM arena, which means studying Kaiba's tech, redesigning portions of it, reprogramming some of the software, creating schematics and custom parts and reassembling everything for the final version.

Option 2, but Duke paid someone to do it. (This is unlikely to me because of how deeply personal this game is to him and how deeply involved he is.)

Option 2 is much more likely to me, and this is why in my Rock Bottom AU, I have Duke set up as a technical hardware genius. (In that AU specifically, Duke handles hardware and Seto handles software, and they're the perfect nerd team.) I do think he is a genius on some level. He's not on Kaiba's level, but I think he's highly intelligent and doesn't generally get enough credit for it.

What probably happens later on, after Pegasus gives the green light, is that Industrial Illusions formally contracts KC to design and produce DDM arenas, and maybe Duke tries to insist that he already did the design part, but KC won't produce a design that's not theirs, so they make their own.

I imagine that when Duke and Kaiba get together later, Kaiba just casually mentions that he knows about Duke's original bootlegged DDM arena, and Duke is like, "Yeah, I'm aware that I voided the warranty, and no, I'm not going to apologize for it." And Kaiba's intellectual curiosity gets the better of him, so he's just like, "Even though I know the official KC version of the DDM arena is superior, I wanted to know how you made the original adjustments," and then Duke gets to show off his own handiwork on his bf's tech, and Kaiba has someone that's not an employee that he can talk to about the intricacies of his inventions for maybe the first time ever? And it makes him happy in a way that he doesn't understand, but these inventor boys have each other to talk to now about this stuff, and it's so fulfilling for them.

When Duke eventually moves in with Kaiba, he gets his own workshop/office for all the creative and technical work he does for DDM, and Kaiba makes a point of stopping by every once in a while to see what he's working on and "no, I don't need your advice, I can do it myself" only needs to be said to him a few times in order for him to learn to withhold his opinions until Duke asks for them.

In the context of Mumbleshipping, I imagine that any time Duke or Kaiba talk about their inventions in any detailed way to Ryou, his eyes glaze over pretty fast, and bless him he's trying, but he doesn't have a brain for engineering or hard sciences, so this all goes in one ear and out the other.

[rmbabydoll]

Countdown to Christmas Eve: a GentleBrava Tale

Presenting a story THREE years and THREE hours in the making…that might be going through several edits. Seriously, I have been sitting on this story ever since becoming a GentleBrava fan. I finally got it ready for Christmas so I hope you like it! And if anyone wants to give suggestions how it could be better, please give a like and comment. Merry Christmas!

Merii Kurisumasu!

The radio blared as Christmas Eve by Tatsuro Yamashita followed. It was December 1st and soon that special time of year again in Japan and a special first for a colluding couple.

Christmas Eve was nearing and Gentle and La Brava were set on spending the perfect Christmas Eve together.

“Good morning, my love.” Gentle greeted La Brava as he entered the kitchen to find her sitting at the set table.

“Good morning to you!” La Brava exclaimed, looking up from her laptop as she poured him some tea.

“What are you looking at?” He inquired as he walked over to her screen. La Brava quickly hid her tab so Gentle only saw her screen displaying a shopping page of gadgets and computer accessories.

“Oh, I’m just looking up some new hardware for video editing.” She fibbed “I really need to update some of my tools if I want to be ready for upcoming videos.”

Gentle looked skeptical but shrugged his shoulders. He also noticed a postcard at the table, but decided not to inquire about that as well.

“By the way,” Gentle began “What would you like for Christmas?”

“Oh all I need is you.” La Brava said flippantly.

“You have me everyday” he chuckled, hugging her from behind. “I want to get you something special. Something deserving of your loveliness.”

La Brava giggled, “I’ll give you my list soon. In the meantime, you do the same.”

“Yes mam’m!“ Gentle jokingly saluted.

La Brava rolled her eyes in amusement.

As Gentle started to eat, La Brava reopened her hidden tab to reveal her gift: an elegant mustache and beard grooming kit. It was perfect for Gentle and she couldn’t wait to order it!

Gentle, in turn, already had an idea for La Brava’s gift: a brand name laptop bag. He noticed a beautiful pink leather laptop bag with a bow at the shopping center that he thought was deserving of his girl. She didn’t always carry her laptop during their escapades, but he wanted to get her something that she could be proud to wear and use. It was perfect and he couldn’t wait to buy it!

The next few days, the pair prepared for the upcoming holiday, planning out how they wanted to spend Christmas Eve together.

“We have to see Christmas Illuminations!” La Brava exclaimed.

“I think it would be so romantic to go together and enjoy the lights!”

“Sounds wonderful, my dear!” Gentle responded. “If I may also suggest, I’d like to also get a Christmas cake as well for us to enjoy together.”

“Really? That’s what your looking forward to?” La Brava asked.

“…Well, I thought it would be a nice treat to complement a warm cup of tea.” Gentle said, unabashedly.

La Brava smiled, “Sounds wonderful”.

December 9th. The two began searching for a part time job to afford their gifts. Thankfully, it being imperative to hire part timers during the busy season afforded the opportunity to get a job.

“I found a job!” Both exclaimed as they met at a local tea place.

“Where?” Both asked

“Well, I can’t tell you” she said.

“It best be a secret” he said.

Both spoke over each other.

Gentle spoke up “It would be best if we didn’t run into each other so we can keep our respective gifts a secret.”

“Agreed.” La Brava said.

There was a pause before La Brava spoke, leaning her head on her hand.

“Gonna miss you during the day.”

“Me too.” Gentle responded, mirroring her sentiments.

December 15th. Everyday, Gentle and La Brava went to her respective part time jobs, Gentle being a postcard deliverer and La Brava a Christmas Cake seller, and in the afternoon, came home to each other.

“Everything good at your job?” Gentle asked as he and La Brava relaxed on the couch.

“Mhmm, busy, but good.” she responded.

“Only a couple more days and then we get to enjoy a perfect Christmas Eve.” Gentle mused.

La Brava squealed in response drawing Gentle’s neck down for a mock hug.

December 24th. Both said their goodbyes as they headed off to work. Once they did get off, they would go to customer pickup and meet each other at 7:30pm for the Christmas Illuminations.

6:00pm “Alright, enjoy your Christmas cake!” La Brava greeted after helping a customer.

Only an hour left of her shift and she would head to change and bring Gentle’s gift. “That’s weird…” her coworker mused.

La Brava looked to her co-worker. “What’s wrong Mika-San?”

“Our network is glitching. I can’t seem to use the touchpad.” Mika commented.

“Let me have a look…” La Brava said as she check the digital register.

The touchscreen continued to glitch.

“That is weird.” La Brava commented.

“Ladies!” The manager announced, rushing in from the back. “Our network is having technical difficulties! This could affect our incoming orders!”

“But we’re only supposed to work for another hour!” Mika panicked.

“I know, but this means we’ll have to think quick if we’re gonna serve the next rush of customers for Christmas Eve.”

La Brava could not be late for her gift pick up nor her date with Gentle!

Still…

“Leave the technical troubleshooting to me!” She told her coworkers.

“You two just worry about serving whoever comes in.” La Brava rushed to the back to her locker to grab her laptop. Something told her to bring it today.

Meanwhile, Gentle was on his break, going to pick up La Brava’s gift. Walking into the store, he browsed for a quick moment to see what else the store offered.

That’s when he noticed the man at the register. He pondered why the man looked familiar and realized he was someone he and La Brava had antagonized during one of their mischievous streams.

Before the man could notice him, Gentle walked quickly out the store.

“What am I gonna do?” he thought to himself.

That’s when he had an idea. A wonderful, awful idea.

Gentle went to the nearest convenience store and purchased a few things. Then, he went to the nearest bathroom and braced himself for a dire sacrifice.

“Hello, I’m here to pick up a gift. A pink laptop bag.” Gentle told the man at the register.

The man looked at him, squinting slightly at the clean shaven man before him as if trying to recall his face.

Gentle cleared his throat, trying to staying calm asking again for the gift. The man snapped out of his thoughts and gave his gift to Gentle. Gentle checked the time headed back to work, hoping his coworkers would bug him about his appearance.

All he could think was “My beautiful mustache…”

6:30pm “How it coming, Aiba-san?” her manager asked.

“It’s still not working! Something must be causing the whole system to crash!” La Brava exclaimed.

“Please keep at it! Our customers are not too happy with the delay” her manager pleaded.

“Understood…” La Brava resigned.

Grabbing her phone, she texted Gentle she would be a little late. Wait for me, Gentle she thought.

6:30pm Hearing from La Brava was the only consolation Gentle got from enduring the endless teasing from his coworkers about his shaven face, wondering why in the world would he spend his break doing so.

“Please stop bothering me about it. What’s done is done, alright?!” Gentle asserted and annoyed.

“Alright, Alright” one coworker relented.

“These are the final postcards to deliver. Finish these and you’re done for today.”

Gentle took the postcards and left to finish his route.

To be continued…

Next chapter

[uncwfst]

Cinespace Ella Coyle

Hey everyone! With this internship, my other classes, and my job the 15th keeps slipping past me!

This month at Cinespace has been super eye-opening and invigorating. We have been fulfilling the lighting & grip orders for multiple shows, and I cannot believe how much equipment is needed for these projects! We have multiple lists of equipment for each truck and stage and the equipment, when laid out, takes up whole warehouses!

This month I have felt way more comfortable with the equipment and feel like I have learned so much. I have been trying to ask questions and step in on tasks that make me nervous, and it's really been paying off! Keith, Carly, and Alex are awesome, and I feel like each day I learn so much. For the large orders, there are sooo many lights and we need to flash them, check the globes, and check the condition of the hardware inside them to make sure they are perfect for the electricians. Because of this, I have been able to practice using the company box & generators, using Cam-locks, memorizing G - ground and what the different colors of wires mean, and beginning to understand a little bit more of voltage/wattage/amps and how to calculate how much power the lights take. I also was able to tour the sets for the major show filming these next couple months, which was INSANE. SO COOL!!

The Cinespace crew has also been super welcoming in trusting me to do tasks that are beneficial to my experience, but I could definitely mess up! I have had the opportunity to change the globes on several of the lights now, including some of the largest lights. Being able to handle the globe (Super scary - they are like thousands of dollars!) and understand how it functions in the light was really eye-opening and each time I do it or watch it being done, I understand more. Every time I get to help accomplish a difficult task, I know working in this industry is right for me. Plus I got to drive the golf cart! LOL yay.

I feel like this month I am beginning to understand how things work and am less reliant on being told exactly what to do. I feel like I'm at the point where someone can tell me to grab something or accomplish a task and I have a good understanding of what's going on. Big difference from the beginning of the semester - I was so lost. I also have had the chance to introduce myself to a couple people who work in the industry outside of Cinespace which is amazing!

Overall, this month has been eye-opening, and I couldn't have had more fun! Looking forward to the next weeks.

[100dayproductivity]

13/100.

So anyway. Here's my above-the-fridge cupboard in its well-hung glory.

I used this type of hardware, three of them along the top end of the cupboard. It's called a toggle bolt.

Alright. My next priority is Christmas gifts for my kids. If I'm going to order anything online I have to do it soon. Tick-tock tick-tock! The thing is, in order to stretch my budget, I want to use points I earn from doing surveys. I have about $100 worth of points with this one survey company called Web Perspectives. I've been doing surveys off and on for years, and I tried a whole bunch of different ones out when I first discovered you can earn a bit here and there doing them. Somehow Web Perspectives is the only one I do these days. Not sure if that means they are better than others, but there must be a reason why I still use them and not others.

There are a couple of ways I can cash-in the points. Two options are Amazon e-gift cards and Indigo e-gift cards. You just trade your points for the cards, then login in to Amazon/Indigo and apply the cards to your account. I'm thinking about getting my kids a couple of books and need to check whether I should get them from Amazon or Indigo. The Indigo cards cost 1000 points for a $10 gift card, whereas Amazon costs 1200 for $10. So you get a little more bang for your buck (er, point) with Indigo. However, you obviously have more things you can spend the money on with Amazon. You also have to factor in shipping costs. Also, I think Indigo changed something recently where you can no longer add a gift card amount to use for later, you have to apply it at checkout. With Amazon, you can squirrel away gift card amounts to use whenever you want. I currently have $70 of credit on Amazon, plus another $20 I haven't added yet.

Another detail about this process with Web Perspectives is that you can only redeem points for a maximum of two gift cards per day. So even though I have about $100 worth of points, I can't redeem them all at once, I can only redeem about $20 per day. So you need to plan ahead a little bit to use them.

The other company I use for points is called Nielsen Homescan. You get a scanner or, more recently, just download an app, and you scan the stuff you buy and they collect the data for companies that pay them for market research. In return you earn points that you can redeem for stuff. They used to only have a catalogue of actual stuff, which was kind of limiting because maybe you're not interested in any of the stuff in the catalogue (for instance, I've redeemed points for movie tickets, pillow cases, and a camping lantern in the past). And the stuff was really "expensive" (you needed a shit-ton of points to just be able to get the most inexpensive things). But now they also have an Amazon gift card option! I think this is fairly recent.

So that's the background info on my foray into online surveys. You won't get rich doing it but it's an easy way to earn a couple of bucks when you have 5 or 10 minutes to kill. It's great for when you have to be physically but not mentally present for something. For example, waiting for an appointment or a bus or a client, or when you have a couple of minutes gap between meetings or classes that you would otherwise be spending being bored out of your skull, or when you've taken the kids to the playground or the dog to the dog park and are just sitting there while they play and you just need to look up from time to time to make sure everyone is ok. Everyone has these sorts of "in between other things" times, why not earn some money while you're doing nothing anyway?

