#i've been fantasizing about this moment for 4 whole years

[ggtheninwirefan]

My Patron Battle is live!

Finally, the world will know my name! Tune in and meet the first of the Hero Knights' Legendary Heroes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg2WuHo19Bs

And stick around til the end for a fun surprise. ;>

[according2thelore]

different anon jumping in here but hot damn i'd read 500k of just your slice of life vignettes about this ls/es crossover. plot is so beyond unnecessary for this one holy shit just please hit a million word count giving us this juice. not sure if you had plans for first time/established but i'm now fantasizing about the added layers of all the varieties of it. the dark spiraly angst of es!bros who never crossed the line and have just barely begun to think about it, all naked panic and throes of guilt and excitement, trapped in a timeline with ls!bros who crossed it years back and can't help poking at the es versions of themselves bc they both know how hard it was for them. or, even better, if all 4 are still sort of peeking over the fence at the possibilities and ls!bros are going on year 30 of angsty mutual pining and here come the versions of themselves who made these emotions the ugliest that they ever were ... yum. yummyyyyyy please keep going

AAAA thank you so much!!!!!! :,)

i'm so honoured and glad that you like them! 🥰 these are so fun to write, so i hope you all keep thinking they're interesting, lol!

in my head, i've been picturing ES!Sam&Dean as being not "together," and as LS!Sam&Dean as being pretty firmly together/established.

it happened around a year and a half back, the slow realization that they both felt the same way, that the ownership and protectiveness and fear that close wouldn't be close enough, that they had for a while--single digits while. there wasn't any big "thing" that did it, just a bad hunt and a slow recovery and with all the god business, it just seems fair that they finally get to have this. it doesn't even feel like anything "new," more like an extension of what they already are to each other, what they already do. more of an equilibrium, a homeostasis, the world settling back into how it is supposed to be.

sometimes dean finds himself in the reflex of leaning away before he remembers that he can actually lean forward if he wants to. sam kicks his brother's shins under the table when he's being a dick but kisses him afterwards.

but ES!Sam&Dean are still stuck in the early stages. ES!Dean spent years mourning and hating sam for leaving, thumbing old polaroids of him in his middle school theater costume until the film starts to peel away and the picture underneath chips. sam had been hoping that the time apart would make his stomach less riotous, something with more ability to be tamed, but after jess and during the quiet moments spent in motel rooms, driving while sun filters through the windscreen and warming denim-clad legs and old leather, sam realizes that nothing has changed.

it makes him feel even more wretched because was he using jess this whole time? no. he loved her. he really did. dean just chips away at the hardest parts of his grief, the most isolating, with quips and burgers and big, earnest eyes. but how can someone find space for anything that's not dean in their chest, when he looks over with a betrayed moue and his hand glued to a beer bottle?

with sam's nightmares shaking him awake almost nightly, they've gotten in the habit of touching each other, fingers on wrists and dean's palm at the back of his neck and ankles crossing under tables and eyes tracking chapped lips and sides pressed together all the way down shoulders-biceps-forearms-waists-hips-thighs.

so when ES!Dean tries to find LS!Dean to ask him about the keys to the armory--because, hey, cool--he sees the door to his bedroom open. he sees the two pillows. sam's house shoes on one side of the bed. dean's on the other. the lube on the fucking nightstand that they don't even bother to put away because who ever comes over

and ES!Dean is...floored. fucking agog. and he gets even more flustered around LS!Sam and more convinced that this is some kind of alternate timeline/universe or something in which sam actually wants him back

he's blushing whenever LS!Sam looks at him and can't stop looking up at his not-so-little brother, built like a statue and making dean sweat with his fond smiles. he can't stop jerking off to imagining what it would be like to pull him down into a kiss, or feeling him from behind as he presses in. and this makes LS!Dean even more unworthy in ES!Dean's opinion, a murdering bastard drowning in gold and splendour. he thinks about it all the time--can't stop thinking about it. ES!Dean tries to catch LS!Sam's attention like 'me too, right? i'm good enough too, right?'

plus, it also fuels his anger at LS!Dean bc how did sam find out? how did this happen? did you force sam into this, you sick fuck? we swore on mom's grave that he'd never find out. no way sam actually wants us, no fucking shot.

if ES!Sam finds out, it would all kind of blow up, i think. it would be messy and sam would be furious because is that what ES!Dean's been trying to do and why he suddenly can't look either sam in the eye?? he wants to fuck LS!Sam?? what is different about him that ES!Sam doesn't have? it's kind of a betrayal on both fronts: a brother that only wants a specific not-ES!Sam version of sam, and a version of his older self that steals his brother out from under him.

not to mention, the whole time LS!Sam&Dean are looking at their younger selves with a weird mix of glee and pity, bc they don't even know yet, know what the word "brother" means, how it can mean everything at once, and to what extents they are willing to go to keep each other.

ARGH! it would be so messy!!! the tangled webs of longing and possession and just sheer goddamn need!

but anon!!!! you're so right!!!!!!!!! if neither of them are together, and suddenly they have to interact with these younger versions of themselves, who, if they can't have each other--who knows? with their big eyes and clear admiration and longing? these feelings have never been easy, but with ES!Sam&Dean, they're so messy. they bleed want, and it's agonizing to witness. idk...makes u think...

anyway. thank you for this lovely ask anon! and for your kind words!! if only i could write a million words about them, lol! x <3

-lizzy

(for the new: ES = early seasons, LS = late seasons; the other ES/LS posts can be found here!)

[magpiefngrl]

How about 16, 17, and 18? 🤩

Hey, lovely! What great questions, thank you!

16. What is your most underrated fic?

I'm not sure how to define underrated here. For instance, I really love The Glass Hearts but it's not a drarry (or any ship) fic, so it's not surprising that it hasn't been read as much as other stories. It did have some awesome comments, though.

If we go with a simple gut feeling, that undefinable ache about a fic we love that we wish it'd been read more, then for me that's The Boy Who Died. It has had a bunch of readers and some comments, but I'd like to share my love for that fic with more people. It's the one fic that whenever it appears in my kudos email, I always smile.

17. What fic are you most proud of?

Although I did consider mentioning dirtynumbangelboy, I'll have to go with 9 ½ Days. It's my longest fic, for one; it's a fic I was very close to abandoning but I managed to finish, which gives me a sense of relief and even triumph when I think about it; and it's one where I poured my thoughts and feelings about Draco in his canon years.

Also, in most of my fics I try to add something that we might not see a lot in fandom (like the treatment of the Shrieking Shack in Through the Looking Glass and What Draco Found There or Draco as an Incubus in Hush, darling etc). In this case, I wrote about magical Romani, which isn't something I'd seen before in HP, and some scary faeries. Finally, I'm quite pleased with the prose, esp in some passages.

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

I've got a few in mind but let's go with the first kiss scene in 9 ½ Days. This is in Chapter 4. I won't copy the whole thing out, just parts. Under the cut:

Harry and Draco have spent a few days on the run now. They're starting to trust each and are getting closer emotionally but there's been no overt attraction between them. A great way to get them to think about sex (with each other) is to give them a reason to discuss sex in general, and Draco is the one who brings it up here.

‘You know what I‘m sorry about in this whole affair?’ Draco said, affecting nonchalance. ‘That I’ll die a fucking virgin.’

Harry’s mouth went dry. He hummed something indistinct.

Draco whispered, ‘Is sex as good as people say, Harry?’

‘How should I know?’ Harry asked, his hands sweating.

They talk about their experiences briefly. A paragraph follows that I quite like:

They hadn’t taken their eyes from the ceiling, as if this conversation didn’t involve them. Perhaps it was easier to talk about sex to the ceiling. Harry attempted to deal with this news as calmly as he could, even though his heart — and cock — swelled with the thrill of possibility. He’d had fantasies about Cedric and Bill Weasley in the past, but seeing as they were both straight, Harry’s fantasies had felt harmless; an idle exercise, a private unreality he liked to spend some time in. But now Harry had fantasized about someone who lay beside him and confessed to liking boys, too. Someone who Harry could reach out and touch, and who might — the idea made Harry’s blood simmer — welcome the touch.

Harry really should turn his back and go to sleep. Draco shifted and Harry caught Draco’s body heat very close to him, and his scent.

‘I’ve never kissed a boy,’ Harry told the ceiling.

