#it’s the way I watched like 4 x men movies today

[cyber333angel]

sucking logan off and he makes you stick out your tongue every time to see that u swallowed every drop of it..

[shxtodxroki]

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙵𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚘 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚊, 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝙷𝚎 𝙵𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚈𝚘𝚞

Summary: From the moment you met him to now, there have been 4 times where you’ve fallen harder and harder for Rintaro Suna, until he "finally" falls for you as well.

Flufftober Day 5 Prompt: ___ + 1

Warnings: Brief mentions of gore (nothing is described, just a vague mention of a gory/graphic horror movie), reader is depicted as scared/uncomfortable of said horror movie

Pairing: Rintaro Suna x Gender Neutral! Reader

Word Count: 3.5k

Check out my full Flufftober masterlist here!

The first time you meet him is at work, and honestly, you've never seen a guy that hot in your life before.

It's been an incredibly boring shift at work, like all shifts are. You're working the typical high-school student job at your local smoothie bar, your head pounding from the sound of the blenders whirring behind you at full-speed, and haven’t even bothered to look at the door as you heard the bell chime to indicate a new customer. “Welcome in,” You mutter, doing your best to sound somewhat personable as you make your way over to the cash register. “What can I get for you today?”

When your eyes finally glance up at the customers your gaze is instantly drawn to one of the five men standing in front of you, watching in awe as he mindlessly stares at the phone in his hands and waits silently for his turn to order. He is without a doubt the cutest guy you’ve ever met, and you suddenly find yourself wishing your work uniform were just a bit more attractive-looking, though the boy in question had yet to even meet your gaze as he remains entirely focused on his phone.

You take each of their orders one by one, doing your best to smile and act like the perfect friendly cashier to each of the boys in hopes that they won’t notice how your eyes are irresistibly drawn to one boy in particular, though you’re unable to fight off the way your heart rate picks up slightly as he’s the last one left to order.

“Suna, your turn man.” The boy with silver hair nudges your newfound crush, and the boy in question finally looks up from his phone to meet your eyes.

“Oh, I’ll have the peanut butter chocolate smoothie, I dunno what it’s called though.” He mutters, eyes seeming disinterested as he stares at you, though a small smile tugs on the corner of his lips once he begins actually taking the time to observe your features.

“That’s fine, I know which one you’re talking about!” You smile just a bit brighter at him than you did towards the others, though you hope they don’t notice as you put his order into the system. “Will that be all for the five of you today?” You ask, forcing yourself to turn your attention to all of them rather than just the boy whose eyes are now stuck on you. One of the boys nods, pulling out his wallet as he steps up in front of the others.

“Yes, that’ll be it. I’ll be paying for the five of us.” He smiles softly, and you can see the faces of the other four light up in gratitude as they thank him one by one. “Don’t worry about it, it’s my job as captain.” He simply responds to them, before handing you his card.

Once their order has been paid for you direct the group to where the finished orders are called out, telling them to wait there as your coworkers get started on their drinks. Four of them easily follow your directions, with the two identical ones (twins, you assume) bickering as the other two chide them for acting out in a public place. You immediately take notice, however, of the fifth boy still standing in front of the register, your face heating up as you get a longer, up-close look at his undeniably beautiful face.

“...Is there anything else you needed?” You ask after a moment of silence between the two of you, using the same cheery customer-service voice in an attempt to mask how anxious you feel beneath his gaze that you can’t quite decipher. He cracks a small grin at that, before pulling out his wallet as he steps closer to you.

“Not really, I was just thinking…. I just got paid today, and since my drink was already paid for, why don’t I leave a nice tip for the sweet cashier with the pretty eyes?” He says this so nonchalantly as he pulls out a $20 bill, handing it to you with a relaxed grin as if he can’t see the way your heart is pounding out of your chest at his blatant flirting. “Don’t share it with any of your co-workers, though. That’s just for you.”

And with that he walks off to join his friends, not even giving you a chance to respond as you’re left dumbfounded and incredibly flustered in front of the cash register.

