#but i’m a bit stumped by number 2??

[legendofthe3divas]

YOUR EVENIN' THIS OR THAT

(a little one due to my headache)

popcorn- sweet, salty, or both?

sincerley me or you will be found?

Mitski or Marina?

which is harder, as a british hun gcses or a-level?

selena or hailey?

OMG YAYYY

(dw about it seriously <3)

1. SWEET POPCORN ALL THE WAYY

2. wait i’m confused wdum? do you want me to pick between me and u?

3. neither?? i don’t like either sorry lol

4. i would say a-levels can be harder depending on what one you pick

5. again neither sorrrry 😢

thank you for that even if i can answer them all to ur best <3

[kairiscorner]

Throwback to the very first thing i requested from u bc i think it’s been over a month HAHAHA

For ‘i’m stuck with you’ (art student x stem student miggy) EXCEEEPPPTTT make the reader a english/langlit major, or just really good at writing (bc i love my writers)

Okay, we have established that reader is fucking terrible at math (i am them, they are me)

But how about miguel needing help with essays? Because sci students are lowkey kinda bad with essays

Cause yeah, even though i hc that miggy probably has really, really good grammar, when writing essays? Nah, that mf is all over the place.

Like he has the ideas, but he lacks the creativity and writing skill to get them onto paper

(Not a request, but write it if u want to :D)

SHIEEEEEETTTTTT i am forever in love with college miggy <333

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

i'm stuck with you. — miguel o'hhara x reader pt. 2 (college dorm mates au)

summary: it should come as no surprise to anybody that miguel o'hara was extremely good at running his mouth off and pretentious when it came to grammar and spelling... but making him write an opinionated essay, or a book report? oh, you're stumping him. luckily for him, he has a super adorable, english-smart dorm mate; unluckily for him, however, you can't put up with his annoying, whiny ass about how "boring" all this writing seems to be.

pairing: college!dorm mate!miguel o'hara x college!dorm mate!reader

genre: fluff <333

word count: 965

author's note: when is it my turn to have a cocky, math and science smarts stem boyfriend that sucks ass at creative writing ,,, i'm alr the writer gf, universe, ano ba 😭😭😭

he stared at the flashing cursor on the document he was supposed to be writing his book report for the english class he had to take. he sighed and folded his arms over his chest in frustration, his eyebrows crinkling as all he could do was sigh again at the lack of ideas swirling in his head. "this is why i took genetics, nobody needs to write reflections on alleles or why DNA is shaped as a double helix... this is idiotic." he muttered under his breath as he forcefully hit the backspace key repeatedly and sighed for the third time.

you soon arrived back to your dorm after attending all your classes for the day and was surprised to witness your so-called "genius" dorm mate slump over his desk, his forehead pressed down against the surface as his laptop remained open and the document remained empty–even emptier than before, actually. you walked over to miguel, half concerned and half unfazed, ironically. you had yearned to see the day when his ego would break, but unfortunately, you weren't there to see the fall–hence you drew barely any enjoyment out of seeing him all stumped.

"hey, genius, what's wrong?" you asked him in a partially sarcastic and partially worried voice, with miguel groaning as he thumped his forehead lightly against the surface of his desk. "words are hard." he muttered. you raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled lightly. "words are hard? wow, and you can piece together a bunch of letters and greek symbols together... either you're speaking an alien language of incomprehensible numbers, or you're just good at everything but linguistics." "the latter." miguel mumbled all muffled and groan again.

you chuckled and moved closer to him, practically hovering over him as you looked at the very blank document before you. "what's this supposed to be?" "an... essay." "an essay has words, you realize that, right?" you asked him sarcastically with a smile. he scowled at you as he sat up a bit from his computer chair. "it's... it's loading." "nah, i know exactly when words are loading, i'm around documents a lot–you've got nothing on it." you pointed out with a snicker as miguel rolled his eyes.

"well, if you're so good at this, why not you do it?" he asked you with narrowed eyes. you rolled your eyes and placed your arms over his shoulders, bringing your fingertips to the keyboard to type for him. you were in such close proximity to miguel that he couldn't focus on anything but the feeling of your forearms brushing against his shoulders and neck occasionally, and the scent of your perfume filling his nose. he felt a bit flustered at the feeling and scents he was picking up from you.

you tilted your head slightly. "what is it, mig? care to tell me what your essay's supposed to be about?" you asked him, snapping him out of his trance as he pushed his glasses back up on his face and cleared his throat. "it's about... my thoughts around my favorite person. i know, pretty rudimentary, it's a question for a first grader. but the problem is... i can't even begin to describe that 'favorite person' of mine. the thoughts are pouring in, the words just... don't come as fluidly." miguel admitted as he shrugged.

that was no problem for you, however–you had the ability to come up with the most effective and creative ways to write feelings, thoughts, and ideas out with ease; you were just the person miguel needed. you articulated his thoughts out on the virtual document for him, listening to him patiently describe his favorite person in such layman terms; and you, with your very eloquent and unique way of delivering his scrambled thoughts, wrote him a 7 page essay in that one sitting. all he did was open and close his mouth, speak in such simple terms to describe his favorite person–stuttering, stammering, repeating words involuntarily due to his limited vocabulary for adjectives that could properly describe that person, expanded by your own broad vocabulary aiding him in drawing a picture of this favorite person of his that... felt familiarly unfamiliar, in an uncanny way.

you two finished the joint work you were doing, and miguel's mouth hung open in surprise at how quickly you could type and how you never repeated a single adjective to describe his favorite person–and especially at how long the work you wrote was. "no... way." he muttered aloud as he rolled the mouse's cursor all the way down to the seventh page, his eyes bulging from their sockets as he took in every word you wrote for him. "my professor's not gonna believe i wrote this." he gushed as you chuckled. "is it that bad?" you asked him with a shy smile as he looked at you in disbelief.

"bad? this is spectacular, beyond everything i ever expected–thank you." he expressed his thanks to you as you smiled wider and shrugged. "dunno, i... think i could've elaborated more on paragraph–" "oh, please, if you elaborate any more, my professor's got fail me on the spot, they'll know i didn't write it by then. it's beautiful, it... really encompasses how i feel about my favorite person. thank you..." he said as he grinned up at you brightly. you had witnessed a side of miguel that no one had ever seen before... a grateful side to the cocky, arrogant genius of this college; and you swore, that from the corner of your eye... a hint of a genuinely happy, adoring miguel was staring back at you through those hazel brown orbs of his that peered into the deep recesses and depths of his soul, of his heart.... have you finally figured out who his favorite person is?

tags !! @miguelswifey04 @binibinileonara @melovetitties @arachnoia @luvstarrstruck @ophanimgold @popeheywardssecretgf @meeom @simsrandomstuff @hisachuu @wreakingmarveloushavok @fictarian @yuridopted0

©kairiscorner (don't steal my work, i'll steal your kneecaps !)

[youlookedalotbetterlastnight]

Everything She Wants

Gerard Way Fanfic/smut 

(rough sex, slight degradation, praise kink, unprotected sex (cover your stump before you hump), creampie, first-date sex)

AN;Posting Pt 2 right after upload

-

I work at a coffee shop with my best friend, Jennifer. I start chatting with her until I hear the bell above the door ring, I turn my head to greet the customer and I'm met with a boy with black hair. He's average height, but he slouches a little, he’s wearing a normal black sweatshirt and dark blue jeans that are slightly baggy. “Uh, hi welcome to Coffee Bean Expresses what– what could I get you?” I stutter like an idiot, Jesus Christ I want to beat my own ass. While trying to greet him, I try to seem as normal as humanly possible but nothing can stop my face from heating up and my cheeks turning a bright pink, he then finally speaks “Yeah could I get a large hot coffee, extra sugar, and cream?” I grab the large cup and a marker and write down what he asked for. I can feel my heart ready to beat out of my chest. “And, what’s your name?” you look up smiling “Gerard” he replies “G-E-R-A-R-D, right?” you ask and he nods, I quickly write his name on the cup “Will that be all for today?” I say with a smile he says yes and he pays for the coffee. I walk over to the station where I start making the coffee and I turn your head to see Jennifer “Looks like you have a little crush, huh?” she teases “Oh shut up” I roll my eyes while smiling “I think someone has a crush on you” she says quietly in a sing-song voice while looking over to where Gerard is sitting. I briefly look up to see him staring at me once he sees that I looked back at him and he looks away embarrassed trying to play it off, and man are you a sucker for cute boys he practically stole your heart– no, soul. I finish up making the coffee and walk up to the counter where I call his name. He walks over and I hand him the coffee, you’re afraid that this would be the end of it and you’ll never see the cute boy ever again. I went to turn away “Uh, excuse me!” he says and I turn back around “Oh, is something wrong with your drink, sir?” I asked and he shakes his head “No, I just uh, I was wondering if I could maybe get your number?” he asks, he looks cutely embarrassed and his eyes flicker up from the floor and he makes eye contact with me I giggle and he looks a bit worried “Sure.” and he then asks for my name. I point down to my name tag. I smile and I grab my notepad from my apron and a pen and I write down my number on a page and rip it out handing it to him. I say ��Have a wonderful day.” I smile, he smiles back and he walks out, I turn around to see Jennifer giggling “Have a wonderful day!” she mocks me in a high pitched voice I playfully push her on the arm and laugh. I have a pretty early shift so I can leave earlier than usual. 

It's about 3PM in the afternoon and I get into my car and drive home, 30 minutes pass after I get home and i’m in my pajama shorts and a big T-shirt  in my bed watching some random TV show, feel my Nokia flip phone vibrate and I grab it I look on the little screen 

1 New Message

[chirpsythismorning]

Rick Conroy's Recent Rentals:

Teen Wolf (1/2/3)

As a refresher, this is a shot from 4x02: Vecna's Curse. Robin, Max, Dustin and Steve are using the video store's database to look through the most recent rentals of all the Ricks in town as hints for which one Reefer Rick is, so that they can get his address and track down Eddie.

Unfortunately for them, this selection here from Rick Conroy didn't give off 'reefer' vibes and so they moved on to the next one.

However, luckily for us, this could very well have been hinting at events that are either already happening in s4, or are perhaps still yet to fully come to fruition in s5.

2. Teen Wolf (1985)

This is easy/hard because although it could be fairly simple, it could also be complex, to the point where it may very well go even further than this film. So I guess I'll just humor the implications, both simple and complex, because why not.

The entire plot of Teen Wolf revolves around a protagonist who is tired of being average, only to find out that he's actually the opposite of average: a frickin' werewolf.

There are a lot of possibilities for where elements of this film could align with certain concepts in the show. I even feel like it could be related to a specific arc on the most basic level (ie. Sixteen Candles = Birthdaygate).

Ironically, something I also noticed related to this, is that in the same episode we get the Rick selection with Teen Wolf, we also see the poster for it in the exact same spot as the Sixteen Candles poster was at the end of s3. We even see the letters ARC(ADE) in the right corner of the frame for both (probably just a coincidence, but a cool one at that).

Notice the pole going straight through the Teen Wolf poster here? More on that later...

Initially, I was going to just associate this film with the storyline related to the basketball team, because we do see a prominent arc related to basketball in s4, and so that felt like an easy way to pinpoint that reference?

However, I did feel sort of inclined to dig deeper, and this is because the other two films from this specific Rick selection connects to Will's character more than any of the other characters arguably.

Basically, after being stumped with the Teen Wolf mention, and intending to just stick with the simplicity of how the reference could apply to s4, I moved on to Romancing the Stone, only to find out it screamed Will, and so a part of me began wondering if it could be more complex than it seems when it comes to this reference.

And so, what exactly would Teen Wolf (1985) have to do with Will and his present/future arc, assuming that these three movies are indeed related to his character?...

Well, Twelvegate.

Just take a look at the film's slogan at the top of the movie poster:

He always wanted to be special. But he never expected this!

Upon rewatching this scene I also noticed there are twelve Ricks total...

As many of you probably know, there has been a decent amount of imagery with Will's blocking being obstructed by rods/poles/stakes, etc. (ie. Phineas Gage). So the fact that a pole interferes with the poster for TW could also be intentional in its attempt to give it some association to Will.

Here are the several other shots we get of the TW poster in this same episode:

I remember so much discourse about how this shot above was foreshadowing Max's confrontation with Vecna, which I do still fully believe to be the case. However, now I'm also rethinking about how that claw representing Venca looks just a little too aligned with the TW poster to not at least be a little bit intentional...

Look at Dustin and Max's bikes! They're blue/yellow directly in front of the poster!

And that's that on that!!

Though, if I’m being honest, this all still felt a little too simple to me.

The poster with Michael J. Fox opening up his shirt to reveal the title Teen Wolf also reminded me of the official reveal that Vecna was 001? Where the UD vines sort of scatter to reveal the number on his wrist...?

While it could be relevant as a potential hint for Will only now discovering as a teen that he has powers/is connected to the lab, similar to the protagonist of Teen Wolf only now discovering as a teen that he is a werewolf, I still want to try to take it another step further.

Now, going back to the basketball plot in s4, because I do think there still could be some connections between the show and the basketball theme in the film, is that there's actually a really layered connection to Teen Wolf going on here. And it has very me intrigued.

Although, this connection can be easily overlooked, as it's not related to the 1985 version, but actually the 2011 drama series, loosely based on the 1985 version, which goes by the same name...

As it turns out, Mason Dye’s most notable role before he was cast as Jason Carver in s4 of Stranger Things, was his role as Garrett in s4 of Teen Wolf.

So I guess the casting department decided to typecast tf out of Mason, by giving him the role of a character in a storyline potentially inspired by elements from the movie Teen Wolf? A role which also happens to be almost identical to his role in the series Teen Wolf?

Jason Carver character description in Stranger Things: popular basketball player ends up hunting down Hellfire Club (ALSO peep his #12 jersey... yep.)

Garrett character description in Teen Wolf: popular lacrosse player ends up hunting down Scott's pack

This also reminded me of the Duffer's talking about the casting of Amybeth McNulty. For those who don't know, Amybeth starred in Anne with an E (2017-2019), which is a drama series based on the book Anne of Green Gables (1908). There's also a well known TV mini-series based on said book which came out in 1985. After casting for Vickie was announced, the Duffers revealed that they were fans of the AOGG book and the mini series as kids (which is why the book was referenced in the show a few times), but also made a point to add that they were big fans of AWAE.

This is interesting to me because I feel like TW and AWAE are the kind of shows that have a bad rep (mostly deserved for TW atp), but specifically because of how they present themselves on the surface?

Werewolf teens and a talkative red-haired girl in braids don't exactly scream quality TV to most people? Which like, fair enough. Not to mention, both adaptations were based on stories that were very popular in the 80's, being modernized for future audiences. And so a lot of people hated them for that reason alone, without even giving them a second glance.

However, within the context of the Duffers, who are well known film nerds, who literally watch anything and everything under the sun, I think it's possible (and even likely) they watched Teen Wolf the series.

Arguably, TW's most impressive narrative moments come from season 3b. Which interestingly enough brings us back to the main focus I had for this post, which is how exactly this could all relate to Will.

Answer?

Will being possessed by the Mind Flayer is EXTREMELY void-Stiles coded:

Void-Stiles is easily recognized as one of the strongest arcs in the entire series, and for good reason. S3b season truly tested the limits of Dylan O'Brien's talent, along with a lot of other elements in the show just really hitting the mark that season. The story-building, the vibes, and the acting from the cast overall was pretty good, making it well regarded as a fan favorite (sound familiar?).

At first it starts with Stiles sacrificing himself, essentially dying for a short period of time, only to come back to life, but to have also left a door open in his mind. This door (ajar) makes Stiles vulnerable to the Nogitsune (an evil spirit that feeds off of chaos, strife and pain), who of course takes advantage and attaches to Stiles.

Slowly, Stiles starts experiencing an inability to focus, sleepwalking, vivid dreams during the day, while also not being able to tell the difference between dreams and reality. Eventually this leads to the Nogitsune gaining control, who then starts to have more influence on Stiles' behavior, leading him to trick his loved ones around him into believing that it's him by acting like Stiles at times, when really it's the Nogitsune. He uses Stiles' body as a vessel to wreak havoc on the town of Beacon Hills, but also specifically Stiles friends/family.

He even goes as far as to make Stiles do things like twist a sword into his best friends chest, then finally detaches himself from Stiles' body only to in that very same moment kidnap Lydia (his love interest), and ending in a battle with him orchestrating the attempted murder of an entire floor of a hospital, along with successfully killing a beloved main character.

While I do think it's possible we could see some similarities between these storylines here (we arguably already have), something I realized a while back when researching for birthdaygate, was that it did remind me a great deal of Stiles' arc in s6a of TW.

What makes this arc kind of ironic in the context of this post, is that there are some parallels to Back to the Future...

Basically everyone forgets Stiles existed, to the point where he's completely erased from reality, including photographs (Back to the Future reference). Other details about him, like his name and his connection to the people around him, is what plays a big part in his return (including radios being used between realms to communicate with him... yep).

As it's happening, Stiles starts going up to everyone he knows, first casual friends, and slowly down the line to people that mean the most to him. Suddenly his best friend doesn't know him, then his dad, finally the only person left who remembers him is Lydia, only for him to be taken and for everyone to forget (including Lydia). And this was basically the big cliffhanger that closed off the first episode of the season, with it being a guiding force to them getting Stiles back in the following episodes.

Now, I just want to make it clear that I do NOT think that this is how s5 is going to play out, like barely, if at all.

My main purpose for this post was to look at the simple and complex in relation to this reference and how it could relate to what is to come, in any shape/form.

Like, we know they draw a lot of inspiration from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (along with 100+ films and more). And yet still, that doesn't mean we're expecting the show to play out exactly like it does in those stories.

What we're expecting is some inspiration & parallels.

S5 is said to be drawing a lot of inspiration from s1-2, which are two seasons most tied to Wills disappearance and possession.

Clearly in the case of this reference, there are A LOT of possibilities for what this could be hinting at related to Will's arc in particular.

I'm excited, but also terrified to find out what...!

[unfortunatelysage]

Must’ve Been the Wind (2)

Tiny hands lift a single drop of water to tiny lips, breaking the surface tension of the droplet by sucking in some of the liquid. Refreshing as it is, it has no effect on the tiny’s stomachache, which dances around their insides like there’s no tomorrow.

What is the best course of action? Go back outside? As soon as the thought hits them, one of the branches of the tree outside breaks free from the stump, beating against the window like a thunderclap. If the wind can do that to a giant tree branch, what’ll it do to a minuscule creature like them?

Is there any other option? They can’t hide from the unknown number of giants here, which is some pretty big news to the tiny. The nameless giant’s word choice reverberates through them. “You would regret running into one of them.”

Regret.

The tiny tries to swallow down their own thoughts with another drop of water. There’s no time to dwell on the repercussions of a decision they haven’t made yet.

Maybe they just haven’t hidden well enough yet. Sure, they were under a table that should’ve been out of the giant’s line of sight at all times, but they could of miscalculated, or maybe it was one very attentive giant. They can still avoid the others… hopefully.

