#but yeah I'd love to visit the great lakes

[skyward-floored]

speaking of lakes, that reminds me that my scale for lakes is so far off base because I grew up near the great lakes, so every time I see what constitutes as a normal lake where I am now, I'm like. this isn't a lake, what are you talking about??????

Ah I've never been that far north unfortunately, most of the lakes I've been to have been more what people would probably consider reasonable lake size XD I went to a really cute little one last summer though, it was only about... hm, if I had to guess maybe half a mile across? length-wise anyway. Width was probably less than a fourth.

[7-wonders]

Never Been Kissed

Morpheus/Dream of the Endless x GN!Reader

Summary: Morpheus cannot possibly wait another moment to let you know how he feels about you. What happens when it appears that you don't reciprocate?

Word count: 2.0k

Author's note: Shitty summary, sorry, but you know the scene in Barbie (2023) where Ken goes to kiss Barbie after the party and she just stands there?

This one? Yeah I got it into my head that it would be funny if eternal drama queen Morpheus was in Ken's position.

Clueless!reader, innocent!reader. This is just a kinda stupid, goofy little fic, idk. If you liked it, I'd appreciate hearing from you! If you didn't like it, sound off as well! My haters are my motivators.

P.S. You might be saying "the Endless aren't allowed to love mortals it leads to their ruin!" And I say that this is my fic so I decide the rules. Buckle up babes.

Death would say that he is head over heels.

Desire would say that it is boringly predictable and far too soon.

Lucienne would not say anything, but she would give him that look over the top of her glasses, the one that says that he had better know what he is doing.

Matthew would say that he is down bad, which is apparently what the youth of today are saying.

They are all right, though Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, wishes they were not. Despite his very best efforts, he has fallen in love once more. With a mortal, a human—you. 

Morpheus has never had much luck in love. Though there were a few occasions (very, very few) where it was not his fault, he is mature enough to understand that he has often been the cause of a relationship’s demise. He falls hard and fast, and he always has. That, combined with his…intensity, is what he believes to doom him each and every time. Perhaps he gives too much of himself to those who don’t deserve it; perhaps he shows his hand too quickly. 

But you, he knows, are different. You won’t hurt him, not in the way that others have. You won’t take him for granted.

Tonight, he has decided that he will finally confess to you his affections. He will bare his realm to you, the parts that no normal dreamer will ever get to see, and hope that you understand that this is akin to him baring his very soul. After all, he is the Dreaming, and the Dreaming is him.

But where to take you? What to show you? Morpheus agonized over these questions for far longer than he would care to admit. Although he hoped to be able to accompany you to the farthest reaches of his realm (a tall task, considering said realm was infinite), to explore so much of the Dreaming with you that he rediscovered lands he had long forgotten about, this first foray needed to be perfect. He needed something special, something that conveyed to you the depth of his feelings.

He decided to start with something simple that most people would like to see: Athens, and specifically the Acropolis, as it was in its glory days. For all of the animosity Morpheus felt towards the Greek pantheon, he had to admit that they, and their worshippers, contributed much to society and humanity as a whole. Next was a glimmering lake that was actually the moon’s surface, followed by a glen in what could be the Scottish highlands populated by dragons—he found himself particularly pleased by your stunned awe upon seeing the mythical creatures.

The penultimate stop was one that Morpheus took great pride in thinking up, for he knew that it would be your favorite. A visit to a fae village, exiled by Titania and given sanctuary in the Dreaming (solely due to Morpheus’s dislike of their monarch), enjoying a Harvest celebration. They were harmless creatures in the Dreaming, devoid of any of the power that fae normally possessed, so Morpheus did not feel any hesitation in allowing you to explore the festivities. Above all else, the fae love a good party, so it was not surprising when a few invited you to join them in dancing, pulling you along with them until you were spinning and twirling as though you had always known the fae folk dance. You reached for him, mouthing “Come dance with me!” but he gently rebuffed you with a shake of his head and a smile, happy to simply watch the way you moved, with a grin on your face and boisterous laughter sounding just as lovely as the music playing.

What you had referred to as a “behind-the-scenes tour” ends in his private gardens, long a place of solace for him. Your excitement, your joy, fuels him. It’s palpable and intoxicating, and Morpheus wishes he could bottle it and keep it with him forever to give him just a hint of this feeling whenever he wants.

“This is…amazing. Your realm is amazing,” you gush, your eyes sparkling. “I feel like that word is such an understatement for what I’m trying to describe, but it’s the only one that comes to mind right now.”

“It pleases me to hear you think so.”

“Thank you for this. For trusting me,” you say sincerely.

Morpheus was right, you do understand the gift that this experience was meant to be. It makes the space in his chest cavity, where his heart would be if he allowed this form to have one, feel warm. It is only the the very least I could, no, would give you, he thinks. 

You’re smiling so sweetly at him, the moon shining down like a spotlight and making you look the closest to holy that Morpheus will ever get. This is it, he realizes. This is the moment where he will tell you of his love for you, and where you will then reciprocate. This is the moment that he will commit to memory for the rest of eternity until his sister locks up the universe behind her. This is the moment that you become his, and he yours. 

There is so much that Morpheus wants to say to you, yet he knows not where to begin. An unfamiliar feeling swells within him—nervousness. What if he says the wrong thing, what if he scares you off with his intensity before he can truly say what he wants to say? No, best to show you how he feels before telling you, that way there is no doubt. With that, Morpheus leans in towards you and closes his eyes, waiting to feel his lips on yours.

That feeling does not come, and Morpheus belatedly realizes after a few moments that it will not come. When he opens his eyes and looks at you once more, you’re still standing in the same position that you were, still smiling, albeit looking a bit more confused

“Is something wrong?” you ask.

All of Morpheus’s plans, his hopes and…dreams, for lack of a better term, come crashing down around him. So you’ve rejected him, then. He has laid his heart bare for you, shown you parts of his realm that no other mortal has been lucky enough to see, and you’ve turned him down. This, he muses, is his fatal flaw. Mentally, he had already declared you his, crowned you his consort, and created an entire life with you.

But the Lord of Dreams should know better than anyone that it does no good to dwell on dreams, for they are nothing but fantasy and can lead only to heartbreak.

“It appears that I was wrong in thinking that my feelings were reciprocated,” he says lowly, looking out at a carefully cultivated rose bush that is rapidly wilting. An icy wind begins to whip up, stripping the bush of its dead petals and sending them swirling off into the night.

Shock, raw and unfiltered, crosses your face. “Oh! You wanted…to kiss me?”

Morpheus pauses at this odd question, for he did not think you to be so obtuse. Did he not make it obvious that that was what he was intending? Are you attempting to shame him further? “Yes? I apologize, since you have made clear that you do not harbor the same affection for me as I do for you.” He has to grit his teeth to keep from spewing anything more vicious, though lightning cracks across the sky and says what he cannot.

“No! I mean yes. I mean–” You take a breath and shake your head as though you’re trying to physically clear your thoughts. “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never…been kissed. Before.”

The bad weather, which had been threatening since the moment he realized that he was wrong and tried desperately to hide the devastation that was threatening to overtake him, dies down so suddenly that it could have been turned off by some unseen entity hitting a switch.

“What.” It is certainly not proper of Morpheus to sound so shocked, especially when it’s regarding a topic that you are so clearly embarrassed about. But he simply cannot believe that someone like you, someone so delightful and open, so empathetic and, well, attractive, has never experienced intimacy from another before.

“I know, it’s super lame. People just…haven’t ever liked me in that way?” You shrug and add, “Just haven’t found the right person yet,” in a way that sounds so self-deprecating that it must be a line you’ve heard many times before.

“So you have never…”

You shake your head and look away in embarrassment. “No hand holding, no kissing, no dating. Nothing. Sorry to disappoint.”

It goes unsaid what else you haven’t done if those simple, basic acts of romance have been devoid from your life. From the way you brace yourself, you’re obviously expecting him to react negatively to the news, and he assumes that this is from experience. Instead, Morpheus finds that he does not mind in the slightest. No, this piece of information is…rather titillating, actually.

(Perhaps it’s the fact that this means you’re largely untouched by anyone, but specifically mortals, whom Morpheus has seen the worst of for over a hundred years. The filth of humanity has yet to mar you in such an intimate manner. Prior to today, Morpheus didn’t think that he had an innocence kink. Now? He’s starting to see why the gods and goddesses of old so favored virgins.)

He files this revelation away to be revisited later, when he can hope to be in complete control of his emotions and not have them divided by having the object of his affection standing right in front of him.

“I do not find myself disappointed,” he says.

Your eyes meet his once more, and he can see the hope you hold. “You don’t?”

He shakes his head. “It is not your fault that others have failed to properly see the magnificence standing before them.”

‘Magnificent’ does not even come close to doing any justice in describing you, Morpheus feels, but it will do for now.

“Morpheus,” you admonish half-heartedly and bashfully. You are obviously not used to receiving such compliments, which is precisely why Morpheus is now determined to make sure that you shall never go a day without hearing one. 

“Would you be interested in such things with me?” Things, of course, being the list of activities you have never partaken in.

Slowly, a smile spreads on your face. “Really? You like me like that?”

Your naïvete is truly endearing. “I do. Am I correct in hoping that you feel the same?”

“Yeah. You’d be correct.”

“Then might I bestow upon you your first kiss?”

Somehow, your smile widens, and you nod. “I’d like that.”

Morpheus again leans towards you, but this time, his actions are reciprocated. Your lips against his are soft and a little clumsy against his, which is to be expected from someone who has absolutely no experience. The entire time, he can feel the way that you’re trying, and failing, to keep yourself from smiling.

It is by no means the best kiss that Morpheus has ever had. Yet, it will likely remain one of his most fond memories of such an action.

When you pull away, you’re giggling almost giddily. “That was really good,” you praise, as though discussing a book or a meal. It’s simultaneously not at all and exactly what Morpheus was expecting from you, and he can practically feel himself falling further for you.

Tonight will not be the night that he espouses his love for you. He will not whisper promises of the universe against your skin, and he will not whisk you away to his chambers so that he may properly ravish you. Instead, this relationship will be…slow. Although that is not something that Morpheus is used to, something that he’s familiar with, he finds that he is alright with the concept of taking things slow, so long as it is with you.

[quillneriine]

Hello! I read your ‘merformers megatron au’ and I love the way you portrayed the characters and how this world works, but I got 2 questions

1. Why are the primes sleeping in the first place?

2. What do you think megs mer form looks like and how do megs long lost parents treat their returned son?

I honestly can’t wait for more but until then, have a great day!

Hi! I'm glad you liked it! And yes I love questions hahaha

So for why the Primes are sleeping, technically this was already answered in the second chapter that I published yesterday. Though essentially they are sleeping of their own accord, because they're not the rulers/guardians of Iacon here. They're essentially monstrous abominations. However, while they may be monstrous, they're not immediately evil. So, because they know that Primus regrets making them and that normal Cybertronians would freak out at the sight of them, they willingly went into stasis since there's really no reason for them to just kinda be awake. Might as well sleep and rest.

As for this one, I'd like to imagine that Megatron's mer form takes inspiration from sharks. I know that D-16 from TF:One is more round, but since we are going a bit animalistic/eldritch here in this AU then he mostly is shark-like in his merformer form. Admittedly, he looks very normal-ish. It's not mentioned in the fic but like the Primes looked more fucked up depending on when they were created. So like, Prima is more fucked up looking because he's the first Prime created. Megatronus, on the other hand, looks like a normal Cybertronian except with a mermaid tail and being huge. So yeah, he's normal-looking except for the tail.

