#a twilight reference? more likely than you’d think

[kankuroplease]

Mei x Baki modern au scribbles from the last few days

[eoieopda]

I am here to request some silly, sweet Channie fluff 🥺🥺 as mild or spicy as you want, idm, just want some deep comfort feat. my favourite fun-sized snack 🥰🥰

the one with chan and the promotion (i)

pairing: bang chan x gn!reader type: drabble (fluff, hurt/comfort) au: fuck buddies to ?, pining rating: 18+ wc: 2.2k (don’t look at me) summary: you need a ride home after getting your wisdom teeth removed. chan just so happens to be free. | part two (4/20/24) cw: chan’s pov, minimal pronoun use (they), no smut but it’s referenced, reader has outpatient dental surgery (not depicted), reference to blood/swelling, reader is doped the hell up. 🔞 MINORS WHO INTERACT WITH ME AND/OR MY CONTENT WILL BE BLOCKED, WHETHER OR NOT THE CONTENT IS NSFW. I’M AN ADULT WRITING EXCLUSIVELY FOR OTHER ADULTS.

You’re drifting off in some twilight on the other side of a closed door, but Chan’s the one that’s stupefied.

Mechanically speaking, he knows how he got himself into this position: drove here in his car, parked in the lot outside, walked into the front door. His ass is in this very seat because he dropped himself there, and he hasn’t moved in the two hours that have passed since.

None of that explains why he’s in his current position, though — why you reached out to him, of all people, to come with you to something like this.

Why he’s more giddy over that choice than confused by it, even if it turns out that he was your last resort.

He’s lost in thought when your oral surgeon’s head peeks out through the doorway to the recovery room. She asks if he’s “the boyfriend”, and he has no idea how to explain that he’s more of a “semi-consistent fuck buddy”, so he simply says “yes” before allowing her to usher him into the room.

You’re slumped in a reclining chair when Chan walks in, heavy eyelids fluttering as you try hard to fight off sleep. Better still, the gauze in your mouth makes your chipmunk cheeks stick out while your still-numb lips fumble with words. The urge to reach for his phone and snap a picture makes his fingers twitch, but he doesn’t; you’d absolutely murder him if he tried.

“Mmfph?” You grunt when your narrowed eyes manage to clock him standing there.

He grins automatically, fingers reaching up to tip a hat he isn’t wearing. “Mmfph to you, too.”

Whatever drugs they gave you to knock you on your ass aren’t strong enough to overcome your personality; you roll your eyes much more easily than you keep them fully open. That trademark sass must’ve taken a lot out of you, though. You doze off again before he can blink, slumping further in your chair with your head lolled uncomfortably to the side.

Your neck is going to hurt later, he thinks with a frown. 

“Once they get their sea legs back, you should be okay to go.”

Chan jumps when the surgeon pipes up, having completely forgotten anyone else was in the room.

She clears her throat sheepishly, clearly aware that she’s interrupting something. Breezing right past that awkwardness, she pulls a prescription pad from her coat pocket. The top page is promptly ripped off and passed to him with a stern look. 

She warns, “Make sure they don’t take this medication on an empty stomach.”

Damn — only two hours in, and he’s already being promoted from chauffeur to caretaker? It should embarrass him that this fact tickles him thoroughly pink, but it doesn’t. Inwardly, he high-fives himself.

Nice one, Chan!

“Soup is best,” the surgeon continues, once again pulling him out of his own head. There’s a pause before she remembers the kicker; she waves her hand urgently when she finally does. “Nothing spicy, though.”

He nods in understanding, and just like that, she pats his shoulder and disappears out the door. Unsure what else to do, Chan takes a seat on the small stool next to your chair and waits.

And wait, and waits, and waits.

Jesus. What did they give you — a horse tranquilizer?

When your eyes open the second time, they find him immediately. They’re still a bit glassy, but they’re much more alert. Bright, even, which is a bit of a wonder, given the circumstances. Right away, he can tell that the space cadet has — sort of — returned to Earth.

“Can —?” You gesture to your mouth, which struggles to frown around the gauze. 

Uselessly, you flick out your tongue in an attempt to wet your lips. They're dry from all the time you must’ve spent with your mouth open, and his fingers twitch again when he pictures the chapstick in his pocket.

You distract him with what he assumes are words, prompting him to shift his gaze from your mouth to your eyes.

Everything that comes next is garbled, totally incoherent, but he gets the gist. With a quick glance at his watch, he confirms that it’s been thirty minutes since he started watching you sleep, and that feels like enough time. 

Right?

So, he shrugs permissively; you perk up the second you’re given the green light. Bravely, you only whine a little bit when you lay eyes on the slightly bloody, thoroughly spit-soaked material as you pull it away from your gums. 

Chan can’t tell if you’re trying to pout when you hold that mess out to him and stare expectantly, but the intent doesn’t matter much in the long run; the effect is the same. He takes your drooled-on trash without a second thought.

Squinting as he concentrates, he fires it off towards the bin in the corner like he’s trying to beat a buzzer. The pair of you watch as it ricochets off the wall, then drops perfectly in the basket below.

Immediately, he turns back to you with wiggling eyebrows and a smirk. “Bank shot,” he brags.

You ignore the true purpose of his raised hand — a well-deserved high-five — and instead latch onto it.  Gripping tightly as if your life depends on it, you drag yourself up and out of your chair. 

Before you can throw yourself entirely off balance, Chan swoops in to tuck you under his arm. You’re independent to a fault, however; and you glare up at him exactly like he guessed you would. Apologetic, he keeps his distance with his hands raised.

Go for it, then.

All it takes for you to accept defeat is a few wobbly steps toward the door and some curse words muttered under your breath, for zest. You give in faster than you want to and dive into his side with a long-suffering groan. You’re not looking, so he doesn't bother to hide the triumphant smirk that spreads when your arms wrap around his waist.

The walk back to his car takes a lot more effort than he initially expected. Though you cling to him like you’ll float off without him, you insist on attempting to wander in every direction except the one you need to head in. To the best of his ability, Chan steers you across the pavement; you babble through every stumbled step.

“I’m going to open your door now, okay?” He coos once you finally reach his car.

It surprises him slightly — the softness he’s exuding, and how much like a reflex it feels — but he doesn’t dwell on it. He’s got a far more difficult puzzle to solve: getting your wriggling body into his car.

After a few unsuccessful tries, you finally let him usher you out of the way of the door. You spill into his passenger seat like you’re more jelly than bones, knocking your skull against the doorframe as you go.

Jesus Christ.

Eyes wide, Chan ducks down to run his fingers gingerly over what will likely be a goose egg tomorrow. Nervously, he chuckles, “That — uhh — that was quite the entrance. You okay?”

Tilting your chin just so, you push your cheek into his palm and blink up at him slowly like you’ve already forgotten the question. Suddenly, so has he. Several moments whizz by just like that — with his arm raised uncomfortably and your heavy head resting against his hand.

Never in his life has he wanted to kiss a forehead as badly as he does yours. It’s like you’ve got a magnet where your orbital bone should be, and it’s a bit shocking. Whatever magic you’ve got — some sort of tractor beam in your eyes, perhaps — pulls, pulls, pulls, but he stops himself.

That’s not what this is, he reminds himself as he backs away and shuts your door carefully in his place. That’s not who I am to you.

In this moment, Chan is your taxi driver, carting you off to the apartment he’s been in a hundred times — but never once in the daytime.

As he goes, it becomes a little clearer with every kilometer: the sun can’t be beating down overhead because he feels it next to him, warming his arm through his jacket; blinding him whenever his gaze drifts over to the passenger side.

“Chan,” you pout out of nowhere.

Again, your head droops fast and bumps his shoulder. You don’t react to this second knock, but he does, sucking air in through his teeth.

“Need to get you a helmet,” he mutters with a sheepish laugh. “You’re gonna give yourself a concussion at this rate.”

“Don’t need a helmet,” you argue. “I need pork belly, bad. Stop, please?”

Glancing quickly down at you, Chan bites back a smile. You look so adorably pitiful with your hazy eyes blinking one at a time, lips all puffy to match your cheeks. It takes all he’s got to tear his eyes off you and put them back on the road ahead.

He sighs, genuinely sorry. “No can do, champ.”

You repeat the nickname, pop the last letter, and make yourself laugh so hard that you hiccup.

“Your options currently are soup or… well, soup.” He tries to sound firm, but if you pout at him a second time, Chan might throw your dentist’s warning right out the window. “Think it over while I stop at the pharmacy, yeah?”

In the quiet that follows, he swears he can hear the gears turning in your head. He doubts it has anything to do with what he just told you, but he doesn’t mind. Come to think of it, he doesn’t mind any of what this day has turned out to be so far. That doesn’t necessarily surprise him, either.

With the way things currently are between you, you don’t feature much in his everyday life; only weekends and the occasional weeknight. It works well, this thing you’ve got going. He enjoys what you do — that head game of yours is otherworldly — but judging by the glimpses he’s seen so far, he likes who you are, too.

Despite not knowing you on some deeper level, shit like this — being around you for some profoundly asexual purpose — feels natural. Like he could do it more often; be a little more than just a recurring character. If you let him, that is.

Would you let him?

That question rattles around his brain when he pulls up to the pharmacy and dashes inside, too wary to leave you alone for long but wholly unprepared to guide you through a shop in your current state. He’s still thinking about it when he jogs back to his car with your prescription in hand.

That bag is nearly dropped to the pavement below when he sees you, however; and he can’t remember what he was thinking about before because you’re weeping now. In a flash, Chan throws himself into his seat and jerks the door shut behind him, metal groaning in the process. 

“What’s wrong?”

He doesn’t mean to sound so forceful, but he can feel his pulse in his ears. On instinct, he reaches out and places gentle hands on your temples. Eyes scanning for any sign of injury, he tries to bury his urgency in a soothing voice. “Hey — talk to me. Are you okay?”

You blink up at him with wide, wet eyes. Oh, fuck, you’re breaking my heart. His stomach drops at the sight of your lower lip trembling, but then you whimper:

“What if worms don’t have best friends?”

And Chan needs a minute because he can’t believe you’re real, that you’re borderline bereft over worms, or that he’s this fucking enamored.

Before he knows it, he starts giggling so hard that his eyes start to swim. Thankfully, it’s with mirth and not utter devastation like yours. Pinching his bottom lip between his teeth, he wipes a tear off your cheek with the side of his thumb. Just as gently, he tries his best to reassure you, “I’m sure they do.”

“You’re sure?” You repeat with a sniffle. Chan nods; he’s never been more so.

Successfully placated, you fall into thoughtful silence next to him. It doesn’t last long, though. Abruptly, you and your goldfish memory change course: “Can we get pork belly?”

Something in him wants to give you the world in this moment — the moon on a string, or whatever — but he shakes his head, unwilling to budge. But then your face falls, and he blurts out, “When you’re better, I’ll take you out for some.”

And he means it.

You peep, “Maybe next week.”

Chan laughs while he puts the key in the ignition and turns it. Maybe, he thinks, if you remember having this conversation. As the engine roars back to life, a new thought bubbles to the surface in his mind:

Maybe you will remember.

If you do — and if he’s brave enough then — maybe he’ll confess that he’s a liar. He might own up to the fact that, when you called to ask for his help, he didn’t already have the day off like he claimed to; or that the sick time he rushed to claim in the aftermath wasn’t attributable to his health at all. 

Maybe he’ll admit that he doesn’t care how many people you asked before you turned to him because you ultimately did.

Just maybe.

As he backs out of his parking space, Chan casts another glance your way. It takes all the effort in the world for you to do it, but you smile at him with your whole damn face. 

That settles it, then.

He nods once — firmly — and corrects you, “Definitely next week.”

Part two.

[onboardsorasora]

2, 4, 16, 22, 56, 58, 70 & 74 😊

hey Bestie!! it took me a minute lmao but here we go!

2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

Short answer: I try to. Long answer: I try to have an outline where I might jot down ideas in the spaces I think they can go and then I just write and see what happens. That's why I don’t like posting my big fics til theyre done because I add a lot of stuff after the fact.

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

😂😂😂 I know a lot of my ideas are very… out there and wonky. And truly it could be a random thought or a conversation/media– anything and if it snags then I try to think ‘ok [idea] what comes next’ and if its something I get excited about, i have a whole lot of moments where I’m audibly going ‘ooh but what if…’ and then I take up my phone and make a note in a doc. Some ideas get chosen, some don’t.

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

So I’ll answer this in two ways: how many fic ideas do I have written down right that havent been fleshed out or posted: 9

How many of these ideas have more than just ‘idea au?’: 4

One of them is a music teacher au, where Daniel is a private music tutor and he’s supposed to be teaching Max how to play piano/cello (i haven't committed to any yet) and Max spends their tutoring time watching Daniel’s hands/fingers and how he feels the music and jacks off about it

22. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

I currently don’t have any because I’m willing to get out of my comfort zone to try new things (for example my new Dewis fic– terrified of doing a poor Lewis characterization)

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I think I have to give myself some props on my ideas and being able to actually flesh them out into interesting stories. And my comedy. (and my ability to put angst in everything lmao)

58. What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc)

I do love outlining. And then I procrastinate starting, because I find writing to be all encompassing, like I will ignore life if I’m trying to get an idea out. Editing is the part I like least, but it makes me giddy because that means I’m almost ready to share my idea

70. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

I actually don’t tell people anymore. Because then they think it means I can write anything and that’s just not true. But I used to be embarrassed to tell people  when I wrote Inuyasha fanfiction haha so there are people that know and more than likely have forgotten. I don’t hesitate to tell people i read fic though, so idk 

74. You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

Oh this is hard because I truly don’t know if theres anything I that I do across fic. If there is, please lemme know!! I’ve managed to shoehorn a twilight (movie) reference in 2 of my big fics tho so that makes me giggle

[ihaveabsolutelynoideas]

The Great Warriors Misconception

It’s been noted that there’s been a steady uptick in Warriors content in the fandom recently. Although not all of it has been flattering. Fanonization of a character is pretty normal; once a characteristic has been identified it tends to get thrown around the fandom echo chamber until it’s permeated through most of the fandom. So there’s nothing unusual there. It’s happened with Sky’s sleepiness, Time’s mystique, and Wild’s angst. But in the case of Warriors it gets a little strange. See, his canon character didn’t really translate over to fandom so cleanly.

In fact, I found that many of his supposedly “well-known” traits don’t actually have any canon basis. Even the ones you think are rooted in canon are actually fandom constructed on some small misconceptions.

First, let's get the basics out of the way: Warriors is not a flirty pretty boy. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he’s not flirty at all. I can see where this idea started but upon closer inspection it's actually way more complicated than you’d expect. In ‘Doodles 6’ on the archive we’re treated to this:

Where we see Wars hiding from a few women. Now, we’ve all been kinda taking this to mean that he was flirting with all the women in the tavern. But when you look at it objectively it actually appears to be the opposite; women are approaching him. And not only are they flirting with him but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. Jojo’s notes below actual lend this this idea too:

“Hero of warriors has so many ladies after him… you know, for his heart…and soul…and his head 💀”

There’s nothing there about Warriors being a flirt. The whole pretty boy thing is a reference to his game where the main conflict started when Cia fell in love with the hero's spirit, thus causing the whole war. So him being desirable has nothing to do with a playboy personality and everything to do with his appearance.

And speaking of his appearance, he’s not all that concerned about his. Again, another misconception. In ‘mirror shield’ he’s examining his black eye, yes, but it’s nothing egregious. It’s only natural to check on your injury. And in ‘Regroup’ he doesn’t seem to have a problem with a scratched up face; he’s smirking and joking as usual. So he’s clearly not that bothered.

Moving on, his core personality. I don’t know where anyone got the idea that he was a jokey/comical character but he’s not. When it comes down to it he’s right up there with Twilight in seriousness during battles. He’s usually the one helping Time to come up with plans (‘the shadow pt1’ & ‘new time new place’) and in situations where Time isn’t there Warriors steps up and takes charge (‘Divine Dark Reflections pt8’ and ‘Sunset pt4-5’). In Sunset in particular we see him displaying a huge range of his leadership abilities; he stays with Twilight when Time and Sky are speaking, convinces Twilight to leave the battlefield, fills in the group upon return and send Four and Hyrule ahead once he learns about Life, takes control of the battlefield and comes up with a plan. Even when Wild deviates from the plan, Warriors again demonstrates his leadership abilities by putting aside the lecture and focusing on solving the problem of the leftover monsters.

And even when he’s not in battle he’s able to take things seriously and read the room. In ‘Memories pt1’ Twilight and Time subtly try to move the group along to spare Wild when the champion gets stuck in his head. Warriors picks up on it immediately, even without knowing the specifics, and helps herd Wind away. And in ‘Heroes Legacy’ he notices Time being quieter than normal and asks about it. He’s so much more emotionally intelligent than he gets credit for.

There’s also this thing in the fandom about him thinking titles are important? Like, respecting someone more if they are a knight or something. And that’s baloney, actually, because Wars canonically does not give a shit. He doesn’t care about formalities (‘Doodles 6’) nor that Hyrule isn’t officially a knight (‘Divine Dark Reflection pt8’). He doesn’t seem to care about any titles, actually, based on his discussion with Legend in ‘The Bet’:

He readily admits titles can be given out freely; it doesn’t matter where you come from, only what you do. Which is probably why he doesn’t care that so many of his fellow heroes aren’t officially knights or even soldiers.

He’s also really respectful despite some people making him out to be an asshole for literally no reason. Seriously, there’s been a lot of fics that use him as a stand-in antagonist when he’s canonically the opposite of an asshole. In ‘Memories pt1’ he acknowledges Wild’s sacrifice and praises him. He doesn’t think any less of Wild for dying and even commends him for overcoming death. In ‘Divine Dark Reflections pt9’ he follows Hyrule’s lead when they chase after Twilight’s statue, even though both he and Sky are hesitant. But he still follows because he respects Hyrule’s decision and even urges Sky to do the same.

All of this is not to say he doesn’t have flaws. He’s still overconfident sometimes and still has a bit of immaturity to him (him calling Time’s wedding ring a “pretty shackle” still makes me laugh). But just because he likes to banter doesn’t make him an asshole or a joke. There’s a lot to him that has yet to be explored

[waitimcomingtoo]

Pattinson

Pairing: Tom Holland x Actress!reader

Synopsis: Tom gets jealous when you reveal your celebrity crush on Robert Pattinson

Masterlist

“Okay I saw these on Tik Tok and I had to get them for you.” Zendaya grinned as she slid a small black box towards you.

“What is it?” You eyed her skeptically as you accepted the box.

“Just open it and look.” She smiled and rubbed her hands together.

“No.” You gasped as you opened the box. “Team Edward underwear?”

You picked up a pair of lacy black paintings and held them out in front of you. The phrase “Team Edward” was stitched in bold white letters right over the crotch.

“Oh my God.” You burst into laughter. “What are these?”

“They’re just panties.” She said innocently. “I thought you’d like them.”

“I do but I cannot wear this around Tom.” You laughed and set them down. “He’ll think I’m insane.”

“Them wear them when he’s away.” She shrugged.

“I cannot believe you bought these.” You shook your head at her. “Or that someone made them. Or that I want to wear them more than anything.”

“See?” She smiled proudly. “I knew you’d like them.”

“I do.” You admitted. “But Tom can never know they exist.”

You put the panties away in your drawer that night and forgot about them. It wasn’t until a few weeks later when you were a guest on the Graham Norton show that your love of Twilight was brought up once again.

“Now, Y/n, I hear you’re a big Twilight fan.” Graham began.

“Yup. Last time I checked.” You nodded, purposefully quoting Jacob Black.

“Are you really?” Graham giggled.

“I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen those movies.” You shook your head. “Especially the first one. Everyone few months I just sit down and shot gun the series.”

“Were you Team Edward or Team Jacob?”

“Team Edward all the way.” You said immediately. “This is so embarrassing, but I used to leave my window open when I was in middle school so Edward could come in.”

“That’s some dedication.” Graham laughed. “Did he ever come?”

“No. He never did.” You pouted. “13 year old me was really disappointed.”

“I hear you even got a tattoo.” Graham raised his eyebrows, making you hide your face in shame.

“I do.” You laughed behind your hand. “I got too drunk halfway through Eclipse and got a tattoo.”

“You have to show us.” Graham insisted.

“Okay but don’t laugh.” You laughed in defeat and rolled up your sleeve. You held your arm out to the camera, showing off your tattoo that read “Robert Pattinson” in tiny letters on your arm. The audience and Graham laughed at the randomness at the tattoo as your face heated in embarrassment.

“Look at this, it’s not even Twilight related”. Graham laughed. “It’s just Roberts name.”

“I wanted to get to the point.” You shrugged, earning some laughs.

“Why this font?” He wondered as he stared at the tattoo.

“It’s helvetica.” You deadpanned, making Graham cover his face with his cards as he laughed.

“It looks like you’ve just typed this out on the computer.” He pointed out.

“I was drunk.” You rolled your eyes playfully. “And it felt right in the moment.”

“You’ve never met Robert, right?” Graham asked. “You haven’t showed this to him?”

“No, I’ve never met him”. You sighed dramatically. “And he will never see this tattoo.”

“Well then you better cover it up.” Graham said as he looked behind him. “Ladies and gentlemen, Robert Pattinson.”

You furrowed your eyebrows and looked behind Graham as Robert Pattinson came out from back stage. He was in a navy suit, looking as beautiful as ever as he walked towards the couch.

“Oh My God.” You covered your face with your hands as the audience became deafening. You could hear Robert and Graham greeting each other over the sound of your heart pounding in your ears. Slowly, you took your face away from your hands and sheepishly looked up.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rob.” Robert smiled as he looked down at you.

“Hi.” You smiled weakly as you stood up. Robert shook your hand and kissed your cheek to say hello, making you die on the spot. You let go of him and sat down on the couch, never taking your eyes off Robert.

“This is…” Graham gestured to you a few times, reminding you to say your name.

“Y/n. Sorry.” You blinked a few times. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m a big fan.”

“Are you?” Robert asked as he sat down. “You a Twilight fan?”

“No, I haven’t seen it.” You lied as you collected yourself.

