#alix original post

[hyperfixatingmenever]

[sil3ntm0thart]

introducing eladora

[naresar]

Alix: If your future self doesn't come back in time to stop you, is it really that bad of an idea?

*Alix gets yanked into the burrow by Bunnyx*

Kim: So does that mean that we're not doing the thing?

[thatrandomartblog]

Finishing up references (Not for Artfight, but to free some space for it mdsklnvklfdnvd) I’m almost done with this batch! 

[kittykat-pikachu]

list of things about mussed up houses

house of leaves by mark z. danielewski

skinamarink by kyle edward ball

the house in the ocean by mister manticore

myhouse.wad by veddge

this house has people in it by alan resnick (possible? its more like the people are the strange thing)

monster house by gil kenan (maybe not messed up in the right way for this list)

burning down the house by the talking heads (only in passing)

additions:

the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson (book)

the haunting of hill house by mike flanagan (tv adaptation of the book)

rose red by stephen king

vivarium by lorcan finnegan

changing planes by ursula k. le guin (not a house, but thematically close)

charlotte markham and the house of darkling by michael boccacino

slade house by dave mitchell

little, big by john crowley

the inner room by robert aickman

phantom architecture by phillip wilkinson

bite size terrors: erobos heaven by anoverthinker (seems like possibly the house isnt whats strange? but i dont know for sure i havent played it)

anatomy by kitty horrorshow

childhood homes (and why we hate them) by qrowscant

the house next door by annie rivers siddon

white is for witching by helen oyeyemi

haunted by poe (album counterpart to house of leaves??? holny crap)

the house with a clock in its walls by john bellairs (also has a movie adaptation)

p.t. by hideo kojima

coraline by neil gaiman (more like the creature is making the house messed up but yeah ill count it)(EDIT: okay yeah that house IS just messed up. forgot the beldam didn't make the other house)

starling house by alix harrow

the witch's house by fummy

house (hausu) by nobuhiko obayashi

the house is alive and the house is hungry by the paper chase

my house walk-through by nana825763

control by sam lake

house of bones by jeffery scott lando

lungbarrow by marc platt

if anyone knows of other things that fit this niche, any type of media, feel free to add on. i'll edit and add it to the original post. i just really like this specific niche

thank you to @bas-fish, @eggmixercortex, @ohiotpke, @posteriorpeasantpresents, @hadoom, @dougielombax, @lite-weaver, @mimillion, @elvriskastello, @apotheoseity, @hauntedhousez, @sophiewooloo, @jumbledthemes for contributing :3

i should sort this + add links putting that on my to-do list

[into-september]

Haven't watched the London special but have two observations on when we'll see Adrien learning the truth

DIEGETICALLY: The butterfly miraculous is still lost by the time Alix is in her twenties

ON THE META LEVEL: People talk a lot about Adrien being denied the truth about his dad but I haven't seen anyone bring up Cat Noir being denied the truth about Hawkmoth's demise.

Between "your dad was the supervillain who wanted to change history so your mum never died" and "your dad spent his last months in agony and died by literally rotting to pieces because of the magic that it was your job to use responsibly", we all know which is the worse news. The Movie showed us the first being overcome even after said dad had laid Paris in ruins; the NYC special showed us Adrien's collapse after less than half of that happened to a stranger and then was fixed.

From the way people are posting about the London special, I have the distinct impression that it was also not the part of the problem that the writers were interested in milking for angst. The real focus of this episode should've been Plagg, Alix and Tikki dealing with the aftermath of "Destruction", but instead the fandom is here discussing whether or not we should absolve Marinette for being used to strip the flooring after the writers painted themselves into a corner. The show asks us to pass our judgment on Marinette's choice, but claiming that this is Marinette's choice to make is a fallacy.

Let's be clear on this: "Destruction" exists because there had to be an in-story explanation for why the show won't deal with Adrien learning Hawkmoth's identity. There is a pretense of discussing the morality of Marinette's decision to heed Gabriel's wish above Adrien's autonomy, but per the genre and the tone and the focus and the target audience, there was no other option.

Because here is the truly wild part of this whole debacle: Marinette isn't even making an informed decision. She doesn't have an inkling of what Hawkmoth's identity would do to Adrien. Only when The Reveal happens will she know the gruesome extent of the tragedy that is Adrien Agreste and the true weight of the secret she opted to keep; if she hadn't decided to hide the truth on her own, Plagg/Tikki/Alix would be forced to interfere. Yes Marinette's actions are terrible horrible no good very bad, but if stopping Cat Noir from activating his cataclysm in the wax museum would inevitably lead to Gabriel reviving his angelic wife (which was somehow a worse ending than him reviving his supervillain secretary???), then the solution should be to go back to "Origins" and make sure Master Fu gave Plagg's miraculous to literally anyone else than his son. The real question left by the S5 finale isn't "should Marinette tell Adrien", it is why it was a cosmic necessity that Gabriel Agreste was killed by his own son when Ladybug's team has access to the miraculous who could prevent that tragedy.

