#Pour Over Camping Coffee Set

[drinkw]

Exploring the Best Gear for Outdoor Coffee Enthusiasts: Titanium Coffee Cup and Pour Over Camping Coffee Set

On The Go, Drinkware aims to provide high-quality and durable drinkware solutions for the adventurous and on-the-go lifestyle. Through innovative design and top-of-the-line materials, we strive to enhance our customers' drinking experience, whether hiking in the mountains or commuting to work. We are earmarked to sustainability and eco-friendliness in every facet of our business, from sourcing materials to packaging.

[felinecyan]

Wide Awake

[Shoto Todoroki x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: When you take the couch due to your inability to sleep, unfortunately, you get the scare of your life.

WC: 1737

Category: Fluff, Slight Comfort

Finally finished the fic 😴 I apologize it took me so long 🙏

『••✎••』

You couldn’t remember when you found your eyes closing or when you had dozed off. With your favorite blanket and pillow in hand, you had moved to the sofa down in the common room from your room and set up camp for the night. You couldn’t remember why, either. All you knew was that you were exhausted, and it was easier to fall asleep downstairs without the light that poured in through the hallway.

As you laid on the couch, you found yourself somewhere between being asleep and awake. The world was quiet. It was late. And everyone had long since gone to sleep for the night. Even Kaminari, who had a hard time winding down after dark, had passed out before you. The silence was peaceful and the darkness was calming. The world seemed frozen and at ease.

Your mind was, too, finally, after racing all day. A million different thoughts had been bouncing around in your head like a ping-pong ball. They had been loud, distracting, and almost made you feel sick. But they had quieted now. You could barely even remember what you had been thinking about. Your body was heavy, relaxed, and finally, ready to drift off into a deep sleep.

So you did. You fell back asleep as your body relaxed.

But then, an odd feeling washed over you. A chill ran up your spine. Goosebumps prickled over your arms. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. Your heart rate picked up slightly.

Something was wrong.

Your eyes cracked open slowly, and you blinked as you peered around the dark common room. No one was there—at least, not that you could see. Your heart was beating a bit faster. What was going on? Was it just the exhaustion that was making you anxious?

It was probably just the exhaustion, you decided. After all, the world was quiet. Everyone was sleeping. There was no reason for you to be on edge. You were just tired. That had to be it.

Closing your eyes again, you rolled over to face the back of the sofa. But as you did, the feeling only grew stronger. Your heart was pounding against your ribs.

Something was definitely wrong.

This time, when your eyes opened, they stayed open. Not because sleep had left you but because a set of mismatched eyes had suddenly appeared right in front of your own. You screamed at the sudden intrusion and shot backward, but you didn't get far. You had forgotten that the arm of the sofa was behind you. So, instead, you simply fell back against it with a gasp and scrambled back to where you had been, clutching your chest and breathing heavily.

For a moment, nothing happened. Your wide eyes remained locked with those mismatched ones, staring at you with nothing more than curiosity. A single brow rose. A moment passed, and then another. But then, those eyes broke from yours. A voice sounded low and soft.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

You nearly choked. "S-Shoto?! Wha… What the hell are you doing?! Why are you staring at me while I sleep?!" You had recognized the boy's voice almost immediately, even with how soft and hushed it was. It wasn't hard to do. He wasn't exactly the most talkative person.

Your eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness, and you could make out the bowl of soba and the steaming cup of tea in both his hands.

"Contemplating if I should’ve woken you or not," he answered as he stood. "I almost sat on you."

You could only stare at him as he placed the tea and noodles on the coffee table next to your book. The panic and adrenaline were starting to wear off, and your heartbeat was beginning to slow. "What are you even doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. Decided to eat."

"You couldn't sleep, so you’re eating soba at… What time is it, anyway?"

"A quarter past 3."

Your jaw dropped. "A quarter pa—" You were cut off by a yawn, which forced your jaw shut again. Shaking your head, you ran a hand over your face and looked up at him. "Well, are you done?"

Shoto's brow rose again, confused. "With the soba?"

"What…? No." The amount of sass in your voice was a testament to how exhausted you really were. "With sleep. Attempting to, at least."

The boy shrugged. "Not really. I usually don't fall asleep until after 4. Why? Are you going back to sleep?"

You gave a sigh. "Well, yeah. I was trying to."

"Should’ve tried your actual bed then." He took a sip of his tea, eyeing you as he did. "I’m surprised Tokoyami didn't wake you."

You blinked. "Tokoyami?"

Shoto nodded. "He’s always reading in the dark down here. I don’t think he’s slept since the Liberation War. Hawks’ injuries must’ve really hit him hard."

That was right… you remembered seeing him more and more often downstairs as the days had passed. It was rare to ever see him upstairs anymore. It was just something you had gotten used to. "I should probably check on him."

"Probably."

Another yawn pulled at your lips, and you couldn't help but smile a little. "If he's up, can I get some of that tea?"

"If you want." Shoto turned to sip his tea again, eyes drifting from yours. But when he turned back to look at you, his eyes were wide, and his expression was filled with disbelief. "Wait, you fell asleep here?"

You were already snuggled back up under your blankets. "Uh, yeah? Did you already forget why I screamed in your face?"

He paused, his face unreadable. "I don’t remember you being an insomniac. Are you unwell? Shall I bring some medicine for you?"

"What? No, I'm not sick."

"It’s rare for someone who is well to sleep on the couch."

You sighed. "You just said you don’t go to sleep until later."

"But you don’t come down here at all."

"Because it's not normal for people to hang out downstairs at this time!"

"Tokoyami does."

"Yeah, and you said that's because you told—" You were interrupted by a yawn and shook your head. "Never mind. You're impossible."

"Me? Impossible?" Shoto's brow rose yet again, and he almost sounded amused. "You're the one who's choosing the sofa over your bed."

"I didn't choose the sofa; it chose me."

"Is it a sentient being?"

Sometimes, you couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.

"No, Sho. I just— I couldn’t sleep in my room. And I don’t know why." You sighed and rubbed your temples, the frustration from earlier that day beginning to resurface. "There was a lot on my mind, and I couldn’t shut it off, but it was fine. And then I fell asleep, and I felt better, but then I woke up and—"

"And what?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. I don’t think I can go back to my room tonight."

The two of you fell silent, his mismatched eyes peering into yours. There was something about the way he looked at you. It wasn’t a glare or a scowl, but it wasn’t a smile or a smirk either. It was just him watching you.

Then again, that’s all he ever did. He didn't say much. He didn't smile often. He was quiet. But, if you were being honest, that was probably what you liked about him. He didn't judge. He just listened.

Finally, he spoke. "I know the feeling…" His voice was soft, his gaze distant. "I used to sleep on the floor because I thought I didn’t deserve a bed. I grew out of that, but every now and then, the thought still comes back."

You blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah," Shoto responded. "But my room isn't really home. The dorm is. This is. So when I feel like that, I come down here."

"…Is that why you’re down here now?"

"No. I just wanted soba."

His bluntness made you laugh. You shook your head and smiled. "I forgot you're always hungry."

"Not always."

"Always. It's 3 AM, Sho."

"Yes, and?"

"And? You don't think it's a little weird to eat soba at 3 AM?"

"Weird? You were sleeping down here. That's weirder."

"Hey! I—!" You were cut off by yet another yawn, and you could only look at him as it faded away. "I can't argue right now."

"I'll win anyway," Shoto stated matter-of-factly. "Go back to sleep."

"You can't just tell me to go back to sleep. It's not that easy."

"Sure it is. Close your eyes. Count sheep. Pretend you're dying. Anything works."

"Roki, that's the worst advice I've ever heard."

"And yet, it's still better than any advice Kaminari or Sero would give."

Damn. Tired or not, he still kept it real.

"I’ll wake you up before Aizawa gets here."

"He checks on us? Since when?"

He shrugged. "Certain days. Since that time when Midoriya and Bakugo snuck out to fight, he likes to make sure no one else is trying to do that."

"Oh. He wouldn’t be mad, though, if I was just down here."

"Him being concerned is worse than him being mad."

"I don’t think that’s…" You were cut off by another yawn, and when you opened your eyes, you saw him staring at you. His expression was blank, but his gaze was intense. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll try. Just don’t watch me sleep again, or I will throw a pillow at your face."

"I wasn’t— okay."

"Okay, you will stop?"

"Okay."

"Good."

You laid back down and rolled over, facing the back of the couch again. You could hear Shoto shuffle a bit and the clink of his chopsticks, but everything was quiet once again. Closing your eyes, you pulled the blanket closer to you. You had to admit, you were a bit more at ease than before.

"If it helps," Shoto's voice suddenly said, "Goodnight."

A smile tugged at your lips, and you shook your head. "Night, Roki."

As you drifted off to sleep, finally, without any worries or intruding thoughts, your smile didn't leave your face. You had expected it to, and yet it didn't.

Aizawa also never came to check on you or the students. You realized this because Ochaco was waking you up in a panic, yelling something about being late for class.

It was a chaotic morning, but at least you were well-rested.

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

Yandere! Male! idol x manager! gn! reader

WOOOH finally able to update. I got busy due to working for a summer reading camp. Woop tee doo... At least I got money for a new phone LMAO

And we finally, FINALLY finished the second set of yans! For now, no new yans will be done, and will be focusing on the boys!

Song featured: Too Sweet by Hozier

EDIT: I FORGOT THAT I MADE ELIAS THE SIBLING OF THE YAN! IDOL AND ALREADY NAMED HIM ZAYNE! I'll probably just change Zayne's to Tae-Joon.

Yan! Idol name: Raven/Tae-Joon

The deafening lights and cheers of the people in the gigantic stadium rang around the building. They kept cheering, almost shaking the whole place from their energy.

As the band started playing the intro song, the cheers suddenly amped up in intensity with the focus going back on the stage. Each and every lightstick glowed red, flooding the whole area with a scarlet hue.

The bass pumped, the music riffed, the vibe electric.

The stage fogged up, covering the whole place before the cheering got louder when a appeared in the fog.

Then, there he is.

"HOW'S IT GOING CITY OF [redacted]!"

A charismatic, boyish smile, with pearly white teeth that blinded the secret paparazzi in the crowd, with a tall and lean stature that encompasses talent and discipline in one body, and facial features that make people swoon even in just his photocards.

"RAVEN! RAVEN! RAVEN!"

The man, the idol named Raven, started to sing. His voice was smooth and low as the romantic yet also sensual lyrics pour out of his pink lips.

It can't be said I'm an early bird

It's ten o'clock before I say a word

Baby, I can never tell

How do you sleep so well?

He goes up to the edge, swinging around the mic stand as if it was a dance partner. One can hear the passion going off in his tone as his messy hair got flipped upward.

Don't you just wanna wake up, dark as a lake?

Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?

If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great

But while in this world

He gets on the middle of the stage, and the pedestal raised as the spotlight went to him.

I think I'll take my whiskey neat

My coffee black and my bed at three

You're too sweet for me

You're too sweet for me

Everyone was seduced, everyone was mesmerized. Raven gave off seductive energy that they held their breath every time his gaze penetrates them. And some even assumed his gaze was on theirs, making them squeal.

It was truly a night for everyone in the stadium.

After almost two hours of performing, Raven, with sweat pouring out of him but still managed to look amazing, descended down on the stage hatch.

But the once shining star back in the stage suddenly threw his beret on the ground.

"FUCK! What was that buzzing sound in the dance break?!" Raven yelled. "Are you serious?! I thought we went over this!"

The people in the back started to groan inwardly. There he goes again.

"Ah... Tae-Joon..." The director said, "We made sure to reprimand the lights and sounds..."

Raven, or rather Tae-Joon off stage, clicked his tongue in anger. "Whatever. Bring me my coffee! I need a break."

"But you can just go home after the cleanup. Do you still want coffee?"

A naive voice said, obviously new to the scene as she juggle with her box of wires.

She's a big fan of Raven and pulled a lot of strings just to be there. A bit bold, she decided to be the concerned type of staff and berate him of his beverage choice.

Yet she absolutely cannot see the pale faces and the dread sticking on the visages of the people around her. She's in too deep in her tunnel vision of Raven to notice his microphone cracking. Another thing to add to the casualties.

"You... What's your name?" Raven glowered. The fan can feel her heart rate pick up as she told her name. "Oh. You're new. All i could say is..."

Raven got up to her and glared at her much smaller form "You're fired. Get out! Nobody gets to dictate what I damn drink!"

The woman was too stunned to speak as she got dragged out of the venue.

This is Raven. Or in real life, Tae-Joon. A charming man in his own right, in front of the public, he's a gentleman with a seductive touch. Talented, with a handsome visage, he's an international idol.

But in reality, he's one hell of a spoiled brat.

"I WANT MY COFFEE NOW!"

Somehow, because of his sheer dumb luck and his reputation, nobody from his staff decided to expose him for what he really is.

He's full of himself and loves to gloat about his own achievements. And one thing he makes sure to take advantage of is his looks.

He brushes his hair back, shaking off sweat (ew) yet somehow looks so ethereal as he clicked his tongue in annoyance, mesmerizing his staff.

He even went as far as to feed his delusional fans and stans.

He's that far gone.

"Where the hell is my coffee!"

"AY COFFEE!"

He's awful to everyone.

Except...

"Tsk. Tae-Joon... If I hear you yell one more time!"

Raven cowers a bit, pouting as he slithers towards his manager.

