#also my GOD is he strong and competitive.... bark bark

[chanstopher]

Bang Chan ✧ Go! Poolside SKZ 1

[hoursofreading]

I often imagine my life as that of a tree. Slow and steady. Patient and full of intent. The greatest potential from the smallest seed. What is a tree like? What does it need? The most important thing is: Trees go slowly and cannot be rushed. This helps me, because when I interact with others or myself, and I get impatient, I remember that there is no point to yell at a tree for fruit. At the right time, the tree gives its fruit away by itself. You can’t tell a tree what to do, but the tree can see what you need, and will give you everything it has. Trees are actually quite competitive. A tree living in another tree’s shadow will always stay smaller. Some trees like that, some don’t. That’s why space is important. A tree needs a good home to grow. A tree in unhindered growth will reach just the right size and then stop growing. It knows what is enough. Unceasing is the tree’s work. A tree is working all the time. It is always communicating with the other trees and beings, managing resources, and making the air around it more breathable. While the tree is working, it looks like it’s still. Yet, on the inside, it is always in motion productively. A tree doesn’t change location much (trees can’t walk) and therefore like to be in good company. A tree and its friends are for life, and they grow together slowly and strongly. The shade and the canopy of the tree can also be pleasant for little friends and playmates, and friends are the joy of the tree’s life. Together with them, the tree gains in spirit and ability. If the friends allow it, they take pieces of the tree to foreign places. As the tree travels alongside with them, it can see through their eyes, tap into their senses, and experience their motions. The wind and the tree belong together. The wind helps the tree to talk, in the quiet language of rustling leaves. Those who are still and patient can hear many stories. The wind brings questions, and the tree rustles answers. The spring is next to the tree, carrying the waters of constant renewal. Her wavy whisper washes the tree of all that is old and not needed, and connects it to a steady flow of newness and nourishment. The bird is a good friend of the tree. He likes to talk a lot! He brings songs from the skies to the tree. Together with the wind and the bird, the tree can fly and see. The bird and the tree often say hello and goodbye to each other. The bird likes to wander the world and the tree must remain with the earth. The mushrooms help the tree with communication and supplementation. Through their mycelium, the mushrooms transmit tales from the earth and the underground. These stories are not always beautiful, but they are always true. Thanks to the mushrooms, the tree knows everybody in the forest and the fields. Whenever someone or something needs help, the mushroom messengers carry information and provisions through the network to the required destination. The monkey helps the tree to move its old branches and stretch its bark. The monkey’s able hands massage the wood and keep it supple and strong. His swinging and climbing are a joy for the tree, just like the tree’s fruit is a joy for the monkey. The tree can’t get enough of the laughter of the monkey, and the monkey finds safety in the big treehouse. The dog likes the tree and the tree likes the dog. Pee is ok. Especially from god, I mean dog. There are many other little friends. The cat, the bee, the deer, the bear, and countless others. The tree loves all beings. It wants them to share what they have, and take what the tree has to share.

(3) The Tree Manifesto - by Simon Ohler - The Time Is Now

[adultswim2021]

Moral Orel #21: “Praying” | April 30, 2007 - 12:15AM | S02E11

I forgot to post this last night! SORRY. Hey, I saw Plantasm, by the way. I wrote a review of my first reactions to it on letterboxd. Check that out if you don’t wanna wait years for it to show up on this blog. Maybe I’ll have a different opinion by then.

This one was vaguely familiar to me, and I’m pretty sure I watched it once. I remembered little bits and pieces from it, but don’t remember being super fond of it. Weirdly I found the ending to be rather moving, and I’m not sure why. 

In this episode, Orel is getting a lot of pressure from the adults in his life to practice extensively for the Moralton praying bee. Everyone has him practicing all god DAMN day, to the point where he sustains achy prayer joints. When he seeks out comfort and support, he only gets scorn for not practicing correctly. Looking for a sign from god, he winds up with a flyer for Stephanie’s sex shop. It’s just a piece of trash that blows into his face from the wind, but Orel believes in miracles and stupid shit like that.

Orel shows up at the sex shop, looking as stressed out as he feels (very). Stephanie teaches him to meditate, and he starts using the practice to de-stress. Soon he finds that it actually seems to help him get closer to god in a way that traditional prayer doesn’t. His father walks in on him and punishes him, telling him that “here in the land of the free, we’re lucky to have restrictions. Those restrictions are called dogma.” He instructs Orel to “throw dogma a bone” and lay off the Buddhism. 

The day of the competition comes, and Orel can’t turn off the noise in his head, which are the voices of the adults in his life. They are so loud that they are personified by barking dogs (the adult’s human heads are on Bartholomew’s body; Orel’s beloved dog that was basically murdered by these same adults). Orel finds himself meditating on stage, to the disapproval of everyone in the crowd. Orel also throws a metaphorical bone, causing all the dogs barking around his head to chase after it. Orel finds himself in the clouds having a conversation with Buddha, who inexplicably has a wacky Southern voice, who lets him know that it’s okay to use Buddhism to become a better Christian, but also the people in Moralton aren’t going to get it, so he should probably just keep it a secret. 

I never had a strong opinion of this episode, though I think it’s perfectly well-written. It’s light on laughs, though the comedy is present throughout. I never found this episode to be particularly moving either, but this time I did get a little emotional at the end, which is this: 

Orel’s opponent collapses after praying too hard, and Orel’s unorthodox methods have won him the competition. Orel gets carried out of the auditorium in triumph, but we see his non-corporeal form (his soul, perhaps) stay back on the stage, floating in the lotus position. He unbends his legs so that his feet meet the stage. I don’t even know how exactly this moment reached me, but I found it beautiful and it caused me to cry for a few seconds. Weird.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

Moral Orel Volume One DVD (April 24, 2007)

Moral Orel’s only volume released in North America (a second and third volume, comprising of the entire series was released in Australia). This was a great package, and it included a few commentaries, a little making-of documentary, promos and bumps, “odds and ends”, and the crowning jewel: video of “The Awkward Comic-Con Panel”, where the Moral Orel crew (Dino in particular) got drunk and disruptive and began attacking the Venture Bros. guys for having dyed hair. This video contains commentary from not just the Moral Orel crew, but also a second track by the Venture boys. 

I wish I could tell you what “odds and ends” refers to, but my DVD copy of Moral Orel went rotten and I can’t watch it. I literally had to download the Australian DVD when I was consulting the commentary tracks for this blog.

MAIL BAG:

What would you do for a Klondike bar?

?

What's next for Adult Swim now that Tim and Eric is done?

Coming soon we’ll be treated to three scamps with an even bigger flare for subversive comedy and making fun of mentally ill people. One of them is in my avatar. You’re going to love them. Six seasons and a movie

you just gotta love what saul is trying to do. there's a reason jimmy kimmel still considers gardner "a personal friend". Wow!

You do not, under any circumstances, “gotta love” what saul is doing. He’s doing a bad job

Who do you like more: Josh Gardner or Scott Gairdner

Scott’s a proper lege, his banter’s good, and Tiny Fuppets is the definitive joshing of the Vídeo Brinquedo canon. Lotas great Youtube stuff, and Neon NIghtriders or whatever it was called was underrated. Moonbeam City. I just remembered what it was called. A certifiable genius of comedy. You gotta love what Scott is trying to do.

Who are these movie pals? Do they have any personal stats? Do they have blogs of their own covering other TV blocks?

One of them has been reviewing fast food bathrooms and another one is getting arrested on purpose and reviewing the food in various jails and prisons. Another guy ranks horror movies based on how fuckable the killer is, and he’s very hard to get a hold of. I do not like being close to these people. But, they are my friends, and friends stick together.

[twistsandtwizzles]

Stars on Mars: Episode 3

Welcome back to the Red Planet, AKA Australia somewhere. I am assuming if you’re reading this you do not need me to write a recap of the recap that Shatner gives us of what has happened so far, so I’ll just dive into the morning of “Sol Day 5.”

We open on Ariel and Adam washing dishes. Adam asks how Ariel slept. She reports that Porsha was hallucinating about a dog being in their room in the middle of the night.

“We’ve been here in the hab for awhile,” Adam says to the camera, explaining that some people are getting cabin fever. “Is this place driving me crazy? Yeah, of course. The only good thing is that I was crazy before I got here.”

Back in the kitchen, Porsha is explaining her dog-related hallucination to the crew in great detail. She is swearing that one of the girls in the bunk room must have barked, they insist that no one did. “I’m losing my damn mind,” Porsha says.

Ronda facetimes her adorable child, and wipes away tears after hanging up. Richard is also struggling a bit, and misses his family and kids. He says he hadn’t heard of space madness before but he thinks he might be experiencing it. And I sympathize with being homesick but . . . these people do realize that they are not actually in space, right?

Lady Hab Voice alerts the crew about a new arrival: a robot dog! Most of the cast react to this arrival by screaming and running away and frankly I cannot blame them; the”dog” is four spindly robot legs with a cell phone screen for a face and it makes weird clicking noises when it walks.

Porsha gamely names it “Maresha, ‘cause we’re on Mars” and then immediately gives a talking head about how the dog was aggressive and chased her around. “I didn’t like that dog,” she says, as the footage shows her hiding behind Adam. “I’ve got you,” Adam says, laughing.

The robot dog clunks over to Tinashe who tells it to sit. It does. Tinashe grins and gives it a pat. Lady Hab Voice assigns Lance and Tinasha to go walk the dog which apparently they have to do outside?? It’s a robot?? Whatever. They put on their suits and try to get it to play fetch (which it doesn’t do), and they make small talk about who the next Base Commander will be. Lance says he’s not interested because he "likes to go outside" and that he thinks "it’s lame to sit there and read directions.”

Tinashe tells Lance she thinks she would be a pretty strong option for Base Commander; Lance says he agrees. Tinashe gives a talking head about how she thinks people underestimate her but she knows that she’s strong and could do the job. For those playing Reality TV Bingo at home, she also gives us a, “I’m a competitive person, and I didn’t come here for any reason but to win.” It’s not exactly “I’m not here to make friends” but it’s pretty darn close!

Tinashe promises Lance that if she’s Base Commander she’ll do everything she can to make sure he stays on the show. Sorry, "in the experiment." He promises her the same.

Back inside, Schwartz sits with Natasha and Adam and asks if either of them have a phobia about people making loud noises when they eat. “No,” Adam says, then asks the question everyone's thinking: “But what are you about to do?”

Schwartz holds up a piece of celery, dips it in something, and starts chewing. “Oh my god,” Adam says. “Is that just tabasco sauce?”

“Yeah,” Schwartz replies. “It’s hot.”

“Uh, yeah,” Adam says, looking appalled. “Is your ass going to be okay?”

“Yeah,” Schwartz says again, unruffled. I’m not really sure if he’s all that bright.

Tinashe and Lance return to the hab, seemingly without the dog?? Did they just leave it outside?? Lance gives a talking head where he puts his money on Tinashe making it to the end of the show: “She’s highly competitive, ambitious, and she’s very likable,” he says.

Meanwhile Tinashe has found Adam. “I want to know what your thoughts are,” she tells him, and they squirrel away for a private conversation.

“What are you thinking?” he asks her, once they are situated on the couch. Tinashe explains that the biggest problems with their missions have involved communication, and that while she thinks she has the knowledge and the leadership to be Base Commander she also feels like she struggles to get people to actually listen to her. Adam agrees with all of this, telling the camera that he thinks Tinashe would be great but is too soft spoken, and that he thinks that Ariel would actually have a voice that could cut through the chaos.

He goes to find the redhead. “You need to be the base commander on the next mission,” he tells her, point blank. “You need to step up.” 

“Okay,” Ariel replies immediately, slightly taken aback. I feel like this moment is a small taste of what having Adam as your figure skating coach would be like. 

“I’m going to be your campaign manager,” he tells Ariel, who laughs a little nervously. But you can tell she likes the idea. She gives a talking head about declining being Base Commander on Day 1 because she was scared, and says she needs to have confidence in herself.

We get a shot of the robot dog wandering around outside alone as the crew is informed it’s time to pick a new Base Commander. Tinashe throws her hat in the ring; Adam says that he wants to be base commander one day but he thinks that Ariel should have the job this time around. The group votes via secret ballot; Tinashe wins and is our new Base Commander. She’s thrilled. Ariel is a little disappointed.

After all of Marshawn’s posturing in episodes one and two about not wanting to leave the Base Commander suite, literally all Tinashe has to do is ask him to move out and he does. However the rest of the cast is amazed and impressed: “Tinashe is not fucking around!” Adam says in delight. 

After commercials, we return to footage of the robot dog pooping nuts and bolts. I wish I was kidding.

Inside, Tinashe assigns daily duties. Clean up crew: Schwartz, Ariel, and Adam. (Adam: “Yes!”) Biodome vegetable duties: Ronda and Natasha. Running the daily workout: Marshawn and Richard. 

Lady Hab Voice alerts the crew that “lower gravity on Mars can cause muscle waste” and so they must exercise. The way this show haphazardly decides what things are like space and which things aren’t makes my head hurt.

We see a short montage of Ronda, Marshawn, Richard, and Adam easily blowing through their ab series (bicycle crunches and planks) while Natasha struggles next to them. Her VO tells us that working out next to Olympians and pro athletes is pretty intimidating. 

Richard gives a talking head about how much he enjoyed running the workout, and also how much he’s enjoying spending time with Ronda and Marshawn.

Schwartz enters the workout room and attempts to do the agility drill that Marshawn and Richard have set up. Lance and Ronda heckle, but Richard takes pity on him and coaches Schwartz through the drill. I think Richard seems like a sweet dude.

Schwartz notes that Richard/Marshawn/Ronda have clearly formed an alliance. He also says he’s tired of being in the bottom three and is determined to step it up.

Elsewhere Adam is wiping down the hab. “God, I love cleaning so much,” he says, and he is not being sarcastic in any way, shape, or form. Truly do not relate.

Natasha and Ronda are in the biolab as Lady Hab Voice talks about how important fresh food is to health and morale on Mars. Ronda talks a lot about how much she loves working in the biodome and that it is keeping her sane, and I don’t want to spoil anything about where the site of the crisis might be in the back half of this episode, but you’ve watched tv before, yes? 

The crew heads to bed (we get a quick shot of Adam’s evening skincare routine, don’t worry everyone he’s still moisturizing on Mars) and then, of course . . . disaster! A spark in the biodome starts a fire! Alarms blare, and Tinashe starts waking everyone up. “You guys aren’t moving fast enough, there’s a fire!!” she says as Lance strolls slowly behind her, sipping on a canned beverage. 

“Evacuate!” Tinashe yells, as Lady Hab Voice says, “Explosion is imminent.” The group puts on their space suits and head outside - Tinashe sprinting for her life, others moving more slowly. As soon as the last one of them is out of the hab, something explodes and everyone screams.

Back from the commercial, Adam is trying to be serious but is actually laughing; Ronda and Schwartz look legitimately horrified. “It better not be the plants,” Ronda says. She has definitely watched television before.

The fire has been magically put out in .5 seconds, so they are all allowed to go back in the hab pretty much right away. Once inside the group is instructed to go to bed and await further instructions in the morning. 

Richard says he’s over this experiment: “I have had enough.”

Morning comes bright and early, with a message from Shatner. There has indeed been an explosion in the biodome, and they need to repair the structure and replant their crops “before it’s too late.” I have to say these arbitrary time restrictions make me laugh.

The mission in a nutshell: use some duct tape to repair the hole the “explosion” made on the outside of the dome, and then replant all the crops. Tinashe picks Ariel as her mission specialist because “she likes to boss people around,” but also because Tinashe is a smart cookie and knows that is a surefire way to win Ariel over.

