#i’ll get back to asl soon i swear

[lunisoular]

sorry for the deviation. i’ve had them on my mind

[tooweirdforyou]

How ASL Bros React To Getting Married To You

A/N : well, I reallyyy want to write a nice long fic but like.. life man. I’m on spring break and have work all week and with my sleep problems 😭 just enjoy this please c:

Summary : what the asl brothers wedding would be like.

-

Luffy

“Woah! You look awesome, [Name]!”

So cheery and wholesome.

Zoro is his best man, ( much to Sanji’s dismay )

EVERYONE is there, every single person he’s ever met is there so it’s crowded and you basically had it outside, in Foosha Village, though he wanted it to be on the ship.

All of the girls Luffy’s met is responsible for your appearance, they all helped you on your big day.

Some of the marines were invited, of course.

Luffy’s best mans/groom mans ( idk) ( other than Zoro ) consists of Sabo, Ace, Sanji, Usopp, Franky, Brook, Law, Shanks and Koby.

Your bridesmaids consist of Nami, Robin ( maid of honor ), Perona, Tashigi, Vivi and Makino. ( shirahoshi and others didn’t have too much room to stand by you because of the guests so they just sat in their respective seats.)

Before it officially started, there was a lot of tension so separation in seats were needed. Big Mom’s crew is sitting on the left back, Marines in the front right, Law’s, Kid’s and Shanks and other pirates are put in the right back, and everyone else Luffy knows is in the front right.

Few are still in shock because of the fact that LUFFY is getting married before them.

A lot of yelling and laughter from everyone is around but as soon as the classic music is playing in the background, everyone shuts up and turns to face the back, where you’re walking with Garp.

Old man Garp is the one taking you, and even he is full of tears from the fact that his own grandson is getting married.

“You take care of my dumb ole’ grandson, you hear? If he ever becomes too much of an annoyance, just knock him a few times in the head.”

And when you finally reach him, everyone is quiet and has the proudest smiles on their faces. Their Luffy is all grown up.

His bright, radiating grin is plastered and he is pretty overwhelmed but right now, you’re distracted by his handsome look in his suit.

Of course, he has shorts instead of long dress pants but he still looked handsome regardless.

Vows are said, rings are given and you smile at Luffy as the minister ( Sengoku ) questions your commitment.

“Do you, [ Name LastName ] take this complete fool, Monkey D. Luffy, as your everlasting husband and, future pirate king?”

Chuckles are heard, and you couldn’t suppress a giggle either. “I do.”

“I see. I wish you luck on this journey. Luffy, you may now kiss the bride.”

Claps are heard around as Luffy grins. “About time!” He cheers and pulls you by your hands, quickly smashing your lips together in a kiss.

“Congrats, Luffy!”

“Not bad, Straw Hat.”

“Where’s the beer? Time to party!”

“Alright, Luffy! Woo!”

Music is quick to break out as everyone is celebrating and cheering.

You and Luffy already cut the cake, ( it took you a lot of force to make Luffy not shove his face in the cake and just CUT IT. )

The giant cake made by Sanji and the Big Mom family, was shared for everyone and there was still plenty left.

And it was just a fun time with everyone. You even threw your bouquet(?) behind you already and it seems the next to be wed was Tama!

Clearly some of the women weren’t too happy to see the little grow becoming married before them but it was a nice laugh.

The night goes on and it’s getting late. Guests are leaving after wishing the two of you well and you two head in for your suite that Nami booked as her present.

“It feels normal. I thought this was some big special thing, why is it such a big deal again?” Luffy questions, forgetting what the girls had told him the several nights before about weddings.

You smile gently and set the last wrapped gift to the side with the others, taking a glance at the shimmering ring on your left hand.

“Because,” you spin around and face your husband, reaching over and taking off his straw hat that he kept on.

“It swears our connection and commitment to each other. Why do you think Shanks married Makino, despite their long distance relationship?”

Luffy offers his gentle smile, seemingly more relaxed at the mention of the two of the most important people in his life, out of many.

“Because they love each other?” He guesses calmly, tilting his head and you nod, giggling at his black hair that swayed.

“And I love you.” You whisper, leaning closer and felt Luffy’s arms enveloping you in a tight hug, his face nuzzling into your neck.

“I love you, [Name].”

And he leans back, connecting his lips on yours.

-

Ace

“Oh..wow..”

Oh boy, did the Whitebeard crew go BIG.

I have a feeling that Ace would want something a little normal or smaller perhaps, just inviting his personal friends and family, and maybe a few people he met along the way of his journey.

He’s a friendly, outgoing person but for a personal occasion, it’s best to stick with the people you’re closest to.

But he wasn’t complaining when he saw the large äss party, feast and the important people in his life showing up.

Sabo, Luffy and his crew, Shanks, Makino, all of his brothers, members of his old crew, Garp, he was thrilled to see everyone!

The wedding was held on Whitebeard’s ship, of course. It wasn’t too fancy or grand but still pretty large and the ship was right in the middle of the sea.

Ace is all dressed up handsomely in his suit, with the help of Marco, Vista and Izo. His hair isn’t too messy and just styled neatly.

You were dressed beautifully in your gown/suit, with the help of the nurses, Nami, Robin and Izo.

There was a bit of trouble with seating but naturally, many people stood up anyways and were quite busy throwing confetti and other things at you, even if it was a wedding.

Whitebeard is taking you down the aisle, it’s a little bit difficult but he still did, and you can bet he’s excited to have a daughter/son that will help watch over Ace’s dumbass self.

“Rough him up real good, take good care of my stupid son. And call me Pops!”

When Ace sees you walking down, he’ll admit, he’s teary. He’s actually found love, someone like him.. and he’s about to be married to you, the most amazing, attractive, and sweetest person he’s met.

You look so amazing in your outfit, he’s in tears. He’s so lucky.. Marco has a hand on his shoulder and patting his back. “Congratulations, Ace. You deserve this.”

Wiping his tears with his finger, he nods and exhales, holding the widest, warmest smile he could muster.

He was going to love you and protect you all of his damn life, that’s for sure.

The minister is actually Vista! Ace’s best man is Marco and his groomsmans all include Thatch, Luffy, Jozu, Izo, and Haruta!

“Do you, [Name Lastname] take this young kid as your loyal, lawful and everlasting husband?”

“Really?” Ace pouts at Vista’s joke and chuckles are heard, even yours.

“I do, Vista. I’ll make sure he grows.” You giggle as Ace sighs in exasperation.

“Very well. I now pronounce you husband and wife, Ace, kiss your damn bride already.”

“My pleasure.” Ace grins and he’s quick in pulling your wrist towards him, and spinning you into a dipping motion before connecting your lips together in a kiss.

Whistles and catcalls are heard as loud cheers and applause are made.

“Go Ace!”

“Alright, Fire Fist!”

“Better not lose her, Ace!”

Ace rolls his eyes at the comments from his brothers and pulls you back up with a smile. He’s a little glad he didn’t fall asleep midway because of his narcolepsy.

Party immediately breaks out, Sanji aids Thatch in the kitchen to bring out everything and it’s a long night of dancing, boozing and more.

Ace is just off with the guys, having fun and celebrating while you are off with the women, talking about experiences and such.

And when Ace finally finds you and pulls you two away to his room for some alone time, he pulls you close.

“Well, Mrs. Fire Fist, what do you want to do first?~”

His arms are around your waist as he secures you towards him, a cheeky smile on display on his face.

“Not sure, what did you have in mind?” Playing coy, you shrug and tilt your head, turning away from his face which he pouts and uses his hand to force his back to him.

Pecking your lips, Ace smiles again and leads you to his bed. “I have an idea, if you’re up to it?” He wiggles his brows, making you laugh.

He jumps onto the bed, pulling you with him so you were on top. “Well?”

“Oh! Cuddles, I get it! Sure, I’m tired anyways.”

Ace groans at you, heaving a sigh and he whines. “Come on, [Naaamee]!”

You just giggle and sit up, repositioning yourself on his lap and straddled him. “Fine, fine. You’re lucky it’s our special day today.” You hum.

“Oh? So you don’t want to do this after today is over?” Ace muses, smirking a bit since he knew the answer.

You puff your cheeks out at the thought of not having sex with Ace anymore, but you weren’t going to back down. “..Nope!”

Knowing the truth, Ace chuckles and begins to grind upwards into you.

“Alright, I guess I better make this a special memory to remember.”

-

Sabo

“You look incredible, [Name]..”

The most average, normal one. It’s traditional, smaller than most would be, and it’s for personal guests only.

So close members of the revolutionary army, his brothers, Garp and Makino were the only ones invited. If Luffy wanted, he could bring his crew but that’s it!

It’s traditional, so it was held inside a chapel, of course. It wasn’t anything special, everything was set up already and prepared for a small group so it was great.

Sabo is in a dashing, handsome suit like Ace was, but somehow has a much more charming, princely appearance. He helped himself in the appearance, with smallest help of Inazuma.

Your dress too! Somehow it’s more Royal appearing and your veil resembles a crown in a way. Koala and Iva helped you out in this!

Sabo’s best man is actually Ace! The strongest brotherly bond overpowered the thought of having Kuma, Iva or Luffy as a best man, but fortunately, they didn’t seem to mind, since they were groomsmans anyways. Iva being both bridesmaid and groomsman.

Ace was pretty teary and honored, and felt so excited.

The one who takes you down the aisle is Dragon. He’s a little awkward about it at first but he is quite proud of Sabo, even if he doesn’t openly show it.

“Take good care of him, alright?”

“I will.” You assure, thanking him when you finally reach the point of Sabo’s side.

The whole time, Sabo is staring at you in awe, feeling speechless. How did he manage to get someone as beautiful and wholehearted as you?

He can’t contain his wide grin and excitement, his hands just a hint clammy from the nervousness of possible rejection. But he knew you loved him. Because he loves you.

“Someone looks handsome.” You whisper in a giggle and Sabo chuckles. “Not compared to the beauty you have right now.” He winks.

The minister is actually Kuma, of course. Kuma was the obvious choice. Kuma took the position with gratitude.

“[Name Lastname]. Do you take Chief of Staff Sabo, as your lawful, loyal and everlasting husband?”

“I do.”

“Congratulations. I now pronounce you husband and wife, Sabo, please do the honor of kissing your bride.”

Sabo is the most natural approach, taking a step forward and cupping your cheeks in his hands and pulling you forward, for a kiss.

Cheers and applause are made and heard, and Luffy, being the brother he is, pulls out a loud confetti popper and pulls it, it shooting it out everywhere like fireworks.

“Congratulations, you two!”

“Alright, time to get drinking!”

“Better not let this get in the way of your missions..”

“Luffy, how’d you even get that?!” Sabo widens his eyes and he laughs. “Franky made it for me! He said it’ll be super, for the wedding!”

“Geez..”

You can’t help the laugh that escapes your lips and Sabo finds himself laughing alongside you and the whole place is soon filled with laughter and cheer.

It’s a small family party but it was still pretty chaotic regardless, and Sabo makes sure to take you outside for some fresh air when it becomes nighttime.

“Hey, feeling okay?”

Taking a seat on the bench nearly, Sabo sits beside you and you nod, immediately leaning into his shoulder.

“It’s overwhelming, I guess..” the warm smile that spreads your lips is contagious as he does the same when he sees it. “But,”

You take a look at your ring finger, that held the beautiful silver ring and diamond. “I couldn’t be happier with today. I’m married to the love of my life.”

Sabo smiles gently and closed his eyes, leaning against the backrest and let the moonlight light against his face.

“I am, as well. I couldn’t be any luckier to be married to you now..” taking your hand in his, he intertwines your fingers and brings your hand up to kiss.

He kisses your ring finger specifically and hums.

“Thank you.. for being with me.. I love you, [Name].”

“Of course. Thank you for being with me. I love you, Sabo.”

-

-

A/N : well! This was sweet~ I feel bad for Luffy’s part because it’s not the greatest. :/ but I hope you enjoyed! :D

[tsunderedoctor]

Hi, I'd like a emergency request please.

Triggering warning alert, my mom beat me up and my hips still hurts because her fist is heavy. She beat me up because I proved her statement wrong and simply correcting her but I got this instead

May I ask asl brothers (modern au if that's fine), like their s/o is staying in their house if this kind of stuff happens to their s/o and comforting them please

First, I apologize on the delay, I was sleeping when this was sent. Secondly, I am so sorry you are going through this, I experienced physical abuse as a child so I can understand your pain, but just remember you are still valued and loved in this world and I hope things start getting better for you! ❤️❤️ I hope these boys help you and let you know how loved you are!

Babes Below~!

Portgas D. Ace

As soon as he saw the forming bruise he pulled you into a tight embrace, refusing to let you go. Tears graced his shirt as you finally felt safe enough to cry. You didn’t want him to see it, but the damage was done and now you two were here. You buried your face in his chest, his embrace warm and calm like a sunny day. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, but I swear I’m here now, I won’t let you get hurt again, I swear on my life.”

Nodding at his words, you accepted them happily, knowing you were finally safe in the man’s embrace.

Sabo

Sabo noticed right away, the shift in your footing from your soreness, he stopped you at the bedroom door, asking what had happened, telling him it was nothing, but soon the tears flooded your vision.

Pulling you into a hug, you two stood there as he rubbed your back and whispered reassuring affirmations to you, reminding you how important you are to him and how you should tell him things more. Once your cries finally subsided to sniffles, he looked down at you and smiled softly.

“It’s going to be okay, I’m here with you, even if I can’t always be there physically, I’m still with you.”

Monkey D. Luffy

Luffy could tell something was wrong due to your quietness, usually you two spoke about so many things and had so much fun, but now he was the only one carrying the conversation. Turning towards you, he gave you a serious look, asking what was going on to cause such silent behavior. 

Hearing his serious, solemn words made you feel guilty for ruining his mood, and tears finally escaped you, seeing your state, his serious expression turned to worry. Removing his straw hat from his head, he gently put it on on yours before standing up, giving you his signature smile.

“I’ll get you some of your favorite snacks and we can talk about this when I get back, I’m not going to let a person I care for suffer alone!” 

Tag List: @chloe-nanami @musical-apple @luxiditea @macdonaldsmanager @onepieceya @undercoverweeeb @athenaportgas @my-one-piece-experience @iam-gaaras-loveintrest @xxtoothachexx and whoever else wants to join in!

[iwannawritelots]

HUMAN Archives: 09-20XX

TW/CW: allusion to controlling parent, allusion to/mention of heteronormative weird shit, allusions to gender dysphoria

Note: this is before Barbatos has come out

Barbatos 15

Diavolo 15/16

“Hi!”

Barbatos very slowly lifted his head up, meeting the gaze of the upperclassman before him. “… Hi.”

“We’re in ASL together, remember? You are really good at it!” The teenager joined him on the bench. “My name’s Diavolo. What was yours again…?”

“Um…” Uncomfortably shifting his feet, Barbatos muttered his birth name. “What did you want, exactly…?”

“Oh!” Diavolo set his bag on the ground. “I was wondering if you could help me? I’m having trouble with lots of the words…”

Closing his notebook, Barbatos told him, “Alright.” He wanted to leave the situation, but he figured that Diavolo didn’t have a lot of people to speak with if he were coming to a stranger for help. “Which ones? The vocabulary sheet from this week, or last week, or the first week?”

Face growing warm and fumbling with his hands, Diavolo admitted, “I’m not really sure… I can’t figure out the pictures for a lot of them, and I’m afraid to ask the teacher.”

Holding in a sigh, Barbatos closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I see…” He dug into his bag and pulled out his ASL binder, then found the pages he had mentioned. “I’ll just point to a picture, and you sign the word. If you’re doing it wrong, I’ll correct you.”

Eyes sparkling, Diavolo straightened his back and nodded. “Okay.”

Although it was a decent idea, Barbatos had not expected that he would need to correct every gesture Diavolo did. It was baffling, watching this upperclassman do something janky with every movement or curl of fingers. “Diavolo… have you really been practicing?”

“I have, I swear.” Diavolo sighed and rested his hands in his lap. “My father is making me take ASL, and he expects me to do a good job.”

“I… suppose I understand that.” Barbatos’ eyes suddenly went wide, and he checked his phone for the time. “We’ve been doing this for a while. My mother might be here to pick me up soon…”

“Could you help me a bit longer, until she gets here?” Diavolo pleaded, pressing his palms together. “You’re the only person who’s been this patient with me. I’ll pay you, even.”

Eyebrows knitted, Barbatos told him, “That’s just ridiculous. I’m not going to take your money.” He curled his hair around his finger, averted his gaze, then mumbled, “We… could practice after school tomorrow too, if you want.”

Diavolo squirmed happily next to him. “Oh my goodness! Yes! That would be perfect!”

Smiling nervously, Barbatos nodded. “Okay… um…” He continued to curl and uncurl his hair around his finger, not daring to gaze at Diavolo. “This is going to sound really weird, but… I’d rather my mom didn’t see me with a boy.”

Diavolo tilted his head, then gasped and burst into laughter. “Oh! Are you worried she’ll think I like you? I understand.” He haphazardly got up and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Do you have any social media we can PM through?”

“Um… no, I’m not allowed to have any. I can take your phone number though…” Barbatos opened his phone and listened as Diavolo recited the numbers to him, then created a contact that wouldn’t tip off his mother. “Cool; thanks, Diavolo.”

“Thank you,” Diavolo spoke Barbatos’ birth name, and he felt his chest writhe with pain. “See you tomorrow!”

Barbatos watched Diavolo uncoordinatedly hurry away, not sure what had just happened. It wasn’t unusual for someone to ask for his help in classes, but Diavolo was actually struggling instead of just not wanting to do his homework. It was a nice change…

[twink-between-worlds]

it's getting dark

I would like to apologise to Legend and Sky kinnies

CW; Major Character Death, Sky Swearing (lmao)

There’s too many of them.

