#anyways uh to cap off on a happier note

[jojolimons]

hate driving in new york

[buglife]

Bend and Not Break - Ch 4: A Scar

Read here on AO3 :3

Contains 100% more smooches!

Xena stepped lightly as she opened the door to one of the interrogation rooms, narrowing her eyes as she adjusted to the dim light. The room had been quickly converted to a makeshift recovery room, the table that usually sat in the middle of the room had been pushed aside and replaced with a cot. Said cot was loaded with pillows and blankets in an effort to take as much pressure off the occupant's injuries as possible. Resting peacefully on it was Poppy, the scorpion rescued from the basement of a disgraced noble and had her venom forcibly extracted by torture. She seemed to be doing much better, her body was now criss-crossed with bandages and she was no longer twitching. She seemed to be sleeping at the moment.

She took a look at the clipboard left behind on the table where Monomon’s notes were scribbled. Electrical burns, blunt force trauma, eye damage, nerve damage...the list seemed to go uncomfortably long. She was glad she managed to get to her in time, but was disappointing that she and the other knights didn’t find out about the assassination plot sooner. Maybe they could have prevented a lot of suffering, but she couldn’t know for sure.

“Hello?” Poppy blinked awake, most likely from hearing Xena walk around. She was lying on her back and couldn’t twist her head to see who had entered the room. “Who’s there?” She asked, a tinge of worry to her voice.

“I am Xena, one of the Great Knights, I was there when you were rescued.” She pulled up a chair next to the cot and sat down. “Do you remember me?”

Poppy took a moment to breathe and then smiled the best she could through half a bandaged face. “I do.” She sounded coherent, but her speech was slurred and slow.

“You look much better,” Xena smiled in what she hoped was in a comforting way. “You must be on the good stuff, right?”

“Yeah.” Poppy didn’t bother trying to nod. “Nothin’ hurts. It’s great.”

“Well I won’t keep you long, I just need to ask a few questions and then you can go back to resting, okay?”

“Mmhmm.” The scorpion mumbled softly and did her best to focus her one working eye to the ant’s face. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I’m asking for. Do you remember how you were abducted?” Xena had a quill and a tablet ready to take notes. “Take your time and try to remember what you can, okay?”

Poppy mulled over the question for a while, and started speaking. “I was at my flower shop in...in Deepnest. Some Hallownest bug came in...I asked if they wanted flowers...I grow flowers by the way and make them into arrangements. It’s nice.”

Xena nodded, knowing full well that she was on some of those good painkillers, and would probably will go off into tangents. “What kinda bug came in?”

“It was that um….beetle. Yes, that beetle. From...the place.” Poppy swallowed thickly, “Where they were...were...hurting me…”

“Don’t worry about him, he can’t hurt you anymore.” The ant put as much conviction as she could muster into her voice. “He won’t be hurting anyone else, after today.”

“Good,” She wheezed a little, catching her breath.

“What did the beetle want from you?” Xena pressed gently. “I think I could wager a guess but I need to hear it from you.”

“He uh...he asked to buy my venom...and I told him I sell flowers, not venom! It was weird...and creepy , and its against the law cause um...uh...it’s dangerous. You hafta have a license to get some and you get it from the...oh...what do you call it…” The scorpion hrmed to herself. “Oh I can’t remember, it’s the place where you can get dangerous stuff if you are a uh...professional? Scientist?”

“A supplier is what I think you mean. Where controlled substances can be given out dependent on research or medical use.”

“Yes! That! Well he got mad and started saying something about the fate of bug kind and how there was monsters in Hallownest? He said I should work with them to save everyone and I told him to leave cause I’m just a flower bug. And then something hit me on the back of my head.” She reached up with a free arm to touch the back of her bandaged head. It looked like a mess when she was first found and Xena was glad that Poppy couldn’t feel any pain right now.

“Then I woke up all tied up and the beetle was there with some other people. He said that I was going to help them get rid of the monsters and I told them I wouldn’t! Then they...they….” She sniffled, her eye tearing up.

“Then they hurt you and forcibly took your venom.” Xena knew when to stop asking questions. Poppy was starting to get a little upset, and she felt awful that she even had to bring up what happened to her so soon. But, she had to get this down for the record, and it was better to do it now while Poppy wasn’t in physical pain than wait and do it later.

Poppy nodded in response. “Mmhmm. I don’t know how long I was there.”

“That’s okay, Right now what I need from you is to rest and get better, okay? We’ll send word to your Queen and Princess and they’ll probably send someone over to help you home once you are well enough to travel.”

“Okay...thank you.” Poppy sighed. She wasn’t going to be able to stay awake anyway with the meds she was on and was quickly falling back into the realm of dreams. “There'll...be someone outside...right? Watching?”

“There are, I promise.” Xena nodded. “Nobody will let you get hurt again.”

“Mhmm...thanks…” Poppy fell asleep, a combination of reassurance and the ‘good stuff’. Xena took a bit of time to make sure she was comfortable, and then left the room. She glanced at the two guardsmen stationed outside.

“Nobody gets in that isn’t a Knight, the King, or Monomon, got it?”

They both saluted and stayed in place.

“Good...now excuse me, I have someone to see.”

She turned and headed towards the holding cells. The cells were kept underground, and as she descended the stairs she began to hear the annoying sound of metal scraping together. There was the sound of someone loudly complaining before descending into shrieks as the scraping got louder. She took a moment to rub her eyes and sighed, locking the gate behind her and stepping into the corridor.

Tiso was just sitting there, making god awful noises as he happily ran a fork over a metal plate. He was making sure to press extra hard, making terrible squeaking noises that made Xena’s antenna twitch under her helmet. The ex-noble within the cell was close to tears, looking around to Xena as soon as he saw her.

“Oh, oh bless you. Please! Please make him stop!” The jewel beetle was in the dirtiest cell they had, tear tracks marking his face and generally looking disheveled. He crawled to the bars on his knees, gripping the bars with shaky hands. “Please! It hurts!”

“I’m not even doing anything! I’m trying to serenade you with my beautiful music, you uncultured bastard.” Tiso scraped the fork loudly and it set the hairs on her carapace standing up and the beetle to cry out in pain. “It’s not my fault you can’t appreciate artistic talent. Frankly, I’m insulted.”

“That’s enough for now, Tiso.” Xena sighed and dug out her keys. “Monomon needs this guy and she’s going to be pissed if we’re late.”

“Oh?” He casually tossed the dishes to the side. “Going to be testing the antidote then?”

“Testing the what now?” The beetle looked around, confused.

“Most likely, yeah.” Xena ignored the beetle. “Now that she has a pure sample of the poison as well, she thinks she’ll know for sure if the antidote is legit or not after a couple hours.”

“Hours?” Said beetle was rapidly turning pale as he realized what was about to happen.

“Did I fucking stutter?” Xena snarled, opening the cell door. “Get your ass out here or else I’ll drag you out.”

“You can’t do that to me! I’m Lord Maximus Pennington Chrysoch the third!” They tried to dodge her hands, but she was too fast. She seized him by the wrists and began to bodily drag him out.

“I don’t give a fuck who you are! A traitor is a traitor to me.” She looked to Tiso. “Help me drag this sack of shit to Monomon and then you can take a break.”

“Hells yeah!” He jumped up, grabbing the free wrist of the condemned and hauled them to their feet. “Think I’ll have time to head to the museum to see Myla?” The beetle started wibbling and sobbing, but was completely ignored.

“Eh, take Cloth with you and you all can have an hour together. You’ll have to be back at a reasonable time though, we need all hands on deck with this situation.”

“Yeah I got ya. Thanks.” Tiso was noticeably happier, cheerfully dragging the sobbing beetle down the corridor and to their fate. He didn’t care what happened to them, all he could think about now was finally getting to smooch his girlfriends.

---

Monomon arrived outside the door to the royal suite, a capped syringe gripped gently but firmly in her tentacles. As soon as the antidote proved to actually work, and not just be another poison, she rushed as quickly as she could to the top floor. Hollow was standing guard outside of the room and nodded to her. Seeing that there wasn’t time for chit chat, she attempted to open the door.

To her surprise, it was blocked off. She looked at the knob, confused, and tried to push again. “What’s going on here?”

Hollow chirped to get her attention, and signed. <”Father is in there. I think he is sitting in front of the door.”>

“Mato? Of course he would.” She knocked on the door. “Mato! It’s Monomon!”

There was a shuffle from the other side, and the door was pulled open to indeed reveal the Nailmaster. He seemed rather rough looking, he must have booked it from the Howling Cliffs as fast as he could. “Monomon,” he nodded, and stood out of the way.

She floated inside to see what was going on, eyes immediately going to the nest that took up a good portion of the room.

Ghost was cuddled around Quirrel, doing their best to hold him in a way that would hopefully reassure him that someone was watching over him, but not tight enough to harm him. Quirrel was still unconscious, breathing heavily and shivering and once in a while his nerves would shudder, making him twitch and spasm. Ghost was already awake, no doubt hearing the door open. They looked at her, the dark fathomless eyes behind their mask tired and fearful. Their eyes darted from the door to the syringe held in her tentacle.

“Is that…” Their voice was so small and weak, but there was a bloom of hope behind it that Monomon could feel.

“Yes.” She drifted closer and uncapped the syringe. “We have it.”

They sat up quickly. “What do you want me to do?”

“Hold one of his arms still, I don’t want the needle to break if he has a spasm while injecting him.” She checked over the syringe, going over the calculations in her head one more time. She had already triple checked everything, but it wouldn't hurt to check it one more time. Ghost sat up, pulling Quirrel into their lap and used their lower set of arms to cradle him, and the top set to grasp an arm and hold it straight. Quirrel continued to shiver, making a raspy noise of discomfort from being moved.

“Good, like that.” With Ghost holding him, it was easy for her to find the joint in his elbow and sterilize it. Then, she injected the antidote slowly, watching the liquid within disperse into his hemo system.

“There…it should take effect soon.” She deposited the used needle in a box she carried to be sterilized later. “We may not notice a difference at first, but within half an hour he should be more comfortable.”

Ghost kept Quirrel in their embrace, resting their chin on his head and tucking him up close. “Thank you.” They said, moving slightly to adjust themselves. Monomon watched them tilt their head slightly, listening to his breathing as he continued to wheeze.

“How did you get that?” Mato had stayed back to let her do her thing, but now that there wasn’t any needles involved, he approached the nest again.

“A combination of work from the Great Knights, good old science, and some very helpful mandatory volunteers.”

“That’s fucking terrifying.” Mato took a step away from her.

“It’s what they deserved. They at least did something useful with their lives instead of just being executed.”

“How many prisoners are left?” Ghost’s mental voice was whisper quiet, as though they were scared that they were going to disturb Quirrel’s rest.

“I’m not sure. Tiso has the numbers. The ring leader is still alive, he was the lucky one who tested the antidote. What are you going to do about them?”

Ghost was silent for a moment, idly smoothing back Quirrel’s antenna as he lay in their embrace. “I think I will wait for Quirrel to weigh in on it all. He was...the most hurt.”

“He wasn’t the only one hurt,” Monomon drifted down to the floor to sit, curling her tentacles under herself. “There was another victim who is thankfully alive. You’ll have a report on that soon, but you may want to keep her in mind too, as well as yourself and my son.”

“It seems like the best thing to do is to let them stew in their own fear and guilt until you have a chance to deal with them.” Mato also sat, leaning against the wall. “They are not going to have any type of peace as long as they are down there with Tiso at the same time.”

Ghost actually chirped a laugh at that. “That is true.”

As they conversed, Ghost noticed Quirrel subtly shift a little over the course of twenty so odd minutes. His twitching was definitely dying down, leaving him still for the first time since he was poisoned. They could hear his breath change as well, the raspy wheeze was getting smoother and less labored. It would be a while before he was back to normal, but just being able to actually rest was something sorely needed for the pillbug.

“He’s doing better.” The vessel sagged in relief, tears once again welling up in their eyes. “He can breathe now.”

Monomon floated up from her position on the floor and placed a tentacle on the pillbug's forehead. She felt it for a moment before she spoke. “His fever has gone down.”

“He’ll be okay now, right? He’ll be okay?” Ghost shivered, black streaks dripping from their eyes as they pulled Quirrel closer to their chest.

“Yes Ghost, he’ll be okay.”

Ghost broke down into tears, a combination of relief, love, and the bitter fear of loss. Once they started they couldn’t stop, the emotional dam had broken. The sheer stress they had been bundling up for the past two days refused to be ignored any longer. Thick, choking sobs filled the room as they held their husband close. He’ll be okay, they won’t have to say goodbye so soon. They knew one day they would have to, but for now, he’ll be okay. He’ll live and they can continue to share the love that never ran out in their heart. He’ll be okay.

Mato and Monomon both embraced them, and for once, they let their family help them carry the huge amount of stress and emotions swirling around in their void. They kept repeating that simple phrase to themselves, over an over, to keep them grounded in the here and now.

He’ll be okay.

---

Myla hummed to herself as she looked over a crystal in her claws. She turned it around in the light, squinting through a monocular as she studied it’s structure. It was a beautiful fluorite specimen, still rough and unpolished. Broad bands of green, purple, and blues swirled around the stone in a rainbow of colors. She just needed to do a little cleanup on it and then it would be ready for display.

She looked at the basket of rocks on the floor next to her work station, all of them mined and found by her. She was pretty proud that she didn’t lose her knack for finding the beautiful and unusual. The infection left her unable to mine professionally anymore, but she had enough energy to go on little expeditions, following her heart as she explored the corners of the kingdom.

Of course, she didn’t go alone. Either Tiso or Cloth would come with her, keeping her protected as she jumped into holes to hack away at the rocks. She wasn’t very strong, but she can still knee cap people who threaten her, and she keeps her pickaxe nice and sharp. It was fun! Especially when she could spend the time with her partners.

She sighed, she hadn’t seen Tiso and Cloth for several days now. She knew what happened, the whole kingdom knew by now. She knew they had important work to do, but she still missed them.

As if the universe was listening to her thoughts, there was a knock on her office door. She glanced at her clock, it was about time for lunch. Maybe it was a coworker asking if she’d like something?

“Come in!” She called.

The door opened, and to her delight, her two knights tried to squeeze their way inside at the same time. Tiso gasped, smushed up against the door frame as Cloth tried to force her massive bulk through, getting equally wedged in.

“Cloth! Back up!” Tiso kicked his legs that were a good foot of the ground. The force of the attempt to beat Cloth inside had angled his body upwards to get stuck on the frame, one arm free and trying to pull himself free.

“No! You back up!” She retorted, trying to squeeze her shoulders in. “I want to kiss her first!”

“Like hell you -wheeze-” Tiso started going a little blue, a stark contrast to his black shell as he got squashed harder.

Myla never in her whole life, expected that she’d ever be a girl that someone would fight over, let alone two. She knew they were just playing around and joking with their fake little rivalry thing, it was endearing, but sometimes Cloth forgot her own strength. She remembered once when Cloth gave Tiso a ‘gentle’ punch to the arm and accidentally sent him through the window.

“How about both of you back out, and I’ll come to you?”

Cloth and Tiso looked at each other. Cloth nodded and with some effort, pulled herself back and out of the door-frame. Tiso, no longer supported, just fell on the ground and wheezed for breath. Cloth helpfully picked him up and set him on his feet again and dusted off his armor.

Myla giggled, bouncing forward to leap at the two of them and was caught into a three way hug. It was a happy moment of hugs and little smooches that was sorely needed after days of being apart. “I’m so glad you two are here!”

“Unfortunately, we only got a short amount of time, then we have to go back.” Cloth replied, sounding very apologetic.

“Yeah...we still got idiots to process.” Tiso took the time to give them both a nuzzle. “Duty calls and all that.”

“That’s okay, I’m just glad you’re here for now!” Myla wriggled to escape the hug, and promptly headed back inside the office. “I processed some new minerals if you’d like to take a look!”

“Of course we would!” Tiso booked it to the door.. and ended up getting wedged in again when Cloth tried to get in at the same time. This time it was worse, because Cloth didn’t put her club down first, and Myla could hear the wood creaking under the strain of it all. She rubbed the back of her head as she watched them both struggle.

She wondered if she should just have a second door put in.

---

It felt like ages since Grimm started talking, telling Quirrel of fantastical worlds both old and new. It was fascinating, hearing of so many places that were different and unique. For the most part Quirrel listened, asking a question here and there. It seemed like the Nightmare King had visited the places Quirrel had during his wanderings on the surface world, and offered some interesting insight to things he may have missed.

“It seems our time is nearly up.” Grimm folded his claws together under his chin, looking at the pill bug who sat in front of him. He had just finished telling Quirrel about a colorful world with a legend of an eternal sprout that was constantly being searched for. “You will need to wake up soon.”

“Really?” Quirrel leaned back in his chair and poked himself a couple times. “If I’m well enough now to wake up, how come I don’t feel any different?”

“It’s because your mind is protecting itself. You won’t feel pain while in a dream. I can however, change that aspect if it is a nightmare, but I have no reason to do so here.” Grimm gave him a sinister grin, exposing many needle sharp teeth, but Quirrel wasn’t afraid.

“Thanks.” Quirrel sighed, and put down his cup. As soon as it hit the table, it began to dissolve into essence, floating away in motes of white and red. In fact, it seemed like everything that wasn’t Grimm or himself was beginning to look blurry and grainy.

“I am not going to lie. You will most likely be in for a lot of pain once you awaken, but you must wake up.” Grimm looked to the side and off to the distance, watching the walls of the cozy room fade into white. “But you will live.”

“Will we ever get to chat again sometime? Despite the circumstances, I quite enjoyed our conversation. It would be nice to revisit it sometime.”

Grimm smiled softly, hiding his wicked looking teeth once again. “Of course we will.”

