#and I haven’t been able to devote a single brain cell to it before or after work this week so far because I’m so busy

[charcubed]

looking in the mirror and telling myself “you can, will, and MUST finish writing your challengers fic. it doesn’t matter how long it takes. if you spent a year rewriting a marvel movie and a year writing a whole book analyzing supernatural, you can finish this fucking fic which as a project is small potatoes in comparison”

[ekaterinatepes]

Nothing but the Best

Author’s note: it’s getting interesting here ;) enter prince charming Sugu-kun to save the day.

IX.

https://youtu.be/uhoiqVPmURE

Satoru was afraid of making a move, least he tipped you over the edge and made you bolt; he didn’t want that. Swallowing hard he looked into your eyes… God… he had missed your beautiful E/C eyes so much. Waking up every morning without you by his side, without you kissing him awake cause he was going to be late for work… again. Your absence had left a literal infinite void in his heart that he was unable to fill.

“I know I don’t deserve anything from you Y/N, but I love you and I cannot give up on us… We said forever when we got married. And I want that… with you” speaking from the heart was not something Satoru ever did. He always preferred to cover any emotions with inappropriate jokes and double entendres. But he knew he couldn’t play his stupid games, not with you and most certainly not now.

You pulled away in that moment, as if his touch was burning you. He allowed it, doing his utmost effort not to pull you back in. His hands itched resting at his sides, missing the warmth of your body.

|||

It was you and me, it seemed to last forever

The way you taste and I still remember… the sounds we made.

|||

“It would have been nice if you felt that way before you decided to ruin this marriage. Where were those promises of forever when you fucked someone else?” You asked piercing his eyes with yours. He cowered under your glare. Satoru had never been on the receiving end of your wrath and now he understood why most people chose (wisely) to not mess with you. Every single one of your words was chosen carefully to cause the most damage. At the same time… what hurt the most was that you were right.

“Leave and don’t ever come back… you and I… are through…” Satoru noticed how you avoided calling him by his name, he hated it. As if uttering his name would leave a bad taste in your mouth “Y/N…” he whispered pleadingly when you took another step away. But this time he didn’t have the courage to stop you as you disappeared inside your apartment and locked the door behind you.

|||

I bet you wish you had me back! Another chance to gain it, just like that. The best you ever had.

|||

Satoru was fucked.

—————

The next morning Suguru’s plane landed. JFK international airport was as busy and chaotic as one would expect. After collecting his luggage he made his way to a cab giving the driver your current address.

He hadn’t been able to sleep a wink during the trip, his mind swarmed with all the possibilities of what could be happening right now. Satoru didn’t play fair and of course… you loved (probably still love) the lucky bastard.

With a sigh he decided to focus instead on the city going by through the cab’s windows. It wasn’t the first time he was in New York and his mind was much more occupied torturing him instead of appreciating the landscape.

After 40 minutes, Geto stood before a very nice and modern building located in the upper east side called Hawthorn Park. You sure knew how to live in luxury. He approached the doorman and let him know his name and that he was here to see Miss Ekaterina Petrova to which the kind looking old man responded by using his intercom to contact you. Geto was soon granted access and guided to the elevator.

The elevator doors opened on the 21st floor, he walked to the door of your apartment which was already open and you were waiting for him. His smile fell once he noticed you have been crying “oh Kitten” dropping his luggage on the spot he surrounded your body in his arms “I’m so sorry…” one didn’t need to be a genius to know Satoru had found you.

You both moved inside your apartment. Settling on the spacious couch you buried your face on Suguru’s lap as you cried. He stroked your now darker strands of h/c hair without a word exchanged. He knew you needed to let it all out. After what seemed an eternity you sat back up. Suguru gently dried your eyes.

“He was here last night…” you whispered in a raw and scratchy voice, result of your endless hours of distress before his arrival “he told me he loved me, that he left Sookie” scoff “and hear this… he left her because the baby wasn’t his!” Talk about karma at its best. Suguru already knew that but he was surprised to hear Satoru had come clean about it to you “He probably thought I would fall for that! But I didn’t” you added firmly.

Suguru was proud of you. He knew how hard it was for you to resist Satoru but you stood tall and proud when it mattered the most. “What do you want to do now?” Where you planning on moving again?

-

“I’m not leaving…” you said looking into Suguru’s liquid amber gaze. You couldn’t help but notice once again he had such pretty eyes, like a cat. You’ve always liked them, specially when they looked at you with such tenderness. You have missed him dearly during all this time.

“I can’t keep running away from him; I mean… it’s obvious he won’t stop and I… I am tired of molding my life to adapt to his whims. I’m staying here whatever happens. Sugu… I got the part for the Swan Lake!” You added remembering you haven’t talked to him during the last week and so he didn’t know about your latest accomplishment.

Geto’s eyes enlarged before a huge smile split his handsome face and his massive frame engulfed you in a tight hug. Of course he knew everything about ballet, he was your best friend after all. This was huge! Probably as big as making it in the ballet world meant “I’m so proud of you Kitten!” He said excitedly kissing your temple. Maybe not everything was as bad as he thought.

You were upset, it was true. But then again you were not prepared last night. Satoru had taken you by surprise. Now… you knew he was here and more or less knew what to expect from your soon to be ex-husband.

“Thank you Sugu…” you stopped and pulled back just slightly to look into his eyes from your height. He was a very tall man compared to you “I missed you” you said with a bright smile to which Geto replied with one of his own before pulling you in again for another hug “I missed you too Kitten” stroking your back softly Suguru decided he was happy to be here… with you.

-

https://youtu.be/3oSXqLgoSq4

|||

She's given up, been holding on for way too long

She's had enough

He's coming home again

But it's too late 'cause she won't stay with him

|||

The sunshine hitting his face was what woke him up. With a grunt Satoru rolled over on his side only to fall unceremoniously from the couch where he had passed out last night. The last thing he remembered was warping back to his hotel after you left him on the roof. The memory of you, turning your back on him and walking away squeezed his heart in a painful grasp.

Alcohol was never something he was attracted to, he liked to keep his brain constantly alert and stimulated. It served a purpose of course, it kept his infinity barrier on at all times, even when he was asleep. But last night he hit rock bottom. He didn’t care anymore…

As soon as he got back to the hotel, hopelessness made a home in his chest, sitting heavy on his heart. Walking to the fully stocked bar placed on the corner of his suite he opened a bottle of whiskey. He started slow since most everything was too bitter for his taste, so he went through the process of trying every single bottle until he found something to his liking.

Two hours and about fifteen different shots of everything he decided to settle for a bottle of Amaretto, some fancy Italian liquor made of apricot kernels. It was sweet.

Everything else after that was blur. Moving his sore body from the floor he forced himself to go to the bathroom. Maybe a hot shower would help ease his misery. Peeling off his clothes the smell of booze clinging on them made Gojo cringe. He decided to brush his teeth before showering. Looking in the mirror he couldn’t recognize the man starring back at him. He was a mess.

|||

Are we just ghosts out in the night?

Are we just waiting for a light that doesn't shine?

Are we just faking or is this real?

'Cause I don't know how to feel

Are we just ghosts now, you and I?

|||

Last night he had been so desperate, so hopeless and broken hearted. That’s when it hit him… his wife didn’t hurt him, she didn’t cheat on him (unlike himself), she didn’t do anything to him and yet he was feeling as if the world was collapsing around him. He lied, cheated and fucked up everything for them both.

Guilt…

Unadulterated, burning and suffocating guilt was consuming him. He felt bad before but it wasn’t until last night that he grasped the concept that Y/N didn’t owe him anything at all and that HE didn’t deserve it anyways.