There’s too many monsters, and Legend isn’t sure he can keep up. Sky and Legend were separated from the rest of the chain. This is— This is bad. This is really bad. Legend’s in pain. It’s his usual pain, yes, but he’s thinking about it more and it makes him feel even more in pain. “I can’t keep up.”Legend mumbled gently to himself, shaking his head. He has to keep up. He has to. He isn’t weak, he knows that. But…sometimes it feels like he is. …Legend’s tired. He’s tired and doesn’t think he can fight much longer. He’ll try his damn hardest, though. “Legend watch out!”Sky yelled over. Legend didn’t even get the chance to respond, as a lizalfos jumped on his back and pushed him to the ground. As soon as Legend had made contact with the ground, they heard it. A loud series of cracks. That's…not good. The lizalfos are escaping, there’s only 3 left…but Sky let them go. Sky settled next to Legend, gently, and held his hand. “Hey don’t—don’t move too much…I’m sure the others will find us soon..” “Sky?”Legend mumbled, moving his head to look at Sky. “Why’d you let ‘em run away? There were only three left. You could’ve gotten them..” “You’re hurt, Apple.”Sky frowned, stroking the back of Legend’s hand with his thumb. “I’m not leaving you.” Legend sighed shakily, wincing at the pain he felt. …breathing is difficult. That’s…also bad. “Don’t shut your eyes, alright?”Sky hummed, still stroking Legend’s hand. “I’m tired.” “I know..please keep yourself awake.” Legend’s breaths are getting shallow. “Okay.”Legend mumbled. “I’ll try.” There was a long silence that followed, before Legend spoke again. “They’re not coming. At least, not now.” “What?” “If they were close, I’d be able to hear them.”Legend took another breath, pausing, before continuing. “They’re not on their way yet.” Sky nodded, getting nervous. His nerves only got worse when Legend started coughing and— There’s blood. Legend let out a little humming noise, then sighed. “That…isn’t good. Is it?” “That’s…that’s fine—don’t…panic over it-” Legend stayed quiet. For too long. “Apple?” “I’m tired.”Legend repeated. “Please try not to fall asl—” “It’s getting dark..”Legend mumbled quietly, his grip on Sky’s hand tightening. Sky took a glance at the sky in a moment of confusion, before he realised what Legend meant. “Legend..”Sky was panicking. “Please stay awake. Please don’t..” “...I don’t—I don’t think I can, dad..” Oh. Oh Legend never calls him that. His breaths are slowing down, and they’re barely audible… “Fuck.”Sky let out a huff of frustration, tearing up a little. Legend squeezed Sky’s hand gently, his eyes shutting after he’d struggled to keep them open. Silence. Sky sat there, completely helpless. Legend’s breathing has stopped. Sky doesn’t know what to do… Quietly, he got up, watching as the chain finally arrived. He’s…beyond pissed at them. They should have been quicker, they could have been quicker—

“You’re late.”

[idontblushsrry]

Love Language|| Yona of The Dawn

“I wanna be fluent in your love language. Learning your love language.”

A/N: Almost every man in this show is fine asl I won’t lie to yall. Slight spoilers on Zeno’s part if you’ve only watched the anime.

Warnings: none!

Characters: Yona, Hak, Yoon, Ki-ja, Shin-ah, Jae-ha, Zeno

Word Count: 1425

Plot Synopsis: The 5 love languages; physical affection, words of affirmation, acts of service, gift giving, and quality time, how the Yona of the Dawn characters love you Ft. gender neutral reader 

Yona

Love Language: quality time and gift giving

So if you and Yona are together before she leaves the castle/ during her time at the castle she showers you in gifts

Like if Yona’s spoiled, imagine how spoiled you’re gonna be

She often has her servants go and give you gifts if she couldn’t directly give it to you

They’re so tired but also happy for her because, how sweet

She’d also blow off her duties as the princess to spend time with you

Sure she gets in trouble, but King Il could never truly punish his daughter, especially not when she’s happier spending time with you

After she escapes the castle however, she can’t really get you gifts or lavish you in the way she used to

As a result she puts in double the work in trying to spend as much time with you as possible

She also learns to sew and weave from Yun to try and give you presents

Sweetheart’s trying her best ok

Yona also appreciates this effort from you

She often times feels like a burden to her friends and she can get insecure and feel like she’s bothering you 

But if you pull her aside to give her something you handmade or bought at the market, suddenly all is right in the world and she’s on cloud nine

Hak

Love Language: acts of service (also teasing but what would you call that?)

So anyways, I said what I said and that’s all I need to say about this issue

Jkjkjk but seriously, Hak is such a devoted person that he’d literally do anything you asked of him

Sure he fronts and will tease you but like “Hak honey... why are you making me a plate? I can make my own?”

“Sit down, I’ll bring it to you.”

He’s literally so sweet, always going above and beyond to not just protect you but to make sure all your needs are seen to

You better reciprocate tho

Like sit him down and remind him to slow down, if you protect him, his heart will melt ever so slightly

Also if you can’t fight, that’s fine! But patch his wounds up after a battle and kiss every cut, bro that’s not Hak, that’s a puddle of love.

Yoon

Love Language: acts of service

Ok so Yun is kind of difficult

He has a hard time communicating his needs to you because 1) he’s inexperienced and 2) he’s not really used to asking and receiving things of people

But the one thing he does know how to do and the way he knows how to love best is through acts of service

The world’s dangerous and he knows that he isn’t entirely built for combat nor has he put forth the effort to be a combatant but he swears to protect you until his dying breath

It’s a pretty steep promise from him but he meets the goal everyday

Aside from that, if you’re ever sick or injured, Yun is immediately all over you checking for any signs of anything that could worsen your condition

After he knows you’re in the clear he’s all mad that you got hurt and worried him

As for him, please help him with keeping the camp functioning

It seems like the bar is low but it takes a lot out of him to run camp especially considering all the tasks he has to see to

Sure the others help but they aren’t always there and they aren’t always able to move much less help with chores

That’s why it means so much for him that you help him

He doesn’t even have to say anything, it’s like you just get it and his heart feels so full

Ki-ja

Love Language: words of affirmation and acts of service

If there’s ever a doubt in your mind that Ki-ja doesn’t love you, it won’t be there for long

Whether yall are together or apart, he likes to remind everyone in the vicinity that he does love you and that to him you are the most beautiful person in the world

He’s a somewhat prideful person as well as being very narrow minded, to him, it’s the most obvious thing in the world that his s/o is the best, should that information not be shared?

He likes to prove that he’s strong or worthy by carrying various things for you

This coupled with he fact that Hak takes every chance to tease him leads to what essentially amounts to competitions in your honor to prove Ki-ja’s worthiness as your boyfriend

Sweetie Hak is literally just messing with you

Anyways, he’s not necessarily insecure, but he’s never been in a relationship so he does like to hear that you also think he’s the best 

Call him pet names or give him a nickname and he’s blushing as he  proudly proclaims to the world his love for you and how “My dear has given me a special name to show their love for me!”

He’s such a sap

All in all, Ki-ja would move mountains to see you smile  

Shin-ah

Love Language: quality time

Shin-ah lived in a cave for most of his life up until this point

While he has gotten better with talking and overall being more open, having friends is a new experience for this man, let alone being in a relationship

So really the only way he knows how to show affection is by spending time with you 

And offering you his meals, like the day you asked him out he pulled a fish from the river and offered it to you

But he just likes being around you, your presence just makes him feel calm and safe 

His ideal date would be you, him, and Ao just chillin makin flower crowns or smthn

Jae-ha

Love Language: physical affection and acts of service

So obviously Jae-ha shows love through physical affection

However, Jae-ha as a person is just someone who generally thinks talk is somewhat cheap without follow through

Sure he says plenty of flirtatious remarks and is generally flirty but he never really follows through with any of his remarks

He’s also just a really loyal person, so to him if you do things that tangibly show your love for him, he’ll be over the moon

Especially at the beginning of your mutual feelings towards each other, what made him truly fall for you was when you took out an archer that was set to kill him

Now that you’re both deep in your relationship, he takes any and every opportunity to just hold you

Whether it be extravagant displays of PDA or just holding you tight in a crowd, Jae-ha is very liberal with his affection and doesn’t mind giving you as much of it as he can

He loves to hold you, but he isn’t clingy with it

Like he’s definitely dramatic but he of all people knows what it’s like to feel chained down  initially was scared to even be with you in the beginning because of that fear but anyways-

So he definitely gives you space if you need it but as soon as you’re ready to come back he’s all like “my lap has been feeling a little empty lately”

You just roll your eyes and move to take your rightful spot in his arms again

Zeno

Love Language: quality time 

Zeno is immortal, whether or not he ends up outliving you or not, the man has seen a lot

So he values every second he gets to spend with you 

He gets very apologetic when he is unable to spend time with you, he feels very guilty because he feels like there isn’t enough time for him to express how much you mean to him

He tends to just make up reasons to spend time with you...they're always obvious, like he isn’t even subtle about it

“Y/N please, allow me to escort you back to camp” 

“I’m fine, it’s right there, I think I’ll be able to handle it.”

“But what if you trip????”

Yeah they’re really flimsy and dumb but if you let him spend time with you he’ll be the happiest man in the world

He’s also really attentive

He’s good at noticing little details about you and remembering them

You mean the world to him so if you reciprocate and notice little things about him or go out of your way to spend time with him, he’s beaming for the rest of the day.

[deangirl-interrupted]

You Wake up a Stranger to Yourself (then you learn to live with her)

For @spnwomenweek Day 2: Family Claire POV Claire/Kaia Wayward Sisters Fluff Background Destiel & Saileen Rated: T (just some swearing) Note:  Niamh is pronounced “Neeve”

______________________________________________

You're not a Winchester.

Until, one day, you are.

Claire watched the ceremony with a certain smug satisfaction, from her place beside Castiel as his "best man."

She knows that Castiel's used the name Novak when he's needed Jimmy's old I.D. (and face) to do useful things like rent cabins in which to raise the child of Lucifer. But it's never truly been his. It's a name he stole.

But when he and Dean got married, with the legal papers and everything (thanks to Charlie) Castiel was given the gift of the name Winchester.

That gift was sealed with a kiss.

Claire watched as Sam clapped Cas on the back and said, "You've always been one of us."

***

When Sam finally popped the question to Eileen, it had been three years since they'd defeated Chuck and saved the world again. Dean kept hassling him, telling him to man up and just do it. Sam kindly reminded him that he'd spent an infuriating twelve years pining for his husband, so kindly shut the fuck up about it.

Eileen had no intention of dropping her ancestral last name, and Sam had absolutely no problem with that. They decided to hyphenate to Leahy-Winchester, with both of them taking that name.

Claire was 25 when she found herself on a hunt with Eileen. They'd known each other for years, of course, but had never hunted together. Claire had been practicing her ASL since before Sam and Eileen got hitched, and Eileen was impressed with the ease and fluidity that Claire had mastered.

It was a simple salt and burn, nothing too strenuous, so they had some down time.

Leaning up against the side of Claire's car, Eileen suddenly said, "This is my last case."

Claire blinked at her a few times before saying and signing, "What, why?"

Eileen gave her a shit-eating grin and slowly rubbed a hand over her abdomen. "I'm brewing a new Leahy-Winchester."

Claire cackled. After hugging Eileen and wiping happy tears from her eyes, she said, "The monsters won't know what hit them."

***

Claire let Kaia drive them to go meet baby Niamh Leahy-Winchester.

Claire had been jumpy and nervous for some reason. She hadn't actually been back to Jody's in an age, and she hadn't seen the Winchester clan in even longer.

It's not that she didn't want to, she'd just been busy traveling with Kaia, looking at the world as an explorer and not just a hunter. Actually stopping to see some sights and stuff. And it's not like she hadn't been texting everyone! They had a group chat! It was a perfectly legit way to stay in touch!

She felt a bit guilty about it, anyway.

Kaia looked over at her and smiled, as if she could tell what Claire was thinking. Hell, maybe she could.

"It'll be fine," Kaia said as they pulled to a stop in front of a one story rancher with yellow siding, a white dogwood tree in the front yard, and a devil's trap painted underneath the welcome mat.

They held hands as they approached the house, and didn't bother knocking since the door was cracked anyway.

Everyone was gathered in a fairly small living room, huddled around Eileen and a tiny bundle in a yellow blanket with bees embroidered on it.

(Claire knew, without a doubt, that Cas had picked that out. He may have even knitted it himself, the weird ass.)

Claire knew that Kaia was still a bit uncomfortable around large groups like this, even though she knew and loved them just the same, so she let go of her girlfriend's hand and sauntered over to the group, throwing an arm around Dean's shoulders from behind.

"What's new up in here?" Claire said, throwing a wink at Eileen.

Claire soon found herself caught up in a group hug consisting of her surrogate mother and her two (kinda) gay dads.

"Geez," Claire said, trying to wiggle free, "You guys act like you haven't seen me in a year. I can't breathe."

Jody pulled away and said, "It has been nearly a year, Claire! And before you say anything, texting doesn't count!"

(Damn.)

Cas pulled away but left his hands on her shoulders, keeping her at arm's length and giving her a good once-over.

Seemingly satisfied by whatever he saw, he finally let her go.

"We've missed you, Claire," he said, so softly that it broke her heart a little.

Dean smiled and said, "Yeah, you leave for months at a time and you don't call, you don't write..."

Claire knew that she was letting Dean get her riled up, but that was just part of the comfortable little game they played. "I texted all of you! Like, literally everyone in this room! Some of you I even texted this morning!"

Alex and Patience laughed at her from their spot by a large bay window with sheer white curtains, and when she looked over at them, they both gave her a little wave.

Claire knew they wouldn't be coming to her defense.

It made her smile.

Donna walked over and pulled Claire to her, giving her just as big of a hug as the others. "Okie doke, let's leave the poor girl alone, and let her meet Niamh."

Claire was then unceremoniously dragged over to Eileen, who was watching with amusement. But it also got her closer to Sam, who stood up to give her a hug, and then leaned down to take the infant from Eileen's arms.

"Niamh," Sam said to the baby, with the most besotted look on his face, "This is your big sister, Claire."

And with that, Claire's brain made the sound of a record scratch. Claire.exe stopped working. Big sister? Is that really how Sam and Eileen saw her? As a daughter? Dean and Cas acted like that with her, and so did Jody and Donna, but those were more obvious. She and Sam had never been as close, though he was often the more reasonable Winchester brother. But this whole time, she was just everyone's adopted kid?

Claire was self-aware enough to know that she had softened a bit as she got older, but as Sam gently placed Niamh into her arms, and she looked around the room at everyone she loved, she felt her eyes go all misty.

This whole time, after losing both of her biological parents as an only child, it turned out that she had more parents and siblings than she knew what to do with.

Kaia appeared next to her, to look down at the baby in her arms.

"She's so small," Kaia said, whisper soft.

Claire looked at Kaia with a watery smile and then back down at the baby.

Gently rocking the infant, Claire quietly said, "Hi, Niamh. I'm Claire, and this is Kaia. You are so loved, and I know that someday you're gonna blow us all away."

Niamh gurgled happily.

***

"Are you sure about this?" Charlie asked Claire over the phone.

"Yeah, why, is it weird?"

"No, no!" Charlie said, quickly. "It's just that...I know I'm not from here, and I'll never be 'their Charlie,' but I've learned that this name comes with an awful lot of baggage."

"Nah," Claire said, easily. "To me, it's a name that sets me free."

Charlie laughed a bit and said, "As long as you're sure, I'll send the new documents to you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Charlie," Claire said with genuine relief in her voice. "This really means a lot to me."

After a "peace out, bitch!" Claire ended the call and let her phone drop to the sofa.

Kaia walked over and sat down next to her, taking one of Claire's hands in both of hers.

"When are you going to tell them?" she asked.

Claire grinned and squeezed Kaia's hands, "I'll probably wait for a while. I don't want to give them the satisfaction."

Kaia laughed.

***

When Claire and Kaia met with the landlord, to see what would hopefully become their first official apartment together, Claire shook the little old lady's hand and said with a dazzling smile, "Nice to meet you, I'm Claire Winchester."

[eldritchcryptids]

Masky’s New Friend

Brian sighed as he rubbed his eyes, which he had strained for hours as he finished up a paper for one of his classes. Leaning back in his desk chair, he retrieved his phone from a desk drawer, where he had put it to assure he had no distractions. But once he turned on the phone, he frowned. He had a couple of missed calls and texts from Alex and a few missed calls from Jay. Brian swore he could remember that he told Alex that he wasn’t gonna be available to film today.

Shrugging it off, he decided to call Alex back, despite the last missed call being from over an hour ago. The phone rang twice before Alex picked up, “Took you long enough.”

Brian rolled his eyes, “I was busy, now, why were you spamming me? Didn’t I tell you that I wasn’t gonna make it today?”

“I was calling you because Tim didn’t show up today and wasn’t responding to any of my or Jay’s attempts to call him, and Jay got worried and wants to make sure Tim’s alright.” Alex sighed and Brian snickered.

“Maybe Tim got fed up with your attitude on set, you have gotten more snappy as of recently.”

“I have not.”

“Yes, you most definitely have,” Brian chuckled before humming, “So why were you calling me though? If he wasn’t answering you, what makes you think he’s gonna answer me?”

“Because you’re his best friend, plus he always responds to you.”

“Hm. I guess that’s true,” Brian said, drumming his fingers against his chair arms,  “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Alright, thanks.” Brian said his goodbyes before hanging up and looking for Tim’s contact. Once he found it, he called him. He pressed his phone up to his ear and waited, expecting him to answer rather quickly. So, that’s why, when Tim’s phone went to voicemail, Brian got concerned. As Alex said, Tim always responds to Brian, even if he’s not feeling well, he always makes an effort to answer Brian’s calls. Hell, Brian can’t even remember hearing Tim’s voicemail before.

So, he called again, but only was sent to voicemail again. Brian frowned.

Luckily, Tim’s house was only a block away from Brian’s. Which meant it only took 5-6 minutes tops for a concerned Brian to arrive at Tim’s place, still in his pajamas. Tim’s car was still parked in the driveway, a sign that he was still home. Brian knocked on the door, “Tim?” He called.

No response.

Brian sighed, knocking again. When he got no response again, he tried to just open the door. And to his surprise, the door was unlocked. Brian blinked a couple of times before pushing the door open and entering the house. Brian called out for his friend again, making it clear that he was inside the house now. All the lights and curtains were shut, so Brian began feeling around for a light switch. He soon found it and was about to flick on the lights, but he was suddenly pounced on and taken to the ground by someone, luckily though, he managed to turn the flip the lights on as he was taken down.

Brian let out a surprised yelp as he hit the ground, groaning, “What the hell-” He muttered. He squinted, the sudden light which filled the room being overwhelming. The first noticeable thing about the person atop of him was the white mask they donned. It was clearly just a cheap plastic halloween mask, but it had certain features (the eye holes, lips and eyebrows) enhanced with what looked like black marker. Brian stared at the person for a few moments before realizing who it was.

“Tim..?” Brian asked, confused as to why his friend had just tackled him and was also wearing a halloween mask considering it was not halloween. Tim wasn’t also the type of person to play pranks, so this just didn’t make much sense. Tim, however, didn’t respond. He just cocked his head to the side, like a confused dog. Brian squinted again, staring at Tim’s brown eyes though the holes in the mask. There didn’t seem to be any recognition in them. Brian frowned, “...Are you not...Tim?”

Tim blinked slowly before shaking his head.

“Oh, um...Then, who are you?”

The masked man slowly cocked his head over to the other side, before shrugging at the question.

“You don’t have a name?” Brian asked, getting another head shake from the male, “Uh, alright, can I call you...Mask...y? Masky? Is that okay?”