“Great!” Quirrel watched the last motes of color leave the dream, leaving nothing but a white, featureless void. Somehow they were still sitting, despite the lack of anything coherent around them. “Hrm...how do I wake up then?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Grimm laughed, his voice distorting and echoing, as though retreating backwards. “You /[Quirrel]/ just need to /open[ed]/ your /[his] eyes./”

.

.

.

Suddenly, he was awake.... and he hated it.

Quirrel’s first thought was a mess of confusion. He had managed to open his eyes, a jarring jump from the dream world to reality. It was easy, but hard at the same time.

What Quirrel managed to see through his stinging eyes was nothing but a blurry mess of darkness and shapes. As soon as his brain caught up with the rest of his body, a deep sharp ache radiated from within his core, spreading all the way to the tips of his limbs. It felt like he tried to cuddle an ooma and paid the price for it. He had no idea how, but even his mandibles hurt. At least Grimm warned him, but it still sucked.

He could tell he was lying on something soft and warm at least. Wriggling his antenna (with a wince, cause how the fuck is his antenna sore too!?!) slightly gave him the usual smells of his home in the palace. His mind was still a little foggy, so when he detected three other people around him, he wasn’t quite sure who they were at first. It was silent, so he couldn’t identify anyone by voices. He was exhausted. Everything hurt. Breathing hurt. Having his eyes open hurt. It sucked and he resolved to complain about it soon enough. He had no clue what happened other than 1. he got poisoned and 2. he got sick from it.

What he needed right now, was his spouse. They probably knew what the hell happened and could fill him in on what he missed. He didn’t even know how long he was out for. It didn’t seem so long while he conversed with Grimm, but he suspected that time doesn’t really hold all that much meaning in a dream. He moved, at least, he tried to, gasping in pain as his hand squeezed something hard and slender. He nearly jumped out of his chitin when something squeezed back. A shape moved in front of his vision, a blurry mess of white that seemed to shine in the darkness.

“Quirrel?” The voice was tinged with the feeling of hope as it whispered through his head. He knew that voice, and he relaxed.

“Hello, love,” he wheezed. His throat was dry and scratchy and he coughed on his words. He closed his eyes for a moment as the blur moved and tripped his sense of vertigo. He heard a chirp in response before he was being hauled upright and held with four arms. The sudden movement flipped his stomach around and he groaned in response. “Ugh…”

“I’msorryi’msorryi’msorry.” He was being peppered with kisses all over his face as a soft whining noise emitted from a throat that was voiceless. He managed to lift up a shaking hand to rest it on the side of Ghost’s face, happy he didn’t accidentally poke them in the eyes since he couldn't see. He rubbed them as well as he could, struggling with the effort of keeping his arm up.

“It’s alright... dear…” It was difficult to talk, he had to stop and take a breath between each word. As much as he loved kisses, it was starting to overwhelm him, so he tried to soothe his spouse. “I’m fine.”

“You are not fine. I...I…” There was another wheezing sob and he was thankfully nuzzled instead of kissed. “You could have died.”

“Heh...heh...like you could...get rid of me...that easy.” He dropped his arm, no longer able to keep it up. His hand was captured in one of Ghost’s, and they rubbed it gently. “I plan to...be around...for much longer…You couldn’t...keep me away...if you tried…” He was losing his voice and he swallowed with a wince. He opened his eyes again, it was still blurry, but he could see clearer shapes. A blob of green and a blob of red was approaching, mixing together as he struggled to focus.

“Here you are, my dear.” A glass of water was placed in his free hand and encircled with a tentacle. “Sip slowly.”

“Hi mom…” He knew what his mom felt like, how she always had this sort of static energy around her, like you could get a good zap if you pissed her off. The same tentacle that used to rock him to sleep at night when he was a pip helped him drink and he gratefully swallowed down the water. It was absolute bliss. He may be king, but all the finery in the world couldn’t compare to that nice cold glass of water.

“You gave us a hell of a scare, how are you feeling?” Oh, that must have been Mato. It made sense that he would be here. The blurs of red mixed with gray and was certainly big enough to be the Nailmaster. They moved to stand closer to Ghost...at least he thinks they did. It was hard to tell for the moment.

“Hurts.” Quirrel could have lied but his mother was right there and she would have no trouble putting him in the corner for it. “All over. Hard to see.”

“I figured as much,” Monomon was still holding the glass of water for him, and another tentacle bumped against his mandibles. “Open up, I have something for the pain.”

He did just that, letting the pills go down with another few swallows of water. He imagined that he should feel hungry or something too, but he just didn’t feel like it. She must have sensed the question because she continued talking.

"Let’s wait for half an hour and see if you can handle some soup, okay?”

Quirrel nodded with a sigh. He was awake but tired again, it was rather frustrating. He closed his eyes again, letting them rest as he just laid there and breathed. He could feel the medicine begin to work, a numb tingling working down his limbs and into his core. Soon, every movement didn’t result in pain, and he managed to sit up a little. Ghost helped, sitting so that his back could rest against this chest and belly.

“What happened?” It seemed like a sensible question to ask. He was not surprised that Ghost was the one to answer.

“There was an assassination attempt and you were poisoned by the nail that cut you. The Great Knights led an investigation and arrested the ringleader and several members of the group. They are still investigating, but they are confident they caught most to all of them. You were unconscious for almost three days.”

“Three days?!” Quirrel raised his voice at that. Three whole days? As in seventy two hours?

“Yes, three days.” Monomon piped up. “If it makes you feel any better, half the kingdom has been keeping vigil outside, hoping that you would get better.”

Quirrel blinked in surprise. “Really?”

“She isn’t lying.” Mato was the next to say something, his voice moving around the room. “I nearly had to fight my way inside, there were so many people out there.”

Quirrel...didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, he didn’t feel like he was a person who would warrant a three day vigil, and on the other, he was touched and humbled. He had always been a bug who was fairly social and had a lot of friends, but to have that many bugs sitting around and waiting for news about him...it was astonishing. It must mean that he is doing something right.

“You two need rest,” Mato continued. “Ghost? There’s a pot of soup in the icebox, just warm it up. I’ll go out and tell the masses that things are okay so they can go home.”

“That is a good idea.” Ghost leaned their head down to nuzzle Quirrel some more. “Thank you.”

“And you, my little scholar, are going to stay in bed.” Monomon added. “Strict bed rest until further notice, got it? I will know if you get out of bed, trust me.”

“Yes mom.” Quirrel believed her.

Soon, both parents departed, and once again the room was quiet, save for a soft rumbling. Quirrel realized that Ghost was purring as they cuddled against them. “Stay with me...for a little?” He asked. Now that their parents were gone, it felt strange, like he was a small thing in a sea of uncertainty. Most likely, it’s trauma from the experience, but he didn’t think he could stand being alone for very long now. Now that he was awake, he wanted to stay awake, but he doubts that his body will let him for long.

“I would never leave you,” came the reply. “Everything is on hold for now and will be for a little while.”

“You can’t just... shut down the government...love.” Quirrel chuckled. “Even though...I think most would...enjoy the vacation.”

“I am a king, I can do what I want. And if I want everyone to fuck off so I can care for my beloved husband who survived an attack on his life, I will make it so.” There was a hint of amusement in their voice as they gave him a nuzzle.

“What about...the assassins?” He would not be surprised if they were all dead by now, but he still wanted to know.

“The knights have them. We can talk about it later. I would rather kiss you and talk about how much I love you, if that’s okay.”

Quirrel managed a laugh as he relaxed against his spouse, feeling happy and full of love. “You know what? I would...like that very much.”

[bannerswife]

Monster - Bruce Banner

Title: Monster

Pairing: Avengers x Bruce

Word Count: 2995

Warnings: Swearing, angst and abuse (not descriptive)

Requested by Anon

“May I request a Bruce x Avengers fic? Maybe where Bruce is having a mini epsiode of 'oh god I'm a monster. My father was right' kind of deal so he secludes himself from the rest of the team. So the Avengers see he's stuggling and remind him that they're his family? Just some good old family bonding moments...”

Authors Note: okay so I hope this is what you asked for, i’m not too proud of it though eek. I feel as though the characters r a bit ooc oops. but a big shoutout to my girlfriend who was my beta reader and helped make it that lil bit better aha. anyway enjoy! xox

It’s funny how the simple things can rip open old wounds and cause so much destruction. But that’s just what Bruce’s life was, a matter of revisiting things that were buried deep in his conscious for a reason. A good reason for that matter.

This mission that the Avengers (minus Thor, he was still in Asgard) were called to take care of was supposed to be no different from when they take down HYDRA thugs. Fury had briefed them on the mission, and it seemed easy enough to handle.

Allegedly, a scientist had been experimenting on young children, more specifically young mutants. For whatever reason, it was unknown but all that was needed to know was that they were being held captive there. Much to Bruce’s relief there was no need for the Hulk, instead Fury wanted the good Doctors help in assisting the children out. Of course, Bruce couldn't be happier to finally feel somewhat useful without being The Hulk.

In under 30 minutes flat, the whole team was out of the tower, suited up and on their way to the coordinates Fury had sent on where the supposed warehouse was. When they arrived, the building clearly wasn't anything special. The whole place looked as though it’d collapse any second.

“Barton, Romanoff, Banner, you take care of the kids. Stark, you’re with me, let’s try and get this done quickly and efficiently. I don't want any kid hurt-”

“You talk as though I’m gonna kill a kid,” Tony snarled at Steve, always wanting a rise out of the soldier.

“Just listen for once in your life, c’mon” He sighed, picking up his shield and running out of the Quinjet towards the building.

As Tony soared into the skies and Cap ran into the dark and eerie building ahead, the two assassins and physicist went on their own way in trying to find the young prisoners. Bruce couldn't help but feel himself get angry. This man had captured young children and god knows did what to them. Ripping them apart, trying to figure out how they work. Bruce could feel his pulse quicken, never a good sign for him, and willed his emotions to calm down.

“You good Doc? Your eyes-” Natasha’s warm voice pulled him out of his mind and quickly grounded him before he got too far.

“What? Oh - uh, yeah, no I’m fine. Just uh,” He squeezed his eyes shut, building the walls between him and his monster even higher.

“Kinda hitting close to home. The quicker we do this, the better.” He clenched his jaw, and willed a fleeting smile to his team mate.

Yep, the quicker the better before we have a big green problem.

Finally, after running around for some time they heard the cries of the children locked up in a small cell. There had to be about 20 of them, all squished into the one. Quickly, Clint shot the lock right off the gate and set them free. Bruce knew that the assassins had done missions like this, saving kids, but Bruce — not like this anyway. He helped the sick, not the abused. He couldn't. And seeing the bruises that so many of them carried made Bruce angry.

“Please, we have to get out of here quickly before he comes back - if he comes back, he’ll hurt us. Please,” A young girl begged — she had beautiful snake-like eyes — and had gripped onto Bruce’s shaking hand like stone; as if he was her lifeline.

“Please, he’ll experiment on us — rip us apart you have to help us,”

Lab tables. White coats. Ross. Syringes. Tearing him apart. Screams. His screams.

“You’re a monster, you filthy piece of shit-”

“Tear him apart, rip him apart, I don't care, but I want him to feel the pain.”

“The blood on your hands Banner my god - you are bathing in it. Reeks of nothing but death. Do you realise what you have done to so many people in this world? The families you have ruined? The lives you have taken away?”

“Banner, c’mon we gotta go. Cap and Stark have him, he’ll get what he deserves. Now let's get these kids to safety-” Barton called out to him.

Bruce whipped his head to look at him, his eyes wide and filled with so much emotion. Too many emotions, you could barely read.

“No, no, no… I can’t-” Bruce exasperated, and the assassin’s eyes widened. They knew that seeing these abused children would strike a chord, but then again, they thought maybe the doctor could handle it. Perhaps not.

“Fuck, everyone out quick c’mon!” Barton was quick to get the kids to safety as soon as possible, Natasha following suit.

And Bruce’s carefully constructed wall crumbled in his mind. And everything went green. Rage completely consuming him.

Bruce awoke to the soft hum of the Quinjet and the whispers of the children. Oh my god the children. Bruce jolted up, with wide eyes looking amongst the jet. Everyone seemed okay and he wasn't in the mitts of Ross or SHIELD. So that was at least one positive so far.

“Oh my god — What — What did I do? Did I hurt anyone?” He exclaimed, his voice husky. Obviously, the Other Guy had been quite vocal today.

“Everyone’s fine, Big Guy. Don’t worry about it,” Now Tony Stark of course was one of the best liars all around, but not when it came to his best friend. Bruce could see straight past it and his stomach dropped.

“Tony, who was it? Was it a - a kid?” He slowly said, his voice quivering.

“Of course not! Do you really think that little of yourself? C’mon! It was that fucking scientist, he had it coming. He was lucky I didn't kill him.” He called from where he was flying the jet, his back to Bruce.

Bruce swallowed harshly, a vivid flash of the Other Guy crushing the man’s head in his hands. Quickly the physicist went to the bathroom on board of the jet, and vomited up nothing but bile.

This was going to be one long ride.

When the team finally got to New York the children were checked over and soon picked up by the X-Men to be returned to where they were stolen from.

Tony wasn't too surprised to find Bruce in his cage, and not his bed. Still in barely any clothing, just the remainders of his shredded pants, shivering on the cold floor. Tony made sure whenever to approach Bruce to make it obvious (without sounding threatening at the same time) to not scare the man.

“Figured I’d find you here.” Tony reached the cage, his science bro’s back towards him, frantically shaking.

“You haven't used this since-” the engineer blew out a breath with a whistle. God, when was the last time he had used this? It was forever. Maybe when the Avengers had just gotten together, and Bruce didn't trust himself to rest up after transforming in his own bed.

“Since the band first got together. I was actually gonna get rid of this room, maybe build you this mediation room — for you to come and chill out in. Where no one — not even me, can come in. Cos’ you don't need this,”

What did Tony know about what he needed? That angered Bruce, he had no idea whatsoever what it was like. What he had to live with, the fear of his every thought, move and emotion. This was one of the only things that could successfully contain his alter ego, and yet Tony wanted to throw it all away. As if it didn't matter, as if he trusted Bruce.

“And with the kids… back at that warehouse. I get it, totally get it- why you lost control. The abuse they had endured. Yeah, I mean I definitely got my fair share of hits from dear old dad. It makes you sick, how someone can just do that,”

The room remained silent, so Tony did all that he really was good at. And that was rambling.

“But you’re not a monster, Bruce. So just come on out, I'll take you to your room-”

Bruce felt as though he hardly had himself under control at the moment, he was still rebuilding those walls after they had shattered. So, in this moment, Bruce was extremely vulnerable to emotions after his transformation. That's why he’d always seclude himself from everyone.

Bruce jumped up (his pants thankfully just hanging onto his waist- barely) and yelled until he was red in the face. Though, not a glimpse of green ever appeared.

“I’m a monster, Tony! Why can’t you just see that?!” Tony didn't flinch.

“Because you’re a fucking hero! You saved-”

“Oh please, give me a break! A hero… are you hearing yourself right now?!” Bruce scoffed rolling his eyes, placing his hands upon his hips.

He seriously wanted to be left on his own to stew in his own misery and self-hatred. Was that too much to ask?

But Tony had started this, so Bruce was going to play along. And of course, Bruce’s famous temper got the best of him.

“You know it’s kinda ironic how everything came to be in the end, my dad used to always call me a monster. And look at where we are now, the biggest monster on this earth. He should've killed me alongside my mother.”

“Don’t you fucking say that, Banner. Don’t you fucking dare-”

Bruce could barely hold himself up anymore and slumped to the ground, the exhaustion of the transformation taking its toll on his body.

“I’m not fighting with you on this, Tony. I’ll be gone in the morning if that makes you feel any better,” His voice was slowly depleting as his energy left him. He just wanted to sleep, even if that meant facing the terrors of his dream. Filled with none other but Ross and Brian.

“Yeah... the famous Bruce Banner, nothing but a coward. Always the one to run away from his problems. You know one time you need to fight it head on-”

“When you turn into an 8-foot-tall green rage monster with a short temper and a personality disorder, then you can come talk to me about that. Until then…”

Just when Bruce thought he was done he had that little more to get off his chest.

“You know what your problem is Tony, you think you can solve and fix everything, but you know what? You can’t! I’m not some broken machine that can easily be fixed and be perfectly good again!”

“It’s like talking to a fucking brick wall, I swear to god. Get some sleep Banner, you’re too tired for this shit. And quite frankly, so am I.” And with that, Tony stormed out. Fumes practically coming out of his ears.

Well, that was fun. Way to go, Banner.

As Tony reached the main living room of the Tower he went straight to pouring himself a cup of liquor. I mean, that was really the only way he knew how to handle his own emotions.

After a few glasses he told J.A.R.V.I.S to get everyone around in the living room immediately.  They had some shit to discuss about their fellow team mate.

It wasn't like Bruce ended up getting any sleep, his mind was working at a constant rate so there was no way. All he was currently doing was beating himself up on the conversation he had with Tony. Tony was his friend — his best friend, one of the only friends he’s had in so long. Finally, someone who wasn't afraid of him. Who made him feel at home, make him feel like he was part of a family. And he had treated him like shit, practically throwing everything Tony had ever done for him in his face. Bruce didn't have a home, never really did, and here Tony was; with open arms, letting him into his house. Yet, Bruce was horrible to him.

God, I really am a monster. I bet you’re fucking flipping in your grave, Dad.

Suddenly Bruce's thoughts were interrupted by J.A.R.V.I.S’ smooth voice.

“I’m sorry for interrupting you, Doctor Banner, but Sir wanted you to see this,”

And then a video played in his cage.

“Hey Bruce, so I uh... know that our conversation didn’t really go too well, but I meant everything I said. Well apart from the whole ‘you’re a coward’ because that was wrong. I was wrong. I have no idea, at all, what it’s like to be you and I never will. But maybe you can help me — help us all — to try and understand. You can't just keep locking yourself up man,” Tony’s voice played, his voice carrying nothing but love and kindness for his science bro. And alongside him was the team.