The plan originally had been to get back in your good graces by doing penitence, submitting to your every whim and desire by becoming your devoted slave for as long as you would have it. He never even considered the possibility that his wife DID NOT WANT to forgive him in the first place.

He thought you left to give him a lesson, that you would eventually come back to him after he had a taste of what it was like to lose you.

But even after you both shared such a searing kiss, so passionate that every cell in his body was humming, aflame with desire you still managed to walk away from him as if it meant nothing to you.

What good did it do to him to be the strongest when he couldn’t even protect his wife… from himself.

After showering, changing clothes and ordering every sweet pastry and desert from the room service menu Gojo stopped to rethink his strategy.

What?…

Did you think he was going to stop there?

Absolutely no, love!

If anything, your rejection had only fueled his need to get you back.

“Time for plan B” sighing he pulled out his phone it rang a couple times before someone answered “good morning Mrs. Mazzo, this is Gojo Satoru. I’m going to need you to forward to me Miss Petrova’s rehearsal schedule…”

—

“This is really good!” You hummed happily after swallowing a bite of your steak. Suguru sat across from you at Keens Steakhouse, with a grin he watched as you indulged yourself in what you called your ‘cheat meal’ of the month. Being a professional ballerina was a tough and demanding commitment that controlled every aspect of your life, from how you train to what you eat. Despite it all, Geto knew you always found a happy balance that worked just fine for you.

Seeing your big smile made his heart jump in his chest, you were as beautiful and alluring as the day he met you. If only he had told you he liked you before Satoru did. This question kept him up at night, playing all sorts of scenarios in his mind. If he had taken the first step… would things have been different? Would you have ended up together? Married? Shaking his head he tried to focus on what you were actually saying. Deviating his thoughts to that kind of scenarios was dangerous. He also didn’t want to push it when he was perfectly aware you were still healing; he wasn’t a low life piece of shit to take advantage of your vulnerability.

But when you smiles at him as if he was the only thing in your world, when you held his hand across the table, playing with his finger, his throat felt dry and tight.

“What do you think Sugu?” Your curious and expecting eyes caught him like a deer in the headlights “I’m sorry Kitten, I was distracted. Could you repeat that please?” He asked with an affable smile.

You chuckled and stroke his hand softly “you look tired, did you sleep at all in the plane?” He shook his head “no, I didn’t. I never can, it’s uncomfortable” he hid on purpose the true reason why he hadn’t been able to sleep “come on Sugu! Let’s go back home! I bet you are tired” you said offering him a sweet smile.

After paying your bill you walked the few blocks back home. Suguru of course would be staying with you in the spare room of your penthouse. Holding hands while you talked to him about the activities the city had to offer, your schedule and how you intended to fit the time to do some tourism with him. “You don’t have to bother Kitten, I know you are busy enough with your job, I will be fine” he insisted.

You stopped on your tracks and stood in front of him, pouting, making him chuckle. You looked every bit the kitten he knew you to be, all bothered and moody “no! I want to spend time with you too you know! I haven’t seen you in so long! I’m not going to waste this chance!” You insisted to which Suguru threw his hands up in the air “I surrender Kitten! Do with me as you will” you giggled and then blushed. “Uh… eh… ok! I will!” He took your hand again and you both resumed your walk.

-

Satoru warped to the roof top of the building adjacent to yours, the lights were out in your apartment and he couldn’t sense your presence inside. You left? Where did you go?

Before a second though he warped inside your apartment but he saw all your stuff was still there, maybe you went out for groceries or something?

After a few minutes sitting on your couch he decided to wait for you on the street so he could see when you got home.

(Almost an hour later)

Oh… he wasn’t ready for what he saw.

“That mother fu….” Satoru grinds his teeth watching you walk down the street holding onto Suguru’s hand while talking distractedly. From his hiding spot in front of your building he closed his hands in a tight fist.

Well, this complicated things… a lot more.

————-> Chapter 10

———————————-

@sleepyamaya

@cloudsinthecosmos

@jxvajxy

@satoruhooraaa

@my-reality-is-in-my-head

@dok-ja

@jscarlet06

@fiona782

@thatsharklovingwoman

@heichoustheoryofcleanliness

@syynnaaah

@shaylove418

@coldvillainess

@vampgguk

@sukuna1stwife

[persephonesfill]

Peverell? Which ones which?

so i rubbed my two brain cells together and hopefully wrote a coherent answer to your question anon in reference to this post i made. it’s been a while since I’ve read/seen Harry Potter but I absolutely love the Tale of the Three Brothers who cheated Death. For those of you who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, long story short, in the HP world there’s sort of this fable in the wizarding world about three brothers obvi.

So anyway these three brothers were walking together one day and came across a river that, unknown to them had caused many people to drown. But since they were wizards, they used their magic to cross the river and make it to the other side. Death, having felt cheated, decided to trick the brothers and give them any gift that they asked of him.

The first brother, demanded that Death give him a wand worthy of a man who cheated Death, so Death took a branch from a nearby elder tree and gave it to him.

The second brother asked to bring people back from the dead so in turn, Death took a stone from the river and imbued it with the power to awaken the dead.

The third brother simply asked for Death’s cloak and Death had no choice but to oblige.

Now, what the hell does any of that have to do with Thor, Steve, and Tony, you may ask? Well I’ll try my best to explain myself. (This gets long so I’m putting the rest under a cut. **Also this post does contain Endgame spoilers!** For those of you who haven’t seen Endgame yet, do not keep reading!)

Let’s start with Thor. Personally, I feel like Thor embodies the first brother and the elder wand. The first brother was an arrogant, aggressive man and often got into duels in the wizarding world. His life was devoted to besting others in combat and basking in the afterglow of a hard-earned victory. His gift, the elder wand, reflected that. The elder wand was said to be the most powerful wand ever made, but Death had a slight stipulation with every gift he bestowed upon the brothers. Some believe the elder wand was cursed so that whoever wielded the wand would die a violent death.

I personally believe that the wielders of the wand often came into contact with those who were envious of their power and as a result, tried to take it for themselves no matter what. To me, Thor, at least in his first movie, is similar to the first brother. When we first meet Thor, the movie establishes his identity as a warrior fairly early into the movie. We see that he surrounds himself with other warriors and foolishly incite battles rather than letting them happen naturally and we see the negative effects that his arrogance had on others around him.

The Elder Wand in this case would be Mjolnir. Both are powerful magical weapons with enchantments upon them and are envied/coveted by others in their respective universes. Unlike the first brother, Thor learns from his mistakes and his arrogance is tempered by the end of his first movie. The same can’t be said for the first brother who died from a slit throat.

I believe the second brother is best represented by Steve. The second brother used the gift he received from death to bring back the woman he was in love with from the dead, only for it to backfire when she returned as a shade of herself. I feel like a huge theme in Steve’s character arc for the MCU has a lot to do with regret and longing for the past. And knowing what we know about the end of Steve’s character arc in Endgame (no matter your opinions on it) it shows that Steve never really allowed himself to completely settle in the future. 

There was always a part of him that wondered what if, you know? What if Bucky had never fallen? What if he had never put the Valkyrie in the water? What if he had gotten to live out his life with Bucky? And until Endgame, Steve would always have to live with those what ifs. (Although I believe had Tony and Nat not died, Steve never would have traveled back in time but that’s a different post.) Steve is the second brother, in that they both never let go of their pasts, instead choosing to cling to it, despite the possible consequences. For the second brother, he ended up going mad with grief and committing suicide once he realized that he would never have his lover back in the way that he wanted. And as for Steve, well the Russos kind of glossed over the consequences (if there are any) of Steve traveling back in time to be with Peggy.

And finally the third, and arguably smartest brother. While the first brother chose glory and the second, love, the third brother chose protection, plain and simple. He literally stripped Death of his own cloak and used it to hide himself from Death from years until he was ready to meet him on his own terms. Who does that sound like to you?

