#also brief confession no one asked i took like a delay of year to finish my degree bc i had a freak out over my choice of major LMAOOOOO

[chasedeys]

a littleee ?? from meee mostly because i get a lot of asks (?????) im sorry adklfksfjk but i feel so bad for not answering because you all send suchhhh good asks and i want to answer sooooo badlyyyy especiallyyyyy writing ideas related oh my goddddddddd how do you all come upppppp with this shit. jjmarr insanityyy. that one technically joe harem thing ive been calling in my head lol. the fucking lsu ask that's been in my drafts for agessss. the wedding oneee my goodness. the tiny little askssss the past few days :'))) god they're cute and they're piling up i'm so sorry i love them all :( and the joeteemarr fic tooooo soooo sorry that one is pending too i fear 😔

the thing is i have a prettyyyy big exam next week that's like. super important for my future 😔 like for my career and if i get to continue to my clinical rotations type shit lmaoooo and it's honestly taking up my mind and filling my head with anxiety and i can't really focus on anything else as much?? like creative-wise??? and so i might not be as active!! but i'll honestly probably still reblog stuff because. that's stress relief for me and i desperately need that 😭 but i probably won't have the mental capacity to actually answer asks of any kind really sorry :(( it's alright if you still want to send them btw!!! yap all the shit you want in my inbox really don't feel like i'll be burdened or anything lmao but i'll probably only be able to answer them in like. a week or two weeks after. depending how well i do really ahaha.

thank you <333333

[nevertheless-moving]

Suicidal Misunderstanding XIII

Part I - - - - - - Part II - - - - - - - - - - - -  Part XI - - - - - - Part XII

Star Wars Time Travel AU #27

Cody waited impatiently in the entrance room to the hall of healing, ignoring the surprising number of Jedi who drifted by aimlessly. 

As far as he could tell they were coming in just to stare at him, make meaningless small chat with the tight lipped receptionist, glance around, approach as if almost to talk with him, then drift out again without having accomplished anything.

Embarrassingly, it took him several minutes to realize why they were behaving so oddly. In his defense, a) he didn’t have much of a baseline for Jedi behavior in temple. 

And b) when numerous vod had approached him today to try and find out ‘why the General had missed last night’s conference,’ and ‘why Cody had been unreachable for large chunks of time, that was seriously unlike him,’ and ‘why had Cody gone to the Jedi Temple and stayed there for hours upon hours yesterday morning,’ and ‘why haven’t you taken your bucket off today,’ and ‘why has no one gotten a comm reply from General Kenobi since Ghost Company went drinking,’ and ‘why isn’t Skywalker answering comms,’ and ‘why do the Jedi seem so riled up today,’ and ‘why are you and Rex so tense,’ and, ‘are you going to the temple now,’ and ‘what the kriff happened to my desk,’ well.

They just asked directly.

He had grown so inured to unfamiliar Jedi silently willing him to answer their own jedi-variations on ‘What the fuck is going on with Obi-Wan’ that he almost didn’t notice when Windu came to stand next to him. 

“Here as a visitor?” He asked the Master stiffly. He was almost feeling wound-up enough to fight for his place in line. 

“No, I’m waiting to speak with Skywalker,” he replied, temporarily placating the Commander.

An unfamiliar Jedi Cadet with a short braid on the side of their head walked in, attempting to look casual and failing miserably. The small furred padawan stared nervously at Cody and Mace, and actually managed to open their mouth. Windu raised a brow. They immediately snapped their jaw shut, bowed, and scurried out. 

Cody watched through the window as they joined a group of even tinier Jedi. After a brief conversation with lots of waving limbs from all parties, the group turned in unison to make eye contact with Cody’s visor. Cody inclined his head slightly. They all ran off, practically tripping over their robes.

“Wasn’t sure if the eyebrow would work,” Mace muttered. “It’s been 50/50 today.”

“I’ve just been hiding whenever I can,” Cody confessed.

Mace winced. “My apologies for the delay in putting out a statement. We’re still trying to work out - an adequate substitute. At least for the upcoming campaign.”

Cody nodded, “I assumed as much."

“I assure you, we’ve taken your thoughts into consideration. You’ll receive a notice of the Council’s final decision before we send out a mass bulletin.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Fortunately, finally, Anakin stomped into the atrium, followed closely behind by the Nautolan soul healer. 

“Ah, Knight Skywalker, do you have a moment? I’d like to have a word with you.” 

Anakin startled at Mace’s words, but recovered quickly when he noticed the slow moving crowd just outside the door. “Of course, Master Windu,” he said with a bow.

“Commander Cody, would you care to follow me?” Aerdo said with a smile.

Cody and Anakin exchanged grim nods as they passed one another, following the Masters in opposite directions.

- - - - -

- - - - -

“The situation in the expansion region is deteriorating rapidly. We had already intended to send the 212th to moderate the situation after Umbara’s latest declaration. But increasing separatist activity in the sector means that we cannot afford to delay or under-commit. The hyperlanes are being taken, and with them, republic control over crucial supply lines is now threatened. We must deploy the third system army, the day after tomorrow at the very latest. They’re our best equipped force for the situation, not to mention the only uncommitted division large enough to make a meaningful impact. There is no viable alternative.”

Anakin nodded at Mace uncertainly. He had been keeping up with troop movements before everything, and, trying to keep himself sane, had even checked the news in between cutting off the Chancellor and visiting Obi-Wan only to find him unresponsive again. But...why exactly was the Master of the Order telling him this?

“You’re not seriously thinking of sending Obi-Wan? I mean even if he miraculously wakes up tomorrow...”

Master Windu sighed. “No, of course not. Which is why I’ve asked you here.”

“You...can’t be asking me to lead them?” Anakin asked, feeling lightheaded.

“I admit, the council did consider it. You are the one of our most successful Generals. Not to mention the one most familiar with Obi-Wan’s troops. Between the fact that the 501st is also needed on Umbara and every other Jedi’s unwillingness to step in to the position, your name came up multiple times.” Mace pinched the bridge of his nose while Anakin stared uncertainly.

“No, I have not brought you here for a promotion. I want to speak with you about your opinions on candidates for the 212th...as well as to ask if you believe yourself capable of leading the 501st without...losing yourself. I’ve finished reviewing your civilian casualties and consider your observed losses- tolerable, at least.”

Windu looked exhausted at having to say that out-loud and Anakin fidgeted, biting his tongue.

“As long as you are under the supervision of another Master, and if you swear to me on Obi-Wan���s life that you will report yourself if you find yourself slipping- I leave the command of the 501st up to you.”

Anakin felt queasy. How could he help Obi-Wan if he was half a galaxy away, on what sounded like a long, protracted campaign. If he refused to go, that would leave both the 501st and the the 212th without their generals. Or...was this how he could help? Carry one of his burdens for him? He was more than ready to lead! Probably! He had been leading! Part of him longed to charge into battle immediately- wash off his helplessness with blood. Anakin didn’t know how to fix Obi-Wan mind, but he was good at fighting, good at war.

And that thought brought back the ever-lingering cold. How could he trust himself? His...violence... it might have driven Obi-Wan to suicide. He still didn’t know! And if he left he wouldn’t know for months! He promised Obi-Wan not to kill again- how the kark was he supposed to do that while being a General?! Did ordering people to kill count, or was that worse?

“I need to think about the 501st ,” Anakin whispered.

Master Windu nodded. “I appreciate that. You have until dawn tomorrow to decide- in the mean time, let’s discuss the 212th.”

“Who’s the top choice?”

“Master Pong Krell. He’s actually our only choice that wouldn’t require reorganizing other assignments significantly.”

“He’s...a good duelist.” Anakin said, trying to think about what he knew of the Besalisk, “What division does he command?”

Windu grimaced. “That’s actually why he’s the best choice... Of the troops he’s had direct command over since the start of the war, over 85% are dead. He’s never lost a battle but...”

Anakin closed his eyes, “Right.”

Plenty of excellent fighters among the Jedi made terrible generals. He’d have to look over the Besalisk’s military record- it could just be terrible luck. Plo Koon had lost an entire division to the Malevolence, but he still was one of the best.

“When you say he’s the only choice...”

“Most Masters I’ve breached the subject with were extremely reluctant at the thought- I don’t want to force anyone into a position beyond what they’re willing to handle.”

“I guess that makes sense...but it seems...off?” Anakin trying to articulate his uneasiness.

“Our method of ‘promotion’ has a tendency to elevate those who should perhaps not be taking on more responsibilities.” Mace acknowledged grimly.

“Because... good Jedi aren’t really ok with war. And you’re only promoting Generals who are fine with the whole thing?” he said thinking of himself. “Or can’t say no?” he added bitterly, thinking of Obi-Wan.

“It’s not an ideal situation” Mace agreed, lines around his eyes growing.

Anakin scrubbed a hand to his face. He had been doing more thinking about the ‘concept’ of war and violence in the last two days than he had the last two years of actual fighting. There hadn’t been much point before, war was happening regardless of his feelings. Not to mention the fact that there wasn’t time to quibble over these sorts of things in the field. As much as he was desperate not to disappoint Obi-Wan again, he didn’t really enjoying being forced to consider this stuff now. It made him...itchy.

“Have you considered just putting Cody in charge of everything?” Anakin finally asked.

“Of course, but the Senate would never approve...”

- - - - -

- - - - -

- - - - -

“...With those few exceptions, the only major thing left to restock is perishables. But that’s more your department than mine, sir.” 

Cody finished his report. 

Obi-Wan continued to lay still, looking frail in the large medi-bed. The restraints made the image that much worse.

“Fuck.” 

Cody swore and, for the first time since crawling out of bed that morning, yanked off his helmet.

“General. General Kenobi. Obi-Wan can you hear me.” he said hoarsely, leaning over the bed.

The General didn’t move.

“Obi-Wan if you can hear me- try and shift around a little bit. Blink. Do anything. It’s me- Commander Cody. I- please, sir. Just do anything, they said you- you did this on purpose so please confirm you’re in there. I’m- shipping off soon and, I- I just need to know that you’re going to be ok. Please. Anything.”

Cody hovered absolutely motionless, watching for any sign of response. But Obi-Wan continued as he had been, lifeless but for his slow and steady breaths. 

Cody collapsed to his knees, vision spotty. Gasping for air, he rested his head on the side of the bed, desperately trying to pull himself together. 

After several long moments he pulled of a glove, tentatively reaching for Obi-Wan’s hand. It felt cold.

“General, if this is some sort of- dark force attack twitch your hand, ok? Please. We’re trying to understand- we’re here for you, just clench your hand if you’re under attack and someone will come to help.”

Cody paced his breaths to Obi-Wan’s, pulse slowing down to match the wrist in his grasp.

“Obi-Wan, why are you doing this? I don’t understand.” Cody rasped. 

“You- you told me I was one of your best friends. You- I don’t know why you think so highly of me but please you have to know I think the universe of you. We all do, but I really do. You don’t have to fight anymore if you don’t want to, we’ll protect you, you know that. You have to know that. But I can’t- I can’t imagine the rest of the war without knowing you’re alright somewhere.”

Cody pressed Obi-Wan’s hand to his forehead, choking back a sob.

“You said you had a ‘last mission.‘ I don’t know what that means. You’ve talked about after the war- I don’t get why your life has to end with a mission. I'm not sure if I understood anything you said, but I’m right here and I would never hurt you. I don’t know what you saw but I would die first, ok? I want you to know that I would gladly die before hurting you so- so you don’t have to worry about whatever vision you had. Just wake up and tell me what I have to do and I’ll do it.”

Cody sat on the floor, clinging to Obi-Wan’s hand and continuing to breathe. 

Eventually, the door clicked open behind him. 

“Commander Cody? I’m terribly sorry but it’s been an hour...” Healer Aerdo’s voice came trickling in.

“I understand- is there time for me to say goodbye?” Cody rasped, not looking back. 

“Of course.” 

The door clicked shut and Cody stood jerkily.

“Goodbye, General Kenobi. Obi-Wan. I’ll take care of the men for you while you’re- resting. Please, I know I say this a lot but take care of yourself, ok?”

Cody pressed Obi-Wan’s hand to his forehead one last time before reverently resting it on the bed. Pulling his helmet on roughly, he turned sharply and marched out the door. 

Obi-Wan remained determinedly still.

Next: XIV

[classysassy9791]

Fandom: Inuyasha Genre: Romance/Humor/Fluff Pairing: InuKag Rating: T

Originally written for @inukag-week on tumblr circa 2016, now officially being updated. Its been a hot minute, hasn't it?

For InuKag Week - Day 2: Warmth

Part 1 l

Part 2 Word Count: 2,600

Can also be found on FFN and AO3.

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.

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Kagome couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard.

Sometime between the moment she met the arrogant, rude man known as Inuyasha and the three shots she had consumed, they had fallen into a flirtatious banter that she rather enjoyed. Gone was the pompous jerk who had so rudely called her audacious names, replaced by a man who proved to actually be decent company.

No, she hadn't forgotten about their initial meeting, but as she downed another shot of whiskey, she realized she didn't much care. For the first time in months - maybe longer - Kagome found herself enjoying her evening. With her shackles removed and her inhibitions lowered, she relished in the sweet taste of freedom that had been sorely lacking from her life.

"You did not!" she squealed with absurdity in her tone, clamping a hand over her mouth.

Inuyasha chuckled, tilting his glass and giving a half-shrug. "I did," he confessed sheepishly, but not at all ashamed of his actions. "Miroku ran down the dorm hall, completely naked, screaming after me."

Kagome shook her head. "I can honestly say I have never stolen my roommates clothes while they were in the shower. Or pulled any pranks on them, really."

"To be fair," he continued, signaling the bartender for another round. "He actually met his girlfriend that way."

"By running naked down the hallway?"

He nodded. "Knocked her down and stopped to apologize."

"Still want to leave the tab open?" Kouga interrupted.

"Yeah, that's fine." Inuyasha finished off his beer. "Another round of whiskey shots while you're at it."

Flashing Kagome a smile, Kouga took their empty glasses. "You're going to dry me out."

"It's still early," Kagome barbed playfully. "Your bar will last until midnight at the very least."

He chuckled, filling up their shot glasses and handing them another drink. "Oh, thanks. I was afraid I'd have to close up soon."

Leaving with a, "flag me down if you need me," Kouga wandered to the other end of the bar where a busty blonde waved at him.

Typical, Kagome thought sourly. On the one hand, she didn't like the way her thoughts were turning, considering she didn't really know Kouga, and hated grouping him in with the rest of the spineless male population she had become accustomed to - especially since he was a bartender and it was literally his job to tend to the needs of his customers. But on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel bitter about his attention leaving her. Maybe it was because she had so blatantly been deprived of it for so long, that her longing for companionship had been exacerbated ten-fold.

Taking a sip of beer - which she had switched to once they started doing shots - Kagome heard her phone buzz in her purse again; it had already gone off several times during her conversation with Inuyasha. She finally pulled it out and unlocked it, frowning at the array of messages popping up on her screen.

Inuyasha raised a brow at the irritable look that overcame her expression before Kagome sighed and locked her phone. She quickly downed her shot of whiskey, not even bothering to 'cheers' him.

"Everything okay?" Inuyasha questioned, against his better judgement. There was a reason people showed up by themselves at a bar on Friday nights - either to drown their sorrows in whiskey or to find company for a few fleeting, midnight hours.

Kagome pressed her lips together. She didn't come to the bar to talk about her problems. She wasn't some sad case that needed a therapist to pour her drinks. If anything, she wanted to forget about the emotional damage that had been inflicted earlier that day. Her heart had been broken, her ego bruised, and no matter how many times her friends had told her he wasn't worth it, their sympathies didn't make her feel any better.

But, alcohol had a funny habit of turning into truth serum, and she found herself spilling her guts before she could stop herself. "Just my ex-boyfriend - er, fiance - blowing up my phone."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Can't take a hint, huh?"

Kagome shrugged with a bitter smile. "I mean, he broke off the engagement. Not sure why he can't follow through with his decision."

She had expected sympathy, perhaps even empathy. That's what most people offered in a situation like this, when they didn't know what to say or how to react. But Kagome was caught off-guard by Inuyasha's next question.

"How long were you together?"

Kagome eyed him curiously, his honey gaze hiding a wealth of understanding. "Five years," she answered him, twirling a strand of her dark hair around her finger. "Planned our life together, put a ring on it, and even booked the venue. But… I suppose he got cold feet a long time ago."

"His loss. What kind of bastard would put someone through that?"

She hummed thoughtfully, but didn't answer. It wasn't in her best interest to start talking about the past now, and she would rather take the spotlight off of herself all together. "What about you?" she asked her barstool companion as she took another sip of beer. "Any lucky ladies in your life?"

Inuyasha chuckled mirthlessly. "Nah, not anymore."