I like the image of them side by side, looking at the ceiling, because this conversation is momentous for both of them but it's a bit too revealing and honest, and so it's easier to look somewhere else. To pretend that what you're saying doesn't matter much, exactly because it does matter. A lot.

Draco was the one who brought up sex earlier and then Harry is the one who comments that he's never kissed a boy. He gives Draco an opening. The subtext here is 'I want to kiss you but I can't bring myself to say it.'

I'm really pleased with the imagery in these two sentences:

Silence followed, but a pregnant silence, full of fluttering butterflies and words trapped in throats. A silence that held its breath, waiting to see where the conversation might lead.

Draco takes the opening and suggests what we all want to see. I have a soft spot for kissing or sex scenes where the characters give in to their attraction while holding back emotionally. The fuck buddies scenarios; the "this is a test kiss" like here, and so on. In those cases, although the scene is about relieving sexual tension, it still retains some tension and that is more interesting to me.

Draco gazed at him. He chewed his bottom lip for a moment, drawing Harry’s eyes there. ‘I know you hate me,’ Draco said, his voice low, ‘but seeing as we’ll probably die soon, you could… test it. If you want. With — with me. Just so you’ll know.’

‘I don’t hate you,’ Harry said with conviction. There were worse monsters in the world than Draco Malfoy.

Draco kept staring, wordlessly asking for a reply.

‘Sure,’ Harry said, aiming at casual and failing. ‘Just so I’ll know.’

Both stalled, awkward now that kissing was on the table. Harry didn’t know if he should make the first move or whether Draco would. Tense like a diver about to jump off a cliff, Harry shuffled and brought his face closer to Draco’s, his heart in his throat.

Draco cleared his voice. ‘Let me…’ He rose to his elbow. Propped over Harry, Draco gazed at him with enigmatic eyes, cupped his cheek and kissed him.

Draco here echoes the phrase "let me" which Harry said earlier in the chapter when cleaning Draco's wounds. The rest is the description of the kiss, which is very soft and sweet, if I say so myself. I don't know what people think but I'm happy with the way their first kiss has come about in this fic.

Behind the Scenes Fic Writing Ask

[diaryoftheunidropout]

DAY 365

A year. A year since I dropped out. A whole year since "Day 1", March 3rd 2023.

It's crazy how fast time has passed and how many things have happened and how, in a way, not much has changed.

I have grown very fond of Queen these past few weeks, not that I wasn't into their music before, but this is just another level of admiration. I've been to the UK many, many times, and to the US too. I've been Logan's WWG. I've had Alice tag me in their story literally yesterday, thanking me for the book I gave them. I've met new people, and I've lost friends. I've had dreams, doubts, moments of hope and others of despair. I've realized how important the arts and culture were to me and how I wanted a job connected to that, perhaps just not on the artist's side due to my clear lack of talent and abilities (at least in my own opinion). I've also very recently realized that finding a job in that field would prove extremely difficult, as there are more people wanting to work in it than jobs available, and the degrees requirements often feel out of my reach.

So I still don't really know what my plan is now. When I dropped out, I wanted to take a few weeks off, then find a job, anything, and then go back to my studies by September, probably a business school. Turns out, I never felt well enough to work until August, and by then I'd given up on the idea of going back to studying for very long (probably around May). Found a job in September, felt so miserable that I quit at the end of the third day, and I've been trying to find some stability since then, and also a new, better plan. And I feel very stuck.

A completely delusional part of me is convinced I am destined to do great things and to be a star, in one way or another. A photographer? A writer? Something else? Nothing, perhaps? I often fantasize about writing a great book that people will love, and readers coming up to me asking for an autograph, and Alice reading it and loving it and realizing it I wrote it for them and us becoming friends and maybe someday having a very special bond, because we are soulmates and it was meant to be, right? And all along, it was always meant to be this way and my dad was never disappointed in me or my life choices because he always knew, as one now-omniscient being does, that I would do Great things.

I'm writing now and everything flows and comes so naturally, and I wish it were like this when I write fiction. I wish I'd have the motivation, the will, the determination. I know it's already in me, but it's buried so deep...

I think reading about Queen has just reinforced these illusions in my mind. How they started from nothing and built this incredible career and carved out outstanding lives for themselves. I want that, and I'm capable of that. I want to think that way every day, and even when I don't or can't, I want to pretend that I think this way until I convince myself again that I do.

My dad has been dead for 4 years and I want to make him proud. I want the past 356 days to represent a period of growth in my life, as well as one during which I made dreams come true and realized that my priority should always be chasing more and more of my dreams.

So I'll put this out into the universe: I want to do great things and be successful. I want my name to be known and associated with something positive that is loved by many. I never want to worry about money ever again. I want to surround myself with good people and make my own dreams come true.

I will.

[thejustmaiden]

So out of nowhere I was tagged and quoted by a SR shipper for a blog of mine posted in August of last year. Talk about throwback but, hey, gotta appreciate that level of snooping. 😉

Back in the day I actually used to encourage discourse amongst Inuyasha fans- both shippers and antis alike- but I've since realized that it's a lost cause. But for you, @feministmetalgreymon , I'll grant this exception. Just 'cause it's been a while so why the hell not. haha

I want to assure you, however, that nothing you say will ever convince me that Sesshomaru and Rin are meant to be together romantically or that the story intended it so. Nor will you find any validation here. You can ship them for all I care, but please for all that is good and holy while I have your attention try- I mean really try- to understand why it is so many of us Inuyasha fans are so against this pairing in the first place (newsflash: it's not about ship wars), and why we believe a romance between the two of them is completely and utterly out of character.

For those of you interested in reading this, the blog of mine in question that the above shipper mentions in their counter-argument is here for reference. It's titled "Jaken = Rin's Dad?" I'm going to try and keep this short, but I'm also making no such promises. After all, I'm not exactly known for my brevity. haha Now let's get crackin'!

Like you, feministmetalgreymon, did for your recent blog here where you took screenshots of mine to address certain parts, I will be doing the same and dissecting yours accordingly.

[Snippet 1]

I worked with kids for many years as a teacher, and many people in my family have too or still do. Two of them happen to be just over 5 feet which is quite short for the average adult woman living here. I've also worked alongside many a women of short stature, and never did I hear any of them complaining of issues with their students having difficulty differentiating them from their own peers just because they were short as well. I'm sorry but that's just ridiculous. Kids are quite smart and pick up on a lot more than you seem to give them credit for. Height is not the only characteristic they look at to determine who's an adult and who's not, and it's foolish to suggest otherwise. So unless you're a babysitter who's still in their teens and/or who has very childlike features or behavior then I'm afraid what you're getting at is total hogwash. This is just another example of how you shippers offer nothing of real substance to your reasoning, it's only ever cherry-picking or strawmanning from you guys. Stop deflecting from the real issues please, because this certainly isn't one and only winds up being a complete waste of time for all parties involved.

[Snippet 2]

Okay, calm down now. I wasn't insinuating that relationships between parents and children can't change over time in terms of how they get along. Of course that's possible, as all families experience their fair share of estrangement and abuse. What I was speaking about was in reference to the overall dynamic between the two. Because a bad mother or father can still be viewed as a parental figure to their child even if say they're not in said child's life anymore. Since Sesshomaru and Rin share a healthy bond- and just a friendly reminder that in my blog I even said that he doesn't have to necessarily be labeled her father but that a romantic relationship later would still be inappropriate- I didn't deem it necessary to address what you brought up. Plus, it kinda, umm, misses the point?? Please, let's stay on topic. And it's not captured in the screenshot, but stop acting like there isn't a small part of them that idolizes their parents at some point during childhood. Just like you mention later on how it's normal for kids to have innocent crushes on adults that they eventually grow out of? Well, guess what, the same concept applies here. Kids eventually learn that their parents are far from perfect and make mistakes too. Rin is so damn young in the OG series though that we never even get to see her reach that maturity level.

[Snippet 3]

LOL! Alright, okay, so the "unbreakable bond" bit you're mentioning was actually me quoting you sessrinners. Did you not catch that? I literally spelled it out. *sigh* The whole point I was making is that shippers like yourself make hypocritical and contradictory statements all.the.goddamn.time. One moment you guys claim that Sesshomaru and Rin were essentially strangers and meant very little to each other, only to say in the same breath a few seconds later that they were destined to be together and their bond is like no other. I agree, their bond is special, but why must that mean they're going to fall in love?

