#fff115

[polizwrites]

PoliZ's Flash Fics - WinterIron Edition

In celebration of completing my 100th @flashfictionfridayofficial fic I wanted to promote some of the ficlets I’ve written based on these fantastic prompts. Many of these are also on Ao3 (where I'm Politzania) - usually edited and sometimes expanded on or incorporated into a larger work.

I'm starting with the flagShip of my armada - WinterIron (aka Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark) - I’m including the platonic pairings as well.

If you read and enjoy any of these - please consider reblogging!

[#FF90 Mirror Image]: Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun [Bucky/Tony, General, 100 words]

[#FFF115 Endless Greed]: Cookie Thieves and Sweet Things/Tastes Like Coconut [Bucky/Tony, General, 917 words]

[#FFF121 Cold Body]: Coming In From the Cold [Bucky/Tony, Teen, 317 words]

[#FFF127 Green With Envy]: Lady Natasha's Consort and Lord Steve's Companion - The Wedding [Bucky & Tony, General, 393 words]

[#FFF 128 Higher Calling] : Newton's First Law [Bucky & Tony, General, 527 words]

[#FFF129 Under the Moonlight] : To Tame a Werewolf [Tony/Bucky, General, 250 words]

[#FFF132 A Taste of Blue]: Cherry Red and Midnight Blue [Tony/Bucky, General, 793 words]

[#134 Awaiting Your Answer]: To Tame a Werewolf - At the Ball [Tony/Bucky, General, 413 words]

[#FFF142 Bursting the Bubble ]: A Burst Bubble, Reblown [Bucky/Tony, Teen, 524 words]

[#FFF159 Pride Before The Fall] : Salvaging Icarus [Tony & Bucky, General, 200 words]

[#FFF161 Thorns and Storms]: Thorns and Storms [Tony & Bucky, General, 387 words]

[#FFF171 The Last House on the Left ]: The Old Dark AirBnB [Bucky/Tony, General, 429 words]

[#FFF175 Gloomy Daze]: Borrowing Trouble [Bucky & Tony, General, 875 words]

[#FFF176 Like Your Father] : Leading Questions [Bucky/Tony, General, 382 words]

[#FFF215 Mall at Night] : Somewhere to Turn [Bucky & Tony, General, 845 words]

[#FFF223 BY CANDLELIGHT]: Carving Out Some Time Together [Tony/Bucky, General, 870 words]

[#FFF230 Fool Me Once] : Fool Me Once [Bucky/Tony, General, 475 words]

[#FFF233 Imperfect Sign]: Competing for His Affection [Tony/Bucky, General, 537 words]

[#FFF244 Critical Ice Cream]: Treading a Rocky Road [Bucky & Tony, Teen, 437 words]

[#FFF245 You Never Cared]: Fathers Don't Know Best [Bucky & Tony, General, 407 words]

[#247 Blind Spot]: Blinded By Passion [Tony/Bucky, Mature, 421 words]

[#FFF249 Open Your Eyes]: Looking for My Angel in Your Sweet Loving Eyes [Tony/Bucky, Mature, 239 words]

[theoriginalsapphic]

Reap What You Sow

For @flashfictionfridayofficial

Title: Reap What You Sow

Word count: 649

Wattpad

In the shroud of the night and making his way through the shelter of the dense forestry, he manages to find the clearing, his wife following close behind. Late-autumn air bites his skin raw, but his blood run hotter than usual, his heartbeat blaring in his ears. The moon hangs high above in the sky, appearing between the hazy clouds above the hill and cutting the night roughness like a sharp knife.

He takes firm steps towards the center composed of squared white stones placed in odd positions and stands in front of it. He looks up to the sky and notices that the moon is reaching the highest point, right above the strange nature-formed centerpiece.

It is almost time.

He searches in his back pocket and grabs a silver blade that possess, in its engraving, the illustrated lifetimes of all its former bearers. A glint of moonlight shines bright over the metal; he turns his palm facing up, and he proceeds by cutting three lines: one over his heart, another over his life line, and a last one over his fate line. He squeezes his hand, ignoring the slight sting of his superficial wounds, and watches with expectation as drips of blood touches the rocks.