Kagome arched a brow. "Dare I ask?"

"Not much to tell. Her career and ambitions drove a wedge between us, and she decided they were more important than me. Simple as that."

"Sounds high maintenance."

He grinned. "Something like that. I mean, she knew what she wanted and didn't care what stood in her way. Even me."

Kagome felt an ache beneath her breast for the man beside her. She knew the pain of rejection very well. "Put out in the rain just like a dog. Doesn't that bother you?" she asked, tilting her head.

He frowned at her choice of words, and Kagome knew she may have touched a nerve then, but the alcohol had stripped her of her filter apparently.

"Well, I guess we're all damaged somehow," he replied with a shrug.

She scrunched her nose. "That's a bit thoughtless."

"What can I say? Shit happens. Get over it."

And then Kagome suddenly remembered the arrogant, rude, condescending jerk she had met when she had sat down at the bar earlier in the night. She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you such an ass?"

Inuyasha smirked while bringing his beer to his lips. "You are what you eat?"

Kagome let loose a growl of frustration. She had only known him for a short time, but she had quickly learned that Inuyasha was the most infuriating human being on the planet! "Your immaturity is revolting," she stated matter-of-factly, waving down Kouga for another shot of whiskey. She was definitely not drunk enough to deal with the way the conversation had turned.

"I'm not known for my friendly disposition."

Kagome glared at the man sitting next to her. "Is it fun being a jerk to me? Does it satisfy you?"

Inuyasha chuckled. "Actually, it is pretty entertaining."

She rolled her eyes. "You know, Inuyasha. You can hide behind that fake bravado all you want, but I know you're just a big softie underneath."

"Keh," he grumbled, finishing off his beer.

Kagome threw him a glare. "What? No witty repartee?"

He set down his empty glass with a little more force than usual, grabbing Kagome's attention. "I know your type, wench," he snapped, his amber eyes boring into hers. "I know exactly the kind of person you are; all high and mighty, acting as if you're better than everyone else. You think you can show someone how great life can be and how fantastic it is if I would just try. Well, sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but not everyone is worth saving, all right?"

His words left Kagome stunned into silence for a brief moment. How did their witty banter only a few minutes ago turn into this? This… This denied anger and unadulterated cynicism had Kagome reeling, her thoughts turning to what exactly had penetrated Inuyasha's life so completely that he had such a negative outlook on such.

She pursed her lips. "How much do you think you're worth?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Like twenty bucks. Or two twinkies." He grinned at his own comment, but Kagome didn't find it very funny.

If anything, Kagome felt pity for him. No matter how bleak her life became, she always managed to find the good in it. If a person couldn't do that… Well, that was a pretty sad way to live. "As much as I would love to hear you divulge all of your secrets, this is a great song and I feel like dancing."

"Look, wench," Inuyasha barked out, his anger palpable. "I'm not looking for your validation. I'm pretty fucking happy with my life of dirty pennies and whiskey bottles. We don't all need to be Barbie."

She looked over at him, the low dim of the bar lights shining off his silver hair, and found she could only nurse one wounded heart at a time. "I just wanted you to leave tonight and think the world is a little less horrible than you thought."

"Hey, pretty lady," Kouga greeted as he appeared at the perfect time with another shot of whiskey for her and a full beer, stealing her full attention away from Inuyasha.

Kagome immediately downed the shot and chased it with her beer, ready to forget half of the night and lose herself in the music pounding through the speakers. As the evening wore on, the bar became busier, and the DJ had started up a round of tunes that had half the customers on the dance floor.

Kouga watched her curiously, arching a brow. "You alright there?"

"Dance with me?" she called over the bass pounding through the speakers. Oh yes, it was now the time of the night in which she had no qualms for asking for what she wanted.

He chuckled and glanced over at the other bartenders who appeared to have things under control. "You can steal me for a few minutes."

Kagome grinned and giggled like a school girl, leaving Inuyasha behind without delay. Kouga met her at the end of the bar and took her hand in his as she pulled him out onto the dance floor.

Some upbeat dance music blasted through the speakers. Kagome moved and swayed through the bodies crowding near the DJ, the vibrations of the music becoming part of her energy, raising her up several levels at once. Gone were her heartbroken wallows and the biting arrogance of her barstool companion. Her mind buzzed with pure joy. She moved in her dress like her hips were made to sway, the black sequins catching the disco ball that twirled above, causing her to glitter on the dance floor.

Kouga pulled her close, his strong hand pressed against the small of her back, his chiseled chest pressed against hers. She ran her fingers through her messy hair and pulled it to the side, feeling the beat of the music pound with each beat of her heart. Bodies pressed in tighter all around them. Kagome felt the part of her that was really her come out to play, to feel the vibe of the music and let her body go free.

"You're beautiful," Kouga's voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

His lips looked soft and very kissable, and Kagome knew her decision-making skills were indeed hindered by the alcohol that buzzed through her veins. And then his attention was caught by something else, his royal blue eyes pulling from hers to the outskirts of the dance floor. He said something to her, attempting to shout above the music, but his words were swallowed up by the electric beat that kept her entranced.

Kagome felt his hands slip from around her waist and he disappeared into the crowd. She didn't bother to follow, her hands playing with her hair, her hips moving to the music as she lost herself within it. This was what her heartbroken soul had fiercely needed; a night to forget all the troubles of the day.

Large, meaty hands found her waist, but they were unfamiliar and too warm to the touch. Kagome felt a warm flush find her cheeks as she gazed up to meet a stranger's hazy stare. He pulled her in close - too close - and even in her alcohol-ridden mind, she felt mild panic begin like sparks in her abdomen.

She tried to push him away, first gently and then forcefully, pretending to laugh at his behavior. "Thanks for the dance, but I need some fresh air."

"C'me on, baby," he slurred, pulling her tighter to his sweaty frame, his hot breath rolling over her skin. "We just met. Let's dance s'me more."

Kagome frowned. "I said no." Before she could stomp on his foot and fight her way out of the throng of dancers, the man was forcefully pulled away from her. They became separated by another man, one with very familiar silver hair who had his back to her. She didn't hear the words exchanged, but whatever was said was enough to send the man scampering off to the other side of the bar.

Inuyasha turned around, his piercing honey eyes studying her expression, before his hand gently wrapped around her waist. His grip on her wasn't strong like Kouga's, or possessive like the stranger. Inuyasha's hand was warm against the small of her back, and the anxiety she felt moments ago melted away.

"You okay?" he asked, swaying his hips in tune with hers as they continued to dance to the beat of the music.

She grinned up at him. "Were you worried about me, jerk?"

"Keh," he grumbled, his lips pulling into a smirk. "I despise you more than any other human I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. You're loud and wild and apparently have no sense of self-preservation. You also act like you have the mental capacity of a five year old."

"Are you flirting with me?" she barbed in return.

"Maybe."

His hand found the back of her neck, his fingers finding purchase in her hair, his hips grinding against hers. Warmth pooled into the pit of her stomach, his breath caressing her skin, and she moved her lips to find his.

Kagome barely had a moment to react before he pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips and delved inside her mouth. It was a very sloppy kiss with the strong scent of beer being exchanged between their billowing breaths. Her arm reached up and tangled around his strong neck. She pulled away and arched up into his broad chest, letting a moan escape in the contact of body heat against her own, before she drew back into his lips.

She could nearly taste the slight bitterness of the beer as it rolled off her tongue and seeped down her throat with every push of his tongue against hers. The kiss coupled with the beer and whiskey humming through her system obliterated every thought. For the first time that day, her mind was locked into the present. Her usual concerns for her life were suspended, and she had no wish for the kiss to end.

But as the music changed, they pulled apart. Inuyasha's skin shimmered with sweat and his amber eyes flecked with gold held her gaze. The beat of the music consumed them under the crazy neon lights, and Kagome felt alive during a night that was still so young.

[todoroki-waifu]

Bakugou x F! Reader

Scenario: Drunk confession.  (Everyone is aged up appropriately! 21+) 

Word Count: 1,615

Genre: Fluff 

Warnings: Cursing and alcohol

———————-

Bakugou was washing the dishes when he could hear multiple text message notifications. He growled in annoyance at the constant noise and then cursed when he received a call. 

He let the call go to his voicemail as he chose to finish his dishes first. Another phone call was received and Bakugou quickly finished up. What the hell could be so important? 

He sees numerous texts and calls from Ashido and before he could even read the messages; she calls again. Bakugou quickly answers, wondering what the urgency was.  

“BAKUGOU!!” He hears her scream his name as soon as he presses the receive button.

“Stop yelling! What the hell do you want?!” He wanted to hang up already.

“It’s __(y/n)! She’s lost!" 

You, Ashido, and a mutual friend were supposed to attend a party tonight. Unfortunately, Ashido accidentally sprained her ankle this morning so she was unable to go. You still went with your friend and a couple of other people she invited. 

Two hours into the party, Mina gets a call from your mutual friend that they had to leave because one of the girls started vomiting from the many mixed drinks she had. She was trying to find you, but couldn’t locate you and their friend desperately needed to go home. The other people she had invited went their separate ways so she had no help at that time. 

And that was how Bakugou found himself at a random house party. He tried to call you, but your phone was either off or dead since it went straight to voicemail. The explosive boy entered the house with no problem, your crush zooming through each room to find you.

He sees you near the back, leaning against the wall while you were talking with another male. Bakugou glares at the stranger, becoming protective when he sees you looking slightly uncomfortable with the conversation.  

———————–

"Yeah, that’s cool. I like that band also. They’re amazing in concert.” The guy you managed to strike a conversation with raises his cup slightly, clinking it with yours. “Cheers to __(band name)!" 

 "Y-yeah! Kampai!” You politely cheer back, taking a small sip from your cup. You were already feeling the alcohol and you knew that you had to pace yourself since you can feel yourself slightly swaying. Also, you didn’t know anyone in the room and couldn’t find the group that you came with. 

“Aw, c'mon, you barely drank yours! I’m almost done with mine.” He peeks into your cup.  

“Oi!” You hear a familiar voice, both your heads turning to the man approaching you.

“Kacchan! You’re here!” You say happily, glad that someone familiar showed up. 

“Who’s this? He your boyfriend?” The stranger asks you.

“Oh God, I wish.” You say dreamily as you drunkenly smile at Bakugou, not realizing you said that out loud. For a split moment, Bakugou’s cheeks light up, but immediately suppresses his slight embarrassment. 

“C'mon, let’s go home. Raccoon eyes and your other shitty friends have been trying to find you. One of them was plastered and had to go home and I don’t want to end up in that position."  

"Wait, can’t we stay for a bit more? You’re here now so you can tell Mina that I’m safe. Besides, you and I haven’t hung out in a while.” You really missed your friend since both of you were tied up with hero work.  

“Why the hell should we stay at this shitty ass party?"  

"Just for a little! Couple drinks here and there and maybe a shot or two?” You tried to convince the red eyed male.

“Maybe he can’t hang.” The young man who was talking to you earlier interjected, sipping on the rest of his drink. 

“Hah?” Bakugou quickly turns his head towards him. 

“Well, yeah. I assume you can’t handle your alcohol so that’s why you’re so eager to go home.” He shrugs and you grab onto Bakugou’s hand, pulling him towards you and the exit.

“A-ah, it’s okay, Kacchan! We can go home, I don’t wanna pressure you. I was just wondering if we could stay, but no worries. Anyway, thanks for inviting us!" You didn’t want a fight to break out because you knew how competitive Ground Zero could be. You knew that he took that taunting as a challenge.  

"Who the hell said I can’t handle any alcohol? You little punk, I’ll fucking show you."  

"Oh yeah? Then why don’t we play a few games? Loser takes a shot every time they lose." 

"Ha! I’ll take fucking 5 shots right now and still kick your ass!” You sigh loudly as you hear Bakugou accept the proposal. You went with Bakugou to the kitchen to help pour him the liquor while the other guy set up a few games. You took the last two shots out of the five with Bakugou, wishing the male good luck. 

Bakugou was definitely the life of the party now. Everyone wanted to compete against him and his presence seemed to hype everyone up. He definitely won more than he lost so ended up taking more shots later on. However, you knew that Bakugou had a high alcohol tolerance.

Of course he would. 

Your crush was perfect. Perfect hair. Perfect eyes. Perfect face. Perfect body. Maybe the way he spoke to people could change a little, but you didn’t mind him being a bit rough with you. You were used to it and he never took it too far with you. 

“I win again, ya damn loser! Take that fucking shot right now!” You hear Bakugou yell after his pong ball landed on his opponent’s last cup. Everyone in the room cheered loudly for Ground Zero and you could almost see his ego inflate just a bit more.  

“Your boyfriend is amazing! He basically won every game!” One of the party guests went up to you. 

“Boyfriend? You mean Bakugou? Aw man, I wish I could say he was my boyfriend!” You giggle to yourself, placing a hand on your reddened cheeks. 

“Why do you keep wishing for it? It’s gonna happen …just be goddamn patient.” Bakugou quickly retorts back.  

“Oh my God! So cute!” The guest who was beside you squealed, quietly clapping her hands in excitement. 

Bakugou’s eye twitches at the stranger, placing both his hands on your shoulders and pivoting you towards the exit. He finally proved that he could most definitely hang so there was no need for him to interact with these extras. You yell your goodbyes and thank yous to the entire crowd before finally meeting with the cool outside air. 

“Fucking finally. It was so goddamn hot in there.” Bakugou grumbles while his ears also adjust to the different noise level. 

“I can’t be patient.” You pout at the blonde male, referring to his previous statement. “I’ve been in love with you for sooo looong. How long have you been in looove with meee?" 

With your big, beautiful __(color) eyes, reddened cheeks, and pouty, luscious lips staring up at him, he almost stuttered out his answer. He grunts to readjust his voice, looking away so his embarrassment wouldn’t show. 

"Longer than you, of course.” Bakugou always had to turn every situation into a competition, but you were so elated to find out that he reciprocated your feelings. 

“Then what’s taking you so long to ask me out?” You lightly hit his arm, pouting even more.  

“Because! I just … I had to make sure I wasn’t gonna waste my time.” He continues to avoid your gaze, his usual grumpy expression painted on his face. 

“Oh? Is the big, pro hero, King Explosion Murder, afraid that someone else was gonna sweep me away?” Just by reading his body language plus years of being very good friends with him, you figured out the reason for his delayed action. Even people like him had their insecurities and doubts. 

“S-shut up!” Bakugou could feel his entire body heat up more.

“Don’t worry… you had my heart first so no one else could ever take it.” You smile up at him, placing a quick kiss on his already blushing cheek. A surprised daze was displayed on his face, frozen for only a brief moment. 

“So does this mean I can finally call you my boyfriend?” Your voice snaps him back to reality. 

“N-no, you can’t!" 

"Huh? Why notttt? Didn’t we just admit that we liked each other already?”

 "So? If I’m gonna be your boyfriend, I’m not gonna do it half assed. I’m gonna ask you properly and I’m gonna take you on one of the best goddamn dates you’ve ever been.“

"Ooh, I’m so excited! I can’t wait.” You latch onto his arm, intertwining your fingers with his. At first he’s stiff, but eventually gives your hand a light squeeze once he’s used to your touch. 

“But wait! You have to promise me you won’t make me wait forever and that you won’t forget.” You hold out your pinky to him. 

He scoffs and rolls his eyes, linking his finger with yours. Once your pinkies are hooked, he leans down, pressing his lips to yours gently. Your eyes widened at the kiss, your heart pounding in disbelief and elation. You pout at how quickly he pulls away, your lips craving more of his taste.  

“There. Sealed it. You happy now?” He tries not to grin at your slightly astounded look and red cheeks, feeling proud of the effect he had on you with a small gesture. Once you regain your composure, you smile at him, pressing your body a bit closer to his as you walk side by side; hand in hand.

“Very.”

[celestedreamsthat]

Valentine

Masterlist

A Thor x black reader imagine, because there ain’t enough out there. Y/N tries to confess to her Valentine, using cookies!

February 14th.

The date that was circled repeatedly on your ‘Black Girl Magic’- themed calendar for the year. A year that, if today’s plans went swimmingly, would become the best year ever for you so far in your life.

Why? Because this Valentines, you planned to confess (indirectly!) to your future husband- I mean crush, Thor Odinson. Aka Thunder god, aka: your man (you hoped).

Flicking your weave out of your satin bonnet, and thanking God for the power he gave for your weave underneath to be co-operating with you that morning, you made your way across and down the hallway of the tower, to the kitchen.

“Hey Y/N” came a somewhat grumbled call from their slumped form on the counter.

Similarly, nursing a cup of coffee as he sat next to the glistening super soldier Steve and his heavily sweating companion, Sam- who looked on the verge of collapse had the counter not held him up. His call was followed by an enthusiastic

“Morning Y/N. How’d you sleep?” Steve asked, polite as always.