“We’re your friends, but most importantly, we’re your family, Doctor Banner. And we don’t leave anyone behind, so we need to work through what you’re dealing with together. You can't do this alone, Bruce. You’re a strong man, stronger than all of us. And I know you can get through this with the help of all of us.” Steve had then begun to talk, and man was it weird to hear him call him by his first name. But that wasn’t the weirdest thing to Bruce, it was the fact that he called this team, his friends, and dare he say it, his family. They believed that Bruce belonged to this group of people, that he was apart of it alongside them all.

He always felt expendable, as though they were all using him for the Hulk. And maybe- just maybe, they wanted him because he was more than that. He was more than just the raging beast. There is a man behind the muscle, and they all saw that, they saw past it all. Even after everything they had been through with him. Whenever he’d lose control, they were always there to reel him back to his senses. To talk him down and be there to catch Bruce when he came back to himself.

The more that Bruce thought about it the clearer everything became. Maybe these guys were his family, and he was blind about it all this whole time.

“I know what it’s like Doc, to be afraid of your mind. To feel as though your thoughts aren’t yours. Trust me, Loki really did a number on me that time. And you know who was always there for me to help me through it all? Yeah that’s right; you were. You were there for me and understood me in a way nobody else could. And so, I’m always going to be here for you man, always. We all are.” It was now Clint’s turn to speak, and Bruce couldn’t help but feel as though maybe he could finally talk to his friends about everything. Maybe that’s what was needed.

He never had spoken to anyone about his feelings. Too afraid of what it may entail. His emotions were way too scary for him to visit, so of course he’d bottle them all up. Only until it’d blow up in his face, and he’d end up seeing green.

Maybe that was his problem. He never spoke to anyone about anything. God, he could be so blind. And it hurt to say, that maybe these guys were right. About everything.

“You’re not some animal to be locked up and abused. You’re a human being, no matter if you see it or not. All we see is an amazing, kind and intelligent man and the Other Guy, well he’s just as amazing. Even if again, you can't see it. You both have saved countless lives. I know what’s it like to have so much blood on your hands Bruce, trust me I’ve most likely killed a lot more than you have — Stark here, he probably has as well. Please just let us help you, like you have helped us so many times.” and finally, Natasha spoke up.

“Just think about it, Big Guy. But always know we’re here for you. If you wanna leave, go ahead, we won't stop you. I mean I will, and I’ll search the whole world to find you and then kick-” That earned an elbow to the stomach from Romanoff, as Tony rambled.

“Ouch! Yep, not the point, but totally not lying about it. Anyway, point is you’re not a monster and you can talk to us about anything. I hope this got through that thick skull of yours and maybe you’ll join us cos’ we’re gonna be watching Lord of the Rings tonight,”

“My suggestion, just saying!” Clint interrupted, with a wide grin.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Bird Brain. But we’ll hopefully see you later, Bruce.”

And with a wave from everyone in the video, it clicked off. Leaving the physicist once again alone, to think about everything he had just watched.

“You think he’s gonna come around?” Clint asked, as he settled on the couch next to Natasha, popcorn in hands.

“Maybe, I don't know. As much as he is predictable, he can be completely unpredictable too.” Tony responded, rubbing his calloused hands across his face.

He really hoped that the video got through to him. He honestly doesn't know what else he could do. And he doesn't know how he’d handle it if Bruce did end up leaving. Bruce was his other half and the only person who could quite easily keep up with his erratic mind. Everything would collapse without him. And he’d only ever be one half of a person.

“Sir, Doctor Banner has left the cage and appears to be heading to your current floor.” And that was all Tony needed to hear to know that everything from here on out might well and truly be, okay.

[taeken-my-heart]

Independent {f} Chapter 12

Summary: Your mom calls you stubborn, your friends call you wild, and the boys you’ve left in your wake call you a frigid bitch.  You’ve built a life of independence and you like it that way. Kim Taehyung, however; seems to be able to change your mind.

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Genre: fluff, mild angst

Word Count: 3417

Notes/Warnings: This chapter is slightly less lengthy than others because the subject matter is what I wanted to take focus in this chapter. For those who don’t like angst and sadness...this may not be the chapter for you. I’m sorry for the pain. 

Is this what it felt like to like someone? You weren’t sure, but it felt pretty great. Your roommates had all commented on your good mood and even your mom had mentioned you seemed happier on the phone the other day when she’d called. You’d pretty much been riding on cloud 9 ever since the date on Monday and it had been a solid 4 days of bliss, so this was promising. No freak outs, no over analyzing; just enjoying the ride.

 You didn’t want to jinx anything, but you were feeling like maybe you were finally starting to break your own curse. You’d spent every day together since then and you weren’t even a little sick of him. He was weird, and funny, and always had something interesting to say.

He told you a lot about his acting classes and the different pranks he and he’s friends would pull when they were doing scenes together and you told him all about your photography and what camera you were looking to buy next and was always engaged, even showing you some of his own snapshots that he’d captured with his camera, a blush high on his cheeks at your praise.

 “You’re like a love sick puppy,” Charlotte grinned, “It’s kind of gross, but I’m also happy for you.”

 “Shut up,’ you chuckled, “I’m not love sick, just happy. Stop crapping on my happiness.”

She laughed loudly, spooning some more cereal into her mouth and shaking her head. “OK, OK, I got it.”

 “What are you doing today? Hanging out with Tae, I presume?” Anna teased.

 “Um, excuse you…how dare you? I have 3 classes today and I take my studies very seriously, I’ll have you know.” You sniffed, turning your nose up at her when she grinned.

 “Mhmm.”

 “…and then I’ll be going over to Tae’s house.” You mumbled, blushing, and the three girls howled loudly. “Shut up!” You complained.

 “We’re just teasing you.” Sarah, grinned, “We’re all really happy for you. The two of you are disgustingly adorable.”

 “Anyway,” you sighed with exasperation, “I have class in 30 minutes and I still have to walk there with my dignity intact, so if you’ll excuse me.”

The sun was out but it was deceiving. What you were missing with the dreary and dark cold was being made up for by the deep intense bite of the morning. The air nipped your nose red and you coughed, your throat going dry with the air. 

The walk to campus and to your class wasn't technically long, but it felt like running a marathon in the cold. Despite how warm you'd bundled, it felt like a draft in an empty room inside parts of your coat and you shivered. 

You'd have to add a new coat to your list of things to buy in Paris. Just the thought of that brought a warmth to your chest and you smiled, butterflies erupting in your belly. 

In just under a month you'd be stepping off a plane and into a land filled with promise and possibility to fulfill and opportunity that you never thought you'd have in a million years. 

Fashion shoots and runways weren't really what you'd envisioned yourself photographing, but what an opportunity! You didn't think you'd ever have a better professional opportunity than this...unless the queen of England needed you for something, this was kind of the top for you.

The thought scared you a little because you couldn't help but wonder if maybe you were peaking too early. You pushed that aside, though. This would give you such great opportunities and really open a lot of doors for you. 

You couldn't peak before you'd even started but you also couldn't hold yourself to ridiculous standards. This was only the beginning. 

You had a hard time paying attention in your classes with so many thoughts racing through your head, like Paris, photography, and Taehyung. Having a crush was kind of inconvenient in that it seemed to occupy a lot of your thoughts. 

You smiled at that, chewing on the cap of your pen in thought. You had 10 minutes left in class and then you could go to Taehyung's house to see him. Your heart raced and you shifted around in your seat. 

 You hardly recognized yourself and, actually, you didn't really mind that fact. Change was good, even if it was a little scary. Still in the getting to know you phase, there were no labels and no pressure and that made everything so much easier. You could breathe. 

 After what felt like an actual eternity, you were packing your bags and rushing from the classroom. It had snowed while you were in class and your boots crunched as you made your way across campus. 

 Even though you weren't really a fan of being cold, there was something satisfying about the sound of the snow beneath your shoes as you trudged along. Like the crunch of leaves during autumn. Some childhood pleasures never faded. 

 Campus was surprisingly congested this time of day and you figured it must have been because of upcoming finals. There wasn't much longer now, only 3 more weeks and then the semester would be over and you'd be on your way to a 3 week adventure that would hopefully put you on the map for something great. 

 You passed by your house, patting the duck mail box absentmindedly before burying your fingers back in the pocket of your coat. It was way too cold to keep your hands out for longer than a minute. 

 Knocking on the door to Taehyung's apartment a few minutes later, you bounced in place, hoping to keep some warmth in your bones before the door swung open and Taehyung was grinning out at you. 

 "Hey!" He said breathlessly and you pushed through the door, closing it behind you and beaming up at him. 

 "Hello." You said. He leaned down, giving you a quick kiss and taking with him every thought of resistance you had left. 

 Wow, you liked him. Like, really liked him. This felt good, so good. Most of all, it felt comfortable and for the first time in a long time, you just felt really healthy. 

 "Hey, Y/N!" Jungkook called from the front room and you looked around Taehyung's shoulders, waving to Jungkook, Jimin, and Jin in the living room. 

 "Come sit down!" Jimin called, "we just finished the popcorn and we're all ready to start the movie."

 "You know how I am with movies," you blushed, removing your jacket and slinging it across the back of one of the kitchen chairs. 

 "Then you'll have to stand." Taehyung replied cheerfully and you laughed. 

 "Or we could just talk obnoxiously throughout," Jimin remarked, "then you'd be engaged in conversation and have no choice but to stay awake."

 "You underestimate me, Chim." You hummed.

 Jin chuckled, patting the seat beside him and you made your way over, plopping into the soft cushions of the too big couch and Taehyung pouted from above you. 

 "Hey, you're supposed to sit with me!"

 "There's plenty of room, you big baby." You grinned and Taehyung smirked, coming to squish his hips between you and Jimin and sighing before threading his fingers through yours. 

 "Any preference on movie?" Jungkook asked around a mouth of popcorn.

 "Nope," you smiled, "I'll only be seeing the first 10 minutes of it anyway."

 Jungkook picked some action movie you'd never heard of before, insisting there was no way you'd fall asleep during it and you laughed. They were all giving you too much credit. 

 After 10 minutes you could already feel your eyelids beginning to droop and you settled your head on Taehyung's shoulder, ready to give in to sleep when the doorbell rang. You lifted your head, staring sleepily at the door as Jungkook stopped the movie and Jimin went to go see who'd come. 

 A man and woman, smartly dressed, stood side by side, staring passed Jimin into the apartment and you blinked hazily. They were a long way from the city.

 "Mom, dad!" Taehyung beamed, jumping from the couch and running to the door, "What are you doing here?"

 "We wanted to surprise you." His father grinned, "Take you out for dinner and give you a proper congratulations for everything!"

 "Well you definitely surprised me." Taehyung laughed, leading them into the living room. "Here, you already know the guys and this is Y/N, my girlfriend."

 It was good you had a poker face, otherwise you would have given yourself whiplash from how hard you wanted to twist your neck to look at him in shock. Girlfriend? You had definitely not discussed that, you would remember if you had. Just the thought of it made your blood run cold and your heart seize. No, no, you were not ready for that commitment, it was too much too soon. 

 Despite the turmoil going on inside, you forced a smile on your lips, standing and extending your hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you." You said softly. His parents seemed surprised but they smiled pleasantly, greeting you 

 "Well, how about we go for lunch? Our treat. Bring your girlfriend too!" His mom smiled and you wanted to shrink in on yourself. 

 "Yeah, you OK with that, Y/N?" He asked. 

 You wanted to say no, tell him to go on without you and let yourself breathe a little, get your head around what he'd said before you exploded but the look of pure enthusiasm warmed you. 

 "Uh, yeah, sure." You said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. 

 Taehyung beamed, grabbing your hand and leading you back towards the kitchen, helping you into your coat and grabbing his own before linking fingers with you and following after his parents down towards their car. 

 Once you got to the restaurant you all took a seat, peering over the menu and Taehyung's parents ordered a bottle of wine to celebrate. Conversation was soft until the food arrived and then Taehyung's father cleared his throat, lifting his class to his son. 

 "My boy, I've never been so happy to be proven wrong. Your mother and I had our apprehensions about your chosen field, as you know, but we're both so proud of the man you're becoming and the fact that you don't take no for an answer on the things that really matter. I should have known one of my children would end up being just like me."

 Taehyung chuckled, blushing deep and you watched him, heart thudding uncomfortably in your chest. 

 "And to your new relationship," his father continued and you felt your heart squeeze with anxiety, "Always remember that there will be good times and bad times. Choose to dwell on the good and build a strong foundation of trust."

 "Here, here." His mother smiled and Taehyung laughed, lifting his glass to clink against their cups. You quickly lifted yours, humming quietly at their words and then sat in near silence for the rest of the meal, attempting to engage whenever one of his parents had a question for you. 

 Mostly they talked of what had been happening back home, what was going on with Taehyung's younger sister and how his older brother was doing. 

 You thought once dinner was over that, that would be the end of it, but then somehow you were roped into going to see a movie together and found yourself sitting in the middle of the theater with Taehyung and his parents. 

 It was an odd feeling of conflict. You wanted to be calm, you wanted to take things in stride and the feeling of Taehyung's fingers laced with yours and playing with your fingertips did help...but there was a lot of anxiety. A lot of unknown feelings and so much pressure. 

 How could you explain to someone that you felt too broken to love them right?

 The fear was all consuming. Suffocating. You were drowning in it. When the movie was over and you were all back at Taehyung's place you made up some excuse about homework in order to leave. You couldn't breathe and needed to think. 

 Taehyung insisted on walking you home and after a weak refusal that he sweetly rebuffed, the two of you were on your way. You trudged through the snow silently, hands shoved deep in the pockets of your coat, listening to the defending sound of silence only heard right after a snowfall. 

 "You OK? You've been kind of quiet." He asked, after you'd been walking silently for multiple minutes. 

 "Why did you say that?" You whispered after a long pause. 

 "Why did I ask if you're OK?" Taehyung frowned, eyebrow rising. 

 "Why did you tell your parents that I'm your girlfriend?"

 The two of you paused just outside of your house and he looked down at you, face frozen in thought. "I-I thought that...I don't know, aren't you?"

 "No." You insisted, leaning up against the side of the house, "we never talked about it."

 "Then let's talk about it." Taehyung smiled.

 "Tae, I told you, I have to move slowly, this kind of thing makes me feel pressured and nervous. I liked that there was no stress with us."

 "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put pressure; I just really thought we were on the same page. We've been on multiple dates, been hanging out for a while now, we've been going around holding hands and kissing! Does that not mean we're in a relationship?"

 "Not without talking about it first. Look, I'm sorry, maybe we shouldn't have kissed, I can see how that would confuse you. But I told you I need time with this. I was pretty clear, I thought."

 "You regret kissing me?" Taehyung asked softly and your heart jolted uncomfortably in your chest.

 "Is that all you heard?" You sighed, twisting your fingers together in discomfort, "No, Tae, I don't regret kissing you but now I'm wondering if I should because apparently it's led you on."

 "Lead me on?" Taehyung cried, "You said that you liked me, you said that you were willing to try, you held my hand and you kissed me. I didn't make you do any of those things. I don't feel like I'm rushing things, we didn't just meet a few days ago, it's been over two months. Dating is supposed to be fun, we're supposed to be getting to know one another."

 "I'm not good at this stuff, I never have been! You can't just give me a few weeks and call it good, I need more time."

 "How much time?" Taehyung whispered, "Weeks? Months? Years? I don't want to invest so much of myself into one person who doesn't want me. I really thought you were interested in me." 

 "I mean, I am, but I feel trapped putting so much trust in one person. Why can't you understand that?"

 "Because I've never given you a reason to not trust me. Have I?" He asked, eyes wide, demanding in his devastation. 

 "No, of course not, but we barely know each other, Taehyung."

 He looked flabbergasted, staring down at you and you blushed under the weight of his gaze. "We're not strangers, Y/N. I don't understand why you're pushing me away."

 "I'm not!" You insisted.

 “Then why don’t you do yourself a favor and let go for once?” Taehyung exclaimed, “You’re destroying yourself with these high walls and honestly, you’re really hurting me too.” 

You watched him silently as your heart ached, “I just can’t.” You whispered.

 Taehyung sighed, clicking his tongue and looking into the distance, face twisted in grief, “Yeah, well, I can’t wait around forever for you to change your mind. My heart can’t take it, and maybe that makes me weak, but you know what? I’m OK with that because at least my heart is open.”

He turned on his heel and stormed off angrily, his hands balled in the pockets of his coat. Honestly, you didn’t blame him. You knew you liked him – a lot, in fact – but you couldn’t bring yourself to open up; you didn’t know how.

You sank down onto the floor, tears slipping down your cheeks and into your lap. You probably would have sat out there all night if it weren’t for Sarah stepping onto the porch 20 minutes later and rushing to your side when she spotted you.

“What’s wrong?” She gasped, inspecting your body, “are you hurt?”

“It hurts so bad,” you cried, “why would I ever do this to myself? It hurts so bad, Sarah. I feel like my heart has been ripped in two.”

“Let’s go inside.” She insisted, helping you to stand and unlocking the front door, ushering you inside and helping you to slip off your shoes and trudge into the living room. “I’m gonna grab us some hot chocolate and then we’re gonna talk about this, OK?”

You nodded miserably, flailing your coat from your body like a two year old having a tantrum and grabbed a pillow to bury yourself in. The earth could just go ahead and swallow you whole now. This was why you didn’t open yourself up to people; this pain, why would anyone ever think it’s worth it?

Sarah returned a few minutes later with drinks in hand and a frown on her face. “OK, so what happened?” She asked, settling beside you, feet tucking underneath her.

“Taehyung left me.” You blubbered and Sarah grit her teeth.