As for how they treat their son. So obviously in the second chapter, Dee managed to get back to Iacon but if he wasn't able to escape, they'd be very protective over him. Like Megatronus was already upset to figure out that Megatron essentially disappeared from their side for a few cycles. That's why he'd keep Megatron close to him instead of putting him in the mini-lake in Prima's mountain. Like just going to make sure he doesn't wander off again. Prima, on the other hand, can only really visit Megatron via his dreams since he wouldn't have been awakened if Megatron didn't escape like he did in the second chapter. He would be equally protective of him.

But yeah, thank you for the questions and I hope you have a great day too!

[periwinkle-musings]

Did Taylor Swift write "Sweet Nothing" about Paul McCartney and his wife's summer in Wicklow in 1971?

The song "Sweet Nothing" on Taylor Swift's Midnights has always stood out to me as a bit of an anomaly. Until this intriguing quote by Paul McCartney caught my eye:

In a 2001 ABC interview about his wife Linda, who passed away in 1998, Paul McCartney said:

"I would go out for a run, think of some words, get home from the run, write them down, and make a cup a tea for Linda," said McCartney, who would bring it to her for breakfast. "I'd make a little tray, and go up, and then I'd say, 'Hey, by the way, do you want to hear some poetry?' She'd always … she'd say, 'Yeah.' And so I wrote that poem." 'Blessed.' I would come back from a run. With lines of poetry to tell. And having listened, she would say "What a mind."

This is a direct quote and exact same storyline as in "Sweet Nothing." There is NO WAY that is a coincidence. So I wanted to see if Paul and Linda had any connection to Wicklow - the place mentioned in the song. 

I think the McCartney family vacationed at the Luggala Estate in Co. Wicklow, Ireland in the summer of 1971 as an escape from the aftermath of the Beatles breakup.

A sweet Wicklow love story:

Paul McCartney has connections to Luggala going back to 1965-1966 when he partied at the estate with Guinness Brewing heir Tara Browne who was killed in a car accident a few months after his raucous 21st birthday, and inspired the Beatles song "A Day in the Life." Paul was close to Tara and his death deeply impacted him. This Rolling Stone article details their relationship and mentions that Paul has visited Luggala to visit Tara's gravesite since then on "numerous occasions." Paul had not met his wife Linda yet while Tara was alive, but this proves Paul's deep and personal ties to the family and their 5,000 acre private estate in the Wicklow Mountains, which continued to be a private retreat for celebrity guests until it was sold in 2019.

Paul McCartney has posted multiple family photos taken by his wife in the summer of 1971 that appear to be taken near the Luggala Estate in Co. Wicklow. He tweeted this photo on St. Patricks day in 2017 which a previous Reddit thread links to Wicklow in 1971. And recently on March 2022 he tweeted this photo which appears to be taken the same day judging by his shirt and his dog, and credits the photo as being taken by his wife (she was a professional photographer) in Ireland in 1971. Here you have a better view of the surrounding mountains and rocky streams (full of pebbles I'd imagine...) It's notable that the second photo was posted March 2022 around the time when Taylor would be writing and recording the Midnights album.

If you look at the aerial view of Luggala Estate (Now showing on Google Maps as Luggala Lodge), I believe that these photos were taken in one of the rocky streams that feed into the private lake...which is named Lough Tay. (I like to think it's an extra little wink from Taylor that this investigation literally led me to a lake named Lough Tay.)

This area is completely private and the closest public access is from a hiking overlook. This seems like a great place for one of the most famous musicians in the world to hide out with his two young children, 2 dogs, and Linda, who would have been pregnant with Stella McCartney (born Sept 13, 1971).

We know that the family and their dogs were in Ireland in the summer of 1971 from this newspaper article where they were photographed at an airport in August leaving Ireland, which means it's possible that they were in Wicklow a few weeks earlier in July.

Even though The Beatles broke up in 1969, it continued to be messy between members of the band and the financials involved for the next few years. During the summer of 1971 Paul McCartney and John Lennon were embroiled in a very public fight. There were lawsuits and scathing letters (dated 1971) and it's all very complicated so I won't go into it here, but this article has a good overview.

The lyric, "Industry disruptors and soul deconstructors and smooth-talking hucksters out glad-handing each other" could reference these incidents. I could see Taylor relating to Paul going through this public turmoil surrounding business with former friends, because it is similar to what she's going through with her masters.

The lyric "You're in the kitchen humming" could reference Linda's passion for cooking and vegetarian activism. She literally founded a food company and wrote a cookbook. This darling photo on her website shows her cooking at the family home in Scotland in the 1970s. Linda was also a singer and recorded many songs with Paul, so the idea that she could be "humming" makes sense.

Taylor Swift has been friends with the McCartney family for a while. She first met Paul in 2010. She collaborated with Stella McCartney in 2019 for a clothing line as part of the Lover era, and Stella also dressed her for the Evermore album cover in 2020.

Taylor and Paul McCartney famously interviewed each other for Rolling Stone's "Musicians on Musicians" in 2020. In this article they mention how they both like writing under pseudonyms.

But the most surprising thing I learned is that Paul actually wrote a song dedicated to Taylor and her relationship with her fans called "Who Cares."

Notably, the music video also features Taylor's longtime friend Emma Stone wearing rainbow makeup in an otherwise black-and-white world full of cartoonish bullies. It's notable that the music video was released Dec 2018, right before the Lover era would kick off a few months later. Perhaps Paul was showing a bit of preemptive support for Taylor as she embarked on what many of us believe was intended to be her coming out era?

Now to the William Bowery of it all:

Taylor clearly wants us to think Sweet Nothing is about Joe because of the Wicklow name drop, where Joe was papped in July 2021, which looks staged to me.

Interestingly, I can't find any photos of Taylor being seen anywhere near Wicklow, but for some reason she staged a whole photoshoot in Northern Ireland in July, where locals said she "arrived and left by helicopter in a fleeting visit."

She was also seen in several different locations in Belfast in fan photos. This article also says part of Red TV was recorded in Belfast.

Clearly she wanted to be seen and linked to Northern Ireland, and the lyric easily could have been "Does it ever miss Belfast sometimes?" (same number of syllables) but it's not.

"Sweet Nothing" does have a William Bowery co-writing credit. Would Sir Paul McCartney agree to a secret writing credit? Maybe.

I read an interesting twitter thread from a lawyer (who is a Gaylor) that discusses how William Bowery could be a name under which Taylor commissions writing "for hire." Meaning it could be Joe or multiple other people writing under that pseudonym, as opposed to the "Willam Bowery" (spelled different) which is listed as a U.S. Citizen.

Even if Paul wasn't involved in writing the song, I believe he inspired "Sweet Nothing."

---

Note: This theory was originally posted on the R/GaylorSwift subreddit Dec 22, 2022 which is currently set to private. I am the original author of the Reddit post (u/-periwinkle), and am reblogging it on my Tumblr because this theory has been gaining traction and I wanted to create a public version. This version has been slightly expanded and updated with better images. Also, I was not the first person to uncover the "what a mind" quote, and the original person who found it is tagged on Reddit.

[newsom]

Im planning a trip to Chicago this may! Is there anything I should like absolutely do ?

oh hell yeah thank you for asking this is very exciting for me. may is a perfect time to visit. recommendations under the cut, starting with the downtown/loop area. i tried to keep this broad but if you want specific food/neighborhood recs lmk!!! :~)

the art institute!!! call me crazy but i think this place is fucking awesome and not at all overrated. one of my favorite lesser known spots is the miniatures room on the lower level, it has all these tiny rooms styled to be from various points in history. i fell in love with/finally felt like i "got" jackson pollock here and would recommend standing in front of greyed rainbow for ten minutes minimum. also very worth having a little cameron fry moment in front of sunday afternoon on the isle de la grande jatte.

the chicago architecture center river cruise tour!! lots of companies doing river tours but the CAC does it best. a little pricey but extreeeeeeeemely worth it.

millennium park and the bean because it's free and right there and you'll feel silly if you don't. make sure you go under the bean. lurie garden will be awesome in may and it leads you right from the bean to the art institute so definitely do those on the same day. the chicago athletic association is also right across the street and the reading room on the second floor is an awesome vibey place to chill and have a drink.

lincoln park zoo is completely free and rocks. make sure you see the red river hogs. it's also an easy walk to the bourgeois pig which is a very cool multi story cafe in an old victorian building which is fun if you like that kind of vibe. lincoln park is also just a great area to walk around if you like beautiful fancy old houses which i must admit that i do.

the field museum of natural history is lit but if you're choosing between pricey museums i'd go with the art institute. i'm not an aquarium head but if you are then the shedd is a must and right next to the field. and i hear they have a brand new baby beluga!!!!

for free museums, the national museum of mexican art in pilsen is awesome and honestly so is the chicago cultural center downtown. pilsen has incredible food and is very fun around cinco de mayo if you'll be here around then.

tbh the very best thing about chicago is lake michigan and even if you don't like to swim you should spend an afternoon at the beach. ohio street beach is good if you're trying to stick to downtown, but loyola beach in rogers park is my favorite and kathy osterman/hollywood beach in edgewater is the gay beach which is always a fun time. just be prepared to see cock and balls if the temp is anywhere above 70.

montrose bird sanctuary is one of my favorite spots in the city and is honestly probably my #1 overall recommendation. it'll be super beautiful in the spring too.

boystown (aka northalsted but we don't call it that) is the main gayborhood and is obviously the best place for a night out. i gravitate towards the no-cover spots like scarlet and sidetrack but roscoe's is also fun, and charlie's is a VERY fun country bar if you want to do some gay line dancing. for lesbian spots in particular try nobody's darling, dorothy's, big chicks and whiskey girl tavern (though these aren't in boystown). slo-mo is a monthly queer dance party that's usually in sleeping village and is a lot of fun too if it's happening during your trip.

the green mill in uptown is an old jazz bar famous for being al capone's favorite spot. they have a free variety show called paper machete every saturday at 3pm and it's a truly awesome time.

ukrainian village, logan square and andersonville are fun hip neighborhoods to head towards if you want to get out of downtown, lots of good food and thrift stores in each of them. andersonville is the city's second gayborhood and has two of my favorite bars, simon's and farragut's, as well as women & children first which is a bookstore that's been here since the 70s and is what originally made it a lesbian neighborhood. i think i need to end this list here before i start getting too granular but again lemme know if you want anything more specific because this is really only scratching the surface!!!!!! xoxo

[thelastevilregal]

14, 15, 17, 20, 44, 75, 82, 95, 119, 127

Indulging you in your love of talking about yourself .D

You're the best 🥹

Putting a read more option because my response really did get long.

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?

Yes, absolutely. Everyone needs a little bit of both in their life.

15. What good thing happened this summer?

So many good things happened last summer. I don't think I can pick between when my sister came to visit and when I went on a family vacation to the dunes. When my sister visited, I dragged her to an In This Moment concert and we both had a really good time but it was an especially transformative experience for me because they've been one of my favorite bands since I was a teen and I really relate to, and find comfort in a lot of their songs. The dunes was fun because I hadn't been on a family vacation in years. I got to go offroading, splash around in one of the Great Lakes, and see one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen in my life. Oh and my mom also kicked my ass at go carts, as usual 🙄

17. Do you think there is life on other planets?

The universe is such a vast place, I'd be shocked if there isn't. I mean didn't they technically already find some? There was like some bacteria or something on Mars right? (Looked this up and apparently there was a rock on Mars that had the appearance of housing past, now deceased microbes but no definitive evidence that that was for sure what it was.)

If the question is referring to intelligent life, I think that's probable as well. Just look at the humble octopus. We divulged from each other at a very early point in the evolutionary tree and then developed high intelligence independent of each other in very different environments, so we know already that there isn't just one specific condition that would allow for the development of sapience. I've seen it theorized that octopi would have societies similar in complexity to ours if only they lived longer.

So taking that into account, as well as the sheer number of solar systems out there, I think there's definitely other intelligent life. However, I am also pretty convinced that none of these aliens have come into contact with us or our planet yet.