“Morning guys, I actually slept really great! Seems like I can’t say the same for Sammy- boy over here” you joked, coming around the counter to the fridge. As you took out ingredients to initiate plan: Get Thor to Love Me starring Delicious Cookies TM. You once again gave a silent prayer to the heavens for Thor being out the tower in the meantime, giving you a chance to bake with little interruptions.

Or so you hoped.

“And what are you up to today, (Y/N/N)? You seem exited bright and early on a Saturday morning” queried one Tony Stark, more wide-eyed and awake after consuming his once steaming cup of coffee.

“Is a certain lady doing a little something something for a certain un-earthly fella?” Steve chimed in, perhaps a little exited from his run with a currently slowly, but surely- recuperating Sam.

“You know, I liked it better when you were more reserved and shyer” you began in jest. “What happened to gentleman America?” You began starting on the baking, not wanting to waste time on executing your plan.

“Anyways, I have some baking to do. Who it may involve is of no concern to you Neanderthals” you sassed, tuning out what was the start of potential bickering that would delay you further from baking cookies for a certain Asgardian.

After a while, you took the cookies out of the over.

Perfect.

They’d risen perfectly and had the most perfect shade of golden brown imaginable. They looked well and truly ready to eat! This filled you with glee at the prospect of handing Thor the cookies.

“Good afternoon Y/N!” came a loud, booming voice from behind you. Your favourite sound in the entire world (after hearing haters being mad of course) broke through your trance of finishing up last minute touches, as you spun around, flashing your pearly whites (girl, I got-chu) at the handsome man in front of you.

Suddenly, an abrupt feeling of shyness came over you and you cradled the bundle of cookies you placed in a satin bag, behind your fingers. A sudden heat, just as swiftly took over your body, leaving you s-stuttering unnaturally.

All at once, your insecurities came to the forefront of your mind-

What if he hates the cookies? What if he doesn’t like how were practically the same height? Does he even like tall girls, or black girls at that? Or what if your breath stinks-

Warm hands framed your cheeks, bringing you back to the present. Glancing up from your gaze on the floor had you make intense eye contact with those baby blues you love so much.

“Lady Y/N, is all well with you?” He asked, his lingo never failing to make you swoon internally, paired with his deep voice you know and love.

‘Yes Thor’ you began, throwing caution and insecurities to the wind (cuz girl, bye) and revealing the present behind your pastel- blue jumper clad back. ‘Will you be my Valentine?’

A-a-and que your derpy grin. Which was fine, as it matched his equally derpy – and cute- grin.

Continuing after the brief silence, you explained ‘on Earth, that means- ‘‘I am well aware what that means, my Lady. And, what is the response? Oh yes. Of course, I will; if you’ll accept me?’

A flash of insecurity behind cerulean blue eyes had your shoulders relaxing, as you pulled Thor across in a small peck, followed by a small series of pecks. ‘Of course. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that’ you confessed.

“Me too” he replied, before promptly pecking your lips, eye lids, your beautiful melanin skin, the works.

After all, you had the rest of the year and beyond, so why rush?

-

My first tumblr imagine! Did this instead of sleeping. I’d like to think I did well (don’t come for me aha) Also this isn’t pre read. You have been warned. Until the next time~

-BGD

[steves-on-a-plane]

For Frosting & Feelings

Written for: @star-spangled-bingo​ 2021!   Words: 1384 Square Filled: Bakery AU  Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader   Warnings: None, E for everyone!  Summary: Bucky and Reader are rival bakers getting ready for their town’s yearly baking competition. When Bucky stops in for some pre-game taunting he learns that Reader, who is typically over prepared, might not get to compete at all due to staffing errors and supply shortages. Reader believes his support is purely self motivated but decides to play along to see how things pan out.

“It’s all right everyone, you can hold your applause.” James Barnes announced as he sauntered into your bakery. James owned a small patisserie on the other side of town. He also happened to be your biggest and most successful rival. He was no doubt stopping by to brag about his entry for the town’s cake decorating contest or worse he may want to share some other victory of a contest you’d yet to know about.

“Don’t worry, no one was clapping.” You snapped back.

“Ohh, someone’s sounding a little icy.” He teased, walking up to the counter.

“What do you want James?” You huffed. You cashed out the customer who’d been in line in front of him and waited for his answer.

“I would like to know how your plans are going for the Cake Off tomorrow and I want to sample your croissants. One with Ham and Cheese please.” He winked.

“The very same croissants you accused of always making too dry, yet still order every time you come in?” You questioned, ringing up his total.

“[Y/N, it’s no fun teasing you if you’re not going to fight back.” He frowned. “Everything okay?” He asked. You stared at him, not sure if he was being genuine. “I mean it.” He insisted, paying his bill. “You don’t seem yourself.”

“Well, if I’m being honest, things are very much not okay.” You confessed in a brief moment of weakness. You turned away and began prepping his order so that you didn’t have to see the gloating smirk that was no doubt now plastered on his face. “The supplies I needed for the Bake off have been delayed because of the snow. The delivery company won’t bring me anything until Monday. Even though we’re actually not even getting snow anymore. The supply company can’t send a rush order with a different delivery company because even if they did, the order wouldn’t make it here till Tuesday the earliest. I could go to the nearest wholesale club and get some of the things I need but that would require my staff to actually show up for their jobs instead of calling out sick the night before the biggest competition of the year.” You put James’ sandwich in the toaster oven and turned back to look at him. “So, you can start writing your victory speech now. Looks like the Cake-Off is yours for the second year in a row.”

“How much stuff are you missing?” He asked. “My place isn’t too far…”

“And why would I accept supplies from you?” You asked.

“Because you need them.” He laughed.  

“Why would you want to help me?” You narrowed your eyes suspiciously.

“I already told you it’s no fun for me without someone to compete against. There are over a dozen bakeries in this town, but every year the final competition always comes down to you and I. If there’s no challenge in the victory, I don’t want it.” He shrugged. “So I’d like to supply you with whatever you need for the bake off and you can pay me back by giving me some actual competition. Deal?” He extended his hand for you to shake.

You stared at it scrupulously. This was really your own chance to have a hope of being ready for the competition in time tomorrow. You needed those supplies and you both knew it. It had been announced that this year’s winner would get the contract for the incoming mayor’s inauguration after party. That meant not just a cake order, but desserts and possibly hors d’oeuvres. You wanted that contract, but accepting his offer also meant owing James a favor. You weren’t sure you were ready to commit to that.

“Fine.” You sighed. You accepted his extended hand and gave it a brief shake.

“Great!” He smiled. “You can just make me a list of everything you need and I’ll take my croissant to go.”

An hour later the buzzer rang for your back door. You opened it, surprised to see James standing there in just a white sleeveless shirt, with a five-pound bag of flour slung over his shoulder. You couldn’t help but notice the muscles on his right arm which were flexed from holding the bag.  

“Are you going to invite me in, [Y/N]?” He chuckled. “It’s cold out here.”

“I uh, yes.” You nodded, stepping aside. “What happened to the shirt you were wearing earlier.

“I was sweating through it in my kitchen while I was gathering everything up. I was halfway here when I realized I’d left it. It’s a cute little set up you’ve got back here.” He commented, his eyes scanning the kitchen. Cute. You knew he was purposefully teasing you about the size of your kitchen. He’d already admitted that he was trying to get a rise out of you.

“I guess this is your first time being in here.” You said, trying to respond neutrally.

“It’s my first time being invited in.” He replied. “Don’t get me wrong, I designed my kitchen myself so it’s perfect, but there are days where I wish I had something more…intimate like this. Hang on, are you the only one here?”

“No, you’re here too.” You quipped.

“ha-ha. I meant where are your employees?” He asked.

“I already told you they called out. I had five people scheduled today between front and back of house and only one person showed up. My front of house manager. You met her when you came in.” You told him.

“Let me get this straight, you have to do this who cake by yourself? How are you going to finish it in time?” He wanted to know.

“I’ll have to stay up all night I guess.” You shrugged.

“[Y/N], we’ve been friends for years, I’ve seen the designs you come up with. There’s no way you can do all that work by yourself.” He commented.

“You like competition, I like bad odds.” You countered. “And since when are we friends?”

“Since three years ago, when you rescued me at the county fair pie eating competition. I thought we were supposed to each make a dozen pies but it was two. You showed up with three and a half dozen, just in case someone didn’t have enough. Do you remember?” He chuckled.

“It was a pie eating competition, the mayor had put you and I in charge of making sure there were enough pies. It would have looked bad on both of us if even one bakery was short a few.” You said. “I didn’t think you remembered that.”

“Well, I did.” He confessed. “I also remember that time you nearly fed the soon-to-be mayor’s daughter peanuts despite the fact that she was death allergic.”

“The man ordered a peanut butter and chocolate cake for her birthday. Why would he do that if she was allergic? I had no idea, thankfully you stopped in the morning before I started making it so I could call and correct the problem. What about the time you hired that guy, the one who ate half your order…”

“Gene!” He remembered suddenly. “I almost forgot about Gene. Couldn’t believe he’d managed to eat six eclairs on the way to that fundraiser. You bailed me out by meeting me in that dark parking lot and we snuck six of your eclairs onto the tray. No one noticed.”

“I assume my six received higher praise than the others.” You laughed.

“I honestly think the guests were all too drunk to notice.” An awkward silence settled into the air between the two of you. “Maybe we’ve been doing this all wrong…” He added quietly.

“What do you mean?” You asked him.

“I mean we’re better together. We’ve been helping each other out for years. Maybe this year we go into the competition together. With my flavor profiles and your designs? There’s not a single bakery out there that could take us on together.” He insisted.

“I don’t know, James…”

“Bucky.” He interrupted you. “My friends call me Bucky.” We are friends after all, aren’t we?” He took a step closer to you, almost daring you to take the next step. You stepped towards him, not answering his question. “Of course, we could be more than friends…” He added edging closer to you.

[blainehellyes]

Hell/Heaven

Pairing: Ethan x MC (Dr.Anika Warren)

Words: 3.5k ..I just..went off w this

Warnings: Mentions of anxiety, trauma, swear words??

Author’s Note: Okay yall so idfk what this is tbh. I just had an idea and went on to write 3.5k words about it. This is my interpretation of the  aftermath of ch.11. I genuinely don’t know if this makes sense or it’s just a bunch of words slammed together.

Also, I did not really proofread this so please do feel free to point out any mistakes. I’m sorry for the mistakes.

I’m scared of writing people OOC and I’m still learning so please keep it in mind.

Anyway, I did not make it two parts but it’s pretty long so yeah.

Anika’s thoughts will be in italics.

xxxx

 It had been almost 16 hours since the combined diagnostics team along with her friends barged into the isolation ward and told her that they had found a cure. Eight hours since Ethan said the magic words 

“Get up. There are no traces of the toxin in  your body.”

She had been lightheaded, whether it was from happiness or if it was from some weird side effect she didn’t know about was up in the air. She was still a bit wobbly.

In her 29 years of living, Dr.Anika Warren had not had such a whirlwind of a day. 24 hours ago ,she was barging into the senator’s room trying to stop an assassination. She didn’t know how she got caught up in a death trap but after that it was as if her brain had recorded every single moment with perfect accuracy.The whole thing was playing in a loop , the cannister being deployed, Rafael Aveiro, superman and ultimate idiot jumping in to protect her , Danny and Bobby Gunderson’s life leaving his eyes in front of her. She had watched a lot of people pass away in her career, and each one affected her . No matter how much she wanted to get used to it. But this was different, this was a man who was talking to her about how he wanted to afford a car for his daughter’s 16th. Bobby used to greet her with a smile every day, and even with minimal interaction she had gotten close to him.

And now his daughter won’t have a father, much less a car. And it’s because you were dumb enough to jump in to the room before having backup.

She pushed the thoughts away as she wearily walked through Edenbrook’s long corridors. 

Most of her friends had returned home in hopes of having some rest, but she couldn’t. Raf was still admitted, albeit not in a coma and she couldn’t just leave him. She didn’t want to leave anyway,trying to get as much done as she could to distract herself. She didn’t want to face her thoughts, which she would eventually have to when she’d go home. But for now, she was delaying the inevitable by trying to help any and every doctor she came across. 

“Dr.Warren? Why are you still here?”

Esme. I love her but dear god if one more person tells me to go home I’ll start crying in the middle of the corridor.

“Uhh, I’m just finishing off some work. You should be too , Dr.Ortega. Stop interrogating people and get to work.”

Wow when did I become Ethan? That was one of the most out of character things I’ve ever said. Looks like his personality is seeping into me. 

“ Um..Anika? You good? No offense but that really doesn’t sound like you. ”

Well..crap. 

“Then what does it sound like, Dr.Ortega?”

“ It sounds like you’re trying to put on a tough person persona to deflect questions”

This girl is way too smart. Am I the only dumb one here with no people skills or…?

 “ I just..I just don’t want to go home. And I don’t want to talk about it. Please don’t mind”

Please leave me alone please please please 

Esme shrugged but the look of concern on her face wasn’t gone. “If that’s what you want then sure. Take care of yourself, I’m not the one who almost died" 

 With that she turned around and left. 

Anika continued to make her way through the hospital. Her mind was racing with the possibilities of what could have happened. She could not stop thinking about how she trusted the senator, but most of all, one thing was repeating in her mind. 

So, Ethan Ramsey, are you single?

Ethan looked at me for a brief second

"I’m sorry… But no, I’m not" 

He had actually admitted his feelings on national television. Well, almost but the point still stood.

And yet it’s complicated. He’s not single but we’re not dating. What the fuck Ethan Ramsey? We doing Schrodinger dating or what? 

This was her hell.

"Dr. Warren?" 

This time, she wasn’t annoyed at her name being called. This time, it was more relief than frustration. 

"Anika..?” Ethan’s voice hit her once again. 

“Um.. Hi” she didn’t know what to say. Her face was flushed from thinking about the moment they shared after the interview, and all the subtle moments that had in the past few months. 

“You’re supposed to be home. But Dr.Ortega did mention something about you not wanting to. What is it?" 

Ah there it is. Damn you Esme. I mean, no but yes.

"It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it”

She tried to sound as normal and unbothered as she could. She didn’t want to even think about it, much less talk it out which would just make it much more real for her. She wanted to live in denial and pretend everything was normal for a while. 

 Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden hold on her wrist. She snapped back into reality to notice that Ethan was pulling her somewhere. It was in the general direction of his office so she presumed that much but couldn’t help protesting the sudden force.

“Wai- Wha- Where are you taking me?!”

The reply only affirmed her presumption.

“To my office, Rookie. You’re clearly not well and you need to rest and if you won’t go home I’ll make sure you rest here.”

Why is this man so stubborn? I love him but why?

They were soon in his sparsely decorated office. Everything was organised with no stray papers or journals lying around which was usually the case with most of the other offices in the hospital.  Ethan sat her down on the couch and sat down beside her.

“Wait, I thought you wanted me to rest. What is this Dr.Ramsey? A plot to get me alone with you hmmm..?” She wanted to get alone with him. Ever since the confession the other night and him saying he wasn’t single, she needed some answers. 

“No. I just wanted to ask you about why exactly you didn’t want to go home. Dr.Ortega told me you looked disturbed and kind of in a trance and I got worried” Ethan said with worry clearly etched onto his face 

Why the hell is he so cute even when he’s worried? I’m so so in love ugh

His palm touched her face , snapping her out of her thoughts yet again. His gentle touch was something she wasn’t yet that used to, and he had been much more gentle and kind since the confession the previous night. He was acting so unlike the Ethan she knew and she had to get used to this. 

“Tell me , Anika. What’s wrong? Talk to me. I’m here.”

Memories of the previous few days flooded her all at once. Her poaching the senator from MK, him intruding on the diagnostics team meetings, Travis behaving so normally that she could never in a million years imagine him being such a …. psychopath. 

The phone call she overheard, her disappointment on how she trusted a politician who wanted the same things as everyone else.

She was spiralling, and she was spiralling hard. It was hard not to, she was feeling guilty. She wanted to go back and not agree to June’s idea. She wanted to undo the whole thing.

Ethan noticed her face contorting with the painful memories and he immediately took her into his arms and that was all it took for her to start sobbing. 

“ I just..I feel guilty Ethan. I shouldn’t have gone to MK, I shouldn’t have followed June’s advice. I shouldn’t have trusted a politician. And most of all I shouldn’t have ran into the room like some kind of a superhero in a Hollywood movie without having proper back up”

Ethan’s face was grim. He understood the guilt over going over to MK and stealing their patient, he had been feeling it too. But he couldn’t understand the other feelings, it would be impossible to. He wanted to comfort her, let her know that she did absolutely nothing wrong but he knew his words wouldn’t matter much. 

