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missinghan · 5 years ago

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what if we ⤖ lee minho

❖ genre : college au; roommates au

❖ word count : 4,1k.

❖ warning : explicit language

❖ summary : Minho is more than fed up with your nonsense of not having a roommate until you graduate because he’s desperately in need of a new place after getting kicked out.

❖ a/n : the continuation of roommate lino is out now!

one.

Minho takes dreadful strides into M.I.A Cafe, completely waterlogged from head to toe like a wet rat, drained from trying to walk back home without an umbrella—even if he had one, the wind would have taken him along with it on an exhilarating ride while Poseidon is throwing a rampage at Zeus or whatever gods up there.

He slumps into the nearest seat possible, sinking deeply into the cushioned surface only to stain the blue velvet with his sodden leather jacket. Anyone else happening upon the scene might notice a more than average looking college kid; Minho’s mesmerizing, he really is. But not just because of his catlike smile or stupidly good hair without even trying, it’s also because he’s the president of the dance club despite being a business major. It’s not hard for him to gain even more attention since he works at the cafe on campus anyway.

However, all Woojin sees from overlooking his workplace is his idiotic coworker who left ten minutes ago has officially given up on going against the bloody family feud above and come back to make his life miserable. Kang is going to give him shit for the wet cushions because Minho’s shift has fortunately ended. And it only gets worse from there. The younger boy pushes himself off the chair and flings his dripping bangs away from his face before taking off his jacket, deciding it’s a good idea to sway it back and forth, splashing water all over the clean floor.

“Lee Minho,” Woojin raises his voice slightly but Minho simply ignores his threatening tone and stuffs his leather jacket into his backpack.

The brunet makes his way over to the countertop, hopping effortlessly onto one of the bar stools. “I would like a Vietnamese coffee, please,” Minho shows his friend those ridiculous looking sparkly eyes like he just stepped out from an anime, and Woojin forces a smile through gritted teeth. “Come on, I’m tired, don’t look at me as if I’m in charge of the weather or something.”

Woojin remains silent, and so does his death glare. Hence, Minho gives in and props his head onto his hand lazily. “Fine, just give me a hot chocolate, I’m freezing over here,” he shivers stoically as his brain is multitasking (yelling at him and considering his options at the same time). With the sky roaring as if it’s raging on with other supernatural forces, Minho isn’t overly fond of heading outside by himself again. Meaning, plan A: get a ride or plan B: stay with Woojin until his graveyard shift is over. Minho’s having an eight AM tomorrow and he’s not about to walk up to the nurse’s office with a broken ankle for skipping three steps at a time. But in what world would a guardian angel appear out of nowhere to drive him home?

A random Twitter notification pops up and he swipes it away dejectedly, wholly uninterested. When Woojin slides the paper cup across the countertop, he catches a glimpse of Minho’s lock screen and gasps as if he just saw something out of the ordinary. It’s not. “You replaced your cats’ photo with Y/N’s instead? Okay, I see you, you sly little bitch,” he chuckles creepily while wiping his hand onto the white apron.

“It’s temporary,” Minho sneers like a cat having someone step on its tail. “Besides, she hates it, that’s why I put it there.”

“Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

Woojin is making a big deal out of this as if it’s a picture of you cuddling Minho or something. But in reality, it’s just a really ugly photo of you taking too big of a bite when he decided to flex his paycheck and took you out to a pizzeria. You forgave him because 1) you had the opportunity to eat real pizza after months of stocking up frozen ones from the supermarket, and 2) it’s only a matter of time until he’s over it and returns to his typical photos of his cats at home.

“Yo,” Minho says after a sip of the hot beverage. “You’re moving out of Seungmin’s next week?”

Woojin replies, silently appreciating one of the rare civil conversations with his friend. “Yep, you? Don’t tell me that you haven’t found a place yet,” he stops himself right there, only to be met with complete dead silence. “Wait, you’re kidding, right? Aren’t you getting kicked out on Monday? How are you gonna find a place within three days?”

“Tough luck?” Minho shrugs nonchalantly, staring rather deeply at his lock screen, and an idea pops up inside his head. He feels the need to kick himself because he should have thought of this sooner. Biting his lower lip, he’s slightly nervous when his thumb taps onto your name in his contact. It’s not like you’re gonna rip his head off, why is he so jumpy about this anyway?

His train of thoughts get cut off when your raspy voice rings through his eardrums, “What do you want?”

two.

Your white Rover pulls up in front of the cafe after five minutes of cursing at him through the phone while dragging yourself out of bed and another ten to drive to your unwanted destination.

“Get in before I rip your head off,” you deadpan, pushing your bangs away from your face.

“I love you, did you know that?” Your heart totally didn’t skip a beat at that. He didn’t mean it, he couldn’t have meant it. It was lighthearted, it sounded lighthearted but was it supposed to be lighthearted? Great, now your heart just gives up on you while your brain is harassing you with some stupid assumptions without valid shreds of evidence.

Minho smiles sheepishly at you after waving to Woojin—who isn’t very interested in his departure and enters your car in relief. Although you were doing nothing but spitting strings after strings of curse words at him, it genuinely made him feel at ease when he heard your voice through the phone, hanging by three percent of battery left.

“Also, spill the hot chocolate, and I’m gonna throw you on the highway,” you warn him before starting the engine. The only problem with your morbid remarks is that Lee Minho is exclusively immune to them because he too, shares the same amount of insanity with you like how you both shared a sad tuna sandwich last Tuesday when the school canteen tried to recreate a Chipotle bowl. You both tasted it. And you were offended.

Minho tosses his backpack to the backseats and replies in monotone, “I won’t, just don’t kill us. That’s all I’m asking from you.” He looks awfully good for someone who’s completely rain-soaked. How fucking unfair.

“That’s all?” you question without looking at him in the eye. He only hums a random melody from a song that you can’t quite remember before plugging his phone in with your speakers. Your face morphs into a frown at his vague reaction, “Usually one thing leads to another, you never ask me for a single favor and just leave me alone, are you sure that you didn’t forget your wallet and now you wanted a new tattoo?”

He breaks into a fit of giggles at that, three are already enough for his ancestors to haunt him in his sleep. And your heart magically comes back more alive than ever at the sound; it really needs to stop doing that before you’re found dead on the street just by talking to him on the phone or something. “It’s not that,” Minho scratches the nape of his neck. “I’m basically gonna be homeless next week if I don’t manage to find a new place in like...three days.”

The car grows silent for a second there before Didn’t know me by Heize starts blasting through the speakers when he puts one of his playlists on random. You look over at him deep in the eye, thinking rather thoroughly about this. And Minho starts feeling knots in his stomach when you avert your gaze back onto the road. Are you perhaps...mad at him?

“Don’t-even-think-about-it,” you deadpan. “You know how Yeji pleaded to move in with me after freshman year, and..failed miserably.”

“Come on! You can’t be this heartless, are you really gonna let me sleep on the sidewalk for a good three weeks?”

You click your tongue in annoyance while making a turn to the left. “I never said that you moron,” An eye roll soon follows your statement, and before Minho can even say anything, his mouth snaps shut, eyes wide. “You know that Chan lives alone right?”

He protests, “Chan always let Changbin and Jisung crash to make music. Besides, it’s a studio apartment, like hello? I’m not planning on losing my beauty sleep here. ”

“Woojin?”

“After the mess I made back there? He will murder me, Y/N,” Minho says without a single shred of fear in his voice, yet he’s giving you those Puss in Boots eyes as if he’s gonna let Woojin snap his head off that easily. Jeongin is still living on campus, and Minho would rather be sleeping with dead rats than sharing a room with Jisung because Seungmin would never let him step a foot onto his white carpet.

You scrunch your nose and ignore the golden specks in his eyes, “You didn’t even try asking him, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind housing you for a few weeks. He’s a good guy and definitely doesn’t hate your ass enough to not let you sleep in the living room.”

“But,” he pouts sadly, in which you’re completely unaffected by. But here’s what makes your chest swell. “I like spending time with you,” he mumbles under his breath. Huh? Your heart rate falls flat before coming back to thunder inside your chest cavity twice as fast. Did he really just-

Minho sighs, and suddenly his shoulders start getting heavy. He feels rejected, but he shouldn’t since it’s not mandatory for you to let him stay with you. Perhaps, he’s nothing but a complete nuisance in your eyes after all. “But if you say so,” he murmurs, eyes turning stormy and you can feel a pit at your stomach. “I guess I’m gonna call Woojin then..”

And he ends the conversation there, abruptly.

Raindrops knocking at your car’s windows. The sounds of his fingers tapping against the keyboard. Even your own rhythm of breathing. Everything’s piling onto your back as if you’ve just committed a terrible sin.

Woojin is really busy this year, preparing for grad school and everything. And your current courses are pretty easy to handle, it’d be mean of you to let him contain Lee Minho while working two jobs. Especially when he’s constantly turning in assignments at a single minute right before the deadline. So with the little amount of morality left, you tell yourself to stop being a little bitch and start considering the possibilities of having a roommate for the very first time.

“Fine,” you grumble after a good twenty seconds of thinking. “You can use my old air mattress, a month should be good before you’re able to find a new place. So we’re taking turns washing the dishes and splitting the bills in half, cool?”

Minho’s brain suddenly demands every part of his body to stop, his finger hovering over the ‘send’ button. “Gee okay, I get it, you don’t like having roommates. But you don’t have to be so pressed about it,” he concludes almost too fast for your brain cells to comprehend what’s going on in his mind. Was he even listening to you? “I knew you weren’t gonna let me stay with—“ His words instantly come to a halt, eyeballs ready to pop out of their respective sockets any second.

“What?” he blurts, round eyes staring right at you expectantly.

You scratch your nose with your ring finger when a coral tint rises on your cheekbones, something that you do a lot whenever you’re nervous. “I said you can come and stay with me for the time being,” you say lamely, having a spontaneous interest in the row of Sumikko Gurashi figures that Minho gave you on your birthday last year. “I don’t want you to poison Woojin with your cooking, roomie.”

“You’d better feed me then, Ramsay,” he beams with a bright smile—far brighter than the Sun itself and any of the stars above. And who were you kidding? It’s not his cooking that you’re worrying about. It’s not even Woojin that you’re worrying about. It’s him, you’re worried about him.

Besides, maybe you like spending time with him too.

three.

After a whole night of hauling three gigantic cardboard boxes along with two suitcases into your apartment, you drag Minho’s ass out of bed at nine in the morning, push him into your car and slowly reverse out of your apartment’s parking lot.

He’s not very attentive to his surroundings when he’s tired so he didn’t mind the monotonous voice of the news reporter coming out of the speakers. Whereas, he would have yelled at you by now to shut it off so he can blast his Spotify playlist at maximum volume to annoy people who apparently don’t know how to park their cars properly. Still, he only finished unpacking half of his luggage at four so it didn’t occur to him how little time he spent half-sleeping against your car’s window.

It didn’t occur to him how you managed to maneuver him out of the vehicle either. But when his eyes start hurting from rubbing them too much, Minho realizes that you’re piloting him through an old couple shopping hand in hand, a sweaty man in his mid-forties wearing a tracksuit and a child tugging at his mom’s skirt, begging for a lollipop. He gazes downward, eyes stop dead in their tracks seeing your hand intertwined with his while your free one is scrolling through the list of groceries on your phone.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty, glad that you’re finally awake,” the amount of sarcasm laced in your tone just makes the blush on his cheeks disappear in the span of half a second.

Minho makes a face and pulls his hand back to grab a cart, trailing after your footsteps grimly like an obedient puppy. “Waking up early was not in the contract,” he lets out the loudest yawn possible without covering his mouth, no manners whatsoever. “That lawsuit for child labor? Pending.”

You chuckle dryly and toss a box of oatmeal cookies into the cart, not really caring that he’s sleepy and tired. You’re the one who’s driving after all. “It technically is,” you say with a meek smile and turn around, watching him throw in a bag of popcorn, barbecue flavored chips, and other junks that scream college staple food. He told you that he’s making use of the school’s gym five times a week but seeing the amount of trash that’s piling up, you doubt that his efforts are gonna matter at this point.

“I told you that we’re grocery shopping every Monday morning because we both don’t have classes on Monday mornings.”

Minho only groans loudly like a damsel in distress until you both reach the vegetable aisle. He immediately goes for the asparagus and broccoli, probably to water down the amount of sodium from the chips.

You’re not sure if it’s just because he’s sleepy but the rest of your banter while raiding the supermarket is fairly civil. In short, it’s the most normal conversation you’ve ever had with him. Not that you’re complaining, it's actually really nice to see how he also has a soft side to him. Not only did Minho grab the chicken breasts for Chan because that guy cannot live without them, but he also called Changbin to check which flavor of the protein bar that he prefers. It seems like he’s gonna crash at Chan’s place for an upcoming secret project.

When you both queue up at the self-checkout line, he observes the light blue packaging of your shampoo curiously. He notices how you stopped getting the twelve ounces bottle and went for the twenty-four ounces one instead.

“You’re still using this one? I thought you said you wanted to change it up every time?” He asks, propping his head onto your shoulder lazily. Minho remembers how you started to try out this brand three months ago and he laughed his ass off at you for being so determined to go through all of their scents. It’s dumb, yes, but he commented on every single one of them anyway.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N?”

Your body tenses up when he sniffs at your hair, nose brushing against the back of your ear, and it’s not helping either when his forearms are resting against the lines of your waist so he can hold onto the cart while you’re too busy bombarding Yeji with questions about the frat party she attended last night. You’re basically trapped between him and the cart; you can’t believe you’re only realizing that just now.

“Hold up, I thought you usually go grocery shopping alone?” Yeji flips the table and inquires slyly on the other line, then she lets out an audible gasp. It’s so loud that Minho staggers backward from surprise, almost hitting the cart behind. “Is that Lee Minho?! Y/N, what are you two doing at the Asian market at ten AM? Together?!”

Words spill out of your mouth before you can even process them properly. “We saw each other coincidentally and ended up using the same cart.” And now you want to put your head through a wall because what kind of an answer was that? Your brain had to malfunction at that very moment, in the middle of that very call, it just had to. “Okay, whatever, I’ll tell you about it tomorrow during Park’s lecture, see you,” you hang up just like that, not knowing how to act because now you have to tell Yeji about how you—a complete loner—is finally having a roommate. But that roommate isn’t her specifically.

“You good? You look a bit..feverish,” Minho rests a hand on your forehead while his free one pushes the cart forward. Still in a daze, your heart shudders, and your back accidentally comes in contact with his chest, making you drop your phone onto the carton of eggs in a panic. “Careful there, that’s two months worth of eggs,” he reminds you, clearly not having a single clue of how giddy you are right now.

Also, saying that you’re giddy is an understatement.

You shake your head and mutter, “Right, sorry, you were saying?”

“I just asked why you stopped trying the rest of the scents and committed to April Cotton so easily.”

“It’s because you said it’s the best one so far,” you answer honestly, almost too honestly because right now, Minho feels like someone’s using his heart to juggle right inside his chest cavity.

four.

That night, after Minho’s monstrous shift at the cafe and three hours of you FaceTiming Yeji to procrastinate about a writing assignment, you both are sprawled across your white fuzzy carpet that sheds more than three of his cats combined.

In between is an empty cup of McFluffy, a sad piece of pepperoni pizza and leftover fries, all being placed on a piece of newspaper because Minho’s promised you that if he ever dirtied your carpet, he’d take you to a concert. His bank account isn’t ready for that yet. A Dog’s Way Home just ended two minutes ago and as the ending credits roll, you’re all curled up inside your over-sized hoodie, sniffling into a piece of tissue.

