#i think that one will remain in my top five until the day I die
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Just watched Talk to Me for the third time
When will that movie stop being so good?
#not to say the latest horror movie is my favorite ever but honestly#i think that one will remain in my top five until the day I die#horror#talk to me#talk to me 2023#talk to me 2022#just hands down it's brilliant writing#not a second is wasted#not a line of dialogue is out of place#some movies have THE scene#this one has at least three times I go OH SHITTTT#every time#i normally prance about my apartment in the dark#legit last night i was creeping around in the dark#thought of rhea's face#lights went on
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Disproportionate Retribution Poll Round 1 Side A:
Curly's (Mouthwashing) Disproportionate Retribution:
"Curly was the boss (captain) of a spaceship that was still going to be in space for months. He was a doormat/people pleaser/enabler with his genuine menace of a friend and co-captain, Jimmy, who had assaulted one of their coworkers. After talking to Jimmy and not giving him immediate consequences, that man crashed the ship. This screwed everyone over, especially Curly:
-was framed for crashing the thing
-his hands, feet, and an eye were all blown off.
-skin was burnt to the third degree just about everywhere. No more eyelid on that remaining eye either
-was rendered practically immobile for months
-watched his crew die/kill eachother (also Jimmy's fault) and was powerless to stop it
-had part of the remainder of one of his legs cut off and force fed to him raw
Among other things.
It's over the top because holy shit. (Moreover, what would have been proportional would have been losing his job and having Anya knock sense into him or something). Not saying it was poorly written or anything; the genre demands suffering, and it was all thematically great. But oh my god."
"Yeah, finding out your closest friend sexually assaulted your ships nurse and thinking that's a situation you mediate with words is naive at best and enabling at worst. Having said that, I don't think that justifies being blown up in a ship crash, losing your hands, feet, and skin, left with a single eye that can't blink because you have no eyelids. Also the only painkillers you have are a single paracetemol daily that needs to be shoved down your throat with no water because you can't swallow on your own. Also the aforementioned friend likes taking out the stress of the situation he caused by beating you while he gives you your medicine. This goes on for over five months.Then after the rest of the crew dies (due to your 'friends' actions) he cuts off MORE of your leg, feeds it to you, KEEPS FEEDING IT TO YOU until you stop vomiting it back up. Then he places you in the ships cryopod. You still don't have skin."
Frecklewish's (Warrior Cats) Disproportionate Retribution:
"Frecklewish's brother was killed, her friend Mapleshade, lied about her kits being his when actaully Mapleshade's kits were her brother's killer's. After this secret was revealed, Frecklewish said some pretty nasty things about said kits. Frecklewish latter saw Mapleshade and kits crossing a river during a storm and presumably saw them get swept away but didn't try to save them, though the narrative notes there were cats on the other side of the river, and its unlikely Frecklewish knew how to swim. Mapleshade latter got revenge for this by leading Frecklewish into an area were there were venomous snakes where a snake spat venom into her eyes. Frecklewish died days latter, after notable suffering. The Warrior cats website then revealed that on top of this, she was also sent to the dark forest/cat hell.
Tldr, she didn't throw herself into a raging river to try to save Mapleshade's kits and potentially drown herself, and then she was then murdered, and sent to cat hell, a place populated almost entirely by vicious murderers."
"Crime: not saving drowning children
Punishment: having her eyes bitten by a venomous snake and being sent to the Dark Forrest (cat hell)
Out of proportion: she couldn't swim, what exactly was she supposed to do? "
"tl;dr - gets killed horribly and sent to Hell for being moderately nasty and not leaping into a flash flood to save kittens when she can't swim and previously watched her brother drown (while several male characters who abused their positions of power in the same situation get sent to Heaven for some mysterious reason that totally isn't related to gender /s)
Long explanation - Frecklewish had a brother, Birchface, who died in a battle when the RiverClan warrior Appledusk hit him so hard he fell into the river and drowned (AND his teenage apprentice drowned while trying to save him, so a very traumatic situation). Frecklewish grieves him deeply, so she is comforted by her clanmate Mapleshade lying-by-omission that her unborn/newborn kittens were Birchface's. Turns out the kittens were actually Appledusk's, the one who killed Birchface. Frecklewish does not react well to learning this, yelling insults even at the kittens, and Mapleshade and the kittens are banished by the male characters in power (who go to Heaven btw). Mapleshade tries to take her kittens across the river during a flash flood and they drown, and she blames Frecklewish for allegedly witnessing this but not trying to save them (maybe because Frecklewish can't swim and her biggest trauma was watching her brother drown? there is no scenario where she could have saved the kittens vs just getting herself killed for no reason! she didn't actually want the kittens to die anyway, she saw RiverClan warriors approaching and assumed THEY would save them!) Mapleshade, a villain, punishes her for this by getting a venomous snake to bite her in the face, so she is painfully blinded and dies a few days later.
That was the end of it when that book originally came out, but years later the "story team" posted on the website that Frecklewish went to Hell. When the fandom questioned how that's fair (especially bc again, multiple male characters who acted even worse got to go to Heaven) they just doubled down on her supposedly deserving it. So it's canon, apparently."
#captain curly#mouthwashing#frecklewish#warrior cats#niche polls#tournament poll#tumblr tournament#disproportionate retribution poll#tw gore
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Festively depressing headcanon, for no good reason.
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Wild rats live somewhere between one and two years. Even allowing for Morris's care, guidance, and protection, not to mention fantasy healing magic, Fishstinky isn't going to make it past five years, tops, no matter how much Morris tries to find a way of extending his life. He probably loses his alpha rat status a little earlier than that, being frailer than he was. Morris doesn't interfere, that's how things go for rats, and he works hard to maintain his unusual status with the new alpha, but he remains particularly fond of Fishstinky.
One day, the group is on a quest to retrieve something -- let's say Skullduggan's sword. After a lot of failed attempts and narrow misses, they've finally got an opportunity to steal it back. One key step of the plan involves Morris's druidic magic. He has the energy for one more wildshape, having used the other for recon earlier in the day. Their monk companion goes into Morris's tent near the rat nest, to tell him it's now or never, and discovers that he isn't there.
What happened is this: Fishstinky had been ailing for several days and it was clear he didn't have much time left. Morris didn't bother mentioning this to anyone, partly because he didn't think it was any of their business, partly because he knew they wouldn't understand or care, and partly because it shouldn't have mattered, even the rats wouldn't be that concerned. Shortly before he was required for the plan, however, he knew.
He knelt beside Fishstinky: I'm here, I'll be with you. I'm always with you. Fishstinky asked: let me see you.
I'm here.
I want to see you.
Morris realised Fishstinky meant he wanted to be with Morris in ratshape, something he understood better than humans. Using that last wildshape just to comfort a dying rat would ruin the plan completely, and Morris decided that he didn't care (it wouldn't matter if it was a life or death situation for the rest of the party, honestly). He dropped into ratshape and curled up beside Fishstinky, who died shortly afterwards.
The monk only sees two rats on a cushion, not an abnormal sight in Morris's tent, and starts panicking about how he's disappeared until her cleric partner arrives. They decide to fetch Skullduggan, since it's their sword, and besides, they know Morris best.
Skullduggan catches on much more quickly. They work out the approximate time, wait alone until the hour of wildshape is up, and right on cue one of the rats abruptly turns back into Morris, still hunched over Fishstinky's body refusing to move. He won't turn round but is evidently distressed, denying anything is wrong yet shuttered in. He keeps insisting: it doesn't matter, he's just a rat, lots of them have died before. All the time he's fighting back angry, miserable sobs.
What makes it harder is of course the colony turns up to investigate and scuffles are already breaking out over who gets to take Fishstinky's place. Morris is forced to be firm and commanding with them if he wants to keep his own role, exactly what he doesn't feel able to do right now. On top of that he needs, or feels he needs, to take a piece of Fishstinky for his totem, and the last thing anyone should have to do after watching their best friend die is cut off their head with a pocketknife. And then, when the other rats are done sniffing the body, the natural way of things is for them to eat it.
This is all quite a lot to process and he really doesn't want to be around people. Skullduggan, however, is more than a little angry that Morris just lost them the chance to have their sword back: you know how you feel about your rats? That's how I feel about my bloody sword! Morris casts hold person on them to prevent them from launching at him. Feeling Skullduggan's fury even while paralysed, he prepares to drop it, but only with a warning that if Skullduggan tries anything else he will stop him. Drops it, Skullduggan charges forwards, Skullduggan is immediately shoved backwards by thunderwave.
Since it's clear that Morris is prepared to burn through all of his spellslots just to ensure himself some privacy while he grieves, and since they don't have their sword to smash his head in with, Skullduggan gives up. They'll have to find another way to get their sword back. It's a very awkward night in camp.
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20 Questions For Fic Writers
I was tagged by my dear friend @thevampireauthoress on this post ! I tag all the fic writers who follow me and see this because I want to see what you guys are up to!!
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
Five! I write every day but only started posting fan fic a year ago and I have more I'm cleaning up to post!
2. What's your total AO3 word count? 36,380
3. What fandoms do you write for?
A Lot. If post about it odds are I've written something about it in some form or another.
The ones I have public fics for are DmC: Devil May Cry and ATLA. I frequently write for World of Warcraft (mostly ocs) privately though and have been making my way back to TF2, Borderlands, and Bioshock works lately.
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
Since I have only five I can give the whole rundown asdfghj the Zutara fics are, unsurprisingly, the heavy hitters
An Inexact Science
Detours
Pinky Promise
Crossroads of Catharsis and Contemplation
A Series of Mild Prophesies
Also the stats chart cracks me up:
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
I try to! I get to most of them! Sometimes when a fic is older and someone just leaves a short little 'this was nice!' or whatever, I don't respond but other then that I do. I get very excited when anyone likes any of my works asdfghjkl
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Uh...probably Swan Song, which is yet to be posted. Swan Song will definitely probably have the solidly most angst filled ending.
7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Just limiting myself to what's already posted on AO3, anything in the Circumnavigators of Celestial Bodies series so far has had pretty happy endings. It's not tinged with the like dramatic irony of anything in Drafting A Swan and both fic's thus far in Circumnavigators end on fairly positive notes I think
8. Do you get hate on fics?
As of now, no
9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?
I have but I haven't published any of it yet and I'm not sure I will ever. My favorites to write are definitely monsterfucking related, followed by more general kink but like monsterfucking is the best to write.
10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?
I am an avid lover of crossovers, particularly crazy crossovers. I feel like I have several contenders for the most crazy.
First up would be the massive multi fandom high school au my girlfriend and I developed containing like every video game we liked at the time which I still sometimes write because I find the character dynamics fascinating but I doubt, due to the highly niche nature of this crossover, that it'd ever see the light of day (if you ever wanted August Borderlands and Rachel Amber Life Is Strange to talk on the roof of a trailer in the trailer park they both live in though, I am the gal to ask I guess because boy do I have that and I will provide)
Second up would be in a similar vein but like somehow even less attached to any of the serial numbers qualifying it as fan fic. That one is set in a Bioshock AU where Rapture lasted until the 80s somehow under different leadership. It is also a massive multi fandom AU but this time with gang warfare under the sea in a very AU'd version of Rapture. Similarly, it will never see the light of day with the serial numbers attached because it is just so niche as it is that like...I have no idea who would want to read that asdfghjkl I rarely write it anymore despite loving a lot of the concepts and dynamics, and I feel like it'd just be more effective to just rip off the remaining serial numbers and let it be free if I ever wanted to publish it somewhere.
Third craziest is perhaps less crazy but just very weird. But I have an ongoing series of fics where Brigid Tenenbaum from Bioshock 1 and Booker Dewitt from Bioshock Infinite just sort of hang out in this space beyond time and space and just get very cerebral about their oddly parallel lives and similar traumas because a hill I will die on is that they are the parallels of one another between those games, not anyone else. They're very written 'For Fabdante' so they are not very polished and I call them 'Bioshock Void Fics'
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I am aware of
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Not that I am aware of
13. Have you ever co-authored a fic?
When I was waaay younger yes! Those are really old and locked away on fanfiction.net though.
14. What is your all time favourite ship?
Vergil and Kat/Verat from DmC: Devil May Cry. They are my everything.
15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
I never want to say never because I do intend to finish these things but here's two:
I have this ATLA fan fic tentatively titled Avatar Champloo which isn't exactly a crossover, more just like an Avatar story featuring the Ba Sing Se kids (Jet, Zuko, and Jin) that plays homage to the vibes and general essence of Samurai Champloo, extrapolating on the already very heavy Samurai Champloo vibes of ATLA. Samurai Champloo is like one of my all time favorite shows so living up to it has been a tall order for me and I fear I will never finish this fic asdfghjk.
I have a few Zelda/Zelgan WIPs that I fear I will never finish. One being a very long one shot based off the idea of a Zelgan romance from the perspective of a bodyguard Link which I'm really fond of, but just have a lot of trouble editing. To give perspective, it was the first fic I ever considered publishing on AO3. And it's still not done to satisfaction for me and thus, not my first fic on AO3.
Obligatory Swan Song (my really long multichapter DmC: Devil May Cry, Verat based, prequel) mention. I don't doubt I'll finish it one day exactly, but when that day will be is far beyond my comprehension asdfghjk
16. What are your writing strengths?
Uh...ngl I have no idea lmaooooo I like how I handle small moments, I guess. Most of what I like to write is small moments between people, and I think I'm pretty ok at that. I'm good at rambling.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
Writing multichapter things, I feel. Because I like small moments too much, I struggle to keep things relevant I feel. The biggest issues with Swan Song, I think, are just there being a lot of useless scenes. I struggle a lot with knowing how long scenes should be in something thats more then a one shot and how to transition between those scenes effectively.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?
I don't know any other language confidently enough to write it, so it's not something I ever do nor have an opinion on. I do write a lot of multilingual characters, and when I do I just tend to write the dialogue in italics then notate that the character is now speaking another language in the descriptor so that the reader knows what the italics mean.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
Probably ATLA when I was a waaay younger. Writing Circumnavigators has been a return to my roots, I suppose, asdfghjk
20. Favourite fic you've written?
My favorite posted fic is definitely Crossroads of Catharsis and Contemplation. It's got everything for me and is exactly the type of thing I love to write the most.
Unposted? Depending on how it goes, I might have a runner up that is a preboot DMC fic which is a grunge band AU told through excerpts from a biography novel and the interviews within about said grunge band. Similarly, it has everything for me and is exactly the type of thing I love to write asdfghjkl
Thank you again for tagging me!! And once again, I mean it when I say please count yourself as tagged by me if you want to answer these because I really, really would love to see what you guys are writing!!
#fabtalks#fab talks#i talked a lot here asdfghjk i have thoughts#but that fucking kudos chart never ceases to make me laugh its so funny#when you write for both the ship that invented ship weeks but also a defunct 2013 reboot with a fandom of like 12#long post
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My reputation’s never been worse
Chapter Eight
George lead Will out of the castle through a side door. The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon and streaks of reds and oranges lit up the sky. They made their way to a small clearing, still within sight of the castle, but set apart from the bustling town. At the base of a large oak tree sat Horace, Jenny, and Alyss. Alyss. Will glanced around and realized it was the very same spot that he had said goodbye to his friends five long years ago.
If George noticed how Will’s feet started to drag as the approached their friends, he said nothing of it. He simply motioned for Will to take a seat in the grass, waiting until he did to do the same. Jenny instantly flung her arms around him, squeezing him tightly.
“I can’t even being to tell you how worried I’ve been Will. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t wondered where you were, if you were safe. We’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too.” Will said quietly. He didn’t want to admit to her that she was right to worry. That he hadn’t been safe for a single day over the past five years. That he still wasn’t convinced he was.
Jenny finally released him from her hold, but remained next to him, not daring to get too far in fear that he’d suddenly disappear. Alyss on the other hand, struggled to even look at him. She wasn’t sure what she had expected. Cassandra had warned her that he was different, that he not only acted and spoke differently, but that he looked like a completely different person. A stranger. The soft and sweet boy she had grown up with was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a dangerous man with sharp, suspicious eyes. Fading scars peppered his face and arms. The mop of chestnut hair she was used to was cut short on the sides, the top long and pushed back. He wore silver rings and necklaces that stood out against the black clothes he wore. She searched his face for the boy she had accidentally fallen in love with, but his expression was more guarded than the castle itself.
“Alyss.” God, she thought, even his voice is unrecognizable. “Alyss.” He repeated, faint desperation seeping into his voice.
“Hi.” It was stupid thing to say and she instantly wished she could have a do over. Hi? After five years the best she could come up with was hi? But it didn’t seem to bother Will. In fact, it put him a little more at ease. His shoulders dropped and the corner of his mouth tugged up.
“Hi.” Will echoed back.
“Will, I think it’s time you tell us about what’s happened over these past five years.” George said gently.
Will shook his head, “The past is in the past. There’s no need dig it up.”
“We are your family Will. We all want to be here for you, and we can’t do that if we don’t understand what you’ve been through. You don’t need to share every detail, just a summery.”
“Fine, where should I start?”
“I think the beginning is typically the best place to begin.” George smiled.
“Right.” Will took a deep breath. “When I left here, I went straight to Malcolm’s. The plan had been to hunker down with him. Stay hidden for a year or so, let the story of the traitorous ranger die down a bit, then create a new life for myself in Norgate. I knew that I could get buy as a jongleur and as much as I hated the weather out there, I was familiar with the area. I was going to be ok.” Will swallowed then continued. “But then it all went to hell.”
“I had been with Malcolm’s group for almost six months when one of his people told him that I was being hunted. Apparently word of my innocence hadn’t reached the North yet, or maybe it had, but no one believed it. The local ranger had organized a hunting party made up the baron’s best men. One day we found a note pinned to a tree with an arrow. It said that if I wasn’t gone by sunrise, they would go after Malcolm and his people. Malcolm tried to convince me to stay, but I couldn’t put them at risk, and he knew that. I left as soon as it was dark.”