“You just said-“

“I love all your other movies though.” You cut Graham off. “I really admire your work. Your acting is phenomenal.”

“Thank you.” Robert smiled at you. “I’ve seen some of your work as well. I’m always very impressed.”

“Are you?” You squeaked.

“I am.” Robert chuckled. “You’re very talented. I hope we get to work together someday.”

“I’m surprised you two haven’t met before.” Graham cut in. “Y/n, Rob was in a movie with your boyfriend, wasn’t he?”

“With my what?” You asked as you stared starstuck at Robert.

“Your boyfriend.” Graham repeated as the audience laughed. “Tom Holland?”

“Right.” You laughed awkwardly as you continued to stare at Robert. “Him.”

“Yeah, we were in a movie together a few years ago.” Robert answered. “And we’re going to start filming another one soon. It’s called the Devil All The Time.”

“Right.” You remembered. “He told me about it. I was so jealous that he’s getting to work with you for a second time.”

“I’m sure you and I will share the screen one day. Playing lovers, perhaps.” Robert joked as he nudged you.

“Perhaps.” You squeaked.

“We’re gonna cut to commercial.” Graham announced. “More with Robert Pattinson and Y/n L/n after the break.”

After the interview, you ran back to your dressing room with a huge smile. You had not stopped smiling since Robert had walked out on stage. You walked into your dressing room and saw Tom sitting on your couch, making you let out a squeal.

“Ahh! Did you see me?” You gushed. “Did you see me with Edward?”

“Edward?” He chuckled as he hugged you. “You mean Robert Pattinson?”

“Yeah. Him.” You clapped your hands. “He shook my hand and kissed my cheek. I almost passed out. I’m in love with him.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a big fan.” Tom laughed awkwardly as you danced around the room.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been in love with that man for over ten years now. I’m never washing my hand again.” You held out the hand he shook. “Or my face. God, he’s so beautiful.”

“Yeah. I’ve seen him.” Toms smile slowly faded. “We worked together, you know.”

“I know. You’re so lucky.” You sighed. “Did you hear him saw he wanted us to play lovers in a movie? Can you imagine if that actually happens?”

“No.” Tom said flatly. Before you could notice his indifference, someone knocked at your soon.

“Op. Someones at the door.” You said as you twisted the handle. You opened the door to reveal Robert leaning against your doorframe, knocking the air out of your chest.

“Hello again.” Robert smiled at you.

“Rob!” You stammered in surprise. “Hi.”

“Nice to see you again, Tom.” Robert said as he looked behind you. “How you been, mate?”

“I’ve been good. You?” Tom asked as he stood beside you. He wrapped a protective arm around your shoulders, not liking how fond you were of his former costar.

“Can’t complain.” Robert shrugged. “I’m excited to start filming though. I’ve been working on the accent but I’m not sure I’ve gotten it yet.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” You told him. “You’ve done great accents before.”

“Thank you.” He winked at you. “You should come to visit us once we start filming. I’d love to see you again.”

“Of course.” You nodded repeatedly. “I’ll be there.”

“Great.” Robert grinned. “I’ll let you guys get back to it. Bye.”

“Bye.” You enthusiastically waved to him.

“Oh, and Y/n?” Robert said before walking away.

“Yes?” You asked hopefully.

“Close your windows.” He joked, calling back to your story from before. You felt your face heat up and gave him an embarrassed smile before nodding.

“I will.” You told him. Robert firmly squeezed your shoulder before walking away. As soon as you shut the door, you let out a scream and jumped up and down.

“Did you hear that?” You asked Tom. “We have an inside joke. Edward Cullen and I have an inside joke.”

“You do know his name is Rob, right?” Tom said, less than amused. “Not Edward.”

“He’s Edward to me.” You rolled your eyes playfully. “I’ve never been this close to getting a vampire boyfriend. Ah, I’m so happy.”

“You already have a boyfriend.” Tom reminded you as he slumped on your couch. First he had to watch you and Robert fawn over each other on Graham’s couch, and now you wouldn’t stop talking about him. Tom was more than jealous at this point and it was starting to get to him.

“I know.” You chuckled as you sat beside Tom and laid your head on his shoulder. “And I love you. Even if you’re not a vampire.”

“Wow. Even if?” He chuckled sarcastically as he wrapped an arm around you. You leaned up to kiss him, making him feel better. You may be a fan of Robert, but Tom was the one you were kissing.

~

As promised, Tom brought you with him to the set of The Devil All The Time. He left you in his trailer early in the morning when he left to film, but you were nowhere to be found by the time he returned at the end of the day. Tom pouted when he found his trailer empty and went for a walk around the set to try and find you. When you didn’t turn up in any of the places he checked, he returned to his trailer in defeat.

“Darling?” Tom asked as he walked into his trailer. “Are you in here?”

“Where the hell you been, loca?” You asked as you threw your arms around Tom.

“What?” Tom laughed as he hugged you back, just happy to have found you.

“It was a Twilight reference.” You explained before kissing him hello. “I’ve been trying so hard not to make them around Edward all day.”

“You’ve been with Rob all day?” Tom pulled away, his mood dropping quickly.

“Uh huh.” You nodded in excitement. “I was helping him run lines in his trailer. Can you believe he asked me to help him?”

“Good for you.” Tom grumbled as he flopped down on his couch.

“What’s wrong?” You asked when you noticed Toms tone.

“Do you have feelings for this guy or something?” Tom asked. “Cause it’s starting to seem like you’d rather be with Rob.”

“What?” You laughed. “Tommy, don’t be silly. Of course I don’t have feelings for Rob.”

“Really?” Tom raised an eyebrow. “Because you’ve spent all days running lines with him instead of me, your boyfriend. When he’s around, he’s all you talk about Y/n. And I remember you saying you were in love with him multiple times.”

“I’m not in love with him, silly.” You insisted as you took a seat on his lap. “I’m in love with Edward Cullen. He was my comfort character growing up. I didn’t have a lot of friends in school, so I read books. Sometimes, it was nice to pretend a gorgeous vampire was willing to risk the Volturi to be with you.”

“The what?” Tom asked.

“It’s like the Vampire Supreme Court.” You replied.

“The what?” Tom repeated.

“Oh, right. British.” You remembered. “They’re just the most powerful vampire coven, okay? They make all the rules. You’d know them if you saw them. It’s Charlie Seen and that bitch from Cat in the Hat.”

“What does this have to do you liking Rob?” Tom whined.

“Right, sorry.” You waved your hand in dismissal. “I don’t have feelings for Rob. I don’t even know him. I’m just projecting the character I loved growing up onto the actor who played him. You’re telling me you didn’t geek out the first time you met RDJ?”

“I did.” Tom admitted.

“Exactly. He was your childhood hero and Edward was mine. That’s all this is.” You smiled and patted his cheek. “Nothing to worry about, Tommy.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.” Tom pouted and rubbed your back. “I shouldn’t have accused you of anything.”

“It’s okay. I can see why you got a little jealous. I have been talking about him a lot.” You admitted. “But I promise you, when I look at him, all I see is Edward. Just straight up baseball uniforms and spider monkies.”

“What the hell goes on in those movies?” Tom mumbled under his breath.

“Well, the last two are pretty much an abortion debate.” You began. “But they’re also about Bella being willing to die for that vampire dick.”

“In a vampire movie?” Tom wondered.

“Yeah. But the first one is a baseball movie.” You told him.

“What the fuck?” He whispered.

“You’d understand it if you saw them.” You shrugged.

“I don’t think I would.” He said skeptically.

“I also don’t think you would.” You realized. “But you’d finally understand why I call you my “monkey man” sometimes.”

“That’s a Twilight reference?” He gasped.

“Yeah. A lot of things I say are Twilight references.” You chuckled.

“Well if my darling loves them that much, I might have to give them a chance.” Tom smiled as he leaned in to kiss him.

“Mmm.” You hummed against his lips. “You wanna watch 10 hours of Twilight with me?”

“Absolutely not.” Tom laughed against your mouth. He slowly laid you down on the couch as he hovered on top of you, never break the kiss. The kiss got more heated as you gripped his shirt while his hands slid down to your pants. As his hangs found your zipper, you realized something terrifying.

“Oh no.” You gulped.

“Whats wrong?” Tom wondered as he pulled away.

“Um...” you gulped and looked down at your lap. “You’re not gonna want to do that.”

“Why?” Tom raised an eyebrow, eyes darting down to your zipper skeptically.

“Daya sent me underwear a while ago.” You began. “Um, special underwear.”

“Did she?” Tom smirked as he tugged the zipper down.

“Not that kind of special.” You quickly moved his hand. “It um, it has a slogan on it.”

“Okay?” Tom said slowly.

“You’re not gonna like it.” You told him, only making his curiosity grow. Tom looked at you curiously before tugging your pants down. You covered your face with your hands as he gasped in horror.

“Team Edward?” He yelled. “Your underwear says Team Edward?”

“It was all I had!” You protested as you tugged your pants back up.

“You’re telling me you happened to be wearing these the day you come to visit Rob on set?” Tom pointed an accusing finger at you.

“What are you implying?” You asked as you swatted his hand away. Tom ran his hands through his hair and gave it a stressful tug. He didn’t want to take his insecurity out on you, but the underwear had crossed a line.

“Did you think something was gonna happen between you guys?” He mumbled without looking at you.

“What?” You laughed in shock. “Do you seriously think I woke up this morning and thought “hm, might fuck Robert Pattinson today. Let me make sure I put on my underwear that references a character of his from ten years ago!””

“I don’t know!” He whined. “I can’t believe you’re wearing those.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it.” You laughed as he stormed out of the room. “Tommy, come back.”

“Why are you laughing?” He pouted, face still red from jealousy.

“Because you’re upset over my underwear.” You tried to hold back your laughter. “You know, you could solve this problem by taking them off.”

“No.” He stamped his foot. “You don’t want me. You want you Edgar Curtain and his killer vampire penis.”

“It’s Edward Cullen.” You corrected. “And yes, I do want that.”

“Oh my God.” Tom rubbed his face, making you laugh again.

“Edward would never treat me this way.” You teased. “He would have sex with me and then get scared that he hurt me so he just plays chess with me the rest of our honeymoon.”

“Would he now?” Tom seethed.

“Tommy, please calm down.” You chuckled as you cupped his face. “It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that I was wearing these. I promise, you don’t have anything to worry about. You’re the only one I want.”

“Really?” He asked skeptically as you stroked his cheek with your thumb.

“What can I say?” You smirked. “I’m Team Tom.”

Tag List 🏷

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[nickfowlerrr]

if i could 🥀 - chapter 2

series masterlist / chapter three

pairing: bucky barnes x plus size reader

warnings: mentions of panic attacks, social anxiety, veiled reference to binging, low self esteem, emotional ups and downs. if i’m leaving anything out pls let me know!

words: 4k

notes: just as self indulgent as ever. :)

as always, feedback is more than welcome! thank you for reading and reblogging - i hope you all enjoy this chapter. 💘

“You really just pulled an Edward Cullen.” You gasped as Bucky took a ridiculously fast turn in front of oncoming traffic after almost passing the entrance to the parking lot. He was distracted by staring at you playing with your hair as you gazed out the window but you hadn’t noticed that.

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

You turned to him with an incredulous expression, “You seriously still haven’t watched twilight?!”

“No, I have not.”

“Well, you need to. If you can watch Harry Potter, you can watch Twilight.”

“I was planning on it. Eventually. Some day. I mean, it’s on my list. Just way, way down on my list.”

“Mhm, well, the sooner the better.”

“So you’ll watch it with me, then?”

“I- what? How do you get from point A to point Z so quickly?”

“Well if you like it so much, why wouldn’t you want to watch it again? And you being there would ensure I’d actually watch it.”

“Hm,” you considered him, “okay, I’ll agree but then you have to promise to watch the entire saga.”

“It’s a saga?”he asked perplexed.

“Mhm. And lucky for you I have the entire collection on DVD and all of the books.”

“Wait. They’re based off of books?”

“Yeah. You can read them if you want. But either way, the movies are happening. And I’m sure you’ll absolutely enjoy each and every second.” You said mockingly.

“Sweetheart,” he laughed as he turned toward you after pulling into a spot and putting the car in park, “I enjoy each and every second I get to spend with you.”

You stare at him deadpanned and quickly turned to get out of the car as you felt your face heat up.

Bucky smirked as he watched you climb out of the car and followed suit.

You walked into the store, grabbing a cart as Bucky led you to the section he was looking for. You had no idea where he was going but you saw the wall of display mantles when you got there.

“Which one do you like?” He asked you.

“Uhm. I don’t know. They’re all nice. Whatever matches best. Maybe one of the darker ones?”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Here, this one’s good,” he said as he grabbed one of the boxes from the shelves before you. You didn’t know which one it was he was putting in the cart but you didn’t really care, you figured Bucky knew what he was doing.

Just then a gorgeous woman about your age, give or take a few years, walked up to the two of you. She was tall, thin, and blonde, quite literally the exact opposite of you.

She completely ignored your presence and passed you to walk right up to Bucky.

“Excuse me, sir,” she spoke in the most flirtatious voice you think you’d ever heard in person. “I need some assistance in the next isle when you’re finished here,” she smiled at him.

“Oh, he doesn’t work here,” you spoke up a little defensively and she barely spared you a second glance.

“Thats okay, he looks more than capable enough to me.”

Your jaw clenched involuntarily as your eyes narrow slightly at the woman before you.

That’s not fair. You can’t do that. He isn’t yours, you don’t own him. He’s a grown man - a very attractive grown man - of course women are interested and you have absolutely no right to have any sort of say in this.

“No, she’s right. I’m terrible with this kind of stuff. I have no clue what I’m doing, honestly,” Bucky spoke so convincingly that you almost believed his lie.

“Oh,” she said as her smile fell. “Well, sorry for bothering you, I guess.” She continued, clearly embarrassed.

“Yeah,” he replied shortly as he turned back to face you. He couldn’t help but laugh at the expression of confusion on your face.

“What?” he asked.

“What? What do you mean what?”

“I mean what? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Jesus Christ, let’s just go,” Bucky spoke as he ushered you forward with his hand on your back as you pushed the basket.

As you continued to walk you entered the holiday section of the stores open floor plan. You couldn’t help but admire the twinkling of lights and shimmer of the ornaments on the fake tree displays. You had been considering buying some new ornaments and lights, but hadn’t made up your mind yet. As you stopped in front of one of the displays, Bucky began piling the cart with boxes of string lights and ornament collections.

“What are you doing?”

“I need some stuff for my tree. You have a problem with that?”

“I was just asking,” you said with the same attitude he used.

“Those don’t match,” you told him as you eyed the ornaments he was grabbing.

“What color would you choose?” He asked as he continued looking through the different boxes.

“If you’re doing the red, I’d probably go with the black white or silver set. Or you could do the gold ones.”

“What about the blue?”

“White and silver always look nice with blues. Real winter wonderland vibes.”

He chuckled at that and then added multiple boxes of all the colors you mentioned.

“I didn’t mean get all of them. That’s gonna cost a ton. How many trees do you plan on putting up anyway, that’s way too many ornaments.”

“I’m gonna put up as many trees as I like, with as many ornaments as I want,” he stated as he took the cart from you and continued to the registers.

You just raised your eyebrow, rolled your eyes, and continued following behind him.

When you reached the cashier, you tried to step in front of bucky to pay for your mantle but he pushed you behind him again, earning a glare from you as he added his Christmas decorations to the conveyor belt and paid for the items. You grabbed the receipt from the cashier with your thank you’s and tried to find the price of the mantle bucky had grabbed for you to see how much you were going to need to Venmo him but he quickly snatched it out of your hands as you walked back to his car.

“Hey! I was looking at that.”

“Don’t care. It’s not yours to look at.”

“How much was it?” You asked him, annoyed.

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

“I mean no. You don’t have to pay for it. It’s my house, I would have had to get a new one eventually whether you asked for it or not,” he continued to talk as you both loaded the items into the trunk.

“Where to next?” He asked.

You rounded the car and got in as he did the same.

“Whatever’s closest I guess, doesn’t really matter.”

“There’s a supermarket right across the street,”

“Okay.” you said simply.

“What do you have to buy?”

“Groceries,” you replied shortly.

“Anyone ever told you you’re a great conversationalist?”

You turned and smiled at him, “All the time,” and he laughed at you as he pulled into a parking spot.

As you walked toward the entrance doors, Bucky stopped to grab a cart for you before you guys entered the store.

“Thanks,” you mumbled as you grabbed onto the cart and set your purse down on the pull out baby seat.

You could feel him right next to you, walking closer to your side as you passed people. His presence was comforting and you didn’t feel as anxious as you normally do when you go shopping alone. You walked through the produce and grabbed some fruits and vegetables then continued on through the other isles grabbing your essentials.

“I can feel you staring at me, creep,” you said to Bucky who stood behind you as you were squatting down to rummage through the cans of soups before you.

“Me?! I’m protecting you from the actual creeps trying to stare at you, so you’re welcome.”

You stood and turned with a couple cans of different soups in your arms and stared straight faced at him as you dropped the cans into the cart, raising an eyebrow in challenge at him before pulling the cart forward and continuing down the isle as he followed you.

You were walking by the baking section when Bucky’s voice stopped you.

“Are you planning on making those sugar cookies again?”

His question stopped you and you stood there looking at the bags of flour as you recalled the last time you had made them. Your mom had called and begged you to make some to bring for the Christmas party. They were her favorite and she had been looking forward to them since the previous year’s party. You caved and made a ton of cookies. You packaged up the extra you had made - specifically for Bucky - and after packing up the rest for your family, you went and delivered them to his door before you headed out to visit home for the holidays.

You actually had tried to make a batch a few weeks ago, you always loved baking and wanted to try to get back into it. You had a breakdown while rereading the recipe you practically knew by heart seeing the batch size it would make. It quickly reminded you that you had no one to give the cookies to should you actually try. After you calmed down from that you thought that you could just take a bunch to Bucky. It’d give you the excuse you’d been looking for to talk to him again. But as you began mixing the dough, you quickly found yourself heading into a panic attack as you were overcome with emotions out of nowhere, and you accidentally dropped the bowl onto the floor, the dough getting onto the floor as well. You threw it all away and ran upstairs to calm down while taking a warm shower. You hadn’t tried baking anything since then.

“I don’t know,” you shrugged as you eyed all the ingredients right in front of you that you’d need for the recipe. “Haven’t really thought about it.”

“You liked them?” You asked him after a few moments as you turned to face him.

“I’ve liked everything you’ve ever made, sweetheart,” he said softly and sincerely.

You rolled your eyes at the pet name though your heart felt like it would fly out of your chest. You grabbed the flour, sugar, baking powder, powdered sugar, meringue powder, food gel colors and the vanilla, almond, and lemon extract. You already had eggs and butter at home so you didn’t need to grab those.

“I guess I can. But be prepared for an absurd amount of cookies, Barnes. And I’m expecting you to take them all.”

“Gladly. They were a hit at my Christmas party last year,” you couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Bucky hosting a Christmas party. You had planned on going last year but ended up leaving for home earlier than you had originally planned. “Steve ate half the batch,” he chuckled as he thought back to a year ago.

“Good, you can share, then.”

“I don’t know,” he started as he stepped closer, “I’m not too fond of sharing.”

You were standing in front of one another, staring at each other but not saying anything until an older woman cleared her throat as she came upon you two in the isle - you were in her way.

You quickly spun around and said sorry as you grabbed ahold of the cart once more and left the isle.

Bucky followed you and returned to your side as you finished grabbing everything you needed.

“So, are you having another Christmas party this year?”

“No, actually. I’m going to spend Christmas with Steve and Nat and everyone else at the compound. They’ve been bugging me to get out of here all year, so I figured I’d get them off my back.”

“Hm,” was all you responded. It was stupid but you were kind of hoping that he would be staying home for the holidays. So in some weird way, you wouldn’t be alone. But you didn’t want your disappointment to show. He didn’t need to know that. It was the furthest thing from being his problem.

“What about you?”

“Am I having a Christmas party?” You scoffed as you eyed him. “Yeah, actually I am. It’s gonna be the event of the year. Everyone’s gonna be there. You’re really gonna be missing out,” you said sarcastically.

“Oh, I’m sure I will be,” he smiled.

You headed to checkout and Bucky helped you load your cart onto the belt. Your items were bagged and you finished paying for your groceries when one of the workers came up to you. He was certainly attractive and just the way he was smiling at you made heat rise to your face. “Hello there, need any help out to your car, miss?”

“No, I think we got it,” said Bucky harshly as he stepped in front of you grabbing the cart. He was taller than the man before you and though you couldn’t see his face, you knew he must have had that look because the worker looked alarmed and almost scared.

“Oh, sorry, sir. I didn’t realize you two were together, I was just trying to be helpful,”

“I’m sure you were. But like I said, we got it. You can go be helpful over there,” Bucky said as he tilted his head to an elderly woman struggling to load her grocery bags into her cart in the lane next to you.

“Thank you, though,” you said to the man as he rushed away.

“What the hell was that?” You asked Bucky exasperated as you walked out to the car.

“What?”

“You were really rude to that guy - for no reason,”

“No reason?” He questioned as he turned on you when you reached the car. “He was being completely unprofessional,”

“Unprofessional? He’s a bagger at a supermarket and all he did was ask if I needed help ,” you replied as you both began loading the bags in.

“He was clearly trying to flirt with you,”

“HA! You’re insane,”

“I’m insane, you’re oblivious. But I guess I already knew that,”

“Excuse me?” You said offended, “What is that supposed to mean?” You ask as you turn to face him after loading the last bag.

“You’re so oblivious… it’s like you really don’t realize how beautiful you are-”

“Stop,” you said, trying to cut him off as you shook your head and walk to the passenger door.

“You’re oblivious to the amount of people who flirt with you and the number of people who stare at you when you walk by,” he continued.

“Can we go? Please?” You asked, frustrated as you tried to cut him off once again. You waited for him to unlock the doors, completely trying to ignore and drown out his words. They were actually really upsetting you and you couldn’t understand why. You felt almost embarrassed. And not in the shy way, more so in the humiliated way. You knew he wasn’t, but in your head it felt like he was just playing with you, like he was just saying it to say it. Because it was so obvious to you that it wasn’t true. You were usually good at taking compliments or at least you had gotten better about smiling and saying “thank you.” But the sincerity in Bucky’s voice upset you. It was hard to believe him, but also impossible to question his statements when he spoke with such sincerity. Like he needed you to hear him and believe every word he spoke about you. You couldn’t deal with those feelings right now though, so as always, you pushed them away.