They hear shuffling from far behind the door, though not necessarily moving toward the room. Still, it’s enough to snap the tiny out of their own thoughts. Taking in one last drop of water, they continue to scope out their area, taking note of worthy hiding places to dash into if the door happens to open.

A hoodie drapes over a chair in the room, the sleeve of which hanging freely toward the floor, just within arm’s reach of the tiny. Why not investigate? They walk beneath the hole of the sleeve and pull at the fabric, finding it gives way just a bit, flowing further to the floor over the tiny’s head. The investigation stops in its tracks when the door reopens.

Without a second thought, the intruder pulls at the fabric even more, cloaking themself in the sleeve as the lip of the fabric touches the rough carpet. The reverberating footsteps around the room feel familiar. Is it the same giant as before?

Before they can come to a conclusion, the tiny feels their cover start to lift away from them. In a panic, they grab at the inner sleeve’s fabric and grip it between their legs, pulling more of it into a tight hug as they’re lifted.

Their eyes squeeze tightly shut at the immense movement, unable to process the next move as they’re suddenly flipped upside down, feet kicking upwards. The fabric above (or below?) their head begins to contort together, and the tiny takes the opportunity to flip around, head facing the sleeve’s hole as they use the now closed end as a pseudo floor.

Once their head breaches from the claustrophobic sleeve, they’re greeted with a gigantic, blank expression. Their eyes widen. So they were right. Same giant. The titan’s arm extends beneath the tiny, bunching the sleeve beneath them in a fist to serve as their platform.

“Really? That was your master plan?”

Breath hitched and limbs shaking, the tiny looks away, face twisting up at the comment as they avoid eye contact. “I never said that.”

“You sure are lucky, aren’t you?” The giant snickers, to no response. “So, you’re sticking around?”

The tiny shakily peers over the lip of the sleeve, noticing the foliage outside the window still thrashing violently. The giant twists their neck back, noticing the same.

“Ah. Got it.” They turn back to their captor. “Well, guess I can’t stop you.”

The tiny pauses. “You won’t do anything to me?”

The giant cocks an eyebrow. “Do anything to you? What do you mean?”

“… never mind.”

“I’m not that type of person. Your presence makes no difference to me. Even if I can’t say the same for…”

The hinges of the door groan as a new figure enters the space. The tiny barely has time to process the new giant before ducking beneath the lip of the hoodie sleeve, staring up at their slackjawed captor.

All they could take note of is their smug grin, and much more impressive stature.

“Hey,” the new giant opens. “What are you doing with my hoodie?”

[cascadella]

I was tagged by the lovely @flownwrong ❤️ I don’t usually get tagged in anything, this is exciting!!

3 ships you like: Fraser/RayK, Roy Kent/Jamie Tartt, Garak/Bashir. This took some thinking since I’ve had Finnish fandom brainrot for such a long time.

First ship ever: I’m a classic girlie, it was Kirk/Spock. Still love them so much.

Last song you heard: I’ve had Jane Birkin by Mika on a bit of a repeat. It’s seriously enchanting.

Favorite childhood book: I don’t remember its name but it’s a picture book about toys that have been forgotten or abandoned and they’re living inside a hollowed out tree stump. I had some good times looking at the details in the cross section drawing.

Currently reading: Under the North Star by Väinö Linna, national book of Finland no. 2. Reread number six or seven I think?

Currently watching: Alternating between my millionth rewatch of Bob’s Burgers and Deadloch. Love Deadloch, it’s so refreshing.

Currently consuming: Garlic bread 😋

Currently craving: World peace? Wouldn’t say no to some lychee boba either.

@flownwrong tagged everyone I know already 😂 @kelkkamonologi I’m tagging ya but imagine I’m doing it from my suomitumppu 😁

[cerealandchoccymilk]

Trigun Bookclub: Trigun Vol.1-2, Chapter #09

previous | all | next

I’m doing a deep-read of the Japanese original print (reread) and Overhaul 1.0 (first read) side-by-side, and writing down everything I notice from small details, version differences, translation differences, etc.

The volume numbers will be mismatched for most of the remainder of Trigun, since the Japanese first edition is 3 volumes while all later versions are 2 volumes.

As always, here are the non-analysis panels:

And the rest is under the cut.

[link for if the images aren’t in horizontal rows]

To start off, we have Meryl talking about buying designer handbags. This part was very confusing in Japanese because even though I could recognize Prada, the two other brands she named were completely bogus to me. What the hell are エピピ(Epipi) and NCM!?

So I asked my mom about it last night (she knows a decent amount about brands popular in the 90's, since she was still living in Japan back then). She was also stumped for a bit, but after a while she asked to see the way "Prada" looked. She noticed that it was written like プラーダ(purāda) rather than the correct プラダ(purada). I didn't notice because I don't know shit about fashion... but she suggested that maybe all of these were slight variations on real-life brands. She said that NCM is probably based on MCM Worldwide.

Epipi probably took a solid 20 minutes to figure out.... We were naming every brand on earth searching for anything that could even vaguely sound like "epipi." Right when we nearly ran out of ideas, she thought of googling just part of the name, like "epi brand," and voila, apparently there's a line of Louis Vuitton leather called Epi.

Epipi (and brain soup) is an inside joke between us now btw.

The chapter cover!! Everyone here is so damn cute... also I'm sitting almost exactly how Vash is right now.

This is the second appearance of Vash's shades. I can't see the details, but the design looks the same as the one before.

I'd completely forgotten how tiny Kaito is??? Literally half of Vash's height.

Vash's response to Kaito's insult(?) is「お前そりゃないだろ…」and is something more like "C'mon, man..." or "Seriously?"

big eyes vash big eyes vash i want to scoop him up and put him in a jar with holes in the lid

It's so cool how Vash immediately understands exactly what's going on through what he's overhearing, thanks to his childhood on the spaceship and his time at Home. How can this man not drive

I think the engineer is talking about the Plant here, so it should be "The shock could kill it." (although the Plant dying would also kill everyone else. ykwim)

Didn't know that guy was called a helmsman.... In Japanese, the word for helmsman, 操舵手 (the scan is super blurry and looked like 士 but the correct word is 手) was written as ライツ(raitsu) with 操舵手 written in the ruby. Maybe raitsu was the name of the helmsman? Or it might be something else boat-related that I don't know about.

Vash's silent reaction to Kaito's words say a lot. This behavior is nearly identical to Vash's (again, more so in Maximum, after Vash remembers the events of July and gets even more depressed). He understands Kaito's pain and guilt, and worries for him, but he also can't help but see himself in the boy... however he feels about that. This gets a bit more into theory territory, but I think Vash doesn't want Kaito to turn out like himself. Of course, he wants everyone to strive for peace; he wants people to be like that part of himself, in that regard. However, he doesn't want people to act self-destructive like he is. One obvious reason is that Vash genuinely doesn't want Kaito to be hurt, especially when he believes that people always deserve to start over and live a happy life.... But another underlying reason could be that he doesn't like percieving parts of himself in others, out of self-hatred.

One of my favorite lines ever!!!!! (has 50 favorites)(its not my fault trigun/trimax is so constantly banger) While humans views the Plant as a tool and an incomprehensible being, Vash simply views them as just a girl that needs calming down—"people" just like him and everyone else. He has a familial relationship with every Plant, which I absolutely adore. And!!! I will expand on this bit in the next(I think) arc and beyond, or maybe even make a separate post!!! I have so many thoughts surrounding this and it's a core theme to Trigun as a whole.

Noting some SFX since some non-Japanese readers may not have noticed - the plant is making a high-pitched scream from here on. Also, Kaito says that it's a "voice," not a "sound."

More Plant object-person dichotomy!! This unfortunately gets lost in translation, but it's a very neat storytelling trick. In Japanese, This is written in an interesting way:「プラント――　それは『造りだす』もの」 with もの(mono) having dots above them (in this context acting like italicization for emphasis in English). Usually, this もの would be more specific. There's 物(mono) which means "object" or "thing," and there's 者(mono) which means "person" or sometimes "being." The narrator intentionally leaves the identity of the Plant vague. Again, in humans' eyes, Plants are machines of production. In Vash's eyes, Plants are full-fledged people.

I would write that line closer to the original format, with quotes around "creates" and leaving it at that.

A longer translation correction—just going to transcribe it here:

水 紫外線 酸素 そして微電力を与える事によって物理法則を超えた『生産』活動を行う生体システムである They are organic systems that, when fed water, ultraviolet light, oxygen, and a bit of electricity, can "produce" things in a process that surpasses all physical law.

The sound effect here is loud footsteps on metal. I think it's neat that Nightow showed Vash running up the stairs with just onomatopoea and a shot of the stairs.

In Japanese, Vash says that he's counting on/leaving the rest up to the engineers/the others on the ship, after telling them to deal with it.

Again, Vash considers the Plant his family, a sister. He is talking directly to them and treating them with respect. The word used here is actually 兄弟(kyoudai), which means "brother(s)"/olderbrother-youngerbrother, where in this situation with a brother and sister of unspecified age/order it would usually just be きょうだい(kyoudai, spelled out)... it may be that back then, people didn't really specify or mix-and-match sibling gender (姉弟 兄妹 etc) in writing as much as we do now.

The first appearance of feathers on Vash!! During my first read, I was absolutely mesmerized by this page. Mannnnnnn the angel imagery....

Also bonus reaction from my dear friend from my Instagram liveposting back in April (yeah. my first read was only a bit over 2 months ago). booty CRACK

This is the "beeeeeeep" sound of a flatlining heart monitor. Until now I thought it was more of an imaginary thing to show that their hearts have stopped, but I just realized that it may also be a real sound of the Plant's vital monitors. Could be either, to be honest.

Apparently "yards" are normal? In Japanese it's written as ヤーズ(yādzu, yards) instead of what would regularly be just ヤード(yādo, yard), so that may be the subtle miles-iles change?

This line would be "The pipes are stuck! They won't even budge!"

And the SFX here is a distant chattering and cheering crowd.

And here is the last scene, with Kaito humming Rem's favorite song. Idk, this just gives me a raw emotional reaction... I can't really analyze it lol. Rejoicing that you've survived through hardship. That while things still aren't perfect, this imminent danger has passed. That you still get to enjoy being alive. The same song of humanity still sang. Something something....

Anyways that’s it for Chapter #09! As always, the Japanese annotations are in the reblogs.

[eqt-95]

Hi, different anon here. Can you explain the entomology angst thing?

Can I explain?! Can I… anon, I’ll do you one better: I’ll even include visuals, but just so you know this reply got away from me… so strap in! (or on, you do you)

So, back when I was in college, I spent a summer working for an entomology lab. For the uninitiated, being a lab assistant for an entomology lab is not particularly special, but it did let me spend most of the summer outside surrounded by mosquitoes, bats, and some of the strangest situations I’ve ever experienced like getting a truck stuck in a swamp by myself with zero cell reception.

I’ve got a whole fanny pack of stories, but the one I’ll share is about my actual day-to-day: I was tasked with driving around the state and collecting ips bark beetles. These buddies are… adorable. Just take a look:

So tiny! (yes that’s a penny). I love them to bits. They are the itty bittiest little pals, and as someone who detests most bugs, I bagged a real winner (and yes, I got this job to face my fears).

Now, the job itself was pretty simple. There were two parts: 1. collect beetles from the field and bring them back to the lab for ‘research’ and 2. in my own random-ass shack on the outskirts of campus, raise more beetles. 

I’ll explain: in my home state, there are designated natural resources (also called ‘DNR’ sites but not to be confused with do-not-resuscitate orders). Through some agreement between the University and these sites we were allowed to cut down a couple of pine trees each season and haul them back to my one-chick shack. Once there, the trees were cut into lengths that could fit vertically inside a 5 gallon bucket and left to their own devices on shelves in my shack for some number of weeks. During those weeks, the tiny beetles I had stolen from their wooded homes nibbled through a buffet of phloem and made babies and generally lived lives like they normally wood (pun).

Now, you may be asking, ‘quinn, what the hell did you do with the beetles you found in the field?’ And I’m glad you’ve asked because the answer is hilarious: basically nothing. The research wasn’t even ABOUT the beetles. It was about the MITES that lived ON the beetles. Remember that beetle picture above? Yea, now imagine the microscopic mites that live on that buddy. I had to count them. For science.

Now, back to my shack: once the stumps had fully matured from a few weeks of fine aging, I had to ‘harvest’ the beetles. How did that work, you ask? With a chisel, a hammer, and the delicate touch needed to peel back the bark and phloem layer, revealing the labyrinthe of beetle paths chewed around the log like in these super cute diagrams:

The task that followed? count the beetles. It was a summer of counting. I got really good.

So why the angst? Where is that stemming from? Don’t worry, in my excitement I have not forgotten the origins of this question.

Well, remember the size of those little beetle buddies? Super tiny. Adorable. The cutest. To find them ALIVE, I had to be super careful: that meant cautiously peeling back the bark, checking for any signs of terrified beetles scurrying off, gently plucking them out of their little homes. So naturally, I had to be one with the tree: sitting at eye level, fingers prodding, hunched and vulnerable.

Now, the thing about nature is that you’re never alone. And for as much joy as these little beetle buds brought me, I was NOT prepared for what else dwelled inside. Enter these grubby fellows (artist rendition because I can’t find pictures of them on the internet): 

I called them Pincerers because I was super creative and terrified.

Why was I terrified? Because these bully bugs were (by comparison) HUGE! Remember the size of the tiny little bark beetle? A wee little 5mm? Well these chompers were four times as big.

‘But that’s nothing!’ you might be thinking, and to that I say: NO. Imagine, for a moment, that you’re about to go play and hide and seek with an imaginary 4-year-old nephew in the woods. Sounds fun if not a bit boring, right? Except, what you don’t know is that Bigfoot is ALSO playing.

So while you’re off minding your own, looking for the tiny little rascal, something 4x the kid’s size is lurking under the bark waiting to curl up on its grubby little hind rolls and lash its pincers at you. It elevates the heart rate and sends logs flying off the workbench and clattering into shelves at a rate that most certainly would have turned heads if not for my being in the basic-middle-of-nowhere for this job.

And while I can already imagine you rolling your eyes, just consider this! While bigfoots were waiting with baited breath and I slowly conditioned myself to DREAD this utterly trivial, microscopic thing, that’s exactly when a chipmunk moved into my shack. 

So imagine the heart attack I have when this squatter-of-a-chipmunk sidles up to me and starts loitering on my table while I’m nose-deep in bigfoots.

Not laughing now, are ya!?

The fight or flight instinct has never felt so raw as when I instinctively threw a screwdriver across the shack not once but at LEAST a million times over the rest of the summer (and don’t worry, the chipmunk was fine).

So yea, I think that’s where the angst comes from.

[everlarkficquestions]

Monday Stumped Day 38

It’s another Sunday Monday Stumped Day!

Sometimes we straight out get stumped. So every few months we will pick a Sunday when we’ll post of a list of asks that we need your help on.

If you know the answer to any of these asks please shoot us a message/  ask/  with the Post number and the fic details and we’ll add it and give you a shout out with our thanks.  Any links you can provide will also be super helpful.

Thanks!

Post 1 , Post 2 , Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7, Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12, Post 13, Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, Post 17, Post 18, Post 19, Post 20, Post 21, Post 22 , Post 23, Post 24, Post 25, Post 26,  Post 27, Post 28, Post 29 , Post 30, Post 31, Post 32, Post 33, Post 34, Post 35, Post 36, and Post 37 can be found here - and there are still fics we need your help with.

638. alec3479 asked:

Hi! Do you know if there are any fics that mention, or focus a bit more on peeta loosing his family/grieving them? Thank you and i hope you have a wonderful day!

639. chessknight-to-quidditchking asked:

Hey! I'm finding good fics about Peeta after the whole berries act and his struggle to keep conscious, after losing consciousness and spending days in the hospital room alone. Would really appreciate some good fic suggestions. 🥺

640. lightasthesun asked:

Good morning! I'm looking for a fic where Peeta didn't go into the 75th games with katniss and he was one of the voices the game makers tried to use against her with the jabberjays and she screamers for him

641. lightasthesun asked:

Hello! I'm looking for a fic I read many years ago and sadly I don't remember a lot of it except they were on the victory tour at some point and the train stopped or broke near a beach in district 4? And peeta and katniss snuck off to the beach and spend some time there and at some point they were laying next to each other on their backs laughing and peeta I think found sea glass and gave it to her? It also mentioned peeta was having trouble walking on the sand because of his prosthetic. Oh and he went to sleep with her every night on that train I think. This isn't a lot but I figured I'd ask anyway! Thank you :)

FOUND! Either Way by bellissimaanima (Thank you, @geekymoviemom!)

642. ventifrappa asked:

Hi!! I’m looking for a post-mockingjay fic where it details the 15 years it takes to get Katniss to agree to a baby. I remember a specific scene where Peeta is painting in a shed and Katniss bursts through the door holding a dead turkey from a hunt and she says ‘yes’ finally. This sounds weird but I promise it’s in there somewhere!! Thank you!!

FOUND! blue sky by rosegardeninwinter (Thank you, @rubberduckiereads!)

643. damagedskout04 asked:

Hi I was looking for a multi-chapter story in which katniss and Annie went to Juliard after graduating high school and they lost contact with Peeta, Finnick and Johanna because katniss accidentally put her phone in a blender and they end up meeting again a few years later on katniss birthday. I believe it was a second book and I cannot for the life of me remember what the first one was about, thank you. 

644. choerrryyyy asked:

have you ever come across an everlark fic where haymitch and effie were raising finnick and katniss?? - and it was a modern au

645. wolffaunusazure asked:

Hello! I was looking for a canon-divergent mockingjay fic, I remember one scene in it where Katniss overhears Beetee and Gale talking about their bombs and manages to convince them to not make them, so Prim lives I don’t remember the rest please help.

646. washrinserepeat33 asked:

Hello! I’m looking for a story where Johanna won the hunger games and came home to her whole family being dead. Katniss was her younger sister but she survived because she was at Madge’s house and Mayor Undersee faked her death. She ended up being an orphan and at one point johanna got to see her again. Peeta and Katniss fell in love as years passed and I think in the end Peeta got selected for the next hunger games.

FOUND! This happens in the district 7 section of My Kingdom Come by monroeslittle (Thank you, @mollywog for sending us on the right track!)

647. mkb36 asked:

Looking for a fic but can’t remember the name: K&P are in high school, they have to do a project together and K hates P, she thinks he’s some womanizer and he teases her when she keeps bringing up his s*x life and then they end up doing it and he tells her she’s the first girl he’s had s*x with in his bed. Hope you can help me find it! Thanks!

FOUND! Breaking Point by DramioneInLove. Thank you, @taleasoldasonceuponatime!

648. broken-everlark asked:

Hi! I can't remember what the fic was called but I think peeta gets injured on his back and they are in a greenhouse and katniss helps clean his injury. I think it's rated explicit and it's on ao3. 