The male blinked again, as if he were thinking about it. There was silence for a minute or so before the male finally nodded his head. Brian gave an awkward smile before nodding as well, “Well, uh, Masky..My name is Brian...I’m a good friend of Tim’s.”

Another blank stare.

“Can you, maybe, please, get off of me?” Brian asked, “I’m not gonna hurt you or anything, I just came over to check on how Tim was doing.”

Tim, or rather Masky, hesitantly nodded his head and crawled off from on top of Brian. Brian nodded as well, rising to his feet. Masky continued to stare blankly at the male, still crouched down. Brian cleared his throat awkwardly, “Can you communicate or anything? Any form of communication that’s not just...nodding? ASL, maybe?”

Masky thought about it for a moment before he suddenly got up and rushed off towards Tim’s room, the sudden movement startling Brian. The dirty blond sighed, running a hand through his hair. What the hell was even going on right now? Tim had never told him about...this. Whatever ‘this’ was exactly. After shuffling and a few thumps coming from Tim’s room, Masky returned, with a notebook and pencil clutched in his hands.

Brian watched as Masky sat down on the ground, opening the notebook to a random empty page and scribbling down, ‘HI’ in messy writing. Masky leaned forward, pushing the book as he did so to make sure Brian saw his message.

“Hi.” Brian waved and Masky shuffled, giddy as he pulled back the notebook to write down something else.

‘HI!!!’ Pushing the notebook over again, Brian chuckled.

“Hi, again.” He said, slowly sitting down in front of Masky. Masky nodded, pulling back the notebook. He stared down at the lined paper before writing. He got a few words into his sentence before becoming frustrated and scribbling over it to try again. After a few minutes, he finally pushed the book towards Brian.

‘You r nice. Like you.’

Masky didn’t have the best handwriting, so it took Brian a few moments to realize what the message said, but he gave Masky a small smile once he fully read it, “You seem nice too, Masky...Despite the whole tackling thing...You don’t normally do that..right?”

Masky blinked a few times, before looking aside and trying to avoid Brian’s gaze.

“...You don’t just..tackle random people, right?”

Masky scribbled down a few frowny faces, before crossing his arms and Brian sighed. “You shouldn’t do that, you know? It can hurt someone.” Masky let out a huff, which was muffled due to the mask. Brian sighed again, “Nevermind…Have you been out all day?”

Masky nodded. Well, there was the reason why Tim wasn’t responding to anyone’s calls. The two of them sat together for an hour, Brian asking questions and Masky doing his best to answer.

From what Brian gathered from Masky’s answers was that: Masky’s been around ever since Tim was young, people are usually scared of him and/or don’t like him, he likes the colour yellow, he can talk but he just can’t remember how to right now, he doesn’t like doctors or hospitals (a fear that he has in common with Tim, Brian noted), he’s claustrophobic, he does tackle people but it’s not always meant in an aggressive way  and he likes talking with Brian and thinks he’s nice (Masky brought this up several times).

“I should probably go back home now.” Brian yawned, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Masky’s head shot up and he quickly scrambled to his feet, rushing over to the front door and blocking it. Brian blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow, “Am I not allowed to leave now?”

Masky shook his head quickly. 

Brian sighed and shrugged, standing up again, his legs somewhat numb from having been sitting crossed legged for an hour. Masky watched his new friend closely as the dirty blond male ventured over to the couch. “Guess I’ll stay here then,” Brian stated. He didn’t have class the next day anyways, so it didn’t really matter. Brian stretched himself out on the sofa. Masky let out a small sigh of relief and shuffled to turn off the light.

Once the room was dark, Brian called out, “Have a goodnight, Masky!”

He closed his eyes, feeling himself slowly fall asleep. As he did so however, he heard more shuffling and then a sudden heavy weight laying on top of him. Brian furrowed his eyebrows, “Masky? Is that you?” Masky grumbled softly in response. He shuffled and moved around before managing to press his mask into the crook of Brian’s neck. Brian let out a small sigh, wrapping his arms around Masky, “Comfy? 

“Mh.”

Brian chuckled, “Goodnight.” He repeated before finally falling asleep. He could swear though, that before he drifted off to sleep,

Masky started...purring?

[slash-em-up]

In-Flight Entertainment Pt. 1: ChromeSkull x Reader

This was supposed to be a one-shot; but then it started creeping up on 2k words and I figured I better chop it up. Part 2 will be up soon and 90% smut.

------------------------------------------------------

You were not ashamed to say that you hated airports. Absolutely hated them. The bustle, the smell, the overpriced coffee… There was nothing about them that inspired less then complete loathing in you. So when your boss gave you a heads-up that you’d be traveling to LA for a company meeting, you could only groan internally.

Nothing ever seemed to go right when you flew - a belief further cemented by the unexpected snowstorm that had caused your current situation: A ten-hour layover in Denver.

You were going to be so late for your meeting.

Your carry-on seemed to weigh a ton as you lugged it off the plane, cursing yourself for not fixing the loose wheel before you left as it swerved and pulled your case back and forth behind you.

Sighing heavily, you adjusted the barley-hull pillow wrapped loosely around your neck so it wasn’t pulling on your hair quite as uncomfortably, and searched for the sign to direct you towards your next gate.

On the other side of the airport. Great. At least you didn’t have to worry about being late for take-off.

Passing through the airport, you couldn’t help but glance around at the multitude of shops and small restaurants that peppered the space. It almost looked like a mall, if you discounted the weary look your fellow travelers all seemed to be sporting and the cases trailing behind them like colorful dogs.

You’d have to stop somewhere to eat. The small package of pretzels and soda you’d consumed on your first flight had done little to tide you over, and now you were feeling more than a little peckish. And thirsty. And stressed. You’d kill a man for a decent Old Fashioned.

Arriving at your gate, you plopped down onto one of the barely padded seats with a sigh. Nine hours and twenty-three minutes until takeoff. A family of six sat next to you, immediately starting in on a very loud and expressive argument. It was definitely time to go find that airport bar - but first, you needed a quick refresh in the ladies room.

Dropping your carry-on with the rest of the luggage you trotted across the large hallway, having extricated your makeup bag from your case before leaving it with the desk-steward. There were a pair of eye-masks in there calling your name.

It was insane how enjoyable leaning up against a hard wall with your eyes closed could be after five hours cramped in Coach. You stretched up and down on the balls of your feet as your muscles slowly relaxed, leaving you feeling a bit better than when you’d arrived. Now you just needed food.

That was the only thing on your mind as you shuffled back to the desk and snagged your case from the luggage corral.

Even your case felt lighter. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a horrible layover after all.

“Excuse me Ma’am. I’m going to have to ask you to come with us.”

Aaaannnddd you’d spoken too soon.

You spun quickly, taking in the very large, very serious looking men in suits standing shoulder to shoulder behind you.

“…Me? Me, Ma’am?”

The suit-twins eyes narrowed.

“Yes, you Ma’am. Don’t try to run, we’ve already got security on alert.”

You gaped in shock.

“Why would I try to run? I haven’t done anything!”

One of the men sneered as the other looked at you like you were an idiot.

“So that’s your bag, is it Ma’am?”

You blinked.

“Uh, yeah it’s my…”

Your voice trailed off as you took a closer look at the bag you were holding.

Sharp corners, no scratched metallic paint, a gleaming ‘RIMOWA’ screeching up at you from the side…

Well that explained the wheel…

The silver hard-sided case was definitely not yours.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I must have grabbed this one by mistake. I’ll take it back, I’m so -”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple ma’am. You’ll still need to come with us.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------

You were getting the distinct feeling that you were fucked. Or, were about to be.

What the hell was in that suitcase?

The suited men had ushered you quickly to a side-elevator, punching a code into a keypad before pushing a button labeled ‘P’.

They’d yanked the case from you the first moment you were out of public view and now seemed intently focused on making sure you stayed still and quiet.

Even minutely adjusting the pillow still draped across your shoulders had made them both twitch like they were expecting a fight.

The elevator ding sounded ominous as you were quickly led down a gleaming, white hall - each side covered from floor to ceiling in magnificently large windows, offering a spectacular view of the departing planes and the snow-covered Rockies far behind.

The only break in-between were what looked like small sitting rooms. It dawned on you that these must be the VIP lounges. Like, the VIP-est of the VIPs. Shit, who’s luggage had you stolen, Lady Gaga’s??

You were brought to an abrupt stop at one of the closed doors, pausing outside as one suited man knocked quietly, entering after some unknown signal, bag in-tow; as the second man stayed outside - never removing his eyes from you.

“I can apologize in person if that’s what you’re after. I’m a big girl, I can own up to having grabbed the wrong bag - I just think the whole secret service thing is a little over the top…”

The guard didn’t blink.

Ok, this was getting ridiculous.

“I’m SORRY MR. OBAMA, I DIDN’T MEAN TO STEAL YOUR CASE!”

Your arm was grasped firmly as the suit dragged you a little closer to the door.

“BEYONCE? I PROMISE I WON’T DO IT AGAIN!”

The grasp on your arm turned into a solid shake, nearly knocking you against the wall.

“Shut up!” the guard hissed.

You sneered up at him.

“COME ON SNOOP DOGG, I THOUGHT YOU’D BE COOLER THAN THIS!”

The door opened, allowing the other guard to exit with a look at you like you’d just signed your own death certificate.

“He wants to see her.”

“He, who?!”

The man grasping your arm pulled you quickly, spinning you into the room and closing the door firmly behind you.

You blinked, trying to get your eyes to adjust to the sudden dim lighting of the small room; taking in the plush modern couches lining the walls, the two-person dining table, the open pair of suitcases on the glass coffee-table, and then finally, to the man sitting casually behind the luggage, inspecting a pair of underwear from your case.

“Ah… Pitbull. You were going to be my next guess…”

A single brown eye flicked up to meet yours, followed by a loud snort and a half-smirk.

His head tilted as he examined you, and you did the same.

Gaze wandering from his black dress shoes, up his long black-clad legs, over his broad torso - dress shirt uncuffed and sleeves rolled up to expose fully tattooed forearms - then finally to his face. You weren’t an expert by any means; but even to you it was pretty clear he’d undergone some extensive reconstructive surgery at some point. His entire face, all the way up to his bald head looked… off… The black leather eyepatch was also a little bit of a give-away.

He allowed you a few more moments to take him in before reaching down and pulling a phone out of his pocket.

You jumped slightly as an electronic voice sounded through the room.

“I’ll have to address security with the airport. You’re either an exceptional thief, or they really suck at their jobs.”

Now it was your turn to snort.

“Believe me, of the two, they’re definitely more likely to just suck at their jobs.”

His gaze never left you as he reached down and plucked out the romance novel you’d stuffed into your bag for the flight, waving it teasingly.

“I almost believe you.” He typed.

You looked down, starting to feel embarrassed.

“Look, I’m really sorry for this mix-up. I swear I didn’t know it was your bag.”

Without commenting, the man rose from his seat.

Holy shit, he was tall.

He walked slowly, like he had all the time in the world and knew you weren’t going anywhere.

He stopped as he reached the small dining table, leaning down to open a mini-bar placed inconspicuously against the wall and grasp two small bottles of alcohol.

He shook them in your direction and raised his visible brow in question.

“God, yes.”

He snorted again and made short work of pouring the libation into a set of non-descript glasses; offering you one before motioning for you to take a seat.

You relaxed back into the pale leather, pausing for a moment to quickly (and hopefully discreetly) remove the pillow from around your shoulders.

The glint in the man’s eye told you he’d noticed and was once again amused by you.

You took a large gulp of the liquid in your glass and almost immediately started choking on it.

“FUCK!” you hacked out “What *cough* the fuck is this?!”

A broad grin and shaking shoulders met your watery eyes as the man reached over to type something into his phone.

“I understand ASL, unless *hng* you’re just some wacko who doesn’t like to talk.”

The man nodded before setting his phone back down.

‘It’s Lagavulin. Not exactly something you try to shoot.’

You took another - much smaller - sip and nodded.

“I’m sure under different circumstances it would be wonderful.”

‘Different circumstances?’

“Yeah, well it’s kind of hard to enjoy something so nice when you’re being accused of stealing and are more or less imprisoned.”

The man leaned back in his seat.

‘I know you didn’t take my case… at least, not for any reason I’m concerned about.’

You blinked.

“You do?”

He nodded succinctly before signing.

‘If you knew who I was and were trying to take my case, you wouldn’t have drunk something I gave you so readily.’

Again, you were feeling more than a little dumbfounded.

“So… I can go?”

A long arm motioned towards the white door.

‘Anytime you like; do you have somewhere pressing you need to be?’

You thought sadly about the uncomfortable chairs and family of six waiting for you back at your gate.

“… Not really.”

‘Layover to LA?’

“Yeah! You too?”

The man nodded, looking at you sympathetically.

‘Guessing you’re not business class.’

You laughed out loud at that.

“Ha! No way, who’s got the -… well I guess you do.”

He answered with a shrug.

‘I’d like to buy you dinner, by way of an apology for all the hassle today.’

A small smile crossed your lips as you thought about it.

On one hand, he’d kind of had you kidnapped and implied that if you’d known who he was you would have expected him to poison you or something… But on the other hand, this was definitely the most interesting trip you’d taken, and it was largely in part to do with this guy…

Eh what the hell.

“I’m Y/N.”

The man grinned widely, showing off his perfectly straight, white teeth.

‘Call me Jesse.’

[thirstybtsthoughts]

I came here to saaaaay finally had a sex dream /‘wet dream ‘and it was with yoongi 😍stay tuned cause I’m coming to share what Happened omg omg I woke up like I HAVE TO TELL MY tumble besties , I even had to talk about it so I wouldn’t forget it shit I don’t even remember a lot that was being said but I picked up a few moments 😭😭I’ll be back !

Okay so I’m back to drown y’all in my yoongi dream that I didn’t know I needed I guess good things come when your not thinking or looking for it lol. He was the last picture on twt I came across before I went to bed so the explains the dream I had about him.... I got agust d vibes from that whole shit I was man handle!! . 

I remember walking into a dark room and I only saw flashes of light so the Tv was on and I seen he was alone on the couch while he was on his phone I have no idea where I was at idk who’s home maybe the dorm or something the home they must share together who knows that’s besides the point lol anyway, so I knock on the wall to get his attention and I’m like “Hii....” mad low he couldn’t barely hear me cause once he turns he’s like “huh?” 🤦🏽‍♀️😂😩 a whole dream but why I’m so embarrassed making shit hella awkward , Jesus he was so fucking beautiful like I can’t 🥺😍😍 his dark hair was covering his eyes , his skin ! , lips ! Delectable up close ugh bro this was getting a little to realistic for me I was liviiiiinnng almost was sad asf when I woke up lol.

I had asked where were the others and why was he alone— but when isn’t yoongi getting a little bit of solitude?! So it almost felt like a dumb question to ask but he answered and said they were out & I had told him I was leaving to go home soon and if he didn’t mind I stay until it’s time for me to leave, then he asks “oh and what time is that ?” And he’s looking at me up and down and he was hella intimidating I’m like “oh you Tryna get rid of me ?” I just laughed he then returns a full smile my stomach ?!>>>🦋🤸🏽🦋🤸🏽🦋when he smiles it’s one of my weakness that whole scene was just sexy it’s the way he smiled I can’t explaaaain that was more than just a normal smile because that instantly started up sexual tension like as I’m talking to him I’m literally like “why is it hot in here your not hot ?“ and he goes “no” and he’s smirking ....to not keep you all reading on for to long to making this a little short cause a lot was going on also me struggling to not leave parts out . 

Then he say “I’m asking because I’m wondering how you can I keep you here with me “ apparently my brain wanna be toxic cause I mentioned I was seeing someone *sigh* but did that stop me ?! Nope one thing led to another he got me sitting in between his legs and he in my ear like “I want you to touch yourself while I watch “ LAAAAAWD JESUS! And y’all know yoongi anything he says it’s gonna come out sexy his voice is so attractive , so I do as I was told no hesitation he starts it off and I’m watching his fingers go across the buttons of my high waist jeans then he zips it down and I feel his body heat on me got me wet so fast !! So I’m like rubbing my clit against my panties then it’s building up slowly getting into it and as this is going on while I’m pleasuring myself he’s caressing In between my thighs slowly running his hands up my waist then under my top which is a tube top so guess what no bra and he squeezes my breast okay bye ! he didn’t seem dis pleased my little ass Titties anyway... 😂😂😂💀 aye he peeped the nipple piercings thhooo😛👌🏾he was like “mmm cute “ chill that part I was blushing I was so high off him I was moaning like crazy and he hasn’t even really started so he removing my hand from inside my jeans removing everything so bottom half I’m full on display for him fast forward he starts fingering me he starts of slow then fast and all you hear is how soaking wet I was it definitely got messy ended up squirting the way his fingers was moving in & out of me so fast like that had my eyes rolling back I’m gasping , grinding my ass against him feeling him getting hard I returned the favor and gave him head next he had me on all fours and he just went crazy choking me from behind dirty talking he was saying so much shit I can’t remember so much but I remember screaming I was gonna cum it took a lot to say I forgot how to speak how good he was hitting it 😍 he like “give it to me..” ✨NUT✨ and that’s exactly what I did and he came right after yup i swallowed☺

So like after I swallowed I was going to wipe off the rest that was on my lips and down my chin but he grabs my face and licks it off then followed into a kiss. So I blink a few times like okaaay that was freaky asl cause he taste his own cum basically 😲🥵🥵. He pulls me into him we laid for a bit then got cleaned up before the others came then the door opens and then I see rm and we just look at each other then at rm then he lowkey realized what went down he shakes his head and closes the door not before saying that the food was here and I can stay longer to eat with them LMAOO, after leaving I seen jk from the corner of my eye looking at me then his wondering eyes fell right to my ass he didn’t even care I caught him when I said bye it’s like my dreams was telling me jungkook was next IF SO I would like To see that dream happen too please ! 😂cause the way he was starring 😍he took hiiiiis time wit it too smirking and all ! Like He knew all my secrets ! Then I woke up best dream of the year tbh !

________________________________

WOW 

That was quite a ride to read 😁, my goshhhh sounds like the BEST dream. I swear I had butterflies the same time as you did while I was reading this. AAAHHHHH the things Min Yoongi does to us 🥴🥴  

Hahaaa the Jungkook part, love it 😂😂

- 🐰 

[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

Ten Pounds

Pairings: Tom Holland x Deaf/HoH!Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: Tom learns sign language so he can communicate more easily with you.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I am Hearing. I studied ASL for two years and had quite a few Deaf/ HoH friends but I moved across the country and unfortunately have regressed in my knowledge of the language because I’ve had a hard time getting reacquainted. I had a difficult time writing this because I know that the Deaf/ HoH community has such a large range of ability to hear, speak, write, and/or lip read. I tried really hard to assume as little about the reader as possible but for the sake of this fic, I did not include any verbalization on the reader’s end or details on perception of sound. I also had a difficult time trying to figure out how to describe what was being signed, as I wasn’t sure whether or not to write it in English or gloss because I didn’t want to perpetuate the idea that ASL is just English signed word for word but I wasn’t sure if it would be more confusing written in gloss. ALSO I’m aware that this would most likely be taking place in the UK and I described American Sign Language but that’s simply because I don’t know any British Sign Language. Anyways, please let me know if this was alright or accurate or inaccurate and please inform me on how to write better fics like this! I’m open to criticism and to learning more about this but please don’t be rude about it. 