That is the root of the matter here. Too many animes/mangas have romanticized this older adult man & young girl growing up falling in love trope that it's become way too normalized and widely accepted across the world- and yes, in some cultures more than others. Sadly, you lack the awareness to recognize how this all works. You know how we know that? When we see that you shippers are so desensitized to sexualized images of girls in the media that you share posts like this one below which *subtly* imply a future romance although one half of that pairing is still just a child in the pic and then try and pass it off as cute. That's like super fucking problematic and it scares me that you can't see that (or deny you do). 🤢

After all that's said and done, Sesshomaru leaving Rin in the village with Kaede is to me the strongest indicator more than pretty much anything else he's done for Rin that proves he is her adoptive father. It's so funny to me how you somehow see the exact opposite though. 🤔 What I think is happening is that you got yourself on some squeaky clean ass shipper goggles fresh out of your little echo chamber. Because I hate to tell you, but what you're fantasizing is what you want to see and not what's actually there on screen or was written into the story. I'm strictly talking about Inuyasha and the manga of course. [For the TL; DR version skip to the last paragraph.]

Parents looking after their kids is what parents are supposed to do. A good parent will do anything to keep their child safe and ensure they are cared for, so what he did for her by leaving her there was in her best interests clearly. Besides, as a babysitter, you more than most people should understand that parents aren't always able to be there for their kids so sometimes others gotta step in to help. Haven't you heard of the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child?" Which in Rin's case is literally true! 😂 Sometimes kids are even sent off to stay with grandparents and that's who raises them instead. Or maybe they have to temporarily live with an aunt or uncle because their single parent's job requires they work out of town 4-5 days of the week so they're hardly home. But that doesn't mean that the parents care or love their kids any less, and it's foolish to assume that Sesshomaru must have thought very little of Rin simply due to the fact that he made the decision to leave her in the village. Come on, y'all are acting like he abandoned her there!!

It's just given the circumstances Sesshomaru finally came to learn that Rin traveling with him was no longer safe. I also like to think it's because he wished for her to live a more normal life and to learn how to fully trust humans again. Plus, continuing to travel with him as young as she was would have proven dangerous and unwise. Now for you to know all this and still manage to turn his past actions towards her while she was just a child into a romantic gesture is what boggles my mind. Regardless of how you look at it, from my perspective or your own, Sesshomaru is in the wrong. Either he's a father figure who impregnates his daughter at the young age of approximately 14. OR he's this man she used to travel with who maybe isn't a father to her but who nonetheless basically rapes her since kids her age can't consent to sex with an adult. Idk about you but it sounds to me like nobody here wins with either scenario we're given. In other words, you should be just as mad as we are. If only one side didn't choose to forsake their morals they know we both have in common for the sake of a ship. Welp. 🤷‍♀️

I agree, incest is disgusting but that's not the only problem we have with this pairing. A romantic bond forming between Sesshomaru and Rin would also constitute as grooming.

You realize that over the years he visited her in the village that he brought her gifts too and essentially watched her grow up right before his very eyes, right? I mean, I know you do, but I really shouldn't have to explain further why pursuing a romantic/sexual relationship with each other is plain and simple wrong. And before you say it's not because he didn't have any malintent, please understand that considering their history and power dynamic up to then that yes this is still considered grooming even if Rin supposedly "wanted it" or "made the first move." Whether you consider him her father or not, as the adult who took on a role resembling that of a caretaker in her early life- a critical developmental time for a child- Sesshomaru is obligated to turn down any advances by Rin and most definitely should not initiate any himself. As the first close adult figure she's had in her life since her parents died, it's unfathomable to imagine how Sesshomaru could go through with taking advantage of this young girl who was under his care and supervision since they met. To think he could be capable of betraying that trust sickens me to the core.

This. Now THIS is how a parent/guardian or a similar adult caretaker (babysitter, teacher, etc.) talks to a child. And, in turn, this is how some young children talk to adults. You'd be insane and delusional to deny it! We see it in our everyday lives, do we not? From where else do you think our stories draw most of their inspiration? Yes, obviously these fictional universes have aspects of fantasy that don't exist in the real world, but so how then do you suppose we're able to relate to them? The reason for that being is because these stories are written by people for people, so naturally there are going to be real life aspects embedded throughout. Sure, a little escapism doesn't hurt as we don't need to take everything so seriously, but ultimately we all need to recognize that the messages in the stories we tell matter. Most stories possess a combination of both light and dark themes, but when it specifically comes to the latter we gotta be careful with how we tackle this in children's media since kids are far more impressionable.

So if at the center of a story we have two of the main protagonists whose mom is basically their same age and to top it off she knew their dad when she was just a girl and who just so happened to help raise her, wouldn't you say that's beyond fucked up or at the very least so fucking weird? Like why would we think it's even remotely okay for our children to watch this garbage?? Really think about it. Try and be objective for once and think about how it would sound explaining this storyline to an outsider who's never watched IY or HNY. Well, antis have tried this before many times and we always get the same reaction: Ewww!

Like I said earlier, if you wanna ship it then fine, but 1) please stop seeking our approval or trying to change our minds - your ship wish came true didn't it, so why do you need us to validate it? 2) even though it's not canon, respect that we don't support this sequel portraying pedophilia in a positive light. It's harmful af to not only allow but glorify the continuation of sexualized images of young girls everywhere. And I shouldn't have to say this, but just because this trope is popular as you say does not make it right. Lolicon themes in the media have been an issue forever and it needs to stop. Yes, even some people in Japan or "the East" would agree. Shocker!

We're pissed off and rightfully so because Yashahime's TV rating is 14, not to mention it airs at the prime time kids in Japan watch TV after getting home from school. That's Towa and Setsuna's age, true, but if Rin being the mom when she's like only a year older than them (please don't argue w/ me about the math- antis have so far been right every time with it) is straight-up disgusting and not something we should be supporting or endorsing. Rin's a whole ass child!! Please don't start with the "but times were different then so her having kids at 15 is acceptable" argument either, because we've already debunked that and every other single excuse you guys throw at us. Besides, how or why would you expect young viewers to know these historical "facts" anyway, especially if as you suggest fiction doesn't affect reality so what does it matter? Yet here we are, arguing over a fictional show in real life almost a year and a half into the "Sesshomaru fucks?" sequel being announced. My ass, your ass, hell all our asses fiction doesn't affect reality!

Look, I do apologize if the tone of this blog came off as snippy or condescending at times. I do not wish you any ill will, it's just I'm not really sure what you expected to get out of all this besides maybe getting on my nerves perhaps. haha A lot of you shippers have been desperately scrambling to interact with us, lurking in our tags, jumping onto our posts screaming canon and getting so defensive even though you sought us out first. We've been sticking to our tags, so how about you stay in your lane too. By the way since we're on the topic, have you seen Twitter or Reddit?! SR shippers there are the actual worst and many Inuyasha fans (not just antis) have complained of not feeling welcomed to engage in fandom spaces anymore. Shippers swarm them and scare them off simply because fans don't like your ship and refuse to accept it. It's pathetic, really. No one should ever be bullied or harassed just because they don't like something you might. We're all fans of Inuyasha, aren't we? So let's act like it. Yashahime on the other hand, you guys are welcome to that pungent heap of trash. Fans have a right to criticize it too, but if you like it then good for you, so keep on liking it and don't mind us.

I'm almost done, but real quick back to Jaken! Let's not forget about how the official Yashahime website- which came out after my blog, mind you- described Jaken. This translation isn't the best one available but it's the only version a fellow anti friend could track down. They do recall a better one done by a native Japanese speaker who was also an anti, and that member confirmed that Jaken is indeed called Rin's babysitter. So you see, I was right in my interpretation. In the original post I did compare Jaken to a brother, but after talking to others (some comments can be found under said post) I did acknowledge that he's more of a reluctant babysitter who's not related. And if he's not at least a brother to Rin, then he's definitely not her father.

At the end of the day, the creator Rumiko Takahashi has the final word. Which is guess what? Hogosha. 💖 Probably should've just started out with that and saved us all the trouble, huh? Good day/night to you.

Papamaru bids you adieu now. 🤞

[carreraleigh]

Between Games and Truths.

Part 2.

