#but this is somewhat balanced by the fact that once she gets one she can tinker with it at her crafting station and unlock a recipe

[arolesbianism]

Thinking abt my dst swap au again it's so messed up that I can't just talk about hypothetical character kits 24/7 and actually have to make a plot that some characters are more or less relevant in because all I wanna do is talk about Wilba and Wortox kits cause they're silly goofy goobers

[arlowthenacho]

cherry wine

(carmen berzatto x reader)

summary: carmy has panic attack and calls for you.

warnings: cussing, fem presenting reader, kissing, intended lowercase, please let me know if i misses anything !

wc: 975

a/n: omg its finally done...part 2 to “that funny feeling” !! its a bit short but i dont have the patience for anything longer lmao. @unbearableblog ik you wanted to be tagged so here you go <3

its been a week.

a week since carmen invited you to his house. and the funny thing is, its happened again. more than again, actually.

within the seven days after he originally asked you to come over, you’ve been invited to come back about 5 more times, all for the same reason. being a little taste tester for carmy. telling him what needs salt and what’s too bland and what’s perfect and doesn’t need any more tinkering.

and what’s even funnier than the fact you’ve been in carmen berzatto’s kitchen at 11:00 pm for the better part of the week is the fact he hasn’t tried to get in your pants at all. not once.

all he’s done is…talk.

about you, about him, about his family, and about yours. and its been nice.

refreshing.

seeing this other side of him, this vulnerable side of him, has been almost eye-opening. everything you thought he was had been turned to dust and reborn with new perspective. carmen berzatto wasn’t just the guy who occasionally hooked up with you to let off some steam anymore.

he was soft, and gentle, and vulnerable, and sweet. sure, he had his faults. his stubbornness, his ceaseless need for perfection, and most of all, his pride, but the sweet balanced the sour.

your thoughts drift back to the show playing on the t.v briefly, when a buzzing in your back pocket stuns you out of focus.

carmy parmy 🧑‍🍳

can u comw over?

huh. carm never really misspelled words. whatever.

course! gimmie likeee 15 mins

carmy parmy 🧑‍🍳

please come quickly

shit. now you’re worried.

you hastily make your way towards your bedroom and throw on a hoodie and leggings, damn near sprinting to your car.

after turning on the ignition and pulling out of your garage, you’re right back where you were a week ago. only this time you wear a concerned frown.

“carmen?” you rap your knuckles against the door, your breaths coming short and shallow.

“its unlocked,” his voice is hardly his right now. its all television static and distance.

you burst through the door and frantically scan the room for any trace of carmy. after a couple seconds of searching, you see him curled into himself on the floor of his kitchen, hands in his hair.

your heart drops six feet deep as you sit next to him, taking his hands into yours.

“hey, carm. what’s the matter, hmm?” you spoke with a foreign gentleness, a tone that was never usually present between you and carm.

“i just—i cant…” he hyperventilates. “i can’t breathe,”

and within a second, your blood was lead and dropping your organs to hell.

“i cant—”

he can barely finish his sentence before being enveloped in your arms. the sinking in your gut was still present, but you ignored it. you both just sat on the floor, holding each other together.

after a while of holding carmen, his breathing had somewhat evened out. he releases the white-knuckling grip on your shoulders and lifts his head from your chest. you brush the stray hairs out of his eyes and smile softly.

"hi, baby,"

he takes a stuttering breath.

"hi."

"what happened, carm?" you whisper, not daring to break the silence you both have fallen into. carmen takes another deep breath before letting the words fall from his lips.

"its, uh. family stuff. my mom is fucking insane and it just..." he pauses, takes another breath, and continues. "during christmas one year, she went really crazy. and it gave me some lasting issues."

your heart ached for him in a way that you can't explain. he spoke a little more about his warped family dynamics before trailing off. he meets your eyes again, but with a look in his eyes that you can't quite place. you're rendered speechless for a second before finding the words to say to him.

"you're safe now, baby. you're safe now." you pick the both of you off the floor and towards the couch, still grasping carmen tightly.

another week passed since carmen had the panic attack.

that night, you stayed at his house for the first time. you're departure was abrupt and maybe a bit rude, but in your defense, you panicked. however, you have been over his apartment pretty frequently for one reason or another.

today, you've been invited over to cook.

its 12:34, which is a normal time for carmen to ask for you, when you start to get ready. you only throw on a bra, some socks, and more comfortable shorts before you get in your car and drive to carmen's.

your knuckles rap against his door twice before he opens it.

"hey, hi, come in," he rushes out, mindlessly taking your hand and dragging you inside.

"oh, alright then," you mumble, letting yourself be pulled into his space.

the kitchen smells like an array of spices and you look at the bottles that litter carmy's counter. rosemary, tumeric, paprika, chili flakes and more things that you can't pronounce are written on the glass.

you're pulled out of your thoughts when carmy picks you up by the waist and places you on a clean portion of the counter. you smile at him and swing your legs against the cabinets below.

"what do you have for me today, carm?" you tease.

"this."

he nearly lunges for you and attaches his lips to yours. he tastes hungry, like hes been starved of your lips for an eternity. you gasp an press back into his mouth with a matching passion. his hands find your waist and yours find his hair. a whirlwind of pulling and tugging sends you both into a frenzy before he parts away for air.

"this wasn't about the food, was it?" you breathe. he giggles, the sound akin to something angelic.

"no, it wasn't. it never was."

[izvmimi]

katsuki wakes you up from your midday nap with his yelling.

it isn't exactly a rude awakening - you just turn with the sudden ruckus coming from outside your bedroom - but it's enough to cause you the tiniest bit of alarm, even if being together at home is the safest place you can imagine on this earth.

it's saturday evening and he thankfully will not be gone for patrol, so you could afford the extra time to sleep off a worsening migraine. you shift out of your bed, satisfied that a combination of ibuprofen and extra z's have done their work, and make your way out towards the source of the fuss. as you get closer, you're happy to know that it's nothing serious - rather katsuki is simply speaking at loud volume into his phone, presumably irritated, but not devastated by something.

he doesn't hear you coming as light as your footsteps are, and you stand at the doorway to observe him.

"what the FUCK do you mean 'there's nothing you can do'?! i spent hours making these arrangements and you expect me to just accept a gift card like my anniversary is replaceable?!"

you blink, suppressing a yawn still, and watch him. he's agitated and you're pretty sure he's justified, although it probably isn't great for him to yell so much, even if your ears are somewhat attuned to it given your many years together. it's not like when you met him he was exactly the stoic and silent type at all times, although he could be if he wanted to.

but why would you want him to be any different than himself?

you step forward after a few more moments of him hunching over, gritting his teeth as he hears whatever palliating excuses the customer service has on the other end, then press a hand to his shoulder. he stiffens - in fact, he almost pales at your touch and his voice drops nearly to half the number of decibels, a barely audible whisper. reassessing his anger, he nods to you, then to the agent he cannot see, and clears his throat.

"i'll be a little more uh..." he glances at you, and you're smiling at him, but you're giving him the look that pleads him to be nice, and he sighs, "judicious about my willingness to do business with you in the future, but i'll accept a gift card. for now."

with that, the conversation ends. katsuki looks red for a different reason, the gentle sting of embarrassment in his cheeks. you decide not to rub it in, and find a way to settle into his lap.

"what's going on, baby?" you ask. he makes a sound of displeasure, then adjusts your position balanced atop his knee, running a hand through his hair. he then looks at you again, appraising your own emotional state before deciding to change the topic. after all, it's probably best you don't know why he lost his temper.

"did you nap well?" he asks first, nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck.

"not with you hollering," you tease as he lets his teeth graze gently on the skin of your collarbone. he looks up and frowns.

"was it that bad?" his voice is quieter now, lower. you tilt your head.

"you yell all the time. it's fine, i'm used to it. partially deaf at this point."

he frowns again, then mutters a "sorry."

your hand cups his chin. that one word is spoken too softly.

"hey, i'm not made of glass. speak up." you say, squeezing. he smiles, circling his own hand on your wrist before pulling it towards him to kiss the underside.

"sorry, princess!" he says louder, and you giggle, turning your head.

"what? can't hear you?"

he pulls you in and yells directly in your ear, and you scream, and he holds, both of you laughing together. once the two of you calm down, he sighs and leans back into the couch, making sure to take you with him so that you're resting on his chest.

he exhales deep and you wait, knowing he has more to say.

"you know," he starts, tracing circles into your palm, "i had an ex-" you bristle for a moment, and he grins at you, then kisses your forehead, "that thought i was too loud."

"loud, yes. too loud? i'm not sure," you reply.

he shrugs. "she would bristle any time she heard me talking. i would never yell at her, but i guess i scared her in some way just by the tone of my voice."

"mm." part of you wonder what they expected; he's always lived boisterously, with no pretense otherwise, but you keep mum.

"so i felt like i couldn't really be myself around them. obviously not the way i can be with you."

katsuki looks away from you for a moment and in space as though he is thinking, and then soon time is up, and his focus shifts back to you, giving you a cheeky grin.

"thanks for putting up with me," he says. again his voice is soft and quiet, because he addresses you with care, not because you've demanded him to adjust for you, but because he wants to.

you peck his nose. "well, when i go deaf in both ears, i'll reconsider."

he rolls his eyes playfully, and you pull his ear and yell, "i love you!"

he threatens to throw you off of him again, and you playfight until you're both rested on the couch, content in each other's arms.

[lenoraah]

𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙮

pairing - ollie bearman x reader

summary - reader finishes her finals and finally has time to visit her boyfriend, luckily his birthday is the same day her flight lands.

a/n - hi! this is my first motorsport x insert reader. i hope that it’s some what good and would really appreciate it if you have some feedback and would share it :)

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

”Y/n? What are you doing here?”

“Ah! Dino don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry,” The brown haired boy smiles sheepishly as he puts his hands up in defense, making the groceries bags slide down onto his forearms. “But seriously what are you doing here?”

“I’m here for Ollie’s birthday since I just finished my finals. I thought it would be a good time since we haven’t seen each other in so long.” Y/n fails to hide the happy smile on her face and is clearly oblivious of the fact that her cheeks were a bright pink color.

The baby blue gift bag that is overstuffed with white tissue paper is being shifted from hand to hand is making it obvious to Dino that she is somewhat nervous even though her face is screaming happiness.

“That’s great. This is great. You’re great. Wait- no, I mean the fact that you’re here. Because Ollie hasn’t been able to stop talking about you all season. Also you are great. Sorry I’m so confused now,” Dino babbles as he shoves his key into the lock of his and Ollie’s current shared apartment. He pushes the door open with his back and drops the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter.

Y/n follows him inside and balances the gift carefully in one hand while the other is busy shimmying off her shoes. She hops on one foot into the living room as Dino shuts the door behind her.

Once she has finally managed to take off her shoes and set them by the door next to the pile of Dino and Ollie’s shoes, Y/n takes off her coat and draped it over a stool at the counter.

She looks at the mess sound the apartment and internally cringes. The mess of racing attire scattered on the sofa. The stacks of documents and notes on the coffee table. The helmet on the floor next to a random dark green dog leash. Not to mention lots of random things laying around everywhere.

“Ollie should be in his room,” Dino walks past the girl with a pile of clothes in his arms.

“Okay, thanks.”

“I’m will be downstairs trying to do my laundry. Call me if he not there,”

“Got it.” Y/n nods to herself and gives him a thumbs up. “And, Dino. Don’t use too much laundry detergent. You remember what happen last summer.”

“Yep, I know. It was fun and all but I don’t want to clean up all of that again.” Dino nods and snatches his keys off the counter.