_______________________________________

Tom arrived at Haz’s new apartment way before anyone else had to help set up for his housewarming party. It wasn’t a huge affair, only about fifteen or so of his closer friends, but he still wanted everything to look presentable. 

People began to show up around seven-thirty that night and soon it was all snacks and drinks and hanging out with everyone. For the most part, Tom found himself at least acquainted with most of the people there, since he and Haz were practically inseparable so it was a fairly comfortable party. 

“You are never allowed to drink that much beer again, Harry, I swear.” Tom spoke, reminiscing about the night before with a bit of a cringe tainted laugh. 

Harry looked offended, “I was not that bad!” 

“You were dancing on the table and waving your fucking shirt in the air!” Haz continued the story between sips of his beer, “I swear, I let you come over to my new place and you nearly wreck the place.” 

Sam chimed in, “Honestly, I’m embarrassed to be your twin sometimes.” 

Harry’s hands flew up in defense, “Okay, okay, don’t you blokes go acting like you weren’t all drinking either! I was not the only one who had a little too much!” 

The group of men laughed and joked, remembering Harry dancing like a stripper with his shirt off on the table. He did have a point: None of them were exactly sober the night before. 

Just as Haz was about to say something, Tom saw him look at the door over his shoulder, “Oh, wait. Someone just got here. Let me say hi real quick.” 

Tom let his gaze follow Haz as he walked over to the door, which had opened to reveal you standing there with a bottle of wine, looking like the most beautiful girl at the event, at least to Tom. He watched your face light up with a smile as you waved at Haz. He leaned down to hug you tightly and-

“Wow, Tom, stare a little harder, why don’t you.” Harry laughed. 

Tom whipped his attention back to his brothers, “What? I wasn’t staring.” He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest with a feigned attempt to look nonchalant. 

He was staring. 

Sam gestured behind Tom with his cup, “Well, you better stop being weird cause she’s coming over here now.” 

“What?” Tom asked, eyes wide as he turned to check but by that time, Haz had already brought you and another blonde girl over to meet the group. 

“Tom, Harry, Sam, this is Y/N and Katy. I think you’ve met Katy before, though. Right, Tom?” Haz introduced you and your best friend Katy to the three other men. 

Tom nodded, “Yeah, I think we’ve met but hi again anyways.” He laughed as he shook Katy’s hand again just to complete the interaction. He got to you and shook your hand. “Hi, I’m Tom.” 

You took his hand with a smile but when he was finished speaking, he watched in momentary confusion that quickly turned to curiosity when you pointed to yourself and then (with a pointed finger moved from your ear to your chin/ moved two fingers from right to left). 

“Sign language? Oh shoot, I don’t- I can’t-” Tom stuttered, not really knowing what to say. 

You gently waved a single hand in front as if to say, Don’t worry about it. Tom watched as you tapped your thumb against your chest with an open five palm. Then you held up one finger. Wait a second. You dove down to grab your phone and quickly began tapping. 

“She says it’s fine, just wait a sec.” Katy translated for Tom, just in case he didn’t understand the very obvious signs like Hearing people often didn’t. 

Tom looked at her, “You know sign language too?” He asked in surprise and amazement. 

Katy nodded, “I’m an interpreter. Me and Y/N actually met at an event that I was interpreting for and we’ve been friends ever since.” 

“Oh, so do you interpret for her?” He asked, watching in amazement as her hands moved as she spoke, signing along with what both she and Tom were saying. He glanced over to see you waiting with your phone in hand, watching as she signed. 

She shook her head, “No, we’re just friends. I mean I help out in times like right now where there’s a conversation between Hearing people so she’s included but she’s capable of communicating herself.” 

You took that as your cue to hand him your phone: 

Hi! I’m Y/N but I think Haz already said that. Yes, I am (Deaf/ Hard of Hearing) but if you want to talk we can write :) 

Tom read the message quickly and looked up to see you waiting patiently for him with a kind smile. 

Hi :) I’m Tom. I’d love to keep chatting. Sorry I can’t sign :( 

You took the phone back and giggled: It’s fine. Most people can’t. I can show you your name if you want? 

Tom read the message and nodded excitedly, “Yeah that would be cool!” He voiced, cringing when he did. He wasn’t used to communicating like this. 

You laughed at his flusteredness. On a bad night, maybe the communication barrier would have annoyed you. Of course it got annoying having to baby step every single person who didn’t sign through this process. But there was something about Tom that you found cute. 

Slowly, you walked him through the signs. Your… name… T-O-M. 

He followed, trying his hardest not to mess up. He was even doing pretty well with the exception of mixing up his “T” and “M” with “N.” But he persisted, nonetheless, and got it pretty quickly. 

The way he looked so proud of himself made you giggle and you twisted both hands in the air, celebratorily. You texted back to him: Good job! 

That was probably terrible but thank you, he responded with a laughing emoji. 

The rest of that night had been filled with you and Tom talking quite a bit over a few glasses of wine. The conversation became natural quickly, even over text, which was an adjustment for Tom but he felt that you made it easy. You were nice and easy to talk to. Even after the night ended, Tom found himself wanting to see you again. 

“So how did you and Y/N meet? I mean, I didn’t think you knew sign language?” Tom asked Haz the next morning, helping him clean up from the night before. 

Haz shook his head, “I didn’t. I still don’t know much, honestly. But I was friends with Katy and I met Y/N at one of her parties and, I don’t know, we just sorta became friends. Katy’s been helping me learn sign but we still mostly just text to each other cause my signing is terrible.” He laughed. 

“Do you think you could teach me what you know? I want to be able to actually talk to her, y’know? Make it easier for her.” Tom asked, placing the chip bowls from last night in the dishwasher. 

Haz stopped sweeping the dining room long enough to make an immature face at Tom, “You like her! I freaking knew it!” 

“So what if I do? She was really nice!” Tom wasn’t having any of Haz’s teasing, especially when it was all true anyways. Why deny it? 

Haz nodded, smiling at the way his best friend looked just thinking about you, “Yeah, she is pretty nice, isn’t she? Don’t worry, mate. I’ll teach you what I know.” 

You and Tom had gone almost a month without seeing each other again. It wasn’t until you and Katy had just happened to run into him and Haz at a bar that your paths crossed. 

Tom and Haz sat in a booth in the back of the bar, celebrating a new role Tom had landed with a few drinks. “Hey! Look who’s here!” Haz drew Tom’s attention to the bar where you and Katy had just sat, “Katy!” He yelled just slightly above the noise. 

Katy looked over her shoulder around the bar until she saw the person calling her name. Her face lit up and she waved before tapping you on the shoulder. You glanced over your shoulder to see where she was pointing, waving at Tom and Haz when you saw them. The two men waved you over, inviting the two of you to sit with them. Once the bartender slid your drinks across the bar to you, you and your best friend joined them. 

Tom’s heart sped up a little when you slid into the booth beside him while Katy sat on the other side beside Haz. Before anyone could really say anything, Tom caught your attention, thinking for just a moment before signing, “Nice to see you again.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. “You learned sign?” You asked, shocked. Tom looked like a deer in headlights when you signed back and he tapped his fingertips against the palm of his other hand. Again? Slower this time, you signed, “You learned sign? Understand?” 

Tom looked adorably proud of himself when he understood, moving his fist up and down, “Yes. A little.” 

You began to blush a little and your face sparkled, as if to say no way! “Thank you! That’s so cool!” 

Tom loved how expressive you were, how even with a language barrier between you two, he could still understand at least part of what you were saying. 

You and Tom found yourselves caught up in each other again for the rest of the night, him trying his hardest to communicate in your language, even if it was still a little messy and imperfect. Nevertheless, you couldn’t believe he’d actually taken the time and effort to learn sign language for you! It was definitely flattering to say the least. 

Seeing their best friends so enamored with each other, Haz and Katy watched the two of you. “I haven’t seen her like this with a boy in forever. She’s been talking about him non-stop since your party.” Katy ratted you out, not really even having to whisper since you and Tom were so concerned with your own conversation that neither of you would have noticed they were speaking anyways. 

Haz nodded, “Same with him. He’s been practicing almost every day so he could talk to her.” 

“I think we just accidentally played matchmaker.” Katy laughed, “Ten pounds says they’ll be dating by the end of the month.” 

The blonde man scoffed, “Ten pounds says they’ll be dating by the end of the week.” 

[bedbellyandbeyond]

Little One

(Story Post)

“Are you excited?” “You can’t even begin to know how excited I am.” Fay was driving Rheni into APID to be present for Camilo’s ultrasound. The procedure wasn’t entirely necessary but the couple bugged Sydryn frequently enough about checking the baby’s position and letting Rheni see it before the imminent birth, and the dragon finally caved. Fay had already gotten in trouble for bringing Rheni to APID with them for Dari’s birth without the proper permissions, so this time they’d done everything by the book and so they couldn’t be late without suffering severe consequences. Fay hadn’t himself had a real chance to leave home since his twins’ birth so it was a relief to him as well, getting out and stretching his legs. Dusty stepped in to help Dari with the kids in his stead. He too liked the change for the day as without his boss around, he’d basically been everyone’s assistant in Fay’s department and he didn’t much like running around doing errands for people he didn’t really know. Plus, it was a chance for Grey to have a play date with Fay’s kids. “Can you believe it, Fay?” Rheni said. “Me? A dad?”

“Not to be smug, but I can,” Fay stated as he parked his car. APID's underground parking made it safe for Rheni to step out of the car without being seen. “The kids love you. In fact, just the other night when you had your phone date with Cami, Katia got upset that I was the one reading the bedtime story instead of you. I’ve practically been replaced.” “You haven’t, I swear… When you’re at work, all they cared about was making things to show you when you get home, whether a drawing or a dance or new signs they learned… Oh, I suck at ASL. I don’t think they get that not everyone knows it.” “They don’t get out much to meet people,” Fay explained. “That’ll change soon though, if I have anything to do with it. My children are not going to become recluses like Dari… Dari's not going to become a recluse like Dari.” Rheni frowned and watched Fay as he got out. “…Fay, don't you think you're putting a lot of expectations on Dari that he just might not be able to meet?” Fay's visage tensed and he turned to the slime man. “Why?” “Well, I mean, before the twins, I’ve basically been home alone all day with Dari and, you know, we talk and he just feels like all the changes you want him to go through aren’t realistic or even necessary,” Rheni explained. “And he feels like he’s made a lot of good progress already and why can’t that be enough?” “He has made good progress,” Fay said. “He’s a much more open and much more functional person than when I met him. And as he is might’ve been fine before. If we didn’t have kids, maybe he could’ve just stayed home all the time, be mostly self-sufficient, garden, and all that… But now we do have the kids. And a lot of them. And there are laws. And kids need to be in school. And on top of that, our children are merspawn, and merspawn have their own needs that need to be met, and I’ve been ignoring a lot of rules from my community to cater to Dari’s needs, but there will come a time where their needs are more important and he needs to bend as well.” “Oh, well, I mean… Yeah, I guess it’s more complicated,” Rheni said. “But why can’t he homeschool them?” “Homeschool… I can’t…” Fay’s frustration knotted his forehead. “If I even thought homeschool was a good idea, they would still need a good teacher. I managed to get Dari to finish his high school equivalency, but beyond that, I really don’t think he’s capable of running homeschooling for our children. He would need to prove that he can do it. And even if he could do it, I still don’t want them to be homeschooled. I don’t think it would be healthy to keep them away from other children. They need to learn to socialize with other people, not just their own family and family friends. I want them to be able to pursue anything they want to have or be in our society and they won’t be able to do that if the only people they ever talk to are us and the only lessons they ever learn is that they should only ever want to be home.” “Hmm, yeah… I mean, I get your point, but maybe you need to talk to Dari about it again, because he's not feeling great about it,” Rheni said. “I know…” Fay pointed to the exit. “Can we go inside though? This parking lot is not warm and I am a fish.” “Yeah! I was waiting for your lead, to be honest,” Rheni said. They headed inside and checked in through security. In the elevator, Fay sighed and leaned against the wall. “I've cut him off.” “Hm?” “No more children.” “Oh. Yeah, I know.” “On top of not wanting to have more children, and not feeling capable of having more in our life, I also believe that when’s he’s not busy being pregnant, Dari has more time to improve himself. And he can say he’s good enough as he is, but I also know he wants to improve because there’s things he wants to do that are just out of reach right now…” The elevator doors opened into the lobby for the medical ward. Camilo was already there talking to Köbi, but he looked over as they came out. He looked tired with a big crew neck pulled down tight around his overburdened middle, but he smiled when he saw his boyfriend run up to him. “Cam, hey! How are you?” Rheni asked, grabbing his boyfriend by the waist and kissing his cheek. “I had a rough night honestly, but I'm okay,” Camilo said. “How are you?” “Super excited. I want to see our kid,” Rheni said grinning. “It's all I've been thinking about since Syd confirmed we could.” Camilo nodded. “Yeah, you better thank them for making the time.” “I will!” At that, Sydryn came out and waved them in. “Good, you're both here. Let's go. Fay, are you joining us?” “Oh, no, just dropping off the slime. I want to check in on my replacement.” “Oh, thanks, Fay!” Rheni said waving. “I'll text you when it's over.” “Alright. Have fun, you two,” Fay said before going to call the elevator again. The couple followed Syd into the radiology room where the sonogram was set up. Since Camilo's classes had taken up a lot of his time, he hadn't visited Rheni in a while so the slime man couldn't keep his eyes off him. He found himself admiring even just the way Camilo carried himself over to the exam table. “Cam, please take this as a compliment, but you have such a cute pregnant waddle,” Rheni stated. Camilo immediately blushed. “Is it really that noticeable? I thought I was trying not to…” “You're 39 weeks pregnant,” Sydryn stated. “To attempt to change how you walk would likely only cause more strain on your body.” “39?!” Rheni exclaimed. “Are you seriously that far along?” “Yep… We're in the end game. This kid is classified full term and I am ready for this to be over,” Camilo said. “Okay, but like, I knew we were end game, but this is like…Portals are open, ‘I am Iron Man', end game. Like, it's that far in,” Rheni said, starting to feel sweaty, even though he couldn't sweat. “You could have the kid any day now, right?” “Technically, yes,” Sydryn said. “Though you have a March due date.” “Well, as long as it's not in the middle of an exam, I will welcome this kid any day,” Camilo said, climbing up on the table. He flipped up his shirt, exposing his belly. Marcita had worked her magic and he didn't have a single noticeable stretch mark because of her lotion concoction but his navel was a speckled button and his linea negra had darkened a bit. “You've gotten so big since I last saw you,” Rheni said going over to stand beside him. “Yep… Thankfully, I shouldn't get any bigger…” Camilo remarked. Sydryn repositioned the ultrasound's screen towards the couple and then prepped the wand with gel before placing it on Camilo's abdomen. “Ooh, this is it,” Rheni said excitedly, holding Camilo's arm. “Calm down, you're a little too worked up,” Camilo said, feeling Rheni's grip tighten. “Sorry, sorry… Oh! Is that the baby?” Syd's hand paused with the wand pushed in deep into As Camilo’s side. The screen beside them showed the profile of the baby, tucked into little ball. “Is she in the right position?” Camilo asked. “Yes, I could already tell from the shape of you, but the image can confirm it,” Sydryn explained. “I assumed since this will be the last ultrasound before you're due, you'd like pictures?” “Of course!” Rheni said, his eyes glued to the screen. “I can't believe that's really inside you, Cam.” “Right? Believe it.” Sydryn used the mouse connected to the monitor to highlight where they were going to take the picture. “Camilo, hold your breath for me.” Camilo did as told and the doctor took some pictures quickly. “That’s enough, thank you,” Sydryn said, letting the boy breathe. “Everything still looks good. The foetus is at the right stage of development for your pregnancy. I don't see signs for any congenital abnormalities or birth defects. Your fluids are the right level.” “Oh, that’s all good,” Rheni said. “But is that it?” “There's not much more to look at,” Sydryn stated, taking away the wand. “Camilo's healthy. The baby’s healthy. Prepare for the birth.” “Well, thank you for making time for us,” Camilo said, grabbing a tissue from beside the table to wipe his belly. “I'm sure you're really busy.” “I am. That's why we had to keep this short,” Sydryn stated. “Aoife told me you weren't feeling well a week or two ago, so I'm glad you're back on your feet,” Camilo said. “You are feeling better, right?” “Yes, for now. You have no need to worry for your own health,” Sydryn stated. “Now, as much as I'd love to keep talking, I do have other patients to see.” Camilo put his arm out for Rheni to grab and pull him up onto his feet. Rheni helped him willingly. “And the pictures?” “Köbi will print as many as you'd like at the front desk,” Sydryn said. “Or, actually… I'll make sure he knows how. I'm a little too used to Aoife's competence, I suppose…” “I think Köbi's doing a good job,” Camilo said. “You're too critical of him.” “Without Aoife and even Reid around, this medical ward is an absolute nightmare,” Sydryn stated, leading them out. “I don't have enough time or energy for it…” “What about the doctor who covered when you were sick?” “She's from another branch of APID abroad. She was only visiting. We're looking to hire more physicians but, well, it requires very high qualifications that few can meet.” “That's a flex,” Rheni chuckled. “We get it, you're irreplaceable.” “I am, but I wouldn't be replaced. We just need someone qualified enough that I can train. I was hoping I might groom Köbi for it, but he's turned out to be quite the upward battle…” When they got to reception again, Köbi was following a video on his computer on how to do corn rows. He smiled to them as they approached. “How was the ultrasound?” “It was really cool!” Rheni said. “Köbi, this is a sterile ward,” Sydryn reminded. “Put your hair up and wash your hands.” “Ah, es tuet mr leid… You’ll have to let me braid your hair later though.” Köbi paused his video and went to wash his hands at the sink in the back of the cage. “Anything I can help with?” “We'd like to get some pictures printed from the ultrasound,” Camilo said. “Oh, cool!” Köbi came back to the front. “Sounds good.” “Do you remember how to do that?” Sydryn asked. “Sure, um…” Sydryn sighed and let themselves into the cage to help. In the meantime, Camilo and Rheni took a seat in the waiting area. “Hey, we never followed up on your family stuff,” Camilo said. “Safe to say, you're waiting until after this kid is out?” “Yeah, but actually, you just reminded me! Um…” Rheni pulled out his phone. “I did some snooping. And now I'm on the same Overwatch team as Timothy Zhao.” “Timothy?” “My brother.” “Oh! What? How did you find him?” Camilo asked. “I said, I did some snooping,” Rheni said. “It didn't take too much though. These kids put pretty much everything on social media. Found Michael's Facebook, found his brother’s name, found Tim's Instagram, found his public invite to his Discord channel, joined his Overwatch team.” “So you're stalking a fifteen year old.” “He just turned sixteen, and no, I'm befriending him. He's my brother.” “Did you tell him?” “Not yet. I mean, it's not like he'd believe me.” “Yeah, so you're stalking him.” “Come on, I'm just trying to tell you about my brother.” “Okay, okay. Tell me.” “He's a good kid… I was worried I was gonna get one of those screechy yelly kids who are like a nightmare to play with, but he's really calm and smart.” Camilo sighed. “So… If Michael went missing six years ago, then Timothy would've been ten when he went missing. That would be so difficult to deal with at that age…” “Yeah… I think I need him to see me first…” Rheni said. “I feel like a smart kid like that's more likely to believe it's me than adults who are set in their ways, you know?” “I get it… But they all need to know you're alive. They all need that…” Camilo held his stomach. “Losing a child can't possibly be easy to come to terms with.” Sydryn came up to them with two long envelopes. “We printed several copies. Enjoy.” “Thanks, Syd,” Rheni said getting up and taking the envelopes. “It means a lot, really.” “Don't mention it,” Sydryn said. “So, I imagine you're going back home with Fay from here?” Camilo asked his boyfriend. Rheni nodded. “I figure we might be here a bit… Fay's not the best when it comes to the staying at home part of paternity leave.” “Well, um, I'm taking the afternoon to study a bit but I think I might be free to visit afterwards,” Camilo said. “Are you sure you want to travel that much in your condition?” Rheni asked. “I don't think it's much of a distance, but honestly, I welcome anything that'll start my labour,” Camilo said. “I'm very much done with this whole pregnancy thing…” “It's overrated, huh?” Rheni joked, rubbing Camilo's belly gently. “Completely. Yesterday's news. Passé.” Rheni chuckled and kissed Camilo's cheek. “I can't wait for our baby to be here.” “It's unbelievable to think that even as soon as tomorrow, we could be parents,” Camilo said. “But right now, I'm still a student and I gotta go study.” Rheni nodded. “Okay. I'll let you go for now.” He gave Camilo another kiss. “Call me later please.” “I will.”

