#and then its so hard to get back to it. can we stop????? can it be enough already?????? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

saltynsassy31 · 3 days ago

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Reblogging it cuz I want to save it with the art thag inspired me to write this lol

Anyway, here's a fanfic based on this au, I simply couldn't help myself XD

Obviously, the au belongs to @keferon

Go check them out!

~☆~

Swerve had heard of the mythical “human fish” at the aquarium. It wasn't exactly hard when everyone was talking about it - aside from the rising sea levels. He was always intrigued by it, but never really got the opportunity to see it for himself as he worked in a different department.

Until now, that is. He was called in to fix one of the generators near where the “human fish” had been placed, which was an easy enough job from what they described the problem to be. It would give him enough time to take a quick look around and get a glimpse of the creature all the news articles were talking about.

Swerve wasn't sure what he was expecting when he arrived. He had seen the pictures online, but still, nothing could have prepared him for the real thing. Walking down the hallway with his coworker, they passed by the tank of the mermaid (it was a mermaid, right? It sounded so surreal to even think about it) and couldn't help but take a small moment to glance at it.

It was half way out of the water, leaning over one of the “land” parts of its tank with its arms crossed, looking bored (could they even get bored? Probably, animals get bored, too, right?).

The creature had a beautiful blue coloring to its scales and flesh, looking almost iridescent in certain areas. The fins on its head shaped perfectly like hair, the ones on the side of his face almost like wings. There was one strand protruding out like a graceful thorn. Aside from the piercing blue gaze of its eyes that turned to look at him tiredly, it was one of its most prominent features.

Least to say, Swerve was captivated.

He didn't realise he had been staring for far longer than he initially intended until his coworker called for him. “Dude, we don't have time for that. You can watch all the fish after we're done fixing the generator. Come on.”

Swerve quickly snapped out of it, turning around to follow his coworker in quick haste. “Right, sorry.” He paused. “It's just so…I dunno. Human-like.”

There was a small chuckle from the other. “I know. Weird, huh?”

Despite having been already scolded for getting distracted, he couldn't help but give one last glance at the creature - much to his coworker's annoyance. “Swerve, really? Come on man, we don't have all day.”

The creature stared back, unchanging in its hollow expression, simply looking as if it had nothing better to look at. Despite its cold indifference, Swerve smiled and offered a small wave of goodbye to it.

Seeing this, his coworker gave up all attempts to try and pull him away, figuring the other would simply follow once he was done playing around. Though, that didn't stop the frustrated grumbling that followed.

“Guh, are you a preschooler? I'm done waiting. I'll see you at the end of the hall.”

Swerve gave an absent-minded hum and nod, still observing the creature intently. He was considering following his coworker again, but those plans were briefly thrown out the window when he realised that the creature had taken notice of his action. For a brief moment, Swerve could swear he saw it contemplate something before it offered a half, tired smile and returned his wave.

It understood Swerve's action! It saw him wave, understood it, and returned the gesture! To say he was amazed was an understatement. The gasp that left him could only be described as star struck, a wide smile that took over all of his face, blinding the poor sea creature.

Swerve practically ran back to his coworker to report the news. “Dude! Dude! You won't believe what just happened! The mermaid, fish thingy, it–”

In his excitement, he missed the way the creature stared in stunned silence as he ran off. It rubbed at its eyes momentarily to wipe off the flash that was the human's smile before an amused huff left its gills. It smiled, softer this time. Laying its head against its crossed arms, it didn't look away from the spot the human had been in, long after he had already left.

That wouldn't be the last time Swerve had an encounter with the sea creature. He had been moved to keep maintenance of the general area of that department, which ment plenty more encounters with the mermaid. They were still few and far between, but he'd still wave, even if he didn't always get to stay long enough to see if it returned the gesture.

It sort of became their thing.

With time, he started to notice little things. How it would respond to praises with a certain air of pride, displaying behaviours of vanity and egoism at times. It also had quite the attitude if crossed. But it wasn't always like that. No, sometimes it was playful with some of the guests or workers that passed by - him included - always looking to make them smile. Swerve found it endearing.

It'd also pick up on patterns and behaviours fairly quickly.

One time he was walking around with one of his coworkers during lunch break, they were complaining something about scientists showing concern over the receeding waters and other climate change things that Swerve couldn't really be bothered to pay attention to.

And either his coworker was oblivious of his obviously bored expression, or the sea creature was extremely attentive, because as soon as it managed to catch Swerve's attention, it smiled triumphantly and began to play some sort of charades. Wait, no. It was mimicking Swerve's coworker. And, if he was seeing this right, it was in a mocking manner.

He couldn't help the small snicker that left him, having to suppress a full blown laughing fit by biting down at his knuckles until it left marks. That seemed to satisfy the mermaid.

And also, finally, caught the attention of his coworker. “What's so funny? This is serious! Aren't you concerned at all for our future?”

Swerve had to compose himself, but that was made almost impossible by the continued mimicry of the creature directly behind his coworker. “S-sorry, sorry. Yes, of course, this is a very serious concern of yours…what are you concerned about again?”

He maybe should have felt bad for the way they exasperatedly threw their arms up, giving up in trying to converse with him, muttering something along the lines of “You're impossible!” But that was quickly shoved in favour of his amusement towards the fish currently still mimicking them.

Sometimes he'd go long periods of time without being able to see the creature, it left Swerve wondered if it could remember him. It looked pretty smart and seemed to understand things pretty well, to an almost unnervingly human level. He noticed that, whenever he returned, it seemed to be able to pick him out of any crowd and would offer him a brighter smile each time.

While one of his superiors explained to his group what they needed to do, they had stopped just a couple feet away from the tank that held the pretty, blue fish.

Swerve swears he was trying to pay attention, honestly! But the bright blue that reflected perfectly against the shine of the artificial lights simply caught at his eyes and it was impossible to look away.

When they had arrived, it was perched against another rock formation, swinging its tail back and forth as it stared at nothing in particular. He wondered if they gave it any form of entertainment or if it simply liked to stare mindlessly into the void. But the moment it caught sight of his team - and Swerve in particular - it lit up with energy, almost immediately jumping back inside the water and swimming closer to the glass that separated them.

Swerve pretended not to pay mind, not keen on getting in trouble again for not paying attention. And besides, it couldn't possibly be looking at him, right? It was probably just excited to see people after hours of solitude. But the longer he did that, the more saddened the creature looked. He couldn't disappoint the poor thing!

So, finally, he turned around to face it. They locked eyes for a brief moment. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, but it felt as if he was in the tank himself, floating with the creature in the vastness of the ocean, nothing else really mattering.

“Swerve!” The small bubble he had formed was harshly popped by his superior calling for his attention. He quickly turned back to look at his him, straightening his back and going stiff. “Pay attention when I'm speaking.”

“Yes, of course! Sorry, sir.” He sputtered out, relaxing just a tiny bit as he watched him let out an exasperated sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose. “As I was saying…”

Despite the way the call out left Swerve feeling hot in the face, he still found himself drifting back towards familiar blue. The striking, piercing eyes of the creature were patiently waiting for his, smiling.

Swerve smiled back, a little bashfully (which caused all sorts of conflicting thoughts to run laps around his brain). He rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly, they continued to stare until the creature suddenly seemed…thoughtful? It was contemplating something, looking at the hand not currently resting against the glass of his confines.

Swerve tilted his head slightly, curious as to what it could possibly be thinking about. He watched as it turned to look back at him, a more shy smile displayed on his face before it did something that left Swerve stunned.

It waved.

It was such a small thing, such a small gesture, but it made Swerve's head spin and heart lurch. Up until now, it was always him who initiated the action, this was the first time he saw the fish do it instead.

He must have been staring for far too long because the creature suddenly became nervous and started to slow down its wave, looking away with uncertainty clear in its face.

“Swerve!” A booming voice called out, making him flinch. “Quit staring and get working!”

“Yes, sir! I'll be right over!” Swerve called back before quickly looking over at the mermaid and smiling, that big, bright smile that took over all his features, and hastily waved back before rushing after his group.

And, like always, he missed the way he left the fish stunned. But this time, it pushed itself backwards before swimming away with an electric spin, its own smile being all its face could show.

Okay so like. IMAGINE it starts pretty usual. Swerve hangs out in the Aquarium for whatever job related reason and accidentally makes friends with the weird looking fish hahah

But then the big Tsunami-flood apocalypse comes and everything is destroyed and water everywhere and all the buildings turn into sharp heavy deadly rubble and now Swerve has to team up with that weird looking fish because the end of the world contains A LOT of water and he never was a good swimmer

#HAHAHAHAHAHAHA IM SWEATING SO MUCH IVE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE IM SO NERVOUS #i literally wrote this on a whim TODAY while on a call with a friend and i didnt see that anyone else posted about the au till now #and now i feel stupid posting this but my friend i was on call with and my sister are shaking me and yelling and me to do it anyway #so herd i am....posting it-#i was actually writing for another one of keferon's aus but the second i saw the blurrfish au i couldnt help myself #like. i was already in a mermaid mood because i was planning my own blurve mermaid au a week before keferon posted #(which now im kinda nervous to post about it at all cuz its kinda dumb in retrospect but i gotta keep remindming of of the cake analogy lol #idk idk im freaking out i didnt even get this proof read like i usually do THIS IS SO DUMB 😭😭🙏#kinda terrified of this being percieved at all but i really hope that the 5 people who will see this enojy it gksjan #blurve #swerve #blurr #blurrfish au #apocalyptic ponyo #fullmetal bartenders #nggghhh im sick with anxiety omg #yelling in the tags to calm myself and hoping no one reads it this far

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angelltheninth · 1 day ago

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Those Who Meet in the Shadows

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, hate sex, rough sex, degradation, secret relationship, name calling-pussy slapping, dub-con, implied voyeurism

Word count: 0.7k

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions

A/N: Just Jason Todd being an asshole. I like that version of him.