Y/n stands there waiting for him to leave as Dino stands opposite of her with a basket of dirty laundry. He says one more thing about not wanting to hear any surprises when he comes back. The y/h/c girl nods and shoves him out of the door before he can say anything else.

After she hears the lock click and the faint sound of footsteps disappearing, Y/n takes a deep breath before quietly walking towards Ollie’s room.

The door is slightly open which is enough for her to see that her boyfriend is curled up in his bed. It amazes her that no matter how loud her and Dino were that he is completely unfazed.

Y/n opens the door just enough for her to get in. She sits on the edge on the bed and runs her hand up and down Ollie’s back.

The boy shifts before he slowly rolls over and scowls at her. He face immediately changes into a smile when he realizes who it is.

“Hi,” He mumbles as Y/n gently runs a hand through his brown curls.

“Hi, honey.” She smiles at him and Ollie grabs her by the waist and sits up as he pulls her next to him.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s your birthday and I really wanted to see you. I missed you so much,”

“I could’ve come and visited you. You didn’t have to come all the way to Barcelona.”

Y/n chooses to ignore him before pressing a kiss on his forehead.

They sit with their backs against the bed headboard and stay in each other’s embrace for a while before Y/n reaches over to the nightstand and grabs the gift bag.

“I got you something,” Ollie takes the bag and puts it between them. He buries his face in her hair and presses a soft kiss on her cheek.

“You didn’t have too,”

“I know but it’s your eighteenth birthday so either it was mail you the gift or give it to you now.”

“Hm,”

“Go on, open it.”

“Okay,”

The boy slowly sets the tissue paper aside while looking at his girlfriend with an eyebrow raised.

Inside is a rectangular shaped wooden box with a painted red heart and a small cardboard box with a ribbon tied around it.

“What is this?” Ollie takes out the small cardboard box first and gives it a good look.

“I was in Ely shopping around on the weekend when I saw this little thing that reminded me of you.”

Y/n shrugs her shoulders with a cheeky smile on her face. Ollie opens the box and takes out a small cream colored bear shaped candle with a smile on its face with a bow around its neck .

“Y/n/n, love, no you didn’t.” Ollie let’s out a light chuckle as he looks at the candle.

“It’s cute, just like you.” Y/n taps his nose and tilts her head to the side with happy grin on her face.

Ollie’s cheeks flush a bright pink color as she teases him.

“What is this?” He takes the wooden box from the bottom of the bag and before he can unlatch the lock Y/n places her hand over his.

“Don’t open it yet,” Y/n gently takes his hand off and laces their fingers together.

“What is it?”

“It’s a bunch of letters I wrote you for different occasions when we can’t be together.” Y/n mumbles against his shoulder.

“This is really great. Really, really great. It’s like I’ll have a piece of you wherever I go.”

Y/n smiles and rubs his arm.

“I’m really glad that you like it.”

“I really do,” Ollie presses a kiss on her forehead. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too Ollie.”

He puts the two gifts back in the bag and sets it by the edge of the bed. Y/n curls under his arm and kisses the bare skin of his collarbone. She hides her face in his chest and takes in the smell of his cologne.

The same smell that she has missed for the past six months that she hasn't seen him.

“I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Me too,”

The couple stay in each other’s embrace and share longing and loving looks. They both might be trying to make a life for themselves and have goals they both want to achieve but they were making time for each other and that was important. The other person was important and they were not going to give them up.

“Happy birthday Ollie,”

[decentishoutsidersthoughts]

I’ve been at a family gathering all day so here are some hcs for a Curtis family gathering

Darry

As the eldest grandchild he was somewhat treated like an adult even before his parents died. But it balanced out by the fact that the entire family worshipped him just for existing. He’s his grandma’s favorite and she makes it VERY obvious.

After his parents died he completely stopped being seen as one of the kids/grandkids. He started helping at the grill and chatting with the other adults. It wasn’t the worst thing over because he was outgrowing a lot of the kids anyways, but it was still SO disorienting for him the first couple times. 

Every so often he’ll say something and the whole family will be forced to remember he’s still barely an adult. And then they’ll have to ponder that for a moment and it kinda kills the mood

One time he was offered a beer and reminded everyone he was underage. That one fucked with them for a while.

All the kids beg Darry to pick them up, carry them around, all that stuff. And he definitely does it every time. They get so pissed when he says he’s tired and stops. Like demon screeching ‘NO’

The big thing Darry doesn’t like about the gatherings is that everyone is trying SO hard to avoid mention anything about the Curtis parent’s deaths. To the point that it’s painfully obvious and very uncomfortable for Darry.

There’s this one asshole uncle and one time he started insulting Soda’s intelligence in front of Darry (Soda was outside) and the two almost fought. The uncle got kicked out after that

He makes an absolutely amazing burger (he learned from his dad)

Sodapop

The poor boy isn’t really anyone’s favorite. They all like him but don’t take as much pride in him as his brothers, he’s really overlooked.

The exception to this is uncle on his dad’s side, he sees himself a lot in Soda and dotes on him. They’re super close and the uncle always slips him five dollars to buy himself something nice

The younger kids definitely absolutely adore them. He loves just roughhousing with them and chasing them around the yard. Most of them call him their favorite cousin and it goes straight to his ego.

One of the kids hurts inevitably themselves and cries every time. Soda always will bundle them into his arms and clean them up before he can get in trouble lol. Most of the time only Ponyboy finds out and my boy isn’t a snitch. 

One of the kids just goes home with a big scrape and their parents are like ‘where did this come from-‘ but nobody has put two and two together yet

At the first gathering after their parents died he broke down sobbing halfway through. Darry found him crying in their moms old bedroom. They went home after that and it turns out they all had wanted to leave.

For extra spice, the reason he started crying is because a lot of those kids weren’t old enough to understand the concept of death and kept asking him where their aunt and uncle were

Him and Ponyboy will have heavy gossip sessions in their room once they get home. Darry knows about them and will sometimes join if the tea is really hot.

Ponyboy

He’s their pride and joy. He’s so insanely spoiled and gets basically whatever he wants. Once it became clear college wasn’t happening for Darry everybody was all over him.

Being a fourteen year old he does NOT enjoy these gatherings. He usually just either sits in the corner with a book or hangs out with the only other cousin his age.

He sometimes likes watching Soda play with the kids because of how happy he looks. However he himself avoids those kids at all costs.

Back to the gossip sessions, Ponyboy ends up with so much knowledge because everyone assumes he isn’t listening or forgets he’s there. This dude knows everything.

He finds their doting so annoying and is like ‘leave me alone’ (he grows out of this ofc, 14 year olds just kinda suck lol)

When he gets older he joins the adults a lot, still not a fan of the kids

[bella-rose29]

Deck the Halls (and not your partner) - part 3

Word count: 3.9k

Warnings: swearing, Stephanie is a bitch, lockwood was a complete arse in the past, he's also very guarded in the present, they kiss for like three seconds (because Steph makes them), mentions of sex, mentions of lockwood's family being dead, neither of them can deal with emotions, proof read maybe once

series master list

Anthony Lockwood was starting to think that this family Christmas would be a disaster.

He had no issue with playing the perfect boyfriend at all; in fact, he was doing rather brilliantly at it.

But something wasn't quite right with Y/n.

Now he didn't know how large families were meant to work, since his own relatives were either gone or lived too far away and his only experience with larger gatherings was the few times he'd been to George's, but he did know that the snide remarks about how much cake Y/n should be given and the fake laughter from her aunt wasn't particularly regular.

The cake and tea situation had certainly been strange.

Normally Y/n went through around four cups of tea before noon, and if cake was offered she would have such a large slice that Lockwood would often joke about leaving some for the rest of them. Instead of cracking one of those jokes that afternoon, he was currently staring at her half-drunk mug and a plate of cake that hadn't even been eaten, and Y/n was in the toilet instead of glaring at him.

He didn't exactly like her, but he hadn't been raised to not be a gentleman. He excused himself with a smile, pushing himself out of the loveseat and making his way out of the living room in a search for his fake girlfriend. It took him nearly five minutes to check all the bathrooms in the house, and naturally the last one that he knocked on was the one she was in. There hadn't been any answer, but he had heard sniffles from the other side of the door of their en-suite bathroom and had assumed that it was Y/n.

"Are you alright?" He was starting to get tired of asking that question, but she was clearly not alright, and if this whole charade went wrong then she'd just have more reason to hate him, so he was attempting to carry out damage control.

"I'm fine, just... go back downstairs, Lockwood."

"Anthony."

"Whatever." He could hear her huff in annoyance, and bit back a retort, instead settling for a frown. Lockwood sat down, his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees to keep his balance as he leant backwards.

"I'm not going back without you," he said to the door. "Your sister looks like she's going to eat me alive, and I don't think I'll be given the satisfaction of dying afterwards which scares me."

"...What?"

"I said that-"

"I heard what you said, I just... don't know what you mean."

"Your sister... is going... to eat me. And I don't mean 'she's going to eat me like Christmas dinner', I mean 'she's going to... eat... me." He was trying to get his point across through euphemisms, but apparently that wasn't working. It didn't help that Y/n couldn't see his face or hand gestures, but at least he heard the door lock click.

He had barely registered the sound before the door opened behind him and he fell backwards, only being stopped from landing on his back like an upside down beetle by Y/n's legs.

"What the fuck are you doing? Get off the floor, you dipshit."

He stood up, brushing himself off and turning around to inspect her face. She'd obviously been crying, but was trying to hide it, and was now shoving past him into the bedroom.

"What do you mean, eat you?"

"You know..." he gestured vaguely, now feeling embarrassed. He sighed when Y/n only looked quizzically at him. "She keeps looking at me like she wants to fuck me and it's making me uncomfortable."

"Oh, poor you. What a shame for you."

"Oh shove off." She was irritating him again. At least that meant she was somewhat back to normal. "Are you going to come back downstairs? I think your mother has nearly finished cooking dinner."

"Right... uh- I don't know, really." She was folding her arms now, closing in on herself and looking away. Lockwood felt like he was missing something, the key piece of the puzzle that would give him all the answers, and it was frustrating him. It was so close, he was sure of it, but what 'it' was he couldn't say.

"Well you can't leave me down there on my own! You dragged me up here to be your boyfriend for the holidays!"

"You'll be fine. You're great in these situations!"

"Yeah but this is your family, Y/n, you should spend time with them. You never know when-" He couldn't finish, his throat closing up slightly.

"I don't exactly want to spend time around them when I have to pretend that I'm hopelessly in love with you!"

"Well you don't have to go that far with it!"

"Oh like you aren't? What was that earlier? 'Best Touch in England' and 'there's nothing that could have stopped me from falling for your daughter'!"

"I've got to butter them up somehow, haven't I?" She huffed again.

"Look. I have no issue with pretending to date you. I have no issue with pretending to date you in front of my family to make them think I'm not a lair, even though I am. What I do have an issue with is you trying to tell me how to live my life in my own home, and how to act. I know my family, Lockwood, and I know what I'm doing."

"Do you? Because so far I've seen you leave half a mug of tea and an entire slice of cake, which is entirely unlike you. And what the hell was that thing that happened with Stephanie saying you don't need a large slice? Is that why you don't want to come down for dinner?"

"No, it's not that, I just... Stephanie always makes comments about me because she doesn't like me, and I don't really feel like spending an entire meal being watched by her."

"Well then I'll tell them you're not feeling well because of the journey and could we eat up here!"

"You-!" she was still shouting, but broke off when she registered his words. He had only just realised what he'd said himself, and he was taken aback at his offer. "That... would actually be nice, actually. If you don't mind."

"No, I don't. It means I don't have to fake liking you for a while."

