#implied pining between our two favorite idiots

[waywardxrhea]

Chapter 1 - Heart of Stone

What happens when you lie to the Devil? How long can one woman keep a lifetime of secrets from the Devil of Hell's Kitchen? The answer may surprise you...

installment list

pairing: Matt Murdock x enhanced!fem!OC

series content: coffee shop AU, fluff, humor, friends to lovers, pining, language, canon typical violence, use of guns, angst, drinking, implied smut, medical emergencies, mental health disorders (PTSD, panic disorder).

"you can build me up, you can tear me down, you can try but i'm unbreakable. you can do your best, but i'll stand the test, you'll find that i'm unshakable. when the fire's burnt, when the wind has blown, when the water's dry you'll still find stone. my heart of stone" - heart of stone, six the musical

word count: 3.9k

A series of unfortunate events leads Julianne Porter to uproot her entire life in London.

Standing at the back of the crowded church, Julianne Porter wiped away a tear that slipped from her eye despite her best efforts to keep them at bay. As she saw her father’s watchful eyes turning in her direction, she darted back behind the pillar so he didn’t see her because that would have meant certain punishment for daring to step foot into the church hosting his wife’s funeral. She was her mother too, but considering he blamed her for his wife’s untimely death in the first place, Julianne was unceremoniously barred from attending the event.

She couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t try to attend though, so she took what she could, sneaking in through the doors right as her mother’s favorite song was playing loudly through the speakers. Eileene was always a lively person and she had always made it clear to her husband Dean that when her time came, she wanted the funeral to be a joyous occasion celebrating her life, love, and career. Despite that wish though, Julianne wore all black because in the end, after what her father said to her that night, she felt she was to blame.

Giggling like a lovestruck teenager, Julianne kissed her boyfriend one last time before they came to a stop at the gate outside of the Porter family manor. “Tonight was amazing,” he told her between the last few kisses of the night.

“Thank you for taking me out, I really needed it,” she replied with a smile, wrapping her arms around his strong form, adding, “I wish it didn’t have to end.”

“Maybe it doesn’t have to… Come back to my place tonight, I’ll make it worth your while,” he told her with a sly wink.

She giggled once more before shaking her head and telling him, “I can’t, you know how it is around here. I…I really shouldn’t have even gone out tonight so last minute. If my father finds out I’ve been with you, he’ll kill me…”

“One day I’m gonna make that man like me, just you wait, darlin’,” he told her confidently.

“In your dreams, that man is-“ she started to say.

Julianne’s sentence was cut off though as she heard a scream coming from within the manor. Her eyes went wide as she pushed Kit away, telling him, “Shit, I have to go. I…I’ll call you later!”

Without a second glance back toward Kit’s shocked form, Julianne was off, racing up the drive of the manor with shaking hands, hoping for the best but expecting the worst upon hearing such an ear-splitting scream. When she got inside though, her worst fears came to fruition as she saw her mother being held at gunpoint. Upon seeing the fear in her mother’s eyes, Julianne put her hands up and said calmly, “Let’s not lose our heads now, let’s talk this out, I’m sure there’s some sort of agreement we can come to here.”

“We aren’t here to bargain princess. Grab her!” the man holding her mother snapped.

“I guess we’re doing it my way then aren’t we?” she asked before forcefully stomping on the ground, sending some of the granite flooring into the air, followed quickly by a punch to send the stone directly at the man holding her mother hostage.

“Don’t let her use her powers you blitherin’ idiots!” the man shouted.

Julianne could see two men coming at her from behind in a mirror across from her and launched an attack on them as well, causing the tile at their feet to suddenly sink into the ground, effectively trapping them in place. In her distraction of making sure that the men’s feet were thoroughly stuck, a third man came up behind her and picked her up off the ground like a daisy. 

“Let go of me! I’ll-!” she tried to shout as she struggled in the man’s strong arms.

Everything in the next few seconds happened so quickly that she didn’t even have time to think before she saw her mother’s brains being shot out of the side of her head by her captor. And Julianne? Well she was screaming bloody murder as the men ran from the house jeering at her all the while.

“What the bloody hell is going on out here, I was in the middle of a conference with a very important client about-“ came Dean Porter’s voice as he stalked into the room flanked by two men from his security detail. He stopped cold though as he saw Julianne weeping over her mother’s body, the pool of blood surrounding them growing steadily. “Ridge, Oliver, find the men who did this. I want them dead. I’ll deal with the brat…” 

A third man emerged from the room holding a binder to his chest, asking, “Dad, what-?” He too stopped cold as he saw his twin sister weeping over their mother’s body, his mouth agape and eyes wide. 

The memory was abruptly interrupted by Julianne’s phone buzzing in her trouser pocket. She sneakily ducked out of the church before answering quietly, “Hey love, everything all right?”

“Smashing,” came Kit’s bright voice from the other line. “Look, I’m really sorry you couldn’t give your mum a proper goodbye… If you want, meet me at our usual spot for some cheering up. I’ll bring your favorite.”

“You’re the best, thank you,” Julianne whispered, her voice breaking with emotion at his kindness. “I’ll see you in ten, I love you.”

“I love you more,” he replied with the slightest crack in his voice at the end. Kit had met Eileen a few weeks ago for the first time and they hit it off instantly, and even though Dean hadn’t approved of Julianne dating, Eileen was happy to see her little girl happy. So, when Julianne told Kit about witnessing her murder, he had been a bit of an emotional mess too. Ever since that night, he had been especially gentle with Julianne and her emotional state, meeting with her in their secret spot just outside of the manor every night and bringing her chocolates or champagne to help her feel better. And while the gifts did bring her joy, merely being in his warm embrace and hearing his reassuring words brought her more comfort than any tangible object could.

The walk to the manor was breezy, the chilled autumn air cutting right through Julianne’s scarf and coat. She hugged her arms close to her body as she approached the little alcove she always met Kit in, calling out quietly, “Kit, it’s Julie, you here?”

Her eyebrows knit together when she didn’t get a response and instead heard a quiet thud on the ground, one that sounded almost…wet? She peered around the corner and for the second time in as many weeks, Julianne was weeping over the body of a loved one. Her limbs went numb, and she felt lightheaded as she surveyed Kit’s battered body bleeding out onto the concrete around him.

As Julianne fell to her knees with a sob, her heart kicked into high gear, racing irregularly in her chest as black threatened to engulf her vision. The darkness started to take over as she fell to the ground, the last thing she saw before passing out was the note nailed to Kit’s chest that read, “This is on you, Julianne.”

“Is someone over here?” James asked as he and Oliver made their way into the area a few minutes later. “I thought you said you heard something,” James snapped as they walked. 

“I did, I swear it,” Oliver replied, turning the corner into the little alcove. He stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the sight in front of him: a bloodied Kit Wilson and Julianne unmoving near him. “Holy shit, James, I-”

“Shit, check on Julie, I’ll call Dad, see what he wants to do,” James said, reaching for his cell in his coat pocket. 

James heard Oliver sigh in relief after a few moments, saying, “She’s alive. Heart rate is through the roof though.”

“It’s that stupid heart condition. She’ll come to soon,” James replied as he listened to his father’s instructions over the phone, turning his back to the scene as a sly smirk twisted its way onto his face. 

“Are you sure you want to do this? There’s always time to back out,” said JD,  a friend of Julianne’s since uni. 

“Yes JD, I’m sure, I’ve been planning this for a month. I…I can’t be here anymore,” she replied quietly as she ran her fingers through her hair. “Remember your promise back when I first found out what you do?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know…” he said with an exasperated sigh. “I’m just saying, this is a big decision, and you haven’t exactly been in the best mindset since…”

“Since my mother and boyfriend were killed because of me?” she asked haughtily.

“I wouldn’t exactly put it like that…” he replied hesitantly.

“Just give me the IDs and passports JD,” she told him.

“Not until you tell me your plan to get out of the country,” he said defiantly.

“How I’m getting out of here doesn’t matter, just know that I’ll manage,” she responded.

“And that’s exactly why I’m worried, Jules. In my line of work when someone says something along those lines it means they’re about to do something either illegal or borderline suicidal. So, which is it?” he asked seriously, holding the documents closely to his body while Julianne impatiently held out her hand.

“Let’s just say that the O’Hare syndicate is about to get a pretty paycheck thanks to me,” she told him while gesturing for JD to hand over the documents.

JD made a choking noise as his eyes went wide. His eyebrows shot up as he asked, “The O’Hare syndicate? As in your father’s most powerful rival? Are you mad?!”

“Quite apparently,” she replied shortly as she snatched the documents from his loosened grip. “If my father wants to play dirty I will too. It’s only fair, innit?”

“Well while we’re on the subject, what the bloody hell is he going to say or do to me and my family when he finds out I helped you? This isn’t just about you anymore!” JD said, a bite of anger in his voice as he glared at Julianne. 

“Trust me, I’ve thought this all out. I can get you and your family out of the country too. Get a new start and get the kids away from…stuff like this,” she said, shaking her head when she ended her sentence. “All you have to do is say the word.”

“And what if your little plan doesn’t work? What if the O’Hares don’t follow through?”

“Then that means I’ll be dead and you won’t have to worry about my father blaming you for helping me. Pack what you need and only what you need. When they agree to my terms, the O’Hares will deal with the rest,” she said as she turned her back and began heading for the door.

“You seem awfully confident this is going to work,” JD called, a hint of desperation in his voice. 

“Just trust me, will you? Be ready to go come week’s end. If all goes to plan this is the last time you’ll be seeing me. Take care old chap,” she said as she pulled her hood over her head and ducked out into the gloomy London night. 

After a ride on the tube and a few minutes walk, Julianne found herself walking into a crowded pub full of Irishmen, armed to the teeth. “Oi, where can I find Sheamus around here?” she shouted, which prompted about a dozen guns and even more blades to be pointed in her direction. 

“That’s that Porter gal innit?” one man asked aloud to his buddies. 

“Why I oughta-” another growled, cocking his gun and aiming it at her forehead. 

Julianne put her hands in the air and said, “Oh calm down, I’m here to cut a deal and line all of your pockets. If I can talk to Sheamus.”

“Pat her down, make sure she isn’t armed,” the second man said while still training his pistol at her head. 

“You know she doesn’t have to have any weapons to fight right? Not with those freak powers of hers…” the first man told him as he advanced toward Julianne and began frisking her. 

“Well then check her for a wire you blitherin’ idiot!” he shouted.

After a more thorough than needed pat down, Julianne asked, “See? I’m unarmed and unwired. I came for a deal. That’s all.”

“You came into enemy territory, that's what you did, lass! Now if you don’t get out of me pub in five seconds, I’ll-” the irate man snarled before he was cut off by a handsomely dressed man entering from behind the bar.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Do my eyes deceive me, or is little miss Julianne Porter standing in the middle of my pub?” Sheamus O’Hare asked, throwing a pointed glare at the man with his gun trained on Julianne. 

“The one and only,” Julianne told him with a small smile. 

“Well Miss Porter, I’m not usually one to make deals with me rival’s daughter, especially one whose gotten some of me men caught due to their inability to run from the cops after you…dealt with them. So tell me why you’re here before this place lights up.”

“With all due respect, I’d rather not discuss intricacies in front of so many men, especially ones with guns pointed at me,” she told him, taking a quick glance around the many guns still trained on her. 

“Give me one good reason to let you back into my office and let you walk out of here alive,” he countered. 

“The shipment that’s coming in tomorrow night for my father. The details are yours if you and your men agree to my terms,” she said, not breaking eye contact with him for even a second. 

A smirk slowly made its way onto Sheamus’s face as he gestured for the men to lower their weapons. He reached out a hand for Julianne to take as he said to her, “If that intel’s good, I think we can make the proper arrangements. Follow me.”

As she followed him back to his office, he asked, “So what made you want to turn on your old man?”

“He had my boyfriend killed. I think it’s about proper time he got what’s coming for him,” she replied as she took a seat across from him.

He ran his hand over his facial hair while contemplating the sincerity behind her words before asking, “So what’s in it for us?”

Julianne scoffed, telling him, “Only the biggest shipment this country’s ever seen. It’s coming directly from Mexico with the product hidden in clothing, ready for sale. If you take over the shipment from the seller, you’ll not only get the product, but you’ll also be making him lose money. The daft bastard’s already paid. So he’ll be out and you’ll be swimming in more money than you’ll know what to do with.”

Sheamus narrowed his eyes and asked, “What’s the catch? You seem like you’re a smart girl, there’s no way you’re just doing this to get revenge.”

“So you O’Hares are brighter than they say you are,” she told him with a wink. “But you’re right, there are a few things I want in return.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to help me fake my death and the death of JD Williams plus his family. And you need to make it look damn good because you’ll be sending photographic proof of my death to my father. Once you do those things, we’ll all be out of the country and the slate will be wiped clean. You get a seller, I get revenge and to safety, my father loses. It’s a win-win for the both of us. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?” When she finished her side of the bargain, she crossed her legs as she waited for his response. 

“So you’re telling me that you’ll give me the information on these shipments in trade for faking some deaths?” Sheamus asked as a wide smile broke out onto his face. 

“That’s it. No tricks, no turning sides when your men are at the docks, just pure revenge.”

“You got a heart o’ stone on ya, don’t ya? I like the sound o’ that,” Sheamus said enthusiastically as he stood up to shake her hand. He put his arm around her waist as they exited the room, telling her, “Now let’s get some Guinness in ya and talk details with my men, yeah?”

Come the end of the week, Crystal was standing near the harbour’s entryway with her hands tucked in her pockets waiting for her father’s men to show up to be ambushed by O’Hare’s men. When a couple finally showed up, she asked them, “What the hell? You were supposed to be here a half hour ago! My father is not going to be pleased with you!”

