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madametrashbin · 3 years ago

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Cosmos Crown

This took me forever, since I initially wanted to post this in my main acc until I realized it had about 8.5k posts in there and... yeah, this story was the reason I made a sideblog for my self-indulgent bullshit writing since they’ll get lost in the sea of memes and things I find interesting skjskjskjsksjksjskjskjs-

This piece is heavily inspired by a lot of other SAGAU writers who I’m rather lazy to name, if anything... it’s been weeks, and I nearly pulled an all-nighter for this (because my brain was dead set on finishing it and it’s 12am right now), lmao. I’m so dead on my feet but I’ll be damned if I don’t finish this after lord knows how long I’ve been working on this.

Warning ahead that there is a huge divergent to the actual plot... which I think you’ll notice soon enough, haha.

(This fic is... long, surprisingly so but... it’s just my pet peeve of having super big paragraphs in a story that just-- askdjasldj I don’t know how many words are there, but I’ve re-edited this entire story like a thousand times until it felt just right... I lost count of how many words each of them had lmao.)

Now off you guys go, enjoy yourselves and be sure that you’re fed, hydrated and well rested... don’t be stupid like me, okay? Okay.

I’msofuckinganxiousaboutthisgoodgodIneverfeelconfidentaboutpostinganythingbecausetheytendtobeshitinmyhead.

They say their eyes are the stars above, always watching even behind the daylight skies that hide them from sight.

They say their body is made of stardust, the speckles of light that sometimes descend down like curious little fireflies and occasionally play along with the children who find them before they fade away.

They say their hearts are made of diamonds and gold, brilliant and forever dazzling the world below with its warm, gentle nature full of so much love.

That is what the Gods say when they speak of the Exalted existence that lies beyond all of their reaches...

The God who stands above all, who is the reason for the world’s life and the reason they are all alive with what they have... they are all given a purpose because of them, and they are so very thankful for that purpose.

The divine all give their prayers in form of monuments of worship and formed traditions to celebrate their name.

The mortals give their prayers in form of little offerings, in their earnest desires to live their lives to the fullest... a blessing that was gifted to them before they were even born.

They are the God of Creation and Destruction.

The God of Life and Death.

The God of Peace and War.

The God of Transience and Eternity.

They are everything to this world.

They mean everything to its inhabitants and the land itself... for all things begins and ends with them.

There is no one who grants more privileges than them, after all... and they are the ones who decide whether the worshippers are worthy or not. They are the judge to the sinners, the punisher to those who dare overstep their bounds from the place they stand.

The Gods have witnessed it.

The Gods have felt it.

The Gods have experienced it.

The divine of Teyvat have come to learn its lessons one way or another... be it a miracle that bears great gifts or through their deaths within their final moments. Many who are left to fall from grace come to learn that there are things you just cannot selfishly achieve, lest they end up invoking the ire of the Exalted One who will deliver what is deserved...

For the God above all loves everyone who understands their place in the world.

Decabarian loved the existence that lies beyond his reaches... who had earned the love of the people and the world unconditionally and had strived to acheive the same.

He wanted to be like them... to be loved and regarded greatly as one of the highest above all others, thus did he built his towers and walls if only to observe the fragile lives below that he strove to shelter from the ruthless blizzards outside.

The towers were built as a symbol of worship to the Exalted existence above as a way for him to convey his innermost feelings for them... it was his manner to show how much he appreciated them and the way they are viewed by all.

But was it truly his worship? Did he truly do all of this because he loved them and their gifts that gave him a reason to exist? Decabarian, although a powerful God, could not understand that the feelings he held for the Exalted One was not love... but one of envy that is fueled by his desires of vanity.

He envied the Exalted existence for how much everyone loved them even if no one has ever seen their face before...

He envied the Exalted existence for how everyone looks up to them for guidance- for their acknowledgement and favor so they could strive for a wonderful future ahead.

Decabarian did not love the Exalted One as he would have believe... blinded by his own foolishness in his dreams that only benefitted himself.

The God of Storms did not understand what he did was the greatest of follies... for what he dreamt of was no more than to be the Exalted One.

...such a folly came with the price of his life, as he is felled by the swords and arrows of the rebellion, their forms graced with the shine of the stars. He comes to see his mistakes too late, his conceit and envy had overstepped the forbidden and unspoken line that all dare not to walk beyond of.

He realized in his death, looking to the silhouette of stardust that stands behind the rebellion of mortals, that the Exalted existence has always been watching and will always be watching no matter the weather that hides the stars from the eyes of the world.

For every life, mortal and divine, have the smallest glimmer of stardust in their veins, and therefore the God shall always witness even if the stars never shine.

Barbatos lived to grant the wish of the Bard’s desires to see the clear skies and for the birds to fly.. he lived to give the people the freedom they deserved, to make sure that history does not repeat itself.

He also lived for the precious existence above, who blessed him and his comrades the power to overthrow the God of Storms, and gave him his power to let people experience freedom beyond the cage of storms and unforgiving blizzards.

He remains in the world until the day the nameless bard passes on, having lived out his life to the fullest and gifting him his lyre in the end... a special lyre that was made from the Exalted existence to give him power to inspire the rebellion with strength.

Barbatos called it the “Holy Lyre Der Himmel”, if only so it represented the one who gave it to them in the first place.

In the time before he went into a long sleep, he sang songs with his dear friend and helped create festivals that were formed to give thanks to the great Deity above who gave them strength to liberate themselves from the tyrant. He made sure that everything would remind everyone why Mondstadt was able to become what it was...

Because if the Exalted One had not stepped in, Decabarian’s reign would have been eternal, and Andrius would have continued to ruthlessly blanket the world outside the storm barrier in snow and ice... therefore, they would never have had the luxury of living freely like they do now.

So when Barbatos woke up again, and learnt of the tyranny by the hands of the nobles that had survived the harsh world outside that not only sullied the festivals made in their name, but also changed them to fit their own greediness...

Naturally, what kind of worshipper would he be if he were to let that continue on?

So when his eyes catch the sight of stardust that hovers over the Muratan’s shoulders, he knew what he must do to ensure that history does not repeat for the third time.

Guizhong devoted herself to her studies, both in the name of the Exalted One who gave her life meaning, but also to help the humans thrive when they sought to expand their civilization.

When the Archon War broke out, Guizhong knew that she would not survive... for unlike Morax, who was gifted with incredible strength, she was gifted with intelligence... and while her wisdom far surpassed many, she knew that it will not be enough to keep her alive.

And when she is felled during a particularly rainy day, she had believed her time was up...

Yet the stars had shined brightly through the crowns, and the warring world had swiftly silenced itself... All who fought for the Seven seats do not move out of anticipation and fear as the form of stardust had appeared.

No one does anything but watch, and as Guizhong breathes for what she thought were her last breaths... an undeniable warmth spreads across her body, and the pain that she once felt with the chill of the cold rain is washed away like the summer breeze.

Her eyes open, and she stares into the stars.

She could not see the eyes nor the face, but she could tell from the close proximity that they were smiling... that they were seemingly proud of something... but for what?

As of this moment, she is only aware of the fact that the Exalted One has given her a second chance to live, and she’ll be damned if she throws it away too soon.

So, when they departed, disappearing in shimmering fireflies, she quickly returns to her friend’s side as he gifts her a sword of jade to fight... and the sword was imbued with stardust- with their power as she feels warmth flow into her veins once more...

She will not die, for if the God she loved and worshipped wholly had given her another chance... she would be a fool to toss it away so recklessly.

Morax counts himself fortunate.

Though he had lost many friends throughout the entire journey of his life, from the rise and fall of the Guili Assembly, to the growing change of the Liyue Harbor as humanity strives to be independent from the divine... He counts himself lucky, blessed to still have familiar faces of his best friends who were also just as fortunate as he was.

All thanks to the Exalted One that exists above, who allowed him to be a victor in the war while still have his friends by his side.

Azhdaha, who could have been lost to his erosion, was gifted with special beads that helped keep himself together as damages to the ley lines continue. Such a bead as blue as the cloudy sky was so small yet held so much power... to keep such an erosion at bay, Morax had to wonder where such a thing came to be.

Guizhong, who could have been left to die at the Guili Plains, was given a second chance at life... not only was he allowed to finally gift her a sword he forged so she could protect herself better, but to continue experiencing life beside her as humans continue to grow and evolve with time...

Morax wondered, every now and again as he anticipates the miracles formed by the hands of stardust time and time again, of the limits the Exalted One’s power... It is admirable yet terrifying to know what they were able to do, yet he is all the more thankful for their kindness that he is able to keep what he has now.

(Although he somewhat wishes he could be just a little more knowledgeable so he could finally solve Guizhong’s puzzle... would their beloved God grant him something like that?)

Makoto looks over from where she stood in the Tenshukaku, looking over Inazuma as yet another quiet year has passed...

The incident of 500 years ago changed everything, for the Heavenly Principles had acted out to a budding nation where only humans thrived in their evolution with technology that was said to have surpassed that of the Gods... it is something that Makoto wants to avoid, for she does not wish for Inazuma to face the same fate as that human kingdom.

The day when that nation fell and when the darkness of the Abyss was finally quelled down to the point the sky could be seen once more, it had been the last day anyone had seen the Exalted One.

They did much, not only saving her life along with those of her friends, but also prevented a war to break out between the people of Watatsumi and her people... Orobashi currently residing in Watatsumi Island, is still rather on edge after the events of the Cataclysm... not that Makoto blames him.

Even so, with the fact that the Exalted existence has not appeared since the end of those events, she felt as though things will take a turn for the worst.

Her concerns were correct about it when the Cryo Archon had changed, yet she had not expected to be another cause of the change when someone unknown struck her from the darkness... Though death did not reach her, she could not find it in herself to reawaken for a very long time.

She worries for Inazuma... for her friends, and for Ei.

Makoto sends her prayers to the stars beyond the heavens, hoping that her beloved God would hear her pleas for aide in these tense times.

Ei sits quietly within the top of Tenshukaku.

Another day the war continues between her people and that of Orobashi’s... another day without Makoto as her friends fight. She worries that she would finally lose them this time... with no God above to help them, what is to say that she won’t lose them now?

It’s not that she doubts the Exalted One’s strength, or the fact they might have died or abandoned them... but it’s been years since the Kingdom fell, and the world has been struggling with its monsters made from both man and the world itself.

She doesn’t know when Makoto would ever recover either, and with the war going on, she had no time to truly make prayers while she led the country without her sister’s aide. While she is safe with her Gnosis in the Narukami Shrine, protected by her dear friends who the Exalted One had saved, there was still the Cryo Archon’s meddlesome Fatui.

Without Makoto to deal with the governing affairs so foreign to her, Ei was at a loss for a long time.

When she was finally relieved from her duties, even for a short while, she finally took the time to make at least a prayer... a small hope for the Exalted existence to return to them and end the mess that became of this world since their disappearance 500 years ago.

She admits that she didn’t have expectations for it to be answered... that it would remain unheard like every other prayer she’s made since that day.

Whether it was by coincidence or not, all Ei could think of was her gratitude when the world was washed over and bathed in the familiar light of stardust... except the presence was more solid, and like a beacon amidst the darkness, called out to the world that sang along with that hum of warmth.

I am here.

I have returned.

And so Ei witness the world kneeling, all conflicts go silent as the stardust that painted the world in gentle light continues to bathe it until it disappears... but the presence that called to her like a beacon remains, and she comes to realize the meaning of those words thereafter.

You only remember how sudden it was.

You didn’t dwell too much on what had happened... but it was difficult to ever take in what had truly happened.

Death is a concept that you don’t ever think much about... being as young as you were, you didn’t even think about it. Education and work had taken most of the time in your head, and when did you did have time for yourself outside of that, you would play games until you were tired.

It just so happens that you enjoyed a certain game, very much that you felt a lot for its stories and the creatures created inside of it.

A shame that you never really got to spend at least one more day before your life had literally fell apart and changed...

For the best or worse, you don’t know.

But if there was a God out there, looking at you right now... you have a lot of questions to ask them. Honestly, dying was unexpected... but reincarnation in a familiar world, practically naked if you didn’t have that big white sheet of cloth covering your body like a big blanket...

Yeah, you have a lot of questions to ask.

Especially when you’re surrounded by familiar faces, both men and monster, kneeling right before you as though you were some sort of divine figure.

“Welcome back, Our Master.”

Your thoughts have all but vanquished by these words, with the singular sentence popping into your mind as great confusion washes over you while you awkwardly stood there with only a giant sheet of cloth covering your body as you stand in front of a crowd that seems to be numerous enough to match that of an empire.

What is this?