"But manager~!"

As if he's a new person, Raven clung to you. His head on your shoulder as he played with your left hand.

"I want my coffee and none of these incompetent people are giving me my coffee!" He whined like a child complaining to his parent. "Scold them for me pwease!"

The staff, used to it, sighed in relief as your deadpan look didn't tolerate Raven's rudeness. On your right hand is his coffee that you handed to him.

"Manager! Thank you so much!" His eyes wide and appreciative, he sips on it and sighs in relief. "Ah... So good... This is why I love you, manager."

Goodness. He's putty in your hands.

Tae-Joon was once a trainee. He's naturally good looking already so he's being pulled left and right by companies to be in their side. He's an uncut gem, a diamond in the rough waiting to be polished. They saw his potential and wanted a slice of his being.

The once sweet boy, hardened by the harsh training, became a gloating hardhead from the way these people fight for him. After all, he was just a quiet, ambitious guy in highschool. He wanted more, and he got it through hard work and natural charm. And now, years later, he's about to reach his dreams.

Yet once he got in the company of his choice, his demands were... Too much.

"I need to share a dorm with others? No way!"

"Ugh the mattress is too stiff."

"Seriously?! You want me to train for five hours a day?! Two hours! Just two hours!"

"What are these clothes?! These are not branded!"

"No way that I'm performing in that small stage. I don't care if I'm pre-debut, that is ass!"

"Trash beats. Next."

The company was exhausted. He's not even raking money in, yet he's too demanding for his own good.

Desperate, the company opened their doors for a babysitter manager that has a "calm and pleasing personality", "trait that can work in high stress situations", "adaptability", "great leadership skills and authoritative", and can "teach those who are under them". Aka: someone who can tame the damn bird.

That's where you came in.

You were just a fresh graduate in desperate need of a job. Nobody was hiring you since you're new, and needed more experience.

The hiring process was intense, to say the least. You had to herd rowdy children and change them to upright good kids in 10 days. You somehow did it and even got gifts from the grateful parents. Next, you had to juggle schedules and ridiculous demands. Then, you had to endure being yelled and insulted at.

Your mind, heart, and body are now made of steel from that hiring process and you're the only one who rose to the top.

"Congratulations. Here's your care. His name is Tae-Joon, stage name Raven." The head said, nervous and hopeful that you with Tae-Joon will change his attitude.

Tae-Joon raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Ugly."

You were flabbergasted. This is a supposed to be future idol?

But you can only manage a twitch on your lips.

It was hell with him. You thought the hiring process/training regimen was bad, but this was something else.

A explosive personality, he's sassy and mean to a point of wanting to face palm through your head. You had to physically reel him in at some point just because of a hater.

But unlike the others who cowered and tolerated his behavior, you were stern with his behavior and lectured him most of the time.

"You can't just yell at miss Park just because she messed up your order!"

"Get the hell up! You're going to be late to your training!"

"Who the heck do you think you are, ripping up clothes like that huh?!"

You were feisty in your own right and constantly butt heads with him.

But even then, even just with you around, he's just a growling beast cowering from your lectures as you yelled at him.

Yet, even if as you yell at him, your caring hands wiped his sweat off and gave him his water. If somebody actually messed with him, you would lecture that guy. And there are some times that you laugh at his antics and shake your head.

You treated him like an actual human with feelings, rather than a ticking time bomb.

Slowly but surely, Tae-Joon clung to you. You were his only ally in this godforsaken industry and the only one who understood him. You also didn't tolerate his personality and shaped him to be somehow decent.

And, as his manager, you cared for him like nobody did.

Your lectures became less frequent, and he had more instances to see where you smile at him proudly as he finally had his solo debut. More time to talk to him normally, and had small, intimate moments that fuels his social needs.

And as his fame skyrocket, you were always there, waving his lightstick and being his number one fan.

Understandably, he fell for you.

He started to be openly affectionate with you, constantly confessing his love to the point that management had to tell him off to stop being so open with his affection since paparazzi can take a video or picture and ruin his reputation.

He honestly doesn't care. But with you raising an eyebrow at him, he pouts and only becomes clingy in private.

He'd rather hold it in than nothing at all.

And hell be damned if someone took you away from him. Because he may be somehow tolerable now, but that's only because you're there with him.

Raven just got back from practicing for his new song, and was totally exhausted. He dragged his feet, clearly irritable especially that you weren't there with him.

The staff knew he's not in a good mood so they steer clear of his way.

"Have you seen my manager?" Raven asked a staff who only shook their head. "'kay..."

He looks so depressed that the people around him took pity on the guy as he trudged towards the head.

He passed a meeting room and he heard your voice.

"Another Tae-Joon?"

Another him? What?

He decided to listen in and he heard the managerial head clear his throat.

"Yes. Since Raven is calmer now, we think he needs to move on to another manager. You, on the other hand, will be training another... Hothead."

You held your head, feeling a headache incoming.

"No way. I'm not going through that again. I went through hell with Tae-Joon before. I'm not repeating that."

Ouch. Tae-Joon held his chest, a bit saddened by your words. Well, it was true but it didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Yet... You're not going to be his manager anymore?

Strangely, he felt the numbness creeping up his nape.

"No buts, y/n. You're going to be transfered."

"Did you ask Tae-Joon about this?"

"... Yes, Raven gave the thumbs up."

Liar. LIAR!

Tae-Joon wanted to rush in the room and shake the managerial head until he faints. He didn't give the thumbs up at all!

But he's strangely rooted in place as he heard you sigh.

"Okay. Where's this guy?"

"His name is [redacted]. He'll be here by Monday so be prepared."

When you finally finished the meeting, you went out of the room yet felt a lingering warmth by the wall.

Meanwhile, Tae-Joon rushed towards the trainee building. Eyes cold yet body tense. He wanted to see who the hell is this [redacted]. Nobody, as in nobody will be yours. Only he can be yours.

The trainees were flabbergasted as they saw Raven in the flesh, gawking at his presence and bowing in respect.

Tae-Joon didn't care. He wanted to see where this [redacted] is.

Room 5, and he bursts open through the door.

"What the hell- Raven?" The guy was slack jawed, starstruck. "I'm- I'm a big fan--"

Tae-Joon grabbed his collar and looked him in the eye. It was filled with unbridled rage yet at the same time, bone chilling coldness.

"Fix your fucking attitude." Tae-Joon warned. "Don't be over your head, worm. You better be goddamn nice or else I'll lob your head off."

[redacted] felt like it wasn't just a baseless joke, so he swallowed his saliva and nodded.

"Now. I better see you demand a transfer to the group idol department. You hear me? You aren't debuting solo." Tae-Joon tightened his grip. "Understood?"

It reached the ears of the head that Tae-Joon threatened [redacted]. But don't know what. All they know is that [redacted] pleaded to debut in a group and was suddenly meek and quiet when he transfered departments.

Yet, they somehow knew it had to do something with you, as he clung to you desperately for a week after that.

Then and there, they knew to never, ever try to separate you from him. If they don't want to let go of their greatest asset and set him off.

So, despite how dangerous Raven has become, they forced [redacted] to be quiet by... Not so savorable means.

"You're not leaving me, right?" Tae-Joon whispered, looking exhausted yet satisfied as he hugged your waist.

You, who just realized how deep Tae-Joon is in his affection, sighed and rubbed his head. "I'm not."

And it better stay that way.

[thelikesofus]

starting our forever, baby

9-1-1 on ABC | Buddie | 2.1k words | s7 spec, prev bucktommy, getting together, love confessions, love is stored in the kitchen

Eddie wakes up to a surprise visit from Buck and they finally talk about forever.

Read on AO3

Eddie wakes up to the sound of pans clanging in the kitchen and the smell of pancake batter and hot butter. Neither of these things is cause for alarm nor out of the ordinary but he is ninety-eight percent certain he went to sleep in an empty house. 

He rolls out of bed, shrugging on a sweatshirt and grabbing a pair of soft socks out of his drawer on the way past and to no surprise finds Buck in the kitchen.

“Hey! Eddie,” Buck smiles brightly at him as Eddie cautiously perches himself on a kitchen stool. “Good morning.”

Buck is bathed in sunlight from the kitchen window behind him, a halo of gold filtering through his soft curls, gel-free and touseled on the top of Buck’s head in a way that Eddie wishes he would let them be more often. “Morning, Buck. You’re here early.”

Buck bustles around the kitchen, pulling milk out of the fridge and grabbing a mug from the top cupboard, his body moving around Eddie’s kitchen as if it has been programmed with an innate sense of where to find anything and everything. He could be convinced that Buck knows his way around Eddie’s kitchen better than Eddie does. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m sorry. It’s just–it’s been a while, yeah? And I feel like I haven’t seen Chris in ages–I miss the kid–and I figured he was probably, if not missing me, at least missing my pancakes. I hope he hasn’t been letting you make them.”

Buck pours coffee from the pot into the mug, tops it off with the precise amount of milk that Eddie prefers, and sets it in front of Eddie before turning to the frying pan and flipping the pancake. “I know you’ve been improving in the cooking department–I can see it, Eddie, and I’m proud of you,” Eddie’s heart squeezes in his chest. “But pancakes are my department.”

“I wouldn’t want to steal your thunder.” Eddie quips and Buck whips around to wave the spatula at him.

“Exactly!”

“Buck,” Eddie presses carefully because there’s a frantic energy fizzing beneath Buck’s skin, he can see it in the way he moves, the line of his shoulders, and the exaggerated way he swings his arms. “Christopher isn’t here. He’s on school camp until Friday.”

“Oh, right, I knew that.” Buck’s whole body joints to a stop like a record skipping on a turntable and then just as soon he’s back in motion again. “That’s okay! I brought lemon juice for on your pancakes, we can save the bacon for the weekend when he gets back.”

Eddie’s heart grows three sizes in his chest, threatening to burst out all over his kitchen and cover Buck and the bench top in a flood of emotions he’s spent the last month and a half trying to fold smaller and smaller until he can safely tuck them away beneath his ribs where it can’t hurt anyone but himself. 

“Buck?” The other man glances at him before turning back to the stove, giving a soft hum in response. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Buck grins at him again but it doesn’t reach his eyes this time. 

“You’re buzzing, and not the good kind.” Eddie stands and rounds the counter, he leans against the other side while still giving Buck as much space as he needs. He presses again, softer this time. “Buck? What’s going on?”

Buck deflates and turns the stove off, removing the pan from the element and leaning against the other counter opposite Eddie. “Tommy and I broke up. I broke up with him, or we broke up with each other, I guess.” 

Eddie isn’t sure what to say. As far as he knew Buck and Tommy’s relationship had been going smoothly. They were a good fit, even Eddie could tell, as much as it sometimes pained him to admit. But he was happy for them. Seeing them dance together at Maddie and Chimney’s wedding had filled Eddie with a sense of pride even when it also left him feeling like he was walking with a permanent rock in his shoe—a phenomenon he could finally put a name to after a few long talks with Frank and an enlightening if not nervewracking night at a bar called the Peacock that Hen had suggested he visit for ‘research purposes’. 

“I thought you really liked Tommy?” Is what he finally manages to say once he unsticks his tongue from the roof of his mouth.

“I do,” Buck says. His arms are still full of static as he gestures with his hands in that way that Buck does when he’s nervous or overwhelmed and he’s not looking Eddie in the eyes. Buck shakes his head. “I did. I did, and Tommy is wonderful but I think we both realized that it wasn’t going to last. He got offered a job, down in Mexico.” Buck pushes away from the bench, pulls two plates out of the drawer, and starts dividing the stack of pancakes between them.

“After the whole fiasco with the cruise ship, the LAFD decided they wanted someone on the ground down there as a sort of link between the Los Angeles rescue helicopters and the team down in Mexico City. They’re going to put him in charge of his own team and he’s been working towards some sort of promotion for ages so he’s really excited about it.”

“He didn’t ask you to go with him did he?” Eddie can’t help but let the question burst out of him. The thought of Buck leaving already feels like tearing out a lung but he also knows he’s in no position to ask Buck to stay, certainly not for Eddie’s sake. 

“He did, sort of.” Buck shrugs. “I think he already knew I wouldn’t say yes. L.A. is my home, I couldn’t leave the 118, I couldn’t leave Maddie and Jee-yun. Christopher, the thought of being anywhere that kid isn’t is just—and I know he’s not—but I still couldn’t. I won’t. Tommy knows that. He also knew that I wouldn’t leave you.”

“Me?” Now Eddie has to swallow down a lump of surprise. Eddie doesn't think that little of himself, he knows he’s important to Buck, they are important to each other, but important enough to be the reason Buck stays in Los Angeles while his boyfriend moves to another country?

Buck turns to place two plates, carefully stacked with fluffy, golden pancakes, each drizzled in lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar—Eddie’s favorite—on the kitchen island, and then he’s facing Eddie again only feet away in all his early morning glory and Eddie dares to hope.

“You.” Buck rests one hip against the counter and turns the full power of those bright blue eyes on Eddie as he finally makes eye contact for the first time all morning. “Yes, you, Eddie. Tommy is lovely and sweet and he has been so, so good to me for the last two months, we’ve been good for each other, I think.”

Eddie breaks the eye contact, he’s heard all about how wonderful and lovely Tommy is for the last two months and while he has been so happy for Buck, truly, it has also been agony. But then Buck is stepping up into Eddie’s space and gripping his elbow. Buck ducks his head until he can catch Eddie’s eyes again and follows his gaze until Eddie gives up on trying to hide from him. 

