#and then clarifying he won (really) at life because he gets to be with sam all the time……. like these are the costars of all time

[hyohaehyuk]

How well do Sam Reid & Jacob Anderson know the world of INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE | TV Insider

[the-tripping-and-the-touching]

Bloom

Pairing: Josh x Reader

Warnings: cheesy in love stuff

Word Count: 1596

Summary: You and your boyfriend spend the morning in bed.

Note: Welcome to my first little fic! It's the first published in a series of one shots based off of songs that remind me of Josh. Hope you guys enjoy <3

Sunlight always seemed to follow Josh around. It would light up his shoulders at the beach and highlight his hands in the car, drawing your eyes to whatever jewelry he’d decided to sport on that given day. This morning, it fell lightly on his cheeks, their rosiness exemplified by the soft rays that made their way through your curtains. 

His breath was slow and even as you turned your head to him, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. Careful not to wake him just yet, you readjusted to fully face him, drinking up the details of his sleeping form as if you’d never have the pleasure again. You knew in your heart that you would have him like this, for the rest of your lives, but for now he’d been so busy in the studio that you rarely had the chance to really admire him before you woke up. 

You’d always thought it unfair how long his eyelashes were, but at that moment you couldn’t complain if you tried, watching as they fluttered a soft warning that he was about to wake up. His lips opened wider and then shut as his jaw flexed, getting ready for a day of talking. When his eyes finally revealed themselves, they looked like pools of honey, the depth enough to drown in from just one glance. 

“Have you been watching me sleep?” A sleepy smile found its way to his mouth as he reached up to play with your hair. “Because if so I’d probably have to report you for stalking.” His eyes closed again as the words fell out, sticky like syrup.

“Yeah let me just grab my manager for you real quick.” You couldn’t help but laugh at him before pressing a kiss right between his eyebrows, finding the skin warmed from the sun exposure. When you moved to get up, a hand grabbed hold of your waist and pulled you back in towards him. “Josh…” He cut your complaint short by placing the same hand on your jaw and pulling you in for a kiss. 

“You don’t have to commit to that bit love, I saw where it was going.” His thumb stroked your cheekbone as he looked up at you in a way you could only call enamored before moving his hand back down to your hip.

“The only bit I’m interested in is the bit of coffee I’m going to go make for us.” But you found that his grip on you remained firm, a bit impressive for the sleepy state he was still in, as you tried to get up again. You attempted to frown at him, but you could tell it came off as more of a defeated smile. He grinned up at you with the knowledge that he’d won, but still decided to offer an explanation for his unwillingness to let anyone get out of bed. 

“We get to wake up slow today. There’s no rush.” Confusion spread across your features for a few moments before he realized he still needed to clarify, “I have the day off. Sam decided he wanted to fuck off to the woods somewhere, so we all just decided to skip work and take a break. Now lay back down.” 

You rolled your eyes, but still followed his direction. As your head hit your pillow you couldn’t help but notice how your entire bed smelled like him. The woody sage scent was faint, a stranger likely couldn’t even notice it, but after spending so much of your life with him you’d be able to pick it out of even the largest of lineups. It was like a drug to you, the way you felt when your lungs filled up with the fragrance, and it left you in a bit of a daze as Josh pulled you even closer. You hummed as the smell became even stronger and threatened to send you right back to sleep. 

“I’ve been writing this song-”

“You’re always writing songs. It’s like half of your job.” You interjected as your eyes slipped shut involuntarily, the warmth of the sun and softness of the sheets lulling you back to rest already. 

“Okay. Like I was saying, I’ve been writing this song, and I’m having trouble with one of the verses.” When your eyes reopened they were met with his, the shade slightly darker since the sun had shifted. You nodded at him to continue, which he did after taking a moment to mull over the way he wanted to present it. “So I have most of it figured out, but I keep trying to fit in this line and I just can’t seem to find a rhyme for it. It goes ‘Loving you brings the world to a lull’, and I really think it’s good but nothing matches it.”

The way he smiled after saying it gave you a feeling you couldn’t shake, but it couldn’t stop the suggestions from spilling out. “Full, skull, mull, dull. Dull sounds like the best option, but I’d really have to know what the song is actually abou-” You stopped yourself abruptly when you realized. 

When you and Josh had first started dating, it was hard for you to understand just how much you loved him. So, you decided to write him a letter, one that you had no intention of ever sending, just to get the words down. It took an entire afternoon to write due to the way every line brought a memory forward, each of which your mind chose to play in its entirety. Once it was finished you’d sealed it in an envelope addressed to him and everything, but it had lived in your sock drawer since then, never seeing the light of day. That was until a week ago, when you reorganized. It hit you that you’d taken it out, but forgot to put it back in. After leaving it on his bedside table. 

It wasn’t a masterpiece, just a way to express yourself until you could actually say it all out loud. Though you never really did say those exact words, since you’d forgotten everything you’d written the moment the glue was dry on the envelope. “You found the letter,” is what you eventually opted to choke out, your brain working a million miles a second and at a snail’s pace at the same exact time. “You found it and didn’t tell me?”

He flopped onto his back and rested his head on top of his hands. “I was trying to determine whether or not you meant to give it to me. Y’know, since it was dated all that time back.” He chanced a look at you, a move you could only meet with a huffy laugh. 

“I hadn’t meant to.” You thought for a moment about your intentions, then went on, “But I’m glad you read it. And that you thought it was really good. If I’m being honest, I couldn’t remember what I actually said until you gave that line to me.” Sweet smiles echoed between the two of you as you moved to lay on your elbow, your face right above his. 

Your free hand’s knuckles brushed against his cheek, flushed once again, before kissing him. It was slow, yet deliberate in every sense of the word. His lips were always soft and cushioned, sometimes sweet depending on the chapstick he chose to use that day. That morning they, or rather he, tasted like the mint from the previous night’s toothpaste. It seemed improbable that it would linger that long, but you ignored the logistics in favor of savoring the moment. 

He slowly moved his hands from behind his head, never once breaking contact, and adjusted until both of you were on your sides. One of his hands found its way to your waist, laying itself just inside the hem of your shirt, his fingers flexing into the soft skin. It felt like time had stopped as you laid there next to him in your bed, your hand snaking up to the nape of his neck in order to feel your way across his scalp. The curls wound around your fingers as they moved up and then back down again, his hair just as warm as the rest of him. 

When you finally pulled away, the sun was no longer shining directly through your windows, though you found that Josh’s blush remained intact. “Come on, the entire world has to be out of bed by now.”

“Except you aren’t.” Your brow knotted as you tried to decipher exactly what he meant. He laughed to himself before explaining, “You’re my entire world,” he planted a kiss on your left cheek, “and you’re not out of bed yet,” and another on your right, “so the entire world couldn’t possibly be out of bed by now.” He finished it off by kissing you again, chaste and quick. 

“That is so cheesy.” Yet you couldn’t help but smile widely as you shook your head. More often than not he could be one of the most eloquent people you’d ever met, but the mornings were definitely an exception to the norm. “But I guess your entire world could spare a few more minutes.”

“Good.” He wrapped an arm around your waist, his hand landing firmly on your back. You grew tired again as his scent renewed itself. Dozing off was the only option at that point, but you caught him say one last thing before you both fell asleep, limbs tangled together.  “All I ever want to be is close to you.”

Note: Thank you for reading! If you have a song you'd like to suggest or would like to be added to my tag list lmk!

[dancer-subclarington]

Lonely || Texts || Group || Out of Rp

About: Kyla gets depressed and considers whether being in Ohio is worth it

Kyla: Hey so

Kyla: Can I leave now?

Sarah: No.

Kyla: You’re still no fun.

Sarah: You want to be with your family.

Kyla: My family in particular is overrated

Briar: Not your brothers. They’re at least hot.

Kyla: Everyone in my family is attractive- that’s just bare minimum

Addison: Well they’re also not dicks

Kyla: That’s not a nice word

Addison: Yes, that was my intention.

Brynn: Your brothers are good people. You should stay with them.

Kyla: I’m bored out of my mind here. And my brothers all have their own people here. I do not; and it’s totally boring here.

Sasha: Im sure there’s stuff to do.

Kyla: There’s no theater here; not one! And no dance studio, I haven’t seen a musical or taken a real dance class since London! Also no pageants. No competitions at all okay its criminal!

Sasha: You’ll live.

Kyla: Yeah but its lonely

Rhea: You haven’t found friends?

Kyla: I am not popular here and its seriously messing with my entire existence. Did I make the thing about no competitions clear enough? Cuz Im really over here with no medals or trophies or crowns or any other shiny things.

Addison: You won a competition last week.

Kyla: It was virtual!

Addison: But you got a trophy.

Kyla: It went to my parents house. I have too many in my dorm.

Sarah: Speaking of dorm, don’t you have a roommate to be friends with?

Kyla: I don’t have a roommate. Decorating and redecorating my room is my last thread of sanity. Im really so bored and so lonely and just sad.

Briar: Then leave.

Sarah: She told us not to let her do that.

Kyla: Before I knew just how boring Ohio is. You don’t get how bored I am. I dyed my hair!

Sasha: So?

Kyla: So I’ve had many a crisis and low moments in my life and never have I resorted to dying my hair. A year here and my hair is pink.

Briar: Oh no, you did something fun!

Kyla: Yes, one thing! I dyed my hair and saw the Barbie movie and that’s literally it.

Briar: You just went to Iceland

Kyla: And am re-bored already! Not to mention the fact that Sutton has to constantly turn down jobs for me because none of them are in Ohio. And my mom is pressing me to move and has plenty of good reasons to do it.

Sarah: But your family is more important than your career.

Kyla: Ugh

Addison: And there’s your crush.

Rhea: You didn’t tell me about a crush.

Kyla: I don’t crush!

Sarah: Yeah ok

Kyla: She’s not my crush she’s just someone I like and respect and who is accepting and warm and can cook and is great in bed.

Sarah: Thanks for clarifying.

Briar: Sounds like you have plenty to do.

Kyla: There’s more to life than sex and dance.

Briar: Sounds fake, Ky.

Kyla: Ugh. Im just gonna go find something to smoke

Rhea: Nope

Kyla: Why not

Rhea: Illegal

Kyla: It’s legal here

Rhea: For medicinal purposes.

Kyla: Well then I’m clinically bored.

Rhea: Ky.

Kyla: Archer has Sky and JB and anyone else he wants. Hunter has Sam and Owen and Delilah. Gunner has Alex and Beau. And you know none of those names but the point is they all have people. I have no names. It’s Kyla & nobody.

[lovee-infected]

Hi there! So you did the Twst boys reacting to their s/o getting rejected+slapped by Elise, but what about them reacting to Elise accepting and getting a crush on s/o? Like Elise is torn between wanting Idia and their s/o type deal? All I see is some cute fluffy funny stuff for this event which is awesome but sometimes I just gotta have some jealous conflicted boys. Love your writing! (♡Id love it if you could do all of them but if not, Id really like Idia, Malleus, Leona, and Jade's reactions♡)

Aaaa pretty cool idea anon~ bonus : Vil Schoenheit

♦♥♠♣

You what ? Malleus wasn't allowed to be there but neither were you ; how dare others ask you to do such a shameful thing ?? You are his and only his , that is enough to clarify that he surely doesn't like it when Lilia announces thar you of all people have won the ghost princess's heart .

Your charm and beauty are indubitably stunning ; from inner beauty to outer beauty so Malleus isn't really fascinated to see that you aren't rejected ; what is bothering him is.... something else . Sebek told him that Eliza isn't yet sure on her decision since the Shroud guy was the first to catch her eye , but Malleus doesn't care. He doesn't blame Eliza for choosing you , he too would've done the same...

He isn't going to argue even a single word with you on that , but he isn't about to congratulate either ; he prefers to pretend as this has never happened

When he comes for you around the midnight as the mysterious tsunotarou , you are more than excited to tell him everything that happened today and he gladly listens , but when you get to the point where you proposed , it is a bit too hard for him to hide his frowned expression , and surely doesn't respond when you ask him what's wrong

Your help as a friend who saved all school and a student's life is appreciable , but to become someone else's partner even for a fake marriage when Malleus's mind was wandering to you afraid if you're okay or not all day , that seems a bit too unfair to our dragon boy

" Excuse me...?" Well of course he needs help but at what cost ? No no no , he wasn't planning on you being chosen . Just who the hell allowed you to propose !? Being tied up here doesn't mean that you are free to flirt with others ; even as a joke !

Idia keeps nagging to the walls ( His only friends for now...) , a bit angry jealous at you because you proposed to someone he doesn't like and more importantly ; you proposed to someone else than him

He cannot stop thinking about it now , what if it was him and not Eliza ? Would you propose to him for real ? He is aware of this idea being absolutely lame and silly but he can't really help it

Oh god , how lucky Eliza is to be the one you proposed to and not Idia . He finds the thought of Eliza still having a doubt between you and him nonsense ; why would she need Idia as long you're there ? Idia is still too unprepared for a marriage and he's well aware of it , but he keeps wondering if he would be ever worthy of being proposed to and asked to be one's partner by someone special ? Someone like...you ?

Even after being released , he acts a bit cool with you , telling that he's too tired to chat. He sneaks into his room and takes his anger on other gamers for the rest of the night : " Who says that I'm angry !? I'm not !"

First of all , why you of all people was hired to try such a stupid thing ? You come from no royal family and aren't even a student of NRC , no need to mention that you have no magic either

Seeing you succeed is supposed to be good news for hum since he can soon return to his peaceful sleep , but something seems off about it , something is annoying him

He had teased you before wards telling that you'd even get slapped twice considering how lower you are comparing to the prince charming this ghost is dreaming about , so seeing you coming out with a yes while he got slapped himself was much of a pitty

well he doesn't care that much about getting rejected , but when you tell him that the bride was kinda cute and kind to accept you of all people , he almost loses it . Does this mean that this Eliza is nice and he is mean !?

He doesn't care to argue or show his jealousy , so just takes his leave ignoring you , leaving you behind with a fascinated gaze ; even a tired lion like him can harass like a child...

You wonder , are you wrong or is he really jealous of Eliza because you said she's cute ?

So the young , little (y/n) is the one to make it out of all people , interesting . Not that Jade looked down to you , but rather because he even doubted you liking to try ; specially with him there watching you

Marine life is considerably different on that point and a male eel would certainly like to punish his mate for such an arrogant action . Well it's a very short and forcedly established relationship , but to do that with no sense of obligation toward your real partner...?

Doesn't matter how angry Jade is , you'll see nothing but the smile he always puts on . He is perfect at hiding his thoughts and emotions , which sometimes terrifies you .

You have no idea how furious he is right now , but to see that his actions don't hold even a very small sign of anger or jealousy...you knew him better than this to know that he's faking it

He'd surely cool down when this bride's existence is taken away from NRC , so he finds arguing on it pretty useless . Yet he still wants to tease you a little bit

His ways of torture are just as sugar-coated as his personality : He starts questioning you : Did you like Eliza? Is she lovely? Don't you feel guilty that you've lied her ? Are you seriously going to leave her all alone after making her trust you...?

Ah yes , he knows how to make you suffer

How dare you , he had forbidded you from even thinking of getting involved . Well true , he probably was expecting you to be rejected within a second . You are great , but not complete . Even Vil himself wasn't complete at this bride's attitude

He didn't want you proposing because he would've probably lost it if someone insulted you like this , not a single soul should dare laying a finger on his darling ; specially when he's right there by your side

His getting rejected was enough for him to get pissed off and head out for a moment , but what does he return to ? You proposed and you succeeded

Vil doesn't know if he should congratulate or be mad , his brain seems to be slowing down . Now you're getting married ??

What were you thinking with yourself ? What if the rings Sam gave don't work !? You don't even have any magic to protect yourself from these arrogant ghosts sorrounding you ; then he'll lose you forever

Vil doesn't mind throwing you to a corner and shouting all his thoughts at you . When he's finally done arguing , he cools down just a little

He knows that you meant good , but why did you risk yourself for something this worthless ? All those proud potatoes showing off with their non-existing perfection backed up and you have to be the one sacrificing yourself ?

Well , perhaps all he can do is to make sure that everything goes perfectly ; from putting on your makeup to practicing movements and the wedding dance with you . If you're going to be a groom/bride , let's prove Eliza that Idia is no match for you

[captainamericasbeard]

Empathy Ch. 1

Pairing: Bucky x Empath!Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: None in this first chapter

Summary: Y/N is an empath tasked with helping the Avengers but healing only comes if you want it. 

A/N: I’m incredibly proud and excited to be bringing you this story! If you’d like to be tagged just send an ask and I’d be happy to knock up a list. 

Empathy MASTERLIST ll MASTERLIST 

The sound of your heels clicking on linoleum filled your ears. You smoothed down the front of your skirt and tucked a stray hair behind your ear as you walked briskly down the long hallway. You reached the door to Nick Fury’s office sooner than you would have liked and you took a steadying breath as you raised your hand to knock. Tap tap tap and the door opened immediately. Nick Fury was standing there dressed all in black with his eye patch perfectly in place. You’d seen Fury from afar before, passing through a room, on tv, but you’d never been in close proximity before. He was taller than you expected.

“I’m guessing I shouldn’t shake your hand?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Not unless you want me to know exactly what you’re thinking and feeling.” You reply, a mischievous grin curling your lips.

“Maybe next time,” Fury said inviting you in with a wave of his hand.

“I’m just kidding. I don’t automatically read every person I touch, unless their emotions are running high.” You explain as Fury escorts you to a leather chair across from a small couch.  

“I know a girl who can’t touch anyone. It’s… not a fun way to live,” Fury says as he sits in the chair leaving the couch open for you. You smooth your skirt behind you and sit down crossing your legs.