“Asshole.” She breathed; white hot anger.

“No.” You shook your head and she looked at you, eyebrows furrowed.

“No?”

“He’s not completely to blame. He shouldn’t have pushed me when I wasn’t ready, but I shouldn’t have been kissing him and acting like a couple if that’s not something I was ready for.”

“OK, back up. Tell me what happened.”

“Taehyung’s parents came into town to surprise him and when they got there he introduced me as his girlfriend. Problem is, I was not aware that he thought of me as his girlfriend because we never actually discussed it. So of course, I have commitment issues, so I seized up; didn’t know what to do and was really quiet the rest of the day. When he walked me home and asked what was wrong it all just came tumbling out and we got in a fight and he left.”

Sarah sat for a few moments thinking before pursing her lips in question, “Well, that doesn’t mean that it’s over.”

“Trust me,” you laughed; bitter. “That’s definitely what it meant.”

“OK, so give him a few days to cool off and then go back and talk to him again. See if you can work things out.”

“What’s the point?” You huffed, “He wants a relationship and I’m just broken parts.”

“You are not broken parts!” She snapped angrily and you looked up at her, eyes wide. “Stop treating yourself like you’re not worthy. You are smart, funny, kind, passionate, and one hell of a woman! Don’t ever let anyone tell you differently, including yourself. So you take a little more time learning to trust someone; that does not mean you’re broken! Right now he’s angry and hurt and so are you, but it won’t always be that way. Give it a little bit of time and then try to talk it out. If he’s unwilling to try at that point then it wasn’t for lack of effort on your part. Every relationship has bumps in the road, whether it’s family, friendship, or love. You’ve gotta be willing to drive over those bumps to the smooth road just beyond. It’s worth it, I promise you.”

You looked up at your friend, suddenly an angel who’d always worn a disguise, and cried. “How do you learn to treat yourself kindly?”

“With practice.” Sarah said, putting her cup down on the coffee table and wrapping her arm around your shoulder, “I’ll help you. I’m here for you, I’ll be your rock until you can figure out how to become your own rock. It’s time to take care of your heart.”

Sarah slept in your bed with you that night and you…well, you didn’t sleep. But at least you had the moon to keep you company through the blinds; even if it was only for a few hours until the sun bathed you back into the reality of what you’d just thrown away.

But Sarah was right. Time would heal you, and dammit, you would heal yourself too. Just, maybe not tonight.

I’m so sorry for the pain! This chapter mostly sucked for my fluff loving readers, but hang in there, there’s always a silver lining eventually. 

Chapter 11

Chapter 13

Copyright © 2017  by taeken-my-heart (Nora.) All rights reserved.

[marinawriteseventually]

“ i thought we weren’t...” // Oikawa Tooru

Pairing : Oikawa X Fem!Reader

Notes : aged up characters, reader is pregnant. { 7 ½ months } Also, im so sorry for the trashy hc’s. Will post more just in case non of you actually like this!

Summary : Christmas get together

~

Don’t get me wrong, Oikawa would love to have a nice lovely Christmas party ( before Christmas ) with the Missus but she can’t really stand on her feet for more than 5 minutes and Oikawa fears for any guests who would show up at the wrong time and experience one of her ‘moods’

So the next best thing? Not have a party specifically, but invite a choice couple of people over for a nice get together

Iwaizumi + his s/o

Kageyama, so he can flaunt his extravagant life and smoking hot wifey

Even though Kageyama is a married man

Kuroo ( reader’s cousin )

Kenma, because we can’t not invite him once we invite Kuroo, even though he probably won’t come

And lastly the in-laws; que Oikawa shivering

OKAY LISTEN

He loves his in-laws, he swears. It’s just, every time he meets with them or talks over the phone…. well…. they have this looming figure. Constantly watching him and waiting for him to slip. Slip up on what?! He’s not sure, but he is sure he’d probably end up confessing to a murder he didn’t commit

Her whole side of the family is pretty scary, like felines, heck sometimes Kuroo creeps him out

She doesn’t really remind him of a cat, more so a galant phoenix, one that has the eyes of a cat

Alright, enough talk about Reader’s creepy family

The little get together is nice, a Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, some festive fairy lights. A wreath on the door, some mistletoe, which Oikawa INSISTED on having

A bowl of eggnog and uh, some adult substances :]

And of course, the front yard is filled with blow up Christmas decorations. Ranging from Santa’s reindeer to gingerbread men.

It practically screams overcompensating, but reader won't ruin his ideal way of showing off

But the best thing, is instead of an angel as a tree topper, it’s, can you guess it?

A VOLLEYBALL

How he found that, he will not say *cough* amazon PRIME, cause he’s extra and we all acknowledge this

So everything was taken care of, everything he could think of was up and ready to present to his longtime friends/frenemies

Even his wife had dressed up, well, as best as she could considering she was growing bigger nowadays

And everyone had arrived on time( even Kenma, thanks to a certain persistent cat ) to the little “event”

The one thing Oikawa had forgotten

WAS

HIS

OWN

ANNIVERSARY

well, to be fair, she had also forgotten?

It’s the season of christmas cheer, and apparently their anniversary

Oops

So when he remembers he’s freaking out, thinking you are secretly mad at him and plotting your own schemes, just the way your family does it

Oikawa rarely forgets things

Except this one time

When he figures it out, he doesn’t “figure” it out

Your father had been such a kind soul [ terribly scary person ] to remind him while in a very charming conversation that had started off well, and by the end had him sweating

“So, it was your guys’ 5th anniversary recently, what did you get her?” Your father had asked, a wide grin plastered on his face

Oh. Sh*t.

Oikawa pretended to sound calm

HE WAS NOT

Little droplets of sweat collected on just about every part of his body

“Well, you know, we stayed home and enjoyed ourselves.” He responded casually, BUT NOT SO CASUALLY

“And what does that entail?”

Overload. I repeat overload.

“Oh you know, just the usual.”

“The usual?” After his father-in-law said that, Oikawa tried to explain in a non obvious way that that had meant you both had forgotten your guys’ own anniversary and had spent another day just like aNotHer dAy

Kuroo, being the only cousin you had ever loved and ever had, noticed the look on Oikawa’s face that totally didn’t read ‘help’

But like, 120% did

So, being the kind and generous man he was, stalked away from your figure on the couch and put a hand on Oikawa’s shoulder

Oikawa had hoped that that was not your mother, for if it had been, he would of broken IMMENSELY under the pressure

Looking up he noticed that it was not in fact your mother but another pesky cat in your family. Though, at the moment, he couldn’t of been happier to see him

“Can I steal him away?”

“Sure.” Your father gave Oikawa a look that said, “Don’t think I’ll forget about our conversation.” Even though that was not even close to the look he was giving

Oikawa just has a really warped imagination when it comes to your family

When your father had wandered off to chat with Iwaizumi, Kuroo smiled deviously

“What happened this time?” The way he had said it made Oikawa mad

It wasn’t his fault he had forgotten one of the most important and treasured dates out there

Maybe it was just a bit, BUT YOU FORGOT TOO. But maybe you hadn’t forgotten? He’s still debating if you’re just a really great actor

“Our anniversary.”

As soon as the word “anniversary” spewed out of Oikawa’s face, the grin on Kuroo’s face dissolved

“Rough.” Was all he could reply with, and a pat on the back

“What do you mean rough? It’s our anniversary, I’m a dead man”

“From the looks of it she doesn't know/remember”

Oikawa turned into a puddle, his shoulders relaxing

“What do I do now?!”

Kuroo turned away, heading back on over to reader~chan

Oikawa frowned, looking over at the mistletoe that hung perfectly in the doorway.

He thought back to the first time you had both spent Christmas together and remembered how he had injured his knee, using his ‘boo boo’ as an excuse to have you walk all the way over to the doorframe and help him into the house, which was just a lure for him to point up and say mistletoe

He really didn’t deserve you sometimes

He had already proposed and married you so that’s a no go

THINK OIKAWA

He had remembered you saying at the very start of your pregnancy that the only thing that would help your totally not spoiled but VERY spoiled ass, that you had wanted that $300 luxury pregnancy pillow

And being a broke man, who spends money on stupid keychains and incense to ward off aliens, he had saved a bit ( a lot ) of money in his ‘piggy’ bank, hoping he would resist his urge to spend it and use it in an emergency

And well

IT’S AN EMERGENCY

He slowly sneaks out of the living room/kitchen, heading to your shared room. He’s so glad he listened to you and fixed the squeaky door

There, on one of the many shelves in the room was his ‘piggy’ bank

Okay, again, Oikawa is so extra

It’s a fcking Volleyball bank

How the hell did he find that anyways?

He grabs it gently off the top shelf, taking the bottom cap off and peering into the small hole

There lays a tad bit of money ( around $430 )

He snakes his hand into the small bank, taking a good estimate of 300 and putting everything back into place

When he returns to the living room he notices Kuroo giving Oikawa a wink as he distracts reader~chan

Oikawa makes his way to the front door, ninjaing himself out of the house and to the car

He quickly starts the FREEZING car, warming up and heading towards town. It’s 6:35, and the store closes at 7

You bet his ass he’s is rushing there

Phew

He makes it just in time, finding the huge ass pillow, purchasing it, and speeding back home When he comes home he finds his beautiful wife taking a nap on the couch while other party goers are chatting it up, a few of them watching Oikawa with the gigantic pillow

He sneaks into their room, placing it down on the bed and falling back onto it spread eagle. A large sighs escapes his mouth and he can feel the tensions slipping away.

It isn’t until every guest - including her family - leaves that Reader discovers the luxurious pillow

She questions Oikawa

“It’s an late anniversary gift!” “Oh.” She replies, “I thought we agreed we weren’t doing anniversary gifts this year.”

[vergeangst]

Family is Not Always Everything Part 1

Notes: Alrighty people I’m starting this year off with some good ol’ angst. Be ready (or don’t.) Inspired by this post.

Warnings: Deciet, lying/manipulation, Apathy (character, not in there for long and he doesn’t do anything other than talk but y'know), panic-like state, crying

Tags: @itsme98z @analogical-lovechild @ailithnight @pippa-frost @nightphans @nymphaedoratonks

WC: 1,696

Part 2

~

He was there, his door slightly ajar as he looked out of it, when Roman had shouted at the man. The man in a bowler hat and a cape, looking villainous, but Virgil wasn’t one to judge on that topic.

He’s new, Virgil thought, watching the man disappear through a door and into the shadows after an infuriated Roman had walked off. He needs someone. A friend. I can be a friend, can’t I?

~

The next day, late afternoon, Virgil had woken up and gotten out of bed before applying the pencil eyeliner below his eye and smudging it, something he always did, for a reason he didn’t truly know. It was routine. Concrete. One of the very few things he could control about his life here in Thomas’ mind.

He opened his door and there, in the shadows, was the door. The door he had walked out of quite some time ago, but had never walked back through. It was a deep, dark brown, almost black, with a knob of gold. It was menacing as it hid in the shadows of the hallway.

This was a place he knew well, too well. It was dark and all things ominous. It was where he, anxiety, stemmed from, and he knew the things inside were scary and mean. He knew there was a possibility that the man was just like any other creature in there. There was a possibility the man was all bad, but there was also a possibility he was like Virgil, just wanting someone to stand by him and be his friend. So, Virgil took a chance. He turned the knob of the door and opened it, looking into the darkness that engulfed the room he then walked into.

This was where all of Thomas’ dark sides and fears were located. It was pitch black once the door was closed. There were sounds, growling, footsteps, and the feeling of always being watched. Virgil could hear his breathing and the sound of someone else’s voice. The voice was all around him.

“Anxiety. Welcome back. We missed having you here. Tell us, what is it like living with them?”

God, he hated that voice. He hated him. Him being Apathy.

Apathy: [ap-uh-thee]

noun, plural ap·a·thies.

1. absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.

2. lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.

Apathy took motivation and crushed it, squishing it like a bug as he drained you of emotion. Virgil had had a few too many encounters with him.

“What do you want?” Virgil tried to sound as if his heart wasn’t racing.

No. It’s fine. Everything will be ok.

His heart slowed only slightly.

“Awe, don’t be like that. We’re friends, aren’t we?” Apathy laughed loudly, it echoing in the large, seemingly empty space.

Virgil cringed at the laugh. It was a laugh that would send shivers up your spine and make your skin crawl. It could only be described as evil. He shrugged off the feeling soon after and spoke again.

“Who’s the new guy?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“I want to meet him.”

Virgil jumped forward as a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Is that so?”

Apathy’s voice was close now. Very close.

“Yes. Now where is he?”

Apathy hummed as a sound echoed from what Virgil would say was about twenty feet away, footsteps following.

“Well, looks like you won’t need my help with that.”

And with that, Apathy backed away and the footsteps grew closer, stopping what could’ve been an arm’s length away.

“Why do you wish to see me?”

“Who are you?”

“Is that of major importance..Anxiety, was it?”

Virgil’s eyebrows drew together. “Yes..that’s my name, and I suppose it isn’t extremely important, but I just wanted to know..”

The man hummed. “Call me Dee.”

“Okay, Dee… I would like to get to know you better.”

“May I ask why?”

Virgil paused for a moment, thinking of a response. “It’s nice to have company. Plus, I haven’t seen you around before.”

“Are you not a light side?”

“I -uhm yes, I guess I am-”

“So you have plenty of company.”

“I guess so, but I was thinking you could use some company away from the Others.”

“And why would you think that?”

“Uhm…”

Dee chuckled. “Oh, aren’t you just precious.”

Virgil was more confused now than he had been in a while. “I..don’t think so, but whatever.”

“I’d love to take up the offer to be in your company.”

Virgil smiled slightly. “Cool. I guess I’ll see you whenever.”

Dee hummed. “Amazing. Goodbye Anxiety.”

“Bye Dee.”

Virgil made his way back to his room, a small smile on his face and the thought of finally, finally having a friend in his mind.

~

The next day, Virgil was noticeably happier. He walked into the kitchen while the other sides were eating breakfast, ignoring how the small chatter in the room died down, with a hint of a smile on his face.

“Well, is Mr. Doom and Gloom actually lightening up for once?” Roman said, interrupting the silence.

Virgil, grabbing nothing but a granola bar, chuckled quietly and walked back out, saying, “In your dreams Princey.”

His day just got worse from there.

He had to film a video with Roman and Thomas a few hours later, which only left him exhausted. Honestly, although he got to talk about the darker messages in Disney, which was actually kind of nice, if he was being honest, having to deal with Roman arguing with him the whole time gave him a headache. Then, after going to his room for a bit with his headache not getting any better, he decided to take something for it. That, however, meant he had to leave his room, as the only source of pain medication was in the first aid kit located in the commons. (Curse himself for not storing some in his own bathroom.)

He popped in on the top of the stairs, first listening to see if anyone might be there. After hearing nothing, he walked down the stairs silently. His feet slowed as he saw Logan sitting on the couch, reading a book, having not noticed him yet. Virgil let out a small puff of air as he stepped off the last step, alerting Logan of his presence.

“Hello Anxiety.” Logan looked up to the hoodie-clad man.

Virgil gave a two fingered salute to him, making his way to the closet, all too aware of the eyes that were boring into him at the moment. He was glad it was Logan, at least, instead of Roman. Roman would be throwing insults at him and being his loud, dramatic self. Logan would just give a calculating stare or glare that never failed to make Virgil feel on edge and his hands to start trembling in the slightest way. He opened the closet and grabbed two ibuprofen from the bottle in the first aid kit.

“Are you hurt?”

Virgil turned his head to look at Logan as he closed the closet. He sat, still holding his book open on his lap, with an eyebrow raised.

“Headache,” Virgil said simply.

He sunk out after that. Virgil always managed to feel uneasy after an encounter alone with Logan. He felt Logan’s eyes on him the entire time, watching him as if he were another one of his experiments to study. Every encounter left him with an increased inauspicious feeling, a sinking sensation in his gut that told him to stay away.

He listened, not leaving his room for the rest of the day, not even when his stomach wailed at him for some sort of sustenance as the aroma of a delicious home-cooked meal drifted from the commons to his room. It was a special kind of torture, really, the knowledge that he’d never be able to enjoy a meal like that with a family. It was so close, yet unattainable. The others would never enjoy his company, let alone allow him to intrude long enough for a true meal, and it’s not like he had anyone else save for… No, he’d only just met him yesterday. He’d never agree to spend an extended amount of time with him. Virgil sighed. It was a fruitless fantasy. He should stop thinking.

~

About two weeks later was Virgil’s next encounter with this so-called “Dee.” He had left his room, pausing as he closed his door. The distant sound of Roman’s complaints could be heard, slightly muffled from the distance. It was something about…snakes? Virgil rolled his eyes.

Eh, probably just one of his adventures in his realm again.

“Hello, Anxiety.”

Virgil jumped at the sudden voice, turning to the hallway across from his room to see no one other than the mysterious man in the cape and bowler cap.

“Oh, hi Dee. I uh, didn’t see you there.” He chuckled slightly, eased as Dee chuckled back.

“It’s alright. Sometimes it’s good to not be noticed. Especially if it’s by a certain prince.”

Virgil hummed. “I feel ya man. Why does he hate you so much anyway?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“I’m not forcing you to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“You see, I’m not like the Others. I don’t have a certain…appearance. Roman doesn’t like that.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow at the dark figure, but it dropped as Dee began walking toward him. As soon as Dee’s face hit the light of the hallway, Virgil’s eyes went wide, a slight smile appearing a few moments later.

“Dude, screw what Roman thinks. You look fucking awesome.”

“Thank you. I must say, I really do love your style.”

“Oh, uh, I mean, it’s only a hoodie and jeans, pretty much just fits in with the ‘emo’ stereotype.”

“It suits you completely.”

Virgil didn’t miss the slight upturn of one of the corners of Dee’s lips.

