#Rhody’s Recovery

[ask-rhode-island]

1/10/29

So....uhhhh,sorry for not, like being active.... but I’ve been kinda,,, dead? Yea so, apparently, after so long being on drugs and having them in my system, depriving my system of those drug of which it has come to rely on is kinda,,, bad. Did I go back on them? No. Even though I crave them super badly, but with the help of Dasiy and the near constant pain of my body healing, I can’t and haven’t left my house (let’s be honest my bedroom). I’ve died a few times sence my last post, mostly from the withdrawal once because I threw myself out a third story window in a desperate attempt to ease my pain and go get more. But that was a low point, I’m better now, a little. Not at all. It still hurts to move, to breath. I know I messed up my veins doing heroin for as long as I did. Honestly I’m surprised I still have feeling in my limbs at all. I’ve asked Daisy to see if she can pull some strings, get me some meds for the pain. She just lies and says she’ll get right on it. Honestly, if I went to a doctor they would put me on morphine or something, anything, as long as it’s in the sane stran I could get high. Looks like I didn’t give Daisy enough credit. For the best, I suppose. Heh, already I’m thinking about relapse or taking something new. I think I made the right choice in having Daisy be my guide through my detox.

I think I’ll tell Massachusetts, Mark, soon. Once I can reliably be left alone in the house while Daisy goes out shopping. She’s a little controlling. Says she dosent want to run the risk of me calling someone and them bringing me more to shoot up with. I’m sure after an intense yelling match Mark will be let in and reinforce Daisy’s strict ‘no contact with the outside world until your craving go away’ rule.

I’ll write again soon.

~Rhody

[honeyspiders10]

Welcome back, to my tavern!

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Masterlist!

My name is Charlie! And this is my tavern!

Requests are open!!

Go check out my girl! @nerdysleepybunny <3

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Things I will write for:

Anything Pride/LGBTQIA+! (you are valid! <3)

Gender neutral reader!

Male reader!

Non binary reader!

And male aligned readers!

(I will write female readers for my friends and friends only. Sorry for the inconvenience)

Poly relationships! Between reader and characters.

Platonic relationships!

And Child!reader and Parent!character!

I will also write for my age regression community!

Ships are welcome as well!

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Things I will not write for:

NSFW! I'm a minor! I have a lot of age regression moots, and most of them are not comfortable with NSFW. So, you will not find smut on my blog at all.

Anxiety, depression, etc. These can be triggering topics to some people, and I want this to be a safe spot.

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Fandoms: TV shows and Movies

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Hasbin Hotel:

Angel Dust

Husker

Charlie

Vaggie

Nifty

Alastor

Lucifier

Ships:

Husker x Angel Dust

Alastor x Lucifer

Vaggie x Charlie

Okay with x reader:

Husker x Angel Dust x Reader

Alastor x Lucifer x reader

Vaggie x Charlie x reader

The Lord of the Rings:

Gimli

Legolas

Aragorn

Gandalf (platonic only!)

Frodo

Sam

Mary

Pippin

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The Walking Dead:

Glen

Maggie

Negan

Abraham

Carl

Rick

Beth

Lori

Carol

Daryl

Eugene

Dale (platonic only!)

Tdog

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Supernatural:

Dean

Sam

Cas

Crowley

Rowena

Lucifer

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Marvel:

Bucky

Sam

Steve

Stephen

Rhody

Tony

Pepper

Groot (platonic only!)

Rocket (platonic only!)

Gamora

Nebula

Drax

Mantix (platonic only!)

Quil

Thor

Loki

Peter

Ned

Wong

MJ

Natasha

Bruce/Hulk

Scott

(If there are any more, let me know! I'll write for just about anyone from the MCU!)

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Kids shows:

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Octonaunts:

Barnacles

Peso

Kwazii

Shellington

Dashi

Tweak

Inkling (platonic only!)

Vegimals (platonic only!)

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Ninjago:

Cole

Kai

Jay

Zane

Nya

Lloyd

Wu (platonic only!)

Garmadon

Zora

Wyldfire

Arin

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Sing 1-2:

Johnny

Mena

Rosita (platonic only!)

Gunther

Ash

Mrs. Crawley (platonic only!)