Also, I don’t want to alarm anyone, but there has been no sign of the robot dog since the explosion. Did they blow that thing up?? Is there really no one in that hab curious about where their emotional support robot went?

Anyway, Ariel and Tinashe send Porsha, Marshawn, Richard, and Lance outside to repair the hole in the dome. This, much like the initial satellite mission, is lacking in any kind of drama. It’s not a very exciting job, to be fair - Marshawn and Richard are literally just required to hold ladders while Porsha and Lance tape up the dome.

Once the dome is fixed, everyone else is able to go into the biodome, where all the plants have been (fake) burned to a crisp. Schwartz, Adam, Ronda, and Natasha are tasked with cleaning out all the destroyed veggies and then transferring “94 cups of human biowaste” from the septic tank to the planter boxes so that they can replant. Everyone is rightfully disgusted by the solution in the septic tank that is basically muddy water with some cut-up hot dogs and corn floating in it that has also been scented to smell like an outhouse. Fun!

“I was expecting it to be a bit more solid,” Adam says when he gets a look at it. 

If you have read Adam’s book, which ends with a long poop anecdote, you will not be surprised that he is absolutely unphased by this challenge. He totally rocks it, only stopping at one point to say, “Oh god, I am splashing diarrhea on myself.” Which yes, this fake poop is gross, but also, Adam, your hazmat suit is partially unzipped and you didn’t put on gloves so who exactly are we kidding here.

Meanwhile, Natasha has started to gag, and can’t stop. She has to remove herself from the room, only returning when Adam has spread the faux-poop water into all the planter boxes by himself. The group completes the mission with 23 seconds to spare, and everyone celebrates.

Now, of course, it’s time to figure out who goes home. The crew gets sent outside while Ariel and Tinashe discuss who is mission critical and who is not. 

Ariel notes that Adam was “not afraid of anything” today. “Not only was he unafraid,” Tinashe agrees, “But he had a great attitude, he made it feel a little more lighthearted.” Go Adam!

Tinashe continues that Richard and Marshawn felt the most unessential. This is true, but to be fair to them both, they were literally assigned to stand in place and hold a ladder and that’s it. They did what they were told! This is basically what Marshawn says in his talking head.

The crew gets called inside, one by one, to get their patches. When Adam enters Ariel gets down on one knee and asks, Bachelorette-style, “Will you accept this patch?” Adam says, “I will!” and it’s cute.

Eventually it’s Schwartz, Natasha, Richard, and Marshawn left upstairs. Schwartz is relieved when he gets called inside and doesn’t have to be in the bottom three again. “I think I’m a future dark horse,” he says. I am not so convinced but I wish him the best of luck.

The crew huddles to decide who goes home. Ronda is brutally honest: she does not want to send home Richard or Marshawn. “I’d send any of you home first,” she tells them.

Natasha, Marshawn, and Richard are asked to make their case why they should stay. Natasha says that she doesn’t eat much so she’s really not a drain on the rations, and she thinks she can still contribute in new ways. Adam advocates for Nastasha down in the hab, which is nice of him considering she literally ran away gagging and made him fertilize potting soil with fake diarrhea all by himself.

Ariel says that Marshawn has consistently done the least, and Tinashe echoes this. Ronda says that Marshawn and Richard are a duo, and if one of them goes the other is likely close behind. “And then I’m going to be close behind,” she says.

But then - twist. Richard basically quits, saying, “You have a strong team with Natasha and Marshawn. I think I’ve already done my part.”

You can tell how popular Richard is, though, because even though he is quite literally asking to be kicked off, the group immediately starts trying to think of ways to keep him there. “Maybe if we can boost his morale,” Porsha says desperately. But it’s pretty obvious that you don’t keep a guy around who actively no longer wants to be there.

So Richard goes home. “I’m so mad at you,” Ronda tells him. Richard says that he feels like he set out what he wanted to accomplish, and that he’s excited to get home and see his kids.

Tinashe’s final talking head of the night says that after the elimination, things in the hab were tense. “Maybe this is becoming more of a social game,” she says, “which is a wakeup call.”

Ariel, Porsha, and Tinashe huddle in a hallway. Ariel says that she’s surprised this has become this kind of game, and that she thought it was supposed to be about the mission.

“I just didn’t know alliances were forming that hard,” Tinashe says. 

“Well, we should be careful,” Ariel replies. “Or we’ll be next.”

And with that, we’re out.

Next week: lots of running, "oxygen depletion", and Ronda behind the comms screaming that someone is going to die (I’m going to guess probably no one is actually in mortal peril). Also Marshawn with a blow torch!

[roguerambles]

Tasting Lightning

Blood of Zeus Fic - Zeus x Reader

Warning: NSFW. 18+ Only.

Reader is female.

This is my first attempt writing this kinda thing so don’t judge me too harshly lol. I also have been reading a bunch of @icy-spicy​ fics, so blame then for inspiring me lol.

-

It wasn’t /really/ your fault.

Olympus had seen its fair share of romantic entanglements – put a bunch of beautiful, powerful, immortal beings in a mountainous palace and something was bound to happen – some brief, some long-lasting, and in nearly every combination of gods possible. Naturally, competition flared up every now and again. Right?

Zeus was gazing at you expectantly, a slightly amused tilt to his smile – he didn’t look mad, at least. “I assume you know why you are here?”

You had an idea, but you weren’t ready to admit it yet. “The pleasure of my company?”

The King of Olympus laughed, shaking his head slightly. “The…spat between Apollo and Ares. In the arena.”

Yes. That. You pretended to be greatly interested in the floor. “Shouldn’t you be speaking with them? I didn’t tell them to wreck the place…”

Zeus crossed his arms – powerful and thick with muscle, you couldn’t help but notice – his smile widening just a little. “True.” He nodded slightly. “But you did promise to spend the night with whoever won the match?”

“…It was….a jest?” You didn’t sound convincing even to your own ears.

And it really hadn’t been. What of it? You had no shortage of admirers and no shortage of gods and goddesses you admired in turn on Olympus, why not act on it? You’d been with both Ares and Apollo before. Truthfully, you’d been hoping for a tie-

“Hera thinks you should marry and end the matter.”

You snapped your attention back to Zeus, briefly startled. “Wait, what?”

Zeus shrugged his /very/ broad, /very/ strong shoulders. “She thinks you should marry one, and cease the debate.” He gave you what may have been a reproachful look, but his eyes glowed blue with playful amusement. “Apparently, there’s something of a bet going on among the other gods of who you’ll choose.”

You could practically hear Aphrodite giggling in your ear, the traitor. Pouting, you leaned against the nearby table. “What makes you think I’ll pick either?” You huffed. “It’s not as though Ares or Apollo are the only gods here who’ve shown interest.”

“Oh, I know.” Zeus replied dryly. “Aphrodite likes to talk.”

You grabbed a fistful of grapes from a nearby bowl and hurled them at the King, who gave a bark of laughter, lifting his arm to shield his face – giving you an uninterrupted glance at his broad chest and sculpted pecs you couldn’t help it you had /eyes/-

Chuckling, Zeus shook his head. “No more property damage.” He said in a tone of mock firmness. “Truthfully, what you and my sons do together is not my concern, but I’d rather they weren’t beating each other senseless. Understand?”

“…yes.” You replied glumly, leaning back against the table. You crossed your legs, the slit in your dress exposing a generous amount of thigh and you /definitely/ caught Zeus’s gaze lingering just a little longer than polite. You smiled as his eyes returned to yours and he shook his head slightly.

“…and perhaps you should consider the suggestion.” Zeus mused. “Of marriage.”

“I’ll consider it.” You would, eventually, at some point, but at the moment you were considering something else. “So…scolding over?”

Zeus rolled his eyes, but smiled. “Scolding over.” He held up his large, strong hands, and you took a moment to study them and imagine the feel of them on your skin.

…there was a part of you that warned you were heading down dangerous territory, but rest of you had already decided you were going to bed the King of Olympus.

“Good.” You reached out to grasp the loose fabric of his clothing, tugging him closer towards with a wicked grin. “Can we move onto something more…pleasurable now?”

Zeus’s eyes widened in slight surprise, but he didn’t pull away, even as you slid from the table and pressed your body softly against his own. “…now you’re just trying to cause trouble.” He rumbled deep in his chest, his eyes trailing from your lips down your neck across your chest as you grinned mischievously up at him. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, eyes glowing blue and stormy. “…this is a terrible idea.”

 “Maybe.” You purred. You slowly slipped your dress from your shoulders, letting it pool at your feet, leaving you bare under Zeus’s eyes. His lips parted as he greedily drank in the sight of your naked form and you knew in an instant you had him. “But it will be fun.”

Zeus’s hands closed around your waist, firm and strong with lightning in his touch that made you gasp and arch into him at the sensation. “What did you have in mind?” His voice was low and thick with desire, rumbling like thunder that made you shiver in anticipation.

You pressed your lips to the corner of his mouth, sending images to his mind – a secluded spot off Olympus, where silk sheets and a bed fit for gods waited to be put to good use – before slipping from his grasp and teleporting ahead, knowing he wouldn’t be far behind.

 -

The villa was small and secluded – Apollo had used it during Hyacinth’s mortal days as a little getaway, so hopefully he wouldn’t mind you using it. You sipped at your ambrosia, idly casting glances out the balcony window at the increasingly cloudy sky.

You felt Zeus’s presence before you saw him. The air suddenly felt warm, sparks of energy threatening to ignite all around you. Large, warm hands slid around your hips, rough palms slowly roaming over your naked skin – you hadn’t bothered covering up while you waited.

You couldn’t stop the slightly smug grin forming on your lips as you leaned back into Zeus’s chest. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

“Lies.” His lips brushed along your neck, his beard rubbing against your skin in a way that made you picture what it would feel like rubbing between your thighs. “You knew I was coming.” His palms moved upwards, slow and deliberate.

“Well, yes.” You purred, pressing your back into him a little firmer. “But you did make me wait-ah….!” Lightning danced between his fingers, licking against the skin of your breasts and making you arch into his touch. Your ambrosia fell to the floor forgotten. “Zeus….!”

He growled lowly against your neck, the sound vibrating deep in his chest, his other hand trailing lower to dip between your thighs, electricity crackling deliciously against your flesh. “Say my name again.”

You stifled a moan, twisting in his grasp to turn and face him – why in the Heavens was he still /dressed/ - and grabbed the clasp of his clothing, yanking him towards the bed. “Make me.”

Any and all sense of hesitation was gone as you ripped the clasp open, your hands raking down his broad, sculpted torso as his hands gripped your thighs, moving you onto the bed as his lips hungrily met yours. You groaned his protest as his mouth ripped away from yours, before arching and gasping in delight as his kissed down your body, nipping and sucking at your flesh with the ferocity of a starving man at a feast. The clouds churned black and stormy outside, obscuring the sky entirely, but Zeus’s mouth and tongue reached your core and the thunder blocked out your moans and cries to the world outside.

You gripped his dark hair, tugging sharply as you peaked against his tongue, thighs squeezing hard around his shoulders as pleasure ripped through your body. He chuckled lowly as he pulled away slightly, the blue glow of his eyes trailing over your body as you came down from your high. His strong fingers stroked along the flesh of thigh, sending sparks across your skin. “I’m beginning to understand….” He mused, a playful tilt to his lips. “…the reasons for the property damage.”

You laughed, a little breathlessly, finally regaining sensation in your limbs, and rolled sharply, pushing Zeus onto his back. He grunted slightly, but grinned as you leaned over him, pushing upwards to press hot, hungry kisses across your chest.

“Just now?” You purred, slowly running your fingers through his hair as you angled your hips, just above his. “I doubt that.” With tantalising slowness you moved against him, making him groan and buck his hips in response. “You think I haven’t seen you look at me?” You nipped at his lips, smirking at the naked desire on his face. “You’ve thought of this before. Admit it.”

Zeus grinned wryly. “…make me.”

You laughed, and with purpose sank down onto him, welcoming him into you so suddenly that his chuckle turned to a desperate moan, his head whipping backwards as lightning seared in the sky above. He rolled sharply, powerful hands seizing your waist, hips rolling hard and fast as you cried out and writhed beneath him, your nails raking across his shoulders.

 Time blurred together in a haze of frenzied pleasure. Everything except the bed, your body, Zeus’s lips on yours, his hands on your skin, his powerful muscles flexing with effort as he thrust into again and again, his voice rumbling your name, ceased to exist, the increasing intensity of the storm paling in comparison to the sheer force of your passion. You lost track of how many times you peaked together, over and over, bodies writhing together, constantly finding new ways to bring each other more pleasure, by the River Styx why had you two never done this /before/-

“Zeus…!” You cried out, white-hot heat flaring deep in your belly, fingers grasping the sheets beneath as Zeus groaned behind you, hips rolling hard and fast. “There, there, right there, Zeus…!”

Zeus cried out, your name spilling from his lips as his grip on your hips tightened, lightning crackling around him-

“…ahem.”

Zeus nearly rolled from the bed in shock, and you yelped in alarm at the sudden voice in the room. You looked around wildly, eyes barely adjusting the warm, orange glow of sunlight in the room as Hermes eyed you both with a raised eyebrow and amused smirk.

“I confess….” He said, as Zeus hurriedly pulled a sheet around you both, in a weak attempt to preserve /some/ dignity. “…this is somehow both not what I expected and /exactly/ what I expected.”

You tossed a pillow in his direction. “Hermes!”

His eyebrow arched slightly higher. “Yes?”

You /knew/ you were blushing. “You…we….what are you doing here?!”

Hermes’s shoulders shook slightly – he was /laughing/ at you, the smug bastard, and you searched for another pillow to throw at him. Zeus cleared his throat, and tried to look as authoritative as a man who had just been caught in the throes of passion stark naked could – he actually pulled it off, to an extent. “Hermes…” He said sternly, and Hermes schooled his expression into an innocent smile.

“Yes, Father?”

“…you are here for a reason, I assume?”

“Well, yes.” Hermes nodded. “You see, there’s been /quite/ the storm going on in the mortal realm for the last three days.”

Wait, DAYS-

You glanced around the room, noticing for the first time that it looked as though a hurricane had hit it – you supposed in a sense it /had/ and you were definitely blushing now. You looked outside – the sky was still stormy, but had calmed somewhat now you and Zeus had…paused. You caught Zeus’s eye, and even he looked a little flustered.

“We….I’ll return come morning.” He coughed slightly, looking absolutely anywhere but at Hermes who damn him was openly grinning in amusement now. “I…there was a matter that required my attention and we lost track of time-��

“Oh, of course!” Hermes lost control altogether and nearly doubled over with laughter, hands on his knees. “That much was obvious!”

“Will you just /go/ already?!” You considered getting up and chasing him out but Hermes simply flashed a mischievous grin and darted out of sight. Zeus groaned and flopped onto the bed beside you, rubbing his hands over his face. You mirrored the gesture, sighing as your head came to rest on his shoulder.

You lay there in silence for a while, nothing but the calming storm outside. Zeus sighed to himself. “That was….” He trailed off, lifting a hand to gesture around at the ruined room.

“…fantastic?” You guessed, and Zeus barked out a laugh, tilting his head to look down at you.

“I was going to say “irresponsible” of us….” He ran his fingers through his hair, bicep flexing powerfully at the movement, before a small smile forced its way onto his face. “…but yes, it was.”

You shared a chuckle, and you moved onto your side, reaching over to gently trail your fingers up and down his chest. “You lecturing about responsibility?” You teased, and he rolled his eyes, catching your wrist playfully.

“It’s been known to happen on occasion.” He pressed a kiss to your fingertips. “I suppose I should survey the damage once we get back. Hopefully it wasn’t too extreme.”

You hoped so too, although privately you could help but feel a /little/ smug that he’d been so thoroughly distracted by you that he’d forgotten to call off the storm. You stretched slightly, before slinging your thigh over his waist, moving so you were perched on top of him, making him groan in surprise.

