#Married To A Super Hot Elevator Mechanic

[johnnydany]

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[dreamofelectricmareep]

What’s our sorely-missed Calzona and company doing RIGHT NOW?

Headcannons from your favorite Calzona-obsessed and barely updated fangirl!

Callie is the chief of ortho at NewYork Presbyterian, with a huge research grant to take her artificial cartilage to clinical trials and to finish her and Derek’s work on robotic limbs for amputees. Amelia is consulting on her late brother’s work and flies out help (and see her friends) every few months. Callie is loving the baby time she gets with Scout during Amelia’s visits, and is not-so-subtly eyeing Arizona whenever a baby is in sight. Arizona begrudgingly agreed to be the face of NY Pres’ campaign for the robotic limb research, and Callie really loves pointing out to coworkers and patients alike that the hot blonde plastered across banners and walls and elevators is the woman she comes home to every night. The Chief of Surgery at NY Pres announced his upcoming retirement recently, and Callie just learned she’s been placed on the short list for his replacement.

Callie works just a short subway ride from the Robbins-Herman Center for Women's Health, where Arizona’s carts have reduced maternal mortality rates by a decent percentage. Herman is licensing off the rights to the carts across the country given how promising the results have been. Nicole and Arizona are teaching a promising “flock” of students. Nicole insists on referring to them as a flock, with Arizona being their mama bird, as she is Dr. Robbins. Arizona pretends not to be amused by Nicole’s less-than-stellar running joke, but she secretly loves being the rare, exotic mama bird, helping the new nestlings learn to soar in the field that she and Nicole are pioneering, saving lives in the process. Somehow, Nicole manages to, despite the blindness, always know exactly what’s going on, be it in a surgery or in Arizona’s love life. 

And Arizona’s love life is, for the first time in a long time, super awesome. She and Callie are stronger than ever, going into their relationship with better boundaries, coping mechanisms, communication skills, and understandings of each other. What hasn’t changed is the easy chemistry, laughter, and palpable, mutual attraction Arizona and Callie always seemed to share. Originally, Arizona had rented the apartment across the hall from Callie’s, but once her year-long lease was up, she, Callie, and Sofia, now a proper family again, made themselves comfortable in the far-more-spacious penthouse, with surprisingly low rent. Well, it was surprising until they found out that Carlos Torres of Torres Enterprises had ventured into Manhattan real-estate. He wanted nothing but the best for his Calliope, but Arizona doesn’t believe in handouts, so they pay a fair but below market-price rent for the four bedroom apartment. Between visits from Amelia and Teddy with Scout and Allison, Callie’s pleading looks, and her surprising ability to sic Sofia on the baby train, Arizona got on board. Callie and Arizona are in the process of becoming registered foster parents, as well as putting applications in with a few adoption agencies. 

When they realized that the fostering/adoption process would be much simpler if they were married, Callie popped the question (it was her turn, after all) during dinner at a three Michelin star restaurant. Callie had previously made a list of all the restaurants in New York she wanted to try, and although Arizona is a far less intrepid eater, she’s been holding her own on the adventure. Arizona said yes, not that it was even a question. After all, they’re Callie and Arizona, the great love story. They’re meant to be. Callie and Arizona had a quiet (legally-binding!) ceremony at their local courthouse with Sofia, but plan to have a destination wedding in Spain with the whole GSM gang once COVID travel restrictions lighten up. Sofia, a genius like both her moms and her dad, got to skip fourth grade and is loving fifth grade. She’s really excited for middle school, regularly claiming she’s all grown up now, but she’ll always be her moms’ baby girl no matter how many grades she skips or how old she gets. She has weekly FaceTime calls with Zola on her brand new phone. Arizona was staunchly against it, as The Colonel’s daughter, but seeing as Sofia took the subway on her own, Callie talked her into it.

Callie and Arizona keep up with all of their Grey-Sloan Memorial friends, past and present, but are definitely thankful to have gotten away from the drama that seemed to follow them around in Seattle. Meredith, aside from her comatose period during her battle with COVID, has done a remarkable job keeping them in the loop, with Maggie filling in when Meredith couldn’t. While Callie and Arizona couldn’t visit Meredith when she was sick, they hounded Bailey and Webber with endless phone calls for progress reports. Bailey was beyond happy to hear that the wedding she officiated ended up in a happy marriage, despite what she referred to as a little bump in the road. Richard is also happy he no longer has to be Arizona’s wingman, but the whole GSM gang still gets together for weekly trivia nights on Zoom every Wednesday, at Richard’s insistence. And whenever Callie gets into a disagreement with her soon-to-be former chief at NY Pres, one reminder that she is a close personal friend of Webber and Bailey seems to end with her getting her way. She promised she wouldn’t use that to her advantage, but she does. Her temper still gets the best of her, but not when it comes to Arizona or Sofia, which is all that really matters to Callie.

Arizona was overjoyed to hear about April’s move thousands of miles closer. She has booked train tickets to Boston for herself, Callie, and Sofia to help with the move. Sofia can distract Harriet, Arizona can be her type-A control freak self and make sure every box is put exactly where she thinks it should be, and she can stare at Callie’s ass while she carries boxes around, so, for Arizona, it’s a win-win-win-win scenario. Her apartment-warming gift to April is a very large Expedia gift card so that she feels obligated to visit Arizona often as she can get away from work. To say Arizona misses the woman she’d never have expected to become her best friend is an understatement.

Alex is still a little bitter he missed a number of years of the twins’ lives, but Arizona is helping him through that and he and Izzie are doing well. He’s, of course, the star at their dump truck Kansas hospital (not that Arizona would ever use that characterization to his face), having been Arizona’s protégé for all these years. He still calls Arizona when he needs to make a plan for a complicated case. Sometimes the cases he calls Arizona about aren’t all that complicated, but both Alex and Arizona know it’s Alex Karev’s way of checking in and catching up. He isn’t one to admit to calling people just to chat.

Cristina is hoping to make a trip out to see her god-daughter, who she still refers to as a chicken, when the pandemic restrictions relax. Until then, she and Callie talk every couple weeks, catching up on the latest groundbreaking, kick ass procedure Cristina has brilliantly invented. She says she’s married to her work, but there is a Swiss surgeon at the hospital who seems to be infatuated with Cristina, from what Callie can gather. And it appears to be mutual. Cristina is still not one to gush about boyfriends, but Callie can get bits and pieces in conversation. Every so often, Callie, Arizona, and Sofia get fancy Swiss chocolates in the mail, with a note to keep sending pictures of Aunt Cristina’s little chicken.

Addison has an open invitation to join the Robbins-Herman Center. Arizona even offered to amend the name, but Nicole was none too happy at the prospect of getting her name booted from second to third. But, again, the Robbins-Herman-Montgomery Center makes it sound like they are a man. Addison is still mulling it over, happy with her life, friends, and family in LA, but Callie and Arizona are still trying to wear her down. And Addison still regularly reminds them to thank her for Callie’s gay awakening, She was, after all, the first one to point it out.

Mark is beyond thrilled to see that all of his yelling has been working, not that he’s getting the credit. Now that Callie and Arizona woke up and aren’t missing the best part of life, Mark can enjoy watching Sofia grow up with Lexie by his side. Sofia is certainly growing into her Sloan looks, and will certainly be a heartbreaker once she gets a bit older. 

[redgillan]

Missed Chances - Part 7

Steve Rogers x Reader ♀️ [// Bucky Barnes x Reader for now]

Summary: 13 Going on 30!AU - Steve Rogers is crazy about you, but he’s afraid his feelings are only one sided and being one of your best friends, he doesn’t want to ruin your friendship… On his 13th birthday, he makes a wish and wakes up in the body of his 30 year old self. The problem is, you’re no longer a part of his life.

Word Count: 3,005

Warnings: The creep is back

A/N: No, this series isn’t dead. In this chapter the reader and Steve discuss her wedding dress and I really wanted to give you a dress you could picture in your heads. So that meant doing a lot of research to find a cut that would flatter all body types and a colour that would look good on all skin tones. It kind of smothered my muse, hence the long break. I hope you enjoy this :’)

“You fell asleep on his couch,” Sam repeated, shaking his head with a bewildered look on his face. A second later, he began laughing hysterically.  

Bucky looked around the bar, smiling awkwardly at the patrons who were staring at them. With a cringe, he took a large gulp of his lukewarm beer. Sam expertly dodged the peanut Bucky threw at him.

“Okay, let me get this straight.” Sam stopped laughing. “You drank two bottles of fancy-ass wine, passed out on the couch and let your girl alone with a super-hot billionaire.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened,” Bucky grumbled.

“You’re an idiot.”

Bucky couldn’t help but agree with him.

Sam was Bucky’s only friend. They had met a few years ago when Bucky was a rotisseur, a chef in charge of roasted meats. Sam kept sending his dish back, saying it wasn’t properly cooked, until Bucky had enough and served him raw lamb with a little note that said ‘cook it yourself’.

It hadn’t been professional, but it had made him feel a lot better. Somehow they became friends after that. Go figure...  

“You could have married her three years ago,” Sam continued with a pointed look.

“A City Hall wedding?” Bucky scoffed. “No, she deserves better than that.”

Sam frowned at him. “You need to get off your high horse, man. I got married at City Hall. Granted it’s less flamboyant than a fairy tale wedding, but it doesn’t matter when you’re in love. You only need each other.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “I work 12 hours a day, six days a week, Sam. We rarely see each other and we live in a crappy studio apartment. The least I can do is give her a perfect wedding.”

“Whatever you say,” Sam shrugged. He was tired of having the same conversation again and again. “That deal you made with her company... I told you it was too good to be true.”

“You said it was legit,” Bucky reminded him.

“Yeah, it is, but I don't think you've thought this through. They offered to pay for your wedding if Steve Rogers agreed to create your girl’s wedding dress. Rogers said yes, and now their numbers are going up-”

“But it’s a good thing. She’ll keep her job and we’ll get married,” Bucky interrupted him.

“Dude, there’s a billboard in Times Square with your face on it,” Sam continued, undeterred. Bucky whined, he had seen the ad. It wasn’t exactly low-key. “You three are everywhere; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube... Rogers gave interviews to Good Morning America, Fallon and Ellen. The entire country knows about you, your fiancée and your former childhood best friend turned superstar.”

“You’re right, it’s a little crazy right now,” Bucky admitted. “But it won’t last. People will find a better story. She’s happy. That’s all that matters.”

Sam could have argued that you didn’t look happy the last time he saw you. In fact, you looked tired, stressed and a little disappointed. But he knew better than to tell a man he couldn’t make his girlfriend happy.

“I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

Bucky had no idea what he was doing. Things had been crazy lately, and he couldn’t deny that it was strange to share his thoughts and memories with complete strangers. It was part of the deal. Nothing was private anymore.

“A girl asked for my autograph yesterday,” Bucky revealed, a small smile on his lips. Sam raised a brow at that. “It took me completely by surprise, I just wrote ‘BUCKY’ in capital letters on a blank piece of paper.”

Sam choked on his beer, and coughed several times as the liquid fizzed out of his nose. Bucky pushed a napkin across the bar as Sam’s whole face scrunched up in a mix of pain and laughter.