20. Do you like your neighbors?

Yeah, they're pretty chill. I've dogsat for both of them before. Don't like the ones on the right as much because one of their dogs is a scared little chihuahua that pees on me whenever I try to pick him up to take him outside and one of the others is an aggressive boxer that growls at me like he wants to take my face off. The ones on the left have a schnauzer who is a respectable older gentleman and a husky/sheltie mix named Gizmo. Gizmo is very cute. I don't know if it's ethical to post pics of other people's pets online so I'll have to dm you a pic of him.

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

Bottom of the ocean. Show me those fucked up fish!

75. Favourite animal?

Barn Owl. I think the way they hunt is so cool because, unlike most other owls, they hunt primarily using their hearing rather than eyesight. Because of this, they can hunt in total darkness. This feature is also the reason for their distinctive, heart shaped face. And the color and patterning on them is just gorgeous.

Also I was a huge fan of Gaurdians of Gahoole as a child so I'm sure that influences my preference as well.

82. Favourite movie?

I could not, for the life of me, pick a single favorite movie so I'm just going to list the ones that I feel like I could watch over and over again until the heat death of the universe without ever getting tired of them:

The Princess Bride, Labrynth, Jurassic Park, Aliens, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Parent Trap (the Lindsay Lohan one obvs), The Prince of Egypt, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, How to Train Your Dragon, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, the Twilight Saga, Train to Busan, and Talk to Me.

95. Last movie you watched?

Midsommar (it was so good, highly reccomend)

119. Favourite book?

Winter Dance by Gary Paulsen. It's an autobiographical piece about a man who decides to run the Iditerod, and all the trials and tribulations of doing so when you don't really know what you're doing. It follows him as he expands from having a simple trapline team to a full blown long-distance sled team.

I love Paulsen's writing style. His imagery is so vivid, the action scenes are sufficiently tense, and there are parts that are so hilarious that I still laughed at them on my second and third read through. Highly recommend.

127. What makes you happy?

Gonna list some things that I either don't do often enough or haven't done in a while but I think it still counts.

Dryland mushing, offroading, tarp surfing, writing, going for a walk on a mild day, finding a book that just engrosses me from the first chapter until the last word, deep conversations with intelligent yet strange women, being in a large body of water, solving a problem I've felt stuck on for forever, maple syruping, spearfishing, canoeing, camp fires, communing with spirits, waking up sore after a previous day of intense physical activity, someone I care about telling me they were thinking of me or that they miss me, long road trips, riding in the car on a hot day with the windows down and the music blaring, putting together a really cute outfit before going out, laying in the grass under the sun, laughing with friends until my sides hurt, eating a fresh fruit/vegetable from the garden, and so many other things because the world is full of small wonders.

[ultrvmonogamy]

have you ever been to any countries in africa? and if not, would you like to? which one/s?

i have been to exactly one, but i didn't rly experience a "country" so much bc i spent all my time there w a small family in the rainforest of the congo basin.

i would like to see p much every part of africa that's survivable, but i'd especially love to see the african great lakes, particularly lakes malawi n tanganyika bc i was way into cichlids from that region for several yrs. i'll probably/hopefully get some tanks going w some of them again at some point in the future.

if i get to that region, i'd definitely wanna visit the lemurs n fossa in madagascar while i'm so close. n then egypt is basically a small hop from there, relatively speaking, so i'd def wanna go see the pyramids n whatnot too. (plus 23andme tells me i have some egyptian dna, so that's kinda wild to me).

n ofc i'd love to do the whole safari thing too n become a sniper who hunts poachers bc just wow. yeah, anyway..

hbu? have u been? is there anywhere out that way calling to u?

[worrywrite]

Actually no. I'm gonna complain about a few of these.

Gun wall: gross yes. Interesting as an attraction? No. However, it is buried in the midst of Pike Place. And pike place is delightful. The gum wall is approximately 30 feet from one of the best smelling tiny tea shops I've ever been in. Also you can watch grown men throw dead fish at each other at pike place. Fun times. Nice cheese shop over there too.

Voodoo doughnuts: overrated, sure. But yummy all the same.

Route 66: look. If you've got time, and you don't mind the possibility of being stranded, yeah actually route 66 could be pretty fun. It's like one giant ghost town attraction. And the scenery is beautiful (not in your typical meaning of beautiful, but beautiful all the same). I have loved almost all of every time I've driven through Nevada. The real tourist trap in Nevada is Las Vegas. Don't go to Las Vegas, not only is it a horrible attraction, it is literally funded and run by organized crime and designed to take advantage of addicts. Spending any money there supports these.

Grand canyon is gorgeous. It's bigger than you think and the whole national park area is stunning to drive through. If the government ever lets anyone drill for oil or frack there, I will be buying a gun. And you know what isn't great in AZ? The billion gentrified suburban areas with their massive parking lot shopping centers that generate tons of tourist money and consume a billion gallons of water annually. If you're in AZ, go to the Grand canyon. If you're in southern AZ, go gem hunting with someone that knows the area.

Mormon Temple: Look. I'm. It commenting on the religious atmosphere of UT. They have some of the highest rates of body dysmorphia, suicide, homicide, depression, etc. in the country. Bug they did build a pretty cool castle. Gothic architecture. Chefs kiss. But you know what sucks? Pretty much everything in the two square blocks around that castle, it's just a big shopping and tourist trap. But the real hellhole attraction of UT is the salt lake. On its own, the lake is really cool, a fascinating ecosystem. Bug the residents of UT have practically destroyed it (along with pretty much every other single interesting natural attraction in the entire state). UT residents have, perhaps, the single worst track record of caring for their environment of any state in the country.

Texas: as a rule of thumb, there is nothing worth doing in Texas. There is no point to go there. Maybe you should visit the cards against humanity property, possibly the only interesting place there. Even still, it's private land. Just like 90% of the rest of the state. I'll be honest, I've driven from west to east across Texas and everything looked awful. At least the Alamo probably has a museum with a crazy old person giving tours.

Bourbon Street: okay. Look. The architecture is gorgeous. The food in the area is sublime. Is it overcrowded most of the time? Yes. Is there not much else to do? Yes. But the entire rest of the state outside of New Orleans sucks, let them have their one street with nice architecture and cool history.

The Bean: yeah, cloud gateway or whatever the things actual name is is weird. Yes the artist that made it is one of the crankier artists around. But it's actually pretty cool I've you're just visiting. And it's in Chicago, which is a cool city to visit. Walk around some, there's like twenty restaurants right across the street from the bean. Eat some pizza, maybe. I'll be honest, I don't know much about Illinois overall, but I'd say we as a country are sleeping on this state. There's actually a ton of recreation and historical spots, so maybe the bean is the worst but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just low tier among the rear. (Addendum: I remembered that Great Wolf Lodge is in Illinois, and that wins. The bean is better than great wolf.)

Graceland: I wanna say there are worse places, but that just sounds like the rest of Tennessee. Dollywood, maybe. Don't go to Dollywood. It's not bad, per se, but it is absolutely in the middle of nowhere.

Myrtle Beach: look. Look. Are there beautiful beaches there? Yes. The SC coast has some actual beautiful beaches. Gorgeous and secluded with plenty of actually unhampered tall grass and such. But most of Myrtle is privately owned, the rest is being used for the lamest parties imaginable. That being said, there are significantly worse tourist destinations. Any of the plantation museums, for instance. The Bubba Gump shrimp in Charleston, which should not be as much of a tourist destination as it is. The riverbanks zoo, which isn't bad so much as it is too small to be a real tourist destination. If you're in SC (why tho?) maybe go camping in the Congaree National Park, is beautiful and there's a nice boardwalk trail--it feels like a scaled down redwood forest with all the old growth cypress and ancient pine.

Charlotte Speedway: this is another one of those weird ones. There's interesting history for NASCAR, because it's one of those things people consider way more conservative than it's roots are. As far as the speedway museum itself (maybe I'm confusing this with the hall of fame)? Eh. But it's also in a decent area to walk around and Charlotte as a city is pretty nice aesthetically. You know what sucks in NC, though? Literally every single beach. They aren't cared for, they get hit with hurricane winds constantly, and it's all privately owned. Not to mention they're losing feet of coastline almost every year. You know what else sucks? Carowinds. Very mid tier amusement park with inflated prices and rides they rename every few years so people forget there have been deaths and serious injuries associated with them.

[elkieselkiewrites]

Happy sts! Which of your story worlds would you most like to live in? Not necessarily to get caught in the plot, just to like. Tourist around. Catch the vibes. You know?

Happy STS! This is a really tough one because there are bits and pieces of each of my WIPs that I'd love to see in person, and some that would be great to visit but also I would probably die? Postmaster is the obvious one, it's got so many interesting things to see and do, but also there is so much opportunity to die horribly.

I guess my real answer would be several of the planets from Burning WIP. Not the planet the main story is set on, P-709 sucks, but Belin's home planet M-425C is a hot planet, almost uninhabitable on the surface during the hottest parts of the year, with swathes of blue sodalite sand. Just imagine a sea of shining blue crystals, different shades of blue in different parts of the planet, ranging from ultramarine to almost lilac, depending on the exact mineral composition of that part of the world. Most of the surface of the planet is covered in sand that looks like this:

All of the societies on the planet live underground, in troglodite towns and vast cavern cities built by the underground lakes and rivers, lit with a mixture of artificial and bioluminescent lighting.

So yeah, that would be a really cool place to visit.

[clock0fmeantime]

hey girl are you Pamela Voorhees because Jason's mom has got it goin' on

Jason's mom has got it goin' on

Jason's mom has got it goin' on

Jason's mom has got it goin' on

Jason, do you remember camp wasn't so great?

(Wasn't so great)

The counselors had lots of sex while you drowned in the lake

(Drowned in the lake)

But one woman stood by you when your life was taken

(Life was taken)

Yeah, she slaughtered them all and even killed Kevin Bacon

(After love makin')

I'm makin' sure that she's appreciated

She did it all for you and was decapitated

Jason's mom has got it goin' on

With a body count that rivals her son's

Jason, can't you see the love behind her killin' spree?

Whether her head's off or on

I'm in love with Jason's mom

Jason's mom has got it goin' on

Jason's mom has got it goin' on

Jason, do you remember camp in '79?

('79)

Your mama paid us a visit and almost everyone died

(Everyone died)

Did you find the axe she left in Marcie's head?

(In Marcie's head)

She should have paid more attention when Crazy Ralph said

"You're all doomed"

I know you're not so bad even with your mommy issues

I'd be a killer too if mine killed everyone who screwed

Jason's mom has got it goin' on

With a body count that rivals her son's

Jason, can't you see the love behind her killin' spree?

Whether her head's off or on

I'm in love with Jason's mom

But she's not the only one

Don't forget that Norman Bates' mom has got it goin' on

Don't piss her off or shower for too long (bathing and bathing)

Psychos, can't you see we're mama's boys and proud to be?

Whether she's dead or not

I'm in love with Jason's mom, ah-ah, ah-ah

(I'm in love with) Jason's mom, ah-ah, ah-ah (decapitated)

Jason, can't you see the love behind her killin' spree?

Whether her head's off or not

I'm in love with Jason's mom

evil camp here & there

[onlyfreds]

El Amor De Mi Vida | F.W.

Title: El Amor De Mi Vida

Requested: Yes/No

Summary: Visiting your family over spring break motivates Fred to learn Spanish.

A/N: I don’t really know much Spanish. These are all from Google translator. So I apologize for any inaccuracy.

Having to speak a second language is hard enough in itself, but you deem yourself lucky to be fluent in both your native language and your second one - especially since you go to an English school.

“Morning love.” Fred greeted, pecking a kiss to your cheek before sitting down on the empty space next to you.