Alright, so here's my updated to-do list:

Gmail account sign in.

Buy new charger for Pixel phone.

Transfer Web Perspectives Amazon e-gift card to Amazon account.

Fill out eye surgery forms. ✓

Take photos and email back to clinic. ✓

Check previous clinic's paperwork to see which lens they recommended.

Make appointment at bank.

Print out bank documents.

No printer service at library--do I need to print it? Download to thumb drive and think about next steps.

Compare cost of books Indigo vs Amazon.

Recurring:

Alternate heat and ice on foot.

Do hamstring stretches.

Reference: https://www.sports-injury-physio.com/post/top-5-stretches-plantar-fasciitis

Roll out knots in leg muscle.

Do Sun Salutation x5 - 0/5

Take inhaler

[tinyshe]

Garden Report & Frugal Living 23.07.22

Note to self: do not dry cherry plums with pits still in (you know better!).

It has been a cold, damp type of summer and all of a sudden signs of autumn are creeping in. The ginkgo tree leaves are moving towards the yellow colour spectrum of green. Just this week I found a couple of leaves on the walkway.

I need to work on the sewing machine’s tension to see if I can balance it myself. I do miss my old treadle machine -- it never had a problem. I really need to assemble the ancient hand machine I had shipped (a year? two years? maybe more? i’m winding down like an old clock not being able to keep the correct time). The sewing projects and mending needs are piling up and there is not good storage/holding area for these. I need better organizational. This includes yarn and other fibers plus the tools. Wouldn’t an old fashion work room be lovely?

This was the first time we couldn’t get the laundry bar /soap from the hardware store so we had to order that. Its taking a couple of weeks to arrive but its in bulk so we can make our laundry sauce for a bit then. A little bit of an investment but it will ‘keep’.

In the garden I got the peas planted. I pre-spouted some before planting. It was interesting to see some just turn to goop or fall apart while others developed a healthy eye root. Hoping that will give them a head start before pest arrive. Planted some leeks, red amaranth and more kale. Needing to rework the grow boxes as needed. The garlic we planted in the autumn/winter is closer to being harvested but due to weather, its not ready (still!). This week the fog was so thick, I actually thought its was rain with the way the flow off the roofs was happening -- maybe it was and that weatherman is just lying (again/still). I know some people are just pulling their garlic and onions up impatiently but I want full heads, not just a bulbous clove. I have some other garlic that is just begging to be put in the ground.  I might just put them guerilla gardening style in the front garden. Still need to get the root crops in but ... circle back *check notes*, need to rework the grow boxes.

Since the season is putting out an autumn vibe, I feel the need to prep the aviary. Its a little early but I don’t think the hens mind -- it means more out time to run amuck and get into trouble.  Its been slim on the greens this year. Usually I can grow enough for our table and scraps for the chickens, supplemented by other people that will save their green veg for them but this year we are down to slim pickings solo. They are adjusting to getting nettles (the grass i let go in the front for them is done) so i am thankful that those give me three croppings. By the time I get across the patch, I start again at the other end.

Because of the veg and fruit shortages and in addition to me not feeling energetic, I am putting most of the pantry goods through the dehydrator. I hesitated to do cucumbers but I did try a small handful of an old english variety of cucs and made cuc chips. They have an interesting earthy flavour. I think they will be a fun crunch on winter salades, like veggie croutons. There are probably other uses but right now watching the grocer warehouse as to deals coming through and trying to plan accordingly. Roma style toms are just about at a price point that I’m agreeable with. I hope to get a case tomorrow. Green bell peppers are coming in at a very low price but blueberries will be coming to an end and only have the one dehydrator since Kat has my other one. The grocer is also getting ready to dump frozen berries at a cheaper price than fresh (making room for new stock) so I am tempted to buy bulk and turn into fruit leather. Fingers crossed that utilities aren’t diverted since the drier is electric. We don’t get enough sun to lay things out in the car to dehydrate!

Flowers: its was a slow start. Most of the roses had a spectacular show. Not to be outdone, the dahlias, daisies and other flowers are really doing their best. It is really nice to have enough to have cut flowers in the house. There was a great flux of bees this spring and early summer but of late, there isn’t very many (except for that super swarm I drove through -- now that was sad!) . It could be just not enough for them in my garden or they visit when I’m out and away.

Hope you all are getting out and gardening and doing something awesome.

[mentalisttraceur-incomplete]

Really looking forward to the future where I or others create

an extension for Qutebrowser to autofill from my password manager an 2FA solutions (or another password manager which works for me, since now that I've set up Syncthing I no longer need hassle-free cloud sync from my password manager and 2FA solutions),

an extension for Qutebrowser to write basic state information (currently open tabs) to some folder (which Syncthing can then pick up and sync to my other devices, which could give me the main thing I need from modern mainstream browsers' cloud sync feature)

a port of Qutebrowser to Android, since then I would no longer be dependent on a separate inferior mainstream browser for fluently picking up where I left off not just on laptops/desktops but on my phones too.

I would also accept a world where browsers finally have a proper and officially supported permission system for privileged extensions which can hook into everything.

I've also often thought about how I might be able to inject the controls I want from the outside. For example, mouse-warping keybindings can turn most mouse-requiring controls into somewhat reasonable/fast/ergonomic hands-remain-in-center-of-keyboard contols.

The really big breakthrough would be eye-tracking and head tracking, so that I could just look where I want the mouse to go, and then I just need a couple of key binds on the keyboard for mouse clicks. On Windows I could probably whip this up with for a few hundred dollars with a mix of proprietary eye/head-tracking hardware and proprietary apps, which is unpleasant but would be a huge game-changer, and I intend to fully pursue this within the next 12 months. But one thing that really sucks with that is that it would require me to bring the relevant hardware with me when traveling. Want to work from a cafe? Either take a hit to efficiency or bring and set up that extra eye+head tracking hardware.

This is why I keep gravitating to browsers like Qutebrowser or Vieb, which take keyboard-driven minimal-keystrokes-to-interact-with-the-whole-webpage thing seriously. But still, modern web-apps keep endlessly coming up with new ways to break that - for example, in the Discord web app, I still have to hover the actual mouse over a message in order for the link-hints to successfully activate the

[fanficimagery]

Five Years After

Imagine going to the feed store for your sister, only you come home with more than just feed for the animals.

Words: 5.1K Author’s Note: The ending of this imagine was definitely inspired by a TikTok video :)

When the Blip happened, you were in complete disbelief. Chaos erupted all around as planes fell from the sky and automobiles crashed because their drivers had vanished into thin air. Everyone was a complete mess as they attempted to call loved ones, their calls going straight to voicemail or being answered by another family member that were having to deliver the bad news of a disappearance.

Your only living relative was your sister Laura and her children she had with her husband Clint, so when one of your co-workers and a handful of your customers vanished into thin air, your first call had been to your ex-Avenger of a brother-in-law. Unfortunately Clint was just as clueless as you and the phone had nearly slipped from your hand when he gave you the news that Laura and the kids had vanished. You had nowhere to go and were so scared because of the looting that had started, so Clint told you to pack your things and get to the farm as soon as possible.

You'd only been on the farm for a full day before Clint's friends came looking for him. Natasha, who you had met after your sister had married Clint, greeted you with a rather solemn hug. It was Steve Rogers, however, who attempted to introduce himself with as much joy as he possibly could in order to be polite.

You had shaken his hand, smiling sadly. "You don't need to force a smile for me, Rogers. The circumstances suck. I get it."

That had surprisingly pulled a short laugh from Natasha. "See, Steve? Told you she wouldn't be expecting the Man with a Plan."

Steve and Natasha had proceeded to stay for the duration of the day, telling Clint all about a fight that had taken place in Wakanda and who out of their friends had vanished. It was a devastating blow and you had no idea how everyone was going to cope. Then soon after the two Avengers had left, Clint went into overdrive. He was making phone calls left and right, packing bags and weapons, and you were at a complete loss.

You had decided to leave him be and it was only the following morning when you woke to an empty house did you find the letter on the kitchen counter. In the letter he had apologized for leaving you after everything that had happened, but went on to explain that there were criminals still out there who had survived the Blip when others who were sin-free didn't. He couldn't leave them be while people like his wife and children were no longer alive, so to work through his aggression he was going to hunt those criminals down. Fortunately enough, he left you in possession of the farm-house and made it so you were able to access his bank accounts. He told you not to look for him or get the others involved, so you waited a whole day before contacting Natasha and telling her all about Clint's derailment.

Clint left no trail, leaving you all alone. Or so you thought.

With Clint's vanishing act, Natasha and Steve made you their responsibility. They made sure you knew they were only a call or email away, but only after Nat drove down to give you some technological devices since the regular power grid was fluctuating. Since Earth lost half its population, everything seemed to be falling apart.

Then Tony Stark was brought back home and the world seemed a little bit brighter.

For years you drifted, working at a grocery store in town to keep yourself busy. The Blip took a toll on everyone, but it was nice to have to talk to someone even if the other person moved on autopilot. Clint sent an email every other month from a burner email, so it was a dead end every time Natasha looked into it after you had forwarded it to her. And about the only news-worthy thing that had happened after the Blip was the announcement of Tony and Pepper Stark's baby girl Morgan. You didn't know the Stark's personally, but it didn't stop you from sending their little girl a present every year on her birthday for the next five years on behalf of yourself and the Barton family.

One morning you're sitting at the breakfast table when you hear the telltale sounds of a jet overheard. You figure it's just Natasha and Steve for their monthly check-in so you think nothing of it.

The screen door creaks open and you call out, "In the kitchen!"

The steps of what sounds like more than one person falter, but then they pick back up until they near your location. "Got enough for another plate?" That oh so familiar timber makes you spew orange juice across the table. You're up and out of your seat, staring at your brother-in-law who's a lot more tatted up than you remember him being. "Hey, sis."

Tony Stark stands just a couple feet to Clint's right, but his presence isn't enough to deter you from marching up to your brother-in-law and punching his shoulder. "You asshole!" You punch him again for good measure as tears sting your eyes. "You left me. You left me all alone! How could you-"

He dodges your continuous blows, wrapping his arms around you to keep you from attacking him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but I'm here now. It's all going to be okay." The fight instantly drains out of you as you sag into his embrace, sob after sob leaving you as you clutch to him tightly.

Clint tightens his grip a little more around you until your cries turn into sniffles. "What- what are you doing here?"

"Lang came up with a plan to bring our people back." You tense in Clint's arms and pull back to look him in the eyes. "Banner and Stark made the machines necessary to make the plan work. We're going to bring 'em home. We're going to bring 'em all home, Y/N."

"Please tell me you aren't joking," you mumble.

"Nope. No joke," Tony says. "It's not a total guarantee, but we're going to try our best." You let go of Clint and turn to look at Tony who's standing by the stove and picking at the leftover scrambled eggs. "Mmm. These are good. What'd you put in them?"

"Uhh, just butter and cheese."

"Morgan would absolutely love these. She's on this whole cheese kick right now."

That earns a chuckle, and after gathering yourself you look back at Clint. "So what's going to happen now?"

"The team's getting ready for a test run," Clint says. "I just wanted to let you know I was home and that we had a really important mission coming up."

"How soon?"

"Today if the test run goes good," Tony says. He pours himself half a glass of juice before downing it in one go. "And speaking of, we need to go."

You look at Clint, a little let down that he's leaving so soon, but he grins and pulls you back into a hug. "It's going to be okay." You nod against him and he lets his arms drop before he steps back. He looks around the kitchen and his grin widens. "You've kept up good with the house. I'm impressed."

"I should hope so," you mumble. "I had to flirt with the hardware store boy so he'd help me keep the house from falling apart."

Clint laughs. "You did good, Y/N. Laura will be proud."

"Yeah, yeah. Now go bring my sister, niece, and nephews back."

"You got it, boss."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

You're grateful for the day off because it leaves you with time to clean the house from top to bottom. You need some way to burn off all your anxiousness and making sure the house looks good for your sister is one hell of a way to do just that.

You're not sure how long you'd been cleaning when you decide to take a break, and you head outside for some fresh air. You walk off the porch and onto the grass, tilting your face skyward as you inhale and exhale softly, your eyes closing. One moment all you can hear is the wind ruffling tree limbs and grass, and the next it's a cacophony of chirping birds.

Your eyes fly open and you're shocked to see the swarms of birds flying around in the sky. Sure there have been birds around after the Blip, but you've never seen so many together since then. You're too busy staring up into the sky that you don't see what appears to be ash take formation behind you.

"Aunt Y/N?" The timid voice makes your heart stop before you whirl around, your eyes widening at the sight of Lila glancing around in shock. "What's going on? Where's dad?"

"Lila?" You breathe out in awe. You stumble towards her, eyes glistening with tears. "They did it. They actually did it." You pull her into a hug, cries stuttering in your chest. As you hug her, you glance towards the open field where you see Laura appear, followed by Nathaniel and then Cooper. "Laura!"

You grip Lila's hand tight as the both of you break out into a run towards the rest of your family, you and Laura colliding with twin oomphs. The two of you are crying as Laura tries to work out what the hell happened and where Clint is, but before you can explain anything she's pulling her phone out of her pocket and dialing Clint's number. As she worries about getting her husband on the phone, you quickly hug Cooper and pick up Nathaniel to hold on your hip as you squeeze him in relief.