“Yeah,” he huffed, “we can go.”

As he pulled out of the spot your eyes landed on a little makeshift tree lot down the parking lot.

“Have you actually gotten your tree yet? Or should I say trees?” You asked him.

“I haven’t yet. I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to go to the tree farm we went to last year? “ he asked as he peered over at you, almost nervous.

“Hm, when?” His eyes shot up at your question like he was expecting you to turn him down right away.

“You busy this weekend?”

“No,”

“Saturday, then.”

You nodded, “Okay.”

You turned to look out your window as you tried desperately to stop the smile threatening to break on your face and missed the gorgeous smile that spread across Bucky’s.

When you arrived back at your cabin, Bucky helped you take your groceries inside and then went back out for the mantle as you began to put everything away. Then you ran upstairs to put your shoes away and change into your soft pink aloe socks. After you were finished you came back downstairs and into the kitchen where you grabbed two glasses and filled them with water. You downed yours and then took the other into the living room for Bucky who was almost finished putting up the new mantle.

“Water.” You said simply as you set the glass down on the coffee table.

“Thanks,” he replied as you sat down on the couch, pulling your legs up onto the cushion, one leg bent up as the other was bent lying down as you leaned back getting comfortable.

Bucky eyed you as he drank from the glass you gave him.

“You have a serious staring problem, you know that?” You said as you met his gaze.

He smiled as he set the glass back down, “It’s almost finished, just need to put in the last screw,” he said as he ignored your comment and turned back to finish up.

He stood and wiped his hands before putting pressure on the new mantle to ensure it was sturdy enough.

“All good?” You asked as he turned to face you again.

“All good,” he replied. You nodded as you stared at him. You felt almost disappointed that he’d be leaving now. Spending most of your day together just didn’t feel long enough. Not after having spent so long avoiding him. You could spend the rest of the month with him and you didn’t think you’d mind one bit. He was your favorite company- well, only company - but your feelings still stood. You wanted to pull him down onto the couch with you and be held by him the way he did all those months ago. His arms felt like home. They felt safe. But you pushed those thoughts away and as you were about to stand, there was a knock on your door.

“Perfect timing,” Bucky said as you looked to your porch from your seat. Through the window behind you, you saw a delivery guy standing there with an order that was obviously placed by Bucky.

You turned your head to see Bucky walking to the door, pulling out his wallet from his back pocket. He opened the door and grabbed the pizza from the guy before handing him a twenty. “Thanks, have a good night,” he said as he turned back inside closing the door.

“I’m sorry- what is happening and when did I agree to it?” You asked confused.

“This is dinner and you agreed to it in the Home Depot parking lot.”

You shook your head as you feigned innocence, “I don’t recall,” you said as you tilted your head at him as you once again tried to fight off a smile at the prospect of spending more time with him.

He walked into your kitchen and grabbed two plates from your cabinet. “Well, I do. Now put the movie on before I change my mind and go home,”

You knew he was joking but you felt your heart race at the idea of him leaving now. Gross, you thought. That’s not the reaction I’ve been working towards, stupid heart. You shot up anyway and ran up the stairs.

“I’ll be right back,” you called to him as you made your way up the steps.

This whole ignoring Bucky thing may have been a huge misfire. It’s like when you deprive yourself of something for so long and then once you have it again, you can’t get enough. A vicious cycle, you thought. But one that ends tonight. No more avoiding him, no more ignoring him. You aren’t gonna go the other way with it either, though. You won’t force anything. You’re just gonna live. And if Bucky just so happens to make recurring appearances in your day to day life, then so be it. You decided to relinquish the control you tried to have over this relationship, well, as best you could in the moment.

You grabbed two blankets from your hall closet then rummaged through your bookshelf until you found the DVDs you were looking for. You grabbed your DVD player from the top of your closet and ran back downstairs.

You found Bucky sitting on your couch with two plates of food in front of him on the coffee table along with waters for the both of you. He was resting along the back of the couch with his arms stretched out on top of the cushions. You threw both of the blankets on him and scurried to your tv to hook up the DVD player. Once you had it all connected and your tv turned on, you slipped in the disc and started the movie.

You made your way to the couch and sat to the left of Bucky. You pulled your legs up onto the cushions and sat cross legged while you grabbed your plate from the table and set it in your lap.

You and Bucky sat side by side eating while you made sure he paid attention to the screen. When he tried to get up to get more pizza you pulled him back down and took his plate from him. You ran to the kitchen where the pizza box sat on the stove. “How many slices?” you asked from across the room.

“Two, please,” he sounded back.

You made your way back to the couch and plopped down beside him again while handing him his plate back.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said without really thinking as he returned his focused to the tv. You were pleasantly surprised that he seemed to be getting into it and even more surprised at yourself for not having an obvious reaction to the pet name this time.

He finished his food and you ran your plates to the sink and returned to Bucky laid out on the couch. You were behind him so he couldn’t see you yet. You stood there trying to decide what to do. Did you want to tell him to move his ass or did you want to crawl on top of him and lay down on his chest? You decided you didn’t want to decide. You walked around the couch and stared at him with a raised brow.

“And where am I supposed to sit?” you asked.

Without saying anything, Bucky reached for you and pulled you down on top of him, wrapping his arms around you the way you had imagined earlier. Once he got you settled and you laid your head against his chest, wrapping your arms around him in return, he started to rub your back soothingly. “You don’t need to sit, just lay here with me,” he whispered into your hair. You closed your eyes tightly and whispered back, “Okay.” before relaxing even further into his embrace. You could feel yourself starting to drift off after a while and tried to fight it. You were scared you’d wake up and he’d be gone. You were scared you’d wake up alone. But after fighting sleep for twenty minutes, sleep started to win. Just as you were giving into it, you felt Bucky place a gentle kiss in your hair.

“It’s okay, you can go to sleep. I’m gonna be right here,” he promised.

And with that you let your slumber pull you under as Bucky held you close.

[powdermelonkeg]

Hyrule Brochure: A Potential for BotW’s Future

Hyrule’s map in BotW is pretty sparse as far as cities go. Yes, it’s got more than any other Zelda game, but it also has like, 90% of its map being pure dead space.

So I decided to play around and make what I imagine Hyrule would look like, as far as cities go, if it were allowed to properly rebuild and not get totally wrecked by Ganon again.

Credit to Eragon2589 on DeviantArt for the free-to-use map icons. I love these little buttons so much.

So, these are the canon towns we get in BotW; Hateno, Lurelin, Tarrey, Zora’s Domain, Goron City, Korok Forest, Rito Village, Yiga Hideout, and Gerudo Town. I’m counting Yiga Hideout as a town because if the Yiga were a little nicer, it WOULD be marked one.

Adding the various stables on makes the place look MUCH less empty, but still; what can we do with this?

Well, I’ve spent the last several days locating all the significant ruins and landmarks, with one or two extra things thrown in, that I think would make this place much more populated.

Maps are free to use if you want them, btw. Have fun!

As a general rule of thumb, I want to make the towers and stables their own cities. The towers are a good landmark and beacon of safety, and the stables have all the building blocks to start building up a village.

If I’m particularly inspired, I’ll give some background on what the town is/does!

Starting off with the Rito! Their village has grown into a town, and the stable at its foothill is its own village now. I called it “fledgeling” because that’s where the Rito and Hylians would intermingle most, so the Rito aren’t exactly flying around here.

Beacon City is built around Tabantha Tower; the Rito have turned it into a sort of lighthouse, reflecting light off into the distance to help guide nighttime fliers home. Because of this, it’s a very popular stop for mail carriers, and where they go, development and cultural mixing follows.

Kaysa Town is built around Great Fairy Kaysa’s fountain; it’s a popular tourist attraction, and she gets plenty of offerings, so win-win!

For the Gorons, we’ve only got two more cities: Silversmith Village and Din’s Spire. Silversmith is built around the culture in the southern mines, and it has down-the-road access to the Goron Hot Springs. Din’s Spire is less of a town and more of a landmark, due to the sheer cliffs all around it, but the huge (and notably not in the burning death zone) hot spring lake makes it a popular rest stop for people on their way through.

I decided not to rebuild the northern mines; they’re pretty busted up and lava soaked, so my assumption is that they were abandoned either due to hazards or due to the ore being stripped out.

Korok Forest wouldn’t change much, besides the Royal Family declaring it a protected area. The Koroks don’t seem to have much interest in expansion, and they, as far as I know, don’t live in houses.

Gerudo Territory is MUCH more expansive than the others so far, and with good reason.

Gerudo Town itself is now Gerudo City, and the Kara Kara Bazaar has grown into a town. Canyon Stable has developed a village (mostly full of Gerudo husbands so they don’t have to travel a million miles just to see their families).

The Gerudo have control of one of the towers in their region, and the town built around it is Overlook Town. It mostly serves as a training grounds for young Gerudo warriors.

The City of the Seven developed when the Seven Heroine statues were recovered and restored; the town around them was built to honor them, and then it got a LOT of foot traffic from those wanting to see the legendary statues.

Tera Town rose up much in the same way Kaysa Town did up in Rito territory, centered around the Great Fairy Fountain.

Mesa Village and West Gerudo Town are both smaller Gerudo settlements; West Gerudo sprung up out of access to snowmelt from the Gerudo Highlands, and Mesa Village, because of its relative safety from Molduga and access to oasis water.

Finally, Gerudo Valley, in reference to Ocarina of Time. This town is a Gerudo-only zone, and is more a fortress than a town. It exists both to keep an eye on the Yiga and to gain control of the mountain pass, making people go through Canyon Village to get to Gerudo instead of avoiding Gerudo customs.

Speaking of the Yiga, they’ve taken two new spots for themselves; Gerudo Tower, which they’ve renamed Kohga Tower in honor of their late Master, and Banana Labyrinth, which serves as their highest security area. Imagine if you’d had to go through the LABYRINTH to get the Thunder Helm back.

Up next we’ve got the Zora. Truthfully, their territory spans as long as Zora river and WELL into the ocean, but these are the only cities that, technically, a Hylian with adequate gear can enter.

Mipha’s Landing is an above-water city built expressly for doing trade. It got its name from the late Mipha; since the tower reaches up into the sky, it was hoped that someday, her spirit would sit atop it for a rest and see all that her people had been able to do thanks to her sacrifice.

Lakebed Village is in Lake Hylia, and it’s actually a slowly-repopulating Lakebed Temple, from Twilight Princess. Meanwhile, Great Bay City is a port town above water and an aquatic metropolis below, full of music and dance and exotic wares.

And finally, Hylians.

Hoo boy.

I’ve split this up region by region but

THIS is how many living spots they’ve got.

Silver stars indicate military towns. Red stars indicate military outposts.

I USE THE TERM MILITARY VERY LOOSELY HERE. Hyrule, since it doesn’t interact with its neighbors, only has the Yiga and the various monsters to fight against. Anything labeled “military” means that it’s staffed by royal employ, meaning knights and Sheikah and the like.

Let’s start with Akkala. The northeast labyrinth has been converted into an emergency bunker, in case Calamity strikes and people need a safe place to hide. Not only is it difficult to break into, it also has a completely empty lower level that’s PERFECT for long-term seige.

City Tempest got its name for being near-constantly wracked by storms. Despite this, though, it remains a popular vacation spot for people who don’t mind a little rain; the Skull Lake and the giant flowers are worth it.

Valley Town rose up out of both East Akkala Stable and Robbie’s workshop. It doesn’t get too much foot traffic, but it doesn’t really need to.

Midna Village, I built where the ruins of Shadow Hamlet are. I figured it was a fitting name, and the area is almost constantly covered in the shadow of Death Mountain.

Four Brothers’ Base is a knight outpost that’s up extremely high, spanning huge bridges between the four Tingle isles.

Then Parapa Palace, in reference to Zelda II: Adventure of Link, was built in place of the Akkala Citadel and functions as a mini Hyrule Castle + Castle Town. In real life, monarchs would have several palaces to go between, kind of like how well-off people nowadays would have a summer home. So, I followed that trend! This is Zel’s summer palace.

And you guys know what Tarrey Town is. Although interestingly, as it expands, it goes vertical into the stone column it was built on.

Onto Central Hyrule.

Camp Rauru is training camp and lodging for new knights. Rebonae Village and Kasuto City were made out of the Wetland and Riverside stables respectively, though Kasuto (also an Adventure of Link reference) gets substantially more foot traffic due to being on the way from Castle Town to Dueling Peaks.

Outset Town got its name, lore-wise, from the fact that it’s the first bit of land Link from BotW visited after leaving the Great Plateau, and meta-wise, because it’s the starting point for Wind Waker Link.

Aquame City surrounds the Coliseum, which is how it grew to be so popular. The grand stage holds sparring matches and various other shows regularly, and it’s a pleasant boat trip from Castle Town to get there.

Saria Town was built out of the old exchange ruins, and it’s in walking distance of the ruined Sage Temple—which, at this point in time, would have been rebuilt—and its existence is both an AoL reference and an OoT one (but mostly AoL, I’ve kind of fallen in love with its map).

New Mabe is where you can find the new Lon Lon Ranch! The ruins there are actually called the Mabe Town Ruins in game, and they’re right by the Ranch Ruins!

Eldin’s pretty sparse as far as Hylian towns go. It’s got Gut Check Camp, where Sheikah train for endurance and elemental resistance, and Windfall Town, a place that sees a LOT of gemstones pass through, freshly mined. That includes rupee ore, mind you!

Faron Province is a little more spaced out, due to the nature of the region. Lurelin’s grown since BotW, becoming a trading bay; meanwhile Cora Lake’s Sheikah Tower has expanded into Parache Town, and the Highland Stable has become Malanya Village. Both of those locations are VERY fond of horses, and they’re a bit competitive, especially during archery season.

Ordona Hamlet is a tiny village tucked away into the middle of Faron. It came about due to the Lakeside Stable, and it’s named that because I am STILL salty that the Zeldevs didn’t put an Ordon Village reference in the game.

Eventide Outpost is more of a testing ground for boats than anything particularly significant, population-wise. The even tides that gave the isle its name make it an ideal location to work out the kinks in new watercraft (and occasionally, the lieutenant in charge of that base demonstrates how to launch a raft into the sky with octo balloons).

Hebra’s the most militarized area of Hyrule, and ideally, it functions as a reserve of men and tech in case Calamity rises again. If there’s anything that BotW’s era learned, it’s to never underprepare for Gann’s return.

Fort Lomei is a converted base, just like the Banana Labyrinth is to the Yiga. This one, though, is patrolled diligently by knights who use daily-changing codes, and it’s impossible to navigate without the locals’ help.

Fort Pikida is situated in that weird stone cavern-y area, and it’s a supply stach and Hebran monster patrol site. It’s the soldiers there’s job to make sure that the Lynels that like to roam the region don’t get too close to residential areas.

Hia Miu Outpost is a training spot for knights sent to the Hebra region; any new soldier to the area has to prove they can handle themselves by going into the Hia Miu shrine and taking on the Major Test of Strength Trial. (Fun fact, did you know that the X-test-of-strength trials reset themselves every blood moon?)

Snowpeak Fortress exists both because it makes a fantastic secondary base for the Hyrulean royals to plan, and because i am once again salty about the lack of Twilight Princess in this game.

Sturnida Resort is built around hot springs! It’s a nice spot for people living around Rito Town and Fledgling Village to take a vacation without having to trek all the way across the country to do it.

Snowfield City came from Snowfield Stable, and it’s the Windfall of Hebra; it sees a LOT of people coming in and out of the region, and the view of the northern lights you can get from there? You’d be hard-pressed to find a Hylian that didn’t have it on their bucket list.

New Tabantha was built on the ruined spot of the original Tabantha Village; you can visit there in-game! It’s a quiet town that raises highland sheep for a living, and its team won the Hebran Triathlon three whole years in a row.

Then, the Tanagar Restricted Zone. If you’ve ever been there, you know EXACTLY why it’s restricted.

Most of the Guardians inside have been dealt with, but the ruined temple remains a hazard testing ground for new tech. It’s off limits to everyone but those with the HIGHEST clearance; I’m talking a direct letter from Zelda herself.

The Thyphlo Secret Camp is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a place for Hyrulean lieutenants to meet for top-secret missions, and it’s one of those places that you need to be SERIOUSLY high rank to even KNOW about.

Over on the edge of Lanayru, we’ve got New Goponga, built where the old Goponga ruins are, and the Crenel Garrison. The Garrison was built to take care of the Lizalfos problems in the waterways, keeping it safe for Hylians and Zora travelers alike. Goponga, on the other hand, is what Lurelin was in game; nice, friendly, and centered around fishery.

In Necluda, we’ve got New Deya where old Deya was ruined (I think BotW Link was born in old Deya!), Watchtower Village built around the lakeside of the Dueling Peaks tower, and then Dueling Peaks City, a HUGE trade hub that was once the Dueling Peaks stable.

Kakariko Village is now a Town, Hateno has grown into a full blown trade harbor, and a tiny village has started to form around the Hateno Tower, making Firly Overlook.

But what I most love is the City of Hylanay.

Back in the game, it was the ruins of the Lanayru Promenade. So I had the promenade rebuilt, then people moved in around it, and now, Hylanay’s basically Hyrulean Venice! I want to visit it.

On the Great Plateau, we’ve got Aboda Town, named after Spirit Tracks’ Aboda Village in reference to the starting point in each game. This Town has access to the original Temple of Time, but because of the nature of the isolated plateau, it doesn’t see a lot of new faces often.

Over around Thundra, we’ve got Tanagar Village overlooking the canyon, built out of the old Tabantha Stable. The village actually builds downwards into the canyon; people have windows carved right out of the cliff face!

Thundra Village is built into the rocky slopes surrounding Thundra Plateau and the Ridgeland Tower. Their houses are built in the shelter of the giant mushroom things that grow so well in the area, and they’re famous for their signature dish of escargot.

The Serenne Exchange is up north, encompassing both the old Serenne Stable and the Maritta exchange ruins. You can buy practically ANYTHING there; if ever there was a supermarket in Hyrule, it would be right there.

The Royal Lab was rebuilt out of its ruins post Calamity, and it’s directed by Purah, who still hasn’t cured her immortality yet. It’s not uncommon to hear explosions as you pass by that place.

And then Camp Rutile is a small observational outpost, meant to keep track of the activity on Satori Mountain. Supposedly, the mountain’s health reflects the state of the rest of the kingdom, so the researchers assigned there are tasked with monitoring it EXTREMELY closely.

And Hyrule Castle. It’s Hyrule Castle.

Now completely bolted into the ground! :D

If we put all these locations together, we get a very nice, very well populated Hyrule, with LOTS to see. This is how I would design the future of BotW’s Hyrule.

Thanks for reading!

[t0shii]

hello! i saw your requests were open and i was wondering if you could do a comfort drabble or smth with suna, atsumu and ushijima with a s/o who has scars on their hands from past injuries?

⚠️TW⚠️ (kinda ig?) i used to scratch my hands a lot to cope with my anxiety when i was younger so i a few scars along my hands and cause i'm black they stand out a lot and they bug me sometimes so i'd really like some reassurance from some of my favorite boys

i adore your writing and thank you!!!💕

% scars

.! timeskip! suna, atsumu, ushijima (sep) x gn!r

.! comfort + fluff/ scratching, injury, scars, etc. not proofread

.! hi there, ty for the request! enjoy the twilight series reference i made in suna's..... im so sorry i couldnt resist 🏃🏻‍♀️

suna

it was odd that you had been avoiding holding suna's hand all day, no matter what he tried you would either shove them in your pockets or push them up into your sleeves. he was over it, usually you liked holding his hand so he was confused- he knew he hadn't done anything... what it worth bringing it up? 'no' he thought, 'they'll hold my hand when they're ready'. but two days passed and still you were avoiding it, causing him to worry- maybe it was something he'd done?

"hey, y/n?" he finally came up to you one day, as he walked up to you, immediately you hid your hands under your thighs. his eyebrows furrowed as he sat next to you on the couch, "did i do something wrong?" you look at him confused "what do you mean rin?" "i mean, you haven't held my hand for three days now, did i do something?" immediate guilt creeps into your chest, you hadn't even thought he'd blame himself for something you'd been so insecure about. "rin... it's not like that, honestly. it's just my hands-" "what about them?" "well the scratch marks, don't they bother you? they're all rough, not nice to look at all." you pull your hands from under your legs, for the both of you to examine.

"well, i don't really care about that, babe. i didn't realize you were insecure about them, it's never bothered me before, why should it now?" he takes your hands in his, "besides, i think they're cool. it's like..... battle scars. ya know?" you chuckle at his attempt to lighten the mood, "yeah i guess so." "so, you don't have to worry about that, especially around me. got it?" "got it." suddenly his grin fades and his face is the most serious you'd ever seen, "and don't you ever, avoid holding my hand ever again- it's not gonna slide with me anymore." he tries his best to keep a serious face but fails as a giggle escapes his throat, "no but seriously don't do that, i was sad for like three days." "okay okay, you big baby."

atsumu

atsumu definitely noticed you staring down at your hands multiple times that day. the two of you had never really talked about the scars on your hands before, and he was totally okay with that! if you wanted to talk about you would and of course he wasn't going to pressure you into discussing it! but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he felt when he saw you look at them with that sad expression on your face.