“Will please, you can’t leave.” Malcolm begged.
Will didn’t look up from his bag that he was repacking. “This isn’t up for debate Malcolm. I’m not going to risk the safety of everyone here. It’s time for me to move on.”
“But where will you go? If Harrison is on the hunt for you, we need to assume that other ranger’s are too.”
“I’ll figure something out, I always do.” Will stood up and looked Malcolm squarely in the eyes. “I appreciate the shelter you’ve given me. I needed somewhere to regroup, and you provided that. I will always be indebted to you. But I couldn’t live with myself if something happened here because of me.”
“From there I traveled to the outskirts of Coledale. I had no intention on venturing into the fief, but my supplies were running low and I was struggling to find enough food. I finally broke down when a massive storm rolled in, I probably could have weathered it, but I couldn’t stand the thought of Tug having to spend the entire night in the freeze rain. I did my best to disguise myself as a jongleur and checked into an inn. I was able to pay for the room by working in the evenings. I was trying to save the money Cassandra snuck into my pack for an even rainier day.” Cassandra giving Will money was news to Alyss, and she felt a tinge of…guilt? Jealously? She wasn’t sure, all she knew is she wished she had been able to do something for for Will before he left. It sounded like he could have used all the help he could get.
“The storm lasted for four days, and I was honestly grateful for the rest. I had been running from Redmont for months, and was exhausted,” Will rolled his eyes, “little did I know just how exhausted I could be. I didn’t want to leave the comfort of the inn, so when the owner offered me another weeks stay in exchange for performing at night, I quickly agreed. This had been the plan all along. Sure, it wasn’t Norgate like I had originally thought, but it would work just as well. I wouldn’t have to run anymore. I could just passively travel from inn to inn. I could have something resembling a life.” Will sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “It was a naive pipe dream.”
“I wish I could blame it all on bad luck, but I should have known better. I had allowed myself to get too comfortable in Coledale. I was preforming on my second to last night in the inn when Ranger Bernard walked in. I kept playing, praying that he wouldn’t recognize me. But he was a ranger, and a good one. Even though we had only ever met once, I saw the recognition in his eyes burn bright. Without warning, he reached for his throwing knife and sent it sailing straight at my head. I dodged it by a hair. He chased me out of the inn and to the stable. I was able to mount Tug and hightail it out of there before he could catch me.”
Will’s heart was beating erratically, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He tried to not focus on the fact that if he had reacted just a half second slower to Bernard, he’d be dead. Tug must have sensed the urgency, because he had taken off before Will was even properly saddled, and he hadn’t broken his canter for a single second. Will didn’t turn back until there was miles between him and Coledale. He didn’t see Bernard following him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t. Will had no idea how far the ranger would chase him, but he did know that he had to keep running, he had to put as much distant between them as possible. It wasn’t until dawn was breaking that Will stopped Tug. The little horse would have run himself into the grave for his rider, but Will refused to let it come to that. If Bernard had followed them, Will was going to have to fight him face to face, he couldn’t run from him forever. Will moved to make camp, then had a horrible realization.
“I had been so focused on getting away from Bernard, that it wasn’t until much later I realized I had left everything I owned in my room at the inn. All I had were the clothes on my back, the two knifes that I carried on my belt, and my coin purse. I didn’t even have my mandola. I was grateful that I had had the sense to keep my money on me, but it would be a long time before I got desperate enough to risk stepping foot into another town.”
“After that, I lived in constant fear. I never stayed in one spot for more than two nights, wandering aimlessly through the forest. I thought things couldn’t get much worse. And then winter came with a vengeance.” Will shivered involuntarily at the memory. “I was cold all of the time. Starving. Terrified that every time I closed my eyes, I might not open them again. Tug wasn’t fairing much better than I was, and I knew that if we didn’t get food and shelter soon, we’d both die before spring. I started making the long trek back to Norgate. I’m still not sure what motivated me to do it, I mean, I knew that Harrison would kill me if he caught me, but something in me just knew that if I wanted to survive, I needed to get to Malcolm. Turns out, I was right. It took a over month to get back to Malcolm’s. It should have taken half that, but Tug and I were weaker than we had ever been. I had managed to sneak into a few small towns along the way to buy food, but I gave most of it to Tug. The cold and hunger effected my mind more that I expected. I became even more paranoid, expecting everyone who saw me to recognize me and try to kill me, so my visits to markets were few and far between. By the time I reach Malcolm’s woods, I was sick, delirious with a fever. I don’t remember much about the three weeks I spent there, only flashes of the violent fever dreams I had. Looming gallows, shining knives, rotting prisons.” Will’s words shook and he had to stop himself. He kept his eyes down, not wanting to see the horrified looks he knew would be on his friends faces.
“After I recovered, I started to plan my next move. Leaving Malcolm’s the first time without one had been a mistake that almost killed me. I couldn’t keep running without a destination. I could not let my fear get out of control like it had that year. So, I sat down and made a plan to survive.”
“I knew that if I could make it to the coast, I’d be able to find work in the shipyards. Most of the workers on or around ships are criminals, former or otherwise. Everyone stay out of each other’s business, almost no one uses their real names. It would be the perfect place to hide out. But there was one problem. Tug. There was no way I’d be able to care for him in the port, especially if I needed to take up work on a ship. In an ideal situation, I’d be able to bring him back to Old Bob, but I was in a less than ideal situation, so, I did the best I could. I left him with Malcolm, promising I’d return as soon as I could. I was hoping to be able to work in the port for a year, head back north to collect Tug, then, hopefully, go home.”
The shocked expressions on his friends faces didn’t surprise Will. He had done nothing to indicate his original plan to return home after only two years of being away.
“What changed? Why didn’t you come home?” Alyss questioned. Her stomach rolled with nausea at the thought that they could have had Will back three years ago.
“I got… held up, on my way to the sea.”
Painful flashbacks flooded Will’s mind and the knotted scar tissue on is hip ached. He breathed deeply but was assaulted by the memory of smell of blood and burning flesh.
“Story time is over.” Will stood abruptly, his voice hard again.
#rangers apprentice#ranger's apprentice#will treaty#ranger’s apprentice fanfiction#rangers apprentice fanfiction#guilty until proven innocent#my reputations never been worse
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The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani
After saving themselves and their fellow students from a life pitched against one another, Sophie and Agatha are back home again, living happily ever after. But life isn't exactly a fairytale. When Agatha secretly wishes she'd chosen a different happy ending with Prince Tedros, the gates to the School for Good and Evil open once again. But Good and Evil are no longer enemies and Princes and Princesses may not be what they seem, as new bonds form and old ones shatter.
Review
It doesn’t get better, it’s just getting worse.
The first book has an end, but they weren’t Happily Ever After. They needed more. And though I’m good with the idea of princesses –or just girls– not needing princes, what this book is about isn’t exactly what I was expecting.
How will be the world if there weren’t any prince—any resemblance of a prince at all? That I was expecting.
How will be the world if the princes were seen as-? Uhm… I think that will be a spoiler.
The point is that I was expecting what the title was hinting: a world without princes. And I think we had even more of them than before.
If there’s something those books are teaching me is that I better be true to myself, because even if the world is ending, I will find some sort of peace. I still think that a bit of communication for every part will have made all that rollercoaster smoother, but they’re stubborn people, each and every one of them. They all took the impulsive, rash decision, and everything went complex, harder than needed. And to what end?
Yeah, I’m taking it better, not looking at it too close nor looking for meanings, just reading, and I’m getting invested with the story. I feel like everything until now has been accumulated tension and is finally time for the climax. Is finally time for every piece to fall in place. I mean, not in this book, this book is the harder part of a hella, steep climb, where you’re exhausted and able to see the desired top. The next book is the climax, or at least that’s what I hope for. All this build-up tension is maddening.
Phrases that I liked so much that I marked them while reading
«There is an uneasiness that remains after your best friend tries to kill you.» — Sophie Makes a Wish.
«“How do they know if they’re happy?” “If they have to ask, they probably aren’t.”» — Sophie Makes a Wish.
«Why did everything she love try to leave her?» — Double Crossings.
«“Because she was my friend, Tedros. The only friend I’d ever known. And I couldn’t imagine a life without her.”» — The Uninvited Guest.
«Tedros’ eyes misted. “It’s always the princess who gets her fairy-tale ending,” he said in Agatha’s face. “This time, it feels like it’s mine.”» — The Uninvited Guest.
«“I feel like I’m missing something—” “A brain,” Hester murmured.» — The Five Rules.
«“I’m willing to risk my life if it means peace.”» — The Five Rules.
«Hester paused, taking this in. “Look, I’ll endure this hideous spell and get you two home. But only if it’s what you really want this time.”» — The Five Rules.
«Sophie’s mouth parched. She’d always dreamed that one day she’d be in a castle full of gorgeous, virile boys. She should have been more specific.» — A Boy by Any Other Name.
«Leave it to a librarian to find the book she needed, she thought.» — Sader’s Secret History.
«Perhaps he’d foreseen even before she’d arrived that he’d die for her. And still he’d smiled at her. Still he’d helped her.» — Sader’s Secret History.
#the school for good and evil#a world without princes#soman chainani#book blog#booklover#book review#review#reading
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thanks for the tag @chameliyun !
1. How many works do you have on ao3?
Officially, 10. Unofficially? You'll never know. And I'm working on waaaaay too many things at once so. you can look forward to that.
2. What's your total ao3 word count?
163,934. pretty low considering the fact that i write like a maniac. It's just that i don't finish my works easily.
3. What fandoms do you write for?
I've written for haikyuu!! and bungou stray dogs. i would love to write for a couple more but I'm consumed by bsd brainrot now. All day everyday. THEY WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE.
4. What are your top five fics by kudos?
friend, please (don't take your life away from me)- 449
he ain't heavy, he's my brother- 292
do you like or like like me? - 213
where we're from, there's no sun- 208
the love you gave me remains, that's why I'm still alive- 149
5. Do you respond to comments?
Yes! Even though I've been putting off responding to them for sometime now because of classes but! they never fail to make my day. I keep coming back to them. i might not always know what to say, but trust me when i say i'm grateful for every single one of them <3
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
hmmmm i write fics with a lot of angst content ngl but i also make sure to add happy stuff in between or at least try my best to make it bittersweet. but in my fic 'darling, don't you weep', no such efforts were made lolol. just Pain.
7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
i'd say my long ass iwaoi fic, till forever falls apart.
8. Do you get hate on fics?
nope! only lots of love which i'm immensely grateful for :D
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
no comment.
10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?
I have not written one yet, but i might write one in the future! recently i've been thinking a lot about saiki & mob & anya shenanigans so. that might become a thing.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
no again
12. What's the longest you've spent working on one fic? And the shortest?
longest? a year almost, on my iwaoi fic that i mentioned above. i put a lot of effort and love into that one and it contains a piece of me. as for shortest, i'd say my femskk fic (fleurs du mal) that i finished in two? days or more like few hours distributed b/w those days because of the brainrot @littlesp1ders inflicted on me.
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
no, but if all goes according to plan @feralshadowdemon and i will be writing a fyozai fic sometime before we die.
14. What's your all-time favorite ship? From all fandoms?
how dare you ask me this question. i'll give you a few: hilson (house md), iwaoi (haikyuu), and a Lot of rarepairs from bsd. but listen. listen. skk has me in a chokehold. i can't escape. someone please help. i might be very biased towards them.
15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
my answer would probably make you go :O. it's a queerplatonic dynamic analysis of kita and oikawa. yes, the captains of inarizaki and aoba johsai. their personalities clash in every way possible and i really, really want to explore that.
16. What are your writing strengths?
i would say my strength lies in the fact that i'm not afraid to be vulnerable and experiment with my writing. and i love writing. that's what makes my writing good, i'd say.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
i get frustrated trying to write certain scenes with very specific emotions and actions because it's in my head but it's hard to make people see it the way i do. but i always take some time off, come back to it and write until i'm satisfied with the result.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
haven't done it yet, but i would do it if the story needs it/it enhances the storytelling. i'm also naming my current wip in tamil (indru, netru, nalai- literally translated to today, yesterday and tomorrow. it's a story related to time loop, reincarnations and the timeless nature of skk's love for each other)
19. First fandom you wrote for?
Published: haikyuu!! Unpublished: bbc sherlock or harry potter, i'm not sure.
20. Favorite fic you've written?
mean question. all my fics hold a special place in my heart for different reasons. but one fic that always makes me feel a strange (good strange) emotion is my brother-sister dynamic dazai &yosano fic, where we're from, there's no sun. underrated, imo. yes i'm hyping up my own work what about it.
i'd love to hear from yall, but no pressure! @feralshadowdemon @just-a-dinosaur-i-guess @zukkaoru @roobgumball95
20 Q's for Fic Writers
thanks for the tag @spacejammie-eimmajecaps!
How many works do you have on ao3? Officially 8, but I have one on anon and one currently unrevealed in a fic exchange
What's your total ao3 word count? 61,996
What fandoms do you write for? So far I've written for Death Note, Tangled the Series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Haikyuu, plus a couple of crossovers. Haikyuu is definitely my main rn though
What are your top five fics by kudos? #1: Frosting and Freckles: 69 (nice) #2: Draw Me Near: 39 #3: [embarrassing anon fic]: 35 #4: Varian Is Not a Wizard: 25 #5: Midnight Coda: 21
Do you respond to comments? Yeah, I love to! I don't get a lot so they always make me happy :)
What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? probably the anon fic sdfsk but other than that, Midnight Coda is kinda bittersweet because of what happens later
What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? hmm idk but the sappiest is definitely Frosting and Freckles
Do you get hate on fics? Not so far, thankfully! I don't think I have a big enough readership for that haha
Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have not; not sure what kind it would be if I did
Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I love writing crossovers! A PJO/HP crossover was actually what got me into fanfic. Unfortunately most of them are merely concepts or abandoned (for now), but as for crazy, I think my Lunar Chronicles/PJO one is the craziest in terms of how the plot grew out of control from a simple "what if these two characters interacted" to "I could rewrite most of this series," which is why I got stuck and put it on hiatus lol but I do want to get back to it someday. Maybe once I finish my other active crossover
Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge
What's the longest you've spent working on one fic? And the shortest? Uhhh well if we count "working on" as "having it in the back of mind to get to but haven't worked on in months," probably Sent from the Heavens lol. If not, then Varian Is Not a Wizard (just over two years since I published the first chapter). Shortest is definitely Midnight Coda, since I wrote that pretty much in a day iirc
Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but it sounds like it could be fun!
What's your all-time favorite ship? From all fandoms? Dude I have no idea how to narrow that down. Best I can give you is my current fave is Tsukkiyama from Haikyuu
What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Probably my "Leo Valdez ends up in the ATLA world" one :sob: It never made it past the word doc and about three pages of story and I haven't looked at it in like two years
What are your writing strengths? I like to think I'm pretty good at dialogue and grammar/spelling
What are your writing weaknesses? Everything else (jk). I am awful at describing scenes/settings; I get bored writing them so I don't put as much effort in as I should haha. I also tend to ramble and use passive voice too much
Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I haven't done it, but I think it's fine as long as it fits the context
First fandom you wrote for? Published: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Unpublished: Percy Jackson
Favorite fic you've written? I think it's still Bent Out of Shape. It's so niche, but I had an idea and I executed it, and I'm proud of what I accomplished. Although once I finish Varian Is Not a Wizard, that might take the top slot.
No-pressure tagging: @supermarine-silvally @starrynightarchive @litterateur97 @palant1r @soreiya @lilac-writes @oloreandil @kandybarkreepshow @ellegamgee and anyone else who wants to!
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SECRETS REVEALED — MEGUMI FUSHIGURO
FEATURING: megumi fushiguro
CONTENT: fluff, gn!reader, secret relationship gets revealed, sleepy cuddles bc that’s all i ever write it seems.
WORD COUNT: 1.0k
A/N: i’m back and i return with FLUFF, my favorite!! i promise i’ll try and write something that isn’t sleeping and cuddles LMFAO. but i’m so happy to be back here and writing again. this turned out way longer than i intended but yay!
Megumi’s head whips around at the sound of his door opening. He was fully prepared to start lecturing Yuji on how he needs to learn how to knock as he gets up from his bed. He quickly comes to realize it was just you and the frown on his face quickly turns into a soft grin at the sight.
“Oh, hi. What’s up?” he says while closing the door behind you.
He takes in your appearance, and he swears he felt his heart flutter in his chest. despite it being the middle of the day, you were still in your pajamas and looked as if you were about to fall asleep standing up. The sleepy smile you give him before answering makes him melt even more.
“Just want you, Megs,” you reach out for his embrace, “M’so tired and just want to be with you.”
And with that, Megumi wraps you up in his arms, placing a kiss on your forehead as he does so.
“Let’s go lay down, okay?” he pulls back, but his arms remain around your waist.
You answer with only a sleepy nod of your head and let him lead you to his neatly made bed. You’ve snuck over several nights, using the claim that his bed was “just so much comfier” than your own. Nights that you spend here always lead to early mornings of waiting until the very last minute to run back to your room before the others wake up. Eventually, you’ll tell them or they’ll find out, but it’s nice for things to be just between you and Megumi.
You crawl under his grey comforter, curling up against him the moment he lays down without a single thought. He’s lying on his back with one arm wrapped around you and your head on his chest. Megumi looks down at you, rubbing your skin softly as you fall asleep. He’s not tired, not one bit actually, but he can’t even think about being anywhere else than with you at this moment.
His mind runs wild as you sleep, fondly recalling how just three months ago you had confronted him for avoiding you, leading him to confess to explain that he wasn’t ignoring you because he hated you, more like it was the exact opposite. He wants crawl up in a ball and die everytime he thinks about how he used to scurry away from you when he realized that he had feelings for you. He wishes he would’ve just told you as soon as he realized, especially now that he knows that you had felt the same way the whole time. But, at the end of the day, you’re now in his arms and you’re both happily in love.