#self aware genshin #genshin cult stuff #yandere genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #I worked hard on this one #insecuritystronktho #but anyways-#this is that somebody lives/not everyone dies kind of fic #because this blog was made to be self-indulgent as hell #alskdjkalsdalkjsd #This is probably one of the few works I've ever taken seriously #although #the raiden twins got me stumped #not enough lore on Makoto #and also other gods and people in there #*wheezing noises*#thisissobadahahaha

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katierosefun · 4 years ago

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convoluted superheroes but make it disaster lineage au, some thoughts on their origin stories and how they would become a team:

“caroline shouldn’t you be writing or reading for your irish lit class”

“yes but i had a thought”

no, this isn’t necessarily a marvel au because i feel like crossing.......the mcu and star wars, which are already big franchises, just messes with my head? plus,,,,the mcu just has such distinct character archetypes that i can’t really fit neatly with the clone wars, so here’s just a super convoluted au that could honestly just work as an entirely different story on its own and probably only has enough in common with tcw by like,,,,a thread, but ANYWAYS I AM HERE WITH MORE THOUGHTS OF AN AU AND YOU JUST HAVE TO SUFFER WITH ME!

okay, so anakin’s story is kinda bizarre:

i mean, he’s the chosen one in star wars and all that with all these freaky far-reaching abilities with the force so i’m not gonna take that away from him--so idk in this universe i’m just gonna say that he’s gonna be like....a mimic. i feel like he would be the kind of person who just steps into a room and absorbs / can mimic the abilities of any other powered human in the room, only like,,,amplify it. he’s tricky to catch because of that, because no one knows what power he might absorb next.

but i feel like while anakin can certainly show off with this, i think he’ll also at least attempt to be a little private about this? (lmao we know he’s gonna fail though, because ily anakin but you’re the worst at keeping secrets). i feel like he would compensate for all the fancy gadgets + stuff, or sometimes just swing into rooms and be like “anyways guys i came up with a new thing” and everyone always stares at him because for some reason, everyone forgets that anakin skywalker is, in fact, a genius who doesn’t necessarily need his powers to be extraordinarily powerful. there’s more to him than just his weird powers, you guys.

right, so obi-wan:

every superhero team needs the wise intellectual, and i feel like obi-wan will always be that one person. i feel like his powers would have to complement anakin’s rather well though, since they’re,,,y’know. the team. oh wait shit--

okay okay okay (sorry, this is me really just kinda liveblogging my stream of consciousness), but like?? if anakin can amplify powers, i think of obi-wan being the one to muffle them. like, i feel like just touching someone and suddenly boom, no more powers. you’re now forced to fight obi-wan on even ground (lmao). obi-wan doesn’t necessarily absorb the powers like himself, he just...knows how to quiet them enough so that for the next little while, the opponent is absolutely useless.

i feel like a lot of people wind up underestimating obi-wan that way,,,at first. everyone makes that mistake, but then everyone realizes that oh yeah, anakin skywalker? dangerous dude. but obi-wan kenobi? if you don’t catch where you’re looking, you could very well end up dead if he wanted.

our feral gremlin ahsoka:

well, every team needs the youngster who everyone on the team loves, right? idk maybe it’s because of the togruta biology and something about togruta being more balanced than like,,,humans that makes me want ahsoka to be the ultimate stealth person. when i say this, i mean like duh she’s got incredible balance, but i think it would be super cool if she was able to just like.........move through walls. no one ever sees her coming because first of all, she’s kinda small, but second of all,,,,again: you could just be chilling at your computer and suddenly there’s a short girl standing behind you because she just phased through the wall what the--

like most teenage superheroes, ahsoka def. seems kinda excited about being the superhero? also mildly exhausted. idk dude, you try doing calc homework and writing a history paper when you’re also trying to keep the world from being taken over by....robots or zombies or whatever.

some other thoughts that i have but have yet to flesh out because i should probably actually get back to work now:

rex also absolutely has superpowers, but don’t you dare call him a sidekick. idk why, but i kinda want rex to be one of those people who creates literal earthquakes, kind of like quake from agents of shield.

cody’s sole superpower is putting up with all the bullshit the rest of the team has. he doesn’t really care he doesn’t have powers, and tbh, everyone’s mildly terrified of the day cody ever gets hit with a freak accident that might make him have powers.

well, every superhero story needs some reporter of some kind, right? ceo of some big news company padme amidala, who occasionally talks to anakin skywalker and absolutely knows his secret identity within like 2 minutes.

actually, i totally forgot about whether the superheroes in this world would have secret identities.

i’ve decided. they all have secret identities.

anakin’s the disaster engineer research person. no one really takes him seriously at work because he’s so freakishly young, but joke’s on them, because he’s saved everyone from evil robots at least ten times now.

obi-wan by default is always going to be the tired english professor. he knows anakin because anakin’s research facility is literally within the same radius of the university campus.

ahsoka goes to the high school nearby the school. she absolutely did not mean to meet anakin and obi-wan and rex, but okay, she just saw the fire in the school library and someone had to pull the students out, so it had to be her, and she might have tried to pull obi-wan and anakin out before obi-wan accidentally muffled her powers and then anakin got her powers, and then they were all SCREECHING AT EACH OTHER BECAUSE

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO”

“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING”

“WAIT YOU HAVE POWERS?”

“WAIT DO YOU?”

“CAN WE DO THIS LATER???”

#caroline talks #oh god #plot bunny? plot bunny

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severinwoolf · 4 years ago

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Hello! This is an intro post. I very much should have done this about five years ago but at least I’m doing it now.

Personal Stuff: I go by Becca or Marx online. I’m 24 (Taurus Sun, Cancer Rising, Aquarius Moon.) I’m sapphic/bi/generally super queer. I use she/they pronouns. I’m a Jewish leftist. I won’t give you my laundry list of mental disorders but basically I’m neurodivergent and I’ve got some other stuff going on (is anyone neurotypical on this site even????)

I have a graduate degree in Ancient Greek and Latin. Now I’m once again in grad school but this time for an MFA. I’m also an aspiring SFF writer and a poet. I write fanfic but mostly for myself.

Warning: I used to reblog th*nspo and various related ED tumblr bullshit from the age of 18 to 20. So around 2018 to 2019. I’ve been trying to go through and delete all of it (I regret it so very much, I was in a horrible place. I vent about it sometimes. If you want to shoot me an ask or a message, I can explain further if necessary.) I’m in recovery and I will never go back to that place. If you decide to follow, I promise you won’t find any new th*nspo reblogged here <3

DNI: The list of usual suspects. Radfems and TERFs go to hell especially. Also Reylos, for your own peace of mind, you’re probably going to want to stay away.

What I post: My personal tag is #thevoidspeaks and I occasionally post quotes from what I’m reading. You can find those under #litblr. The #quote tag is just a collection of quotes I’ve found on here.

I reblog aesthetics. Various aesthetic collections are categorized by tag. Some personal favorites of my collection are #darkacademia , #cottagecore , #haunted , and #vampirecore

I have an #art tag and a #sculpture tag where I curate a kind of private museum in cyberspace. I do the same thing with my #artifact tag. I like to imagine that I own a big old mansion and fill it with absolutely ridiculous things.

I trigger tag: gore, blood, food, ED (eating disorders), guns, and cigarettes (I’ve got a nic addiction, I know how hard it is seeing constant pics of cigs. i figured I’d tag it so that if you’re trying to quit you can block the tag.)

Interests: Ohhhh boy, this is going to be a lot. These are some of the constants but my interests are constantly changing. I have ADHD and I tend to have brief but intense hyperfixations. The BPD also doesn’t exactly help matters on this front either...

*Anime: Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, Ouran High School Host Club, Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt

* TV: Doctor Who, Penny Dreadful, BTVS, Wandavision, Veep, The Thick of It, Adventure Time, Fleabag, Law and Order (mainly SVU and OC. Yes I know it’s Copoganda. Trust me there is no context where I think this franchise represents the actual US justice system.) American Horror Story, Peaky Blinders, ATLA, What We Do In The Shadows, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Seinfeld, Ratched, Downton Abbey, Gentleman Jack, Community, Russian Doll, Steven Universe, Breaking Bad, House of The Dragon, Stranger Things (more of a casual interest than much of this list) Wednesday

*Movies: Crimson Peak, Coraline, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland (all versions), Carol (2015), The Graduate, Star Wars, Gone Girl, Jennifer’s Body, Labyrinth, Heathers , Ocean’s 8

*Musicals: She Loves Me, Wicked, Legally Blonde, If/Then, Rent, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, Chicago, A Little Night Music, My Fair Lady, Hadestown, Heathers, Six!

*Celebrities: Sarah Paulson, Idina Menzel, Florence Welch, Rihanna, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jessica Chastain, Alex Kingston, Mariska Hargitay, Stephanie March, Suranne Jones, Alex Kingston, Kathryn Hahn, Laura Benanti, and many others

*Music: Florence + The Machine, Mitski, Cocteau Twins, The Clash, Phoebe Bridgers, Amy Winehouse, MUNA, BANKS, Taylor Swift, Tori Amos

*Misc.: Homestuck (God...I know its embarrassing) Virginia Woolf, LOTR, Skyrim, The Secret History, UNHhh, Game of Thrones (mainly the books,). Ancient Greek and Roman History and language, linguistics generally, ED recovery, Witchcraft, Fanfiction, Jewish History and culture, and Leftism . Basically, I contain multitudes

Ahhh I think that’s everything! I’ve probably forgotten things. If I think of anything I’ll edit this

#intro post #the void speaks

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vanillann · 4 years ago

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right where you left me (bucky barnes x reader)

someone tell me to stop writing sad 40s!bucky fics that aren’t even that good, thank :)

warning: bad angst and mention of death

based off “right where you left me” by taylor swift

word count: 1.7k

Bucky coughed lightly from the other side of the table, the waiter finally leaving us to sit with ourselves. I smiled, my finger playing with the napkin that sat in front of me.

“How’s the salad?”

I frowned at the weird tension that had grown between us recently, conversation and looks not the same they once were.

“Good, how is the steak?”

“Dry but good.”

The conversation ran out again, the check balancing on the edge of the table as we both sat waiting for something to happen, anything at this point.

“(Y/N)?”

“Bucky?” I leaned back in the booth, folding my finger as I waited for some sort of words to fall from his lips.

“I really need to talk to ya,” he trailed off, coughing again as he grabbed the check and began playing with the little piece of paper.

“About?”

“Us.”

My heart dropped, I wasn’t stupid. Everyone would know how a conversation like this would go, it was obvious we hadn’t been the same but I thought we would fix it by now.

“What happened?” I didn’t move, my eyes piercing thought him as I waited for some sort of lame excuse, some excuse about the war or something.

“I- I,” he trailed off again, finally put the checkbook down and let himself cross his arm, setting them on the table. He looked up at him, his eyes looked so broken and I couldn’t tell you why he was walking away, not me.

“There this girl-“ I drowned everything else out, his mouth was moving but I couldn’t put words to it. The room suddenly slowed down, the room suddenly felt like a box I had been taped in.

“A girl?”

“Dottie, she is a doll,” yes please talk about this new lover of yours, exactly what I need to hear.

I knew I was overthinking everything, but I could feel eyes on me. The check was long forgotten as he went on and on.

“Steve told me I should put you through more unnecessary pain,” he spoke his piece, finally shutting up for a second.

How do you respond to that?

“Dottie,” I repeated the name, my eyes drifting to the window that was across the room, making out that the sun had finally set and the stars were out.

“I’m so sorry (Y/N), you deserve better-“

“You could have been better for me if you loved me,” I spoke softly, my words felt harsher than intended but I could do much more than that.

I felt sympathy for the doll in the kid’s section, the doll that was stuffed in the box to very leave that single moment in their life.

“I’ll always love you, it’s just not the same.” Bucky reached across the table, leaving his hand open for me to squeeze back, his way of removing his guilt.

“Yeah, okay.”

I was pissed, maybe I didn’t have the right but maybe that was the biggest thing I was allowed at this moment.

“(Y/N),” his words felt like forever ago, my stares went.

“I’m fine Barnes, I’ll get a cab. Please just leave.”

He’s titled his head, begging me to just come with him but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sit in a car, in his passenger seat that she most likely once sat in, and act like my heart wasn’t ruined.

“I can call Steve,” I simply nodded, Steve was still my friend and I wouldn’t have to worry about catching a cab this late in the late night.

“Okay,” he said nothing else, leaving the money for the tab thankfully, I would have killed him if he left it to me.

“I’m sorry again (Y/N), it’s not you but me,” that he stood from the booth, moving the hat that sat on his head around a little more before he took it off completely, bowing to me quickly, then leaving the restaurant completely.

It’s not you but me.

What a bullshit line, what a bullshit line for a bullshit break up. I looked back out the window on the other side of the restaurant, seeing him standing in the phone booth most likely calling Steve.

Or maybe he was calling Dottie, telling her they could be together.

Maybe it was selfish of me, to be mad at him for choosing his own happiness, but I had only wished my own way at the expense.

I couldn’t be mad at Bucky, I most certainly couldn’t be mad at Dottie. She did nothing wrong, she was just a girl who loved a boy. A boy who no longer loved me.

I felt as if dust had collected on my shoulder for how long I sat at the booth. My eyes roamed the room and not a single waiter or waitress tried telling me to leave.

I felt the time had frozen before I felt a small tap on my shoulder, my eye-catching sight of familiar blonde hair.

“Hey,” his voice was soft, as it had always been, but this time was much different.

“Hi,” I was shocked at my own voice, the little crack made my hand run over my throat.

“Have you moved since he left?”

I shocked my head, my eyes never leaving that stupid window since I watched his back walk away.

“Sorry you had to come down to collect me,” the sarcasm dripped from my voice, I always got this way when I was upset.

“You’re the only person I’d do it for,” I knew he would do it for Bucky too, but he refuses to actually say his name.

“He just left Stevie,” I felt the tears play behind my eyes, Steve finally pulling at my hand. I stood up, both of us finally leaving that booth in the corner of the restaurant.

It was suddenly my least favorite spot in the world.

I played with the end of the menu, that window in the same spot it was all that time ago.

It felt like it was forever ago at least.

The news played through the speaker over the door, the name of all the fallen of the war.

I was suddenly happy my friend was a super-human, taking down his chance of being called.

“Jeffery Rhode-“ the name rang through the room, my hand grabbing my glass of water as I waited for my salad to come out.

“George Teller, James Barnes-“

I felt myself choke, my hand flying to my throat as I heard the name called. Only a few more followed but I didn’t have it in me to pay attention.

James Barnes.

A fallen soldier.

Fallen meant dead, he was dead.

I felt tears slip down my cheek, my eyes trained back out that stupid window. My brain played with me, acting as if I would still see him in that phone booth.

I couldn’t comprehend my thoughts. How did it always happen in this corner? Why were all my worst moments stuck here?

“May we have a moment of silence for the fallen soldier.”

I needed more than a moment, I needed a lifetime. I wonder how Steve felt, how Dottie felt.

Was he even still with Dottie?

Why couldn’t I wrap my head around it?

“Here’s your salad,” the older woman, the one who recognized me by now, placed the salad before me with a little sad smile. I couldn’t even nod at her, couldn’t even thank her.

I wished she had bought a steak out too, just to know he was there. Even if I knew he would leave me, I would rather have that than him leaving all of us.

“Buck,” I spoke mostly to myself, still coming to terms with everything.

I hope he heard me from somewhere, to know I wasn’t made anymore.

I looked to my wrinkled hand on the table cloth, waited for that stupid salad like I did every time.

The old phone booth from outside was now gone, instead sat at an ATM that was in high demand. I was shocked the restaurant hadn’t gotten torn down yet, but once I noticed the picture with Steve on the corkboard I knew exactly what happened.

The music was different than it once was, the old 40s music was now much different. They would occasionally play a few older songs, ones that made me feel like that poor broke soul again.

