#i feel like I’m making two points here and smushing them together messily but hear me out okay

[zeb-z]

Echo following change if it means he can make more of a difference, help more people. A reflection of Fives, who had no question about challenging authority, of Rex who will do what needs to be done to get the job done, of Cody who thinks before he leaps, of Ahsoka who puts kindness and mercy above all else, of Hevy who didn’t fear sacrifice for the greater good, of Anakin who can’t just sit still when he can actively do something about it. His decision to leave is not a choice he makes lightly, it’s something he has been stressing over since season one, weighing keeping Omega safe, running from the Empire, and the knowledge that with Rex they could be doing so much more against the rising injustice. But ultimately it was still his choice.

His place isn’t running bounties and avoiding the Empire. Echo, like Rex, like Fives, will be on the front lines so long as he’s needed there, because that’s where he can make the most difference. It’s like Rex told him - “if that’s where you feel your place is, then that’s where you belong.” He belongs to direct action and making a difference just as much as he belongs with his brothers and sister.

The fact that he has a family, a future beyond fighting, is very important. He’ll always be part of the Bad Batch, and he’ll return to them again (I have to believe that), but it’s not his place anymore, not right now. And the fact that it’s his choice, one he did not make without consideration, is important as well.

(and maybe there’s something to be said for Cody’s speech about the choices you make and living with them, because even the right one for you isn’t the right one for someone else. fighting has a cost, a fractured group and a lonely kid - but it’s still his choice, and that’s important. here’s to hoping it’s not a permanent consequence)

[kyulkyungs]

enemies-to-lovers!renjun

Request: can i please request an enemies-to-lovers story of nct’s renjun? he doesn’t have much aus :(( thank you!!! 💕💗💞💘💓💓(YES I CAN TOTALLY DO THIS!!!!! YOU ARE THE ONE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR ILYYYYY, but seriously he gets no love and i’m prepared to give him the entire universe)

others: lucas | yuta | jisung | hendery

this guy is your neighbor, you’ve known him for a couple years but have not actually known him???? you feel me???

like, the two of you are familiar faces to each other and you know his name and his family

but you’ve never really interacted beyond that

one thing is is that you don’t want to

because he always has his friends over and they’re so loud and you’re trying to s t u d y and w o r k and w a t c h y o u t u b e

or he’ll be helping his mom garden and stuff but like he’s so messy?

he throws the dirt into your yard somehow and you have to go and scoop it back to where it belongs

you’re sure at this point he’s messing with you because when you shut your blinds or messily throw the dirt back over

his friends either get louder and louder or you’ll even find some pebbles and plant bits on the path or smushed against something

but the biggest thing of all?

there’s a park nearby the neighborhood that you like to go to and a swing set that you love and it’s your favorite thing

however, there’s only one swing...

and he always takes it

the thing is you think he’s purposely and knowingly taking your favorite spot ever

sometimes you think he’s laughing when you see that he’s taken the swing

and it’s not just because that thing is super fun and it’s always in the shade and just the right height no matter how tall you are

unless you’re like an 87 foot man aka johnny

but you love that thing to bits and not only has this kid taken up your time cleaning up your own house after him, having to relocate multiple times in your house to avoid being in a room that’s closer to his, and having to turn your heel and walk like two blocks once you realize the swing has been taken over

not only that but sometimes he even brings his friends there and there’s no way you can get through like 200 guys all sitting in the shade and hogging the tree swing and area near it

the nerve of him he didn’t even realize that he was there for like four hours because when you came back he was still. there.

