#damn near 10 years waiting for these dorks

[ariecasper]

Whole video. 🖤💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤💛 got this whole scene was just perfection. Especially the lighting,the lighting was fucking spectacular.

[samwrights]

First Year Daddies (+ Kyoutani!)

I’m trying to spread out my requests—I have a whole bunch of Kuroo ones that I swear he is my most requested person. So let’s take a break from our beloved rooster and get some daddies up in this! That being said, this will kinda be a part 2 to Karasuno as dads, with the addition of our beloved Mad Dog. @dreamyjaems you know what’s up.

Kageyama;

Alright, let’s redeem Kags cause I did him dirty last time.

It took him sometime to get used to being a parent, but when he finally got it down, he loved every second of it.

Your daughter, now five years old, loves daddy just as much as he loves her.

Now that you’d gone back to work and the two of you had some semblance of a schedule, Kageyama was 100% in charge of childcare while you worked in the morning.

Lucky break for the two of you that Kags didn’t start practice until the afternoon, giving him time to take your little girl to kindergarten with you picking her up.

It was the same routine every morning—mommy goes to work and daddy makes pancakes while putting on Disney movies.

Always a short stack and he made sure to cut it up just the way his little girl liked it—into 16 pieces. Yes, 16. No more, no less.

Your daughter was a lucky little bugger, getting her fathers thick, silky hair. By this age, it’s incredibly long and Kags always brushes it and does it nicely before taking her to school, then off to work he goes.

His locksreen is definitely a picture of him and his daughter. It gets him through the day.

After picking up your child from school, you help her with homework since Kags won’t be home until later.

Sometimes, it really shocks you just how lucky the two of you got for having such a well behaved kid—super low maintenance, doesn’t really cause trouble. That is, until she starts missing her dad.

Yes, she is a hardcore daddy’s girl 💀

Usually, it’s around dinner time that she gets fussy because Kageyama will be waking through the door any minute and that minute canNOT pass soon enough. She’s more like you than you think.

“Hi sweetie,” you call out while you know for a fact he’s scooping up his little bean in his arms before coming to give you a kiss. Routine was nice that way.

The three of you go about your evening as per usual—having dinner together, you giving your little one a bath and Kageyama reading her to bed so that the two of you can cuddle up on the couch before turning in for the evening.

After he finishes reading, he joins you for your quiet time, seeing that you’re watching a movie and drinking a glass of wine. “I wanted to talk to you about...something.” He says stiffly. You quirk a brow at him after hitting pause, patiently waiting for him to continue. “How...how would you feel about having another one?”

“Another glass of wine? Hell yeah.”

“[name], no. Another kid.” Oh. Well, this is a shocking turn of events. Kageyama, the barely legal adult that initially had no idea whether or not was ready to be a father, wanted another child.

“Are you sure, Tobio?” Was all you responded with.

“Obviously, since I’m asking you,” there’s a twinge in his voice that you aren’t sure you’ve heard before. Not quite begging, per se. perhaps imploring was a better word for it? “I love our family and I just want it to keep growing.”

This was such a far cry from the man that Kageyama Tobio was six years ago when you first found out you were pregnant, and you would be lying if you said that his admission didn’t turn you on in the slightest.

“Well we’ve got some work to do then, buddy.”

Hinata;

Hinata Shoyo finally got his wish. With his son, now 10, and daughter, now 8, your youngest daughter was nearing her terrible twos.

There was nothing more in the world that your newest baby loved more than daddy.

It was actually kind of irritating, actually, because if Shoyo wasn’t home, she would cry and throw temper tantrums until your husband walked through the door.

Shit, it even irritated your other two kids who, in order to avoid it all, would usually be at their friend’s houses doing homework and hanging out until they knew their dad would be home.

If only you were able to do the same.

The second that Sho walked through the door, every sound in the Hinata household ceases, as if your toddler wasn’t just screaming her lungs out moments ago.

“Hi, princess! Did you miss daddy today? I know I missed you a whole bunch!”

On god, he is such a good dad it hurts. He’s gotten even better since the addition of the youngest.

“Hi sweetheart,” you greet with a quick peck onto his lips. His daughter, and yes very specifically the almost two-year-old is his daughter, grunts in discomfort despite being held by dad. She doesn’t like the fact that you took dad’s attention away for a second. “Oh, quiet you.” You grumble at her.

“[name]! Be nice to angel!” You roll your eyes at him instead. As if you haven’t raised your last two kids, who were now walking in the door. “Come on, pumpkin, let’s go get some food in our bellies!”

Hinata places her in her high chair, obnoxiously making little airplane noises as he feeds her. Spoiled little brat.

“Mom,” your son starts cautiously, looking back and forth between his father and baby sister. “Was dad always like this?” He asks, referring to the overly enthusiastic train noises your husband was making.

“No, honey.”

“Okay, just making sure he hasn’t been a dork our entire lives.”

“Oh, that? Yeah.”

Tsukishima;

It needs to be reiterated, you felt, that Tsukki is an amazing father.

Your oldest and Kei’s step-daughter, now 12, and your youngest daughter, now 7, would vehemently agree.

They never did actually grow out of the habit of calling him Tsukki, as opposed to dad. Though when speaking to other people, they both referred to him as their father.

It was quite endearing, actually. Your family was happy with the way things were, even if they were slightly unconventional.

Sunday mornings were family days—an adamant rule in the Tsukishima household. Kei would be in charge of making breakfast while you and the girls blasted some upbeat music while tidying up your rooms.

While Kei does not find Kesha and Lizzo to be “the classics” as you so put it while you cleaned, he did find it amusing to see all three Tsukishima women dancing and singing while cleaning.

Lowkey, it warmed his heart to know these were the three women of his life.

Kei is still the same protective dad he was even before having his own child—it only got worse when your oldest started showing an interest in the opposite gender.

Ya know how he wasn’t afraid to fight a toddler for his little girl? He’s definitely not afraid to fight some middle school punk.

Especially when your oldest comes home bawling her eyes out because she had decided to confess to the boy she liked and he had said he didn’t return feelings.

No matter how much you tried to console her, nothing you said seemed to work. It was dad’s turn.

Tsukki sits her down, his face as serious as ever, before adjusting his glasses to look at his step-daughter clearly. “Don’t tell mom that I said this, but boys ain’t shit.” 💀💀💀

“Ooooh, Tsukki said a bad word.” She joked in between her now calming tears.

“It’s true, though. Now come on, chin up. Princesses can’t have their heads down, their crowns will fall off.”

Yamaguchi;

Despite the years of torture and struggle that was raising your twin hellions, Tadashi was kind of feeling a little empty now that the boys had grown into being more independent.

They were now seven-years-old, in sports, getting good grades—it’s like they were replaced with a different set of twins.

However, this also grants Tadashi the chance to actually step in and be a father, rather than letting those two run him ragged all day.

I see Yamaguchi being a slightly more strict parent, but loving nonetheless. Because the twins have always sort have been troublemakers, he’s strict on making sure the boys are home in time for dinner and that their schoolwork is done.

If they aren’t 💀💀💀

Honestly, your guys’ life though is just all around peaceful and a small part of you is longing for chaos.

So before the two of you head to sleep for the evening, your both just chilling in bed, maybe reading a book. Ya know, like 90s sitcom style.

“Hey Tadashi, can I ask you something?” That was never a good sign in his book, but he looks at you expectantly, waiting for you to proceed. “How would you feel if we had another kid?”

“Wait, are you pregnant?” You certainly didn’t miss the panic that filled his eyes. Oh. There’s your answer.

“No...I just...kinda miss holding a baby, ya know? Our boys are seven now, they don’t want mom anywhere near them and they think my hugs and kisses are gross.”

Ngl, it kinda hurts him to hear that because he knows it hurts you. All he wants to do his make you feel better.

“I mean, I’m not opposed I’m just—“

“Scared the next one is gonna turn out the same way?” He laughs at the fact that you know him so well. “Don’t get me wrong, I am too. But in the end, we raised them so well. I don’t think we’ll have anything to worry about.”

Kyoutani;

The two of you never ceased to surprise anyone.

At first, it started with the two of you dating in your third years of high school, all the way through college (which, it shocked some that he in enrolled in university at all), to bringing your three-year-old son to the class of 2014 reunion.

Where did people even begin? The fact that you two had been dating for ten years or the fact that the two of you were parents?

It bothered you when people made assumptions about Kentarou.

Yes, he was cold and brash and a complete pain in your ass, but he was a damn good life partner and father.

Kyoutani wasn’t satisfied with anything if he wasn’t giving it his all—that includes his relationship with you and your guys’ son.

While he isn’t necessarily the most affectionate person, he always made sure his little family had everything they needed.

Yahaba is the first one to approach the three of you, surprised to see Kentarou holding his little one. “Holy shit, I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Language.” Your boyfriend bites out. A small laugh escapes your lips as you pat him on the back in reassurance as you give Yahaba a hug.

“Nice to see you too, Shigeru.” The former setter looks between the two of you, then looks at your son.

“It’s so scary to see your mini-me with his eyes.”

“Don’t be rude.” You chide him calmly, while Kyoutani feels his blood boil slightly. That sounded like an insult to him. Wordlessly, he hands over your son before squaring up with his former teammate. “Honey, please don’t start a fight.”

You were one of the few people to calm him down; a given considering your decade together.

Backing down, Kentarou retreats to your side, securing an arm around his waist and placing a chaste kiss in his sons hair. Knowing his mannerisms, you knew that was an apology to his child for losing his cool for a minute.

“Holy shit.” Yahaba repeats, stunned by the display of affection

“Language!” Your boyfriend snarls again through clenched teeth, making you laugh again. The three of you were far from perfect, but you had everything you needed.

[taetaesbaebaepsae]

heartbeats and tangled sheets

Summary: It’s your birthday, and three men you’ve been seeing provide various gifts.

a/n: This is a birthday fic (belated as fuck) for @illneverrecover​ because I LOVE YOU BITCH I AIN’T NEVER GONNA STOP LOVING YOU BITCH

Warnings: not as much smut as one would think, oral (both m. and f. receiving), some exhibitionism and video sex, public sex, it got soft I’m SORRY JACKIE

Word Count: 2770

12:16AM, December 16th

It's late and you're in bed scrolling through your phone, hoping from a text from a certain someone that you shouldn't be waiting for. 

You shouldn't be waiting for anyone, you think, and you lock your phone with a heavy sigh and throw it down on the bed before hearing a ding and scrambling to pick it up again.

You up?

You roll your eyes but you're grinning ear to ear like an idiot. You are an idiot, but only for Kim Taehyung.

Before you can answer, his contact picture pops up on your screen, a picture you'd taken of him making a peace sign, which was basically every picture, the dork.

Your heart speeds up and you huff out a breath, irritated by how much just him calling affects you.

I shouldn't answer right away, you think, but you're already sliding to answer.

"What if I was sleeping?" You snark in greeting.

"Then I would have woken you up," he drawls, and his voice sounds gravelly, like he's tired or maybe been drinking.

It makes your heart flutter again.

"Jerk," you say, but there's no bite to it.

“Happy birthday,” he murmurs, and your heart, surely there's a physical problem. It shouldn't skip so many beats.

“Thanks, but you’re a little late, it’s after midnight.”

“Shit.” He chuckles low in his throat. “Guess I’ll have to make up for it.”

“Oh yeah? How?” Your skin is already tingling. He is able to affect you so quickly and it stresses you out.

“Hmm.” 

You wait for a long moment but then hear the beep of the phone hanging up and your mouth drops open. Did he just fucking hang up on you?

There’s five minutes of you being shocked and wondering if the call dropped and you should call back and then your phone starts buzzing again, a video call instead. It takes you a moment to answer, fumbling with your phone and grateful you hadn’t yet removed your makeup.

It’s dark at first, and you squint a little, until you see his arm, reaching over to turn on the desk light.

Taehyung smiles, big and boxy and open and there goes your heart flipping around again.

“There you are.”

“Here I am,” you quip, and he laughs and then shifts, and the camera takes a moment to catch up but then you can see he’s in bed, under a white sheet. You can see the broadness of his chest, his collarbones, the line of his neck. He must have the phone propped up on a nightstand or something, because you have the most delicious view of his whole body, his face turned towards you as he lies flat on the bed.

“I didn’t exactly get you a present,” he continues, and the sheet shifts down to reveal the softness of his belly, the dusting of hair below his belly button, and then down further to reveal his cock, thick and heavy, slowly starting to plump.

Your mouth goes dry and you tilt the phone sideways to see better, shifting down in your bed. You’re wearing just a thin tanktop and panties to bed, and your nipples are already starting to harden.

You’ve been seeing a few guys in the past six months, and Taehyung is off and on, given his recent breakup. His sweet brown eyes were so soulful when he kissed your knuckles, told you that he wished he could give you more than stolen kisses and late night knocks on your door, and it isn’t as if you hadn’t heard that line before: I’m just not ready.

But Taehyung had looked so earnest, and you want to believe that when he is ready, you’ll be the first to know. For now, you’re content to keep things casual, since the sex is amazing and you enjoy his company.

“Are you really suggesting that your dick is a gift?” 

“Isn’t it?” He drawls, stroking the gift in question with two long fingers and his thumb, slow, showing off.

The words come out of your mouth before you can think differently.

"Fuck. You got me there."

Taehyung gives you that slow smirk, flicks his gaze down to your breasts and raises an eyebrow. 

"Hmm, my birthday but you want a show. Typical." You grin as you tug down your top, revealing your breasts and tugging at your nipples, excitement and pleasure pooling in your lower belly.

"Mmm," he agrees, never one to argue with you, unlike some other guys you've been seeing. You can think of one in particular.

It's always easy with Taehyung, always fun, and if your heart might long for more on occasion, it isn't too much. Not yet, anyway.

“My birthday is soon too, you know. What are you gonna get me?” He teases.

“My tits are a gift,” you murmur, bouncing them at the camera, and he doesn’t crack a smile, just watches them, tongue flicking out to wet his full lips, before his dark eyes flick back up to your face.

“Damn right, they are,” he says, agreeable as always, and groans low in his throat, bucking into his hand.

“Fuck,” you repeat. “Wish you were here.” You tilt backwards on the bed, your fingers itching to slip beneath your panties but you wait, watching his face. You love how he looks like this, eyes dark and half lidded, mouth parted, hair in his face, eyelashes brushing his cheekbones as he closes them only to open them again, pausing his strokes and panting.

He pouts a little. “Wish I was too.” His gaze moves downward to your waistband, where you’ve lit one of your hands, thumb under the elastic. “Show me.”

Your breath catches, that’s what you’d been waiting for, some kind of permission. 

You smile at the screen, holding your phone up and wishing you’d known to do this on your laptop. “Gonna be hard to see in the dark.”

“Turn on the lights,” he commands, just this edge of pleading to it, and God, that’s what you love about him. Well, one of the things.

You do as he says, turning on your desk lamp and moving the phone down to slide the crotch of them aside, his responding moan making your fingers itch to touch yourself, but like always, you wait until he tells you to, asks you to, in that low tone of his that’s commanding yet somehow still agreeable.

A contradiction, your lover, one of your favorites.

After that it’s all a blur of pleasure, his words and deep moans, the slide of your fingers, not long enough to be his, not quite enough but it gets you there, his name on your lips as he tells you how beautiful you look, how much he wishes he could taste you.

You think about if he were there he’d slip your fingers into his mouth, suck while looking into your eyes until you’re panting and wanting him again and you whimper as you finally bring the phone back up to your face.

The way he looks makes you shudder with an aftershock of your orgasm, his mouth parted and panting, come painting his belly.

“When are you back in town?” You gasp.

He smiles. “I’ll call you.”

You roll your eyes but you’re smiling back. He talks to you into the wee hours of the morning, sweet and soft after, face close to the camera.

Sometimes he calls, sometimes he doesn’t, but you’ll be waiting either way.

10:02PM, Dec 15th

Going out for your birthday is a tradition among you and your friends, and given how hard you’d all worked this past year, it’s a given that you’re all going all out.

There’s preparation in terms of travel, knowing few of you will be sober enough to drive, mini bottles of liquor to pregame on the way there, condoms thrown into purses and your phone chargers in case of overnights.

As a result of those mini bottles and the high energy of your friends, you’re tipsy and loose when you arrive at the club, and the flashing lights and hype music only serve to make you smile more, dirty dancing with your friends and making eyes at all the cute guys at the club.

You're taking a break from dancing, surely sweating off your makeup and sitting at the bar to order a water when you hear a familiar voice.

"Heard it was your birthday."

You don't turn but you feel the corner of your mouth turn up. "That it is."

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Out with the girls. No boys allowed.”

You hear him step closer behind you. “It’s your birthday. You can do whatever you want.”

“Hmm,” you hum noncommittally.

"How old are you now, noona?"

You swear you can hear the smirk in his voice, how he's moved closer behind you. You can smell his cologne, the leather polish he uses on his shoes.

"Shut up, Seonghwa," you mutter, and that does nothing to dissuade him, he puts his hands on your waist, rests his chin on your shoulder to whisper in your ear.

"Wanna sit on my face to shut me up, noona?"

It doesn't come to that, because you're in a club and you somehow hardly ever make it to a bed with Seonghwa, always too riled up, his hands all over you at a bar, a club, the backseat of an Uber.

He's young and eager and mouthy and above all else, hot, so you can't say you complain.

You hate/love the way your name sounds on his lips, the way he always always adds noona in the sweetest croon.

It's infuriating how the sound of it makes you wet, his breath hot on your neck.

"You're so hot, noona, always so wet for me."

"Who says it's for you?" You snark.

He lifts his head, perfectly styled hair falling into his face from the humidity of the club, your ass against the bathroom stall door, his hands under your thighs, near constant smirk on his face.

"It is tonight," he murmurs, and you bite his lip bloody, striking like a snake, wriggling your hips under him.

He laughs into your mouth before he slides down to his knees, hooks your knees around his shoulders and buries his face beneath your skirt.

You were surprised, the first time, surprised because he was handsome and knew it, and usually guys like that weren’t great in bed, used their looks to get laid instead.

Seonghwa, on the other hand, prided himself in being good in bed, the best, he says, making you roll your eyes.

Sometimes he’s even sweet after, kissing along the side of your neck, along your collarbone, but usually it’s just snarky words, hard kisses, his long fingers hooked in your panties or that pretty dick of his in your mouth.

You hadn't even let him inside you yet, after two weeks of hooking up in clubs. It's more fun this way, you think. You love the way he looks when you're on your knees, his sharp jaw as his head tilts back, the way his hips twitch when you drag your manicured nails down his thighs.

He laps at your clit until your thighs are shaking around his head, his hands under your ass, kneading the flesh.

You cry out curses that are mostly drowned out by the music before he lowers you to the ground, licking his lips, that ever present smirk at the corners of that perfect mouth.

He’s got his hands on his belt and his mouth on your throat when you push against his chest, tottering only a little on your heels.

Seonghwa cocks his head, and you can’t help but giggle a little at his expression. Not many women tell him no, you’d imagine, not with that face.

“You’re not gonna leave me like this,” he pouts, gesturing down to the tent in his slacks.

“It’s my birthday,” you parrot. “I can do whatever I want.”

You feel him watching you when you head out of the bathroom and back into the club.

6:32AM, Dec 16th

There’s a banging on your door and sunlight is streaming through your window and you know if you roommates wake up there will be hell to pay so you grumble and roll out of bed.

You’d slept in your makeup from the night before so you wipe at your eyes before you jerk open the door.

When you see who it is you hiss out his name and jerk him inside.

“I swear to God if you’re drunk at my door at 6am ON MY BIRTHDAY-”

“It’s not your birthday,” he pants, seeming out of breath. “And I’m not drunk, I’m just tired, I flew the redeye but I had a layover and-”

You stare at him while he explains the whole ordeal and finally take his hand and lead him to your room so that your roommates won't wake up yelling.

He’s still babbling when you close your bedroom door.

It isn’t as if he doesn’t always talk a lot of shit, but usually it isn’t all sweet and apologetic like this, it’s usually sharp words from the both of you and sometimes dramatic arguments outside of clubs because to be honest, you drive each other crazy.

To be honest, neither of you seem to want to stop driving each other crazy.

You’ve been seeing Baekhyun off and on for a year now, ever since you’d moved for work, and even with both of you having crazy schedules you manage to see each other more than you see anyone else that you’ve gone out with.

You can’t deny that you’d looked out for him to call or at least text the day before.

“And my phone died and there weren’t any outlets-”

“Baek,” you say softly, and he finally closes his mouth. “I’m not mad.”

“You’re not?” He sits down on the bed in a slump and you bounce.

“No, what, you think I was waiting for you to call?” You nudge his shoulder with yours.

“Yes,” he says, nudging you back, and you scoff.

“I went out with the girls. We had fun.”

“I wanted to spend your birthday with you,” he whines, resting his head on your shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re not drunk?”

He’s said things, sometimes, when you were arguing or sometimes pillow talk, panting against your skin, kissing a line down your spine, that made your heart skip, but never like this, never sober and in daylight and without so much as a hungry kiss.

It makes your heart skip, and when you’re sober and in daylight and without so much as a hungry kiss, it makes you a bit scared.

Baekhyun shakes his head against your shoulder. “No, not even a drop,” he mumbles. “Didn’t sleep though, except a little on the plane.”

“You didn’t even bring me anything?” You ask incredulously. “You flew what, 13 hours just to come and be a sap?”

He lifts his head and you turn to look at him.

He does look tired, his clothes rumpled, bags under his eyes, but he looks earnest, too, and your heart does a little flip in your chest.

“Yeah, I did. You know how I-” he stops, closes his mouth, flops down faceup on your bed.

“How you what?” You ask curiously, straddling his lap and looking down at him.

Baekhyun shakes his head, his mouth in this little pout. 

“It’s my birthday,” you murmur, leaning down to kiss that pout. “You have to tell me.”

He huffs out a breath, puts his hands on your hips, skating them up your body. He lands on your waist, flips you over and kisses you hard, like you’re used to, like you expect from him.

You mewl into his mouth but he pulls away, presses his forehead to yours.

“You know how I feel,” he says softly, and oh, your heart.

You’ll think about that later, though, think about why your heart speeds up not just when he tugs your breasts out of your tanktop or when his fingers slide beneath your panties, but when he brushes his nose along your neck, tells you how sorry he is that he missed your birthday. 

You’ll think about it later, for now you’ll enjoy your belated birthday present, which is how warm your chest feels after you’re both spent and he’s spooning behind you, kissing the back of your neck, how hard you laugh at this story he tells you about the airport and how he’d slid down the escalator.

You’ll think about it later, when you have time to be scared you might be in love.