A few weeks later, when you return from summer break, you’re surprised (and mildly flustered) to realize that the incredibly cute, flirty boy from that day actually goes to your school, and you’re even lucky enough to have been placed in a few classes with him this year. You have no clue how you haven't noticed him before, stunned that you had missed out on seeing his pretty face for so long. He notices you on the first day, shooting you a cat-like grin as he enters first period late and makes his way to the last seat left open. But you don’t actually get to speak to him again until a few weeks later.

Once everyone’s settled into the new school year and classes are in full swing, one of your teachers assigns you a partner project, and you find yourself lucky enough to be partnered with Suna. You force the grin brewing behind your teeth back as the pairs are read aloud, not wanting to seem too eager, though you can’t help but grow flustered as he saunters over to you after class with the same relaxed grin you always see on his face. “How lucky am I, getting to work with the cutest person in this class?” He flirts as if it's as easy as breathing, and you force yourself not to overthink his words for the sake of the project.

Luckily for you, he seems to take the project fairly seriously, which is a surprise in comparison to his typically unbothered personality. You had been prepared to take on the majority, if not all, of the work yourself, knowing that it would likely sully your opinion of the admittedly gorgeous boy in the process. But somehow he had exceeded your expectations and sent you a suitable set of research for his half of the project well before the due date, giving the two of you plenty of time to prepare and practice your final presentation before the final presentation day. 

You know it would seem rude to outwardly admit how you had doubted him at first. You made a baseless assumption about him, one that would likely hurt an ordinary person’s feelings. Yet as you and Suna grow closer and more comfortable around one another through this project, you can’t help but let your internal monologue slip out one evening as you’re rehearsing your presentation late one night at the local library.

“You know, I’m really impressed with how hard you’ve worked on this.” You admit after running through your presentation so many times that you’ve practically memorized it word for word. Suna raises his eyebrow at your words, a curious smirk on his face as he pushes you for clarification though he's fairly sure he already knows what you mean.

“Oh yeah? Why’s that, you think I’d make you do all the work?” He teases, though it’s clear he’s not upset or hurt by the assumption even if he probably should be. You sheepishly look down at your fidgeting hands upon hearing his words, ashamed to admit how shallow you had been when you had first been assigned to this project with him.

“Sort of…. You seemed so laid back and unbothered all the time, so I guess I just assumed you’d be that way about your grades as well, and I’d end up carrying this project.” Your face is hot again, eyes avoiding his pressing gaze as your voice is soft with shame. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed that without even really gettng to know you.”

“It’s alright, I’m happy to prove you wrong.” He shoots back, keeping the mood light and relaxed as he eases your guilt ever so slightly. Days later once the project is over, however, you go to thank him for helping you to get an A on the final presentation and happen to overhear the boy in question chatting with his friends, their conversation telling an entirely different story than what he had impressed upon you.

“Dude, I can’t believe you got an A! How the hell did you do that?” His blonde friend questions, trying and failing miserably to whisper as you hide behind a corner to remain out of sight as your curiosity is piqued. “You never even turn shit in for that class, so what the hell?”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get an A in your life. What gives?” The grey-haired twin adds on, their words only serving to confuse you. Before Suna can get in a response, however, the boy with the grey hair begins to smirk, as if he’s put the pieces together faster than you (and his blonde counterpart) could even begin to understand. “Oh, I get it. You wanted to impress your partner. They were the cute person from that smoothie place a few weeks back, yeah? I’ve seen you flirting with them after class the past few weeks.”

Though Suna’s attitude remains laid-back, simply insisting that he decided to be nice for the sake of your grade rather than his and there was nothing deeper to it, you could feel the butterflies zipping around your chest with more intensity than ever before as you silently made your way to your next class, face beaming in an irresistible grin. You fail to see the barely-there blush that dusts Suna's cheeks at the question, however, or the way he corrects the twins by insisting they use your name that slips off his tongue just a bit softer than everything else.

From there your relationship with Suna could only improve, moving steadily from acquaintances as you got to know each other over the course of the project into a genuine friendship as Suna kept in contact with you even after getting your final grade. He had texted you a few days after the project had ended, simply asking if you wanted to hang out after school with him, and since then the two of you have grown more and more comfortable in one another’s company just for the sake of it.