"hey angel, c'mere?" he yells for you from your shared living room, you walk in to see him sitting on the couch, "sit, please." the stern look on his face had you worried "am i in trouble?" you ask, sitting next to him, as soon as the question leaves your mouth his expression softens, "what? no of course not, angel! i just wanna talk." he offers a grin and you smile nervously in return, "about what, 'tsum?" he takes a deep breath, "are you okay? anything bothering you?" he keeps the question open as to not overstep any boundaries and places a hand on your knee. you think, unsure if you should confide your insecurities to him, "well, i guess i have been a little insecure lately." atsumu lets out the breath he was holding, "about what, angel?" ".... my hands." you show him your hands, "see the scars on them? i just think.... i dunno, they're just not very pretty."

atsumu feels a slight relief that you've entrusted this with him but feels a sadness in his chest. "oh baby," he takes your hands, "you have nothing to be insecure about, really. i think everything about you beautiful, including your hands." he kisses a few visible scars, a smile forming on his lips, "i mean, if it makes you feel better, my hands aren't pretty at all. they're all calloused and stuff." he shows you the marks on his own hands from where he worked out a little too hard, "see? you're hands are way pretty, prettier than mine, even." he offers a smile before kissing every single scar and scratch visible on your skin.

ushijima

despite what people might think, ushijima is extremely observant, so of course he notices right away that you're hiding your hands more than you usually would. to his understanding, you were insecure about the scars you had on them and you didn't really enjoy talking about it, and he would never pry, but the more you pulled your hands away from his his own with that nervous look on your face, the more upset he became. honestly, it worried him. usually you initiate hand holding and would praise him when he did instead, ushijima couldn't shake the disappointment of you snatching your hand away.

for the third time today, you'd rejecting his hand, he was over it. "why don't you want to hold my hand?" he asks and though you're used to his direct personality, you didn't know what to say, honestly you were surprised he even said anything at all. "well-" before you can get another word in he asks another question, "is it the scars? you shouldn't be insecure about them" you stand there awkwardly, "h-how'd you know?" "well, you always fidget, sometimes you pick at them, sometimes you trace over them with your finger and other times you keep them hidden in either your pockets or sleeves. today you've been looking at them and hiding them more than usual, plus you keep rejecting hold my hand." you recall how he always gives you lotion and always takes your hand in his when you begin to pick at the scars on your hand, you'd never realized why he did it before until now.

"toshi, i didn't even realize you knew." you can't help the grin that forms on your face. "of course i did, and you don't need to be insecure about them."well it's not something i can help. i think they're ugly." a deep frown forms on his lips at your statement and he takes your hands into his, "that's not true, i think you're hands are beautiful, you should too. and they're hands, they still work the same with scars or without." he places kisses on your knuckles, "you don't need to worry about it anymore, i love them regardless."

[bokettochild]

The Worries and Woes of Heroic Hair

Y'all were busting out hair headcannons before I left, so I saved a few and wrote a fic for them.

Featuring:

Pre-maturely grey Twilight

Curly haired Legend

Long haired Four

(As well as a reference to long hair Sky)

Warriors had gained the unfortunate title of ‘pretty boy’.

In a group of beautiful men and boys that literally sent women swooning, no matter what world they were in, he’d somehow been labeled the “pretty” one. Never mind he was more mature looking than half of their number. Never mind that Legend and Hyrule looked like a pair of porcelain dolls hand painted by a master artist. Never mind that Wild literally had half of his world falling heels over head for him. No matter how many women in the War of Ages had gushed about the adult Hero of Time (much to Mask’s annoyance). And sure, let’s just forget that Wars had heard not one, but two princess’s complimenting Twilight’s ass.

Yeah, okay, he was the pretty boy, sure.

Maybe that was because he was the only one in the group that actually had any understanding of a little thing called personal hygiene! Honestly! Had no one introduced the vet to a bathtub when he was younger? Or Wild to a hairbrush? And Hyrule... oh Hyrule...

Honestly, it was a pain, trying to not say something to his brothers that might be taken as rude or offensive. At least his own two boys were a bit better. During the war he’d pounded some sense into their heads after scrubbing their ears clean enough that they could actually hear him when he spoke, and Time and Wind both showed some (although not much more than the others) level of personal grooming, even if it was the basic wash and brush that Wars had required of all of his soldiers.

The others though? He had been beginning to think they might be hopeless, but then he’d had a chance to do something about it.

“Wars?”

“Hmm?” Bright blue darted up from the journal Warriors had been writing in, meeting Wind’s pout with a soft chuckle at his baby-faced brother. One day, Wind would be as grizzled and scruffy as his grandfather (would be his grandfather) but for now he would take him time teasing the kid for his baby-face. After all, it wasn’t like he’d be getting another chance to get revenge on the man who’d teased him up to his wedding day for his “lack of masculine charm”.

“My hair is knotted. In the back.” Wind didn’t even bother waiting for a signal, instead just plopping down in the captain's lap and dropping a brush by his knee. And really, with how the war had gone, Warriors should have expected that.

Any injury that impeded movement meant Wars was helping his two boys with whatever was needed during the war, and near the top of that list had been brushing hair. Broken arm or sprained wrist or whatever Hyrule had diagnosed it as (he’d been a bit too wrapped up in helping hold Wild still so he and Legend could treat the kid’s crushed hand to hear the healer’s final word), he was always happy to help the younger hero sort out his problems.

At least Wind let him help, instead of sending him scandalized looks and rude signs at the mere mention of a bath, like Legend did, or simply darting away like Hyrule.

“Wind,” Sky frowned slightly. “You didn’t have to disturb Wars, any of us would have been willing to help.”

The sailor cocked a brow, leaning back into his touch as he worked over the knot with nimble fingers well accustomed to working through tangled golden curls. “Says the Hero of Eternal Bedhead.”

Crystal blue eyes darted up to messy bangs. “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes.” Sailor and captain deadpanned together, matching grins on their faces as they stared at the Skyloftian.

“Oh feathers.” Sky huffed, running his hands through his hair and looking at the two expectantly. “Is that better?”

Wind snorted. “Sky, you need a hairbrush for your bird’s nest.”

“But,” Sky cocked his head like a confused puppy. “I don’t have a bird’s nest?”

“He means that your hair is a mess.” He chuckled, pausing in his work to pat the ground at his side. “Here, I’ll do you next, ‘kay?” And bless Sky for being a patient and reasonable person, because at the very least the Skyloftian just sauntered over easily and sat hot-cross-buns on the ground beside him, watching lazily as he worked at the sailor’s messy hair.

“It’s not that bad,” The Sailor huffed. “You can’t honestly be taking this long.” The kid wasn’t fooling him though, Wind was leaning into the touch, almost slumped against his chest in a boneless pile of teenager.

“You’re dry as a desert.” He scolded softly in response, rubbing some of the bristly hair between his fingers. “I’ve told you salt water dries your hair out, you need to take care of it or it’ll never grow out properly.”

Wind shifted awkwardly. “I didn’t have time. I did try, I mean it! It just... We’re always so busy and...”

His hands were already reaching for his pack. “You’re lucky mine dries out too. I’ll need to get more in the next town, but I think this oil can last us both long enough to get you some again.”

“Oil?” Sky frowned thoughtfully. “What for?”

“Split ends and dry hair.” Came the practiced answer as he rubbed the substance in question over his hands and began to card it through the sailor’s parched curls. “I suppose you could say it’s like with birds. They have to oil their feathers to stay healthy, right?”

“Oh! Okay, yeah, that makes sense.” The Skyloftian mulled over the concept for a moment. “We need to do that to our hair?”

Long fingers stopped mid stroke, royal blue blinking slowly in the clueless sky child’s direction. “Oh, you poor, clueless bird-boy you, your hair must be parched!”

Wind’s giggles shook them both, but Sky simply looked hurt. “I try. How was I supposed to know?”

Fingers slick with hair oil curled to point at the other hero. “I am massaging this stuff into your thirsty scalp right now. Wind, move.”

The sailor tumbled, giggling from Wars’ lap, leaving Sky to stare down at the captain’s crossed legs. “I’m- Warriors I am not sitting in your lap.”

“I don’t expect you to.” Brush in one hand and bottle of hair oil in the other, Warriors moved to stand behind the Skyloftain. “Just stay right there and let me work, and I swear if someone else tells me to my face that they’re not taking care of themselves- Sky! Look at this!”

The Skyloftian shifted, trying to look for only a moment before huffing. “Warriors, I can’t see the top of my own-”

“When’s the last time you trimmed this?” Brittle tips crinkled under his fingers as he stared at the mess that was Sky’s hair. “Your split ends are horrible!”

“Crimson usually trims it for me.” Came the softly mumbled response, and Wars had to hold back an affronted squawk at the words.

“You’re entrusting the care of your hair to a bird? Sky, my lovely, my dear friend, my brother, what the actual Ladies?”

“He does a good job!”

“If you call this rat’s nest a good job! Honestly, it’s no wonder Legend finally agreed to let you cuddle him, he must feel right at home with this mess!”

“Ouch.” Sky huffed, crossing his arms loosely and pouting.

“That aside,” He began working the first knot out, fluffing Sky’s hair lightly in his fingers. “It’s a good color, nice volume too. Have you ever considered growing it out? Without the split ends?”

“Huh?”

Caramel hair parted easily in his hands, springy and soft despite the brittle ends. “You’d look fetching with long hair, Chosen One. My, imagine what Sun would say if she saw you!” Sky stiffened as the soldier ducked down, voice lowering and eyes glinting with mischief as he whispered in his friend’s ear. “If she wasn’t already swooning at seeing you again, she’d be dizzy at the sheer beauty.”

“Wars!” Long ears twitched, tellingly red as the Skyloftian battled a fierce blush.

But the captain was already lost in his rant, taking pleasure in making Wind continue to giggle as Sky whined softly in protest at his teasing. “I can see it now! You arrive fresh out of battle, sword in hand and hair whipping in the wind, cape swirling like the wings of the goddess herself! She sees you. Your eyes meet. You shoot her one of your dashing smiles and she stumbles back, breathless, and you have to dart forwards to catch her before she swoons away altogether, so bedazzled she is by your handsome visage!” He flourished with a smile, letting oiled locks fall over Sky’s eyes with a laugh as the Skyloftian blushed brighter, not bothering to shift his bangs and instead hiding behind them, trying and failing to hide a pleased smile.

Wind didn’t stop giggling until Sky had had to punch the captain in the leg to make him finally cease the teasing.

“Smithy,” Twilight’s laughter rung through camp as he brushed long bangs out of the smithy’s eyes, the younger hero still smushed against the rancher's side sleepily, headband askew and half hanging in his eyes. The boy’s hair curtained his face, falling back into place the moment Twilight lifted his hand again, producing rumbling laughter form the farm-hand. “Four, you- when in Ordonia’s name did you last trim your hair?”

“’s not that long.” Came the murmured reply as Four pressed his face further into Twilight’s side, nestling closer with an irritable huff. “Leave ‘lone, Twi.”

The smithy might have denied it but... his hair really had grown out.

It wasn’t really that apparent with the headband keeping it back, and Four was decent enough at keeping his hair out of his face. But headbands, no matter how trusty, didn’t stay up forever, and when one was as active as a Hero of Courage, it wasn’t uncommon to find one’s self with their hair swinging loose in battle. Not that most of them minded, Wild kept his hair tied carefully and Legend tucked all of his under a hat, meanwhile the others all had shorter locks that, other than the swishing of their bangs, mostly stayed out of their faces.

Four on the other hand...

Four’s headband had fallen loose into a mud puddle, and until he was able to clean it the smithy had been walking around like a sheepdog, bangs fluffing into his eyes and making the shortest hero huff in an annoyed manner as he kept swiping his bangs aside. Unfortunately, they weren’t long enough to tuck behind his ears, only to hang in his face and send him stumbling over and into all sorts of things with sharp yelps and soft swears as the hero closest to him would have to offer a hand or scoop up the small smithy again.

Wars didn’t say anything, but when Four finally approached him one evening, eyes flickering icy blue as he dashed his bangs out of the way and tugged at the scarf draped around the captain’s neck (the others’ favorite way of getting his attention he had found).

“Hey there, smithy, what’s up?”

“Cut them.” Four huffed, pushing the loose hair back again only to have them drift back over his glinting eyes, and then, as if an afterthought, he tacked on ‘Please?’.

Royal blue darted up to Sky, who smiled on the edge of the campfire, a knowing look in his eyes. “Did Sky tell you I could help?”

“No. I figured that out myself. He just... pushed me.”

Laughter bubbled up in his chest. “Ah.”

“So, can you help? Or do I need to wander around looking like a Mogma?” Sky could be heard muttering across the camp at that, and Four’s ears twitched as he huffed, clearly having taken offense at whatever had been said.

He nodded, a bit unsure why Four glared across the fire at Sky, but willing to help. Oh goddesses, was he willing to help; Four’s hair bugged him nearly as much as Wild’s did, and he had been dying to fix it for the smithy. He wasn’t sure what Sky had said, but he was thankful for the other knight’s willingness to aid him in his battle against poor hygiene, and if he could turn another hero with the power of a good haircut, well! “Anything you have in mind? Just what you had before, or...?”

“Bangs.” Four dropped down hot-cross-buns, just like Sky had the other day, in front of him, arms crossed and expectant as he huffed at his long bangs.

“Right.” His brush and scissors were already sitting at the ready as he reached out to gently push the hair out of his friend’s eyes. “You good?”

“Annoyed.” Four sulked. “I can’t see anything and Twilight has been called me a sheep-dog.” Accurate. “I just want my hair short again, but the last time I cut it, it looked like I was attacked by a cat.” The smithy shivered, clutching at his sleeves as he shook his head, hair falling back into his eyes as he did so. “I just let it grow after that, but the bangs bother me if I can’t push them back.”

“Noted.”

Four’s hair was a bit silkier than the others’, but similarly brittle, although that was likely due to the heat of the forge rather than sea salt and extended time in the sky. He didn’t even bother asking about oiling the locks as he worked, brushing out all of Four’s hair with care and sectioning out the bangs with the same amount of agonizing detail Legend put into his paintings or Wild put into his cooking.

“Hair cut?” Twilight called from across camp.

“You could use one too,” Four huffed, unmoving save for his eyes darted to glance over his shoulder. “Your hair is beginning to look like wolf ears, rancher. Wolfie might take offense that you’re stealing his look and come maul you.”

Chuckles sounded around the camp, Legend wheezing lightly while Time and Wild shared a look. Wars didn’t know what that was about, but he smiled as he worked, humming lightly under his breath as he clipped a bit here and a touch there, releasing the hair to stare at it, adjusting it a bit, taking another section in hand and snipping it, and repeating the whole process.

Four was still as a statue the whole time, occasionally humming along to whatever tune happened to be on Warriors’ mind at the moment, but otherwise as poised and picturesque as a statue as the captain worked over the smithy’s blond locks.

This close up, Warriors was beginning to wonder why they never met any lovely admirers of the smithy, Four was certainly not lacking in the looks department, and had the kid lived in his time he’d find himself having to beat off girls with a stick. Honestly, how was he the pretty boy here?

“Nearly done?” Came the patient hum, and he snapped himself back to reality as he brushed Four’s bangs back into place, trimmed and tidy, along with the rest of his short hair.

“Yep.” The scissors finally came to rest in his lap as he whisked away the cloak that he’d used to catch the trimmed hairs. “My, my, smithy, you almost look as if you were going courting! Legend, lend a man your shield for a tick, would you? Four needs to see his new cut.”

The veteran rolled his eyes, but the shield was offered readily enough when Four trotted his way over, and while the smithy looked a bit surprised that Wars had bothered to braid most of his hair out of the way during the cut, he didn’t look at all displeased.

Wars counted that as a win.

He’d run out of oil a few days ago, and already his hair was beginning to frizz in this thrice-forsaken heat.

Being born with curly hair was nothing of the blessing his mother had made it out to be, no matter how she liked playing with her ‘baby boy’s’ hair. Of course, his beloved liked it too, but he was going to chalk that up to being a woman thing, curls were a pain if they weren’t on kids, especially if they were eon him.

Thank Hylia that Lilith had taught him to straighten it all out, he would have been driven half out of his mind if he hadn’t been able to control it on his way through basic, and the teasing would have been so much worse than it actually had been.

As was, the captain was only too happy when they next came to his Castletown, and after he’d made sure the others were settled in the castle with his cousin, he’d gracefully made his exit and headed out to the town. Getting through the streets was a pain, his armor and scarf giving him away as the hero and practically inviting the whole market to start competing for his attention, along with the hundreds of shoppers who surged close with questions and thanks and admiration. Not for the first time, Warriors found himself thankful that he handled crowds better than many of his fellow soldiers, and even if all the attention was a bit much, he wasn’t overwhelmed like poor Wild would have been.

Oh heavens, the day they finally figured out how to explain the portals and heroes nonsense to the public to excuse the sudden aging of the Hyrulian Hero’s child, Wild was likely going to have to start wearing a hood or something when they went into town.

The dye shop was a way into the market, and it had taken quite the bit of fancy footwork to avoid stepping on anyone as he’d answered questions and received thanks from the enthusiastic, if not slightly push, people of Hyrule. If he closed the door of the shop after him with a sigh of relief though, that was between him and Gyssel, the shopkeeper.

“Back again, Link? Same materials as the last time?”

“If you please.” He nodded with a smile. “Though I might have a bit of a glance around, I’ve a friend in need of a few things.”

The old woman nodded with a chuckle. “Right then. Oh, and if you see those two lovely gents who popped in here earlier, would you be willing to lend ‘em a hand? Poor dears looked lost as two minish in a fairy pond when they stumbled in here, but I’ve been batting a thousand with the customers all day and haven’t had a chance to pop over and offer help. You know the shop same as I do, so, if you have a moment, could you check in on them while I wrap your things?”

“Of course.” He nodded, smiling his best as he moved towards the back wall.

The other voices in the shop were mostly those of tittering ladies and mischief making pranksters, all too young and too high to belong to the ‘lovely gents’ that Gyssel had been speaking of, and it wasn’t hard to trail the rumble of a man’s voice to the back of the store where the hair dyes were. He grinned as he rounded the corner, but froze when he found himself face to face with a startled, and maybe somewhat abashed rancher.

“Twilight?”

“Warriors?”

“Shit, Wars is here?”

Royal blue darted down to meet the snapping violet of the veteran. “Legend? What are the two of you doing in here of all places? Are you lost?”

“No.” Legend huffed, foot tapping agitatedly at the floor as he gnawed his bottom lip, a sure sign of awkwardness if one knew the vet.

“What are you doing- oh.” Twilight’s face faded from confusion to understanding. “You’re the city boy, of course you shop in joints like this.”

He cocked a brow, hands coming to rest on his hips as he stared down the two other heroes. “Says the guy who’s been wandering around looking for something long enough the owners worried. Honestly, what could the two of you even need?”

Midnight and violet glanced warily at each other, and to his surprise, twin flushed lighted his friend’s faces as Legend had crossed his arms and Twi had rubbed at his neck.

“Hair dye.” The rancher admitted softly.

“And shampoo.” Legend had tacked on.

Warriors let his eyes blow wide an overdramatic gasp sounding in the small corner of the shop as he rested a hand on his collar. “Why, vet, you don’t mean to tell me you’re planning on actually taking a bath, are you! My heavens, what next? Will Hyrule somehow produce a wedding cake in time for Time and Malon to announce they’re having a baby?”

“They’re what!?!” Twilight yelped, sounding, ridiculously, like a dog that has just been kicked.

“I’m teasing, rancher.” He chortled. “Trust me, if Time knew of such a thing, he wouldn’t have shut up about it. Miss Malon’s still trim and terrifying as last we saw her; I have little doubt.” At the rancher’s breath of relief, he shook his head. “Honestly though, soap? Vet, last I checked-”

“It’s hot.” Legend interrupted, avoiding meeting his gaze by rolling his eyes.

“And?”

“And in case you didn’t know, our resident vet is a-”

“Don’t say it!” Legend huffed, glaring at Twilight and tugging his blue cap tighter over his head.

Come to think of it, Legend hadn’t taken the baby-blue cap off in ages...

“Is a what?”

Twilight looked down warily at the seething veteran, face twisted up between a playful grin and a wary frown, as if he didn’t yet know whether he wanted to tease and face the vet’s wrath or hold his tongue and avoid making a scene.

“Look,” Warriors sighed, glancing between the two country boys with a sigh. “I won’t tease at all, alright? But the sooner you own up to whatever nonsense you did to yourself, the sooner we can find you what you need and get ourselves out of here.”

The flush on Legend’s face darkened, eyes darting down as the vet shuffled his feet, and Wars found himself being reminded that for all the vet’s snark and sass, he really was as much of a kid as Wild and Wind were, just more accustomed at having to act otherwise.

Thin fingers rubbed at the rings on the vet’s pale hands. “Well, you see- that is- augh!”

Something inside him blossomed with warmth, a smile stretching across his face. Golden Three, Legend really was just an awkward teenager, wasn’t he? He even stumbled over his words when he was embarrassed, just like Time used to. Of course, Time had been twelve and Legend was nineteen, but that was beside the point.

“So-” The vet was nearly pouting as he struggled with his words, fingers rubbing steadily at his rings as he avoided Wars’ gaze. “You know how Ravio has curly hair?”

“Yes.”

“And you know how Ravio and I are- uh, each other's- reflect-”

A laugh bubbled out of his throat unexpectedly as he reached out to ruffle what could be seen of the vet’s frizzy bangs. “You’re a curly top! Why didn’t you say sooner?” Legend glared at him with a huff, but violet didn’t shift to indigo, so he knew it was all just an act. “Wind and I are too, I was actually in here to get some things for the two of us, and Sky too. I can help you as well if you don’t mind, just let me-” He motioned to the blue cap that was pulled snig down to Legend’s ears.

The vet huffed, but reached up to finger the blue fabric. “You won’t laugh, right?” Stern eyes met his own.

“Of course.” He smiled reassuringly.

Legend’s gaze searched his face for a moment, wary, but open, and even if it made him uncomfortable (the odd glint of gold at the edges of the vet’s eyes was a bit unsettling) he withstood it until Legend nodded, seemingly to himself, and pulled off his cap.

Pink curls spilled down to the vet’s shoulders as a bright blush colored pale cheeks. Twilight didn’t make it any better by reaching over to ruffle the vet’s head, chuckling soft and warm and surprisingly fond as Legend hissed back at him.

“Can I- that is- do you mind if I touch? I can help you find what you want better if I know what you need.”

A stiff nod.

The pink hair was just like fairy-floss, but less sticky (still dirty though) and he had to remind himself what he was doing once he got his fingers in it. A quick check at the texture and ends of Legend’s hair, as long as a quick check of the scalp and roots told him all he needed.