“That fucking hurts,” Sam said, his eyes shiny with tears. Bucky looked strangely proud of himself. “You’re gonna kill me one day.”

With a mouthful of beer, Bucky got off the stool and threw two twenties on the counter. He took his jacket from the bar and made a show of crossing his fingers at Sam’s comment.

“Ass,” Sam countered, following him out of the bar.

*

Today was the day, your first Bridal appointment. You were beyond nervous, and the fact that this was all business wasn’t helping your nerves. Natasha was sitting next to you, typing away on her tablet while on the phone with Nick Fury. You wished you were that good at multitasking.

Things were moving fast. Natasha had already booked a band, and hired a photographer and a videographer. You were on board with everything, and even pitched the idea of a karaoke entertainment at the reception. She called you a genius and wrote it in her little notebook.

The magazine was thriving, the numbers growing. The first article they published was an exclusive interview of Steve Rogers and a little interview of you and Bucky –to get to know the happy couple.

The following month they revealed that the ceremony would take place at Bucky’s childhood home. It was something you had both agreed upon a long time ago, and Nick thought it matched the whole reunion theme.

Sometimes it felt like it was more their wedding than yours, but you thought I’d be rude to complain since they were paying for the entire ceremony.

“M. Rogers will see you now,” Steve’s assistant appeared before you, pulling you out of your thoughts.

Natasha waved Scott closer. He was standing near the elevator, FaceTiming with his daughter. He saw Natasha, nodded, and quickly wrapped up his conversation. The three of you followed the assistant to Steve’s office.

As soon as Natasha stepped into his office, she began directing everyone into position. Scott and you got so used to being bossed around that you both complied without question.

“Boys, move the couch closer to the window,” she said, looking around the office. “I prefer natural light for the pictures.” Then she turned to you. “This place is a mess, let’s tidy up.”

Steve grumbled something under his breath that made Scott laugh. Natasha gave him a sharp look and they both returned to their task. Once the place looked decent enough, you took a seat on the sofa next to Steve.

Natasha was telling Scott what to do –the kind of pictures she wanted for the Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as well as some pictures for the next article. Scott nodded while he adjusted the camera settings.

“Is she always like this?” Steve whispered in your ear.

A shiver ran down your spine. “Yes, she’s the boss,” you replied with a small laugh.

“She’s scary.”

You were both laughing quietly when you heard the sound of a camera shutter. Steve shifted awkwardly as he met your gaze, his face flushed red. You understood his discomfort.

“A little warning would have been nice,” you told your co-workers.

“Sorry, but the picture looks great,” Scott said, giving you a thumbs up.

“All right, we only have an hour so listen carefully,” Natasha began. “We’re going to take a few pictures and two can pretend you’re working on the dress. Act natural, but don’t forget to smile and don’t look at us. Then we’ll leave you two alone so you can start working on the dress. Questions?”

You both shook your heads. “No, we’re good.”

“Perfect,” she clapped her hands once, “let’s get to work!”

It was a little strange to pose without making it look like you were posing. Natasha was shouting directions at you and Steve while you tried to smile at each other.

Sit straight!

Steve, you’re hiding her face.

Hold that position, the light is perfect.

Finally, after twenty agonizing minutes, she announced that she had everything she needed. You sent up a silent prayer when she left the room. Scott packed up his camera and hurried out of the room when Natasha called out his name.

You slumped back against the sofa and sighed. Steve let out a small laugh as he sank into the cushions. He turned his head to look at you and smiled.

His smile caught you off guard. In that moment, he looked exactly like the boy you used to love and it made your chest tighten painfully. Life could be so cruel sometimes.

“We should probably start working on your dress,” he said, sensing your sudden anguish. He straightened up and fiddled with the sketch pad and mechanical pencil, giving you some time to pull yourself together. “So, do you have an idea of what you’re looking for?”

You sat on the edge of your seat. “Not really. I don’t know how these things work. How are we going to do this?”

Steve was only thirteen, though he looked like he was in his early thirties. He didn’t know anything about fashion, but it was his job and he had to do it right. He had gathered as much information as he possible on Bridal appointments. Internet, so helpful!

“We can look at some wedding dresses,” he told you, sliding a few magazines toward you. “Tell me what you like and I’ll make a sketch. Then my team will make a muslin. It’s just a mock-up. We’ll add the details later. How does that sound?”

He caught your eyes and saw the look of relief on your face. “Sounds great.”

You slowly flipped through the pages of the first magazine, pausing occasionally to show him what you didn’t like. You didn’t want to wear a crinoline, it made the skirt too poofy. The princess style looked beautiful on these models but you didn’t think it matched your personality, and it seemed really unpractical.

Steve listened carefully, jotting down notes in his notebook. “How do you feel about a mermaid-style dress? Remember when your mom took us to the open air theatre? We saw the Little Mermaid and you said it was the best movie you’d ever seen.”

“Yeah.” You giggled. “We were what? Nine, ten years old?”  

“Something like that,” Steve replied with a fond smile.

“Well, I hate to disappoint my nine-year-old self, but I think I’d prefer something a little more like the Muses in Hercules.” You turned the page, only to be distracted by a stunning gown. “Like this one!”

The dress fit closely, hugging the model’s curves in an elegant yet sensual way. It looked right out of a peplum movie.

“Oh yeah, that’s a um...” Steve closed his eyes shut and tried to remember the name of this particular type of dress. “It’s a sheath column dress!” he exclaimed with a huge triumphant smile.

“I like that,” you said, oblivious to his sudden outburst. “Do you think it’d look good on me?”

“Absolutely,” he said a little too quickly, then he cleared his throat and gave you a sheepish smile. “We have your measurements, it will look perfect.”

You made some modifications to the dress in the magazine. With Steve’s help, you chose a boat neckline instead of the heart shape neckline featured on the model.

You hesitated between two colours; alabaster which according to Steve would look good on anyone, and diamond white which was the perfect colour for an outdoor wedding.

“Silk is a good choice,” Steve approved while he finished his sketch. “You might be a little cold though, but we’ll figure something out.”

“Oh, don’t bother,” you said with a wave of your hand, “Natasha has already ordered ten outdoor heaters. It’ll feel like we’re on a tropical island.” Your laughter died in your throat when Steve showed you what your dress would look like. “Steve... that’s.... wow.”

He looked at his drawing with furrowed brows. “I think I messed up the proportions but-”

“It’s gorgeous,” you interrupted him. “I love it!” You took the sketch pad from him to get a better look. This was your dress. Your wedding dress. It all seemed so real now, it made the butterflies in your stomach dance. “So, it’s happening. In six months I’m going to be Mrs Barnes.”

“You can keep your last name,” Steve shrugged. He had been working so hard lately to pass off as a real fashion designer that he had almost forgotten you were going to marry Bucky. He fought against the urge to rip that stupid drawing in half.

“I know,” you said, “it’s just... a little weird, but in a good way.”

A knock at the door made you both jump. Natasha and Scott were back, and judging by the look on Natasha’s face, she must have received some good news.

“We posted that picture of the two of you giggling,” Scott said with a big smile. “People on Instagram are so kinky. You guys should read some of the comments, they’re priceless.”

“Scott,” Natasha said, her tone warning him to drop it.

“It’s crazy, some people even ship you two together. They want you to marry Mr America. That’s his nickname, Mr America! How cool is that?!”

Oh, that couldn’t be good... You really hoped Bucky wouldn’t read these comments. He wasn’t a big fan of social media, and he was too busy to even open the app. Though Sam would definitely call him if he read anything that seemed a little odd.

“Is that the dress?” Natasha asked as she picked up the sketch pad. Her eyes widened for a second before she smiled at Steve. “It’s beautiful. I look forward to seeing it on the bride.”

Steve’s secretary entered the room and informed him that his next appointment had arrived. He shook hands with Natasha and Scott, then turned to you, smiling hesitantly. A handshake seemed too formal, but he wasn’t sure you’d let him hug you.

He opened his arms to you and cocked his head to one side in silent question. You found his bashfulness endearing. He looked so young. You took a step forward to hug him.

“Thank you, Steve, for everything,” you said, making sure Natasha and Scott couldn’t hear you. Steve was warm and muscular, and yet incredibly soft. “You didn’t have to do all this. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I found you,” he replied before releasing you. “I’ll see you soon.”

“The magazine’s throwing a party next month,” Natasha began as Steve walked the three of you to the door. “Our numbers are skyrocketing. This calls for a celebration. I’ll send you the details. It’ll be the biggest party of the year.”

When you got back to the waiting room, the secretary told you that Steve’s chauffeur would drive you and your colleagues to your apartments. You took a seat and tried to process what had just happened.

Natasha looked ecstatic, and you couldn’t understand why you felt so miserable. You needed to be alone with your thoughts.

“I’ll be back in a sec,” you told Natasha who nodded distractedly.

The waiting room was nicely furnished with comfortable leather sofas, fashion magazines on the marble tables –your magazine was on top of the pile- and a fancy water dispenser near the restroom.

You grabbed a cup and filled it with room temperature water, sipping it slowly as you looked around the room.

“Braceface!”

You felt a shiver come down your spine, the sound of his voice was like having your entire body dunked into ice cold water. He moved into your line of sight, a bright smile on his face. Had he always looked this terrifying?

“Hi, Brock.”

“So you remember me,” he said with a sickening smile, his tongue sweeping over his bottom lip. “Sweet.” He paused. “I heard you were getting married.”

“Yeah.”

“If you ever get bored,” he said, stepping into your personal space and handing you his business card. “I love married women, they’re so desperate for a good time.”

You felt trapped, like the day he had cornered you in Steve’s kitchen and asked if you wanted to have sex with him. You could feel the fear building up inside you.

You obediently took the card, your body automatically kicking in to self-preservation mode. Do what he says and he’ll leave you alone.

This part of the waiting room was hidden from view, meaning no one could see you right now. Brock had no shame, coming after you like that even though he knew you were getting married.

You wanted to scream, but you couldn’t move.

“Step away from her.”

You couldn’t see her, but Natasha’s voice held authority as she stood behind Brock with a seemingly calm demeanour. Brock took a step back, raising his hands in mock surrender.

“We were just talking,” he said.

She didn’t even spare him a glance. She searched your face for any sign of pain “You okay?” You nodded, not noticing the tear falling down your cheek. “We’re done here.”

She took a step forward and slung her arm around your shoulders, shielding your body with hers as you moved past Brock. You felt your heartbeat slowly returning to normal as Natasha ushered you toward the elevator.

You slowly came back to your senses, feeling a little embarrassed that you were –once again- the damsel in distress.

“That guy’s a dickhead,” Scott said, glaring daggers at Brock’s retreating figure.

“That guy is the co-founder of the brand, and a big name in the fashion industry,” Natasha mumbled, pressing the ground floor button. “He’s also a notorious creep. I’ll make sure we won’t run into him again.”

“You gonna have him whacked?” Scott asked, his eyes widening.

Natasha crunched up her face, clearly grossed out and confused. “No! I’m going to schedule our meetings at a different time. Have him whacked,” she repeated with a scoff. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“It’s just the way you said it,” Scott shrugged, “it sounded ominous.”

The elevator door slid closed while Natasha and Scott were bickering, but you weren’t listening to them. You wanted to go home.