Buster

Suki

Clay

Krystal

Porsha

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Anime:

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Naruto:

Choji

Naruto

Sasuke

Sakura

Shikamaru

Ino

Tenten

Neji

Lee

Kakashi

Guy

Asuma

Jiraiya

Tsunade

Orichimaru

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Demonslayer:

Tanjiro

Inosuke

Zenitsu

Genya

Rengoku

Tengen

All tengens wifes

Shinobu

Sanemi

Gyomei

Mitsuri

Obanai

Giyuu

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My Hero Academia:

All of class 1-A

The big three

Shinso

Wild, wild pussycats

Dabi

Shigaraki

Staib

Lady Nagant

Toga

Overhaul

Gentle criminal (platonic only!)

Twice

Mr. Compress

Mei

Aizawa

Nezu (platonic only!)

Fatgum

Endeavor

Present Mike

Midnight

All Might

Hawks

Snipe

Recovery girl (platonic only!)

Mt. Lady

Vlad King

Edgeshot

Best jeanist

Ms. Joke

Mirko

Kamui Woods

Ryukyu

Gang orca

Inasa

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Beastars:

Riz

Legoshi

Jack

Haru

Pina

Louis

Juno

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Novels:

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Heartstopper: platonic only!

Charlie

Nick

Imogen

Aled

Sahar

Darcy

Tara

Issac

Tao

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Thank you for reading! Safe journeys, travelers!

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[keouil]

some things never leave a person

“how does it feel knowing you got captain america wrapped around your finger?” rated t. 2k+. steve/nat. also on ao3 / twitter / cc

“You’re staring.”

Steve snapped his eyes back up, nearly giving himself whiplash. He sat up straighter. “No," he insists. "No, I’m not.”

Sam gave him a knowing look. The tips of his mouth curled upwards, an amused glint in his eye.

“Look, man,” he began casually, running his fingers over the rim of his beer. “I get it. Recovery ain’t easy and it’s a big new world you woke up to. If I was in your place, I’d probably take all my chances, too.”

“Uh-huh,” Steve drawled unsurely, taking a sip of his drink and regarding him. Asgardian mead pleasantly made its way down his body, warming him up to more liquid courage. “What do you mean by recovery?”

Sam opens his mouth to elaborate, when a loud clang from somewhere behind them interrupts their conversation. 

They look back and see Darcy with a mournful look on her face, holding on to the flute of an otherwise shattered champagne glass littered on the floor.

“I can, like, totally pay for that,” she mumbles sheepishly into the crowd. 

Pepper is by her side the next second, already picking up fragments of glass and disposing of it just as quickly. Tony just laughs it off, and just like that, the party continues. 

The overhead skylights from the makeshift bar he assembled in the Avengers Tower glistened under the wide sky. Pop music wafted all over the bustling partly, filled to the brim with a generous number of people enjoying themselves. Thor with his hand clasped on Jane’s waist, whispering something that made her laugh; Hill and Rhody on an animated conversation by the end of the bar. All of them, in a rare moment, loose. 

Steve locked eyes with Natasha from the corner of the room. 

His grin, then, comes just as embarrassingly easy. He waves. She gives him a small smile before turning her attention back to Barton. Steve frowns.

“Jesus,” he hears Sam hiss. “You got it bad, Cap.”

.

.

.

It’s not a gradual thing. 

Steve isn’t someone who minces his words or plays diplomatic charmer. His vitality burned, in a way foreign to a world that had long been too jaded of proper men and archaic chivalry. 

Captain America, back from the dead, yes: but also, and it was growing easier and easier to see, he himself ushered in a resurgence of basic morality stripped from ages of misuse and abuse. It was a basic thing, human decency, and he had simply reminded the world of exactly how easy it could be.

Steve came to carthage burning, but he flamed the embers of fire without ever having to wield a weapon. It was his nature to simply walk in the line of fire. And Natasha knows, if she is ever as sure of anything, that: he would no sooner rot in hell than let someone else walk over the flames for him, he had to be made to.

“Steve,” warns Natasha, a steady hand clamped over his shoulder against the fracturing landscape all around them. “Let me handle this.”

It was then he would turn to her, sometimes, and it scares her: the naked vulnerability he displays, the unyielding confidence in his frame, the complete and utter surrender of control. It is a ghastly little thing, the weight of his unburdening, but it only ever dawns on her when the ringing in her ears have stopped and the guns have mellowed: “Okay,” he nods once. “I trust you.”

.

.

.

Natasha should have seen it coming sooner.

It’s not that Steve hangs on her every word, is on her beck and call, or does whatever she tells him to do at the drop of a hat. He doesn’t tail after her like a lost puppy, because for all intents and purposes they were evenly matched at almost every pace; he was the commanding officer, she the shadow leader.