“Whatever dye you used to do this messed you up, vet. Honestly, I don’t know what you were thinking, but you’re dry as a mulduga’s arse. Did you bleach your hair before dying it or something?” There was a murmur in reply, but not anything he could really make out. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said that’s me natural color.” Legend huffed, tensing under his hands. “I bleached it blonde a few months back, but no, I didn’t dye this shit, it just happened.”

Twilight, very unhelpfully, giggled.

Warriors blinked. “You have pink hair?”

“Yes.”

He fought the chuckle that built up in his chest, but it did little good as he ruffles the frizzy curls and let Legend replace his hat. “Alright then! Well, I’d avoid bleaching again if I was you. The pinks out and it’s healthier if you give it a rest between dyes. I have to admit though,” He settled his hands on his hips and looked between the two other heroes with a smirk. “I never took either of you two as the sort to dye your hair.”

“Throws off the guards.” Legend huffed, tugging his cap back over his hair and making Warriors wince. Ah yes, Legend’s Hyrule’s guards.

“Fair enough. I can find you something to help with the drying out and dye damage. Twi though...” He frowned, stroking his chin in thought. “Why do you even need hair dye? Trying something new?”

Now it was the rancher’s turn to look embarrassed, rubbing at his neck and ruffling his hair. “No, actually. I jist need- rather- want? I guess? I-”

Legend huffed, patting the rancher’s arm in a rare show of compassion. “He’s been greying early and it’s making him self-conscious. I told him we could look for a dye to hide it, since he didn’t want to go about stealing Time’s position as the resident Old Man.”

Oh. Well, that made sense. “Right! Fair enough. So, you want your natural shade, yes?” At the rancher's nod he pressed on, clapping his hands as he listed what they needed. “So, hair oil, some dye, and shampoo for Legend, preferably meant for damaged and curly hair. Anything else?”

Even though the two shook their heads, they all walked out with a bit more than what Warriors had listed, but despite the fact that Legend complained about it all, no one seemed to mind too much when he pulled the three of them together after the others had gone to bed and helped show them had to use the various toiletries without making too very much of a mess. It cost a pretty penny to get them all sorted, but Legend was clean, Twilight was a brunette again (the silver streaks were rather fetching though, and he’d made sure to make sure Twilight knew that before they dyed it all away) and Wind and Sky had what they needed to prevent their hair drying out again.

And even if it made a sizable dent in his wallet, he’d refused to be paid back. It was worth it anyway, since now he and Legend both had straight hair again (and the vet had actually washed!).

He could see now why Wild and Hyrule liked playing with their respective mentors’ hair though, it was almost addictive.

Time took one look at the three youngest and groaned, and Warriors almost echoed the action.

“What were you three even doing?” His now-eldest huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh as he tried not to look at the three teens, all of which were covered in mud and grass stains, and only looking slightly remorseful, despite their horrid clothing and scraped faces.

Had it been anyone but Wild and Wind, Wars would have sat back and watched as karma paid her long overdue visit to the mischievous mask-loving hero, but since it was his kids that caught up in paying back the silver in his own hair, Wars had to stand with Time and try his very hardest not to chuckle at the sight before him.

It took no trouble at all to picture Mask sitting, unrepentant, amid the other youngsters, a challenging look on his face as he dared the captain to even try and ground him for running off again.

“We were exploring.” Hyrule grinned sheepishly, rubbing at the mud that had dried on the side of his neck. “We um-”

“We fell in a swamp.” Wild snorted, wrinkling his nose and shaking some gunk from his hands with a pout. “Even I think we stink.”

Time’s lips twitched, brows struggling to remain in a scowl as he answered, voice wavering with a hint of laughter that made Wars smile to himself. “Is that so, Cub?”

“We smell like boko guts.”

“Or boko crap!” Wind cackled, the only one not soaked in swamp goo but instead spattered with ordinary mud that came from likely tripping and falling in the dirt from laughing too hard.

“Bathe.” Time chuffed, shaking his head fondly. “All three of you. Rivers there and I’m sure Wars has soap aplenty to help.” Hang on, what? Time’s eye met his own, blinking- winking? with a bright and shit eating grin. “Have fun with you sons, dad.”

Oh Ladies, Karma messed up again, didn’t she?

“Mask, I swear-” He growled, glaring at his- was Time his eldest now? His middle child still? The youngest since he’d been the last to join the family?

“Don’t, you’ll set a bad example.” The overgrown forest gremlin chuckled, walking away with a condescending pat of the shoulder.

Some things really never changed, huh?

“Right then.” the captain turned to glare stillness back into the three youngsters, two of which were already trying to sneak away, and the third- of thank Hylia for Wind, the kid was standing at perfect attention with a smirk on his face that screamed ‘I’m the eldest and I’m about to watch my little brothers get scolded and I’m going to enjoy every second of it’, snotty little salt-bathed brat. “Jump in or I punt you.”

Hyrule and Wild exchanged a look, a sure sign of danger, and both sprinted in opposite directions.

He huffed a laugh. Amateurs. Mask and Wind had run him ragged during the war, but once you’ve fought to pre-teens on the daily, there's nothing a pair of teenagers can pull on you that will truly surprise you or throw you off. It was the work of moments to have Wild slung under one arm (wolf pups, honestly, Mask was the same way) and Hyrule by the back of his collar (Wind’s customary position).

“H-how?” Both boys stammered.

“Experience, mud moblins.”

“Do I weight anything to you?” Wild stammered, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

The grin on his face was easier than usual in situations like these, but then again both teens had given up fighting against him sooner than the last two had ever done. “Hardly. You’ve always been a lightweight.” And with those words he promptly administered a light kick to Hyrule’s lower back, knocking the kid floundering into the stream, and following up with a well-practiced toss that send Wild rocketing in after.

Wind, already stripped down to his shorts and standing waist deep in the water, raised his hands with a shit eating grin. “Six out of Ten, Wild.” The little sea monster called to a spluttering Wild as the kid surfaced, only his face peeking above the surface as he treaded water with a pout. “You need to work on your form, but otherwise- ack!”

A wave splashed up from Hyrule’s direction and Wild sent an appreciative grin the other boy’s way while Wind’s grin melted into a playful one, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Oh, that’s it! You’re just asking for trouble now! Never start a water battle with a pirate, you two, you won’t like how it ends!”

Another, mischief filled, glance was exchanged and both feral heroes descended on the young sailor. It was like watching cucco’s descend on a bokoblin, and Warriors watched with laughter bubbling in his chest as he stripped off his gunk-stained tunic, courtesy of the mud-covered boys he’d wisely decided to pick up, and moved on to his chainmail. The sound of the three youngest heroes' shrieking and shouting sweet music to his ears as Time and the other older heroes made camp just off of the riverbank, teasing each other and generally messing around.

“Wars, why are you- are you joining us?” Wild cocked his dripping head with a curious look as he watched him.

The undershirt slipped off easily as he waded into the stream’s center. “Of course, you two got me muddy too after all, and it’s not like I trust y’all to actually clean up by-” At the slowly spreading grins on the faces of the three, the captain realizes his mistake. “I don’t trust you all to clean up properly, so I’m-”

“Warriors said ‘y’all’!” Wind chortled, eyes glinting madly as a grin stretched over his face. “Oh boy! Just wait ‘till I-”

“Slip of the tongue.” He clipped back, hands settling on his hips as he stared down the three teens. “You tell Twilight about this and I will personally wash your mouth out with soap.”

“You’re the one who said it!” Hyrule pointed out.

“And whoever tells the rancher is committing a verbal atrocity that will only lead to far more in the future.” He huffed. “No one tells, you hear me?”

Wild looked between the others, brows furrowed and lips pursed as he took in Wind’s triumphant grin and Warriors’ scowl. “What’s wrong with saying ‘y’all’?”

The captain staggered back dramatically, hand on his chest and a horrified expression on his face as he stared at his son. “No! Never say that word! That word is an abomination!”

“What word?” Hyrule cocked his head, eyes glinting knowingly, but the captain failed to recognize it in time.

“’Y’all’!” He spat with contempt. “We do not say ‘y’all’ in this house! ‘Y’all’ is a cursed word and the next person who says it is-” - ‘Is on Mask watching duty’ was his go to consequence, but that wouldn’t exactly work right now; Time was a bit old to actually need a supervisor- “is on clothes washing duty with Legend.” He settled on at last, choosing the chore that everyone except, surprisingly, the veteran minded.

“Say the man who just said it four times in a row.” Wind teased, darting out of his grasp with a wide grin.

“Wind! I was trying to see how many times I could make him say it!” Hyrule huffed, pouting at his brother adorably.

“I still don’t get it.” Wild grumbled. “It’s a word? There’s nothing wrong with it as far as I know, ‘y’a-” The captain’s hand was clamped around the kid’s mouth before he could finish his sentence.

“Let's just not.” Warriors huffed; he was beginning to mourn Twilight’s mentor position at the moment. Fortunately, Wild was willing enough to still in is hands and not push the topic, unlike the other two who just egged each other on with ever widening grins. “Right.” He rolled his eyes. “First one with a clean face gets the strawberry scented soap; go.”

Silence fell as nothing save splashing rang over the stream as faces ducked beneath the water, all three boys falling for his favorite trick of all time. Heck, even the old man would probably still cave to the offer of strawberry soap, even now that he was an adult, and Wars couldn’t blame him at all; strawberry scented bubbles were the best bubbles and Twilight and his goat-milk soap could go sniff a skunk if they wanted to contest that.

It took hardly any time at all for all three to emerge, fresh faces and glowing, three sets of eyes al sparkling up at him as a warm chuckle blossomed in his throat. Naturally, he gave the promised soap to all three, citing the ‘I can’t tell who finished first so you all win’ excuse that Grandfather had taught him ages ago.

Wind dutifully set about scrubbing himself clean, and in the meantime, he guided the less experienced duo. “Take so much,” He dolloped a generous potion into Hyrule’s cupped hands. “And rub your hands together, yes, just like that, work it up to a nice lather and just scrub it all over. Take care you get the smelliest bits first so you don’t run out of soap before you get there, yeah?” Both forest children nodded, dutifully following his instructions as he moved to help scrub the traveler’s sopping curls.

It was an easy pattern to fall into, scrubbing the two heads with especial care to remove any sticks and twigs he found along the way. Hyrule was the easier of the two, but Wild held still better while he worked, almost melting under his fingers as he messaged suds into his son’s long locks, a light smile playing over both their faces as he worked, content to sit in the cooling water of the stream as the sun began to set, hands buried in his kid’s long hair as he worked out mud and filth and who knows what else.

Rinsing the sweet-scented bubbles started out innocently enough, but Wars was given a front row seat to watching an accidental splash descend into a full-on war on the water as he scrubbed his own hair clean, and well, if he joined in once he was finished, well, someone had to show Wind that he wasn’t the only hero with some experience on the water.

Wars sighed as he watched Time stirring quietly on his bedroll.

Honestly, his middle kid (he’d finally settled on letting Wind retain his position on oldest, since there was no way Time could be the eldest brother with his gremlin behavior) was something of an idiot. Oh, he loved all three of his boys dearly, but Time was an ass and everyone who knew him well knew it (except maybe Twilight, but that guy was an ass too).

Time hadn’t been sleeping recently, and it was easy to see in the dark bags around his eyes and the almost drifting expression on his face at nights. It was for lack of trying either, the kid- man? - the hero would settle down on his bedroll every night same as the others, but even with sharp eyes shut tight and blanket pulled to his ears, the ‘Old Man’ couldn’t lie still for more than thirty minutes, constantly shifting and fidgeting on his bedroll even as the other heroes steadily dropped off to sleep.

It was just the two of them now, the captain on watch and their leader trying to pretend he was asleep with a scowl on his face.

He was scratching again.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” war clapped his hands against his knees and pushed himself p, staling over to stand over the largest of the bedrolls and staring down at the lump within. “What’s up, Sprout? You normally snore like a hinox all night long, what’s eating you?”

A single blue eye stared up at him wearily. “If I knew, I would have killed it by now.”

Oof, bad night then. “Do you have any idea what it could be?” He was already settling down next to the group leader’s head, hands reaching to grasp Time’s own and bring them down from where he was, likely unconsciously, clawing at the sides of his face.

“No.” Came the frustrated huff.

“Missing Miss Malon?” He suggested, running his fingers through short blonde hair thoughtfully, mind miles away in a two-story house at castle town as he fell into the all too familiar trap of playing with one of his boys’ hair.

“I thought so at first, and while I do, it doesn’t usually stop me from sleeping.” Time grumbled, staring up at the night sky with pursed lips. “It’s not nightmares or visions either, if anything my dreams have been normal for once.”

“Anxiety perhaps? Are you worrying about the others? Twilight, maybe? Wild?” At the questioning glance he received he shrugged. “Kept me up enough nights, even if you two were there. A bad thing happens once and you're not likely to forget it.”

“Hmm.” Time hummed, leaning unconsciously into his hands and settling on his bed-roll, shoulders falling lax as his single good eyes fluttered softly. “Maybe.”

Whatever it was, it wasn’t bad enough that War’s fingers didn’t put it to rest, and time was asleep in mere minutes, soft snores rumbling over the camp as the captain continued his ministrations, eyes and ears sharp and alert for any disturbance near in within the camp, but body relaxed as he kept the steady rhythm of his fingers through short and silky hair.

When his watch was over though, and it was time to wake the veteran to take his, Wars found himself stuck. Time's fingers were curled tightly in his blue scarf, the man’s head resting easy against his thigh, and any motion small of subtle, would likely send majestic blue fluttering open again with an exhausted air.

Ah well, time to be creative.

Legend grumbled, as usual, at being woken by having his feet touched, and the captain echoed his discomfort as he wrings is sore and likely sprained hand. Time was still asleep though, so there was that at least. Now just to figure out how best to position himself so he could sleep.

Soldier’s experience won over logic, and Wars was asleep in seconds, leaving the camp under Legend’s watch and Time snoozing blissfully at his side.

[anthemxix]

I had an angsty interesting idea and thought you’d maybe like to hear it (since you’re a fan of Wars and Time bonding)

Time and Warriors get separated from the group and are fighting a big ol’ horde of monsters when Time gets hit hard. Like, he-needs-a-fairy-NOW hard. And Wars knows he can’t protect Time while fighting off all these monsters, he’s horribly outnumbered without him, he needs help, he needs more power-

Then he remembers the Fierce Diety mask.

anon, thank you for thinking of me!! i do adore these two bonding! <3 hope you enjoy this little thing i wrote~ uwu

The realization that this ragtag monster horde was capable of implementing a coordinated battle plan carries myriad unsettling implications, but Warriors puts all that aside for later consideration. Right now, he’s rather more preoccupied with his other realization: he and Time are kind of fucked.

Separated from the other heroes by the latest portal (and maybe that was all part of the enemies’ strategy, too?), Time and Warriors are severely outnumbered, two to two dozen. The only reason they haven't lost already is because they've managed to stay back-to-back, fighting together fluidly, watching each other's blind spots. Everything they're doing is purely defensive, purely reactionary, and their stamina is quickly getting whittled away by endless waves of brutal attacks.

And maybe their draining stamina is why there's a slip-up. Warriors hopes that's why there's a slip-up, because he can't bear the idea that his carelessness caused whatever just happened behind him to make Time shout in agony.

Warriors whirls around just as Time crumples to his knees. He steps in front of the Old Man in time to block the heavy stroke of a darknut's broadsword. The blunt impact forces him back half a foot. He grits his teeth and smashes his shield into the darknut's helmet as it winds up for another strike. Armor rattling, the monster stumbles back, briefly stunned.

Swinging around, Warriors throws out his shield against the thrust of a lizalfos' spear, but both weapon and shield collide instead with a translucent blue wall that materializes between them. Sapphire-colored and diamond-shaped, the sudden barrier surprises Warriors for a second before he remembers a child casting the same spell on battlefields some years ago.

"Can't hold it for long," Time says, voice strained, as he presses one hand against his side. Warriors drops down next to him, ignoring the sounds of baffled and angry monsters pounding on the barrier encasing them, and pulls Time's hand away to reveal a terribly deep gash.

Time coughs, and a trail of blood mars his chin. Cursing, Warriors carelessly rips a swatch from his scarf and stuffs it into the wound in the hopes of slowing the bleeding.

"Give it to me," he blurts before he knows what he's saying. His conscious mind takes a moment to catch up to his mouth, but then he feels it. Beneath the clean, blessed magic that Time exudes beats the pulse of something darker, something that wormed into Warriors’ mind without him even noticing.

Suddenly, Warriors knows with certainty how this fight is going to end. He reaches for Time's satchel without awaiting an answer. The Old Man clamps a surprisingly firm hand onto Warriors' wrist.

"No," he says, the tremble in his voice belying the sternness of his tone. "I won't allow it."

The magic, which feels like frenzy barely contained, wraps more securely around Warriors' heart. He wonders how it leaked into him without his consent, how it made him its pawn before he even considered using the mask.

"It's our only choice." Warriors drapes his other hand on top of Time's. The barrier around them flickers, disappearing for half an instant.

Time retrieves the mask from his bag without looking, like he knows exactly where it is. In the open, the mask's alluring magic is more potent. It feels like chaos masquerading as calm, like a threat camouflaged as salvation.

"I could do it," Time weakly offers, even as more blood beads on his lips, as more color drains from his wan face, as resignation clouds his eye.

When Warriors' fingers graze the mask's smooth wood, a shock runs along his spine, prickles the hair on his arms and the back of his neck. The faded red and blue lines that mirror Time's remind him that dabbling with something this powerful has irreversible consequences. In an odd moment of detached lucidity, Warriors recognizes that after he puts on this mask, his life is never going to be the same.

But as he takes the cursed object, he looks down at Time's weeping gash, poorly plugged by blood-drenched scraps of scarf, and feels at peace with his decision.

"I'll be fine, Sprite," he says. "Just promise me you'll be fine, too."

As Time's spell withers and the blue diamond barrier shatters, Warriors puts on the mask.

He's dropped into an abyss that somehow feels both bottomless and claustrophobic. He can't see or hear or touch any more, can't feel his body or what he's doing; he's confined to his mind, condemned to an inky, oceanic emptiness that is filling up with poisonous magic. The deity's overwhelming presence invades more and more of Warriors' mental space, grappling for control.

And it hurts. It's agonizing, the way the subjugating magic bleeds into his every crevice, sunders him at his seams. Peels him apart layer by layer. Breaks him down to his basest pieces. Divides. Consumes.

Rational thought disappears; his darkness is lit only by instinct now, and his instinct tells him to fight. So Warriors resists. As puny and piteous a creature as he is compared to the deity's wrath, he resists, struggling to retain a foothold in his own mind.

And just as abruptly as this hellish internal fight begins, it ends. Full consciousness slams back into Warriors with merciless force. The world seems like a hazy mess of colors and light that he can't decipher. His body feels foreign, and he can't distinguish, spatially, where he is, what he's doing. He thinks he's standing--no, he's falling--

Warriors tumbles back into something solid. Someone solid, who secures their arms around his middle and lowers him to the ground. Dizzy and muddled, he squints up at the concerned face hovering above him. Twilight. The Rancher's mouth is moving, but the words are distant and incomprehensible.

Simply holding his head up is a strain, and Warriors lets himself go limp in Twilight's arms. Through blurry vision, he can see the signs of a massacre: the decimated remains of all those monsters, strewn around the battlefield. He vaguely registers Twilight's fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse, and Twilight's hands running along his limbs, his torso, feeling for injuries.

There's a swirl of red and pink in his periphery. Legend, not bothering to conceal his concern, appears on one side of him. He's speaking, too, and though the words sound a bit clearer than before, Warriors still doesn't understand. Exhausted, he doesn't worry about it, and lets his eyes slip closed.

Twilight and Legend's conversation drones over his head as comforting white noise, and the Rancher's steady breaths begin to lull him to sleep. Then something tugs at his hand, and he pries his eyes open, annoyed, to see Legend trying to take the mask from him.

Warriors blinks down at the cursed item, surprised to see it still clasped in his fist, his unyielding fingers coiled through the eye holes.

"Let go of this damn thing, Pretty Boy," Legend says when he sees Warriors' eyes are open. The Captain can't decide if Legend's voice is actually quiet or if it still sounds weirdly far away. Regardless, he loosens his hold and watches Legend take the mask, grimace at it with a mix of revulsion and anger, and artlessly toss it out of view.

"Captain?"

Turning his heavy head, Warriors finds Wind kneeling at his other side. His expression is all unrefined concern, the watery eyes and exaggerated compassion of a child. Warriors wants to comfort him, but he can hardly move at the moment. He supposes speaking is out of the question, too.

"Are you okay?" the Sailor asks, taking up Warriors' hand in both his own.

Getting no reply, Wind glances between Twilight and Legend. "Why isn't he saying anything? He's okay, isn't he?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Twilight replies. It's a stilted, rote response that holds little conviction. Warriors thinks that should bother him, but he's too tired to care.

"What about those?" Wind says, nodding towards Warriors.

On reflex, Twilight brushes his fingers against the Captain's cheek, looking sadly at whatever is there. "The magic imprinted on him, but he wasn't changed for long. The marks will fade."

Marks? Warriors tunes out the rest of the conversation, trying to deduce what marks they're referring to--until he pictures the red and blue lines tattooed onto--

Time. Warriors twitches, wanting to sit up, wanting to ask after the Old Man. Legend puts a steadying hand on his shoulder, instructs him not to move. Still, he swivels his head around, trying to squint through the still-indistinct mass of shapes and lights that make up the world beyond his little sphere.

Finally, he sees, past Wind, the rest of their troupe. As Warriors is with Twilight, Time is reclined against Sky, with Four and Wild on either side of him. Hyrule is bent over him, hands aglow with golden healing magic that surges into the dangerous wound on Time's side.

Warriors tries to focus on the Old Man's face, and his eyes finally adjust enough that he can see Time, grim and weary, looking straight back at him. He looks sad, Warriors thinks. Sympathetic. Pitying.

It's off-putting, and Warriors looks away. He closes his eyes again and sinks back into Twilight, deciding for now that he'll pretend this is a nightmare, and soon, he'll wake up somewhere else with his soul and mind intact. Yes, he thinks, he’ll let himself pretend for a little while.