[angrymongol01-archived]

A/N: Am reposting two of my shelved discontinued fem!Hinata fics from my old blog here (for exposure ig? Also I didn't delete them completely there, they're just posted privately lol); for those who've read the original post before and wondering why this blog repost another blog's work, supplies~!! OP here, filling this blog with some Haikyuu content from last October. Enjoy ^^;; ALSO DO NOT SEND HATE ORZ smh

My Masterlist

Prologue | 01 | Omake 01

tho it doesn't looked like an extra chapter at all smh ahaha

Omake 01

wc: 1.9k words

warning: mentions of thigh touching (and probs kidnapping but not implied), a bit of OOC-ness, a few ‘damn’ mentions.

note: indented paragraphs -> flashbacks

*NOTE: since purple/violet is unavailable via PC (using desktop beta lol), I'll use yellow for Ushijima instead.

“…ta…nata…Hinata!”

A female’s voice continued calling her from her deep slumber.

The faint smell of ammonia wafted in the air.

Eyelids slowly opened as she regained consciousness.

“Ah, thank goodness you’re awake now, Hina-chan!”

“Yachi-san?” She groggily glanced at her friend.

“I’ll tell the others she’s awake!” Suddenly, the owner of that voice earlier, Date Tech’s manager, Nametsu Mai, stood up and headed outside the door. Yachi nodded her thanks.

“W-what happened… Where am I? Is this not our—the managers’—room?” she asked.

Hinata started to sit up from where she was laying but wobbled.

Luckily, Yachi and their second-year senpai Kinoshita Hisashi helped her out and gently positioned their fellow member on one corner of the classroom-slash-makeshift sleeping area.

Her senpai sheepishly replied to Hinata, “This is Date Tech’s sleeping quarters. We were having our first practice match of the day, against them, when Sugawara-san called to inform that they’ve found you together with Shiratorizawa, and their captain carried you on—“

The decoy shivered, thinking about the restroom incident hours ago.

“—and fainted on Ushijima’s shoulder. Ma~n, Suga-san’s so furious back then Kageyama had to stop him from killing them.” Kinoshita chuckled.

“Your room’s kinda far away from where they found you, so the managers decided to drop you off here since it’s the nearest one.”

Hinata sweatdropped, a bit embarrassed.

“Ah… thank you, and sorry for whatever inconvenience I have caused earlier…”

Yachi shook her head. “No, no, it’s fine! You’ve done nothing wrong, Hina-chan~,” she grinned at the orange-haired girl.

Smiled back also.

Then she suddenly facepalmed. “I forgot about the practice match! Is it still going yet?”

“It finished an hour ago, we lost—2-1,” a scowling Kageyama answered, trudging towards the three.

“K-k-kageyama…!!!” the female middle blocker blanched with fear, hands gripping the blanket draped on her lap, while the raven-haired setter shot a menacing glare at her, which she averted. “I’m… I’m sorry for—“

“Are you alright?” he quietly asked Hinata, his hand perched on her head.

His deep blue eyes swimming with concern and worry.

She felt a slight flush on her cheeks while meeting his gaze.

“H-hai, I’m fine!” the chibi assured Kageyama. “Nothing to worry about, Bakayama-kun~!”

And she smiled at him.

The boy suddenly became hot and turned to look away from her, hiding his flustered face with the back of his hand.

“H-hinata boke… idiot,” Kageyama stuttered, his heart thumping louder than normal.

Ahh… he sure is whipped for Hinata, that Kageyama boy, Kinoshita thought, shaking his head.

While their blonde manager only giggled.

Recovering from his blushing mess a while ago, the raven-haired setter took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes at Hinata and quipped.

“But I guess you do know that we lost in the match earlier because of your carelessness around your surroundings, right, dumbass?”

He smirked.

This pissed the female decoy and threw in some punches at Kageyama, which he constantly dodged. “Shut up, you!! I said I’m sorry, alright?!”

“No, you did not!”

“Yes, I did, Bakayama!”

There goes their ‘lovers’ quarrel’ again… hahaha…

“Hinata!” Sugawara’s sweet voice boomed inside the room as he entered together with their team’s captain Sawamura Daichi. Beside them tagged along Hinata’s friend from Date Tech, fellow middle blocker Aone Takanobu.

“Ah, Sugawara-san!” The first-year idiot duo stopped their bickering when the gray-haired setter all of a sudden hugged her.

Hc’d Suga and Hinata are chummy-chummy but in a mother/daughter sort of way.

He is, after all, Karasuno’s Sugamama.

“Honey, are you alright now? Did those Shiratorizawa bastards hurt you? Don’t lie to me!” She blinked in reply, baffled.

He might cry in an instant now—

“Oi, Suga, calm down,” Daichi said, drawing circles at the fellow third-year’s back to calm him down.

Aone then stepped closer besides Hinata and sat with his legs crossed, his eyes gazing at hers like Kageyama’s.

“Are you okay?” he asked her, his deep voice nearly startled both Hinata, Yachi and Kinoshita.

Date Tech’s one-third of the famous Iron Wall is a man of few words, and his replies were mostly grunts, hand gestures, and nods.

So it’s rare for him to speak, or ask a question, especially to a member of the opposite sex—or, in this case, at Karasuno’s Number 10. At Hinata Shouyou.

She held both hands at Aone’s now flustered cheeks, and grinned.

“I’m okay now, Aone-san! Don’t worry too much~ nn?” She tilted her head while looking at him.

C-cute… she’s cute, No-Eyebrows thought to himself. Even the other boys thought so, too.

Then he nodded.

Hinata patted his shoulders. “Good!”

Ahhh the power of friendship, feat. AoHina—

“Say, Hina-chan,” Yachi looked at the orange-haired girl. “Care to say to us why you fainted on Ushijima-san’s shoulder?”

The chibi stilled herself, cheeks starting to get a bit red. Kageyama noticed it.

“A-a-ano!! H-hinata-chan, it’s o-okay if you d-don’t have to tell us! S-sorry for asking such a foolish q-question—“

“Yachi-san, calm yourself down, too—,” the captain sweatdropped.

Looking at the people around her, Hinata slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“My thighs are kind of ticklish when being touched,” she muttered, face in an embarrassed state.

“Ha?” “Ticklish?”

“He—Ushijima-san touched the back of my thighs, but just to keep myself from falling down his shoulder!” the female middle blocker said aloud, pouting. “That’s why I… f-fainted earlier.”

Her partner remembered the face she made while being carried on Ushijima Wakatoshi’s shoulder.

“USHIJIMA-SA—hyaah! …P-please… stop—“

A vein pop ticked on the raven-haired setter’s face, his jawline twitching slightly.

Kageyama’s fists gripped hard, his face a big scowling mess.

Damn that Ushiwaka guy—

Another dark aura emitted on another corner as vein pops ticked on both Dadchi and Sugamama.

Wearing their scary faces.

Both Hinata, Yachi and Kinoshita panicked, while Aone furrowed his brows.

“Did you bring some shovels, Daichi?”

“They’re inside the bus compartment, Suga.”

“Good. We’re digging some graves for some perverted volleyball dorks to bury down later—wanna help us, Kageyama?”

———

Meanwhile, at Shiratorizawa’s side of the training camp, the members were at the sidelines, taking a break from practice when—

“ACHOO!!!” Tendou sniffled for the nth time already ever since coming back to the gym with Ushijima after the incident with Karasuno’s Number 10. “Uh, yizz…”

“Tendou-san, are you really alright?” their team’s first-year ace-in-the-making Goshiki Tsutomu asked, his face scrunched with worry. “You’re sneezing constantly.”

The redhead shook it off with a wave of his hand in reply, and smiled grimly.

“Yeah, I’m a-OK, thanks for your concern, Tsutomu-kun!”

“Oi, are you sick?” Shiratorizawa’s team mom third-year setter Semi Eita stared at his fellow third-year teammate with disgust. “If you are, please stay away from us! We don’t wanna get infected by your cold… Goshiki, don’t go near him!” “Eh? But, senpai—“

Tendou narrowed his eyes on him. “Semi-Semi, if I do have a cold, I will first go straight at ya and share my germs, duh!”

“DON’T CALL ME BY THAT STUPID NICKNAME, YOU IDIOT!” the team mom seethed, throwing a pack of tissues at the middle blocker in reply, hitting his arm.

A quarrel ensued at Shiratorizawa—

“Okay, guys, that’s enough! Save your bickering later at lunch period,” another third-year, Oohira Reon, chided and managed to stop both Tendou and Semi from tearing off their heads.

While the rest of the team just sighed and/or watched at a distance.

“Ano sa…”

Some of them turned their heads at the semi-deep voice of second-year starting setter Shirabu Kenjiro.

Idk how to describe voice ranges ‘cept high-pitch, deep blah blah sorry—

“Tendou-san, you mentioned earlier that you and Ushijima-san met Karasuno’s Number 10, right?”

“Aye~ we have!” the redhead then nudged Ushijima, who was sitting near him, on the side. “Right, Wakatoshi-kun?”

He nodded. “Un. We met Hinata Shouyou early this morning, outside the gym.”

“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! You two met that cute sunshine already upon arrival!?!!” Both their libero, Yamagata Hayato, and middle blocker, Kawanishi Taichi, squawked at their captain.

Their faces looked like (‘◉⌓◉’), with Kawanishi gripping the collar of Shirabu’s shirt, shaking wildly.

“T-taichi, stop shaking me, goddammit—!” Whack!

Said second-year middle blocker started to wail in a dramatic way.

“WHYYYYYYYYYYY—!!”

Dunno how to grasp Kawanishi’s personality here tbh so stfu dejk—

“We were about to bring her here back though…” Then Ushijima’s usual stoic face darkened a bit.

“…if only those Karasuno setters didn’t show up.”

“Ah, that Kageyama guy and their vice-captain, isn’t it? Number 2?” Shirabu pointed out. “That guy’s really scary even though he has the face of an angel; their captain also.”

Oohira asked, “Wait… so you two attempted to kidnap the girl?”

“No, no, ‘kidnapping’ will only cause us trouble,” Tendou said, waving his hand in a disapproving way.

“Let’s call it ‘luring her with some sweets then put her inside a potato sack’—“

“ARE YOU A DOWNRIGHT LOLICON!?!!” Semi screamed straight at the Guess Monster’s face, pissed at his earlier statement.

Tendou vs Semi, Round 2–

“I-I heard from Date Tech’s Koganegawa-san that Hinata-chan fainted on you, Ushijima-san,” Goshiki stammered, red tinge on both his cheeks due to embarrassment, maybe? “Is that true?”

Ushiwaka nodded curtly. “Ye—“

“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! SHE DID WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?!!” Both Yamagata and Kawanishi squawked again, interrupting his response.

Their faces now looked like (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾, with Kawanishi again gripping the collar of Shirabu’s shirt, shaking wildly.

“KAWANISHIIIIII!” An uppercut.

Chaos ensued inside the Shiratorizawa Academy (High School Division) Men’s Volleyball Club.

Their captain declared to himself, his olive-colored eyes shone with determination:

We will take Hinata Shouyou here, in Shiratorizawa. She should have (come here). Whatever the consequences be.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU SLACKING OFF, YOU NIMRODS!!! GET YOUR ASSES BACK TO PRACTICE!!!!”

“HAI!!!!”

———

How did the supposed-to-be ‘rumor’ begin? It all started when…

“Aaaarrrggghhh!! This is not right, Ryuu!”

“Huh? What d’you mean ‘not right’, Noya?”

“I want to sit next to our cute kouhai Shouyou on the bus earlier, but it’s always that bastard Kageyama who gets to sit beside her!! Hnnnnnngh—!!! He gets to touch Shouyou’s hair whenever she dozes off, or place her head on his shoulder to sleep on! Or-or maybe even take a candid shot of her sleeping cutely—dammit!!! This is frustrating!!!!!”

“Ahhh~ I know how you feel, bro! I, too, want to sit next to our precious Hinata-chan on the bus! B-but… Noya, what about Kiyoko-san?”

“Ryuu bro, our loyalty is always on our beautiful goddess Kiyoko-san—BUT SHE’S DIFFERENT FROM SHOUYOU! Our kouhai is literally the epitome of a living sunshine~! She cures our blues away! Remember that time during our match with Wakunan, when you were kind of down about Daichi-san’s injury then Shouyou suddenly hugged and peppered you with words of encouragement?”

“Oh, yeah! It calmed my senses down… and also! Remember when you came back from your suspension, and me and Hinata noticed bruises—“

idk I really need to refresh my HQ knowledge by rereading the whole manga orz—

“—on your arms? Ma~n, she freaked out and began applying those with some ointment she had in her bag. And you told me later that time Hinata’s hands were very soft even though she spiked and blocked so many balls in her lifetime? Also that expression on your face! So priceless!”

“Ahhhh~ I wanna touch Shouyou’s soft hands again longer! Not just a high five—but holding hands!”

“Me too~ Damn, I wish there’d be some kind of (rotational?) seating arrangement whenever we’re on the bus, traveling to matches and stuff…”

“Ryuu! Noya! Heya!”

“Tora! Our shitty (city) boy from Tokyo—wassup!”

“We can’t wait to play another game against you guys later! ww”

“Same here!”

“Ah, what are you guys talking about?”

“OUR PRECIOUS KOUHAI HINATA/SHOUYOU!!!”

“Eh? Shrimpy-chan? What about her?”

“It’s like this….—“

The two crows and mohawked cat walked their way inside the camp premises, talking.

Unbeknownst to them, two eagles accidentally eavesdropped on the earlier conversation.

DO NOT REPOST/EDIT WITHOUT PERMISSION. PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME, KIDS. LIKES ESPECIALLY REBLOGS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED. ALL WORKS © angrymongol01 - 2021.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Taming of the Shrew

Peter Parker x Reader

Words: 3035

Summary: Peter has been in love with you from the day he set eyes on you. The only problem is, is that you’re not exactly the most approachable girl in school. Your fear of your own feelings starts to break down as Peter charms his way into your life. 

Notes: Since 10 Things I Hate About You is my favorite movie, I wanted to draw some inspiration from that. Hope you enjoy! (I’m actually really proud of the ending guys. If you’ve seen the movie, hopefully, it’ll sound familiar)

Marvel Masterlist

-

He didn’t know what to make of you. In class, you voiced your opinions without a second thought, no matter how unpopular they were. You were unapologetically you, but you kept to yourself. You barely spoke to anyone unless you were arguing with them. It seemed that your only friend was Michelle. And he was completely head over heels for you. 

But, alas, you barely acknowledged his existence. Every time he’d pop up out of nowhere next to your locker, you put in your headphones and walked away. You sat alone at lunch, often reading or just listening to music. Peter found you absolutely fascinating, but Flash never missed an opportunity to make fun of you. 

“If it isn't the resident freak of Midtown Tech.” He mocked as you walked into biology. You ignored him, per usual and took your seat… next to Peter. 

“Just ignore him,” Peter whispered. “I do.”

“I can fight my own battles, Parker.” You snapped. 

“Hey, Y/N, did you take any creepy pictures lately? I heard the police are cracking down on that kind of thing.” Flash taunted. 

“I work on the yearbook, dickwad.” You retorted. 

“Miss Y/L/N, language.” Your teacher shook her head with disappointment as she walked in the room, conveniently missing all of Flash’s comments as usual. She began the lesson, which you hardly paid any attention to. You’d done all the homework the night before since this teacher tended to rant about her personal life instead of actually teaching. When class was over, you rushed out into the hall, but Peter was fast. 

“Hey, Y/N, this is going to sound stupid, but I was wondering-”

“If you don’t want a sarcastic answer, don’t ask a stupid question.” You said bluntly, but he just shrugged it off like usual and maintained his sunny expression.

“A group of us were planning to get together to study for the Biology final this weekend, and I was wondering if you would want to come along? It’ll be at the park, everyone is bringing snacks.” The nervous stutter in his voice was actually pretty adorable and your lips betrayed you by giving him a slight smile. 

“By everyone, do you mean you and Ned?” 

“No, actually.” He had a little skip in his step as he walked with you to your next class. “MJ said she’ll be there.” And if MJ was going, you’d be going. You did almost everything together since she was really your only friend, besides your cat Baymax of course. You blew out a breath. 

“Then count me in, Parker.” You were sure that if he smiled any bigger that his face would split in half. You jutted a finger at his chest and narrowed your eyes. “You better bring those cookies that your aunt makes.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ve already got her making, like, four dozen.” He laughed. Great. Now he needed to ask Aunt May to make four dozen cookies by tomorrow. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the park then.” 

“Wait,” You groaned. “My dad will probably make me bring Becca. Is that okay?” He shrugged. 

“Yeah, sure.” Peter had never actually spoken to your younger sister. Becca was a super popular freshman who he had heard was really good at physics. He had also heard that she’d been hanging out with a kid named Joey. He made Flash look like Mr. Rogers. “She, uh, she won’t bring Joey with her will she?” 

“Uh, no.” You snorted. “You definitely don’t have to worry about that douche being anywhere near me.” 

“Great because he used to steal Ned’s lunch money, so there would be that drama and-”

“Parker.” 

“Yeah?”

“Run along.” 

“Okay.” 

-

Becca had gotten a ride home with one of her friends so you took the subway alone. You didn’t mind. It gave you a chance to listen to your music rather than listen to her blab about all of her popular friends. Especially Joey. You still shuddered at the thought of that creep trying to date your little sister. You wanted to tell her to stay away from him, but you knew that it would just make her do it even more. The two of you had been at odds for as long as you could remember. She was Miss Perky and you were the self-proclaimed shrew of the school. 

The station exit was a few blocks down from your apartment, allowing you to take in the sites of the city while the afternoon sun hung high overhead. It reminded you of when your mother would take you and Becca on little adventures, walking around New York like it was some new foreign world. That was before she left. You were too distracted by your music that you didn’t notice the hand reaching out of the ally to yank you in. 

There had been reports of a masked mugger in your neighborhood for a while now, but you never took it seriously. Maybe you should have. 

“Hel-” You started to scream, but he covered your mouth with his hand. 

“Let’s see what you’ve got, shall we?” He spoke in a tone that was clearly lower than his natural voice. Something about it sounded familiar, but you didn’t have time to process before a flash of red replaced the mugger. 

You took off running without a second thought. You sprinted towards your apartment building, but seven blocks seemed like miles. 

Spiderman webbed up the mugger before swinging down the street to catch up with you. He had seen a knife in the bad guy's hand so he was worried that you had been hurt. When the masked hero popped up in front of you, hanging upside down from a street light, he had to dodge the punch you almost landed to his face. 

“Woah, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” He released the web and did a flip to land on his feet. “Your arm’s bleeding.” He reached out a hand to examine the cut, but you jerked away, the sudden sting shooting up your arm. You hadn’t even noticed. 

“I’m fine, Spider-boy.” You snapped. 

“It’s Spiderman,” He corrected under his breath. 

“Whatever. Can I go home now?” You pushed passed him, but he was persistent. 

“Here, let me help. Hey Karen, make a bandage web.” 

“Seriously, that isn’t-” He gently grabbed your arm before you could object. You should have shoved him away, but you didn’t. Why was your heart doing this weird fluttering thing? He pressed the webbing to the wound, making you wince slightly, but it actually felt really nice. 

Peter watched you watch him and he couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. He felt more confident in the mask. 

“Go ahead, Peter,” Karen said. 

“Can I walk you the rest of the way?” Spiderman asked. You raised your eyebrows and scoffed. 

“You’re kidding, right? Are you hitting on me?” 

“You know, most people would be a little more grateful after being saved by a superhero.” He argued, the playful tone in his voice sounding so familiar to you. He was right. He might have just saved your life. But you would never admit defeat, especially to some kid in glorified spandex. 

“Oh, you mean like this?” You smiled seductively and leaned in, reaching your fingers up to his mask. 

Peter’s breathing hitched. Was this really happening? Your hands suddenly moved from his mask and grasped his shoulders, giving you better momentum as you kneed him the crotch. He let out a groan and toppled back into a collection of trash cans. You walked into the apartment building before you could change your mind. 

“That went well.” Karen teased as Peter stood up, kind of waddling as he brushed off the dirt and trash. 

“I told you.” Even with his now sore groin, he was smiling. “She’s something.”

-

Central Park was crowded, but if you could find the right spot, it wasn’t so bad. You met up with MJ early to do just that, finding some benches away from all of the running children and obnoxious dog-walkers. 

“So he asked to walk you home?” MJ wondered. You had been telling her about the previous day's events and she was just very interested in the fact that you kneed Spiderman in the balls. 

“What a creep right?” You scoffed, trying to hide how you really felt. You’d be damned if you allowed yourself to have a crush on some egotistical masked vigilante. Michelle shrugged. 

“Doesn’t sound that bad.” 

“He could be some thirty-year-old pervert who lives in his mother’s basement!” You knew that much wasn’t true. His voice sounded too young and oh so familiar. 

“Sorry I’m late, but I didn’t want to be here.” Becca chimed with her sickly fake sweet tone. 

“You could just, I don’t know, get stuck in a tree or something.” You snapped back. She stuck out her tongue and changed her focus to her phone, taking a well-planned selfie while you and Michelle rolled your eyes in unison. 

“Here comes the dork squad,” MJ announced, watching Peter and Ned trek towards you with a large picnic basket between them. 

“Hey everyone.” Peter greeted, setting the basket down on the bench. His eyes darted towards you and quickly looked away. “I brought some drinks and some snacks, so take whatever you want.”

“I brought an extra book in case anyone forgot theirs,” Ned added, pulling the Biology books from his bag. Becca made a face. 

“You guys are actually studying?” 

“Uh, yeah?” Peter gave her a confused look. What else would they be doing? She scoffed. 

“I’m going to go find a magazine stand.” She sashayed away in her mini skirt, calling one of her clones probably to whine about you. You were about to say something, but Peter interrupted you, wanting to keep everyone’s moods up. 

“I was thinking we could do flashcards?” 

Studying actually went really well. You had been struggling with Biology and Peter’s charisma made learning a lot easier than your boring teacher’s lessons. Okay, it helped that you may have had the tiniest little crush on him. Not that you’d ever tell him that. Your ‘tough-bitch’ persona would be ruined. It had just been an hour or so when you saw him. Joey, leaning against a tree, leaning over your sister. 

“I’ll be back.” You told the group and stomped over to the pair. You shoved Joey away from Becca, steam practically coming out of your ears. 

“What the hell, Y/N!” Becca shrieked, but you ignored her. 

“Stay away from my sister, Joey.” You commanded. He just laughed. 

“You jealous, freak?” He took a step towards you, his disgusting gaze traveling up and down your body. “Because if you’ve changed your mind about us hooking up, I would be more than happy to oblige.” Your stomach twisted into a knot. 

“Y/N, what is he talking about?” 

“Nothing, Becca, he’s full of shit.” You hissed. The commotion had drawn the rest of the group over to you and you felt Peter’s hand gently touch your shoulder. 