A laugh almost escapes his throat when he thinks about how his friends will react when they find out you’re together. They’ve been trying to pair you two together for months, even before the two of you had taken a liking to each other. From locking you guys in a closet together to both Nobara and Yuji just happening to forget about the movie night they planned for the four of you, they’ve done it all. He can picture it now, Nobara and Yuji high-fiving and screaming “We did it!” and taking credit for successfully getting you two together, despite their efforts not being the true reason he finally confessed to you.
Then he looks down at your sweet, sleeping face once again. He thinks you’re beautiful and the most wonderful person he’s ever met. everyday since you started dating has felt like a dream. Every single thing about you just never fails to amaze him. He fights the urge to lovingly caress your face in fear of waking you up. As cheesy as it is, he asks himself “How did I get so lucky?” as he admires you. Everything is just-
Suddenly, Yuji bursts through the door, “Yo, Fushiguro! Wanna go,” his eyes land on the bed and widen once they realize your lying on top of Megumi.
Megumi sighs, cursing himself for not locking his door when he feels you stir awake.
“If you’re going to barge in here, you could’ve done it quietly atleast.”
Yuji is too stunned to even respond to his statement as he keeps looking between you and Megumi, “(Y/N)? Fushiguro?”
You finally manage to sit up, and to both their surprise, you just sleepily huff, “I was sleeping so good.”
You rub your eyes, not actually fully awake as Yuji begins to bombard the two of you with every question imaginable while Megumi answers each one with the shortest answers possible
“So you two are dating?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Three months.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Didn’t come up.”
After what felt like a thousand more questions, you finally feel somewhat awake and decide to butt in.
“Hey, you know what, just go get Nobara and hell, even Gojo if you want. We’ll be there in five minutes and we’ll tell you everything.”
He nods and runs out the door excitedly yelling “Nobara, Hurry! We did it, Megumi and (Y/N) are dating!”
You turn and look at Megumi who is trying to hide his face at the current moment, “It was bound to happen eventually, plus they’re so excited it’s kinda cute.”
He gives a small smile, “You’re right. It’ll be nice to stop sneaking around as much too.” He presses a quick peck to your cheek, “But you do know that for atleast the next two weeks that we will be the topic of discussion.”
“Yes, I know,” You chuckle standing up getting ready to go freshen up a bit in your roombefore heading out to meet them.
Before you can walk out the door, Megumi’s lips are on yours in a slow, soft kiss. It was gentle, just like the way his hand comes up to cup your face. You feel so content as his lips move against yours in a perfect rhythm.
“See! Told you they were together, I wasn’t lying!” Yuji shouts, despite Nobara being right beside him.
#megumi x reader#megumi fushiguro x reader#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen x reader#megumi x reader fluff#megumi fushiguro x reader fluff#jjk x reader fluff#jujutsu kaisen x reader fluff#megumi fushiguro fluff#megumi fluff#megumi fushiguro x you#megumi x you#em writes
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I would be honored if you could do an imagine for Fili crushing on someone who went on the journey with the Company. He thought she liked his brother, but after seeing him with Tauriel, Fili feels like he has a chance and offers everything to make her as happy as he thought she would be with Kili. Lovely fluff and some misunderstandings with everyone living because IF I CAN'T SEE CANON THEN IT DOESN'T EXIST
Mixed signals, Fili Durin (platonic Kili x reader)
what do you mean they don’t usually live???? Idk I always skip the last half hour of botfa. If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.
Ahahah I got taken away a bit so it’s a long request. Sorry….
Headcanons, female s/o
Tw: misunderstood feelings, mention of injury and blood, tiny sprinkle of angst, fluff, Kili being a lil shit, Fili being jealous, few mentions of Y/N I’m so sorry.
- This man is whipped for you. I posted a request similar to this one yesterday, and I feel like it says enough.
- The moment he sees you, he knows you’re his One. Yet, he can’t allow himself to show you. His brother wouldn’t shut up about it and besides that, after Erebor was to be reclaimed, he had to marry royalty in order to form an alliance.
- But Thorin wasn’t blind. He has seen the look in Dis’ eyes many times before. He had seen his sister find her One, so it came as nothing out of the ordinary when he witnessed his nephew do the same.
- And this is pre-dragonsickness. Back when Thorin was all “I hate everyone but I guess I have to keep up with these two idiots so I’ll tolerate them.”
- And he wanted to grant Fili the opportunity to be with his One. He had even told him to simply go for it.
- But Fili was a bit insecure. When you met him, you didn’t seem taken away in any way. It was almost as if it had only been him who was in love.
- And with that, you had grown remarkably close to his brother, Kili. You two joked around all the time. You sat together during the evenings, Kili would help you up on your horse/pony, he would take offer your watches and he even let you hold his bow and arrow. That is basically dwarven language for “I love you and I wish to court you” or “I love you and I’m so glad to have you in my family.”
- What Fili didn’t know is that Thorin told Kili about you being his One. But instead of teasing Fili about it, Kili had made it his duty to agitate his brother so much that he would have no choice but to confess to you before Kili would sneak you away.
- For your information: Kili had no intention of sneaking you away. He just wanted to make it look like it for Fili, and, lucky for him, you had just been going along with it subconsciously.
- But it did not agitate Fili. It made the poor lad confused and tired. You were showing so much affection and endearment to his brother that he felt like he could never compete. Even though Kili had never been attractive in dwarven standards, he knew his way around women. And seeing someone finally pay attention to him, made Fili happy for his brother.
- And Kili just kept up with the act. He was oblivious to what his brother was feeling. Thorin had quite specifically told Kili not to tell his brother, and for once, he didn’t. But when days turned into weeks, Kili made more advances. Not in any way uncomfortable for you, but they had been a step further.
- He would let you rest against him during night shifts, he would let his hand linger on your waist when he helped you get onto your horse/pony. This sneaky bastard even managed to toy with your hair.
- Fili grew absolutely devastated at these moments. He had distanced himself more and truly felt as if his One had been taken away and he would die alone.
- But then Mirkwood happened. It was obvious to Fili that his brother had taken a liking on Tauriel, the female elf that saved him earlier. You had been passed out of exhaustion in your cell, not paying attention to your surroundings anymore.
- And that was when Fili finally decided to speak.
- “What are you doing? I thought you liked Y/N and now you’re flirting with that elf? You can’t treat her like that!”
- And now Kili was confused.
- “I thought you liked Y/N?” He had questioned, not even knowing whether his uncle had been lying to him or not.
- “That doesn’t matter. What matters is, you can’t just run around-“ but Kili had already cut him off. “It does matter. Because Y/N isn’t my One. I’m not attracted to her!”
- And now Fili was dead silent. He had been contemplating on whether to act furious or taken aback. In reality, he had been a bit of both.
- “You don’t like Y/N?” Fili asked, nearly insulted.
- “I was only trying to agitate you. Uncle said she was your One but that you wouldn’t confess.” Kili admitted finally, knowing that keeping the act up any longer wouldn’t work.
- “So you tried to beat it out of me?” The only response the blonde got was a quiet hum.
- “You thought I would take away your chance of happiness?” Fili wondered aloud, his anger now showing more clearly. “Well, not if you put it like that-“ “How else am I supposed to put it?”
- With those words, the space grew quiet. One more question lingered on Fili’s mind, and he had to ask it.
- “Does she know you don’t like her?” A short pause was heard from Kili before he responded. “She does. When we grew closer she told me she wasn’t attracted to me and I told her she wasn’t my One.”
- A sigh of relief came Fili’s way, but his brother kept on talking. “She grew all confused by the concept of ‘Ones’. Had to give her a whole history lesson. She thinks it’s adorable. I’m sure she won’t reject you.” With those words, Fili’s ears pricked up.
- “How so?” “Because every time we are together, she won’t stop asking me about you.” Fili never thought someone could ever bring him more butterflies than when you smiled at him, but as Kili’s sentences reached him, his stomach felt all light again.
- “At first I thought it was because you were ignoring her, but I quickly figured out that wasn’t the case.” Kili shot a quick look his brother’s way, even though he had been in a cell on the other side of the hall. “She likes you, she really does. She’s not as good at hiding it as you are. If you ask her to court you, she won’t say no.”
- Fili had spent the entire night pondering over his brother’s words. Even as they escaped the dungeons and took the boat to Laketown, his anxiety bubbled up.
- But as soon as the orcs entered the city, reality sunk back in. They had been on the run while simultaneously claiming their homeland. There might be a chance neither of you would make it. And it terrified him.
- As you were busy holding off the orcs in Bard’s home, Fili had been right beside you covering your back. He knew asking you to court him would require more steps. Up until this moment you had only held a handful of conversations, but Fili was running out of patience.
- “When all this is over, I need you by my side.” He told you quickly, his voice heavy as he fenced off the attackers. You grew confused at your words, yet your actions did not falter one bit. And it only made Fili more attracted to you. How you maintained yourself on a battlefield, yet somehow managed to hold that perfect look. It could quite easily take his breath away.
- “But I am by your side.” You answered, not catching his meaning, thinking it had been too good to be true.
- “I mean by my side at Erebor. When we reclaim the mountain. Will you stay with me?” Upon your silence, Fili tried explaining his speech. “I know asking you to court me requires more steps but we might not have time for them anymore. I need you to stay with me. We can do all these steps afterwards, I promise.”
- You cast him a quick look before giving him a sincere nod. “I’ll stay with you.”
- And that is exactly what you did. Upon finally arriving at the mountain with the four dwarves, Fili finally got the time to braid your hair, even if Thorin told him to look for the Arkenstone. You had even managed to braid his hair too, even though you had no beads yet.
- Even as Thorin slowly grew insane, Fili had done what he promised; he remained by your side, defending you against his uncle and keeping you as safe as he could.
- During the battle of the five armies, you stayed with him and Kili. You traveled with the three of you, not once separating. Not even when Fili decided you should split up. Because of that, you managed to do quite a number on Azog before Thorin called out to him.
- Azog had gotten a good slash on your leg, nothing life threatening but enough to make you collapse on the spot. Fili had been so worried. He had promised to look out for you, but now you were bleeding out on the snow covered floor. Kili had already ran off for help, even though the possibility he would come back with one would be highly unlikely, as battle was still raging on.
- On top of Ravenhill everything had grown silent. Bodies of dead orcs were littered over the floor but all that mattered to Fili right now was you being safe. Eventually, Kili had ran back with Bilbo, Thorin and Gandalf by his side. They had successfully beaten Azog, finally putting an end to the bloodshed.
- As the mountain was being rebuilt, Oin had put you on bed rest to let your leg heal and Fili had been with you the entire time. Thorin hadn’t even tried to get him for royal duties. He knew he had been awful to you during his dragonsickness, and this was his way of apologizing to you. And you had been fine with it.
- When you had finally recovered, Kili took you to the forges to make beads for Fili. You wanted it to be a surprise for him, but you needed supervision. At first, Dis, Fili and Kili’s mother, had offered to help, but it had become her duty to distract the crown prince.
- A few burns and scratched had started to form on both your and Kili’s hands but it had been worth it. The beads were incredible.
- Fili was so happy when you gave them to him. He was so surprised by the amazing details and the thought and time your poured into them.
- He wears them the entire time. Now exceptions. Not even for bed or bath. None. They must always be in his hair.
- I WANNA WRITE MORE BUT IT’S ALREADY SO LONG BUT JUST ASSUME HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH AND WILL TREASURE YOU FOREVER AND LOVE YOU FOR EVERY LITTLE THING YOU DO
#Fili#Fili durin#tolkien#lord of the rings#the hobbit#the company#the company of thorin oakenshield#Fili x reader#Fili imagine
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Roy doesn't know exactly when the new alchemist joins them on the field.
It's a bad time - they're establishing a new camp in the town and the area is under constant assault, it seems. Small strikes on all sides, seemingly from nowhere, taking out a man there, another there, crippling a truck, taking out a road… The Ishvalans are using some sort of network of tunnels, the brass thinks, and it's Roy's job to smoke them out. So that's what he's been doing, seemingly all week… smoking out the supposed tunnels.
There are no tunnels, though. The Ishvalans are just getting desperate and in their desperation they're figuring out new methods. They have home field advantage and new tricks of camouflaging themselves in the rubble that used to be their home. Ruins of a people, blending in the ruins the Amestrians had made of their houses. They're learning to live with it, to work with it, because it's all they have - and they're getting good because they have little choice in the matter.
No one is listening to Roy when he points it out, though. There's a dismissiveness to the higher ups, when it comes to the evolution of Ishvalan tactics. "What are they doing now, praying for better guns?" As though this war, hasn't already gone on three times as long as originally projected.
Roy is thinking about it, staring at a crooked, unlit cigarette someone had put into his shaking hands, when he's introduced to the new alchemist.
"Good news, Mustang," Hughes says, with absolutely no joy in his cheerful smile, and less so in his cheerful voice. It sounds like he's chewing charcoal. "You're getting partner."
Roy looks up, his mind still in the meeting room, thinking about numbers on a map, how they didn't quite capture the reality of charred skeletons. It takes a moment for what he sees in front of him to sink in.
Another blue uniform, still pressed sharp and bright new under the beige overcoat that's supposed to protect it and it's wearer from the dust and heat of Ishval. What stands before him isn't a soldier though - it's barely a man. It's a short blond boy, no older than sixteen at most, with heavy non-regulation boots and silver watch chain at his hip.
The horror and disgust that wells up it's barely a blip before it's smothered under, oh, of course, and shit, are we here already? Then Roy stands up, puts the unlit cigarette away and holds out his right hand.
"Major Roy Mustang - the Flame Alchemist."
The blond boy smiles, crooked and sharp and just as mirthless as Hughes beside him. "Nick Flamel - the Fullmetal Alchemist." His grip is tight and brief, his hand gloved.
He'd be the newest youngest State Alchemist then. Roy had heard his record had been beaten, though he hadn't really paid attention to who or how.
Hughes looks between them and for a moment his eyes show a certain desperation. Then he covers it up and pats Flamel's shoulder. "Fullmetal here is stationed under you until he gets a hang of things - you'll show him the ropes, teach him what's what."
Keep him alive, is what Hughes' eyes say, and no wonder. Being as young as he is, the kid can't have much in the way of training. Alchemists don't need to go through basic, after all - they're not there to march or shoot guns or stand in lines. Flamel had probably just gotten his watch, his uniform, and a one way ticket to Ishval. To one of the worst, most contested zones at that. Shit.
Did the brass send the kid here to die?
"What's your specialty - metallurgical transmutation?" Roy asks.
"I don't have a speciality, really," Flamel says and pushes his hands into the pockets of his overcoat. It doesn't quite fit him right - too wide across shoulders, a bit too long. They'd either left some growing room, or they just didn't have a uniform small enough. "But I'm damn good at environmental alchemy, which I figure is what I'll be doing the most around here."
Roy blinks. "Environmental alchemy," he repeats.
"I can make the battleground my bitch," Flamel says, his crooked smile sharpening.
And abruptly Roy is already exhausted with the kid. He's one of those, then, a cocky little sumbitch, top of his class and talk of the town, so used to being the top dog of his little bubble that he has no concept of what the real world is like outside that little bubble. Guys like him come swaggering in all the time, all big talk and smug grins, so sure they're going to be carrying their little superiority complexes spotlessly over the finish line that they walk into the first fucking landmine that comes across.
Roy sees himself holding the kid's hand after he gets gunned down, still thinking himself invulnerable, and it's exhausting.
"What?" Flamel asks, suspicious at his silence.
Hughes, giving the kid the exact same look Roy must be, clears his throat. "How about you show us?" he suggests. "So we'll have an idea what we're working with here."
Flamel arches a brow at that and then looks around, light brown - or are they burnished gold? - eyes narrowing in thought.
Their camp is still a mess from the last attack - they're fixing the fences and filling the holes in the road that got busted in the smattering of mortar fire from two days ago. The perimeter is more secure now, for a given value of secure. They'd chosen the highest spot in the town, the temple mount, to give them a high vantage point - better than being penned into a valley. It leaves them pretty damn open though.
Flamel looks over the houses they'd taken over, the tents pitched in the streets and the flag of Amestris hung over the prayer hall, and clicks his tongue. Then he claps his hands together, and crouches down.
For a split of a second, barely a blink, it looks like he's praying.
Then he slaps his hands on the street beneath their feet - and in a crackle of alchemical energy and rumble of displaced earth, the street reforms. The dirt flattens, grows perfect paving stones, shifts to form neat walkways on the sides, even forming gutters. Between one breath and the next, they have a perfect Amestrian city street, formed from the dust of Ishval, surrounded by Ishvalan buildings.
While the soldiers on the newly reformed street let out shouts of shock, Roy just stares, his mind trying to jump hoops figuring out how the kid just did that. Circles in his skin, under his sleeves, inside his gloves…?
Hughes whistles, hiding his wild eyes in a squint. "Nice. You know, it doesn't rain much around here," he comments.
"So?" Flamel asks.
"The gutters aren't really necessary."
Flamel looks at the street he'd made, hands resting on his hips, and shrugs. "Eh, can't hurt," he says and motions at the street. "Anyway, imagine that, but spikes instead of paving stones."
Roy swallows and looks at the kid, who's just standing there, seemingly in no way bothered. Fullmetal doesn't look smug or proud of what he'd done, only grinning a little bit at the way the soldiers throw away their shovels, no longer needed. If this isn't something for the him to even brag about, then…
Roy has in his head an image of the kid doing a field of spikes under a charging assault force, eviscerating people by the dozens, and it's clearly not Flamel's only trick. It's probably not even in his top five.
Fuck, the kid would end up with a three digit death toll by his first engagement.
"Right," Roy says. He isn't sure what his face is doing but going Hughes' expression, it's probably not good. "You can make gutters. How about trenches?"
Flamel grins, his eyes like molten metal. "Try me."