There is no universe where the thematically coherent and narratively satisfying climax of the story about Cat Noir and Hawkmoth is "Adrien confronts his girlfriend about lying", and the bitter comfort is that it won't be. If the truth of Hawkmoth's identity ever were to reach Adrien, his girlfriend lying about it would be the least of his sorrows, because those sorrows would be so grotesque that there is no way the show will ever acknowledge them; closure to this storyline was made impossible the moment it was decided that Gabriel would take his death at Adrien's literal hands. When "parents go to jail" was too dark for the networks, I somehow don't think they'll be interested in doing the first ever production of Oedipus Rex for the 4-10 audience.

[tumblingxelian]

Chloe & Heroism

Chloe Bourgeois as a hero early on is a premise that often evokes either questions, like "How" and "Why". Or expectations that she is either already on a path to self improvement, or will be forced onto within a short timeframe.

These are not bad questions and the former definitely are necessary to consider for a story. However the expectations I tend to feel a bit murkier and while I have no issue with how some authors handle this topic.

I want to outline why I think you could do a good "Hero Chloe" story before she gets character development, but first, house cleaning!

1: I have not watched and largely ignore everything post season 3, so don't bother bringing up Derision. Remember, season 1 Kim was afraid of spiders.

2: In canon. Chloe only revealed her ID publicly because her abusive mother she is obsessed with pleasing (who killed her the day before) chose a girl other than her to take to New York & then tore her to shreds in front of everyone. 

With all that in mind let's examine where Chloe's values and understanding of the world comes from and how she perceives them! 

1 - Media/Social Media 

This would be a mixed bag, because on one hand they have Mighty Majesta comics that try to instill good values, but also shows built around lying to and humiliating people are evidently popular television and the internet seems similar in regards to pranking VS trying not to be terrible. So she's gonna get mixed signals at best. 

2 - Her family & Circle 

This is where 90% of the problems come from. Of the important adults in her life, her father, mother, Gabriel and Nathalie are all varying shades of corrupt, abusive, cruel and ruthless, while the lesser evils like Jean and Emilie are largely consigned to the role of enablers. 

Worse still, even if we ignore the emotional abuse, neglect and other elements that led to her both having trauma and her trauma response manifesting in aggression. We still have issues like Andre, during the brief periods he bothered to parent, explicitly teaching Chloe that, Stealing, extortion and threats are all appropriate ways to succeed in life.

IE, she isn't compromising her morality when she does these things, she is very much doing what she is taught was right at least consciously. This isn't helped by a 24/7 Audrey impression as Audrey deems being in her vicinity as reason enough to hurt people unless she deems them useful. 

Long story short, the values and people she was brought up around are all explicitly some shade of bad, or enabler, or outright teaching her to harm others. 

3 - Societies & Class 

However, we know from season 2 that Chloe is not entirely unaware that there are issues with this. Because while she spends much time boasting of how she's beloved and brilliant, when stripped of that and exposed to someone she trusts she is entirely willing to confess that she knows everyone hates her and that she feels she has no worth. She may not be able to articulate why or how this came about but she knows something is wrong. 

Despite this, school is not the best place to figure this out, especially for someone who obviously struggles with social cues and the like. The teachers run the gamut from indifferent and unpleasant, to extremely gentle and accommodating, to simply not wanting any form of drama and usually caving to whoever makes the most noise and none of them have the authority to do much outside of class hours. 

The class is not significantly better, because students like Kim and Alix can and do casually throw around snark or do pranks and at worst only get brief bursts of anger while Chloe's garner a more intense response. This is because her relationship with the class and motives are varying shades of different, but for someone with issues reading social cues, it's just going to seem like a confusing double standard. 

We can also see all this demonstrated in her relationship with Adrien, as Chloe clearly takes the lead in their relationship in Origins and outlines her logic behind the pranks, but is then surprised when Adrien seems to turn against her. What's more, it seems Chloe is aware that Adrien is more gentle/naive than her given she tried to educate him on these matters & turns to him for comfort and protection at times, while seeing no inherent contradiction between her expectations for their relationship and how she treats others.

Adrien does not help matters with seeming indifference to how she treats staff. 

Thus, while she knows 'something' is terribly wrong, actually being able to understand it and work through it is another matter. 

4 - Chloe's Conclusion 

So, what is the conclusion Chloe comes to in order to square all of these circles when she isn't just in full denial mode? The answer is quite simple and even demonstrated in the show itself, playing one's role. 

IE, Chloe the mayor and style queen's daughter is different to Chloe the hotel owner's daughter and we see this in her being able to stamp down on her usual instincts and slap on a customer service role when Jagged Stone enters the hotel and guide her father into doing the same. VS how she conducts herself during a class election, IE explicitly threatening and extorting people, to how she conducts herself day by day with her Audrey impersonation. 

A separate example and way she'd view this for others would be that Marinette the baker's daughter of course has to be nice and sweet and giving because that is how customer service roles work, while Marinette the aspiring fashion designer or would be class president is sneakier and will lay traps so people trying to steal from her are sabotaged. This isn't wrong, this is how she expects people to behave when in these circumstances and roles. 

Final Conclusion 

Which is why Chloe could easily play the role of a successful hero, because she would not be "Chloe Bourgeois, mayor's daughter, hotel heiress and Style Queen's daughter" as Queen Bee, she would just be Queen Bee, a superhero.

They have wonderfully defined roles that would be easy for her to pick up & follow through on: assure the public, save people from danger, protect allies, defeat monsters, all things Chloe was shown doing very well when chosen as a Miraculous Holder. 