I didn’t understand why I kept going back, it was starting to be pathetic but I couldn’t care. It was the only place I understood.

I was stuck in my own nightmare, yet I was doing it to myself at this point.

I heard the bell above the door ring but I didn’t have it in me to turn and look at who it was. I had become familiar with the regulars over the years that would visit the place often.

I watched a raven-haired man walk up to the ATM. I recognized him as Tony Stark, you knew a face like that anywhere. I was shocked he was in town but my thought was distracted when I heard looking boots approaching my table.

I looked up casually, thinking it would be a waiter. I didn’t recognize the hair at first, the long dark hair that looked softer than silk, but the face was the same.

The little stumbled and the same piercing eyes that I could never forget, the same ones that broke my heart twice within one lifetime.

“It’s me-“

“Buck?”

I didn’t get up with the Avenger stuff, Steve told me little things but other than that I was completely separate from that lifestyle.

“Yeah,” he looked nervous, something I never used to with him, he wasn’t a nervous person.

Not with me, not with Steve, probably not with Dottie.

“Can I sit?”

I nodded, watching as he took the seat he took at those years ago. He was dressed differently, the red shirt and the dark jeans were different from the army green suit he wore proudly.

“It’s your seat after all,” I spoke softly, watching him nod to me with a sad smile.

“Steve said you come here often.”

I didn’t respond, still looking at him with a pout and my head was starting to hurt.

Was it really him?

It wouldn’t be that absurd, look at Steve, but they said he died. He looked like the one stuck in time, the one who still hadn’t grown up from that moment.

“I’m right where you left me.”

join the taglist

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thecat-inthehat · 3 years ago

Text

thecat-inthehat’s masterpost

About me

Hello! I’m known as Neeb, Creator, or Azlykumos, and my main blog is over at @reflectionsofacreator, so likes/follows will come from there.

This blog was originally created for My Girls, Nive, Shining, and Hel, so they get the lion’s share of attention around this place. In addition to my own bullshit, I have several long running msq RPs with various partners, and will occasionally talk about them here. I’ve been playing XIV since September of 2015, as I left Star Wars: The Old Republic and was looking for another MMO to play. I found two very lovely FCs, and the rest is history.

My favorite expansion is Stormblood, while Heavensward remains my least after multiple playthroughs. While I don’t bash the expansion (or any expansion), sometimes I do talk about things that frustrate me about XIV from narrative structure, pacing, and underutilized characters. My favorite characters from XIV are Arbert and Zenos, so you can expect to find a lot of them here.

Characters

Nivelth Ajuyn - my primary main. A half hrothgar, half miqo’te Summoner and Allagan researcher, and has revitalized the art long dead. An avid lover of tea, she also dabbles in her mother’s family art of Astromancy, though with limited success. She’s something of a thrillseeker, and is quick to get into trouble, usually by sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Practical and inquisitive to a fault, she can often talk her way out of people (her sisters) yelling at her for getting into said trouble. Rarely seen without her signature Saint Valentione’s red feathered hat, or her coeurl Mila.

Shining Comet - a paladin songstress primarily based in Ul’dah, who often sells her skills as a bodyguard or an entertainer. Fun loving and easy going, tends not to care much for politics or intrigue, save for what she can find at the Quicksand. She’s quick to flirt with pretty girls and go for a drink, and she treats most people that come across her as new friends. She has massive scarring on her left side, from crown to calf, and a tattoo over her left cheek to try and cover up some of it. With scarring that extensive, it’s a bit of a mystery as to how she didn’t lose an eye or loss of motor functions -- and she won’t tell, either. Many people have claimed to have seen her out and about, and she’s wanted for questioning involving several crimes, the most notable being a massacre a Rabanastern night lounge, some three years after the 7th Umbral Calamity.

Helisent Wynter - A wind-aspected conjurer affected by wanderlust, traveling the world and offering up her services in return for a safe haven for the night. Quick witted and playful, she sometimes doesn’t think before she opens her mouth. Her signature spell is “float”, and oftentimes you can see her simply drifting along, or seated in a cushion of air. She can fly for brief periods, and is working on lengthening the time she can soar in the clouds. Born Ala Mhigan but raised in Gridania, she knew little of her heritage before she set out to help with the Liberation, and struggles with the facets of her identity that seem so at odds with one another. In an effort to be closer to her homeland she learned the teachings of the Monks of Rhalgr, and practices her new discipline as much as she can.

Karla Oandore - After losing her betrothed in the 7th Umbral Calamity, Karla spent five years attempting to regain a sense of normalcy amidst a realm that was frantically trying to do the same. A chance meeting with a hyur-raised Xaela named Caliban Abyra on a carriage into Gridania led to an unlikely alliance, and the two struggled to find their place in a world that needed them. Over the course of their adventures, Karla learned that she was a Warrior of Light of the Magi era, now reborn to fight once more. Several ghosts, both real and imagined, linger and follow her around while she attempts to remember her old life. This causes her to really wrestle with the question of if she should be beholden to her past, or attempt to live her life as it is now, oftentimes with no clear answer.

Strikefire Oandore - A royal Mhachi Black Mage with tattoos all over her body, Strikey has spent the last 1600 years waiting for her lover to be reborn after the disastrous last battle that lead to the 6th Umbral Calamity. A letter from her friend, E-Sumi-Yan, brought her back to Eorzea five years after the 7th Calamity, where she managed to make acquaintances with Suna’ya Molkoh, a miqo’te man with uncommonly powerful empathy, and Emmanellain de Fortemps, freshly run away from his home in Ishgard. The trio become an unlikely party as they journey across Eorzea, and realize with some horror, oh no, Eorzea calls them the Warriors of Light.

Koru Sai’nalia - The last prince of Mhach sought to become a god for his people, on a man in a white robe’s suggestion. He succeeded. Thanatos, the Lord of Ruin, flew aloft and turned the tide against Amdapor in a devastating offensive with his lover, Diablos. Desperate measures forced the Amdapori to capture them both, and bound Thanatos in an undying body of clay with an enchanted blade driven through his chest. Some 1600 years later, a man with strange tattoos is found in Snakemolt by Scions Yda and Papalymo, and wakes to having no memory of his past or why he shows such a strange affinity for thamaturgy.

Aiden Ravensblade - the twin brother of Hilda Ware, known in the Burme as “The Raven” due to how his voice would croak on the rare occasions that he spoke aloud. He hates to be touched, and has more knives than the Inquisitors know what to do with. If Hilda is the face of the Burme, Aiden is the ear in the dark-- he gathered up information and distributed supplies to the disenfranchised. This lead to him being charged with false accusations of being a Heretic, and he was forced to flee Ishgard lest it come back to Hilda. When he arrived in Limsa Lominsa, the Rogue’s Guild quickly recruited him to their cause, which led to him thwarting an attack on Swiftperch by a man in a black robe. Now having caught the attention of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, he has to decide if helping them is worth the possibility of putting his sister in danger.

Links

ao3 | creator writes - not all things are crossposted FFXIVWrite 2020 | FFXIVWrite 2021 | FFXIVWrite 2022

vg caps - no edits, but sometimes uses gshade/mods

edits - screencaps that I’ve edited for more than basic color correction

ultrawide series - I got gifted a massive gaming monitor and now I have to retake all my scenery photos for backgrounds. Have some of the better ones!

musings - somewhat catch all tag for meta or random long posts of mine

tags for specific continuities

#masterpost #pinned post #creator speaks #this will be updated periodically

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distortion-writing · 3 years ago

Text

Hello, tumblr users! It’s about time I wrote a proper intro for my writblr.

My name is Nico, I’m a queer, transmasc, teen writer. My preferred pronouns are they/them or ae/aer, but he/him is also fine. My main blog is @distortion-heart.

I write a variety of genres, but most of my work is some flavor of fantasy. I also do a lot of art for my characters and stories, which will probably mixed in with my writing and shitposts.

I’ve started a lot of projects, including comics, novels, and a podcast, but I haven’t finished anything just yet. I love stories with some angst and hurt/comfort, and I’m a sucker for character development.

I’ll probably start a tag list for my wips as I gain more followers and make more progress on the wips, if you want me to add you just send an ask or a dm.

My wips! (under the cut)

Orion wip:

This one doesn’t have a name yet whoops. This is the story of Orion, an undead interdimensional traveler. He has a habit of popping in and out of other stories, and occasionally plays some significant part in them. Overall, the story is about how and why he died, how he came back, and what he did afterwards.

Penumbra (wip):

After a car accident, a teenager wakes up in a strange fantasy realm. While Laurel tries to find her way home, her best friends on the other side try to find out what happened.

Michael Cherry Breaks Reality (wip):

After Michael stumbles on a mysterious, pink, swirling light portal, the obvious next step is to jump through. He isn’t sure why he’s surprised to meet a scientist god, two cats, and a clown on the other side.

Rose Red Rebels (wip):

I have very few ideas for actual plot currently it’s just the characters. Join the space pirate crew of The Insurgence as they bullshit their way through a galactic war!

The Blood of the Sane (wip):

A little horror podcast idea I’m working on. What starts as friends meeting up to do research on the supernatural history of their town quickly turns into monster hunting, then arson, and eventually shattering reality as we know it.

Untitled other wip:

Technically, this takes place in the same universe at the same time as Michael Cherry, and the external conflict is the same, but I thought I would keep this one separate. A fallen angel, a wizard, and a mad scientist try to take down a corrupt government.

Steampunk space lesbians wip:

A princess runs away from monotonous palace life to explore the stars, and meets the love of her life. And starts a galactic war. Oops. (This one maybe also takes place in the same universe as the pirates idk yet.)

Stardust (wip):

Magical girl story that I started in… about 2018-19. The story has changed a lot since then, but the premise is still the same! A guy who just moved into a new house immediately gets adopted by the local team of magical heroes.

Newhaven (wip):

The universe where Orion originally came from, and what went down after he left. Another instance of people accidentally breaking reality and then putting it back together.

Anyway, that’s all! Thank you for reading if you got this far, have a great day!

#writblr #writblr intro #writeblr #writeblr intro #my wips

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lovelyirony · 4 years ago

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Oh, can I please ask for one of your folklore prompts? “And I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want/just not home” my tears ricochet For a young Tony, maybe? It doesn't have to have a pairing if you don't want to. :)

A house and a home are different. Tony did not know this until he was in college, much to his surprise.

A house is somewhere you live. A central place that you come back to in between visits to other people or places or countries or anything else. It is not personal. It is something you use until you no longer see the need or the desire. You can move to a lot of them.

A home lingers. A home is where you smile late at night over drinks. It is where crumbs reside from last night’s takeout, and you spend lazy Sundays.

(Tony also didn’t know what that was either.)

He’s lived in a lot of houses. He has a lot of houses. There’s the one in New York that is looming and lonely and probably would be his least favorite except it’s in New York, which earns it its redemption.

There is sunny Malibu with its beaches and great views. There are a few others.

None of them are homes. It’s just a place to rest for a couple of months or a year or until Howard decides it’s not enough.

He gets to MIT and gets a dorm room, same as everyone else. It is pitifully sad, he gets sun only in the mornings, and that sucks. He kind of hates it. He guesses that’s the college experience.

He also has a roommate. Jarvis had told him it’d be good for him, and Tony had had to talk Howard out of about twenty-seven different legal documents that basically said “if you ever breathe a word of anything to anyone, you’re being legally sued.”

James Rhodes. Literally studying to become a rocket scientist, has questionable taste in posters, and waves at Tony when they meet each other.

“Call me Jim.”

“...Jim. Are you eighty or something?”

It’s probably the wrong thing to say. It definitely is the wrong thing to say by Jarvis’ raised eyebrows and down-turned frown.

But James Rhodes takes it in stride.

“You can call me something else if you want, but it has to be good and I have to approve it. Can’t be my last name, can’t be Jimmy. Anything else is fair game.”

Different reaction. That’s...that’s weird.

So Tony shrugs, smiles as Jarvis leaves, and realizes that he’s alone and Howard doesn’t really have an influence--except he does, god he does--and Tony asks James Rhodes if he’d like to get pizza.

“You know anywhere with good pizza?”

“Wanna find out if Hemingway’s is any good?”

“It’s either going to be artisan hipster or the worst. Hell yes.”

It’s artisan hipster. It is bad, and James laughs as he tells a story and burns his tongue when he’s reenacting his mother is chewing him out, using his full name, and:

“Rhodey,” Tony gasps out.

“I told you that you couldn’t use my last name!”

“It’s technically not your last name, sugar plum,” Tony mocks, using one of his mother’s nicknames against him. “You are forever now Rhodey. Forever.”

From there, friendship progresses. Tony’s never actually had a real friend before, not that he tells Rhodey that. Besides, Rhodey probably knows. Tony just automatically assumes he’s paying for everything, and he’s not sure what to do with genuine affection for a couple of months.

He looks at Rhodey with such love and affection. He does, really. Rhodey has created a whole new world for him.

And then, the holidays.

Thanksgiving is Tony’s least-favorite-holiday for a variety of reasons. It’s all a fake kind of gathering. “Coming together to celebrate gratefulness” is the biggest goddamn crock of bullshit he’s ever cooked in his life, and for once his family isn’t doing a PR stunt, so his mother has announced that he’s welcome to be back home, but they won’t be there.

Howard is taking Jarvis with him on a trip to England to visit Aunt Peggy and probably talk shop about Cap and ice and stupid fucking theories about the degree of alive he’ll be when he’s found.

(When. What pretentious bullshit.)

Tony doesn’t want to be alone in the house, because that’d suck shit and MIT would be better. At least he could make shitty ramen and cry and only get a noise complaint instead of one of the cleaning staff members saying that he probably needed therapy.

“You are not staying in the dorms, what the fuck man,” Rhodey says. “You’re coming home with me.”

“Now darling, I thought you said we weren’t going to be forward about this whole thing,” he purrs, putting on an old Hollywood accent. “Are you finally coming up and seeing me?”

Rhodey rolls his eyes.

“I’ll be as forward as I want,” he decides, and Tony wishes he wouldn’t say things like that, because that seriously get’s a man’s heart rising. “Besides, I told you that you need to have my Aunt Kendra’s rolls, and that’s a promise. So, Thanksgiving is now with the Rhodes’ family.”

