#because air man looks nothing like air man so air man jr makes more sense

[madisonthetimewalker]

You know what ima give my MMFC headcanons

Air man is actually named air man jr but people wouldn’t think he’s very threatening so he took air man instead (also his dad is literally air man)

Wood man is actually named after his cousin who is the original wood man although they never talk much

Fire man also has the same situation his uncle is named fire man as well but they get along quite fine (although his uncle is concerned about his serious anger issues)

I don’t know what else to put but ya here are some of them. I wanted to include the wily bots as well and the original light bots as well because I feel like it would be a bit better to include them since the show doesn’t really do well with some of the robot master designs

[your-space-brain]

Friends

Filip “Chibs” Telford x Reader - One Shot

Gif does not belong to me.

Moved from @spacedbrainnn .

Little Clay.

That’s what they called you, Little Clay. You were the daughter of Teller and Morrow, Jax’s half sister who was untouchable. You were a princess, the pride and joy of Gemma and Clay, and everyone knew not to flirt with you, unless they planned to be intimidated.

And threatened.

That’s why you’d been talking to Chibs. Late night drinks here, a smile there, a wink thrown in the mix and you found yourself festering with feelings for the man twice your age.

But, you couldn’t care less.

You’d never talked about anything exclusive. There were never any lines drawn, anything. So when you saw him with a Crow Eater hanging around his hips, you couldn’t be jealous.

But, everyone else saw it plain as day.

“Oh come on, Clay Jr.” Tig was dancing on your last nerve while you were attempting to finish up an audit for the garage. You sat in Jax’s mechanic shirt while you wrote on a clipboard and typed on your calculator. “Give me one chance.”

“I’m not in the mood, Tiggy.”

“Why do you gotta give me such a hard time?”

“Because I’m a giver. It’s what I do.”

“But one chance. Let me take you out on the dance floor. We can even dance around the shop.”

“I’ve got two left feet.”

“Please—”

“Alexander Trager.” You spat the words colder than you intended and he feigned offense.

“What? Can’t stand to see Scottie have another woman—”

“What about Scottie?” The thick accent boomed throughout the garage as his boots preceded him. You looked up and tried not to show that your heart was pattering for him.

“Nothing. Just talking.” Tig smirked knowingly as he backed up and walked off, a toothpick in his lips as he exited. You looked down at your paper and tried to force yourself to get back to work.

“Lass? He givin’ ye a hard time?” His accent was undeniably bouncing around in your head while you tried to focus, unsuccessfully, due to his intense stare.

“No more than usual.” You replied to him as your pen marked against the paper, before you looked at the calculator.

“Ye sure?”

“I’m sure.” You didn’t give him that pretty smile you normally did. Hell, you didn’t even hardly look at him.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

“Nothing.”

“Ye can’t lie ta me like that.”

“I’m not lying.”

It was becoming a war of who was more stubborn, who would outlast. He gave a sigh before you heard the flick of the lighter, then cigarette smoke filled the air and you felt the scent of tobacco wash over you.

“Ye can’t lie ta me.”

“I’m not lying, Chibs.”

That’s when he knew. He was always Filip to you. Always.

“Tell me what’s eatin’ that pretty li’l head up.”

Sighing, exasperated, you gave up. Dropping your pen down, you stared up at him as it clattered and rolled off the desk.

“What are we?”

“Whataya mean?”

“I mean, what the hell are we? You can’t tell me we’re just friends. You can’t tell me that we haven’t been shamelessly flirting, dancing around the idea that we’re not something. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Your eyes searched his dark ones as he sighed, before he took another drag of the cigarette.

“Lassie, ye’re…”

“Half your age. I know. I don’t care. What are we?”

“What do ye want us to be?”

“More than this. I want you to not have fucking women—”

You were cut off by his little smirk. “Is that what this is about? The women?”

“Shut up.”

His smirk widened before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I’m yers, sweetheart. I’m yers.”

— end —

[nothingunrealistic]

New York City has been the backdrop for many TV series over the years, from “Law & Order” to “Sex and the City” to “Succession.” But the Showtime series “Billions,” which ends on Sunday after seven seasons, may have been the New Yorkiest of them all. It’s clear from the opening credits, which feature an eagle-eye’s view of Lower Manhattan — but no actors — that New York City is not merely a location but the star. The showrunners, Brian Koppelman and David Levien, planned it that way. “The city plays a central role on the show,” said Mr. Levien. “We always felt like being here and knowing the city was like our secret weapon.” Mr. Koppelman and Mr. Levien were both born on Long Island but eventually moved to New York City. (“Nothing makes you more desperate to be in Manhattan than growing up on Long Island,” Mr. Koppelman said.) The two first worked together on the screenplay for the 1997 film “Rounders,” set in the underground poker scene in New York, and they went on to collaborate on “Knockaround Guys,” “Runaway Jury,” “Solitary Man” and “Ocean’s Thirteen.” But “Billions” was their love letter to New York City. New York has been integral to the plot, which follows the endless battle between hedge fund billionaires (Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis, and in later seasons, Mike Prince, played by Corey Stoll) and the U.S. attorney, Chuck Rhoades Jr. (played by Paul Giamatti).

The characters have visited hundreds of locations in the city, from the Thurgood Marshall United States Court House on Centre Street in Lower Manhattan to Morningside Castle in Morningside Heights and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Scenes have been filmed at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and Yonkers Raceway. “There was almost nowhere that we couldn’t shoot, that we wanted to,” Mr. Levien said. The neighborhoods where the “Billions” characters live also serve as shorthand for their personalities. Chuck’s father, Chuck Rhoades Sr., is an old school, blue-blood businessman, so naturally he lives on the wealthiest stretch of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, not far from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Chuck Jr., whose positions as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (and New York attorney general) involve prosecuting financial crimes, lives in a Brooklyn brownstone (the exterior shots are of 49 Eighth Avenue, in Park Slope). “Chuck Sr. would not experiment with another neighborhood just because he could, financially,” said Mr. Koppelman. “He’s not going to go try a loft in TriBeCa.” And it makes sense that Chuck Jr. lives on an understated (but gorgeous) block outside Manhattan: “Chuck would have been a little bit rebellious to his dad’s ways,” Mr. Koppelman said. Brooklyn? “Senior thinks it’s like the frontier, basically.” Axe, the character played by Damian Lewis, is the CEO of Axe Capital, a multibillion-dollar hedge fund. His Manhattan home is an airy, light-filled penthouse, high above the city. “It’s this incredible glass box built on top of this building downtown in TriBeCa,” said Mr. Levien. “Because, you know, he is somebody that would go try some neighborhood, live where he wants, open himself up to new experiences.” The location was an actual apartment where the show filmed for a couple of years — and it impressed even the showrunners. “If you’re a New Yorker, it’s fascinating to walk through what a $60 million apartment is,” Mr. Koppelman said.

As die-hard denizens of New York City, the characters on “Billions” eat at all the best and most famous restaurants. There are scenes set inside upscale white-tablecloth rooms at expensive eateries like Keens Steakhouse, Babbo, Craft, Ai Fiori, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Michael’s, The Pool and Marea. But the characters also visit more humble spots: Wo Hop, Gray’s Papaya, Joe’s Pizza, Old Town Bar, Costello’s Claddagh Inn. There are new favorites (Una Pizza Napoletana) as well as New York classics, like Peter Luger’s, Cibao, Second Avenue Deli and Barney Greengrass. Mr. Koppelman said that for New Yorkers, food information is a valuable currency. “Finding the best bao is as important as finding the best four-star flambé or something,” he laughed. “The show was absolutely trying to show you the real thing over and over again each time. Where’s the best hot dog, where’s the best burger?” New York City chefs — including Daniel Boulud, David Chang, Kwame Onwuachi, Tom Colicchio, Alex Guarnaschelli — have made cameo appearances in “Billions,” weaving the show intricately into the food scene. (The show featured so many restaurants that someone wrote a book detailing the locations.) “Because we’re New Yorkers and we care about New York, we care about these restaurants, we care about these people, we want to find a way to showcase what they love about their place and what they do,” said Mr. Koppelman. (And at some restaurants, it’s not just the food that the characters are into: In the first episode of Season 4, Chuck Jr. and the police commissioner visit Sparks Steakhouse and re-enact the 1985 murder of Paul Castellano, the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family — a hit that an F.B.I. investigator said was arranged by John Gotti.) In addition to celebrated places, the show features the occasional lesser-known gem — like Chartwell, “the world’s Only Winston Churchill bookstore.” When he needs some quick cash, Chuck Jr. sells his collection of Winston Churchill books. Being featured on a television show can be a boost for business and for a shop owner’s self-esteem. “Most places that we got feedback from that were featured in the show were extremely happy to be associated and to be recognized sort of like nationally and internationally,” said Mr. Levien.

Watching movies set in New York when they were younger inspired both of the showrunners. The Coney Island scenes in “Warriors” and the dinner scene in “The Godfather,” they said, were especially memorable. “The walking in the back door at the Copa in ‘Goodfellas’ is an all-time classic,” Mr. Levien said. Mr. Koppelman was in awe of the Sal’s Pizza scenes in “Do the Right Thing.” “I’ll never forget the extra cheese argument in that movie. It reveals so much about character,” he said. “It’s a very important thing in my cinematic journey as a young person wanting to do this — we thought over and over and over and over and over again about Sal’s Pizza.” There was only one downside of filming in New York, Mr. Levien said: “Sirens and car horns. Ruining takes. When these actors are locked in concentrating on some serious emotional monologue or moment — and you know, it’s like, ‘Hold for the police helicopter. Hold for the fire truck.’” For their next show, Mr. Levien and Mr. Koppelman may head to Florida. “We’re certainly really animated by the idea of making a show set in Miami,” Mr. Koppelman said. Still, Mr. Levien said filming in New York was “such a privilege.” Mr. Koppelman put it this way: “I do think, as is often the case for a Long Island-born New Yorker, who has been a New Yorker for 35 years, Billy Joel put it best: I’ve loved these days.”

[muldoonlives]

"We all lost our minds, Irwin."

Dale Midkiff is a good actor. To me anyway. He's mainly in television movies so he isn't well known. I've seen some of the "Love" movies because I'm a fan of "Little House On the Prairie", and wanted to see what Michael Landon, Jr. had in store. They were decent but nothing remarkable. "Elvis & Me" was a big deal from what I've read and heard, but I don't care about watching it. The first time I remember seeing Dale was in "Time Trax" which I watched with my father every week. I didn't recognize him when he played Buck in "A Cry For Help", but the scene of him beating and maiming Nancy McKeon was engrained in my brain. Buck was pure feral. After finding it on Youtube as an adult and watching it again, I considered Dale Midkiff as a very underrated actor.

Many people may not know Dale Midkiff by name, but many people have seen "Pet Sematary". I tried to watch it every time it was aired on USA. I read the novel when I was eighteen. Since the film didn't explain much about him, it was pleasing to learn why Louis Creed acted so aloof. Unfortnately, most reviewers hate Dale Midkiff's performance. Some say he ruined an otherwise great film. "He was so wooden and always stared off in to space."

Well, he did tend to stare in to space. Leading men are usually expected to be charismatic. Louis Creed wasn't that type of man. He wasn't an action hero with clever one-liners. He was a dull person. Wooden. The novel explained that Louis was a secretive person prior to burying Church. The best way to be secretive is keeping things to yourself. That includes controlling those facial expressions. Louis also never wanted to acknowledge the supernatural.

An example would be the scene of Louis following Jud to the Micmac burial ground, and he hears the demon making noises in the woods. Louis nonchalantly inquires about the sound instead of looking all around him with fear in his eyes. As the two climb the rocks leading to the burial ground, he becomes irritated with Jud and even snaps at him when they reach the summit because he thinks their hike is ridiculous. Louis refused to see there was something abnormal going on.

After burying Church, Louis's mind was taken over by the demon, The Wendigo, who haunted the woods. King included the evil spirit in a draft script written in 1986. Just like the novel, Jud explained to Louis how The Wendigo was responsible for contaminating the soil of the burial ground, and it played tricks on its victim's mind. The Wendigo even appeared to Louis when he takes Gage's corpse through the woods. Budget constraints cut out the idea of creating the gigantic demon. Although, erasing Jud 's talk of The Wendigo hurt the film. "The ground turned sour." Why though? What's with the hallucinations Rachel and Louis experienced? Why did Jud take Louis to use the burial ground? Why did Louis use it on Rachel after all the carnage? Removing The Wendigo caused the movie to not make sense.

The emotions spilled out as the film reached its conclusion. You can't say Dale Midkiff seemed wooden after he discovers his resurrected son stole his scapel. Louis kept crumbling more and more with each step he took. Dale Midkiff wasn't a terrible actor in "Pet Sematary". He just played a bland character who was only intriguing when he lost his mind at the very end.

[wonderfilworld]

a James Potter fluff fic where he and the reader are talking about their future together 🥺

a/n: sorry this took me so long, I had finals so I hope you weren't frustrated with me! But this is the cutest idea ever so thank you so much 🥺

warnings/contains: kissing, it's just really fluffy and I wish I had someone who loved me like I know James Potter would.

James’ chest was pressed against your back, his hands running up and down your arms while yours rested on his strong thighs. The bath was warm, bubbles sticking to your skin, the smell of lavender filling your senses as you both relaxed into each other’s embrace.

Days like this were your favorite; nothing to do except bask in each other’s company - do whatever the two of you wanted: bake cookies, watch movies, go out - whatever you did, you did it together. 

You had music playing softly in the background, and the two of you were humming along, and you laughed as James tried to sing to you, just stick to quidditch, babe you tell him, and he scoffs. 

He presses kisses along your shoulder and up your neck, and after each kiss he whispers gentle praises, telling you how much he loves you. 

“I love your smile, baby,” He says, and his hands run down the length of your arms to grab your hands.

You intertwine them, laying your head back on his shoulder as you smile.

“That’s the one,” He says when he spots it, leaning down to peck your lips. “And I love your eyes.” 

A kiss pressed to either eye. 

“And that beautiful brain of yours,” A kiss pressed to the center of your forehead. You hum, not wanting to interrupt his sweet confessions. 

He’s always been a kind, sentimental person, never failing to tell you just how much you mean to him. He would do anything for you - he has enough love in his heart to bring you to your knees. 

You would do anything for this man because you love him just as much. 

“And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” He whispers. 

You can’t help but smile, leaning up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw before you whisper back. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of mine with you, baby.”

He’s sporting a bashful smile, and it’s strange, the fact that James Potter can be so cocky - so confident - with most things in his life, yet the sweet admission that you’d spend the rest of your days by his side makes his heart swell, forges a lump in his throat and he may tear up. 

Because if there’s one thing you know about James Potter, it’s that he loves big, and he loves with his whole heart.

You turn your body, straddling him now as his hands scratch up and down your back. His smile grows and spreads along the expanse of his face, eyes crinkling, teeth showing, and you feel so immensely happy. 

There’s no way James can describe how much he loves you. He loves you infinitely - more than he’s ever loved anything ever. He’s drowning in it; getting swept up in the current that is your love. He would stay lost at sea for the rest of his life if you let him. 

"What do you think we'll be doing ten years from now?" He asks, head buried in your neck as the two of you cling to each other.

Your hands are in his hair, running through the brunette locks soothingly as you think over your answer.

"Mmm, I think," You started, taking a deep breath as you wrapped your arms around this neck tightly, placing a kiss on the side of his head. "That we'll be dealing with a wild little boy who is as crazy as his father."

"You think I'm crazy?" James asks as he pulls his head back, giving you a pout.

You laugh softly, leaning in and placing a peck to his bottom lip. "You're lucky I like crazy," You tell him.

He grins, giving you another peck on the lips before resting his forehead against yours. "Damn right I am."

"What about you? What do you think we'll be doing in ten years?" You questioned, closing your eyes as you listened to the drip of the faucet and the slow rhythm of the music.

"We'll have our hands full with James Jr.," He began, but you cut him off before he could continue.

"We are not naming him James Jr." You deadpanned, eyes opening to meet the smiling face of your lover.

"And why not? I happen to think James is a lovely name."

"Because I'm not putting up with two children named James."

"Wow. Ouch, babe."

Another kissed placed upon his lips. "You know I love you."

"Hm, I'm not sure I do at the moment."

You kiss him once again, James' ego is a big one so you don't mind taking a stab at it every now and then.

"What else," You whisper.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," He said with narrowed eyes. "We'll have a little boy with my hair and your eyes who acts just like me."

"Gods help me," You muttered.

James only acknowledged your aside with a pinch to the skin of your hip.

"And we'll have a beautiful little girl who looks just like you. Who's smart like you, and with a big heart that cares so much - just like you."

You can't help but let out a near-silent aww, James' dream of your future children pulling your heartstrings. You really did want children with this man - to raise kids that were half you and half the love of your life - you couldn't think of anyone else you would want to go through this life with.

"And plus, I'll have the hottest wife around. Everyone will be so jealous."

"Shut up, James."

Chuckling, he kisses you once more but deeper this time - air abandoning your lungs as it feels like James is pouring his whole heart into this kiss.

And he is; he's not above saying that you make him a better person. Not above saying that he needs you - as much as he needs air to breathe or food or water. He can't remember a time before you - not that he would want to, it almost feels as if he didn't exist before meeting you.

You pull away, looking at him as the music plays and the smell of lavender still fills the air even though the bubbles left a long time ago.

“Forever, then?’ He says, forehead pressed against yours. Music is still carrying throughout the room, and the water is beginning to turn cold but you don’t even care. 

“Forever,” You say. 

tags: @crazypantlady @hufflepuffsfordraco @eunoia-kth @simpforlunaaa2003 if you want to be added to my taglist, fill this out. ps I love every single one of you

If you enjoyed this please let me know, it really encourages me to continue writing!

[bumblesimagines]

Green Thumb

Part 5

Request: Yes or No

TW: Pietro dying imsosorry

I'm still unsure about love interests but I'm leaning towards Wanda and y/n having a brief romance and then Wanda goes to Vis and y/n goes to Bucky or someone else.

~

Sokovia was chilly but not too cold. It reminded you of the orphanage. Depressing, quiet, and not much interaction between the people around. You weren't surprised. War and bombs weren't something to celebrate. You directed people down the street with Clint, seeing some red energy moving around the streets as Wanda got to the civilians inside their homes. People slowly drove out of the city.