Y/n scoffed, but she looked somewhat less disgruntled than she had before.

~~~

Ten minutes later Lockwood was knocking on the door, demanding to be let in.

"Seriously, can you hurry up? My arms are going to fall off in a second!"

"You are such a drama queen," she replied as she opened the door. He would never survive as a waiter, which was surprising since given he had clearly practiced with a rapier for years and had a strong throw, Y/n had assumed that he had somewhat sturdy arms. With the way he was acting now anyone would think he'd never held a thing in his life.

"Yeah, sure, let me come in. I need to put this down, I think I'm going to die."

"Fucking idiot," she muttered, stepping back and allowing him room to walk inside. He put the tray down on the desk, dragging over a second chair to put beside the one that was already there and sitting down. Y/n stood nearby, unsure about sharing a meal with Lockwood as he got stuck in, but then he paused for a moment and looked back at her with a frown.

"Well? Are you going to sit down? Imagine what your family will say when they find out I let you starve."

"Of course all you're worried about is what other people will think of you," she grumbled, reluctantly pulling out the desk chair and sitting on it.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're so obsessed with your image, Lockwood. It's a wonder that nobody has suffocated on your ego yet."

"I am not obsessed!"

"Ok, sure. Remind me, how long did you spend on your hair this morning?" Y/n asked, her face the picture of innocence. Lockwood floundered for a moment, then stuck a forkful of food in his mouth.

"That's irrelevant."

"I think it's entirely relevant."

"Shut up and eat your veg, Schmoopie."

Y/n threw a piece of carrot at him, and laughed when it landed in his hair and made him shriek.

~~~

Y/n had snuck downstairs with their empty plates and glasses while Lockwood used the toilet.

She had thought she could simply put everything in the dishwasher and go right back upstairs, but just as she closed the door to the machine and turned around she was greeted by her cousin.

"So," Stephanie started, attempting (the key word being 'attempted') to look disinterested. Y/n internally groaned, knowing exactly where this was leading. "How long have you two been... a thing?"

"8 months. And it's not a 'thing', Steph. He's my boyfriend."

"Sure, sure." Her tone suggested that she didn't believe Y/n at all, and was agreeing with her in much the same way that one might agree with a child who had said something wrong, but looked proud of themselves for saying it. "How'd it happen, then? Who asked who? What was the first kiss like?"

"Steph, I'm really tired, alright? And I'm only going to have to repeat this story multiple times tomorrow to literally fifty people, so please just let me go to bed and I'll make sure you're the first one I tell in the morning, yeah?" Y/n started heading for the door, pushing past her cousin.

"Oh, so you have more time to come up with the perfect lie?" Stephanie's words made her freeze with one foot out of the kitchen, and when she turned back the other girl was stood with a smug smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" Shit, her voice was shaking, and she was certain that if Stephanie came any closer she would see the slight sweat that had broken out on her forehead.

"Oh please. Nobody like him would ever go for someone like you, Y/n. I mean, he is way out of your league!"

"Personally I think that Y/n is way out of my league, but each to their own, I suppose." She hadn't even heard Lockwood come in, but now he was wrapping his arm around her waist like it belonged there and smiling softly at her like they hadn't been arguing about five minutes before (the argument was about something pointless, but that didn't stop Y/n from gloating when he gave in and said that she was right). "You alright, darling?"

"Yeah, just tired. Could we-"

"Oh, since you're both here, maybe you could share the story of how it all happened?" Stephanie cut her off, and completely ignored Y/n's responding scowl.

"I think we'll save that for tomorrow, Steph. If it'll make you happy we'll tell everyone at the same time and give a big speech," Lockwood said, and Y/n's insides started churning at the thought. She would have to find a way to convince Lockwood to do all the talking, or even her deaf older relatives would know that this whole relationship was a farce.

"Well, how about a kiss then? I still find it hard to believe that my little baby cousin has a boyfriend!"

"There's two months between out birthdays, Steph. It's really not that much. And we're not just going to kiss for your entertainment!"

"Aw, darling, you wound me. You don't want an excuse to kiss me?" Y/n could tell that Lockwood was having far too much fun with this, pouting and clutching his chest, pretending to stagger backwards in pain, and finally offering up his mouth in a ridiculous attempt to gain a kiss. She knew that he didn't actually want to kiss her, and what he really wanted was to rile her up, but she couldn't help but feel nerves in her stomach at the idea of it.

"Not really. You get enough of them as it is, Anthony." It felt weird, his first name in her mouth, and he paused for a moment in his actions to stare at her, tilting his head and frowning slightly.

"Oh, just one little kiss? You are under mistletoe, after all," Stephanie piped up again, pointing gleefully at the plant that had been badly taped to the doorframe.

The doorframe that Lockwood was leaning against, and that Y/n was stood under.

Shit.

They had an audience now, since her parents and siblings had come out of the living room to see what the conversation was about in the kitchen. Even her grandparents had emerged from their downstairs bedroom to join in. Y/n swallowed thickly as she looked around at everyone, her eyes finally landing on Lockwood. His frown was still in place, but his face was more relaxed. He pushed off of the doorframe, stepping forward and placing his hands on Y/n's waist as he leaned in a little.

"Is this... I mean... do you-?"

"We probably should. We were gonna have to at some point, right?" He was close enough now that she could feel his breath on her cheek, and his eyes kept flicking between hers and her mouth.

"Right." Lockwood brought a hand up to her face, holding her jaw gently as though he thought she might break if he applied any more pressure. His nose was brushing hers, and she had to push herself up on her toes and wrap her arms around his neck to bring her lips to his.

The kiss was short, only a couple of seconds at most, but as soon as they pulled away from each other she missed it.

Why did she miss it?

Claps from Y/n's family followed shortly after, and she was glad for once that Lockwood had no sense of personal space because it meant that she could hide her face in his chest without it coming across as strange to him, since he hadn't let go of her waist.

She absolutely could not start craving a real relationship with Anthony Lockwood.

Not when they hated each other with a burning passion.

And especially not when she had previously heard him say that he would never like her because she was 'not good enough for the company'.