I think that eventually the contrast in how she is received as Queen Bee VS Chloe Bourgeois would start grinding on each other and bleeding through both sides of the mask. 

But the infectious nature of empathy and a larger support network that don't have the worst impression of her would give Chloe the room she needs to explore and grow.

If she is too snippy as a hero, or shows a ruthless side, these won't be taken in the context of "Chloe that person I dislike" but "Queen Bee my ally" and can allow for more honest and even handed reactions that give her the necessary breathing room to grow and change. 

So yeah, I think season 1 Chloe could have, under the right circumstances, done a great job as a hero be it Queen Bee or another hero even before any outside circumstances or internal changes might have forced her to chart a new course in life.

Provided the role of Chloe and the role of hero do not intersect and become one almost immediately, because in that case it gets a lot harder for her. 

[nobodyfamousposts]

Hey I love your work. This idea keeps popping up in my head involving your doll au. I know in your posts for this au marinette still become guardian and let's say a situation causes a scene similar to the beginning of gang of secrets. Girl squad comes over, confess her secret, starts to look through her room. But instead of almost finding the box, they find Chatton drawing behind a pillow. I imagine 5 one-shots of the each girl babysitting him. Or did I just create the origin of reluctant dark l

Chaton was having a good day!

He got to rest in Mister Sunbeam. But he wasn't sleepy. Instead he was working! He was being artsy, just like Mama!

Chaton had a big piece of paper and his own cray-eons to draw with! And he was drawing all sorts of things!

He was drawing Mama! And Mama as a hero! The best hero! Spotty Mama with a cape and staff!

And he was drawing Pinkling and Greenie and Grand Pa Fu! And the Box! And the Friends Inside!

And Untie! And cookies! And kitties!

Hmm….he was running out of space on the paper.

But he had more paper to draw even more things on! Yay!

He thought it over and was debating whether to draw an alien or a unicorn.

…..he couldn't make up his mind, so he decided to do both and draw a space unicorn!

And he delivers rainbows and smiles!

And he shoots marshmallows with his laser!

Chaton got really into his drawing that he stopped paying attention to the sounds of the bakery below.

Even when those sounds started getting louder.

Alya, for her part, wasn't having that good of a day. But it was going to improve now that she had a plan to talk to her best friend. And she was going to ge some answers, mark her words!

"Okay, we'll talk to Marinette and get her to tell us the truth so we can help her!" Alya explained the plan with the other girls in tow.

Alix frowned, uncertain. "Maybe we should let her talk to us in her own time?"

Alya rolled her eyes. "I am not going to stand by when my girl is hiding secrets!"

And not wasting any time, she shoved open the door to Marinette's room.

"Marinette! We've come for the truth!" She announced.

Silence.

Nothing but silence and an empty room.

Empty and silent.

Except for the sounds of scratching on paper.

And Marinette's Chat Noir doll in the middle of her room. Whom was clearly the one drawing on the paper. And looking quite happy with himself.

The girls stared.

Chaton finally took notice of the intrusion and turned to the ones responsible.

They gaped at him.

Chaton stared back, a bit surprised. People? Who were these people? Why were they there? What were they doing there?

Then he realized that there WERE people there and remembered that he was supposed to not be caughted.

Chaton flopped back onto the ground, pretending to be a regular toy and hoping they didn't see him.

Alya stared in disbelief.

"No, don't try pretending now. We saw you." She told him.

No, they didn't. Chaton insisted.

[blueberry-bubbles130]

Lila Rossi everyone!

This post is about her character, rather than her and Felix’s role in the story. I decided to cut the whole mom thing from canon, because I couldn’t deal with it. So in this au, she’s an orphan being raised by her older brother who’s around 21.

She starts being a manipulative little bitch. Her original outfit style was copying Marinette’s style out of insecurity. But after a while and finding out about Chloe, she becomes a better person and goes back to her own style. She never becomes 100% good. More so a little gremlin. she’s still really good at manipulating and making people think she’s different that she actually does. But with the class she’s open about who she actually is. And they’re friends with her. She and Felix end up dating, but it’s kept mostly secret because Felix and Kagami start fake dating so Chloe doesn’t get exposed. She becomes best friends with Alix because they have some similarities but also differences. They both are more into more punk fashion. Lila has lots of punk fashion in her wardrobe, and she wears it regularly. She really just likes wearing spiky things. Big spiky books, spiky headbands.

She’s the kid who saw far too many horror movies and games when she was too young and has become desensitised to it. You know unrestricted internet access, and stumbling across creepypastas that scared her when she was eight. But now she laughs. Alix shows Lila all her racing games and Lila shows Alix all her horror stuff. She also loves Dead Rising. She’s played far too much of it for her own good. She’s gotten all the trophies on Xbox 360. she’s played them all to death. She has dead rising 1, dead rising 2, and dead rising, off the record. (Dead rising 3 and 4 don’t happen in this au)

So when the dead rising zombie akuma happens, Lila is overjoyed she can finally put those zombie killing skills to good use. Her and Alix consider themselves trained professionals in getting rid of zombies. (Playing zombie games do not count as professional training in the slightest)

[lukaslosteyelashes]

My Review of the Miraculous London Special, Part 1

I've watched the London special and I really wanted to write out my thought on it sooner but I got so caught up in reading and reblogging others’s posts that my thoughts got jumbled up.