the one time you had asked him if he could free up the swing he looked at you like you asked him to launch himself into space and never come back

which is kind of what you wanted him to do when he just looked away and said sorry no can do go somewhere else

so you did and walked home and sulked on your bed because dang you just want to swing man it’s not that hard but like....... you love that thing

it’s so closely attached to your childhood and the shade feels nice and the wind in your hair where you get higher up from the ground......... nothing can beat that

except for this guy u G H

one day he had his friends over again

and normally you’d just wait it out until that storm blows over

but not this time when apparently all of his friends were over for a slumber party and probably celebrating something

and with that celebration they were oh so loud from like 5pm to whatever it was in the forbidden hours of the morning where no sounds should be disturbing your precious sleep

but there you were holding a pillow over your head and using your blankets as the ultimate cocoon around you to try to block out whatever sound possible

but it seemed that everything you did was useless and they got even louder somehow when you covered yourself

you have half a mind to call the cops and stuff but you’re just like nope nope i’ll just go swing my worries away

you know for sure that it’s a safe neighborhood after living there for a long time and plus it’s super late who would be around?

so you go in your pajamas and bring a coat with you just in case and the second you step out of the house you can hear the boys at a greater volume than before

they all sound so joyful and are laughing a lot and you’d be fine with it any other time............ but they’ve messed so badly with your sleep and you’re up to here with it all

you’re about to turn and head for the park until you hear the loud noises of the house get louder and someone inside go

‘hey, let’s go to the park! we can run around more there so my parents don’t get mad’

and you’re like noooo oh no these guys are NOT gonna go there

so you march up to his door and when it swings open you see your neighbor with a bunch of his friends behind him

and renjun looks at you and freezes because oh my he was not expecting you right there at his door his neighbor that he doesn’t even know the name of

but also????

you look kind of................ cute.........

with your messy hair and grouchy face and kinda pouty lip and oh gosh those pajamas are...........

and you realize what he’s looking at and you’re like

aSDGKNFG LEAVE MY FLUFFY DUCK PAJAMAS ALONE THEY’RE COMFY OKAY

but renjun snaps back into the world and is awkwardly like

ohhh sorry.... are we being too loud?? we’re going to the park-

and you cut him off like no bucko, i’m going to the park

and he’s kind of confused like uh???? what???

‘‘i’m going to the park’

and he’s confused like

‘we can go together????’

and you start making a bunch of frustrated noises trying to bring coherent thoughts together at like 3am and he doesn’t get it until you start swinging your arms around like

oh............

so he cheekily smiles and turns to his friends and is like yknow what how about you stay in, i’ll try to see what’s wrong with my neighbor

and some of them give him a l o o k and others are just fiiine i guess we’ll play another round of mario party 8

and when he shuts the door behind him you hear the chatter of his friends fade away deeper into the house 

then your neighbor turns towards you and is like

‘i’ll race you to the swings’

which prompts you to go nonononono i am not giving those up

so you give in to his game and you start sprinting and you can hear his footsteps behind you

little do you know that renjun probably has  the full ability to outrun you but he’s purposely pulling back and letting you win this race

when you two near the swingset you make a dive for it and land right on top of it while renjun puts on his biggest ‘awww i lost’ face

but the smile makes it so that you know he really wasn’t that upset about it

‘here since i lost, i’ll push you’ he says and before you can object he’s already behind you and starts gently pushing you while you’re still trying to catch your breath

once you’re stopped heaving he asks ‘why do you like this thing so much anyways? you’re always on it and get kinda upset when you’re not’

you huff and not answer him 

he doesn’t mind and just keeps pushing you 

‘you give me a lot of trouble, you know that?’ he says after a little while and you swing your legs so that the momentum knocks you into him slightly

but he catches you and pushes again, taking a step back so he doesn’t get knocked completely over

‘trouble? me? you’re the one giving me trouble most of the time’ and you can practically feel the confusion radiating off your neighbor in waves

‘what do you mean?’

you bite your tongue and try not to rant to this guy, because hey at least he seems like a decent person and he’s not being a total jerk to you right now

plus he let you have the swing

begrudgingly you end up spilling some of those pent up feelings you’ve had about his shenanigans and you’re like

‘well first off this swing is wonderful. i’ve grown up with it and it’s never failed to always support me and help me with my problems’

‘ah like a comfort food?’ you nod and then continue

‘second... you’re so messy helping your mom garden i have to clean up so much after you in my own yard’

renjun apologizes but you miss the cheeky grin that comes along with it

i admit that i am a messy gardener, although i’m the one that brought my mom some ripe strawberries’

you gave him a light, joking scoff and clapped your hands twice as a way of saying ‘good job, you did something!’

