#hes gonna take Jazz in too after he finds out about how bad the home life is

[bluerosefox]

Drake Siblings

Have I read this prompt somewhere or was this a fever dream from my bored mind.

What if, now hear me out.

What if we bring up Dana Winters-Drake (whose confirmed to at least be alive in the DC verse but no one knows where she actually is)

What if instead of when she had a mental breakdown and getting committed to an Bludhaven clinc she wandered away before anyone noticed and by the time Tim or anyone did notice a lot of stuff started happening at once in both Gotham and Bludhaven (Steph dying, The Bludhaven crisis, etc etc)

Tim still tries to find her though but even with best resources it was like she just disappeared into the wilderness and the stress of trying to handle more and more problems get worse.

So when out of the blue, a couple of years later, he gets a call from an unknown number. On his private, only for friends and family, phone and when he answers he meet with a young girls voice on the other end.

A very young, maybe six or seven, girl who informs him about his apparently half-brother Danny Drake-Fenton. And how she loves Danny so, so, so much but knows her home is dangerous for him to be in.

Tim is stunned and before he could question her, she says Danny is Dana and Jack's baby and that her parents had adopted him years ago and put Dana's stuff that the hospital had away for him to look at when he was older but she just had to fight off their lunch from eating her brother and she knows he needs a better place to live and so she snooped around and found Dana's diary and that she had to unscramble the nonsense Dana wrote and found Tim's number with the words 'tell him about his brother Danny' hidden in it. And-

But before she could keep rambling she hears Danny screaming "JAZZY THE MILK WENT BAD AGAIN AND HISSED AT ME!"

Tim is left with silence after hearing Jazz yell to Danny to lock the fridge and step out of the kitchen as she gets the bat.

[livwritesstuff]

boston pride is today so here have an edited repost from when i walked in the parade last year

Steve is getting boring in his old age (forty-four, almost).

It was inevitable, he supposes when he looks back, and he likes being boring. 

He likes the steady routine of the life he and Eddie (married for seven years, now) have built with their three daughters (four, seven, and nearly ten, a notion Steve is choosing to ignore because there’s no goddamn way Moe nearly has an entire decade under her belt already), and he doesn’t find himself making attempts to mix things up all that often.

Naturally, Eddie is the one to suggest they make the trip into Boston with their daughters for the annual Pride parade, and when he does, Steve isn’t automatically inclined to agree.

Look – Steve knows it’s important for kids to see the world and do new things and all that enriching shit, but maybe he still bears some of the scars from keeping a semi-feral pack of teenagers alive amidst the eldritch hellscape of their hometown, and it’s not like they don’t keep themselves entertained at home – Hazel had finally got the gist of Go-Fish not too long ago and that’s been a whole new ballgame Steve is perfectly content to continue exploring.

In the end, however, the logical side of him (and Eddie’s ever-persistent badgering) wins out, and come mid-June of 2011, they all make the drive into Boston to see the parade.

It doesn’t take Steve long at all to acknowledge that it was a good idea. He hadn’t been to Pride in many years (again – he’s boring in his old age), and he’d forgotten how much fun it is – a true celebration of love and happiness in the face of a lot of fucked up shit and all that. The parade’s pretty good too (definitely a few floats he hopes the girls are too distracted chasing after candy to notice and ask questions about later, but only time will tell), and so is the festival afterwards. It ends up being a really great time for all of them.

Of the whole day, though, Steve’s favorite part is the trip home, a drive that should have only been thirty minutes, but turns into nearly two hours with all the traffic on I-90.

The girls are still riding the sugar rush of an afternoon’s worth of lemonade and fried dough and candy thrown from parade floats (Hazel might be succumbing though, if Steve’s quick glances in the rear-view mirror at the way her eyes are drooping closed are anything to go off of), and it seems as if the day’s contagious joy had followed them into the car. Robbie and Moe have been asking a lot of questions – mostly chatter about what floats were everyone’s favorites and who got the best face paint until Moe, perceptive as she’s always been, hits them with, “What’s Pride for?”

Which turns into, “Why do people think it’s a bad thing?” and that becomes, “So how did you and Papa fall in love?” at which point Eddie, who’d been fielding their daughters' questions so Steve could keep his focus on the stop-and-go highway traffic, launches into a dramatic and involved retelling of how their relationship had begun nearly eighteen years ago.

“So I told him that I liked him and what do you think Papa said?” Eddie eventually asks as he approaches the end of the story.

“What?” the girls ask with eager smiles and wide eyes.

“Nothing,” Eddie says ruthlessly, a wicked grin on his face.

“Alright,” Steve cuts in over the laughter coming from the backseat, “Let’s not be dramatic. I said something...eventually, and it wasn’t even that long later – four hours tops.”

“That’s right,” Eddie concedes, “And then we all lived happily ever after and all that jazz.”

“Good,” Robbie says, “’Cos if you hadn’t, today wouldn’t happen.”

“Hate to break it to you, sweet pea,” Steve replies, “but I’m pretty sure Pride would still happen even if Dad and I weren’t there for it.”

“We wouldn’t be here," Moe corrects him, "All together.”

Steve blinks.

Jesus Christ, these kids are gonna be the death of him. Can’t drive the damn car if his eyes are misting over, can he?

“Yeah,” Eddie says as he reaches over to curve his hand around the back of Steve’s neck, “Yeah, bug, that’s true.”

And thanks goodness for that.

[midnightmayhem13]

Hii! Could I request the marvel ladies reaction to reader referring to them as her girlfriend for the first time <33

now i see daylight

this is so adorable! and ofc coming rightt up(ultra delayed post)

warning!- some suggestive bits(nothing specifically said)

Carol Danvers

once awhile, u and the girls go to a fancy jazz club. usually it's an excuse for you guys to dress up and get wine drunk and wake up feeling refreshed, albeit a lil hungover. this time, you and your lovely gf Carol go as a together. you wore a stunning navy blue dress and she wore a casual navy suit. Carol was drooling over you and she couldn't stop staring at you but you were also obsessing over ur sexy buff ass gf. you walk in hand in hand and go around the party talking to ur friends. you and carol separate for js a moment. when ur friends head home u sit there sipping ur drink alone and a man comes to sit next to you and start bugging you. "hey beautiful, you here alone?" "no im actually with someone" you answer sternly. thanks to Carols quick reflexes, you don't have to suffer long. she puts a firm hand on ur back and kisses the top of ur head. but thanks to the drinks he doesnt take the hint. "why don't u take me home dove; i'll show you want i can do." you and carol giggle. as she's about to say smt, you interupt. "actually" leaning into Carol, putting ur hand on her stomach as her hand goes over ur shoulder. "i'm gonna be taking my beautiful girlfriend home so you can go now." Gosh you've never looked sexier to carol. she honestly js starts fawning over you and lets out a THATS MY GIRL and hugs you super tight bc her heart js melted. you're so proud about being with her and she cannot contain the blush that's on her cheek. you two walk out (ur lipstick all over Carols face and neck) she's so giddy about the events that happened and cannot stop kissing u all over. it's like ur first date all over again and honestly, she can't wait to call u her wife!!

Darcy Lewis

Darcy is the smartest girl you know. and naturally as an Avenger you introduce her to Tony and safe to say he's very impressed with her and pats you on the back for finding such a brilliant girl. everyone likes Darcy too!! she makes you happy, she's hot, she's loyal, and mf is a Dr and an astrophysicist!! you always flaunt that. well when a big company asks the avengers to come work with them bc some sort of anomaly (think wandavision but no one's dead bc i said so) has accured and they need some brains and brawns. while tony and bruce alone were smarter than all of the companies scientists; they bit off more than they could chew. after a few weeks of all the scientists working at it, they only advance a bit. you go home and darcy comes over and you rant to her about it bc ur fed up. and suggest the idea of bringing her to help and she considers it. she spends the night so she might as well tag along and see what she can do. at first the companies big boss disregards her and even tries to push her away from the monitors. you grab his wrist "don't you touch her. and just so yk my girlfriend is smarter than all ur stupid scientists so i suggest you let her take a look so she can fix wtv ur men can't" Darcy is actually frozen to her spot bc that was so hot. the heat from her cheeks spread all the way down and she's at a loss for words. her face turns bright red and she nudges you too stop cutting the guys circulation off (she's well aware you'll break this guys arm for her). she thanks you and kisses ur cheek as she sits down. give her a few hours and BOOM. she's gotten to the bottom of the problem and has two possible ways to fix it, they both end up working. Darcy bugs about how much you brag about her. you give her a whole speech on why she's the greatest women ever as you hold her. she loves you with her whole heart and has never felt safer in her big bad avengers gfs arms.

Maria Hill

Even though Maria is always incredibly busy with Shield, and you with the avengers, you always find time to be together. but being women of high power has never been easy. that being said, both of you get looked down on even after showing ur skill time and time again. so you arrive at headquarters looking for your bad ass gf, carrying with you a few treats so she doesn't forget to eat. as you make ur way towards everyone they seem to be doing their usual thing. you could spot her from a mile away away. she's the most beautiful women you've ever laid eyes on. you approach her. her eyes land on you and her face immediately lights up. she greats you with a tight hug, a kiss on the head and then the lips. she's gotten more comfortable with being affectionate at work, you notice. "thank you baby" she says sweetly, completely contrasting to the harsh tone she uses with her troops. "i'll be back in a second" she goes to tell her most trusted troop to take charge as she steps out for a second. almost as if she cannot live in peace, a scrawny, insecure guy comes out of nowhere and starts complaining about Maria being off duty (who even is he) he starts causes a scene and honestly makes you laugh a bit. you two go to walk off to ignore him and suddenly the hoe grabs you!! yeahh maria is not gonna let this go. but when she goes to interfere but yank your arm away "my girlfriend has all of this under control so why don't you turn around and get back to work, the nerve of you!" Maria jaw is DROPPED. i mean she knew you could get serious but seeing her adorable gf give commands does something to her body. almost as if she's shy being in ur presence. she's sure she's never smiled bigger. you turn around and grab her had and guide her to the break room. she feels like she has a silly little school girl crush as she giddily follows you around.

sharon carter

(this is power broker sharon bc she's hot but no one's dead BC I SAID SO) To say sharon was kinda nervous about telling you about her job was an understatement. i mean you were an avenger but also the love of her life. it was a long talk but you got it to work. anyways you hung around a lot at her place bc hello?? it's huge and you love seeing ur hot gf do illegal ass things bccc she wasn't an avenger level threat (yet) so by ur logic, we're chilling. and she was on okay terms with steve, bucky and sam. when she hosts her auctions you're always welcome to come to them too! you want to be there just in case the worse happens, even tho she's more than capable of controlling it. but that doesn't mean you're safe from any guys or gals that want to hit on you. if they know who you are, you're okay but if they don't know who you are or have a death note they'll hit on you. usually you hang low or by the bar bc sharon's busy at these events. as you sip your favorite margarita you feel a tap on your shoulder. a security guard? "uhm hi can i help you?" you ask politely. unbeknownst to you sharon's watching (she always is) and heading her way over to you. the guards are specifically told not to speak to you unless u speak to them. she's possessive what can you say. "i'm not sure you're on the list your gonna have to step out" he says roughly grabbing ur arm and tugging you off your stool. sharon is basically bolting at this point. "my girlfriends the owner of this place and is the reason you buy ur meals so get off of me" you say and push him back. he's about to tackle you bc yk ego. until he sees an arm snake around your waist. oh sh*t. "get the hell out my house" sharon says and he gets escorted out. you'll probably never hear from him again. sharon grabs your waist and pulls you impossibly close to her as she places her lips on yours. "that was so sexy baby" she says on ur lips. her stern demeanor almost broke when she heard you calling her your girlfriend so proudly. it made her knees want to buckle and she felt like kicking her feet. she finally got the girl of her dreams and u guys were a match made it heaven. she can't stop thinking of this moment for months to come and definitely shows how proud she is of you later that night.

Nebula

nebula thought she was gonna be a lot of things in life. but never did she think she was gonna be the girlfriend of the most beautiful and kind girl in the galaxy. she seriously never expected to ever be blessed by your presence much rather be loved so deeply by you. although she's been weary of love her whole life, you've completely changed her perspective. you love her so deeply it's almost unfathomable. that being said, anything you guys are in a new planet and go explore you always make sure to stick to her side. who's gonna mess with ur big ass blue gf?? not to mention she's possessive with you and aggressive with anyone but you. she's also so gentle with her sweet girl. so you'd expect any on looker to stay away from you bc nebula likes to walk around with her hand on ur butt while holding you close. but when some weird looking dude approaches nebula immediately become alert but all he does is aggressively bump into her "hey watch where the hell your going u got ur dirty paws on my girlfriend!" you yell as you grab wtv the hell is on top of his (maybe hair??) and he has no other choice but to apologize to nebula. when he leaves nebula is left speechless. why are you so proud that ur dating her?she can't control herself tho and pulls you into an ally to passionately make out with you. that was so hot. she lifts you by ur butt and presses you against a wall. you giggle and pull away as she chases ur lips "what's with this nebby?" "i love you." she says hoarsely. she didn't know how to respond to the whole situation. she couldn't care less about what the guy said or didn't say. but you loved her so much and we're so open about it. she was gonna love you forever.

kate bishop

Kates sure you could do something so simple as breathing and she would get giddy. she's no kidding. she absolutely adores you and you adore her. that's why you two just work. and while not all things come to you guys that simple most things do. you to do have your fights but they can usually be resolved with a good talk followed by a movie marathon with pizza and Lucky cuddles. so that's what you guys are doing right now. don't get me wrong, this happens on a weekly bases not just when you guys are having an argument. it's just a chill saturday afternoon, both you and kate resting from having a hard week in training and working with adults who never seemed to be pleased with any improvement in any skill. but anyways. you kate and lucky are all cuddled up on her couch as you decide what movie to pick out. as if it's a 6th sense kate suddenly gasps "we didn't order pizza!" and even lucky pops his head up, distraught by this horrible news. you have a good laugh but kate is seriously concerned about this. you stroke her hair and kiss it and tell her you'll order it rn. kate js smiles snuggly at lucky (who she high fives) as she leans her head on ur tit and receives head rubs. you call her favorite pizza place and order ur usual order while she finds a few movies to binge. thanks to nyc, ur pizza arrives in no time. and when you hear the bell ring you and lucky go answer the door. kates too busy complaining cuz her pillows gone. as you answer the door luckys right there as ur security. "haha your dogs really cute!" says the delivery guy "thank you my girlfriend found him!" you say simply as you tip him and close the door. kate literally gets up and runs around as she squeals. you thought she was just really hungry but after she picks you up when you put the pizza down she tells you other wise. she spins you around and cannot take the big goofy smile off her face. she's left speechless but her smile speaks for her. when you ask her about it your heart melts at how pure she is. the rest of the night she's has that smile on her face as she's resting on ur favorite pillow, you!!

a/n- so sorry this took so long and it's kinda crappy! i was kinda stuck so they all sound similar but hopefully you guys enjoyed! send requests!!🤍🤍

stay safe hoes🤍

[oharamwah]

ଓ + — soft boyfriend headcanons

boyfriend!miguel x fem!reader

contents : fluuuufff and some nsfw, super messy and all over the place. i’m telling u this is so unstructured.

no heavy nsfw but suggestive themes under the cut

posted august 1st - to be edited !

© oharamwah, please do not steal my work.

i’m so down bad for this man and he isn’t even real but that means i get to make up whatever headcanons i like abt what it’d be like to date him 😋

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧ ｡･ﾟﾟ･･｡ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧ ｡･ﾟﾟ･｡⋆

♡ i just wanna get straight to the point — miguel’s kisses are soooo. mmph.

♡ he’s the type to keep things at a small peck when others are around or when you two are a little busy and on your feet

♡ like he’ll be at work like always and you’ll pop into his home office just to drop off a snack and he’ll pull you closer by your chin to kiss you DKSJDHSKLD

♡ and when he’s working from home and he’s in sweatpants (a rare sight for many) and he has his thin wiry dad glasses on oh my

♡ buuuut, but. this man knows how to kiss properly too

♡ also we all know miguel is bossy, and this applies both in and out of the workplace

♡ he is huuuuuge on princess treatment

♡ making sure you barely have to lift a finger to do anything when he’s around, especially during intimate hours

♡ he is big on aftercare, never wants you to feel any pain during or after sex. well, with some exceptions. all he wants is for you to feel good. so, if you ask him for a tummy massage or a back rub, he’ll do it no hesitation.

♡ like ok i’m not gonna make this an nsfw hc post but… spanking 🤗

♡ anyway.. he’s definitely the type of boyfriend to keep lots of baby wipes and deodorant and any girly things you’d need in a separate bathroom cupboard, exclusively for you and when you stay the night

♡ speaking of, refuses to let you pay for anything when you’re out shopping. say you walk by the department store and you remember that you ran out of pads or shampoo, he has it covered

♡ he’s just so… idk he loves taking care of you in every aspect.

♡ y’know when boyfriends carry their girlfriend’s bridal style when their high heels hurt their feet ?? yeah that’s miguel.

♡ again, he hates seeing you in any kind of pain. even if your shoulder bag is just a little too heavy, he’s got it

♡ always reminds you that you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.

♡ you’ll be getting ready for a fancy dinner party and you’re staring at yourself in the mirror feeling a little self conscious, poking and pinching at parts of your tummy, arms, anything you felt insecure about at the time

♡ and instead of letting you know that he saw you, he’d come up from behind you and just start showering you with compliments and butterfly kisses

♡ because the last thing he wants is for you to feel even more insecure because you got caught, he just wants you to know what he thinks about you

♡ “so pretty my angel, is that a new dress?”

♡ he’d ask, knowing he’s the one that bought it

♡ *kiss* “you do your makeup differently today?” *kiss* “i like it, honey.”

♡ AGGHH he’s just too sweet. he always knows how to make you feel comfortable.

♡ king of small kind gestures because even though he could compliment you and all that jazz, you find that he doesn’t really say “i love you” that often. instead, he shows it to you

♡ he knows exactly how you like your eggs, down to the amount of salt and pepper you use

♡ he also knows you like peeling your own oranges but you always struggle to start them, so he’d use his fangs to peel a little piece for you to peel from

♡ and he pre-slices all the lemons because he knows you like lemon water but you kinda suck at using knives

♡ if you leave your glasses/sunnies at his place, he’ll take it upon himself to clean them for you

♡ knows the kinds of snacks you like on movie nights so he stocks up on them, never leaving his pantry empty. no, he never eats snacks, but he knows you do <3

♡ he’s also the type to drive you out wherever and whenever you want. night drives, sunset viewing, anything you wanna do he’s willing to take you there. you’re his passenger princess!!

♡ also omg so random but i feel like he’s lowkey insecure of his fangs. like he knows they can be a bit intimidating and cause some worry, so whenever he smiles around you he tries to keep them inside but they just peek out his lips and it’s skfkskfj so cute

♡ and when he laughs he covers his mouth so sometimes you have to place your hand over his, and he’ll look at you all “what..?” and you’ll peel his hand back and be all cute about it

♡ “show me your smileee” and he gets all SHYYY

♡ he’s definitely the angry/grumpy shy with you, he can’t help but feel a little embarrassed about being shy or flustered but he also kinda enjoys the feeling

♡ sorry this is so unorganized but i just had another thought

♡ he’s just so familiar with being in the same bed as you by now that he can tell when somethings wrong just by the movements you’re making

♡ or if you’re shifting around a lot in your spot, he won’t say anything but he’ll grab onto your waist to let you know he’s there and he’ll pull you a bit closer so you feel more at ease

♡ AND EVEN IF YOU ARENT IN HIS BED, he’ll never go into your spot. that’s your spot. though he does take the pillow and hug it sometimes. sometimes..

♡ he even washes your pillowcase more often than he washes his sheets because he knows how particular you are about your skincare and haircare

♡ but he’s also super particular about his own hygiene, constantly freshening himself up with like spray deodorants and stuff. and a lot of mouth wash. he takes dental care very seriously.

♡ like he even reminds you to floss every night and prepares you a cup of mouth wash and seals it with a kiss hehdheh

♡ that man is so clean. deadass. he works so hard yes but he always makes sure to be clean because the last thing he wants is to be a loser that SMELLS bad (LOLLDFKMSM)

♡ you’re the only person he’ll listen to when it comes to bedtime

♡ he’s always being scolded by his colleagues to get more sleep because his under eyes are getting darker than a winter night sky

♡ but he always just brushes them off — unless it’s you

♡ he’s actually kinda nervous to make you upset. like he could never even dream of making you upset or mad at him he couldn’t handle that

♡ you two never argue, you only have very passionate debates

♡ you’re usually right in the end, and he accepts that. he just hates when you two disagree. so when apologizing for being stubborn and making you upset, he speaks in a way softer tone than he would anyone else. it’s a bit higher than his normal voice and it’s very airy, very comforting and apologetic

♡ he’s just such a softie for youuuu waoooowwww

♡ anyway i’m gonna post this and come back to it when i have new ideas instead of posting a bunch of separate ones <3 enjoy angels !

[wolfjackle-creates]

1000 Follower Celebration!

I'm blown away, honestly. The last time I had any notoriety in a fandom was back in, like 2007 or 2008 when I was on the Dibbuns Against Bedtime fan forums for Redwall. I was made the head of my dorm as the site started dying because I was the most active member in said dorm.

But you all? You're here because you like something I'm making? It's so wild to me. I appreciate every single one of you. Every like, every reblog, every comment. They warm me up.

I've been thinking over the last few days what I want to do. The obvious answers—prompt fills, polls to determine what I write, story snippets—I do all that with too much regularity. And I'm trying to avoid taking on more fics as I focus on the ones I've already got going.

So we're gonna do something a bit different this week.

Over the next week (From Wed 2/21 to Wed 2/28) send me the title of one of my WIPs (listed below) and I will respond with a few paragraphs. Not my usual 1.2-1.6k that I like to do for WIP Wednesday, but a few paragraphs. At the end of the week, I'll compile them all and post everything in a single post.

I won't be adding all the links like I usually do with each addition to a story until I post that final draft, but I'll tag everything with "[story name] 1000" so you can click that and follow along with the fic in some sort of order.