No, she couldn't crave a thing with him other than their usual dynamic.

~~~

Lockwood was warm.

They had turned out the light and gone to bed about forty minutes ago, and after around twenty he had heard Y/n's breathing even out as she drifted off. As per usual he was still awake, left to stare up at the ceiling while he tried everything he could think of to fall asleep.

Normally it was the fear of nightmares that kept him awake, and if anybody asked tomorrow he would tell them that, or possibly something about how he was so used to working at night that he now found it difficult to sleep.

Realistically, though, he was too warm.

He had contemplated the pros and cons of taking off his pyjamas (pro: he'd be cooler, con: Y/n might scream at him and attack him with a blunt object) for the last thirty minutes, and had heard an owl hoot for the sixth time. He was also relatively sure that there was a fox somewhere outside the house, but since he had spent his whole life living in the city he wasn't entirely sure what they sounded like. The ghosts normally attacked any animals that tried to make a home in London, and as such wildlife was limited.

Another five minutes later and Lockwood decided that if he was going to die by having a lamp thrown at his head, he would much rather be more comfortable than warm and stifled, and peeled off the blanket that Y/n had given him when he first got comfortable in the armchair to take his pyjamas off. He folded them neatly, creeping around so that he didn't wake up the witch sleeping in the bed, then got back in the armchair and pulled the blanket over him again.

Why was he still warm?

He huffed in frustration, making a mental list of all the reasons his body could be overheating, then froze.

Somewhere along the way he'd added 'kiss' to the list, and then all of a sudden his mind was filling with the events of earlier and images of mistletoe.

Shit.

It had been awkward after they kissed in the kitchen doorway, Y/n's whole family watching and clapping with joy afterwards, and he had been very glad that she had hidden her face in his chest, because that meant that she couldn't see his own flushed face.

He had told himself that he was blushing because that had been his first proper kiss, and then followed that up by listing all the annoying things about Y/n.

They had been forced back into the living room for another two hours after that, with introductions being made to Y/n's grandparents (the ones that owned the house) and siblings (since they hadn't had the chance to say a proper hello yet). He had felt a little scared when all four of Y/n's brothers crowded around him, including 11 year old Tom, and made a promise to have a chat the next day, and then he'd been downright fearing for his life when Olivia pushed through and draped herself over his arm.

Y/n had simply been snickering in a corner at the whole thing.

Lockwood had glared at her in response, hoping that she might come and save him, but instead she turned back to her grandparents with a smirk and left him to her sister.

When they had finally been allowed to leave for bed, Lockwood and Y/n had got stuck in the doorway in their rush to go upstairs.

"After you, darling."

"No, you go first, Anthony."

Her family had been not-so-secretly watching the whole affair, and after a moment of staring at each other Lockwood had stepped back and swept his arm out for her to go first. He told himself it was because he had been raised to be a gentleman and also so that her family would think of him as the perfect boyfriend, but realistically it was so that he could hide his second flushed face of the evening when his gaze darted down to her mouth.

They had got ready for bed in silence, the only words spoken between them "excuse me" and "thanks" as they moved around, and then Y/n had given him the throw blanket from the end of the bed and turned out the lights.

"You sure you're fine in the chair?"

"Perfectly fine, Schmoopie."

"Do you want to die, Lockwood? Because you're getting dangerously close to seeing my rapier sticking out of your torso."

He hadn't answered her question, instead opting to shuffle around in the chair until he was as comfortable as he could be and bidding her goodnight.

And now here he was, around fifty minutes later, attempting to go to sleep while he also attempted to not think of the feeling of Y/n's lips on his.

He really should give up the game of hating each other that the two of them had going on.

Since that first night where they had met by quite literally bumping into each other, Lockwood had maintained the belief that she was no good for his business.

His meaning for what that meant had changed over the years, though.

Originally he'd thought that she would be clumsy and ineffective in a fight since she'd walked right into him and nearly pushed him over, and then when she'd come for an interview and walked into the doorframe his mentality had stayed the same. He was in too much debt to waste money on an agent that was as accident prone as Y/n.

But then? Then he'd seen her in action.

It had been around four months after she first joined Lockwood and Co (as he had stubbornly refused to go on jobs with her). George was behind on research for other jobs, and Lucy had a case of her own to deal with. Lockwood would have taken this particular one on his own, but Holly had recounted the client's report of what could be felt and dictated that he needed backup or he wasn't going. She herself had claimed there was a mountain of paperwork with her name on, and so Lockwood had been left with Y/n as his only option.

The taxi ride had been silent, with Y/n ignoring him and instead looking out the window, and when Lockwood thanked the driver his mouth was dry from disuse.

He knew he'd been an arse the last few months when all she was doing was attempting to be nice, but now he felt he was too far in to stop. She likely wouldn't believe he was being sincere anyway.

Two hours later they were done, worn out from running around trying to find Sources, and Lockwood had taken a new stance on his feelings towards Y/n.

It would have taken them at least twice as long to locate the Sources if Y/n hadn't used her Touch, and from what he could gather she was actually seeing the scenes play out in front of her, complete with sound and all as though she was actually there. He had never seen anything like it before, and when he went to tell her in the taxi home he was met with a very different Y/n to the one that had been trying to be his friend.

"You were incredible back there, Y/n."

"Not sure why you care, Lockwood. You've spent the last four months avoiding me and putting me on different jobs so you don't have to be around me." Her tone was harsh and cold, so far from the warm voice she had had only a few hours before, and Lockwood couldn't help but bite back.

"Of course I don't want to be around you, I was only saying that to make you think you're actually worth keeping around." It was awful, and he would never normally say something like that, but she was an enigma and he was tired and scared that if anyone found out about her Talent then she would take the spotlight away from him, and the words were out of his mouth before his brain could catch up and tell him to stop. She had stared at him, and for a moment he thought she might start crying from the way her eyes glistened and her lip trembled slightly, but then her expression was turning hard and a scowl settled on her face, and after that it became the norm for Lockwood to catch her eye and be glared at.

He knew he should apologise, but he couldn't figure out how to do it in a way that she would accept, and they were so entrenched in this hatred now that he was struggling to see how they could ever leave.

No, better to stick to what was normal and safe.

Not his normal mentality, but when venturing into the unknown meant exploring why he felt so warm, he was perfectly fine with staying behind the iron chains he had placed around his heart.

part 4

Tag list: @ahead-fullofdreams, @anathemaloren, @augustisintheair, @avdiobliss, @aysha4life, @briar-rose23, @curseofhecate, @dangelnleif, @edible-rat-vomit, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @informedimagining, @karensirkobabes, @locklyebrainrot, @locknco, @mentallyillsodapop, @mischivana, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @no-morning-glories, @novelizt, @ran23sblog, @star-of-velaris, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife

let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the tag list! <3

[mildcharacterenjoyer]

E 123 Omega is an adorably lethal robo boi and you can't prove it to me otherwise.

Here are some of my adorable headcannons for him.

Once he gets enough storage for ammunition that he doesn't care about wasting some, he blasts any and all signs of Eggman icons or brand names he sees no matter where they are. Even if they are just stickers or shown on a screen. He angy and want revenge.

Omega has the ability to pick up metaphors, hyperbole, sarcasm, memes, and hand signals fairly quickly. But sometimes he uses them slightly wrong due to a logging error or a misunderstanding from the source he learned it from. He flipped the bird way too often when he first learned what it meant.

He wishes he could eat, especially when the food is presented well. He tries to play off his stares like he doesn't care, but he's not fooling anyone.

He kicks things when he's angry. Which is often, but usually when he is frustrated with another robot or some inanimate object. He has kicked some of Sonic's larger friends before, such as Storm or Vector.

Omega falls prey to Rouge's flirts. She persuades him very easily.

Omega is extremely touch starved, but has no idea that he is or what it even means. He lacks the basic nervous system to register that kind of sensation. He has pain receptors which flare up whenever his armor or his internal systems are damaged. He has never minded that feeling no matter how intense.

Once Omega discovered sports existed, he didn't really get it. They were not destroying each other or the ball, "boring". It took a great deal of explaining from multiple different angles that it was tests of strength and skill against each other or the other team. Omega slowly warmed up to the idea and started watching along with the others.

Omega has grown a fondness for Tails over the time the fox has spent fixing or upgrading him. Their first couple meetings were rocky, but nothing resolving misunderstandings couldn't fix.

Omega has in fact imagined himself with a tail before. He has yet to find the one that would fit his threatening and lethal vibes.

Despite just how much ammo and fire power can fit within his body, Omega always tops off whenever and wherever he can. Even if he just uses one bullet and has spare time, he'll reload.

Rouge gave him a physical angry meter when they first formed Team Dark so he could better communicate his emotions with his teammates. For at least three years it was always set to max. When he started allowing himself to more frequently log other emotions, Omega changed it accordingly. It is now rarely set to max.

Omega eventually wants to test his fire power in sparring matches against all of Sonic's friends. He keeps a checklist of who he battles.

When Rouge first picked Omega up off the ground and flew around with him he was extremely impressed. He dare not ask for it, lest Rouge use it against him.

Omega wants Shadow to talk to him more often. He takes it somewhat personally whenever the hedgehog takes down robots without him to assist.

Omega has a personal mirror that he carries around. It has two uses: he burns things with its reflection and magnification, or he just looks at himself. He admires himself a lot.

Drawing and/or coloring pictures of Omega is the fastest way to his heart if you are a child or if you want him to like you. He loves fanmail.

The most balanced out Omega's emotions had ever been, was when both Shadow and Rouge were sitting on his shoulders and they were just talking about a past mission. That was the closest he ever felt to peace.

[modernsuperhero]

Who are these fun characters and why are they taking over my dash? /pos /please tell me abt your blorbos

i'm assuming you mean these little guys:

These guys are my newest silliest dudes from the webcomic School Bus Graveyard! It's free to read on webtoons here and is currently in talks to get a TV adaptation soon so now is 1000% the time to be getting into it!! It's basically a supernatural mystery about six high school freshmen from Georgia who go on a field trip and end up sucked into a demon dimension every time it hits midnight! It's super cool - the pacing is very good imo, a good balance of the Main Plot (oh no we need to survive the Demon Dimension again, also Why Are We In A Demon Dimension) with character development and backstory stuff!

The characters are badass but in a way I feel is very realistic? Like, not just "oh i'm the protagonist suddenly i know how to judo flip armies the moment i'm in danger" but more like "i'm going to train for months in self defense classes to build up some basic muscles" kinda way. The characters themselves are also pretty well fleshed out - they're not just the typical archetypes. Like, the "weak bullied nerd kid" isn't JUST a weak bullied nerd kid, he has well developed motivations and backstory and simultaneously realistic and satisfying character growth.

There are implied potential/future romances but it is so NOT the core point of the story, so whether or not that's your thing you can either ignore it or get excited about it in equal measure. The characters also aren't just edgy and gritty "we must deal with this alone... augh misery woe is us..." they actively do what they can to use all the resources available to them (including trying to get help from their parents, which is an ick for me in other media when the kid protagonists just refuse to ask for help? or assume they can't without trying? anyway).

I would say to be careful about any warnings at the beginning of specific chapters, because some can get quite violent.

The six main characters, without giving to many spoilers, are as follows under the cut (cuz this got long):

The protagonist Ashlyn, an asocial ballerina with her loving ex-military parents, who has a condition that gives her incredibly sensitive/enhanced hearing (she ends up using this to help detect the monsters after them, since they're otherwise silent to the other protagonists!)

Aiden, a creepily-smiley ex-homeschooled rich kid who has no concept of social convention or personal space. Has forcibly chosen Ashlyn to be his friend during his first year in school against her will and ends up accidentally setting off the chain of events leading to the Plot. (I love him. He definitely has Every Mental Illness <3)

Ben, Aiden's incredibly physically intimidating cousin, who is mute and so, so sweet and gentle and follows Aiden like his shadow, in part to take care of him when Aiden's antics get him injured and in part because Ben's muteness makes it incredibly difficult for people to understand him. Aiden, however, can understand his nonverbal communications with ease

Taylor, a friendly girl's girl who tries (often in vain) to befriend Ashlyn. Is also a talented mechanic who ends up putting googly eyes on her weapon once they end up in the Demon Dimension. She's the most Emotionally Aware Person Here but also she's like, 15, so, the bar is on the floor

Tyler, Taylor's twin brother, a somewhat aggressive and rude baseball jock who mostly Minds His Own Damn Business aside from his clinginess to Taylor. In fact they wear matching outfits in almost every episode of the comic it's so funny and cute. Is often found fighting bullies to defend their victims so i forgive him for all his own asshole crimes he's just a dude. he's one of my little guys