“I can imagine. When I was a girl my powers were so overwhelming I wasn't able to touch anyone. Years of hard work and practice and I’m a mostly functional member of society. Director Fury, I’ve been with 3P since I was 12. Why are we pretending you don’t already know everything about me.” You drop any naiveté and fix the director with a knowing look. Fury had never taken an interest in your powers before, why now?

“Common courtesy,” Fury said with a shrug.

“Well, thank you. Why don’t we talk about why I’m really here,” you said.

“I’ve got a job for you, if you want it,” Fury offered.  

“I’ve already got a job,” you reply with an arched eyebrow. You had an inkling as to where this was going.

“You do. In my linguists department. Because after being experimented on and tortured you decided to get your PhD in ancient languages and try to contribute some good to society,” Fury said, diving once again into his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of your life.  

“Yes sir,” you confirmed.

“And as a result of that torture and experimentation you have telempathetic powers and super strength,” Fury said.

“In a nutshell, yes.” Let him think he knows everything, even you didn’t know the true extent of your powers.

Fury leaned back in his seat and fixed you with an inscrutable glare. Penny in the air.

“I have a select group of high functioning people with specific skills I’d like you to work with,” Fury stated. And the penny drops.

“I’m not interested in becoming an Avenger, sir” you said.

“Not becoming one of them, helping them. No field work. I’ve got enough super soldiers.” You smiled at that. It was true, you had no desire to throw yourself into the fray and save the world. But helping, that was something you were good at.

“Helping how?” You asked, your curiosity piqued.

“The team gets themselves into some pretty sticky situations and it’s not always easy for them to bounce back, mentally or emotionally. You would be there to… lighten the load, as only you can,” Fury said

“I’m not a therapist,” you said firmly.  

“I’ve got therapists. The team goes regularly. Requirement for being on the payroll. I’m asking you to take it that step further. Help ‘em sleep at night.” You were beginning to catch on.

“I understand. Help their minds rest a bit so things like therapy can be that much more effective,” you said.

“That’s the idea,” Fury said.

“I think I can be of assistance,” you consent. “What about linguistics?”

“What about it? You keep at it. You’re one of our best and I’d hate to lose you,” Fury stated. It was true, you excelled at languages. You worked twice as hard and with higher accuracy than your counterparts. You took a moment to consider Fury’s offer and what it would mean for your life and career. You had reservations but ultimately the thought of using your powers for good won out.

“When do I start,” you ask.  

“You have dinner with the team at 8:00 tonight,” Fury said as he stood up. You stood too and followed him to the door as he held it open for you.  

“8:00. I’ll be there. Thank you Director,” you said.

“No, thank you,” Fury said as you stepped out of his office. You gave him a smile and started down the hallway.

“Oh and Y/n? Maybe you can do something for Barnes,” Fury called after you.

“Sergeant Barnes? What do you mean,” you ask, turning on your heel. “Let’s just say, he’s a troubled man," Fury said with one last glare. With that he shut the door and you were left to ponder what he meant. You started down the hallway and were met by Fury’s assistant who informed you you would be moving into the Avenger’s quarters.

“Go home and pack a bag for a couple of days and we will come by for the rest of your things,” he said.

…

The Avengers occupied the top 4 levels of the main building of the compound. Sprawling common spaces, private rooms, and a gym made up the bulk of the quarters. Tony had a lab and his own private quarters with Pepper. Natasha, Sam, Bucky, and Steve had their own rooms and shared the common areas.

The elevator carried you up and up and up and as you rose your nerves rose too. You clutched your overnight bag in your hand and your knuckles went white. You took a few deep, steadying breaths as the elevator arrived. The doors opened and there stood Steve Rogers, arms crossed and a neutral look on his face. You could feel the apprehension rolling off him but you knew mentioning that would start you off on the wrong foot. You put on your most winning smile and extended your hand. He glanced at it but made no move to shake it so you let it fall. You were used to it.

“So, you’re Y/N,” Steve stated.

“That’s me,” you replied.

“You can leave your bag here. Kitchen’s this way. Don’t expect a warm welcome.” Steve led you through a tastefully decorated common room to the kitchen where the rest of the team sat chatting quietly. The conversation, clearly about you, died away with your entrance. The team turned to greet you. For those who smiled it didn’t reach their eyes. You could feel fear, panic, judgement. You knew you had some huge walls to scale.

“Don’t worry guys, I don’t bite,” you said holding up your hands defensively.

“Don’t mind them,” Sam said approaching you with a hand extended, “they’re a little wary around people who can read their thoughts.” You gratefully shook Sam’s hand.

“I’m not reading anyone’s thoughts, certainly not without their permission. Though you guys are going to have to calm down if you don’t want me knowing how much you dislike me,” you added with a light chuckle.

“Not dislike. Distrust.” Natasha clarified.

“No, its a bit of dislike too. And that’s ok. We have to start somewhere,” you countered, keeping a charming smile on your lips.  

“Hungry?” Sam asked, “It's spaghetti night. My speciality,” He said with a toothy grin.

“Famished,” you replied and sat down and the team followed. “Let’s hold off the questions until after we’ve eaten though. Interrogation’s not great for my digestion.” A few laughed at that and you soon settled into a conversation lead mostly by Sam with Steve and Nat chiming in here and there. Bucky remained stoic, eyes down picking at his food. You tried to catch his eye at first to give him a reassuring smile but he was actively avoiding your gaze.

As the meal ended the light hearted conversation faded away. One by one the team leaned back in their chairs and fixed you with interrogative stares. You were careful not to adopt a defensive stance, keeping your body open and your mind clear. You knew Steve would want to take the lead so you turned to him with a smile.

“Why are you here, Y/N?” Steve asked abruptly.

“I told you, I’m here to help. No ulterior motive,” you replied simply. Steve and Natasha exchanged a quick glance and that’s when you knew these questions had been rehearsed.

“Are you a spy? You report back to Fury?” Natasha asked.

“Not a spy and I don’t report to anyone. Everything I do stays between us.” You knew you couldn’t lie to Natasha even if you wanted to.

“So what’s your deal,” Sam asks, “Telempathetic? What does that even mean?”

“It means I can read and manipulate emotions. I can make a group of people feel one thing or I can focus on just one person. I can heal emotional damage or cause it. I can tell what you’re feeling and even thinking to an extent.”

“What else you got?” Bucky asked in a gruff voice. This you could see caught the others off guard. Bucky was reading you and he was doing a damn good job.

“My physicality is much like yours and Steve’s,” you answered. Steve’s eyebrow went up at this. You felt like you’d been caught in a lie.  

"How do you mean?” Steve asked.

“Increased strength and agility. Increased healing factor. Longer than average life span. That sort of thing.”

“So you're a super solider?” Bucky stated. He was watching you with arms crossed and brow furrowed. You had your work cut out for you with this one.

“Super without the solider,” you explained.

“Fury doesn’t want you in the field?” Steve questioned.

“No, and I don’t want to be there. I’m not here to be an Avenger. I'm just here to help,” you said.

“Help how?” Natasha asked.

“When a mission is too much, or even life is too much, I can help. I can ease your burdens. It's… hard to explain.”

"Show us. Show us what you’ve got.” Sam challenges.

“I'll need a volunteer from the audience,” you said with a coy smile.  

“You said you could do a group. Do all of us,” you felt fear spike in the group and you didn’t need to ask where it came from.

“Not everyone here is comfortable with what I can do. I’d like a willing volunteer,” you said.  

“I asked so I guess I'll do it. Why not. You’re not gonna mess with my memories or anything, are you?” You catch Bucky visibly squirm in his seat at this question.

“No, no, not at all. Nothing like that. If you feel me going somewhere you don’t want me to simply close that door and I’ll stay out. Can I touch your shoulder?” you ask and Sam nods.

“Do you have to be touching the person?” Steve asks curiously.

“No, but it helps,” you say with a soft smile. You reach out and gently lay a hand on Sam’s shoulder. You feel his tension, and his distrust. Suddenly a giggle erupts from Sam’s lips. He claps his hand over his mouth but more soon follow. Steve and Nat glance at each other and Bucky’s scowl deepens as Sam keeps laughing. He’s roaring now, doubled over with tears streaming down his cheeks. Steve chuckles and shakes his head.

“Alright, alright,” he says. You take your hand off Sam’s shoulder and his laughter slowly abates. He chuckles and wipes the tears from his cheeks.

“That was a trip! I’ve never felt anything like that! How’d you do that?” Sam asked. “That I can’t answer. I don’t know the how behind it.”

“But you were experimented on. I mean, you weren’t born like this.” Bucky asked.

“Come on Buck, she doesn’t have to go into that,” Steve said surprising you.

“No, it’s ok. Yes, I was experimented on. By Hydra. My father, he was a scientist and a genius but his experiments were of the unethical variety. Hydra found him disgraced and gave him a home. They gave him the freedom of human experimentation without consequences. And who better to transform than his own daughter.” A ripple of disgust passed through the group at your revelation. “He thought he was creating a god but I only thought I was a monster. I escaped and sought refuge here at Shield with 3P. I put myself through school, college, all under Shield’s protection.”

“3P?” Sam asked.

“Shield’s Powered Protection Program. They take in people with abilities who for one reason or another aren’t safe out in the world,” Natasha answered for you and you nodded.

“Alright, that’s enough for one day. Let’s let Y/N get settled.” Steve said ending the interview. The team seemed finally satisfied. They didn’t trust you yet but they weren’t going to throw you out of the compound. Steve rose and you followed him to the elevator to pick up your bag and on to a hallway lined with doors. Yours was the second on the right.

“Bucky’s on your right and I’m across the hall,” Steve said waving his hand.

“Thanks Steve.”  

“Is that all you have,” he asked pointing to your small bag.

“For now. Logistics is bringing over the rest of my things in the next few days. I just live on campus,” Steve’s face softened a bit at this.

“You know for most of us, this is the only family we’ve got. We’re just protecting what’s most valuable to us,” he explained apologetically.

“I understand. And I’m not offended. I’m here if any of you need me,” you replied.  

“Well, don’t hold your breath on that. I’ll leave you to settle in,” he said with a small smile and closed your door.

[nieladasdenani]

The daylight’s fading slowly (but time with you is standing still)

So, months later I finally was able to finish the prompt @mooooonshine gave me: The Corrs - Breathless + Summer Vibes. I hope it holds to your expectations, as it was erased twice accidentally! I love the Corrs, actually, so maybe that helped keep trying. You can also read this in AO3, if you rather.

Lena Luthor hates the beach.

She's aware that it's an unpopular opinion. And it's not just because standing in the shore of vast expanses of water trigger some trauma. It's not to be edgy either. Lena can actually appreciate the gentle breeze coming from the ocean, the calming sound of the waves. But she's not a fan of the Sun burning her skin, unless she's cocooned under a palm tree wearing a giant hat and shawl. Or the intense heat that makes the sand stick to her skin. Or the noise of too many people having too much fun, everyone trying to impose their respective playlists.

And yet, here she is. Dragged by her traitorous best friends with a flimsy excuse of getting back out there, Lena. So, it's been a while since she's last had casual sex. But less time since she had sex, though. She just ended a two-year relationship, and it's in no hurry to get back out there. Jack is still a dear friend, and it was her who ended things, it's not that she's opposed to casual sex, or one-night-stands, it's a matter of respect for the relationship they had.

"It's been a month, Lena. I think you mourned your kill long enough." Andrea's deadpan comment reaches Lena's internal ramblings, as if her friend could read her mind. She supposed she can, after all those years of friendship. Which is also why Lena glares at her openly and without remorse.

"No. Don't start, you two. We're here to have some fun, and enjoying a lovely day at the beach. We deserve a break!" Sam's always been the soft one out of the three of them. "It's also a good opportunity to meet new people!" Now Sam's throwing an unfairly sweet, hopeful smile at Lena, which in turn make her frown harder.

"Et tu, Brute?"

"Now, there's no need to be so dramatic, Lena. I'm not saying you have to, we're here to have a good time as friends, and if it happens, then, great!" Sam has the audacity to grin, and Lena is appalled to find herself softening in the face of her friends' love. Lena's not about to show this, though. Especially not when Andrea is smirking smugly at her, as if she knows she's won.

"Why are you smiling as if you enjoy spending time at a packed beach?" Lena fires at Andrea, who shrugs:

"I like it just fine. More so when I can eye such delicious, half naked snacks." She says this while pointedly looking in the general direction of a very tall, very handsome dark skinned man, who's smiling at a much shorter but equally gorgeous dark haired woman. Lena's about to point out how the pair seem to be a couple to Andrea, when Sam can't contain her enthusiasm any longer and explodes with an expressive:

"Who wants to get in the water!?"

Neither Lena, nor Andrea startle at the exuberant proposition, they both acknowledge it, however, with a decline. Though, Andrea promises to join her in a future immersion. The rejection doesn't affect Sam in the slightest, who skips the short distance that separates her from the ocean and dives head-first into the water, disappearing from view.

The attention of the remaining pair is grabbed by loud exclamations of joy coming from a group of people that are settled a short distance from them, only to discover that tall and handsome and short and gorgeous are part of the neighbors, and the actual reason they are whooping. Lena imagines it's because they come bearing alcohol and snacks.

"It seems like your snack is already taken." If she's going to have to get through this by force, Lena might as well be annoying, perhaps it will deter her friends from future abductions to the beach.

"Are you not familiar with concept of eye candy?"

"All I'm saying is, if you're going to fantasize about a handsome man, but it turns out he has a gorgeous girlfriend, and they're displaying it so publicly it must dampen the illusion somehow." Lena shrugs, not willing to let it go.

"You said that like it's a problem. All I hear is: handsome man and gorgeous woman. I'm sure you can also appreciate this combo." Andrea directs an arched brow at her, and Lena sighs in defeat, because she sure as hell can appreciate it.

"You're incorrigible." Lena huffs out with a laugh.

"Hey, guys!" They hear Sam, and turn in time to see her waving them from near the edge where sand meets water. Her smile impossibly large as droplets drip from every inch of her. Lena instinctively waves back with a small smile, but then freezes, because right behind her friend there's a goddess.

"Oh, no." She can't help the murmur that escapes her. It's a miracle that she recovers enough, despite Andrea's pointed, mocking, laugh. Just in time for Sam and her new friend to reach them.

"This is Kara!" Sam wears a smile that would be predatory when directed at Lena if it was in anyone else's face, specially Andrea's. "We were talking, and she's inviting us to join her and her friends to spend the day here at the beach!"

"Oh, isn't that wonderful, Lena?" And sometimes, Lena truly wonders why she allowed a friendship with Andrea to bloom after they fucked in college.

"Yes, so gracious." The growl is directed at her friends, but the moment she circles back to look at Kara, Lena finds herself smiling genuinely. Not only because the girl is ridiculously beautiful and fit, but because she's sporting one of the most charismatic smiles Lena has ever been hit with in her life.

"Hi! Sam said you guys were here to have a break from life, and so are we. So I figured we could just join forces and have a good time?" She's chipper, which should be enough to save Lena from this situation, because Lena Luthor hates the beach and Lena Luthor doesn't do chipper. And yet...

"That'd be wonderful, thank you, Kara. Are you sure it won't be a problem with the rest of your group?" Lena finds herself saying.

"Oh! Not at all! They're all very friendly and welcoming. Like I told Sam, it's really not a problem."

"Lovely. I'm Andrea, by the way. This is Lena. It seems as if our dear Sam has forgotten her manners."

"Right! Sorry!" She sounds anything but. "Anyway, shall we?" She's practically jumping with excitement and hurries to carry as much of their things as she physically can. Kara then jumps in to help, despite Lena's protests.

"No, it's no problem." And god, that smile is a weapon.

Turns out they fit right into the group, mostly because said group is outstandingly welcoming, at least after some awkward introductions that served to confirm that tall and handsome (James) and short and gorgeous (Lucy) are, indeed, a couple. Lena tries to send a smug smirk Andrea's way, but her friend looks, if anything more pleased. Incorrigible.

Kara doesn't leave Lena's side, not even when she looks like she's physically ill at the prospect of not getting into the water when most of the group decides to dip together. Andrea included, which almost makes Lena openly balk at her. Kara keeps stealing glances at the friends loudly enjoying the water, so much so that even Lena is close to feel like she wants to join them, too.

"You should go. I promise I'll be here when you come back." Lena teases. Satisfied when a light blush covers Kara's lovely face. 

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! You look like you're about to turn green with envy." Lena appreciates Kara's laugh, like she's always been free to express it, and she finds herself wanting to hear it more. A lot more. Odd.

"Ok! I'll be right back! Have fun, don't let Alex scare you, she's actually a softy." And with that Kara bolts to the water as if she'll turn to sand if she's not wet promptly... Ok, maybe not the best analogy, now Lena feels like she needs to dip in cold water. Ah, Alex. The big sister. Right. She has been friendly enough, but she keeps giving Lena the side eye and Lena's afraid she may receive a shovel talk she's not sure if she's ready to face. Lena faces her with a solid, confident stare, she's a Luthor, after all.

"So," Alex starts, "how are the labs at Luthor Corp? You're awful far from Metropolis." She never leaves her stare from Lena's face, not even when she sips at her drink. Which is a problem, because even if Lena recovers well, she's sure Alex didn't miss how much her question startled her. 

"Hm, are you keeping tabs on me? What is it, agent, special agent?" Lena remembers Kara gushing about her sister's accomplishments when she introduced them, FBI.

"Doctor Danvers is fine." She says. Smug. Lena squints at her. "I'm something of a scientist myself."

"Ah, that's what Kara meant when she said you were like Scully, then." And, surprisingly, they share a fond huff of a laugh over it. So maybe there's still hope.

"Yes. I like to keep up with the latest and greatest of the scientific community as much as I can. And that seems to lately involve Luthor Corp more often than not." Oddly, Lena sees the thinly veiled compliment, she tries not to blush.