Ethan’s thoughts were interrupted by more violent sobs, she was breaking in front of him and he couldn’t take it. He hugged her tighter and whispered sweet nothings, trying to tell her that she was only trying to do something good. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong Anika, you were doing your duty. You wanted to help. It’s okay, you’re okay. You’re here. ”

He wanted to comfort her and never hear her cry again.

Anika on the other hand couldn’t stop. She felt bad, she felt bad when she thought about Danny and Sienna , when she thought about Bobby Gunderson and his daughter. “ Sienna probably hates me.." 

Ethan was taken aback by that comment, if he had noticed one thing about Dr.Trinh ,it was that she was someone you could absolutely trust. Her hating Anika was far fetched. ” She won’t, why would she hate you? She was so scared Anika, she was so scared that you would ….“ He couldn’t complete the sentence. He couldn’t even complete the though. 

” No, Ethan. Sienna loved Danny. And..and if I hadn’t..if I hadn’t..done something so stupid..he would still be here..they had a future Ethan, they really did..“ and she broke down into another fit of sobs. 

Ethan didn’t know what to do. He held her and helped her cry it out. Eventually the exhaustion hit her and she somehow fell asleep. He noticed though,that she had a fever. And was in the process of waking her up gently and giving her some medicine that the door opened. 

Naveen Banerji was worried. He was worried about Rafael , the paramedic he had somehow grown close to. He was worried about Ethan , his mentee and his "son”. But most of all, he was worried about Dr.Warren. She had taken the toll of the previous days hard and as soon as he heard that she was acting unusual, he wanted to find her. He couldn’t though and decided that the best way to approach this was to ask Ethan.  

He had just opened the door when he saw that Anika was with Ethan in the room, and they both looked very cosy. Ethan was in the process of giving her some kind of medication and he didn’t want to interrupt but it was clear that they had been having a moment.  And Anika looked deathly pale and after listening to a concerned Dr.Ortega about how she was a walking zombie and how he should force her to take time off work and seeing it himself, he decided to actually listen to Dr.Ortega and give Anika a week off. 

He silently closed the door as he did not want to interrupt and instead paged Ethan to come to his office. He not only wanted Anika to take a few days off work, he wanted Ethan to take care of her. He had never seen Ethan so happy with anybody before and it hurt him to see them push each other away. And if this was a chance for him to push Ethan towards his happiness, he would use it. 

Ethan had just finished giving Anika a tablet for her temperature and let her fall asleep again when his pager beeped. He walked briskly to Naveen’s office, curious to know why he called him. It was rare, getting paged by Naveen so he was a bit nervous. 

When he had entered and sat down, Naveen wasted no time in getting to the point. “ I’ve heard that Dr.Warren has been showing some trauma symptoms lately, and she has gone through a lot so I want to give her a week off” he said.

Ethan was happy, he wanted this to happen but he was confused as to why the chief had told him this .

“ Before you ask me why and how this concerns you, I want you to know that I want you to take care of her in this one week. And hence , I am giving you a whole week off too” Naveen finished with a smile on his face.

Ethan was surprised. He wanted to spend time with her, especially after his late night revelations. But taking a whole week off work was out of question. The diagnostics team would be two members down and he couldn’t let that happen.

“Naveen, that simply isn’t feasible. It’s already hard with a nurse down and a doctor down and me going would make it all the more difficult for the team.”

Naveen cut him off, he didn’t want to hear it

“ Son, just listen to me this time. I’ll take over the diagnostics team myself for the week and the workload can be handled. I want you both to take a while off and figure things out and that’s all I’ll say. Nothing you say will change this decision.”

Ethan didn’t have the heart to protest. Even though he was worried about how the team would function without two members, the fact that Naveen would take over eased him. 

Besides that, he really did want to forget the world for a bit and just hold her in his arms. The endeavour the previous day had shown him how much he cared and after that , he couldn’t keep her away. He almost lost her, and in those few hours where he had to put up a brave façade for the hospital while he was breaking inside were the worst few hours in his entire life. 

He didn’t know what he would do without her, just the thought of not having her jab at him randomly, do weird things just to annoy him and all of her little quirks which frustrated him to no end in the beginning which he had grown to love killed him. He needed her. 

He walked through the hospital to his office to find her awake and scrolling through her phone. This comforted him a bit as she looked tranquil and didn’t have the worry on her face like earlier. 

He entered the room and her face immediately lit up. This was something he would never tire of seeing , her smile. It made him feel all excited and warm. 

“ Ethan! I was waiting for you!” She chirped. He loved her voice and it automatically brought an easy smile onto his face.

He sat down beside her , absentmindedly stroking her hand and started speaking.

“ Naveen has ordered both of us to take a whole week off. He wouldn’t listen to anything. "  He said with a bemused smirk on his face. This whole idea of Naveen, was amusing to him. It was such an obvious attempt at getting them together that he couldn’t help but laugh at it.

” Wait what? What about the diagnostics team?! They can’t function with two members down. I mean they can but what if we get an important case?! What about my patients? What about your patients? This simply won’t-“

Ethan cut her off with a kiss. He wanted to do that for so long and looking at her get so worked up about the hospital was too cute for him to control himself. 

” Oh my ,Dr.Ramsey, so forward of you. I didn’t think someone like you could do something so scandalous" Anika chuckled between kisses and Ethan was too absorbed to even take offense to the statement.

Eventually, they got up and made their way to Ethan’s apartment. Anika had to inform her flatmates , everyone looking at her with raised eyebrows except Sienna , who she couldn’t look in the eyes. She also made sure to check up on Raf and Kyra, and shed a few tears looking at them. She was glad that both of them were alright because she wouldn’t forgive herself if anything happened to anyone. 

Ethan’s apartment was as she remembered, clean and monochromatic. At this point, she had visited enough for her to just walk straight in and start playing with Jenner without any hesitation. Ethan loved seeing her like this, in his home , comfortable. He couldn’t help but imagine a future where she would just live there instead of visiting. 

After taking a shower ,they started working on dinner. Ethan didn’t want to make her work at all but she was adamant about helping. Watching her move across the kitchen with ease made him happy. But he didn’t forget to make her rest, as she was still weak which was evident when she lost focus suddenly and fainted.  Ethan dropped his spatula into the pan and rushed to get her up. She had started to have a rise in her temperature again. 

“ You can’t keep doing this Rookie , you’re sick and you’re literally working yourself to exhaustion. Now just take your medicine and relax , okay? I’ll take care of dinner.” He cooed into her ears as he lifted her up and carried her to his bed. 

Anika obliged with a pout, not letting him go back without a proper kiss. She wanted him to stay but her stomach rumbling made it obvious that she needed food. And the only source of food was Ethan cooking and she had to let him go.

Her fever had subsided by the time he poked his head into the bedroom telling her that dinner was ready. She had almost fallen asleep, exhaustion taking over her but dinner was important.

I need to talk to him about the interview. And the night before. I need to talk to him about so much. 

They had dinner in relative peace, having proper substantial food after all the hospital food she had eaten felt good. They were I’m easy conversation and she didn’t have the heart to bring up the topic of feelings.

He will shut down , and I don’t want him to shut down. 

Only when they had completed eating and ended up in bed cuddling could she force herself to ask him. 

Just do it Anika. It’s not too hard. He won’t push you away. Trust yourself. 

“ Ethan?” She spoke up with a timid voice. In the hospital, she was the person who would talk back when anything was wrong or if anybody did anything questionable, but here she was out of her depth.

“ Yes?” He answered with an inquisitive tone.

“I wanted to ask you about something” she went on. “ Uh..um.. the interview when you said you weren’t single..” she took a deep breath. 

Come on , just say it. Why are you so anxious?! 

Ethan immediately tensed up a bit. He meant every single word he said, both in the interview and in the night that followed and yet, he didn’t know how to approach this.  He was looking at her intently , waiting for her to continue when she started speaking again.

“ Yesterday night, when you talked about how you regretted keeping me away and how you wished you didn’t do it… did you mean it?” She finished, bracing for impact. She was so sure that he’d push her away yet again and they’d have to spend the rest of the week in awkwardness that his next words took her a moment to register. 

“ I meant every single word , Anika” he said, bringing her closer to him. He kissed her forehead and continued. “ I meant it. All of it. You are the light in my life, my sunshine. When I saw you behind the glass, covered in that grease , my heart stopped. I had to pick myself up and put on a face for the team but I was breaking into a million pieces. Each time I failed to diagnose what was wrong , I remembered that I could lose you. And that broke me even further. There was nothing I wanted to do more than run into the room and hold you in my hands. I can’t live without you Anika, I don’t want to imagine a life without you. ”

By this point , both of them were in tears. They were hugging each other, tears flowing freely. 

“ I was so scared ,Ethan. I just wanted to be in your arms. And I was scared for Raf. When you told me we had lost Danny, I realised I couldn’t lose Raf. And every moment, all I wanted was to be with you. You’re the most important thing in my life , Ethan. And I was so scared to talk to you about this, so scared that you would push me away again.”

Ethan took a sharp breath. Pushing her away after all this was impossible. He hugged her tighter , letting her cry , letting himself cry it out. 

“ I won’t push you away. I won’t ever push you away. I’m all in if you are” he said, through tears. 

Anika looked at him and could see a vulnerable man. She could see he was scared too, to admit his feelings and to let his walls down and she was determined to never hurt him.

“ I’m all in ,Ethan. Forever. ”

That night was one of the best nights of their lives. They just spent it cuddling and talking to each other about their dreams, their aspirations and themselves. 

Ethan hadn’t felt so at ease in years. He was ready to take care of her forever. He had never imagined falling in love but now, he couldn’t imagine not being in love. 

And that night , they knew that the next seven days and the rest of their lives would be amazing. 

And this, was her heaven.

THANK YOU IF YOU READ TILL HERE.

Tag List? Sort of?

@drethanramslay @hatescapsicum @nooruleman @anonymously-cool @mrsbhandari @kaavyaethanramsey @apphia12 @queencarb @mvalentine @openheart12 @starrystarrytrouble

@crazynutella tagging @oofchoices @ohramsey if yall are interested

xxxx

[ninjakasuga]

Sonal Celebration Week Submission: Reunion

In case Tumblr ate my direct submission to @boundforfreedomsonsal I’m also posting my submission myself with the Tumblr tagged. So finally the celebration is here, and here’s my first submission. Taking place around issue 50 of the Archie-series, this is my take on when Sonic woke Sally up. As well as my own fanfic head-canon injection where I personally feel after all the kerfuffle with Endgame, Sonic and Sally got their confessions out and started the road to being a couple there. Instead of the long, convoluted delayed process, we fans had to wait nearly ten years to see to fruition. 

REUNION:

 The only sound was the crunching of leaves under Sonic’s shoes after he slowed down upon reaching the memorial. His heart instantly ached at the sight of it, despite knowing from Doctor Quack that Sally wasn’t dead. However, the sight of her ‘viewing’ memorial and her body resting in the clear-view casket, just hammered home what was his reality until a few minutes ago. His heart was hammering in his chest. The closer he got, his brain reminding him of the water-fowl doctor’s words. ‘She’s alive, but in a coma. Her tenacious will-power probably saved her life as much as her getting medical attention quickly. However, while Sally’s body has mended, I have no clue if and when she will wake up.’ 

Sonic himself had been advised to stay in bed given how utterly fatigued he had been through the entire ‘Endgame’ fiasco as everyone was calling Sally’s seeming death, his frame-job, and Robotnik’s near victory which ended in his defeat. Shuddering Sonic looked at his hands, they still tingled from impacting on the fatso’s face, and by God, if the Ultimate Annihilator hadn’t taken out Robuttnik; he was ready to end him himself. A thought that scared him to the core, especially on how he still felt okay with the act if had taken Robotnik’s life.

Guess luck was looking out for him, and maybe, just maybe luck would hold out again.

As he reached the see-through casket, a disguised medical pod, his mind snapped back to the here and now. Sally looked so peaceful, so, very dead. He knew she wasn’t, but the brief flicker of thought made his heart jump, and his breathing increase for a moment. All the pent up emotions were wanting to spill out, but he held them in. Focusing back on his task, Sonic found the latches sealing the casket and input the combination code into the five buttons Doctor Quack had given him. After the code was inputted, a soft but potent ‘hiss’ sound could be heard as the casket was unsealed and could now be opened as he wished. Grasping the edge of the container, he pulls open the clear-top, which flipped open from the bottom before automatic hinges locked the canopy into place.

Looking down upon Sally’s form, he could now see clearly, she was breathing, but very shallowly. His gaze briefly went up to the clear-canopy of her viewing casket. He had to give kudos to Doctor Quack for installing some weird, trick into the thing that hid the fact Sally was breathing from anyone who came to pay their respects. If he hadn’t pulled out all the stops, Robotnik would have undoubted discovered the ruse and finished the job Snively set into motion through Drago and Hershey. Kneeling down, he reached out, softly touching her auburn hair, and gently began to caress it. Sally always had such soft hair, even when the humidity of the summer would frizzle it to heck, somehow she still kept it silky soft. Smiling Sonic trailed his hand down to her face, feeling those adorable cheek tufts, and very, very happy he could feel the warmth of her body under her fur. Another much-needed indicator she was alive, which helped set his still hammer-beating heart at ease to some degree.

As a soft breeze blew past him, the blue hedgehog stared at the Princess’ sleeping face, wishing her eyes would open. The last few days of thinking she had died weighed on him all the things he never got to say to her, the regrets of not having gotten to say such things to her. The denial of things to come, things he at the time felt he’d taken for granted that they would come in due time, only there was no time. Now, she was alive, but would she even wake up so he could make good on doing all those things he should have already said and made clear.

Life was too short, and thankfully he’d be given another chance, and if she’d only wake up, he’d make good on telling her everything he’d always felt. With a long sigh exhaling from his lips he looks down upon Sally’s peacefully, sleeping figure again as a stray thought crossed his mind.

“No way it’d work, just stupid story-book mumbo-jumbo…” He muttered to himself, but yet at the same time, what else did he have to lose? Stranger things have come true in his short life. Grasping the edges of the casket, Sonic leaned over, planting a soft kiss to Sally’s cheek, murmuring softly, almost pleadingly, hoping it might awaken her. “I love you, Sally, please come back to us, to me.” Pulling back from the kiss, he sat on his knees at her side, watching her, and unsurprised nothing happened. That’s what you get for putting hope in fairytale nonsense.

Just as Sonic was about to pick up Sally to take her back to the hospital, someplace less out in the open, he saw her eyebrows furrow and twitch. His breath caught in his throat as he saw more signs of Sally stirring awake. “Sal?” He asked quietly, hope slowly blooming into his tone. Her mouth opened and a low groan escaped, followed by her mouth smacking together as if she was trying to get rid of morning dry-ness of the throat. The cute ears on top of her head twitched, and her fingers began to move, unclasping from the pose she was placed in, and resting on the bottom of the casket. With a smooth, if slow motion, Sally pushed herself up into a sitting position; flinching as if the motion caused her a brief bout of pain. 

“Ahh…” Her voice was scratchy and parched, but clearly hers. Finally, her eyelids managed to force themselves open, and Sonic soon found those beautiful blue peepers looking into his own as Sally craned her head causing their gazes to meet at last. Her gaze turned to one of concern as she saw Sonic’s expression along with big-wet tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Sonic? Is that you? What’s wrong, are you okay-?” Sally’s words of confusion turned to concern and were soon interrupted as she found herself caught up in a big hug that threatened to expel the contents of her lungs as she found herself gasping for air.

“YOU’RE AWAKE!” Sonic cried, standing up fully with Sally in his arms, swinging her around as he both laughed and cried happily in pure, unadulterated joy.

“S-Sonic! A-air, can’t breathe!” Gasped the squirrel-munk as the blue hedgehog spun her around, adding a bit of dizziness to her lack of oxygen.

Realizing this, Sonic quickly sets her on her feet and lets go of her, but his hands instantly snatch hers and hold on. As if afraid letting go would allow her to disappear. “Sorry Sal! I just-I just…” His words trailed off as his voice broke. Unable to really say anything he just smiled at her. “J-just glad you’re back.”

Shaking her head, she gently pulls her hands from his and cups his face, looking concerned. “What happened Sonic? You never cry unless something big happened.”

Sniffling the hedgehog wiped his eyes, trying to dry his tears. “We all thought you were dead.”

Staring at him blankly, Sally couldn’t speak as it felt like a lump was in her throat, but she somehow managed after a few beats. “Dead?!” Her tone started off incredulous but as she looked about, one look at the memorial site told her Sonic wasn’t blowing things out of proportion. Putting a hand to her head, Sally wracked her brain and slowly recalled falling down the cut rope. “I fell, that’s right I fell, my rope was cut.”