“But it was never going to work long-term, I don’t think it was ever meant to. He’s very sweet and we get along well but it never got any deeper than that. We made better friends than anything else.”

“Okay, so you ended it on mutual terms and he’s moving to Mexico?”

“Not for a few months but eventually he is yes.”

“A few months?”

“Next February.”

“February? Next year? Buck that ages away, why break up now if he’s not leaving until–.”

“Because it was time.”

“Time for what?”

“To stop lying to myself, to you.”

Eddie almost bites his tongue. “Lying to me? Buck, I am so confused right now. Did you hit your head? You do remember coming out to me right? You’ve been dating a man for the last two months. You brought a man to your sister’s wedding. Honestly, I am still living off of the high that I got from seeing your mother’s face when you kissed Tommy on the dance floor, that was—.”

“Eddie!” Buck laughs around his name and it’s the sweetest sound Eddie has ever heard. “Would you let me finish talking? Please?”

Eddie nods. “Right, yes. Sorry. Proceed.” He swings his arm out dramatically and Buck pinches the skin on the back of Eddie’s arm and rolls his eyes. 

“Eddie,” There’s a seriousness to Buck’s tone that Eddie doesn’t hear often. “I don’t want to presume anything okay, so if I’ve been reading this wrong then please tell me because I don’t want to make this weird, the last thing I want to do is hurt you or make you uncomfortable but—.” Eddie watches the tick in Buck's jaw tighten. “There’s something here, right? You and me?”

“Do you think there is?” Eddie whispers into the space between them, barely getting the words out past where his heart sits in his throat. 

“I dare to hope there is,” Buck whispers back. “I would like there to be. Eddie, you’re my best friend, you’ve been my rock for years and I love you more than anything but I also—I also think I might be in love with you, and I think I have been for a long time.”

“You think?”

“Like pretty God damn certain actually.” 

“Good, good.” Eddie nods, barely keeping the grin from breaking across his face. He can feel his lips twitching with the effort to suppress it. “That’s good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He steps into Buck’s space and leans forward until he can press their foreheads together. Buck’s arm slides from Eddie’s elbow to around his waist and Eddie rests his palm against Buck’s chest, sliding it up until he can wrap his fingers over the swell of Buck’s shoulder and press his thumb into that divet in Buck’s throat where Eddie can feel the heat of him and the pulse of his heartbeat beneath the pad of his thumb. “Because I am definitely in love with you.”

“You never said anything.”

“I didn’t know and then I did but you were with Tommy and you were happy. I was happy for you.”

Buck breathes deeply and Eddie reveals in the way it rushes past his cheek. “What about you?”

“I’m happy now,” Eddie says and it’s true, and realizing that only multiples the happiness tenfold. “I’m so happy I could burst.”

“Happy that I got dumped again?”

“You didn’t get dumped, you said it was mutual.” Eddie squeezes his shoulder. “But yes, happy that you might finally be mine, that I might finally get to be yours.”

Buck leans back and when Eddie opens his eyes he finds Buck’s eyes glassy and brimming with tears.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” Buck says and Eddie pulls him into his arms until they are chest to chest, chins hooked over each other’s shoulders and wrapped up in each other so completely that Eddie could not tell you where one of them ends and the other begins and it feels so right, so right to have Buck so close to him, for them to be one and the same. They breathe together for a long time, squeezing each other closer whenever the micro fraction of an inch between them begins to field like football fields of distance.

“We take this slow, we do it right,” Eddie says carefully, pulling back just far enough to cup his hand around Buck’s cheek and hold his gaze. A niggly part of his brain tries to remind him of everything that could go wrong, of everything they have to lose, but a bigger part of him can only hope for everything that could go so beautifully right. 

“We have the rest of forever, after all.” Buck’s smile is soft at the edges and it smoothes the jagged parts of Eddie’s worry. 

Eddie leans up and presses one gentle kiss to the corner of Buck’s mouth, allowing himself that much for now. The rest will come, he is in no rush for the rest of his life. On Friday Christopher will be home and they can make pancakes again. At the end of the month, Buck’s lease will expire and Eddie will finally have an excuse to never let Buck leave his house again. In February they will wave Tommy off at the airport and Eddie will get the chance to thank him properly. Soon enough they might get to dance at another wedding, maybe their own, definitely together, for the rest of forever. 

“Forever and a day.” He promises.

[wileys-russo]

for the tiktok with Jule and lena you posted earlier - Lucy bronze and reader!! as friends or lovers

the video for reference: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuT31-8uhwf/?igshid=YmM0MjE2YWMzOA%3D%3D

could be seen as friends or lovers, open to interpretation!!

the downpour II l.bronze

if there was something that went together better than jam on toast, it was england and rain, and today was no exception.

your heart yearned to return to the predictably sunny skies of barcelona, glancing down towards your tanned arms with longing, aware that after this next camp the brown color would be gone and only seemingly a fleeting figment of your imagination.

you conversed with your friends as you all returned from a late afternoon team walk together, coffees in hand and spirits still quite high despite the dark grey storm clouds which hung above.

this hadn't stopped lucy and leah shoving you to step into every puddle they could find, and though your socks were damp your mood was not, refusing to let them break your consistently bubbly attitude.

it was as you returned to the grounds of st georges park that you spotted it, an almost perfect opportunity for revenge. though it had only drizzled lightly with rain this morning, it had torrentially poured down last night, which meant that there was a strong stream of water pounding down like a waterfall from a hole in the gutters above you.

leah was too far ahead, having already passed the downpour, sipping on her hot chocolate.

but lucy was unknowingly in prime position, walking right beside you as she zoned out, in her own little world as tooney talked your ear off to your right.

stopping the girl with a nudge, you nodded to the man made waterfall and then subtly towards lucy as ellas face lit up into a grin, nodding enthusiastically and falling behind you, probably to pick her own victim.

you held your breath as the two of you marched closer and closer, silently praying lucy would remain on course. slinging an arm over the girls shoulder she checked back into reality, looking up and sending you a small smile.

it was then, in this moment of unknown weakness from the defender, that you made your move.

you tightened your grip around her, attempting to pull her underneath the downpour of rain water, only your trainers lacked the proper grip and you stumbled. lucy quickly catching onto your plan let out a scoff, grabbing at your hood and trying to now drag you under the steady stream of water.

"you cheeky fucking-" lucy grumbled, unimpressed with your attempts to dowse her as the two of you wrestled for dominance, both trying to push the other under whilst keeping enough balance not to allow it to happen.

but then, your luck returned. lucys footing slipped and without you even needing to push her, the girl stumbled backwards into the downpour, letting out a shout as she was suddenly self water-boarded.

you didn't even take a beat to relish in your victory, quickly sprinting off in the other direction as lucy dropped her backpack and chased after you. your team mates cheered, some for lucy to catch you and others for you to make a successful getaway.

you heard yet another scream as ella made her own move and shoved an unsuspecting alessia into the downpour, the blonde too caught up in laughing at yours and lucys situation to realise the similar one she had unknowingly entered.

"tooney!" the striker seethed and set off chasing after her, shouting about how she'd just had her hair done. it then appeared your luck had once more run out, lucys strong arms wrapping around your waist and effortlessly hoisting you over her shoulder.

"no no no no come on luce please! you already wet my trainers and made my socks soggy this is unfair!" you begged as you struggled in her hold, flipping off mary as the girl cheered lucy on from behind you with a rowdy clap.

you struggled to yank your hood over your head and tie it tight before your entire body was plunged into the cold, you struggled to breathe as the water filled your ears, nose and eyes. "okay fine enough! enough, lucy!" you smacked desperately at her strong tanned arms which held you firmly off the ground, feeling her body vibrate with laughter as it pressed against you.

finally she dropped you, though of course you didn't land on your feet as your shoes gave way from the lack of grip and you tumbled backwards onto your bum.

you let out a deep sigh of defeat as once more the water rained down atop your head, lucy leaning in to pull your hood down as your hair now copped a battering, the loose strands which had fallen out of your messy bun sticking to your forehead and slicked down the back of your neck.

with a triumphant smirk she offered you a hand which you begrudgingly accepted as she pulled you up to your feet, hands grabbing at your shoulders to steady you as you stepped away from the downpour and almost slipped again.

"you need new trainers." the girl murmured teasingly in your ear before letting you go, you shot her a glare as you undid your hair, ringing it out before wrestling it back into a ponytail, at least you had already planned to wash it tonight.

most of your team mates having disappeared inside to avoid meeting a similar fate, you watched as from not too far away jordan grabbed at her stomach, doubled over in laughter at the two of you.

one brief gaze shared between you and lucy was all it took, a curt nod and you'd silently agreed.

"oh jorddyyyy, how about a hug?" you grinned, opening your arms teasingly and taking a few steps toward her. the midfielders eyes widened and she tried to bolt but not before you'd already launched yourself toward her, jumping on her back as lucy joined in, hugging her tightly from the front.

"aw no come on!"

[orchid-and-bone]

"I'm Yours" ||

Arthur Morgan x GN!Reader

Rating: None

Length: 1.3k words

Asked by @yyiikes IN LOVE WITH THIS SO MUCH ?? we need another part when he finally says it back

Part 2 of "Here With Me"

Oh, I can absolutely do that for you! I adore this man so much and he's been occupying my mind a lot, so I'm glad to have you guys enjoy my writing! I'd love to do more!

*

‘It's been a few weeks. A few weeks of my silence and their patience. I don't know what else I could possibly say to them that I already haven't written or thought here, it's… it's obvious, ain't it?’

*

Arthur stared up from his leather journal as he leaned further back against the tree in camp, the cover of the shade made it easy to stare at you across the camp as you did your usual chores, completely unaware of the set of eyes on you. The brim of his hat offered that extra layer of protection from being caught, but even if he were caught, would he even deny it?  No, he wouldn't, and he just chuckled at himself at how obvious it had been to probably everyone, excluding himself until recently.

Yes, he truly did have feelings for you, whether he cared to address them or not. He would have just chalked it up to loyalty to those in the gang, but you were a different case altogether. When he was faced with you being injured, it struck a nerve with him, and the urge to protect you outweighed anything that required any sense of logic, his instincts just took over, and that wasn’t just caring for a fellow gang member, there was something more in the depths of his gut. Arthur’s eyes flickered back down to the page and there you were, sketched carefully across the page like you were a carved statue. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d focused on such little details of you face, how he paid that much attention to those small things that made your face so…you.

He’d been thinking of you so often now, his mind full with so many ways to get you alone to have a talk, but no matter what he did, there was always someone wanting his attention, a day’s work was never finished. Today, it was a day of peace, or at least he’d hoped it would be, it was early and there were people who were barely awake. Arthur had let out a sigh and slipped the journal back into his satchel, then pushed himself from the ground and got to his feet. Instead of making his way straight to you, he went to pour himself a cup of coffee to calm his nerves, the warmth of it in his hand made him focus when he couldn’t. 

You’d been petting the horses after feeding them, and his eyes barely wavered from you for more than a moment, the intensity would have worried onlookers if it weren’t the people he’d known for years, but they knew how Arthur was. ‘He keeps his walls up’, ‘he’s not much of a talker’, all those things that were said about him weren’t necessarily a lie, but there was more to it than that. He did feel, he felt more than he let on because things of that nature were much more complicated. The one person in camp that he felt he could really talk to,besides yourself, was Charles, and even he had given him the best advice he could. 

“Talk to them,” he said bluntly. “Don’t be ashamed to tell them, they obviously put enough trust in you to confess. So, even if you don’t feel the same, it’s best to tell them exactly what you feel.”

Charles was always smart, incredibly intuitive, and Arthur was always the second guesser, but overall, his friend was right. He had been so wrapped up in thinking that he didn’t notice you going for your own cup of coffee right beside him. Arthur stood beside the fire and stared out at the water, the trees along the horizon brought him comfort in serene moments like this, but as if his body was reacting, he turned to see you staring up at him.

“You okay there?” You asked, a small smile on your lips as you brought the cup up, taking a small sip. 

Arthur cleared his throat and nodded as he brought his own cup to his lips, his eyes darted from you to the water again. “Been thinkin’ is all,” he said gruffly. 

You nodded in reply and hummed. “Yeah, I felt bad bothering you, but I wanted to be sure.” You had wanted to reach out to him to offer your support, or any comfort he might take solace in, but you decided against it. 

What you were greeted with though was Arthur beckoning you toward the large rock that sat by the shoreline. You would follow him, of course, and looked around curiously as he motioned for you to sit on the rock. As much as you wanted to question him, you kept your mouth shut and waited, patience was a virtue with this man. He then removed the journal from his bag and flipped more than halfway through until he stopped on a page, and then handed it to you with little to no hesitation while you balanced your coffee in one hand with the journal in the other. 

As you were about to ask, your eyes caught the drawing on the left, it was you, and it was sketched so beautifully that you were at a loss for words as you stared at it for a while. Arthur cleared his throat after a moment and chuckled as he tapped the other side of the journal, which was filled with words written in neat writing. You’d never seen his journal before, so all of this was a lot to process, the fact he trusted you with it in the first place showed how important you’d been.

Wordlessly, he stood there as you read the page. 