There are six WIPs eligible for the game! Please limit yourself to one fic per ask, but you may send in multiple asks. I will request that, for now, you limit yourself to one request per fic (aka a max of 6 requests per person). If I find that I'm able to keep up, I may waive that request in the upcoming days. But it will depend on how busy my inbox (and life) get.

Bring Me Home

Ghost!Robin

Answer My Call

I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again)

Want to Hold On and Feel I Belong/Bad Reveal AU

Empathy!Verse

I totally forgot about the Empathy!Verse when I did my last ask game. Mostly because that has been entirely written on Tumblr and I...kinda forgot to transfer it to a Scrivener document. Ooops. 😅

Something to Feel isn't on this list because I want to dedicate my time to it today. I'm close to the end, I think, and already have one ask in my inbox about it that I totally meant to get to before now (if it's your ask, I promise I haven't forgotten you!).

Brief Story Summaries

Bring Me Home: Tim and Danny are online friends and know each other's secrets. Currently in the arc where the Young Justice and Team Phantom help Danny escape after a reveal gone wrong.

Ghost!Robin: Jason is haunted by the ghost of the Robin he used to be. Danny finds out when Jazz introduces him to Jason over a meet-the-in-laws dinner. Currently, Jason and Robin are meeting with Frostbite to learn what may have happened.

Answer My Call: Jazz is sending texts to Danny after he escaped a GIW facility and they can't talk. But it turns out Jason is the one who's actually been getting them.

Carry Your Heart: Jason and Danny meet in the Ghost Zone while Jason is dead. They become friends. But Jason runs to Desiree to wish for his life back. A wish she fulfills. Danny goes to visit him, only to find his core left behind in a lair that's in ruin.

Bad Reveal AU: Danny is living with the Waynes when he finds out they're also the Bats. He freaks out because he believes the bats are working with the government (aka the GIW). So he shoots Bruce and runs away. The bats are now trying to convince him it's safe to come home.

Empathy!Verse: Liminal!Jazz is studying in Gotham and feeling the lack of other liminals to interact with. After getting used to the undercurrent of emotion that follows all interactions with ghosts/liminals, humans just feel...flat. Then one day, she literally runs into another liminal as she's going to the library. Jason Todd. Only... he doesn't know what it means to be liminal. So Jazz is there to show him.

[iam93percentstardust]

Stevetony kissing for a dare!!! Hehe :3

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!

This is the second part to the fic from yesterday (I’m doing all this on unfamiliar technology so I’m a little afraid to exit out of this screen to find the link)

~

Little Mix is playing through the speakers in Natasha’s dorm room. Steve wouldn’t have pinned Natasha, who normally likes big band jazz and old spy movies, to like that kind of pop music, but she seems to delight in surprising people, so who knows? Certainly not Steve. Bucky would be the person to ask, but he delights in his girlfriend surprising people just as much as she does, so that conversation is a nonstarter.

There’s a knock on the door, and Natasha darts over to get it. Tony slips inside, followed by his best friend, Rhodey, both of them sliding rainslick hoods off their heads.

”Sorry we’re late,” Tony pants, sounding like he just ran all the way across the city. “Warden was making extra rounds earlier.”

”You know, one day Mrs. Hill is gonna hear you calling her the warden and have you taken out back and shot,” Rhodey comments, passing his hoodie to Sam with a grateful nod.

Tony, on the other hand, seems too distracted by insulting the middle-aged chaperone of their dorm to notice that he’s still wearing his coat, so Steve gets up to help him take it off. And, no, Bucky, it isn’t just an excuse to get to touch the pretty omega. He’s being helpful. Bucky should try it some time. Tony smiles at him, sweet and lovely, as Steve slides his jacket off his shoulders, and Steve feels his heart skip a beat. After hearing Tony’s four hour rant on the inherent unfairness in how omegas are treated in this town, he no longer has any concern about associating with Tony—after all, nothing will change if they all just keep going along with the status quo—but he still hasn’t made a move to act on what he’s pretty sure is a mutual attraction. It just hasn’t felt like the right moment.

”My knight in shining armor,” Tony teases while Steve takes the jacket into the attached bathroom where Natasha has a space heater going. Rhodey clears his throat loudly, and Tony rolls his eyes. “Fine. I mean, thank you.”

No idea what that’s about.

“What are we playing tonight, boss lady?” Rhodey asks, dropping onto the floor next to Sam. Tony takes the empty seat on the free bed—left unclaimed when Natasha’s roommate decided college wasn’t for her after all—next to Steve. He curls up as close to Steve as he can get, feeling like a wall of fire against his side. Steve shifts, lifting his arm up for Tony to get even closer if he wants—which he does since he takes the invitation—and puts his arm back around his shoulders.

”Truth or dare,” Natasha declares.

Sam groans. “We’re not in middle school, Tasha.”

She scoffs, “We go home for the summer in the morning. This is my last opportunity to get blackmail material on you so I can make you come visit me. If I have to be left alone with Yelena all summer, I’m going to kill someone. Possibly Yelena.”

Considering how much Natasha talks about missing her sister, Steve doubts that that’s a real threat, but in the interest of peacekeeping, he says, “I like truth or dare.”

”That’s because you have bad taste,” Bucky says. Natasha glares at him, and he hastily revises his answer. “I mean—uh—you have great taste! Obviously.”

”Nice save,” Natasha says dryly.

Tony leans over and murmurs, “Someone’s sleeping in the spare bed tonight,” into Steve’s ear. Steve snickers, drawing Natasha’s glare on both of them. Tony holds up his hands in conciliation. “I would just like to point out that I like truth or dare.”

”Yeah, that’s because you have no shame,” Rhodey points out.

Tony shrugs. “Guilty.”

“You’re going to pick dare every time.”

“Still guilty.”

“And if you don’t get one that lets you run naked through the quad, you’re going to light something on fire. Don’t think I don’t remember that game last year.”

Tony considers it and then shrugs again. “Guilty of that too.”

“You lit something on fire?” Steve asks incredulously.

”I light lots of things on fire. I’m an engineer. Keep up, Steven.”

“Ooh first named,” Bucky taunts. Steve takes one of the pillows from the bed and throws it at him.

Somehow, in all of the hullabaloo, they forget to set down rules for the game, which is good because just like Tony enjoys doing all dares, Steve only wants to answer truth. And for reasons that he’s never figured out, it’s acceptable to pick dare every time but not truth. For the most part, no one really notices—except for Natasha, but she doesn’t miss a trick. Ever. And when Tony and Rhodey start commenting about heading home so they don’t get locked out of their dorm, she talks them into one more round and then turns to Steve with an evil look in her eyes.

��Truth or dare, Steve?” she asks.

“Truth,” he says, certain she’s going to call him out on it. But betrayal comes from somewhere else entirely.

“Hey, you can’t keep picking truth!” Bucky protests. “You’ve done that all night!”

”That wasn’t in the rules,” Steve argues.

”You have to do it at least once,” Natasha wheedles. “You’re the most boring person alive—”

”Hey!”

”I don’t have any blackmail material at all.”

”Okay, let’s not insult Steve’s character,” Tony cuts in, and Steve is about to thank him but then Tony turns to him with that sparkle in his eyes that spells trouble for everyone around. “Just one dare? Please? To tide us over until we get back from summer?”

He sighs. He can’t say no to those big eyes. “Alright. One dare.”

Natasha pumps her fist triumphantly and then, so quickly that she had to have been planning this one for a while, she says, “I dare you to kiss Tony.”

“What?” he squawks.

”You heard me,” she repeats. Definitely evil. “I dare you to kiss Tony.”

Tony chuckles nervously. “Alright, we don’t need to make Steve do something he doesn’t want to do.”

And that’s just—no. Something he doesn’t want to do? Where would Tony even get that idea from? Kissing him is pretty much the only thing he ever wants to do.

Without thinking about it, without letting himself worry about ruining their friendship or if Tony’s protest was really him saying he doesn’t want to kiss Steve or the consequences if they get caught, Steve kisses him. Hand cupping Tony’s cheek, beard soft against his palm, swallowing the soft gasp Tony makes. It’s a good kiss. Fuck, it’s a great kiss. Easily the best one Steve has ever had (not that he’s had that many).

He pulls back only because he has to breathe, not out of any real desire to stop. He’s dimly aware that their friends are applauding them in the background, but he’s too busy drowning in Tony’s dark eyes to care what they’re doing.

”Oh,” Tony breathes, and Steve feels the exact same way.

[raaorqtpbpdy]

Father-Son Bonding (3)

With Maddie and Jazz off attending a women in STEM conference over the weekend, Jack decides to take Danny out for the best father-son bonding activity there is—ghost hunting! They're going to catch that elusive Danny Phantom or die trying! Metaphorically, of course. Jack would never let his son die hunting ghosts, or at least... that's what he thinks.

Written for the prompts:

Jack and Danny spend quality time together hunting that damn ghost boy! Danny is being such a help! Bonus points for if they're both enjoying the endeavor. [from @pricklenettle], Jack Fenton finds out. [from @underforeversgrace], and Jack is excited to hunt ghosts alongside his ghost-powered son, and Danny is enjoying the time with his dad way more than he thought he would. Maddie, however, is deeply troubled by all the ways her son could get hurt, and her overprotectiveness causes a heaviness to fall over the Fenton family home. [from @astatia-ghast]

Read on AO3

Chapter 3: Maddie Fenton Doesn't Know the Half of it (Ch.1; Ch.2)

[Warning for bigotry and unintentional bad parenting]

Maddie Fenton was not happy. First, she and her daughter had been kicked out—politely asked to leave the women in STEM conference because apparently, the small-minded people running the event didn't consider ecto-science "real science", and her talk of ghosts was disrupting the other attendees and the speakers. And now she was watching her husband coming home after obviously having taken their fourteen-year-old son out on a ghost hunt.

She watched the GAV slow as it approached the house. She'd never seen her husband drive that slowly before, and she knew that he knew he was in the dog house after this.

She had made herself absolutely clear on this matter that their children were not to be allowed on ghost hunts until they were eighteen. It was simply too dangerous, especially for Danny, who'd had a fragile constitution and heart problems ever since his accident. And Jack had gone behind her back, taking advantage of her absence to go against her direct wishes.

Rather than going to the garage, Jack pulled the GAV to a stop on the street, obviously realizing that his punishment would be worse if he tried to delay it. It was common for Jack to not know or realize when he did something wrong. He often broke rules only because he forgot they existed. But Maddie had never and would never let him forget this one. So, for once, he knew what he had done.

And he was gonna get it for this.

—

"Stay cool, Danny," Jack said as he pulled the GAV to a stop on the street. "Maybe she doesn't know we went on a ghost hunt."

Danny took one look at his mother's face and shook his head. "I think she knows."

Jack grimaced and tilted his head. Danny made a compelling point. Still, if they played it cool, maybe they could get away with minimal damage.

"Just, smile and act happy to see her," Jack said. "No matter how terrifying she may be right now."

Danny nodded, his brows furrowed in determination.

They both plastered on smiles as they climbed out of the vehicle. Jack greeted his wife with open arms.

"Maddie! You're back early! It's good to see you!"

"We missed you mom!" Danny added, laying it on thick.

It had no effect.

"Don't you dare try to butter me up!" Maddie snapped, holding out a hand to stop them in their tracks. "You took Danny on a ghost hunt?! You know how I feel about that!"

"No, we weren't ghost hunting, we were just—"

"Is lying really the route you you want to go, Jack?" Maddie cut him off sternly. "Because that will only make your punishment so much worse."

"I'm... sorry?" Jack tried instead.

"Is that a question?" Maddie asked. Evidently that hadn't helped his case in the slightest. She didn't wait for him to respond before barrelling forward with her lecture. "Just because we agreed that it would be best to train them for the possibility of fighting ghosts, to protect themselves if they were ever attacked, does not mean I want them going out to pursue those dangerous monsters!"

Jack saw Danny flinch in his periphery and wondered if that was how he had sounded just a few days ago. If Danny had heard his parents calling ghost monsters and thought they must think he was a monster too. If so, it was no wonder he had been so hesitant to reveal himself.

"Now, Maddie, I think you're overselling the danger a bit," Jack tried. "Danny is strong and competent, just like his mother. He can handle it. And I was there the whole time to protect him."

"And I think you're not taking the danger seriously enough," Maddie shot back. "Ghosts are vile, evil, and deadly. They have no regard for human mortality and care only about their own obsessions. Anyone can handle themselves against a ghost until they can't. And I for one don't want to find out at what point our children can't handle themselves.

"And you? Protect him?" She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Don't make me laugh. Half the time when we go out ghost hunting, I have to be the one protecting you! Don't give yourself more credit than you've earned!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Danny piped up. "Dad did a great job protecting me!"

"Quiet Danny," Maddie snapped. "Don't think you're in the clear. You knew the rule just as well as your father did—no ghost hunting until you're at least eighteen—and you went along with it anyway!"

"Now, Maddie, there's no need to yell at him, it was my idea," Jack tried, but his wife had more than enough ire for the both of them.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not done with you yet!" She glared at him, uncrossing her arms only so she could go back to gesticulating, wildly and aggressively. "You know that ghosts don't hold back just because an opponent is young or inexperienced. Danny could have died!"

At that, Jack glanced at his son, and saw Danny meeting his gaze with a similar look on his face, halfway knowing and halfway sympathetic. Danny was already dead, after all.

Maddie kept going. Yelling and pacing and wagging her finger as she practically bit their heads off right there on the front porch of Fenton Works where all the neighbors could see—not that any of them dared to watch. Maddie could be downright terrifying when she was like this, and no one was spared her vitriol if they dared to make their presence known. That was why Jazz just stood there, absolutely silent, not even daring to go inside the house lest that movement attract her mother's attention and put her in the line of fire.

Time wasn't exactly Jack's best area, but it felt like hours that his wife yelled at them before she finally finished lecturing and started doling out punishments.

"Jack, you are going to fix every single broken or busted thing in the lab. You're going to clean every weapon in the armory—thoroughly. You're going to upgrade the security on the Fenton Portal, and you are going to scrub every surface in the basement until it sparkles!"

"Even the floor?" Jack asked.

"Floor, walls, even the ceiling Jack," Maddie said. "And that's not all! You're also going to fix the lawnmower, the vacuum cleaner, the garbage disposal, and the refrigerator so it stops randomly making that weird groaning noise. All the household repairs you've been saying you planned to do for years, and until every single one of them is done, you'll be sleeping on the couch."

Danny opened his mouth as if to defend his father, but he quickly snapped it shut, probably not wanting to make his own punishment any worse than it was already going to be. Jack could hardly blame him for that.

"And Danny!" She turned on him, hands on her hips. "Until your father has fully completed his own punishment, you're grounded. You are to come directly home after school, you are not allowed to invite your friends over, and no video games! Am I understood?"

"Understood," both Jack and Danny acknowledged dourly.

It seemed a little harsh to Jack, but he knew better than to challenge his wife's decision now, or she'd only make it worse. After a few days, a week at most, she would ease up a bit. At least let him sleep on the bed, if only to reduce the risk of him destroying the couch with his tossing and turning.

"Good!" she said. "Now, I've had a long, and trying day, so I'm going to go upstairs and take a long, soothing bath to relax. You'd better be getting started on your punishment by the time I'm done."

"Yes, Maddie," Jack said.

With that, Maddie finally went into the house, leaving her husband and children on the porch, all three of them waiting a few minutes to make sure she was actually in the back before they entered themselves.

"I'm sorry," Jazz said, her shoulders slumped and voice quiet. "I totally forgot about Dad's tradition of taking us ghost hunting when Mom's away. If I'd remembered, I could have called you and warned you to deactivate the ghost hunting equipment on the GAV before you got home."

"Yeah, that would have helped," Danny griped.

Jack put a hand on his small shoulder to stop him from being mean to his sister. "It's not Jazz's fault," he said. "It was just unlucky timing."

"Still, you and I fought ghosts when Mom and Danny were at that mother-son science symposium thing, too," Jazz pointed out. "I should have done something."

"That's not your responsibility, Jazzy," Jack assured. "Don't worry. I'll blase through those household repairs in no time, and tinkering in the lab? That's hardly a punishment. You'll be un-grounded soon enough. Come on, Danny, help me put away all this stuff?"

He was hoping to talk to Danny in private for a few minutes, without Jazz there.

"Sure, Dad."

The two of them got in the GAV, and jazz went into the house as Jack brought the vehicle around to park in the garage.

"Danny... about the whole Phantom thing... and your mother..."

"You don't think I should tell her, right?" Danny guessed.

"Hrn, it's just... after hearing all the things she said today... and she's not as willing to change her views as I am," Jack said, not really sure what he saying, or particularly wanting to say it, but wanting to make sure his son was safe. "Maddie... all her theories and observations about ghosts. She made them herself. They're all based on her own studies and research and she's sure she's drawn all the right conclusions.

"Me, I'm just an engineer," he continued. "I was willing to believe whatever she told me when it came to ghost biology and psychology, because those are her fields—at least I was until... well, until I had a first-hand source to contradict her. I'm not sure she'll be so quick to accept those contradictions when she was the one who came up with those theories, fist-hand source or not."

Danny looked down at his hands in his lap for a long moment, not saying anything. And for that moment, Jack was sure his words must have upset his son.

"If you disagree, Danny, it's your secret to tell, but—"

"I don't disagree," he said. Then he went silent again.

Although he was determined to wait for his son to collect his thoughts, Jack quickly became antsy in the silence, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I was so happy after I told you, and you took it so well," Danny said. "It made me think that maybe mom would react the same way, and maybe it would be safe to tell her. And then we got home today, and I had to listen to her talk about ghosts and it was... it was even worse than usual. It was just... disheartening, I guess, to realize the reality after getting my hopes up like that. But I agree that telling mom right now wouldn't be a good idea."

"But that doesn't mean you can't ever tell her!" Jack added, trying not to let his son's hopes be completely dashed. "No matter how staunchly she's convinced of her views right now, I'll change her mind. I'll warm her up to the idea that not all ghosts are evil, and that they don't have to be destroyed. And I'll release the ghosts we trap through the Fenton Portal and make sure she doesn't hurt you while you're out as Phantom."

"You promise?" Danny asked, his voice so small.

"I promise," Jack said. "It's my job to keep you safe, and that's what I'm gonna do. You can count on me."

"Alright, then I will," Danny agreed, a small smile making its way onto his face. "We should get started putting all this stuff away. There's a lot of work to do if we want our punishments to be lifted."

—

Things were different after that. Knowing Danny's secret changed more than just Jack's personal opinions of ghosts. Suddenly, he was hyper-aware of his wife's anti-ghost rhetoric. All the awful things she said like they were objective facts. He'd never thought much of it before, but now, every time, it made him think of their son and his chest ached with sympathy.

That wasn't all, though. Ever since she got back and learned that he'd taken Danny ghost hunting, she was even more protective of her son than before. She kept close watch on him, and that prevented him from sneaking out as Phantom to protect the town from ghosts.

Thankfully, he had Jazz and Jack both helping him out—and Jack was still surprised that Jazz had found out about Danny before him—but even so he struggled.

Just as Jack anticipated, he was allowed back into the bedroom after only a week, though she still expected him to finish all the chores and repairs she'd given him. But things didn't go back to normal.

There was something oppressive hanging over the household now.

Jack had to change her mind about ghosts sooner rather than later if he wanted their family to go back to the way it was. It was his only hope. But even still, he wondered if things would ever be like they were before.

Somehow... he was starting to doubt it.

[that1fangirrl]

Dating Claire's Sister Headcanons...

Before:

Meeting each other on a random night when Claire isn’t home

You patch him up and explain your relation to Claire and how you’ve been staying with her for a while

Matt starts coming over more to get patched up by you

He usually asks if you want him to stay the night or not; you usually decline

He can tell you’re a little nervous around him sometimes, so he tries to make small conversation while he’s over 

You guys spend a lot of time at night, but haven’t run into each other outside 

Claire has talked about you a few time before you came to live with her, but she never really went into full details; he does find you more interesting the more you talk to each other

One day, you guys run into each other near the firm and decide to get lunch

This little lunch outing sparks something in you… you want to be bold and ask him to officially go out with you, but how do you do that

The next time he comes over, you kinda seduce him a little. Some candles, light jazz, and food ready for when he comes over

He’s a little confused cause he thought he might’ve asked you out and forgot, but you remind him that’s not the case

You guys kinda make out a little on the couch, but the moment is spoiled when Claire and Luke come in

First Date: 

You know after the whole awkward encounter with your sister and her boyfriend, you would think that would’ve pushed Matt away, but nope

He actually calls you over the weekend and asks if you’d like to grab something to eat. With nothing better to do, you obviously say yes

He’s super sweet. Shows up to your door in a cute polished but casual outfit with flowers, holds you close to him when walking on the street, tries to hold the door open for you,etc

The place he takes you to is a quiet little cafe. Nothing too crazy. It wasn’t night time, so he figured this was more tame than going to a fancy restaurant. You were a pretty calm and casual person, so this seemed fitting

After that, he takes you to a bookstore nearby. You mentioned in passing that you liked to read, but haven’t found any bookstores that aren’t super crowded with annoying pretentious hipsters

The night ends with him coming up to the apartment to hang out for a little longer. You read him some of the new book you just got and he sits there looking pretty. It’s a cute mundane moment. Neither of you have that very often.

When it starts getting late, he gets ready to ask if you want him to go, but at the same time you’re getting ready to grab him some sweats so he can stay.

You guys finally had your night in together. Both cuddling closely, limbs tangled, soft kissing to the forehead from time to time… y'know the works

After: 

It doesn’t take long for him to ask you out again. You guys start seeing each other during lunch breaks, he starts staying the night more, etc etc

Sometimes you have to convince yourself that this is real and not some dream you're having

After maybe five dates or so, he decides to ask you to be his official girlfriend. It took you a few minutes, but you said “yes” with the biggest smile ever

The whole Daredevil thing doesn’t freak you out too bad. You got pretty used to being around supers, so it felt normal to have him battered and bruised around you

He feels awful that you have to see him like that, but he loves it when you take care of him

He’s a little baby sometimes, so of course he’s gonna love some pampering from time to time. 

You guys could make a whole date out of it. “Self love and care is very important.”