“Sweetheart, we’ve been run ragged by your old man trying to finish selling from the last shipment, give us a break!” Donnelly snapped as he shoved past her. 

“And don’t plan on just standing here like you always do, you’re coming in with us. Since Mummy isn’t around to stop you from helping out anymore, your old man told us to have you tag along. In case things go bad. Rumor has it the Wellenelly men might be trying to get a piece of the action so he wants you nearby. Got it?”

“Got it,” she said, trying to hide the sudden fear in her voice. She told O’Hare’s men that she would be waiting at the entrance… What if this messes everything up?

As she followed the two men down the dock and heard a truck pulling up nearby to pick up the shipping crate, she hoped that at least one of the men tailing her heard so they could change the plan. She waited with baited breath as she followed the two men toward the designated ship that was bobbing in the water. The man standing near the ledge looked up and said in a hostile tone, “I thought there were only supposed to be two of you.”

“There was a change in personnel,” Donnelly told the man while reaching for a pen in his pocket. 

“I was told that I can only hand off the shipment if there were two men with your description. There wasn’t no girl on the roster!” he countered. 

“Well this here girl is the boss man’s daughter, so unless you want to take this up with Mr. Porter yourself and risk a bullet in the brain, I would-” He couldn’t finish his sentence though as out of seemingly nowhere, the butt of a gun came down hard on his temple.

Instinctively, Julianne told the second man to get down and went into a fighting stance before she felt a sharp knife press to her throat. She froze on the spot, eyes wide as she began pleading for her father’s worker to help. “You so much as think about using your freak powers and I’ll slit your throat faster than you can beg for Daddy’s help,” said the man holding her hostage. 

Before he could do anything though, there were three more O’Hare men on the scene, beating the two Porter men. Right before the second passed out from his injuries, the victor spit near his unmoving body and said, “You tell Porter that his shipment is ours and so is his whore daughter!” He turned his attention to the man holding Julianne and snapped, “Take care of her and make sure Porter knows not to mess with us from here on out!”

“What do you want me to do to her?” he asked with a smugness in his voice as he pressed the blade further into her skin, drawing blood. 

“Kill her for all I care!” the first man said before turning his attention to the man on the boat. 

“This is gonna hurt,” muttered the man holding Julianne as he took a swift swing at her temple that had her vision blacking out faster than she could process what was happening. 

By the time she came to, Julianne was in what seemed like an abandoned hotel with blood smeared all over her body, clothes, and hair. The smell was horrendous and she tried not to gag as she sat up from her position on the floor. “Oh you’re awake, finally. I didn’t think you were going to come to,” came a woman’s voice from behind a camera nearby. “Go on, you can get up, we just finished taking all the photos we needed to send to your father.”

“God, what is that smell?” Julianne asked as she stood up and looked at what seemed to be a brutal crime scene. 

“Sheep’s blood. The fake shit they use for theatre wasn’t gonna cut it, so I got some real blood. Hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t guess I had a choice, did I?” she asked as she caught the towel the woman tossed her. 

She took a quick shower to wash off the blood and emerged feeling refreshed. As she looked at herself through the fogged up mirror, Julianne shook her head and grabbed the scissors she brought with her into the bathroom and began cutting her long hair. Once she got her hair looking neat enough resting on her shoulders, she emerged from the bathroom to meet with the woman again. 

“Nice cut, but you missed a few spots,” the woman said with a light laugh as she took the scissors from Julianne and tidied the haircut up. As she finished up, she added, “You don’t have much time before you need to get out of the country, are your arrangements ready?” 

Julianne nodded, checking her watch as she told her, “Flight’s in three hours. Red eye to the States.” She paused for a moment, telling the woman, “Thank you guys…”

“Thank you,” the woman said with a small smile on her lips. She paused for a second before saying, “Once you exit those doors, Julianne Porter will no longer exist. I hope you know what you’re doing. And when you get there, cover up that God-awful paperboy hat tattoo if you know what’s good for you.”

“Don’t worry, I can handle myself. My mother raised me right,” she replied as she exited the building with her sunglasses on and hood pulled over her head. 

“Miss Shaw?” came a voice as she felt a tapping on her shoulder, rousing her from her slumber. She made a noise of discontent as she stirred awake, her joints aching from sitting for so long. “Miss Shaw, we landed in New York. We’re deplaning now.”

“Oh, right, sorry,” she replied in a groggy voice as she stood up and grabbed her carry on from the overhead bin. 

As she walked out of the plane and through the airport, Julianne suddenly felt a weight lift off her shoulders at the prospect of freedom ahead of her. She would no longer be under her father’s control. She would no longer have her every move tracked. She could have a life! Friends! A normal job! And all that began to happen as she stepped out of the doors of JFK and onto the New York streets, not as Julianne Porter, but as Crystal Shaw.

next chapter

[classywastelandbread-blog]

Honored Spirits Sneak Peek/Bonus Chapter: Writing

A silly little thought I had that won’t make it to the main chapter except maybe as a chapter summary. 

On a side note, listening to I See the Light from Tangled in Japanese is pretty cool. 

This takes place about a week after the last update to HS, Chapter 8: Guilt/Duty.

If Soba could do such a thing, it would perhaps write. Granted, it was capable of typing but it was a long and difficult process that greatly frustrated it.

Still, it thought of a few fascinating things that it would love to document for its siblings that existed in another world. There was also the issue of getting these writings to them as the spirit plane wasn’t a physical place, so Soba supposed that it was for the best in the end that it didn’t write and waste all its effort for naught.

Humans were so peculiar - silly, if it really thought about it. It had the utmost respect for its host Hanzo of course - it knew what hardship it was to share his body with not a single spirit but two - but it simply couldn’t understand his reticence in mating with the other human it favored, the man named Jesse McCree.

It wasn’t until many things happened and it was split from its host - temporarily of course - to serve as guard and guide to Hanzo’s chosen mate that it realized what they were doing. Never before had it felt such the urge to record these interactions because once it realized it in McCree, it could recognize it in Genji’s own behavior.

And Hanzo’s, of course, for he had entered into the elaborate and perplexing rituals with McCree.

The Peculiar Practices of Human Mortal Beings and their Courtship Rituals, the report would be called but perhaps the title itself could use some editing. It would suggest that all spirits crossing over looked into it if they didn’t read it themselves.

It twisted along McCree’s back beneath his the long leather jacket he called a duster and tried not to snort when the human sighed again. Pining, Lena Tracer Oxton had called it. Longing for each other.

Perhaps now they would stop pining and be ready to act on their desires - and Soba would be there to observe them all. It was what the humans called a win-win situation.

Even if both parties in this particular courtship ritual were being quite silly about it.

[tobi-momo]

You Belong With Me

PAIRING: Tsukishima Kei x Reader GENRE: Romance | Fluff | Angst (?) | Comfort (?) | Mutual Pining | Slowburn | Confession WARNINGS: tsukki has a toxic gf | cursing | ooc? | implied infidelity (not you or kei) | prolly more sry WORD COUNT: 2k A/N: this fic is HEAVILY based off of You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift- if you've seen the music video this is like it but my way 😌 uhh i hope you like it <3 oh also pls don't cringe it'll hurt my feelings

“What was she so mad about?” Your voice bleeds through his phone as he scribbles on his homework with his number two pencil, sighing at your question. He looks up briefly to his window to see you at your desk across your two properties’ filing the papers for your math class, organizing your work. Your phone is sandwiched between your shoulder and your ear, your eyes narrowed as you focus on what assignments are what.

“Kei?”

He shakes his head as his mind snaps out of the daze, his golden eyes flicking down to his work. “Uh,” he sighs as he re-grips his pencil, “I teased her a little bit and she got mad,” he finished. You chuckled before covering your mouth with your hand, finally looking up at the man through your clear panes.

“You’re kidding,” you giggle, a smile leading onto Kei’s face while he listens to your voice, although refusing to look up at your face, he shakes his head in a joking dismissal.

“No, I’m not. But we are never mentioning it again.”

“Oh, good luck getting me to keep quiet!” You shout as your back straightens against your desk chair, a smug look playing on your face once the blond male looks up at you.

He stands up, a reciprocating smirk laying on his lips before he says, “You will,” before he takes his phone away from his ear, pressing the “hang up” button and raising his arm to close the drapes. You laugh with satisfaction while you exit his contact, turning on some music and tossing your phone on your bed before cleaning up your area and strumming your fingers like an imaginary guitar.

He opened his curtains expecting to see you sulking while doing your work, only to see you dance like an idiot while you blast your music, your pencils acting as a microphone as you perform your concert in front of your stuffed animals. He could hear the music from across the yard, him identifying it as your shared playlist that you two made a couple years back, the duration over fifteen hours as about three-hundred songs reside. An accidental chuckle escaped him as his eyes rested on your jumping figure for just a couple seconds. It was for entertainment. Yeah. That’s it.

~.~.~.~

Sticking your fabric marker on the construction paper, you write out your message to Kei.

“I love you”. It was a message that would tell him that he deserves the best and nothing less. It was something that you treasured and wanted to share that value with him. Something that told him that he belonged with you.

You hoped that one day you’d be able to give it to him, to tell him how you really feel, to show that you can do a better job than her, but you never got the chance. Carrying the folded slip in your pocket, ready to pull out, his phone rings. As you sit on the bench on the side of the road, you wonder how long it had been since you had seen him really smile. You had made him smile a lot before, even if he doesn’t smile a lot genuinely, there are some times where real happiness seeps through his facade. You like it when that happens, always have. You noticed how much his happiness had reduced over the course of these last few months, though.

He answers the phone very monotone, very uninterested. He sounded obligated while he spoke to his girlfriend, sighing sharply once he hung up.

“What was that about?”

“Just drama. Kind of sick of it at this point.” He sticks his phone in his pocket, looking over to your concerned expression. “It’s nothing to worry about,” he says while rolling his eyes, placing a soft hand on your head and letting it rest. His hand retracted quickly when the sound of his name rings through his ears, his head whipping towards his girlfriend's figure. He readjusts his glasses, sitting straight up and swinging the strap of his school bag over his shoulder before he gets up and sluggishly walks across the street, meeting up with the one he was set to have a date with later. He subtly waved to you prior to turning his head away and continuing his stroll with his date hanging on his arm. You ignore the glare served your way when you wave back to him, forgetting the multiple reasons of why you wanted him away from her so he can enjoy his date. Hopefully.

~.~.~.~

As you stand on the bleachers of Kei’s game, you watch him stride over the court and jump to block the ball, a playful smirk residing on his lips as he sends the ball to the other side. You clap for him, shouting praises his way in hopes he might hear you over everyone else. Especially her. The screaming and unnecessary noise making your ears bleed a bit. You didn’t mean to be irritated by it, but the pulse on your forehead and the grit of your teeth made it painfully obvious you didn’t really like her.

When the end of the game hit, you were overloaded with joy at Kei’s victory. You hurriedly make your way over to him before gripping him tightly in a hug, not caring about the sweat that drips off his body. You could feel his arms flex as he raised his arms to hesitantly reciprocate your actions until his arms completely dropped, his body stiff.

“What the hell?” He muttered under his breath as he firmly moved you aside to walk away. Following after him, you let your head peek out from the side of his back, watching it all occur in front of you. “What’s this?”

“What? Nothing, Kei,” she mewls, setting her hands on her boyfriend’s shirt as if she thought he was silly.

“Yeah, we were just, uh, talkin’.” The man before her fibs.

“Not according to what I just saw,” Kei accuses the two with a furrowed brow, fed up. You come out from behind him, glaring at his girlfriend in hate. This was it.

“Don’t worry about it, man,” the man dismisses, turning to keep the conversation with her going.

Stepping forward, you place an arm in front of Kei, stopping his movements as you eye his girlfriend. “Tell me you were not just flirting with this man and we’ll leave.”

“I wasn-”

“Don't,” you pause, taking a deep breath as you watch her take a step back, “don’t lie to me, or you will regret it,” you threaten, a sharp glint in your eye telling her that you are oh so serious about this. Behind you, Kei watches as you make his girlfriend stammer on her words, a subconscious smile leaking on his face.

She stomps away with anger, the man beside her moving away as well, scoffing.

~.~.~.~

He didn’t say much on the way home; you trailed behind him as he walked away in part anger and denial. You didn’t really know what to say. Should you go back and find the girl and beat some sense into her? Should you give some words of the wise to Kei? Would he even take it?

As you watch him slow down to match your pace, you grow confused. You were headed to your place, so why was he suddenly following? “Kei?” He hums in response, his head hanging low. “Would you like to stay at my place? I can make coffee and we can stay up shit-talking our least favorite people,” you giggle and softly bump into his side, a stifled chuckle escaping him.

“Whatever,” he mumbles with an obvious smile as he continues to walk with you. When you quietly shut the door and take your shoes off, you softly tread to the kitchen to turn on the coffee machine- the man that you took home followed, his arm planting on the marble counter as his eyes trail over your moving figure.

As you sit on the stool next to him beside your kitchen island, you converse about the drama he’s been scooped in, him rolling his eyes twice a minute and his irritation level going off the charts as he recalls the events. He hated it, you could tell. He made it pretty obvious he wasn’t happy about it, too.

“Are you still going to the dance with her tomorrow then?” You speak curiously, twirling your fingers around each other while staring blankly into the marble as you awkwardly sit there, awaiting an answer.

It takes him a second to respond, a long sigh and a deep thought coming into play in his mind once he looks over to your spaced expression. Does he really want to go? Did he want to go with her, or with someone else- you? “Probably.”

Oh. “Are you sure you wanna do that? After what happened today?”

“Why not. Nothing better to do,” he justifies, shrugging. Yeah, you probably should have seen that coming.

The note that resided in your pocket seemed to crumple a little bit when you came to terms with the fact that he may never notice you the way you wanted him to.

~.~.~.~

“Are you going?” Kei asks over his phone as he takes his suit out of his closet.