“I really must go now,” Dee spoke again. “Goodbye Anxiety.”

“Oh, uh, ok. Bye Dee.”

What Virgil did miss, however, was the sinister smirk Dee wore once he’d turned away and walked through the door at the end of the hallway.

~

[spiritprojectbook]

Chapter One

AN: First posted on Patreon with minimal editing. Hope you enjoy!

“I’m not doing it.”

Lily Pershing stared at the tab with a blue, round symbol on the bottom of her computer’s screen. Hovering in the upper left corner of the little box was an orange notification - a circle with the number 37 in it. It racked up a few more digits with a cheery beep.

“I’m not doing it,” she said again.

“You’re gonna have to,” her companion said. Lily turned and glared up at the hovering being behind her. He had the general shape and face of a person, except that his skin burned like something molten and he had a long, wispy tail instead of legs. What passed for his hair curled and wavered like a flame in slow motion. 

“You can’t make me,” Lily said. She jabbed a finger at her laptop’s screen. “I am not responding just to get yelled at.”

“Lily, you’ve already turned off your phone,” the being said, with the worn patience of an adult explaining a child’s punishment to them for the hundredth time. “Everyone’s probably panicking. The least you can do is talk to him.”

Lily grumbled a curse, but after a moment she moved the mouse to the blue icon. It hovered there for a long, long moment. Lily dragged her hand down her face and hit the button. She was immediately greeted with a long string of all-caps messages.

WHERE ARE YOU

GET ON HERE RIGHT NOW

TURN YOUR PHONE BACK ON

So on and so forth.

“Countdown to him calling me?” Lily side-eyed the being, who was now at her shoulder.

“Five,” he said.

“Four,” Lily said.

“Three.”

“Two.”

Both of them jumped at the shrill ring anyway. A black box with a white phone popped up in the middle of the screen. Lily inhaled and hit “answer”.

“Hello?” she said pleasantly.

“LILLIAN,” was the response.

Lily flinched and hastily turned down the volume. “Jesus. Hi.”

The boy on the other end of the video call was bristling all over. Even his sandy-colored hair was threatening to stand up on end. He swiped at his bangs until they were out of his eyes and scowled at the camera with all the fury a twiggy teenager like him could muster. Lily tried not to smile out of nerves.

“Where are you?!” the boy shouted. “Why did you leave that note? What does it mean?”

“What do you think it meant?” Lily said. “I was pretty clear when I wrote it.”

“Your parents are freaking out right now!” the boy continued on, as if she hadn’t said anything. “Ms. Merry was just sitting there with a white face! Your dad was yelling at everyone! Your mother fainted!” He leaned forward hard until Lily could only see his face. “She fainted, Lillian!”

“Well, that’s one thing I guess I can mark off the bucket list,” Lily muttered. “’Make mom faint.’”

“Lily,” her companion said warningly. 

“Oh, whatever.” Lily turned and gave him a stink-eye. “Pardon me for-”

“Is he there with you?” the boy said.

“Where else would he be?” Lily said dryly, glancing back at the camera.

“Put him on right now.”

“Tell him I don’t have anything to say,” the being said. He started to float backwards.

“No, no, no.” Lily shook her forefinger. “No, you come get yelled at too. Come on.”

She scooted her chair backwards, which proved to be rather difficult without wheels, and the being hesitantly lowered himself until he was directly in front of the laptop.

“Go ahead,” Lily said, loud enough for her friend to hear her.

“Aelith, what’s the matter with you?” the boy said. “You’re supposed to be making sure she doesn’t do stupid stuff like this!”

Aelith shot Lily a stern look. He typed “sorry” and sent it.

“Did you even try to talk her out of it?”

A moment of hesitation, then Aelith typed “sorry” again. Lily rolled her eyes.

The boy groaned and buried his head in his hands. They could hear a muffled “Oh my God” as he rocked his head from side to side. Lily returned to her original position while Aelith moved out of the way.

Lily looked at the image of herself in the call. She was a pasty, rather chubby girl with an oversized pink-and-black striped sweater. Her blond bangs hung just above her eyes, shading them, making her look almost hungover, with a strand of long hair on each side draped over her shoulders, while the rest was in a bun. The tips were dyed the same shade of shocking pink as her sweater. The lighting of the laptop in the dark room made her look considerably more tired than she felt.

“If it helps, I have money,” she said. “I’ve been saving up.”

“Oh yeah, how’s that gonna help you?” The boy glared up at her. “You’re travelling around in a stolen van with a limited budget. You’ll die on the street in, what, two weeks?”

“Adam, come on, that won’t happen,” Lily said. “I’ve got everything I need.”

“To do what?” Adam snapped. “You have a suitcase and a bunch of paranormal equipment!”

“And me,” Aelith said.

“And Aelith.” Lily leaned back as well as she could in the stiff wooden chair. “And really, could you ask for anything more?”

“I could ask you to come home.” Adam was now clearly trying (and failing) to reign in his anger. “You’ve scared the daylights out of everyone. Come back and the yelling will be to a minimum.”

“I can’t do that,” Lily said quietly.

“Why not?”

“You know why.”

“No one’s going to be upset about that,” Adam said. “It’s all-“

“If you say ‘it’s in your head’ one more time, I’m shutting off the computer.”

Adam went back to bristling. “Don’t you dare.”

“Then you best keep your mouth shut,” Lily said, with a sardonic sweetness. “I may turn it off anyway. I only came on to let you know I’m alive and well.”

Adam rested his weight on one elbow, looking at the camera through half-shut eyes. “And what about your parents?”

“You can tell them I’m alright.” Lily sat forward again and folded her hands. “I’ve got money, I’ve got gas-“

“Do you even have a plan?” Adam interrupted. “Where are you going?”

“Tell him where we are,” Aelith said, hovering just above the computer. “It’s the least we can do.”

“I’m in Weed,” Lily said. “We’re, uh, we’re going to Oregon. We’re gonna travel the country and… I dunno, go find Bigfoot or something.”

She muted the call just as Adam began yelling. She couldn’t read lips, but it was very clear by the wild gesturing that he didn’t agree with her plan. Lily deactivated her own camera and grinned up at Aelith, who looked less amused.

“Turn on the sound,” he said.

“Once he’s done.” Lily turned back to the computer. Adam looked even more furious, his normally tan face almost purple. He was pointing out somewhere to his right as he slammed his fist down on his desk. Lily waited until it looked like he stopped for breath to scroll the volume up and turn the camera on.

“You don’t seem too happy,” she remarked mildly.

“Are you listening to me now?” Adam growled.

“Of course!” Lily said. “I’ve been listening the whole time.”

Adam gave her a look that, in another person, would have shriveled all bravado and left blackened scraps behind. Being used to this look, Lily just smiled.

“Look, would it make you happy if I said I’ll come back if things get too bad?” she said.

“No,” Adam said. “Because you won’t.”

“Come on, I’m not stupid-“

“You literally stole a car and drove north at the start of winter to go find Bigfoot,” Adam said.

“And left all your best jackets at home,” Aelith said.

Lily pointed up at him and said to Adam, “He’s ragging on me too, just so you know.”

“Good.” Adam crossed his arms. “If he didn’t even try to stop you, the least he can do is give you a hard time.”

“I really think you’re too tense about this,” Lily said. “I-“

“You don’t even have a plan, Lillian!” Adam cried. “You have no idea what you’re doing!”

“I just told you that we’re travelling the country.” Lily motioned with her palms downward for him to relax. “We’ve got it covered. I even bought a road atlas today.”

“That makes me so much happier,” Adam grumbled, his hands clutching at his face. “You wasted some money on a road atlas.”

“It’s a great investment if you’re travelling,” Lily said. “Look, can you tell my parents everything will be fine?”

“Why don’t you just tell them yourself?!” Adam slammed his hand down again. “Or, hey, better yet, just come back and show them how fine you are!”

“No,” Lily said, her confidence slightly fading. “I’ll… I’ll talk to them later. I promise.”

Adam muttered something and leaned back, staring up at his ceiling. Lily looked at Aelith. He had his arms crossed with a finger tapping his bicep anxiously, but he said nothing. Lily looked down again and noticed that her battery was low. She got an idea.

“Oh, shoot,” she said. “Computer’s dying. Must’ve forgotten my charger. Well! Talk to you later. Say hi to Rose and my folks!”

Adam leaped forward again. “Don’t you-“

Lily hit the power button and her computer went off with a click. She pulled down the screen and closed it with a deep sigh.

“See, this is what I get for listening to you,” she said to Aelith. “Now he’s going to call dad and have him scream at me too.”

“If you’d just turned your phone on…” Aelith said wearily.

“Calling and driving is dangerous.” Lily stood up and stretched. “Besides, I left a note explaining the whole thing, didn’t I?”

“It was a little vague, truthfully,” Aelith said. He hovered horizontally above her, his arms still crossed. “But… I suppose no matter what you said, they’d be worried. Will you at least turn it on now? Give your mother a text.”

“And get yelled at all over again?” Lily sat down on her bed. The hotel mattress was stiff as a board. “That can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I’m sleeping.”

Aelith said nothing for a while. He turned over so that he was facing the ceiling and hummed thoughtfully. Lily went into the bathroom, changed into pajamas, and returned to the bed. She struggled with the sheets, which were packed under the mattress tight enough for her to have to lift the entire thing up to get them out, and slipped between them. The pillows, at least, were soft.

This settled, she stretched for the remote and fumbled with the buttons in the dark until the TV turned on. She flicked through the channels, which were mostly static or barely-visible people sitting at a table and discussing antiques, until she found what looked to be some show about cooking. Her eyes were closed before they got to the finished dish.

“Why did you say we’re in Weed?” Aelith said after a lengthy pause.

“Why do you think I said we’re in Weed?” Lily cracked one eye open. “So they don’t come to Yreka looking for us.”

Aelith leaned his head far back, much farther than a human could, and gave her an upside-down smile. “I suppose we couldn’t have just gone up the coast and saved ourselves some time?”

“You can just shut your mouth,” Lily said good-naturedly. She yawned. “At least we got to see Sacramento.”

“All of it,” Aelith said out of the corner of his mouth. “Especially that one roundabout-”

“Oh, shut up. We got out just fine.” Lily rolled onto her side. “Now hush so I can sleep.”

“Good night, then,” Aelith said.

“Night,” Lily mumbled.

She was asleep mere moments later. Were she conscious, she would have been happy to know that she dreamed of nothing. All of her worries had to wait until the sun rose to come back to her.

[spring-emerald]

extended play

For KuroDai Week 2018 Day 6: Singer AU / Dancer AU

Summary:

Daichi doesn’t quite like the smug smile Kuroo has on his face and wants to take it down a notch. Meaning he won’t admit that he’s got their newly released EP downloaded on his phone, along with their other singles and other features from before that.

Notes: Minor Kageyama Tobio / Tsukishima Kei

AO3

Daichi briefly glances at the person who sat beside him and double takes.

“…Kageyama?”

“Good evening, Daichi-san. Thank you for coming.”

Daichi nods slowly. “Yeah… Uh. Why are you dressed like that?”

He doesn’t mean to sound rude but he’s confused at his underclassman’s get up of large hoodie, baseball cap and sunglasses. It would’ve been a fine look anywhere else, but they’re currently inside a resto bar.

Kageyama stiffens in his seat. “Uh… I’m undercover?”

“…Undercover? But you’re the one who invited me here.”

It came as a surprise that despite their differences in most things, they share a similar liking to an up and coming band. Daichi wouldn’t have known that Kageyama knows about them, had he not seen his phone during one of their tutoring sessions, screen open showing a familiar album cover. He’d never seen Kageyama so ecstatic when he asked if he knew them. The only other time Daichi had seen him like that is whenever he talks about volleyball.

Daichi’s a fan of the band, but apparently, Kageyama is an even bigger one, although it might have something to do with the fact that his boyfriend is one the members.

Kageyama mumbles something that Daichi’s unable to catch.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He leans closer.

“Tsukishima told me not to come.” He slumps forward with a slight pout. “Said that I should just go study than watch him, them.”

Daichi makes a comforting sound as he pats Kageyama’s shoulder. “He’s just probably worried about you. Finals is just around the corner after all.”

It just makes Kageyama sigh. Daichi needs to go about this differently.

“How about this? You lose the cap and the glasses, because honestly, you look more suspicious like that, and I’ll tell him that he doesn’t have to worry because I will help you study.”

Kageyama looks at him, and he gives him an encouraging nod and smile.

“Really?”

“Of course. I’m your tutor after all.”

Kageyama finally smiles and the nods frantically. He takes off his cap and sunglasses and Daichi’s offered to keep them inside his backpack for the meantime.

“Do you have an idea when their set is going to start?”

Kageyama shakes his head, flopping his soft black hair. Daichi’s always found it rather adorable. “I can ask if you like.”

Before Daichi can stop him, Kageyama’s bolted out of his seat, and he’s left alone again. Not having anything to do, he ordered a glass of light beer and nachos. He distracts himself by looking around the resto bar while waiting for his order, and feels someone sit on the unoccupied chair beside him.

He glances briefly and does a double take, something he seems to be doing a lot of tonight. But who can blame him, when Third Gym’s lead vocalist and guitarist, Kuroo Tetsurou, is sitting beside him.

Kuroo notices him staring and Daichi wasn’t quick enough to look away.

“Hi,” the singer greets first, perching his chin on his hand.

It takes Daichi aback because his speaking voice isn’t much different from his singing voice, which is silly because of course they’re not, they’re from the same person and vocal chords and oh, he still hasn’t replied.

“Hi,” Daichi greets back with a quick smile that belies his nervousness. Act normal.

“So… I don’t mean to come off as creepy or anything, but I was wondering if I can buy you a drink?”

He’s far from coming off as creepy. He’s coming off as cute actually, what with the rubbing behind his neck thing he’s doing, and Daichi can feel himself starting to blush but he’s already ordered a drink and he doesn’t know how to tell Kuroo that.

However, before he can even answer, the bartender comes with his order, and Kuroo follows the plate of nachos and the bottle of beer as it’s placed in front of Daichi.

“Oh, shoot, you have one already.” Kuroo’s face fall at his failure.

“Uh, I’m sorry? I was about to tell you but-”

“Ah, no, no.” Kuroo waves his hands frantically in front of him. “No, it’s fine. I just… wanted a reason to talk to you is all.”

“Oh.” That definitely made Daichi blush. “Well, you’re still successful.”

Kuroo exhales with a shy smile. “Yeah, I guess I am. So… do you come here often?”

Daichi snorts softly, eyebrow raised. “Really, that’s how you start?”

“Well, would you rather I use a pick up line? Because I have those too.”

Daichi scrunches up his face. “Yeah… No.” He shakes his head, and Kuroo grins.

“Sure? I mean, I can-”

“Nope. I’m good.”

Kuroo shrugs. “Your loss then.”

“I think I’ll live. And for the record, no. It’s my first time here, actually.”

“Yeah, me too. Well, I’m actually here for a gig. I play in a band, you see. I mean, not to brag or anything.”

Daichi takes a swig of his drink. “Third Gym, right?”

Kuroo looks at him at surprise. “So you’ve heard of us? I’m flattered.”

Daichi doesn’t quite like the smug smile Kuroo has on his face and wants to take it down a notch. Meaning he won’t admit that he’s got their newly released EP downloaded on his phone, along with their other singles and other features from before that.

“Not really. A friend just invited me over to come and watch.” Daichi partly lies. It’s probably going to bite him someday, but hopefully not soon.

Kuroo just hums and nod, looking him over. “If that’s the case, then I swear, after our set tonight, you’ll never forget Third Gym and its charming vocalist. I’m Kuroo Tetsurou, by the way, the aforementioned charming vocalist.”

I know, Daichi thinks, taking Kuroo’s proffered hand to shake.

“I’m-”

“Daichi-san! The set is going to start at- Kuroo-san?” Kageyama stops in front of them.

Of course Kageyama chooses that time to come back. And of course, he knows Kuroo.

“Kageyama?” Of course he knows Kageyama too.

“Good evening, Kuroo-san! The rest are looking for you. Your set’s about to start.”

“Ah… yeah,” he turns to look at Daichi. “Wait… you’re?”

“Oh! This is Daichi-san, he’s the one I mentioned to you about.” Kageyama says excitedly, unaware of Daichi’s internal conflict.

Kuroo’s friendly grin morphed into something positively teasing smirk. “You’re the Daichi-san?”

Dammit, what did Kageyama tell this guy about him? Surely it’s not something so bad.

“Not really, huh? So, how’d you like our EP so far?” It’s not entirely a cruel look, the one Kuroo’s giving him. It’s playful and mostly teasing, but Daichi’s face still heats up from mortification of being caught up in his lie this soon.

Damn, he can’t even say a good come back.

“I’m so honored to meet our greatest fan, aside from Kageyama.”

Daichi just accepts his fate with tightly closed eyes, as Kuroo shakes his hand hard, while patting him on the shoulder with the other.

“Anyway, duty calls.” He lets go of Daichi’s hands and stands up from his seat. But he leans down closer to Daichi and whispers “Enjoy the show,” before leaving.

   Tsukishima instantly noticed Kageyama the moment they stepped into the stage, and he looks a bit happier at finding his boyfriend among the audience. 

Kuroo on the other hand vaguely dedicated their final song to their greatest fan, and kept his eyes at Daichi as he sings the chorus.

Daichi thinks it’s not bad that Kuroo’s heard of him too. In fact, he’s flattered.

[aion-rsa]

Jeopardy! Star Brad Rutter on The Chase and Why Alex Trebek is Irreplaceable

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

2020 was a big year for trivia. Starting in January with Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament, continuing with AMC’s excellent Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? scandal miniseries Quiz, and concluding with an impassioned response to the tragic passing of Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, this was a year that highlighted Western society’s fascination with competitive knowledge-sharing. And at the center of much of it, as he often seems to be, was Brad Rutter. 