And if you get hurt or have a bad day, he is always ready to hear you vent or cry. He even lets you hit him a few times if you want to. Anything to get the stress out. 

Throughout your relationship, you both have tried to be more outside of your apartment since your sister lives there too, but once she moves out, you guys definitely make the place more yours. 

You guys start having more domestic dates. You finally hook up there(it seems like everytime you guys wanted to, Claire would come/be home)

That’s not to say y’all haven't hooked up already. I mean the guy does have his own place too. With no roommates or distractions. 

I mean those silk sheets of his have been through some things between you two. In more ways than they needed to be

He was a little nervous at first to introduce you to Foggy and Karen, but they were super supportive of him always. So he takes you to Josie’s and you guys click almost immediately.

Like you and Karen are absolute besties now. Sometimes Matt and Foggy joke that you and her are the ones dating because of how much time you guys spend together

She’s really sweet about it all. A little nervous at first, cause she knows how Matt can be, but comes to love your guys’ dynamic. 

And Foggy… My guy is literally the number 1 supporter. Like you and Matt are his endgame, his ride or die, his everything. He would probably kill Matt himself if you guys ever broke up

He loves you. Like Luke, Foggy also kinda adopts you as his little sister. So you know he would do anything for you. 

Foggy has the tea all the time. He’s got the craziest college stories to tell and let’s not forget the ‘butcher story’, which you absolutely approved of. 

Matt literally loves you so much. Like he even takes you to meet his mom and Father Lantom. Dude is not letting you go now. They both love you too, btw. 

His friends love you, his “family” loves you, Claire approves… overall the relationship is the best thing going for him

[helenaheissner]

Magical Girl Exorcist Squad (Issue #10: Devils in Plain Sight)

The weirdest part of the next day was how little anyone reacted to her. Nicole had expected confusion, outrage, misunderstandings. But there was nothing. She woke up in her new apartment, in an undecorated room with only a bed and a nightstand. Amy had already left for the day- she left a note on the fridge explaining she had an early morning class but to text her when she was done for the day so she could help her move. She’d also left a half a pitcher of coffee and a plate of sausage and hash browns and an orange for her with a similar note giving permission to eat it. Nicole had to admit, Amy was certainly putting her best foot forward on this.

Nicole ate her breakfast and did homework for tomorrow’s class, then hopped in the shower. She nicked herself a few times shaving her legs and armpits, but part of her was glad she was getting the reps in. She put on a hot pink top and a knee-length white skirt and did her makeup as best she could, and she went out to face the day. 

She arrived in class, fully expecting a full interrogation from her professor. She walked up to the good Dr. Wolfman, only for him to say, “Ah, hello Nicole. That’s your preferred name now, yes? I received notice from the school about your transition- I hope you’ll still find my class welcoming.”

“Um… Yeah,” Nicole said. Father Gonzalez must’ve gone ahead and appraised the school administrators about her status- he had said they were already in the know. That was nice of him. “I hope so too!”

“Very well then. If you’ll take your seat then.”

“Okay!”

After that, she took her seat, and nobody batted an eyelash. Well, a few of them did- mostly guys, mostly checking her out. It was a strange thing to have happen to her, mostly because if anyone was checking her out beforehand she’d never noticed. But she turned it around and started checking the guys out herself, glancing appreciatively at each boy who gave her a leering look. Mom had told her she was a pretty girl now and would have to beat the boys back with a stick- Nicole hoped that wasn’t literal, and a part of her wasn’t entirely comfortable with the arrangement, but still, it was nice to know that people thought she was attractive. And besides, some of these lads had very nice faces and bodies. Fair is fair, Nicole thought with a wry grin as she made eye contact with a very, very muscular young man she’d caught staring at her moments prior. Gonna have to be restrained going forward, though. I’m here to get an education, not an MRS degree. 

After class, everybody simply cleared out. Nobody came up to interrogate her, nobody was demanding to know who she was and why she was in Nick Nygaard’s seat or why they looked like they could be brother and sister. Nobody cared. It was shocking how self-absorbed most people were in that respect, but hey, she’d take it if it got her through the day unobstructed. 

After that, she texted Amy, who responded she had another class but would meet her at the apartment in an hour. Nicole simply went home and did more homework, getting a decent chunk of it done while listening to jazz-hop. Finally, Amy opened the door, clad in a ruffled black blouse and red slacks. The slacks hugged her hips in an inviting manner, while her blouse offered a slight peak at her cleavage. And… Was she wearing a push-up bra? 

Bad! Nicole thought, giving herself a mental slap. Bad brain! Bad! She’s your roommate. And your teammate. And she’s straight. And frankly, you’re still not sure if you’ve forgiven her all the way. Stop checking her out. 

Amy stepped forward, and there was a… Bounce in her chest area. STOP IT, BRAIN!

“Hey roomie! How was it?” Amy said with a stupid, gorgeous, stupid smile.

“It was… Fine,” Nicole stammered, rubbing her earlobe furiously.  

“Just fine?”

“I guess it was just… Wicked ordinary,” Nicole said. Killing it, Nygaard.

“Isn’t that good, though?”

“... Yeah, honestly it is. I, uh, I mean, every day probably won’t be like this-”

“Definitely won’t.”

“But I guess today was just today.”

“Exactly,” Amy said, taking off her black spike heels and reaching into the fridge. “Cherry?”

“Excuse me?!” Nicole blushed.

“Cherry soda?” Amy said, holding up two glass bottles of cola. 

“Yes! Yeah, yeah, that sounds good.”

“Cool. Oh, uh, the others weren’t able to help out with moving your stuff today, but my boyfriend Aidan said he was up to it. And he’s got a pickup truck!”

And she’s got a boyfriend- I mean, of course she does. Look at her, she’s beautiful- GOSH DARNIT BRAIN STOP IT ALREADY! “Perfect.”

“He’s gonna meet us here soon- I’m gonna go get changed while we wait,” Amy said, taking a long sip from the glass bottle’s mouth- BLUE BLAZES, WHY?!

Nicole changed clothes into a pair of running shorts and a sports’ bra and tank top, and when she came out, she found Amy on the couch wearing jean shorts and a Kacey Musgraves t-shirt. A knocking struck their door, and Amy opened it to reveal… the guy from Nicole’s Tuesday class with Debbi? That Aidan? Huh, what a coincidence. Also, good for Amy, he is VERY pretty… Ugh, this is gonna be a thing now, isn’t it? Am I gonna need a private cell in horny jail?

“Hey, hot stuff,” Aidan said, leaning down and kissing Amy on the mouth. 

Amy giggled. “Mmmm hey you! Thanks so much for doing this!”

“No problem. Is this your roommate?”

“Yup. This is-”

“Nicole Nygaard. We’ve met,” Nicole said, standing up from the couch. 

“Oh boy,” Amy muttered.

“We have? Wait, Nygaard- are you related to Nick?” Aidan asked. 

“I am Nick.”

“Oh God, here we go,” Amy said. 

“No, you’re not,” Aidan said. 

“No, seriously, I am,” Nicole said. 

“But Nick is a guy.”

“No, I just thought I was a guy,” Nicole said. “Turns out I’m actually a trans girl.”

“Just jumping right into it,” Amy said. 

Nicole rolled her eyes. If Amy was gonna do this consistently when Nicole told people, Nicole was gonna feel less bad about holding back forgiveness. 

“But… You… You look completely different,” Aidan said. “And the last time I saw you was a week ago!”

“Yeah, I, uh, took the week off, did some soul-searching. Got a makeover.”

“Did you also lose several inches of height?” 

“How would you know? I mean, we sat next to each other, sure, but how often did you see me standing up?” Nicole said, hands on her hips. 

“Hm. I suppose,” Aidan said, stroking the nonexistent beard on his chin. “But what about your voice?”

“I’m… A… Amateur voice actor, and I’ve gotten very good at pitching up,” Nicole said. 

“Hm. Okay! Fair enough,” Aidan said with a broad, white-toothed smile. 

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. 

I can’t believe he bought that. 

“So, let’s hop to it!” the young man said. 

They piled into Aidan’s pickup, an old and somewhat worn down white two-seater. Amy was the smallest of them, so she sat stuffed between Aidan and Nicole, pressing up against both of their respective shoulders. This is so uncomfortable.

“So, how did you know you were trans?” Aidan asked. 

Aaaannddd now it’s more uncomfortable. “Umm,” Nicole said, “Well, I always felt off about my body, and after a lot of soul searching and a few very telling dreams, I decided it was time to make a change.”

“Oh, cool. Are you gonna get the operation? You know, between your legs?”

Nicole balked. 

“A-Aidan,” Amy said, red as a tomato, “Y-you can’t just ask that.”

“Oh, well, my mistake. I mean, I guess I just figured ‘cause you already got those milkers added to your chest-”

Amy’s jaw dropped. 

“These are… This is a padded bra?” Nicole said desperately.

“Hm. Oh, well, okay!” he said cheerfully. “Very realistic one then- they look exactly like real boobs! Even the cleavage-”

“Aidan, you need to stop,” Amy said. “I get having questions, but that’s a bit much.”

“Sorry, I guess I’m just curious. You know, I’ve never met a trans person before this, so I’d like to find out as much as I can,” he said. 

This boy is very lucky he’s pretty, ‘cause Amy clearly didn’t pick him for his brains. “Yeah, well, would you ask these questions of a cis girl?” Nicole asked. 

“What’s a cis girl?” both Aidan and Amy asked innocently. 

Nicole sighed. She explained, and by the end she had a headache. Look, just put the information out there. They need to know so they don’t mess up again in the future. Even if these questions are incredibly invasive. 

“I don’t understand why you can’t just say ‘biological girl,’” Aidan said. 

“Actually, I’ve kinda wondered about that too,” Amy said, raking a hand through her hair. 

Nicole side-eyed her, and Amy got flustered again. Aidan, however, went on blissfully ignorant. Nicole sighed again. This is gonna be a long afternoon. 

They arrived at Ditko Hall, which was in the midst of another rager. Techno music and strobe lights blared out of it, artificial smoke billowing out of the doors and windows into the cool, sunny Autumn afternoon. By some miracle, Nicole’s identity card still got them in, and they marched up with cardboard boxes in hand. They navigated a massive sea of partiers- seriously, do any of these guys ever go to class?- and made it to Nicole’s dorm, where Curtis sat on the floor shirtless and smoking from a bong. A massive cloud of weed smoke floated towards them, and Nicole did her best to hold her breath. It worked for about ten seconds- she needed to work on her lung capacity. 

“Hey hey hey, what’s going on here?” the hockey player said. Had his abs always looked that good? Dang, those were some good abs. Stay focused, brain. Just get your stuff and get out; don’t get distracted by the man-candy. 

“Oh, we’re just moving my old stuff out of here,” Nicole said. 

“... Wait, Nick?”

“It’s Nicole, now.”

“Oh. Righteous! Good for you, girl! ‘She/her’ for your pronouns?” Curtis said, standing up and offering her a handshake. 

Nicole shrugged and shook his hand. “Yeah, actually. Thanks for asking.”

“So that’s an okay thing to ask?” Amy said. 

“Yeah, it’s common courtesy,” Curtis said. “Honestly, I think everyone should be specific with their pronouns, to prevent confusion and faux pas’.”

“I’m sorry, what now?” Amy asked. 

“What?”

“I just didn’t expect-”

“One of my moms is trans,” Curtis clarified. “She hatched when I was twelve.”

“Wait, you have two moms?” Nicole asked. “You never mentioned that before.”

“We didn’t talk much before,” Curtis said. “Honestly, I just figured you weren’t much of a partier, so you tried not to hang around too much. Which is fair. Still, good for you. Glad you’re living your best life. And, if I may, you look quite lovely as your true self.”

Perhaps it was the weed smoke, perhaps it was the fact that he was shirtless and buff, or perhaps it was the simple fact that someone else had done all the work for her for once, but a flustered giggle escaped Nicole’s mouth. “Thank you,” she said, running a hand through her hair and biting her lip. 

“I know you guys are moving stuff around, but you wanna hang out a bit?” Curtis said. “I’ve got plenty of weed if you wanna do some bong hits.”

Amy started, “I don’t know if we have time-”

“Sweet!” Aidan said, running over and grabbing the bong. He’d lit it and taken a hit before Amy or Nicole could say anything. 

“We’ll stay if you agree to help us move out in a few hours,” Nicole said. 

“Sounds good to me!” 

“Oh boy,” Amy said. 

Nicole had never smoked weed before. The most she’d ever gotten was a contact high. The actual experience was quite a bit different. Curtis walked her through how to light and use the bong, holding her hand while she took her hit, and the smoke drifted from her mouth to her lungs to her brain. Suddenly, everything was light and airy, all the stresses of her life hundreds of miles away. Now it was just her in a room with some bad music and two hot guys and a very, very hot girl next to her. And life was good. 

Amy took a hit as well, and started laughing profusely within seconds. She sat in between Nicole and Aidan, resting against Aidan’s shoulder and propping her feet on Nicole’s lap. 

“You ever notice how weird the inside of your own mouth feels with your tongue,” Amy said. “It’s like… A damp cavern.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right,” Nicole said, running her tongue along the roof of her mouth.

“It’s just like a-”

Nicole put a finger on Amy’s lips. “Gonna need you to stop there.”

Amy pouted. “Why?”

“Because it’s a little bit… A little…”

Amy sat up and leaned forward. “A little what?”

“A little inappropriate.”

Amy got in very, very close, her shoulders slumping and her eyes crestfallen. “Oh. Yeah, I guess it is. Sorry. I really need to work on boundaries.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Nicole said, petting her hair, hoping it would calm her down. 

All four of them took another hit, drifting closer and closer to a rapturous clarity. This was evidently a mistake, as it prompted Amy to lean even closer to Nicole and cup her face in her hands. Nicole blushed redder than the communist menace. 

“You’re so pretty,” Amy said.

Nicole gulped. 

“It’s not fair that you’re so pretty. You’re a boy- you’re not allowed to be this pretty.” 

Nicole’s eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched as a sensation akin to raw sewage flowing through her veins ran through her.

“Hey, not cool Amy,” Curtis said. “She’s a girl. She was always a girl.”

Amy stammered, “Oh yeah. Right, right. I’m sorry, I just… I just… I don’t know. I feel like anything I say will just sound like an excuse.”

“I mean it probably will,” Nicole said flatly, still glaring. 

And then Amy started crying, burying her head in Nicole’s shoulder. 

Maybe it was the weed, maybe it was the invasive questions she’d already gotten, or maybe it was just the fact that it was Amy, but a thin rod of patience in Nicole’s mind snapped. “Oh for- could you not do that?”

“Do what?” Amy sobbed.

“That! It’s really frustrating, because you say you feel bad but it feels like you need your guilty conscience soothed more than you care what I think, because you keep saying transphobic stuff and then getting all sad girl hours on me and making it about you! Stop it! Just stop it already, Amy! You’re making it hard to forgive you.”

Amy sniffed, still crying. “But you said… You said you already forgave me.”

“I lied!” Nicole spat. 

Amy pulled herself off of Nicole. “Oh. Okay. That’s fair. I wouldn’t forgive me either.”

Shame flushed through Nicole. She’d needed to get that off her chest, but this probably hadn’t been the right way to do it. “I… I…”

Anxiety impaled Nicole. She had no idea how to do this- people never apologized to her this much before, and people weren’t as openly hostile either. 

Maybe it was the weed, maybe it was week-old resentment, or maybe she was still reeling from her conversation with Zack. But she jumped up away from them and ran out of the room, into the pounding strobe lights of the party, through the maze of debauchery that was Ditko Hall, and out into the mid-afternoon sun. The world suddenly seemed very loud and very ugly, and she was just as ugly as the rest of it. She was supposed to forgive people when they apologized, that was what you did, that was what Jesus wanted, but it was just so gosh darned difficult, especially when people didn’t seem able to forgive themselves and especially when they expected her to provide all the absolution. She leaned against the brick wall of the building and slumped down, holding her head in her hands. 

“Hey,” Amy said, walking out of the building and towards Nicole as if the ground were a thin sheet of glass. “Are you okay?”

“No. I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean?”

Nicole breathed in deep, took her head out of her palms, and looked up at the sky. Wind pushed aside dark and heavy storm clouds, revealing clear blue. “You’re trying. I can tell. But you’re almost trying too hard? But when I say that I feel like a big jerk- like, how can you be trying too hard to be accepting? But I keep… I keep thinking about what you said before and what Zack said to me and all those questions Aidan was asking me and I just keep realizing how this isn’t gonna go away, how this is my life now, and if I want to be a girl then people are gonna keep interrogating me on it and I have to deal with it but at the same time it just sounds exhausting and I… I… I don’t know what to do.”

Amy licked her lips, then sat down next to Nicole. “Look, I… You were kind of right. Debbi can tell you all about this, but I have a habit of making other people’s problems about me. It’s… It’s not great. When I was kid, and she and my younger brothers were the only black kids in our school, it was up to me to protect them from the bullies. But I made that about me and how much I was struggling with that, not about the fact that they were dealing with racist assholes when that was the important part. And I… I probably need therapy, because everyone in my life has told me at some point what a narcissist I am.”

“I didn’t call you a-”

Amy raised an eyebrow. 

“... In so many words,” Nicole said. 

“Look, what I’m trying to say is… You don’t have to forgive me if you don’t want to.”

“But I do want to. It’s just… It’s just difficult. I didn’t have to deal with anything like this before. I was a straight white boy, or at least I thought I was. The most I had to deal with was the rich kids at my school making fun of me and my siblings because we could only go there because my mom worked there, and honestly, most of them left me alone once I made the basketball team. So I’m getting used to the fact that I now have to think about how to deal with bigots. And I don’t know what the rules are.”

“Are there rules?” Amy asked. 

“I… I dunno. I don’t know anything.”

Amy smiled. “Isn’t that the first step towards enlightenment? Admitting all the things you don’t know?”

Nicole smiled back. “Doesn’t that mean you should do that too?”

Amy giggled. “Okay, fine. I admit that I don’t know shit either. Happy?”

“It’s a start,” Nicole said. “Like I said, I want to… I want to forgive you. But at the same time, maybe you need to forgive yourself?”

“Doesn’t that mean you should do that too?” Amy said back. 

“For what?”

“I think… Maybe you feel like you let yourself down, and that’s what’s getting to you. Like you went through your whole life thinking you were one thing and when it turned out you weren’t it felt like you were betraying yourself.”

“That… That… Huh,” Nicole said. Her shield hummed next to her heart. “Yeah, especially at first, I did feel like that. You’re pretty smart sometimes.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Much like you telling me I’m pretty was a compliment?”

Amy snapped her fingers. “Exactly.”

“Also, I feel like I should tell you this: you’re not a bad person. You said some bad things, but you seem to wanna make it up to me and to yourself. And I do appreciate that you’re trying. And that you’re letting me live with you. That’s… Honestly, that’s incredibly cool of you. And… I wanna be your friend. ‘Cause hanging out with you is fun.”

“Thank you. I want to be your friend, too.”

“That said, I’ve gotta say it: your boyfriend’s an idiot.”

“Pfffttt, yeah, he is,” Amy said, scratching the back of her head. “He’s sweet though.”

“And very pretty.”

“VERY pretty.”

“Like me?” Nicole asked. 

“Yes,” Amy said, booping her nose. 

Nicole smiled. “Well this has been an interesting day. How long have we been here anyway?”

Amy looked at her phone. “Twenty-three minutes.”

“Blue Blazes. It felt like hours.”

“That’s the weed talking, sweetie.”

“Ah, yes,” Nicole said. “Of course. What time are we meeting everyone at the church?”

“Not until tonight.”

“Oh, good. The high should fade before then, right?”

“I don't know, probably. How much weed do you smoke?”

“Uh… I don’t.”

“Ah. Well, if you want to sober up quick, just transform- trust me, it sets you back to baseline instantly. I’ve used it to avoid being drunk around my parents at least twice.”

“At least twice?”

“There’ve been other times where it may have happened. I’m not sure. You know, because I was drunk.”

“Thhaatttt makes sense.”

“Wanna go back inside?” Amy asked. “Get this move on the move?”

“Sounds good.”

They went back inside and coaxed Aidan and Curtis away from the bong. They loaded everything in Nicole’s old room into four full-sized cardboard boxes and carted it off.

***

Cass arrived twenty minutes early for their meeting at Saint Joseph’s, the screams of the damned echoing in her mind and soul. A Prophet. She was a Prophet. And she’d had a vision of… Perhaps not the end, but of something, something that involved the five of them. And possibly some others as well. It had been all she was able to think about that whole day, and was the only thing on her mind as she approached the church. 

She was just in time to see Father Gonzalez walk out of an exterior entrance to the church basement, his hands covered in ashes. 

She watched him amble into the church’s main entrance, and once he was inside, she went up to the basement. Locked. She gave it a knock. On the other side, a bestial howl ruptured the evening silence. Cass’ eyes went wide as shock sparked through her. What the hell… 

She held up a hand and reached into the doorknob with her telekinesis, invisible digits thin as threads weaving through the tumblers and looking for the right combination of-

“Whatcha doin’?” a light, airy voice spoke from behind her. 

“Gah!” Cass jumped. She spun around, beginning to channel God’s power through her arms and into her heart, but found it was just Nicole and Amy. Amy wore a white turtleneck sweater and blue jeans and carried her brown shoulder bag, while Nicole wore light blue maxi dress and a white shawl and a golden cross necklace. And… Amy’s usual shade of dark red lipstick by the look of it. It looked good on her. Cass made a mental note to ask Amy if she could borrow some before collecting her thoughts. 

“Woah there,” Amy said. “Calm down, kiddo. It’s just us.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Cass said, placing a hand over her heart. 

“Is everything okay?” Nicole asked. 

Cass gestured for them to bend down and listen closely. As the setting sun draped them all in red and gold, Cass whispered, “I saw Father Gonzalez walking out of here with ash on his hands, and when I knocked on this door I heard someone screaming on the other side.”

“What the heck?” Nicole said. 

“That’s what I thought. I was gonna use my telekinesis to pick the lock.”

“Why not just ask him what’s going on?”

“Because there are traitors in our midst! What if he’s one of them? What if he’s possessed?”

