#have they fooled around a bit more? yeah and they joke about it constantly but no one believes them

[dilfsuzanneyk]

the thing about ace and her band is that they are gay for each other in so many different ways

[teddybeartoji]

thinking a lot of thoughts about bf!gojo :(

he will be the sweetest bf ever.. it's a bit concerning with how attached he is to you, bordering on codependency but he just cant help it he loves you too much :(( everytime youre both together on something like lunch with friends or hanging out the sight of you two is enough to give anyone who spares a glance cavities.. his eyes are so in love and hes always got that dopey smile on his face, his touch is always gentle and caring despite him being a teasing asshole sometimes 😭

and behind closed doors ... dear god this man is INSATIABLE.. always has to have a hand around you and touching you !!!! and his sex drive.. erm.. yeah.. idk i see him as the type to want to do it everyday because he just loves you too much and he doesnt know what to do with himself and all this love he has !!!! theres something sweet about him just always wanting you and wanting to make you feel good eufnhffhehrjfnf

the stark difference between you two being such a sweet couple in public but also .. having seen each other INSIDE OUT quite literally is so hot and cute.. :( that level of intimacy .. :((( BF!GOJO WE NEED YOU !!!!!! ok this has gotten too long im sorry HAVE A GOOD DAY THANK YOU

HIIII MY SWEETHEART I'M SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!!! BUT I'M HERE I'M HERE I'M HERE!!!!! I'M HERE AND I'M FEELING TERRIBLY SOFT FOR HIM AND I NEED TO HAVE HIM IN MY ARMS RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!!!!! i agree with everything you've said nonnie!!!! and i am covering you in kisses as thanks!!!! mwah mwah mwah!!!! wait also!!!!!!!!!!!! more exclamation marks!!!!!! please please please don't apologize for rambling!!!!!!!!!! i will always hear you out!!!!! i want more actually!!!!!!!!!!!! please!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok everybody get comfortable bc i have some of bf!gojo headcanons for you!!!!

his pupils are literal hearts whenever he's with and whenever he's Thinking about you!!!! (i'm saying that his pupils are always like that)(he is simply unable to get you off his head)(he's not even trying)(he's so fucking in love with you).

he's constantly resting his head on your head or on your shoulder. this just came to me. he wraps his hands around your middle and he always gives you a squeeze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a kiss on your neck. and he probably (read: definitely) smells you. and then hums into your skin. omfg i need to hug him so badly. i am losing my mind here nonnie...

okay and i just talked abt him taking naps with you too, right? and i just can't stop thinking about him always taking pics of you whenever you fall asleep on top of him:(((((((((((((( drooling or not, he's taking the pic!!!!!! AND i truly believe that he has begged (literally begged down on his hands and knees) shoko and suguru, so that they'll take pics of the two of you together aswell!!! satoru has a folder with like a THOUSAND pics of you both just napping together:((( he goes through it whenever he's really missing you:(((((((

ok and he loves taking showers and baths with you. loves, loves, loves. he just wants to sit under or in the water with you, just feeling your skin against him. feeling your heartbeat against him. he likes the intimacy of it all. it's so tender and so soft and so loving and he just wants to do everything with you. he's gonna take a fucking piss with you if you'd only let him.

he loves your smile sm. this is such a basic little concept but he does. nothing else in this sick world brings him as much joy as your smile and laughter. and oh my fucking god his heart feels like it's going to explode whenever he makes you laugh (which is all the time let's be honest he's very fucking funny and he is not afraid of making himself look like a fool just for you<3). he loves it when you laugh at cat videos, he loves it when you laugh at whatever the fuck is playing on the tv and he loves it when you laugh at a joke one of his friends make!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he goes a little insane whenever he sees you having fun with his friends:((((((((((((((((((((( it just means the world to him:(((( and you and the younger ones too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omfg when he sees you coddling gumi and yuuji and nobara:((((((((((((((((( stop, he literally feels like he's going to cry every time i am also crying i can't do this anymore

btw he always swings your hands whenever his fingers are interwiened with yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhh!!!!!!! and he has that big dopey smile on his lips again and his dimples are showing and he's laughing so loudly that everybody is turning to look at you both on the street but you couldn't care any less!!!!!!! how could you when your boyfriend is making your heart grow twice the size it was before and you just feel so giddy and so full of love and you want to kiss him stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he loves spending his morning with you. i actually think of him as more of a morning person actually idk how popular that concept is but yeah. don't get me wrong - he refuses to let you up from the bed for at least an hour after you wake up but he does have a lot of energy. he wants to kiss and he wants to hug and he wants to tickle and he wants you to play with his hair and he wants and he wants and he wants and you will give and give and give!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he's a little lovesick puppy and he needs your attention like he needs air!!!!!

and then he wants you to brush his teeth for him. yes. you read that right. he sits you down onto the bathroom counter and bares his teeth at you like the puppy that he is and HE'S SO FUCKING CUTEEEEEE FUCKKKK CUTENESS AGGRESSION IS SO REAL I NEED TO JUST SQUEEZE HIM A LITTLE AAAAAAAAAAA I NEED TO PINCH HIS CHEEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!! he still looks sleepy and his smile is so fucking big and his hands are resting on your hips, his thumbs are drawing hearts into your skin. and he most definitely kisses you before he actually rinses his mouth.............. and then laughs when the toothpaste gets all over you. it's a mess and he's laughing and you're in love.

he loves it when you baby him. he does ask for it as a joke but when you genuinely do it he gets a little flustered. the tips of his ears always turn into a shade of dark pink and he's looking at you like puss in boots. you know what i'm talking abt. big eyes, fluttering eyelashes - he loves you so fucking much. he loves it when you tuck him in bed, he loves it when you kiss his nose, he loves it when you pinch his cheeks i am biased i just said i want to do that don't look at me, he loves it when you tickle him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAIT STOP HE LOVES IT WHEN YOU TICKLE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! HE WANTS YOU TO STRADDLE HIM AND TICKLE THE LIVING FUCK OUT OF HIM HE WANTS TO LAUGH WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i died

he also loves it when you cling to him. in any way. hands around his neck, around his body, around his arms - it does not matter. he wants you to quite literally climb him like a tree. he loves it when you snuggle into him and when you refuse to let him go. and when you hold his hand and try to stop him from leaving. he's not going to go. it doesn't take a lot for him to give into you. he's folding immediately. he doesn't want to go either. he loves it when you're needy. he loves it when you whine. he loves it when you tease him. he might pop a boner. at everything you do. he just loves you sooooooooooo muchh!!

18+ HE IS INSATIABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE IS THEE LOVERBOY!!!!!! i think he does like to get a taste of you every single day, no matter whether it's actually having sex or it's eating you out or it's just making out or it's entertaining you with his beautiful slender fingers or it's dry humping etcetcetc. he wants to touch you, he wants to feel you - it's a must!!

i already said it but he loves intimacy!!!! like yeah ofc he likes his freaky sex as much as the next guy (he most definitely likes it more than the next guy) but he loooooves when he can just be in the moment with you!! he's always savouring you - holding your hand when his burying his dick deep inside you, he's snaking his arm around your body as he grinds into you from behind. he's licking and nipping at your skin because he just can't get enough of you. he's sucking on your tongue, he's pressing your hips down against his, he's kissing every fucking inch of your body. i truly think he wants to eat you and he wants to devour you and he wants to merge the two of you together forever<33

okay i have officially melted away... i am a puddle of love Goo... ily nonnie

[melanieph321]

You and Jude met a few days before going to SGP for international duty in a club or something.

You guys click right away and there’s so much chemistry and you end up spending the whoooooole night together, you have breakfast in bed the morning after and off he goes to SGP. You start texting and there’s more attraction between you two and he keep saying that he can’t stop thinking about you and it’s the same for you.

He invites you to the first friendly with Brazil and you don’t know if it’s appropriate going as families and partners will be there and ofc his parents.

You end up going and he introduces you as his friend but most of the guys know each one of his friends and they had never heard of you so they know there’s more, same for his parents as they catch you talking deep and they notice his soft look for you.

This is so good! 😭

SEVEN DAYS OF REQUESTS (DAY 4)

Jude Bellingham x Reader - Capture Me Part 1/2

Part 2

Enjoy!

You had always been passionate about photography, and as a photography student, you were always on the lookout for opportunities to hone your skills and earn some extra money. So when your teacher asked you to help her out with a shoot, you did not hesitate to take the job. However, when she gave you the adress to where the shoot would be happening, you had to read the text message twice, one time out loud,  just to make sure that you hadn't gotten it wrong.

"Wembley Stadium?" You frowned. "What the fuck am I doing at Wembley Stadium?"

Turns out that your teacher had a life outside of teaching university kids how to adjust their lenses. Apparently she owned her own model agency that specialized in Sports photography, hence today's job - shooting England's national men's football team ahead of their fixture against Brazil.

You were a bit nervous at first. You had never photographed for a sporting event before. Thankfully your teacher put you on portrait duty whilst she took care of capturing the players in action. It turned out to be a really fun shoot. One of the best gigs you've ever gotten. The football players were a fun and energetic bunch, and they were eager to show off their skills and personalities to your camera. Some of them were constantly moving around, striking poses even though you didn't ask them to. It was helpful at times but not always.

Despite the chaos, the football players were incredibly friendly and curious about you and your job. You found yourself laughing and joking with the players, all of them except for one.

"Is this gonna take all day, or what?" Said Jude Bellingham. He was called in to stand behind your camera but seemed a bit on the edge to.

"Just chill out, Jude, she'll just be a minute." Said one of his teamsmates, telling him off. Jude took it as a joke, though. "Yeah, but you lot get to go to lunch already whilst I'm still stuck here."

You had just gotten to readjusting the lighting but was immediately struck by his confidence and charisma. However, you were determined to focus on your work rather than letting his cocky demeanor distract you.

You snapped a shot.

"Hey?"

Jude had his eyes closed in that one so you snapped another shot.

"Hey, I wasn't ready."

You snapped another shot. And another.

"For fuck sakes...Now I know you're joking with me."

You ignored him, eyes narrowed at your laptop screen.

"Fascinating." You muttered.

Jude frowned.  "What is?" 

Looking at your computer screen you couldn't help but notice the way the light reflected off his muscles and the way Judes smile lit up his entire face.

"Is something wrong?"

You looked up. Jude was looking at you with a bit of concern in his eyes. Heat rose to your face. "No. Of course not."

"Oh. Okay." He nodded. "So am I done?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. It's just..." You were blushing now. Blushing like a fool. "I meant to say that you are really photogenic."

"And what does that mean. That I'm hot?"

"No, and yes." You laughed, avoiding snorting like a pig. "I guess you can say that you're photos are good looking, but it's more about the fact that you are totally made to be behind the camera." You said, cringing internally.

"Aren't you the one behind the camera?" Jude smirked.

You shook your head. A sign to hold back on the compliments towards a guy who probably gets them everyday.

"But you are." He said, still with his eyes curiously checking you out.

"I am what?"

"Technically you are the one behind the camera not me."

You sighed. "Yes, maybe I am."

He smiled, having proven his point.

It was a sweet moment. A brief moment that you share with Jude, where the two of you were shyly glancing at each other, not really saying anything. Nevertheless, the shoot continued with Jude posing behind the camera, showing of the men's football kit for this year.

Despite his initial arrogance, Jude turned out to be a lot of fun to work with, and you found yourself enjoying the shoot more than you expected. Perhaps that's what led you to take up his offer when he asked....

"So are you having lunch with us or...?"

"Um...I don't know?" You said, not sure if your teacher mentioned that lunch would be included today.

"Come on." Jude waved. "I'm sure the guys can spare you a sausage."

"Thanks Jude, that's really sweet of you." But you had yet packed away all of your photography tools. They were supposed to be loaded onto your teachers van and taken back to her agency. "I don't think I'm gonna make it to lunch, I still have a job to do."

"Okay." He said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door frame. "If not lunch, how about dinner?"

"Pardon?"

He smiled at your reaction. "I'm asking you to dinner. Are you free tonight?"

You frowned. "Do you even know my name?"

"Do I have to?"

You rolled your eyes.

"Fine." He sighed. "I'm Jude Bellingham, what's your name?" He offered you a hand.

You took it and shook it firmly. "It's Y/N."

His eyes widened in suprise, a slight twitch in the corner of his lips. "Hello Y/N, are you free to go out to dinner with me tonight?"

"No."

"Oh, come on."

You laughed. "Fine. But nothing fancy."

"Why not?" He frowned.

"Why not? Don't people follow you with cameras everywhere you go? I don't want to be a part of that."

"Too bad." He shrugged. "I've been told that that I'm very photogenic."

"Shut up." You laughed and shoved him out of the room, shouting: "I'll leave my number with the people at the ticket outlet!"

"Alright, talk to you later Y/N."

"Bye, Jude."

Part 2

[caashmoneynae]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: got inspired to write about Raq’s pretty self after i seen this edit. 😉

MY MASTERLIST. <- click here for more!

❦

YOU'RE MINES STILL. (GxG)

PATINA MILLER AS “RAQUEL THOMAS” FROM RAISING KANAN x BLACK!FEM!OC

SUMMARY: in which Simone & Raquel were toxic to each other and ended on bad terms because of this, but when Raq hears about her having someone else, she decides to pay Simone a visit. ✨ | partially inspired by this tiktok 🤣

❦

𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘 stood in the dressing room of "Chocolate City" — the strip club she worked at — as she adjusted her outfit, taking her time to analyze her appearance while she fiddled with her skirt.

it wasn't time for her to go on stage yet, but she still wanted to look her best for the time being.

the woman flipped her ass-length black box braids out of her face as the door to the dressing room opened, revealing one of her coworkers and friends Destiny — who was known as "Rubi" on stage due to her signature red color that was displayed in her outfits.

"you know you not due on stage for anotha' 30 minutes, right?" Destiny asked, raising a brow, as Simone nodded her head and let out a soft chuckle.

"Divine always gotta' stay ready, boo. you know that." Simone smirked, referencing her stage name, as she playfully smacked her own ass and Destiny laughed at her before shaking her head.

"stayin' ready fa' Raquel, huh?" Destiny joked, smirking widely, as Simone smacked her lips and her posture stiffened, her face scrunching up at the sound of that woman's name while Destiny guffawed at the change in her demeanor.

to keep it brief: Raquel and Simone used to be a thing, and their fling was as toxic as ever. there would be lots of arguing, lots of breaking up, and lots of making up — until one day, the making up stopped and the two never reconciled again.

Simone had no problem with the business Raquel ran and honestly tried her best not to be involved in it, despite often being questioned by Detective Burke and other officers about her involvement with Raq. but once they stopped speaking, Simone deaded everything between them. she stopped speaking to her, stopped returning her calls, and just started avoiding her as much as she could whenever she was out, which included ignoring her brothers, but she still spoke to her son and her niece whenever she saw them.

Simone could no longer stay in that toxic environment anymore, and with the police constantly spying on her and trying to "catch" her doing something illegal, that just made it worse. so she did what she thought was best and left the environment for good.

but knowing Raq, Simone knew there was only a matter of time before she tried to weasel her way back into her life, and she'd be gullible enough to fall for it.

"i ain't mean to kill ya high, girl, c'mon! come get a drink wit' me!" Destiny giggled as she grabbed Simone's hand and led her to the door while Simone secretly mugged the girl behind her back.

"yeah, you owe me one after bringin' that shit up."

—

"...then that bitch had the nerve to push me, girl, i was 'bout to bash her muh'fuckin' head in, she clearly ain't know who she was fuckin' wit'!" Destiny scoffed, recounting an interaction with one of their coworkers that happened when Simone was off, as she shook her head and Simone chuckled while taking a sip of her drink.