But maybe what tears at her conscience is that it also goes like this: hey nat,  he would say, thanks for having my back out there, or been awhile since i drank with someone, or i’m here if you need to talk too you know? or, and perhaps most damning, is: how about a friend?

Steve was acclimating slowly to the surface, in a way that he knows best and works for him. It is an intimate baring of his soul, and the stripping of her own to make sure it doesn’t totally push him over the edge just before he learns to plant himself on the ground again. It’s easy, then, to play a part: if only he didn’t blindside her with improvising the script every so often it leaves her breaking character more often than she likes.

Because Steve was not of the divine kind, the one measured up to the greatness of gods. He had such grounded faith; and Natasha, for all she deemed herself worthy, had already started carving herself a place six feet under. 

.

.

.

“It’s a transference thing,” Sam tells her one day in a low voice, when they’re waiting for transport and Steve is somewhere behind going over the mission details again with Fury. “But he means well. If it’s any help, this is actually an important breakthrough in the recovery process.”

Natasha feels herself ruminating over his words, because Sam would know about it best, working at the VA and all. He would probably know, too, then: “But,” she falters, her entire body in knots. “Why me?”

Sam doesn’t take a beat to answer. “Why not you?”

.

.

.

Steve loves so nakedly, both unforgivingly kind and passionately earnest: it is like fresh mildew unfurling from earth, dusk creeping at dawn; a silent but steady little thing. It is comforting, the rhythm of his heart: but oh, does it burden.

.

.

.

“How does it feel knowing you got Captain America wrapped around your finger?”

Natasha staggers a little, stopping the momentum of the sandbag just before it hits her square in the face. Her eyes flitter over the ring, making sure Steve was still busy testing the limits of Sam’s misery by boxing, before turning back to glare at Clint on the other side of the bag. So much for a sparring partner.  “What?”

“Come on, Nat,” Clint returns, sounding a little too cocky for her taste. He pushes the sandbag to her side a little. “He’s like a dog with a bone around you. It’s cute, really, if not a little stalker-ish.”

“That’s not—he’s—” Natasha stammers, trying to reign it in and getting her breathing under control. “Steve is just adjusting. Fury assigned me to make sure he does that as smoothly as he can.”

“Right, of course,” Clint doesn’t drop the knowing look on his face, but the edges of his eyes soften a little. He ignores the way Steve glances at their direction none too subtly, a worried frown on his face. “It’s scary, isn’t it?”

That sobers her up instantly. 

Natasha nurses her features into steeled determination, squaring her shoulders and tightening her jaw: but just as telling, however, is the slight crack in her voice when she says: “I’m fucking terrified.”

[alikat7]

Where Did The Line End?

SUMMARY: Bucky finds out about Steve’s decision and doesn’t react the way Steve thinks he should.

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, T’Challa, Shuri

Warnings: Mind Control. Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Past Torture. Angst and Hurt/Comfort, 

Steve had been waiting for Bucky to say something, anything, but he remained silent. He thought he had made valid points and his friend should understand and support him. He should want Steve to find happiness. That’s not the feeling he was getting from him.

 Steve finally cracked. “Surely you can understand my reasoning, right?”

 Buck glanced at him, shrugged, and said, “Of course.” Then resumed staring at the lake in front of them like he expected the waters to part.

 Finally, Steve lost it. “Okay, I’m not sure if you’re mad, happy, apathetic, or just bored at this point. I have told you something that is a majorly important decision about my life and you have said two fucking words. Say something goddammit! Anything! String more than two words together.”

 After a few moments, Bucky looked at him emotionlessly and said, “To the end of the line. Was the end of the line when Thanos snapped his fingers? Or now? I mean, I get it. You have a woman you love in the past, but Steve, that’s the past. Peggy lived her life completely and died a natural death. She loved people, accomplished things, and had a family in her time on Earth. It’s unfair that you two were never together, I get that. But how many lives do you want to destroy to go back to her? Have you thought about the life she has lived in this reality? Or that while you only loved her… she loved another and you have never implied she was unhappy with him. She was with him for ages, his wife and mother to his children, and she only knew you a couple of years.”

 Steve glared at him, but Bucky pointed out, “You wanted me to string more than two words together. Don’t blame me if you don’t like the words I use. It’s the truth.”

 “I cannot believe you are being so selfish,” Steve shot back. “I honestly thought as my friend you’d support me.”