“Ah, no,” you breathe out as guilt pools in your stomach, your elbow balancing sitting on your desk while dozing off into something that is not mathematical equations.

“Oh,” is all he says before telling you he needed to get ready, giving his goodbye.

After the call ends, you see the light fading away from his room as he closes the drapes, giving you a sign to start working again. You wondered what would happen if you possibly showed up. You originally were going to go, but the date that canceled soon beforehand gave your mind a gentle squeeze, telling you that the dance wasn’t for you. Still, the tiniest urge told you to make an appearance. You groan in waver, giving in.

~.~.~.~

You felt good. You felt really good. Wearing your planned outfit to this dance, you make your way inside carefully, minding the crowd. You catch the eye of the one girl that you held a grudge against, watching her grope another man on the dance floor. You roll your eyes in disgust as you move your head around to find a tall blond in the crowd. He leaned against the wall across from you his arms crossed while his dilated pupils trace the light that bounces off the floor.

“Hey,” you greet him, his attention whipping to you as he raises his head.

“Hi,” he reluctantly answers you while standing straight up, a relieved smirk leading onto his lips. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I didn’t want to put my outfit to waste,” you smile, spreading your arms to show your attire.

“Yeah, well you came at perfect timing,” he points towards his girlfriend which you identified earlier, although he seemed like he didn’t care all that much.

Gripping the folded paper in your pocket, you slip it out with two fingers confidently. “I have something to tell you,” you admit, your eyes staying centered on his black suit.

“Go on,” he eggs, hands staying at the side of his body while he watches you fluster yourself. It takes you less than a second to shove the note in his stomach and turn around, your face turning hotter and hotter every moment. Your hands lay against your cheeks as your nerves rattle beneath your skin, your ears tingling when you hear a sweet chuckle glide against his lips. “You should have told me a long time ago, Y/n. I wouldn’t have to deal with,” his eyebrows turn up as his head tips towards the dancing figure just a couple of feet away from you guys, “...that.”

You turn around slowly, disbelief covering your face when you look at his smug expression. “Are you kidding me? You’re telling me this,” you gesture at the both of you with your pointer finger, “could have been something a long time ago?”

He sucks in through his teeth, taking a grip on your arm and pulling you with him as he walks through the crowd to the middle of the room. “Yep. Guess you missed out.”

“Says you,” you roll your eyes with attitude as you pick up your pace and place your hand in his.

He knew he belonged with you, he was just wondering when you would admit that.

aaa here it is! three days of work! sry i havent been posting lately ive been working <3 (reupload bc tumblrs a little bitch)

REQUESTS: OPEN

reblogs are VERY appreciated!

[gracielitamargarita]

Thoughts on Kyoru in Fruits Basket: The Final as a manga reader

(and bad metaphors about lava cake)

So with next week's impending shit storm of a Furuba episode next week, I've been doing some reflecting on our favorite Mutual Pining Idiots, Kyoru--and thinking about how the anime adaptation's choices in rearranging or removing content has impacted things, specifically with Se3E6.

And just to preface, I think the anime adaptation has been terrific overall. I also think loving something and critiquing something aren't mutually exclusive either. The goal of what I'm about to write is not to incite negativity, just to get some feelings out about my favorite pairing from my favorite manga series and provoke some deeper thought, I guess.

ALSO, I hope you don't mind metaphors--specifically ones about chocolate-raspberry lava cake, because that's what I've decided works best for explaining Kyoru. So FASTEN THOSE SEATBELTS PEOPLE 

MANGA SPOILERS regarding previously omitted content as well as VAGUE ANIME SPOILERS that can be implied/inferred from the ending of Se3E7 under the cut.

I think one of the (many) reasons I find Kyoru to be such a satisfying ship is because of the slow-burn element. Come season 2 through the beach arc, their chemistry is palpable, natural, and growing stronger and stronger with each episode. When Kyo finally admits to himself that he's in love with Tohru in Se2E9, it feels like we've been rewarded with a chocolate lava cake topped with raspberry sauce--it's delicious, complex, and full of gooey and satisfying substance.

Now like many, I'm a sucker for the pining idiot trope--let alone the MUTUAL pining idiot trope--and we do get to see this through the end of season 2 as Tohru's feelings for Kyo become more apparent to everyone BUT her. It's like we're LOOKING at the chocolate-raspberry lava cake, so close that we can ALMOST touch it, but we as viewers aren't allowed to cut into it yet--which makes every little encounter between the two of them all the more exciting, because we wonder what's finally going to allow us to ravish this goddamn lava cake (sorry).

Which is why I realized I'm actually struggling more than I initially thought in the final season. As it's been widely speculated, discussed, and now officially confirmed, we're getting 13 episodes this season. And while like most everyone else, I'd be thrilled with two cours, I don't know the ins and outs of anime production, AND, while I'm bummed, I've accepted that it is what it is--and that it isn't the reason I'm writing this post.

Of course not every panel or fleeting moment can be adapted from the manga to the anime. There were small little cuts here and there over the course of the first two seasons, but nothing in my opinion that's really SO substantial that it drained the lava cake of its filling--maybe some of that raspberry topping, but generally, the good stuff is all there. (Though I do love this moment below from chapter 82, which was skipped over in Se2E19)

The final season has been different, though. As we know in the manga, the inner turmoil for Kyo--and Tohru to an extent--really starts escalating immediately after Cinderella-ish with Kyoko's backstory and Kyo's nightmare from chapters 90-93. I also understand that Cinderella-ish was Se2E23, and with only 2 episodes left in the season, it made sense from a directorial standpoint to end with the Kureno/Akito reveal versus Kyoko's backstory and Kyo realizing he needs to know his place.

But without this context, it leaves moments like the flower scene from Se3E2 less impactful--like a lava cake made by someone who skimped on the filling. To an anime-only (and even as a manga reader), it's likely still a satisfying moment to watch: we know that Tohru clearly has a lot of inner turmoil following her conversation with Kureno. Kyo's turmoil following his nightmare, however--and overall, the sentiment of him thinking he needs to stay away from Tohru, yet still finding himself drawn to her above all odds--is deeply diminished.

Which leads me to the main reason (finally, sorry) that I wrote this post--Se3E6, or the episode when Tohru finally admits to herself AND to Rin that Kyo has taken the place of her mother as the most precious person to her. 

In the manga, Se3E6 is made up of chapters 107, 108, 109, AND 114, spanning the end of volume 18 through the beginning of volume 20 of the TokyoPop mangas. Volume 19 in particular is one of my all time favorite mangas in the entire series for one clear reason: just as we've seen Kyo get to do in season 2, we finally get to see Tohru slowly own her feelings for Kyo, and MY GOD, is cutting into that lava cake and enjoying that delicious filling satisfying AF. The Mutual Pining Idiots are in full swing here, both dealing with inner turmoil but also being unable to stay away from one another either. In addition, they're dealing with normal teenage awkwardness too, which feels like a bonus topping (would nuts go well, do we think? LOL) to the Kyoru lava cake.

But between the producers adapting Momiji's arc prior to episode 6 AND the producers ending episode 6 with a 2-minute horror movie essentially--AND, lest we forget, none of the Kyoko backstory at this point--we lost essentially all of that satisfying filling. 

And again, I understand, only 13 episodes and the producers are trying to make shit work and I do see why they made some of these changes in the overall big picture of things, but I wish it weren't at the expense of Tohru's character development and also for Kyoru, which had been so thoughtfully and delightfully well-developed in the first two seasons.

My biggest issue BY FAR with episode 6 is Tohru's confession to Rin happening before the sheets scene. The producers combined 109 and 114 for the second half of episode 6. In the manga, Tohru is able to openly admit that Kyo is the most important person to her BECAUSE of how he accepts her after she "opens the lid" to reveal the ugly feelings she's been harboring for years about her father. And in the manga, since we have the context of Kyoko's backstory and can see how she nearly committed suicide and left Tohru alone for days, it is gut-wrenching to finally hear Tohru confront and express her trauma in her own words. 

The sheets scene is arguably my favorite scene in the entire series. The anime portrayed it beautifully. Jerry and Laura ripped my heart out with their performances. It was a deeply moving scene (even with all of the changes) and the romance and pining was there--but, I hate to admit it, the feeling of cutting into that delicious lava cake to reveal that even more satisfying filling was not.

And now, come the end of Se3E7, we're approaching the climax of the series that we've been salivating for for so long now, the result of all of this inner turmoil and secrets and deep, deep longing for one another--and it almost feels now like the cake was baked too quickly, in addition to being drained of much of its filling. 

I was debating waiting to write this until next week after we see how Se3E8 goes, but my thoughts have been swirling about and this clown couldn’t help herself. I'd like to end this post on a hopeful and more forward-thinking note, though, if you've made it this far into my novel LOL.

There is definitely the potential to add a little more about Kyoko's backstory in next week's episode. I also expect that we'll hear more of Tohru's inner narrative and thoughts, which I’m really looking forward to. As several others have speculated as well, I predict that we'll be getting chapters 119-122 next week. Despite it being 4 chapters, everything should happen in sequence (versus with episode 6) and there's a lot of action, so I do feel like it won't feel rushed or disjointed. And while I could see them possibly ending with 121, 122 would be my preferred ending for many reasons (manga readers know where I'm going with this ;P) and I honestly see it fitting best there.

And regardless of what happens, I'm looking forward to eating whatever variety of lava cake is served to us next week.

And at the end of the day, we'll always have the manga, which will probably always be my favorite lava cake of all.

(and now I'm hungry for an actual lava cake)

[bubblesthemonsterartist]

*cracks knuckles* Clearly I’m going straight for the Blackout. 

ENJOY, FRIENDS. FOR YOU, I THROW IT UNDER THE CUT

Under 1000 Words

take my burdens (and bury them deep) by @thelionshymnal​ Rated M Nothing makes me happier than a fic of my favorite BroTP, especially when Obi is offering to disappear Kiki’s dirty dealings. Content warning for attempted sexual assault and Obi doing what he does best: getting rid of the body.

A Fic That Got You Involved In Fandom

Seven Suitors for Shirayuki by @sabraeal​ Rated T Look. You all are just going to have to accept that there is a certain generation of this fandom that was dragged in, kicking and screaming, by this fic. I wanted to diversify by saying something else managed it, but no. It was the fact that this story was stuck on chapter five for MONTHS that made me vibrate until my own fic fell out. XD

Made You Laugh Out Loud

An Extra Rise Before Dawn by @sabraeal​ Rated G I don’t often worry that I am going to pee from laughing so hard when I’m reading something, but this one definitely does. In one spot in particular. You might be able to guess it. It is simultaneously an incredible sweet and incredibly funny fic that hits all the right notes for me.

Favorite Trope Reversal

Fussing with Firedrakes by @leewritingrecs​ Rated T 1) Dragons. 2) Damsel in distress is no damsel and she is NOT in distress thank you very much 3) Kiki is a DRAGON 4) Obi is cursed, and 5) DID I MENTION D R A G O N S ???

Fic That Made You Friends With the Author

The Wide Florida Bay by @sabraeal​ Rated E I had to think about this because while I read Seven Suitors first, this was the series that made me start sending anons and eventually made me join tumblr where I proceeded to endlessly play the ‘what if’ game with Jen. CLEARLY this is where our friendship was forged.

Action-Packed Fight Scene

Agent, Parts I, II, and III by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated T Like Jen, I was positively torn, because both Andi and Sarah do fight scenes SO WELL, but Agent ultimately won out because there is just something so delightful about Shirayuki flailing and clinging to Obi like a cat that doesn’t want to go in the bath while arrows zip all around them

Edit: Screw it, I’m reccing them both

Republic of Tanbarun by @claudeng80​ Rated T An action adventure series where romance is involved but is by no means the focus. Zen and Obi adventures abound. Politics galore. And some masterfully done slow-motion to quick motion fight scenes that I L O V E D

Gen Fic

Fugue in Three by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated G Ryuu casually destroys Obi and Shirayuki by breathing as they count down the days until he comes of age. Technically this fic has a romantic pairing, but it is by no means the focus of this fic. If you don’t agree, you are welcome to meet me under the Big Oak between the hours of 12 and 4 for a duel.

Missing Scene

Like Brothers Do by @claudeng80​ Rated G Obi is clearly Kiki’s annoying big brother and handles Mitsuhide’s rejection in the best way he knows how. Also read: Mitsuhide gets what’s coming to him. (ง'̀-'́)ง

Canon Divergent

We work at the mall by @kaedix​ Rated T With how many AUs we got floating around this fandom, I was hard pressed to choose a favorite. But there is just something so sweet and wholesome and American teenager about this. It just latches onto you and never lets go. (Also the gang all work at my favorite places in the mall when I was growing up. What’s not to love?)

Steamiest Kiss

Were Hearts Not An Unknown Country by @sabraeal​ Rated T LOOK. SOMEONE was going to have to go dig this out of the rubble of her compilation fics and it might as well be me. Also the birthplace of the much loved AnS fandom practice of solstice kissing.

Contains Your Favorite Headcanon

The road to Clarines is Gravel by @codango​ Rated E Not the focus of the fic as a whole, but like, Torou and Obi are siblings. GALAXY MIND EXPLOSION. I mean, I loved that so much that I wrote a pre-canon fic of this fic. Additional note totally not related to the bingo square: I will ALWAYS be here for positive sex worker representation in fics. Fair warning, though, this is the most unfair AU in existence because the brain screams that it SHOULDN’T WORK and yet by some sort of writerly sorcery, it DOES. PLEASE READ IT IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY.

Wept Real Tears

let it make you by @thelionshymnal​ Rated M It’s not every day that someone manages to write a fic that makes me stare numbly at the very first line for a solid 15 minutes, big fat tears rolling down my cheeks, but Hymn did it. And then she somehow managed to kiss it better. All in 1100 words.