Jason smirked at you, his armor leaving indents on your thighs as they were spread out for him. "Wipe that smirk of you face already, its disturbing." You push your hand against him, of which he bites the fingers off one by one as the table under you shakes from the force of his deep, hard thrusts. "Fuck! Are you trying to break the table?"

"No, just you." He pushes closer, his hands on your hips, encouraging you to roll your hips with him. You try not to, you try not to give him the satisfaction of it, but can't resist him, "What would Bruce say if he knew his new friend was spreading her legs for me? Bet he'd be really angry with you. Yeah, I'm thinking... a little spanking for the naughty girl."

"Bruce wouldn't- ah, fuck, oh!" You grabbed onto the edge of the table, your cowl fully slipping, your face revealed, eyes widening. "D-Don't look at me you motherfucker, this is just-" He slapped your pussy again before pressing his fingers against your clit.

Your hips rose from the table to meet his thrusts, the echoing sounds filling the storage house. The weapons you used lay aside, the condom wrapper glistening in the dim light. At least he remembered that not wanting a repeat of you denying him like last time.

Last time. "We should stop doing this Jason. It' wrong." You were a hero, and him... something much darker, not a villain not yet but he was so close to that title.

"Yeah its real fucked up how easy you are. Letting me fuck you, coming all the time, screaming my name. But you have been distracting me more then usual. Maybe you should let every villain in this city fuck you, see if you can set them on the correct path. Then again, I am a very possessive man, I would kill any guy who wants this sweet hole. Its mine." Jason took your hands in one of his and pinned them down, "Keep them there, don't you dare move."

For some reason you listened. It was so shameful to obey him but had Jason's big, hard cock pumping in and out, making your body react.

"She obeys!" Jason boasted laugning.

"Fuck you." You still had the strength to flip him the bird.

"Aw that's adorable, is that the finger you use when you think of me?" You did. More then one finger because one wasn't nearly enough. "Bet you love having the real thing huh? Finally a man who knows what to do with a whore cunt like yours." He curled his finger over your clit, sending your back arching. "You think he's listening right now?"

No, the comms were off, you made sure of that. "N-No. He can't be."

"Then why is your pussy trembling so much? You want him to hear? Didn't know you let cockhungry sluts in your ranks these days Bruce. Must be real desperate. Poor little thing probably didn't even know how much of a slut she was." He spoke with an almost maniacal edge to his voice, his cock twitching inside you.

"S-Stop it. Its not true." You whimpered, getting all teary eyed.

"Yes. It. Is." He accompanied every word with a slap on your pussy, each sting making your head spin until a high pitched moan left your mouth, "Hear that Bruce?! That's your partner being my little whore!"

"I- I hate you." You managed to still bite back but your body didn't agree with your actions, and honestly you weren't sure your heart did either but that was easier to ignore when you were being pounded by Jason's cock. "I hate you, I hate you, I fucking hate you!" Jason was only spurred on by your words, fucking every inch of his fat cock into you until he felt your walls tighten. Despite your best efforts not to your body reacted to his, stars dancing behind your eyes, head spinning, only able to feel his cock still working between your legs and his fingers on your clit. "St-ah-op."

"But babygirl," Jason pulled out and took the condom off, letting the cum gather on the floor, "We still have the whole box of these to go through."

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the-winter-spider · 1 day ago

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Yours, Always | Part Eight

Steve x reader, Bucky x reader AU

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings: Angst, fluff, little bit of this little bit of that

A/N: Only like 2 more parts of Bucky in the hospital, I just want him home so we can get to the good stuff 😅🤪

Masterpost

---

The door clicks shut, the sound hanging in the silence like an aftershock.

Bucky stares at it for a long moment, like maybe if he looks hard enough, it’ll open again. Like maybe you’ll come back, but you don’t.

His chest feels hollow, his hand still tingling from where yours had been just minutes ago. He swallows hard, then drags his free hand over his face, his fingers trembling against his skin.

Winnie watches him, her gentle, knowing eyes never leaving his face.

She saw it the moment you walked out of the room the way something inside her son cracked. Bucky lets out a slow, shaky breath and in a voice that’s so small, so quiet, he asks “Who’s Steve?”

Winnie’s brows pull together slightly, her lips parting. “What did she tell you?” she asks softly.

“Not much,” Bucky murmurs, his voice tired, strained. He leans back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling as his jaw clenches, unclenches.

On an exhale, barely above a whisper “Not much about anything.” His throat bobs, his brows knitting together as his lip quivers, just barely. “Her life isn’t anything like I hoped for,” he admits, the words stinging his tongue like acid.

Winnie’s expression softens, something deep and heartbroken settling in her gaze. “Oh, James,” she whispers, shaking her head. “What did you expect?”

Bucky says nothing. Because he truly doesn't know what he expected but it didn't feel like this.

His jaw tightens, his eyes still glued to the ceiling like if he blinks, if he moves, the pain will swallow him whole.

Winnie lets out a breath, sitting down beside his bed, her hand covering his forearm, grounding him.

“That girl loves you so much,” she says softly. “Her whole world stopped when you were gone.”

Bucky flinches, because he knows he heard it in your voice. Felt it in the way you held him like he might disappear again. Saw it in the way you couldn’t even look at him when you talked about your life.

“She said there was a funeral for me...” he murmurs, his voice barely holding together. Winnie closes her eyes for a moment, as if she can still see it the way you stood at that funeral, hands curled into fists, face vacant, lost, broken beyond words.

“She never really believed it,” Winnie admits. “Not completely. Even when we had to bury an empty casket. Even when they handed me that folded flag. A part of her always thought maybe just maybe you’d find your way home.”

Bucky presses the heel of his hand against his eyes, inhaling sharply. “Who’s Steve?” he asks again, his voice raw this time.

Winnie sighs, her heart aching for him, for you, for all the years that were stolen. “Her husband.”

The air leaves Bucky’s lungs all at once. For a second, he doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink, then, he exhales through his nose, sharply, his hand dragging down his face.

“Right.” His voice is flat, unreadable, but Winnie can see it the devastation in his eyes, the way his fingers twitch like he’s trying not to clench his fists.

“He’s a good man,” she continues softly. “He loves her and Y/N, she loves him and Lily too. Maybe not the way she loved…loves you but its there.”

Bucky’s brows pull together slightly. “Lily?”

Winnie hesitates for half a second, gently. “Her daughter.”

Bucky closes his eyes.

And for the first time since he’s been back, since he’s been rescued, since he’s been breathing, since he’s been staring at the ceiling in this goddamn hospital bed, he wishes he hadn’t made it home at all.

Bucky’s entire body goes still. Not just still, paralyzed. His fingers twitch, then curl into the thin hospital blanket, his grip tight like it’s the only thing tethering him to this moment.

“She has a daughter?” The words barely make it out. His voice is hoarse, strangled, like they were ripped from somewhere deep in his chest.

Winnie watches him carefully, her lips pressing together before she gives the softest nod. “Not in the way you think, sweetheart.”

Bucky’s throat bobs, his breath uneven.

Winnie’s voice is quiet, steady, filled with something he can’t quite name. “She’s her daughter legally, on paper and in her heart. But she didn’t birth her, that’s all I’m saying. The rest… she’ll tell you when she’s ready.”

Bucky just stares at her, the words should mean something but they don’t sink in.

Not yet, all he can hear…all he can feel is the ache in his chest, the one expanding, consuming, suffocating.

“A daughter,” he repeats, like if he says it enough times, maybe it’ll start making sense.

But it doesn’t.

Because how the fuck is he supposed to make sense of any of this?

Of years stolen, of an empty casket, of a love that never got to be anything more, of a life that kept going without him?

His heart is hammering, his breath is short and vision blurs.

He presses his fingers against his eyes, hard, inhaling sharply, forcing the lump in his throat to stay down, forcing his grief into the cracks of his ribs where no one can see it.

“James.” Winnie’s voice is gentle, but firm.

Like she already knows exactly what’s going through his head, like she knows that in the seconds since she spoke those words, he’s already convinced himself that he should have never come back at all.

“Look at me, baby.”

He doesn’t want to. He knows if he does, he’ll break. Slowly, reluctantly, his eyes meet hers.

They’re the same eyes that used to look at him across the dinner table when he was sixteen.

The same eyes that welcomed you into their family like you were always meant to be there because you were.

The same eyes that had to bury an empty casket and pretend it was enough.

“What did you expect?” Winnie says softly. Her voice isn’t harsh, isn’t cruel but it still feels like a knife between his ribs.

Because he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know what he expected.

That you’d be waiting? That time would have frozen in his absence, just like he did? That you’d still be his, in some way, any way, even after all this time?

“I…” His voice cracks.

He looks away, shaking his head, running a hand down his face again like it might wake him up from this nightmare.

Winnie sighs, squeezing his arm. “That girl loves you so much, James,” she says. “Her whole world stopped when you were gone.”

Bucky flinches.

“And when she had to start it again, she did the best she could.”

Bucky swallows, staring at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. A broken sound leaves Bucky’s throat.

A breath, a sob, a fucking plea for something he doesn’t even know how to name. He shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “She deserved better.”

“She deserved you.”

His breath stutters and his jaw clenches.

“James,” Winnie murmurs, rubbing slow circles on his arm. “She made a life for herself. She did what she had to do to keep moving forward but don’t think for a second that it didn’t cost her everything. She lost you, baby. She lost herself right along with you.”

He felt it the second he saw you. The way you looked at him like you’d seen a ghost, the way your hands shook when you held him.

The way your voice cracked when you spoke his name, the way you couldn’t even look him in the eye when you talked about your life, because somewhere deep down, you knew it was never supposed to be like this. None of it was.

Bucky swallows then clears his throat. He tells himself not to ask but he does anyway. “Do you think she’s happy?”

Winnie watches him for a long time.