Days blurred into months, and somehow, you now found yourself walking beside Suna with a stomach full of convenience-store ramen as you made your way back to his house, the newly chilly air nipping at your fingertips and nose as you silently stewed in your past neglect to bring a scarf or gloves.

“Suna,” You start, to break the peaceful silence that had lingered between you two over the past several minutes as you walked. “Do you have Mario Kart? I wanna race you when we get back to your place.” Your question is a simple one, and you don’t expect the way he looks at you with an emotion you can’t quite decipher in response.

“Yeah,” He responds, though the tone of his voice and the way he’s looking at you makes it clear something else is on his mind. “But you know you don’t have to keep calling me by my last name, right? We’ve been friends for months now, just call me Rintaro.”

His words are as casual as ever, he plays them off easily as they fall form his lips with a blank expression though they send your poor, fragile heart into overdrive at the implications behind them. Not only had Suna never called you his friend before, but now he was asking you to call him by his first name, and while you knew that wasn’t a particularly intimate offer, it still had the butterflies caged deep within your chest fluttering wildly about as you did your best to play it cool as the heat on your face starkly contrasted the cool afternoon air. 

You should leave it there, you really should. Pushing his potential boundaries would risk your friendship altogether, and you never want to make him uncomfortable if you accidentally went overboard under the assumption that the two of you were closer than you truly were.

But you’re feeling greedy, even in the eyes of Suna- No, Rintaro- ’s friendly offer. So you decide to test the waters, see if you can take your budding friendship one step further.

“Hmm…. how about I call you Rin instead?” The grin on your face seems so at ease, playing it off as a simple suggestion. You had to act like you wouldn’t take it to heart if he said no, like it was nothing special. But you nearly betray yourself as your legs fall weak upon seeing him nod, watching a genuine smile spread across his face in response to your request.

“Sure, go ahead. I like the sound of my name from your pretty lips, however you wanna say it.” He has yet to cease his playful flirting, though it's less common now that the two of you have grown closer. Before you can get another word in, though, he manages to completely melt you to a puddle as he takes off his scarf and gloves, swiftly placing them on to you as the two of you continue walking towards his house. “Here, put these on. I can see you shivering, you clearly need them more than I do.”

You want to protest, to insist that he keeps himself warm since you were the one foolish enough to leave the house without warm attire, but you can’t find it in yourself to do so when his things feel so cozy, so perfect on your body. So you remain silent, settling with simply shooting him a thankful smile as you make your way to his house with warm hands, a warm face, and a positively burning heart.

From there things seem to stay the same, at least for a while. You’re well beyond the point of being able to plausibly deny your feelings for the man you now call your friend, but you’ve also managed to convince yourself that it’s nothing more than a simple crush that you’ll eventually grow out of as your friendship with him progresses.

Until the day when you realize you’ve lost your heart to him for good.

Your now blooming friendship with Rintaro has led you to develop a surprising friendship with the infamous Miya twins as well, a fact you still marvel at even as the four of you sit together on the twins’ living room couch, a plethora of snacks (and some of Osamu’s positively delectable cooking) laid out on the table in front of you as you move on to tonight’s third movie of the evening, Atsumu's pick this time.

Osamu manages to snag your attention for a moment as he explains to you the simple recipe for the homemade sushi he was kind enough to make for the four of you this evening (a recipe you most likely won’t try to emulate, but that you’re still thankful for nonetheless), so you miss the not-so-subtle wink Atsumu throws a disgruntled, annoyed Rintaro’s way as he chooses what movie to watch for his turn during this movie night.

Before you realize it, and much to Rintaro’s dismay, Atsumu’s quickly presses play on an incredibly gory, graphic horror movie, the sinister smile on his face causing the contents of your stomach to churn as you’re immediately put off by his choice in movies.

“What the hell, Miya?” Rintaro grumbles, unusually perturbed by something he’d typically react all too casually to as his eyes never leave your face which is currently twisting in discomfort. You don’t seem to catch the way the twin in question mouths ‘I did this for you’ to the man beside you, though it serves to deepen Rintaro’s scowl as he reluctantly turns to you.