Logan, who is canonically compared to a puppy. Shy, intelligent, and incredibly empathetic! My partner's favorite character who has one of the best character arcs so far imo. Likes photography, astrology, and gardening. I think they should give him more guns, as a treat. He can never have enough

anyways thank you for the ask! overall i highly recommend - it's still ongoing, we're currently in the middle of season two!! the mystery is unfolding, there's funny and sweet moments along with the intense ones, and i am INVESTED. :DDDDDD

[russsiangirl]

dating tashi duncan.. ( at stanford )

dating tashi duncan had been somewhat of a dream, you had never expected to get yourself tangled up with her. i mean, she's just such a dream and she's all yours. or maybe it's the other way around, you're all hers. yeah, that's it. she owns you, has you on a leash like a dog. she likes having control, relishes in it. the honeymoon phase is heaven, you two are walking each other to and from class, you're going to her practices and games - spending just about every waking moment together. but sometimes you wish she just wasn't so.. well known around campus. she tells you "it's fine, you're the only one i have eyes for baby." one night when you're holding her close and playing with the hem of her shirt. you try your best to believe her, you know deep down that she does mean it. you're the object of her affection, her prized possession. there's just one thing you can't compete with, tennis.

tennis is the one thing you're convinced that tashi could never let go of, without tennis she would simply perish. you don't mind her dedication to the sport, it's one of the things you admire most about her. how she's managed to love and cherish tennis all these years and not get bored from it. she dominates on the court with the racket in her hand - that's her kingdom and she's the fucking queen. she has her claws in the sport, taking it's blood and making it her own. it was her destiny to play tennis. when it's clear her career is gonna take off, you start having doubts. could she really balance all 3 things? what if she met somebody else at a tournament? would she just leave? no, she wouldn't, she loved you so much. or that's what she told you. that's what you chose to believe, that's what you told yourself at night when she was asleep in her dorm. you tried your best to support her, showing up at her games. helping her as best as you could at practices, making sure she was eating properly. making sure that she was in top shape. it's not like your relationship was rocky, it was pretty stable. you two didn't fight often - but when you did. it was bad. tashi was stubborn, she would never let you get the last word in. she was the one who decided when you were forgiven. it pained you to be away from her, pained you to worry about her when she was out and about. you remember when i told you tennis was her first love? i wasn't lying. after your arguments, she would go down to the courts, play her anger out until she almost passed out from exhaustion. sometimes you wished she wasn't so fucking stubborn and she would just accept the fact that you were worried about her. you just wanted her to be okay, to not have all this pressure with classes and the public and tennis. you wished you could just take it from her, lessen the burden a bit. things were going well, until her injury. you had a test that day that you couldn't miss, so you didn't go. you told art that it was okay - he could go in your place as long as he told you how she did. what you didn't expect was that text from him that said 'nurse, now. she's hurt, it's bad.' you immediately spiral. how, why? is it going to fuck up her career, can she still play? you can't really imagine tashi without tennis, the two were conjoined. you run as fast as you can to the nurse, only to find art at her side with her knee wrapped up in something that you don't recognize. there's tears tracks racing down her face and you just want to wipe them away, to kiss her face and tell her that they'll get past this. you pause at the doorway, look at art and pray that the question in your eyes can be answered. that your worries would be just you overthinking once again. but all he gives you is a solemn shake of the head. he stands up from the chair and slowly makes his way out the door to you, his voice a small whisper as he spoke. "they don't know if she'll be able to play again." you stare dejectedly at the tile floor, watching how it reflects your face back at you. the world goes silent around you, the only sound is your heart pounding in your ears. tashi can't play tennis. she can't play the one sport that she's truly loved, the one thing she can't let go of has been ripped away from her. you give art a small nod which he offers back before he makes his way out of the nurse's office, letting you and tashi be alone. you go to her side, hand reaching out to gingerly wipe her tears away. she doesn't yell, doesn't cry, just sits there silently. her body trembling. you two will find a way to work past this, you promise yourself. she had to wear a brace, her steady walk was reduced to a limp as her knee healed up as best as it could. she could continue playing tennis, just not in way she could before. you could see the pain in her eyes, how she was disgusted with herself for letting such a thing happen. it wasn't her fault, you knew that. but she didn't. "tashi, it's not your fault." she hums and nods, pressing a small kiss to your lips. "i know."

her voice is firm, confident. you trust tashi to know her limits. she knows herself better than she knows anybody. you loved that about her, her confidence in herself.

you two eventually settle back into a schedule, eating meals together when you can. going out for dates at least once a month, walking each other to classes. you missed this, the mundane of it all. it was simple and enjoyable. spending time with tashi was as easy as breathing, it felt natural but you also needed it to survive. without her, you felt empty. like a piece of you was missing. to make things a little more official, you buy each other promise rings. a commitment. it wasn't anything too crazy, just a simple band with some jewels - but when you looked down at your hand and saw it - you automatically smiled. it was like having her with you at all times. 

you both met the other's family and it went stellar, they both clearly approved of the other and family dinners also became a regular occurence in y'alls schedules. everything felt kinda perfect, for now.

yayy more tashi stuff !!! uhm i didn't expect to write this much but i love her character so much. i need her so bad :(( tashi duncan the woman that u are give me a chance plsss 🙏🙏

also wrote this for a friend of mine bc we both love zendaya.. yea!

like and repost if u liked it !!!

[melishade]

👶

This ask game

Megatron ends up becoming a de facto uncle/god father post AOP.

Because he's staying and watching over everything, and at least Hanji isn't going to be leaving him alone, so he is actively involved in the lives of the Survey Corps, like the Hundred Days OVA.

So, like in the Peaceful Timeline, he does end up getting attached to Jean and Mikasa's kid, who they named Carla. Megatron does get involved in the labor process:

Megatron: Alright I'm here, what's going on?

Jean: Oh thank god, tag in!

Megatron holds Mikasa's hand in confusion: Tag in for-!

Mikasa screaming as another contraction hits.

Megatron struggling to get his hand out: Fuck! FUCK! FUCK!

And Megatron gets super nervous when Mikasa offers the kid to him.

“Do you want to hold her?” Mikasa asked.

Megatron was stiff at the thought. “I…should not be holding that.”

“It’s a baby,” Mikasa explained.

“Don’t care,” Megatron hissed, “I won’t touch it.”

“I never thought you’d be scared of a baby,” Mikasa goaded.

“Shut up,” Megatron ordered, “Look, considering my track record, I shouldn’t be holding something as frail as that.”

“Well…I still am a little tired,” Mikasa said, somewhat truth and lie, “I could use the extra help, and Jean is already tired. He helped me out with the labor and the pregnancy. I don’t want to wake him up.”

Megatron glanced over at Jean’s sleeping form. He could tell the boy was in deep slumber. His body was splayed all over the couch, and his mouth was wide open.

Megatron sighed as he held out his arms. “I will only do this once.”

Mikasa gave a small smile, gently passing the baby into Megatron’s hands. She then guided his arms into the position to hold the baby. One arm supported her head while the other kept the baby balanced.

“See,” Mikasa said, “Harmless.”

Megatron looked down at the baby in his arms. He couldn’t tell if it was breathing. It was so frail…and small. Her head could probably fit in only one hand. Her fists were so tiny. There was…no protective layer for this creature. One wrong move and…

Megatron could feel his legs shaking. Why in the Allspark were they shaking?! He needed to make it stop!

“Mikasa…I cannot be holding this…sparkling,” he forced out, “Please, just take her from my servos.”

Mikasa could see the panic in his eyes, and moved to take the baby from him. When she did; however, the baby began to whine and fuss.

“Why is it doing that?” Megatron demanded.

Mikasa quietly shushed her daughter and bounced her in her arms. That seemed to calm her down before Mikasa turned to Megatron.

“Carla only existed for a day,” Mikasa reminded, “She doesn’t know what’s going on. She has no idea what food or water is; she’s unfamiliar with colors. She doesn’t know how to speak or think for herself. The only thing she can really do is cry, and hope that someone comes for her.”

Mikasa kissed her on her forehead. “I will always come for you.”

Megatron merely stared at Mikasa. “I never thought I’d see humans weaker than what I’ve already seen.”

“I know you’re scared,” Mikasa proclaimed, not phased by the insult, “This is the first time you’ve ever seen something like this, but I trust you, and I trust that you won’t hurt her.”

“…I don’t trust myself,” Megatron admitted.

“Maybe when you do, you can try holding her again,” Mikasa offered.

“…It’s better for the both of us that I don’t do that,” Megatron declared.

But Megatron ultimately comes around. But there's also the fact that if Carla were to ever get kidnapped, the kidnappers wouldn't make it out alive. Not to mention, Megatron trains Carla to have nerves of steel.

Kidnapper 1: Hello little girl

Carla (Jean and Mikasa's kid): Hello.

Kidnapper 1: What's your name?

Carla: What good would that information do for a dead man?

Kidnapper 2: Excuse me?

Carla: Trash belongs in the garbage can, it doesn't need to know my name..

Kidnapper 3: Damn this kid goes hard

And then Megatron shows up:

Kidnapper 1: Oh my god, this is the Flying Titan's kid.

Kidnapper 2: He procreated?! What a twist.

Kidnapper 3: But that's good right?!

Kidnapper 1: That's suicidal you idiots! Put her back where you found her or so help me-!

Megatron kicks the door open: Carla, go wait outside in the car. Carla in a huff: No!

Megatron: Jean is waiting with your teddy bear.

Carla: See this is how you get a girl to get into car! Take notes dillweeds!

Kidnappers are now alone with Megatron.

Kidnapper 1: Megatron, we-!

Megatron: Quiet. Pulls pin on a grenade and throws it.

Kidnapper 2: Grenade-!

Megatron: Stay Slams the door shut behind him.

Kidnapper 1:...I hate you all so much-! Grenade goes off.

I've also discussed this with @justawannabearchaeologist and @echoblaze5. Anyway, happy new year!

[beneathsilverstars]

very possible youve done this before but…. can u come up with some hcs about how the party connects with nille? in a post canon hypothetical

(youve probably talked a lot about nille before but just!! general ideas. maybe silly ideas. anything u wanna share you havent talked about before. etc :])

Ok this is all minor spoilers for my currently unposted Nille fanfic and major spoilers for my currently unwritten post-canon fanfic but I don't care if you don't, let's go.

People usually write Nille as quite overprotective of Bonnie, and I do too, but I also write her as unsure that she's good enough to protect them! So her big reaction to meeting the party is "I failed to keep Bonnie safe, of course I failed, I was always doomed to fail. And these people succeeded!! Who am I next to the Saviors of Vaugarde??"

So she kinda feels like shit, personally. And she has no idea how to act around the party, because there's the way she acts around strangers, and there's the way she acts around people she trusts, and it is understandably bizarre for those circles to overlap. Since she can't be suspicious or friendly, and she's feeling somewhat useless, I think her instinct is to kinda just... fade back..? Which is upsetting to her in itself, which feeds back into the problems. But! Everyone is very determined to connect with her, and "we love the same kid" is a great way to bond, and Nille still has her usual Bambouche support system to help her sort out her feelings, and the party have been working on their communication skills. So they figure it out!

Her exact first impression of Siffrin probably depends a lot on how he's coping at that point post-canon, which isn't something I've decided yet... But it's some sort of strange mix of "I owe you my life" and "Wowww do you need my therapist's number" and "#Relatable /neg /pos". Siffrin meanwhile is anxious as fuck because he's not just meeting the most important person in Bonnie's life, she also has the power to break apart the family he nearly destroyed the world to keep together! So it's a little awkwardly intense on both sides.

Then once they get to know each other better, there's some emotional difficulty in how similar they are; it's hard not to compare what's worse, remembering shitty parents or not remembering any family, being alone or having to take care of a young child. So there's some pity and guilty jealousy on both sides. But also commiseration and understanding! But also they're liable to trigger each other's issues occasionally, what with Siffrin still having a rather poor handle on their own emotions and Nille disrupting the party dynamics. But they don't really hold it against each other; it would be hypocritical, and none of that matters compared to the fact that they've both nearly died for Bonnie. They like to go fishing together, sometimes Nille helps explain things that Siffrin only knows through muscle memory. And Nille does end up passing on some therapy tips!

Nille is a little star-struck by Mirabelle, who is the Chosen Savior of Vaugarde and only a couple years older than her and so heroic and nice and well-adjusted! Mirabelle is on a similar but less extreme wavelength, excited to meet Bonnie's sister who she's heard so intriguingly little about, but who must be so brave and cool! Once they get to know each other more it's kind of a confidence boost for Nille to realize that even Mirabelle has anxiety and imposter syndrome and is just some girl who found herself in the position to do something and she did her best to do it. And Mirabelle thinks Nille is just as cool as she imagined!

They end up taking some small classes together for fun at various Houses while they travel. When Mirabelle figures out that Nille isn't very good at reading, she reads books to her sometimes, and recommends her books that aren't too hard but also aren't too kiddie. One more for the girl's night book club! They have some good convos too about the balance of protecting and caring for a child vs giving them space to grow confident and independent, since Mira's parents were quite stifling; it's easier to find the acceptable middle range when you know what both failure modes look like, instead of just the one horrible extreme.