Free Space

AnS Role Swap AU by @owlsshadows​ Rated M This series has it all. Shirayuki as an assassin. Obi as both a royal bastard and a pharmacist. A mysterious meeting out in the woods where it makes you question whether Nanaki and Obi are two different people or the same. Also Zen having some very conflicted feelings regarding his royal authority and how he can choose to handle rejection.

Edit: Since I’ve already doubled up once, let me double up again, I have so much love to give and not enough space to give it!

Blizzard by @nebluus​ Rated T This is one of the earliest fics I read in this fandom and it remains to date one of my absolute favorites. Obi gets hurt protecting his Miss and a blizzard rolls in. Thankfully they find a cabin where Obi, who is definitely on his death bed if no one finds them and SOON, proceeds to still fuss over his Miss. Best scene: When he warms her hands with his. Also the second chapter is all sorts of delightful domesticity I IMPLORE you to please read it and soon.

Favorite Fan-Made OC

All Pain Will Turn to Medicine by @sabraeal​ Rated M All y’all should’ve seen these coming from ten miles out. I fucking LOVE Herr Anda, the cantankerous little bastard. And Jen knows this because she designed him specifically with me in mind. Academic catnap >:|

AU That Made You Find the Source Material

All Knotted Up by @sabraeal​ Rated G Admittedly, there are a great many AUs out there that made me look up the source material, but this Tangled AU is the most recent because I finally got on Disney+. And yes, Mitsuhide is the horse. Ryuu may be Pascal a little bit, but Mitsuhide. He’s The Horse. XD

First AnS Fic You Read

Loyalty by Evelyn Fiedler Rated K+ (which is basically G on AO3) My one and only ff.net rec from my earliest days in the fandom when I was combing for absolutely any content I could find, begging the fandom to help me decide if I was down for Obiyuki and all that it implied and this author most assuredly delivered.

Favorite Minor Character

Undertow by @jhalya​ Rated E The fic itself is a space odyssey of sorts. One mission among many where humanity attempts to colonize Mars. However the real selling point here, if you didn’t know, is Lord Seiran. He is a delightfully eccentric billionaire who clearly always wanted a large family, judging from how easily he fills out the adoption paperwork.

WIP

Caulk dirty to me by @leewritingrecs​ Rated E Have I mentioned I love the sex worker trope? I. Love. The. Sex. Worker. Trope. Also Obi is clearly divine at all of his jobs. Shirayuki already got to experience his skills at one of them. I wait with BAITED BREATH for her to experience the other :3

Canon Compliant

Thicker than Blood by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated G In the aftermath of the death of King Kain, Izana and Zen must decide on which path they will take moving forward. Amazing fic. Unfinished, but a wonderful look into the dynamics between the Wisteria brothers and their absent mother.

One-Shot

Worth his Weight in Rice by @claudeng80​ Rated T AU set in an Edo-adjacent Period where a disease has wiped killed off a significant portion of the male population. Resulting societal shifts occur. If you go into the comments, I have a couple of pages worth of reasons why I love this AU, but what I appreciate even more is how you have an absolutely perfect oneshot in this fic. It is a well-translated universe where we get a delightful clear, beginning, middle, and end, all in 5k. NOT an easy feat. Please enjoy.

Rare Pair

the fog pushing through my mind by @thelionshymnal​ Rated E Obi/Yuzuri, friends with benefits. Two pining idiots with some sore feelings decide to get stoned and take comfort in another warm body for the night. I just really enjoyed the casual intimacy of the encounter and how this is clearly neither of their first experiences with a one night stand. Neither of them are going to make it weird in the morning, they just need to take the edge off, ya know? Additional bonus for Obi being ready to stab the dumbasses who made Yuzuri feel like she was a weirdo in her past.

AU You Took a Chance On (And Now Love)

Lightning in a Bottle by @jhalya​ Rated M I mean, if Jules is gonna play dirty by making Obi the hot fish man running around without his shirt on 99% of the time, then of COURSE I’m going to enjoy Deep Blue Sea. It’s, like, one of my favorite movies now.

Favorite Trope

Moonshine Phantom by @leewritingrecs​ Rated T We got a murder muffin who ALSO used to be a sex worker? Sign me the fuck up, I am 1000% here for this. Also all the showgirls who clearly love their coworker and only want him and his adorable wife to have the best. They may have never heard of her before, but she looks sweet, and they all have a silent agreement between them that if she breaks his heart, they’ll cut her.

Fic That Gave You a New OTP

What the Heart Wants by @sabraeal​ Rated G Haruto/Mukaze. An attempted kidnapping and subsequent rescue makes Zen and Shirayuki painfully aware that their parents have had, at some point in their lives, sex. Izana may not be happy about someone banging his mom, but is HE rather pleased at having a new sister. >:3c

Pre-Canon

The Wolf in the Woods by @krispy-kream​ (YES I STILL HAVE THIS BOOKMARKED) Rated G Everyone knows that I have very delicate food feels and this ALMOST went under the Wept Real Tears category, but I like to spread out the crying as much as possible XD Shirayuki finds a boy at the edge of the wood and decides he needs something to eat. Filed under: Guaranteed to wreck me in 500 words or less.

[tonystarkbingo]

TSB Week 25!

You might wanna brace yourselves, darlings, because there are DOZENS of works under that readmore!  As we reach the end of the round, everyone is scrambling to finish their fills and we are being blessed by a LANDSLIDE of content!

There will be one more roundup to gather up the last of the fills, and those should be submitted no later than July 1st!  Masterposts are due on the 4th, please include the following info for each fill on the masterpost:

Fill S1 - fill name - link - rating - pairing (if any)

You may, of course, include more, but that info is required.  We will post our Grand Masterpost with links to everyone’s masterpost after the 4th.

Also, don’t forget to claim your badges!  Unless you fill out this form, you will not get your badges! 

And speaking of badges... congratulations to the following!

Participation

Huntress

Faustess

Simi

Fighting_for_Creativity

calmena

DarthBloodOrange

Bingo

FestiveFerret

Von Gelmini

peachy

tinydragontony

Blackout

HogwartsToAlexandria

Dum-E badges have been going out as well, so congratulations to the many that have earned the Disaster Bot Badge!

And now... on to the insane number of fills!

Title: Tony, NO Collaborator: von_gelmini Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - You Can’t Trademark That Ship: Starker Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Inappropriate use of Stark Tech, Not Canon Compliant, Tony Stark is a Little Shit, Pepper Potts is Long Suffering, No Pepperony, Dildos, Tony Stark Has a Big Dick Summary: “You can’t trademark that!”Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Of course I can’t. You can’t trademark an actual, physical item. That requires a patent. Which I have.” “You have a patent for that?” Word Count: 1091

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Title: More Than Just a Cosplayer’s Dream Collaborator: eachpeachpearplum Fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted/T4 - Image: 3490 Kiss Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Fluff and Humor, Lack of Communication, Idiots in Love, Tony’s questionable planning skills Summary: After cosplayers dressed as him and Steve kiss in front of the Tower, Tony goes to great lengths to keep Steve from finding out. If only he’d known he didn’t have to… Word Count: 6196

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Title: Outsider, Outsider Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - Image: Headset Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Horror, Fairy tale AU, Space AU, rabbits. lots of rabbits Summary: Stardate 5239.283.09 Word Count: 2249

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Title: If You Need Me Collaborator: periwinklepromise Link: AO3 Square Filled: Pepper Potts/Rescue Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: That's the problem with Tony, she thinks. Some of his messes are international terrorist groups hellbent on destruction, and some of his messes are just a learning robot with good aim Word Count: 343

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Title: If Only Collaborator: FestiveFerret Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Phobia Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Gay Panic, Sexuality, Self-Discovery Summary: Steve wasn't gay. He wasn't. He'd know that about himself. He had no problem whatsoever with men who were attracted to men - he was dating one of them - but it wasn't him. Word Count: 6061

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Title: The anatomy of a dying star - Chapter 1 Collaborator: summerpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - Wake Up! Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Implied/Referenced Torture, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort Summary: When Captain Bucky Barnes opened the crate, he was surprised. He thought of a million things that he might find, a hidden food-stash, some contraband supplies, maybe even a collection of weird dolls, Bucky wasn't one to judge. But what he never expected was to see the outline of a man, a very naked man, shivering as he woke up, blue eyes staring back him. Word Count: 1507

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Title: all that I think about you Collaborator: HogwartsToAlexandria Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - AU: Hogwarts Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Howard and Maria had once again let him down, and Tony was forced to watch all his friends, and particularly his best friend who he was very much in love with like thirteen-year-olds could be, leave for Hogsmeade without him. Enter Thor and Loki. The Asgardian Brothers of Mischief. Tony knew he could manage something.  Word Count: 510

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Title: Lights! Camera! Action! Collaborator: HogwartsToAlexandria Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Tony/Natasha/Pepper Ship: Tony/Natasha/Pepper Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, PWP, Established Relationship Summary: Tony knows he's lucky; not everyone gets to submit to their wives for pleasure, and for business. Word Count: 1890

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Title: Flex & Flexibility Collaborator: feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - Accidental Marriage Ship: Starker Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Arranged Marriage, Class Differences Summary: Tony Stark meddles with the romantic and aspirational fortunes of those in his acquaintance as often as possible; he tinkers with fates as well as machines and formulae, and he considers it a form of generosity and atonement for a) being so criminally and miserably over-privileged, and b) his past mistakes.When the match he'd been brokering between his head housekeeper's, May Parker's, nephew and the sadly recently deceased son of Norman Osborn, a business associate, ends up impossible... Tony steps in. After all, the small upstate town in this great state of New York finds it unseemly that an unattached male teach schoolchildren, lest either be an unwelcome distraction to the other.And Peter Parker had already taken the post, you see. There is really nothing else to be done but for Tony to marry the young schoolmaster himself. Word Count: 4590

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Title: The kill shot - Chapter 7 Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Image: Working on Bucky’s Arm Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alcohol, Cheating(past), Dinner, Fluff, Identity Porn Summary: After they spent a wonderful night with each other James slipps out, but not before making breakfast.Tony has a heart to heart with JARVIS.And James has a dream, which is more a memory than anything else.Later the two have another date. Word Count: 13,329

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Title: Overexposure Collaborator: hddnone Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Photoshoot Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Photographer!Bucky, Alternate Universe - No Powers Summary: When Bucky gets a chance to photograph Tony Stark - yes, that Tony Stark - it's the biggest break in his career. It doesn't matter that Bucky has a tiny, itty bitty crush on Tony. It doesn’t matter that it’s a lingerie photoshoot, or that the pictures won't ever be seen by anyone outside Bucky, Tony, and Tony's wholly undeserving boyfriend.Bucky is going to be an absolute goddamn professional. Word Count: 1068

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Title: Bing Bang Bingo Collaborator: Kou Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier Ship: Pepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Summary: Tony helps Steve with his problem and tries to rationalize why he's willing to harbor a known war criminal. Word Count: 1040

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Title: The Auld Triangle Collaborator: Menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A2 - Labyrinth Ship: WinterIron, Stuckony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub; Alternate Universe - No Powers; established bucky/tony; Mutual Pining; Fluff; Flirting; Irish Steve Rogers; Irish Sarah Rogers; Polyamory; Polyamory Negotiations Summary: Moodboard. (Fic summary: In which Steve owns a failing Irish bar and Bucky works at that bar and is also married to Tony and the latter two desperately want to bring the former one into their relationship…But this is Steve, Tony, and Bucky we’re talking about. So they’re idiots about it.) Word Count: N/A

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Title: Through a Child’s Eyes, It’s Different - Chapter 6: Very Familiar Eyes Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Flying Ship: Pepperony, Tony & Avengers, Iron Squad Rating: Teen Major Tags: deaged Tony, angst/fluff/humor, science and magic gone wrong, post-CACW drama, Team Cap Critical Summary: Rhodey's in a panic trying to find Tony in the rubble created by the explosion. Problem is, Tony isn't there. There's just a little kid with big brown eyes that look awfully familiar... Word Count: 12,090

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Title: my body is not their bed xvii Collaborator: Simi Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Tony Stark/Natasha Romanoff Ship: Bucky/Tony/Steve/Natasha Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Soulmate AU, Female Tony Stark, Toni is Raised by HYDRA, Explicit Sexual Content, PTSD, Aftermath of Torture Summary: In 1995, the Engineer and the Winter Soldier escape HYDRA and end up, bleeding, on Peggy Carter's doorstep.This is their journey after. This is the story of their victory march. Word Count: 94,402

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Title: Because I could not stop for Death - (He kindly stopped for me) - Chapter 3 Collaborator: Faustess Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - Angst Ship: WinterPepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Inspired by Corpse Bride (2005), Angst with a Happy Ending, Not Cheating, Pre-Poly, Supernatural Elements Summary: Tony likes Sergeant Bucky Barnes and if they'd met under other circumstances, he could have been happy. But Bucky's dead... and Tony's not. Meanwhile, the Potts's are short one groom for the wedding. And our favorite field mouse is livid Word Count: 4787

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Title: JARVIS Play Despacito Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - WTF Ship: JARVIS & Steve Rogers Rating: Gen Major Tags: texting fic, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century Summary: Text conversation between JARVIS and Steve Word Count: 446

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Title: Hadid - Chapter 3 Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4- [Image of Tony & Rhodey hugging in IM1] Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: Dragon Riders, Iron Man 1 AU, Mutual Pining Summary: An AU of Iron Man 1, now with added dragons. Word Count: 4786

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Title: It is the wind, that shows you the way. Collaborator: HogwartsToAlexandria Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - A Wedding and A Funeral Ship: Pepperony Rating: Mature Major Tags: soulmate AU Summary: You find your soulmate in a dream they say, and that dream can be so many things at once sometimes you don't realize that's what your subconscious has been telling you, and yet it was. Word Count: 1984