Pairing: Ethan x MC

Words: +/- 1407

Rating: R. Explicit language.

A/N: The truth was that this part was going to be the last, but it was too inspired and this scene came out of nowhere. I hope you all estoy it! <3 (part 3 is coming). You can read the first part here: PART 1. pd: I'm a big fan of Frank Sinatra so, I included a song that fit this moment of the story, you all should listen to Sinatra, the king of jazz.

Summary: Ethan and Lia return to the hotel where they were staying, but the tension between them after Ethan's kiss drowns them both.

[

Tags: @lovehugsandcandy @hopelessromantic1352 @sibella-plays-choices @perriewinklenerdie @flyawayboo @lilyofchoices @confessionsofabrokegirl @vienroose @courtesan-of-garage @the-red-jhon @client-327 @radlovedreamer

Lia and Ethan were on their way to the hotel after the conference was over, neither of them had said a word since Lia ran out of the place after Ethan kissed her. Ethan looked at the road, it was late, no car in sight. Lia's gaze was focused out of the car window, trying not to look at Ethan. A Frank Sinatra song was playing slowly on the radio.

"Strangers in the night, exchanging glances, wondering in the night, what were the chances"

Lia was immersed in her thoughts, she glanced sidelong at Ethan, who had the same face as always, impossible to deduce. She touched her own lips, remembering the taste of Ethan's lips, and saw through the rear-view mirror how she had blushed just thinking about it. In her mind there was nothing else, she kept repeating that kiss over and over, nobody had ever kissed her that way, or maybe that was the first time she felt in that way.

"Something in your eyes, was so inviting, something in your smile, was so exciting"

Ethan regretted that kiss, and not because he didn't like it, but because he knew he was lost now, he wasn't going to be able to get it out of his head. In his mind he cursed himself again and again because now he no longer had a way out, he was totally immersed in the deep thought of wanting to kiss her again, wanting to feel her skin once again, but he had sent it all to hell. Lia had run away as soon as their lips separated, and now there was a tension between them that he knew it could be dissipated in no way.

"Something in my heart told me I must have you"

Ethan entered into the hotel where the two of them had stayed. He parked slowly, trying to fit well between the two cars at his side, then silence reigned in the car. He looked at his watch, 2:49 am. He stopped the car, and continued looking at nothing but the wall for a few moments.

Neither of them moved.

"Rookie, I..." Ethan looked at her and started talking, but Lia interrupted him.

"No, please. No." Lia looked at Ethan, who now seemed totally different from what he always used to be. There was something in his eyes that she had never seen, vulnerability.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it" Ethan tried to grab her hand but she refused it "I'm sorry" Ethan ran a hand through his hair "I promise you that from now on I'm going to be more professional" Lia kept staring at him, as if she were analyzing everything that came out of his mouth. Ethan felt something that he usually experienced when he was in front of her: nervousness. Her gaze made him so nervous that he felt like somehow he had to fix the mess he had made.

Lia considered him for a moment, then looked away. She took her purse and her agenda, opened the door of the car, but thn hesitated.  She turned to look at Ethan again, who was still staring at her with vulnerable eyes.

"Dr. Ramsey...Ethan" she sighed, trying to gain strength to say what had stuck inside her for a long time "I didn't run from there because I didn't like what happened" Ethan felt his entire body relax, and looked away. Lia kept her eyes on him, thinking of her next words "I ran because I felt that if I had stayed for a moment more, I wouldn't have been able to stop" Ethan's eyes widened in surprise "The truth is that I've wanted this to happen for a long time, but I think this must end here".

"I understand" Ethan said, trying to hold her hand again. This time she didn't refuse.

"No, you don’t understand" Lia said "You don’t understand because you keep looking at me with those deep eyes, you do not understand because you take my hand and try to apologize" Lia looked at Ethan's hands, his skin was soft and he was grabbing her hand delicately "I can’t do this anymore, Ethan" she looked at him again "I can’t stay here anymore because I'm tired of pretending and fighting against my impulses".

Having said that, Lia rushed out of the car. She started walking to the doors, breathing quickly as she felt her heart beating at a thousand an hour. What had she done?, She had waited so long for that moment, she had thought about it many times, and she was almost certain that she would never have a chance with Ramsey. And there she was, running to her room, running away from everything she wanted at that moment, because the truth is, what she felt was frightening. She was afraid, afraid to feel that desire for Ethan, afraid to mix the professional life with her love life, she wasn't sure of what Ethan felt, she was afraid that that kiss was just a simple impulse of the moment. She was afraid that Ethan would only want her for a “good time” and forget her in the morning. She couldn't do that, she had her heart on her sleeve and she didn't want to risk it.

Ethan went into his room, turned on the lights and started taking off his clothes. The kiss came to his mind over and over again, like a movie. He washed his face with cold water, and looked in the mirror, swore he could still feel the cherry scent of Lia's lipstick on his mouth. He took a towel and got in the bathtub, which was being filled with some more cold water. He laid his head on the edge, trying to relax. The things in his head were about to kill him.

--

Lia looked back at the clock, 4:50 am. It had been more than thirty minutes since she had gone to bed, but there was no way she could sleep. In her head there were only fantasies, fantasies with Ethan that made her shudder completely. She closed her eyes and imagined Ethan kissing her, touching her eveywhere, gently holding her as their bodies became one. She opened her eyes, and saw the side of her bed next to her, empty. She had never wanted Ethan so intensely.

She lowered one hand to her panties, and felt that they were wet. It was unbelievable how the thought of Ethan would completely ignite her body.

She didn’t want to wait any longer. She didn't want to be one more second away from him.

She was willing to play.

Ethan was still reading the same medical book he was reading an hour ago. He drank the coffee next to him, he didn't want to sleep at all. He tried to concentrate on the line he was reading.

“Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability”

He looked at the book confused, he swore he'd read that line before. He took another sip of his coffee and started reading the book again.

“Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability”

He sighed when he realized that he had been reading the same line for almost five minutes, there was no way for him to concentrate. All he could see in his head at the time was Lia in his bed, the two of them hugging each other as he filled her whole body with kisses, God, he wanted her to be completely his.

But it wasn't just desire.

There was no doubt that fantasizing about her naked in his bed is something he also thought about, but he also wanted to hold her in his arms, kiss her tenderly, sleep with her by his side, hugging her from behind. No, he was sure it wasn't only desire. But it was still difficult for him to understand what he was feeling. Years had passed since the last time he loved someone, he had almost forgotten what it felt like. He was so immersed in work that he had never worried about anything else. Especially not love.

He left the book next to the pillow hand looked at the window, he was in the penthouse, surrounded by luxuries and comforts, and he knew he could have the pleasure of a woman if he wanted to. The problem was that none of those women was Lia.

Knock, Knock.

A sound pulled him out of his thoughts.

He looked everywhere, trying to see where that sound was coming from.

Knock, knock. He heard it again.

He rose curiously, and approached the front door.

Knoc, Knoc. It was the third time he had heard that.

He stopped in front of the door, hesitating. Maybe it was just the cleaning service, he tried not to get his hopes up.

Knock, Knock. Silence flooded the room.

He opened the door.

It was Lia.

[slytherinlesbian3]

"reader seems like an asshole. Sorry to everyone the moment reader drinks though."

ur definitely not sorry, van. not sorry at all. but that's okay bc ily

the way we casually shrug off steve's birthday is so funny bc he was literally born a hundred years ago why is he still celebrating this. why is it important. "okay" AHFSDFNSND reader is an asshole? steve is literally past his due date.

hdfnsd bringing him 40s candies that's actually so sweet

TONY BEING STRAIGHT FORWARD BC YEAH THAT'S SO IN CHARACTER HELLO?? "what's ur problem with us" "oh I don't have a problem except I was fucking forced into being one of you guys but nothing, no problem, ur all sexy and im actually in love with you guys." great save, r, great save

wanda the whole time:

everyone whispering abt how r is drunk:

meanwhile clint:

tony:

R had a major gaslight gatekeep girlboss moment when she told nat to grab the wrong piece. make them trust u and then win at the board games bc they're too naive "I'm an honorable player!" nat u used to kill people for a living, I don't th-

PLS WHEN I READ EXTREME COUPONING I SPAT OUT MY SPRITE I HATE THAT SHOW SM BC IT GIVES ME SO MUCH ANXIETY??? It's like watching the hoarder show but it's like on medium difficulty instead of hard. it's a bunch of free shit instead of a bunch of shit shit but it's still shit. meanwhile, r is stretched out like a lizard on 3 avengers and I think that's rly cute and neat

wanda thinking if she moved u would leave her im gonna sdhfnsd that's so CUTE "bucky had his normal over your toes" babe van u missed a word but it's okay we all know you meant his foot, obviously

"you always smell so good" r that's gay. that's gay. that's SO gay. wanda you're NOT smooth but you are cute so you're forgiven.