[rita-rose-writing]

Spanish Spiral

I look down at my schedule for the 2022 school year and I feel...conflicted?

I say I’m taking ASL classes because I wanna work with special needs kids someday.

I say I’m taking ASL classes because I’ve got Auditory Sensory Processing Disorder so it’d be good anyways.

I say I’m taking ASL classes because maybe I’ll stop picking at my goddamn hands if I’m doing something with them.

But really, I’m just avoiding taking spanish.

I don’t wanna have some white kid accel at the class while I struggle.

I don’t wanna stutter out words that my abuela can say in that stunning accent with no problem.

I don’t want to eventually drop out of the class because does that mean that I’ve given up on my people?

I’m tired of not speaking spanish just being another thing-

On the already gargantuan list-

Of things that make me less hispanic.

My skin being as white as snow.

My hatred for spicy food.

The fact that I don’t like beans.

All the stereotypes that I get are racist but I still long for.

I wanna be able to dance.

I wanna be able to seduce men with a glance.

I wanna be loud and confident

Not afraid to take a chance.

On the other hand...my last name.

It’s like a beacon of light attracting anyone who knows it.

The attendance list for school, resumes for jobs…

My driver’s license.

Sick of people saying

“Wow! That’s an interesting one. How do you say it?”

And then they completely butcher it even though it’s phonetic.

Sick of people correcting me

“Actually hun, it’s pronounced with an ‘s’ at the end”

Sick of people joking

“Ooooo, a Rodriguez. She’s trouble.”

Most of all though, I’m sick of people treating me like I’m not hispanic.

Why the fuck would you say the word “spic” around me?

Why would you make fun of my people, you know the wetbacks?

I know damn well you’d be too afraid to talk about immigration with a hispanic person around

But somehow I’m the exception?

I don’t wanna hear about how we’re taking your jobs

You don’t wanna do the jobs we do anyways.

I don’t wanna hear about how they’re rapists.

I should chime in,

“Am I a rapist too?”

But I am silenced by myself.

I don’t fit in with hispanic people either-

Not that there’s many in this town.

I don’t know the struggle of being persecuted for the color of my skin

And y’know what they’re right.

I’m in this weird limbo.

Too hispanic for whites

Too white for hispanics.

Sometimes if I lay and close my eyes at night

I think about Cuba.

I’ve never set foot on Cuban soil

But I swear that I have been there long ago.

I can hear their beautiful language

And feel the sun on my skin.

I can taste arroz con pollo

And smell sugar cane.

I can see my abuelo leaving his homeland, thinking Castro will run his course and he can come back soon.

My veins are full of red white and blue

Just not the kind you’re thinking of.

Maybe one day my kids will go to Cuba.

Maybe they’ll know Spanish.

[cassiopeiassky]

Black Velvet

Alright everyone, it’s finally here.  I’ve been sort of salty about the lack of tall!reader fics for awhile now or maybe it’s just the ubiquitous short, petite, drowning in his sweatshirt descriptions that get under my skin but just couldn’t get a decent amount of inspiration to write one.  I have been known to throw in a mention of height randomly in my fics, but my usual workaround to avoid physical descriptions of the reader is to just write Bucky as like six and a half feet tall.  Hes a damn super soldier, he should be taller anyway he did not start out as short as Steve.  So one day I stumbled across this post by @invisibleanonymousmonsters​ and for some reason I can’t explain, an idea was finally unlocked in my brain later that same day.  (Inspired by a song?  Me?  No.  Never.)

It’s kind of all over the place, so buckle in.  It does take a sharp right into smutsville but also ends up flipping a u and landing in flufftown.  I don’t know.  I just write what the muse tells me to write.  

I would like to thank the incomparable @scottish-pepper​ for her amazing help and support while I wrote the thing - I couldn’t have done it without you, darlin.

Bucky x Tall!Reader

Modern day AU - think of a 40s prewar Bucky if he got a chance to grow up and lived in a small town 

Plot:  You have a terrible day of epic proportions but a beautiful stranger in a small town helps to make it better.

Warnings: Swearing (as per usual), smut, mentions of alcohol/drinking/bars, a brief mention of potentially disordered eating, mentions of a thunderstorm, and a very specific shitty family member.

Word count: 12K  Yep.  Knda got away from me

One last author’s note:   This fic includes some ASL dialogue; it is expressed in italics without quotation marks.  ASL is an incredibly beautiful and expressive language, and it’s in 3D!!  It also has its own grammar structure, rules, nuances, and regional differences, just like any other language, and it can be a challenge to fit it into a two-dimensional space.  Taking this into consideration, I’ve decided to write the dialogue with spoken English grammar because my ASL is really rusty and I don’t want to mess it up.

It’s hot.  Like 100 degrees in the shade with 95% humidity hot. The trees are wilted, flowers are drooping, and there isn’t so much as a glimmer of hope for a cloud in the sky to interrupt the sun’s torture of earth’s inhabitants.  The air is thick and still – there’s no movement at all – yet dangerously unsettled.  It’s the kind of weather that if you sneeze, you might cause a tornado in the next county over.  Of course your cousin would choose today of all days to get married.  And of course her mom pressured her into going black tie, increasing everyone’s suffering tenfold.

“I can’t believe I rented a room for this.  I can’t believe I spent $200 on a dress.  Why am I even here?  What did I expect?”  There’s no answer, but of course there wouldn’t be.  You’re alone in your car, driving back to a motel that you might not even stay the night in.  You’d rented a room because you figured you’d have a few drinks at the reception – you wanted to celebrate the bride, she’s one of your best friends – but at this point you might as well just make the hour drive back home.

About a block from the motel you notice a bar tucked behind a gas station.   According to the clock on the dash, it’s only 5:25.

Fuck it.  You deserve a goddamn drink after today.

You pull into the parking lot and are surprised by the number of cars, farm trucks, and motorcycles already parked.  There’s only one redneck limo, thank God – a pickup truck with a 10 inch lift kit and truck nuts hanging off the hitch, and in your experience driven only by incredibly insecure men – so that’s a good sign, right?  It must be a decent place with decent drinks if it’s this busy so early in the evening.  Maybe some of your day can be salvaged after all.

The hot, sticky air rushes in as soon as the car door is opened.  “Gross,” you mutter; the heat hits even harder after the air conditioning in your car.  Glancing over to the passenger seat, you see the hideous shoes your aunt Lydia pressed into your hands upon arriving at the wedding.  “You know what, Lydia?  Fuck you and fuck your ugly shoes.”  You put your heels back on just to spite her.

It’s a small-town watering hole, so of course all eyes are drawn to you when you enter.  And they stay on you as you find a seat at the bar – perhaps it’s because you’re a stranger, perhaps it’s because you’re overdressed.

But probably not.

The bartender approaches while drying his hands.  He’s got dirty blonde hair in a sloppy undercut, a wide, flat nose, and is wearing a concert tee shirt with the arms cut off to show off his full sleeve of tattoos.  

“Do you have blended drinks?”  He nods. “Strawberry daiquiri, please.”

“Sure thing.”

You pull out some cash, tipping generously because your drink is a pain in the ass to make, then look around while you wait.

The bar is cool but not cold, not brightly lit but also not uncomfortably dim, is bigger than it looks, and is even busier than the amount of vehicles in the parking lot would lead you to believe.  On one side there’s a jukebox next to a small stage with an empty but decently sized dance floor.  There are a few high tops, then a gaming area featuring pool tables, dart boards, and a few pinball machines.  On the other side of the bar you see a window with someone selling pull tabs, a station set up for calling bingo, a door to what’s probably the kitchen, and a popcorn machine filled with freshly popped popcorn.  Behind you and scattered generously throughout the building are tables, some with 4 seats and some with 6, and over half of them are occupied.

“Here you go, miss.” The bartender places your drink in front of you with a polite smile.  “Would you like a menu?  The full kitchen is open tonight.”

The thought is nauseating. “Mmmm…maybe later.”

“Too hot to eat?”  At your despondent nod, he grimaces and places a tall glass of ice water next to the daiquiri.  “Thought as much.  I’ll check back in a bit.”  You didn’t notice his name tag until now – his name is Clint, and according to the hand illustrations under his name, he’s fluent in ASL.

Unsure if he’s Deaf and fluent in lipreading or if he’s hearing, you both sign and murmur, “Thank you,” before bringing the drink to your lips.  It’s on the edge of being burned – just the way you like it.  Sipping on the sweet slush is pure bliss, cooling you down from the inside out as it tempers the heat of the rum.

You sign?  He doesn’t speak this time.  It’s not an uncommon reaction.

Yes.  I’m an interpreter.

His eyebrows rise in interest.  What made you go into that?

My high school offered it, and I ended up becoming really good friends with the teacher’s daughter, who is Deaf.  I made a lot of friends, got involved with the community and immersed in the culture, and I just loved it, so I figured, why not do this for a living?  My dreams of being a Triple Crown winning jockey went out the window by the end of 5th grade so…

He laughs, but not unkindly.  Yeah, I suppose you are a bit too tall for that.  But 5th grade?  Damn.   His face lights up, Hey, have you heard of PATH, International?  They’ve got a campus about half hour north of here.  If you like horses, it might be right up your alley.  

PATH International, or Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, is an organization very close to your heart.  Yes! I volunteer there every Tuesday night.

The look of surprise on Clint’s face is priceless.  No shit? I’m there on Thursday nights!  You must be the other interpreter the kids are always talking about - they LOVE you!  And so do the horses.  You know, I was Ace’s favorite till you came along.  Now he won’t even look at me unless I bribe him with a treat.

You look again at his name tag, and the name clicks.  Wait, you’re Hawkeye!  The one that does the archery demos on horseback for the kids’ birthday parties.

He takes a theatrical bow. The one and only.

Clint “Hawkeye” Barton is nothing short of a legend at PATH.  Profoundly Deaf yet impossibly accurate with speechreading, he manages to blend both worlds perfectly.  He’s also a master archer both off and on horseback, which basically makes him a superhero in the kids’ eyes.  There are whispers that he travelled with a circus as a teenager, that he raises horses, and that he moonlights as a vigilante, but nothing has been verified and from what you’ve been told, he will neither confirm nor deny.  It’s very likely that there’s at least some truth to the horse raising rumor – Ace is technically his horse, he just loans the chestnut gelding to the program.  You’d been dying to meet Clint for a few years now but hadn’t been able to make it work.

It’s so good to finally meet you!

Likewise!  I’ve been meaning to swing by on a Tuesday to see who it is that stole my favorite horse’s heart, but I’m usually here.  His face lights up, Hey, I’ve got some ideas for a field trip for the older kids and adults but I need to team up with an ASL interpreter since I can’t technically work as a Deaf interpreter on my own off PATH’s campus.  You know, rules and shit.  You interested?

Absolutely!  Just let me know.   You dig a pen out of your purse and write your number and email address on a napkin. You know, I’m sorry, but I’m really not sorry about Ace.  He stole my heart, what can I say.

He’s a shameless flirt, but I never thought he’d actually prefer someone else over me.  But now that I’ve met you, I guess I can’t be too sore about it.  He seems to have good taste.  He takes the napkin with a grin and folds it up before putting it in his pocket, then looks to his left when a waitress waves for his attention and nods.  Duty calls.  Let me know if you need anything.

Well, that improved your day considerably.  

For a few minutes, anyway.

“That’s an awfully girly drink for a woman like you.”  A cloud of stale cigarette smoke with an obnoxious sounding man in the middle of it takes the seat next to yours.  

You don’t turn to face him; you don’t even acknowledge him.  If that’s his opening line, then you really, really don’t have the patience to interact with him today. This is the guy that owns the jacked-up truck. You can feel it in your bones.

Clint makes a face from behind the drink he’s making, notices your annoyance, and shakes his head. “Dude, she’s got more alcohol in her glass than you and your four buddies combined, so don’t knock her drink of choice.  She’s also clearly not interested, and way, way out of your league.  Go back to your pull tabs and leave the lady alone.”

You can feel the guy’s eyes on you, but Clint keeps glaring daggers at him and he eventually leaves. You can overhear him tell his buddies, “Thought she’d be an easy lay, but you know what?  Even I have standards.  How do you fuck someone that tall anyway?  I’d need scaffolding!”  They laugh, but you continue to hold your head up high.  It’s nothing you haven’t heard some version of before.  He’s not clever.

Ignore them.  They’re lonely, small little men.

I know.  Thank you.  His protective gesture is touching and completely unexpected.  This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often because most people assume you can handle yourself.  You can – but it’s nice to not always have to be on the defensive, and today you’re at your limit.

No worries.  You look like you had a rough day, I figured you didn’t need Chad making it worse.  Clint winks and turns back to his drinks.

Well, he’s not wrong, but the day can only get better from here, right?  Right.  You nod to yourself then sit back and enjoy your drink.  Clint stops by periodically to chat, but otherwise you’re left alone.

Eventually it’s time for a trip to the ladies’ room, and you do your best to ignore the stares and chuckles that inevitably follow you.  In your semi-formal black dress you certainly stand out in a bar filled with cut off shorts and tee shirts, but that’s not why they’re staring.

In your black satin and lace, modestly platformed stiletto heels – affectionately known as your ‘fuck me shoes’ – you’re well over six feet tall.  Are they uncomfortable?  God yes, but they’re also beautiful and totally worth it.

The bathrooms are at the back of the bar, past the dart boards and pool tables.  You’re almost there when you hear something ping off one of the pool table lamps and see it ricochet across the aisle and onto the top of the glass and wood cabinets housing the pool cues.  

“How – how the hell did you manage that, Rogers?”  A man with dark hair and a jawline that could cut glass heads in your direction.  “You were supposed to throw the chalk to me, not your imaginary friend standing thirteen feet behind me.”

“Sorry, Buck,” a blonde joins him, looking appropriately apologetic.  “My aim was a little off.”

“Ya think?”

You slow your pace to watch them.  The guy with the dark hair is gorgeous – well, they both are, to be fair – but the one…damn.  His maroon tee shirt is fitted enough to show off his beefy physique, and his jeans hug his thighs and ass like they were made for him.  He throws off an air of cocky confidence with just a hint of danger, lending a genuine feel to his bad boy image.  Should you…maybe?  No. No, you absolutely should not. You’re not in the right mindset to try to soothe a man’s threatened masculinity just for a bit of company.

He and the blonde reach for the wayward chalk, but it’s just out of their reach.  It’s amusing to watch them try to grab for it, but you take pity on them eventually.

Time for your good deed of the week.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.”  Stepping between the two, you reach up and effortlessly pluck the blue cube from its spot before dropping it into the dark-haired man’s hand with a smile.  “Here you go.”

Wide blue eyes look up into yours, but he doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t even smile.  He just stares.  Figures.

The blonde looks between you and his companion before clearing his throat.  “Thank you, ma’am.”

The unspoken rejection from the brunette stings.  Normally it wouldn’t get to you, but after today?  It does.  It really does.  So you swallow against the burning thickness in your throat and force back the tears with a fake smile.  “You’re welcome.”  A few more steps and you’re in the ladies’ room, which only serves to make matters worse when you step into an open stall.  As you turn around to lock the door, you can see your entire head in the mirror, poking out above the top.  A pair of women walk in and they giggle, so you quickly sit down.  There’s no point in taking it personally – it actually happens quite a bit in older buildings and you can fully admit that the sight is pretty funny – so you compose yourself and do what you came in to do.  You slouch when you stand in order to avoid accidentally looking into one of the neighboring stalls and go to the vanity to wash up.

Even the sink mocks you by making you bend almost in half to reach the water.

A woman with dark hair and bright red lips exits the far-right stall and joins you at the mirror.  “Oh wow, your shoes and dress are so pretty!”

“Thank you.”

“Did you come from the wedding at the ballroom?”

“Mmm hmm.”  You glance at her shorts and flowery sleeveless top and swallow your sigh – you feel like a fucking behemoth next to her.  “I think maybe I should have stopped by my motel room to change.”

“No, you look really nice!” She smiles up at you, “It’s really not unusual to have people dressed up in here on the weekends, you’re just earlier than we usually see it.  I’ll give you a tip, though, in case your feet start to hurt.  I know the place looks kinda crusty, but the owners take a lot of pride in it.  The floors are clean if you choose to go barefoot.”