"Well, it's a passion of mine. The lab, that is." Alex hums, but adds nothing, just keeps her gaze on Lena. And are moment like these when she's grateful for Lilian, she would be squirming if it weren't for her mother. They share a few more charged stares. Then Alex sighs and drops her eyes for a moment.

"Just don't play with her, all right?" Oh, wait what? Oh, no. She thinks... No!

"We're moving the company to National City!" What? What is she doing' why is she revealing secret information to a literal stranger? "We're changing the name, too. To L-Corp." Oh my god, someone please shut her up! Now! Oh she's dead. And Alex looks completely baffled, she even takes a couple of tries to speak.

"I...Oh. Oh, ok. That's, that's great."

"You can't tell anyone, though." She's not begging, just clarifying. "Please." An afterthought.

"Sure, no problem."

"I wouldn't. I wouldn't play with her." And here Alex sends her a searching look, no doubt looking for flaws. She doesn't seem to find any, because there aren't, and because she shrugs, finally.

"All right. That's all I ask. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself. But If you break her heart I'll make you regret it."

Lilian is going to kill her. Why is she revealing corporate secrets like this? For fear of the sister of a girl she finds cute (ok, glorious)? What the fuck? Since when does she panics like this? Why does she even care to make clear to Alex she's not playing with Kara? Oh Lilian is definitely murdering her now, no matter she's the only child she has left, now that Lex went crazy. So she probably shouldn't be making fun of her brother's very serious mental illness, but she's in self-destruct mode, apparently. Oh, forget Lilian killing her! Sam and Andrea are going to mock her relentlessly. Wait, they don't have to find out! None of them. Oh, good.

"What's wrong with you?" Andrea's usually unimpressed drawl has a tint of concern. And Lena is so caught off guard by the return of the rest of the group form the water that she gapes a little. Which only makes Andrea's frown deepen.

"Nothing. What's wrong with you?" Great. Excellent comeback. Andi's eyebrows almost touch her hairline.

"What did you do?"

"Everything ok?" Kara's sweet voice carries a hint of menace, and both Lena and Andrea turn to see her in such a defensive pose it's kind of uncanny to associate it with the sunshine girl they've met. It's actually kind of hot.

"I don't know. But she looks terribly guilty." Andrea, who seems to be a little impressed herself, says while pointing her accusing finger at Lena.

"Oh! Are you ok?" And she's back to being sweet, sitting back down next to Lena and scooting closer in case she wants to share a secret... again.

"Yes. Yes, of course."

The situation is gathering the attention of everyone, and Lena is sure that she's heading towards a panic attack. But her rescue comes from the least expected place: Alex.

"It's fine. She's just trying to reconcile the fact that I'm FBI and a scientist that knows science."

Lena sends a grateful smile Alex's way, because that seemed to be enough of an explanation for everyone else. Everyone else, except Andrea, of course. Lena does her best to ignore her, which is honestly not that hard with Kara so close to her giving her all of her attention, or the years of practice Lena has in the matter of ignoring Andrea. Also because Andres has her own source of distraction, in the form of James and Lucy. The day goes by in a whirlwind of fun, Lena's loathed to admit. Until Kara's stomach actually growls.

"Yep," Alex says, "that sounds about right. How about we order some actual food before hungry hungry hippo here resorts to cannibalism?" Kara's pouting, but she's also not offering any sort of dispute either. Something Lena shouldn't find adorable, and yet...

Somehow night crawls on them, and Lena is surprised to find that she's not drunk, despite having been drinking since they joined Kara's group. Actually, now that she thinks of it, none of them are. It's probably because Kara was making sure they were all drinking water and eating regularly, the whole time. She feels a little shift in her heart.

It looks like the spell will be broken when Sam regretfully announces that she needs to pick up Ruby from her dad's place. Andrea and Lena start to get ready to go with her, but Sam adamantly refuses them, ordering them to stay and enjoy the rest of the night. That she's just going to pick up her daughter and head home anyway. They insists, even Alex offers to be the one going with Sam, which strikes Lena as odd (doesn't Alex have a girlfriend?). But Sam, for her sweet disposition is really good at being a mom and having a mom voice.

"The only thing is that you two are going to need to find a way get back. I trust our new friends to take care of that?" James is the first to scramble to placate Sam that they'll make sure Lena and Andrea get home safe.

After Sam left night was quick to fall and they group started to retire for the day. Alex received a call from her girlfriend, Brainy and Nia left for Nia’s roommate’s birthday party, Winn had “mysterious date” his friends were teasing him about the whole time.

To Lena’s utter surprise, Andrea ended up leaving with James and Lucy, sporting the smuggest of smirks. This left Lena in the sole company of one Kara Danvers. Lena is actually surprised of how good her day at the beach was, she had fun, she feels like she did make new friends, not acquaintances, but actual friends. She also learned a lot about Kara, who has no reservations in wearing her heart for all to see. Which in Lena’s life is refreshing. It’s why she can tell the blonde is nervous when she says:

“I, I could walk you?” She doesn’t word it as a question but her voice does this thing that makes it sound like one. It’s endearing. It’s disarming.

“I’d like that.” And Lena’s nervous, too. She’s just better at hiding it. She’s nervous because she really wants to fuck Kara tonight. But she truly doesn’t want Kara to be a one-night-stand, or something even more ridiculous, like a summer love. But, god, she really wants to make love to this absurdly beautiful girl. And the walk is lovely, the air is a little cooler, but mild enough they can stay in their beach clothes, it gets lovelier when Kara spots her favorite ice cream stand open and insists she introduces Lena to:

“The best ice cream ever, you’ll see.”

“I’m sure.” She is, because she’s starting to believe everything with Kara is going to be delightful, Lena’s never been more charmed in her life.

Kara ends up buying a monstrosity that’s like a sample of every flavor available in one giant cup. Lena voices her concern about the amount of ice cream, and how she doubts they’ll be able to finish it. And Kara looks at her with a genuinely offended expression. Admittedly, the ice cream is delicious, and surprisingly, Kara does manage to finish the whole thing by the time they reach the hotel Lena’s staying in while her new apartment is done. They both look at the entrance like it has personally offended them.

“Well, this is me.”

“Yeah. Uh��� Would you… I know you’re an important scientist and are probably super busy, but, do you think we could see each other again?”

“I’d love that.” Lena’s sure she’s never sported a bigger smile on her face. “Here, let me add you to my contacts, and I’ll text you so you have my number as well.”

“Yes, yeah. That’s awesome!” They exchange numbers like giddy teens, but still linger just outside the door.

“Would you like to come up?”

“Oh, you have no idea. I really, really do. But I want you in my life for as long as I can have you, you know? I mean, I want to do this right.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, if… if that’s what you also want, of course!”

“What I want is you, naked, in my bed.”

“Oh… Rao…” Kara’s so red, it’d be concerning if it wasn’t so adorable. “I really want that, too. I do. But, will that mean like a one night thing? What are you proposing, exactly?” Lena is so surprise for a moment, about the openness of Kara’s feelings, that it’s taken the wrong way. “I’m not, like, trying to pressure you into anything! Please, don’t freak out! It’s just, I like you so much, I really would like to maybe try and see if we work? Together? Like, as a couple? I know we just met… What I mean is, I’d like to know where we stand.”

“Kara,” because Lena doesn’t ever want to be the reason Kara looks this distressed again. “I’d love to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship with you. I know what you mean, you want to go step by step. I appreciate that. I just really wanted to have my way with you tonight.” Lena teases. And suddenly, Kara’s whole body language changes, she gains some confidence at Lena’s confirmation of affection.

“Well, I’ll make it worth the wait.” And oh, Lena is going to hold her to that.

They’re close enough to each other there’s no way to tell who initiates the kiss, it’s probably both of them, honestly. It’s soft, but so full of promise, Lena suddenly has no problem with doing the thing right, doing it their way, at their pace. She has a feeling this is all going to be worth it.

As a matter of fact, she’ll be right. She and Kara would go to start a relationship that’d be the best either of them ever experienced. They complement each other nicely, when Kara is impatient, Lena steps up, and when is Lena the one rushing things, is Kara who grounds her. It’ll start with regular coffee dates, then dinner dates, then lunch dates at Lena’s office. Game nights, movie nights. It’ll be like watching a flower bloom. And yes, the wait for the love making part will absolutely be worth the wait.

[writingpitcheswearingpearls]

Nothing Says Soulmates More Than Sharing a Soul: Chapter 13

Ao3 Link

Once out of Danny’s body, Phantom found himself hyperventilating and his vision fading to black around the edges. This was it; the moment of truth. He was about to find out what Danny thought of him now that he’d seen his true colours.

“W-What just happened?” The sound of Tuckers voice got Phantom to turn and face him, which the ghost immediately regretted. Standing in front of Phantom with clenched fists and a heaving chest was Danny. There was so much pain and anger in his eyes, Phantom couldn’t help but immediately burst into tears.

“Danny, I –”

“Get out! I don’t want to see you!” Danny cut in with a furious growl. Phantom’s eyes widened with fear. He tried to say something, anything, but all he could let out was a pathetic whimper before turning and flying away as fast as he could.

As he frantically flew over the town, he felt pure dread fill his entire being. His absolute worst fear had been founded. Danny hated him the second he knew the truth, and now he’s lost the most important person in his life. Not only that, but he’s lost everyone else that’s important to him too. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for anyone to pick him over Danny. They’d only ever been there for him because they were under the impression that he was the friend they knew and loved, not some stranger who didn’t even have a clue who he really was.

Not being able to think clearly, Phantom flew straight back to Danny’s room and collapsed onto Danny’s bed, curling in on himself as he sobbed into the pillow that so painfully smelled of Danny. He knew he shouldn’t be there, but he had no idea where he was meant to go and it was the only place he felt safe. He figured as long as he left before Danny got back, there wouldn’t be any trouble.

“Danny? Are you back?”

At the sound of Jazz’s voice, Phantom choked on a sob. He somehow needed her and couldn’t handle the idea of talking to her. Immediately, Jazz burst into the room and rushed to him, apparently hearing him through the wall. She sat next to him and began giving frantic, yet still soothing strokes up and down his back.

“Danny! Are you hurt? What happened?” She asked in a panicked tone. At the sound of the name she called him by, he let out a small moan of distress and curled further into himself.

We haven’t told her yet…She still thinks I’m him.

“I- I’m not…” He tried to say through his sobbing, but the pain and fear attached to what he was trying to say made it all that much harder to let out.

“It’s okay. You can tell me anything, little brother.” She encouraged in a gentle voice full of protective feelings and love that he didn’t deserve. Finally, he found the strength to push himself up and back away from her touch.

“That’s just it! I’m not your little brother!” He exclaimed, bringing his arms close to his body and digging his nails into his biceps. It was all he could do to stop the frost that was building around him from spreading any further and hurting Jazz. He wanted to look up to see her reaction, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

“Don’t say that –”

“But it’s true! I was never actually Danny! I’m just some pathetic ghost that latched itself onto him, leeching off his memories and his friendships! Now you know the truth, you’ll want me gone too!” He cried out, lifting his hands to his face to clench his hairline.

“Phantom…” She said softly, before her hands wrapped around his to pull them away from his face.

“Please look at me. I… I already knew that you weren’t Danny.” That made him look at her.

“What? But then why did you call me that earlier?” He questioned with eyes wide with shock.

“It was a reflex, sorry. Having thought of you as Danny for four years, it will be hard to get used to the truth, even though I’ve had a couple of days to wrap my head around it. The point is that I know you’re not Danny, but I also know that nothing else you said was true.” She explained with a serious, yet empathetic expression. He opened his mouth to protest but was cut off when she raised her hand to gesture that she wasn’t done.

“You talk about yourself like some sort of malicious parasite, but that isn’t true at all. You’re a hero and the last thing I’d call you was pathetic!” She reassured. Phantom shook his head and looked away.

“You can’t know that. I have no idea what type of person I was before Danny, so who’s to say that fusing with him wasn’t intentional?” Phantom argued. The room was silent, and Phantom was afraid that what he’d said had convinced her.

“When that alternate future version of you fused with Vlad’s ghost, did he immediately go evil?” She asked.

Fuck, she thinks I’m going to go evil!

“I- I think so. I’m not sure.” He answered, shaking from how fast his core was pulsing with panic. He risked a look at her, only to become shocked to find her smiling.

“Great. So it stands to reason that when somebody fuses with an evil ghost, they are influenced to take on those evil traits. When Danny fused with you, he didn’t become evil, he became a hero. What do you think that says about who you were?” She explained with a confident tone that she reserved for when she was pretty sure she just won an argument. To Phantom’s confusion, it may have been warranted. He couldn’t find a way to argue with what she said. The calm only lasted a moment before he remembered the last time he spoke to Danny.

“Well, just because I didn’t go in a shit person, doesn’t mean I’m not a shit person now. You don’t know what I’ve done since separating from Danny.” He redirected. Her brow quirked in confusion.

“It can’t be that bad.”

“The second Danny found out, he never wanted to see me again.” Jazz blanched at his statement, visibly taken aback by it.

“What? That can’t be right. He wouldn’t –”

“But he did! He was everything to me and now that he hates me I’ve got nothing!” Phantom cried out, frost flashing out of him and spreading around the room, causing Jazz to flinch and jump up from the bed in shock.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that!” He apologised quickly, nearly reaching for her before thinking better of it. Jazz looked around the room at the ice damage, breath slowing down.

“It’s okay Phantom, you just surprised me. I’m not hurt. Has this been happening a lot?” She eventually said. Phantom groaned as he dragged his hands down his face.

“Yes. I can’t control my powers properly, especially my ice core. Danny has been helping me, but… without him I don’t think I’ll be safe around people anymore.” He admitted. The only place safe for him would probably be the Far Frozen. Frostbyte would surely take him in, even if he’s only half of “The Great One”. Jazz sighed, before sitting on the bed again.

“Phantom, I’m one hundred percent certain that if you just talk it out with Danny, you’ll find that he doesn’t hate you. That being said… spending some time away from him might be a good thing.” Phantom’s eyes snapped back to her, scared by what she’d said.

Is she telling me to leave?

Something about his expression must have told Jazz to realise what he was thinking, as her eyes widened and she suddenly raised her hands into a gesture that read “I mean no harm”.

“I’m not telling you to leave! I’m just saying that if you do leave, it may be good for you. It’s clear that you’re extremely dependant on Danny, so spending time away from him could help you develop as an individual and self-regulate.” She clarified. Phantom felt his shoulders drop, not realising that he had hunched them in the first place as he thought about what she said. Those sounded like things he wanted, but the idea of being separated from Danny for a long time gave him an uncomfortable tightness in his chest.

“In any case, you should wait until you talk to Danny before deciding anything. If you’re wrong about how he feels it will feel awful to leave with such a painful misunderstanding lingering between you. If you’re right, you’ll regret leaving without a proper chance to apologise and reconcile.” Jazz added on, bringing his attention back to her. The smile she gave him was warm and understanding, which he found deeply relieving.

“Thanks Jazz. For the advice… and for still caring about me even though I’m not your brother.” Phantom thanked sincerely, hoping his tone conveyed how deeply he meant those words. For a moment, Jazz’s eyes watered, before she suddenly lunged at him and pulled him into a hug.

“Listen closely Phantom, because if you don’t, I’m going to have to repeat it until it gets into that ectoplasmic skull of yours. Just because you aren’t Danny does not mean you aren’t my brother! You have been a part of my family for the past four years and that doesn’t end just because we aren’t blood related, you hear?!” She declared, voice shaking with emotion. Phantom couldn’t help but cry as he wrapped his arms around her back and clung desperately to his big sister.

~

“Dude, are you okay?” Tucker’s words cut through the tense silence. Danny turned to him and took in the concerned expressions of his two best friends. He groaned as he turned back away, too emotional to make eye contact with either of them.

“Not really.” He admitted lowly. So many emotions were bubbling inside him at that moment. Anger, betrayal, embarrassment, but mostly confusion. He wasn’t even sure confusion was an emotion, but he sure was feeling it.

“Did you want to talk about it?” Sam asked cautiously.

“Yeah, what the hell happened back there?” Tucker chimed in, voice raising in confusion. Normally, he would have loved to fill his friends in on what happened, but to do that he would have had to have processed what happened, and he did not want to do that any time soon.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Danny growled bluntly, hoping his anger would mask his fear.

“But –”

“Drop it, Tucker. He’ll talk about it when he’s ready.” Sam cut in. She offered Danny a supportive smile, which he tried to reflect back weakly.

“Fine, topic dropped. What do we want to do now, if we’re avoiding dealing with our problems?” Tucker relented. Danny was almost stunned for a moment. If he had told his fourteen-year-old self that Sam would be the one enabling him not to process his feelings and Tucker would be the vaguely more responsible one, he would have gotten a laugh and a “good one, Amorpho” from him, before immediately getting attacked. The thought made him chuckle lowly, before thinking of how to answer his friend’s question.

With everything he was feeling, he wanted nothing more but to distract himself from what had just transpired between him and Phantom. He was even willing to do something he had been avoiding doing ever since he became a hero.

“Is it too soon to go to Mikey’s party? I really just need to get drunk right now.” Danny asked, finally turning to face his friends. Tucker snorted out a short laugh.

“It won’t start for another couple of hours, and it won’t be cool to show up for another few.” He answered matter-o-factly. Danny groaned. He should have realised. Years of not being able to go to parties really made him a complete novice at them. Seeing his disappointment, Sam stepped closer to Danny with an encouraging smile.

“If you wanted something to do while we wait for the party, we could have drinks at my house and play video games.” She suggested.

“Pre-drinking before a house party? Wow, we are finally acting like real teenagers!” Tucker cheered enthusiastically. Danny put on a grin, hoping it conveyed his gratefulness to both his friends, while concealing the feelings he desperately wanted to ignore.