"Clint?" Laura sobs when he finally answers. "Clint, what's going on? I-" She stops talking all of a sudden and she looks at you, eyes wide.

"What happened?" You ask.

"I- I don't know. One second he was talking and then-" She cuts off, glancing at her children and shaking her head. "He just cut out."

You know all is not fine and that something terrible must have happened for Laura to trail off the way she did. But instead of worrying her kids, you offer a grin. "I'm sure it's fine. As clumsy as he is, he probably just dropped his phone." She forces a smile for her kids' benefit. "So why don't we go ahead and wait for him inside. I'll make something to eat while you guys relax and I'll catch you up on the five years you missed."

"Five years!?" Laura nearly shouts.

You wince. "Yeah. You guys missed a lot."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

For the next couple of hours you tell Laura all about the Blip and how half of Earth's population just disappeared- Avengers included. You tell her how Clint had you move in, and how you helped take care of the house and what few animals they had on the farm still while working at the local grocery store. You tell her all about Steve and Natasha, and how Tony Stark is now married with a daughter of his own.

"Wow." Laura chuckles. All the kids have fallen asleep around the living room, leaving Laura the time to finally ask, "And where was Clint this entire time? I noticed he brought you onto the farm, but then everything became about Steve and Nat."

You suck in a breath sharply. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that."

"Y/N.."

"He went rogue." Her eyes widen and you wince. "He left me here with access to your bank account, which I only used to pay bills and buy groceries by the way, and not even Natasha could find him. He only came back when she tracked him down and told him there was a chance they could reverse the Blip."

"Oh Clint.." She sighs, shaking her head in disappointment.

The sound of a quinjet hovering makes you and Laura perk up, but you keep quiet so as to not wake the children. You and Laura meet each other's gazes before you carefully get up and tiptoe out of the living room, and then you're rushing out the front door and down onto the lawn.

The door drops down and then Laura is sprinting across the field to reach her husband. You joyously laugh, jogging over to catch up. But as Laura and Clint hug one another, sobbing, you turn your sights to Steve who's standing sheepishly off to the side. There are two others with him, but since you've yet to meet them you make your way towards the familiar.

"Hey Rogers. Good to see you in one piece."

He tiredly chuckles. "Y/N." You punch his arm and he opens them up so you can hug him. "How are you holding up?"

"Better now that I got my sister back," you muse. As you pull away, you glance behind him into the quinjet. "Hey, where's Natasha?" Steve's smile falls and your heart plummets into your stomach. You can practically read the answer in his eyes. "No.." You shake your head.

His breathing stutters before he clears his throat. "We, uh, we lost Tony too."

Your expression completely crumples then, but Steve is quick to pull you back into a hug. He lets you cry into his chest before Clint steals you away, and then you're crying into your brother-in-law's shoulder. Then once all the tears taper off, Steve introduces you and Laura to Wanda and Bucky.

"I'll be in contact with you about what Pepper decides to do," Steve tells Clint. "If you do anything for Nat, let me know."

Clint sniffles. "I will."

You, Clint, and Laura wave off Steve, Wanda, and Bucky as they return inside the quinjet and lift off.

"Come on," Clint then sighs. "I need to see the kids and then figure out a way to tell them all about auntie Nat's sacrifice."

"And plan a memorial," Laura says.

You frown. "This was not the homecoming I was hoping for."

After a few days of planning, Clint decides on a cookout with all the Avengers and close friends of Nat's invited. It was a couple of days before Tony's own memorial, so you were surprised when Pepper Stark showed up with Morgan in tow. You were happy to finally meet the young girl who you'd been sending gifts to and you gladly ended up on babysitting duty.

You had met more of Clint's ex-coworkers, but your attention always ended up back on the children. Then when it came time to say a few words on Natasha's behalf, you somehow ended up between Steve and Bucky as the children ran back to their respective parents with Steve tucking you into his side when the tears started.

Then when the day of Tony's memorial came, there were more guests than you had anticipated. So as Pepper and Morgan walked a small flower raft with an arc reactor replica on it and set it out on the water, you stood back with Laura and her family and waited in silence. And as the crowd dispersed, you mostly kept to yourself until you saw Steve walk out of Pepper's home in the oddest white and red suit you'd ever seen.

Walking up behind Steve, you nod at Bucky and Sam who grin at your presence. When Steve turns around, you chuckle. "Why do I got a feeling you're about to do something very stupid?"

He grins and adjusts his grip on the suitcase hanging by his side. "Someone's gotta return the stones to their original timeline."

"Mhm. Well be careful. Don't start any unnecessary fights."

"I'll try my best."

As he walks up onto the platform, you step back and nudge your arm against Bucky's. He smiles down on you and you stand by his side as you listen to Bruce who walks Steve through about what's going to happen. Bruce checks all his monitors, giving Steve the go-ahead when everything is fine. Steve nods, a mask of sorts opens up and wraps around his face, and he presses a button that had been in his hand. Bruce counts down the seconds before he flips a switch which is meant to bring Steve back, but nothing happens.

Bruce looks around his monitors and starts pressing some more buttons. "Where is he?" Sam asks.

"I don't know. He blew right by his time stamp. He should be here," Bruce says as he flips a few more switches.

Bucky sighs and you quickly glance at him, and he looks more resigned than anything as he turns to walk off.

Your attention goes to Bruce as your heart rate picks up. "Get him back."

"I'm trying."

"Get him the hell back!" Sam urges.

You and Sam are low-key panicking, but it's Bucky's calm voice that stops the both of you. "Y/N. Sam."

The two of you whirl around, gazes sliding towards where Bucky is staring off to. In the distance, on a stone bench by the water, there appears to be a man sitting there that wasn't there before. You and Sam stumble forward, and you squint your eyes, only to glance back at Bucky with wide eyes.

"Is that.."

"Go."

You share another look with Sam and he gestures for you to follow him. The two of you walk towards the man together and Sam stops just behind him as you walk around in front. When you get a good look at your friend who is way older than what he appeared to be a mere twenty seconds ago, your heart cracks just a little.

You try to force a smile, but it wobbles as an elderly Steve chuckles at you. "I'm really trying not to be so mad at you right now." Your voice cracks and he pats the spot next to him as you sniffle. You immediately sit next to him and take his left hand within your own two, a gleaming wedding band not going unnoticed. Your fingers trace it. "Was it at least a happy life?"

Steve pats your hand. "It was. It was the beautiful life I always dreamt of."

You take a moment for yourself, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "You know you were my complete impulse control, right? Who's going to stop me from trying to get into your best friend's pants now?"

There's a snort from behind you, but you don't bother giving Sam your attention. "Go easy on him," Steve tells you. "I'm not sure he even remembers how to flirt."

You grin as you lean your head on his shoulder. "I'm really going to miss you," you say after a beat. Another moment passes before you drop Steve's hand and sigh before you stand. "Well, um, I should get back my sister and Clint now." You meet his gaze and flash him a small smile. "It's going to suck not seeing you every month, but I'm really glad you found your happiness."

"Thank you, Y/N."

Your bottom lip wobbles again. "Goodbye, Steve."

As you walk away, you hold your head up high and nod to Sam when he looks at you to make sure you're okay. You continue walking, nodding at Bucky as you pass him up as well when you see Laura wave you over. "For the record, I still remember how to flirt." You stumble and and then hear Bucky chuckling quietly behind you.

"Goddamn super soldiers and your dog ears."

As the days turn into weeks, Clint and Laura offer you a permanent place on the farm now that everything seems to be going back to normal. He's promised to build you a small house on the property for all that you've done in the past five years, so in the meantime you've taken to bunking with Lila while Wanda took over the guest bedroom. Clint had also taken to bringing Bucky to the farm when he noticed the super soldier not coping as well as he was letting on, so you found yourself often sitting by the back pond with him as the two of you traded stories about Steve and yourselves.

Though you had originally joked about getting into Bucky's pants, you found yourself seeking friendship from him more than anything else and vice versa. So when you weren't working at the grocery store, you were watching the kids for Laura and Clint or hanging out with Bucky and Wanda. It was no surprise to anyone that the three of you latched on to one another after losing those that you did.

"Hey Y/N," Laura calls out. "Will you do me favor?"

You glance up as she walks out the front door, you and Wanda ceasing your conversation. You grin. "What do you need?"

"Lucky needs some dog food and we need a few bales of hay for the goats."

"Oh. Okay." You look towards Wanda. "Wanna go for the ride?"

She shrugs. "Sure."

"Thank you! You can just put it on the Barton tab at the store," Laura says. "Clint pays it monthly and I've already called ahead to let them know someone was going in to pick up some stuff we needed."

"Got it." Standing up, you pat down your pockets to make sure you have your keys, phone, and some cash. Realizing you have everything, you grin at your sister before walking down the porch steps. As you near your truck, you whistle at Bucky who was throwing knives at a target on the side of the barn. "Hey Buckaroo! We're heading into town. You wanna come?"

He throws the last knife in his hand before he turns to look at you. "Don't call me Buckaroo!" He shouts back as he makes his way towards you.

"Then stop lookin' so darn cute!"

Wanda snorts and you laugh as Bucky shakes his head at you. "One of these days he's going to flirt back and then what are you going to do?"

"Bend myself over the table and let him hit it from behind," you mumble. She snorts harder this time and your eyes widen when you see Bucky start to smirk.

As he nears the two of you, he says, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," you blurt. "Nothing at all. Wanda's just easily amused, is all."

His gaze slides to Wanda, but she shakes her head and doesn't tell him a word. You mentally sigh and praise her for being a good friend, and then you turn to walk towards your truck. Wanda readily heads for the back driver's side door while Bucky walks around to the passenger seat so he's seated next to you.

Once you're seated behind the wheel and the engine is turned on, you take a moment to find a decent song on the radio before driving. It's not too long of a drive and you find yourself pulling up to the local feed store not even three songs later.

Parking and cutting the engine right in front of the store, you turn towards Bucky. You know he's not a huge fan of being out in public, but you rather not have to flirt inside the store to get a helping hand. "Hey Buck, can you do me a favor and load up four of those large rectangular bales of hay and one bag of that dog food right next to it?" You see him tense. "I rather not have to flirt with the boy inside just so he'll help out."

He relaxes then and gives you a nod. "Yeah. Sure."

"Thanks. Just keep watch through the window. Wait 'til I give the signal for you to start loading up." He gives you another nod and you turn around to face Wanda. "Wanna head inside with me?"

Wanda grins and readily opens her door, you and Bucky following right after. But as you and Wanda head inside, Bucky remains by the tailgate of your truck and keeps watch through the large front window as you had said. Inside, Mr. Reeves is waiting by the cash register and keeping an eye on Bucky outside.

"Don't worry, Mr. Reeves. He's with me." Mr. Reeves glances at you, smiling in relief. "I need four large bales of hay and a fifty pound bag of dog food."

Mr. Reeves starts punching buttons on his register. "Alright, sweetheart. Is that going to be all for you?"

"Sure is. Um, Laura asked if you can put it on the tab? Clint will be by at the end of the week."

"Sure thing." You turn towards the window and give Bucky a thumbs up. He turns to open the tailgate and then move towards the bales of hay to start loading up. Mr. Reeves chuckles. "That's a strong fella you got there."

His words make you blush and Wanda giggle, but you can't even reprimand your friend because she is further away than you expected. She's leaning over what appears to be a warming box, hand inside as she smiles down at something you can't see. "Whatcha got there, Red?"

Her smile widens as you hear small chirps. "Ducklings."

You walk over to her, peering inside and your heart absolutely melts. Inside are the cutest ducklings you've ever seen and you know you're done for when you set your hand down inside and one particular little duckling runs onto your palm.

Mr. Reeves walks over, chuckling. "They were hatched a few days ago. All have been looking mighty strong and are ready to go to good homes."

"How much?"

"Y/N," Wanda laughs. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking this little sucker with me." You pick up your hand, duckling still happily nestled in your palm as you cradle him to your chest and look at Mr. Reeves. "Any chance you have those small plastic kiddie pools?"

"As a matter of fact I do," he muses.

Wanda is giggling the entire time Mr. Reeves gets exactly what you need, you nuzzling the yellow fuzzball to your face. You pay with your own money and sadly hand over the duckling when Mr. Reeves has to box her up. You then carefully take the box from him as Wanda takes the kiddie pool, and you walk behind her as you make your way to the truck.

You have absolutely no regrets about buying the duckling, but you still hide the box as you walk around the truck and open the driver's door. Wanda shoves the kiddie pool into the back with her and Bucky turns so his gaze darts between the both of you- Wanda looking far too amused and you looking a little sheepish as you continue to stand outside the truck.

"What did you do?" He sighs.

"Well we went in to just buy the food," Wanda says, "but-"

"I bought a duck." You blurt. You finally put the box in front of you, on the seat, and you open the lid. The duckling chirps and you beam down at her, picking her up and nuzzling her once more. "I'm gonna name her Flauta." Bucky snorts and Wanda laughs uncontrollably then. "No one tell Laura."

"Gonna be hard to hide her, doll."

Bucky reaches over to take the duckling from you and the sight of him cradling it, holding it up to his face and smiling makes you melt once more. Wanda is staring knowingly at you, but you don't even have the urge to flip her off because you know you're fucked. Instead, you take your phone out of your back pocket and snap a picture.

"That's my new wallpaper."

Bucky doesn't bother admonishing you for taking the picture, so after setting it as your wallpaper you put your phone away and climb into your truck. He holds onto the duckling as you make the drive back to the farm, Wanda giggling every now and then when you glance at Bucky and sigh longingly.