A light resembling the moonlight begins radiating beneath the stones in a sweet cacophony, and the sound only begins to quiet when a flat, triangular-shaped head emerges from the ground. He offers his hand, and the slender, but long snake, begins slithering upwards. The sensation of its dark-blue scales over his bicep mesh with the sensation of the crisp wind. When the serpent flickers its black tongue near his earlobe, he understands the need to do what is coming next.

“Honey?”, he calls his wife behind him without turning around, “can you come here?”.

She has been watching the night unfold in silent horror, never knowing when to intervene. However, there is that prickling sensation in the nape of her neck that she should have turned around and let the trees engulf her when she had the chance.

She forces her feet to sever her sudden roots to the ground and walk up to her husband, her hands clasped tight and pressed against her abdomen. He puts his hands on her waist with the gentleness that she comes to expect from him, and her shoulders relaxes. When he places her on the rocks, the tension comes back tenfold.

“Sweetheart?” she asks, and grimaces at the temblor in her voice.

“Are you aware of how powerful this type of magic is? How much it requires you to sacrifice?” he asks, but she knows it is rhetorical.

He holds her chin, and his eyes pierces her soul. “The sacrifice of the one you love the most”.

She wonders if her terror reflects on his eyes or if it is just the moonlight mocking her.

Her strength it is too brittle for pretenses of bravery, and despite her resolve, tears slide down her face, freezing in the slope of her cheeks and the corners of her lips. She stares up at the man that she has loved since she was fifteen, and her stomach churns with a dark fire at the sight of his sickly-sweet expression.

The snake trails down his arm in direction to her face.

He traces a finger in an attempt to rub off the tears. “I love you”.

“You will reap what you sow”, she spits, letting her warning be the last words he will ever hear from her.

When the serpent sinks its fangs on her skin, a beam of white light shoots up to the sky, merging with the ear-splitting screaming of his wife. He takes one last chance to look at the face of the woman he loves before she disappears to the light.

If duty is the death of love, then greed must be the death of humanity.

[shaheenarnitipsyart]

The Feast of Monsters

This is 12th time joining @flashfictionfridayofficial ! Thanks for the interesting prompt! This story is set in 1700s, 

Word Count: 996

T/W: non

Oliver(he/him)

Alexis(he/him)

Oliver had been working for the household of the governor of Port Gold since he was a young boy. His family was managing a run-down inn in the hustle-bustle town. Fortunate for his family, and unfortunate for him, one day, a man from the governor's house took him in because Oliver was 'honest' and 'a fast runner.' Actually, Oliver did help that man the other day. Oliver caught a theft who stole a purse from him. For his family, it was a good thing that Oliver could earn more. Yet for Oliver, it was the beginning of a nightmare - well, a sort of funny one, though.

Oliver looked like an ordinary young man. He would prefer taking a nap at the beach and laugh with a rag-tag group of sailors rather than running errands. But he had a peculiar ability which he didn't appreciate at all. He could see the 'greed' of other people. Only extreme ones, of course, as everyone had a certain degree of greed. He became painfully aware of this ability when he started working at the governor's massive mansion. The governor had six hairy arms popping out from his silk coat.  His brother got a bunch of mouths with a massive mustache on his shoulders and arms. The governor's wife had four eyes on her white-coated face. Her sister had horns sticking out from her head. And many people working there had weird stuff as well. The worst part was to watch the governor's four kids growing their horns, claws, and extra arms as they got old. Oliver had seen some penny-pinching folks with four arms at his inn before. But he thought it was a normal thing for stingy people to have extra arms to keep their coins all by themselves. However, what he saw at the mansion was way worse.

Oh well, whatever... I got used to it anyways.