After sneaking into Sam’s parents’ liquor cabinet and several rounds of Ultimate Mecha Strike III that got progressively worse the more the trio drank, Tucker finally announced that it was fashionably late enough to show up at the party.

Sneaking more booze into their bags, the three of them took off on foot towards Mikey’s house, which was luckily only a short distance from Sam’s estate. Being in the same part of the neighbourhood, Danny really shouldn’t have been surprised by how nice Mikey’s house was. Not as intense as Sam’s “old money” mansion, but still quite fancy.

“Wow, drunk Danny sure is interested in architecture.” Tucker commented teasingly.

“Oh shit, was I talking out loud?” Danny asked, immediately being answered by two grinning nods.

Before they could knock on the front door, it swung open to reveal a red-faced Mikey with a wide, excited smile.

“Danny! You came!” He exclaimed far louder than necessary. Tucker cleared his throat.

“We’re here too, y’know.” He grumbled, making Danny and Sam giggle. Mikey took a big step back and gestured for them to enter.

“Come on in! If you brought drinks, you’re best to put them in the fridge now if they need it. We’re running out of room fast!” He advised, before wandering off at the sound of someone shouting his name from the other room.

Standing in the doorway, Danny felt his heart racing. Here he was, at a real-life high school party that he was invited to. He was drunk and without a care in the world, with no responsibilities or ghosts to worry about –

Suddenly, the thought of ghost brought a vision of beautiful green eyes to his mind. He shook the thought out of his head, before pacing further into the house to find something to distract him.

“Hey! It’s Fenton!” Turning to face the sound of the voice, he saw Kwan and a group of footballers gathering around a ping pong table. The rosy tint in Kwan’s cheeks and the delighted smile brought a warm feeling in Danny’s stomach. Before the jock could even gesture for him to come over, Danny found himself gravitating in his direction.

“You up for some beer pong? You can be on my team!” Kwan offered. Danny chuckled.

“Sure, but I’m warning you that I am already pretty drunk, so my aim is probably shit.” He warned, winning a light laugh from the group of jocks.

“All good, bro! That just means an even playing field!” A footballer he couldn’t remember the name of called out, words slurring together slightly.

Danny turned to ask Sam and Tucker if they wanted to play, to find that they had only just caught up to him.

“Do you guys want to play?” He asked. Sam rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, no thank you. I hate beer, and they probably don’t have a vegan friendly one, either.” She replied. Danny did a double take.

“Wait, beer can be not vegan? How?” He asked, very confused. Before she could answer, Danny felt himself being pushed toward the ping pong table by Tucker.

“Come on dude. You know she won’t stop once she gets started.” With a shrug, Danny returned his focus to the group of footballers.

“Alright, let’s do this! Now… how do you play?”

Danny wasn’t sure how, but he managed to be insanely good at beer pong, quickly annihilating Tucker and the other team and winning an uproar in cheers from his own team.

Learning how to aim while losing blood must have been good training for this very moment.

Busy chuckling at his own thoughts, Danny was caught off guard when he was suddenly swept into a bear hug by Kwan.

“That was legendary, bro! Seriously, is there nothing I can say to convince you to join the football team?” The boy gushed, ruffling a hand through Danny’s hair and messing it up even further.

“Yeah, especially considering sign ups are well and truly over and this is our final year?” Danny replied, not sure whether to return the hug or not. The contact certainly felt nice, but there was something this was just… off about it. Maybe it was the fact that Kwan seemed to be running hot too, so there was no cooling relief like when he was holding Phanto –

No. He wasn’t letting himself think about him. It hurt too much.

“Oh, right. My bad.” Kwan laughed, pulling away from Danny. He had to admit that the jock was quite handsome, and the glistening of his sweat was weirdly mesmerising.

“Wow, dude. You sure are hot.”

“WHAT?” Danny exclaimed, not sure if his line of thinking had made him hallucinate hearing that or if it had actually happened. Kwan laughed again.

“I meant your temperature, bro. Are you coming down with something?” At that question, Tucker jumped into the conversation, wrapping an arm around his best friend.

“Nah, he’s fine. He’s just running warm because of his growth spurt, that’s all.” Tucker explained, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“That checks out. You did seem to fit four years of growing into like, three days. Why don’t you have one of my rum and cokes to cool down? They’re in the fridge door!” Kwan offered, before waving and wondering back to the footballers.

“Danny, are you alright? You really are burning up…” Tucker commented, voice laced with concerned. Danny sighed before slinking out from under Tucker’s arm and stomping towards the kitchen.

“Look, I don’t want to talk about how I’m feeling, I just want to drink until I can’t feel my fingers, okay?” If he couldn’t feel his fingers, maybe he wouldn’t remember how Phantom felt underneath them. Maybe he wouldn’t want to run them through his ghostly hair and relish in how soft it was.

“Whoa, take it easy, okay buddy? I don’t want you getting hurt.” Tucker advised; voice laced with concern. While Danny appreciated that Tucker cared, he was in no mood to be lectured, so he ignored the warning and continued his path towards the fridge and grabbed one of Kwan’s cans. When he was halfway through downing it, revelling in the cooling sensation, he heard a sigh come from his friend.

“I’m going to go find Sam. I think I need her help with this.” He admitted reluctantly. Danny huffed with indignation.

“Fine, go get her. Neither of you will be able to stop me from having fun tonight.” He scoffed. Hearing a surprising chuckle from a new voice, Danny pivoted suddenly toward the source of the sound to see Spike leaning in the doorway.

“Damn, Danny. I am loving your new look on you. Have you ever thought about eye liner? I think it would look awesome on you.” Spike commented, eyes tracing up and down Danny. For a moment, the blue-eyed boy shivered under the gaze, before offering a non-committal shrug.

“Come with me, I’m going to put some on you now.” With that, the punk boy had grabbed Danny’s free arm and tugged him towards what looked like an entertainment room, before pushing Danny onto a fairly large couch and stepping out of view. Quickly he returned with a bag and was pulling out an eyeliner pencil. Any concerns about getting pink eye from sharing the pencil immediately evaporated the second Spike perched himself on Danny’s lap. The pressure gave him an instant flashback to the times Phantom was in his lap.

“Sorry, this is just the easiest way to do this.” Spike apologised, a blush rising in his cheeks.

“I bet you say that to all the boys.”  Danny was pleased with the laugh that quip won from the punk boy. Quickly, Spike stilled again and continued drawing along Danny’s lash line.

“With lines like that, it’s no wonder Punny Phantom chose you.” Danny couldn’t help but stiffen at the mention of Phantom. Spike leaned back to look at his work, only to frown as he noticed something.

“Uh oh, did something happen between the two of you?” At the punk’s concerned question, Danny groaned and realised that he must have been grimacing.

“Sort of? I don’t want to talk about it.” He mumbled, looking down and away from the boy in his lap. Suddenly, a hand pressed lightly into his cheek and turned his face back up to Spike.

“Hey…if you ever want to talk, or not talk… I’m here.” The punk boy offered, eyes lilting on the words “not talk”.

As Spike leaned closer in towards Danny’s face, it occurred to Danny that the guy might be into him. He was going slow, seeming to give Danny an opportunity to stop him. Feeling his heart rate increase, he wasn’t sure if he wanted him to stop or not. The guy was pretty cute and he seemed like a decent enough person having calmed down a lot from their freshman year, but there was something missing.

Before Danny had to make a decision, the door to the room slammed open, causing both boys to jolt in shock. Peering around Spike, Danny saw a very drunk Sam standing in the threshold, hand still on the door with an angry expression on her face.

“I have to go.” Spike said abruptly, scrambling off of Danny’s lap and pushing past Sam, revealing that she had Tucker and Starr behind her.

“What were you doing in here?” Sam asked with a scowl. Danny gulped nervously, not sure what he did wrong.

“Spike was putting eye liner on me. Do you like it?” He replied, hoping his nervous smile would be enough to smooth out her agitated mood. Sam narrowed her eyes, as she scrutinised his appearance, before a strong blush spread across her cheeks.

“Y-Yes.” She mumbled. For a few moments an awkward silence hung in the air, as Danny waited for anyone to say anything. Eventually, Starr groaned before pushing Sam toward Danny.

“For crying out loud, I thought you were going to confess, not stare awkwardly at him.” The blonde complained. Sam hissed lowly, her blush getting ten times worse as she staggered toward him. Danny was thrown off by what Starr had said.

“Confess? Do you mean like, to murder, or…?” He asked cautiously, trailing off when Sam stopped right in front of him. Either way, he was nervous for whatever she was going to say. She opened and shut her mouth a few times, before scrunching her face up and turning back towards Starr and Tucker.

“I can’t do this! It’s too hard!” She complained, earning an eye roll from them both. Seeing how distressed she was, Danny reached forward and took Sam’s hand gently, the touch getting her to whip back around to face him.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Sam. You’re one of my best friends; you can tell me anything and I’ll still want to be your friend.” He tried to reassure. Unfortunately it seemed to fail, as she let out a frustrated groan.

“That’s the problem! I’ve always just been a friend, but I don’t want to be!” She exclaimed almost angrily. Danny couldn’t helped but flinch, releasing her hand as he leaned away from her.

“Y-You don’t want to be friends with me anymore?” He asked, feeling tears begin to well in his eyes. The groan from every person in the room was Danny’s only warning, before Sam suddenly dropped herself onto his lap and pull herself in to his body until their lips met in an intense connection. It was at this point it clicked for Danny that Sam had romantic feelings for him.

As she gripped tightly into his shoulders with one hand and raked through his hair with the other, he took the moment to contemplate how the situation made him feel. He knew he should feel amazing; Sam was beautiful and someone he was very close with, not to mention the crush he’d had on her for the past four years. Theoretically, this was everything he should want and he should be satisfied.

The only problem? He couldn’t feel any of that. He tried kissing her back. He tried smoothing his hands over her waist. He even tried grinding into her. Nothing. Frustrated, he pulled away from her and groaned as he slapped himself in the face and leaned back into the couch.

“Ugh! What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just do this?” He mumbled, tears welling in his eyes. Why couldn’t his body react like it had with Phantom? Or even how he’d felt a minute ago with Spike in this same position. A scoff brought his attention back to the girl in front of him.

“I can’t be that bad at kissing.” Sam grumbled, crossing her arms defensively.

“Sam, I don’t think you did anything wrong. He’s just gay.” Starr interjected before Danny could open his mouth.

“What? No, I’m bi. I’ve had feelings for girls before, I swear! I even had a crush on Sam for like, four years! I don’t know why I’m ruining this!” Danny cried out. The irritated look in Sam’s eyes melted into one of sympathy as she slid off of Danny’s lap to sit next to him.

“It’s okay Danny. Sexual orientation can change, and crushes fade. I’m just sad I missed my chance.” She reassured, taking his hand comfortingly.

“But how did it change so fast? I swear a week ago Tucker caught me with a boner when you were picking up litter in a mini skirt.” Danny argued, before breaking eye contact with Sam to look at Tucker, pleading with his face for his friend to back him up. Seeing the thoughtful expression on his face made Danny’s stomach sink.

“Danny… I think those might have been Phantom’s feelings.” At the sound of Tucker mentioning the name, it all made sense. He’d always assumed he only started getting interested in girls after the accident because he’d only just reached that part of puberty, but what if it was because Phantom was the one who was attracted to girls? It would certainly explain why he hadn’t felt anything for any girls since they split. A weight lifted off of Danny, from both understanding himself better, and for the knowledge that Phantom was just as much in control when they were fused as he was. He let out a relieved laugh.

“So I wasn’t controlling him this whole time! He still had free will!” He exclaimed happily. He couldn’t wait to tell the ghost the good news.

“Uh… now that we can mention him without you losing it, can you please explain what the fuck happened back at the library?” Tucker enquired, making his way deeper into the room and sitting on a recliner. Danny found himself off guard, suddenly remembering that he was mad at Phantom.

“Ugh, don’t even get me started! He full on let me believe I was this perverted asshole that didn’t deserve a chance with him, but no! Turns out he was only acting weird because he did have feelings for me and was too much of a coward to tell me the truth! If he had just told me he was awake when I kissed him in my sleep then I wouldn’t have spent this entire time agonising over what a bad person I was!” Danny complained. As he spoke, it became very clear to him that the entire time he’d spent with Phantom as separate people, he’d been repressing his own feelings for the ghost to the point of almost being unaware of them. Seeing gears turn in Sam’s mind, he waited for her to speak.

“So, the problem was that he didn’t make it clear how he felt, which made you feel like he couldn’t love you?” Sam questioned, to which Danny nodded emphatically in response.

“Right… and how is that any different to what you are doing now?” She continued, stopping Danny dead in his tracks.

“W-Wait, what?”

“Come on dude, you had a look inside his mind and the first thing you did was tell him to fuck off, essentially. As if that didn’t tell him you aren’t interested. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he thought you never wanted to see him again at all!” Tucker explained, rolling his eyes. Danny felt his own eyes widen with realisation and despair.

“Shit! I only meant I need space to cool down while I was mad at him! He probably thinks that I hate him! What if he runs away to the Ghost Zone? I have to go home and tell him the truth!” Danny exclaimed in a panic, before jolting to his feet and dashed out of the room.

“What the fuck was that all about?” was the last thing he heard from the room before he darted his way through the house and back onto the street.

Thanks to his increased speed and endurance, the sprint home was in record time, and luckily he had managed to sober up in that time. He wanted to talk to Phantom with as clear a mind as he could, so that he could tell Phantom how he felt without there being any more confusion between them. As silently as he could, he opened the front door. Luckily, he could hear his parents tinkering away frantically in the lab, so he didn’t have to worry about them slowing him down. Unable to slow his heart rate down as he climbed up the stairs, he focused on slowing his breathing and on what he was going to say.

“Don’t worry Phantom! I don’t think you’re a pervert! I’d probably watch you shower, if given the opportunity.” No, no, no… that doesn’t sound right. Just keep it simple and say you don’t hate him!

Figuring that was a good place to start, he took one last deep breath before opening the door to his bedroom.

To find it empty.

Disappointed, Danny walked into the room and looked around. The only sign that anyone had been in here since they’d left earlier today was that the computer was now on. He paced over to the screen to see a folder open with a single video file in it labelled “Goodbye Danny”. Nervously, he tapped on the file and the video began playing. On screen, Phantom was stepping away from the screen and steadying his breath before looking straight into the camera. It broke Danny's heart to be able to tell that he'd been crying.

“Hey Danny. By the time you’ll be watching this, I’ll have already gone into the Ghost Zone. I know Jazz said I should wait to talk to you before I go, but I think seeing you would hurt too much. When you told me to leave, I didn’t know who I would be without you. I… I need to be someone on my own, but I can’t do that if I stay with you. When I feel like I’m ready, I’ll come back to see you. But I’m not sure how long that will take, or if I’ll still feel the same way about you. I just want you to know that I’m sorry for what I did, and I’m sorry I let you down. I hope you find someone who deserves you. Goodbye Danny.”

With that, the video ended on Phantom leaning forward to stop recording, and Danny found himself as frozen as the frame on screen.

He was too late; Phantom had left him.

[lesbian-deadpool]

"Soulmates”

Part Three Of Three: The Truth Of The Matter

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Words: 1,825

Warnings: Angst. Death. Canon Endgame. I’m so sorry.

Request: For the anon who donated to the Australian Bushfires, who wanted angst. Well, you got it, buddy.

Summary: She loved you. Always.

A/N: Again, thanks to @missmonsters2 for helping me out with this idea.’ It’s shorter than the others. I know. But I tried my best lol.

(Not my GIF)

***

Your eyes fluttered open, showing you the bright blue sky of Wakanda above you, the treetops a beautiful green against the warm sun. Birds were chirping, bringing peace to your otherwise fuzzy body.

You were disorientated. That much was for sure. But you were forgetting something. Something important. You just knew you were. But what was it?

Leaves rustling and twigs shaping in half brought your attention to behind you. Moving your still laying head to peer above you, you saw a disgruntled looking Bucky, his hair matted with the battle that you had just lost.

Lost.

You had lost.

As Bucky whispered for Steve, you sat up, chest heaving.

Where the hell was Natasha?

Your eyes were wild as you looked around for her. Finding T’challa, a crouching Wanda, your eyes snapping to Sam rushing out from the trees. Along with the countless other Wakanda soldiers scattered around.

“Natasha?!” you yelled, fingers weaving through leaves, twigs, and dirt. Anything to hold you onto reality.

Where the fuck was everyone?

Hastily, you moved to stand.

“NATASHA?!” you roared. You had to find her. You needed to find her. God. You had to tell her how stupid you were. You had to tell her. You had to tell her.

“She’s not here.”

You looked up to find a strange man wearing a cape, and a goatee that he had looked like he had stolen from Tony, standing before you.

“Where the fuck is she?” you growled. You didn't know who this man was. But if he knew where Natasha was, you would stop at nothing to find her.

“I don’t know.” You were about to call bullshit when he spoke again. “But we are needed.” That’s when you noticed Peter, three others, and that weird tree dude that Thor had brought along with the raccoon guy, who was also nowhere to be seen, standing behind the cape-wearing Tony Stark wannabe. “It’s been five years. And there's a battle that is in dire need of our assistance.”

“It’s been how long now?”

***

You were looking around everywhere you could for Natasha when you had exited the portal from Wakanda. Because apparently the goatee guy was a wizard Named Stephen Strange, or Doctor Strange as his alias, and could also create portals.

Oh well, you've seen crazier things.

And this might count as one of them.

The compound, the very same one you had left not even a few days ago -in your time- was destroyed. Crumbling down into the crater where most of it had assumedly blown up, parts of the building still smoking and on fire.

You stood, wide-eyed and breathing heavy, looking at Thanos and his large army, along with the people and beings in yours.

Great. So you had to do this shit all over again.

Not even ten minutes break.

Fucking- A!