When you make it back to the farm, Clint and Laura are on the porch as the kids play out in the yard. They both stand as you park, their expressions turning suspicious as Wanda hops out of the back with the kiddie pool in tow. You grin as you hurriedly hop out as well, leaving Bucky to carry the incriminating evidence.

You can tell he expected as much as he watches you jog around to his side of the truck, already pointing at him through the opened window. "Bucky bought a duck!"

He shakes his head at you and you blow him a kiss, Clint and Laura then joining you by the truck. "Oh really?" Your brother-in-law muses.

"Yep."

"Mhm." Clint looks to Bucky as Laura bites back a grin. "Buck, what's the duck's name?"

Without missing a beat, he says, "Flauta."

Laura finally laughs. "Nice try, Y/N." As Bucky and Wanda guess how Laura knew, she says, "When we were younger, Y/N did the same thing but with a turtle. She named him Taquito."

"And Taquito lived a long and happy life until we went off to college," you say. "Flauta will live just long, if not longer, here on the farm."

Clint chuckles and then takes the duckling from Bucky. He looks to Wanda and gestures for her to follow him. "Lets go get this little lady all set up. The kids are gonna have a blast."

Laura follows after them, but not before winking at you, and you shake your head as you're left alone with Bucky. He finally climbs out of the truck, shutting the door and then leaning against it. You nervously laugh as he smirks. "You threw me under the bus."

"I couldn't take the chance that they'd make me return Flauta." You pout. "I couldn't send her back, Buckaroo. I'd already named her."

He pushes off the truck, turning you around and laying his arm around your shoulders. For a moment you forget how to breathe. "You're just as bad as Steve."

"Oh whatever." You roll your eyes, grinning as your arm wraps around the back of his waist and start walking towards where Clint went. "Steve got you shot at. I momentarily put you in momma bear's crosshairs." He quietly chuckles. "And besides, I didn't hear you deny it. Admit it, Barnes, I'm growing on you."

"Like a fungus."

You pinch his side. "Oh fuck off." He fully laughs then. "Just you wait, Buckaroo. The day we decide to put sex on the list of things we should definitely be doing, I'm gonna withhold just because you're being an ass."

"You sure about that?" The teasing lilt to his voice suddenly makes you feel at unease. "You sure you won't immediately bend over the table and let me hit it from behind?"

Your face flames, but you can't help but laugh at your earlier words. When you manage to calm down, you can't help but say, "I hate you," as you finish making your way towards your family.

"Nice try, doll, but I'm calling bullshit."

[flippyspoon]

Pick Up

Note: Just a lil thingie because I imagining Steve’s voice over the phone lol. MMMMM.

To say Billy’s on pins and needles after the first time he and Steve fool around is a gross understatement. He can’t tell the terror from the ecstasy. He’s about to jump out of his skin. 

He’s used to feeling a lot about..everything.

This is more than usual.

Billy flees Steve’s place quickly, having no better ideas.

He’s nice about it.

“See ya, Harrington!” He says, as he pulls his shirt back on. He glances at Steve who looks half-delirious sitting on the bed, smiling sleepily at Billy, his jeans and briefs still down around his thighs, his spent dick hanging out.

Billy’s out the door before he gets a response, still feeling the sensation of Steve’s dick in his mouth.

He doesn’t sleep a wink that night and his thoughts race around too quickly in his head to catch a hold of any one in particular.

He burns through the half pack of Marlboros he’s got, his bedroom window open to let out the smoke, bringing in the chill. Nothing much is on TV to distract him. I Dream of Jeannie for four straight hours keeps him entertained. Or anyway, he stares at it and thinks of Steve’s head gently falling back against this bedroom door when Billy curled his tongue a certain way.

The way the little bump of Steve’s Adam’s apple stuck out, his mouth gaping open as he breathed. His hand tugging on Billy’s hair. Maybe not tugging quite as hard as Billy would have wanted. But that’s Steve. He was always going to be so sweet. 

I Dream of Jeannie...

He always thought Major Nelson was kind of cute in a fumbling, totally square kinda way.

Huh.

The line of Steve’s throat…

That vein along his dick pressing against Billy’s lips...

It’s maddening.

In the morning, his bones ache from staying up, his throat raw from smoking...and probably from the blow-job.

He makes breakfast for Susan and Max in the morning, feeling bleary, like everything isn’t quite real because he watched the sun rise outside, sitting on the stoop and chilly even in his hooded sweatshirt. He smoked and watched the sky turn amber and for a moment life was perfect because for a moment there, he had Steve Harrington.

They watched MTV because Steve had cable in his room. Steve made some joke about Robert Palmer girls and Billy laughed and when he turned his head, Steve was just staring at him…

Susan goes to work. Max goes to school.

Billy makes himself busy doing things around the house before pretending to look at want ads even though he’s always too chicken shit to apply for anything.

He feels a little braver today. He circles a couple jobs, makes two calls. He reaches Mr. Haggerty at the hardware store. That sounds promising.

He catches himself smiling for no particular reason. But around noon the high starts to fade. 

It’s not like anything is ever going to happen with Steve again. As if a guy like Steve would want him, a voice that sounds like his dad says in his head-

The phone rings while he’s smoking at the kitchen table, glaring into a Cherry Coke.

He lets it ring. It’s likely for Susan and they have a machine since Neil left, because he’s called a couple times and left nasty messages. 

Billy’s shoulders tense up, half expecting to hear his father’s voice after the beep. 

But-

“Hey…” Steve Harrington’s soft voice might as well be a crack of thunder and Billy’s heart starts thudding. “It’s...Steve. Harrington? Um. I just wanted to uh…”

It takes Billy a moment to collect himself enough to realize he should pick up the damn phone. He stumbles getting to his feet, scrambling to the corner counter in the kitchen where the machine sits.

“Just want to...talk to you um…” Steve laughs. “I dunno what to... Holy shit, please pick up-”

Billy picks up the phone.

“Harrington.” He winces at the crack in his voice.

He’s not as smooth as he used to be.

He clears his throat.

“Hey, what’s up,” he says. 

He bites his lip so hard, he nearly draws blood.

“Oh shit,” Steve says, sighing. “Thank God, you picked up. I had no idea what to say to the machine. Holy shit,”

His voice is so warm in Billy’s ear, and just a little crackling through the phone. It’s like coming in from the cold. Billy slumps against the counter and closes his eyes, holding the receiver so tightly in his hand, his fingers ache.

“You at work?” Billy says.

“Yeah! I’m on lunch,” Steve says. “Um. Slow as hell. I just uhhhh…wanted to...say...hi?” He mutters under his breath: “Goddammit.”

Billy takes a breath and summons the courage and cool that used to come more easily.

“Can’t get enough of me, huh?” He says.

That breaks the ice and Steve chuckles in his ear. Billy can practically feel it on his skin.

“I can’t stop thinking about it!” Steve whispers. “I can’t...I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Billy says: “Oh.”

His legs give out a little and he sits down on the floor, his hands shaking so hard, it’s difficult to hold the phone.

Because Steve Harrington can’t stop thinking about him.

“Look, I don’t care if it’s lame or whatever,” Steve goes on, “because like we’ve all almost died ten times. So I don’t give a shit what anybody thinks or anything. Even my parents! I don’t care! I really like you. I like hanging out and...I like...what we did. And...just... do you want to come over tonight? Come over tonight. Don’t make me beg, okay? This speech sounded a lot better in my head. I should’ve written it down-”

“Yeah okay,” Billy says, his head swimming. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Steve says, sighing again. “There’s just one thing. You have to promise me.”

Billy braces himself. “What.”

“If...if you don’t like me,” Steve says, “if it’s not… Just, if you don’t like me like I like you? You have to tell me. Okay? Just don’t lie, like don’t pretend. I can’t pretend shit anymore. Please?”

Jesus. Harrington can make things heavy quick. He didn’t see that coming.

“Okay,” Billy says. “Cool. I promise.”

“Alright,” Steve says, but he sounds farther away now.

It’s almost like maybe he doesn’t believe Billy which causes a sharp pang in Billy’s tender heart. 

“My place at six then?” Steve says. “I’ll order pizza-”

“Cool.”

“Okay.”

“Steve.”

“Yeah?”

“I uh…” Billy rolls his eyes, but that sharp pang doesn’t go anywhere. He licks his lips and says: “I like you? A lot. I… just, I do. I like you. Since...forever. So. Um. Don’t worry about it. Cool?”

The pang is gone. Feels a lot like after Owens gets him to crack his heart open every week. Totally excruciating and then better.

There’s a terrifying pause before Steve says, “Okay. Cool.” And all that warmth is back suddenly and he’s close in Billy’s ear again. Billy can even hear the smile in his voice. “Okay okay! Cool! Okay, I’ll see you at six then!”

Billy checks his watch. It’s only one. So many hours until he sees Steve again, but the anticipation is so acute it almost feels good and he blurts out, “Can’t wait, baby.” 

Steve says, “Jesus Christ… Me either. Kay um...bye.”

Billy hears a giggle before Steve hangs up. 

Five hours seems like a long time, but the minutes are made shorter by the memory of Steve’s warm voice in his ear.

[twotapbuz]

The leader and a body guard(Rin x reader)

(Sorry this took so long, school sucked all of my motivation away. You can find the rest of the series here: Eloni )

warning: violence, slight angst with a happy ending

Sometime after the rock revolution, Neon J decided to leave for a 3-week vacation

This meant that you and your coworkers would need to report to Rin

The first couple of days were difficult because Rin didn’t seem to care about the reports and would flirt with whoever was giving him the report

It wasn’t till week two that things began to spiral

1010 had been in the middle of a performance when a fight broke out in the crowd

You jumped out of where you were standing to help control the crowd

You assessed the damage after everything calmed down

The venue + stage was partially destroyed, Purl-Hew lost his glasses and an eye, Haym lost an arm, Zimelu and Eloni’s faces were cracked, and Rin was missing

Rin was missing

This was bad news as the factory still hadn’t been repaired yet which meant that he couldn’t be brought back until Neon J came back

And if Neon J found out that you lost a member of 1010, you and your co-workers would be fired

So your group split into two parts, one half would take Zimelu, Haym, Purl- Hew, and Eloni back to Barraca Mansion while the other half would search for Rin

You were placed into the latter

It had been nearly an hour since Rin was discovered missing and there still was no sign of him. You were definitely going to get fired. While the concert was in Cast Tech, you along with several others were sent to search Metro Division in case he simply went back to Baraca Mansion without telling anyone. You were about to head back when you heard the sound of crashing metal. 

“Hello, is anyone there?” You didn’t mean to say anything, but you were caught off guard. Against your better judgment, you began to walk towards that alley. You were desperate to find him after all.

“Stay back! RETREAT!” shouted a panicked autotuned voice. It was Rin.

“Rin? Is that you? Are you ok?” you rushed down the alley to find Rin hiding next to a dumpster.

“Don’t look at me!” Rin was trying to cover the right side of his face with his arm.

“What? Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah! Do not worry about me, I’ll make it back fine,” Rin tried to stand up, still covering his face, but immediately fell back down because his leg was missing.

“Look… everyone’s worried about you and you won’t be able to make it back by yourself with that leg,” you gestured at Rin’s broken leg. Please let me help you, I know some shortcuts.” You offered your arm. Rin hesitantly lifted his hand for his face and grabbed your hand for support. The metal that covered the right side of her face was gone, revealing the damaged hardware underneath.

You involuntarily flinched, he may not have been human, but it was still pretty jarring to look at something that looked like a person who was missing part of their face. Rin also flinched, covering his missing face with both of his hands now.

“I’m so sorry about that”, you rubbed your neck, “I just… well I didn’t expect the injury to be that bad.”

“You aren’t going to scream, are you?

“What? No, I'm very sorry about that. Besides I’ve seen way worse” you joked, trying to release the tension. Rin hesitantly uncovered his face once again and grabbed your hand and pulled himself up. The two of you dodged the groups of people walking through Metro Divison.

As the two of you were walking through, you couldn’t help but wonder about Rin’s reaction when it suddenly hit you, 1010 got severely injured during the rock revolution. One of these injuries included all of them losing their faceplates. Their fans unsurprisingly freaked out which caused 1010 to explode due to some protocol Neon J must’ve implemented. Your heart sank when you realized Rin’s reaction wasn’t because he was worried about his image, but he was scared of you screaming and what would follow afterward.

——————

After that incident, Rin seemed to act differently towards you. He took you more seriously and listened to your reports

Even after Neón J came back, Rin still came to you for your reports

Probably just practice for when Neón j retires, you thought

As the weeks passed, the time spent on the casual chats you had increased to the point you’d forgot to give him the actual report several times

“And that’s how we got Quienne and Bebe.” Rin had just finished telling you the story of how they got their cats by Haym and Eloni smuggling them in through a box. This was one of many of the 'behind the scenes stories' that Rin had told you. While they didn’t act that much different when they weren’t on camera or in front of a crowd, it was nice to be trusted enough to hear about their personal lives.

“So what about you?”

“Hm?”

“Do you have any good stories? I don’t think it’s fair if I tell all of my secrets after all~.” Rin teased

“Well, I do have one. I was at a dance audition and waiting for my turn to perform and this dude that was performing was pretty much a circus act. He was doing all these frontflips and backflips and it was just crazy. Wish I had recorded it.”

“You used to be a performer? How come you stopped?” Rin curiously asked.