Tony doesn’t know if they know that he’s coming. He also doesn’t know the dress code, and Rhodey is absolutely no help.

“What do you mean by casual?” Tony squawks. “Is it business casual? Dressy casual? Jeans casual?”

“What do any of those mean?”

“Oh my god, I’m going to look like a failure at this shindig. Your mother will die over her cooking because I’ll pull out of the wrong wardrobe and be a fool. I’ll die, and you’ll have to bury me, and you won’t even know which outfit I’ll want. God, this is going to--”

Rhodey shuts him up, putting a hand over his mouth.

“Just wear your red turtleneck and your dark jeans or whatever. That looks nice.”

“You noticed?”

“You don’t give me as much credit as I deserve,” Rhodey grunts. “Early wake-up on Monday. I’ll supply coffee as long as you give me gas money.”

“I’ll give you anything for coffee. I’ll give you my hand in marriage for coffee.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Rhodey teases. “I might actually do that.”

God, I wish you would.

Rhodey’s house is a nice place, a wire fence bordering with a porch swing covered in a light dusting of snow, and swinging slightly with the wind that blows through the neighborhood.

There are quite a lot of cars parked in the driveway and in the street, and Tony can see at least six people inside the house, which is more family than he actually knows on either side.

It’s all warm and yellow, and Rhodey moves with an ease that Tony didn’t know happened outside of those cheesy family shows.

He throws open the door and there are shouts of joy and happiness and “Jimmy-boy!”

“I didn’t know Jimmy-boy was on the table,” Tony remarks dryly. “And here it’s been for months, Jimmy-boy.”

Rhodey groans.

“This is worse than Rhodey,” he mutters.

A woman who could only be his mother steps forward, grinning.

“Call me Mama, darling. And what’s this I hear about ‘Rhodey’?”

“He burnt his tongue on pizza while telling me about a time he got a well-deserved talking-to by your own graceful words, Mrs. Rhodes,” Tony says. He’s charming. Oh, he’s very charming.

She giggles.

“I said mama, but I can’t say I’ll mind too much when you talk like that. Jim, you should’ve had us meet earlier.”

“You see I would’ve, but I happen to value myself,” Rhodey says.

“You do?” a man says. Mr. Rhodes, tall and a smile that could put any of the fake veneers in Hollywood to shame. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Rhodey gets pulled into a hug, and he laughs, and Tony has the Distinct Memory that He’s Never Been Hugged by his Father.

Well, isn’t this a time to realize family inadequacies!

“Rhodey, light of my life, where am I setting up my suitcase?” Tony asks.

“Come on up with me. We’re sleeping in my room, hope that’s alright.”

It’s more than alright, and Tony smiles when he sees Rhodey’s room.

He loves it. It’s decorated with model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, a peeling Star Wars poster that has most definitely been needed to be thrown away for more than five years (but won’t be), and a few trophies from soccer.

Tony’s never had his own room decorated with anything but the current trends, his mother hand-picking his comforter and the decorations in his room. And they all say he’s so “fashionable” and “keeps an eye out for trends.”

(Ha.)

It’s odd for him to see a house look so...lived in.

“Welcome home,” Rhodey says. “I haven’t grabbed it yet, but I’ll use a sleeping bag and you can take the bed.”

Tony snorts.

“No way, honeybee. I’m not kicking you out of your own bed. We’ve shared a bed before, this is no different.”

"Only if you’re sure,” Rhodey says, smiling at him. “This is a bit different than both twin beds being crashed together because we wanted more space for the fridge.”

“This time we don’t have the fridge,” Tony quips as Rhodey laughs.

“Come on, let’s head downstairs. Mama’s probably gonna have us wash dishes or something. Maybe set up some more chairs.”

What actually happens is that their laundry machine has gone rebel-mode, and is currently trying it’s best to fling the door open and spew laundry everywhere.

“Shit,” Mr. Rhodes says, looking at it. “Another call to the repairman this month...”

“He won’t get here until a week after Thanksgiving,” Mama says, sighing. “How much do you mind your jeans freezing up a bit?”

He smiles a bit at his wife.

Tony’s never seen that. But he likes it.

“I can fix it,” he says. Family turns to him. This is all quite embarrassing. “I, uh, I’ve taken apart some washing machines before. I think I can figure it out, if you don’t mind me poking around.”

“I wouldn’t mind a bit,” Mama says. “Jimmy, I like this one.”

Rhodey rolls his eyes.

“I’ll go get the toolkit for you. Need anything?”

“Towels and you, honey-pie.”

“You get one out of two of those options.”

“You treat me like a vagrant,” Tony declares. Rhodey laughs as he heads to go get supplies.

The night goes on. People occasionally check in, and Rhodey assures them that it’s going well.

“Instruction manuals are such bullshit,” Tony says. “Half the time they’re written by someone who doesn’t even know how to do it themselves. The other half, no one uses them.”

“Well when you take over your company, write better instruction manuals,” Rhodey says. “Pass me a towel, things are about to get sudsy.”

Forty-five minutes later, the washing machine is probably doing better than it was even at production, and Tony gets a kiss on the cheek and cheers all around him.

“This calls for cookies,” Rhodey declares. “Tony, let’s go get some.”

They sit at the kitchen table, and Tony learns so much about Rhodey’s family. He sees him laugh and relax and tell the funniest stories about when he was little and got stuck in a tree.

It’s home. That’s how he finally understands it. Home where you keep on going long after, with people you love.

He doesn’t have one of those.

He thinks, maybe, that he could make a home of his own. Maybe he could have AC/DC posters lining a wall, or have the pictures of friends and vacation in the kitchen.

And Rhodey would be there. For now, he’s going to enjoy his hot chocolate and try to get more embarrassing stories about his best friend from his family.

#lovelyirony writes #rhodeytony #ironhusbands #the difference between a house and a home #mit era #rhodey #tony stark #jarvis #anyways yeah i don't think tony would actually know what a home looks like #he's Deficient

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rainydaysketches · 4 years ago

Text

Family Movie Night Gone WRONG!! (Not Clickbait)

(So. Guess who discovered FrostIron the other day? Anyway, I’m operating under the headcanon that Loki was being controlled by Thanos during the attack on New York, and that Thanos has since been dealt with by Carol. No more giant grape ballsack-chin titan to worry about. Also sorry about the title I couldn't think of anything better.)

If you had told Tony back in 2012 that in five years, the Avengers would be divided, half of said Avengers would be on the run, Asgard would be destroyed, he’d be dating Loki of all people, and have joint custody over a teenager who just so happened to be Spider-Man, well, he would probably have punched you in the face with a metal clad fist and sent you to a psych ward.

But that was exactly where Tony found himself, in the newly repurchased Stark Tower’s penthouse, with Loki and Peter on either side of him on the couch while they watched a Star Wars film that Peter had been demanding they watch together for the past week. Tony and Loki occasionally pitched in with a, “that’s not how that works” when it showed something about science or space that wasn’t accurate. Peter just told them to shush with a laugh each time.

It was nice.

About halfway through the movie, Tony heard Peter’s stomach growl, and that made him realize that he was pretty hungry himself. He told FRIDAY to pause the movie and the lights came on. Loki offered to pick up some Chinese, and Peter and Tony readily agreed.

Peter ran off to use the bathroom after Loki teleported away, and Tony decided to grab another cup of coffee before either of them returned.

Before the coffee could even finish brewing, the elevator dinged. This gave Tony pause, because Loki seldom used the elevator, and no one else was in the tower today. Happy and May were on a date (much to Peter’s equal disgust and happiness), Pepper was in Hong Kong, Rhodey was on a short weekend vacation to visit family, and Thor and Bruce were in New Asgard.

While Tony was wondering who could be in the elevator, the doors opened. He brought his hand up near the arc reactor on his chest, ready to activate his suit if need be.

The first person to come out of the elevator was Rogers, followed by Wilson, Maximoff, Romanoff, and Barton. Tony felt his jaw drop, along with the hand hovering near the arc reactor. Rogers caught sight of Tony, in his sweatpants and Star Trek t-shirt that Peter had gotten him for his birthday, standing with his mouth hanging open in the middle of his kitchen. Rogers smiled. Tony didn’t return the sentiment.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, which, in his opinion, was a perfectly reasonable response when someone walked into your living room, acting like they owned the place. Knowing Rogers, he probably thought he did. The smile fell from Rogers’ face, and the others behind him tensed.

“What do you mean, Tony? We got pardoned,” Rogers said, with the gall to sound confused.

“Okay, but why the hell are you in my tower?” Now all the rogues looked confused, and they were looking at him like he’d grown a second head.

“We were pardoned,” Romanoff stated, “So we came home.” The others nodded.

“Home?” Tony scoffed, “Home!? You gave up your chance to call Stark Tower ‘home’ when you betrayed my trust.”

“Come on, Tony,” Barton tried, “We were pardoned, and the first thing we do is come and see you, and this is how you repay us?” Tony picked up on the blatant guilt tripping, and it may have just worked if he’d done it before he met Loki or Peter, but not anymore.

Tony opened his mouth to respond, be before he could get a sound out, a soft voice spoke up behind him.

“Dad?”

The universe just loved to fuck with Tony Stark, didn’t it? He spun around to face Peter, turning his back on the rogues, because even if they literally stabbed him in the back, Peter would always be more important.

“Hey Pete. How about you, uh, sit on the couch while I sort this shit out.” He waved vaguely in the direction of the rogues. He heard an indignant sound come from someone behind him, but he chose to ignore it.

Peter looked wary, and he subtly made a web-slinging gesture with his hand. Tony shook his head minutely in response, to which Peter nodded and headed off to the couch.

When he turned back to the rogues, who were standing stock-still. Tony contemplated congratulating Peter for shocking the Avengers this bad later, but figured once Tony told him about it, Loki would do it for him, so he decided not to.

Barton was the first to break the silence. “You have a kid!?” Tony, just now remembering his coffee, grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself some. He took a deep, long drink before he sighed and answered.

“Yeah, what about it?”

The team was shocked into baffled silence once again.

“We just… didn’t peg you for the type to want a kid?” Wilson said, the first time he’s spoken since they all got here. Tony almost didn’t hear the sharp intake of breath that came from the couch.

“I’ll have you know, that kid is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I’d sooner let my company go bankrupt than lose him,” Tony told them, loud enough that Peter could hear him, even without his freaky spider-hearing.

The rogues unabashedly gaped at him.

Rogers shook himself out of his stupor first.

“Tony, how long have you had a kid?” He sounded like he couldn’t believe that Tony could possibly care for a child, which a younger Tony would have agreed with.

“About a year and a half now, right?” Tony looked to Peter for confirmation, and Peter nodded at him with a thumbs up, which was actually a lot more encouraging than it should have been. “Yeah, a year and a half ago I adopted him.”

“It’s still joint custody!” Peter called out with a devilish grin.

“Stop being a smartass, Peter!” That only caused Peter’s grin to get wider.

Before anyone else could speak, there was a bright flash of green light in the middle of the living room. Tony felt relief flood through him. Loki was back.

The rogues drew their weapons. Rogers grabbed the shield off his back, red magic danced around Maximoff’s fingers, making Tony take a few steps back with unease, Barton knocked an arrow, and Romanoff just suddenly had a knife. Wilson migrated to the back of the group, because he was in civilian clothes and didn’t have his wings.

The five of them stiffened when Loki began to speak. Tony did the opposite and relaxed.

“So, they didn’t have any more chow mein, which is ridiculous, because they are a Chinese restaurant, how could they just run out of chow mein?” Loki ranted while he rifled through the bags, most likely checking that everything was there. “Also, they kept saying that they ‘were closed’ and asking ‘how did you get in here,’ which, rude, but they did give us three free egg rolls, so-” Loki finally looked up and took in the scene unfolding in front of him.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tony shot Loki a look that hopefully conveyed his thoughts of, “please, for the love of god, help me.” Loki got the memo, but chose to roll his eyes and drop himself on the couch next to Peter instead.

“Traitor,” Tony mumbled to himself, before refocusing on the rogues, who still had all their weapons pointed at Loki, and subsequently, Peter.

“Tony,” Rogers started harshly, “Why is Loki here?” He said Loki’s name with so much contempt that Tony physically recoiled from it.

“Um, because he wants to be?” Tony told them, but it sounded a lot more like a question than he intended. “And because I let him in.” he continued, trying to make it not sound like he was unsure.

“So you’ll let a supervillain into Avengers Tower, but not the actual Avengers?” Barton burst out, “That’s bullshit!” Tony needed to take a deep breath and a sip of coffee before he could respond to that remark.

“Okay, first of all,” Tony shot a glance at Loki who was smiling bitterly at his lap in that way he did when he was feeling self-deprecating. “Loki is not a supervillain now, nor was he ever. And second, this is Stark Tower, not Avengers Tower, and you need to get it through your skulls that I will not welcome you back here. In fact, you are trespassing on private property as we speak, but I’ll let it slide if you leave. Right now.”

Tony could practically see the gears turning in everyone’s heads. It was as if they couldn’t even follow the simplest instructions.

“Tony,” Rogers began, and Tony internally groaned. He just wanted Rogers and his rogues gone. ”Loki is manipulating you. But you don’t have to do what he wants. Come with us, we’ll keep you safe.”

Now it was Tony’s turn to have gears turning in his head.

And when he finally figured out what Rogers was talking about, he burst out laughing. The rogues looked awkward, just standing there watching him laugh his ass off, and that only made him laugh harder.

“Y-you, pfft- you think h-he’s manipulating me?” And that was all that Tony could say before he fell into another fit of laughter.

Peter and Loki found this funny too, because Peter was trying - and failing - to stifle his own laughter and Loki had a fond grin on his face as he looked at Tony.

After a minute or two, he’d finally calmed down. During his laughing fit, the rogues had lowered their weapons slightly, but Maximoff’s magic had only grown and glowed brighter. “Loki is not manipulating me, nor is he controlling me, or doing anything else to me. So drop it.”

Maximoff’s stance shifted slightly, and she lunged at Tony. Before he could activate his armour, she had pinned him to the ground and put her fingers on his temples. He tried to struggle, but she was either surprisingly heavy, or she was holding herself down with magic. Most likely the latter.