"All these people.. What happens if the city's destroyed?" You asked, frowning as you watched the mothers urge their children to walk faster and the elderly couples help each other.

"Well.. They'll find new homes somewhere else." Clint replied. You turned your head, making eye contact with Wanda. She frowned at Clint's words but stayed silent, looking away from you. You turned your head, hearing shouting and screaming.

"Shit." You whispered, feeling the roots wrap around your fingers. Wanda made a shield with her powers, buying time for the civilians around her to run. She grunted, falling to the ground. You quickly helped her up, hearing her whisper a thanks. You raised your hand, making the root shoot out and impale the robots head. You made a fist so the roots wrapped around the head, swinging your arm to the side and flinging it towards more robots. Wanda gave you a nod before walking away, helping some civilians up. You turned when an arrow whizzed past your head, breathing out a soft sigh.

"Unnecessary."

"It looked cool." Clint grinned. You rolled your eyes, approaching him. You felt the ground begin to tremble under your feet, the screaming getting louder.

"Clint?" You heard Ultron speaking through the robots.

"Stay next to me." Clint said, raising his bow and shooting an arrow at a robot. You nodded, raising your arms. The roots shoot out, wrapping around the neck of a robot and squeezing until the head shot up, making the body go limp. Wanda shot down one robot though you could see the fear in her eyes. She didn't know what to do and it was obvious. You looked up, seeing more robots flying in. Clint suddenly wrapped an arm around your waist, doing the same to Wanda and jumping through a window to avoid an explosion. He quickly sat up while Wanda whimpered and whispered panicked things under her breath.

"Wanda? Wanda, hey." You crawled towards her, placing a gentle hand on her arm. Clint frowned, scooting closer.

"You alright?" He asked gently.

"This is all our fault." She whimpered, hands trembling as she took in sharp breaths.

"Hey, hey, look at me." Clint called, watching her look at him with teary eyes.

"It's your fault, it's our fault, who cares? Are you up to this?" Clint asked, staring at her. Wanda didn't respond, still taking in quick breaths as her gaze flickered around.

"Look, I just need to know cause the city is flying."

"If you can't do this, you can leave with the civilians." You told her, gently rubbing her back.

"Look, the city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots, I have a bow and arrow, and (Y/N) is Mother Nature. None of this makes sense." Clint told her, grunting when the wall was shot at. Wanda flinched, leaning more against you.

"I can't do my job and babysit more than two people, okay?" You blinked at Clint's words, scoffing softly.

"It doesn't matter what you did or who you were. If you can't, stay here and I'll get your brother to come find you but if you step out that door, you are an Avenger." Clint said. Wanda stayed silent, thinking about his words. Clint stood up, getting three arrows ready.

"You coming?" Clint cocked a brow, kicking the doors open and stepping out. Wanda watched him go before meeting your eyes.

"You can do this, Wanda. Where's the girl who was able to put half of the Avengers out of commission?" You gave her a small smile. Wanda swallowed, hands clenching and unclenching.

"I-I'm scared."

"I am too. So is Clint, Cap, and everybody else. You know who's even more terrified? The civilians running around without a clue about what's going on. We have to ignore our fear in order to protect them because they're defenseless." You placed your hands on her shoulders, feeling her trembling. You gave her shoulders a squeeze. You noticed a small flower in the cracks of the floor, moving your hand over it and watching it grow. You plucked it from the ground, placing it into her shakey hands.

"You'll be okay." You stood up, feeling her gaze on you as you exited the building. You swallowed, hands tingling as you searching for roots underground. You found some, raising your hand and watching them shoot up from the ground, wrapping around some of the robots flying. They wrapped around them, making them explode. You turned your head, seeing Wanda outside. She took out three robots at once, panting softly and turning towards you and Clint. You relaxed, the ground shaking gently as the roots from underground retreated back down.

"We're all clear." Clint said.

"We are not clear. We are not clear at all." Steve responded, voice strained. You hummed, chuckling softly. A flash ran by, picking up Wanda.

"Keep up, old man!" Pietro called as he ran. Clint clenched his jaw, raising an arrow.

"Nobody would know." He muttered, thinking it over as you laughed softly. A gust of wind went by again before you were picked up as well.

"Oh, fuck me-" You held onto Pietro, eyes shutting as you felt the wind hitting you. You could hear Clint mumbling things about Pietro, calling him a quick little bastard. Pietro set you down besides Wanda, a hand on your back as you stumbled a bit.

"I forgot I had a bagel for breakfast." You whispered, finding your footing.

"You'll get used to it." Wanda said with a chuckle. She walked forward, hands glowing red.

"No, no, I don't think I will." You replied, raising your hand at a robot. You blinked when the ground suddenly opened beneath the robot, causing it to fall in.

"That's new." You mumbled, surprised as you closed your fist, the ground returning to normal. Pietro grunted when he was grazed by a bullet. The robots stopped momentarily so you and the twins quickly rounded up as many civilians as possible. You heard Natasha and Steve talking before hearing Fury. You spotted the aircrafts, letting out a sigh of relief. You directed the people to the aircrafts, watching them get on.

"Avengers, time to work for a living." Tony called. You walked back to the center, seeing the others. You turned to face Ultron, adrenaline pumping. You were definitely gonna take a nap once the mission was over.

"Is that the best you can do?!" Thor shouted at Ultron. In response, Ultron raised his arm, hundreds of robots running and flying in. Your shoulders slumped as Steve looked at Thor.

"You had to ask." He muttered.

"This is the best I can do." Ultron replied, smugness in his voice.

"This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron asked.

"Well.. Like the old man said.. Together?" Tony answered, hearing Hulk let out a cry. The center was quickly swarmed, robots coming in from above and the sides. You raised your arms and pulled apart, making the ground open.

"(Y/N), what the hell are you doing?"

"No clue but it's new and it's working." You glanced at Clint, bringing your arms together and crushing the robots stuck in the ground. Tony, Tony Jr, and Thor took care of Ultron while you and the others continued to fight. The robots began to retreat, giving you time to breath.

"You guys get to the boats. The air's getting thin." Steve ordered, looking over everyone.

"What about the core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it." Wanda announced, looking at Clint. "It's my job."

"Stay safe." You told her, brows raising. Wanda nodded.

"I will, Mother Nature." Wanda smiled softly. You returned the smile, following Natasha and Clint to a convertible. You got in the back, listening to Clint talk about some new plans for the home as he drove.

"Laura deserves a vacation." You called, staring up at the sky.

"That's what I've been saying! We need to go on an all girl vacation." Natasha said, earning a chuckle from you. You got out of the car, hearing Hulk grunting. Natasha quickly got out to go find him. You noticed a woman calling out for someone, frowning. Clint looked around for any movement, noticing a child stuck in the rubble.

"Clint-"

"Stay here." He instructed, getting off the boat and jogging towards the kid. You frowned, watching him. You heard gunshots, looking up and watching an aircraft shoot down, aiming right at Clint.

"Clint!" You screamed, getting off the boat and running towards him. You came to a slow stop, watching as Pietro's body fell over. You slowly walked towards him, getting down beside him. You pressed two trembling fingers to his neck but found no pulse. You looked at Clint through watery eyes, shaking your head. You swallowed, remembering the time when you were a child and healed an injured cat. You hovered your hand over one of the bullet holes, watching the root reach down but nothing happened. You frowned, feeling tears slip down your cheeks. You hadn't known him for long but you were looking forward to having a new friend.

"I'm sorry." You heard Steve's voice gently say, resting a hand on your shoulder. You sniffled and stood, watching Steve pick up his body and take him to a boat. You followed, mind blank. You knew death came with the job but Pietro had years ahead of him. Clint reunited the child with his mother, grunting as he took a seat. You did the same, staring down at his body. Clint lied down, resting his head on your lap.

"You don't have to become an Avenger, (Y/N)." Clint grunted softly. You swallowed, shaking your head.