Okay I’m probably biased but to me that just screams Tony. Someone (I can’t think of their url rn but it was a lit post. If anyone remembers pls let me know!) made a post about how no one has been able to kill Tony and that he died on his terms in Endgame. And it’s true. Many have tried, and failed to kill my boy, and each time he rose from the ashes like a goddamn phoenix, stronger and smarter than ever. Obadiah tried to kill him like three times?? In one movie?? And still couldn’t succeed lmao. Vanko also tried to kill Tony multiple times, and also failed. Aldrich Killian? Failed. The Chitauri? Failed. Ultron? Failed. Tony came on top without fail, every single time even when some of the most overpowered villains we have ever seen were literally giving it their all. Thanos literally used the power stone to throw an entire moon at Tony and my boy, to quote Cap, “just walked it off” like when will your fave EVER—

Ahem. Got carried away. But anyway my point still stands. Many have come close to killing Tony, but it wasn’t until Endgame, where Tony faced death on his own terms, did he finally die a death worthy of a hero. And that triumphant smile on his face right before he snapped?

 That was him greeting death like an old friend somebody hold me—

But I hoped that answered your question anon! Sorry it took me so long, it took me a couple of days to get all of my thoughts together.

[imsuchmarveltrash]

Bucky Barnes Imagine - No More Time

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Enhanced!Reader:

Word Count: ~6200

Summary: 2 years after Enhanced!Reader saves both Bucky and herself from Hydra, Hydra decides to take its revenge.

A/N: Hey guys, so this is my first imagine that I’m posting and it’s loosely based on the song No More Time by flor (You should really check them out, both the band and the song are AMAZING!!!), but I hope you guys like it. Feedback is much appreciated. :) 

Warning: Angst, swearing

Your life had been difficult, but you had finally gotten to a point where you were genuinely happy. You’d been dealt a bad hand. When you were younger, you had found out that you had an enhanced ability: cell regeneration. Your cells both healed and replaced themselves so fast that you were even able to cheat death (essentially making you immortal).

It wasn’t long until people found out about your ability. Hydra had sent the Winter Soldier to abduct you when you were only 16. You couldn’t understand what purpose they had for your abilities until the torturous experiments started. Each day, they exposed you to painful tissue extractions, trying to find the root of your abilities in order to replicate them. Hydra had taken you from your family, only to replace them with a life of pain without solace.

This continued for 10 years, until you finally broke free. The Hydra base you were in fell under attack and, by some technological error, your cell was opened. You were finally given the opportunity to try and escape the organisation that had made your life a living hell.

As you ran through the labyrinth of corridors, you passed a large room filled with numerous cryo tanks. Being locked in Hydra for so long, you had come to hear about who the Winter Soldier was from various doctors, scientists, and agents that happened to talk about him around the room you were being held in. The opportunity in front of you was too sweet. You needed to rob Hydra of their most lethal and favoured weapon.

You drained and opened the tank that the soldier was being held in, desperately trying to hold up his limp body while trying to help him regain consciousness. After a few angst-filled seconds, he came to, with an exceptionally confused look on his face.

“Where am I? Who are you?” he asked frantically.

“You’re in a Hydra base that is currently crumbling, and my name is Y/N. But, Come on! We need to hurry if we want to make it out of here alive.” You stressed.

The soldier nodded and unsteadily stood to his feet. Once you were sure he didn’t need your assistance, you let go of him, only to grab his hand and pull him as you broke into a run. You needed to escape the facility. You had come too far to take the opportunity for granted.

You and the soldier made it out of the building just in time as its foundation crumbled with a massive explosion. Panting, you finally stopped to breathe once hidden in the treeline of the forest that concealed the Hydra base. You turned to look at the soldier.

“So, now that you know who I am, and I set you free, who are you?” you asked. The soldier blinked confusedly, as if trying to grasp at memories that were barely there.

“My name’s B-Bucky, I think.” He murmured, clearly not trusting his own mind.

He groaned in frustration, clenching his hands in his hair, still wet from the cryo tank. He sank down onto the cold soil of the forest floor, breathing deeply as he tried to compose himself. He opened his mouth again, thinking hard, then closed it and reopened it, before replying.

“My name is Bucky Barnes,” he sighed, “that’s all I can remember. Hydra has scrambled my brain too many times for me to count, so that I could be their soldier.” His voice was full of contempt at the mere thought of Hydra. It was then that you realised that they had ruined his life just as much as they had ruined yours.

“It’s okay, Bucky. I understand how you feel. It’s just that, right now, we need to keep moving so that we don’t get recaptured.” You stressed. Bucky nodded in agreement. Getting up from where he was seated, he seemed to almost choose a point at random, before he led you through the forest until you found any other semblance of civilisation.

 2 Years Later

You and Bucky were happily back in New York. After discovering that the Hydra base was in Latvia, you and Bucky managed to find a place for yourselves while Bucky slowly but surely regained his memories. After about six months, Bucky’s memory was sufficient enough that he remembered who Steve was, and that he was still alive. After discussing it with you, Bucky decided that he would contact Steve so that he could go back home. He didn’t want to involve you yet since he knew what the implications of him going home would be–he was a criminal.

Yet, Steve came through for him and got all his charges cleared and his brainwashing removed. Six months later, Bucky was able to secretly move you from the small, one-bedroom flat you shared in Latvia to an apartment in Brooklyn. At that point in time, he was in the process of becoming an avenger, and he didn’t want you to get caught in the crossfire of any battles between him and his enemies. So, you kept your relationship a secret from everyone, including the avengers.

That was how you and Bucky got to your current state: him working as an avenger while you worked as a freelance illustrator for various publishing companies. Although you led very different lives, you and Bucky had become so close that you couldn’t picture life without each other. Even after a year, none of the avengers knew about your relationship. But, that didn’t matter. Your relationship with Bucky had you in a constant state of bliss.

He loved you, and he reminded you of that every day. He felt that he owed you everything: if it wasn’t for you, he’d probably still be the Winter Soldier. Yet, what he felt for you wasn’t just dutiful devotion. You could tell by the look in his eyes that he adored you. His entire world would shatter if he ever had to lose you. And, one day, that was exactly what happened.

It was a Saturday morning and you were walking to the front of your apartment building to pick up your mail. Once you got up to your apartment, you closed the door and made your way to the couch, flopping down and flipping through the envelopes, trying to pick out the important ones from the spam.

You found one with no return address, and you found that strange. You picked up the blank white envelope, turning it over and examining it, yet you couldn’t get any information from it. As you opened it, you felt a feint, heady smell filled your nostrils. You could feel the sickly-sweet aroma slowly clogging your senses, making your head foggy and, before you knew it, you started to fade into a black abyss.

You were woken up by a frantic Bucky shaking you awake. You looked up to see a distraught look in his eyes that only slightly lessened once he realised you were awake. You groggily rubbed your eyes, trying to piece together what happened before Bucky got there.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, noticing the panic on his features.

“Well, I texted you to let you know I was coming through, but you didn’t reply. I came through anyway and the door was unlocked. When I came inside, I saw you lying on the couch, but I figured you were just asleep. Then, I saw the note in your lap. Y/N, you haven’t read it yet, have you?” Bucky replied, the worry in his eyes not lessening.

“No, I haven’t. What did it say?” you asked.

“It was from Hydra. The letter was laced with a toxin meant to attack the part of your brain that triggers your cell regeneration. Essentially, they’ve made you mortal, and now they’re saying you’ve got no more time.” Bucky replied, eyes tearing up at the thought of losing you.