Anyway, I really wanted to reflect on my theories that I wrote before the release of the episode and share my further speculations, thoughts and questions.

What this part contains:

The opening scene - I'm pondering some of my previous thoughts about Lila and how she utilizes the power of the Butterfly Miraculous.

The wish - A theory about what wish could have wiped out their future.

Let’s get to it!

Spoilers ahead ->

The opening scene

was quite impactful. We see a miserable Nooroo at Lila’s lair in an invisible force field or something of that sort, which is very interesting. I wonder how Lila was able to make it, maybe every Miraculous holder has that power over their Kwaims.

Then Timestalker appears and it reveals that it’s Lila herself which made me question some things about her.

Not gonna lie, I always thought that Lila could remember every instance she was akumatized, maybe except for the first one. So the fact that she needed the notebook to write everything down as a Timestalker so that she could get the information after she breaks from the Akuma’s effect, surprised me. That’s why the theories about Timestalker being a different person, precisely either Adrien or future Lila, were born in the first place. Also Gabriel, Nathalie and everyone who was able to break from the akumatization remembered what happened (if I remember correctly) so it's baffling why she can't. I want to think that she actually upgraded her Akumas, that it's different from the Akumas Gabriel were using and it's also different from the Mega Akumas. Someone pointed out that she wears the brooch upside down, different from how Gabriel wore it which might have some effect on the powers.

To be honest, I didn't understand Timestalker’s ability at first so I needed to rack my brain a little bit 😅, But after I understood it one thing become clearer: which is, how was Lila able to get the Butterfly Miraculous in her Edna disguise and find out Ladybug’s identity as Timestalker at the same time.

These two moments take place very close in time. But it still doesn't answer the question of how Lila knew that the Butterfly Miraculous will be lost in the rubble. Did she just guess or was she there for something else and found it by chance?

Anyway, my future Lila theory (that I briefly touched at the end of this post) wasn’t that far fetched, but instead of a couple years older Lila we got a couple hours older one and instead of having two of them from a completely different timeline, it’s the same Lila being both villains. Also the boxes had a different purpose than I originally thought.

So, after she de-akumatized herself, she read the notes then quickly akumatized herself again, using her bag this time and became Spectral Looter then disappeared to pay a heartwarming visit to Marinette to steal the Miraculouses. Then she made a wish?

The wish

I expected we would find out what she wished for and what she sacrificed for it, if she even sacrificed anything, but we didn’t. It kinda makes sense, we can’t discover Lilamoth's objective too soon.

At first I thought her wish might be Ladybug to never exist and I will continue to believe that until it is proven otherwise but with a little bit of a modification: she wished for either Marinette or Ladybug or both to not exist. Lila hates both of them with a burning passion and after she found out that the two of them are the same person, it kind of made things easier for her, it's enough to deal with one of them to get rid of both of them.

Like I said, we don't know what she's after so her wish could be literally anything but whatever was it, it was powerful enough to wipe out the future where Alix Kubdel is bunnyx completely and quite fast.

part 2 | part 3 | part 4

[uhavebeengalaxyd]

This might be my first real like, original thought. Like, this may be entirely new to tumblr. IDK. idk if anyone else in the miraculous ladybug fandom on here has ever put any thought into it. if they have i NEED to see it. I was thinking about which characters would and wouldn't shave their armpits, and I think I have a faairly comprehensive list? Marinette: No. She doesn't have the time, and does not care enough to. Adrien: I fear he may be contractually obligated to. Perhaps S6+ he won't because oops his dad is dead, but he CERTAINLY has to s1-s5. Alya: She does, but she isn't super picky about it. She just shaves when she feels like it. Nino: He wouldn't even think to shave his armpits. Kagami: She does. Probably on scheduled days in the week. Felix: He could go either way, I fear. If he does, it's probably only when he's gearing up for some sort of theatre thing. Luka: He doesn't, and goes out of his way to make it clear that he doesn't care if anyone does or does not. Juleka: She doesn't, but used to pretty religiously when it started growing out. Rose: She does, but only for special occasions. Alix: If someone told her to shave her armpits, she'd get PISSED! I imagine her older brother teases her about it enough at home. (She doesn't shave her armpits as a STATEMENT. And because she is lazy.) Max: no.... Kim: oK SO. Here's the thing. He's a swimmer, and swimmers tend to shave for like, swimming reasons (??) but he's also the most dudebro person I've ever seen, and I feel like he'd think that shaving was gay (and that it was a bad thing). lmk what you think. Marc: Yes, but it really depends on how they're feeling that week. Nathaniel: No, but it's more of a sensory thing than anything else. Ivan: Ivan trims his armpit hair when it gets too long, but doesn't shave it. Mylene: No, she doesn't really like using disposable razors and environmentally friendly shaving creams/soaps are more expensive.. Sabrina: Yes, and it's fairly regularly maintained. Chloe: She's a little obsessive about her whole routine in my head, so she is VERY on top of shaving her armpits. Zoe: She did, but upon coming to France, she mostly stopped. When her mom comes to visit, on those ever rare occasions, she picks it back up. Lila: Yes, because of ~presentation~ BONUS ROUND: Fu: I don't know why anyone would think he would. Natalie: Yes. Now that she's an assistant to a millionaire and in her 40s at least, I imagine that's kinda protocol. Gabriel: LOL. no <3

if anyone has anything else, PLEASE post them. idk. this may be too out there even for me.