“Day one with your new roommate here and you’re already shedding tears Jesus Christ,” Minho tells you after stretching his limbs out tiredly, eyes becoming droopy.

“Shut up,” you punch his arm and laugh, wiping the remaining of your tears with your sleeves. “I swear I saw your eyes watering when Bella reunited with Big Kitten.”

“They did not?” He shoots you a shit-eating grin when he settles back down onto the floor, supporting his head with his hands. To be fair, the CGI was kinda shitty, a little bit noticeable but the reunion was too emotional for him to care about something as meaningless as that.

Minho ignores how you’re mumbling something and instead, turns onto his side and grabs a piece of fries, chewing obnoxiously. “So, Y/N,” he inquires rather cautiously. “How does it feel like to finally have good company along with good food?”

You hum for a while but answer with little consideration, eye closed, “I could use someone with a smaller mouth, and a smaller ego too but yeah, it’s kinda dope.” And you open one side of your eyes to see him being the literal CTRL+V of the surprised Pikachu meme. He looks betrayed, as if someone just sneaked into your apartment and snatched all of his packets of instant ramen in one go, just like whoosh, out the door they go with his daily breakfast.

“It feels kinda nice too,” you proceed to continue, staring at the ceiling to avoid eye contact with him. “Because I know although this person acts like an asshole most of the time, he’s just a really big softie on the inside. I like how he called his friends in the middle of his shopping trip to see if he’s getting them the right flavor of protein bars, how he paid for the groceries even though we’re equally broke, and how he skipped dance practice to volunteer at a nursing home every weekend.”

You’re not looking, but you’re pretty sure that Minho’s smile is growing so big, his cheeks are about to crack in half. “I didn’t tell anyone about that,” he stifles a laugh. “It’s either you’re somewhat a creep or you’re just really cautious about what kind of people you let into your life.”

“I’m a loner, what can I say?” You chuckle lightheartedly, feeling slightly fuzzy inside for no particular reason. “I am really cautious when it comes to stuff like that because the more you let people into your life, the more it hurts when they decide they’re gonna leave you.”

“Hah! So that’s why you’re so stubborn about the whole not having a roommate thing?” You nod sheepishly at that, feeling kinda embarrassed because it feels like he’s unraveling your secrets right under your nose.

The signature catlike smile lingers on his lips when you turn on your right to face him, and your useless heart thinks it’s a good time to skip a beat when your eyes meet his round ones with ridiculously beautiful lashes. You’ve never felt like this towards anyone before, it’s risky, you know it but you think you can trust him. You can trust Lee Minho.

Although he wasn’t this big, sassy persona that has a questionable obsession with cats and dancing when you first met him. You encountered Minho for the very first time backstage at the school’s music festival to support 3RACHA’s performance. Initially, he made absolutely no effort to even greet you like how a civil human being would, but he was intrigued when he saw the SpiderMan plush keychain on your backpack. And it seemed like fate was only trying to push both of you closer together because you kept bumping into him on campus. So it’s only a matter of time before he decided that he hated eating lunch alone and asked for the empty seat next to you, offering you his watered-down cup of coffee.

“What made you change your mind then? Why not just reject me?” Minho scoots closer to you, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Because I feel like..you won’t be leaving me anytime soon..”

“Damn right, I can never stop bothering you.”

You don’t know where, how, or why you can muster every fiber of courage left inside of you to tell him that. But that doesn’t matter now, does it? Maybe this is a sign, the universe wants you to stop being so closed up all the time and open up to new people (regardless of how shitty you think they are) because life’s way too short to play the role of the lone traveler on this planet. And it’s madness to think that all it took this boy was half a cup of Vietnamese coffee and a call at such an ungodly hour for your heart to be completely his. Nothing’s gonna change much, you think. You’re gonna still free-fall into this hellhole called ‘college’ with your first world problems like everyone else but the only difference is that you don’t have to be alone anymore. There’s a hand for you to hold, a shoulder for you to lean on and your heart has found its new home. You don’t think you’ve ever felt it being so alive before. However, you’re not against it even when you’re still dubious.

Because that’s how you’re supposed to feel your entire life.

❖ p/s : I hope you enjoyed this little monster that I managed to whip up in the past few days, I thought it’d be nice if I could give you guys smth as a “parting gift” for my [rest]. I was very, very sleep-deprived as I proofread this so please don’t come for me & I’ll see you in the next fic!

#stayshub #skzwritersclub #stray kids lee know #stray kids scenarios #lee know imagines #stray kids imagines #stray kids minho #minho roommate au #minho college au #lino fic #lee minho #lee know #lee know scenarios #college au #roommate au

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weakestguy · 4 years ago

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What to do to stay motivated for exams?

"Dude, I just cant!"

Shouted Abhinav when I asked what’s up with his studies.

"I just can’t sit down, open pages and began to study. The course is too much, so is the pressure. I just want to sit back binge watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and relax. This boards nonsense has taken out the life from me. This is all too much."

And he continued with his anti-exams rant for a while, just like any other student who has an exam in few months.

Almost always attempting to do what you need to study to catch up with reading from previous weeks sounds like a drag.

“Do I understand these texts, too?”

“Am I going to be able to compose something informative and important to me?”

“Am I trying to do the right thing, huh? '

'Am I strong enough to do that?”

“Others tend to be right at the pinnacle of things than I am”

“What if I'm stupid?”

Abhinav continued his rambling. I can’t helped but noticed the fluency of his spoken English, gosh this kid is smart. Even in the moment of panic, and anxiety driven boohoo, he still have the command that makes everyone look him in awe, yet he is completely ignorant about it.

The minute you start filling your brain with useless thoughts like “I’m not enough of this”, “I wish I had this”, “I wish I looked like that”, “I’m too fat to wear that”, “I have no self-control”, “I’m bad at math”, etc. well guess what : you’ll still be bad at math, you’ll stay sad and in months from now you’ll be stuck in the same place.

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What can help you when you feel burned out?

Watch a comedy series or movie. Its far better than a motivational video. Relax a lot while studying, let your mind get a good grasp of the concept and then proceed to study.

Do something entirely different. Set aside a time where you don’t study. A time block where you let the sponge in your head absorb the water and regain its natural shape.

Brain dump. Grab a piece of paper and write whatever in your mind. From your fantasy to the urge to kill your teacher, just let it out. Don’t let these ideas take roots in your head. Keep dumping the brain trash. Not only this will help you to increase your focus, but also it will increase your productivity, writing speed, and give room to learn.

Procrastination. We all do it, the urge to keep tasks of bay is just too much to resist. Use your weakness as your biggest strength. Instead of beating yourself over it, do it mindfully.

Use the power of imagination. Don’t think about what will Priya say when you her that your 100%, instead imagination yourself studying Math. Go to bed, lie down and began visualizing yourself solving equations of math and the very next day, you will be filling registers doing all calculations.

Time blocking. This is the method I came across while I was drooling over how aesthetic these crazy-talented youtubers are. The one that publish content on calligraphy, and Bullet journal. For a student, I think this would work. Plan the day-to-day predictable stuff and draw the random stuff on the bars. The bars can be homework, reading, study, programs, etc.

For me, Pomodoro works as a kick-starter. I don’t use it throughout the day when I’m studying but just to start my studying. 45 minutes of focused studying, followed by 15 minutes of break, extendable to 30 minutes.

Reward & Punishment. The thing with this method of taking yourself out of the burnt zone is, it sucks! Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in for eating chocolates after completing 10 question. But, recent study shows that Reward and punishment motivate behavior, but it is unclear exactly how they impact skill performance and whether the effect varies across skills. Overall, we saw little effect of reward on either learning or retention. Punishment had no effect on skill retention. So, try to keep the reward as scoring 100% and punishment as doing 100 pushups or running or something you physically cannot do. The fear will work as motivator to study.

“Study Spots”. Don’t have a fix spot. Study at different places. Not only this will make you independent of locations but also make your neurons stronger and hence you will learn better.

Start with the basics. For examples, if you are solving question of Integration, rote the formulae before solving the questions so that you don’t feel stressed and like you don’t know anything. And then move on the concepts of integration by parts, limits, etc.

These are the tips I and many top scorers I know use to keep the feeling of failure at bay and smash the hell of the exam.

What to do to take a break from studying:

set a time limit

go for a walk

pet your dog/cat/pet

listen to music (that isn't your study music)

take a shower

make a meal or snack

call/text a friend for support

lie down, close your eyes for a bit

What not to do:

watch 10 YouTube videos and then suddenly its midnight

scroll through Instagram mindlessly

if you do this your mind is still working !!! and not relaxing !!!

you’re not really refreshed when you come back!

that’s not a break, that’s procrastination.

but also, we’re all only human, so every few breaks don’t feel too guilty watching a short YouTube video/checking your Snapchat. (Add me: sammathur4)

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Footnotes:

Time Blocks

2. Research on Reward and Punishment: The impact of reward and punishment on skill learning depends on task demands

With boards, semesters and other competitive exams around the block, hope this guide helps you.

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oyesmendes · 5 years ago

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The Coffee Roasters - Chapter three

a/n: i know i know.... this took a long time IM SORRY... anyway lots of fluff and love heheh hope you guys are enjoying Sophie and Niall atm!

Irish coffee - coffee with Irish whiskey, sugar and a thick layer of cream; what can i say? it’s probably the best combination.

2 weeks before tour

"g'morning my love" Niall sneaked a kiss on Sophie's cheek. He was shirtless, only a pair of shorts hanging low on his hips as he wrapped his arms around Sophie. He loved mornings like this, when she decided to stay the night and make him breakfast in the morning. of course, a part of him felt bad that she was sacrificing her time for him, skipping out on her morning shift at the cafe; but he couldn't help but feel as if everything was in the right place. that was until one of his idiot cousins would ruin the moment.

"oi, y'all stuck together at the hips or what?" Willie groaned at the sight of Niall wrapped around Sophie. Niall rolled his eyes, throwing a bar of chocolate at him.

"remind me again why i haven't thrown you out of the house?"

"because your girlfriend likes me as much as she likes you. maybe even more" Willie grinned at Sophie, causing her to shake her head as she flipped a couple more of the pancakes on a plate for the boys. Niall faked a hurt look, smacking Willie on the back of his head as he followed Sophie to the dining room. She enjoyed these banters between the boys, reminding her of her own brothers back home. truth be told, as tour drew closer Sophie and Niall were basically merged into one person. He would drive her to the cafe when she stayed over in London, and would basically spend the day watching her work while writing music (mostly about her), occasionally stepping into help serve customers when it got overwhelming. He didn't mind though, getting to watch her focused and in her element. She didn't mind having him around either, other than the occasional glares from her father when Niall got too touchy while he helped her put on the cover of a cup of coffee to-go.

"Pa, I can practically see you sending daggers at Niall" Harvey joked, earning a slap on the back of his head. this made Sophie giggle in embarrassment and Niall's face turned a bright shade of pink.

"M'sorry Mr Hoang, hands to myself" Niall raised his hands up in surrender while Alex shook his head at the pair. of course it was tough to watch his only daughter fall in love with a man right in front of him, but he knew Sophie was more than happy with Niall. He couldn't ignore the glow radiating from his little girl and he prayed to god Niall would never ever hurt her.

one day before tour

two weeks flew by way too quickly, and they were now standing in Heathrow airport, hands intertwined with each other. both of them wearing a hoodie, and without question as they arrived at his gate they both stripped off the piece of clothing and handed it to the other person. this was their tradition, something that they did when Niall was gone for more than a week. it started off with Niall giving Sophie his hoodies, but as time passed, he wanted something that would remind him of her which led to this arrangement. they'd spend a week in the hoodie, smothering their scent onto it for as long as they could before the exchange. Niall pulled her in his arms as he grasped the hoodie in his hands. he was squeezing her way too tight, but she really didn't mind after all it was going to be a solid three months before she could feel his touch again.

"i'm g'na miss you so much" he left a sloppy, wet kiss on her neck before pulling away. Niall offered for Sophie to join him on tour and as much as the offer was enticing (travelling the world to watch your rockstar boyfriend perform? come on, i bet you would say yes in a heartbeat), Sophie did have a life in Brighton and she couldn't drop everything at the cafe to leave for three months straight. so here they were, saying goodbye once again. this time felt different though, the trust between them bloomed after spending more time together. and the love, it was definitely much stronger than the first time they met. they could feel themselves fall in love with each other every day, butterflies threatening to burst through their hearts.

"me too bubba" Sophie's voice cracked at the end, tears brimming in her eyes. you are not going to cry and make this even harder. She scolded herself internally and she heard Niall chuckle.

"i can hear ya getting angry at yourself inside for wanting to cry" Niall brushed her nose with his. she smiled softly, nose stuffy from holding back her tears.

"m'not going to cry"

"whatever you say, petal"

and that's how they begin the three months apart. no crying, just a tight squeeze, a kiss so passionate they had to stop themselves from swallowing each other whole and of course the hoodie they each scrunched in their hand. this was going to get them through the months.

three months into the tour - LA, the Forum

three whole months since she last saw him in person. safe to say Niall and Sophie managed to work things out and survive this leg of the tour. they tried their absolute best to make it work. when Niall had more than three days off, he'd make the effort to fly back to see her for a day. they set up face time dates, where they'd have meals together, and he would sing her to sleep almost every night he could. but now she was here, standing in the middle of the chaos of LAX, looking like a lost sheep. it was the last show of the North American leg of the tour and Sophie couldn't wait any longer. she had to see Niall and having been to one of his shows prior, she thought that seeing him in action on stage would be a bonus for her eyes. so she sealed the deal - a couple of calls to Deo and Niall's manager, and she was on the next flight out to LA.

"Soph!" She could barely even register who was yelling her name before Deo came crashing straight into her, pulling her into his arms. She laughed as he squeezed her tight and if the people around her didn’t know better, they'd think this was the reunion of a long-distance couple.

"I guess I was missed huh?" Sophie commented as they pulled away from each other.

"Hell yeah! missed your cooking and coffee the most, catering coffee can suck my dick" he rolled his eyes, taking her luggage from her hand. "y'know you're gonna make him cry tonight, right? the man hasn't seen you in three months and he won't shut up about it." she smiled shyly, nodding her head. the excitement and nerves where bubbling under her skin and she couldn’t help but think about his arms being wrapped around her waist. the blue hoodie enveloped her body in the mean time, warmth radiating around her body as she stepped out into the cool air of Los Angeles.

Deo quickly whisked Sophie to the hotel they were staying at. He passed her the extra key card, assuring her for the thousandth time that Niall was at the arena preparing for the show and he wasn’t in the room. She entered the hotel room slowly, her senses already being overwhelmed by the all too familiar sights - luggage laying on the ground, his cologne lingering in the air and the numerous amounts of clothes thrown across the room. it made it feel slightly more real when she picked up her hoodie, her scent long lost and replaced with Niall's. this is it, she was home.

After settling in and changing, Sophie met Deo in the lobby, and off they were to the arena.

"okay so here's the plan - he's currently finishing up soundcheck, then we'll send him for meet and greet and you can wait in his dressing room ya? once he's back from it, which will be bout an hour or so, he'll be all yours." Sophie nodded, her hands trembling a little. Deo could see the look on her face and he squeezed her shoulders.