he pushes you a little harder as a joke, startling you yet it came back to bite him as you fell back into him square in the chest, making him emit an ‘oof’ sound

‘your friends are loud too’ you say after he starts pushing you again

‘yeah, sorry. that’s mainly my fault for inviting them over so much... thanks for not calling the cops on us a bunch of times though’

and make a sarcastic mhm sound and he snickers, gripping the back of your shirt and dragging you backwards

you yelp at the sudden tugging and how far he’s able to get you above the ground and the sudden hard push he delivers

‘you know swinging isn’t supposed to make me feel stressed out!’ you yell out, feeling him continue to push you higher and higher you try to drag your feet into the ground to stop him but he tries regardless

‘well, this is how you’re making me feel!’

‘stRESSED? bUddY If anYthiNg-’

‘no! like i’m soaring!’ you let his words sink in for a second and then when you ask him what he means he continues his yelling out

‘i actually think you’re really cute! sometimes i’d throw dirt over on purpose to get you to come out but you always do when i go inside! other than that i’m legitimately messy.......’

you snort at his quieter statement

‘and i always have my friends over in hopes that you’d come over to tell us to quiet down and i could smoothly invite you to hang out with us, like in the shows!’

you can feel the cold wind much better on your cheeks than before, the speed of the swing stayed the same

your cheeks were just beginning to grow red

‘or my friends could dare me to go over to your house and talk with you but they never once mentioned you!’ you turned your head and saw him pouting and throwing his arms around

he honestly looked super adorable doing that

when he saw you looking at him he stopped the swing and held you in place, speaking into your ear softly now

‘and i kept stealing the swing because i knew you were always there and i hoped you’d come over to talk to me’

you felt red by how close he was to you, with his hands nearly touching yours on the swing

‘yeah i hoped you swung so hard you flew into space to be honest’ you managed to get out, but you squeaked and he chuckled once seeing how flustered you actually were because of him

‘sorry, that’s completely on me’

he moved away and stood in front of you this time, then crouching down and looking up at you while you tried to get your blush down

‘this hasn’t gone the way it does in dramas and movies........’ he admits plainly and honestly

this makes you throw your head back and start cackling because this guy has been acting so weird and has been bugging you because he was interested in you... but he was following romcoms

he smiles up at you in reply, no shame taking over his features

‘if you’re willing to forgive me for playing the really dumb and annoying next-door-neighbor role can i just play the regular-boy-next-door one like i should?’ you manage to calm down and sigh, deciding to let your grudge over the swing go for this cutie

when you nod, his smile turns into an ecstatic grin and he hops up

‘okay! cool! i’m renjun and i’m your neighbor and i think you’re really cute! can i be the one to push you on the swing from now on?’

[lady-thor-foster]

Run To You // Sam Wilson x Reader P3

Pairing: Sam Wilson x POC Reader Word Count: 2k+ Warning: fluff, language, angst, abuse mentions, violence (justice) , FEELINGS

Summary: Andrew finally gets what he deserves. Steve makes a mistake. Healing from psychological trauma is always a lot easier said than done, but your newfound family makes sure you know you’re not alone. 

A/N: Holy hell! You guys are absolutely fantastic with your feedback! I can’t believe you like this so much!  This is probably going to end up have way more than 4 parts lmao. I cannae be stopped.

Inspiration: “In Repair” ~ John Mayer

“Too many corners in my mind, So much to do to set my heart right. Oh, it’s taking so long, I could be wrong, I could be ready. Oh, but if I take my heart’s advice, I should assume it’s still unsteady. I am in repair…I’m not together but I’m getting there…”

PREVIOUS CHAPTER // NEXT CHAPTER

Andrew got the surprise of his life when two Avengers showed up at his front door. He’d never felt so lucky or terrified.

“Can I help you gentlemen?”

“We’re here for [Y/N]’s things,” Bucky all but snarled. Andrew dropped his façade immediately.