649. tbhfiction asked:

I'm looking for a fanfiction from the perspective of the mentors during the first Hunger Games. I remember Foxface being the niece of the mentor from District 5, Lyme was also a mentor who was upset by how the Gamemakers treated Cato at the end. I can't remember the name of it, except that it focused on all of the different mentors POV of the games (but was written in 3rd person)

FOUND! From the Control Room by AlynnaStrong (Thank you, @rubberduckiereads!)

650. freeadora asked:

high school modern AU. Peeta is kinda asshole and Katniss hates him but they're forced to work together on a school project. they're in his room arguing and he accuses her of having a crush on him?

FOUND! Breaking Point by DramioneInLove. Thank you, @taleasoldasonceuponatime!

Do any of these fics ring a bell? Please let us know!

[gamersonthego]

GOTG Review: Echochrome

This is the fourth game in my Backlog Roulette series, where each month I spin a wheel to randomly select a game on my massive backlog that I must play (though not necessarily to completion). These wheel spins occur on the monthly preview episodes I co-host with my friends on The Casual Hour podcast.

You want to hear something super lame? Echochrome is all about your perspective. 

OK, maybe I should explain why that’s lame. Echochrome is literally a game about perspective. You rotate a camera to hide, reveal or alter the level’s geometry to coax a character you don’t directly control to navigate to specific areas of the map. It’s Lemmings in the style of an M.C. Escher. 

So when I say it’s a game about your perspective, that’s some on-the-nose, too-clever-for-your-own-good writer bullshit. Except that that’s not what I’m talking about. 

The perspectives I’m talking about are not within the game’s clockwork levels, but outside of them. In the menus. In the presentation. In your approach to the game as a player as you hold your PSP and look upon it. 

Echochrome does not function like a traditional game. You don’t go from Level 1 to Level 2. I mean, I guess you technically can, but good luck figuring out how. Because when you load up Echcohrome for the first time — after getting through its initial tutorial — you’re thrown into its main menu, greeted not by more expected options like “campaign” or “time trial” or “challenge.” Instead you’ll see the words “freeform,” “atelier,” “canvas” and my favorite “etc.”

Love it. No notes. Well, maybe just one note: What the hell do any of these things mean?

“Freeform” is the top option. Let’s try that. It dumps you into a puzzle. You solve it. You’re dumped into another puzzle. You solve it. Maybe this is a traditional game after all. But then you notice a letter and a number shown at the beginning of each puzzle. B4, F6, D1, C3. But you don’t think much about it. That is, until you reach a puzzle you can’t solve. One in which you realize the game has a 10-minute time limit per puzzle. 

This is B8. I'm too stubborn to look up the answer, but I just can't figure out how to get the last echo. I hate it.

Cool, cool. While I think on that puzzle, let’s go back to the main menu and check out “atelier.” There’s no Ryza or Sophie to be found though, only a 8x7 grid of level options. And now the codes you saw on freeform make sense. Those were level identifiers. Row B, stage 4. Which means freeform is essentially a randomizer, whereas atelier presents them in the game’s natural order, of which you’re free to tackle any of the 56 stages however you wish. You go back to the one that stumped you before — B8. But after five minutes elapse, the failure bell rings. You only get half the time to complete a level in atelier mode (I guess because you chose the level yourself?)

And then there’s canvas — a neat little level editor to make your own stages — and etc., where the options, saves, credits and a replay of the tutorial go. 

The game itself? Oh, it’s pretty cool, I guess. The perspective mechanics can feel a little inconsistent, requiring very digital outcomes through an analog control scheme. And the time limits feel rather pointless (if the game is already tracking your time on each puzzle like a score, then what’s the need for a limit?) in a game that should be as pleasantly relaxing as doing the daily crossword or sudoku. And it is equal parts frustrating and funny when the soothing disembodied lady voice says “oops” every time you let your Escher lemming fall off the world. 

But more important to me is how the game bucks traditional names, rules and conventions to do its own thing (as the late Sony Japan Studio was wont to do with all their games), giving it a novelty and charm that endures to this day. Echochrome II though, requiring both a PS3 and a PlayStation Move controller to play, ages quite a bit worse unfortunately.

[treeremovalpensacola]

Five Questions with Dan Huber

If you live in Pensacola, it's just a matter of time that you have to do the inevitable and remove a tree. https://treeservicespensacola.com/tree-removal-pensacola/ is a tree removal company that specializes in stump grinding, tree removal, and arborist services. They have been in business for over 10 years and have the experience and expertise to get the job done right. Fully licensed and insured, so you can rest assured that your property is in good hands. Pensacola tree service is a company that specializes in removing trees. They have been doing this for over 10 years and they are really good at it. They also do stump grinding, which means they get rid of the stump left behind after the tree is removed. They are fully licensed and insured, so you can be sure that your property is in good hands. Dan Huber CEO, Alan Horticulture, Warrenville, Ill.    1. Tell me about Alan Horticulture, and how did you get into the business? Alan Horticulture was founded in 1978. I came in about seven years ago and took over the company. We’re primarily maintenance, enhancements and a snow removal company for HOAs and commercial properties. I got my start mowing lawns with my twin brother, Mike, when we were 10. You know, we just took dad’s lawn mower out of the garage and went around mowing lawns and shoveling driveways.    2. What are some trends you’re seeing in the industry? It’s pretty competitive; it’s a tight market. It’s all about pricing. It seems like loyalty has become a thing of the past. Most of our clients are big on service, obviously, but price seems to be driving a lot of our HOA communities especially.    3. How do you feel about the state of the economy and the industry in general? I think the economy has kind of weathered. I think it’s staying strong, and I anticipate it to stay strong with some tax reform and some other things that this new presidency will probably pass down. I think it should be a good couple years. And the industry? I think the industry is strong. I think it’s a solid industry. I don’t anticipate any real drop off in sales in the next year or so. We’ve had a lot of growth since 2017. I do see us kind of leveling off a little bit — we’ll focus more on internal growth. But I think it’s going to be a solid 2025.    4. In this issue we’re debuting our first ever “Pro’s Toolbox” feature. So let me ask you — what’s your favorite tool to get the job done? Our company rolled out and implemented Aspire in 2022 and I think that’s our biggest asset right now — running that software. If you’re not on a CRM program like that, you got to get on one. It’s been huge for us, and it’s really added to our success. The data that we’re getting from it and having it at our fingertips versus having to dig for it and spend days and days trying to understand the numbers and the costs that go into our projects — we’ve really been able to hone in on our margins. It’s amazing.    5. That’s great news! Let’s get to know you personally … do you have a family and what do you all do for fun? My wife and I have been married almost 14 years, and we have two girls; an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old. For fun, I like to think I know how to play golf … I’m learning. And I’m a big boater. I love boating, I love being around water. My wife’s in the survival swim business. So we have water in our blood. The post Five Questions with Dan Huber first appeared on Landscape Management.

[stories-from-peter]

How To Bob A Tree

My family used to have a cabin in Point Roberts. We spent most of our time there relaxing or walking on the beach and swimming. One day my wife, Barb, decided she wanted to check out some of the other cabins on next road. Off we went strolling down the dirt road and soon we noticed a man standing on his front lawn. It was our long-time friend Bob Settler. We asked why he was there and he replied that it was his cabin. He was surprised that we had a cabin a two minute walk from his. Our cabin had been in the family for many years. Bob and his wife, Audrey, had owned their cabin for more than 10 years but none of us knew about the other’s cabin. We started making regular visits with them, going clam digging and having dinners together.

There was a very tall tree in Bob’s back yard. It towered over all the other local trees. Bob was concerned that if there was a storm the tree might get blown down and land on his cabin or his neighbor’s garage. He decided to have it cut down and called an experienced tree cutter to do the job. When Bob heard how much it would cost he decided it would be cheaper to buy a chain saw and do it himself. He quickly realized he had to cut the tree down in sections. There was no way to cut it down in one piece and not have it fall on his house or his neighbor’s garage.

Bob planned to climb the tree, tie a rope to the top section, cut the trunk and then lower the cut portion to the ground. He determined that each section had to be quite short or it would be too heavy to handle. Each time he cut a section and lowered it to the ground he had to climb down the tree to retrieve his rope. Then he would climb back up to cut the next section. I stopped by his cabin just as he was getting ready to cut number 6 of his logs. Bob was dead tired after all the climbing, cutting, and lowering heavy logs to the ground. Each time he climbed the tree he had to carry the chain saw back up again. The tree was still tall enough to land on his cabin if he cut it near the bottom. We stood in the yard staring at the tree for long time.

Suddenly Bob had a brain wave. He said “If you help me we can take it down in one shot.” His idea was to tie the rope to the top of the tree, cut it at the bottom, and as it fell I would pull on the rope to guide it down. Bob measured the tree and figured it would land right between his cabin and the garage if I pulled on the rope to guide it. I thought that was a brilliant idea. The tree was in the right spot to land exactly where we wanted. It wouldn’t take much of a pull on the rope to guarantee it landed in the right place. Bob made his last trip up the tree with the rope in his hand. He tied the rope securely a few feet below the top and climbed back down for the last time.

I stood exactly half way between the cabin and garage while bob handed me the end of the rope. He took the chain saw and made his first cuts on the near side of the trunk. The section he cut looked perfect to me. The tree would certainly fall straight toward where I stood. He moved around the back of the tree to make his final cut. I gave him the thumbs up signal. Bob started to make the final cut that would let the tree fall. I could see the chips flying and then the tree started to move very slowly. It was coming right at me but I pulled on the rope just to be sure. The tree was accelerating now and coming down fast. I dropped the rope and took a few steps back as the top came straight at me.

The tree was on a bit of a high spot at the end of Bob’s yard. You have to cut a tree some distance above the bottom. These 2 factors changed how the tree landed. It came down top first with the bottom resting on the elevated stump. I’m sure me pulling on the rope made the top come down a bit faster too. This caused the top of the big, heavy tree to dig into the soft ground as it landed. The top went at least 3 feet into the ground and then the bottom came down on top of the stump. The weight of the trunk levered the top out of the ground and sent a huge pile of dirt, rocks, and grass flying up in the air. I was covered with a mess of this stuff and so were the cabin and the garage.

On a positive note, Bob measured the landing spot and figured we missed dead center by no more than 6 inches.

[babyjakes]

ever green, evermore | 2. the little garden fairy.

〈 disclaimer: this blog posts content not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. minors are strictly prohibited from viewing, sharing, or interacting with this blog. for more information on this blog's commitment to protecting minors, read our full statement here. 〉

← last chapter | series masterlist | next chapter →

summary | loving husbands jake and ari had always believed they were all each other could ever want or need. but one unusual summer, when their world is turned upside-down by an uncanny girl from down the street, they find that having someone to love, nurture, and care for together is the missing piece that finally completes their perfect family and lives.

characters | caretaker!jake jensen, daddy!ari levinson, wrenley beauchamp (original character)

warnings | mentions/depictions of domestic and sexual violence, mental health themes: anxiety/panic disorders, trauma and post-traumatic-stress, eating disorders (restrictive subtype), therapeutic methods and tools: exposure, age regression.

As soon as his rugged boots hit the pale gravel of the driveway, something stirred within Jake. Lifting his head up to look around, his eyes were immediately drawn to the lush bunches of green and petals filling the rows of wooden boxes before him; furrowing his brow, the man paused in confusion. “Ari?”

Closing the driver’s side door behind him, the older, larger man walked over to stand at Jake’s side. “Yeah- you okay, honey?” Ari asked, his eyes following the blonde’s gaze to look over the garden. “Oh right- I was gonna tell you, I think someone’s been stopping by to tend to the garden.”

“Oh?” Jake asked as he approached the collection of plants, his hesitancy stemming more from amazement than anything else. Carefully eyeing the row closest to him, which happened to be one of his favorites: his bright yellow tulips, Ari’s suspicions were immediately confirmed for him. “You’re right; someone’s definitely been in here. Unless you were the one who got rid of all the weeds.” Considering the fact that he’d been gone for four and a half weeks, Jake normally would’ve expected to return to a decent amount of new prickly growth. But looking over all the boxes as he walked slowly along the rows, he couldn’t find a single stem that was out of place; whoever had done the job was more diligent than even he would have been. 

“No, wasn’t me- but here they are,” Ari responded, now standing over by the waste bin at the end of the workbench. Walking over to join him, Jake’s eyes widened at the sight waiting in the black garbage bag. The weeds, plentiful in number, sat tied together with some sort of string in neat little bundles at the bottom of the bin; clearly, their removal had been no accident. “Whoever it was, I think they were watering too. Some days I’d come out and the soil would already be damp, even in the middle of the afternoon.”

“Fascinating,” Jake whispered, turning back to look over the plants once more. “They look… greener than I remember.” Pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, the man’s expression once again turned to a look of bewilderment. He was stumped. He couldn’t think of anyone who might do such a thing. The couple’s closest neighbors were well down the road, over a large hill, and he hadn’t ever talked much with any of them. In fact, most of them he hadn’t met at all. “You didn’t see anyone?” 

“Nope, and I tried to check a few times a day. I was curious. Maybe it was a magical little garden fairy,” the brunette teased lightly, reaching out to rub the younger man’s shoulder. Turning to face him, Jake’s pensiveness melted away as he smirked playfully at the thought. “I should probably head in and start on dinner, don’t wanna be sitting down to eat too late,” Ari murmured, planting a kiss on his husband’s forehead. “You gonna stay out here for a bit?”

“No, I’ll come in and help you,” Jake decided, rubbing the back of his neck as he sighed. “I’m gonna wait ‘til tomorrow to figure this out. Right now I just wanna get inside, get some food in my stomach, maybe curl up with you on the couch-”

“Mm, that sounds good to me, sweetheart,” Ari hummed, his lips lingering against Jake’s forehead as he wrapped his arms around his smaller frame, pulling him in close. “Missed you so much, handsome, ‘m so glad you’re back.”

“Missed you more,” Jake breathed into his shoulder, soaking in the warmth of his familiar embrace.

At breakfast the next morning, as Ari stood between the sink and the island counter in the home’s large U-shaped kitchen and pulled freshly washed dishes out of the dishwasher, Jake sat with his usual cup of coffee at the dining table, his eyes focused on long runs of code and fragmented data typed out in one of his countless tech manuals. “That one any good?” the brunette asked as he wiped another glass clean with the white cloth in his hand before reaching up to store it away in the overhead cabinets. 

“Yeah, better plot than the last one,” Jake joked as he scribbled a few illegible notes in the margin before flipping the page, the eraser of the pencil mindlessly finding its way between the man’s rosy lips. 

“Honey,” Ari warned with a chuckle, causing the blonde to immediately remove the already half-chewed nub from his mouth. The older man never seemed to miss a thing when it came to watching over his partner. By now, he knew all of his little quirks, and though Jake would have been a little embarrassed to admit it, Ari’s constant attentiveness and borderline overprotectiveness did give him a nice feeling of security. He loved feeling cared for, which was something his husband did very well. “You want some real food? I can cook you up some eggs before I get started in the office.” 

“No, that’s okay,” Jake declined casually as he took a sip from his burgundy mug, the lead of his pencil falling back down to meet the white of the page as he jotted more notes. “Think I’m gonna bake some muffins this morning, I’ve been craving something sweet. We got any fruit in the fridge?”

“Fresh box of blueberries from the farmer’s market,” Ari replied with a grin as he kicked up the dishwasher door to close it, hanging the towel over the bar of the handle. “You want me to take the stuff out for you?”

“Sure, thanks,” Jake agreed gratefully as his eyes skimmed line after line of the random letters and numbers through the thick frames of his glasses. “This stuff rots the brain, I swear,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Ari murmured as he began pulling ingredients from the cupboards, placing them out on the counter next to the sink. “Baking’ll be a good break for your head. You just got back yesterday, bud. Hate to see you diving back in already.”

“It’s fine,” Jake tried to assure him, more than anything just wanting to get to the end of the section so he could have a nice place to pause and close the book.

“Hey, have you thought any more about the garden?” Ari asked curiously as he looked over at the blonde, lips curling up in an affectionate smile as he noticed the familiar look of concentration settled into his features. Ari loved everything about Jake; he could sit and watch him do his work for hours. There were so many little things he did that the doctor just found so precious, so endearing. Ari didn’t know many people as smart as himself, but Jake had to be one of the few exceptions. And it was a different kind of smart, one which the older man found so fascinating. In his eyes, Jake had the most beautiful brain on earth, so vast and full of information; it never failed to amaze and impress him. 

“Yeah- muffins are part of the plan,” Jake revealed as his eyes shifted from the left page to the right, earning a questioning look from Ari. “I’m gonna spend my day in the kitchen; that way, I can keep an eye on out front. If I finish up these last few paragraphs, I’ll be caught up on work through the end of the week. Gonna hang out in here, maybe crank up some tunes- you know, get the groove goin’.”

“Mhm, I see,” Ari nodded with another smile as he finished gathering everything his husband would need for the muffins. After looking over the pile on the counter, the man made his way over to the kitchen table to stand at Jake’s side, wrapping his arms around the blonde’s head and leaning down to plant a kiss in his hair. “That sounds like a good plan, my love. I’ll try to finish work early today so I can come join you; we can cook up a nice dinner together. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds perfect, honey. Thank you,” Jake breathed as he turned to wrap his arms around his lover’s waist, taking a moment to rub his face lovingly against the soft cotton of the man’s shirt. “You let me know if you need somethin’, okay? I’ll be around all day, not doing much. If I can bring you coffee or a snack or anything, just holler.”

“I will, sugar. You take such good care’a me,” Ari hummed, giving the top of his head one more kiss before letting go. “And you come and tell me if you spot anything, alright? I’m curious to see just who this little garden fairy is.”

And though he waited patiently and hoped, that first Monday home went by without a single stir through the window. As did the next day, and even another. Jake did his best to keep himself busy, pulling out the old record player he and Ari kept stored in the hall closet along with the cardboard box that stored their combined vinyl collection. Grooving along to all of his old favorites, he passed the time with various activities: baking, reading, tinkering around with his tech gadgets- by the time Thursday came around, he even resorted to giving the kitchen a full, thorough cleaning, though Ari had just done a deep clean the week before. He wasn’t sure what was taking the mystery gardener so long; he couldn’t imagine how they would’ve found out about his return, or that they would even know he was the owner of the garden to begin with. 

By the time Friday morning came, the man’s hopes were dwindling. But even still, after pouring his usual cup of coffee, he once again settled down in his seat at the kitchen table, flipping open his laptop with a soft groan as he wasn’t exactly looking forward to logging back into his work browser. 