“Well there are ways to check that, and we have a relatively simple workaround for it,” Amy pointed out. 

“And I recognize that, but I’d really like to know what’s on the other side of this door.”

“Okay,” Amy said. “Pick that lock.”

“I dunno about this,” Nicole said. 

“Oh, don’t be such a goody-two-shoes.”

“Why does everyone keep calling me that?” Nicole whined. 

“Gee, I wonder,” Amy said. 

Cass went back to work on the lock. The first tumbler clicked, then the second-

“Hey hey hey, what’s going on here?” a new voice said behind them.

Cass jumped and yelped, though not as loud as Nicole and Amy both did. They all spun around, fists glowing, only to find Heather and Debbi standing there with steaming Styrofoam cups of what smelled like herbal tea in hand. Heather was dressed like she’d just come from class, clad in a form-fitting pantsuit with no jacket and a top with no sleeves- she did like to show off the guns- while Debbi wore what appeared to be Heather’s black and white high school basketball jersey as a baggy dress over dark purple leggings. Cass did a brief double-take as she registered that; those two were so confusing. 

“God, don’t do that!” Amy snapped. 

“Didn’t we just do that?” Nicole asked. 

“Shut it,” Amy rolled her eyes. At least these two were predictable. 

Cass explained the situation again in a hushed tone. They all agreed that they should really see what was on the other side of the door. Cass managed to get all the way through the next tumbler before yet another female voice broke her concentration and made her and her friends all jump. 

Cass didn’t recognize the other person this time. She looked like she was the same age as Amy, with ringlets of chestnut brown hair and blue eyes and a healthy bronze tan. She wore a yellow sundress in spite of the cooling weather, no sleeves and a short skirt and an ample view of her cleavage. Her makeup was immaculate, her eyebrows thin and even, her teeth straight and white and perfect. “Hiiiiii!”

“Oh, uh, hello,” Heather said, clearly trying hard not to get distracted by the view. 

Cass hoped this would be one of those times she could just ignore the stranger until they went away. It only worked about half the time, but still, the odds weren’t necessarily bad. 

Neither Debbi nor Nicole seemed to recognize this girl either. 

Amy, however, winced with bitter recognition. “Winona.”

“Always a pleasure to see you, Ms. Donahue,” Winona said, with a smile that seemed too genuine to actually be genuine. “Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your friends?”

Amy grinded her teeth. “These are my little sisters Debbi and Cass, and our friends Nicole and Heather. Now please leave.”

“Awwww, but I wanted to talk to you!” Winona said. “We haven’t gotten to hang out in so long!”

“Yeahhh, you ever think there might be a reason for that?”

“No. Why?” Winona said with a head tilt. Then, her eyes turned over towards Nicole. “But if you’re not willing to talk to me, maybe your friend here will. Hi. I’m Winona. Are you Nicole or Heather?”

Nicole got very flustered very quickly. She was apparently having a similar problem as Heather presently was of keeping her jaw off the floor and an ‘awooga’ sound from coming out of her mouth. “N-Nicole. Nicole Nygaard.”

“Oooh, alliterative- just like me! The full name’s Winona White.”

“That’s, uh, a, um, really pretty name.”

“Thanks. So’s yours- it’s a superhero name,” Winona giggled. “Hey, you’re not one of those magical girls by any chance, are you?”

Nicole squeaked. 

“Kidding!” Winona laughed. “That was strictly jocular. But if you are a magical girl, well, then I’d have to tell you you’re both beautiful and heroic- that’s a heckuva combination.”

Nicole started giggling uncontrollably- oh dear. Oh sweet summer child , Cass thought. She’s really not used to this yet.

“So, cutie, are you doing anything this Friday?” Winona asked, taking a step towards Nicole, running a hand through her perfect hair, flashing those perfect teeth.

“Uhhh,” Nicole said, her queer little brain clearly short-circuiting. 

Amy put a hand between Nicole and Winona. “Back. Off. White.”

“Awww, why you gotta be like that?” Winona said, pouting. “I was asking an honest question.”

“She’s not interested,” Amy growled. 

“Then why don’t you let her say that? A girl oughta be able to speak for herself. You know all about that, dontcha Ames?”

“Don’t call me that. Only my boyfriend gets to call me that,” Amy hissed. 

“Fair enough. But my point still stands.”

Amy grunted, then moved out of the way. Cass watched the scene play out with a hand under her chin, wondering for not the first time if the gays were okay. 

Nicole gulped. “I, uh… I’m actually busy this Friday- I have a date with a guy on the hockey team. I’m flattered though-”

“What about Saturday then?” Winona asked. “I’m just saying, girl’s gotta keep her options open.”

“Sure!” Nicole said, eyes wide with happiness. “Let’s swap digits!”

“Let’s!” 

They exchanged phones, and Winona gave a wave and walked away, dancing in the setting sun. Once she was gone, Amy turned her disapproving glare over to Nicole. Oh boy , Cass thought. I haven’t seen that since I told her I bombed my SATs. 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Amy said. 

Cass went back to work on the lock, but kept listening. 

“You didn’t warn me, you just tried to block me,” Nicole said. “Why?”

“Because that girl is really entitled and possessive and GROSS.”

“Why, because she’s queer?” Nicole asked in monotone. 

Third tumbler. 

“No! Of course not!”

“Amy, you don’t have a great track record on these things- forgive me for not giving you the benefit of the doubt,” Nicole said. 

“Seconded,” Heather said. 

“Okay, fine,” Amy started, “Winona and I met during my freshman year. She got wicked, wicked into me very quickly and asked me out. I told her ‘no’ quite firmly, and she did not like that. She started harassing me, asking me out every time she saw me. It went on for an entire semester, and when I tried to tell people about it, they laughed at me. And then she managed to convince my boyfriend at the time that I was some kind of gay homophobe using him as a beard. He dumped me- on my birthday, no less. There? Are you happy?! That’s why you want nothing to do with this girl- she’s an entitled creep.”

Nicole and Heather both looked utterly mortified. 

Fourth tumbler. Cass’ wrist was starting to hurt, her fingers starting to throb. She’d been a high school sophomore when the whole Winona incident went down, recently transferred to a boarding school in Massachusetts, back when the team consisted only of herself and Amy. They’d always been willing to confide with each other on matters of the heart- Cass regarding her inability to keep a guy past the first date, or occasionally the first hookup, and Amy about guys her sister liked asking her out, and about the Winona incident. It had severely messed her up, mostly because she’d really liked the boy in question when Winona went about torpedoing the relationship. It had hurt enough that Amy had struggled to even mention the whole affair for years. But apparently, Winona still went to their school, meaning they had to deal with her in some capacity.

Fifth tumbler. God, her hand hurt. 

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” Nicole said. “I’ll blow off the date with her.”

“No, no, it’s fine. You do what you want- it’s possible she’s changed in the past few years. Just… Brings up a lot of bad memories.”

“That’s understandable,” Heather said. She flexed with her muscular arms and said with a faux-Brooklyn accent, “You want I should, uh, teach her a lesson?”

Cass chuckled, while the others laughed more audibly. 

“Also, you got a date with a hockey player?” Debbi asked, changing the subject. “Which one?”

“Curtis O’Hare,” Nicole said, her voice dripping with the poorly repressed lust of a devout Catholic. “My old roommate.”

“Niiiiiice!” Debbi said, a similar tone in her voice. Cass heard a high-five behind her. 

Heather started, “Light me a-”

“Oh, don’t you start,” Debbi cut her off. 

The lock finally clicked open. Cass’ hand throbbed with pain- she wasn’t used to more delicate applications of her telekinesis. Probably only able to manage that because all five of us are here, she thought. I wonder what else I can manage with the whole team present? I’ll have to run some tests- actually, we should all run some tests. 

“Okay,” Cass said. “Let’s take a peek inside.”

The door opened a crack, only to reveal someone on the inside tied to a chair with a bucket of water hanging over their head. And that someone was Bishop Marcus Roberts!

“Holy shit,” Debbi whispered. 

“We gotta help him,” Nicole said. 

“Abso-”

A sound poured out; a toilet flushing; a door opening; someone walking out into the main room of the basement. 

Cass closed the door and scampered away, the other girls following her. They cleared two blocks before they came to a halt. 

“Okay, so Father Gonzalez has the Bishop tied up in the Church basement,” Heather said. “That’s… Worrying.”

“You think he’s the Judas?” Debbi asked. 

“I mean, I doubt he was giving the Bishop a stern talking-to about trans rights,” Heather said. “No offense, Nicole.”

“None taken,” Nicole said. “We need to go confront the Father about this.”

“Confront the Father about what?” Father Gonzalez said. 

They all jumped, and they all screamed. 

“Father Gonzalez!” Debbi said. “What are you, what uh, how are you- why are you here?”

“I picked up some munchkins. Thought it would be a nice addition to tonight’s meeting,” he said, holding up a Dunkin’ Donuts box. “What’s going on?”

They all looked at Cass, clearly expecting her to take point. Granted, she had been taking point on this one already, but… Actually, no, that’s totally valid. I was the one being proactive. “Why are you keeping the Bishop tied up in the basement?”

Father Gonzalez sighed. “Could we maybe have this conversation back at the chapel?”

Reluctantly, Cass nodded. They went to the Church, where Father Gonzalez dunked his hand in the Holy Water and then explained the situation. They took a brief trip to the basement, and a splash of Holy Water on the Bishop’s face clarified things further.

Once that was done, they returned to the Church and Cass explained to Gonzalez what had happened towards the end of last night. He sat down in a front row pew, horror exploding on his aging face, hand over his mouth. Nicole sat down next to him, trying to size him up. Amy sat behind them both, ruminating with her fingers steepled together in front of her chin. Debbi and Heather sat before the altar, facing the rest of them, right next to each other. Cass was caught in the middle, pacing up and down the center. 

“How do we want to play this?” Heather finally asked. 

“I think the first thing we should ask is why you kept this from us, Father,” Nicole said. 

“Seconded,” Debbi said. 

“Very well,” Father Gonzalez said. “I was actually going to tell you about this tonight.”

“Well that’s certainly convenient,” Amy said. 

“I was, honestly,” Gonzalez said. “Again, I bought munchkins because I wanted to soften the blow. You have to believe me.”

“Okay,” Nicole smiled. 

“Nicole, no,” Amy and Debbi said simultaneously. 

“What? He told us the truth as soon as we found it- it’s not like he was keeping the Bishop in a remote location. It’s right below us, he had to have known we would’ve found it quickly,” Nicole said. She trusted Gonzalez implicitly, and Cass understood why, but the simple truth was that Cass had known the Bishop for far longer. Father Gonzalez had only been here a year and Cass wasn’t sure she could simply take him at his word the same way. 

“That said,” Nicole continued, turning towards the middle aged priest, “If nothing else, it’s cruel to leave him like that. I know the Bishop and I haven’t gotten along lately, but he’s tied to a chair being held prisoner in his own body. I just don’t know if I’m okay with that, Father.”

Gonzalez gave a small smile. “You have a kind heart, Mija- and a good point. I’ll admit, I’m wading out into the moral gray territory by doing this- it was why I wanted to loop you all in as soon as possible. But you have to understand- I did this for a reason. We are in combat with an enemy we don’t have a clear picture of- that demon can change that.”

“He’s gotta point,” Amy said. “I’ll admit, I don’t know the Geneva Convention’s stance on something like this, but how else are we gonna find out who our enemies are and make any progress?” 

“Maybe we should put it to a vote?” Debbi offered. 

“An excellent idea,” Gonzalez said. “You all know my stance on this matter, so I’ll abstain from casting a ballot. If you young ladies are not comfortable with what I’m doing, morally, I will acquiesce and we will exorcize this Cyrus tonight.”

“Cyrus?” Cass said. “That’s the demon’s name?”

“Yes. Or so he claims, at least. Why?”

“I’ve heard of him,” Cass said. “A demon I fought back in high school mentioned him. Said he was afraid of him.”

“Was I there for that one?” Amy asked, scrunching her brow 

“Yeah,” Cass said. “It was the time we fought a demon infesting a Confederate flag at a Civil War reenactment.”

“Oh yeah- that was a weird day.”

“So we’ve got a heavy hitter in the basement right now?” Heather asked. 

“Potentially. Demons do lie,” Cass said. 

“So then let’s vote,” Debbi said. “All in favor of keeping him prisoner until we can get him talking?”

Cass and Amy voted for keeping him hostage. Nicole and Heather voted against. 

“Deborah,” Gonzalez said, “Where do you stand? You need to break the tie.”

Debbi chewed on her lip as they all stared at her intently. Finally, she said. “I vote we keep him where he is. But I also wanna suggest a compromise: we hold him for one week. If we can’t get anything out of him by this time next Monday, we cut him loose. But we also need to take a more proactive approach- no more letting the bad guys come to us.”

“We could start nightly patrols again,” Cass suggested. 

Heather snapped her fingers. “Oh yeah, like we did last spring.”

“Or when I was flying solo,” Cass said. 

“Good idea!” Debbi said. “We start actively seeking out the enemy at night. And we will regroup in one week about this. All in favor?”

Everyone raised their hands, and they called it a night. 

Cass watched Debbi and Heather clear out of the church, and watched Amy and Nicole bickering with each other as they left. Finally, it was just Cass and Gonzalez.

“Something you wanted to talk about, Mija?” Father Gonzalez asked in Spanish. 

Cass reached her throbbing hand out and forced Gonzalez’s dagger from the leather scabbard on his hip. She held the knife in her hand, at the ready for Gonzalez. “Don’t ever make that kind of unilateral decision without consulting us- without consulting me- again,” Cass replied in Spanish.

“Si,” Gonzalez nodded, utterly unfazed. 

“I mean it, Father,” Cass said, handing the knife back to him. “I don’t want this to happen again. Something big is coming, and we can’t be going behind each other’s backs.”

Gonzalez nodded solemnly, as if he completely agreed that he’d dropped the ball and wanted to improve. Cass wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse. It didn’t matter- this could not happen again. No more going over her head, no more people who thought they knew best taking the decisions that were meant for her out of her hands. She was a Prophet, dammit- on these matters, she could sincerely say she knew best. 

She walked out of the church, and her friends were waiting for her. 

“Oh,” Cass said. “You guys are still here?”

“Yeah,” Debbi said, “Buddy system.”

“Come on, shorty,” Amy said. “Let’s all have a study party for an hour or two, then patrol for a while. Sound good?”

Cass cracked a smile in spite of herself, and she nodded, reassured by the fact that there were at least a few people she knew she could trust.   

[astaroth1357]

Hi can I request the boys reactions to coming back and seeing that MC has snucked into their beds

The Brothers Find the MC Asleep in Their Bed

This is that other bed request. Back to my fluffy content! Huzzah!! I was a fidgeting mess on that last one… If it wasn't in second person I probably would have never gotten through it… 🤦‍♀️😅 Amazing how distancing the pronoun "you" can be when you're writing: "Oh no, this ain't happening to me, it's gonna happen to you. I dunno what to tell ya." 🤷‍♀️ I give my props for this to one to my favorite jazz singers, Nicki Parrot, and her rendition of I Won't Last a Day Without You.

Intro:

If you're missing someone and, presumably, you have a fairly intimate relationship then something you can do is stay in their bed. Sure, your loved one’s body may not be next to yours but the familiarity can help soothe that aching heart… So when the brothers were away from the House for a few days, it wasn't totally unreasonable for the MC to sneak a night or two in their favorite demon's bed.

If only they had known said demon would come home early… 

Lucifer

It was a looong trip for him. Lucifer only goes up to the human world for business reasons and usually he has to bring Mammon to keep an eye on him, which he also swears ages him by a century each time he does… 

When he retired to his room that night he wasn't really looking to talk or interact with anyone, not his brothers and not even the MC. He just wanted to go to sleep…

He wasn't expecting to find his human curled up under his sheets, though. And without him there no less.

Had it been another day, he might have just woken them up and sent them away or slept somewhere else but that night, after the trip he had, he felt so… loved all of sudden...

His brothers never miss him when he leaves. They give him the usual welcoming rigmarole when he gets back, "Good to see you, how was the trip?" that kind of thing, but he can tell they're all disappointed that he's back to discipline them again…

But here was the MC, apparently wanting him back so much that they'd risk breaking into his room just to feel close to him again… It's honestly good he was the only conscious soul in the room because if anyone else had seen the look on his face, he'd have to start erasing some memories again.

He changed clothes quietly before getting into the bed himself, careful not to jostle them too much. Only once he was settled in, did he give them a tender kiss to their forehead and finally got a good night's sleep...

Mammon

Look, he never asks to be dragged along with Lucifer on his business trips! It's a pain in the ass for everyone involved so he was more than happy to be home...

So happy in fact, that he didn't think to check his bed before he went sailing into it face first…

When he didn't feel the cushion of his mattress below him, but what felt like muscle and bone, he screamed. Which caused the MC to shoot up from under his covers and scream right back at him.

The two dummies screamed at each other for about five seconds straight before it clicked that neither even knew what they were screaming about… 🙄

"MC?!? The hell are ya doin'?! This is my bed, ya know??"

Oh was he tickled pink when they told him they came there just 'cause they missed him so much… Of course they'd miss the Great Mammon! Anybody who got to spend that much time in his presence would eventually! And he had been missing them so much he could hardly see straight anyway...

"Geez, is that all? Well fine! You can stay the night, but only for tonight! … I mean, unless ya want to stay longer or somethin' crazy like that….. You want to, doncha?"

And that's how the MC ended up spending the next week in the arms of their first man… and getting a pretty good bruise on their shoulder too from Mammon's thick skull slamming into it.

Leviathan 

He was coming back from a three-day convention and boy was he tired… There's only so much excitement an introvert can withstand for that long without shutting down completely...

His first clue that something was a little off was his door. It was unlocked. Since he was positive he locked it before he left, he was already on edge... Mammon was in there stealing his stuff again, wasn’t he??

He had his demon form already out when he threw the door open, expecting to have to chase out a thief, but instead he found the MC's arm sticking out of his bathtub-bed.

Cue an incredibly flustered Levi. Did the MC really want to sleep with him? A yucky otaku?? Did they miss him that much?? For a brief moment, he hit cloud nine and beyond.

Levi was frozen in his doorway for a good five minutes, too afraid to walk in and possibly disturb them, before he finally tiptoed to have a look in the tub.

…. He may or may not have snapped a picture when he saw them snuggled against his Ruri-chan body pillow… So what if that's a little creepy??? You're creepy!!

There wasn't really a good way for him to squeeze in with them so he settled for pulling his computer chair over and taking their outstretched hand in his own...

He stayed like that all night until the MC woke up to find him passed out next to them, head rolled back in the chair but still holding their hand with laced fingers...

Satan

He hates going to the human world with Lucifer, even though he acknowledges that he's better behaved than the others for it. That doesn't change the fact that he'd much rather be back in his room with a good book...

He just wasn't expecting the MC to share his sentiments so… identically?

After his trip to Paris with Lucifer, Satan dragged his bags back into his room and expected to at least get another hour of reading in before his mind finally caught up with his body… But to his surprise, his bed was already occupied.

The MC was half-under his covers with their head wedged into the corner of the wall above his pillows, sound asleep… A stray book sat by their hand, one of his favorites too judging by the cover.

He felt the warmth of a chuckle escape his chest… How many times had he woken up in that exact same position? It was almost like they missed him so badly they tried to be him for a while... It was all too cute for words…

He put aside getting some sleep just long enough to take care of his MC, gently moving their body back under the covers and setting the book onto one of the endless stacks that surrounded his bed.

Only once he had them placed into a more comfortable position did he change his clothes and take the spot in the bed next to them…

The MC woke up very much not how they fell asleep… but trading out a good book in their hand for a warm bookworm against their body wasn't a bad deal now, was it?

Asmodeus 

He was on one of those long self-care retreats and though, yes, it was a good time he really needed a good nap after such a long trip… He was even considering shortening his nightly routine for once.

When he came into his room, he was ready to just faceplant into his pillows until he spied MC's head poking out from under his covers…

He squealed, but not out of anger or fright. No, no. He felt nothing but Pure. Joy. His heart was soaring and he could have sang, he was just that happy!

His human missed him so much that they just needed to wrap themselves up under his covers?? Well, of course they would wouldn't they? There's no good substitute for Asmo and he knows it.

His literal shriek made the MC shoot out of his bed and try to apologize but he just tackled them back down, wrapping his arms around them in a vice grip of adoration. He was not letting them back down now. It was cuddle time!

In truth, their sudden appearance shocked Asmo awake for about another hour, which he spent snuggled up to his MC and babbling about his trip. He did eventually lose steam though, falling asleep soundly with his head snuggled into the crook of their neck.

The lovey mood was dampened slightly when he woke up and realized he hadn't done any of his routine the night before, but since the MC was still resting in his arms he decided that, just this once, he didn't need to rush it...

Beelzebub 

Beel's team had just come back from a long tournament trip and, for the first time ever, he could say that he was more tired than he was hungry…

Belphie was really happy to have his twin back, but this time he was kind of ignoring his brother's excitement as his mind zoned in on his bed… He almost didn't notice the MC was even in there until he pulled back the covers to climb in himself. 

His poor sleep-deprived mind had to take a minute to catch up… This was his bed wasn't it...? 😰

"Beel? Is that MC?" "... I think so?" "Why are they in your bed?" "I don't know… Maybe they just wanted to sleep here?" "... Uh-huh. Hey, Beel, I know you're tired. How about you just take my bed instead since it's free? I'll take yours tonight."

Since he was so exhausted, Beel almost considered the offer until he noticed the resentful pout on Belphie's face... Oh. Right. The MC probably wanted to sleep with him. That meant they must have missed him… That thought alone gave Beel a warm, fuzzy feeling like he'd just taken a giant gulp of hot cocoa and he just couldn't help his groggy smile.

"No… This is fine." "But-" "I don't mind, Belphie. Goodnight."

He didn't give his jealous twin any more room to argue before he climbed into bed next to the MC, nestling them close to his chest as if he was welcoming them home instead. And in his last moments of consciousness, Beel promised himself that they'd wake up just like this too…

Belphegor 

Belphie tends to hate trips about as much as Levi, especially ones where Beel or the MC can't come along... Too much hassle and all his brothers make so much noise…

When he finally got back from the trip Lucifer dragged him into, he only had one thing on his mind. Sleep. His bed was calling to him, that's where he needed to be… and the MC too, apparently?