-
By the end of the week - no, by the end of the day their camp is hugely improved by Flamel. The fence is turned into a solid stone wall, constructed within minutes from the remains of bombed out houses. Another pile of rubble is turned into a watch tower. They have trenches, they have pits, Flamel even adds a moat and spikes around the camp, like they're in an ancient fortress or something. Hell, there's even gargoyles in the corners of the wall.
They go from one of the least secure camps to one of the most heavily fortified seemingly overnight. It's a huge boost to troop morale - not so for Roy's sanity. Flamel doesn't even look winded by the end of his improvements.
"How are you doing the circles?" Roy asks finally - bit of a social Faux Pas among alchemists, especially military alchemists, but he has to ask. Flamel made entire buildings, and he hadn't stopped to draw a single sigil.
"In my head," Flamel says, shrugging. Like that makes any sense.
Roy looks at him and then at the changes he's made, and can't say it's impossible - he can see the results with his own eyes. And they're more than impressive, they're…
Flamel isn't going to be here long, he realises. Whether the brass send the kid here to get rid of him or not, the moment word about Flamel's real abilities spread, he'd be snagged by the first general with any fucking sense. The kid's a powerhouse. Roy is too, of course, that's why he's here - but Fullmetal is a different kind of powerhouse. Just by himself, he would be able to establish a secure foothold in the middle of enemy territory and that's not someone you just let sit idle.
Roy looks at the kid and feels torn between feeling sorry, jealous and a little bit bitter. If only he was a bit higher in rank, he could keep Flamel and make a full use his abilities - and maybe keep him from becoming a mass murderer in the process.
"What was your exam like?" Roy asks. There's no way the kid showed even a fraction of these abilities, he wouldn't be here at all if he had. "How'd you end up with a name like Fullmetal?" From what he'd seen something like Earth Moving or Groundbreaking would've been more apt.
"I made a spear in my exam," Flamel says, not looking at him. "And pointed it at Bradley."
"... And they didn't arrest you?"
Flamel smirks a little and looks at him. "What did you do?" he asks. "I bet you scorched something."
Roy had. He'd been welcomed in on the spot. "Training dummies," he agrees, giving him a pointed look. "Because I don't have a death wish."
Flamel shrugs. "It got me what I wanted," he says and stretches his arms. "So, what comes next?"
Roy looks at their newly secure camp. "Depends on the Colonel, but I bet you'll be doing more road work. We need a clear path in and out of the town."
Even though the town is officially theirs, that doesn't stop the guerilla attacks - but now, with a secure camp, all they needed was a clear path for troops to move in and then it'd be only a matter of time. If the two of them weren't already reassigned by then, they'd be after the supply line was secure. Alchemists weren't wasted in safe stations.
"But that's tomorrow's problem," Roy decides. "Come in, kid - let's get something to eat."
- - -
Nostalgia is doing rounds in my brain.
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favorite crime
w/c: 1.6k
warnings: swearing, mentions of blood / death, lots n lots of angst
summary: you convince peter to go on the run after he’s framed for murdering mysterio, but he doesn’t want to drag you into his mess
a/n: this was completely based off the song by olivia lfmbsjfhs it’s so beautiful and i’ve wanted to write something for it for a while now so yee i hope y’all like ! pls lmk what you think <3
-
“we have to get you out of here, peter! come on!” you shout back to your boyfriend and tug his hand that’s laced with yours.
peter doesn’t budge. even when your grip on him tightens, when you pull him forward with all your might, he remains stoic.
there’s something he needs to do, and he’s been contemplating it since the day he met you.
it’s time to let you go.
“please, peter. i’m begging. i know you’re tired of running, but if we don’t leave now… they’ll find you,” you desperately choke out. peter squeezes his eyes shut, dreading what’s to come. “i can’t do this to you anymore, y/n. i… i’m sorry.”
emergency sirens and flashing lights approach the old apartment building serving as yours and peter’s latest hideout. the whole world is on the lookout for him, so you two stowed yourselves away in brooklyn for a bit.
you were hopeful the rumors would pass eventually — about how peter shot the beloved mysterio and left him to die in cold blood. they’re merely talk, of course. you’d personally seen the events of that day unfold on the tower bridge. hell, your class was right at the center of them.
quentin beck was pure evil, so rotten he defamed both peter and spider-man with a charge as cruel as murder. he’s wreaking havoc on him from beyond the grave, over a complete misunderstanding that peter had nothing to do with.
beck’s true source of anger is stark industries. yet, once again, peter ended up the collateral damage.
he was deemed a wanted murderer. posters revealing his name and face were plastered up around the city, a reward even being offered to whoever who turns him in.
you’d proposed the idea of skipping town until things settled. the way you saw it, it was peter’s only option other than prison for twenty-five to life. peter was panicking and couldn’t think straight, so he went along with your getaway plan.
a few weeks later, he’s regretting it.
you’ve been the one person he could trust through this madness. you’re right there to console him, to protect him just like he does you. through sickness and health, life and clearly death, you stick by peter’s side. you left everything behind without a second thought, for him.
peter loves you more than you’ll ever fully be able to comprehend, which is why he can’t ask you to do that. this is his battle to fight, not yours or anyone else’s. his.
you suddenly freeze in your tracks, turning around to look at peter. “what are you talking about? you’re fine, pete.”
his eyes roam everywhere except to yours as they water. blinking back tears, he fixes his gaze on your intertwined hands. you notice a stray tear fall down his cheek and use one of your thumbs to wipe it away, then press a reassuring kiss to his lips. peter lets himself reciprocate momentarily before jerking back.
“please just… stop being so nice to me. you’re making this way harder than i wanted to to be,” he rasps and squeezes your hand tighter. you’re still lost, absolutely clueless about what he’s referring to.
“look, pete. i wanna hear you out, baby. but… i think it should wait until we get to jersey.” you keep your voice as calm as possible, though you’re terrified for both of you. since the feds know your location, they’ll have the place surrounded any minute.
hopping cities isn’t cutting it anymore, so you’ll have to change states this time. new jersey is next on your list.
using his strength to his advantage to hold you in place, peter seizes both your shoulders. his bloodshot eyes lock with yours. a stern expression coats his features, one you’ve seen from him yet never been on the receiving end of.
“we’re not going to jersey, y/n/n,” he declares, the sirens starting to grow louder. you feel a pit forming in your stomach. “we have to!” you immediately protest. “it’s not gonna be easy finding our way, but it’s the last-“
peter cuts you off, voice softer now. “no, no. that’s not what i meant.” he waits a beat and inhales a deep breath, aiming to settle his nerves. it doesn’t.
“i’m going to jersey. you’re staying.”
tears cloud your vision the second those words leave his mouth. you shake your head furiously back and forth, willing him to take them back.
part of you was always afraid peter would get second thoughts. not only about running away with you, about ever being with you. you’re both so young. your entire lives are ahead of you, and peter won’t allow you to risk your own because this isn’t worth a single bit of it.
he’d warned you how dangerous it was to be associated with spider-man. it’s why he held off on telling you about his alias for the longest he could. you naturally began asking questions whenever peter bailed on dates and showed up to school covered in bruises. he hated lying to you, using his stark internship as an excuse, so he finally came out and said it.
peter sometimes wonders if you’d be better off not knowing at all. it’s too late now, though.
“wait, what? why- why can’t i go with you?” you plead, peter’s fingers coming up to cup your cheek. his fingertips lightly caress your skin. “i’m a criminal, y/n. you’d be my accessory.”
it takes everything in him not to break down and sob along with you.
you lean into his palm, already missing his touch. “i don’t care... i don’t give a fuck. i just wanna be with you, peter.” peter literally has to bite his tongue to fight the urge to cry. hands grabbing either side of his head, your fingers twist in his hair roughly. “i’ll do anything, pete. i really will, i swear. name it.”
peter threads his own fingers through yours again, bringing your hands to his chest.
“i’m so sorry, angel. i never should’ve gotten you involved,” he murmurs out and pecks your forehead. “you have nothing to prove to me, okay? you’ve done more than enough. i’m gonna return the favor.”
you let out a strangled whine, your knees buckling as you come to terms with the gravity of your situation.
this is it. this is the end of yours and peter’s story.
“hey, none of that. it’s okay,” peter coos, neither of you convinced. the tastes of salt and metal flood both your senses. he helps you back up and hugs your waist, peppering your cheeks in more kisses. you’re bawling now, arms wound around his neck, clutching at his tattered jacket.
free tears escape peter’s eyes at last. “i love you. i love you so goddamn much, y/n. never forget it,” he nearly whispers. you sniffle and push your forehead against his. “i’m not saying it back ‘cuz that feels like a goodbye, and i- i can’t say goodbye to you yet.”
“it’s not a goodbye,” peter reassures you, rubbing circles on your lower back. “it’s, uh, it’s a see you later. i’m gonna figure something out and be back to you before you know it. can’t get rid of me that easy.”
that earns a faint giggle from you, peter managing a grin. you two attempt to ignore everything happening beyond these walls, only focusing on the other.
“then, um…” you clear your throat. “i love you.” his smile dwindling slightly, peter nods and meets your gaze. “i love you too, baby. you should probably get going soon.”
affirming his advice, a booming voice that sounds from a microphone commands peter to come out with his hands up.
your worry spikes, instinctively drawing peter in closer. he forces himself to put on a brave face for you.
“i’m scared, pete. where… where am i supposed to go?” you rush to ask him. “home, y/n/n. go home,” peter decides, pressing a final kiss to the top of your head. “just don’t get caught, and you’ll be fine.” carding your fingers in his undone curls, you sigh. “easier said than done, but i’ll try not to.”
you’d never pictured that the sweet boy with a heart too big and brain even bigger, who sings you to sleep even though his voice sucks and spends his last dollar buying you flowers, would be accused of first degree murder. it isn’t true or fucking fair.
what’s worse, he has to bare this storm alone now.
you lift your heavy backpack off the cold ground, slinging it onto your shoulders. peter stares out the window and down at the assembly of swarm troops crowded together.
“are you gonna be okay?” you catch his attention. he snaps back into reality, pulling your hood up so it covers your head. you’re wearing a sweatshirt of his, after having gone through all your own clothes. “i hope so. are you?” peter repeats your question. “i hope so,” you echo.
tying your hoodie strings tight, peter offers a smile. “say hi to may for me. ned and mj, too.” it’s going to be tough to face his family and friends after this. “i will. i’ll let them know you’re alright.” you kiss his cheek, placing a hand on his chest. peter lets your touch distract him from the mess he’s about to be hit with.
“thank you, y/n. i’ll see you soon, baby. you have my word,” he promises, stepping back so you two can go your separate ways.
you watch him with fresh tears threatening to spill.
“i’m gonna hold you to it. be safe, spidey.”
#peter parker#peter parker angst#peter parker fluff#peter parker x reader#peter parker x y/n#peter parker x you#peter parker imagine#peter parker fic#peter parker fanfiction#peter parker au#peter parker smut#tom holland#tom holland fluff#tom holland x reader#tom holland x you#tom holland x y/n#tom holland angst#tom holland imagine#tom holland fic#tom holland fanfiction
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After the snap
Summary: Wanda was snapped away. You, on the other hand, remained and had moved on. You moved out of the country, started a new job, and had even gone on a few dates. Then everyone came back and suddenly a familiar witch was knocking on your workplace door.
Pairings: Top!Wanda x Reader
Warnings: dark!wanda, oral (r receiving), strap, public sex, posessive wanda, mummy kink
You’d long put away the shield (so to speak) and were at a point that going back to everyone just seemed so jarring. Maybe you didn’t want to believe it wasn’t true. After five years of grieving, of building a new life, and suddenly everyone’s just….back.
Wanda was back.
You knew it was wrong to have not contacted her. For her, it must seem like yesterday that you were whispering your plans about eloping, but that was five years ago. You moved on. Found someone else. She was nice, sweet, normal. She worked as a custom officer but she could spend hours and hours talking about all these topics that fascinated you.
She also was very predictable and normal.
Admittedly, your relationship hadn’t quite been defined. You suspected she was seeing other people, keeping her options open, and you weren’t sure how long you two were going to last but you were enjoying the time that you had together.
On top of that, you had a job at a bookstore that paid your rent. Sure, it wasn’t as flashy as it was back then but you liked being surrounded by all the books, some new and some falling apart. You spent a lot of pride restoring the latter in the back. You never had much of a chance to read before everything happened, your life was mostly spent trying to make sure everyone didn’t die.
Your abilities were healing based and that was more useful than you had initially thought when you first met them all. In fact, you thought you were awfully inadequate compared to people like Steve Rogers, Thor and Wanda Maximoff. But your time was kept filled to the brim.
Your only time to relax was your time with Wanda.
It had started off innocent enough. She used to stay with you after you finished up in the medic bay. She’d have dinner with you. Admittedly, you were pretty sure she didn’t have many other friends in the complex. Then it grew until she was fucking you every chance she could get. How else would either of you relax?
But that was a long time ago. You were done with that life. You weren’t the same person anymore. You ran and started a new life and not even the idea of Wanda could make you go back and maybe she was just that–an idea.
You were confident none of them would find you. Natasha couldn’t. You knew she had been trying to track you down like she had for Clint but no one came knocking on your door. So if they couldn’t, you were pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to find you either.
You’d just closed shop, the sunset streaming through the shutters covering the windows, and were taking stock. It had been a quiet day, but it was always quiet on a Tuesday so you had easily reached the predicted quota. The one downside was your boss, but he was only around once a week.
He was the kid of some millionaire who was trying to be hip and all that. So he opened some urban bookstore but he was too busy partying to actually stay on top of the business. Which is fine-you liked that arrangement. You’ll keep the shop running and he’ll never be up in your business. It worked without a bump in the road.
You were nearly done for the day, all you had to do after was–
The bell attached to the door trinkled. Someone had walked in. It was nearly half past, well past closing, so surely your boss would understand if you told whoever it is to leave. You were behind the shelves, you couldn’t see who had walked in. They weren’t making a lot of noise. Some people just had that soft touch, usually women.
Coming out to the front, your mouth already opening to ask them to leave, your words died in your throat.
Wanda.
Your eyes were frozen on her face, her eyes, those big doe eyes that always drew you in. She was smiling, an expression full of relief, and she was taking you in, grazing your body, before she moved forward to close the distance.
You stepped back.
Frozen with the air changing. Heavier, like you could feel the gravity pulling you down. Her light, happy, expression melted off and confusion replaced it.
“Wanda,” you said, wanting to cut her off, you couldn’t do it. You couldn’t listen to her. She’d want you to come back. Five years for you, a few days for her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
You may as well have slapped her.
“Shouldn’t be here?” Wanda repeated and you closed your eyes. For the first time in years, you heard her voice. That voice that whispered to you in your dreams. A voice you thought you could hear every time you were alone. “I think I’m exactly where I need to be.”
When you opened your eyes again, you jumped, she was right there. You didn’t even hear her footsteps. “Wan–” you began but then her lips were on yours, her tongue sliding into your open mouth and you grunted in shock. You didn’t kiss back but you didn’t push her off either. You froze. You let her tongue be pushed down your throat as her hands slid onto your cheeks.
Her thumbs beginning to rub small circles into your skin pushed you back into action, your hands going to hips to shove her off you hard enough that she stumbled back a few steps.
“Wanda, I can’t,” you hissed out. “It’s been five years. I…”
“Why aren’t you happy then?” Wanda asked, bewilderment splashed across her face and almost instantly did guilt wash through you. Like you were betraying her somehow. “I was gone for five years, and now I’m back. Why didn’t you come back? Surely, you didn’t move on that easily?”
With that, the guilt was gone.
“Easily?” You hissed out, your hands balling into fists, “don’t come into my shop and–”
You stopped. It was no use getting angry. Your sentences always fumbled into one elongated word that no one could ever understand. “You have no idea what the five years have been like,” you snapped and she tilted her head, just slightly, but enough that a cold chill went down your spine. “You shouldn’t have looked for me. I’m not interested in going back to the avengers. I moved on.”
With that, you turned on your heel to go behind the desk, tapping away at the register. Maybe if you ignored her, she’d get the hint and leave.
“So you developed an attitude?” Wanda remarked and slid her hands into the woollen cardigan that...you knitted her. You frowned when you made the connection. You spent hours labouring away at it. It wasn’t that good, the colours were awful, but she rarely took it off. “Seems we have to start at square one again.”
You frowned. You seem to be doing that a lot. You could already see the wrinkles beginning to form on your forehead. Why wasn’t she listening to you? “I’m seeing someone,” you blurted out as the cash register popped open loudly and Wanda’s face went blank as she registered what you just said. “A girl. She’s nice.”
You weren’t sure if you just signed this girl’s death certificate.
You kept eye contact with the Sokovian and even when her face morphed into a cold fury you hadn’t seen since the civil war. Her expression was tight and it almost looked like she was trying to hold herself back.
“I see.”
“I’m sorry,” you whispered after a moment, “I...I know this can’t be easy for you either. I know it must seem like last week that...well. You know. I just...that life is over, for me at least. I hope you can understand.”
Wanda was silent. She was being too silent. She didn’t say anything, she stood there watching you, and you were too nervous to say anything else or make the next move. Maybe, hopefully, Wanda wouldn’t even say anything else, just walk out. Resent you for the rest of her life. It was better that way.
Instead she walked around the register and your heart dropped to your stomach.
“Wanda-”
“Shut up,” she hissed, her hand whipping up to grab your jaw. Your hands shot up to her wrists and she dragged you forward, closer to her face. “Do you really think I’d let you give up on us this easily? That I’d let you whore yourself out to some girl off the street?”
You didn’t say anything but your glare said enough.
“I trained you so well. I spent years breaking you in, years loving you, and you treat me like this? Like I’m just some common bitch you can throw onto the street?” Wanda’s tone didn’t match her words. Her tone was soft, almost a coo, sounding more disappointed than angry. You almost wished she was more angry than disappointed.