With a nod, Sonic explained everything. Her near-death experience, his being framed for her murder, Robotnik’s plans, and all the little bits and pieces that fit into each puzzle-piece slot to make up the entire affair. Once Sonic finished, Sally stood staring briefly before moving closer and hugging him tightly.

“I’m so sorry Sonic, that you went through all that.”

Accepting the hug, Sonic fought the urge to squeeze her again and nuzzled against her face, unable to help himself. Luckily for him, Sally didn’t see to mind. “I’m just glad you’re alive, that’s all that matters.” Being able to hold her again alone made what he went through worth it alone. “We’ll catch ya’ up to speed. Gonna have lots to do especially as Buttnik’s gone for good.”

A soft smile formed on her beautiful face, as Sally exhaled gently. “I still can scarcely believe it. It-it’s really over isn’t it?” It was like a dream, and she prayed to whatever deity was listening this wasn’t the case. In fact, Sally reached down to her own wrist and pinched the skin under her fur. After a brief flash of pain, followed by a wince. Once nothing seemed to have changed, she let out a sound of relief. “I’m not dreaming am I?” “Not at all,” Sonic replied all smiles. “So the war’s over, we can stop fighting, well mostly.” With a nod and a shrug Sonic quipped. “Minus whatever under-bosses Buttnik left lying around Snotly, yeah we’re good.”

Both enjoy a much-needed chuckle, breaking the hug and just staring at one another. Recalling his earlier despair and regret for not ‘saying’ things to Sally, Sonic swallowed a hard lump in his throat and took her hands into his again. “Sally I gotta say something to you.”

Curious and intrigued, Sally grasped his hands, giving a friendly and assuring squeeze back. “Oh? What is it Sonic?”

It was now or never, he’d thought of this moment often. Of the various lines he could say, maybe even whip out his guitar and sing a rock-ballad; any and every avenue he’d entertained this moment in his brain for some time. Yet now; he couldn’t find any of his prior ideas truly worth their salt in conveying this moment.

So Sonic did what he did best, and improvised. “Sally I love you, I always have and I want you to know that!!” His words came out fast, yet were clear enough to be heard clearly despite the nervous-tick in his tone. Almost as soon as his confession came out, Sonic began to sweat and panic internally. Did he screw up by not being flowery, and all that mushy stuff girls were supposed to like? As this internal panic began to wreak his mind; he almost failed to take notice of Sally’s response.

The Princess’ eyes first went wide as her jaw began slack, staring at Sonic, to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Did she hear Sonic correctly? “Say it again Sonic, please.” She begged, her own heart beating loudly in her ears.

Sally’s words snapped Sonic out of his initial panic, and upon seeing those beautiful baby-blues looking at him inquiringly, he nodded as he mustered his courage and confidence. “I love you Sally Acorn, I always have.” Lifting her hands he placed both on his chest, allowing her to feel his widely beating heart. He felt her fingers curl in his chest fur, a sensation that almost distracted him from talking it felt so nice. “I don’t know when, but...I just knew it, we’ve been together since we were in diapers. You’re my best friend and without you in my life, it would suck a lot.” Licking his lips, he fought back any nervous lumps trying to make talking difficult. “I love you, and I need you in my life Sal-I, I thought I lost you and I can’t… I can’t let a day go by without letting you know.”

Sonic again found himself worried he screwed up as Sally’s eyes misted over and Tears began to leak from them. “Sal? D-did I say something-MMMPH?!” Now it was his turn to be interrupted, as Sally pulled him close, her arms now firmly around his neck and her lips over his. Soon Sonic’s eyes slowly close and he returned the kiss; his own arms wrapping around her waist and held her close as their bodies almost seemed to shift and rub together perfectly. Slowly the kiss evolved, becoming much more explicit as each opened their mouths, letting their tongues intertwine as a surging heat-formed between them. Not a sexual one, that was there but not prominently, this was the heat between two hearts that had found their way to one another.

Soon the kiss ended, and both parted, staring at one another as they tried to catch their breath. Sally recovered first, smiling warmly at Sonic as she brought a hand up to cup his cheek. “I love you too Sonic Hedgehog, always since I can remember.” Like him, she kept her words simple, any prior ‘showy’ confession was pushed aside in lieu of simple, direct but heartfelt. “Whatever is coming over the horizon I want to meet it with you at my side.”

“And you mine.” He smiled widely, like her he now had tears of joy in his eye. The two lean forward, resting their foreheads together as they basked at the moment. Robotnik might be gone, but the war was not yet over; and who knows what threats may lay over the next hill or around the bend.

Whatever was to come, they would face it together, now and forever.

[yeosang-jpg]

My Treasure [ATEEZ Pirate AU] Chapter Three.

"Miss Lee, would you come inside, please?"

Upon hearing her summons, Sohee took a deep breath and entered the room. She wondered what someone like Lord Lee could possibly want with a simple woman such as herself—but she swallowed her anxiety as she stepped inside his elegant office.

Lord Lee was not alone. A cartographer was painting intricate details of some islands in the Pacific Ocean on the far side of the wall. Sohee watched fascinatingly for a moment before directing her attention to Lord Lee, who was, in turn, watching her.

"Miss Lee," he said, standing tall. He was barely taller than she, but the air with which the man held himself made him seem taller. "I have just had an interesting discussion with Master Choi. Shall I tell you about it?"

"If it is my place to hear of it, Lord Lee," she replied, knowing quite well that one wrong word could cost San his life.

He seemed amused by her cautious compliance and moved forward. "I offered him the freedom of his fiancée, Eunseo Kwon, if he were to bring me back an item of Kim Hongjoon's. Have you met the pirate before?"

Sohee shook her head. "I have not. I remained here, in Port Royal, when the band of pirates attacked us."

Lord Lee nodded. "That is good fortune for you, it would seem. I have requested that Master Choi fetch me a personal item of the pirate's—a compass. It is quite invaluable, and its deliverance shall ensure Miss Kwon's release. When I send Choi to Kim Hongjoon, he will have papers regarding a full pardon to give to him, so long as he swears compliance to the Eastern India Company."

"Somehow, I do not believe the pirate Hongjoon will appreciate those letters," mused Sohee, glancing at the mural of the map again. "He is a pirate for a reason."

"Perhaps you are right. But you have missed my point."

"Your point?"

"I have guaranteed Kwon Eunseo her freedom in exchange for the compass. I am sending Master Choi letters of full pardon for Kim Hongjoon. I have not, however, promised Master Choi himself anything regarding his own freedom."

Hearing this, Sohee blanched. If San were to die, she would not know what to do with herself.

Knowing that she was expected to respond, she swallowed and asked, "And I suppose you would like something from me to guarantee his freedom? What can a woman such as myself give you, Lord Lee?"

Instead of answering immediately, the man gazed over the room. Seeing that the cartographer had finished his last few strokes on the map, he dismissed him—the door closed with a loud THUMP, which mirrored Sohee's heartbeat. She and Lord Lee were now alone.

After another moment of silence, Lord Lee said, "A simple girl like yourself is precisely what I would like. You are a woman of great beauty, Miss Lee, as well one of good manner. And when I handed you those parchments... forgive me, but I could not help but notice an absence of a ring atop your gloves."

Sohee blinked, a wave of uncertainty washing over her as she questioned, "Is this... are you proposing for me to marry you in exchange for San's freedom?"

"I am not blind. I see that you care for him deeply," said the Lord Lee, a light smirk upon his lips. "That is most unfortunate for you, I am afraid. But it might also be most opportune. If you accept my offer, you may grow to discover that there shall be advantages in your status and lifestyle because of our marriage. The same, of course, could be said for me. While this arrangement may be political today, one day, you may grow to truly love me, and I you. I would be... eager to show you that I could treat you better than any blacksmith ever could."

Sohee restrained from sighing. San was much more than just a blacksmith. "How can I be certain that you will spare him?"

"Do you not trust me?"

"It is not you whom I do not trust, but the law."

Lord Lee seemed unable to restrain a chuckle. He glanced out of the windows of his majestic office to gaze across the ocean. He waved a hand towards her as if to summon her to follow—and so she did. They took a brief moment to watch the happenings upon the harbour, the waves gently lapping at the docile shore. And then, after a minute or so of contemplative silence, the man said, "I suppose that is fair enough, Miss Lee. I shall issue another official pardon for Master Choi upon his successful return."

This statement comforted Sohee more than she believed it would, although the prospect of accepting the offer of the Lord Lee's hand in marriage was still incredibly daunting. Of course she would accept—for San, so he would live and be happy with Eunseo—but she was uncertain about what her future would entail when she would say the words.

Her silence was noted. Lord Lee turned back to her, a light apprehension in his eyes as he questioned, "Would you be willing to accept my offer?"

Sohee let her eyes trail the man... he was not unattractive, although she did wish she could see what a smile would look like upon his face. His eyes were thoughtful, but still cold...

He reached out a hand and softly laid his palm against her face. She offered him a hesitant smile and, fortunately, it was returned. Oddly enough, that smile reached the depths of Lee's eyes.

It was this that prompted her to breathe in once... twice... and then reply, "Yes, Lord Lee. I will accept your generous offer."

Her words made the man's smile deepen. "Then I shall obtain Master Choi's documents, and begin marriage preparations." His hand moved from her face to brush a lock of her deeply brown hair behind her ear. They looked at one another for a brief moment—and then Lord Lee kissed her.

Sohee was shocked at the sudden gesture, and frankly, uncertain how to interpret it. His lips felt cold, and it was only a fleeting gesture. She could not help but fear that her acceptance meant nothing to him, and that she would never truly occupy a place in his heart.

Once he pulled away, Lord Lee smiled—though Sohee felt that this too was taciturn—and declared, "This has been a very fruitful chat, Miss Lee."

Sohee nodded to agree... but then, she realised something. She would not be able to bear it if San went away again, and she was left at Port Royal with no idea if he was safe. She would sooner die than endure that torture again.

She had to say something.

"Lord Lee, if I may..."

He nodded and waved a hand to let her know it was allowed.

Taking a deep breath, Sohee interjected, "In order to be certain that San shall live a happy life, I would like to accompany him to locate Kim Hongjoon and be certain his mission succeeds. If he is to live, I would like him to live happily—and the only way he shall do that is if he marries Eunseo. This means he must not fail. I would like to oversee that he does not."

The Lord Lee's eyes widened somewhat at her request; whether that was due to fright or anger or both, Sohee could not tell. "Do you realise the danger this quest might hold? If the pirate Hongjoon were to—to sully you or anything of the sort—"

"San would never let anything happen to me," she promised, taking care to keep her voice calm. "He is more than capable of protecting me."

Sohee did not add that she could perfectly well defend herself, thanks to years upon years of training. Seeing that Lord Lee was unconvinced, she reached out for his hand at his side and gently grasped it, murmuring, "I promise you, no man will lay a hand on me whilst I am gone. Would you be able to grant me this as a wedding gift?"

The pleading with which Sohee spoke and portrayed seemed to weaken the Lord Lee's resolve. With a heavy sigh, he conceded. "Very well, Miss Lee. If it shall make you happy, I will allow it."

A great burden was lifted from Sohee's shoulders, although she took great care to mask it as she earnestly replied, "Thank you, Lord Lee. You are most kind. I shall return soon."

She squeezed his hand and released it before moving towards the exit—

"One last thing, Miss Lee," announced Lord Lee's voice. Sohee moved back to face him as he walked towards her. He held something small in his palm, but she could not yet see what.

With great care, he gently grabbed her left hand—

"No, not that one," she gasped, unable to help herself. "Please, use my other hand."

Lord Lee raised an eyebrow. "Why not the left, Miss Lee?"

Seeing that she had to explain herself, Sohee sighed and confessed, wringing her hands, "There is a scar... a jagged black bolt over the back of my hand. It has been there since I was an infant, and I do not know how I got it. It is no birthmark, and I worry that it shall... repulse you."

"Nonsense," scoffed Lord Lee, carefully removing the glove on her hand. He looked at the scar for a moment—it ran from one side of Sohee's hand to the other, and was as black as ever. It was like a darkened lightning bolt—she always attempted to cover it up, unless she was in the forge with San, and San alone.

But Lord Lee did not seem perturbed by the mark, which surprised her. It was almost as if he did not even see the scar as he slipped a gold ring onto her third finger. Softly, he said, "This is for you to wear and remember."

That was all he said, but the connotation was perfectly clear.

Sohee held San's life in her hands, and here was a tangible reminder of that.As it was, Sohee did not need any reminder. She had no intention of breaking her promise. "Thank you... it is beautiful."

"Quite like you," murmured Lord Lee, glancing at the ground. This was the first glimpse of true vulnerability that Sohee had seen from him yet.

Carefully, she slipped her glove back on before curtsying and declaring, "Farewell, Lord Lee I shall see you in a few months' time, with luck."

Without any further delay, she exited the room and left to intercept San before he could leave without her.

Sohee barely managed to catch San as he ran out of the jail, undoubtedly coming out of his last talk with Eunseo.

"San!" she cried, launching a hand on his arm.

He gasped and whirled around before sighing in relief. "Sohee, you startled me. Are you all right? What did Lord Lee want?"

"He wanted to tell me of your agreement," she said, though she was loath to address her own agreement. If she told San about her engagement, he would demand that she cancel the deal right away. She would need to tell him later on, when there was absolutely nothing he could do about her decision. "And he wanted for me to go with you on your journey, in case Kim Hongjoon gets any ideas."

San smiled uneasily. "Do you doubt me?"

"No, not at all."

"Then stay here."

"I cannot. These were Lord Lee's orders. You might get into trouble if I remain—Eunseo might get in trouble. Besides, I want to go. I would like to make sure you succeed, that you return here in one piece. Do not ask me to remain in the forge for another season while you sail around the world, facing rogue pirates and evil spirits on the high seas. I could not bear it."

San bit his lip, exchanging glances from his friend to the harbour and the gathered ships. Seeing that he was still unsure, Sohee gently put a hand on his shoulder and guided his eyes back to her own.

"Together this time. Remember? You promised me."

San sighed and stared into her chocolate brown eyes. Seeing the pleading within them, he murmured, "Sohee... it will be dangerous. The ocean can be tolerable at best, and I fear Captain Hongjoon shall be less so. You are a beautiful woman, but on that ship, I can only protect you so much."

Sohee restrained laughter and crossed her arms. She was not as beautiful as San might declare—certainly not as lovely as Eunseo, anyway. Her eyes were an entrancing dark russet, that was true, and her hair was dark and wavy, but her lips were thin, and her nose small.

And so she retorted, "Captain Hongjoon will not be a worry of mine. You have taught me how to wield a sword. And I know this quest shall be dangerous. Why do you think I am coming? I am coming to protect you."

"But—you have never been sailing before, what if you get seasick?"

"If seasickness is the best argument you have in your defence, Choi San, you are going to lose this battle," insisted Sohee, trying not to laugh. "I am coming with you. And I shall be fine."

He stared at her for another moment before raising his hands in surrender. "Very well, it seems you have made up your mind. Come with me if you like, but do not say I did not warn you about the dangers of the ocean and the pirates."

She giggled at his exasperation and retorted, "If anything, I look forward to it."

San looked at her with suppressed amusement before putting a hand gently on her shoulder and announcing, "Then we have no time to waste. Hopefully we can locate Hongjoon quickly—he is, after all, the famous pirate king."

[sleepyfan-blog]

Pre-Apple Hanahaki

fandom: Dreamtale AU

warnings: lying tw, manipulation tw, hanahaki disease tw

set in the same verse as this.

word count: 1,858

summary: A human confesses to Dream about how they feel for him.

"Dream... May I... May I speak with you?" A tall, fair haired human asks, shifting from one foot to another, looking both hopeful and deeply uncertain at the same time, their cheeks pinker than the rest of their face for some reason.

The guardian of positivity blinked a little bit in surprise - it was unusual for any of the villagers to come this close to the tree - but he nodded, walking over to them and asking "Sure! What is it that you want?"

"I... U-Uhm." The human responded, blinking a little and turning a brighter shade of pink, fidgeting with their hands a little before stuttering out - looking anxiously at Nightmare before responding "Could we... Could we maybe walk a little bit further away, please? I... Uhm was hoping to talk to you privately, Dream..."

Dream blinked a little bit in confusion and surprise - surely the villagers knew that whatever they told him, he told Nightmare, unless they were saying rude lies about the other guardian, right? Then again this particular human had only lived in the village for a couple of years now - having moved there from elsewhere. Dream was rather curious about what the rest of their world was like - but there was no way he would abandon Nightmare or the duty that they had been created for. "Okay..." He glanced briefly at Nightmare - who seemed to be fully immersed in the book he was reading and addressed the other "Hey, I'm going to be going on a walk with... Err..." Dream wasn't sure if he'd been told this human's name and he just didn't remember or if they hadn't had more than a brief conversation or two with this particular human.