“Nah, I never made it past the first round of auditions. I didn't really mind since I only entered to support a friend.” You sipped on your coffee

“That’s a shame.” Rin paused for a moment. “You know I could always offer you lessons.”

 “that's really nice, but I’ll have to decline. No amount of practice can fix these two left feet.” You looked at the clock, realizing half an hour had passed. You quickly said your goodbye and left to avoid getting into trouble. Rin watched your back as he left, unsure why he couldn’t take his eyes off you.

——————

Rin was walking to his dressing room when he saw you walking alongside several other security staff. As rude as it sounded, Rin normally wouldn’t think twice about the people he worked with. Most staff would either quit from being harassed by crazy 1010 fans or get fired for secretly being 1010 fans who used the job to get access to 1010 content, or worse, 1010 themselves. Rin shuddered as memories of one of the many incidents came back. Rin could count on both of his hands the amount of current staff that has been working for over a year and you were one of them. Rin began to think about the early part of his career when he and his family would actively engage with the staff, talking about both of their personal lives and inviting them over to hang out in the mansion. He and his brothers stopped interacting with the staff after the high turnover started. What was the point of talking with them if they were going to quit and avoid 1010 like the plague or get fired and be avoided by 1010 like the plague. He was glad that he could talk to you. He also liked the sound of your voice and how your eyes sparkled brighter than the LEDs that lit up him and his brothers. Rin blushed at the last thoughts. The sound of your voice and the sparkle of your eyes? It’s not like he was in love with you or anything. He was technically your boss and your relationship was completely professional. Yeah, your interactions were one of his favorite parts of his day and your smile would always brighten his day, but even if he was in love with you(which he is not) there’s still the challenge of gaining the approval of his family and having to deal with his fan’s harassment. He couldn’t let you go through that. Though Rin couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to talk with you outside of work…even go on a couple dates… maybe he was in love afterall.

——————

You walked past Rin and smiled. Despite your attempts, you fell for Rin's charm just like his fans did and it took you no time to notice this. You knew you were never going to say anything, afterall, everyone knows the rule about not dating coworkers and Rin can choose practically anyone, why would he pick you?

——————

It was the first concert after the rock revolution

The fans were extra antsy due to the lack of content, so it was all hands on deck

You were positioned on the front of the stage

This concert was no different than the previous ones, 1010 were performing, a couple of their fans attempted to jump on the stage, and you could barely hear your own thoughts over the mix of music and cheering. Suddenly both of those stopped. You looked at the stage and so 1010 standing still in mid-performance. You were told about this situation during training: it was either a malfunction or a hacking. You prayed that it wasn’t the latter. 1010 suddenly began to move in sync, but it was different from their normal in sync movement. You saw two fans get tackled to the ground as a red saw blade passed them at what would’ve been chest height. Your radio buzzed loudly as you were given your new orders:

“Get everyone out of there.”

It was chaos as you rushed around to get everyone out of the venue. Those with superhuman abilities(pyrokinesis, levitation, etc) stayed behind to prevent 1010 from leaving the venue. Despite not having any abilities, you stayed behind too. You were running around in the back looking for anyone who still might be there when the rubble from an explosion behind you knocked you to the ground. You quickly got up and saw Rin towering over Neon J. Without thinking, you quickly grabbed a nearby pipe that came from the newly busted wall and smashed it over Rin’s head. This managed to stop his attack, but it also brought his attention to you. He suddenly ran towards you, grabbed you, and threw you against the wall. Your consciousness began to fade in and out as your head collided with the wall. You saw Rin approaching you, then darkness, Rin raising his arm to strike, darkness again, Rin being pulled away by Neón J, darkness again, the inside of an ambulance, and then nothing.

——————

You woke up in a hospital room. Your eyes scanned the room: on your right was a monitor accompanied by an IV drip. On your left was a small table with flowers, a get-well balloon, a couple cards, and a Rin with a worried face sitting on one of the chairs of the room. Rin noticed you were awake and quickly rushed before stopping unsure of what to do.

“Y/N” Rin said, unsure of what to do or say

“Rin”

“Y/N… I’m so sorry about what happened- I didn’t want to-I couldn’t stop- if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you-” Rin began to stutter out of guilt. He kept making sentences but giving up on them and starting new ones.

“Rin, please” Rin paused and looked at you. “It’s not your fault, I know you would never do this” the two of you sat in silence for what felt like an eternity before you continued, “You know... if the offers still up… I’d be happy to accept those dance lessons when I get discharged." Rin began to smile

“Yeah, the offers still up”

——————

Neon J walked through the hospital’s halls. For the past two weeks, he had been personally escorting Rin to your hospital room. He knew Rin felt responsible for your injuries so he didn’t object to this despite the possible security risks(he couldn't keep his boys locked up). He had heard from Rin that you had woken up and he was glad that you were ok, but he had to cut your visitor time short due to an interview that all 1010 members must be present for. He walked into your room to find the two of you sleeping with Rin’s head on your lap. 

“It’ll be fine if Rin misses one interview.” Neon J thought as he closed the door. He also began to wonder how long it will be before Rin introduces you officially to the family.

[moonlit-imagines]

The Doctor Is In

Stephen Strange x reader

Bruce Banner x reader (platonic)

warnings:

a/n: hey! idk how to build stairs guys. i didnt feel like researching it. i dont care if it’s wrong. leave me alone. part 2/2.

prompt:

Out (1)

There was no hope of Stephen coming back. Every truth you had to face was harsher than the last. Even when you got home and realized that Wong was among the vanished...and he didn’t fix the stairwell.

Maybe the stairwell was a good thing. It gave you something to focus on in these hard times. Sure, it’d been a month since the incident, but that still wasn’t enough time for the world to heal. That meant that contractors were hard to come by. But the roof would have a tarp over it for some time. No way you’d deal with that.

So you took a trip to the hardware store, you stocked up on wood and nails, lacquer and wood stain. Anything else you needed for the project. Anything to keep you busy.

There were so many sleepless nights. You hated being alone in Sanctum, hated being alone in your bed. Every so often you would nap on the couch, but then you’d get right back to work. Weeks on end you spent on the stairwell. How long will you stick around while I talk about the stairwell?

Doctor Banner called you from time to time. His voicemails were kind, heartfelt, but you couldn’t stop now. The gutted stairwell from a couple weeks ago was coming by very nicely. As nice as it could when worked on my an amateur. Alright, it looked awful, but you couldn’t stand using a ladder to get to the second floor.

As you were staining the wood, you played a message from Bruce:

“Doctor L/N, it’s Bruce. I hope you’re doing alright, but you know that if you’re not, I’m here for you. All the remaining Avengers have kind of...gone their separate ways for the most part, they’re pretty broken up about everything. I just want you to know that because you don’t...have to be strong right now. I understand if you can’t be. Just call me back whenever you can? I want to make sure you’re alright. We’re survivors, we should stick together.”

Bruce hadn’t known you long, but he was still a great person and friend. You should call him back, but if you lost focus, you may lose yourself. So you continued to wipe against the grain of the fresh stairs and moved to the next step. And the next. And the next.

The last step was the lacquer and seal. You were scared to finish up. What would you occupy yourself with once this was over? You thought about the answer until the very last step and admired your shabby craftsmanship. It’ll do. Or maybe you should tear it all down and start over? While you were thinking over your newest thought, your phone rang again. Bruce Banner.

“Hey, Bruce.” You answered the phone as you normally would and sat on the floor in front of your work.

“Y/N?” Bruce asked in disbelief. “Y/N, hey! How are you? I don’t know if you’ve been getting my calls..?”

“I have.” You quickly replied.

“Oh.” He quietly nodded to himself.

“I’m sorry, Bruce.” You realized your mistake and knew you may have come off as a little rude. He’d been nothing but kind to you, but you’d just realized you were alone today.

“No, no! It’s okay! I understand, don’t worry. What have you been up to?” His effort to start a conversation may be successful this time around.

“I fixed the stairwell. All of it. That’s what I’ve been doing the past few weeks. I just finished a few minutes ago.” You felt awkward talking to him. Not because of him, not at all. Just because you hadn’t really had any human contact in a while.

“I didn’t take you for a carpenter, Doctor.” Bruce was genuinely surprised with your skillset, you could hear it in his voice.

“And you still won’t once you see the job I did.” You actually managed to let out a chuckle. You didn’t know you could still do that.

“Oh, I hear ya loud and clear.” Bruce laughed, too. I wonder if he was having the same thoughts as you. “Y/N, do you want to go out to lunch like, now? I could use some company, maybe you could, too.”

“Yeah,” you checked the time on your watch, Stephen’s watch, and realized you worked through the night and day, “text me an address, I’ll meet you anywhere. See you soon.” You hung up pretty quickly, only to get ready ASAP. You were sort of covered in “stair supplies” and smelled like...not good. You’d take a quick shower, put on some clean clothes, and take off. Unfortunately, the stairs weren’t dry, so it was another round up the ladder.

—————

You finally took a trip back to your bedroom and shuffled through the closet filled with your...late husband’s clothing. It still smelled like him, surprisingly. You wondered just how long it would last. You hoped it’d be forever, but you grabbed your own clothes and quickly got dressed, then checked your phone to see that Bruce was running “a little late.” It’s okay, you were, too.

You took a seat on Stephen’s side of the bed and decided to snoop. Did it count as snooping if he was no longer here? You knew that he didn’t keep secrets from you, so what was the worst you could stumble upon? Books, books, and more books. But some were important books, ones detailing mystic arts. Maybe...maybe it was time to pick up a new skill. You stuffed the book in your bag and decided to head out now before you got too comfy in an actual bed.

—————

You and Bruce sat at a booth in the empty diner, awkwardly gazing over the menu while trying to stir up some conversation. It’d been a while since either of you had visited someone, you didn’t even know what to talk about.

“So, home renovations, huh?” Bruce asked while peaking over the fold of the laminated list.

“Something like that.” You sighed and set yours down and aside. “I know what I’m getting. What about you?”

“I just need a minute.” The only noise besides your bland conversation was the rustling of dishes in the back, which didn’t last for long. “Got it. A burger. That’ll do it.” Bruce announced and got the attention of the waiter.

Ordering took a second, but soon you and Bruce were alone again and ready to talk.

“How are the other Avengers? I know you said they went their separate ways, but...” You inquired and were surprised to see a smile crack on Bruce’s face. “What?”

“At least I know you listened to my voicemails.” He chuckled and took a sip of his iced tea. “They’re dealing with it. I don’t exactly know how. Nat’s staying at the compound, I’m sure she’s glad to have a home again. Cap went out on his own. Thor went back to his people. Tony and Pepper are trying to separate themselves from the world, I think. I don’t blame them. That’s all I know.” You stayed silent, but nodded along to his outer thoughts. “You alright?”

“I’m sorry, Bruce.” You started. “I didn’t mean to ignore you, leave you hanging. I just still don’t know how to take this. I keep thinking about what Stark told me when he came back. His whole ‘this will all make sense soon’ thing. Nothing about this makes sense to me.”

“Well, Strange was different, wasn’t he? He had that Stone, he had those powers, he might know something we don’t.” Bruce explained to you, an attempt to comfort you. “We’ve tried everything, y/n. Maybe it’s time to wait, maybe in time you’ll see that he sacrificed himself...for you.” You teared up at the scientist’s words and quickly wiped your eyes as the food was placed before you. “Thank you, sir.” Bruce said as the waiter walked off. “Hey, y/n? It’s okay that you’re hurting. I get it. But please don’t act like you’re alone. I’m gonna be here for you, okay?”

“Yeah,” you sniffled while hiding your wet eyes, “Me, too, Bruce.”

—————

When you got stressed out when you were younger, you threw yourself into your studies. Maybe that was why you were such an accomplished scientist. But what studies did you have now?

You had a library full of knowledge. It wasn’t your usual knowledge, but it would suffice. Now, the book that you’d snagged from Stephen’s bedside was a bit advanced for you, but that was okay. You had options.

Where would you even begin? This place was bigger than you remembered. Was this another spell? Did you know what you were talking about? Stop thinking, y/n. Start reading.

You picked out a book. You just ran with it. You recalled stories from Stephen. You remembered you needed the ring. What did he call it? Song ring? Sink ring? Slink ring?

Sling ring.

Not a problem, you could find one. Sanctum probably had tons. Maybe in Stephen’s study? You wished you had asked him more about his arts before, you just didn’t get it at the time.

One was stashed in a drawer. It was Stephen’s ring. The one he used himself. And it was the only one you could find, so it’d have to do. And so you got to studying.

The first time the air sparked by your hand was magical. Literally. But it made you feel something for the first time in nearly three months. And that was just the beginning. It felt like you were carrying on Stephen’s legacy in a way. You’d never be “Sorcerer Supreme,” but you didn’t have any intention of that. You just wanted his memory to live on, even if it were through you.

So you’d practice and you’d learn and you’d practice and you’d learn. You’d see Bruce whenever you could, and he soon noticed your mood change.

“I’m glad to see you happy for a change.” He told you while you walked through the park.

“Yeah, it feels great.” You told him while watching construction vehicles cleaning up the debris that had been lying around for months.

“I’ve been meaning to ask. What’s with the ring?” He looked at your hand and you lifted it closer.

“Oh...it’s Stephen’s.” You simply stated.

“Is it like a wedding ring?” He took a closer look and let you laugh it up for a quick second.