You wanted Bucky to hold you close and snuggle with you for the rest of the day. But, more than anything, you wanted to know why Brock fucking Rumlow was still working with Steve.

[coldtomyflash]

I know your prompts are closed at the moment, but I've just had a light bulb moment that now just won't go away. I hope you'll put this out into the world anyway in the hopes that other writers might take a crack at it since you've probably got the wi(l)dest and most active coldflash reach that I can see. Please consider: Coldflash Firefly AU with Len as Captain Malcolm Reynolds. I have no idea where Barry will fit in with/sans powers but I JUST HAVE A BURNING NEED PLS HELP THANKS

Hmm okay Len as Mal? 

If we make Barry the classic love interest in-universe, that puts Barry as Inara? But honestly I feel like we’d make Barry the doctor. What’s his name - Simon? River’s older brother.

Okay, so setup for those who haven’t seen Firefly, or haven’t seen it recently: it’s a space western in which mankind has colonized... nearby star-systems? Not the whole galaxy I don’t think but like, there’s a lot of planets? The Core Planets or whatever have basically this level of imperial control, and more resources etc - they’re the rich and powerful. The border planets are a bit lawless and like the wild west, though technically under the same jurisdiction as the Core.

Len (Mal) is Captain of Serenity, a spaceship that essentially is a transport vessel for small runs between border planets. He was part of a failed separatist rebellion against the core, and since half his business is illegal smuggling and some casual thievery, he does his best to stay away from the military and Core police-ships, etc.

Okay actual plot - there’s Len, the Captain. His sister, Lisa, who acts as First Mate, and who’s married to the navigator, Cisco. Caitlin, the ship mechanic (trust me, it actually fits), who is pretty much the only one that their violent mercenary muscle Mick doesn’t get at odds with. 

Then we’ve got the more lawful members. In this world, there’s a rather respected and elevated position called a Companion, who is a sex worker but who also provides a great deal of companionship and works for predominately wealthy clients. Her presence on board gives the ship some respectability. I feel like the role of Companion in this AU is best suited for Iris, given the character’s grace and beauty, but also struggle with that for reasons I’ll get into in a sec.

So enter the inciting elements of the narrative: The Serenity is looking to take on passengers for a trip and they have some hot cargo they’re hiding/transporting, and part of the point of taking on passengers is to legitimize the trip and hide that cargo.

They take on a Doctor and a Shepherd (Reverend? Pastor? I legit don’t know the difference between these religious roles).

So by age and process of elimination the Shepherd goes to Joe, but I also think it honestly really fits, in the sense that the Shepherd is a secret badass who’s always dropping wisdom and has a history with the military that’s shrouded in mystery. Having Joe take up this role in the AU as a sort of father figure to the ship members makes a lot of sense.

Then we’ve got Barry! Finally. 3/4 into this answer and haven’t discussed Barry.

Barry’s a doctor from the Core. What’s this fancy-pants doing all the way out here, what’s with his weird ass cargo, and why’s he so goddamn cagey? Why’s he so jumpy when they run the risk of being boarded by the military? What’s he got to hide - isn’t he just a doctor? 

Len does not like Barry showing up on his ship and shovelling lies in his direction and almost getting his ship boarded and his cargo found out and - that could have all been a goddamn disaster and clearly this guy is more trouble than he’s worth and Len’s had it up to here.

He opens Barry’s cargo.

Barry’s cargo, in which the cryo-frozen (still alive, just asleep) body of his sister is naked and waiting. Len gets the wrong idea. Barry gets punched. Barry is forced to explain - 

It’s his sister. She was more or less abducted by the government. No one would believe him. He spent years saving her, and now they want her back. He doesn’t know what they did to her, but he knows it wasn’t good. She means everything to him - he’ll give up anything he has to protect her.

You can imagine why this pulls on Len’s heartstrings.

And - you can hopefully understand why I’m so torn on where to put Iris in this narrative. The Companion - the beautiful ingenue who Len holds a candle for even though she’s way out of his league, who is smart and sharp and capable? Or the most important person in the world to Barry and the one he’s doing all he can to protect? His best friend and a person he sees as a sister (blood relative or not, she means the world to him). Not to mention a super badass who everyone on the ship adores.

Best alternate options for the role of Companion on the ship seem to be Hartley and... I’m not even sure? Someone’s favorite Rogue? Just pick one, basically. Alternate options for River (the sister/friend/person Barry is seeking to protect and who he’s been smuggling around in cryo-freeze until right now) don’t seem to be forthcoming. Nora, possibly, or if you stretch in an interesting way then Wally? But I just have a hard time looking beyond people sees as super close and ideally familial to get at that connection.

So that’s where I’m at. Someone should write the thing. Play around with Firefly canon. Focus on the gvt more than the reavers but just like - get into it. Get into the space western of it all. Focus on the overarching plot and not the episodic ones and just take liberties with it all, but go hard and have fun.

Someone pls write the thing.

(Did I mention that the Captain and the Doctor argue a lot and that when I watched the show like a decade ago, I definitely shipped them? Because I definitely shipped them. City boy out of his depth in the west, but earning the Captain’s respect over time. The Captain threatening him but then slowly realizing that the Doctor has become part of his crew and thus part of the people he cares about and trusts? Gah!)

[vfdbaudelairefile13]

                                             Chapter Thirty-Two:

                       The One Where ‘Count Olaf’ Has Been Captured

Violet Snicket and Klaus Baudelaire stared at the scrap of paper, and then at Hector,  and then at the scrap of paper again. Then they stared at Hector again, and then at the scrap of paper once more and then at Hector once more and then at the scrap of paper once again, and then at Hector once again and then at the scrap of paper one more time. Their mouths were open as if they were about to speak, but the two children could not find the words they wanted to say.

The expression ‘a bolt from the blue’ describes something so surprising that it makes your head spin, your legs wobble, and your body buzz with astonishment, as if a bolt of lightning suddenly came down from a clear blue sky and struck you at full force. Unless you are a lightbulb, an electrical appliance, or a tree that is tired of standing upright, encountering a bolt from the blue is not a pleasant experience, and for a few minutes, both Violet and Klaus stood on the steps of Hector’s house and felt the unpleasant sensations of spinning heads, wobbly legs, and buzzing bodies.

“My goodness, children,” Hector said. “I’ve never seen anyone look so surprised. Here, come in the house and sit down. You look like a bolt of lightning just hit you at full force.”

Violet and Klaus glanced at one another and then to Hector and then back at the couplet in Violet’s hand. “That’s because it has,” Klaus muttered.

The two children followed Hector into the house and down a small hallway to the parlor, their legs super wobbly, they held on to each other to keep from falling. They sat down on Hector’s couch without saying a word. “I’m going to fix you some hot tea before I start dinner,” Hector said smiling at both children. “Maybe by the time it’s ready, you’ll be able to talk.” He patted Klaus on the back as he walked towards the kitchen.

Without speaking, Violet unrolled the paper so the siblings could read the couplet again.

For our inheritance we are held in here,

Only you can end our fear.

“It’s her,” Violet said, speaking quietly so Hector wouldn’t hear her. “I’m sure of it. Isadora Quagmire wrote this poem.”

“I think so, too,” Klaus replied. “I’m positive it’s her handwriting. It’s surely her distinct literary style.”

“The poem talks about inheritance,” Violet explained. “Sunny will inherit the Baudelaire fortune and the triplets’ will inherit the Quagmire sapphires.”

“Olaf kidnapped them to get ahold of those sapphires and fortune,” he replied. “That has to be what the first line means,”

Violet put her finger to her lips indicating to Klaus to be quiet. She slowly glanced towards the kitchen to make sure Hector wasn’t paying attention. She pulled Klaus closer to her so it was easier to communicate with just her brother. “I don’t know how Hector got ahold of this,” she stated. “Let’s ask him.”

“Not so fast,” Klaus whispered back. “Maybe Hector’s involved with the kidnapping in some way...like Esme,”

Violet frowned. “I thought of that but do you really think so?” she asked. “It’s not healthy to live life unable to trust anyone. ”

“Your father lived on the run shouldn’t you be used to not trusting anyone?” Klaus asked incredulously.

Violet frowned. “That’s why I can’t keep living like this!” she whispered harshly. “He could be like Jerome…”

“Violet...what happened the last time we trusted someone?” He explained. “Esme pushed us down an elevator and Jerome left us like we were nothing,”

Violet sighed but nodded her head. “You don’t trust anyone, do you?” she asked.

He shrugged. “The list of people that I trust is vastly smaller than the ones that I don’t. I trust Sunny...and the Quagmires,” he said. “I also trust you. If that means anything,”

Violet gave a small smile. “Thank you,” she said. She glanced towards the kitchen again. “He seems like someone we can trust, though. He was excited to show us the migration of the crows, and he wanted to hear all about everything that has happened to us. That doesn’t sound like a heartless kidnapper, but I suppose there’s no way of knowing for sure,”

“Exactly. There’s no way of knowing for sure.” Klaus explained as Hector walked back into the room.

“The tea’s all ready,” Hector said placing a cup of tea in front of both orphans. “If you're up to it, why don’t you join me in the kitchen while I make the enchiladas.”

The two orphans looked at one another and slowly nodded. They picked up their teacups and carefully walked to a round wooden table, both opting to sit quietly as Hector prepared them a nice hot dinner. Both siblings were heavily weighing the pros and cons of entirely trusting Hector as they sat. Klaus was using his experiences with previous, ineffectual and sometimes very malice guardians to fog his judgment while Violet was trying to come up with some reason to use to convince Klaus that maybe Hector could be trusted. If not entirely, partially. She knew that her brother blamed her for trusting Esme and being pushed down the elevator shaft. He admitted that when they were stuck in the net but what Klaus didn’t understand about Violet is that she can’t keep living like this. She lived her entire life on the run with her father and most days she wouldn’t change that for the world. But some days, she would. She sees how sheltered and protected Klaus was growing up and it shows. His misfortunes with previous guardians before Violet came into the picture has been weighing a heavy tow on him. He was beginning to close up like a clam, only letting a select few in. Violet knew that might be the safest way and perhaps the smartest way to live. But it wasn’t the best way to live. If you can’t trust anyone...who is there to help you if you won’t let anyone. She wanted to trust Hector, hell she wanted to trust Esme although that ship has entirely sailed and Violet has now added Esme’s name to a list of people she needs to fuck up for their actions against her siblings and friends.

It is true, of course, that there is no way of knowing for sure whether or not you can trust someone, for the simple reason that circumstances change all of the time. I know the story of a man who fell in love with a wonderful woman who was so charming and intelligent that he trusted that she would be his bride, but there was no way of knowing for sure, and all too soon circumstances changed and she ended up marrying someone else, all because of something she had read in The Daily Punctilio. And no one had to tell the orphans that there was no way of knowing for sure because before they became orphans, Klaus and Violet lived for many years in the care of his parents or her father and trusted that their respective parents were going to keep on caring for them, but circumstances changed, and now the Baudelaire parents and Lemony Snicket are dead and the two children are living with a handyman in a town full of rows. While the younger Baudelaire orphan, Sunny, was currently in Olaf’s clutches alongside Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. But even though there is no way of knowing for sure, there are often ways to know for pretty sure, and as the two siblings watched Hector work in the kitchen they spotted some of those ways.