So long that his stomach twists, turns, knots itself into something unrecognizable. She sighs. “I think she tries to be.”

Bucky nods once. Slowly and quieter than ever. “Does she love him?”

Winnie pauses.

She doesn’t answer right away, like she’s choosing her words carefully. “She loves him the best she can,” she finally says. “And he loves her and she loves that little girl with everything in her.”

Bucky stares at the ceiling, silent and suffocating.

“But,” Winnie continues gently, her voice so soft he almost doesn’t hear it “Not the way she loved you.”

His chest caves in. It doesn’t feel like victory, it doesn’t feel like hope. It feels like a slow, agonizing death, like mourning something that’s still standing right in front of you, like grieving a love that was never given the chance to grow.

“Get some rest, baby,” Winnie whispers, brushing his hair back like she did when he was a kid. “Goodnight my sweet boy.”

He nods absently. “Goodnight Ma.”

---

The night air was cool, wrapping around you like a soft whisper. The sky stretched endlessly above, a dark canvas splattered with stars, the moon casting a soft glow over the riverbank.

You and Bucky lay side by side on an old plaid blanket, the fabric rough against your skin, the scent of pine and damp earth grounding you.

This had been your thing for as long as you could remember. Escaping the noise, the weight of the world, and just… being.

Bucky sighed beside you, his hands resting behind his head, eyes locked on the constellations above.

“Do you ever think about love?” His voice was quiet, but it cut through the stillness.

You turned your head slightly, studying his profile. His features were relaxed, but there was something behind his voice, something careful, hesitant.

“Yeah,” you admitted, turning your gaze back to the stars. “I think about it.”

“What do you think about it?”

You breathed in deeply, the scent of cedar and the lingering smoke from your small fire filling your lungs.

“I don’t know,” you said, voice softer now. “I think it’s rare, especially true love…I think when it’s real, it’s the most powerful thing in the world but I also think it’s messy and complicated.”

Bucky hummed beside you. “Yeah.”

A beat of silence. “Have you ever been in love?”

You froze.

Your fingers curled into the fabric of the blanket, your heart hammering against your ribs. You kept your eyes fixed on the sky, but suddenly, the stars didn’t seem so captivating anymore because how do you tell your best friend, your only friend that you’re pretty sure you’re in love with him and you have been since you were eight? You don’t.

You could feel Bucky watching you. “Y/N?”

You wet your lips, swallowing hard. “I…”

And blessedly, cruelly he kept talking. “I am.”

Your breath hitched.

Your stomach twisted, a dull ache spreading through your chest. You forced yourself to breathe, to keep your face neutral, to not let it show.

“Oh?” You managed, your voice painfully even.

He let out a breath, something like a laugh, but it was softer, like he wasn’t sure if it was funny or not. “Yeah. I have been for a while, I thought it would go away if i ignored it but it's not, it's just....stronger."

Your throat tightened as you swallowed the lump caught in your throat.

You thought of Stacy. She was pretty, she was sweet, kind, popular pretty much everything you weren’t and would never be.

She had been hanging off his arm for weeks now, giggling at his jokes, showing up at his locker, touching his shoulder whenever she spoke to him.

You had told yourself it didn’t bother you. That it didn’t matter and you didn’t care.

You inhaled sharply, forcing a small smile. “She’s lucky, then.”

Bucky turned his head to look at you, his brows pulling together slightly. “Huh?”

“Whoever she is.” You swallowed around the lump in your throat. “She’s lucky to have you.”

Bucky didn’t say anything for a moment.

Until quietly, carefully he did. “Do you think anybody could ever love me?”

Your chest ached.

You turned your head, meeting his gaze in the dark. He looked so vulnerable, so open, like he didn’t even realize it.

“Bucky,” you murmured, your voice trembling. “Any girl would be stupid not to love you.”

Something flickered in his expression. Something unreadable.

“Yeah?”

You nodded. “Yeah.”

He looked at you for a long time, too long and he turned back to the stars. “What about unrequited love?”

Your stomach dropped.

“What about it?” you whispered.

“Do you think it’s worse than never loving at all?”

You licked your lips, feeling like you were unraveling.

“Maybe,” you said carefully. “I think it depends.”

“On what?”

You hesitated, your fingers digging into the blanket. “On whether or not the person you love ever really sees you.”

Bucky let out a shaky breath.

“Yeah.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I think you’re right.”

The air between you was too heavy now, too thick, filled with words neither of you had the courage to say.

Bucky sat up abruptly, stretching his arms above his head. “C’mon,” he said, his voice suddenly lighter, different. “It’s getting late.”

Just like that, the conversation was over, it was buried.

You let out a breath, blinking up at the sky one last time. The stars were still there but they didn’t look the same anymore.

---

You don’t remember walking through the hospital.

You don’t remember saying goodbye to Winnie, don’t remember the quiet hum of nurses and the faint beeping of machines as you moved through the halls.

It’s all a blur, a haze, a dream that refuses to make sense.

All you know is that one moment, you were in his hospital room, holding onto him like you’d lose him all over again, and the next you’re outside. The cool night air wraps around you, but you barely feel it. Your legs move forward, autopilot taking over, and then you see blonde hair.

Steve, he’s there, he’s always been there, leaning against the rental car, arms crossed, waiting. His eyes land on you immediately, and whatever tension he had melts away when he sees you.

He pushes off the car, his expression softening. Before you even realize what you’re doing, you walk right up to him, straight into his chest. His arms are instantly around you, wrapping you up, pulling you flush against him.

Your breath comes ragged, uneven, as you grip onto the front of his jacket like he’s the only thing keeping you upright and barely above a whisper. “It’s him.”

Steve’s hold tightens.

“It’s really him, Steve. This is real.”

His lips press against your hair, lingering there, warm, reassuring. “It’s real, baby.” His voice is gentle, steady, the kind of calm you desperately need.

He pulls back just enough to look at you, his thumb brushing against your cheek, and for the first time since you walked out of Bucky’s room, you exhale.

Steve presses a soft kiss to your forehead, then moves to open the car door for you. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

You nod numbly, stepping into the car, your fingers curling into your lap as Steve shuts the door behind you.

A moment later, he’s in the driver’s seat, keys in the ignition, but he doesn’t start the car right away. He just watches you. You stare straight ahead, completely still, completely silent.

The hospital entrance glows behind the windshield, the weight of it all sinking in, pressing into your ribs, your throat, your lungs.

“Sweetheart.” Steve’s voice pulls you back, but barely.

You blink, finally turning your head to look at him, and the moment your eyes meet his, the dam breaks.

Tears well up, spilling over, and a sob tears through you before you can stop it.

Steve doesn’t hesitate. He reaches for you, his palm cradling your cheek, his thumb swiping away the tears just as fast as they fall.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, his forehead pressing against yours.

“I don’t…”Your breath stumbles. “I don’t know how to feel, I feel, its so much Steve, I...”

Steve exhales slowly, his free hand finding yours, gripping it tight. “You don’t have to figure it all out tonight, okay?” he says, his voice calm, certain. “You’re allowed to just… feel it. Process it.”

You nod shakily.

“I was so scared,” you whisper.

“I know.”

“I thought…” Your voice breaks. “I thought if I ever saw him again, it wouldn’t be him. That it would be some version of him I wouldn’t recognize.”

Steve nods.

“But it’s him.” You suck in a sharp breath. “It’s Bucky. It’s really him.”

Steve doesn’t speak for a second, softer than ever. “I know.”

He squeezes your hand gently. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

You hesitate, because you don’t know what to say. You don’t know where to start, where to end but you do know one thing. “I don’t want to go back to the hotel yet.”

Steve studies you for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

He pulls away, his hand leaving yours just long enough to put the car in drive and as he pulls out of the parking lot, the city lights stretching out ahead of you, you close your eyes.

The city lights flicker past the windows in soft blurs of gold and white as Steve drives, the hum of the engine filling the silence between you.

Your mind is somewhere else.

Somewhere back in that hospital room, somewhere between the past and the present, trying to find a place where they can coexist without breaking you.

Steve’s voice pulls you back. “Lily says she misses you.”

You blink, turning to him. “You talked to her today?”

He nods, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I did, she kept asking to see you.”

Something in you softens. “Do you think she’s still awake?”

Steve glances at the clock on the dashboard before huffing a quiet laugh. “Of course, it’s Saturday. She’s probably still watching movies with my mom.”

You hesitate for half a second before reaching for your phone, your fingers trembling just slightly as you hit FaceTime.

It rings once.

Twice.

“Mommy!”

Lily’s beaming face fills the screen, her strawberry blonde curls a wild mess, her little pink pajamas slightly wrinkled. The sight of her is an instant balm to the chaos in your chest.

“Hey, baby.” You smile, your grip on the phone tightening like somehow it’ll bring her closer.

“I miss you,” she pouts, eyes wide, sweet, so full of love.

“I miss you too.”

“Are you coming home tomorrow?”

Your breath catches, because home, your true home is wherever he is, wherever Bucky is and now you have her too and suddenly you don’t even know what that means anymore. “Soon, angel,” you say softly. “I’ll be home soon.”

She tilts her head, studying you the way only a child can. Then, her brows pull together. “Why do you look sad? Why are you crying?”

You exhale slowly, forcing a small smile. “They’re happy tears, Lil. I’m happy.”

She frowns, unconvinced. “Good, you always look sad.”

Your heart clenches.

A sharp, aching twist in your chest. You swallow hard, nodding quickly. “You make me happy.”

She watches you for another second before nodding, her expression softening into something so small, so knowing. “I’m happy that you’re finally happy.”

You feel it like a punch to the gut.

Because when had she noticed? When had she learned to read the sadness on your face like it was written in ink?

Your throat tightens, but you keep your smile steady. “I love you, Lily.”

“I love you more!” she grins.

“Not possible.”

She giggles, covering her face with her hands before peeking out between her fingers. “Good night, Mommy. Good night, Daddy!”