More red magic gathered at her fingertips, and Tony felt his eyelids drooping shut, no matter how much he fought to keep them open. When his eyes fully closed, a searing pain seemed to stab him in the brain, but he was unable to scream.

A second later, the weight was thrown off him, the pain was gone, and he could open his eyes again.

Loki and Peter had both gotten off the couch and tackled Maximoff off of him. Peter had her pinned to the ground, even as she was thrashing about. Loki held out his hand for Tony to grab and Tony gratefully took it so Loki could haul him up.

Even once Tony was back on his feet, he didn’t let go of Loki’s hand. The rogues looked warily between Tony, Peter, and Loki, and raised their weapons once again. Tony let out a grumble and turned so he could drop his forehead on Loki’s shoulder. Loki used his unoccupied hand to comb his fingers through Tony’s hair. Tony gave an appreciative hum.

Peter managed to get off Maximoff without any serious injuries, so he went and stood next to Tony on the opposite side Loki was. Tony smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

Tony then glared at the rogues, Steve and Wanda especially. The former was helping the latter off of the floor, both glaring at all three of them. Romanoff stepped in front of Rogers and Maximoff, holding her hands up in faux surrender.

“How about we all calm down and talk about this?” She tried.

“Get out of my tower,” Tony growled, clutching Loki’s hand like a lifeline. Loki squeezed his hand back just as tightly.

The rogues must have realized how much of a fruitless endeavor this was, because they all backed off, though reluctantly. They all crowded back into the elevator and told FRIDAY to bring them back to the ground floor. The AI didn’t reply as she usually did, just shut the doors and brought them down.

Tony slumped in exhaustion.

“Okay, that’s officially too much excitement for what should have been a relaxing movie night.” His comment startled a laugh out of Peter, and Loki even let out a chuckle.

They all went back to their spots on the couch, this time with Chinese food, and started the movie back up. None of them stayed awake long enough to see the end.

#frostiron #irondad #spiderson #irondad and spiderson #i wrote this in under a day and it hasnt really been proofread but fuck it #fanfic #marvel #i dont think i have to say this but i will anyway #not starker

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duhragonball · 3 years ago

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Disinterpretation

I finally finished the Sarah Z video about “pro vs. anti”. It’s pretty long, and I ended up watching it in chunks over several days, but I think it’s worth watching, especially if you’re sort of partially connected to online fandom, but not enough to be aware of all the lingo.

As I expected, the whole thing was vague and confusing because the people involved in the conflict made it vague and confusing. In theory, the full terms would be “pro-shipping” and “anti-shipping”, but it seems like it’s more about particular kinds of ships that could be considered controversial. But that’s a slippery slope, and apparently the whole conflict mutated into both sides deciding that every hypothetical relationship between fictional characters is either equally valid or equally dangerous.

Long story short, it’s just purity culture, which was what everyone on Tumblr was calling it around 2012. But now, if you’re a sane person who genuinely asks: “Who gives a fuck about Voltron?”, these people will jump your ass and accuse you of being on the side of their enemies. “Children have died over the importance of Lotor/Hagger! Your callous indifference proves that you yourself must have murdered children!”

I think what Sarah Z really hit upon in this video was that media consumption has become so ingrained in our culture that people feel like it has to go hand-in-hand with our morality. That is, it’s not enough for me to watch Star Trek, I have to justify Star Trek as evidence that I’m a good person. Maybe this is where the expression “guilty pleasure” comes from. Conversely, it’s not enough for me to not watch Dr. Who, I have to somehow convince everyone that Dr. Who was invented by the devil.

I’m pretty sure the Reylo ship has a lot to do with this, since it’s kind of understood to be a dark, problematic concept, and fans either embrace its flaws or recoil in horror because of them. Star Wars itself is a dumb story about space wizards, so people try to give the debate more weight by linking it to freedom of self expression and/or enabling real world harm. Suddenly it’s not enough to just think two actors would look cute making out instead of fighting. Now it’s this battlefield for the soul of civilization or something.

I grew up in the 80′s, when “concerned parents” and grifters would accuse the Smurfs and metal bands of promoting satanism and witchcraft. I used to hear stories of teens going out into the woods in the middle of the night to do occult stuff, and all I could ever think about was: “Why would anyone bother wandering out in the woods in the middle of the night?” Which is why “concerned parents” turned their attention to things that were closer to home, like Saturday morning cartoons. It had nothing to do with the content; it was just about finding a safe, accessible target for their hysteria. Some people want to go on a crusade without leaving the house, so they pick a fight with Papa Smurf instead of confronting the real evils in the world. Even as a kid, I knew this was a con, because I’d watched the show for myself and knew it was too saccharine to be threat to anyone.

The pro/anti folks have tried to disguise this with a lot of terminology. I wondered why they seemed to reluctant to use the full terms “pro-shipper” and “anti-shipper”, and it’s probably a couple of things. First, the word “shipper” is basically an admission that this is pointless bullshit that doesn’t matter, and they’d like to avoid that connotation. Second, they seem to have decided that this goes beyond shipping itself, into practically anything else they want it to involve. It’s all part of the con, which is to make you believe that it’s “us vs. them”, and you can be part of “us” by curating specific attitudes about Steven Universe.

Seriously, “about Steven Universe” is such an incredible punchline. You can make anything funnier by adding those three words to the end of a sentence. “Do not interact if you blog about Steven Universe.” “Hey, what’s up, YouTube, this is SSJ3RyokoLover69, and this is going to be kind of a serious video about Steven Universe.” “Mrs. Johnson, the results of your biopsy are in, and I have some bad news about Steven Universe.” It’s a fucking kids show. “Oh no, all the characters look like the characters in all the other kids shows!” Yeah, that’s because it’s a kids show. Marvin looks like Garfield, this isn’t new.

The common denominator here seems to be that both sides try to wrap themselves in the flag of vulnerable groups: impressionable minors, trauma survivors, harassment victims, etc. The “pros” want to protect those people so that they can feel free to explore weird subject matter on their own terms, and the “antis” want to protect the same people from being exposed to weird subject matter that they might not want to see. It’s all about establishing a moral high ground. Back in the day, it was called “sanctimony”.

But people get roped into this, because at their core, people want approval, and this stupid conflict offers them a sense of community. As long as you support the cause, whatever it may be, you’ll have this online friend network that appears to support anything you do. But if you deviate from their norm, you’ll be cast out. Does this sound familiar?

To use a more familiar example, I still sometimes find people clamoring about Gochi vs. Vegebul. I’ve never understood this, because both ships were canon, and I never saw much direct evidence of a war between them, but people would still talk about how crazy the Vegebul shippers were, and how crazy the Gochi shippers were, and it was like some huge thing going on just over the hills. It’s the same idea, since the idea that you could like both or neither never seems to occur to anyone involved. I never gave a shit, because I used to see the same dumb agendas in the Harry Potter fandom.

Okay, so let me take you back. It’s 2005 through 2011, and I’m hateblogging all seven Harry Potter novels, because fuck you, that’s why. The funny thing I encountered was that occasionally fans seemed to want to pretend like my bashing of certain characters was proving them right somehow. They were like “See? He hates Ron Weasley too! That proves that Seamus Finnegan is the coolest guy ever.” The Slytherin stans would do this all the time, because I would constantly take the piss out of the Gryffindor characters for being self-important dopes. I think they just liked hearing it from an outside perspective. But I had to keep reminding them all that I hated all of them. Every character from Harry Potter sucks ass. Voldemort was my favorite, but only because he was the one guy who wanted to kill all of the others. But he sucks too because he failed.

And the shippers were the same way. I’d say something shitty about Ron, because Ron sucks, and some smartass Joss Whedon fan would be like “Yes! Boost the signal! That is why Harry/Hermione is the best ship!” And I’d be like “No, Harry and Hermione suck at least as bad as Ron does. They’re all terrible and I hate them.” I really do think there was some sort of Stockholm Syndrome going on with Harry Potter books, where everyone secretly knows they suck, but the fans sort of latch on to one or two characters and go like “Well, he’s not as shitty as the rest.” Like finding spaghetti in the trash and picking out the meatball with the least amount of lint on it. Then you’d go and start a flamewar with some other starving person over whether your meatball is shittier than theirs. This is what people mean when they say to read another book.

Anyway, the big thing I picked up from Sarah Z’s video is “disinterpretation”, a term coined by MSNBC columnis Zeeshan Aleem. The Twitter thread is worth a read, but the short version is that he once remarked that a Julia Louis-Dreyfus routine wasn’t very good, and someone got mad at him for insinuating that women are incapable of being funny. They just took his dissatisfaction with one performance by one comedian as being a universal condemnation of women comedians in general. And this sort of thing is all over the internet. Everyone sees what they want to see and then they take it as permission to overreact.

I ran into this myself a while back, because someone saw who I interacted with on Twitter and decided that they’re all bad guys and if I have any interaction with them, then that makes me a bad guy too. At the time I tried to play it cool, but the more I think about it, the more it ticks me off. And over the course of that conversation, it was said that I don’t talk about myself much, and that’s kind of funny, because all I ever do on social media is write long-ass blog posts like this one. I don’t expect anyone to memorize them, or even read them all the way through, but when I write all this stuff and someone goes out of their way to say they don’t know anything about me, the message is that they just didn’t pay attention to what I was saying, and they didn’t bother to try.

So I’m a little jaded from that, because I got called out for a bunch of stuff I didn’t even do or say, and apparently that’s just a thing that happens. People will reject you for completely arbitrary reasons, not because of anything you actually said or did, and you’re left thinking you made some terrible mistake. Except, no, I’ve seen it happen to other people, people a lore more conscientious than I am, and if they can’t satisfy the bullshit purity standards, then I never stood a chance. If the game is rigged so I can’t win, then I’m not going to play.

And it’s that same condition that probably draws people into these online holy wars, because if you declare yourself for the pro or anti side, at least then you’ll have a posse backing you up. Only they don’t support you, they support your willingness to support them. Once your commitment to their agenda wavers, even in the slightest, they will turn against you.

Sarah Z suggests that both sides of the war drop the pro and anti terms, since they lost all meaning long ago. But that just invites a new set of useless terms to perpetuate the same cycle. Her more useful advice is for fandom people to broaden their horizons. She got a lot of flak for tweeting “Go outside” once, but the ironic thing is that it’s sound advice. I had lunch with my mom yesterday and it was just nice getting away from things for a while. People need to do that more often, and unfortunately it feels like it’s harder to do than ever before.

But “go outside” isn’t just a literal thing. It can mean going beyond your usual haunts, reading the same books, watching the same shows, rehashing the same conversations. I think the reason this stuff always revolves around “shipping” is because there seems to be this deep-seated compulsion to pair fictional characters off like this, and for a lot of folks it’s the only way they can consume a story, so they do. And they do it lot, and there’s a lot of them, and they do it the same way every time, and lo and behold the same old conflicts start up. So maybe “go outside” should mean “go outside of that cycle once in a while.” Just a thought.

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thatoneidiotdts · 5 years ago

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Father!Thranduil x Male! Reader x Brother! Legolas

Gifs aren’t mine

Also this was supposed to be my first fic almost 2 years ago and for the last two years I’ve been writing it little by little

Warning : Daddy issues, abandonment, abuse, assault, war and MANY other things

Word count : 5.4k (New record!!!!)

Flashback- example

3rd P.O.V.

He was never loved, even in the first few moments in his life , his brother was chosen over him

When his father came from a lost battle , he didn’t felt grief because he lost the battle, he felt grief because he lost his wife, his queen and the love of his life

As he walked into a room with two cribs with his children are still sleeping, the younger twin, Legolas, was a clear replica of his mother, blond hair and smal body while the the older one, (M/n) , was a cut out copy of his father

When Thranduil looked at the younger twin he felt the need to protect him and give him the best childhood he can give to the child as a single father

But when he looked at he older one, he felt nothing but hate and disappointment, the child was a beautiful one yes, but Thranduil couldn’t shake of the feeling that something was wrong about his older child

As the twins grew up one was always left behind, barely anyone cared how he felt, or when he first walked or talked, no one cared when he started to read

As the older child grew he became colder and colder every day , he would talk to his brother occasionally but he liked to keep his focus to his books

There were a few people who he trusted and cared about, and those people were Lord Elrond, Lindir, Legolas and Nirohnil

Legolas would always try to make him go out of his room and sociolize. He would also listen to (M/n) while he talked about the books he read

“(M/n) what are you reading?” Legolas asked as his brother let out a sigh and closed the heavy book, finally finishing it.

“The demise of the headless serpent. You know. The book we have to read so we can finish our Literature studies.”

(M/n) looked at him with an angry face, disappointed that his brother is leaving his education to fool around.

“Oh come ooon brother! Don’t be so grim”

Legolas said as he pulled out some food from his bag and placed it in front of his brother.

“I know you like to skip lunch so I brought you some food, you should eat more if you want to spend the rest of your eternity in a library you know.”

(M/n) looked at the food his brother brought him, there wasn’t much of it but just enough to feed someone.

He smiled and thanked his brother as took the food but not before placing the heavy book on his brothers lap and turning it to page one.

His brother let put a groan as (M/n) chuckled.

When he is spending some days in Rivendell he would write poetry with Lindir. (M/n) and Lindir would always talk about recent things the two found out or gossip about (M/n)’s dad and Lindir's poetry

Lindir has romantic feelings for (M/n), he would do almost anything for him but because of (M/n)’s cold heart he never felt confident enough to confess his feelings for him

“The stars are beautiful tonight aren’t they (M/n)?”

Lindir asked as he turned his head to look at his friend who was sitting next to him, his friend only nodded, his eyes never leaving the stars.

Lindir felt his friend rest his head on his shoulder, he could feel his face warm up as the thought of him and (M/n) spending their every night like this made him feel like he had butterflies in his stomach.

He took in a big breath before speaking.

“(M/n) I have something to tell you, I have been hiding my own feelings from you for a long time now, I wish I could have said this long before but I think now it’s the right time. (M/n) I love y-”

*Snore*

Lindir stiffed up as he looked down at his friend who was sleeping. He took in a deep breath and rested his head on (M/n)’s, maybe they should stay like this for a few more moments before Lindir caries (M/n) back to his room.