"Wanda was sure she was going to die right then and there. Simply perish."

like a plum. perish like a plum. or a prune. dry up and die <3

"I feel like I should say sorry that I don't have some traumatic origin story, and I was just a regular person with these powers that I rarely used."

hey, now. normal people are cool as fuck, r, don't downplay urself ur too sexy 4 that <3

EXTREME COUPONING WAS STILL PLAYING OH MY GODSS IM CRYING HSDFNSD

"You tugged at Wanda's hand until her cool palm cupped your cheek. Sighing adorably, you leaned into her hand before you moved forward, completely invading Wanda's space as you hid your face into her neck."

THIS IS REBLOG CONTENT THIS IS REBLOG CONTENT WE'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE

this rly is everything I've ever wanted, avengers family 2012-2016 PLEASE do not stop this shfdsn

"You're really pretty and I don't think that's going to go away."

Smoother than butter <3. and also spitting straight facts but, anyway

TEH LAST LINE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA tony ur SO right and u should say it. tony's a girlboss and I have no idea how to explain why, he just is, anyway

I love this more than words can describe bc I've been searching for avenger family type fics for months and (I mean I haven't rly gone looking) I haven't found any and then you write something and immediately I must consume, so ily and thank u and I'm going to fantasize about this for the rest of the night <333

The Truth by Liquor

PAIRING: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

SUMMARY: In which, you're only nice when you're drunk apparently.

WARNINGS: Avengers being cute. Jealous!Wanda. Reader seems like an asshole. Sorry to everyone the moment Reader drinks though. Personal space? We don't know her.

NOTE: This is was inspired when I was tipsy the other night <3

Main Masterlist | Library Blog

COUNT: ~4.4k

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"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

Wanda quietly sighed at your curt reply, watching you turn around and walk off. She shouldn't be so surprised. After all, you've never accepted an invitation of hers to go out. Even something as simple as grocery shopping, you turned down.

The lack of interest on your end would make Wanda think you hated her if not for the fact you treated the entire team with this icy, distant behavior. 

A part of Wanda understands. Your recruitment into the Avengers was involuntary. You had been a peaceful civilian, living your quiet life when some psychopath disrupted your life, bringing your secret out and the Avengers in.

Everything in your life had changed in one moment, and Wanda understood better than anyone what it was like to lose everything. It didn't mean you didn't gain anything out of it.

The team was constantly trying to make you feel welcomed and grow closer to you, perhaps out of guilt, but it was still something. But it was clear from the constant rejection that you preferred your solitude. There were no movie nights with you, no eating together, no outings.

The most they got out of you was doing training and missions together. You had their back, that was sure, but you had no desire to open up to them. 

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"It's Steve's birthday next week." 

"Okay."

You had said the word so flatly that even Wanda had to wince in the distance. She was trying not to eavesdrop on Natasha asking you to partake in the celebration of Steve's birth, but it was rather hard when she was so curious.

"So, we'd like it if you joined us."

"Thank you but I'll be busy. Tell Steve I wish him a good one."

Wanda wasn't surprised; she had stopped hoping for your acceptance to any events long ago. 

"That's great, but un-busy yourself," there was an edge to Natasha's voice that Wanda rarely heard, and she felt herself getting the secondhand shame as if she'd been the one that was getting scolded.

"Steve literally saved your life on the last mission and had been the one to fight for your choice from the beginning."

Wanda could practically picture your jaw clenching in anger. No one really talked about it, but it was clear from the start there had never been a choice for you. It was being with the Avengers or becoming government property. At least with the Avengers, you had some semblance of freedom. 

To Wanda's surprise, she could hear you sigh quietly. 

"Alright. I'll be there. Are we bringing gifts?"

"Yes, I can send you a list of things you can get him, if you'd like."

"That'd be helpful, thank you."

"Alright," Natasha gently said, and Wanda could picture her giving you a soft smile. "We'll see you—" Wanda heard a soft click of the door. "—there."

When Natasha came in, Wanda tried to look busy bustling around the kitchen, but it was clear the redhead saw through her.

"Well, I've achieved something that no one else on this team has. I deserve the Nobel Peace prize," Natasha gave her a wry smile, and Wanda laughed.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Who's to say this won't blow up in your face?" 

Natasha shrugged. "She's...cold but I don't think she'd do anything on purpose to ruin Steve's day."

Wanda merely shrugged because she doesn't know you. She wanted to, but it's hard to get closer to someone who moves further when she tries to move closer. 

Wanda tapped the counter softly, wondering if she'd get a chance at this party.

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The party was exactly as Wanda pictured it'd be. Tony pretended he didn't care about Steve often, but it was clear that he did by how extravagant the party was.

It was still only the Avengers team and other people that Steve had come to know here and there. But by the end of it, there were only the superheroes left. 

You had been distant and quiet the entire party. No one had been surprised, and many had come up to try to engage you in conversation. You were polite and responded, but it was clear you had wanted to leave long ago. 

Wanda hadn't attempted because she doesn't think she can take any more rejection from you tonight. 

Steve had thanked you sincerely with a smile for the new leather jacket and the various candies from the 40s that definitely would've required some deep digging to find.

You merely nodded with a terse smile that had Steve quickly moving along to the next gift. 

It was a wonder that you were staying so long, and Wanda wonders if it's because of Natasha or if you were genuinely trying to show Steve that you were thankful. 

"So," Tony started as he had a champagne glass in his hand, and everyone settled into their seats, starting to line up the board games for the night. "What's your problem with us?"

It was like an asteroid just hit the room, which might've been preferable to the awkward silence that followed after.

You looked taken aback slightly.

"Problem?" You quirked your brow at the billionaire. 

"Yeah," Tony nodded after swallowing. "Have we done something to personally wrong you? Other than the whole bringing the psychotic villain to your work and then fighting with the government over you. In our defense, we couldn't control where that guy would crash into."

You stayed silent, and Wanda desperately wished she could read your mind if not for the fact she knew it was invasive, and you'd know.

In the end, you don't respond to Tony's question other than a mere shrug and saying you didn't have a problem at all, which no one believed. 

The night progresses, and you don't participate in any board games but watch in mild interest in the background. You had been sipping on the fresh batch of punch Clint had made, and Wanda found it strange. You had been sipping on water the entire day, so she wondered why you had decided to suddenly drink. 

Wanda was sure you'd have left long ago, and no one would fault you for it. Natasha would've let you off the hook hours ago. You hadn't participated in their laughter or anything, but you were still there.

"This is super weird, right?" Tony whispered conspiringly as he leaned in to say it and looked in your direction. "She's never stayed this long before. I mean, she's not being a part of the group or anything, but she's here."

Steve just cautiously looked over at you. He wished you'd just come and join in on the fun, but he also didn't want to push your boundaries. 

"I've never seen her drink before," Bucky said thoughtfully. "Like, ever. Not at any public events or even on a random night here."

Natasha was staring at you, too, from the corner of her eye. Your eyes were hazy, and she could bet if she touched your cheeks, they'd be warm.

"Clint," Natasha turned her attention to her left. "Did you tell her that you put soju in this round of punch? You kept it alcohol free earlier because there were a couple of pregnant women here, right?"

"Oh, I mean, I said it, but I don't know if she was listening since she was kind of far from us when we were in the kitchen," Clint said thoughtfully. 

Everyone was doing the mental math on how many glasses you had since Clint made the new batch. 

"Is she...drunk?" Tony's eyes sparkled. 

Everyone turned to look at you, and the sudden movement caught your attention as you looked back at them. You seemed embarrassed being looked at and sipped at your drink harder. 

"Hey," Tony's voice was dripping with honey. "Why don't you come join us for a game?"

Everyone waited with bated breath.

"I don't know how to play," you finally said, chewing on your straw. 