Oliver sighed and pulled his shirt a bit to smooth out some creases. He opened the window facing the sea, breathing in the salty air to his heart content. The sun was slowly setting, and windows and roofs of the houses reflected the sunlight like hundreds of golden mirrors. That was why this area was named Port Gold. Yet, that beautiful moment was ruined by the governor's shout. 'We are going to have a party tonight - a huge one that nobody had ever seen! Everything must be perfect!' Oh yes, that' right. Some ships have arrived, and they'll come here to feast... a feast of monsters, huh? He chuckled sarcastically. Yet, he realised that the second son of the governor would be on one of the ships. His heart sunk. Deemed as 'the stupidest,' that poor boy, Alexis, was ignored by his monstrous family. Interestingly, though, he was the only one spared from the hilarious yet miserable looks that the rest of his family suffered. Well, in the end, I'm the only one who can see those shit. Nobody cares about it. Oliver shrugged his shoulder. However, he still didn't want to see Alexis. Alexis was a curious creature, a misfit of the family. A small daydreamer, shy bookworm but unexpectedly reckless sometimes. Alexis was quite timid, so Oliver helped him out all the time. He went abroad to study a couple of years ago. 

After all, Alexis is a member of this bloody family. He could grow one or two arms already. But please, God or whatever, spare him from the extra mouths! They look too gross. Oliver shook his head and tried to concentrate on his work.

For better or worse, the nobles from the ship didn't betray Oliver's expectations. Under the crystal chandeliers, horrendous-looking creatures dressed in all sorts of silks, furs, and satins crammed in. One of the noblemen got eight arms and tried to take three ladies to dance. One lady had hair full of snakeheads sticking tongues out to other guests. And next to her was a nobleman with massive hairy feet, casually stepping on other people. This theatre of monsters is too much! 

Oliver excused himself from the dance hall and headed out to the balcony. The night breeze gently stroked his hair, and the deep blue of the night sky healed his eyes. He tried to pay attention to the subtle lullaby of the waves.

'Oliver...?' Surprised by an unfamiliar voice, Oliver looked back. '....Alexis, um, young master?' Alexis was barely recognisable apart from ash-blond hair and greenish-blue eyes. Once-a-tiny-pale-boy was now as tall as Oliver. To Oliver's relief, nothing weird growing out from him. 'Welcome back, young master. You turned into such an excellent gentleman.' Yet, Alexis looked frowned when he heard Oliver's formal greeting. Alexis looked away with a pained expression but eventually faced Oliver directly. 'So you mean that now I have extra arms or what?' 'Huh? What the hell! So you can see the hideous stuff..?' Oliver was thuderstruck. 'Had it never crossed your mind? I can see horns and arms...maybe not as vivid as yours, but still it is scary enough.' Alexis said nonchalantly. Oliver was convinced in the end. 'So that's why you asked me that people have extra arms and stuff when you were little. And when I said some people do, you stopped crying!' Alexis nodded and smiled for the first time. 'Alas, I'm so worried that I might have gotten something monstrous like the rest of my family, without realising. Dear Oliver, tell me! I'm not entirely sure...' Before Alexis finished his word, Oliver gave a friendly pat on his head. 'Nah, Alexis, don't worry about it. There's nothing.' Oliver glanced at the noisy dancehall. 'Oh well, you should get back to the dreadful dance party. Or...' 'Or?' 'Maybe we can sneak out and have a look at how your plants are doing. I've taken care of them for you.' Alexis' face was brightened up like a little child. Oliver sighed in relief. You betrayed my expectations in the best possible way.

[onceuponanaromantic]

Entre’acte: Ars Moriendi d’Avis

(Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial​‘s prompt: FFF115: Endless Greed. A bit of my WIP: The Avis Coda, but no real knowledge is needed. Enjoy!)

She would have thought that evil would look like creeping black lines all down the walls and floor. Viscous shining darkness oozing purple accents, with accent lights all over the place. Maybe it would even feature a raised platform and a throne.

             Evil sometimes wears an avuncular genial face, a nice suit (bespoke, a voice in her mind says) and a warm smile. Evil’s eyes crinkle in their corners, smile wrinkles betraying the coldness in his voice.

             “It’s very simple, Doctor Avis.” He leans forward, his smile widening. “We recognise your contributions in the field of biochemistry and alchemy, particularly your research on the use of gold in treating Hopkins-Meillures disorders. You also have the background for the sorts of things we’re looking for.”