“I’m sorry, I told him not to pick anything that would weird you out. I know you hate this stuff.” He apologizes, sounding shockingly sincere as he looks at you with a remorseful gaze. He knows that a seemingly perfect opportunity has been presented to him, though, and he can see the anxiety brewing in your stomach, so he chooses his next words surprisingly carefully as he slowly inches closer to you.

…”C’mere, let me try to make you feel a little better.” Rintaro mumbles, simultaneously scooting closer and pulling you towards him until you’re snuggled cozily into his side. The two of you have never been this close before, never genuinely cuddled like you are now, and the affectionate gesture wipes the gory movie completely from your thoughts as the scent of his cologne and the warmth of his skin fills up all of your senses. “If you’re too freaked out, I can kick him out and we can turn this off.”

Neither of you even bother to acknowledge Atsumu’s disgruntled “Hey!” in response to Rintaro's threat, his voice slipping into the ambient noise surrounding the two of you as you stare into one another's’ eyes. The disturbing movie isn’t the slightest concern to you any more, as it’s suddenly given you the perfect excuse to do what your heart has longed for with the man beside you, and you try to hold off a bit before rejecting his sweet offer in feigned nonclalance and reluctance. 

“...It’s okay, I feel better now that you’re here.” You mumble, trying not to sound utterly lovestruck as you tuck yourself further into his welcoming hold. But in that moment you can no longer convince yourself that this is nothing but a simple crush, struck by the forceful truth that you’re falling deeper and deeper for Rintaro every day you spend in your presence. “Thanks, Rin.” You mumble, ignoring the truth as you melt into his warmth and his touch.

“Any time, Y/n.” He whispers back, squeezing your side gently and your heart right along with it.

Though you’ve finally gained clarity on the true depth of your own feelings, Rintaro’s remain just as much of a mystery to you as ever. Since the first day you met him you’ve always assumed his flirting was mindless and playful, nothing more than a physical attraction that didn’t run any deeper for him like it did for you. He had taken root in your heart and blossomed from that very first day, encasing your lungs with infatuation, but you never believed his flirtiness to mean the same for his heart. Your growing friendship only strengthened this belief of yours, as he made no efforts to make a genuine move on you even as you grew closer and closer, and you had long ago let go of any hope of Rintaro returning your feelings as you were now content to enjoy the friendship you two had cultivated.

But then, just like always with Rintaro, New Year’s Eve brings forth a new development in your relationship, one that shakes your world and sends your heart into more of a frenzied fever than ever before and permanently altering the status of your relationship for the better.

He was looking for you, searching for you for quite a while in fact. The New Years Eve party the twins were holding at their house had quickly gotten a bit crowded for his liking, and he eventually found himself searching out the sole reason he had come to this party in the first place: you. At first he was simply meandering around, eyes glancing around for you as he kept on his usual nonchalant mask and made casual conversation with a few tolerable classmates. As the time drew closer and closer to midnight, however, his search grew more anxious, and when it was less than a minute to the new year he grew frantic as he felt the plan he had formulated for the evening crumbling beneath his very eyes without any sight of you.

His eyes widen with dread as his peers begin the traditional ten-second countdown, each number spiking the levels of stress coursing through him tenfold as he eagerly swims through the crowds in search of you. He had wanted to use this night as his chance to finally take the next step with you, but it seems that fate was not on his side this evening, blinding him to you in the mass of people enclosed in such a small space and instead leaving him crashing unceremoniously into a random partygoer, sending both of them tumbling to the floor as his hopes plummet all the way down into his feet.

“Three!” The crowd yells as his eyes fly open, two hearts nearly stopping at once as his eyes meet yours beneath him. Maybe fate hadn’t completely forsaken him after all.

“Two!” A genuine smile, not some sneaky smirk or grin, rapidly takes over his entire face, his minty breath wafting onto your skin as he leans down even closer to you. “Fancy seeing you here.” He teases, his hand fumbling out from under him as he hastily and clumsily cups your cheek in his palm.