“Avengers-”

Hey, you knew that voice. Looking to your side you spotted Steve, not even third feet away from you. How you hadn’t noticed him before was beyond you. But then again, you were well-intended on finding Natasha before you could even imagine noticing anyone else.

God, you wished she was alright.

She had to be.

“Assemble.”

You scoffed humouredly to yourself. Well, at least he finally finished his sentence, and after years of you waiting on him. Not even a second later, you were racing off towards Thanos’s incoming army. If it really had been five years. They you were gonna give your all, to make sure that this would well-and-truly be the final battle that the purple titan, and all of his followers, would ever see.

Gasping for air as you glanced around, watching out for any incoming aliens, while you took a much-needed breather, when you spotted someone else you knew.

“Clint?” you asked, almost sceptically because of the man's appearance.

“Y/N?” he asked breathlessly, and you could tell he was so happy to see you.

Shaking your head to regain your thoughts, you remembered what you were originally going to ask the blonde man.

“Where’s Nat?” His jaw ticked and his eyes welled with tears. “Clint?” you asked slowly, but still no reply, “Clint, where’s Nat?”

He looked to the ground below your feet, steadily shaking his head.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“No.” You took a step back, your gun dropping from your hand and onto the battle-worn ground, as tears begin to well in your own eyes. “No, she can’t- Clint. It- It’s Nat. She’s strong. She’s so strong. She’s a fighter, Clint. She can’t have-”

“Y/N.” Salty tears rolled down his cheeks. “It’s true.”

Your second tear rolled down your face, falling to splatter upon the dirt beside your boots when the fire began to blase within you.

“Why?”

Clint inhaled a deep breath like he was about to tell you exactly what happened to the red-head. But instead, he looked off into the distance, where the battle was still raging, and where the purple titan Thanos stood.

Then it all clicked.

“Him,” you seethed, causing the tattooed man to look your way once again, not that you gave him the same treatment. Your eyes fixated on the giant who thought of himself as a god. “He’s the reason. He’s the reason that Natasha’s dead.”

Finally, you snapped your attention towards Clint. “Right?” you hissed, to which you only received a nod in return.

At Clint’s confirmation, you growled, picking up your gun and racing off into battle, once again. Swearing to deal out as much damage as you could, before you reach Thanos, fully intending for him to pay for all that he has caused. For everything, he has taken away. For Natasha.

***

It felt like you had blinked, and suddenly you were watching Tony Stark die in front of you.

You hadn't blinked. Of course, you hadn't. Blood coating your hands and all the way up your bare forearms, as you panted. The rage within you diminishing with every intake of stale, death-filled air.

Dropping to your knees, squeezing Tony’s shoulder lightly as he took his last breath. You allowed your tears to fall along with the others falling to their knee, finally letting yourself cry for Natasha. And now Tony.

How did life change so much in such a small amount of time? Was it even possible? It had to be. Because it was happening to you right now.

Your heart was slowly tearing into two, you could feel every tiny rip with each ragged gasp of breath, and tear that dropped. Quiet sobs racked through your body, you just couldn’t hold any of it in anymore, not the heartbreak, the hate for all that has happened, the rage you felt for that purple fuck. Noe of it. It was all pouring out of you, like a broken tap, the tears soaking your cheeks a clear indication of that.

Something- Or rather someone, bound into your side. Holding you tightly. Letting tears of their own drip onto your shoulder.

Wanda.

You could tell that much from the dirty hair brushing against your cheek.

You won.

But you, along with others lost so much.

***

“About, ...”

“What about her?”

“She-” A deep sigh, as if to control their emotions. “She found someone else. She’s happy.”

“Right,” you noted, struggling to find any emotions to react to it. “I don’t care.”

“Of course you do, Y/N,” Wanda said, “You loved her. Still do probably. You both believed you were soulmates, or as close as we can get in this world.”

“People are wrong all the time,” you said, never once taking your eyes away from the lake before you, “I know I was. And I was too blind to see what was in front of me, the whole time.”

“She loved you, y’know?” Clint asked, before clarifying who, “Natasha.”

“I do. I know that now.”

There was a long pause, filled only with you watching the ripples glide along the lake, the crunching of leaves and twigs, as people walked away from you, and breathing in the fresh nature air. You still weren't used to it, from all of the smoke-filled heavy air, from the battle two days prior. It was clean. Too clean for how dull and dirty the world felt to you now.

“She was with me not even three days ago... she lived five years without me- us. But, I had only seen her a few days ago. And now she’s gone,” you were in a daze as you spoke. You didn't even know who you were speaking to anymore. Or hell, if anyone was still there to hear you.

But the hand that was suddenly placed on your back, rubbing soft circles into it, let you know that you were, in fact, not alone.

Glancing to your side, you saw Wanda. She was one of the people who were the closest to knowing how you felt. How that lost feels. And you could see it in her sad tear-filled eyes, and understanding tight-lipped smile.

“She knows,” she told you, “She knows how you feel about her.”

It may have been stupid. It may have just been your mind. But you felt a strange wave of temporary hope, brightness, warmth. Her. You felt her presence. And you just couldn’t let that go without saying something. No matter how strange, and crazy it may seem.

“You mean everything to me, Nat.”

And with that. The feeling was gone.

***

“Y/N?” You looked over your shoulder to see Stephen Strange, standing not so far behind you. You turned your head to face the lake before you, Stephen taking that as his queue to approach you further, placing a hand on your shoulder. Almost everyone had left long ago, ready to begin living there lives again.

Lucky bastards.

What were you meant to do now?

Suddenly you had an inkling of how Natasha had felt. Even when you had still been around. The sadness that rested against the centre of your chest, making itself a home there. One that you knew you would have an extremely hard time getting it to leave.

“I saw fourteen-million-six-hundred and five different futures-” he informed you.

“I know. And we only won one.”

“Yes. We did.” He nodded solemnly, eyes moving to the side so that he could look at you, while still facing the lake with you. “But, she loved you in every one of them.”

With a pat to your shoulder, he left you alone.

Tears blurred your vision, sobs pounding against your chest, begging to be let out, but you held them in. You vaguely saw the dirt ground, green patches of what you assumed to be grass, along with a multitude of different browns, probably sticks, and other woodland objects, as your head moved on its own accord, to face the floor.

Your voice wavered as you spoke, threatening to crack with the pressure of your emotions.

“So did I.”

Taglist:

@womenlovingwomen-imagines, @shycucumbersandwich, @jxst-livin-my-life, @rofl987, @saltymaddiee, @marvelb00kwolf, @kangerland, @hernanadez-23

[mariinara]

HC where sam is your best friends brother?

I actually thought about making your best friend just Nathan? But, for the sake of routine and creativity, let's shake it up a bit and create another sibling– a middle Drake sister? 👀👀

-First of all, being best friends with a Drake means that you have to be wild and absolutely unhinged to keep up.

-Your best friend– who happens to be the middle sister of two impossible brothers – rarely ever experienced a dull moment.

-Since you were the same, you had no problem whatsoever with tagging along with her, wherever she might go.

-However, she was just as much of an adrenalin junkie as her two brothers, which means she very often traveled around and was usually up to her usual treasure-hunting, museum-looting, lost-city-plundering shenanigans with either her two brothers, just one of them, Sullivan, or Chloe Frazer.

-And as a woman who only had a couple of odd jobs with her, Nathan, Elena, and Sullivan for the sole purpose of being "the tech gal in the chair", you didn't tag along in most of those.

-In fact, you had a pretty stable job in a computer shop as an I.T. manager and technician.

-Sounds boring, but is quite lucrative at times.

-And, sure, you'd met Nathan. You thought he was an absolute sweetheart and a joy to be around. Sometimes, though, when he didn't listen to your advice that would prevent him from getting his neck wrung, he was positively infuriating.

-Sam, though..

-You'd heard of the infamous older brother. You saw some of his pictures with his younger sister and brother, too, but they were about sixteen-year-old photographs, taken way before he was thrown in Panama and got locked up for thirteen years..

-Sometimes, you heard your best friend talking to him on the phone, but it'd be very brief and happened once every blue moon.

-Her explanation behind the very superficial relationship was that Sam didn't really share such a strong bond with her. They almost always fought and never once did they go a day without flipping each other off at least a thousand times.

-It was because their sister was a bit more reasonable when it came to life or death. She might've been wild at parties and great at rock-climbing or swinging off a cliff, but when odds were against her, she knew when to turn back and call it quits.

-A trait that – obviously – Sam did not have.

-She loved him, though, and she would do anything for him and so would he. Anytime. No questions asked.

-In fact, whenever she asked him to send her something from Boston to New Orleans, he'd do it without hesitation and would even leave a small note saying how he'd missed her and would like to catch up soon.

-So you had a pretty basic idea of who Sam Drake was, but you hadn't actually had the privilege of seeing him in person.

-One day, however, your best friend called and invited you over to her place that evening because she was holding a huge family gathering.

-"Everyone's gonna be there!", she'd told you.

-You were always up for a good backyard barbecue party with people you haven't seen in years. You knew for a fact that when she said 'everyone', she literally meant everyone.

-Nate, Elena, Cassie, Chloe, Sullivan, Charlie, and Nadine were all going to attend and the only missing person was you– the life of the party and the most theatrical comedian in the bunch.

-So not only did your friend want you there, but everyone said that they'd come only if you did and you couldn't disappoint them.

-And there you were, standing at the head of the table in the large pergola of your friend's yard, a glass of wine in your hand as you entertained and told a story of something stupid that'd happened to you with a celebrity customer that almost cost you your career. The table shook as all your buddies roared in laughter, some struggling to breathe and others not bothering to try and sound respectable– snorting away to their hearts' content and slamming the table or sinking into their chairs.

-A huge grin played on your lips before you brought your glass up to take a sip of wine, waiting for your friends to calm down, and then, your best friend suddenly perked up, her eyes as wide as the growing smile on her face.

-"Is that..?"

-Your brows pull in confusion and you look in the direction that everyone was looking towards and you saw a tall, broad man, a duffel in one hand while the other remained in the pocket of his deep blue jeans.

-Your wine remained in your mouth a little and as he stepped closer, a sheepish smile on his face, you swallowed thickly, your eyes widening.

-"Sam!", his sister yelled, jumping from her chair to break a sprint towards him and collide against his chest, making him stumble back a little, a chuckle escaping him as he rubbed her back.

-Everyone rushed to him, giving hugs and serenading him with 'It's so good to see you's. He even picked up his twelve-year-old niece, spun her around, and attacked her cheek with kisses, telling her how much he's missed her and that he had a small gift for her in his bag that he brought back from his most recent travel.

-And then, your best friend and his sister dragged you from your frozen position, putting you in front of him.

-"This is (y/n)!", she excitedly introduced you, "Remember? I told you all about her."

-Sam paused for a second and you did your best to look confident but something about him was so alluring and knee-buckling that it was so hard not to see flustered, especially that he gave you what seemed to be a ghost of a smirk.

-"M'yeah.", he replied, shaking your hand gently, "She wouldn't shut up about you." He pointed out, making his sister pout and gently nudge his arm.

-And, then, out of nowhere, your confident demeanor was back, "I must be greater than I thought, then.", you quickly quipped, having literally no clue where that came from.

-Sam raised an interested brow, "I'll bet." He replied, his voice dropping an octave and his eyes boring into yours.

-Maybe it was the wine, but you wanted nothing more but to jump him at that very moment.

-You two broke the staring game when Nathan cleared his throat and clapped his hands, rubbing them together, "So who's up for some barbecue, huh?"

-Everyone murmured in agreement and they quickly went back to their designated seats.

-You hadn't even noticed that your hand was still in Sam's until everyone was gone from around you and you quickly pulled it away, unable to make eye contact with the incredibly handsome man before you, just sticking to looking down at the small portion of wine left in your glass.

-"C'mon and sit next to me.", Sam suddenly said, making your eyes snap up at him in surprise, "I wanna get to know you better.", he clarified, sending you a sly smirk before brushing past you, making sure that his shoulder gently nudged yours.

-You looked at him as he confidently sauntered away, your mouth agape but an amused smile still present.

-"I warn you..", you whipped your head to see your best friend grinning at you, bemused by the whole scene that'd unfolded before her eyes. She walked towards you, "He'll break your heart.", she shook her head, taking a sip out of her beer.

-A snort left you and you shook your head, "He's.. not my type..", you mutter, downing the last drops of red wine afterwards as if to wash down the blatant lie that you'd just told.

-"Mm-hmm..", she gave you a sassy look and you rolled your eyes, gently kicking her along, telling her to shut up and get a move on.

-When you made it to the table, Sam looked up at you and smiled cordially, patting the chair next to him.

-You sat down next to him, and immediately, the chattering around the table began, and you were back to being your funny, confident self, captivating everyone with your brilliant story-telling and impeccable impressions that left everyone keeling over and laughing.

-Sam was a funny guy as well. He'd throw a few comments here and there that made your stories even funnier.

-You laughed together a few times and most of the time, his eyes were on you. He'd laugh and grin and nod along while sipping on his beer sometimes, but other than that, he was fully enamored with you.

-Not only were you attractive and witty, but also funny and really passionate, which was a dangerous mix that had Sam immediately sold.

-Everyone went to get their grilling on and were shoving their faces with hotdogs. Charlie and Nathan had an eating contest while Cassie filmed it with her camera, giggling all the while.

-So everyone was gathered in different areas, sometimes joining in on others' conversations or just sticking to their own, intimate ones.

-Your best friend was immersed in a conversation with Charlie, who'd won the hotdog eating contest and wasn't as whoozy as Nathan was. Charlie also happened to be her ex-boyfriend, but they were on great terms, even after they'd broken it off.

-And there you were with Sam, on the garden swing, keeping a good, friendly distance between each other, but somehow, the looks you shared suggested otherwise.

-You told him stories he needed to hear to have an idea about who you were as a person. You told him how you met Nate and his sister and he pretended not to know any of the information you spilt. He only listened to you intently because the way you pieced your stories was so interesting and your voice was captivating and so were your over-the-top hand gestures.

-He just loved listening to you.

-And the two of you didn't notice the hours go by, only absentmindedly bidding farewell to the friends who left.

-And soon, it was only the two of you, chatting away, laughing and sighing wistfully at memories.

-"You two are so indiscreet.", you and Sam look up at his sister, who had her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, a smirk on her face, "Everyone noticed."

-"Noticed?", Sam asked, raising a brow and narrowing his eyes.

-She scoffed, "Uh, yeah. You two lovebirds are so obvious."

-"A-ha. M'kay. Good talk.", Sam gave her a wry smile, further confirming his sister's suspicion.

-"He likes you but he's too pussy to admit it.", She told you, making you chuckle, the heat creeping up your neck again to make you look down in hopes of concealing your embarrassment.

-"Shut up or else.", Sam warned, leaning forward on the swing, as if he was preparing to pounce on his sister.

-But she ignored him and kept her eyes on you, "Remember what I told you..~", she taunted before stretching and looking at Sam, "You stayin' here?"

-Sam glared, "Do I have any other choice?" He asked in a "duh" tone.

-She yawned and nodded, scratching the back of her neck and stretching tiredly, "Okay, well..", a deep sigh left her as she moved her arms around to stretch her muscles, "I'm turnin' over."

-You cleared your throat and gently smacked your thighs before getting up, "I, uhh.. better get goin', too.", you sent Sam a warm smile, "It's gettin' kinda late."

-He looked up at you with his starry, puppy eyes before standing to tower over you, wiping his hands against the sides of his thighs, "Yeah, uhh..", he paused for a second, "Want me to walk you?"

-Yeah, you did. And you almost approved before you closed your mouth again and closed your eyes, breathing out a soft chuckle at your own ridiculousness, "No, I.. came over here in my car.", you told him and he nodded, his lips pursing to a thin smile.

-"Ugh, get it over with!", his sister complained, looking back and forth between the two of you, irked by the palpable tension in the air.

-Sam quickly sent her a death glare, "Do you mind?", he warned behind clenched teeth.

-She rolled her eyes and backtracked, "As if me leaving's gonna grow you any balls..", she mumbled, but Sam completely heard her and shook his head in dismay as you chuckled at their antics, watching her walk towards her front door and slip inside.

-When you looked back at Sam, his eyes were already on you and you smiled at him while he reciprocated it with a slightly awkward one, "Guess this is the part where I ask you out, huh..?", he spoke lowly, scratching his cheek and averting his gaze from yours for a second.

-You tilted your head, "Guess so..", you pushed your hand in your pocket and pulled out a pen, "Gimme your hand."

-Sam raised a brow but did so anyway and you grabbed his hand, turning it so you could see the back of it and scribbled down with the ink on his skin.

-"There." You let go and he looked at his hand, smiling when he found that you wrote your phone number, "Call me."

-He chuckled as he looked back up at you, "Will do."

-You paused for a second and, just to make up for the time you weren't going to be together in, you stood on your toes and pulled him in, planting a gently, chaste kiss on his cheek before pulling away, smiling at him warmly when you saw his fingers gently ghosting the area where your lips pressed against his skin.

-"See you 'round.", you winked at him and backed away, turning around to leave.

-Sam watched you, almost bewitched by the way you made him feel. His eyes followed you intently and took note of everything: the sway of your hips and your curves and legs and everything.

-But, suddenly, he called out for you when he remembered something, stopping you in your tracks. You looked back at him, raising a curious brow, "What'd she tell you about me earlier?"

-You paused for a few seconds, a smirk playing on your lips as you realized what he was referring to, "Nothing.", you waved him off, "Just don't break my heart!", you jut a finger at him, playfully warning him with a glare that caused him to chuckle.

-"No promises."

-But he'd be lying if he didn't admit that anyone who'd break your heart would be a complete and utter ungrateful idiot.