He was honestly a little caught off guard to find the MC in his bed... The attic bed? Sure. That was their cuddle space and it was practically sacred ground at that point. But the bed in the room he shared with Beel...? They didn't stay there very often…

Which meant they weren't in his bed just because they wanted to sleep. They wanted him… Had they been awake he might have had something smug to say, but without any audience to save face to he just felt somewhat honored…

There wasn't a day that went by where Belphie didn't regret the things he'd done to them, even during the quiet moments where they assured him that they'd forgiven him for it... Seeing them there in his actual bed proved something, they chose him. No one else. 

He didn't think twice about crawling under there next to them, he even got into his usual position by their side on instinct. But this time, for a minute or two, he just watched their sleeping form peacefully and counted himself lucky to even be there…

When the MC woke up to Belphegor wrapped around them, an adoring smile nuzzled into their neck, and they just had to wonder if the mere act of sleeping alone was all they’d ever need to summon their demon home...

[asterlark]

ok. samwell college of music au. i wrote all four years let's go babey

eric bittle is this lovely southern tenor (sounds kinda like mitch grassi or ben j pierce) who posts covers (& sometimes originals, but always with neutral or no pronouns because he can't post anything that says he or him ☹) on his youtube channel and has major stage fright but is very talented; he also plays ukulele

he got into samwell college of music on a voice scholarship and his dad doesn’t exactly approve but eric was never the 6′2″ masculine football player he wanted anyway so why not go for his dreams

he auditions for the very competitive samwell men’s contemporary chorus (there’s like 20 choirs; chamber choir, jazz choir, a cappella groups (lax bros do a cappella), combined choirs, etc- smcc does contemporary pop/rock music) and while he’s very very nervous and shaky as he auditions, directors hall & murray see a lot of potential in him (with major grumbling from student director jack)

(the rest of this ridiculously long au under the cut)

the group is small, for a chorus, because the point of the group is not a wall of sound but a focus on all of the very talented guys’ voices coming together in these gorgeous harmonies and basically they’re like one of the best choruses on campus and all the male singers want in

so there’s jack zimmermann, who of course eric knows because everyone knows who he is, he’s the son of bob and alicia zimmermann, both incredibly talented and famous musicians, and basically those genes were in his favor because he’s mega fucking talented

(jack was supposed to sign a recording contract to be in a band with his best friend kent parson when he was 17 but something happened between them and the pressure was too much and jack overdosed on something- there’s so many rumors no one knows what’s real- and kent signed solo in LA & went on to win grammys for his albums about a mysterious ex and jack disappeared for a few years to be a counselor at a music camp and reappears at samwell, knocking everyone’s socks off again like he’d never left, except with a renewed vigor and intenseness that freaks everyone out)

jack is a contemporary writing & production major, freaky talented and sings like a modern day frank sinatra, and he plays like 20 instruments and can read music like breathing air and writes songs like if he stopped he’d die; his music is folksy and mournful and he plays all the instruments on his tracks himself- guitar, piano, strings, drums- it sounds like a full band but nope. just jack. he’s intense

“we all get nicknames in this choir,” justin informs eric on his first day, “we’re those kinda guys.” so he’s bitty, which he finds vaguely offensive (bc he’s not that short!) but still cute, & the rest of the group is introduced to him:

“shitty” knight (voice like colyer) is a musical education major and an enigma of a singer with this awesome, earthy, raspy voice that’s really interesting to listen to and a very.... unique style & look; he writes cheesy but shockingly good raps about social justice topics and he will sing-lecture you if you’ve said something offensive (he also plays banjo)

justin “ransom” oluransi is a music business & management major with an angelic voice you can’t help but listen to; he’s sultry and has an incredible range and does runs like nobody’s business (with a voice like daniel caesar or leslie odom jr UGH)

adam “holster” birkholtz is a voice performance major, wants to be on broadway and it’s all he ever goddamn talks about basically, he’s a belter and has a lot of charisma and starpower and he’ll charm the pants off of you within one note; can also play piano and irritates everyone constantly because his regular volume is like a level 11 (voice like the frontman of my brothers and i combined w/ x ambassadors lead singer)

larissa “lardo” duan is at the local art institute because performing arts is not her jam and she’d much rather paint; she’s a barista at annie’s and supervises open mic nights and keeps the annoying choir dudes from driving away all her patrons

“i’m not even in your dumbass choir,” she says when the group gave her her nickname. holster just told her that she was an honorary member and then started sing-shouting a song at her about how good she is

bitty’s first year is hard because he’s talented and he works hard but he shies away when anyone asks him to sing outside the group and like, he can sing to a camera by himself but being on a stage with everyone looking at you and the sole responsibility of the song on your shoulders is terrifying and no thanks

jack does not. understand this. he’s been performing practically since he came out of the womb and he doesn’t really get performance nerves (what he gets is anxiety about how he did after he gets off stage that follows him home and makes it so he can’t sleep) - so he bothers bitty about it constantly like “you just need practice, you just have to sing by yourself a lot and then you’ll get over it” which like.... that’s true but it’s also hella scary and bitty’s like “no thanks!!!!”

but jack’s annoying and intense so he makes bitty do open mic with him every saturday night and it’s going okay and bitty loves his choir and loves his school and these new friends he’s making and he finally feels comfortable enough to come out to them during his second term

then during their spring choral showcase at the end of his freshman year bitty has a solo and he’s worked really hard on it and he’s feeling good- okay he’s completely freaked out but he’s trying to feel good- but when he gets up on stage there’s so many people and the stage lights are so hot on his face and he flips out a little and maybe he passes out from anxiety and stress right on stage and it’s terrible and he’s so embarrassed and ashamed that he ruined their set at the showcase

of course jack blames himself because “we shouldn’t have given you a solo before you were ready, i misjudged it, i’m sorry” - and they all feel kinda bad bc holy fuck they didn’t know his stage fright was that bad like they didn’t know someone could pass out just by being anxious to sing

he practices all the time over the summer and goes to his local open mic at jack’s insistence and it actually helps a lot because instead of a sea of strangers judging him it’s a bunch of people he knows and they’re all smiling at him and when he finishes his song they cheer for him and it boosts his self-confidence a lot

his sophomore year they have three new members- chris ”chowder” chow (voice like ieuan), an excitable music education major with impressive rapping skills, derek "nursey" nurse (frank ocean or leon bridges type), a songwriting major who can also play violin and guitar, and will ”dex” poindexter (like tom west), a production & engineering major who tried out with chowder bc he needed moral support and didn't expect to get in but impressed the directors with his voice

the year’s going pretty good, bitty’s still pretty scared of singing alone but more confident now and the open mic nights with jack haven’t stopped, so he’s getting better. and one night they’re hanging out at annie’s after closing waiting for lardo to be done so they can walk her home, and bitty suggests that jack sing with him one of these nights, and jack says he doesn’t know any of bitty’s songs and bitty says they can write one together half jokingly but then jack is like “yes.” with that Intense Look

SO they get together a couple days later in jack’s room at the house they all live in together (bitty moved in at the beginning of the year after previous smcc member john johnson called him- how’d he get his number?- and told him he could take his room if he wanted), jack with his guitar and bitty with his ukulele, and it’s a little awkward until bitty says jack should play him one of his songs

and, okay, he doesn’t really know what to expect because the only music jack ever released to the public was that one single he did with kent parson when they were 17 so bitty doesn’t even know if he has anything to play him, but he does- he starts playing these soft, sad notes on the guitar and opens his mouth and sings about being lonely and scared and unsure, about false starts and shaky ground and not knowing where you stand with someone, about expectations and lying awake at night and wishing so hard you were someone else, and bitty watches him sing and just kind of... realizes he’s head over heels for this boy and internally Freaks Out a little

he tries to put that aside and they start to write this song, at first it’s weird because jack’s like “all your songs are love songs i can’t really relate to happy love songs” and bitty’s like “listen... i’ve never even had a boyfriend i just write a bunch of sappy love stuff because it’s not about me it’s about whoever’s listening to it, they’re gonna project their own experiences on my music anyway so it doesn’t matter if it’s my real life or not” and jack’s like “alright while fake af that’s smart and i respect you” (what bitty doesn't say is that he writes about what he really wants which is to fall in love & be in a happy relationship)

they say they’re just gonna write this kinda vague sad song but they both secretly write lines about their actual lives so it ends up being really personal and real and raw for the both of them

they sing the song at open mic that saturday and the crowd at annie’s is never that big but they’ve never got a standing ovation here before, and some girl shouts “MAKE AN ALBUM” (it may or may not be lardo) and they both blush furiously and bitty’s like “... that was really nice, jack” and jack’s like “... yeah it was good good job you’re really getting some confidence out there nice work” (bitty: “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT AAAAH”)

around this time jack’s really thinking about what he’s gonna do when he’s done at samwell, talking with his parents and his agent and looking into different record companies and deciding if he wants to sign with anyone or possibly start his own company- the head of a small company called falcon records in rhode island has been talking to him a lot, and jack talks to bitty about how he thinks it’d be nice to start small, and the record exec georgia and the producer marty had both been really nice and welcoming, and bitty’s so happy for him but also just... sad that he won’t be around jack every day after he graduates

THEN at a haus party celebrating their win of a local choral competition, who shows up but none other than pop star kent parson to Ruin The Fun

bitty sees the way jack pales when kent walks in, notices them disappear upstairs together and feels a little sick worrying about jack but chalks it up to the highly alcoholic concoction shitty and lardo had cooked up but nonetheless decides he’s sick of the party and goes up to his room and hears.... a little too much

and YIKES he’s standing right there and kent parson, pop star, two-time grammy winner, is looking a little rumpled and staring right at him and he puts his hat on and clears his throat and snaps at jack- “hey. well. call me if you reconsider. but good luck with rhode island. ...i’m sure that’ll make your parents proud.” and jack’s shaking, and bitty doesn’t know what to do but jack goes back into his room and bitty’s just kind of standing there like What The Fuck

so.... he kind of stews over winter break but tries not to think about it too much and he and jack text a bit and jack tells him to practice and bitty’s like “oh, you” and jack’s like “im serious” and bitty’s like “>:( it’s christmas”

spring semester starts and they're doing well in competitions and they go to semifinals and then finals for a prestigious collegiate choir competition and the pressure is mounting but they all are so optimistic and really feel like they're on the same page and bitty’s confidence is better than ever and then.... they don't win

jack especially takes it very hard, but then he also has signing to worry about, which everyone helps him with and he decides to sign with falcon records and start work on an album after graduation

speaking of graduation, shitty and jack graduate and it's hard for them but harder for bitty who feels like he's losing jack in a way, he knows how intense jack gets when he's making music and it doesn't feel like he'll have any time for bitty anymore so when they say goodbye bitty goes back to the haus and listens to his and jack's song and just cries

but, like in canon, dadbob has words of wisdom to impart and jack has an "oh" moment and races across campus to kiss bitty

they get together and the next few months are spent with jack working nonstop on his album (which tbh, he'd had many of the songs written already so it's mostly recording and producing) and texting bitty constantly and coming to visit him and playing him demos of all the songs

jack also asks bitty if they can record the song they wrote together & have it as a bonus track on his album & bitty says of course, so when jack visits they set up an impromptu studio and record vocals in the guest bedroom and this deeply personal song they wrote before they were ever together means so much more to them now

and bitty is so happy but so scared and sad too because jack is playing him these songs telling him "they're all for you bits, & a lot of them are about you" and he just doesn't know how he's going to keep all this love inside even though it feels like jack's career is at stake

he tries to shove it down and stay strong though, especially since he's now an upperclassman and they're taking on new members- connor "whiskey" whisk (voice like finneas or the male singer in valley), a music business/ management major who seems to hate bitty's guts and tony "tango" tangredi (like chaz cardigan), a jazz composition major who astounds everybody with his endless questions but also his ridiculously impressive composition skills & naturally perfect pitch (he can also play saxophone??)

i want ford in this au so fuck it she is a composition major with dreams to write scores for musicals and she stars training as a barista at annie's (aka training to corral the smcc)

the pressure of it all proves to be a lot and bitty and jack have their hi, honey moment where bitty's like i can't be this deep in the closet!!! and so they tell the smcc and also jack's label that they're together and that eases things a bit

jack's album comes out to much critical acclaim and shouting in the groupchat ("#1 ON ITUNES BRAHHHHH!!!!!!!!") and several months later, when smcc has already been eliminated from choral competition in an earlier round, jack is nominated for SEVERAL grammys including best album, song of the year, and best new artist

when the time comes he takes his parents and bitty on the red carpet which, everyone keeps being like "who are you here with jack?" and he's like "my family and my good friend :)" and yes it is awkward

jack wins... all three awards. it's the comeback everyone is stoked to see and when his third win is announced, he and bitty are so elated that they kiss before he goes to accept the award

his speech is basically just "um... wow. thank you. i just kissed my boyfriend on live tv. this is amazing and i'm so humbled. i'd like to thank my boyfriend and georgia and marty and my parents and my friends and my boyfriend"

obviously the press has a FIELD DAY with this but bitty & jack are honestly vibing and so happy that it doesn't matter untiiiillll bitty's mom calls and he has to tell her "mama i'm gay and i'm going on tour with jack this summer okloveyoubye"

the last few months of bitty's junior year pass quickly and he's voted student director which is a huge honor considering how much he struggled with stage fright and confidence & how he'll now be stepping into ransom & holster's shoes

r&h and lardo all graduate (the smcc basically crashes the art school graduation and all scream when lardo gets her diploma lmao), which is a bittersweet occasion and they all do a bit of tearing up

that summer bitty goes on tour across the u.s. & canada with jack and his touring band (snowy is a bassist, tater is a drummer and poots does backing guitar, he also brings nursey to play violin on a few songs) as well as georgia who's there to manage logistics

and tour is so fun & chaotic with many bi and rainbow flags in the audience that end up thrown on stage and draped around jack's neck and they spend so many nights in the bus drinking and laughing and fooling around on the guitars and bitty's uke and exploring new cities bitty has never been to before and it's the freest bitty has felt in a long time

summer ends though, and jack leaves for the uk/europe leg of the tour, and with the new school year brings a few new members- river "bully" bullard (voice like gregory alan isakov), a music therapy major who draws his own cover art for his songs, lukas "louis" landmann (like jr jr), an electronic production and design major with a penchant for EDM, and johnathan "hops" hopper (like keiynan lonsdale), a film scoring major who wants to write music for movies and video games

bitty meets and befriends some of the other student directors- shruti, sd of the women’s contemporary chorus; sharon, sd of the chamber choir; and edgar, sd of jazz ensemble (even chad l., sd of the all-male a cappella group)

senior year passes similarly to the comic; coach visits and sees one of bitty’s competitions, jack comes to madison for christmas, smcc does well in competition and goes to regionals etc

however… bitty keeps putting off and putting off gathering the songs for his senior recital

he has a hard time doing that because he’s so focused on the group and making sure they’re performing well and as they advance in competition, everything else starts to fall away

eventually the rest of the smcc has to lock away his uke and change his youtube password and FORCE him to choose songs for it and start preparing because he cannot graduate without doing this recital and doing well on it

he chooses (of course) a beyonce song, a few of his own songs, an ellie goulding song, and an adele song

with all that his breath hitches and his hands shake before he goes on stage, he does really well and his voice instructor prof atley tears up a little in the audience as does his mom

meanwhile smcc goes to semifinals, then finals, of the national collegiate choral competition they participate in

and i imagine bitty faces somewhat less homophobia in this au because i mean, he’s in the performing arts, but i think it’s still there and he also faces a good amount of classism from richer students and performers who think they’re better because they had the resources and money to be performing professionally from a very young age, and he has been practicing via filming himself on a shitty camcorder and posting it to youtube

but they still get there! and the national finals are fucking HUGE and a big deal and a little overwhelming

bitty’s stage fright is Present because this is the biggest stage and the biggest stakes he's ever had and he has a big solo in one of their songs so if he fucks up, he fucks up a national championship for his whole group and school

luckily though, when he steps on the stage with his best friends and sees his boyfriend and family and smcc alums in the audience and they perform their first song, a high-energy pop medley that always gets the crowd going, everything seems to melt away and it's just him living in this moment and singing his heart out

when it gets to the next song and his solo, he forgets to be nervous and belts it out, getting screams of approval from the audience when he finishes

(dex and nursey do have a duet together that they had to practice for many long nights in the practice rooms alone but that's neither here nor there)

their time on stage seems to last both hours and no time at all and then they're done, the crowd gives them a standing ovation and it's at least 30% r&h & shitty's hooting and hollering and jack's enthusiastic clapping that makes bitty & the others beam with pride

then it's just waiting, giddy and nervous beyond belief in their green room, for the judging to be over

after what feels like forever they're back on stage, arms linked together waiting and hoping for their name to be called and it is, they win and it feels like years have built up to this moment, and bitty tears up because years ago when he was fainting from anxiety at having to perform in front of people he never could've imagined that he'd do this, that he'd be the student director that led them to a championship

they get the trophy and a ridiculous amount of flowers from their loved ones and they all are just in giddy disbelief that this is happening, they're national champs!!! they are the best choir boys in the nation!!

they come home and the rest of the school year passes by so quickly that it's very suddenly graduation and bitty can't believe his college career at samwell is over 😢

(he and ollie and wicky take pictures together, o&w talk about how excited they are to devote full time attention to their band & wedding planning and bitty's just like wait you're gay??)

bitty got plenty of offers from record companies but he likes his freedom of creativity and he has a built in fanbase from doing youtube all these years so he decides to make an album independently (jack helps him produce & master it 🥰)

when bitty's album comes out about a year later, full of bops about being gay and in love and having struggled but come out the other side more confident than ever, it doesn't get any grammy nominations- and he didn't expect or need that.

what it does do is it resonates. it makes the rounds in youtube and queer internet circles; people his age reach out to him saying this is the music they wish they had as a kid and kids reach out to him saying he's a role model and they're so glad to have his music to listen to. his album is written about as an underrated gem that shines with queer brilliance and is sure to start a party when it comes on.

his parents may not fully understand the road he's chosen for himself but they're still so proud and promote the album as hard as any of his loyal fans (especially the one country-inspired song on the album that he wrote and dedicated to them).

and jack, jack who saw this album from its infancy to its release date, who took the film photo that ended up being the album cover, who worked with bitty to make sure his vision was realized exactly how he wanted it to be, is proud beyond words.

jack starts using his semi-abandoned twitter again to tweet "stream [album name]" every day and bitty retweets them sometimes, with just a "this boy. ❤"

and they're happy. they're good. they have come so far and they are reaping the rewards of all the hard work they put in to make the music that they truly love.

the end :)

[cordria]

Twin Cores - DP

Saw this headcanon on Tumblr… awhile ago? It stuck with me, and I ended up writing this, and now I can’t find it to give the person proper credit. Lemme know if anyone recognizes this idea and knows who came up with it. (heart) 

Was gonna do this idea for the Big Bang thing, but I forgot all about signing up. ;) Wonders. So I’ll just post it and come up with new ideas.

~2,700 words. 

--

Danny floated high above the clouds, up where the air was thin and cold and the stars sparkled brightly overhead. It was terribly late, and Danny knew he’d be paying for this at school tomorrow, but this was always the best part of his week. He couldn’t come up here all the time, but when he cound, he always found himself relaxing. Hands behind his head, he floated on his back, studying the stars.

He let out a breath through his lips and brought a hand forwards to massage his chest, closing his eyes. Yesterday had not been good day. An accident with some of his parents’ technology had completely ruined his day. For reasons Danny didn’t understand, his chest had felt overly full since. Almost like he needed to cough up something - which couldn’t be, because his ghost form didn’t have any real lungs to cough with. 

With a groan, Danny stretched and rolled his body through a bunch of sharp loop-the-loops and twists, hoping maybe he could work out the kink. Nothing. Hopefully it wouldn’t prevent him from getting a good night’s rest. He was exhausted.

He floated for a few minutes longer, watching the sky and hoping for a meteor or two, slowly turning the overfull feeling over in his mind. He pushed and prodded at the odd sensation, trying to come up with what in the world it could be. 

It had to relate to his parents’ invention. Unfortunately, the day was a fuzzy blur in Danny’s memory and if something in particular had happened to him, he wouldn’t be able to remember it on his own. All he could do on his own was a vague understanding of what had happened.

Getting zapped with one of the newer devices yesterday had resulted in Danny getting split - again. His ghost half had fallen captive to the hero-like obsession of his core, and had gone on a hero-spree. A memory of rescuing a cat from a tree in a very overblown, comic-like way surfaced and Danny buried his face in his hands, embarrassed for himself. “Ugh, I hope nobody videoed that. Or anything else,” he muttered.

His human half had wandered aimlessly through the day, not knowing what to do with no driving force behind everything he did. Vague memories of eating pizza and not noticing the ghost haunting the place next door until Sam pointed it out filtered through the shadows. 

From what he remembered, it hadn’t been a horrible sort of day for either half of him. His ghost half had been allowed to play with his obsession all day and his human half had gotten to just be… human. But he’d been split for much longer than ever before; Tucker and Sam were unable to work through how the strange invention worked. 

Danny didn’t remember being much help with the endeavour. In fact, he sort of remembered his human half stealing the device, passing it to his ghost half, and the thing getting placed on top of the school for the afternoon. Jazz finally got it using some of the newer modifications to the Fenton’s vehicle that allowed it to fly. 

By the time the three of them figured out how to reverse the effects, it was late in the evening on the second day - more than 36 hours since being split. Phantom had started to turn more and more ghost, losing more of his humanity each hour, delving deeper and deeper into this hero obsession. His eyes had turned more ghostly, teeth sharpening, fingers turning into claws. Even a cape had started to mist into view.

Danny slowly ran his tongue over his teeth - they were still a bit too sharp - and pulled his hands far enough away from his face to glance at his fingers. They weren’t claws, not like many ghosts had, but… his fingers no longer really looked human. The changes that had happened to his ghost form the last two days appeared to be permanent, even now that they were rejoined back together.

Danny… didn’t want to think about that. Not yet.