‘It's been a few weeks. A few weeks of my silence and their patience. I don't know what else I could possibly say to them that I already haven't written or thought here, it's… it's obvious, ain't it? Of course I love them, I have for a while now and it scared me. I’ve loved in my lifetime and yet, whenever I had, something bad always followed, like a curse upon my heart. But if there’s one thing I’d been told that really stuck with me, it was to take a gamble on love. It’s ridiculous to be afraid of something so natural and yet it’s been the hardest thing to admit. But I admit it, I love them. And I ain’t gonna regret it, not this time.’

When you finished, you stared up at the gunslinger with large eyes, you were struck with disbelief, dazed at the fact that this man was so articulate with how he felt and how he saw you… Your eyes went back to the pages and you stared for a long while, unable to truly say how you felt. 

Arthur shifted and took a large drink of coffee, then looked back at you. He then chuckled to himself and sighed. “Is this how you felt when you told me all that stuff and I said nothin’?” He asked you. “Because now I get it, that’s… agonizin’ to wait.” He offered a wide smile and continued to sip his coffee. 

“Arthur… I…” You couldn’t do it, you couldn’t say it, this man had your tongue. Quickly, you stood up with his closed journal, then threw your arms around his bulky frame, which almost caused him to drop his coffee, and most definitely spilled a majority of yours.

He laughed and looked down at you, your arms around him as you hid your face in his jacket. Arthur patted your shoulder gently at first, then he pulled you in with one arm and hugged you in return. This ain’t so bad, could get used to this. 

The sun was finally beginning to rise in the sky, the colors like a watercolor painting as the pinks and purples slowly faded with the hues of gold, and staring out at the sky while you were wrapped around Arthur was more of a dream than you could have ever imagined. His hand placed gently on your shoulder, allowing you to just remain with him, taking in the comfort of his scent. 

You could get used to days like this.

[gwiyeounsonyeon]

Hate Me? So Do I.

Pairing: cis!Simon Riley x Male Reader

Summary: Simon is angry and takes it out on his boyfriend

Words: 666😳

Warnings: Depression, drinking, angst? (not too bad)

Notes: sorry it sucks and how short it is, I'm tired and I got back from camping the other day, originally I wasn't going to write anything but I figured that I should if I'm trying to make this a habit. i figure that if I work up quantity over quality while I try to get into the habit of writing and work myself out of writers block then maybe later ill be able to focus on quality

The weather had been gloomy all day, not for even a moment had the sun shown through the rain-heavy clouds. To say it had put a damper on y/n’s mood was an underestimate, the young man had woken up with an off feeling that followed him around for the rest of the day, not giving him any rest. Simon naturally hated that his sweet loving boyfriend had to feel like this and even more, he hated that there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Simon hated feeling helpless like this, he’d tried to cheer Y/n up but none of his attempts were successful and he was beginning to get restless. Simon’s boyfriend was in their bedroom bundled up in the covers with the lights off, unable to get out of bed. Simon sat on their couch in the living room, staring solemnly out of the window. He knew he should be in there with you but he couldn't do it, It killed him to see you like this, you were so sweet and understanding, and you did so much for him, he should be able to do this for you.

That’s what Simon thought, he was terrified, There was so much he could do and all of it was so easy, but he couldn't make himself get up and face you, so he kept his distance and sat in silence listening for you to make any sounds or call for him or get out of bed. Simon sipped on his whiskey and looked down at the liquid, swirling it around in the glass before deciding ‘fuck it’ and knocking back the whole thing, it burned on the way down, he looked over at the bottle debating on pouring himself more but he hesitated.

He couldn't help thinking he was pathetic, sitting here wallowing and drinking while his boyfriend was in pain. There's a soft thud from the bedroom and Simon's ears perk up to listen, he looks up at the open doorway into their dark bedroom expecting you to finally come out. Minutes pass and nothing happens, Simon sighs and sets the glass down on the coffee table with a harsh thud. The anger building up in his throat wasn't toward you, it never was, but it was using you to make Simon more irritable, angrier, Simon stands up from the couch and saunters into the bedroom, he flips the lights on aggressively and stares down at your covered body.

Simon knows he's not angry at you, not for something like this but in the moment he can't help it. “Are you just going to sleep all day? 5 in the evening” His tone was harsh and cold, There was a small movement from under the covers that Simon recognized as a flinch, he wanted to feel bad but you’re lack of response only worked to fuel his frustration. “Y/n!” Simon knew there was absolutely no need to raise his voice, but he hadn't realized that was what he did until after, You flinch harder, his breath catches in his throat as you finally fold the comforter back to look up at him for the first time that day, your eyes red and cheeks tear-stained.

Simon's heart tugs in his chest “fucking-” His voice is soft, Simon can't believe how fucking stupid he is, he moves in and gets into bed next to his boyfriend and tugs you to his chest regretting his senseless anger. “I'm an idiot Y/n…” He whispers, tucking his face into your hair, You shake your head and turn to clutch onto Simon, not wanting him to blame himself, You press your face into the older chest and inhale his comforting scent. “I shouldn't have yelled… You didn’t deserve that” Simon’s voice is soft, he holds you to his chest and rubs circles into your back soothingly ‘You don't deserve me’ Simon doesn't say it out loud, saying something like that would only cause you more grief.

[dazed-and-confused23]

Dear Hearts and Gentle People 19

Summary: While in Goodneighbor, you find out that Cooper was a famous actor before the war, and ask him to tell you about some of his favorite ones. Much to the amusement to you and Hancock.

Pairings: The Ghoul | Cooper Howard x Female Reader , John Hancock x Female Reader

Warnings! Drinking and Drug Use. Movie references. Fluff and Domestic Fun.

Masterlist

The three of you are drunk as a skunk, high as a kite, and having the time of your life in the old state house that John calls home. You sit curled against the mayor, watching Cooper, who, in his delightful mood, had decided to regale the two of you with movie quotes and scenes that he'd done back before the war. It had started after he'd made a comment about being a better actor than the one they'd been watched on the fuzzy TV screen.

You had laughed and demanded that the ghoul show you a scene or two from the movies that he'd stared in.

Cooper stands across the living room table, a crocodile grin on his face as he quotes one of his films, his accent thick with a southern draw, "You ain't never heard of Wellenbeck prisoner of war camp, West Virginia?"

You shake your head, playing along with the ex-actor, and John snickers beside you, his laugh smokey and rough from the hit of jet he'd just had. Cooper continues, strutting around the room as he tells his story.

"Oh, Major Marquis did more than bust out. Major Marquis had a bright idea. So bright you hafta' wonder why nobody never thought about it before."

He skips over the other dialog, unable to remember half of the other men's lines, and continues. He gives you and John a look under the brim of his hat, "There was a rookie regiment spendin' the overnight in the camp. Forty-seven men... burnt to a crisp. Southern youth, farmers' sons, cream of the crop."

You gasp dramaticly, eyes wide as you clutch your imaginary pearls. Coop had told you a bit about the movie, set sometime just after the first Civil War back in 1877. You wish you could have seen Cooper back then, but this was just as good. The bounty hunter sets the scene, a small pit stop way up in the mountains.

He suddenly switches up, expression becoming a bit feral at the edges as he gives you and John a mean grin. He explains that Major Marquis has them all lined up against the wall after two men died from poisoned coffee. His voice is sarcastic, disbelief coloring it.

"So you finally decided I'm tellin' the truth 'bout bein' the sheriff of Red Rock, huh?"

He steps away from the wall, turning dramatically and stalking forward, hand under his chin as if he is pulling his thoughts together, "John Ruth was one mighty mighty bastard. But the last thing that bastard did before he died was save my goddamn life."

Cooper pauses and points at you, "You didn't. You were sitting there all quiet like when I poured that cup."

He spins on his heel, his duster flapping and his spurs jingling as he paces the room, "Both of you. Just watching me, waiting, waiting for me to drink myself to death. So what was the plan, Joe Cage? I drink the coffee, OB drinks the coffee, and John Ruth drinks the coffee? And you two sit around and laugh while we roll around on the ground, holding our bellies, screaming in pain?"

You and John are hooked after the speech, eyes wide as the two of you watch Cooper stomp across the room, grab a chipped coffee mug, and stalk over to them. You jump when he slams the cup in front of John, a nasty smile on his face.

Cooper pulls out all the stops, reaching for his side arm and aiming it at John, who looks more than a little nervous at having the hand canon pointed at him. The ex-actor mimes pulling back the hammer and then swings the barrel of his gun at the coffee cup, a snarl on his lips as he glares down at you and Hancock.

"Drink it."

Cooper keeps the scene going for several long seconds before breaking character and stepping back, shoving his side arm back in his holster and spreading his arms, a grin on his face, "Well?"

You burst into laughter and clap, snickering at the look of relief on John's face and the self-satisfied one on Cooper’s. The ghoul across from you bows before loping over to the couch and plopping down between you and John. He sits back and lights up a cigarette, smug as can be.

"Told ya, I still had it."

Ps. I own nothing here.

[sunsethwa]

Midnight Mischief

» pairing: Jung Wooyoung x gender neutral reader

» word count: 1,6k

» a/n: I have revived this blog four years (!) after abandoning it. I haven’t written fiction in so long, but I’ve missed it so much. Hope you enjoy!

» genre: romance, (mentions of alcohol)

» prompts: 11. “We could get arrested for this.” & 23. “We have to be quiet.”

“Where are they?” you think to yourself. Your friends convinced you to come to the opening of a new night club in town, but now you can’t find any of them. After searching for ten minutes, you decide to take a seat at the bar. While it was filled with people in line only an hour ago, most of them had now dispersed to the dancefloor or the booths. The bass from the loud music is ringing in your ears, and the flashing lights are starting to trigger a headache. Going out on a Friday night used to be a given a few years ago, but now that you have a 9-5 the exhaustion from the work week is hitting you harder than you expected. You lean your head in your hands, rubbing your temples in hopes of preventing the headache you feel coming on.

“You okay?” You look up to see where the voice was coming from. It was the bartender.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just had a long week, and I got separated from my friends.” You answer him. He pours you a glass of water and gently slides it across the bar counter.

“For your head.” He says with a faint smile. You happily accept the glass and start drinking from it. This night was the first time your entire friend group were able to hang out together in ages. Everyone’s schedules are tight, and you often have to plan many weeks in advance in order to make it work for everyone. The only person you see on a regular basis is Wooyoung, who always seems to have time to hang out at the same time as you. You’re only free on Wednesdays between 5 and 7? “Great, we’ll have dinner!” Wooyoung will say. When you are too tired to go out in the weekends, Wooyoung will insist on having a movie night where he brings pizza and a bunch of snacks to your place. One time he had even spent an entire Sunday with you while you were running errands and cleaning your apartment for the coming week. He was just happy to be there.

There is that feeling again. You feel a rush of blood to your head as you think about him. Deep down, you know you are in denial about not seeing him as more than a friend. It snuck up on you, first when he came over one morning with coffee and pastries a morning after a long night of partying. Then, when he insisted you could put your head on his lap during one of your movie nights, gently stroking your hair the entire time. The last moment, which was also the first time you visibly blushed in front of him, was when he kissed your cheek goodbye after hanging out together. You remember the moment vividly. You clutching your cheek, and Wooyoung himself looking shocked over what he had just done. You stood there for a few seconds in silence, frozen, simply staring at each other. As you’re deep in thought, you see a familiar face entering your field of vision.

“There you are!” Wooyoung exclaims excitedly. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“I could say the same thing.” You admit. “I searched for you guys for a while before just giving up and setting up camp here. I’m considering leaving soon though, this place is a bit much for me right now.” You continue, feeling slightly apologetic as Wooyoung had been really excited the whole group to go out together tonight. Wooyoung leans on the bar with one arm, letting out a slight sigh.

“You know what, let’s get out of here. I want to show you something.” He says, grabbing your hand and pulling you on your feet. You gladly follow him, thinking that any place is better than here. Your cheeks grow warm again as he intertwines his fingers with yours, leading you through the crowd and out of the club.

“Where are we going?” You ask.

“It’s not far, just trust me.”

Ten minutes later, you’re in a dark street of a calm neighbourhood at the edge of the city.

“How much further?” Your feet are killing you. You knew it wouldn’t be a great idea to wear your new shoes on a night out, but you hadn’t expected to be walking up several hills tonight either.

“We’re here!” Wooyoung is enthusiastic as ever as he gestures towards a big billboard sign on top of the hill. The billboard sports a person smiling brightly and the quote ‘For a fresher day’ in big letters.

“A toothpaste advertisement. Are you trying to tell me something, Wooyoung?” You laugh, not really understanding the excitement around the billboard.

“No silly, we’re climbing it.” He says, once again grabbing your hand and pulling you closer to the base of the sign. You stop in your steps, almost making Wooyoung stumble over his feet at the loss of momentum.

“You’re crazy. We’re NOT going up there. And you know I’m scared of heights!” Wooyoung shushes you before you get to protest more, covering your mouth with his hand.

“We have to be quiet, or else we’ll get caught. And the view from the top is worth it, I promise.” Wooyoung tries to convince you. You look up at the billboard in front of you, sceptical if you can do this, even for him. Realistically, it probably wasn’t higher than about 5 metres up in the air, but the length of the ladder up to the platform still freaked you out. You snapped back to reality when Wooyoung grabbed your face with both hands, demanding eye contact.

“Do you trust me?” He asks. It takes you a few seconds to register what he is saying. You cannot help but being distracted by his touch, how he’s looking at you so warmly, yet seriously.