“So…” You grinned coyly. “You said “morning”, yes?”

Zeus laughed, his head falling back as his hands rose to lightly grip your hips. “You’re insatiable.”

“I’m only saying…we’ve been here for three days and haven’t used to bathhouse yet.” You wriggled in place, smirking as you felt him stirring beneath you. “I mean, we should probably clean up, don’t you agree…?”

Zeus groaned slightly. “You’re a temptress.” His hands gripped your hips as he suddenly rose, causing you to squeal and wrap yourself around him as he carried you towards the door. You had some hours until morning, and plenty of pleasure to fit in that time.

[anothertimdrakestan]

Batfam On A Road Trip HC

req: “Batfam on a road trip? It’s been on my mind for like a week-”

oh god it’s probably so chaotic... and like distinctly dangerous???

also this is my car AU where there’s infinite rows of seats in the car until I’m done.

we’ve got Bruce driving - even though Damian, Dick, Tim, Jason, AND Steph all tried to get behind the wheel but after last years incident the only people allowed to drive are Bruce and Duke but Duke doesn’t like driving with his siblings bouncing off the damn walls.

Speaking of Duke, mans snagged himself a window seat SO FAST it would make your head spin. He likes to sit next to Damian (who got put in the middle because he’s the smallest) and they share earbuds and Duke’s phone which is loaded with like 128 hours of songs. Against popular belief, Damian is actually good at sharing when it’s not with one of his more “obnoxious” siblings and he and Duke get along really well - they also have the same music taste. Duke changes between queue-ing songs, staring out the window making little stories in his head, and watching Damian draw. He occasionally is tasked with holding the sharp objects smuggled into the car after they’re discovered by Bruce as he’s the second most responsible (after Cass).

Speaking of the most responsible sibling, Cass somehow got shotgun next to Bruce. This is because she’s the only who makes him not want to throw himself out of the car and she’s a pretty good navigator. So, as she tries to moderate the back of the car she also is in charge of agreeing on pit stops and coffee breaks which works well because Cass is fair and no one can be an asshole to her. On the first road trip Cass discovered a Wendy’s Frosty and now she will usually write at least one Wendy’s stop into the trip - no one complains except Tim who is forbidden from ordering the spicy nuggets after last years incident.

Tim, the one notorious for threatening to throw himself out of the car most often, is sat in the far back. He someone gets a row to himself under the guise of “sleeping” when in reality he spends the trip typing away on his laptop, chugging monster energy drinks, and occasionally trying to make Dick bark like a dog through some kind of sleep-manipulation he read about one night at 2am. It involves him whispering in his ear and usually ends up making the whole car uncomfortable, except Jason who thinks it’s the funniest shit ever. However, after the incident his back seat gets thoroughly checked by Bruce for stowaways every pitstop, but he’d never store a secret in the same place twice...

We move to Jason! Who sits next to Steph. They’re the snack distributors. Known for throwing popcorn in the other’s mouths but it usually ends up being thrown at Bruce, Damian, or both. Jason is a champ at fruit roll up eating competitions. He claims it’s because his tongue is so strong from eating... nevermind. Jason is surprisingly organized about the snacks, and frequently restocks (with Bruce’s credit card of course) on pit stops. Jason likes to complain early into the trip but by the end he’s telling the most fun stories, singing the loudest, and causing the most trouble. His and Steph’s row is definitely the most fun. But he’s still on the list with Bruce after helping Tim become a world class smuggler during the trip that shall not be named.

Steph is the family interpreter. She shares messages from the back to the front and vice versa. She’s known for saying the back row is hungry when it was in fact her but everyone loves her for her honesty. She’s the first to ask for a leg stretch break, and the one who puts on good songs after Dick has had the aux for too long. She’s basically the lorax of the batfam road trip. She usually makes the snack packs that are distributed throughout the car and is known for memorizing everyone’s favorites to optimize the best snacks. Steph actually wasn’t in the car for the great incident, she often questions what happened but only knows what Dick quietly whispered to her, something about feeding nuggets to a foreign passenger...

Dick, the storyteller, the terrible-music-meister, the road trip organizer himself, sits on the other side of Damian. He was the one who purposefully cleared everyone’s schedule for the weekend and who roughly planned the route. Dick works closely with Cass to make sure they’re going the right way and he also mediates all fights that occur during the trip, and trust that there are a lot. Dick is known for being restless and often throws his head out the window on the freeway “just to feel something” his quote not mine. Dick is incharge of taking all dangerous items off Damian (and sometimes Tim’s) person before the trip and he was in the most trouble when the intruders were found during last years incident. But he took it with stride and promised Bruce this year would be better!

Damian, the deeply unhappy middle seater, can be found drawing and pretending he can’t hear Grayson blabbing on about “this crazy adventure he had as Robin so sooo long ago”. Damian is known for pouting through the first stop but after he’s had some quiet time he can actually be seen with the corners of his mouth upturned- especially if they drive past farms during the trip (Cass tries extra hard to make sure they do). Damian also had been known to try to run away during stops so he’s kind of heavily watched by Bruce and Dick. Luckily, his place in the middle seat means he’s far enough away from Tim to be “bothered by his mere presence” which is a significant win and close enough to Duke and Cass to keep him sane.

We are in fact missing two main people: Babs and Alfred. These two opt to stay home, getting the much deserved break they need. They like to have tea parties, cleaning extravaganzas, and (though they won’t admit it) the occasional dance break in the batcave when no one’s looking. They like to take the batmobile to get food and their guilty pleasure is watching rom-coms on the giant screen in the batcave while eating “trashy takeaways” as Alfred so eloquently calls them. These two have the best time, but if anyone asks they were simple awaiting the rest of their families return.

That’s how I think it’d go down! Overall I think it would be chaotic but not as bad as one might think, they are family after all : )

Oh wait, I forget, there are two more stowaways...

Bart and Kon are silent, Kon mostly flies above but occasionally slips into the trunk to rest with Bart. Bart easily slips into the trunk and is quite literally gone in a flash if Bruce ever suspects anything. Just because Tim can’t hand feed him nuggets doesn’t mean the boy isn’t read for road trip part two! He just hopes Kon made a flying stop at tacobell because he’s getting kinda hungry...

“Timmmm are we there yet?”

“DID I JUST HEAR WHAT I THINK I DID TIM”

“oh my god I finally experienced the great incident but now part two!”

“hi Steph! Yeah I’m here! Sorry Brucie, but yeah, can you pass me a twizzler?”

“HOW DID YOU DO THIS AGAIN TIM I SWEAR TO-”

yup, now that’s a batfam road trip : )

[jaminjims]

「BRAIN GO BRR」

anon request: Heyyy! Could I request for an imagine for prompt 83? An ot7 platonic bts 8th reader crack / fluff? Like they’re playing around and it gets a wee bit competitive? 😅

prompt: “if you want me, come and get me, motherfuckers.”

pairing: platonic!bts ot7 x gender neutral!reader

genre: crack >:), fluff

warnings: strong language?? should that be a warning?

words: 1.3k

~**~

You looked seriously into Taehyung’s eyes, determined that you would get it right no matter what he did. The stakes were high as your team was only one point away from winning.

Tae meowed.

“Monkey!”

There was a brief pause before several different things happened at once.

“Monkey?! I meow and the first animal you think of is monkey, oh my god. Can I hit you?” Taehyung looked at Jin for permission, “Can I hit Y/n?”

“Yah! I can’t help it if you sound like a monkey all the time; you never evolved past caveman! That’s natural selection Tae! Aish, why couldn’t you just evolve past caveman brain.” You whined and messed with your hair in frustration. Jimin and Jungkook looked on in despair as now the Hyung team was a point closer to winning the game and now the two teams were tied. Hoseok and Jin did all they could not to pass out from laughter while Yoongi just nodded to your exclamation like it was universal knowledge that most people, indeed, did not evolve past caveman brain. Namjoon looked like he would like to end his suffering and was contemplating if it was too late to resign as leader. He should let Yeontan take up the mantle. Or maybe get a lizard. Lizards are patient and wise, right?

Ah yes, the elegance that was animal association; where you make an animal noise and if your partner gets it right then the team gets a point. If your partner gets it wrong, then the other team gets the point. Simple really.

Well, unless it came to you, apparently. There was really a 50/50 chance with you.

It was your birthday and you were all gathered in the dorm living room, having a mini party to celebrate while v-living the event. It seemed like the mass lack of IQ you had spread and lowered the general intelligence of everyone in your vicinity though, as Taehyung exclaimed;

“You never evolved past tadpole brain!” He pointed back at you and you had half a mind to bite his finger.

Before you could act on your biting instincts, Jimin laid a hand on your shoulder with a grim expression on his face. “Even I knew it was a cat, Y/n-ah.”

There was obviously something missing in their brain functions because no, that was definitely a monkey. You lunged for the phone to consult ARMY in the decision but Namjoon had enough sense to pull it away from you before you did something rash. Coincidently, you tripped trying to get up to get it back from the leader, and he just looked down at you with something akin to utter misery for this game in his eyes. Or maybe it was war flashbacks. Probably war flashbacks.

Hoseok couldn’t help it; he was basically wheezing he was laughing so hard and Jin went to help you up, though, he was laughing too and almost fell on you in the process. Yoongi was trying his best not to laugh but he kinda looked like the embodiment of the 👁👄👁 face to you.

“Hey! We can still win this, team! They can still get the next one wrong!” Jungkook exclaimed with determination in his eyes. Jimin nodded along with him as you four sat off to the side and the four eldest got together. It was Jin and Yoongi’s turn and Jin thought of an animal that they haven’t done yet.

He hissed.

There was a tense few seconds before Yoongi, quite confidently, replied with “Hedgehog.”

Jin’s eyes widened as he smiled, that caused Hoseok to whoop in victory because if Jin was acting like that then Yoongi had obviously gotten it right. “Aish, you’re so smart.” Jin complimented. Yoongi smiled and looked at the younger ones with smug victory in his eyes. Namjoon sighed like the long suffering parent he was.

It only goes downhill from here.

Your poor brain struggled to make sense of it. “Hedgehog?! What the fuck?! Do hedgehog’s even hiss!?”

This time Hoseok, Jin, and Yoongi started laughing and celebrating their victory while your other three team members looked at you.

You met Jungkook’s cold stare first, “I am going to defenestrate you.” Then they all lunged at you. You yelled and bolted up, grabbing one of those sticky, stretching rubber hand things you can throw at walls to get them to stick there. (if you know, you know) You had insisted you have them as party favors.

You ran around the couch so there was something between you and the other three maknaes. “But we live on the fourth floor!”

“Exactly!” Jimin added, “Maybe if you hit your head hard enough you can gain some brain function back!” Tae continued.

They ran around one way as you ran around the other. You used your sticky hand to hit them in the face when you could while the Hyung line stood a respectful distance away from the chaos and got it on camera.

“Pause!” You yelled and you all froze. You pointed at them while they pointed back at you. Hoseok started laughing again because it reminded him of the one cartoon spider-man meme.

You smirked at them, “If you want me, come and get me, motherfuckers!” Then you bolted away and the poor hyungs didn’t realize you were running to them before it was too late. You hid behind Namjoon as Jimin, Jungkook, and Tae came at you.

You growled and barked at them like the rapid animal you were and it spoked Namjoon enough to almost drop the phone (that was still running the v-live, by the way).

“Did you just bark?” Yoongi said in disbelief while Hobi and Jin also had a look of confusion mixed with concern mixed with slight horror directed at you. Namjoon quickly moved out of the way so he didn’t contract whatever brain cell eating illness you had. You moved to get behind him again before the other young ones could get to you.

He would would have poked you back with a stick if he had one, “Back! Stay back I say!”

You paled when you realized that you had no cover and bolted down the hallway, Jimin hot on your feet and the other two not to far behind.

The hyung’s followed to wherever you were going to make sure everyone made it out somewhat still intact.

You ran into your room and only paused momentarily when you saw that, huh, when did you open the window?, before regaining your senses and dodgeing the three others as they came barreling into the room.

So, the scene looked like this. You on one side, closest to your closet and desk, while Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung were across from you, backs facing the weirdly opened window. The four oldest were watching on with non concealed laughter and amusement (well three of them were, Namjoon looked a little bit like he wanted a nap.)

With nothing between you and your attackers, you did the last thing you could do; which was throw the sticky green hand at them.

You missed and you all watched as it went falling out the window.

There was a few seconds of nothing before you all jumped at the sound of Hoseok’s phone. He looked at it and then back at the other members.

“It’s Sejin Hyung.” He answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Hoseok-ah, would you like to explain the sticky, green, ... hand thing that just flew out your dorm window and into Y/n’s cake?” That was Bang PD’s voice. Which only meant one thing; their boss was with their manager and they had just witnessed you throwing something out the window and landing in your cake.

Wait, it landed in your cake?!

“Wah! It landed in my cake?!” You whined in misery as Hoseok couldn’t help the incredulous giggle that escaped him. It was quiet on both sides before you heard your manager laugh from the other line.

After that it was a domino effect and you all started laughing, even Bang PD himself. While laughing you still couldn’t help the little whines that escaped you.

“But what about my cake??”

[end]

~**~

end note: PLEASE, i live for crack fics you guys. along with writing angst (which i seem to write the most, for whatever reason) crack is one of my favorite things to write. i feel like i get to really just let my already deteriorating mental stability go and write whatever comes to mind with prompts like these so i had sooo much fun! thank you so so so much for the request anonie! i loved it so much and i hope you like it as much as i did 💜

masterlist

request something!

taglist: @boba-tea1206

[anastasiaskarsgard]

Someone asked for Roman being married but Peter joins in smut so here I go.... I tried to make it more realistic. please tell me if I’m offensive or this is bad. I haven’t written very many bi relationships but want to do them justice

WARNING smut, language, over 18 please.

His presence was like a blizzard. Everyone in the room shrunk in on themselves, huddling, shivering. Roman Godfrey was met with fear, especially by his employees.

Their job security rested on his oscillating temper.

Only one sat, unhindered when Roman stormed into this particular engineering department.

"Peter!" He barked, and the sea of heads ducked into their cubicles.

Blue eyes rolled. "What?"

“Where are those reports?" His long legs and longer strides easily carried him to his senior engineer's desk.

A brown brow arched. "Which ones? The majority of them have been sent directly to you."

"Don't smart-mouth me," Roman snarled, and he slammed Peter’s laptop closed, barely missing his fingers. "I want those updated Project Blue reports."

That skeptical brow arched even higher. "You could've emailed me."

"A vehement email would not have had the same effect as my presence," he hissed, stomping his foot in frustration.

Peter's lip twitched, and he bit back a smirk. "Of course, of course."

Roman noticed, and the glower on his face grew darker. But the heat in his eyes was contradictory to the annoyance sitting on his lips, and Peter found himself shivering for an entirely different reason than the employees working under him. "I want them. As soon as possible."

"Ask and you shall receive," Peter replied. An audible gasp could be heard from their reluctant audience, peeking at the one employee that seemed not to fear their famously unpredictable boss. Their eyes stayed locked as Peter pulled his laptop closer to him and opened it pointedly.

Then Roman’s unbelievably green eyes were focused on Peters typing fingers.

When next Roman spoke, his voice was low, but just as harsh and twice as heated. "Will you be making it tonight?"

This time, Peter couldn't hold back his smirk. Romans eyes narrowed, but those pupils dilated until only a scant ring of jade green glared into Peters grinning gaze. "Oh is your wife throwing another party or is this just a meeting? Doesn’t matter I guess. It’s not As if I have a choice."

Roman leaned down, suit jacket straining against his broad shoulders. "You always have a choice. It's simply up to you to make the best one."