If there ever was a trivia competition Hall-of-Famer, it’s Rutter. The Lancaster, Pennsylvania-born former Quiz Bowler has been a staple of competitive trivia for years. Rutter has had one of the most impressive Jeopardy! careers of all time having been a five-time champion (the show used to cap contestants at five wins), winner of the 2001 Tournament of Champions, the Million Dollar Masters, the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, the Battle of the Decades Tournament, and last year’s All-Star Games, all good for over $5 million in lifetime earnings. He also faced off against Ken Jennings, and James Holzhauer in the aforementioned Jeopardy! GOAT tournament, but he probably wants you to forget about that particular performance.

Now Rutter and his two Jeopardy! GOAT compatriots Jennings and Holzhauer are set to get 2021 off to a strong trivia start with ABC’s The Chase. The Chase is hosted by Sara Haines based on a British program of the same name and will feature Rutter, Jennings, and Holzhauer as in-house quiz show experts dead set on ruining the contestants’ days. The series previously had an American pilot attempt at Fox in 2012 and a successful American adaptation run for Game Show Network from 2013 to 2015. When the show premieres on ABC on Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET, however, it will be the first attempt to bring the popular format to primetime American audiences. 

We spoke with Rutter about the trivia year that was, what it meant to work with Alex Trebek, what can be expected from The Chase, and of course: his Philadelphia Eagles.

Den of Geek: What was the process of you, Ken, and James agreeing to do The Chase together? Did you guys have like a group text chat going?

Brad Rutter: There was a little bit of that. There was talk of, “We’ve got to figure out a way to get you guys back on TV,” just because Jeopardy GOAT! was such a ratings bonanza. And I immediately thought, “Oh, you know, maybe The Chase. We’d be pretty good as chasers.” But I didn’t have any inside info on that. That’s sort of how it ended up coming together.

How were you familiar with The Chase originally? Had you watched the British version?

I had. I actually was also the American Chaser in the original pilot for Fox back in 2012. There was a regime change over there right after we shot the pilot. It ended up getting picked up on GSN with Mark Labbett, “The Beast.” And they didn’t end up using me. But yeah, I was quite familiar.

What was it like getting Sara Haines to join up as host?

Fantastic. I’m obviously not The View‘s target demo, so I wasn’t super familiar with her, but we went out to dinner the night before we started shooting and really right from bat, I knew that the chemistry was going to be there. She just absolutely clicked with all three of us. I think that’s a really important thing to have in a show like this, because it’s all about the banter. She’s really great facilitating that and sort of sparring with us and also with the contestants a little bit. We had an absolute blast shooting it and I really think that’s going to come through on the air.

I went back and watched a little bit of the Jeopardy! GOAT tournament and some of the interviews they cut with you. One thing that you said was studying probably doesn’t even help that much when it comes to Jeopardy!, but it’s like an emotional armor to wear. Do you do much studying prior to Chase episodes? And do you still kind of feel that way – that it’s more of an emotional armor?

Less so for The Chase than for Jeopardy!, actually, because I think Jeopardy! has more of a defined canon. They can conceivably ask you about anything, but you know that presidents are going to come up a lot, Shakespeare is going to come up a lot, world capitals are going to come up a lot. So I generally try to stay in shape with that type of stuff. 

With this, I wouldn’t study to the extent that I would with Jeopardy! just because you don’t know what’s going to come up. This is a brand new show, so you weren’t quite sure. If we do a season two though, I’m going to study the Billboard Top 40 … to give you a little clue about where the stew of the questions might be going.

Jeopardy! famously films many episodes in advance. What’s the filming schedule like for The Chase and how long ago did you lock these episodes?

I think it was November 13 through 20, and we did two a day, except only one on the last day. The 13th was a Friday, so I guess nobody was superstitious. I didn’t even realize that until now. Jeopardy! can get away with shooting five a day because A, it’s only half an hour and B, they’ve been doing it for 35 years, so it’s kind of a well-oiled machine. 

With a new game show, there’s all the standards and practices stuff and the legal things where you really have to get things right. One little hiccup can end up causing huge delays, but fortunately that didn’t really happen here. I was actually pleasantly surprised, because for first time shows, there’s usually going to be hiccups. 

That’s interesting too because you’ve only done this show under COVID protocols then. Did it seem kind of different from a usual production due to the environment right now?

Yes and no. I think it would be fun with an audience. So knock on wood, season two we can make that happen. But yeah, otherwise it was a lot like a normal production just with everybody masked up and trying to stay away from each other. 

How has your, James’s, and Ken’s relationship evolved through the GOAT tournament and then going into The Chase?

We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, which is nice. And we do have a group text. We send stuff back and forth when we think it’s appropriate and sort of like something comes up that we had a question on in the GOAT tournament or something like that. I actually just texted them about something I saw that was a question on The Chase, which I can’t divulge right now. But that’s the kind of stuff we do when we’re having fun. Spotting the promos and stuff like that, and talking about people we know getting in touch with us because they saw us on Monday Night Football. That kind of thing.

We talked earlier about how strange and awful 2020 has been at times. Obviously we all just had to recently deal with the tragedy of Alex Trebek’s passing. You’ve already spoken about your experience with him beautifully on social media. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about in regards to spending time with him?

Well, I think that he actually ended up having an impact on my life just watching him work and getting to know him a little bit. It comes through watching the last few episodes that he did shoot that he was really proud of the show and it was his life’s work. He really put a lot of effort into something that he was very proud of. He had very high standards for himself and the show, and was always trying to live up to that. But at the same time, he was always having so much fun with it. Just watching Alex go about his business on Jeopardy!, I realized that’s a really great blueprint for how to live your life: care about something, strive for excellence, and have a good time doing it. If you’re picking three rules for life, I think you could do a lot worse than that. He’s inspired me for a long time, but even more so lately.

Do you have a take on who should host the show next?

Alex. But we can’t do it, unfortunately. That’s one of the terrible things about it. I can’t even really imagine what it’s going to be like. That’s all I can say about it.

I’ll just switch to a happier topic real quick at the end here. I like the notion of you, Ken, and James texting back and forth about Monday Night Football. How do you feel about the Jalen Hurts era for your Philadelphia Eagles?

Encouraging. Encouraging start. The poise is what I really noticed and coolness under pressure. I, for the life of me, can’t figure out what the Saints’ defensive game plan was about. It was almost as if they were preparing for Carson Wentz and then Hurts could just trample and run all over them.

You would’ve thought that they would have expected a little bit more of that. I am interested to see how he does now that there’s some tape out there on him. We’ll see how he does there. But it’s a giant mess anyway, because they can’t get rid of Wentz because of this contract. And they might have to try to trade one of them and who knows? [EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview was conducted following the Eagles’ victory over the New Orleans Saints. In the subsequent three weeks, Rutter’s Eagles went 0-3, missed the playoffs, and quarterback Jalen Hurts was benched in the final game. So uh…whoops].

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Quarterback uncertainty is not something I would wish on anybody. But I’m a Browns fan. So…sorry for trading you that second pick that became Carson Wentz.

Well it looked like he was going to work out great. And maybe he still will, I don’t know. It’s 2020. Who knows what’s in the water over there.

The Chase premieres Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

The post Jeopardy! Star Brad Rutter on The Chase and Why Alex Trebek is Irreplaceable appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2Xckj1b

[a-splash-of-stucky]

Operation Soulmate | Two

Pairings: Steve x Reader

Summary: Morning rolls around, bringing with it a civilised separation.

Warnings: Language. Mentions of sex and same-sex relationships.

A/N: For @marvelous-fvcks‘ writing challenge. Prompt was: Heart.

Operation Soulmate Masterlist

When you wake up the next morning, you stretch out on the bed, one arm feeling around blindly for Steve. Much to your discontent, you discover that he’s already gone. His side of the bed is still warm, however, the Steve-shaped indent in the mattress evidence that he hasn’t been up for that long. If you strain your ears, you can just make out the clatter of pots and pans being moved about and, when you sniff the air, you get a whiff of something mouth-wateringly sweet. With some considerable effort, you manage to force your ass out from under the covers, and pad into the kitchen.

Steve is cooking something on the stove, humming listlessly under his breath. You lean against the kitchen wall as you take in the sight of Steve fussing about, a gentle smile on your face. His back is to you, so he doesn’t immediately acknowledge your presence, but you’ve no doubt that he’s heard you come in, what with his super hearing and all. Steve’s blonde hair glows in the pale morning right, ruffled from sleep with small tufts sticking out in random places. He’s still clothed in the sweats he wore to bed, but has added a navy blue hoodie to the ensemble — the one that you like to steal for yourself, sometimes. Steve turns around, then, bearing a plate stacked high with pancakes in each hand. His pile, you note, is slightly larger than yours.

“Mornin’ sweetheart,” Steve says, smiling easily at you as he sets the plates down on the table. “Made you breakfast,”.

“You didn’t have to,” you say, coming around the island to give him a chaste kiss on the lips, “But thank you, anyway,”.

The two of you eat in a companionable silence, a stark contrast to the sombre atmosphere hanging around you the day before. Despite Steve’s profound confession last night, there’s no awkwardness lingering around. You’ve always known that the bond between him and Bucky was something greater than just brotherly love.

“D’you think he’s your soulmate?” you ask suddenly, stuffing a piece of syrup-drenched pancake into your mouth.

Steve raises his eyebrows in amusement. “Soulmates don’t really exist, Y/N, that’s just an old wives’ tale,” he replies.

“Yes they do!” you protest indignantly, “My grandparents were soulmates,”.

“Really, now?” he asks, cocking his head to the side in interest. The lopsided grin tugging at his mouth tells you that he’s not buying your argument, so you huff frustratedly at him.

“Yes, Steven,” you drawl, crossing your arms over your chest petulantly, “They really were soulmates and therefore, proof that soulmates do exist!”. Though not exactly rare, soulmate pairs are uncommon in this world; not everyone is fortunate enough to have one. And, with a global population of over seven billion, attempting to find your soulmate is like trying to look for a straw-coloured needle in a gigantic haystack. Your grandparents’ story was a miracle — they were one of the lucky few people to find their other halves. The love they had for each other was pure, unparalleled to anything you’d seen on this earth.

“Okay, okay, I believe you!” Steve laughs, holding his hands up in surrender. “I mean, I don’t necessarily believe in soulmate-lore, but I believe what you’re telling me,”.

“Thank you,”, you say stiffly, viciously stabbing a piece of pancake with your fork for emphasis. “So. Do you? Think he’s your soulmate? Even if you don’t believe it?”.

Steve shakes his head in amusement at your persistence, before taking another enormous bite. He chews thoughtfully for a moment before answering your question. “I don’t think he’s my soulmate, no,” he says finally. “I—don’t know what it feels like to have a soulmate, but I just…I love him, Y/N, with all my heart, but…it’s not life-changing, or anything like that. I feel happier and different around him, but it’s not…yeah. No. Don’t think we’re soulmates,” he finishes, shrugging indifferently.

You nod slowly, mulling over what Steve’s just said. It’s endearing, really, how tongue-tied and flustered he gets talking about Bucky like this — seeing the ever-composed Cap at a loss for words is a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of event. You don’t know that much about Bucky, to be honest. Since coming out of cryo and moving to the compound, he’s mostly kept to his own, only coming out of his shell for Steve. Bucky still doesn’t trust himself around people; he is, for all intents and purposes, a recluse. Sure, you’ve heard plenty of stories from Steve, but the ex-assassin remains largely a mystery to you.

You’ve hung out with Bucky a handful of times, during Avengers social gatherings and on missions, of course. Mostly, you avoid being with him for prolonged periods of time because you hate the way you act around him. You get so flustered, and a strange feeling develops in your chest — like someone’s shoved their hand through your sternum and is trying to yank your heart out. You feel simultaneously elated and apprehensive when your with him. It’s confusing and ridiculous, really, how your body can’t seem to get ahold of itself.

Though you may have your own misgivings on how Bucky makes you feel, you’re willing to put them aside for Steve’s sake. If just talking about Bucky makes Steve feel giddy, joyous and uplifted, you can only imagine what properly spending time with Bucky will do to Steve’s mood. If he believes that a life with Bucky will give him fulfilment and happiness, then you want to do your best to give that to him.

“I want to help,” you say to him.

Steve pauses with his mouthful of pancake half-chewed, gaping at you in confusion. “Help…what?” he asks, the words coming out warped because of the food in his mouth.

“Get you and Bucky together,” you reply smoothly.

His eyes widen in astonishment, but he forces himself to swallow before speaking again. “Oh, honey, I couldn’t ask you to—,”.

“You’re not asking,” you point out, “I’m offering. In fact, I’m not even offering. I will help get you and Bucky together,”.

Steve snorts at your insistence. “Do I even get a say in this matter?”

“Nope,” you reply, popping the ‘p’ at the end.

“Great,” Steve mutters, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. You wave your fork at him threateningly.

“Face it, Steve. You need my help. I’ve got way more dating experience than you have,”.

Steve nods in agreement, conceding the logic in your argument. “Very true,” he murmurs. He’s silent for a minute, staring pensively at his near-empty plate and chewing at his bottom lip. “It’s just—I don’t wanna force him, Y/N,” he says quietly.

“D’you think he loves you?” you ask, as you prop your elbows on the table and rest your chin on your upturned hands.

“Maybe, I’m not sure,” Steve admits, looking up to meet your eyes. “But I gotta let him make his own decisions, Y/N. I can show him that I’m here and that I want this, but I can’t — and I refuse to — make him choose me,”.

“Very noble of you,” you mutter, “Then again, you’re Captain America—,”.

“And you expect nothin' less?” Steve says dryly.

“Exactly,”.

Steve throws his head back and laughs heartily. “God, you’re a wonder,” he chuckles, “I dunno how I’d keep dating you—,”.

“Wait, what?” you cut in, levelling him with a look of utter puzzlement. “We’d still be together?”

He blinks at you, corners of his mouth frowning in confusion. “Uh…yeah?”

“But Steve,” you say slowly, wanting to choose your next words with caution in case he hasn’t figured this out yet, “Bucky’d never want to be with you if we’re still together,”.

“Oh. Right,”, he says dumbly. If Steve’s expression is anything to go by, it’s clear that this thought hasn’t crossed his mind. Before he can work himself into a panic, you swiftly intervene.

“I mean, we can still be friends—,”

“Yeah, of course!”

“Just not, y’know…a couple,”

“Yeah. I see what you mean,”, Steve murmurs, face still pinched, but understanding and acceptance blooming in his eyes.

“So…I guess this is us breaking up with each other?” you say hesitantly, twirling your fork in your hand.

“…I guess?” Steve replies. Your eyes flick up to look at his face and you nearly burst out laughing — god, why does he look so lost? You roll your eyes at his cluelessness, shaking your head fondly.

“Is this the first time you’ve broken up with someone?” you ask, leaning back in your chair and crossing your arms over your chest.

Steve straightens up, immediately going all defensive on you. “Well—yeah, I mean—,”.

“No, Steve, I’m not mad, I’m just—,”, a sudden bout of nervous giggles cuts you off. “I just—this is not how my break-ups usually go. This is so…civil,”.

“Oh, I—,”.

“No!” you cry, holding your hands out to placate him, “No, Steve, it’s not a bad thing, it’s…it’s good. It’s different. It’s not what I’m used to,” you explain.

Steve runs his fingers through his hair, making it messier than it already is. “Yeah well, we’re not really breaking up, are we?” he points out, “Break-ups are for when people are gone from each other’s lives forever. And that’s not happening with us. I’m still gonna be around—if you want me, that is,” Steve adds hastily.

You snort. “More like you’re gonna want me around. How’m I supposed to give you advice if we ain’t together?”

He laughs, nodding his head in agreement. “You got a point there. Well, we always were better off when we were just friends,” Steve says, looking to you for confirmation.

You give him a brief smile. “Agreed. But the sex was fucking amazing, though. Thank heavens for super-soldier refractory periods,”.

Steve throws his hands over his ears and turns away, a grimace on his face. “Honey! You can’t say things like that!” he protests, standing up and taking his plate to the sink, before coming to collect yours. You’re caught in a fit of laughter at his reaction, and eventually, Steve manages to laugh along with you.

“Hey, if we’re not gonna be together, I guess it makes sense for one of us to move out, right?” Steve asks, looking over his shoulders as he washes dishes in the sink.

You stand up, grabbing the cutlery and glasses from the table and carrying them to him. “Good point, I’ll—,”.

“I’ll move out,” Steve says, talking over you.

You arch an eyebrow haughtily, daring him to cross you. “I will, Steve,”, you growl quietly.

“Y/N, I can’t ask you to—,”.

“You’re not asking!” you cry, angrily snatching a dishtowel to wipe the plates dry as he passes them to you. “Steve, I want to move out,” you tell him, before taking a deep breath to calm yourself down. “There’re too many memories here. It’d be too painful to stay,”, you murmur, keeping your eyes downcast because you can’t bear to meet his gaze right now.

Steve is silent, thinking over the significance of your words. This little apartment of yours has been the location for many an enjoyable evening. For you to stay here, without him…that’s just an exquisite form of torture you’re unwilling to put yourself through.

“Why don’t we both move out?” Steve suggests softly, drying his hands as he turns towards you. “Move back into the main wing with the others? Then it’ll be clear that you and I separated on amiable terms,”.

“I like that,” you reply, putting the cleaned crockery away. “I’ll start moving things back into my old room later, maybe,”.

Without warning, Steve steps into your space, wraps you in his arms and smashes your face into his muscled chest, burying his nose in your hair. You let out an oof in surprise. “Thank you, Y/N,” he whispers fiercely, “You have no idea how much this means to me,”.