You stood, staring blankly ahead of you as you tried to process what Bucky had just told you. You couldn’t fathom how this was happening. As you stood, you attempted to mentally analyse every part of your body, trying to see if anything had changed or felt different, but you still felt the same.

Bucky was the complete juxtaposition to your stillness. He was pacing up and down through your living room, clenching and unclenching his fists in frustration while muttering to himself as he tried to think of a solution.

You looked up to him, the man you loved so much, and it broke your heart seeing him so scared to lose you. You moved towards him, grabbing his hands and feeling them relax as you wrapped his arms around you. You breathed into his chest, trying to enjoy it while fending off the thought that the threat was true, and it might be one of the last times you get to enjoy being with him. You felt Bucky’s arms tighten around you, and you knew he didn’t want to let go. His chin rested on your head and you felt every deep breath he took, trying to calm himself.

“What are we going to do? I can’t lose you.” Bucky whimpered.

“You won’t,” you replied, adamantly, “for all we know the threat is fake. I don’t feel different and besides, the regeneration was only useful whenever I got injured. So even if I only have just one life, it can still be a long one.”

“Y/N, you still haven’t read the letter. You didn’t see what they said. Does ‘no more time’ not mean anything to you? They took away your ability so that they could do something fatal to you, and even if the threat is fake, I won’t risk that.” He stressed, his blue eyes wide with both worry and sincerity.

“Let me see the letter.” You commanded, fatigue slipping into your voice as you started to feel the weight of the issue.

Bucky handed you the single white piece of paper. As you brought the paper up to reading distance, you realised how anxious this whole matter made you. You could feel your heart rate increase, racing as you slipped into a slightly panicked mental state as you were about to read the single page that may or may not hold your fate.

Good day Miss Y/L/N,

As you might have guessed, we’ve found you. I hope you’ve enjoyed these past two years because you won’t have much longer. This letter has been laced with a toxin particularly designed to target you, specifically your cell generation. This toxin will inhibit your brain from undergoing the process that allows your cells to regenerate, meaning that you can’t heal, and you’ll age. You’re essentially mortal.

Don’t think that we won’t capitalise on that. We haven’t forgotten that you’ve stolen our greatest asset, and we won’t be very forgiving about it either. We’ve been watching you. We know how close you’ve gotten to the former soldier. We’ll give you a slow, torturous death while we make him watch.

Enjoy your last few moments with him because, all too soon, you’ll have no more time.

HYDRA

Processing the letter was even more difficult than processing the news from Bucky. The letter had a kind of finality to it that was just far more terrifying. You could feel your heartbeat thrumming in your ears as you sunk down onto the couch, breathing heavily as you tried to comprehend and anticipate everything that was about to happen to you.

Bucky took a seat next to you, pulling you into his arms and rubbing your back to calm you down. He desperately wanted for you to be okay and at ease, but he couldn’t expect that when he was just as terrified as you were.

“We can get through this, Y/N.” Bucky whispered. “I can call Steve and we can move you up to the Avengers compound. It’s highly secure and you can stay there until Hydra’s officially been destabilised and the threat isn’t there anymore.”

You could only nod, paralysed by the increasing feeling of fear growing inside you. You didn’t realise how scared of death you actually were until Hydra made it a reality for you. It wasn’t only death, though. It was knowing that now your time with Bucky was limited, and it was knowing how much it would break him if they forced him to watch you die.

“Okay,” you breathed, voice barely a whisper, “I’ll do anything as long as it’ll keep me with you. I know I’m the one with the threat of dying, but it hurts even more knowing that my time with you is limited.”

“I won’t let it be. I’ll always be with you, Y/N. Hydra won’t get to you.” Bucky promised, placing a kiss on your forehead.

The next two days passed in a haze for you, not for any lack of event, but only because you couldn’t get out of your head and the fear of any day being your last. You were introduced to all the avengers and they welcomed you with open arms. Steve was the only one slightly disappointed that his best friend hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him about the woman he loved, but he let it go soon enough, wanting to do anything in his power to make sure you were safe.

You moved into a room in the compound on the same floor as Bucky and Steve, though the room was more of an apartment in itself, with its own lounge area, kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom. You knew you’d hardly be spending any time in there anyway as you wanted to spend all of your time with Bucky.

You knew that wouldn’t be possible, though. Just like Steve, possibly even more so, he was doing everything in his power to secure your safety. Unfortunately, that included confining you to the compound and barely allowing you access to the world beyond it.

He’d been increasingly loving with you as the days passed too, giving you everything you asked for, always looking at you as if he was trying to memorise every single one of you features, and whenever you were in the same room, it was as if he always needed to be touching you. It wasn’t in the sexual sense: only ever running his fingers on your forearm, or caressing your cheek, or having is arm around you. It was as if, when he wasn’t touching you in some way, he feared you would disappear.

You’d spent all of the morning in Bucky’s bed while he attended meetings with the avengers regarding your safety and trying to snuff out Hydra. You didn’t really know what to do with yourself. Although the compound had many means of entertainment, it wasn’t the same as being able to go outside and enjoy the city.

You rolled over on the bed, groaning in frustration just as Bucky entered the room. He walked over to you, sitting down at the edge of the bed. He grinned at you as he grabbed one of your legs, stroking his hand over your calf and ankle.

“What’s wrong, doll?” he smiled.

“This compound is mind-numbing!” you groaned, “I know I haven’t been here long, but I have nothing to do. I can’t go to work, or into the city. It’s like everyone throws a fit if I even mention stepping a foot out of the compound! I know you want to keep me safe and that this is to make sure I get to live, but Buck, this isn’t living! This is just waiting.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” Bucky replied, face falling, “but it’s only until Hydra’s down. I know it’s frustrating, but I’m scared to death of losing you, so I’m sorry I’m taking all this precaution.”

“It’s okay.” You sighed, “I do understand. I also want to be spending as much time with you as I can because, as much as I don’t want to believe it, there’s a chance that they could succeed with their plan. But, all that aside, I miss how we used to be.”

“How do you mean?” Bucky asked.

“Bucky, we can’t really act like this relationship hasn’t been tainted by both of our pasts being difficult, but even then, you always loved me despite that. Now, it’s like you treat me like glass; as if I’m going to disappear the moment you look away.” You replied.

“You can’t really blame me though. Every time I leave you, I get this pressing fear that Hydra could somehow have gotten to you before I get back. Maybe I do treat you like glass, but it’s only because I don’t know if when I see you will be the last time.” Bucky said, despair clouding his once happier expression.

“I understand. It’s just that sometimes I wish you could love me the same way you used to: simply. I used to be able to feel just how much you loved me by just one smile. Now it’s as if everything you do is exaggerated. I know things have changed but I really hoped that how you loved me wouldn’t. I guess what I’m trying to say is, when it comes down to it, can you love me the way you used to, with no more time?” you explained.

Bucky looked at you with wonder, perplexed by your explanation, yet reminded of one of the reasons he loved you to begin with. Despite the shared trauma, and always being there for each other, Bucky loved your mind. To him, every experience with you was like seeing the world from a different perspective. That was how he came to understand how you were feeling. All he saw was that he had a limited amount of time to love you, so he was trying to love you with all he had. Yet, he didn’t realise that that was exactly what he’d been doing for the duration of your relationship. What he was doing now was suffocating.

“I understand.” Bucky smiled.

“I’m still here, Buck, and I love you. Let’s just enjoy that while we can.” You said, raising a hand to stroke his cheek.

Bucky leaned into your touch, savouring the intimacy of it and appreciating your close proximity. You leaned into him, cupping his face as you softly touched your lips to his in a sweet kiss. Bucky brought his hand up to your neck, lacing his hands through your hair as he pulled you closer to him, deepening the kiss and filling it with all the longing and emotion he could muster. You couldn’t help but breathe into him, fully immersing yourself in everything that was Bucky. You dropped your hands, slowly dragging them down his chest and around his waist, getting as close to his as you could.