"I'm just gonna need a therapist." You whispered, hearing Clint laugh softly.

~~~~~~~~~~

You smiled, watching the video of Nathaniel playing with the toy you bought him. Wanda looked over your shoulder, cooing softly.

"Is that him?" She asked softly. You nodded, chuckling.

"Nathaniel Pietro Barton." You cooed, watching him. Wanda hummed, resting her head on your shoulder.

"Hey, love birds." Sam greeted with a teasing grin. You looked up at him, rolling your eyes as Wanda shook her head.

"We aren't a couple." She reminded him.

"Mhm." Sam nodded slowly, sounding and looking completely unconvinced. You turned off your phone, looking over his outfit. Sam noticed, hands going to his hips.

"Looks dope, right?" He grinned, nodding to himself.

"So.. All you do is fly?" You asked, watching his face drop when Rhodes cracked up.

"Yes, I fly. That's.. That's cool, right?" Sam asked, looking at the others. You shrugged, giving him a playful smile.

"I mean.. He can fly, Vision can fly, Wanda can fly..." You trailed off, chuckling at his scowl. You stood up, nodding.

"Yes, it is cool that you can fly, Wilson. I'm just messing with you." You said, putting your phone away. You turned your head when Steve and Natasha entered.

"Avengers, assemble!" He called, code words for get in line. You walked forward, standing beside Vision and Wanda. Natasha met your gaze, smiling.

"Did you see the video?" She mouthed, clearly excited. You gave her a small nod, smiling softly.

"(Y/N), Dr. Cho wants to talk with you after training. She has some theories she wants to run by you." Steve told you, heading down the steps and standing in front of the line. You nodded. After Hulk disappeared, Dr. Cho had approached you to finally run those tests. You still had no idea what triggered your new ability to open up the ground and it was something you had to work on during training.

"Let's begin." Natasha crossed her arms, a grin on her lips. You swallowed, watching her. You shared a glance with Wanda, being sent off to different spots in order to show off everyone's abilities.

"Let's start with you, Barton." Steve said, standing infront of you as Natasha placed down a pot with dirt. You lifted your hands, humming softly and taking a step back. Steve and Natasha hesitantly did the same. You made a fist, watching the bonsai tree burst up, overgrown and roots spilling over the pot. The roots moved, movements following your fingers.

"How are you doing with your other abilities?" Steve asked, watching the roots. You swallowed, looking at him.

"Still working on it." You answered, lowering your hands. The tree retracted back into the pot. Laura had mentioned that if there was more to your powers, you could end up being the most powerful person on Earth. You just needed to figure out how to control them at any given moment. The two moved onto Wanda. You watched her show off her abilities. Pietro would be proud of her. You thought about him a lot. The way he sacrificed himself for Clint and the child. How broken Wanda looked.

You turned your head as the boat landed, watching people get out and be tended to by medics. Clint got up, leaving the boat as well with soft grunts. You spotted Wanda, relieved she had gotten to safety before the rock exploded. Wanda silently got on the boat, expression blank until she saw her brother. Her brows slightly raised, eyes watering as she gently got on the ground beside him. Soft sobs left her as she raised his head and placed it on her lap, gently running her fingers through his hair. Tears ran down her dirt and ash covered cheeks. You sat down beside her, wrapping gentle arms around her and pulling her against your body. Her sobs turned into cries. She cried until she couldn't anymore, letting them take away the body. She stared blankly at the spot where his body had lied, sniffling.

"I'm alone." She whispered. "I have no one."

"You have me."

[rikalovesrice]

Brother

A ficlet inspired by this thread on Twitter, some “Douxie During Trollhunters” stuff I was working on a while back, and my love for Douxie and Jim being best bros UwU

@aaronwaltke and @biancasiercke if you guys ever wanna give this a read (Absolutely zero pressure! Just sharing💙)

Also a big thank you to my good friend @nikibogwater for proofreading for me! ^_^

Please enjoy!

~ ~ ~

Douxie still remembered the day a seven-year-old Jim Lake Jr. came through the door to Benoit’s, tugging his mom in after him by her hand. His big toothy smile when he exclaimed that it was his mom’s birthday and that he was paying for all of it, even the drinks.

“Are you now?” Douxie asked, handing the pair of them menus. They’d chosen a two-top right next to the windows, the backdrop of Arcadia under a soft orange sunset in full view. 

“I helped mom clean,” Jim said. “Like a lot. So I have lots of money.” He crossed his arms, throwing his mom, Barbara Lake, a cheeky grin. His black hair was on the long side and messy, sticking up and flopping in various places including over one of his eyes, though it did virtually nothing to hide his pride and excitement.

“Can you believe he wanted to spend his whole allowance on me?” Barbara said.

“Uh yeah! You’re the best mom ever!” Jim leaned towards Douxie, feigning a whisper. “She’s the best mom ever.”

Douxie chuckled. “I’m sure. And it looks like she’s got a great son to match.” Jim beamed, though a hint of shyness bloomed on his face.

“I’m sorry, what’s your name?” Barbara asked.

“Oh, quite alright. You can call me Douxie. I’ll be your server tonight.”

“Well thank you, Douxie.”

“Mom, can I get a milkshake?”

“Why are you asking me, little man? You’re the one paying.”

“Oh yeah.”

One shared entree of well done steak, a milkshake, and two free slices of cake (accompanied by Douxie’s acoustic guitar and a birthday song) later, Jim caught Douxie by the hem of his jacket after he’d set their receipt down. 

“Wait, Mister Douxie I uh…” Jim dug deep into his pockets, rummaging with a look of determination.

Douxie smiled, kneeling down beside him. “What is it, little man?”

“Um, wait, wait I need to...Oh!” Jim smiled big as he pulled a single coin out of his pocket. He held it straight out to Douxie, his eyes seeming to sparkle. “This is for you! Mom said that you should always tip people.”

Jim placed the coin in the center of Douxie’s palm. It was a nickel, a small bit of rust darkening ol’ Tommy’s profile. Douxie glanced over at Barbara, who was gazing at her son with an expression nothing short of pure endearment, glowing with pride. Douxie closed his fingers over the nickel and held it to his chest.

“A fine tip, indeed,” he said with a soft smile. “Thank you very much, Jim.”

Jim beamed. Then he was springing out of his chair, giggling as he gave Douxie a hug. How long had it been since he’d been smothered by someone who wasn’t Archie? Maybe long enough, because Douxie’s brain stopped working at the gesture, as did his arms. It registered more with every second that passed, the feeling of Jim’s small arms wrapped around him and his head on Douxie’s shoulder. Even without seeing his face, Douxie somehow knew Jim was smiling into his jacket. Something welled up in his heart, warm and touched. Douxie hugged Jim back, one hand on his back and the other gently holding his head.

“You’re awesome Mister Douxie!” Jim said as he pulled back, his hands still on Douxie’s shoulders. “Mom was really happy.”

“Hey now, I’m not the one who bought her dinner tonight.” Douxie ruffled Jim’s hair.

“Alright, Jim, Mister Douxie has to go back to work,” Barbara said softly. Jim’s expression fell and he began to wring his hands.

“No worries.” Douxie gave Jim’s shoulder a squeeze, tilting his head to look Jim in the eyes. “Chin up, buddy.  Next time you come in, I’ll still be here.”

Jim beamed. “Cool!”

“Go on, then.”

Jim hopped to his mother’s side, taking her hand. When he was distracted by one of Douxie’s co-workers wrestling with a malfunctioning blender, Barbara reached into her purse and pulled out a bill. She slipped it into Douxie’s hand, silently mouthing a thank you. Then the pair were off, stepping back out onto the streets of Arcadia under a pleasant evening. 

Douxie unrolled the bill.

Twenty dollars.

His eyes shot to the window in disbelief, catching Jim giving him one last wave goodbye. A deep breath turned into soft chuckling. Douxie waved back.

See you, little buddy.

~ ~ ~

The morning Archie reported Kanjigar’s death, they’d booked it to the canal. The last thing they wanted was for the Amulet of Daylight to wind up in the museum or in some kid’s backpack. Douxie would pick it up and then head right back to Arcane Books. So a brisk ten minute walk later, they were peering down the deep slope of the canal and spotted what must have been the remains of the Trollhunter. A heap of broken stone, just out of reach of the shadow of the bridge. Douxie closed his eyes, taking a moment to honor the fallen Protector of Trolls and Man. Wondering if, somehow, Merlin was doing the same.

“Alright Arch, let’s go — “ Before they could take another step, what looked like a boy on a bicycle suddenly launched over the other side of the canal, suspended in the air before diving back down and landing on his wheels. The boy skid to a halt and turned to holler behind him, up from where he’d come.

“Jim?” Douxie whispered, recognizing that head of black hair and those skinny legs. “A bit late for school, isn’t he?” Then Douxie felt a pinch of panic seize him. He prayed the kid would stay away from that odd pile of rocks.

“Come on Tobes!” Jim hollered.

And not a second later…

James...Lake.

A deep, echoing voice rumbled out into the atmosphere, buzzing in Douxie’s ears. Shock and disbelief struck Douxie like a manticore’s tail. He and Archie shared a look. The panic spiked.

Douxie watched, his heart beginning to pound harder and harder, as Jim faced the stone rubble, slowly removing his helmet. Another familiar face, Toby Domzalski, came struggling down the canal, falling onto his face as Jim passed under the bridge and approached what was left of Kanjigar.

“Do you think he heard the voice?” Archie said.

“No...It can’t be…He’s not…” It couldn’t be. Jim wasn’t a troll. Jim wasn’t a troll. And yet —

James Lake.

The voice rang out again. Jim yelled and fell backwards in surprise. 

“That pile of rocks knows my name!” Jim exclaimed, scrambling closer on his hands and knees. Douxie stared, mind still suspended in shock but gut starting to sink with dread as Jim dug around the rubble, eventually unearthing the Amulet of Daylight, its distinct soft blue glow ever hard to miss. 

Everything in Douxie wanted him to somehow swipe it from Jim’s hands. 

Because not him. 

Not Jim.

But Douxie also knew better. 

“What should we do, Douxie?” Archie asked. They ducked behind a tree when Toby started shouting for someone to reveal themselves. Made sense he would think it was a trick. Only magical beings or the chosen could hear the Amulet.

Only magical beings.... Or so Douxie had thought. Jim slipping the Amulet into his bag was a nail in the coffin.

“Well...we can’t take it now,” he said, eyes still trained on the boys. “The Amulet... seems to have made its choice….”

In the distance, the school bell of Arcadia Oaks rang out. Jim and Toby hurried back to their bikes, quickly mounting and taking off. When they were long gone, Douxie stepped out from behind the tree without a word, sliding down the canal and standing over the pile of stones. He stared off in the direction the boys had left, his mind reeling like nothing else, trying to comprehend what he’d seen and what it meant. 

Why it had to be Jim.

Archie joined him, climbing up on and inspecting the rubble.

“I know...the Amulet doesn’t make mistakes,” Douxie said quietly. “But...a human Trollhunter? And he’s only a child…” His voice quivered, pangs of worry and dread striking his heart.

“It’s...certainly a first,” Archie said, leaning a paw on Douxie’s leg. “I’m not sure what to make of this myself.” There was a long beat of silence before Archie spoke again. “What do you want to do, Douxie?”

What could they do? Was there anything to be done now? That and there wasn’t anyone he could discuss this with, at least who would know more.

If only you were here, Master… Douxie thought, one hand balling into a fist. He stewed in his thoughts for a moment longer before scooping Archie up onto his shoulders and heading back up the slopes of the canal.

“Douxie?” Archie said.

“We’ll keep doing what we’ve always done,” Douxie said. “Watch...and protect.” He didn’t have any answers. But it was done. The new Trollhunter had been chosen. 

Something stirred in Douxie’s chest, growing stronger as he remembered the smiling face of a seven-year-old boy who’d tipped him a nickel. Stronger still because Douxie knew. He knew what it was like to be so young and have so much, far too much, thrust upon him. Having his hand and the growth of his strength forced. The secrets that had to be kept, even from the ones he loved most, for their own safety. Pain he hadn’t known was coming. 

The loss. 

The loneliness.

The weight of the world.

When Douxie retired to his cot that night, he approached the small shine of silver on his nightstand. No, he didn’t have a clue what any of this meant. But what Douxie did know was that he’d be Jim’s greatest ally.  

He picked up the nickel and held it tight, a promise burning deep within him.

I’ll protect you.

~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes :

So I imagine that Jim and his mother ended up not frequenting the diner as much since Barbara was always so swamped and Jim was learning how to cook more at home. So Jim eventually just forgot about his first meeting with Douxie. But Douxie of course still continued to look out for him as best as he could. And I believe this is why Douxie saw Jim as family, even though he seemed to have only known him for a short time. In reality, though, Douxie always loved the kid💙

God bless and thank you all so much for reading!💙

[lillywillow]

Tina

Summary: Being a plus sized girl wasn’t easy but having someone like Sam Wilson in your life made things a lot better

 Word Count: 1483

 Square Filled: Home Alone

 Pairings: Sam Wilson x Plus Sized!Female Reader

 Warnings: Body insecurities, some bullying about reader’s size (not from Sam), mild adult themes

 A/N: If your name is Tina, please feel free to pretend all mentions of the name Tina is either Tina Jr. or something else.

Written for @star-spangled-bingo

 The world wasn’t kind to plus sized women. You would often have people make cracks about your weight, telling you to lose it or making fun of you in general. What these people didn’t understand was that it wasn’t just easy for you to lose weight because of underlying health issues like your thyroid and other problems that caused your size to fluctuate. Your number one sense of support came from your roommate and best friend, Sam Wilson. Whenever you wanted to diet, he was there alongside you and if you wanted to exercise, he would spot you at the gym. If fell off the wagon and just wanted to eat junk food and watch TV, he was cool with that too. Sam would never push you into something you didn’t want to do and would always encourage you to do whatever felt right for your body.

You were currently at home by yourself as Sam had gone out for the night to spend some time with the boys. As you were currently in an ‘off’ period, you were situated in front of the TV with your junk food watching a movie. As you watched the people on the screen, your insecurities started to get the better of you. Sighing, you lifted your shirt to look at your midsection. Stretchmarks streaked across your skin; some red, angry and new, others silvery and faded with time. You poked at the soft flesh, pinching at your love-handles between your fingers and thumb, examining how your belly jiggled when you gave it a gentle pat. Had Sam been home, there was no way in hell you would be exposing yourself in such a way.

 “Would you like some food, Tina?” you asked your tummy.

 “Mmm, yes! Feed me!” you said in a different voice, putting a Cheeto in your bellybutton. “Nom, nom, nom!”

 You moved the area around your bellybutton as if your stomach was ‘eating’ the chip.

 “Y/N?”

 You jumped to your feet at the sudden voice, knocking over the coffee and sending snacks flying. Slowly, you turned around to see Sam staring at you.

 “What the hell are you doing?”

 “Um...” you brushed some crumbs away and pulled your top down. “You got me. It’s Friday night and I’ve got nothing better to do...”

 “I see...”

 “I didn’t expect you home so soon...”

 “The night was a bust. Most of the guys either hooked up, got drunk or called away,” he replied.

 Sam walked over to help you clean up the array of fallen snacks.

 “So... do you do this often when I’m not here?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

 “No, uh... you caught me in a bit of a weird moment...”

 Once the snacks had been cleaned up, Sam joined you on the couch, eating the food you were able to salvage. A somewhat awkward silence fell over the pair of you before Sam finally broke it.

 “So... Tina?”

 “Yep, Tina the talking tummy.”

 “Does Tina... like to eat?”

 “She does... not always like that, but the girl does like her food... she also talks to me, demanding food...”

 Sam grinned a little. He knew how insecure you were about your tummy so he enjoyed seeing you come out of your shell a little to talk about it.

 “You, um... you won’t tell anyone about... Tina, will you?”

 “If you don’t want me to tell anyone, then I won’t. Anything that makes you happy,” he said, casually putting his arm around you and popping a Cheeto into his mouth.

 You couldn’t help but blush. The truth was, you had developed a major crush on Sam but felt like you couldn’t do anything about it. He was absolutely gorgeous, both physically and his personality. Sam could have any woman he wanted... so why would he want you?

 “Y/N?” Sam’s voice pulled you out of your negative thinking.

 “Yeah?”

 “How about I order the three of us a pizza?”

 “The three of us?”

 “Yeah, you, me and Tina,” he winked. You playfully rolled your eyes.

 “I think Tina would like that,” you smiled.

 You realised that this was a private joke that wasn’t going away anytime soon.

...

 A week later, you had gone on a blind date a friend had set up for you. By the time you came home, you were in an absolutely terrible mood.

 “How was your date?” Sam questioned from his spot on the sofa.

 “The stupid most embarrassing thing happened!” you snarled, throwing your purse and sitting next to him of the couch with your face in your hands. Sam put his arm around you to comfort you.

 “What happened?”

 “Tina made an appearance...”

 “Oh, she did, did she?”

 “Yeah... so the dinner was going well at first, he seemed really into me... then I felt this horrible rolling feeling. I look down and Tina had escaped my Spanx. She was sitting there like ‘Yo, Y/N, introduce me’,” you said in your ‘Tina’ voice. “I never felt so humiliated.”

 “Then what happened?”

 “At first, my date didn’t notice but then he asked me to dance. I didn’t really want to but he pulled me onto my feet and onto the dance floor. He put his hand on my waist and well... his expression suddenly changed. I couldn’t read it... his whole personality changed and he became mean and nasty. Kept making digs about my weight. I paid for my meal and left...” By now you were in tears.

 Sam wrapped his arms around you and held you close.

 “It’s okay, Y/N. You don’t need jerks like that. You deserve a man who thinks you’re beautiful and can see how amazing you are.”

 “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to find one of those,” you scoffed.

 “You have one right here...” You looked up at him in surprise.

 “You... think I’m beautiful?”

 “I sure do. Every single day. From when you’re all dressed up to when you’re working out at the gym. I just think to myself... Damn, how has nobody snapped this woman up yet?”

 “I... I’m not...” you subconsciously covered your stomach. Sam took your hands and kissed them.

 “You are beautiful, Y/N. I know your struggles, how hard you work to take your weight into your own hands. Your size doesn’t matter. All that matters to me is that you’re happy. I love you.”

 “I love you too, Sam.”

 Sam smiled and gently pressed his lips to yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck and he placed his hands on your waist. Unlike the guy you went on a date with, Sam’s touch was warm and inviting. Eventually, you had to pull away for air.

 “I also love Tina,” he grinned. You laughed and kissed him again, feeling a lot better about yourself and about Tina.

...

 A few weeks later, you and Sam were enjoying a date. He had taken you to an art gallery which featured plus sized women in the artwork, whispering in your ear how beautiful you were. As you were walking around, you were spotted by a group of youths. They were pointing and laughing at you, making rude gestures, sounds and remarks.

 “Hey!” You marched over to the group who made even more comments.

 “You see this? This is what a real man looks like,” you stated, pointing to your boyfriend. “He loves and respects women of all sizes. You boys would do well to learn from him.”

 The boys muttered as you walked away, still acting positively boorish. A few weeks ago, they would have gotten to you but since dating Sam, you felt like you could take on anything. You went up to Sam and kissed him deeply. The boys were in shock as Sam kissed back.

 “How about we go shopping and you can pick out some outfits that will look good on both me and Tina,” you quietly purred.

 “Damn, I love this woman!” Sam loudly proclaimed, the smile never leaving his face.

...

 Whenever you were with Sam, he made you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. He loved you with all his heart and furthermore, he completely accepting of Tina. To think, if he hadn’t caught you doing something so embarrassing when you thought you were alone, you may have never have gotten together. You still had your issues with your body image but with Sam by your side, you felt like you could take on the world.

[mldrgrl]

Broken Things 6/24

by: mldrgrl Rating: varies by chapter, rated R overall See Chapter 1 for summary and notes

Mulder is awake before the rooster crows, if he even slept at all.  He has the same jitters he felt the day he left for Texas.  Nerves and excitement all wrapped into one.  To pass the time, and try to relax, he fills and heats the bathing tub, hoping a nice soak will make him feel a little less restless, but he can’t sit still and ends up washing more quickly than it was worth to prepare the bath.  He clips his beard and combs his hair back and puts on the cleanest pair of trousers he can find and a dark shirt.

Melvin knows Mulder even better than he knows himself, and already has breakfast laid out on the table by the time he’s finished dressing.  The boys aren’t even up yet and the sun is barely peeking through the morning clouds. 

“You takin’ the wagon with you,” Melvin asks.  “Or the Tilbury again?”

“I’ll do the wagon this time, in case I need to haul anything back.”

“You might need to replenish the gallon of cologne you poured on this morning.”

“Too much?”

“Not enough.  You still smell like horse.”

“You’re smelling yourself.”  

Mulder finishes his breakfast and takes his dishware to the basin.  He cleans them himself and then heads out to the barn.  The boys are only just piling out of the bunkhouse and on their way over to the house.  Jimmy asks if he needs help, but Mulder waves him away to hitch the horses and the wagon himself.  He needs something to do with his hands.