Violet noticed the tune he hummed as he chopped the ingredients, it was similar to the one that her own father had hummed when he cooked dinner. It was a comforting one. Violet didn’t know if he had learned it from the real VFD because he seemed so sure that his village was the only VFD, but either way, she couldn’t imagine that a person who hummed the same tune her father had could be a kidnapper.

Klaus noticed when he saw that the orphans’ tea was still too hot to sip, he walked over to the kitchen and blew on each of their mugs to cool it, something his own father used to do for him when the two would share a nice cup of tea as they read to each other. Klaus sighed when he realized that a person who was cooling two children’s tea could be hiding two triplets and his baby sister at the same time.

But most comforting of all, Hector didn’t pester them with a lot of questions about why they were so quiet and surprised. He simply kept quiet and let the two children wait until they were ready to speak about the scrap of paper he had given them, and the children could not imagine that such a considerate person was involved with Count Olaf in any way. By the time that he had finished the enchiladas, the two siblings were comparing him more to Jerome Squalor than Esme. Jerome may have been ineffectual and eventually, he had abandoned them but Jerome wasn’t working alongside Olaf. So the two siblings shared a small glance and a slight nod when Hector’s back was turning. Indicating to each other that maybe he was trustworthy enough to be an ineffectual guardian. There was no way of knowing for sure, of course, but as the children were served their dinner, both agreed on that much.

Violet sighed. “This poem was written by Isadora Quagmire,” she said without preamble as Hector sat down next to the children.

“Wow,” he said. “No wonder you were so surprised. But how can you be sure? Lots of poets write couplets. Ogden Nash, for instance,”

“Ogden Nash doesn’t write about inheritance,” Klaus said who had received a biography of Ogden Nash for his seventh birthday. “Isadora does. When the Quagmire parents died, they left behind a fortune in sapphires and when my parents died...they left a fortune for Sunny and me to inherit.”

“Besides,” Violet said twirling the scroll of paper between her fingers. “It’s Isadora’s handwriting and distinct literary style.”

“Well,” Hector said. “If you say this poem is by Isadora Quagmire, I believe you,”

“Maybe we should call Mr. Poe, and tell him,” Klaus suggested.

“WE can’t call him,” Hector explained. “Remember, no mechanical devices and telephones are mechanical devices. The Council of Elders could send a message to him. I’m too skittish to ask them, but you can do so if you wish.”

“Well, before we talk to the Council, we should know a bit more about the couplet,” Violet said. “Where did you get ahold of this paper?” she asked.

“I found it today,” Hector said. “Beneath the branches of Nevermore Tree. I woke p this morning, and I was just leaving to walk down to do the morning chores when I noticed something white among all the black feathers the crows had left behind. It was this scrap of paper, all rolled up in a little scroll. I didn’t understand what was written on it, and I needed to get the chores done, so I put it in the pocket of my overalls, and I didn’t think of it again until you were talking about couplets. It’s certainly very mysterious. How in the world did one of Isadora’s poems end up in my backyard?”

“Well, poems don’t get up and walk by themselves,” Violet said. “Isadora must have put it here. She must be someplace nearby.”

Hector shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “You saw for yourself how flat it is around here. YOu can see everything for miles around, and the only things here on the outskirts of town are the house, the barn, and the Nevermore Tree. You’re welcome to search my house, but you’re not going to find Isadora or anyone else, I  always keep the barn locked because I don’t want the Council to find out I’m breaking the rules.”

“Maybe she’s in the tree?” Klaus suggested desperately. “It’s certainly big enough that Olaf could hide her in the branches,”

“That’s true,” Violet pointed out. “Last time Olaf was keeping them far below us. Maybe this time they’re far above us.” She shuddered, thinking of how unpleasant it would be to find yourself trapped in Nevermore Tree’s enormous branches, and she pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. “There’s only one thing to do,” she said. “We’ll have to go up and look for them.”

Klaus responded with a miserable face, he sighed. “You’re right,” he said standing up. Even though he hated climbing, he would do anything for Sunny and the Quagmires.

“Hold on a minute,” Hector said. “We can’t just go climbing up Nevermore Tree,”

“Why not?” Violet asked. “I’ve climbed up a fire escape into a burning building. And Klaus and I climbed down an elevator shaft. Climbing a tree will be no problem,”

“I’m sure you two are fine climbers,” Hector said. “But that’s not what I mean.” He stood up and walked over to the kitchen window. “Look outside,” he said. “The sun has completely set. It’s not light enough to see a friend of yours in Nevermore Tree. Besides, the tree is covered in roosting birds. YOu’ll never be able to climb through all those crows,”

Violet and Klaus looked out the window and saw that Hector was entirely right. The tree was merely an enormous shadow, blurry around the edges where the birds were roosting. Klaus looked to his sister, hoping that she could invent a solution, and was relieved to hear she had thought of something before she could even tie her hair back in her ribbon. “We could climb with flashlights,” Violet said. “If you have some tinfoil, an old broom handle, and three rubber bands, I can make a flashlight myself in ten minutes,”

“Flashlights would only disturb the crows,” he said. “If someone woke you up in the middle of the night and shone a light in your face, you would be very annoyed and you do not want to be surrounded by thousands of annoyed crows. It’s better to wait until morning when the crows have migrated uptown.”

“But we can’t wait until morning!” Klaus cried. “We can’t wait for another second, the last time we found them, we left them alone and then they were gone again!”

“Klaus is right,” Violet cried. “Olaf could move them at any time!”

“Well, he can’t move them now,” Hector explained. “If they’re in the tree, it would be just as difficult for him to climb the tree,”

“We have to do something,” Violet argued. “This poem isn’t just a couplet,” she explained. “It’s a cry for help. She even wrote ‘only you can end our fear’. Our friends and baby sister are frightened, and it is up to us to rescue them.”

Hector frowned. “I’ll tell you what. You guys can use the room that looks out at the Nevermore Tree. The area is so flat that even at night you can see for quite a distance, and if Olaf or anyone else approaches, you’ll see them coming.” he sighed. “Normally, I don’t approve of children staying up all night unless they’re reading a very good book, seeing a  wonderful movie, or attending a dinner party with fascinating guests. But this time I suppose we can make an exception. I’ll probably fall asleep, but you two can keep watch all night if you wish. Just please don’t try to climb the tree in the dark. I understand how frustrated you both must be...and I know that the only thing we can do is wait until morning.”

Violet and Klaus looked at one another and sighed. They were so anxious about the Quagmires and Sunny that they wanted to run right out and climb Nevermore Tree, but they knew in their hearts that Hector was right.

“I guess you’re right,” Violet said finally.

The two siblings spent their night taking turns sleeping for two hours. The other kept their eyes peeled out the window at Nevermore Tree. During Violet’s turns of being awake, she had to keep reminding herself to refocus on Nevermore Tree because she kept getting distracted by her brother’s flailing limbs and his desperate pleas in his sleep. She contemplated waking him up but she knew he needed sleep even if it wasn’t peaceful. He continuously muttered that he was sorry and that everything was his fault. Violet even took some time to sing the song she had sung to him at Mr. Poe’s. It seemed to be working, but only temporarily. Once the song ended, it didn’t take long for Klaus to start talking in his sleep again. She sighed. This wasn’t fair. He’s just a kid. He’s a fucking child. She told herself. She was a child, too. She knew it deep down but at this point in her life, that didn’t matter. She had to be the adult of the group. Even if she didn’t know how. And there were a lot of aspects of being an adult that she didn’t understand. She shuffled through her backpack quietly. Pulling out some of her ribbons and her father’s wallet. She tied a couple of the ribbons to her wrists considering which ones she’d give to Isadora once they found her and ones she’d give to Sunny once her hair was too long and had outgrown the yellow ribbon that was still attached tho their brother’s wrist. She glanced at her father’s wallet, opening it up and looking through it finally. She had only known that there was money within but as she emptied the pockets of his wallet, she found several pictures of herself. Aging from when she was a baby to her fourteenth birthday. She smiled. He had his own personal photo album in his pocket. A few pictures had his face showing, she felt tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. She glanced towards Nevermore Tree. Still nothing just a bunch of crows. She shuffled the photos until she found one she had never seen before. It was a picture of her birth mother with a round belly. Most likely pregnant with her. She stood in between two men. One of which was her father, who was smiling. He was smiling. He had a hand on her mother’s stomach. Violet smiled back at the photo unsure of whether or not he was smiling because he was with the woman he loved or because of who was in that woman’s womb. She glanced at the man to the other side of her mother, who also had his hand on her stomach. The man wore glasses, similar to the ones her brother wore. He had brown hair and a goofy smile. She didn’t know any better but she could see some of Sunny’s features in this man’s face. Could this be….Klaus and Sunny’s father? She asked herself. Curiously, she flipped the photo over to see if her father had written anything on the back as he did for all of the photos of her. Right there in her father’s handwriting, it read: Bertrand Markson & Beatrice Baudelaire. The two loves of my life. She smiled at this. It was their father. Violet glanced towards Klaus, who was kicking his feet in his sleep. She held the small photo tightly. She knew that the three siblings didn’t have much to remember their parents by and that poor little Sunny might lose all her memories of them. She vowed to keep this photo safe for the three of them to share. This photo validated her being in their lives. She glanced at her sibling’s father. The smile he wore. How had placed his hand on her mother’s pregnant belly as if to say this child is my child, too. She felt tears in her eyes. She would’ve been loved. She would’ve been treated as if she were his own if fate didn’t turn the way it did. She wiped her teary eyes. She didn’t regret being raised by her father but it was nice to know...it was nice to have the proof that her siblings’ father would have treated her as his own and not some burden on his life. She shuffled through a few more pictures. There were several. There was one of just her siblings’ parents and there was one of her father with her mother and her father with their father. But one picture stopped her in her tracks. It was a group photo. She could see her father, birth mother, and siblings’ father standing together real close. She could also see a jolly, happy-looking man with a snake around his neck. The snake was leaning towards a fierce and formidable-looking woman and her husband, who was causally feeding the snake an apple. Behind them was a couple who had helped her find the bank back in the city. She realized immediately that this was the Quagmires’ parents. But the people standing next to them is what made her stop in her tracks. Not only did she see a younger, kinder looking Esme who had her arm wrapped around the shoulders of the strange man she had seen at the Auction Hall. The one who stared at her and looked visibly pissed when Olaf was anywhere near her. In this photo, she could tell he did resemble her father. They had to be related. Why was her relative allowing Esme Squalor to wrap her arm around his shoulder as if they were the best of friends?   Her eyes widened when she glanced to the far left of the photo. Standing next to Esme. There was a woman, who kept her hair in a tight bun, with two pencils within it. Violet noticed that she resembled the man from Auction Hall as if they were twins. But that wasn’t what had Violet’s eyes widening. It was the man who had his arms wrapped entirely around that woman. The man had one eyebrow and even in the photograph, Violet could tell his eyes were very shiny. His smile was different, there was no malice behind it. No unbridled hatred. Olaf seemed happy in this photo. She flipped the photo over hoping to be proven wrong. There was no way Esme Squalor and Count Olaf were actually friendly to her parents. But as she glanced at her father’s handwriting, she could see that she was correct. From left to right (top row): Olaf (Drama Queen), Kit Snicket (Bad Driver), Esme Squalor (Diva), Jacques Snicket (Cow), Quentin Quagmire (Batman), Penny Quagmire (Robin). (Bottom row): Ike & Josephine Anwhistle (Fierce & Formidable), Montgomery Montgomery (Snake man), Bertrand Markson (Goof-ball), Beatrice Baudelaire (My Darling), Lemony Snicket (Snicket Lad). Violet glanced down at the bottom of the backside of the photograph where her father had written The good ol' days before everything went to shit. She frowned at that but She couldn't help but laugh at some of the names and descriptions that her father wrote. She didn’t fully understand all of the inside jokes but she did understand the ones for the Snickets. She flipped the photo over again and looked at the picture of her Uncle Jacques and Aunt Kit. She didn’t understand why her Aunt allowed Olaf to hold her so lovingly. She shuddered at the mere thought of any of her family being in a relationship with that fucker. She glanced at the photo of her uncle. It was definitely the same man who was trying to help her at the Auction. Was he trying to rescue her sister and her friends? Would he adopt her? Would he adopt her siblings and maybe her friends if she asked? Then her heart shattered when she noticed everyone in the photo had spyglasses similar to the one she held in her pocket. Would he indict her into VFD against her parents’ wishes? Was the only question that remained on her mind. She glanced at the rising sun and decided to let Klaus sleep for a bit longer. She stuffed all the photos back into the wallet. If she gets the chance to meet her uncle, she’d question him about that specific photo. She didn’t want to give Klaus any sense of false hope so she decided to keep this to herself.  She watched the tree in silence as the sun slowly rose.