"Oh! Sally. We... We met when I first came to the village and you were very warm and kind." the hu-Sally responded in a rush, looking a little bit upset before seeming to rally themself after a moment.

"Alright. Be careful, Dream." Nightmare responded, barely looking up from his book before he waved a hand at the both of them in a shooing motion "Go have fun."

Dream nodded and brightly smiled at Sally, starting to walk to the far end of the field. It was far enough away from where Nightmare and the tree were that the negative Guardian wanted to hear them speak. Dream paused at the edge of the field and asked curiously “What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

The human fidgeted with her hands for a couple of moments, before taking in a shuddering breath and sing really fast, voice rising in pitch a little as they watched him with a  startling intensity “W-would you go out with me? I really like and admire you and I would... w-would be so happy if we dated! E-even if it was just one date. P-please?"

Oh no. Not this again. Dream paused for a couple of moments before carefully reciting the line that he'd come up with for just this situation "While I am flattered that you think that you like me, I'm sorry but I must decline. I... It's not me that you like, but my... My positive aura. I didn't even know your name until you told me... S-so how could you like me in a romantic way, if we don't know one another at all?"

"I... I know it seems a little bit silly a-and impulsive. But I... I know that I love you, Dream. N-not that I'm attracted to your aura like you said. See I... I was thinking about you earlier - how warm, kind and wonderful you are to everyone you meet... A-and how anyone who held your heart - metaphorically speaking I mean - would be so lucky when I... I started to cough." Sally responded, pulling something out of her pocket. "I... I coughed out these petals while I was thinking of you, and how it'd be unlikely that you'd ever... Want me back." the human was holding a handful of crumpled up daisy petals, the blush on their face darkening further.

Dream's eyes widened in shock and dismay at the petals "Are... Are you sure you were thinking of just me? Oh... Oh no. I do know what this is - Nightmare can help you with it! But I... I can sense the positive feelings of others, and I know for a fact that you do not love me in the way that causes these flowers to grow inside of a sentient being." This was the sixth being to come in less than ten years, suffering from this strange magical affliction and the second human. The first being to claim that they were in love with one of the two of them, however.

"I w-what? No I... My... You... A-are you implying that Nightmare has something to do with the flower curse?" Sally sputtered, their eyes going wide in shock and distress.

"What? No of course not. From what we've been able to figure out of the curse, it stems from unrequited romantic love. Love is a neutral-positive emotion, and - well you probably don't want to hear more about it other than the fact that Nightmare's magic - the negativity - can kill the magical blooms that are feeding on your magic and soul." Dream responded, shaking his head a little as he silently wondered why that was always their first assumption when it came to this magical curse/illness thing.

"B-but does that mean I'll never be able to f-feel love again? I-I'd rather die than have that happen!" Sally responded, sounding and looking deeply frightened.

Why was that the second assumption they made about this? Dream could understand that the flower blossom curse was terrifying, but that didn't mean that the cure was so terrible. Resisting the urge to sigh and hide his face in his hands, the guardian of positivity patiently explained "No. His negative magic disrupts the hold that the curse has on your soul and magic, allowing you to heal. We don't know the source of the curse or infection, so we can't remove whatever magical seeds are inside of anyone. But the disruption allows the monster or human to recover from the damage done by the flowers, and nothing more. You retain your memories of whoever it is you're in love with, and you retain the capacity to love."

"O-Oh... How do you know this much about the curse, Dream?" Sally asked, their eyes wide as they allowed themself to be dragged by the positive guardian, clearly trying to digest this information.

"About a decade or so after we were first created by the previous guardian, a monster who had an active case of the flower curse came to us, begging for any kind of help that we could give them. They thought that an apple from the tree - from either side - would cure them. Which isn't true by the way. Both of us wanted to help them, and at first I tried healing the damage caused by the flowers... Which worked, but they still continued to grow. Nighty tried healing them as well, and after he did, the monster coughed up a bunch of dried petals. I checked the monster and they were no longer suffering from the active form of the flower curse.” Dream responded quietly. “I healed that monster of the rest of the damage and they went on their way…But in the past ten years or so, we’ve seen five - now you would be six… Which is unusual as last century we only saw four beings suffering from it.”

The human shifted from foot to foot, looking away from him and clearly uncomfortable. "I... Oh, alright. I don't want to die from this condition... Thank you for all of this information - I had heard that this emotional curse was something that you could fix, Dream... But I didn't realized that Nightmare helped you do so."

"Oh, if Nightmare couldn't kill the blooms, all I would be able to do is what I do now - which is to heal the damage that the flowers do. I wouldn't be able to kill the flowers- I could draw off the positive emotions of the person in regards to the person who they love... But that only delays the growth of the flowers, not kill them." Dream responded, shaking his head a little and sighing quietly, a small frown appearing on his face "I just... I just really wish that people would give Nighty equal credit for dealing with this strange curse, because he certainly deserves it."

"I... Ah... Uhm. Yes of course. I'll. That makes sense." Sally responded, shifting a little bit more as the two of them walked over to the Tree of Feelings, beneath which his other half was currently reading the book he'd been reading earlier.

"Nightmare can also cast a diagnostic spell, which will give us a time frame for how long your version of the curse has been active." It would also tell Nightmare how long the other might have left to live, if the other refused the treatment, as it was one of the things the two guardians were keeping track of.

The human jolted a little in surprise, their eyes widening as a look of genuine distress appeared on their face and they took a couple of steps back, even as Nightmare looked looked up at the both of them, a curious expression appearing on his face. "I... Uhm... AH... I think... I think I should go. Thank you for your time, Guardian Dream, and I apologize for t-taking up so much of it!" They started to run off at full speed, and Dream was unsure as to what to do.

"What was that all about?" Nightmare asked, a small smirk appearing on his face "I haven't seen anyone run from you like that in a long time. Just what the heck did you do?"

Dream told him what the human had told him - that supposedly the other had been thinking of him and coughed up a handful of daisy petals, and had decided to come and confess their feelings for him, finishing with "It's not as if I've interacted enough with them to actually have them fall for who I am? I think they... like more than a few of the villagers, just like my aura and confused it for love? But they really could be in love with someone else and suffering from that awful curse! They could be dying of it and I... I don't know why they ran off like that."

A contemplative - if slightly irritated - expression flashed across Nightmare's face before the negative guardian answered carefully "I'll go talk to them, alright? They could just be really stressed about the fact that they confessed to the wrong person, and I know that more than a few beings are kind of intimidated at interacting with the both of us at the same time. I'll check to make sure that they'll be okay, don't worry, Dream."

"Thanks, Nightmare!" the positive guardian responded, happily hugging the other tightly for a moment,  a small smile appearing on his face.

[omgrachwrites]

Ocean Avenue (Bucky Barnes)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

Summary: When Darcie Baker - the daughter of a police officer - breaks her misfit friend’s heart at 16 she regrets it everyday even after she graduates though she knows she can’t go back and change what happened. Everything changes when over 10 years later she meets the gorgeous mechanic.

Warnings: fluff, little bit of angst, slow burn

Words: 2310

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this part, sorry its a little late but please let me know what you think, I love you all very much! xxx

Part Five

Bucky took another bite of his delicious, steaming hot slice of cheese pizza; pizza was definitely something that he had missed while he was in the army. Some reality show rubbish was on TV, ‘The Bachelor’ it was called but Bucky really wasn’t taking any of it in. There was suddenly a loud call from upstairs that slightly startled Bucky and he cursed underneath his breath as he jumped.

“Hey Buck! Are you sure that you don’t want a beer?” Steve called.

Bucky started to shake his head before he realised that he was an idiot because Steve obviously couldn’t see him, “no thanks bud, I’m good with my pizza,” he took another mouthful and continued to speak, slightly muffled, “I need to do a deep clean at the garage so I don’t think that drinking is really a great idea,” he chuckled as he swallowed his food.

There was silence for a brief moment until it was broken with the thud of Steve’s footsteps, slightly muffled by the thick carpet. When Steve entered the room his face was apologetic.

“Sorry Buck.”

Bucky shot his best friend a strange look; he had no idea what Steve was sorry for, “what the hell for man?”

“I didn’t know that you were doing a deep clean tonight, I’ll help you out,” he gave Bucky a smile as he reached for his cell phone.

“Whoa, whoa,” Bucky started, causing Steve to take a halt in his movements, “bro, you’ve got a date night with the woman of your dreams, don’t be cancelling that for anybody, not even me. I wouldn’t have asked you to help me anyway bud, it’s my responsibility. Thanks for the offer though,” Bucky grinned as he clapped Steve on the shoulder, he was so happy that Steve had a date tonight, by the sounds of it Peggy was a great girl.

The only thing that worried Bucky was the fact that Peggy was pretty good friends with Darcie. The last thing that Bucky wanted was for Steve to be hurt the way that he had been – Bucky was finally starting to admit to others and to himself that Darcie had hurt him. Though, Bucky trusted Steve’s judgement, he liked Peggy a lot.

“Thanks Buck, I’d best get going,” he chewed his bottom lip nervously as he ran his fingers through his hair, “do I look okay?” he chuckled, gesturing at himself.

Bucky grinned and nodded his head, “you look great man, now go get her and be safe, yeah?” he gave Steve a bro hug before Steve left the apartment for the night.

Bucky finished off his pizza before he grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and he left the apartment to get to his garage. The garage really was a mess and Bucky silently cursed himself for not cleaning it more regularly but there was nothing he could do about his procrastination now except to clean. Technically the garage should be deep cleaned at the start and at the end of every month but Bucky had really left it for too long.

It was a lot harder than Bucky had originally foreseen, about an hour into his cleaning Bucky took on a sweat as he scrubbed the floor so he discarded of his shirt, mopping his sweating forehead with it. Another thirty minutes went by and he heard the click of high heels on the cemented pavement, causing Bucky to look up from his scrubbing. It was Gemma and she was looking really quite pretty as she strolled by in towering heels and a short red lace dress. He vaguely wondered when she was going back to college.

As presumed, her made up eyes flickered over to the garage, her face lighting up when she saw Bucky standing in the doorway.

“Bucky! Hi, what are you doing here this late?” she paused as she checked her watch, “it’s nearly ten.”

Bucky smiled as he leaned against the handle of the mop, almost blushing as Gemma’s eyes raked down his sculpted shirtless chest, her eyes lingering on a couple of pale scars that he’d gained in the army.

“I’m doing a deep clean that should be done twice a month but I only do it every couple of months,” he chuckled, “you look great, where have you been?”

Gemma flushed at his complimenting words and she shrugged as she flipped a couple of curls over her shoulder, “I’ve been on a date, it didn’t go too well,” she sighed and suddenly glanced at Bucky from beneath her coated eyelashes, “who was that woman that was here a couple of months ago? Seemed like you knew her, she was pretty.”

Bucky chewed his plump bottom lip as he fidgeted, “she’s just someone that I went to high school with,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“She also seemed like a bitch,” Gemma confessed causing Bucky’s head to snap up and look at her in the eyes, very slightly narrowing his eyes. He had half a mind to defend Darcie before he shook himself out of it and he nodded in agreement.

“Yeah she is.”

“You deserve so much better Buck, you deserve the world,” she shrugged making Bucky smile. Once upon a time he would have given anything for Darcie to think about him like that, “bye Buck,” she blew him a kiss with a little wave.

“See you later doll,” he smiled.

Gemma was the only one that came to visit Bucky that night, at about quarter past 11 he heard a car door slam. Bucky glanced up in interest to see a light blue car, his eyes bugged out slightly and he felt his stomach drop when he realised who it was. It was Darcie’s dad, Bucky really hadn’t missed him.

“What are you doing this late son?” he asked as he walked over to Bucky, his hands on his belt buckle.

His eyes showed no sign of recognition and although Bucky had to admit that it had been a while since he’d seen Darcie’s dad, it was strange that he didn’t recognise Bucky considering how much he had hated him. Bucky stood to full height and tried to make himself look like a law abiding citizen – which to be fair, he was now.

“I’m doing a deep clean sir, this is my garage you see,” he said as respectfully as he could while he gestured around the space.

At his words Darcie’s dad smiled which deepened the lines around his tired looking eyes, “a hard worker, I respect that,” he held out a hand for Bucky to shake, “I’m Officer Andrew Baker, and you are?”

He had introduced himself as a police officer though he had turned up in his regular clothes and he wasn’t in a squad car which was weird considering that he was talking like he was on duty. Bucky still thought that it was extremely odd that Andrew seemed to not recognise him at all.

“uh,” Bucky paused for a second, his tongue swiping along his bottom lip, unsure of how to proceed, “James Barnes,” he opted for his real name as he shook Andrew’s hand.

A strange look crossed Andrew’s face for just a second before he smiled again, “it’s nice to meet you son, you let me know if you need anything now,” he nodded.

“Thank you sir, I will,” he muttered as Andrew strode away.

After that strange conversation Bucky was pretty distracted, in fact, he was so distracted that while he was cleaning up some broken glass that looked like it had been there for a while, he sliced his hand open because he wasn’t paying enough attention to what he was doing. He yelped like a kicked dog as pain shot through the palm of his hand, the wound looked pretty deep.

“Jesus,” he muttered darkly as he grabbed a clean towel and pressed it against his stinging wound. The bleeding went on for a while and Bucky actually started to feel a little light headed and he knew that Steve would kill him if he didn’t get it looked at. That was the reason why he reluctantly wrapped his hand up and he managed to drive himself to the ER.

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After a long, exhausting day Darcie was walking towards the locker room, her heart set on the leftover mac and cheese that she had in her refrigerator. She had been working like a dog for the past week and she knew that she’d be too tired to cook so she’d been living on leftovers. Her movements stopped as she heard the Chief of Staff Bruce Banner call out to her.

“Hey Darcie, wait up!” she turned to see him walking quickly down the hallway towards her, “before you go, some guy with a sliced open hand has just come in. He was really nervous so he’s kind of high on pain meds right now. I want you to take care of it; your fellow interns are idiots.”

“Bruce,” she groaned tiredly, while she was flattered by the compliment she really wanted to get home.

“Please Darcie, you’d really be saving my life,” he pouted, using those dark chocolate puppy dog eyes to his advantage. It made Darcie narrow her eyes; she hated it when he pouted like a child.

“For god’s sake Banner! Fine!” she threw her hands up in defeat; tempted to smile by the way he was grinning at her.

As soon as they walked into the pit – that’s what they called the area for people who didn’t need emergency surgery – she saw Bucky and he saw her. They just started at each other with wide blown eyes and Darcie admired the way thick strands of inky black hair fell over his forehead. The tension in the room was building quickly, so quickly that even Bruce felt like something was amiss.

“What’s the matter?” at the sound of Bruce’s voice the spell between Darcie and Bucky was shattered.

Bucky’s facial expression darkened, his brows pinched together in a frown, “I don’t want to be seen by her,” he slurred due to his pain meds.

Bruce looked pissed off as he raised a thick eyebrow, “well unlucky for you buddy, she’s our best intern,” Darcie almost glowed at the compliment.

“An intern?” he snickered, “so you’re not even a proper doctor.”

“Shut the hell up Bucky,” she growled, already annoyed that he was delaying her from going home and she made her way towards him to inspect his wound, it was really pretty deep.

She started by picking the large shards of glass out of his palm and making sure the wound wasn’t infected, “I had a fight with some glass, it was saying shit behind my back,” he almost giggled at his lame joke.

“You obviously lost then,” she said shortly causing Bucky to glare at her.

As she was stitching up his hand, he spoke out again, causing Darcie to jolt in her movements, “I saw your dad today, he didn’t recognise me. What’s up with that?” he asked.

Darcie chewed her lip for a second before replying, willing her voice not to shake, “you’re probably not that memorable Bucky.”

“You’re such a bitch,” Bucky huffed and she rushed to close his wound, not wanting to spend another moment with him.

“How are you getting home Bucky?” Darcie asked as she cleared away her work station, even though he’d annoyed and insulted her she was still worried about him.

He hesitated for a second and he even looked a little worried, “Steve’s on a date,” he slurred, “I brought my car,” he made to get up, freezing when Darcie stopped him by resting  a hand on his knee.

“Sorry,” she withdrew her hand, “I’m not letting you drive yourself home, it’s very irresponsible. I’m clocking off now so I’ll drive you back, you can come and get your car when you’re better,” she was surprised when he didn’t try and put up a fight.

As Darcie was driving Bucky back to his place she felt her eyelids droop slightly and she had the wild thought that maybe it would be safer for Bucky to drive, she almost snorted at this ridiculous idea. It proved how tired she was. Bucky hadn’t said anything since they had got into the car and honestly, Darcie preferred it, the radio was playing softly in the background. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Bucky’s head drop back onto the car seat and he looked at her through brilliant blue eyes.

“What is the whole deal with your dad?”