"i'm tellin' you, Des', bitches around here always fuck with bitches who they know can beat they ass just for a lil' bit of street cred'. they don't fool me wit' that shit, i'on play that fuck shit," Simone chuckled, pushing a few of her braids behind her shoulder, as "I'm Still Waiting" by Jodeci began to play in the club and Simone raised a brow, shaking her head before scoffing, "outta' all the songs, why the DJ play this shit? c'mon now, man."

"must be a sign, babygirl." Destiny winked, making Simone mug her, as Destiny laughed and Simone chugged her drink, slamming the glass down like a shot glass while she cleared her throat.

❝ IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I TOUCHED A LADY, AND I'M STILL WAITING FOR YOU TO COME BACK TO ME, BABY. ❞

"i'm 'bout to get pissed off," Simone mumbled, making Destiny burst out laughing, as Simone turned to Eleanor — the bartender — and gently pushed her glass toward her, "refill, please, Ellie."

"before you get that refill, lemme' holla' at you real quick, Simone." a familiar voice called out as Destiny nearly caught whiplash turning around and her eyes locked on Raquel, making her laughter intensify while she nudged Simone with her elbow.

"Raq', i ain't got shit to say to you—"

"well, i got a lot to say to you. so, bring ya ass on." Raquel interrupted the woman as Simone raised a brow and looked back at her, looking her up and down before scoffing.

"i'll be back, y'all." Simone mumbled, making Destiny smirk, as Simone side-eyed Destiny and mugged her before hopping off the stool, adjusting her skirt on her ass before walking behind Raquel.

as soon as the two walked out of the door, Raquel grabbed Simone by the arm and pushed her up against her white truck, making Simone's eyebrows furrow while she looked between Raquel's firm grip and dark eyes.

"Raq', if you don't get—"

"stop callin' me that, Simone, you know i hate that shit," Raquel demanded, her voice as firm as her grip on Simone's arm, "the streets been talkin' lately. and they been tellin' me you fuckin' with somebody else. that true?"

"as if that's any of your business." Simone mumbled, rolling her eyes, as Raquel chuckled and let go of her arm, gripping her neck instead and resting her thumb on her chin to lift her head.

"it is my fuckin' business, the fuck you talkin' 'bout? you foreva' gon' be my girl, Simone, get that shit through yo' thick ass skull," Raquel growled, leaning in closer to the girl, as Simone folded her lips together and looked into the woman's eyes, seeing nothing but anger and slight lust, "but since you got muh'fuckin' amnesia all of a sudden, i'll happily remind you of who the fuck you belong to."

—

"R-Raquel!" Simone cried, her thighs beginning to burn while she rode the strap, as Raquel wrapped her hand around Simone's neck and yanked her head up before it could fall back.

"uh-uh. look at me, Simone,"  Raquel demanded, lightly slapping the girl's face, as Simone whimpered and her low eyes locked with Raquel's fiery ones, "you think you can just go around givin' my shit away? huh? you thought i wasn't gon' hear about that shit? you must take me for a dumb muh'fucka', don't you?"

to tell the truth, Simone did start talking to someone new not too long ago. did they have sex yet? unfortunately, yes — and i say "unfortunately" because they were ultimately not good enough in bed — definitely not as good as Raq — and didn't fully satisfy Simone's needs, which led her to regret opening up her legs in the first place.

did Simone know Raq would find out? of course, she did — solely because Raquel finds out everything.

"you belong to me. your body belongs to me. and you better believe that pussy belongs to me too, Simone. so, don't fuckin' play mind games wit' me and think i won't find out about the shit you do," Raquel growled as she began to thrust up into Simone from underneath her, "you think my guys still don't keep tabs on you? on where you been? on where you at? on who you been wit' and where y'all been? huh?"

"R-Raquel—"

"shut the fuck up when i'm talkin'," Raquel grumbled, roughly slapping her ass and leaving her handprint behind, as Simone bit down on her bottom lip to keep her eyes from rolling back, "matta' fact, tell me who you gave my pussy to since you wanna talk when i'm talkin'. use that pretty lil' mouth, Simone."

Simone went quiet, her teeth digging deeply into her bottom lip and almost drawing blood from it, as Raquel glared at her and began thrusting at a quicker and rougher rate, her eyes narrowing in slight irritation while she stared at the brown-skinned girl on her lap.

"i-it was a g-girl from th-the Bulletproof R-Records sh-showcase!" Simone yelped, feeling the tip of the strap roughly jab into her g-spot several times, as Raquel raised a brow at her and chuckled darkly, shaking her head while she tightened the grip on her neck.

"Lou's showcase? and you thought i wasn't gon' find out, Simone? i look fuckin' stupid to you or somethin'?" Raquel growled, furrowing her brows, as she harshly slapped the girl's other asscheek and left another handprint, "all my peoples was in that bitch that night and you thought nobody was gon' tell me 'bout the wack ass bitch tryna' make moves on my girl?"

"n-nooooooo!" Simone sobbed, stray tears beginning to roll down her rosy brown cheeks, as Raquel smirked sadistically watching the tears roll down her face, knowing she was starting to get to the girl, "i-i'm about to—"

"you're about to hold that shit, that's what you gon' do," Raquel chuckled bitterly as she abruptly stopped her thrusts and lightly tilted her head at her, "you out here fuckin' otha' bitches and think i'ma let you cum? you must really be fuckin' crazy, Simone."

"no, no, no — please! i'm sorry, Raquel, i won't give yo' pussy away no more, just don't leave me like this," Simone begged, looking at the woman with teary eyes, as Raquel looked at her with a blank stare, that same smirk still written on her face, "...please, baby?"

"that "baby" shit not 'bout to work on me right now, Simone. you want that nut? you betta' work for it," Raquel chuckled, raising a brow, as she caressed her hip with her fingertips, "betta' put these hips to good use, mama."

Simone gently bit down on her bottom lip as she gripped Raquel's shoulders, her acrylics crazing the woman's bra straps while she began to bounce at a steady pace. Raquel continued to grip Simone's neck as she held her head up, refusing to let her look away from her eyes — and to be honest, Simone was afraid to because Raquel was unpredictable. Simone bounced and rolled her hips on the strap as her eyebrows lightly furrowed and her eyes slightly fluttered, her lips sitting ajar while Raquel licked her lips at her.

"there you go, pretty mama. work for that nut like a good girl." Raquel praised, that same smirk still on her face, as she rubbed Simone's sore, red asscheeks and Simone whimpered at the contact, her walls contracting around the strap while her orgasm snuck up on her for a second time — and Raquel could sense that it pending because Simone started riding faster and rougher than before.

"you gon' cum, baby? hm? you gettin' your reward for ya work?" Raquel cooed as Simone rapidly nodded her head and her jaw sat open while involuntary moans and cries fell from her mouth, "promise me somethin' and i'll let you cum, Simone."

"a-anything!" Simone didn't realize the potential risk of the answer to Raquel's statement, and honestly, she didn't care. she couldn't focus on anything else but getting her orgasm, and if she had to promise something to Raquel, she'd do it, no questions asked.

Raquel chuckled tauntingly and her smirk widened as she leaned in closer to Simone and rested her forehead on hers, watching her struggle to hold eye contact with a smug look in her eyes.

"Don't give my shit to nobody else."

[strniohoeee]

Undefiled

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Y/N is tired of being the butt of every joke with her friends for being a “saint”, so she goes to Matt for help🪷

Warnings⚠️: It’s just cute as shit

This was for my request asking for the reader to ask Matt to be her first kiss🥹

Song for the imagine: Sparks- Coldplay

I knew I wasn’t experienced much, but that never made me feel any type of way. It was completely normal….everyone experiences these milestones at different times in their lives

I never thought twice about it, not till I made some friends who already had crazy sexual experiences. I always sat there listening, but never saying a word. At first this went unnoticed

But the more they spoke about, and the more I grew quiet they would start to give me certain glances. Glances that kind of made me feel left out, and like a fool.

My friends had been spending the night at my house like most girls our age did. And with these sleepovers came talks of boys, and talks of boys meant stories of their interactions. Interactions I’ve never had, therefore I would never have anything to say

“How come you never have anything to say?” One of my friends asked bringing me back to reality

“Hmm?” I said peeling my eyes away from the floor to look at her

“Everytime we talk about our experiences with guys you just go mute” she said

“Oh…well I've never had any of those crazy experiences, so I just listen in” I told her in all honesty

“Oh well that’s okay” she said shrugging her shoulders, which put me at ease

“I’m sure you’ve at least had your first kiss. Tell us about that” my other friend said

“I uh actually never kissed a boy before” I said avoiding eye contact

“Oh…” she responded looking around at everyone else

“Held hands?”

I shook my head no

“Hugged?”

I shook my head no again

“Damn girl nothing?” She had asked me

“Nothing…” I said shrugging my shoulders

“She’s a fucking saint, she has virgin practically written all over her” one of my other friends said

“Hey! That’s not nice” the other one said

“I mean it’s the truth….she obsesses over guys basically drooling over them, but can’t even strike up a conversation with them, why would you think she’d ever kissed someone” she responded laughing

“Ehhh that is true” the other girl said laughing with her

“She’ll probably stay shy and inexperienced forever” she said

“Could you not” I said with a straight face

“I’ll stop when you find a guy, and finally kiss him” she said rolling her eyes

That whole interaction really hurt me, and made me feel like shit. I was just waiting for the right guy to come alone for me to kiss. There was nothing wrong with that, but the whole interaction with them constantly played in my head. I had distanced myself from them as I really didn’t want to be their punching bag for “innocent virgin” jokes.

I started to hang out with my other friends Chris, Matt and Nick because they never brought up things like that, and made me feel comfortable.

Today the triplets had asked me to come over and hangout with them. I agreed, and we were all chilling in Nick's room when the interaction with my “friends” started to play in my head. I was looking at the three of them

I mean they are good candidates….well not Nick because he’s gay, mmm Chris maybe but he’s a player and that’s too much for me, so I finally settled on Matt.

He was so cute, shy, in tune with his emotions, nice and just overall everything I liked in a guy. I’d say I had a bit of a crush on him. I mean what’s not to like??

I was deep in thought about how I would approach the situation, or even if I ever would.

“Hey you okay?” Chris asked looking at me, and thus made me snap out of thought

“Yeah sorry I was just thinking” I said smiling at him

“Thinking what?” Nick asked

“Thoughts” I said laughing

“Okayyy weirdo” Nick said laughing

I laughed with them, and just continued to think about what I wanted to do. I mean I wanted to talk with Matt, but I was going back and forth in my head, and I started to get anxious because of this

“Hey Matt, is there any way I could chat about something with you?” I just randomly said. My mouth was moving faster than my brain was

“Yeah sure” he said, getting up to head out the room so we could chat. We had stepped outside right outside of Nick's bedroom

As we stepped outside I closed the door, starting to get even more anxious

“Are you alright?” He asked once I finally stood next to him

“Um yes I’m okay, but something been on my mind” I told him

“Well I’m like the therapist of the group, so lay it on me” he said laughing

“This is super personal, and I’m not sure if you’ll get uncomfortable” I said wincing at my own words

“I would never! Go on” he responded nodding his head at me to continue

“Well um…..so basically I have these friends who are very experienced as far as sexual intimacy, and they’ve been making me feel some type of way” I told him, but before I could finish he cut me off

“Screw them who gives a shit. Virginity is a fucked up social construct” he told me

“No I know, but umm they just always call me a saint and innocent because I’ve never kissed a guy. I mean I’ve never even held a guys hand, or hugged one in a romantic way” I said back to him

“Ohhh I see” he said looking a bit confused

“I was wondering if you’d be willing to maybe be my first kiss?” I asked him. Cringing internally at home embarrassed I felt

“You want me to be your first kiss? I mean yes I’ll do it, but me?” He asked puzzled

“Yes you! I feel like you’re the only person that I’d enjoy kissing plus I know you” I told him blushing a little bit

“Oh uhh thanks” he said also blushing

“Okay sooo teach me how to kiss” I said jumping straight into it

“Well first come closer” he said, and to this I walked directly in front of him waiting for further instructions

“And then uhh…you could lick your lips, but you’re wearing chapstick so you’re good” he said as he licked his own lips a little bit

“I’ll take the lead” he said

“Well duh Matt I’ve never done this” I said laughing at him

“Right….sorry” he said shaking his head

He looked into my eyes, and then down at my lips. My heart was racing so fast I could hear it in my ear drums, and I’m sure he could hear it too.

He placed his hand on my cheek, and slowly leaned in tilting his head to the right a little bit, shutting his eyes. So I such my eyes as well and leaned in slightly

Matt pressed his lips against mine, and for a moment I just stood with no movement, until finally my brain turned on.

I kissed him back, and then we separated for a second and went back to kiss again.

When we pulled away my face was blushed, my pupils were dilated, and I’m sure my heart was about to burst out of my chest.

“How was that?” He asked looking into my eyes

“That was perfect” I said smiling at him

“Want one more for good measure?” He asked with a sly smile

“How could I resist” I said rolling my eyes in a playful way

So he went back and kissed me a few more times. That was until Chris banged on the glass of the window, and when we looked over his jaw was dropped

“OH MY FUCKING GOD” he screamed laughing like a schoolgirl and running to get Nick

“This kid” Matt said laughing as we walked back into the house.

The End

Whoever requested this I HOPE YOU LIKEEEE, and now back to writing. I got 9 more stories to go😁🤭

-J💅🏽

[soapisahimbo]

Hi, I’m totally the person that had no clue who konig was. I’m pretty new to this fandom and to writing these characters, do you have any tips on writing them? (I need total help writing anything about Simon he’s so distinct)

Oof, I mean I can try, I'm not really good with tips 😂 we'll go at them one at a time, yeah? Keep in mind that this is just my personal interpretation of these characters and that others might not agree to these at all lol

Soap can easily be written off as comic relief, and he is sometimes, but I think his humour and timing comes from a place of wanting to make others feel at ease, to calm the nerves. He wants others to see him as easygoing because he wants them to be comfortable around him. He's very friendly and very respectful of people's boundaries and does his absolute best not to cross them, and he also expects others to respect his. He's loyal to a fault and cares a lot about his teammates, which makes it that much more contrasting when he's faced with someone he doesn't trust. All that friendliness and warmth and banter is long gone. He's smarter and sharper than others might think, calculative and quick on his feet, adjusts and adapts quickly. A lot of people think he's just the clown of the team, but it's easy to be fooled, and he uses that to his advantage.

Simon is definitely a challenge to write. Just don't fall for the "I can fix him"-narrative. He's been through a lot of intense trauma and he's very hardened because of it. He's not going to just randomly open up one day - gaining his trust can be a long and arduous process, and while it is strong when gained, it's near impossible to regain when lost. He keeps even his closest people at arm's length, mainly for his own safety in case someone were to turn on him, because he knows that anyone can have the capacity to stab him in the back. He does care, though. He's not an emotionless robot, he just doesn't let much, if anything, show. If he does, it's subtle. He can also, kind of like Soap, revert to humour to ease tension and nerves, and it usually works, but not because his jokes are actually funny. His humour is just very dark and dry, and people are usually just surprised that he even makes jokes that it snaps them out of whatever anxiety they were feeling in the first place (he thinks he's a comedic genius). Otherwise he's very cold, very methodical, there is very little that can disturb him or make him uneasy. Shuts his emotions off and moves quickly on, even if he's hurting.

Gaz can also be a bit of a challenge, mostly because he tends to sit on the backburner for a lot of people in the fandom. Has a very strong sense of justice and fairness, wants to do good by his team, his friends, the world. Loyal to a fault, much like Soap, but not blind. He'll question even his highest superiors if he thinks something is amiss. Incredibly attentive and attuned to who and what's around him, very little actually passes under his radar. He's quite friendly though, and can crank up the charm when needed (or wanted). He's cheeky, likes to push buttons to see what elicits the funniest response, although he's careful not to take it too far. He doesn't need to try hard to make others feel at ease, they just do. Also gets underestimated because of his young age, and because others think he's Price's lap dog, but Price brought him into the team for a damn good reason. He's quite a force to be reckoned with.