"I'm not known for making the best decisions, and neither are you from time to ...”Peter said, and he cleared his throat, cutting off wherever that statement was going, when he realized his voice husked in a rather work-inappropriate manner.

"You didn't make senior engineer right out of university because I doubt your abilities," Roman said.

"That's high praise from you, Mr. Godfrey."

"Yet not the highest you've heard." A smirk, brief, graced Romans lips. The fleeting sight made Peters heart pound harder in his chest. "Not from me, at least."

“That's true."

Roman suddenly straightened, face falling into that bitter glower once again. "I expect to see you later this evening."

"Of course, Mr. Godfrey."

It was true; Roman had hired him right out of college. Well, maybe not true, because Peter had, in fact, been around in some capacity since they’d met senior year. They had their ups and downs. Couple fights over women of all things, before they’d finally figured out what their issue was...

"Harder," Roman mewled, and Peter thought heatedly about how none of those employees, shivering with fear, had heard Roman Godfrey quite like he had. Those long, slender hands gripped and tugged at the disheveled sheets and scrambled to the thumping headboard.

Peter complied, hunched over the other man, feverishly kissing at the broad shoulders he found himself constantly admiring.

Was it the long meetings?

Roman's head whipped back against Peter's shoulder, and Peters whole body ached, but he dared not slow down, not when each well-placed thrust made Roman moan so loudly, so wantonly.

"Oh god ," he cried, deep voice cracking, and Peter fisted his fingers in that thick hair, and he yanked Roman in for a heated kiss. Tongues twisting and hot breaths mixing and lips mouthing.

The late nights poring over blueprints together?

"Yeah, take it," Peter growled into Roman’s mouth. " Take it , just like that." They pushed their foreheads together, sweat-matted hair tangling. "Just like that, you sexy motherfucker ."

Roman arched back into him, pushed into the thrusts. His jaw dropped lower, lower. "Fuck, fuck, fuck , f-fuck!"

"Touch yourself," he snarled against Roman’s ear.

The tense bickering that dissolved into easy banter?

Roman collapsed forward, unable to hold himself up on one shaking arm. Petern's hand tightened in that sweaty, thick hair, and he yanked him back up, much to Roman’s delight.

Spine bowed tight, hand working himself into a frenzy, gasping too heavily to make any other sound. Roman was a mess and they were both loving every minute of it.

"C'mon, c'mon," Peter goaded, teeth clenched hard, so hard his jaw would later ache, as he staved himself off just long enough for--

A long moan, Roman’s body trembling and bucking uncontrollably before he melted beneath Peter’s hands.

Peter pinned him down, hips fluttering and head whipping back as he burst seconds later.

Maybe it was all of it and more.

Hot, panting breaths filled the room, along with the occasional grunt when one spasmed with an aftershock. The air smelled like sex and masculinity, and it was nearly enough to push Peter for another round.

Nearly.

They collapsed to the side, and Peter gingerly disengaged from the hold of the other man's body.

He rolled onto his back, basked in the feeling of sweat on his skin cooling and evaporating.

"God damn ," Roman grunted. He stretched a moment, trembling all the while.

Peter hummed in agreement.

He never thought he'd be the person to sleep with his boss. Ever.

And especially not when said boss was Roman Godfrey for fucksake.

"So, Mr. Godfrey," Peter said, rolling onto his side, head propped on his fist, held up by his elbow. "What's my performance for this quarter?"

Roman chuckled breathlessly, shifting onto his back and holding his hand up, forefinger and thumb touching. "Proficient in all categories." His hand fell heavily back to the bed.

And he especially didn't expect Roman Godfrey to take his cock like it was an art form.

Peter laughed. "I expected some more qualitative commentary," he trailed a strong hand along Roman’s pale side, "but I suppose I'll settle for 'proficient.'"

Roman leaned in, swollen lips tracing Peter’s collarbone. "Oh?" Peter could feel those lips twist into a smirk. "Well, you're a hard worker." They both chuckled a moment at the innuendo. "You're fast…" he kissed up tendons on Peter’s neck. "Efficient." He breathed hotly into His ear. "You definitely know how to put me through my paces."

Peter turned his head just lightly, until his nose was brushing Roman’s ear. "Well, what am I supposed to do, when you're so demanding in return?"

Roman only smirked, shifted for a kiss.

Peter met him eagerly, and the two fell back into the sheets, limbs tangling.

"Oh," Roman sighed when Peter continued to touch all the right places, "You also have amazing mental…" he bucked up, a challenging snarl on his lips. "... And physical endurance."

“What about your wife? Doesn’t she want her man back?”

Roman’s eyes went wide and he shot up into a sitting position. “Shit she’s in our room, waiting on us!”

“Us?”

Roman turned and gazed down into Peter’s eyes as he gently stroked his hardening member. “She wants to see who’s better at sucking you off. You know how competitive she is.”

“How do you always find these girls?”

Roman’s eyes sparkled as he flashed one of his heart shattering genuine smiles and just shrugged his shoulders.

Peter sat up and crawled off the bed as Roman followed. As he made his way up the stairs to fuck Another woman with Roman, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything he wouldn’t do for Roman Godfrey.

Shaking his head, he pushed the door to their room open and focused on the beauty laid out on the bed like a feline. He didn’t feel like thinking.

[atsukashii]

❝safe and sound❞ // k. bakugou

SYNOPSIS: ➛ you had originally thought you were a fearless hero to be, but the moment you watched Katsuki get taken by the league of villains, you knew you had one fear, being without him.

» CHARACTER PAIRING: katsuki bakugou x todorok!reader (shouto’s sister)

» WORD COUNT: 2.4K

» GENRE: request from @todorokikouinferno​ (sorry it took so long!)

» WARNINGS: mentions of kidnapping, stubborn reader meets stubborn boyfriend, fluff

« masterlist || ao3 »

Too much of the world, the name Y/n Todoroki didn’t mean much, but in Japan, many people knew of the family that you came from, and the burden you bear as a child of the current number one pro hero, especially as an upcoming hero yourself. From the moment you were born, you were overlooked because of your quirk. It wasn’t enough for your father, the famous Endeavor, number two pro hero in the country at the time. Yet the moment that your younger brother’s quirk emerged for the first time, less than a year after you, you saw the pride in your father’s eyes and could see what was to happen before it did. 

You loved your family fiercely, but you were exceptionally close with Shouto. Less than a year younger than you, the two of you acted as if you were twins your whole lives. You were two sides of the same coin; one side firefly and explosive and the other calm and cool. And for Shouto, you would do anything, including getting your father’s attention off him by training under your old man yourself. You went from a nobody to becoming a hope to many of the future, your fire quirk all but mastered, allowing you to manipulate flames ranging from a roaring orange blaze to a white melting light so bright it hurt to look at. So when you decided to apply for U.A with your brother in his year, having been held back a grade due to being home-schooled to train with your father, it was no surprise that both of you were granted admission by reference to the prestigious school.

It also was no surprise that on your first day of class, you butted heads with the most explosive person in their class. Your fiery red hair matched your father’s temper, something Shouto didn’t seem to have with his calm demeanour. However, you refused to back down from the opportunity to hand Katsuki Bakugou his ass in your first sparring session.  From that moment onwards, there was a form of respect between you two as he got up to his feet and growled under his breath. 

“Not damn bad Todoroki.” 

To say it had shocked you was an understatement, as Bakugou had been nothing but rude to literally everyone so far in his high school career. However, that respect soon became mutual and kept evolving into something more as time passed. You’d become friends of a sort at first, your relationship built on respect, admiration and an unhealthy amount of competitiveness from both sides, but it was your tomboyish nature that seemed to get the mighty Katsuki Bakugou to slowly and begrudgingly lower his walls until you could finally tell the difference between a curse of anger, and one with no bite. Somewhere along the few months of your first year, you had become close friends, training together outside of class time and trying to help your other friends study when they fell behind. 

Normally, you would bark right back at Katsuki whenever he decided to boom at Kaminari or Kirishima over their studying habits - or rather lack thereof. But now, as your lungs heave in the crisp air of the night and your bare knees dig into the loose first beneath you, you would do anything just to hear him snap at you once again.

You feel your lungs expand and collapse again with each rattling breath as your brain tries to contemplate what just happened in front of your eyes. You had been with Ochako and Tsuyu when you’d first noticed the Leave of Villains presence, and somehow, you had all ended up together, in the field, watching as Katsuki got pulled into the warp gate, away from you and your friends, and right into the hands of some of the most lethal people in the country. 

No, no no no please no. You hunch over and feel a scream threaten to break from your mouth only for someone else’s own yell to erupt instead. You don’t have to look up to know that its Midoriya, and your eyes glisten as you look at your dirt-caked hands. What could you have done better? Why couldn’t you save him? Why had you hesitated against those blue flames that were so much like yours? 

“Y/n!” You hear your brother’s concerned voice fill your ears and you see his knees drop in front of you. Dragging your face to meet his gaze, your brother gives you a determined look that has confidence flooding your veins.  “It’s going to be alright.” God he is such a hero, always was as a child and always will be. You don’t hold in the tears as they roll down your cheeks. Bakugou was gone… And you didn’t know when he was coming back.

“If you’re going to fucking nap whilst we study, just go to your damn room so you don’t drool on my notes.” There's a tug on a strand of your hair and your head snaps up from its resting place upon your crossed forearms towards the voice. Red crimson eyes meet yours and a scoff slips from the ash-blondes lips as he looks over your face. 

“I don’t drool.”

“Yes you fucking do.” Katsuki glares at you, but there's no bite to it as he looks back down at his textbook and continues to copy notes. 

“How long did I sleep for?”

“Almost an hour. Too damn long though if you ask me. If you were too tired to study, you could have fucking told me so dumbass.” You reach your arms above your head and groan as the muscles stretch, immediately becoming less stiff and sore. 

“I’m not too tired to study, I just need coffee is all.” You reply, going back to your laptop and try to continue working on your assignment due in a few weeks. Being close friends with Bakugou had its perks, which included becoming great at organizing your school work and not procrastinating as much. 

“You seem a lot more tired recently.” Katsuki’s words shock you and you look over the screen of your laptop to him with raised eyebrows. It’s at your look that you watch his walls go back up and he jumps on the defensive. 

“I didn’t know you cared so much Katsu!” you tease.

“Shut up dumbass, you’re lucky your already my fucking girlfriend or else I wouldn’t date you.” he growls, but you see the slight twitch at his lips at the empty threat. But that somewhat smile drops as he speaks again. “You’ve been training more with Endeavor right?” He tries again, and you immediately lean back, allowing the incoming train wreck of a conversation to happen right before your eyes. 

“Yes.”

“Yes? That's all I fucking get?” There's a bite to his words now, and Katsuki looks genuinely pissed off, and you find yourself getting mad the more his temper rises. 

“What do you want me to say? I train with my dad a few times a week to help strengthen my quirk.” You say shrugging. “I want to be number one Katsuki, and I have the weapons in my arsenal, so why wouldn’t I use them?”

“Because they’re affecting your school work. Fucking damn it Y/n I saw you fall asleep in our calculus class today.” Katsuki growls and you know that he’s right, but you won’t ever admit it. Straightening your spine, you raise your chin and glare right back into his vermillion gaze. 

“That's because maths is boring.” You try to defend, but you know it doesn’t look good. It’s true that training with your father had been kicking your ass recently, where you found yourself making mistakes you hadn’t made since you were a kid. You had damned burnt yourself only yesterday on your shoulder because you had been distracted. But you couldn’t help it, for some reason your sleep had been plagued with a horrifyingly vivid replay of the day you weren’t strong enough to save the boy in front of you, and every night it ended differently. In some, you saw them take him, and in others, you watched those cobalt blue flames erupt over his body, and you heard his screams and watched helplessly from where you stood, physically unable to move. 

“I want to cuddle.” Your sudden change of direction makes Katsuki gape at you as if you had sprouted a second head, and you can’t help but smile.

“What happened to I’m not fucking tired?” He asks as you get up from your seat and drag yourself over to his bed. 

“I lied.” you shrug, immediately burrowing yourself under his sheets, and breathing in his scent. He’s here, its okay… you close your eyes and just breathe for a while, letting the familiar smell wash over you and calm your mind. 

There’s a groan and you can’t help but smile as Katsuki gets into the bed next to you, pulling you into his arms with a curse. 

“For five fucking minutes. Then I need to keep studying.”

“Okay,” you agree, rolling over to face him. Gently resting your head on his chest, his steady heartbeat fills your ears and you breathe out a sigh you didn’t know you were holding. 

“Is your insomnia back?” He asks out of the blue, and you hold yourself from flinching at the word. 

It had been almost a year from when Katsuki had been kidnapped by the league of villains, and you had thought you were getting better - but you have regressed significantly. The insomnia you created due to being scared of the nightmares in your first year returned with a vengeance until you were reliving that night every time you close your eyes. 

You have never mentioned to him just what caused your insomnia, and you didn’t really want to, purely afraid of seeming weak in front of your boyfriend. 

“Yeah,” is all you get out before nerves stop you from saying the rest. 

“When did it start?” he asks, but the calm tone of his voice alerts you to the fact that somehow, your hot but too intelligent boyfriend already figured it out and just wants you to confirm it. 

“Kamino.” The room is completely silent and for a moment, you’re not sure if either of you are even moving. But then, there's a familiar tug at your hair and you close your eyes as Katsuki begins to gently play with your red hair. “I know none of it's my fault, that I can't put it on my shoulders, that I wasn’t strong enough to help you, but sometimes… I don’t know.” It gets to me. It scares me more than anything else. Is what you want to say, but can’t bring yourself to. But Katsuki is very aware of those around him, and already knows what you’re trying to say, and gently releases your hair and softly tips your chin to face him. 

“It wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t mine either. What happened is in the past, and nothing is going to separate us like that again, got it dumbass?” He says with such conviction that tears crease in the corners of your eyes. 

“I love you,” you blurt out, not caring that you said it for the first time here and now, or that you were the first person to even say it, for the words just felt right. Right now, and in this moment where you bare your heart to him. Katsuki is grinning feral down at you and immediately smashes your mouth to his, ignoring your shocked squeak that lasts but a second before you get dragged under a haze that seems to make you lose the capacity to think when you’re around Katsuki. And kissing him? Well you basically only have one brain cell during those moments, and the only thing it cares about is Katsuki Bakugou, and how soft his lips are. Katsuki weaves his fingers into your hair and you let out a shaky breath as he pulls away from the kiss. Although he’s close, he’s looking you in the eyes with so much happiness you find yourself grinning back at him. 

“I love you too even though you piss me the fuck off.” Rolling your eyes at the blatant disrespect you push away from your boyfriend and roll to the other side of the bed. 

“I take it back, I don’t love you. I despise you - Katsuki!” you squeal as he yanks you mid sentence back to him and rolls over so you’re pinned beneath him. 

“The blatant disrespect from you that I put up with makes me a fucking saint.” He smirks and you burst into laughter as he places a single kiss on his cheek.

“You want to talk about disrespect? I could be here all day with a list from here to the fucking Tokyo Tower with all the crap you’ve said hotshot!” You grin back, and your smile has Bakugou leaning down and pressing another gentle kiss to your lips. Your heart soars inside your chest at the contact, and the dark cloud that had been hovering around you today seems to dissipate as you meet his eyes. 

“I’m never fucking leaving you alone, got that through your stubborn skull y/n? Not even your shitty brother will deter me from it, even though icy hot annoys me more than you when your hangry.” You chose to ignore the dig at your brother because you’ve come to learn to pick your fights with Katsuki as your boyfriend, but now, in his arms as he rolls and pulls you into his chest once more, you’re more than content to just stay here forever. As his heartbeat fills your ears and you feel your eyes grow heavier and heavier, for the first time all week, you’re not afraid to fall asleep.