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Title: Las Vegas Wedding Collaborator: Violettavonviolet Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - hindsight Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: secret relationship, hindsight, DADT, secret wedding Summary: They had talked about it a lot after gay marriage was finally legalized. They didn’t marry because of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, but now that it was repealed, Rhodey knew what would happen. or: Tony and Rhodey have a Las Vegas Wedding because they can, finally they can. Word Count: 1610

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Title: The anatomy of a dying star - Chapter 2 Collaborator: justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Mind control or Brainwashing Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Firefly AU Summary: When Captain Bucky Barnes opened the crate, he was surprised. He thought of a million things that he might find, a hidden food-stash, some contraband supplies, maybe even a collection of weird dolls, Bucky wasn't one to judge. But what he never expected was to see the outline of a man, a very naked man, shivering as he woke up, blue eyes staring back him. Word Count: 6705

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Title: Cheer - Chapter 2 Collaborator: hddnone Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Sam Wilson/Falcon Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: The one where the Avengers are a collegiate cheerleading team making their way to Nationals. Word Count: 2073

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Title: Tears In Heaven Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1- Resolve Ship: Tony Stark & Morgan Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, James “Rhodey” Rhodes & Tony Stark Rating: Gen Major Tags: Major Character Death, Avengers Endgame compliant, heavy angst Summary: He’d done it. Thanos was gone, turned to dust along with his army. Tony just needed to find something to lean against. Just to give him some support while he got his breath back. Word Count: 581

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Title: Order and Chaos Collaborator: The_Alias (Artemis_Day) Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Angel/Demon AU Ship: Pepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Angel/Demon AU Summary: You can't have one without the other. Word Count: 1683

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Title: Only Fool Rush In Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1: S5 - No Powers Chapter 2: Jan Adopted Prompt - Fake Marriage/Marriage of Convenience Chapter 3: K5 - Drunk Dialing/Wrong Number Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: College AU, fake marriage, age difference (Steve is 25, Tony is 18) Summary: Due to a condition in Howard's will, Tony needs to find someone willing to sham marry him before he can claim his inheritance. Including taking over Stark Industries. The facts that Steve is the one who volunteered to help, and that Tony has a massive crush on him, shouldn't be a problem. Right? Word Count:

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Title: The anatomy of a dying star - Chapter 3 Collaborator: justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4: Helen Cho Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Firefly AU Summary: When Captain Bucky Barnes opened the crate, he was surprised. He thought of a million things that he might find, a hidden food-stash, some contraband supplies, maybe even a collection of weird dolls, Bucky wasn't one to judge. But what he never expected was to see the outline of a man, a very naked man, shivering as he woke up, blue eyes staring back him. Word Count:

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Title: Comfy Collaborator: festiveferret Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S3 - Cuddling Ship: Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Cuddling, Fluff, Snuggles Summary: none Word Count: 440

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Title: Through The Looking... Portal Collaborator: MagicaDraconia16 Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1: adopted prompt - Sent to a Different Dimension Chapter 2: A4 - Multiverse Shenanigans Chapter 3: adopted prompt - Meeting Alternate Universe Counterparts Ship: Tony & Bucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: the odd swearing, dimension travel, magical accidents, Reed Richards' portals Summary: Reed Richards was an absolute menace. Of course, it was Tony's fault for touching the obviously magical object in the first place. What else would you expect from something that came from a portal designed to look into alternate dimensions? Word Count: 5215

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Title: Welcome to the Jungle - Chapter One Collaborator: monobuu Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Trapped/Isolated Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Video Game Violence, Cursing, (Video Game) Death Summary: A GAME FOR THOSE WHO SEEK TO FIND - A WAY TO LEAVE THEIR WORLD BEHIND Word Count: 1286

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Title: Faked Collaborator: festiveferret Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T4 - IMAGE: Jan & Tony Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Fake Relationship, Jealousy Summary: none Word Count: 570

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Title: Love Is True In Fairy Tales Collaborator: periwinklepromise Link: AO3 Square Filled: Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: none  Summary:  Locked away in a castle and guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon, Natasha is still waiting for a knight so bold as to rescue her. When her rescuer finally comes, he's ... a little unorthodox, she must admit   Word Count: 851

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Title: High on You Collaborator: hddnone Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Wolfgang von Strucker Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Sex Pollen, Dubious Consent, Non-consensual drug use (from the sex pollen), allusion to Clint/Nat/Steve Summary: Sex pollen. Just another Tuesday as an Avenger. Strucker is wrong about it distracting the Avengers too much to fight - well, with the exception of those with the serum. It hits them a little differently than the rest of the team. Word Count: 3481

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Title: A bet for love Collaborator: Violettavonviolet Link: AO3  Square Filled: S2 - Misunderstandings Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: shovel talk, misunderstanding, pining, POV Bucky Barnes Summary: Bucky has been pining after Tony for months, and the other avengers finally decide to step in. Any idiot can see that Tony like Bucky. So, one morning, Clint makes a bet with Bucky. He has to ask Tony out and Clint does his reports for a month. Bucky does and sure enough they start dating, sadly neither of them are good at communicating and now Tony is holed up in his lab. or: A small misunderstanding can lead to a big fall out. Jarvis is scary protective and Bucky and Tony are really just a couple of dumbasses. Word Count: 2433

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Title: Skein Collaborator: onlymorelove Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S1 - Secret Hobby Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard  Summary: Tony loves to knit.

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Title: A Veritable Landslide of Creatures Collaborator: betheflame Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - Attacked by a creature Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: none  Summary: Peter likes to sleep with a few too many stuffed animals for his dads' liking. Word Count: 1155

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Title: Cinderella AU - free art fill by monobuu Collaborator: summerpipedream Link: Tumblr Square Filled: free art fill - T2: Cinderella Story Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Cinderella AU with Steve and Tony

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Title: The anatomy of a dying star - Chapter 4 Collaborator: justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Firefly AU Summary: When Captain Bucky Barnes opened the crate, he was surprised. He thought of a million things that he might find, a hidden food-stash, some contraband supplies, maybe even a collection of weird dolls, Bucky wasn't one to judge. But what he never expected was to see the outline of a man, a very naked man, shivering as he woke up, blue eyes staring back him. Word Count: 6705

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Title: “That treasure of yours better be worth it Stark!” - Moodboards Collaborator: sianmcawesome Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S5 - AU: Adventurers/Explorers Ship: Bucky/Clint/Tony Rating: Gen Major Tags: snakes, skulls, medical equipents (for pics under the cut), mention of Obediah Stane Summary: 4 moodboards for the WinterIronHawk meets Indiana Jones/National Treasure/Blood and Treasure/every other Treasure Hunter movie and show out there story I´ll probably never get around to writing.

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Title: Bing Bang Bingo - Chapter 3: TSBingo K1: Meet Ugly Collaborator: Starkangejr Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Meet Ugly Ship: Pepperony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe--Canon Divergence, Manipulation, SIM!Tony, Attempted Murder, Minor Character Death Summary: Superior Iron Man always gets what he wants. Word Count: 2484

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Title: feed each other and call it love Collaborator: ohjustpeachy Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Steve/Tony Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: Steve works late, Tony builds a robot, and they show their feelings the only way they know how: through food. Word Count: 1823

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Title: Alarmed Collaborator:  festiveferret Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S4 - Adrenaline Rush Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: fluff Summary: none Word Count: 770

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Title: For Want of a Nail Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Centaur AU Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Human/Demi-Human Relationships,  Summary: The centaur, Bucky, is traveling to the witch coven to get the herbs needed to alleviate his herd-mate’s cough. On the way, he throws a shoe. Centaurs don’t usually associate much with humans, but what choice has he got? Word Count: 3909

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Title: God Is Great Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: Mod Fill for tinydragontony K5 - Forgotten Things Ship: FrostIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Marriage Proposal, Religious Rituals Summary: Tony wants to make sure he has Loki's undivided attention... Word Count: 525

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Title: Untitled Collaborator: peachy Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T1 - AU: Gothic Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Moodboard Summary: An au where Tony’s parents die mysteriously, leaving him to inherit Stark Mansion, the house he’s spent years trying to escape, and Steve is the detective assigned to the case who gets far too involved.  Word Count: N/A

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Title: Ghost of Unprotected Sex Past - Can’t Sleep?  Collaborator: G Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S1 - Phobia Ship: Tony Stark x F!Reader // IronDad Rating: Teen Major Tags: Cursing, mention of nightmares, insomnia, mention of spiders and spider bites Summary: You and Tony have a late-night chat about your fears and anxieties. Word Count:

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Title: The Princes and the Pauper Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Royalty Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Royalty Au, Envy/Jealousy, Evil Twin, inspired by the fairytale 'The Prince And The Pauper' Summary: A twin brother could be one of the most wonderful things life could gift you with.For the longest time, Anthony though of his twin Gregory as such that.Little did he know, that his brother wasn't as content with life like Anthony was.In a world where only the firstborn can inherit, the second-born twin falls victim to greed. Word Count: 1104

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Title: Thank You for Waking Me Up - Chapter 2 Collaborator: hddnone Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - AU: Anime Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony almost died. Well, he did die and then was brought back to life, but that was supposed to be a secret. He wants to go back to his college life at MIT and designing robots with Rhodey, but his second chance at life means that he has the Grim Reaper who goes by the name of Phil Coulson trying to train him to save the world.He's probably not meant to flirt with the demons he's supposed to be catching. Word Count: 2808

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Title: Date Night Collaborator: Artemis Day Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - Spy, Secret Agent, Assassin, or Hitman Ship: Pepperony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Mild Sexual Content Summary: Seven O'Clock. Tony Stark was home alone. Word Count: 1387

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Title: Through a Child’s Eyes, It’s Different - Chapter 20: A Breakthrough Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Stephen Strange Ship: Pepperony, Iron Squad, Minor Jane/Thor Rating: Teen Major Tags: Deaged Tony, Science and Magic Summary: Dr. Strange's Cloak behaves oddly, and a breakthrough comes from an unexpected source. Word Count: 35,704

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Title: A Bun (Well, Cookies) in the Oven Collaborator: eachpeachpearplum Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Tony Stark/Pepper Potts Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Fluff, So Much Fluff, Pregnancy, Baking Summary: Pepper is tired, achy, and has had more than enough of people telling her she's glowing. Fortunately, Tony is a genius, and knows just how to cheer her up. (It's just a pity cooking isn't one of his strengths.) Word Count: 1214

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Title: The Rest is Fate Collaborator: FestiveFerret Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A4 - Cinderella Story Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Pining, Unrequited Love (Or Is It?)  Summary: Word Count: 886

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Title: A Bakery Bodyswap Collaborator: Gavilan Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S5 - Body Swap Ship: WinterIron Rating: G Major Tags: Bodyswap, Baking, Photo Story, Food, Images of Food Summary: A photo story. Word Count: N/A

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Title: It’s Our Choices That Define Us Collaborator: InTheShadows Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Anticipation Ship: Loki & Tony Stark Rating: Gen Major Tags: Hogwarts AU, Sorting Fic Summary: Loki and Tony are Sorted into their Hogwarts Houses. Anyone who thinks they already know the outcome are fools. This two never do the expected after all. Word Count: 1971

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Title: That’s What She Said Collaborator: FestiveFerret Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Ho Yinsen Ship: Stuckony Rating: E Major Tags: Get Together, Drunk Consent Summary: Steve had a massive crush on his TA, which he was hiding from his boyfriend, until a chance meeting in the chip aisle at Target changed everything. Word Count: 3378

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Title: That’s What She Said Collaborator: betheflame Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Shopping Together Ship: Stuckony Rating: E Major Tags: Get Together, Drunk Consent Summary: Steve had a massive crush on his TA, which he was hiding from his boyfriend, until a chance meeting in the chip aisle at Target changed everything. Word Count: 3378

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Title: Chances Are Collaborator: tinydragontony Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Tony in the Workshop Ship: FrostIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Domestic Fluff Summary: What's Jarvis playing over the intercom system? That sure doesn't sound like AC/DC... Word Count: 28,050

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Title: Sun’s Out, Guns Out Collaborator: only_more_love Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S2 - Thanos Ship: N/A Rating: Gen Major Tags: Moodboard Summary: Even supervillains need time to unwind. Word Count: N/A

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Title: First Kiss Collaborator: Monobuu for Lacrimula Falsa Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Mod art fill for Lacrimula Falsa T3 - First Kiss Ship: IronAgent Rating: Gen Major Tags: N/A Summary: Art Word Count: N/A

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Title: Pretty For You Collaborator: DarthBloodOrange Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Adopted - Kink: Crossdressing Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Crossdressing, Sexual Content Summary: For some fun Steve puts on one of the USO Tour Girl dresses for Tony. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Discipline Collaborator: DarthBloodOrange Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Kink: Caning Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Sexual Content, BDSM, Uniform Kink Summary: “Do you know why you are here, Captain?” Tony asks, eyeing up the soldier standing to attention before him. Word Count: 1587

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Title: Pull of the Tide Collaborator: DarthBloodOrange Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Kink: Interfemoral/Intercrural  Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Sexual Content, Food Sex, Intercrural Sex Summary: Tony is tired after a long day at the lifeguard convention he was attending. All Tony wants it to sleep. Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you want…… Sometimes it give you something better. Word Count: 2100

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Title: scenes from an Italian restaurant Collaborator: peachy Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Marriage Proposal, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff,  Summary: Steve gets back from a mission, and they go to dinner. Word Count: 1131

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Title: A Box of Scraps in a Cave Collaborator: betheflame Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - Image: MK 1 Ship: Stony, WinterFalcon Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff Summary: “Jarvis, report?” Tony said quietly.“Master Peter has opened the box and lit the forge.”“After eight hours of scowling at it, that’s quite a bit of progress,” Tony quipped. Word Count: 2648