Alejandro is... hot. And I don't mean that like "sexy", I mean that as like, his manners, his sense of justice, his morals - it's a constantly burning fire within him, and he gains people's loyalty by that fire. He warms others up by that fire. He always finds something to keep fighting for, and he wants others to find that as well. Complacency is humanity's biggest enemy in his eyes. He cares greatly about his team, knows every single person in Los Vaqueros by heart and would give his life to save even just one of them. He wishes he could spend more time with his family, but what he does, he does to keep them safe. He leans very much into that "traditional masculinity" of being the protector, not because he thinks he has to be, but rather because he wants to be. He knows all the telltale signs of a good fighter, and he knows how to turn the good into the best. Very courteous, very clever, almost irrevocably loyal, hot-blooded and strong. He's the guy you want on your side.

Rodolfo is honestly very tricky for me to write because there's not as much info on him as the other characters. He's quite similar to Gaz in a lot of ways - he wants to do good, he wants to help, he wants to leave the world a better place than it was when he entered it. Blindly loyal to Alejandro and to Los Vaqueros, but only because he knows with his entire being that they would never betray him. He's incredibly dependable and trustworthy, eager to fight what he considers to be the good fight. He can be quite disarming and very charming, a bit reserved, and rarely comes across as any sort of threat to anyone. He's calm, levelheaded, attentive and is the type to stand by quietly and listen and that is why, I think, he's also underestimated. But just like Soap, he's smart and sharp, and just like Gaz, he's a force to be reckoned with.

I think people tend to forget that König is actually terrifying. Yes, he has severe social anxiety and he tries his best to shrink himself down, but social anxiety is not the same as shyness, and he's been trained to be ruthless on the battlefield. Even if it can make him self-conscious, he knows how to use his size to his advantage, and he is frighteningly agile considering how big he is. He keeps to himself, with the exception of a select few that he sticks to, doesn't say much unless spoken to. Has a tendency to just loom over everyone without meaning to. He's also the type to stare, but only because he's paying attention and he forgets that a 6'10 giant hooded figure standing in the shadows like 🧍‍♂️is usually nightmare fuel to most people. His view on justice can be a bit skewed because he's been taught not to ask questions. He's been manipulated by his peers and superiors for their own ulterior motives and he's been trained to believe that he's just a tool to be used, so while he doesn't lack confidence, the idea of self-worth is not one he's very familiar with.

I don't know how helpful this is or if these can even be considered tips, but I hope it can be of some assistance at least 😅

[marvel-ousmondays]

Iron Man 3

Things are about to get interesting.

A friend and I happened to be talking Marvel movies not that long ago and she mentioned how many people didn't like this one but she loved it. I had vaguely remembered the complaints, mostly centered around The Mandarin.

So let's deal with that squarely first.

As mentioned in my first post, I did NOT grow up reading the comics or watching animated TV shows about Marvel characters. Before I happened to go to the Iron Man movie with friends, I wasn't even aware of the character. Many times this puts me at a disadvantage when discussing the MCU, as my observations may lack nuanced understanding or I may miss callbacks altogether. BUT there are rare cases where it is a benefit.

This is one of those cases.

IF you are able to let go of your previous knowledge of The Mandarin, I don't see how you can argue that what happens here is a brilliant twist. The idea that a jaded and scorned man who once championed science could, in this world that constantly rewarded Tony's frankly abominable behavior, become someone who answered money and power's call but knew well enough to hide his face while doing it? That's brilliant. Ben Kingsley's portrayal of both "The Mandarin" and Trevor Slatterly are incredible. The fear those videos create is palpable even when you are watching. All to reveal it's a masquerade, a charade.

That's some pretty epic deception and clever for someone who wants real power.

Guy Pearce also plays a character like Killian very well. At one moment, smooth and handsome, that slow and deliberate way of speaking, taking complete control of a room. There's a sense of a danger around him even then- something that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, something that just doesn't sit quite right- but you shake it off because, well, there's nothing sinister happening. Then later we see it, but even then he is almost always deliberate. The way he holds Pepper by her neck and just repeats "Pepper, Pepper" while shaking his head at such an unruly subject. His cold demeanor as he heats up Rhodey's suit. Even his fighting with Tony. The question I would have is whether that is all part of the regulating or just arrogance. If it's not the former, he was a fool.

Really random note from this one was the realization of how much gum chewing is linked with condescension in films. Killian's "lieutenant" for lack of a better term is constantly chewing gum and it makes it him look so much more of an ass. (In a good way- it's his character.) There's something about gum chewing on screen that says "You are not worth my proper diction."

My favorite thing about this movie will always be that it was the moment when I knew MCU wasn't going to "fridge" its women. We have a brief moment of fear that Pepper is dead, smartly done close enough to the end to be a real possibility. Then she not only reappears, but saves Tony's ass. She even makes a joke about "What, because I fell 200 feet?"

I want to take a second here because I'm sure someone, somewhere, is thinking "yeah they were too SCARED to kill a main character." To that I say, fuck off. There is PLENTY of death in this movie. The female scientist's (played wonderfully by Rebecca Hall) death is particularly harsh as she had tried to use her own suicide as a bargaining chip. The empty Iron Patriot suit kills many secret service people. Happy isn't killed but spends the bulk of the movie in hospital.

And regardless, in superhero films and comics and tv of the past, it was nearly always the girlfriend/wife who had to die. Not only is death NOT the only way to force growth upon our superhero, but also we certainly should be able to spread the death around. I, for one, was glad to see things were going to be different here.

Also, the Kid was great. I am curious if they may ever bring this character back in some way. There's definitely a possibility there.

Complaints? There was a bit too much forced humor here. This is definitely where we start to see lines played for comic relief that don't fit the tension of the scene. RDJ has a few, though I always give Iron Man a bit of a pass here as that is a very Tony trait. But Don Cheadle had a few as well, and while he delivers them well, they just don't jive with Colonel in crisis mode.

(Exceptions- the dude who ends up putting his gun down saying he hates working there, they're so fucking weird gets an A+ as does Pepper's line about how violent she just was.)

Also, it may be the current economic and environmental landscape, but the waste of blowing up all those iron man suits really bugged me. At least used the scrap for something my dude.

This one also might have been just a bit too long, but I struggle to pick any particular scene to cut.

Note for me:

Directed by: Shane Black

[amorgansgal]

So I have an request

I need in my life sort of grumpy/ sunshine and enemies to lovers trope!

Of course Arthur being grumpy and Reader teasing and annoying him for fun!

Might be with smut, with angry Arthur showing reader that her teasing must come to an end. 😏 tho I really need how their relationship would develop 🙏🙏

Hello, I hope this is ok :) I've only done a bit of fluff and a short hc. I'm going to pace myself with smut writing, so this is just the beginning of the relationship. Hope you enjoy!

When Arthur meets you for the first time he’s not in the best of moods. He had slept poorly the night before, hadn’t eaten well all day, been pissed off by Micah and because he got back late, he didn’t even get a decent serving of stew - just the burnt bit at the bottom.

So safe to say he’s a grumpy boy who isn’t interested in entertaining folk and plans to just sulk rest on his cot.

But he’s grabbed by Mary-Beth and Tilly who insist he has to meet the new gang member.

Arthur grumbles mightily, but is eventually forced over to where you were chatting with Sean. He immediately notices your big grin and eyes sparkling with mirth. He does his best to ignore the swooping sensation in his chest, when he hears you laugh.

Mary-Beth introduces you both and you offer him a hand to shake. Arthur scowls and gives it a half-hearted shake, more to hide the fact he is immediately intrigued by you than actual contempt or dislike.

‘Let me guess, they keep you around for your sense of humour and winning smile?’ you tease.

Sean cackles, Arthur scowls further and stomps off to his cot. He does his best to write in his journal and focuses on the previous events of the day, but he can’t help his eyes drifting over to you and writing just a very small paragraph.

‘If they’re making Sean and Uncle laugh like that, then I fear we have collected another fool for their entertainment, rather than someone who could be useful!’ he writes. He does feel a bit bad about it come the morning, but the writing remains in his journal.

Annoyingly, over the next few weeks you prove yourself beyond useful. You’re a quick, accurate shot, a keen thief with light fingers and, more importantly to Arthur, an excellent horse rider who cares for their horse a good deal.

Not that he gives you a lot of praise. Arthur scolds and dismisses your work, not wanting you to get cocky or arrogant. The fact that you don’t even let his barbs and comments bother you irritates him more.

You’re constantly making jokes and quips at his expense, though he’s fortunate the rest of the gang never seem to be around when you do.

‘You know, if you keep frowning like that the wind might change and then you’ll be stuck- Ah, I think it might be too late actually!’

‘Beans, beans and more beans isn’t actually the full three course meal you seem to think it is!’

‘You can laugh at my jokes, you know. It’s probably causing you great internal harm to not do so!’

‘Tell a funny one then and I’ll think about it!’

‘Uncle’s ass?’

‘That ain’t a joke.’

‘Yeah, it’s a crime against humanity!’

He actually manages a snort of laughter after that.

‘But seriously, why are you always so grumpy? Whatever did I do?’ You flutter your eyelashes at him in a pretence of innocence and Arthur ignores the little flip his stomach does.

‘You waste everyone’s time with yer nattering and jokes and nonsense!’

‘Oh, but Arthur, nattering and jokes and nonsense are all I have! You can’t take it away from me.’

‘Get enough of it from Sean, don’ need more of tha’!’

‘I think you enjoy it really!’ a teasing smirk on your face.

‘I don’t,’ he mutters. Secretly wishing he had it in him to kiss that stupid smile on your face. ‘C’mon, let’s get back to camp.’

He quickly kicks his horse into a trot, so he doesn’t have to look at your stupid, lovely face and admit to himself that your quick remarks and jokes really do make his day and he always looks forward to spending time with you.

[canirove]

Red & Blue | Chapter 3

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“Isn’t this too much for a party?” I ask Leah as we leave her house.

“You look perfect” she says. “Mason will be at your feet.”

“When will you realize that saying those things is having the opposite effect? The more you say it, the less I like him” I say, getting into the car that was waiting for us.

“Sure” she says behind me.

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When we arrive, the party is already packed with people, the music way too loud. And I don’t recognize anyone.

“Told you your look wasn’t too much” Leah says as a group of girls walk pass us, all of them dressed as if they were attending some music awards or something.

“Let’s go find something to drink” I say.

We are in a corner, looking at everyone trying to find a familiar face, when I see him. Ben Chilwell. Chilly. He walks in with a guy I’ve never seen before, wearing just a sweatshirt and some jeans, his hair free of the gel he loves so much. All girls turn to look at him, and he just smiles at them. Damn, his smile is even better in person.

“You are drooling” Leah says.

“What?” I say, moving my hand to my face.

“It was a joke, you silly. But seriously, I don’t know why you like him so much.”

As I’m about to answer back, I see him looking at us, and I feel my heart skipping a bit.

“Leah, he’s coming” I say, nervously grabbing her arm.

“What are two Arsenal girls doing at a Chelsea party?” Chilly asks, arching an eyebrow. He knows who we are? Who I am?

“Mason invited us” Leah says. “Well, he invited her and she dragged me here.”

“He did?” Chilly asks me.

Fuck, he is talking to me. Me! I only manage to nod as an answer, not able to say a word.

“I saw you during the last national break. You seemed to get along pretty well.”

Did he just say that he saw me during the last nationa break? I know Mason was there too, but he paid attention to me. Oh... my God. And again, I just nod. God, I’m making a fool of myself.

“He doesn’t seem to have arrived yet, tho. Do you want to find somewhere to sit?” he says, offering me his hand.

“Ok” I reply, managing to talk for the first time, praying that he can’t notice my hand shaking. I turn to look back at Leah, to see if she is coming with us, but she’s just giving me her usual murderous stare. Which means that she disapproves and will definitely be mad with me at the end of the night.

Chilly takes me to a sofa next to a window, his arm casually resting on the back of it, his legs very close to mine. But before I have time to freak out about it, he starts talking about everything and anything, making me relax. After a while, we both are deep in conversation, laughing from time to time.

“Should we get another drink?” he asks.

“I’m fine.”

“Then wait for me here, I’m gonna get a refill” he says as gets up and disappears among the crowd.

When he comes back, he sits even closer than before, his arm around my shoulders, his fingers sometimes playing with my hair or touching my skin. When he talks, he does it very close, his lips constantly brushing against my ear, setting my skin on fire. If it wasn’t dark, people could definitely see that my face is the same color as my Arsenal shirt.

“Why don’t we go somewhere a bit more quiet?” he asks.

“Where?”

“Just follow me” he says, getting up and taking my hand. As we start walking among the other guests, I try to look for Leah, but I don’t see her. The one I see, tho, is Mason. He looks very serious, his eyes fixed on Chilly and I. The moment he realizes I’ve seen him, he looks the other way, acting as if someone has called his name.

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“You seem to know your way around the house” I say to Chilly when we make it upstairs.

“Puli and I like playing basketball together, and sometimes I spend the night here. And speaking of basketball,” he says, stopping in front of a door “you seem to be pretty good at it. Maybe we should play together one day.”

“Yeah, sure” I say.

He just smiles, opening the door and gesturing me to walk inside.

“This looks nice.”

“Here is where I usually stay” he says, closing the door. “It has the best views in the morning with the sun shining through.”

“Views to a garden” I chuckle, looking outside the window.

“Sometimes they improve. Like right now” he says behind me, hugging me and kissing me on the neck, goosebumps all over my body. “You aren’t with Aaron, are you?” he asks while leaving kisses on my collarbone.

“With Aaron?” I ask.

“I’ve seen you on his Instagram. You seem to get along pretty well, always posting about the other” he says, one of his hands moving to my leg and slowly going under my dress.

“We’ve been friends since we were kids, just that” I say, trying to sound as normal as possible and not as if I’m freaking out because Ben fucking Chilwell is touching me everywhere. 

“Good” he says, moving both his hands to my waist and making me turn to face him. “He’s a big guy and I don’t want him to kill me when he finds out I’ve done this” he says before kissing me.

At first I don’t do anything, but when he kisses me again, this time with more passion, I let myself go, throwing my arms around his neck, kissing him back.

“Why don’t we get a bit more comfortable” he says after a bit, his lips still very close to mine. Again, I’ve lost the ability to talk, and I just nod, letting him walk me towards the bed. When the back of my knees touch it, he slowly pushes me down until he’s lying on top of me, kissing me again, his hands all over me.

“You can stop me whenever you want” he says to my ear.

“Ok” I whisper.

“Any time” he says, his right hand now under my dress, playing with the hem of my underwear. I stay silent, letting him know that he can keep going. He moves his fingers under the fabric, going down, my body tensing in anticipation.

“Fuck” I say when I feel him touching me.

“Do you want me to stop now?” he says, stopping to look me in the eyes.

“No. Not now.”

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“Finally!” Leah says when she sees me coming back to the party. “Can we go home now? I’m bored and everyone is too drunk.”

“Sure” I say, following her as she starts walking towards the door.

“I just called for a car. It’ll be here in 5 minutes.”

“Ok.”

“So…” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “How was it? As good as you had dreamed it to be?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Oh, c´mon. I know you went upstairs with Chilly. And I know you didn’t spend all this time just talking about the weather.”

“We didn’t have sex if that’s what you are implying” I say, mimicking her pose. “Not really.”

“Oh, I see” she says, giving me a mischievous smile. “Tongue or fingers?”

“Leah!”

“He seems to be into fingers. Mason definitely into tongue.”

“Shit, Mason!” I say. “Is he still around? Have you seen him?”

“Now you remember he exists?”