“Everything okay?” His eyes and his voice were so sincere that you wanted to cry. You knew what Joey was doing and you didn’t want Peter anywhere near here. 

“Back off, Parker.” Joey snapped. His lips spread into a cruel smirk, looking back at you. “You weren’t saying that last month at Flash’s party. I believe it was something like,” he moved his hips back and forth, mockingly moaning in a higher voice, “Yes Joey. Like that Joey. You’re so good at this…” 

“Y/N?” Now it was MJ sounding confused. 

“Shut. Up.” You growled, pushing Joey again. He grabbed your wrists. 

“Just like old times, right?” He sneered. “Freshman year, you couldn’t get enough of me.” 

“Leave her alone.” Peter appeared beside you. You’d never seen him angry before, but he looked ready to tear Joey apart. 

“I can handle this, Peter.” You ripped your hands away, still feeling his revolting touch. He was relentless. 

“Wouldn’t you like to, you little bitch!” His smug smile was broken by Peter’s fist colliding with his face. Becca screamed and you jumped back, Michelle catching you before you could fall. 

“Peter!” You screamed, watching the two in a whirlwind of punches. “Peter, stop!” Joey was nearly six inches taller than him and he had muscle built up from his years of doing football. Yet somehow, it seemed like Peter was winning. When the two seemed to have an equal share of cuts and bruises, Peter shoved Joey away. 

“Now get out of here.” He commanded. Joey gave Becca one last wink before running off. 

“What the hell, Peter?” You snapped. Without another word, you and MJ walked away, Becca shuffling along after you. Peter just stood there, dumbfounded. 

“Your lip’s bleeding,” Ned said in awe. Peter shook his head, watching your retreating back, shoulders hunched forward with humiliation. 

“Not now Ned.” 

-

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Becca asked. Her usual brattiness was gone and her voice held the sincerity of a concerned sister. 

“Because I never wanted to remember it.” You sniffed. You’d been crying for the past hour. You felt so stupid. The worst part was that all of it was true. You and Joey had been an item freshman year and he was, unfortunately, your first time. “We were only together for about a month… when mom left.” Becca put a hand on top of yours. 

“And Flash’s party?” She grimaced. You nodded, an ashamed tear falling down your cheek. 

“That was the result of a surge of teenage rebellion and way too much tequila.” You held up your pinky. “Promise me you will never let alcohol make any decisions for you ever.” She laughed and hooked her pinky with yours. 

“I promise.”

A sudden knock on your window made you both jump. Outside, was none other than Spiderman. Becca could hardly contain her excitement as she leaped off of your bed and moved to unlatch the lock.

“Don’t let him in here!” You exclaimed. 

“It’s Spiderman, of course, I’m letting him in.” She undid the lock and pushed up the window, allowing him to slip inside. 

“Thanks.” He nodded, trying to lean casually against the wall. “Can I, uh, talk to Y/N?” She looked at you with wide eyes and a huge grin. 

“Don’t you-” You started, but she was already out the door. 

“I came to check up on that cut.” He lied. There was that voice again. 

“Don’t move.” You commanded, walking up to him. It was time to see if your suspicions were right. You lifted your fingers up to his mask, feeling for his lips. You hit a certain spot and he winced. Bingo. “Peter?” His heart pounded. 

“What? No. I’m not Peter. I-” You raised a brow and he knew that it was no use. Hesitantly, he took off the mask. His lip was split in the corner and a bruise had started to form on his right cheek. 

“Jesus, Peter.” You were more phased by his injuries than his secret identity. “Why the hell would you do something so stupid?” He just shrugged. 

“I couldn’t listen to him to talk to you like that.” 

You wrapped your arms around yourself, trying not to look him in the eye. Those big brown puppy dog eyes that held nothing but total admiration for you even after everything he heard. 

“You probably don’t think much of me anymore.” You wiped your face with your sleeve. “Everything that Joe said was true.” 

“Y/N.” Peter sighed. He took a step towards you and when you didn’t retreat, he put his hands on your arms. “I don’t care about what Joey said. I care about that spit-fire girl who wasn’t afraid to kick a superhero in the crotch.” You laughed. Despite everything, he could still make you laugh. His adorable smile turned sheepish. “I’ve liked you for a really long time, Y/N. Really really liked you. Got-my-aunt-t- make-four-dozen-cookies, liked you.” He held up a box in his hand. “Which I brought, by the way.” 

Just like that, your tough girl exterior faded. 

“I like you too.” Cautiously, you put a hand on his cheek and brought his lips to yours. Peter’s heart soared and he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer. 

“You are not going to bel-” Becca burst into the room and gasped. Peter tried to hide his face behind you, but she’d already seen him. “Oh hey, Peter.” She only seemed slightly surprised. It was always the geeky ones. She closed the door behind her, a mix of excitement and mischief in her expression. “Good, I can show this to you too.” She pulled up an article on her phone. “The neighborhood masked-mugger… is Joey.” You snatched the phone from her hand. 

“No. Way.” Sure enough, the article listed the details of his arrest. Apparently, after his fight with Peter, Joey went on a spree and messed with the wrong woman. He got pepper-sprayed and was apprehended soon after. 

“That’s crazy.” Peter blew out a breath. Becca smirked and took back her phone. 

“I’ll let you two get back to it.” She wiggled her eyebrows at you and backed out of your room. 

“So I guess me kicking his ass helped get him caught,” Peter said with a hint of cockiness. 

“I’m still pissed at you.” You put your hands on your hips. He pouted, holding up the box of baked goods.

“But I brought you cookies.” You laughed, taking one out of the box, it’s gooey center melting in your mouth.  

“Okay, but you can’t just bring me cookies every time you piss me off.” You pointed out, moving to the other side of your room, taking the box for yourself. He shot a web out of his wrist and it latched onto your hand. 

“I know, but there’s always,” He tugged on the web, pulling you closer, “cakes,” closer, “pies,” closer, “and maybe, one day…” You were pressed against him now, grinning from his silly antics. “Muffins.” You shook your head, but your lips collided without hesitation for another perfect kiss.

I want you to want me….

[ladywinterwitch]

Infamous Winter Soldier

Pairing: Sebastian Stan X Fan! Reader 

Summary: You were convinced by your eight years old Brother to attend Wizard world con. He absolutely wanted to see his favourite hero, the winter soldier. During the photo op, you catch the hero's eye.

Warnings: Just fluff, it kinda turns into a social media AU at the end (but it’s not, it’s just texts)

Word Count: 2987

A/n: Y’all this is more like a fever dream than anything, but a girl can always dream ;) But one thing’s for sure: I have met him and I assure you he is that charming and sweet. So sweet.

                                                 (Gif not mine)

You yawned, then procedeed to shake your head a bit, squeezing your eyes to try and stay focused. You've been up til late to finish an assignment for college, even though you knew that the morning after you would've had to wake up early. Why? Your little devil (no, in reality he was a sweetheart, but you really wanted to hate him for this) of a Brother convinced you to take him to Wizard World Con after your parents said no. 

-That’s totally your responsibility y/n. Try to take him home alive, will you?- those were the last words that your mother said to you before your departure. 

So there you were, driving a two hours trip, sleep deprived and with the only thing that keeps you alive awake being a cold brew latte from Starbucks. But someone else, precisely an eight year old way too hyperactive, was definetely more awake than you. The only thing stopping you from getting Harry to actually drive in your place was that he doesn’t have a driver license.

-Swoooosh! y/n look out! Captain America's shield is coming your way!- Harry screamed too loud for your liking. You rolled your eyes, narrowing them a bit for the noise, but playing along anyway.

-Oh no, help me.- you responded with the tiniest bit of enthusiasm that you could find.

-Don't worry, the winter soldier will catch with his metal arm!- he made a noise that was supposed to resemble the metal impact -You're safe now. Thank Bucky now.- He shoved a little action figure in your face and you gave it a slap.

-Harry don't do stuff like that! I'm driving. And who the hell is Bucky?- you huffed and then asked. You really didn't want a car crash to happen, especially not for a damn toy.

-What? He's the winter soldier! Bucky Barnes. You don't know that?- he said shocked.

-You Always call him Winter Soldier, and I haven't seen the movies, so no, I didn't know.- you responded.

-Don't worry, I'll fix it. So, James Buchanan Barnes was born on march 10 1917..- he started to tell his whole story, comic and movies and lore, just to be sure to not miss anything.

You mentally cursed yourself for asking and just hoped that at least this actor is a good person, if he was a duchebag, you probably wouln't have responded to your actions. Not just because it would be a tremendous disappointment for your brother, but also because your gas, money, time and sleep would've been wasted.

-

Harry finished his storytelling, and you murmured a 'Thank God' and commented that it was very interesting. But, even if it was a neverending ramble, it had been actually quite interesting. You never saw the movies, but now, hearing all that story, you thought about how difficult it must have been to bring everything to the screen. Not just story-wise, but also emotionally. All the dark things that he'd gone through.

-We're here buddy.- you announced as you parked outside the building.

-Yeah!- he cheered and clapped. You both got out of the car and while you were walking towards the entrance you saw some people. Some of them were in costume and some weren’t, but everyone had their pass on.

-Shit, I almost forgot.- you muttered looking in your bag and pulling out two passes and your IDs. You passed one to Harry while you kept the documents, and he put it around his little neck.

-Okay, now let's go inside and take look at the schedule c’mon.- he nodded happily and you went inside. You found yourself in the lobby and saw a sign that gave directions to the various rooms. You took the main corridor and arrived in a big common lobby, where a lot more people and several booths were present.

You walked in between, looking around. Some of the booths were mainly selling nerdy stuff, some t- shirts, some art, and so on. Others, that were empty, had above them a large paper board with a collage of the actors faces and their names.

-How's Bucky called again?- you asked your little brother.

-Sebastian Stan.- he answered, then pointing somewhere on your left.

-There! That's his table.- he ran towards the booth and you sighed, following him. You looked at the board and kinda tought that maybe it wouldn’t have been that bad. There were different photos, with different haircuts, but his handsome face was still the same. Blue eyes, sharp features, pink lips and a smile to die for.

-Well, damn.- you whispered to yourself, feeling definetly more awake.

Then you looked at the day’s schedule and saw that his first panel was at ten am. It was now nine thirty, so you wouldn't have to wait too long. You decided to go take your seats in the hall, and on the way you saw a few very long queues and your heart dropped a bit. It was going to be a long day.

-

The panel began exactly at the indicated time, and when the host annouced Sebastian, everyone cheered, screamed and clapped. He entered the stage with his fist in the air and a big smile.

You weren't exactly in first line, but you were close enough to see his figure clearly. He had a light grey tee shirt under a darker grey jacket, black jeans and brown suede shoes. His brown hair were slicked back and quite short at the sides, he had a scruff that adorned his sharp face.

You felt your stomach flutter a bit. You had never seen a man that attractive before. Not in real life at least. You were definetly going to watch those blessed movies once you got home.

-Hey everyone! How're you doing? Good? Yeah lemme hear ya!- he exclaimed with a big grin, laughing when the crowd cheered louder. You smiled and whoed a little with your Brother.

The panel begun and as the questions went on, you found out a few things about him: He couldn't take a compliment if his life depended on it, he was really smart and thoughtful, he was a dork but the adorable kind, he liked 80's rock and Star Wars. At some point a fan was so nervous to ask him her question that someone screamed 'someone give her a hug' and by everyone's shock she did recive that hug from Sebastian himself. You were a few seats away from the mic and took that opportunity to take a better look at him.

He squeezed her in his arms even raising her from the ground, and when he walked away laughing she fell on the floor. Same girl, same you thought.

After that little interruption the panel ended smoothly. He thanked everyone and said that he would see them at the photo ops.

You and your brother walked out of the hall to buy a snack. On the way to the vending machine you couln't stop thinking about him. You were bewitched by his voice, his mind and his appearence. How come you never found out about him before today? Harry was always talking about that Winter Soldier, but you thought that his interpreter deserved the same, if not more attention. But he was a little boy passionate about superheroes, so it was normal for him to prefer the punch and adventure kinda guy than tha thoughtful one.

-

Sebastian had his first photo op session and after his autograph session at four pm, and honeslty you didn't know what to do until then. It was just midday. So you looked at the schedule and opted for another actor's panel that was at three pm, maybe getting out a little early to take place in the queue.

From one to three pm there had been a lunch pause for everyone, so you and Harry went outside to eat a burger at a near diner. To get away from the crowd for a bit, but also because the food inside was hella expensive.

You had enough time to do everything calmly and you even had a brief call with your mother to update her.

-So, how was he?- she asked with a little excitement.

-Honestly? Surprising.- you laughed a bit.

-As good or bad?-

-Good. Very good. He seems like a very genuine and sweet person. We just saw his interview though. Maybe up close he'll be an asshole. But I doubt. He seemed like a really down to earth guy.- you heard her giggle a bit.

-My daughter has a crush on the superhero uh?- you blushed.

-What? No, no. I don't even know him, mom.- you quickly responded.

-Hey, chill honey. I was just messing with you. But I wouldn't blame you. You know, I've seen those movies under your brother's torture, but those pretty blue eyes didn't escape me. Nor did his even prettier face.- your mouth was agape.

-Mom!- she just chuckled like a schoolgirl.

-Oh, let an old woman dream a bit y/n. - your smirked and rolled your eyes.

-You're not old. Your fifties seem thirties, mom.You’re doing good.- you heard her sigh.

-My babygirl, always speaking the truth.- you laughed, shaking your head.

-I'll hear you later mom.-

-Later honey! Kiss the pretty soldier for me!- you hang up, shaking your head again. She was shameless.

-

This other actor's panel was interesting but not as much as Sebastian's one. Or maybe it was because you couldn't really concentrate. In any case four pm came rather quickly and you went outside to queue, and boy, did you wanted to run away.

An enormus line of people was already there, waiting. You told your brother to stay in line while you tried to see where it began. The first girls were in front of a closed blue tent, a big large bodyguard in front of it. You sighed, defeated, and went back to Harry.

After a few minutes the queue started to move. You were just behind the middle, and almost felt sorry for the people in the back, but you wouldn't have moved for any reason in the world.

You played a little with a game on your phone, looked at the notifications, the news and even searched for the weather broadcast for the day after. It was supposed to be sunny, just like today.

Speaking of sun, you began to feel a little hot, so you took off your black leather jacket and were left with your pale pink short shirtdress. You really liked that dress because it reminded you a bit of the 50's. You loose braid fell from your shoulder on your back when you slipped off the jacket.

You looked at your brother that apparently was more social than you, because he had been able to found a few other children to play with. Then you gazed at the line and you were surprised when you saw that just a few more people were in front of you. With all the people in front of you you were honestly surprised that it took just twenty minutes, but on the other hand, it didn't take ages to take a photo either.

You put your phone away, not wanting to waste any more battery before you got to your hotel in the evening. A lttle past five it was your turn. The bodyguard checked your passes and got you in.

Your brother straight up ran to Sebastian, hugging his hips, his head barely reached his stomach.

-Hey bud! It's good to see you too. What's your name?- he chuckled squatting in front of him.

You remained in the corner watching. You didn’t buy a photo, so you weren’t supposed to appear. You had your arms crossed, your bag and jacket pressed on your chest. You grinned looking at the scene.

-Harry.- he answered proudly. Sebastian nodded, keeping his smile. Then he looked up, straight at you. His gaze locked on you. Your smile faded and a tremendous blush took place.

-And who's that, Harry?- he asked, a little smirk on his lips.

-That's my big sister y/n!- he exclaimed. Sebastian got up putting a hand on your brother's shoulder.

-Isn't your sister taking the photo?- his look never left your figure.

-Uh-Uhm...no, I just accompanied him.- you responded nervously with a gesture of your hand. He shook his head making a fake disappointed face.

-Nah, you're too pretty to not be included. What do you think pal?- your brother begged with a c'mon and you reclutantly gave up, passing your jacket and bag to the assistant with an apologetic smile. Then you walked to them and you were finally face to face with him. He was taller than you, your head reached his ear more or less.

-Hi.- you said, not really knowing what to do. He flashed a big grin.

-Hi to you.-

-Mr, there's still line outside.- the assistant said and you looked away embarassed.

-Yeah, sorry. Big smile.- Sebastian said, while he circled Harry, who was showing off his non existing muscles, with one hand, and the other was placed on your waist, pulling you closer to him. The little tug making you instictively place a hand on his chest. They were both smiling, so you did your best and gave the camera a small shy smile of your own.

-Done!- the photographer said. You moved and the assistant gave you your stuff.

-Thankyou.- you said to the handsome man. He winked.

-My pleasure.- after that you exited the tent in front of you. You brother went away jumping from the joy, while you stayed behind, walking slowly. You still didn't process what just happened. You touched unconsciously your side, where his hand was, smiling like an idiot.

-

You went to fetch the photo, and while Harry was basically flying with happiness, you couldn't stop yourself to look at how close he was holding you, your hand on his chest your rosy cheeks and his handsome grin. Your heart was about to burst.

The photo ops were over about half an hour later, and the authographs should’ve been starting in fifteen minutes. Your mind wasn't giving you a break. You kept repeating what happened in your head. At first you felt like a damn teenager in love, but then more bitter questions started to take place in your mind. Was he joking? Was he always this flirty with everyone? Was he even single in the first place? Was he just trying to get you to relax or was he hitting on you?

All these questions almost made you decide to not accompany your brother at the autograph booth. But then you just decided that you just couldn't do that, so you took a deep breath and went to queue. This time you arrived a little early, so you were on the first half thankfully. The wait was just about ten minutes.

You were next. Harry left to you the task to give him the photo to sign, just because you were taller and had better access to the table. You slipped the picture under his eyes and as soon as he recognized you, he looked up and smirked.

-Hey again.- he said with a suave tone, signing the photo. -Hey bud, are you having fun?- he asked and you looked at the little boy next to you with a smile.

-Yes! I'm your biggest fan! The winter soldier is my favourite character- he told him. You returned your gaze to Sebastian and he took the photo in his hand, passing it to you. A small smile on his lips while he watched you. You gave him a shy smile in return and felt yourself melting. You took the photo and thanked him again.

-Thank you bud. And thank you.- he spoke to you. You gave a small nod and went on.

-

After the autographs you went around a bit between the merchandise booths and ended up buying a winter soldier backpack for your Brother, then you went out to grab dinner. It was just six thirty, but you were both hungry. You eated then you sent a text to your mother saying that everything was okay. You didn't wanted to go into details.

Then you drove for a few minutes to the nice hotel you booked for the night. As soon you stepped into the room, Harry changed into his Avengers pajamas and started to watch tv.

You unpacked the only change you brought, then you wanted to put in the suitcase the documents,passes and the other stuff, but your eyes fell on the back of the photo. You took it into your hand and saw that a yellow sticky note was attached at the back.

Can't give u my number, but feel free to text me in instagram dms Seb ;)  

You were  shocked. Sebastian fucking Stan asked you to text him? You went into the bathroom with your phone, needing a moment to recompose yourself.

-Oh my God.-  you did a face palm. Walking up and down the little bathroom, you nervously toyed with the phone in your hands.

What should I do? I mean the worst that can happen is that he'll not respond. But he should, 'cause he did write the note.Your mind was spinning. You looked at yourself in the mirror.

-Oh, fuck it.- you huffed and opened instagram. You had an account but had barely two posts. You weren't the type to post or stalk people, but you did follow a lot of pages with art, photography, music and movie stuff.

You searched his user and then tapped to the dm icon. His profile pic was a black and white photo

You wrote at least five different senteces, but then went for the simplest. Then you closed the app, blocked the screen and waited. You decided to refresh yourself in the meantime. You brushed your teeth and just when you were about to take off the make up on your eyes, a notification popped up.You took the phone and unblocked it with shaky hands.

You closed the app and went back to your room with a smile plastered on your face, and almost didn't notice that your brother had fallen asleep. You you covered him with the bed covers, turned the tv off and then changed into your pjs and went to bed. You couln't wait for Tomorrow.

So, first off, I feel the need to precise that OBVIOUSLY the chat is fake and photoshopped. It’s kind of obvious, but ya know not everyone has enough braincells I guess. Just to be sure. Anyways, hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought <3

[unbelievableholland]

100 FOLLOWER CELEBRATION PROMPTS:

A/N: It is finally hereee. Sorry if it's a bit late, I'm like, at 117 followers now AND I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT. Thank y'all so much for supporting me and reading my fics❤️❤️❤️ OH, and sorry if the prompts aren't that great, I'm still not used to writing prompts but, I really tried my best because I want this celebration to be good.

And for the requests that I have YET TO FINISH, I apologize again because I don't have great time management. I'll be working on the requests in order as well. Let's just hope school doesn't get in the way of this one😂 send in requests as much as you can guys! I love your ideas so much and it keeps me motivated to get through school so I can continue to write my heart out😂❤️

I'll be extending the time limit to this by the for a month because why not😂

I'll be accepting requests from this prompt list within this period of time:

February 14, 2020 — March 14, 2020

A N G S T :

1. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay”

2. “You said you’d never leave me, so why are you walking away?”

3. “You promised! You promised me that you’ll stay!”

4. “That’s exactly the thing y/n, I loved you”

5. “Where were you!? I’ve been waiting for 5 goddamn hours!”

6. “I am really sorry, darling.”— “It’s ok. I’ll be here I guess.”

7. “I know I promised, but—”— “It’s fine. Just know that I’ll always be here for you.”

8. “You idiot! Why did you keep this from me!?”

9. “Cut the crap, I know you’re hurt!”

10. “You don’t have to pretend, I know you pretend every goddamn day. You’re hurting yourself, you’re hurting me.”

11. “Before I leave, I have one more request.”— “What?! After all of this, what else could you possibly want out of me?!”— “Be happy. Move on. Please, look after yourself.”

12. “You told me you loved me, did you tell her that to?!”

13. “You know you don’t have to hide anything from me, so please tell me why there are cuts on your arm”

14. “How stupid could you be to think that you could handle that yourself?!”

15. “I wanted to see you, but not like this. Never like this.”

16. “Am I really that bad?”

17. “You’ve walked away so many times but I took you back! This is too much. I’m so sorry but it’s my turn to leave.”

18. “Don’t please I—”— “You have to let go sweetheart. You know you’ll have to eventually.”

19. “So, what, you’re just giving up on me? On us??”

20. “What happened?”— “It’s like— I-It’s like I forgot how to love you”

21. “Don’t force it, please. You already know that it’ll end like this even if we try again.”

22. “I don’t owe you anything. I don’t owe you a fucking thing”

23. “Everyone thinks she’s not the one, but she I think she’s damn near close to that if she isn’t. I know I can’t risk losing her.”

24. “Just know that I’d go to the moon and back just to get the chance to love you again.”

25. “Stop— Stop! Please, stop you’re hurting yourself!”

26. “I don’t deserve you. I never did, and I never got how you can love me the way you do now.”