Because even though your nightmares are frightening, your boyfriend is way scarier and he would always be by your side. 

REQUEST: ➛ Hi newcomer here saw requests open and jumped at the chance ☁️ Bakugou x Todo reader shes Shotos sister shes in 1A (she's not his twin but older) she has a fire quirk, she's determined and actually willingly trained with Endeavor, tomboy, competing for #1 spot, she has short red hair which she likes Katsu to play with, her and Katsu are competitive but also loving with each other, the kidnapping made her anxious (she won't admit it) and she forces him to cuddle with her in either of their dorms?

©️ 2021 all rights reserved to atsukashii, do not change, edit, translate, or repost any works on any platform.

[ikevamp-annalyne]

I have another request 👉👈 take your time, there's no rush!(thank you for doing the last one) this one is more upbeat. How would Arthur, Leo, Newt, Theo, and Comte react to an mc who is as much of a rotten flirt as Arthur? Though maybe she's a bit more of a tease rather than outright like him. NSFW welcome if you wanna do it!~♡ thank you again 🥺💞

Hello!!! ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉﾟthank you so so much for the mew request! I am so sorry for the late ;; I hope you will still like it though!!!

Arthur:

He is shocked, okay? He doesn't show it but he was NOT expecting this. When you arrive at the mansion and he starts flirting, you smile and go "I'll be sure to come at your door, pretty boy." You shot him a grin and a wink while sending a flying kiss. And he is not used to this.

He will play along with you and be his usual flirting self though. All the residents find it funny, because you manage to make him blush a lot, even though he tries hard to hide it. But he wants to win so his flirting gets worse.

"Oh by Jove, this dress looks lovely on you. I just wanna tear it off." He will say while playing with the cleavage. "Oh really? Well come at me and have a piece, young boy." You reply with a suggestive stare while sliding the sleeve on your shoulder.

He will not surrender but dear God it takes his whole mental health to resist! The game goes on and on until he finally surrenders after you made him crazily craving for a kiss with those wet lips of yours calling for him.

A hungry kiss later, he will be a blushing mess while assuring he will be the one to win this game in bed. You grin, because you are quite excited to see what two flirts like you can do in the intimacy of a bed...

Leonardo:

Hoho Papi Leonardo loves it. He likes strong women who aren't afraid of anything. The first time you flirt with him, it'll be in the library. While looking for a book, with a brand new haircut, he will put a hair lock back in its place, caressing your nape.

And you will just grin at him while poking his nose and saying, in a suggestive tone: "Oh honey, you know what are our weak points. Wanna show me some more later in my room?". He will be surprised but soon, a huge grin will blossom on his lips.

He will play along your flirt game and let you think you are the strong one. But he manages to take you aback by being his usual playful self. "Oh wow what a lovely outfit; would look better on my room's floor" or "Cara Mia's such a tease today, showing a cleavage like this".

You both take flirting to a whole new level, just like a competition. It goes on and on for weeks and everyone is tired af of your game. " By Jove, just f**k already!" Arthur would say. "My my, confess to each other, will you?" Dazai would tell you both.

You eventually both give in and end up together after a flirting session had become a making out session. Let's say you both went full mode and it was wild. Very very wild. For Godness' sake, show mercy for Comte; he heard everything.

Isaac:

Baby angel is flustered and really doesn't know how to act. He already has to live with Arthur and his incessant teasing and talking about his latest skirt! He will totally avoid you because, after seeing your flirting side with Arthur, he is sure he cannot take it.

But you know, you both get on very well! When you met him in the library while he was studying, you really got interested and you asked him a bunch of -relevant- questions. He took a great pleasure answering them!

He realised you are far from being a shallow being and he really likes your presence. But he will avoid you if you start flirting. So, because you want to become his friend, you will slow down on the flirting. At least, with him.

But you keep flirting with the other residents. And at some point, since he loves you, he becomes extra jealous and he will avoid you again. You are lost, since you cut on the flirting for him! So you confront him about it: "Isaac, why are you avoiding me again? I thought we were past that point in our relationship!"

"Not when you- forget it." "Tell me. Now." "Not when you, flirt with everyone. I, I want you, for myself alone." Dear God, his blush is too much for you and you kiss him hungrily while assuring flirting means nothing to you, aside from a playful prank. And he feels relaxed when you slow down the flirting with everyone -but it gets worse in your intimacy...-

Theodorus:

He loves independent and strong-willed women, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. He acts tough and likes to use his toughness to make people stronger and tougher. He wants to protect their hearts.

So you being flirty is amazing for him -but only if he is the only one you flirt with. Of course, he'll be super harsh on you when you start flirting; just like he is with Arthur! "Stop your pornography-speech, hondje", " you really do more bark than bite, knabbeltje", "I'll clean this dirty mouth of yours".

But you like the challenge. You really want to make him surrender so you push and push and push again! Too bad: you are the one surrendering to him when he kabeddon you against the wall after the nth attempt of flirting with him -but well, him kabeddoning is also a sign of giving in to your charms so...-

" Hondje, you need to learn your place" he will say while coming for a sweet bite of your tender neck. The hall is soon filled with moans of pleasure and when he pulls apart, you grab him with all your strength and you force him to kiss you again and again and again.

Let's say you both fight for the dominant place, be it with your kisses, your bites or your caresses. And when it comes to sex, same thing: you both fight to dominate the other. You're both Alphas so... It's pretty wild!

Comte:

Hah this one is surprised by your flirting. But he is used to this *cough*thanks Arthur*cough* and he will find it amusing. However, when you start flirting with him, he feels special after being taken aback. He will play along.

He won't be flirting, but he will spoil you rotten. At some point, you are a bit ashamed; you feel like taking advantage of him! So you try to stop him but he will make you feel guilty in a so-innocent way you have to comply and give in to his presents.

In the end, you only flirt with him. Not to have more presents, quite the contrary: you want him to be uncomfortable so that he stops being a real sugar daddy. But to no avail: the more you flirt, the more he spoils you. Your last resort: pulling pranks on him -with the wise advice for Dazai-

But you know what? Pranking him makes it worse for you because he starts punishing you... It goes from adding chores to your list to kiss you deeply and spanking your butt. Sexual tension? Oh yeah baby.

But you love that and you pull more pranks to be more punished. And while being punished, you flirt even more!!! You are both a real mess together. -Leonardo once witnessed one of these punishment/flirting sessions while sleeping on Comte's sofa and he honestly want to erase it from his mind-

I hope it is good :;(∩´﹏`∩);:

[clockworkgraystairs]

38 for jurdan pls? 😇🖤💫

HELLO MY LOVE!

I’m so sorry this took so long *sobs* 

I swear I try to make this ones short but it. just. doesn’t. happen.

BUT IT’S FINALLY HERE!!  I hope you enjoy it

38.  I HAVE BEEN IN LOVE WITH YOU, DUMBASS 

Jurdan - College AU 1 

Jude’s phone buzzed. Again. The thing had been doing that for the whole damn morning.

So she’d been ignoring it. 

Well, not exactly. 

More like, she hadn’t been able to answer. Everytime it ringed Jude felt like it was drilling her head. 

So here she was, lying in bed for the second day in a row with fever and terrible headaches. Missing class again. 

She was not used to miss any classes. In fact, she was feeling really upset about it. Jude was one of the best in her course, barely competing with other two people. As a future journalist, she needed to be one of the best since it was a very demanding career.  Besides, she’ll have mid-term exams soon, and missing not one but two full lectures made her terribly anxious. Not to mention her very scholarship being in danger if she dared to drop her grades. Only by some miracle she’d been accepted in Insmire College, so she refused to let the opportunity slip away from her hands that easy.

But it turns out to be, her body had some other plans. And Jude didn’t know if she ate some spoiled food or what the hell was going on because two nights ago she’d woken up practically running to the toilet to throw up the contents of her stomach.

She didn’t even had the strength to go to the doctor nor any roommate who could take her there, so she figured she’d wait until it was out of her system and rest in the meantime. 

Or die, if it was her destiny. 

Maybe she wasn’t meant to finish her career. Maybe all of those years of effort and nights without sleeping were for nothing. Maybe-

A loud knock on her door woke her up from her thoughts. 

Jude furrowed at the sound. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Probably just some street vendor, they were common in that zone.  If she didn’t answer he would simply leave.

So she closed her eyes again and buried her face back in the pillow

But no. Whoever was out there kept banging at the door, louder this time. If they didn’t shut up they’d be so sorry as soon as she regained her balance. 

Just ignore them, she sighed.

“Duarte, are you there?! Open up!” A loud bang again. 

Jude’s eyes snapped back open and groaned. Oh no. No no no no. Not him.

“I can see the lamp light on, I know you’re in there, c’mon!” He knocked again.

Jude stood and stumbled to the door opening it furiously. The light outside blinded her for a moment, making her headache worse, but then there he was. Grinning like an idiot as always, with that annoying and perfect smile of his. 

God she hated him. Most of the time at least. 

Ever since that day, back in sophomore year, when she’d thought he was flirting with her but at the end he’d only stole her ideas for a final project. He was another one of the top three in her class, clever and cunning as the devil itself. All of the teachers were always praising him even when they’d just asked for the hour. It was ridiculous. 

With the door wide open, Jude suddenly remembered she was wearing a really old and ragged dress she used for sleeping.

He whistled “Not your day huh? What happened, your alarm ran away?”

She glared at him. Now, in senior grade, Jude had been paired with him for a research project that to her misfortune, he was completely agreeable to do. And it would have been much easier if he’d kept his usual arrogant and smug attitude. 

Instead, Cardan was being the perfect gentleman. 

Whenever she asked for a meeting for the project, he attended. He was punctual, sometimes even more than her. Some other days he arrived with two coffees, or muffins, or whatever thing he found on his way, to share with her. 

He focused on their chores, working hard when needed and relaxing and telling fun riddles when not. More than once Jude caught herself laughing as if they were best friends. Then remembered they weren’t, and went back to work silently. 

Cardan was not her friend. He was her competition, a strong one if she was being honest to herself. He seemed to acknowledge that too sometimes. When they ran to each other in the hallways he barely noticed she was there, some other days he just winked at her and turn away. 

When they were in class though, their battles for dominance were fierce and Jude hated to see him smirk everytime that happened. He could not be her friend.

And yet, he was now outside her shitty apartment clearly puzzled by the look of her. The gown, her messy hair, she was even bare feet. It was humiliating. 

“What on earth are you doing here?” She sighed, rubbing her eyes.

His eyes roamed her figure once. He quirked an eyebrow.  “Checking if you’re still alive to begin with. You’ve missed two days of college, I can’t tell if you’ve noticed. That cannot be good for your final grade, especially not with professor Noggle.” 

He was unbelievable. Jude blinked. “You came here… to tell me I’m getting a bad grade?”

“Yeah.” Cardan shrugged. “Well, also to ask why the fuck you didn’t arrive to our meeting this morning, but I guess I have my answer now. As comfy as your bed might be that research is not doing it on its own…”

From one moment to another she felt her balance falter. He kept talking but Jude just only saw his mouth move. A prickling sensation ran up her fingers. Her eyes unfocused and the world around her seemed to start swaying. At some point Cardan ceased his ranting and said her name, it sounded as if he was underwater. Jude tried to answer something but her voice failed while the floor changed below her.

She was about to reach the floor when two strong arms gripped her, slowing her fall. Jude heard him bark a curse as he pulled her up and carried her inside. Somehow he closed the door with his foot and settled her in the couch. His hands cupped her face prompting her to open her eyes. His fingers were cool against her boiling skin.

“Fuck, you’re burning… Jude.” Cardan insisted. “Jude look at me.” 

Her eyes took a while before managing to focus on his, dark as the night sky. How many times she’d lost herself looking at those eyes? 

“Can you hear me?” He continued, gently pulling strands of her away from her face. “I need a cloth, can you tell me where is it? You’re ok, I’m here.” 

A spark of consciousness shone on Jude’s brain and weakly pointed at the kitchen drawers. 

Cardan stood and in the meantime she tried to focus on her breathing. The sensation of fainting started leaving little by little.

Cold touched her forehead out of nowhere and she groaned. Cardan made soothing noises as he caressed the wet cloth over her. 

“What on earth Duarte?” he whispered. 

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled, not sure if her words came out the right way. “I’ve been feeling a little ill…”

“A little ill? You’re burning up in fever!” Oh now he was angry. Great. “How much have you been like this?”

Jude shrugged, closing her eyes again. “A couple of days, I figured out it would leave later but-”

“But nothing, you cannot feel like this and not calling anyone Jude!” Cardan paused and took a deep breath. “This is what we are going to do. As soon as you can, you are going to get your ass into that bathroom there and have a cold shower. I’ll make you some soup.”

“Soup.” She repeated, chuckling under her breath. “So apart from everything you also cook. Damn, that’s why everyone loves you.”

Jude looked back at him and found a cold, decided stare. “If you don’t get that shower in the next 5 minutes I’m going to give it to you myself, understood?”

She gulped, feeling her heart skip a beat. 

Ten minutes later, Jude came out the bathroom and sat back in the couch rubbing her damp hair with a towel. She was feeling better but still a little weak. She’d put on an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts that belonged to another pijamas. 

“Here.” Cardan’s voice pulled her gaze up. He placed a bowl in her hands and took a step back. “Eat.” 

Jude’s stomach growled with hunger at the sight of the soup. When was the last time she’d eaten something? She took a spoonful into her mouth and almost moaned in relief. It was absolutely delicious. Damn him.

She glanced up and found him also looking back at her. His eyes hard and his jaw shut tight. 

“Don’t just stay in there, creep. Sit down.” Jude motioned to the place next to her. He obliged. 

Jude ate in silence, and at some point Cardan just started telling her what had happened those days she’d missed. She smirked when he told her how boring was to debate with Noggle alone, since she hadn’t been there.

When she finished, she left the bowl on the little table next to the sofa. Then grabbed her pillow.

“I see you’re feeling better now…” He started. “But either way I’m taking you to a doctor, and that’s not a question.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jude said. She placed her pillow over Cardan’s legs and he stiffened when she laid her head over it. “The least you can do is let this poor woman sleep a little before taking her out to the cruel world.”

“Are you feverish again?” His voice came out a little strained.

“Mm no, I’m just tired.” Her words were more a whisper than anything. “Give me half an hour, I’ll be ready to go after that. Please?”

~

Cardan nodded nervously and leaned his back to the couch, hesitating before lifting a hand and softly caress Jude’s hair between his fingers. 

She sighed happily, already more asleep than awake. “Careful, with all these attentions one would think you actually like me.” 

He snorted. “Don’t make me laugh Duarte.”

She made a noise but didn’t talk again. Cardan peered down and watched her sleep, looking peaceful as she wasn’t usually seen. He allowed himself to smile. 

“Like you…” He repeated. “I’ve been in love with you for months now, you dumbass.”

He sighed and rested his head back, closing his eyes. At least for now, he could let himself daydream about this being a regular day with her. Even if it was only for half an hour. 

**********

Masterlist 

[storyteller-inn]

Ok, so. This is just an example on how to use the Inn's Hosts, dear Wanderers. Let's try and ask something to Caratra, shall we? Like, for example, how would the original Avengers team react when meeting a new person that they, somehow, find themselves fancying straight away?

And if that is your request, then I, Caratra, shall answer in the best of my knowledge. You see, I have noticed, throughout the years, that by sitting aside and let life unravel before your own eyes, you begin to see people for who they really are. So let’s throw away all the masks and the prejudices, and see to the matter at hand.