Tags: @missdictatorme , @the-drakeboys , @the-winchesterboys , @samdrakeftw , @easy-and-steady @s4mdrake , @writer-jamie , @hrgnm , @purplezebra68 , @elledrake , @misslongcep

[theradioghost]

Okay so I no very little about discworld... What is today? Why is it special? Feel free to rant Bobbie, I'm willing to listen ^_^

Today is the Glorious 25th of May!

Honestly, everybody’s got their own favorite set of Discworld characters, and mine has always been the City Watch and Sam Vimes -- to the point that I feel like Vimes has a lot to do with who I’ve become as a person as I got older. And the sixth book in the Watch series, Night Watch, is I think something really special for a few reasons. It’s really the culmination of Sam’s personal character arc, for one thing, and as fits a character who I think is so excellently written, and who grows in such a fascinating way, it’s an incredibly powerful place to arrive to having followed Sam all along that journey.

His introductory scene in Guards! Guards! is of him passing out drunk in a gutter, a bitter alcoholic with a meaningless job whose philosophy is always to walk towards cries for help, not run, because running might mean you’d get there in time for a fight. By Night Watch, Sam Vimes is a person who has ground the drive to help others into the fabric of himself so thoroughly that it’s not even a choice for him anymore -- the choice has already been made. It’s a fundamental part of who he is, that even knowing he will lose everything he loves, even knowing he cannot succeed, even not wanting to, it is impossible for him not to try to do the right thing. And he wasn’t that person when you first met him. He became who he is, hard-won inch by inch, through deliberate and difficult work to be better, to understand others, to help. That’s a choice you can make, this book says. It’s a choice you can make.

And Night Watch stands out in other ways in the context of its fellow Discworld books, too. It’s the least comedic book in a comedy series. It’s about failed revolutions, about profound suffering on both an individual and communal level, about injustice and death and loss and survivor’s trauma and sacrifice. It’s about the way that government and that police forces enable and benefit from people who enjoy the suffering of others. It’s about Sam Vimes, happy soon-to-be father, with his hard-won sobriety and equally hard-won confidence in his own ability to make a difference if he’s just bullheadedly fucking stubborn enough, being yanked back in time thirty years to the events of the totalitarian government and failed revolution that made him Sam Vimes the embittered pessimistic drunk, and asked what he thinks he’s going to do about it. There are still jokes, to be sure, but there are fewer of them, and they hit differently.

It’s dark, without question. It’s Terry’s very clear take on Les Miserables, another story that’s had a huge effect on me as a person, and in particular I think on the popular culture idea of Les Mis -- the glorious failed revolution, with its young idealists and hopeful conclusion that does not clarify where the presumed better future is going to come from, or how it comes out of the suffering that’s just been shown. It’s even bitter, at times. But it’s never hopeless. It’s never gritty or pessimistic or hateful.

I saw someone say once that Terry Pratchett was a very angry man, and I think that shines through every Discworld book but is clearest in Night Watch -- it’s an anger at suffering, at injustice, at those who profit from the suffering of others, and it’s anger expressed in a kind of bright furious love, and a refusal that suffuses every bit of those books -- a refusal to just stand there and say that nothing can be done. A refusal to do anything, ever, except stand up and say no, this is not right, simply because it is the only thing to be done, the only thing that can be done. Night Watch is very, very clear on the fact that there is nothing glamorous or heroic about this, nothing to be adulated or mythologized. It’s something that hurts to do. It’s something that comes with a profound cost. You do it anyway.

It’s an incredibly powerful book, I think, especially with the context of its fellows. (Night Watch is one of the few Discworld books I caution people against starting with, just because I think it gains so, so much from the specific place it occupies and from how different it is once you’ve grown used to other books in the series.) The power of its central character and his fellows, the power of the ideas at the heart of it, the simple effectiveness of the images it chooses to center around -- the blooming lilacs, a little soldier’s ditty about angels, a barricade, an egg.

In one scene a few of those youthful idealist revolutionaries sit around and discuss what they want from the bright new world they plan to make -- Truth, Justice, Freedom, and Reasonably Priced Love, is what they settle on (reasonably priced, as opposed to free love, because several of those fighting and working on their barricade are sex workers, and they had opinions on that). When they ask Sam Vimes what he wants from the future, he says he’d like a hard-boiled egg, because unlike everything else on the list, he’s pretty sure he’ll be able to get it, no problem.

So, every year, we break out our egg cups and wear our sprigs of lilac and commemmorate the short life of the People’s Republic of Treacle Mine Road, of the revolution of the Glorious 25th of May. We honor Terry Pratchett, whose books gave us all so much, and raise awareness for Alzheimer’s. I think about people I’ve lost. I think about what there is out there that I can do. I think about rereading the Watch books yet again.

It’s a good thing to celebrate, I think.

[kreekey]

examples of people being racist toward yoko unintentionally: 1- calling her a weird stalker when they glorify/don't mind the many white fangirls who used to stalk the Beatles. 2- spreading misinformation that she lost custody of her daughter when in fact she'd won against her white crazy ex despite everything NOT in favour of her 3- bashing her for using John's glasses on the album cover she worked with John on, when they would've praised the artistry and bold statement if she was a white woman

Hey sorry I got around to answering your ask so late! You make a lot of really interesting points and I rarely hear people consider that. 

1 - reminds me of a Tumblr post I saw about an obsessive Beatlemaniac stalker and people were like “me” or “bless her” haha. Definitely different when they can interpret Yoko’s actions as “stalking”. And your point also reminds me of this quote, which isn’t about fangirls but still somewhat kinda related.

“Like Yoko when she met John, Linda was a divorced woman with a daughter when she met Paul mere months later.  There are stories similar to those about Yoko of her “scheming” to meet and marry Paul.  In the same way that Yoko is said to have joked prior to meeting him that she was “going to marry John Lennon,” Linda joked like any woman with a celebrity crush about how she was “going to marry Paul McCartney.”  (Bob Spitz notes both in his book The Beatles.  Guess which one he thought was conniving, and which one he thought was adorable.)... Was it the lucky fact that Linda got the scene a few months later than Yoko, or was it her whiteness?“ 

X

And I don’t have the answer if it was Yoko’s race that made her such a target, but it’s something interesting to consider and note. [And I’ll clarify this, I'm pretty sure Yoko didn't know about the Beatles until she became face to face with one, like she wasn't a fan who got lucky enough to meet her idol. In the David Frost interview and the 1971 Rolling Stone interview, John noted that Yoko didn't know him when they met, and Yoko Ono: Collector of Skies by Neil Beram says this on their meeting: "She was about as familiar with John's work as he was with hers. "I was an underground person, and such an artistic snob," she said later. "I knew about The Beatles, of course... but I wasn't interested in them." Just about the only thing she could recall about them was the drummer Ringo Starr's first name, because ringo means "apple" in Japanese.”] Also, and this definitely wasn’t stalking, but I posted a quote from Bob Spitz’ biography where he writes along the lines of

“[Linda] always insisted that she was going to marry Paul McCartney,” [Nat Weiss] recalls, “even before she met him”... It was no accident that Linda Eastman veered into his aura. She’d taken a few polite shots of Ringo and George before “zeroing in on Paul,”... Linda had come dressed to kill. Most days she played the typical rock chick, decked out in rumpled jeans and a T-shirt, with little or no makeup and unwashed hair. But today her hair had been carefully blow-dried so that it fell perfectly forward in wing points at her chin. And she was dressed in an expensive double-breasted striped barbershop jacket arranged just so over a sheer black sweater, with a miniskirt that flattered her gorgeous legs. When she squatted down – not so subtly, in what must have been a rehearsed gesture – in front of Paul for an intimate chat, he had trouble keeping his eyes from wandering below-decks...

, and some people commented that it appeared kinda predatory/pre-planned (reminds me of some criticism of Francie Schwartz’s meeting with Paul), but overall cute and everything. At the time I wondered how people would react if Yoko did that to John lol. No way of knowing, just a thought. And also, I know Yoko sent him Grapefruit and little instructions often, I think that’s usually what people cite as the stalking, that she tried to ensnare him with it. Again quoting Yoko Ono: Collector of Skies, 

For a time Yoko kept in touch with John by mailing him daily instructions-she called this Dance Event-that said things like "Dance" and "Watch all the lights until dawn" and "I'm a cloud. Watch for me in the sky." John found the instructions as perplexing as he found them intriguing.

And quoting this interview (in which she also asserts that “each and every occasion she visited John at Kenwood, it was at his invitation.”),

Despite the popular theory that Yoko was frantically inventing schemes to snare the wealthy Beatle, she was struggling with problems in her marriage [with Tony Cox] and also working hard to establish her career in the UK. Arriving in London in September 1966 to perform at the ‘Destruction In Art Symposium’, Yoko was already respected as an avant-garde artist and performer in New York, where she was allied to the Fluxus movement. She had a trained musical background, and had recently been involved in the improvisational music favoured by her peer group. She had also compiled a book of conceptual and instructional pieces called Grapefruit, and printed up a limited edition.

Yoko distributed copies to a number of influential people during 1966-’67. And John Lennon was one of the recipients. This has since been interpreted as one of various ruses on Yoko’s part to enchant Lennon.

She retorts: “There was a myth that I sent Grapefruit to him… how I wanted to trap him. It was a printed, published book. I had an orange carton of them, a lot of it. I would be giving it to critics. It was that sort of thing. He wasn’t the only one who got it.”

X

And by then, John had already eagerly offered to sponsor one of her shows, I think he was genuinely interested in her work. I don’t think John was actually threatened by these notes or felt he was harassed, especially since he made the jump to invite her over while his wife was away (and Yoko just thought it was a party!). He once referred to Yoko “someone that could turn me on to a million things” in the Lennon Remembers interview, he admired her art. And I know he said to Cyn that the letters were just junk from another one of those weird artists, but c’mon, what do you think John would say to his wife regarding the woman he’s romantically interested in? I don’t think it would’ve been fully truthful IMO, especially considering when John said that he nearly invited Yoko to India around that time because he liked her so.

2 is very true. Tony himself tried to make it seem like Yoko and John were crazy heroin druggies, and that's the case he tried to make (and that’s what he tried to tell Kyoko, that he was “saving” her from drug obsessed occultists). But, Yoko had gone “cold turkey” (ala the song) off heroin in 1969. This was 2 years before she won full custody in 1971. 

Although neither parent had been awarded sole custody of the child, Mr. Cox became increasingly reluctant to let Yoko and her new husband spend time with Kyoko, and finally refused to permit it at all. For a year before the Lennons came to America, they had been chasing Mr. Cox and Kyoko around Europe. In Majorca, Spain, the Lennons caught up with them and spirited Kyoko off to their hotel; but Mr. Cox called the police, and a Spanish court gave the child back to him. The incident added to his fear that the Lennons wanted to take her away from him for good.

Soon after the Lennons arrived in New York, they went to the United States Virgin Islands, to the same court where Yoko had been divorced, and that court awarded her permanent custody of her daughter.

X

But, Tony then took Kyoko to Texas (hiding/kidnapping her) which was in violation of that court order. Then more custody battle due to Tony’s stubbornness and evasiveness, but yes, Yoko did win custody then despite everything (even though John was very threatened by Tony lol, to the point he disallowed Yoko to visit him alone in order to discuss co-parenting when that was an option and suggested kidnapping Kyoko. But then again Tony was also kinda crazy. Seriously though IMO Yoko really tried gallantly to have Kyoko in her life, and the loss hurt her. To hear people try to spin it as Yoko being the monster in the situation through misinformation is unfortunate.)

3 is hypothetical, but I do speculate that if Yoko was white, the attitude toward her would’ve been different. Sean said, “It’s intense how racist the world is. If my mother had looked like Debbie Harry, I really think the reaction would have been different.” (X) Yoko’s former partner, Sam Havadtoy, also touched on this in an interview from 1990:

Q: ...No matter what Yoko does, she’s frequently the victim of a bad press. Any idea why?

Havadtoy: After John’s death, newspapers wrote that Yoko was this selfish person hoarding John’s memory, controlling it, not willing to share it with his fans. So after two years, she puts out 200 hours of film footage and a record and they say she’s exploiting John’s memory. She can’t win.

Q: Why not?

Havadtoy: Racism. If she were blond-haired and blue-eyed, nobody would have blamed her for breaking up the Beatles. They were the darlings of the universe; she was an outsider, an Oriental, an avant-garde artist--easy to pick on. When John married Yoko, the British press wrote: “At least he will have clean laundry.” And it’s still happening. America is infatuated with Japan-bashing. 

X

And I do think Season Of Glass was a memory thing, I posted about it here: X. 

And yes, I think that much of Yoko’s criticism/legacy was rooted in that initial reaction, which was pretty sexist and racist. But I think that influence can still be felt today, in ways that aren’t obvious. And like you said, unintentional. (Before anyone gets mad, if you dislike or hate Yoko that doesn't automatically make you racist lol. But the narrative built around her might’ve influenced your opinion of her, and the narrative was kinda rooted in a racist mentality. So that’s why and re-interpreting her in a fresh light is necessary).

[harryshollands]

HERE FOR YOU  ( T.H )

Requested:  Nope!

Warnings: Angst, Fluff

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: A few months after your break up with Tom, you run into his brothers at the grocery store. Paddy manages to convince you to come to his football game by bringing up the pinky promise you’d made almost a year ago.

A/N: Let me know if you want a part two! I really really love writing imagines that involve Paddy and Y/N being adorable. This is no exception. Feel free to send me requests for the Hollands + Haz!

Masterlist! Send a Request!

Word Count: 2.3k

You were doing good. You were drinking your water, you were getting the right amount of sleep and your skin was pretty clear.

That was the overall definition of good, right?

But by your definition, your heart was hurting and you couldn’t bring yourself to chuck out all of the crap that your ex-boyfriend had left you with. It sucked. You’d given five years of your life to Tom Holland and now you had to find yourself once again. Your routine had always revolved around Tom. When you’re dating a movie star you take what you can get.

During your post-breakup slump, you’d managed to eat all of your junk food and now you needed to stock up in general, because once you ran out of sweet stuff you managed to eat all of your cereal.

So, here you were, in the middle of Tesco’s with a shopping cart full of cereal, ice cream, frozen meals and milk, trying to choose between two different types of Oreos.

“Y/N?”

You spun around, glancing at the person who had called your name before breaking out into a grin.

“Hey there, kiddo” You joked as Paddy flung himself into your arms, squeezing you tightly as if you were about to disappear.

“Paddy! Jesus, where are you- oh! Y/N! Hi!” Sam was rushing after his sibling, coming to a halt as he saw Paddy wrapped around you.

“Hiya” You laughed awkwardly, setting Paddy back on his feet as your finger’s gripped your shopping cart in an attempt to calm your nerves.

“I made it to the finals” Paddy blurted, a grin on his face as he watched your own light up.

“I knew you would! Congrats, Paddy! That’s so cool” You congratulated, giving him a high five as Sam glanced around the isle awkwardly. 

You and Sam had been the closest. You had considered him your best friend, so when Tom had ended everything with no warning you both snapped apart.

“Can you come?” 

“Huh?”

“Can you come to the game? You’re always there and we miss you” Paddy clarified, a hopeful look painted on his face paired with his best puppy dog eyes.

Your face fell slightly, but you quickly masked t with a small smile.

“I miss you guys, too, but I can’t just turn up, Padster. It’s different now” You told him softly, attempting to let him down easy before his older brother piped up.

“You should come. You’ve always been the only one who can stop Mum from screaming at people on the other team. Dad made her stay home at the last game” Sam admitted, trying not to laugh at the memory.

“I don’t know, you guys-”

“Tom is still filming in Italy so you won’t have to see him. Pleaaase, Y/N? You promised to be at all of my big football games” Paddy cut you off causing Sam to choke on a laugh at his little brother pulling out the promise card. 

Everyone knew that you kept your promises, and so, reluctantly you nodded your head, caving in to the youngest Holland’s puppy dog eyes and fake pout.

“Yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Paddy cheered, hugging you before rushing out of the aisle in search of Harry who had been flirting with an employee in the freezer section.

“I think you made his day” Sam joked as he gave you a grin, you smiled back awkwardly before nodding.

“He definitely made mine” You mutter softly causing Sam to frown.

“I’ll text you the details for the game. Maybe we could get lunch beforehand? It’s been really weird without you” Your eyes lit up at the thought of hanging out with your best friend again.

“Righty-o, my number is still the same.” You agree, a goofy grin your face matching Sam’s.

“I’ll leave you to your big Oreo decision. Let me know who wins, yeah?”

And that was when you knew that you were going to be okay. With or without Tom, you were going to get back on track and you weren’t going to let him stop your friendship with Sam just because of a break-up.

“I’m stuffed” You laughed as you split the check for lunch with the Holland family. Harry let out a groan of agreement as Nikki and Dom tried to persuade you to let them pay for your meal.

“Really, I can pay. You guys don’t have to pay for me when we go out anymore” You stated, your tone soft but firm and you saw Nikki’s face drop. The reality of the break up was back in her mind.

She’d loved you. You were always a daughter to her, and she really thought that one day you’d be her daughter-in-law.

“I want to” She replied, equally as firm as she squeezed your hand, pressing a kiss to Paddy’s forehead and walking over to the counter. 

Sam gave you a grin from beside you and by the time his mother had come back, it was time to pile into the minivan and head to Paddy’s game.

“He’s got this” You muttered to Nikki as she sat beside you, passing her camera to Harry for photos.

“I don’t trust those punks on the other team. Broke poor Toby’s ankle last year, you remember how distraught Paddy was for his friend? Disgusting. Should be banned” The woman grumbled causing you to giggle as the kids poured out onto the field.

You were always the calm one at these games. It was always you. But not today.

You decided to stand up and cheer.

Sam’s eyes were wide and Dom watched in amusement.

“You’ve got this, Paddy!” You shouted as the game began, Nikki grinning and standing up with you.

It didn’t feel like it used to. It felt better, you felt at ease and happy.