 “Let’s talk about your friends, Steve. Wanda had to kill the man she loved, turned to dust, then was resurrected with no one to come back to. Thor is really a mess still. I don’t even know what happened with him. Understandable though, since he lost most of his people that didn’t come back because they died before the Snap. Clint did some very immoral things during the five years that he now must deal with. Sam, T’Challa, Rhody… everyone is still reeling over what has happened. The world is trying to pick up the pieces and put them back together. And you’re just like ‘Peace out’. Captain America is abandoning this time period when it’s on it’s shakiest ground.” Suddenly, he stood. “Natasha sacrificed her life to get the soul stone. Tony sacrificed his life to kill Thanos. But I’m selfish for pointing out that you’re needed right here, now. And you’re leaving on purpose.”

 The two men just stared at each other for a long time before Steve dropped his head. “I have nothing left to give. I just can’t anymore. Five years ago, I lost ‘that kid from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight’, Bucky. Maybe it is selfish or maybe its just necessary. I need to leave Captain America behind and go back and find Steve Rogers again. And he’s in the past,” Steve said in a voice of defeat that Bucky didn’t know if he’d ever heard before from him. “Take the shield, Buck. You still have that fire in you, I can see it in your eyes even now. You can still tell right from wrong and know when to fight and when to make peace. You can be Captain America.”

 Bucky thought about his fight to reclaim his identity and felt a bit more generous about Steve’s decision, but still shook his head. “I won’t sully the name of Captain America. Whether or not I was brainwashed, I was a Hydra assassin. It doesn’t matter who’s fault it was. I ended lives, some very innocent ones.”

 “Every soldier ends lives, including some very innocent ones. Do you think all the people we killed in the war deserved death? How many Hydra soldiers were there voluntarily and how many were there because they had no choice? We didn’t ask, we just killed. No one comes home from war without blood on their hands,” Steve answered. “Take the shield, Bucky.”

 Bucky looked away for a few minutes, staring into the lake again. Finally, he shook his head. “That ‘fire’ you see is anger. I’m angry that I lost almost ninety years of my life in a walking coma before I was snapped to dust. I’m angry that my mind is free from brainwashing, but I still can’t sort things out enough to know what I am responsible for and what I was the victim of. You have no idea what its like to be a hostage in your own mind. To not be able to stop yourself from doing things you knew were wrong. And I ignorantly thought once I had my mind back, I would be able to just start new.”

 “I know I don’t understand. But I know you. You’re too hard-headed to give up on yourself. You’ll figure it all out and come back stronger than ever. James Bucky Barnes does not quit,” Steve argued.

 Before he could ask him once again to take up the mantle, Bucky said, “You’re leaving me, the only person who has known me longer than a few years. The one who pulled me back from The Winter Soldier, protected me from Tony and the government at the risk of his own life. The only person who never doubted me, is abandoning me in a world where I don’t even know what the next step is. But I do know the next step is not becoming Captain America. Give it to Sam. You’ve always said he’s a better man than most. Don’t offer it to me on friendship seniority. That’s a shitty gauge. Sam should be your successor, not me.”

 “Maybe you’re right. He’s a good man, which is why Erskine chose me. But you’re a good man too Buck…”

 “The world won’t see it that way. Sam came back from overseas a hero. He’s always been a hero. I never came back from our war. I went to Hydra. Even if I ever get pardoned, I won’t be thought of as a hero.  I’ll either be a villain or a victim. And I’m not sure which I hate worse. You want me to take the shield because I was given the serum but so was Red Skull. It doesn’t make either of us a good man." Bucky said walking away from him a few feet, keeping his back to him because he needed to not look at him to say what he had to say.

 “It wasn’t your fault. You had no choice. Stop blaming yourself. How many times do I have to remind you?”

 “I guess that one final time since you’re leaving tomorrow.” He didn’t even turn around as he said it.

 In the time since Germany, this is what their relationship had come to. Steve had been his defender, his cheerleader, never letting Bucky take any responsibility for his actions. It was black or white to Steve. But Bucky could never heal his heart or soul as long as he couldn’t face what he’d done without reservation. Steve would never understand that whether he committed those acts under Hydra control or his own, he had to confront them, process them with real feelings instead of the numbness of the Winter Soldier, sort out his feelings, and acknowledge that they happened. It would be cowardly to just say that it wasn’t his fault and put Hydra as the scapegoat. They controlled his mind but his hands committed the action and it was something he had to meet head on. Now he had to be brave enough to send Steve on his way to his future, and his past.