Taking the first sip from his mug, Jake’s face scrunched up as he choked lightly on the unusually bitter taste of the brew. “Needs cream,” he mumbled to himself, rising from his chair with the mug in his hand. And just as he made his way over to the refrigerator to retrieve the carton, he saw it through the large double windows behind the sink: by the roses, pale yellow watering can in hand, stood a small creature, a girl- and as he watched in amazement, Jake honestly thought could have been imagining her entirely by the way she almost seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. She was just as his husband had suggested: like a magical being from a storybook. “Little garden fairy,” Jake hummed to himself in awe as he continued to observe the young girl; aside from her lack of glittering wings, everything about her matched the title. Her small, delicate frame, the petite features of her soft face. Her flowing locks of sand dollar hair, caressed by the golden light of the morning. Her white sundress blowing gently in the breeze, the garment’s simple look and color giving off an air of complete innocence. Her silver ballet flats with long ribbons laced up around her calves- she can’t be real, Jake thought to himself as he stood, frozen, still trying to process what was right before his eyes. Though even after blinking a few times to clear his vision, there she remained, in all her wonder and beauty. 

Keeping his movements slow to avoid gaining her attention through the window, Jake took a step back, swallowing down a lump in his throat. He was nervous; he didn’t know what exactly to expect, but this was far off from whatever he had been imagining. Dumping his coffee down the drain, he placed the mug at the bottom of the sink, trying to plan out his next moves wisely. He wanted to go alert Ari, but he was worried the girl could disappear at any moment, and then he would’ve lost his chance. “I have to go say hi,” he finally told himself, turning to leave the kitchen. “I have to thank her for taking care of things while I was away.”

Though he was certain she couldn’t see him as he passed through the living room towards the front door, Jake still made an effort to keep quiet as he slipped on his shoes before heading out into the mild morning air, keeping his footing light against the beige gravel of the walkway. Just as she came into view from behind the edge of the house’s navy blue siding, the man halted, taking another few moments to just observe undetected. 

The girl now stood at the other end of the rows of boxes, her steady hands carefully sprinkling water over the last of the daffodils from the watering can. Jake didn’t recognize it as one of theirs, bringing him to the conclusion that she must’ve brought it herself. A glint of metal caught the man’s eye as he watched; eyes trailing over, he discovered an unfamiliar bike stationed by the foot of the driveway, just past the entrance to the garden. It was a unique looking bike, ivory in color, with two rear wheels that held a large basket between them. She must live nearby, Jake thought to himself as he turned his attention back to the girl who was still at work, humming softly to herself as she gazed down lovingly at the plants below her.

Gathering his courage, Jake decided to finally make his presence known, taking another step forward before clearing his throat. “Hey…” he began, trying to shake the nerves from his voice. “So you’re the one who’s been takin’ care’a things around here, huh? I’m glad I finally get to meet you,” he greeted with a friendly smile, though it quickly turned to a look of great concern at the girl’s reaction. 

As soon as she heard the man’s voice, she jumped, her watering can flying out of her hands as she let out a gasp. When her wide eyes landed on him, Jake was startled to see that they quickly filled with tears, a frightened whimper sounding from the poor girl as she cowered back instinctively. Cornered, bumping up against the shaded racks of flower boxes behind her, she could do nothing but fall to her knees, her bottom lip wobbling feverishly as she shook like a leaf under the stranger’s gaze. 

“Oh, oh hey-” Jake stumbled, extending a hand out as an offering of peace. The girl only shrunk back from the motion, tears beginning to flood her cheeks as her chest rose and fell sporadically with uneven breaths. Frowning, the man took a few careful steps forward, trying to lower himself a little to avoid towering over her. “Hey, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to startle you.” Big eyes blinking quickly, she couldn’t manage any words. All she could do was struggle for air; recognizing her inability to speak, Jake softened his voice. “Hey, it’s alright. You wanna take some deep breaths with me?” he offered, his sensitive response to the panicked girl coming much more naturally than one might’ve expected. The truth was, though, that he was actually an expert at this. “It’s alright,” he murmured again, starting the grounding exercise just like he always did, “you’re alright. Let’s go slow- here, in… and out…”

“In… and out…” Jake had spoken the same words years ago to a similar cowering figure- that of his beloved little sister Claire, who he had grown up helping care for. She had developed a severe anxiety disorder early on in life from an incident at school, making her prone to episodes of debilitating fear that looked a lot like what was playing out before Jake’s very eyes there in the garden. Though he had been a growing boy himself, often times he was the only person who could manage to calm his sister down; with his gentle tone and demeanor, he was a natural at soothing her unwieldy mind. And though he knew nothing about this girl who was now sobbing quietly before him, something inside of Jake told him that his years of practice growing up might come in handy as he tried to de-escalate the situation at hand. “In… and out, you’re okay- it’s okay, sweetheart. There’s no need to cry, nothing to cry about here.”

Little hands clutched in fists over her chest, the girl let out a weak whimper, lips trembling as she tried to form words, though at first all she could manage was a jumbled mess of incoherent syllables. “I-I… I’m… I…” Raising his brow, Jake’s expression softened further at the first sound of her voice. “I… I’m so sorry,” she finally managed after a few more shaky breaths, more tears bursting from her pale blue eyes; now able to get a closer look, Jake could see that they were quite the unique shade of silver, almost giving off the tiniest bit of lavender in the mid-morning sun. She had just about the cutest features decorating her delicate face, soft patches of freckles dotting all over her little button nose, and pale pink lips that glittered faintly from what looked to be a light layer of gloss. Rosy cheeks flushed from her tears, the girl rubbed at her eyes, her bottom lip puffing out unthinkingly as she peered up warily at the man before her.

“Hey- it’s okay, no need to apologize,” Jake told her soothingly as he slowly took another few steps in her direction, not failing to notice the way she once again shrunk back from his approach. Bending down to sit a safe few feet away from the stranger, he cleared his throat, his eyes struggling to catch her gaze as she glanced around nervously. “Remember to keep breathing,” he said softly, his gentle reminder seeming to provide at least a little comfort to the girl as she gave him a small nod. “I’m sorry for frightening you,” Jake apologized again, his voice swelling with sincerity, “I didn’t mean to- oh sweetie, you’re alright,” he continued to hum his comforting words as his heart couldn’t help but break at the sight of the poor thing still trembling. “I was just so excited to finally meet you- I’ve been wanting to thank you for all the work you’ve done in the garden,” he tried to explain. “I was away for a few weeks; usually when I come back, the place is in need of some serious TLC. But thanks to you, things are thriving now more than ever. You’ve got a real green thumb on you,” he told her with a warm smile, trying to convey just how appreciative he was.

Blinking a few times at the man’s words, the girl nodded again hesitantly, almost seeming doubtful that Jake would really be thanking her for her service. “Oh, I… of c-course, sir,” she stumbled a bit more over her words. With the urge to almost lean in just to hear her better, Jake realized this little garden fairy already had him wrapped around her finger; there was just something about her voice, so sweet and mild, that did him in. “I-I’m sorry for coming in and… and messing with things without asking for permission. I just… I wasn’t sure if anyone was here to take care of it,” she rambled nervously. 

Shaking his head reassuringly, Jake promised her, “That’s okay, believe me. You’ve been such a big help. You’re welcome here any time.”

Eyes growing a little wider as the rest of her tears finally subsided, the girl’s voice grew slightly in amazement as she asked, “Really? Oh, th-thank you so much, sir. That’s so kind of you- I’ve always dreamed of having a big garden just like this, but I’ve got no room for it at home.”

“Well, I would never turn down an extra pair of hands around here,” Jake chuckled softly, “especially ones as skilled as yours. I’m Jake, by the way. I don’t think I caught your name.” 

“It’s n-nice to meet you, Mr. Jake,” the girl greeted with the softest of smiles, her eyes shining with a pleasant sense of friendliness. “I’m Wrenley- you can call me Wren. I live just down the road from here, over the big hill,” she told him, nodding in the direction that the road followed. 

“Wren” Jake repeated the name back to her, a certain fondness evident in his voice as he returned her smile. “The pleasure’s all mine. Here, can I help you up?” he asked, extending his hand out as he spoke.

With just the smallest hint of a wince, Wren hesitated, eyes drooping warily at the offer. Picking up on her uncertainty, Jake softened his voice once more. “Here, let me back up a bit,” he suggested as he retracted his hand and scooted back a few steps, rising to his feet. Carefully standing after him, the girl only came up to his shoulders as they faced each other; she was quite a tiny little thing, and as he continued to look at her, a question began to rise out of Jake before he even realized he was speaking. “How old are you, Wren?” 

Cheeks reddening, her small voice replied, “Twenty, sir. I’ll be twenty-one in the fall.”

“I see,” Jake nodded, not sure how much more he could ask without coming across as nosy. “Are you in school, then? Or do you work?” Though they lived out in the countryside, there was a chance that she went into one of the nearby towns to attend college or work a job. The closest was a short drive away, convenient for things like buying groceries and seeing a doctor every once and a while. 

“I-I’m taking university courses online,” Wren explained. “I’m very lucky; my boyfriend makes enough to let me focus on my studies instead of working. What about you, sir?”

Not wanting to go too deep into his occupation, Jake simply said, “I work for the government. Tech stuff, nothing special. Sometimes I get to take trips to help out the higher-ups. You live with your boyfriend, then?” The girl nodded. “That’s nice. I live here with my husband, Ari. You should meet him, sometime. He’s been just as impressed with your gardening work as I have.” At the mention of meeting another stranger, it was unmistakable that Wren began to tremble slightly once more; expression softening sympathetically, Jake reassured her, “Only when you’re ready, of course.”

Nodding gratefully, Wren seemed to pause, opening her mouth as if she was getting ready to say something. But when no words came out, she simply deflated a little, apologizing, “I-I’m sorry, sir. I… I don’t know how to explain, I…” Listening intently, Jake nodded, patiently waiting for her to continue. “I’m… I just have a hard time with… with people. I get so nervous and…” Words trailing off, she lowered her head slightly. 

“Hey,” Jake smiled softly, trying to give the flighty girl a reassuring look, “that’s okay, sweetheart. You know, I actually have a sister who’s a little bit like you. She has a hard time with people too; sometimes she gets really overwhelmed and needs to do some breathing to calm down.” A look of recognition appeared on Wren’s face at the man’s words, followed by a bit of relief as she nodded knowingly. “So I understand, and I’m always happy to help if things are getting to be too much. You don’t have to be sorry for that; I know it’s out of your control.”

“Th-thank you, sir,” Wren breathed, her shaking dying down a bit as she admitted, “it’s nice to meet someone who... you know, who gets it. When I… when I got scared earlier, I… no one’s ever reacted that way before. You’re very kind, sir. Your sister is lucky to have you.” Hearing the underlying sadness in her voice, Jake’s heart broke a little bit for the girl. It sounded like maybe she had been treated less kindly by others in the past, which he just hated to imagine. 

“There’s no need to thank me, sweet thing. You’re safe with me, okay?” he assured her, and one thing was certain: he really meant it. Though he had only just met her, Jake already knew that she was a special girl, and all he wanted was to be someone to her like he was to Claire, someone who could help when she needed it. He just hoped she’d let him.

← last chapter | series masterlist | next chapter →

[firefly-in-darkness]

Separation, Connection - 2/2

Pairing →Bucky Barnes x Reader

Characters → Marvel Characters

Summary → Your friendship with Bucky deterioates when you catch him in a compromising position with a fellow agent. 

Word Count → 3.5k

SSB2021 Square Fill → Table Sex - @star-spangled-bingo

BBB2021 Square Fill  → “You’re such a tease” - @buckybarnesbingo

Warnings → 18+. Angst, jealousy, smut. sexual activities, swearing.

Betas → @fandomfic-galore // all mistakes are my own.

A/N →  I cannot believe how much everybody has loved part one, honestly, I am over the moon with all your comments and disdain for Bucky’s behaviour! I hope you like this part and I cannot wait to read your comments about how things turn out...

Firefly’s Masterlist

READ PART ONE HERE!

Previously: You paused in the doorway, but you had to be strong, to carry on walking away, you couldn’t let him hurt you again. It was time to move on.

The suite was filled with an assortment of flowers, sweet treats, and gift boxes, all unopened. From bright coloured ribbon to delicate lace detailing, the space was overwhelming and the sentiment behind each one wasn’t even close to what you wanted, needed from Bucky.

You laid on your couch, looking up to the ceiling, balloons filled with confetti swaying into view. Surely Bucky knows that he can’t buy your friendship. But maybe he is sorry. You looked over to your best friend sitting on the floor beside you, supposedly deeply invested in their book until a smirk formed on their face.

Wanda turned to you, “You already know what I think you should do - go and talk to him.”

She was right, you probably should talk to him. You knew Bucky hadn’t just tried to buy your friendship. It was in the way he’d hold the door open for you, drop off a coffee when you were doing paperwork, and how he’d always check in with you before, during and after training and missions. It was sweet, and not too dissimilar to the Bucky from before. However, this time, he made you even more nervous; the boyish charm that he didn’t use with you often was more noticeable, and the mischievous sparkle in his eye made you squirm.

“Okay.” You sat up, twisting to plant your feet on the ground, “I’m going to tell him. FRIDAY, where is Sergeant Barnes?”

The AI addressed you, “He’s currently sparring in the gym.”

You skipped down the corridor, leg bouncing in the elevator and wishing you’d taken the stairs as it would have been quicker at this rate, with excitement bubbling in your chest at how you would greet Bucky, accept his apology and forgive him. Then you’d tell him how you feel about him and deal with the rejection when it came to it but right now, all you wanted was your friend back.

Gliding through the automatic sliding doors, the spring in your step propelling forward into the gym and greeting the other gym users with a beaming smile or nod. The approach to the sparring ring had the nerves tickle under your skin and you bit your lip in hopes to ground yourself.

It’s only Bucky, your best friend. He wants you in your life. You reminded yourself and weaved between the agents to look at the spectacle that had gathered such a crowd. Bucky had an agent pinned to the ground, those thick muscular thighs straddled across them and the ones in his bulging bicep rippling as he applied pressure on his forearm against their windpipe.

“Bet they’ve been in that position more than once before,” an agent laughed, joined in by a couple of other peers.

Your stomach twisted at the comment and the sudden movement in the sparring ring had you pausing the step forward. It was her; they’d twisted in the tussle and she was now facing you and straddling Bucky’s hips. She panted above him and attempted to wrap her hand around his neck.

“Oh yeah, they’ve done this before, with a lot fewer clothes.” The agent beside you commented to another chorus of sniggers and laughs.

Nails dug into the palm of your hands as you steeled your nerves, jaw clenched and tongue pressing hard against the roof of your mouth. She glanced up at the murmurs and spotted you, a smirk on her painted lips. You couldn’t stand the sight and spun on your heel, wanting nothing more than to escape, again.

Bucky rolled his head back and saw your retreating figure between the legs of the crowd. Without a second thought, he shoved the agent off him and got to his feet and shoving the people aside in a bid to catch up to you. This couldn’t happen, not again.

You smashed through the doors, almost swinging it off the hinge. You hadn’t even looked back at him and he wasn’t sure if you even knew he was there until he heard a frustrated growl, one he’d never heard from you before. Bucky turned the corner to find you slumped against the wall by the elevator, head hanging low. 

He stepped forward but was stopped by your raised hand, “Please just leave me alone.” 

Bucky’s heart cracked at the defeat in your voice, the way you caved into yourself. Not letting him help with whatever it was you were dealing with. He knew what had happened, saw the agent above him grinning like the cat that got the cream.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Bucky leant his side against the wall, giving you enough space but still able to watch your every move in case you tried to run away again, “Please talk to me.”.

“I was ready to forgive you.” You glared at him, he could see the tears threatening to spill, clinging to your eyelashes and ready to fall.

“Oh sweetheart,” Bucky reached to cup your cheek, but you batted him away and stood up straight as the elevator made its presence known. He went to follow you into the lift but once again, you stopped him with an outstretched arm.

“Don’t call me that! You don’t get to call me that.” You gritted your teeth and took a step back, “Please just leave, James. Go back to your mating ritual or whatever that was out there.”

Bucky was at a loss for words, he knew he’d betrayed your trust when it came to not talking about his sexual rendezvous but now, he was stumped. You were jealous and he finally realised why you hadn’t accepted his gifts. You didn’t want his attention or just his friendship; you wanted his affection, his love and he wanted to give that to you.

You meant the world to him, and yes, he’d broken the number one rule when it comes to friendship, he needed to explain why he did what he did. But first, he needed to get you to listen which was the more difficult part. You were stubborn and closed yourself off whenever someone tried to pry inside that pretty head of yours.

Bucky was willing to get inside, whatever it took, whatever you needed.

“No doll, I’m not leaving you. We need to talk about this.” Bucky stepped past you and pulled you into the elevator.

You knew you wouldn’t be able to shake Bucky, and he’d follow you into your suite. You wanted him to but also didn’t at the same time. Your head and heart were in a conflict that left you frustrated and ready to snap.

The flowers mocked you, the balloons swaying with a smirk and the unopened packages sparkled in knowing. Ignoring the gifts, you strode through the suite and into the dining room with Bucky hot on your heels.

“Please can you give me some space?” You sighed, a hand dragging down your face.

“Okay,” Bucky held his hands up in submission, “look, I know what I did, I betrayed your trust, I know what I said hurt your feelings.”

You scoffed, that was an understatement, turning to look at him and leaning against the kitchen cabinets, hands braced on the counter, knuckles whitening as you tried to maintain your composure.

“I can only hope that one day you’ll forgive me and let me back in, to be on your side again. I should have told you about-”

“Don’t you dare say her name.” You pointed at him. Bucky smirked, making you even angrier than before. “Are you getting a kick out of this?”

“No, of course not, what is wrong with you?” Bucky’s smile faded instantly, and he shook his head, “I’m trying to talk to you and you’re jumping down my throat the second I speak.”

You reared your head back, mouth agape, you knew he was right but considering he dared to say it out loud was enough for your blood to boil over. You went to shove past Bucky, to escape to your bedroom or bathroom but he twisted you both around and pushed you against the wall.

“Will you just stop for one second.” Bucky held your squirming body, “I’m trying to tell you how I feel.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” The tears finally fell as you thought of him loving her, the words stuttering out, “We’re- just- friends.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and leant forward, you pushed his chest in a panic but unable to escape his hold and then raised your hand to punch him. Bucky’s hand closed around your fist before it could hit his cheek and he held your arms above your head. 

“For fuck’s sake Y/N, I’m trying to kiss you.” He growled, his legs pinning your leg in place.

“Still want to kiss me after I tried to punch you?” You were angry and confused. Wasn’t he telling you about his feelings for that woman that was straddling him earlier? “You’re only interested because I met someone else. That I don’t let you get under my skin anymore.”

Bucky growled again and surged forward, this time you didn’t stop his mouth from descending on yours. The bruising kiss relaxed your body into his hold, yet it was fully alert to his flesh hand kneading at your waist and the cool metal cupping your cheek. 

Your mind floated away, all coherence and why you were angry disappeared until Bucky pulled back, leaving you both panting and eyes closed. You suddenly realised that you should stop; your heart was telling you to run but your body demanded more. You wanted him.