“It’s okay, Stevie,” you murmur, twisting your arms from where they are trapped underneath him so that you can return the hug. “I just want you to be happy,”. A moment of silence passes, the two of you simply revelling in the serene intimacy of your embrace. Quietly, you ask, “Can I call this Operation Soulmate?”

“He’s not my soulmate, Y/N!” Steve cries exasperatedly, releasing you from his bear-hug and throwing his hands up in air.

“You want my help, you let me call it Operation Soulmate,” you say flatly, putting your hands on your hips and levelling him with stern glare.

“Fine,” he grumbles sulkily, turning his back to you as he heads to the bedroom, “Operation Soulmate it is,”.

“Yay!” you squeal, clapping your hands gleefully and dancing on the spot, “This is going to be so much fun!”.

——————— Tagging: @hollycornish @rda1989 @awinterloveuniverse @aquabrie @onceuponahiddleston @bi-diana-prince @after-avenging-hours @patzammit @braelyn250 @theoutlinez

Permanent tags: @feelmyroarrrr

Send me an ask or message if you want to be added/removed from the list :)

[ofstarsandvibranium]

The Cook

Fandom: Marvel 

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader

As requested by @iamthemaskhewears : Yay! Can I request a oneshot where the reader works with Tony (not necesarilly an Avenger) and she's way younger than him (like mid20s), but they both have feelings for each other? And he doesn't know how to make her know he likes her and that he's not a playboy anymore(or won't be)? Please and thank you ❤

Warning: age difference (reader’s about 24-25)

When you applied to be a cook at the Avengers HQ you didn’t think you’d actually be cooking for the Avengers. You thought you were going to be part of an entire team of staff who’d cook for the cafeteria or something. But nope. You walked into that tower, gave your name to the lady at the front desk, and she escorted you to none other than THE Tony Stark’s office.

“Hey, kid! Tony Stark, but you probably already knew that.” The famous billionaire and superhero offered his hand to you.

You smiled and shook it, “Hello, sir-”

Tony gagged as he sat atop his desk in front of you, “No. None of that ‘sir’ nonsense. Makes me feel old. Really old. Anyway,” he jumped off and circled his desk and sat down, “so you’re a cook?”

You nodded, “Yep. From the basics to the complex. I also bake.”

“Pies? Cheesecakes? Crème brûlée?”

You laughed, “Yes, I can cook those.”

“Great!” Tony stood, “You’re hired!”

You gave him a confused look, “You’re not going to give me a test or ask me any other questions?”

Tony shook his head, “Nah, I see greatness in ya, kid. I’ll take your word for it. As for the test, how about you make dinner for the team and I tonight. If it hoes horribly wrong, then, obviously, you’re fired. If it goes great, you can stay.”

You stood up anxiously, “Great! So where’s the kitchen? I’ll start now.”

Tony clapped you on the back, “I like you already, kid!”

6 hours later, the table was set with all types of food. There was turkey, pasta, nachos, tacos, chicken salad, cheesecake, cake pops, and some rum bread. 

The whole Avengers team sat down in awe, “This...this is intense.” Sam said with wide eyes.

“Like the feasts on Asgard! I feel right at home!” Thor exclaimed with a hefty laugh.

Tony pulled you away from the counter and brought you to the team, “Everyone, this is our new personal chef, Y/N!”

You shyly waved, “Uh, hi. Um, I hope you like everything. I didn’t know what you guys liked so I just did various foods.”

“You did great, kid.” Tony kissed your temple then clapped his hands, “Dig in!”

You laughed as everyone began to pile food onto their plates and started stuffing their mouths.

“Wow! This is amazing!” Steve exclaimed.

You giggled, “Which one?”

“ALL OF IT!” Nat yelled out and everyone agreed.

Tony stood up and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, “Looks like you’re sticking around, kid.”

1 year later and you’re still working for the Avengers and you couldn’t be happier. They were your family. You loved them and they loved you.

Your alarm blared at 6:30am letting you know it was time to prepare breakfast. You yawned as you got out of bed and made your way to the kitchen. You didn’t need to wear any type of uniform. Tony was all about letting loose. That’s what you love, yes, love, Tony. He’s very open. 

You walked towards the kitchen to find Tony waiting there for you, sitting on the counter with a cup of coffee in hand staring off. You made your way closer to him to see that he already had the ingredients you needed set on the counter.

Your heart skipped a beat knowing how considerate he was. See the thing was that you and Tony flirted...a lot. Behind your playful words, there was some hope and truth to them. However, when it came to Tony’s side, you never knew. Why? Because he was like this with every woman he’d meet. Sure, you found yourself loving him, but you weren’t sure if you’d actually want to be with him if the opportunity came. Tony Stark was a heartbreaker. Everyone knew that.

“What’s on your mind, kid?” Tony asked looking at you with concern.

You shook your head not realizing you were in a daze, “Sorry. Just..thoughts.”

You began to crack some eggs open into the glass bowl that Tony had set aside, “You know you could tell me anything, right?” Tony said in his serious voice.

You nodded, “Mhm.” You continued to add your ingredients in the bowl. Tony didn’t want to push you, so he jumped off the counter and put his finish coffee mug in the sink.

“I’ll be in my lab if you need me.”

Tony struggled to show his affection for you. He’d openly flirt with you and he’d flirt back and he thought it’d be going somewhere. Then next thing he knows, you’re reserved and barely talking to him. He didn’t know what to do. He really liked you, but didn’t know how to get it through to you.

“You could just actually tell her how you feel.” Tony jumped hearing Wanda’s voice echo through his lab. Tony clutched his chest and looked at Wanda. She smirked, “You’re thinking very loud. I can’t help but hear you.” She walked towards him and leaned forward onto his work table, “Just tell her.”

“Does she feel the same way?”

Wanda shook her head, “I can’t tell you that. You have to ask her yourself.”

“How can I when she just pushes me away?”

Wanda sighed, “Have you ever thought that maybe she’s trying to protect herself?”

Tony looked at her confused, “What do you mean?”

“You’re a playboy. You string women along, bed them, then kick them out like they’re garbage. You don’t bother learning their names or anything about them. You flirt until you get what you want then you toss them aside.”

“Y/N isn’t like them. I’d never treat her like them.”

“But she doesn’t know that.” Without another word, Wanda left.

You were dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with purse and keys in hand. You made your way to the elevator and as soon as it opened, Tony stepped out, “Oh! Y/N!” He took note of your bag and keys, “Going somewhere?”

“Yeah. Grocery shopping. Running low on stuff. Did you need anything?”

“Uh, no, but I’ll come with you!” He followed you into the elevator.

“You sure? Don’t you have important Avengers stuff to do?”

“Cap could take care of it. I’d rather spend some time with you.” 

“Oh,” you looked down hoping you weren’t blushing too hard, “Okay.”

“I’ll drive though.” Tony said as he stepped out of the elevator.

“No! That’s okay! Really, Tony.”

“C’mon, babe. Trust me.” Babe? That’s a new one.

You sighed, “Fine.” You followed Tony to one of his Lamborghini's and hopped in. Your eyes widened, “Wow.”

Tony chuckled, “I know.” With that, you two headed towards the local grocery store. 

You thought grocery shopping with Tony would be awkward considering your feelings and your fear of making yourself look stupid, but nothing of the sorts happened. It was actually fun. 

He helped you find everything on your list whilst adding some unnecessary things as well.

“What are those bag of ice for?”

“Margaritas.” Tony said nonchalantly. 

You laughed, “Really? You have twenty plus bottles of expensive alcohol and you want margaritas?”

“Don’t judge me, kid.” Tony said as he pulled you closer by the waist and continued to walk with you down the aisles of food. 

As soon as you hit the candy aisle, Tony went crazy. He threw in bags of licorice, caramel, chocolates, sour rope belts, and more.

“Sweet tooth much?”

Tony gave you a wink and continued to look through the aisle for more sweets. First him calling you ‘babe’, then the waist pulling, and him winking. Was he teasing you?

“Hey, babe! We should make ice cream cake!”

You arched an eyebrow at him, “We? Or me?”

Tony walked up to you, “We. I’ll help.” He walked up to you setting his hands on  your waist.

“What are you doing, Tony?” 

“I love you.”

Your eyes widened, “W-What?”

Tony stepped back and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “I know it’s not the best timing, but doing this domestic stuff just sorta made wanna say it, ya know?”

You shook your head, “I don’t understand.”

Tony sighed, “Well, you see, kid. I love you. A lot. And I’ve been trying to show you for a months now, but I guess you weren’t seeing it. So I’m telling you. And,” he took a step towards you, “I was hoping that maybe you love me too?”

You shook your head, “I do, but Tony, i don’t think we’d work.”

“‘Cause I’m a renowned playboy?”

You scoffed, “Well, you haven’t had many steady relationships, Tony, so yeah.”

Tony leaned over and took your hand, “Just gimme a chance, kid. The last thing I want to do is hurt ya.”

You sighed and ran your hand through your hair. Thinking it over. You came to a conclusion, “Okay. Let’s give it a shot.”

Tony smiled, “Yeah?”

You smiled back, “Yeah.”

“Yes!” Tony shouted. 

“Oh my god! Shut up!” You said whilst laughing.

Tony chuckled, “Right. Sorry.” He wrapped an arm around your waist and you both continued to walk to finish your shopping.

[thewingedwolf]

Ben and Lonnie are Actually BFF’s - headcanon/meta brought to you by Rani and her need for her faves to have been friends and also a little wish-fulfillment. I wrote this forever ago and it’s A Lot but I’m posting it before it gets jossed by Descendants 2 (which....who knows maybe my broship will be canon but whateva).

So for my First Piece of Evidence...it’s less evidence and more me spit balling (I’ll get to actual evidence later). But they’re pretty evenly matched in temperament, they’re both happy, cheerful, and kind kids with a general positive outlook on life which would make me think they would get along. I mean, Ben seems to get along with everyone so its not far of a stretch that him and Lonnie would get along.

Second, she seems pretty down with the proclamation. Which could be chalked up to her just being a good person but uh. Considering the pushback Ben got from it (warranted or not), it doesn’t seem very likely that’s the reason. Or likely all on it’s own anyway. I mean most of the parents are against it, at the very least the more popular kids are against it (minus Ben), so that’s a lot of people around Lonnie that don’t like it, but she seems sorta down with it, even if she’s a bit reluctant. Which obviously means that Ben was like “look literally even my parents aren’t in love with this idea I need someone in my corner Lonnie pls I will do your math homework for a month” and she went along with it bc THEY ARE BFFS.

Third point which is - Lonnie tries quite often to be their friend, initially in a way that looks like she was put up to it by someone else (...maybe...idk...Ben...) but then keeps trying

she’s one of the first to reach out to the four and she does so fairly early on

also. why would she go to them for magic hairdo she’s the kid of two big military leaders i am positive she has the money to go to a nice hairdresser or like, her grandmother.

she also comes across a bit better than chad and jane do - evie wants a boyfriend, chad plays on this by using her to do his homework, mal has to chase after jane and jane only stays bc mal makes her popular. the minute audrey and them accept jane, she drops mal fairly quickly. lonnie wants them to do something for her yeah, but she offers to pay for it, so it’s not like she’s taking advantage or anything.

her reaction after she gets her hair done like she’s SO EXCITED AND SHE WANTS MAL TO KNOW THAT and then she rips her skirt in a really obvious i’m-gonna-be-cool-like-you way

she continually reaches out to them, not just for her hair and her own gain but she goes when they’re making cookies and mentions everyone wants Mal to do their hair, which points to her talking Mal’s makeover skills up.

Which. LET ME TALK ABOUT THAT SCENE. She tries to make conversation during that scene, she offers help, she’s genuinely trying to be nice, and wants to know about their lives. And when their lives turn out to be worse than she thought, she doesn’t brush it off or blame them for t heir shitty lives like other characters do, she is KIND AND SYMPATHETIC and tries to offer comfort!!! It even seems to work for a half a second but you know, plot happens and all.

She also sits with the girls at the game even tho she obviously has other friends, but she reaches out anyway.

she is literally the only character besides Ben to constantly reach out to them, in what is initially a way that is her not happpy with it (like she’s been put up to it by a friend) but then keeps trying to be their friend

Piece the Fourth - evidence she’s friends (good friends!!) with Ben. [note: some of this would do better if I had gifs to back it up but I can’t gif. So I have caps, altho it might be a little hard to tell but it’s the best I can do sorry]

Again, first person to actively seek them out (Chad and Jane sorta fall into their laps, and Doug is their guide thing. She’s the one who makes first contact).

the way she phrases it “you hate us and well...you’re evil” strikes me as someone put her up to it. like your friend is like go talk to the new kid they seem nice and you’re like fine and you’re a bit of an asshole initially cuz u don’t want to be there. Considering the fact that Ben has seen they’re having some issues blending in, and then the weirdness of Mal chasing Jane into the bathroom, it would make sense that he’d want to make them feel more welcome so he sends a friend he knows won’t be a dick to go talk to them. Lonnie agrees bc Ben and also she’s nice.

She's so happy for Ben and Mal during Did I Mention

Like seriously she's like squealing and grabbing Mal and pointing at Ben, like there's excited and then there's Lonnie during that scene.

[Image Description: Lonnie smiling gleefully while Ben makes his way towards a nervous looking Mal]

^^^^^^^^^^^that is the face of a girl who wants her bff to date someone she approves of at long last

During the Family Day debacle, everyone else starts walking away after Chad wakes up, but she stays

[image description: Chad and Audrey walking away from Ben during Family Day, while Lonnie and Doug look on, Doug looking very dejected while Lonnie looks sad and possibly worried]

She starts walking towards Ben  

[image description: Lonnie has walked forward several steps towards Ben. Doug has a hand on her arm, and Ben looks on]

and only leaves when Doug takes her hand and literally pulls her away from Ben

[image description: Doug is pulling on Lonnie’s arm and walking away, pulling her with while Ben watches on, his shoulders sagging. Lonnie wears the same worried and sad look]

Later, she doesn't gossip like Jane or Audrey, she lookes upset like Doug and a bit mad about what just happened.She also loks v disappointed in Doug when he rejects Evie and then sorta shakes her head and looks annoyed when Jane and Audrey come over after they had just insulted Mal. I don’t have great caps for this bc she’s not the focus on the scene (this is where giffing skills would come in siiiigh) but I did find one cap that isn’t too terrible

[image description: doug sitting down after chad called him over from being with evie. lonnie watches doug, looking disappointed and a bit sad]

She does leave with the group but unlike everyone else, she doesn't look afraid, she's just pulling a Chad away from the group (probably stopping him from getting his ass put to sleep again bc come on nobody is happy during that scene)

So she very obviosly is not happy about this, attempts to comfort Ben, and is not ok with the petty shit Chad, Jane, and Audrey pull off, and disappointed in Doug not reaching out to Evie. To me, it seems less like she’s in with the other kids, and more like she feels very torn and not sure of how to react to the situation. So, similar to Doug - which, I was very annoyed with Doug and while it is disappointing that Lonnie wouldn’t say something either, peer pressure is a hell of a motivator and when you go to school with literal princes and princesses, that peer pressure is probably multiplied by 10000. Not to mention, we know characters like the dwarves are treated badly by Auradon per Isle of the Lost. While Mulan and Shang are human, they’re also not royalty and I wonder how well they would be treated. 

And then in Set It Off, she just jumps into the happy right away. She doesn’t need to be cheered up and she’s not a love interest, she’s just genuinely happy for everyone. Which is a) part of part three in that she’s just a really nice person and b) she’s happy bc her best friend is at least dating someone she likes I mean idk about any of you, but I’m always much happier when I approve of my friends’ dating choices

In conclusion I just love Lonnie so much, she’s so nice to the rotten four and she wants to give them a chance and I want Ben to have friends that actually support him and I want Lonnie to have friends that aren’t catty as hell and I think it would be cute if they were friends, I think there’s a decent amount of evidence that points towards them being friends, and it’s my headcanon and I say so :P

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 73 - TOR - The Nylander Bowl

There was a part of this season the Sabres and Leafs were on a collision course. Right after the win streak there was that game that felt like a real rivalry matchup. I suppose I’m a little bias since I experienced it in person, but I think we all felt the same way at the time. The Sabres, slotted right behind Toronto in the standings at that point looked like they were finally in the same league for the first time in a long time. Perhaps they were both in a quite shitty place together at one time but that’s not nearly as fun. That game was so close it damn near went to the shootout. It was not to be and since that matchup Buffalo has tumbled down a hill in a historic way, not only falling out of the playoff picture but losing so much in the back half that there is an outside chance they pick top 5 in the Draft. We can rehash our mournful lack of playoffs or we can look north of the border where getting playoff games hasn’t exactly made our Canadian brethren all that much happier. They have also been rather shit since the New Year, albeit not quite as shitty, and they’re now staring down the barrel of a first-round matchup that runs a high likelihood of knocking them out early. Trust me, I’m near to selling a kidney for a Sabres playoff series at this point but in Toronto they’ve had one going on in April three years in a row now and enter this one prepared to sound a five-alarm fire when their predicted knockout comes. The grass is always greener on the other side and sometimes with the way we talk about the Leafs that other side is the other side of the border as it were. This game was a bit of that. This game last night was hardly fun but when it was it reminded you of what this matchup could be a behemoth of a rivalry waiting to happen. I’ll save the Leafs’ playoff fate for Playoffs according to the Sabres because if you are a Leafs fan reading this… well first off thank you, share this, you Ontario folks love your hockey…  you probably aren’t from Toronto. Leafs fans who show up to Sabres games are mostly the St. Catherines/Hamilton bunch who either can’t afford Toronto ticket prices or just don’t want that. All the whining about Sabres fans not showing up for Leafs games is warranted but its more stupid than you think at first glance. Now let’s talk about the game that happened last night.