[hyperfixatingmenever]

.... not for long

[sil3ntm0thart]

[princess-of-the-corner]

I am rapidly realizing that Chloe and Sabrina have a VERY similar dynamic to James and Jesse from Team Rocket (especially the way you write Chloe and Sabrina where their issues interact in exactly the wrong way for a particularly healthy friendship).

With this, I have to wonder who their Meowth equivalent would/should/could be. The In-Between for the Nice-Mean-In Between trip. The Creature. The deadpan snarker that evens out the Bombastic Temper with the Very Intelligent Doormat.

While their dynamic does work as it stands, I just think it would be more fun to give them another personality to bounce off of. Whether in a rewrite or some kind of Canon Divergence sitch.

My candidates thus far are:

-Alix, rejoining the originally intended trio of mean girls. We get some of this in Hero Chat too, which is cool.

-Felix because Adrien's too nice and Felix's personality does slot right in there. Something something childhood friends.

-Lila could be, depending on how you extrapolate her personality when she's not In Control or masterminding. Could probably happen post-redemption arcs for her and Chloe.

-I also had the HIGHLY entertaining thought that while Adrien's personality is too polite and friendly, he lets himself loose with some snark as Chat Noir. This means you could build a really fun trio with the three of them in their hero personas. Bonus points if they slide into that without knowing each other's identities.

You could also throw Adrien in there as the sweet ditz to make a Mean Girls trio, but I have more fun with a Team Rocket dynamic.

Just little shower thoughts that I thought may be worth sharing.

Honestly every time I put the three of them in a groupchat all alone, Chloé, Sabrina and Adrien have their usernames set to the Team Rocket Trio lmao. Adrien may be sweet but he can be a petty bitch when he wants to be.

Felix and Lila can be Butch and Cassidy

[thatrandomartblog]

An old man, he can make a deal ortwo with you

[gaysindistress]

When Night Comes - seven

Summary: Who would win in a staring contest? New York’s resident mob boss and master of the side eye Bucky Barnes or the daycare teacher who really wants to go home and smoke?

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x reader

warnings: mob!Bucky, cursing, the feels, angst, I’m not nice to Yelena in this chapter

word count: 4k

six | masterlist

Tag list: @vickie5446 @cakesandtom @buckybarnessimpp @hidden-treasures21​ @unaxv​ @mal-adaptive-dreams @elizacusi-blog

a/n: “If We Were Vampires (feat. Wesley Schultz)” by Noah Kahan inspired the last part of this chapter so give it a listen when you get closer to the end. I also need to stop making a posting schedule. I never follow it 😂

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on Google/Pinterest

“If you can hear me, clap once.”

“If you can hear me, clap twice.”

“If you can hear me, clap three times.”

“And if you can hear me, put your hands in your lap,” Sunny smiles as the kids follow her instructions, “Thank you, thank you. Now we are going to go outside so when I call your name, please grab your things and go line up. I want a spy line; no one should be able to hear or see us walk down the hallway, yeah?” 

The kids shout ‘yes’ in response and eagerly await their turn to line up, their tiny bodies nearly shaking with excitement to play outside. One by one they collect their things and line up, each having a little side conversation while eyeing the two teachers in the room because they know they’re not following expectations. Jessica, always the fly on the wall, sneaks up behind two boys and surprises them when she whispers, “Aren’t spies supposed to be silent?”

They nod in agreement and quickly shut their mouths, turning to face the person in front of them. Most of the time she’s able to surprise them and scare them (with love) while other times she has to whip out her maternal look of scorn to get them to follow rules. Sunny, however, can glance over in their direction and the kids immediately shape back up. All it takes is one fleeting glance and the kids know to listen. The more challenging ones might need a verbal reminder but sweet little Wyatt Rogers is quick to do that for the teachers. Jessica likes to joke that he will grow up to be a teacher or police officer one day with his love for rules and enforcing them. 

Today is no different with him quickly stepping in to gently correct his peers before Jessica or Sunny have to. Unease fills Sunny though when she meets his startling blue eyes. She convinces herself that he has no way of knowing about Strigoi and that she knows about his parents even though the way his eyes are piercing her at the moment might be telling a different story. She offers him a small smile, hoping to ease her own worry. He smiles back before looking away to talk to the boy behind him. With his eyes no longer analyzing her soul, she should feel a way of relief washing over her but she doesn’t. 

The phone rings, telling them that a parent is there to pick up their child, and she jumps at the sound. Jessica gives her a puzzled look as she starts the headcount and Sunny answers the phone. 

“Hello, dragă.”

The honeyed voice strikes fear into her core and she freezes as it continues to speak, “I’m here for Wyatt. As much as I like Jessica, I’d rather you be the one to bring him out.”

“Uh… yeah okay, I’ll bring Wyatt out,” she stutters, hanging up the phone too quickly and shoving it into her sweatshirt pocket. 

“Wyatt!” she calls over to the boy, “Wyatt it’s time to go home.”