“Morning.” You smiled back before returning to your attention to the book you were reading.

“Did you really just go out to the black lake to read?” Fred asked, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“Maybe.” You shrugged.

Moments later, you could hear someone calling your name from afar.

Turning around, you could see your best friend running towards you.

“Tienes una carta.” She said, holding the envelope out to you. She was one of the few other students at Hogwarts who also spoke Spanish.

“Gracias.” You smiled at her once you took the letter from her hands.

“What did she say?” Fred asked, giving you a puzzled look.

“She told me that I had a letter.” You answered as you ripped the envelope open.

“From who?”

“My mom, apparently.”

“Is it all in Spanish?” He asked.

You nodded, eyes still trained on the letter, “My mom is not so fluent in English so she usually prefers to speak in Spanish.”

“Can you read it to me?” Your boyfriend asked shyly, “You know if there’s nothing too personal in there and all, wouldn’t want to intrude. It’s just you sound so adorable when you speak Spanish.”

You smiled, feeling the heat rise up to your cheeks, “Sure.”

Clearing your throat, you started reading.

Mi hermosa hija,

(My beautiful daughter,)

¿cómo estás? Espero que la estés pasando muy bien en la escuela con tus amigos.

(how are you? I hope you are having a great time at school with your friends.)

Tu prima, Michelle, nos está invitando a su fiesta de cumpleaños número 16. Y se supone que se llevará a cabo justo en medio de tus vacaciones de primavera.

(Your cousin, Michelle, is inviting us to her 16th birthday party. And it's supposed to take place right in the middle of your spring break.)

Pero entendería si no quisieras venir. Sé que el resto de la familia puede ser un problema a veces.

(But I'd understand if you didn't want to come. I know that the rest of the family can be a handful sometimes.)

Bueno, si decides ir. Sería increíble si trajeras a ese maravilloso novio tuyo. Para que finalmente todos podamos conocerlo en persona.

(Well, if you decide to go. It would be awesome if you brought that wonderful boyfriend of yours. So that finally we can all meet him in person.)

¡Ten cuidado cariño! ¡No te estreses demasiado con tus clases!

(Take care honey! Don't stress too much with your classes!)

Mucho amor, mamá

(Much love, Mom).

“Translation?” Fred asked once you were finished.

“My cousin invited us to her birthday party which would be happening right on our spring break. And if I go, they also want you to come so that you can meet my family.” You said.

Fred paused for a moment, “Well, are you going?”

You shrugged, “Do you want to come along?”

“Yeah, I would love to meet your family.” He smiled, “Especially since you already met mine.

“I’ll tell them I’ll go then.”

—

Later that day, a knock came on your dormitory door.

“Come in!” You said without looking up from your homework, thinking that it was just one of your dorm mates.

And it was safe to say that you were surprised when your bed suddenly dipped at the weight of someone.

Upon looking up, you weren’t surprised when you were met with the familiar grin of your boyfriend.

“And what can I help you with?” You asked with a smile.

“Can I ask you a favor?” He grinned shyly.

Raising a brow at him, you answered, “Depends on how crazy the favor is.”

Fred jokingly rolling his eyes at you before flashing back to his shy demeanor, “Fine. But promise you won’t laugh at me?”

“I won’t.” You promised.

He looked cautiously at you before saying, “I want you to teach me Spanish.”

You tried to hide the surprise on your face as you blinked, not knowing what to say.

Fred groaned, hiding his face in his hands, “I knew it was a stupid idea.”

“It’s not!” You insisted, prying his hands away from his face, “It’s actually adorable.”

“Really?” He asked, peeking through his fingers.

“Really.” You smiled at him, “I’d be honored to teach you.”

“What do you want to learn?” You asked.

“Maybe some basics?” He said, “Just so I don’t look like a complete fool in front of your family.”

You giggled, closing your textbook and putting it away, “So, hello is hola.”

“Hola.” Fred repeated, completely focused on your every word.

“And when you introduce yourself, you say, mi nombre es Fred Weasley.”

Fred repeated the phrase, though you had to do a little brush up on his pronunciation later.

That’s how you basically spent the rest of the afternoon, teaching Fred how to speak the language you grew up with.

—

“Are you sure you’re fine with this?” You asked as the two of you arrived at your house. 

Although your family was originally from Columbia, your mother had came to England when she was 20 and that’s where she met your father. 

And the rest was history.

“Of course I am.” Fred grinned as he placed a kiss on your cheek to try and reassure you.

“Mi hija!” Your mom said as she caught sight of you with a smile, bringing you in for a hug.

“Mama.” You grinned, kissing her cheek, “I missed you so much.”

Once she let you go, turning to Fred and cupping his face in her hands, “Debes ser su novio, ella escogió bien - eres tan guapo.”

You were about to go and translate for your boyfriend when he smiled and responded, “Gracias. Tengo mucha suerte de tener a tu hija.”

You were surprised, to say the least, you recalled teaching Fred the basic stuff but you were happy that he was getting along with your mother just fine.

“Vamos, Michelle está emocionada de verte.” Your mother said.

You nodded, “Bueno.” before you and your boyfriend followed her inside. 

—

Throughout the whole party, various members of your family talked to Fred and it didn’t seem like he had any trouble communicating with them - except for a few harder words you had to translate for him.

Once everyone else was busy, you pulled him aside.

“I’m happy with your little surprise. But do tell me how did you manage to talk almost so fluently in Spanish?” You asked.

Fred smiled, “Turns out the Hogwarts library had an English to Spanish dictionary and let’s just say that I studied it more than I ever studied in my life. Also I kinda had a little help from both Hermione and Harry.”

Your heart melted at the lengths he took just to be able to learn your language, your heritage and maybe make his connection with you stronger.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing a brief kiss to his lips, “Eres el amor de mi vida.”

“Translation please?” He said.

You smiled, “You’re the love of my life.”

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝:

@lumosandnoxwriting @ssathoma@fandomhideout@nova-darling @gaycatlord-stuff@pandaxnienke@daedreamss@catching-the-train-to-hogwarts@thefallengodesse@cupids-crystals@madelieneorionswan@holyheadharpies99@posteyymaloney(Send a Message/Ask if you want to be added!)

[captains-simp]

Wanda Maximoff ~ Fake It Till You Make It

Wanda version of this fic as requested by @yeetus-thyself

7.7k words

Warnings: shitty family and homophobia

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Pleeaasse, Wan" You pouted once again. You had been begging Wanda for the favour for an hour now; her stubborness was proving hard to overcome.

"I'm busy." Wanda said, her accent strong as she walked around her appartment to collect things for her next mission.

"But will you be busy on the 10th?" You asked from the couch where you watched her disappear into various rooms as she talked.

"I thought you said it was a few days." Wanda quipped, seemingly only giving you half her attention.

"It is." You confirmed with some hope.

"So I'd need to clear my schedule for more than just the 10th." You huffed and rested your head on the back of couch.

"Yes you would. I'm sure Natasha can manage without you for a few days."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." She muttered.

"Please, Wan." You tried. "I need a win." Wanda stopped by the kitchen counter and gave you a long, considering look. You had long given up on your puppy dog eyes and instead copied her expression as you chewed on your bottom lip.

"I'll think about it." Wanda finally said before grabbing something from the cupboard. It was the best response you had gotten all night and you knew you wouldn't get anything more. So you accepted it and hoped for the best.

Your parents had invited you to their cabin for a few days just like they did every year. It was a beautiful place. You could spend your whole visit in the forest along the back. Or swimming in the clear lake that was a short walk away. The cabin itself was the cosiest place you had ever been and had been where some of your best memories had happened as a kid.

As you got older things changed. Being around your family, especially your parents, wasn't as enjoyable. They had high expectations for their children, expectations that your siblings had met without a problem but ones that you had struggled with. You enjoyed your life. You had the kind of relationships you had always hoped for, you loved your job and you had the perfect balance of the two. But you could never shake the feeling that you had failed.

Your brother was a surgeon who always told you all stories of the lives he saved and the close calls he had swooped in to save people from. One of your sisters was some hot shot lawyer who had done great things like help people wrongly convicted but still put dangerous people back on the street. And your other sister was the CEO of an energy company that you never quite understood. They even all had equally successful partners who loved to talk about themselves as much as your siblings did. You didn't have any of that. But you did have Wanda.

Knowing the Avengers was the only thing about you your family took interest in. They were always subtly hinting at wanting to meet your friends. But you knew the Avengers had to endure enough fan service and didn't want to push your family onto them, especially with how annoying they all were.

However as your family's unrealistic expectations reached their all time high you were sure you wouldn't be able to handle another trip with them without a win, and you were far too petty to take the moral high ground and just not go. Not to mention that was a huge part of you that was dying to see what the Wanda girlfriend experience would entail. Yep, that was what you were asking of Wanda. To pretend to be your partner for the duration of the trip.

You knew it wasn't a smart choice. That if Wanda agreed your crush on her could get out of hand. You knew you would end up getting too caught up in the act. You could have, no - should have - asked Natasha or Yelena or even Carol if she was around. But your family knew you were the closest with Wanda and she would be the one it felt the most natural with, and the most believable. At least, that was what you told Wanda.

"When are you going?" You asked, changing the subject in hopes that Wanda wouldn't suddenly conclude she didn't want to do it (then you really would have to ask one of the others).

"Tomorrow." She answered, keeping her focused tone.

"When will you be back?" You attempted to keep the concern out of your voice but the glance the redhead gave you told you you hadn't done a good job.

"The day after." She said, softer this time. You nodded as you looked down at your lap and tried not to think about everything that could possibly go wrong on her mission.

"Be safe." Wanda strolled over to you and placed her hand gently ontop of yours and gave it a quick squeeze.

"Always."

*

"Got any plans Saturday night?" Natasha smirked knowingly at her friend as they preped for their mission.

"No." Wanda replied as she adjusted her earpiece.

"Nothing with y/n then?" Nat asked, partly genuinely but mostly knowing Wanda would still say no.

"Nope." She said again, biting the inside of her cheek in consideration before speaking again. "Not this Saturday."

Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise and interest. Wanda rarely made any kind of special plans with you as you would always hang out casual and it was never anything fancy or different. She had always wanted to though.

"Plans for another time?" Nat continued as she double checked her pack.

"Maybe, I'm still thinking about it." The redhead turned fully to her friend at her words, confused at why Wanda was hesitant to spend time with you. "She wants me to go to the cabin with her and her family." Nat had heard all about the infamous cabin and your family.

"That sounds fun." Nat nodded. The cabin sounded fun. Your family did not.

"As her girlfriend." Nat's eyes widened excitedly but before she could speak Wanda clarified. "Her pretend girlfriend."

Nat paused and looked as though she was going to speak for several seconds until she stuck to just giving a confused look.

"Yeah." Wanda sighed. "Thinks it would seem impressive." Wanda had tried not to be hurt over that. She knew you weren't just friends with her to show her off to people, because you never did. But it hurt her to think the only time you could see her in a romantic way was when you were pretending.

"Well," Nat muttered as she adjusted the zip along the front of her catsuit. "Fake it till you make it." It was Wanda's turn to give Nat a questioning look. "Maybe it'll be an eye opener for her."

"You think I should do it?" She asked, fully open to hearing and accepting her friend and mentor's advice in that area.

"Definelty." Nat confirmed. She wasn't sure about it for the reasons she said though. Wanda's crush on you was obvious to everyone except you, just as it was vice versa.

*

You had been overjoyed when Wanda told you she would come with you to the cabin and play along as your girlfriend. She had told you when she came back from her mission, in fact it was the first thing she said after she had let herself into your appartment. It was never really brought up after that, but you couldn't deny you were incredibly anxious on the week leading up to the visit.