You yanked Bucky back to you at the nape of his neck and crashing your lips to his again. Tongues swiped along each of your mouths, teeth nipped at one another. He knew exactly what to do, his tongue swiping against your bottom lip again and he began rocking your hips down against the thick muscle. Warmth bloomed in your tummy from the friction of Bucky’s sweatpants against your clothed core. 

His locks found their way around your fingers and the slight tug elicited a moan from his plump lips, parting you both momentarily. Eyes locked, pupils dilated in lust, and warm heavy breaths filled the space. You were momentarily lost in the feelings, overwhelmed but unsatiated. The anger still simmered in your veins; the venom was heavy on your tongue for what he put you through, but you couldn’t stop yourself anymore. You had to have him, at least once, and it would be on your terms.

You somehow managed to spin the hunk of a super soldier around, pressing his back against the wall. The smell of Bucky; that woodsy musk and sweat overwhelmed your senses, you’d been close to him but not this close. Without thinking you, began peppering wet kisses down the column of his neck, nipping at his collarbone. He tried to explore your body, hands dipping under the hem of your shirt and you almost caved into their search before you pulled away.

Being this close to Bucky, to finally getting somewhat of what you had dreamed of was putting your head in a spin, but you needed to get him out of your system. What better way than to fuck it out? To fall over the precipice of ecstasy and let it wash away your desire and need for him. To move on from one, James Buchanan Barnes.

Bucky’s brows furrowed at the uncertainty that was clearly painting your features, “are you-”

You didn’t want his reassurances right now, you just wanted him to kiss you again, “want you Bucky.”

“I know, but we need to get rid of this first,” Bucky was biting his lip as he pointed at your top.

You nodded and he slowly tugged it over your head, you were too impatient and pushed him back to the wall. Letting him drink in your body while removing your sports bra. The cool air against your skin was welcoming but didn't dampen the fire pooling in your belly. 

You leant in to kiss him again, bringing both of his hands up to your breasts. It was messy, all teeth and tongues as you both fought for dominance. His fingers twisting and teasing at your nipples sent goosebumps across your skin. Bucky’s mouth began to explore your jaw and neck. It felt like he was everywhere, turning you into putty.

Is this what it felt like to be with him? To have him worshiping your body. Your mind flashed back to the moment you saw him pinning that agent against the wall, the way he’d fucked her. It soured the moment and you pulled away.

“Is this what you fucking do? Charm your way into women’s pants?” You were pacing back and forth, “I’m such a fool.”

Bucky hadn’t said a word, he was leaning against the wall and a forlorn look on his face, his hair spiking up every which way. It made your heart flutter and the noticeable erection under his pants was making your mouth water. He didn’t show an ounce of regret, he actually looked enamoured with you. No, it can’t be. You shook the thought from your head, letting the anger morph into passion again.

You strode over, he was ready to catch you the moment you leapt into his arms. Mouths crashing down on one another again in a heated battle. His hands held your back tight to his chest, your core almost, almost, getting what it needed through the material. You were lowered down, your back meeting the coolness of your kitchen table and Bucky kissed between your breasts, your eyes fluttering closed at the pleasure. 

Bucky’s weight disappeared and his body moved away, leaving you cold and alone. You peeked open one eye, a slight fear that he’d have a face of regret but then you saw the look of desire and lopsided smile as he shimmied his pants and boxers to the floor.

He returned to the spot between your legs and, you almost had him where you wanted him as he reached out to pull at your leggings, but his hands paused, resting at your hips. Your brow furrowed, unsure of what he was thinking so you sat up, and he looked anywhere but your face.

You tucked a finger under his chin to bring his attention to you and whispered, “What is it?”

“Are you sure about this?” Bucky quietly asked.

“Of course, I am, I would have kicked you out the moment you got here otherwise.” You smiled and pulled him closer to press your lips to his cheek.

You slowly edged down his jaw line with small light kisses, spurred on by feeling him relax under your touch. Teeth grazed along his pulse, Bucky moaning into the now electrified kitchen. He pulled you to the edge of the table and lifted slightly to remove your leggings, placing you back down gently. 

You fell back against the table while his fingers rubbed over your soaked panties, swirling in rough motions. He swiped the material to the side, his fingers glided through your dripping folds. You were completely consumed by him and the way his fingers pumped and stretched your cunt open while his thumb caressed your clit.

“You’re such a tease.” A mumble of whimpers, profanities, and Bucky, left your lips as you tried to convey your need for him to fuck you, “Please.”

The words were silenced as his cock skimmed over your folds, nudging at your bundle of nerves, teasing you higher and higher into pleasure. It felt like it had been minutes, in reality it was mere seconds, when Bucky finally pushed the tip of his cock into your cunt, walls fluttering and stretching around him.

Gasps fell from both of your lips as Bucky adjusted his weight, shifting deeper inside you slowly with your walls clenching around him. Another thrust forward and he was burying himself to the hilt, filling you up completely. Your cunt was pulsing around him, dripping around his cock with want the moment Bucky grabbed your knee and pulled it up to his shoulder. 

This new angle got him deeper and deeper with every thrust, the table creaking under the movement, you no longer cared, all you could think about was him and the pleasure he was giving you.

Your back arching and head spinning as Bucky kept the pace, unfaltering as you suddenly climbed to the peak of your orgasm. His grunts and skin slapping against skin was pushing you higher and higher. The wood cut into your palm as you held tightly to the edge with each wave of pleasure until you were unreservedly consumed by ecstasy. 

“Fuck, Y/N.” Bucky spluttered, his movements matching his speech, “You’re gonna make me cum too quickly if you keep clenching like that.”

Your grip loosened and traded the wooden table to skim through your folds in search of more and to keep teasing your nipples, and Bucky. You bit your lip, watching him watch you touch yourself whilst he fucked you was turning you on.

Bucky regained his composure with a grunt, pushing your fingers away with his vibranium ones and began circling your clit. The cold metal sent a rush of pleasure across your skin, heating your desire.

“Cum again, I know you got another one in you, Doll.” Bucky smirked above you as he continued to ram into your cunt and flick at your clit in perfect unison.

Your vision blurred and your body keened, letting out a silent scream, you came undone around him. Body shaking as you felt Bucky grip your hips with both hands as he hit you harder and harder until he stilled, unloading inside of you.

“Fuck,” you rasped.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to get you anything or?” Bucky asked, as he collected the scattered clothes around the kitchen.

“I’m fine Bucky, thanks.” You replied, facing away from him, and clipping your bra back in place.

You could feel the tension in the room, and you hoped Bucky hadn’t noticed. You knew he would, he’s not stupid, but you secretly wished that it would be ignored. There were no regrets on your part and you’re sure Bucky enjoyed himself, it just seemed like you’d have to do a lot more talking than before. Maybe you should have started with that instead of letting him kiss you or letting yourself kiss him back.

“Do you want me to stay or go?” Bucky quietly asked as he put on his shirt.

You weren’t surprised at his care before but now you were for the uncertainty that laced his words, once you’d put on your shirt, you turned to him, “Come on Buck, I’m just another one of them, you just happen to know me a little better. It was just sex.”

If it wasn’t for his close proximity, you wouldn’t have heard the words that Bucky whispered; it wasn’t to me.

“What did you just say?” You looked at him in shock, heart racing at the blush forming on his cheeks.

“It wasn’t just sex to me.” He coughed into his hand and rubbed at the back of his neck, “I’ve always loved you Y/N and I’ve told you that a thousand times. Is there any chance we can be something more?”

You chewed on your lip, butterflies erupting in your belly at the prospect of what Bucky was asking, of the potential heart break you might endure. It was clouded by the way she had smirked at you in the gym, the gossip shared by Natasha and the advice Wanda had given you about self-care. It was all blurring into one and you didn’t know what to say or do. You were torn between your head and heart.

“I think it’s going to take more than gifts and sex. We had a frienship, and I trust you with my life but not with my heart.” You paused and tipped his face so you could really look at him, to see him, “I don’t think we can be something right now, but in time, I think we can get there.”

“Can we start over?” Bucky asked, eyes wide in hope as he leant into your palm.

You took a step away and stretched out your hand, “Nice to meet you Sergeant Barnes, I’m Agent Y/L/N. Do you know any decent places around here to get a bite to eat?”

Bucky’s large hand enveloped yours, a soft smile on his lips, “I know just the place.”

The End…

Separation, Connection Tag List: @coffeebooksandfandom / @ababysupernova / @learisa / @joseyrw / @bubblyz / @nadinesabre / @osterfieldshollandgirl / @clarinette07 / @amaltheametalweld / @iloveangstposts / @gogolucky13​ / @ohjammers​ / @justiceiswater​ / @countonthesun​ / @propertyofpoeandbucky​ / @deaan​ / @iloveangstposts​ / @silverarmedassassin​ / 

Everything Tag List: @kitkatd7 / @fandomfic-galore / @writerwrites / @thefridgeismybestie / @wedonttalkaboutitenough / @courtneychicken / @persephonesinfernos / @miraclesoflove / @lizzarooni 

Marvel Tag List: @natasha-danvers / @little-baby-vixen / @stuckonjbbarnes / @starlightcrystalline / @nekoannie-chan / @hailhydra920 / @vollzeitliebe / @fitzsimmons-is-forever / @ladyacrasia / @emmabarnes / @selfsun

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (April 12/2021) - 72 Hours

Quackity takes a trip down memory lane, recounting the events that led up to his visit to the prison.

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Tommy

HBomb94

Foolish

Quackity

Badboyhalo

Karl Jacobs

Ranboo

Eret

Captain Puffy

---

- Ponk’s room in Niki’s city is decorated with posters of anime, his favorite people, pictures of Ponk and Sam next to each other, and his Enderman named Speed Wagon

- He wants to get a poster from both Foolish and HBomb

- Ponk waits at the Community House and Foolish boats in.

- Foolish notices Ponk’s stump, not knowing what it is at first. Ponk tells him that “Sam happened,” and Foolish replies that Ponk needs to get Sam out of his head. Ponk then tells him that he’s been taken into a communist cult, and that he’s missing an arm, and it oozes red stuff. Foolish freaks out.

- Ponk remarks that Foolish has a good sense of style, and he would like to commission something. He leads Foolish to the city. Foolish asks about his arm again, and Ponk says he’ll tell Foolish about it in time.

- Foolish says at least Ponk seems to be in good spirits. Ponk says that it’s because of the medication that Niki gave him. The salmon in his roof produces a drug that makes him happy.

- They mess around with the posters in Ponk’s room some. Ponk mentions that Sam took his arm, and Foolish is shocked. Ponk’s said too much. He wishes Foolish luck and says he’ll pay him well later before leaving Foolish to the room.

- Foolish says he knew Ponk and Sam were on rocky terms, but it’s a bit much of Sam to take Ponk’s arm...

- He puts a picture of himself in the shark outfit on Ponk’s wall and leaves to continue working.

---

LAS NEVADAS: EPISODE TWO

---

Two shadowy hooded figures ride on horseback across the wilderness. 

There’s a third who rides a skeleton horse. 

They approach Eret’s castle from the direction of Antfrost’s animal sanctuary. As they ride down the Prime Path, sirens can be heard in the background.

---

There is a montage of Quackity going to the prison each day, rain or shine. The waivers are shown, and Quackity’s name is signed.

On screen, the day numbers are shown as Dream runs around the cell, punching the air.

It starts from 2. At day 16, Dream is in the respawn pool as Quackity approaches. The numbers go up to 29.

-

72 Hours before The Visit

-

- Quackity rows to a remote island, where he meets Awesamdude. Sam is confused at how Quackity knew about this place.

- Sam has been busy farming in a small patch of land to get away from things. He started not long ago.

- There’s a gravestone with a disc and a jukebox dedicated to Tommy.

- Quackity tells Sam that Tommy’s death wasn’t his fault. Sam disagrees, saying it was his responsibility.

- Sam shows Quackity his beach full of turtles and his horse

- Quackity tells Sam that he’s a very caring person. Sam shows Quackity his house. 

- Quackity then tells Sam that he’s not the only one who thinks Tommy’s death wasn’t his fault, but Dream’s. To accept that is the only way to move on.

Sam: “I could’ve done something, Quackity. I could’ve...I don’t know. I could’ve done something.”

Quackity: “No, you know what you could’ve done? You could’ve gone back into that jail cell and put a sword right through his neck. That’s what you could’ve done, Sam. That’s what you could’ve done to Dream. Because guess what, Sam? this isn’t the first time he does it, and this isn’t the last time either. Sam, look at me...the only way he’s gonna stop this is if you get rid of him, Sam. That is the only way.”

- Quackity says they should do it right now. They go back into the house and Sam activates a secret door with a potato, leading down into a basement full of weapons and armor. They head out in boats as Quackity encourages Sam to do it.

Quackity: “Feel that fury in your fucking heart, Sam, and know that’s all because of Dream. Let’s go. Let’s go, Sam. It’s all because of Dream.”

Sam: “You’re right! I couldn’t do anything! Dream would’ve killed him anyways if I had gone in there, there’s nothing I could’ve done!”

Sam: “I can just kill him! I can just murder him! He can’t get away, he’s stuck in there, he has nothing! He’s so weak! This is the perfect chance! I can just murder -- no one would even need to know that he died! I can just say he was still locked up there, I could -- yes -- you’re right, and if I kill him no one will die! I don’t want any visitors already!” 

Quackity: “Exactly! No visitors! No visitors, Sam! No visitors, no one’s allowed to see Dream ever again, it’s a secret between you and me, Sam...we’re not gonna tell anyone. As far as we’re aware, Dream is in that prison, and no one’s allowed to visit him ever again because he committed that crime against Tommy. Guess what? no one’s even gonna wanna see him, Sam, nobody! Because he killed Tommy, and everyone’s scared of him. But guess what? You and me, we’re not gonna be scared, Sam, because we know Dream is going to be fucking gone.”

Sam: “‘Cause he’s stuck in that cell anyway! There’s nothing he can do! We could kill him, and when he’s a ghost, I could go in and kill him again! And kill him again! And kill him again! And kill him again! And I can kill him a thousand times for the one death he gave Tommy!”

“Do you wanna come with me? You wanna help me do it? You can hold him down, and I'll chop his head off! We can kill him just like that, and there’s nothing he can do! Yes! He can just cry, and scream, and he’ll die -- I wonder if he’ll laugh now!”

- They reach the prison entrance and enter the portal. Quackity tells Sam that this is all for Tommy, and it’ll make him feel better.

- Before they can go through the defenses, though, Sam hesitates and starts having doubts.

Sam: “Quackity, we can’t kill him! That’s the whole reason we put him in here to begin with! Tommy trusted me to keep Dream in here! And now Tommy’s -- Tommy’s dead, I can’t do this to Tommy! Tommy trusted me, and he might’ve died, but that doesn’t mean we can let this happen! No, no! Tommy would want us to keep him locked up! The whole reason we locked him up was -- if someone else dies, Dream’s the only one who can do anything about it!”

“I can’t ruin what I promised to Tommy more than once.”

- Quackity says this is his chance at redemption, but Sam insists they can’t kill him. Quackity stops and then says he’s sorry he got ahead of himself. Quackity goes to leave, but then hesitates and goes back to Sam one last time.

- One way or another, someone will have to do it. If not Sam, Quackity. He reminds Sam that Tommy’s death wasn’t his fault.

Quackity: “Sam, before I leave...you gotta get it together. Las Nevadas will have no place for emotions, or for any personal ideas that you may have, or feelings, Sam. If you’re gonna be my business partner, you gotta do more than this. Understand?”

“I’ll talk to you soon, Sam.”

- Quackity leaves.

-

48 hours before The Visit.

-

- Quackity is speaking with someone. He thanks someone for giving him the spot, telling them that they can’t tell anyone about it. 

- Quackity is near Fundy’s house. He digs straight down into the ground, landing in an underground area made of nether brick. It’s an extensive series of hallways. Quackity has a bunch of TNT.

- He finds the Egg Room and starts putting TNT around the Egg.

- He notices Bad and Punz approach and backs into the area behind, brandishing a redstone torch. Bad warns him not to do it.

- Quackity tells Bad that he doesn’t need the Egg, he knows that there’s still a part of Bad that isn’t doing this, and that they can work together.

- Bad replies that if Quackity gets in the way of his mission, he won’t have anything. 

- Rat starts barking. Quackity says he’s doing this for Bad.

Punz: “Bad, don’t let this guy manipulate you.”

- Quackity shouts that he’s going to light it up and places more.

Quackity: “We’re all gonna go. I’m doing this for your own, Bad! I’m doing this for your own good!”

Bad: “You’re doing this for yourself, Quackity! I need this! I need the Egg!”

- Quackity gets Bad to order Punz away and keeps negotiating with Bad. He tells Bad that before the Egg, Bad was one of his closest friends, and in order for them to do great things together, Bad has to let go of the Egg.

Quackity sets off the TNT. The explosions go off, and the Egg turns to obsidian.

---

On one heart, someone slowly makes their way through the burning remains of the nether brick area, holding a single redstone torch as the Egg whispers. 

HOW DARE YOU TRY AND TAKE THIS ONE FROM ME.

YOU WILL SUFFER FOR THIS.

HOW DARE YOU TRY AND TAKE THIS ONE FROM ME.

They stumble down the hall and the screen goes black.

-

24 hours before The Visit.

-

Quackity rides Boner down the Pogtopia highway.

He pauses at Tommy’s summer home, looking at the prison, and rides down.

- He notices George standing at the entrance, looking towards the portal. The two have a happy reunion. Quackity asks him why he’s here -- George says he’s just chilling.

- Quackity hasn’t seen George in ages. George is surprised by the scar on Quackity’s eye.

- He shows George Boner, who he has renamed to Ossium.

- He asks what George has been up to. It’s been ages since he’s seen George, Karl or Sapnap.

- Quackity tells George that he’s taken a break from El Rapids and has been working on a new project called Las Nevadas, a country full of casinos. An entertainment haven. He wants to set up a meeting with George, Karl and Sapnap about getting them all casinos.

- George asks, what about Kinoko Kingdom? Quackity doesn’t know what that is. George tells him, and says that Karl said he told Quackity about it.

- Quackity wasn’t told anything about this. He asks how long ago. It’s been a while.

- Quackity thought they had El Rapids going. It’s been hard to get in contact with them. George says he can still join.

Quackity: “I was working on this project, and I wanted to p-- no, no no, you’re...that makes sense. That explains so many things.”

- George tells him the direction that Kinoko is in. Quackity asks if they aren’t a part of El Rapids anymore. George says he supposes they can’t be in two countries at once.

- Quackity asks George not to tell anything to anybody about Las Nevadas. It will open soon, but he wants all the details to remain between them. As far as George knows, it’s just a country with entertainment.

- He says goodbye and leaves, telling George to say hi to Karl and Sapnap for him.

---

There’s a shot of Eret’s tower.

The Socializing Club and Purpled’s Walmart.

The old remodeled Community House.

The cobblestone version of Tommy’s house with the spruce trees around his land.

Skeppy’s original blackstone house with the three-door entrance.

Ze Haus.

The Spawn trap.