27. “I realized how easy it is to live without you”

28. “I-I could’ve left but I didn’t”— “but you should’ve”

29. “You caught me, but you let me go”

30. “Go. Go to them. You always do anyway”

31. “I should’ve left when I had the chance.”

32. “You know, people warned me. Warned me about you.”— “What did they say?” “That you’d end up breaking my heart. I should’ve listened to them.”

33. “I—I think I broke her.”

34. “H-hey, it’s me. Y-you remember me, r-right?”

35. “You want to know the worst part, hmm?”— “I—”—”It’s been 5 fucking years and I still love you”

36. “Please let me explain!”— “I think you explained well enough last time. I understand, you love her, not me”

37. “I trusted you!”— “And I trusted myself enough not to hurt you, but I still did”

38. “This wouldn’t have happened if you just listened to me!”

39. “You know what they say…cut off one head, two more shall take it’s place.”

40. “Am I not enough for you??”— “You were”

41. “You told me you were over her”— “I lied”

42. “Making you fall in love with me was never my intention”

43. “You let me down when I thought I finally had someone to build me back up.”

44. “”Hey— hey baby? Come on, keep your eyes open for m-me. You can d-do this, b-babe— look a-at m— look at me! Y-you can do this, alright?”

45. “I’m fine, really. I always knew that he wasn’t the one. I guess you can say he’s just my almost”

46. “You could’ve died!”— “I did! I died the moment I saw him snap his fingers!”

47. “I’m sorry! I know I should’ve been better—” — “but you weren’t. You could’ve been but you weren’t!”

48. “H-Hey Pete. I just wanted to call you to say sorry. I know you’ve moved on, but I haven’t. I don’t know how long I have, but I wanted to tell you that, please, take care of dad, take care of yourself and take care of MJ. My life has been a wreck, but it was way better with you in it. When I lost you, I lost myself, and I’m sorry for that. I should’ve just been happy for you. God, I hope you don’t delete this voicemail.”

49. “He won’t be back! He’s dead and all you can do is accept it!”— “No! He’s not dead, he can’t be! He told me he’d come home, he promised me he’d be back!”

50. “It’s my fault, this is my fault. You’re not safe here, just— just leave. I don’t want to hurt you.”

F L U F F

51. “Never, in my life, have I felt so much love for one person.”

52. “Don’t worry, love. I’m here, and I never plan on leaving”

53.“Stop! Tickling me won’t work!”— “I doubt that, love. I can do this all day”

54. “My heart belongs to you, my London boy.”

55. “Don’t tempt me, babe”— “What? I’m not tempting you to do anything”— “Yes, yes you are. Everyday, just looking at you makes me want to love you even more than I already do, which—quite frankly— I didn’t think was possible.”

56. “W-will you go on a d-date with m-me?”— “Only if you kiss me again”

57. “Is that my hoodie?”— “uhhhhm, no?”

58. “Where were you?! I called so many times!”— “Yeah, but my phone died. I was at work. Why’d you call so many times though? I told you I was working today.”— “I remembered that I forgot to tell you that I love you before you left”

59. “C’mon, time to get up.”— “Noooo. I wanna cuddle some mooreee”

60. “You’re not sick anymore. Now can I kiss you?”

61. “I love you”— “No, you love Taylor Swift.”— “Shhh, you’re ruining the moment”

62. “Move. I want to cuddle”

63. “You’re an idiot.”— “Your idiot.”

64. “I know you’re only here for Tessa.”— “I mean, yeah, but playing with Tessa isn’t the same without you.”

65. “Can you do me a favor and NOT break your nose for once?”— “Sure, but only if you kiss it better.”— “Ew Tom, no. It’s all bruised and bloody.”

66. “I’m not afraid of the dark anymore.”— “Oh really? And why is that?”— “Because now, you’re here to light up my world.”

67. “You look cute when you’re mad. You’re like a cute little bunny with a frown”

68. “Oh come here. I know you can’t resist me.”

69. “I’ll go to sleep only if you sing to me first.”

70. “Will you be MJ to my Peter Parker?”

71. “Hey, can you take Tessa for a walk?”— “Yeah sure, but I thought you wanted to walk her?”— “I never said I wasn’t”

72. “I’d dance with you around the stars if I could”

73. “It’s a prank! It’s a prank, it’s a prank”

74. “Can you stop checking me out and actually try to clean the house?”

75. “Here, close your eyes and take my hand. Do you trust me?”— “No.”— “Oh come one, you don’t mean that.”— “Yeah you’re right, I don’t”

76. “I won’t be able to take you seriously if you keep wearing my cloths. Looks too good on you.”

77. “Let me go, I have work.”— “Not until I get my good morning kiss”— “Gross. You have morning breath.”

78. “You’re such a dork, but I guess that’s why I fell in love with you in the first place.”

79. “Don’t pout. That’s cheating because you know I can’t resist you when you pout”

80. “You? Ugly? Impossible.”

81. “I can’t think of anything other than you that can make me this happy.”

82. “NO! Don’t open your eyes!”— “Wha— Why??”— “Because then it won’t be a surprise, duhh!”

83. “Have you ever stopped to think, that maybe in another universe, we’re with other people? Maybe we don’t even know each other or—”— “You have to stop watching those documentaries, babe. Anyway, I don’t think I could ever be with anyone other than you. Even in another universe.”

84. “I hate you.”— “No, I know you love me.”— “I do, and I hate you for it”

85. “One day, I’m going to propose and you’ll say yes. It’s going to be the best day ever.”— “Yeah. It definitely will be.”— “And with that, Y/N L/N, will you make today the happiest day of our lives?”

86. “I like it when you’re sick”— “Hey!”— “It gives me more reason to take care of you.”

87. “So, there’s this house party RDJ’s hosting. Wanna be my date?”

88. “Awwww, I never realized how cute you are when you sneeze!”

89. “Hey, uh, we have thin walls here and I uh, I heard barking so I figured you have a dog. Is it alright if I play with them for a bit? I love dogs i-if you can’t already tell.”

90. “We could be soulmates you know.”— “I know, and I don’t mind one bit.”

91. “I really want to kiss you right now.”— “Kiss me then”

92. “You’re such an ass.”— “I know right. Been doing a lot of squats lately.”

93. “Ugh, it’s still too early. Wake me up later.”— “Too ea— it’s 4pm!”

94. “I love you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t laugh at you when you do something stupid”

95. “Get a life, you dummy.”— “I already have one. You.”

96. “Do you want to sed something beautiful?”— “I’m already looking at her.”

97. “It’s hard to think when I’m drunk.”— “That’s why you have me, sweetheart.”

98. “I did this for you, you know. I got drunk so I could be confident enough to tell you how I actually feel about you.”

99. “Don’t believe anything they say. I love you, and only you.”

100. “I missed you! But probably not as much as baby Holland did.”— “Excuse me, baby who now???”

[lovemesomerafael]

Others Like Me                              Chapter 13:  The Cell

 Chapters 1 - 10  Chapter 11  Chapter 12   Read It On AO3

Her hair is shorter.  It reaches only to her mid-back now, and it’s layered.  He likes it.  It’s a softer look, with a bedhead messiness to it that suits her.  It really works with the blonde patch.  She sees him immediately, and freezes.  Because the other Barnes is standing next to him, there’s no moment when she thinks Bucky is him with different hair.  Marya knows instantly that Bucky is… someone else.

She’s shocked, that much is clear.  Her face registers her confusion and Bucky thinks there’s a little bit of anger to it.

“Marya, come with me,” Clint says, taking her arms and trying to herd her into the kitchen.  She doesn’t budge.  It’s as though she’s suddenly made of something with an atomic weight somewhere near uranium.  Clint even tries to push her along, but she’s not moving.

“C’mon, Marya,” he wheedles.  “You don’t wanna be here right now.”

She doesn’t even acknowledge Clint, just keeps boring holes into Bucky with her eyes.  

“Seriously, kiddo,” Tony says softly.  “You don’t want any of this.”

Marya steps around Clint, who gives up trying to restrain her.  She comes to stand next to Tony.  

Bucky starts to stand up himself, only to feel the other Barnes lay a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“Uh-uh,” he says, his tone a warning.

Bucky knows his mouth is half-smiling, half hanging open, and he’s blinking like an owl to clear the tears welling in his eyes so he can see Marya clearly.  He’s probably never looked like more of an idiot, and he couldn’t care less.  

“Marya…”  It’s something between a sigh and a prayer.

She stares at him, her distrust and distress coming at him like something physical.  

Tony puts an arm around her shoulders and has to use more than a little muscle to turn her away from Bucky.  “Go with Clint,” he says softly to her, as though she is a child.

The way she looks up at him is almost a plea.  “What is happening?”  She breathes.

“I’ll tell you everything.  Just go with Clint for now.”

Bucky watches Marya consider that.  He’s always loved that she’s an open book.  Now more than ever, because he can see that she’s as intrigued as she is disturbed by him.  And he knows, before she does it, that she’s going to object.

“No,” she answers quietly, and steps out from under Tony’s arm.  “I want to know who this man is.”

Tony waits a beat, probably deciding whether to insist she leave, then seems to admit defeat on some level.  “He says he’s Barnes, from your universe.”

Her body doesn’t move, though her eyes turn to Bucky.  She takes him in for a very long time, her expression of troubled concern unchanged.  Bucky starts to feel like a butterfly pinned for inspection inside a glass case.  “I swear to you, Marya, it’s me.  Let me prove it.  Ask me anything, do whatever tests-“

Barnes’ left hand is still on Bucky’s shoulder, and he squeezes painfully as he growls, “Shut up.”

Marya looks up at Tony, who is still standing very near her.  “Is he?”

There are more emotions in those two syllables, and her face as she says them, than Bucky can possibly sort out.  But he’s only interested in one.  Longing.  And he hears it loud and clear.

“No,” Tony answers definitively, still in that soothing voice suited to someone who’s just awakened from a nightmare.  “That’s why you shouldn’t be here.  We don’t know what he’s up to, but it seems like a good idea to keep him away from you.”

She looks back at Bucky, then up at Tony.  “Is that an order, Sir?”

Tony frowns and purses his lips for a second before answering on a sigh, “Yeah, I think it is.  Sorry.”

Marya nods once and, with another long, searching look at Bucky, turns to leave the room.  Clint follows her.  She casts a last glance at Bucky just before passing through the doorway into the kitchen.

“I’m not gonna hurt you!  I’d never hurt you-“  Bucky calls after her, but she’s gone.

Bucky’s left staring after her.  Marya. His Marya.  He’s a little ashamed of himself.  Not a very dignified or profound reunion, him just sitting there, slack-jawed and gawking.  He sounded whiny, too.  Fuck. Then he remembers he hadn’t been at his best when they’d first met, either.  He’s actually a little glad about that now.  Glad he’d set her expectations low from the start.

*****

They don’t hurt him.  In fact, he meets this universe’s Bruce Banner when they insist Bucky let him examine his injuries, just to make sure he’s healing well.  That’s a bizarre meeting.  When he tells Bruce that, in his universe, Bruce has merged with the Hulk and is now an enormous, green, glasses-wearing dork, Bruce looks at him like…  well, like Bucky had looked at Professor Hulk.  

Aside from some fading bruises and residual pain in his right elbow, he’s as good as new.  Bruce’s scans show that his broken leg and internal injuries can be detected only by the still-healing scars where they’d been.  

The Avengers then spend several hours asking him a shitload of questions, which he answers honestly and completely.  Why wouldn’t he?  But they never react to his answers, just ask more questions, and they never give him information in return.  One of the few things he learns, to his dismay, is that this universe’s James Barnes, when he uses a first name at all, goes by Jim.  Bucky shivers in disgust.  Jim.  The only name he hates worse than James.  Aside from that painful bit of intel, though, the questioning is calm and civil.  They listen attentively, ask him frequently if he wants a break, and make sure he’s comfortable.

But they don’t believe him.  In the end, Tony agrees to study the switch, although Bucky is well aware that isn’t really a victory.  Tony’s so damned insatiably curious, studying the switch was a given.  Beyond that, they call bullshit on every part of his story and, when they get tired of interrogating him, they put him in what they call his quarters, although among themselves, it’s more commonly referred to as the brig.

It’s not bad, for a jail cell.  The main room is comfortably furnished and there’s a computer, books, movies and TV, food, a separate sleeping room and bathroom.  But one wall of the main room is some kind of clear barrier. On the other side, there’s an antechamber or whatever you want to call it, where the Avengers can come and see their prisoner.  Bucky feels like a fucking diorama.  Human Male in his Natural Habitat.  The barrier’s shatterproof (he knew it would be, but he didn’t want to disappoint them by not testing it), but he can hear through it when they push a button.  There’s no clear wall in the bedroom or bathroom, but there is also no attempt to conceal the multiple cameras in those rooms, either.

 Bucky lays back on his bed, an arm behind his head and the other hand on his stomach.  He sighs deeply, staring at the ceiling and thinking increasingly dark thoughts.  He tries to stop himself, but his mind has been a black cave for a long time now, and that’s not going to change in a few hours here.  

They’ve told him nothing.  He’s tried every way he knows how to learn more about them, but they’re nothing if not single-minded.  He’s tired and he’s a little discouraged.  He knows that’s ridiculous; he found the Avengers and Marya with no trouble at all in this new universe and they didn’t kill him or tell him to fuck off.  OK, so he’s a prisoner right now, but he’d kind of expected that.  He knows they won’t hurt him.  All in all, this first day’s been a stunning success he had no right to expect.  But he’s still upset.  He only got that one short glimpse of Marya, and knowing she’s right here, in this same building right now, is making him crazy.  He also wants to spend more time with Tony and Natasha, and even Clint.  Clint’s not dead in Bucky’s universe, but he’s still gone, and it’s still been just as long since Bucky’s seen him.  

He thinks about Steve.  Wonders whether Steve will ever know he’s gone, and if he does, whether he’ll care that, time travel or not, Bucky’s beyond his reach now.  He wonders where this universe’s Steve is.

Bucky doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that he hasn’t met him yet.  He’s been more than half-expecting to see Steve again, even a different Steve, and he wonders whether he’s disappointed that he hasn’t yet.  Probably.  That would be just like his masochistic ass.  Still fucking whipped two years after the lying asshole dumped him for a chick he hasn’t seen in eighty years.  

One of the cameras moves.  They’re encased in darkened bubbles, but he has supersoldier hearing.  He doesn’t have to see the cameras to know when they’re moving.  Someone is watching him.  He wonders if it’s Marya.  

After a fairly short time, Bucky dozes and then falls fully asleep.  He’s still using a lot of energy to heal, and the questioning has taken a lot out of him, not to mention the emotional strain of seeing Tony and Natasha again, breathing and laughing and giving each other shit.

It is Marya watching him, although he can’t know that, and she watches for a very long time.  She’s disobeying orders; Tony told Jarvis to block her feed from the brig.  But Marya has an affinity for tech and Jarvis is pragmatic, so when she began to hack into the feed, Jarvis relented.  She would have succeeded, anyway, and this way Jarvis doesn’t have to repair any damage.

Marya doesn’t want to be protected.  She wants to know.

*****

It’s two days before anyone comes to see Bucky.  Jarvis apologizes to him on Sir’s behalf, but he and the other residents of the Tower are “unavailable” and will be back to see him as soon as possible.  Bucky knows quite well what that means; no one knows better than he does what it sounds like when a Quinjet takes off from the landing platform on the Tower.  But he’s not confined to his cell.  He tells Jarvis he wants exercise, and Jarvis quite politely unlocks the door and instructs him how to get to a well-appointed gym two floors below.  

Bucky, of course, tries everything he can think of to escape, but Jarvis – unfailingly courteous – simply tells him “That’s the incorrect door” or “The gym is in the opposite direction” whenever he deviates from the prescribed route.  He knows now how gerbils feel in those habitats connected by plastic tubes.  

He knows this gym.  The Avengers in his universe have the Compound upstate now, but he’s seen this gym from the days when they lived in the Tower.  Tony’s guests at the Tower use it now.  Or they did, when Tony was alive.  Bucky honestly doesn’t know who uses it now, if anyone.

It’s a long two days.  Not that Bucky’s living any differently than he used to.  Holy shit, he’s become a pathetic, depressed hermit, he thinks. But now that he’s here, and so are Marya and the friends he’d lost in his universe, he wants to be with them. He wants them to come and interrogate him, or test him, or do whatever it is they need to so that he can prove he is who he says he is.  

If he’s honest with himself, he also kind of wishes he was with them for whatever mission they’re on.  He’d give anything to fight beside Nat and Ironman again.  Clint and the Hulk, too, for that matter.  It isn’t that he dislikes the new Avengers who came after they were gone.  It just isn’t the same.  And why hasn’t Bucky met Steve in this universe?  He must be here, right?  Surely, if the Avengers are on a mission, Captain America is with them?

Bucky spends much of the two days they’re gone doing more research. Now that he knows that the Avengers do, in fact, exist in this universe, he can only assume that they keep their existence secret.  He wonders what that’s about.  

Once he begins looking, he finds the Avengers readily enough online.  Not by name, and never directly.  But it’s obvious to someone who knows what they’re looking for.  News story after news story talks about improbable local heroes achieving superhuman feats that no one can really believe.  The evidence is always there, but every one of these stories has an element of head-scratching about how the alleged heroes could possibly have done whatever it is they’re supposed to have done.  Some of the stories flat-out deny that they did.  And there are a few web sites, here and there, where amongst the stories about the moon landing being fake and the Secretary General of the U.N. being an alien, there are mentions of a top-secret group of superheroes out fighting terrorists.  

It’s always terrorists.  The Chitauri invasion doesn’t appear to have happened in this universe, nor are there mentions of caped and nicknamed supervillains, or Asgardian gods.  But there is a shocking amount of terrorist activity here.  There are others, but the big terrorist threat seems to be the Ten Rings, which Bucky knows is the group that abducted and tortured Tony Stark in his universe. Bucky wonders.  Is it a coincidence that Stark Industries is still making weapons, and the Ten Rings is still active?  

Bucky Googles Obadiah Stane.  Nope.  Doesn’t exist here.  Hmmm. Curious.

*****

Tony’s somewhat the worse for wear when he shows up in Bucky’s cell on the morning after the team returns.  He’s got a black eye with a cut under it, bandage strips over some stitches on his nose, and his left arm’s in a sling.  He’s also limping.  Natasha looks a little better, but she, too, has cuts and bruises and a cast on her right wrist.  Clint’s OK. He’s sporting a few bruises, but seems fine.  

Bucky’s happy to see that Sam Wilson is with them, too.  He and Sam have never really been friends, but it’s still good to know that Sam is with the Avengers in this universe.  He looks good.  In fact, if he took part in the mission they’ve just returned from, you can’t tell it by looking at him.  Bucky can’t see any injuries on him at all.  

Still no Steve.  Bucky decides he’s going to get at least one answer today.  

The group stops outside the transparent wall of Bucky’s cell.  There’s a two-person catering crew behind them, flanking a rolling cart that looks like it might be breakfast.  Tony knocks on the barrier with one knuckle, a smirk on his face.  “Can we come in?  We brought food.”

Bucky shrugs from where he’s standing in front of the open refrigerator in his little kitchen area, drinking orange juice from the bottle.  The door buzzes and opens with a loud series of clicks, and Tony and Natasha enter.  

“You’re not gonna make me hold a weapon on you to make sure the caterers are safe, are you?”  Natasha drawls.

“Not if they have coffee.”

Sam and Clint follow the caterers through the door.  While the caterers set up at the good-sized table in the room, Sam saunters over to Bucky and holds out a hand.  Bucky shakes it.  

“Sam Wilson,” he says.

“I know.  We have one in my universe, too.”

Sam smiles.  “He as good lookin’ as me?”

“Exactly as good looking, as a matter of fact,” Bucky grins back.

Sam gives him an appraising look.  “Not sure about the hair, man.  There’s an awful lot of it.”

“Yeah, your Barnes is apparently more dedicated to grooming than I am.”

“Bullshit,” Sam laughs.  “It ain’t that hard to get a haircut.  You get off on your flowing tresses.  You’re as conceited as he is.”

Bucky’s surprised.  This Sam is not only nicer than his, but also seems to be much more at ease with Bucky than the rest of these Avengers.

When the table is set and the caterers have gone, the group sits down to one of the best breakfasts Bucky’s ever had.  Almost like it’s the most normal thing in the world to be hanging out in a cell, eating Eggs Benedict with the prisoner.

“I have a question,” Bucky announces before any substantive conversation can begin.  “And don’t say ‘we’re asking the questions here,’ because I know that.  I plan on answering whatever you ask, like I been doin’. But I gotta know.  Where’s Captain America?”

The other three at the table exchange glances, and Natasha gives a slight shrug, upon which Tony answers, “He has some things he needs to take care of this morning.  Are you that fond of your own face?”

“Told you.  Conceited,” Sam grins at Bucky.

Bucky frowns.  “No. Captain America.  Steve.  Steve Rogers.”

There’s another of those stunned reactions they can’t quite hide.

“Who’s that?”  Clint asks. The others do a very good job of pretending nonchalance.  Just not good enough to fool someone with Bucky’s skills.

“Don’t bother.  I can see you know who I’m talking about.  Steve Rogers. Tall, blond, stubborn as a statue of a bull?”

There’s no answer.  No verbal answer, anyway.  But Bucky’s trained eye sees the answer anyway.  

“Fuck,” he whispers.

There’s a round of glances between those at the table, except for Sam.  Sam meets Bucky’s eyes squarely.  “A year ago now.”

“Sam!”

“Come the fuck on, Tony, he knows.  We really gonna sit here and waste time and energy bullshitting?  And then expect him to be straight with us?”

“You saying you believe him?”  Tony asks, a clear challenge in his eyes.

“I ain’t sayin’ he’s Barnes from another universe.  But, whoever he is, he knows about Captain America and Steve Rogers. And he knows a bunch of other shit we’re gonna have to figure out how to deal with.  Anyway, no point tryna hide this.  Ain’t like Steve’s comin’ back, is it?” Sam snarls.  

Bucky has learned some things from Sam’s reaction and the looks on the faces of the others at the table.  First, they disagree about what, if anything, to tell Bucky.   And second, whatever happened to their Steve, they’re all still trying to come to terms with it.

“Tell me,” Bucky asks, as sympathetically as he can.  “Please.”

“I thought Steve Rogers was supposed to be your one true love in the other universe,” Tony sneers, and Bucky knows the feelings he’s taking out on Bucky actually have nothing to do with him.  “You really want to hear how he died?”

“Tony…”  Natasha says gently.

“Or maybe you do.  He’s supposed to have gone back in time, left you for some lady spy, right?”

“Tony.  Enough.”

Tony blows out his breath and glares at Natasha, but doesn’t say anything more.  