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Title: Ice Breaker Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - Popsicle Ship: IronFalcon Rating: Gen Major Tags: Fluff, First Date, Dorks in Love Summary: The moment Sam asked him for a date had filled Tony with nervous anticipation and tension.Why the hell the weather decided to be as unbearable hot as it was on that day, only heaven knows.At least Sam and he were able to get some cooling popsicles. Word Count: 1472

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Title: The Eye of a Spy Collaborator: fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Movie Retelling Ship: IronFury Rating: Mature Major Tags: Movie Retelling Summary: Ever since he had been a much younger agent, Fury had the questionable pleasure of knowing Tony Stark on a slightly more personal level. Over the years though, he couldn't help but think of it more as a privilege.Tony Stark was something else.Maybe, just maybe, Tony Stark was exactly what Nicholas Joseph Fury needed. Word Count: 3001

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Title: The Reunion Collaborator: FestiveFerret Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Pining Ship: WinterIron, Stucky, Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Pining, Get Together Summary: Bucky's upcoming ten-year high school reunion is dredging up memories of something else that ended ten years ago. He tries to ignore the way it makes him feel, but his boyfriend, Tony, has other ideas. Word Count: 3162

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Title: Size Him Up, Take Him Down - Chapter 3 Collaborator: Romancebyfaye Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Cheesy Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Dom/Sub Summary: Steve is small and slight. For this reason others often assume he isn't a Dominant or is incapable of being a good Dominant. It doesn't seem to matter that Submissives, Dominants, Switches, and Nulls come in all shapes and sizes. He's had more than his fair share of fighting against stereotypes, so when Natasha mistakes his designation and introduces him to another Dominant who seems more than interested in taking him down, Steve perhaps responds in a less than ideal manner.Only now Nat is pissed at him and it seems he may have fallen prey to the exact kind of thinking he has always despised. Word Count: 5829

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Title: A Matter of Efficiency Collaborator: FestiveFerret Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - The End Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Crack, Enemas to Lovers, The Butt Chug Fic Summary: Somehow, Steve is defying all known science about him and managing to get drunk. Regularly. Tony is determined to figure out how. Word Count: 6558

[ursae-minoris-world]

25 sheith moments

This is a collection of 25 drabbles (of exactly 100 words each) I did for @sheithfest, each using one of the prompts suggested for day3.

You can read it on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19432342

There's a little game going on that the 3 most popular drabbles will either get expanded as ficlets or get an illustration. :)

Here's the thread on twitter: https://twitter.com/UrsaeMinoris2/status/1144886396106301440 People can vote for their favorite drabbles by liking, commenting, or re-tweeting them.

It is also possible to vote on tumblr by reblogging and commenting with the numbers/prompts of your favorites drabbles, or on AO3 in the comments.

Votes should be open for the first week of july, I think. I'll edit here when they close.

---

1- Pride

What Shiro felt when Keith came back looking so grown up and strong and confident should have been pride, shouldn’t it? Pride that the young cadet he had taken under his wing earlier had grown to his full potential, not only an amazing pilot, but also a strong leader. You just needed to look at how the team was eagerly listening to his explanations and discussing his plans to see it. And Shiro was proud, of course he was.

What he hadn’t expected was to stumble on his words like an idiot because he found his best friend so hot.

2- Meet again

Keith would have hugged Shiro if the situation wasn’t so dire. But they have to stop Lotor first. No time to get emotional. Even if he has missed Shiro immensely.

It seems to be always like that with Shiro and him. They keep being torn apart, but they always find each other again. He remembers saving Shiro after his disappearance in the Kerberos mission; and their reunion when he had been missing after the fight against Zarkon. And now, after Keith was stuck in the Quantum Abyss.

He knows he will always find Shiro. As many times as it takes.

3- Long hair Shiro

When Keith helped him out of the galra ship, Shiro felt weirdly self-conscious. His hair was too long and greasy; he would have needed a shave; his skin was sticky and his own stench made him uncomfortable. That didn’t seem to bother Keith as much as it should have; he didn’t shy away from holding Shiro close.

“Don’t look at me...” he muttered, his parched tongue making the words indistinct. Keith said something, and the rest of the team cleared the room. Coran left last, after insisting that Shiro was too starved for the pods. Only Keith stayed with him.

4- Distance

3 billion miles. The current distance between the Earth and Kerberos. Keith thought about that number often, while watching the stars in the clear sky of the desert. He wished this was a distance he could cover with his hoverbike. He knew Shiro was out there, possibly in danger. He refused to believe he was dead.

After being kicked out of the Garrison, his last chance to go to space seemed to have vanished. Sometimes he thought of stealing a spacecraft from the Garrison; he knew that even if he managed to pull it off, he wouldn’t go far alone.

5- Sunset / sunrises

Shiro was clutching his side, which was both burning and feeling numb, a strange sensation. He felt his consciousness slip away, and he knew he wouldn’t survive for long on that desert planet; not hurt like he was. He could only hope Keith would outlive him long enough for the rest of the team to rescue him. The young paladin was resourceful and resilient, so Shiro trusted him to survive. He would be a great leader, and Shiro’s only regret was to not being able to witness it.

It seemed like a fitting end, watching the sunset alone with Keith.

6- Monsters & Mana

“Thanks for saving me again”, said Jiro.

“Always”, answered Thunderstorm Darkness. “You have done the same for me.”

“Of course I did.” answered Jiro, softly. They shared a long hug.

“Pleaaase stop flirting with your characters.” complained Pidge.

“Wha… what? They’re not flirting!” protested Keith.

“They’re just friends.” added Shiro nervously. “They help each other.”

“Sure, like you and Keith are just friends, I guess” replied Pidge, the sarcasm in her voice thick enough to cut with a knife.

“Well, yeah.” replied Keith, tone deaf as always for that kind of things.

Hunk grunted. Coran let out a long sigh.

7- Drunk dialing / wrong number

“I missed you, Shiro. I’m glad to be back.” admitted Keith.

“Keith, please don’t use the Atlas’ general hailing frequency for personal communication.”

It was Veronica, not Shiro, on the screen. Despite her formal tone, he could see her grin. Behind her, Acxa was rolling her eyes, Curtis was blushing, and Iverson was looking purposefully away.

“Good to have you back, Keith” answered Shiro warmly, undisturbed by his crew.

Keith didn’t get it either. What he had said wasn’t that bad, after all.

“It’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it”, Hunk had once tried to explain.

8- Battle / fight

Seeing Keith getting beaten up during the first part of the trials had been hard enough. Shiro had ground his teeth and held back for Keith's sake. This was Keith's choice, and Shiro didn't want to stand in his way. It still felt like dying inside watching his friend get hurt.

Seeing Keith unconscious on the ground while Shiro's image was used against him had been too far. Now they were using Keith's trauma about his parents, and that was unacceptable. Even Red was furious. Shiro would fight the entire Blade of Marmora to get Keith out of their claws.

9-Pining / Mutual pining

“I think... I always loved him. From the beginning,“ admitted Keith, thoughtfully. “At the time, I didn't really understand it, but...” He trailed off.

“Maybe you should tell him?” suggested Romelle.

Keith let out a breathless laugh. “No. He doesn't see me like that.”

“Hu. Are you sure?” replied Romelle, dubiously.

---

“I know I shouldn't see him that way”, Shiro tried to explain to Matt. “To him, I'm some kind of big brother, he trusts me. If he knew what I feel for him, it would ruin our friendship.”

“Are you serious?!” growled Matt, slamming his beer on the bar.

10-Denial

“Sooo… how was your date?” Pidge's carefully casual tone was a trap.

Shiro realized he was still holding Keith's hand and swiftly let it go. “P...Pidge! It wasn't a date.”

“Yeeaaah, right. So what were you doing?” It was going to be difficult to get out of this discussion if Hunk paired up with Pidge. It didn't help that Keith was leaving all the defense to Shiro, arms crossed and expression sulky.

“We. Were looking for resources.”

“Did you find any?” Hunk retorted.

“Not really.”

“Maybe you'd find more in daylight.” insinuated Pidge. “But I'm sure the stars were pretty.”

11- Cooking

One night, at the Garrison, Keith noticed a burning smell in the air. He hurried down the corridor. Dark clouds of smoke were crowding under the ceiling, and Keith’s heart jumped in his throat.

He teared a fire extinguisher off the wall and sprinted in direction of the kitchen, where the smoke was coming from.

Inside, the smoke was so dense you could hardly see; his eyes were watering and he started to cough.

“I’m so sorry!” exclaimed Shiro as he opened a window. “I was trying to make mac-and-cheese”.  In the sink, a blackened plate was all that remained.

12- Confessions

Seeing Keith in his hospital bed was jarring. He was uncharacteristically quiet in his sleep. On his pale cheek, the scar stood out blatantly.

Keith suddenly became agitated. Shiro was starting to worry, but Keith opened his eyes, saw him, and calmed instantly.

“Shiro...”

“Keith… I’m sorry.”

Keith blinked, confused. “For what?”

Shiro hesitated. He brushed Keith’s scar. “For hurting you.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Keith frowned. “You remember what I told you?”

“That I was your brother.”

Keith scoffed. “That I love you. Not really...as a brother.”

“I love you too.” replied Shiro, before realizing what he was saying.

13- Astral Plane

Time didn’t really exist, on the astral plane. Shiro didn’t know how long he had been there. Both dead, and existing here, in this strange place. Sometimes, he felt himself dissolve in the lion’s consciousness, aside from when he was in contact with the team. When the team formed Voltron, or when they had called out to him, he felt more solid. He felt the most like he was existing when Keith was piloting Black, of course. He tried so many times to reach out to Keith.

When Keith finally joined him on the astral plane, Shiro felt alive again.

14- Soulmates

Black was the only one to know Shiro and Keith had held hands in the astral plane. The only one, because they had not realized it. And they had no idea of the implications, either. Of two souls touching, directly. Not in a fight, but out of love. The way Keith had so easily reached the astral plane through his connection with Shiro. The way Shiro had been able to materialize enough to put his hand on his shoulder. How they had held hands afterward. Black already knew they were soulmates. But how could they still be unaware of it?

15- Festivities

When the war ended, there were festivities for weeks all through the universe. Keith could understand this. But in big cities, it implied lots of excited people in the streets. Too bad that, for diplomatic reasons, they often ended up in big cities. And the team always wanted to enjoy the festivities once the formalities were over.

And now, he had lost Shiro. They were walking together, and suddenly, he wasn’t there anymore.

Shiro came back, holding two pastries. Keith let out a relieved sigh. “I hate crowds.” he grumbled.

“Should we go home?”

“No. It’s fine if you’re here.”

16- Overworked

“I thought that meeting would never end,” confessed Shiro.

Keith sighed. “Yeah. And I still have paperwork due tomorrow...”

“I know, me too...” Shiro checked Matt’s last message on his phone. “You know what? The team is chilling in the rec. room, we could join them and work there.”

“We won’t get any work done.”

“We could give it a try!”

“Fine”

–

“Told you we wouldn’t work!”

“Well, it’s late, but let’s try to get it done now!”

–

“Are… Are those the Captain of the Atlas and the Leader of Voltron cuddling on the couch?”

“Shhh. Don’t wake them up.”

17- Waking up together

When waking up, Shiro was startled to find arms around him; he was lost for a moment, before recognizing Keith. He remembered his nightmares, and how Keith had heard his panic from his  room -the Castle’s walls were not exactly soundproof. Keith had come and helped Shiro calm down. They must have fallen asleep together.

Keith was still sleeping, snoring softly. Shiro brushed his dark hair away from his forehead. Keith moved slightly, but didn’t wake up. Shiro smiled. He still marveled that, after all that happened, he had Keith at his side again, even so far away from home.

18- Folklore, myths & legends

Do you know the legend of Voltron?

Of course you do. The Robot that freed the Universe.

But, do you know about it’s pilots? No? Let me tell you of two of them, then. Let me tell the tale of the Black Paladins, who both piloted the Black Lion, head of Voltron. Let me tell you about their love, that was stronger than death itself. Let me tell you about how fate tried over and over to separate them, and how they always found each other again. Let me tell you how their love saved us. Gather around, and listen.

19- Fist dates / blind dates

It was the early hours of the morning, and most of the wedding guests had gone. Only their closest friends remained – the paladins, Matt, Romelle… They were watching the sunrise together, quietly sipping the fresh juices a waiter had brought them. Keith was a little hungover, but the headache didn’t matter: he was greeting the morning with his husband.

“What I always wondered was… when did you two start dating?” asked Lance.

“After the war” said Keith.

“No, we already dated on Clear Day, remember?” replied Shiro.

“That was a date?”

“I’m pretty sure you were dating before” stated Allura.

20- Shenanigans with Kosmo

Kosmo was was really good at guessing Keith’s moods. And he had his own ways of helping him out when his spirits were not so high. Frequently, it involved Shiro.

–

“Hi Keith!” said Shiro when a grumpy, half asleep Keith was teleported in the training room.

“Hi Keith!” said Shiro when an exhausted, sweaty Keith in training gear was teleported in the middle of a Garrison meeting.

“Hi Keith” said Shiro when a brooding Keith was teleported beside him on the couch.

“Goodnight, Keith”, whispered Shiro when a fast asleep Keith still in his uniform was teleported into their bed.

21- fix-it

“Be with the ones you love”, Shiro had advised. And Keith had panicked. He had hugged his mom, and had hidden in the desert. Well, if you can “hide” on top of a giant mechanical lion.

Shiro was busy with Garrison business, and Keith didn’t want to bother him. They still hadn’t  talked about what had happened at the clone facility, and he wasn’t sure if Shiro had understood what Keith really meant- or even if he remembered.

Keith’s heart jumped when he heard a hoverbike approaching.

“You’re here”, he whispered when Shiro joined him.

“Of course” answered Shiro softly.

22-seasonal

“What's that?”

“Takoyaki. Just try it.”