“Is she fucking both of you too? You should probably get yourselves checked she’s always been a who—.” Andrew didn’t have a chance to finish his vile sentence before Bucky sucker punched him square in the jaw. Stumbling backwards in shock, Andrew balled up his fists to retaliate but the murderous glint in not just Bucky’s eyes made him reconsider.

“What the hell was that for, you fucking psycho?!” he screamed. Bucky moved to punch him again but Steve stepped in, grabbing the appalling man by the throat and slamming him into the wall.

“Listen here and listen well, asshole,” Steve hissed, “You’re not to ever call [Y/N] or any other woman that word again. In fact, you’re not allowed to even breath in [Y/N]’s general fucking direction. If she gets so much as a papercut in your vicinity I will hunt you down and put you in the ground myself. I won’t even need a metal arm to do it. Is that clear?” Andrew didn’t even have the dignity to keep from wetting himself out of fear. Steve released the atrocious man with disgust.

“Where are [Y/N]’s belongings?” Bucky demanded. Andrew pointed to a pile of three messily packed boxes next to the front door.  Steve and Bucky grabbed them hastily, not wanting to stand in the same room as this cowardly reject of man any longer than necessary. On the way out the door, Bucky turned around and leveled Andrew with his gaze.

“You better pray I don’t ever hear your name again or I’ll find you and show you exactly how HYDRA turned me into the Winter Soldier.” Andrew’s eyes widened in absolute terror as he wet himself even further; Bucky rolled his eyes in revulsion and stalked out of the house. Absolutely pathetic, he thought to himself.

You woke up exceptionally warm. Your face was smushed into a familiar broad chest which made breathing just a tad difficult. Sam had always been a full body snuggler and last night was no exception.

“Oof, Sammy!” you whined into his chest while simultaneously trying to separate your limbs from his.

“Wha-What?” Sam mumbled, still half asleep, “[Y/N], what’s wrong?” Your determined movements pulled him into consciousness.

“I can’t breathe!” you complained.

“Oh shit. Sorry, Tink,” he laughed. Rolling your eyes, you rubbed feeling back into your aching limbs. You’d never get used to just how heavy he was.

This was the first time Sam had woken up next to you in his own room. He always loved how adorable you looked with sleep mussed hair and a cranky disposition. You disappeared into the bathroom. Despite everything that transpired yesterday, last night was the best night’s sleep he could ever remember having. A plume of hope flared in his chest at the idea of being able to wake up next to you for the rest of his life. He shook that thought from his head immediately; you weren’t his. You were never his.

You still couldn’t bring yourself to meet your reflection. Seeing your hands clearly for the first time terrified the hell out of you. You turned your back on the mirror; some things you just weren’t ready for yet. Peeling off your shirt, you forced yourself to look at the finger shaped bruised that angrily decorated your harms. Anger boiled inside of you. How dare he?! How dare he think himself so mighty that you were a plaything for him to toss around? Looking down at your protruding ribs, your anger melted into shame. How dare you allow yourself to become this way just to please someone else? Hot tears spilled from your eyes as you wrenched your shirt back on. How would anyone be able to love you now?

A soft knock came at the door. Sam groaned inwardly; he had hoped he’d get you all to himself just for a little while longer. Apparently life had other plans. Pushing himself to leave the warmth and comfort of his bed, he stalked grumpily to answer the door. It was a a bit of a shock to find Natasha and Wanda standing on the other side.

“Uh…hey... What’s up?” Natasha revealed a small bundle of clothing, she’d been concealing behind her back. Wanda held up hair supplies. Sam couldn’t help but grin at them, one of these days he’d finally be used to the never ending kindness of his teammates.

“Is she here?” Natasha whispered gently. Sam nodded and stepped backwards, allowing the women to enter his room. You heard faint voices and poked your head out of the bathroom in curiosity.

“Hey, Tink?” Sam called. Rolling your eyes, you stepped back into the room.  Gesturing to the unfamiliar women, Sam introduced you.

“Nat, Wanda, this is [Y/N]. Or as I like to call her: TinkerBell.”