Darcie sighed as she glanced at him before looking back at the road, “if you don’t mind Bucky, I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay Buck,” she smiled over at him, he smiled back. He was just full of surprises tonight.

Another ten minutes went by and she pulled up outside some apartments, “this your place?” she simply asked.

At her words Bucky looked at her with a sneer, “well yeah, most people don’t live in fancy, over the top places like you, you know,” she opened her mouth to assure Bucky that she was just asking a question, “I need my bed, I don’t need your help,” he swatted her hand away and he stumbled out of the car, back to being an asshole again.

Darcie was going to drive off as soon as he got out of the car but she decided that it would be better if she waited to see that he got inside okay. It took him a couple of tries to get into his apartment and Darcie tried not to laugh at his fumbling. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as he shot her a look before he closed his apartment door. Darcie couldn’t be falling again. She wouldn’t fall.

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  @void-imaginations ​ @theonelittleone ​ @thesswintersoldier ​ @dreamacoholic ​ @harryngtonewithyourshit ​ @iamariotgrrl ​ @wavyjassy ​

[ravyns-and-magpies]

“A Bouquet Of Blue Roses”: A RoyKa Fanfic

Hey! So I’m here with a Valentine’s Day themed fanfic. Just a quick bit but this story transitions between Royce’s P.O.V., Hika’s P.O.V. And the end part is kinda a third person P.O.V. This •<=>• Thing means a P.O.V. Switch. Anyways, Enjoy!

•<=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=>•

Hika was stressed, and as always, it had something to do with Royce.

He was always doing something to stress her out, whether it be running off or, getting into an excessive amount of styling battles. And let’s not forget the multiple times he almost got hit by a car because he forgot you can’t just cross streets in Apple Federation without looking like in Lilith.

Surprisingly though, the culprit behind her stressing wasn’t Royce’s bad behavior.

Hika was in love with him. She adored almost everything about him, even the previously mentioned bad habits. It hard not to love him, from his upbeat and charming personality to his dashing good looks.

Her favorite thing about him though, was that he actually seemed to enjoy her company. She was used to people avoiding her, but Royce seemed to actively seek her out at times. She never really noticed the slight changes in his behavior until they were too obvious to ignore. Royce no longer ran off the second she turned around, nor did he ever seem unhappy to see her.

With Valentine’s Day two days from now, she wanted to ask Royce to be her special someone for the holiday. There was just one problem. She didn’t believe Royce would accept her confession. After all, why would a prince and top notch designer, who could most likely have any girl as his valentine, settle for her? She decided not to give up, she was determined to at least try.

•<=><=<=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=>•

Royce was also stressing about Valentine’s Day. He could have had a date by now if he wanted, but there was only one girl he wanted to ask out. The problem was that said girl was Hika, his guard and personal assistant who had never shown any interest in dating.

After all, why would Hika, the girl who probably hates him, agree to go on a date with him? He knew there was an almost 100% chance of his confession getting shot down but he also knew he’d regret it if he didn’t even try.

•<=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=>•

It was the day before Valentine’s Day now. Hika was out shopping with Royce. She didn’t remember exactly what they were looking for. It was probably just a fabric or something for a new design of his. It was completely normal for Royce to drag her along shopping, but Royce himself wasn’t acting completely normal. He seemed seriously nervous about something. He was fidgety and refused to make any sort of eye contact with her. She was so busy trying not fawn over him (which was extremely hard to do), and trying to figure out what was up with him she barely noticed Toto waving them down. And of course, no more than five minutes after a brief ‘hello’, they were locked in a styling match.

•<=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=>•

“Hika? Hika? Are you okay?” Royce asked. Confused as to why she was so spacey today. she was always so focused, but she didn’t even respond when he handed her the outfit for the styling match.

“Hm? I’m fine” came her delayed response. She then grabbed the outfit from him and headed to a nearby bathroom to change, leaving Royce to wonder just what exactly was wrong.

He was so in thought that when Toto chimed up from behind him “So then, Royce. Is Hika going to be your Valentine this year?” He visiblely jumped a little.

Leave it to Toto to butt into his love life. Still, it would be rude not to answer. “Well I hope so, but I’m not sure I’ll even be able to ask” he said.

“Aw why is that?” Toto asked, intrigued.

“You see, I’m just not exactly sure how to ask her” Royce replied, a little embarrassed.

“Oh! I could help you,” Toto said, suddenly excited “dating is my specialty after all!”. While Royce didn’t really like discussing his love life he needed all the help he could get right about now.

•<=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=>•

Hika finished changing and headed back to Royce and Toto. She accidentally overheard Toto informing Royce on the best way to ask out the girl he was interested in. She felt her heart drop a little. It seemed Royce already had plans to ask someone else out for Valentine’s Day.

She decided not to eavesdrop on them anymore and walked up to the two. Toto’s attention immediately snapped to her the second she was in Toto’s range of sight. Toto let out a little giggle of excitement before wishing Royce good luck and practically skipping off.

Royce seemed more than a little embarrassed when she looked at him. He was honestly adorable when he was embarrassed or flustered. The disappointment hit her again and she couldn’t look at him.

“Are we still competing?” She asked him suddenly, trying to get rid of the awkward silence. Royce suddenly seemed to realize that they were still in the middle of a match before looking around to see that Toto was long gone.

“I guess not…”

•<=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=>•

It was finally Valentine’s Day. Hika has finally accepted that she was going to have to spend today alone. She still had a job to do though so she got dressed and went off to find Royce. It wasn’t hard to find him, he was talking to Toto again. They were in the middle of a popular flower garden that was a hot spot this time of year. He was too busy talking to notice her walk up behind him. It took Hika half a second to notice how excited Toto was and how flustered Royce was. He seemed to be holding a bouquet of flowers. Well let’s just say she put two and two together and figured Royce was asking Toto on a date. “I’ll.. give you two a minute” She managed to say. Almost immediately turning around and feeling very embarrassed on walking in on the middle of a confession.

“Wait a second!-” She heard Royce tell her before she could get far. She reluctantly turned to face him and he blushed a few shades darker. He held out the flowers to her, which see she could now see were blue roses. “I.. um.. these.. are for you.” He barely managed to get out

“What?” She was completely dumbfounded and a stunned. Weren’t those flowers for Toto?

Her response didn’t seem very encouraging because Royce seemed to have an even harder time mumbling out a response. “Well.. it’s just that red roses are a bit cliche and these match your eyes better..” he got quieter as he continued.

She just kinda stared at him for a few seconds. Was he asking her out? “Are these for me?”

“Um yea, you don’t have to take them… he trailed off a little at the end. Hika seemed completely disinterested and he was starting to think this whole confession was a total flop.

“Are you kidding?” She said, now slightly angry.

“What?” Royce said, now confused and a little surprised at her anger.

“I’ve been trying to ask you out forever! I thought you were asking out Toto!”She seemed even more annoyed now.

“So it that a no then..?” He said, awkwardly retracting his hand.

“Of course I’ll be your valentine, Royce” she said, settling down. She actually seemed a little relieved now. She took the rather pretty bouquet from Royce.

“Really?!” He was completely shocked that the confession had somehow gone taken a complete one-eighty.

“Mhm, now come on, we’ve a day to spend together.” She said, happily grabbing his hand. It really was a nice feeling, to hold his hand.

“Ah, another happy couple. Now then, where’s that Libra of mine?” Toto chirped. Looking for her date as the new couple left together.

•<=><=<=><=~The End~=><=><=><=>•

[gracieyvonnehunter]

Gordon Sondland is being called the next John Dean. Here’s why.

John Dean, presidential adviser and Watergate conspirator, testifies before a Senate committee during the Watergate hearings, circa 1973. | Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

An administration insider just rolled on the president. We’ve seen this movie before.

Forty-six years ago, President Nixon’s former White House counsel took an oath before a congressional committee and delivered testimony that eventually brought down the president.

On Wednesday, not long after Gordon Sondland, President Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, took a similar oath, journalists and historians alike started comparing Sondland to John Dean, the former Nixon aide who testified nearly half a century ago.

Has Ukraine-gate found its John Dean?

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) November 20, 2019

Feels like John Dean in 1973

— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) November 20, 2019

Like Dean, Sondland is an administration insider who delivered damning testimony implicating the president in serious wrongdoing. Like Dean, Sondland appears to be a central figure in a scandal.

Dean’s fateful testimony began with a confession. “I was involved in obstructing justice,” he said of his efforts to cover up a botched attempt to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel at the behest of Nixon’s reelection campaign. “I assisted another in perjured testimony. ... I made personal use of funds that were in my custody.”

But Dean also implicated the president, recounting a meeting where he unsuccessfully urged Nixon to stop the coverup and to come clean himself.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

President Nixon’s aide John Dean is sworn in before the Senate committee conducting hearings on the Watergate break-in and the conduct of the Nixon administration, on June 1, 1973.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, is sworn in prior to testifying in the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump on November 20, 2019.

Sondland’s testimony on Tuesday, by contrast, was less contrite. In his opening statement to the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland paints himself as a reluctant participant in Trump’s attempt to condition military aid to Ukraine on that country’s willingness to open up an investigation that could damage Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. “This security aid was critical to Ukraine’s defense and should not have been delayed,” Sondland told the committee, adding that his “goal” was “to do what was necessary to get the aid released.”

But Sondland’s testimony is, if anything, even more damning than Dean’s. Sondland speaks of two quid pro quo bargains that Trump hoped to strike with Ukraine, the aid-for-an-investigation bargain and a related attempt to trade a White House meeting with Trump for such an investigation.

Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani “conveyed to Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker, and others that President Trump wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election,” according to Sondland. “We all understood that these prerequisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump’s desires and requirements.”

Yet, while Sondland and Dean resemble each other in that they are political insiders delivering damaging testimony about the president they serve, the Watergate scandal and the Trump Ukraine scandal are playing out in very different ways.

Ultimately, Dean’s testimony proved significant not because he levied accusations about the president but because he speculated — correctly, as it turns out — that Nixon may have recorded damning evidence against himself. Sondland, by contrast, largely confirmed facts we already knew: that Trump sought a quid pro quo arrangement with Ukraine to undercut a political rival.

Who was John Dean?

On the day Dean took his oath before the Senate Watergate Committee, he seemed to be leading a charmed Beltway life. Just 34 years old, Dean had recently finished a nearly three-year stint as counsel to the president of the United States. Contemporary reports of his testimony speak of his expensive suits, his Porsche, and his “beautifully groomed” wife Maureen, who sat behind him during the hearings.

But his career was hardly spotless. He lost his first legal job at a Washington, DC, law firm for allegedly engaging in “unethical conduct” — Dean was accused of competing with one of his own clients for a television station license — although the firm later characterized the reason for his firing as a “basic disagreement over ... the nature and scope of an associate’s activities.”

Dean later described himself as the “desk officer” for the White House coverup of the Watergate break-in. In that role, he shredded incriminating documents and paid hush money to people involved in the break-in.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean and his wife Maureen sit quietly during a break in the Watergate hearings on June 1, 1973.

The most significant portion of Dean’s Watergate testimony, however, involved what happened after he told Nixon that he was no longer comfortable playing this role. Dean famously testified that he told Nixon “that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed that the president himself would be killed by it.”

During that conversation, Dean told the Watergate Committee, Nixon got up from his chair, walked to a corner of the office, and whispered that he was “probably foolish” to have discussed giving clemency to one of the Watergate burglars. Dean speculated that maybe Nixon moved to another part of the room and whispered because he was recording the conversation and didn’t want this one statement to be picked up by the recorder.

That speculation planted a seed that bore fruit weeks later when Nixon Deputy Chief of Staff Alexander Butterfield testified before the Watergate Committee. Butterfield was asked whether Nixon had a system to record White House conversations and Butterfield testified that such a taping system was installed in the Oval Office.

The Supreme Court eventually ordered Nixon to turn these tapes over to a special prosecutor, and one of the tapes revealed that Nixon discussed using the CIA to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into the Watergate break-in.

Days later, Nixon resigned.

Pierre Manevy/Express/Getty Images

President Richard Nixon announces his resignation on national television, following the Watergate scandal, on August 8, 1974.

Dean served a brief prison term for his own role in Watergate; he was also disbarred. He’s since reemerged as a vocal critic of the kind of corruption that poisoned the Nixon White House. Indeed, he compared the case Special Counsel Robert Mueller laid out against President Trump to the Watergate scandal in June testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.

Is Sondland the new John Dean?

As discussed above, Dean and Sondland do have much in common. It’s not just that they both testified against a president who appointed them to prestigious jobs. Just as Dean was a central figure in the Watergate coverup, Sondland appears to be an important figure in the Ukraine scandal.

Last month, for example, text messages between Sondland and his diplomatic colleagues revealed them discussing the effort to pressure Ukraine into opening a political investigation. In one of those messages, Bill Taylor, the senior US diplomat in Ukraine, tells Sondland, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Sondland, moreover, admitted in his testimony on Wednesday that he told a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “I believed that the resumption of US aid would likely not occur until Ukraine took some kind of action on” a public statement about the investigation Trump sought.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean testifying at Senate hearings on the Watergate break-in, on June 1, 1973.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on November 20, 2019.

There is, however, one important way in which Sondland’s testimony differs from Dean’s.

Watergate was, in many ways, like a mystery novel. The hearings gathered evidence and they built toward an uncertain outcome. Dean’s speculation about the Nixon tapes inspired a new line of inquiry from Watergate investigators. That led to Butterfield’s revelation, which ultimately led to the narrative’s denouement: the “smoking gun” tape implicating Nixon in obstruction of justice.

The Ukraine scandal, by contrast, began with a smoking gun. Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into Trump after the White House released a readout of a phone call where Trump sought a quid pro quo deal with Zelensky. There’s very little mystery surrounding the Trump impeachment hearings. We already know that Trump did it.

Sondland and other witnesses have filled in some blanks. The question now is whether Senate Republicans will do something about it.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O3SvZ2

[timalexanderdollery]

Gordon Sondland is being called the next John Dean. Here’s why.

John Dean, presidential adviser and Watergate conspirator, testifies before a Senate committee during the Watergate hearings, circa 1973. | Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

An administration insider just rolled on the president. We’ve seen this movie before.

Forty-six years ago, President Nixon’s former White House counsel took an oath before a congressional committee and delivered testimony that eventually brought down the president.

On Wednesday, not long after Gordon Sondland, President Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, took a similar oath, journalists and historians alike started comparing Sondland to John Dean, the former Nixon aide who testified nearly half a century ago.

Has Ukraine-gate found its John Dean?

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) November 20, 2019

Feels like John Dean in 1973

— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) November 20, 2019

Like Dean, Sondland is an administration insider who delivered damning testimony implicating the president in serious wrongdoing. Like Dean, Sondland appears to be a central figure in a scandal.

Dean’s fateful testimony began with a confession. “I was involved in obstructing justice,” he said of his efforts to cover up a botched attempt to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel at the behest of Nixon’s reelection campaign. “I assisted another in perjured testimony. ... I made personal use of funds that were in my custody.”

But Dean also implicated the president, recounting a meeting where he unsuccessfully urged Nixon to stop the coverup and to come clean himself.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

President Nixon’s aide John Dean is sworn in before the Senate committee conducting hearings on the Watergate break-in and the conduct of the Nixon administration, on June 1, 1973.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, is sworn in prior to testifying in the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump on November 20, 2019.

Sondland’s testimony on Tuesday, by contrast, was less contrite. In his opening statement to the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland paints himself as a reluctant participant in Trump’s attempt to condition military aid to Ukraine on that country’s willingness to open up an investigation that could damage Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. “This security aid was critical to Ukraine’s defense and should not have been delayed,” Sondland told the committee, adding that his “goal” was “to do what was necessary to get the aid released.”

But Sondland’s testimony is, if anything, even more damning than Dean’s. Sondland speaks of two quid pro quo bargains that Trump hoped to strike with Ukraine, the aid-for-an-investigation bargain and a related attempt to trade a White House meeting with Trump for such an investigation.

Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani “conveyed to Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker, and others that President Trump wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election,” according to Sondland. “We all understood that these prerequisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump’s desires and requirements.”

Yet, while Sondland and Dean resemble each other in that they are political insiders delivering damaging testimony about the president they serve, the Watergate scandal and the Trump Ukraine scandal are playing out in very different ways.

Ultimately, Dean’s testimony proved significant not because he levied accusations about the president but because he speculated — correctly, as it turns out — that Nixon may have recorded damning evidence against himself. Sondland, by contrast, largely confirmed facts we already knew: that Trump sought a quid pro quo arrangement with Ukraine to undercut a political rival.

Who was John Dean?