Her lips were on yours again and her hand moved to the back of your head, her teeth biting down into your lips and you groaned at the sharp pain, giving her entrance back into your mouth.
A hand went down between your legs, rubbing, and you instinctively opened your legs. Your body remembered her. Remembered her scent. Everything.
Wanda hummed in approval and soon you were being pushed onto the counter. She broke the kiss, pulling back to look down at you, her hands beginning to rub the inside of your thighs. “Just one night,” she whispered, her expression already having smoothed out, as if that kiss, your touch, was all she needed. “One night with me and if you still want me to leave by the end of the night...well, I’ll leave you alone. Forever. Even if you change your mind. Even if you come crawling back, begging.”
You doubted her. Something in the back of your mind didn’t believe her. On anything. You were pretty sure she wanted you to beg. Your hands were shaking and you gulped. Everything about this reminded you of when you were last happy. Like you were back in the avengers tower where nothing was going wrong.
Her lips were on yours again and her hands soon began to pull at your skirt, ripping them off you with ease, to find nothing but your bare cunt for anyone to see. You jerked up when her hand slammed against it, slapping it. Once, twice, three times, four. “You dirty little whore,” she whispered, “you let anyone and everyone see this, didn’t you?” She slid a finger into your folds and your bottom lip trembled.
“Wanda…” you whispered, feeling your own walls beginning to crumble. Maybe one night wasn’t so bad. One night. One indulgence.
“It’s mine tonight,” Wanda confirmed before suddenly her hands were on your waist and flipped you around and your stomach slapped onto the desk, taking away your breath, leaving you gasping. “You said I didn’t know what happened. In the past five years. You’re right, I don’t, but you’re going to tell me. Tell me everything I missed. If you leave anything out, and I know when you do sweetheart, I’ll stop. Understand me?”
“Yes,” you breathed out as you felt her mouth in between your legs, her tongue lapping at your clit and your back arched as you tried to push more of yourself into her. Soon, it started spilling out. What you did the first few months, how you struggled to get out of bed, how you travelled the world. Therapy. Everything. Her tongue didn’t stop, in fact the more you spilt, her tongue sped up, making you wetter and wetter by the second. “I couldn’t get you out of my head,” you mumbled by the end of it, “I found her. She was everything you weren’t. Mundane. Boring.”
Your stomach was tightening, that tempting release building and building, so expertly brought on by the way Wanda devoured you, the way she breathed onto your throbbing clit, the way her tongue teased your gaping entrance. When you stopped, she pulled away and you bit down onto your bottom lip to stop yourself from cursing.
“Such a good little whore for me,” Wanda purred, her hand falling in between your slit to rub your clit and the moan that left your mouth sacrificed any and all self respect that you might have been clinging onto. “This is where you belong isn’t it? Bent over for mummy. I treat you so well, don’t I?”
Two fingers dipped into your already gaping entrance pushing them in and out. “I think you deserve a little reward,” Wanda hummed out, “for being so honest with mummy.”
You didn’t have much long to prepare before you felt a strap push into your entrance and you gasped in a sharp breath, your eyes bulging and your body pressed forward. Wanda didn’t push into you completely, only pushed the tip in and out, focussing on the one area.
In truth, that was worse than if she shoved into you completely. You were forced to focus on that one area, not get that relief if she were to push in deeper, and it was as if she was grabbing at every inch of your mind, forcing you to feel nothing but that tip dipping in and out of your body.
“Tell me…” she whispered, her hands coming onto your waist to grip them, nails digging into your skin, “tell me where you belong, baby girl. Who you belong to. Look at you, five years without me and you still get so wet for me. I go in so easily. Don’t worry, baby, I’m not going to leave you again.”
“W-w-” you choked out and you took in a breath, trying to contain the moans slipping out of your mouth, “you said one–”
Her hand slammed down onto your bare ass and you jerked forward. Still, she didn’t go deeper, didn’t give you what you wanted. Still, you didn’t verbalise this. Your skin was stinging and your fingers reached up to hang onto the edge of the desk.
“Answer my question, don’t make me treat you like a common whore,” Wanda hissed, pulling out completely just to thrust back in, shoving more of the shaft inside of you, ripping your walls open, but then she pulled back to just the tip again.
Then the doorbell rang again and it was as if someone poured a bucket of ice cold water all over your body. Your vision was already blurring by this point but you could see her outline, the blonde hair, standing at the door.
Wanda slammed into you, bottoming out, and a scream shot out of your lips, whilst her hands were in your hair, pulling your head back until your neck was straining. She could see your face, see every expression you pulled as Wanda began to fuck you without restraint.
“If I were you,” Wanda’s voice broke through your moans and screams, icy cold and calm despite the way she was beginning to thrust inside of you, “I’d leave and never come back. If you knew what was good for you, you’d wipe my girl from everything. Phone, address, memories.”
You couldn’t hear what she said, you could hear her voice, but unlike Wanda, it was all a garbled mess. Even in this state, Wanda’s words were in absolute clarity. You watched her leave. The door clicked shut and you swore you could see red mist at the door, locking it.
Wanda bent over you, pressing down onto your back, lips pressing against your neck, sucking and nipping, her hips still pushing inside of you, pushing you closer and closer to an orgasm that was tightening at the base of your stomach.
Then her movements slowed until she was completely still, her strap still inside of you, your walls wrapped around it, clinging to it.
“Much better, just us,” Wanda whispered as she nipped at your earlobe and you moaned. “You take my cock so well, don’t you? No, I couldn’t dream of letting you go, not when you’re such a good girl for me. I’ll take you with me and I’ll give you the life you want. A normal life, where no one will ever hurt you. You can read all you want. Forget the world outside. Just us two, together.”
“Mummy,” you whispered and you could feel her body vibrate as she hummed in approval. “Mummy, please.”
“Tell me where you belong,” she whispered back as she began to move her hips again.
“With you, mummy, under you. I missed you so much,” you whispered, “I belong to you. I always have.”
“I know, sweetheart, I know you did,” Wanda whispered before she stretched up and her hands went to your elbows, pulling you up from the table before she began to rail you. Sharp thrusts, slamming into you again and again, and tears began to burn the back of your eyes as pleasure began to roll through you. “You're going to cum for me like a good girl. Then you’re going to lie on this table to wait as I go pack your bags. You live above this, don’t you?”
“Y-yes, mummy,” you choked out as your orgasm was already threatening to flow through you. You could feel your own juices dripping down your thighs and you knew that your boss would be walking in to find an absolute mess.
“And then we’ll leave. Together.”
“Together.”
It wasn’t long until you felt like you were choking on your breath, your stomach twisting and churning, your legs trembling, and it was Wanda keeping you up. Otherwise, you would have collapsed onto the table, even the ground.
Soon, you felt it. Felt that blissful euphoria that often put you to sleep wash over you in intense waves that made your toes curl. Wanda was laughing, quietly, as she felt you come undone around her strap. “That’s it, baby girl, let it all go. Good little whore.”
She slid out of you with a pop and you groaned, the disappearing sensation already sorely missed. “Mummy, please, I still need you…” you mumbled, your words drowsy and reality was folding inwards around you as you felt your body hit the table again.
“I’ll be back, in just a moment,” Wanda whispered into your ear before her warmth disappeared and you could hear her moving through the store and up the creaky stairwell. Then your eyes slid open and you took in a deep breath as you began to move. Pushed off the desk, your legs sore and shaky but stable, and you looked for the skirt, long discarded. You knew you only had a small amount of time before she realised or, god forbid, heard you. Pulling the skirt up you grabbed only your wallet, didn’t even dare grab your phone and risk being tracked. You can get a burner if need be. You knew it’d be difficult, if she found you here, then she’d be able to find you wherever you went but...maybe she’ll give up.
You didn’t go through the front door, not with the bell, but there was a small door leading out to the back. Your footsteps were silent as could be, and your heart was beating in your chest. One wrong step and she could hear you. You could hear the banging doors, even her humming, but she didn’t stop.
Soon, you were in the back alley, with nothing but overflowing bins and a motorbike there. Yours. The only thing you kept from Stark. Faster than anything you could buy in a store. You hated riding with a skirt, let alone with these shoes, but what choice did you have?
You only had so much time to run.
#wanda marvel#wanda maximoff#dark!wanda maximoff#dark!wanda#wanda x reader#top!wanda#wanda maximov#misfitwrites
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Everybody Loves Somebody
pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader
warnings: slight language, themes of insecurity, angst, pining, slow burn (kinda?), eventual fluff, over 5k words in length
notes: it’s finally finished! this took forever but I swear I put my entire soul into making this as perfect as it could be. I’ve never used this format before in my writing and it was challenging but also super fun so hopefully you guys like it :) (also yes the title and the fic somewhat is inspired by the Dean Martin song)
summary: Thrown into a blind date against his will, Bucky does his best to prepare in the days leading up to Saturday night, a feat that proves to be much more difficult than expected thanks to his neighbor across the hall.
Sunday
Three quick raps on the apartment door force Bucky to kick back the covers and sluggishly rise from his spot on the floor. He’s exhausted, but his recognition of the evenly spaced knocks on the wooden frame has him feeling compelled to answer, and so he does. Too tired to notice the television is still droning on in the background, Bucky idly wraps his discarded blanket around his form to shield his vibranium arm before opening the door to greet the old man standing on the other side.
“Rough night, huh?” Yori greets with a knowing smile.
“Something like that,” he replies with a tired, lopsided grin. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I set you up on a date,” the man says casually, as if setting Bucky up on dates without his knowledge and against his will is a common every day occurrence, and it is. “Saturday evening at six.”
“What— A date? Yori—“
“She’s a nice girl, very pretty. I think you’ll like her.”
“Now hang on a minute,” Bucky tries to interject, but Yori is already halfway down the hall before the super soldier can get another word in.
“You’re meeting her at the Italian place down the street!” Yori calls behind him. “She likes sunflowers!”
The old man’s shouts are sure to have woken up the entire fourth floor by now, but Bucky is too busy trying to process the jumble of information that has been thrust upon him so suddenly and so early in the morning to care. The last date Yori had sent him on had ended in disaster; Bucky wasn’t ready to get back out on the field, a stable relationship wasn’t in the cards for him. Surely no one in their right mind would stick around once they found out the truth about the man, and if they did it would only be a matter of time before the constant nightmares and extra baggage that came with dating the ex-Hydra assassin sent them running for the hills. But Yori meant well, Bucky knew that, and he also knew he owed the man more than he could ever give him in return, so if sitting through another painfully uncomfortable date would make him happy, then Bucky would just have to suck it up, put on the nicest shirt he owned, and charm his way through another awkward dinner.
“Sunflowers,” he grumbles to himself, quietly shutting the door before returning to his spot on the cold hardwood floor.
Monday
Monday mornings are gym mornings, early workouts that start at five and end at seven. He promptly returns to the apartment building at seven thirty, eight if he stops for breakfast, then goes to check the mail before heading back to the comfort of his sheltered apartment. He doesn’t receive much other than grocery coupons and an odd letter from the government every now and then, but he’s been told that a routine is good, it’s healthy, so on Monday mornings at seven thirty—or eight— Bucky pulls out his keys and opens his assigned metal box with a sense of indifference.
It’s eight o’clock on this particular morning, and with a half finished cup of coffee in hand the soldier opens the little metal compartment to find nothing other than stray specks of dust and the tiniest of spiderwebs in the top right corner of the box. It’s a familiar sight, but Bucky has learned not to let it bother him by now. Remember James, it has nothing to do with you, his therapist always said. You have to learn not to take things personally.
“It has nothing to do with me,” Bucky murmurs quietly before finally shutting his mailbox with a sigh. Coffee cup discarded in the nearby trash can, Bucky turns to make his trek towards the elevator only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of a beautifully familiar face.
Your name is y/n, you live on the fourth floor, and for someone reason you’re always covered in glitter. You’re on your way out the door, art supplies held clumsily in your grasp just begging to jump free from your hold, and despite the rush you seem to be in you still greet the man with a polite smile.
“Good morning,” you chime, honey coated voice filled with warmth and kindness for the stranger. Bucky simply gives you a halfhearted smile in return, watching you walk out the door and wishing he could just muster up the courage to speak to you.
You won the soldier’s heart the day you knocked on his door to drop off a “welcome to the neighborhood” casserole. It had only been his second day in his new apartment, and while he knew some of the other tenants were weary of the mysterious man with the thousand yard stare who had decided to call the building a home, you never once seemed to bat an eye at Bucky or his closed off nature. He had been a little short with you upon your first meeting, his anxiety coming off as annoyance, but still you wore that same kind smile of yours and assured him that if he ever needed anything you’d be happy to help. You were a kind person with a big heart, and Bucky didn’t want to chance snuffing out one of the few lights left in the world, so he let you be. Admiring you from afar was all he let himself have of you, and that was it.
Though, Bucky would be lying if he said you didn’t come across his mind every once in a while. He wondered what you were like, what music you listened to, how you liked your eggs in the morning, if you were an old soul or young at heart, if you’d ever let yourself fall into in the arms of a broken man and help pick up the pieces. It was a pipe dream, but sometimes a friendly smile from you in the morning was enough to get Bucky through an entire day. He hadn’t been with anyone in years, and while he didn’t think he was ready to get back out on the dating scene just yet he knew that if you asked him to he’d take the plunge in a heartbeat. You were an angel, and Bucky would never be able to bring himself to taint you with his touch.
Monday mornings are workout mornings, but they’re also mornings with you.
Tuesday
On Tuesday afternoons Bucky often finds himself in the company of Yori, ensuring the old man stays out of trouble and going out of his way to make sure his newest friend has a nice day out on the town. It isn’t much, and it never will be, but it’s enough for now, at least until Bucky can find the courage to tell the father just what exactly happened to his son on that fateful night. But until then, sushi for lunch will have to do.
He makes his usual trek to the man’s apartment, stomach already beginning to rumble at the prospect of a nice crunch roll, but Bucky’s hunger is soon replaced with nerves at the sight of the woman standing in Yori’s doorway.
You look pretty today, hair haphazardly styled in your rush out the door this morning, colorful stains of dry paint adoring your hands that clutch a bundle of books close to your chest, and a dangly pair of earrings that glint underneath the sunlight pouring through the hallway windows. There’s a smile on your face as you nod along to something Yori says that doesn’t quite register in the soldier’s jumbled thoughts, and the two of you are both too engrossed to notice his lingering presence standing just a few feet away.
“Thank you so much for lending me these. The kids keep me on my toes and I haven’t had any time to settle down with a good book so these were perfect,” you utter gratefully, handing off the pile of poetry books to Yori’s awaiting hands. Names of authors that Bucky doesn’t recognize catch his eye, just as his friend finally catches his presence.
“Of course. I have more if you’re ever interested,” he says before finally addressing the elephant in the hallway. “James, there you are. I was starting to think you wouldn’t make it.”
Bucky stiffens at the sound of his name, heat immediately crawling up his neck as you turn to him with a friendly smile. Clearing his throat, he steps forward and musters up a meager grin in return.
“Like I’d ever miss Tuesday lunch,” he jokes, a nervous chuckle falling past his lips.
“I guess I better get going. Thank you again, Yori,” you chime with a grateful smile. Then, with your attention turned to Bucky, “Have a nice lunch, James.”
“Thank you...” he trails quietly, mentally kicking himself for his stiff demeanor and wishing he could be less pathetic in your presence just once. Just once and he’d die a happy man.
You leave with a polite smile, turning down the hallway and out of Bucky’s grasp once again. Yori elbows his side.
“She’s single, you know.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Bucky replies with a wry chuckle. “You have me set up with one girl already.”
“Right,” Yori notes thoughtfully with a knowing smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes that Bucky can’t quite decipher. “I think you’re going to have a nice time on your date.”
“We’ll see,” is all he says in reply, your smile the only thing on his mind as the two men head out for the day.
Wednesday
Bucky has grown to love rainy days, days in which he can remain tucked away in the warmth and comfort of his own home with a relaxing mug of hot chocolate in one hand and some piece of pop culture media he has yet to catch up with in the other. Today’s pick is a book titled The Outsiders, and Bucky chooses to sit upon the windowsill to read the novel.
Gentle drops of rain trail down the glass window, pattering soothingly in a way that makes Bucky fear he may fall asleep. He sets the book aside with a tired sigh and glances out the window with his warm cheek pressed against the cool surface; the city is quiet and the streets nearly empty, and this makes it easier to spot you.
It’s almost as if you’ve been popping up out of nowhere lately, but Bucky never seems to mind. Watch from afar, that was the deal he made with himself, so who was he to complain if you made the task easier for him? He could never have you the way he wanted to because he doubted you’d ever want an unstable old man like him, and even if you did he’d be no good for you. He knew girls like you back in his day, girls with stars in their eyes and hearts on their sleeves, girls who’d melt in his arms whenever he so much as smiled at them. And yet you weren’t like any girl he’d ever seen; you were an enigma and he wanted nothing more than to spend all of eternity deciphering the mystery of you. But he couldn’t, because he shouldn’t, so he didn’t.
Despite the gloomy gray skies hanging above you there’s a serene smile on your face as you stop to admire the pots of sunflowers outside the building, reminding Bucky he has to buy some for his date on Saturday. God, he was dreading it. Bucky was sure whatever girl Yori picked for him would be nice enough, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t sometimes wish it were you he’d be taking out for a night on the town. A guy can dream, right?
You retreat into a nearby coffee shop when the rain begins to fall harder, and as Bucky turns to his own warm drink he finds that the mug is now cold. Book discarded, he rises from his spot on the windowsill and drowsily drags himself into the kitchen for another cup.
For a moment he thinks sunflowers might surely bring about his demise, and the passing thought brings the smallest of smiles to his face. Only time will tell.
Thursday
“How are you feeling about your date on Saturday?”