“Ugh, he’s gonna be so pissed. I should go say something if he still is around, shouldn’t I?”

“He left not long after he saw you disappear with Chilly” Leah says. “And you are right, he didn’t seem very happy. So those fingers better have been worth it.”

[itsallyscorner]

Baby’s First Heartbreak

pairing: marvel cast x teen!fem!reader, Scarlett Johansson x reader, Elizabeth Olsen x reader

prompt: the youngest member of the marvel cast experiences her first breakup.

warnings: not much—crying, a break up.

A/n: Tom is 19 here because this is set during Civil War. He was such a baby omg🥺

You were always a firm believer in having hope. No matter what the situation was, you knew that you had to at least try before fully giving up. You were only 18, but it was the mindset you grew up with. You were taught to face things with bravery and confidence, you faced things head to head with all your might. Though some things never went the way you planned, you were still the ray of sunshine you were, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, eager to learn and explore the world.

You had the same mindset going into your first relationship. Love was something you’ve always wanted to experience. Sure, you received it from your friends and family. But you wanted the different kind of love. The special one that was shared between two people. The one that made your heart skip a beat and made you breathless. Where staring into that special someone’s eyes felt like you were being transported into another world where it was just the two of you.

You’ve found that kind of love in a boy from your hometown. The two of you had been friends since pre-k, growing up along side each other, and being there for each other’s success and failures. You’ve known him all your life but the feelings didn’t come till sophomore year of high school. It all just clicked all of sudden; that one day where he said you looked cute in his jumper and the next moment you knew you were seeing him in a new light. Junior year, you were both beating around the bush; constantly pining over each other with longing stares and fingers always brushing against each other. Though you didn’t see him all the time due to your job as an actress. You spent half of the school year in your hometown and the rest at Atlanta. Of course he knew of your job and as much as he hated to see you go, he knew you were doing something that made you happy. So he spent as much time as he could with you before your time together came to an end. A few days prior to your flight to Atlanta, under the night sky of your backyard, he admitted his feelings for you. By senior year, the two of you had been dating for half a year. It had been the best moments of your life, you were in love and high on happiness, it was like nothing in life could ever go wrong.

Now here you were, in your trailer on the set of Captain America: Civil War, sobbing you eyes out. You knew loving could hurt, but not this much. You still felt your heart skip a beat, but it was clenching in heartache. You were still breathless, but because you’ve been trying to catch your breath after every sob that wracked your body. You felt broken. The boy you loved had ripped your heart out of your chest and threw it onto the floor, stomping on it till it stopped beating.

You hiccuped as you stared at yourself in the mirror. You were nothing but a fool. A fool who had hope in something that was never going to work. You sniffled as you snatched tissues out of the box on your bathroom sink, dabbing the material onto your eyes and blowing your nose. Your eyes were red and your cheeks were puffy. A sigh of frustration releases from your body. There was no way you could walk onto set without people asking you what was wrong.

You debated asking your assistant to ask your designated makeup artist to do your makeup in your trailer, you didn’t want to be a bother. But your thumbs were already shamefully typing away the request on your phone. A few minutes later Eleanor, your makeup artist on set, arrives at your trailer with her supplies in hand.

She doesn’t directly question you, but she has the look of a concerned mother once she sees your face. You lie to her and tell her you weren’t having a good day and chalked it up to being homesick.

You dreaded going on set. You weren’t sure if you could face anyone without bursting into tears. The moment you felt like you were okay, your heart would clench, reminding you of the ache it was feeling.

You were in your costume, sitting on the sidelines of the set while you rehearsed your lines. The dialogue from the script acted as a distraction from the current pain you were feeling. The tears had stopped but your eyes felt dry, making you blink multiple times to keep them wet.

“Hey, sweetheart.” You look up and meet the stunning blue eyes of Chris Evans. That typical goofy smile of his was etched onto his features. Usually you would reciprocate that smile, but today you just couldn’t find it in your heart to do so. His smile falters when he sees your face.

“Morning.” You greet him, forcing a smile. Concern shadows on his face as he shifts a bit closer to you. “You alright?” He asks, eyes softening at you. Being the youngest of all the Avengers cast members, everyone had a soft side for you. Especially Chris, who saw you as a daughter.

“Y-yeah, I’ve just got—allergies.” You lied, another fake smile forcing itself onto your lips.

“Well have you taken something to help your allergies? Do you need Allegra? Claritin or something?” He looked around ready to call one of the runners on set to get you some meds.

“No! I took some already, a few minutes ago! It probably hasn’t kicked in yet.” You tell him. He eyes you reluctantly, not knowing if he should believe you. He decides to let it pass and nods, “Ok, tell me if you need anything though.”

You hum in response and tilt your head down back to your script.

The day goes on and everyone had caught on to your lack of—being you. The infamous smile everyone knew you by was barely on your face. You didn’t crack jokes with Anthony or share a giggle with Elizabeth. Instead you were quiet, a frown was on your face as you stared blankly at the floor. You didn’t interact with anybody, keeping to yourself and walking off set whenever one of the Russos called cut.

Anthony and Sebastian watched as you walked off the set. You have all finished a sequence of the airport scene and the Russos had given everyone a break while they rewatched the scenes they shot. Anthony’s brows furrowed while he watched your figure go further and further away. He had tried to cheer you up, telling you a joke about how Seb’s arm lube kept leaking out his fake arm. Your response was nothing but a fake laugh—it wasn’t even a fake laugh, more like a huff of laughter.

“She didn’t laugh at my joke.” Anthony thought aloud. Sebastian quirked an eye at his friend, “Does she have to laugh at all your jokes?”

“No, but even if I tell her a corny ass joke, she’ll still laugh at it.” He expressed, throwing his arms up. Sebastian’s lip pouted as he thought back to your behavior on set. You were acting unusual. He turns to Tom (Holland) and asks, “Hey, has (y/n) said anything to you? Like anything bothering her?”

The Brit shakes his head, “Um, nope. Besides filming, I haven’t spoken to her today.”

Anthony crosses his arms, approaching Tom, “Have you tried speaking to her? We’ve been trying to figure out what’s been going on with her today and you’re the closest to her age here.”

“I—I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t seem in a talking mood. I thought I was bothering her so I just stopped.” Tom answered. He gestures to the direction of the trailers, “I could check up on her right now? Maybe I’ll get her one of her favorite snacks from crafties, it might cheer her up.”

Half of a smile makes it way onto Sebastian’s face at the boy’s efforts. Though you were clearly upset and he felt like they were all prodding at your privacy. “Maybe we should give her some time alone.”

Tom frowns at the older man, “But (y/n)’s upset. Shouldn’t we do something?” Anthony agrees with Tom and looks at Sebastian.

Seb raises his hands up in defense, “I’m just saying—maybe she wants to be alone. She went back to her trailer away from everybody. She probably doesn’t want us shoving our noses into her business, we should respect that.”

Chris joins the group along with Scarlett and Elizabeth. He had overhead the group talking and urged the two ladies to join him in on the conversation.

“You guys talking about (y/n)?” Chris asks, hands on his waist.

“Yeah, Seb says we should leave her be.” Anthony fills him in.

“She told me she had allergies.” Chris starts. “She’s an amazing actress, but kid’s gotta work on the lying.” He finishes. Elizabeth and Scarlett glance at each other.

“Well has anyone talked to her at all today? Besides Chris?” Elizabeth asked the group. Everyone shakes their head. Elizabeth sighs while looking around at anyone else who could’ve talked to you. She spots Eleanor hanging along the sides with her makeup belt on, ready for touch ups. Elizabeth calls her over. Eleanor has her brush ready to powder her down, but Elizabeth politely declines.

“You do (y/n)‘s makeup right?”

Eleanor nods, “Yeah, I do.”

“How was she this morning? We’re just a bit concerned since she’s been acting different today.” Eleanor sighs, knowing if she told them it would be an invasion of your privacy. Although, they were all concerned for you and so was she.

“I got a text from her assistant telling me to do her makeup in her trailer today.” She began. “I walked in and her eyes were red, cheeks puffy—“

Chris apologizes and interrupts her, “Because of allergies?”

Eleanor shakes her head, “No, she never mentioned anything about allergies. But she looked like she’s been crying. She was wiping her face when I arrived.”

“Did she give you a reason for why she was crying?” Scarlett questions her.

“She told me she was feeling homesick.” Eleanor answered. Scarlett turned to Chris and shared a look. Elizabeth thanks Eleanor then turns back to the group.

“We need to check up on her.” Anthony says. All the men nodded and began to make their way to your trailer. Suddenly, they were stopped by Scarlett and Elizabeth.

“But (y/n)—“ Tom said pointing to the trailers. Scarlett shakes her head, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Lizzie and I will go. You guys are gonna overwhelm her with all your questions.” Scarlett insists, much to the men’s dismay. They wanted to be there for you, but maybe a mother figure might help you open up with what’s bothering you. They agree and let the two women go to your trailer. Before they can get to you, they get some snacks from crafties for you.

As soon as you shut the trailer’s door behind you, the tears welled up in your eyes again. It only took a matter of seconds until they fell from your eyes and down your cheeks. You heard some people walk by outside and cover your mouth to muffle the whimpers that came out your mouth. You slid down the door and shoved your head into your hands. You leaned forward against your knees as you cried into your arms. You felt pathetic, embarrassed, anger; you were feeling so many things and the only way to let them all out seemed to be crying.

They heard your cries from behind the door. Scarlett sends Elizabeth an alarmed look as she rushes up to your door. She knocked on it repeatedly, causing you to jump from behind the door. Your cries come to a stop while you try to wipe away the tears as best as you can.

“(Y/n), honey, please open the door.” You hear Scarlett say. You remain silent, getting up and dusting your legs off. You stare at the door, debating whether you should open it or not.

“(Y/n), everyone’s worried about you. We just want to help.” Another voice coaxes you behind the door. Elizabeth. “Please let us in.”

Outside, the two women had their ears pressed up against your trailer’s door. Scarlett tries to get you to open the door again, “It’s only me and Lizzie. I promise.”

There was some shuffling heard behind the door. The door pushes open slowly, making Scarlett and Elizabeth back away. A worried expression appears on Scarlett’s face once she sees you. She cups your cheeks, her thumbs gently swiping away some tears that fell from your eyes. The two of them shuffle inside your trailer. You burst out into tears once again when Scarlett wraps her arms around you. She moves you both to sit on the couch that was in your trailer. She lets you shove your head into the crook of her neck while her hands smoothed your hair. Elizabeth sits behind you rubbing circles onto your back. Your cries broke both their hearts. You were a fairly happy girl, to see you in such pain and heartache was hard to watch.

Scarlett rocks you back and forth, trying to calm you down by whispering comforting words into your ear. She presses a motherly kiss onto your forehead once she sees you start to calm down. Elizabeth waits patiently beside you waiting for when you’re ready to talk. When your whimpers turned into hiccups, Scarlett pulls your face away from her neck to look at you. She frowns when she sees your tear stained cheeks.

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on or are you going to keep bottling it up to yourself?” She asks you softly, tucking strands of your hair behind your ears. Elizabeth chimes in from behind you, “You know, sometimes it helps to tell others what’s bothering you. You don’t have to keep it to yourself, (y/n), you could talk to us.” She gathers your hair together, splitting it into two parts as she began to fish tail braid your hair. 

You take a moment to compose yourself before eyeying the two women. You knew you could trust them. Scarlett was like your on-set mom and Lizzie was like one of your aunts. If you could tell anyone on set what was going on, it would be them.

“He broke up with me.” You confess, eyes trained on your lap. Lizzie’s fingers stop braiding your hair, “What?”

“Peyton, he broke up with me.” You whined, not wanting to say it again. You fiddle with your fingers while a tear falls to your lap.

“Oh honey.” Scarlett cooes pulling you back into her chest. You sniffle and wrap your arms around her torso. Silently crying into her shoulder.

“Did he give you a reason why?” Lizzie asks softly. You move away from Scarlett’s hold and lean against the couch with your knees to your chest. Lizzie wraps an arm around your shoulder for comfort.

You glanced at your phone that was on the coffee table, “H-he texted me earlier this morning. He said he couldn’t do the long distance thing anymore and that he has feelings for somebody else.”

Anger flashes in Scarlett’s eyes, “He broke up with you over a text message?” You nod in response.

“What a dick.” She mutters glaring at your phone. It’s quiet for a few minutes. Until you ask them, “Am I not worth trying for a long distance relationship?”

Lizzie shakes her head, “No, don’t you ever think that because you are.”

You sigh and throw your head back, “Then why did he break up with me? Is there something wrong with me? Am I not pretty enough?” Scarlett interrupts your questions by shushing you.

“There is not a damn thing wrong about you. Don’t you ever let a man, let alone a boy, make you question your worth.” Scarlett advises you a stern look on her face. “You are the most sweetest and loveliest girl I have ever met in my life. You’re kind, you care about the people around you—you even laugh at Anthony’s stupid jokes.”

Lizzie snorts beside you and squeezes your shoulder, “And his jokes are the worst.”

Scarlett continues, “You are a talented young woman already making it big in the movie industry and you did it all on your own. You are beautiful inside and out. You’re perfect, there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Then why did he leave me?”

“Because he’s an idiot that doesn’t know your worth.” Lizzie answers resting her head on your shoulder. “I know it hurts now but these things happen for a reason. He wasn’t meant for you and you weren’t meant for him. Maybe somewhere in the future you guys will meet and try again. Or maybe you’ll move on with someone new. That’s just how it is. It may sound harsh, but it’s the truth.”

Scarlett nods at Lizzie, “Take it from me, I’ve been married twice. When it seems like you found that special person, sometimes it’ll all come crashing down. And it’s not an easy thing to go through. It’s full of pain, heartache, self doubt and a bunch of other heart wrenching things. But in the end you come out a stronger version of yourself.”

You stare at Scarlett, “How did you do it?”

Scarlett softly smiles at you, “Well, I had lots of friends who supported me every step of the way. But most importantly, I valued myself. I did things that made me happy and took care of myself mentally and physically.”

You bite your lip in thought as you stare at the ground.

“Listen to me.” Scarlett urges you, “You’re young, (y/n). You’re going to meet so many more people in the future that’ll bring you so much happiness and love in your life. Don’t beat yourself up over one boy who decided to leave you because he wasn’t committed for a long distance relationship. You’re going to be okay.” She assures you, cradling your face. Your lips form into a tight smile while you nod in response.

“You have us and the rest of the people outside of this trailer to support you. We’ll always have your back, whatever it is, I promise you that. You’re not going to go through this by yourself.” Lizzie promises you, taking your hand into hers. You hum and rest your head on her shoulder. You pull on Scarlett’s arm to join you and Lizzie. She chuckles and hugs you from behind.

“Thank you guys.” You whisper, genuinely grateful that you had them in your life. Lizzie pecks your temple, “Anytime darling.”

[neithrain]

Hawke Learning Tevene from Fenris

I like to think when Hawke gives Fenris the Blade of Mercy and asks him about the Imperium, they might also be curious about the language as well

They’ve only heard him speak it a few times, usually in a bout of intense emotion, but can’t help but be drawn to it

If they ask him to start teaching them, Fenris is initially puzzled

“Why would you want to learn it?”

(Diplomatic) If Hawke wants to do it simply because it’s Fenris’ native language and he’s special to them (whether friend or lover), he’s flattered even if he doesn’t quite agree with placing such sentimentality on languages

(Sarcastic) If they want to be able to fuck with him on a whole other and far more personal level, Fenris would roll his eyes but chuckle and agree to it simply for the tomfoolery alone, because then he gets to fuck with them too

(Blunt) They actually want to learn Tevene for practical use in case they’re ever in the Imperium. While Fenris doesn’t have as much fun or affection with this prospect, he respects the commitment to practicality and accepts

Once he begins actually teaching Hawke Tevene, Fenris is almost in paradise after feeling like a fool while being taught how to read

It doesn’t matter how patient Hawke is with him, it hurts seeing everyone else around him simply glance at a sign and understand it in a second while he has to stop and sound it out like a child

Yes, he knows it isn’t his fault he was never taught before, but it’s a massive blow to his ego nonetheless

When teaching Hawke Tevene though, it’s nice to feel in control and knowledgeable to some extent again

He teaches them via dialogue and focuses on common things they see every day (furniture, food, etc.)