 “Bucky, take the shield…”

 Turning around, he saw Steve looked miserable, so he gave him a smile. “Give the shield to Sam. He’ll do you proud and will be popular with the flying villains. I’m not really a red, white, and blue kind of guy, anyway. I prefer to wear black, so I can lurk easier. I hope you and Peggy have the life you’re hoping for, the life you deserve, buddy. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find a wife too. I’m going back to Brooklyn if I get this pardon. Or maybe I’ll go be a farmer in Wakanda.” When did he get so good at lying as himself? He thought that was a Winter Soldier trait. Steve grinned and Bucky felt at least it was worth it. His friend deserved happiness, even if he wasn’t being honest with him.

They discussed Sam and next steps, then Steve went to meet with some other Avengers. Bucky stared at the lake for a while before he heard a noise behind him. Turning, it did not surprise him to find T’Challa.

 “He’s leaving?” he asked, but obviously suspected.

 “He’s leaving.” Bucky confirmed.

 “You’re going to be fine, Bucky. You never give yourself enough credit for having the fortitude to get these things,” he said, thoughtfully, as he normally spoke. For someone so young, he had the emotional maturity that exceeded Bucky’s one hundred and six years.

 “Shuri got me through it. And you,” Bucky argued. “But I…”

 “We gave you the tools to use. You had the strength to wield them. You’ve lived, actually lived, so little of your life, and for a few years, you had to fight every day to come back from seventy years of hell. Even before Shuri and I helped you. And you did it without Steve most of the time, too. You lived in hell for more years than most people that were born in your generation lived. So many people wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed in the morning after what you lived through. You talk about facing your past honestly. Give yourself some honest credit for what you’ve managed.” T’Challa clasped his shoulder. “Don’t make me send Ayo with you for intensive therapy. She went easy on you in Wakanda. You might lose the other arm.”

 Bucky chuckled. He was glad to have T’Challa to remind him to get real. He didn’t look at Bucky in an unrealistic light.

 “Are you coming back to Wakanda until you get a pardon? You know you are welcome,” Shuri said as she walked up to the two men. “Besides we always  need a one-armed, broken, white boy farmer. I’m pretty sure your last workplace was destroyed but we could find you another.”

 Bucky smirked at her, then grew thoughtful again. “No, I have to be there tomorrow when Steve takes the stones back. Then I have to find someone overseas, I think. I need to tell her about Natasha in person. I owe her that much at least.” He turned and gave Shuri a tight hug. “I’ll see you soon, I’m sure. Don’t change the locks.” He and T’Challa embraced, then Bucky started walking away. 

Bucky hadn’t gone far when he heard from behind him, a solemn voice, “Wakanda forever,” and his eyes got misty. He turned and crossed his arms over his chest, then nodded to both of them before he turned and left.

[khasmc]

[ Can we please have some Silas + birds HCs? ]

Silas and birds, for the most part, have a facultative symbiosis relationship where they live independent of one another and have no physical attachments.

His power of vulture-whispering culminated in his early teens following the death of his sister. Ever since, he can summon Old World vultures at will, where they arrive in kettles in any number between 5-20 at a time

The vultures will often arrive from the balcony if he’s home, and spend hours on the railing waiting/looking for food. They usually come and go as they please, suggesting a commensalism type of relationship. It doesn’t help or harm him in any way, as he’s used to their company since childhood.

His gray cockatiel, Ra, is a beloved companion who spends most of his time preening and being preened in return when Silas has time. Silas loves Ra more than anything and has recently thought of purchasing a second cockatiel to keep Ra company.

Unlike Silas, Ra becomes enthusiastically excited when the vultures visit, often chirping up a storm in wanting to be let from his cage to join his feathered brethren.

Silas names the vultures who visit most, and he usually tells them apart from their various hisses and gurgles.

He doesn’t command or control them, but they respect him and he does so in kind. On occasions when he’s out and discovers carrion on the road or the woods, not yet claimed, he may send out a message to inform them.

Some vultures will visit unprompted and without a summons, though this is rare. Only the ones he’s built a longer rapport for would show up this way, but there are always at least 2 who show up without fail. He’s named these two Crocus, a Griffon vulture, and Rhodi, a White-backed vulture after the Crocus speciosus and Rhodiola rosea plants, respectively.