"its going to be fine, Soph. you're finally going to see each other again"

and so far it was fine. when Sophie arrived at the arena, she was greeted warmly by Niall's team and they led her to his dressing room while Deo went off to watch Niall at his meet and greet. she sat on the plush couch, taking a swig of water so often that she thought she was going to pee herself when Deo walked into the room and gave her the look. She could hear Niall's distinct laughter travel down the hall, talking about something with the band.

"dude it was so funny man! wish Soph was here to see it, she would've loved every moment of it" oh if only he knew. once he was at the door of the room, whoever he was talking to shut up, and Niall looked up to see Sophie standing in the middle of the room.

"holy fucking shit" is all he could manage before the both of them were wrapped up in each other's arms, Sophie's legs wrapped around Niall's waist.

"you're real, oh my fucking god. you're here." Niall let out in disbelief, which set the crew laughing and Sophie pressed her lips against his. her hands cupped his face as Niall deepened the kiss, hands squeezing her tight to his body. she pulled away first, breathless and cheeks tinted pink when she realised they had an audience.

"there are people watching, Ni" she let out a whisper and Niall could only roll his eyes. he turned to his crew, some of them with their phones out as they whistled and cheered.

"alright, enough teasing for the day boys. i'll see y'all when the show's about to start" Niall ushered them out, closing and locking the door behind him. there was this happiness in his eyes that Sophie had never seen before, and she swore in that moment she fell in love with him all over again.

#niall horan fic #niall horan #niall horan x reader #niall horan imagine #niall horan fan fiction #solo niall #the coffee roasters series #the coffee roasters #TCR #sophie x niall

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puckinghell · 6 years ago

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Cross Me | Josh Anderson

Summary: When you run into your ex at a bar, Josh makes sure to make it clear he’s got your back. Based on the song Cross Me by Ed Sheeran Words: 2.5k Note: You guys kept requesting Josh Anderson and now you’ve got me into him, so thanks for that. Here you go

You haven’t seen David in a few months, but at the first sight of him, every feeling comes rushing back over you like a tidal wave.

The happiness you felt when he first told you he loved you. The pain he caused when he left.

Not just left. Cheated.

You hadn’t really wanted to come out tonight, but Josh insisted, and he could be relentless when he wanted to be.

“You have to go, everyone’s going,” he’d pouted, “the guys all miss you. And if you don’t come, who am I going to hang out with when they all get drunk and annoying?”

“At that time, you’ll also be drunk and annoying, so why would I wanna be there?” your answer had been, but you’d never been good at saying no, not when it came to Josh and his big puppy eyes, so that’s how you had ended up where you are now.

Standing in the corner of the bar with your feet nailed to the floor, watching as your ex walks through the door.

“Josh.” His name falls from your lips in a strangled noise and it surprises you, with the music in the bar so loud, that he hears you immediately. There’s a frown on his face as he turns around, the panic in your voice clear to him, and when he sees your fallen face he rushes over.

“Dude?!” Zach calls out offended when Josh bumps into him, but your best friend doesn’t even seem to hear his teammate.

“What’s wrong?” he asks as he reaches you, hand curling around your elbow. You don’t speak but you’re staring, and he follows your gaze to the door.

His eyes darken when he spots David.

“That asshole.”

Josh has been your best friend for years and his opinion has always mattered when it comes to dating people. He always meets guys you’re hanging out with pretty soon after you start dating, because if he doesn’t like them, you’ll think twice about getting serious with them.

Not only does Josh have pretty good intuition when it comes to guys being good dudes, he’s also the most constant source of happiness in your life, and it never sat right with you to be with someone he’s not keen on.

The thing is. He actually really liked David, when you introduced them. They became buddies pretty quickly, bonding over the best beer pong strategies and action movies you don’t really care about. You were with David for over a year and it had made you so happy that your best friend and your boyfriend became friends.

But when you showed up at Josh’s door with tears rolling down your at 2 am on a Tuesday, he didn’t hesitate to drop that friendship right away.

All you had to do was tell him the truth. That David had been having an affair with Vanessa, a colleague of his, for over a month. And now he was breaking up with you to go have a life with her.

David had broken you, and Josh had been there to put back the pieces. He’d been there when you spent an entire week eating chocolate ice cream and watching romantic comedies on his couch, he’d been there to carry you home when you went through a party phase, and he’d been the one to pry your phone out of your hands as you drunkenly tried to call your ex.

You don’t know how you would’ve coped without him. You could never thank him enough for being your rock, but you knew it hadn’t been easy for him, to juggle your emotion distress and his career, not when David broke up with you while the Blue Jackets were still fighting for their playoff spot. It must’ve been tough for him, too, to lose a guy he saw as a friend.

It’s not weird, then, that Josh’s jaw is set tight as he stares at David, eyes cold and lips pressed in a tight line.

“You wanna leave?” he asks, but the thing is. You’re doing fine now. It’s been months and although it hurts to see David, you’re definitely not in love with him anymore, and you definitely don’t want him back. All you really want to do is kick him in the balls.

If there’s an opportunity, you might take it.

“No,” you tell Josh, shooting him what you hope is a reassuring smile. “I promised you a fun night, we’re going to have a fun night if it kills me. He doesn’t deserve to take this away from us.”

Josh smiles, a genuine one that lights up his eyes, and he nods. “That’s my girl,” he grins, and you ignore the way your heart flutters.

You’re really, honestly, very grateful that Josh has been by your side for months, but it would’ve been more practical if it hadn’t made you fall in love with him.

You don’t know exactly when it happened. It wasn’t one big moment. It was all the small moments, drying your tears on his shirt and his arms around you, his lips softly pressed against your forehead and his snarky remarks making you laugh, calling to check up on you or texting you memes just to get your mind off it.

Maybe you’ve always loved Josh, since the very first day you met him. You know you certainly had a crush on him for the first year of your friendship, but you figured he wasn’t interested in you that way and so you just kinda pushed those feelings away. But now they’re back and it feels like they’re planning to stay.

“Let’s get drunk,” Josh says, leaning a little closer to talk in your ear to get over the music, and he gives your arm a quick squeeze before making his way to the bar. He says something to Seth on the way and not even five seconds later he appears at your side.

“So the ex is here, huh?” Seth says. “You alright? Call if you want us to bust his kneecaps.”

You giggle; there’s something hilarious about the idea of Seth busting anyone’s kneecaps, even though you know he most definitely could. It’s just, well, Seth is maybe the nicest, purest soul you’ve ever met. You can’t even picture him hurting a fly.

“You laugh,” Seth grins, “but I’m pretty sure Josh is about ready to commit murder. He’s pissed, dude.”

Your eyes find Josh in the crowd and indeed, there’s a clear tension in his shoulders and his hands are gripping the bar with so much force his knuckles are turning slightly white.

You’ve only really ever seen him like that on the ice, and although it’s hot - it probably shouldn’t be, with it being violence and all, but hey, you’re a simple woman, and he looks hot after fights - you’re not excited about the prospect of having him knock out your ex boyfriend.

“I’ve got it covered, Jonesy,” you tell Seth with a grateful smile. “Thanks, though. If I need help containing Josh, I’ll call you.”

Seth holds up his hands in defense. “Hey, I offered to take out your ex, I’m not doing shit with Josh. He’s mean. And big.”

At least a full head taller than your ex and with twice the amount of muscle mass, probably. Nope, you definitely can’t let him punch David, even if the idea might be at least a little enticing.

When Josh returns with your drinks, you playfully bump your shoulder into his arm and start cheerily talking about anything and everything, in an attempt to distract him, and it seems to work. Only half an hour the mood has lightened immensely and your glasses are empty.

“I’ll get the next round,” you say, and Josh taps your waist as you walk past.

“Put it on my tap.”

You roll your eyes but you’ll definitely take him up on his offer; it’s only fair, since you didn’t want to go out and he basically forced you, and now you were breathing the same air as David the cheater.

“Two more, please?” you ask the bartender, who sends you a nod, and goes to get your drinks.

Almost, you make it. But the second the bartender puts your drinks on the bar a familiar voice speaks.

“Hey, Y/N. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

All the hairs on the back of your neck stand up at the sound and for a second, you wonder if you should just turn and run, but then you realize he’s not got that kinda power over you.

He can’t.

So you plaster a fake smile on your face and turn around. “Hello, David.”

His eyes roam over your body with a clear interest and he smiles. “Looking good.”

You know you do, and you would’ve told him the same, except, well, he doesn’t. There’s dark circles under his eyes and his skin is pale, and he looks like he lost weight; even if there wasn’t much to lose in the first place.

“Thanks,” you say. “How’s Vanessa?” It’s a bit of a low blow but you can’t stop yourself, and you also can’t stop the smug smile when his face falls.

“We’re, uh, we decided to call it quits.”

“We?” you repeat, because you have a feeling you know what happens.

“Uhm, no, just, uh, she did. She didn’t really want a serious relationship.” He looks genuinely sad when he speaks again. “I’m sorry, Y/N. Look, I know I messed up, but if you ever need anything...”

Suddenly the words die on his lips and there’s a fearful look on his face. You feel two strong arms wrap around your waist and there’s the familiar smell of Josh’s cologne mixed with his laundry detergent, so you don’t hesitate to lean back into the touch.

“If she needs anything, she can call me.” You don’t think you’ve ever heard Josh’s voice so icy cold and when you look up at his face there’s a fire burning behind his eyes, that reminds you off his on-ice fighter look. With them standing so close it’s painfully obvious that Josh could probably knock David out with one fist to the face, so you move your hand, casually dragging your fingers down Josh’s arm, to tell him you’ve got it covered.

“Yeah,” you repeat, deadpanning, “You don’t have to worry about me.”

David’s eyes travel from you to Josh and he frowns. “Oh, are you two, like, together, now?”

No.

“Yep,” Josh says, popping the P. “And what me and her have is different from what you had, because I actually fucking love her the way she deserves to be loved. Like you never could.”

David flinches at the harsh tone in Josh’s voice and even you struggle to find words; you know he’s just trying to get rid of your ex but God do you wish he means it.

David lets out a nervous laugh. “So are you gonna break my nose now or something?”

Josh cocks his head to the side, shrugs. “No,” he says, “if she wants to break your nose, she’s perfectly capable of doing that herself. My girl ain’t one to play with.” His voice lowers; there’s a clear warning when he speaks. “But I’ll be staying close, David.”

Your ex swallows, squares his shoulders. “Right. Well, the best, then.” The words fall over his lips in a hurry and you’re pretty sure he almost trips as he scurries away as fast as he can. You feel Josh relax behind you, but only slightly.

“I really want to put that guy’s lights out,” he whispers, and you turn around to face him.

Except his arms are still around your waist and now you’re a little closer than you expected to be, your chest pressed up against his as he breathes heavily, eyes still darkened by adrenaline.

“But you let me handle it,” you say softly. “Thank you, Josh. It means a lot that you trusted me to deal with him.”

Something softens in his face, then, as his eyes find yours. “Y/N, you’re a badass. I wasn’t lying to him, I know you could break his nose if you wanted to.” He lets out a breathy laugh. “It would’ve just given me a lot of satisfaction to do it myself.”

“He’s not worth it,” you tell him, and Josh sighs.

“No, I suppose he’s not.” He leans down a little, his forehead almost resting against yours but not quite, because, well, he’s stupidly tall. “I can’t believe that weasel was my friend.”

You feel a sharp jab of pain in your heart, at that. David might’ve been an asshole to you, but he never did anything to Josh personally. “You didn’t have to stop being friends with him for me, Josh. He didn’t break your heart.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Josh laughs but there’s no humor behind it, just pain and bitterness. “Seeing you hurt, hurt me more than anything that fucker could’ve done to me. I mean...” He pauses, eyes glancing down to your lips again then looking back up to lock with yours. “If they cross you, they cross me.”

His words send warm shivers down your spine and for a second, you wonder if he meant it, what he said before about loving you. With how close he is standing, and with the way he’s looking at you, it’s hard to remember that you’re just friends.

“Josh,” you say softly, “you gotta stop being so perfect, because you’re raising my standards to the point where I might never find another boyfriend again.”

A strangled noise escapes Josh’s lips. “God, you don’t get it, do you?” he groans, and then his forehead actually drops against yours and your stomach flips. There’s something in his eyes, still dark but different, now, and it’s hard to read. “Nothing I said to David was a lie. I fucking love you. More than he ever could, hell, more than anyone ever could.”

One of his hands moves to your face, thumb tracing your cheekbone as the tips of his fingers curl around your jaw.

“I don’t want you to find another boyfriend. I want you to find me.”

And well, if David had to break your heart in order for you to end up in Josh’s arms, all the pain was worth it. So you push up on your tiptoes and press your lips against Josh’s; he responds immediately, kissing you with a passion that has your toes curling and your heart beating in your throat and you reach up and thread your fingers through his hair.

When he pulls away, his eyes flicker to something behind you, and a smug smirk falls over his face.

“David is staring at us. Can I punch him now?”

“No,” you mumble, “but you can kiss me again, just to drive the point home.”

And he has no problem doing that.

#josh anderson #columbus blue jackets #nhl imagines #nhl one shot #nhl imagine #nhl fic #hockey one shot #hockey imagine #josh anderson imagine #josh anderson one shot #columbus blue jackets imagine #columbus blue jackets one shot

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oh-theatre · 5 years ago

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Sycamore High: Shatter (Chapter 11)

A/N: I am so sorry about what you are about to read, please forgive me AND PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS!! Also, I love Henry he's my precious

summary: Henry has an unexpected morning, and Ted falls victim to an awful scene cause in the cafeteria

words: 2,648

warnings: FORCED COMING OUT, crying, negative thoughts, sickness, homophobia, suicidal thought

Ao3 link

In Henry's defense, he wasn't a Musical Theatre teacher. Yes, ok, he doubled majored in Theatre and Science but that does not mean he had any intention of teaching it. He enjoyed the steady pace of biology, the thrill of surgery or even just talking about. He can't remember a single day where he doesn't boast to his students about his surgeon years, going over and studying with the class his multiple operations. The thrill he got knowing that every student that walked into class that day would leave utterly in love with him. He liked the attention, what can he say? But something he liked, even more, was his husband. And god, would that be the death of him.

“Henry..” A soft voice pleaded from the main bedroom, Henry sighed and turned away from the vanity where he was getting ready for the day. He peeked his head out of the connecting bathroom. He was met with loving eyes the sweet face of his husband. He bit the inside of his mouth, damnit here come the puppy eyes, He thought. The figure rolled in bed bothered, Henry studied him for a moment, His usually pristine face was red and puffy, his eyes were a never-ending source of watery tears. His voice was higher and stuffier than usual. The figure was weak, this set off alarm bells. Henry's husband was many things but he wasn't weak. He took years of dance, and gymnastics, his body was...well strong. Henry felt his cheeks flush a lovely shade of crimson thinking about this. He cleared his throat and finished examining his sad husband.

“You're sick, aren't you?” He questioned.

“Always the doctor aren't you Henry?” His husband teased, Henry remained unimpressed. He knew exactly where this illness came from and he had previously warned against.

“There is one basic rule all theatre people know” Henry explained, his husband sat up weakly. He faced Henry, eyes growing wide with fake interest. “You don't share water bottles Chad” Henry said simply, Chad groaned happily. “You of all people should know this, now look at you”

“I know” Chad whined “But I was parched and had already used up my own hydration-” He paused giving his husband an adoring look “You would share your water with me wouldn't you?” Chad cooed. Henry let out a boisterous laugh before staring his husband dead in the eye.