Or at least he tries to

We all know sarcastic Hawke wants to learn curse words first and foremost

“You shit on my tongue” was a weird one to explain though

Fenris…. isn’t the best teacher ever as well

And not for lack of intelligence or good intent at all

It’s just that he never learned the language like a foreigner, he absorbed and acquired it all as a native would

If he corrects Hawke on something and Hawke asks why it’s like that instead, he can’t give them an answer

He never learned why the language has certain rules, that’s just the way it is for him

There’s a reason language teachers have to be trained you guys

He’s extremely patient though, and never gives Hawke anything harsher than constructive criticism

Their accent is abysmal? So is his accent when he speaks Qunlat, he can’t judge

They constantly mess up on verb conjugation and use the wrong tense? It’s not the end of the world, he can still understand what they’re trying to say

He respects their pace as well

Whether they only have one training session per week or almost every single day, he’s willing to help

In between the pure shitshow that is Hawke’s life, it’s a relief to have something consistently normal for both of them

Well… as normal as anything can be with Hawke at least

Eventually, after a while, Hawke can actually carry simple conversations with Fenris in Tevene, and by Act 3, they’re half or almost fluent

If the subject becomes too complicated however, they do give up and go back to the Common Tongue for the sake of simplicity

Still though, it’s always enough for them to crack jokes with each other or complain without the other companions understanding

They also use it in battle sometimes

Being able to shout to each other in combat without their enemies understanding gives them more of an advantage than you think

“You take the one on the left, I’ve got the right!”

“Behind you!”

“I need healing!”

(Mage Hawke) “I’m casting fireball, get the fuck out of the way!”

(Romanced) Lessons kind of go on pause for a bit in Act 2 because… yeah

But when Hawke and Fenris start speaking to each other again and ignore what happened, he continues teaching them Tevene

He’s not going to stop helping them learn just because of a complicated relationship

And besides, even if he would never admit it… It’s a comfort for him to be able to speak his native language again, especially with someone he actually trusts and feels safe with

Once they get back together in Act 3 though, this changes

He calls them “Amatus” sometimes in very private moments

I like to think since the entire game is Varric telling the story, we never see Fenris call Hawke this because it was only ever said in moments of intimacy between them that no one else saw

Also Fenris ends up being surprisingly romantic in Tevene

It shouldn’t have shocked Hawke so much since he outright called them beautiful/handsome when they flirted with him, but it still catches them off guard

They memorize all sorts of compliments and flirtations from him

If they can flirt with him back though, they get a shy smile and even a hint of blush from him

He’s just very proud but also flattered okay it’s a lot more positive emotions than he’s used to

[ghastlybin]

You do seventeen right? Can I request a Minghao x reader where they are both paranormal investigators exploring a very haunted building and they are trying to debunk the rumors but something happens that proves its real? Idk it’s up to you!! I love your writing also!!

Oohhh my first BG request lmao but yeah thank you anon! I love how you requested my svt bias too, I ALSO loved the request idea, so I hope I did it justice :,) also sorry it's a tiny bit late!!!

Pairing: Seventeen’s The8/ Minghao X (gender neutral) Reader.

Word count: 2,088

Genre/contents: Horror, Paranormal, Mystery(?), Paranormal investigators/streamers lol, kinda light-hearted, kinda not light-hearted idk, angsty?

TW: Murder depictions, dead body (not very descriptive but still), implications of cannibalism, dismemberment, basically multiple murders but it’s more of a mention. I don’t describe any of that, foul/mature language, disappearance implication(?), if I’m missing any- I am sorry please let me know!

Note: quick spoiler lol don’t read unless you with don’t care about spoilers or until you’re finished reading. Anyways; no one dies in this except the unnamed victims of a crime I made up, don’t let the ending fool you, I would never do that to Minghao, I love him :,((( It’s more up for interpretation unless you’d like a part 2 then I can do that for sure.

Btw, the people talking at the very end is also up for interpretation. Could be two other svt members or really anyone you imagine. Also, up to you do decide whether you and Hao are a cOuPle or just friends, I wasn’t too descriptive in the department on purpose lol

Also, this request/ask kinda reminded me of that one going seventeen video lmao Anon,,,, Did you use that as inspo?? (Just teasing btw don’t worry I love it) + (also couldn’t find a gif that matched the theme?? ANYWAYS ONWARD-)

“Testing, testing.”

“I hear you, do you hear me?”

“Yep. Is your body cam on?”

You waved a hand in front of the camera adjusted around your waist. Minghao gave you a thumbs up, viewing the footage from an app on his phone.

“Cool. These camera’s are pretty high in quality too. We’ll be able to catch any ghosts and how many fingers they have.” Minghao joked, skeptical about the building you two were investigating.

“Shut up,” You snickered, “Who’s narrating?”

Minghao looked at you, not letting a word slip out of his mouth. You took his silence as an answer anyway.

“Come on, I always do it! Besides, you’re better at it than me.” You rolled your eyes. Minghao smirked after you had said that.

“Finally you admit it,” He cleared his throat as you pressed the ‘record’ button for him. Minghao checked the footage on his phone, making sure it was actually recording before giving you a thumbs up off screen.

“Hello! We are back with another stream- and yes, we are risking possession! Hallelujah! The ghosts are about to meet the best person on this planet and his partner!” Minghao announced, both of you hearing his voice through the head-sets you’ve both set up moments ago.

You sighed, a hand on your forehead as you started to regret not narrating this time.

“And here we have Y/N, already regretting their life choices!” Minghao’s voice echoed in the main lobby. You looked at him through narrowed eyes. He gestured for you to take a turn.

“I’m not- Whatever. We are in that abandoned hotel you’ve collectively told us to visit last stream.” You spoke, not quite as loud as Minghao, but you both heard your voice just fine. “And yes, we are spending the night because we have nothing better to do in the dark hours of the night.”

“Sleep?” Minghao interjected. You slowly smiled, nodding as his body camera was still facing you.

“So, care to tell the viewers what the lore here is?” He started to walk forward, pivoting to give the viewers an idea of what the inside looked like despite the only light in the hotel being the flash from the cameras that were constantly on.

Minghao turned back to see you, a smirk on his face. “Or do you want me to ‘Minghao’ it?”

“What the hell? … Sure. ‘Minghao’ it.” You crossed your arms, accidentally covering your camera, which you immediately uncrossed your arms after realizing.

“This hotel is home to many ghosts! All of whom were murdered because someone had zero regard for human life!” Minghao tapped the bell on top of the receptionist desk.

“Hey! Quiet!” You looked around, wide eyed. Minghao chuckled, “what? Scared of ghosts?”

“No! What if someone hears us?”

“Like… Ghosts.”

You frowned, eyeing him. He smiled, ruffling your hair.

“Relax. We’re fine. We are only here to show the viewers that the rumors of the paranormal are bullshit and then we can go and get our beauty sleep.” Minghao switched from his reassuring tone to his previous loud, animated tone.

“Should we wait for the receptionist or go check into our room?” He spoke for the camera but was waiting for your response.

“Well the receptionist is kind of dead… So let’s go to the rooms.” You scrunched your nose as you had smelled something foul, as if something had been decaying for a while- A smell which previously wasn’t there before.

“Do you smell that?”

“What? Your face?” Minghao joked, laughing a second after. You ignored his joke, unintentionally, as you were more focused on where the smell came from.

“All I smell is dust and mold.”

“No, this smell isn’t either of those, I don’t think.” You pinched your nose, passing him and into the corridor on the left of the receptionist desk.

Minghao stepped in the spot you were previously standing in, taking a whiff of what you were supposedly smelling.

He shrugged it off, not smelling anything different. You looked back at him to make sure he was with you.

“For your information,” You traced your fingers on one of plaques on the wall that read the room number. “No one actually died in the hotel. Their bodies were just buried here.”

“Let me guess, the basement was where their bodies were?” Minghao tried one of the door knobs to the room across from the one you stood beside. It opened without any resistance.

“You didn’t read the facts I sent you?” You sighed. Minghao shrugged, “I did… Sort of.”

You scoffed, walking ahead.

“Hey, if it makes you feel better, I did listen to a podcast about it.”

“Podcast? Did they tell you the bodies were in the basement?” You questioned him, turning around to face him. He shrugged, “more of a speculation. Yes.”

You turned back around, nothing but a dark corridor in front of you.

“The bodies were found in the walls, inside various mattresses, and the free breakfast they offered here.” You opened one of the doors to a room further ahead. The room emitted a gust of cold air, giving you and Minghao chills.

“Found one of the deathbeds.”

You lightly nudged Minghao.

“Okay, for the first time, I will admit there was really no pun intended.”

You glanced at him, reaching for the doorknob to shut the door again. As soon as your hand made contact with the knob, you felt yourself being shoved inside the room, falling to your hands and knees as the door had slammed shut behind you.

You weren’t in pain luckily, but once you had your bearings, you felt agitation fueling within yourself.

“Minghao! Why the hell did you push me?!” You stood up, immediately pulling at the door.

“Woah! What do you mean? I thought you just fell!” Minghao called from the other side. You banged on the door, unable to turn the door knob.

“Let go of the door! This isn’t funny!”

“I’m not touching the door! Did you lock it?”

You felt around for the lock before scoffing as you thought about how that would even happen.

How would you even lock the door if you were falling, let alone slam it?

“Minghao, if you get me out of this room, I promise I won’t kill you when I get out.”

Minghao was silent for a moment. You checked your phone, pulling up the live footage from yours and Minghao’s body cameras.

“One, I don’t believe you.” Minghao spoke up, the door creaked as he leaned his ear against the door to hear you better.

“And two, you know I wouldn’t just leave you by yourself. You get lost easily.”

You rewinded the footage from Minghao’s camera. He had been watching you as you went to close the door.

And the worst part was: He was telling the truth.

“Shit.” You mumbled. Minghao stood on the other side, trying the door knob from his side- which didn’t budge.

“What?”

“You were being serious.”

“Yeah! Step back, I’ll try to kick in the door!”

You did as he said, stepping back at least where the bed was. The door shook and creaked as Minghao’s foot slammed against the door, but it ultimately did not budge against his force.

“Uh, is there any other possible exit?” Minghao asked, his fist banging against the door in defeat. You saw an air vent, but otherwise no other exit was found in the room. That familiar decaying smell from earlier found its way into the room again.

“An air vent- Or duct. Whatever.” You replied, shivering from the temperature in the room dropping again.

“Wanna see if that leads to another room?”

“Hell no! Is the door really not opening?”

“It’s really not opening.” Minghao paced the area near the door, not straying too far in case you were to speak again or somehow get the door open yourself.

“Fuck,” You cursed, covering your nose to attempt to block out the smell. “Is there anything at all in the area that could pry it open?”

“Nope. Just old furniture and dirty sheets and blankets.”

You looked at the air vent, contemplating it further. “Okay, fine. Let me go through the damn vent.”

Minghao detached his body camera, facing it towards himself, speaking in a whisper, “finally. I swear they never listen to me.”

“I can still hear you!” You spoke as he heard you through his headset and vice-versa. You were simultaneously prying the vent open, which was more successful than the main room door.

“Whatever! Are you in the vent?”

“Now I am! Try to get to the room next door! Meet me there!”

Minghao attached the camera back to the straps around his waist and jogged over to the next room, twisting the door knob, which opened with ease. He dragged in a small table from the corridor and propped open the door but did not see a vent anywhere in the room.

“Hey! There isn’t a vent in here!”

You took a moment to respond, coming to a corner, forcing you to turn right. When you did respond, Minghao had beat you to it.

“I think someone is coming! I’m going to hide!”

You stopped crawling, fixing your headset to your ear as it were slipping out of place.

“What do you mean?” You asked, continuing to crawl. “The vent is leading me somewhere else!”

Minghao didn’t respond, but you heard heavy footsteps.

Then a scream that traveled through the walls and through your headset simultaneously.

“Minghao?!”

No response.

“Minghao?!” You repeated once again, pausing your movements to check his body camera footage.

It was too dark to see as Minghao must’ve turned off the flash light emitting from the camera. Rewinding a little, you saw a single bright light and a figure standing a few feet in front of him, hearing the scream once again.

The camera footage went completely dark again but you heard heavy breathing and fast footsteps.

“Minghao, try to get outside! I will find my own way out!”

You continued to crawl forward, eventually finding an exit from the vent that lead you into another room where the main door to the room was wide open.

Getting out and stretching after being in a cramped space, you heard the loud footsteps again. You hid under the bed quickly as the smell had gotten much worse.

Turning on your side to see why it had gotten worse, you gasped loudly- unintentionally, as you saw a nearly decayed body of a human lying beside you.

Your eyes watered in fear, trying not to scream at the fact that there was an actual dead body under the bed. You thought back to all of the places you smelled the same decaying stench.

The receptionist desk, the room that separated you and Minghao, and here. The room you were currently in.

You finally had let out a scream when someone had wrapped their hands around your arm, dragging you out from under the bed.

“Y/N! Where are you?! I made it back to the car!” Minghao’s voice emitted through the head-set just before it had fell out of your ear.

Whatever had a hold on you, wasn’t letting you go, and you couldn’t tell who it was.

One thing’s for certain, it definitely wasn’t Minghao.

“I’m calling for help!” Minghao pulled out his phone after speaking through the headset one last time.

He dialed in the emergency number; the dial tone rang twice before being picked up.

“Hi! We need help, my-“

Minghao suddenly gasped, dropping his phone as the same figure he had ran from had grabbed his wrist harshly, dragging him back inside with superhuman speed before Minghao could process any identifying features or even react to the situation.

.

..

…

“Two self-proclaimed paranormal investigators still missing after ongoing search efforts come up with no evidence at the scene of the crime at the abandoned hotel. The last recorded livestream has been confiscated as evidence and pulled from any and every platform found containing it.

Anyone with any information regarding the disappearance of Xu Minghao and Y/N Y/LN is encouraged to come forward to the proper authorities in aiding the investigation. “

.

..

“Are you sure we should be here?”

“They were here at around this time of night. Maybe we will find something the detectives didn’t.”

“Or we will go missing too.”

“Yet you still came with me.”

“Let’s just hurry. This place is fucking creepy.”

[robogenko]

All those horny Jester X King posts got to my head and I made another Fable AU and OC. Even though technically Jesters would have probably well fallen out of fashion by the events of Fable 3, it's fantasy so.. I'll do what I want haha. It was originally just meant to be horny and fun when I came up with the character and foist him on King Logan, but nothing is ever that simple with that man. It didn't take long for things to turn bitter sweet and.... I've yet to get to the horny bits e.e Oh well.

Anyway, here's Lute. They discarded their name and pronouns when they became a performer. Picking up their new handle based on their most prominent skill. Their services were 'gifted' to Sparrow and their family a couple years before Logan became King, so they were all fairly young when Lute came around. Lute themself was similar in age to Logan when they began performing for the Hero family. They loved playing and singing for the young siblings and got along very well with the whole family.

They also develop a crush on Logan that they know is impossible. They keep it to themself for years, knowing that performing for him, and joking with him, and being a confidant is the closest that he'll ever be allowed to be. So he does everything he can to retain his position, constantly expanding their skills and training their body for acrobatic performances in addition to his musical and witty talents, as well as becoming well-versed in affairs of state. Spending all his spare time becoming irreplaceable to the newly crowned monarch.