Harry was laughing to himself as he recorded the two of you screaming encouragement at his brother, not thinking twice before posting it on his Instagram story.

Nikki was laughing loudly and holding you close to her, almost like she was scared that you would slip away from her and her family again. But you wouldn't. Nothing could make you leave them.

Tom was whining as Harrison drove carefully through the crowded parking lot at the football field.

“Just get out, you div. Walk over there while I find a park” Haz grumbled, eyes squinted as he tried to find a small spot for his car.

“Good idea. Good luck!” Tom called to his best friend as he rushed out of the small Prius, slamming the door behind him.

It felt weird being back in London so soon after his break up. He’d pretty much left the day after he’d called it quits with you due to filming. It felt abnormal.

The brit weaved his way through the crowds, looking for a glance of his family, but his eyes landed on you. Cheering next to his mom whilst his family laughed along.

Tom felt like he couldn't breathe.

Seeing you again was like a kick to the gut.

You were with his family.

Not that he forbid them from seeing you, but he thought that you’d all go your own ways considering he broke up with you. 

It really was because of the distance. It sucked. He’d let some things that he didn’t mean slip out, too, and then you cried and broke down whilst he wheeled his suitcase out the front door, not looking back.

Before he even knew what he was doing, his feet were carrying him towards his family.

Harry was the first to spot him.

“Look at what the cat dragged in!” He laughed as he pulled his older brother into a hug. Tom laughed along with him before hugging Sam and his dad.

His mom had her hands over her mouth in shock. She hadn’t expected him to be home for another three months. You, on the other hand, were trying not to frown at the sight of your ex-boyfriend.

Nikki glanced at you before pulling her eldest son into a hug and turning back to the game, screaming tactics at her son and his teammates.

“Hi, love” Tom greeted you softly, his eyes drinking you in. 

He didn’t think that you could have changed much but he was wrong. 

You looked stronger. You oozed capability.

“Tom.” You nod back before shrieking as Paddy scored a goal.

“GOOD JOB, PADDY!” you screamed causing Tom to jump a little.

Paddy had won. Everyone was ecstatic, except for Paddy. You’d all gone for celebratory ice cream and Paddy was quiet the whole time.

“Why are you back?” Paddy asked Tom suddenly, the whole group falling silent. Tom frowned, seeing the grumpy appearance his little brother was maintaining.

“I wanted to see your game, Pads, what do you mean?” He questioned feeling slightly dejected as Paddy frowned at his reply.

“It took me two months to see Y/N/N and get her to come to the game. I don’t want her to go away because you’re here” Paddy replied bluntly, looking between his brother and you.

You narrowed your eyes at the child lovingly, shaking your head.

“Padster, I would’ve come anyway. I’m really happy to be here, but your brother came all this way for you and I think he’s feeling a little left out. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon but Tom is. Catch up with him while you can” You told the kid, and he listened. 

Tom looked at you in awe as his brother finally warmed up to him again.

God, he missed you.

“But I don’t want you to go again” Paddy mumbled causing your heart to shatter again.

“Hey now. I’m here right now, okay? And that’s what counts. Don’t blame your brother. Breakups are a two-way street” You console, pressing a kiss to Paddy’s forehead before motioning to Tom.

“Now go and hug him”.

The whole table was back in their bustle of a conversation, Paddy and Tom getting along marvellously and you and Sam cackling about Harry’s blurry photos from using the wrong lens.

“So you guys are still close, huh?” Tom asked you eventually. You glanced at him with a grimace on your face.

“No. I haven’t seen them in a few months. I’m only here for today”

Tom grinned and you already knew what he was thinking.

“I’m not here for you. I’m here for Paddy”.

You glanced around the table, looking at the faces that were permanently ingrained in your memory. It was time for you to go and let them be, you thought to yourself. You leant across the table to Nikki, a small smile playing at your lips.

“I think I’m going to head out now” You inform her, trying not to linger on the way that her smile turned sad.

“Are you sure? You could always crash at our house, sweetheart. You always have a home with us” The mother of four offered, trying not to sound desperate. You shook your head, playing with your fingers.

“No thank you, I think I’m going to call it a night” You whisper back before pushing your chair back, gaining the attention of all of the family at your table.

You cleared your throat and smiled awkwardly,

“I’m going to head home now. It was nice seeing you all again” You address the table, a sad smile on your lips as Paddy rushes over to you.

“Do you have to? We can make Tom go? Will you stay then?”

“Pads, you can’t boot your brother out” You laugh lightly, pulling him into a hug and smoothing his hair down.

“I’ll see you guys around eventually, yeah?” You mutter, pressing a quick kiss to the youngest Holland’s temple bone. 

One by one, the family stands up and hugs you before sitting down once again. Tom doesn’t know what to do with himself as he says goodbye.

“I’ll see you around, Tom”.

The young adult watched as you walked out of the parlour, his eyes following you until you were out of sight.

Nikki looked at him with a frown, shaking her head at her oldest son.

“Why did you have to let her go again? It hurts every time, Tom. Every godforsaken time” The woman sniffled, leaning her head on Sam’s shoulder and grabbing napkins to dab at her tears.

Tom looked at his mother, jaw slack and completely flabbergasted at his family’s drop in mood. They were all less lively than they had been only moments ago.

“I didn’t- she wanted to leave. I’m confused.” Tom admitted, his eyebrows furrowing as his mother continued to sniffle.

“I haven’t seen her since you left her, Thomas. I loved that girl like she was my own. She would walk in the other direction if she saw us in public. Can’t even look at us, Tom. I thought that one day we’d be sitting in a church watching you marry her and now all I have is a photo of her from Christmas last year and the birthday present she got me. Today was the first time we’ve seen her since everything happened and I saw the way you looked at her as soon as you saw her with us. I thought that maybe- just maybe you would stop her, talk to her- something! Anything! But you didn't and it’s like I just lost a child all over again.” Nikki ranted, shaking her head and standing up from the table, brushing off her husband’s attempt to comfort her by grabbing her hand.

“I’m glad you’re home, darling, but I wish that it was different.”

And with that, Nikki paid for their ice creams and told Dom that she’d see them all at home, leaving Tom and the rest of their family in silence.

[mybrainproblems]

Two steps to the left of canon AU mashup where Chuck won plus some of the dark humor zaniness of “Wristcutters: A Love Story” and a whole lot of angst and trigger warnings for references to suicide/suicidal thoughts.

Okay so Dean dies not so unintentionally in 15x20 and ends up in the afterlife limbo of “Wristcutters: A Love Story” and he didn’t actively commit suicide but he still ends up there. But he was expecting it to be Regular Type Heaven and he’d get to see Cas (even if it’s just greatest hits memories) but hey, Chuck won and he made the afterlife worse and in this case just to continue to fuck with the Winchesters et al.

And Dean pretty much takes on the role of Mikal looking for the “people in charge” to clarify that okay yeah, he maybe wanted to die but he didn’t literally commit suicide. Loophole, guys. Send me back.

Oh boy lots more thoughts about this thing than I thought I’d have...

But the longer Dean spends in limbo, the more things he starts to forget and like he’ll never forget Sam, but everyone’s faces start slipping away first. Or he forgets details, and most of the details and memories he loses are good/happy things. So he remembers Gadreel and kicking Cas out of the bunker but it feels like he’s trying to grasp soap bubbles when he thinks about movie nights and hanging out with Sam and Cas. So like, he remembers the worst of 05x04 but forgets 05x03. But the more he tries to find the PIC to leave limbo, the more of his memories he loses. Basically Chuck has created a misery positive feedback loop where people who end up there are already depressed and at a low point, then they forget everything that ever made them happy or was good in their life and spiral further down and forget themselves.

Dean is still holding onto remembering he has a brother named Sam and a few other memories and he knows there’s some guy who he cares about who he misses but is dead and is pretty much drawing a blank beyond that. But he’s still determined to leave! And after a while he runs into this guy and somehow they hit it off and it’s almost like they already know each other and are able to anticipate each other to a certain degree but they’re also both pretty sure they’ve never met. (Spoilers: it’s Cas. Chuck pulled him from the Empty and is just watching the both forget each other for science. Yes, I am horrible.) They start traveling together, driving around with a couple of other people looking for the PIC. The car is an 00s Corolla and the plastic panels keep falling off. It’s a running gag because yes there is some humor in this wasteland.

Anyway! They begin to fall in love (again) and they both know that they need to leave but they can’t really remember why and both of them have lost most of their memories and very little that’s left even approaches good. And Chuck is pissed! Because he sent them both there to be miserable and wallow in their worst memories with nothing good left and yet here they are, falling in love in limbo and holding onto a few scraps of memories and sense of self.

They do manage to find a portal of some sort to get back to the real world but only Cas can use it because Chuck’s rules for limbo do count Dean’s intent to not survive the hunt as a suicide. Dean pushes him through to the real world and goes back to the car and (rip off of W:ALS) falls through a portal underneath the seat that is supposed to go to the Empty but someone intentionally misplaces his file and he ends up back in the mortal world again.

Fuck if I know how they defeat Chuck but they do.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Sick Little Games: Twenty- Six

When they let you out of medical, Clint tucks you into bed carefully and tucks himself in next to you. You don’t want visitors right now, you want to sleep and a giant cuddle pile. 

Clint wants to find Bucky and beat the holy hell out of him. But he didn’t. He stayed close to you and resolved to never let go of you. Surrounded by pets and with your face tucked into the hollow of his shoulder. It was what he needed to remind himself that everything was okay.

He’d meant what he said in his moment of desperation, trying to keep you with him. He already had plans for adding on to your house to add fun things. A new Dining room. Maybe a little training room. New bookshelves. A finished basement with a game room for the boys. He liked those ideas. And the idea of having a home with you in it and waiting for him. Or maybe sometimes being home waiting for you. With kids someday. He’d like that too. He’d like a couple rugrats with your eyes and his smart mouth. That thought was enough to lull him off to sleep. Now that he had a ring on your finger, it was all so close he could taste it. And that felt nice. 

______

“Hey, Buck,” Steve said, folding his arms across his chest. 

“What?” He answered, looking up from the gun he was cleaning. 

“Thought you might like to know Y/N is going to make a full recovery,”  Steve said, eyes narrowing. He didn’t think Bucky had been the one to hit you with a toxin and try to get you exsanguinated. But he certainly hadn’t helped you. At least laid you out flat or stayed nearby. 

Bucky shrugged, “Medical wasn’t gonna let her die. SHIELD paid a lot of money, keeping tabs on her.”

Steve said a prayer for patience and sighed. “Bucky, she’s your teammate,” he sighed.

“And?”

“And she was injured, and you left her to bleed out on the ground,” he half yelled, exasperated.

“I figured if anyone caught me anywhere near her, someone would assume I was trying to kill her,” he said. 

Steve took a deep breath, “Maybe she was right.”

“About what?”

Steve raked his fingers through his hair and leaned against the wall, “She’s planning on getting custody of her brothers. And leaving. Clint too. She told me that maybe if she left, you’d quit being... this way.” 

“I don’t care if she’s here or not,” Bucky said, looking away. He didn’t want to think about you being gone as often as he wanted to choke the life out of you, you brought weird stability to things. “But Nat will care,” he said.

“She and Nat talked before she talked to me,” Steve said, shrugging, “Nat knows where she’s gonna be. And she agrees with Y/n that it might be better if she does go.” Steve sighed, “We don’t want her to go. None of us do, but. She’s earned the right to walk away when she wants. And even if I don’t agree, we’ve got no recourse to make her stay.”

“Who’s gonna clean up all the magical bullshit?”

“She told us she’s handing all that over to Strange, but we can call her if we need her,” Steve clarified.

Bucky grunted and turned to pick up his water bottle. He hated magic. And you. But he might hate Strange more. Strange and his attitude problem tended to rub Bucky the wrong way. At least when you were handling shit, there was no pretense. You just looked at them all and told them how to kill it efficiently. And perhaps issued a necessary precaution to take. Strange always had to tell them a whole fucking story from the beginning of time. The exact origin of the thing and what arcane bullshit that had summoned it. 3/4 of the time, you didn’t know any of that and further, didn’t fucking care. All you needed to know is what it was and how to kill it. 

“Stange isn’t happy about it either,” Steve sighed, “But we can’t make her stay.”

Bucky snorted, “What happens if she doesn’t get custody?”

Steve shrugs, “I don’t know, but. With her and Clint engaged now and Tony loaning her a couple good lawyers, it’s unlikely she won’t get it.”

“Especially in New York,” Bucky agreed.

“Not New York. Missouri,” Steve clarified, “It has to go through the DCFS there.”

“Missouri?”

“Where her family is from,” Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Bucky nodded. That. That put another piece of his plan in place. It gave him a bit of something else to work with. 

__________

“Boys,” you say sternly, “I’m okay. Everything is fine.”

“Clint said you’d been hurt,” Eli said anxiously.

“Damn near bled to death,” you say, laughing softly, “But it takes more than that to keep me down.”

On the other end of the phone, you can hear then having a quiet conference, “You’re gonna be at the hearing, right?”

“Of course I am,” you reassure them, “Clint and I will both be there, okay? This is gonna turn out.”

“What if it doesn’t?” they say together.

“One way or another, I’ll make sure you’re okay. Even if you don’t come home with me, okay?”

“Okay- Shit. Dad.” and the line goes dead. You hope they’re okay. They probably are okay. Good at stashing their phones. You know it’ll be okay, but you really hope they take the legal team's advice and let Stirling think it was all your doing and not theirs. 

Clint lopes over to you and wipes sweat off his forehead on his shirt. “Everything okay?” he asks, touching your arm. 

“Fine,” you say, nodding, “Just some jitters.”

Clint shakes his head, “How are you doing?”

“Same jitters,” you admit, exhaling slowly. 

He grins and kisses your cheek, “It’ll be fine, baby. One way or the other. We’re gonna get you your boys back.”

“Indeed,” Thor rumbled, “Anyone could see they’ll be better off with you.”

Sam snorted softly, and you half-turn, “Comment, Sam?”

“Nope,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “I just wanna know what’s gonna happen the first time they piss you off. You gonna snap and try to strangle them too?”

“You piss me off plenty, and your windpipe is still intact,” you say calmly. 

“Sam-” Clint said dangerously.

“Babe,” you say quietly, lacing your fingers through his, “It doesn’t matter. We’re leaving. With the boys or without them.”

Clint grips your hand tighter and turns to look at you, he opens his mouth to speak but doesn’t get the chance to answer before the doors crash open.

“Barton, you son of a bitch,” Tony yelled.

“Aww, moment,” Clint sighed.

“I believe,” Thor rumbled, winking at you, “he recently discovered that Lady Natasha won a good deal of money.”

You roll your eyes as Tony strides over and smacks Clint on the head with a rolled-up newspaper, “You couldn’t wait till Christmas to get engaged?”

Clint grinned and pulled you into his side, “I just didn’t want to give anyone else a chance.”

“A wise move,” Thor agreed, “Though Bruce was irritated that you didn’t tell us.”

“And you weren’t?” you asked him.

Thor grinned, “Midgardian Courting is a strange thing. I was only surprised he didn’t wait until you were with child to remember to ask.”

Clint’s cheeks colored, and Tony choked, “Wait, you’re not right?”

“No,” you groan, “Jesus, fuck.”

“Oh, thank god. Pepper sent me down here to ask what colors you were using for your wedding, so she knew what to use for your Engagement party. She’d shit if she had to do a baby shower too,” Tony said stretching. 

“Colors?” you ask, confused.

Tony gave you a look that was horrified and entertained by equal measure and pulled out his phone, “Pepper, help this child. I said colors, and she just... she doesn’t have a clue.”

Over the phone, you can hear the muffled “Oh my god,” from Pepper, and your stomach drops to somewhere around your feet. Your only experience with weddings comes from movies. And on TV. And the weird cult weddings in the church of life where everyone wore yellow and spent hours praying then all the adults disappeared for a while,, and you all prayed some more for the couple to have a ton of children. You hadn’t really even thought about the actual wedding. Too busy worrying about the boys.

“Don’t worry,” Tony said, pulling his phone back in his pocket, “Pepper can take care of everything. But you,” he broke off, pointing at Clint, “Have rookies to break in.”

Clint sighed, “Fine,” he said, “But I’m not taking it easy on ‘em.”

You watch them go and watch Sam go too, mildly distressed by what he’d said. It was a lot of emotions for a few minutes, and you felt like you had whiplash.

“Witchling,” Thor rumbled, slipping your arm through his, “I’m- I’m proud of you.”

“For what?” you ask, turning to look up at him.

“It’s no easy thing to change courses halfway down the river,” he said, cupping your cheek in his other hand, “You had a path, winding though it might be. And now you’re going to leave it to cut a new one. I- that takes courage.”

“Then why am I always so scared?”

He smiles a little, “Because, witchling,” he said gently, “Life taught you to fear. But courage is more than the absence of fear. It’s carrying on despite it.”

“Or because you’re too stupid to know when to quit,” you murmur, looking away.

“A healthy dose of that too,” he laughed. “In another life, Witchling, you would have made a fine Valkyrie... and Battle won’t be the same without you. But, Bruce and I will come to visit.”

You smile, “I’d like that. I think the boys would too.”

“And all your eventual children,” Thor teases. 

You know he means it kindly. You do. But that doesn’t stop a cold feeling of dread that spreads through your body from the pit of your stomach. Not as you remember sitting in a classroom with 30 other kids. All of you being told that the one crucial thing you could ever do was have babies. A lot of them. It’s different listening to Clint gush about babies. That’s cute. It’s reassuring somehow. This just... it feels gross. Like sitting in the classroom. Like being told about sex. And purity. And how to keep the boys around you pure too. You feel too hot. And Cold. And dizzy. So Dizzy. Your pulse is pounding in your ears, and you can’t hear anything but drums and symbols and prayers with words you don’t really understand but sound like you shouldn’t be saying them. It sits wrong in your mouth. And the couple on the altar steps. In Yellow, like everyone else has been on their knees so long, tears are leaving tracks on their cheeks from the pain. But to celebrate, we must feel pain. Because God wills it. You don’t remember the chapter or verse anymore. But you remember the words. The same way you remember the sting of the belt on the backs of your legs.