[alfredosauce50]

What makes me human

[Cyberpunk! America x reader] 2

(remastered)

Wordcount: 1, 148 Rating: T for strong language Chapter synopsis: Your home intruder wants something more valuable than money. He reveals it once he takes you to the other side of the city—a priceless piece of technology. But he’s far from a petty thief.  The reader is referred to as she/her.

02

The twilight zone

Going under was instant.

When you came to, there was a hard ache in the back of your neck. And your mouth, dry like a desert. But they weren’t as deserving of your concern as being in the backseat of a car you didn’t recognize. 

“Rise and shine. Have a good sleep?”

Everything was red and blue. The screens, buttons, and panels glowed in neon contrast against the dark. But what stood out to you most was the brand.

Allen drove an Alvarado. He drove a Quadra. Such a trivial detail marked the end of everything you knew, and the beginning of everything you didn’t. 

“Didn’t think you’d wake up in time for sightseeing,” The driver spoke, staring at you through the rearview mirror. His eyes, blue and gleaming, were more attentive than you expected. “How are you feeling?” 

“After being knocked out? You tell me.” You shot him a heated glare. He cracked a smile when he caught it.

“Dunno, you sound pretty lively to me.”

Only then did he move the mirror back to its original position. You’d only known him for a night, and he was already making it a point to piss you off.

You folded your arms and stared out the window.

If he thought you’d keep entertaining him, he was destined for disappointment. And if he thought he could keep you here for a moment longer, he was wrong about that too. Allen would find you soon.

He just needed to figure out where you were.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” You muttered, squinting at the blinding streets outside.

“Somewhere nobody will find you.”

The cityscape stretched on infinitely like an inescapable purgatory. Architecture ranged from anything between skyscrapers to dingy apartments stacked on top of each other like cans.

And nighttime—brighter than daytime.

Signs and holograms occupied every inch of your vision, some of them still, others animated. Naked women walked over red-light districts and could be seen miles away to lure in weary travelers. An entire building wall was lit up with the image of geisha.

As the paragon of a capitalist hellhole, this megalopolis had a ruthless arsenal of advertizing.

Where there was infrastructure, there were commercials. Commercials to promote restaurants, bars, shows, hotels, strip clubs, or brothels. It was the ugly beauty of this city, the most epic perversion of civilization yet. But even in a society where shedding flesh for metal was the norm, people never forgot to be human. Food, sex, and sleep—the holy trinity of what was left of feeling, sentient beings. You could forget everything else, just not how to party.

“Someone will always find me.”

“Not this far, they won’t.”

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s suicide.” 

“I wish.”

“Listen, smartass.” You leaned forward and grabbed his seat. Frustrated, sore, and tired out of your mind, playing games with this guy was the last on your list. “I might not be able to take you on myself, but you should take me back while you have the chance.” 

“It’s too late for that,” The man remarked, pulling into a highway. “This isn’t the first time I’ve messed with your company. So, in for a penny, in for a pound.” 

Your eyes went wide in disbelief. When he said he wasn’t ‘just anybody,’ he meant it. Not just anybody could fuck around with your company and get away with it, let alone more than once. And yet, here he was, head on his neck and tantalizing you.

“If you’re wondering who I am, don’t.” 

He stepped on the gas, revving the engine. 

“You’ll know what I want you to know.” 

You arrived at an empty parking lot twenty minutes away. The engine rumbled to a stop, and you both got out of the car. In front of you was the lowest building you’d seen all day—a single-story complex with a buzzing purple sign that read ‘no-tell motel.’

The night was oversaturated with anxiety and humiliation, but this just took the cake.

“Wait.”

“What?” He glanced back at you, noting your worried expression. Your spunk was gone, replaced by fear.

“Can we stay somewhere else?”

“No.” He walked over and grabbed your wrist, pulling you close. “It’s all I can afford.”

While you trailed behind him, you took in your surroundings warily. You weren’t used to going anywhere without Allen, let alone a place like this. You had to wonder if the sinking in your stomach was from separation anxiety or the stench of piss and weed in the hallway. Probably both.

“Don’t worry. Nobody’s gonna eat you.” He tapped a card on the reader to unlock the door.

“It’s not other people I’m afraid of.” 

He slowed for a second, but otherwise, continued without a hitch. If there was one thing that didn’t catch you off guard, it was his apathy. He was a professional criminal, and you were just a pawn. There was nothing worth sharing, not even a name. 

If you did catch it, it would’ve been an accident.

Alfred Jones—he wrote it on the screen.

The room he rented was cozier than you anticipated, but that didn’t change a thing. While he dropped his valuables on the nightstand, his phone, keys, and gun, you stood by the wall next to the door. Your hands were clammy, and your heart was still racing.

“So… Alfred, huh?”

“It’s Al.” He glanced at you. Before he said anything else, he shed his jacket, sat on the bed, and kicked off his shoes. “I know you don’t actually care about the specifics. You just wanna know if I’m a psycho.”

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out.

He took the words right out of it.

“I’m not. Clinically, at least.” Alfred stood up and walked in your direction, hands in his pockets. When he got close enough, he rested an arm against the wall over your head, pinning you there. When you felt his warm breath on your face, you turned away.

“I’m on a mission, sweetheart.” A small smile lifted the ends of his lips. “And you’re a key player in it.” 

You didn’t respond.

“I don’t mean that in a condescending way. You’re gonna help me with a lot of stuff, so.”

“And what’s stuff?” You let out, returning your gaze.

Pulling away now that he had your attention, he continued removing more articles of clothing until he was left in a white tank and boxers. Immediately, you turned away, wondering how you even let your guard down around such an unpredictable character.

He didn’t care to keep more clothes on. Besides this mission, what did he care about? Certainly not the law, and certainly not being decent around women.

“You’re gonna help me steal a biochip.” Everything clicked, but only for a second. What he said next was beyond your comprehension, or anybody’s, in fact.

“The kind that makes you immortal.”

Next chapter: The company’s resident mercenary

[behindyourbarrette]

like you a latte —dirty chai

← previous | series masterlist | join taglist | next part →

pairing: spencer reid x reader

word count: 2kish

warnings: none

a/n: hiiiii sorry for the hiccup earlier but im here! hope u enjoy more from these two dorks and if you do, REBLOG it helps me out tremendously

—

It’s a chilly October morning when he surprises you.

The past month has been…typical. Spencer comes in more often, now, popping in quickly to exchange a book and pick up a drink. You don’t always see him; you aren’t always up front, at the register. You aren’t always alone, either, and the breakfast rush isn’t the best setting for long, deep discussions. These circumstances; missed opportunities and ‘finally’s and distance, all add to the feeling that there is something to share between you. Something to look forward to.

It’s a Tuesday morning, and you’ve just turned on the neon ‘open’ sign when you catch sight of him. He’s let his hair grow out a little, brown locks curling around his collar, and it suits him. Your eyes drift down to his hands, and to your surprise he’s holding a miniature pumpkin.

“Is that a pumpkin?” You call out, immediately regretting the obvious ‘yes’ answer that he’s going to give you. After he reaches the front and sinks into his usual seat, he nods.

“Sort of. It’s actually a gourd, just a small variety called Jack Be Little.” 

Of course he knows. You smile in spite of yourself, shaking off how endearing the sight is. He sets the pumpkin—gourd—down on the bar, giving it a light pat before turning back to you.

“Any relation to the rhyme? Isn’t that a Christmas thing?”

He considers it for a moment, sitting at the bar.

“I don’t think so. This variety originated in 1989, so I think it’s more likely in reference to the carving tradition. Good catch, though.”

You nod, lacing your fingers together as you listen. 

“Did you just pick that up? It’s a little early in the season for street vendors.”

“It’s for my desk. At Quantico. I, uh, love Halloween, and I wanted to bring some extra decorations in.” 

“Are you going to name them?”

It’s a rare sight, but confusion flashes across Spencer’s face. He narrows his eyes as he laughs, glancing between you and the pumpkin.

“Name them?” 

“Do you not name your Jack O’Lanterns?” You ask, incredulous. With anyone else, you’d feel embarrassed. Spencer doesn’t seem perturbed, instead he nods, cataloging your response and looking down at the pumpkin.

“No, not usually. She does look like an Ada, though.”

You laugh, your hand flying to your mouth to cover the sound.

“Like Ada Lovelace?”

His eyes light up at your recognition and he nods exuberantly. The moment passes and your eyes fall on Ada, and how easily she fits in. Your eyes drift across the store. You insisted that Twilight Time decorate for October, even when the owner, Tyler, objected.

“We’re trying to keep a consistent, clean image. I don’t think twinkle lights will help.”

Tyler. Sweet, sweet Tyler—he got you this job, and never let you forget that you owed him. A venture capitalist turned reluctant business owner, he was a constant pain in the ass.

“I just think something cozy will help people feel welcomed. If they stick around they’ll buy more. Just a few little bats? I won’t even put out any candy.”

You lied. There are more than a few bats tacked to the ceiling, a candy bowl at each counter and three long strings of yellow twinkle lights hung around the walls. Autumn is your favorite season, and you refuse to let it pass absently. Spencer seems to enjoy the decor, too, following your gaze towards the cauldron of coffee creamer.

“When did you guys fly in?”

He shrugs, telling you a little too quickly that the team arrived at home the evening before. You take the hint and leave him be. He’s always been hesitant to discuss his work—you only figured out that he’s an FBI agent by process of elimination, and subsequently felt a little foolish for believing that he was just a very bookish and underdressed cop—so you leave him be. After Googling him, you figure out that his line of work makes for less than pleasant morning conversations. 

“Can I try something new today?”

You pause. He’s never done this before, not in any of the time you’ve known him and presumably not before. It shouldn’t surprise you as much as it does, but it catches you off guard. 

“If that’s too complicated or bothersome you don’t have to, I just—“ “Spence. I’d be honored. What’s the occasion?”

You have to cut him off. The look of panic and regret on his face after you falter is one you aren’t fond of seeing, and luckily it fades once you agree. You’re a little nervous, which makes you feel ridiculous. You know how to make coffee. It’s still to consider what to make.

“Uh, there isn’t one.” He scratches behind his ear, flushed with either embarrassment or the cold. You nod, picking up a cup.

“Do you want to stick with the fall theme?” You mumble, peeking behind you to inventory the ingredients you have in stock. While Spencer definitely has a sweet tooth, he doesn’t strike you as the pumpkin spice latte type. When you look towards him again, his whole face is alight with excitement.

“Yes! I love fall, actually. I don’t usually get to celebrate Halloween, though.” 

Sadness peaks in your chest. He deserves a good Halloween. You write his name on the edge of the cup, scribbling a smiley face after the ‘r’. 

“You like cinnamon?” He nods, and you crack a Cheshire Cat smile. You know just the drink to make, and hopefully he’ll enjoy it. It keeps you busy for a few minutes, but before long you’ve added an espresso shot to a chai latte and dusted cinnamon over top. The perfect fall drink, in your humble opinion. 

“Here. It’s called a dirty chai. Coffee and chai with cream.”

You hand it to him, mourning the loss of the warm cup after he takes it. Your hands are cold; this entire building runs chilly, and the owner refuses to do anything about it. Spencer probably has statistics on the dangers of space heaters, but in the moment they’re all you want. He smiles down at the cinnamon, and looks up excitedly.

“Chai means tea in three languages. Originally, chai was called masala chai, meaning ‘spiced tea’, but they’re interchangeable in the English lexicon. I’ve never tried it.” He takes a sip and you watch, a little nervous. His eyes widen and you worry that it might be too bitter, or have too much of a kick, but he smiles and your fears wash away.

“This is incredible.”

You exhale, a hand over your heart in half-feigned relief. A tiny voice in your head reprimands you for this. You remake drinks day in and day out. You’ve learned that when a customer doesn’t like a drink, it’s not personal. In fact, it’s the opposite—plenty of people are very good at finding the worst qualities in anything, including coffee. You shake the feeling off. So what if you care that Spencer likes what you make?

“I’ve never considered putting cinnamon and coffee together. It works.” He sips at the drink again, and pride swells in your chest. You’ve done well.

“I put cinnamon in my coffee, too. I’m glad you like it.”

He seems to consider this, letting the cup rest against his cheek as a smile spreads across his face. It’s a contagious smile, one you’re committed to replicating, and you feel your cheeks heat as you share it. 

“Have you read anything lately?” You ask, just to see him pull a book out his satchel and hand it to you. It’s Foucault, specifically The Order of Things. You shake the memory of your philosophy classes away, smiling.

“Linguistics, huh? I’m sure that comes in handy with the job.”

He nods, and launches into an explanation of how the collective view of research and science influences….well, science and you watch, enthralled. In essence, he’s arguing about the nature of argument, and while some of the specifics are lost on you you’re happy that he lingers to talk. You can even pepper in questions, “What about experts?” and “Isn’t some discourse had just for the sake of discourse?” He falters at this, and you grin wickedly at the chance to defend your point.

“Like, I can argue with you about something, and not really believe in it all that much. It’s just for the sake of argument. A new perspective.”

You get the sense that Spencer does not often argue in things he doesn’t believe in. You savor these moments, the low course of laughter and animated discussion before his phone buzzes. You wave him off with a smile, and hope he comes back soon. His book is tucked safely in your backpack, where you’ll whisk it home and return it to a growing stack of…extracurricular material. 

Later, in a break room thousands of miles away, he pokes around in a mug cabinet. For some reason, there’s a half-used bottle of oregano and a container of cream of tartar. Too focused to contemplate the reasoning behind their presence, he reaches into the back, emerging victorious with a bottle of probably expired cinnamon.

taglist:

@everyonesfavoritepipecleaner @coldlilheart @idonotexiste @aberrant-annie @onyourfingertips @bakugouswh0r3 @uptowngotmedown @infinite-tides @chaosconcerns 

[ghostdrew22]

Can i get a draco x reader where the reader is obsessed with the yule ball but unfortunately she gets into a accident so she in a wheel chair for a few days and draco likes the reader so he makes her day memorable by picking her up and making her dance like the scene in twilight.

Requested: Yes Pairing: Draco Malfoy x fem!reader Warnings: a bit of angst i guess, swearing, insecurity, an injury, asshole!theo nott Summary: Draco x reader where the reader gets injured before the Yule Ball and Draco swoops in to make the night memorable for her.

WORDS : 2451

Not going to lie, I struggled a bit with this one and I ended up focusing more on the build up than the actual scene but I hope you like it because I’m quite happy with the way it turned out.

Lyric snippets I used are from “High School Sweethearts” by Melanie Martinez and they’re not in chronological order, I honestly just put them in randomly.

Anyway, love you all,

jean <3

<~>

“Y//N, I’m bored.” Draco grumbles as he sits down on your lap- resting all of his body weight on you and trying to annoy you.

You grunt at the action but get comfortable regardless- propping your chin up on his shoulder and resting your arms around his waist like you usually do when he sits on you for fun. “Well, we could go over plans for Friday.”

“If I have to hear you talk about that damn ball one more time I swear to Merlin I’m going to kill myself in the Black Lake.”

“Promise?” You ask perkily and he lifts up one of his hands to flick your head, “Sorry!”

You both laugh and he rolls off of you and into the seat beside you. “Okay but seriously, I’m bored.”

You laugh and shake your head as you get off the couch, “I’m going to do my muggle studies homework in the library- if you come along then when we’re done we can do whatever you like.” You offer your best friend and he tilts his head to the side as he considers your offer before grinning and jumping off the couch.

“You’ve chosen some very bad words.”

“You also have to listen to my Yule Ball ideas.” You add and he groans.

“That’s not fair-“

“Take it or leave it.”

“Fine.” He mumbles with an eye-roll as the two of you walk out of the Slytherin commons and toward the library.

“And damn it, if you fuck me over I will rip your fucking face apart”

“If you cheat, you will die, die”

“So I was talking to Theo and he basically suggested that we wear matchin-“ As you and Draco walk toward the library, and you relay all of your thoughts regarding the Yule Ball to him, you come across Theodore Nott. Your date to the Yule Ball- technically your boyfriend considering the fact that you’ve been flirting with each other for weeks- shoved up against a wall with another girl’s lips on his.

You and Draco freeze in the hallway and take in the scene- trying to decide how best to react. Draco takes a step forward- ready to defend your honour- but you’ve already yanked the girl away from Theo by her hair and swung your fist straight into his face.

“You must accept that I’m a little out of my mind”

A crackling sound is heard followed by the shriek of your voice- “You filthy piece of shit!”

Theo stumbles backward then grips his bleeding nose in shock- obviously not expecting you to have had such a strong hook- “You bitch!”

“I guess your mother and I have something in common then.” You spit back and his eyes widen in fury as he regains his balance and walks toward you.


“What the fuck did you just say?”

“I know that it’s dark and lonely in there for your two single braincells but I feel like the quip was quite straightforward. You are a son of a bitch.” You grit out with venom lacing your words and Draco sucks in a large breath from behind the two of you- watching the scene unfold and deciding that it’s best to let you handle it.

Theo laughs coldly and runs a fist beneath his nostrils to wipe away some dripping blood, “This is exatly why I didn’t make things official with you, you’re fucking psychotic.”

“Oh please, you’ve got to have something better than that.” You scoff and roll your eyes.

“If you can't handle the choking, the biting The loving, the smothering 'Til you can't handle it no more, no more Go home”

“You know what? You’re right.” He sniffs and bends down a little lower so that you’re both eye level- just so that he can patronise you. “You’re clingy, bitchy and honestly I could do a lot better than you looks-wise. You make me want to bash my head into a wall and the only reason I asked you to the Yule Ball, and flirted with you, was to get Daphne Greengrass’s attention.”

“Fine, since I make you so goddamn miserable we can end all of this here.” You crane your neck and shrug, “If you can’t handle me then you can fuck right off.”

“I will!”


“Theo-“ Draco calls out to the fellow Slytherin, perhaps hoping to talk him out of the stupid decision he’s about to make, but Theo’s having none of it.

“Oh, sod off!” Theo shouts back as he walks away from you and Draco and gives you both the middle finger.

You take a moment to breathe before the adrenaline runs out and the searing pain in your fist comes rushing at full force. “Ow, crap!” You exclaim as you hurriedly grab your bag from off the floor and start running toward Madame Pomfrey.

“Y/N! Wait up!” Draco shouts from behind you as he tries to run with you.

“Run faster!” You shout with a giggle as you turn to stick your tongue out at him. Then it happens.

You turn back to watch where you’re running, but it’s too late and before you know it, you’re tumbling down one of the many flights of stairs that graces Hogwarts.

~~~

“You’re such a dumb shit.” Draco mumbles from beside you with a chuckle.

“I know, shut up.” You snap back at him but you can’t hide the slight smile tugging on your lips.

After your beatdown fight with the stairs, you got carried to Madame Pomfrey’s and had to be treated for your fist injury as well as the ones you sustained from your tumble. She was quick to give you a potion for pain and immediately got started examining you- deducing that you’d sprained one of your legs and hit your head, but not hard enough to contract a concussion.

So now you’re sat in one of the beds with your leg hanging above you in a cast, a bandage wrapped around your head and one wrapped around your fist. Madame Pomfrey walks back with a wheelchair and gives you a stern look as she gently unhooks your leg and lays it down on the bed.

“Now, you’re going to need to use this for a week, then after the initial week I will examine you again and either remove your cast or put you on crutches.”

“Wait, a week?” You furrow your eyebrows and she nods, “But the Yule Ball is in three days.” You frown.

“You won’t be able to dance but you can still have a nice time.” She offers you a wayward smile and you nod faintly with a thin smile- trying not to think about how the night you’d had perfectly planned out for weeks is suddenly coming apart before your eyes.

She helps you into the wheelchair and then her and Draco have an exchange in which he promises to get you to dinner, and back to the dorms, in one piece. Then before you know it Draco is wheeling you out of the ward and toward the Great Hall, but you’re not particularly hungry and instead want to lie down.

“Draco?”

“Hm?”

“Do you mind just taking me to my dorm? I’m not in the mood to eat.”

He stops abruptly and peers his head round your shoulder so that you can see each other, “You’re not hungry? It’s apple pie night.”

“I’m not in the mood for apple pie.”

“Uh oh, what’s wrong?”

“You mean besides the fact that I technically just got cheated on and then landed myself in a wheelchair, leaving me injured and dateless three days before the Yule Ball?” You raise your eyebrows and he laughs, “Nothing really.”

“Okay that’s fair… You want to talk?” You shake your head in response and he nods silently as he thinks. “Okay, how about I bring food up to your dorm and we can sit and eat it in silence together instead?”

“I can do that.”

So Draco does as you ask, despite it being a very long trip for him, and drops you off in your dorm room before collecting dinner for you both and returning to join you.

“Give me passion, don't make fun of my fashion”

You finish up your dinner with a laugh as Draco shakes his head at you.

“That’s a ghastly dress Y/N.” He says as he looks at the y/f/c dress you’d originally picked out for the Yule Ball- before you realised that the cut was too small and wouldn’t be accommodating to your hips.

“Hey!” You gasp and toss a pillow at him as you both laugh, “Don’t be rude.”

“I don’t have that setting.”

“I noticed.” You grumble and sigh as you fall back against your headboard.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?”

You look down at your fingers as you fiddle with them and make a thinking face, “I don’t know.”

“That’s okay- not knowing, I mean.” He reaches out for your hands and encapsulates them in his own, “What he did was shitty, it’s not your fault and none of the things he said about you are true. But it’s okay to be confused between anger, sadness, relief-“

“Relief?” You raise your eyebrows up at him in question with a smirk, “Why would I be relieved that he called me a clingy and psychotic bitch?”

“I-“

“I mean maybe that’s arousing for someone with a degradation kink like yourself but I found that quite demeaning.” You tease with a wide grin at the sight of his frustrated and annoyed features.

“You know I was going to offer myself up as your new date but-“ He trails off as you cut him off.

“I’m sorry! Please go with me?” You whine and he laughs.

“Since you’re begging…” You throw another pillow at him and he raises his hands up in surrender, “Okay, okay! I’d love to be your date to the Yule Ball.”

“I know you would.” You smile proudly.

“Pansy will just have to deal.”