On Logan's end, he and the jester became fast friends due to their similarity in age and that they both enjoy music. Lute "coincidentally" knew how to play all of Logan's favorite songs, and they actively encouraged him to sing or play along. Spending time playing together and joking around. There may have also been some clandestine 'fooling around'. Alas, youth is the same no matter where you go. However, as it became clear he would likely have to take on the responsibilities of ruler sooner, rather than later, the ever dutiful eldest son began to pull away from Lute in an effort to appear more mature, and began spending more time in burying himself in his studies and physical training.

Lute stays faithful and loyal to Logan throughout his reign. Even after Logan's encounter with the Crawler in Aurora changed him so dramatically. The changes only seem to embolden Lute in trying to take even better care of him. Placing themself as often as possible as someone who can be turned to in even the darkest night.

That's about all I have for them now. Hopefully I'll draw some more of these two, cause I find the dynamic really interesting (and desperately tragic). Oh! Also, they didn't start drawing the teardrop in their make up until after Logan came back from Aurora. That's a fun tidbit.

And in case the writing isn't legible on those two with lyrics here's what they say:

"When you laugh, I forget that it's about me. But it's alright, Yeah 'cause being your punchline still is something..."

"And I remember every song, You used to sing along, but I forgot you changed at all"

[beyondspaceandstars]

One shot | Bucky | Fluffy: 1 , 9 | Angst: 5 , 6 | w/ a happy ending

I kinda wanted to make it a challenge, and I thought these prompts were the most interesting! If you do choose to do it, I hope you have fun! Have a great day ❤️

Pizza With a Side of Confessions

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: N/A, bit fluff, bit angst

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: thank you so so much for requesting! this also include in the second ask you sent i did see it and make note of it! you certainly did give me a challenge here this one took some real mapping out to complete but i think i got it i hope i checked off all the boxes :)

Masterlist

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You had sworn the knock on your door was going to be from your date. The sleazy, creepy date you had just rejected on the stoop of your apartment building.

He had ended up being the complete opposite of what he appeared to be online. Through text messages, he seemed caring and kind. Interested in you. But then when you two met… He hands kept groping. Wandering. Caressing. You had begged him to stop in the restaurant which he eventually did after he walked you home, something you only agreed to to keep the peace, he began working on you again and you had to put your foot down, forbidding the night from going further.

He didn’t look too happy about your attitude which made you assume when that knock landed on your door, it was him and he was coming back for revenge. You had grabbed the first knife you could find and quickly pulled the door open, ready to hopelessly defend yourself…

But as you blinked back the tears cascading down your face, welling in your eyes, you saw a familiar pair of blue eyes along with a familiar frown.

"Bucky?" You sniffled, still pointing the knife at your best friend’s chest.

"Hey, doll," Bucky said, cautiously. He was standing as still as he could while also balancing a pizza box in his arms. "Do you… Do you maybe want to drop the knife, like, right now?"

You shook yourself out of your daze, quickly pulling the knife away from him. He visibly relaxed but his expression was cold, serious, as it took in your upset form. You brought the back of your hand to your face trying to get rid of the tears but they just wouldn’t stop.

"I-I’m sorry," you mumbled as you stepped away from the doorway, letting Bucky into the apartment. He immediately abandoned the pizza on your kitchen counter and turned to you, brows furrowing in waves of worry.

"What happened?" He asked — well, more like growled. If a man could growl. He truly sounded beyond angry which made you jump a bit. Bucky must’ve noticed because he immediately took a step back and tried recomposing himself. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you it’s just — seeing you cry — I need to know, whose ass am I kicking now."

You let out a light laugh at that, seeing his such protective side. You and Bucky had formed quite an interesting friendship over time. When you two first met, he loved bickering with you, teasing you here and there about anything and everything. You’d be the bud of the joke with him and while you tried not to let it bother you, admittedly, it had very quickly gotten quite annoying. Eventually, he seemed to just abandon the act and while you were cautious, you welcomed the newfound friendship — Lord knows those were hard to come across in adulthood.

Bucky has been an amazing friend to you ever since. Maybe even a little too amazing because over time you couldn’t deny some feelings had begun to form. But in your eyes, there could be no way such a handsome, funny man was going to be as interested in you. You tried to suppress it and instead just taught yourself to enjoy his little acts of kindness.

"I-I went on another date tonight," you sighed, setting the knife back in its holder. You leaned against the counter, opposite of Bucky. His arms were folded, waiting. "I and this guy had been texting for a while and… and I really thought he was great, I truly did, but then when we met he just made me so uncomfortable. All touchy, feely… Just making my skin crawl, even now." You sighed, dropping your gaze to the kitchen floor. "I told him I wasn’t interested after he walked me home and he didn’t seem very happy about it so… When you knocked, I thought it was him trying to get into my apartment."

You felt like such a fool explaining the situation. Despite this being Bucky and knowing, at some capacity, he wasn’t going to hold it over you, it was still embarrassing. You seemed to be constantly going on these dates trying to find a partner and time after time you came up disappointed. And Bucky would always be there to pick up the pieces.

When you looked back up at your friend, you found he was studying you closely. He was sure taking a while to respond but, then again, what more could he say? You felt he probably had grown exhausted trying to comfort you after these failed dates.

And it seemed your suspicions had been confirmed — but not in a way you could have ever seen coming.

Bucky cleared his throat as if he was preparing. You took a deep breath, ready for whatever blow he was about to serve. Would he yell at you? Would he give some speech on his disappointed he is? Beg you to delete the apps? Would he—

"Maybe you just shouldn’t be going on those dates anymore."

"Huh?" You frowned.

Bucky sighed. "You can’t keep putting yourself through this."

"But how else will I find someone to date? I’m not getting any younger here, Buck."

He turned away suddenly. You heard him let out a deep sigh. Your heart was pounding loudly in your ears.

"You could maybe start by looking at the man in front of you."

Your jaw just about hit the floor. "B-Bucky—"

But there was no stopping him as he went in for the declaration. "Remember when we first met and I used to tease you relentlessly? At the time, did it ever cross your mind that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t hate you? That I wasn’t doing it out of spite? I was doing it because I was nervous. Here waltzes in this amazing, beautiful woman, and I-I didn’t know what to do. I was falling for you and I couldn’t stop it. Hell, I’m still falling for you. Every day, darling. Every goddamn day." He paused, shaking his head. "I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear tonight but I can’t sit here any longer watching you get taken advantage of by the men in this city. I’m sorry it’s coming out like this but I think you needed to hear it. I apologize for that but I won’t apologize for loving you."

You didn’t know what to do. All you could focus on was Bucky’s pleading eyes and the tears forming in your own. But they were coming on for a good reason this time. They weren’t wasted tears over an uncomfortable date. They were tears of relief.

"Do-Do you really mean all that?" You finally asked.

Bucky nodded. "Every word."

In a spontaneous move, you pushed yourself away from the counter and took determined strides towards Bucky. You threw your arms around his waist, burying your face in his shirt. It took Bucky a second to react but you eventually felt his arms snake around you.

"I love you, too, Buck," you mumbled into his chest. You felt his body shake as he chuckled.

"You sure, doll?"

You nodded. "I’ve loved you for a while, too. I just never thought you’d ever…"

"Stop," Bucky said. "Don’t say anymore. Whatever you thought, it’s not true. I have always loved you."

You pulled away from his chest, putting some distance between you two but keeping your arms locked around him. He was looking down at you with a great mixture of relief and adornment on his face. You couldn’t help but smile. You felt the same.

"I can’t believe this," you giggled. "So are we… Are we like…"

Bucky laughed. "I think we need a date first."

You gasped, happily. "A date?"

He nodded then untangled himself from you. You watched as Bucky walked over to the forgotten pizza. "How about pizza and a movie?"

You looked between Bucky and the pizza box. "Bucky, do you want to explain why you were at my door with a pizza?"

Realization flashed across Bucky’s face. "I-I didn’t come here expecting a date or anything, I swear. I stopped by because… well, I didn’t know you had your date and thought at the very least we could hang out. I even got your favorite."

You smiled, stalking over to the pizza. "Pepperoni and jalapeños?"

Bucky scoffed. "I did say I got your favorite, didn’t I?"

You let out a cheerful squeal as you hugged Bucky again, throwing your arms around his neck. He leaned into you and it all felt natural, like the stars in the sky had finally aligned.

You broke away and said, "You take the pizza and find a movie. I’ll grab some plates."

Bucky agreed and you two broke into your separate tasks, eventually coming back together to sit on your living room couch. At first, though, you two just kind of stood there, the smell of pizza wafting between you two. You weren’t just sitting on the couch to watch a movie — you were sitting down, on a date, to watch a movie.

But you were tired of being so hesitant and running into wrongs after wrongs. You were taking this opportunity. You sat on the couch and patted the spot right next to you. Once Bucky sat down, you got a bit bolder and threw his arm over you, allowing you to cuddle into him. He was a bit tense at first but soon eased up, welcoming you to invade his space.

Bucky had decided on some action movie but you didn’t particularly care about it. All you could focus on was the fact you were cuddling with Bucky while eating pizza. It was a date. A real date where the touching felt natural and you weren’t scared of saying the wrong thing. Had you really been so blind?"

The emotions and questions within you were building quickly. You needed a way to break it, to distract yourself. You landed on your sad, silly humor to save the day.

"Hey, Buck," you mumbled as the car on screen blew up or something. You didn’t know, you just shifted closer into Bucky — if that was even possible. His hold on you got tighter.

"Yeah, doll?"

"Remember when I pulled a knife on you? That’s crazy. Who would’ve guessed a little civilian like myself could hold a knife to the Winter Soldier and live to tell the tale." You were well aware that you were rambling now, the roller coaster of a night catching up to you, but Bucky didn’t seem to mind.

The laughter that escaped him was like music to your ears. His body shook beneath you as he comically laughed at your ridiculous comment.

“You drive me up the wall sometimes, darling," Bucky mumbled back once he had calmed down.

You giggled, "Better get used to it."

"Yeah," he sighed, "I guess I better."

[baroquebucky]

love

a/n: hi hi !! here is another fic inspired by one of my fave bts songs <33 hope u all enjoy lmk what u think !! pls excuse any typos

bucky was cold and sad before you, now he is warm and happy, most of all, he’s in love

word count: 3k

masterlist

Bucky woke up from another nightmare, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He let out a shaky breath, looking around his empty apartment. He got up and washed his face, looking at himself in the mirror before tearing his gaze away.

Bucky didn’t sleep for the rest of the night, busying himself until sunrise, when he left his apartment and walked to park nearby.

That’s where he met you.

You were playing fetch with your dog, nearly tumbling over every time he jumped on you to get the ball from your hand, laughing as he would sprint away from you, tongue sticking out.

Bucky smiled at the sight, wishing he had a let of his own. You caught him staring at your dog and smiled, saying a quick ‘hello!’ and calling for you dog to come back.

Bucky returned a smile, the path he was on leading him towards where you stood. Your dog bounded over to you, ball in mouth and dropping it at your feet.

“do you wanna pet him?” You smiled at bucky, your dog staring at him wearily as he stopped near you.

“uh- he doesn’t seem like a fan” Bucky chuckled and you shook your head, scratching behind your dogs ear.

“he’s just protective, his name is ace” you smiled, walking towards Bucky slowly, ace following suit and sniffing at Bucky’s boots.

Ace warmed up to bucky quickly, sitting at his feet and waiting for his payment of pats. Bucky smiled, crouching down to pet him, the dogs soft fur against his hand made him smile.

You smiled at the interaction, thinking of what to say next, you knew this was the Bucky Barnes and you didn’t want to embarrass yourself.

“I’m y/n” you spoke as Bucky got back up, putting his gloves back on quickly. He turned to face you, a charming smile on his face.

“I’m Bucky” he replied, blushing as he finally saw your face, and wow were you breathtaking.

Your eyes met and you both blushed, you struggled to find words to keep the conversation going, not wanting him to leave so soon.

Is this love?

“why are you up so early” you asked, throwing the ball so ace could chase after it, still full of energy.

He paused for a moment before answering, “just an early bird” he smiled, you nodded. “what about you?” he asked, standing next to you as ace came back, dropping the ball at his feet this time.

“i have to tire him out before i go to work, so i gotta wake up early” you smiled, yawning not long after. You blushed and mumbled a quick ‘sorry’ and Bucky smiled at you.

Ace pranced back, no longer wanting to run around and play, only wanted to get back to his cozy bed and lounge for the rest of the day.

“we should get going, this guy makes me carry him to the car and up the stairs if he’s too tired” you laughed, bucky smiled and said goodbye, giving ace a few final pats before saying goodbye to him too.

Sometimes i know, sometimes i don’t

Bucky thought about you and your four legged friend for the rest of the day, wondering if you had always been there when he went for walks, was he too caught up in his own mind to even realize?

Bucky felt the day go by fast, feeling lighter than he had been the day before, talking to his neighbors a bit more and feeling tired by the time the clock hit 12 am rather than the usual 3 am.

He woke up early the next day, another nightmare shaking him awake, checking the clock it read 5:54 am, the sun barely about to rise.

He got up, changing and washing his face, brushing his teeth and heading out the door in 30 minutes.

The sun was up as he walked to the park, keeping an eye out for you, and sure enough there you were, this time throwing a frisbee to entertain ace. You looked exhausted and bucky felt a pang in his chest, how long did you sleep?

Your gaze me Buckys and you smiled brightly, perking up a bit as he walked closer.

“good morning bucky!” You smiled, ace running towards him, his frisbee in his mouth as he jumped to greet the super soldier.

“good morning y/n, and good morning ace!” He smiled, putting on a higher pitched voice for the dog who wagged his tail happily, hitting the mans leg with the frisbee.

Bucky took the frisbee, throwing it so ace could chase after it, you both smiled at your dog, running as fast as he could to catch the disk.

“how’d you sleep?” You asked, noticing the bags under his eyes, he shrugged.

“as well as i usually do. You?” He asked, trying to mask his concern.

“it was okay, wish i could’ve gotten more though” you smiled rubbing your burning eyes before throwing the frisbee once more.

Bucky nodded in agreement, the two of you making small talk until you and ace left once again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” You asked, putting a leash on ace and walking with Bucky towards your car. Bucky smiled brightly, nodding his head.

“yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow” he replied, already looking forward to it.

You are the one who will give meaning to my memories

For two weeks you and bucky met up and played with ace at the park during early mornings, sometimes walking around the park and talking about your days and what you had to do. Neither one of you prying too much, just enjoying each other’s company.

Bucky reminisced on the memories with a fond smile as he told Steve about you.

“no yeah she’s great, her dog is really cute too” bucky spoke, giddy to see you on Monday.

“why don’t you ask her out then?” Steve questioned and bucky shook his head, not knowing how he would even approach the situation.

The following Monday you greeted bucky with a smile, ace bounding over to him in excitement.

As the two of you fell into routine, Steve’s words rung in his ears, deciding to take a leap of faith.

“would you- do you maybe wanna get dinner someday? together?” Bucky asked, a charming smile on his face as ace wagged his tail, looking up at you, almost as if saying ‘do it! say yes!’

“uh- yeah I’d love that” you smiled at bucky, both of you relieved that the you weren’t alone in wanting more time together.

Before i knew you my heart was filled with straight lines

Bucky was excited for your first date, putting on his best clothes and getting some flowers for you on the way, knocking on your door and heading aces familiar bark.

You opened the door, wearing a nice and casual outfit, letting Bucky in and thanking him for the flowers.

“I’m gonna just put these in water, feel free to sit down” you smiled, hurrying around to finish as quick as possible.

Bucky nodded, taking a seat on your couch and looking around, your home was so, homey. Ace smiling proudly as Bucky pet him.