"That's okay, we can teach you. You can come and watch closer for a round, and we'll explain it, and you can join the next round," Tony tried to say patiently, but he was obviously eager. 

Wanda was shocked to see you mull it over before nodding. She watched you stand and make your way to sit down next to Tony since he was the one waving her over. 

Her heart fluttered with excitement as she was sure everyone else was too. 

They all tried to play it cool, but they could tell you were much more relaxed with your posture as you watched them play the game, and everyone took turns explaining the rules and the moves they were making.

Eventually, you joined the next round but playing it made you seem more stressed than when you were just watching. So, even though you won that round, you opted to not play anymore but still remained with the group.

"Hah! Take that, capsicle," Tony cackled while Steve rolled his eyes. 

Tony was about to continue gloating when he froze, and everyone else froze too.

You had adjusted, scooting closer until your side was pressed up against Tony's and leaning your head on his shoulder. 

"Oh my god," Tony whispered, staying upright stiffly. "Oh my god, oh my god. Is this really happening? Someone take a picture. FRIDAY, take a picture."

Everyone had their mouths agape slightly, but you didn't seem to notice as you stared at the board. 

"This board game is really long," you finally said. 

"We could play something else," Natasha suggested, and she locked eyes with Tony as if they were trying to debate if they were hallucinating. They turned to Wanda, who looked partially offended but shrugged and looked back at you.

Wanda stared, a little regretful that she hadn't been the one to wave you over to sit next to her. You had caught her gaze briefly, giving her a small smile that surely Wanda was sure she’d imagine. You? Smiling at her? But Wanda’s cheek warmed nonetheless. Crap, why was she so desperate to have you like her?

"Do you have a game that you like playing?" Steve asked, trying to not gawk. 

"Jenga?" You said as if you were unsure yourself. 

"I have Jenga! Someone go grab it," Tony said as they all looked at him. "What? I can't move. This is like having a picky cat finally choose to sit on you, and it's forbidden to move. One could argue it's illegal."

Natasha rolled her eyes as she got up to get the game and returned while everyone else packed up the game. Well, everyone except Tony. 

You seemed more enthused about playing Jenga, lasering your focus when it was your turn. The strangest part was how you'd go back to laying your head on Tony's shoulder when it wasn't your turn. It made everyone curious if you had a crush on him and it was driving Wanda insane. She was trying to not glare at Tony because why him? But Tony was smiling at her as if he knew some kind of secret.

That theory of your crush was quickly debunked when things began to get more intense in Jenga, and the pieces were starting to get difficult to move. 

You had decided that where you were sitting was no longer optimal for your chances to win and abandoned Tony as you moved around the table. When you decided where the perfect spot was, it had turned out to be where Natasha was seated. She was about to make room for you when you decided her lap was more convenient. 

"I’ll be talking about this abandonment in therapy next week," Tony said dramatically.

You stumbled a little, nearly falling off, and Natasha had to put her hands on your waist to steady you. You paid no mind to it as you perfectly picked a piece to move and put on top, a victorious smile on your face. 

Natasha thought that'd be it. You'd get up and move back to Tony or back to your own seat, but you stayed. Clearly, you decided this was the best place to be for at least a couple of moves. 

You leaned back against Natasha, swinging your arm around her as you rested your head atop of hers. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Natasha asked worriedly, unable to move her hands away and actually having to wrap them around your waist as you sat in a way that if she didn't, you'd slide right off her lap and onto the floor. 

"Yeah," you turned to her and gave her a bright smile that almost made Natasha quit the game just so you could have a better chance of winning. She looked over at Wanda and smiled apologetically, but Wanda just sighed with a deep frown as she took the next piece out rather aggressively. 

Wanda tried to think about when it was that she might’ve developed a crush on you. How was it possible to develop a crush on someone who constantly turned you down? Maybe it was because despite how the both of you always knew the answer would be no, you always stopped to listen to Wanda fumble through the words of asking you to tag along somewhere. You always let her finish with patience and turned her down more gently than when you said no to everyone else. 

When it was Natasha's turn, she was about to choose whatever block was in front of her, but as she reached for it, you grabbed her hand.

"No," you whispered loudly. It was hilarious if you were going for quiet and secretiveness. "You can't choose that one."

"Oh?" Natasha said amusedly. "Which one should I choose then?"

You continued to hold Natasha's hand as you hummed.

"This one," you guided her hand to one that looked much more stable to pull out. You were eager and smiling at her, clearly wanting to be helpful.

Natasha thought you were so adorable. So unbearably cute...until she pulled out that piece and the Jenga tower crumbled. 

You burst out laughing while Natasha and everyone else looked flabbergasted. 

"Why you—" Natasha started to say, about to tickle you when you jumped out of her lap and went to hide behind Steve and Bucky. "This was sabotage!"

You giggled. "Yeah, I don't think I could've won when my turn comes. Had to secure my victory another way, you know?" 

"No, I don't know! I am an honorable player," Natasha huffed but smiled. 

"Nice guys finish last, as they say," you said sagely, and everyone laughed. You had a sense of humor, and everyone was confused about why you wouldn't show this side of you when sober. 

You clearly did like them. No amount of drinking could make you get along with people you despised. If anyone, the alcohol would've given you the courage to start a fight. 

"Alright, let's take a break from the games and watch something," Steve looked over at Bucky, who was looking back at him. 

You were so close to them with your chin resting over Bucky's shoulder to see and your hand resting on top of Steve's on the ground, but you didn't seem to notice. 

"Alright, I'll go set something up if you guys clean up the mess here," Natasha offered. "Any preferences on what we watch?"

Everyone turned to you, and you turned to Steve since it was his birthday.

"You choose. I haven't really caught up with what's new," Steve smiled at his joke, but you stared at him pensively. 

Steve didn't really seem to care for movies. He certainly didn't mind them, but you were too antsy to sit silently through a film. 

"Extreme couponing." 

Everyone was stunned. 

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"This is so...disturbing."

You chuckled at Steve's crinkled brows. 

Wanda was trying to not hyperventilate. The seating arrangement ended with Wanda at the edge, you next to her, Steve next to you, and Bucky next to Steve.

It was rather crowded on the couch, but that was because you had started with sitting normally. Then, you had moved to resting against Steve and playing curiously with Bucky's robotic hand on Steve's lap.

Now, you were laying your head in Wanda's lap, legs sprawled over Steve's lap, toes bumping into Bucky's leg. 

"Why would anyone need 40 bottles of detergent? Why does she keep getting more when it's going to take her about three years to finish the 40 she has now?" Steve was genuinely disturbed. 

"It's an addiction," you grinned, and Wanda could feel it on her leg and refrain from twitching. 

"It's hoarding," Steve shook his head, and Bucky snorted.

"Hoarding is an addiction, Stevie." 

The bickering went back and forth while Wanda idly wondered how long this drunken state of yours would last. 

You had continued to drink the punch as the night went until Natasha finally cut you off as much as she was also enjoying your newfound friendliness. 

You had your hand resting in front of you as you lazily stroked Wanda's thigh you rested on, moving your hand down to caress her leg and calf. The entire thing gave Wanda shivers and goosebumps on her arms, but she forced herself to not move with all her willpower.

Tony's stupid words wouldn't leave her head that you were like a cat and moving was forbidden because if she moved, what if you moved away?

Everyone has taken some liberties in reciprocating your touchiness. Tony had rested his head against yours, and Natasha had held you while you were in her lap. Steve currently had his hands on top of your calves that rested in his lap, while Bucky had his normal over your toes to keep them warm. Wanda honestly wished she could swat their hands away. It was honestly more irksome that the two soldiers could tell she was annoyed with them but kept their hands where they were.

But Wanda had been too nervous to try to touch you back. She wasn't sure what to do at this point.

Should she try to stroke your hair? Should she rest her hand over your shoulder?

The thoughts were making Wanda jittery and also frozen with too many choices that weren't really hers to make. 

Eventually, lying down seemed to be putting you to sleep, which wasn't what you wanted. You sat up, cuddling into Wanda's side with your legs pulled into yourself, and curling your arm around hers. 

Admittedly, this was so much better since it was finally just her turn for your attention and her turn alone. But she was also more jittery than before.

"You always smell so good," you sighed contentedly.

"Huh?" Wanda bumbled ungracefully while everyone tried to not laugh aloud. "Oh, thanks."