____________________________________________________

Klaus met up with Violet who was outside waiting for Hector to bring her breakfast.

“You didn’t wake me,” Klaus said rubbing his eyes.

“You looked like you needed sleep,”

“What about you?”

“What about me?” Violet asked confused. “I’m fine. I slept enough.”

He sighed. “Where’s Hector?”

“Finishing up breakfast,” she explained.

“It’s been a long time since anyone made us breakfast,” Klaus said smiling.

“Hector was right, though,” Violet said. “Huevos rancheros taste delicious even in desperate circumstances.”

“They don't make anything less desperate,” Klaus argued. “We have no idea where to find the Quagmires or Sunny.”

“It was hard enough to search that bitch’s fucking penthouse,” Violet said. “No, we have an entire village to search,”

As a few of the crows began to fly, the two siblings felt the morning breeze around them.

“We have to keep trying,” Klaus replied. “It’s not as though another clue is going to fall into our laps,”

Just as Klaus said this, a few black feathers and one white scroll breezed to them, effectively landing in Violet’s lap.

“What’s that?” Klaus asked.

“Poetry,” Violet answered, her eyes widening. “It’s another couplet.”

“Isadora?” Klaus asked.

“ Until dawn comes we cannot speak, No words can come from this sad beak.”  Violet recited out loud.

Hector walked out with two plates of huevos rancheros. “You look shocked. What did I miss?”

“Another message from Isadora,” Klaus explained.

Violet stood up. “There might be more than crows in Nevermore Tree!” she yelled. “Come on, Klaus,”

With that, Violet and Klaus raced down Hector’s porch running towards the tree just as the rest of the crows began to take flight.

“Isadora!” Violet cried as she ran.

“Duncan!” Klaus cried as he ran.

“Sunny!” they both cried simultaneously as they reached the tree.

There are many expressions to describe someone who is going about something in the wrong way. “Making a mistake,’ is one way. ‘Screwing up’ is another, although it is a bit rude. ‘Attempting to rescue the Quagmires and Sunny Baudelaire by scaling the outside of a fashionable building or keeping a villain trapped at a restaurant”’ is a third way, although it is a bit too specific. But there is one expression that describes the children’s situation perfectly, and as soon as the murder of crows had all embarked on their morning migration. The two siblings could see that they were barking up the wrong tree.  

“There’s nothing up there,” Violet cried.

“Nothing...and nobody,” Klaus added.

“I told you, children…” Hector said mournfully. “The Nevermore Tree is just a place where the crows migrate during the evening. What were you expecting?”

Klaus sighed. “I wasn’t expecting anything ...just hoping,”

Violet glanced towards the sky. “My head is spinning again and my legs are all wobbly and my body is buzzing just like yesterday. How in the world did Isadora get another poem here? We made sure that one of us was watching the tree at every moment.”

“Maybe it was here yesterday? but Hector didn’t see it?” Klaus suggested.

Violet shook her head. “A white scrap of paper is very easy to see next to all these black feathers. It must have arrived here sometime in the night. But how?”

“How it got here is the least of our questions,” Klaus said. “ Where are the Quagmires and Sunny? That’s the question I want answered.”

“But why doesn’t Isa just tell us?” Violet asked, rereading the couplet and frowning. “Instead of leaving us mysterious poems on the ground where anyone could find them?”

“That might be why,” Klaus pointed out. “Anyone could find them here on the ground. If Isadora simply wrote out where they were, Olaf could find the scrap of paper and he could move them...or worse,” both siblings shuddered as they imagined to vastly different scenarios in their heads. “I’m not that experienced with reading poetry, that was more of my father’s forte. But I bet Isadora is trying to tell us where she, Duncan, and Sunny are. It must be hidden somewhere in her poems,”

“It’ll be difficult to find,” Violet explained, rereading the poems. “There are so many confusing things about this poem. Why does she say ‘beak’? Isadora has a nose and mouth, not a beak.”

Klaus looked up at the sky. “Carrier pigeons,” he muttered.

“What?”

“Carrier pigeons are birds that carry messages, based on their regular migration patterns. They weren’t up in Nevermore Tree, but their messages were. Maybe they were sent by carrier crow. “ He explained. “That’s what she meant by ‘no words can come from this sad beak,”

“You might be right,’ Violet argued. “But why does she say that no words can come from it? Of course, no words can come from a beak. Birds can’t talk.”

“Actually,” Klaus began smiling. He loved it when he was able to infodump about one of the thousands of books he has read in his short time of being alive. “I read an ornithological encyclopedia when I was ten that discussed that parrots and myna birds can imitate human speech.”

“But there aren’t any parrots or myna birds around here. Just crows and crows certainly can’t speak.”  

“They might not be able to talk...but maybe they can tell us where they’re hidden,” Klaus explained. “But speaking of speaking...what do you think she means when she said ‘until dawn comes we cannot speak���?”

“Well...this poem did arrive in the morning,” Violet explained. “Maybe Isadora means that she can only send us poems in the morning?”

“You might be right,” Klaus agreed. “Hector said that every morning, the murder of crows flies into VFD to roost. We can find them,”

“We just need an excuse to search the town,” Violet said.

Hector walked out of the house with buckets and other cleaning supplies. “Are you ready to do chores for the entire town?” he asked. Violet and Klaus smiled and followed Hector. During their walk to the town, Violet read Hector the newest poem.

He sighed. “This is really turning into a puzzle,”

“A puzzle is just something you do for amusement,” Klaus countered. “Duncan, Isadora, and Sunny are in grave danger. If we don’t figure out what these poems are trying to tell us, Count Olaf will…”

“Don’t even say it,” Violet said with a shiver. “We absolutely must solve this puzzle and that is that.”

The rest of the walk to the village was in silence. Both siblings trying their best to figure out the cryptic clue that was hidden in their friend’s poems. Once they reached the village, Hector became skittish as he noticed the Council waiting. “Ummm, I assume the Council of Elders is waiting for you,” he muttered to the two orphans. “I...uh...I’m going to trim the hedges and think about my mother,” he said walking away quickly. “I’ll see you later,”

“Okay,” Violet replied confused as the Elders walked up to the two children.

“There you are children,” one Elder said. “Someone has been making messes all over town. They TP’d our gas station, egged our church, and scared our poor donkey. Now he’s in need of a bath.”

“We have no idea who made these messes, although an eyewitness saw two white-faced women, a bald man, a man with hooks for hands, and a person of indeterminate gender near the scene.” a second Elder said.

“But we know who’s going to clean them,” the first Elder said.

“You are!” the third Elder yelled.

Violet and Klaus looked at one another as the Elders walked away from them. “If we search for them while we clean,” Klaus began.

“Then doing chores is useful,” Violet finished.

The two children followed Hector to Mrs. Morrow’s who was impatiently waiting in her pink robe on her front porch for them. Without a word, she handed Violet a pair of hedge clippers and handed Klaus a large plastic bag to gather up the leaves and branches that Violet and Hector would snip off. The two siblings did not comment on how rude Mrs. Morrow had been, they worked together to trim the woman’s hedges as they floated several theories, about the two couplets by Isadora Quagmire, until the hedge looked nice and neat and it was time to walk down the block to where Mr. Lesko lived. The two siblings recognized this man as the man who absolutely didn’t want them to live with him. He was ever ruder than Mrs. Morrow had been. He merely pointed at a pile of window-cleaning supplies and stomped back into his house. But once again, the siblings were concentrating on solving the mystery of the two messages they had been left. Violet and Klaus each began scrubbing dirt off a window with a damp rag while Hector climbed up to clean the windows on the second floor, but all the children could think of was each confusing line of Isadora’s poems. Until they were finished with the windows. The children thought about the couplets while they polished the Verhoogen doorknobs, and they thought about them when they swept the feathers from the street into a dustpan but they could not imagine how Isadora was able to get her poems directly to them. They thought about the couplets as they cleaned the gas station and the church. They carried the garbage and recyclables from all of VFD’s downtown residents and they thought about the poems as they ate a lunch of cabbage sandwiches that one of the VFD’s restaurants owners had agreed to provide as his part in the village’s attempt to raise these two children. They thought about the couplets as Hector read out the list of afternoon chores which included such tedious chores as making citizens’ beds, washing townspeople’s dishes, preparing hot fudge sundaes for the Council of Elders to enjoy as an afternoon snack, and polishing Fowl Fountain, but no matter how hard they thought the two children got no closer to solving the mysteries surrounding the couplets.

“I’m very impressed with how hard you two children are working,” Hector said as he and the children were busy scrubbing the fountain’s metal body. Hector was on a ladder scrubbing at the crow's metal head, which was facing straight up and spitting a steady stream of water out of a hole fashioned to look like its mouth as if the enormous bird were gargling and spitting up water. Both children found it odd that just the other day, the fountain had no water at all. But they were too concerned with the couplets to question it out loud to each other. “When the Council of Elders told me that the village was serving as your guardian,” Hector continued. I was afraid two small children wouldn’t be able to do all these chores without complaining.”

Klaus frowned. “I’m used to strenuous exercise,” he admitted. “When Sunny and I lived in Paltryville, we debarked trees and sawed them into boards,”

“And at Prufrock, we had to runs hundreds of laps each night,” Violet added.

“Besides we’re so busy thinking about the couplets that we’ve scarcely noticed our work,” Klaus explained.

Hector got super quiet as the Elders approached them. Violet and Klaus worried that he’d pass out and fall right off his ladder but he seemed to be doing fine. “Fowl Fountain still doesn’t look completely clean,” an Elder barked.