“Over my dead body” He retorted returning to his vanity, continuing his routine. He heard Chad let out a small amused moan before plopping back against the pillow. Henry finished and made his way into the main bedroom. He carefully slipped his brown blazer over his turtleneck and went over to his husband's side of the bed. He kneeled next to the bed and began stroking Chads forehead lovingly. Chad lets out a small noise of pleasure and Henry can't help but smile. I love this idiot, don't I?

“I presume in this condition you won't be able to make it to work?” He said finally still caressing his husbands face. Chad thought for a moment, no doubt examining his condition.

“I'll be fine” Chad says weakly, he sits up immediately becoming paler. Henry adjusts himself and sits next to him on the bed. “I have one class today, I'll go to the morning one and return after” Chad compromised, as much as he knew he would regret this Henry simply couldn't let Chad leave home today.

“I will take your morning class-” Before his husband could argue he continued “I don't have a morning class, I will take your lesson plans and you will stay here, watch a lot of bad tv and get better, understood?” Chad furrowed his brows, Henry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, I can't believe you're making me pull this card “Doctors orders” Henry added, he wasn't asking anymore. Chad let out a loud groan before falling back against the comfortable mattress.

“I hate you, you know that right?” He said Henry smiled un-convinced. He planted a soft kiss upon Chad's warm forehead before getting up again.

“You love me, and you know it” He said slipping out of the room, not allowing Chad a chance at a response. Henry gathered his things for class, and Chads before preparing some breakfast and Tea for his sick husband. Once delivered, with the thank you of many sick kisses, Henry grabbed a nutrition bar and made his way to school. He hadn't expected the nervous feeling in his stomach to arise as he pulled into his parking space at school. He fumbled for his things watching children laugh and sulk in the early morning. He took a deep breath, you're a teacher, this is what you do every day. After reassuring himself he made his way into the teacher's lounge, setting his things into his designated locker. And went over Chad's lesson plan, what could go wrong?

~~~

“Everything! Everything could go wrong!” Ted hollered once the children had been dismissed into their theatre groups. Bill quickly shushed him as other students eyed him cautiously. Murmuring quietly before deciding it wasn't worth their time. Ted mumbled a quiet apology and continued “Literally everything could go wrong” He said in a more hushed tone towards his two friends. Paul, still in a very drowsy state, simply rolled his eyes.

“You think too much” He said, suddenly erupting into a fit of giggles “Or maybe you don't think enough, or maybe no one can think-” His eyes grew wide with excitement “What if, this entire thing is a simulation and all of our thoughts are pre-determined and nothing we think or do is of our own control” he finished flashing an insane smile towards Ted. Bill let out an annoyed groan, with a hint of panic.

“Wh...what the hell is wrong with you?” Ted asked looking at his friend, who sounded like they just escaped Gotham Asylum. “What did he drink” Ted quietly whispered to Bill who waved him off.

“He got a very little amount of sleep last night, and the previous night” Bill explained turning his attention to his script. Ted nodded with sudden realization.

“Looks like Stage 3 Paul is joining us today huh?” Ted teased, Paul did nothing but smile and nod eagerly. Stage 3 Paul was Ted's favorite. Stage 1 was annoyingly grumpy and mean, Stage 2 was overly emotional and much too worrisome, Stage 4 was weirdly smart, and did nothing but correct people but Stage 3? Oh, Stage 3 was an amazing blissfully unaware gift sent from the heavens. Stage 3 Paul was the best Paul. Ted let his worries about Tommy and his father slip away, as he dutifully ignored his current assignment and turned all his focus on having fun with Stage 3 Paul. Today couldn't get any better, Ted thought.

But it could get worse, so much worse

~~~~

“It was not that bad!” Charlotte exclaimed delightfully as she unwrapped a pastry from her mother's bakery and took a mouth-watering bite out of it. The group murmured sounds of agreement and disagreement. “He was sweet! So he was a little nervous, can you blame him? A biology teacher teaching Musical Theatre-”

“Talk about out of your element” Emma chimed in, Charlotte nodded giggling. Emma smiled at her friend before unwrapping her own lunch, 2 pieces of bread, a bag of chips, homebrewed coffee, and honey and as always a handwritten note from her mother.

Have a wonderful day Honey! I hope your bread and honey will bee satisfactory. Also, enjoy the coffee, hopefully, it gives you the buzz you need to get going.

Love you forever and always

Mama

Emma groaned at the forced honey puns but couldn't help but smile at the sweet note. It has always been like this, ever since she was little. Her mom insisted on making her kids lunch, and every day since her first day of kindergarten there was a hand-written note filled with love, puns and more. Emma never dared complain about it, she feared it would stop if she did and honestly? She loved it, she always had. Her sister… She shook her head stuffing the note back into the lunch box and removing her lunch and setting it up. She smiled gratefully knowing no matter what, she would always have her mom… and lunch.

Ted, on the other hand, sat next to Bill empty-handed. This isn't unusual, he rarely had time to make lunch, not that there was any food at home. He was also flat broke so buying wasn't an option, all he could do was sit watching the others eat and trying not to drool over their food. He tried to distract himself by joining the conversation but… other things occupied his mind. He rolled his eyes as the girls playfully teased Paul for all he was worth. Ted had grown bored of Stage 3 Paul, having milked him for everything he could think of. Bill was sitting reading and pleasantly enjoying his food, so not an option. He huffed annoyed and examined the cafeteria, he found himself looking for a certain wide-eyed, glasses-wearing boy. He felt his heart flutter at the sight of Tommy sitting at a table not far from his own. He was sitting alone which sent a pang of guilt down Ted's chest. He was hunched over, reading a book much like Bill. Ted couldn't help but grin at the pleasant comparisons.

One more reason to love him

Like him!

Help me…

He shook his head and looked further, Tommy sat sipping his trademark hot chocolate and munching on a tasty treat. Ted gave his table one more look and decided to make his way over to Tommy finding his company much more exciting. He danced through the crowded room and slid himself into the bench across from Tommy, he cleared his throat to which Tommy’s head shot straight up. At the sight of Ted, Tommy had plastered a giant smile across his face. He bookmarked his page and turned his full attention to the taller boy.

“Heya Ted!” He looked around “What brings you to my corner of the cafeteria” Tommy inquired, Ted marveled at his voice. The sound of constant excitement rushing through him, the eagerness to listen, never faltering loving look he showed. Oh, I have got it bad, Ted thought. He quickly realized he had been gazing and adjusted his position.

“Nothing much just wanted to…” Ted paused, why was he here? He mentally cursed himself for approaching with no plan. Luckily something caught the pair's attention and god how Ted had wished it had not.

“Attention everyone!” A loud voice boomed across the cafeteria. Ted spun around on the bench quickly, he found himself staring at Billy. Billy was standing on the middle cafeteria table and held a speaker in his hand. He was surrounded by his goons who were murmuring excitedly and snickering.”I have a very important announcement to make-” He declared pausing, right cause anything you say is important, Ted thought. “About Ted Porker”

Ted felt his face fall and his stomach knot. Me? Oh god… why me? What could he- Ted felt his entire face go red. The hallways this morning, the conversation, Tommy. He turned to his bespeckled friend who shared the same face of fear that Ted did, except his was riddled with concern. Tommy quickly placed a comforting hand on Ted's arm, who gasped and pulled away. He wanted to stay, he wanted Tommy to comfort him.

HELP

PLEASE

His eyes pleaded but his actions were closed off, he turned back to Billy who shot him a disgusting smirk. Ted felt ill, he couldn't look at him. Frantically, he looked around the cafeteria, eyes were moving between him and Billy. He couldn't hear the confused murmurs of the groups around him. Finally, his eyes landed on his table, his four friends staring back at him. Charlotte's face was riddled with concern and fear, Ted tried to make out what she was mouthing to him but his eyesight dulled. Emma's face was scrunched with anger, not at Ted, at Billy. She shot him apologetic eyes before glaring at Billy. Next to her was Paul, oh Paul. Paul had clearly gained enough consciousness to understand the situation. He was standing now, balled fists slammed on the table sharing the same angry look that Emma had. Ted might have been across the room but he could feel the fury directed at Billy. And then there was Bill, Bill’s eyes were filled with concern but his face stayed calm. After a moment of silent communication between Ted and Bill, his small friend stood and made his way over to Ted. Ignoring all the looks and conversations, he sat next to his taller friend.

“Are you ok?” He whispered softly into Ted's ear, Ted pulled himself away from his gaze of the table and turned to Bill. He ignored the fact that Billy was still talking, and people were still paying attention.

“Whats… what's he saying?” Was all Ted could manage, his mind was silent. But so was everything else, he hated it.

“Ted…” Bill said softly, Ted pleaded once more “He’s… he's describing an encounter with you this morning” That was it, that was all Ted needed to hear. He shut his eyes tight to stop the hot tears from flooding. He balled his fists, he could feel Bill wrap him in a supportive hug. And then… it happened.

“Ted Porker likes boys” The room went silent, not just Teds mind everyone. Everyone froze in shock, Ted felt Bill hug him harder.

Pressure

Breathe

What would your father think?

Pressure

Failure, that's what you are

Breathe

But he couldn't, he couldn't breathe. He heard the room erupt into confusion and excited talking. Seriously? Ted thought Vultures, the lot of them. He pulled away from Bill, failing to stop the tears, he choked back a sob and stood embarrassed, mortified, ashamed. Bill stood next to him, soon joined by Tommy on his other side.

“NO!” He shouted Ted gasped, clasping a hand over his mouth. He frantically spits out apologies before backing away covered in tears and feeling hotter than ever he ran. He ran out of the cafeteria, ignoring Bill and Tommys concerned shouting after him, ignoring Paul who tried to grab him, ignoring the commanding voice of the principal telling everyone lunch was over and to get to their next class. He ran, he didn't know where he was going but it wasn't here. He wasn't staying here.