Some other birds of prey, such as falcons or owls, keep a distance from the kettle when they’re around, but he’s yet to witness any skirmishes among them. They usually keep to their own and Silas doesn’t judge.

In the event a vulture is injured, he brings them to the veterinary hospital where they usually are able to assist the raptor into recovery.

He’s a big fan of canaries, cockatiels, and budgies.

Regarding wild bird species, he has a very soft spot for those in the Corvidae family as they remind him of Elias, especially magpies and the Common Raven. He also has a preference for songbirds, like Hermit Thrushes, Common Nightingales, March Warbler, or Mockingbirds.

In general, Silas enjoys listening to bird vocalizations, whether they’re songs or calls, and prides himself on being able to picking out the subtle nuances in their sound no matter the time of day. He can’t communicate with them in the same way, but he’s gradually come to learn to understand them in all the times he’s listened.

[valkyrie-echo]

Project Echo, Part 1: Chapter 18 (Reviving Bucky Barnes)

Part 1 Summary: A long-buried Hydra disaster, a monster in the shadows, a missing child. Eight months after the events of “The Winter Soldier”, Bucky turns himself in to the Avengers on one condition: They must help him find a girl snatched off the streets by Hydra seven years ago. In their quest, the Avengers accidentally unleash a horrifying creature of darkness and shadow, intent on making their quarry its prey.

Chapter 18: Reviving Bucky Barnes

A week passed without any sightings of the creature, and everyone was thankful for the break. Bucky started meeting with Sam regularly to talk through things and, when he still couldn't sleep for fear of the memories, Thor or Steve would go to the gym with him and practice fighting. Tony tried convincing everyone that a three-on-one fight with the Hulk would be a good idea, but no one saw how that came close to 'fun'.

Natasha and Clint weren't seen around the commons area too often- they continued to get no response from the girl. Whenever Nat entered the lobby, Bucky would excuse himself. He could tell she wasn't a fan of his- especially since JARVIS' full med scan on the girl painted a vivid picture of his handiwork. She didn't have to say anything- Bucky could see her rage in how she moved, and he made it his mission in life to avoid her. Doctor Johansson returned with a small team to begin putting the nameless child back together again and check the recovery of his other patient. He could barely make eye contact with Bucky after examining her.

One rainy afternoon, as Bucky worked on rebuilding a car engine from the 1970s, Clint came in, "How's it going?"

"New engines are more difficult to figure out than I thought. I swear there's a piece missing," Bucky was making an effort to be as amiable as he could around the team- especially Tony. Stark had cleaned out a section of his robotics lab and given Bucky access to his old junk car collection to rebuild on his own. It was Tony's original hobby- before the Iron Man obsession began, and he was happily passing it to the Winter Soldier now.

Clint looked slightly uncomfortable, "Listen, I'm sorry about all this with Nessa, I still don't think there's any reason-"

"Nessa?"

"Inessa," Clint nodded, "Nat couldn't get a name from her so we made one. It means-"

"Pure," Bucky smiled, "it's a good name for her."

Clint gestured to the door, "Can I show you something really quick? I've been having trouble with something, you might be able to help."

"Sure," Bucky pulled off his grease-stained apron and gloves, then followed Clint out to the lounge. He froze as soon as he saw where Clint was leading him.

"See," Clint snickered, "we have an overabundance of cake and gifts, and we need someone to take it off our hands."

"Surprise!" Everyone was wearing party hats and streamers were draped from the lights. All the Avengers (and their friends) were present, including Pepper (allowed back into the building that very day by Tony), Jane Foster (who Bucky only knew from a picture Thor carried around), Mariah Hill and Rhody. Bucky was overwhelmed. He hadn't even known it was his birthday. A giant "98" hung from the rafters and he silently vowed not to tell them that he hadn't even known the year before just then.

Steve came over and clapped him on the back, laughing. He pulled out a large piece of metal with a bow on it and handed it to him, "Couldn't have you finishing too early," the goddamned missing piece!

"You little-" Bucky put him in a headlock with his metal arm, "still no respect for your elders, huh?"

"Uncle, uncle!" Bucky let him go and was quickly swept up in the sea of people. He had to admit that just this once being the center of attention (for a good reason!) felt great, and he couldn't stop smiling.

"You cleaned up well," Pepper came over, smiling, and held out a hand to him. This time Bucky shook it. "Tony speaks very highly of you."

"Woah Pepp," Tony came over, "I have an image to keep up."

"Well then, Bucky, this is just from me," Pepper held up a gift bag.