“Well, we’re not completely finished cleaning it,” Violet explained as politely as she could. “I do hope you enjoyed the hot fudge sundaes that we prepared for you earlier,”

“They were okay,” one Elder replied.

“Mine had too many nuts,” one Elder explained.

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Klaus replied sarcastically, not adding that anyone who is that picky about a hot fudge sundae should make it their damn selves.

“I guess Hector can finish cleaning the fountain. You two need to go to the Firehouse Saloon. It’s been closed for years because of rule number 18, which prohibits the pouring and serving of sarsaparillas.”

“No one ever goes inside,” another Elder explained. “So it could use a good dusting,”

The two siblings looked at one another both thinking the same thing. Could Olaf have hidden them in there?

“We’ll get right to it,” Violet said smiling. As she and Klaus ran to the Firehouse Saloon.

“Duncan!” Klaus called out.

“Isadora!” Violet called out

“Sunny!” they called out as they pushed through the front door. They glanced around, both felt their hearts beating in their chests as their eyes locked on the red herring statue that Olaf had used to transport their friends and baby sister from the Auction.

“The red herring,” Klaus muttered as both siblings dropped their cleaning supplies. “ Duncan!”

“Isadora!” Violet cried as the siblings reached the red herring.

“ Sunny!”  they cried as Violet glanced around to make sure Olaf wasn’t in the saloon as Klaus tried to find the opening to the statue.

“They’re not answering,” Klaus cried.

Violet gripped the fin of the fish. “Grab the fin and pull,” she ordered. Both siblings grunted as they pulled the fish statue apart. They glanced in the fish, frowns forming on their faces. “No,” Violet cried.

“It’s empty,” Klaus said looking the statue over. It was so small, he couldn’t imagine two teenagers and a toddler fitting within it but he knew Olaf didn’t care about them at all and would force all three of them in there to suffer. His blood was boiling over as he thought about it.

“Klaus,” Violet said after a minute. “There’s something scratched here,”

Klaus looked to where Violet pointed. “‘DQ plus KB’” he read aloud. He smiled and then blushed when he realized that Violet was smirking at him. “I...I guess Duncan must have been in here,”

Violet still wearing the smirk on her face. “What was your first clue?”

“Oh, shut up,” Klaus said staring at the cute note that was scratched into the red herring. “You and Isadora kissed,”

“So?” Violet asked. “‘DQ plus KB’” she read mockingly ruffling Klaus’ hair. “Y’all two are so awkward and cute,”

“Shut up,” Klaus growled removing Violet’s hand from his hair. “Where are they?” he asked looking around the saloon. Desperately trying to change the subject. “Why haven’t we seen any sign of Olaf?”

“I don’t know, we’ve seen Esme and his troupe,” Violet pointed out.

Before Klaus could reply, the two children heard noise coming from outside the saloon. “What the?” Violet asked. The two children rushed quickly to the front door of the saloon nearly bumping into the Elders.

“What’s going on?” Violet asked as she watched townspeople flocking to the town hall.

The elder glanced at Violet. “Very good news for you, children,” they answered.

Klaus gripped onto his sister’s arm, eagerly awaiting to hear what the Council was going to say.

Once again I find it necessary to use the expression, ‘bolt from the blue.” You would think, after the mysterious appearance of not one but two poems by Isadora Quagmire at the base of the Nevermore Tree, that no more bolts from the blue would appear in the village of VFD. A bolt of lightning, after all, rarely comes down from a clear blue sky and strikes the exact same place more than once. But for Violet Snicket and Klaus Baudelaire, life seemed to be little else than bolt after unfortunate bolt from the blue, ever since the fires that had claimed the lives of their parents. And no matter how many bolts from the blue they experienced, their heads never spun any less, and their legs never got less wobbly, and their bodies never buzzed any less with astonishment when another bolt arrived from the blue.  So when Violet and Klaus heard what the Elder’s said next, they almost had to sit down in the dirty old saloon because what they were told was an utter surprise. It was a message that they thought they might never hear, and it is a message that only reaches me in my most pleasant dreams, which are few and far in between.

“The news is…” The Elder began causing both siblings to hold in their breath. “Count Olaf has been captured.”

Violet and Klaus felt breathless as if a bolt of lightning had struck them once more. The siblings looked at one another giving each other hopeful smiles as they both began to cry tears of absolute joy.

[ptw30]

Fic: Wading into Love

Written for @sheithauweek Day 2: Modern & Mundane 

Summary: Keith is a mechanic at Kolivan’s garage. Shiro is the owner of the diner around the bend. They get married before they know they’re a couple. 

-----

Kolivan’s garage was a street away from Champion’s Diner, so the crew ordered lunch from it almost daily. As the youngest and newest mechanic on staff – and also Kolivan’s nephew – Keith ended up the errand boy.

 And that’s how he met Shiro.

Takashi Shirogane, former race car driver and the object of Keith’s teenage dreams, left the life of adrenaline and national fame after a horrific car wreck, one Keith witnessed on TV. Minus an arm and plus a scar, Shiro traded the life of super-tight jumpers for super-tight jeans, and he opened a diner in his home city with his childhood pal Hunk.

When Keith walked into the diner his first day on the job, he wore a faded and greased up tanktop, a jumper with its arms tied around his waist, and his hair pulled back in a short tail. Yet Shiro looked up from behind the counter and smiled, a beaming, heart-stopping grin that left Keith speechless.

After a few days, Keith fingered-comb his hair before entering, and Shiro leaned an elbow on the counter as he took Keith’s order. After Shiro handed it to Hunk, Keith slipped into one of the elevated stools to watch Shiro work, and they traded stories of their mornings.

Eventually, they began to trade texts, too. It only made sense. Hunk forgot Antok’s bacon once, and when Keith brought back the cheeseburger, Shiro gave his number.

“You’re my best customers. If this happens again, I’ll deliver a new burger on the house – er, restaurant.”

Of course, Keith missed his diner visit one day. He stayed home from work – Flu. Terrible. Contagious. He couldn’t possibly get out of bed. – or so he texted Kolivan. A few hours later, Shiro showed up on his doorstep.

“Kolivan told me,” he said with a sheepish smile before holding up a cylinder container. “Had Hunk whip this up for you. Chicken soup. His grandmother’s recipe.”

“Uh, thanks…” It wasn’t awkward that the owner of the diner he frequented, just happened to worry about him. Nope. Especially since Keith had dreamed this very scenario night after night for the last year. “But…um…you see…there’s this thing...”

Shiro surveyed him, head ducked low and drawn close to scrutinize Keith’s face. “You played hooky.”

Keith let out a defeated sigh and opened the door to show the pillow in front of his PlayStation4 and TV. “I was winning, and there weren’t that many cars in the shop when I left yesterday. I thought…”

“It’s cool.” Shiro’s smile remained effortless, though his lips tugged down on one side. “Here, take the soup anyway. Gotta keep your strength up. And…uh, I’ll see tomorrow? Or maybe Friday?”

“Or…” Keith couldn’t lose nerve now. Shiro showed up on his doorstep, so that had to mean something, even if it was just friendship. And friends did this kind of thing…right? “You-You could stay. Share the soup. Play some Fortnite…y’know, if Hunk and Lance are good at the diner.”

Shiro’s eyes widened; he pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Pidge to keep the place from burning down.”

They spent the entire day together, drinking, eating, laughing – and something changed between them. Keith liked it.

Shiro began to text randomly throughout the day. He made a few trips to the garage rather than making Keith always come to the diner. He shook Kolivan’s hand and teased with Ulaz or Thace. He patted Antok on the arm, and then he sat and watched Keith work, keeping him company throughout his tasks.

But Keith always came to the diner for dinner.

After a particular long day at work, Keith moved from his perch at the counter to one of the large booths. He leaned his back against the window, one leg stretched across the bench, and waited for Shiro to join him. Shiro said nothing, just placed Keith’s order in front of him, then slid into the opposite bench his own plate.

They met after work, on the weekends. Shiro came to Keith’s place or Keith followed him out of the diner. The leaves fell and regrew, and Keith swallowed a large bite of his burger as he watched Shiro take yet another fry.

“You know I don’t eat all this many,” he complained as he dumped another heap of ketchup on his plate. “You put all these here so you can eat them, didn’t you?”

“Guilty as charged,” Shiro replied, “stealing” another fry as if to make his point. “You see the new superhero fic hit on-demand?”

“Yeah. You coming over tonight to watch it?”

“Sure.” Shiro pointed to one of his tomato, and Keith seized with his fork. “What bagel do you want from Coran’s? I’ll pick it up fresh on my way over.”

Which meant Shiro wanted to stay until the morning. Nothing unusual there. He usually stayed over on Fridays. “French toast. See if they can put powered sugar on it, will you?”

“If they don’t have French toast?”

“Set the place on fire.”

“Cinnamon raisin it is.”

“Ugh. No.”

“It’s your second favorite.”

“I tolerate it.”

“I also got tickets to that car show tomorrow.” Shiro stabbed his omelet’s onions, joining the potatoes on his fork. “You working? If so, I’ll give them to Lance. He’s been bugging me about them, but I wanted to run it by you first.”

Keith bit down on his burger and wiped a bit of ketchup from the corner of his mouth, considering. Tomorrow was his day off, and spending it with Shiro…would be exactly how he spent all his other off days. Weekends, too. Free nights he stayed at the diner rather than heading home, and he made sure to wait up for Shiro’s text to know he made it back to his place.

Glass shattered in the back of Keith’s mind as Shiro stole a few more fries off his plate.

“Shiro, are we dating?”

Shiro finished his fries, munching on them slowly, blinking thoughtfully. He swallowed and then took a sip of his seltzer before finally replying, “I think we’re closer to married at this point.”

Oh. Keith weighed that thought carefully, tumbling it over in his mind a few times to get the feel of it. They made plans together, spent time together, considered each other into their lives. Keith brought Shiro shopping for his couch and pots, while Shiro asked Keith to help pick out his last TV. They ate dinner together every night, and they texted each other every morning. They saw each other at lunch.

There was just one thing missing.

“If we’re married, then I want sex.”

To his credit, Shiro didn’t choke on his fries. “We have sex.”

They did and didn’t. Sometimes when Keith thought he could get away with it, he’d lean against Shiro and close his eyes. Sometimes Shiro would wrap an arm around his shoulders or even rest his hand near Keith’s. Every so often, Shiro would turn his head against Keith’s neck, his lips close, and their hands would do the rest. Jeans open, gentle embraces, a cut-off cry, but nothing heavy or all that hot. A few embraces, sharp inhales, and a quick release.

“We don’t have a lot of sex. Not like couples should.”

Shiro looked up from under his mess of white bangs, a bit more open than Keith remembered ever seeing him. “You want to have sex…?”

The absent with me hit Keith harder than it should have. “Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” His seventeen-year-old self would have died from this conversation alone.

Shiro looked away to focus on the suddenly fascinating mustard, but his flesh hand came up from under the table to grip his metal wrist. Keith reacted on instinct, slipping his fingers between Shiro’s metal ones and squeezing. Heat rose in his cheeks as he offered a helpless shrug.

“I like the ridges.”