THUD

Ted shivered as he felt himself hit the floor. He swallowed so scared looking up to realize he had collided with another person. He quickly shot up, terror-filled him, what was he going to do? What was wrong with him? Why was he like this? Panic flooded his thoughts, everything he had tried to keep at bay EVERYTHING was now washing over him and he collapsed in front of the unknown person too scared to look them in the eyes. He collapsed feeling alone, useless, and feeling like he wanted to end it all. So he collapsed sobbing as two warm arms wrapped around him, rubbing comforting circles on his back.

~~~

Henry caught the boy just in time before he seriously hurt himself, immediately engulfed the terrified child into a warm embrace and rubbed his back ever so carefully. Everything about him was soft and caring but his eyes? Oh, Henry's eyes were burning with fiery rage, he knew he couldn't but he really wanted to punch that kid.

‘You can't punch a kid’ Chad would say

He shook his head, he would deal with that cretin later. Right now, he looked down at shivering boy, who had nestled his head into Henry's neck, right now this boy needs me.

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etcwrites · 7 years ago

Text

Missing & Unknown

Lancelot Week Day 2 @lancelotweek

Prompt: love/hate

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Completed

Summary:

Lotor is still new to the alliance and Paladins of Voltron are a touch distrustful. But no worries, Lancey Lance has the perfect solution: A party! (Post S04)

AO3 Link

“Regretfully, I must decline.”

A line appears between Lance’s eyebrows, confusion bleeding into his expression and creasing his otherwise perfect skin.

His immediate response is to ask why?! Why would Lotor decline his proposal?

From every viewpoint, attending a party should make perfect sense. Besides being extremely fun, (because, please Lancey Lance knows how to throw a fabulous party) it creates the perfect opportunity to socialize with allies, solidifying their newly formed alliance and allowing Lotor to gain a little bit of trust.

“Decline?!” he exclaims, voice going high before he could control it. “You realize that half of the alliance distrusts you and the other half hates you, right?”

Lotor doesn’t even blink but still Lance can see how his words hit at the core. The prince must realize his situation as well. With his strategical thinking and innate need to analyze, Lance knows that Lotor perfectly understands the delicate situation that he faces. With barely a month under his belt as the new ally of Voltron (and with the fact that he is Emperor Zarkon’s freaking son) he stands on thin ice.

“I’m aware, Paladin of Voltron.” Lotor replies, voice soft but his chin up, looking almost adorably stubborn.

“No, no,no, no, no stop right there!”

“I apologize-“

“No, it’s fine. Just call me Lance. Not-” Lance grimaces at the formal words. “Paladin of Voltron”

For a second confusion passes through Lotor’s face, elegant brows rising before tension bleeds out his shoulders, slowly transforming into a smile. Albeit not a nice smile, but still a smile.

“Lance…” he repeats, voice pleased, commanding, testing…

A shiver runs down Lance’s spine before he can understand what is happening.

“Uh-“ he stammers, already feeling the color rising to his cheeks. “Yes, so…the party! Uh- I think you should attend, you-”

Lotor leans back on his chair, eyes travelling up and down Lance’s body to finally settle on his face. “I realize this is a personal party, a celebration of a birth date.”

“Yes, a birthday.” He replies, trying and failing to keep the color away from his face. Why does Lotor have to be this pretty and have such a perfect hair?! “But it is hardly an exclusive event. We’ll have ambassadors from the coalition, even a few people from the Blades. And there will be cake and decorations! Oh man, you know Hunk makes a mean chocolate and chocolate chips cake that you can’t even believe your taste buds! And music! Pidge found a way to download songs from her archive so things might get pretty wild, if you catch my drift!”

Lotor makes a contemplative noise at the back of his throat, head leaning against his fist, and a small smile settling across his face as he regards Lance and his nervous rambling. This time the smile looks softer…

“You seem quite excited for this event.”

“Well…yeah.” Lance sobers up and focuses on Lotor. “I want this to work. To achieve peace throughout the universe, we must first get to know each other.”

“Get to know each other?... Indeed…”

“Uh-“ Lance blinks, heart leaping to his throat at Lotor’s suggestive tone. He must be dreaming… “I mean! We must try to understand each other! And, what better way than a party, right?!”

For a second silence hangs between them, time stretching out and filling space. Lance prepares himself for another rejection, the amused smile on prince’s face unhelpful at easing his suspicion. However, when Lotor uncrosses his legs and leans forward into Lance’s space, he is entirely unprepared.

“Such a compelling case,” Lotor murmurs, long hair brushing against Lance’s knees. Then fixing his gaze on the other, he smirks. “Count me in…Lance”

Heat suddenly burns inside his stomach, sucker punching and rendering him speechless for a few seconds. As Lance takes a sharp breath, eyes fleeting across Lotor’s face, the other leans back with fingers linking and a knowing smirk settling across his lips.

“Uh…good! Sure thing!” He mentally shakes himself, rising to his feet in a smooth motion and turning to leave. “I’ll let you know about the details.”

With an affirmative nod from the prince, Lance turns back and moves out, all the while feeling Lotor’s burning gaze down his back.

Strange…

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

“You did WHAT?!”

Lance can see a vine popping across Keith’s temple and wow, does it look malicious, much like Keith’s entire aura right now.

“Hey!” Lance retaliates, indignant and high pitched, because he has pride (and really believes this might help them secure another alliance, but that’s beside the point and it has absolutely nothing to do with how pretty Lotor looked just minutes ago! No! Nope! NOT happening! )

“There is nothing harmful about it, so keep your hackles under control, huh, mullet!”

“We don’t even know his intentions or his agenda!” Keith continues.

“Ahh, yes… I side with Keith on this one, man. I mean, this is Lotor we are talking about, you know evil crown prince of Galra, massive planner, schemer, because he looks like a schemer… You guys remember how he was always one step ahead of us, right?!”

Lance swallows down his sigh. Of course he knows what Hunk is talking about and he loves his best bud but sometimes the big guy worries too much.

“Guys, relax!” he gestures with his hands, palms turned towards them. “Everything is gonna be just fine. C’mon, it is just a party!”

Keith still looks like he is ready to give him another piece of his mind but Lance swiftly turns towards the mostly silent occupant in the room. “Besides, Pidge is okay with it, and it is her birthday!”

Promptly every other face turns to the girl, who is typing on the transparent tablet. “It’s fine.” she replies nonchalantly, eyes never leaving the screen. Lance opens his arms towards her and gestures as if he is presenting something. “See!”

Now Keith looks constipated and Hunk looks quite a bit sick but Lance is almost convinced he can turn this around and stop the team from harassing Lotor when a shadow lands on four of them, causing every head to turn towards the source.

Over the seats of the common room Shiro stands, looking down at them and for a second Lance thinks he is going to be reprimanded for taking liberties, only to relax as Shiro shares his opinion. “I think we all should try to see this as an opportunity to get acquainted with Prince Lotor and introduce ourselves as well.”

“I agree” As Allura moves to stand next to Shiro, Lance feels a warm feeling settle across his chest. He can only guess what it means to lose all of your family, all of your people and yet, find the strength to overcome your pain and even accept the race that caused such a tragedy.

She is amazing, Lance thinks. More than amazing…

“This is a chance to gain new allies such as Prince Lotor and strengthen our relationships with our existing ones”

“Also,” Lance intervenes, plopping beside Pidge and pulling her close with an arm around her shoulder “to have fun!” Turning to wink at Allura, he smiles brightly. “It is a birthday after all!”

At the corner of his eye Lance can see Pidge sending him a look but up close he also notices the corner of her lips turning up.

“Ah-“ Allura says, suddenly embarrassed. “Yes, you are absolutely right, Lance.” Her voice has gone soft. “It is to have fun as well.”

Across the room Keith’s scowl has no rival. Lance suspects, it is because he is allergic to having fun.

But finally, he thinks ignoring all of that. Something is going right!

Turning back to Pidge, he grins.

“Just leave it to me!”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The party is… a disaster!

Well, probably that is an overstatement but where is the joy if it is not an overstatement!

Still…it is going pretty rocky for Lance.

And, don’t get him wrong, it is not the countless clueless aliens and their preferences towards juuust the right music. It is not the weird, weird gifts gathered around Pidge (seriously who gets a human being a purple acid bomb!). Strangely… it is not Keith, with his stupid frown and sulking tense expression. It is not even Lotor, who is for the most part calmly nursing his drink beside the bar and basically keeping a low profile.

No! It is Matt and his stupid sibling love!

Lance grits his teeth as Matt once again hugs Pidge close, wide grins plastered across their faces and it is great to see them as happy as this, because a) cute, b) happiness is a treasure in vast freaking space and c) it means the party is amazing and Lance is proud of himself.

But…

It hurts.

Sighing Lance turns his eyes away and quickly excuses himself from the company of a few Balmerans. He seriously needs a drink to take the edge of, fingers clenching into tight fists as he desperately tries to control his feelings.

As he passes through the crowd he can feel longing settling across his chest, a sudden feeling of loss pulling at his heart. For a second his sister flashes in the shadow of Allura, in the way she flicks her hair over her shoulder , the next moment he can see his brother’s smile on Hunk’s face and –

Lance catches sight of Matt and Pidge -

-that warm feeling that surrounds his heart whenever his little cousin hugs him…

Lance turns his eyes away, heart squeezing painfully.

I miss-

No! He can’t deal with this right now. Not in front of all these people, not when it is Pidge’s birthday!

Moving towards the bar, he bypasses the various snacks and immediately reaches for the spiked punch.

Vaguely he is aware of another set of eyes watching him but at this point, he can’t find it in himself to care about anything. Pouring a generous portion, Lance turns towards the exit, the sudden need to be alone almost choking him. He needs space; he needs to be away from happy families, away from reunions, reminders and most certainly birthday parties.

Giving a fake half smile to one of the Olkari representatives, Lance pushes through the crowd, his eyes momentarily catching Lotor’s before turning away.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

In the silence of an empty corridor, Lance leans against the wall, knees folded and eyes focused on the flickering lights scattered across the vast space. He wonders if he will ever get the opportunity to see his family again, to feel his mother’s warm arms, to hear his dad’s joyful laugh…

Space is too large, Lance thinks, pushing at now the empty cup. And Earth is so far away.

The sudden forlorn footsteps pull him out of his thoughts, head reluctantly turning towards the intruder. He really doesn’t want to explain himself to the team, their faces too familiar, too close… And he doesn’t have the strength to pretend for a member of the coali-

As Lotor turns the corner, Lance can feel his brows rising in surprise. In the low light of the corridor Lotor looks divine, regal with perfect skin and piercing eyes…. and entirely out of place.

“Uhm-“ Lance stammers intelligently. “What- why- why are you here?”

One of Lotor’s eyebrows rises, an amused sly expression replacing his neutral one. “As one of your guests, can’t I enjoy the various corridors of your castle?”

Lance can’t help his frown. “That doesn’t even make sense. There is nothing interesting here-“

“You seemed upset”

Lance’s voice hitches at his throat, a lump settling right at the center.

“I’m fine,” he tries, avoiding the other’s gaze and turning his head towards the stars. “Just needed some space.”

Lotor stays silent but takes one more step towards Lance. “Would you mind if I stay here for a while?” Before Lance can complain, the other leans against the wall beside him. “It was getting rather…tense surrounded by coalition forces.”

Sneaking a look, Lance pushes down his sigh. “Sure,” he says. “Though I find that hard to believe. And you should be trying to make friends, not hide in a corridor.”

“Ah!” Lotor murmurs, amusement clear in his voice. “Such a sound advice.”

This time Lance turns to glare up at the prince. “Hey!” he complains “I’m fine! This is just tempor-“

“You were excited for this party, were you not?” Lotor diverts, looking away from Lance and focusing on the stars. “ What changed?”

“Uh- nothing!” Lance exclaims, voice suddenly spiking. “Nothing changed… It is just-“

I miss-

Swallowing he stops, words choking him and his heart breaking under the weight of space, of distance, of endless war. He doesn’t know if he will ever be back, if he will ever see his cousins, his aunts and uncles, his siblings, parents… mom…

Before he can stop himself words tumble between his lips.

“My family…” Lance starts, vision blurring “when I was back home…”

He tightly closes his eyes for a few seconds, forcing himself to calm down, to gain control of his voice. When he reopens them, they are shinning with a new force. “We used to have these huge birthday parties.” He pushes on, voice getting stronger with each word, memories providing strength instead of causing pain, as he continues to share.

“And, ah- everyone came in. The house would be full! My cousins, all of them! They are all younger than me and oh, you should have seen it! When it comes to parties the first year is always the best one!”

Vaguely Lance can feel Lotor sliding down the wall to settle beside him.

“I remember Phillipa! She took her first steps on her birthday, that little rascal! She was adorable, trying to stay upright with her chubby hands grabbing onto the sofa-“

Suddenly stopping Lance bites his lip. Why was he even talking about these things?!...

“I guess…” he admits, voice small and low but finally ready. “I- I miss them. There is only somethings you can share with your family”

Beside him Lotor hums, though Lance isn’t sure if he understands.

Silence stretches between them, filling up the space and almost becoming deafening.

“Where are your Generals?”

At the sudden question, Lotor’s jaw clenches, his fingers growing tense then gradually, deliberately relaxing.

Lance bites his lip. Abort, abort!, his brain screams at him. “You,” he starts, nervously cleaning his throat. “You don’t have to tell me. I just thought…it was odd.”

As Lance watches, Lotor looks away, eyes searching the endless space. This time the silence that comes between them is oppressive, restricting, almost making it impossible to breathe.

“It was me,” Lotor says, in the end, successfully throwing Lance into a loop.

“You? How so?” Leaning forward Lance rests his head on his palm.

For a second Lotor looks like he might give an honest answer, eyes thoughtful and fingers linked, before his face closes off. “Galra do not have the sentiments you have described.”

“Pffft! I don’t know what you are talking about” Lance argues, letting it go and trying to keep things light. “Keith is half Galra and he is such a ball of sunshine when it comes to friendship.”

Lotor looks unconvinced but soon his features relax as he catches up to the joke.

“But,” Lance continues. “ He still cares…”

The other turns towards the window once again. “I understand he is no longer a paladin.”

A sudden anger rises inside Lance, disappointment squeezing around his heart. Vaguely he realizes this might be a ploy by Lotor to gather more information, to identify their weaknesses and divide the team, but sometimes you gotta give in to get something in return. “He wanted to go another way, yes. But that doesn’t mean-“ A sudden lump clogs up his throat. And he knows he had agreed with the others when Keith asked to join the Blades of Marmora, he knows they had this giant group hug, showing their support and acceptance but still…the thought of Keith leaving - It still hurts…

“-that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about the team.”

Lotor hums once again, voice soft and contemplative. “Perhaps.” Then turning towards Lance he fixes his gaze on the other. “For Galra, loyalty and sincerity don’t come naturally. We-“ He pauses for a second, expression staying forcefully neutral, before continuing. “Survive… and do anything to ensure our goals, whatever they may be.”

Oh-

“It sounds lonely.”

That wasn’t what Lance had meant to say but once he says it, he can see how true it is. Beside him, Lotor looks surprised and even though it only lasts for a few seconds, it is enough.

Lance pulls his knees towards his chest, linking his long arms around his bent legs. “Whether in the shape of kin, relatives or friends, family is important.” He murmurs, looking at the floor. “They love you and stay with you even though you are not at your best. They are there to support you, to keep you in line, to show you what can be better, how you can be better. And-“

He pushes his lips together, fingers biting into his arms.

“- and I’m sorry you didn’t have the chance to find yours yet.”

When he looks up there is confusion on Lotor’s face as if Lance is an alien life form, hatching right before his eyes and once again Lance waits for that look to turn calculative, even turn into something similar to how he had regarded Lance before the party, amused, flirty, manipulative… But it stays the same.

Cleaning his throat Lance then leans back and shoves Lotor’ arm slightly. “Besides,” he points out, trying to lighten the mood. “You can’t really do worse than Zarkon. The guy literally tried to kill you.” Smiling Lance gives the prince a wink. “You can only go up from there.”

Shock is evident on Lotor’s face, brows raised and eyes wide open but before Lance can try something else to pacify the situation, the other speaks.

“You are a peculiar one, aren’t you?”

“What?! Peculiar? I’m peculiar?! I’ll tell you what Prince Lotor-“

Then suddenly there is a laugh, barely and short but it is a laugh, from Lotor nonetheless.

Lance grows silent, his eyes fixed on the other.

“I apologize” Lotor says his voice loaded with amusement, eyes soft. Then…

“Thank you…Lance.”

A new exciting energy passes through Lance, the way his name sounds in Lotor’s voice causing a shiver to run down his back. However, it is different than before. Now it feels warmer… better.

Lance cleans his throat, feeling color spreading across his cheeks.

The other gives him a half smile, a second later his face slowly closing off and smile turning into a calculating smirk.

But Lance can tell a first step when he sees one.

And for now, he’ll take what he can.

#LancelotWeek2017 #lancelot #voltron legendary defender #voltron #etc.writes #missing & unknown

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writingismyhappytime · 7 years ago

Text

Bucky Barnes (Part 2)

Bucky Barnes x reader (eventually)

Warnings: Language, violence, explosions, Hydra, cupcakes

A/N: Let’s not talk about how long this is or that I wrote over 8500 words in a few hours. If you want to be tagged, let me now.

You drink from your straw noisily, sitting at the small bar in Stark Tower, on the fifth floor. You can't very well stay in your own home, considering the entire front wall of your living room is out in the street.

Stark had been oh so gracious to offer you one of the apartments in his building, free of charge, and you'd oh so gladly accepted. Of course, it's not the same, and though it's spacious, you miss your own place. You've tried cleaning up the mess a little, shoveling the debris out onto the sidewalk for someone else to deal with. Construction teams are already over the city, which had been declared to be in "natural disaster mode."

Nothing that happened had been natural.

Now.

"Do you have to drink that so obnoxiously?" you hear someone grouch, and you half turn on your stool, seeing Tony Stark himself entering the lounge. He's dressed in a suit, a bruise under his eye you hadn't noticed until then. His dark hair is messy, like he's run his hands through it a hundred times. He must be stressing out, probably over the fact his girlfriend wants a break from him; you hear things.

You merely suck harder on the straw, creating more noise.

He sighs, and ignores you as he walks across the room to where Natasha and Rogers sit at the tables near the window. You suppose the area is more for dining, with the bar and the lounge chairs, the dining tables and the low lighting. Stark has a chef on call at all hours of the day, so anything anyone wanted from the kitchen was available.

The baker sucks, however. His cupcakes are too dry, and they crumble to pieces when you touch them. You've never been so disgusted of a pastry in your life.

"Natasha, have you seen Clint?" you hear Stark ask. "He was supposed to be here an hour ago for the meeting tonight."

"I haven't seen him. Have you called his wife?"

"She won't answer."

"Then he's probably avoiding you," the Russian spy shrugs her shoulders, looking uninterested. "You're pushy and annoying sometimes, Stark. He's probably already on his way here."

"This meeting is important, he can't just ignore my calls!"

"I think that's exactly what he's doing."

You lean onto the bar, your straw in your mouth as you chew on it. You're looking at your phone, trying to estimate how much the damages are going to cost you. You've a pen and paper in front of you, numbers scribbled all over them. The problem is, the numbers are adding up to be much more then what's in your bank account, and you're a thrifty spender as it is.

You're not sure what you're going to do.

Your insurance definitely isn't going to be able to pay, not considering the rest of the city is in shambles. You know you're not going to be able to bother relying on them, that it's basically going to be your own cash doing all the work.

Yikes.

You're not a construction worker, you have absolutely no idea how to do any of it yourself or you would. It peeves you that, even though you can easily lift heavy beams or anything else you need, you don't have the experience to do it correctly.

You can just see yourself getting electrocuted now, your life ending in a flash of light; you've fought aliens, yet you get killed by a toaster.

That would be your luck.

You sigh, scribbling some more notes onto the paper, trying to section everything out. New display cases, new cash register, new blackboard, new sets of tables and chairs, new industrial oven since yours has a steel rod through it, new ---- everything, really.

You need a new everything.

Your shoulders slump a little as you rap your nails against the bar.

Baby steps.

First, clean out all of the debris. Get it out of the open space. You know the ceiling has structural damage again, so without doubt you'll hire someone else to do that. You can go cheap for the furniture, and maybe find some second hand display cases?

Yikes.

"What's all the numbers for?"

Huh?

You glance over, seeing the young witch leaning against the bar beside you, a curious look on her face. She's young, inexperienced, and unlike you, she's afraid of her powers. If she would embrace them, and not fight them, she'd be more powerful then all of the rest of the Avengers combined.

But, you're not going to tell her that, you don't know her.

"How much it's going to cost to repair my bakery," you say after a moment, releasing the straw from your teeth.

"That big number?" Wanda blinks, and you nod your head in resignation.

"Yup."

"Yeesh. Why does an oven cost that much?"

"It's industrial, it bakes several things at once."

"Ah. And why does the counter have to be red? Does it matter?"

"Yes. I have to keep up the color scheme, I don't want it to be tacky." you reply, tapping the pen against your lips thoughtfully. You suppose you could just get a counter though and paint it, that might take a little of the cost down.

Wanda sits down beside you, waving the waiter over so she can order fries and a milkshake. She just sits there a few moments, leaving you to continue to work on your costs. Wanda reminds you of yourself, sort of lost, wandering around with no real direction. You don't know her background, just that Stark sort of took her in and looks after her.

She's nice, for the most part, and very accepting of everyone and their different abilities.

"So what's this meeting Stark mentioned?" you ask after a moment, keeping your voice low. You figure, if anyone, she would know.

"Oh, some big wigs are coming over tonight to discuss the damage of the city with Tony." Wanda informs you, reaching happily for her strawberry milkshake. "They're going to try to figure out what to do."

"I'm surprised this building survived the blast, it's so close to the south side." you comment.

"Tony built it himself, it can just about withstand anything." Wanda replies, giving you a halfsmile. "It's the safest place to be during a fight."

You're sure.

"I guess." you shrug your shoulders, watching as the hot basket of fries are delivered.

They smell wonderful, and you find your mouth watering. You probably should have ordered something to eat as well.

Wanda lifts a fry to her lips as you turn around, glancing back at where Stark is still standing with the others. They're still by the glass wall, overlooking the damage of the city. It looks bad, smoke still curling through the air where some fires still smoldered. The damage would take a long time to repair.

"Just tell him to meet me!" Stark eventually huffs in aggravation, turning on his heel and storming for the elevator. You watch him go, leaning back as you straighten, hearing some of your joints pop. Yeesh, you're getting old. Your muscles are still sore from the fight, and your hands are bruised purple and blue from your nails to your wrist.

They look worse then what they feel, though.

You know Wanda keeps glancing at them, discolored and bandaged. She knows what your power is, vaguely similar to hers in nature. You figure that's why she talks to you the most out of everyone else, why she asks you random advice sometimes. You're not much older then her, but you're in much more control then she is.

You've had a lot of practice.