On the drive up to the cabin you and Wanda stayed in a comfortable silence most of the time, clearly both lost in thought. You had the radio on for background noise more than anything else, but you would occasionally lightly tap the steering wheel if there was a tune you recognised, oblivious to Wanda's acknowledging smiles.

"So what's the plan?" Wanda asked as she looked at you expectantly. Right, of course the Avenger wanted a strategy.

"Keep things simple, I guess. They know how we met already so we can just say at some point we took things a step further than friendship." Wanda didn't seem convinced at the simplicity of that. "Look they're not going to want to hear about us, not much at least. They prefer the sound of their own voices, they'll be trying to impress you is all."

"Impress me?" Wanda asked.

"Yeah, hope you warm up to them so one day they can invite you to their snobby parties." Wanda chuckled her heart warming laugh as she glanced out of the window, knowing there was a lot of truth to what you said.

"And what are those like?" She enquired curiously.

"I wouldn't know, I've never been invited." You said simply. You had gotten over that a long time ago, gotten used to being forgotten. Wanda clearly hadn't though.

"It will be an honour to turn them down." Wanda said. You shook your head and smiled at her. That did sound pretty nice.

When the cabin came into sight between the trees your nerves spiked. You figited in your seat and bit your lip when you saw some of your family gathered outside, their attention instantly on you. You shot Wanda a quick smile which she returned before you got out of the car.

"Y/n! So nice of you to come." You mum said as her eyes flickered to Wanda more than you. She opened her arms for the shortiest hug in human history before turning to Wanda. "You must be Wanda, we've heard so much." You mum insisted as she brought the redhead in for a hug too. She raised her eyebrows at you over your mum's shoulder and you bite back a laugh.

The others came over to greet you and mainly Wanda in a rush, overwhelming both of you.

"You two will be in the upstairs bedroom on the left." Your mum told you as you went to grab your bags. You did a double take, convinced you had heard her wrong. That was the best room in the house. A big difference from being in the small room in the basement every other time you had been there.

"First one on the left." Your dad confirmed. There was no way your parents were going to be in the basement so you wondered who else had been moved around but didn't ask, knowing whoever it was wasn't going to be happy.

You and Wanda made your way up to the room and you couldn't help but smile at the sight of the spacious room and the door you knew led to your en suite.

"That was...a lot." Wanda summarised as she said her bag under the bed.

"I would tell you it gets better but I don't want to get your hopes up." You sighed as you got a couple of things out.

"It's just a few days." Wanda said despite the fact you should have been assuring her.

"Yeah." You nodded and stared down at the floor. "Now c'mon." You suddenly said as you took ahold of Wanda's hand and laced your fingers together. You missed the startled blush that crept onto her cheeks when you turned around.

Your family were sat outside whispering amongst themselves when you returned. Their interested gaze fell to your entwined hands in an instant.

"So you work with the Avengers?" Your brother, Dalton, said as soon as you both sat down.

"I do, I'm one myself." Wanda said as she continued to hold onto your hand.

"Must be crazy, what are they like?" He enquired.

"They're good." Wanda said simply. Everyone clearly expected something more but Wanda pretended not to notice making you smile.

"I almost did business with Stark once, decided against it in the end." Claire announced proudly. You and Wanda exchanged knowing glances. Stark had told you all about his encounter with your sister, it definetly wasn't her turning him down.

"I was invited to one of his parties." Anna said quickly. "I was busy that night unfortunately."

Bull. Shit.

"Yes I remember working with Doctor Strange when he was still in the medical profession." You gave Wanda an I-told-you-so look as your family erupted into conversation over who had the most contact with the heroes. That had to be a new record of how quickly they started talking about themselves.

They continued like that until your mum called everyone in for dinner. The food smelt undeniably amazing as you took your place at the table next to Wanda and eyed the dishes infront of you. Your parents efforts to impress the redhead weren't all that bad.

Your family continued to catch up and and you and Wanda half listened as you ate. They were all doing as well for themselves as ever and still hadn't learnt any modesty.

Although you were proud of your siblings for what they had all achieved, Wanda had contained four potentially devastating bombs from going off in the space of half an hour a week before but she wasn't going to bring that up anytime soon. Eventually though, the attention turned to you to bring you out of your silence.

"And you're still working in that little café, y/n?" Your mum asked curiously.

"I own it, mum." You corrected quietly as you stabbed some pieces on your plate.

"Ah yes, quite the contrast though, isn't it. Between you two." She said as she pointed at you and Wanda with her fork. You didn't say anything to that because you felt there really wasn't anything to say in response. It wasn't like you hadn't thought that exact thing every now and then.

"The team loves it." Wanda said suddenly making everyone, including you, look at her in slight surprise from speaking up. It hadn't taken your family long to learn Wabda wasn't much of a talker, not to them anyway. You couldn't get her to shut up half the time. "At least one of us goes everyday. If we're lucky we all can. Nothing beats it." She defended simply before turning back to her food to show she wasn't going to say anymore. You smiled down at your plate at her words and the truth of them.

No one said anything in response, clearly shocked from this new information until Dalton spoke up.

"But doesn't Stark like fancy, top of the line, restaurants? I can't imagine him in some random coffee shop, no offence sis." He nodded towards you though you knew he didn't mean it. He couldn't let you have just one win.

"That random coffee shop has catered some of Stark's parties. Not that many though." A smug smile crept onto Dalton's face as he opened his mouth to make a snarky remark but Wanda cut him down again. "Because y/n's invited to the rest as a guest and a close friend." Your family stared at you with open mouths.

"You've been invited to Stark's parties?!" Anna exclaimed. In your defence, your family never wanted to hear about your life so you never got the chance to tell them anything.

"It's not really my crowd." You shrugged. "I just go to hang out with them after." Dalton's jaw clenched in annoyance and he didn't say anything for the rest of dinner. It was only really your mum who kept talking. Telling everyone about her latest travels that fell on death ears.

It was certainly a first for your family.

When everyone had finished their food you and Wanda excused yourselves and said goodnight before retiring to your room. Wanda shut the door gently as you collapsed onto the bed on your back and glared at the ceiling. The redhead shuffled around quietly to get her toothbrush and toothpaste and some other things you weren't really paying attention to and went into the bathroom.

When she came back out she was in her bedclothes and lifted your feet off the floor to turn you so you could fully lay on the bed. You smiled at her weakly.

"You should go get changed." Wanda said as she got her laptop out her bag. "Then you can pick a movie." She announced when she had gotten under the covers and started her laptop. You smiled more and nodded.

You tried not to think about your family and everything they had said at dinner as you got changed but it proved difficult. Everything they had said echoed around in your head but most of all you couldn't shake the disregarding ways they said it. It was as though you could do no right with them. Maybe they would never be proud no matter what you did.

You placed your toothbrush back I'm the holder and rinsed your mouth before heading back into the bedroom to an awaiting Wanda.

You got under the covers next to her and rested your head on her shoulder as you glanced at the Netflix screen and pointed to one of the comedy movies.

About ten minutes into the movie Wanda spoke. "You okay?" She whispered as she continued to look at the screen although that wasn't where her focus was.

"Yeah." You whispered back.

"You can talk to me." She said after a second." You moved your head away so you could see Wanda clearly.

"I'm so glad you're here." You said honestly. She smiled and nodded as her eyes searched yours.

"I'm glad I'm here too." You knew Wanda wasn't glad she had to spend the time with your family. She was glad that she could support you despite their efforts to bring you down. You were incredibly lucky to have her.

You rested your head back on her shoulder and neither of you spoke for the rest of the movie. Or the rest of the night. You must have fallen asleep about half an hour in.

*

Wanda was one of the most intimate people you had ever met. It was mainly something she aimed towards you and Natasha but didn't refrain from comforting others and giving hugs to anyone who would take one. She never held back at all with you, as far as you knew. But when you woke up and couldn't tell where your limbs started and Wanda's ended, you were still surprised to find yourselves like that. Butterflies flew around in your stomach in a way you knew was dangerous but couldn't help but love.

You were resting your head on her rising chest and had your arm slung across her stomach. Your legs were tangled together and her arms were holding onto your waist. A warmth spread through you and you decided to settle back into her hold and closed your eyes with a content smile.

You had about ten minutes to enjoy that before Wanda woke up. You could feel the moment she realized you were so close, she physically froze. You waited in anticipation for something for several moments until your friend very slowly unhooked her legs and guided your body to lay against the mattress and pillows as she slipped out of bed towards the bathroom.

You sighed when you heard the door close and rubbed your eyes slowly, knowing you should get up but wishing more than anything that you could return to how you woke up.

"Morning." Wanda croaked when she left the bathroom and saw you sitting up in bed.

"Morning." You said back with a smile and tried not to focus on how ridiculously attractive her voice sounded.

You gathered some random clothes into a bundle and went into the bathroom to change again and brush your teeth. When you came out Wanda was pulling her shirt over her head and gave you a generous view of her toned stomach. That training with Natasha really was paying off. Your face heated up when you saw it and you turned away to pretend you hadn't seen when Wanda noticed you.

"Don't make a sound." Wanda warned. You glanced up at her with some confusion. "I don't think your family's awake yet, that means we get the kitchen to ourselves." She grinned and you did too.

You and Wanda had gotten so used to getting up early for your jobs you forgot other people would still be sleeping. It was hard to break out of the habit but it proved useful.

The pair of you made a quick breakfast and ate it outside thanks to the warm weather even at that time. But soon enough your parents came downstairs and ruined the peaceful atmosphere with the clanging of pots and loud convosations.

You wandered around the side of the house and saw the old table tennis table that bad been folded away years ago and hadn't been set up since. You went over and started setting it up when Wanda joined you and eyed the table with a glimmer of mischief.

The redhead wasn't all that competitive, in fact you were pretty sure she let other people win games on the regular to make them feel better about themselves. But there was an undeniable spark of mischief in her eyes when she saw the table.

"You played this before?" You asked convosationally.

"I have." She said as you both automatically took up your positions of opposite ends of the table.

"Me too." You said confidently. "A lot." Wanda hummed in acknowledgment and swivelled her bat in her hand and stood ready. You smiled at her seriousness for the game.

You served surprisingly well for someone who hadn't played in a few years and Wanda was able to hit it back with ease. Once you had developed a steady pace you started hitting the ball more daringly to Wanda who was caught off guard before she started doing the same.

The moment you missed the ball a small smile tugged at the corner of Wanda's lips, her celebration was short lived when you suddenly sent the ball back her way until it was too late.

"That wasn't fair!" She exclaimed childishly.

"That was tables tennis." You said seriously but started smiling again.

Wanda huffed dramatically and flipped you off as she trudged back to the table and served the ball with force. You managed to send it back but took a step away from the table in caution.

You continued like that for a while. The competition tension rising as you picked up the pace, one of you occasionally getting a point before the other evened it out.

At one point you were vaguely aware of Dalton sauntering over to see what you were doing and arched his brow at the sight of the table.

"We still have this thing?" He questioned and you hummed quietly in response, too focused on the game.

"Hey Claire! Get over here, we're playing table tennis." You rolled your eyes at the intrusive and could sense Wanda refraining from doing the same until an idea popped into your head.

You caught the ball in your hand and smiled at Wanda's protests as you moved round to her side of the table just as your sister came out.

"I didn't even know we still had this." Claire laughed as she picked up another bat from the box.

"Maybe we should take it back with us." Wanda whispered to you and you bit your lip to contain your smile because yes, yes you should.

Inevitably, your siblings sucked at table tennis. You had suspected as much you just never thought they would be as bad as they were. They missed almost every hit and everytime they did they got increasingly angry, which meant they ended up flaring their arms around like idiots. It was a memory you would be sure to treasure.

"Stupid game" and "probably broken" kept echoing across the table until your siblings finally stormed off to throw a tantrum.