Shiro scoffed when Keith's eyes widened in surprise while tasting the food; he hastily went for more. It didn't help that he looked ridiculously cute in a yukata; Shiro was glad he had convinced him to wear one. “I knew you'd like this.”

They walked in silence for a moment.

“Did you… enjoy these summer festivals when you lived here?” wondered Keith.

“Yes, I loved them! My Granddad always took me. Good memories.” Keith nodded. Shiro continued. “Thank you for coming. It's good to make new memories with you.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

23- canon alternate reality

When Sven opened his eyes, he recognized the space hospital. Slav was curled up, asleep on a nearby chair. In the other chair was…

“Sven!” exclaimed Akira. His desperate tone as well as the worried curve of his brow made guilt  tighten Sven’s throat. “I came as soon as I heard!”

“I’m sorry. I’m fine!” Sven exclaimed.

“No, you’re not! You’ve been shot!”

“I had to protect Lance!”

Akira blinked, and looked even more concerned. “Lance wasn’t with you.”

“Not this Lance.” He chuckled at Akira’s puzzled expression. “You wouldn’t believe what happened to us.”

“Well, you’d better tell me.”

24-Monsters

Waking up after a transformation was always painful and scary; even more so for Keith when he found himself lying on dry leaves in the forest rather than in the basement where he usually secured himself for the full moon. But Shiro being there too… that had to be the worst ever.

Despite the horror of Shiro knowing the truth about him, Keith’s first reflex was to hide as much as he could in the cover he was rolled in -before realizing that Shiro had to be the one who wrapped his naked body in it in the first place.

25-Rockband AU

The group had been less than enthusiastic about taking Keith in as a second guitarist, but Shiro was convinced of Keith’s talent, and he had been right. The young punk was a diamond in the raw, and since he joined the group, their popularity was off the charts.

He didn’t get along that well with the others, but they could work on that. Lance might complain about Keith being a show-off, but the public did love his solos. And Allura could keep accusing Shiro of being biased towards Keith… they still had found the new sound they were searching for.

[classywastelandbread-blog]

Serious Noodles vs Jokes

This could also be called “in which DC takes ~5 pages to tell two jokes.

Have more pretentious and serious noodles-that-are-not-to-be-eaten. Continuation of this.

Knock-knock.

Hanzo sighed but disguised it as a deep breath as a part of his meditation. He doubted it fooled the spirits but they weren’t paying attention to him anyway.

I do not understand.

Knock-knock.

What is “knock-knock”?

Hanzo peeked open an eye and found that Genji and Zenyatta had both done the same, covertly watching the three spirit dragons bob their heads in the center of their meditation triangle. (It could hardly be a “circle”, brother, Genji had pointed out and Zenyatta had only encouraged the cyborg so Hanzo gave up.)

Udon bobbed its head not unlike an agitated lizard; Soba peered interestedly at Ramen who bobbed its head back. It’s a joke.

A joke?

A joke. Knock-knock.

Udon and Soba bobbed and wiggled their heads in a way that Hanzo knew meant they were confused. Is that funny? Udon asked.

I don’t know, Ramen replied.

“You’re missing a part of the joke,” Genji said out loud and the three spirits scrambled to look at him, blinking their luminous eyes and flicking their fat, forked tongues excitedly.

Zenyatta’s systems hummed quietly as he drifted closer to Hanzo. “They are telling jokes?” the omnic monk asked in an undertone.

“Trying to,” Hanzo replied just as quietly, having momentarily forgotten that he wasn’t privy to the booming voices of the spirit dragons. “They don’t understand most types of humor.”

What is the joke? Soba asked.

Ramen tilted its head from side to side as if considering that. What part was missed? It wanted to know, climbing into Genji’s lap and twining around his torso.

“Who told you the joke?” Genji asked.

Song Hana, Ramen said, bobbing its head as if agreeing with itself. Unlike Udon and Soba, it was much more active and prone to almost nervous fits of motion.

“What else did she say?” Genji pressed, running a lazy hand along the fluttering tufts of mane along the spine of his spirit dragon.

Knock-knock. Ramen said. And then McCree asked who was there. But she was in front of him so I didn’t understand. What is “knock-knock”?

“Do I want to know?” Zenyatta asked quietly and Hanzo mutely shook his head. The Shambali monk pressed a hand to the seam of his faceplate that mimicked a mouth – as if hiding a chuckle or a smile – and fell back into meditation, his orbs bobbing and orbiting around him with gentle notes.

“It is the sound one makes when they knock on a door,” Hanzo said, reluctantly joining in. Soba, who had always seemed the shyer of his two spirits, scrambled into his lap where it curled up like an enormous cat. It didn’t work out very well, considering from shoulder to hip Soba was nearly a meter long with another meter and a half for its tail and neck. Still it made an effort, which unfortunately looked rather ridiculous.

Wrapping his hands around the spirit, he shifted out of seiza and let Soba attempt to curl up in the well made by his crossed legs. It still didn’t work but it was slightly less awkward.

A knock on the door, Udon echoed, a wrinkle on its scaly face appearing. Its long whiskers fluttered in an imaginary current. But a “knock” on a door is an action, so how is it “knock-knock” instead of “I am knocking on your door”?

Soba bobbed its head. It’s a sound and a verb, it corrected its sibling.

I don’t like it, Udon complained.

Genji hid a smile behind his hand and Ramen shook its head. “Okay,” he said agreeably. “Udon, I am knocking on your door.”

The spirit peered at Genji. Are you speaking to me? Or are you speaking of noodles. Because I am not a noodle and I am not for eating.

Soba and Ramen bobbed their heads though in amusement or agreement, none of them were really sure. Udon-who-are-not-noodles, Ramen said. I am knocking on your door.

Udon cocked its head to the side. Why are you knocking on my door? I do not understand. You are welcome in my home and my room so why do you knock?

“You ask ‘who is there’,” Genji told the spirits who all twisted their heads to look at him. “Because someone is knocking on your door and you want to know who it is.”

The spirits considered that. But why not just open the door? Soba wanted to know. Then you will know who is at the door.

Hanzo and Genji traded glances. “It’s just something that is done,” Genji said cautiously when it was clear that Hanzo wasn’t about to help him any more than he already had. Hanzo in turn combed his fingers through Soba’s mane. “And it’s a part of the joke. So, when someone tells you a joke and says ‘knock-knock,’ you say-”

Who is there! Ramen interrupted excitedly, bouncing a little in Genji’s lap. Udon hmphed and curled up on Hanzo’s other side. He obligingly ran his fingers along its crest and pressed gently along the curve of its jaw.

Hanzo wondered what kind of joke Genji would tell, given how difficult the lead-up had been. How long would it take for them to explain the punchline?

Is that the joke? Soba wondered, accidentally kicking Udon in the face with a flailing leg as it rearranged itself in Hanzo’s lap. He tried not to wince when its scales scratched him but it nosed his hand in apology anyway. I don’t understand how that is funny.

Absently, Hanzo scratched under Soba’s chin and it tipped its head back to let him. Disgraceful, Udon grumbled, nipping at Soba’s claw. Soba kicked it in the face and wiggled delightedly under Hanzo’s hands.

For all of Hanzo’s life his spirits had been dignified and aloof but having now spent time with Overwatch, with a more relaxed atmosphere, they were beginning to unwind a bit. Udon was still stuffy and crabby and none of them understood humor, sarcasm, or humans and omnics in general but it was moments like these, when Soba delicately leaned in to Hanzo’s gentle fingers or curled itself in his lap like a spoiled cat that Hanzo really realized how far they had come.

It wasn’t a very funny joke, Ramen observed.

“Well, it’s not done yet,” Genji explained. “There’s a punchline.”

The three spirits cocked their head. Well, two because Soba was too busy itching at the scales along its dewlap to react. A line of punches? Ramen guessed.

Why are there lines of punches for a joke? Udon asked with a huff. Does that not hurt? Why would you hurt someone for a joke?

“I’m amazed that you haven’t figured out jokes,” Hanzo murmured. “Especially growing up with Genji.”

Ramen tossed its head. Genji didn’t make jokes like this, it said reproachfully and then swiveled its head back to Genji. But why are there lines of punches?

“Well there is the lead-up for the joke,” Genji explained between chuckles. “That lays down the information needed to understand it. The punchline shows what is funny about the joke.”

The spirits considered that. Udon nipped again at Soba’s outstretched claws as it curled itself around Hanzo; Soba tossed its head in annoyance with its dewlap extended, though gravity worked against its threatening display.

Ramen huffed, settling down though it eyed Zenyatta’s lap thoughtfully. So we are missing the rest of the joke?

“Okay,” Genji said with a chuckle. “Let’s start over. Ramen, knock-knock.”

The spirit cocked its head to the side, looking up at its host. Are you speaking to me?

Soba wiggled in Hanzo’s lap. Ramen-that-is-not-a-noodle! It exclaimed. Knock-knock!

The green spirit wiggled around to look at Soba. Who is at the door?

Hanzo and Genji pressed hands to their mouths to hide smiles and swallow back giggles. The spirits all turned to Genji expectantly. Now what? Udon wanted to know gruffly. It was clear that it was getting tired of this silliness but it still rested its head on Hanzo’s knee, watching them all with slitted eyes.

“Cows go,” Genji said and all of the spirits’ heads swiveled around.

Where is there a cow? Soba asked, wiggling out of Hanzo’s lap to scramble up on his shoulders. When it could go no higher, it floated up a bit more. I don’t see a cow nearby.

“It’s a part of the joke,” Hanzo explained tiredly.

Why is there a cow? Ramen asked.

“It’s a part of the lead-up to the punchline,” Genji told them, far more patiently than Hanzo could have. “Let me demonstrate with Hanzo.”

Ramen bounced on his laps. No! We won’t understand it!

“We can explain afterwards,” Genji suggested.

“You just repeat what is said,” Hanzo tried. “Watch: Genji! Knock-knock.”

The spirits grumbled and Soba settled around Hanzo’s shoulders once more. “Who’s there?” Genji asked.

“Cows go.”

“’Cows go’ who?” The brothers both paused.

So you don’t know who is at the door? Udon asked. You ask who is at the door and when they give their name you do not know them?

Ramen huffed. It doesn’t make sense.

On his shoulders, Hanzo could feel Soba wobble as it bobbed its head. It’s a ritual! It declared with the air of having come to a great realization. For the first response you always ask “who’s there”. Then, when they respond, you repeat their response and add “who”. Right?

Udon huffed. This is a complicated joke.

Similarly, Ramen grumbled and scrambled up on Genji’s shoulders. He tugged its tail warningly before it could jump on the unsuspecting Zenyatta’s lap.

“You are welcome to join me, friend,” the omnic said, startling the brothers. He lowered the orbs gently rotating around him and Ramen wiggled its tail out of Genji’s hand before it launched itself into the omnic’s lap. There, it curled up the way Soba had done in Hanzo’s lap and graciously accepted the gentle petting from the Shambali monk. “I am curious to hear the rest of the joke.”

Ramen looked up at Zenyatta. Master Zenyatta! I am knocking on your door.

The monk glanced down at the spirit in his lap. “Hello, friend,” he said mildly as Ramen did a rather good impression of knocking.

“Ramen is starting the joke, Master,” Genji said. “Knock-knock.”

Ramen huffed. “Who’s there?” Zenyatta asked, gently rubbing the tips of his metallic fingers under the hinge of Ramen’s jaw. The spirit closed its eyes and tilted its head into the caress. On his shoulders, Hanzo felt the gentle brush of Soba’s dewlap as it bobbed its head. He obligingly reached up with the hand that wasn’t petting Udon’s mane to scratch at the thick scales along its spine.

“Cows go,” Genji said and not for the first time, Hanzo wondered how this would go. He doubted the spirits, despite their infinite wisdom, would understand such silly humor if the joke was what he thought it was.

Zenyatta perhaps thought something similar for he tilted his head to the side. In his lab, Ramen reached out and snagged on of his orbs with a claw and dragged it to their chest where they wrapped both arms around it. The remaining orbs adjusted their position to remain evenly-spaced and as much as a lizard-like dragon spirit could, Ramen looked put out.

“’Cows go’ who?” the monk asked.

With the most serious expression, Genji told him, “No, cows go ‘moo’, no ‘who’.”

Zenyatta’s disappointment was almost palpable, as was the spirits’. Hanzo swallowed back a bark of laughter but to his surprise, Udon’s head popped up. Ah! It said. That was funny. Then it clearly tried to smile or at least mimic human laughter but it didn’t quite work out: Udon bared its fearsome teeth, flared its whiskers out, and bent its head back as if its neck had snapped.

All in all, it was a rather disturbing sight.

That was actually what made Genji and Hanzo start laughing rather than the absurdity of the joke.

I don’t like that joke, Soba grumbled, bobbing its head again and floating off as Hanzo’s laughter shook it from its perch.

“That was a bad joke,” Zenyatta said with a staticky sigh of disappointment.

It was, Ramen agreed though it was clear that Zenyatta couldn’t hear it. I don’t understand it.

Udon bobbed its head which was back to its proper angle. The “go” is not like the verb “to go”, it explained, bobbing its head smugly. The “go” means “to make a sound”. So when it is answered that “Cows go” is at the door, the response turns into “cows make the noise ‘who’”.

The other two dragon spirits looked as disgusted as their scaly faces and unfamiliarity with facial expressions would allow. I don’t like that joke, Ramen complained.

It’s too complicated, Soba agreed.

They eventually shifted back into meditation, though the dragons continued to grumble about their dissatisfaction with the joke and jokes in general.

Late that night found Hanzo on “his” clifftop spot drinking with McCree.

The autumn nights were beginning to get chilly, so McCree hesitantly offered to share a corner of his signature serape. Though Hanzo made a show of complaining of how dirty and disgusting it was and how it smelled like whiskey and cigarillo smoke he still took the offered corner and leaned against McCree’s side. The nights were beginning to get cold and the serape was warm and the gunslinger was like a furnace, throwing off comfortable heat.