"Like, you always smell like cinnamon and something else," you pondered and then stuck your nose right into Wanda's neck and sniffed. 

Wanda was sure she was going to die right then and there. Simply perish. 

"Oh, like citrus!" You were pleased that you figured it out and went back to rest your head against her shoulder. 

Wanda glared at the rest of them as they all smiled teasingly at her. 

"Did you have fun today?" Clint asked, and you nodded.

"Yeah, I'm glad I went."

"Do you usually want to go when we ask you out?" Natasha asked next, and you seemed to ponder answering as you tapped your finger against Wanda's inner forearm.

"Yes," you decided to admit. 

"Why don't you?" Steve asked softly. "We'd like to hang out with you more."

You shrugged. "I get nervous."

"Nervous?" Bucky tilted his head as he looked over at you.

"I'm not always like this," you said, and it was the first time that everyone realized that you were aware of how friendly you were being. "Most of the time, I'm nervous. I'm quieter and don't often like doing things like board games, shopping, or whatever usually requires too much brain power or socializing. I'm boring."

"You're not boring," Natasha insisted while Tony hummed, and she elbowed him in the ribs roughly so that he coughed. 

You gave her a sweet smile but shrugged. 

"I am most of the time. I feel bad you have a new teammate that's not as exciting as the rest of you are. I feel like I should say sorry that I don't have some traumatic origin story, and I was just a regular person with these powers that I rarely used."

Everyone actually chuckled. 

"We don't mind. We thought you genuinely hated us for having to be here," Natasha crossed her legs. 

You looked genuinely confused at that. 

"Huh? Why would I hate you guys? I mean, it's not all rainbows and sunshine, but I like it here."

Wanda hummed thoughtfully. You were just a homebody and shy, and it was coming out all wrong when they asked you out. 

Eventually, people began to call it a night until just the two of you that remained on the couch, extreme couponing still playing. 

"Are you tired?" You asked. 

"No," Wanda answered quickly. 

You smiled as you sat up and faced her, and she turned her body towards you. 

Wanda was probably the person who often attempted to get closer to you despite how cold you had been. She had been alone, known that feeling, and didn't wish it upon you. 

You tugged at Wanda's hand until her cool palm cupped your cheek. Sighing adorably, you leaned into her hand before you moved forward, completely invading Wanda's space as you hid your face into her neck.

Wanda felt her heart pulse uncontrollably. This was so unlike you, and Wanda had been convinced just hours ago that you hated the entire team. The only thing Wanda could think in her head was, 'What do I do?' over and over. Should she hold you back? Was that taking advantage of you? But Wanda knew if she didn't reciprocate, you were just going to the next person to be touchy-feely with, and that was the last thing she wanted. 

It didn't matter that everyone else had gone to bed. 

It was most likely that Natasha was actually still up and in the training room. 

"I said no to you because I was nervous about something else," you quietly admitted. 

"About what?" Wanda whispered. 

"You make me nervous," your hand flexed in hers, unaware you were just repeating what you’ve said earlier. 

"I don't think you're boring," Wanda insisted, and she could feel you smiling.

"I know, you're as boring as me," you smirked, and Wanda would've been offended if it wasn't so true. She was more inclined to be a homebody with you, and she had a feeling the two of you meshed well together. Any outdoor activities could easily be agreed upon. After all, she could understand liking to take walks but having no desire to climb Mount Everest. 

"Then?" Wanda nudged at you.

"You make me nervous," you simply repeated like this time, Wanda would magically understand what you were trying to say. "And if I get too nervous, it's harder to control my powers."

"I think that'll just go away with time," Wanda blinked.

"I don't know. You're really pretty and I don't think that's going to go away."

Wanda felt her heart jump at the words and felt the tips of her ears burn.

Oh, god, she thought. Drunk you was too smooth and honest.

"I'm really tired now," you yawned, and Wanda felt the disappointment creep up on her. 

"Oh, right," Wanda looked at the clock. "It is pretty late. We should get some sleep. You're probably going to be a little hungover tomorrow."

You nodded forlornly as if you knew you would be miserable in the morning. 

"Okay, do you want to sleep in my room or yours?"

The question shocked Wanda. 

"Uh, what?" Wanda stumbled again. 

You tilted your head at her. "I can't sleep alone when I'm drunk. If you don't want to, that's okay. I think I can probably hop in bed with Natasha, or maybe with Bucky and Steve," you said thoughtfully, but it seemed reluctant as you felt like Bucky was a blanket hogger. 

"No, no," Wanda said quickly. She wouldn't mind Bucky and Steve, but if you hopped into bed with Natasha, there'd be no telling how long Natasha could reject your drunken advances before she'd give in to your need for any physical touch you asked for. "We'll sleep in my room."

"Okay," you yawned again as you got up and pulled Wanda along. 

You led her all the way, and she was surprised by your tenacity to still brush your teeth and wash your face before you rummaged through her closet unabashedly for sleeping clothes. 

When you finally climbed into bed, Wanda heard you moan contentedly at the cool sheets but still snuggled up to her. You pulled her arms over you and hummed. 

"Goodnight," you mumbled sleepily.

"Goodnight," Wanda mumbled back perplexedly, cautiously tightening her hold on you.

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

Wanda woke that morning to you lying on your back, staring at the ceiling, mortified. She was surprised you remained in her bed as she half-expected you to disappear long before Wanda woke up.

Her sudden movement alerted you to Wanda being awake.

"This is why I never drink," you groaned quietly and sighed with a frown. 

Wanda couldn't help but chuckle. She risked it and moved her hand under the blanket to find your hand. She was glad you still seemed open to physical touch and held her hand back. 

"Are you still nervous?" 

"Yes," you admitted. "But I'm more reluctant about my impending doom when we leave this room."

"You want to stay here forever?" Wanda jokes, and you turned to look at her with a sparkle in your eye, and it was...everything Wanda wanted. Wanda hoped she'd never see that cold side of you again, and if she did, she at least knew it was because you were anxious. 

"At least ask me dinner first before you try to keep me in your bed, Maximoff."

"I have, numerous times actually."

You actually let out a laugh and squeezed her hand. "Sorry. Can we have dinner together today?"

Wanda smiled. "I should say no to you as many times as you have to me but I'll be nice and say yes."

"You'll go down in history for being gracious, Miss Maximoff."

The two of you chat quietly as you prepare for the day, and when you make it out and into the kitchen, everyone else is already there, and you stare at everyone awkwardly.

You're open to open your mouth and apologize for last night when they all grin at you.

"You better not drink if Wanda's not around," Tony grinned wickedly. "She's the jealous type."

[redditnosleep]

I've Been Seeing A Man In My Backyard For The Past Two Nights

by Opinionson

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 (Final)

Hi everyone,

For anyone who has been reading this I am alive and well but far from safe. As my neighbor and I were waiting for the coast to be clear, I saw my garage door open and at approximately 3:27 am, and right then my neighbor and I booked it to his car. As we were leaving I saw the light turn on in my bathroom and I nearly threw up realizing how easily he got in and how I had been just a sitting duck an hour prior. I have been fantasizing over and over of how if I had stayed in there, my neighbors would have called me telling me he was in my driveway and i would had heard my garage opening with dread just knowing I was absolutely fucked. Once we were in the car we sped off to the police station.

Police gave me the usual rundown of questions in this type of situation like; Whether I knew this man, when and where my first encounter with him was, and whether I could identify his car/if I managed to write down his license plate. I told them he had only come two times prior, and that both times it was too dark to tell even with the street light. When the man had parked in my driveway one of my neighbors who had still been on the lookout said she that she saw the car was a grey Volkswagen with no license plate. She went on to say she saw the man type in the code to my garage, go inside and turn on each of my lights, as though he was checking the whole house. The man had stayed there for 5 minutes according to her and proceeded to get back in his car without taking anything and sped off down my street. She notified the police immediately and they have been searching for him since then.

Nothing has come up. We returned to find that the house had been left relatively unscathed. The police did not find even a trace of DNA. Whoever this man was, he was meticulous as all hell, and somehow had gained the knowledge of what my garage code was. It makes me shiver to think he may have been watching me even as I typed it in earlier in the week. God only knows what other knowledge he has to track me down. My parents have still yet to return home from their trip as their plane was delayed, so as of right now I am alone and still at the hotel with only a bottle of Jack Daniels to console me. A couple police cars has been stationed around the area of my house looking for the guy and they are all waiting upon his arrival. I am not leaving this hotel until this fucker is caught. I don’t think I will be able to sleep tonight. I am hoping this is the night he finally can’t track me.