Elrond is like a father, or rather a uncle figure to (M/n), they are close as Thranduil would send the child countless times to Rivendell so that he doesn’t have to deal with him

Elrond was walking through Rivendell as one of his guards approached him.

“My Lord, King Thranduil has sent one of the twins here as he wished for him to spend some time with you”

He knew that Thranduil’s words were absolute bullshit, he knew which of the twins he sent and the real reason why. He sighed and told the guard to bring him here.

“I’m here, I’m here!!” The small child said as he left his hiding place beneath some tables. Elrond let out a small laugh as the guard scolded (M/n) for not staying with Nirohnil.

“Hello little sapling, do you know where your guard is?”

He asked the small child as he answered.

“Probably freaking out somewhere because he doesn’t know where I am, I shouldn’t have left.”

Elrond picked up the small child and told him that while it is his fault and that should have been patient it’s alright to explore but not alone since he still is a small child.

After a long day of exploring, reading and learning Elrond tucked (M/n) in but just before he got up he heard a quiet voice ask him a question.

“Uncle El, why is father sending me here so much and why isn't he sending Legolas with me? Why doesn’t he come along? Did he do something wrong?”

Elrond’s heart broke into millions of tiny shards as he didn’t want to answer to any of (M/n)’s question because he knew if he did it would break the little elfling's heart.

“I don’t know little sapling, but I do know that you should go to sleep now”

He said as he kissed (M/n)’ forehead and wished him goodnight, but just before he closed the door he heard the small child speak again.

“You are the best uncle El”

Elrond smiled and left (M/n) to his dreamfull sleep, hoping that maybe one day Thranduil will realize his mistake.

Nirohnil is (M/n)’s personal guard, both of the twins had their personal guard selected by the queen herself, Nirohnil would often train and teach the prince various combat techniques.

Nirohnil truly didn’t know how to comfort the crying prince, his father has forgotten about him completely …. again.

He truly felt disgusted at his own king for not loving his son the way he deserves it.

“The se-second I e-enter the room he leaves!! I’ve t-tried to make him happy proud, I’ve studied, trained, read, learned my whole life and yet he barely said a word to me!!! Am I not good enough for him?!?! What does he see in Legolas that he doesn’t see in me?!!”

The prince yelled until his throat was sore and raspy and until his head hurt from so much crying and Nirohnil listened to him, held him close and tried to make (M/n) feel better about himself.

The guard could barley hold the rage inside of him. He wanted to make sure Thranduil knows exactly how does (M/n) feel when he breaks the princes’ fragile heart into million pieces over and over again.

One normal day (M/n) decided to venture into the forest completely alone, in a book about botany he read of a plant that makes anyone who eats it have powerful hallucinations of various colors and patterns, the book said that the colors of the flower are as colorful as the flower itself

Before the prince could process the situation he could feel sharp claws dig in oh back and pulling him off his horse. He felt a hand grab on his hair and scrape his scalp. He looked up to see a few faces of terrible looking orcs.

They started to talk in their language, (M/n) couldn't understand them but he did understand a few words " ......Kill! ..... No..... Trade...... Gold!!!"

The prince kicked and screamed but to no avail, he was almost free but the orc grabbed him by the neck and squeezed it hard, after more kicking (M/n) felt the life drain out of him as he didn't have the power to fight anymore

The orc let go of him and threw him on the floor, the prince started to cough as he could finally breath, the orc started to speak again but (M/n) could only understand one word "... Punishment!!!...."

Nirohnil could feel his stomach turn in worry, he couldn't find the prince anywhere, and he already checked on the places (M/n) would always be, his mother's grave, around the training ground, with Legolas, he checked everywhere

The guard stopped in his tracks as the realization hit him. He didn't check the library! He ran down the hallways to the Royal library, unlucky for him the prince wasn't there. But he did notice a book open on the table, when he read the page that was open he got instantly worried, that part of the forest was full of lurking orcs!!!

He quickly went to his stable, grabbed his horse and rode into the dark forest, the longer he was riding the more worried he become, he was surprised by a pack of orcs which he killed easily but when he found the prince in their camp he could feel his stomach turn.

The prince was knocked out, his body was full of cuts and bruises but the most horrible part was his now very short hair, almost nothing of it left, there were multiple cuts on his scalp from the daggers orcs had, Nirohnil quickly pulled the prince on his horse and rode back to the halls of the Elven king

As he got closer to the gates he screamed for the guards to open the gate and get the healers as quickly as possible, the prince's guard calmed down a bit when the healers took (M/n) to their quarters

A few hours have passed by now, Nirohnil paced back and forth in front of the door while Legolas was standing there still in complete shock, he should have gone with his brother, he should have been there to protect him from the orcs but he wasn't, instead he was fooling around with his friends.

One of the healers exited the room and was instantly attacked by Nirohnil's questions "Is he alright?! Alive?! Awake?!" The healer was quite surprised but he tried to answer his questions as best he can possibly can, while the prince was stable he wouldn't wake up for another day or two, he is on heavy medicine so his body can properly heal, the only long term effect was that his hair will never grow back because when the elven hair is cut it stays that way forever

Over the course of the next day other elves could see how both Nirohnil and Legolas were more depressed than ever, Legolas wouldn't want to hang out anymore and Nirohnil had no more energy to train or do anything, the prince's guard blames himself for the most part, if he realized where the prince was maybe he wouldn't get that hurt

Thranduil got worried when he saw Legolas in the library, there was no way he would spend his time there willingly, when Thranduil found out what happened to his second son he felt a small smidge of sadness in him, he shouldn't feel this for someone he hated for their whole life

When (M/n) finally woke up both his brother and his guard rushed to his side so they can comfort the prince, they both felt responsible for the state he was in, Legolas started to cry, (M/n) hugged his brother and let him cry in his shoulder.

(M/n) needed months to heal completely, he knew that his hair will never grow back but at least he was alive, over this course of time Lindir and Elrond would frequently visit him and read him stories or poetry

Years have passed since the attack, his hair truly didn't grow back but be wore a hood over his head most of the time so it was fine, he started to feel disconnect from his friends and family, Legolas became one of the guards, Nirohnil didn't need to be with the prince all the time now and he hasn't travelled to Rivendell since Lindir birthday

A few years back the dragon from the north made the dwarfs flee from their home and far away from him, he has heard of the terrible thing his father did and he wished to make it right but he knew he couldn't, (M/n) seriously debated with himself if he should go there, he wasn't interested in gold but rather the rich library the dwarfs possessed, after a long talk with himself he decided to go

After packing his stuff and weapons he wrote a letter to Legolas, Nirohnil, Lindir and Elrond, he left each of them something of value to remember him by if he never comes back to Legolas he left the books he himself wrote, to his guard he left his necklace, to Lindir he left his favourite writing pen and to Elrond he left his childhood toy, a beautiful horse carved out of the darkest wood

He planned his escape perfectly, he knew exactly which guards would sleep on their duty and learned their schedule, it was a perfect night to escape, Legolas and Nirohnil were on a trip to Rivendell and he couldn't see his father for the whole day, but he was soon stopped in his tracks

"Where are you going?" The prince turned around to see none other than his father, King Thranduil "I'm..um.. leaving.. I know that if Legolas was here he would stop me but I just can't be here anymore, I want so see the places I've read about, I want to see the world with my own eyes" He said in a quiet tone

Thranduil's gaze only got colder as he spoke "You should leave, you are useless anyway, if you wish to leave that's on you, just know that you will never be welcome here again" He said as he turned away but that didn't stop (M/n), he climbed on his horse and rode into the night

When (M/n) left Thranduil felt a pain in his heart, he didn't understand why but he felt like he should have stopped his son and tell him to carefully think this through, like should have at least say good bye

"What do you mean you let him go?!?!" Nirohnil screamed in pure anger with nothing to hold him back. He was done with Thranduil's shit, he was going to make him realize what he has done to the prince.

"You dare to yell at me in my own kingdom?! Do not forget that I'm the king here Nirohnil" Thranduil said back as Nirohnil growled out of anger and annoyance.

"You ignorant fool!! Do you realize what have you done?! You've been ignoring him for the most of his life, he just wanted to make you be proud!! He would go far and beyond just for you to see him!! Do you understand how many nights did he cry himself to sleep?!?! How many days he spend in the library or on the training grounds!?!?!"

Thranduil's eyes widen at the words of his guard, knowing that Nirohnil was speaking nothing but the painful truth, he looked to the ground in shame, letting the guard speak his mind and soul.

"But you don't care do you? You are just happy that he left aren't you? You will never understand how he felt because of you! And the worst thing is that you probably know all of this, you know how far he has come just to make you proud but you still didn't give a single though about him did you?!"

Thranduil finally realized what he has done and he knows it will hunt him for an eternity and after, he felt sick to his stomach, how could he just forget about one child and love the other ?!

"You disgust me.. You are nothing but hollow husk of a person you once were, it's a shame that you did the same thing to (M/n), you made him nothing but a hollow shell of the person he once was"

Nirohnil said in anger and left the throne room, leaving Thranduil to drown in regret.

The journey to the mountain was tough and merciless, most of the it was raining but that didn't stop (M/n) from his goal, he learned that there is an open entrance through the mountain that only lead to the main hall and lucky the library wasn't far from there, the entrance was extremely narrow but that didn't stop him, when he entered he was surprised with giant empty halls of the mountain king

The elf pulled out a map of the kingdom and followed the path he should, the only problem was that before he can get to the library me needs to pass through the sea of coins and that would surly wake up the sleeping dragon, he walked through the coins as silently as he possibly could, just before the entrance that lead to the library he slipped and feel from the small mountain of gold to the cold, hard ground.

As he got up he could hear the coins falling from a body of a rising from the sea of gold, the dragon wasn't amused "What brings you here thief? Why shouldn't I burn you until there is no flesh left on you bones?" Thank dragon threatened the elf as he tried his best to answer "I'm not here for your gold and if I was I wouldn't walk over it to get to here, I would have grabbed the first thing that I found and ran, I'm here for the library and the many books the dwarfs own" The elf explained and luckily the dragon believed him.

"I will let you take the library but if I find a single coin missing I will burn you until your bones turn to charcoal" The dragon said and buried his body in the mountains of gold again, (M/n) felt at ease knowing that he can explore the library safely, as he entered the library he was surprised to see the amount of books the dwarfs had, the library of the mountain king was like a golden gem competed to the library (M/n) had back at home

Days have passed since the elf entered the library but there was no sign of him coming out, the dragon noticed this, he didn't know why that concerned him but it just did, what if the elf died in the from the lack of food or water, finally the elf emerged from the library, thirsty, hungry and exhausted from reading day and night

The dragon, wanting to know as much as the elf himself did, made a deal with the elf, if he told him of everything he has ever read about the dragon will give him enough gold so he can buy himself food in the city on the lake not far from the mountain, the elf accepted the deal and for the next one hundred and twenty years the elf shared his stories and wisdom for the dragons gold, they became close to each other over the span of years

When the dwarfs entered the mountain when (M/n) was never a fan of humans but that didn't stop him from helping around Lake town, he usually gave gold to the poor families that lived there, he couldn't bear to see people in this kind of a situation, most of the people never saw an elf and were sceptical of one helping them, when (M/n) heard the screams of people he didn't know what was going on until he could see a raging fire and a angry dragon in the sky, burning everything in his sight

As the dragon burned the town, the bowman tried to get his attention by firing arrows at the giant dragon from the bell tower, at last the dragon turned his attention to him. Smaug lands on the houses below him crushing them in the process "Now that is a pity. What will you do now, bowman? You are forsaken. No help will come."

(M/n) looked on in horror as he noticed the black arrow on the hands of the bowman knowing that if he didn't do something he might loose his dear friend, there were not many things that could help him around a burning village, as soon as he saw a clear path that he can climb he did knowing that the buildings might fall beneath his feet and pull him with them, he didn't care, he had a plan that might save hi friend and he will try his hardest no matter what.

The dragon said in a teasing tone, eyeing the bowman and his child "Hmm. Is that your child? You cannot save him from the fire. He will burn!" The dragon said as the bowman pulled the arrow back and balanced it in his son's shoulder "Tell me, wretch, how now shall you challenge me?" The bowman smiled to himself as he noticed the dragon's missing scale

The elf knew he didn't have much time left, he drew out his bow and aimed at the arrow, while he did want to save himself he couldn't bring himself to kill the bowman or his child, he hoped for his plan to work.

"You have nothing left but your death!!!" Smaug roared as he launched himself towards them making the bowman look on in fear but keeping still to launch the arrow correctly, and so he launched the arrow.

The arrow was fast and swift while making its way to the dragon's heart, the elf launched his arrow which wasn't as fast or as fierce as the black arrow but it was small enough to fit trough the tip of the black arrow, pulling it of its course and hitting the edge of the dragon's scale instead

The bowman face was painted in horror as Smaug crashed into the bell tower, the dragon roared as he landed onto the ground making it appear as if he was dead, a small hobbit watched on from the mountain smiling as he thought the dragon was gone for good with the elf, but the dragon soon rose from the ashes of Lake Town, roaring in victory as he continued to burn the town to the ground

(M/n) smiled to himself, he knew that he probably shouldn't, many have died or lost their homes to his friend's fire, he was happy that his friend was alive, his smile faded as he he heard cracking beneath his feet, as he looked down he almost fell into the pit of fire beneath him, he was barely holding onto the leftovers of the roof as he looked for somewhere to go

"SMAUG!!!" he screamed as soon as the dragon got closer hoping that the dragon heard his calls for help,the dragoon soon landed near the roof the elf was holding onto, the dragon let the elf climb onto his back, the dragon soon flew away from the town with the elf on his back, the dragon knew the mountain, while now fully his, wasn't safe for the elf anymore, especially with those stupid dwarfs

While Smaug and (M/n) locked themselves in the mountain by blocking the main entrance with heavy rocks, the king of the elves came to collect the gems of Lasgalen, the ones who belonged to his late wife, the dwarven prince argued back, saying that the king refused to give them their rightful pay, they both declared war on each other, and so the dwarfs called for their brotheren from the iron hills for help, in the meantime the hobbit gave king Thranduil the heart of the mountain, the battle was settled to be on the dawn of the next day, the same day the orcs decided to attack the mountain kingdom

On the dawn of the next day the elven army was already in the position while the dwarfs didn't even arrive, Smaug and (M/n) looked on from the top of the entrance as the both armies were getting ready "Who do you think will win?" Smaug asked his companion, the elf though for a second "I don't know, it doesn't matter because we could just burn the rest when they are done"

Both soon noticed a wizard approaching them "(M/n) of the Woodland realm and Smaug the Terrible I beg for your help" He said after he got of his horse, before the dragon could say anything the elf spoke "How can we help?" The wizard smiled at the elf, he was still the same helpful elfling he met long time ago.