“No, no!” You shook your head at the ridiculous question. “I might as well show you. I haven’t told anyone yet, but that’s because you’re the only person I talk to.” You stopped in your tracks and shooed him back to give yourself enough space. “Ready?” Bruce looked terrified, but nodded a response and watched you raise your hands ahead, concentrating on the small portal you had began to open. Bruce recognized the opening since he’d fallen through it before.

“You’re one of the sorcerers?” Bruce’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I just started learning!” You exclaimed with a bright smile. “I needed something to get me through this all...and I wanted to protect Sanctum like Stephen and Wong had always stressed doing.”

“That’s...amazing, y/n. Self-taught magic? By a scientist, no less. Look at you go!” Bruce had a knack for being supportive. You were glad that he crashed through your roof and into your stairs.

“Thanks, Bruce. Maybe in time I’ll be able to cast a spell that fixes my roof.” You shrugged.

“Oh? Come on! I said I was sorry!”

—————

And then five years went by. Flew by, actually. You’d become a skilled sorcerer and used your skills around Sanctum. There wasn’t much to do here on Earth. It was a bit quiet.

Bruce was still a close friend of yours! You’d advised him in his quest for balance. He was no longer at war with himself.

The roof was fixed! You had Bruce spectate your very own spell to repair the damages he’d inflicted, but all was forgiven.

Then one normal day you got a call from him.

“Hey Bruce! How’s it going?” You answered, even though it interrupted your meditation.

“Can you meet me at the diner ASAP?” He sounded a little off, but still upbeat, so you opened a portal and stepped through to find yourself right out front. It was easy to spot him through the window, but there were others with him. Avengers.

“Hey, all.” You took a seat beside an unfamiliar one. “Hi, I’m y/n.” You told him as a plate of food was set in front of you.

“I ordered you your favorite. Hope you’re hungry.” Bruce smirked at you and let you get to it.

“So, it’s been a while, huh?” You asked the two Avengers across from you.

“It has.” Natasha sighed. “I wasn’t aware you were...also a sorcerer.” She began.

“I had a lot of free time.” Last they saw you, you weren’t as cool, calm, or collected. They were glad that you’d found peace. “I have a feeling this isn’t a social lunch.”

“I’m sorry to pull you from your calm, Doctor L/N—” You cut Steve off.

“Y/N is fine.” You replied.

“Scott here,” Steve motioned to the awkward man sitting alongside you, “was stuck in the Quantum Realm for some time, if you’re familiar. He thinks that there’s a way to...to undo what Thanos did.” You peered over at Bruce and watched him shrug as your heart started to beat faster and stomach started doing turns. You hated the thought of getting your hopes up, but you still dearly missed your husband.

“What can I do?”

—————

You had a hand in opening the dozens of portals around the ruins of the Avengers Compound, but you weren’t the only one. Stephen, Wong, and hundreds of other sorcerers were assisting to bring an army to combat the troops of an outdated Thanos, and you were so close to Stephen.

Using your magic to create a pathway to the sky, you leaped from step to step to get a clear look of the battlefield. And to let Stephen see you. He did. And so did the cloak.

You’d never used your powers to fight, so you’d have to step it up out here. But you knew Stephen wouldn’t let you get hurt. And you believed that you could handle this yourself.

“Y/N!” Stephen called to you as he flew to your altitude and held you in a special embrace that you’d nearly forgotten the feeling of. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Are you kidding me, Stephen?” You chuckled through tears that you just couldn’t hold in, tears that dragged through the dirt and dust on your face, clearing small lines down your cheeks. “I have missed you every day since the moment you left. I am so glad to have you back.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye, y/n. I truly am. But I knew that you would manage without me. You always have.” He explained to you in such a heartfelt way, admiring your capability to still be standing in the air.

“You knew I’d become a sorcerer, didn’t you?” You cocked a brow and watched him smirk.

“I had an inkling.” He joked with you as the firefight below was still rampaging.

“It’s very unprofessional of you to be talking to your s/o during times of crisis like this.” You chuckled and broke your spell to fall back to the ground, stopping yourself before it was too late in what could only be described as a “superhero landing.” Now that you were on the ground, assistance was required for your own side of the battle.

You and your fellow sorcerers had to defend more than anything. Shields popped up across the battlefield in an effort to keep your people alive. There were too many close calls and you wanted to survive long enough to go home with your husband.

“Y/N, over here!” Stephen beckoned you to the flood that would have made this fight much harder, and you were delighted to defend alongside him. The cloak rushed to you and gave you a fast track to the edge of the water, you couldn’t help but that it for it’s kind service. “Ready?”

“Of course.” You lifted your palms and motioned towards that water, redirecting it and keeping it at bay for the time being. “I love you, Stephen.” You remembered to tell him.

“I love you, too, y/n.” He replied with his focus still on the flood. “And I’m proud of you. So very proud.”

“Couldn’t have done it with you.” You joked and stabilized the rushing waters, giving you a true load-off before the end was clear. Dust passed through the sunken hole you all stood inside. Dust of your enemies that had finally lost. You and Stephen stared at each other in disbelief, yet couldn’t help but run into each other’s arms. “This is real? We won?”

“In a way.”

—————

Stephen and you dressed in all black were standing in the back yard of your savior. Tony had given his life to give others a life. You were just sorry that it had to be him.

Bruce stood alongside you with a long face and an injured arm. It was time for you to be there for him like he’d been there for you.

“Thanks for bringing back my husband, Bruce.” You whispered to him while holding Stephen’s hand tightly. Over the past few days, you just couldn’t seem to let go of him.

“Oh, yeah? That was nothing.” Bruce playfully answered through his sorrow.

“How’s your arm feeling?” You asked him, making sure the sling wasn’t twisted up an any way.

“Not the greatest, but I’ll be okay.” He assured you and watched as you leaned your head onto Stephen’s smile with a sense of relief. “I’m really happy for you, y/n...”

“But?” You raised an eyebrow with a hint of worry.

“But you better still hang out with me.” He smiled at you and you even heard a chuckle escape Stephen’s lips.

“You can count on it, Bruce.” You lifted a hand for a fist bump and collided your knuckles with his, even if they were a bit oversized.

“Shall we get going, dear?” Stephen asked you while he hooked his arm around yours and opened a portal home. You waved goodbye to Bruce and went on your way, stepping right into Sanctum as the way closed behind you.

“So you really meant it, huh?” You asked your husband while setting your belongings down.

“That I love what you’ve done with the place?” Stephen laughed at your oncoming smirk and walked forward, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you forward to kiss the top of your head. “Of course, dear.”

“Even the stairs?” You peeked your head up to look at your husband and watched his smile grow. You’d never bothered casting a spell to properly repair them. Maybe you were just too proud of your work. Maybe it was a reminder that you got through these five years on your own terms.

“I do.” He leaned down to kiss your lips. “It adds character to this place.”

“More character than the magic?” You prodded at him.

“I think you mean ‘sorcery.’” He corrected as you leaned into his chest and slightly swayed back and forth, taking in his presence for the 50th time since he’d come home.

“Oh, of course. Silly me.”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedficrecs // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisqueer // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @thisetaernallove // @ofthedewthesunlight // @canarypoint // @zoeyserpentluck // @randomawesomeperson102 // @ghost-bich // @wonderful-writer // @of-a-chaotic-mind // @groovyfluxie // @procrastinatingsapphictrash // @lxncelot // @swanimagines // @randomfandomimagine // @blizzardbabe // @agentshortstacc // @rosadiaz-sarayvargas-harleyquinn // @werewolf-himbo // @comiocudequemtalendo1 // @mochamoff // @the-marvel-meme-emporium // @summersimmerus //

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

For the kissing category, May I get #24 with Will?

Part of Youvebeenlivingfictional’s 2K Follower Celebration   Pairing: Will Miller x Reader Rating: T   Warnings: Cursing, canon-typical danger, Smooches™

You hated recon in heavily populated areas. It put you on-edge; there were too many unknowns. One of the guys tended to handle any tailing; you tended to stay back, eye the monitors, warn them of anything incoming if needed.

“Alright, Ironhead, target’s on your six, comin’ up fast.”

“Copy,” Will’s voice came in through the earpiece, crackling low and thick over the static.

You leaned back from the mic, lifting your hand from the console and leaning back, glancing at Benny where he was stationed in the seat beside you.

“Can we cut back on that interference?” 

“Working on it,” He muttered, fingers moving over the dials. You leaned a little further back, glancing at Santiago in the front seat.

“How’s it looking?”

“Street’s pretty fuckin’ busy… But if you looked through the monitors, you’d know that, cutie,” Came his bored answer. 

“The feeds are lagged, Garcia, don’t give me that shit,” You argued, turning back to the pixelated, lagging camera feeds. The three of you were set up in a recon van, with Will on the ground; Fish and Tom were dealing with their own target elsewhere. You watched the feed of Will going inside and raised your hand to the keyboard to switch feeds to inside the store. 

You could see Will lingering along the shelves, a little ways away from the target. You raised your hand to the mic. 

“Keep your distance, Will,” You warned. 

He gave no answer; his head didn’t turn even a little to acknowledge the message. You frowned, lowering your hand to the channel and fiddling with it, getting only static in turn. “Ironhead, poke something on the shelf in front of you so I know you copy.” You waited, watched– even with the lag, nothing.

“Shit,” You muttered. 

“Is that-- Yorke?” Benny asked, leaning closer to a different monitor. You looked up, brow furrowing. Shit, Benny was right-- you’d been going after the man’s second in command, but the kingpin was strolling down the goddamn street—

“Ironhead, fall back, we got eyes on Yorke,” You ordered through the comm. Nothing-- just a lag of Will following the original target. 

“Fuckssake-- You two follow Yorke, I’ll get Will. Link up at the rendezvous point,” You hissed, pulling your headphones off and opening the back door of the van. “Copy,” Santiago called over his shoulder.

The team had a code that you rarely used in situations like this. If someone needed to call off a hit, change their route in a populated area, you’d fake a call or speak to another teammate— and slip in the word Bordeaux. You slowed your pace as you approached the storefront that Will had gone into. You were going in with limited knowledge— you had an idea of the last place he’d been in the store, the last place Yorke’s second-in-command had been. You took in a deep breath as you walked into the store, peering around. You spotted — just as he was rounding the aisle. “Honey,” You spoke up, your voice bright. Will hesitated before he turned to face you. “...Hey,” He greeted cautiously. “Oh, I’ve just been looking for you all over the place, I thought you were still in the hardware store,” You pushed out a laugh, “I just got off of the phone with Gina— you remember Gina, my cousin’s friend from yoga, she’s the travel agent? Well,” You walked closer to Will, resting your hands on chest, “See, I told her we were thinking of going to Paris, but she suggested that we go to Bordeaux.” Realization washed over Will’s face, and he nodded a little bit. “Bordeaux,” He repeated softly. “Mhm. She said that uh— Well that she knows how much you like to cook, so she thinks we could get a deal renting little place with a kitchen— and we could go on a few wine tours,” You took a few steps back, eyeing the aisles behind Will. “And we could take a day trip to Paris, of course, maybe stay overnight–” “Suppose we could,” Will nodded, following you. You saw the second in command coming around the corner— you knew that the team would be moving on him, on Yorke, in a matter of days if your information panned out. “That is, if you still want to go,” You tacked on. “We can go anywhere you want,” Will answered, a small, almost amused smile growing on his face. Your eyes darted over his shoulder one more time before you grinned. “Oh, great!” You grinned, cupping Will’s face and drawing him in for a kiss. You were careful to spread your fingers across his face, trying to shield as much as you could. Will seemed to cotton on, wrapping his arms around you and turning the two of you. You found yourself pressed back against a store display, and you felt your breath leave you in a huff. It was a logical enough conclusion— most people hated the sight of couples’ public displays of affection. Yorke’s second in command was no different— you heard the man scoff and hurry pass the two of you. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You were more focused on the feeling of Will’s lips smoothing along younts, his hands large and warm, smoothing over your sides. You curled your fingers in what of his hair you could reach, and he hummed softly, his tongue slipping along the seam of your lips. You opened your mouth to him, your tongues slipping along one another. You could taste the mint of the gum that he was constantly chewing— you didn’t even care that there was a command hook display digging into your back. You heard the ringing of the door’s bell opening, and you managed to open your eyes, catching the sight of the target’s retreating back. Will seemed to have heard it, too. His kisses cooled, brushing along your lips softly as the two of you backed off. “Side door,” You murmured, taking hold of WIll’s hand and leading him away from the counter. You did your best to ignore the pounding of your heart, the feeling of warmth under your skin, a tingling in your lips— “Where’d they go?” Will asked as the two of you stepped out into the street. “Caught a sighting of the big man, they’re chasing him down. We tried to warn you off, but the interference was a bitch.” You reached into your pocket with your free hand, glancing down at your phone. “Anything?” “Not a thing,” You huffed, shaking your head, “Let’s just— Let’s just go to the rendezvous point.” “Sounds like a plan.” Will kept hold of your hand as the two of you walked, keeping an eye out for the van, listening for your phones. When you arrived at the square, Will stopped you at the back of a crowd watching a few street performers. “Here,” He said softly, leaning back against a wall and pulling you close as he  kept an eye out. You sighed softly, looking around. “Thanks,” Will said after a few moments. “Hm?” “Thank you.” “For what?” “Bordeaux.” You glanced up at him, “Oh— It’s nothing.” “It was something. Benny would’a busted in and run around the store.” “C’mon,” You laughed a little, “Don’t say that. Benny would’ve had some tact— and he was trying to work out the interference, but then we spotted Yorke. There just wasn’t any time.” Will nodded a little bit, looking out over the crowd again. “...Doesn’t sound so bad,” He added after a moment. “What doesn’t?” “Bordeaux… Couple of days in Paris,” He glanced down at you, his eyes soft before he glanced down at your lips. Butterflies fluttered through your stomach— until you heard the mutter of, “There’s the van. C’mon.” You followed him dutifully— you’d follow Will anywhere. “Everything go alright?” Santiago asked, looking back at the two of you. “Fine,” Will answered. Santiago looked to you for confirmation, and you nodded, leaning back in your seat. Santiago and Benny began telling you about what had happened with Yorke, but you just weren’t hearing it. You’d made the mistake of looking at Will as the van started to move, and you couldn’t help the butterflies that made a reappearance as you saw him tug a pack of gum out of his pocket. He slipped a piece out, unwrapping it. For the life of you, you couldn’t look away, not even as Will placed the fresh piece directly on his tongue. Your eyes lowered to his lips before you hurriedly directed your gaze out the back window. “That was lucky, huh?” Benny asked the two of you. “Mhm,” Will hummed. “Lucky,” You sighed.