The police have advised me to stop using any form of social media that can be indicative of where I am. That means no snapchat, no instagram, no facebook; nothing. They told me that I can use my laptop as long as I remain as low profile as possible. This means all I can do now is wait for the police to call me and tell me that the stalker has been caught. Now I am gonna try and figure out just who this guy is and why he might try to be stalking me.

Theory 1: My 9th grade Italian teacher. So I went to a private school and this teacher had basically been one of the biggest lunatics I had ever met in a school system. He was very outspoken in the way he described politics and very mean spirited during his time teaching. He would always make fun of students, had sometimes fallen asleep in class, and would always make perverted comments towards girls I knew. So one day, I decided to write an email to the Dean asking him to please fire the man from his teaching position and explaining the unacceptable behavior he had while working. It worked, and I have never seen the man since. Now the reason I think he could be a possibility is because he never particularly liked me, in fact I feel as though he singled me out in a lot of instances and picked on me. I don’t know if he ever found out I sent the email, but if he did I am extremely worried. I can’t tell if it was him or not when he spoke in my backyard, as I was in full adrenaline mode while I was screaming at him. I would say this is not a likely suspect but I’m just not sure.

Theory 2: My Christian deacon from back in second grade. I used to be part of this church program a while back when I was in elementary school. Out of all the head figures there one that always stood out to me: Deacon Anthony. He was a middle aged man, very soft spoken and he had always been very particularly nice to me and my friend Kevin. He would often bring us candy, talked to us about our home life, and treated us more fairly than the rest of the kids. One day my friend Kevin had told me that Deacon Anthony had asked Kevin if he wanted to go home with him to hang out. Kevin said no to him and told me. I told my parents about this and they had immediately contacted the church and told them about it. After that I never saw Deacon Anthony again. My parents later told me that they had contacted the board and he was removed from the church. If this is the guy, he must have had a massive personality shift after that incident because the way the man happily told me to “HAVE A NICE DAY” did not match up with the one he had when I was younger.

Theory 3: My classmate Derek from 8th grade. Derek was one of those insecure types who would always get off to making other people feel small. He was your standard 8th grade middleschool shiteater who deserved nothing but a good ass whooping, which unfortunately never came. However what did happen was I had started a rumor about him that I wish to not bring up, but it pretty much ruined his reputation and made him a laughing stock. He never found out it was me as far as I could tell, but from what I heard from my hometown while I went off to public school is that at our local public High School the rumor hadn’t stopped, and he turned into one of those quiet kids who never talked. Keep in mind, this kid literally had told my whole friend group to stop hanging out with me, so as far as I can tell this revenge was extremely justified in my mind. This may in fact be the prime suspect as he would most likely know where I live. I tried finding any sort of social media about him but nothing came up. This guy is a ghost and I have no idea what he has been up to.

Theory 4: Some complete stranger who I have no association with. Maybe this is just a genuine old school stalker who takes pride in picking out their prey from a random crowd. No one I have seen in this town for the past week has seemed particularly odd. The only one that comes to mind was this weird cashier at 7/11 who seemed particularly in love with his job. He may have some form of asperger's syndrome or just maybe he just takes pride in being a cashier but he was always very polite with his customers when he had been interacting with them. I had gone in to get a soda from the fountain and as the store was empty he had asked me:

“Hey is that all you're getting”

I said “Yeah this is all”

So he continues “Oh well congratulations! It’s free!”

I thought, sweet a free soda, this guy is the shit. I thanked him a ton as he was smoking a cigarette outside and I said “Have a good one” and left. Now I know what all of you must be thinking. This is definitely the guy. He’s a fucking cashier for crying out loud! Well, I am just not sure. This guy was probably in his thirties, seemed extremely grateful for his low end job, and just seemed content with what he had. He didn’t strike me as a stalker, but then again I haven’t been back to the store since so he maybe still be there or not there at all. Time will tell. I might have to stop by tomorrow and do a little more investigating.

As we speak it is 11:00 pm again, and I am staring out my hotel window scrolling through reddit. I am still dreading the moment I see a car with flashing high beams pull into the parking lot, so I will probably just be looking out my window all night again. I will post more updates if necessary. I appreciate you all, bye for now.

Edit 12:43 am: I'm reading all your comments guys and just so you guys know I can't get ahold of a gun as easily as most of you think. I live in a state where that shit does not fly the best think I have right now is pepper spray and baseball bat.

Edit: 1:37 am: Call me a lunatic but I left my room to get some fresh air. I couldn't stand being in this small ass hotel room one more second. I was bugging out like crazy though. Every person I saw seemed like a threat to me. I started talking with this one guy in the hotel lobby. Says he's been traveling from state on some sort of self indulged journey across the country. I asked him if he has any experiences with stalkers and he told me that he had been receiving anonymous calls a couple years back of from some guy. I asked if he has ever encountered one in his backyard or anything and he just looked at me funny. I explained to him the situation and he wished me the best of luck. Nothing out of the ordinary but it was nice to have some real human interaction while I am losing my mind.

Edit: 1:46 am: Alright one of the janitors must be fucking with me. I spent the last 10 minutes searching for my phone and asked someone outside my room to call it for me. I listened for the ringing and its in the fucking safe and the password is not the one they gave me. What the fuck?! This is fucking ridiculous! Whoever fucking did this is going to get torn a new one. I'm going to the manager right now to get this sorted out.

Edit 2:08 am: I'm demanding a different room. I am not staying in that same fucking room one more second. The whole staff is in there now trying to figure out the safe pass word. Meanwhile the manager is looking for the janitors who have been in my room to ask what the fuck they were thinking. Fuck this. I'm tired, I'm worried, and now I just lost my fucking phone. FUCK!

Edit 2:24 am: Its not the garage code guys I checked. Even if it was why would it be and how would the fucking stalker even get into my hotel room let alone rewire my safe?

Edit 2:26 am: Guys I'm not leaving the hotel ok I already paid the money to stay here I dont have any other place to go thats not 100 miles away. I have no car, I got here in an uber car and atleast here there is over a hundred people staying here. The stalker is not gonna come into a hotel full of people.

Edit 2:40 am: Ok now you guys got me worried. I'm sitting in my hotel room, all alone with no phone. No way to call an uber. No way to call the police. I'm starting to think one of the janitors got bribed to do this. I now not only have no way of driving away from here, but I have no way on contacting any family or anyone for that matter of getting me away from the hotel. I'm going to wait another 45 minutes and if they don't open the safe I am demanding they call an uber for me and I'm driving the hell out of here.

Edit 2:53 am: Someone just knocked on the door saying the safe is open. I told them alright and then they asked me to come get it. I asked him if he can slip it under the door but he said I need to go get it myself. I told him I would in a couple minutes and that he'd be waiting. I don't know what to do guys you're all fucking with my mind.

Edit 3:10 am: The man said that my phone is in the main lobby if I want it. I am on my laptop next to my window and I could have sworn out of the corner of my eye I saw a car flashing its high beams. I don't know if I should hold out till morning or get my phone and leave...

Edit 3:14 am: Guys I am not waiting until 3:24 for this guy to fucking come into my room and jump me. I am packing and getting the fuck out of here. I'll keep you guys posted on mobile when I get my phone back.

Edit 3:16 pm: Alright guys I'm staying a friends place for right now. Just to clarify when I said not a trace of DNA was found I meant that there was nothing that was found to trace this guy back. Like a glove or figure prints on the garage key pad. The police did not do a full investigation obviously. The guy still hasn't been found. My neighbors have told me no one has been back to the house and my parents are currently staying at my aunt's down south. I got my phone back and there was a missed call from some guy named Nick Sullivan. Whats strange his name was never put in my contacts. I have never met anybody named Nick Sullivan in my life and I don't know how it was in there. I tried calling back and it just went to voicemail. Creepy shit none the less. Maybe I'm just paranoid I don't know. I'll see if I can make another update tonight. Bye for now.

Edit 4:24 pm: I just posted an album on imgur of pictures I took yesterday when I went back to my house. See for yourselves.

Album