The ride into town passes almost like a dream.  He swears the horses must have driven themselves because he doesn’t remember getting from the ranch to the mercantile, but here he is.  John Jr. is outside sweeping the porch and waves when he sees him.  The boy is tall for his age, taking after his mother in that respect, but he’s reedy and dark-haired, like his father.  Mulder knows him to be a hard worker, but with a cheeky sense of humor.  A definite mix of both his parents.

“You got yourself a real pretty lady, Mr. Mulder,” John Jr. whispers to him as he steps onto the porch.  “Real pretty.”

“What do you know about pretty ladies?” Mulder teases, ruffling John Jr.’s hair.

“I have me a sweetheart, don’t tell Ma.”

“You’re too young to have a sweetheart.”

“I’ll be fifteen this winter and Callie will be fifteen in the spring.”

“Callie Blakely?  You better not break her heart, you know she’s got five strong brothers.”

John Jr. looks horrified.  “I would never break her heart!”

“Don’t do anything foolish either because you think you’re grown.  Your parents are good people and you’re going to take over a good business someday.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I have to go talk to a pretty lady now, how do I look?”  Mulder takes off his hat and runs a hand through his hair.

“You look alright.”

“Do I smell like horse?”  He lifts one arm and sniffs the air lightly.

“Only a little.”  John Jr. grins and Mulder gives him a soft whack on the back of the head with his hat.

John Byers the elder is stocking shelves when Mulder enters the mercantile.  He nods at Mulder and then points to the back towards the curtains that separate the store from his residence.  Mulder turns his hat nervously about in his hands and hesitates before he steps through the curtains.

↭

Katherine is up early, but waits until she hears the creaking of floorboards to get out of bed and get dressed.  She washes her face at the basin in her room and dons a borrowed skirt and blouse that Susannah loaned to her to meet the bank man.  The clothes are a little large for her frame, but the two women spent some time the previous evening doing some hemming and pinning and she feels a bit more respectable now than she has for awhile.  If her hair weren’t so wild and thick, she’d pin it instead of tying it into a tight braid.

She’s helping Susannah with breakfast dishes when Mulder arrives.  He stands in the kitchen bashfully, like he’s stolen some cookies from a jar and wants to apologize for it.  She can suddenly see him as a little boy and wonders if he’s ever gotten scolded for anything in his whole life with such effortless and natural charm.  The look of him makes her want to pet his hair and kiss his forehead, but it also sends her insides a fluttering just a bit.

“I hope I’m not too early,” he says.  “If I am, I can go on back and pester John for a bit.”

“I was just helping Susannah with these dishes,” Katherine says.  “If you don’t mind waiting a few minutes.”

“Mr. Mulder, have you had breakfast?” Susannah asks.  “I can fix you a plate.”

“No, Ma’am, I’ve had my fill.  If that coffee pot over there has any left, I might take a cup though.”

“Our Katherine made the coffee this morning and I tell you it’s the best coffee you’ve ever tasted.”

“Is that right?”

“Go on and pour the man a cup and I’ll finish here,” Susannah says, nodding at Mulder and then shooing Katherine away from the wash basin.

Katherine takes one of the coffee cups down from where Susannah had shown her where they were kept and pours a cup for Mulder.  It’s still steaming so he sips it carefully and then smiles.

“Susannah, you do not exaggerate,” he says.  “This here is the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted.”

“I just need to run upstairs and get my papers,” Katherine says, feeling a little flustered and embarrassed by the praise.  She wants to run and hide the flush she feels in her cheeks.

When she returns, Mulder and Susannah are chatting at the table and his coffee is nearly gone.  He rises when she comes into the room and starts to turn his hat in his hands.  She’s noticed that he does this often when he’s feeling anxious or flustered, the way she might rub her fingers together as though pulling beads through.

“Are we ready?” he asks.

“We are.”

“Alright then.”  He finishes his coffee in one go, dons his hat and nods at Susannah as he lightly touches Katherine’s back to guide her to the door.  

Mulder helps Katherine up onto the wagon seat before hopping into his own place.  The bank is only a few minutes drive at the other end of the broad, dirt street.  Katherine catches sight of the saloon as they pass by and lowers her head, feeling shameful and embarrassed of the place.  

The bank is a square little building standing like a squat fortress at the end of the road.  Mulder takes her hand to help her from the wagon and she finds that she would not like to let go.  He waits patiently while she stares at the barred windows before her.  She’s in conflict.  She’s not in much of a hurry to find out how deeply into debt she is, but she would also like to get it over with as soon as possible.  

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Mulder says.  “Whatever Mr. Skinner has to tell you, you have my offer and I know that your past experience may have put you off of marriage, but I give you my word that even if you turn me down, I will help you in whatever way I can.”

She can only give him a thin-lipped smile.  Her late-night contemplations yielded no decisions for her.  She kept returning to her mother’s words, accept your penance and pray He forgives you.  The possibility of deep debt is just another consequence of her mistake.

“I am ready,” she says.

When she meets Mr. Skinner, she feels foolish for having mistaken Mulder for him.  He’s every bit as stuffy as all the other bankers she’s ever met.  His vest is as tightly buttoned as his shirt and he peers down at her from over the rims of his round, gold spectacles and then ushers her into his office.

“I’ll be out here if you need me,” Mulder says.

She feels a bit panicky.  She had thought Mulder would be with her and she wants to tell him that she does need him.  She wants him next to her, holding her hand.  Instead, she tamps down those fears and goes into the office with Mr. Skinner and sits in the chair he offers and holds her hands tightly in her lap to keep them from shaking.

“Mrs. Willis,” Mr. Skinner says.  “I’ve been expecting you.”

“You have?”  She’s puzzled.  She doesn’t know if she was supposed to turn herself in sooner.  Maybe she should have.  “I mean, I was actually expecting you.”

“Oh?”

“Isn’t that what happens when the bank takes your land?  They come for you?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because...because I don’t know what I must owe.”

“The usual ten dollars and sixty cents a month at the beginning of October.”

She stares at him blankly.  “The usual ten dollars and sixty cents?  There’s no...balance that might be due?”

“There is no balance due.  Your account is in good standing.  I assume you’re here to sign the lease transfer.”

“That would mean the land would be in my name?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And I would pay the mortgage.”

“First of the month.”

“Ten dollars and sixty cents?”

“I’ll need a copy of your marriage certificate, if you have it.  And then I will need to send the paperwork to the office in Fort Worth and they will officiate the transfer.”

“Yes, I...I have my marriage certificate.”  She remembers the papers that are folded in the little handbag Susannah leant her and she pulls them out, unfolds them, and hands them over to Mr. Skinner.  “And a copy of the lease as well.”  

“No need for that, we have our own copy.”

“Oh, yes.  Of course.”

“I took the liberty of preparing the paperwork already and if you’ll just sign here and here where these x’s are.”  He pushes a piece of paper across his desk to her and hands her a fountain pen.

Her hand is shaking when she takes the pen and it takes her more time than it should to put her name in the two places indicated.  She takes a few passing glances at what she’s signing, but all she can see is the Transfer of Land Lease Ownership at the top.

“Is that all?” she asks.

“That is all.  You come back in a few weeks time and I’ll have a copy of the new lease for you.”

“Alright.  And I pay you ten dollars and sixty cents at the first of the month?”  

“Yes, that’s how it works.”

“Thank you, Sir.”  She blinks in astonishment that this has all happened so quickly.  Mulder was right, there was nothing to worry about.  Was there a way Jack could have been keeping up with the payments without her knowing?  He didn’t have a job she was aware of unless he was doing something illegal that he’d hidden from her, but where would he find the time between the drinking and the gambling to find work?

It dawns on her suddenly that there is no possible way that Jack had secretly been making mortgage payments this whole time.  The first of the month was a week ago and a handful of days.  Jack had been suffering with loose bowels at that time and spent four days crumbled in the broken bedstead yelling at her that she’d cursed him and been the source of all his pain for the past four years.  She’s also almost certain the month before that was when he’d brought home a jug of moonshine and passed out face up on the side of the house on the hottest day of the year and had a sunburn that looked like third degree burns.  She’d had to rip up part of the bed sheets to keep cool compresses on his head.

“Mulder,” she murmurs to herself.

“Mrs. Willis?”

Katherine hands the fountain pen she’s still holding back over to Mr. Skinner.  “What would happen to this lease if I were to remarry?” she asks.

“Your husband would assume the lease as a co-owner, naturally.”

“But, my name is on it now and will remain, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Thank you, Mr. Skinner.”

“It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Willis.”

She folds her copy of the lease back into a small square and puts it into the handbag at her wrist.  Her knees are shaking when she stands and she walks out to where Mulder is pacing near the windows.

“Well?” he asks.

“It appears as though my concerns were unfounded.”

“Oh?”

“There’s nothing owed.  Jack apparently kept the account in good standing.”

“Did he?  I guess the poker games must have paid off.”

“Mr. Skinner had me sign some papers to transfer the lease to my name.”

“That’s wonderful.  It means I can offer you a decent sum to sell me that parcel.”

“No, I don’t think I want to do that.”

He purses his lips a bit and shakes his head slowly.  “You don’t?”

“I think I’d like to keep it.  You said you’d help me in whatever way I needed, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.  What would you like?”

“I think I should like to marry you, if the offer is still available.”

[tomholland20]

(Love is in the air)

Cast:

Peter Parker: Tom Holland.

(Peter's aunt) May Parker: Marisa Tomei.

Y/n: You/ reader

(Y/n’s dad) Tony Stark: Robert Downey, Jr.

(Y/n’s mom) Kathryn Stark: Jennifer Aniston.

(Y/n’s brother) David Stark: Shane Harper.

(Peter's best friend) Ned: Jacob Batalon.

(Peter’s best friend) MJ: Zendaya

Love is in the air (peter parker x male reader)

Warning: PG-13, bad language, violence, sadness, kissing, and etc..

Credit: My best friends Anjali and Sanah that helped me with this story! Love you both!!

Before you start reading and you haven’t read this story from the beginning please go and read it from there it will make more sense!

Note: Hey guys, so I wrote this story for Marvel and Tom Holland/Peter Parker fans! I just want to say that this is just a fun story for entertainment purposes. I mixed everything up in this story, there is love, action, drama, and more. And as you can see by the cast, I mixed it up. This is a story about Peter Parker and Y/n (your name) story. I hope you like it!! If you want a girl and a Peter Parker version tell me and I will do one........

Summary: You move to a new school where you find yourself falling in love with a guy named Peter Parker and can’t get over him... You and Peter knew each other for 3 years because he had an internship with your dad Tony Stark but you never really talked to him. One day during a scary fire that takes place in the mall. Spider-man (Peter Parker) comes to save you from the deadly fire. I don’t want to spoil it too much so you have to read it hehe! This story is full of drama, romance, love and more, I hope you enjoy it!!

Chapter 1: The first day

You were not ready to move to a new school, you were sad about leaving your friends and your ex-boyfriend who you can’t get over. You broke up because you didn’t want a long-distance relationship. No one knew you were gay, not even your family. You were on your way to your new school. "Alright, y/n we’re here” your dad sighed after a long ride.

“Have fun and oh don’t forget about the girls, talk to them, be you."

annoyed by the statement you told him he could leave as of now.

As you walk in, you spot David, your older brother standing beside 2 girls and supposedly ‘flirting’ with them, not sparing you even a glance.You knock on the principal's offices’ door

“Hey mom”

“Hey, honey! I’m so sorry, I’m really busy today but here is your schedule and Peter will be coming to help you around the school.”

Peter? Patiently you sat and waited for him.

“Mrs. Stark, did you call me?” You glanced over the place where the voice spoke from, it was the guy you’ve had a crush on for 3 goddamn years. Peter Parker.

Everything about him spoke ‘attractive’ you couldn't take your eyes off of him but the fear of him rejecting you and probably not being into boys has kept you from speaking out your feelings. You’ve kept your feeling deep down locked inside your heart for so long but now looking at him, his dreamy brown eyes, his smile that could light up the whole place just brought back all those feelings back again and you couldn't help but fall in love with him again.

“yeah I did, this is Y/n my son that I’ve told you about." "Hey Y/n, long time no see." “Hey Peter, you’ve changed” you and Peter stared at each other awkwardly. “Well, Y/n I hope you have a good day, Peter will show you around the school. If you have any questions, ask Peter'', your mom went back into her office and you were left alone with Peter.

Peter was talking to you and showing you around the school but you were too busy looking at him and admiring his looks. How his eyes were worth getting lost in, how his lips curved into a small cute smile whenever he spoke and how his hands scratched the back of his neck frequently showing his nervousness but you didn't know for what. He showed you around the school and took you to your class. He was in the same class as you. The teacher called you over and asked you to introduce yourself. It's that time you hate the most, stand in front of everyone and talk about yourself as if they care or give a shit about you. You could feel the nervousness seeping in and you stuttered "H-hi g-guys, I’m Y/n and I’m 15 years old." You talked a little bit about yourself and headed to your seat, breathing out heavily and sighing away the nervousness you felt up there. After class, you went to the cafeteria where Peter offered you to sit with him and his two best friends Ned and MJ. "Hey, y/n!" they both said. Hey, you replied to both of them. “I saw you in science class today and you were lit, solving the hardest questions like they were nothing.” "Thanks, they were actually not that easy you know” you said back, smiling a bit. You were a little annoyed because of your ex’s-new post on Instagram with his new girlfriend and even though you knew he wasn't worth it you couldn't help but feel sad. It was your first break-up. You kept on thinking and thinking about that and tears started falling from your eyes. Peter could see those tears but was too hesitant to ask so he tried to divert your mind from what you were thinking. Finally, the bell rang and you headed to your class. After a few hours school was finally over and you saw your dad again ready to ask you about your day but you could care less so cutting him off you said “as always it was a shitty day dad." “Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!” a familiar voice said running towards you and your dad. It was Peter with math homework in his hands. "You almost forgot your homework Y/n, here you go.” He handed you your homework. As usual you were impressed by the small things he did, people might think it was not that special but for me it was everything he did for you was special. Perks of being in love you could say. You stared at his beautiful brown eyes again saying "Thank you”. "No problem, anytime!”.

Y/n: Yes I did! Thank you for asking.

Even though it wasn't the best day at least Peter made it better for you.

Your dad moved his mouth to say thank you and something else you didn't quite get to Peter probaby a secret only they knew about?

You looked at him and smiled, curious to know about the secret and left.

This is chapter one (the first day) I hope you liked it. There is more to come. I know this is a little boring but it gets more interesting I promise! Have fun with chapter 2!✨💕

[mndalorians]

#43: “You have no idea how much I want you right now.” with Din?

Again, again

Word count: 1.3k

A/n: I went for angst and changed the prompt a little, just because the original is a little too ~spicy~ to conceivably be said in a non-spicy way and I can’t write anything along those lines hi welcome to weenie hut jrs. I hope you like it nevertheless!

A dingy cantina on the edge of the Outer Rim was one of the last places you had expected to see Din Djarin again, though you had stopped expecting him a year after you had separated on Coruscant. But you noticed him as soon as he walked in, the silver helmet, the rusted red of his armour, and his confident saunter were all as they had been before, unchanged by time.

You knew by his double take that he had spotted you too. Your eyes were quick to slip off him and onto the table in front of you, one hand curling into a fist on your lap, nails digging into skin when the weight of his gaze did not let up. You tried to pretend he wasn’t there by running a finger along the rim of your glass, by watching the bounty hunter you had temporarily paired up with, Mertjo, order another round at the bar for the two of you, by pointedly not looking in his direction. All of it was an attempt to say, without words, I have survived without you. I do not need you. Not anymore.

But it was all a performance, a rouse to convince both of you that old paths did not need to be retread. That was why you let your fingers brush against Mertjo’s when he offered you your drink and gave him an extra sweet smile as he returned to his seat across from you.

The glint of beskar drew your attention, and with a sideways glance you saw him shifting in his seat, his chest expanding then contracting as he let out a deep breath, his head turning away from you. You imagined his jaw was shut tight, the muscle below his cheek that you had never seen, only ever felt beneath your fingers, twitching as he tried to calm himself.

He turned back just as you looked away.

Kriff.

You tried to listen to Mertjo, you really did, but Din’s gaze, mixed with the three beers you had already finished was too hot, the heat collecting at your collarbones and spilling down your chest, quickening your heart rate, constricting your windpipe.

You stood up suddenly, chair legs screaming as they were pushed back and Mertjo startled, his yellow eyes wide as he looked up at you, wondering what the hell had caused you to leap up like you did.

‘I’m going out for some air,’ you explained, already somewhat breathless.

He eyed you over the rim of his glass but said nothing as you hurried towards the cantina door, purposefully keeping your eyes to the floor until you were outside and around the corner. You pressed your shoulders against the cantina’s wall and tilted your head up to the sky, focusing on your breathing.

‘Were you trying to make me jealous?’

You didn’t drop your head, not immediately. Instead you kept your eyes on the clouds above, but when you looked at him, he was moving towards you. A scoff escaped your lips as you narrowed your eyes at him. ‘I would’ve thought you better than that.’

Perhaps it was the wrong thing to say, too close to the banter you had once shared and so easily mistaken as an invitation for him to continue his approach. But you did not move away, maybe out of curiosity, or potentially because of the small part of you that couldn’t fall entirely out of love with him.

Din stopped in front of you for a moment, just looking at you and waiting for you to reject him right there and then. When you said nothing he moved forward, pressing his body against yours until your senses were consumed by him, and dipped his head down to meet yours while his hands splayed against the wall behind you, caging you in.

‘You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, how much I want to kiss you right now,’ Din groaned, sounding pained, as if his want was a physical pain sapping him of his strength. ‘It’s been too long.’

There was a heady power that came with knowing you could reduce a Mandalorian to such a desperate state from simply being in the same room after so long apart, and if it was another time  you would have savoured it, challenged him to see what he would do or how far he would go to press his lips against yours. But he was the one who had left you, what right did he have to miss you when he had brought it upon himself?

Make him suffer, a still wounded and juvenile voice whispered in your head, make him hurt like he hurt you.

You turned your head to the side though you did not push him away. The helmet found a home against your temple instead, undeterred and lightly nuzzled you. What would you have done four years ago, when the heartache was still fresh and all-consuming? Pushed him away? Pulled your vibroblade out and pressed it to his throat? You let out a sigh and closed your eyes. You weren’t that person anymore. ‘That’s your own fault, Din.’

He seemed to sag even further into you at the utterance of his name and you were reminded of the night he had told you it, the way he had shuddered when you spoke it for the first time. How long ago had that been? Five, six years? Never before had you been so concerned with time, but when your past appeared so suddenly in front of you, it was all you could think about. How much had he changed? How different was his life?

Externally, he was the same, but his outright displays of affection, so openly declaring that he wanted to kiss you… He had never been so brazen in a public space before, even in someplace that offered some semblance of privacy like the alley. The man before you wasn’t necessarily the one who had abandoned you. You were not the only one who was different, you were sure, but where did that leave the two of you? You were strangers made from old lovers.

‘And I’ve regretted it every day since then,’ he admitted, one hand coming down to your waist.

‘Doesn’t excuse it.’ There was more bite behind your words than you had intended but you didn’t pull back, didn’t try to soothe the wound.

Din’s shame was palpable as he twisted his head to the side. You were temple to temple, facing different directions all over again, though neither of you were walking away. ‘I know.’