             She feels a part of her mind retreat to somewhere she closed off long ago. She hadn’t had to use it, not even in the worst times when she was trying to adjust to living in the City and failing.

             “We will take on your debt.” He waves his hand leisurely, misinterpreting her pause. “That’s no issue for us, not if it gets us someone of your caliber. The Darkness can be bought over, I assure you.”

             Power analysis:

proximity: low but possibly increasing in the future,

social circles: highly connected, high social capital

resources: high control, land and air-based substances will be easily obtained

physical strength: low, but has bodyguards who he will pay to die for him

 no, who he pays to die for him.

 “Let me read the contract and consider the terms.” She says, on autopilot. “I need time to think through all the terms.”

 A lie, one that she would not have been able to tell in her previous form. She already knew at a glance what terms she would want to try to negotiate and how she would do it. The contract was heavily weighted in the company’s favour, of course, but she had some leverage. This sort of thing would usually require legal training, but then, most humans had not spent most of their life in that place and did not have the sharpness that one generally needed to survive to adulthood in that place.

 “Of course, of course.” He gestures, tapping away at a tablet on his heavy oak desk. “We’ve already prepared rooms for you in the compound, near where most of our other employees will be. We only need an answer for you by the end of the week, and you will be provided with whatever food and other resources you need.”

  “My dear Ms Holmes will provide you with all other details of your stay here.” He gestures outside to the secretary, who despite appearing very much like a human, was definitively not one.

He stands up and she mirrors him. He reaches out one warm, strong hand to shake hers, smiling wider at her. “I look forward to your favourable reply.”

 She leaves, carrying the thick sheaf of paper in her arms. The secretary smiles at her, looking very, very much like a human, and starts giving her details. She took the details in, memorising them and the plans of the building as they walked, nodding at all the appropriate timings.

 “You have nice eyes.” She says during a lull in conversation, keeping her tone light.

           “Thank you, Doctor Avis.” The secretary smiles. “I was given them as part of an employee sale on bionic eyes. These have a slightly shorter battery life but they have a higher spell-check degree and are connected to the database with everyone’s schedule.”

           “How do you get over the Ipson barrier?” She asks, letting only professional curiosity creep into her voice.

           The secretary flinches but recovers quickly. “Oh, everyone just deals with the headache. They’ve come up with a special Panadol for this actually, and we just keep a dispenser in the staff lounge.”

           “But pain medication is not meant to be used long term.” She says, forehead creasing. “And the Ipson barrier affects other bodily functions as well, so Panadol, no matter how well-formulated, shouldn’t cut it, not long-term at least.”

           “Oh, you know.” The secretary shrugs again, walking quicker. “We get used to it.”

             The secretary doesn’t reveal anything else about herself, chattering about all the amenities the company provides to its employees.

             “These are your rooms.” The secretary says eventually, arriving at a plain white door. “Just press the button, or type into the tablet on the wall if you need anything.”

             The room inside looks like a typical hotel room, sterile with a few art-deco accents here and there.

             She sits down at the glass table at the corner, wishing she had all her tools with her so this would be easier. And then she reads.

             Her initial assessment of the situation was right. It was couched in a mix of scientific and legal jargon but ultimately, she would be paid to turn the whole city into a power source.

             She closes her eyes, counting the cameras all around the room.

             It’s not like she hadn’t seen enough to know what exactly the AB-Goldmann company did. She just didn’t know that they were greedy enough to seek for more power, more profit, more tools to be used in a selfish arms race for total control and profit.

             It wasn’t just this City either. If they got to her work, and if she fulfilled this contract, they would use it on other cities, other continents, until the whole damned world was their toy.

             She couldn’t let them.

             She wasn’t naïve enough to believe that she alone could stop an entire system. Nor was she naïve enough to think that they hadn’t tried before, possibly horrific experiments on other places she didn’t know about that had already failed. The contract betrayed their desperation.

             The problem here, was that if she did it, she would succeed.