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PART I

The relationship that Tony had with conferences was, to be honest, mixed. Especially when they were masked as a cocktail party. A part of him did enjoy the mingling, the chatting, the chance to talk to that particular big shot long enough to get on his nerves... The other, however, could definitely do without it all, as he found very difficult for the people in those big rooms to fully understand him and his work. Nothing was different in this particular occasion and, at the mercy of the rising boredom and impatience, he was sure about to find a way to sneak out of the place, when something caught his attention. A voice, strong and confident, the kind that does not accept “no” as an answer. Your voice. That was the first time he ever laid eye on you and, for Tony Stark, seeing someone barking orders right left and centre was positively a valid reason to get more interested. And so his eyes never really stopped following you around the room, watching with honest interest as he absent-mindedly carried on the conversation with one journalist or the next. He had plenty of time to notice how strict you were – clearly, you were a part of the team that organized this event – but, at the same time, how you were also trying to help your subordinates, always saving an encouraging smile for each one of them. Strength, compassion, kindness … definitely a kind of mix he was not used to find in these places. «In case you are wondering,» Happy chimed in, suddenly appearing at his side «that person you’ve been staring at, is today’s event coordinator. This is her first big soiree, but I’d dare say she’s doing a brilliant job». «And, tell me, Happy…» Tony replied not missing a beat, «…do you also happen to know her name?». «I’m afraid not, sir» the bodyguard noted apologetically. However, Tony’s spirit was everything but damped, as a grin slowly stretched on his face. «Then, my friend, I suggest I go and find out immediately» he said confidently, not even waiting for Happy to reply as he started making his way towards you.

Steve was worried. It didn't really matter how many times he tried to repeat to himself that it was probably nothing serious, or that he did everything he could. There was something wrong, and the doubt of what it could actually be was slowly gnawing away his confidence. Swallowing hard, he mustered up all of his courage and looked down at the little ball curled up on his lap. Roscoe was only a couple of months old and in Steve’s care since Bucky and Sam decided to surprise him with a German Shepherd’s puppy for his birthday. And despite his initial complaints – where could he find the time to take care of a dog? – he soon fell in love with the little fluffy critter. Hence his extreme worries when Roscoe started to lack his usual energy and enthusiasm, all of a sudden. «Mister Rogers?» a voice shook him from his thoughts. A young woman was standing in front of him, wearing a white coat and a radiant smile. That is, at least, the first two details he noticed and that, somehow, made him feel slightly less anxious. Was it the fact that the vet was finally going to take a look at Roscoe, or that warm smile would have worked even without her professional attire? «Yes» he muttered shoving those thoughts aside and scooping up the puppy in his arms as he got on his feet. «This way, please» you invited, showing him to the nearest available examination room. Reluctantly, Steve laid down Roscoe on the metal table. «So, mister Rogers,» you started, visually assessing the dog as you were putting on a pair of gloves, «I see you are pretty worried. What does it seem to be the problem with the little one here?». Did he look indeed that worried? «Well, this is Roscoe. I got him about a week ago and everything was fine, until one day he started to act… strange. Sadder, less energetic» he explained, scratching the back of his head. You simply nodded, answering with a quick hu-uh as you started to examine the puppy. «I don’t know what happened» Steve continued, «I honestly don’t think he ate anything odd, I was with him at all times. And it’s not like he stopped eating, or drinking, or sleeping». He noticed the careful and gentle way you were passing your hands on Roscoe’s body, the extreme care you took when testing his legs, tummy and back. Something about it put him at ease, and helped stopping the flow of words that threatened to flood out of his mouth. But he still found himself holding his breath as you finally straightened up and looked at him. «Mister Rogers…» you said, contemplating your next words, «…there is no external sign that would suggest Roscoe is not well. Apart from one». Steve’s heart sank at those words, but before he could utter anything at all, a swift movement of your hand unbuckled the collar on the dog’s neck. And, as if by magic, the puppy perked up with a joyful bark and started to jump on the examination table. Saying that Steve was gobsmacked would be an understatement. «But… How…» he barely managed to whisper. «He is still not used to the collar» you laughed, playfully stroking the now very active Roscoe on the head, «And he’s probably been a bit overdramatic about it. It happens more often than you would think, don’t worry». Only then, Steve finally lifted his gaze and, with all of his fears gone, he finally noticed your glittering eyes and your cheerful expression… and that warm, reassuring smile. It did take him a while. A lot of overthinking to do, doubts to dispel and courage to muster. And a couple of nervous walks in and out the clinic. But he finally did asked you out, on that same day, as a way too happy puppy barked his consent and jumped all around the two of you.

The Warbling Bard could be considered somewhat of a rarity here on Midgard, especially for the God of Thunder. The medieval-inspired furniture, the authentic two meters long fireplace, the catchy tavern-like music... He would never admit it out loud, but Thor did miss Asgard when forced to remain on Earth to help the Avengers, and this this cozy pub in the suburbs was the only place where he could try and breathe an atmosphere similar to home. The beer, also, was pretty fantastic. «Are you actually looking for an opponent, or that cue in your hands serves more like a cane?» a voice suddenly brought him back from his nostalgia-filled thoughts. But he did not act as if he was caught unaware: he simply took another gulp from his beer, put down the tankard on the green felt table and turned... only to find a woman, with a knowing grin painted on her face and another cue gripped in her hand. Thor raised his eyebrows, surprised by how the stranger approached him, but he would have lied if he said that the first impression she made was a bad one. Quite on the contrary, to be honest. «Oh, if you're too drunk, forget playing» you continued, sarcastically hinting at his lack of verbal response, «I do not pick on people that cannot defend themselves». The Asgardian erupted in a booming laugh. «Drunk? My lady, it will take way more than a couple of beers to render me useless» he replied confidently, «And even then, I could easily crush my adversary». You smirked. «Is that a challenge?». Thor mimicked your expression, the spark of competition glittering in his eyes. He was certainly not expecting to meet someone like you that evening, but there was something... fresh about you, and fiery, like a spring gale swinging the windows open and flooding the room. An invigorating and well-welcomed change of pace, compared to what the God of Thunder had been used to in the past few days. He quickly turned around, slid two fingers in his mouth and whistled to the barman. «Jeffrey, I need two tankards here!» he called out to the friend, «Large ones, please». By the end of the evening - and after countless drinks - Thor was very much surprised to see that you had managed to keep up with both his playful banter and the game. You might have also won, if a gentleman that had one too many did not trip and spill half of his beer on you, forcing you to take your leave a bit too early - for Thor's taste, at least. But even if he thought that that had been the best evening he had had in a long while, none of his cheerful expressions could have matched his smile when, repositioning the balls in the centre of the table, he found a quickly scribbled note... with your name and the date and time for a rematch.

The gym was quiet that day. Most of the agents were probably out anyway, trying to sort the mess that was New York City after the Chitauri's attack. Natasha had already done her part, when it came to that particular problem. Teaming up with a group of incredibly gifted people – and super humans. And gods – was not exactly part of her initial plan. She always preferred to work alone after all. But she did find something in that group of people, something she had missed for so long that she was not even certain she was still capable of experiencing. Opening up to others, trusting others was always something that exposed her to risks, and that was definitely not part of her job. That feeling, however… Natasha sprang forward, twirling on herself to deliver a powerful kick to the sand bag. She didn’t want to think about it now. Not when she basically had this S.H.I.E.L.D. facility’s gym all to herself. Or at least, so she thought. The agent felt you entering the room even without turning around. And either you failed to recognize her or you were keeping to yourself, avoiding congratulating her or expressing your admiration for her – like at least ten other operatives did on her way to the gym. That, in Natasha’s eyes, was definitely worth points. She returned to her training, but instinctively kept an eye on your movements - after all, the two of you were the only people in the room. And it was exactly by monitoring you that, ten minutes after, Natasha noticed that you were watching her. She shrugged, returning to hit the bag in front of her. But even after another few moments, she still couldn’t help but feel your eyes on her. You were not even trying to hide it: you were staring at her, plain and simple. The agent finally stopped her array of kicks, sighed loudly and turned towards you. «May I help you?» she asked, letting a tinge of irritation color her question. «Uh, sorry» you quickly apologized, realizing your gaze might actually have been slightly intrusive, «It’s just… your form. It’s very peculiar». «Peculiar? It’s simple combat training. Like the one you probably went through yourself» she merely commented, stretching one leg. You shook your head. «Not really. The way you fight is definitely more accurate and lethal than what I normally see around here. It’s also more… angry». Natasha quirked an eyebrow. «Angry, as if there is something troubling you, deep down» you clarified. The red-haired spy was confused, but she recovered quickly enough to object. «This pretty psychological analysis is interesting, but I can assure you are only seeing what you want to see». With a confidence that surprised both Natasha and yourself, you stood up from the bench you had been sitting on and approached the other woman. «I can prove it to you». And just like that, without any sort of warning, you lunged at her, throwing a turning kick that she readily parried with a gesture of her arm. Natasha would have probably complained, but you did not give her the time to voice her thoughts, so she simply focused her frustration and retaliated. But time after time, kick after kick, her disciplined form started to change and, despite being precise and deadly, the spy began to resembled more of a storm than the precise, lethal weapon she had been trained to be. A tempestuous sea of wild waves, that seemed to have little to no effect against the calm and precise technique her opponent was using. Until the spy had enough, and managed to catch you by surprise with a low kick that made you fall flat on the floor. She was Natasha Romanoff, after all. The two of you looked at each other for a couple of moment, panting from the intense sparring. And before you could say anything, Natasha extended a hand towards you, helping you back on your feet. «That was fun» you smiled, combing a loose strand of hair behind your ear. «Yeah» the other woman simply replied, her shoulders not so tense as before. Satisfied, you went back to collect the gym bag you left by the bench and made your way towards the door. «Hey» you called out, turning towards her one last

time. «It's ok to be angry. Or confused. But we don't always have to deal with it on our own». And just like that, you flipped the bag back on your shoulder and flashed Natasha a kind smile before leaving the room. The spy stood there for a few more minutes, unmoving, still focused on that spot in front of the door where you had been just a moment before. Somehow, she felt lighter, as if the weight of those storming doubts was lifted, giving her the space to breathe more freely. And, somehow, a smile began to stretch on her face. Maybe, after all, she could be ready to start letting some people in.

[vampiresuns]

🍋 It Takes Two To Tango | Leon x Anatole

2.5k words, placed after 🍋 Any Way. In which Anatole takes up on Leon’s end of their post-competition agreement, not without making it a little difficult for Leon first.

Leon (he/they) belongs to @apprenticealec who requested “[ dress ]   your muse having mine dress up in lingerie.“ + “[ wall ]  your muse shoving mine up against a wall.“ from the NFSW Muse Reaction Prompts for Leonana. I went all out because I’m simmering in Leonana brain rot, and to make it up for the wait. Happy fucking monday, Dani, dearest, pun absolutely intended.

Minors DNI. Lemon ahead. CW for dom/sub dynamics, and liberal sprinkling of Leon calling Anatole ‘sir’. Also, for a brief height difference mention.

Leon knew it was a matter of time before Anatole came forward for his part of the deal. Leon had been allowed to have him any way he wanted, and now it was Anatole’s turn. He was also aware of the likelihood of Anatole being difficult about it; he didn’t only expect it, he wanted it even, wished for it. Leon knew whichever way Anatole decided payback was due would find him in compromising positions, true, but in positions where he would be good. Really, really good. 

Not ever could Lenon regret letting Anatole take the reins when they were in the bedroom. 

As much as Leon knew, whatever their partner was playing at wasn’t what Lee expected in the slightest. At first, they realised he was playing at something, but only the Gods knew at what. It wasn’t like they had stopped having sex (they didn’t) or that he didn’t want to take up on Leon’s end of the bargain. Leon had asked, a week after they had been practising together, Anatole’s reply had been a laugh full of affection and a kiss on Leon’s temple.

“Of course I want to hold it against you, my love.” 

“Well then, when?”

That had earned Leon another laugh and another kiss. 

Then the torture began. It shouldn’t have surprised Leon that it would turn out this way, yet there they were anyway: surprised and being met with the same reply, over and over. It was a week, two days and 20 hours — not that Leon was counting — of torture, where Leon realised Anatole’s strategy a little too late. During that period of time they had sex practically every day, some days more than once, but Anatole was always careful, almost surprisingly tender, reverend in a way which made Leon weak at his knees and made his heart threat to escape his chest through his throat.

He loved it, he wasn’t going to lie: he loved the slow pace and the praise, and the attention; yet, as he was not going to lie, this wasn’t what he wanted. 

It was during the week mark that they realised, when they begged for Anatole to do anything he wanted, and his only reply was one firm: “Patience.”

Lee protested, his mind clicked, and his nostrils flared in irritation. “You fucking bastard.”

“Hm? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’re doing this on purpose.”

“You said anything I wanted. Never specified for how long.”

“Fuck you.” 

“Fuck me yourself, oh wait, you’re tied to the bed.”

“Then fuck me like you mean it.”

“You don’t think I mean this, then? Should I stop?”

If Leon didn’t like the game so much, if they didn’t like to be completely and utterly drenched in Anatole, if they didn’t enjoy the chase and the power play as much as Nana himself did, he’d yell. He’d yell and play difficult even more, but he knew he would stop touching him, and right now, he did not want Anatole’s hands away from him, he didn’t want his mouth away from him. It was torture, Anatole knew it, and it was working. 

The next day they did not have sex, and while Leon knew it was because Anatole flat-out passed out after an eventful day, part of them — the petty one — thought he had a busy day on purpose. 

The next day Leon woke up alone, their bed with no Anatole, his body replaced with an ornamented box with a bow, and a seemingly empty bottle. Leon shook it. At the lack of sound coming from its lack of contents, they smiled. They knew what it was: Nana, aware he could not leave notes for Leon if he had to wake up too early for them, left them audible messages in tiny bottles, something he had magically developed only so he could leave notes for them. 

The note only said: “Hopefully this stops your complaining. I have a meeting with the Praetorian department, which I don’t expect you to remember. Don’t miss me too much, miss me so much you want to swear at me again a little, instead. Love, your Anatole.”

“PS, yes I just said PS, out loud, to an empty bottle. Good morning, lover.”

The box had a dress, soft to touch, it had sleeves, but it was backless, and had not one, but two slits. Under the dress, there was a lingerie set, silk and lace, from what Leon could touch. Both of them fit them perfectly, embracing their body in a way that could only mean they were bespoke. Of course Anatole would know his measurements, of course he would use such knowledge for evil. 

The bad part was now Leon had to wait. He thought one day he’d unmask Anatole for the tormentor he was, obviously a man such as himself you made Leon wait, could not possibly be the good person the public (and Leon) knew he was. Incorrigible. He would have to break Vesuvian’s hearts, but it was for a good cause. 

He could hear Camia, Alec and Jamil telling him he was full of shit. 

Still Leon waited, finding things to occupy the hours until he heard one of the bookshelves in the morning room next to their bedroom slide, and the familiar echo of Anatole’s steps. 

The smile was audible in his tone when he saw Leon. “Red looks good on you.”

“I don’t know what red looks like,” if he sounded more petulant than he intended, he didn’t apologise for it, nor Anatole said anything beyond fighting a laugh. 

“How was your day, Lee?” 

“Uneventful. I’ve wasted myself waiting. Debated telling Vesuvia how you’re a cruel man who must not love me, since you’re always running off to meetings.”

Anatole barked a laugh. “I will make sure to take you with me the next time we have to reform a wing of the court because a literal demon used to hold that office. I still do not understand how no one realised.” 

“Fine, how was your day,” despite Leon’s tone, he made an instinctive grab for Anatole’s hand, lacing their fingers together and kissing his knuckles.

“The usual. Tiring, full of meetings, proud of myself for doing socialisation without mixing languages, or worse, getting too fatigued to go on — but I suppose I have to thank Nadia and my medicines for that—”

“You’re doing that thing where you sell yourself too short, and pretend the things you do are completely ordinary.”