The camera pans up to a view of L’manburg, with blackstone walls, and the rebuilt Camarvan made of dirt.

The Elton John House and Space Program within the walls.

King’s Court.

It’s the Election Debate, Quackity and George arguing with Wilbur and Tommy.

---

- Quackity is out on a walk with Wilbur. He wants to know more about Wilbur. He asks why Wilbur has done the things he does.

- Wilbur tells him he wants protection for his people. Quackity asks to talk to Wilbur off the books. He wants to talk to Wilbur not as politicians, but people.

Wilbur: “Um, I mean I appreciate it -- No. The election’s in twelve days.”

- Quackity insists, and Wilbur says he’ll try.

- Quackity says he appreciates the Wilbur is trying to protect his people, and he doesn’t aim to overthrow him. 

Quackity: “None of this is about fighting to me. I think there’s just a big difference between you and me, and I like to see the good side on people. I like to think that there’s a side of everyone that is willing to work for wanting to see a better future for everyone, and I think that’s where you and I are very, very different.”

“See, when I got here, when I got to these lands, and I wanted to join L’manburg, I was told I couldn’t. I was told to walk away because I wasn’t allowed to join L’manburg. And to me, that was a lack of belonging. And if I have to become President and tear down some walls in order for no one to ever feel unwelcome again, then so be it. I do believe that everyone has a good side to them, and I do believe that everyone has something to contribute to the nation.”

Wilbur: “Your aspirations of optimism are not going to be subject to my nation’s security, I’m afraid. I -- I completely disagree with everything you said...”

“You say everyone has a good side, Quackity -- and you’re right. You’re right. Everyone has a good side. But that good side is only there to help themselves. If you’re really gonna help people, you’re gonna need power, Quackity. You can make a movement, you can make a resistance, right, you can go out and you can come back, and they’ll give you a ticket-tape parade. They’ll cheer for you in the streets, but you will change nothing. If you have a revolution, everyone will hate you. You will sacrifice everything, and you will lose everything you ever had, but you will come back and everything will be changed. And Quackity, if you wanna change things, you’re gonna need power. That’s what you really want, isn’t it. Look at me..”

“And power isn’t gained from diplomacy, and bureaucracy, and giant courthouses suspended in the sky, blah blah blah -- it’s gained from swords, Quackity. It’s gained from blades. It’s gained from steel. Iron. Even if everyone has this good side that you’re talking about, then anyone who wants to prove it has to show their dark side first. You’re going to have to kill. You’re going to have to torture. You’re going to have to maim. When I look at you, as a fellow outsider...you’re not ready for that.”

“I’m leaving.”

 - There’s a montage: 

Quackity watching as Schlatt destroys the White House the day he left to join Pogtopia.

The Mexican L’manburg Revolution, Quackity facing Dream outside Church Prime.

Dream destroying Mexican L’manburg.

Quackity facing Technoblade in the Final Control Room.

Dream and Quackity outside of Church Prime again.

“I understand that you -- that you wish to cause problems on the SMP, and that’s your number one goal. You are, by far -- you are the biggest enemy on the SMP right now.”

---

Present Day.

---

He’s at Wilbur’s resurrection shrine. There is a chest marked “For Wilbur.”

- Quackity writes in a book.

“My dearest friend, Wilbur...

You were right all along...

And I won’t make the same mistakes twice.”

- He signs the book “PROJECT NEVADAS” and puts it in the chest.

- Quackity rides off on Ossium and dons the black hood as the sirens sound.

---

- Bad sees the sign about concrete that Ranboo left at his house and assumes that it must be some sort of cryptic scavenger hunt. He and Skeppy go to try and figure it out by reading out the other signs throughout the server

- Skeppy eats part of Jonald

- Karl builds a Party Island in Kinoko Kingdom with Pokimane

- Ranboo gets a wither named Logan to mine for him

- Eret works on their fortress

- Captain Puffy does a late night stream and does some mining

---

Upcoming Events:

- The Red Banquet

- The Las Nevadas business opening

- Dream’s lore video

- Ranboo’s lore (April 23)

- Tales From the SMP: “Space Race”

- Dream SMP’s one-year anniversary

[not-your-damsel]

Your Pleasure, My Hands

Who? :: Hawks x Older!PersonalAssistant!Fem!Reader 🪶♥️

AN :: I’ve owed you beauties this monster of a fic (my longest one yet, seriously) for a hot minute now. I got through the story quite fast, but when it got to the fun bit, I didn’t like where it was going so I sat stumped for over a month. Look, I don’t make the rules here, but my readers and Hawks deserve the best and something I’m proud of, and here it is. Truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very much for not only being patient with me and my shitty health/compromised immune system, but for understanding as well. This is for you and I hope you enjoy 🪶♥️

⚠️ :: This is an 🔞, smutty, NSFW bit of fiction of our favorite sassy birb, Hawks. When I catch you liking, interacting with this piece & you’re not 18+ or your age is not displayed in your bio, you’re blocked & that’s that. And while I appreciate the fact that you enjoyed what you’ve read, I do not want any interactions from minors when it comes to subjects like this, therefore, minors DNI. And if you can’t follow that simple enough of a request from yours truly, then fuck off, bby 😘

Word Count :: 11.7k 🪶♥️ WOWZA, look at me go!

CW :: 2 Spanks, all the lovey pet birb names (I may have gone overboard, I apologize 🥺👉🏼👈🏼), fingering (fem receiving), jerking off, feather play, 1 instance of almost being assaulted by a villain 🪶♥️

Artist :: A huge ✨THANK YOU✨ to the ever sweet Caffeinated Doodler for allowing me to use their gorgeous art of pretty birb for this fic. If you, like myself, love the work that Skylar does, you can check out their tumblr page provided in the link of their name, and be the wonderful dears you all are and check out their online store over here ⇝︎caffeinateddoodler.com 🪶♥️

He reminded you of a spoiled rich kid who could get away with murder. A spoiled rich kid who had free run of anything he wanted, anything he saw fit. You’d admit that he was an exceptional hero, being number two and all, but Hawks was infuriating to work with. He was cocky, mouthy, and worst of all a flirt... at work of all places. When you landed the job of being his personal assistant, you were thrilled. Sure, you hadn’t been one for a long while, but you’d always wanted to see the inner workings of a Pro Hero agency and having scored the job for the youngest top Pro Hero out there was more than exciting. The day you’d started was also the last day of his most recent personal assistant. Frazzled hair and shaky hands with wild eyes darting about greeted and welcomed you into a grand office with a gorgeous view of Tokyo’s skyline. You were a little confused, to say the least, as to why she was so on edge but you figured she was upset over the loss of her job. “This is now your desk, treat her well, she’s taken good care of me on many occasions, especially when...” the girl trailed off, shaking her head before looking to you again, “Just many a breakdown on that desk.” She said with a nervous laugh. You stared at her wide eyed, partly because you were sure this wasn’t what you wanted to hear just before starting, but also because she looked like she was partway there on having another one.

She forced a smile on her face before grabbing her box of belongings, bowing to you awkwardly before wishing you luck and exiting the office. You looked to the other side of your now new desk and noted a much grander one across from it, a parent one to your own smaller one. You placed your belongings down on your desk and made your way to the large window that overlooked a part of Tokyo, pressing your palms to the glass as you watched the morning hustle down below, looking to the distance you could make out Tokyo Sky Tree. “Oh wow, wow!!” You excitedly rocked on your feet a little in place with excitement, so happy you had such a beautiful view of the city every day. In your lost amusement, you didn’t detect the pair of golden slitted eyes on your figure, slinking closer as you giggled with glee at the visible landmarks and notable buildings you’d always wanted to visit, pressing ever deeper into the glass. It wasn’t until you saw in your reflection that you somehow had grown a huge pair of red wings that sprouted from your reflected form that it dawned on you that your boss was right behind you, watching you silently. “Oh, shit!” You shouted, spinning on your heel to meet predatory golden eyes that flashed with amusement at your candid scare. “Oh, oh, goodness! I-I’m so sorry, please forgive me!!” You bowed deeply in apology, embarrassed beyond compare that you just cursed like that in front of your boss on your first day. Just great, this was it. You didn’t even get to sit in the desk, and you wouldn’t ever be able to because you were about to be fired by the number 2 Winged Hero. You heard a chuckle sound out above you before a calloused set of thick fingers found your chin, tilting it up to meet his face.

You’d always known that Hawks was an attractive young man. All the posters throughout the city, the merch, the rabid female, male and non binary fans alike all fawning over his every wing beat. The magazines whose covers he graced always selling out in mere minutes. It was safe to say that Hawks was a heartthrob to the masses. But looking up at him dead in the face didn’t prepare you for how truly and utterly... beautiful he actually was. Straw colored hair swept back with stray pieces falling in his face, sharp jaw littered with darker blonde hairs that peppered to his chin, reaching up to a plump lower lip. And his eyes were nothing short of amazing, pools of honey you could drown in, happily. You suddenly and all at once felt like a schoolgirl right on the spot. You squeezed your eyes shut for a brief second, shaking your head sightly in his grasp, remembering you were older than him. No way was some youngster gonna reduce you to a drooling, ogling schoolgirl. “No need to apologize, kid. I scared you, I should be the one apologizing.” He said, letting go of your chin once you were at your full height. You arched your brow at the nickname and screwed your lips into a quirk. “What? Is it the name? I call a lot of people that.” He waved off his hand with a smirk, turning and walking towards the larger desk of the two where he pulled out a lavish leather chair to lazily sit back in, wings draping over the back and spilling onto the hardwood floor below. “I happen to be older than you, Sir.” You stated, hip jutted out with your arms folded across your chest. “That so? Like, no shit, no shit?” Large feet planted themselves on the polished top of the cherry wood desk, a lazy smile plastered all over his face. “I am.”

“Well shit! What made you come into this profession? Wait, wait, let me guess. The adventures of playing housewife has grown old? Tired of nagging kids and a lazy husband? Wanted to get away for something fresh and new? Am I close, kid?” Hawks continued to laze, muscular arms raised on either side of his head reaching up the back of the leather chair as he waited for your answer. “I’m not married and I don’t have kids.” You stated flatly, unamused and gaining somewhat of a sense to what drove your ex coworkers away. “Then... your boyfriend isn’t bringing home enough of that sweet, sweet bac-“ “I’m single!” You almost shouted with a hiss over your shoulder, pausing from placing the items you brought with you tastefully on your desk. You heard him chuckle and heard a hum of approval as you bent to place the cardboard box down on the floor under your desk to take with you after work for the trash. “You and me? We’re gonna get along just fine, kid. Just fuckin’ fine.”

That was 7 months ago.

Over the course of your fledgling career of working with Hawks as his PA, you came to learn a lot of things about him. He loved chicken. Chicken dumplings, Chikuzenni, Torisashi - a frequent dish for him, Tabasaki Yakitori, Tori Katsu with beer, Chicken Karaage, and you learned one day you brought your own in for lunch, he would gladly kill someone for your homemade Chicken Teriyaki. He’d order some form of chicken every day for lunch if he was in the office and even when he wasn’t, you knew he’d have it, even on the fly. He loved to tease people, you the most though. Something about the way your face would puff got him going, he’d said once. He was surprisingly a very, very sweet young man. Never once had you seen him react badly towards his fans. Be it in groups or just one person, Hawks always greeted with a smile and parted with a picture or autograph, even if certain people didn’t deserve it. He admitted that meeting the little kids were his absolute favorite. And that he could take or leave his job, but leaving wasn’t an option, whatever that meant. As far as you knew, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a Pro Hero to just up and retire for whatever reason. He had a very, very nice sports car. He didn’t use it much, on account of being able to fly just about anywhere, but he had come in to work with it a few times. Shiny and red, as red as his towering wings. And lastly, he’d started a new habit around your 3rd month in; the habit of asking you out on a date.

“No, Hawks.” You said in the silence of the office as you felt his golden eyes on you. You were in the middle of taking out your lunch, courtesy of your very own pestering boss across from you, when you saw a note pop out from the bag with your styrofoam clad food. “Aw, c’mon, kid! All I’m asking for is one date. Just one.” He pleaded, taking a mouthful of Tori Katsu, hearing the crunch from where you sat. Chuckling from your desk shaking your head, you held the note up and looked to him, “What are we? In elementary school? You always give notes to the women you ask out?” You scoffed as you mixed some wasabi and soy sauce together before taking a bite of Salmon Nigiri. You heard a very loud swallow ahead followed by a can of Asahi Super Dry hitting the desk, “Only the ones I find highly endearing. And trust me, that’s not a lot. C’mon, why not? Hm?” He waited, taking another annoying mouthful of Tori Katsu, crunching loudly as you placed your chopsticks down on the provided disposable hashioki to give him a lazy matter of fact look. “Because once my hours are done here, that means I’m done babysitting for the day.” You cheekily bit back with a grin, picking up your chopsticks again and returning to thumb through your social media while taking another bite.

He looked to you, hand over his heart in mock hurt. “You wound me, kid. You also act like I’m some teenager and you’re a senior citizen. I mean, c’mon, look at you!” He beamed. There wasn’t a single reason in the world why any man should have such a gorgeous megawatt award winning smile such as his. You ducked slowly behind your phone in embarrassment, trying so hard for the flush you felt creeping up your face to stop in its tracks. No, you were gonna get him back, you had to. “Well, with a baby face like that and your immaturity, you may as well be.” Hawks gasped exaggeratedly, forgetting he had a piece of Katsu in his mouth that ended up flying to the back of his throat. You heard his air intake change and you shot a glance at him, seeing him immediately in distress. Shooting out of your seat, you crossed the office in an amazingly fast amount of time, gripping his chair to turn him to you. “Haw- HAWKS?! Oh, shit, oh no, no!” You turned the chair again and clapped a small hand down onto the area of his back that were between his wings. Nothing. He’s still trying for air. His wings were taller than you both and you needed him to help you in order to help him. “Hawks, I need you to stand up so I have better reach!” He complied quickly, standing on his feet and turning his back to you, allowing you the room you needed to hit he proper area of his back. Trouble was, his wings were puffed out from panic and you needed them out of the way. How do you tell someone choking not to panic? You raised your hands and splayed your fingers, raking them as gently as you could down his wings, causing his back to arch dramatically and then twist ever so slightly albeit awkwardly. The action had his feathers laying flat and that’s when you took the opportunity to slam both hands down as hard as you could.

Hearing the massive intake of air as he fell to his knees had you almost crying with relief. “I’m sorry!! I hope I didn’t hurt you, I don’t know the Heimlich maneuver but you needed it out!” You were now squatting down to meet him, holding his face to look for signs that he was still in danger. He was taking gulps of air in before that same lazy smirk appeared on his lips, “You sure you’re not a hero yourself?” He asked you, trying to put you at ease and brighten your features again. It came out hoarse but you were just glad he was alright and seemingly himself. You sighed, relief washing over you as you hung your head low. “I’m so sorry for touching your wings like that without permission...” you didn’t catch yourself as you said it, your hand already reaching to pet through the soft, supple plushness that were high above you both in your current positions. It wasn’t until a hiss escaped him that your head snapped up to look at him again. His knees were now drawn together tightly and he bowed a little lower, deep redness dusting each cheek, crossing over the bridge of his nose. “O-oh my God, are you sure you’re alright?” You asked him, concern all over your face once again at his reaction. “Fine! I’m fine, kid, just... thank you. You can go eat, I kept you long enough.” He was subtly backing away from you. “Well, ok, let me help you up then.” You popped up and held your hand out for him to take and when he didn’t immediately reach for it, you tried to soften your features more to coax him. You weren’t helping in the slightest. “I still have to catch my breath here, go on ahead. Please.” One of his wings was slowly curling around him. You shrugged, slowly turning to walk back to your desk, letting him regroup.

After a minute or so, he got up and stopped next to your desk, turning your chair now to face him where he bent to meet you face to face. “Thank you. Really, thanks.” He was smiling softly, a look you wouldn’t mind seeing him sport more often before you nodded slightly not prepared to have his face that close to yours, the last time being the day you started working for him. You realized that you were staring in his eyes, perfectly shaped with natural winged edges now boring into yours. “You have to stop eating chicken!!” You piped suddenly, causing him to blink a few times. “Chicken’s gonna kill you one of these days. So s-stop ordering it. I-I won’t always be here.” Your eyes darted to the little bamboo plant on your desk and then to the framed photo of your dog before meeting his now amused face again. “If I stop, will you let me take you on a date?” Crooked smirk plastered back in place had you scoffing yet again. “Oh my goodness, go eat your death chicken. Silly bird.” You wiggled in your seat to snap up a piece of sushi, showing him you were done with the convo. “You know, if you let me, I’ll order something completely different! Try me, kid!” He uprighted himself and made to leave for his own desk, but not before patting the top of your head. “Thanks again, hummingbird.”

That was the day you realized you liked the nicknames he had reserved for you.

It was Fall and you’d been at the agency for about 10 months at that point, appreciating your job more and more now that you could pay bills on time for what felt like the first time in your life. The job also afforded you a new, larger apartment closer to work and for that you weren’t complaining one bit. A gorgeous balcony where you left all your well loved and named plants to sunbathe when the weather called for it. You also couldn’t deny the small, minuscule attraction you seemed to harbor for your much younger boss. The man was a tease, a fucking master at the craft and though you knew how to bite back, there were countless times he left you a blushing flustered mess. Especially since his flirtations with you had gotten leagues bolder over the months. That needed to stop, but you didn’t know how to go about that just yet though. You also weren’t stupid, you could almost always feel his eyes on you. So, to give him something to to fuss over, whether openly or privately, you started coming to work in more form fitting clothes. Pencil skirts, kitten heels, sheer blouses and curve hugging peplum tops with perfectly cut necklines that almost always showed off your tempting cleavage. Monday mornings were now Hawks’ favorite, as you came to work much earlier those days and with them now getting colder, he could perfectly make out the peaked buds of your nipples under your choice blouse when you took off your trench coat. He was almost certain you were doing it on purpose, he couldn’t rightly tell just yet though. What a dizzying dance.

Hawks had been away more as of late, a slew of crimes breaking out in the area from up and coming gangs of thugs had him out more often than not. But he loved being able to come back to the office close to when you’d be leaving to chat with you and walk you to your car in the parking garage. It was Friday, and he’d been gone the whole day and you realized you weren’t having any type of fun. Cleaning up around the office, putting his belongings where they needed to go and making sure his up coming events were scheduled and made known in bold and darkened pen on his desk top sized calendar, placing his favorite office supplies within reach as he was picky like that. You ate lunch alone and though it wasn’t any fun, it allowed you to get some necessary things done around that needed to be done with already. Before you knew it, it was already time for you to start packing up to go home, and with the days getting shorter around this time of the year, you knew by the time you pulled out of the agency it’d be night out. You made sure to go slow with yourself, biding your time so you could catch up with Hawks per your usual recent routine, but when you looked to see that it was already 5:22, you began to bite your lip. He was usually there by then. What did you have to worry about? He was the number 2 Pro Hero, you knew he could hold his own.