Isabeau is very friendly, and used to working with strangers and projecting an aura of safety, so he's got the chillest dynamic with Nille to start. He's the one who notices that her easy acceptance of the group was a little too easy and actually has some difficult feelings behind it. And he's been working on being braver, so he consults with his friends and then talks to Nille about it! I think it's a scary conversation but helpful in the long run, it's the start of establishing actual personal trust rather than just assumptions and idealization.

Since that precedent has been set, Isabeau becomes Nille's first choice if she needs to bring something up to the group. Doesn't hurt that he reminds her of one of the first people she met in Bambouche, too! On Isabeau's side, he likes having the opportunity to get to know someone new while he's figuring out his new self. And he's so delighted when she joins the war on puns as a whole new front: dad jokes. She wasn't even particularly into them before, she just wanted to shake up the battlefield. Nille and Isabeau also spar sometimes, because she hates how poorly she did at defending Bonnie, and Isabeau has the most formal/practical training in self-defense to pass on. (And he's the most willing to do physically-demanding activities for fun after already walking all day.)

Nille finds Odile intimidating. She's not sweet like Mira, or exuberant like Isa, or, uh, whatever the fuck Siffrin has going on. She's a full generation older than Nille and hard to read! Scary! But Bonnie adores her, and she's been making an effort to be more reassuring to Siffrin lately which shows, and Isabeau starts being more teasing-rude to Odile (the way she is to him) to prove that he can annoy her without repercussion which is really funny. So it doesn't take all too long for Nille to come down from high alert for the most part! And Odile respects Nille hardcore for raising Bonnie and takes her very seriously, which she appreciates.

Odile takes point on tutoring Bonnie, because she has some formal teaching experience and they're most likely to sit and listen for her anyway, but the others will give lessons on this or that. But Odile soon realizes from the way Nille hovers but doesn't help that she is actually further behind in schooling than Bonnie, and makes it her mission to rectify that. It's kinda rocky at first because Nille is both self-conscious of and resigned to her lack of education, but once she starts getting into it she really gets into it! This brings Odile and Nille a lot closer and Nille ends up admiring her a lot, especially as she catches hints of wild Odile lore.

Loop really likes getting to know Nille, since she never knew pre-loops Siffrin but she's still connected to their family. Not a stranger, not a copy, best of both worlds! Nille also appreciates having another person there who feels out of place in the party dynamics. She thinks Loop is funny, but also worrying, but they have enough people worried about them that she decides to goof off with them and enable them instead. Like yes it's probably bad for their mental health to make this kind of joke but it's worse to have everyone constantly analyzing their jokes' healthiness, yknow? Ironically, this (along with her newcomer status) means that Loop takes her worry more seriously and is more likely to listen to her than anyone else (except maybe Siffrin but only maybe).

Sometimes Loop gets a little too frantically irrational and it freaks Nille out because it reminds her of her and her mom's manic episodes. But she can disengage and tag someone else in, and see from afar that it all turns out okay! Loop gets some therapy tips from her too, but not necessarily the same ones as Siffrin. And they give her super shitty advice in return, in that way where it makes you realize how shitty it is and commit yourself to doing the opposite. They like to do silly things together that Nille never got the chance to do as a child and Loop doesn't remember doing, like rolling around in mud puddles and staying up all night just to watch the sunrise. Nille doesn't feel as self-conscious about acting juvenile because Loop is like a billion years old, but she also doesn't have to be in charge the way she is when playing with Bonnie! And Loop gets to make brand new memories with someone who has no old ones to compare them to!

Bonnie is super happy to see Nille for like, a day, and then they get really mad at her more often than not for like a week (because now that they're home with her it's safe to be distraught and uncooperative), and then they settle back into a more consistent dynamic. But it takes a while longer for them to be able to comfortably get any farther away from each other than maybe a room over; Bonnie confidently heads off and then suddenly comes running back, and Nille is so brave about separating and bravely panics the entire time. Oh well! The first time around it only took her a couple years to get to be okay with Bonnie being away from her, she'll figure it out again eventually!

There's no rush.

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS: 🌄 HEMERA: PERSONIFICATION OF DAY ☀️ 

Author’s note: *put head into hands* Alright, so I may or may not have went off from the usual formula (Do I even have a formula for writing these at this point?) and I think I may have made the primordial demigods here more cryptid cause they’re the literal by-product of primordial beings that are also half-mortal? I won’t be including the usual blurbs at the ending cause all of them are probably pushing the word limit Tumblr has but worry not, I made up for it by putting more storylines into the whole thing. PRIMORDIAL DEMIGODS MASTERLIST: [LINK]

Much like the child of Eros, you are born under a similar situation. Hemera, personification of Day, is often identified as Eos, goddess and personification of the Dawn. It worked somewhere the same way that Medusa exists; she technically is a Gorgon monster along with her two sisters born from Phorcys and Ceto, but she is also the same Medusa who was once mortal before getting turned into a gorgon later on. Regardless, while not unusual, your godly mother rarely mingles with men; it was even rumoured she fell in love with Orion. So whoever caught her eye was special enough, otherwise Hemera would be too busy with her day and wouldn’t give most of the time of day. 

You grow up rather normally and peacefully, quite literally a bright child; your primordial heritage asleep and hidden away as a child of Eos, who poses little threat to monsters. Until one day, everything changes as right until the child of Chaos and Eros appears before you, awakening your heritage as a child of Hemera. 

In fact, you’re the first Primordial demigod that gets dragged into the conflict as the child of Gaea and child of Tartarus appear to bring you into their cause, just as when the child of Chaos and Eros appear to stop them. It was all a bit much, discovering the fact that you were an actual child of a Primordial, and there were more of you out there, and just as you found out about them, they’re trying to pull you into their sides???

Despite the child of Nyx’s pleas to have you join them, you didn’t like the aura the child of Gaea was radiating and the darkness they were carrying. You joined with the Child of Chaos and Eros when the child of Gaea’s reckoning was threatening your lives and others. You felt bad when you saw the crushed look of the child of Nyx, but when they were also joining the fight, your power was the only one that could go against the children of Erebus and Nyx. You opposed their darkness and night with the power of your day powers, balancing the odds somewhat in your favour. 

Your powers are related to the day and those in its realm. You’re more powerful  and stronger in the day from dawn to dusk. You can also summon light when required and also create optical light illusions which are useful when the mist cannot conceal everything or in a fight. Unlike the child of Nyx who can simply rest in the night, you also have to absorb as much sunlight as possible to bolster your power supply. In the night, it’s not optimal and against three primordial children who have related powers, you need to be at the top of your game. 

You also have the power to do something similar to the gods revealing their true form in a sense. You can expel all the light and power of the day within you in a blinding, searing heat of light that can practically vaporise in your vicinity. It’s a dangerous move to pull off but given you’re all primordials in a sense, you’re made of tougher material. The first time you pulled it off was when the child of Tartarus unleashed some of the monsters in their command and you were all surrounded; given that the odds at the time were 4 to 3. By the end of it, the child of Tartarus, Erebus, and Nyx were also affected by your blast and they were all forced to retreat. You were utterly exhausted as well, which was a good thing they retreated or otherwise the odds wouldn’t be good. So while powerful, it is only used in the utmost dangerous circumstances. It took so many sunbaths to replenish your energy and reserves. You looked super ghastly too. 

Your key feature is that you’re quite literally a bright child; metaphorically and literally. You have a bright outlook or mind, you open up like a day and people are attracted to you. Your skin glows brightly like a great skin care routine, your smile just bright enough to brighten people’s day. As Hemera’s child, your aspect is DAY; while it is easier from dawn to dusk, you can actually push it to night as well; however be careful if you enter that kind of zone because you may be faced with a part of yourself that you may not like.

[the-forbidden-pookie]

Happiest

Tw: SFW, can be read as gender neutral tho written with a fem reader in mind, fluff.

Pairing: Blade x reader

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"It's ok Bladie, even if you won't admit it, I can see right through you, I know you loooooove me!" You said cheekily as you and Blade were walking back from HQ, enjoying a walk through the nearby park.

His sharp eyes stared at you as you teased him. And there for a second, he looked so utterly pissed you almost felt intimidated. But then, that small twitch came as his lips slightly twerked up, and you knew for sure that he definitely loved you.

"Stop it." Blade tried to scowl at you. But the twitch wouldn't budge.

You wrapped your arms around one of his, as you usually did when you walked together. "Alright alright, so how did the mission go? Did you locate the objective?" You asked, curious as to whether he and Sam found the required Curio.

Blade tried to move his arm away but you wouldn't let go.

"I don't want to say," he grumbled. Even though something inside him wanted to tell you everything about what went down on the mission, anything you wanted to know at all.

"I know it's technically confidential, but it would be a huge help for me to complete my own task if you told me... Ah well I won't pressure you" You say, in a poor attempt at reverse psychology.

Blade sighed.

And before he knew it, he found himself telling you every single detail about the battle, the routes they took and how many enemies to expect around the location. He very much disclosed the whole mission as well as confirming they had, in fact, found the Curio but were unable to move it for the time being. You've probably never heard Blade talk so much before.

You stared at him, eyes wide open, jaw hitting the submarine- the floor, not actually expecting him to tell you so much. After all, Blade was a smart man, there was no way he would fall for your little trick... the only explanation was that he told you willingly.

"Bladie- I- " You cut yourself off, not finding words to appropriately show how touched you felt, you instead opted to stand on your very tip toes, using his arm for balance, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." You said quite bashfully.

"What was that for?" Blade's cheeks took a slight red hue.

"Stop it." He grumbled as he tried taking his arm back. But just like before — you wouldn't let go.

"Aww don't be shy!" You said, even though you were the one noticeably getting flustered now. "I'm just showing my gratitude!"

Blade tried scowling at you. But a miniscule smile formed on his lips instead.

The swordsman looked at you with a small amount of guilt in his eyes. "Oh, screw it... you can keep my arm. Just this once, okay?"

"... Isn't that what you say every time?" You were quick to point out.

Blade froze. And he went redder than a ripe strawberry, trying and failing to hide his blush.

You had caught him red-handed.

Deciding to cut him some slack, you rush to change the topic, "My mission will be with Silverwolf! But I've never worked with her before... I know she likes playing video games, any idea which I could talk to her about?"

"Ugh... Silverwolf?" Blade grumbled.

The swordsman rolled his eyes thinking of the somewhat childish teammate. "She plays all kinds of games. I've never understood why she's so invested in them but, it does make her happy so I cannot judge."

"That's so mature of you Bladie!" You say teasingly.

He rolled his eyes at you again but this time, to your surprise, he smiled.

It only lasted a moment however, before he seemed to remember something.

"Don't call me 'Bladie'." He hissed. "You know I hate being called that."

He wasn't even going to try denying that.

"By anyone else you mean, but I'm special right?" You quickly reply, hugging his arm tighter for emphasis.

"You know what? You are special." Blade scowled as if he was mad at himself for saying the words out loud.

The swordsman sighed before looking at you. "Why does this always happen...? Why am I the one to open up and show my stupid feelings?" He asked in annoyance.

"Oh? would you like me to tell you about my feelings then?"

"Hmmm..." Blade pretended to think about it for a few seconds before smiling widely... Though it looked somewhat unsettling.

"Actually, yes. Yes, I would like you to tell me about your feelings."

You suddenly stopped in your tracks, releasing his arm. You went to stand in front of him, and with the most serious expression you could muster: "You make me the happiest woman alive, Bladie." You said.

Blade was completely caught off-guard by your sudden declaration. A blush spread across his face but this time, he didn't try to cover it up.

Instead, the swordsman slowly placed one hand on your cheek as he looked into your eyes.

"You do the same for me." He whispered as he brought his lips close to yours for a kiss.

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Author's note: I'm primarily a renheng shipper, but that's such a tragic ship, I have to balance it out with some fluffy Blade x reader!

[maple-the-awesome]

We'll Meet Again...I Know When || Chapter 34

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x GN Reader

Words: 4,061

Overview: Given your old-fashioned personality and obsession with all things 1940s to 1980s, it’s no wonder that most people refer to you as an ‘old soul’ who would’ve rather lived back then than in the modern era. Little do they know, you already did, but with your previous life as Hollie Stark cut short, you’ve been left with some…unfinished business, to say the least. Top of your list? Finally getting to marry your thought-to-be-lost fiancé.

Series Masterlist 🤎 Marvel Masterlist 🤎 Fandom Masterlist