“I can take him,” Jessica offers, still not blissfully unaware of everything that had happened a few days prior. All she had gotten out of her was that the date had gone well. Other than that, not a single word about Bucky or Alix. 

“No, it’s okay. I’ll do it.”

Jessica catches her wrist before she can walk out of the door, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” and with that, she pulls her wrist away and places her hand on Wyatt’s shoulder to walk him to the main entrance. Standing with his back to the door is Bucky in a black and white tweed jacket with black jeans and a matching striped sweater under. Wyatt races to open the door when he sees his uncle, pushing the door open with all of his might and letting the devil in disguise in. 

“Uncle Buck! Mama said Daddy was going to pick me up today.”

“He got caught up with work and asked me to,” he tells him, ruffling up his blonde hair as he signs him out, “Go wait in the car.”

He allows the boy to duck under his arm as he opens the door before setting his sights on Sunny. 

“Yelena told me that you refused our help again. How am I supposed to be a gentleman if you don’t let me?”

“I don’t think you qualify as a gentleman anymore.”

He raises his thick brows at her insinuation, “And what about me disqualifies me?”

“I know what you’re doing and I’m not falling for it.”

“I’m not doing anything but asking what you mean so please enlighten me.”

She cocks her head in annoyance, “I need to get back to the classroom.”

“Enlighten me,” he repeats, voice dropping a few octaves. 

To the human ear, they might hear the slight hitch in her breathing but to him, he can hear every intake, how it sticks to the inside of her lungs and refuses to release. He can hear how her heartbeat quickens when he looks or speaks directly to her. He can hear the blood rush throughout her body and pound against the inside of her veins. Everything is laid bare to him and she is painfully aware of it hence why she finds the words spilling out without a second thought, “She told me that you’re a Strigoi and your business is how you know Alix.”

“Oh, she did? What else did she say?”

“You don’t know what she wants with me and that she’s putting herself in a lot of danger coming here.”

“And?” 

“That’s all.”

His eyes narrow in disbelief but he lets it go, eyes softening at the fear that sours her usually sweet scent, “I’ll see you tonight, dragă.”

Too paralyzed by fear, she doesn't ask him what he means and just watches as he lets the door close behind him and gets into the car. It’s not until after his car pulls back onto the road that she snaps back to reality. Her body trembles as she walks back, air Jordans scuffling the linoleum that is probably as old as she imagines Bucky to be. 

Jessica peeks her head out of the doorway, “What took so long? Was he being… a meanie head?”

The girl in front of the line squawks at her choice of words, chiding her for calling someone a name. 

“He just wanted to talk,” she quickly says before turning to the kids, “Remember spies in the hallway, and then you can go wild outside.”

An eruption of excited squeals comes from the line but they all settle down the moment they step into the hallways. Too focused on walking backward and keeping a close eye on the line, her body returns to its normal state and she doesn’t feel the text vibrating in the back pocket of her jeans. 

“Are you going to tell me what happened Friday night?”

“I already did.”

Jessica snorts, “No you did not. Something else happened so spill.”

Sunny’s trained on watching the hoard of children running around the playground, “Nothing else happened, I swear. It went well.”

“What happened with Bucky then?”

“Again nothing. He kept texting me all weekend but I told him I need space until I can figure out what to do.”

“So that’s why you came back terrified, okay, yeah,” sarcasm drips from Jessica’s voice as she mocks the lies, “You don’t have to tell me everything but at least quit lying about it.”

But she can’t. 

She can’t tell her the truth, even a sliver of it will have Jess calling the cops because of how insane she sounds. The underlying pain in her voice tugs at her heart but it’s not enough to make her break and she maintains her cover-up. 

“Jess, seriously, I’m not lying. It’s all just a lot. I wasn’t expecting that from him or to like Yelena so much so it’s just a lot trying to figure out what to do.”

“Yeah well, I know what to do.”

“Do tell.” “Dump him and focus on her. She’s clearly more interested than he is no matter how downright gorgeous he is. I wouldn’t even give him the time of day. Ghost him.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Jessica sends her one glance and parting words before heading over to diffuse a fight she sees brewing, “There’s no thinking, just ghost him.”

The knock on her door disturbs her peace, drawing a deep groan from her as she stubbornly gets up. The intruder knocks again, more harshly this time as if saying ‘Hurry up and answer the damn door.’ The edible she took earlier needs to kick in faster if she’s going to deal with whoever decided that 10 pm is the perfect time to bother her. Before the third round of knocks comes, she swings open the door and levels a very bored look at Bucky. 

“The fuck are you doing here?”

“I told you I was coming over.”

“And I thought you'd forget but here we are,” she goes to close the door but his large hand stops it. 

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Is that a part of the Strigoi thing?”

“Nope,” he pops the ‘p’ a little too much as she steps to the side and lets him in. It’s dark enough inside that he wonders if she was about to go to bed, however, the music video that’s playing on the projector tells him otherwise. Sza has been playing on repeat since she got home and she’s definitely not about to pause it for him. 

He looks around her apartment, taking in every detail he can about her and the side she never lets anyone see. Ms. Sunny the daycare teacher is not the true representation of who she is aside from a few key characteristics. She is loving, warm, and amazing with kids however those are usually hidden behind her favorite blank stare and quick comebacks. Something about her is distinctly unique and maybe it’s the way she casually knocks his ego down or it’s how quickly she got under his skin without trying. 