"The forces of Azog will soon arrive from the west to take the mountain for himself, we will need you and your companion on the battlefield so the tides of war may turn in our favor, in return you both shall be given a new title and praise of many" The gray wizard said as the elf looked at the dragon, the dragon though about the offer, while he hated did hate the elves and the dwarfs he did want to be written in the history as the one who took down a whole army of orcs

Both accepted the deal, after the wizard left the dragon turned to the elf "Are you sure this was a good idea?" "We will see for ourselves" (M/n) answered as he got onto the dragons back signaling him to fly, both elves and dwarfs looked in shock as the massive dragon landed between them

"Elves of the Woodland realm an the Dwarfs of the Iron Hills hear me now for I shall speak only once, the orcs and goblins are marching towards Erebor, if you seek victory then fight side by side and if you don't may the orcs end you quickly" The elf said just as the were-worms dug through the hills, making a passage for the forces of Azog

As soon as the both armies saw the many orcs and goblins they quickly rearranged themselves to prepare for the oncoming attack, the dragon son flew into the air again with the elf still on his back, Smaug unleashed his flames on orcs who burned in the matter of seconds, it was unfortunate that the dragon's fire wasn't enough to stop the whole army but it was enough to help the dwarfs and the elves

The battle was fierce, blood, bodies and fire covered the ground as the ash covered the sky, soon (M/n) found himself saving his brother from a falling bridge "I missed you" He said while holding back tears, (M/n) felt at ease knowing that his brother is safe

After the battle was over the two brothers watched the dwarfs and elves cheer in victory "So we'll be going back home now?" (M/N) asked "It's up to you to decide if you want to go back, i wish to travel as you did" (M/n) smiled at his brother "You should probably go visit Nirohnil, when he found out that ada just let you leave he said that he 'was at a loss for words' but then he proceeded to yell at ada for 2 hours straight" both of them let out a small laugh before Legolas continued "You should also visit Lindir and Elrond but after you speak with ada, he wants to have a talk with you"

(M/n) felt his body tense up after his brother said that, he was running after his father for his whole life and now that his father finally stopped waited for him it felt weird, he never expected for his father to love him no matter how hard he tried to get his attention "Are you sure you are just gonna go without even saying goodbye or attending the victory celebration?" (M/n) asked his brother "Yeah, I know ada will make me say so i will be leaving soon, you should leave now ada is waiting" he said before leaving

The elf honestly didn't know what to do, he hoped that he could just fly off to Rivendell and spend the rest of his eternity there without having to face his father ever again, in the distance he saw Smaug burn what was left of orcs, he groaned, knowing that he will need to make his own way down since there was no way Smaug could see him

After what felt like an eternity, the elf finally made his way to the elven camp, to be more specific, he was standing a few feet away from the kings main tent, he didn't know what to do or what to say, what he didn't know is that his father is in the same state "What do I even say to him?" Thranduil quietly whispered to himself as one of his guards alerted him of the suspicious elf outside, the elven king just said to call him in

The moment (M/n) stepped in Thranduil's eyes widen, he changed so much, he was no longer the elf he once resented "So.. what do you need me for?" the younger elf was the first one to speak "I just wanted to see you before you leave again" after a long uncomfortable silence they started a small talk but after some time the anxiety left them and they started to talk normally

"What do you plan to do after this?" his father asked him "Visit Nirohnil and then go to stay in Rivendell for a few months before traveling with Smaug, there is still a whole world out there that i want to explore" the king could hear the sadness in his son's voice "Did you consider staying in Mirkwood?" his father asked him "Do you want me to? i mean you are the one who banished me after all" Thranduil put a hand on (M/n)'s shoulder "You and your companion will be always welcome in my kingdom son" the elf smiled at his father's words

When the elf finally returned to his home he was pulled into a tight hug by none other than his guard, hugs weren't a usual thing in the elven culture "You absolute fool! What were you thinking!?" after spending a few months at home (M/n) left for Rivendell knowing that Elrond will also yell at him for not visiting them for such a long time

Both Lindir and Elrond were happy to see (M/n) after such a long time, (M/n) told them about the thins he read in the dwarven library, the war, the reunion with his father and about his new companion dragon

When the night came, Lindir invited the elf to watch the stars with him like they did when they were young, they were sitting my each other as their gaze was focused on the stars, soon Lindir took his hand into his making (M/n)'s gaze shift to Lindir who took in a deep breath and begean to speak "(M/n) I have something to tell you, I have been hiding my own feelings from you for a long time now, I wish I could have said this long before but I think now it’s the right time. (M/n) I love you, i always have" (M/n) smiled before answering "Remember when you tried to confess for the first time? I didn't know how to respond because i love you too, so i just pretended to fall asleep" Lindir didn't know how to respond, he didn't know how he could fall in love with such an idiot

For next 60 years both lived in peace, they got married, (M/n) and his father reconnected, the woods of Mirkwood started to heal and they adopted 2 children, Mirion and Helleron, Mirion became a traveler like his father, he promised to travel all of Middle earth with Smaug while Helleron became a great archer like her uncle, soon (M/n) noticed dark clouds from the mountain on the south, mount doom. What was the expression again?

Ah yes, the calm before the storm

724 notes · View notes

kyber-crystal · 5 years ago

Text

Set Up

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~3.3k

Summary: In which the Avengers are relentless in their attempts to get you and Steve together. If this means going great lengths such as sending you off on a mission-disguised romantic getaway to make you realize your feelings for one another, they’ll seize the chance at the very moment it’s presented to them.

Warnings: None. Just tooth-rotting fluff bc I’ve really been needing it ahaha

A/N: Set in an AU 2017 timeline in which they reunite a year after the whole Accords situation so that everyone’s happy :)

"Rogers. Parasite. Stop watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and get up, you need to get to the meeting room ASAP," Tony stated.

"Says the one who leeches off my granola bar supply," you grumbled as you shot him a death glare. "You've been doing this to me since I was a toddler. A helpless, two-year old against a 16 year-old demon always hungry for everyone's food but his own."

"Still holding the Full House cereal incident against me? Geez, woman, do you ever release your grudges against anyone," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Now come on, let's go."

Exchanging a confused look with Steve, you stood up and followed Tony down the hallway to the meeting room, where Fury was with the rest of the team, waiting.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Y/N," Fury nodded curtly. "I presume you know what's going on?"

"No, sir."

"I need you two to track down a group of mercenaries in downtown Tokyo. You'll be flown out commercially so you can maintain a low profile. The whole process should take no longer than ten days," he explained as Natasha handed him the printed out flight details. "Further information will be given to you upon arrival."

"If it's just the two of us, then why is everyone here?" you pointed out.

"Barton and Maximoff will be checking in with you regularly; and if backup is necessary, I will fly one of them out to meet you. If you don't have any more questions, this meeting is now dismissed. You'll be departing late tonight so if I were you, I'd get to packing right about now."

...

Soon enough you were all packed and ready to go. Because you were too lazy to reach back into your suitcase and grab a sweatshirt, you took Steve's Dodgers hoodie and slipped it on, along with a pair of your favorite sweatpants.

"See you in ten days, okay?" Natasha pulled you in for a tight hug. "Make sure to keep Rogers company, it's a long flight. This is also the perfect opportunity to grow closer...literally."

"Oh shut up, Nat," you scoffed. "We're not...you know."

"Sure you aren't."

"Tony, why don't you get some good rest for once," you turned to your brother, "alright?"

"As long as you admit you're in love with Capsicle," he whispered into your ear.

"I can't admit what's not true."

"Yeah yeah, I can't understand bullshit."

"Tony."

"Y/N," he mocked. "Anyway. Have a safe trip, don't die, yada yada yada."

"Yeah yeah, got it."

A few more rounds of goodbyes later, you and Steve were in the elevator with your luggage, heading down to where Phil was waiting to drive you to the airport.

Your flight was scheduled to take off at 1:45 in the morning, and it was close to 11 p.m when you arrived.

"Your tickets, please," the lady asked as you were about to board the plane. You took them out from your purse and handed them over to her. "Thank you."

"How long's the flight again?"

"Uh...about 14 hours. Pretty long," you replied, as you walked down the aisles, looking at the overhead letters for your seat. "24A, 24B...there we go. Wait, have you been to Japan before?"

"No, I haven't."

"You're gonna love it. They have the best, I tell you, best ramen, and curry, hands down. When Nat, Wanda, and I went on our girls' vacation last spring we wouldn't stop eating for two days straight. I know we're tracking down cold-blooded killers and all, but, it won't hurt to let loose a little, you know?"

"Yeah, definitely," Steve couldn't help but smile at how happy you looked while speaking. "You gotta be our tour guide. I'm trusting you'll lead us to the best ramen hotspots?"

"Oh yeah, I will."

After putting your things into the overhead bins, you settled into your seats. The armrest between you could be lifted convert the seats into a double bed, you quickly found out.

Shortly after taking off you felt yourself grow rather tired. Noticing your sleepiness, Steve raised the armrest and pressed the button to make the seats recline backwards, your head immediately falling against his broad chest. He smiled again, brushing stray hairs away from your forehead before pulling the blanket over your bodies and falling asleep as well.

Little did either one of you know, you were being sent off to Japan for a completely different reason that had absolutely nothing to deal with tracking down mercenaries.

...

The smell of food wakes you up several hours later. You stretched your arms up and ran a hand through your hair as you sat up, adjusting your neck pillow.

"Hey uh, how long were we out for?" you asked, voice still thick with sleep. Steve was already awake, in the middle of watching a movie on his TV.

"4 hours. You knocked out for 5. It's time for lunch...or dinner?"

You tapped your screen a few times to pull up the map of your flight's route. "Right now it's 7:30 p.m. in Tokyo. We're arriving at 4:45 in the morning, so I'd say dinner."

"You sleep okay?"

"Hm? Yeah," you yawned, rubbing your eyes and adjusting the sleeves of Steve's hoodie. "You make a good pillow."

"No problem," he chuckled. You then turned to the flight attendant, who handed you your meals.

"Fancy," you nodded in approval as you passed Steve's tray over to him. "First class sure has its perks...oh yes, miso soup."

You binged your way through several episodes of Pretty Little Liars, I Love Lucy, and Star Wars: A New Hope together. Afterwards, you purchased Wi-Fi so you could update the team on your status.

CHATROOM - AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

Natasha: Morning, lovebirds. You guys in the air already?

You: Yeah, we're eating dinner right now. What time is it back home?

Tony: 6:45 a.m. Pulled an all-nighter binge-watching The Office.

Bucky: Totally worth losing an entire night's worth of good sleep.

Y/N: But I still don't get why we couldn't take the Quinjet?

Steve: ^

Rhodey: Do we tell them now, or wait until they land in Haneda?

Wanda: I'd say now.

Pietro: NO NO NO MAKE IT A SURPRISE

Steve: ...What's going on?

Tony: There's no mission.

Y/N: Wait, what? Then what are we going to Tokyo for?

Tony: I purchased a romantic ten-day vacation package so that you two will hopefully realize your feelings for each other along the way. Thank me later.

Y/N: SCREW YOU

Tony: Enjoy eating all the ramen you want!

Natasha: We're so good at matchmaking.

Thor: May I suggest a virtual high-five?

Peter: VIRTUAL HIGH-FIVE :))

Thor: :))

Y/N has left the chat.

Steve has left the chat.

Tony: They're gonna thank me when they see the penthouse I bought.

Tony has left the chat.

"Well, guess we're going on vacation. At least there's more opportunities to eating good food," Steve shrugged.

"Yup." You felt your heartbeat pick up speed at the thought of being alone with him, for ten days, in a country that was considered both futuristic and romantic at the same time. "Plenty of time to eat ramen and sushi."

Deep down, he was glad that there wasn't any mission. And so were you.

You took an hour-long catnap before waking up again and playing a few rounds of Uno with him, then stayed up for the rest of the flight. You both knew you'd regret doing so because of the 13-hour time difference between NYC and Tokyo, but you were too excited to care at that moment.

You were dazed and still slightly tired when you disembarked the aircraft, so you didn't have any energy to question how you and Steve ended up with your fingers intertwined. Besides, you liked the way it felt.

At close to 5 in the morning, Haneda International was relatively quiet and not too busy, so immigration didn't take long. You didn't have to worry about being bombarded by fans, aside from the occasional foreign fan recognizing you two and asking for a quick autograph or picture.

Since you wanted to explore the airport a bit before taking the train downtown, you looked around at the various shops.

Being a former spy alongside Natasha before joining the Avengers, you were fluent in multiple languages, including Japanese, Russian, French, Spanish, and German. And despite having developed the habit of always preparing for what was to come, you were completely shocked hearing a perfect Japanese sentence roll out of Steve's mouth as he spoke to the cashier.

You practically swooned at how smooth his voice sounded.

"Kore wa ikuradesu ka?" He gestured to one of the kokeshi dolls on display dressed in a sapphire colored kimono with cherry blossom embroidery. (How much is this?)

"3500 yen," the lady replied, "Hatsubai-chū, 3000. Kōnyū shimasu ka?" (On sale, 3000. Would you like to buy it?)

"Hai, kōnyū shimasu." (Yes, I'd like to buy it.)

"Kanojo no tame ni?" (For her?)

"Hai." (Yes.)

She nodded, and Steve handed over several folded bills from his wallet after she finished bagging the item.

"Arigato, gokigen'yō," he thanked her. (Thank you, have a nice day)

"Anata modesu," she smiled warmly. (You too)

"Holy crap, you didn't tell me you were fluent in Japanese, Rogers," you gaped as you walked out of the store together. "When did you have the time to learn it?"

"Back during the Pearl Harbor bombing, Buck and I were sent off with the 107th to Hawaii. Figured it'd be useful if we learned a few phrases."