You both pulled away breathless, Bucky with a loving smile on his face and you with a warm blush on yours. Bucky caressed your cheek softly, his eyes filled with so much adoration as he gazed at you.

“I love you.” He whispered, “with time or not.”

The next few days were better. Bucky had made a conscious effort to make sure that you were less bored. Aside from trying to spend more time with you, while not suffocating you with his behaviour, he’d worked with the rest of the team so that they could keep you company and do fun activities with you on the compound. Clint had taken you to play mini-golf (beating you by a landslide), Natasha had become your gym buddy, Tony let you experiment with some of his suits, Wanda had become a movie night buddy, and Steve had given you some art lessons.

You’d definitely grown closer to all of the team members and the compound was starting to feel a lot more comfortable. Things had gotten so good that, if it hadn’t been for the team members working on the Hydra case when they weren’t with you, you would’ve forgotten the threat completely.

That afternoon, Bucky walked into his room (where you’d basically taken up a permanent residence) with a wicked grin on his face. You cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering what he had up his sleeve this time.

“Come with me. I have a surprise for you.” Bucky beamed.

“Okay.” You agreed, reluctantly, getting up from his bed as you giggled at his antics.

Bucky led you through the compound and after walking through a few corridors you came up to one of Tony’s open lab areas. This was one of the spaces Tony worked in, especially when testing prototypes for his new suits. The area was big enough to test the jet propellers while being wide enough that not much damage came to the room as a whole if anything spontaneously exploded.

As you walked in, you realised that the room had been cleared. It was just you and Bucky enclosed by the four walls. You looked at Bucky in anticipation, waiting for him to tell you what was going on.

Bucky held his hand up to you, and that was when you realised that he’d been holding something. You took the pair of virtual reality goggles that he was holding out to you, but still stared at him expectantly as he hadn’t said anything yet.

“So, by the look on your face, I can tell that you’re quite confused. Well, I was thinking about the other night when you said that you were frustrated because you couldn’t leave the compound. So, I came up with a compromise. I asked Tony to help me and he set up multiple virtual reality scenes into the goggles. The goggles have also been modified to pick up my position in the room, so you’ll be able to see me within your virtual reality.” Bucky explained.

“Bucky, that’s amazing! Thank you so much!” you gushed.

“You haven’t even seen it yet.” He chuckled.

“Well then let’s do it!”

You immediately put on your goggles, switching them on while Bucky did the same. Once they were on, you were no longer in Tony’s lab. Instead, you were in a galaxy themed settings menu. You could see an abyss of stars and an array of luminescent colours, painting the most beautiful image of the universe you’d ever seen. Right in front of you was a list of different virtual realities you could choose from: rooftop picnic at midnight, sunset on the beach, central park, hiking through the forest, haunted house, music festival, and even a virtual version of Thor’s Asgardian palace.

“Where would you like to go, doll?” Bucky asked.

You grinned as you considered all your decisions. They all seemed like really nice places to go, but you couldn’t help feeling drawn to the haunted house. Not that you needed one, but it felt like a good excuse to get close to Bucky.

“Haunted house.” You grinned excitedly.

“As you wish.” Bucky smirked.

You moved your head to focus your gaze on the icon for the haunted house. By holding your gaze there, you were able to select it and were immediately transported from the galaxy to what appeared to be a corn maze in the middle of nowhere. It was the dead of night, and all you could see around you were stalks of corn that came up to the height of your head. If you looked up, all you could see was the blue emptiness of a starless sky.

You jumped up, getting a fright as something lightly brushed your hand. Bucky burst out laughing behind you and you turned around to punch his shoulder at his lame trick. Once he calmed down, he actually took your hand and laced his fingers through yours as he looked around.

“Are you sure you want to come to a haunted house, especially seeing as you scare so easily?” Bucky teased.

“Ha. Ha.” You deadpanned, rolling your eyes, causing Bucky to chuckle lightly.

“Come on, the house is over there.” Bucky stated, leading you through the corn maze as he could actually see over the stalks. “Also, you should know, the lab has been modified to mimic the surroundings of the virtual reality. So, you’ll be able to see, hear, and smell everything around you within the virtual reality. Your only senses that are limited are taste, not that you would be tasting anything, and touch, to an extent. For instance, you’ll be able to feel a breeze in the air or a draft coming through the house, but you won’t be able to physically touch any of the objects.”

You nodded at Bucky’s explanation before you both continued walking in a tense silence, consumed by the eerie feeling surrounding you. It felt like the temperature of your surroundings had dropped by 20°C, and you couldn’t help the shiver that went down your spine. Bucky noticed and unlinked your hands, so that he could wrap his arm around you to try and keep you warm.

“Thanks.” You whispered.

By then, you and Bucky had already made it out of the corn maze and were coming up to the haunted house. The house was quite old. Made of grey wood and with blackened windows, it looked menacing. There was a wooden porch that surrounded the whole house, with bare furniture that only added to the house’s look of desolation.

You and Bucky started your walk up the porch steps, the ominous presence and overwhelming silence made it seem as though you could feel the creaking of the steps reverberating through your entire body. As you made it to the top of the steps, you found that the front door was ajar.

“You ready?” Bucky asked, looking over to you.

“Yeah, let’s go.” You replied, moving to go into the house.

Somehow, as you walked in, thunder struck. Rain started pouring down and the only thing illuminating the house was the brief flashes of lightning, adding to the house’s eerie atmosphere. Bucky stepped in front of you, trying to get a clear look around the house and decide which way to go. While he did this, you felt yourself stiffen, the hair at the back of your neck raising as you felt something uncannily similar to someone breathing down your neck. Immediately, you grabbed Bucky’s hand, squeezing tight to prompt him to turn around.

Bucky turned, and his eyes widened as a deep, deafening laugh filled your ears. Paralysed, you couldn’t do anything but scream. Unable to turn around to look at what was behind you, you let yourself be yanked into Bucky’s arms. Once you’d stopped screaming, you looked back up to Bucky, only to find him with the most amusing grin you’d ever seen on him.

“What is it? Why are you smiling?” you asked.

“You freaked out because of some skeleton ghost. I looked behind you and saw this dark figure, but then the lightning struck, and it was this skeleton of an old man in a suit. It was quite freaky seeing him light up while his eyes stayed so hollow, but then you started screaming and it just got funny.” Bucky said, before breaking into a laugh.

“Yeah. Well you didn’t feel it breathing down your neck.” You muttered.

“Y/N, it’s dead. It literally can’t breathe. Also, the sensory limitations only allow you to feel wind and differences in air temperature. You shouldn’t be able to feel anyone breathing down your neck.” Bucky stated, the amusement quickly falling from his face and his eyes becoming frantic.

He ripped the goggles from his face and you quickly did the same. As you adjusted to being back in the lab you immediately heard someone laughing, namely Tony. Bucky glared at him as he stalked towards him.

“What the hell, man!” Bucky shouted, rage coming off of him in waves.

“Bucky, it was a joke!” Tony said, coming down from his laughing fit.

“It’s not funny, Tony. I thought someone had creeped up on her and was about to take her away.” Bucky stressed.

“Come on, tin man. Relax.” Tony sighed, rolling his eyes, “you know the compound is secure.”

“I know.” Bucky huffed, “I just worry sometimes. I can’t lose her.”

As things quietened down in the room, you saw a flashing light on the window. Suddenly a hologram appeared. In bright red, block letters, the words ‘NO MORE TIME’ appeared and, before you knew what hit you, a searing pain flooded through your head. This time, the scream you let out was genuine and bloodcurdling.