“Yes, I trust you.” Wooyoung lets go of your face, gesturing for you to get on the ladder.

“You first. That way, if you fall, I’ll soften the blow.” You gently slap his chest at his self-sacrifice but do as he says.

“We could get arrested for this, you know.” You remark as you start climbing the ladder. Wooyoung lets out a “tsk” before answering:

“You really think the police is worrying about two people trespassing onto a billboard sign when it’s a Friday night? They have more important things to do, like arresting drunk drivers and shutting down parties where there’s underage drinking.” You need to admit that he has a point. Two people climbing a billboard is probably the least of the police’s concerns right now.

You finally make it to the top and find yourself in complete awe at the view. You’re certain you can see the entire city from this place. The flickering lights from the party district is reflecting so beautifully on the river. For a moment you almost forget how high up you are. That is until you look down at your feet. You immediately get scared and take a few steps back, your back crashing into the toothpaste tube on the billboard as you slide down onto your butt. Before you know it Wooyoung is sitting next to you, gently stroking your arm to comfort you.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just got a bit spooked that’s all.” You admit. A smile forms on your face as your eyes meet Wooyoung’s once more. You loved his ability to immediately calm you down in situations like these.

“What do you think?” He asks, pointing to the view. You look away from him and towards the city.

“It’s beautiful.” You say, not only talking about the view, but also the moment. Despite a rough start, you suddenly can’t help but think that the night can’t get more perfect than this.

“You’re beautiful.” Your attention shifts back to the man by your side. Had you heard correctly?

“What?” You ask, only to confirm that his words weren’t a figment of your imagination.

“You’re beautiful, Y/N.” It’s not possible for you to hide your emotions anymore. You’re certain that the corners of your mouth must reach your ears at this point. A smile is slowly forming on Wooyoung’s face as well as he sees your reaction to his words.

“Kiss me.” It was meant to come out as a question, but hearing your own tone it almost comes across as a demand instead. Despite this, Wooyoung obeys, closing the gap between the two of you. You feel the hairs on your neck stand up as his lips meet yours and feel the warmth from his face against yours. This first kiss is exactly like in the movies - romantic, intimate, genuine and-

“Hey, get down from there!” You feel a sharp light shine in your face. As you break the kiss, you see a very angry policeman at the bottom of the ladder.

“Oh, we’re so screwed.” You say, quickly getting up and heading towards the ladder to get down.

“Worth it.” Wooyoung says proudly, earning another gentle slap to the chest from you. But you did agree. It was definitely worth it.

[bomber-grl]

Hellooo I've already requested like 2 Leo fics because I love him he's my little blorbo 🥺 my bad !! Anyway uh. I have a request for Leo Valdez 😁😁 number 20, angsty? Maybe something of his just went horribly wrong and he's stressed about it, and to give him a break you make him food and he's so happy he just bursts into tears? Thank you so much your writing style and work is amazing I love it so much 😭

Prompt #20: making them food they like

Recently Leo has taken to making new inventions non-stop. It was his passion, so the obvious reaction was to openly support it.

But, when you heard the obvious sound of something exploding from the other side of camp, you knew it was trouble.

And trouble it was. You saw Leo and began running to him to ask what was up.

Once you got closer his face and overall vibe told you everything. He was covered in sweat and soot(?) from the invention that exploded.

Most of all he seemed genuinely upset. You waited a bit to talk to Leo as he was discussing something with another camper.

Then he noticed you and began walking over

“Hey Leo” your tone was light and happy, his, not so much.

“Hey” he practically mumbled, not to mention how he dragged his feet when walking over.

“Leo, I hate to do this but I’m grounding you” you tried making your tone teasing but it was spelled out loud and clear. You said it with no room to object, you were serious.

“Why??-“ you knew this would come and quickly interrupted “you’re overworking yourself, cmon”.

You took his hand and began walking towards where arts and crafts would usually be but was currently occupied with other campers form different cabins.

They were all cooking and baking, and it was a surprise to Leo.

“Hey, what’s going on here?-“ you pushed him down to sit and went on your merry way to cook something up.

recently campers had been wanting to start baking/cooking just for the sake of making some good food for others. Especially self made rather than using the enchanted plates at the dining pavilion.

So, to cheer up Leo who was hard at work (now, having a bad day) you prepared something for him to enjoy.

It was something he told you he enjoyed from his childhood, paired with a drink he liked and a desert you wanted to share with him.

Thankfully Will who was there took out your meal once it was ready while you were occupied with Leo.

Now, it was time to go to your cabin.Regardless of whether or not it was full most days, today it wasn’t.

No one was in sight and so u snuck Leo in.

He sat down on a bean bag and you dragged some coffee table look alike and placed it in front of Leo, then placed the food.

“Here, eat up. Sorry we haven’t been able to meet recently and also sorry that your invention went haywire but I just wanted to show you some love and this little workshop proved to be a good way. Oh! I also made the dish you told me about, remember?-“

Your voice trailed off as you finally stopped your rambling and took notice of Leo’s face.

He was surprisingly silent as tears blurred his vision and ran down his cheeks.

“Leo..?” You couldn’t manage to say anything else and as soon as it happened his tears dried up.

Mostly from him hurriedly wiping his face to not make you feel bad, but still.

“Leo? Why’re you crying ?” You leaned in closer and placed a hand of yours on his shoulder.”

“Sorry it’s just that it’s so frustrating” He didn’t say anything and so you asked “what is?”

That’s what set him off.

“This is, this invention was supposed to be big and amazing, I’ve been working non stop just for all my hard work to be poured down the drain. I guess I felt so stressed I forgot I had someone who still cared.”

He finally looked you in the eyes and realized what he had said, so he continued “I’m just trying to say that this made me happy, I guess this little action was really my last straw, huh? Even if is was stupid…”

Knowing Leo felt this way really hurt you, and how could he?!?! You latched onto him and pulled him into a much needed hug.

“I’m sorry that you feel that way about your work lately but I feel the exact opposite. Even if it did end in an unwanted way you still learned, right? Not to mention how insulting it is that you don’t think your emotions are valid!! I’m happy you enjoyed this, it makes me feel appreciated. And I’m sorry I haven’t made you feel that way too.”

Leo pushed you away and turned on the waterworks. He was crying once more and although you knew he was stubborn he ultimately settled on an excuse.

“K, just let me eat your food before it gets cold.” That was the last thing he said before happily shoving down the food you made him.

A bonus was that although he was still crying, at least he was happy now.

-

A/n: I’m glad you love my writing sm it makes me happy! Hope you enjoy this one too :)

[readychilledwine]

Early Mornings

A/N - Happy Surprise Saturday, my loves ❤️ I've had Azriel pieces, an Eris piece, a Rhys piece, and a little love for our baby bat, and it only felt right to ensure our favorite General had sometime to shine. Enjoy this grumpy/sunshine or orange cat bf/Doberman gf piece.

Cassian and his mate are well matched in almost every sense. He's a powerful Illyrian general, she is the last of the Valkyries. He loves their family, she is devoted to them. The only thing they never seem to agree on is mornings.

Warnings- Swearing, mentions of alcoholism and mental health struggles, mentions of trauma, alludes to interesting behaviors between Nesta and our unnamed female oc, unedited by an outside source

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

Cassian stood in front of the coffee maker. His arms were crossed as he watched each drop of liquid fall into the pot he was brewing for his mate, himself, and the two other fae living in the house. His mate finally entered the kitchen, flipping him off as he offered her a smile before sitting down.

Cassian adored mornings. He loved watching the sun as it began its ascend over the mountains. He loved the crisp chilled air. He loved breakfast. The sound of the birds greeting each other at first light. His mate, however, adored their nightlife. She was the last to rise out of bed. The last to leave the table at Rita's with Mor. The last to head to bed. She loved dinners, the stars reflecting on the Sindra. She loved the way music felt in her bones as she danced into the early morning. She loved quiet walks home with her heels in her hand after Cassian would inevitably show back up to retrieve her. She worshiped the moon, and he, the sun.

The one thing the two truly shared in common though, was their love and need for coffee. Cass was approachable before his first cup, chipper even. He glanced over his shoulder where his mate sat, her wings wrapped tight around her. Her hands held her head. Her long dark hair was falling over her shoulders. "Almost done, babe."

"Fuck. Off." His mate? Not so much. He chuckled lightly at her response before grabbing their matching coffee mugs. "Why the fuck did you wake me up?"

"You promised me you would go on a morning run with me. Remember? Setting an example for the females? Helping them by seeing one of their own training? Helping Nesta see-" She groaned loudly, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry baby, I'll be quiet until coffee is done." He leaned across the counter, kissing her forehead.

His heart melted at her smile, it didn't reach her hazel eyes yet, but he knew it would only take a few more kisses and some coffee to change that. "Why are we being quiet?" Cassian laughed as his mate turned, grabbing the nearest object to her before throwing it at a laughing Azriel. "Awe sis! Are you grumpy this morning?"

"Go shovel pig shit, Azriel." His brother moved behind her, kissing the top of her head with a soft "good morning" while rubbing her back lightly. "Why the fuck are you two always so happy in the morning?"

Azriel shrugged. "We go to bed at a decent time."

Cassian nodded. "We are used to early morning routines."

Azriel continued. "We don't drink until we black out. Anymore."

"Training in the morning starts the day right."

"Training in the morning is eas-"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Cassian and Azriel laughed quietly. "Where is my coffee?"

"Just finished, beautiful." Cassian was pouring the hot liquid into the third cup a shadow had handed him, giving it to Azriel. Then he filled his mate's and his own. "Sugar or cream, sweetheart?"

"Both, please?" Cassian nodded, fixing her coffee to her liking, before moving to sit next to her. "I love you," she whispered to him before kissing his jawline. "How long is the run?"

"Only 5 miles," Azriel said softly. "We cut in half after you decided to drink half the camp under the table last night. Wonderful job stealing Devlon's most expensive whiskey, by the way." A smirk graced his face as he peeked at her. "Has anyone dragged Nesta out of bed yet? Is she getting ready?"

The illyrian female rolled her eyes before looking at the pot with 4 cups of the morning magic still resting for the oldest sister. Her head leaned to rest on Cassian's shoulder. "I haven't tried yet, and we'd know if Cassian did. If you think I'm grumpy in the morning, Azriel, have you tried speaking to her in the mornings? She puts me to shame. You should go try. She likes your pretty face after all." She was sniffing her coffee, waiting for it to cool down with a small smile on her face.

Azriel took a long drink of his coffee, nose scrunching from the bitter taste. "No. That's your job. She actually likes you more."

He took her mug, a very quiet "oh fuck," came from Cassian's direction. He backed away from his brother and mate. "Fight fire with fire. Get at it." He forced her out of the chair, smacking her on the ass as he pointed up the stairs. "Go on. Earn your coffee by doing something other than my brother."

"Fuck. You. Cassian, get my coffee back." The General looked between his mate and brother. "Babe!" Cassian just shook his head and inclined it towards the stairs.

"Get Nesta up and I will get you your coffee back." He knew deep down his mate would be the perfect weapon against Nesta. He and his high Lady's sister had butted heads since she had been made and even before then. Az cared for Nesta, but his patience with the female only went so far. His mate's no bullshit, no prisoners attitude seemed to be one Nesta respected. The two got along really well.

Almost too well at times.

He'd find her and Nesta cuddled on the couches in the House, Nesta between her legs with her back against her chest, a blanket thrown over both of them as Nesta read romances and his love read thrillers or reports.

He would find them giggling in the library, his mate holding Nesta's face in her hands. She'd be whispering to Ness, whose face would be flushed, while she smirked at her. Their bodies would be close together. Nesta's hands would stay locked on his mate's hips.

He even found Nesta in their room once, waiting on their bed, staring at his wife's body while she was finishing her makeup. Just to tease Nesta, he had walked behind his mate, slowly lifting the hem of her short dress while staring at the oldest sister. His mate had stopped him quickly, but not before he watched Nesta pull her lower lip between her teeth.

The final sign that his hound of a mate liked the Archeron happened just yesterday morning. She had made Nesta coffee and breakfast, something she only did for him and his brothers. They were speaking to each other quietly, not realizing he and Az were watching. She had pulled out her special mug, the one Rhys had paid good money to have made for her, and given it to Nesta so she could tuck one of her cold hands into the little nook built into the stoneware while his mate held the other one.

He knew something was brewing between the two of them, and Cassian was more than happy to just watch through the bond, or in person, when it finally happened. He sighed softly. "You might be the only one able to get her down here and on that trail."

"You are joking, right? Nesta is a grown female. She is allowed to make her own choices and heal at her pace. You-" he cut her off with a kiss. She leaned into him with a soft hum. He couldn't tell if it was due to the bond or just due to the lingering taste of coffee on his lips.

"Go." He kissed her gently again. "We just have to get her training babe. Rhys is-"

"I know. I know how he is. This isn't his first go round with a female who is… like that." Cassian flinched at the reminder. His mind flashed back to the screaming matches between his mate and Rhysand after the first war. The journey she had undergone to heal was ugly, rough, and long. But the 4 of them had gotten through it together after she had overdrafted an account by close to 1000 gold marks.

Rhys had wanted to kill her, but what she had overdraft the account on was the ultimate sign she needed help and was silently crying out for it. The only way she knew how. Her pride ran deep due to her independence as an Illyrian and a female. The only daughter and first grand daughter of a long line of camp Lords who were forward enough to see value in their girls and ban clipping.