Either way, he has to harass her for the basket of edibles on the coffee table, “I didn’t peg you for a stoner.”

She drops back into her spot on the couch, wrapping herself in a blanket, “Says the drug dealer.”

“I’m not a drug dealer,” his retort goes over her head as he takes a seat on the other side of the couch. 

“I find that hard to believe,” leaning forward, she pops open a container and takes another edible. This man requires at least 20 mg for her to put up with his shit. She can feel his eyes burning holes into her back so she offers the container to him. Maybe a little THC will chill him out and he won’t be so unbearable

“I’m not like Alix.”

“So you’re not a mobster and not human?” 

“Well you got me there but I promise I’m not in the same business as she is.” 

“What business are you in exactly?” 

He takes a seat at the other side and says, “Is that the question you really want to ask?”

“It’s the first one I’m going to ask.” 

He pops one into his mouth, eyes on hers the entire time like he’s trying his hardest to devour her. She pays him no mind and turns her attention to her phone to change the playlist. She contemplates putting on a show or movie to pass the time until the edibles hit them but he has other plans. 

“Strigoi and Lycan’s business is different from what you’re thinking.”

Settling back into her corner, she narrows her eyes at him, “Different as in you traffic people?”

“We don’t do that. That’s more of a Lycan thing now. We are more about controlling our population and keeping our existence under wraps.” 

“But you did do it at one point?” 

“No, I didn’t but it was a Strigoi matter years ago. We don’t need to kidnap people to feed.” 

“Next question; can you even get high?”

He lets out a small chuckle and slings his arm across the back of the couch, “Yes but it doesn’t last as long as it does for you. It acts as a dampener for the thirst.” 

Her eyebrows shot up in shock, “Are you always ya know… bloodthirsty?”

“It never really goes away so in a way I guess but I can control myself. There’s no need to be afraid of me,” he softens his voice towards the end, smelling the fear that has started to rise in her. 

“How do you know I’m afraid of you?” 

“I can smell it and I’m not stupid. It’s written all over your face.” 

She drops her face to look at her hands wrapped up in the green blanket her brother gave her before he died. 

“Yelena has been tracking that Lycan woman you saw me with. Alix doesn’t seem to know where you are yet.”

“Key word is yet,” she scoffs, picking at the lint balls on the blanket. 

“If you let us, we could protect you. She might be desperate but she wouldn’t risk years of peace to get to you.” 

“You clearly don’t know her.”

“So tell me then; what does she want with you?” 

The challenge in his words quickens her heartbeat and he snaps his eyes shut to will away the Strigoi inside as the blood rushing becomes overwhelming. When he opens his eyes, she’s staring at him with a knowing look. 

“No need to be afraid of you?” 

“What can I say? There’s something about you that makes me lose my self-control,” he chuckles however she’s unamused. 

“That’s not very reassuring.”

“It should be flattering if anything,” he says as he takes off her leather jacket to reveal a simple gray t-shirt and black jeans. His signature superstars Adidas give him a domesticated look that is all too deceiving when she knows what lurks beneath the surface. 

“How exactly is that flattering?” 

“I’ve been around for a while, not many things tempt me let alone lose control. The fact that just being near you tests that aren’t just a coincidence; there’s something special about you.”

She has to resist her own urge to rack her eyes down his form as she speaks, “Maybe that’s why Alix wants me so bad.”

“Maybe,” he dryly chuckles as the hand on the back of the couch flexes in a not-so-humorous manner at the mention of her ex. 

“How do you know her?”

“I don’t personally know her but I know of her and her reputation.”

She nods her head slowly as the edible sits in but it does nothing to help with the storm in her mind. Everything about Alix and her brother swirls inside as she stares absentmindedly in his direction. 

“I wanted to apologize for the other night,” he starts slowly, hoping to gently bring her back to him, “I saw you with her and it just… I saw red but that isn’t an excuse for how I treated you.”

“You’re right,” she whispers still fixated on his watch. 

“What?” “You’re right,” she says louder now, looking at him head-on, “You were an asshole about the worst possible thing ever. It’s so confusing sometimes how sweet you can be but within seconds, you’re a completely different person.”

It’s his turn to hang his head, “I know and that’s not how I want you to see me. Like I told you, I don’t view this as a fling…”

She interrupts him, “Are you really giving me that bullshit? ‘I can see this turning into something real’? No this,” she gestures between them, “isn’t turning into anything. You blew that chance.”

“I still owe you a dinner so at least let me make that up to you before you completely write me off.”

She stretches out her feet and nearly touches his thighs with them, “Why should I give you a second chance?”

“Because you want to” The hand on the back of the couch falls to her sock-covered feet and drags them to fully rest on his lap.

Rolling her eyes, she scoffs, “No what I want to do is kick you out but I’m not entirely convinced you wouldn't sneak in through a window.”

“I wouldn’t need to because you wouldn’t do that. You like me too much.” 

She pulls her foot back slightly but his hand holds onto it tighter and stops her from pulling away. His touch is not unwelcomed however the protector inside of her screams for her to push him away. 

“Jesus every time you talk, circus music needs to play with how far-fetched some of the shit that comes out of your mouth is.” 