Her unexpected kindness surprises you; you’re usually shunned by other women when you’re at a bar because all they see is your height, which they erroneously perceive to be an advantage in attracting men.  “Thank you. That’s really good to know.”  She turns to leave but you stop her when you notice something wrong with her shirt. “Hey, hon, you’re missing a button.”  The poor girl is busty, and she’s likely been flashing an unintentionally generous amount of cleavage for who knows how long.

She looks down and immediately sees the gap in her shirt.  “Well, shit.  I just bought this shirt.  No wonder some of the guys couldn’t look me in the eye.  Stupid boobs, always trying to pop out.  Why can’t they just make clothes that fit real people?”

“I feel ya,” you mutter as you start digging through your purse.  “Hold on, I’ve got something…here, try some of this.”

“Scotch tape?”  She looks confused as she takes it.

“Double sided tape.”

Her eyes get wide as she gazes up at you.  “You’re a genius.  And an angel. An angelic genius!”  She takes some and fixes her shirt, smiling brightly. Thank you so much!!”

Despite your incredibly shittastic day, you find yourself warming to her.  She’s nice.  “You’re welcome!  I didn’t want a bunch of creeps leering at you.  In a world of Chads, we women really need to stick together.”

“Oh, God, you met Chad?” She grimaces and shakes her head, “I’d like to apologize on behalf of the entire town.  He and his friends are not a good representation of the rest of us, I promise.  They don’t even live here, they were just permanently banned from the bar in the next town over and now they’re our problem, apparently.  But I promise, the rest of the people here are alright.”  She sticks out her hand, “I’m Peggy, by the way.”

You shake her calloused hand and give her your name.  “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too. If you feel like some company, just come find me.  My friends and I will probably be here for a while, and you’re more than welcome to join us.”

“Thank you, I might just do that.”  You flash a smile, genuine this time, and go back to your seat at the bar.  What the hell, maybe you’ll take her up on her offer after you finish your drink.  

A minute passes, maybe two, before someone takes the barstool next to you.

It’s him.  The gorgeous brunette.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself.”  You want to roll your eyes at your reply. Smooth.  Real smooth.

“My uh, my friends pointed out that I was rude earlier, so I wanted to apologize.”

You turn to him quizzically, giving him your full attention.  Is this really the same guy that was playing pool?  The sexy one that projected ‘bad ass’?  “For what?”  

His cheeks grow pink and it throws you off guard.  “It’s not nice to stare.  My ma taught me better than that – she’d slap me into next week if she saw how I acted. I ain’t usually like that, I’ve just never seen, uh…”

Here it comes.  The ‘I’ve never seen such a tall woman’ comment that leaves you feeling like a roadside circus freak show.

“Well, you just got an amazing smile.”

Wait, what?  “Huh?”

“I’ve never seen such a pretty smile.”  He shrugs and studies the bar top.  “Your eyes looked sad, though.  I dunno. I guess I was tryin’ to figure you out.” He turns back to you with an almost obnoxiously handsome grin, “My name’s Bucky Barnes.  Can I make it up to you?  Buy you a drink?”  

You narrow your eyes at him, trying to gauge his intent.  He seems genuine enough – he’s either a brilliant actor or you seriously misjudged him, which, in your current cynical mindset, is entirely possible.

You look up to see Clint watching as he dries some glasses.  Maybe he has some insight.  Is this guy decent?  He’s gorgeous but does he have a personality?  

Clint snorts, glancing at Bucky then back to you.   Yeah. He’s a pretty good guy.  He’ll treat you right.

Bucky looks like he’s swallowing a smile when you turn back to him.  “Yeah, I guess you can make it up to me.”

“Really?”  He seems genuinely happy at the prospect.

“Sure.”

“Great!”  Apparently that’s all the invitation he needs to turn on the charm.  “So what’s a gorgeous girl like you doin’ in a dump like this?

“It’s not that bad,” you laugh.

“No,” he shakes his head sheepishly, “It’s not.  Guess I’m really off my game today.  I can usually flirt, I promise.”

A beer and another daiquiri appear on the counter.  “Thanks, man,” Bucky nods to Clint.  “Hey, you wanna grab a table?”  He nods his head to the side of the bar by the jukebox.  “It’s quieter there.  We can chat and I can show you that I ain’t, in fact, the dumbass I’ve made myself out to be.”

“Yeah, okay.”  Why not?  Even if you don’t know Clint enough to trust him, the kids that you work with do, and you trust their judgement.  So if Clint says that Bucky is decent, you’ll believe him.

***

It ends up being a good choice.  Bucky turns out to be more than decent – he’s really nice, funny, respectful, keeps his eyes where they belong, and doesn’t ask if you play basketball.

He asks the basic questions and learns that you live about an hour north of here, that you’re an interpreter, you love to read, write, and draw, and yes, you were at a wedding. Tired of talking about yourself, you take advantage of him pausing to drink his beer and flip the topic.

“So what do you do?”

Bucky takes a deep breath and sighs. “I’m a mission systems engineer with NASA.”

You blink at him.  “I’m sorry, you’re what?”

“A mission systems engineer with NASA.  I know, I –“

“Do you have top secret clearance?”

He looks thoroughly confused.  “That’s your first question?”

“Do you?  Or would you have to kill me if you told me?  Have you been to space?  Does the government have a plan for if an asteroid comes our way, or would we have to do like the movie Armageddon and wing it with a bunch of oil rig operators?”

Bucky appears to be absolutely delighted at your string of questions.  “Well, yes, no, unfortunately no, and I can’t tell you that because has to do with national security.”

“Fascinating.”  You sit back, thoroughly intrigued by the man sitting across from you. “What the hell are you doing in a podunk town like this? Shouldn’t you be in Houston?  Or D.C.?”

“I live here.” He chuckles at your unimpressed stare. “Yeah, I know it’s a small town – we got a bar, three churches, a motel, a gas station, and a diner that closes by 7 pm every day.  Our biggest draw is the ballroom on the lake shore and the hunting grounds in the fall. It ain’t exactly the heart of modern technology.  But I grew up here, my family and friends are here, and I stick around to help out on their farm.  I fly into Headquarters a few times a year, but otherwise I work remotely.”

“So what do you do?”

“The general gist of it is that I lead a team that designs, develops, and deploys missions.”

“To space?”

“Well, I mean, I work for NASA…”

“What are you working on now?”  You can’t help peppering him with questions – this is so fucking cool.

His eyes sparkle.  “You got top secret clearance?”

“No.”

“Sorry.  Can’t tell you anything,” he shrugs with a smirk.

“I…yeah, I guess I kind of walked right into that.  Wow.  So you’re really freaking smart.”

“I hope so!”

“Do you like it?”

“Being smart?”

“Your job, dipshit.”

He laughs, freely and openly, and it’s an amazing sound.  “I love it.”

You can’t help but stare at him.  “Wow. That’s…that’s just really, really fucking incredible.”

Bucky gets quiet.  “It is really incredible.  Thank you for thinking so.”  He looks up, then back down as he starts peeling the label off his empty bottle of beer. “You know, you’re the first person I’ve told about my job that didn’t either tell me I don’t look smart enough to be a mission systems engineer or ask me how much money I make.”  He meets your eyes again.  “Or both.  I get that a lot, too.”

You certainly know how shitty it feels to get those kinds of unsolicited comments based solely on appearance.  It’s one thing to have an impression, but to just say those things out loud?  “Well, they suck.  And they’re truly shallow if they think intelligence has anything to do with how you look.  But hey, at least they show their true colors right away so you can save yourself some time.” You lean forward, chin in hand, “Okay, so I know you can’t tell me about your actual projects, but can you tell me about your job?  What are your responsibilities?  What does a mission systems engineer do?”

Bucky lights up like New York City and spends the next 40 minutes going into detail about what he does, and you hang on every word; it’s impossible not to, really.  His enthusiasm for what he does is so evident that even if the topic weren’t interesting, you’d still be entranced.  And you thought he was gorgeous before?  His animated passion makes him absolutely breathtaking.

You’ve both finished your drinks and, perhaps not so surprisingly, he switches to soda when you do. When unordered appetizers arrive with your new drinks, you both look over to Clint, who just winks and shrugs.

“Well I ain’t gonna complain.  Didn’t realize how hungry I was.”  Bucky shoves an entire ham and cheese ball into his mouth, but then has to hasashafahasa because it must have just come out of the fryer.  “Ish hot!  Rearry hot!”

Bursting into laugher, you slide your ice water to him before cautiously taking a bite of your buffalo wing. Considering how much fun you’ve had in the last hour, it isn’t all that surprising that your appetite has returned. “Me neither.”

The hours fly by as the conversation eventually turns to other topics, and you find yourself talking about things you wouldn’t expect considering you’ve just met.  Bucky seems so open and honest that it’s difficult not to reciprocate, and if one doesn’t go into detail about what the other asks, it’s only because there’s so much to cover.  

Bucky dips the last bit of pretzel into the beer cheese sauce and pops it into his mouth.  “So if you don’t mind me asking, what made those pretty eyes of yours so sad?”

You take a long sip of your Coke Zero as you debate your next move.  Deflect or come clean?  You surprise yourself when you blurt out, “My aunt, Lydia.”

“Your aunt?”

You squirm a bit at the uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability, but you keep going.  “Yeah.  It was her daughter that got married today.  Marie and I grew up together – Lydia is my mom’s only sister, so she was the one that took care of me when my mom had to work double shifts, which was a lot. She did the best she could, and she means well, she really does, but she’s just so caught up with appearances. My height is a, uh, a definite sore spot with her.”

“Really?  Why?  What does it matter?”

“I think it comes down to the appearance thing.  Tall women are generally seen as less feminine, even straight up masculine.  Lydia is tall, too – not quite as tall as me, but close.  She claims that she got her husband through making herself appear daintier.  She only wears flats and follows all the newest fad diets to make herself as small as she can because she feels that being a tall woman puts her at a distinct disadvantage.”  You shrug, “She was one of the primary examples I grew up with. And to be fair, it’s not like she’s completely wrong.  In my experience, guys tend to feel emasculated by me.  And it’s not just men that seem to see me through a distorted lens.  Even from a young age – I’m talking 4th grade – I’d hear teachers tell my mom that I seemed so much more mature than my peers, that I didn’t need as much support, emotional or academic, as everyone else.  I got additional responsibilities and higher expectations.  The thing is, I wasn’t more mature.  I was just tall, so I looked more mature.  Eventually it kind of came true, though.  Other than my mom, who was single and working 2 jobs to keep me housed and fed, I didn’t really have anyone that would protect me or support me.  I guess no one thought I needed it, so I just got used to doing it myself.”

Bucky shakes his head, and you can’t tell if his expression is one of pity, sadness, anger, or something else.  

“But Lydia made everything a hundred times worse than it needed to be.  I already knew I was outside the norm, I didn’t need the reminders. But every time I’d hit a growth spurt she would share some nasty comment on it, as if telling me that boys didn’t like tall girls would somehow stop my bones from stretching.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Mmm hmm.  Despite my mom’s efforts – and the fact that being tall is actually pretty awesome – Lydia’s words really got under my skin, and even now they undermine my confidence sometimes.”  You gesture to yourself and the bar, “Obviously.  I should be at my cousin’s wedding right now.  I don’t go to many family functions anymore, because of her.  It just…it puts my head in a bad place.  You know, they say it takes five to seven positive comments to balance out one negative comment?  The negative is in everything she says.  Everything.  I love my family to pieces, but I just can’t handle her.”

“What did she say to you today?”  If you didn’t know any better, you’d say that Bucky is getting pissed.  

“She met me at the door of the chapel with a pair of her ugly black penny loafers.  Said that she told the photographer that I wasn’t allowed in any family pictures unless I was wearing them, because she didn’t want my Amazonian ass towering over everyone else and ruining the aesthetic.”

“Your…your ‘Amazonian ass’?”

“Eh,” you shrug and wave your hand dismissively.  “It’s not the first time I’ve been called an Amazon and far from the worst thing people have said. I mean, people say it to be cruel, but Amazons were fearless warriors.  I just think of it as being put in the same class as Wonder Woman.  The part that hurt was that she was prepared to make sure I wasn’t in the pictures, that she thought she could just erase my existence, simply because I’m too tall for her liking.”

Bucky’s mouth drops open. “I might be overstepping here, but what a heartless bitch.  No one should ever try to erase you, what a fucking idiot.”

“She browbeat Marie into dyeing her hair blonde for the wedding.  Marie hates it, but did it for her mom’s approval.”  You release a deep sigh, “But that’s Lydia, and that’s why I took my Amazonian ass out of there the second the ceremony was over.”

“Hmmmm.”  He gazes at you.  “You know she’s a princess, right?  

“Huh?”

“Wonder Woman.  She’s a princess. You know…Amazon Princess…it actually kinda suits you.”

“Seriously?”

“Damn right I’m serious. You’re tall?  So what.  You’re fuckin’ royalty.  Own it, Princess.  Correct ‘em. Make ‘em say it.  Amazon Princess.”  

“What?”

“Yep.  Say it with me.  Amazon Princess.”

You can’t help rolling your eyes, but there’s something undeniably sweet about the way he’s pressing the issue. It’s not good enough for him that it doesn’t bother you – he wants it to be seen as a term of empowerment and to let people know that’s how you see it.

The moment is interrupted when a booming voice comes through the sound system.  “Alright everybody, it’s ten o’clock!”  Someone stands on the stage, holding a mike and looking more than a little tipsy.  “You know what that means!”

The bar cheers, “Free jukebox!”

A line forms immediately, and the music starts.

“Wanna dance, Princess?”

“Really?  You’re going to call me ‘Princess’ now?”

He shrugs with darkening eyes and a suggestive smirk.  “If it’s okay with you.”

If he keeps looking at you the way he’s looking at you right now, he can call you whatever he damn well pleases.  But he doesn’t need to know that.  “Yeah,” you murmur.  His gaze is so intense that you have to look around the bar to break it and gather your thoughts.  You happen to see Peggy; she’s standing next to the blonde that had been playing pool with Bucky, so she must know him.  She catches your eye, sees who you’re with, and gives a thumbs up with a huge grin. Well, alright then.  You grin back and remember what she said.  “Let’s dance.”

Bucky stands, stopping when he sees you toeing off your heels.  “Woah, what’re you doing?”

“Taking off my shoes?”

He shakes his head, “Princess, you don’t need to do that.  I ain’t too fragile to dance with a woman taller than me.”

“I know,” and you do, “But I can’t dance in these.  And my feet hurt.”

When you stand, you’re almost eye to eye with Bucky; if he were barefoot as well, you would be.

People are still lined up at the jukebox, selecting their favorites.  It’s exactly the mix you would expect from a place like this – classic songs like Brown Eyed Girl, Summer of ’69, and Footloose with more modern tunes sprinkled in  – the kind of music that gets everyone up and dancing.

Bucky is a great dance partner, and you’re having an absolute blast.  You don’t think about your aunt, the wedding that you’re supposed to be at, or how you are, without a doubt, the tallest woman in the bar.  He laughs, showing off the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, obviously enjoying himself, too.  

The jukebox switches songs again, and on comes the relentless, even rhythm of Black Velvet.  For the first few measures, you just stare at each other.  It’s the first song to play that isn’t upbeat, and you don’t know what to do until he makes the first move and pulls you close – close enough to breathe each other in. He stares as Alannah Myles’ smokey voice drifts over the steady bass, then spins you so your back is to him.  

If Bucky’s a good dance partner for upbeat music, he’s even better when it’s slow like this, when every move counts.  He’s enough to handle you, and more than confident enough to do so.

Bucky stays behind you, mirroring you with his hands resting gently at your waist.  Your back is against his chest, but his hips keep their distance. Just to experiment, you press yours back and hear a guttural “fuck” before he intentionally shifts.

Bucky is absolutely nothing that you expected.  “You’re a gentleman.”

You can feel the dark chuckle rumbles through him. “I wouldn’t say that, Princess.”  He spins you around, pulling you close but not too close, and runs his thumb along your neck.  “I just ain’t in the habit of taking what ain’t mine.”

His voice sends a shiver down your spine.  Fuck. You like him.  One night stands aren’t usually your thing…but that’s not what this feels like.  He feels familiar.  Safe.  You like him, and he sure seems to like you. Your mind is already made up – you’ll take the chance and see what happens.  You hardly recognize your own voice when you ask, “Do you want me to be?”

“Thought I was makin’ it obvious.  Yes.”  He doesn’t hesitate and his eyes don’t leave yours.  “Are you offering?”  

You move your hand to the back of his neck and lightly scratch, watching with satisfaction as his pupils dilate even more than they were.  His lips part when you pull him closer, but he waits for you to close the kiss.

The second you do, his hands slide down to your lower hips before he tightens his grip.  He’s not timid; he kisses you as though you’re a well-known lover, deeply and intensely, without bothering with introductions.  

Bucky suddenly breaks the kiss, spinning you around again to pull your back against his chest.  This time, though, he allows his hips to rock into yours with the rhythm of the music, slow and steady and insatiable.  The way he moves makes it impossible not to think about fucking him; hell, you’re practically halfway there already.  His hands alternate holding you tightly to his body, maximizing contact, and running up and down your sides.  Your head falls back when his mouth finds your neck, and your legs go weak when his teeth nibble that spot beneath your ear.

You’ve never been so turned on in your life.

His voice is thick when his lips find your ear, “Wanna get out of here?”

You nod, taking his hand to lead him back to the table to collect your things.  “I’ve got a room at the motel a block away.”

“Good.”

When you take one last look around, you see Clint, still behind the bar, grinning at you like an absolute idiot.  Have fun!

“Oh my God,” you mutter under your breath, but you can’t completely hide the smile.

You step outside to find that the unbearable heat of the day has eased somewhat now that the sun has set. It’s still warm as the humid air kisses your skin, but with the breeze it’s sultry rather than oppressive.

You and Bucky look up at the same time – the stars are barely visible through the haze of clouds. There’s a thunderstorm rolling in on the western horizon.

Bucky walks you to your car, making sure you’re in safely before getting in his own truck and following you to the motel.  He jumps out of his vehicle and pushes you against the car the second you’re out of it, kissing you like it’s been days and not 2 minutes since his lips were last on yours.  

He doesn’t stop until the first few raindrops hit your skin.  Bucky looks up while you grab your purse and your aunt’s shoes out of the car, gathering them clumsily before locking the door.  It takes a minute for you to get your room key out of your purse, but you finally manage.

“Looks like the storm is already here.  Gonna be a good one if it got here that fast.”  He takes your hand, “Which room are you in?”

“Up the steps, furthest door on the left.”

Bucky leads you to the stairs as you both laugh while trying unsuccessfully to dodge the increasingly fat drops of rain.  He doesn’t let go of your hand until you need to unlock the door, and the second you hear the click of the lock, his lips are on yours again.  He pushes the door open and guides you through, closing the door behind him with a well-placed kick.  You drop your purse and the loafers, then step out of your heels as he toes his shoes off.  Still connected at the lips, he doesn’t see the things on the floor and trips over one of your stilettos.