The woman stares at him expectantly, pristine notepad resting casually in her lap, pen in hand as a warning, eyebrows raised at the man as he stares down contemplatively at the stitching of his leather gloves. What should be a comforting environment instead only seems to put him on edge, and as the seconds tick by on the clock hung crookedly above the doorway her pen only seems to get closer to the blank page below her. Shoulders sagging, Bucky can only offer a small sigh in response.
“I can’t say I feel too great about it,” he finally says, the tension in his shoulders alleviating slightly as she finally puts the pen down.
“And why’s that?” Doctor Raynor prods curiously.
“I just don’t really think I’m all that ready for a relationship. What person wants to be with someone as screwed up as me?”
“The right person will,” Christina comforts. Your smiling face flashes briefly in his mind in response and he shifts in discomfort— the doctor notices. “But I don’t think you’re telling me the full story here, James. I suspect there’s something else that’s holding you back. Or maybe someone.”
“That obvious, huh?” Bucky retorts with a wry smile.
“Who’s the lucky person?”
“Her name’s y/n,” he says, your name falling past his lips in the softest tone Dr. Raynor has ever heard from him before. “I don’t know her all that well, but she lives in my apartment building so I see her around a lot. She’s... she’s really pretty.”
“Well, what is it about y/n that you like?”
Geez, where do I even begin?
“I don’t know,” Bucky shrugs, picking absently at a loose seam on the end of his shirt, “I guess I like how friendly she is. Every time I see her she’s always smiling, she always says good morning to everyone and lends a hand wherever she can. It’s like she goes out of her way to be nice to me, and I’m not really used to that but it’s a nice feeling. The first time I met her she never even flinched, she wasn’t scared like other people usually are, and even when I blew her off she still made it clear that I was welcome and if I needed a friend she’d be there. That’s the kind of person she is.”
“Did you take her up on that offer?” The woman asks, but by the look on her face Bucky is sure she already knows the answer.
“No...”
“James, we’ve talked about this,” Christina says firmly, “you have to stop closing yourself off from the people around you. Making a friend could really help you, especially if this girl is truly as nice as you say she is.”
“She is,” he reiterates firmly, “and that’s why I can’t be her friend.”
The doctor’s brows furrow with piqued interest at his admission, legs shifting underneath her as she gets comfortable in preparation for what will most likely be a heavy confession. “Can you elaborate for me?” She says. Bucky sighs.
“After everything that’s happened, and everything the world has been through, it just gets harder and harder to find some sort of light in the dark. So when you finally do find it, it’s like you have to do everything in your power to make sure it never goes out.”
“So y/n is a light?” Raynor reaffirms.
“For so many people,” Bucky nods, “and if I try to put myself in the picture I’ll only bring her down. There’s no future with me, and she deserves better than that.”
“How do you know that if you never put yourself out there?” The doctor asks softly, silently stunned by the heavy confession Bucky has entrusted her with; it’s the most he’s ever opened up before.
Pieces of the past dart through his mind, and in the midst of all the heartache and the chaos he sees Yori, the one friendship he’s been able to successfully maintain since his period of healing. The memory of the man is pleasant for a moment, until Bucky is reminded of the basis of their friendship and how one single confession will tear down everything they’ve built together. It doesn’t matter what kind of man he is now or how much control he has over his own life, the Winter Soldier will always have the final say, and nothing will ever change that. Finally, he speaks.
“I just do.”
Friday
“Crap.”
The softly uttered curse sounds from across the hallway and alerts Bucky of his struggling neighbor’s presence. Purse slipping off your shoulder and heavy groceries spilling from your arms, you struggle to maneuver your key into the lock of your front door all while the heat of embarrassment engulfs your body in a suffocating hold. You’re not as put together as you usually are, your belongings in disarray and eyes full of exhaustion rivaling that of his own, your usually meticulously picked clothing replaced by joggers and an old college sweatshirt that’s three sizes too big on you, and yet Bucky still finds himself frozen in your presence.
Don’t just stand there, help her you idiot, his mind screams at him, the soldier harshly swallowing down his nerves before taking shaky steps towards you. An orange slips out of the brown paper bag and rolls towards his feet, and Bucky takes it as his in into a conversation.
“Need some help?” He asks with a crooked smile, one that softens at the look of distress clear in your eyes as you meet his gaze.
“That’s the understatement of the year,” you breathe out before offering a meager smile of your own. “Some help would be great, thank you.”
Bucky takes the heavier bags of groceries from your aching arms and returns the orange to its rightful place, allowing you the chance to take your keys and unlock the door. You don’t spare him another glance as you walk in, leaving it open as a silent invitation for him to let himself in. Bucky swallows nervously but wordlessly follows behind; he’s never been in a woman’s apartment before, and the fact that it’s yours makes the experience all the more nerve wracking.
Your apartment is small but personalized, decorated with little knickknacks and houseplants and old family portraits that Bucky does his best not to stare at in fear of being rude, and the vanilla scented candle that burns on the coffee table makes him feel all the more welcome. You drop your purse by the couch with a tired sigh before directing your attention to the man who stands awkwardly in your living room. His hulking figure makes your apartment seem tiny, oddly comforting in a way, but you hold back your giggles and merely guide him to your kitchen.
“You can set them on the counter,” you say with a passive wave before reaching into one of the cabinets for a glass cup. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No, thank you,” the man says politely as he settles the heavy bags down on the marble surface; as much as he’d like to sit and spend the evening with you, he can’t stay long, or more like he won’t allow himself to stay long. Your movements are clumsy as you down your glass of water, and Bucky looks away flustered as little droplets begin to escape the corners of your lips and dribble down your neck. “I hope I’m not overstepping by asking this, but are you alright? You seem a bit... flustered.”
“Is it that obvious?” You joke quietly, your smile barely reaching your eyes as you fidget with the sleeves of your sweater.
“I’m sorry,” Bucky begins to say in fear of overstepping, but you merely shake your head in response.
“I’m just a little stressed out. The kids always keep me on my toes, especially now that there’s more of them, and it’s been hard trying to get some of them to readjust.”
“Kids?” He repeats with furrowed brows. He can’t recall ever seeing you with any children, and there’s no sign of any living with you in your apartment. A genuine laugh leaves your lips this time at his response and Bucky tenses uncomfortably. Did he say something wrong?
“I’m a kindergarten teacher,” you explain with a smile, and everything clicks in Bucky’s mind then. That would explain the constant paint stains and trails of glitter left in your wake, the arts and crafts supplies and stacks of drawings you seem to carry with you everywhere. And here he thought your heart couldn’t get any bigger than it already was— were you even real?
“The effects of the blip have been really difficult for them. It’s hard having to come back to school and see that all your old friends are now five grades ahead of you. I know everyone has been impacted in some way by what happened, but it’s harder for the younger ones to understand. I’m doing my best to make the transition back to normalcy easier for them, but some days are harder than others, you know?”
“Sounds rough,” is all Bucky can manage to say, swallowing his emotions back harshly.
“Yeah,” you sigh quietly, rubbing away the clear exhaustion in your eyes, “but I’m trying my best.”
“Sometimes that’s all you can do.”
You smile then, a genuine smile, one that makes Bucky weak in the knees, and suddenly it’s as if all the weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.
“I really needed to hear that,” you utter softly, “thank you.”
“What are neighbors for?” Bucky jokes lamely, but you must like his sense of humor for you let out the quietest of giggles.
“You’re sweet. I like talking with you, but I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you’re a busy guy.”
“Not really,” he shrugs with a crooked smile, “I just had some errands to run before tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?” You ask curiously, brows raising with interest as Bucky awkwardly looks down at your hardwood floor.
“I’ve got a date.”
“Huh, no kidding. Me too,” you smile, and in response Bucky’s heart slowly begins to sink to his stomach. Yori had said you were single, but only an idiot would believe that someone like you could stay that way for long. Maybe if he had taken the doctor’s advice sooner he could be the one you’re seeing instead of the lucky guy that beat him to it.
“I should get going... I’ll see you around.”
“Thank you again for the help, and good luck on your date,” you say with an encouraging smile. Bucky swallows harshly in response, a look of longing in his eyes that he hides well with a meager quirk of his lips.
“You too,” he murmurs in response, casting you once last glance before showing himself out. The lock clicks behind him, and Bucky trudges back to his own empty apartment.
Saturday
The dining patio of the Italian restaurant is pleasantly empty, but the quiet stillness does little to help soothe Bucky’s nerves as he waits for the arrival of his date. He probably should have asked Yori what she looked like, what her name was and what she’d be wearing so he’d know what to expect, but the old man had been adamant on keeping the identity of his date a surprise.
“It’ll be better that way,” he had said, “trust me.”
The bouquet of sunflowers sits before him on the table almost tauntingly, their bright colors and sweet scent sending his senses into overdrive. He almost resented them, but then he thought of your smiling face through the window and the tension from his shoulders began to dissipate— if you could be strong and put on a brave face despite all the bad things that had happened in the world, then so could he.
“James?” A meek voice calls quietly, pulling the man from his thoughts. His blue eyes widen in surprise at the sight of the woman standing before him and he swallows anxiously.
“Y/n?” Bucky replies, quickly rising from his seat and cringing at the way in which the legs of the chair scrape harshly across the floor with his sudden movements. Here he thought you couldn’t get any more beautiful, and here you were proving him wrong with your cute little outfit and styled hair and charming smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for my date,” you explain with a sheepish smile. Bucky deflates— not only would he have to suffer through his own painfully awkward date, but he’d also have to sit and watch you get swept off your feet by someone else all in the same night.
“Oh... well, who’s the lucky guy?”
“That’s the thing,” you say with a nervous laugh, “I think you are.”
“Me?” Bucky repeats flabbergasted. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Yori was the one who said I should try dating again. He thought it would be good for me to spend some time with other adults since I’m always with my students, and when I said I didn’t really know anyone he told me he’d take care of it for me. All he told me was to come to this restaurant Saturday at six and look for the man with sunflowers,” you summarize before gesturing to the bouquet on the table, “and you’re the only one here with sunflowers so...”
A disbelieving laugh leaves Bucky then at the realization, and he isn’t sure whether he should jump for joy or wait for the ground below to swallow him whole. Finally he had a chance to spend time with the girl who had taken over his thoughts and occupied every available space in his heart, and yet he couldn’t help but feel terrified. A date was a big step up from neighborly conversation in your apartment, and all of Bucky’s hopes of developing something more with you were riding on this one date. Yori knew exactly what he was doing by setting the two of you up, and Bucky had no choice but to be grateful for the man who had bestowed upon him the chance to finally win you over.
“If this is too awkward for you we can just skip this whole date—“
“No, it’s not awkward at all,” Bucky is quick to interject. “I mean, this whole thing is certainly a surprise but it’s a good one. It’s an honor to be your blind date.”
He flashes a charming smile that makes you weak in the knees, and he knows then that he’s back in the game— who would have guessed he’d be able to dust off his old moves with such ease? He had to if he wanted any kind of chance at winning you over.
“In that case, why don’t we get out of here? This restaurant is a little stuffy,” you note with a small chuckle, your nerves slowly beginning to dwindle.
“Alright, what do you have in mind?”
The nightlife atmosphere of the plaza square is surprisingly much more comfortable compared to the dining patio, and Bucky considers himself the luckiest man alive to be able to witness firsthand the way your eyes seem to sparkle with the light of the starry sky. A nighttime stroll is right up Bucky’s alley, and you both fall into a comfortable step as you talk about whatever topic seems to come to mind. You speak of your students, about how much their smiling little faces have helped you get through the toughest times, how there’s a stray cat who calls the dumpsters behind your apartment building a home and waits for your arrival on trash days because you always bring the feline a special treat. Alpine, you had named it, and Bucky adored that greatly.
The details are vague but you enjoy the stories he tells you of his childhood and the way his whole face seems to light up at the mere mention of his mother and sister; that look dwindles slightly when he speaks of his old best friend, but you pretend not to notice. As a younger man Bucky worked at the docks before serving time in the army, though he fails to mention where he’d been stationed, and now he works for the government. You feel almost giddy to be learning so much about the man you once believed would rather prefer solitude over your company, and as the night drags on and the conversation begins to dwindle you almost wish you could reverse the clock and do it all over again.
“Thank you,” Bucky says after a moment of silence, prompting you to halt your steps and raise a brow curiously at your counterpart.
"What for?"
“Taking a chance on a guy like me,” he smiles faintly while offering you a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. “I haven’t really done anything like this in a while, and the idea of putting myself back out there scared me shitless, but you just make things so much easier. I guess what I’m trying to say is when I’m with you everything comes naturally, and I really appreciate that.”
“Oh,” you utter softly, a sheepish smile of your own gracing your lips as you turn away to admire the scenery around you. It isn’t until now that you notice you’ve stopped before the fountain, the arches of water flowing overhead illuminated by the fluorescent lights below them. A nervous fluttering occupies your stomach and when you finally meet Bucky’s gaze you feel as if nothing else in the entire world mattress other than the two of you in this moment. “Well, if it makes you feel any better I’m kind of in the same boat, so that just means we can figure this out as we go. Together.”
“I like that,” Bucky affirms with a nod, a look that can only be described as lovestruck taking over his features. Nerves overcome you then as you clutch your bouquet of flowers to your chest, heart thrumming rapidly in your rib cage as Bucky steps closer. The glove that had once shielded his right hand from the cold is now missing as he gently cups your cheek and encompasses you with his warmth. His palm is calloused and rough but comforting all the same, and it takes everything in your power not to melt like putty in his grasp.
“Is this okay?” He murmurs quietly as if raising his voice any higher will ruin the moment.
“Yeah,” you breathe shakily, swallowing back your nerves, “it’s okay.”
Your softly uttered words of confirmation are all Bucky needs to hear before dipping down and gently brushing his lips against your own. His movements are hesitant for only a moment, and it is only once he’s sure you are comfortable and secure that he moves in for more. Your lips are soft against his own, plush and warm and so sweet, and as your eyes begin to flutter shut and the forgotten sunflowers slip out of your grasp you drape your arms securely across his shoulders at the same moment in which his left hand joins his right in cupping your face as if you were a precious jewel in need of the upmost care.
Nothing exists when you are in each other’s arms, you are safe and sound in your own little world, and as you part to take a breath Bucky realizes then that one kiss is all he needs to know that you are the one he’s been waiting for all his life.
And by god, if you aren’t more than worth the wait.
#this took me an entire month to write dear god#bucky barnes#james barnes#winter soldier#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes imagine#james barnes x reader#bucky#bucky x reader#bucky imagine#the falcon and the winter soldier#tfatws#tfatws x reader#tfatws imagine#marvel#mcu#mcu x reader#mcu imagine#angst#sort of a slow burn but not really#pining
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i was wondering how bad influence! jk and oc started interacting? like what made them start talking
[ ! ] this dabble is a prequel to “bad influence”
— words; 1.6k
~
Your professor was looking at you with expectation, the small piece of paper hanging between his fingers like the sword of Damocles over your head. You were staring at him in silence for a few seconds now, and the whole situation was starting to get awkward.
“So,” he pressed on, dangling the paper in front of your eyes. On it, the name and phone number of one of your classmates. “What do you say?”
When he asked you to stay after class, you expected it would be something related to tutoring. Your professor had mentioned it in passing a few times before, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise when he told you he had found you someone who really needed your assistance. You were beaming with joy for precisely a minute and twenty one seconds until he revealed the name of your student.
Jeon Jungkook.
Before you had any chance to muster an excuse for why you couldn’t — under any circumstance — get close to someone like that, even less tutor him, your professor already had his card up his sleeve. “It’ll be good for your curriculum.”
And you said yes in a heartbeat.
~
Jungkook was predictable. You knew that he would be late (after all, his cringy bad boy persona would never allow him to follow one single rule in his life), you just didn’t know it would be almost two-hours-late. By the point that you saw that hurricane in human form walking into the library, you had already finished your homework for the entire week.
He had the nerve to smirk at you, and you swore an oath to yourself that you wouldn’t present him with the irritation he was expecting. And you didn’t — with all the patience and kind-heartedness that your parents had pushed down your throat your entire life, you put on your best commercial smile and greeted him like he was just in time.
“Well, now that you’re here, let’s start with the basics and go over some defense cells.” You tugged the heavy Immunology book towards you, quickly flipping the pages towards the chapter that you had chosen for that first session. Jungkook had already taken his typical slouched position on the chair next to you, looking like he was about to slide down to the carpeted floor. “I’d like to know how familiar you are with it, though. Can you start by telling me about the types of lymphocytes?”
He chuckled, running one hand through his hair. “I have no idea what that shit is.”
You took a deep breath and ignored the irritation that was building up on your stomach. You didn’t know how someone could be so indifferent about everything. “Well... that’s why I’m here,” you managed to keep your voice cheerful.
He raised his eyebrows. “You’re here because you wanna get paid, princess. No need to play the Good Samaritan.”
You thought about telling him that you weren’t getting paid, but the idea wasn’t the best one. He’d probably mock you even more for wasting your Friday afternoon tutoring in the name of your curriculum. Not that he knew the importance of that, anyways.
“This is some bullshit.” Jungkook rested his head on his crossed arms, lying over the table, pushing away your pens and notebooks as he did so. His black hair fell over his features as he grouchily mumbled out, “I don’t even know why I chose this class, it has nothing to do with my major.”
You were surprised that he was even majoring in something, instead of just frequenting the campus as an excuse to meet girls. “Well, I can't answer that for you, can I?” You asked, tapping on his book’s hardcover. That little antibody drawing was staring at you in a silent mockery, wondering if you’d be able to make him study — or even care about anything. “But I can help you with the rest. Now, come on. Types of lymphocytes.”
His eyebrows came down to form a confused frown. Jungkook would’ve probably given you the same reaction if you had just called his mother all the filthy names you could think of. “You’re really trying to teach me?” He asked. “Like, for real?”
You sighed. The time you taught your little cousin how to read was less frustrating than that. “It’s kind of my job as a tutor, you know.”