The oldest sister of 5 brothers who looked up to her and followed her guidance. An oldest sister who felt she failed those brothers as she found them dead one by one on the battlefield.

Leader of the valkyries. All of whom she also felt she failed as she watched them all slaughtered. She was the last of her kind, at least for now, and that had ate at her. It spun itself into guilt, addiction, rage.

Cassian and Azriel both remembered Rhys sitting her down in his office as they blocked the doorways. They remember her just silently nodding as Rhysand lectured her, having calmed down significantly when he realized she was so impaired that she wouldn't remember a single thing. They remembered her crying and Rhysand moving to hold her.

Azriel finally broke the trace the three had fallen into. "The only difference is you accepted help. You let all of us help you heal, get you new hobbies, and teach you how to safely partake in activities with us. The only sign of your issues you still have is how big of a bitch you are in the mornings and how you are literally Mor's "scary dog privilege," whatever the fuck that means, when she wants to stay out too late," Azriel mumbled. "I think Nesta wants help deep down. I just think she is too scared to face what getting help means and what she will have to face."

Cassian watched as his mate sighed and nodded. "There's a lot of trauma there. I was over 200 years old, Az. She's barely in her 20s."

"I know."

"Then be kinder." The two had a stare off, beginning a silent fight between the spymaster and the last Valkyrie.

Cassian grabbed her chin to refocus her, chuckling at the glare and sleepiness still in her eyes. "Get her out of bed and on the training field, and I will reward you later."

Azriel rolled his eyes as her wings fluttered, attitude suddenly leaving her body, and she leaned into Cassian, their noses touching. "What kind of reward?"

Cassian smirked down at her. "Whatever my sweetheart would want."

His mate smirked, shutting her eyes softly as he leaned his forehead against hers. "Even if it's just coffee?"

He nodded, kissing her forehead. "Even if it's just coffee."

[cricket-reader]

Sick Day

Masterlist | A03 | Wattpad | Recommendations | Inbox

Summary: Matt isn’t very happy when he comes home and discovers that his girlfriend had kept her sickness from him. He makes sure she is well taken care of before they go to bed.

Warnings: language, sickness, pet names, Matt being an overprotective simp, fluffy

Word Count: 960

Prompt: Sickfic, headache, cold/fever, blankets, hot drink (except I changed it to hot soup)

A/N: day 5 of March Trope-A-Thon by @amonthofwhump

Today had been horrible. She awoke to see that Matt had left early to go to work. On top of that, she felt like shit. Her head was pounding and she was burning up. Her nose felt stuffy, and her muscles ached.

She got up and took her temperature to see that she had a fever of 100.7 degrees Fahrenheit. She called into work and made her way over to the couch, not wanting to get the bed all disgusting from her sickness. Matt would still sleep there, after all. He didn’t need to come home to a bed that smelled like sweat and sickness. Whatever the hell “sickness” smelled like.

Matt frowned as he entered his apartment. He could hear the coughing as soon as he entered the complex. He could hear shifting on the couch, telling him his girlfriend was camped out in the living room with some blankets.

“Sweetheart?” Matt questioned, setting down his cane. He heard a groan as he walked over to the couch. “Why didn’t you call me to tell you that you were sick?”

“Didn’t wanna bother you,” she mumbled, sniffling a bit. “I know you’ve been busy lately.”

“I’m never too busy for you, love. I would have come home earlier if you called.”

She sighed. “I know, and that’s why I didn’t.”

“Well you should have,” he admonished her. She always did this. Her needs were never one of her priorities. She put everyone before her, and it bothered the ever-loving shit out of him. Because Matt knew she deserved the world. No, she deserved more than that. The universe, maybe.

She just huffed in irritation, knowing that there was absolutely no way she was going to win this argument.

“Have you eaten today?” Matt questioned as he leaned against the armrest of the couch. She cursed how well he knew her.

“No, I didn’t wanna get up.”

Matt just shook his head as he got up to make some soup. He glared in her direction when he heard her shift, knowing that she was trying to get up to help him. “Don’t you even try, young lady.” He put a pot on the stove.

“I just wanna help. You’ve been at work all day while I’ve just been sitting on my ass!”

Matt turned his head in her direction and gave her an incredulous look. “You’ve been sick!”

“That’s no excuse!”

“What if I was the one that was sick?”

“That’s different,” she pouted, crossing her arms as she watched him pour a pre-made homemade soup into the warm pot. She blew her nose with a tissue, her nose already red and raw from blowing it so much.

“And how, pray tell, is that different?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because it’s you!”

“Your logic is lacking, hun.”

She just groaned and flopped back onto the couch dramatically. A cold spell made her shiver. She grabbed one of the blankets and furrowed into it. She had been having hot and cold flashes off and on all day. She couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Turning off the stove when the soup was finished, he put it in a bowl before moving over to the couch. Setting it on the coffee table, he noted that her breathing had slowed; she must have been asleep.

“Sweetheart?” Matt gently shook her awake. He felt horrible for disrupting her, but she needed to get food in her system if she wanted to get better. She groaned, turning to bury herself further into the couch. “Baby, you need to get some food in your body. Then we can cuddle and get some sleep, okay?”

She blinked awake, groggily lifting her hands to rub at her eyes. “Cuddles?”

Matt’s heart melted hearing her soft little voice. It’s moments like that when he falls impossibly deeper in love with his precious girlfriend. He never thinks it’s possible to love her even more, but somehow he does manage. “Anything you want, baby.”

She smiled and took the soup from him. Matt scooted closer to her body and she snuggled against him as she began to blow on the soup.

The soup was hot in her mouth, but it felt good, warming her insides. “Thanks, Matty. You’re the best boyfriend.”

“It helps to have such a great girlfriend,” he flirted with her, loving the skip of her heart whenever he would. She blushed as she lifted another spoonful of soup to her mouth.

When she finished the soup, Matt made her drink some more water. She just huffed in exasperation. “I thought you said after soup I’d get cuddles.”

“Sorry, hun, can’t I just take care of you?”

She shrugged, taking a sip from the glass. “I’m just not really used to it.”

“Which is exactly why I’m making sure you get the best treatment now,” he stated.

“You’re too good for me, Matthew,” she sighed, leaning her head against his torso.

He just chuckled, “I’m pretty sure you got that sentence twisted.”

“Let me win for once, please,” she pouted. Matt sighed and agreed to let her have that one. It was the least he could do after she had asked him so sweetly, after all.

When she finished the tall glass, she set it on the table, making sure to exaggerate the sound of it being empty. “Snuggle time!”

He laughed as he was ambushed by her. Wrapping his arms around her, he picked her up to bring her to bed. She protested, hating being picked up, but Matt just shushed her as he lied her down. He undressed and crawls in next to her. She burrowed closer to her boyfriend, and he could hear her sigh contentedly, smiling against his warm skin.

She really couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend.

[redheadspark]

Hello 🤗 can I please request the #15 may prompt with azriel ?

A/N - HOW CUTE FOR AZ! I love this! Thanks for requesting this, dear friend!

Next

Summary - You and Azriel are ready, but the ball was in your court.

Warnings - Just some cute fluff and a HINT of smut at the end

"Okay, I think it's ready,"

You looked at the plate in front of you, seeing how carefully placed every portion was and how it looked flawless. You had to think it was flawless at this point, spending a few hours and plenty of practice in the kitchen at the townhouse. Thanks to the coaching and gathering of the ingredients you needed, you were at Rhysand's private cabin for your plan.

The next step in your relationship with Azriel: finalizing your mating bond

You had tips from Mor and Elaine, both of whom knew what Azriel loved to eat and what his favorite snacks were. You asked them both at the very beginning of your friendship with Azriel, just to help him get through rougher days and stressful nights. He was grateful that you cared for him, which of course resulted in him courting you and your bond being discovered soon after.

Azriel preferred savory over sweet, though that didn't deter him from having a sweet tooth every once in a while. He wasn't into hearty meals like Cassian, nor was he picky or high maintenance with his food like Rhsyand. Azriel liked a home-cooked meal, filled with organic ingredients and the great taste that it came from the earth below his feet. He wasn't a bad cook himself, but there was something about your cooking that always lifted his spirits and brought him joy.

It made sense to make his favorite meal for him, to make the mating bond official.

You two talked it over and made a plan for it, which made sense since Azriel was more of a planner than going out on a limb. He knew you two would need to have your own space for this, since immediately after accepting the bond and the meal, things would go a bit haywire. He asked Rhysand if you both could use the cabin.

"Sure, and good planning on using the cabin. You're gonna need the isolation," Rhysand joked with him as Azriel hung his head in embarrassment and Cassain laughed.

The plate you had ready was piping hot and ready to eat, and your stomach was doing butterflies. You then moved to get a small crystal glass ready, pouring in some of Rhysand's personal and private whiskey a quarter of the way up in the glass. Sure Rhysand might be mad, but you weren't thinking about his own opinions on his favorite liquor. You were thinking of Azriel and what he would want in this kind of meal.

He loved having a dark coffee early in the morning before he flew to the Illyrian training camp, a warm tea at night when you two were curled up with a book together in bed, and sometimes a small glass of whiskey when he was with his brothers or during an intense meeting.

Everything looked perfect and felt perfect, including the fork and knife you had next to the plate with a folded napkin. Then looking at your watch, a gift you got from Azriel at the very beginning of your courting, you saw that he was going to be back any second.

Azriel had to go back to the Illyrian training camp for a few hours to deal with some of the new recruits being too rowdy, and leaving Cassian to deal with it on his own was not what Azriel wanted. He felt back leaving you since you two were planning on this getaway for some time, but you reassured him that it was fine.

As if on cue, the soft sounds of wings were heard outside the cabin, then s set of boots landing on the front porch gently. Your heart quickened and your palms were getting a bit sweaty as you walked out of the kitchen and over to the front door. Why was this excitement scaring you? You both knew each other so well and loved each other deeply, so this mating bond came so naturally.

It felt good to be bonded by him, to be loved by him, and to have that affection and devotion all to yourself. It also helped you two were best friends before you evolved into a romance, so you two knew each other far too well. This was no fling, or one-night stand that was filled with lust.

This was you two loving each other in the best way possible.

You opened the door, seeing Azriel in front of you in comfortable clothing and not his leathers. You were shocked to see him in such a way since you knew he left in his leathers to go talk to Cassians and deal with the new recruits.

"You changed," You voiced, Azriel looking down at his purple shirt and green flannel before he looked back at you. The new scent on his shirt and along his skin was very inviting, calming, and cool and set stirring that fire in your belly. Even his hair looked a bit disheveled.

"I didn't want to come back in my leather since I know you don't like them," He reminded you as you could tell he seemed a bit uncomfortable in how you voiced his attire, "This okay?"

You sighed and took his hand in your own, feeling how warm his skin was and it calmed your nerves just a pinch as Azriel was mostly focused on you and what you wanted. You loved him for that, placing you before himself in any choice he would make. Some saw it shocking, to see the Spymaster be willing to follow a common high fae to the ends of the world, but the Inner Circle only saw him as someone who was in love.

"More than okay," You replied with a sigh, seeing him grin as you tugged him inside, "I have something for you,"

He closed the door behind him as you tugged him along, you both walked together side by side and with your joined hands in the middle. You were once again trying not to be nervous, no matter how sure this was and how you both wanted this. Why would there be a possibility of Azriel not wishing to go through with your mating bond? This was his idea, to get away for a few days and have you all to himself before going back to the real world all over again. Yet with every step you were making to the kitchen, you felt your nerves hitting you all over and you wish to make it right.

Once you made it to the kitchen, Azriel stopped and saw the plate and the drink there ready for him. You stopped too, looking from the perfect plate over to Azriel to see his reaction. A small amount of shock was evident, his eyes going a bit big and his hand that was holding yours clutching a bit tighter now as you cleared your throat.

"Here, come sit," You said to him, gesturing to an empty stool in front of him. He went willingly, sitting down and releasing your hand. Once he was on the stool, you moved and grabbed the plate in one hand, then the drink in your other hand. You stopped before you went back to Azriel, closing your eyes and taking in a long breath.

It's just Azriel, the love of your life and now your mate. Get it together.

Finally, you opened your eyes and turned to see Azriel watching you. He had the softest smile on his face, and his shoulders were calm and relaxed as he was watching you with just love and affection. You never thought you would see the Spymaster, the Shadowsinger of Velaris and Night Court himself, would ever look at you as if you were the one who hung the three stars above the high mountain peaks that overlooked Velaris. The devotion in his eyes, the kind of devotion that was both gentle and kind and yet possessive and deep simultaneously

You placed the plate in front of him, then the glass of whiskey on the side, and lastly his fork and knife with the napkin. Azriel looked at the plate of food, his eyes still soft and pure as you fiddled with your fingers. Before he could even lift a hand to grab the fork, he reached out with his other hand and took your hand in his own.

"Sit with me, please," He said to you, his voice beyond soft and with a hint of depth to it too. You sat on the stool right next to him, seeing him raise your joined hands to kiss the back of yours willingly and with no hesitation. His eyes never left yours, you looking into the two hazel pools that made you think of the soft sunset over your own little home you two shared.

"I love you," He said against your hand, you grinned widely from hearing him say those three words. He was willing to take the bite, to take the leap for you, and to make you his.