“okay shall we?” You laughed and bucky smiled, saying goodbye to ace as you closed the door and headed out. Bucky offered you his arm and you gladly took it, walking down the stairs with your arms linked.

“ace makes you carry him all the way up these?” He asked in shock and you nodded, letting out a small chuckle.

“don’t let him fool you he is very evil” you teased, Bucky widened his eyes and nodded his head.

“note to self, never get on aces bad side” he smiled as you laughed, continuing to make easy conversation for the rest of the night.

Bucky found himself being nicer to Sam and the rest of the team, hanging out with them more and even cracking jokes.

“you don’t stare anymore” sam spoke, a smile on his face as steve turned to look at bucky.

“Hm, he doesn’t” steve smirked and bucky rolled his eyes.

“got tired of looking at your face is all” he snickered, making the two other men laugh, bucky took a sip from his beer.

“he’s seeing a girl y’know” steve whispered and bucky groaned as Sam cheered. Bucky couldn’t help but smile as he thought of you. It had only been a week since your first date and he already wanted to take you out again, despite having seen you this morning.

I’d like to be in your novel as a lover

Time passed and you and bucky got closer, going on more dates and texting each other during the day, even calling each other when one of you couldn’t sleep.

Bucky told you about his nightmares, telling you how he would always wake up, too afraid to go back to sleep so he would wait until sunrise and go for a walk.

You told him how you had trouble sleeping, sometimes your mind would just never stop, other times you just had too much work.

Within two months bucky has asked you out, a bouquet of roses for you and treats for ace, he has set up a picnic for you during the sunset, getting your favorite foods and talking the entire evening, finally asking you out when the moon had risen.

I’m just a human, you erode all my edges and turn me into love

You made bucky a better person, teaching him his self worth and to be proud of who he was.

“Bucky wake up, angel it’s just a nightmare” you shook him gently, ace watching from the foot of the bed.

Bucky shot up quickly, breathing heavily as you placed a hand on his back, pulling him into you after he has calmed down.

“you’re here, you’re with me you’re okay” you assured him, wrapping him in your arms and holding him tightly.

“it was bad, i was bad” he mumbled, tears falling down his face.

“you aren’t him. you are good, you are human baby, you’re my love” he squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on your steady heartbeat as you ran your fingers through his hair, his arm draping over your stomach as he slowly fell back to sleep.

Buckys nightmares became more scarce, he became happier and less cold, embracing who he was.

He was also helplessly in love with you, constantly buying you flowers, taking you out on dates, taking care of you when he could, writing you letters, and so much more.

You make live to a love

After coming into his life you made bucky a better person, you made him into the person he always wanted to be.

Bucky no longer walked with his head down, rather he walked with a set gaze, giving a kind smile to strangers on the street and helping those in need, helping the others his friends when they needed him and even volunteering at the local animal shelter when he could.

Because of you i know why a person should live by love

Before you bucky would punch his way out of all his fights, he would be hot headed and angry if he got into an argument with someone on the team.

Now he was understanding and patient, listening to what the other had to say and looking to reason with them, taking time to communicate. Bucky was sympathetic, not wanting to fight every villain they came across, instead trying to reason with them. Between him and Sam, usually they didn’t even have to fight.

I live so i love

“angel? I’m home!” You called out, ace greeting you at the door, smiling at the freshly cooked dinner on the dining table, it was your favorite.

“Happy one year doll” Bucky smiled as you turned around, hugging him tightly and kissing him all over his face.

“buck i don’t know what to say” you smiled, still in awe of all he had done.

“don’t say anything, just go get changed and let’s enjoy our night yeah?” He replied, kissing you once more before letting you go.

You were thankful he opted for a night in, exhausted from work and wanting only to be in your lovers arms. And you did exactly that, spending the night dancing in your living room, laughing at his bad jokes and sharing stories.

“okay best pick up line go” you smiled, excited to see what he would say.

“not really a pick up line but” Bucky paused, looking you in the eyes. “It’s a long way from I to U, fuck JKLMNOPQRST, i crossed all the letters and i reached you” he smirked, loving the way your heart raced at his words.

“now i know why you were such a ladies man in the 40s” you whispered, crashing his lips onto yours.

If i go would you be sad?

“God james cant you just shut up and listen to me for one second!” You stated, voice raising out of frustration.

“well maybe if you could get it through your stubborn head that it wasn’t my fault maybe I’d stop having to explain” Bucky spoke angry, his voice steady as he clenched his jaw.

You were upset he had kept you in the dark about an ongoing mission, he was upset you didn’t realize he had done it to keep you safe.

“you keep saying you did it to keep me safe, James i was almost killed because i didn’t know! How is that keeping me safe?” You spoke, anger boiling over as you sat on the couch, wanting to just sleep.

“if i had told you, you would have never let me be as protective as i have been! You wouldn’t have taken your vacation days because you’re too stubborn” Bucky spoke, still standing across from you.

“I just need some time to think” you spoke softly, Bucky’s heart fell. We’re you gonna leave him?

“I’ll go” Bucky mumbled, already moving to pack a bag.

“bucky stop” you spoke, making him stop in his tracks. “sit down i don’t want you to leave, let’s talk about it angel” you sighed, wanting to just work it out and be in his arms once more.

You’re my love

Bucky was excited, everything had been planned perfectly. He had woken up at 4 am, getting everything ready for the following morning.

He had driven to the park with Sam and Steve who helped him set up the picnic, a blanket laid out with fruits and drinks along with dog toys to play with ace.

It had been nearly 4 years since the two of you had met, he knew you were the one for him.

As the sun rose you woke up, getting ready to take ace out with Bucky, only to find the two of them gone.

Just as you finished getting ready bucky walked in, a smile on his face.

“goodmorning doll, let’s get going yeah? already got ace in the car” he smiled and you thanked him, heading out the door and to the park.

when you arrived you immediately saw the picnic.

“buck what-” you began and he cut you off.

“just because” he smiled and you smiled, sure he always took you on dates but this was different, it felt more intimate.

As the two of you sat on the blanket and munched on food ace ate some treats bucky had gotten him, excited to play in a couple of minutes.

“I taught him a new trick” Bucky smiled and you raised your eyebrows, sitting up straighter to see ace perform said trick.

“let’s see what you got Barnes” you smirked and he smiled.

“ace go fetch!” Bucky spoke, ace ran from the blanket in a straight line.

“haha bucky, we both know he already knew that, plus you didn’t even throw-” you cut yourself off as you saw ace pick something up, running back towards the two of you. Bucky stood up, offering you a hand so you could get up.

“y/n, i love you, you taught me what love is, you made me into a better person, from the moment we met i always felt like we were meant to be.” Bucky spoke, glancing over to see ace closer to the two of you, a little over halfway back.

“you’re my person, my desire, my pride, my one and only love” Bucky spoke, crouching down and taking the small box from aces mouth, letting him and giving him more treats.

Bucky got on one knee, opening the box and looking at you with bright eyes. Your vision was blurry, but unlike four years ago, it wasn’t from sleep, but from tears.

“y/n, doll, will you marry me?”

You nodded your head quickly, wiping away your tears and smiling brightly.

“yes, of course yes angel” you replied, wrapping your arms around him as he picking you up and spun you around, setting you down and kiss you, making your knees weak.

He slipped the ring on your finger with a smile, ace barking as the two of you kissed once more, pulling away with a smile.

“that has to be his best trick” you joked, petting ace and kissing the top of his head.

“now i gotta train him to be the ring bearer for the wedding” Bucky laughed and you nodded, squinting your eyes as you saw Sam and Steve running in the distance.

“is that-?” You questioned and bucky laughed, the two men cheering as they saw you and bucky cuddled up.

“she said yes!” Bucky called out and the two men cheered, arriving out of breath.

“thank god, he woke us up at like 3 am to get everything ready” sam spoke and Steve nodded, giving the two of you a hug, Sam quickly following suit.

“I’m happy for you guys” Sam spoke, Steve nodding along side him, squeezing Buckys arm before they left the two of you alone.

You smiled as you looked up at the sky, pinks and reds painting the clouds. You turned to tell bucky, but decided against it when you saw him on the floor playing with ace, voice high pitched as he baby talked him.

Your heart melted, you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of you life with your two favorite boys.

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 9

Chapter 1     Chapter 8

Marinette stopped a few feet from the corner of the restaurant at which M. Wayne had made their reservation in order to collect herself. She checked her reflection in the restaurant’s darkened windows to make sure nothing had changed in the past few minutes. It wasn’t that she wanted to impress M. Wayne, but she didn’t want to make him think less of her either.  She wanted to be perfect for him and yeah, maybe, she wanted to impress him, make him want to stay… this time.

She brushed her bangs out of her face a little rougher than she intended to, trying to force those thoughts out of her head and punish herself for thinking them in the first place.  This wasn’t about making him like her.  She lived this long without him.  She didn’t need him.  She’d be just fine without him.  She had been so far.  It didn’t matter if he didn’t love her.  It didn’t matter if he didn’t like her.  It didn’t mean she was unloveable.  

She watched as her reflection deflated.  It just meant that one of the two people who were biologically programmed to love her no matter what, didn’t.  That he fought through biology to brush her off. She shook her head and stood straight up again.  But! But, that didn’t make her unloveable.  Jagged did the same to Luka and Juleka and they were two of the most amazing people she knew.  They weren’t unloveable, and neither was she. They repaired their relationship and so could she.

This was about adding to her family, not filling a hole in her life.  There was no Bruce Wayne shaped hole in her life.  His opinion of her didn’t matter.  His opinion of her didn’t change who she was.  She was going to be who she was around him and if he didn’t like it, she lost nothing.  She would still have an amazing family.  She would still have amazing friends.  She would still be loved.

This was about him fitting into her life.  Not the other way around.  This was about her deciding if there was a place for him.  If she wanted him there, to give him a chance or not.  This was about getting answers so she could make those decisions.  She took a breath.  This was about giving him a chance to speak and for her to listen to what he said.

She nodded to her reflection resolutely and pushed through the doors to the restaurant’s waiting area.  Her eyes widened incrementally seeing the lobby. It screamed luxury and exclusivity. Only certain people were allowed here and Marinette was confident if she hadn’t been meeting Bruce Wayne, she wouldn’t be considered one of those people.  The maître d’ eyed her with a sneer that looked so at home on his face it must have been his normal expression.

She gave him a nervous smile.  “I’m here for a reservation under the name Wayne.”  The maître d’ looked her up and down and gave a curt nod.  He walked toward the doors to the dining room without saying anything to her.

Marinette smoothed down her hair one last time as the maître d’ led her through the doors to the dining area.  She clutched her purse so tightly her knuckles were turning white.  She really hoped Tikki had found a different spot to hide in, because otherwise it had to be incredibly uncomfortable for her. Marinette was focusing all of her tension into her hand and forcing the rest of her body to relax so she wouldn’t appear as terrified as she actually was.  Now if she could just get her heart to start beating in a regular rhythm, she’d be all set.

She gave a nervous smile to Bruce as he stood to greet her and struggled to remember any part of the pep talk she had just given herself a few minutes ago. Because as soon as she saw his relieved and excited face, she started forgetting.  It was not about wanting to see that expression on his face and knowing she was the cause.  This was about her.  She should not be filled with anxiety about making him lose that expression and wanting to walk away.  He was proving himself, she wasn’t proving herself.

“Marinette!”  He gave her a warm smile and held his hand out to shake hers while she went in for a cheek kiss greeting at the same time.  He chuckled awkwardly and quickly shifted his hand to her arm as he kissed her cheek as well.  He nodded to the maître d’ and pulled her chair out for her.  As soon as they were alone, he sat down anxiously.  “Thank you again for agreeing to meet me.  You look nice.”

Marinette smiled and nodded to him.  “So do you.  And thank you for agreeing at such short notice.”

He chuckled nervously.  His eyes darted between her, his glass of wine, the menu, really anything as he searched for his next words.  It shouldn’t be this hard.  He spoke to boardrooms of hostile and dangerous businesspeople.  Speaking to his daughter shouldn’t be harder.  She wasn’t going to destroy a city.  She wasn’t going to undermine entire groups of people just so she could make a few more dollars.  She wasn’t dangerous… well, not to anyone but him.  With him, she had the power to destroy his heart with just one word.

“I ordered a merlot if you would like some.  If not, I can call someone in…”

He started to get up to call someone over, but Marinette lunged at him to get him to sit down and not draw attention to them, knocking over his glass of merlot. Marinette’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh no, no, no, no,” she whimpered helplessly.  She grabbed a few napkins to clean it up.  Why?  Why did her clumsiness have to act up now?  In front of M. Wayne.  Why did she have to be such a klutz?  She could feel the tears stinging her eyes as they tried to escape.

“Marinette,” Bruce cooed gently.  He gently gripped her wrists and pulled them away from the table.  “Marinette, it’s okay.  It happens.  You should see a normal dinner at the manor.  If there isn’t at least one spill or something isn’t broken, we start thinking someone is sick.”  She finally looked up at him apprehensively and he could feel the breath leaving his chest. His eyes softened and he tried to give her an encouraging smile.  “It’s fine. We can just move to another table and I’ll leave a big tip.”

Her eyes widened even larger and she looked around.  “We can’t just…”  She stopped when she noticed the empty restaurant.  It was prime dinnertime, or at least it was in France.  Maybe a bit early, but not uncommon.  But this restaurant was completely empty.  Not even families with kids.  And there was no way M. Wayne would choose a restaurant that nobody liked.  “Do Gothamites eat dinner really early?  Or really late?” she whispered, not wanting to break the silence that engulfed them.

“Hmm?” Bruce hummed in confusion.

“There aren’t any… It just isn’t as crowded as I would expect,” she explained. “Not that that doesn’t work in my favor in this case.”

“Oh,” he nodded his head in realization and gave her a soft smile. “No, not as crowded as the place usually is.  I rented it out.”

“You rented out the entire restaurant?” she whispered incredulously. “At the last minute?”

Bruce’s smile widened at the astonished look on her face.  “I didn’t want people gawking at us all night or taking pictures and the manor is rather hectic.”  He grimaced slightly at the thought.  “Not to mention, we’d have just as many gawkers there.  And I wanted this first meeting to be just between us.  So I made sure we had some privacy.”

Marinette shook her head.  “Right. Forgot.  Rich.”

Bruce chuckled too.  “Yeah, I forget sometimes too.”  He sat at a table next to the one they had been sitting at.

Marinette scoffed lightly and joined him at the new table.  “I doubt that.”  She slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide as she stared at him. “Sorry.  I’m sorry.  That was… so rude,” she stuttered.  She dropped her eyes quickly.  She mentally berated herself for sabotaging this so efficiently.  She doubted she could do it more effectively if she were trying.

Bruce shook his head.  “No, not at all.  You’re not wrong.  And a lot more polite about it than Jason would have been.  Or Stephanie.”

Marinette looked back up at him through her bangs.  “Oh… um… okay.”

Bruce squeezed his eyes shut behind his menu.  He was screwing this up so badly.  Instead of making her feel more comfortable, he was making her increasingly nervous and doubtful.  He pursed his lips as he searched for anything to talk about to lighten the mood. “I hope you like it here.  The food is really good.”  He had to stop himself from physically slapping himself for that terrible non-sequitur.  His entire job was to say things in an engaging, elegant way.  It was a skill he’d started honing decades ago.  Where was that training now?

Marinette opened her menu as well with an anxious smile.  “Great.  I’m starving.”

“Hi Starving, I’m your father.”

Marinette blinked a few times at him, trying to catch his eye but he was staring blankly at his menu.  “Did you just…”

“I admit to nothing,” he answered flatly, still staring at his menu.  

Marinette continued to stare for a few seconds before breaking down into giggles, the tension that had been building since she entered the restaurant breaking with his joke.  “I… I can’t… believe you sai… said that,” she gasped out between laughs.