Bucky takes a few breaths, considering.  “You’re right.  Maybe I don’t want to know.”

“Doesn’t really matter, anyway,” Sam sighs.  “He’s gone.  Died savin’ a whole shitload of people, not that anyone will ever get to fucking know that.”

“We are not getting into that this morning…”  Clint warns.

For a few moments, everyone eats in silence, occupied with their own thoughts. Bucky’s head is reeling.  There’s a lot to parse in the short exchange he’s just heard.  But most of it is just facts.  The thing that’s keeping him from pursuing any of them right now is the deep, searing pain he feels at learning that Steve is dead.  Granted, he wasn’t Bucky’s Steve.  Bucky never even met him.  But the idea of Steve Rogers dead in any universe tears a path right through Bucky’s guts.  Fuck. Sometimes he wishes he’d never met Steve.

“Well,” Natasha finally says.  “Hope you enjoyed that delightful peek at our dirty laundry.  I’m sure your handlers will have a field day with all that.”

“I don’t have handlers.  I’m not a spy, not here to make trouble, not here to out you guys-“

“No, you’re just a poor, sad fuck tryna cure your broken heart by looking up an old girlfriend in an alternate universe,” Tony mutters.  “We know.”

Sam rolls his eyes, tossing his linen napkin onto his plate, but says nothing.

Bucky decides to push his luck.  They seem tired this morning, and given what he’s seeing, they don’t seem to be in the mood for the unified approach they’d used on him before.  “Speaking of Marya, how is she?  Did she go on the mission with you?  She’s not hurt?”

“What mission?”  Clint asks. “Who says we went on a mission?”

Bucky hadn’t tripped to it when he’d spoken earlier, but Clint’s tone as he asks these questions is telling.  He apparently agrees with Sam about answering Bucky’s questions.  He isn’t even trying to hide his sarcasm, which is aimed at Tony.

Now it’s Clint on whom Natasha uses her disappointed teacher tone.  “Clint.”

She turns to Bucky.  “Marya is fine.  She’s not hurt.”

“Thank you,” Bucky says sincerely.  “One more thing, and all the rest of the questions are yours.  You said Captain America had things to do this morning.  And then you said something about my face.  Are you telling me that…”

“Jim Barnes is Captain America now,” Sam confirms, a little sadly, a little proudly.  

Even though he suspected this from Tony’s comment, Bucky’s dumbstruck. In this universe, Steve is dead and Bucky is Captain America.  He knows how he feels about the first.  It’s gonna take him a while to wrap his mind around the second.

The Avengers around the table appear to recognize that, because they give Bucky some time to let the news sink in.  After a while, Natasha steers the conversation gently to business.  “Why don’t you tell me why you think we were on a mission.”

“I know what a Quinjet sounds like when it lifts off from the roof here. You left in a hurry, and you came back beat up.  You’re all tired.”  Bucky shrugs. “Mission.”

Natasha doesn’t react.  He doesn’t expect her to.  None of them react to any answers he gives, except the few times he’s surprised them into it, and even then, their reactions are extremely subtle.  She just goes on to the next question.

The questioning goes on well into the afternoon.  Nobody remembers lunch.  When they finally decide to call it a day, they all stretch painfully. They’re all stiff from sitting, and Tony and Natasha are also stiff and sore from whatever had happened on their mission.

“Jarvis let me use the gym,” Bucky says.  “Do you think I could do that again?”  

The Avengers look at one another.  No words are spoken, but after a moment, Tony throws up his hands.  “What the fuck ever,” he says, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like he can go anywhere.”

*****

Bucky’s exhausted again.  The workout felt good – great, even – but answering all those questions was grueling and his mind is swirling with all the new information he’s trying to process.  He stands in the steamy bathroom, toweling off his hair, his mind racing over convoluted tracks he’s trying to make lead somewhere that makes sense.  

He hears a knock, presumably on the clear barrier wall in the main room of this gerbil habitat he’s in.  He finds it amusing that they’re so polite about entering what is, for all intents and purposes, a cell, when he’s their prisoner.  He wonders whether that says good things about his chances of convincing them he’s really Bucky Barnes.  

He pads out to the main room, barefoot and wearing nothing but soft, blue sleep pants.  He stops dead in his tracks when he sees Marya standing on the other side of the barrier, frowning and looking deeply unsure of herself.  For a moment, they just look at one another.  Then Bucky sees her eyes flick over him, and realizes he isn’t wearing a shirt.  Given the intensely sexual nature of their former relationship, it’s probably an odd reflex, but Bucky feels like he’s been caught out.  He mutters, “Just a minute,” and goes into the bedroom to grab the first T-shirt he sees.  He throws it on, drops the towel on the floor and returns to the main room.

She hasn’t moved.  

“Do you… want to come in?”  He asks.

“I’m not supposed to be here.”  Her voice is small, uncertain.  She’s staring at him intently, gulping in the sight of him, exactly the way he thinks he’s probably looking at her.  She looks as concerned and suspicious as she did when he saw her the other night, and she’s agitated, like she’s fighting herself not to flee the room.  But she can’t take her eyes off of him.

Neither one of them say anything for a long time.  Bucky moves to within a few feet of the barrier and simply waits. For the moment, just being able to gorge his eyes on her is enough, and God knows he doesn’t want to do anything that might make her want to leave.  

She’s still indulging herself, gaping at him almost without blinking and certainly without looking away even for an instant, when she says, “Your hair is long.”

“Yeah,” he grins a little, pulling at it.  “Lazy, I guess.”

She gives a very slight shake of her head.  “Unhappy.”

For a second, he’s taken aback.  But only for a second.  This is Marya.  There is no filter.  She misses nothing, and what she thinks is what she says.  He’s actually glad for the barrier right this second.  Without it, he would not have been able to resist throwing his arms around her and crushing her to him.  

“Yeah.  Probably. And you?  Have you been happy?”

She thinks about that for a moment.  “It’s been difficult.  But this is a good place.  These are good people.  Yes, mostly I’m happy.”

Bucky can’t help it.  He can see she’s uncomfortable, and he knows she’s probably not ready to hear it, maybe doesn’t even want to hear it, but he’s be standing here, looking right at Marya, alive and just a few feet away. He’s completely unable to contain the overwhelming rush of emotions he feels.  “I missed you, Marya.  I’ll never be able to tell you how much I’ve missed you.  All this time, I’ve thought you were dead, and now we’re standing here.  I don’t know how to tell you how good it is to see you. To know you’re really alive, and safe. It means everything to me.”

Bucky can see that what he’s said causes more struggle for her, in her expression and in the way she can’t seem to stand still, like she’s fighting to keep back from the barrier.  

“You say that you are my Sergeant.  From the other universe.”  

“I am, Marya.  Test me any way you need to. I’m telling the truth.”

“They say that’s probably impossible. That’s why I’m not supposed to be here.”

“Because you want it to be true?” Bucky’s fishing for some validation here.  He knows it, knows it’s kind of pathetic, and doesn’t care.  Marya’s all that’s left for him now, so what the hell.  Pride’s overrated, anyway.

He doesn’t get quite what he’s looking for.  Instead, he’s surprised by her flash of anger as she steps forward toward the barrier.  “Of course I want it to be true,” she spits.  “That’s no admission.  If you are him, you know that.  And if you are not him, it’s still no secret, and you are obviously using that as your reason for being here.”

“I am him.  Me. I swear to you, Marya.”

“If you are, then I’m sorry for what we’re doing to you.  I’m sorry for doubting you.”  She takes another step toward the barrier and there’s a hard glitter in her eyes.  “If you are not, I will be the one who kills you.”

Bucky blinks.  “Uh… I guess that’s fair.”

“There are only a few people I love, Serg- whoever you are.  And my Sergeant most of all.  So if you are using him to do something that will hurt these people, or anyone else?  If you are claiming to be him for any reason, and you are not… I have done a lot of bad things.  Killing someone who would dishonor my Sergeant in that way will be easy.  Even if that person does look like him.”

“You won’t have to do that.  I promise you, I’m the Sergeant Barnes you knew.  Let me prove that to you.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.  Any way you need to.”

“We keep coming back to this.  There is no way.  I wish with all my heart there was. It’s why they don’t want me to see you.  They’re afraid you will be able to convince me to believe you because I want to so badly. They think that’s why you chose to claim you’re my Sergeant.  It’s a problem.  They fight about you a lot.”

There’s not much he can say to that.  She just stands, watching and studying him like she’s maybe going to have to describe him to a police sketch artist later.  

“I’ve spent time with your brothers and sisters, with Dmitriy.  They’re doing so well, Marya-“

A flicker of something crosses her face.  “Who is Dmitriy?”

“Oh, right.  Sorry. The Troops.  They have a Compound now, in Spain, and the first thing they did was get rid of those damn numbers and choose names.  Your brother, who they called Desit’?  He chose Dmitriy.”

“Dmitriy,” she repeats, and he can see her resist the smile that wants to be born.

“He’s well, Marya.  They made him their leader.  He’s strong, and happy.  They all are, they-“

“I don’t want you to talk about them,” she says, her inherent politeness covering the fact that it was, in fact, a command.

Bucky freezes like she’s slapped him.  

“I’m sorry if you truly are my Sergeant.  I would never want to hurt him.  But the others tell me that I shouldn’t believe you are him.  And if you are not, then I don’t want you to talk about my brothers and sisters.”

“I’m sorry.  I guess I can understand that.  Do they exist here?  Have you found them here?”

“It was the first thing I did after I found Mr. Stark.  I’m not sure he really believes me, where I came from, but I gave him the switch, and he took me in.  When I told him about my brothers and sisters, he helped me look for them. But they don’t exist.  Hydra… none of that happened here.  So there were no Troops.”

“But… your family?  They might exist here.”

“Yes.  They might. But I don’t know my name, or where I come from.  There’s no way to find them, and what would I say to them, if I did?”

Bucky takes a step toward the barrier.  “I’m sorry, Marya.”

She looks up through eyes full of pain.  “As long as there is no Hydra and no Troops, I’m satisfied.”  

They look at each other for a few moments before she says quietly, “I should not have told you that.  I’m not supposed to tell you anything.  I shouldn’t even be here, but I…”

“Tell me,” Bucky urges.  

“I just…  wanted to see.”  Marya backs up a couple steps, the uncertainty that has never left her face redoubling.  “I am not supposed to be here,” she says again.  

“But you are here.  I think it’s because you’re curious.  You’ve always been curious about everything.  You can ask me anything, Marya.  I’ll answer.”

She narrows her eyes.  “Why are you here?”

“Because I…”  Bucky hesitates, his eyebrows knitting as he tries to find the words to explain.  “I was unhappy.  You were right.  For a while, I was happy, very happy, but then some terrible things happened and it… did something to Steve.  He-“

The change in Marya is as complete as it is sudden.  Her face hardens and she steps further back from the barrier.  

“So you are going to tell me that lie, too.”  Her voice is hard in a way he’s only heard once before, when she was preparing to help the Avengers liberate the Hydra bunker in Siberia.  

“I…  Steve was… What?”

“It’s the flaw in your story, you know.”

“It’s what happened.”

“You should know that I knew Captain Rogers. I knew him in my universe, and in this one, too. You won’t make anyone believe that he would ever willingly leave Sergeant Barnes.”

Bucky’s laugh is harsh, ugly.  Full of pain and anger and razor blades and gravel.  “Yeah. I have a hard time with that one, myself.”

Marya turns to leave, apparently having satisfied whatever it was she came here for.

“Please, don’t go,” he says, his voice rough.  He clears his throat, almost as if to banish the well-worn series of thoughts that are lined up, ready to punish him.  Again.

“Please, Marya.  Stay.  Talk to me.  I’ve missed you so much, and I came here to find you.”

She stops and turns slowly back around.  She doesn’t voice whatever it is she’s holding back from saying, though.  Instead, she says, “Then don’t tell me lies.”

“I’m not lying.  But if you don’t believe me about that, then ask me something else. Just please.  Stay.”

“All right, then.”  She’s still angry, but the conflict is also still there.  She knows she should go, but she wants to stay.  “Why now?  I have been here for years, and you said that Captain Rogers left a long time ago. Why did you come here now?”

Bucky sighs.  “Tony didn’t tell me about the switch for a long time, and when he tried, I wouldn’t listen.”

“Why?”

“Because he…”  Bucky has to think about that for a minute, wondering how to explain the careening shit show of events, emotions and motivations that led to his decision to follow Marya to this universe.  “Tony buried himself in guilt about letting you set off that bomb. He was kind of a trainwreck anyway, and that… That one was tough on him. He loved you, you know.”

Marya doesn’t respond. It’s almost painful, watching her try to figure out how to feel about all of that. Bucky gets it. She would feel all kinds of things about that, if it was true. If Bucky was really who he says he is.  She can’t help feeling them, anyway, even though she doesn’t believe him.

“I don’t think he could convince himself it worked.  I think that’s why he kept it to himself for so long; he didn’t want to give us hope when he didn’t think there was any.  But he got drunk one night and he tried to tell me.  I didn’t want to hear it; he was babbling about a switch, and you, and I just shut him down because I knew what a mess he was.”  Bucky shakes his head and his voice goes soft.  “Actually, it wasn’t just that.  It hurt to hear about you.  I didn’t want any false hope. Tony wasn’t the only one who had a hard time with your death.”

Marya nods sadly.  “It was hard for me, too.  I was alive, but everyone I loved…  I was angry with him for a while.  It makes no sense, but…”

“Of course it does,” Bucky says, and he’s now close enough to the barrier to touch it.  He doesn’t, but he wonders.  If he flattened his hand on it, would she put hers up to his?  The only thing that stops him is the fear that she wouldn’t. “Anyway, after… everything, I tried to keep going, but it all kind of went to shit.  Finally, I decided I couldn’t stay in New York anymore, and I went to Tony’s lab, to look for somewhere else to go.  And then I remembered him trying to tell me about the switch, and I decided to try to find you.”

“Mr. Stark wasn’t sure the switch worked.  Why were you?”

Bucky remains silent, frowning as he tries to think how to respond.  Well, she asked him not to lie to her.  “I wasn’t, Marya.  I really didn’t care whether it worked or not.”

She understands what he’s telling her, and this time, she simply can’t control her reaction.  Tears spring to her eyes and she steps close to the barrier.  Bucky sees her eyes go to the door of his cell, but she restrains herself, with evident difficulty, from going to it.  After a moment’s struggle, she simply whispers, “I’m sorry.”

Bucky doesn’t have anything to say to that.  

She looks at small screen at her wrist.  “I have to go.”

“Will you be in trouble for coming here?” He asks.

“They won’t know unless you tell them.  I’m running a program that shows you sleeping.  That is what anyone who checks will see.”

Bucky grins.  “So you’ve been planning this. You wanted to see me.”

“We’ve covered that.  Don’t congratulate yourself.”

“Can’t help it. I’m a little starved for affection these days. The fact that you wanted to see me, even if I’m not really me, I’m holdin’ onto that.”

He sees right away that something about that has hit a nerve with her. Her eyes go wide for a moment and her mouth quirks.  She again looks like she might step toward the door.  But, in the next second, Bucky watches her ruthlessly crush that impulse, and whatever emotion spurred it.  

“Good night,” she says, taking a step backward.  She takes another one.  Then she turns and walks from the room.

“Good night, Marya,” Bucky whispers, and the words taste wonderful on his tongue.

[dannyphantomisameme]

Sunglasses (One Shot)

~ ANGST ~

(Links to Fanfiction and AO3)

Danny heard it ringing, but he didn't want to get up.

"Five more minutes" he said, slamming the snooze button on the alarm clock and curling back into his comforter. It was Monday morning and he had been up all-night saving Amity Park. His friends didn't help him, so it took longer than usual to suck all the ghosts into the Fenton thermos.

After five minutes, the ringing began again. Danny punched the alarm clock and it flew into the wall, breaking into smaller pieces. "Well, there goes another one." he mumbled and shuffled towards his bathroom, dodging the mess of a floor.

Danny grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste and began to brush his teeth with his eyes half closed. He looked into the mirror and almost spit out all the toothpaste in his mouth. He dropped his toothbrush and grabbed his hair and moaned. This cannot be happening.

His typical blue eyes shone his alter ego's bright green eyes. He was in human form, so it was impossible for his eyes to shine ectoplasmic green. He quickly washed his mouth and face, hoping it was just a figment of is imagination.

Nope. It was all real. His eyes were glowing! He had to go to school, someone was bound to notice.

He walked back into his room and realized he was going to miss walking to school with his best friends if he didn't get ready soon. He looked around his cluttered floor and found a newly washed pair of jeans and a white and red baseball tee near his bed. He quickly shoved them onto his body and pondered a solution for his "glowing" issue. He went over to his desk and dug through his drawer and found a pair of sunglasses. Guess this will have to do. He put the glasses on, grabbed his backpack and stuffed his unfinished homework into it, and ran down the stairs.

His mom was making toast in the kitchen while his dad was working on a new ghost invention in the living room. Ew, toast. He hated the dry taste of toast, even with something spread onto it. He quickly grabbed an apple and mumbled a goodbye to his parents and exited the house. His parents hadn't even glanced at, preoccupied with their tasks.

He jogged over to Tucker's, where the other two were waiting for their completion to the trio.

"You look like a dork. What's with the look? Need a leather jacket to complete that?" Sam mocked him as Tuck snickered next to her. Danny rolled his eyes and replied as they all began to walk towards their school.

"Ha ha, very funny. But this is serious. Look," he looked around to make sure no one was nearby and took of the sunglasses. His friends gasped, and Tuck even had to shield his eyes a bit to avoid the luminous shine.

"Dude, that's brighter than your normal ghost eyes. What happened?" Tuck questioned.

"I woke up and, poof, my eyes were glowing. I don't know what to do." Danny hastily put the sunglasses back on to block the gleam. He groaned in frustration. I don't need this now.

"Well, the glasses are the best solution for now. We can fix it after school, kay?" Sam tried to comfort Danny as she placed her hand behind his back.

"Ok, yeah. Thanks." Danny felt better and let out a sigh. They began to talk about the ghosts Danny had fought night, including Skulker, a ghost snake, and the Box Ghost 3 times. They then changed the conversation to their homework and Danny became quiet.

"You didn't do it, did you?" Sam asked.

"I didn't have time. You know, the usual." He shrugged.

"Danny! If your grade falls any more, it will be in the depths of hell! You won't be able to raise an F at this point." Sam threw her hands into the air in frustration.

"Chill Sam. My grades in all my other classes are fine. It's just Lancer's English that I need to fix." It was true. Danny had improved balancing his human and ghost life together after 3 years of fighting. His friends helped him with assignments and gave him notes he missed out on. He just had trouble focusing in English class, Lancer was a pretty boring lecturer.

"Whatever, but don't come crying to me when you fail junior year." Sam crossed her arms in annoyance and Tuck just chuckled at the two bickering.

"Lovebirds…" he muttered and received a smack across his head, courtesy of Sam. Tuck began to rub the back of his head and didn't regret saying it.

They finally reached the school and entered the double doors. Students were already roaming the halls, chatting with friends near the lockers. The each walked to their separate lockers, grabbed the items they needed, and converged back at Danny's locker.

Danny yawned, he wasn't looking forward to today. Before he could shut his locker, he was shoved into the wall and his face into his locker. He turned and was face to face with Dash. Danny had grown over the years and now was an inch shorter than Dash.

"What's up with the glasses Fentertainment? Wanted to fit in with the nerds?" (fun fact, this is my favorite insult by Dash) he spat as he grabbed Danny by the collar and pinned him to the wall.

"Let me go Dash. I just need to get to class." Danny could barely see through the sunglasses, but he did know Dash held a smug expression as he pushed Danny into the wall again.

"Whatever Fenturd." Dash said as he let Danny go, but before he could leave, he smacked the sunglasses off Danny's face. Danny immediately shut his eyes, hung his head down, and dropped to the floor, as if to search for the glasses. Tuck nearby gave Danny the glasses and helped his friend get up.

"Dash is a jerk. Its been three years, he needs to stop." Tuck said as they walked to Lancers. They entered the classroom and sat in their usual seats towards the back of the room.

Mikey and Lester were already situated in the front of the room, as usual. The trio began to compare the essays they wrote for English and helped Danny to get a start on his.

The bell rang five minutes later and students started to file in, with the A-listers completing the chain. They all sat down in their respective seats, A-listers and averagers in the middle, while nerds near the front of the classroom.

"Good morning class. Before we begin, I would like you all to turn in your assignments. Hand them to the front please." Lancer welcomed his class as the final bell rang.

Students shuffled through their backpacks and produced their assignments. Mr. Lancer maneuvered through the desks and grabbed students' papers. Picking up assignments as he went, he stopped at a particular student. Danny handed an unfinished crumpled sheet of paper and shrugged, mumbling a sorry.

"Mr. Fenton, this is inexcusable. This is the fifth assignment in a row you failed to accomplish." Lancer sighed, this kid would never understand. "I would like to see you after school in detention." But before he could walk on to pick up other students papers, he noticed the sunglasses upon Danny's face.

"Mr. Fenton, it is against school policy to wear sunglasses during school hours. I advise you to remove them immediately and I will keep them till the end of period." Lancer disciplined as he held out his hand.

"But –" Danny began and Lancer cut him off. "No buts. Please hand them over. And no remarks from you Ms. Manson." Lancer interjected as Sam was about to argue, she put her hand down in defeat. Danny hung his head, so his bangs covered his eyes and slowly took the sunglasses off. He hoped no one noticed the green glow on his desk.

Lancer took the glasses from Danny's hand and continued collecting the assignments. Danny tried to keep his head down as lancer passed by while students snickered at the exchange that just occurred.

"Ha Fentrash. What did I tell ya? Those glasses were dumb." Dash remarked as he swiveled back in his seat and lightly punched Danny in his arm. Other A-listers chuckled at the joke while Sam passed a note onto his desk. Its ok. Keep your head down. I'll think of something. Danny smiled, Sam always helped him, she always had his back.

The students turned back towards Mr. Lancer as he began his lecture. They all looked as though they were paying attention, but they couldn't care less. Dash was playing paper football with Kwan, Paulina was looking into a mirror, Star was on her phone, Valeria was looking at her wrist (no doubt containing her suit), and Mikey and Lester were reading some comic book.

10 minutes passed and Danny felt like sleeping. He couldn't focus on Lancer's lecture and it seemed as though his friends couldn't either. Tuck was on his PDA and Sam was doodling in her notebook. Would he even need to know how to rhetorically analyze to fight ghosts for the rest of his life? His dreams of being an astronaut all faded as he realized his grades would never achieve the level necessary for that field. He was depressed for a few days, but he realized Amity needed its hero to protect it more than it needed to send someone to space. Plus, Danny had already visited space and flew a space shuttle, it was really all the fulfillment he needed. He was abruptly broken from his daydream by his last name.