‘What do you want, Din? Surely not just a kiss.’ Your guard was slipping, it would have been oh so easy to regress into old habits and pretend you weren’t different people. You knew you had to get out soon if you wanted to save yourself.

‘I always told myself I would ask this, even though I never thought I’d see you again.’ A sigh escaped him, and you heard it both modulated and unmodulated, layered and thick. ‘I know I hurt you, I know that, but if you could forgive me… would me you take me back?’

You shook your head  and Din pulled back slightly, cool metal leaving your head as he did so.

‘You don’t know me, not anymore, it’s been too long.’ You threw his words back at him but despite your words, despite the tiredness and defeat that permeated them, you tugged him back to you. The familiarity of the gesture, even after so long, was almost too much to bear. You didn’t want to let it go just yet.

Din was silent as he took in your words, considered how much four years could change a person, could change him, and then, in a soft and pleading voice: ‘Then will you let me get to know you again, cyar’ika?’

You faltered, resolve slipping a fraction. If he took the time to relearn you, discover what parts of you had mellowed with time, what had crept out after years of hardship, would he still love you?

You opened your eyes, stared into the void of his visor.

Would you still love him if you worked your way beneath the beskar again and saw what had changed after years apart?

Would you?

[myelocin]

REQ #1 & #2

Synopsis: 

req #1 @xavestory​ | Catching the last train home and seeing your muse seated across you while the pages on your sketchbook calls for you to mirror the reflections in his irises. 

 req #2 @mrs-kuroojinguji​ | Sixteen hour flights to a new city with a photographer who has an eye for sunsets and people may have its perks. 

Characters: Sakusa Kiyoomi, Kuroo Tetsurou, You

a/n: This is the first two requests of Stories in Passing!  Three more in a separate post will be posted sometime tonight!

[ Sakusa Kiyoomi | For Xave, ] | Platform 2 of  JR Line, Miyagi Station

The perks of taking a train to the lesser populated side of town had as much perks as taking the last train scheduled for that day. For one, rush hour both in the mornings and evenings meant that you wouldn’t have to compete for seats or give up yours for a senior citizen. Second, or perhaps, your more favorable reason was that you were able the extra hour of commute both to and from work to catch some much needed down time and sketch.

Your sketchbook had taken permanent residence in your work bag at this point. There was something about the constant flip between the train’s motion stopping and starting that feels like it’s still constantly on the go despite the stops. And people were in a sense, the most beautiful when they were relaxed. Or at least you think so.

If someone were to flip through the pages of your sketch book, they’d see the faces of strangers staring back at them. The little girl who dozed off on her mom’s arm last week, the profile of a man standing by the door, and now—the stranger who’s occupying the seat across yours.

Even as you were standing on the platform you were automatically drawn to him. Despite the mask, he was irrefutably gorgeous. Sharp eyes, perfectly curled hair that fell on his eyes just right, and two moles that looked perfectly in place right above his eyebrow. As soon as he took a seat and nodded in your direction when your eyes crossed, your hands itched to sketch the living art in front of you.

The hour passed by a lot faster than you had anticipated with your stop being the next. You’re standing in front of the door waiting for the train to slow in to a stop when you notice him stand up and follow you out.

You’ve made it about twenty steps away from the train and the platform and into the elevator before the really good looking stranger looks at your sketchbook and then up at you.

“Artist?” he asks, and you can already feel your face warming up at the baritone of his voice. You nod, then grip your sketchbook closer to you.

“Can I see how you drew me?” he asks again, after some silence and instantly you pale as you turn to gawk at him.

“Excuse me?” you manage to sputter out.

And again, despite half of his face covered his mask—the intensity of his eyes as it bares down on you has you scrambling to look at anywhere but him. You hear him chuckle when you sprint out of the elevator as soon as the doors open.

Cursing yourself, you take a few deep breaths thinking of what to say before turning back to face him. Though, to be frank you didn’t expect him to still be standing in front of you, one arm in his pocket and the other holding the strap of his backpack.

“So,” he begins, beating you to starting the explanation you know you don’t have, “if I buy you dinner will you finally show me?”

Your mouth drops and you stare at him. “Sorry,” you begin, “what?”

He sighs in a way that has you even more confused, then reaches up to pull his mask down. “I said if I buy you dinner will you finally show me? I know you draw people when you’re in the train, just surprised that you finally picked me this time.”

You’re still staring, or rather, gawking, at his face up until he smirks in your direction and turns, saying, “I’ll take that as a yes since you’re not exactly saying no either. See you tomorrow, Xave.”

If possible, your mouth drops even further as your cheeks turn even redder when you realize he must have read the signature you sign near the edge of your sketches. Has he noticed you that long?

Your cheeks continue to stay red even as you turn and walk home. It’s when you’re some blocks away that you finally let yourself think about how beautiful that man really looked. The contours of his nose as sharp as the edges of his eyes, lips stretched to the most perfect grin and his eyes—dark and analytic as he stared straight at yours.

You smile; your hands itch to sketch his face again.

-

xave’s sketch is the reference to this!

[ Kuroo Tetsurou | For Ana, ] | Jakarta - London, 7:18 PM

When people stare, there’s sort of a social etiquette one usually adheres to and that is at least trying to not make it obvious.

Not in this case, though.

Waiting for your flight was usually enjoyable for you. People watching, for one was interesting; by the time you’ve checked in you could already gouge out at least ten stories of people either parting or reuniting. Then, it was the constant feeling of just being in motion; a solid destination in mind too.

Plus, the smell of coffee just constantly around the air easily became one of your favorite comforts you associated with airports. There was truly nothing better to perk you up for a long flight ahead than the smell of caramel on coffee and swirls of whip cream kissing your lips.

But this—or rather, the guy just blatantly staring at you felt odd.

He didn’t look like he was necessarily out to get you, but he just stared straight at you in a way that seemed too analytic for “just” people watching. At this point, you’ve probably shifted your body with a complete 90 degree angle just to face away from him, but you could still feel his gaze burn on the back of your head so you sigh. A quick glance at your watch told you that there’s only twenty minutes away until boarding.

-

And of course, it’s just your luck when the grandmother who was supposedly seated next to you switches seats with the man across the aisle.

“Hey,” he greets and you offer a tight smile at best. Great, you think, almost a sixteen hour flight next to the dude who can’t stop staring.

He’s quiet for a majority of the time. A majority. The minority was the conversations he slips in between meals and lulls in the atmosphere. Kuroo Tetsurou, twenty six years old and works for the Japan Volleyball Association as his career, but has a habit of people watching and photography from time to time.

“Does this mean you take photos of random people?” you joke, and he lets out a laugh that you catch is quite endearing as a response.

“No, no—“ Tetsurou explains, laughing again. “Not in the creepy way I swear.”

You’re look at him in between bites of your dinner and nod for him to continue. He smiles at your cue and continues, ���People are interesting.”

“Maybe it’s because I was a captain back then or that observing people now is my job, but keeping that observation in candid photographs is pretty cool,” Tetsurou finishes and you take note he has a glazed look over his eyes; like he’s far away.

He’s quick to snap out when he notices you still staring so he smiles, laughing, and looks down at his dinner. “At least, I think so.”

“You have a point,” you tell him. He nods, looking out at the window beside your seat and directs his smile there.

“Wanna switch seats? Sun’s about to go down and I think you might wanna take a photo of the view.” you ask and he’s quick to shake his head. “It’s okay, the view here is nice too.”

You smile and nod your head not realizing he meant that he was looking at you.

-

It’s about thirteen hours later when you’re finally stretching and standing by the arrival area with your suitcase in tow in line at a starbucks. Tetsurou, the stranger in passing peeked his head in the entrance and shot you a smile as he spotted you.

“Morning,” you wave, smiling.

He returns your smile and that’s when you notice him fidgeting with the strap of his backpack.

“I, uh—“ he starts avoiding to look straight at you. “I was taking photos of the sunset earlier and you happened to be in one of the shots by accident, I swear. I can dele—“

You cut him off with a nudge to his shoulder and a laugh. “Let me see.”

He stands next to you while you scroll through the images. You have to admit, though, he definitely had an eye for color. The skies over Jakarta looked like a different kind of beautiful especially in the photos you happened to turn and shoot him a smile.

“Not to be creepy,” Tetsurou starts and you snicker. “—that’s exactly what a creepy guy would say,” you cut him off as a retort.

“On a scale of one to ten, this photo of you would be a hundred.”

You laugh at his comment and tug your suitcase, walking forward to the counter. “Guess I have to buy you coffee as payment?”

Tetsurou’s eyes gleam when you shoot him another smile, then his hands itch to click the shutter of his camera.

“As long as I get your number too, Ana.”

 -

[ceealaina]

Title: You’re Feeling Just the Same Link: AO3 Rating: Teen Major Tags: MIT Era, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Shenanigans Summary: Rhodey's a softie at heart. So when he's walking to campus one day, and sees what appears to be a dead groundhog on the street, he goes to move it out of the way becauses he's just that kind of guy. Only it's not dead, it's just sunbathing in the middle of the road like a dumbass. 

He names it Tony. 

What follows is a series of ridiculous events in which one James Rhodes accidentally adopts a groundhog, and finds himself trying to hide both it and his feelings from the real Tony.  Word Count: 6,774

My long-awaited (by me) fic for the IronHusbands Big Bang. I had an absolute blast working on this. You can find Jay's incredible companion art here, and if you love yourself at all, you'll definitely check it out. Thanks, Jay, for being so wonderful to work with! 

And thank you to feyrelay for letting me scream about this story over and over again!

*****

It started, as these things always seemed to, on a Wednesday. Rhodey was walking to campus, lost in thought about how ridiculously, desperately in love he was with his roommate, when something caught his eye on the road up ahead. There was a small, brown shape on the pavement, still too far away to make out exactly was, but Rhodey had a pretty good idea. 

“Please be a paper bag, please be a paper bag,” he muttered to himself as he moved closer. He’d woken up this morning to Tony looking absolutely gorgeous in worn sweatpants and a threadbare tee. His hair had been a wild mess and his eyes had held a manic gleam behind those adorable glasses of his. Rhodey has wanted to kiss good morning him so badly that for a moment he had thought his heart might explode.

He couldn’t take anymore heartbreak today. 

But as he moved closer, his fears were confirmed. A small groundhog was lying on the road, sprawled on his back with his little feet up in the air. Rhodey felt a pang in his chest. He’d always had a soft spot for animals, and this little guy looked so innocent that it hurt to see him like this. Strangely there wasn’t a mark on him, no sign of blood, and Rhodey wondered if he had maybe scared himself to death instead. That felt even worse, somehow. 

The road was usually fairly quiet, but his location might make it difficult for cars to see him. Rhodey hummed a minute; the groundhog might already be dead, but the idea of leaving him there to be crushed beneath the wheel of a car felt wrong. Making a decision, Rhodey stepped off the sidewalk. He’d just move him off the road and into the grass, where he could rest in peace or whatever. 

He had just bent over to scoop him up — making a mental note to wash his hands very thoroughly the second he got to campus, and to start carrying a pair of work gloves in his bag — when the groundhog shot to life with a low ‘chuck-chuck’ noise. Rhodey yelped, equally startled, and the groundhog shot up onto the grass. For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other in mutual surprise before the groundhog chattered at him angrily and then waddled off into the bushes on the far side of the sidewalk. 

“Well, fuck you too,” Rhodey called after him, a little disgruntled. He hesitated a moment longer after it had disappeared into the shrubs, and then continued on his way to class. “Excuse me for tryin’ help. Not my fault you decided to sunbathe in the middle of the street like a dumbass.” He huffed a laugh to himself. “I’m gonna call you Tony!” he threw back over his shoulder before making at face himself. “Oh my god, I’m yelling at a groundhog. Pull it together, Rhodes.” 

***

Rhodey usually liked to vary his route to campus, but the next day he found himself heading down the same street, telling himself that it was just in case and that if there was no sign of the groundhog, he could stop worrying about it. But, as it turned out, he was right to worry because sure enough, in almost the exact same place, he found the groundhog again, lying apparently lifeless on the side of the road. 

“Okay, seriously?” he asked as he moved closer. This time he could hear actual snores, little snuffling sounds that were kind of adorable. “What, would you like me to bring you a little trifold mirror next time, so you can work on your tan?” 

The groundhog opened its eyes, blinked at him, and apparently deeming him No Longer a Threat, closed them and wiggled against the hot pavement. 

“You are one weird marmot,” Rhodey informed him, moving closer still. “Come on, get up you dumbass rodent. You’re gonna get run over by a car and then we’ll both feel bad.” The groundhog still didn’t move though, not even when Rhodey was standing right next to him. Wondering if groundhogs were people biters, he took a risk and nudged it with his toe. Looking very puto out, it finally got to its feet, chittering at him again as it wandered off into the bushes. “Ungrateful!” Rhodey called after it. 

That afternoon, after Tony had headed back to the lab with a “bye, Honeybear! Save me some dinner!” Rhodey found himself digging out the Yellow Pages, trying to find someone who could safely rehome his new little pfriendet. But apparently groundhogs were considered irrelevant at best and a pest at worst. The city’s animal services didn’t care, and after the fifth private company he called talked about gasses and poisons, he gave up on that route. 

Really all it came down to was tricking the groundhog into new habits. When Tony kept sleeping through his eight am Physics class, the one that demanded mandatory attendance, Rhodey had ‘trained’ him into getting up with coffee; he figured this wasn’t really that different. If he could figure out what the groundhog liked, he could lure him away from the road and then get him to associate the designated safe zone with food. Three weeks tops and the groundhog would be safe and Rhodey could stop worrying about it, easy peasy. 

Problem number one was, of course, that he had no idea what groundhogs even liked to eat. One trip to campus later, and he found himself immersed in the reference section of the library, sitting at a table with three different ‘G’ encyclopedias, two ‘W’ encyclopedias, and a handful of possibly relevant farming and gardening books that he’d been directed to by a bemused looking librarian -- he supposed that groundhogs weren’t the biggest research topic at MIT. 

By the time he made it back to the apartment, it was dark out, Rhodey was exhausted, and he knew more about groundhogs than he’d ever planned. But he also had a good idea of how to lure Tony Jr. away from the road. There’d been a few different ideas about what groundhogs liked to eat, but he planned to start with apples, carrots, and -- weirdly -- cantaloupe (five different sources had sworn by it). He let himself in the door, distracted by planning when he could make a trip to the grocery store, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he was greeting with a, “Fucking finally!” from the kitchen.

“Jesus,” he muttered, glaring as Tony came out of the kitchen.

“Where the fuck were you?” he demanded. “You weren’t home when I got back, no note, no nothing. I was worried , Rhodey. I thought you’d died .” 

“Drama queen,” Rhodey grumbled with a fond eye roll. “Chill out, Stark,” he added, shrugging off his jacket.

Tony huffed, striding back into the kitchen. “You laugh, but it only takes a minute to get kidnapped, Sugarlumps.” 

“Yeah? Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Rhodey said, following him down the hall but detouring past the kitchen to flop out on the couch. 

“Uhh… Only the one time. I don’t know, I think that’s kind of an outlier though. They weren’t very competent kidnappers. Like five stars for the actual snatch and grab, and 0.001 stars for managing to hold on to the target.” 

Rhodey shook his head; he couldn’t tell if Tony was kidding, but he had a funny feeling he wasn’t. “Your life is weird, man.” 

“No shit.” Tony reappeared in the kitchen doorway. “Hey, where were you actually though. This is supposed to be your free night.” 

Rhodey ignored the warm little thrill that lit up his belly at the thought that Tony knew his schedule. It didn’t actually mean anything, Tony’s brain was just… Like that. He may not always know what day it was, but he did know what was supposed to be happening at any given time. “At the library,” he told him honestly. “Last minute research project. I forgot all about it.” 

That was at least mostly true, but Tony still squinted at him suspiciously. “That doesn’t sound like you…”

He shrugged. “Happens to the best of us, right?” 

Rhodey felt like the fact that he was hiding something was written all over his face, but after another moment of suspicious staring, Tony shrugged too. “Yeah, guess so,” he acknowledged, sliding back into the kitchen. “Still, leave a note next time! I was expecting dinner.” 

Rhodey rolled his eyes, grinning up at the ceiling since Tony wasn’t there to see the besotted look on his face. “Ain’t your housewife, Tones.” 

“Luckily your sugar daddy’s got it covered,” Tony retorted, returning this time with two plates piled sky-high with Chinese food. He passed one over to Rhodey, who took it with an appreciative groan, before flopping onto the couch beside him, leaving almost no room between the two of them. (That didn’t mean anything either; Tony had never had a sense of personal space.) He held up a forkful of food, pointing it in Rhodey’s direction with a crooked grin that he couldn’t quite interpret. “To last minute research projects.” 

***

Rhodey wasn’t even surprised when he arrived the next afternoon -- after a detour through the grocery store -- to find his groundhog friend sleeping on the road again. “Dumbass,” he muttered under his breath, pretending he didn’t hear the fond note in his voice. “Okay Tony,” he announced in a louder voice, waiting for the groundhog to open his eyes. “Here’s the deal.” He slid his backpack off his shoulder as Tony watched him warily, reaching in and pulling out a fresh bunch of carrots. Tony’s nose wriggled in interest. “You get your dumb ass off the road, and in exchange you get a nice juicy bunch of carrots. Sound like a fair deal?” 

Tony made a couple of interested grunting noises that Rhodey chose to interpret as a yes. Snapping the first carrot into haphazard, uneven pieces, he put the first one right by Tony’s head, the next one a little farther, then a little farther until he had a trail of carrot pieces leading to an empty lot that had overgrown into something resembling a meadow. In the middle of said meadow, he dumped the rest of the carrots in a little pile. 

It took a few minutes, but Tony’s nose wiggling increased and slowly he rolled over onto his stomach and wandered over to the first carrot piece. Still eyeing Rhodey a little suspiciously, he bit into the vegetable, eating it quickly. Rhodey held his breath, but when nothing happened Tony wandered over to the next carrot and then the next one. Rhodey followed him from a few feet away as he slowly moved over to the field. When he found the pile of carrots in the middle, he made a startled squeaking noise that sounded like nothing more than pure delight, running over to the pile and shoving his face into them. It was adorable, and Rhodey beamed, feeling entirely too pleased with himself. 

“Phase One a success,” he crowed, whistling all the rest of the way to campus. 

For the next week, Rhodey showed up every single day with some kind of snack for Tony. He’d follow the same routine, luring him safely to the field where he’d leave a whole pile of treats waiting for him. It seemed to be working, and even if it was wreaking havoc with Rhodey’s schedule a little, he figured it was only for a few weeks. 

“Okay dude, what the hell?” Tony hissed as Rhodey slid into his typical seat beside him, late for the third time that week. “Why are you always late to labs now?”

Rhodey busied himself with pulling his notebook and pencils out of his bag. “Reasons,” he hedged, not meeting Tony’s gaze. Sure, he could probably just tell him the truth, but he could just imagine the jokes that Tony would level him with. Somehow it was easier to just… not. 

There was a moment of silence from Tony, long enough that Rhodey started to get a little nervous. Did Tony somehow know? Had he seen him with groundhog Tony, and now he was going to get made fun of extra hard for not even being man enough to own it? But then Tony made a sudden noise of understanding. 

“Did you meet someone?” he demanded, a note of delight in his voice. “What’s her name? Ohhhh. What’s his name?”

Rhodey swallowed hard, going full dumbass in the face of Tony’s sudden interest, and his easy acceptance of the idea that Rhodey had a secret boyfriend. “His name is Tony?” he offered, before he realized how that sounded and his eyes went wide. “Fuck! I mean — not you. I mean, not not you, you’re very attractive, but…” 

He trailed off hopelessly, wanting to bury his face in his arms but feeling like that would make him even more pathetic. Tony was watching him with a strange glint in his eyes, but before he could say anything there was a throat clearing from the front of the room. 

“Mr. Stark, Mr. Rhodes. Unless you would like to teach the class yourselves…?”