"Few?" you raised an eyebrow at him. "What you just did back there, that was not just a few phrases! That was fluency!"

"What can I say, I pick up on language quickly," he grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. He then handed you the bag with the doll inside. "Here, for you."

"You didn't have to—"

"Consider it my thank-you in advance for taking me to a good eatery," Steve explained.

After grabbing a quick breakfast of coffee and pastries, you took the elevator down to the train station.

You let out a sigh as you sat down, the cool air inside the train loosening the tension in your shoulders a bit. A short fifteen minutes later and you were back in one of your favorite cities in the world.

Steve took a picture of you as you were distracted from looking all around at the skyscrapers and people milling around, face lit up by all the bright and colorful signs, sending it to the chat.

Steve: Just arrived downtown. Got out of the airport half an hour ago.

Tony: Honeymooning Avengers, how cute

Sam: That's hot.

Steve: What time is it over there?

Wanda: We just finished eating lunch. You?

Steve: 7. Going to check into the penthouse. Talk to you guys later.

Wanda: Alright.

Sam: Have fun, lovebirdssssss

Steve has left the chat.

"So," he breathed out as he slipped his hand back into yours and you exited the station, "you ready to go check out where we're staying?"

"Yeah, definitely. You wanna take the subway again, or a taxi?"

"Subway. Actually..taxi. You sound nice when you speak in a foreign language."

"That's the only reason why you want to take a taxi?"

"Yeah, obviously," you scoffed. "I mean, why else?"

"Alright, if you insist," the super-soldier laughed.

A few minutes later, you'd called a taxi over and climbed into the backseat, strapping your seatbelts on.

"Ohayögozaimasu," (Good morning) the man greeted. "Ogenkidesuka?" (How are you) "Īdesu, anata wa?" Steve replied. (Good, and you?)

"Watashi mo jōzudesu. Doko ni ikitai?" (I am good, too. Where would you like to go?)

You looked at your phone, reading out the address of Tony's penthouse to the driver.

A few minutes passed in silence before he spoke up again. "Watashia wa anata-tachi o shitte imasu. Anata wa abenjãzudesu," the driver smiled, glancing at you two from the rearview mirror. (I know you two. You're the Avengers)

"Watashitachidesu," he returned his friendly grin. (We are!)

"Tōkyō ni kuru kikkake wa nanidesu ka?" (What made you come to Tokyo?)

"Chōdo kyūka no tame." (Just for vacation.)

"Nokori no taizai o o tanoshimi kudasai," he said as you were getting out of the car after paying. "Sayonara."

"Sayonara," you and Steve responded before closing the car door behind you.

"Wow," your jaw dropped as you took the elevator up, arriving at the top floor. "Tony actually bought...this...place?"

"Apparently," Steve shrugged, "we could come back and forth between here and the compound as often as we wanted."

The penthouse had a nice, dark aesthetic feel to it, with giant panoramic views of the entirety of Tokyo and modern furniture and spots of dimmed white lights in the ceiling to give off a relaxed vibe.

After unloading your things, you sat down at the giant couch together and decided to plan out the rest of your day.

"When CoCo Curry opens at 11, we can go eat there," you explained as you typed up the plan in a new note. "Tony also snagged us tickets to Tokyo Tower at 3 p.m, so we have a few hours to spare after lunch."

"We can explore the gardens," he suggested. "I know you love doing that. There's a botanical garden in Shinjuku we can go to."

"Oh, that one! I didn't have the chance to go last time, so that's perfect," you added 'Shinjuku Gardens' to your list.

Soon enough you had your entire day planned out, and were ready to head out once again.

CoCo Curry was a quaint, little restaurant that hit you with a wave of tantalizing scents as soon as you walked through the doors and sat down at the bar-style seating area where you could watch the chefs cook your food.

"Gonichiwa," you greeted the chef standing behind the counter.

"Gonichiwa," he smiled back. He asked for your orders, and since Steve wasn't sure what to get you had two orders of your favorite dish.

Besides another couple sitting a few seats away, the restaurant was empty so you got your food in under ten minutes. The steaming hot plates of curry rice were set in front of you, and you felt your mouth water as you inhaled the rich aroma.

"This is so good," Steve spoke in between bites. "I'm literally in love."

"Told you I knew my stuff."

You eventually finished eating, and after getting into a small argument with Steve over who would pay (He ended up winning). "It's payback for ordering me good eats," he explained.

"You said that when you bought me the kokeshi doll," you pointed out.

"Still."

This time you decided to go by foot instead of taking the taxi, as the gardens were only a half-hour or so walk from where you were.

"Right in the middle of cherry blossom season," you sighed as the sweet smell of cherries drifted through the air. "Perfect timing."

You walked around the entire place, stopping every so often to admire the various colorful plants or look up at the pastel pink cherry blossom trees, gravel crunching underfoot with each step you took.

The mid-April breeze lightly fanned your hair around your shoulders. Birds chirped out a delightful melody, flying around the cornflower-blue sky. It wasn't too hot or too cold, and that was one of the many things you loved about visiting Asia during the springtime; the weather was bearable, compared to New York City's below-freezing temperatures in winter. You vividly remembered visiting the botanical gardens in upstate New York on a school trip once, and from then on you'd grown attached.

In the centre of the garden was a large lake with flowering lily pads and on the other side of the bank stood a quaint little temple, with a wooden bridge across the middle so visitors could cross over and look at the koi below.

"It's beautiful here," Steve commented as you made your way down the sidewalk, "I wish they had places like this back home."

"Yeah it is, isn't it," you breathed out, unable to tear your eyes away from the lovely sights. "I could do this all day."

"Hey, that's my line," he joked. You chuckled quietly, slipping your hand into his. He laced your fingers together in response, and you felt the butterflies flutter around in your stomach again the longer he held on, and those butterflies turned into hummingbirds as you looked up to meet his piercing gaze.

You're not sure how long you stay like that, gazing into each others' eyes, but it's only when a little girl stops and asks to take a picture that you pull away.

"Captain America and Agent Y/N!" Judging by her looks, she seemed like she came from the US as well. "Can I get a picture with you guys?"

"Of course, sweetie," you smiled. You brushed off the weird feeling you got when your skin made contact with Steve's, and gestured for her to come closer.

Steve scooped the girl up into his arms as she held your hand, and the mother snapped a few quick pictures before he let her back down.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed before skipping away.

At 2:20 you decided to leave and head out to the Tokyo Tower early so you would be avoiding any possible long lines. You were up at the observation deck within twenty minutes.

"This is just....wow," you breathed out, in awe of the breathtaking view you got as you stared out the panoramic windows, the reflective walls casting thin rays of light onto your faces.

If you thought the view from your penthouse was nice, this was a hundred times better. You had almost nothing preventing you from being able to see the entire city in all directions. The sun was hanging high in the sky, the skyscrapers piercing the horizon like pins and needles.

Steve couldn't help but let his gaze linger on you, the way your face brightened up at the sight of Tokyo's stunning view, the way you laughed and smiled more than you ever did back home. It was a rare sight, and he wished he could see you in this state more often. Oh, the things he'd do to keep hearing your musical laugh and million-dollar smile.

...

The next day was jam-packed with activities. You took a two hour train ride down south to Osaka, exploring the cup noodles museum, shopping downtown in Dotonbori, and stuffing yourself with delicious pastries along the way. Before you headed back, you decided to stock up on groceries at the local market.

You fell asleep almost as soon as your head hit the pillow that night, waking up to somehow finding yourself in Steve’s arms. You both woke up at the same time, confused as to how you had gotten yourselves into this position, but were too embarrassed and tired to ask.

This time, you decided to stay within Tokyo, immersing yourselves in going to as many districts as you could and doing as much as possible.

After a long day exploring the city, you were rather exhausted. With a cup of freshly brewed matcha in hand, you stayed quiet for a while as you soaked in the scenery, watching the city come alive late at night.

When Steve woke up from his nap a few hours later, he found you standing by the window. Smiling to himself, he got up, approaching you and wrapping his arms around your waist from behind, resting his chin atop your head.

"Hi," you greeted, setting your mug down on the coffee table besides you.

"Hey," he murmured into your ear. You closed your eyes and hummed quietly in response, letting your bodies rock back and forth to the rhythm of your steady heartbeats together.

"Watashi wa, anata o aishiteimasu," (I love you.)

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "Watashi mo anata o aishitemasu, Cap." (I love you too, Cap.)

You stepped away so you could turn around to face him, and he pulled you back towards him and pressed his lips to yours.

He couldn't help but smile into the kiss, pulling you closer against him.

#avengers imagines #steve rogers x reader #avengers x reader #captain america imagine #captain america x reader #avengers fanfiction #steve rogers one shot #captain america one shot #captain america fanfiction #steve rogers fanfiction

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troop-scoop · 4 years ago

Text

Birthdays || Steve. H

Request: Steve taking care of reader on her birthday cause she’s having her period on the same day. she’s having terrible cramps so Steve and the kids need to cancel their plans for the party, but they’re worried about the reader too. timeline can be after s3 or in between s2 and s3, you decide hehe. love ya! -✨

(sparkle anon, I literally love you sm <3 and HAPPY VERY LATE BIRTHDAY!!!!)

Warnings: period cramps.

Word Count: 1061

A/N: the last request I wrote was for a friend, and it was also about cramps and stuffs, and at the time, I hadn’t ever had cramps before. And since then, I have. and um. . . ow.

• • •

Everything wasn’t going to plan, on either of your ends.

Steve wanted to throw you a birthday party, and the moment he came back to your shared home with the cake he’d bought from the only bakery in Hawkins that was mediocre, you were on the kitchen floor, in an odd position.

Your leg was hooked over an open cabinet, the other on reaching the counter. It was a hard position to describe, but you looked like a broken child’s toy.

“Babe?” Steve questioned, putting the white box on the counter, away from your barefoot that was lazily thrown onto the cheap white material that was always stained.

“Hm?” You responded, dramatically turning your head to look at him, hair being tossed in front of your face.

“Why are you on the floor? I thought you were gonna go pick out movies? Keith said he’d give you a discount.”

When Steve and Robin had talked about your birthday coming up, and how the two of you just bought the VCR for the TV, and wanted to start collecting VHS tapes, Keith offered to give you a discount on the movies to buy or rent.

You made some sort of grunt, or maybe it was a gurgle or mumble.

“What?” He asked, kneeling down next to you grabbing onto the open cabinet for balance as you stared at each other.

“Who decided that I should be punished for not conceiving a baby? This is bullshit and I hate it.” You grumbled, once again dramatically turning away. “Baby’s are evil anyway.”

“Oh, yeah don’t say that in front of my mom.” But he understood the sentiment you had.

You only grumbled in response, but while it did take him a second, he soon realized why you were grumbling. Because it wasn’t really a grumble, but you trying to keep your pain to yourself.

“Come on.” He told you, unhooking your leg from the cabinet and bringing the other to the ground from the counter.

“What?”

“You’re having cramps, right?”

Your cheeks flushed bright red and all he could do was sigh before helping you into a sitting position.

He picked you up from off the ground, carrying you to the couch and laying you down on the green cushions. You never really had much of a choice in most of what the furniture looks liked. Two highschool graduates who worked part time at a video rental store that almost went out of business because of the rental store that had once been in the mall, couldn’t really afford brand new furniture. Most of it was second hand.

“Stay.”

“I’m not a dog,” You mumbled as he walked away, disappearing into the hallway.

Within a few seconds you could hear the hall closet being opened and him rummaging through it. He came back, without closing the closet, with an ice pouch in hand and a fleece blanket you’d brought from home.

“How is the ice pack supposed to help?”

“I can put hot water in it. . . that can help right? I mean I got leg cramps all the time when I played basketball.” You let him ramble a bit, letting him figure it out when he noticed you didn’t try to interrupt him. “Right um. . . hot water?” He suggested.

You gave a small smile and nodded, reaching out for the blanket.

Steve called the kids, and Robin, letting them know that they couldn’t have the party today. You weren’t a big fan of the plans that they’d put together anyway. You were never one for big parties, having always had them as a kid. You really just wanted to stay inside anyway.

You were pretty sure their plans were to take you to the pizza place that had just opened up in downtown Hawkins. Not that it was really a downtown compared to big cities. It wwas just where most of the stores were, as well as town hall.

With the warm ice pack on your abdomen, you’d relaxed a bit more into the couch with your blanket. You had a bottle of water from the fridge next to you, while Steve turned the air on. “What do you wanna watch?” He asked, walking over to you, basically hovering.

“Do we still have our Highlander VHS? Or did we lend it to the boys when they went to visit Will and El?”

He sighed a bit, “We lent it to them like three months ago and I have yet to see it.”

You chuckled a bit, grimacing as another cramp came and left. “What about Empire Strikes Back?” You asked.

“What?”

“Star Wars, Steve.” You reminded. “The second one.”

“So not the one with teddy bears?”

You laughed and shook your head. “No,”

He smiled down at you before leaning down and placing a kiss on your cheek, going to the stack of VHS tapes you had begun to collect. There were only a few, and oftentimes you guys just watched TV instead.

You took an occasional sip of water and tried to get into a comfortable position where the cramps weren’t as bad, and when Steve had gotten the VHS into the player, and it started playing, You’d gone to having your head in his lap, your arms wrapped around his knees like a pillow.

You’d gotten comfy, and halfway through the movie, you were turning to face Steve, the cramps subsiding a bit.

“They were worried about you, by the way.” He pointed out, playing with the ends of your hair.

“Yeah?”

He hummed in response as the sound of basters echoed through the apartment from the TV. “Dustin and Lucas asked if you were dying.”

You shook your head a bit. “They’re also boys who don’t have older sisters.”

“Mike just said ‘okay’”

“Because Nancy, and his mom. . . What did you say?”

“You were having girl issues.” He shrugged a bit. “And that I needed to stay here.” He smiled a bit, and in return you smiled back.

“Yeah, that’s not very subtle.” You told him with a laugh. “Maybe we can have the party tomorrow? But we can order it for pickup? That way we can all just a night in.”

He nodded in response. “That sounds fair.” He told you. “Happy birthday by the way. I know I said it this morning, but I need to say it again.”

• • •

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#steve harrington #steve x reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington one shot

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