On the day Dean took his oath before the Senate Watergate Committee, he seemed to be leading a charmed Beltway life. Just 34 years old, Dean had recently finished a nearly three-year stint as counsel to the president of the United States. Contemporary reports of his testimony speak of his expensive suits, his Porsche, and his “beautifully groomed” wife Maureen, who sat behind him during the hearings.

But his career was hardly spotless. He lost his first legal job at a Washington, DC, law firm for allegedly engaging in “unethical conduct” — Dean was accused of competing with one of his own clients for a television station license — although the firm later characterized the reason for his firing as a “basic disagreement over ... the nature and scope of an associate’s activities.”

Dean later described himself as the “desk officer” for the White House coverup of the Watergate break-in. In that role, he shredded incriminating documents and paid hush money to people involved in the break-in.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean and his wife Maureen sit quietly during a break in the Watergate hearings on June 1, 1973.

The most significant portion of Dean’s Watergate testimony, however, involved what happened after he told Nixon that he was no longer comfortable playing this role. Dean famously testified that he told Nixon “that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed that the president himself would be killed by it.”

During that conversation, Dean told the Watergate Committee, Nixon got up from his chair, walked to a corner of the office, and whispered that he was “probably foolish” to have discussed giving clemency to one of the Watergate burglars. Dean speculated that maybe Nixon moved to another part of the room and whispered because he was recording the conversation and didn’t want this one statement to be picked up by the recorder.

That speculation planted a seed that bore fruit weeks later when Nixon Deputy Chief of Staff Alexander Butterfield testified before the Watergate Committee. Butterfield was asked whether Nixon had a system to record White House conversations and Butterfield testified that such a taping system was installed in the Oval Office.

The Supreme Court eventually ordered Nixon to turn these tapes over to a special prosecutor, and one of the tapes revealed that Nixon discussed using the CIA to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into the Watergate break-in.

Days later, Nixon resigned.

Pierre Manevy/Express/Getty Images

President Richard Nixon announces his resignation on national television, following the Watergate scandal, on August 8, 1974.

Dean served a brief prison term for his own role in Watergate; he was also disbarred. He’s since reemerged as a vocal critic of the kind of corruption that poisoned the Nixon White House. Indeed, he compared the case Special Counsel Robert Mueller laid out against President Trump to the Watergate scandal in June testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.

Is Sondland the new John Dean?

As discussed above, Dean and Sondland do have much in common. It’s not just that they both testified against a president who appointed them to prestigious jobs. Just as Dean was a central figure in the Watergate coverup, Sondland appears to be an important figure in the Ukraine scandal.

Last month, for example, text messages between Sondland and his diplomatic colleagues revealed them discussing the effort to pressure Ukraine into opening a political investigation. In one of those messages, Bill Taylor, the senior US diplomat in Ukraine, tells Sondland, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Sondland, moreover, admitted in his testimony on Wednesday that he told a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “I believed that the resumption of US aid would likely not occur until Ukraine took some kind of action on” a public statement about the investigation Trump sought.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean testifying at Senate hearings on the Watergate break-in, on June 1, 1973.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on November 20, 2019.

There is, however, one important way in which Sondland’s testimony differs from Dean’s.

Watergate was, in many ways, like a mystery novel. The hearings gathered evidence and they built toward an uncertain outcome. Dean’s speculation about the Nixon tapes inspired a new line of inquiry from Watergate investigators. That led to Butterfield’s revelation, which ultimately led to the narrative’s denouement: the “smoking gun” tape implicating Nixon in obstruction of justice.

The Ukraine scandal, by contrast, began with a smoking gun. Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into Trump after the White House released a readout of a phone call where Trump sought a quid pro quo deal with Zelensky. There’s very little mystery surrounding the Trump impeachment hearings. We already know that Trump did it.

Sondland and other witnesses have filled in some blanks. The question now is whether Senate Republicans will do something about it.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O3SvZ2

[shanedakotamuir]

Gordon Sondland is being called the next John Dean. Here’s why.

John Dean, presidential adviser and Watergate conspirator, testifies before a Senate committee during the Watergate hearings, circa 1973. | Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

An administration insider just rolled on the president. We’ve seen this movie before.

Forty-six years ago, President Nixon’s former White House counsel took an oath before a congressional committee and delivered testimony that eventually brought down the president.

On Wednesday, not long after Gordon Sondland, President Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, took a similar oath, journalists and historians alike started comparing Sondland to John Dean, the former Nixon aide who testified nearly half a century ago.

Has Ukraine-gate found its John Dean?

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) November 20, 2019

Feels like John Dean in 1973

— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) November 20, 2019

Like Dean, Sondland is an administration insider who delivered damning testimony implicating the president in serious wrongdoing. Like Dean, Sondland appears to be a central figure in a scandal.

Dean’s fateful testimony began with a confession. “I was involved in obstructing justice,” he said of his efforts to cover up a botched attempt to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel at the behest of Nixon’s reelection campaign. “I assisted another in perjured testimony. ... I made personal use of funds that were in my custody.”

But Dean also implicated the president, recounting a meeting where he unsuccessfully urged Nixon to stop the coverup and to come clean himself.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

President Nixon’s aide John Dean is sworn in before the Senate committee conducting hearings on the Watergate break-in and the conduct of the Nixon administration, on June 1, 1973.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, is sworn in prior to testifying in the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump on November 20, 2019.

Sondland’s testimony on Tuesday, by contrast, was less contrite. In his opening statement to the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland paints himself as a reluctant participant in Trump’s attempt to condition military aid to Ukraine on that country’s willingness to open up an investigation that could damage Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. “This security aid was critical to Ukraine’s defense and should not have been delayed,” Sondland told the committee, adding that his “goal” was “to do what was necessary to get the aid released.”

But Sondland’s testimony is, if anything, even more damning than Dean’s. Sondland speaks of two quid pro quo bargains that Trump hoped to strike with Ukraine, the aid-for-an-investigation bargain and a related attempt to trade a White House meeting with Trump for such an investigation.

Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani “conveyed to Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker, and others that President Trump wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election,” according to Sondland. “We all understood that these prerequisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump’s desires and requirements.”

Yet, while Sondland and Dean resemble each other in that they are political insiders delivering damaging testimony about the president they serve, the Watergate scandal and the Trump Ukraine scandal are playing out in very different ways.

Ultimately, Dean’s testimony proved significant not because he levied accusations about the president but because he speculated — correctly, as it turns out — that Nixon may have recorded damning evidence against himself. Sondland, by contrast, largely confirmed facts we already knew: that Trump sought a quid pro quo arrangement with Ukraine to undercut a political rival.

Who was John Dean?

On the day Dean took his oath before the Senate Watergate Committee, he seemed to be leading a charmed Beltway life. Just 34 years old, Dean had recently finished a nearly three-year stint as counsel to the president of the United States. Contemporary reports of his testimony speak of his expensive suits, his Porsche, and his “beautifully groomed” wife Maureen, who sat behind him during the hearings.

But his career was hardly spotless. He lost his first legal job at a Washington, DC, law firm for allegedly engaging in “unethical conduct” — Dean was accused of competing with one of his own clients for a television station license — although the firm later characterized the reason for his firing as a “basic disagreement over ... the nature and scope of an associate’s activities.”

Dean later described himself as the “desk officer” for the White House coverup of the Watergate break-in. In that role, he shredded incriminating documents and paid hush money to people involved in the break-in.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean and his wife Maureen sit quietly during a break in the Watergate hearings on June 1, 1973.

The most significant portion of Dean’s Watergate testimony, however, involved what happened after he told Nixon that he was no longer comfortable playing this role. Dean famously testified that he told Nixon “that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed that the president himself would be killed by it.”

During that conversation, Dean told the Watergate Committee, Nixon got up from his chair, walked to a corner of the office, and whispered that he was “probably foolish” to have discussed giving clemency to one of the Watergate burglars. Dean speculated that maybe Nixon moved to another part of the room and whispered because he was recording the conversation and didn’t want this one statement to be picked up by the recorder.

That speculation planted a seed that bore fruit weeks later when Nixon Deputy Chief of Staff Alexander Butterfield testified before the Watergate Committee. Butterfield was asked whether Nixon had a system to record White House conversations and Butterfield testified that such a taping system was installed in the Oval Office.

The Supreme Court eventually ordered Nixon to turn these tapes over to a special prosecutor, and one of the tapes revealed that Nixon discussed using the CIA to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into the Watergate break-in.

Days later, Nixon resigned.

Pierre Manevy/Express/Getty Images

President Richard Nixon announces his resignation on national television, following the Watergate scandal, on August 8, 1974.

Dean served a brief prison term for his own role in Watergate; he was also disbarred. He’s since reemerged as a vocal critic of the kind of corruption that poisoned the Nixon White House. Indeed, he compared the case Special Counsel Robert Mueller laid out against President Trump to the Watergate scandal in June testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.

Is Sondland the new John Dean?

As discussed above, Dean and Sondland do have much in common. It’s not just that they both testified against a president who appointed them to prestigious jobs. Just as Dean was a central figure in the Watergate coverup, Sondland appears to be an important figure in the Ukraine scandal.

Last month, for example, text messages between Sondland and his diplomatic colleagues revealed them discussing the effort to pressure Ukraine into opening a political investigation. In one of those messages, Bill Taylor, the senior US diplomat in Ukraine, tells Sondland, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Sondland, moreover, admitted in his testimony on Wednesday that he told a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “I believed that the resumption of US aid would likely not occur until Ukraine took some kind of action on” a public statement about the investigation Trump sought.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean testifying at Senate hearings on the Watergate break-in, on June 1, 1973.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on November 20, 2019.

There is, however, one important way in which Sondland’s testimony differs from Dean’s.

Watergate was, in many ways, like a mystery novel. The hearings gathered evidence and they built toward an uncertain outcome. Dean’s speculation about the Nixon tapes inspired a new line of inquiry from Watergate investigators. That led to Butterfield’s revelation, which ultimately led to the narrative’s denouement: the “smoking gun” tape implicating Nixon in obstruction of justice.

The Ukraine scandal, by contrast, began with a smoking gun. Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into Trump after the White House released a readout of a phone call where Trump sought a quid pro quo deal with Zelensky. There’s very little mystery surrounding the Trump impeachment hearings. We already know that Trump did it.

Sondland and other witnesses have filled in some blanks. The question now is whether Senate Republicans will do something about it.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O3SvZ2

[corneliusreignallen]

Gordon Sondland is being called the next John Dean. Here’s why.

John Dean, presidential adviser and Watergate conspirator, testifies before a Senate committee during the Watergate hearings, circa 1973. | Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

An administration insider just rolled on the president. We’ve seen this movie before.

Forty-six years ago, President Nixon’s former White House counsel took an oath before a congressional committee and delivered testimony that eventually brought down the president.

On Wednesday, not long after Gordon Sondland, President Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, took a similar oath, journalists and historians alike started comparing Sondland to John Dean, the former Nixon aide who testified nearly half a century ago.

Has Ukraine-gate found its John Dean?

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) November 20, 2019

Feels like John Dean in 1973

— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) November 20, 2019

Like Dean, Sondland is an administration insider who delivered damning testimony implicating the president in serious wrongdoing. Like Dean, Sondland appears to be a central figure in a scandal.

Dean’s fateful testimony began with a confession. “I was involved in obstructing justice,” he said of his efforts to cover up a botched attempt to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel at the behest of Nixon’s reelection campaign. “I assisted another in perjured testimony. ... I made personal use of funds that were in my custody.”

But Dean also implicated the president, recounting a meeting where he unsuccessfully urged Nixon to stop the coverup and to come clean himself.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

President Nixon’s aide John Dean is sworn in before the Senate committee conducting hearings on the Watergate break-in and the conduct of the Nixon administration, on June 1, 1973.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, is sworn in prior to testifying in the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump on November 20, 2019.

Sondland’s testimony on Tuesday, by contrast, was less contrite. In his opening statement to the House Intelligence Committee, Sondland paints himself as a reluctant participant in Trump’s attempt to condition military aid to Ukraine on that country’s willingness to open up an investigation that could damage Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. “This security aid was critical to Ukraine’s defense and should not have been delayed,” Sondland told the committee, adding that his “goal” was “to do what was necessary to get the aid released.”

But Sondland’s testimony is, if anything, even more damning than Dean’s. Sondland speaks of two quid pro quo bargains that Trump hoped to strike with Ukraine, the aid-for-an-investigation bargain and a related attempt to trade a White House meeting with Trump for such an investigation.

Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani “conveyed to Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker, and others that President Trump wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election,” according to Sondland. “We all understood that these prerequisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump’s desires and requirements.”

Yet, while Sondland and Dean resemble each other in that they are political insiders delivering damaging testimony about the president they serve, the Watergate scandal and the Trump Ukraine scandal are playing out in very different ways.

Ultimately, Dean’s testimony proved significant not because he levied accusations about the president but because he speculated — correctly, as it turns out — that Nixon may have recorded damning evidence against himself. Sondland, by contrast, largely confirmed facts we already knew: that Trump sought a quid pro quo arrangement with Ukraine to undercut a political rival.

Who was John Dean?

On the day Dean took his oath before the Senate Watergate Committee, he seemed to be leading a charmed Beltway life. Just 34 years old, Dean had recently finished a nearly three-year stint as counsel to the president of the United States. Contemporary reports of his testimony speak of his expensive suits, his Porsche, and his “beautifully groomed” wife Maureen, who sat behind him during the hearings.

But his career was hardly spotless. He lost his first legal job at a Washington, DC, law firm for allegedly engaging in “unethical conduct” — Dean was accused of competing with one of his own clients for a television station license — although the firm later characterized the reason for his firing as a “basic disagreement over ... the nature and scope of an associate’s activities.”

Dean later described himself as the “desk officer” for the White House coverup of the Watergate break-in. In that role, he shredded incriminating documents and paid hush money to people involved in the break-in.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean and his wife Maureen sit quietly during a break in the Watergate hearings on June 1, 1973.

The most significant portion of Dean’s Watergate testimony, however, involved what happened after he told Nixon that he was no longer comfortable playing this role. Dean famously testified that he told Nixon “that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed that the president himself would be killed by it.”

During that conversation, Dean told the Watergate Committee, Nixon got up from his chair, walked to a corner of the office, and whispered that he was “probably foolish” to have discussed giving clemency to one of the Watergate burglars. Dean speculated that maybe Nixon moved to another part of the room and whispered because he was recording the conversation and didn’t want this one statement to be picked up by the recorder.

That speculation planted a seed that bore fruit weeks later when Nixon Deputy Chief of Staff Alexander Butterfield testified before the Watergate Committee. Butterfield was asked whether Nixon had a system to record White House conversations and Butterfield testified that such a taping system was installed in the Oval Office.

The Supreme Court eventually ordered Nixon to turn these tapes over to a special prosecutor, and one of the tapes revealed that Nixon discussed using the CIA to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into the Watergate break-in.

Days later, Nixon resigned.

Pierre Manevy/Express/Getty Images

President Richard Nixon announces his resignation on national television, following the Watergate scandal, on August 8, 1974.

Dean served a brief prison term for his own role in Watergate; he was also disbarred. He’s since reemerged as a vocal critic of the kind of corruption that poisoned the Nixon White House. Indeed, he compared the case Special Counsel Robert Mueller laid out against President Trump to the Watergate scandal in June testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.

Is Sondland the new John Dean?

As discussed above, Dean and Sondland do have much in common. It’s not just that they both testified against a president who appointed them to prestigious jobs. Just as Dean was a central figure in the Watergate coverup, Sondland appears to be an important figure in the Ukraine scandal.

Last month, for example, text messages between Sondland and his diplomatic colleagues revealed them discussing the effort to pressure Ukraine into opening a political investigation. In one of those messages, Bill Taylor, the senior US diplomat in Ukraine, tells Sondland, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Sondland, moreover, admitted in his testimony on Wednesday that he told a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “I believed that the resumption of US aid would likely not occur until Ukraine took some kind of action on” a public statement about the investigation Trump sought.

Gjon Mili/LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Nixon aide John Dean testifying at Senate hearings on the Watergate break-in, on June 1, 1973.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on November 20, 2019.

There is, however, one important way in which Sondland’s testimony differs from Dean’s.

Watergate was, in many ways, like a mystery novel. The hearings gathered evidence and they built toward an uncertain outcome. Dean’s speculation about the Nixon tapes inspired a new line of inquiry from Watergate investigators. That led to Butterfield’s revelation, which ultimately led to the narrative’s denouement: the “smoking gun” tape implicating Nixon in obstruction of justice.

The Ukraine scandal, by contrast, began with a smoking gun. Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into Trump after the White House released a readout of a phone call where Trump sought a quid pro quo deal with Zelensky. There’s very little mystery surrounding the Trump impeachment hearings. We already know that Trump did it.

Sondland and other witnesses have filled in some blanks. The question now is whether Senate Republicans will do something about it.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O3SvZ2