Shiro’s eyes flashed to his, so crystal and beautiful in the twilight, and they stole Keith’s breath all over again. Huh. This was how married couples were supposed to feel, right? All starstruck and wondrous. Keith would probably never understand why Shiro wanted him, but he would always revel in being the cause of That Look.

“Okay.” With his free hand, Shiro lifted Keith’s burger. “I guess we can have sex after the movie. Or during…? If it’s bad.”

Keith snorted. “We’re scheduling sex now?”

Shiro shrugged and spoke through his munching, “Isn’t that what married couples do?”

Only one thing to do about that. “Guess we should make it official, right? My mom’s coming to visit next week. We could get a courthouse date.”

Shiro’s thumb brushed across the top of Keith’s palm. “Yeah, makes sense. We’ll hold a small reception here. Your uncles and mom, my grandpa.”

“Hunk’ll cater. He’ll like that. We should invite Pidge and Lance, along with Allura, Coran, and Romelle.”

“Sounds good.” Shiro finished up the fries and offered the rest of his rings to Keith, who took them with an appreciated sound. “Your place is bigger, right?”

“And closer,” Keith agreed. “You spend most nights there anyway.”

Shiro nodded as he slurped the rest of his diet coke, then leaned back, never letting go of Keith’s hand. “I’ll get the rings. Saw one the other day with twin red carbon fiber inlays that framed a meteorite strip. It’s perfect for you. And I’ll get the matching one with gunmetal gray.”

Keith let out a tiny gasp, stealing Shiro’s wondering gaze, before cocking a tiny grin. “You’ve thought about this.”

Shiro ducked his head, though Keith spied the rapidly reddening tips of his ears. “I’ve thought about this.” He added in a whispered confession, “A lot.”

That settled warm and pleasant in Keith’s chest. “So…that’s it then. We’re engaged.”

“Yeah.” Shiro’s relaxed, blissful smile was an expression Keith never saw before, but something he could wake up to every morning. With one last squeeze, he let go of Keith’s hand and reached for his plate to clean up. “So I’ll see you at home later?”

The word “home” encouraged Keith to demand more. “Do we have to wait? Can we do it now?”

“Pidge and Lance don’t come on until midnight, but I promise I’ll be home as soon as they – ”

Keith sprinted from the bench and dove between the two plates that Shiro held, pressing his body flush against his fiancé’s. With his arms locked about Shiro’s neck, he startled Shiro with searing embrace that had Shiro grunting and then moaning. Keith bit Shiro’s bottom lip, then smiled when Shiro opened for him. He refused to release his soon-to-be husband until he felt something thick against his hip, lips swollen and red.

Once they parted, Shiro took two quick breaths before yelling over his shoulder, “Everyone out! We’re closing early!”

The End  

________

Just in case you were wondering, here are the rings I saw for Shiro and Keith!

[minimin1993]

B/L 29

Warning: Violence.

By the time they landed in Siberia, Linda started to strap up with her old gears that was still on the jet.

“You guys never removed me.” Linda said silently.

“How can we, you were my right hand woman. I was simply waiting for you to come back.” Steve said patting her back before walking over to the opening hanger door standing next to Bucky.

“You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?” Steve asks looking at Bucky

“  Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?” 

“  You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead.” Steve said making Linda giggle. 

“Freakin Casanova.” Linda said shaking her head. 

“  You still agreed to marry me.” Bucky said smirking at Linda making her playfully roll her eyes. “What was her name again?” He asks looking at Steve 

“Dolores. You called her Dot.” 

“  She's gotta be a hundred years old right now.” 

“  So are we, pal.” Steve said clamping his hand on Bucky's shoulder.

“Excuse me I am actually older than a hundred.” Linda said.

“Technically Luna is, you are barely 100.” Steve said with a smirk on his face. 

“He’s right.” Bucky said winking at her. 

Steve walks with Bucky and Linda up to the entrance set in rock to find the door is still open. 

“  He can't have been here more than a few hours.” Steve said    “Long enough to wake them up.” 

Steve leads them into the cast bunker traveling down into the depths inside a caged elevator, it stops in the bowels of the bunker, doors slide open. Linda conjures her whip ready for an attack as they walk down the corridor. When they walk up the stairs, they heard a door open behind them causing them all to turn weapons ready at the noise. 

“  You ready?” Steve asks 

“  Yeah.” Bucky and Linda said in unison. 

The door then parts force open by Tony, Linda and Steve stares at him in surprise watching him walk towards them before his suit helmet opens up    “You seem a little defensive.” Tony said    “It's been a long day.” Steve said walking towards him with his shield covering his body.    “At ease, Soldier. I'm not currently after you.”    “Then why are you here?” Linda asks    “Could be your story's not so crazy. Maybe. Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself.” 

“  Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork.” Steve said lowering his shield. “It's good to see you, Tony.” 

“  You too, Cap. Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop . . .” Tony said pointing to Bucky’s gun which was still pointing at him. Linda places her hand on his shoulder as he lowers his gun. Now with Tony on their team the 4 of them starts to explore the corridor together. 

“  I got heat signatures.” Tony said as he scans the area with his suit

“How many?” Steve asks    “Uh, one.” 

They enter the vast chamber the lights come on. Hazy, yellow mist descends within the capsules. 

“  If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep. Did you really think I wanted more of you?” Zemo said, Bucky looks inside one of the capsales seeing a single bullet straight in their head. 

“  What the hell?” Bucky whispers.

“I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here.” Zemo said turning on the light in the control room. Steve throws his shield hitting the window but flies right back without any damage. “Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets.” 

“  I'm betting I could beat that.” Tony said    “Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came.” 

“  You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?” Steve asks as they walk right up to the window.

“  I thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you're standing here, I just realized . . . there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw.”

“  You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?”

“  Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise.”

“  You lost someone?” Linda said realizing what happened. 

“  I lost everyone. And so will you.” Zemo said playing a surveillance footage from December 16th 1991. “An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumples from within? That's dead . . . forever.” 

“  I know that road. What is this?” Tony said once he walks over to the screen along with Linda who already knows what was on the tap since it was a memory she saw from Bucky. Linda closes her eyes tearing listening to her once beloved friend Howard get his face bashed in before hearing the cries of his wife next to him.  When the video stops Linda steps in front of Bucky between him and Tony before Tony prepares to lunge at Bucky. 

“Tony. Tony.” Steve said holding Tony back.

“  Did you know?” Tony asked looking Steve.

“  I didn't know it was him.”    “Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?” 

“  Yes.” 

“Linda? How can you? You even knew my father.” Tony said.

“He had no control of it Tony. I’m sorry.” 

Tony steps back, his chin jutting upwards twitchy before he reengages the Iron Man helmet and punches Steve away. Linda flicks her whip onto Tony arm constraining him but he activated a booster flinging Linda away from Bucky. He then grabs Bucky and flies across the chamber, slams him onto the floor holding down his arms preparing to blast him but Steve tosses his Shield  at Tony distracting him before running into him with his shield sending him off Bucky. Tony turns around sending shackles to lock onto Steve legs. Bucky punches Tony who just lifts him and slams him against a machine. Iron Man raises a hand preparing to fire but Bucky twists it destroying the mechanism. A rocket shoots out of Iron Man's arm, but Bucky turns it away from him as it blasts the machine in the lab instead. Linda conjures her second whip and whips them both onto Tony arms pulling them back dropping Bucky before the piller twists and falls around them 

“  Get out of here!” Steve said to Bucky.

Bucky bolts Iron Man fires toward him but Linda appears behind Bucky deflecting the shots before Steve lands in front of her. She turns to follow Bucky who hits a control panel and the silo-styled door overhead starts to open. Tony flies up with Jet boot kicking Bucky to the side preparing to shoot him again but Linda whips her whip grabbing onto his arm yanking it downward smashing him onto the lower floor. Linda jumps over to help Bucky up before Steve catches up to them. 

“He's not going to stop. Go.” Steve said looking down at Tony before Linda and Bucky runs again, when they were almost at the top Tony blasts the giant hinge holding the hatch destroying it as it slams shut knocking Linda and Bucky down. Bucky got up before Linda grabs a metal pipe to swing at Tony but he blocks it before grabbing Bucky neck from behind choking him.

“Do you even remember them?” Tony whispers 

“  I remember all of them.” 

Bucky pushes them both from the walkway dropping them off when Linda whips her whip trying to hold them up but Tony fires a blaster right at her causing her to fall as well. Steve jumps into them to deflect their fall, Bucky lands on a platform while Tony, Steve, and Linda land on the concrete floor multiple floors down knocking the wind out of them. Linda tries to stand up but couldn't because a nasty gash on her side and a few misplaced ribs from the blast Tony sent to her. She pulls herself onto the wall waiting for it to regenerate when Steve stands up. 

“  This isn't gonna change what happened.” Steve said looking up at Tony who also stood up. 

“I don't care. He killed my mom.” Tony said before flying over and punches Steve, they exchanged a couple hit before Tony pins Steve down punching him. Bucky notices Steve Shield near him and picks it up before leaping down to help. Linda whimpers pushing her ribs back into place, as the two super soldiers fist fight with Iron Man the shield changes hands between them until Tony manages to zap Steve who is thrown back into the wall near Linda. Bucky struggles to hold Iron Man at bay as he unleashes an energy beam, then he forces Iron Man against the opposite wall. He grips the glowing core in the chest of the Iron Man Suit until Tony sends a blast of energy knocks Bucky down, metal arm completely blown away, Tony zaps him again knocking him out on the floor. Steve rushes him with his shield up and Iron Man fires right at it before Steve punches Tony back against the wall and goes to town on Tony. After a few seconds, Tony starts to see Steves fighting pattern and starts to counterattack on Steve points where it counts knocking on his knees in front of Bucky. 

“He's my friend.” Steve said 

“  So was I.” Tony said punching Steve before throwing him away from barns. “Stay down. Final warning.”    “I can do this all day.” Steve said struggling to stand up.

Linda stares at Bucky who was unconscious on the floor and something inside her snapped. Linda/Luna stood up and waves both her hands up glowing blue before she blasts Tony with all her might, Tony puts his hands up trying to block the blast but couldn’t feeling his suit getting fried knocking him over before she lands right on top of him punching his mask until it falls off. She stares at Tony who has a shock look on his face before she prepares her glowing hands for a final blow before she hits his suits core draining all its powers.

“I’m sorry.” Linda/Luna said before she grabs her head screaming in pain stumbling off of him before falling on her knees near Bucky. Steve was about to rush over to her but Bucky crawls himself over to her. 

“Linda… whats wrong?” He whispered painfully not knowing what is wrong until she opens her eyes and see it flicker from black to normal. 

“Linda… I’m.. losing her…” Luna said before passing out. 

[immovingawaytonorway]

Larry Fanfic Reading List

Or Brûlant 

Or the one where Harry is the new ballet teacher, despite him being younger than everyone in his class, and Louis is less than impressed by his inescapable talent. They sort themselves out eventually.

6 Weeks

When Harry takes the afternoon shift at the cafe, he meets a boy who drinks a lot of tea and never remembers his umbrella.

Carried Away Like Butterflies

It was probably a huge mistake for Louis to let his former One Night Stand move into his spare room, especially when said One Night Stand doesn't seem to remember him.