"Mr. Fenton, if you believe in breaking your neck, then continue to look at your phone under your desk. Otherwise, please look forward." Lancer interrupted his own lecture. Danny sighed, I'm not on my phone, jeez. Danny rapidly moved his bangs to cover his eyes and looked up. The glow shone through his shaggy raven hair, he just hoped no one noticed.

"Danny?" This time, Lancer didn't respond. Valerie did. Oh shit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Valerie understood what was happening. She had listened to the Fenton's lecture about ghosts last year, so she knew this was not Danny.

When one was possessed, their eye color changes. Danny typically had blue eyes, but now they were green. Green and glowing. Conclusion...

 he was possessed.

"Danny don't move!" She grabbed her backpack and shuffled through its contents. Where's a damn weapon when you need one?! She opened the front pocket of her backpack and found her newest addition from Vlad. Yes, this will do it.

Vlad had continued to give her new weapons and equipment, even though she knew he was a lying, backstabbing, evil, what did Phantom call him? Fruitloop. He recently had dropped a box off at her apartment with tons of new goodies to try out. And here, an opportunity arose.

Ghost weapons didn't hurt humans, so Danny would be fine, while the ghost possessing him would suffer. 

"I'll save you Danny! Everyone, stand back." Valerie jumped out of her seat and crept towards Danny.

"N-no you don't understand Val. P-please." Danny slowly rose his hands, got out of his seat, and backed away towards the end of the classroom. Students near Danny got out of their seats and headed towards the front of the room, except for Sam and Tucker.

"Ms. Gray, what is the meaning of this? Mr. Fenton, remove whatever contraption you have that's making your eyes glow." Lancer spoke as he started to walk towards the two.

"Mr. Lancer, Danny's possessed. Look at his eyes!" she said as she turned back towards Danny and lifted her gun to his face. Danny, don't let the ghost scum take over. I'll help you get it out." She cocked her gun and fired.

The screaming was the worst. She had never heard anyone release such a pain filled scream in her lifetime. Everyone in the room covered their ears to rid themselves of the torturous noise. It felt like the agony of her classmate had lasted a lifetime. When the noise did stop, it was only because something was blocking his mouth.

The blast had covered his face and was slowly spread its tendrils throughout his body, encompassing him in an electrified shock. His face could barely be seen, except his eyes, but they glowed an even brighter green than before. His hands were on his face and he was slouched in a tormenting position.

The weapon was designed to produce a net that would electrocute ghosts. She didn't know that all this would happen. It's just the ghost screaming. Danny's fine. He's not hurt. He’s…

"Valerie! What did you do!" She saw Sam shout next to her. Sam wore a shocked, but pained expression. Her voice was filled with rage and she looked ready to slap Valerie across the face.

"H-he was possessed! This weapon would get the ghost out. It-its electrocution." Valerie stammered. This time, Sam didn't hold back. She smacked the gun out of Valerie's hand with a furious expression across her face. It was as if the devil itself was holed up within this gothic teen. I wouldn't be surprised.

Valeri’s arm throbbed in pain as a reddish mark in the shape of a hand started to form. Following her display of rage, Sam ran up to Danny, but instantly backed away after receiving a slight shock from touching him. She looked so helpless, as did Tuck who had gotten out of his seat.

"Tuck, what's happening?" Valerie pleaded. She couldn't take the torture of watching her fellow classmate and ex-boyfriend in agony. She cared for Danny, whether he knew it or not.

Danny had now fallen to his knees, his knuckles white from gripping his hair so roughly. He looked an inhumane shade of pale, but the blast had now covered almost all of his body, so it was even hard to see his skin.

Other students whispered with each other, she heard the jokes and taunts, as if they didn't care a single bit for their classmate. Mr. Lancer was silent, as he just stared at his student.

"Valerie, he-he, what-what did you do?" Tuck finally spoke up out of the somewhat silence. His beret was in his hands, as he fidgeted with it and his expression filled with sorrow. Danny was now crippled on the floor, curled with his knees up to his chin. And then it all stopped.

The pink tendrils that had encased Danny evaporated into the air rapidly and left a tortured teen. Tears flowed down his face as it displayed pure pain and formed a puddle on the floor.

"Danny!" Sam, Tucker, and Valerie all called at once and ran up to the raven-haired boy. They picked him up and took in his appearance. He looked as he normally did, other than the huge blast mark that had created a massive hole in his shirt and the tears. He wiped them away quickly, Danny never cries, and then unexpectedly started coughing.

"Mr. Fenton are you alright?" Lancer spoke for the first time with concern etched all over his face. He walked over to the four and placed his palm on Danny's back. He was still coughing. Coughing, coughing, coughing. And then there was blood. It dribbled out of his mouth and onto his shirt.

"Sorry." He slurred. He couldn't even stand on his own and needed the help of his best friends, who grabbed his arms to stabilize him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He couldn't feel his legs. He couldn't feel anything. All that went through his mind was death by electrocution. He couldn't think. He couldn't act. It was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life.

And the coughing. He couldn't stop. It kept coming, and coming, and coming and…

Where was he? Right, Lancer's English.

His chest ached. He -he couldn't feel the ice-cold feeling of his core. Either it was so far within him or it wasn't there at all. He wanted to run, he wanted to flee. But he couldn't move. His knew his friends were holding him up. However, they didn't know what he went through. Who would?

Mr. Lancer placed his hand lightly on Danny's back. Ouch, everything hurt. At least, he thought it was Lancer. He could barely see through his blurry vision.

"Ms. Manson and Mr. Foley, would you please take Mr. Fenton to the nurse? He doesn't look too good."

"You think a nurse could help him! He-he could have died!" Sam exclaimed towards Lancer and shot a sharp glance at Valerie. Danny knew her grudge against the Red Huntress would only grow from here.

"What else do you suggest Ms. Manson? The nurse will call the hospital if his situation is critical." Lancer sounded like he was begging, as though he didn't know the true answer.

"Well," Sam grunted trying to stabilize Danny. Was he heavy? Her frail frame could barely hold up a 17 year old boy. "For starters, we can't carry him. He's to heavy. And he should go home, he's not in a condition to think."

"Ok," Lancer replied and then pointed to Dash and Kwan "Mr. Baxter, Mr. Ishiyama, can you please help Mr. Fenton get to the nurse?" Dash grimaced and Kwan rolled his eyes. Danny heard one of them mutter 'freak'. Probably Dash.

Danny's vision started to fixate, and he could see more clearly now. Dash and Kwan had grabbed him under his arms and were lifting him. They exited the classroom and went into the hall, heading left towards the nurse.

"Wait," Danny quickly said and let go of the jocks. He stood up trying to balance, but his legs were literal jello. He tried to tap into his ghost powers and use his ability to fly to give him the appearance of walking but -

"Hey! Frea-" Dash was cut off by a scream. Lancer slammed the door and rushed out.

It hurt. Pain. DEATH. ELECTROCUTION, ELECTROCUTION, ELECTROCUTION…

It all hit him at once. Danny was back on the floor, flinging his arms out to grab ahold of something. He stopped screaming, but he convulsed. He was shaking, shaking, shaking. It didn't feel right, and then… Danny felt nothing at all. Pure bliss.

Danny opened his eyes. Where am I? This wasn't home. This wasn't… anything. Everything was a blinding white. It was good. He felt good. 

Until he realized he was alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam ran out of the classroom. She knew what she heard, and it wasn't good. Tuck and Valerie followed her as she followed Lancer. Her combat boots clacked against the polished floor into the hall.

The sight almost broke her heart.

Danny was on the floor screaming as the two doofuses stared at him. And then the screaming stopped as suddenly as it came.

But it got worse.

He was shaking. SEIZURE shaking. Sam and Tuck raced up to him as Valerie stayed back, a hand clamping her mouth shut. Other students rushed out to see commotion.

Sam crouched down and tried to comfort him, soothe his arm. It will be alright. Please be alright Danny. I need you. Tears threatened to fall down Sam's face as she glanced at Tucker. Tucker was staring intensely at Danny, his face expressing mixed emotions. He also stroked Danny with the care of a brother.

Danny looked like death. His skin a sickly pale, eyes wide and glazed over, blood rushing out of his mouth and creating a puddle by their feet. And then there was a flash.

He transformed. His raven hair became white, ripped shirt and jeans replaced by the iconic black and white jumpsuit, but the eyes stayed the same. They were already green anyways.

Students gasped. Whispers ran through the halls furiously as students from other classes joined the depressing situation. Sam didn't care if anyone knew his secret. She had actually pressured Danny into revealing his secret several times, she wanted him to receive the credit he earned from this town. Although they would figure out in the most horrific way.

Valerie had slowly crept up to Danny as he shook, hot tears running down her face. Her arms hugged herself for warmth, for comfort. Sam sent her signature death glare towards the African American girl. She made a mistake, but she was going to pay.

Then the shaking stopped. 

"Danny?" Sam questioned in a croaked voice.

He turned towards her and whispered "Im sorry." As he grabbed Sam's hand and squeezed with little effort. And then he was gone.

gone

gOnE

GONE

His body turned to dust, particles floated into the air as they slipped through Sam's fingers. Sam screamed. She didn't know how long she screamed, but her throat ached when no more sound came out. Tucker was pouring tears next to her, his hands covering his eyes.

Sam whipped her head towards Valerie and croaked "He died by ELECTROCUTION, Valerie. ELECTROCUTIION..." then barely an audible whisper, "You killed him..."

[abitterlifethroughcinema]

      Three Summer Taquilla Behemoths in Cinemas!       WOKE! Film Reviews...Halfway Through Summer                                        by Lucas A Cavazos

It goes without saying that Disney is undoubtedly the strongest hand in all of cinema. They have proved that beyond any shadow of a doubt over many decades but definitely most recently, what with the takeover of Pixar and LucasFilms and Marvel Studios and and and… As I hinted at last time, growing up, whether in Texas or Brooklyn, my dorky bum always had that weekly subscription of Entertainment Weekly waiting for me come week’s end. And that meant I had all the box office data, top album sales, Nielsen TV ratings, book sales and such all there to satiate my stats-obsessed appetite. Now, I bring to you a summer run-down of what fare has been most successful throughout this first half of the summer. Believe it or not, we are only halfway through the summer cinema season and these last six or seven weeks mark the last summer fare that either got delayed from the early summer due to concern of being pulverised by these upcoming blockbusters, or they are merely getting rid of fodder too long on the shelf or in need of distribution.

I’d dare say in fact that it was a rather smart move on behalf of Guy Ritchie and the entire marketing team behind the live-action remake of Aladdin, to release it just before the summer season truly hit. It is now fast closing in on 25€M in Spain alone, and has surpassed 1.1€B globally…quite an accomplished feat and second in box office stealth only behind Endgame for 2019 so far.

But let’s please talk newer reviews first as Disney’s The Lion King ###-1/2 burst into Spanish cinemas with a loud roar two weeks ago, and the same can be said of its success worldwide. Now soon to pass 19€M in Spain in a matter of mere days and more than 1.0€B globally, we at Bitter Life are pleased to say that the film, much like the formerly mentioned live-action remake, is a thing of wonder. What director Jon Favreau, who so lovingly concocted the impeccable remake of The Jungle Book a few years ago, does so well is adapt a timeless, and much beloved, cartoon classic into a breathtaking adventure story of the animal kingdom. One thing is for certain, if you are a true lover of the cartoon, this film will merely be palatable. For those few of us who were none too keen on the cartoon and its cheese-tactic musical numbers nor its cornball last-attempts at Top 40 numbers by Elton John, this film is quite the spectacle to behold. Telling the story of a proud lineage of lions who preside over what could best be described more as a savannah than a jungle, this rendering gives us a lifelike portrayal of fathers and sons, duty and honour, and is easily a testament to whatever family means to any individual. Apart from the brilliant, yet almost frightening, way in which the creators have anthropomorphised the creatures into almost too-real perfection, there isn’t too much to tell that the viewer is not going to know already, and thereby lies a part of the challenge that I find intriguing. While Disney continues to take risks in revamping their classics into live-action newer ones, do they then run the risk of petering out of new ideas? I mean, now that they have Pixar and so many more studios to pick up the slack, will we slowly see the demise of the annual big, Disney cartoon classic? We already have Frozen 2 appearing soon enough in cinemas, but even that is not building anything new and original into the cartoon oeuvre…it’s a damn sequel. I say it’s fair enough that most all investments in Disney live-action prequels are bound to be successful in terms of box office. Still, few of them will boast the talent power of Beyonce and Donald Glover, along with original Mufasa James Earl Jones, plus John Oliver, Seth Rogen, Keegan-Michael Key, Alfre Woodard. Amy Sedaris and so many more. These artists breathe life into a fun, if tired, film that we’ve all seen before, just never in this way. Here’s to hoping the tots of today don’t scare too much from the frolicking if fierce, fun found in this film.

The next big movie that has blown up the taquillas here in Spain is also the best one of the lot…Toy Story 4 ####.  If we have to wait nearly a decade between film sequels to have this type of wonderment thrown lovingly at our eyes, I’ll gladly take it and wait. So far, the film has taken in a nearly whopping 19€M in Spain alone, and it is also nearing 950€M worldwide, so far be it from me to deny that absolute scores of millions agree that this film marks itself in our hearts yet again. It is rather surreal that over the span of well over a generation, the creators have moved through the mid-90s to damn near 2020 with the same revolving door of a family, while carefully detailing the intricacies of our own nostalgia…and playing on that also forces us to love it.  Again, I dare say that they have achieved that tremendously throughout the entirety of the series’ lifespan. The premise this time revolves around Andy, now all grown up and, I’d suppose well past grad school, has donated his toys to little sister Bonnie, who has her own taste on what she prefers to play with versus her older brother, and dear ol’ cowpoke Woody, sensing certain neglect under the ownership of Bonnie, sneaks himself into her rucksack one day y voila!…the new adventure commences. The others set off to search for Woody, outdone by no one less than Buzz Lightyear, who is allowing himself to be led by his inner voice, which fits wonderfully into the guffaws of this type of silly and campy humour. What I began to notice while the screening went on is that the film continues to come up with a specific theme that ties itself into the plot, the denouement and frankly, throughout the film. Simply put, that would be the fear of rejection or not being wanted/accepted. Herein is where story developers like John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Rashida Jones, Stephany Folsom, amongst others, and all under the directing tutelage of Josh Cooley, spring to life and steer the film into witty and on-fleek, au courant elements that should make excellent fodder for post-parental conversations! What more can be said? Steal away and grab a 10’er and retreat to the coolness of your local cineplex!

Lastly, the other big box office behemoth so far this summer in Spain’s movie houses is Spider Man: Far From Home ###-1/2, with just under 12€M reaped into the Spanish taquilla coffers. This time around finds us back in live-action mode and with our recurring Marvel characters picking up after the what can only be described as intense ending of Avengers:Endgame. Okay then, while I was not a fan of the new Peter Parker with Homecoming from a couple of years back, I can now see how Tom Holland has taken a stab at ye olde generic if endearing dork-that-could appeal, and he feels much more fluid now a few Marvel flicks in. Director Jon Watts and go-to writers McKenna and Sommers seem to strike a chord with their flow, though we really do have to wait until the last half of the film to see the ebb actually catch up with that flow. Here’s why…our Marvel superheroes have gone bye bye, you dig? Flashbacks of the fallen Marvel superheroes actually made me a tad sad to be honest, so when the injection of the last part kicks in with all its CGI glory, what I take the director and writers to be doing, this time around, is actually showing us how Parker is growing into his own belief within himself and his powers. Zendaya as his love interest, and I’ve monitored her from afar for quite some time, is fun as hell to watch, and she should seriously star in a film version of Sade’s life story, but it really does come down to the charm and vivid need for suspension of disbelief that envelops the characters towards the end of the film. This has a lot to do with the enter-stage-right presence of Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio, played with an enigmatic if smug awareness by Jake Gyllenhaal, and frankly, all of the myriad cast of characters do their thang to breathe a sense of renewal just when you think the film is getting a tad too slow and eager. From Sam Jackson to Marisa Tomei, though perhaps not Jon Favreau as Stark caretaker Happy Hogan…he’s best suited as a director of Disney re-boots these days, me thinks (see The Lion King review above). Apart from all that, I’d say the Marvel universe has quite rightly fixed another pathway into the continuance of the Spiderverse journey.

[breadknight-likes-things]

Spyro Reignited Trilogy Review: How To Re-Train Your Dragon

It’s 1999, i’m 7 and i’m at my friend CJ’s house, we’re passing the controller back and forth as we play the hottest new game two Playstation owning kids could want: Spyro 2 Riptos Rage.  It’s 2018, I’ve just come home from a grueling day of college classes but I’ve got it, I’ve got the hottest new game a Playstation 4 owning adult could want: Spyro 2 Riptos Rage.  The more times change the more they stay exactly the same, and thankfully in the case of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy that ends up being a good thing.

The Good:

The Fulfillment of an Imagination:  Looking back on the visuals in the original three Spyro games can be a rough time, in fact I’d say that entire generation of video games has aged incredibly poorly in the visuals department.  Spyro Reignited Trilogy however, uses the same imagination that developers asked people to tap into back in the day to create absolute wonderlands of spectacle and color that 5th gen consoles couldn’t even dream of producing.  Levels that were once unclear and painted with broad ideas and concepts are now all incredibly distinct.

For instance, in Spyro 2 the level Hurricos was always presented as this odd clifftop society, the closest thing it came to the title, obviously named as such to be close to the word “Hurricane”, was the fact it was raining.  Today though, Hurricos is a small island, locked in the middle of an endless storm and surrounded on all sides by whipping waves, with the grass being violently blown in the rain and the science loving people living their suddenly making sense for choosing this chaotic place as one in which to do research on the wind!  Every level in the trilogy has a loving amount of detail put into it, if there was something you always imagined being a part of the Spyro games but was never really there, well I have news for you, chances are it’s there right now waiting for you to see it.

The updated world designs extend beautifully to the mid level homeworlds, which all feel ripped straight out of an animated movie you get to play!

Spyro’s Just A Little Airborne, He’s Still Good!:  Last year when the Crash Bandicoot remakes came out, there was a fervor of questions raised about the originals in relation to the remakes.  Were these games always this hard or was I just really patient as a kid?  Has the “Sonics Ass” game franchise always been this linear?  I didn’t find myself asking any of those questions about Spyro.  The Spyro games gameplay were always very simple, it’s all about finding a way to glide to that far off platform or hunting down that last gem you missed in a level.

In this way Spyro has aged leaps and bounds better than Crash before it, because the mechanics were just the right kind of simple and laid back for the time that they’ve translated incredibly well to our modern era.  I was almost never stressed out playing these games again, and while you could argue they’re maybe too easy in retrospect I’d say that relaxing pace and lack of roadblocks is a feature we all always loved, even if we didn’t realize it at the time.

An Adventure Reborn:  All three of the original Spyro games are present in this collection and if you have a favorite character or moment in any of those I feel I can guarantee you that it’s here and it’s been redone in loving detail.  Spyro the Dragon has unique models for every dragon in the game, a far cry from the repeating six or seven we saw on the PS1.  Spyro 2 lovingly re-designs all the supporting cast, from Hunter the Cheetah no longer looking like a Muppet and Elora still looking exactly like a Faun you dork.  

The cast of Spyro 3 gets the same treatment, with all the new playable characters sporting looks that are clearly updated but evoke the same classic feeling they gave off in the original release(Except, unfortunately, Sheila who comes across as massively over designed).  The Homeworlds in Spyro 2 still exude a sense of peace, The Gnorcs still moon you for some reason in Spyro The Dragon and even the Skateboarding mini games in Spyro 3 have aged about a hundred times better than you’d imagine.  It’s the small details that really decide whether or not a remake team got the spirit of a game right, and i’m glad to say all of those are here in the Reignited Trilogy.

The remade Autumn Plains absolutely took my breath away, it’s always been one of my all time favorite environments in a game and with it’s new level of detail it’s going to keep that place for a long time.

Copeland Plays The Hits:  I’ll readily admit that I was worried for the music in this game, Stewart Copeland of the police turned in incredible soundtracks for the original three games.  Not only am I happy to say his tracks are here and undisturbed if you want them that way, but the remastered versions of them are incredible as well.  They all feel just like you’d want them to in these updated versions of the games that were all so driven by their tunes, with new wrinkles like a soft thump tone being added into the peaceful tracks of the Spyro 2 home world and new instrumentation adding a layer of depth to some of the first games more simplified tracks.  Honestly as it stands, it’s the choice given to you the player to listen to the new stuff, or just go back to the originals you love that puts this game over the top in regards to the music.

The Bad:

Well, for one, Jack here looks like someone used voodoo to bring a Funko Pop to life, does that count as bad?

Supercharged Past That QA Huh?:  Much like the Crash remakes last year, it’s not only clear these games were made on a very tight time frame, but that they were made sequentially and their quality decreases the further you get into the series.  Now to be fair, I encountered nothing game breaking, but I did notice that bugs, visual quality and other smaller details tended to fall by the wayside the further you get into the series.  Where the original Spyro seems to have got the most attention, Spyro 3(Ironically, much like it’s original release) had a fair amount of bugs waiting to rear their weird looking heads.  During the skateboard races, for example, the enemy A.I would sometimes just seem to switch off.  Only to reactivate at random intervals and jerk back into place, suddenly shutting down any lead you may have gained due to their non action, even if you were still playing properly while they were freaking out.  

Where levels in Spyro one and two mostly escaped this, you could see the beginnings of a reliance on re-used assets and quick production in Spyro 3.  Like Crash before it, the third game in the franchise seemed to get the least amount of attention, which is a bummer because that one has always been my second favorite.  The game was delayed once, last minute even, and I’m very glad it did, because despite what I’ve written here the game never stops functioning or is ever unplayable, if anything these bugs are just minor annoyances, but i’d have definitely hated to see what a version of Spyro 3 even more rushed out the door would have looked like.

Didn’t stop me from platinum-ing the thing!

Spyro Reignited Trilogy, despite a couple nagging issues, is a damn near perfect way to bring back our favorite purple dragon’s original three adventures.  The games not only look great with their fresh coat of paint, but have aged beautifully in both gameplay and general tone.  I’d heavily recommend The Reignited Trilogy, not just to Spyro fans, but to anyone yearning to feel like that 7 year old kid again.  Holding that dualshock and completely enraptured by the 10 or so polygons making up that little purple on the TV in front of you.  Welcome back Spyro, I hope we can look forward those wonderful words showing back up the future “An Adventure Begins”.

[ssimagines]

101 Imagine Prompts

Send me some requests 1-3 of these prompts and any of the people I write for which you can find here and request here. 

1. “Quit touching me. Your feet are cold.”

2. “Can we just watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?”

3. “Frost the damn cupcakes.”