The rest of the day went by quietly. You and Wanda sat by the lake for most of the afternoon to enjoy the sun and heat. You reveled in the most recent memories of your siblings embarrassment and had to keep hushing down to childish whispered whenever one of them was nearby.

Surprisingly, dinner went by peacefully too.

You weren't asked anymore questions at the table. Instead, your family were content with talking about their upcoming plans between stealing glances at you and Wanda that the redhead never failed to notice.

The pair of you slipped off to your room the first moment you got and easily fell into bed besides one another. Wanda picked out a DVD from her bag of an old Sokovian show she used to watch as a child and had you hooked on as well as teaching you the language.

She settled down beside you and within the first few scenes she wrapped an arm around your shoulder so you could sink into her further like she did sometimes when you watched things together. You were barely paying attention to the series after that.

Despite trying to keep your focus on understanding what was happening in scenes of the show, you couldn't help but want to melt under the warmth of your best friend. You hoped it was something you got to experience more, you felt safer than you ever had in Wanda's arms.

Little did you know that having you in her arms was the most comforting feeling Wanda ever experienced and she always tried to do it as little as possible to refrain from falling for you more. It never worked.

*

You had thought waking up in Wanda's arms the morning before had been the best thing to awake to. But that day when you woke up not only were your legs tangled together again but the redhead was slowly stroking your hair while your head rested on her chest.

It was a gradual gesture that maintained a perfect rhythm and made you want to fall back asleep. But you were afraid you would mistake it for a dream later on. No, it was definitely real.

Luckily, your head was already tilted upwards slightly so when you secretly opened your eyes to risk a peek at your friend you saw her staring out the window as though she was in a trance. She was clearly so deep in thought she hadn't noticed you wake up, you had never seen her like it. But the feeling was too good to ignore, too compelling.

Soon enough, you found yourself drifting off back to sleep.

*

When you woke up again Wanda was gone. Her absence left an emptiness you knew wasn't good for you. As the days of your visit went on your fake relationship with Wanda was going to effect you even more when it was over.

Over...you couldn't think about that.

Once you got up and got changed you found Wanda in the kitchen looking at the news on her phone as she sipped her coffee.

"Morning, honey." You grinned. Wanda blushed slightly into her coffee, something you thought was undeniably adorable.

"Morning yourself." She tried to play off smoothly making you grin more.

You made breakfast for you both just as your mum came into the kitchen and greeted you both with an overplayed smile, already talking to Wanda about an upcoming party that she should go to. Wanda mumbled something about a busy schedule as you managed to whisp her away outside with your food.

Eventually, you and Wanda became bored with sitting around in the house when you had such amazing surroundings on your doorstep. You declared that you were going on a walk with the redhead and left before any of your family could invite themselves to go with you. Especially as you had told your friend to wear her swimwear underneath her clothing as you had a surprise for her.

You made a point of holding Wanda's hand as you left and once you were far away from the house went to take it back only for her to hold on tighter.

"You never know where they could be lurking." She joked as an excuse, so you starting swinging your arms playfully as to assure her you wanted your hands to stay linked together too.

You spent hours in those woods and was thankful for having a spy best friend who of course knew to pack the essentials like food and drinks so you could stay away from the house as long as you wanted.

The redhead brought so much you were able to have a small picnic on top of a hill that overlooked the large lake that stretched out all the way back to the house. You remembered thinking up stories as to explain the strange shape and curves to it as a child.

"It's beautiful here." Wanda said as she picked some grapes from the bunch between you.

"It is." You agreed with a fond smile.

"I used to want to live in a place like this." She muttered, sparking your interest.

"In the woods?" You asked curiously and she nodded.

"I thought I could retire to the woods and get a small cabin and I could grow my own food and that was all I needed." You hummed with a smile as you studied Wanda's features.

"Sounds lonely." You thought aloud.

"I'd have a cat." She said simply making you laugh. "I never used to think that but now when it crosses my mind and I picture that life... I picture someone else there with me." You knew she was imagining it as she spoke and you wished you could see exactly what it was she wanted.

"We could always downgrade the holiday house." You half joked as you nodded in the vague direction of the house. "Make it a simple cabin."

"We?" Wanda asked hopefully, the emotion clear before she had a chance to conceal it.

"There's no one I'd rather run away and live in the forest with." You joked although there was a lot of truth to your words. The redhead considered you for a while before smiling and nodded as though she had reached her own internal conclusion.

"Come on." You said suddenly as you stood up and dusted yourself off.

"You want to go back?" Wanda asked and you grinned.

"I'm going to show you that surprise." You declared and packed the remaining food away. Wanda did the same, eager to see the surprise you kept secret the whole way.

It was quite a way back to the house. The whole time Wanda kept asking more questions about it but you wouldn't say. She could only make guesses based on the swim wear which should have left only a few options, non of which she got right.

Finally, you arrived where you wanted to and grinned at Wabda before starting towards the edge. The redhead frowned as she watched you approach the ledge and became worried when she invisioned the steep slope that didn't always lead to water straight down. If you were to fall... your friend didn't have to wait long to see that. You slipped along the edge and disappeared from her view as she gave a startled cry and sprinted towards the edge and knelt over with wide eyes, expecting to see something that could haunt her forever but instead she saw you on a wide ledge but seven feet below her.

To your left was part of the ledge that had been dug into randomly and acted as perfect aid to get back into the woods above.

"Come down here." You beckoned as you starter to take your top off. Wanda's eyes widened more and quickly turned around and dropped down next to you steadily.

She glanced over the side of the small ledge to glance at the fifty foot drop into the water. There was nothing in the way to fall onto but there was no telling how deep that water was.

"You can't go in like that." You laughed as you kicked off your shorts and pushed them to the side.

Wanda's face heated up at the sight of you in your y/f/c bikini as you assessed the view. But even in her flustered state she was able to put it all together.

"You want to jump down there?" She exclaimed making you laugh.

"I've done it tones of times." You assured. "It's fun."

"It's a death wish! What if the waters not deep enough?" She questioned making you laugh more.

"Are you scared, Wan?" You teased as you took a step towards her making her avert her eyes from your form. She scoffed to play it off.

"Of course not." You hummed in faux belief.

"Well then I'll see you down there." You grinned and took a couple of steps back until your feet were no longer on the platform and you were plummeting down towards the water where you landed with a splash.

Wanda held her breath as she waited for you to resurface for a few agonising seconds. When you did with a gasp and started kicking around frantically to keep yourself afloat with your built up adrenaline the redhead sighed in relief and started taking off her own shorts and shirt and placed them next to your things.

You've jumped from higher. She told herself as she rocked on her feet. And you have powers! She argued back before she shoved those thoughts aside and threw herself off the ledge and into the water below. You laughed as she came back up and pushed her hair away from her way. You swam closer to her and saw her wide smile.

"Fuck." Wanda whispered with a laugh as she looked back up from where you had both come.

"Told you it was fun." You teased as you tried not to focus on the low cut on her bikini bra.

"Yeah yeah." She laughed and paused when she looked past you and saw you were surprisingly close to the house. She could see the outline of your family sat outside.

"They're looking." Wanda muttered. You could tell by the look on her face who she was talking about. It wasn't like there was anyone else around either.

"Do you think they've caught on?" You asked nervously as you stared at Wanda's brown eyes to stop you looking at your family.

"Maybe..." She considered and glanced around. "It's not like we've been acting like that much of a couple." You scoffed at that.

"At home everyone assumes we're dating and the one time we need it be believable it isn't." You rolled your eyes but couldn't help the smile.

"I know." Wanda laughed for a second but then paused. "Then let's give them something believable." She gently placed both her hands on your waist and pulled you slowly towards her. You let her guide you and took extra notice of the water droplets across her face. You almost trembled when your bare stomachs pressed together in the water lightly.

Wanda's soft hands left your waist and gripped your thighs to pull you up to wrap your legs around her own waist. You couldn't help but giggle at the gesture as you wrapped your arms around the redhead's neck and held onto her waist with your legs in a lock.

"Can I?" Wanda whispered when she lifted your chin with her finger and her other hand came round the back of your neck.

"Just shut up and kiss me." You demanded with a playful smile and leaned in to do it yourself.

You smiled into the kiss and felt Wanda do the same. It was everything you had ever imagined it to be. Her lips were soft and fell into place perfectly against your own as they moved together. Your mind was hazey and your stomach was doing flips at the realisation that you were actually kissing your long time crush. You forced yourself to remember that it was all a show. That Wanda didn't mean it. But she put on a believable act and kissed passionately, even slipping her tongue through your parter lips to explore your mouth further.

When she eventually pulled away you rested your foreheads together to catch your breath and grinned as you closed your eyes.

"You're a really good kisser." You blurted out making Wanda chuckle.

"Not too bad yourself." She teased.

"I hope not, we're gonna have to do that again." You smiled and instantly realized that sounded like a confession you desperetly wished you could claim. "You know because...Once probably wasn't enough to make it entirely believable." You rambled and Wanda nodded somewhat stiffly and let your legs drop back down. You wanted to say something to her, anything but it was all stuck on the tip of your tongue.

Just as you opened your mouth to speak, a small murmurarion of starlings flew across the lake, some of them skimming the water then gaining height again as they got closer to you and Wanda. You both ducked instinctively as they flew over your heads and off towards the forest again as you watched them in awe until they disappeared. You glanced up at the sky and noticed the sun had gone behind a cloud, ableing you to continue looking up at the other birds higher up.

You kicked your legs up slightly so you could lay on your back and outstretch your arms to keep you afloat in the water so you could stare up at the sky without hurting your neck.

You didn't realise Wanda mimicked you until her hands brushed against yours. She withdrew it as soon as you touched and went to murmmer an apology but you smiled and held onto her hand as you both lay watching the birds.

Neither of you had to say anything. It was a comfortable and peaceful silence that was occasionally filled with birds chirping or the sound of a calm breeze. Of all the things you expected to feel on that trip, relaxed was not one of them.

You stayed like that for a while until you were both snapped out of your daydreams by the distant yell that declared dinner. Well, you had to go back to them eventually.

Both of you took your time swimming back to dry land and only felt a shiver when you left the water and the breeze hit you. Wanda spotted and reached the towels before you and wrapped yours around you tightly. You thanked her with a small blush as you both sauntered up to the house where the mouthwatering smell of a barbecue greeted you. Your dad was leaning over it while shooing your brother away as he tried to offer his 'help'.

You and Wanda went inside to change swiftly and came back outside as the food was being placed on plates and your mum finished setting up the buffet. Everyone starter helping themselves and you piled as much food as you could onto the plate. You parents had asked what food Wanda liked and when you gave them a brief list you added in a few things you knew you both loved.

"You gonna eat all that?" Anna asked as she eyed all the food on your plate. Guilt and insecurities washed over you until Wanda purposefully grabbed a large handful of small sausage rolls and put them on her plate that was piled with a considerable amount more food than your own. You smiled at the reassuring gesture as she sat down with a satisfied grin on her face when she saw Anna close her mouth to stay quiet.

"Thanks." You whispered to her as you sat down.

"If you don't eat all that I will." She declared. You were pretty sure she went back for seconds.

Instead of disappearing back to your room like you did the previous nights, you and Wanda stayed with your family for a while after dinner. It wasn't to do with their company, more the mesmerising fire in the firepit you all sat around. You were cuddled up into Wanda's side with a blanket over both of you as you stared at the flames, smiling at their small flickers and dances.

"So Wanda," one of your sisters began, "are any of the other Avengers...you know." She nodded her head in the direction of you both.

Oh boy you though.

"I don't think it's my place to say." Wanda said because yes, a lot of the Avengers were queer.

"Oh come on, you can tell us." Anna encouraged as she sat forward eagerly.

"I could, but I'm not going to." Wanda continued to defy.