Jungkook rose from his position and leaned back against the chair, his arms crossing before his chest. Beneath them, his strong pecs stressed against the fabric of his white shirt, but you refused to look. “You know that you can just pretend to teach me, I can pretend to learn, and you’re gonna get your credits anyways, right?” He asked as if you were the stupidest person he had ever met. “You don’t need to actually put in the effort, princess. Especially since I don’t give any fucks about immunology.”
If he called you that stupid pet name one more time, you swore you were going to knock him out. “Well, I’m already here, I’d rather do things right.”
He scoffed, throwing his head back and rolling his eyes. “God, you’re so booooring,” he groaned. “Don't you have some charity work to do or something?”
“I’m doing it right now.” You smiled. “I can see that you’re really trying to fail this class, don’t get me wrong. But I’m just trying to do my job—“
“Boooooring,” he sang, louder than the librarian would ever allow if she was close enough to hear him. Jungkook looked back at you, his eyes narrowed. You couldn’t really tell if he was disgusted or just annoyed. “Why do you even care? It’s just some stupid class, it doesn’t even matter. I’ll tell the professor you taught me everything and we can both go home.”
“I can’t do that,” you said, firm.
“Why not?”
“First of all, because that’s wrong,” you told him. Just as you were about to say that, also, his unavoidable horrible grades would make clear that he hadn’t learned shit (which would make you look like a clown instead of a tutor), his laugh ruptured your sentence.
“Oh, come on. You’re kidding me.” He smiled brightly — not a tender one, of course, but one full of perverse mockery. You had never met someone as condescending as Jungkook, and he was managing to push every single button inside you. “That’s wrong? What are you, six?”
You frowned. “You’re the child here, just trying to find a easy way out instead of putting in the eff—“
“What are your dreams, princess?” He interrupted again, leaning his head to the side. You really, really, really hated him. “Wait, no, let me guess. A family, a suburban house, and a dog? A nine to five? Something like that? Having your husband cheat with the babysitter before you’re forty?”
Some part of you knew that he was just trying to make you so angry that you would give up on tutoring him. Jungkook didn’t know that you wouldn’t throw away your obligations so quickly, but he was able to make you mad enough to get an answer. “What are yours?” you spat, kindness long forgotten. “Remaining unemployed, talentless, mentally trapped in your twenties, and fucking desperate milfs for money until you die from an early overdose?”
If your priest had heard you talk like that, he would most surely faint.
Jungkook, however, didn’t seem so horrified. In fact, his disgusted smile quickly morphed into a diverted one, a chuckle leaving his lips. “Uh,” he mumbled. “Interesting.”
The shame from your previous outburst was starting to weigh down on you, but you managed to keep it undercover. “What?”
“Didn’t know you had a mouth on you,” he said, clearly entertained. In a way, you were glad that he hadn’t taken your words to heart, because he could probably snap you in half if he was feeling like it. “You’re always so shy and shit. I thought you were going to cry.”
“I’m not shy,” you spoke, defensive. You had gotten close to shedding a couple tears, but he didn’t need to know that. You hated confrontation. “I just don’t wanna talk to people like you unless I’m obligated to.”
He raised his eyebrows — a silent threat. “People like me?”
There was a second of hesitation from your part that Jungkook didn’t miss. “Yes.” You couldn’t hold his piercing gaze. As much as Jungkook was annoying the shit out of you, you didn’t actually want to have a full-blown argument with him. Especially on university grounds. “People who can’t even tell me about lymphocytes. Now, are you done with your victimization session? Can we start, or do you wanna tell me more about how you’re burning college money and you are so superior because of it?”
He chuckled and looked you up and down — actually looked at you. Weirdly enough, it felt like the first time that Jungkook was actually seeing you, and not the empty shell of a stereotype that he had built for you in his peanut-sized brain. “You’re really trying here, aren’t you?” He asked.
You didn’t know if he was talking about the tutoring session anymore, but you decided not to bite. “Is that a sin now?” And, before he could say anything else, you added, “Page 124. Come on. Unlike you, I don’t have all day to sit around doing nothing.”
He smirked. “You’re more fun than you look, princess.”
And, for the first time, Jeon Jungkook wasn’t predictable — he actually opened the book on the page you told him to.
~
One hour later, he was already dozing off, a small puddle of saliva accumulating on top of his chaotic notes. Still, you counted that as a victory.
~
BAD INFLUENCE COLLECTION
#enemies to fuckbuddies: the fic#jungkook#jungkook fic#bts#drabble#bts drabble#bad influence#bad influence jk#bad boy jk#bad boy jungkook#good girl reader#x you#x reader#jungkook x you#jungkook x reader
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Bread
Wanda Maximoff x f!Reader, Baker!AU + Friends to Lovers
Chapter 5 of Made With Love
Word Count: 3,292
Chapter Warnings: Our two favorite idiots are so blind it’s not even funny, lots of yearning, some brief mentions of alcohol consumption towards the end
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for being patient with me on getting this posted. School and work have been crazy, but I’m almost done for the semester so hopefully it won't be as long for the next update. Shout out to my Grandma for sending me her paprikash recipe so I would actually know what I was talking about for this chapter. We literally never speak but she did me a real solid on this one and I will be adding paprikash into my regular cooking schedule once fall hits. Full disclosure though, I literally Googled “What wine pairs with chicken paprikash” and the wines mentioned are what it gave me. Please let me know what you think! I love reading your guys’s comments, it really makes my day.
Hey, so everyone is going to be out on a mission tomorrow night except for me. Any chance I can cash in on that raincheck? There’s a Bewitched marathon happening.
You smiled at Wanda’s message, quickly typing out your response. Definitely! Would you like to join me for bread day tomorrow?
She responded almost immediately. YES!
You couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. She had been wanting to make bread ever since the two of you made snickerdoodles. She brought it up almost constantly, mostly as a joke to get back at you for all of the times you teased her about it.
Up to this point, Wanda refused to accept any of your attempts to say thank you for helping you out through the cupcake debacle, saying that this was the sort of thing that friends were for. It only felt right that this should be the next thing to bake as your own special way of saying thank you.
As excited as you were to spend time with her and teach her how to do this, you couldn’t help but feel incredibly nervous at the same time. Why had Wanda decided to share her sexuality with you after all this time?
Okay, scratch that. You understood why she shared it with you when she did. The real question is what to do with the information now that you had it.
Was it just a general knowledge sort of a deal? Or was this her way of trying to say she was interested?
You groaned and put your head in your hands. This is why you hadn’t dated someone since your last relationship ended. You needed big flashing lights that screamed “I want to date you!” before you’d catch on, and even that didn’t work sometimes. If someone tried to be subtle, you were an absolute lost cause. You did your best to recall every interaction you had with Wanda that could even remotely be considered as her flirting or expressing interest.
She did smile at you a lot, even more than she smiled at Sam and Bucky who she clearly adored. She also certainly didn’t shy away from physical contact and had even initiated it several times. She had also remembered your coffee and bagel order from the one random time it came up weeks ago...
Suddenly, everything started to add up. All of those glances that had left your heart racing, all of those little touches...maybe Wanda was interested in you?
Your heart felt ready to burst out of your chest with joy.
Wanda didn’t arrive at the bakery until almost noon. The majority of the bread had been baked already; the only bread left to make was hers.
The two of you said your hello’s and caught up a bit as she stepped in to put on her apron and began washing her hands. Once the conversation slowed, you started your rundown for today’s bake.
“Bread is actually a lot easier than it looks but there are a couple of points we’re going to need to be careful at. I’ll remind you about them as we go about but I figured it would be good to have them all in your head now.
“We’re going to be very conscientious about temperatures this entire bake in a way we haven’t really needed to before. When we’re dealing with the yeast, we need the milk around 110 to 115o so the yeast activates properly. We also want things to be warm during the rise times, which shouldn’t be too much of an issue given the ovens have been on most of the day. Once it’s in the oven, we aren’t going to mess with it at all until the last couple minutes and that’s only if we need it to brown further.”
Wanda nodded along as you spoke. “I don’t know how much of an actual problem this is because you’re here, but I always hear a lot about overworking or underworking the dough. How do I know if it’s been kneaded enough?”
“Ah, good question! If the dough keeps getting really flat and not holding its shape, it’s underworked. If the dough is overworked, it gets kind of hard and not easy to work with. The good news is that we’re kneading by hand since it’s your first time and it’s a lot less likely to happen that way than in a mixer.”
She looked unconvinced but nodded. “Okay, so where do we begin?”
The first fifteen minutes of the bake flew by quickly. The yeast mixture had been prepared and was almost ready for the rest of the ingredients to be mixed in. Wanda was completely in awe at how the mixture looked.
To be fair to her though, the yeast mixture does look very weird if you’re not used to seeing it.
Once the flour, salt, and eggs were mixed in, the true fun began. Everything was mixed just enough to be combined into a rough, sticky ball of dough before being taken out of the mixer and onto the floured counter. Wanda followed along as you sprinkled some flour on your dough and began to knead, doing her best to mirror your motions.
You watched her out of the corner of your eye as you worked the dough, waiting to see what she would do. It was hard to hold back your giggles as you watched her. She was practically just squeezing the dough in different directions. You gave her a few minutes to see if she would work things out, but eventually, you set your dough down and moved closer to her.
“Here, let me help,” you said. Your hands moved so they were on top of hers, you tried guiding her through the motions, only for things to fail miserably.
“Okay, can I try something that might be a little weird? It’s just that I’m not used to kneading at an angle like that so it’s throwing off my muscle memory.”
She nodded and you adjusted yourself so you were now standing behind her. Your arms slid around either side of her waist and your hands rested on top of hers. This time, your hands knew what they were doing and you were able to help guide her through the motion. Even after she got it, you remained standing behind her, your chin resting against her shoulder.
The feelings that washed over you as you stood there with her were hard to describe. There was nothing necessarily comfortable about the position you were in, but your whole body felt more relaxed than it had all day. At the same time though, everything felt electrifying. You hoped she couldn’t feel the way your heart was thumping against your chest.
It wasn’t until you realized Wanda had paused and turned back slightly to face you slightly that you stepped back. An apology rose up in your throat only to die as you noticed the small smile on her face. You shot a smile back at her before moving back to your spot, turning your attention back to the job at hand.
The rest of the bake went smoothly, despite Wanda’s fretting about if the bread was rising enough. It didn’t take long before you had two perfectly round loaves of bread sitting next to each other on the cooling rack. Wanda had not stopped smiling since they came out of the oven. Even though that was her usual response, this time felt different.
For the second time that day, you were left trying to describe impossible feelings. Was it her eyes that felt different? They were lit beautifully, radiating so much joy it was impossible to not feel just as excited. But how was that any different from usual? Her eyes always captivated you and left you breathless. Maybe it was the new shade of pink lipstick she had on. It was perfectly accentuating the shape of her lips, to the point you couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like to feel them pressed against yours.
You may not be able to pinpoint what the look was, all you knew is that you were grateful to be a part of why her smile was so big.
After she finished taking pictures of the loaves, she turned to you. “That was incredible! I had no idea bread could be that simple.”
You nodded along, unable to hold back a smile. “I told you it wasn’t too bad, there are just a couple spots you have to be sure to navigate well. And clearly -” you gestured towards the loaves, “- you did. Maybe I should start worrying about you stealing my job.”
Her laughter filled the kitchen at your teasing.
As her laugher began to die out, her focus turned back on to you. “Okay, so what time were you thinking of coming over? I’m making us dinner and want to try and have it finishing up right around the time you get there.”
You glanced over at the clock and then back to the to-do list written out on the whiteboard above your desk before answering, “I think it’ll probably be close to five if I had to guess. I still have to finish cleaning some stuff here and I promised to go help Charlie work out some menu options for that picnic thing that’s coming up.”
Wanda nodded along, “Are you going to that?”
“I’m working it, so I, unfortunately, don’t have much of a choice.”
She nodded again. “Same here, actually. All of the Avengers are required to be unless there’s some sort of alien invasion again or something…” She trailed off a moment before continuing. “I was planning on making paprikash. Is that okay with you? I don’t know if there’s anything you can’t or don’t like to eat.”
“I’ve actually never had that before so that would be wonderful! I’m pretty easy when it comes to food. The only things I don’t like are mushrooms and zucchini, but I’ll still eat them if I have to.”
Wanda gasped, “You don’t like mushrooms? How do you not like mushrooms?”
You just shrugged, “Okay, I’m actually pretty neutral on mushrooms. I’ll still eat them. I just don’t go out of my way to make them for myself. Zucchini is a firm no, though.”
She gave you a side-eye but relented. “Well, there are no mushrooms or zucchini in this, but just know I’m going to have to keep an eye on you from now on. I don’t know how we’ve made it this far into our friendship without me knowing you’re an anti-mushroom heathen.”
The two of you joked around for a few minutes longer before she left to start preparing for dinner.
Planning the menu with Charlie didn’t take very long, which you were grateful for. He already had a decent idea of what he wanted to do, so the main thing left was to figure out how much food to order to prepare it. The two of you also agreed upon what you needed to make. Most of your responsibilities centered around desserts, specifically pies, though you agreed to make some fresh rolls and soft pretzels as well.
You were thankful for the meeting to end though because it meant the remaining time you had left could be spent getting ready to go see Wanda.
‘Getting ready’ was perhaps a bit dramatic. You were just changing out of your usual work clothes into something a little cuter. It was nothing particularly fancy, but it was an outfit you felt both confident and comfortable in. You had also made sure to pack some toiletries that morning, allowing you to freshen up your deodorant and brush your teeth as well.
As you stepped into the elevator and pressed the button, you couldn’t help but feel a bit jittery. The past few times you’ve made your way to that part of the building you’ve been nervous about the other Avengers not wanting you there. This time though, all of your nerves could be attributed entirely to Wanda. You weren’t sure what to expect of tonight, but you were determined to have a fun night filled with food and good company.
The warm smell of paprika filled the air and made your stomach grumble as soon as you stepped out of the elevator. Once you were inside, you found Wanda in the kitchen, stirring in some additional seasonings.
“This smells incredible,” you said, setting the two loaves of bread down on the counter.
Wanda beamed. “Thanks! This is my great grandmother’s recipe and is one of my favorite things to make.” As she set the spoon down, she walked towards the fridge. “I bought some wine to go along with dinner if you would like some.”
“Yes please, wine sounds amazing right now.”
“I have a chardonnay and a Barolo, which would you prefer?” she asked, turning back towards you.
You shrugged, “Whichever one you want.”
She nodded and pulled out the Barolo. It didn’t take long for the bottle to be opened and to have a glass of wine in your hand.
It wasn’t until you took your first sip that you realized Wanda had also changed. Your breathing hitched as you looked her up and down. Gone were her jeans and old T-shirts, replaced by a pair of cut-off shorts and a stylishly oversized T-shirt. If it weren’t for the fuzzy wool socks on her feet, you’d assume she was camera-ready. Hell, even with the funny socks she was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen.
You realized you were staring and abruptly began looking around the kitchen, trying to find something to do that would take your mind off of how hot Wanda looked. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Wanda shook her head no. “There’s not really anything to be done, this just needs to simmer for about another five minutes and we’ll be good to go. Why don’t you go have a seat at the table and I’ll be over in just a moment with some bread slices and butter. Once this is ready I’ll bring it in as well.”
You nodded and made your way out of the kitchen and towards the table.
It wasn’t until you were seated that you realized how well the table was set. Both seats had beautiful flatware laid out, with silverware organized neatly to the side. Underneath was a crisp, pure white table cloth. What caught your attention the most though were the two lit candles sitting between your chair and hers. It wasn’t until you noticed the candles that you also noticed the music playing softly in the background.
Everything about the setup screamed ‘fancy first date’.
Before you had much of a chance to dwell on the thought, Wanda arrived with several slices of bread and a small dish of butter. You thanked her before she walked back towards the kitchen. She returned soon after with the pot of paprikash, setting it on the hot pad in the center of the table. She walked around to her seat and soon both of you had your plates filled and began to eat.
It was impossible to hold back a satisfied sigh as you took your first bite. It tasted just as delicious, if not better than it smelled. The chicken was cooked perfectly and all but melted in your mouth. The paprika added a nice rich flavor and added extra depth to the creaminess of the sauce.
“Wanda this is incredible.”
She smiled at you brightly, “If you think it’s good by itself, try dipping the bread with some butter in it.”
You did as she said and this time instead of a satisfied sigh, you let out a satisfied moan. “You are going to have to give me this recipe. This is so good I don’t even know what to say, all I want to do is keep eating.”
Wanda laughed at your enthusiasm. “Tell you what, I’ll teach you how to make it sometime. It’s about time I taught you something in the kitchen.”
Dinner was a blast. The two of you spent more of it laughing and talking than eating. The bottle of Barolo was finished before dinner was done. It didn’t take long before it was replaced by the chardonnay.
Once dinner was over, you fought Wanda to let you help clean up the kitchen. Her argument that guests shouldn’t help was shot down as you pointed out she’s technically a guest in the bakery, yet she always helps clean up after she’s been in there. She grumbled about it but quickly conceded. It didn’t take long for the kitchen to be cleaned up and even less time after that for her to drag you over to the couch.
The first-ever episode of “Bewitched” was halfway finished by the time the two of you had settled into your spots on the couch. Currently, Samantha and Darrin were at his ex-girlfriend's house for a dinner party and the girlfriend was doing everything she could to make Samantha feel inferior. Samantha, of course, wasn’t having it and was willing to fudge her promises of not using magic to level the playing field.
Wanda laughed along perfectly in time with the sitcom track. The more she laughed, the more your attention turned from being on the TV to be on her. This was the most relaxed and happy you had ever seen her. She had a small, almost imperceivable smile that grew as she became more and more emerged into the episode. Each time she laughed, you noticed how her nose would scrunch up in the cutest way and it took everything you had to not lean over and kiss her.
What you wouldn’t give to make her as happy as this show.
It wasn’t until the end credits were about to roll that you forced yourself to look back at the screen, unsure of how she’d respond if she caught you staring.