Tony raised his hand, "My idea!"

Pepper rolled her eyes and prompted Bucky to open the gift. He was curious. He reached in and pulled out a silver frame. Once he realized what it was, his mouth fell open and tears filled his eyes, "Where did you find this?" he managed a whisper.

"The historical society. Steve gave me some background so I could start looking."

The frame held a photograph of his parents on their wedding day. It had been digitally cleaned-up and printed on much nicer paper, but it looked exactly like the one his mother had kept on the mantle in their apartment. He touched the picture. His family. It had been decades since they died, but how he had a piece of his past. He wiped his eyes, "Thank you."

"Happy Birthday," she gave him a hug.

"Are we doing gifts already?" Clint came over with Natasha.

She nodded her greeting, then held out a flat, wrapped package, "An olive branch."

He unwrapped the parcel and looked at it- a tablet? He'd seen the others with similar contraptions, but like Steve he mostly avoided them. Natasha hit a button on the side and video filled the screen- a live feed of Inessa, sitting in the living room of Natasha and Clint's apartment under the guard of two suits, "I turn on cartoons. No sign she's even seeing them, but maybe one day she will."

"Thank you," Bucky had been dying to know how she was doing, it drove him crazy sometimes, this was as precious a gift as Pepper's, "How is she? Have you managed to get anything from her?"

Natasha shook her head, "It would be easier if they'd tried to alter her, like what they did to you. Re-directing someone can be undone with time but you-" she corrected herself quickly, "they, they took her to a blank slate. It can take weeks or even months to make progress from there. We just have to hope whoever grows in her place resembles whoever she was."

Bucky nodded, "And no luck identifying her?"

Clint shrugged, "We can't even figure out which country to start looking in. You said she spoke English, but JARVIS' scans say she's got the nutrient and calcium levels of someone from the second or third world. She could be a missionary's kid. No one ever reported her missing- either she'll have to tell us who she is or Hydra will."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do towards that end," Bucky had tried to convince Steve and the others to let him go on a mission to Auckland after Dennisson, but instead they'd installed an electromagnet on any door or window that could open to the outside. Bucky couldn't survive a fight with Hydra without his arm, and couldn't leave the building with it. He'd finally surrendered and agreed to stay (though the magnets remained just in case).

"Can I talk to you- alone?" Natasha lightly grabbed his arm and steered Bucky away from the others towards a quiet corner. "Listen," she sighed, "I just want you to know that I'm not mad at you. You don't have to keep avoiding me, really."

Bucky shifted uncomfortably, "I know what I did, you don't have to pretend it doesn't make your skin crawl-"

"It does," Natasha admitted, "but the only difference between what's in your past and what's in mine is that I chose to kill, maim, torture- whatever was needed. The KGB ripped my soul right out of me, but I could have left before Clint found me, and I knew it. I'm paying for all that now, just like you are and will continue to do in the future. I don't blame you- I blame the people who used you... I'd like for us to be friends, if you're alright with that."

"I am," Bucky nodded.

Natasha smiled, "Now, go- get back to your party. I'm told Tony will actually attempt to light every candle on that damn cake, and it's always fun to see DUM-E roll into a room with the fire extinguisher.

Chapter 19: Thomas Dennisson

[great-and-small]

Best of luck to Rhody! He's such a cute little guy, I hope his recovery goes great ❤️

Hi! I’m a fan of your blog and wanted to share my little guys story :)

This is Rhody, and I adopted him on day 3 of my summer veterinary internship. A man brought him in having found him outside with a left front leg that is twisted and non weight-bearing. Above, are his x-rays where you can see how his elbow was fractured and healed incorrectly.

Next week he’ll have a pretty intense orthopedic surgery to place pins in his leg to correct his bone arrangement as much as possible. It is unlikely to completely fix his leg function but it will improve his function from where it is at the moment. He’s been nothing but a lovely little guy to have and I’m happy I’m able to give him a great life whether he ever gains function of his leg or not.

Anyways, I was thinking that if anyone wanted to donate or reblog this post to help share Rhody’s story, here is the gofundme link I put up to help offset the heavy costs of everything he needs - vaccines, x-ray, ear mite and flea treatment, heartworm prevention, neuter, and of course this big surgery- https://www.gofundme.com/help-get-rhody-on-his-feet

Thank you!!