Bucky’s eyes filled with terror as he watched you fall to your knees, clutching your head in agony. Tears streamed down your face at the pain pounding through your head and starting to flow to the rest of your body. He rushed towards you, but when he tried to touch you, the contact felt as though it was singeing your skin. Bucky looked to Tony with a painfilled expression.

“What do I do?” he asked, frantically.

“I don’t know. What’s happening to her?” Tony asked, nearly as panicked as Bucky was, “F.R.I.D.A.Y., call Dr Banner!”

After a few minutes, Bruce burst into the room, immediately trying to come to your aid. He tried to touch you in order to find the source of the problem but, just as he was about to touch you, Bucky stopped him, filling him in on what happened.

“Then what do we do? How do we move her to the med bay to find out what’s wrong with her?” Bruce asked.

At this point, most of the other avengers had filed into the room to see what had happened. They all had solemn looks on their faces, not knowing what to do to help you. Finally, Wanda stepped forward.

“I can help. I can deaden the pain receptors in her head so that she momentarily won’t be able to feel anything, and you can carry her to the med bay.” Wanda suggested.

“That could work.” Bruce nodded.

With a movement of her hand, Wanda’s red energy enveloped your body and suddenly, the pain dissipated. You gasped for air, feeling like you could finally breathe now that the pain wasn’t consuming your entire body. Bucky picked you up quickly, and ran with you to the med bay, where Bruce quickly hooked you up to some machines that could start testing what was wrong while giving you a sedative for the pain that would return as soon as Wanda stopped her magic.

Once you were secure in the med bay and Bruce was waiting for the test results, another hologram appeared at the med bay window. This time, instead of a message, a person came up. You immediately recognised him as the scientist whose control you were under when you were still a prisoner in Hydra.

“Hello, Y/N. I see you aren’t doing too well. I can bet that you’re all wondering what’s wrong. Well, remember the toxin in the letter? It was designed not only to inhibit your cell regeneration, but also, after a certain period of time, to target your pain receptors. When it targeted your cell regeneration, it didn’t stop you from producing new cells. The toxin allowed that those new cells that were produced were mutated so that they didn’t heal you but started attacking other cells instead. Essentially, the toxin allowed your new cells to kill you from the inside. Now, your beloved Bucky and all your friends can slowly watch you die without being able to do anything about it. You’ll be in too much pain to allow them to perform any treatment on you.” He explained, malice dripping from his voice with every word.

“What do you want!” Bucky cried, tears in his eyes at the thought of losing you, “I’ll do anything! I’ll come back! I’ll be your asset, just please stop this! All she ever did was set me and herself free from the agonising lives you inflicted on us! She doesn’t deserve this!”

“Oh, but she does, Mr Barnes. It wasn’t her decision to make to free the both of you. So, now she has to pay and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He replied, smugly.

“Then, I swear to God, I’ll hunt you down and I’ll kill each and every one of you slowly and painfully, just like you did to her, until the world is eradicated of this disease called Hydra.” Bucky seethed.

“Do what you wish, Mr Barnes. You’ll spend your life chasing an act of futility. When you cut off one head, two grow back in its place. Hail Hydra!” He declared before the hologram went black, and all you could see was the clear night sky through the window.

Just then, you cried out, feeling the searing pain starting in your head again. Your regenerated cells had burnt through the sedative and were now burning their way through the rest of your healthy cells too.

Bruce had finally come back with your medical chart, after giving you some more of the sedative, he confirmed everything that the scientist had just told you. They wouldn’t be able to find a cure for your cells fast enough and any medication they administered would burn through your system in minutes. You truly had no more time.

“No. No! No!” Bucky cried, tears really rolling down his face. He started pacing through the med bay, not knowing how to express his angst and heartbreak. Eventually, he threw over the empty bed that was next to yours, knocking over more medical equipment in the process. Steve had to restrain him so that he didn’t cause any more damage to the room.

“Bucky, blowing up like this isn’t going to help–” Steve started, holding Bucky against him.

“Nothing’s going to fucking help her, Steve! She’s dying! I’m losing her…” Bucky choked, his face flushed with pain and anguish as he started sobbing into Steve’s shoulder.

Everyone went silent for a few moments, until Bruce spoke up. “I’m sorry Bucky, there’s nothing we can do for her. If we give her any medication, we’re only prolonging the time before her cells get to her. As much as I want her to live, we already have her on the strongest sedative we have, and she burns through it in minutes. I’m really sorry, but no matter how much we slow down her cells, her death is inevitable.”

Bucky had been listening through his sobs, tears still streaming down. He didn’t want to accept that he was going to lose you. But, suddenly something Bruce said stood out to him.

“Dr Banner?” Bucky started, looking up at him.

“Yes?”

“The sedatives you have, how long would it take her to burn through all of it?” Bucky asked.

“About two hours.” He replied.

“You said we could slow her regenerated cells down. I know that, when you put someone in cryo sleep, there is barely any cell function–it’s extremely slow. Would that slow her cells down enough to find a cure?” Bucky asked.

“That could work.” Bruce replied, after thinking it over for a few minutes. “I can give her the rest of the sedative. That will give you approximately two more hours with her while we prep a cryo tank.”

Bucky nodded. “Do it.” He commanded.

Dr Banner administered the rest of the sedative before him and the rest of the avengers filed out of the med bay, leaving you alone with Bucky. The sedatives made you quite drowsy but, knowing what was at stake and how much time you had, you fought off the urge to sleep. Bucky sat down next to your bed and slowly started stroking your hair back, trying to smile at you through his tear-stained face.

“Everything will be okay, Y/N” Bucky smiled, but it wasn’t doing much to convince him or you.

“Bucky…” you sighed, “you’ll be okay, but I’m dying.”

“Not for long, doll. We’re going to save you. Once you burn through these sedatives, you’ll go into cryo where your cells will be too slow to harm you. That’ll give us enough time to find a cure, then we can be together again.” Bucky explained.

“I’m so sorry, Buck.” You cried.

“What are you sorry for? You have nothing to apologise for.” He stated.

“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be hurting so much right now.”

“You’re the one who’s heavily sedated so that her cells won’t kill her, and you’re worried about me being hurt.” Bucky chuckled, looking down at you lovingly. “Also, thanks to you, I’ve had the most amazing two years of my life, and I promise we’ll have so much more than that when all this is done.”

“I love you.” You sighed.

“I love you, too, Y/N.” Bucky replied, leaning forward to kiss your forehead.

Your eyes started drooping, sleep becoming more and more difficult to fend off. Bucky stroking your hair back wasn’t helping. The soft motion only helped lull you away.

“It’s okay. You can go to sleep. I’ll see you again before you know it.” Bucky said, a tear rolling down his cheek.

“I’m sorry. Bucky, I just want you to know, you’re the happiest my life has ever been…” you said, before you felt yourself slowly drift away.

[kaywritesthings]

Breaks hearts like Gaston [Past para]

The bar was messy. Gaston was in a mood. Belle had just rejected him and he was tossing beers back. I had the bartender water them down. He wouldnt know. I was exhausted. He kept me busy. Then he wanted me to sit beside him as he talked. I didn't mind. I loved siting beside him. It always made me feel.. warm? Warm.

   I put my hand on his arm. A few men came in from getting wood and rolling in kegs of beer for the bar. I looked up smiling at them. "Thanik you." I said because I knew Gastion wouldnt. I went behind Gaston. I took his hair, and undid the pony tail. I combed his hair out and started to comb his beautiful hai. I leaned in to smell his hair when he wasnt paying attention.

Tee Anderson 9:39 pm    I still wasn't precicely sure why I came to this bar every night.  Lately it had seemed like more of a lesson in torture than anything else.  All I wanted was some hint of notice from LeFou, but most of the night I would drink and watch him fawn over Gaston like he was some kind of diety.