4. “Oh, gosh, you’ve insulted me! What ever shall I do? I’ll be mentally and emotionally scared for years!”

5. “I love you a lot, but please stop trying to cook me dinner, you suck.”

6. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

7. “Eat your lunch and you wouldn’t be hungry.”

8. “Forget it. You fucking suck.”

9. “We’re playing checkers. If you don’t like it, leave.”

10. “I was going to kiss him, but then my friend texted me about going to Taco Bell, and, well, there’s this cashier that works there who is way cuter, so I bailed on the rest of the date.”

11. “My parents asked about you.”

12.  “Quit it or I’ll bite.”

13. “I just like proving you wrong.”

14. “I’m starting an idiot jar. Any time you do or say anything idiotic, you have to put at least a dollar in it—more depending on how stupid the thing that you said or did was.”

15. “I know that you have reached a decision, but given that it is a stupid ass decision I have elected to ignore it”

16. “H-How long have you been standing there?”

17. “I may be an idiot but I’m your idiot.”

18. “This is by far the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

19. “You’re the only one I trust to do this.”

20. “I just wanted an easy day with my girlfriend/boyfriend. What’s so wrong with that?”

21. “It’s a hobby of mine to prove you wrong.”

22. “It must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pick up line.”

23. “Come over here and make me.”

24. "I’m flirting with you.”

25. “The way you flirt is shameful.”

26. “Why are you up so early?”

27. “Well, this is where I live.”

28. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

29. “We accidentally got married in Vegas”

30. "Well….don’t keep me waiting”

31. "Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

32.  “Is there a special reason, as to why you’re wearing my shirt?”

33. “Wait, hold on. Are you implying you want to kiss me?”

34.”Stop with the tongue thing, it’s strangely attractive.”

35. “Wait a second are you jealous?”

36. “They always make shower sex sound so appealing, but honestly it seems quite dangerous.”

37. “Take. It. Off.”

38. “When you love someone, you just don’t stop. Ever. Even when people roll their eyes or call you crazy… even then. Specially then!”

39. “ D..did you just make that noise?”

40. “You can scream if you want.”

41. “Well that’s the second biggest news I’ve heard all day.”

42. “For the hundredth time, I’m not your babysitter.”  

43. “Do you think it’s possible that I…might be… pregnant? ”

44. "I took a pregnancy test.”

45. “I bet it’s a girl/boy.”

46. “Your dad is really excited to meet you soon, it’s driving me crazy.”

47. “Our kid is totally the one who wanted to build a pillow fort, not me.”

48. “I think we should have another.”

49.  “I don’t want to have a baby.”

50. “You got her pregnant?! What were you thinking?”

51. “Can you just man up and change his diaper?”

52. “He’s four years old!!”

53. “I lost our child.”

54. “You’re a dork, just like your father.”

55. “Don’t use me as an example. I wasn’t a good kid.”

56. “I’m your daughter.”

57. “Promise me you’ll look after your mom.”  

58. "A boy needs his father.”

59.“Why did we have to have kids?”

60. “I forgot I was a single parent.”

61. “You’re going out dressed like that?”

62. “Looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for a while.”   

63. “He’s a bad kisser.”

64. “And that’s how you ruin a life. Congratulations.”

65. “I think I’m in love with you, and I’m terrified.”

66. “I’ve moved on.”

67. “Don’t apologize if you don’t mean it.”

68. “I wasn’t going to wait around for you forever.”

69. “sometimes I feel like I wanna make out with you. Is that a friend thing to do?”

70. “I want my best friend back.”

71. “I’ve been in love with you my entire life”

72.  “I thought you were a dream come true.”

73. “I am not losing you again.”

74. “I love you, you asshole.”

75. “That wasn’t very subtle.”

76. “I thought you were dead.”

77. “I’ve never felt this way before….and it scares the shit out of me.”

78. “This isn’t just about you. It’s about what’s best for all of us.”

79. “You can’t protect me.”

80. “Run, and don’t ever look back.”

81. “I can’t explain right now, but I need you to trust me.”

82.  “Please, take me instead!”

83. “You did this for me?”

84. “Please don’t argue. You have to leave right now, you aren’t safe here.”

85. “Stop talking about the past, I could be dead in a matter of hours… make me up a future.”

86. “One of them’s missing.”

87.  “You’re strong, baby. You have to be.”

88. “I won’t let you get hurt.”

89.  “Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy.”

90. “You know, it hurt when I realized that you’re not in love with me. But nothing can compare to the pain I felt when I saw you fall in love with her.”

91. “That’s my shirt. So is that..wait?”

92. “You’re competitive and so am I, and it’s going to lead to a fight.”

93.  “I don’t do hugs.”

94. “It’s just you and me tonight. I was thinking we could have a little fun.”

95. “You just wanted them because the light up.”

96.  “I’m your husband. It’s my job.”  

97.  “If I ever see you anywhere near her, you’ll have to deal with me!”

98. “Well, you’re coming home with me whether you like it or not.”

99. “If I die, I’m going to haunt your ass.”

100. “You never told me you had a fucking twin.”

101. “Fuck…I feel I’ve been hit by a car.”

I just want to say thank you to all my many sources. (there were a lot)

Request here

[jaemtens]

Rescue (Chapter 1)

seventeen | junhao | side meanie / vernkwan | chapter 1 of 10 | 3.6k

tumblr links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 ao3 links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

written with @bulletproof-bad-wolf | updates every saturday morning

summary:  When Soonyoung finally "agrees" to let Junhui get a dog for their apartment, he realizes that he needed something a little bit more than a puppy. Enter Minghao, the bona fide Bad Boy™ with tattoos and piercings. Oh, and he doodles puppies and kittens in their Probability and Confirmation class.

chapter 1: junhui

Inside a classroom, time always seemed to be a myth. If you wanted it to go faster, it went slower. If you wanted it to move like molasses (and honestly, why would anyone ever want that during a class, especially one as tedious as Probability and Confirmation?), it sped by. Junhui could never decide which he’d prefer, these days. Not since Xu Minghao started sitting next to him at the back of the room.

Minghao was new this semester. Junhui knew that. It was one of the few pieces of knowledge he’d gleaned in the months since they’d “met.” Junhui had been putting met in quotations, because he hadn’t actually had the nerve to say much to Minghao, so far. Their daily interactions generally consisted of a “hey” or “what’s up” when either of them walked in and saw the other. Sometimes, just a short, silent nod sufficed. It wasn’t because Junhui was afraid of Minghao, or anything. That would be ridiculous. There wasn’t anything scary about him, really, not his array of tattoos or the piercings dotting his ears, with one in his eyebrow. Certainly not the beat-up leather jacket he wore every day, along with the nearly permanent scowl. It only seemed to leave his face every now and then, when he would fall asleep on his desk.

Junhui wasn’t scared, okay? Minghao just...made him feel extra dorky.

He knew he was a dork, pre-Minghao. Junhui never skipped class, even the ones he hated (like Probability and Confirmation, for example). He turned in every assignment on time, studied an appropriate number of days in advance for all his exams. He got decent grades in return.

He enjoyed things like video games, and comic books. Maybe even the occasional, casual game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Truly, he was a massive nerd, and Minghao was just...massively hot. They didn’t match. Their leagues were nowhere near each other’s. It was fine. Junhui wasn’t bothered at all, actually, because college was for studying, not dating. He’d made a promise to himself when he got here: he would definitely, in no way, no way at all, let any cute boy get in the way of his goals. The only problem with that, was that he still sort of needed to figure out what those goals even were.

Philosophy classes were all well and good, when Junhui thought he wanted to become a lawyer, or maybe a professor. Both of those thoughts faded quickly when classes actually began. Now, he was four months into his sophomore year, still floundering and taking whatever classes piqued his interest (and kept his parents off his back, or at least moderately silent and not threatening to “pop up” for a visit every weekend or three), and the minute Minghao walked into Probability and Confirmation, Junhui stopped giving any sorts of damns about what the professor was saying, and instead, he became incredibly concerned with trying to figure out what the tattoo he could see peeking out of one sleeve on Minghao’s leather jacket sometimes was, when he raised his hands above his head. Not to ask questions in class, but to yawn impressively.

Besides scowling and sleeping, the only other thing Junhui had seen Minghao do during philosophy lectures was draw.

He didn’t notice it at first, because Minghao liked to draw with one arm curled around whatever paper he’d dug up to doodle on, as if he was trying to keep a secret, keep it just for himself. But one day, on his way out of class, Minghao got up from his desk so abruptly that one of his little slips of paper floated to the ground while Junhui watched. He watched it until it settled near the toe of his worn Chucks, until he was a hundred percent positive that Minghao had left the room. Then, Junhui leaned over and picked it up. He was already the last student sitting in the classroom. Everyone else had rushed out the door at the first opportunity the professor gave them. He figured he had a few minutes to sit and peruse whatever Minghao had drawn.

Junhui laid the piece of paper face down on the desk in front of him, eyeing it carefully. Suddenly, he felt nosy. Like he was invading Minghao’s privacy, even though it was just a picture and even though Minghao wasn’t even there to see him do it, and would never know. It was just...it felt almost intimate, in an innocent way.

It felt like Junhui was really, really over analyzing things.

Sighing, he flipped over the paper, annoyed at himself and his brain. When he glanced down and saw what was on it, he was torn between wanting to laugh out loud, and a healthy dose of what the fuck.

Apparently, Xu Minghao, local unfriendly bad boy, spent his time in Probability and Confirmation doodling puppies and kittens.

While Junhui was still trying to decide whether or not he should indulge his intense need to chortle, he examined the drawings closer. They weren’t simple line drawings, ones that anyone could pull off with enough concentration. They weren’t photorealistic, either. They had a certain style. Junhui thought about all the art he liked, all the cartoons and comics and anime he enjoyed. He’d spent enough time absorbing all of that art that he knew, without a doubt, that he could pick out the artist’s particular choices anytime he was presented with them: a pen flair there, a splash of color here. He felt like he could probably do that with anything Minghao drew from that point on, and he’d only looked at two puppies playing with a ball together, and a kitten, tangled up in a ball of yarn.

Junhui wondered if this was one of those moments, those important Life Moments where you knew you were being utterly, absolutely ridiculous, and subsequently had to make a decision on whether or not to continue down the path of dumbassery.

He’d gathered his things finally, slipping Minghao’s drawing into the side pocket of his messenger bag, and Junhui pondered his conundrum all the way down the steps of the lecture hall and out the door, into the nearly empty corridor of this building. Junhui had just about decided to swerve out of Loser Lane and coast down..some other...road...that winners used (he was still thinking about puppies and kittens and honestly, he wasn’t really in his right mind, okay? That was the only explanation for all the strange analogies he was coming up with), when suddenly, he bumped straight into the object of his internal confusion.

Minghao was stronger than he looked. Junhui decided that almost immediately. Running into him, literally running into his person with Junhui’s own person, wasn’t unlike how he thought running into a brick wall must feel. Fleetingly, Junhui’s mind wandered to how many more tattoos he would be able to see if he could also see all of Minghao’s many muscles, the ones he now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt definitely existed under all that old leather he wore.

“Uh,” Junhui blurted eloquently, averting his eyes to the ground, where they belonged. They definitely didn’t belong all over Minghao, which was where he currently wanted to put them. Along with his hands.

ANYway.

“Um,” Minghao started at the same time, their words bumping into each other just like their bodies had a few seconds before. Neither of them followed with anything else for a moment, and then finally Junhui came up with something.

“Hi. Um. You’re still here. Wow, that’s so weird, because...because everyone else is like, gone...and…like...you’re definitely not...so…”

Look, he never claimed that what he was going to say would make any sense whatsoever, all right?

Minghao was just watching him melt down, watching quietly and calmly, with only a hint of amusement in his eyes, and Junhui really sort of appreciated that. Minghao didn’t say anything at all until Junhui finally got his mouth to stop moving, twenty or so stumbling words later. He waited a beat, until he was sure Junhui was done with...whatever he was doing, and then Minghao licked his lips and smiled a little.

“Yeah, I’m still here. I have an appointment with the...with the office in like, ten minutes, so I figured there wasn’t any point in burning off too fast,” Minghao said. Junhui was far too out of his mind to notice the awkward, suspicious pauses in Minghao’s words.

“Oh. Well. Sorry I was...in your way,” Junhui tried next, even though it wasn’t much better than any of the nonsense he’d babbled before.

Minghao chuckled. “You weren’t.”

Junhui swallowed thickly. “Oh.”

It was going stunningly well, honestly.

Minghao shifted from foot to foot, hiking his backpack up his shoulder a little. “All right, well. See you Wednesday, Jun.”

Junhui had no idea how or why Minghao knew his name. He only knew that the way Minghao said it made it sound different than anyone else ever had. It sounded better.

Junhui really needed to get more sleep, he decided. It was starting to affect his daily life.

He nodded, and then Minghao nodded, and then they both started to walk in exactly the same direction.

Minghao stopped first, looking pleasantly irritated. Junhui slowed to a halt too. They looked at each other for a second, the silence between them just short of uncomfortable. Minghao shook his head in what might have been disbelief, actual annoyance, or confusion, and started off again, and Junhui had no choice but to follow, because Minghao was walking in the direction of both the administrative offices and the parking lot, where Junhui’s car was. The blessed vehicle that would take him off campus and away from this parade of humiliation he was currently riding the lead float in.

First he walked a few steps behind Minghao, then Junhui sped up for no reason and jogged in front of him for a bit while they crossed the courtyard. When he got tired of doing that, Junhui paused again and waited until Minghao caught up with him, and they walked the rest of the way side by side. Totally normal. Nothing to see here, folks. Certainly not Wen Junhui making a complete ass of himself in front of a Hot Bad Boy Type.

They walked without saying anything, until the quiet got too loud for Junhui, and he said the only thing he could think of, while he was trying to concentrate on walking without tripping and behaving like a cool guy, instead of a giant freaking nerd. “You’re really good at drawing.”

Immediately, Junhui cringed. Internally. He hoped to hell it was remaining internal. It was basically the last thing he should have said, ever, because now he really was invading Minghao’s privacy, and Minghao was going to hate him forever, obviously, and they would never get to know each other and become friends and then become best friends, Kwon Soonyoung be damned, and after best friends came boyfriends, and he would finally, finally get to put his hands all over the 24-pack Minghao was probably hiding under his t-shirt.

Minghao stopped walking again. “You’ve seen my drawings?” He didn’t sound mad. He didn’t sound happy, either. He sounded...carefully careful. Cautious. Whatever.

Junhui scrambled for the right words. Ones that wouldn’t implicate him in any sort of illicit fuckery, preferably. “Um. Well. You see. I...I, uh--”

“You must have pretty good eyes, to see all the way from your desk over my arm,” Minghao mused. “I mean, I don’t do it on purpose, really. Putting my arm in the way of anyone seeing my paper. It’s just...a habit,” he finished, biting his lip. Junhui wondered if Minghao would ever get a lip ring. He had the mouth for it.

“I mean,” Junhui started, his mind still working overtime on a plausible cover story, “I guess I’ve seen maybe...one or two...pictures? Drawings? Like, just by chance, really, passing by or whatever. It’s not like...I haven’t like, been looking on purpose.”

That part was true, at least.

Minghao shrugged. “S’fine. I don’t care.” He didn’t say thank you. He was probably too busy thinking about how Junhui was a total weirdo. He wouldn’t be wrong.

Suddenly, Junhui realized that right then might be his only chance to talk to Minghao like this, one on one, with no one else around. Right then might have been the only time he could say any number of things he’d wanted to, for a long time.

Junhui finished sorting out the most embarrassing ideas, and stashed them in the side of his brain that was probably dead from too much school and too much Minghao exposure. In the end, he went with: “You know, if you ever wanted to like, study or draw or do...whatever, you could come to my apartment, there’s plenty of room there and I have my own room, and--”

Minghao’s expression turned dark before Junhui could register it was happening. He didn’t know what he’d said to cause it, to cause everything to flip so quickly. He just knew that Minghao was frowning now, looking anywhere except at Junhui as he bit some words out. “See you around, Junhui.” With that, Minghao stalked past Junhui and made a sharp right, and Junhui wanted to call out to him, to tell him that he wasn’t going in the direction of the offices anymore, he was going to the parking lot, but he figured Minghao was probably aware of that. It seemed pretty intentional.

He wondered what he’d said to set Minghao off. He wondered it all the way to the parking lot, walking much slower than Minghao had stomped away. Junhui glanced around when he got to his car. No Minghao. He sighed, unlocking the door and flopping down into the passenger seat, and absolutely did not spend the entire ten minute drive to his apartment picking apart every millisecond of the end of his conversation with Minghao, trying to understand what he’d done and how he could undo it.

In the end, Junhui decided (i.e., forced himself upon penalty of...whatever he could come up with, later, when it mattered) that he wasn’t going to let it get to him. He was an adult, sort of, with adult problems. Ones that didn’t include whatever multiple personalities Xu Minghao had at his disposal.

Junhui was fine. The events of that afternoon totally weren’t consuming him and threatening to swallow his thoughts whole.

He was fine.

“Hey, do you know Xu Minghao?” Junhui asked Soonyoung very casually over bowls of noodles at their kitchen table later that night, after he’d spent about four hours living his best, productive life, not obsessing over the Minghao Situation whatsoever, at all.

Soonyoung slurped a noodle between his pursed lips, chewing it as he answered. “Yeah. Why?”

Junhui didn't know why he was surprised. It wasn’t like he was the only person allowed to know Minghao. Even an antisocial Bad Boy™ like Minghao probably had to have at least a couple of friends.

Junhui frowned a little. “From where?”

Soonyoung shrugged. “I dunno. Around? I think I met him like, once, when he stopped by dance team practice. I guess he was thinking about joining, but never did.”

Junhui tried to imagine Minghao on Soonyoung’s dance team, doing all the intricate hip-hop moves and overtly sexual hip thrusts Soonyoung favored. He couldn’t do it. Maybe it was that he didn't want to do it, especially when he considered that last part. Shaking his head to clear that thought out, Junhui went on. “Oh,” he said, picking at his food again like nothing had happened.

Soonyoung raised an eyebrow at him. “‘Oh’? That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

Junhui pressed his lips together and hoped he wasn’t blushing. “Yes.”

Soonyoung dropped a few noodles back into his bowl. Junhui decided not to mention that the action made ramen broth splash all over the table.

Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Soonyoung stared at Junhui suspiciously. “Why, do you know him?”

Junhui shrugged. “Kind of, I guess. He’s in my Prob and Conf lecture.”

Soonyoung rolled his eyes. “Whatever that means.” He took another bite. “And?”

Junhui groaned. “And nothing, you mouth-breather. And I just wondered if he had any friends, or whatever. I guess.” He didn't really know why he was adding “I guess” to the end of all these thoughts, suddenly. Maybe Junhui felt like it would acquit him of some of the responsibility, make it okay that he had somehow ruined things with Minghao before they even started, and it would become totally reasonable that he had no idea why.

Soonyoung was smirking, now. “Wen Junhui, you have a crush.”

Junhui’s jaw dropped. “I do not!”

Nodding, Soonyoung started to look more and more victorious. Junhui wasn’t sure what he was claiming victory over, but he probably didn't want to find out, either. “Fuck yeah, you do, dude. It’s cool! You can crush on whoever you want!” he decided, as if Junhui needed his best friend’s permission to do so. Y’know. If he had a crush in the first place. Which he didn’t.

“Thank you,” Junhui muttered, dropping his head into his hands. He used the time to himself to think of how to steer this conversation in another direction, preferably one exactly opposite of where it was currently heading. It had already gone too far for his liking. Luckily, it only took a few moments for him to pinpoint a topic that would have Soonyoung running for the metaphorical hills, or at least his bedroom, leaving Junhui alone with his innumerable thoughts. “So, about the dog I’m definitely adopting soon…”

Soonyoung got up from the table immediately, snatching Junhui’s bowl from in front of him before he’d even finished his ramen. Junhui tried to protest. It didn’t really work, because Soonyoung was always one conversational step ahead of him, even when he was trying to change the subject himself.

“No, Jun. We are not getting a dog. They are horrible creatures who drool everywhere and tear up the furniture, and--”

“--not unlike you,” Junhui interjected, pleased at his own wit. He anticipated the smack on the head with a dish towel Soonyoung attempted to aim at him a half second before it happened, ducking his head as the towel whooshed above him. Soonyoung made sort of a hrmph sound, but he didn’t try for another slap.

“Jun. I don’t want a dog,” Soonyoung said, yelling to be heard over the rushing water at the sink. “I’m not a dog person. I’m not even a pet person!” he exclaimed.

Junhui rolled his eyes. “Well, I am, and I want a dog. It won’t be your dog, dude. You won’t even have to do anything! I’ll feed it and walk it and clean up after it.”

Soonyoung turned off the water, snorting. “Yeah, for about a month, until you lose interest and find some other thing to get into. Y’know, kinda like how you’ve been doing with these rando classes you keep signing up for, with no major in sight, for two years.”

Junhui wanted to argue with that, he really did. But Soonyoung was unequivocally right about the classes, even if Junhui hated to admit it.

He was still wrong about the dog, though.

“That’s not gonna happen, I swear,” Junhui promised. “I’ve wanted a dog since I was a kid, but my parents would never let me get one. Now I’ve got my own apartment--”

“--that you don’t have to pay for, because I pay for it out of my trust fund,” Soonyoung reminded him.

“I pay for groceries!” Junhui protested. “And, I bought that lamp right there,” he said, pointing a finger into the living room at the atrocious, cheap lighting fixture he’d brought home from the local flea market one Sunday afternoon.

Soonyoung plopped down into his chair across from Junhui again. “Congratulations, you own a lamp,” he said dryly.

Junhui ignored that jab, still thinking. Trying to find a way to get what he wanted. “I’ll do the dishes for a month,” he said finally. Soonyoung hated dishes. Junhui used that fact as a bargaining chip more frequently than he liked to admit.

Soonyoung rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Three months, and I’ll think about it.”

Junhui sat forward, his elbows on the table. “Two months, and I’m definitely getting a dog.”

“Two and a half, and you can have a gerbil,” Soonyoung countered.

“Two and three quarters, plus laundry, plus I’ll talk to that mean little midget T.A. you have a giant heart boner for on your behalf,” Junhui proposed, and when Soonyoung started to blush beet red, he knew he’d won.

He didn’t answer for a long while. They stared each other down at the table, neither of them wanting to break eye contact first. After a while, Junhui started to wonder if Soonyoung had fallen asleep with his eyes open. He wouldn’t put it past him. They’d known each other for ten years, and he’d seen it happen before.

“Two and three quarters, plus laundry, plus you’ll talk to Jihoon using only an approved list of comments and facts which I make for you and you do not go off book, got it, and I’ll continue to think about it,” Soonyoung decided.