You don’t register pulling away from Thor and staggering towards the nearest trashcan before you throw up. But the chill of the wall under your hand feels good, even as the contents of your stomach spill out. And the calloused hand that pats your back. It’s reassuring too. Thor makes a soft distressed sound and catches Natasha’s eye, willing her to come to help him. He doesn’t know what happened. 

She trots over and looks at Thor is askance and the large man can only shrug. “Easy, princess,” she soothes. You’re crying now as you dry heave into a trashcan. Trembling and terrified. It’s not the first time she’s seen you have a breakdown. 

Once, not long after New York, a man had followed you down the street, quoting the bible at you. You’d calmly told him off and threatened to throw him into a bus but. The second he was gone, you’d just broken. An unexplained terror had swept through you so quickly and severely that she’d hardly had time to bend you over a trashcan.

“Water,” she tells Thor gently, “Get me water and call us a car. We’re gonna go out for a little bit.”

Thor nods, giving you a worried glance before he goes to do as Natasha had told him. Hopefully, the spy knew something he didn’t.

Tags:

@lancsnerd, @thorfanficwriter @blameitonthecauseway @etherealwaifgoddess, @stevieang, @beautybyfire, @sunmoonandbucky @mrsfox79, @bbmommy0902, @mendes-fan, @iheartsebastianstan, @wtfcas @pinknerdpanda, @process-pending, @ladifreakingda, @leasly, @coldbookworm, @hv-chw3, @past-perfect-future-tense, @starkrobb @beardburnsupersoldiers, @petlaufeyson, @queenoftheunderdark, @potatoheadthewise, @thehyperactiveteen, @thefridgeismybestie, @boyett514, @an-awkward-human-1, @sunshine-and-riverwater

[buckyownsmyheart]

Training Day and The Bet [one-shot]

⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 1,500+

Summary: There is only one way to settle a bet. Spoiler - it involves sexual tension and an extreme game of laser tag

Warnings: miniscule amounts of swearing

A/N: This is for @itsbuckysworld summer writing challenge! Massive thank you for letting me take part. The prompt was "What can I say, I have a weakness for people that can lift me over their heads”, and I had an absolute blast writing it!

⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎

This was it. The time that everyone was waiting for. The first Friday of every month. Training Day. Where the entire team played a game under the premise that it would help teambuilding and tactics. Last month, the team tried their hand at go karts (obviously to aide their get-away driving), the month before that had been paint-balling. Others included capture the flag and a particularly intense game of hide-and-seek with a twist. The twist being the sniffer dogs that Tony deployed unexpectedly. 

Today was laser tag and this was the game that mattered the most because of the bet that had been going on between you and your fellow Avenger, Bucky Barnes. Since you joined the team 2 years ago, you had formed a strong love-hate relationship with the man, and it had only intensified with time. So maybe you wished the relationship was more love, but there was no way that you would admit that you often dreamt of the way his muscles rippled in the gym, or the way his eyes sparkle after he’s told a corny joke, and how you ask him to plait your hair, just so you can relish in the feeling of his fingers scratching at your scalp. That was a secret you would take to the grave, and at least your current friendship allowed you to spend more time together, even if it was to make jibes at the other. 

It all started in one of the first training days that you had participated in. You had headed one of the teams and Bucky led the other. You narrowly won, and after many untrue accusations of cheating, a rematch was set for the next month, and the month after that, until a bet was set. The first to win 10 games won the bet. If you won, you got his prized Harley Davidson motorcycle. However, if he won, he got your room. Your room was well renowned by the Avengers to be the best in the compound. It had the best view, looking over the forest with the sea in the distance, and the fact that it was next to the swimming pool was an added bonus. There was absolutely no way in hell you were letting him have it. You were currently running at an 9 all tie, meaning that this match was the decider.

With Natasha and Sam away on mission, your team consisted of Steve, Bruce and Peter. Bruce often played a key planning role, but on the field, he was a bit of a liability, and refused to answer to code green. Peter often got distracted. Apparently, he needed full on violence with a detailed backstory to be able to fight a fight. So, there was that. You couldn't trust Steve not to take Bucky's side, no matter how much he promised not to, meaning you were in a bit of a dilemma.

Bucky's team was Tony, Rhodey and Clint. Rhodey was the one who had recruited you after a particular tour in the marines, but no matter how hard you tried to persuade him to spy for you, he refused. Damn his loyalty and good morals. Tony was no use either, he couldn't be bribed and was far too competitive against Steve to let you win. Your last hope was Clint, who was pretty useless in these games; he usually hid in the vents before swooping down in the last minute and claiming victory. 

Both teams were sitting in the briefing room where you and Bucky were going through the rules.

"No cheating," Bucky listed, "No tampering with the electric vests, no powers."

"No external influences," you cut in, staring pointedly at Tony, "Canine or otherwise. You know the rest, team footloose with me to talk tactics."

"Team hotshot we’ll stay here.”

Once you gathered in your respective teams, the plan was set into motion. Peter was already giving everyone codenames; he had been watching lots of James Bond recently and was getting very much into it. You were Eagle, and to be honest, you were pretty chuffed with it. Bruce was Eeyore, for his docile manner and maintenance of a realistic, if somewhat pessimistic, outlook on life. Steve was Eton Mess, due to his blonde hair, pale complexion and now slightly burnt nose from a mission the week before, and Peter was Excel. The reasoning behind that is unclear. You think he just really likes Excel.

"Alright," you began, "You all know how important this is to me. Bucky cannot win, under any circumstances. There's a lot riding on this, and if he gives me one of his damn smug smirks, someone will die. He's beyond competitive and will take any opportunity to rub it into our faces."

"Come on, (Y/n)," Bruce said, "You're just as competitive as he is!"

"That's absurd, I'm far more competitive and you know it." You stated, before continuing with the plan. "Peter, you're gonna go all sticky on those vents and flush out Clint, I turned off his hearing aids this morning, so it'll be easier for you to sneak up on him. Bruce, I need you to try and engage with Rhodey, distracting him with talks of peace and all that shit, before taking him out. Steve, I need you on Tony. He'll be flying high in the suit, trying to suss out the plan from above. You need to lay low until he hits the ground, and then take him out once he gets cocky. I'm going to take down Bucky, and he will suffer."

⁎⁎⁎

Half an hour in, and the plan was working. Mostly. Peter had successfully taken out Clint, but Tony had managed to shoot Bruce from above before he could talk to Rhodey. Steve shot Rhodey in the distraction, but Tony got him too. You had managed to shoot Tony whilst he came down to gloat to Steve. You had allowed yourself a small smirk before finding Bucky. Peter was still hidden in the vents and had taken to talking in your ear at a rapid pace.

"Eagle! Eeyore said that bird's eye view was the easiest option, so maybe we should rendezvous at East exit where Eton Mess was eliminated, Excel over."

"That was a hell of a lot of E's there, Parker," you spoke quietly into the comms. "We're gonna need to clarify these codenames because we are barrelling towards a misunderstanding."

The comforting weight of the rifle in your arms allowed you to focus on the task ahead, whilst ignoring Peter’s blabbering into the radio. You stalked along the side of the building, holding your breath. As you were about to round the corner, you saw him. Bucky was stood behind a low wall, pointing his rifle over the top and very much on guard. He made a move towards the building that you had been heading for, and you pointed your gun to aim at him. As you looked down your sights, you saw Peter also pointing his gun at Bucky.

"No!" You shouted, hurtling towards Bucky. You barely registered Bucky's shocked face before you lifted him over your shoulder in a fireman's lift, and slammed him against the wall he had been standing behind moments before. You'd be damned if after all this you weren't going to be the one to take Bucky down. You needed as much gloating material as possible. Before you could act further, Bucky threw you against a make-shift boulder, pressing his entire body against yours. As he pinned you down, you felt an unmistakeable hardness against your upper thigh, and you had to fight hard to keep a smile under control.

"What are you doing?" He growled.

"Wanted to make sure I was the one who shot you," you smirked, "But now it seems I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place." You raised an eyebrow and peered down at the offending appendage.

Bucky moved back from you, his eyes wide. A pink blush dusted his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Despite his clear embarrassment, he let out a gentle laugh.

"It would be so much less hassle if you two just kissed and got it over with," Tony interrupted your moment. He had clearly given himself access into your comms as well. In response, before Bucky could do anything, you pushed him back onto the opposite wall, pressing yourself into him, and leaned close to his ear.

"Whaddya say, Sarge?" you whispered, making sure your breath reached his neck, and relished when goose bumps appeared, "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it."

"What can I say, I have a weakness for people that can lift me over their heads." He murmured back, his lips moving against your neck as his deep voice reverberated through you. He dropped his rifle and wound his arms around your waist.

Before he could get a grip on you, you stepped back, aimed your rifle at his chest and fired. His vest lit up red, the lights flickering to show he had been killed, and you were victorious. You couldn't help the smug smile that formed on your face as the look of shock and subsequent rage laced Bucky's features.

You turned, and before strutting away, you called over your shoulder. "At least ask me out first, and to think I thought you were a gentleman!” You paused for emphasis, turning slightly in his direction to gauge his reaction, “I've recently acquired a new mode of transport though, so I can come pick you up." And with a joyful laugh and a wink in his direction, you went to join the rest of your team, swinging your rifle over your shoulder. Boy did victory feel good. Nearly as good as Bucky pressed up against you, but that was for another time.

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[winchesterprincessbride]

The Contest-Part 36

To celebrate Supernatural’s 15th season, the producers have decided to hold a contest to cast an unknown in a recurring role as Sam’s rumored love interest.  They are doing open casting calls all over the country.  Your best friend Nikki wants to go and she drags you along. Much to your surprise, you land the role and your life changes forever when you fall in love with one of the show’s leads, Jared Padalecki

A/N:  I am actually telling two stories here, Jared and Readers, and Sam and Gemini’s.  It flips back and forth, so try and keep up! : *Note: My vision for the show is different from what has actually happened, and some characters and plotlines may differ.

Part 1                   My Masterlist

Characters: Jared Padalecki, Reader, Best friend Nikki(OC) Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins,  Rory Montgomery (OC), PA Emily (OC) Cliff, Other Supernatural cast and crew

Gemini’s POV

My head popped up from the table, startling Sam and Dean, who were quietly eating their breakfast so as not to wake me. “Pancakes?” I said groggily as I sat up quickly. “Why do I smell pancakes?”

“Hey sleepyhead,” Sam said with a smile. “You must be beat, Gem. You fell asleep right at the table!”

Dean pushed a foil-wrapped plate in my direction. “Saved you some.”

I shook my head to clear it. “No guys, listen! My BFF Kelly Kline paid me another visit in my dreams. She told me where Jack is!” I pushed away from the table and stood up. Sam opened his mouth to say something, but I waved a hand at him.

“And before you say anything, I HAVE to go. Jack will only come to me. Don’t ask me why, but Kelly said it had to be me. So I am going! Get Cas, get Mary, but I am going and you can’t stop me.” I was starting to get really worked up.

Sam held out a placating hand. “If Kelly says it has to be you, then it has to be you. I don’t like it but I won’t stop you. I just want you and the baby to be safe.”

I jumped out of my seat and grabbed a piece of scrap paper and I pet from the junk drawer. I quickly scrawled down an address and handed it to Sam, “This is where Kelly says Jack is.”

Readers POV

When  I entered Jared’s trailer, he was face-timing the kids. The turned when I entered.  “Perfect timing, babe. They were just asking for you.”

I looked over Jared’s shoulder at the screen. “Hey, Sheppy! How’s it goin’ bud?”

Shep proceeded to laugh into a long story about some cool bug he had found before Tom apparently had enough of waiting and pushed him out of the way. “Lemme talk!” he demanded.

“Hi, Tom-Tom! I promise I will talk to everyone. How’s school?”

Tom’s face filled the small screen. “I can add now!” he said proudly

I grinned at him. Damn Jared’s kids were adorable.”Good for you! Keep up the good work. Where’s Odette?”

“She’s nappin”.  But Mamma wants to talk to you. Bye Daddy, bye, Y/N.” Without another word, Tom zoomed off, and the screen was blank.  The Gen appeared, looking like she had everything under control, as usual.

I don’t know how the woman did it. Yeah, she had help, but she had two very high energy boys, a girl that was into everything and still managed to find time to run a blog. “Hey Y/N! How is your mom? We missed you at the wedding,” Gen said with a smile.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. She’s much better, thanks for asking.” I replied

Jared cleared his throat. “Uh, Gen, we have something to tell you, well two things actually. I asked Y/N to marry me, and she’s pregnant.”

I leaned over his shoulder, “just to clarify, he asked me to marry him before I told him I was pregnant.” I said with a smirk.

“Oh my god! That’s wonderful news! I am so happy for you two! I can’t wait to tell David! When’s the wedding going to be?” she asked curiously.

Jared and I looked at each other. “We haven’t really talked about that yet.”

Gemini’s POV

Sam looked up from the paper I had handed him.”Jack’s in Biloxi, Missippi?”

“That’s what Kelly said,” I told him as he grabbed his laptop and entered the address into a site to get a satellite view. He turned the computer towards us.

Dean peered down at the screen. “It looks like a farm in the middle of nowhere.”

“I’m sure it will be crawling with demons,” Cas commented as he stared at the screen.

“Lucifer wouldn’t have it any other way. He knows we are going to take another crack at him, he’s just biding his time.” Sam said as he glanced at me with worry in his eyes.

“Gabriel was the only thing that kept us from getting our asses handed to us last time we tried to take on Lucifer! What’s gonna be different this time?” Dean demanded.  “If anyone has an idea I’d like to hear it.”

“Rowena,” I whispered.  “She hates Lucifer. He destroyed her body. He’s the reason she transferred her soul into me. Maybe we can strike a deal with her. Give her something she wants in exchange for her helping us.”

“I don’t trust her,” Dean snapped. “She always finds a way to screw us.”

“Do you have a better idea?” I said impatiently.

Dean looked over at Sam and they had one of those silent conversations that drove me nuts. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, would it kill you two to talk out loud lie normal people once in a while?”

Sam smiled sheepishly at me. “Sorry. Dean thinks we should call Crowley. He hates Lucifer with a passion. We can probably get him to help us. But I know how you feel about him.”

“Desperate times, Sam,” I said with a sigh. “He’s not my favorite person, but whatever we have to do to get to Jack and make it out alive, then I say we do it.”

“Fine then. You do your dream talking thing and see if Rowena will bite, and I’ll reach out to Crowley.” Dean decided.

“"What makes you think Crawley will listen to you?” I said with a smirk.

“Crowley and Dean were very close at one time. I think Dean will be able to get him to agree.,” Cas told me, and I looked at Dean with surprise.

“You and Crowley were close? Why on earth would you and the king of hell be BFFs?”

“Back when Dean was a demon, they were very close,” Cas said matter-of-factly.

“You were a damn demon? Seriously? Is there anything you two haven’t done?” I muttered with a shake of my head.

Dean glared at Cas. Thanks a lot, bigmouth!”

Cas looked completely confused as to why Dean was annoyed. “But you WERE a demon,” he repeated as if this explained everything.

I smiled at Cas. “Just ignore him. He’s just mad because he didn’t want me to know. If he can use his past with Crowley to get him to help us, then great!”

“So what kind of deal can you make with Rowena?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know. But she hates Lucifer enough that maybe she’ll help us just to see him suffer.,” I said hopefully.

Reader’s POV

Now that I was pregnant, the long days of filming were starting to take a toll on me.  When I was not needed for a scene, I could usually be found napping in Jared’s trailer. When I was late to shoot a scene because I fell asleep, the immature assholes I work with made sure to tease me about it.

“It’s about time, Sleeping Beauty. We have work to do.” Jensen said with a smirk.

“It can’t be easy carrying Gigantor junior in there. It must be sucking the life from you like a parasite,” Misha interjected.

“Guys…” Jared said warningly.

“For your information, children, you get to have all the fun, but we women are the ones who do the heavy lifting. So until you are ready to carry a baby, shut the fuck up!” you practically snarled.

Jensen and Misha held their hands up in mock surrender.  “We were just messing with ya, Y/N,” Jensen said consolingly.

“Well knock it off, or I’ll rat you out to both your wives.”

Misha’s eyes widened, “you wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me!” you said with a grin.

Gemini’s POV

I struggled that night to fall asleep. I didn’t like sharing my head with Rowena.  Every time she hijacked my body and I lost chunks of time, I resented her for it.  But eventually, exhaustion won out and I drifted off to sleep.

Just like before I was back in the dark, cave-like space, and I could barely make out Rowena’s figure in the shadows. “Hello, Rowena,” I whispered, not sure who else was listening.

“So, here for my help, are you?” she said with a cold smile.

“How do you.....I began, but she cut me off.

“I am always in the background listening, dearie. So if you want to count on my help to fight Lucifer and fetch his wee son, it’s going to cost you.”

“Cost me what?” I demanded impatiently. “Name your terms!”

“Normally I have healing spells in place so I can’t be killed, but after the last time, I took precautions. That is why I transferred my soul into you. Lucifer destroyed my body so thoroughly there was no way I could come back from it this time.”

“Tell me something I don’t know!” I snapped in annoyance.

“What’s left of me is sitting in an evidence box in a forensic lab in Chicago. An unsolved murder no one cares about.” I could tell Rowena was furious just by her tone of voice.

“What can I do?”

I need you to get one of my bones, there is a spell in the black grimoire that I can use to regenerate my body.  That is my price for helping you.”

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