“Good night, baby girl,” Steve says, smiling.

The call ends.

The car is quiet again, but it’s a different kind of quiet now.

You stare down at your phone, your mind circling back to her words, over and over again.

“You always look sad.”

Steve must see the shift in your face because he reaches across the console, taking your hand in his, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. Softer than ever. “Things are gonna change, aren’t they?”

“I'm not sure how much more change I can take.” Your voice, quiet, broken.

---

The air was still warm from the afternoon sun, golden light spilling in through the open kitchen window as the sound of Lily’s laughter echoed from the backyard. She and Sarah were out in the garden, something about finding the “biggest, most beautiful flower ever” to bring inside.

You were standing by the counter, drying dishes while Steve put them away, the two of you working in perfect sync, like you had been doing this forever, in a way, you had.

Steve leaned back against the counter, watching you, his eyes filled with something soft, something warm. “So, I was thinking…”

“That's never good.” You smiled, glancing over at him, wiping your hands on a dish towel. “About?”

“Ha ha, funny.” He breathed out, then he hesitated for a second, running his fingers over the edge of the counter, almost nervous. “About Lily.”

Your stomach did that little flip it always did when he talked about his daughter. “What about her?”

He inhaled deeply, steady, certain. “I want you to adopt her.”

You froze, the dish towel slipped from your hands. “You….what?”

Steve pushed off the counter, stepping closer, close enough that you could feel his warmth, the steady presence that had held you together for so long. “I want you to be her mom, officially. If…if you want to.”

Your chest tightened, your heart slamming against your ribs. “Steve…” Your voice was barely above a whisper.

“I mean, you already are,” he continued, rushing now, like he wanted to say everything before you could stop him. “She calls you Mom. You tuck her in at night. You make her lunches and hold her when she cries and tell her stories about mermaids and astronauts and whatever else she’s obsessed with that week.”

His voice is quieter now. “You love her, she loves you..” he swallowed “And if anything happened to me, you’re the only one I’d trust to take care of her.”

Your eyes burned. You did. You loved her so much it terrified you sometimes. “I just…” You wet your lips, blinking fast. “I just don’t know if I have the right…”

Steve’s hands found your arms, gentle but firm, grounding you. “You have every right, Y/N. If you want it.”

You exhaled sharply. “But Natasha…”

“What about her?” His voice was soft, sure.

“She’s her mother, she always will be.”

Steve nodded. “She will and you know what? She would’ve loved you.” His lips curled slightly. “She would’ve been happy knowing Lily had someone like you in her life. That she had you to love her.”

Your breath caught, your throat tightening as you blinked up at him. “You really think that?”

He smiled, warm and certain. “I know it.”

You stared at him, at the way he looked at you like you were the only thing that mattered, at the quiet confidence in his voice, like there was no doubt in his mind.

Suddenly, there wasn’t any in yours either. You let out a shaky breath, nodding once, then again, stronger this time. “Okay.”

Steve’s brows lifted slightly, his breath catching. “Yeah?”

A small laugh slipped from you, wet and disbelieving. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s do it.”

Before you could say anything else, Steve had you in his arms.

His grip was tight, almost desperate, like he wanted to hold on forever. You felt his breath against your hair, his heartbeat steady against yours.

“I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too.”

When Lily ran inside a moment later, dirt-streaked and breathless, holding up a flower that was much too big for her little hands, Steve knelt beside her, his eyes shining.

“Hey, baby girl. How do you feel about making it official?”

“You asked her daddy?! She said yes?!” She squealed and threw her arms around you, burying her face in your neck. You knew you’d never be able to live without her being your daughter ever again.

---

The morning air is cool, crisp, the sky a dull gray, mirroring the weight in your chest. Steve pulls the rental car to a stop outside the hospital entrance, shifting into park but not moving to unbuckle just yet.

You exhale, smoothing your hands over your jeans, the fabric cool beneath your palms. Neither of you rush to speak because this is it.

Not forever, not yet, at least but for now. You decided your stay till Bucky heads home, Steve’s heading today.

You finally turn to him, your lips parting slightly, but he’s already looking at you and you see something in his eyes that you don’t quite recognize.

You don’t know what it is but he does. He’s been coming to grips with it for the last few days, and now, sitting here with you, he feels it down to his bones.

He knows how this ends, how you two end because if it were Natasha, if she had somehow come back to him after all these years, after all the mourning, after all the grief he knows exactly what he would do and he knows exactly what you’re going to do. He doesn’t know when it will happen, or if it’ll even be you to do it. He hasn’t decided yet, but for right now he’s going to keep you as long as you’ll let him.

“I don’t have a flight booked yet,” you murmur, forcing a small smile. “But Bucky said he should be getting released soon, so I should be home in a couple of days.”

Steve nods, you don’t notice the flicker of something behind his gaze. The way he’s memorizing this moment, committing it to memory because he knows, this is the last time you’ll say it like that, the last time you’ll consider him…home.

“Take as long as you need,” he says instead, his voice gentle, steady, warm. “Lily and I will be waiting when you’re ready to come home.”

You nod, reaching for his hand, squeezing it. “Thank you,” you whisper.

You wanna say more, say thank you for everything, for understanding, for never holding you back, for never demanding more than what you could give.

He swallows, then lifts his hand to your face, brushing his thumb along your cheek and he looks at you like he’s already mourning you. Like he’s saying goodbye without saying it, like he’s letting you go, even before you’ve made the decision to leave.

But you don’t see it because you still think that maybe, somehow, you can hold both pieces of your life together.

That somehow, this doesn’t have to be a choice, but Steve knows better.

So, he just smiles. “I love you.” He says it like It’s not a question, not a plea, just a fact…one that will always be true, even after this.

You smile back “I love you too.”

Steve nods once, then pulls away, his hand leaving your cheek, his warmth fading as he reaches for the gear shift.

You step out of the car, the door closing softly behind you and as he pulls away, you watch him go, lingering in front of the hospital doors longer than you should.

You step through the hospital doors, the cool air inside a stark contrast to the warmth of the morning sun outside.

You move down the hallway, rounding the corner just as Winnie is walking out of Bucky’s room.

She spots you immediately, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Just in time,” she says, giving your cheek a quick kiss as she passes. “I was just heading to grab some breakfast. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

You nod, offering a small, tight smile. “See you later, Winnie.”

She squeezes your arm before continuing down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

You take a breath, then another and it still somehow doesn’t feel like enough but you knock lightly on the door before pushing it open.

Bucky is sitting by the window, his good arm resting on the windowsill, staring outside. “Ma, I told you, I’m not hungry.”

You smirk, leaning against the doorway. “Jeez, Buck, it’s only been ten years. Didn’t think I aged that much.”

His body stiffens and faster than you can even register he spins around, eyes wide, disbelieving. “You’re back.”

He’s on you again, his sling is gone now, his left arm still wrapped at the shoulder, but it doesn’t stop him from wrapping both arms around you and you feel it.

His hands, both of them pressing against your back, pulling you flush against him.

You swallow hard, your fingers clutching the back of his shirt. “Of course I’m back,” you murmured into his shoulder. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Bucky doesn’t answer right away. His arms just tighten, holding onto you like he’s afraid you’ll disappear. “I don’t know,” he finally whispers.

You don’t say anything to that, you just let yourself sink into the feeling of him, a feeling that will never be enough, not after all this time apart.

After a moment, the two of you sit down by the window, you pulling another chair beside his. The view outside is nothing special, just the distant skyline, the tops of trees swaying in the breeze, the occasional car moving down the street.

But Bucky stares at it like it’s everything. “One of the things that kept me going,” he says after a moment, voice quiet, distant, “was looking up at the sky.”

You turn to him, watching the way the morning light touches his face.

“No matter where I was, no matter how far away it felt, I kept thinking…” he pauses, swallowing, ”that you were under the same sky. That we weren’t really that far apart after all.”

You squeeze your hands together in your lap, swallowing back the lump in your throat.

You don’t say anything, you don’t think you can.

Bucky turns to you. “Tell me about Steve.”

You freeze, your stomach tightens.

“You mentioned him a couple of times yesterday,” Bucky continues, watching you closely. “And I heard Ma say he was waiting outside for you.”

You nod slowly, your fingers fidgeting with your left hand, the one that should have your ring on it. “He’s my husband.”

Bucky goes still, he knows of course he knows, his Mom already told him but it feels different hearing you say it. It was something he thought maybe, just maybe if he played his cards right you would call him some day but he doesn’t say anything.

You keep going. “He’s… amazing, really. He anchored me, I don’t know where I’d be if he hadn’t…” You shake your head, trying to find the right words.

“Where did you meet?” Bucky asks, his voice calm, steady, unreadable.

“A grief support group.” His brows furrow slightly.

You exhale, looking down at your lap. “He was the first person who really tried with me after I lost you. He didn’t have anybody for the first little bit, either. It was just… us.”

Bucky nods slowly.

He’s trying to picture it. Trying to imagine you, his girl, showing up to a grief support group because of him. Because he left, because he felt like he had something to prove because he felt he would have it all figured out if he just did a couple of tours. Because you thought he was dead, he should have been.

“Steve lost his fiancée,” you continue. “Natasha, she died giving birth to their daughter, Lily.”

Bucky’s head tilts slightly. “Lily?”

You smile softly. “She brought out a kind of joy in me that I hadn’t felt since you.”

Bucky’s chest tightens.

“After a couple of years together, we eloped.”

Bucky stares at you. “Really?”

“Yeah.” You nod, your smile turning a little sad, distant. “Nothing crazy. Nothing big.”

“But you always wanted some big wedding,” he says, almost like he’s confused.

You meet his eyes then and you see the realization settle over him before you even say it. “That was before I lost you.”

Bucky’s mouth opens, then closes and nothing comes out.

Because what the hell is he supposed to say to that?