And his human half had started to go through changes as well. Danny vaguely remembered - towards the end of the escapade, when he’d convinced himself that he didn’t want to be rejoined with Phantom - trying to avoid everyone and ending up in a tree, floating in a very inhuman way. His totally human form regaining some of its ghost powers.

Danny mentally poked at the odd, full sensation in his chest again. Perhaps it was that his ghost powers had grown while he was separated. Phantom hadn’t been exactly a half-a-ghost when they’d been slammed back together. And Danny had been just a bit of ghost too. Perhaps now he was somehow 60% ghost and 50% human… and his body was trying to adjust to being too much ghost. 

His mind poked at the sensation in his chest just a bit too hard. Danny slammed his eyes shut tight as he felt the sensation of transformation travel through him - lightning sharp and aching into his phantom bones. Panic set in a second later. He couldn’t transform up here - there wasn’t enough oxygen for his human form to breathe. He’d pass out and fall to his death. 

He gasped and threw his arms out, instinctively trying to grab something even though he was on the edge of the atmosphere, as the transformation arced through his arms and legs. He kept his eyes closed as he fumbled for his ghost side. He needed to transform back fast. His human side would already be aching to breathe, desperate for oxygen after the last hour of being in ghost form.

But his ghost side… was… 

Danny opened his eyes as he realized he wasn’t falling. As he realized his ghost form wasn’t something to grab for, because he was still a ghost.

“But…” he whispered, startled and confused. He’d felt himself transform. There was no mistaking the sensation that had swept through him. He looked around, almost as if the answer would be written in the air next to him.

Then the stars caught his gaze. He froze, mouth falling open, as he stared up at the sky. There were more stars than before, the whole sky alight with points of light. And he knew them - with each star he focused his eyes on, he knew what that star was. How far away it was, what it’s name was, what kind of star it was… 

Delight sparkled inside him as he let his gaze drift across the heavens. Stars he didn’t even know existed seemed to soak into his skin, whispering all their secrets in his ears. “How…?” he breathed, twisting around and around and looking everywhere he could. “Why?”

His gaze snagged on the moon, crescent-shaped and gleaming. He almost felt like he was drowning in it’s glow, feeling everything about it. The ice hiding in its craters. The human-built machinery peppering its surface. The soft warmth still coiling in its dying core. He could just… go there. He could be there in about three seconds. He could just…

He threw up a hand, blocking the moon’s glow, blinking hard and pushing the thoughts out of his mind. “Holy shit,” he whispered, breathing hard, focusing on Earth, on human thoughts, on normalcy. “What is this?”

Then he saw his hand, thin fingers topped with sharp claws, glove missing. His forehead furrowed as he realized both his gloves were gone, as was the logo on his chest, and the white belt around his waist. A black shirt and black pants. His boots looked like his normal shoes, just moon-lit white. Actually, minus the claws and some color changes, he looked… like he had yesterday. “Uh… What is going on with me?” 

He could feel the pull of the stars overhead. He knew he could just lean back, put his arms behind his head, and float there, watching the sky forever. Just revel in space for all time. Instead, he kept his gaze down towards the tops of the clouds. 

At least the first step of what he should do now was clear. Whenever he was dealing with anything out of the ordinary, Sam and Tucker knew what to say. They’d help. He’d go home, grab his phone, and call them. 

Danny flew towards Amity Park-

-and suddenly drew to a stop. He twisted around, eyes wide, realizing that he’d somehow overshot his home by a dozen miles or more. “What the fuck?” he said. He’d only been flying for a moment - how was he all the way over here? “I…”

He licked his lips and tried again. He set his gaze on Amity Park and flew-

-right past Amity Park again. It was an eyeblink of time between one side of the city and the other. Danny hung in the air, confused and slightly annoyed. “What is going on?” he said. A new power, obviously - but one that had unfortunate timing. His fingers curled, the claws digging uncomfortably into his palms. “This is what I get for leaving my phone behind,” he groused. The phone wouldn’t have done well in the thin, cold atmosphere. Even if he’d have brought it with, there was no guarantee it would have still been working. 

“Are all my powers wonky?” Danny asked, raising his hand and pushing energy into his hand. Instead of a steady, gas-like glow, the energy sparkled and hissed, like he was holding onto an exploding firework. “Odd.”

His powers were working differently, so it was time to try using them differently. Time to change tactics. Instead of focusing on a direction, Danny focused his mind on a destination. He closed his eyes, picturing where exactly he wanted to end up. Opening his eyes and taking a deep breath, he tried to fly as slowly as possible.

The world seemed to blur and twist, glowing uncomfortably bright for the fraction of a second Danny allowed himself to be in motion. When the world settled back into place, Danny found himself hovering about ten feet off the ground, within the city of Amiry Park, only about a half-mile from his house. “That worked a lot better,” he said, rather pleased with himself.

Instead of chancing another attempt at flying, Danny figured he’d turn himself human. A ten foot drop wouldn’t be too bad, and he could walk home. It would be the least-tricky way to get home. He took a moment to worry that this new power would prevent him from turning human as easily as normal, but then slammed that idea shut and closed his eyes. 

Danny pushed his ghost form away, pulling at that warm and heavy feeling in his mind. There was a sparkling sensation in his mind, then the sharp pain that came with turning himself human again. He dropped, landing lightly on his toes, breathing a heavy sigh of relief that at least this was still normal. He bounced a few times, testing out a few basic powers - invisibility seemed to work like normal, as did phasing through things. He didn’t try floating, for fear of accidentally ending up two towns over and two hundred feet above the ground in human form.

He walked home, rubbing his chest at that strange, too-full sensation, and snuck in the back door. Despite the fact that all the lights were out, he kept himself invisible to avoid his parents. It was so far past curfew that Danny didn’t even want to think about the trouble he’d be in if they realized he was still out. 

His bedroom door was still locked. Danny phased through it, flipped on the lights, and dumped himself into his bed. “Ugh,” he groaned, feeling the drain of the last two days on his body. He glanced over at the clock. Just before two in the morning. Part of him wanted to just curl up in his bed and fall asleep, try to get a few hours of sleep before tackling school tomorrow. But too much of him had a tight ball of anxious curiosity.

He groaned as he rolled out of bed and stepped in front of his mirror. He looked awful. Dark rings under his eyes and a horrible, pale tone to his skin. He looked half dead. “On the positive side, nobody will question it if I want to stay home sick tomorrow,” he muttered. He shuddered and shifted his weight, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then triggered the transformation.

His ghost form spread like lightning across his skin, slammed through his head, and settled into his chest like a cold ball of fire. He squeaked one eye open just a touch, not sure of what he was going to see. 

Phantom was peering back at him. Danny relaxed, letting his eyes open, and studied himself. From more than a few feet away, he looked absolutely normal. But up close, there were minor changes from the last few days. Teeth that were too pointy. Fingers that were a little more claw-like than normal. Hair that was more… smokey. Just a little. His mouth twisted, unsure of how he felt about the changes. “At least there’s no cape,” he murmured. “I’d look too much like Vlad with a cape.”

He squared his shoulders, set his teeth, and tried flying. He floated up and moved around his bedroom like normal. “So normal.” He caught sight of his claws and shivered. “Mostly.”

“Now…” He took a deep breath and jabbed hard at the over-full feeling in his chest. He was half-hoping nothing would happen. But light sparkled along his body, that tingling almost-painful sensation changing him in very subtle ways. His clothes changed from a jumpsuit to shirt and pants, his shoes looked like they would squeak on the floor as he walked. He was still glowing and transparent. “I’m… a different ghost?” He spread out his arms, feet firmly on the floor afraid to hover. “And I have like… superspeed.”

He took a very careful step forwards, peering closely at himself in the mirror. His eyes looked the same, with the normal green glow. His teeth were sharper, canines almost like little fangs. And… he leaned in, studying his freckles. They glowed, star-like, forming constellations across his skin. 

His mind veered off tangent, remembering the stars overhead, the glittering facts that swirled through his mind, the odd bubbling joy that came with even thinking about space. The freckles on his cheeks rearranged themselves into the constellation Draco, and sparks and speckles swirled into life across his clothes. A supernova that resolved itself into the stars overhead. Danny could trace the stars in his clothes, knew everything about each star. He was caught by the strongest urge to fly there. To zip through space to Alrakis, a binary star system eighty-eight light years away. It would only take him 221 years, 5 months, and 3 days…

Danny jerked himself out of his thoughts. He couldn’t fly for over two hundred years. He shuddered and blinked, settling back on his heels. The glowing freckles on his face settled down, his clothes faded back to black. The familiar sort of pitch-black of space. The sort of black Danny imagined the universe looked like before stars existed. “I have space powers now,” Danny realized, his voice slow and excited. “I have space powers! I’m a space ghost!”

Curious, Danny poked at that over-full feeling in his chest again. The world tingled and flashed, and he was back to his old self. Phantom, with the logo and the better posture and the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. “I’m two ghosts, somehow? Two ghosts… and a human...” Danny stared at himself in the mirror. “Or...” he rested his hand on his chest, feeling that strange overly-full feeling. “Or something…?”

Danny shook his head, not sure where to even begin processing that one. Then he turned himself human again, watching the world get dark as the ghost energy faded away. He scratched at his scalp, trundled over to his bed, and dropped into its softness. 

There wasn’t much he knew right then. The first was that space powers were the coolest power he could have gotten. And the second was that all this would be easier to process after a few hours of sleep and a large cup of caffeine. 

[citrinesparkles]

cat.

jason todd, eventually x gender neutral reader. 1,388 words. notes: this is part one of i don't even know how many and i cannot believe how wildly out of hand this got. this was a 500 word idea and it's gonna be at least three parts someone help (thanks to @angelz-dust for being so patient with me and encouraging on this!!! would never have made it out of the drafts without you <3) warnings: danger to kids, mention of a couple arguing, animal illness (spoiler alert: it'll be fine i Promise), a little (lot) different than my usual edit: part two here!

"let me be perfectly clear: if you even think about showing back up here, i will know, and i will make your life a living hell until i finally put you out of your misery. understood?"

"yes! yeah man i get it. understood."

"then i'd get going, if i were you." the man scrambled to his feet and bolted off across the playground, leaving jason to shout after him. "and warn any buddies you might have, too!"

he picked up the discarded knife and pocketed it. he then turned around slowly, hands visibly empty in a careful attempt not to scare the two kids behind him- well, careful not to make it worse, anyway. they, understandably, seemed a little shaken already.

"are you both alright?" he asked softly, slouching just a little to seem as harmless as possible.

probably would have been easier if they hadn't just watched him threaten someone.

the older kid- probably fifteen, if jason had to place a bet- nodded silently before glancing back at the little girl he was still hovering in front of protectively, who was just... staring.

she couldn't have been older than six.

"jazz?" the boy asked, voice tight. "are you hurt?"

he was ignored. "are you superman?"

the question, innocent and earnest and a little timid, made jason laugh. "not quite, kiddo."

she tilted her head like a curious puppy, furrowing her brow. "why are you wearing a jacket?"

jason glanced up at the boy, who seemed comforted by her mini interrogation. good.

talking was a good sign, too, so jason crouched down to meet her at eye level.

"because it gets cold out here!" he said, raising his hands up with a small wiggle of his fingers. "gloves, too."

"well, duh," jazz said with a giggle- a win, jason thought. "no fingerprints."

he nodded. "also helpful."

"and the hat to hide your face!" she said proudly, stepping forward a little to point at his helmet.

"wow, you've got the whole thing figured out, huh?"

"mhm! my friend ricky loves batman and his friends. he talks about batman and nightwing and spoiler and robin and red robin and red hood and batgirl all the time! they hide their faces like you, ricky thinks it's because of bad guys."

"they're kinda cool, huh?"

"nightwing's my favorite," she said firmly, as though it was something she had considered at great length and was fully prepared to defend.

"not red hood?" jason smacked a hand to his chest in mock hurt, shifting back dramatically. "i'm crushed, truly."

"no, ricky says red hood used to be an alien, but then got bored and now he annoys batman for fun instead. that sounds mean."

...well, okay, maybe he did annoy the big guy for fun a little. "that's an interesting theory, all right."

"ricky's got all kinds of theories. he thinks batman's a robot-" jason snorted- "and that nightwing was like pinochle."

"you mean pinocchio," the boy corrected quietly. "pinochle's what gramma plays."

"pinocchio!" she exlaimed, with a "ch" sound in the middle that made jason smile. "a doll that got turned human. that's how he does all the flips and stuff, he's got magic."

"hm, ricky seems like an interesting guy," jason said thoughtfully, making a big show of rubbing the chin of his helmet. "what do y-"

he was cut off by a loud, insistent meow, and jazz gasping even louder before taking off to the bushes.

"w- hey, don't rush off like that!" he said, shooting up off the ground as the boy sighed.

"there's this cat that she's been taking care of," he explained quietly. "the thing's got attitude for days but i think it's sick or something. jasmine's been bringing it little bits of tuna and chicken, but it's not like we can get it to a vet."

jason hummed. "why do you think it's sick?"

"it's thin, with its eyes all watery and sunk."

"might just be malnourished," he muttered.

"she's been trying to find it a home, y'know."

there was a wink-wink-nudge-nudge quality to the kid's voice that did not go unnoticed.

on one hand, it was good to hear something other than fear from him, but on the other... "what part of the tactical armor makes you think i'm an option?"

"the part where you just stuck around to check on us instead of running after that guy."

okay. maybe the quiet thing hadn't been so bad. the cocky 'amateur psychologist' thing was a little grating.

"you the real red hood?" the kid asked suddenly, shaking jason from his internal grumbling.

"what do you think?"

"i think you just saved our lives, and i wanna know who i'm thanking."

jason turned to him with a flourish. "red hood, baby saver extraordinaire. at your service."

"baby- dude, i'm seventeen!"

okay, so he would have lost his bet. "noted. still a baby, trust me."

"what are you under there, twenty something? whatever, grandpa."

jason chuckled, turning back to watch jasmine pet a small cat under one of the yellow lights littering the park. "you did well, looking out for her with that guy. you got a name?"

he scoffed. "would've been better if i'd kicked him between the legs right when he opened his mouth, instead of letting him get started on the whole 'what're you kids doing out so late?' bit," he muttered darkly, pausing for a moment before answering. "my name's jordan."

"well, jordan, what are you guys doing out so late?"

"mom works nights, and the neighbors were fighting. it was loud enough to wake jazz up, and it wasn't the kind of thing she needed to hear. i figured a trip to see her cat would be less awful than hearing them call each other things i wouldn't even call my friends." the breeze picked up, rustling the trees and catching on jason's jacket. "and then the asshole with the knife decided to make a bad night worse."

"is jazz your sister?"

"yeah, she's a good kid," jordan said, fond and warm. "sorry about the whole ricky thing, though. he's obsessed with those vigilante conspiracy videos and tells her all about them at school."

"no, no, it's fine. i can't wait to tell wing about his new origin story, he'll love that."

jasmine suddenly came bounding back towards them, grabbing their hands and yanking them to follow her. "c'mon, you need to meet cat!"

"you call it cat?"

jordan bristled subtly. "is there a problem with that, red?"

"no, no, it's an appropriate name. just making sure." jason waved his spare hand at his head. "helmet makes me hear things sometimes."

jordan opened his mouth, but his sister plowed right over whatever he was going to say, pulling on jason's hand again. "cat, meet... what's your name?"

"red hood."

"you can't be red hood!" she whirled around, indignantly putting her hands on her hips. "there's already a red hood in gotham. besides, you're not even wearing a hood, so it doesn't fit anyway."

jason turned his head to jordan, who was smiling- a good sign, but probably a bad omen for whatever he was about to say. "she's right, man. it's not a hood."

"tough crowd," jason muttered. "uh... then you can call me, uh-"

"bucket!" jasmine suggested happily, tapping his helmet. "because this looks like a bucket."

if there was one thing vigilantism had taught him, it was that sometimes you actually do need to pick your battles. this...

this was not worth fighting.

"sure, fine, whatever. hi, cat, i'm red bucket." he turned away from the kids- both of whom looked entirely too happy about the whole 'bucket' thing, he thought- and crouched down to finally look at the cat.

it did look a little sick, actually.

it was gray, and thin, and-

and now it was headbutting his knee like it was trying to push him over.

"cat likes you!" jazz cheered.

"sure does," jordan said pointedly. "isn't that interesting?"

jason opened his mouth, but his snarky comment died in his throat when the cat settled down right in front of him and blinked slowly up at him with a sweet tilt to its head.

...shit.

just- shit.

he sighed, standing up and looking back to jordan and his stupid, entirely-too-pleased-with-himself grin. "so, jazz," jason grumbled reluctantly, "where does cat live?"

[i-write-boop-spoops]

Jealous! Steven Stone headcanons

Wow, this took AGES to do, idk why I had such writer's block. I cherish any chance to write Steven, so this was kind of a weird occurrence.

I spoke a bit about Steven and Jealousy in my fluff alphabet for him, so this is kind of gonna be an expansion of that. Lots of Steven being insecure and sad, just FYI.

Enjoy!

Steven hates jealousy

He thinks it’s an ugly, disgusting emotion

One he thinks he’s too mature for

Evidently, he is not

He doesn’t feel threatened by strong trainers

Those richer than him

Smarter than him

More powerful than him

He’s too secure in himself to care

Plus, those things don’t really affect how you feel about him

And that’s all that actually matters

But he still feels jealous sometimes

So who is he threatened by?

HImbos

And…

Bad boys

Yes, really

It sounds silly

Trust me, he knows it does

Again, he thinks he’s better than this

But he can’t help but hold you a little tighter when men like that are around

In truth, while Steven is confident in himself

And keenly aware of his enviable beauty, wealth and power

He can’t stop himself from occasionally feeling insecure about himself and your relationship

You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him

He feels blessed to have even met you

You’re just the sweetest, kindest, funniest, smartest, most beautiful person he’s ever known

He is eternally grateful to be yours

While not often

He does shamefully wonder

Is h good enough for you?

Strong enough?

Man enough?

Sure, he may be rich and successful

Hoenn’s beloved silver haired dreamboat and all that jazz

But he’s not muscly, not masculine

Not aggressive, not possessive

Not cocky, not fiery

Do you truly prefer his skinny self over someone buff, rugged and traditionally masculine?

Of course you remind him that you love him just as he is

In fact, you think he’s the perfect man

Your prince charming

You tell him there’s a reason he’s known as a ‘stunning male specimen’

Most of the time, he takes that to heart

Other times, it barely reaches him

You’re loyal, he doesn’t doubt that

He doesn’t worry about coming home to find you in bed with someone else

But he’s not entirely sure you won’t up and leave him one day

One person who makes him feel quite jealous/envious

Is Leon, the galar champion

He respects him a lot

Thinks he’s a strong battler and a good guy

He wasn’t threatened by him until a few months after you started dating

You had thrown a little party, invited your friends and some of his over

For snacks and drinks and karaoke

He overheard you and your bestie call Leon a himbo while he went to refill his glass

It was so dumb

But it made him so upset

Not angry with you, just sombre and insecure

And he couldn’t even tell you about it

Because he eavesdropped on a private conversation

When you went to bed that night

You noticed something was up

He was frowning

Cold even

Unresponsive to cuddles

Something was definitely off if he didn’t want to snuggle

You asked him if everything was okay

He simply brushed you off

Said he must have eaten too much

You didn’t believe him, but you were both too tired to discuss it

After he slept on it, he felt better

Especially when he woke up to you, cuddled up to him

Gazing at him fondly as you gently played with his hair

He had been so silly

He took you out for breakfast to make up for his stiff mood the night before

Despite the fact you still weren’t sure why he had been upset

When you’re out together

And a potential love rival is about

Steven doesn’t lose his cool

Just his sheen of friendliness

His smile drops

He holds you tight to him

If they come up to talk to you

He will be polite to them

Joseph didn’t raise no punk

But he will try pull you away from the conversation

Internally, he’s giving out to himself

Telling himself not to be so childish and possessive

Not to worry so much

Does he listen?

Absolutely not

If the person tries to be adversarial to him

By saying something like:

“You wanna lose this dork and spend some time with a real man?”

He will battle them

And win

Lowkey, lowkey

Defending your honour and relationship makes him feel masculine

Like a shining knight or a valiant prince

Which is great, because you much prefer your fairytale hero over any bad boy or himbo

[dameronology]

that’s all {din djarin x reader}

(i’m reposting this bc it wasn’t showing up in the tags and it was stressing me out) 

summary: you’d saved din djarin from himself before. now, with the pain of losing his kid, you’re about to do it all over again. (kinda based on find me here by hayley williams)

warnings: this is...flangst. fluff and angst. swearing. mentions of depression but it’s also a bit ✨positive✨

this is just me trying to be the emotional janitor to...that. i’ve tried to keep it as gender neutral as possible but some of the conversation might imply an afab reader but hopefully it’s vague to be completely objective!!

- jazz

anyways i know i already said it but !! spoilers !! spoilers !! spoilers !!

p.s spot the titanic reference 

Grogu was tiny but the whole he left in your lives was massive.

You always knew you were going to have to give him up - hell, that had been the job in the first place - but you hadn’t expected it to hurt so much. He wasn’t your kid but at the same he completely and entirely was. You’d never expected your first parenting experience to be with a tiny green Jedi but at the same time, you wouldn’t have had it any other way. The next few months were going to be hard; accepting that he wasn’t yours to keep and that he was in a better place was guaranteed to be a long process. It would be worth it in the end but the initial pain was bordering on unbearable.

Din was better at hiding it than you. Admittedly, he did have a thick beskar layer to shield his emotions and pain from the outside world but he couldn’t hide it from you; never from you. Even behind the metal, you could read him like a book. It was a product of spending every waking minute together (his overprotective doing, not yours) and in return, he had learnt every habit and every quirk of yours. He sometimes cursed your ability to read him, especially when it lead to you saying things like you did not just tilt your helmet at me like that, Din Djarin.

He’d been quieter in the days since Luke Skywalker had taken the kid - quieter than usual, at least. Din was already a pretty taciturn person; compared to how he was with other people, he practically spoke your ear off but since you’d landed back on Nevarro, he’d completely kept to himself. It was painful to watch, seeing him rise at the crack of dawn to take a bounty, only to return in the evening with a few more bruises than he’d had that morning. You wanted to say something to do something that would make him snap back to reality, but this was probably his grieving process and you had to respect that. Or, you had to at least try to.