His only warning of something amiss came in a little shock along his tattooed arm, what could have been mistaken for a muscle spasm if Hanzo didn’t know better. He was just opening his mouth to warn McCree when one of his spirits – it was difficult to tell which, but he thought it was Soba – appeared over the edge of the cliff.

I AM KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR, the dragon roared in Hanzo’s mind as McCree yelped in his ear and jerked back. Soba opened its mouth, baring fangs as long as their hands from the heel of their palms to the tips of their fingers. I AM SORRY FOR DISTURBING YOU, BUT I FEEL THAT I MUST INFORM YOU THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU A JOKE. I AM KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR.

“Thank you,” Hanzo gritted out as McCree pressed his gloved hand to his chest, trying to catch his breath after the scare. “Who’s there?”

McCree grunted. “What was that?” he asked as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

“It’s telling us a joke,” Hanzo said flatly.

Soba bobbed its head excitedly, its dewlap extending proudly. WHAT DID THE OCEAN SAY TO THE BEACH?

“What did the ocean say to the beach?” Hanzo translated for McCree. From the resigned look on his face, he knew the punchline already and was preparing himself to react in order to make Soba happy. “I don’t know,” Hanzo said to one of his spirits. “What did the ocean say to the beach?”

NOTHING, the spirit proclaimed in a voice like thunder. Hanzo tipped back his gourd and let the sake flow into his mouth. IT JUST WAVED.

McCree snorted and laughed convincingly when Hanzo relayed the response to him. “Good one!” he told the ancient spirit who preened beneath his attention.

I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE JOKE, Soba admitted. BUT THANK YOU FOR PRETENDING YOU LIKED IT. Pushing itself off the edge of the cliff, it meandered away as if it walked on solid ground rather than the windy air of the seaside cliff.

“Don’t ask,” Hanzo muttered when McCree looked at him. 

He could hear Udon ask, DID YOU INTERRUPT THEIR DATE? THAT WAS VERY RUDE.

I KNOW, Soba replied. BUT THEIR CLOTHES ARE STILL ON SO I DIDN’T INTERRUPT ANYTHING IMPORTANT.

Never before had he been so glad that McCree couldn’t hear the spirits. 

He murmured a ‘thank you’ and passed his gourd of sake to the gunslinger when he was offered the corner of his signature serape again.

[winterhawkbigbang]

Winterhawk Mini Bang

Here it is folks all the works from the minibang! All the fics have art accompanying them. Take a look through these works and give the authors and artists some love. Please remember to check the archive warnings and be sure to read all the tags before you start reading.

Standby (T) Words: 2,387 by @mollynoble

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, Veteran Bucky, Veteran Clint, brief mention - anxitey

Clint and Bucky meet when they become trapped in an elevator. Clint is an idiot, but Bucky likes him anyways.

[Art] by @torii-storii

birdboy and grumpycat17 (T) Words: 2,020 by @varilia

Tags: Friends to Lovers, Interplanetary Travel, "The Space Between Us" AU

Clint was born on Mars. Only, like, two people on Earth know that, and his best-- only-- friend, James, is not one of them. When given the opportunity to visit Earth, and therefore James, Clint is eager to tell James the truth: about where he's from, and the fluttery feelings that he gets whenever talking to James.

[Art] by @sian1359

Americana is for Lovers (M) Words: 8,232 by @ccbytheseashore

Tags: road trips, americana, sexual content, developing relationships, getting together

Please tell me you are still alive, read Steve's text. In Virginia, Bucky replied. The hell are you doing in Virginia? Would you believe me if I said trying to find a foam sculpture of Stonehenge? Tony said to make sure his car comes back in once piece. Please don't shoot each other.

Clint and Bucky set off on an adventure to find an infamous work of Americana history, but find literally everything else (including love, and a Magic Fingers) instead.

[Art] by @bvckyboy

My Depths for You (M) Words: 7,287 by @shellsxo

Tags: Domestic Fluff; Domestic!Bucky; Domestic!Clint; Anniversary

Somewhere down the line, Bucky Barnes had become the sun, and Clint's life had begun revolving around him. Neither had expected their feelings to become so strong, to grow in strength or in depth. But it had.

Lilac Alstroemeria Aster (T) Words: 7,303 by @jenjo93

Tags: No powers AU. Bucky works at a flower shop; Clint is a human disaster by day, vigilante by night

On the surface, Clint Barton shares nothing with Bucky Grant, the cute florist he helped save from thieves. Bucky has a business, owns more than one outfit, and looks to have a stable life. Worlds away from Clint's drama-filled past. Bucky being kidnapped reminds Clint why he doesn't put his heart on the line anymore.

[Art] by PlaidHunters

Edge of our Hope (T) Words: 5,956 by @punxbarton

Tags: Pacific Rim AU, mention of past character death, mention of past loss of limb

Nobody wonders whether Clint and Bucky are drift compatible. They clearly are. Which is the problem, since Clint already has a drift partner, and Bucky can't ever pilot again. Well, it's the problem for some people. Not for them. Never for them.

[Art] by @bizrreer

Still Breathing (T) Words: 8,241 by @victorianbreaker

Tags: Canon-typical Violence, vague Mentions of suicidal thoughts, blood

Clint just wanted to get away. He didn't want to hurt any one. But he keeps seeing blue...I dodged a bullet and I walked across a landmine / Oh, I'm still alive / Am I bleeding am I bleeding from the storm? / Just shine a light into the wreckage, so far away, away...'Cause I'm still breathing / 'Cause I'm still breathing on my own / My head's above the rain and roses / Making my way away / My way to you

[Art] by @theassassinhawk

Not Such a Risk (M) Words: 3,311 by @aw-hawkeye-no

Tags: Dom/Sub, Bondage, dom!Clint, sub!Steve, Sub!Bucky

"Buck, I gotta ask -- are you here of your own free will, or did Clint kidnap you and force you to watch Dog Cops?” Steve smirked as he glanced from Bucky to Clint.“Hey!” Clint objected just as Bucky said, “Bit of column A, bit of column B.”Clint huffed indignantly. “As I remember it, I was minding my own business when you barged in here and started questioning my eating habits.”

Or, Clint has been acting as Steve's and Bucky's dom for weeks now, but the three of them have never done a scene together.

[Art](nsfw)by @xbittenx

Save Me. (T) Words: 4,867 by @hodginsismylife

Tags:  Not Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Swearing, Canon-Typical Violence.

Clint Barton just wanted an easy recovery after being braiwashed, he didn't want to be kidnaped by HYDRA, he didn't ask for any of this.

[Art] by @marvel-4-life

How to Mate Your Cyborg (G) Words: 2,092 by @nightshadezombie

Bucky and Hagrid spend every Tuesday and Thursday morning at the Midnight Roast, studying and sampling Wade's questionable baked goods. And maybe pining over Wade's Other Favorite Cyborg. BTW, Wade totally ships it, guys.

[Art] by fitzz106

 The deals you  made (T) Words: 6,321 by @aijja

Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, AU-Canon Divergence, Fae & Mythical Beings

Bucky is ten when he meets a boy who helps him win a prize for Steve. There's handshake to agree to a contract, due sometime in the future. They never meet again. Or at least, Bucky doesn't remember it.

AKA. Don't make deals with people who appear from thin air.

[Art] by @sian1359

Through the Streets of Long Gone Dreams (T) Words: 10,937 by @rivulet027

Tags: Nightmares, PTSD, Recovering Memories

Bucky’s having trouble sleeping until Lucky decides to adopt him. Now Bucky isn’t sure if he’s sleeping better because of a dog or the archer that comes with the dog.

[Art] by @placna

This Is Where We Start Again (G) Words: 3,377 by @jeminamoonnight

Tags: Kidfic, Accidental baby acquisition, body dysphoria, deaf!Clint

When Clint brings home a baby and wants to keep her, Bucky must confront his  lingering body issues and whether or not he’s ready for the challenges of parenthood. 

[Art] by @fee-does-band-art

Empyrean (T) Words: 2,694 by @icantseemtomiss

Tags: Minor violence, mentions of past abuse. Alternate Universe- Greek,Mythology.

There’s plenty of things you get taught how to handle; like your pet hamster dying, or your girlfriend breaking up with you. But no-one ever teaches you how to handle the Greek god, Apollo, attaching himself to your soul.

[Art] by @pathulu

I Slept With An Assassin and Now I Have Feelings (T) Words: 3,911 by @useless-empty-brain

Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, mentions of brainwashing, getting together.

Years ago Clint and the Winter Soldier are given the same target and meet. Instead of eliminating the competition, the Soldier is intrigued by the disaster who beat him to the target. Through years of mind wipes disjointed images of blond and arrows keep coming back. When he breaks the mind control permanently, he wants to find Steve and the guy who kept sneaking around Hydra's mind wipes.

[Art] by @mariana-oconnor

Like That Counting Crows Song (T) Words: 4,643 by @madetobeworthy

Tags: No Warnings, fluff, mutual healing, slow burn but it forgot to be slow

Clint's life is a series of unfortunate events that somehow peaked at his apartment getting blown up. Bucky doesn't really want to get caught up in his mess, but it's hard to avoid the homeless guy sleeping on your couch when all you want to do is watch Netflix.

[Art] by @girlouttaplace

Springfield (T) Words: 1,779 by @precise-desolation

Tags: Slow build, Service dogs, PTSD

There was a man who walked  his dog every morning in the park where Clint went for his run.  Of course, Clint knew that was perfectly normal.  It was the dog's service animal vest that caught his attention.  He had the guy figured for ex-military, he just hadn't figured him for the Winter Soldier, the ghost sniper.  Or, well, former Winter Soldier.  It was a spur of the moment decision to buy the guy a coffee from the stand they both frequented.  He had wanted to ask about the dog.  He didn't expect that it would become anything more.

[Art] by @mollynoble

Words Left Unsaid (M) Words: 2,067 by @i-will-always-kneel-for-smut

Tags: Swearing, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant

Clint agreed to an afternoon sparring session with Natasha. Little did he know that by the end of the day he'd be responsible for a former Hydra agent...and one of Steve Rogers oldest friends.

[Art] by @meesedraw

The Barton-Barnes shelter of abandoned animals (G) Words: 1,960 by @asamandra

Tags: barton farm, clint and his strays

For once it's not Clint who brings in another stray... and Clint is not amused when he finds out what kind of stray it is.

[Art] by @aw-hawkeye-no

As Lucky Would Have It. (T) Words: 6,698 by @dapperanachronism

Tags: Fluff, Angst, Get-Together, Anxiety, Lucky is the best dog,

He tells himself a lot of things. Things like he's not a burden, things like he's getting better, things like he's awake in the middle of the night by choice, just because he enjoys prowling around the tower at night when it's quiet. It's the truth, if not the whole truth. What is also the truth is how much he enjoys finding Clint curled up on the living room floor next to a scruffy dog that Bucky knows doesn't live in the tower with them.

[Art] by @placna

Just a Fool (Whose Luck Has Turned) (E) Words: 4,965 by @words-aremy-weapons

Tags:  Second-hand embarrassment

Clint makes a fool of himself over the comms during a mission, going into vivid detail of everything he feels for Barnes. Embarrassment makes him hide away, until Barnes forces him to come clean about everything.

[Art] by  PlaidHunters

Strike at the Heart of (T) Words: 20,528 by @captn-sara-holmes

Tags: Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Clint Barton Feels, Everyone Has Issues, unhealthy platonic relationships, Trust Issues, Emotional Manipulation, Angst and Humor, BAMF Clint Barton, Mind Games. Mind Control, Yasha, STRIKE!Clint, Clint is actually fine, psychological evaluations are not for everyone

The Avengers think he's traumatized, Fury thinks he needs a break, Natasha wants him to recover. Well, screw those guys. Clint is going to go and make some new friends that appreciate how badass and competent and not-messed-up-after-Loki he is. It goes great, until it doesn't.

[Art] by @cratercreator

The Broken and The Brave (T) Words: 5,892 by @somnambulist-x

Clint Barton is acquitted after killing the Hulk.No, after killing Bruce Banner.After killing his friend.And Bucky could understand Barton’s next move and as the archer left the city and drove west in his disastrous Dodge Challenger, Bucky grabbed his backpack, hopped on his bike and followed him.He wasn’t going to stop Barton, he wasn’t going to catch him and bring him back…He was simply going with.

[Art] by @mollynoble

5 Times an archer walked into a bar (And one time the bar came to him) (T) Words: 1,553 by @adamsgirl42

Twist on the film "He's just not that into you"

[Art] by @bizrreer

Dog Cops, Pickpockets, and Love, Oh my! (E) Words:3,634 by PlaidHunter

Tags: sex, blow jobs, rimming, cute dog cops, star wars

“I stole your wallet because I was desperate for money a few years ago and I’ve finally gotten my life under control but the guilt hasn’t left me because you looked like a really sweet person so I went to the address on your driver’s license to return it and apologize but when you answered the door you took one look at me and shouted, “YOU!” and punched me in the face!"

[Art] by @fadesealcat

Five dates Bucky didn't realize he went on, and the one he planned himself (T) Words: 11,750 by @redsector-a

Tags: Oblivious Bucky, Slow Build Romance, Bucky Feels, Clint is a good boyfriend (even when Bucky doesn't know he's his boyfriend), Steve Rogers is a Good Bro, Fluff

To say that Bucky was surprised when Clint kissed him was an understatement. But it was nothing compared to the shock he felt when he learned they'd been dating for months without him realizing it. Clint gets whisked away for a mission before they have time to talk and Bucky is left to figure things out on his own - hindsight being 20/20 he can't help but wonder how he missed things the first go around.