             Once, she would have appreciated the intellectual challenge of succeeding where no one else had done before. Now, all she could think of was how to fail in a way that would save everyone she loved.

[malleus-incertum]

Avaritia

What was it you said? That I am never satisfied? I plead the Seven

[spellcasterlight]

He Would Never - [Kiba x Hinata]

@flashfictionfridayofficial - #FFF115: Endless Greed

Warnings: Feelings of Jealousy

Kiba felt another involuntary growl claw up his throat as he watched Hinata blush profusely and tucked a strand of her beautiful, violet locks behind her ear when Naruto gave her that stupid, idiotic grin of his when he said something he thought was witty when really it was just dumb.

The rational part of his brain knew he was just being petty, but when was an Inuzuka ever rational?

His clan was raw and primal and worked on instinct, so when he saw Naruto immediately shove Hinata aside to rush off after Sakura without so much as a goodbye making the Hyuga heiress deflate and curl into herself, his instinct was to run after the Uzumaki and punch him till he bled.

When it was just their team, Hinata was firm and unmoveable and strong, yet still so soft and caring and easy to get along with. She was the best of all worlds, of all people, and somewhere along the line, Kiba had fallen for her hard.

He would never run after someone else when he was talking to her, he would never ignore her for someone else clearly not interested, he would never let Hinata second guess herself, he would never allow her to compare herself to others, he would tell her all the ways she was terrific and all the ways he envied her. He would shower her with affection, hold her close so Hinata could absorb all the ways he loved her, he would look in those hypnotising purple-tinted white eyes, and he would-

“Kiba,” Shino’s calm voice behind him forced him to take a haggard breath through his nose. “Are you well?”

No. No, he wasn’t. He was pissed off and hurt and felt like if he didn’t remove himself from this spot, he was going to rip Naruto’s throat out with his teeth.

But he wouldn’t do that, that would hurt Hinata, and he loved Hinata too much to hurt her in any way.

“Yea,” Kiba muttered, shoving his hands in the leather jackets pockets with a deep sigh instead of all the more violent things he wanted to do. “Yea, I’m fine.”

[spellcasterlight]

Desperate Greed - [Shino x Tenten]

@flashfictionfridayofficial -  #FFF115: Endless Greed

I couldn’t decide which idea to go with so I did both 😂

Warnings: Feelings of Inadequacy.

“Shino,” Tenten sighed breathlessly as his hands flowed down her sides and settled on her trim waist.

He loved touching, holding her, caressing her, admiring her beautiful body up close.

The Aburame heir leant down to place a kiss on the sweaty sun-kissed skin of her abdomen when the muscles underneath flinched at the attention; it was as if it pulled at his heart as well.

Her skin was so much warmer than his. His lips on her skin seemed to flow pure heat out of her and into him, to heal him from the inside out to give him a new life.

Before her, touch was so foreign and infrequent, from the first gentle time she took hold of his hand, and Shino experienced the feeling of nerve endings he never knew he had spark to life in warmth and electricity he couldn’t live without her touch again.

The more Tenten allowed him to touch her; the more Shino felt he needed it.

Could you become addicted to a person? That’s what it felt like. It felt like if he stopped touching her for a single moment, his world would collapse, that he would stop breathing, that she would leave, disappear like smoke never to return and then he would be alone again.

The weapons mistress was wonderful. So talented and strong and creative and filled with energy and life, and she was-why was she with him?

His hands gripped her waist so tight in response to his thoughts she let out a short, low gasp.

“Shino, what’s wrong?” Tenten sat up, forcing him to lean up as well; his head nearly fell onto her shoulder with the sheer weight of his thoughts. Her hands came up to hold his jaw, to force him to look at her. When he did, he saw her eyes held worry. Shino hated that he put that expression in her stunning chocolate orbs. “Talk to me what’s the matter?”