[themonotonysyndrome]

REDACTED verse - When Lovely meets Angel

Summary: When the boyfriends are away, their partners try their best to be functioning members of society. Spoiler alert: they failed. 

Tw: [Mentions of Adam], [Profanity] and [Very, very brief mention of drugs. Like, half a sentence]

I shared this oneshot in the Discord server and I thought to share it here too before uploading it on AO3 later this weekend. 

-

You smile as your eyes do their best to track Vincent’s every move. Your head spins as your boyfriend flits from one room to another, never pausing for even a second. His duffel bag is lying beside you on the couch, gradually full of clothes, toiletries and other travelling necessities as he chucks them in Mach speed. 

You pick up the clothes that didn’t make it into the bag. You fold them nicely before placing them in with the rest. 

“Alright, I’ve stocked up the pantry to last at least for a few weeks, b-but I’ll be back by Sunday so don’t worry.” The blur that was Vincent said as he ran from their shared bedroom to the kitchen. With a fond shake of your head, you observe the Vampire made one last round. 

Letting Vincent fuss is your way of helping him calm down. And sure enough, it only takes a few minutes until your boyfriend is satisfied with the apartment - from the wards that he erected to the well-stocked kitchen and rows of laundry detergents. With the way he prepared for his departure, you couldn’t help but want to remind Vincent that he’ll only be leaving for three days; not three months. 

“Do you have Alexis’ number, Lovely? Sam’s?” Vincent asks - again - in concern as he pad towards you and the duffel bag. “Hang on, I’ll forward them to you now -” 

You grab his hand before he could reach for his phone and force him to sit beside you on the couch. You peck him on the cheek to startle him. No matter how many times you’ve done this; Vincent always reacts the same. Startled with a tinge of red dusting his pale cheeks. A simple kiss is enough to leave him speechless and it never fails to make your heart skip a beat at how precious he is. 

“Yes, you gave them to me this morning. I have their numbers on speed dial for any emergency of the Adam kind.” You easily assure him, only to backtrack quickly when you see how wide his eyes went. Oh yikes, bad move! Bad move! “N-Not that there will be any problem! Haha! I mean, you’re only going away with Will for three days, right? I can hold the fort, don’t worry!” 

Vincent bit his lower lip, still hesitant. “I wish I didn’t have to go, Lovely. It hurts to be away from you…” His head tilts down and holds your hand tight, yet always mindful of his Supernatural strength. “Sometimes… sometimes I could still see you in Adam’s arms, so pale and sick… your blood on his mouth - ”

“Hey, hey, Vince? Look at me please.” You gently tilt his chin using your hand that wasn’t captured by your worrisome boyfriend. You made sure to properly look him in the eyes before smiling softly. “You got me in time and for that? I’m forever grateful, but that’s in the past, OK? I’m here now with you! We both have been making good progress at D.A.M.N so that has to count for something, yeah? We’re both stronger than we were before.” 

That earns a tiny smile from Vincent and you mentally cheer in victory. “You always know what to say, huh, Lovely? And yeah, we’re pretty badass now, huh? A Vampire and an Electro Energetic? We’ll conquer this city in less than a month.” He joked. 

You try to picture it: you and Vincent - the King and Queen of Dahlia. The first thing you would do is declare PJ Friday - where everyone must wear PJs every Friday and those that wear the silliest PJs get brownie points. Collect enough of them and they’ll get a free meal in the most expensive restaurant Dahlia has to offer. Vincent can handle the boring stuff like, governing and health care. 

...Now that’s a thought; Vincent as a politician. 

Ah wait - Will would probably be disappointed in them if they tried to do a hostile takeover of this city and you couldn’t bear to disappoint him. After all, no one can pull off the perfect sad dad look other than Vincent’s Sire. Not even your own dad! 

“ - Lovely? Uh, Earth to Lovely? You there?” 

Vincent’s warm voice broke you off from your mad train of thoughts. You flash a sheepish grin when he realised that you haven’t paid a single word he said. Vincent wants to appear annoyed but his lips are twitching, as if he’s holding back from laughing at the dumbfounded expression on your face. 

“Sorry, babe. I spaced out because Will was disappointed in us.”  

“...What? Will? Lovely, what the - ”

“Anyway, don’t worry about me.” You quickly interject before you have to explain yourself. “You got me food, Alexis’ and Sam’s numbers are on my speed dial and my powers have been growing nicely over the last few classes. I got this; you got this.” To seal the deal you added, “And I promise to call you twice a day; in the morning and before I go to bed. Sounds good?” 

That finally assured Vincent. The tension melts away from his taunt shoulders and when he kisses you, it’s slow and sweet. You would’ve loved to wrap your arms around his shoulders and pull him on top of you and turn this into something more, but Will would surely call him if Vincent is late. 

Vincent moans when you pull away; disappointed and slightly frustrated. “Easy there, Vince. I’ll make sure to give you a very warm welcome when you get back.” You purr, loving how his eyes lid at your promise. 

But alas, as much as you love to drag Vincent to the bedroom, work comes first. So you allow Vincent to fuss around a little more before he slings the duffel bag over one shoulder, kisses you goodbye and leaves. 

Now, you planned this. You have a whole itinerary in your head for the days that Vincent is on a business trip with the King of the Solaire Clan. Assignments that need to be done, Despacito to learn on the piano (neither of them knew why Alexis dropped off an upright piano in their apartment on a random ass Wednesday night and when asked, she just cackled before pulling off a Batman and vanished into the night. So Vincent gave up trying to pester the answer out of her. You still think it’s some sort of an elaborate prank), boba pizza to cook for dinner tomorrow and a list of video games to pre-order so really, you would be so busy for the upcoming days that you wouldn’t even have the time to miss Vincent. 

If you repeat that long enough, you hope that’ll become true. 

Glancing at the clock hanging on the living room wall, you sigh at the time.10.30 PM. A little early to get ready for bed but hey, it’s not like there’s anything else that you want to do now. 

With little fanfare, you make sure that the apartment is locked and secure, switch off the lights before heading to the bedroom for your nightly ablutions.

-

Ok, that part about the itinerary? Yeah, that’s completely out of the window the moment you wake up missing Vincent’s arms around you. 

The gentle and warm sun rays pierce through the sheer curtains, promising a bright day ahead of you, but all you could think about is the space in this bedroom. Was the bed always this big? Was the bedroom always this quiet? Those questions rattled in your brain and it really doesn’t help that you can smell Vincent’s faint cologne lingered on the pillows. Soothing vanilla that never fails to clear your mind as opposed to sandalwood and bergamot. Vincent once claimed that the scent is too fancy for someone like him. 

Right now though? His cologne sends a pang of longing in your heart in his absence, and it’s only the first day! 

“I can’t stay here.” You decided out loud when the tangle of sleepiness ebbed away. Kicking the thick duvet off your body, you stomp to the bathroom to shower, dress up and quickly leave the apartment with nothing but your phone and backpack. 

You didn’t want to return to an empty apartment, so what better than walking around the city to distract yourself? Grab some breakfast at a new cafe, maybe do some window shopping afterwards… yeah, that sounds way better than anything you’ve planned before. 

Joggers pass you by as you walk through the park and the city slowly comes back to life. People are out and about, going through their monotonous day. Some are catching the bus, others are like her, eager to find something to eat. 

You recall that your classmate mentioned that they and someone named Damien found a Taiwanese bakery/cafe that recently opened up near the city’s library; a quaint little shop, squeezed between a hardware shop and a health & beauty care chain store. You can still remember how their eyes lit up as they excitedly described the brioche and the strawberry tiramisu they ate with vivid details. 

So that’s where you’re headed off to now. 

Apparently, the bakery is closer than you thought when you cut corners and jump through the shortcuts. Being born and raised here in Dahlia like so many others, you knew this city like the back of your hand. Though the existence of Shifters, Vampires, Daemons and more were a slap in the face to you.

Oh, that reminds you, be sure to ask Vincent if the Vampires have anything similar to Fangtasia here in this city. 

The bell above the door chimes when you enter the bakery. The sign outside says ‘OPEN’ but since it’s still quite early in the morning, you and a couple sitting at a table near the corner are the only customers currently. Manning behind the cashier is a young woman and her co-worker setting up freshly baked goods behind the display glass. 

You made a beeline to the counter. 

“Good morning. Uh, can I please have one sea salt coffee - regular size - one red bean mooncake and, umm…” You paused to scan the menu laid before you. “And a marble taro.” 

There. That's sort of a healthy breakfast, right? 

The young woman hardly bats an eye at your order. She drawl out the total amount of your food and drink to which you hand her some cash before choosing a table beside the large window so you could see the city and her people go about their lives. The scent of freshly baked pastries, hot chocolates and brewed coffees wash over you pleasantly. 

You couldn’t help but wonder if Vincent would love this place as much as you do… 

The cashier came over with a tray of your order before your musing could spiral down further. You thank her, snap a picture of your food and coffee for Vincent before enjoying your breakfast. It’s a perfect morning, well, almost a perfect morning… 

Halfway through your coffee, your phone vibrates. Vincent had texted back: 

‘Looks delish, Lovely! Make sure to finish your meal, OK? My flight was a nightmare - I’ll spare you the details - but Will and I reached the airport safely. I’ll call you soon, Lovely. I love you, always.’ 

Vincent’s text helps to fill his absence, somewhat. You polish off the last bit of your coffee and exhale loudly; there’s no use moping around. Adventure awaits! After all, there’s never a dull day here in Dahlia. For all you know, something is right around the corner just for you! 

Tummy warm and full, you bask in the morning light for a few more minutes before exiting the bakery. 

...And promptly collide with a walking furnace. Because seriously, the moment your chest hits them, it feels as if their body heat lunges at you.

“Ow!” You fell and landed hard on your ass. Whoever had the misfortune to collide against you, they were a tad taller and seemed to be in a rush to be able to hit you with an impact. 

“Oh fuck! I’m so so sorry! Are you alright!? I ran too fast because I always missed out on their marble taros! Oh gosh, oh gosh; can you hear me? Shit, I really hope I didn’t hurt you too badly…” The stranger rambled worriedly. 

“I-I’m fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me.” You assured them and gladly grabbed the offered hand. They gently pull you up from the pavement. 

“You sure? I can take you to the hospital right now if you want!” They pressed on, eyes checking for any sign of injuries on your body. “Just after I buy my pastries though.” 

You didn’t expect the blatant honesty; the idea that some loaves of bread are this person's top priorities crack you up. You couldn’t help it, so you burst out a giggle. 

“I’m good, I’m good; don’t worry.” You hiccup and wipe a stray tear from the corner of your right eye. You can’t believe this. “Go get your bread and oh, for the record? I totally get why you rush here. Their marble taro is really something else. You better hurry up; I heard the cashier said they’ll be making the last batch for the day.”

You smirk when the walking furnace’s eyes widen in horror. They darted into the bakery without a single word. The bell chimes loudly when they rush to yank the door and scramble towards the counter.

Just for the fuck of it, you lean against the window and decide to wait. Snippets of frantic conversation can be heard inside and it wasn’t long before the bell tinkle once more. 

The stranger that bumped into you pout, clutching a huge paper bag of pastries close to their chest as if they feared you would snatch it. “You lied.” 

“Shocker, I know.” You tease and then you feel your blood froze despite the warm morning. You suddenly recalled where and from whom you heard those words before and quickly stomped the image out of your head. 

“Uh, dude? Are you sure you’re alright? You look super pale.” The stranger narrowed their eyes on you. Despite the blatant concern on their face and how genuinely friendly and cheerful their voice is, you get the feeling that they’re trying to pull you apart by the seams to see if you would lie or not. 

So you opt for the honest option. “I will be.” You assured them. “Just some… bad memories pop up.” 

“Huh, well that sucks.” They glance at the bag of pastries for a moment, silent and contemplating. They then thrust it practically in your face before you could do so much as flinch. “You want some? Food always helps me feel good when I’m sad.” 

The loaves of bread smelled really good but for the second time, you giggled. “No, no, I’m full. Thank you though; that’s very kind of you to offer.” 

“It’s only the right thing to do.” They reply with an easy shrug. You get the feeling that the stranger’s kindness is something remarkable. “The name is -” 

Across the street, a truck driver pressed the horn when the car in front of him refused to budge despite the traffic lights having switched from red to green for ten minutes now.