“Saaaaaam,” you whined, “you know how much I hate that nickname.”

“I can’t help it; you’re as cute as a Disney fairy.” You rolled your eyes and stuck out your tongue; you would never admit it but you actually really loved it when Sam called you that. It was something sweet shared just between the two of you. Both Wanda and Natasha snorted at the two of you. Suddenly you remembered your manners.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! It’s really lovely to meet the both of you! I promise I’m not usually this rude. Life has a way of demanding my full attention 10 minutes after I wake up,” you babbled.

Natasha waved your apologies away, “It’s perfectly okay. You should see Bucky or Barton in the morning. They’re real assholes before coffee.” You giggled.

“You laugh but she’s being completely serious, Tink. I’d face a thousand Chitauri armies before I faced Barton or Barnes without coffee in the morning,” Sam said.

“So,” Wanda interjected, “Nat and I thought you might be in dire need of some fresh clothes and maybe a hairbrush or two?”

Their sudden kindness stunned the hell out of you. Truth be told, you weren’t sure how the other Avengers would take to your presence on the Compound, especially after they found out what you’d been through. You’d never tell Sam, but you were absolutely terrified that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes would turn you away to deal with your own problems. Your self-worth had dwindled so much that you wouldn’t have even blamed them if they did. You were overwhelmed with their unprecedented compassion that you couldn’t help but burst into tears. That wasn’t the reaction anyone was expecting.

“Hey, hey sweetheart, please don’t cry,” Wanda rushed to you, doing her best to soothe you with her soft words. Natasha and Sam were close behind. Wanda wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with her touch so used her powers to send feelings of calm to you. The pain of your broken psyche was so severe that her gentle attempt to soothe you had no effect. Her eyes widened in shock; there’s only been one other person whose pain was so horrific that Wanda’s first attempts to soothe them failed. Bucky.

The exquisitely mammoth pain you carried around was enough to nearly bring Wanda to her knees. She was impressed you even had the strength to still stand upright. Wanda was no stranger to pain herself; she understood the mask you wore. She didn’t need her powers to see through you were now and who you had the capacity to be. The two of you had just met but Wanda already loved you. You were hers now; no one else would hurt you so long as she loved you.

“Nat,” Wanda pushed into the older woman’s mind while Sam pulled you into a bear hug. Natasha’s eyes narrowed at the mental intrusion.

“Yes?” she pushed back.

“She’s just like Bucky. I tried to calm her down and it didn’t work,” Wanda admitted ashamedly. Natasha’s eyes narrowed even further. It took every ounce of self-control she could muster not to leave the Compound, hunt down that abomination of a man and rip him to shreds. It was one thing to be abused and trained into a weapon for use; it took a special kind of civilian monster to do this just because they could.

“She’s under our protection. No matter what the cost.” Natasha pushed into Wanda’s mind. She didn’t have to be a telepath to know Wanda felt the same. No one else would hurt you as long as they had a say about it. Never again.

Sam and the women were more than understanding through your outburst. It was such a foreign feeling, having someone look at you with care instead of malice in their eyes. You kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. You kept waiting for the tables to turn.

Natasha and Wanda were right about how good a fresh change of clothes would feel on your battered body. They even managed to scare up cleansing conditioner and helped you return some life to your once bouncy curls. Two pairs of gentle fingers gently massaged your scalp, carefully working out the knots and kinks of your thick hair. The three of you bonded easily over everything; you found yourself becoming enamored with them. Two strong and fierce women that life snatched nearly everything from stood before you just as loving and empathetic as you could have ever dreamed. It gave you hope. You weren’t together yet, you probably wouldn’t be for a long time but with the love and care of your newfound family, you’d get there.

Sam stood in the doorway of the kitchen watched contentedly as Natasha and Wanda coaxed you into eating. Seeing two of the women he had become so fond of caring for the one he loved most in the world was a sight to behold. He wasn’t sure what he did to deserve this kind of love in his life but he damn sure wouldn’t question it. He was so enraptured with the sight he almost didn’t notice when Bucky and Steve walked up behind him.