"I love you too," you murmured, seeing him grin against your hand before he then looked at the plate you made for him. Released your joined hands, he scanned the plate before he took the fork in hand.

"Your favorite," You reminded him, "And some of Rhysand's whiskey."

Azriel had to chuckle from seeing the whiskey in the glass, "I'm sure you didn't tell him, right?"

"It won't hurt him in not knowing," You reassured him. Azriel, taking the fork in hand, scooped a good portion of his meal and then took one large bite from it. Watching his facial expression, you could feel how the taste was overwhelming him and his eyes closed for a brief moment. Maybe you were worried that you did it wrong, but a millisecond later you felt it too.

The tug on your bond, the pull towards Azriel, it finally snapped into place permanently.

It overwhelmed you, making you place your hand on the counter to not collapse on the floor from the overwhelming sensation of being connected to Azriel. It was under your skin, wrapped in your bones, humming against your heart and fogging your mind. You could feel his intense love for you, you felt it all, and it made you cry.

Azriel immediately stopped eating, reaching over to pull you into his arms and hug you close as you both sighed and cried in relief for finally having this bond be permanent and planted. Its roots sank into you both at the same time, and all you could do was hold on since you have the intense sensation of needing him under you, over you, inside of you, all of it.

"I got you," Azriel said to you as you two were clinging to each other like a lifeline. You felt his fingers along your waist and along your neck, his breath a bit labored near your cheek and jawline as you were clutching his flannel in your fingers, "I have you forever, it's just you and me,"

You felt that truth in the bond as you leaned up to kiss him. He kissed back just as swiftly, keeping it soft and beyond gentle with you as you both were kissing along the countertop. His half-finished plate was long forgotten, all you two were focusing on was each other and that sensation beginning to take over.

Azriel abruptly stood up, towering over you as he held you close and trapped you in his arms, his kisses getting hotter and deeper with every passing kiss. You were letting him take over you in such a way, like a rolling wave as you were pulling him even closer by his flannel. Inside of you, you felt the frenzy begin and you were letting it. Like a massive wave crashing over your head and pushing the rational side of you to the back.

"I need you," he said against your lips as you then felt him his tongue carefully trace your lower lip, "Cauldron I need you, now. Please, please let--"

"Shut up and take me," You growled against his lips as he pulled you up from the stool. Within a swift lift of his arms, you wrapped your legs around his waist and had your fingers in his dark hair. He stopped abruptly, moving away from your lips as you whined. he chuckled from hearing you, but you grinned as he took the whiskey glass and drank down the liquor in one go.

Goddamn

You gulped and felt flushness on your cheeks from seeing him down the drink abruptly as he leaned in to kiss you again. Tasting the whiskey on his lips made you moan as he walked you to the bedroom, one hand on your ass and the other attempting to strip off your shirt.

You sent a thank-you gift to Rhysand two weeks later. One, for letting you use the cabin to your heart's desire. Secondly, for you and Azriel drinking the rest of the whiskey during your frenzy.

The End

May Prompt Session

[joanofexys]

now that youre done with school, im setting up camp here (your inbox), hope you dont mind.

soooo

i need you to yap about merrrick and jude's relationship

okay okay so,

firstly i'm so sorry i took so long to get to this i had to vist with like a million people and people kept dropping by the house for some reason to give me money

you are also so so welcome to set up camp in my inbox, you can even build a little house here if you want

anywayyyyyy Jude and Merrick

So Jude's a golden child and Merrick becomes a media darling partly because oh my god a fox went pro and they're not a complete disaster and also partly cause he's an attention whore and he ate it up once he went pro

So yeah they meet officially when Merr's 25 and Jude's 26. Jude makes court and they're eyeing Merr but ultimately decide to pass on him. He's a good player and he's good in front of a camera but any of his coaches past or present would tell them they don't think he's a good fit cause of the shit he's carrying and the pressure being court would put on his shoulders.

They had of course met in the past for college exy events but really had no reason to interact and didn't pay much attention to each other at the time

So yeah they meet when team USA is sort of eyeing Merr/scouting his still unnamed pro team and somehow ended up striking up a conversation (Jude saw Merr's tattoos and decided to compliment them and start rambling about/showing off his own). Jude asks for his number for completely professional reasons, obviously, and it largely starts with Jude texting him random shit at the weirdest times and Merrick either not responding or giving odd as shit answers because he doesn't know how to text. So Merr gets passed up on being court and Jude teTchnically has zero reason to keep in touch with him because they're actually not going to be teammates but now he's going a little bonkers. He's watching games, he's watching interviews, he's watching that one thirst trap edit that has a clip of Merr pouring water over himself after a game. He pulls back on the random texting a bit but still tells him good game and checks in regularly and well when they end up in the same area for an event it only makes sense to ask him to get coffee.

At the end of the night they end up in Jude's hotel room just sitting on the bed. Merr asks about Jude's scars, at the end of the day he's a fox, he's used to it but still curious, and Jude answers honestly. Merrick thanks him and offers nothing in return. And it's okay. A Fox and Trojan is an odd combination and for the moment they're content with what they have. Merr's glad to have finally made a friend after the foxes and well he doesn't know what Jude gets out of it but he's glad that it seems to be enough.

They go their separate ways, keep in touch sporadically, and keep a close eye on each other's careers. Team USA takes gold that year and Merr's team does well enough to keep him going and stop him from falling back into bad habits. They both tell each other good job, Jude's hand hovers over the call button, and Merr types a million sentences unsure of what he wants to say.

After that Jude has to sign with another pro team and he signs with Merr's. They're not the best team or the biggest but they're consist players, solid, and slowly working their way up the ranks. Jude has his pick of the litter and no one really knows why he chose that team when all his court teammates went on to one's with much better chances of winning but he seems happy with his choice so they don't push it.

Seeing Merrick on the court this way and how he interacts with his team is completely different from the Merrick he's seen in their brief moments of existing together. Merr's aggressive on the court, he hits hard, and in practices he doesn't tend to care much for the fact that he's often pissing off his own teammates. Off the court, in locker rooms and at team meetings he's not outright rude but he's not making any active effort to make friends and it's obvious his teammates aren't either and they've likely never tried. So Jude pushes. It starts with press duty together and they develop a good banter, a strong back and forth, and if the press adored them separately then they love them together.

It's furthered by Jude joining him for his workouts and for drills. They start running together in the morning. Jude never asks him what's wrong enough with him to have made him a fox. Merrick never brings up his scars again. They talk about movies and music and local places that Merrick has never visited and Jude is excited to see. Jude stops bringing up local bars and the club the team loves to frequent after the third time Merr goes oddly silent in the middle of a conversation.

Then Jude starts complaining about how his dog is across the country staying with his family cause the only apartment he could find at the time doesn't allow pets. Merr mentions his place does. Jude doesn't push. A few weeks later Merrick comes up to him in the locker room after practice and tells him if he wants his dog out here and can find a way out of his lease that Merr has a spare room.

So they become roommates. And they have to set ground rules. Merrick's rule number one is no substances in the house. Merr doesn't even keep over the counter pain killers, he'll call a team nurse if he needs them. Jude tells him he takes prescription medication for his adhd and depression. Merrick asks him to keep them in his room and expects that to be the end of it. This time Jude pushes. He figures he's given and Merr owes him nothing but he might as well ask if he can take a little in return. Merrick doesn't give him everything, doesn't give him much at all, but he admits he's struggled with addiction in the past. That he's been in rehab, he's clean, but he prefers not to take the risk of having anything around. That even if he's not tempted he doesn't like the reminders. Especially since he was living alone.

They fall into a routine and Jude asks for a little bit more over time. They have the same nights off so now they have movie nights. Stevie (Jude's dog) starts to join them on morning runs. She learns she likes Merrick's bed more and Merr learns that too when he's woken up by her nudging his arm one night waiting to be pet. He walks her back to Jude's room every night for a few weeks before he gives up. They switch off cooking and eventually start to cook together. Merrick will ask Jude questions. How has therapy worked for him? What does he do to cope? Has talking about things really helped? Jude answers and asks questions in return. Do you have someone to talk to? Do you need me to listen? Tell me something about you?

They become friends long before they're lovers. They like to exist together before they choose to be together. And something odd about them just works. I can't really articulate it well myself.

I don't know when they cross that line quite yet. I only have bits and pieces of what Jude learns about Merrick and when. But it all comes together, slowly but surely. Merr introduces Jude to Wymack instead of introducing him to his dad. Introduces him to Bee instead of his mom. Jude brings him home to California, they roadtrip so they can take Stevie with them and have a great time. Their team makes it to semifinals and they end up kissing on camera and falling down on the court holding each other, kissing each other over and over again. They hold hands in public and let the paparazzi take photos, they answer all the questions after games, and they make their own posts addressing it all. And it's truly time to wrap this shit up though there's much I could delve into I think and if there's any specific questions I will happily answer them but they end up as two very content dog dads to one very spoiled Stevie

[gfawkesphoenixchokingonashes]

The Shield Bearer (E, Canon divergence, Howlies era) with art by @beardoesdoodles.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

Chapter 1:

The helmet bounced as it hit the rocky ground, shattering the fragile shale and sending shards in every direction. Gabe caught it on the way back up and the rest of the Howlies scattered. Grumbles of protests rumbled throughout the team but nobody said a word, not even Dum Dum. They all knew when to keep their mouths shut. Especially when it was Bucky's turn to lose his cool.

"If I have to chase down this goddamn shield one more time –!"

He slammed the vibranium disc into the ground where it parted the rock beneath it and stayed there, listing slightly to one side.

For lack of anything else to take his anger out on, he kicked at the dirt. It fanned out over the fire. The flames collapsed for a few beats, then, as the wind whistled through the gorge, reignited. It was like the searing burn in Bucky's gut, ever constant and resilient.

He began to pace while the others regrouped around the fire. "Not only do I have to cover his ass, I've got to clean up after him, too!"

Bucky dropped his gun on the ground, ignoring the vocal cringe from Denier, and picked up the coffee pot from the fire. He poured into an awaiting cup and took a mouthful.

Ugh. It was awful.

Jim scowled at him as he bent to spit it on the ground, and Bucky thought better of it. The guys were exhausted, having not slept in three days. It wasn't Jim's fault the whole thing had gone tits up, nor Monty's or Gabe's or Dum Dum's. It was his responsibility, because he'd taken it alone. And boy, was he regretting that decision.

He swallowed the horrible stuff and set his pack on the ground. The others had already set up camp in the gorge. The mountains rose up on either side, and only the brush offered any kind of cover. If HYDRA were to locate them, they'd all be sitting ducks.

"He back yet?" Bucky huffed as he sat next to Gabe. The man had rolled over a few of the larger rocks. Uncomfortable as hell, Bucky reminded himself to appreciate it. Jones wasn't even supposed to be over there. 

"No sign of him," Dum Dum confirmed. "He went after those two that got away."

Bucky closed his eyes and quietly fumed. "Of course he did."

The others looked ready to peel off again if Bucky got violent. He decided they'd had enough for the day.

"More rations for the rest of us then." Bucky unzipped his pack and grabbed a kit, then handed it to Gabe without taking any for himself.

Morita stared at him with those alert eyes. Nothing got past him. Nothing.

"You not eating, Sarge?"

"Nah. My stomach's tryna break free from my intestines." He rubbed his belly for good measure. "Would be a waste cos' it'll all come right back up again."

It was a lie; he was starving. But so was everyone else. They were supposed to pick up more rations in the city before they were unceremoniously ambushed by nazis. They had to have been waiting for them.

Monty loosened the red scarf around his neck and wiped the grime from his forehead, then set about rolling cigarettes. Dum Dum and Denier helped Morita portion out what little they had, and Bucky stared off into space. 

Gabe stoked the fire with a long branch he'd broken off a nearby bush. It kept catching fire, and Jones kept putting it out in the dirt. Bucky thought about how it was a perfect metaphor for their plight. Everywhere they stamped out Hydra, more and more cropped up. It was exhausting.

He poured some more of the terrible brown liquid and forced it down. If he filled his belly with it, maybe he wouldn't feel so empty inside. Their mission had been a failure; besides not successfully procuring more supplies, they'd stirred a hornet's nest and a few of its inhabitants had gotten away.

They'd retreated to the mountains with the enemy hot on their tails. The mountainside was bare and treacherous, rocks sliding dangerously beneath their feet. At one point, they took such heavy fire they had to hole up under an outcropping of rock. They were already low on ammo, and they'd been ordered to save it. After all, they had other means of protection.

Only that particular protection detail didn't clean up his toys when he was done with them.

They ate in torrential silence. 

Afterward, Bucky listened as Dernier did an ammo count, and Jim took a written inventory. It was stupid, really. They knew they were in trouble. But the mind did strange things when under duress, and sticking to a routine always worked for them.

Why had they named Bucky second in command anyway? Just because his dad was a cop and he knew a bit about guns? Or maybe they'd heard about his sparring record? That was probably it. Someone opened their big mouth and –

"Sarge."

They should have given it to Monty. He was a major, after all, and just because he was a Brit didn't mean he couldn't –

"Sarge!"

Bucky was shaken out of his own head by Dum Dum. "It's your turn for night watch."

Because, of course it was.

The guy's mustache twitched. "You sure you're up for it? You're lookin' kinda pale."

"I'm fine!" Bucky shouted, a bit on the intense side. He'd have to work on toning that down. "Go get some shut-eye."