Nothing to do with her, never her; she was flawless, it was him, it was always him. Shino wasn’t good enough. There were so many better people out there, and she only deserved the best. Someone more muscular, someone smarter, someone more outgoing, someone who didn’t get entangled in thoughts of the agony of losing her to nameless faces in an imaginary crowd, but he was selfish he loved her, adored her wanted her by his side always he wanted-he needed-

Tenten pressed her forehead to his, and it was like she had unconsciously given him another lifeline; his lungs inflated with air.

“You’re in your head again, aren’t you?”

She knew him so well, too well, better than anyone else.

“I’m not going anywhere,” her voice was calm and loving and firm and everything he didn’t deserve. “I don’t want anyone else. I love you.”

Shino knew that he did; he did; he just-he couldn’t understand why such a goddess wanted a lowly insect like him.

She enclosed her arms around his back in a hug, and Shino outright dragged her to be as close as possible, running his hands and lips over any part of her skin he could reach.

Everything would be alright as long as he kept touching her; if he felt her, he had the physical proof she was with him, his mind could quieten.

When she kissed him, as she did right then, his mind fell nearly completely silent of any and all treacherous dark spiralling thoughts.

When Tenten muttered his name lovingly against his lips before pulling him into another kiss, his mind was finally free.

[polizwrites]

Cookie Thieves and Sweet Things

This is a fill for @flashfictionfridayofficial ‘s prompt [#FFF115 Endless Greed] and my @starkbucksbingo square Baking.

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe — Pairing: WinterIron (pre-slash/pining stage) - Rating: General — Word Count: 525

“Jesus, Stevie!” Bucky exclaimed as his best friend swooped in and stole a handful of cookies fresh from the oven right off the cookie sheet, “You got a hollow leg or something?” He had already eaten almost half of the previous batch as they were cooling; at this rate Bucky wouldn’t have anything at all to show for his efforts.

“Wait til Thor gets here,” Clint broke in, snagging a cookie for himself, “The guy’s been known to demolish an entire case of Pop Tarts before the rest of us even know it’s been delivered!”

“And leave the wrappers strewn everywhere,” Tony added dryly as he entered the room. “Honestly, if I’d realized what the Avengers’ food budget would be, I might have reconsidered my offer to have you all move into the Tower.”

“And if I’d known these greedy guts,” Bucky pointed at Steve and Clint, “were going to gobble up everything I made as soon as it came out of the oven, I wouldn't have volunteered to provide the refreshments at Sam’s next VA meeting.”

“Oh.” Steve’s face fell. “I didn’t realize these were for someone else. Sorry, Buck.”

“Ya coulda have asked,” Bucky snorted in reply; but it was hard to stay mad at Steve. “How about you make up for it by doing all the dishes afterwards? In the meanwhile,” he flicked a towel at Steve, then Clint, “get outta here, ya punks.”

To Bucky’s surprise, they did as he asked, with Steve giving him a Look. In a weak moment. Bucky had confessed to having a bit of a crush on Tony and Steve just wouldn’t let it go. Not that Bucky had a chance with someone so brilliant, kind and funny, but at least they had developed some sort of friendship over the past few months, thanks to his metal arm.

“You gonna make me skedaddle as well, Buckaroo?” Tony asked with a grin.

“Seein’ as you own the whole place, I figured I ain’t got the right to boss you around.”

Tony shrugged and looked around the kitchen, taking in the counters filled with bags of flour, sugar, and other baking necessities, along with multiple used bowls and measuring utensils. “Looks like you could use a hand or two.”

“You can bake?” Bucky didn’t mean to sound as surprised as he did, but the way Tony’s cheeks pinked slightly made it worthwhile.

“Not as such? I mean, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with Ana, our housekeeper, when I was a kid, but —“ Bucky noted how cute Tony looked when he shrugged.

“If you wanna help, I’d be a fool to say no,” Bucky replied, thrilled at the idea of getting to spend more time with Tony. “I promised Sam I’d bring enough cookies for all four of his group sessions on Thursday. I was shooting for eight dozen — but this is all that’s left after that walking stomach the world calls Captain America came through.” He gestured to the two cooling racks that were barely half-full.

“Well, then,” Tony pushed up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing nicely toned forearms, “put me to work, sunshine.”