"Lay off it guys." You mumbled but was ignored. Your family took it in turns saying her teammates names in hopes of sparking a reaction, clearly forgetting they were facing someone who had been trained by Natasha Romanoff.

"Stark!" Claire said but was instantly shut down by the others.

"He's married!" Dalton objected.

"Could still be bi though." Claire tried but Dalton just scoffed.

"I suppose there's going to be more surprises."

"What does that mean?" Wanda asked with narrowed eyes, feeling protective of her teammates. Dalton met her gaze with his own challenging one.

"I just never thought one of the Avengers would be a dyke." You felt Wanda stiffen as you all held your breath. There was no way to tell what was going through the redhead's mind, especially as after all those years of friendship you still didn't even know what team she batted for. She was an ally at least, but would she see this as her battle to fight?

Upon getting no reaction, Dalton continued. "It makes sense why you'd hang out with y/n though, we always knew something was wrong with her but-"

"That's enough." Your mum snapped with a guilty expression she failed to mask. You swallowed hard and moved to get up, deciding you had heard enough.

"Then you're idiots." Wanda stated as she glared daggers at your brother while you sunk down.

"I'll have you know I have a doctorate-"

"Your idiots." She repeated. "There's nothing wrong with y/n, which is impressive considering she's grown up around you lot." You looked at your friend in awe as she continued.

"She's the most amazing person I've ever known, including any of the Avengers. She's everything that you're not and I'm lucky to call her my girlfriend. It doesn't matter what any of you think of her, I love her and I always will." She declared as shot daggers at each individual family member who had fallen silent. She took your hand and pulled you up from your seat to take you inside.

You couldn't get her saying she loved you out of your head. You reminded yourself over and over again on the way to your room that it was just an act. That the redhead was making her point. But God, how you wished it was real.

She was so gentle with you as she guided you through the house. When you got to your room and broke down sobbing she held you on the bed for a long time until your cries turned to sniffles. The thing was, you weren't sure what you were crying over. Sure, what Dalton had said had hurt. As did the confirmation that your whole family had always looked down on you. But you had known that was the case for a long time, you had moved on from it.

Instead, you may have being crying over what you didn't know and didn't have. How much of what Wanda said was true? It was all based off of something that wasn't real. What if she saw you the same way your family did?

When you stopped crying you became aware of Wanda gently stroking your hair as she rested her head on yours and held you close to her. You remembered the memories you had accumulated over the past few days with her. The kisses, the hand holding, the nights together, how she stood up for you like no one ever had. You loved her so much.

"I think we should go tomorrow." Wanda mumbled and you nodded into her shoulder.

"I'm not going to leave you though, you know that right? You can stay at mine and we'll watch more of those crappy American movies you like." She mocked lightly making you chuckle against her. "Whatever you want."

"I just want you." You said honestly. You knew you shouldn't have said that, but you were too emotionally drained to care.

"I just want you too, y/n." You pulled away from the redhead to look at her clearly.

"I don't think you know what I mean." You sniffed and she smiled at you fondly.

"I mean what I said earlier, around the fire." Your eyes widened slightly and you held your breath.

"It was all an act though." You whispered and Wanda chuckled as she exhaled sharply.

"No y/n." "I think I am inlove with you." She said as she took ahold of your hand and searched your face for any signs of a reaction to her confession.

"Me?" You questioned, not quite believing it.

"Yes you, idiot." You smiled and sighed in relief, not being able to find the words to express your overflowing happiness and numerous other emotions you couldn't quite pinpoint. You let go of Wanda's hand and brought them both up to cup her cheeks. You had done a lot more handholding than kissing in the previous few days. It needed to be evened out.

You closed the gap between you and kissed Wanda with just as much passion as you had in the lake, except all hesitation and questions were gone. Because you knew she loved you. Oh God she loved you. You grinned into the kiss at the thought and felt her hand fall to your hip while the other caressed the side of your neck in the most gentle manner you had ever seen from her.

When you eventually pulled away you rested your forehead against hers, a smile still playing on both your lips.

"Told you we'd have to do that again." You said and and laughed. "I love you too."

"Well I hoped that wasn't a pity kiss." She joked and you smacked her arm playfully.

"It definetly was not and I'll prove it to you by taking you on a date when we get back." You promised as you sat back to look at her clearly.

"Oh yeah?" She asked with a playful smirk and leaned over so her face was inches away from yours.

"Yeah." You said back.

"Well until then, my real girlfriend should definetly just keep kissing me." She said as she pushed you down gently and kissed you again. You smiled against her gleefully.

"Your girlfriend would love to."

[komoreangel]

𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬

pairing: kazuha x reader

scenario: kazuha takes you to the lake for a romantic getaway, and he finds himself reminiscing of days long gone…ah, but you’re here with him, and that’s the only blessing he really needs, isn’t it?

genre: fluff, kazuha misses his friend but he loves u a lot !! + kazuha with messy hair hdbnd

request: KAZUHA AND HIS S/O SWIMMIGN TOGTHER IN A LAKE <\\3 SO ROMANTIC

a/n: SO TRUE ANON!! man,,,no ones doing it like kazuha,,,sexy and romantic? 🏃‍♀️

he woke you up that morning with a soft grin, telling you he had great plans for the day ahead. you had only just woken up, and already the words that fell upon your ears were nothing short of adoration, along with him trying his best to convince you to agree.

his efforts were in vain, because you would’ve followed him anywhere without hesitation. after getting dressed and grabbing your things, he took you by the hand and the two of you made your way out of the harbor. the crux was temporarily docked there while beidou visited ningguang (which the crew knew could take days, as it was painfully obvious they were more than just business partners).

“kazuha, where are you taking me?” you asked him after a while. you had thought he was planning on going to guyun stone forest again, as the shores of his homeland, inazuma, we’re faintly visible from there. he loved telling you stories about the land of his birth, and always said he’d take you there someday.

“don’t fret, y/n, it’s just a different route this time,” he assured you. however, the farther you got from the coast, the more you realized he had a different location in mind. before you could joke about how he’d tricked you, the two of you stood on a cliff overlooking luhua pool.

he offered to carry your bag and set it down in the sand. “darling, come here,” he called. you went over to him, leaning your head on his shoulder as you gazed at the crystal blue waters in front of you. the weather was rather nice that day, and he was ecstatic to have you here with him.

after enjoying the scenery for a while, he once more took you by the hand, with his eyes only on you and nowhere else. “you want to go in?” you have to admit, the water was gorgeous, and it had been getting a bit hot, as if the sun itself would concede to his wishes. “but i’m just in my clothes, i don’t..” he pulled you closer to the water, slightly chuckling at your protests.

“relax, dearest. there’s no harm in getting your clothes wet, is there? it’s hot enough outside that just setting them on the deck will dry them by tomorrow.” you can’t help but agree with him, especially when he looks at you like that. “alright, but if my clothes get ruined, it’s on you.” you tell him. his eyes light up at your words, and the two of you head closer to the water.

“of course, i’ll take full responsibility.” he replies, and as he steps further into the lake, you follow after him. you move your foot forwards, not realizing how deep the water is, and before you can stop yourself, are falling headfirst into the lake. your hair, along with all of your clothes, are now soaked. to your surprise (and slight annoyance), kazuha lifts you up with one hand, his hands steadying you.

“be careful, y/n. we don’t want you drowning, now do we?” you are slightly miffed that he didn’t help you earlier (because from past experience you know he was fully capable of stopping you from falling) and in retaliation you lean down into the water, as if to look for something. he notices, and turns towards you. “is something the matter?”

“yeah, i’m looking for my bracelet, it fell off in the water.” at this, he also leans down beside you, unaware that the bracelet you speak of is actually in your bag, which he was carrying earlier. as soon as his face nears the water, you push him down, his surprise evident as he lets out a yelp of surprise. you laugh at his struggle, as for once, the man who is always ever so eloquent and full of nothing but the most elegant of words is startled.

his head rises above the water with a tired smile on his face. “i suppose i should’ve expected that, hm?” his hair is wet, and has gotten messy from the sudden submersion into the lake. despite it being a prank of yours, you can’t help but think he looks even prettier this way. you help him up, continuing to laugh as you do so.

"sorry," you say between giggles. he continues to grin, pausing to add, "you didn't actually lose the bracelet, did you?" the bracelet was a gift from him to you for one of your anniversaries. "of course not, kaz. i'd never lose it."

he smiles at you and turns his gaze to the water. it wasn't long ago he was standing here with tomo... hoping to himself that things would forever stay that way. moments like these are when he truly understands the shogun's desire for 'eternity'. for the time we spend with our loved ones to last forever, and for the emotions and feelings we hold dearly to never end.

"kazuha, are you okay?" you've moved towards him, your hand on his shoulder. he falters a bit. "ah...yes, darling, don't worry. just lost in a thought, that's all." the smile you give at his words is everything to him, even if you don't know it. "thank you for bringing me here, kazuha. i know it's an important place to you."

so you'd known what he was feeling the whole time? he'd always said you understood him like no one else did, but apparently even he didn't know to what extent. he feels so comforted in your presence, like he doesn't have to say anything to convey his feelings. you just know, and vice versa.

he's never felt more grateful to have someone like you by his side. maybe, even though tomo is long gone, his friend had done him one final favor and pushed you in his direction. because to be in love with a person as amazing as you, kazuha believes there's got to be some other force of nature at work.

a/n: IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG ANON </3 I MEANT TO RELEASE IT EARLIER I SWEAR. there goes kit again with her wack post schedule. BUT 2.1 IS OUT!! AND SCARAMOUCHE APPEARED!! FOR FIVE MINUTES!!!! all jokes aside IM SO HAPPY HE FINALLY SHOWED UP. LIKE....GENUINELY WHEN I WAS PLAYING THE UPDATE AND I SAW HIM I WAS VERY VERY SATISFIED 10/10 !! i also learned the way i portray him might be completely ooc...which is fine its fine im fine- but i think i will be posting more scara content (whos surprised) just to celebrate plus i also wanted to get this one out before another day goes by where i forget, thank u for reading !! <33

[dimonds456]

Michigan is weird and I love it.

Hi, hello, I am from Michigan. Or, as we tend to call it, I am a Michigander. And, I've realized that we're very, very weird compared to other states. So, here's a guide on how to blend in and pretend like you've lived here your whole life while visiting to see pretty lakes <3

We have weird slang. You'll see us using words like

Youper / Yooper

Noseeums (No/see/'ems)

The thumb

Traverse / Cherry City / Cherry Capital

Good gravy

Allow me to explain. Michigan is split into two parts; the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula. The LP is shaped like an oven mitten, and the UP is shaped like a sideways hand. This will be important later.

Up north, in the UP (pronounced "yoopee"), we have different accents, beliefs, and ways of living from the rest of us! I'm down in the LP, though, so I am not what we call a Yooper. Yoopers are the people living in the UP, who tend to rough it more, use less, and have their own accent, too! They're mostly known for their accent and how batshit insane they are /aff.

In the summer, we have loooots of bugs. Filmmakers love coming here, since we have so many "biomes" here. Beautiful and gross lakes, thick forests and barren sandscapes, stuff of the like. This means we have a very diverse ecosystem, including noseeums. Noseeums are tiny bugs you cannot see until they are right in front of you (~6 inches), or they buzz in your ear. They're actually called Fruit Flies, but you can't see them, so we usually call them Noseeums. Yoopers do this more than us down south.

Since Michigan looks like an oven mit, we tend to point at our hands to indicate where we are. The peninsula that sticks out if the LP we tend to call "the thumb," since, y'know, it looks like a thumb. The LP is the right hand, the UP is the left! Pinky and thumb sticking out, anyway.