5:48. It was already a quarter to 6 by the time you made your way to the parking garage. The amount of cars severely lessened and for some reason, a few lights in desperate need of repair. This was silly, you’re nothing to Hawks and therefore he doesn’t owe you the grace of his presence before you leave for home. You shook your head and made way for your car, sifting through your purse for the keys when you felt a large, nicotine stenched hand wrap around your throat and squeeze, hard. You felt your feet leave the ground and you instinctively kicked, clutching the large arm that was around your body as fear flew through your veins like a drug. Fight or flight not having the chance to kick in due to the surprise now reared its head as sheer panic. Your muffled cries, or what you could muster out, echoed through the garage but you quieted immediately when you heard a harsh voice in your ear. “Where is that red winged bitch?” You shook your head as best as you could, your vision blurring at the edges due to the lack of oxygen, your lungs burning with need. You heard a loud rip as you were dropped to the floor with little regard for your wellbeing, but you didn’t care, you took the opportunity to crawl to the side of your car, losing a heel in the process, pressing your back up against the rear, feeling the cold through your semi light trench coat seep in to your skin.

This was were you finally got a good look at the man who snuck up on you so cruelly. He was large, blackened teeth and darkened eyes that froze you on the spot. “The bird took down some of my... associates. And you match these photos.” He tossed you a few pictures, the kind that align themselves with being artfully spied on from a distance. Photos of you leaving the agency to run errands for Hawks, some of them with him to go get lunch or some late morning coffee. But there was no denying that it was you in those photos. You looked up at him and noticed he wasn’t looking in your eyes anymore, but at the area that ripped a few moments ago. Following his gaze, you saw that your pencil skirt was the thing that had ripped and right now, it was all the way up your thigh, showing a peek of your lace garter and belts that were keeping your colder weather thigh highs up. You snapped your eyes up to him and tried to offer an explanation. “He wasn’t in today! I-I even waited for him!!” You tried hoarsely, throat hurting beyond compare while trying your best to cinch the rip closed with your hands, reaching for the left side of your trench to cover you better but having moved awkwardly while crawling to your car, you were now sitting on that piece. “Well, well, I’m sure as his cute. Little. Assistant. You can pass on a message for me, can’t cha’ sweet cheeks?” He leered over you, disgusting hunger in his eyes as they raked over your breasts, the dip in your waist, and lastly, to the tantalizing soft skin peeking through the rip you were desperately trying to hold closed.

Your silky flesh was like a buffet to him, men like him didn’t get the leisures of freely dating the ones they truly pleased. “How rude of me, I should introduce myself to you… or at the very least, what my quirk can do to you.” He flashed a grimy smile as he lurched forward, his large nicotine stained hands grabbed at your ankles, yanking you to him, your body easily gliding roughly along the garage pavement in his direction as ropes left his wrists to bind around your knees. “NOO, PLEASE!!!!” You screamed, fighting through the searing pain in your throat and when you felt his grasp release you, he followed with a scream of his own. “Gah, fuck!” You took the brief opportunity to crawl back to your car, ripping the now weak ropes off you and pulling your legs tightly to you as you saw a flash of red fly by followed by blood dropping onto the ground with a wet sound. “Looking for me?” You knew that voice anywhere. “You were next on my list, you wanted to see me that badly? I’m fuckin’ touched you’re into me that much but, I have eyes for someone else and anyways, you’re not my type.” Though he was in the darkest side of the garage, Hawks was there. A little late, but God he was there. “Kid, cover your ears.” The guy looked puzzlingly into the darkness and then to you, already raising your hands to your ears and squeezing your eyes shut. “Ok.” Your voice was so weak and faint, but he heard it and the moment he did, he set to work. Through your balled up fists covering your ears you could faintly hear a fight happening but you didn’t need to see to know who was winning. You wished you could fold into yourself more, wished you couldn’t faintly hear that rope villain wailing in pain the way he was, wished this was all over and you were at home with your dog curled up on the couch with Haw...

Gentle hands found your sides and softly squeezed. You flinched, pulling away and darting your hands out to stop whoever was touching you. “It’s me. Hey, hey, it’s me, baby bird.” You opened your eyes finally and were met with those comforting pools of honey. “I-I’m...” you painfully croaked out. “It’s ok, c’mon, c’mere.” Hawks was pulling you to him in a tight hug, feeling your shaking form as you gripped the front of his jacket. “He... he...” you wanted to tell him everything, but talking was so hard to do. “Shhh, I’m here now, baby feathers. I’m so sorry I took as long as I did. You! Ugh, you should’ve stayed in the building, or left when you were done. Oh, what the hell? I can’t be angry with you, kid. I got you.” He said against your cradled head as you heard police sirens drawing nearer. “He deserves Tartarus.” You said, feeling like grains of hot sand were scraping against your throat inside. “C’mon, let me get a good look at you, puffin.” Hawks pulled you back to observe you, see if you were hurt in any other way. Your throat was thoroughly bruised, a large hand print marking your otherwise pretty skin. He suddenly hated himself for not being fast enough for once in his life. He tutted, fluffy brows furrowing in upset before tilting your chin back to see the extent of the damage before his eyes raked over your body for anymore injuries. When he landed at the tear in your skirt, he looked to you, his golden hues taking on a darker shade as you watched his pupils turn to slits. “Did he touch you? Answer me!” He jostled you softly, and you shook your head profusely. He huffed out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and nodded, whether it was for you or for himself, you weren’t sure.

Black vehicles started to line up in the garage and to your surprise, it wasn’t the police, but the HPSC. “The Commission, finally.” He mumbled, rising to his feet before reaching for you to do the same. As the unknown people started coming out to assess the area, one vehicle was parked at an angle, blocking the now dead body of the villain who was hell bent on terrorizing you for info in his own sadistic way, unknown to you. Hawks was pulling your trench around your figure, taking the belt and tightening it closed for your modesty before turning to bend and grab your heel off the ground. A couple of suits walked up to you both and introduced themselves to you, “I’m Soichiro Tanaka and this is Miu Osaka. May we question you about what happened? Once we’re done, you can head over to the med truck there and be seen.” They bowed and you did as well. “C’mon, guys, can’t this wait? She’s obviously not in the best of spirits and I’m sure she’d like some rest.” Hawks butted in, hand raised with a shake of his head. “Sorry, Hawks, but you know the drill.” Miu said, gently grabbing you by the hand and leading you to a quiet area. Hawks wanted to hear what they’d ask you but other agents had different things in mind. “Hawks. A word, please?” Furrowing his brows together, he made his way to the others, hoping to still be within earshot of you.

Questioning wasn’t all that bad. They just wanted to know what had happened to you and you told them everything to the best of your ability. What felt like hours of being in that degenerates presence was really only a few harrowing minutes in actuality. Once Hawks was free from the other agents, he made his way to you at the pop up med truck. “Hey, how you doin’, kid?” He was leaning against the side of the truck, watching the nurse of the med team assess you. “I’m o...” you trailed off in pain. “Now, now, you leave her alone, Takami. She’s got to rest her throat and voice, her vocals are most likely bruised. No work for a few days, ok?” The nurse said. You looked to him confused, and he shook his head in equal confusion, shrugging his shoulders. “What do you say I take you home, yeah? It was because of me that you ended up in this mess so it’s the least I can do.” In all honesty, it sounded like a great idea. You were in no shape to drive with the way your nerves were just utterly shot by then. You nodded, a small grin gracing your lips. “Now, take it easy and ease up on the voice. You should be ok in a few days. As for the bruising, nothing a little concealer can’t fix.” She winked at you and got up to put her tools away on the side of the truck, but not before Hawks turned and shot her a glare, mouthing ‘not my name!!’. The old woman shrugged and chuckled as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. You went to stand from where you sat only to hobble back down, forgetting you were one heel short. Hawks pushed off the side of the truck and lifted his hand, wiggling it to show you he still had your shoe in his grasp. “I got it here, baby feathers.” He said, coming to squat in front of you before reaching for your leg. His hand grasped the back of your calf, pulling it towards him with a firm squeeze. You watched as he slowly looked up to you, slipping your heel back onto your foot before slowly dropping his hand from your calf, throwing his head back to follow him.

The drive to your place was a quiet one. Every so often you’d look at him, thinned out wings while a pile of plush red feathers filled your backseat. You pulled your phone out and typed up something he couldn’t see, but flinched once the text to speech was enabled. “Are you Takami?” It said out loud, so silly in its mechanical voice, but you looked to him still for any sign of an answer. “I-I am. But look, magpie, the less you know, the better. Ok? I mean for fucks sake, look what happened to you tonight, I could’ve lost you. Could’ve lost you right under my nose within my own damned agency no less! So much for heroism, eh? Guess we’re all fucked in the end.” You took in what he said and let your head fall. He peered at you from the corner of his eye, feeling bad that he couldn’t tell you more than that. “It’s not your fault, Takami. I was the one who stayed and waited for you.” You watched as his jaw flexed, his grip on your steering wheel tightening before he slowly let out a breath. “No, no. I’m supposed to be the fastest there is. And I was nowhere to be seen. Granted I was taking care of important shit, but... you, you’re important too. Don’t you ever think otherwise, baby feathers. I failed you tonight. But I promise you, I won’t ever do it again.” He kept his eyes focused on the road as you stayed looking at him. Feeling your eyes on him, he moved his left hand to the center console, palm up and fingers open in waiting. “You trust me, kid?” He asked, looking to you briefly before looking back to the road before you looked down at his open and waiting hand. “I trust you, I do.” Your smaller hand slipped into his warm one and the moment your fingers were slotted together, he squeezed his hand shut, enveloping yours in comfort, safety and surety. “Good. I got you, baby bird.” Looking to him once more, you smiled. He was so beautiful, he had to know how utterly beautiful he... It finally hit you. Baby bird? When did that happen?

This time, you couldn’t fight the heat that crawled all over your body, dispersing in various ways you never, ever wanted him to know about. The rest of the short trip was spent in comfortable silence hand in hand.

Now that Hawks knew where you lived, it now became a normal and daily routine to find a beautiful red feather outside your balcony or bedroom windows bearing gifts. Usually it was your favorite breakfast with his favorite canned coffee. Other times it was notes he’d written at the agency or while out flying on patrol. And on the more strange occasions, there’d be shiny rocks and pretty pieces of partial jewelry. You never knew where he got those things from, but you started to make a collage with them on the cork bulletin board in your kitchen.

‘It’s sooooo boring here without you! Hurry up and get better, brat.🪶’

‘Can you believe they want me to do work? Like actual work not of the hero sort? They must be crazy if they think I do paperwork. This pretty bird doesn’t do it. That’s your job. Oh yeah, you’re my secretary now, too.🪶’ (You rolled your eyes at that one, you’d been partial secretary for a while now, he just never realized, the silly bird.)

‘When can I have some of your homemade Chicken Teriyaki? I miss that... and you!!🪶’

‘I don’t like how empty my… our office has become. I should have you record your voice so it doesn’t seem so lonely in here. Is that creepy? I hope it’s not creepy.🪶’

‘So, this new place opened by me and I was wondering if you wanted to be the dearest of dears and let me take you there? Promise I won’t order chicken because I don’t wanna die. Please say yes, pleeeeease?🪶’

You hated to admit it, but you missed Hawks and his antics, especially when he was pestering you. You rolled your eyes at your own ridiculousness and refused to admit your feelings. You’d been doing well with your recovery and though your throat still hurt, it wasn’t anything like the day it had first happened. You tried to tell Hawks in one of the many replies you’d sent back to him that you were ready, but he always refused, saying that it never hurt to be extra, extra sure. He also made it clear that he was still paying you for the days you were gone. He didn’t have to do it, but he’d said he did. ‘Least I can do, tail feathers.🪶’

A week after the incident saw a horrible rain storm. You’d gotten a feather that morning but it didn’t retreat with your answer like it normally did, having chalked it up to Hawks being too busy, or more like swamped and you imagined him going crazy with the amount of paperwork that was on his desk. You didn’t want to even know what the state of his desk was like without you there. It probably began to migrate to your own desk and you shook your head at the thought albeit amused. With a bright flash of lightning followed by a violent rumble of thunder, you looked outside your balcony at the raging storm. Glad that you brought your plants back in when you did, your mind suddenly went to Hawks, hoping he wasn’t anywhere near the sky during this fiasco.

Wrapping yourself tighter in your cardigan, you went to go make a cup of yuzu tea, your dog trailing closely behind you as you gathered your supplies. “You nervous, Fen-boy? It’s ok, it’ll pass sooner or later. And when it does we’ll go on a longer wa-“ you were cut off by a loud crash on your balcony, snapping your head in the direction of the deafening noise. Frozen in place, your mind started wondering what in the hell could’ve fallen. No trees around in the city, those baby saplings were far lower than your floor. Lighting lit up the sky and outside again and that’s when you caught it, dark red water logged wings splayed in an unnatural way. Dropping your mug into the sink, you raced to your balcony door and pulled it open, the rain coming down in cold, hard pelts wet your body within seconds as you stared at a barely coherent Hawks. You shook your head, now was not the time and you didn’t want him to get sick let alone yourself. Grabbing him by the sleeves of his coat, you pulled as hard as you could, but a completely relaxed grown man and one drenched from head to toe was much harder to move than you thought. Your dog set to work, biting his pant leg and pulling with you. “Good boy! Keep going, Fenrir, keep going!!” You fell on your ass a few times, and it was hard to angle his wings without hurting him or them, but it was worth it once he was inside. You closed your balcony door and rushed back to the floor in your living room where Hawks lay. It was here that you finally saw that he’d been beaten to hell. “Oh God, Takami, what happened to you?”

Brushing his hair gently out of his face, you leaned down and spoke into his ear, “Takami? Tak- Hawks can you hear me?” No answer. Panicking, you placed your head over his chest where his heart was and heard it beating. You made your way to your bathroom and gathered as many towels as you could and brought them to the living room, patting him as dry as possible. “Who did this to you?” Your voice wavered a little and you decided that you’d rather not talk, you couldn’t trust your voice one bit. Now came the monumental task of stripping him out of his heavily wet clothing. “Please don’t be mad at me for this, Takami. I can’t have you getting sick.” You spoke as though he’d hear you, as though he’d answer you back. You lifted him up, but his upper body was so heavy with his wings drooping behind him and you didn’t take into consideration how he got his clothes on when he had to thread his wings through the specialized holes. You didn’t have the strength to fight with dead weight, let alone with massive dead weighted wings. With the idea you formed in your mind you hoped it wouldn’t be too bad for him. You got up and went to your office to grab scissors. Once you got back, you made sure to protect his skin with your free hand while you cut his clothing off him. “I’m sorry, so sorry. You can take it out of my paycheck if you have to.” It was so much easier cutting the heavy clothing off than wrangling them off his slumped body.

Cradling his head, you gently placed him back on the ground as you worked to dry his wings as best as possible. “This’d be so much easier with a healing quirk.” You said to your dog absentmindedly. You pulled his pants off after yanking his boots and socks off, hanging them to dry in your little laundry area. Well, here you were in the middle of a raging storm with your passed out boss who happened to be a devastatingly handsome Pro Hero in his boxer briefs in the middle of your living room. You felt as though you could cook an egg on your face it was so hot. Looking to your dog who was sitting down next to the both of you, you shot him a look. “Don’t look at me like that, Fen. I’m not taking his briefs off. What a perverted dog I have. I need to change though and he should be more comfortable.” Finally feeling the cold slip into your extremities, you felt it was time to move Hawks to your bed. At least there he would be comfortable and surrounded by warmth. You placed your fingertips on him and activated your quirk, one you needed to use very sparingly, watching him rise off the floor and stop at about the height of your chest before walking to your bedroom with his limp body trailing behind you held up by invisible tether. With your bedside lamps already on, you maneuvered him over your bed and gently pushed him down until he was snug against the top of your mattress before deactivating your quirk. Leaving him there you made your way to your small walk-in closet, stripping and deciding on some warm weather leggings, a tank and another heavier cardigan before throwing your damp hair up and making your way to your bathroom to nab your first aid kit. Placing everything down on your bedside table back in your bedroom, you gently gathered up your quilt, bringing it to your dryer and setting a time for it while you worked on patching him up. “Whoever did this to you really did you in,” you said, gingerly pushing back the strands of hair that were stuck to his bloodied face, “Please? Takami if you can hear me, please be ok?” You worked up your nerve and got to it, working on his busted lip, cleaning up the dried blood there as you had already done to the cut on his cheek. You’d never seen him in such a state, but you hoped that somehow you were helping in some small way. You never knew what heroes had to go through when they were out, but you certainly didn’t envy them in that regard.

Even busted up as he was, a whole black eye with several cuts to his perfect face you couldn’t deny that he was devilishly handsome. If anything, the look made him seem all the more an untamable bad boy. You’d want to punch him for it if he wasn’t already in awful shape. Once you were done with his lip, you set to work on one of his fluffy brows, a cut sliced right through that was certainly gonna scar. “You’d still be disgustingly beautiful with a scarred brow.” You whispered. You were glad he was out, it let you work quickly and you were sure that if he were lucid, he’d be fussing over how much the antiseptic burned, slowing your progress. After what seemed like hours later, you’d patched him fully. His purple/red bruised ribs, the cuts and scrapes over various parts, the nasty knot of a bump and cut on his forehead all sufficiently cleaned, bandage over the slice on the bridge of his nose, healing creams added and bandaged to the best of your ability. Finally done, you gathered up your mess to throw and put away, coming back to make sure his wings were behind him comfortably and placing them as best as you could. Once you were satisfied with that, you went back to the dryer and pulled out the now toasty warm quilt, bringing it with you to drape over you both as you lay next to him on your side of the bed in case he woke or needed something. You kept the aspirin close by on the bedside table with a bottle of water on his side for when he did wake. It was only when you’d plopped down next to him yourself that you realized just how tired the events that’d just took place made you. Curling up close to keep him warm, you softly kissed his temple, reached over and turned your lamp off and fell asleep within minutes with Fen curled at both of your feet.

Golden eyes fluttered open to an unrecognizable room bathed in semi darkness. Hawks blinked in slight pain, wincing when he went to sit up, only to feel dizzy and surprisingly naked? No... partially naked. He felt his bare chest where thick fingers met gauze around his ribs when a sharp pain shot through his head. “Ah, the hell am I?” He grogged, looking to his right to see a lush area rug with a chair and a throw blanket draped over one side of it in the corner. Looking to his left, he saw you curled up next to him, soft snores emanating from your sleeping form. “Oh, kid...” He whispered, staring at you, large hand coming to stroke the side of your cheek. You moved ever so slightly before falling deeper into sleep again. When he went to wipe his face, he hissed in pain, the events coming back to him from the now previous night and he felt the bandages, inspecting his arms and torso to find more littered over his skin, even his face. That’s right, he’d gone to eliminate the rest of that gang after that asshole had gone and screwed with you, but he didn’t count on them to have an ace up their sleeves from working with a bigger, more dangerous group; a whole ass Nomu who’d gotten the drop on him. Alone. Hawks stretched out, hearing his bones pop and crack at the motion and then his wings spread and shook a bit. When he looked at you again, he grinned and looked at the nightstand closest to him, spotting the pills and water you’d placed there for him. Smirking he took them and chugged before placing them back and gingerly settling down on your plush pillows again, facing you. Staring at your resting features, he silently admired you. “What’d you do for me, little sparrow? Or... what’d you do to me? I’m not my fuckin’ self with you.” His hand was reaching out again, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear, hearing you hum softly at the action, turning slightly on your back, taking a deep breath as golden eyes watched the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest.