“Hey Sam,” they greeted him. He grinned in response. Steve beckoned them to the living room. Sam and Bucky followed close behind and made themselves comfortable in nearby chairs.

“What’s up, Steve?” asked Sam.

“We’ve retrieved all of her belongings,” Steve said firmly. Sam looked back and forth between Steve and Bucky. He wasn’t sure how to properly react to the fact that his teammates had stepped up in such a monumental way. His shoulders sagged as he exhaled in relief.

“You—you don’t know what this means to me guys. Thank you, seriously.”

“She won’t ever have to worry about him bothering her or anyone else again,” Bucky growled.

“Wait—you didn’t…?”

“No,” Steve reassured Sam, “but you don’t know just how close I came. How anyone could treat someone they claimed to love with such abhorrence is beyond me.”

“He doesn’t deserve to live,” Bucky stated. His metal fist clenched and unclenched as he fought to keep his rage under control.

“We don’t get to make that choice, Buck.”

“But he—!”

“No!” Steve half shouted. Your head snapped up at the sound of Steve’s raised voice. Cowering into yourself, you pushed away the soup Nat and Wanda had spent the last 30 minutes trying to convince you to eat. Suddenly the prospect of food was no longer appealing. Wanda pulled you into a gentle hug and pressed a soft kiss into your hair. Patting your shoulder gently, Natasha stood up from the table and stalked into the living room where the men were currently residing.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about in here but that girl in there is terrified for her life and she doesn’t need you three assholes going and making things worse for her. You make one more wrong move and I will end you myself, is that clear?” she hissed venomously.

“I’m sorry for shouting, you’re right. She doesn’t deserve this, she deserves so much more.”

“It’s not me you need to apologize to, Rogers.” Nodding, Steve took steadying breath. He couldn’t believe he allowed himself to lose his temper like that with you in the next room. Natasha was right; he owed you an apology. Standing up and straightening his slacks, he made his way to the kitchen humbly.

“[Y/N]?” he called. Wanda’s grip around you tightened at Steve’s cautious approach. You lifted your head from her shoulder to meet his sorrowful gaze.

“Hello, Captain,” you murmured. He winced at your distinctly formal greeting. He owed you so much more than a simple apology.

“Call me Steve, please,” he implored you. You gave him a small smile at his request.

“I need to apologize for my actions, [Y/N]. I should not have lost my temper like that; I should have been more considerate of your feelings. I am sincerely sorry and if you would allow me to, I would be more than happy to make it up to you.”

Steve’s genuine apology was absolutely foreign to you. You’d been so conditioned by Andrew that you were half expecting Steve to force you apologize for making him yell. Logically you knew it wasn’t your fault and there was no reason for you to apologize but there’s nothing logical about an abused psyche.

“…make it up to me? Why would you want to make it up to me?” you asked. Both Steve and Wanda’s eyes widened in sheer confusion. Just when they thought their hearts couldn’t break for you anymore, you go and prove them wrong.

“That’s what you do when you apologize to someone,” Wanda said into your hair, “you apologize with your actions as well as your words.”

“Oh.” It only took one word for Steve and the rest of the Avengers to realize they had their work cut out for them when it came to helping you undo all the damage Andrew had done to you. Just one word.

“Will you allow me to make it up to you, [Y/N]?” Steve asked softly. You had to give him credit; he was trying. That was more than Andrew had ever done. He stood there in front of you radiating such pure honesty and goodness that you couldn’t help but smile. Pulling yourself from Wanda’s loving arms, you stood up and offered your hand to Steve.

“Tell you what, Steve. You introduce me to Thor and Doctor Banner and convince Mr. Stark to show me his lab and I’ll consider us even,” you said with a grin. Steve’s answering grin was brighter than sunshine.

You weren’t together yet but you were getting there.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER // NEXT CHAPTER 

Tags

@emilyevanston @lancefuckrr @bellamyblakesgun @sweet-honey15 @amour-quinn @wildestdreamsrps @marvel-lucy