What is there to say?

You clear your throat, breaking the silence. “After we got married, I legally adopted Lily.”

His brows pull together again.

“She knows about Natasha,” you assure him. “We keep pictures of her all over the house. She knows who her mom is.”

Bucky nods slowly. “You have a family,” he says after a moment.

You nod. “I have a family.”

Bucky inhales deeply, running his hands over his thighs before exhaling slowly.

“Are you happy?”

And without hesitation, it slips out before you have the chance to even think it through. “No.”

Bucky flinches, like the answer actually hurts him. Hewas expecting you to say yes, to tell him that you were fine, that you had moved on, that you had found happiness again.

But you didn’t and he doesn’t know what to do with that. “No?” he echoes, his voice almost uncertain, like maybe he heard you wrong.

You just stare at him. “No.” You take a deep shaky breath looking back at the buildings surrounding the hospital watching the car drive by, you can feel Bucky staring at you waiting “I tried to be, I really did. I have moments where I feel joy but they always get dimmed. I just, my life isn’t what I dreamed it would be, I think that's why.” You pause and in a low voice “I thought about it y'know.”

“Thought about what?” Bucky's voice is soft, gravely, his eyes never left you.

You finally turned to him making eye contact “Ending it all, I almost did it once but I just thought what if you were still out there.”

“Y/N…”

“I know it's heavy and you have enough going on I just, I’m so happy you're here.”

He reached out taking your hand in his squeezing “If you ever, ever think like that again please, I beg you please talk to me.”

You nod, deciding to change the subject your eyes go to his shoulder, the one wrapped up. “What happened Buck? Your Mom says you wont talk.”

Bucky inhales sharply, his fingers twitching where they grip yours, he doesn’t say anything not right away he just stares down at your intertwined hands like maybe if he focuses hard enough, the past ten years will disappear.

Maybe you’ll be kids again, sitting in the back of his truck, dreaming about the future that never came.

He sighs. “Because there’s nothing to say.”

You narrow your eyes. “That’s bullshit.”

He smiles slightly at that, the you from before never letting him off the hook that easily.

He watches your eyes drift to his shoulder, wrapped in thick gauze, the skin underneath bruised, raw, healing. “What happened?”

His gaze flickers away for a second and he exhales hard through his nose, his free hand dragging over his face, quietly, reluctantly. “They almost took it.”

Your stomach twists violently. “Took what?”

His lips press into a thin line before he finally looks at you. “My arm.”

A chill crawls down your spine. “Bucky…”

“It happened right before they found us,” he continues, voice flat, almost detached. “We didn’t know help was coming. We thought that was it. We thought we were gonna die in that fucking basement.”

You stiffen, your fingers tightening around his.

“They must have figured out a rescue was close,” Bucky goes on, staring at some invisible spot on the wall. “Because they started executing us. One by one, taking us out before anyone could get to us.”

You stop breathing.

“It was my turn, they went to drag me out,” he says, his voice eerily even.

He huffs a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Carlos tried to stop them. I told him not to, told him it was too late.”

His throat bobs. “He didn’t listen.”

You can barely keep yourself together.

“Carlos tackled one of them before they could pull the trigger and in the chaos, I got loose… but one of them had a machete.”

Your stomach drops.

“He just started swinging the thing, tried to take my whole arm off. Got through most of my shoulder before the blast happened.”

Your lips part, but no words come out.

“I thought I was dead,” he admits, voice rough, raw. “I thought…I felt myself slipping and then the whole place shook. I woke up in a helicopter with a medic shoving a needle in my neck.”

Your hand flies to your mouth, trying to stifle the sob that’s rising in your throat. “Bucky.”

He finally looks at you. “They saved it,” he says, glancing at his shoulder, at the thick gauze covering the mangled skin beneath. “It’ll never be the same, and it hurts a lot, the nerve damage is irreversible.”

You shake your head, tears burning in your eyes. “But you’re here,” you whisper.

His expression softens, he nods. “I'm here.”

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lem0nshark-writes · 2 days ago

Text

"Idiot"

Thranduil x Male Reader

Type: suggestive fluff

Word count: 792

Warnings: cocky reader, flirting, idiot reader, sassy Thranduil (when is he not sassy tho), wound treating

Request: by @unspeakableoftheoscarwildesorr ! 💕 "Me again. Just read this fic and I was wondering if we could see the turns tabled and Thranduil the one being flustered and the reader being the smirking bastard? Again, it’s alright if not. Have a good day x 2!"

A/N: Bit short but I hope you like it!! 💕💕 I dunno if I did your request justice and made Thranduil blushy enough but then again I feel like he's not an overly blushy type hehe But if you don't like it lmk and I can write another one! Have a lovely day! 💕💕

Also Thanos fic coming soon! 👀👀

Along with your fellow elven soldiers of Imladris you were sent by lord Elrond to deal with growing orc problem south to the kingdom of Mirkwood.

Warmly welcomed by their king you all enjoyed your stay, hunted, fought, dined and partied with the hosting wood elves. Each morning bright and early you all went to the south borders chasing, fighting and catching as many orcs as you could and bringing them back to the halls of Mirkwood for interrogation in hopes of getting a glimpse into Sauron's plans. But so far it wasn't much of a success.

This morning, on one of such hunts you had a bright idea to fight a small horde of orcs by yourself, overestimating your skills and catching quite a gash on your side. Your fellow elves were quick to notice the little stunt you pulled and got you out before you could do even more damage to yourself, helping you finish off the remaining orcs.

By returning back to the kingdom you were ushered to the medics but you being you assured everyone you could handle the dripping wound yourself and made your way to a small restroom, getting onto the task, much to their dismay.

"I hear you are refusing care from my medics-" Thranduil's voice mused through the small room as he entered, closing the door behind himself, long lavish robes dragging themselves after him across the dark floor, "Elrond will say I'm not taking good care of my guests-" he eyed you up and down, your naked torso catching him off guard.

"Oh don't worry about lord Elrond, he's used to this," you smirked, hand and needle working a thread through the tender flesh of your side.

"So I hear," Thranduil mocked subtly, eyes staying focused on your bare skin under guise of watching your handiwork. Slight blush creeping its way up his pale cheeks and the tips of his ears, but he thought he played it well, relentlessly keeping a straight unphased face.

You flashed him a grin, not minding the comment one bit as you didn't take it as an insult rather an ode to your adventurous spirit, pausing a moment before musing through a smirk, locking his gaze into your own tauntingly "King Thranduil, I didn't know you were so.. impressionable."

His eyes widened a bit at the unexpected comment, blurting out immediately with an eye roll, "Oh don't flatter yourself idiot. The only thing impressionable about you is your stupidity."

You chuckled at him, swearing you saw his blush worsen as he tried oh so hard to remain graceful and unaffected. You've never seen him this flustered around anyone else, anyone else but you.

But his eyes stayed trained on your hands and how messily they stitched the wound about, blood making a mess out of your side and your hands. Until he had just about enough of that catastrophy and took a dramatic sigh and smacked your hand away from the wound. He grabbed a gauze and doused it in alcohol before dabbing your wound gently with it, cleaning the reddened flesh surprisingly softly.

You sucked in a sharp breath as the liquid stung fiercly but it didn't stop you from smirking at him as the pain slowly subsided, "If you wanted to touch me all you had to do is ask"

"Oh shut it." Thranduil barked tossing the soaked gauze at you softly with a huff and straightening himself before going towards the door, "This is what I get for wanting to help-" he let out dramatically, fake offended making you chuckle.

Before he could leave you smugly let out, "I have something else you might like to touch-" making Thranduil turn his head towards you and roll his eyes with a done glare, going to protest something.

You smirk at him but reach out to the pocket of your coat that sat on a chair beside the table you were sitting on and pull out a valuable diamond encrusted in a tarnished but nevertheless beautiful and intricate silver pendant-like jewlery, seeming of elvish descent and pass it to him, "One of the orcs dropped it, thought you'd be interested."

"..Elvish.." he muttered, examining the precious object under the little light that was coming from the window, mesmerized by the scattering light filtering through.

"Yes, I'll see we catch a couple of the bastards alive and see where they got it from," you gazed at him, happy you brought back something of value to the king.

He smirks at you, "keep that up, if you do I might see you get something you might not be able to resist," he winks at you before elegantly making his way out of the door, leaving you alone and flabbergasted.

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kalpeavaris · 21 hours ago

Note

Honestly, I enjoy how much depth the AS has. Evil AIs are one thing. But an evil AI that is shown to hate romance, get defeated by its own stupidity multiple times and still be a threat because it can plot, is rare to see. The Solver is no GLaDos, it is far more of a person person. And that is its greatest weakness and biggest strength.

Oh hell yeah, that's also why I love the Solver so much. It is an AI, but a hellish one at that. Eldritch Horror AI is so fitting because it constantly evolves around itself and the experiences it takes in.

It being able to create biological mass also makes sense to me when you take into account that it actively evolves like a living, biological being. It takes other shapes, creates and destroys depending on its curiosity, it figures out the inner workings of things, combines them, fuses them (e.g how Cyn fuses Tessa's dolls with a keybug in Episode 5, or how it puts human organs into the Drones it possesses or lends it's powers to, organs that these characters most likely not use fully outside of maybe the lungs/heart (core)).

It has a personality, goals, motivations and that's what makes it so unpredictable. Generally, AIs we see in media are often very logically build and predictable until a certain point. Best example is War Games, a movie about a war simulator AI being tricked into stopping running wild on war simulations which almost ended in real war, by having it conclude that "war never has a winner, it's always a draw" and shut down.

The Solver on the other hand is so sapient in its behavior. It's hardly predictable, it messes up, but it learns and adapts in a very evolutionary way. It's cruel, but it also has empathic values in a sense, though it doesn't act upon them (e.g in Episode 2 when it claims 'Easier to assimilate than explain', to which Uzi responds with 'Not going to happen' and the AS acknowledging her reply essentially with 'Fair, but oh well-'). That's such a human dialogue to happen between two sapient beings to me.