Hey, if you wanna come visit us, I would highly recommend you go see Cherry Capital! It's a beautiful town with lots of resources, tourist-y things, and a great place to live. Oh, is it not appearing in Google Maps? Sorry, I meant Traverse City. We call it Cherry Capital since, according to Michigan rumor, it's the place that grows and sells the most cherries. Don't know how true that is, but y'know.

Good gravy, that's a lot of stuff. Oh yeah, we've got those too. Lick a tree for maple syrup, don't jump the salmon, lots of weird phrases. I can't remember all of them nor can I really explain them, except the two here. "Lick a tree for maple syrup" is a newer one (that I think was inspired by Tumblr, actually) that basically means that you're not putting in enough effort to get something. "Don't jump the salmon" is a variant on "look before you leap," because if you jump over the salmon swimming upstream, the bear will getcha.

oh yeah hug a moose is another one, too

We also have weird behavior. Like I said, you can use your hands like a map here. I keep forgetting that other people don't know this, and once I tried showing someone next to me n a plane while we were in Chicago, and she had no clue wtf I was doing. But, it's common practice here.

There's waaaaaay too many campsites, a ton of people go ice fishing (AND DRIVE TRUCKS ON THE LAKE AND DON'T FALL IN), lots of deer hunting, lots of deer signs. You have to know a lot of about wildlife here, like being aware of deer trails. If you don't know what those are, then you may be wondering why there are so many caution signs with deer on them.

oh yeah and all of it is "northern Michigan." no one says "Southern Michigan." I have no idea why.

Anyway. Fellow Michiganders, feel free to add to this. And other states that have weird traditions, too, I'd love to hear them.

[a-mag-a-day]

MAG 15

Ah yes… The statement the vast majority of the fandom deems as one of the most horrifying… Lol, not me though xD I don't know what it is, I kinda vibe with the Buried. I was caving once back in school and it was really cool! We climbed along a crest. Wall stretching up on one side and on the other, below, a narrow and deep chasm to which our guide just said "Pls don't fall in. We would need to get a rescue team to get you back out". Then we had to climb up a shaft, which also had a waterfall, so we fought against the water coming down. And then we waded through an underground lake. My foot slipped and I fell in. It was cold XD But it was great! I would not pick up caving as a hobby though, I already have so many and I think the amount of research isn't worth the few times you can visit caves. I live in the alps, so there would probably be plenty, but I already have an outdoor hobby. Also I'd rather go kayaking again^^

"You never go caving unless someone knows where you’re headed and what your plan is." - Yeah, I always tell my spouse where I'm headed when I go trail riding.

I love the soundscaping in this episode. That low rumble when they're in the cave… Especially at the "clunk" part

Okay, who else is suuuper reminded of the birthday cake scene in The Descent (2005) at that part with the candle?

The recording of Laura Popham is the only thing that makes me uneasy. We clearly hear something in the background shuffling around. And it could be anything! But I guess something like this could be attributed rather to the Dark than the Buried and this is why it gets me. "Take her, not me" is so great to me. I'm fed up with people playing the heroes in stories. Let's go with raw survival instinct for a change, yes? The statement giver just wants to save her own skin, at all costs.

Ngl caving sounds fun to me. I've been to a few cave tours, even deep ones but nothing intense. I'm pretty small so some of the tighter spots in some spots I've been to never felt like too much of a problem but who knows :D

[boxofbadaddiction]

Build Me Up, Buttercup

George Weasley x Reader

Song Inspired

Warnings: Zilch. Pure Fluff.

Life at the Burrow can get pretty hectic. With so many people running in and out all of the time things can quickly get out of hand. So, fortunately for Mrs Weasley she had so many ready and willing children to lend a hand when necessary.

Okay, maybe 'ready and willing' is a stretch. It's more of a 'whether you like it or not' arrangement if we're being honest. But regardless it gets the jobs done.

Today being no exception, so while Molly and Arthur left for town to run some errands preparing for the new school year, there were a list of chores for her 'happy' helpers; Fred, George, Y/n, Ron, Harry and Ginny, to get done.

Ron and Harry were set the challenge of De-Gnoming the garden, Ginny had a chicken coop to clean, Fred - to his great pleasure - were on laundry duty (though last George saw there weren't much folding going on. More his brother were sprawled out dramatically over a pile of towels groaning loudly), Y/n meanwhile was on kitchen duty and so that left George the very taxing chore of cleaning the attic. Molly were sure to give he and Fred separate jobs knowing full well, left to their own devices, no work would get done - if anything she'd come home to a bigger mess.

George hated the attic, it were so cluttered and stuffy. Not to mention the Ghoul were no help with all the racket he liked to make banging one piece of junk against the other. Thankfully, however, he were nearly finished.

Placing the final box atop the others he'd organised George dusted his hands before resting them on his hips with a tired sigh.

He let his eyes roam the space - damn they had some junk. Although there were a notable improvement thanks to his efforts. All that remained was to dust the, many, cobwebs and sweep the floors.

Looking around the room he noticed the broom and dustpan were nowhere in sight - that's when he remembered y/n had been using them to clean the living room earlier. As he was sure she'd be finished using them by now, he turned to descend the staircase, ducking briefly to avoid an old pan the Ghoul threw in protest of the houses usual quietness, George made his way towards the sitting room.

Passing Fred, whom were not much better off than when he'd started - still groaning, but now upright and reluctantly folding, this brought an amused smile to his twins face until something piqued his curiosity. There were Muggle music coming from the bottom floor.

Y/n, being a half-blood, had introduced the Weasleys to some records from her home on her previous visit and must have put one on to listen to whilst she cleaned.

As he drew nearer the music grew louder and more recognisable. Her record of The Foundations was playing - a favourite of hers George had learned.

As he reached the bottom flight of stairs his eyes scanned the room - y/n had done an excellent job - unfortunately though the object he required were nowhere to be found. Turning to step off the landing George reddied to ask y/n if she were done using it, assuming she'd carried on her good work to the dining room, but he found himself halted by the sight before him.

Y/n were by the sink scrubbing this mornings dishes. But that's not what stopped him in his tracks. She were dancing and singing along to the record as she did so - quite passionately.

George leant against the nearby cabinet as he admired her while she 'performed', so obliviously happy wrapped up in her own little world. He watched the way her hips swayed in time with the beat, the slight bounce in her step as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. How her hair was flowing wildly with each silly head-bang and nod along. He could see the way her face lit up in joy by the faint reflection in the window. His favourite thing by far though was the way she used the scrubbing brush as a microphone as she sang along.

His smile grew as the next song began to play, which he knew she were very fond of, and her enthusiasm seemed to increase ten fold.

Her arms flailed about of their own accord as she danced, singing excitedly, "Why do you build me up, Buttercup, baby, just to let me down?"

It were moments like these George found himself falling for her harder - everytime. When she finally let her walls down and would let herself be truly happy and unashamedly expressive of her real - crazy - self. A side he wished she'd show more.

His relationship with y/n were complicated in a way. They've known each other for years. Grown up in the same small town and had been sorted into the same house at Hogwarts; so naturally she'd always been close with the Weasleys, especially the Twins, and over the years it became blatantly obvious to everyone, even y/n and George, that they'd developed feelings for each other.

They'd just never managed to act on them.

There'd been plenty of moments. Nights spent up late talking by the fire of the common room. Plenty of long walks by the Black Lake. Plenty of midnight snack runs to the kitchens and Butterbeers drank in Hogsmead. Plenty of moments, just never the right one.

A slight chuckle rolled from the back of Georges throat as he watched on and y/ns movements became more energetic and her voice began to carry more over the music

"...worst of all, you never call, baby. When you say you will. But I still-" y/n had spun in place only to be met with the realisation she were no longer alone and that her little concert had an on-looker.

George stood smugly, with arms folded as his tongue slowly came to wet his lips and a wide toothy smile graced his features.

Y/n was frozen like a deer in headlights. Her make shift microphone still held high. Her eyes left his as she drew a heavy breath but simply shrugged and carried on with her karaoke, only now it weren't a show for the dishes - she instead began to serenade George.

She smoothly tossed the scourer from one hand into the other, her dominant one now pointed dramatically at George as she sung,

"I need you! More than anyone, Darling." George raised his eyebrows in mock surprise as if to say 'oh, really?'

"You know I have from the start" her arm that'd been pointing at the redhead was then swiftly cast high into the air, her head falling back with it singing loudly "so, build me up!" George couldn't help the laugh that erupt from his chest at her theatrics watching as she put her hand over her heart, looking back to him with doey-love eyes, a slight shake to her head finishing the chorus' "don't break my heart" in a loving tone.

As the song continued y/n kept on with her awkward dance moves, beckoning for him to join her. He'd genuinely tried to resist - but he could never say no to her.

His hands found hers twisting in time with the music and twirling her just to hear the laugh it brought from her.

Y/n hadn't expected him to join her much less start singing himself but he did and she couldn't be happier.

"Baby, baby, try to find a little time and I'll make you happy" both were laughing loudly as their moves slowly became more comical. George was swaying her about the room, pushing her away in a twirl before pulling her back into his chest (all those lessons for the Yule ball really paying off right now) as he continued to sing y/n jokingly raised the brush for him to sing into as she had, which he did with as much energy and flare as he does anything.

"But I could be the boy you adore, if you'd just let me know...BA-DAH-DAH!" he yelled the last part particularly loud which nearly had y/n falling to her knees in laughter, but George had caught her.

Y/n snatched the 'microphone' back from him as the chorus came back round and sang sweetly to him once again;

"But I love you still. I need you, more than anyone, Darling. You know that I have since the start. So build me up, Buttercup. Baby, don't break my heart."

George didn't know what came over him. Maybe it were because of how unbelievably adorable she looked in this moment. The way hearing her say 'I love you' got his heart racing, beating harder than a drum. Or simply the build up of years of pointless pining for one another, when they both clearly wanted this - all that wasted time in which they could have been together. Whatever the reason; he knew there'd never be a more right moment than this.

Suddenly his hand was finding her waist and pulling her body tight against his while the other came to her cheek. His thumb delicately traced her bottom lip as his fingers slowly moved to caress and rest lovingly by the nape of her neck.

"I'd never" he'd whispered the words so tenderly, with eyes which seemed to hold more love than could be considered possible. Her body all but melted under his touch, eyes dancing frantically back and forth between his trying to anticipate his next move. But it was her word he was waiting for, he wasn't taking this any further unless he was sure she wanted it, and she did. Her gaze flicked briefly to his lips encouragingly.

Georges hand slowly glided across her soft skin, tracing the line of her jaw till reaching her chin, tilting her head up ever-so-slightly as they leaned towards one another. Their eyes fluttered close, lips only just meeting in a feather-light touch that had y/n inhaling shakily at the tingles which had erupted through her spine. Their lips were just about to connect-

A flash of green and loud crash from the fireplace sent them jumping from their skins. Lungs coughing copious amounts of soot which indicated the return of Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"My, the place looks marvellous" Molly beamed, admiring the dining and living areas. "Afternoon, Kids! Keeping busy then I hope?" Arthur greeted smilingly. "Yeah" George answered, "we're just finishing up the dishes." He grinned down to y/n who was determinately focusing on the two adults in attempt to control her nervousness. "Excellent, well don't let us mind you - we'll be out of your hair in a tick" his father spoke as both parents ascended the staircase fussing over the school supplies they'd purchased.

The teens turned their attention to the long since forgotten dishes in the sink. They worked in comfortable silence, y/n scrubbing as George dried. His eye was constantly being pulled to the girl beside him as he noticed how she were trying - and failing - to hide a smile. Playfully he bumped her hip with his own, which finally turned her attention to him once again. She was waiting for him to speak but he never did. Merely smirking down at her with a glance to her lips, a look that completely broke the girls composed facade as she focused back to the task at hand, biting her lip to suppress a giddy smile.

George did the same, but there were no hiding his own wide smile, not even if he wanted to.