“Oh shit!”  His eyes are huge, staring up into yours when he realizes he isn’t going to hit the floor because you’ve caught him by the arm. “Good catch, Princess.”  Both of you start laughing as he stands up straight, but the laughter dies out when his mouth find yours again.  Hungry hands roam your body while you reach beneath his shirt so your fingers can explore the taut muscles you just know are hiding beneath it.  Bucky grabs the collar behind his neck and pulls the shirt off altogether, and you are not disappointed.  “You like what you see, huh?”  

“Damn right I do.”  You’re breathless, pressing your lips against the salty skin of his collarbone.

“You sure know how to use that mouth of yours, don’t ya?”  He groans, then reaches down to grab the hem of your dress to lift it over your head before tossing it to the side.   “Goddamn, darlin.”  Bucky eyeballs you like a starving man at a feast before his mouth is back on yours, then moves his lips to the top of your breasts while he reaches around to unclasp your bra.  It joins your discarded dress as he pulls you close, groaning at the feel of your naked breasts pressed against his chest.  “I don’t know what the fuck I did to deserve you walkin’ into that bar tonight,” he bites your neck and you can’t stop the light whimper, “but I ain’t gonna complain. I’m gonna make you feel so good, Princess, I promise.”

You believe him.  And you cannot wait.

The two of you somehow manage to take a couple of steps toward the bed.  “I’ve wanted to do this since you smiled at me after givin’ me that chalk.  Those eyes, that smile, that dress, those fuckin’ sexy shoes.”  His hands find your hips, hooking your panties with his thumbs to push them down so you can step out of them.  “When we started dancin’ all I could think about was what it would feel like havin’ your legs wrapped around me, I want you so damn bad.”

You unbutton his jeans and fumble with the zipper, then pull his jeans and boxer briefs down at the same time, freeing a fully hard cock that is nothing short of glorious.  “Then either figure out how to multitask or stop talking and fuck me already.”

Bucky Barnes does not need to be told twice.

He kicks off his remaining garments before pushing you against the nearest vertical surface – which happens to be the middle of the window, where there’s a strip of metal supporting the two panes of glass.  You aren’t sitting on the ledge, just leaning against it to keep your balance.  It occurs to you that maybe you should close the curtains, but you’re too far gone to care enough to do anything about it.

“Don’t you worry, Princess. I can do both.”  His arm is looped around your waist to hold you steady while your upper back presses against the cold strip of metal.  You’ve got one arm hooked around his neck and the other steadying yourself on the edge of the windowsill.  Bucky reaches down, takes hold of your thigh and lifts it to his hip. He lets go of your waist just long enough to guide his cock to your entrance – and he can slide right in because you’re so damn wet – and fuck, the way he stretches you is delicious.

“Christ, you’re so damn fuckable,” he moans in your ear, sending shivers throughout your entire body. “So fucking perfect…don’t need a bed or a chair, I can fuck you anywhere I want.  I could just bend you over, wouldn’t even need a wall.”  Between his thrusts, which are as maddeningly steady and slow as his dancing, the cool metal of the windowpane at your upper back, the flickers of lightening, and the crashes of thunder, it’s almost sensory overload. He’s holding you so tightly that you can’t move your hips much, so you’re completely at his mercy.  And he knows it.

Each move he makes is a sin; the angle you’re at all but guarantees he’s stroking your clit with every move.  Delirious with the sensations flooding your brain, you can only babble nonsense.  

“What’s that, Princess? Use your words, darlin,” Bucky

“So…so good…I, huh…”

He chuckles darkly, “What was that?”

He’s not playing fair but you really don’t mind – his confidence with you is a rarity and is such a fucking turn on.  “More.”

“More?  You want me to fuck you harder?  Is that right?”  He waits for your nod before flashing a wicked grin lit by lightning, then adjusts his grip on your thigh.  “Anything you want, Princess, you get.”

His thrusts come harder and faster, multiplying your pleasure tenfold.  Then he shifts his hand on your thigh, changing the support from holding it up to pushing it back, opening you further and allowing him to go even deeper.

Oh, oh fuck…

Your entire body clenches with your orgasm, so tightly you can’t even breathe, and your mouth opens in a silent scream.

Bucky follows you just seconds later with a growl of your name against your neck and a few last ragged movements.

He releases your thigh as he gently pulls out, but he doesn’t take his arm from around your waist. You lift yourself onto the windowsill, pulling him between your legs as you hold each other close and catch your breath while the storm rages outside.  He keeps his face buried in your neck as you run your fingers up and down his back, calming you both.  The thunder rumbles violently while lightning dances in the sky, but it doesn’t worry you. You’ve always found comfort in the chaos of a storm.

Eventually your legs start to fall asleep, so you begin to move.  Bucky notices and hikes both of your thighs up to his hips before guiding your arms up around his neck.  “Hold on, Princess.”  He reaches down and lifts you, carrying you the 5 feet to the bed.  After laying you down, he begins kissing you again, then starts exploring your body.  “I love being cradled in your thighs like this, but there’s something else I wanna try,” he whispers as he starts crawling down.  “Now I can take my time with you.”

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where he’s going.  “Really? Um, maybe I should shower first?” You’re sweaty from the heat of the day and just had some really incredible sex, so there’s no doubt in your mind that things are less than fresh down there.

“If you want to.”  He keeps on his slow descent, kissing everything in his path, “But I’m happy with you just like this.  I want you, right now, as you are.”

“But don’t you –“

“No.  I don’t.”  There’s a challenge in his eyes when he looks up from his destination.  “I don’t care.”  And then Bucky dives in, devouring your pussy like he’d devoured your mouth.  He’s got you writhing in moments, all worries gone. But he’s a goddamn tease now that the initial urgency has been satisfied, bringing you to the edge and then backing off again and again in a beautiful torture.

You can’t do dirty talk to save your life, but you’re about to start begging when he finally looks up, chin glistening before he wipes it away with the back of his hand.  “Fucking delicious.”  Between the sight of him, his voice, and the sensations you’re feeling, your brain just about short circuits.  Then his fingers start to circle your entrance, teasing you, making you want more before he slowly pushes two in and curls them to press against that spot, and fuck it can’t feel any better, but then somehow it does.  You pull a pillow over your face but he shifts, reaching up to yank it back off and throw it across the room.  “No way, Princess, I wanna hear what I do to you,” he rasps, watching you with hungry eyes and a feral grin.  You’re almost there…almost…and then he puts his mouth back on your clit and your universe implodes.

One orgasm blends into another and you allow him to push your limits until you can’t handle it anymore. “Stop,” you gasp, and he does immediately.  “I’m – it’s too much.  I…wow.” You’re so oversensitive at this point that if he breathes too hard, you might jump out of your skin.

Bucky crawls his way back up to you, dropping kisses on your hot skin as he goes.  “You’re incredible, you know that?  I love how your body responds to me, I fucking love it.”

He kisses you again, and despite your sensitivity, your hunger for him grows.  Sitting up, you pull him with you then push him down to the mattress.  “Fuck yes,” he whispers hoarsely when you straddle him and slide down, pausing to glide your pussy along his hardened cock, but then you slide down a little farther before spreading his legs so you can kneel between them.  

It’s impossible not to groan aloud when your hands find his thighs; thick, tight, and incredibly well formed, they look like they were sculpted by a generous god.  “I might have to ride one of these later.”

“Please –“  Bucky swallows hard and licks his lips as he watches you in the dim, sporadically flickering light, “Please do.”

One hand moves to palm his balls while you part your lips to take him in as far as you can, reveling in his heaviness on your tongue while using your hand to stroke the base of his cock. You give it a bit, waiting until he’s writhing beneath you before you pull off and redirect your attention.  His eyes grow wide when your fingers start moving down beneath his balls to his taint, pressing gently to find the very root of his cock which will then lead you to the spot you’re looking for.  Pressing firmly when you find it, you begin rubbing tight circles.

“What are you – oh.  Oh.  Oh, fuck, Princess, oh fuck!”

It’s ridiculously satisfying to see him reduced to the same whimpering, quivering puddle you were not so long ago.  You make him come once, twice, three times without ejaculating, just because you can.  

Bucky’s got his forearm resting over his eyes as he shakes his head, and you take advantage of his distraction to shift your body into position.  “Holy shit.” He’s breathless, shaking,  “I did not know I had a spot that could do that.  Fuck.  I – oh Christ…“

You slide onto his cock, smiling when his hands automatically reach to grip your hips – the biology and technique can be explained later.  Leaning over, you kiss him deeply then stretch your arms above him to grip the headboard.  Rocking your hips slowly, so slowly, you watch him watch you.

Bucky’s lips form words but nothing comes out except for sighs and soft moans as you become more and more intoxicated by his need for you.  His hands wander up and down, touching your breasts, hips, ass, and everything in between until he pulls you down for another kiss.  “Do you have any idea how fucking perfect you are?  You feel so good.  So fucking good.  Wanna make you feel good.  As good as you make me feel.”  Bucky kisses you again, sloppily, then wraps an arm tightly around you before flipping you both.

Now that you’re on the bottom and he’s back in control, he picks up the pace considerably.

You certainly aren’t about to complain.

His hands are grasping yours, holding them over your head, and your legs are locked around his hips as his thrusts eventually begin to lose their impeccable rhythm.  

Now neither of you are in control.

The pleasure has been steadily building, an inevitable tidal wave on the horizon.  Maybe it’s his confidence, maybe he’s naturally gifted, maybe it’s that his body seems to fit with yours just right.  Whatever it is, this is by far the best sex you’ve ever had, and despite already having multiple orgasms, your appetite for him seems to be insatiable because you’re greedy for the next one.

“Fuck, Princess, it feels so good having those legs wrapped around me,” he pants, “Goddamn, I can – I can feel you’re right there.  I ain’t gonna last much longer, come for me, darlin, give it to me now.  Oh Christ yes, that’s right, just – just like that.”

Your body obeys, giving him exactly what he wants.  The velvet sound of his voice, his incessant dirty talk, the way he smells and tastes – everything about him adds to your pleasure induced stupor.  The orgasm is so powerful that everything but Bucky goes black, and the only thing keeping you tethered to this world is the way he chants your name as he comes.

His body continues to cover yours as you wait for your racing pulse to slow.  He presses kisses to your neck, cheeks, lips, and eyelids, and finally your forehead before he gently lifts himself off to lay next to you. “C’mere,” he pulls you to him, and when you rest your head on his chest you can hear how fast his heart is still beating.

Thoroughly sated and soothed by the feel of his fingertips on your skin, it’s tempting to give in and fall asleep.  But not yet. Not if you want to sleep through the night.

Reluctantly, you rise. Maybe, if you’re really fast, maybe he’ll still be here when you get back.  It’s probably not the sane thing to do, but you really, really want him to stay the night.

“Where you going?”  Is that trepidation you hear in his voice?

You smile as you take in the sight of him lying in the bed, disheveled and clearly satisfied. “I need to shower.  And wash my face – I need to get my makeup off.  My eyes are getting itchy.”

“Can I join you?”  He laughs at your raised eyebrow, “No, Princess, not like that.  I’m gonna need some time to recover.”

“That’s good to know,” you smirk, “I was starting to wonder if you were a god wearing a mortal’s skin.”

Bucky blushes.  It’s adorable.  “Nah, no god here.  Just a man that’s never wanted a woman so bad before.  Still do,” he shrugs, “Just too worn out at the moment to do anything about it. You’re somethin’ special, I hope you know that.”

It’s your turn to feel the heat rise in your cheeks, but you hold out your hand to help him up.  

The shower is tender and sweet, full of soft kisses and softer touches.  This man just keeps surprising you.

He’s toweling off his hair when his eyes meet yours in the vanity mirror.  “Is it okay if I stay?”

A slow smile spreads across your face – you couldn’t stop it if you tried.  “I’d like that.”  You slip into fresh panties and a tank top, turning to face him fully to admit, “I’d like that a lot.”  Bucky beams at you before pressing a soft kiss to your lips and heads to the bed. You finish up a few minutes later and crawl in, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.  There’s nothing to hide behind – no makeup, no cocktail dress, no drink.  It’s just you, and this is a state that very few people see you in; no one you’ve ever dated has seen you this vulnerable until months have gone by.  Some didn’t see you this way at all.  “Don’t look too close.  I’m very unglamorous and monochrome without makeup.”

Bucky’s blue eyes stare in yours.  “We’ll have to agree to disagree.”  His fingers trace your freshly moisturized skin.  “I think you’re beautiful.”

Outside, the thunderstorm has exhausted itself.  He pulls you close and breathes you in, and you both fall asleep to the sound of gentle rain.

***

When the sun peeks through the gap in the curtains at 6 am, you’re not even mad that you’re awake.  The sight of Bucky lying peacefully next to you is something you’re thoroughly enjoying.

“You’re staring.”  His voice, deep and gravelly, rumbles lightly into the silence as he opens his eyes.  “It’s because I’m decent and gorgeous with a personality, right?”

“What?”

Bucky smirks as he stretches and sits up.  “I should probably come clean.  The bartender from last night?  My parents took him and his sister in after their parents were killed in an accident. Clint and Carrie were lucky to survive – he lost his hearing and six months of memories and she was in the ICU for 3 weeks.  He and I have practically been brothers since grade school.”

It takes a minute, but you finally put the pieces together.  Oh.  Well, shit.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop; I was just really surprised to see you sign so I didn’t look away fast enough. I’m sorry.”

You sit up and slap him lightly on the shoulder.  “So, you knew what I asked him?

His smile broadens as he gives you puppy dog eyes.  Yes. Please don’t be mad.

You try not to smile back as you think about it but lose the battle and shrug.  “I’m not mad.  Maybe a little embarrassed, but we’ve known each other for what, 12 hours?  It’s not like you can tell me everything about you in that short amount of time.”  You give him some serious side eye, “Although you could have mentioned that when I told you what I do for a living.”

He studies your eyes like he’s trying to see into your soul.  “I told you a lot, though.”

“You did.  We both did.”  It surprises you, more than a little, that you aren’t horrified at how open and honest you’ve been with him.

Bucky reaches his hand up to cup your cheek and he pulls you in for a kiss.  “Good morning, beautiful.”  It seems like he doesn’t want to part, because he rests his forehead against yours.

Somehow your hand finds his neck, and you gently rub your thumb along his jawline.  “Good morning, Bucky.”

His stomach grumbles. Loudly.  “Wanna grab some breakfast, Princess?”

It makes you a stupid amount of happy that he’s not ready to leave you just yet.  “Yeah.  I just need a little bit to get ready.”

A half hour later, Bucky opens the passenger side door of his pickup.  “Your chariot, Princess.”

“Thank you,” you murmur, taking his offered hand and climbing in.  It’s an older truck, one with a bench seat, and it smells of hay, Bucky’s cologne, and sweat.  It’s not what you’d expected, but it suits him.

In this tiny little town nothing is open at this hour on a Sunday morning, so Bucky pulls his pickup onto the interstate to head to a fast food restaurant a few miles away.  You take the time to look around – the area is really pretty and reminds you of the drive to your grandparents’ house, all farmland and pastures.  Of course, you can’t help but stare at the horses whenever you pass them.  “Whoa.  They must breed Appaloosas.”

Bucky takes a quick glance out your window.  “Yeah, that’s the Carter farm.  They raise Appaloosas and alpacas.”  He’s quiet for a moment.  “You like horses?  Not everyone can randomly pick out that breed.”

“I love horses,” you murmur, smiling broadly when you spot a few foals among the herd.  You’re too busy looking at them to notice how he looks at you.

***

Breakfast is simple, just something picked up at a drive thru window, but that’s perfectly fine with you. Bucky doesn’t pull back onto the interstate though, he instead starts driving the winding country roads.  You don’t mind in the least; you simply sip your coffee, content to be exactly where you are.  Considering the hour, you aren’t even grumpy.  Stealing glance at the reason why, you hide your smile and take another sip.

Bucky’s fingers drum almost nervously against the wheel, then he seems to make a decision as he brakes sharply.  “Sorry, Princess,” he smiles sheepishly, “You up for a picnic?  I know a spot.”

His smile is infectious. “Yeah.”

He takes the left he stopped so quickly for, and then another left onto a dirt road, and a mile later he turns onto what looks like a seldom used service trail leading up to a fenced in pasture.  “Just a sec,” he pulls the truck to a stop, then gets out to open a gate.  Bucky quickly climbs back in, drives the truck through about 20 feet before turning in a tight circle to face the road, and closes the gate behind him before stepping up to your door.  “I got some blankets, do you want to sit in the truck bed with me?”

“Of course.”

He gets the blankets and spreads them out while you grab the food and coffees, handing them to him before you climb in after him.

“I would’ve helped you in, Princess.”

“Bucky.  I’m not five feet tall.  I can get into the back of a truck.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m fully aware of that.  But unlike the other shmucks you seem to have come across in your life, I ain’t gonna make you do something by yourself just because you can.  You deserve consideration and chivalry, too.”

What do you even say to that?  He’s the exact opposite of pretty much everything you’ve ever known.  It’s nice.

He sits down against a box that is attached to the back of the cab.  “C’mere.  You look cold.”  

It was hot when you’d packed your overnight bag so you’ve only got a tee shirt and shorts on, and luckily a hoodie that just happened to be in the backseat of your car.  “I am, a little,” you admit as you curl into his side, allowing him to cover your legs with another blanket that he’s pulled out.

He eats one handed, keeping an arm around you to keep you close and warm.

Everything smells clean and fresh now that the storm went through, and the morning air is chilly but fresh with the light breeze.  The radio plays softly, drifting through the open windows as you and Bucky eat and watch the fluffy white clouds drift by.  It’s the best picnic you’ve ever had, hands down.

“So where are we? It’s beautiful here.”

“My parents’ farm.”

You turn to stare at him. “This is where you grew up?”

“Yep.”

“Lucky.”

“I am.  Hey, I wanna introduce you to someone.”  He stands suddenly, not waiting for a reply.  You’re in the middle of a pasture, who the hell is there for you to meet?  Bucky brings his fingers to his lips and lets out the sort of piercing whistle that you’ve never managed to master.

And then…and then…

“Are you fucking serious.” Eyes wide, you bring yourself to a kneeling position as a steel grey Percheron comes galloping full speed towards the truck.  “Bucky!”

He turns toward you, face almost split in two by his grin.  The horse slows down, circling the truck and whickering before coming to a full stop right at the tailgate.  

“I’d like you to meet Sergeant.”  