~~~~~~~~

You creep silently through the building, heading for the lounge area you'd left hours ago. You're starving, you should have eaten earlier but you didn't. You sort of hope the kitchen area is abandoned, or that the on call chef is asleep so you can make your own food. You really don't like his cooking all that much.

You're pretty sure this is the time when he takes his nap, so you should have a good three hours to yourself.

You're going to make your own damned cupcake and not have to worry about his crappy ones! You dislike them greatly.

You glance around as you take the elevator, finding the carpeted halls are all abandoned this late. You couldn't sleep, but you rarely do. You're much more of a night person then you are a day person.

The elevator dings as it reaches the lounge, and you walk out, your shoes quiet against the shiny wood floor. You need some new ones, they're covered in ash and have a hole in the bottom, but obviously buying a pair any time soon is out of the question. Every dime you have is going to have to go to repairing your bakery.

It takes a lot more money then people suspect.

You creep into the kitchen area, the door opening silently. It's well lit, even now, but very much abandoned.

Yep, all to yourself!

Brightening, you glide forward, grabbing one of the aprons off the hook by the door. You hum softly as you pilfer through all the drawers and cabinets, getting everything you need. You don't use a mix, you create your batter from scratch, and you're pleased to find all the ingredients for your vanilla cupcakes.

At least the kitchen is well stocked.

You grab a mixing bowl, adding all the ingredients and using the hand mixer, your body going on autopilot. You've done this so many times, you don't even have to think. You have the oven preheated and the pan greased, and your brain is already working on what kind of icing you want.

You push the cupcakes onto the oven rack, closing the door and setting the timer. It doesn't take long for them to bake, so you go ahead and gather the ingredients for your chocolate icing. Simple, yet delicious.

You hesitate, your skin crawling as you lean up from finding the chocolate powder. You look over just as the kitchen door opens, and you blink.

"What are you doing here?" You and Barnes both ask at the same time, looking startled. He looks incredibly uncomfortable almost immediately, and goes to take a step back.

"I, uh --- I couldn't sleep," he mutters, sniffing. "Are you baking?"

"Oh," you look down at the container in your hand. "Yeah. I'm making some cupcakes."

"Cupcakes?"

"Yes. The chefs here are too dry, and it's like eating crumbs. I'm making some of my own."

"Oh." Barnes hesitates. The pie from your shop had been great, he couldn't imagine how good your cupcakes could be.

"I'm not in your way, am I?" you ask, beginning your work on the icing. He's just standing in the doorway, looking at the mess you've made.

"No. I just came here for something to snack on."

"The chef is napping, I think. So you'll probably have to find something," you shrug your shoulders, looking down at your icing. Your hair is in a loose knot on the back of your head, revealing your neck and some of your shoulders. Your top is just a big t shirt, the apron strings making you have a waist in it.

"I'm used to finding what I want," Barnes says as he reluctantly enters the kitchen, inhaling the scent of baking. He finds his stomach is rumbling just from the smell, and now he's not sure any food is going to satisfy him.

He hears you muttering to yourself, a habit he's noticed. He glances over as he hears a cabinet open, and ducks hastily as a bag of sugar goes floating over his head. He blinks, turning to look as it opens, pouring its contents into a measuring cup near you. You're not even looking it, you're still mixing your icing together. He watches as the cup lifts, pouring its contents into your bowl.

He's never seen you use your power without your hands before.

The timer on the oven dings, and you look over, hesitating.

"I'll get it," Barnes offers, not wanting anything else to start floating by itself; it unnerves him, makes him think of ghosts. He steps to the oven, opening the door. He reaches in for the pan, hearing your indrawn breath as you start to tell him to stop --- only to realize he's bringing out the pan with his metal hand.

He sets the pan down on the cooling rack, and you frown.

"You could have used a pot holder."

"I didn't think it was necessary."

Ahuh.

You turn back to your icing, using your finger to run around the rim. You taste it, satisfied. You need to let the cupcakes cool off before you cover them, otherwise the icing will melt and run all over the place.

"Do you want to try?" you ask after a moment, watching Barnes look through the pantry for a snack. "The icing, I mean?"

You're not sure if he likes chocolate or not, but most normal people do. Besides, he's making you nervous, all his awkward movements. You're not sure why being in the same room as you unnerves him, it's not like you're going to toss him out a window or something.

Maybe it's because of your power, because of the fact you don't have to physically touch him to hurt him. You suppose it would make people uncomfortable, knowing you could lift them up and turn them upside down with just a thought.

Still, with all his companions, you'd think he wouldn't ---.

"Sure." Barnes turns, accepting the spoon you offer him. He hesitates, then brings it to his lips, tasting. Obviously you've not poisoned it, although the thought did cross your mind a time or two when it came to Stark.

The man just gets on your nerves.

So haughty.

"This is really good." Barnes blinks. The icing isn't thick, nor is it runny, creating the perfect texture. It's soft, and chocolatey, and he finds he's cleaning off the spoon.

"I know, I made it." you say, amused. You touch the cupcakes, finding they've cooled off enough, and you begin taking them out of the pan, the little wrappers around them making sure they don't stick. You begin icing them.

Barnes watches you, your careful movements, the calm look on your face as you work. You really enjoy what you're doing, it's obvious to him. He leans against the island behind him, crossing his arms.

"Can I... ask you something?" he asks finally.

"Sure."

"Why are you here?"

"Because I was hungry," you sigh, licking the bit of icing you get on your finger.

"No, I mean, here. At Stark tower. With everyone else."

"Because my home is in shambles and I can stay here rent free," you respond, the answer easy for you.

Barnes frowns. You keep answering his question, but you're not really answering it the way he wants.

He pushes away from the counter, stepping up to your side, seeing your shoulders tense slightly. He makes you uncomfortable, he can tell, which is generally why he keeps his distance. "Why are you fighting with us, when you so clearly don't want too?"

Oh wow, off immediately with the big questions.

You frown, your eyes on your cupcakes and not on him. "Because I don't have a choice. Rogers made sure of that."

"What did Steve do?" Barnes is a little more interested now. "I know he found you."

"Yeah, he did. And he ratted me out. I was living perfectly fine." your voice is a little sharp, and you add your icing onto the cupcake a little more forcefully then necessary, causing it to glop. "I had my bakery, and I was normal. I had a routine, I knew what to expect --- he managed to ruin all that for me."

"That wasn't his intention."

"Then he should have kept his mouth shut and left me alone," you snap, growing aggravated. You're bitter over the fact you're involved with the Avengers. You know you can't escape them, you're sure S.H.I.E.L.D. would hunt you down wherever you went. Plus, at least this way, you still get some normalcy in your day.

You're virtually invisible to the world still, they don't know your face, or that you even exist. You can go out and get a cup of coffee without being stared and whispered about.

You like being anonymous.

Barnes is silent, and you glance at him. You hope you didn't hurt his feelings with your tone, but you're definitely done with his line of questioning. You blame Rogers for getting you in this mess, and even if he apologized, you doubt you'll ever forgive him.

He never should have walked into your bakery.

"You want to lick the spoon?" you ask lightly, holding it up and offering it to Barnes, sort of as a peace offering. You don't want his feelings hurt, because oddly enough that would bother you. You don't mind being snarky to Stark and some of the others, because you know they didn't take it personally. With Barnes, you're not sure yet.

He doesn't immediately move, but then his real hand rises, accepting the spoon.

The icing is too good to give up.

You give him a half smile, then turn away, aligning your cupcakes. You nudge the bowl in his direction, letting him know he could have it too if he wanted.

Barnes takes the offering, taking the bowl and running the spoon along the lines of excess lines.

"So how long have you been a baker?" he asks after a moment, and you hesitate, thinking.

"I dunno. I've liked baking since I was a kid, and I started apprenticing when I turned sixteen. I only opened my own shop about five years ago."

"So you've had a lot of practice at perfecting this icing, huh?" Barnes pops the spoon into his mouth as you chuckle, nodding.

"Yes. I've had a while. Cupcake?" you offer him one, the icing in the shape of a flower on top. He takes it, watching as you unwrap your own. You lean against the counter beside him, delighted that the cupcake didn't immediately crumble when you bite into it. You relax, enjoying the sweet taste.

"What did you want to be?" you ask, since you're asking questions of each other. "Before you joined the army or whatever."

That's one way of putting it.

"I don't know." Barnes says after a moment, looking down. "I don't remember anymore."

You look at him, surprised. "You don't remember?"

"It was a long time ago."

Oh, right.

Looking at him, you forget that he was born over a hundred years ago.

"To be an old man, you've aged well. I don't see a wrinkle anywhere," you say, changing the subject. You try to lighten the mood, and give him a hesitant smile to show him you're teasing. "Not even a gray hair."

He almost smiles.

"Thanks. I think."

"Oh, yeah. Take it as a compliment," you nod your head, already on your third cupcake and starting to feel the sugar rush. You glance at the clock, seeing its getting close to four AM already. "I hope you didn't intend on going back to sleep tonight."

You gesture at the cupcake he still holds, just now finishing up the leftover icing.

"I didn't intend to anyway."

Oh really?

You look up at him curiously, but decide not to pry. You figure you've brought up enough bad memories for the night.

"So, what do you think of my cupcakes?"

"They're, uh, really good."He sits the bowl and spoon in the sink. "I can see why your bakery does so well."

"Thanks." You smile at the compliment, pleased. You've always been proud of your baking, it's one of your best talents. It calms you down, helps you think. "Maybe I'll bake one of my cakes one day and you can try it."

"Sounds good to me."

"What's your favorite kind?" you look up at him, relaxed.

He flushes. "Strawberry shortcake."

"Really?" you blink at him.

"Yes."

"Alright then. I'll make it for you."

"You don't have too."

"But I will anyway. I can't bake for money, so I guess I'll just... do it for fun again." you frown. "It'll be a while before I can do anything with my bakery, so I'll have to do something to pass the time."

"There's a lot to do around here." Barnes says, shrugging his shoulders. "There's a gym, and a movie theatre. Steve said there's a bowling alley around here somewhere, but I've not seen it. I don't usually explore."

"Wanda mentioned the bowling alley, so it must be real." you shrug your shoulders, and lift your hand, deciding it's time to clean up a little bit. You dislike having a messy kitchen.

The flour and sugar both rise, going back to their respective cabinets, along with a few other items. The fridge opens, the milk gliding back to its spot.

"You don't have to use your hands, do you?"

"Huh?"

"For your powers. You can do it without thinking."

"Yes." You can, you just don't. "It's just easier with my hands, I guess. Helps me direct. My mind wanders sometimes, and then it just creates a catastrophe."

Like an exploding bowl of cake mix.

Half a bag of sugar in the sink.

Volatile lasagna.

"Thanks, for the other day," you say after a moment, turning away to go to the sink.

"What do you mean?"

"When they asked about the spaceship." you turn the water on, letting it fill the sink so you can wash the dishes. "You didn't mention me."

"Oh, it didn't seem like you wanted me too."

"That's what I mean. So thanks." you mumble, a little awkward. You're not much for thank you's, people don't usually do nice things for you.

"No problem. Although, I gotta admit, it was pretty badass."

You snort, shaking your head. "Not ---."

"Hey, it was. You literally took down some aliens. You deserve praise for that."

"I just... caught them off guard."

"That you did."

~~~~~~~~

"So? What do you think?"

"About what?"

"What Stark was saying."

"Oh. I don't know, sounds risky for your team."

"Our team, Bucky." Steve corrects his friend, both of them standing in his room. "You're a part of this now, too."

It doesn't seem that way.

Bucky merely shrugs his shoulders, his hands in his pocket as he looks out over the city. He's tired, just like he always is. It's been a long week, especially with all the battles raging through the city.

"Do you think everyone will be up for so soon?" Steve is worried about his team, he knows they're all tired, especially those who had been out in the field. It was a miracle no one was injured when the aliens vaporized half the city.

"Most of them seem recovered." Bucky responds after a moment, his mind flicking to you. "They're getting back to their normal selves."

"I hope so. Natasha ---."

"Who do you want to go out with you?" Bucky interrupts Steve, glancing at his blonde friend. "On this mission? It'll have to be small, considering."

"I know. You, Stark, and Natasha. The four of us should ---."

"Why not (Y/L/N)?" Bucky asks, rather curious. You've proved yourself to be very trustworthy, and completely capable of taking care of yourself. Steve raises a brow at Bucky, surprised.

"You want her to come?"

"No. I'm just curious why you didn't chose her. Natasha doesn't have any abilities. Yes, she's an excellent assassin, but considering you're chasing down those with powers, shouldn't your team be the same way? The other girl is too young and inexperienced."

"Wanda, you mean."

"Yes."

"I dont know about (Y/L/N). I don't know if I can trust her or not."

"You'll never know if you never give her a chance."

"She hates me, Bucky. She'll let me go down the first chance she gets." Steve shakes his head.

"She's not a cruel person, Steve. She wouldn't let you die."

"I don't want to take that chance."

Bucky frowns, turning to look at Steve head on. "So you're saying she doesn't deserve an opportunity to prove herself, then?"

"I'm saying, I don't want her to take one of us down if our back is turned."

"You didn't seem to think that during the battle."

"We were all split up and we needed everyone."

"You were prepared to give me a second chance after all that I did, why are you so adamant against giving her one?" Bucky asks, defending you. He crosses his arms, staring down Captain America and making him squirm. "What do you know that I don't? Should I not trust her either?"

"No, I just --- if I were in her place, I would let me down." Steve finally admits, looking the slightest bit guilty. "I drug her into all this mess, I turned her life up side down. Her being here is my fault."

"So?"

"So, I can't trust her. She doesn't trust me."

"You might need to earn her trust then. Like you said, you brought her into this world." Bucky turns away, heading for the door. "You owe her a chance to find her footing in it."

"Where are you going?"

"I need some air."

Actually, he's just craving one of your cupcakes.