~~~

“You can't be scared to show me off and hold my hand”

“Draco, are you sure this isn’t too much?” You peer your eyes up at him- referring to the dress his mother had tailor made for you.

“Y/N, my mother was more excited than you when I told her that we were going together and she could send you dresses tfor you to try- it’s nowhere near too much.” He reassures you with a chuckle.

“Thank you so much, it’s truly exquisite.”

“No, thank you.”

“For?”

“Giving me the opportunity to take the prettiest girl in our year out to the Yule Ball.”

“I don’t remember convincing Cho Chang to lower her standards to yo-“

“Why do I bother?” He mumbles to himself and you giggle.

“Thank you, and you look great too.”

“I know.” He smiles smugly before walking behind you so he can push your wheelchair. “Now let’s go in so that I can show off my incredible date and best friend.”

“If you think you can be my one and only true love You must promise to love me”

After an hour of you and Draco sitting by a table- eating, laughing, observing how ridiculous everyone looks on the dance floor- you start to feel an immense weight in the pit of your stomach, a reminder as to why you’re sat on a chair instead of dancing the night away with your date, and you have to look away from Draco to hide the tears that are pricking at your eyes.

He notices the change in your demeanor and furrows his eyebrows in confusion, trying to figure out what exactly changed your energy so quickly- then his eyes scan the room and land on Theo dancing with Daphne and a wave of realization hits him like a freight train. He clears his throat to drag your attention toward him and you swallow hard before plastering on a fake smile and meeting his eyes. “You know, she doesn’t look as good as you do.”

You tilt your head to the side in confusion for a second before registering that he’s referring to Daphne. “Oh.” You look back at her and Theo, “I really want to believe you but it’s kind of hard to do that when I’m staring straight at her holding the guy that picked her over me.”

“Bu-“

“It’s okay, really.” You give him a wayward smile, “I think I see why he likes her and not me, she’s just better.” You shrug before continuing, “There was some merit in Theo’s words that day, I am a bit much too handle and I guess she just isn’t.”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” Draco furrows his eyebrows at you, “There’s nothing wrong with you, you’re not too much Y/N, you’re just enough and he’s a fool not to see what an incredible person you are.”

“Drac-“

“I love you. And not like best friend love, like you’re my soulmate and I want to spend the rest of my life with you love.” He interrupts you with his confession before he loses the nerve, once again, to tell you how much you mean to him. “And I know that we’re still young, it sounds ridiculous of me to say something like that so confidently but it’s true and I just know it.”

He takes a moment to breathe before continuing, “You don’t have to feel the same way, I honestly don’t expect you to, but I want you to know that I plan to love you forever whether it be as your best friend or more.”

“You’re such a sap.” You finally breathe out with a soft smile on your face once he’s done, “I love you too, you fucking idiot.”

“You’re so bloody rude.” He grumbles out with a grin, “But you’re still the only one for me.”

“That I am.” You laugh out with a smile. “I’m sorry that I got myself injured, we could be having our first dance right now.”

He goes silent for a moment before a grin sneaks its way onto his face suddenly, “Who said we can’t?”

“What do you mea-“

Before you can even finish he’s standing up, snaking his arms around your waist and delicately pulling you up off of your wheelchair and into his arms. You gasp at the sudden movements and struggle to find balance in his arms but he does the work for you and helps you rest one arm along his while he takes the other hand in his own fingers and holds you up by your waist- with your feet resting on his. “Is this okay? Are you comfortab-“

“It’s perfect.” You cut him off with a content sigh and a smile as you start to sway back and forth gently.

“You’re perfect.”

“I know.” You giggle.

“Cocky.” He scoffs before dropping his lips down to meet your own- making you heave another content sigh against his lips.

“Merlin, It was about time you disgusting lovebirds got together!” You hear Pansy utter from somewhere behind you and drop your head into Draco’s shoulder as you both laugh at her comment.

[calwrites]

one of those days (s.r.)

Summary: You’ve had a really awful day. Luckily, your boyfriend always seems to make life better.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x female!reader

word count: 5k

we’re going to ignore civil war and just pretend everyone is a big, happy family in this one

request from @maximeevansblog

-------------------------------------------

You know those days where everything is going so wrong that you can’t even bother being upset about it anymore? As you stood on the sidewalk, staring at the coffee you had just paid too much money for and then dropped after taking three steps out of the coffee shop, you realized that your day had officially reached that point. It shouldn’t have been surprising that your day would turn out like this. You had started off the morning with a new case. One that was actually going to earn you money this time, which should have made you excited. Except your client was suing the Department of Damage Control, which meant going another round against Tony Stark and his legal team. Somehow, you had become the go-to lawyer for New Yorkers suing the DODC. While you and Tony got along on a personal level, you most certainly did not on a professional level.

You had barely had time to read over the new case before going to a meeting about another case you were working on. It was very obvious to everyone involved that your client didn’t have a very strong case, but having to deal with smarmy corporate lawyers rubbing it in was almost unbearable. Still, you managed to cut a deal that was better than anything your client would get in court, though you thought that they weren’t likely to see it that way. You were right. So that probably should have been the low point of the day. 

It wasn’t.

A large bouquet of your least favorite type of flower was sitting at your desk when you got back to your office. Unsurprisingly, a note from Tony was attached, which meant that he had heard about your newest case. Underneath the ugly bouquet were two letters from potential clients asking for your help pro bono. You would take the cases. You always took the pro bono cases, even though you didn’t have the time and could really use the money.

The text was what you thought was going to make you lose it. You had stared at the screen for a minute, wavering between wanting to throw it at the wall and wanting to lay your head down and start crying. Steve was stuck at the compound upstate and wouldn’t be able to make it into the city for date night. He didn’t offer a reason, but he rarely ever did when Avengers things were concerned. There were some things that he didn’t think you needed to know, and you were perfectly fine not knowing them. Still, you had been looking forward to seeing Steve. He had been stuck at the compound for most of the week, and you really missed him. At least he had promised a weekend at the compound, which was the closest thing to a vacation you ever had, to make it up to you.

You and Steve had been dating for a few years now. Though he technically lived at the compound, the two of you basically lived together. Whenever he wasn’t upstate, he was staying in your little Brooklyn apartment. Your friends often teased you that it wasn’t fair that you were the one to snag Captain America when he wasn’t even your favorite Howling Commando. It had been Dum Dum Dugan, but only because eight year old you thought his name was the funniest.

According to Steve, he had known the minute that he saw you, or actually heard you, that he was going to fall in love with you. He hadn’t even opened the door to Tony’s office before he was able to hear you ripping Tony a new one. Perhaps storming into Stark Towers to yell at Tony Stark wasn’t the smartest move, but you were young, it was your first big case, and you were fired up. Plus, the DODC needed to get it together because whatever system they had at that time wasn’t working. You ended up winning the case. Steve had known then and there that he had to know you. And Tony had decided that he needed you on his legal team. Only one of them got their way, and it wasn’t Tony. Not that he wasn’t still trying, you thought, glancing at the ugly flowers again.

It was impossible to be mad at Steve for missing date night because he had superhero responsibilities, but it still bummed you out. You managed to plough through the rest of the afternoon before heading home. As you passed your favorite coffee shop, you thought that you would treat yourself to some caffeine, since you would probably be up late working on the new pro bono cases. Of course, you had dropped the coffee almost immediately, which you took as a sign to just chalk up the day as a loss and head home as quickly as possible before lightning struck you or a tornado swept you up or aliens abducted you.

Morning came too quickly. Though you had gone to sleep earlier than you had anticipated, it was still hard to peel your eyes open. You glared blearily at the clock. It told you that it was still early in the morning, so why were you awake?

The answer came in the form of the creak of your bedroom door. You barely had time to panic about the possibility of an intruder before Steve poked his head in, a smile breaking out on his face at the sight of your sleepy confusion.

“Surprise, honey,” he said quietly.

“What are you doing here?” Despite your confusion, you reached out to him, pulling him onto the bed and snuggling into his chest.

Steve wrapped you up in his arms and settled deeper into the bed. “I felt bad that I had to cancel on date night after you had such a bad day, so I thought I’d surprise you. I’m taking you out and spoiling you today before we head upstate for the weekend.”

“I have work today, Steve,” you protested, though you were too happy to see Steve to really worry about work.

“I’ve already talked to your boss, and he told me that you were taking a half day today. I managed to talk him into giving you the whole day off. One of the perks of being Captain America.”

You hit Steve’s arm lightly. “I don’t know why everyone thinks you're such a golden boy. You’re a bad influence, Rogers.” Steve’s loud laugh caused your heart to soar. You’d stay in bed with Steve all day if you could.

As if he was reading your mind, Steve said, “Why don’t you go back to sleep for a bit? We have a reservation at your favorite brunch place in a few hours. You could get at least another hour of sleep.”

“I won’t argue with you, but you have to stay in bed with me.”

“I like that deal.” Steve kissed the top of your head gently as you snuggled into his side, already drifting back off to sleep.

An hour later, you woke up feeling much more rested. Opening your eyes slowly, you immediately found Steve gazing at you.

“Were you watching me sleep?”

“No.”

“You’re a bad liar, babe.”

“And you’re adorable when you’re sleeping, honey.”

“Ok, Edward Cullen, calm down.” You didn’t really want to get out of bed, but you forced yourself to stand and stretch, leaning down quickly to give Steve a peck on the lips.

“I don’t understand that reference.” It was hard not to laugh at the small pout on Steve’s face as he watched you walk into the bathroom.

“That’s because you refuse to watch Twilight with me. Now, I need to get ready for our day out. You can stay there and pour, or you can take a shower with me.” You didn’t bother waiting to see if Steve would follow you, confident that he was already scrambling out of bed.

After your shower, Steve insisted on picking out an outfit for you while you did your hair and makeup. Once the two of you were ready, you left the apartment and walked down to the restaurant, holding hands the entire time.

It was sometimes a bit strange when you and Steve went out in public. Steve managed to blend in pretty well when he was dressed in casual clothes, but he was occasionally recognized. Many New Yorkers had grown fairly used to seeing Avengers out and about and were content to leave them alone, but tourists were prone to getting over excited and star struck. Luckily, Steve flew under the radar during brunch. You thought that the waiter probably recognized him, but the only sign he gave was charging you for only half of your meal.

As you ate, you caught Steve up on your work, and he told you about some of the stuff the other Avengers had been up to. Bucky was settling into the team well, which you knew was a big relief for Steve. You had only met Bucky a couple times. He wanted to make sure that all of the Hydra brainwashing was gone before you spent much time together, despite both you and Steve trying to tell him that you trusted him.

After brunch, Steve let you drag him into some of your favorite stores. He played the doting boyfriend as you tried on clothes, showering you with compliments and even picking out a few pieces that he thought would look good on you. Despite your protests, he bought you way more than you were planning on getting, and silenced you with kisses when you tried to tell him you didn’t need it all.

You had assumed that you would head back to your apartment to drop it all off and then head up to the compound, but Steve led you into a nail salon on your way home and insisted on paying for you to get your nails done.

“You’re doing way too much, Steve. Honestly, we could have just gone to read in the park and it would have been a perfect day,” you told him. He looked a bit funny sitting on a small chair surrounded by shopping bags.

“I told you that I wanted to spoil you, honey. You work too hard. You deserve a day all about you.” You were about to protest more when your stomach let out a loud growl, causing your face to heat up in embarrassment. Apparently all of that shopping made you work up an appetite. “Wait right there,” Steve laughed as he stood up and made his way out of the nail salon. As if you had much of a choice, considering a woman had just started painting your nails.

The lady had just finished your first hand when the door opened and Steve walked back in, a fast food bag in his hand.

“I got the feeling you were hungry,” he teased as he sat back down next to you. He opened the bag and dug out a couple of fries.

“I’m kind of in the middle of something, babe,” you laughed, nodding your head at your hands that were splayed out on the table.

“That’s why I’m going to feed you,” Steve said as if it was obvious. He held the fries up to your mouth. You shook your head in amusement, but you ate the fries anyway. You knew that you were incredibly lucky to have a boyfriend like Steve, who was willing to sit and feed you fries and chicken nuggets as you got your nails done.

“You’re the best. You know that right?”

“Are you just saying that because I got you food?”

“No. I’m saying it because I love you.”

Steve’s smile spread shyly across his face. “I love you too.”

The two of you had finished the food by the time your nails were done. Steve once again took up all of your shopping bags, and the two of you walked back to your apartment. You packed quickly, eager to leave. To your delight, Steve had ridden his motorcycle into the city rather than taking a car, so you got to press yourself into his back as the two of you rode up to the compound. You loved riding the motorcycle with Steve. It was often too windy and loud to really talk, so you got to enjoy each other’s presence in silence.

“Where is everyone?” you asked when you got to the compound. Normally, you ran into at least one other person on your way to Steve’s room, but it was like a ghost town.

Steve shrugged. “Maybe they’re out. Or training. I think most people should be here this weekend though. They’re all looking forward to seeing you.”

At the beginning of your relationship, you had been nervous about meeting all of the Avengers. Your worth had been needless, though, as all of the Avengers had been happy to meet the mystery girl who was helping Captain America settle into the 21st century. Now, you could comfortably say that many of the superheroes were some of your best friends.

“Weird,” you muttered, but you weren’t really too concerned. They all had their own lives, so you couldn’t really expect them to be sitting around waiting for you all the time.

You didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Steve had decided that the two of you were making your favorite dinner, though you didn’t really do much. You sat on the counter and watched as Steve cooked. Music from the 40s floated gently through the room. You knew from Steve’s slightly wistful smile that he was remembering his old life. It broke your heart a little bit whenever he got quiet like that. You could never understand what he went through, but you hoped that you helped make it more bearable for him.

“What are you thinking about?” Steve’s voice broke through your thoughts and made you realize that you had been staring at him.

“You,” you answered simply.

“Me? I’m flattered.”

“Do you miss it? How your life used to be?” It was a subject you tended to skirt around because you were afraid of the answer.

Steve was silent for a minute, his face introspective. “I used to wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been frozen. Or if I hadn’t been picked for the serum at all, I guess. Now, I don’t think there’s any point in that. I can’t change what happened. I don’t think I would even if I could. I have everything I could ever need here.” Steve took your hands, rubbing his thumbs over your knuckles gently.

“There’s nothing you miss? The food? The clothes? The dancing?”

“Food is much better in this century. We used to boil everything. And we can still dance now just fine, honey.” To prove his point, he stepped back and dragged you off the counter. He pulled you against him, and the two of you swayed gently. You weren’t sure how many songs you danced to before the oven timer went off. Steve wrapped up in a hug and kissed you deeply before pulling away to get the food.

Dinner was delicious. Steve’s cooking had made great strides the last few years. You insisted on clearing the table while he got dessert ready. The two of you sat and chatted as you ate your dessert. At one point, Steve laughed so hard at something you said that he knocked his fork off the table. Shaking your head fondly, you bent down to pick it up.

When you sat back up, you were confused to find that Steve wasn’t in his chair across from you. Instead, he was kneeling on the ground next to you. You gasped, your hands flying up to cover your mouth, when you saw the small box in his hands.

“Y/N, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. I was a man lost in time before I met you. You’re my home. You’re the love of my life, and I hope that you’ll let me spend the rest of my life with you. Y/N, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” you laughed, tears falling down your face. “Yes! Yes, of course, Steve.” He took your hand and gently slid the ring onto your finger. He had barely finished before you were throwing yourself into his arms. 

“I was so nervous,” Steve admitted. His voice was muffled slightly because his face was buried in your neck. “I’ve been trying to decide how to do this for so long. Tony offered to book a private island, but I thought that might be a bit much.”

“Just a bit,” you agreed. You pulled back slightly to kiss him. Your hand shook slightly as you held it out to look at the ring. “It’s gorgeous, Steve.”

“It was my mom’s.” Your head snapped up quickly, your eyes once again filling with tears. You hadn’t known that Steve had anything from his family. “Howard and Peggy managed to keep some of my stuff. I guess they never stopped hoping I’d come back.”

“I’m glad they did.” You leaned in again, letting yourself get lost in the kiss. “I love you, Steve.”

“I love you too. Now you have to win your next case so you can pay for the wedding. Unless you want Tony to pay.”

“I can’t even imagine what that wedding would be like,” you groaned. “You might need to get a real job.”

Lucky for Steve, it didn’t come to that. You won your next case. And the one after that. And the one after that. In fact, your career was on a high leading up to your wedding. Not that you needed much money for the wedding. It was a small affair, only close friends invited since neither of you had any family. On Steve’s side were all of the Avengers and their friends. On your side were your friends from school and some of your coworkers, all of whom looked a bit overwhelmed to be in the presence of so many superheroes. You and Steve decided to have the wedding at the compound so that you wouldn’t have to worry about security or paparazzi or anything like that.

“I’m nervous,” you groaned for the hundredth time that morning. “Why am I so nervous? I feel like I’m going to be sick.” 

“You better not be sick. You just got your makeup done,” Nat pointed out dryly.

“And you need to get in your dress soon so you’re not late to your own wedding,” Wanda added.

You and Steve had agreed on having small wedding parties, so Nat and Wanda were your only two bridesmaids, while Bucky and Sam were Steve’s groomsmen. You opened your mouth to respond, but quickly clamped your lips together and rushed over to the toilet, making it just in time to avoid making a mess on the floor. Fortunately, Wanda was able to use her powers to hold your hair back.

“Are you sure nerves aren’t the only reason you’re feeling sick?” Nat asked as you sat back. “I noticed that you didn’t have anything to drink at your bachelorette party.”

Wanda’s eyes grew almost comically wide. “Oh my gosh, Y/N! Are you pregnant?”

Your mind whirled as you tried to come up with a way to spin this, but you realized it was pointless. “You can’t tell Steve.”

“He doesn’t know?” Nat asked. You felt it was a bit hypocritical of her to be judging you for keeping a secret when she was an actual spy, but you decided to let that slide.

“I didn’t want to tell him until I was sure and then he was so stressed about making sure the wedding was perfect. I didn’t want to make him more stressed.”

“This is amazing, Y/N,” Wanda squealed, wrapping you in a hug. After a second, you felt Nat’s arms circle around you too. “Now let’s go get you married.”

Any nerves that you had melted away when you saw Steve standing at the end of the aisle. His eyes filled with tears immediately when he saw you, causing you to become misty eyed too. You tried to hold the tears back, knowing Nat and Wanda would kill you if you ruined your makeup so quickly. However, you lost that battle once Steve started to say his vows, his voice breaking with emotion.

Most of the non-Avengers guests left after staying at the reception for a couple of hours because they didn’t want to be driving back into the city late. Once they were all gone, Sam started urging you and Steve to start opening up your presents. Eventually, you had to give in.

“Let’s see whose gifts are lame,” Sam cheered as everyone took a seat. The first gift that Sam declared lame was from Scott, who claimed that he had shrunk your gift to make transporting it from San Francisco easier and then lost it somewhere in his room.

“Cmon, small fry! Just admit that you didn’t buy anything,” Sam teased. Scott tried to defend himself, but soon everyone was piling on. You had to move on to the next present to put him out of his misery. Most of the others had given you things you mentioned needing for the bigger apartment you hoped to get soon. Even before you knew you were pregnant, you and Steve had decided that it might be time to upgrade from your small, one bedroom apartment.

Peter was a bit embarrassed by his gift. He couldn’t exactly afford to buy anything fancy. He was a high school student after all. Instead, he had made some sort of toaster, microwave, air fryer hybrid that he assured you didn’t explode...anymore. You weren’t sure how confident you were in that, but you acted thrilled anyways.

Vision bought you what he assured you was the safest baby essentials. You almost choked on your water when Steve opened the box for the crib, which Vision told you he would put together. Everyone else was too busy laughing to notice the panicked looks you, Nat, and Wanda shared. There were a lot of jokes about how Vision must be eager for some kids running around the compound, but he didn’t seem to understand why everyone was laughing. You were sure that he had somehow used his super robot brain to figure out that you were pregnant, but apparently he hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else.

Tony insisted on going last, of course. His gift was a world class realtor showing you some of the best apartments in New York, which Tony insisted he would pay for. Steve tried to refuse, but you stopped him.

“We’ll think about it,” you said. Steve looked at you in surprise. Since the Avengers didn’t get paid, Steve usually had to rely on Tony’s money, but you were the one who was always insisting on paying for things yourself.

“We will?”

You shrugged. “There’s no way we’ll get a fancy penthouse or anything, but we could use a good realtor. And let’s face it, Tony will find a way to end up paying for most of it anyways.” You knew that your family would no doubt spend a lot of time at the compound, but you wanted a nice place in the city where your kids could go and be normal kids. If accepting Tony’s help was what it took to ensure that your family would have a nice place to live, you were willing to live with that. Plus, not having to worry about rent would allow you to take more pro bono work. 

Everyone sat around chatting for a while after the presents were done. Steve had you tucked into his side as the two of you lounged on a couch and watched your friends.

“You wanna get out of here?” Steve whispered in your ear.

“I’ll have to ask my husband if that’s okay,” you teased, enjoying the chuckle you got out of Steve.

“I think he’ll be fine with it. Not that you ever listen to anything he says.” Steve stood, pulling you up with him. Your face burned when everyone started cheering the two of you on, but Steve just laughed and waved goodnight to them. The two of you walked through the compound to Steve’s room in comfortable silence. Tomorrow, you would head out for your honeymoon, so you were enjoying your last peaceful moments at home.

“Do you actually think we need Tony’s realtor?” Steve asked suddenly. “I thought you liked that place we saw the other week.”

“Are you trying to start our first marital fight?” you joked, trying to get Steve to drop it. There was no way to explain why you were second guessing the place you and Steve had both liked without explaining that it wasn’t as child-friendly as you would like.

“I’m serious, honey. What made you change your mind?”

“I don’t know. I guess I was just thinking about how a third floor walkup could make some things difficult. And that place isn’t that much bigger than where I live now. There are also much better neighborhoods. Maybe we could look for somewhere closer to a park with a few bedrooms in a building with an elevator.”

“A few bedrooms? Sounds like you're describing a mansion. This is the city we’re talking about.”

“I’m not asking for a penthouse or a townhouse or anything. Just something that isn’t very cramped.” You tried to pull away from Steve, but he wrapped you up in a big hug.