“ - but you can call me Angel; all my friends do. Now that we’ve bumped into one another, your destiny just altered. Our fates will forever be intertwined once you give me your name.” 

Oh, you like where this is going.

“I’m - ” The driver in front of the truck kicked open his door and proceeded to shout at the truck driver. A line of cars gradually formed behind the vehicle and horns began to blare as a brawl broke out in the middle of the road. “ - nice to meet you!” 

“A lovely name…” Here your new friend - Angel - trailed off, their eyes appraising your body. “For a lovely soul. Lovely. Huh. Can I call you that?” 

Gorgeous, brimming with moxie mix with a spoonful of friendly flirting? Oh, you like them more and more by the second. 

Also, you idly wondered if there’s some weird magic attached to your name or else this is going to be a pattern every time you introduce yourself. 

“Sure.” You answered, and the two of you shook hands. 

“Say… who do you think would win? Godzilla or King Kong?” 

“Psh, is that even a question? Godzilla, obviously. He’s the king of monsters for a reason! And grandpa got his Atomic Breath; what does Kong even have?” 

“You. I like you. I have a feeling that this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.” 

When there’s no escaping from Angel’s octopus arm of love and friendship around your shoulders, you let yourself be swept away. 

-

“So you’re an Electro Energetic?” 

“Yup.” 

“Got any plans on what you’re going to be in the future?” 

“To shed my mortal body and transform into King Ghidorah.”

“...Can I be the left head?”

“I was hoping you’d ask that. We need the right head, though.” 

“I’ll give my friend a call; they’re a Freelancer studying at D.A.M.N too. Maybe you’ve seen them around?”

-

“Wait - you said your boyfriend is a Vampire?”

“He’s more of a dork than a Vampire, but yeah.”

“Cool, cool. Hey, my boyfriend is a Werewolf. Do you know what this means?” 

“...Twilight marathon?” 

“Twilight marathon! We have to do it. Let’s go, Lovely; you’re going to crash at my place for the best movie night of your life!” 

“I’ll grab some food and drinks from my place. Will be there in twenty minutes.” 

-

“This is the third time I’ve watched these movies and I think they just got worse over the years.” You complained, chugging down your fourth can of Red Bull. You don’t drink, so you wondered if this is how it feels like to slowly go drunk. Or high. 

You’re in your sleep wear - a simple black shorts and one of Vincent’s t-shirts. Exhausted, stomach bloated with snacks; you feel like shit. Your body is seconds away from saying fuck it and crash down. 

And yet you’ve never felt so alive before. 

The time on your phone says it's 3.23 AM; you and Angel slough through the first two movies and now finally, the end credits for Eclipse roll down on the TV screen. Angel lives with their boyfriend - who was on a business trip, coincidentally - in a very homely apartment. When you first entered, you could tell just what sort of couple they are. 

The place looks as if a small tornado tried to turn the apartment upside down but was fended off just barely - little knick knacks such as rainbow beaded bracelets were carelessly thrown on the kitchen counter behind a microwave, a crop top with printed bongo cats floating within a glittered galaxy is drape over a dining chair, three heart-shaped balloons knock against one another from the living room’s ceiling and for some reason, the USB stereo is on the floor playing Black Pink’s Pretty Savage. 

The other half of the apartment - the more organised side - are filled with neatly shelved books of all genres, an untouched bowl of fruits are on the coffee table and most of the expensive-looking dishes and silverwares are displayed behind a glass cabinet. Those were probably gifts from family and friends. 

You spend an entire day here, engaging in stupid but fun conversations with Angel, painted each others’ nails and even shop online for the sluttiest outfit that you two could find just for the hell of it before binge-watching the entire Twilight series. 

Unlike you, however, Angel is buzzing around like a hyperactive bunny on crackhead energy. Halfway through New Moon, she busted out stacks of colourful sticky notes, some thumbtacks and a huge yarn ball. You watch with utter fascination as they begin to furiously write down every little thing about the Vampires and Werewolves representations from the movies to your and their boyfriend. 

It’s 3.25 AM now. The entire living room wall looks like an abstract form of an art piece, made of common stationeries. 

Hair in a messy bun, a stick of strawberry pocky dangling from their lips like a lit cigarette, a black sharpie in one hand and dressed in black cat onesie, Angel tapped on the piece of red sticky note that wrote ‘culture appropriation or nah?’

“So what have we learned so far?” 

“Vampires don't sparkle.” You immediately piped up and this time, cracked open a can of black coffee. A brand name from Japan, but the bitter tang immediately zolt your already fried nerves to maximum level. You love it. “Period.” 

“Noted! Now, does this make Stephenie Meyer racist!?” 

You actually had to pause and consider that. “Will need to get you back on that one.” 

Angel hurried to scribble ‘remind Lovely for feedback’ inside the same note. “Very well. We shall move on to the Werewolves.” They start to list down the characteristics of the Werewolves portrayed in the movies and then compare them to their boyfriend; but the thing is, they didn’t realise that they verbally list down the quirks of their Shifter lover instead. 

You find it cute that Angel rambled on and on about someone named Davey, so you didn’t interrupt them. Hell, you’d be the same with Vincent. 

It wasn’t long before the two of you got sidetracked from comparing your lovers to spilling the tea about your relationships. 

“After we first slept together, I said to Davey, “Thanks for the sex, bro” complete with a peace sign and a wink. He got so mad that he refused to let me off the bed until I promised to stay.” Angel laughs fondly. They tear open a bag of Cheetos Puffs and throw one into your open mouth. The two of you celebrate with a high-five. 

“Vince freaked out when I told him he was my first.” You chewed, swallowed and washed the after taste of the junk food with even more coffee. Who needs sleep when you could reach divinity with cans of Red Bulls, Kirin Fire coffees and junk foods. “He was extra sweet to me the next day as if he was trying to make up for how rough he was. You could totally see how precious he is from Pluto.” 

“That’s so cute!” Angel cooed. “You’ve landed the golden D, dude. Congrats.” 

“Sounds like you’re the same. To us!” 

You clink your can of coffee with Angel’s bottle of Mountain Dew. 

Eventually, the night made way to the rising sun and the final scene of Breaking Dawn came to a close. The living room is a total mess - blankets and pillows are strewn all over the floor, empty bags of chips, cans and bottles are underneath the coffee table and you swore that one rolled underneath the couch and the wall is still a sad, modern version of cubism with strings. 

“So…” You tilt your head to stare at a wide-eyed Angel, still buzzing with energy. “Want to play Mario Kart? Loser has to let the winner dress them for the day.” 

“You’re on! I hope you like crop tops” 

-

Vincent couldn’t stop bouncing his leg. The airport is bustling with people rushing for their early morning flights despite dawn barely peeking from the horizon. Like most of the humans around them, Vincent and Will are waiting for their boarding gate to open. 

Speaking of Will, he had wandered off to inquire about their time of arrival to one of the help counters somewhere near the vending machines that they passed. 

These past three days felt like three years without Lovely at his side. Vincent was an idiot to think that a few simple phone calls were enough to chase the yearning of his undead heart for his lover. His sweet and strong, Lovely. 

How are they right now? Judging from the different time zones, Vincent reckoned that it’s nearly midnight where the city of Dahlia is right now. Is Lovely getting ready for bed? What did they have for dinner? How was their day? 

An amused chuckle startled Vincent from his musing. “Oh Vincent, did your phone somehow insult you? You’ve been glaring at it for at least five minutes since I’ve returned.” 

“G-Geez! Don’t sneak up on me like that, old man.” Vincent mumbled, he nearly dropped his phone from his Sire’s sudden and silent appearance. 

“Apologies. Perhaps you should give them a call?” Will suggested as he took a seat beside him. He offers a warm, knowing smile at Vincent’s confused expression. “You wore a lovelorn expression when you stared at your phone. Do us both a favour and call your Lovely, hmm?” 

“...I shouldn’t. They’re probably sleeping - ”

“Maybe. Or maybe not. For all you know, they might still be up, waiting for you to call them.” 

Vincent gave in. He desperately needed to hear Lovely's voice. Besides, their sleepy whines are so adorable and he misses them terribly. 

Will occupied himself with a John Grisham book while Vincent pressed familiar numbers and held his phone up to his ear. Lovely answered in less than a minute. 

“Hey, Lovely.” Vincent greets, feeling the uneasiness and longing untangled themselves from his chest. He can’t wait to return home and have them in his arms again. The next time he has to go on a business trip again, he’ll bring Lovely along. If Will has a problem with it, he could take Alexis. “Sorry for calling you again so late at night. I… I just need to hear your voice again. Anyway, are you on the bed - ”

“Oh my god, did you just throw your underwear at me!?” 

“Uh, Lovely?” 

Vincent immediately pull the phone away when his ear is assaulted by a cacophony of K-pop music blaring in the background, accompanied by an obnoxious laugh of glee and Lovely’s mutterings of “That slut is going to get it now”, “300% sugar in your boba tea? Dude, just do cocaine instead!” and “Oh, Dilf alert! He has a French accent too? A solid 8/10 from me, definitely.” 

Beside him, Will snorts. He happily ignores the glare Vincent threw at him and flips a page. 

But for a brief, crazy moment, Vincent was struck with fear at the thought of his lover harbouring a secret crush on his Sire. He still remembers how freely Lovely blush and giggle whenever Will was around.

“Lovely? Is everything alright?” Vincent tries again, straining to hear through the music and someone’s chattering. Who is with his Lovely past midnight? He starts to worry and feel… a little uncomfortable. 

“Vincent? What’s up, baby? You don’t usually call me so late.” Lovely reply, sounding a bit distracted. Suddenly, Vincent heard a crash, followed by a, “It’s not broken! It’s all good!” 

“Where are you? What’s going on? Are you at a party?” Vincent didn’t demand, he inquired as firmly as possible. Flashes of his Lovely dancing at a club or hanging out with some faceless man and woman keep popping in his mind. It stirs his bloodlust. 

Will idly pat his hand to calm Vincent down, eyes still glued to his book. 

“I’m at home; had a friend over for the night. The apartment is just… too quiet without you.” 

Lovely’s easy and genuine admittance settled something feral inside of Vincent. He guessed that his lover and their friend must be having a sleepover. 

“I’m sorry that I had to leave, Lovely.” Vincent murmurs. “Will and I are at the airport right now. We should be boarding in thirty minutes.” Here, he paused and continued in a quieter tone, “I’ve missed you so much, Lovely. I’ve left my heart with you and… well, it’s just not the same without you.”

“See!? Prime example of a golden D there, Lovely!” Someone - Vincent assumed is his lover’s friend - shriek in the background. 

Their sudden shriek didn’t surprise him. What did, however, was another, stranger’s voice joining in their conversation. 

From a couple of seats, right in front of Vincent. Right here in the airport. 

“Don’t shriek into the phone, Angel! Are you trying to make me go deaf in one ear!?” 

The man - no, Shifter, grumbled. Vincent could smell the scent of lush forest and dirt around him; a Werewolf, then. But his nature wasn’t the reason why Vincent’s jaw is hanging open. 

Will, who had given up the pretence of reading his book, couldn’t hold himself back from grinning widely. He already connected the dots, unlike Vincent. “Oh my, isn’t that Alpha Shaw? He must be on a business trip as well! What a small world.” 

Luckily Vincent was clutching his phone tightly or not he would’ve dropped it in shock. Alpha Shaw? No way… David Shaw!? The Alpha of the Werewolf’s pack in Dahlia!? What the fuck - 

“Turn down the volume, Angel, before the neighbours call the police!” Lovely shouted back. 

In front of him, Vincent and Will watch the impressive scowl on David Shaw’s - the Werewolf King of Dahlia, himself - face. “Uh, excuse me? The fuck? It’s way past midnight, Angel. Where are you; who are you with?” 

“Looks like your lover made a new friend.” Will said in mock-whisper. Even though both of them knew full well that the Shifter wouldn’t be able to hear them from where they are in his human form. “I have a feeling that the Shaw pack and the Solaire clan will be closely in touch in the coming days.” 

Vincent shakes his head; truly, his Lovely is something else. Without hesitation, the Vampire Prince got up to introduce himself to the annoyed Werewolf. He didn’t take it personally when the Shifter shot him a glare for interrupting his phone call. If looks could kill, well, let’s just say that Vincent is thankful that being a Vampire means that he’s not about to be a Werewolf’s chew toy anytime soon. 

“Hi. I’m Vincent Solaire - yes, you heard that right - and before you ask, I’m pretty sure our lovers are currently hanging out at my place right now.” 

That got the Alpha to do a wonderful imitation of a statue. He wouldn’t look out of place at the Louvre, Vincent thought.

David exhales loudly - as if he damn close to being done with everything that this world has to offer - before addressing his lover on the other side of the phone. “The things you got yourself into, you damn troublemaker.” No doubt that David probably isn’t too keen to know that his mate is friends with a Vampire’s lover, but Will has a knack for turning enemies to allies; he’ll let his Sire deal with the politics once they get back to Dahlia. 

“You love me!” Angel smugly replied. “Oh and guess what? We binge watched the entire Twilight movie series and we got some questions!” 

“And uh, just a heads up.” Lovely’s voice hesitantly chimes through Vincent’s phone. “We haven’t slept since you guys left. I mean, I slept the day you left Vince, but, uh...” 

Vincent winces and politely ignores David’s flow of cursing under his breath. 

They left home for only three days, surely their apartments are still standing and their lovers aren’t drunk, high or planning to commit anarchy!

...Right?