Tony opened his mouth like he was going to offer to do exactly that, but Rhodey gave him a swift kick in the ankle first. He rolled his eyes but relented and didn’t bring the subject up again. 

***

It was on the second week that Rhodey realized he may have created a problem for himself. He and Tony Jr. had developed something of a… Working relationship. The groundhog seemed to know him now, had gone from perking up at the sound of Rhodey’s footsteps to actively waiting for him at the same time every day. The problem was, he was waiting for him in the road. And Rhodey had been so sure that his plan would work that he hadn’t bothered to think of an alternative. The luring him away part was working like a treat, but he had no idea how to get Tony Jr. to start waiting for him literally anywhere else. 

He had kept up with his routine in the meantime, hoping that maybe Tony Jr. would suddenly clue in and start waiting for him on the sidewalk instead. Which is why he was there on Friday, when the car full of rowdy, probably newly-licensed teenagers came flying down the road. 

He had been a few feet away, grinning when Tony sat up on his hand legs to ‘greet’ him, nose wiggling rapidly in anticipation of whatever the snack of the day might be. He heard the car before he could see it and reacted on instinct, racing to close the distance between he and Tony -- who, amazingly, didn’t run further into the road -- and snatching him up just in time. He lost his balance in the process, rolling to the far side of the sidewalk and ending up lying on his back in the grass, a very bewildered groundhog nestled against his chest as the oblivious car flew by. 

For a minute, Rhodey tensed. He and Tony may have had something of a rapport, but he also knew that groundhogs could be vicious little fuckers, even beyond being a wild animal. He was fully expecting a bite to his arms or chest, but after a moment Tony wiggled and yawned, stretching out on his chest like a damn cat, before shifting enough to nose at Rhodey’s backpack, squashed uncomfortably beneath him. Rhodey let his head roll back, staring up at the sky before he sighed. 

“Fuck it,” he decided. “Let’s go home.”

Rhodey would never say it out loud, but there were times when Tony -- the human one -- being the heir to the Stark empire worked in their favour. For example, he was pretty sure he had Maria Stark to thank for the fact that, when they’d started out looking at dinky, one-bedroom apartments, there had ‘suddenly’ been a nice, two-bedroom-plus-office available in their price range. Or how it was Tony’s last name that had given him unfettered, private access to one of the MIT labs, letting Rhodey claim that apartment office for himself. 

Or for Tony Jr, as the case now seemed to be. 

It had been surprisingly easy to get Tony Jr. set up in there. He’d built him a little cardboard box tunnel system, piled some hay and alfalfa in the corner, brought in a little kiddie pool and then some bunny toys he’d found at the pet store, because he figured a groundhog was still a rodent, right? He’d been worried that there wouldn’t be enough stimulation for him, but Tony Jr. had delved right into everything, and definitely seemed happy enough. 

So now he had a groundhog secretly living in their No Pets Allowed apartment with Tony carrying on none the wiser. What even was his life sometimes? 

***

Rhodey slipped out of the office after refreshing all of Tony Jr.’s supplies, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Tony waiting for him at the end of the hallway. “Jesus Christ, man,” he gasped, keeping an ear out for any strange, groundhog-related noises that Tony might be able to hear. “Don’t do that.” 

“Okay, twitchy,” Tony replied with an arched eyebrow. “What, were you watching weird porn in there or something?

“No!”

“Cause you know if you find weird porn you gotta share. That’s the rule, Rhodes.” Tony nodded like he’d made some kind of actual point, and Rhodey rolled his eyes. 

“I will keep that in mind. What’re you doing sneaking around like some kind of troll?” 

“I wasn’t sneaking! I was looking for you. Because I wanted to know what the fuck this is.” He hefted up the full cantaloupe that Rhodey had been storing in the fridge, lifting it up above his head.

“It’s a cantaloupe, Tones.” Rhodey didn’t hide the way he was laughing at him as he pushed past Tony, moving to flop down on the couch in front of the television. “How do you not know that?” 

Tony followed him, still cradling the melon in question and peering down at it speculatively. “I don’t know, I’ve only ever seen it cut up in fruit cocktail. I didn’t know it looked like this.” He frowned, lips pursing in that adorable little pout that Rhodey found absolutely irresistible. “It kind of looks like a brain.” He grinned then, holding it up against his forehead and taking wide, staggering steps toward Rhodey. “Yarrrrrrgh,” he groaned in what Rhodey was pretty sure was supposed to be his best impression of a zombie. “You’re going to eat my braiiiiiiiiins.” 

Rhodey blinked back at him, trying very hard not to laugh. “See, now I’m just confused. Are you the zombie, or the zombie victim?” 

Tony stuck his tongue out at him. “Spoilsport,” he grumbled, setting the cantaloupe down on the table and sprawling out beside Rhodey instead. “But really, why do we have a cantaloupe in the fridge? I’ve known you for three years, Rhodeybear. I’ve never once seen you eat cantaloupe… Oh shit!” He sat up, a manic gleam in his eyes. “Is it for your new boooooyfriend?” 

He dragged the word out like a 12-year-old girl at a slumber party, and Rhodey huffed, squirming a little. The only boyfriend he wanted was Tony himself, but it wasn’t like he could just say that. “Shut up, Tones,” he grumbled instead, turning on the television and missing the little frown that crossed over Tony’s features. 

***

Rhodey had heard about skunks, and raccoons, and even foxes being kept as pets before, but never groundhogs. As it turned out, there was apparently a reason for this. 

Tony Jr. liked him well enough. He perked up as soon as Rhodey stepped into the room, nose twitching in a way that was the cutest thing that Rhodey had ever witnessed, outside of Human Tony’s attempts at waking up before eight am. He’d started rushing Rhodey at the door, nosing at his pockets for whatever treats he’d brought him, and if Rhodey sat on the floor with him for a bit, Tony Jr. would snuffle around him before snuggling in with his back along the lengths of Rhodey’s thighs, sometimes munching on a snack he’d dragged over, sometimes just drifting off to sleep with soft little snores. He was adorable.

But he was also a destructive little fucker. And Rhodey hadn’t even known that groundhogs made sounds before, but he was loud. There had been a few times where he’d had to fake a sudden coughing fit while watching TV with Tony, so he wouldn’t hear Tony Jr. skittering around over the floor, doing whatever it was he did to entertain himself. On one particularly memorable night, Rhodey had picked up the phone while Tony was in the kitchen and proceeded to hold a very loud, very fake fifteen-minute conversation. He’d hastily mouthed to Tony that it was “a guy from his lab” and then, feeling incredibly stupid, pretended not to notice the way that Tony’s scowl grew deeper and deeper as his TV watching was interrupted. 

Unfortunately, whatever Tony’s suspicions were, Rhodey didn’t manage to do much to assuage them over the next few weeks. It was a few days later that Rhodey slipped out of the office, locking the door behind him (just in case) only to turn around to find Tony leaning against his bedroom door, watching him with an expression somewhere between suspicious and confused. 

“You don’t usually lock that, do you?” 

His tone sounded more curious than upset, but Rhodey felt himself breaking out into a sweat anyway. “Uhh. I have… Gifts in there. For… People.” 

Tony’s expression shifted, going blank. “People,” he repeated, clearly disbelieving. 

Rhodey winced, but if living with Tony had taught him anything, it was to dig in his heels. According to Tony, show enough confidence and you could get away with anything. (Funny how that always seemed to work out so much better for Tony than it ever did for Rhodey.) 

“People,” he repeated anyway, as confidently as he could manage. “For… Christmas.” 

Tony’s eyebrows arched. “Wooow,” he drawled. “The first week of October. Look at you go, Rhodes.” 

It was probably a sign of just how far gone he was for the other man that Rhodey recognized the exact tone of Tony’s voice, the ‘hurt but trying to mask it with sarcasm’ edge that he usually only reserved for conversations with his father. Rhodey wasn’t sure what about his dumbass behaviour would cause Tony that much pain, but he hated being responsible for it with every fibre of his being. For a minute he almost caved and confessed everything then and there. But while he was working out where to even begin, Tony just sighed and shook his head. 

“Sorry,” he told him, like Tony had absolutely anything to apologize for when Rhodey was secretly hiding a groundhog in their apartment. “I’m just having a day. I’ve gotta run though. I’ve got a meeting with the engineering department -- apparently they don’t know if I’m making use of my excess of lab time responsibly.” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned, back to being Rhodey’s Tony, and the moment passed. 

It was a couple weeks after that that Rhodey, alone in the apartment, had gone in to check on Tony Jr. only to find him happily munching on one of Tony’s spare EuroAV cables. 

“Oh shit,” Rhodey yelped, lunging toward him because he was pretty sure there was no way that was part of a healthy, balanced, groundhog diet. He was starting to wonder if his groundhog was part cat though, because the second he saw Rhodey coming his eyes went wide and he started to back under the chair in the corner, dragging the wire along behind him. 

What followed was a truly embarrassing twenty-minute wrestling match in which Tony Jr. got the better of him many, many times. Rhodey’d had no idea that groundhogs could be so fast. Or so crafty. 

Eventually he’d emerged victorious -- or as victorious as he could consider himself when he was flushed and sweating and was going to have to buy Tony a new EuroAV cable -- and locked the cable’s remains away in the cupboard while Tony Jr. went to sulk in the corner. He went back out for some water and very nearly screamed when he came across Tony, standing there and staring at the door. 

“Tony!” he yelped instead, resisting the urge to grab at his heart as he narrowly avoided a heart attack. “Jesus Christ, man. What are you doing here? I thought you had class.” 

Tony shrugged. “Dr. Campbell cancelled.” He paused a moment, considering. “I heard noises,” he told him, looking Rhodey up and down. Rhodey followed his gaze and fought back a wince when he saw how rumpled his shirt was, and how a couple buttons had popped off, letting bits of chest peek through the fabric. “Everything… Alright?” 

“Oh yeah,” Rhodey said airily, internally panicking. “Just… Physics problems. You know how it is.” 

Tony stared back at him, unimpressed, but before he could speak Tony Jr. decided to wreak havoc with something, a large crashing noise echoing from the room behind him. Rhodey tried to keep his expression from revealing anything and Tony’s face fell, whatever he was thinking left unsaid. 

He stayed suspiciously quiet the rest of the evening, stuck in his head, and Rhodey tried to push down the guilty feeling pooling in his stomach. He ordered in the barbeque ribs that Tony liked for dinner, hoping to make it up to him a little, and Tony at least joined him to eat, the two of them camping out in front of the television. 

There was an old Star Trek rerun playing, and they watched in relative silence until halfway through the episode when Tony, apparently, just couldn’t stand it anymore. 

“I don’t understand why you won’t just tell me his name!” he burst out. 

Rhodey startled, so caught off guard that for a moment he couldn’t even parse what Tony was talking about. “Who??” 

This seemed to bother Tony even more; he huffed and folded his arms over his chest. “Your boyfriend! The ‘guy from your lab’ that you’ve been seeing. The dude you were fooling around with in the office earlier. Honestly, Rhodes, we’re supposed to be best friends. It’s getting a little weird that you haven’t even introduced us.” 

“Oh. Uh…” Taken aback, Rhodey scrambled for any kind of explanation. “It’s not… I mean… There’s not really any introductions to make. It’s nothing, really. It’s not… Like that.” 

Tony stared back at him for a long moment, squirming like he wanted to say something else, but all he did was lean back into the couch cushions again, arms still folded across his chest. “Right. Okay.” 

Rhodey didn’t know why Tony would be so invested in meeting his supposed hookup, even if he actually had one, but bringing it up didn’t seem like that best plan either. He wanted to get Tony as far away from subjects that could circle back to the groundhog residing in their apartment as possible. 

The thing was, Rhodey was a mission oriented kind of person. He could compartmentalize, focus on one thing at a time. And he became All. About. The groundhog. (Because, if he was truly honest with himself, focusing on Tony Jr. meant he didn’t have to think about how desperately in love with Tony he was, how his feelings were only getting stronger every day despite knowing there was no chance in hell of them being reciprocated.) So it was easy to put it aside when Tony started acting… Quirkier than usual, to tell himself that it was nothing, just Tony going through a phase. 

He started to worry a little, when on the nights that it was Tony’s turn to cook, he started making (or ordering) food for one. The first time he figured was a one off -- he’d had a late appointment with one of his profs, and then a meeting with a project group, so he’d given Tony a heads up that he might not be back until late. He probably just hadn’t known when to expect him. And Tony’d never been great at figuring out portion sizes anyway, always cooking either far too much or not nearly enough. It wasn’t a big deal; Tony always bought too many groceries too (although Rhodey had a feeling that was slightly less accidental), so it wasn’t too difficult for him to scrounge up a late meal for himself. 

But then it happened again. And again. And again after that. 

After the fourth time in a week, Rhodey was feeling panicked. Maybe Tony had heard the scratching or the little squeaking noises that Tony Jr. made sometimes, and thought they had rats or squirrels or something. Maybe he was trying to avoid leftovers, so he didn’t encourage them. He was hesitant about asking Tony about it; if that was what he thought, he wasn’t sure it was the best idea to draw further attention to it, in case Tony started to wonder why those noises only ever seemed to come from Rhodey’s suddenly locked office or something. Rhodey never been one for avoiding, though, and he couldn’t fix it if he didn’t know what was happening.

But when he finally asked him about the lack of dinner, mentioning it as casually as he could manage, Tony just gave the wall over Rhodey’s shoulder a very pointed look. “Oh sorry,” he told him, a forced, off-hand tone to his voice. “I just didn’t know if you’d be around to have dinner here. You know, with your active social life.” 

“Uh…” Rhodey scratched at the back of his head; Tony clearly had his knickers in a twist over something, but he was fucked if he knew what. He hadn’t mentioned the groundhog at least, so he probably hadn’t found that out. Maybe he’d had another hiccup with the robot he’d been working on for the last few months. “Sure man. Active social life, right.” He considered asking, but honestly the last few weeks had him exhausted and if it was anything serious, he knew Tony would end up telling him eventually. He wasn’t great at keeping things to himself. 

And sure enough, a couple days later, Tony seemed more or less back to himself. He’d locked himself in his room for all of Friday night, while Rhodey had holed up in the office with Tony Jr., blasting Star Wars at high volume as his rodent friend tore around the room, chasing the tennis ball that Rhodey had picked up for him. 

Presumably Tony had solved whatever coding issue had had him all wound up in the meantime, because when Rhodey got up on Saturday morning, he met him with a triple batch of pancakes (only a few of them burned) and a sheepish smile. They didn’t talk about it -- they never did -- but Tony made a point of being extra nice, letting Rhodey take the syrup first and grabbing him the juice when he moved to get it from the fridge. Rhodey just beamed back at him and some of the guilt evaporated from Tony’s face. 

They talked about nothing for awhile, just normal, mindless Saturday morning stuff until Tony cleared his throat and shifted a little. Rhodey arched an eyebrow, watching him expectantly. 

“Uh, you know… I heard you watching Star Wars last night. We could all watch a few movies together, if you wanted? I’ve had my shots, Rhodey, I promise.” 

Rhodey felt his eyes go wide, knew that panic was written all over his face. His shots? Was Tony talking about rabies? Did he know? “I…” He croaked out the word, trying to figure out what to say next, but almost immediately Tony seemed to reconsider, his face falling a little. 

“Unless you guys are like… Doing stuff. You know, while the movie, and… Okay, never mind.” He cleared his throat again, awkward now, and took his empty plate to dump in the sink. 

Rhodey blinked at him, head spinning from the whirlwind that had just occurred. “Who’s we?” He was pretty sure they were talking about two completely different things.

Tony just rolled his eyes. “Haha,” he drawled, “You’re hilarious.”

And before Rhodey could tell him that he hadn’t actually been joking, Tony was heading back down the hall for his bedroom and leaving him even more confused in his wake.  

***

They continued on like this, Tony running hot and cold -- but definitely veering into cold territory more often than not -- as Rhodey threw himself harder into caring for Tony Jr. in turn. Mostly that went okay, but Tony Jr. would go through phases where he was just the worst (not, Rhodey supposed, unlike his namesake). Which was how he ended up spilling an entire can of soda on himself one evening when Rhodey was just trying to hang out and watch a movie with him. Rhodey sighed hard, staring back at Tony Jr. as he blinked up at him with the sugary drink dripping from his snout, startled into stillness. 

“Come on, man,” Rhodey protested. “You’re not helping me out here at all.”  

Tony Jr. just made a soft little chuck-chuck sound, something that Rhodey thought sounded almost apologetic, and he couldn’t help grinning a little. 

“Alright, you twerp,” he sighed, picking him up. Tony was at the lab again, so Rhodey didn’t hesitate to take him into the bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” 

Tony Jr. waited patiently as Rhodey filled the tub, checking to make sure the water wasn’t too hot or too cold. He was a little nervous putting Tony Jr. in the tub, in case he lost his shit entirely and went feral, but he actually seemed to enjoy it, making happy little chittering noises and wriggling around as he settled into the warm water. Rhodey hadn’t wanted to add soap, worried it would disrupt a groundhog’s delicate little ph balance or something, but rinsing him off with fresh water seemed to do the trick just as well. Tony Jr. splashed around happily, and Rhodey found the entire experience surprisingly pleasant, laughing and talking away to the little guy as he got him all clean. 

He hadn’t heard the front door opening, too distracted with what he was doing, but he definitely heard the sharp, sudden knock on the bathroom door. Tony Jr. chirped but before Rhodey could respond, Tony was flinging the door wide open. 

“Okay asshole,” he announced without preamble. “I get that you’ve found the love of your life, and that he’s a million times better than me, and you’re a week away from leaving me forever because you’d never fall for me, but this is still a communal space and I would appreciate it if I could shower in a space that doesn’t contain a stranger’s come.” 

And then, as Rhodey was still trying to process what the fuck had just happened, Tony stopped and looked around the bathroom. Breathing hard, he took in Rhodey, crouched shirtless on the bathmat, and the full bathtub containing Tony Jr. 

“This… Is not what I was expecting,” he admitted. “Is that a groundhog?” 

“Yes it is,” Rhodey replied without hesitation. “But I’m a lot more interested in what the fuck you just said.”

“Oh, uh…” Tony was flustered now, all his bravado gone, and he edged toward the doorway. “I wasn’t, I mean. I didn’t… I wasn’t saying anything,” Tony finally managed to mumble out. “Just… Long day.” 

“Yeah, I can tell,” Rhodey told him dryly. And then, because there was no way he was letting it go at that, “What was that about me being a week away from leaving forever?” 

Tony whined under his breath. “Do we have to do this now?” he grumbled, eyes dropping back to the groundhog, still splashing around in the bathtub. “You seem… Busy.” 

And true, Rhodey probably had a lot to be embarrassed about here too. But Tony was shifting side to side in that way that meant he was feeling especially awkward, and so Rhodey called his bluff. 

“You explain what on earth you’re talking about,” he told him, folding his arms across his chest. “And I’ll explain, uh… This.” 

Tony huffed again, unconsciously mirroring Rhodey as he crossed his own arms. Hunching his shoulders up around his ears, he settled his gaze somewhere above Rhodey’s head. “I just… You’ve been so busy lately, with your new guy or whatever. And he’s here all the time, and I hear you laughing and you sound like you’re having such a great time and it's not like jealous, I’m just -- okay, I am jealous. I fucking love you, you asshole. And I’ve missed you the past few weeks, and I never see you, and I know we’ve both dated before but you won’t even tell me about this guy, and… I don’t know. It just felt like this time it was maybe something more serious. And I know it’s not like you were ever going to get that kind of serious with me but I just… I’m not ready to lose you yet.” 

Rhodey blinked at him, feeling a little like he was going to pass out. 

And the rest of what Tony had said caught up to him. “My guy?” he repeated, wondering what on earth Tony meant. And then Tony Jr. splashed the water, catching Rhodey’s attention. He looked over at him, back at Tony, over to Tony Jr. again, and his eyes went. “Oh,” he breathed, catching on. “Oh.”

And then he couldn’t help it -- he started to laugh. 

“Okay, seriously?” Tony burst out, staring incredulously at Rhodey, apparently over his inability to look directly at him. “Seriously ?” He grabbed a spare roll of toilet paper, throwing it at the other man who was bent in half on the bathmat, laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes. Tony Jr. chittered angrily at him. “I can’t believe I even like you. I just confessed my love and you’re fucking laughing at me.” He threw another roll of toilet paper at him for good measure. “You’re such an asshole.” 

Rhodey shook his head, still choking on his laughter. “I’m not… I’m not laughing at you.” He cleared his throat, beaming up at him. “You’re in love with me?” 

“I’m…” Tony shook his head, sliding back into a mumble. “Don’t make fun of me, man.” 