That was, until, it felt like Din was killing both you and him; working himself to the point of exhaustion, barely sleeping and refusing to even acknowledge Greef or Cara. You could deal with him being angsty. You could deal with him grieving. You couldn’t, however, deal with him ignoring you. You had literally vowed to go through all your bad times together and Din Djarin was nothing if not a man of his word. He knew it. You knew it too - and you’d be damned if you’d let him forget it.

It was on a cold - at least by Nevarro standards - morning that you decided it was time to show him some tough love. The Mandalorian had decided to hole out on one of Karga’s old ships that morning, claiming that he wanted to fix it. You were no engineering genius, but given that the old jet’s wings had fallen off, you could see it was past the point of no return and that Din had just been looking for an excuse. He was good at that these days.

‘Din!’ You called. The bay doors were open, but the ship itself was dark and dusty. Tinkering, my ass. As expected, there was no reply. ‘Din! Don’t ignore me.’

Silence.

‘Please?’

You grumbled to yourself, walking further inside the dimly lit ship. Tiny specs of dust were floating in the streams of thin light, leading your path further and further towards the cockpit. Who ever it had belonged it, it pre-dated the Republic, let alone the Empire or new order. You tried to resist the urge to cough, instead choosing to focus on your mission: hunting down the Mandalorian. The tables really had turned, considering he was very rarely the prey.

‘I was talking to Karga.’ You continued - as far as you knew, you were talking to thin air, but you liked your chances. ‘He offered me a bounty puck for...Corellia, is it? For that big, bad guy we didn’t catch last year. You know the one that nearly killed me?’

There was a crash from the cockpit, and you grinned to yourself. It was a little unethical to scare the man out of hiding with your bullshit, but you were getting desperate.

‘I figured it would be good to get out a bit, try and distract myself, you know?’ You continued. ‘So I was gonna borrow a ship and head out there tomorrow-’

‘- like hell you’re doing that on your own.’  

A six foot mountain of beskar suddenly stepped out from the darkness. Normally, that would have been enough to scare anyone, but not you. You’d married that six foot mountain of beskar. That probably gave you more guts than anyone in the damn galaxy -- until they found out he wasn’t actually that terrifying. Not many people would have taken the Mandalorian seriously if they knew he enjoyed having his hair played with.

You held your hands up in the air, stretching out your fingers to show that there was no puck in sight.

‘You lied.’ Din grunted.

‘And you were ignoring me.’ You shot back. ‘’S going on?’

‘I told you. I was working on the ship-’

‘- nope.’ You cut him off. ‘Try again.’

‘Karga asked me to fix it-’

‘- Still no!’ You snapped. ‘We gonna go three for three or are you gonna finally pull your head out your ass and stop lying to me, Din?’

There wasn’t a single person in the galaxy who dared speak back to the Mandalorian - except you. That was what had made him fall for you in the first place. It was like you couldn’t even see the beskar. You’d always seen him as Din, and never as the Mandalorian, or a warrior. You’d made it clear from the day you met that you wouldn’t take any bullshit from anyone, him included, and he’d always respected that.

‘You have been holing yourself away for weeks.’ You continued. ‘I know it’s hard but you have to accept it. Grogu wasn’t ours to keep - he never was.’

Din didn’t response, instead dropping his gaze down to the floor.’

‘Hey.’ You put a finger at the base of the helmet, tilting his head back up to look at you. ‘Look at me. Talk to me.’

‘I miss him.’ He stated; short and blunt. Fitting, really. ‘And it hurts.’

‘I get that.’ You gently placed your hands on either side of his helmet, fingers splaying out over the cold metal. ‘But it’s better to hurt together. Can I?’

Din nodded, signalling that it was okay for you to take it off. You gently tugged at the helmet, momentarily breaking away from him to place it beside you. It was a relief to see his face after so many weeks of having the beskar between you; the soft brown eyes and slightly crooked smile that met you on the other side felt like home. You could have stared at him forever if the galaxy wasn’t so fucking demanding of your presence.

You’d spent far too long on the other side of the beskar, waiting for him to let you in. And now that you’d got him, now that you’d promised yourselves to one another forever? You weren’t going to let it happen again.

You gently pushed back a few tufts of brown hair, offering him a sad smile. ‘You know we made the right decision, yeah?’

He nodded, leaning into your touch as your hands carded through his hair. ‘I know.’

‘So you gotta stop beating yourself up, baby.’ You stressed. ‘Stop shutting people out - stop shutting me out. I know we don’t have the kid anymore but we are still a family.’

‘I lost the ship. I lost the kid.’ Din quietly spoke. ‘I’m just worried that-’

‘- I’m not going anywhere.’ You shook your head, knowing what he was going to say before the words even left his mouth. ‘Even if you paid me. You are stuck with me, okay? Cursed with me till the day I keel over and die.’

Finally, Din smiled. He looked you dead in the eye and he smiled, eyes creasing at the side as he peered down at you, eventually tightening his arms around your waist. He held your head to his chest, ungloved hand gently clutching you as he rested his chin on your hair. The first time he’d clung onto you like this had been after a rough mission; neither of you had been sure if he was going to make it back and when he did, the first thing he did was pull you into his arms and you stayed there for what felt like hours. That was when Din realised for the first time that he loved you - and now, after weeks of isolating himself and shutting you out, this didn’t feel completely different from that. It was just that this time, it was less of a realisation of more of a reminder.

‘I didn’t expect it to be this bad.’ Din quietly admitted.

‘I know.’ You whispered back, voice slightly muffled by his chest. ‘But pain is only temporary. Dark times pass and we’ll learn to look back on this and enjoy the memories. They won’t always be tainted.’

He’d been in a dark place when he’d met you. It was like he’d been treading water, waiting for the riptides to take him, to stake their claim and remind him of his mortality, to remind him that not even the bravest people can forfeit their ability to hurt. He tried. Maker, he had tried. The icy and emotionless impression he gave to strangers wasn’t an accident. It was a survival mechanism; a defense mechanism. One that you’d chosen to ignore. You’d saved him in every way a person could be saved.

Just as the waves were pulling him under, you’d dragged him out; dragged him to the shore and reminded him that pain was merely part of being human. Most importantly, you’d called his attention to the fact that no matter how much beskar he wore or how impenetrable he acted, that he couldn’t avoid being one. He could run away from bounty hunters and Imperials and the thousands of enemies he’d made but the fact of mortality was always hot on his tail.

Now, you were pulling him up for air all over again.

Eventually, pain stopped being a reminder of his humanity and instead, it was replaced by his love for you. His ability to feel things for you. You’d saved him then and now, you were helping him come up for air all over again. Being human didn’t always mean to hurt - it could just as much mean to love.

‘I’ve got you, okay?’ You tightened your grip on him, eyes meeting his. ‘Whatever you need.’

‘You.’ Din replied. ‘I need you. That’s all.’

a/n: ok i realised i published an identical but slightly different imagine to this in october but...clearly i have a type and that type is imagines where the mandalorian confesses that you’re the only thing he needs because i eat that shit up. consume it whole. i am telling you. i have no regrets. my content might is predictable but HELL at least u can rely on something in these wild times❤️

[bloodorangesoup]

Happy Twenty | S.R.

Summary: At the age of sixteen you and Steve made a pact that, if you were still both virgins by the age of twenty, you’d be each other’s firsts, just to get it out of the way.

Pairing: 30sPreSerum!Steve x Reader

Word Count: 8.2k I’m sorry

Warnings: NSFW 18+ | childhood friends to lovers | a lot of lead up | protected sex (obviously) | slight overstimulation | corruption kink if you squint, spin in a circle, and chant my name 3 times | innocent steve | a lot more fluff than I originally intended

Notes: Before this I had no idea condoms were a thing in the 30s. This is my first Steve one-shot and I don’t know how much I like it because it’s kinda all over the place but it is a thing. It’s also the longest one-shot I’ve ever written so bear with me. Please let me know how I did and any other Steve stuff you’d like to read! Happy reading!

The first fireworks were lit as the clock struck twelve, patriots all throughout Brooklyn not being able to wait even a second longer to celebrate the country they loved so much. The three of you had decided once again to watch the first fireworks of the Fourth from Steve’s rooftop. It was a half Independence Day celebration, half friendship tradition to kick off both of your birthday’s together.

Bucky was sitting up on your right, elbows resting on his knees. Steve laid on your left, his hands folded and resting on his stomach. You laid in between them, your arms stretched above your head. A smile graced your face as you watched the fireballs shoot up in the air and burst into color.

“Happy birthday, kiddos,” Bucky said, a cheesy grin plastered on his face.

“You’re not much older than us, punk, you’re only seventeen,” Steve scoffed back. Your smile grew, watching your two favorite boys. You dropped your left arm down to wrap around Steve’s shoulders and bring him closer to you.

“Hey,” you said facing Steve, “you’re supposed to be nice to senior citizens,” you nodded towards Bucky.

“Ah, shut up, Y/n,” Bucky laughed, you and Steve following.

Silence took over the rooftop, the three of you admiring the colors painting the night sky. Your arm was still around Steve’s shoulder; you only noticed when you turned to look at him and realized how close your faces were. He turned his head, sensing your stare. Noses almost touching, the two of you stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before you flashed him a big smile.

“Happy sixteen, Stevie,” you whispered to him, admiring the flecks of green mixed into the blue of his irises. Steve’s smile grew, he let out a little breath of laughter.

“Happy sixteen, Y/n.” You glanced over his face one more time before looking back up at the fireworks, not wanting to miss the rest of the show.

Steve stayed facing you, taking in the rare moment he could stare at you in all your beauty. He shouldn’t have had a crush on you, you were his best friend, but he chalked it up to you being one of the only girls that ever gave him the time of day. His eyes drew down your eyebrows, remembering how excited you had been when your mom had finally let you start plucking them, to your eyes and they way they crinkled at the corners as you beamed at the sky. Every time a new firework would go off he would watch as the blues, greens, and pinks highlighted your cheekbones. He didn’t even realize he was staring until a gum wrapper hit him in the face. Looking up at the direction it came from, he met Bucky’s knowing look, one eyebrow up and a smirk. Steve just shook his head and looked back up at the sky.

Around one o’clock, Bucky had to walk back home. The three of you slowly walked your way down to the door of Steve’s apartment, stalling to prolong your time together.

“Alright, I really gotta get going now. Mom’s gonna whoop me if I’m not home by two,” Bucky said, putting his hands on yours and Steve’s shoulders before bringing you two in for a hug, “happy birthday, idiots.”

“Bye, Bucky,” you rolled your eyes.

As Bucky walked off, Steve unlocked his door and motioned for you to come in. Another birthday tradition you two had begun was to have a sleepover the night before. You would never tell Steve, but the only reason your parents were okay with it was because they figured they would never have to worry about Steve making a move on you. You hung up your coat and immediately made your way to the radio, a gift Steve had received the year before. Spinning the dial through the channels, you landed on one that had slow jazz music playing.

Steve got two cokes from the icebox and set them down on the small coffee table in the center of the living room. You sat on the floor across the table from him, setting up the checkerboard on it.

“Wish Bucky could’ve stayed this year with us. You know the only reason his mom gives him a curfew now ‘s cause he spent the whole night out with a girl last month?” Steve said as he moved his first piece forward.

“Big trouble for a date? Why’d he do a stupid thing like that?” You moved your first piece.

“He said he was this close to losing it,” Steve pinched his fingers together, “said he got his hand up her skirt though. Can you believe it? He’s only seventeen and he’s already almost lost his virginity,” Steve shook his head and sighed exasperatedly as you both made your moves.

You scanned the board, trying to find a safe spot, “You know, honestly, a lot of boys our age are starting to talk about that now, even some of the girls. Is it such a crazy idea?” You moved your piece.

“Maybe not for you guys. Girls tend to do anything to stay away from me,” Steve said with a disappointed sigh.

“Hey, it’s not that bad. And what do you mean ‘you guys’? It’s not like I’m one of the prettier girls or have any boys coming up to me at school or any of the dance halls, I haven’t even had my first kiss yet!” The both of you had stopped looking at the board.

“Neither have I,” Steve shot back immediately.

The air stilled, you and Steve looked at each other, thinking the same thing but not wanting to be the first to say it.

“Stevie?” you snapped him out of his head. He cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows at you, telling you to go on. “Maybe these things would be easier if we just got it over with, y’know?” You hoped he was understanding where you were going with this, not wanting to have to explain and face his surprise.

“Yeah, I mean yes, I guess it’d be easier,” he mumbled, avoiding your eyes.

“Steve?” You said again, firmer this time. His head snapped up, eyes meeting yours. “Would you wanna kiss me?” you asked slowly.

Steve stared at you for a second, waiting for you to laugh or tell him this was some practical joke Bucky had set up. Instead you were nervously twiddling your thumbs and turned your head down.

“Yes.”

You quickly looked up, eyes widening. Your mouth opened, words wanting to come out but failing. Closing your eyes and taking a breath you spoke, “Okay, let’s kiss.”

Shuffling to the other side of the table, you kneeled in front of Steve. Too nervous and too worried that saying anything might ruin the moment, Steve eyed you anxiously, the silence in the room instead being evaporated by the music softly playing behind him.. You took another deep breath before talking.

“I don’t know how to do this,” you said honestly, “everyone says it comes naturally but I’m kinda nervous.”

Steve let out a sigh of relief, at least he wasn’t alone in his worries.

“Neither do I, but I think we can figure it out, right?” Steve sat up straight, “I trust you.”

“I trust you too,” you nodded your head, sitting up on your knees, “alright, let’s just...do it.”

Wasting no time, you leaned forward, grasping Steve's face and kissing him quickly. It was a satisfactory medium, somewhere between a real kiss and a peck. As you pulled back, you saw Steve’s blushing face. He looked shocked, like he hadn’t known you would do that, but the corners of his mouth tilted up. You could feel the blood rushing to your face, the familiar heat taking over your cheeks.

“That wasn’t so scary,” you said, a smile growing on your face.

“Yeah, that was actually pretty nice,” Steve mimicked your smile.

Hands still on his cheek, you licked your lips before scrambling, “If you want, we could try again. Y’know the real thing. Just so we know what it’s like, though. Only if you want to.”

A wave of confidence overcame Steve, and before he knew what he was doing he had his hand on the back of your neck and was pulling you in. You gasped as his lips met yours once again. Leaning your head to the side, you parted your lips, prompting him to do the same. There was a moment when your lips interlocked that clicked in your head, the both of you knowing that this was how it’s supposed to feel. Too busy enjoying the rush of the new experience, you two kept going, giving each other kiss after kiss until Steve literally had to pull back before he’d have an asthma attack.

Breathing hard, you let your hands drop from Steve’s cheeks. You felt a big smile creep its way up your face, a laugh bubbling out of your chest. Steve looked up at you, catching his breath. He watched as you touched your cheeks and shook your head, a laugh slowly escaping him.

“We did it Stevie!” You lunged forward, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. He let out a breathy small chuckle, hugging you back.

“We did, Y/n. Thank you.”

You pulled back and laid down on the carpeted floor, Steve moving to lay next to you. The two of you fell into comfortable silence. Staring at the ceiling, you contemplated your next question.

“Would you wanna lose our virginities together?” You asked, still staring at the ceiling.

Steve choked on his breath, eyes widening and head turning quickly to look at you. Hearing this you gasped and looked back at him.

“I don’t mean now, Jesus, Steve, I am not ready for that,” you giggled. Steve slowed his beating heart. Truthfully, if you had meant right then he would have said yes. After that kiss, he would’ve done anything you’d ask him to.

“What’d you mean, doll?”

You turned on your side to face him, resting your head on your palm, “I trust you, you trust me. I say we make a pact.”

“A pact?”

“Yes, a pact.”

Steve turned to his side to face you, “Alright, what’s this pact?”

You thought for a moment, “If by our twentieth birthdays we’re both still virgins, we do it together.”

Steve watched you. You spoke with all the confidence of someone who’d done this a million times but he could tell how nervous you really were.

“Deal,” Steve put his hand out for you to shake. You shook your head and grabbed his hand, pulling him in for a quick kiss.

“Enjoy that, it’s the last one you’ll get until we’re twenty,” you laughed, sitting up and moving back to your place on the other side of the table. Steve just laughed back at you and pretended to study the board, his mind too occupied with the feeling of your lips on his.

~

Highschool had ended for you and Steve, Bucky having graduated the year before. Over the years you had grown into your looks, your new maturity giving your face and your body a newfound attractiveness. Steve couldn’t help but notice how many more guys had talked to you in senior year, or how frequently you’d be invited to the dance hall on Friday nights. Still, the two of you remained best friends, Steve continuing to be the only boy to get the majority of your attention.

Steve really tried to right his head, but something had changed in him the night you two turned sixteen. You kissed, and he liked it a lot more than he should have. He couldn’t hide his feelings for you behind the veil of friendship anymore, he couldn’t even blame it on you being pretty. No, this wasn’t some new thing, he’d liked you for far too long for it to just be that. Stronger than his attraction, however, was his love for you as a friend. So he zipped his mouth shut, hoping that in a few years he might be able to kiss you again.

During the summer of your eighteenth birthday, you had gushed to Steve and Bucky about a guy named Charlie from The City who had asked you out on a date the week before. Steve sat with a faux smile on his face as you described how tall he was, how his green eyes shone, and how he was a whole two years older than you. He hated himself for it, but Steve couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous. It’s not like you two had dated or done anything other than hug ever since that night on your guys’ birthday, but he didn’t like the idea of another guy kissing you the way he wanted to.

Much to Steve’s disappointment, the guy from NYC had really stolen your heart. Ten months after that first time you had told the boys about the amazing first date he had taken you on, you were walking back to Steve’s place with him and Bucky with a spring in your step.

“What’s got you so excited, doll?” Bucky had asked with a smile, pinching your side. You giggled and scanned the street, seeing people outside of shops eating ice cream and riding bicycles.

“Too many people out here, I’ll tell you guys when we get back to Stevie’s!” You giggled, looking as excited as ever.

The three of you rushed back, both boys curious about what had you so giddy. By the time you had made it to Steve’s front door you were jumping in place, biting your tongue to stop yourself from spilling the news too early. As soon as the three of you were inside and the door was shut you ran to the couch, sitting down and looking up at the boys, waiting for them to be ready to listen. The two sat on the floor in front of you, Bucky getting equally as excited and Steve smiling at the way your eyes were lighting up.

“Okay, y’know how Charlie and I have been together for about ten months now?” The boys nodded their heads, Bucky glancing at Steve as his smile faltered. “Last night we were in his apartment and,” you took a deep breath, “God, guys, we did it!” You clapped your hands together. There was a beat of silence before Bucky spoke.

“Wow, congratulations, doll,” Bucky said, kneeling up to give you a half hug. “He wasn’t an ass about it was he?”

“No, no of course not! Though, it wasn’t as fun as everyone had said it would be. But I don’t even care, I feel so grown up!”

Steve’s smile stayed plastered across his face. He wondered if you remembered the pact you two had made, feeling stupid for even having thought that maybe you would have wanted to keep it. Bucky walked you home that night. Before leaving, he patted Steve on the shoulder, giving him that same knowing look he had four years ago, this time with a sympathetic smile.

A few months had passed, Steve and you had celebrated nineteen, and the air was starting to heat up. Steve had passed up Bucky’s offer to go to the community pool, already knowing he would have spent the day sitting in the shade as Bucky chatted up girls. He sat in the living room, fanning himself and trying to escape the heat, when you showed up on his doorstep in tears.

“He said he doesn’t love me anymore, Stevie. I don’t know what happened,” you said through shaky breaths. Steve immediately knew who you were talking about and pulled you into his apartment, bringing you into a hug. He let you cry to him for nearly three hours, wanting nothing more than to punch that jerk of an ex-boyfriend in the face for doing that to you. And he did. Actually, Bucky did but Steve got a kick in there.

As time went on, you healed. You got over Charlie and Steve was happier than ever to see it. He had been there for you on countless nights when you couldn’t stop the tears from coming, when you decided to burn the little gifts you had received during the relationship, and when you started to smile again and would ask him to take you out to the dance halls. Steve had begun to forget about the pact he had been so hung up on as he realized he was falling in love with you. He had decided that, if his life continued with you smiling and dancing with him like that, he didn’t need to kiss you or lose his virginity with you, he just wanted you happy.

Unbeknownst to Steve, through the months you spent recovering from your breakup, you began to develop feelings for him. You had no idea why it took you so long to realize that the exact kind of guy you were looking for was in front of you the whole time. You were the happiest you could be when you were around him and he never failed to show you how cared for you were. Guilt coursed through you for falling for your best friend, your insecurities pointing out every reason there could never be anything between you two.

Almost a year had passed since Charlie had broken your heart and you found yourself happily sitting on the roof of Steve’s apartment with him and Bucky once again.

As first fireworks of the night had burst in the sky you let out a content sigh, “Happy twenty, Stevie.”

Steve turned to you to find you already looking back at him. In all honesty, Steve carried just a tinge of disappointment through this birthday. Even though he was happy just to have you by his side and watch you in all your joy, he had never completely forgotten about the pact you two had made, secretly dreaming of what could have been and how it could have led to more. But alas, you beat him to it, and he knew he would have to continue silently pining for you.

His eyes glossed over the brightness of your smile, remembering how the fireworks reflected off your face when you were sixteen and noticing how your cheekbones seemed more lifted and pronounced than they were back then. Steve focused on your lips. They were fuller nowadays and always accentuated with a thin layer of rouge. As he looked back up to your eyes you looked at him expectantly. Realizing he was caught staring, Steve cleared his throat and wished you a quick happy twenty back. You gave him a light chuckle, reeling inside at the fact he was so distracted staring at you.

As if on cue, Bucky’s voice broke through the awkward tension that had just formed, “Alright kids, happy birthday, but I gotta go.”

“Leaving so early again, Buck?” you asked, turning your attention away from Steve’s rosy cheeks.

“What’s your excuse this time?” Steve chimed in, sending Bucky a thankful nod for saving him from his embarrassment.