He watched her with an amused glint in his eyes and a relieved smile.  “Do not tell your siblings.  Dick will pout for a week that he wasn’t here to hear it.”

Marinette let her giggles die down and nodded.  She looked up at him with a much more relaxed smile.  “Not known for your sense of humor?”

“No, definitely not,” Bruce shook his head with a grin.  He set down his menu to focus on Marinette.  “Jason used to tease me mercilessly about it.”

Marinette quirked her head to the side, an amused smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.  “And was Jason a comedian or he just liked to tease you?”

“A little of both.  Dick is more of our comedian.  He’s usually the first to make a joke… to lighten the mood.  Stephanie will make a fool out of herself to get you to smile, or herself.  She likes being over the top.  But Jason, when he was a kid, was excited about everything.  Everything in life was new and exciting.  He was constantly smiling and bouncing from thing to thing. So optimistic.”  Bruce’s eyes unfocused as he remembered the first year after Jason came to the manor.

Marinette furrowed her brow in doubt.  Not a single one of those words were ones she would use to describe Jason from the time she’d spent with him.  Maybe her translation of the words was wrong?  “Jason?  Jason Todd. Your son Jason.”

Bruce chuckled wryly.  “Yes, that Jason. “  A pained expression flashed across his face morphing into a sad frown he didn’t even try to hide.  “A lot changed over the years.  Some… things happened about eight years ago.  It changed all of us.”

Marinette let out a dry laugh as images of Hawaiian shirts and rock giants flashed through her head.  She turned back to her menu to avoid his eyes.  “I can understand that.”

Bruce furrowed his brow, a guilty frown settling on his lips for a few seconds before he plastered on a smile.  “Now he’s more likely to make a sarcastic remark than a joke.  But, he’s fiercely protective of his family, maybe more than any of the rest of us.”

Marinette thought back over their interactions and slowly started nodding. “He seems like it.”  She paused when the waitress came in to take their orders. She smiled politely while the waitress was in the room, acting the part of a dutiful, happy daughter rather than a temperamental stranger who took her frustrations and insecurities out on him without letting him explain.  And that’s what this was about, letting him explain.  But before he could do that, she needed to make sure he knew she wasn’t mad. Well… that she wasn’t going to attack him anyway.

As soon as the waitress left, her shield was gone.  She could no longer hide behind the façade.  Now she had to face him.  She looked down and squeezed her eyes shut.  She took a beat before she looked back up at Bruce.  “I wanted to say sorry for how I behaved when you came to my hotel room.  I wasn’t being fair to you.  I only found out about you a few days ago and then the world found out and then you were at my door.  It was a lot all at once and I did not handle it well, so I’m sorry.”  

Even with half her face hidden from looking down as she spoke, Bruce could see the shame radiating from her expression.  When she finally looked up to make eye contact he had to force himself not to gasp at the guilt and pain in her eyes.  His heart clenched at the sight.  He hated seeing her look like that. He’d do anything to keep that look off her face.  That was his job.  That was the entire point of what he’d done.  But he failed.  He might have failed at it so far, but he was going to make up for it now… if she would let him.

His hand shot out almost too quickly to see and gently squeezed hers, hoping that at least that level of intimacy was allowed.  “No, I invaded your space.  I forced a confrontation before you were ready.  I knew I shouldn’t do that.  Sabine… your mother warned me not to do that and I did it anyway.  I’m sorry for that.  I didn’t… I didn’t want to lose my chance to…”  He looked down at the table and frowned trying to get his words in order.  

“I didn’t want you to leave before I could talk to you, to try to connect and explain.”  He looked at her almost desperately.  “You were here, right here.  So close. I couldn’t let you slip through my fingers again, not when I knew you knew.  Not when I didn’t have to keep it a secret anymore.”  He frowned and looked down at his glass, pulling his hand back into his lap.  He suddenly chuckled wryly.  “If there was ever a good reason to begin with.”

Marinette sucked in a breath not ready for this conversation yet.  She thought they’d ease into it.  Get comfortable, then get into it.  But apparently M. Wayne’s approach was to rip the Band-Aid off. Dealing with uncomfortable situations was definitely not an inherited trait because her method of avoiding any uncomfortable conversations in increasingly unlikely and embarrassing manors until the entire thing festered into a debilitating, unnecessarily explosive fiasco, was not a technique she picked up from her maman either.

Bruce looked back up at her with a determined look.  “Marinette, you had a right to react.  You had… have a right to be upset or hurt or both.  I deserved it.  Believe me, I understand that.  I’ve gotten worse from your siblings for less.  Don’t feel like you have to apologize to me.  However you react, I can take it and I’m not going to walk away again.  But I am hoping that you being here means you want to move forward, you want to try.”  He looked up at her questioningly, an edge of fear in his eyes.  “Do you?”

Marinette let out the breath she’d taken in.  She looked down and pushed a strand of hair that was still in place behind her ear, letting her fingers linger so she had something else to focus on for a moment.  When she looked back up, there was a more determined look in her eyes.  “Yes.  I… I want to listen.  I want to understand.”

Bruce nodded with a grateful smile.  “Thank you.  I know this is a lot and it hasn’t been fair to you and I’m sorry for… everything.”  

Marinette nodded.  “Thank you.” They both sat and looked in the vicinity of each other uneasily, both waiting for the other to say something first. Marinette tapped her fingers together while she waited for him to continue speaking, to give the explanation he’d promised.

Bruce was waiting for… he wasn’t sure.  Inspiration maybe.  He’d thought through what he wanted to say.  He’d gone over it all, but somehow seeing her in front of him, looking in her eyes and seeing her vulnerability laid bare, none of his excuses seemed like enough.  None of them seemed valid, but then again, they never were.

After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke up.  “When you were born, I was younger than you are now and I didn’t think I’d be able to be a good father.”  He frowned at the table.  “And in my head it was better for you to not be with me at all.  I thought I’d bring you down.  But your mother…” he gave her a wan smile, “she was always strong and good. I knew she would be an amazing mother… without my interference.  I thought you had a better chance away from me and Gotham and in my idiot mind that meant cutting off all contact.”

“But you took in other kids,” she pointed out timidly.

Bruce nodded and flicked his eyes up to hers before looking back down in guilt. “I didn’t intend to.  I came across Dick about awhile after your mother took you to France.  He lost his parents.  They died, were killed in front of his eyes, like mine had been.  He was angry and violent.  He needed someone and I thought I could help.  I might not be a good parent, but I could help him… keep him from becoming… me.”

Marinette’s brow furrowed sympathetically.  “Would that be bad?”

Bruce cringed slightly, remembering how he was at the time.  “Yes, it would have.  Anger and desperation?  They can do bad things to a person.”  He looked at her pointedly.  “Makes you make terrible decisions.”

Marinette nodded in understanding.  She understood how far desperation could drive a person.  She understood how dark some people could go. She understood how bad things could get if they continued unchecked.  She’d fought those people.  She’d helped defeat one of them.  And no matter how bad the battle was, it was always harder handling them after they were defeated, when all they had was their grief.

“Jason… he came a few years later.  He was alone and on the streets.  He was tough and smart and so excited about life, but he was never going to get the opportunity to do anything on the streets.”

“And you wanted to help him too,” Marinette finished his unfinished thought.

“Yeah. He needed someone to let him be a kid, let him be passionate, to love him like a parent should.  And I couldn’t leave him there.  And Tim… he kind of snuck in and declared himself family.  He wasn’t wrong.  He is.  He came along after Jason… was gone.  He filled a void I didn’t even know I had until he stepped in.  And I hope I’ve done the same for him.  He didn’t have the best childhood either.  And now… I can’t imagine the family without him.”

Marinette gave him a small smile.  “Sounds like he adopted you.”

Bruce nodded absently, his eyes taking on a far-off focus as he remembered the past. “Sometimes children are smarter than their parent.  In the case of my kids,” he looked up at her meaningfully, “all of them, it’s true.

“They didn’t have a better choice… you did.  And in my idiotic self-destructive mind, I was helping you.  I was convinced for more than a decade that the best thing I’d done in my life, the most selfless, was walk away from you, not force you to have to suffer with dealing with me.  But I was just afraid and selfish.  I made a stupid choice.  By the time I realized how monumentally I’d screwed up, Jason was gone and by the time I got my head back on right, Damian was here and Damian needed all my attention.”

“You didn’t have Damian since he was a baby?”

Bruce shook his head.  “No.  I didn’t even know about him until he was ten. Then his mother just dropped him off with me.  His childhood…” Bruce let out a long breath.  “His grandfather taught him since birth that he needed to earn love, or as close as he’s capable to love.  Damian’s mother told him he was better than everyone else… so you can imagine the kinds of issues we had for quite a while.”

He gave a proud smile.  “He’s made such a big change since he came.  He’s grown so much.”

“You sound proud,” she observed poignantly.

Bruce’s smile turned bittersweet.  “I’m proud of all of my kids.  You’re all amazing people.  I don’t know how I ended up with so many amazing kids.”

She smiled and hoped it didn’t come off as awkward as it felt.  “So what about Duke?  And I think Jason mentioned sisters.”

Bruce nodded.  “Cass is the only one I adopted.  Stephanie is just around enough that she’s essentially a child.  Same with Barbara.  I ran into Cass while I was travelling.  Her parents were mentally and physically abusive to the point that she didn’t speak until she was a teenager.”  Marinette gasped.  “She’s a lot better.  She communicates with us a lot, mostly through sign language.  And Duke… Joker tortured his parents because they saved me once.”

Marinette gasped and grasped his hand, squeezing it.  When he met her eyes she gave him another encouraging squeeze and a warm smile.  “They’ve all come such a long way.  I’m sure a better parent could have done more but somehow we’ve all become a slightly dysfunctional family.  Watching them… It’s amazing to see how far they’ve all come.  They’ve all had to fight so hard, go against so many obstacles.”

“It sounds like you’ve done a lot of work with all of them.  And they’ve grown amazingly with you watching over them. They were incredibly lucky to have you,” Marinette said quietly a strained smile on her face, no longer making eye contact with Bruce.  She took back her hand to take a drink of her wine.

Those were valid reasons.  She could admit that and she didn’t begrudge them the better life being with M. Wayne afforded them, but still…  She fought frowning at her lap.  It all made sense.  Every step made sense.  They needed someone and he could provide, so he did.  From an objective perspective.  It made sense.  Did it make her a bad person if that didn’t make her feel better?  What did it say about her that she was still hurt?  That she still was angry, felt betrayed?  That it wasn’t enough?

Bruce’s face fell as he watched her change in demeanor.  His chest clenched.  “I never stopped thinking about you and how you were doing.  I never stopped loving you.”  He reached out for her hand but let his hand dropped when she didn’t offer it readily.  “I know you don’t feel that way about me, you just met me, but I’ve loved you from the moment you were born.  And I know it’s hard to see and I don’t show it well… at all… but I’ve always tried to make sure you were taken care of, that you never wanted for anything. I’ve kept up on your life to make sure.

“And I need you to know it was never because I didn’t want you.  It was never that I thought my other kids were better than you in any way.  It was never because I didn’t think you were good enough. I didn’t think I was.  I thought you deserved better than I could ever give you, better than you could get in Gotham.  But running away wasn’t the way to do that, and I realize that.”  He was unsure how to interpret the wide eyed look Marinette was giving him, but he plowed on, needing to say it anyway.

“I really did intend to try to connect.  That’s why I went to your final showing.  I showed pictures of your work to someone on the fabric project and said I happened to see you there.”  He chuckled lightly and shook his head.  “I thought I’d have to do a bunch of conniving behind the scenes to get Lucius to use you.  But as it turns out, he’s just as excited to get you on the project as I was.  He mentioned you to me after you spoke with him.”

Marinette smiled.  It was small and self-conscious, but significantly better for Bruce to see than the strained smile she’d had earlier.  “M. Fox is a very nice man.  I liked speaking with him a lot.”  

“And he is quite fond of you.”  Bruce smiled fondly at her but his smile quickly turned conspiratorial.  “I think he likes you better than he likes me, actually.”

Marinette straightened up in her seat.  “I plan on accepting his offer to consult on the project.”  She looked up to make eye contact with Bruce.  Her body tensed slightly in preparation for her next words.  “If… if that’s okay with you.”

Marinette gave a small, uncertain smile when she saw Bruce’s brilliant smile. “Yes!  That’s great to hear.”  His face turned serious.  “What does that mean for… do you want to…”

“I was hoping to take you up on the apartment offer as well… if that’s still an option.”  Marinette looked down again, her anxiety back.  “It will help Max while he settles in and I thought I could use it while I figure out how the project is going to work and what the requirements on my time will be.”  She tapped her fingers together, unable to control her fidgeting.  She looked up nervously.  “I thought it would also give us a chance to see each other more and your other kids.”

“Absolutely.  It is absolutely still available.  If you want your own apartment, I can get a penthouse for you.  Or you’re welcome to stay at the manor,” he rambled excitedly.

“M. Wayne,” Marinette interrupted.  Bruce immediately sobered at her serious expression.  “I don’t need special treatment.  I don’t need you to buy me things.  And I don’t know how long I’ll be in town.  Adrien and I are trying to figure out where we want to set up and I’ll need to start taking commissions again.”

Bruce nodded.  “I understand.  Sorry. I got excited and got carried away. Rich, you know… it’s how we show love.”

Marinette’s face immediately soured as she thought of Adrien’s and Chloe’s childhoods. “That’s not love you’re showing. I’m staying to get to know you and your family, not get things.”

Bruce blinked at her a few times.  “Right. I know that.  I never thought it was,” he assured her awkwardly.  He took a sip of his wine and glanced around the room. He suddenly perked up.  “Speaking of commissions, I was hoping we could finally commission you… if that’s okay!” he added quickly.  “I don’t want to put pressure on you.  I’ve just been waiting to get something made by you for years.”

Marinette blinked a few times and looked down.  Her brow furrowed.  She fought letting out a sigh.  “No, you’re right.  I should.”

“We’ll pay you, of course,” he insisted.

Marinette rolled her eyes.  “I’m not going to charge you to make something for you.”

Bruce shook his head.  “You run a business.  I’m commissioning the business.  I can cover our commission.”

Marinette huffed and narrowed her eyes at him.  “Compromise.  You pay for materials.  Nothing more.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes back at her.  “Materials and time.”

Marinette huffed out a laugh.  “Okay fine.”

Bruce grinned.  “I’m excited to work with you.  I wasn’t kidding.  I’ve wanted to commission you for years.  I’m a fan of your style and art.”

Marinette opened her mouth but closed it quickly when the waitress came back in with their food.  Bruce leaned back so she could set the plates down.  “Speaking of, how would you feel about going to the art museum tomorrow and then maybe get some lunch after?”

Marinette nodded.  “Oh yeah, there was an exhibit that looked interesting.”  She nodded to the waitress and thanked her.  The waitress lingered for just a moment before leaving the room.

“Would 9 work for you? Oh, no wait.” He scrunched his face in annoyance.  “I have a meeting at 10.  It should be done by noon though.”  He looked up and gave her an earnest look.  “I’ll make sure it is done by noon.  How about lunch then art museum?”

Marinette smiled and nodded.  “That sounds good.”

“Great.  I can bring the keys for the new apartment.  Now, I’ve done all the talking.  Tell me more about you.  Tell me about your friends.”  He took a bite giving Marinette his full attention while Marinette talked about her friends and how they had all met and some stories about their time together.  

She started out slowly, building up more confidence as she spoke.  The more she spoke the more comfortable she was with what she wanted to say.  The quicker she was able to filter out what information she didn’t want to share. She wasn’t ready to give him much yet, not enough to do anything with, not more than he could probably get from searching Instagram or Tik Tok, but it was a start.  A start to what exactly, she wasn’t sure.  But it was a start to something.

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