“I’m not,” Rhodey promised, getting to his feet and moving toward him. “I swear I’m not. Tony, the ‘guy’ I’ve been seeing? Is the fucking groundhog.” 

Tony wrinkled his nose, looking adorably confused. “What?” 

Rhodey just sighed. “I’m saying, I don’t have a boyfriend, doofus. You’re the only guy in my life. And, uh…” He stepped closer still, catching Tony’s hands to unfold them from his chest. “I’d kind of like it to stay that way.” 

Tony squirmed a little, a pleased smile crossing his features. “You would?” 

“Yep.” He nodded, running his thumb over Tony’s palm. “We seem to suck at the communication thing, so let me be very clear here. I’ve been embarrassingly in love with you for an embarrassingly long time. Forget asking you out. Tony, I want you to be my boyfriend. Are we on the same page?” 

Tony gave an adorable little giggle, and then he was standing on tiptoes, giving Rhodey a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. Rhodey let him, for a moment, and then he was looping an arm around Tony’s waist, pulling him up tight against his bare chest and kissing him properly. Tony made a startled little sound before he melted into it, giving just as good as he got. 

They kept kissing until there was another splash behind them, Tony Jr. chittering in annoyance at being ignored. 

“Ah, right.” Still grinning like a goofball, Tony leaned back and arched his eyebrows at Rhodey. “I think you said something about an explanation for the groundhog in our bathtub?” 

“Yup,” Rhodey agreed, stepping away first to take a towel and scoop Tony Jr. out of the tub. Tony watched in bemusement as the groundhog snuggled right into Rhodey, the other man slipping past him to take him back to office. “Just let get him resettled first. I don’t want Tony Jr. to catch a cold.” 

Tony nodded in understanding, then frowned as he watched Rhodey carry him down the hall. “Wait,” he called after him. “Tony Jr.? Rhodes, did you name your groundhog after me??”

@ironhusbandsbigbang

[slowly-writing]

Part of the Family: Part 6

Avengers x Kid!Reader

Part 1   Part 7

Word Count: 2274

a/n: Hey y’all! Here’s part 6! I wanted to let y’all know I have a few pretty important tests this week so I’m not sure how active I’ll be, but I’ll try to still get some stuff out for you guys. Have a great day!

After that day you started hanging out with Peter more at school, you and MJ merging in with him and Ned to form one friend group. You even stayed with Peter and his aunt when the whole team had to go to Sokovia. You had begged them to let you come but they refused. It was too high profile of a mission with too much room for injury. Your parents were still just a little too protective for your liking, so for now you had to watch the news and wait for them to come back.

You shake yourself out of your thoughts as you hear people yelling down the hall.

“Hey! It’s Penis Parker!” Flash yells as Peter walks into school.

You walk up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “hey buddy. Leave him alone, alright?”

You tower over him but Flash doesn’t know how to be intimidated apparently, and he refuses to back down, “why do you hang out with that loser anyway?”

“Because unlike you, he has a personality outside of being a dick. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to be anywhere but here,” you smirk as Flash’s friends laugh and walk back towards MJ.

“Hey, thanks y/n,” Peter says as he and Ned walk over, “I’m trying to keep the whole, uh, internship on the downlow.” You nod, acknowledging that he doesn’t want to say the truth with so many people around.

“I get it. That ship sailed for me a while ago, but you’re a part of the team now. We’ve got each other’s backs. If he keeps bugging you, let me know, yeah?”

Peter nods before walking off to class, you smile after him, he’s kind of turning into the brother you never had. He’s part of the family now, and you always take care of your family.

“You’re a good person, you know that?” MJ asks and you blush.

“It’s uh...the serum. I can’t help it,” you try to brush it off but she grabs your hand looking up at you.

“No it’s not. You and I both know that serum just brings out what’s already inside you. You’re a good person, and that’s all you.” She says and you smile down at her, “now c’mon. Let’s get to class, loser.”

You laugh, “you’re incapable of showing feelings for more than 30 seconds at a time, huh?”

“Shut up, Jr,” she teases and you roll your eyes.

xxxxx

“Thank you for dinner Miss Parker. And thank you again for letting me stay here while my parents are out of town,” you say and Peter’s aunt smiles at you.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me May? And of course, you’re welcome here anytime, y/n.”

“Thank you, May.”

“So what did you say your parents do?” She asks and you look to Peter who shrugs.

“You can tell her if you want.”

“Tell me what?” She asks and you smile.

“They’re, um…they’re Avengers. Black Widow and Captain America. I kinda am too. They had to leave on a mission. Normally I’d stay in the tower with whoever was left, but this was kind of a whole team sort of situation,” you explain and her eyes get wide.

“Wow, I knew I recognized your last name from somewhere. If it was a whole team thing why aren’t you with them?” she says and you smile.

“Yeah I get that a lot. They’re a bit protective. They don’t like to admit that I can help. I’ve been training with them since I was twelve and I think sometimes they still see me as a little kid,” you say with a laugh.

“That makes sense. I don’t know how I’d handle it if Peter was off doing what you do. That’s very admirable of you,” she says and you and Peter exchange a look.

“Um...yeah. Thank you,” you say softly.

xxxxx

“Come on Parker, one more rep!” You encourage Peter as he finishes his workout. You had come to the tower to use the training room. People looked at you funny when you bench pressed hundreds of pounds at the gym.

“Man, I may have the strength, but you definitely have the stamina y/n.” Peter says and you groan.

“Please don’t start that whole strongest Avenger fight right now. It never ends. My dad and I have been arguing about it since before he was my dad,” you say rolling your eyes. MJ laughs from her spot next to you. She’s sitting criss cross on an empty bench reading a book. You’ve long since stopped trying to get her to participate in your workouts but she always comes to keep you company.

“You were raised around way too much testosterone, y/n,” MJ stays and you roll your eyes.

“Don’t I know it. I swear heightened testosterone levels were a requirement to live here. I don’t know how mom and I survived.”

“By being the smartest people here,” your mom says from the door and you grin.

“Hell yeah we are!” You say, running over to hug her. “How was the mission?”

“The mission went fine. It was a tough one but we made it out, we always do,” she says and you smile at her. “Also, don’t let your dad hear you talk like that, he’ll yell ‘language’ at you,” she jokes and you laugh.

“I know he’s from the 40s but he really needs to get with the times.”

“Who needs to get with the times?” Steve walks through the door and you shake your head.

“Oh great, it’s a family affair. Did you guys need something?” You tease, but really you’re glad that they’re both home safe. You always get a little stressed when they’re gone. Your dad puts a hand over his heart.

“Our little girl is all grown up, she doesn’t need us anymore,” your mom says, wiping fake tears from under her eyes.

“They grow up so fast. It feels like just yesterday she was taking her first steps,” your dad joins in and you can hear Peter and MJ laughing behind you.

“You do realize you didn’t meet me until I was twelve, right? Is the old age finally getting to you dad?” You tease and he laughs.

“Very funny. Anyway, we were coming to tell you guys that we’re all home and dinner's almost ready, unless of course you don’t want food,” your dad goes to leave and both you and Peter jump to stop him.

“No!” You yell in unison cause the other three to laugh.

“We just gotta hit the showers real fast, we’ll be down in a minute!” You say and Peter looks at you.

“Race you!” He yells before taking off toward the locker room.

“You’re going down, Parker!” You yell, running after him.

“Miss Romanoff, I really think all that testosterone is getting to her,” MJ says with a laugh and your mom places a hand on her shoulder.

“You’ve got no idea, kid.”

xxxxxxx

“Hey guys!” Clint walks in to dinner a few minutes late, “I come bearing our newest recruit! She helped us out in Sokovia.” He says as a girl with brown hair and a shy smile step out from behind him.

“Hello, everyone. I didn’t really have time to introduce myself in all the chaos. I’m Wanda,” the girl says, with a thick accent.

“What is this, teenager recruitment week? Can MJ join up, too?” You tease and Clint rolls his eyes.

“We’re not making your girlfriend an Avenger because you think it’d be cute.” Tony says and you blush looking away.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” you grumble and MJ laughs.

“Only cause you won’t ask me out,” she says with a smirk and your jaw drops .

“Wait, what?” You look at her with wide eyes.

“Y/n, flirt later. Introduce yourself now,” your mom cuts in, snapping you out of your stupor.

“Huh? Oh yeah. Hey Wanda, I’m y/n. I’m the resident teenager around here. This is Peter, he’s on the team with us, and this is my friend MJ.”

“Your potential girlfriend if I heard correctly,” Wanda cuts you off and you glare.

“Yeah she’s gonna fit in fine,” you say rolling your eyes as she laughs. “Anyway! Neither of them live here, but they’re here all the time.  Everyone else stays here and they’re all members of the team. My parents Natasha and Steve, and that is Tony and Bruce. You’ve obviously met Clint.”

“That’s a lot of names,” Wanda laughs nervously and you smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ve had years to get this down. You’ll get there. Are you moving in?” You ask and she nods, “cool! Well, how about you join us for dinner and then Peter, MJ, and I can give you the tour. You three are lucky by the way! I only had all the old guys to show me around. They didn’t tell me that you could play video games on the screens in the lab or about the secret passageway to the roof.”

“Secret what now?”

“Nothing, mom!” You say, avoiding eye contact, causing everyone else to laugh.

xxxxx

“Hey, now that there’s more teenagers here can I drop out of school again?” You ask the next morning at breakfast and your dad laughs.

“Nice try, kid” Tony says and you sigh.

“Again?” Wanda asks and you nod.

“I dropped out when I first got here. I didn’t quite have control of my strength and they were trying this whole joint parenting thing. With 5 parents I could pretty much always convince one of them to give me my way. Then they adopted me and dad went on a power trip and put me back in school,” you tease and your dad rolls his eyes.

“Since when is making sure you get an education a power trip?” Steve asks.

“Since I could’ve been training and making sure I was ready for any danger that could arise.”

“Like wrenches?” Your mom teases as she walks in and you groan.

“When are you gonna let that go? I was a little kid!”

“Wrenches?” Wanda asks and you sigh.

“There was an accident in the lab when I first moved in. Long story short, I was helping Tony and he wasn’t paying enough attention leading to me getting hit in the face with a wrench and needing stitches,” you explain and she tries to hide her laugh.

“They won’t let me live it down,” you groan.

“Are you complaining about the wrench again?” Tony asks and you throw your hands in the air.

“Mom brought it up again. It wasn’t me!”

“Sure, y/n. Whatever you say,” he teases and you roll your eyes.

“You know what? I take it back. I don’t want to drop out. I’m going to school to get away from you crazy people!” You yell, grabbing your bag and heading for the door.

“Wait!” Your dad calls, “Wanda is going to start at your school today. Show her around, okay?”

“Yeah sure, welcome to the American education system kid,” you say leading her out the door.

“It surely can’t be as weird as they say it is, can it?” She asks and you laugh.

“It’s worse, there’s videos of my dad for almost every subject. You’ll hate it, let’s go.”

xxxxxx

“So how do you wanna play this?” You ask as you climb off your dirt bike, since you had turned 16 your mom finally let you drive it to school. Luckily she was a little groggy this morning and didn’t have time to put together that you don’t have a spare helmet. It’s not like you really need one anyway, you always give it to MJ when you sneak out to take her on rides.

“What do you mean?” Wanda asks as you lead her into school.

“Do you want to tell people you’re joining the Avengers? Everyone knows about me, but Peter keeps it a secret,” you explain and she nods.

“They’ll all find out eventually, right?” she says and you nod. “Then we can tell them. It’s okay.”

“It’ll hopefully help you get made fun of less,” you say and her eyes get wide, “Don’t worry. Most of them are scared of me. Stick with me and you’ll be good.”

“Hey, Captain Widow!” Somebody yells as you walk in and you nod in their general direction. That had become your sort of unofficial superhero name, but you kind of enjoyed it.

“Who’s the new kid?” Flash says stepping in front of you.

“This is Wanda, she’s joining the Avengers with me,” you say and he smirks.

“New teenager kick, I like it. Can I join?” he asks and you roll your eyes.

“You have to have some actual talent for that one, now, if you don’t mind, I’m pretty sure being in your presence is killing my brain cells,” you say stepping around him.

“Flash bugging you again?” Peter asks as you walk up and you shrug.

“He just wants to seem cool, he doesn’t do a very good job of it though.”

“You can say that again,” Ned says and you laugh.

“Oh, right! Wanda this is Ned, Ned this is Wanda, she just moved into the tower,” you introduce.

“Nice to meet you!” Ned says and Wanda smiles at him.

“Are you coming over today?” you ask MJ softly and before she can respond Peter cuts in.

“When does she not? She’s there more than I am and I’m on the team!”

“Watch it spiderboy,” you say and he raises his hands in surrender.

Tag list: @rvgrsbrns

Series Tag list: @hannahsairwave

[katsulia]

Oikawa Toru - Car accident

Genre : Angst, fluff 

Words : 1.7K

Summary : Oikawa’s S/O ends up in hospital after a car accident and while she is unconscious he reminisces their first encounter. 

a/n : Requests and matchups are open 

It all happened so fast, one minute y/n was controlling her car and the next she was being thrown against the air bag. She hadn't had time to brake in time, while a car was arriving at full speed from the left. The shock made her unconscious and already blood was running down her face. Immediately, the residents of the neighborhood alerted by the noise called the emergency services. The firemen had to get her out of her car as best they could, trying not to hurt her even more. The paramedics took over and set off quickly to the most convenient hospital. It was obvious that she needed to be taken care of on the spot in order to not suffer major consequences. The first examinations in the ambulance showed signs of head trauma, her eyes barely responding to the light from the small lamp that was moving just in front of the pupil.

At the same time, Oikawa was at the stove proud of the pie he had just baked. Normally this was y/n’s specialty, but he wanted to prove to her that he also could make it just as well, and even better. Hands on his hips and a satisfied smile on his lips he admired his culinary work that had just come out of the oven. All that was missing was Y, who would soon be back home and would be forced to acknowledge his talent. The ringing of his telephone cut him off in the reverie of the perfect scenario. An unknown number, but he picked up the phone anyway, not knowing what was awaiting him: "Hello, this is Sachi from the ambulance service. You are listed as the emergency contact for Y/N Y/S. She is currently being treated at JR Sendai Hospital after a car accident." The voice on the other line had just taken his breath away and his heart stopped beating when this information was delivered. Oikawa was totally lost, his body wasn't responding and his brain was almost running out of oxygen. He couldn't even think straight, but as soon as he came to his senses he ran to the door and grabbed the keys to his car. His movements were frantic and disarticulated.His heart was pounding and he was well above the speed limit, ready to run through all the traffic lights on his way. 

When he arrived at the hospital he hurried to the receptionist at the entrance, shoving everyone who came out of the building. "Y/N Y/S! She was in a car accident, they called me! I'm her fiancé! Where is she now? "His voice was shaking and he could hardly speak. His eyes reflected the panic he was in. And although the nurses around him tried to calm him down, nothing could change that. As soon as they told him the number of the room she was in, he started running through the hospital corridors. He seemed almost insane to those who passed him, but that was the last thing he could worry about. Out of breath he finally found room 407 and at the same time a man in a white blouse came out of it.

"Are you a relative of y/s? "he asked, glancing up and down at him. Oikawa's panicked and distraught voice hastily answered, "Yes, his fiance! Is she okay? Can I see her? ». His brain was preventing him from seeing clearly, but this was surely not the first time the doctor had been confronted with people in distress. "I'm Dr. Kama. Your loved one received a severe blow to the head but is very fortunate and does not suffer from a head injury that could have serious sequelae. "The doctor paused and resumed. "We put her on morphine. Her condition seems to be stable, she will wake up within the next few hours... You can see her but try not to be shaken much by her current state, she has one arm in a cast, her neck is immobilized, many bruises on her torso and a big shock on her head.  I will come back tomorrow. ». He shook his hand before leaving and immediately Oikawa found himself alone in front of door 407. His throat was tied in a knot, and he was already afraid to see what state Y/N was in.

She was lying there in a white bed in the middle of a room with white walls and wearing white hospital clothes. Everything was white. And it almost made him sick. There were strings hanging all over her body connected to oxygen and morphine tubes next to her. As the doctor had mentioned, her left arm was elevated in a cast. There were bandages all over her body and one around her head. Her face was damaged by a lot of scratches that had been treated. Her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping peacefully but peacefully was certainly not the word to use in this case. Oikawa's heart clenched at this horrific sight and tears were already reaching his eyes. He sat down beside her on a chair, not very comfortable, and burst into tears immediately. Gently he slipped his fingers into y/n's ones, trying to reassure himself that she was still there and that the feeling of her warm skin reminded him that she had made it through the worst. He needed to talk to her, and no matter if she wouldn't answer.

"Do you remember the first time we talked to each other? I'm sure I do, at least I have it stuck in my mind. Already then you were the most beautiful creature I'd ever laid eyes on. "As he recalled their first meeting, his brain took him back to their high school years.

The volleyball team's practice was about to begin, but y/n had to go back to the gym to get the sweater she left behind earlier. She was confronted with a horde of excited, eager girls, and judging by their ecstasy, it had nothing to do with the sport at all, but rather with the players. She definitely didn't have time to dwell on that and walked around the girls to the bench at the back of the room. However, what was her surprise when halfway through, one of the players blocked her way. His chocolate eyes were full of mischief and he was grinning, "Today's coach has banned the fans, but I see that some of them are defying the rules! I like that, after all, who could resist admiring this pretty face of mine? Especially when it comes to such a pretty lady as you! "Fan? Admire him? y/n's face clearly expressed her incomprehension and her frowning eyebrows reflected her perplexity at all this. "What? I just came to get my sweater, it's on the bench behind. "Oikawa burst out laughing as she couldn't figure out what was so funny about it. "Sweetie, there's no need to find excuses. I'll be glad to have you as my supporter... " y/n was starting to lose patience but fortunately Iwaizumi arrived at just in time and knocked Oikawa hard resulting in a strong "Iwa-chan !!!! " from him. "Stop thinking the world revolves around you, she's not in your fan club and just wants to get her stuff. Now let's get back to practice. " Y/N bowed her head to the second boy as a thank you and quickly went to get her sweater. The same sweater that earned her the glare from the girls at the entrance of the gym. 

"That day I was disappointed because the prettiest girl wasn't a fan of mine. And I was even more later when I realized that you were much more than just a pretty girl. The boys kept on teasing me after that, but deep down I knew that you were the one for me. It's too cliché to say and I don't even know how to explain it but you managed to awaken something else in me. "Oikawa was rarely so emotional. Of course he showed his love for Y/N every day and had no problem sharing his feelings. The number one flirt was never embarrassed. Now that was different, his heart was bleeding and he needed to share what he was feeling deep inside.

"It's funny, 'cause I thought you were a narcissistic douchebag." Y/N's fragile, feverish voice surprised him. At the same time she motioned her thumb and drew small circles on his hand. "HONEY! You're awake! Are you all right? Shall I call a doctor? Oh, do you want me to get you another pillow? Maybe some hot chocolate?" She couldn't help but laugh at Oikawa's hectic reaction. "No, baby, I just need you to hold me"

As soon as said, as soon as done.Finally, in a way, he had to manage to not hurt her and it wasn't easy, especially since the bed wasn't very big.  On several occasions she let out small noises of discomfort, always followed by murmurs of apology by him. Finally they managed to find a comfortable position for her rather than for him. Oikawa closed his eyes and took a deep breath, appreciating the soft scent of his hair. He had missed her more during those few hours than he had when he was in Argentina. Y/N did the same, with her eyes shut she was enjoying the warmth of her fiancé's body. It was almost as if she was at home since her favorite place in the world was in his arms. They stayed like that for a good ten minutes, even if Oikawa's muscles started to tense up.

It didn't take long before Oikawa broke the silence. "Y/N you're so mean! I was describing my burning love for you and you called me a narcissistic douchebag. "His voice was childish and was teasing.  Once again y/n laughed, happy to get bac the Oikawa she knew. " That's what I had thought, but look where we are today. "She spoke these words with a smile on her lips and bright eyes staring at the shimmering diamond ring on her left hand.  In reality Oikawa didn't care what she had thought, jerk or not, all that mattered was the present moment and knowing that she was fine. 

[sloppy-butcher]

Waitin’ On a Superman -  Chapter 3 : Like Pulling Teeth