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. I just want to know what made you change your mind so much. I thought you said the third floor walkup would ensure we both stay in shape.”

You chewed on your lip thoughtfully, which made Steve know immediately that you were considering something important. Instead of answering, you grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him down the hallway and into his room. Once you shut the door, you turned to face him. He was alarmed slightly by the nervousness in your eyes. You and Steve hadn’t talked seriously about kids. You both wanted some, but it seemed like both of you thought about them in terms of the future, not right after getting married.

“I’m pregnant,” you said finally.

“What?” Steve had heard you perfectly, even though you had barely whispered it. Perks of being a super soldier. It looked like his brain was short circuiting, though.

“I’m pregnant,” you said again, louder this time. Slowly, you put your hands around Steve’s waist. “Steve? Babe, talk to me. Where’s your head at? I know we weren’t expecting to have kids so soon but-”

“This is amazing,” Steve breathed. He picked you up and spun you around. “Oh my gosh! This is amazing.” He gently set you back on your feet, then kneeled to kiss your stomach. “How long have you known? Does anyone else know?”

“I’ve only known for sure for about a week, but I was suspicious. Nat and Wanda know. And Vision, apparently.”

“That explains the crib,” Steve laughed breathlessly. He hugged you again.

“That explains the crib,” you agreed.

“And the apartment. Honey, I don’t care how much money Tony has to spend. Your kid is going to have the best place in all of New York City.”

“It doesn’t have to be the best. It just has to be home. And just so you know, you’re not allowed to miss the birth because you’re on a mission. You’re taking paternity leave as soon as I’m close to popping.” Steve laughed and agreed before picking you up and carrying you towards the bed.

Steve shouldn’t have been surprised by the text. Of course you would go into labor while he was across the country. You weren’t due for another three weeks, so you and Steve had both thought it would be safe for him to go on one last mission. It had been a quick one, luckily, so he had a chance to get there before you actually gave birth.

A few people gave him strange looks as he ran through the halls of the hospital, almost sliding past your room because he was going so fast. Though the looks might have been because he was still wearing his Captain America uniform.

You couldn’t help but laugh when you saw him stumble into the room. He seemed uninjured, which meant the mission was a success in your books. He was breathing heavily, not you knew it wasn’t from the running. Another perk of being a super soldier. Steve Rogers, who had fought actual aliens, was nervous.

“Thank god I made it,” he gasped, rushing over to grab your hand. “We broke about every speed limit on the way over. Sam thought I should just jump out of the plane and into the roof of the hospital, but I thought that might be a bit much.”

“Just a bit,” you agreed before being overtaken by another contraction. You squeezed Steve’s hand as your eyes screwed shut. “You made it just in time. I’m about to start pushing. I was going to ask them to go find a hot doctor to hold my hand.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Steve laughed, but he did grip your hand tighter. You smiled brightly at him. Despite what you said, it was such a relief to you that he had made it. Your smile faded when the doctor told you to push. This was the part you hadn’t been looking forward to.

Steve was on the edge of his seat next to you. He hated that there was nothing he could do to really make it easier, but he held your hand and reminded you to breathe.

Finally, you were able to collapse back into the pillows. You and Steve watched in amazement as the doctor placed the tiny, crying body in your arms.

“It’s a girl,” Steve breathed.

“It’s a girl,” you agreed. “And she’s perfect.”

“Yeah she is.” You turned to smile at Steve and realized that his eyes were already on you. He leaned in to gently press a kiss on your lips before bending down to press another on your daughter’s head.

You couldn’t help the tears of joy that ran down your face. You had the two most important people in the world with you now. You couldn’t ask for your life to be any more perfect.

[bandsanitizer]

5sos new pfp like is it a desert+blue sky or 5sos on a cloud+blue sky??? well…

red desert lyrics open with “red, red desert, heal our blues / I’d dive deeper for you / what a blessing to feel your love / twilight moments with you”

first thing to note is that while red and blue are not complementary colors, they do have some pretty high contrast when you think of them in their brighter shades: the red of red sand/dirt and the blue of a clear blue sky. then the idea of “diving” into a desert is contrasting in the notable lack of water in a desert and the tie of the act of diving to a body of water. you can’t really “dive” into a desert. and that’s where it’s worth noting they aren’t diving into the desert (“you”) but “for” the desert. that in order for there to be blues to heal, they need to exist. if we tie the contrasting state the desert allows for them, then to dive deeper is to go greater into said blues. which with the idea of how artists can be demanded/expected to pull themselves apart to create “good” art, it would follow that the healing of the red desert (ie: music) offers something good but requires continue submerging into the things that require to be healed.

then we follow up with the love associated with the healing. again referring to the desert as an idea of music/their careers, it’s acknowledgement of what art can do in terms of healing and the adoration/love that can come with being an artist and/or celebrity. then “twilight” is the moments where the sun is below the horizon, read: the beginning and end of the night. these are the moments when the sky sort of splits between red/orange and the blue/dark blue of night. both colors referenced in the song. “twilight moments” then refers to this inbetween of day and night, these ideas of change/tranisition. worth noting that they are then more fleeting than the day or night as wholes.

which then consider “would you pack up all your bags, stay true to north? / you’re the only one I’d do this for”. here the “you” would read as the red desert as well, which is something generalized for music/career/fans. it’s the idea of the band literally moving across the world for their careers. it’s the idea of them following their dreams (staying true to their drive = north) and the journey and travel it takes. not only literally in touring the world, but the navigating one has to do mentally and emotionally, as well. it’s questioning of if the toil would be reciprocate if swapped and the idea that if this career is their “north” then that “only one I’d do this for” is further recognition for the “north” but with the added burden of the toil emphasized by the blues despite the healing brought up in the chorus.

which overall we get the sensation of movement, of travel, with a goal in mind and something that’s being ran away from/left behind, without any other notion, really of surroundings. this paints a nice picture of a desert because, generally, I don’t think you’d walk through a desert without purpose—whether with destination in mind, as a means of escape, or to be in a desert—you don’t just go “yeah whatever” and end up surrounded by miles of sand in all directions.

but! if we take the idea of twilight as a transition of the sky from red to blue -> that either as the sun approaches the red desert (day to night) or the sun “dives” into the blue of the night/sky, it holds that the desert conveys consistent change for the sun, and that it takes travel to get to there -> the movement of the sun (relative to us watching on the earth) throughout the day. which in that understanding makes 5sos the sun…

where going back to the pfp: we either see 5sos in a desert in the day or on a cloud during the day. this idea to note is the lack of reds and oranges, the emphasis on blue, and the distance from the band (especially coming off of CALM and superbloom and wfttwtaf, which all had close ups of their shoulders up. we can’t even make out who is who in the pfp). this emphasizes transition and change. they are no longer in the “twilight moments” with the red desert but in the day. whether this is as people navigating the desert without stars to guide them or as the sun in the sky between cloud and blue skies—they’re in a period of transition creating distance from them and the “red desert” ie the comfort and healing music can provide. they need to navigate the space and time between them and the “twilight moments”. which, given they need the red desert for healing, is not necessarily bad. it could resemble growth. either way it’s an emphasis on change. which I think is furthered by the complete mess cover art with the blue and red in the background.

so what does this mean you ask after reading many words of wtf is she saying? WELL! I think it conveys the unsureness of it all. whether it be more present with pandemic issues or the overall sense of “who am I?” 5sos has seemed to contemplate over the past two years, I think there’s this idea of existing in an inbetween—between opposites (or almost opposites)—being conveyed. along with this the prediction of some sort of “you make me complete” and “you make me a complete mess” sort of word play that emphasizes this state of “could go one way or another”. and I could tie that a bit towards their personal lives that are also at transitions with 2/4 of them getting engaged/married. this isn’t a bad change (let me be clear) but it’s still change and transition and a moment between that idea of dating and being a few years settled into marriage.

I might be reading into thing too much (probably am lol they might’ve just gone: ooo looks dope, and that’s totally valid) but I do think 5sos5 is going to be an album that focuses a lot more on change in a long-run sense in contrast to the consistent and repetitive sensation of push-pull/give-take of youngblood or the on-and-off feelings I get from CALM. like the transition from desert to sky would also convey growth and I do think with the management and label changes, plus their solo albums, the time off, and their relationships? I think they have done growing that writing about growth might call for

[leiakenobi]

When We Were Young

Fandom: The Two Faces of January (2014) Pairing: Rydal Keener/F!Reader Rating: Teen Word Count: 2.8k Summary: When you find yourself stranded at a rest stop, you call the only phone number that you still have memorized. Warnings: references to Rydal’s toxic family situation (drawn from canon but kept vague) A/N: I went a bit overboard with this—inspired by the below picture for @autumnleaves1991-blog​ Writer Wednesday.

Cross-posted to AO3 here!

——

When you accidentally wore your phone battery down just to listen to your road trip playlist, you were not immediately concerned. You’ve come to know the drive back to your hometown like the back of your hand in the years since you graduated from college, so it’s not like you’d need to look up directions.

You hadn’t anticipated that you’d pull off at a rest stop an hour and a half out so that you could eat dinner in the dwindling twilight, only for the engine to sputter and smoke when you tried to get back on the road.

The implications of this one decision are not immediately obvious to you. You groan, and rest your head against the steering wheel, and you stew over this piece of shit car that you probably should have let your parents replace as a graduation gift, like they wanted to. When you’ve taken a few moments to properly dwell on the frustration of your predicament, you glance around and spot the rest stop pay phone in a booth not far from where you’re parked.

You’ve got change in your car for tolls, thank goodness, so you collect some and trudge over to the booth…

Only to realize that you’ve got no damn clue who to call.

A mechanic, perhaps, or a tow truck. That much is obvious, and there’s luckily a phone book of local businesses tucked into the booth that seems relatively up-to-date.

But as far as your family? Any friends from home? Let’s be realistic, here: you don’t know any of their phone numbers. You haven’t had to know them since before you finished high school, and the only number you did have memorized – your parents’ home phone – is useless to you now. Has been since they got rid of the landline last year. So what are you supposed to do, call a taxi company?

You lean against the glass wall of the booth and inhale slowly, looking around the empty rest stop. Here you are in an unfamiliar place, near nightfall, and it doesn’t escape your notice that it would be… deeply uncomfortable to call a stranger to come and collect your car, and another stranger to collect you. It is a disaster waiting to happen.

You worry at your lower lip while you try, desperately, to think of someone you know who you can call. Anyone.

One phone number surfaces in your brain, and you instantly wish that it hadn’t. Because you know almost at once that it is the only number that will come to mind.

You don’t know if it’ll still be in service.

You don’t know if you want it to be.

For another minute or so, you fidget with the change in your hand, and you strain for any lingering hints of a phone number of someone you might be able to call instead.

When you input the familiar digits into the keypad, it feels like defeat.

Ringing… ringing… Something of a shock already, to be quite honest, although you suppose there’s a chance that someone else got the number—

“Hello?”

Shit. It’s really him.

“Rydal. Hi.”

You’re heart pounds in your throat. As much as you hadn’t wanted it to be him, you’re now terrified – more terrified of this than anything, which frustrates you to no end – that he might not recognize you by your voice. Nothing would be more appalling, right now, than for him to ask, Who is this?

Instead, though… A heavy, heavy pause, and then, “Hi.”

A hi saturated with recognition and hurt that says yes, of course he knows it’s you.

He says more, too, which you half-catch. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“You’re going to laugh at me,” you say remorsefully. And it’s true—perhaps it’s been an eternity since you last spoke, but you know Rydal. You know he will laugh. A mirthful laugh, perhaps, no menace in it, but a laugh.

“Maybe I’m much more serious now.”

“I’m stranded an hour and a half from home with a dead phone and your phone number is the only one I still have memorized.” He laughs. A mirthful laugh, no menace in it, but a laugh. You explain, over his laughter, that, “I was just hoping that maybe you could get me the number of someone back home so that maybe they can come pick me up.”

Rydal hesitates again. It’s strange—you don’t remember him ever really stopping to think when you were kids. “If, theoretically, I’m back home… Would you want me to come get you?”

Him? Back home? You remember the vehemence with which he so often swore that he’d never step foot there again. “Are you theoretically home or literally home?”

“Literally. I’m back in my childhood bedroom as we speak.” He sighs softly into the phone before telling you, “I’m looking at the skid mark that you left on my closet door when you kicked it after that argument with your mom about… hair dye, wasn’t it?”

Your voice feels small in your throat when you reply. “That end-of-year party junior year.”

He hums thoughtfully and murmurs, “That’s right,” but you’re stuck thinking very, very hard. Because either you’re about to be in danger of running out of change to get ahold of your parents or another old friend and then a mechanic or tow truck on top of that, or…

Or you could just. Let Rydal fetch you.

“Sure,” you tell him. “If you could come, that would be… that would be great.”

 ***

 Not that you do the math, exactly – you can’t, with your phone and your car both dead – but you’re convinced that Rydal must break a few traffic laws to get to you as quickly as he does. And it’s not like that’s anything new for him—you remember the reckless joyrides you used to take together at least once a week. But somehow you’re surprised anyway by just how quickly he seems to pull into the lot.

You’ve been waiting in your car, all locked up and bundled in a coat and hat because with nighttime came a pretty strong cold front. Only a handful of other cars have come through the rest stop, and no one seemed to pay you much mind, thankfully.

Meanwhile, you know at once which car is Rydal from the way he peels into the lot just a little too fast, pulling into a spot beside your car despite the multitude of openings elsewhere at the rest stop. And as he steps out of his vehicle, he immediately muses, “I can’t believe you still have this pile of junk.”

Admittedly, it was a pile of junk when you bought it, and he told you so then, too.

But you’re just a little bit defensive when you jump out of your own car. “Hey, it hasn’t posed any real problems so far.”

“Whatever defenses you were able to make about this car went away tonight when this happened,” he retorts.

This is when you find yourselves standing at the hood of your car together, a few feet apart. This is when you have to decide how to actually go about saying hello.

Rydal murmurs, “Hey, Ace,” and you soften at once. That stupid nickname… he gave it to you in elementary school when the two of you went through a phase where you were convinced you were going to be hard-hitting journalists, and the name stuck even if the career aspirations didn’t. You never thought you’d hear it again, and it’s a little strange how good it makes you feel.

You murmur hi back while you pull him into a hug, and Rydal leans into it like it’s the only thing he wants.

“I didn’t want to call a mechanic until you got here,” you tell him after you’ve pulled out of his arms. “Is that alright?”

Rydal glances around this very abandoned rest stop where you’ve ended up waylaid. “Yeah, of course it’s alright. Maybe we can move your stuff into my car and then wait in there to keep warm?”

“Okay.”

The two of you exchange very few words while you retrieve your bags and tuck them away in Rydal’s trunk. Now, thankfully, you’re able to use his phone to make arrangements for your car, sharing a brief exchange with the mechanic about your car before you hear something quite along the lines of what you’d been dreading: “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be able to do much for you out there. I’ll give it a look, but I’ll probably have to tow it.”

As frustrated as you are, though, you’re just glad to get it taken care of, so you say, “Alright.”

By the time you duck into Rydal’s passenger seat, he’s fussed with the radio enough to find the local classic rock station, so some Rolling Stones song is now playing low through the speakers, and it feels like an uncanny echo of so many other moments.

It feels easy.

“He said half an hour.”

“No problem.” You go to hand Rydal his phone back, only to see him holding up a cord. When he sees you furrowing your brow in confusion, he says, “For you. So you can check in with your parents.”

“Shit, right, thank you.” He chuckles while you fumble to retrieve your brick of a phone from your pocket.

What follows is the moment where things should probably get awkward—your phone plugged in and charging and the mechanic dealt with, so now it’s just… the two of you. About to spend the next few hours together just because he made the mistake of picking up the phone when a random number called.

“How—”

“So what—”

There’s the awkwardness. An amusing awkwardness, and you both falter and chuckle before gesturing the other on, but you raise your eyebrows pointedly and he never was able to beat you in a staring contest or comparable challenge of wills. So he sighs and rolls his eyes. “I was just going to ask how you’ve been. My mom told me you got a promotion recently?”

You’re taken aback, and you have no doubt that you look it—leaning away and staring at him in surprise. “I did, how’d she know that?”

Rydal shrugs. “She runs into your parents at the store sometimes. I thought…” He trails off, meeting your gaze for a lingering moment before looking outside through the windshield.

He thought your parents would have told you about their shopping trip chats with his mother.

“No,” you say softly, and you leave it there. “I did get promoted, though. Which is great, especially because the more flexible hours let me do things like come home for my dad’s birthday.”

“Oh, yeah.” Rydal hums. “That’s tomorrow, right?”

You swallow sharply and nod. “Mhm.” Maybe you’d feel strange about him remembering so easily if it weren’t for the fact that not a year goes by without you thinking of Rydal on the birthdays of each of his family members—parents and siblings, the whole lot of them. “What about you? I didn’t even know for sure whether you were back in the country.”

“I’ve only been back for a few months. My, uh…” He leans his head against his window and shifts in his seat so that he can look at you more straight-on, and you see the way he flinches while he tries to find the words to say… “My dad died.”

“Oh fuck, Rydal…” You don’t know whether to say sorry, not when his relationship with his dad was always rocky. Not when it was that relationship that particularly made Rydal want to get as far away from home as possible. But Rydal grew up in a large family, with some siblings that were still quite young when you graduated from high school. No doubt that, at the very least, the financial burden would have hit his mother hard.

Perhaps he knows the tension that you’re parsing through internally, because he nods and tries to smile. “I know. It’s… things are going to be okay, but my mom just needed… I came back,” he finishes, awkwardly.

“Sure, of course.”

There’s a gentleness in your tone that makes him soften, and he nods – more to himself than to you – before suddenly his expression is bright and engaging.

What a familiar transformation.

“I can tell you all about Europe, though,” and you’re quick to take him up on his offer.

 ***

 “I don’t know which is more depressing—watching my car get pulled away by a tow truck or knowing how much money I’ll have to spend to get it fixed or replaced.”

Rydal glances over at you while he pulls out of the rest stop at last, following in the mechanic’s wake. “Definitely the second one.”

“Yeah, I know, but the tow truck was depressing too.”

He smirks to the road but says nothing.

Conversation is easy enough, by now, but still, there are a million things weighing on you that you don’t know how to say. A million things that maybe you shouldn’t say. It surprises you, then, that Rydal does offer up… a hint of something, after giving it a beat.

“I’m honestly still surprise you kept it this long.”

You shrug vaguely, even though you’re not sure that Rydal can see it with his eyes ahead. “Guess I didn’t have someone like you to help me do my research to pick out a new one.”

Mediocre excuse, and you both know it, but again, there’s a smile tugging at Rydal’s lips. “There’s no one like me.”

Irritatingly true.

“I can’t imagine all the shit you’ve put that thing through for a decade.”

“Honestly, you saw most of it. My college friends were a lot more subdued than we were.”

Rydal fucking preens. “Glad to hear it.”

But you can’t help smiling, so you shake your head and smirk out the passenger-side window. “I thought you might be.”

Then, if there was any doubt that he was thinking of-- “Please tell me that the back seat at least saw some better action.”

A million things weighing on you that you don’t know how to say, and he says about half of them by making a joke at his own expense. Well, at your expense, too, but the light-hearted self-criticism is in there and it’s probably the reason that it’s so easy to laugh earnestly and say, “In our defense, we should have realized that your dad’s truck was more ideal.”

“We figured it out eventually.”

“That we did.”

Now here’s the thing. Rydal said it, opening up the whole potential mess of… well, the mess of the two of you. But you know him—even after years apart, you know him. You know him well enough to see that he’s not going to say another word about it if you choose to leave it alone.

“I still wonder whether I should have come with you.”

The energy in the car changes immediately. Neither of you can quite look at the other—instead, you both face forward, Rydal clearing his throat slightly before he asks, “Yeah?”

Your voice is quiet as you admit what you haven’t been able to say aloud to anyone, not ever. “Yeah. At least deferred college for a year. I don’t--” You nearly say I don’t know why I didn’t defer a year, but that’s not true. You remember all too well why you didn’t. “Maybe I should have deferred.”

“Maybe it wasn’t fair for me to ask you to.”

“No, it wasn’t about that, Rydal.” You turn to look at his profile, leaning against the headrest and taking him in. Taking in how much he still looks like the boy you knew; how much he looks like a complete stranger. “I was just terrified of what you were actually telling me.”

Because even though he never said it, not aloud, you knew. “That you were it for me.”

“And I didn’t know whether you were for me. Deferring would have just made that harder if I…”

If you didn’t want him after that.

Rydal nods slowly. He braves a look in your direction, braves a hint of a smile, and tells you, “I think you would have liked Italy best.”

“I bet that’s true.”

 ***

 A few minutes from your parents’ house, you say it.

“Can I see you again? When I’m in town and it’s not my dad’s birthday, I mean.”

Rydal chuckles. “Ace, if you’re trying to be nice--”

“Hey, no, I’m serious. No bull shit. Coffee or drinks or whatever.”

“Or whatever,” he echoes. Glancing at you with raised eyebrows.

You roll your eyes. “We’ve been friends for more of our life than not, and I just…” You parse through your words for a moment, wanting them to sound right. Because it’s an impulse request, perhaps, but it comes out of a feeling that’s hung over you in more than a few sleepless moments. “We’re not those kids anymore. I’d like to know you again as not those kids.”

It doesn’t pass your notice that this time, you’re the one opening up a whole potential mess.

“Well. I guess if you already have my number.”

——

interested in my other fics or my taglist form? you can find them on my masterlist here

tagging: @aellynera​ @be-the-spark-flyboy​ @foxilayde​ @hyperfixatingmenever​ @jitterbugs927​ @knivesareout​ @louderrthanthunderr​ @marvelousmermaid​ @poedameronloverx​ @santiagogarcia​ @sergeantkane​ @soyelfuegoquearde​ 

(since I didn’t anticipate that I’d get around to writing anything for Rydal, I only recently added him to my taglist form. I went with tagging anyone who requested to be tagged in any of my Oscar fics. If I’ve tagged you here and you would not like to be tagged in Rydal in the future please don’t hesitate let me know)