“Go with me to the shelter this weekend, and you’ve got yourself a deal. The minute you lay eyes on those sweet little puppies, you’ll change your mind,” Junhui said confidently.

Soonyoung groaned. “I hate my life.”

Junhui grinned, fists in the air victoriously. “We’re getting a dog!”

[justrandombullshitthoughts]

I have no idea

I literally have no idea what Im doing right now, Im currently writing this as Im laying down in bed, no drive to do anything. Im so sick of not having the drive to do anything, I want to better myself and all that but it seens impossible at this point. I always fucking do this, always. Im so sick of having adhd and whatever the hell else youd call this "numbness". With my adhd it makes it hard to commit to nearly anything. Thats why I hold things to the last minute constantly. I really wish I didnt do that and Ive trief and Ive tried and Ive tried and Im sic of it. But anyway, last night I was on the phone for a while and that made me really happy. I really cant wait to see him in person, I just wanna hold him. Oof itll still be about 4 days till hes back and possibly longer. I kinda wanna hang in the village he lives near when he gets back, we do that a lot. I just dont really wanna ve stuck in the place I live in, dont get me wrong I love it here and theres amazing scenery and such but its nuce to get away sometimes y'know?. Ive lived in this county my whole life and it just gets boring being in the same places you've always been in. Im a senior now and when I was a sophomore I moved to Florida for a year, HUGE change, it was pretty hard for me. Dont get me wrong it would have been so much better if my depression didnt decide to slip in the whole year but oof, i forgot where I was going with this. I just kinda wanna leave where I leave, just to do anything. God I wish the days woukd go faster to see James. A lot of people have been telling me Ive been "off" lately and such. I try my hardest not to show people tgat Im numb so they dont worry but my bestfriends mom (my second mom) catches on. I dont mind if thwy know, ive already told my bestfriwnd about it and they kmow what Im handling currently with my parents. Oh and I talked to mom abouthow people call ne a transtrender in school and she was just kike "dont let them get to you" nd all that and I told I find it kinda funny when people say that because they wont ever day it to your face. I also think its hillarious because my friends bf is intimidated by me so she cant talk to me, better yet hes a fucking farm boy xD. Big macho man over here, intimidating all the boyfriends. SHIT! I just looked in the mirror, hope that guy doesnt steal James. Wtf is wrong with me...oof. But anyway, yeah, I talked to the boyon the phone last night and I cant wait to see him in person. I like when I can say something like a comoliment or something cheesy or some shit and he like hides his face. Its absolutely adorable like 100% fucking yes, 10/10. Hes such a dork I swear, I cant even. I also find it kinda adorable when he like chews on the earbuds cord and like it goes inbetween his two front teeth. Its cute, his teeth are fucking cute, I love the gap. I dont know why that gap inbetween peoples two front teeth is so cute to me but it just is. Just...yes. Cuteness, cute fucking boyo. I just wanna see him like fucking damn, please life? I just wanna see my god damn boy, I dun wanna wait like four more days. I just yes, I want to see the boyo. Anyway, I should jump in the shower before the boyo wakes uo so I can tects him when he texts back. I might write another one that just the boyo cant see because I just, I dunno. I don't really wanna talk about it with him exactly. Its about us and future stuff, blah blah blah. Ive wanted to talj about that for a while but I dunno if I feel comfortable with him seeing it. I want him to choose for himself not other people. I only want for the boyo thats best for him, nothing else. I just want the god damn boy to be happy and have a healthy life. Not much matters to me than that, just him and the others around me that I am close to. I have a hard time worrying about myself unless it affects another person some how...anyway we'll see about that second post. Mlem. Have a gif and another.

[skeletorific]

Whats your headcannon relationship for the 4 main AU Gasters have with their respective Sans and Papyrus? Is he their dad, brother, scientific donor/creator, unrelated?? How do they feel about each other?

Alright, so I think I’ve said it once or twice, but I’m that basic bitch who loves me some Dadster. In the case of Tale and Fell, I believe he’s the Royal Scientist. In Swap and Swapfell, he’s the former Captain of the Royal Guard. In both cases, Sans and Papyrus are not his biological sons, nor are they his creations. Gaster, Sans, and Papyrus are the only skeletons left alive after the war with the humans. For various reasons, all of the Gasters chose to take Sans and Papyrus in, and as both were too young to properly remember their parents, he is for all intents and purposes the only father they have

UT!Gaster: We know the outline for this guy, the former Royal Scientist who fell into his own creation and had his essence dispersed across space and time, forgotten by all but a select (and highly bizarre) few. He is shrouded in mystery and intrigue, and peculiarly menacing for it…..

In life he was a total dork. No, seriously, never left the lab and even inside it he was a total klutz. One of the most brilliant minds of the millennia, but woefully off-kilter, both mentally and physically. Gaster is deeply curious, enthusiastic, and in general optimistic. Something of a workaholic, but its more like time doesn’t seem to pass when he’s working. He became the father of the bros purely by accident. Asgore did a bit of matchmaking and told him there were two little skeleton orphans who he was trying to find a good home for, and wouldn’t they be more at home with one of their own people? Not to mention he would know more about their physical needs and…Gaster kept nodding and saying yes but in hindsight, maybe he should’ve waited until he was done running those trials to ask. About 10 hours later he finally pieced together that His Majesty probably wasn’t coming back for the little ones who had been following him around the lab. The older one kept getting into things when he wasn’t tending to the little one. Curious little mind, even if his grabbiness was a bit of a safety hazard. Gaster took them home and decided he had kids now, he guessed. He arranged for the partner of one of his lab assistants to watch the kids while he was working and took them to the lab with him every day he couldn’t get a sitter.

Gaster was basically benevolent and Sans and Papyrus had a fairly decent childhood, but he could tend to be a bit…neglectful. Even if he didn’t mean to. Sans was the one who taught Papyrus how to tie his shoes, color in the lines, and that the stove was hot. Gaster was always at work. Not to say that he didn’t try. On his rare days off he dedicated it almost entirely to the kids, and when the CORE wasn’t in immediate threat of blowing up he was there when they were sick and for most emergencies. When Sans’ interest in science persisted he took him under his wing and made sure he got the education necessary, and was the first audience for his comedy routine. He bought Papyrus his first books on puzzle theory and initiated the Fluffy Bunny bedtime ritual. So what if he couldn’t cook worth a damn and sometimes forgot that they were supposed to go to school. But they knew he loved them. Sans was always closer to him, and his internship at the lab only strengthened that the relationship. Although, professionally, Sans always did think Gaster was a little too reckless.

Post-Void Gaster spends a long time reasonably depressed, but you can’t keep a good dorky Void scientist down. Sans is working to bring him back every day he can remember him, and in the meantime he’s having some fun experimenting with the mechanics of his new state of being

UF!Gaster: Still curious and deeply passionate about his work. You’d have to love the subject to want to pursue science underground. Even before Kill or Be Killed became official policy the monsters were inclined to more hands-on stuff. There was a mental attitude that only heightened in the aftermath: anything that wasn’t immediately practical or designing something to kill off humans when they finally got out of this hellhole was worthless. Gaster designed a few weapons, and eventually the Core just to keep the others off his back, and spent as much time barricaded in his lab as possible. His defense system is top-notch, and even if they get passed, Gaster’s formidable on his own. As a result of these working conditions, Gaster is extremely reserved, slow to trust, and maintains a firm exterior of coldness.

Sans and Papyrus were the result of an anomalous generous urge years ago.  They stayed in small quarters under his basement, not necessarily unaccommodating, but hopefully somewhere they’d keep out of his hair. Well, not hair, but…look, assistant, you know what he means just take your notes and shut up!

No such luck, they kept wandering out. More accurately the smaller one kept breaking out and the elder followed him to make sure he stayed out of trouble. In the end, he gave up on herding them into the room and just told them to stay out of his way, or else. The scientist in him couldn’t help observing their behavior, though. The little one seemed angry, like he had too much energy for his body, and was given to expending it by lecturing the older, for his sleepiness and his lack of interest in surprise attacks on Gaster. Seemed he couldn’t take a step without walking over a tripwire or with a bucket of water falling on his head. In the end he just gave the little snot a book on puzzle theory and sectioned him off in an area of the lab they didn’t use anymore to do what he would. That area was hazardous to enter for anyone but Papyrus and Sans.

The elder was fascinated by machines, in particular the parts of the Core Gaster had in to repair. He would sit watching them for hours, an intense expression on his face. At first he thought he just found the motion hypnotic, but one late night while he was working on the ventricle converters he heard a young voice behind him. “the vents are corroded.”

He jumped. The kid was so quiet compared to the other one he sometimes forgot he talked at all. Sans didn’t trust him, which was fine. He shouldn’t. “….what?”

“the vents are corroded. on the inside. that’s why it smells weird and it keeps overheatin’.”

Gaster sniffed the air briefly and popped the vent off…..He was right. How the hell…From that point on he kept an eye on the kid, especially when Sans thought no one was watching. He discovered the kid had been tinkering behind his back, using what he had seen and overheard the adults talking about. This certainly explained how Papyrus’ traps had been getting more sophisticated…From that point on he started giving Sans scraps of busywork, justifying it by saying the little shit might as well earn his keep. He was a quick study, and rose well above most of his assistants by the time he was a teenager. Papyrus was no dummy either, although his interests weren’t with the sciences, but combat. Which was fine. Built-in guard-dog while they worked to make sure Asgore still thought they were valuable enough to keep alive.

The relationship was complicated, often strife-ridden, but there was a deep level of respect and even a bit of love, as far as that went Underground. He would chew both of them out when they messed up but when they needed saving Gaster was the first (and often only one) in line to help them out. They never called him dad, and he never asked them too. In a way, he’s more an older, sterner brother rather than a father figure.

(As a side note, this version of Gaster did perform some experiments on them, but not quite Handplates level. More injecting some maybe less than safe serums into them in the hopes that it’ll make them stronger. In the interest of fairness, he did this only in emergencies and was pretty sure it wouldn’t kill them. It made Edge sturdier than he would be normally and bolstered Red’s magic, although Edge has a low chemical tolerance and Red has the 1 HP issue as a result.)

US!Gaster: (Keep in mind swap canon on Gaster is nebulous at best. I do know what the standard swap is, but this is my version.) Swapped with Gerson, Swapster is a hero from the war and the Captain of the Royal Guard before Alphys. Gaster played the part of the Undying Hero quite well. He was enthusiastic, courageous, and filled with intense compassion for his people. That same compassion drove him to take in two young boys he discovered while out on his campaign against the humans.

He was Blue’s hero when he was a kid. After all, who doesn’t want a superhero for a dad? Gaster always was popular with the kids. His bone attacks were in very high demand and he was always happy to oblige. But despite being something of a show-off, Gaster had a very genuine love for everyone around him, and in many ways was the heart and soul of monsterkind those first few centuries under the mountain. He trained up the new generations of the Royal Guard and kept the optimism alive. Even gave Frisk a couple knife lessons (thanks, Gaster). From the time Sans could walk he tried to imitate Gaster in everything, following him around like a shadow.

With Papyrus, the relationship was more complicated. Papyrus loves his pops, but sometimes its hard to know who’s parenting too. Papyrus was savvier and in some ways more mature, and did his best to rein in his dad and brother’s crazier urges. For instance, no, Sans can PROBABLY NOT survive a leap from the roof, no matter how good he is at flipping. It can be frustrating to constantly feel like your dad is too immature to raise you, but Gaster always has his back and will support him in everything he does.

So how did our Goop Captain end up in the Void, you ask? Well, Gerson was wandering around with his friend the Captain near the edge of the abyss when he tripped. Gaster caught him and managed to throw him to safety but in the process plummeted directly into the Void, wiping him out of the memories of the very people he had sworn to protect. Gerson remembered him the most, and only barely, only on good days (or bad days, depending on your definition). Sans has vague memories, and Papyrus has fewer. Given his observation skills though it doesn’t take him long to figure out certain things aren’t adding up, and he confronts his mentor about it.

Gaster is as good as a ghost to most people beyond that. But there’s an old rumor that in the time of the Underground’s greatest need, there is an ancient magic that will return to help. A legend Chara find the truth to just before Alphys turns to dust, as goop begins to seep into her armor…

SF!Gaster: If Monsters had SOUL types, his would be Justice, a rare trait Underground. Gaster is harsh, of course, but unlike many others he has a strong sense of duty to his people. That duty led him to take on the only other two of his kind. Even if he wasn’t the fatherly type, they were his responsibility. They were never to call him dad, only “father”, or more preferably “sir”. He did his best to be as distant as their young age would allow.

This soon proved to be untenable. The smaller one was hellbent on getting himself into trouble and the taller went where he did. They would have to be trained.

Gaster was no easier on them than he was on a new recruit. They had to fight like their life depended on it, because very often it would. While Gaster would stop short of killing them (denying it every time) they would walk away with broken ribs and cracked limbs more often than not. Papyrus took as much of the heat as he could, but Sans eventually told him to stop and let him fend for himself. It was the only way he would learn. During this time they perfected their tag team attacks, to the point of being perfectly in sync. Rus still has fond memories of the day they finally overwhelmed the old man. He didn’t much more than nod in acknowledgment. But it was the day he passed his old armband down to Sans (later repurposed as a bandanna), and rather than chewing Rus out for smoking on the porch….he just joined him. Sitting in silence. But it was almost…companionable.

For all his faults, Gaster did have a genuine affection for the boys, and in moments could even be affectionate with them. He encouraged the bond between them every way he knew how, sending them on missions together when Sans wanted to join the guard, sometimes even ambushing them to see how they would react. He would go to bat for them when necessary, though no one was quicker to chew them out when they fucked up. He and Sans would butt heads constantly, but the truth is Black wanted to be him more than anything.

The CORE was an accident. Given the sensitive nature of what was contained in the Lab, only the Captain of the Royal Guard could be trusted to take care of Gerson and his staff. There was an attack, and while trying to block Rus from a blow he was knocked straight into the abyss. Papyrus and Gerson were the only ones close enough to the center to retain at least partially whole memories of him. Black retained a few vague memories, based on the closeness of their relationship.

Swapfell Gaster also plays a role in the formation of The Undying Hero in a Genocide Run, and does his best from the place in the Void to protect the brothers and Toriel (always on the clock, that guy…). He’s resigned himself to where he is, no matter what Rus tries, but that won’t stop him from doing his job.

[minaminokyoko]

Thor: Ragnarok is extra as fuck and I am so down with that.

Oh, sweet Odin, you don't know how much I fucking needed this movie in my life.

Now, I am one of the only MCU fans on the planet who not only loves the Thor movies but would like to happily tell the rest of the MCU fans to fuck off the edge of my metaphorical dick for constantly ragging on them. They are fun films with lots of charm and I can't stand that Thor is constantly thrown under the bus by these same fans who worship worthless characters left and right and yet won't give the God of Thunder the time of day. Well, if nothing else, I think the naysayers have to admit that Thor: Ragnarok if nothing else will be the most memorable film in his trilogy. To me, it's like a giant, decadent chocolate sundae. It gets sweeter with every bite and you love every second of it. Naturally, spoilers ahead.

Overall Grade: A-/B+

Pros:

-Obviously, the script writers had a bet with the Guardians of the Galaxy writers on how they could make the funniest film in the MCU, because Ragnarok was making an honest effort to beat their films in terms of just gut-busting moments. It's awkward humor, it's visual gags, it's wonderful performances, it's everything to make you damn near pee yourself in your theater seat. I've always liked Thor's balance between serious Shakespearean drama and goofy humor, and Ragnarok basically turns it up to eleven. I think that Thor's best quality is that he's a big old dork with a big old heart, and it shines true in this film. He's a warrior and a giant golden puppy and it's shown so well in this film. The way I've been describing it in my head is "the most extra Marvel film in the entire MCU" and I mean that in the best possible way. Everything is extra as fuck and it works.

-Hela was awesome. I mean, duh, Cate Blanchett, and she was deliciously over the top exactly the way we were all hoping for. The House of Odin is basically the House of Big Hams and so she fit right in. Plus, she was a legitimate badass threat and it was great to see women in this film kicking ass and looking fly as fuck while doing it.

-Valkyrie was also a delightful welcome. I thought Jane was cute as a button and I didn't mind that her badassery came from her mind, but I liked Valkyrie palling around and being a grumpy drunkard who could kick your ass if you looked at her wrong. I also liked that they didn't make her a tomboy--she's just cranky as hell. She didn't feel unfeminine, and that's good to see in a film that's kind of a boys' club. It was so wonderful to see a woman of color kicking ass and taking names, and it was even more of a relief that the initial rumor was wrong and she isn't Thor's love interest. I wouldn't mind a future romance, but it's great that they are just brothers in arms.

-Jeff Goldblum. I don't need to elaborate. Just...Jeff Goldblum.

-Loki, to me, felt pretty balanced here and he didn't overtake the film the way he did in The Dark World. Mind you, I loved TDW. I thought focusing on the brothers was awesome and interesting, but it came at the expense of the villain and that was kind of a bummer. Here, we get just enough of the God of Mischief, but he doesn't stifle Thor or the others. Plus, he was so fucking extra in this movie. I'm crying. The play he put on and the statue he built was just hilarious. He's sitting there mouthing the lines and what have you. Oh, Loki. You are just a fountain of fucking entertainment. Also, I forgot how utterly attractive I find Tom Hiddleston, especially in tight clothing and all black, so I may have had a lady boner for pretty much most of the film. Damn you, Tom.

-The action was extremely well-paced. You had just enough time to get to know people and see the new characters and understand the threat while being treated to some truly awesome fight scenes. Plus, the Thor/Hulk battle lived up to its potential. We were all waiting for them to throwdown, and they certainly did in an epic way.

-Thor and Bruce's dynamic was charming. So, so charming. It was cool because of the Avengers team, the two of them seemed to interact the least and it was great to see them bond and develop a rapport. It's also cool that the film is sort of nodding to the Planet Hulk idea while not being able to go into it with a solo film, but hey, you get what you can out of the MCU.

-Surprisingly, no Avenger cameos and no references to what's happening on earth aside from Age of Ultron. Very cool of them to let Ragnarok be its own story and not get interrupted.

-Ragnarok is honestly as visually stunning as the Guardians movies. I'm really glad they amped up the way everything feels foreign and alien. It gives it its own unique flavor and sets it apart from the first two movies, and I know a constant complaint has been Thor being on Earth too much. Problem solved.

-The Matt Damon and Sam Neill cameos had me roaring. So random, but so good.

-Even though he's pretty much the Butt Monkey for most of the film, I loved seeing Thor be his big adorable, doofy self. He's like a wonderful frat bro, but not the obnoxious kind, like that adorable meathead kind of personality like Joey Tribbiani from Friends. He's a good man and he's been humbled a lot and he does the right thing whatever the cost may be. Good on you, giant puppy god. I'll always have your back no matter what.

-Side note: MCU fandom, I'm not saying you should write Valkyrie/Loki hate-sex fics...but you should totally write some Valkyrie/Loki hate-sex fics.

Cons:

-I hate it when major franchise sequels do this shit: writing the love interest out of the entire story with one line. I was furious. Look, I know Natalie Portman exited the franchise. I don't know if she said anything rude on her way out, but she was instrumental to the first two fucking films and it drives me insane when movies don't address why a major character has left, and it's especially fucking rude when said character was the love interest of the main lead. Stop. Doing. This. Hollywood. Respect these characters. I don't care if the actor/actress left--you need to neatly wrap it up and explain what happened out of respect for the story and the audience, not your fucking studio. Jane Foster started the entire story of Thor. Without her, everything would have been incredibly different and Thor might not have had the development he received as a character without her. I'm not saying you had to drag Natalie back on set. All I'm saying is to give Thor a five minute scene explaining why they broke up, because that's fucking important to him and to those of us who shipped Fosterson. So fuck off with your one sentence explanation, you selfish pricks.

-To that end, fuck you for killing off Volstagg and Fandral without a single fucking word or nod of acknowledgment of Thor's that they died defending Asgard. Look, I'm not stupid. I can acknowledge that these characters were an afterthought and they weren't given time to develop, but they were still a big part in helping Thor out and he loved them like family, so letting them die without even going out like badasses for shock value was a discourteous move. I can't believe the actors even agreed to show up for that bullshit. It's disrespectful. They also never reference where the hell Sif went, so thanks a lot for that too. I haven't watched Agents of SHIELD in over a year and I know she cameo'd there, but I have no clue where she was and why they didn't tell us why she wasn't protecting Asgard. At least Hogun got a goodbye, but why him and not the others? You dicks.

-The story is overstuffed and it's probably because Ragnarok is only 2 hours and 10 minutes long. They really should have just trusted the audience and made it two and a half hours long. Guys, we can sit through great films for that long. We don't mind. We are excited about the characters and the worlds they're in, so don't cut your movie short when you have this much going on. It's okay to slow down.

-Related to the above con, Bruce didn't really get a resolution to his story. His fear of being trapped inside the Hulk forever is legit as hell, and because of the short running time, he just sort of gets over it and switches back to save the Asgardians. While that is noble, it's frustrating to see his story arc get pushed aside due to the short running time, much like in the first Avengers where we don't see how he is able to control his transformation. Do the work. Give him some room to develop alongside Thor.

-Curiously, they didn't give us more fuel for Infinity War aside from (possibly) Thanos' ship popping up. I was sure they were going to show us Loki nabbing the Tesseract in the end credits and then Thanos finding out and going after it, but I guess not. Odd. I figured they'd allude to the Grand Master still being alive as one end credits scene, but I'm once again a bit frustrated with the lack of teasing.

-This isn't a personal con for me, but if you went into this looking for a serious story, you're going to hate this movie. It's charming and full of delicious Narm and one-liners, so if you've got a stick up your ass about your Marvel films being deep dramas, don't even bother with Ragnarok. It's a popcorn flick on steroids.

-I kind of wanted a little more of Thor mourning Odin, but part me is also like, "Man, FUCK THAT GUY. Odin won the Worst MCU Father award alongside Howard Stark.” I mean, Christ. "By the way, you have a sister who is the Goddess of Death and instead of preparing you for her arrival once I die, I'm just gonna spring this shit on you at the last second. Kthxbai." FUCK YOU ODIN. I tried to defend you when the Loki fangirls came after you, but now you can kiss my ass and die. Ugh, what an asshole.

-I would have liked Thor and Valkyrie to have a quiet moment to bond. Yes, this movie is all big laughs, but I'd have enjoyed seeing them genuinely have a moment, platonic or otherwise.

-I wish they would have outlined Hela's abilities and weaknesses (if she had any) before we got her showdown with the Big Nasty. It might have made the finale go down a little easier.

Ragnarok was oodles and oodles of fun and delivered what it promised. I'm already ready to see it a second time and enjoy the charm and the extra-ness. Please do yourself a favor and join me.