“I’m not pretending, false modesty is not something that afflicts me. I’m not you.”

“Hey!”

“You started it.”

“Doesn’t mean you can continue it.”

Leon could feel the mocking reverence Anatole made. “Of course, your highness. But, as I was saying, it’s going. It will be a hassle, but we’re cautiously optimistic. I am desperately trying to convince Artemisia to join the prosecutors board.”

“I have no clue what that is, but why would Art say no?”

“Because I asked, because she doesn’t feel like it, because she’s not entirely convinced, because she think it’s unfair to start up that high — but, and I know I will lose you here somewhat, Artemis is truly brilliant when it comes to thinking and rethinking justice in a way I don’t think I am, or Nadia is, as intelligent and analytical as we can be. It’s a different drive, and of course, the predominantly legal and jurisprudential education does make a difference. I did not study Law, even if I know my share about law, I studied politics and International Relations.”

“Did you, perhaps, also minor in torturing me?”

“No, that just comes naturally… what are you wearing, by the way? Is that something you just found lying around?”

“You’re too intelligent to play dumb.”

“So are you, and you do it all the time, Leon.”

Leon was going to protest again, but Anatole gently cupped his cheek with his hand. Betraying himself, Leon leaned into it like one does to the fire after a cold day out. 

“You are very good at complaining,” his tone had changed completely from familiarity to honey-like, heavy, warm, inviting, too inviting, “you’re lucky I like you.”

“You love me.”

“I do love you.”

Anatole gave him a chaste kiss… and that was it. Leon tried to kiss him again but his index pressed against his lips, making no reaction beyond a controlled breath as Leon sucked on his finger. Anatole removed his finger from Leon’s mouth, kissing his cheek instead.

Leon would not beg. He would plant himself like bricks, he would stand his ground in the same way Anatole did when he was fighting for something he cared about. This was about his dignity, this was about he had already been good, too good, and yet he was still being tortured simply because Anatole was getting off of it. He would pretend that didn’t turn him on like it was nobody’s business. He would pretend to be unbothered, he would not sway, except for maybe a little pout, a little cry. 

He would not follow Anatole around, that was not what they were doing. Leon was asserting himself, not following. 

He was full of shit. Leon was in the middle of another petty remark, when Anatole’s hands found their ribs, pushing him against the nearest wall, soft enough to hurt, but hard enough to get Leon’s blood to his groin faster than they could count to three. It was always surprising to remember Anatole may not be, physically, the strongest person he knew, but he was stronger than he looked like. Strong enough to manhandle someone a foot taller than him, for example. Leon hitched a breath as his fingers pinned him to place, Anatole’s mouth ghosting over his skin. 

“You complain a lot for someone who’s been dotted and pampered all week.”

“That’s not what I want.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

“No.”

“Why not, sweetheart?” 

“Because you’ll make me beg for it.”

“Leon, I think you’re already begging.” 

For once, Leon couldn’t find anything to say to that.

“I don’t want one crocodile tear, understood?”

If it didn’t feel so good to say it, if Anatole’s hands, which had begun to roam his body, didn’t feel so nice against the fabric of the dress, Leon would’ve hated how quick he said: “Yes, sir.”

“That’s good, sweetheart.” 

Anatole took his time, his mouth hot against Leon’s skin; his hands had made their way through the slits of the dress, palming through Leon’s thighs. 

“I’m glad both these things fit you, you look so pretty like this — such a shame I’ll have to take them off, at least the dress.” He paused, his hand palming Leon’s sex. “Maybe next time wear it with nothing underneath.”

Anatole took off the dress with a practiced motion that could only mean he had studied how to do this before he gave it to Leon. Bastard, he thought, but didn’t say anything, as Anatole’s mouth and hands made it hard to concentrate. Even if it was Anatole the one dropping to his knees, Leon knew he was not the one in control here, all they could do was lean back against the wall, as Anatole mouthed him through the fabric of the lingerie, moving it enough to release Leon from it’s pressure as he took them in his mouth. 

This time Anatole did not go at the excruciatingly slow, tender pace he had the days before. He was all precision and went to the point: the right amount of tongue, the right amount of pressure as he sucked, the right amount of teasing, the right amount of depth. He took one of Leon’s legs, putting it over his shoulder. The next thing Leon felt has one of his slicked fingers gently pressing against his entrance, a circular motion not meant to push in yet, but when he did, his mouth didn’t move away, not even when one finger became two, scissoring inside him, and when two became three. 

“You’re going to make me come,” Leon whimpered. 

Anatole removed his mouth from him with a wet pop. “Do or don’t, I’m fucking you anyway.” 

Leon hissed.

“The only thing that will make me stop is a safeword, are we clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s my beautiful sweetheart.”

“You did all of this on purpose.”

“And what about it?”

“Bastard,” Leon spit out, it took all of their concentration not to cut their own words with a moan as Anatole pushed a third finger in. 

“I only take your complaints as encouragement. If you’re too incoherent to argue, I win by default.”

Objectively speaking, Leon didn’t feel the absence of Anatole’s fingers for long, but everything was too long now. Anatole kissed him, ordering to bend forward a little and face the wall. He kissed the middle of their back before moving away, anticipation pooling in Leon’s stomach. He tried to touch himself, but Anatole caught him.

“That’s mine to touch, sweetheart,” Anatole said as he walked behind Leon, the lubed tip of his strap pushing against his entrance. “Just like you’re mine to fuck tonight, anyway I want.” 

Anatole pushed in, but didn’t move yet.

“Anatole, I’ve waited enough.”

“I want to hear you say it, sweetheart. ‘Anyway I want’.”

One beat, two. Anatole still didn’t move his hips. 

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

Another beat, and Leon gave in. “Anyway you want, sir, just fuck me, please fuck me.”

Anatole wrapped an arm around Leon’s waist, kissing the middle of their back again before he began moving his hips, picking up pace quickly. He fucked Leon just like he had wanted and then some: deep, hard, angling himself to hit just where Leon wanted, alternating paces only to tease Lee a little more. Praise fell easy from his lips, his hands grabbing Leon’s hips, Anatole digging his fingers against their skin. He called them beautiful, he called them needy, he called them terrible, he repeated over and over that Leon was being so good, so eager and ready to get fucked. 

“Not so cocky now, are we, sweetheart?”

When Leon tried to reply, he angled himself to hit just right, keeping the angle. Leon managed a “Fuck you” and Anatole laughed, bending over them to kiss their back again. 

Leon came on Anatole’s hand, his dick still inside of him, hips still moving. They only moved to the bed when it did become too much, and then Anatole sat on his face, but eventually he went back to fucking him, making sure they came again, and again after that. Leon didn’t want it to be over yet, and he knew Anatole wasn’t likely to end it soon — though his cockiness eventually gave way to the same devotion of before, only being poured all over Leon in a different way, in a way that claimed and took and made him dizzy if he thought about it for too long. For Anatole, with Anatole, he would, however. When it came to him, he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

[queentargary3n]

tournament for Sakura’s hand III

SasuSaku fanfic - crack canon         FF.net       Part II

Naruto took Sasuke to his newlywed home right after the end of their discussion with Kakashi. He didn’t tell Sasuke right away what his plan to “help him” was, he was sure Sasuke would try to stop him anyway, although Sasuke didn’t seem to be the jealous type, since leaving a girl who you like behind for two years when she is one of the most beautiful and popular girls of the village doesn’t actually seem to show it, his brooding friend seemed incredibly flustered. Naruto thought Sakura would put a stop to the tournament if Sasuke were to go to her and tell her about his feelings, that is for certain; but there is a part of him, a protective, brotherly part of him, that made him want to see Sasuke work for her. She had suffered so much for this poor bastard, and although it wasn’t really his fault he was always such a jerk, Naruto couldn’t help but to want to see him suffer for her, even if it was just a little bit. Still Naruto thought he needed some sort of guarantee, just in case.

Once home, he told Hinata of the situation, her adorable face went completely red, eyes rimmed with tears as she bowed before Sasuke, and started muttering fast apologies.

“It’s not your fault Hina, it was Ino’s plan, right?” Naruto explained to her and Sasuke.

“Still, I was there, I should have stopped her” Hinata said apologetically.

“Nothing you can do now,” replied Sasuke.

“Amm…. There’s something I have to do,” Hinata mentioned rapidly, remembering something she could and would have to do. “I’ll be back… please make yourself at home Sasuke-kun” She grabbed a sweater and headed out the door before explaining.

She hurried to the Hyuga Estate, looking around for Neji. He had mentioned his intentions of participating in the tournament, for which she was glad before, she always thought Sakura would be a perfect match for Neji, even when she understood the feelings she harbored for Sasuke. But now that she knew Sasuke had feelings for her as well, she had to stop him.

“You can’t participate in the tournament!” She told him when she found him training in the Hyuga dojo.

“Hinata-sama…” He bowed before his cousin in greeting as it was expected of him in the Hyuga clan.

“Sasuke-kun… he is back in the village, and he has feelings for her too and –“ She tried to explain, but was interrupted by Neji.

“So what?” He asked. “You know that I’ve always thought she deserved better than him, besides, ever since you married Naruto, Hiashi-sama has been interested in reforming the Hyuga clan, he thinks me marrying Sakura-san is the perfect opportunity for us to expand our lineage”

“But you don’t like her like that” She interceded. Neji also deserved to marry someone he loved, not just marrying for duty.

“Actually I do, ever since she healed me during the war, she saved my life, and I always thought she became a wonderfully skilled kunoichi”

“That’s just not the same…” Hinata said while fiddling with her hands.

“There’s nothing I can do now Hinata-sama… if it ends up in a battle between the Uchiha and the Hyuga I’ll just have to show that the Hyuga are the strongest in the village”

Hinata lowered her head in defeat, she will have to put a stop to his cousin herself, she thought, and there is only one way to do that.

x

“I’d like to welcome everyone to Konoha, and to this very unique tournament” Kakashi announced to the audience in Konohagakure’s main arena, using a voice enhancement jutsu. The arena was filled to capacity with spectators from all countries and hidden villages. Kakashi couldn’t have predicted this type of response, but he had to admit, this much exposure was definitely beneficial for the village’s economy. He almost felt guilty for his former student... almost. “Due to the overwhelming response in participants, we are beginning this tournament Chunnin exams style, in the Forest of Death training field #44... but before we begin, how about some words from our reason to be here today, Haruno Sakura?”

Sakura shook her head no, vehemently. She had almost died of embarrassment when Ino first informed her of her whole tournament plan, then she was forced, again by Ino, into a ridiculously extravagant and uncomfortable dress, a red, low cut dress that reached lower than any cleavage she’d ever showed before, shiny with rhinestones and sparkles and god knows what else.  She was made by Kakashi, who found her hiding at the hospital trying to avoid the whole charade, to bear witness to the madness in the Hokage podium, right in the spotlight, and now he wanted a speech?!

“Well then… let’s welcome the participants to the arena before they make their way to training field 44, come on in” Kakashi gestured and the crown erupted in applause.

Around 100 or so participants entered the area upon the Hokage’s call, in a formation, some were from varied hidden villages, others seemed not to have a ninja association.

“See the man in pelts and flashy outfit?” Kakashi whispered in Sakura’s ear, referring to man leading one of the lines of formation, tall and muscular, his long blond hair reached the middle of his back while two stripes framed his attractive face. She wondered why a man so attractive and obviously extravagant felt the need to compete for a common kunoichi. “He is the Daimyō’s son, and a favorite to win, apparently he is a boxer, and travels all around the world in competitions”

“Sensei!” she barked, upset over his enthusiasm.

Her eyes moved over the other participants, she spotted the characteristic red hair of Gaara, walking in formation flanked by his brother Kankuro and a suna shinobi she did not recognize.

“Woow the Kazekage is competing?!” she heard from someone in the audience. “Konoha took their princess, maybe their trying to take ours too” someone else responded.

“They’re calling you the Slug Princess now” Ino explained from behind her, giving her a knowingly wink.

“I thought that was just for Tsunade-sama…”

“Well as the heir of Tsunade, I think it’s fitting” Kakashi said meddling into their whispered conversation.

“But I still wonder why Gaara…” She started to ask but was interrupted.

“You’re the Slug Princess of Konoha, student of two Hokage, and a favorite to the future one, think about your status Sakura” He offered in explanation.  It was true, when put like that, but still the thought made her uneasy.

She wasn’t able to consider it for long, since next she recognized the proud stance and orange coloring of said future Hokage, leading another line of formation, and standing next to him none other than his wife…. “Naruto, Hinata… WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE!!? YOU TWO ARE ALREADY MARRIED!!!” Sakura shouted from the podium.

“Ammm…. Polygamiy is legal in Fire country!” Hinata answered, yelling atypically and blushing madly, drawing laughter from the audience and a few of the participants.

“Hinata-sama…” Neji said from where he was standing next to his cousin, face flushed as well in embarrassment, he was sure his uncle would choke if he’d heard such a statement.

Hinata knew she had to be the one to stop Neji, and when her husband informed her of his plan she knew she had to participate as well. She felt as if she was betraying Neji, but she also wanted to give Sakura the best chance possible.

“He he he I don’t know about Hinata here, but I’m here as the option that Sakura-chan marries no one” Naruto said after.

“NARUTO!” Ino yelled from behind Sakura. “You’re ruining everything!”

“Alright settle down…” said Kakashi. “I’m in charge here, and…” he added a pause for dramatic effect. “…I’ll allow it”

“Kakashi-sensei…” Sakura whispered, because although she was glad, that someone as strong as Naruto was the option to get out of this whole situation, she didn’t want to go back to where she started. Alone.

“You’ve been so distracted with all the flamboyant participants, that you haven’t noticed who’s standing in the back of the formation line” Ino whined, and subtly pointed at the raven-haired man in a black cloak. He stood last in line, and Sakura had to strain her eyes to make sure it was really him.

He was looking at the floor and then at the sky, refusing to meet her eyes as she looked at him for the first time in two years.

“Sasuke-kun is here….” She whispered mostly to herself.

“Yup, and participating for you hand in marriage, forehead!!” Ino shrieked excitedly, lightly elbowing her friend on the ribs.

Sakura couldn’t breathe, not only because the corset of her dress was stupidly tight, but because HE was there, in the flesh, in Konoha. “Ha… you know Sasuke-kun and Naruto would take any chance to show up their skills and fight each other” She waived with her hand dismissively, because it was the most obvious explanation.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself Forehead” The blonde raised her hands as if giving up. Ino didn’t want to admit to her friend just yet, this had been her plan all along. If it wasn’t for Naruto getting in the way…

Sasuke allowed himself one second to glance over at the pinkette he’d missed so much over the last two years. She looked so different from the last time he saw her, her hair was shorter and neater than he’d ever seen before, she seemed… more feminine and curvier, her waist looking ridiculously small, he wondered how it made sense that someone so dainty could break boulders with her fist. She was already looking at him when he got to her face, his gaze getting lost in those emerald green eyes of hers, a concerned smiled played lightly on her lips. Their eye contact seemed to last forever, as it always did whenever they met after a long time apart.

They mutual stare was only then interrupted by another participant’s loud declaration. “Sakura-san!!” Sasuke looked over the person responsible and spotted an Iwa shinobi screaming Sakura’s name at the top of his lungs, he looked to be much older than they were judging by the lines under his eyes. He had dark hair and a weak chakra signature, there seemed to be nothing remotely remarkable about this man, the thought.

“There hasn’t been a moment since the war that you haven’t been in my thoughts! Since that time on the tent… I know you rejected my love letter then, but if you are doing this now… it means that you no longer love the person you loved back then, so please reconsider!!”