As the next episode cued up, she reached out and grabbed her glass of wine before turning to face you.“So, what do you think? Could I have been a Samantha in another life?”
You couldn’t help but laugh. “Definitely, though I can’t see you being willing to hide your powers just because a man wants you to.”
Wanda nearly choked on the sip of wine she had taken. “You got me there.”
She finished the glass and set it back on the table before letting out a loud yawn. “Sorry, I probably should’ve warned you beforehand that wine makes me a little sleepy.” She paused for a moment before she continued, “It also makes me incredibly cuddly…”
A rush of emotions washed over you as you processed her words. Was she asking to come cuddle with you?
The hopeful look in her eye suggested she was.
Pure, unadulterated joy swept over your body and you had to fight the urge to jump up and down from excitement. You did your best to collect yourself before you replied, hoping that the answer was indeed what you were looking for.
“Is that your way of asking if you can come snuggle?”
She smiled at you sheepishly, which made you laugh. You moved over on the couch, moving around some of the throw pillows so you could lay down.
“Well, what are you waiting for then?”
Wanda didn’t hesitate for a moment and soon was laying on top of you, her head resting on your chest. One of your arms wrapped loosely around her back after she settled in.
A comfortable silence fell over you as you laid there together, watching Bewitched until you fell asleep.
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Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! / Part 3 Here! / Part 4 Here! / Part 5 Here! / Part 6 Here! / Part 7 Here! / Part 8 Here! / Part 9 Here! / Part 10 Here! / Part 11 Here! / Part 12 Here! / Part 13 Here! / Part 14 Here! / Part 15 Here! / Part 16 Here! / < This is Part 17!>
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Song for this Chapter - (X)
A/N: Soooo I might not update Saturday this week because I’ve been pretty slammed at work this week. If anyone would like to Beta read the next two parts of this series (Especially if you’re BIPOC) pls DM me. The next part I’m not so concerned about, but the part after. (Also need Beta readers for my original pieces!)
* Your legs dangle beneath you as you continuously bump your head against the tree trunk hoping the contact will knock some sense into you
* It doesn’t even hurt, barley a tickle.
* You decided that the safest, and least embarrassing, place for you right now was up a 100 foot tall tree.
* You came here for some peace and quiet, to get away from everyone and sort out your thoughts
* Not that it matters since half the coven has been up here to talk to you
* Carlisle came first, though you’re betting he pulled the “dad” card so he could go first.
* “Lovely view.”
* “Hmm” you mumble
* He lets out a deep sigh, and you hate yourself for not making this easier for him.
* “So I heard that you and Edward had a .... romantic encounter.”
* You laugh
* “A romantic encounter,” you repeat, you look at Carlisle who mirrors your smile.
* “Edward does that too” He mumbles. Carlisle doesn’t miss the way you stiffen at the mention of his name.
* A long, deep sigh escapes him
* “I just want you to know that it’s fine,” He’s sitting far away from you on the branch, partially because of your powers and partially because he understands you want space.
* “You’re two healthy vampires and I understand you have needs-“
* “Oh my god Carlisle please don’t tell me you’re giving me “the talk” right now on a tree branch” you’re mortified but you’re laughing
* “I just want you to know that however you choose to proceed, I love and support you.”
* And then Carlisle does something he hasn’t done in a decade,
* he inches closer, breaking into your personal bubble and gives you a kiss on the forehead and a pat on your shoulder
* You smile after he leaps down and runs back to the house
* He hasn’t done something like that since he found you in Volterra, newly turned and asking to die.
* Truly a compassionate man.
* Rosalie’s the next one, she actually calls your attention from the ground
* “I brought you some blood in case you’re hungry” she shouts, holding up a thermos with what you assume is blood.
* You sigh, it looks like you won’t be getting much space
* She leaves just as much space as Carlisle when she sits by you on the branch
* “Nice view up here huh?” She even cups a hand over her eyes to see further
* This family and small talk
* “Do you want to talk about it?” She finally asks after a long moment of silence.
* You shake your head
* “Not really” she nods, lacing her fingers together on her lap. There’s another long moment of silence
* “Does everyone know?” She raises an eyebrow and you clarify
*“That Edward felt that way I mean.”
* Rosalie gives you a smirk that basically says, ‘I thought you didn’t want to talk about it’, but she doesn’t tease you any further.
*She lets out a long sigh and looks down to her hands
* “Remember that time you came to our house for the first time to play monopoly?”
*You nod.
*“Most of us pieced it together back then”
* You sigh, all the way since back then?
* It’s been over a decade.
* “Mostly because we usually don’t have board game nights, and Edward asked if we could so he could have an excuse to bring you over”
* That dork.
*You can’t help but smile.
* Of course Edward saw how lonely you were in that house and decided to find an excuse to get you five other friends.
* Another long moment of silence passes
* “Look I- I know Edward is my brother and I would be thrilled if you guys got together-“
*she places her hand on top of yours.
* “But I want you to know that I love you, and if you decide that’s not what you want, then that’s okay.”
* Her eyes are so kind, she gives you a gentle smile.
* “No matter what you decide, I’ll still love you, you’re still my best friend-my (sister/brother).”
* You feel your eyes sting and you nod, you give her a weak smile and she sighs wrapping you in a hug.
* “I’ll come back later with more blood” she caresses your face before jumping down, running back to the house
* As soon as she’s out of sight you feel your branch bend down
* “Great view, you see any bears yet?” Emmett asks and you sigh, swirling the cap of your thermos off
* “Care for a drink Emmett?”
* “Well don’t mind if I do”
* Out of all of them, you think you like Emmett’s interaction the best
* He doesn’t talk about Edward, just makes conversation with you like nothing is wrong, like you’re staying up this tree like a stranded cat because it’s fun
* “I heard you kissed a bunch of people at the party” you groan and put your face in your hands
* “I was drinking, I guess I drank too much, and made some questionable decision.”
* He grins and pats your shoulder
* “It’s not that big of a deal, we’ve all been there. Besides I thought it was pretty bad ass.”
* You smile, of course he would.
* Emmett doesn’t sit far away from you like the others, he sits beside you and swings his arm over your shoulder bringing you into a hug.
* “Don’t stress out about things too much up here, and when you’re ready don’t be embarrassed to come home.” He plants a kiss in your hair before swooping down
* That’s your big brother for you
* It’s not more than ten minutes until you feel the branch away again
* “Oh my god, can’t I have just a minute-“ the words die in your throat when you turn to see who’s sitting next to you.
* “Oh, hey Edward.”
* He’s sitting just as far as Carlisle and Rosalie were, if not further, he offers you a brief smile.
* A long moment of silence fills the air and you gulp
* “It’s a real nice view huh?” You say,
* oh geez now you’re the one talking about the view
* “Yeah it’s beautiful.” Edward’s not looking at the view, he’s looking at you, and the implication makes you even more flustered than you are.
* You watch Edward, he’s so happy he’s glowing. Every few seconds a smile will creep onto his face only for him to force it into a frown, only for it to twitch back into a smile again.
* You laugh.
* “You’re doing that thing where you can’t hide how happy you are.”
* Edward openly grins once you say that.
* “You’re happy too, I can feel it all the way from here.” He says holding a hand out.
* Ah your powers are leaking through
* Looks Rosalie and Carlisle just wanted to look serious when they were here
* “Of course I’m happy”
* He told you he loved you, how could you not be happy?
* He basically confirmed your wildest wishes and hopes.
* This is the happiest you’ve ever been
* “I don’t understand why you’re sitting up here honestly,” he shakes his head boyish smile curling onto his face as his eyes stay focused on the horizon. “I know you feel the same way as I do”
* He’s right, you do feel the same as him.
* Maybe for just as long as he has, you’ve just been holding yourself back because you thought he would never have those feelings for you
* Because you’re not the one who’s going to make him the happiest he could possibly be
* “Look Edward, I think you could do so much-“
* “Is this about Bella?” He interrupts, a bitter laugh when you remain silent. “Why do you think I would ever love her?”
* “The way you look at her-“
* “I don’t get that either, you talked about that last night too, I’m not sure what you’re seeing but the look I give her is of minimal tolerance.”
* ...
* Wait
* What
* “Oh cut the crap Edward, I saw the way you guys looked at each other on the stairway”
* “What stairway?”
*Is he trying to play dumb? Because honestly- you’re a little convinced with that confused puppy look he’s giving you
* “At Conner’s party, you guys were talking at the stairwell, you looked at her like she was telling you all of the universe’s secrets.”
* He looks embarrassed, a hand tangling in his hair.
* “Um- about that-”
* You caught the criminal red handed. He might like you, but he likes her too doesn’t he. Well he’s probably entranced by that scent of hers, no doubt he’ll forget all about you-
* “We were talking about you.”
* ....
* (Y/N). Exe is broken
* “While you were gone, we both came to an agreement to set our differences aside for you-”
* Why would they go that far for you, it’s not like you care-
* You remember the vitamins
* Going out of your way to include her in things,
* Driving her home even when any normal person would have just ignored the whole thing
* Oh my god, you’re Bella’s best friend
* And even worse, everyone probably thinks she’s your best friend too.
* (Y/N). Exe is broken
* “Don’t misunderstand for a second, I still find her absolutely repulsive, and whatever haze she’s got over the school is absolutely perplexing-”
* “But what about the carnation?” you interrupt.
* She’s the only one he bought a carnation for.
* “What carnation?”
* “The carnation you bought her on Valentine’s Day!”
* Sure one carnation isn’t anything compared to the bouquet he bought you, but it had to mean something
* “I didn’t buy anyone any carnations.” He tells you, his eyebrows threading together
* Oh f*ck
* f*ck *f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck *f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck *f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck
* You bought Bella that carnation.
* You bought all of your friends carnations, light red ones for friendship
* “Were you jealous because you thought I bought her flowers and not you?”
*A mischievous grin arch’s onto his mouth and you hide your face in your hands
*“You were, weren’t you? That’s adorable.”
* The criminal is teasing you, only this time you can’t complain because it’s rightly deserved
* “But- then what were you talking at the lockers about?”
* Edward’s face pinches into a look of disgust.
* “She came by to rub in my face how you had given us both the same colored carnations”
* “Wait-Bella knows you felt this way about me?”
* He laughs
* “(Y/N/N), I’m pretty sure everyone knows I love you.”
* Everyone but you apparently
* Was it really all in your head?
* Edward has loved you this entire time and you just...never noticed?
* “Honestly, I love you (Y/N), but sometimes you get fixated on these ideas for no logical reason-“
* Oh there’s a logical reason alright
* “-like what possible reason could there be for me to love a human like Bella? It’s just comple-“
* “Because you’re supposed to Edward!”
* It’s the straw that finally broke the camels back.
* You tell him everything, about everything that happened in the books.
* Him falling in love with Bella, killing James, leaving her in new moon, the werewolves, the newborn army led by Victoria, their marriage and Bella’s pregnancy
* You frame it like you had a prophetic dream the night you turned, which is probably the closest way you can explain what happened without looking insane.
* Not that Edward would mind, he would probably get the best recommendation from Carlisle for a mental health institute and happily visit you three times a week with flowers and other gifts.
* You both sit in silence after you finish telling him everything, the only sound the gentle whistle of the wind.
* “So what?”
* He asks, shrugging his shoulders and looking at you like you just told him a tv show he doesn’t like is getting cancelled
* You scoff in disbelief
* “ So what? Edward she’s your soul mate!”
* “You’re my soul mate” he says plainly, he’s inched closer to you this entire time, and now his thigh is only a flew inches away from your own.
* You feel embarrassed at his words, how can he say that so easily?
*You’re still not even sure soul mates exist.
* Noticing you embarrassment he places his hand on top of yours, intertwining your fingers
* The contact makes butterflies erupt in your stomach.
* “I understand that you think that story is the one I want,” he says it slowly.
* “But there’s already so many thing that are different.”
* He’s right things have changed, you know that.
* “Besides I don’t think I’m the one Bella has a crush on” he gives you a meaningful look and your eyebrows thread together.
* Wait what’s that supposed to mean
* “This world is different than the one you saw.” He squeezes your hand, and you sigh,
* It’s different because of you.
* He should have had all those things. If it weren’t for you he would have had all those things
* “Edward she can give you a baby, a real baby that’s yours!”
* There’s only one common thread for all the vampires you’ve seen that still hunger for their humanity
* They all want a child.
* What Edward is getting, it’s a miracle. A Hail Mary. The odds of something like this happening are one in one billion at best.
* He gets to have a baby, and the woman he loves. It’s a win-win.
* He sighs and squeezes your hand.
* “But I don’t want that.” He says it so bluntly, like it’s the simplest thing on earth.
*Your brain stops working.
* Well that can’t be right
* “We’ve never talked about it, but I’ve never wanted children, not even when I was a boy and still human.”
* Wait Edward doesn’t want kids?
* Your head snaps up to meet his eyes
* “I think to want to bring children into the world you have to be at peace with the world and with yourself. And I’ve never been able to have either of those things.” He shrugs, his legs swinging under him.
* “What you saw- I was probably just going along with whatever Bella wanted, but I don’t think I would genuinely want to raise a child in this world, especially not when I look like I’m seventeen for the rest of my life”
* That makes sense.
*Edward’s always been sensitive about his age. He looks older than 17, probably because of the venom.
*But he’s the youngest of all his siblings, you know deep down he can handle the vampirism,
* But he can’t handle being a child for all of eternity.
* “But even if I did want kids, I want an eternity with you even more.”
* He squeezes your hand and you squeeze back, gulping the burning in your throat
* Whether it’s from thirst or the overwhelming emotions you’re not sure
* “Okay.” You finally say after several long moment of silence
* “Okay, you’ll be mine for eternity or...”
* You slap him lightly on the chest and he barks laughing
* “Okay...we can... date.” You say it haltingly, carefully even.
* “Like humans” you add for good measure
* You expect a bit of protest from Edward, he’s been waiting for you for over a decade now, you can’t think of a man alive who would be alright with just dating.
* But Edward smiles like you just agreed to marry him. He puts a hand on your face, and caresses your cheek with his thumb.
* “Alright, we’ll date like humans do.”
* You’re still a little worried but you find yourself smiling when Edward presses his forehead against your own.
* His lips meeting yours.
* “(Y/N) and Edward sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” You tease when he pulls away and he laughs again
* “You’re the worst you know that?”
* “Yet you still love me,” you tease “you loooooove me, you waanaaaa spend eeeeternity with meeee.” You sing and he laughs.
* “Suddenly I’m regretting my decision to court you.”
* You sit in silence for a second, enjoying his scent.
* It feels safe here
* It feels like home
* “Are you ready to go inside?”
* You should, you feel a lot better now, but-
* You groan and bury your face in his shoulder.
* “It’s going to be so embarrassing, everyone’s going to know what happened and Emmett is never going to stop with the sex jokes”
* Edward just grins, he can’t believe after waiting for so long, you’re his now.
* It feels like a dream
* You’re right though, it’s is going to be super embarrassing going back home after this.
* He gets why you chose to wait it out in a tree
* “Yeah, let’s stay out here for a while longer.” He says wrapping his arms around you.
BONUS:
* Rosalie is peering out the window with gold opera glasses to her hand
* “Oh! He leaned in closer! I think he’s holding their hand”
* Alice groans beside her
* “No they’re just talking, they’re going to be doing that a lot”
* “What else do you see Alice?” Jasper asks from behind her, watching the tree you and Edward are sitting on intently
* “I’m not sure...it’s all changing really fast, in one they make up and go back to being friends,”
* Emmett groans from behind her, he can’t handle anymore yearning or weird sex talks with his brother
* “In another they push Edward of the branch and say: “oh why don’t you just go back to Bella you human lover””
* Rosalie shudders, well that’s not good
* Honestly she should have just told you Bella and Edward had come to an agreement to be civil around one another for your benefit while you were gone
* They basically bonded over how much they like you
* The carnation was probably just a sign of that truce, if it was even from him
* She’s got a feeling it was probably from you and you just forgot, but she didn’t want to embarrass you
* Besides she figured it might be the final push you need to admit your feelings to him
* “They’re kissing! You guys they’re kissing!” Alice shrieks, and all of them turn their attention back to you
* Ah so you are
* “And so end the brooding chronicles” Jasper whispers and Rosalie hides a laugh
* “I would call them the yearning chronicles” Alice adds
* “Have you considered that maybe the reason they’re out there is because they want privacy?” Carlisle says without looking up from his open newspaper.
* The four of them shuffle awkwardly before walking away from the large window
* “You too Esme” Carlisle says
* Esme sighs, tucking her black opera glasses into her apron
* “Don’t blame me when we don’t have anything to say at the wedding when it comes time for a toast” she mumbles, walking back to the kitchen to finish her cookies
* “A wedding?”
* Queue Carlisle half sobbing half wheezing into his newspaper
* “Not one, but two kids leaving the family?”
Tags: @moonlights27 @thebluetint @the100thtwilight @awesomebooklover17 @oneofthepotterheads @smileygirl08 @imdoingathingmom @iconicgguk @yrawn @alyciaswhore @little-horror-show @wicked-watering-can @lazydreamers @ xxxmuxxx @ideas-for-you-to-adopt @poisoinedhope @maryleigh8796 @moose-squirrel-asstiel @hotmessgoodness @jaimewho @corabmarie @what-am-i-doing10 @alluring-venus @imdoingathingmom @anotheryooniverse @im-tired-not-sleepy @emmettcullenisahimbo @my-super-musical-life @smolvampiregirl @it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream @mihikaahujaaa
#twilight#twilight saga#twilight imagine#twilight imagines#twilight headcanons#twilight fanfiction#twilight reader insert#edward cullen imagine#edward cullen x reader#edward cullen#carlisle cullen imagine#roslaie hale imagine#emmett cullen imagine#midnight sun#superhero--imagines#waking up in twilight#waking up in tiwlight part 17
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