And also later on when the Solver's Cynessa and we can see it emote alongside it's spoken words, it shows frustration, confusion, anger, annoyance in such a nonchalant way.

Bringing up Glados, I think it's hard to "compare" these two, since as far as I know Glados actually has Caroline's memories/consciousness uploaded into her database (correct me if I'm wrong it's been a while since I played the Portal games :'D), while the AS has no clear point of origin, though it seems that it seems to have just "spawned it".

We never see it take in human memories or knowledge (or even a consciousness) and instead, it seems to learn through observing and consuming Drones, which it then uses to mirror their behavior/traits onto the holograms it projects to trick others. It has a very human way of learning and showing its learned behavior, and it chosing to go the "kill everything and adapt anything" route gives a depth to it's evil intentions.

I wouldn't say the AS in itself is intentionally acknowledging as evil or malicious in all of its nature/plans, but it rather reflects back at people. It manipulates, kills, forces and takes what it needs, and aren't these things such human traits as well? It simply reflects back from what it had seen from humans - abuse, ill intentions, malicious personalities. It activated within Cyn and from that point of being introduced to the Elliott Manor all it saw was cruel humanity and the occasional ray of sunlight from Tessa. And these few rays of empathy despite brushing it aside shrine through the malicious personality we see from the AS.

It is a threat with motivations, sapient personality and traits it displays and has influence it's methods.

#my ramblings #ask #absolute solver #md headcanon #murder drones #AS headcanon #md solver #this is a long one LMAO #but I really love just having a thought when being sent a thought or headcanon and rolling along with it

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sylusonychinus · 2 days ago

Text

Episode Six : A Storm Brewing

The quiet hum of the morning was shattered by the sharp ringing of a phone.

[Reader]’s mother frowned as she glanced at the caller ID, her ex-husband’s name flashing across the screen. With a sigh, she picked up.

"What do you want?" she asked, already exasperated.

"Why didn’t you tell me our daughter is working in aviation?!" he barked on the other end. "Do you have any idea how hard this is making things for Liana?"

Her grip on the phone tightened. "And why exactly is that my problem?"

"Because it’s embarrassing!" he spat. "People are comparing them! Liana worked hard to be where she is, and now they’re saying that she—"

"Oh, please," she cut him off, her voice cold. "You don’t get to act like a father now. You never cared about [Reader], so don’t pretend you suddenly have an opinion about her career."

"I am her father—"

"No, you’re Liana’s father," she snapped. "You made that clear when you walked away from us. You have no say in her life."*

The silence on the other end was deafening.

"Stay out of this," she warned. "And tell your precious daughter to deal with her own insecurities."*

With that, she hung up, anger simmering in her chest.

Across town, Liana Reyes sat in a trendy café, lazily stirring her iced coffee as she listened to Marissa rant about her latest grievances.

"—and then he had the audacity to say he wasn’t interested. Can you believe that?" Marissa huffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Liana, only half-listening, hummed in fake sympathy. "Men are idiots."*

Marissa rolled her eyes before scrolling through her phone. She stopped suddenly, her fingers tightening around the device. "Oh. My. God."*

"What?" Liana asked, taking a sip of her drink.

Marissa turned the screen towards her. "Tara went to a wedding last month. Look who got married."*

Liana’s brows knitted together as she leaned in—only for her expression to twist in fury when she saw the photos.

"You’re kidding," she seethed.

[Reader]. And Caleb Xia.

Married.

"That little—" Liana set her cup down with a loud clink, gripping her phone with enough force that her nails nearly dug into the case.

"And she didn’t even invite you?" Marissa added, feigning shock. "Wow. Your own sister."*

Liana’s jaw clenched. "She really thought she could keep this from me?"

Her fingers hovered over her phone before she dialed a familiar number.

The line rang twice before [Reader] picked up. "Liana?"

"Meet me at Belleview Café. Now," Liana ordered.

A pause. "Why?"

"Because we need to talk about why I wasn’t invited to your wedding, dear sister," she sneered.

[Reader] exhaled sharply. "I don’t have time for this, Liana."*

"Make time," Liana snapped. "Or I’ll make sure everyone knows that you’re the daughter of a mistress."*

Silence.

Liana smirked. "See you soon."*

She ended the call, sitting back in her seat with satisfaction.

"She’s on her way," she mused, crossing her arms. "Let’s see if our golden sister can handle this one."*

Marissa giggled. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

The café was cozy, filled with the quiet hum of conversation and the scent of roasted coffee beans. But despite its warm atmosphere, the tension at one particular table was thick enough to cut with a knife.

[Reader] sat across from Liana, her fingers clenched into fists beneath the table as she listened to her so-called sister drone on.

"I just can’t believe you would do something so selfish," Liana scoffed, taking a delicate sip of her overpriced latte. "Marrying Caleb Xia of all people?"*

"Selfish?" [Reader] repeated, raising a brow. "How is marrying my husband selfish?"

"Because," Liana leaned in, her voice dripping with condescension. "You don’t deserve him."*

Marissa, sitting beside her, smirked. "I mean, let’s be real. You’re not exactly his type, are you?"

"Right!" Liana sighed dramatically. "Caleb is successful, charming, handsome. He’s been my friend for years. Honestly, he and I would have been the perfect couple."*

[Reader]’s patience was wearing thin. "Then why aren’t you together?"

Liana’s expression faltered for a split second before she scoffed. "Because you sunk your claws into him first."*

Marissa nodded eagerly. "You’re a nobody, [Reader]. You really think Caleb married you because he loves you? He probably felt pity for you."*

Something inside [Reader] snapped.

She grabbed the glass of water in front of her and, without hesitation, threw it straight at Liana’s face.

A gasp rippled through the café as cold water splashed all over Liana’s perfectly styled hair and designer blouse.

Liana let out a shriek, her hands flying up to her face. "You—!"*

"Oops," [Reader] said flatly, setting the now-empty glass back on the table. "Must’ve slipped."*

Marissa gasped, eyes wide in shock. "You bitch!"

Liana slammed her palms onto the table, seething. "Marissa, hold her down."*

Marissa immediately reached for [Reader], grabbing her arms to restrain her.

"You think you can humiliate me like this?!" Liana spat, raising a hand to slap her. "You’re nothing, you hear me? Nothing!"

But before her palm could make contact—

[Reader] was suddenly ripped from Marissa’s grasp.

"Let. Her. Go."*

The voice was cold. Dangerous.

Liana froze, her raised hand trembling slightly as she turned to see Caleb Xia standing behind [Reader], his grip firm on her wrist.

"C-Caleb?" Liana stammered.

Marissa’s smug expression instantly vanished as she let go of [Reader] like she had been burned.

[Reader], still shaken, looked up at him in shock. "Caleb?"

He had followed her.

Earlier, when [Reader] had taken the call from Liana, Caleb had just stepped out of the bathroom. He had overheard everything. When he asked where she was going, she had brushed him off, saying she was just heading downstairs.

But he hadn’t believed her.

And now, standing here, hearing every vile thing Liana had just said—his patience was gone.

His gaze flickered to Liana, his jaw clenched. "You’re seriously still like this, huh?"

Liana swallowed hard. "I—Caleb, you don’t understand, she—"

"I understand just fine."* His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it. "And for the record? I was never interested in you."*

Liana’s eyes widened, her breath hitching. "W-what?"

"Not in high school. Not in flight school. Never." His grip on [Reader] tightened protectively. "I don’t know what delusion you’ve been living in, but my life? My choices? They were never about you."*

Silence.

Liana stood there, humiliated, her lips slightly parted like she wanted to argue—but for the first time in her life, she had nothing to say.

"Come on," Caleb murmured, gently pulling [Reader] towards the exit. "We’re leaving."*

And with that, they walked out—leaving Liana Reyes and Marissa alone in their embarrassment.

The moment they stepped back into their apartment, [Reader] pulled her wrist free from Caleb’s grasp and bolted for her room.

But Caleb was faster.

Just as she reached for the doorknob, his hand landed on the wood, stopping her from going inside.

"Oh, no you don’t," he said firmly.

She clenched her jaw. "Move, Caleb."*

"Not until you answer me," he countered, his tone unusually serious. "What would’ve happened if I wasn’t there on time?"

She looked away, arms crossing over her chest. "I could’ve handled it."*

"Really?" Caleb raised a brow. "Because from what I saw, Liana and Marissa were seconds away from ganging up on you."*

"I threw a drink at her first," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "I started it. I can finish it."*

Caleb exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face before leaning down slightly, forcing her to meet his eyes. "[Reader], listen to me. You don’t have to deal with this alone."*

She swallowed. "It’s not like you’ll always be around."*

"That’s what I’m saying—" He sighed, pressing his palm flat against the door beside her head. "If something happens, call me. I don’t care where I am, what I’m doing—call me. Because I’m your husband."*

She blinked up at him, his words sinking in.

Husband.

The weight of it still felt unreal sometimes.

After a beat, she let out a small breath and nodded. "Okay… I promise."*

Caleb studied her expression before sighing and stepping back, giving her space. "Good."*

Then, his usual playful smirk returned. "Now, on a much lighter note—dinner."*

She raised a brow. "Dinner?"

"Yeah. A few of my friends from the airline are meeting up tonight. Come with me."*

"You mean a pilot gathering?"

"Something like that," he shrugged. "It’ll be fun. You should get to know them."*

She hesitated. "I don’t know…"

"C’mon, [Reader]." He gave her a knowing look. "You can’t just hide in your room after throwing water at your sister. Celebrate your victory."*

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold back a small smile. "Fine, I’ll go. Just let me change."*

Caleb grinned. "That’s the spirit."*

A few minutes later, [Reader] emerged from her room wearing a short skirt and a simple white blouse.