Now You Know Me ( For Your Eyes Only)

au where harry and Louis are solo artists and they’re not exactly friends per se but they’re friendly, know each other from industry parties and things like that and there’s always been this weird unspoken sexual tension between them and Louis’ always kinda confused bc isn’t harry the biggest ladies’ man in the industry?? and one day harry asks Louis to collab with him and of course Louis says yes even tho he’s kinda surprised and harry plays the song for him and Louis is completely blown away by how beautiful it is and it’s a love song and he’s like damn whoever this is about is lucky as fuck bc it’s clearly written from personal experience so they spend all this time together recording and it’s super bittersweet bc they click right away and it takes Louis about three seconds to realize he has a huge fucking crush on harry but on the other hand harry clearly had someone in mind when he wrote the song so the last day of recording comes and Louis’ like “thanks for having me on the song” and harry just shrugs and is like “well it just seemed fitting bc the song is about you”

Looking Through You

Just as Louis and Liam were starting out in the music industry, writing and producing for up and coming artists, a fateful meeting with new pop singer Harry Styles changes everything. Four years later, just as Harry is set to embark on his next world tour, a drunken confession causes a rift between once inseparable friends. As Harry tries to make sense of his feelings for Louis, he begins writing his next album to express them as it may be the only way to break through the walls that Louis has built between them.

Chasing Empty Seats

The year is 1934 and Harry Styles was to inherent the largest tobacco firm in the south. His parents have picked out the “perfect” girl for him to marry and he has the privilege of receiving the highest education possible. The problem was, Harry hadn’t realized he didn’t actually want any part of that future until he met a mechanic named, Louis Tomlinson.

When It’s Late At Night

Louis has zero interest in an ex-boybander turned solo artist when his appearance on the show gets announced, but that's exactly who he gets stuck with when Harry Styles shows up at the Late Late show to promote the release of his debut album. For an entire fucking week.

Heaven’s Just Begun 

Harry is wholly convinced he's quite literally a sad excuse for a young adult, but this doesn't seem to stop the "boy next door" from developing the world's biggest crush on him.

Do Not Go Gentle

A Grey’s Anatomy AU where tensions are high, Harry and Louis are hooking up in secret, and no one has time for love. Or do they?

Galileo

Louis was captain of the state championship high school soccer team. Harry was that gorgeous, scarf-wearing, long-limbed British kid in his art class. They weren't supposed to be friends.

But somewhere along the line, Louis Tomlinson opened the locked mystery that was Harry Styles.

Freeze This Moment in a Frame and Stay Like This

Harry (not so) secretly crushes on the cute footie player and fills pages with sketches of him.

Nothing Please Me More Than You

Or...the one where Louis is a barista and Harry is the hot dude that comes in every day and does nothing except sit in the corner, writing in his notebook, all day long. But what Louis learns when he sneaks a peek inside the notebook changes everything.

Little White Lies

"I lied when I got my job.

I told them I had a kid so I could leave early 'to pick him up from day care', to take him to doctors appointments and occasionally miss a day 'when he's sick'. Long story short – I'm in too deep. I didn't think this through.

Looking to rent a kid for bring your child to work day. Must be a boy aged 4 to 6 with curly hair who plays soccer, essentially he has to look like the stock photo in the frame on my desk. Also must be artistic as the macaroni noodle drawings I made seem a little advanced for someone his age. He also needs to respond to 'my Little Picasso' as that's what my spouse and I call him. Also I will pay extra for someone willing to play the role of my spouse when dropping him off. His name is James, he's named after his grandpa and he's a defense attorney who often brings his work home.

You know what, just message me for the details, serious inquiries only. H."

Yell “Penis” For Password

Harry moves in to a new flat, and upon checking the wifi access, happens to find one demanding a very peculiar set of instructions. He makes the decision to follow them, which leads to a very interesting series of events.

There was a Reason I Collided With You

AU where Louis and Harry are neighbors who meet in the elevator of their apartment one morning and it becomes a routine for them. Louis pines a lot. Then one day, Harry doesn't show up at the elevator like he usually does, and well, Louis might panic.

You Lost Your Shoes as it Started to Rain

harry works in an american bakery but he doesn't know what scones are and he somehow meets a British boy named Louis.

Sugar

“I hope our paths will ‘croissant’ again.”

There’s a little smiley face drawn next to the words, and it’s ridiculous, Louis knows, but he can’t help the swell of butterflies that he feels as he reads over the words once more. An odd fellow indeed, he thinks.

A moment later he shakes his head and collects himself, because he really does need to get home; he’s sure that Harry is probably watching him from behind the counter, all sweet, smug smiles and pink cheeks. And if he’s being honest, he’s not entirely sure he won’t toss his groceries into the trash and walk straight back into the bakery if he doesn’t leave now, so… he really does need to get going.

Before he goes on his way, though, he plucks the note from the top of the container and carefully tucks it inside of his wallet to protect it from the rain.

That’s how it begins.

Hearts Don’t Break Around Here

Or: the one in which Harry's having his big movie debut and Louis sings on it's soundtrack.

The Boys of Summer

Harry is in love with Louis and would have given anything to be his partner for the end of term literature assignment. Louis is the only kid in the class who can get away with anything, and all he wants is the attention of the pretty boy with the curls across the room. Featuring lots of banter, pining, flirting, and Fionn as an unwilling Cupid.

The Pink Album

Or, a love seven years in the making, inspired by Harry's debut album.

If its Me You’re Looking For

Louis has a bad habit of getting drunk before he confesses--or maybe it's the other way around. AU. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

A collection of Larry Fanfics the I plan on reading lol.

updated: 08/27/2017

[chemicalperfume]

Nanami Hiroki Personal Book: 100 Questions [translation]

Today, January 16th, is everyone’s favourite cheesy lines generator, Nanami Hiroki a.k.a. Kai’s birthday! Here is a thing in celebration (that I had -for once- conveniently forgotten in my drafts forever, and just now remembered). Happy Birthday, Kai! :D

Coffee or Tea

Morning or Night

Stars or Moon Back in grade school, I did a project on shooting stars

Meat or Fish I love Yakitori and Karaage

Baseball or Soccer

Spring or Autumn

Summer or Winter When it’s cold I can just pile on the layers, but in summer, no matter how many clothes you take off, it’s still hot! I can’t stand the heat.

Dogs or Cats

Hot springs or amusement parks

America or Europe

Red or Blue

Western movies or Japanese movies

The mountain or the sea

Sushi or Ramen

Sauce*(Worcestershire) or Soy sauce

Mayonnaise or Ketchup I use neither.

Udon or Soba noodles I love Inaniwa Udon.

Countryside or big city

English or Math

Vertical writing or horizontal writing

Texting or Phone call

Japanese sweets or Western sweets I like both, but I love chocolate so, western sweets it is.

The Tale of Genji or Shakespeare

Bread or White Rice Love savoury stuffed bread. Hate sweet buns.

Plane or Ship Being in transport for extended periods of time is agony. If it’s for an hour or so, then a ship.

Alone or in a group

Color or Black & White photography

Getting married japanese style or western style

Hokkaido or Okinawa No can do hot weather *laughs*. Give me cold instead.

A hot or lukewarm bath

Japanese or Western style room

Silent or Chatty

Outdoors or Indoors

Resort Hotel or Luxurious Ryokan I really love this feeling they have of offering attentive service to each and every guest.

Coarse or smooth sweet red bean paste

Elevator or escalator

Ballpoint pen or mechanical pencil Are there really people who go as far as liking or disliking either of these? *laughs* I don’t really use mechanical pencils, so the pen.

Roses or Orchids I love blue roses.

Tamagoyaki or Sunny-side up eggs Tamagoyaki and stock flavoured!

Rings or Watches

Bus or Train

Close-up or full-body photos I prefer taking a step back and taking medium shots

Sweater or blouse

Cleaning or Laundry Laundry is the one I still do. *laughs*

Preparation before cooking or cleaning up afterwards

Heavy or light futon How do people who prefer it heavy exist?!

Hard or soft pillow

Scuba diving or sky diving I want to do both! Since I like swimming, I guess i’ll pick scuba diving. I am a-ok with jumping from high places too.

Newspaper or Magazine I often flip through men’s magazines for research purposes.

Japanese liquor or wine Lately it’s white wine.

During winter, kotatsu or air-condition

Cookies or senbei

Okonomiyaki or Yakisoba

Nishikori Kei (tennis player) or Hanyu Yuzuru (figure skater)

Military uniform or Tailcoat

Lace or Velvet I don’t really like lace.

The Orient or The West

Green Tea or Oolong Tea

Roller coaster or Ferris Wheel

If you could hire one at home, a cook or a personal masseur Personal masseur all the way!!

In transport vehicles, window seat or aisle seat

During a discussion you mostly talk or mostly listen

Clothes with a flashy colour but plain design or clothes with a plain colour but flashy design

When staying in a hotel, high floor or low floor

A house with a big garden or a high-rise apartment with a beautiful night view? Taking care of a big garden is hard work so the high-rise apartment!

Nara or Kyoto

Arashi or Kanjani8 (boybands)

White or Black

Elisabeth of Austria or Marie Antoinette

Tragedy or Comedy I prefer playing tragedies but watching comedies.

Would you rather go to the future or the past? I want to watch the Earth being born on fast forward from the outside *laughs*

Tokugawa Ieyasu or Oda Nobunaga

Watching movies on DVD or in the cinema

Chirashizushi or Nigiri sushi

Fiction or Non-fiction

Suspense or Romance TV series

When riding a roller coaster, sitting at the very front or the very back

Freedom or Money Having freedom but no money or having money but no freedom...Talk about extremes *laughs*. Freedom, since money can’t buy that.

Christmas or New Year’s

Bed or futon

Group activities or solo activities Over 3 people, no can do *laughs*

If you could keep one at home, a tropical fish or a hamster? Couldn’t keep either! I wouldn’t be able to care for it properly and it would be a pity.

Gouriki Ayame or Nounen Rena (actresses)

When you’re lost, do you go back the way you came or, keep moving even if you don’t know where you’re going?

Guitar or Drums I can play the guitar a little.

Jazz or Classical music

Travel tv show or Foodie tv show

Hot or cold drinks I can’t handle hot food.**

Extremely sweet or extremely spicy

Sons or daughters I can’t really imagine such a thing… *laughs*

Super busy or super free

Getting ready for a trip, or sorting out the photos after you come back

Sports Festival or Culture Festival I like both. If you asked me to be in the committee for either of these, then the Culture Festival.

During a trip, chilling in one place or going around for shopping and sightseeing? I’d like to go someplace within Japan with hot springs and a beautiful scenery, stay in a luxurious ryokan, and just space out.

Boke or Tsukkomi

Staying up late or sleeping in

Cherry blossoms or Autumn leaves

Sleeping with a light on or in total darkness

Do you deal with bothersome things immediately, or procrastinate until the last minute? In my school years I would get things out of the way quickly, but since I joined Takarazuka I got lazy… The stage takes all of my effort.

If you were reincarnated, would you rather be a man or a woman? Next time, I want to work hard as a man.

Notes:

(*)When the Japanese say just “sauce”, they usually mean a thin Worcestershire, which is a popular dressing (**) 猫舌 (nekojita) Disclaimer: Recipes linked are just for reference