(The Hillbilly (Max Thompson Jr.) x female!reader)

notes: i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and enjoy what i have managed to produce so far <3 its really helps me with my confidence and such

also i have made a spotify playlist of songs that i personally listen to when getting in the mood of the story. i would like to share it but only if yall would like to hear it ahaha  er anyway, thank you again <3 

Previous ; Next 

Pulling your head free from the grasp of the hay straws felt like something akin to being born. All at once you were alive again, breathing in the cool barn air having just awoken from the land of musky earth. It was refreshing; cleansing; jarring. The dream world fell away and noise and smell bombarded you, crashing in like unforgiving waves against a wayward boat. You were confused by your surroundings, head turning around frantic for clues, until your eyes landed upon familiar yellow and you remembered everything.

You remember walking. You remember the dog. And you remember him. 

It was brighter now, your mind more inclined to function as intended without fog or muck to slow production. You remember his voice, the sound of his heavy footsteps, the way in which he spoke and how he had helped you. Kindness, even small as his was, was such a rare oddity here, strangers only being associated with unforgivable violence and cruelty. But he was kind, offered you rest and protection where others would simply chase you out. It surprised you, more now than it did when it had occurred. How strange, how very strange indeed.

As you stood up from your make-shift bed, dusting stray straws off your jeans and t-shirt, a part of you started to construct a way of saying thank you to the man. Though you had nothing to give, nothing of material value, you somehow felt obligated to present to him your utmost appreciation for his generosity. It was an ingrained and practiced habit that consumed you until you started to focus more on the man himself.

You remember feeling oddly familiar with him - something about his voice perhaps? Or the way in which he walked and presented himself? Whatever it was, it triggered something from you, a deep, visceral response that made your stomach grow heavy with lead and your palms begin to sweat. And the more you tried to identify the specifics of your sudden upheaval, bringing it to the forefront of your attention, the heavier the response became and the more panicked you began to feel. Dread crept up your back and nestled into your shoulder whenever you thought about him. Something about trying to remember him made you feel … terrified. There was simply no other word to describe it. He terrified you. You just couldn’t understand why.

You were stuck at a crossroads. A part of you wanted to find the man and personally thank him for everything, to pay forward his kindness using gestures of companionship and see how far one could push this unique experience. The other part of you never wanted to meet the man ever again, demanding you flee at once and never looked back. Each road pulled at you, neither one able to one-up the other in strength and appeal thus leaving you at an uncomfortable, pointed balance. You rub your face with your hands, sighing as you tried to sway yourself to make a decision. You wished you were back asleep.

Nothing offered itself as assistance to your plea as you paced the barn and with no other option, you relented your fruitless battle and walked out into the night. Whatever will happen, will happen - whether that be you see him again or you finally manage to escape the corn-maze, you were going to meet it head-on regardless. 

You stood on the border of the clearing between the barn safety and the yellow ocean, gazing into the sweet abyss that had been devouring you for so long. You wanted to stay at the barn, at the only sign of land where you could not drown. But you remembered his warning and with a heavy sigh you set off. Without looking back you stepped out into the field, casting yourself once more off to sea, letting go of the red barn and allowing the wind to swallow you whole and carry you to wherever it wished. However, you had only been walking for a few minutes before you heard the heavy panting of the dog behind you. So this is what has been decided. No fighting it, no running.

“Hello again.” You stopped and breathed in, gathering your confidence in the face of the beast, willing yourself not to give in to the unjustified fear.  You had no reason to be so afraid, he had done nothing to you. Not yet. “I was hoping I’d find you again.” Your voice was calmer, collecting itself in idle conversation. You slowly, careful of quick movement so as not to frighten him or yourself, roll your head around your position, trying to spot any sign of the man hiding away. “I wanted to thank you for your generosity.”

“Did you sleep?” The man answered almost immediately, somewhat throwing you off balance. From how reserved and mild he was during the previous encounter you were sure you’d have to sweet talk him a little more to get him to open up. But his eagerness was not unwelcomed and you gave yourself over to talking.

“I did. On the hay pile in the barn. It was…” You paused from a moment, all cylinders in your brain firing in an attempt to find the appropriate word to describe your rest, “...great, I suppose.” At this he paused, probably to take in your response and work out a retort. In the silence something stirred, curling itself into your already weak stomach. You shooed it away and willed him to speak.

“Donny always liked the hay. It makes a good bed.” He said finally, drawing your mind away from the coldness in your palms and to his voice. You tilt your head at his mention of ‘Donny’. Was he referring to the same pig from the other night? Or in some weird way was he calling you ‘Donny’? For now you let the confusion slide and instead pushed on with the discussion.

“Do you not sleep?” You asked, your head continuing to timidly scan your surroundings. If he was opposed to your efforts to locate him, the man did not show it and without him actively stopping you, you endured without complaint. You practically heard the man shrug.

“Don’t try to.” He mumbled halfheartedly. 

“It's because you’re stuck, like me. Right?” His perplexed quiet was enough of an indicator for you to example yourself. “I mean, you’re stuck here in this corn field. Just like me. I may not know exactly how long I have been here but I know it’s been a while.” You look down at your hands, fingernails dirty from stains you could not remember getting. “I’ve been walking through this field forever and yet I never reach a fence. Or a house. Or anything.” Speaking your fears into life was somewhat cathartic for you, reaching out to this strange person with a hand trembling and unsure made you hope beyond reason that he could sympathize with your plea. To be human and experience and understand the toils of another as if they were your own. You lifted your eyes to the corn and towards the position where you guessed him to be. You smiled, lips chapped and cracking from the stretch but persevering regardless. It hurt you to grin, a gesture you had not partaken in for so long that you had almost forgotten how to even do it. You hoped that it at least looked more sincere than it felt.

“You are stuck.” The man replied in his ever gruff and rocky voice, like stones crashing around in an engine. “I am stuck sometimes. The corn is like mud. It sinks.” 

“Sometimes?” You inquire, an eyebrow lifting as your interest peaked. He grunted, sounding as if nodding with force.

“I can leave only when Boy is called. Called by the spider in the sky.” Suddenly, you jumped and gasped loudly.

“You know about that thing!?” You twirl on your feet, spinning around the corn looking for any hint of the man. Your eyes were ablaze with glory, ironic relief washing over your body at his words. Here you found another lost soul. Another person who could feel the sky pulsing and eating. Someone who knew that there was more to this world than just psycho killers wielding axes. “I thought I was the only one who could sense it! No one else at the campfire believed me when I said there was something up there.” Your victory waned at the mention of the campfire. Your smiling dwindled and your movement stopped, eyes clouded and downcast. The campfire? The others. When was the last time you had seen them? The last time you had seen anyone for the fact? You could barely remember their faces. They were all a blur like mist on a foggy bathroom mirror, there were faces but no details. Names but no meaning. You suddenly felt very lonely and longed to go back to that horrible campfire with those equally horrible people. 

A most nasty habit that people had - the want to flock together like sheep. Though to be with people irked you, riding up with an ill-fitting pair of jeans on tender skin, there was no denying that your heart ached when it realized it was alone. You always said you liked being alone but you always hated being lonely.

“Will you walk with me?” Your voice was distant as your thoughts drifted back to the people waiting at the campfire, your tongue moving before your mind would react. “Will you walk with me to the fence?” In your stupor, the man’s reaction to your request went unnoticed. He was shocked, gawking at you with wide, disbelieving eyes and his mouth agape. He examined you from head to toe, tearing you apart with suspicious eyes, trying to uncover if you were attempting to hurt him or not. Was this some kind of joke? Were you going to laugh at him? You knew that there was no real fence, no true boundary to this place, and yet you wanted to exhaust yourself trying to find it? He was baffled by your ignorant persistence and resorted to studying you harder for any cracks in your outward appearance. Where he expected to find half-hidden malice, he only saw sadness. You were sad, he knew what it looked like on people. And it wasn’t fake sadness either, not the kind that people on the T.V wore when something bad happened. Yours was real, he could smell it. 

“I will walk with you. To the fence.” The man replied softly, speaking at a volume that was tentative and hesitant, a part of him still remaining apprehensive to your next actions. You raise your head at his confirmation, a glimmer of your former smile returning to your lips.

“Thank you.” You lowered your head in a meager bow and after a moment debating whether to let him lead or you, you walked off in a direction you presumed to be forward with the man setting off behind you.

All through the walk you racked your brain from conversation topics; lovely weather we are having? What do you think someone would do with all this corn? There were so many different options to choose from yet each fell flat when pitted against possibility. Try as you might, you just could not think of anything to say. It also did not help that that horrible, foreboding feeling had followed you out there, trailing you like a dark cloud. With the man so close your familiar fear kicked itself into overdrive. There was just something so recognizable about him, something dreadful and vile. But what? What about him had spooked you to this extent? Sure, his voice was raspy and congested and his breathing was that of a sleeping beast, but his words and the soft tones he used were all of that of a boy. A simple youth who bled this pure form of compassion and slowness. Such a contradicting feeling he gave off, to be the reason you wanted to flee yet drawing you in with a need to know more about him. You yearned for the talking of frivolous topics to distract you from the gnawing panic that resided in your stomach but the rivers ran dry of inspiration and you were left to walk in pitiful, heavy silence.   

In one last, desperate grab at distraction, you started to pay attention to his footsteps, a task made easier in the barren landscape of only corn and wind. His pace was loud and large, landing with each step in a heavy stomp. He must be very tall, you supposed. Or very big. The weight of the sound, after being taken into consideration, was not deemed as important to focus on when you noticed the odd rhythm he had. Instead of a consistent 1-2 pace that most people would have, the man had a rather jolted one. The space between thumps were uneven and gave you the impression that he had some kind of limp or poor leg. In a strange sense it almost sounded like a heartbeat.

Something flickered at your revelation. It was such a unique walk pattern that it triggered a memory in you, a vision of running and hiding away and the sound of a chainsaw. The fear flexed itself in your stomach. It did not help when the breeze shifted and you managed to catch a whiff of that previously undisclosed smell. His smell. The coppery smell of fresh blood. The coldness spread further, you mind reeling as the fingers of your panic threatened to grab you. You remember that walk. You remember that breathing. You remember that heartbeat.

You squeeze your eyes shut, mentally willing your body to calm down and stop racing to conclusions. Stop thinking about him. Stop thinking about the dog. Stop- 

You come to a sudden stop when you realize that he was not behind you anymore. Snapping your eyes open you were greeted by the sight of the dilapidated red barn and its open doors. Disappointment mingled with your fluttering chest, terror mixing well with despair in a deadly concoction.

“I really am stuck here.” You mumbled to yourself, hands falling from your arms to hang useless at your sides. “There really is no way out.”

“Not unless Donny is called.” The man, oblivious to your dawning anguish, muttered from somewhere to your right. Though you knew that ultimately that you were never going to find a way out of the fields and that even thinking about it would only cause misery, that moment when your feeble hope died you were sure your heart had stopped altogether. This was your eternity now, to barely be alive when drowned in yellow. Nothing to run for, nothing to fight towards. Listlessly you feel your body regain itself, standing tall at the edge of everything. If this was all there is, then what are you scared for?

“Donny can stay at the barn again. Boy will be here soon. Stay. Sleep and I will come back.” You heard the man shuffle to leave and before you could even think you shouted at him.

“Wait!” The world shook in the wake of your outburst, such volumes never being reached in this sea of feigned tranquility. “Wait please.” You exhale, finally feeling the full weight of the fear you had tried so fiercely to run away from, settle mercilessly upon your chest. “I know you.” With your eyes looking at the ground, you turn your head over your shoulder towards the man. “I know you so there is no need to hide anymore. If I am to be stuck here with you, I want to see your face. And know your name.” He did not respond right away, a part of you suspecting that he had simply left before you had even asked your question, unaware of everything. But you could still hear his breathing, coming now in hollow gasps. 

“No one likes my face.” He answered, voice surprisingly dangerous and bitter. You did not shy away from him however, did not give into the rising uneasiness of the mood. 

“But I already know you. And I don't remember not liking it.” That was a blatant lie and you wished that he could not see through it. There was a growl.

“No! No! No one likes my face!” He was shouting, angry words springing forth from the same person who was so soft spoken just moments before. You turn more of your attention to him, your eyes still lowered allowing yourself one last opportunity to back down. You did not. There was nothing for you to go to if you backed off now.

“Please.” You knew he could not resist your request when you presented it in such a placid manner. There was a shout, an explosion of noise and violence and you jumped at its severity. You heard the rush of footsteps leap out from the field as a shadow loomed itself over you.

“Look! Look Donny! Look at Max and laugh at him!” He was right behind you, his hot breath bursting against your neck in towering waves. Without giving yourself the chance to consider anything, you spun around and came face to face with the fuming dog, his teeth bared.

At the sight of him, your knees went weak and the floor beneath you fell away. You wanted to scream, to run away, to give in to horror and fear and go hysterical and wild. He was hideous, truly monstrous and hardly even a man at all. It was flesh at war, torrents of skin fighting itself as it connected head to neck and neck to torso. Beneath that storm was a face pushing through, with a mouth wide, teeth crooked and eyes like fiery pinpricks in the dark. He was awful to look at yet your eyes could not be torn away. He stole from you your sanity with nothing but the mere look of his being alone. 

Though your mind clouded with uncontrollable panic and fear, you could still recognize the man, his face unforgettable. It was him alright, no more denying it, no more pushing it away. You had known it was him from that very first encounter yet foolishly you had rejected everything, ignoring every piece of awful evidence that had sat itself right in front of your nose, all in favor of self desires. You wanted him to be someone else. You needed this strange man to be a good person whom you could hold on to, you could reach out for. But as the cruelest twist of fate, he was the complete opposite.

It was the Hillbilly - the monster who hunted you and the others with that wicked chainsaw of his. Nothing but a beast made of only the poorly defined form of man, a shape with no purpose other than to kill. You knew it was him from the moment you heard him behind you, breathing like that roaring engine he always did. You never forget the sound of the dog trying to kill you. You had been weak, allowing him to get close enough to you to practically have his bloody hands wrapped around your throat. 

You wanted to run, to flee and try to live just that little bit longer - give your body and soul over to inherent prey instinct. But as you looked into those blazing, hateful eyes framed by grotesque threads of dirty skin, you found that all you could do was wait. It was like facing off against an oncoming train, reckless and unstoppable coming at you at full-speed fuming with noxious smoke. You had seen this movie before and knew how the story ended - he would kill you and leave your body for the rats. 

Every fiber of your being screamed at you to leap out of its path but something stronger and more persistent held you tightly in place. He was not moving so why should you? He was not attacking so why should you run? He was talking so why should you not listen? Once again you clung to the belief that if this man was able to talk and reason then there was something human inside him, something that could be grasped and felt. Regardless of all logic and reason you sought that something and waited for him to offer you another chance to try to dig it out of him. If this was the end, then you would not die with your back turned.

“Hello Max.” You said, your voice a quiet light in the gloomy atmosphere. You saw him visibly retract at your calmness, his eyes darting around your whole body in search of something, anything that would indicate malcontent. “It's nice to meet you.” His stupor lasted only a second longer before he roared and lunged forward, hand twitching around the handle of his chainsaw.

“Donny always laughs! Donny is always scared!” He reeled his head back violently, stretching up into his full, powerful height. You sank into his shadow but did not waver in your stance. Come rain or ruin, you could not find the effort to move your feet even an inch. “Everyone is meant to be laughing at Max! Everyone is meant to be scared!” He brought his attention back down to you and you shuddered under his glare, trying beyond anything not to flinch in his presence. “Donny is always scared!” 

You waited a moment, allowing for his fuming words to cool and settle in the night air before answering with yours. “Donny is scared. They are terrified.” Max tilted his chin inwards to his chest, looking as if preparing to attack, a deep gnarl resonating forth from somewhere in that twisted body. “But not of you, Max. Donny is scared of your anger. Of your…” Your eyes drift to the chainsaw clenched tightly in his hand. Max’s own attention followed yours and for an instant you saw him relent his hold on the weapon. He shot his head back to you, had he had eyebrows they would have been furrowed with muddled anger. 

“Donny lies! You lie! You laugh!”

“But Donny is not.” You retorted, your tone never raising above a mellow reassurance. You closed your eyes for a moment, letting the blackness offer you strength as your confidence crumbled. You opened them again and, with a slow, soothing exhale, let your lips extend into the faintest of smiles. You gave him everything in that moment, putting forward all compassion and comfort you could muster into your eyes and smile for him to consume and judge. “I am not lying. And I am not laughing at you Max.” This earned a slack-jawed, wide-eyed expression from the man, his emotions, though messy under his tangled flesh, portraying clearly on his face. He was completely and utterly astonished. 

You watched as he took in your coolness, sucking from you all the serene and hushed energy you had given. He shuts his eyes, slamming his jaw closed and shaking his head vigorously as if trying to shake something loose. He roared again, a most horrible sound that carried for miles in every direction across the field, making the corn around you shake from the sheer magnitude of his power. He raised his empty hand and started pounding his fist into his ear, screaming louder and harder with each contact. You were startled by his reaction and by the way he jumped so quickly from seeking your comfort to out-right rage. Without thinking you step closer to him, a hesitant hand lifting to reach for him. 

Suddenly he jumped forward at you, coming so close that you can feel the heat of his anger eminent off his heaving chest. He stands over you, his fist, with knuckles gone white from stress, moves dangerously closer to your face and hovers there as if debating whether to choke you or not. You subconsciously gulp and take in your final breath, sure that this was the last moments of your pitiful life. You look up at him, his eyes bursting with something between uncontrollable hatefulness and a desperate pity. He tightens his fist and it shakes from the sheer force.

“Donny stays in the barn. Stays in the pen. Until Boy is gone.” His words were more rough, coming from behind gritted teeth. You nod up at him.

“Of course.” Max runs his eyes once more over you body, scanning every corner of your face for anything that he could use to call your bluff but finds nothing. With one final snarl he pulled himself away and disappeared into the corn, leaving behind no reminisce of himself to prove that all that happened was real. In the silence that filled the gap he had left you felt the universe cave in. Conflicting voices erupted in your head, your trembling legs buckling under your body weight. You felt cold and despondent, eyes lingering on the spot where he departed. While your mind wanted to stay and think, to mull over everything until you had worked yourself into a vile panic attack, exhaustion beckoned and you submissively and gratefully followed. Walking inside the barn you find your hay pile and within minutes you were floating away to the safe land of earth and nature.