“You’re the one who needs circus music. I see the way you look at me, how your breathing hitches when you see me, how hot you get when I get closer,” his hand is dragging up to her ankle as he continues to mock her, “Don’t you think I can tell when I have an effect on you?” 

“You have the audacity of a middle-aged man who just got divorced,” she tries to deter him from moving his hand up by insulting him. 

 It has the desired effect and his hand freezes on her ankle, chilling her to the bone, “Do I look like a middle-aged man to you?” “No, you look like someone who’s wormed their way into my life and made it a living hell ever since then.”

“I can leave,” he offers, taking his hand off of her ankle and gently nudging her feet off his lap. 

The way he so casually offers to give her what he wants is a surprise, a shock even to her and it takes her a moment to process what he said. In the meantime, he takes his chance to look over her. Anxiety has taken away her ability to sleep and the circles under her eyes have grown more prominent in such a short amount of time. The way she slouches into the couch is also evidence of how stressed she’s become since learning of Alix’s arrival. It pains him to see her in disarray and turmoil but he knows he caused it. Had he taken the time to slowly reveal everything to her maybe she’d be doing better. Had he allowed her to feel comfortable around him so that when he finally did tell her, she would’ve sought comfort with him rather than with Yelena. He’d practically driven her into her arms so he had no right to feel any jealousy about their budding relationship but a part of him wanted to destroy it. 

“Do you want me to call Yelena?” he asks hesitantly. 

“No, it’s fine. You don’t have to leave. It’s just… It’s just a lot,” she sighs as she stares at her feet, “I wasn’t expecting her to find me and then for all this to happen. I just don’t know how to handle all of it and it’s not like I can tell Jessica. She wouldn’t understand.”

His nose involuntarily wrinkles at her name but Sunny doesn’t catch it. Sure she’s a lovely girl and a good friend to Sunny but she’s with Peter in some capacity. He tries not to show his annoyance as he speaks, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Make it all disappear so I can go back to my normal life,” she half-jokes as she drops her head against the back of the couch.

“I can do that. All you have to do is ask,” he jokes back, resting her hand on her ankle once again, “But I can’t make Strigoi or Lycan go away unfortunately.”

“Or bring my brother back,” slips out before she can stop it. A horrified look takes over her face when she realizes what came out but a soft expression overcomes his. 

“It will get easier even if it doesn’t seem like it right now,” he mutters while his thumb rubs small circles into the skin of her ankle.

“That’s what they all say but I don’t believe them. It’s been five years and it’s just gotten worse,” she glances down at his hand and then back up to him, “Did you have any siblings?”

“I did but that’s a story for a different time,” he tells her after checking his watch. 11:11 pm flashes back up at him and she tries to hide a yawn under her blanket but is unsuccessful. 

He gently pushes her feet off and stands, extending a hand down to her, “Come on, dragă. It’s time for you to get to bed.”

Furrowing her brows at his persistence, she obliges and takes his hand, nearly bumping into his chest from the force of him pulling her up. He smiles softly down at her as his arms enclose her to his chest. Once again they find themselves inches from each other with their noses nearly touching as he leans down. His breath fans over her lips as his barely brush against hers and she lifts onto her toes to meet his but he drops his head on her shoulder. Although she can’t see, he is squeezing his eyes shut to force the animal side of him back into its cage. 

“Hey,” she gently coaxes him to look at her, a hand cradling his face, “Bucky.”

The tender call of her voice brings him to his full height regardless of how much the voice in his head is screaming at him to stop. Black veins are retreating under his red eyes as he regains control of himself and awaits her reaction. The hand that cradles his face drifts over and her thumb brushes where the black veins once were. Her warm touch unthaws emotions deep within him he thought were lost to time and he finds himself dipping back down to catch her lips against his better judgment. 

He knows this can’t go on forever. It’s guaranteed that one of them will spend their days alone. They’d be lucky to get maybe 40 years together but one day, one of them will be gone. That doesn’t stop him from giving what he can to her in this kiss. All of the promises and emotions he can possibly convey are done with the flicker of his tongue and slide of his lips against hers. Her soft noises urge him to keep kissing her as if she alone will sustain him rather than the blood in her veins. His hands slide up her back and find their rightful place holding her face against his, deepening their kiss. 

Sunny stills as she pulls away and tilts her forehead against his, “We can’t do this.” 

Chuckling albeit in a sad manner, he agrees. Yelena is at the forefront of their minds and so are the implications of their relationship as humans and Strigoi. 

He expects her to pull away entirely but she doesn’t and instead, drags him back into a feverish kiss that ignites a fire he hasn’t felt in years. The black veins threaten to return and the red begs to flood the blue eyes she’s grown accustomed to seeing in her dreams. Fangs poke at her bottom lip and she smiles, gently kissing his nose as she pulls away. His natural state, one of animalistic desire, is terrifying to most however she is the exception. There is not a hint of fear and worry in her eyes as they stare up at him. The warmth that his body can no longer proceed is found there and a hint of emotion he prays will develop into more. 

“I need to go to bed.” 

He pauses to allow his body to regain its composure. Emotions overwhelm his thinking and words tumble out without hesitation. 

“I’ll give you every second I can find,” he whispers, voice hoarse and quiet. 

“I know,” she whispers back, drawing him into a hug, “Good night.”