“Morio? What…” Sakura began to question but wasn’t exactly sure how to address that confession.

Sasuke glared at the Iwa shinobi with distain. He had credited their time during the war to when he started to recognize his feelings for his pink haired teammate, and she’d been receiving love letters at the same time?! But the words of the man affected him deeply, was it true? Had she actually stopped loving him?

“Hey Bastard, say something too!” Naruto said to Sasuke, trying but failing to keep a low tone.

Sasuke moved his lips as to ask What?

“A love confession! You can’t lose to that dude!” Naruto said in his supposed whispered voice, with every participant around the two men looking listening in.

Sasuke shook his head no and muttered Shut up. He wasn’t about to proclaim love in front of an audience and a ridiculous situation like this. He as an Uchiha after all, and the Uchiha were much too cool for that.  

“Sakura-sama!” another guy shouted, producing a gigantic sign with Sakura’s name on it. “I love you!” And so, every other participant started to revolt in proclamations of love and admiration.

Has Sakura always been this popular? Sasuke thought. It seemed like something he would have noticed, although in reality he had no idea, he vaguely recalled some irritating stalker she had back in their genin days, and also Lee’s insisting confessions, who didn’t seemed to be in the participants, much to his disappointment, a taijutsu only tournament for Sakura seemed to be right up his alley.  

“If the participants could please go back to their formations and stay silent for a moment, that would be great” The Hokage spoke again, using the voice enhancement jutsu and silencing the crowd once more. “The rules are simple, to make things easier, you’ll be divided into groups of three and handed an Earth scroll or a Heaven scroll, you’ll need to obtain another group’s scroll and reach the tower with both an Earth and Heaven scroll within 24 hours to move to the next stage of the tournament, we added a few difficulties to the Forest of Death make this more Jōnin level, those participants who pass the first stage will then complete in one-to-one matches, until we find a winner, no ninjutsu, dōjutsu, genjutsu, senjutsu or fūinjutsu will be allowed. You cannot use chakra whatsoever, if any participant does, will be immediately disqualified. Please remember the proctors are watching your every move. Let’s begin!”

_______

Thank you so much if you are still reading this. Don’t forget to leave a comment with your thoughts. I really need to post longer chapters because I do want to finish this before March 28th. I’m also thinking of changing the title, I feel it sounds kind of dumb, what would you have named this fic? 

Thank you again, I hope y’all are staying safe and healthy. 

[et-lesailes]

giving in // part two

PART ONE

pairing: doctor!steve x nurse!reader

word count: 1490

summary: you and steve are dating and your relationship is everything you could have ever asked for. however, you get into a semi serious car accident one night, and steve is worried sick about you.

warnings: car accident tw

themes: light angst but fluff at the end :)

taglist: @viarogers , @evanstush , @chibi-crazy , @chalamet-evans , @world-of-losers , @songforhema, @sebabestianstan101 , @tanyam93 , @bval-1, @wonderwinchester , @little-miss-exo, @poerebel , @pining-and-tired , @gogomez-509 , @patzammit, @a-distantdreamer, @malthestorytellerblog, @rainbowkisses31, @jbug491writinghelp, @quaiderade, @melannie77, @gigistorm, @lille-kattunge, @capsiclesdoll, @teller258316, @peach-acid, @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox

note: requested by @dawnstonoons // for now, this will probably be the final part to this series unless i get a specific request for a part 3, but i hope you guys enjoy! also shoutout to @thewritingdoll for the graphic!

You had been on the way to the hospital in the first place when it had happened.

Steve was working a graveyard shift and you, the great girlfriend that you were, had been planning on bringing him a midnight snack from his favorite burger joint- most likely his favorite because of its late night hours that accommodated his schedule. He had gotten a new position at the hospital, and while it was a lot of work and late nights, you were still proud of him. If anything, it was for the best that you weren't the nurse working for him while being his girlfriend, and so you did not mind being distanced at work either. God knows how distracted you would be if you were seeing him every second of the day, anyways. Besides, he made up for his busy schedule as much as he could when he had days off, giving you all of his attention and showering you with love.

You had been on the way to the hospital with a burger, but now you were on the way in an ambulance. 

While driving through the intersection on a green light, a driver who very clearly had a red light had decided to proceed anyways, succeeding in slamming into the left back door of your car. Thankfully it wasn't your door itself, but the impact was enough to send your car spinning, eventually crashing into a nearby light post and proceeding to knock you out as your head lurched forward, hitting the wheel. It was up to the paramedics now; you were out cold, just like Steve's burger was getting as it had been tossed around to the floor of the passenger seat of your totaled car. 

_______

Steve was exiting a patient room when he saw the team rush in with a figure on a gurney, the normal commands being barked left and right to get her into a room and in stable condition. He immediately started following out of habit, ready to help his team-- however, his eyes instantly widened when he saw your face. "What the hell happened?!" he instantly demanded as he looked up at the others, eyebrows furrowed deeply and features laced with desperate concern. The car accident was explained to him briefly, considering they were more focused on tending to you, and he listened as he rushed along with them, hand instinctively reaching to hold yours tightly. "Fuck. Shit." He cursed under his breath, biting his lip harshly as he looked down at your unconscious frame. Entering the room with everyone else, he immediately grabbed a pair of gloves, starting to put them on. "We need to stop the bleeding now, she's already-"

"Dr. Rogers," one of the doctors cut him off, biting her lip apologetically. "Dr. Barnes is on his way to lead this operation-- we don't believe it's wise to have you be in the room at all for this.... you're too close with the patient, you may be too distraught to focus." The blond immediately stopped in his tracks, looking to her defensively about to protest-- though deep down, he knew she was right. He would make the same decision if he was in her place. He sighed frustrated, taking his gloves off and coming to your side one more time, squeezing your hand. "I promise you're going to be alright, doll," he muttered softly, leaning down and kissing your forehead. "I'll see you soon. So soon. Be strong for me." Taking a deep breath, he stepped back, nodding to the team leaving his trust in their hands as much as he could before turning around and exiting through the double doors. 

_______

Waking up was confusing as hell. All you had remembered was the impact of the crash, and then everything was completely black. However, you had no time to even attempt to jog your memory considering the second you woke up, Steve was jumping to his feet from the chair beside your bed. 

"Baby. Are you alright? Shit, I was so worried." He took your hand and looked at you sadly with worry, eyes focused on yours. "Do you remember anything?" You held his hand lightly, not feeling completely strong enough to even give it a good squeeze; you felt groggy and your brain didn't even feel like your own. Looking up at him, you squinted slightly as if unable to recognize him. "Steeeeeve? Is that you?" you slurred, and he blinked before barely chuckling, though he still looked nervous. "Yeah, baby. I see the morphine worked a little too well. Y/N, are you okay?" he repeated his question and you started to open your eyes more, looking up into his pacific ones. You were silent for a few moments before a giggle suddenly broke out, your fingers properly intertwining with his now. "You're the cutest, baby," you told him with a confident nod, a somewhat mushy smile on your face. "The most handsome baby there ever is. And you're alllll miiiine." You studied his eyes closer, adding, "Did you know your eyes are really blue? Like, really blue. They're so pretty." You giggled again as you reached up to poke his nose and he blinked before laughing, a bit of worry fading away from his face. "Mm, alright, I think you're okay." He confirmed fondly, leaning down and kissing your forehead. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm glad you think my eyes are pretty."

"All of you is pretty!" you suddenly insisted as if trying to convince him of this, grabbing his arm and pulling him down. "And I'm so, so lucky that the prettiest boy in the entire universe is my boyfriend." You then narrowed your eyes so fast, he practically almost widened his own from being so thrown off. "You're only MY boyfriend, right?? There's no OTHER nurse out there... is there?" He blinked and then laughed again, shaking his head as he slowly sat down in his chair again, though still holding your hand. "No, sweetheart. You're the only sexy nurse in my life, don't worry." You almost instantly laughed cutely upon hearing this, serious expression completely wiped off your face, lifting his hand up to play with his fingers. "Good. Because then I'd have to do some real NOT pretty stuff to her. Because you're miiiine, and I'm yoooours!" you (poorly) sang the last part to the tune of the Jason Mraz song, and he couldn't help but grin widely, leaning in to give your cheek a loving peck. "Mmm you're so adorable, lovebug. And you know, I'd really like to see you fight someone over me, now that would be hot." He added jokingly, and you giggled again. "I don't actually know how to fight though...." you admitted, your smile suddenly fading as if this was a huge problem. "Maybe me and her could have a bake off over you or something..."

He couldn't help but laugh loudly at that, scooting his chair closer to your side. "As long as I'm the judge, I have absolutely no problem with that cutie pie. But, hey, listen to me for a sec." His expression became a little more serious as he rubbed your knuckles lightly with his fingers, tilting his head. "I was so scared tonight. I-I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. And it made me realize there's so much we haven't done yet, so much I haven't been able to tell you." You looked at him just as seriously, your brain somewhat registering that this was a much deeper topic than competitively preparing pastries, remaining quiet as he continued. "I've never met someone as special as you before. It was never just about physical attraction with you, even if we had sex before we actually started dating. You know that, right?" You nodded your head slowly, looking up at him with somewhat round eyes. He smiled and leaned down to kiss your forehead, murmuring, "You're so damn precious to me. I love you, and I never, ever want to lose you. I'd be a fucking mess, baby doll." He pulled back to look down into your eyes, adding softly, "I just wanted you to know all of this. I want you to know how much you mean to me." 

You gazed up into his eyes, the drugs still hazing your tired mind, your subconscious wishing this had been recorded. Oh well, he could repeat this tomorrow. Nodding your head, you simply replied sleepily, "Yep. I'm special edition, baby." 

With that, your eyes were closing again, slipping soundly into dreamland. He looked down at you somewhat baffled for a few moments, his lips in a perfect 'o' as he slowly leaned back in his chair with an incredulous scoff. "Okay," he mumbled in amusement, "maybe that was on me for trying to be sentimental when you're drugged up, but come on doll." Still, he couldn't help but laugh, lifting your hand to his lips and kissing it gently. "Goodnight, sweet girl. I love you so much."

[binkysteebnpewter]

Freight Car

A/N: So I needed to practice angst writing, so if you have any constructive criticism and feedback please let me know! I’ve always been a sucker for fluff and angst, but it’s so hard for me to write angst. @asadmarveltrashbag asked for Bucky, so I hope this lives up to the expectations pumpkin! 💗

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Death, TW: Implied Suicide (technically) Angst, and Cursing.

“Barnes!! Get back here you sneaky bastard!”

“No, you’ll have to catch me!”

Bright skies, slow clouds, warm weather, and a soft breeze accompanied by laughter filled yells was how the day has been spent. A peaceful picnic for team bonding this Friday, the entire team was sat around food as they watched the two avengers run around. Smiles were on everyone’s faces, some chuckling and others making bets upon whether or not Barnes would get caught up to or not.

See, the teams residential comedic relief was pretty fast. They always joined Steve on his morning runs, often leaving Sam behind accidentally as they made competition with Steve to see if they could run faster than him. With no victory there yet, they swore after every run that they’d beat him the next time— and Steve looked forward to each run just a bit more as each day passed.

“HAHA YES!!”

“Haha, fuck!”

The exclamations of both exuberant avengers made everyone laugh, Bucky had been caught. Tackled down by his friend, he raised a brow up at them and they laughed.

“My, My... what a lovely view, Barnes. We really have to visit this position later..”

Barked out laughter and wheezing filled the air, Steve groping his own pec as he leaned his head back in deep and heart filled laughter. Bucky laid on his back while his always exuberant friend straddled his waist. Bucky himself was smirking like a sly sled dog, chucking lowly at his friend’s tease.

“If I knew you wanted to fuck me so bad, I would’ve let you ride sooner.”

“Oo! Damn, I should’ve exposed myself earlier then!”

A laugh filled with a slightly airy rattle bubbles out of the chaotic avenger, clueing Bucky in that something might be wrong. Questions upon his friend’s breathing were spoken, only to be waved off with a smile and a shrug. Nothing was wrong, but Bucky swore there was. He was well aware of the dark and rough history he and his chaotic friend had together, so he always made it his job to worry for them when they lacked the common sense to do it themselves.

Bucky swore up and down all his closest friends had a serious lifelong disease, horrible really that it can’t be cured— Dumbass Disease, it’s tragic. Steve has had it since the 40s, now his chaotic friend also had it too. Bucky supposes he can always just manage their disease, it couldn’t be too hard. Right?

“No! HYDRA has been after them for years, before they were even an avenger! This is basically a suicide mission for them!”

Anger, denial, panic, animosity, and desperation filled the Avengers Conference room like the air on a muggy day in the peak of summer, the muggy heated air so thick that you could choke on it if you weren’t careful enough. Avengers sat and stood scattered in the thickly atmosphered room, all with clenched jaws and creased brows. An urgent mission directly assigned to their chaotic Vimeo a relief, only to them. Extraction team was simply one person, Barton. Why the low numbers? Stealth was key, too many people would collapse the entire mission.

“Can’t Romanoff go? She’s just as good at stealth!”

“Buck..”

“No, Steve! Don’t ‘Buck’ me! Tell me why it has to be them!”

Bucky was more than livid. He didn’t want anyone going on a mission against the remnants of HYDRA alone, and certainly not his exuberant friend. He knew what HYDRA could do to people, he didn’t want to risk his friends exuberance being stripped away from them and shattered like fragile fractured glass.

“Buck,”

Stormy grey blue eyes snapped away from his longest and most stalwart friend, piercing into the soft eyes of his comedic one. They grab his hand and tug it, so he relaxes just a little. Would he ever admit the effect they had on him? Maybe, maybe one day. Did he deserve to admit it to them? Probably not. Not after what he did to them.

“Let’s go watch a movie okay? Just me and you. We can watch that boring ass documentary on Netflix you wanted to watch about what the ocean is.”

“... okay, come on. You’re not going on that mission. I won’t let them make you.”

Bucky began leading them out and when Steve was about to call out to them, they looked back and mouthed what Steve needed to know.

I’ll depart once he’s asleep.

They couldn’t believe they actually went behind his back, left in the middle of the night after three boring ass Netflix documentaries. They understand exactly why Bucky was more adamant about them not going than one of the others going, he knew the damage already caused to them by HYDRA. However they knew the importance of this mission was more pressing than the trauma beneath their skin. Trauma that itches and burned under their skin like hot embers, trauma that knocked the breath out of them like a hot strike completely through the chest leaving remnant issues as years passed.

Trauma was a funny thing to them, it worked in odd ways. A trauma left on them, once strong and suffocating, with remnant breathing issues to prove it—their friend was the man who placed it onto them. However, they didn’t mind it. Not anymore. They knew just as much as everyone else on the team that Barnes and Winter Soldier weren’t the same person, they knew the actions of one weren’t the will and desire of the other— even when the memories of the deeds done by the one more violent were shared.

That is why, now stumbling on their feet as they fought in frigid weather, they weren’t backing down. This book hidden in their suit meant more to them than their safety, this book could break their friend’s happiness and way of life if it stayed in HYDRA’s grasp. The thing was...

They knew nothing was as simple as it should be.

Cornered and out of time, they looked back to the cliff below them and clenched their jaw. One way out, no way home. God, they just knew Bucky would hate them for this.

“Barton, Rogers.. come in.”

We’re in, what’s your status?

“Compromised. Barton, do me a favor.”

A favor? I’m coming in to extract you!

“Don’t bother, do me a favor and go home. Steve, I’ll have to take a rain check on that run in the morning..”

Humor until the end, god.. how much more pathetic could they get? They guessed they could probably get a hell of a lot more pathetic if they had the time, but they didn’t. This information on their friend would go with them one way or the other, to home or hell.

No! What’s going on out there!

“Freight car. See you later, boys.”