   I had such high hopes when they both came back from the war.  I hadn't been able to go- my father had died recently and the farm wouldn't have survived without me- and it had ached every day, knowing that the boys I had cared about were out fighting and I was stuck at home.  It wasn't boys though, I knew that, even then. It was LeFou.

   And he was back and now I should be able to...to something.  Something nameless and indescribable.   But it was gone from me now. It was in the ether.  And now I was drinking a beer and watching LeFou braid Gaston's hair. It was terrible to watch.  I looked over and sighed, resting my hand lightly on my chin before forcing myself not to be obvious. I ordered another drink and went up to him.  "I see you haven't had a pint yet," I said softly and set it near LeFou's arm.

Kay 9:46 pm    "Do you think I came on too strong?" He asked LeFou. "No, Gaston. I thinkkkk belle has an eye problem. She has no taste. " He sang. "I mean, if I was Belle. I could not resist you."  Gaston sighed. "LeFou if you were a girl, you'd be a pretty ugly one." LeFou shrugged. He looked up when Stanley brought a pint of beer. He stopped braiding Gaston's hair to turn to STanley.

   "Thank you. ' I mouthed to Stanley. Watered down? I was tryin desperatly to keep Gaston from getting too drunk. Gaston sighed. He looked back to see me focused on another man. "LeFou. Come here.' He said. I stood up and ran over to him. I got in front of him. He grabbed my hand and had me sit in front of him. He rubbed my cheek. "I apperciate everything you do, and if you could get me a steak sandwich." I stood up. "Yes. I was about to say you should have one." I laughed. I slid by Stanley to run to the grill next door for the best sandwich for Gaston.

Tee Anderson 9:52 pm    Stanley let out a soft sigh, as he went closer, hating to hear their converstaions.  Sometimes they were just annoying but tonight felt particularly awful.  There was no way that LeFou could be ugly, regardless of if he was a woman or man.  At least as far as Stanley was concerned.  But he knew he couldn't say it.  He'd get made fun of again, and Stanley was so tired of it...

   He sighed and pursed his lips.  "You're welcome," he said softly in reply.  And then, amost reading LeFou's mind, he added, softly, amlost into LeFou's ear, "It's for you."  He was about to say more, but stopped when Gaston spoke again.  Gaston was always talking, or grabbing or being particularly obnoxious.  And LeFou just took it.  It made Stanley let out a frustrated breath and he moved past LeFou and grabbed his arm. "I'll do it," he said.  "You don't have to do every single thing.  I can make a sandwich. Go sit down.  Have a drink."

Kay 9:58 pm    LeFou heard Stanley. He had no idea why Stanley wanted to be the best one here. He felt like Stanley was trying to take his place. he wanted to be mad, but then Stanley had never looked at him that way before. He let out a squeak. "He's very particular abut the cut of sandwich, and the bread.. I know what he likes." I whispered back, not trying to start a fight. I knew Stanley wanted to prove his devotion to Gaston. "Show me the sandwich before you give it to him." I hinted. I sat down with a beer. Gaston did not turn back to see if I had left or not. He had a couple of girls around him trying to get him to come home with them. He huffed and sent them away. I smiled at that. HA! I sipped on my beer, which made me drink all of it. I had never really had a beer to myself without requests from Gaston

Tee Anderson 10:02 pm    Stanley sighed.  He felt some resistance even when he was trying to help LeFou. It made him feel something desperate crawling at the inside of his chest.  He just wanted to be his friend.  His friend, he assured himself. Nothing more.  "Then maybe stay with me and tell me what he likes," Stanley said, surprising himself a little.  "Pull up a chair and have a drink, please," he started to say and then sighed when LeFou went back out to Gaston.  Stanley hoped at least he was getting a break from being the errand boy.  He made a sandwich- two of them, because LeFou deserved to eat too- and then broguht it out to LeFou.  "Did I do okay?" he asked, letting LeFou look over the plate.  "The other one is for you."

Kay 10:06 pm    I saw him with two sandwiches. Good idea. IF one didn't work. I opened the sandwiches. One cut of meat had more fat and less muscle meat. I took a knife and cut the trim off the meat. He liked in a circle shape. He liked sour dough bread. I removed the bread from anotehr sandwich and gave him the better bread. I grabbed a ganish type leaf to put on the side, and took a pickle as I cut it in four long pieces. He fanned out the pickles. He sighed and sniffed the meat to make sure it was good. He smiled and closed the sandwich and handed it off to Stanley. He took the less of the two sandwiches and glanced at it with a happy expression. He was hungry, but he usually forgot that when he was taking care of Gaston. "There, take it to him. He'd be so happy!"

Tee Anderson 10:10 pm    Stanley hadn't been sure what to expect, but he didn' expect LeFou to take apart nearly everything and reconstruct it.  It made something in Stanley's heart hurt.  He just wanted to do something to ease LeFou's burden but he wasn't sure he had.  Stanley stood around awkwardly.  "Maybe next time you should stay with me and show me how-" he started to say and then trailed off.  "Well. I.... you can take it to him," he said finally.  "I was just...I wanted you to take a break."  Stanley flushed and pusehd the plate back to him and then head back over to the bar, feeing foolish.

Kay 10:21 pm    LeFou felt terrible. He ran after Stanley. "Wait, please. Thank you. I really appreciate it. I had a beer for the first time and it was nice. My feet are so damn tired, my back hurts. I really .. mean it when I say thank you." He closedhis eyes and felt tears in it. He turned away from Stanley. "Gaston needs the support and I am thankful he has friends like you to do so. He really will need all of us tonight.;' HE leaned against the wall of teh bar, he was so tired. But he could do this. "LEFOU." He heard Gaston call out. He stood up and stumbled into the bar

Tee Anderson 10:26 pm    Stanley was surpised to hear LeFou come after him, and just that fact made his heart pound, just a little bit.  He turned and offered LeFou a smile.  It was too tender at first, and then he remembered he was supposed to be manly and drew himself up a little more.  "Thank you.  But don't worry about it," he said and then clapped LeFou's shoulder, trying so hard to make it friendly and not overly affectionate.  It was so hard to know the line.  "I think Gaston is fine," he said, trying to be hopeful.  "You aren't in charge of his moods-" Stanley started to say feeling the annoyance grow when he heard Gaston's voice.  "Did you eat?" he started to ask, but then LeFou was already stumbling away.  Stanley groaned and ordered another beer.

Kay 10:37 pm    Dick pulled Stanley to come drink with them. He liked when all three of them were together. LeFou ate a big bite of his sandwich. Gaston had a few bites in his, but was finished. He told LeFou he could have the rest. Lefou ate his sandwich just to please Gaston and make Gaston feel like he wasn't rejecting his gift. He was just thankful for a meal, even though Stanley made him a meal. He finished his meal. "I bet yuo liked that, you always like to eat, LeFou. It's so easy to reward you.' He smiled

   Lefou felt like it was a low blow complement. They usually were. "WEll, Food is good." He smiled, alwasy glad to be the butt of the joke. He looked over to see Stanley with his two friends. He really liked Stanley's style, but was nver able to really tell him that.

Tee Anderson 10:40 pm    Stanley sat next to Dick and sipped from another pint, telling himself over and over again not to worry about LeFou.  He couldn't keep looking over there.  He needed to stop that, it wasn't...there was something wrong about it.  He could hear his father's voice in his head and knew it was something he would label as wrong.  

   But he looked over again anyway, and for a moment, caught LeFou looking back.  Stanley smiled and lifted his glass, but then felt a little stupid and turned away.  LeFou didn't care.  Did he?  Maybe he was looking because he and Gaston were making fun of his sandwich.  Maybe it was that.