~~~~~

"What?" you gasp, horrified. You stare at Rogers like he's grown a fifth head, completely repulsed. "No!"

"Orders. We leave in the morning." Rogers informs you, his arms crossed over his white shirt. He still dressed like an old man, not quite into the newer clothing of the generation. You glower at him from your room door, your hand tightening around the knob.

"Whose?" you snap, intent on ripping them a new asshole. You just got settled, you don't want to go on another mission! You're sure one of the others would jump at the chance, you just want to be left alone!

"Just be ready to leave at dawn. You'll be briefed on the plane." Rogers is short with you, just like he always is. He's rude, and it wouldn't kill him to say please and thank you sometimes! You doubt you'd like him any better, but it would help! He turns on his heel, disappearing down the hallway.

Son of a bitch!

~~~~~~

You sit moodily on the jet, your arms crossed over your chest as you stare out the window. You're tired, you dislike early mornings, and you'd like nothing more then to punch old cap right in his pretty mouth.

With a truck.

You silently seethe, glaring at any and everyone who crosses your path.

Barnes is asleep on one of the sofas, laid on his back with an arm as a pillow. He has one foot on the floor, his metal hand resting on his chest as he snoozes. He looks almost peaceful, a few strands of his dark hair laying on his cheek.

Stark and Falcon are in another row of seats, talking to Rogers about what they're doing. There's something in a jungle somewhere across the world that Hydra is after, but you don't know what it is, you're not in the "in crowd."

"There's no need to sulk."

"I thought you were sleeping."

"Your bad mood is keeping me awake."

You huff, sinking a little lower in your chair and not bothering to respond.

Barnes lips twitch, and he opens his eyes, looking over at you. You're dressed in your armor again, that bitchy look on your face that makes you look unapproachable. He hasn't mentioned he's the reason you're on the mission, and from your very negative reaction, he doubts he's going too. You already dislike Steve so much, he's hoping this mission will change your mind.

Steve is a great leader, and he cares about his people. Going on a mission with so few with hopefully change your mind about him, maybe even convince you to forgive him.

Maybe then Steve would forgive himself.

"It shouldn't be a hard mission, we're just scouting."

"Just scouting? Captain America isn't going anywhere just to look around."

You're feisty this morning.

Or whatever time it is now.

"True." Barnes pushes himself up, twisting until he's sitting with both legs on the floor. He's a little more comfortable with you now, so he's not acting as awkward as usual.

You'd broke the ice with your baking apparently.

"We're here," you hear someone call. "Everyone get ready!"

Oh great.

~~~~~~

The jungle is hot, and your skin crawls as you step off the plane, holding a bag of supplies over your shoulder. It's not supposed to be a long hike, you've been told, but you seriously doubt that; nothing seems to ever go to plan with these guys.

You rub at the back of your neck, your hair in a knot again. You kind of regret the black clothing, it's making the heat worse and already you're sweating. None of the others seemed bothered, you bet Stark even has air conditioning in his iron suit.

They could have at least given you a tiny fan.

How much longer do you have to keep walking, anyway!? You're walking in a single file, Stark in the front whacking the jungle out of the way. Barnes is behind you, making sure no one gets jumped, you suppose.

"How much farther is this place?" you finally huff, breaking the silence. Your feet are starting to hurt, and you rub your fingers, feeling them burn a little.

"We're not far off according to my GPS." Stark replies, his suit whirring slightly; you bet that was the air conditioning!

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"Now you sound like Wanda." he grumbles, and you roll your eyes.

You're not a jungle person.

There's so many sounds, all the animals enjoying their normal routine. The plants are thick, as are the vines hanging down from the tallest trees you've ever seen. It's disorienting, and you can just imagine a bug biting you and giving you some disease you've never heard of!

You sigh heavily, shuffling the bag hanging off your shoulder as all of you enter a clearing finally. You glance around, hoping there's not any snakes.

You hate snakes.

"We need to be careful from here on. We don't know if Hydra is there or not already." Rogers says after a moment, stopping to take a sip of water. You know he glances at you, obviously worried you're going to start banging pots and pans together to give away your location.

He doesn't trust you, and he's better off for it.

You don't trust him either.

You've never fought any Hydra, you just know they're the bad guys. They tortured Barnes and turned him into a killing machine, and for someone to do that --- well, they obviously have to be evil, right? Trying to take over the world and all the other typical villain mumbo jumbo.

"The temple is just ahead, we should get going." Stark sounds antsy.

Temple?

Like with mummies and curses?

You hesitate as everyone starts moving again. You really dont want to go running into some haunted temple in the middle of some forgotten jungle! That sounds like one of the worst ideas you've ever heard!

"Why are we even going to a temple?" you ask uneasily.

"To make sure Hydra doesn't get whatever's inside."

"You don't even know what it is!?"

"I didn't exactly stop and ask what they wanted." Stark snaps.

"Well maybe you should have! Do you know what temples have in them!?"

"Cobwebs?"

"No! Freaking curses, and haunted monkey statues!" you huff, having to watch your feet so you don't trip over the roots crawling across the jungle floor. "We could be waltzing right into a trap because you didn't do your homework!"

"And what am I supposed to do? Google it?"

"We probably would have been better off!"

Bucky snorts, hiding his smile hastily. You'll start a fight with just about anyone.

You're right behind Stark now, bickering back and forth with him relentlessly. You're giving him down the road and absolutely no mercy.

"She's got a mouth, doesn't she?" he murmurs to Steve, who nods his head in agreement.

"You got that right, man. Glad it's him and not me."

Bucky chuckles, unable to help himself.

You amuse him, you distract him from the bad thoughts that threaten to enter his mind. Talk about cursed statues and mummies have Stark cursing at you, telling you to shut up and go home if you're that afraid of a myth.

To which, you reply, that if he ever tells you to shut up again, you'll turn his iron suit into a tuna can.

You're making this mission much more interesting.

You abruptly go silent up ahead, and Bucky straightens, his eyes on the very same thing you see.

Steps.

They're halfway out of the ground, covered in greenery, and they lead into what looks like a cave entrance. It disappears into the ground, so Bucky isn't sure if its caved in or it just leads into hell.

"I am not going in there!" you hiss, your entire body tensing as you take a large step back.

"Then stand guard out here," Stark growls, his yellow and red suit reflecting the sunlight into your eyes, forcing you to look away. "Make sure no one follows us inside."

"Did you ever stop to think maybe Hydra is crouching in the bushes and letting you do all their dirty work? They'll just ambush us as soon as you come back with that cursed monkey!"

"Well, you'll stop them then, won't you? You won't let them take the monkey!"

"Like hell! I'm not risking my life for a monkey!"

Stark makes a frustrated sound, and you know he's glaring at you through his suit. "It's not even a monkey, and whatever it is isn't cursed!"

"You don't have to yell at me, you overgrown tuna can!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Stop being an asshole!"

"Enough with the squabbling," Rogers interrupts, shaking his head as he walks forward. "I'll take the lead, Stark you follow. Bucky, you stay out here with (Y/L/N) and have our back. We'll search what we can."

"You don't even know what you're searching for." you frown.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out." Rogers tells you calmly, your face already red. "Bucky?"

"I got this. Go on." Bucky nods his head.

You watch as Rogers and Stark disappear into the mouth of hell, shaking your head at their stupidity. You let your pack drop off your shoulders, and you sit down on one of the steps, stretching out your legs with a heavy sigh.

This is ridiculous.

"Why are we even out here? What could be so important in a condemned old cave?" you ask, frowning.

"Who knows? There's old power in this world." Barnes says simply, and you shake your head again.

"Why bother to go after it? It might be completely safe in there, and because they're going where they don't belong ---."

"They're just making sure it's safe. Trust me, if those two can get to it, someone else can as well. If Hydra already knows of its existence, then it doesn't stand a chance of staying in there. It's better Steve gets it." Barnes explains, rolling his shoulder.

"Why do you trust him so much?"

"Because he's always had my back. He believed in me when no one else did, and he never gave up on finding me." The answer is as simple as it is true. Steve had faith in Bucky when he didn't even have it in himself. "I'll always trust him."

"You make it sound so simple."

"He has a good heart, and good intentions. He cares about the people close to him, and he'll do anything to keep them safe."

Oddly enough, you believe that.

You don't respond, just lean back on your elbows and wait. Barnes stands at attention, and for the better part of an hour it's silent. It's a while before you hear any shuffling behind you. You and Barnes both straighten, turning to look as Rogers and Stark finally emerge from the cave.

"Did you find the evil monkey?" you ask curiously, but both men shake their head.

"No, the cave was empty. There was nothing but rubble. We were too late," Rogers mutters, disappointment and worry on his face. "They got here first."

"Did they get here first or was there nothing there to begin with?" you grumble, watching as they walk a little farther away, looking troubled.

What a waste of a trip.

Barnes offers you his hand, and after a moment you accept, letting him help you to your feet. You dust off your pants, and then reach for your pack, slinging it over your shoulder.

You go to take a step, but pause, your skin crawling all of a sudden.

"What is it?" Barnes asks, causing Stark and Rogers to both stop.

"Somethings --- someone is here," you mutter, glancing around the jungle undergrowth.

"What? How do you know?" Rogers demands, but you merely shake your head.

You know what you know.

You give it a moment, and then raise your hand. You hear a yelp as someone suddenly rises through the air out of the greenery. You narrow your gaze, curling your fingers and bringing him forward, letting him hover eight feet above the ground.

See.

You know your business.

"Hydra!" Rogers gasps, everyone suddenly tensing. "They're here!"

"How do you know that?" you throw Rogers question back at him, the man still struggling mid air with a frightened expression. "What could possibly give you that idea? The giant logo on his chest or the fact we shouldn't even be here!?"

"Now isn't the time," Rogers mutters at you, and you roll your eyes.

"Fine. What do you want me to do with him?" you sigh, twirling your finger and making him spin in the air. "Toss him into the haunted cave?"

"Don't hurt him ---."

You groan, and flick your wrist, sending the Hydra agent sailing through the air and back into the greenery. You hear him crash into something.

"Shouldn't we be going?" you inquire dryly.

No one bothers to answer you, you all just start forward, heading back for the small airport where your plane awaits.

The pace is quick, frantic really, and you find yourself lagging behind --- you can't keep up with them at all! Men and their long, buff legs!

You huff to keep up, but eventually you just stop, needing a break. Your lungs are burning, as are your legs, and you're pretty sure there's a stick in your shoe or something. You press your hands against your knees, heaving for breath and giving yourself a few moments.

You'll catch up with them in a few minutes.

It was only one agent, and it's not like he's going to be reporting in any time soon. If he was a scout, that means the rest of his friends have to be a good distance away, so you're not too worried.

You took down a spacecraft after all, what trouble can a few ambitious assholes be?

You feel your pocket buzz, and you blink, raising your head, hair falling into your eyes as you fumble your cell phone out of your back pocket.

Wow, you have service here??

You can see Stark's number blaze up on your phone, although his name reads Ego Ass. You reluctantly answer.

"Where the hell are you?" he demands instantly, before you can really get a word out.

"I'm coming, I just couldn't keep up with the rest of you," you grumble. "Your legs are longer then mine and it's a freaking jungle!"

"You can't fall behind, (Y/L/N), you don't understand!" his voice sort of crackles, and you realize you must be losing service. You hope this call doesn't incur international charges or anything.

"I'm coming already, just give me a break!" you snap, tromping through the undergrowth. "It's not like --- EEEEE!"

You shriek as you're suddenly lifted off the ground, clutching your phone tightly in your hand as you're tossed upward. You flail, falling onto your back --- what the hell!?

You blink, your fingers curling around --- are you in a fucking net!?

Is this a net!?

Did you just --- literally walk into a trap!?

Irony.

Fucking irony.

You try to shuffle, but the open holes in the netting make it impossible for you to get your footing. You huff, aggravated as you fight it. It's not like you brought a knife with you!

You look up, looking at the rope threading above you. It's tied in heavy knots around the branch of a tree, way above your head.

"Stark!" you gasp, raising your phone back to your ear.

" (Y/L/N)!"

"I'm stuck!" you manage, starting to panic a little bit.

"What do you mean you're stuck!?"

"Like, I'm in a net! Who the hell puts a net in the middle of a path!?" you complain, swinging back and forth through the air in a sickening motion. "Get me out of this!"

"We're coming, don't have a panic attack. You should have stayed right behind us!"

"Well then next time fucking carry me!"

"You must be Zelena."

Eh?

You look down, peering at the bald man looking up at you, his hands calmly clasped behind his back. His men are filing all around him, black guns pointed up in your direction.

The bald guy is the bad guy?

"Zelena Jones, am I correct? Or do you prefer Margaret Hampton? Cora Holliwell?"

You grind your teeth in aggravation.

Okay, so you've had some fake names through the years. You were a foster kid, you learned that lying would get you more then honesty. You ran away from foster care when you were sixteen, called yourself Cora and got yourself a job at a bakery.

When you turned twenty, and were in about fifty grand worth of debt because of a crappy boyfriend, you disappeared and became Margaret Hampton. Then again, at around twenty-five, you faked that persons death, left the bakery you own to yourself, and became Zelena.

You like the name, it has a certain appeal to it.

Sure, it didn't matter, considering Coulson somehow still managed to track you down through the system and all your fake aliases to your birth name. Another reason you have to help the Avengers --- according to Coulson, it was help, or prison.

You can't bake in prison.

"Who the hell are you?" you demand, glad the net has stopped swinging, it was starting to make your stomach churn.

"My name is Johann." the man replies. "I am ---."

"An agent of Hydra, evil organization hell bent on taking over the world, am I correct?" you snap, aggravated. You're still holding your phone in your hand, so you hope Stark is managing to hear everything. "Get me the hell down from here!"

"That would be unwise on my behalf, wouldn't it? You're with the Avengers, so you must be have some impressive skills. I know they recruited you, Miss Jones."

You wish he wouldn't call you that, he'd totally ruin the name for you.

"Look, Mr. Bald Badass, I'm not that important. But I have a thing about swinging eighteen feet above the ground in a bag with holes," you grind your teeth, clutching at the rope. "So let me down or ---."

"Or what? Your friends will swoop in and save the day?" the man actually laughed. "They're currently preoccupied. I'm not even here for them, nor Mr. Barnes."

Bucky?

You cut your eyes downward.

Why would they even ---?

"Are you here for the cursed monkey statue or something?" you ask, managing to get to your knees without too much sway.

"There is nothing inside that temple, it was never our concern."

Oh.

"Then what is? C'mon, spill your evil villain plan." you taunt, tapping your fingers nervously. Are the others in trouble? What did this man mean? Why the hell do you always get caught up in these situations?

You feel sick.

"We just wanted to meet you." Bald McBadness says coolly, drawing your attention again. "You see, anyone the Avengers see worthy of their ranks, of course come under our watchful eye. You might fare better in our ranks then theirs."

You roll your eyes.

You're putting on a very good show, but you're absolutely terrified. You hadn't lied, you did have a thing about heights. Your palms were sweating, fingers clenched tight around the shreds of rope holding you in the air. You don't want to fall and hit the ground, and your stomach is starting to churn in a sickening manor.