Caleb, who had been waiting in the living room, looked up—and immediately raised a brow.

"Are you dressing like that for me or my friends?" he teased, his eyes flickering over her outfit.

She scoffed, placing a hand on her hip. "Neither. I just felt like wearing this."*

He smirked, stepping closer. "Right. Of course."*

She gave him a pointed look. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"Not at all," he said smoothly. "In fact, I fully support this choice."*

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse. "Let’s just go before I change my mind."*

Caleb chuckled, placing a hand on the small of her back as they headed out.

The dinner was held at a high-end steakhouse near the airport, where several of Caleb’s airline friends had already gathered.

The atmosphere was lively—full of laughter, teasing, and the occasional talk about flight routes and emergency landings.

But there was one person who didn’t seem thrilled about [Reader]’s presence.

Mark.

He had been close with Liana during training and was clearly on her side. Throughout the evening, he made little side comments, subtle digs aimed at [Reader].

"So," he mused after taking a sip of his drink. "Marrying into the aviation industry, huh? That’s one way to stay relevant."*

[Reader] tightened her grip on her fork, but before she could respond, Caleb shot Mark a sharp look. "Watch it."*

Mark raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, man. Just making conversation."*

[Reader] exhaled slowly and placed her napkin on the table. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."*

She needed to cool off before she actually threw something at him.

But the moment she stepped out of the restroom, she saw Mark standing near the entrance, scrolling through his phone.

Her eyes narrowed.

Perfect.

She walked up to him, voice cool and calm. "You have something to say to me, Mark?"

He looked up, smirking. "Just surprised, that’s all. Never thought Caleb would settle for—"

"For me?" she cut him off, tilting her head. "You mean someone who actually knows how to do her job? Or someone who doesn’t cling to him like a desperate high schooler?"

His smirk faltered. "Look, I didn’t mean—"

"No, go on," she crossed her arms. "Because I find it funny how you’re talking so much when Liana isn’t even here to defend herself."*

Mark cleared his throat. "I was just looking out for—"

"For what?" she raised a brow. "For your friend or your own misplaced bitterness?"

He looked away, jaw tightening.

She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "If you have an issue with me, be a man and say it to my face. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut."*

Mark let out a slow breath before finally muttering, "Fine. My bad."*

"Glad we understand each other."*

And with that, she walked back to the table, leaving him standing there in silence.

Taglist: @jinwoosbabyboo @kithyyy @mcdepressed290 @nezuswritingdesk @elegantdeerlady @yuuuumii @duhgurl @lumieresdreams @bidisasterforevermore @i-messed-up-big-time

@that-one-scoundrel @justpassingdontworry @ansbobcar @nagireos @auriuswolve

#caleb x you #caleb x reader #calebxreader #caleb x mc #caleb #lads caleb #love and deepspace caleb #lnds caleb #caleb lads #lnds

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rafesbabygirlx · 15 hours ago

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Hi angels (this is gonna be long)

I ramble because when I feel big feels I don't think straight, but please read 🤍

I'm posting this now because I just need to get it out. This has been weighing heavily on me. But I doubt anyone will read it hahah

This is really hard for me to say, but after a lot of thought, I’ve decided to wrap up some things I have left, complete some more requests and step back from writing anything new—at least for now.

I’ve been contemplating this for a while, trying to push past the feeling, but I’ve reached a point where I can’t ignore it anymore. Writing has been such a joy for me, and I’ve loved being part of this little community. You all welcomed me with open arms, and I can’t express how much that means to me.

Honestly, I don’t think I’m in the right mental space for it right now. As much as I love creating, I’ve found myself constantly doubting my work, comparing my writing to others and thinking that I can do so much better, and overthinking every detail. It’s a cycle I’ve fallen into on my own, and it’s taken a toll. On top of that, I feel like my blog has lost some of its spark, and my writing isn’t going anywhere and not growing. I’ve also gotten some nasty anons the past few weeks that I ignore but they still haven’t helped with my thoughts. 🫠

With my final semester of college also weighing on me, everything feels like it’s piling up. So, I think I just need a short break. Ew I feel like I sound so insecure. I think I’m just too hard on myself, especially when I get overwhelmed and burnt out.

I feel really guilty stepping away after working so hard to build this space and gaining so much support. The last thing I want is to let anyone down. But right now, this is what I need.

Please stick with me and don't forget me.

That said, I truly love being here, and I don’t think I can stay away for too long. Honestly, I might still post every now and then if I feel inspired. I also won’t be going completely dark - I want to stay engaged and continue supporting the amazing people I’ve met here. I’d love for my moots to keep me updated on their posts, and I’ll still be around to chat.

Sorry if none of this makes sense. I really hate that I've gotten to this point. I still have some things I want to complete and then I plan to take some time off from writing. But I will be around. We can still interact. I don't want to completely lose what I have here. 🤍

I want to go through some more requests and I have a couple of parts left of The Pen Pal. I like to finish what I’ve started and I’m committed to that. I'm posting this and I have a couple of drafts ready to post tonight and then going to take a break for a day or 2 after posting this (because I feel awful and I want to avoid it)

I’m hoping that this will bring me some relaxation but I’m also hoping it will bring me some inspiration too. I have a series I’d love to restart and a lovely anon gave me a great idea for a JJ AU I’d love to do at some point. I hope those ideas would excite you just as much too.

I think right now it will just be a couple of weeks off just from writing. To refresh, heal my mind, and finally breathe. I’ve already expressed it slightly in some posts but I’ve been really thinking about it.

I already can’t wait to be back because this community has been so good to me. I appreciate every single one of you. What’s that corny saying? It’s not goodbye it’s see you later? I love you guys, and I’ll make another post when I officially take my break.

I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE. IT ALL DOES IN MY HEAD. JUST A LITTLE BAD AT EXPRESSING MYSELF.

I wanna thank everyone who has supported my writings and I LOVE every single one of you.

I also wanna thank some of my moots! You all have helped me incredibly since I've joined. You're all so kind hearted and probably the best group of people I've ever connected with on the internet. I’m still here so please don’t stop tagging me or reaching out, I’ll still support all of you when I’m on a break. Forgive me if I'm forgetting anyone- not really thinking right now. But this goes for all my moots. 🤍

@rafesheaven @cameronsprincess @inthelibrarybtw @littlelamy @leather-n-velvet @writingroom21 @ivysprophecy @maybejj @rafescokewhore @nemesyaaa @rafescvntyclubgf @angelicameron @tanjamikaelson @starkeynation @quinnsbabygirl @frankoceanluvr11 @httpsdrewstarkey @v3n1ce-bxtch @zyafics @whytheylosttheirminds @rafesbuzzcutseason @maybankslover

#rafesbabygirlx speaks

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mrstevenss · 2 days ago

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“Ppl need to stop asking why gihun didnt get on the plane. It was so he could go back and end the games”

I don’t think its necessarily about people WANTING him to run away with the money and live his own life, I think it’s that, with the way things are looking, running away might’ve unfortunately been his best option. :( It’s already near impossible to truly fight back- with all the armed guards, moles, traps, not knowing where you are- and all with pretty much no means of communicating with the outside world. Even if they do manage to take over and stop the games, destroy the whole establishment and get home safely, with all the money they have to throw around they could most likely just find a way to start them up again. Even if EVEN IF they truly DO shut down and NEVER start up again, there could be a third party that creates their own games or something similar, because there will always be a demand for something like the games. We need to remember that the whole thing is just a play for the VIPs. As long as they want a play, they will get a play. That’s why it’d be so hard to stop something like this - because it’s not as simple as getting rid of patient zero and then everybody’s cured. It’s a systemic issue, so as long as that system is upheld then the problem will go on forever, and we’ve seen how its been going so far :(

But hey we can see what happens in s3

#squid game #seong gi hun #squid game hot take #<—?#squid game theory #player 456 #hwang in ho #player 001 #squid game x reader

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thebigqueer · 3 days ago

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fineeee i guess ill make a random headcanon post (these thoughts have been plaguing me for months and i need to get them out)

ik sarah fortune and vi are probably prison wives which is why i also think sarah did most of vis tattoos while they were there, which is how they became prison wives (a whole lot of sitting very intimiately on top of each other can do that to people.)

jinx left ekko with a key to her hideout. its probably one of the only last things thats remaining of jinxs past since she was very determined to destroy anything reminding her of her past, so he keeps it in his room. he hasn't opened it yet because it feels like a breach of her privacy but he has it just in case she ever comes back or if he ever decides he wants to.

on that note, i actually think the first time he even dares to go into her hideout is after one of his and vi's meetups. she's probably talking about how much she misses jinx and he brings it up. they don't actually go in for monthssss afterwards cuz again they feel weird being in her hideout, and vi feels like she has no right to this part of jinx's life given how distant they became. but eventually curiosity gets the best of them and they go in.

cait and vi have two dogs.

cait and vi also spar together on the weekends.

caitlyn went to university while she was living with her parents so it was kinda hard for her to sneak off to parties but she did it somehow. that said the first time she got drunk was in college and jayce had to help sneak her back in through her window.

vi and mylo and claggor would often hang out with some of the older kid neighbors and would usually be the plug for alcohol. but vis first kiss (with a girl one one of the low rooftops) was interrupted because mylo got wayyyy too drunk one time (it was his first time and she gave him so much shit for it). powder found out and got sad that she didnt get invited to the party even though she saw how mad vander got

i think caitlyns always known she was into girls but was less sure if she was into guys. while she was a teenager she dated maybe one or two but she realized she very much was not into them.

mel has a lot of knowledge about weaponry (given shes from noxus) and when she came over to the kiramman house for events or dinners she and caitlyn would nerd out about guns. mel would tell her about some special noxus weapons and how they differed. mel was even the first person to gift her a gun (with cassandras permission ofc).