“Bec’s got a date to see the fireworks that I need to chaperone,” Bucky answered, burying his hands in his pockets.

“A date? To see the fireworks on the morning of the Fourth?” you asked incredulously, even Steve wasn’t buying it.

“Yup. Why else do you think Ma’s got me chaperoning it for?”

You and Steve just nodded and the three of you made your way down. Truthfully, Bucky didn’t actually have to chaperone Rebecca’s date, there wasn’t even a date at all. But he knew Steve better than anyone else and could tell how bad he had it for you. Bucky’d been hoping for years that he’d make a move and this was just another opportunity to leave you guys alone and give him a chance. Once Bucky was gone and you and Steve had gone back into his apartment, you two set up your usual routine, Steve would grab the drinks while you set up the checker board.

“I can’t believe we’re already twenty,” Steve called out from the kitchenette.

“I can’t either,” you shook your head as Steve set your coke down on the small table in front of you, “it feels like just yesterday we were here turning sixteen.” The last part made Steve stop in his tracks for a moment, his thoughts immediately going to the kiss from that night. You studied him, trying to see if he was thinking of the same thing you were. He recovered quickly, shaking his head and moving to the radio.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Your heart beat out of your chest, you knew what you wanted deep inside yourself. As he searched for a good channel, mustering all the courage you could, you spoke again, “Hey Stevie?” Your voice was shakier than you would have wanted to admit.

Steve’s body was rigid, almost like he knew what you were about to ask. To say that he was anxious would be an understatement. He had hoped for years of this exact conversation, but he’d never imagined that he would actually get to have it, and he had no idea how he would manage to survive through it.

“Yeah,” his voice came out gravelly, he coughed and swallowed the lump in his throat, “yeah, Y/n?” He fiddled with the dials on the radio to avoid having to face you.

“Do you remember that...pact that we made, when we turned sixteen?”

Steve had yet to actually get a channel going, quiet static being the only sound consuming the room.

“Yes,” Steve nodded his head, pausing for a beat, “that if we were both still virgins by tonight then we would have sex, so that we would be each other’s firsts.”

You kept quiet for a moment. At any time up to this point you could have talked your way out of what you were insinuating, but the next sentence out of your mouth would put everything out on the table.

“Would you still want to do it?” You asked quietly.

“Why?” Steve asked, “You’re not a virgin anymore, Y/n, you don’t need to have sex with me to lose it.” There was a hint of bitterness in his tone, so light that, if it was anyone but you, it would have gone undetected. You paused as Steve finally found a channel with slow music playing, not knowing exactly how to respond to him. Getting up, you walked over to where Steve stood by the radio, standing behind him. Wrapping your arms around him, you rested your head on his shoulder, tilting your head to the side to whisper in his ear.

“I trust you Steve. I know I’m not a virgin, but I want this.”

Steve was nearly shaking, this is exactly what he had craved for so long, but now that he was actually living it he was more nervous than ever. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he got deja vu of the night that had started this four years before.

“I trust you too,” Steve spoke into the air. Those words cemented all the questions and doubts that had been running through both your minds. This was happening, there was nothing to think about but each other.

Steve held your wrists, breaking apart their hold around him, and turned in your arms. There was a moment of silence as you faced each other, both of you wondering if the other could hear your pounding chests.

“Just like before,” you said, looking into his eyes. You were the “experienced” one in this situation, you wanted to calm Steve’s nerves as much as possible.

“Yeah, just like before,” he nodded. You gave him a quick half smile before dropping your gaze to his lips. Pressing your hands onto his back, you pulled him into you. His hands found your waist, resting comfortably on the curve of your hips. Letting out one final breath, you leaned in and kissed him. This kiss was different from the one you two had shared when you were sixteen. Kissing no longer being the intimidating part, it was more confident and full, neither of you holding back or shying away.

You slid your hands to rest on his shoulders, leaning up into him and pressing your chest flush against his. Steve could feel your breasts push against him, not being able to help the shuddered breath that escaped his nose. With shaky arms, he slid his right hand further down and let it rest right above your ass.

Suddenly, Steve felt your tongue glide against his lip. He wasn’t sure if that was supposed to happen, all he knew was that he really wanted you to do it again. When you slid your tongue in one more, Steve followed, leaving a heated mingling of lips and tongues moving against each other. You seemed to be getting into it, so Steve took a small leap of faith, moving his hand down until he was completely cupping your ass.

Moaning into his mouth at the feeling of his hands on you, you reached for his left hand. Pulling it off your waist, you slowly raised it to sit right above your ribs, dangerously close to your chest. Steve’s breathing slightly quickened, understanding exactly where you were taking him. He moved his hand the rest of the way, gently cupping the swell of your breast, whimpering into your mouth. You slowly walked the two of you back until the back of his knees hit the couch. Tearing away from the kiss, you gently pushed his shoulders down until he was sitting and staring up at you with red cheeks. Breathing hard, you grabbed Steve's hands, bringing them up to the first of many buttons running all the way down the front of your dress.

“Open it, Stevie,” you softly command, the words coming out as more of a plea. Steve’s eyes widened, only realizing right then that he would actually be seeing you naked. He nodded his head and swiftly began to unbutton the top. He fumbled as he got halfway down, his heart beat rising as he saw your bralette under the small opening he had made. Sliding the dress off your shoulders and letting it fall to the floor, you stepped out of the pool of cloth, leaving you in only your undergarments. Steve couldn’t control the way his eyes raked down your form. He never thought he’d be able to see a woman like this, especially not you. Shifting uncomfortably in his spot, you could tell Steve was starting to get hard.

“We’re a little uneven, Stevie,” you giggled, motioning to his fully clothed body.

“Oh,” Steve let out a little laugh, “yeah, okay.” He quickly removed his shirt, leaving his undershirt and pants on. You didn’t comment on it, figuring those would come off later as he got more comfortable.

“Do you know how to take off a bra?” You asked. Judging by how pleasantly overwhelmed he looked, you knew the answer was no. You had only asked because you wanted to talk as you went along to cool his nerves, also wanting to know just how much you were ruining his innocence. He shook his head so you stepped forward in between his knees, bringing his hands up and holding them to the clasp of your bra.

“There’s three hooks holding this thing together, just hold each side with one hand and push them together to unhook them, okay?” You spoke to him how you normally would, trying to get comfortable by reminding him that it was just you. Unbeknownst to you, that was the exact reason he was so nervous.

“Alright,” Steve bit his lip. He fumbled with the hooks for a few seconds until he finally got one undone. Smiling to himself, he quickly unhooked the other two and held the fabric taut against you. He looked up at you, his heart pounding, he knew what was next.

Sliding the straps off your shoulder, you took the fabric from Steve’s hands, forcing him to drop them to his side.

“Keep your hands on me, pumpkin, don’t be shy” you said. He slid his hands up your hips to your waist.

“Right, we’re way past being shy with each other now,” he joked, looking relieved when you laughed with him.

“Yes we are,” you smiled at him fondly, “you sure you want this Steve? There’s no shame in backing out now if you don’t.” You dropped one of your hands to caress his face.

“Yes,” he replied shakily.

He held your hand to his face, reaching his other hand up to the front of your bra, hooking his index finger over the fabric in the center. You let your grip on the band slacken, allowing him to pull it from your chest, looking into your eyes. Steve let his gaze wander down to your chest, a gasp escaping the back of his throat as he took it in.

“Oh-oh my god,” he murmured to himself, licking his lips as his eyes darted around trying to get the full picture and memorize every detail.

Taking hold of them once again, you slowly turned Steve’s hands to hold your palms to the backs of his. Steve swallowed hard as you brought them forward to hold your breasts, moving his hands to squeeze them softly. His eyebrows furrowed, his jaw hung slightly open. You dropped your hands to your sides, letting him massage your breasts and move them around in his hands.

“I, um, I don’t know what I should do. I don’t wanna mess anything up,” Steve started, his hands coming off your chest and hovering in the air. You shook your head, grabbing his wrists and bringing his hands back to your chest. Steve could feel your hardened nipples under his palm and held back a groan, the sudden urge to have them in his mouth fogging his head.

“Do whatever feels right,” Steve looked at you warily, “I promise I’ll tell you if something isn’t right, Steve.”

Nodding at your reassurance, Steve began to rub his thumbs over your nipples, flicking them back and forth. With one last glance up at you, he leaned into you and wrapped his lips around one of them, swirling his tongue around the hard bud. Your head fell back as a moan rose from your chest, a gasp cutting it off as he used his hand to pinch the other.

Tangling your fingers in his disheveled hair, you jumped when you felt his hand slide down your stomach to cup your pussy. You breathed out his name as he rubbed over you, switching to suck on your other nipple. It all became too much, you used the hand in his hair to pull his mouth off you, his lips popping off your sensitive nipple.

“Wait,” you said, breathless, “I wanna try something.”

“Okay,” Steve replied quickly, his hands moving back up to your hips.

You sank to the floor and sat on your knees. Steve had absolutely no experience, but he had a feeling he knew what was about to happen. A wave of nervousness washed over him, he could learn to be good at sex if he tried hard enough, but there was no changing his body. His hands fell over yours that were already working down the zipper of his pants. You looked up at him, he could see how dilated your pupils were, he saw the same eyes that would give him comfort during his dark times and would stare down anyone who had anything nasty to say to him. He took his hand off and gave you a quick nod and you got to work.

Slipping off his pants, you let your hand rest over the erection pushing against his boxers. Palming him, you leaned up to kiss him again. You slipped your hand under the band and slid your hand onto his dick, feeling how hard and hot he’d gotten from just touching you. Sinking back down to your knees, Steve lifted his hips so that you could completely take off his boxers.

You relaxed a bit at the sight of his cock, it wasn’t small by any means, but it wasn’t too big where it’d make you worried about how he’d fit in you. Wrapping your hand around his shaft, you began to stroke him up and down, spitting on your hand to ease your movements. Steve’s back fell against the couch, moaning as your thumb brushed over his tip and spread the precum that had leaked out.

“Ah- fuck, your hands are so soft,” Steve whimpered. He was in absolute heaven. He had never imagined having a girl touch him could feel so good. One thing he knew for certain was that he’d never be able to look at you the same way knowing how it felt to have your hand wrapped around his dick.

Steve looked down at you right as he felt you lick a line up his shaft, circling your tongue around the top. Meeting your lust filled gaze, he let out a stream of moans and whimpers as you sucked on his tip and took him into your mouth, bobbing your head. You took hold of his hand and placed it on the back of your neck, giving him access to guide your movements. He kept his touches light as he pushed your head up and down, feeling your tongue on the underside of his cock. Not before long he was pulling you off on him and instinctively jutting his hips forward.

“I’m gonna come, Y/n,” Steve said to you worriedly.

You giggled and slid your hands up his thighs, “That’s kinda the point, Steve.”

“No, I don’t wanna come yet. I wanna come when I’m having sex with you.”

Biting your lip, you nodded, “Okay, c’mon then.” You grabbed his hand and walked to his bed. Before getting carried away, Steve quickly ran to his bathroom cupboard to get the box of condoms he had stashed away. Sitting him down, you grabbed his face and kissed him hard. Steve’s hands wandered along your sides, reaching behind you and groping your ass with both hands.

Pulling back, you grabbed his chin and looked him in the eyes, “Do you want to lead the way or would you rather have me take charge?”

Steve blushed at your offer, slightly embarrassed at his lack of knowledge. He told you of his choice of the latter before pulling you down to kiss him again. His thumbs hooked under the band of your panties, his finders kneading your behind. With a nod of approval, Steve slowly pulled them down, his pupils blown as he saw the fabric pass down your mound.

Surprisingly, Steve didn’t need to be told to touch you this time. He looked up at you, asking for permission as he held onto your thighs, spreading your legs apart. With a small nod from you, Steve pushed the pads of his ring, middle and index finger through your folds, his brow furrowing at the wet heat pooled between them. You let out a small whimper as his fingers brushed over your swollen clit, Steve eyes quickly looking up at your expression.

He brushed his fingers over the sensitive bud again, “That feel good?” His voice had become huskier and it was only fueling the pleasure his light touch was giving you.

“Mhm, yes,” you moaned when he suddenly slipped a finger in you, “Oh God, Steve!” You braced yourself on his shoulder as he used his other hand to push your thigh up, placing your foot on the bed frame so that you were spread open for him to see. Steve watched as his finger slowly went in and out of you, his nerves jolting at the idea of his dick replacing it. Before he could even question his own actions, he leaned down and licked a stripe over your clit, the unexpected sensation sending shockwaves through your body. Steve had spent years imagining what it would be like to fuck you, but all that was on his mind at that moment was the desire to spend eternity with his mouth on your sweet cunt. You felt yourself start to grind your hips over his face and, for the second time that night, had to pull his mouth off you.

“Later Stevie, please, I want to feel you in me, right now,” you said desperately. Steve simply muttered an okay, his brain still foggy and high off the taste of you, and reached back to grab a condom. Slipping it over himself, he threw the wrapper somewhere to the side and looked at you. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of your naked form crawling onto the bed next to him.

“I don’t know if other people do this or not but I’m gonna try getting on top of you, okay?” You asked, looking equal parts nervous and antsy. Honest to God, your nerves were crazy; Charlie hadn’t tried anything other than missionary with you, you were terrified of doing something wrong.

“Okay,” Steve breathed out, “you ready?” You nodded back to him. Steve laid down on his back, his shoulders lifting up as he rested on his elbows. Swinging one leg over him, you shifted until you felt his dick rub against your pussy, your slick coating it and leaving a sheen. Both you and Steve moaned at the contact, groaning as you rolled your hips over him again.

Using one arm to hold yourself up, you leaned down and kissed him, slipping your tongue in his mouth. Sliding your hand down in between your bodies, you grabbed Steve’s cock, lining his tip up to your entrance and, breaking the kiss, lowering yourself down on him.

Steve let out a deep groan, he had no idea this is what it would feel like. His mind raced as he focused on how warm and soft you felt wrapped all around him. As you began to grind your hips over his, Steve reached up and held your breasts in his hands, squeezing them and pinching your nipples. Your head fell back, your breasts bouncing in Steve's hands as you rode him.

“Shit, Y/n, that feels so good, God, you’re so warm,” Steve said through gritted teeth. He could feel himself getting close, he wanted to hold on so bad, but the pleasure was too overwhelming and new. Pulling you down for a kiss, he remembered how he had touched you earlier and lowered his hand to rub over your clit. Your body jumped at the added pressure, Steve could feel you clench around him, your hips stuttering with every thrust. With a loud groan Steve released into you, his warmth spurring you on more. You continued to ride him through his orgasm, Steve’s hips bucking up as you took him for everything he had.

Screwing his eyes shut, Steve’s jaw fell open and his hands balled into fists at his sides, a guttural moan leaving the back of his throat as you kept fucking yourself on him. His balls clenched and his abdomen tightened, a gasp pulling at him when you quickened your pace. Shaking his head he began to whimper, cursing under his breath and chanting out your name and small “too much”s.

You regressively slowed the movement of your hips. Leaning down to kiss him, you brought your thumb up to his face to wipe a stray tear that fell. Steve took deep breaths to collect himself, looking you in the eyes as his hands came up to rest on your hips. Bracing your palms on his chest and feeling his rapid heart beat, you lifted your hips to pull yourself off him, Steve letting out a hiss as your tight walls released him.

Steve’s eyes stared up at the ceiling as you laid down next to him, your forearm resting on your forehead to cool the heated skin. Removing the condom and throwing it in the small bin next to his bedside table, he looked over at you with a soft smile before eyebrows furrowed and he turned his head completely toward you.

“Did you come?” Steve asked. It was less of a wonder and more of an interrogatory question, as if you had thought you could get away without doing so.

“I don’t think girls are usually supposed to,” you responded with a shake of your head. You really, honestly didn’t know if that was even possible and would have been satisfied if the night's festivities had ended right then.

“Why not?” Steve genuinely questioned. You shrugged your shoulders before he lifted his back off the bed, his body slightly hovering over you, “Well, I want you to.”

Raising your eyebrows, the words left your mind, only allowing you to whisper a small “okay” back to him.

Resting his weight on his forearm, Steve lowered his face to yours, kissing a trail from your cheek to your lips. His hands wandered down your stomach to your warm cunt, his fingers running through your folds again, spreading your slick all over his fingers. You let out a small whimper into the kiss, still sensitive from riding him. He began to leave tiny kisses leading from your mouth to your chest, his lips pulling in one of your nipples and sucking hard. As much as Steve loved having his mouth on your breasts, the only thought in his head was how much he wanted to taste you again.

Steve backed up to the foot of the bed, wet hand spreading your legs apart as he licked a line from your entrance to your clit and circled his tongue around it. A moan dragged its way out of you, your hands shooting down to tangle themselves in his hair. He continued to lick you in any and every way he could think of with his one goal in mind.

Your back arched as you felt a finger slip in you, Steve’s tongue never stopping, making you squirm. As his digit moved in and out of you, you could feel your stomach burn with anticipation, but you knew it still wasn’t enough.

“Ah, Steve, add another one, please,” you gasped out, your head thrown back against the sheets. Following directions, Steve slipped another finger into you, groaning at the feeling of your walls fluttering around them. His lips left your clit for a moment, his head rising to look at your chest as you breathed hard and fast and your face as whimpers left your mouth, a small sense of pride swelling up in his chest at the sight of what he was doing to you.

“Curl your fingers, Steve, please, fuck,” you cried out. Your hips began to lift and fall on their own, grinding over Steve’s face as you felt his fingers curl and massage the spongy sensitive spot inside you.

You let out a loud moan, not being able to control your body as your stomach began to twitch and your thighs began to shake. Tensing, your mouth hung open in a silent yelp as you felt the burn in your abdomen spread throughout your body, your orgasm crashing over you. Steve sucked your clit lightly as he felt you squeeze his fingers, proud of himself for successfully returning the favor and making you feel even remotely as good and you had made him feel. You laid limply in your spot, small aftershocks running through you as Steve pulled his fingers out of your and cleaned you up with a few more licks.

Crawling up the bed to lay beside you, Steve’s arms and legs brushed against yours. Silence washed over the room, the only sounds being your steading breathing and the faint music playing from the radio.

“That was a lot better than I expected,” you said truthfully. Steve glanced at your profile for a moment, a flash of disappointment hitting him as he realized the pact was over. There was nothing for him to hope for anymore, he was sure nothing beyond this could ever possibly happen between you two.

“What were you expecting?” Steve asked quietly, turning his head back to the ceiling.

“Not that,” you let out a small chuckle, “When I first did it, y’know with Charlie, it really hurt, and he didn’t really do anything other than come and stop there. It didn’t feel good like this did with you.”

“It didn’t?” Steve’s eyebrows furrowed again, frustration bubbling inside of him at the mention of your ex-bastard.

“I didn’t even know it was supposed to,” you said shaking your head, “this was a lot better.” You turned to him, eyes drifting over his eyelashes highlighted in moonlight down to the soft curve of his pink lips. The words were on the tip of your tongue, threatening to spill out if you looked at him any longer. You tried to tear your eyes away but you couldn’t.

“Stevie?”

“Yeah, doll?” He turned to meet your gaze, his eyes flickering down to look at your lips before moving back up. He wasn’t sure whether or not to be embarrassed about being caught staring at you like that anymore.

You couldn’t take it anymore. Body moving faster than your mind, you leaned in and kissed him, your hand resting on his chest. Steve’s hand found your naked waist, holding you to him as he invited your kiss and returned it. Both of you could tell there was something different about this kiss, no longer fueled by sexual tension or disregarded as some juvenile learning exercise. No, this kiss was purely happening because it felt right, because it just made sense.

Pulling away from him, you rested your forehead against his for a moment before sighing and rolling back onto the bed. Another wash of silence, both of you having something to say but keeping quiet.

You let out another sigh before closing your eyes and speaking, a sad tone lacing your voice, “I don’t know what happened Steve. It’s like one day we were best friends and then out of nowhere I like you.” The voice inside your head chastised you for allowing your feelings to get in the way of such a good friendship but it was quickly cut off.

“What?” Steve couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he was sure some cruel part of his brain had imagined you saying it, still, he desperately wanted it to be true, “you do?”

You nodded, shame ran heavy through you, yet there was a hopefulness in Steve’s tone that made your heart skip a beat.

“I’m so sorry, I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help it,” tears welled up in your eyes. You were sure you had just ruined the best friendship you’d ever had. Steve looked at you to find tears running down your cheeks, he could see your lips tremble and felt his heart break at the sight. Throwing his arm around your shoulder, he pulled you into his chest, shushing your cries and comforting you like he always had.

“Please don’t cry, doll. Y/n?” He tried to get you to look up and listen to him but your face remained burning in the crook of his neck. Not being able to hear your uneven breathing and sniffles he held your jaw and pulled your face to his, his lips softly brushing yours. Your faces were so close you could feel the soft puff of breath leave his nose.

“Y/n?” Steve tried again with a whisper. You opened your eyes, immediately looking into his hazy blues. Your eyebrows tilted, silently telling him to go on.

“I have loved you for longer than I can remember.” Steve’s heart was racing, finally having admitted the truth he had worked so hard to contain.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” you asked quietly, your voice croaky from crying.

“I never thought you could want someone like me,” Steve answered honestly, his eyes casting down to escape your gaze.

“I’ll always want you.” Your hand laid over Steve’s on your jaw. Sliding it off and moving to rest it on his cheek, your head moved forward, your lips catching his. This kiss was soft and sweet, neither of you needing to find an excuse or reason. It was innocent and genuine, despite your prurient position. Pulling away from him, you smiled at him, wide and expressive of your joy. Steve smiled back, ecstatic and in awe of how lucky he was to have you.

Letting yourself roll back over onto the bed, you opened your palm, fingers searching for his before intertwining together. Steve’s thumb rubbed back and forth over your knuckles as you two fell into comfortable silence.

“Bucky’s gonna blow his wig when he finds out,” Steve chuckled. You couldn’t stop the loud laugh that rumbled through your chest.

“Yeah, he is.” Tilting your head up you found Steve’s eyes already trained on you, a fond smile on his face. Giving his hand a squeeze, you let your head rest on his shoulder as you closed your eyes, ready for a peaceful sleep to overcome you.