You need to get down!

You find it difficult to believe Hydra created a whple fake scheme just so they could see you, and you find it even harder to believe they don't know about your powers. They do know, and without they'll be wanting some kind of demonstration.

Will they kidnap you, brainwash you like they did Bucky?

You know he suffered, and you don't want the same for yourself.

No, you're getting out of here!

One way or another.

"Would you like us to let you down?" you hear Baldy call, but you ignore him, instead looking up. You could probably climb, you reason, get to the top and power your way through the rope. It can't be too difficult, can it? As long as you don't look down, that is.

You hear Johann speak again, but you ignore him, wishing a monkey would fall on his head and claw his eyes out. You haven't really looked at him, looking down isn't exactly your priority.

Shit!

You shriek as you hear a pop, covering your head immediately. You hear your scream echo through the jungle, and you press your hands against your face, frightened.

Now they're shooting at you!

That's a wonderful way to end the bloody day!

"I hope that got your attention." Baldy says, and through your phone, you can hear Starks voice. You can't understand what he's saying, but you can hear him, so you suppose that counts. "You're quite the stubborn woman."

You've heard that before.

You keep your hands against your face, hunching as you curl up on yourself slightly. Yes, fetal position, try to be terrified. Really, you're peeping through your fingers, staring down through narrowed slits.

They've just pissed you off.

You're not going to be bullied!

Your eyes flicker, counting up to three men with guns. A few branches around their feet, a rotting tree behind them. They're all looking up, completely unaware of the sticks moving around their legs. You left them up, keeping them behind the men as you concentrate.

You give it a few seconds, staring at the rotting tree, struggling. You're a tad panicked, which makes it hard to control your powers. Still, you've been doing this too many years. Of course, you're more used to lifting small objects across the room, not fucking trees, but --- you can do it.

This is nothing.

A walk in the park.

You exhale heavily, and the rotting tree starts to move, lifting. It creaks a little, the dead vines hanging off of it tangling on other trees and making it more difficult. You just focus, your ears starting to buzz and rush.

Focus, focus, focus.

You chant the words in your head, and finally, the tree is free! The bald guy is too busy listening to his own voice to notice, and you doubt he ever sees it coming. The tree rams into all four of them from behind, sending them sailing forward. You make sure to drop the tree on top of them, just for good measure. It should be heavy enough to hold them down, too.

Now, about getting free.

You look up, unaware that you even drop your phone. You're not enjoying being trapped, and you can hear groans below you, meaning that the men are awake and probably really confused.

Okay, as long as they're down, you don't really care!

Your teeth dig into your lower lip, and you lean back on your legs, worried.

You're not really sure how to get out, and that makes you feel incredibly stupid.

Oh!

You grab the netting, staring through the trees as you see the sunlight reflect off something.

"Tin man!" you gasp. You've never been so happy to see him!

"Are you alright?" Stark demands, hovering just at the net, vines and leaves clinging to his supersuit. He couldn't very well fly through a jungle, that's what he'd told you earlier, but he must have changed his mind!

"Yes! Get me out of here!" you demand, hair straggling around your face.

"Just hold on," Stark tells you, rising higher in the air. You tilt your head back, watching as he grabs the netting at a certain point.

What is he doing?

"Stark," your voice is nervous.

"Don't worry," he tells you, which only makes you worry.

You cringe as he slices the ropes holding you above the ground, the net jerking. You squeeze your eyes shut, realizing that he's the only thing keeping you from dropping to a very painful death.

You're never going to live this down.

~~~~~~~~

As Stark sets the net on the ground, you dig your fingers into the earth --- you never want to go flying again! Especially not in a net behind him! You press your forehead against the ground, sucking in deep, shaky breathes as you try to calm yourself down.

That had been the most horrifying experience of your life!

Never again!

You're never leaving the city again!

You don't even like jungles!

"I hate all of you," you whimper, keeping your eyes closed. "So, so much."

"You're welcome," you hear Stark grumble, his helmet retracting to show his face.

Fuck him.

You wheeze, and slowly sit up, picking some leaves out of your hair.

You've never been shot at before, or strung up in a net, either.

You suppose there's a first time for everything.

"We need to get on the plane, quickly," Rogers sounds impatient. You crawl to your feet, wiping at your clothes. You turn, reaching back for your phone, seeing the screen is now cracked. You sigh as you stow it in your pocket.

Lovely.

"I hope you intend on buying me a new phone," you mutter unappily, kicking the net off your feet. You step out of it, seeing Barnes worried look but ignoring it.

You get it, you messed up.

There's a first time for everything.

"Let's go," Stark urges, already heading for the plane. You and everyone else hurry after him, although this time you make sure to keep up. You stagger up the loading steps behind Barnes, rubbing at your skin, feeling like something is crawling on you.

You'll have to take ten showers to get the smell of jungle out of your hair.

You happen to glance behind you just as you step onto the plane, Rogers bringing up the rear. He doesn't see them coming out of the jungle, but you do. You hesitate, seeing one man raise a spear up, only thirty feet away.

You know he's aiming for Rogers, there's no one Hydra hates more then him, after all. For a moment, you freeze.

Rogers sees you hesitate, and his head starts to turn, but already its too late. The spear is moving, spiraling through the air at quite the impossible speed. You're not sure how the man managed to throw it so hard, or so accurately.

You could let the spear hit Rogers, you reckon. No one would know that you knew about it except for him, and he'd be dead with a stick in his back.

It would be the easiest thing in the world for you to just turn around and pretend you didn't see anything.

So easy.

Almost like....

Dammit to hell, you can't even do it.

You turn your head sharply, and the spear changes course, lifting just enough inches to go sailing harmlessly over the plane. Rogers looks up at you, his eyes widening, but you merely turn away.

You don't want his thanks.

You don't want anything from him.

Tags: @riegan, @miss-evil-one, @theonlyprincessoftheworld, @1voice-behind-the-silnce, @lilmissmoony, @lizandbooks, @sophia-wyszkowski, @isaxhorror, @shayx5, @theonlyprincessoftheworld, @iamwarrenspeace @bigdaddyfairywinkle @itstrashleydude

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #marvel #captain america #steve rogers #wanda #stark #tony stark #avengers #natasha #hawkeye #bucky imagine #bucky x reader #avengers fanfiction #james bucky barnes

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sadrien · 7 years ago

Text

wanna chat? pt.21

on ao3 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

yo whats up. before we start, a few things:

yes, adrien and nino’s kiss was before dark cupidyes, adrien knows that him and marinette kissed during dark cupid. marinette told him in ch15even if it wasn’t i doubt adrien would count dark cupid as his first kiss, seeing that he doesn’t remember it

now that thats done, warning for discussions of like...murder in this chapter? they dont actually kill anyone but theyre just like...casually discussing how you would kill someone with x or y. its mostly just ridiculous but there are a few parts that could be considered kind of gross so, tread carefully if needed. (conversation creds to @agrestenoir, @breeeliss, @reyxa and a few cameos from @chassecroise because i basically stole that wild ride of a conversation we were on)

enjoy?

11:24

nino: im pretty sure chat noir was just flirting with me

ladybugfan2020: get it boy would u break up with me for chat?

nino: … yeah probably

ladybugfan2020: cool same

nino: im glad were on the same page

23:57

mari: Im gonna go murder myself in a bowl of whipped cream. Bye

nino: how

ladybugfan2020: are u gonna drown in whipped cream because that would be the best death tbh

nino: i dont think its murder if you kill yourself

ladybugfan2020: i would get a sibling to do it

mari: Bad news alya

ladybugfan2020: or like……………….a hitman hire a hitman to kill you with a bowl of whipped cream

nino: yo since youre dead you dont have to pay them

mari: I dont think thats how that works

adrien: What did I just walk into??

nino: YO HITMAN HIT ME UP WITH SOME MORE WHIPPED CREAM

ladybugfan2020: how would u kno how it works mari?

mari: Hey adrien Just murdering myself with a bowl of whipped cream

adrien: Not possible

ladybugfan2020: um??? says who

adrien: Prove to me you can die by whipped cream Draw me a diagram

nino: if i had to choose a topping to die by id choose hot fudge probably

mari: Ooo

adrien: If you got a tub of whipped cream And like Just hit a person with it With like…the tub That might Kill you I guess?

nino: bruh

ladybugfan2020: but wouldnt u rather choke on whipped cream

adrien: That’s harder? Like you’d have to get it into their mouth

mari: If anyone says anything about kinks I will leave this groupcaht and terminate all friendships

nino: fucking chri st

alya: IM

adrien: Wait wait Ignore mari and her gutter mind

mari: HEY

adrien: Tell me How to kill a person with whipped cream

nino: why? you got someone you want dead? there are easier ways my dude

adrien: Indulge me

ladybugfan2020: k heres the plan u knock them out with the tub of whipped cream theyr not dead but theyr momentarily unconscious then u stuff a bunch of whipped cream in their mouth and up their nose and when they regain consciousness they choke on the whipped cream and die

adrien: Ok Ok so You take the can And beat them over the head Until unconscious

ladybugfan2020: yes

adrien: BUT You fill their nostrils

nino: apparently

adrien: With whipped cream And their mouths

ladybugfan2020: uh huh

adrien: Let it dry Until they slowly

ladybufan2020: dry??????????

adrien: Just suffocate

nino: no no put them in a freezer let the cream freeze

mari: This is not where I was expecting this conversation to go Wait what????

ladybug2020: no u wait until they regain consciousness does whipped cream dry @mari do u have whipped cream we can test stuff with

mari: Why go through all this trouble when you can just snap someones necK?

nino: put them in th e freezer so the whipped cream freezes and retains its shape

ladybugfan2020: because death by whipped cream is the best way to go

nino: itd be like shoving a throat shaped mold down their throat and they cant breath e around it and they die

ladybugfan2020: y would u do that

adrien: No man

mari: What the fukc

adrien: You’d have to like

nino: ok look you cant breathe around a block of cream in your mouth and nostrils eventually youll pass out from lack of oxygen

ladybugfan2020: ye thats teh point of putting whipped cream in their mouths

mari: But then is it death by whipped cream or just suffocation

adrien: No that’s my point

nino: so freezing it would work the best

adrien: …. Wait

ladybugfan2020: the WHIPPED CREAM is doing the suffocation

adrien: It IS death Wait No

ladybugfan2020: so it IS death by whipped cream

adrien: It’s death by whipped cream The whipped cream Caused it …. Hm

nino: yes

ladybugfan2020: ok but y does that working best matter either way

mari: Mmmm now Im thinking about death by chocolate

ladybugfan2020: they die and its death by whipped cream

adrien: Death by chocolate is more complicated

nino: if you take melted chocolate and insert it into your veins

adrien: You can’t beat someone with a Hershey’s bar

ladybug2020: putting them in the freezer would just be extra @ the freezing the whipped cream

nino: you can poison yourself

adrien: I don’t know I think chocolate is too thick for that

ladybugfan2020: about the beating what about this giant ass ones u can buy online for lots of money i dont have adrien might have to provide the murder weapon for this one

mari: I meant death by chocolate cakes adn stuff but ok Good job team

adrien: Oh

nino: the meter and a half chocolate bar al?

adrien: Just buy like… 10000 chocolate cakes

ladybugfan2020: hell yeah nino

nino: i mean… you can shove cake up their nose?

adrien: Get a pick up truck

mari: Where the actual fuck is this going

adrien: And then just All at once

ladybug2020: nah nah you could do it the same way as the whipped cream

adrien: Drop the cakes on the person All at once

nino: run them over

adrien: Until they die NO That’s not death by chocolate cake That’s death by getting hit with a truck

mari: Alya whatare you even talkling about

ladybufan2020: u put the cake in their mouth after u knock them cold

adrien: Alya what the hell

nino: put cake over their eyes

adrien: Stop knocking them out!

mari: Why is cake on eyes????

nino: so they can pay the boat man and cross the river styx

mari: Youre spending too much time with Adrien

nino: or just throw them in the freezer

mari: Can we not just eat dessert?????

ladybugfan2020: do u kno how hard it is to put a body in a freezer

nino: not that hard

mari: How the fuck do you know??????

nino: alyas little sisters locked me in a freezer once when i brought them to her moms work it sucked man

ladybug2020: boy that was a body sized freezer

adrien: It’ll be like that scene in Tangled

mari: jfc

ladybugfan2020: u gotta have the strength to lift like,,, a pERSON

adrien: Where Rapunzel tries to put Flynn in the dresser

mari: All my friends are serial killers

ladybufan2020: thats hard bruh

nino: not if you put your back into it fireman carry

adrien: Ok question What do you do AFTER you put it in the freezer? At least if you chop a body up

nino: whoa there sweeney todd

adrien: You just drain the blood

ladybugfan2020: too messy

adrien: Fill a bag with spices Put the parts in And just throw it out

nino: just roast it though???? dude, embrace the sweeney

ladybugfan2020: no but thats not death by whatever sweet you wanna kill them with thats just killing them

nino: like if i throw it in a fire, itll smell like shit, but you can pass it off as burning trash or something

adrien: Where would you even do that? That’s so conspicuous

nino: first of all sweeney todd did it in londo n second like...farmland?

adrien: Yeah Sweeney Todd isn’t real though

ladybug2020: ah yes the farmland in paris

nino: well drive out to the farm with the body

adrien: Who are you going to blame it on when they find a burned body???

nino: theres no one around its farmland theres like 2 people they wont find a burned body

adrien: The suspect list can fit on a post it note Do you know how they identify burned bodies? We’ve watched detective shows together, right? I didn’t hallucinate that???

mari: Didnt this start with me saying I was gonna murder myself in a bowl of whipped cream

adrien: Dental records Nino

nino: just do it at a vacant farm dude

adrien: You’d have to like Pull the teeth out THEN brun them Messy but the job gets done

mari: I needed to know like -2 things I learned tonight This morngn

nino: messy???? YOU CHOPPED THEM UP

mari: This conversation is over 10 minutes long and thats about 9 minutes too long

adrien: And honestly? If you’re going through this? Just dissolve the flesh

ladybugfan2020: gross

nino: ohhh acid bath

adrien: Well you decided to murder someone Al It’s going to be gross

ladybugfan2020: where do u get acid tho cause thats a lot of acid

adrien: I’m sure you could find it somewhere

mari: Ok Im ending this conversation befor esomeone googles something they regret

ladybugfan2020: call up lb and cn we now have a solid plan for defeatin g hawk moth just beat him up with whipped cream

mari: Im going to bed I hate all of you

nino: night dude dont let the bedbugs bite

ladybugfan2020: or the murderers

mari: Fuck off

2:46

adrien: I’ve been watching so many cop shows I could probably get away with murder

ladybugfan2020: HOW to get away with murder lmao im hilariou s

nino: yo consider this going the fuck to sleep

adrien: One more episode

nino: im gonna show up at your house and force you to go to bed

adrien: What are you going to do cuddle me to sleep?

nino: yes

ladybugfan2020: hi get a room

adrien: </3

4:19

mari has renamed this conversation to “fuck you all”.

mari: I dreamed about murder and literally had blood all over me I hat e you peopl e

6:48

nino: nice carrie style

7:02

adrien has renamed this conversation to “out damned spot”.

7:14

ladybufan2020: what a nerd

#adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #miraculous ladybug #my fics #wanna chat #hey whats up #ill still be posting proc today lmao

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