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: DEARLY DEPARTED

Well fed and partially rested, your quartet makes their way down the windy cobblestone streets of Latvia. There’s an uneventful silence that follows throughout most of the walk - that is, between Zemo’s unprompted compliments of the local architecture and Bucky’s grumbled skepticism regarding your sense of direction.

If it were earlier in the day, you’d likely snap at his doubt, but fortunately for him in this moment, your previous interaction with those children at the refugee enclave and the short nap you took afterwards had smoothened out your mood. Thus, you simply shoo away his queries with confident assurances and only a dash of frustration. You were a scientist in your past life, of course you can follow Google Map instructions!

“Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you to be pulling shit like this!”

“Lord give me strength…” Sam grumbles, that once bearable half-silence officially soured by an uninvited fifth-wheel.

With a raised eyebrow, you look up from your phone and follow Sam’s irritated gaze to its source: none other than the same Captain America impersonator you've already heard a great deal of complaints about. You can't say you've been particularly excited to meet him, not too fond of there being a government-issued replacement for your dear friend in the first place, and judging on how swiftly he approaches with zealous coating his every step and spoken word, you don't have much confidence in this introduction changing your expectations.

"How'd you find us this time, John?!" Bucky asks sarcastically, his question having an impressive balance between its volume and lackadaisical delivery.

"You think two Avengers can walk around Latvia without being noticed?" Walker's partner counters, yet the spotlight is immediately switched back to John who shows zero shame in marching directly towards your group with a smile that's seconds away from becoming a scowl as he points to Zemo.

"No more keeping us in the dark. You can start by telling us why the hell you broke him out of prison."

"Well technically, he broke himself out of prison," You correct, unfazed by John’s poor attempt at asserting authority here, in fact you have no problem blocking his path to Zemo by sliding in between them with a hand outstretched cheekily, "Hi, I’m (Y/n). Don't believe we've met."

"I don't really care who you are -"

"- Ouch -"

"- There better be an UNBELIEVABLE explanation for this because -!" John's voice raises. Pairing that with the way he talks while swinging his arms dramatically, you can't say you like the aggressive undertone behind his behavior, especially not for someone wearing the stolen merits of a real hero. You don't care how upset he is, it's not a very good look nor a great sign for his character, and you aren't the only one to think that:

"- Hey, take it down a notch before you attract a crowd, alright?" Sam warns, drawing attention to the civilians who have already stopped to stare at the scene. Some even have their phones out, excitedly snapping pictures of the new ‘Captain America’ and his Avenger 'friends'.

"I know where Karli is," Zemo confesses with little fanfare or interest for that matter, somewhat akin to a parent giving their child a cookie just to shut them up. He attempts to walk past after that, however John’s quick to push him back.

"Well, where is she then?"

"A memorial, that's all we know at the moment. We're heading there now to intercept her," Sam, desperate to maintain the peace, explains while Zemo brushes away John's touch to continue onwards anyway. The rest of you don't hesitate to follow, yet that doesn't stop John and his partner from taking this conversation to-go, keeping up with your steps as if a part of the team themselves. You won't be surprised if he truly believes that, either.

"Memorial? That means there'll be civilians and a high risk of casualties," His partner points out.

"We're not nuking the damn place with her inside," You insist, although you can at least respect that his priorities are in the right place, better tied to his job as a protector rather than his fragile ego. If only his buddy could follow by example, "Sam just wants to talk her and get her side of the story -"

"- What? No...No! Wait! Stop, hold on!" John suddenly rushes to the front of the group, once again preventing anyone from moving forward, "We're way past reasoning with her, okay? Unless you've forgotten this part, she's a terrorist. Her and her little friends blew up a building with people inside of it!"

"You're right. She is a terrorist which is exactly why we need to stop her as soon as possible."

John laughs as if you're the ones making this more complicated than it needs to be, "Alright! Then let's go in there and arrest her -"

"- If we rush in, arms drawn, and corner them like animals, what's stopping her from lashing out right that second?" You challenge, not faltering under his intense stare, "We need to approach this situation with strategy, and Sam's idea works. We go in, let him try talking to her while simultaneously keeping our guard up, and if she surrenders, then yay -"

"- And if she doesn't?"

"Then we kick her ass! I don't know! Have you not seen a hostage negotiation before? You know, ‘The Inside Man’? ‘The Negotiator’? Ever turn on the news maybe -?”

“- The bottom line is: there’s a risk in both scenarios whether we talk or attack first,” Sam steps forward, showing far more patience as he reminds John of his own presence in this discussion, “The difference is, in one, we have an actual shot at ending things peacefully. In the other, people get hurt regardless.

“Why not pick the former then? I'd say we have a pretty good chance with it, I mean, yeah, Karli’s methods are out of line - no one here’s trying to deny that - but her motivations aren't entirely unreasonable. For god’s sake, she's a kid who just had five years of her life flipped on top of her head - We all know how terrifying that can be. I think what she needs most right now is someone who's actually willing to hear her out without casting her aside with more broken promises.”

"It also might be worth mentioning that this memorial is for someone close to Karli, so it’ll likely be attended by others who are important to her, too," You add to aid Sam’s argument, "She's probably going to want to avoid endangering their lives just as much as we do."

"Right. Exactly!"

John shakes his head before turning his attention to Bucky who's remained silent throughout this entire discussion, "...You'll let him do this? You'll just let your partner walk into a room with a super soldier completely alone and defenseless?"

"He's dealt with worse - and he's not my partner."

"Sorry you weren't there, but we're the ones who went up against a murderous purple alien six months ago. I think Sam knows what he's doing," You roll your eyes, walking past John and his partner to continue up the street where you can already see a crowd entering what you assume to be the memorial building.

"I used to counsel soldiers dealing with trauma, okay? I've heard it all - all the accounts of horrific ordeals and stories of lost hope. This is my wheelhouse," You can hear Sam say as he still attempts to reach an agreement.

"I know, and I know those soldiers which is why I say this is a bad idea -!”

"- Wait, John," His partner speaks up again, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from chasing after your group again, "If he can talk her down, maybe it is worth a try. They do have a point, after all; less people would get hurt if this works."

John scoffs as if he still finds the whole proposal ridiculous, however having his own colleague side with the Avengers must've taken him down some kind of peg, because rather than attempt to stop anyone, he trails behind your group, promising to 'deal with' Zemo later as a last ditch effort of securing at least a fraction of his authority (not that it accomplishes much).

Maintaininga safe distance from the crowd, you observe them file into the building through two heavy wooden doors. Tracing their exact steps by entering the funeral from the front would likely only draw unwanted attention which in return could risk Karli discovering your presence too soon, so a side door leading into the building’s boiler room is your best bet for an unnoticed arrival.

You’re careful to peek into the hallway, catching sight of the same funeral goers as they disappear behind a wall. Hearing the echo of mournful whispers, it can be assumed that the processions will take place right around that corner. If Sam sneaks in after they officially start, Karli won’t have a good opening to run unless she wants to ruin Donya’s celebrated memory. She’ll be forced to at least wait until after the memorial is finished, providing Sam a better chance at getting close enough to pull her ear.

"...You sure you're up for this?" You ask as he stands beside you at the door. His confident nod is all you need for an answer.

After reaching into your pocket, you hold your hand out to him with a small grain-sized microphone, courtesy of the high-tech equipment Clint had supplied you with years ago, “We’ll stay back here. If anything goes wrong or you start getting the heebie-jeebies for some reason, simply say the word and we’ll have John bust down the doors. I’m sure he’s been dying for some real action anyway, poor guy.”

Sam smirks at your joke, taking the microphone and dropping it in his breast pocket, "Hopefully it won't have to come down to that."

"Better safe than sorry," You shrug, not too overly worried for his sake. Sam has always been a laid-back guy willing to listen to even the most outrageous of stories. Assuming that Karli is even somewhat rational, he's the best guy to send in for a heart-to-heart with her. Even if shit does go wrong, you’re certain he’s capable of handling himself in the short amount of time it takes for back-up to arrive. The real question is whether John can keep his pants on for that long.

Before Sam can even ascend the stairs, John harshly grabs Zemo’s arm, bending it behind his back and forcing him against the furnace. His stern ‘orders’ are directed towards Sam, "You have exactly ten minutes until we do things my way, you hear?"

Sam, unsurprisingly, shows minimal interest in that threat, simply nodding to spare John’s feelings before sparing Bucky and you one last look, "Don't let anyone tear off each other's heads while I'm gone."

"No promises," Bucky ribs with an exasperated inhale.

With Sam gone, the boiler room falls into tense silence only made that way through John's increasingly impatient pacing. After a quick glance at each other, you allow Bucky to wordlessly take your place guarding the door, blocking the path Sam took as a wise precaution against John's irritability.

Lemar - as you finally learn his name is - calmly instructs his partner to take a deep breath, the two sharing a brief, whispered conversation that must not have ended in John's favor because his mood fails to change. Even Zemo, despite being forced to awkwardly stand while handcuffed to the furnace, seems more comfortable with his predicament than the paranoid soldier who constantly fidgets and huffs, not that it's making anyone sympathetic towards him.

He eventually sets his sights on you from where you sit on the back staircase, boredly listening in on the conversation that's echoed through your earpiece, "What are they saying?"

You barely blink at his demand nor do you so much as look up at him when he comes marching in your direction. Instead, you keep your jaded expression trained forward, "She's listening to him."

"That's not what I asked. I want to know what they’re saying!" You're not sure what he expects to gain by such an aggressive demeanor, but it's not going to work on you. Not caring to be bossed around or intimidated by some guy in a Spirit Halloween costume, you simply turn your head away from him, covering your ear piece with your hand to pretend you can’t hear it over all his needless blabbing.

"Watch it, John. It hasn't even been ten minutes. Just sit tight," Bucky advises from across the room, his narrowed eyes trained cautiously on John's movements which are too close to you for comfort. His suggestion goes ignored following a rapid shake of the head and disgruntled glare.

"Don't patronize me!"

"Karli's listening to him," You reiterate, already feeling drained of all your willpower to keep dealing with this sort of crap today, "She's not showing any signs of aggression, she's not threatening him -"

"- How would you know that? You're not in there watching. She could be planning something - buying herself and her terrorist friends some time! How's a guy like him supposed to defend himself against a super soldier, huh?"

"Look man, I understand that first days on the job are rough - We've all been there before - but you gotta relax. We know what we're doing, and so does Sam. He's already gone up against super soldiers more than once before. If he needs us, he'll call. In the meantime, our job is to sit quietly and wait."

John rolls his eyes, your words clearly having zero effect on his mental state. He then turns to check the clock hanging on the room’s wall. A more optimistic individual might have hoped this would confirm to him that Bucky is right and that his behavior is irrational, however instead, his quiet pause is just that - a very brief halt before he's spinning the direction of his march towards Bucky and the door with Lamar quickly standing to join him.

Bucky doesn't hesitate to push himself off the stair railing and stop John in his place with a stern hand, his narrowed eyes giving more warning than any words could.

This act is unsurprisingly met with greater frustration and a whisper through gritted teeth, “...It must be really easy for you, right? All that serum just coursing through your veins? Your friend is completely alone in there. You let him go in there with no weapons, no defense, no backup…Do you really want his blood added to your hands?”

Buckydoesn’t respond aloud, although there’s a subtle shift within his eyes. It’s only visible ever so briefly before being hidden by a quick tightening of the jaw, however it sinks deep with the sting of John’s words. It’s the sore ache of insecurity - the shallow doubt that maybe, just maybe, those low-blow claims could actually hold reason.

He wants nothing more than for this situation to end without a fight. God knows he’s had enough of those to last a lifetime. Talking Karli down would offer a peaceful resolution while risking less people’s safety, as Sam and you have said, but that all depends on whether she listens.

Bucky wants to trust Sam’s capabilities, both in gaining the enemy’s trust and defending himself when in a tight spot. Steve sure did, and so do you…yet at the same time, he just can’t seem to shake that memory of how easily the Winter Soldier was able to knock the breath from Sam’s stomach before tossing him like a mere paperweight…

You three are up against super soldiers - eight of them, to be precise, compared to your one. What if you're cornered? What if the Flag Smashers get Sam or you alone, too far from Bucky’s reach to stop the blow? John’s right about one thing: in that scenario, your blood would be on his hands; it’s still on his hands if he stands by to watch it flow…

There’s nothing more said between them as John bumps past Bucky with zero resistance faced. He’s completely free to ascend the stairs and escape into the hallway before you can even shoot up from your spot on the opposite side of the room.

“HEY -! What the HELL, Bucky?!” Why he’d let John past - Why he’d let those stupid weightless words get under his skin like that - You wish you had the time to properly chew him out over it, but you don’t.