Kay 10:50 pm    LeFou heard him talk about Belle and wanting to have babies and why wouldn't she want that. LEfou sighed and went to rub his shoulders. He needed to give Gaston some encouragement. The beer Stanley handed him over was getting into his brain cells. He found a second wind. "Gosh it disturbs me to see you Gaston, looking so down in the dumps. Every guy here would like to be you gaston, even when taking your lumps." I thought maybe if I sang (added on with my own words) his theme song we sang at the bar after his hunting trips..

   "There is no man in town, that's admire as you.." HE sang out loudly. He knew people probably were drunk and maybe would join. Lefou could only hope. Lefou knew that he had a good voice, sohe wanted to use that.. He seem to have their attention"No ones slick as Gaton, no one is quick Gaston." He got on the table and grabbed a man's neck to prove his next line. "Thick as Gaston.." He posed sexy, since he felt sexy as the girls sang.

Tee Anderson 10:55 pm    Stanley turned back to his beer, telling himself to focus just on that and not anything else.  Not on the fact that he could see LeFou massaging Gaston's shoulders out of the corners of his eyes.  Which made him feel a flare of jealously and wonder.  He wondered what LeFou's fingers would feel like on the back of his neck and then chided himself for even thinking about it.

   He kicked back some more beer and then felt some internal sort of groan when he heard the music kick up.  Stanley had such conflicting feelings when it came to the song.  He loved watching LeFou.  His voice was so beautiful and Stanley loved the way that LeFou draped himself on tables around the bar, but he also hated singing about Gaston.  He wasn't really into it, ever, but then he wanted to impress LeFou too, to maybe get noticed more.  The whole thing was so conflicting.  But either way, he was watching LeFou with a clench in his gut.

Kay 11:03 pm    LeFou went over to the bar to get back up encouragement. "You can ask any Tom, Dick, or Stannnleeeyyy." He pointed at Stanely and winked. "And they will tell you what team.." He got on the bar and sat down. "they prefer to be on." He turned tom and dicks head, and reached over to slap Stan's head to pay attention and remember the lyrics he wrote. He could see they looked a bit lost, and did dart motion to remind them, and then clapped his hand with a smile and tapped his heart. They seem to get the lyrcis after that.

Tee Anderson 11:15 pm    Stanley tried to tell himself that he wouldn't get sucked into it this time.  That he wouldn't let himself get carried away in celebrating a man he pretty much despised.  But LeFou was compelling, despite it. He looked away, a frown on his face, telling himself again, that he wouldn't give in.  But then he felt a slap on the back of his head and startled.  He knew who's fingers it had to be and looked back, something in his heart jolting.  He saw LeFou draw his hand back and felt a racing to his heart.  He knew the words to the song, but he forgot them for a moment, looking at LeFou in a sort of wonder for a second before giving himself over to it.  LeFou had touched him.  His mouth was singing the words but he wasn't thinking about them.  He was looking at LeFou and trying to figure out what it all meant.

Kay 11:26 pm    LeFou danced on the table. If anyting, singing out loud and making a fool of himself made him feel better. He even had Gaston singing along. He did let a insult slip. "There is no oen as easy to boaster as you!!!!!" He didnt mean to let his thoughts slip out. OOPs. "Too much?" He felt gaston squeezed his hand in warning of a talk later. "YUP." He didn't care, he kept singing. He got on the table as much as he could and sang his heart out. There was always something so theraputic about singing with a bar of people. It almost made him feel .. happy.

Tee Anderson 11:35 pm    Stanley hated how conflicted he felt, wanting to watch LeFou dance and display his talents to the best of his abilities, and the equal urge to try to find somewhere to hide and lick his wounds.  He wanted to be the one getting that close to LeFou, to be the one that was cherished enough to have a song written about him.  It made something clench in his chest to see how casually Gaston would dismiss the gift that was being so close to LeFou.  And LeFou did look...happy.  Content.  And that was good.  Even if it meant Stanley had to keep playing along to something he didn't feel in hie heart.

Kay 11:43 pm    He sang the song with his heart and felt better. He could tell it madeGaston happy. Gaston was in good spirits and took a colored girl home. He dismissed Lefou.Lefou was sort of glad he was indeed dismissed. He left to go to the lake and swim in it. It always did something wonderous to his back and aching muscles. He would spend hours just massaging and working on his voice.

Tee Anderson 11:46 pm    Stanley sat back down at the bar again when the song was over and told himself again that he wasn't getting drawn back into it.  He ordered another beer and shot it down quickly, letting out a soft sigh.  He saw Gaston on his way out, and saw LeFou about to leave too, and stood, thinking about going after him.  But Tom put his hand on his shoulder and he stopped.  He sighed and sat back down again.  It was probably for the best.  LeFou didn't need him.

Kay 11:48 pm    AWW GO AFTER HIM    jk no shut up me    i didnt mean to press ente rhah

Kay 11:50 pm    LeFou fell asleep face ni the mud. It was so warm and comfortable. He knew Gaston wouldn't let him in the house with a woman friend over. He never understood what they did in the house. He just knew sometimes he had to break their hearts for Gaston. Tell them it was over and they had to move on. The saddest thing LeFou ever had to do for Gaston is send a pregnant woman by Gaston away. He hated that. She insisted it was Gaston's, but Lefou told her to go away. He felt scuh guilt with what he had to do for Gaston. He woke up to horse hoofs on his face. "Lefou, get up this once. why are you in the mud?" Lefou was butt naked in a body shape of mud around his body, and water up to his hips.The horse kicked mud in his face, and Gaston laughed. "Wash up.. we have to go."

Tee Anderson 11:56 pm    Stanley's life was rather boring and predictable when it came down to it.  He went from being hyper aware of everything when LeFou was around, and back to feeling like life was dull and colorless when he wasnt.   It was like moving through some very thick mud, and never getting out of it.  He had drinks until he was as drunk as his friends, and then stumbled home.  He slipped into his small run down cabin and slept on the floor next to the woodstove, knowing he would have to wake with the sun to tend the cows and see if he could harvest any of the crops.  It was endless, day in day out, and the only think he could hope for was to see LeFou in some errant moments at the bar.

Kay 12:04 am    The next few hours were me doing hard word and again dismissing girls who wanted him. I got washed up and cleaned. I even had time to eat breakfast, of course when I ate. Gaston liked to say how fat I was, but encouraged me to keep eating. He even gave me more eggs. He seem to like me fat. That night we were sitting around the fire in the bar. I was sitting on Gaston's arm rest when Maurice came in shouting about a beast. I was worried abou tMaurice, and Belle. even if she was a funny girl, she had been away for a while. I was prou dof Gaston when he said he wanted to help, but realized why he wanted to help. To ask for Belles hand.. ohh. I looked at Stanley, I felt his staring at me as we left to search for a "beast"

Tee Anderson 12:11 am    Stanley found himself where he always did after another long day working, sitting right back at the bar as he usuall did.  Sitting next to Tom and Dick and trying not to be too interested in what exactly LeFou was doing to fawn over Gaston again. Today he was feeling a little down, so it was eaiser to focus on the bottom of his mug.  He did lift his head when he heard someone raving.  Stanley was so concerened with keeping his head down that it starteld and frightened him when someone else did.  He wanted Maurice to be quiet just because he was bringing to much attention to himself, and they way to get by was to be quiet.  There were so many ways to be wrong and talking that loudly about anything was wrong.  He knew that.  And he knew that nothing good would come from it.  And his heart clenched when he saw LeFou going out with him.  A part of him wanted to follow, just to watch ove rhim, but what excuse would he have?  None.  There was no good explaination.  So he sat back down, and frowned deeply into his beer.