This game had fewer shots than some Church events I’ve been to, particularly that first period. Carter Hutton was playing the role of Nun evidently and stymied a lot of the Leafs fun. The game was grossly lopsided in favor of the not so lonely visitors from the start. The Sabres only had seven shots the whole period and didn’t break five shots until the final five minutes of the first. The Leafs shot 19 shots in the first. Some weaker opponents don’t put up that much in a game… like uh, the Sabres who only put up 24 shots the whole game! This lopsidedness perhaps colored both fanbases reactions then when the only goal of the period was by Sabre Casey Mittelstadt. Mittelstadt tapped in a Dahlin slapper from the line behind a Garret Sparks who was apparently struggling to locate the puck. Exhaustion may have been an excuse the Leafs could use, this being the back end of a back-to-back but Sparks was fresh as Spring morning so that didn’t extend to him. That said, the Leafs started on time and outplayed the Sabres in every category in the first except powerplay goals. Mind you, the Leafs have been in a bit of a funk lately and the fanbase is beginning to fire up the hot stoves for Mike Babcock’s firing. The funny thing is, they’re complaining about a lot of the stuff Sabres fans complain about Phil Housley about: player deployment, player minutes, roster choices… oh no, this is going to be another summer of courting hall-of-fame coaches isn’t it? HURRY, TO THE PEGULA JET! FIND QUENNVILLE’S HOUSE AND DROP MONEY ON IT! I DON’T WANT ANOTHER DAN BLYSMA, PLEASE! GENEROUS LOCAL PLUTOCRAT, PLEASE! I KNOW YOU CAN GIVE Q JUST AS MUCH MONEY IF NOT MORE THAN THE ENTIRE CANADIAN ECONOMY, DAMMIT!

Nonetheless, the Leafs funk was snapped out of in this game and they proceeded to put up another 19-shot period, this time scoring two goals. While the first period had a smattering of penalties that somehow the Sabres were the team to get something out of, the second period only had one and it was Zemgus Girgensons cross checking Nazem Kadri. I’m a Buffalo Sabres blog so by law I have to state what a little pest Kadri is. There you go. While I’m on it let’s just say if Girgensons scored as much as Kadri does I wouldn’t be thinking about what I can get for him in a summer trade. I’m just saying. That goes for you to, Risto. Poor Brandon Montour, showing off how great a pickup he was for the Sabres these last few games, he gets just bamboozled by Auston Matthews. You could see he didn’t realize it went in off his skate because he looked like a ghost had just given him a weggie. I’m not going to bring anymore light on his plight because once again, he’s been doing great. The feature of the second period I will bring to light is the almost goal William Nylander scored. John Tavares ended up getting credit for the second Leafs goal but for a moment it looked like it could’ve been Willie’s. Hold that image in your head as we fast forward to the third where we find noted brother of William Nylander, Alexander Nylander, getting a puck from VLADIMIR SOBOTKA, and absolutely drilling that one home from between the circles. If this game was going to be the Nylander bowl, which it is on this blog as long as it continues to feel like an unnecessarily lopsided matchup every time we face the Leafs, then fam, we have won. We won the Nylander bowl. Nylander < Nylander, obviously! Having already won the game with that goal, the Sabres pushed hard for the equalizer to perhaps force overtime and get their first back-to-back wins since November. By the time Zach Hyman scored the empty netter I was already popping bottles celebrating Buffalo’s first Nylander Bowl Title! All kidding aside, this game stung something mighty and ended up 4-2 Leafs. I literally cried in the shower.

Don’t worry, I was kidding about the shower. The good news is we have some fun speculation to talk about! I know I bit hard on the Duchene stuff and that didn’t come to pass but give me a break, the Sabres season is still active until I get back from seeing their last game in Detroit next month. Until then, I am going act like the championship can still be won with some key additions! To start out with Dave Poulin and Jeff O’Neill were having a little talk about Joel Quenneville on one of probably eight dozen hockey segments on Toronto radio stations the other day and they think Coach Q’s best option if he wants to return to coaching may just be Buffalo. All the stuff about whether or not Housley will get fired aside, is that something we want? I’ve talked about it hypothetically up until now but would the second winningest coach of all-time coming to Buffalo finally be the coaching solution we’ve been looking for since Lindy Ruff was shown the door back two millennium ago? There is certainly an argument and if it happened I can’t imagine Jason Botterill isn’t crafty enough a guy to A. work with him as now the smaller fish in the pond, and B. provide him with a good enough lineup to replicate some of the success he’s known for. I can imagine about half a dozen other options that don’t seem too bad either and also do something different than just bringing in the big Hall of Fame guy but its fun to speculate. This next rumor is all speculation backed up by zero experts… its actually more of a Play-a-GM kind of thing actually… what is the likelihood of Erik Karlsson? So: disclaimer; he’s not coming here, and that cap hit is probably not so bueno, but let’s imagine this low year he’s having with San Jose causes second thought and Karlsson leaves. He’s said he is proud of Rasmus Dahlin and loves the Swedish phenom, what if he mentored him like Ra’s al Ghul and Batman? Again, just saying. I saw some joking on twitter and it got me going. That’s what we’re here for: stupid fan shit like that.

So anyway: like, comment and share this blog around. I appreciate all you readers so much, whether you’ve been here all year or not. If you haven’t and you think it would be awesome to go back and read the win streak New Look Sabres posts than maybe use that time to share this with a friend instead; I did just that thing the other day and it made me sad. Speaking of things that make me sad: the Sabres have a chance to sweep the season series against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Why does that make me sad? Well, we have now lost five straight games to the Leafs and it feels cheap to wipe out Montreal in a season series while not getting the Leafs the same way. It’s like going to the Duty-Free store on the border and getting Aunt Jemimah’s pancake syrup: you got all this Canadian around you and you take the crap! The only thing diminishes a season sweep of the Habs is getting swept on the season by the Leafs. I better end on a more positive note than that… Jeff Skinner hasn’t signed yet… SHIT!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. The Sabres getting a couple games in the “Global Series” in Stockholm, Sweden in November is pretty rad considering how much of this organization is Swedish now. On the other hand, I see all of us complaining about the travel and those games actually counting in the standings. Can we all resolve right now to just enjoy those games?

[artificialqueens]

wingwomen ch3 (trixya, shalaska) - lale

A/N: thank you so much for all of the kind words about the first 2 parts!!! There should be 5 chapters overall, so look out for more later in the week! :)

Bozo: I’m sorry about yesterday! 😢

Bozo: Sharon was super mean to me, though. I didn’t even get past hi!

Queen of the snakes: just drop it, trix, it’s fine. Katya made it pretty clear that sharon hates all the cheerleaders, you and me included

Bozo: 😡

Bozo: im gonna talk to her again! i’ve got your back!!!

Queen of the snakes: how many cups of coffee have you had this morning??

Bozo: im serious! i don’t like it that she doesn’t like us. We’re awesome!

Queen of the snakes: so humble, so demure

Bozo: stfu

Bozo: love u

Queen of snakes: that’s gay

Queen of snakes: love you too, loser

Alaska slid into her seat in social studies, unable to get Sharon Needles off her mind. It wasn’t like she’d been under the impression that Sharon liked her – she wasn’t delusional. But knowing that Sharon hated them enough to refuse to even talk to Trixie? That had taken her by surprise. She and Trixie came as a pair, everyone knew that. If you hated Trixie, you hated Alaska.

She couldn’t stand the thought that Sharon hated her. It made her heart hurt.

“Privyet, Alaskaaaa,” Katya said cheerfully, pulling Alaska out of her own head.

“Hieee,” she said, trying to sound happier than she felt.

“Something is wrong?” Katya said, perching on the edge of Alaska’s desk. She was three for three on crazy outfits: today’s comprised of a skin tight dress that, Alaska realized when she looked at it closely, was covered in knives, and a red and black baseball cap.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m good,” Alaska assured her. She liked Katya a lot already; she was funny and kind. She’d made fun of Trixie for her immediate crush, but it seemed that Katya was deserving of her friend’s attention. 

“I see you at cheerleaders practice yesterday. You and Barbie stand at back whole time. How come?”

“Oh, we don’t do any of the real cheerleading. Alyssa and her minions do the tricks and stuff, Trixie I stand at the back and shout. Sometimes we get to lift them up, though,” Alaska explained, snorting with laughter.

“You like other cheerleader girls?” Katya asked, twirling her long, messy hair around her fingers.

“Yeah! Did you have cheerleaders at your old school in Russia?”

“No. We had mascot bear.”

“A real one?” Alaska asked skeptically. Katya raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at her. A few moments passed and Alaska realized she wasn’t going to get a response. “Anyway…all the girls are really nice. It’s not like all the movies make them out to be, they’re cool.”

“Maybe I will be cheerleader,” Katya said loftily, slowly extending her leg up high in front of her.

“Hey! You totally could be, you know,” Alaska said. Trixie would love that.

“Ah, I am not cool girl enough.” Alaska snorted at that.

“We’re not cool! Not me and Trixie, anyway.”

“Of course you are! Do not be stupid,” Katya said dismissively.

“Is that what Sharon says?” Alaska said, trying and failing to keep a note of bitterness out of her voice. Katya looked at her thoughtfully.

“Da. She does not like cheerleaders.”

“I know. She thinks we’re all bitches,” Alaska said miserably.

“She told Barbie to fuck off. So rude. I tell her, do not worry,” Katya said, giving her hand a quick pat-pat.

“Trixie’s the furthest thing from a bitch. She’s the nicest person in the world, really,” Alaska said. She wasn’t even saying it just to try to big Trixie up to Katya. Trixie was sarcastic as hell but that was just her sense of humour. Her best friend had the biggest, kindest heart underneath it all.

“You love her a lot,” Katya said.

“She’s been my best friend since we started high school – since cheerleading tryouts, actually. She was the first person I came out to,” Alaska told her.

“She runs your gay club, yes?” Katya said.

“LGBT, yeah. You wanna come along sometime?” Alaska asked, realizing that they’d never even considered the possibility that Katya might be straight.

“Maybe. I could bring Sharon?” Katya asked. Alaska felt heat rise in her cheeks.

“You think she’d come?” Katya grinned slyly.

“I make her,” she promised.

***

Yesterday, Sharon’s attitude had shocked Trixie into silence, but today she was determined to get a conversation out of her. She’d avoided sitting next to her in class, not wanting to end up in the same situation, but she hovered by the door when class ended and pounced when Sharon reached her.

“Sharon!” she said, falling into step with her. Sharon jumped slightly, then shot Trixie a wary look.

“What do you want?” she asked. Trixie grinned. An actual sentence out of her that wasn’t ‘fuck off’ – success!

“I just want to say hello.”

“Well, hello. Is that it?” Sharon said, peeling off down the hallway towards her locker. Trixie followed her, staying by her side.

“Look, I know you think I’m a bitch. I don’t know why, but—”

“You don’t know why? Please,” Sharon cut in, snorting.

“I don’t! Come on, you can’t hate me just because I’m a cheerleader,” Trixie protested.

“I can,” Sharon said, swinging her locker door open. Trixie had to step aside quickly to stop it hitting her in the face.

“We’ve never even talked before! Do you not see how ridiculous this is?” Trixie said, putting her hands on her hips.

“I don’t know why you care,” Sharon said.

“Because it’s stupid! You hate us because you think we’re judging you, but you’re the only one judging anyone,” Trixie said, exasperated. She wanted to be a good wingwoman, and a good friend to Alaska, but Sharon was making it so hard!

Sharon paused at that, her hand hovering over a battered textbook in her locker.

“So, what? You want to be my friend?” she said, sounding skeptical.

“Yes!” Trixie replied, beaming at her. “Look, let’s start from the beginning. I’m Trixie,” she said, thrusting a hand out towards her.

“Oh my god, you’re like an old person,” Sharon said, shutting her locker door and ignoring her hand. She turned away from Trixie, heading towards the cafeteria.

“Why don’t you have lunch with us? Me and Alaska?” she offered. This would be perfect! Alaska could talk to Sharon, and hopefully Katya would follow Sharon. Trixie would actually get to meet her! She blushed at the mere idea of it.

“Maybe another day. You’re a bit…much,” Sharon said, looking Trixie up and down. Trixie huffed. She’d heard it before, that she could be full on when people first got to know her, but that was just how she was. She wore her heart on her sleeve and didn’t play games – it was part of what had upset her about the thought that Sharon had decided they were bitches.

“Tomorrow?” she pressed.

“Maybe,” Sharon said, non-committal.

“I’ll ask you tomorrow,” Trixie promised.

“If you have to.”

“I do!” Trixie replied cheerfully.

***

Her last period class had let out late, and by the time Katya had tossed her books into her locker Sharon had already disappeared from her usual haunt nearby where they would meet. She headed outside, smiling when she saw her friend sitting on the grass as usual.

“How are cheerleader girls doing?” she asked, flopping down to sit beside her. She rummaged in her pocket for her cigarettes, cursing when she couldn’t find her lighter.

“I have no idea what you mean. I don’t care how they’re doing,” Sharon insisted. Katya rolled her eyes, putting a hand on Sharon’s arm.

“Still,” she warned, putting her cigarette between her lips. She leaned in, pressing the tip of it against Sharon’s lit one in her mouth. She inhaled sharply, then grinned when her own cigarette lit easily.

“Smart,” Sharon said, sounding impressed.

“I am woman of many skills,” Katya said, shrugging. She looked over at the cheerleaders, unable to hold back a laugh when she saw that Alaska and Trixie were staring at them, open mouthed. She waved, laughing even more when Trixie immediately flushed bright red and forcibly turned Alaska around to face away from them.

“Did Alaska talk to you again today?” Sharon asked.

“I talk to her! Definitely not bitch,” Katya said. “She invite us to their gay club!” Sharon groaned.

“Not their dumb LGBT club. Jesus, why would we go to that?”

“To talk to pretty girls who also like girls?” Katya said, raising an eyebrow at her. “You don’t know how lucky you are! In Russia, we have to guess who like girls, and be ready to run very fast if you are wrong!”

“You’re full of shit,” Sharon said, tapping the ash from her cigarette next to Katya’s leg.

“Is true! I swear,” Katya insisted. She looked over at the cheerleaders again, hoping for a good view of Trixie’s ass now that they were facing away from them. God bless America and their tight cheerleading uniforms.

The girls were all talking, two in the middle of what seemed like a heated argument.

“They’re always fighting. I don’t know how Trixie can say cheerleaders aren’t bitchy when those two spend all their time at each other’s throats,” Sharon said.

“You talk to Barbie?” Katya said, grinning. Sharon acted tough, but Katya knew that a softer, warmer person lay underneath the exterior she put on. It would be good for her to make friends with more people – besides, if Alaska talked to Trixie, maybe she could put in a good word for Katya.

“Yeah. I guess she’s not completely awful,” Sharon conceded begrudgingly.

Over with the cheerleaders, Alaska and Trixie were talking heatedly. They were too far away for Katya to hear what they were saying, but they kept glancing over at her and Sharon. Trixie shoved Alaska towards them, giving her a pointed look. To Katya’s surprise, Alaska tossed her long hair over her shoulder and walked towards them, pom poms dangling by her sides as she held onto them loosely.

“Hieee,” she said, hovering awkwardly in front of them. There was a moment of silence, and Katya looked over at Sharon. She was staring at her lap, two spots of pink colouring her pale cheeks. Katya rolled her eyes, then grinned at Alaska.

“Come, sit! Cigarette?” she said, waving her pack towards Alaska.

“Oh, uh…sure,” she said, looking kind of stricken as she took a cigarette. Sharon was still silently staring at her lap, cigarette clamped between her teeth. Well, Katya was going to take matters into her own hands if Sharon wasn’t even going to talk to her.

“We have no lighter. Sharon, help her light!” she said, waving a hand imperiously between the two of them.

“What?” Alaska said, looking surprised.

“What,” Sharon echoed, words slightly muffled around her cigarette. “You can do it!”

“No, mine is finished,” Katya said cheerfully, stubbing out her cigarette in the grass. Sharon glared at her for a moment, then sighed.

“C’mere,” she said gruffly to Alaska, leaning in towards her. Alaska, face flushed, mirrored her. Sharon pressed the tips of her cigarettes together, and Alaska reached to steady herself with a hand on Sharon’s thigh. Katya beamed proudly, glancing over at Trixie. She was watching them too, and she grinned back at Katya. Katya winked at her, then laughed as Trixie immediately blushed red.

“So cute,” she murmured to herself.

“What?” Sharon said, pulling back when Alaska’s cigarette was lit.

“Nothing!” Katya chirped. Alaska inhaled on her cigarette, then burst into a coughing fit. “Always happens first time,” Katya assured her fondly, patting her hand.

“It’s not my first time!” Alaska protested, looking embarrassed.

“Sure is not,” Katya said, tone indulgent as she took out another cigarette. She reached over for Sharon’s bag, rummaging in it until she found her lighter.

“I just wanted to come over to say that you guys should have lunch with us tomorrow,” Alaska said, cigarette dangling from her fingers.

“Yes!” Katya said, just as Sharon said, “No.” Katya glared at her. “Yes!” she insisted.

“Great!” Alaska said, while Sharon mouthed ‘I hate you’ at Katya from over her shoulder. Katya stuck her tongue out at her, grinning.

“Alaska!” one of the cheerleaders shouted, stepping towards them.

“Shit,” she murmured, dropping her cigarette. Katya picked it up, carefully stubbing out the end and tucking the rest back into the pack. No point wasting a good cigarette. “I’ve gotta go. Lunch tomorrow?” Alaska said as she stood up. Katya looked over at Sharon pointedly.

Sharon sighed. “Sure,” she said reluctantly. Alaska beamed, then turned to jog back towards the cheerleaders.

“See you tomorrow!” she called over her shoulder.

Katya gave Sharon a triumphant grin. “Sharon and Alaskaaaa sitting in tree…” she sung to herself, taking a deep drag of her cigarette. She was the best friend ever!