[itsthacover2]

Tweeted

With five fumble recoveries through two games, Rhody ranks No. 1 in the nation! It's a major reason the Rams sit at 2-0 in @CAAFootball on this fine Sunday morning. #GoRhody #3MoreFeet pic.twitter.com/VkPSmFzlh1

— RhodyFootball (@RhodyFootball) September 9, 2018

[ask-rhode-island]

January 1st, 2017

I need to be honest. And Alfreds urging us all to come out to the world. I am the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and My New Years resolution is to kick my Heroin addiction.

I’m going to document my rehabilitation here. A sort of public pressure to keep me going. God I hope my family stumbles on this later rather than sooner. But I hope it works.

As a fair warning, there’s going to be some dark stuff, I might get super depressed, I might relapse, I might die for a little while and if not then just disappear between days or months sorting myself out. So don’t you guys worry about me. I’ll come back sooner or later.

But, yea, I’m here to document my rehab, and to declare myself to the world. This is for you Alfred and Massachusetts and Hawaii and Mississippi and all the rest. This is my explanation, my reasoning, my excuses, my road to healing, my everything.

I am so, so sorry for not doing this sooner.

~Rhody

[ask-rhode-island]

1/29/19

Been a long time huh? Sorry I left for a bit. Things got wild. First Daisy left. Her credits got transferred to some fancy medical school out west. Then Massachusetts came down and decided he would help me recover and yea, it’s a bit of a mess. But on the up side I’ll be a little more available now. And still posting regular journals about my days.

Thanks for bearing with me!

~Rhody

[ask-rhode-island]

January 3rd, 2019 Everything hurts, it all tingly, I woke up in a panic attacks and it won't go away ive thrown u pp three times and im shaking so bad i can barerly tipe my chest hurts and its getting hard to breath. I think i keep blacking out too?/?? Like there are parts of the day i cant remember doing beucse apperntly i got dressed out of the pajamas i threw up in ???///?? And i tried leaving to get mre beuse SOMEONE ALREADY CLEAND MY STASH i will so fucking fiught daisy if she dosnt let me bget more i NEED more all fo this will go away if i et more…. Im going ot try ot get more even if i havta jump out the iwinfo for it. Ill do it i swear

[ask-rhode-island]

A Friend Enters the Picture

January 2nd, 2019 - A Friend Enters the Picture So…. I have recruited a friend of mine into the cause or recovery. Her name is Daisy and I feel bad letting her get tangled into this, but she insists that if I don’t go to an acute center then i should let her help as much as she can. As much as I have faith in her ability to take care of me at my worst (I really don't, she's only beginning her college courses in addiction rehab and thinks this is going to be good first hand experience) I have been coerced into the role of guinea pig. She also may have lowkey threatened to tattle about how bad I am to Massachusetts, and that is not what I want right now. And yes, she knows that we are personifications, I trust her, I told her. I guess I would tell you guys a bit more about her right? Well…. she’s sweet, strong willed, motherly. She reminds me of Virgina if Virgina was liable to throw a Chancla at you when you did something wrong. If there was any one mortal woman that could keep me under house arrest long enough for me to detox fully and could pull me through this almost bootlegged rehab it would be Daisy. She cares, if not in a family way then I think maybe in a romantic way, I don't know…. It's been too long since I’ve had someone just…. Stay with me because they wanted to help, who doesn't have to be reminded about who I am every now and again, who isn't my friend just because I gave them money and we all happened to shoot up in the same room. I think this will be a nice change of pace as I heal. A step back into getting me social again, a step into getting me to be part of a family again. I have to go now. Havta go over what Daisy should do in case of me seizing and/or dying from withdrawal. Man i hope this doesn't traumatize her to bad.

~Rhody

[ask-rhode-island]

Beginnings and Endings

January 1st, 2019

I need to be honest. And Alfreds urging us all to come out to the world. I am the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and My New Years resolution is to kick my Heroin addiction.

I’m going to document my rehabilitation here. A sort of public pressure to keep me going. God I hope my family stumbles on this later rather than sooner. But I hope it works.

As a fair warning, there’s going to be some dark stuff, I might get super depressed, I might relapse, I might die for a little while and if not then just disappear between days or months sorting myself out. So don’t you guys worry about me. I’ll come back sooner or later.

But, yea, I’m here to document my rehab, and to declare myself to the world. This is for you Alfred and Massachusetts and Hawaii and Mississippi and all the rest. This is my explanation, my reasoning, my excuses, my road to healing, my everything.

I am so, so sorry for not doing this sooner.

~Rhody