“Oh my God, Bucky, he’s stunning,” you breathe, unable to help yourself as you slowly move forward to sit at the edge of the open tailgate.   Intelligent eyes take you in before a velvet muzzle finds your hand.  “Sorry buddy, I don’t have any treats for you.  But I do have ear scratches,” you murmur, firmly stroking the planes of his face before scratching behind his ears.  You giggle when he sighs, and again when he mouths gently at your hair.  

Bucky beams with pride as he pulls an apple out of the box you’d been leaning against, feeding it to Sergeant before sitting on the tailgate next to you.  “I’ve had him for 20 years.  I got him when he was just a colt.  Trained him myself.  He’s one of the reasons why I choose to work remotely – I just can’t imagine not getting to see him.”

“I don’t blame you at all, I don’t think I could’ve left this sweetheart either.”  Sergeant blows gently in your face, then nuzzles you hard enough to push you backwards.  “Oh my goodness, you are just a big baby, aren’t you, Sarge?  Oh, you like that?  That spot right there?”  You laugh lightly as the giant horse stretches his neck toward you, seeming to thoroughly enjoy how you scratch just beneath where his mane grows.

“He likes you.”  Sergeant looks over when Bucky speaks, but then turns back to you.

“Well, I like him.” Feeling eyes on you, you turn to Bucky. “What, are you jealous?” you tease.

“Yes.”  Bucky cradles your face in both his hands and begins kissing you.  Before you know it, you’re lying in the truck bed with him, making out like a couple of teenagers out past curfew.  Time slows even as it moves, and you’d swear the minutes stretched into a blissful forever as you lay in his embrace.  But the real world likes to force its way in, and the distant sound of a car’s horn brings you both back to your senses.

Sergeant is about 50 feet away, grazing peacefully as Bucky pulls out his phone to check the time.  “We, uh, we should get going.  I don’t know how much longer I can keep my hands to myself, and my folks will be drivin’ by on their way to church in about 15 minutes.”

“Don’t feel like scarring them forever with the view of your naked ass?”  You sit up and start pulling up the blankets to fold them.

“Honestly?”  He shakes his head, “They’d probably cheer and then invite you over for dinner.”

Pausing your movements, you let that one sink in.  “…Oh. Well that would be just as awkward as the alternative.”

He shrugs.  “They’ve been dropping some not so subtle hints that they think I should settle down.  They’d be thrilled just to know I spent the night with you.”

You tilt your head a bit as you watch him.  “Don’t you date?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Really?  Why not?”

He shrugs again as you hand him the blankets, then he turns his back to you as he puts them in the box. “I dunno.  I guess I just hadn’t found anyone I wanted to actually spend time with.”  

“Huh.”

“What?”  There’s a challenge in his eyes when he turns back around.  “That so weird?”

“No, I get it.  You definitely shouldn’t settle.  I guess…” he’s staring at you now, waiting for you to finish, “I guess I’m just a little surprised that someone hasn’t snatched you up yet.  Where I come from, you’re quite a catch.”

“You think so?  How’s that?”

Is he baiting you? Teasing you?  Genuinely curious?  It’s impossible to tell.  “I know so. You’re smart, kind, funny, and a stupid amount of gorgeous,” you pause to level a look at him, “but I suppose you already knew I thought the last part.”

Bucky barks out a laugh but at least has the good grace to look sheepish.

“You have an absolutely beautiful horse, which wins points with pretty much every person I know. Your parents took in a couple of kids when they needed a family, and you learned a new language so you could keep communicating with your friend.  You have every opportunity to move to another city, but you stay here to be close to those you care about.  And,” it’s dumb, really, how you’re suddenly too shy to meet his eyes, “You’re really good in bed.  Like, really really good.  You’re the whole damn package.”  When you finally look up, he’s staring at you again.  “There’s a perfectly real possibility that you’re a total asshole and that you’ve been acting this whole time – I’ve only known you for a day – but I haven’t seen any cracks.  I get the definite impression that I met the real Bucky, and he is one hell of a catch.”  

“Huh.”  He hops down and turns, holding out his hand to help you down.  Do you need to take it?  No, but you love that he offers anyway.  He doesn’t let go after he helps you out, instead choosing to hold your hand as he walks you to the passenger side.  Bucky only lets go because he has to, and once the gate is secured behind the truck, he takes your hand and holds it for the entire drive back to the motel.

***

Ever the gentleman, Bucky walks you back to your motel door.  

“Do you have to go?” The words are out before you can think too long on them.

He’s shaking his head before your entire sentence is out, “No.  Not if you don’t want me to.”

You don’t even care if you sound needy or clingy.  “Please stay.”

Just like you learned last night, Bucky Barnes does not need to be told twice.

At least the drapes are closed this time.

***

A sharp rap at the door and an equally sharp call of your name interrupts your post-lovemaking bliss.  It’s your aunt.

“I don’t wanna,” you whine.

Bucky bristles, sensing your distress.  “That her?”

You nod before pulling a pillow over your head.  “I’m just going to pretend I’m still asleep.  Maybe she’ll go away.”

“Don’t worry Princess, I got you.”

You feel the bed shift and move the pillow.  “Bucky!”

He turns back to you, eyebrows raised, as another insistent knock echoes through the room.

“You’re naked!”  It comes out as a stage whisper, making you both snicker.

He flashes a shit eating grin.  “So?”

Is he really gonna…

With a dramatic huff, he stops to find his boxer briefs and quickly tugs them on.  Kind of.  They’re sitting awfully low.

First there’s the sound of the door swinging open, then Bucky’s voice, bored and borderline intimidating.  “Yeah?”

The following silence is deafening and you almost wish the room was set up so you could see your aunt’s face, but all you can see is the back half of Bucky’s sensational body leaning in the doorframe.

“Uh, hi?  I’m looking for my niece?  I thought this was her room?”

“You mean the tall, gorgeous drink of water?  About my height?  Killer smile? Was wearing, uh, let’s see, what was she wearing?  It’s been awhile and she ain’t wearin’ much of anything now.”

The blood rushes to your face, but you can’t even imagine how embarrassed Lydia is right now.  The thought is nothing short of glorious.    

“Uh,” he snaps his fingers a few times, feigning concentration, “Oh!  A black dress with the sexiest heels imaginable?  Sound about right?”

“Well, yes, but –“

“Yeah, she’s here.” His tone is still bored, but you think you can pick up on an edge of amusement.  Your aunt must be squirming by now, and it’s all you can do to not start cackling.

“I thought…well…the gift opening is in an hour.  I thought she was going to meet us for breakfast before –“

“She won’t be goin’ to the gift opening.  Or breakfast, but don’t you worry, ma’am.  I made sure she ate something.”

The not so subtle innuendo almost makes you choke on your own spit.

“You can’t – are you holding my niece hostage or something?”

He laughs darkly but yells out, “Princess, am I holding you hostage?”

Your own laugher, unable to be contained any longer, bursts out.  “Nope!” you call out, absolutely feeling as gleeful as you sound.

Lydia is practically apoplectic by now.  “But what about the gift opening?”

“She doesn’t. Want.  To go,” he growls, stooping down.  “And here, she doesn’t want your fucking ugly shoes, either.  Stop projecting your insecurities onto her – she’s perfect the way she is.”  Bucky closes the door – perhaps a little harder than strictly necessary – and you hear the sound of the lock sliding into place before he saunters back to the bed.

“Thank you for doing that, Buck.  I – holy shit, I cannot believe you answered the door like that.”  Your eyes are glued to how low his boxers are sitting – he’s showing more than just his happy trail.

“What?  Everything’s technically covered.”

“Bucky.”

“Yes, Princess?”

“I – I’m not even sure how you managed it, but you basically turned your boxers into the dick version of a pasty.”

He grins, “Like I said. Everything’s technically covered.”  Bucky moves closer, crawling into the bed until he hovers above you. “But not for long,” he murmurs, pressing kisses to your neck.  “Now, the way I figure it, we got another two hours till checkout.”

“Mmmmm…” you’d rather not think of the time.  It’s necessary if you don’t want someone from housekeeping to accidentally walk in, but you don’t want this to end.

He kisses you deeply before pulling back, looking just a little hesitant.  “And then, if you want, we could continue this back at my place? If you’re not in a hurry to get home?”

He’s kept his lips to himself for a few seconds, so your head manages to clear enough to process what he just said.  “What? Really?”

“Yeah.  I mean, I get it if you have to get back.  But,” he shrugs awkwardly, his current vulnerability at stark odds with his usual confidence, “I like you.  I’d like to spend the day with you if you’re free.” He kisses your neck again and nibbles your ear.  “We can do more of this.  I like this, too.  A lot.” He pulls back to look you in the eye. “But we could also do some talkin’. Maybe you’d let me take you out to a nice dinner before you head home?”

A smile, broad and genuine, stretches across your face.  “I’d like that.  I’d really like that.”  Even if you never see Bucky again after today, you’re hungry for whatever time you can get with him.   He’s addictive and you’ve never in your life felt more satisfied and safe than you do right now.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

His borderline cocky confidence returns as his hands resume roaming the landscape of your body. “Good,” he mouths against your throat, and resumes his worship of you.  “It’s gonna be a good day, Princess.  A good fuckin’ day.”

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[braindeadskeletons]

Hey so I know I already got a matchup, but my sister wanted one, and she doesn’t have a tumblr, so she wanted to do one from my account. “Hi! Call me Ken! I’m a queer chick who dyes my hair a different color every, like, 3 days. (Not really, just every time it fades out.) I have severe anxiety and ADD (it runs in the family lol) and I desperately want to socialize but have no idea how. I’m touch starved, but also don’t really like to be touched? Does that make sense? (1/?)

“I’m a sucker for cute things and may or may not have a huge collection of stuffed animals. Microbiology is super interesting to me and I love going stargazing. Also, black holes are cool and no one can change my mind. (I blame my sib) I love sweet things, and almost always have some sort of candy on me (usually Smarties) and I may or may not like to drink maple syrup sometimes. Although I want to socialize, I can be a bit (a lot) shy and will hide behind whoever is there with me. (2/3)

“I will also stop talking after a point when I get overwhelmed. (Luckily I know ASL and taught a bit to my family) I’ll sometimes exaggerate these tendencies to get people to do what I want. (I once got all of the boys in my class to sacrifice themselves for me during dodgeball in 5th grade) I’m a little highly sensitive, so I rarely wear anything other than disguised pjs. I pick at my fingers and lips till I’m a bleeding mess, and have the worst eyesight ever. Thanks!!” Sorry for using 3 asks

Hi again, I'd love to do a matchup for Ken! Typically for each matchup I try and say something directly to the person who sent it in but uhhhh I don't really have much to say lmao. It's really late at the time where I'm writing this so I'm a little out of it hopefully that doesn't show in my writing. You sound like a lovely gal! When deciding who I wanted to pair with you there was only one skeleton who came to mind! So without further ado: 

I match you with Underswap Papyrus!

Okay okay so I know this is starting off super informal and it strays away from how I usually format these matchups but I feel like it's necessary to tell you that how you two meet is hilarious. An immediate situation popped up in my head okay hear me out: 

He spots you after a particularly rough night where he's at Muffet's and he's high as fuck right? My man is gone. He doesn't even know his own name. Papyrus spots you also in the restaurant and just loses his collective shit over your hair color. It goes a little like this:

----------

You, minding your business: 

Papyrus, spots you:

Papyrus: what the fuck

Papyrus: holy shit??

You:

Papyrus: do humans like

Papyrus: come in pink??

Papyrus: Is that a thing??

You, realizing that he's staring: 

Papyrus: gotta talk to pink human-

----------

And then he approached you and you walked him to your home since he was barely standing up on his own. He swears that this typically doesn't happen and apologizes a lot and offers to take you somewhere to make up for the trouble. Speed forward, and now you're both in a happy relationship!

Okay now let's actually get serious shall we? I just had to get that situation off my chest lmao.

At the very beginning of your relationship you guys have a conversation about a lot of boundaries the two of you need. You're in luck, because Papyrus can completely understand the feeling of being touch starved but also not wanting to be touched. It's kind of his thing if he's being honest, so the two of you are in this together. With severe anxiety Papyrus can relate in some ways. Though he can't completely understand what you're going through, since he only had mild anxiety, he can offer you some coping mechanisms he's picked up along the way. You both are huge beams of support for one another and you help each other with anxiety as much as possible. ADD is something he's really familiar with seeing as his brother has it. Want a fidget toy? He has plenty on hand that Sans wouldn't mind sharing or doesn't use anymore. Are you spacing out? He's endlessly patient, and would only nudge you a bit to bring you back to reality or he'd just let it go. Reminding you of things is no hassle. Whatever you need he'll do for you. 

Keep in mind that he won't stand for you hurting yourself in any way! If he catches you picking at your fingers or lips he'll gently take your hand in his own and gently ask you to stop. If you're going at your lips he'll try and make you stop through any means necessary. It may not mean anything to you but it does to him. Papyrus wouldn't want to watch you do that.

Going out somewhere isn't really going to be a common occurrence, but if you do want to go outside he's 100% going to go with you. If he sees you looking at any stores with stuffed animals he'll try and distract you with something else as he discreetly buys the plush you were looking at. You will never notice him doing it, it's always a surprise for later. 

Did I mention that he adores you and loves being with you when he does go out? Because he does. Thank fuck that you carry candy on you at all times. Besides everything else that he adores about you this has gotta be one of the highlights of why. At the smallest opportunity he'll be asking for some of your candy to do the dumbest things like:

----------

Papyrus: [smoking a smartie]

You: hhh-

You: how the hell do you manage to smoke a smartie??

Papyrus, no hesitation: improvise, adapt, overcome

You:

Papyrus: 

Papyrus: and practice?

----------

And the fact that you slurp syrup? God, same. He's had a few bottles of syrup himself when the honey runs out.

Papyrus will try and help you talk to others but if you hide behind him in public or stop talking he'll take the hint and teleport you both back home as soon as possible. If you'd like, he'll learn ASL for you. Not just a bit. All of it. Hell, he might just become even more fluent than you.With the whole exaggerating business, if Papyrus sees you doing it to others he'll find it hilarious if it's all in good fun. It won't be working on him though, no matter how hard you try. He'll keep his mouth shut if you aim it at others but not if it's at him. If you need him to play along with you he will though. It's all in good fun.

Dates are guaranteed to be inside the house, with the exception of stargazing. That's in the backyard. You can wear pjs if you'd like, hell Pap will probably wear only a gross week old t-shirt or a sweatshirt. Papyrus will listen to you ramble about microbiology for hours on end and never get tired of hearing your voice. If you voice your interest for black holes Pap may or may not lose his shit for a bit. He'll go on and on about black holes, stars, planets, for as long as you're willing to listen he's willing to talk about it. Listen to him for a bit won't you? He doesn't show this much excitement around others, but he really really loves you. So he trusts you to see him like this.

[black-mesa-hive-au]

Entry 2

CALHOUN (on tape): Captain’s log stardate.....uh....I don’t know how that works actually (he laughs nervously). I thought that would sound cool I guess. Oh! Uh...s-sorry bout that erupt stop last time! I didn’t realize Otis was there or that anybody could hear me! You see, I can’t really record here, that’s why i’m in this gross closet. Its one of the rules we’ve got cause we can’t let anyone from the outside know what happens down here. Which makes sense since they’ve been....you know...cloning down here. If that went out to the public who knows what’ll happen to us? The administrator suggests we’d be terminated by the government or something but i’m pretty sure he’s just trying to scare us. Though, can’t rule out being terminated (He pauses for a second, eyes shifted towards the door). Anyways, yea, can’t let anyone know i’m recording or that I even have a camcorder. I only have a camera cause I (makes air quotes) “confiscated” it from a scientist. He had it in a drawer or something. I was told he only had some sort of illegal toxic chemical- which he did of course but I was lucky to find the camcorder and hide it with me. 

I feel kinda like i’m in a movie or somethin, doing all these video diaries? Well I might as well be! All of this seems like some sort of 80s bargin bin flick i’d watch on bad nights. Anyways, I haven’t actually explained WHY I’m risking my skin to record all this, that would probably be helpful. (He takes a deep breath) Okay, so, I wanted to start a video diary of sorts, like an insight into being a clone and all. Cause there’s a chance all this will find it’s way out of here and someone or something could come in here and shut this place down. That’s what I’d like. Cause ya know, there’s a lot of unethical things that have been happening and all that obviously. Plus it’s gotten weird lately. Like, other Barnies have been disappearing. Two of my roommates got sick just last week and they just kinda-(he motions his hands through the air) went away somewhere. If they were relocated then the administration would’ve TOLD me. At least they should. Whatever happened to them, it’s suspicious for sure. I don’t like it one bit. And yeahhhh I know I jump to conspiracies a lot but I swear, I’m on to something. It would be helpful if any of the other Barnies would listen to me so I can possibly find something out but most of them have been distant with me. They don’t like how I’ve been hanging out with scientists- or rather a scientist. See, I mentioned how the scientists don’t treat us the best, but I didn’t mention the divide. Most of us don’t trust em, me included honestly. Yea we make some limited small talk occasionally but that’s really it. We don’t know if they plan to do anything unsuspected, it’s happened before. But yea, I’ve been talking with one- or rather assigned to one. His name is Dr. Gordon Freeman. He just got the job a few weeks ago and its taking him awhile to adjust to things, so i’m kinda his guide. Like, nobody told him there were LITERAL clones in the facility (he rolls his eyes) like you’d think that’d be super important! Poor doc had the most confusing tram ride to his first day of work. It took quite awhile to explain everything, I kinda made him faint (he chuckled nervously). He didn’t ask any weird questions though, that was a relief. 

He’s hard of hearing and uses ASL so he usually needs an interpreter in meetings and all that. I accompany him when he’s not working and he’s actually trying to help me scope things out! That’s definitely a first- a scientist helping a clone do anything. Its something for sure. He’s said that he feels bad for us Barnies. I guess since he’s younger he’s got more sympathy or something, that’s my only real explanation. He doesn’t have much clearance, but he’s got some pals that do. Apparently this other scientist he works for knows something about all this or at least has a lead, his name is Dr. Kleiner apparently. Tomorrow Dr. Freeman is going to take me to see him. The guy even gave me a new helmet with a recorder in it and put it in my locker? I’m guessing I was right and this was more serious than I thought? Why else would he go through so much trouble to do that for me? I guess Dr. Freeman told him about my new hobby I've picked up. (he pauses for a second looking around the dingy closet) This is all going smoother than I thought, I have to admit i’m kinda scared about what I’m going to learn tomorrow. Bad news, bad bad bad bad news I bet. Everything has been too normal until now. Not normal can’t be good. (He checks his watch) I better get back to my shift, Freeman’s got a briefing soon I’ve got to run to! I-I’ll be sure to get a recording of tomorrow, and if anything else funky happens i’ll be sure to try and catch it too. Well that was a lotta info for one tape (he laughed nervously) everything is- (he makes his way to the camera) escalating quick-

-End of recording-