And then, to the rest of them. "All of yeh. Get outta here!"

They didn't wait around for him to change his mind. Each man unrolled a well-used bedroll into the dirt near the fire and turned away from him. It seemed nobody wanted to make eye contact.

Nobody except for Gabe. "You want me to take this shift?" he asked, and Bucky felt the boot of guilt in his gut. All the shit that man had been through and he still had room for a heart. 

"Nah." Bucky took the stick Jones had been using to stir out the rest of the embers. "I got it."

It made sense for Bucky to take the night watch. His hearing was better than the rest of them. He could tell an animal step from a human, a rolling rock from a tumbling grenade. His reflexes were faster and his stamina greater. And, for now, he had a little extra armor.

Bucky waited until everyone was still before snuffing out the fire with the rest of the coffee. It gave off a hissing kind of putridity that made him instantly regret it. But the rest said nothing, and the sky was already growing dark, and Bucky had a night full of thinking to do.

He rescued his rifle from the dust and propped it against his pack, then wrestled with the shield to free it from the ground. He fetched his bedroll and folded it against the pack, then sat and tried to imagine his stomach was angry because he was overly full.

Bucky pulled the shield into his lap like the world's most uncomfortable blanket and lifted his eyes to the summit. He scanned the treeless ridge on both sides, positioning himself so he could see out of the corner of his eyes if needed. Then he focused on the red glow rising in the west.

He'd never been to Greece. Hadn't even seen pictures of it. The whole thing was tragically surreal; he'd never have even left Brooklyn if it hadn't been for –

Well. He was in Greece now, not far from the coast. Even as high as they were in the mountains, he could smell the salty air. It was much different than the Atlantic back home.

Home. Wasn't that a strange concept? There was a time when he'd considered it a place. Four walls and a roof and a key to a door. Skyscrapers and cars and throngs of people. As it turned out, it wasn't the things that made it home. It was the people. The people he'd left behind, yes, but also the people he'd met over here.

Jim and Gabe. Monty. Dernier. Hell, even Dum Dum.

And that led him to their missing team member.

Oh, Bucky could throttle him. What was he thinking, leaving their little pack like that? And without a proper weapon to protect himself? For all Bucky knew, he'd been captured again, and there wouldn't be another chance to beat the snot out of him for being so stubborn and impulsive. 

He fumed for so long his jaw began to ache and his hands cramped from clenching them so hard.

Anger eventually evolved into worry. The sunset was long since gone, and there hadn't been a moon for the past two nights. Greece may have fought off the Italians at one point, but they were close to making alliances. And the little band of nazis they'd encountered sure sounded German to him.

Bucky knocked the toe of his boot against a rock and thought about the expanding hole in his sock. Eventually, his skin would chafe and bleed, then ooze in the most painful of ways. But he'd recover, just like he'd done before. The wounds would heal themselves. And if he didn't say anything about it, nobody would know how wrong it was.

But he couldn't think about that. He'd spiral into madness, and men were counting on him.

And so, he hummed. To himself, of course. He hummed to melodies only he could hear, harmonized with orchestras inside his head. All the songs he'd loved, some that he hated even. Just to be able to forget.

But the tune always returned in the end. Turned bittersweet, thick with longing and want for something he couldn't have. A face swam before him, familiar but — different. And then another with red, red lips would cut in and take it from him.

"Fuck."

Bucky wiped a filthy hand over his face and shivered. The cold always affected him more intensely than anything else. Goosebumps rose in waves over his skin, muscles clenched, tendons gone tight over aching bones. It wasn't the temperature that triggered this reaction. It was the memory of a metal gurney, glinting steel instruments. A wickedly pleasant voice.

Bucky slid his palm over the ever-sharp edge of the shield. Without gloves, it could slice him open if he wasn't careful. Heaven knew how many fascists it had maimed and dismembered. He'd lost count.

He hated it, this perfect weapon. Hated what it did, what it stood for. Hated taking lives at all, even if they were demonically evil. It wasn't in his nature to kill anyone.

But.

The war was bigger than just him and his pacifist nature. This was the destruction of his people simply because of who they were. Elderly, ill, children; the fascist machine of death didn't care. The only goal in sight was world domination.

Most of all, though, quite selfishly, he hated how it had turned his best friend into a killer.

Bucky sighed and tucked the shield higher under his chin and tipped his head back to look at the stars. The constellations were different in this sky. Which was good, really. Counting and making his own connection between the brightest objects would keep him occupied as he waited out the rest of the night.

The waiting went on throughout the morning and into the afternoon. The guys played cards and rolled more cigarettes. Bucky tried to sleep, he honestly did. But a pair of blue eyes wouldn't let him.

As the second evening in the gorge began to fall, Dum Dum approached him with that stubborn sternness. "Sarge, we gotta do something. Ain't getting nowhere just sitting here."

Bucky knew it. But he couldn't admit to it.

"One more night," he said. And that was that.

Bucky took to his bedroll like everyone else and turned his back to the snuffed-out fire. A sliver of moon had appeared over the crest of the hill. He watched as it glided over the part of the sky he could see. And when it disappeared behind the mountain and well into the night, he began to dive back into his mind.

Luckily, Gabe's night watch ended early. Bucky heard the slide of the shield as it rolled out of his hands. Heard the soft thud as it fell to the ground. Felt the vibration of its alien metal on his exposed skin. Remembered those blue eyes looking over it at him.

Bucky pushed up from the ground and relieved Gabe of his post. He took the shield into one hand and rolled Jones over onto his bedroll with the other. The man grunted softly but didn't wake.

Something glinted from the ground where Gabe had sat. Something small and rectangular, its monochrome tones clear as day to Bucky's keen eyesight. He recognized it as a photograph, the face smiling out one that was all too familiar. 

Bucky snorted softly as he lifted it. It appeared more than one person was enamored with Agent Carter. He tipped the photo into the upturned helmet and felt a sudden connection with Gabe that cut deep; he, too, wanted something he couldn't have. 

Bucky couldn't sit and wait any longer. He took up his weapon with the shield and set off through the gorge and away from camp. There was something he wanted to say to someone.

When he was far enough out of earshot, and yet close enough to fulfill his guard duty, Bucky dropped both shield and gun and got it off his chest.

"I hate you, you sonofabitch!"

The hiss of his heated whisper echoed between the slopes on either side like one snake attacking another. His chest heaved and a sting of tears welled in his eyes. And he was glad there was no one about to see him fall apart.

He didn't know how long he stood there until he heard it. Until the hair at the back of his neck prickled in warning. He only knew the infuriating relief he felt as he counted the milliseconds between footsteps.

He would follow those footsteps anywhere.

As the footfalls neared and came to a halt, Bucky turned away from the sound and waited for the inevitable.

"Buck?"

Something in his heart clenched tight as he imagined those eyes staring down (down!) at him.

"You came back." It sounded accusatory, which was exactly how Bucky meant it.

"Yeah." A step closer, the heavy breathing more audible. "I uh – I left something behind."

Bucky couldn't stand it; his heart was near exploding. He spun on the spot and shoved the hated shield into that well-muscled and perfectly healthy chest.

"I'm not your slave," Bucky growled around the lump in his throat. He tried very hard not to look upon those broad shoulders. The way he was loaded down with a pack three times normal size. How that smart mouth opened and closed. Opened and closed. Opened.

"Never said you were."

There was an unexpected bite at the end of it. Bucky bristled.

"We were gonna leave in the morning whether you came back or not."

"As you should have."

And dammit. Why was he always so sanctimonious about it?

"The guys had a bet going on how far we'd get before you caught up."

"Oh, really?" The rumbling, deep voice wasn't supposed to be comforting him, of all people.

Bucky thought how stupid they must look. Standing in the middle of a war and not saying anything.

"I put money on you getting captured."

The man holding the shield stiffened. The weight he carried shifted. "C'mon Buck."

A hand reached for his forearm, but Bucky wasn't having it. He turned away and started walking back toward camp. There were a few tense moments where he wasn't followed.

And then — "I brought food."

Bucky recognized the tone. It was something he'd heard many times in the past after they'd had a fight. The new arrival was trying to make up, uncomfortable with the awkwardness of being absolutely fucking wrong.

"Great," Bucky said, continuing forward. "Guys are starving."

He thought he heard muttering over the sound of that shield being hefted over a massive forearm. But eventually, they were both walking back into camp. Bucky on soft, careful feet, and his companion like a bull in a china shop.

It was telling to their exhaustion that nobody else woke as the man set about unpacking. Bucky didn't help. He went back to his bed on the ground and pretended his heart wasn't thundering away in his chest. Nobody tried to talk to him. Nobody poked at the thoughts and fears and things he wanted badly to say but couldn't. Nobody even noticed he was there.

He was surprised to be woken from sleep by the overpowering smell of cooking meat.

"Morning sunshine," that familiar voice said. Bucky sat quickly, surveying the scene before him with mixed feelings.

Several tins steamed from the coals in the fire, sending mouth-watering aromas into the air. Around him, his pack of scoundrels was stirring. Wiping sleep-slow eyes. Blinking away the fog of a sudden awakening. Shouting with recognition as their vision cleared and they laid eyes on the newcomer.

"Cap!"

"Hey, he's back!"

"Look what the cat dragged in!"

"So you didn't abandon us for greener pastures!"

Bucky felt that one especially. It was made even more difficult by the soul-destroying gaze from impossible blue eyes across the fire.

"Nah. Couldn't do that to you."

The chatter around the fire was jubilant. Full of actual sustenance, eager to hear and share the stories of how they were separated, the guys grilled Rogers on each and every detail.

Apparently, the great Captain America had single-handedly caught up with and 'taken care of' the two scouts who had been tasked with trailing them. Then he'd met a group of locals who had banded together to make things difficult for the Italians. This resistance group was combating the theft of food destined for the smaller communities to prevent it from being sold on the black market. And, of course, Captain Rogers couldn't resist helping the little guys.

They packed up after breakfast. Cap had secured three tents, brand new by the smell of them, a week's worth of rations for all of them, and a stack of secondhand books.

"What? You reading now, Cap?" Dum Dum teased. Rogers smirked in his all-American way.

"It's the latest fad. You should try it!"

His optimism gave Bucky a headache. 

Bucky tagged along at the back as they hiked down the mountainside. Captain Rogers had a destination in mind, and the group followed him without question. There were rights to wrong, after all. Evil to defeat. Liberty to defend. Who would say no to that?

They moved slowly, covering dusty, dry ground as they descended. Bucky kept to himself. He didn't want his foul mood to affect the rest. Something was wrong with him that couldn't be cured by a rousing noble quest.

Around the bend of another mountain, Bucky caught sight of the sea. It was aquamarine and clear and too good to be true. He fought back the hope in the back of his throat.

They set up camp just before the sun sunk below the horizon. The tents went up quickly and the rations disappeared the same. And when Bucky could no longer hold his tongue, he disappeared from the group.

And, naturally, Rogers followed. It wasn't but five minutes after he'd shucked out of his boots, hung up his holey socks, and laid his head on the ground that he entered the tent.

Bucky closed his eyes. He knew they couldn't go on avoiding it. 

"I know you're mad at me, Barnes."

So it was to be Barnes, then. Bucky took a deep breath and sat up to face his roommate. "I'm not mad. I'm furious."

Rogers crouched in the entrance, allowing the flap to fall against his back before he entered fully.

He didn't speak, so Bucky continued. "These guys? They'll do anything you say. But they aren't superheroes. They can't shake off a bullet wound to the shoulder. Trek a hundred miles without food and water. Then get up and do it every day for a week."

Rogers remained silent. His wide knees poked out from thick thighs as he crouched, one hand on the ground between them.

"They're bound to break at some point. They need to rest."

His companion took a deep breath. "And what about you?"

Bucky sighed in exasperation. "Doesn't matter, does it? You don't listen to anything I say anyway!"

Rogers began to argue, but Bucky cut him off.

"No! You don't get to talk! You were safe in Brooklyn! There wasn't any danger of them sending you over here! Then you went and signed up for some fool's science experiment! And I will never, ever, be able to make it up to your Ma'!"

Bucky flopped on the ground and rolled away. It didn't matter anymore anyway. He'd failed at the thing he'd promised Sarah Rogers before she passed. But, dammit, he was going to die trying to make amends.

The tent was quiet for a long, long time. So long that, if Bucky didn't know better, he'd have thought the man had left. But there was the telltale clumsy shuffle as Rogers joined him on his own bedroll not two feet away.

Time passed slowly, excruciatingly so. Bucky's palms began to sweat and so did his bare feet. His heart continued to pound unhelpfully, and his mouth had gone desert-dry. He wasn't prepared to hear the heavy, steady inhale and exhale of a man asleep.

Bucky turned his head, and sure enough, Rogers had assumed his usual arms and legs spread eagle pose. Always a bed hog, he was even more so in this strange new body. And there was still that little click in the back of his throat as he breathed.

That familiar protectiveness was back, full force. Even though it was completely unwarranted. Bucky turned onto his back and listened out of habit. Just like he used to. Making sure his friend was still breathing.

Something closed around Bucky's throat, and something else made him roll toward that which vexed him so. A third something broke down the wall he'd built to protect himself, shattering the rage he'd been harboring since he returned.

Bucky found a warm palm, large enough to fit his whole cheek into. He nuzzled into it, resting the weary weight of his face inside, and breathed easy for the first time in days.

"Steve."

[drinkw]

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