Before he could process his own movements, he was leaning in closer to you, lips brushing back and forth across your forehead, down your nose and stopping to rest on your lips, kissing you as gently as he could. Your nose wriggled a bit when he pulled away, bewildered at his own behavior. You subconsciously reached up and scratched your chin from the feeling of his scruff against your softer chin. His hand cupped your cheek, pulling you closer to rest his lips against your head again, but this time, you rested your hands over his own. Opening his eyes in shock, Hawks stopped and looked down at you. Your groggy features made his stomach flop as you grinned up at him. “You’re ok.” You said sleepily. It wasn’t a question the way either of you were expecting it to be, but a factual statement. “I’m ok. Thanks to you, again, baby bird.” He whispered, moving in again to kiss your forehead where at the last moment you tilted, surging your head up so his lips met your own. Hawks neither pushed nor pulled you to him, instead, his hands landed at your waist where they slid down to your hips, squeezing them softly. Your hands traveled up toned bandaged arms, over sturdy muscular shoulders before one found a home on the back of his neck and the other slid down to rest on his patched up peck. The kiss deepened, his teeth lightly clashing into yours and when you quickly found that it wasn’t enough, tangling your fingers at the base of it to tug at thick sun kissed hair while a groan left his throat. His hands left your hips, skimming over to your lower back, pulling you closer to him as his tongue delved into your parted lips. His hot tongue against yours made your mind go fuzzy and your body tingle with warmth as large hands slowly slipped down to rest on your ass, kneading your pillowy flesh as his upper body pressed into your own. Hawks hissed suddenly, forgetting the injury to his ribs as he pulled away from you and looked down at the roll of gauze you wrapped around them. “Oh no, Taka-“ “Keigo. I want you to call me Keigo.” He was looking at you again, face soft once more now that there was no pressure on his ribs. “Keigo.” You repeated it to him, playing with how it sounded off your tongue, watching him nod while his eyes became half lidded. “Never liked my name, but coming from you...”

Keigo was leaning in again to press his lips to you but you pressed into his shoulders instead. It took him a moment to realize you were pushing him back and he felt like he’d done something wrong. “Oh, I- I’m so sor-“ “Keigo, I don’t want to hurt you,” you breathed out shakily, squeezing your thighs together where you lay not seeing his eyes roam over your features in seconds before waving you off, grabbing your chin to look at him. “I’ve endured much worse, magpie. This? This is nothing and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant those bastards were off the street without a way to harm you again.” Your eyes widened once the realization sunk in that he was in this state because of you, that he went out of his way to protect you. Shaking your head you didn’t want to believe that he’d been beaten and crash landed on your... “Y-you idiot!!” You lunged at him, wrapping your arms around his neck, hugging him hard. “Oof! Give me a warning here, bitty budgie!!” He huffed, you having knocked the air out of him. Keigo couldn’t complain, you were hugging him, worrying over him, and now being grateful to him, for him. He wrapped his arms around you and squeezed you as close and as tight as his aching body would allow, face buried into the crook of your neck, inhaling your sweet scent as his eyes slipped closed. Feeling chilly fingers on either side of his head pulling him up, you look at him with tears brimming in your eyes. “You didn’t have to do that for me. What if you... all because of m-m... I can’t live with that! You’re always so... so... you can’t jus-“ Keigo was suddenly smothering your lips with his, arms holding you against him while your hands now went from the sides of his face to the back of his head, pulling his hair as he nipped your bottom lip, sucking on it before trailing teeth and kisses along your jaw to your neck where he bit down.

You let out a whiny mewl, hips involuntarily bucking against his as he began sucking on your soft skin while his hands got busy with pulling your cardigan off you as you palmed his hard cock that you felt pressing against you the moment you’d hugged him. Now Keigo was rutting against your hand, his breaths increasing with each roll of his hips. “Fuck.” You breathed out near his ear, hearing another groan. You felt his hands migrate towards your hips again, one holding you still while the other slipped past the band of your leggings to give your ass cheek a quick squeeze before slipping lower until you felt thick fingers slide against your dripping hole. “Hah, K-Keigo!” Your fingers dug into his shoulders for some sort of anchor, some stability. You felt him pull away but not meeting your face just yet, feeling him blow cool air onto the blooming bruise he’d sucked into your skin. Goosebumps broke out across your flesh, your nipples hardening even more as a chill ran through you, contrasting against the warmth building in your stomach with each moment passing that he toyed with your cunt. Suddenly golden eyes met yours as Keigo looked to you, noting that he was a bit ruined with blush dusting from his neck to his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears. The intensity of his gaze was too much, your eyes darted to one corner of your room, thankful to look at anything that wasn’t his piercing honeyed stare. “Look at me,” he husked, “don’t take your eyes off me.” He said, using the hand at your hip to pull down your leggings some.

When you involuntarily looked away, you felt a harsh slap against your bare ass, a moan escaping you once the sting settled in. “I said, look at me. I’m a selfish bastard, I want all of your attention on me. Always on me, yeah?” He asked as a thick finger dipped into your heat, thrusting and curling every now and again causing you to cry out at the unexpected intrusion. “Y-yes!” You cried, feeling his cock throb against your hand, deciding that he should suffer too if you needed to look at him while you were in such a state. You squeezed his cock through his boxer briefs before sliding your hand up and dipping past the band, pulling them down to let his thick length slip free before fisting it, letting your thumb swipe over the head to smear the pre dribbling out of his leaking tip. You watched as Keigo’s avian pupils went from round to slitted as he bit his bottom lip, inhaling sharply at the feeling of you toying with his cockhead. “G-good girl. That’s right, jerk me off while I finger you from behind, I wanna make sure you’re nice and open f-for this thick cock.” He breathed irregularly, capturing your lips in a kiss, sucking your bottom lip before delving into your mouth to stroke your tongue with his. As he was about to pull away to let out a moan, you surged forward a little, kissing him again causing Keigo to give you his tongue once more, just as you wanted. Once his tongue was within reach, you greedily sucked on it, a surprised moan escaped him but he quickly fell into the rhythm. Stiffening his tongue and jutting it out more for you, you began bobbing your head with your jerking rhythm. Keigo felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t get to sink into you soon.

As you pulled away a string of saliva stayed, connecting you both as you gave each other hazy lustful gazes as he sped up his working fingers before sucking his teeth in annoyance, pulling his finger out of you from behind only to send a few feathers out to maneuver your leg open where he wasted no time in now diving two fingers into your slicked up hole from the front, scissoring them and giving you a nice burn to simmer sweetly to. Keigo could feel it, your raised leg shaking as his feathers held you open for him as well as the way your wet walls would flutter around his soaked fingers all the while staring at each other with both of your appetites bordering on ravenous. “K-Keigo, please, Keig- oh, please!” You squealed out, your head dipping briefly before shooting back to look at him once you felt his fingers slam into you for looking away, his palm taking the place of his thumb to stimulate your clit. “Please what, dove, please what?” It was taking every ounce of self control he had to not fuck himself into your tight fist, his breaths coming out shaky as you jerked his pre all along his length causing a lewd sticky noise to sound out, throbbing hard in your hand every so often. “I want -oh, fuck, God- I want to cum on your cock, Keigo, please!!” You heard him chuckle, shaky as it was, shaking his head, “Oh, baby wren, you’re gonna do both for me. Now, c’mon, make a mess of my fingers.” Keigo put his all into making you cum. Feeling the way his thick fingers were rubbing against your walls, the way his knuckles would provide extra stimulation, the way his calloused thumb rubbed furiously at your clit.

Somewhere along the way you stopped stroking him and he was actually grateful for it, being able to focus more on you while not having to worry that he’d break before he truly wanted to. With everything going on you rolled fully onto your back and Keigo was quick to act. With a hard wing beat, both the bottle of water and aspirin flew off the night table while your blinds rattled a bit, showing pieces of very early morning light beginning to form outside your windows. But he got into the position he wanted, hovering over you and watching your facial expressions change with each bit of pleasure he gave you. “Cum for me, my pretty bird. C’mon and cum for me. I need it, please.” Hearing the beg in his voice made your eyes snap open, greeted by golden eyes that looked beautifully molten, his fluffy brows raised almost as though he was worried, his lips slightly parted as his breaths came out in puffs. What really caught you though was the red blush that bloomed all over his upper body. The sight of him on the brink of losing it had you nodding fiercely as you went past the brink for him and lost it all over him. Your sopped cunt squeezing his fingers as though they’d disappear, an overly warm flow of your release coating his fingers and part of his palm as your hips raised off the bed. “That’s it, that’s it, baby bird, that’s what I fuckin’ want to see! Goddamn, you’re so beautiful like this too, fuck.”

Keigo was panting almost as hard as you were, his fingers slowing to a stop now that you were relaxed again before pulling them out and licking them clean with a groan. Biting your lip at his behavior, you felt a feather gliding up your body and in your after haze you reached to pet the softness that left tingles on your skin in its wake. “Ahh, fuck!” Snapping out of it, you looked to Keigo again, his bottom lip between his teeth with his large wings spread beautifully above you both with a slight vibrating tremble to them while the feather woven through your fingers was doing the same. It finally dawned on you that Keigo’s feathers were sensitive, and quite at that. “I want you inside me, Keigo. Please, please, I want you already.” With an audible hard swallow he nodded, large hands hovering over your thighs, already feeling his hard cock twitch as he shifted above you. You gave an experimental roll of your hips and his eyes slid shut while he took in a sharp breath of air through clenched teeth. There wasn’t an inch of skin on his torso that wasn’t beat up in some way and it made you frown. You slipped out of your tank top and lay back against your headboard, using his stray feather to slowly glide down your body, the redness of it contrasting beautifully against your skin. Keigo smirked while he kicked his boxer briefs off all the way while you gave him a playful wink. “Giving me a show are you? Shit, I told you we’d get along just fine, didn’t I, little puffin?” He smiled cockily, expression changing to hunger as he watched his own feather tickle your nipple to a peak before partially hardening the tip just to hear you gasp at his sneakiness.

With a smile he shimmied up your legs, caressing and squeezing as he went, feeling them tense under his touch before hooking a hand behind your knee, wrapping it around his waist and allowing his cock to rub against your wet slit, another bead of pre already leaking from his tip. Keigo was now lined up with you but stopped his movements as you comfied yourself in your pillows. Watching you through golden lidded eyes, he slowly leaned forward, dipping down to lock his lips with yours. As his tongue slid into your mouth, he was rubbing the head of his cock along your wetness, gathering your slick before pushing into your welcoming warmth, slowly gliding inside as your mouth opened to suck in a small gasp with both your lips still touching. Pulling away you watched his jaw flex as he sunk in deeper before looking down between you both to watch the remaining bit of his length sheathe inside you, his abs contracting from the feel of your wet walls hugging him like he was the most perfect puzzle piece to you. With the both of you panting, you looked to him only to find him already looking at you. Honeyed stare darting to the various features of your face, taking in every minute detail. The way you genuinely batted your lashes, the way your lips parted, slightly irritated from previous rough kisses, the way your tongue darted out to wet the middle of your upper lip. The perfect placements of your angel kissed beauty marks, he wished he were the angel that had kissed them there. “You’re so perfect, baby bird. So damned…” He muttered, taking in your face all over again. Your eyes widened briefly before relaxing back as your hands snaked up his chest and wrapped around his neck, fingers slipping into those straw colored locks that were always mussed and windswept from the skies he’d fly through but were now drooped from the rain from several hours before, your nails scraping at the back of his scalp. “I tried, I tried so damned hard to not fall for you. So damned hard,” you repeated, smiling now that you’ve finally accepted that you had indeed lost. You’d lost terribly and admittedly beyond quick. “Just make me yours already, Keigo.”

With a smile of his own, he nodded, pulling his hips back and gliding back into you, both of you releasing a sigh of needful relief. Keigo started at a slow pace, wanting to savor every moment of this with you, a moment he’d craved for months now. “Thought too much about this, chickadee. Too, too much, but it’s ok, I got you now and hell if I’m ever going to let go.” You nodded feverishly, “Yours, all yours, just yours… ah!” You we’re still sensitive from the previous orgasm Keigo had given you, but all that uncomfortableness was melting into something that more resembled desperate tightening in your lower belly. “Already, magpie? Fuck, you’re gonna ruin me. But not before I ruin you first.” His pace increased as his hands roamed your body, squeezing and pinching here and there while he felt you already fluttering around his length. During one particular hard thrust, Keigo had managed to brush something inside you that made you cry out and the look on his face told you that he was all too happy to have been able to nail it down his first time with you. “Oh, God, K-Keigo that’s sensitive!” You tried to back away but your headboard was touching the top of your head. As if it would’ve mattered anyway, his grip on you had tightened exponentially and you weren’t going anywhere. You pushed on his lower belly to get him to ease up but he was too lost in the pleasure of you, his thrusts coming in rougher than before. You wanted to make him feel good too.

Using your hands that were now around his neck again, you brushed the feathers that were over his patagium and you watched as Keigo’s head flew back, a guttural moan ripping from his chest as he kept pumping into you. “Ahah! M-my wings! Fuck, that feels so good, stop!” He cried, but his actions said otherwise by lowering his wings to cage around you, very much within your reach. Now using both hands, you used one to caress the wrist and the other to rake softly through the coverts of his massive wings. Not only did the moan he let out at that make you roll your hips into him harder, it made his body violently shudder, sweat forming on his heated, blushed skin as he bit his lip. “K-keep going, touch my wings, tou -oh fuck!!- touch my wings while your perfect puss- holy fuck!” Soon enough, he had one of your legs up on his shoulder, hitting into you deeper than before, the headboard now slamming into the wall as he propped himself against it with one arm while the other was planted beside your head. “You sound so goddamn pretty, singing that song for me, dove, you-! Oh, God, oh, God I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna cum, baby bird, I- no, no, no keep playing with my wings, keep playing with them, it feels so…” “Right there, don’t stop, keep going, Keigo, yes, yes!” Your orgasm crashed into you like a freight train, almost knocking the air from your lungs as Keigo kept pounding into you over and over, propped on wobbling arms and fluttering wings as his own release kept climbing to the edge of the jump off. “Not quite, not quite, baby, almost, a-almost, fuck!!” As your hips tried to rise off the bed from the combined feeling of him releasing inside you and the strength of your orgasm, Keigo’s wings shot open to their full span, bathing the room in a red hue with his back arched as though he were doing some odd version of the yoga move cobra.

You both stayed that way for a few beats before Keigo gently let your leg down from his shoulder, his hand sliding from the headboard to then land on your chin to your surprise, guiding you to meet his lips in a slow but bruising kiss. The both of you were breathing harshly through your noses before parting, his head sinking into the soft crook of your neck where he kissed as you planted your hand at the back of his head to pet him there while you both caught your breaths. As the worst of steadying your breathing came to a stop, you suddenly heard something odd in your now mainly silent room. Straining your ears, you listened to the faint sounds of talking coming from your TV in the living room, so that wasn’t the culprit. It actually wasn’t until you shifted in Keigo’s grasp and heard it a bit louder, that you found out where the sounds were coming from. They were coming from him. “K-Keigo? What’s wrong? Are you al-“ his response was to squeeze you tighter, a slight nod as you heard a chorus of the soft noises come out of him, causing him to shake. It wasn’t until one of the sounds that came out to your ears was so strikingly familiar that you realized what you were hearing. Something almost everyone hears every single day, but are so accustomed to the tunes that they pass through one ear and out the other. Keigo’s wings were now clamped tightly to his back and over one of your arms while your other stroked soothingly against the back of his head.

“It’s ok, my sweet bird. It’s alright, we can stay like this as long as you like. I’d actually really like to hear your soft song… if that’s what it is?” You said against his ear, shifting to press a kiss to his temple and watching on as his wings relaxed some, his shaking body slowing more. You felt him shake his head a little, lifting it up briefly to let out a raspy negative. He sounded wrecked, his voice a pitch you’d never heard and it had you smiling to yourself. “Well, whatever it is, I really want to keep hearing it so please don’t stop.” Keigo’s breath caught for a couple of seconds, lifting his head to look you in the eyes with wide ones of his own and when he released his breath again, a flurry of those chirps and peeps came out causing him to bury his head into your neck again in embarrassment, though his wings fluttered in happiness as his neck became hot and pink to the ears. You chuckled, hugging him closer as he tried to muffle his sweet sounds. “I’m just happy is all, baby bird. All happy sounds, just for you since you’re the first to want to hear them.” Keigo said, lifting his head some before resting his forehead against your own, letting those same peeps and chirps bubble out of him. As you watched him sing, it’d always be a song to your ears even if he said it wasn’t, you took in the way he was also taking you in. Soft, golden honeyed avian eyes appraised you and you felt goosebumps break out over your cheek. His gaze always made you feel very small, like you were locked on by this predator with nowhere to hide. And though you’ve caught him looking at you this way before, he always turned away from you, going back to what he was doing and being the perfect picture of an inconspicuous bird that wasn’t just staring at you in some deep and thoughtful way.

But here he was, Keigo Takami, number 2 Pro Hero, here, in your bed, staring at you as he’d done countless times before only not turning away. “I l-lo… I really, really like you.” Keigo whispered followed by a thick swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. Smiling to him, you pulled him close for another slow yet passionate kiss, minding not to bump his nose too much from the bandage across it and irritating the bruises that bloomed there. “I do, too. I absolutely do, too. Hey, what do you say we take a bath? Maybe eat something after? I uh… I have to buy you some clothes because I had to cut you out of yours and I have to use my tether and carry quirk very sparingly, you were so water logged from the rain. I’m so sorry.” Keigo chuckled, waving you off before planting a kiss to your forehead and getting up out of the bed. “Feathers can take care of it, don’t worry. Hey, c-can I take you out to dinner? Or is that still off the table?” He looked desperate for an answer, and cute as it was, you figured you’d end his misery. “Well, it doesn’t look like it’s time for dinner, but I’ll gladly go with you to grab breakfast.” You grinned, sheet falling off your body as he helped you out of the bed and into his arms. “Really?” His wings fluttered ever so slightly, hoping it wouldn’t be too noticeable to you. It was. “Really, really. Now c’mon, let’s get clean ‘cause I’m starving!” You grabbed Keigo by the hands and led him to your bathroom, closing the door behind you both before a loud slap sounded out.

“Ow, Keigo! My ass!!!”

“What? Not my fault, it begged me to!”