“Stay with Zemo!” Catching John before he can ruin Sam’s progress has to be your priority, so much so that you can’t stop to address the way Bucky sighs your name as a half-hearted plea while following your shadow rather than your previous command. Grumbled disapproval is all you can spare in the moment which is promptly hit back in your direction through eye rolls and poor excuses that go in one ear then out the other.

Unfortunately, even at your racing pace (and Bucky’s jogging to match it), you’re too slow to prevent John from bursting into the room where the funeral must’ve been taking place, now long empty aside from Sam and Karli who both snap their direction towards him in shock.

“Karli Morgenthau, you’re under arrest!”

From there, the scene quickly turns to chaos…

“That’s what this was…? To keep me talking until your help arrived?” Whatever middle ground Sam had been carefully forging between himself and Karli is immediately shattered as she now begins backing away from him. He raises his hands, attempting to both reassure her and address John, yet the latter doesn’t let him get more than a few words out before being shut down in a snap.

“- You’ve had enough time to talk,” John declares, his sights set solely on an increasingly apprehensive Karli.

You try to follow after him, calling his name as a last ditch effort to prevent a nasty fight, however Lemar blocks your path from physically getting any closer. It’s nothing more than the slightest shove backwards, only forceful enough to make you reserve a step or two, although that doesn’t stop Bucky from instinctively steadying you with his hands upon your shoulders.

“Don’t -!” You can’t say you’ve ever heard Bucky growl with such venomous anger before. After days of acting as if your presence kills him - weeks of avoiding you like the plague and cutting you out of his life like it’s easy - all it takes is that one single action of someone else putting their hands on you to snap him into a state of fierce rage. One could argue that he just sees you as someone who can’t protect themself - a ‘liability’ as he had said in Madripoor - but would he really react in such a way for just anyone on his team?

He either takes an actual swing at Lemar from over your head or he only tries to push him away from you both - likely the latter given his tone and the way Lemar instantly protects his face with a flash of fear crossing it. You would’ve liked to see the end result so that you could log it in your mental library as a long-missed example of Bucky truly caring about you, however your attention is diverted away when Karli punches John.

Despite all his high talk earlier, he must not have prepared himself to face off with a real super soldier because the second Karli’s fist makes contact with Steve’s shield, John’s violently thrown backwards, catching a nearby Sam in the impact which results in them both hitting the table behind them and tumbling to the ground.

Deciding that this has gone far enough, you slip away from Lemar which is easier to accomplish now that he’s officially distracted between John’s injury and Bucky forcefully knocking him to the floor himself.

With one swift movement, you draw your taser out from your belt and turn it up to its highest setting while rushing Karli. She immediately notices you, bending her body back to avoid the blue glow of your baton. Once it buzzes by, she follows up with a fierce swing in your direction, but this isn't your first rodeo. Between your encounters with a brainwashed Bucky and some sparring training you've done alongside other Avengers, you'd say you're somewhat decent at knowing what to expect when going up against super humans.

Thus, utilizing practiced speed, you duck to dodge her fist, spinning your weapon in hand so that, by the time you pop back up again with a bounce to your step, it's facing forward and prepared to be immediately thrust towards her, the baton's fork stabbing her shoulder blade.

Thank goodness Clint didn't supply you with just any kind of mediocre taser. Rather than deliver a tiny 'zap' to cause inconvenient discomfort lasting a millisecond, it bites with a brutal 'crackle' that has Karli's knees buckling and her pain expressed through loud, stammered cries. Nothing that will kill her, of course, but you doubt she'll be able to feel the sensors in her finger tips for a few minutes after her recovery.

At this point, Bucky’s approaching from behind and even Sam’s already stumbling up to his feet, using the table beside him as a crutch to -

- Karli sees the same sight as you, however for her, it's not so reassuring. Too stubborn to accept surrender, she grinds her teeth and gathers the strength to curl back another fist which she sends plowing your way.

You only have time to gasp, hardly bracing for the hit that throws you through the air and into a shelf. There's a loud crash that comes with this impact, the force of your body knocking various items to the ground where you drop like a ragdoll before the shelf itself wobbles then tips forward.

The sound of your fear was already enough to grasp Bucky's full attention, but only in time to listen to that cruel thud of your limp body and the following slam of the shelf thumbling overtop of you. After that, he can't hear anything else save for the pounding of his own heart in his ears.

His legs decide for themselves where they're going, ignoring the rest of the chaos around him as Karli stumbles off and John races after her. He just needs to make it to your side. There, he effortlessly tosses the shelf off of you, kneeling beside you with muted calls of your name which are equally as shaky as his hesitating hand.

You're not moving, body lying completely motionless against the ground and shattered jars. You're not responding either, face wiped clean of emotion as if you're only asleep. You're not moving at all - He isn't even sure if your chest is!

…This has happened before…This isn't new…

You were there, just as motionless, hunched forward with blood running like a stream down from your forehead to chin. You didn't answer anyone's calls then either, and when he dared to touch you, he swore he could feel the warmth leaving your skin. He's too scared to check that now, though. His hand is frozen unwillingly above you, the world swirling fast enough to make him nauseous or is that the throbbing against his forehead?

…You aren't moving again...

Then you groan, your arms shaking as you struggle to find the ground to push yourself up from. Clenching your side, you let out a whimper from the pain that expands across every inch of your back and ribs. It's a heartbreaking sound, but at least you're alert now, looking at him with a flash of fear before relaxing once realizing it's not the enemy currently hunched over you.

"- Bucky!" Sam appears behind him within the second, his hand carrying no more pressure than a feather when placed upon his shoulder, "We gotta go!”

Swallowing thickly, Bucky watches as Sam carefully tries to help you to your wobbling feet, each movement drawing out an uncomfortable hiss while you struggle to support yourself even when leaning most of your weight against someone else.

Seeing your hurt and that foggy glaze over your eyes, he finally snaps out of his own dizzying state enough to at least step in himself, his movements almost robotic as he hooks your legs over his arm then hoists you off the ground in one shift, easy motion. From there, he lets Sam lead the way, all the while distracted by his own heavy breathing and racing heartbeat which are the loudest sounds in his ears…

NEXT CHAPTER ->

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Taglist:

@arunabrak

@lovemesomevesey

[alcoholfreenayeon]

jichaeng hcs? sfw&nsfw?

AN: Hey, saw that it was your birthday a couple days ago on my tl. I’d have posted this sooner if I knew that. Happy belated birthday I guess🎂.

JiChaeng HCs

SFW HCs

Things were quite awkward between these two for a long time. In more ways than one. Chaeyoung had always been quite formal and for the first couple years, even a little scared of Jihyo. However, over time she had also developed a crush on her.

Jihyo on the other hand had always been a little unsure of how to be around Chaeyoung. She thought of her as quite cute but struggled to balance between treating her as one of the youngest and as a friend. She felt annoyed by this and made an effort to spend more time with Chaeyoung to try to get rid of the barrier and it worked….till she realized that now the only thing on her mind was Chaeyoung.

Despite the two getting closer, Chaeyoung chalked the crush off, believing that things won’t ever go anywhere between them. But spending lots of time with Jihyo both at work and outside of it made it quite difficult to get over it.

While Jihyo was really frustrated because she didn’t know how to proceed things further and eventually ended up confiding in Nayeon about her situation. She expected some teasing and some good advice from her. What she didn’t expect was to be told that Chaeyoung had a crush on her too.

After a nervous confession by Jihyo, Chaeyoung shyly admitted that she did indeed feel the same way and the two finally started dating.

Jihyo insisted on teaching Chaeyoung how to play tennis despite Chaeyoung protesting that she’s not a sporty person. Chaeyoung ended up becoming surprisingly good at it, mostly due to how unorthodox and lazy her play style was, beating Jihyo more times than you might expect.

Jihyo started to cook more because she wanted to make Chaeyoung’s favorite meals and it’s also her way to express her affections.

Chaeyoung developed a habit of sleeping with her face buried in Jihyo’s chest with an arm wrapped around her.

They both secretly wrote a song about the other, wanting to present it at their anniversary.

They watch shows together but often get way too invested in it and it’s a struggle for them to be patient and not watch it without the other. Jihyo once had a free morning while Chaeyoung did not and ended up watching an episode on her own and felt very guilty. Unbeknownst to her, Chaeyoung had already secretly watched that episode the night before while Jihyo slept. Regardless, they both watched it again later that day trying to act surprised at the parts so the other thinks they watched it for the first time.

NSFW HCs

As you might expect, Jihyo is the dom and Chaeyoung is the sub.

Jihyo secretly loves the authority she has over Chaeyoung and often orders her around although sometimes it’s just to tease her.

Jihyo could literally order Chaeyoung to get on her knees at any point and Chaeyoung would obey almost instinctively.

Chaeyoung likes to play with Jihyo’s boobs absentmindedly while watching something.

Their interests don’t always gel but they have ideas to make it interesting. Like Jihyo dragging Chaeyoung away to the bathroom for a quickie when she got somewhat bored while visiting a museum or Chaeyoung feeling tired of tennis after a couple rounds and telling Jihyo that she’d rather serve her than the ball….

Dahyun found about them dating when she heard sounds of a movie she really liked coming from the living room only to walk in to Jihyo making out with Chaeyoung while fingering.

Chaeyoung’s wax play fits in well with Jihyo’s sensitive chest, it’s one of the few times Chaeyoung eagerly takes charge.

Jihyo was really surprised by how explicit and suggestive Chaeyoung can be over text, whether it’s innuendos, pictures or just something straight up outrageous. She doesn’t mind that though, in fact she takes it as a challenge to turn the suggestive confident texting Chaeyoung into a whimpering mess as soon as possible.

Chaeyoung often ends up leaving bite marks on Jihyo’s shoulder.

Jihyo will often catch Chaeyoung staring at her and will tease her about it.

[sarastuss]

what does sarastus actually want for her future, if at all, vs how she thinks it should go?

my my, civi back at it again with the lovely interesting questions!! 💛

it is something that made her so fitting immediately for the seat of Azem ; sarastus' want to travel the world, becoming intimate with its cultures &. people, but also the task of identifying potential threats to the star &. eliminating them. most of these, something that also have come with the duty as the warrior of light, after waking up in the sundered world. ( &. i think this is interesting, since it is something hydaelyn says to be part of the duty. considering hydaelyn herself was sarastus' mentor &. the previous azem ; adding further into my own lore of the reason she chose sarastus to face the threats of the future, &. become the champion needed to save the worlds. because she was already back then showing aspects of a hero, before there was a need for any, + with her balance, of not answering the calls of either those who summoned hydaelyn or the ones who summoned zodiark, choosing her own way. ) but, these are things sarastus chooses to do, &. genuinely wants to.

that is what she wants to keep doing ; to adventure forth, with good company, &. ensure the realms remain protected, also carrying on for those that no longer can, who had given everything they could already to ensure the safety of others. &. though one could argue she is somewhat a thrill - seeker, she does not need those adventures to be life - threatening, rather wishes they weren't if others are alongside her. but, she also wants to enjoy mundane moments of life, relax with the people she is closest to. because of her trauma with loss &. survival, she really had a mix of selfish ( to rather be the one to leave then to be the one to survive, &. mourn ) &. unselfish reasons for the heroic sacrifices she took, &. of course, all of that combining with her duty as the warrior of light, she didn't give too many thoughts towards the future for this reason. something, she works through throughout the arcs.

if asked from her directly, that will be pretty much the response she would honestly give. though without mentioning her trauma. she sees herself traveling 'till the very end, &. hopes, she gets to do that in good company. but, that does not remove selfish wants of the future, &. how she wishes it could turn out. i have touched on this briefly before, but i definitely think sarastus would not stop from finding ways to somehow rescue those lost in the past, before the sundering ... when the star was whole. a hopeless quest perhaps, which is exactly why it is a more private one. but her resolve for it burns bright as she does. &. of course, while sarastus never was tempted to try the ways of the ascians with the rejoining - as she loved, &. cared for the people of the present &. their safety ; she was tempted to stay in elpis, when sent back in time to discover the cause for the final days. towards the very end of that, she was more or less forced to wake up from ' playing along, ' &. when meeting once more with hythlodaeus &. hades in ultima thule, that served as the final push for her, with hades telling her about all the secrets/mysteries she had yet to discover in the world. that there is still so much to discover, &. there exists an inkling of hope, that somehow along the never - ending journey ahead, she could save those from her past.

during the end of endwalker arc, she had succeeded to come to terms with the past, &. the fact that that life was hers, that she is the same person, though of course, changed in some ways. she is still herself. &. i think it is such a good development for her ; to gain a healthy look towards the future. something, even she as the strongest could not have done, had it not been the help of those she held dear to her, that she considers family.