after cait finds out about vis drinking problems while they were separated she also stops drinking (at least around vi, but she tries not to drink even when she isn't around vi too). that paired w how her father took up alcohol after cassandra's death, alcohol is kinda barred at the kiramman household for a while.

i honestly think vi prefers not to be around anyone after she has nightmares or on particularly hard days. i think she likes to stew on it for a while on her own, not cuz she 'doesnt wanna burden cait' but more becuase she just doesn't want to be smothered like that. obviously she talks to cait when she feels comfortable enough but she likes to be alone when shes having off days.

felicia and connol got married after they found out they were pregnant with vi (and in the wedding picture that vander and then jinx kept, you can see felicia's baby bump with vi). im not sure how league lore works but i think felicia and connol decided to officially marry more so cuz it felt right to them and less because they 'had to' because i think marriage is honestly more of a label thing in zaun (like oh yeah we can marry but we also dont have to, it doesnt really matter cuz it doesnt change how i feel about you), whereas in piltover marriage probably holds more social and economic weight.

even though sevika wasnt particularly close to vi or jinx when they were younger (when vander was still in charge of the last drop) she still talked w them. i think she was softer w powder cuz she was younger and would sometimes play along with her dolls, but she was very teasing with vi (which teenage vi did NOT appreciate).

i do think that sevika would help vi train sometimes too, even though i fully think vander was the one mostly in charge of that. but on the nights that maybe vander was too busy and sevika felt like it, she'd give vi pointers on how to fight.

one time sevika saw vi flirting with her first girlfriend on the rooftops and she teased vi mercilessly about it while they were sitting next to vander. vander raised his eyebrows at vi and vi blushed and stormed off. sevika just howled with laughter.

#i definitely have more headcanons but thats it for now.#arcane #caitvi #timebomb #mel medarda #vi #caitlyn kiramman #jayce talis #ekko #jinx #meljay #felicia #connol #vander #mylo #claggor #sevika #powder

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deadtired-highkeyenergetic · 3 days ago

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Memories

A...prequel I suppose to The Hunter. I might continue expanding on this relationship, I quite like the dynamics. Let me know your thoughts on it too!

Summary: Bucky remembers you, despite everything.

He remembers that voice. The low rumble, accompanied by warm touches that are kind and gentle. The voice that promises no one will harm him, that's he's safe. The voice that had been taken away from him one night, suddenly vanishing without a trace, leaving him alone in the cold dark rooms.

They'd said you'd been killed by the enemy and gave him a new Handler. New hands that hurt, a new voice that brought only pain. Every night he curled up on the cold hard floor, he clung onto the memories of that low voice and warm touches. Nothing could wash those memories away, not the painful machine they had him strapped to, not the endless beatings. It was those memories that kept him going, gave him a sliver of hope that one day the pain would stop. He'd refused to believe the enemy had gotten you, he knew you were skilled, smart and strong. There was no way you'd just die and leave him behind, it had to be some sort of trick.

It was some sort of trick.

Here you stood, a gun pointed at his chest. You were alive and well, but for some reason stood on the opposite side.

"I don't want to hurt you, James."

James. His name. The name he'd given you when you asked what his name was.

"Y/N." Your name. The name you'd given him when you asked what his name was.

Your throat bobs as you swallow hard, but your hand remains steady. The gun's muzzle doesn't move, your finger curled around the trigger. It's not aimed at his heart, it's aimed at his right shoulder, but he knows that the moment he tries to attack a bullet will find its way into his leg. He's seen you do that before, when you wield a pistol it's as if the pistol is an extension of your body and he's never seen you miss.

"Stand down, please." Your voice cracks and he can see the look in your eyes. It's the same look you give him when he's injured and it fills him with that weird feeling in his chest.

"They said you were dead." He needs to know what happened. He needs to know why you left him. He needs to know why you're standing on the opposite side.

"Of course they did. Can't go around admitting that one of their prized assassins went rogue, can they?" You chuckle, but it's tinged with sadness. He's confused, why are you sad? Why did you leave?

"Why?" That one word is all that can come out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry for leaving you behind. Believe me, I've been trying to find a way to get you out too." You take a step closer to him but the gun remains pointed at his shoulder. "Please, James. Put the rifle down and surrender. I have a way out, we can leave this all behind."

"I can't." He has to complete his mission and return to his Handler. Return to the blonde man. Running away would be to fail his mission, and he cannot fail. He will be punished if he fails, and he doesn't want the pain. "I cannot fail."

"I promise that Hydra will never get their hands on you again." Your voice is strained but he can see the fire in your eyes. You mean it, every word. You've never broken a promise before, he knows you will do all you can to keep him safe. You always have, on every mission, but he's confused and hurt. You left him behind, and he doesn't know how to confront that.

He lowers the rifle and sees the way your eyes brighten. You take a hopeful step towards him but he turns and runs. He has to report back, his Handler has to know that you're alive. Maybe Hydra will take you back, make you his Handler again. He wants that back, he wants you to be his Handler again.

He wants to feel safe again.

"Mission report."

He looks up at the blonde man. So many questions he wants answered, but his Handler only wants his mission report. They refuse to tell him who the man on the bridge is, the blonde man who called him 'Bucky'. The blonde man is his mission, they firmly say, nothing more. There's no need for further questions about him.

"Y/N. They — they're alive." He looks pleadingly at his Handler. "They weren't killed by the enemy."

"So it seems." His Handler seems disappointed. Why? You was one of their best, not once had you ever failed a mission. Why wouldn't Hydra want you back?

"Can you kill them?" His Handler kneels down, looking him in the eye. "Can you kill them for me? They have turned traitor, betrayed us both. They have to die."

His breath hitches. His flesh finger twitches. Kill you? Can he?

Betrayed us both.

You had left him behind, faked your death, and that had hurt him. Did that warrant your death? He inhales shakily, you are his mission now, along with that man on the bridge who seemed to know him, but he doesn't know if he can do this mission. There's something that's preventing him from nodding, from executing his mission perfectly as always, and it only makes him even more confused.

"I —" He can't give an answer. He doesn't know the answer, and it scares him.

"Wipe him."

He lets the doctors push him back onto the chair and opens his mouth. The gag goes in and he feels his breaths getting more rapid. He knows the pain that will soon follow and his mind automatically slips into the memories he's hidden as best as he can. Memories of warm hands, memories of quiet chuckles, memories of tender moments.

Memories of you.

After the blinding hot pain he desperately searches his mind, clinging onto the few memories that remain. Even after everything, he still wants you back. He misses you, misses your touch, misses your warmth. Maybe he can convince you to come back, show his Handler that he doesn't need to kill you.

Y/N.

Your name floats around in his empty mind, anchored by a thread he's created to prevent it from being wiped. He clings onto it, repeating it in his head. He cannot forget it, it's the only thing he has left that's warm in this cold dark place.

He doesn't see you afterwards. Not until he pulls the man called Steve from the river and disappears behind some bushes, panting hard. Blood mixes with water and trickles down his face, he doesn't know why he saved that man but something tells him that he'll find out in due time.

The bushes rustle and his head snaps up, metal hand curled into a fist. His eyes narrow, muscle tensing up until he sees you emerge. Your hands are raised in surrender, palms open to show that you mean no harm and he relaxes.

You don't ever harm him anyways.

"I…know a place. We can lay low there, figure out what to do next." You hold out a hand. "You don't have to accept, it's your choice. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but here's my way of trying to make amends for leaving you alone in Hydra's grasp."

He takes a hesitant step towards you, searching your gaze for any hint of a lie but there's none. You speak the truth, and he lets himself trust one more time. He can afford to do that, with you, because deep down, he knows you want nothing more than to protect him.

You've always fought to keep him safe from harm, going as far as to kill potential Handlers when they dare to have their way with him. Despite the punishments that followed, you never stopped looking out for him. You were his safe haven once and you were willing to be one again for him.

He exhales, reaching out with his flesh hand and feels something bloom in his chest when your hands connect. He likes the feeling, likes the electricity that crackles along his skin. It feels nice, comforting, and it's new. Your fingers intertwine with his, a small smile creeping onto your face.

You're as warm as ever, your touches as gentle as before and he realises just how much he's missed this. He yearns for more, wants to be by your side again, wants to watch your back while you watch his. He wants that feeling back, the knowledge that you always have him, the comfort of your back against his.

You drive the chill away, enveloping the memories of cold hard floors and white hot pain with your genuine love and care. He lets you lead him to the safehouse, watches as you fumble with the keys and angrily shove the correct key into the keyhole.

You're still as clumsy as ever when not handling a gun, and that makes him smile a little. You never punished him for smiling, you even encouraged it with your own smile and that always displeased the higher ups. You never cared anyways, not when it concerned him. When you were with him, you weren't the Hunter, nor his Handler. You were simply Y/N, and he was James.

"Welcome home, James." You turn around, smiling at him as you push open the door. "I hope it's to your liking."

His gaze never leaves you, not even to look at the house's interior.

Home.

He never thought he'd ever call any place that word again, but here he was, standing at the door of a place he wouldn't mind calling it.

"Home." The word feels foreign on his tongue.

"Okay, maybe not yet, but hopefully in time." You laugh, gesturing inside. "Come on in."

Your eyes sparkle and he decides he likes that look on you. He takes a step inside, properly looking at the house's interior and turns to find that you've dropped the keys by accident. He bends down, picking them up and feels his hand brush against yours.

"Thanks." Your words are a whisper. He lets his hand linger against yours, feeling the warmth that emits from your hand and lets himself smile wider.

He was right. Choosing you over Hydra, that was no mistake. Not when you offered only kindness while Hydra only offered pain. He would do his best to be James, repaying you for everything you've done for him. But first, he would start calling this place home, because this place has you in it.

#marvel #mcu #mcu x reader #marvel x reader #bucky #marvel bucky #mcu bucky #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #winter soldier #winter soldier x reader #bucky x you #winter soldier x you #james buchanan barnes

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