“One!” His eyes meet yours as he leans in, seeking for confirmation, for consent that you were okay with this. And when you give him a small, almost imperceptible nod, he hands his heart over to you on a silver platter as your lips meet his for the first time and sparks all around ring in the new year. “Happy new year!” Echoes all around you from dozens of different voices, and it's in this very moment that you realize that Rintaro, your Rintaro, has been all yours from the very beginning, and that he had actually fallen from you from the very first day on, at the same exact moments that you had fallen for him.

Request - ⛄️ anon said: HELLOOO!!! i really hope you're doing well this week!!! i just came to tumblr and saw the flufftober post so i wanted to suggest three characters if nobody have suggested them already??? so, i have in mind suna rintarou (haikyuu!), bakugou katsuki (bnha) and/or historia reiss (snk)??? hope you would write something for one of them but if not that's totally fine!

A/N: Eeeee I was so excited when I got this request, I’ve been obsessed with this man ever since I first saw him and I was stoked to write about him! He’s so pretty omg I see why he’s so popular within the fandom <3 And I’ve always wanted to try writing one of these ___+1 fics so I really had a lot of fun writing this and I think it turned out super cute! :D Also I apologize for posting this way late in the day, somehow my saved post in my queue was deleted and I didn’t notice until way late, so I had to go back and re-edit everything once I got home from school! (This is what I get for proof-reading and editing in Tumblr I guess) Still made it in time though, so yay! I hope you guys still enjoyed this, and my requests are currently open so feel free to send any requests you have my way!

Taglist: @flufftober

If you’d like to be added to any of my taglists, you can fill out this form here! Thank you for your support <3

[mirai-e-jump]

ViVi Magazine, June 2024 Issue ft. Murakami Erica, Watanabe Aoto & Ikeda Masashi (translations below)

Publication: 4/23/2024

The King-Ohger co stars are a friendly trio Murakami Erica x Watanabe Aoto x Ikeda Masashi

Enjoying genderless "share t-shirts"

If you incorporate a unisex t-shirt into your outfit, you can achieve an easy, high end fashionable look 💛. It's also nice to share and enjoy them together with your boyfriend or friends.

Q: Tell us about a recent TMI (too much info)

Ikeda: For me, my chapstick always ends up somewhere before it's used up. Where does it always go?!

Erica: I've been busy moving across the country due to my family's relocation! I decluttered more than 10 bags during the cleanup. I think luck is coming my way 💛

Watanabe: TMI……you mean like blood sugar level?! Ah, that's not it either (laughs). My allergies act up during the first week of pollen season, but after that I'm fine. There are other people like that, right?

Q: What do you want to do this Spring?

Erica: I want to relax in the shade of a tree when it becomes warmer. I want to buy some dangos and donuts and spend my time watching movies and dramas.

Watanabe: Cherry blossom viewing. It's so fleeting when the cherry blossoms fall……(he gently holds Ikeda's hand). I'd like to eat a handmade bento while taking in the scent of Spring…(he gazes at Ikeda).

Ikeda: I'd like to challenge myself to go camping. Things like outdoor BBQ's are just the best, aren't they? At night, with Aoto beside me, we'd talk while looking at the stars……

Watanabe: In the tent, Masashi and I would be curled up in the same blanket. It gets cold at night, so…..

Erica: Alright, that's enough of that!! (laughs). _

"Introduce each other to the ViVi readers!"

Ikeda: Erieri's (Erica) face is really too small! Her skull's a champion. She's the big sister among the King-Ohger members.

Watanabe: Yeah. She's an airhead, but very caring!

Erica: Eh~ Thank you 💛. Aoto feels like the kind older brother, while Masashi is the second oldest who says too much.

Watanabe: Masashi is by far the whitest! He's like a reflector, illuminating everywhere he goes (laughs).

"What do you think of today's t-shirts?"

Erica: I like the loose fit. The shoulders are dyed unevenly, giving it a cute vintage look! I think you can wear it with denim for a masculine look, or match it with a miniskirt!

Ikeda: My "remake t-shirt" has a zipper and alternate designs that give off the feeling of an incomplete main character. This is cute on its own, but the jacket wrapped around the waist gives it a more feminine look.

Watanabe: Heart motifs worn by men are pretty rare, right? Depending on your hair style, you can wear it as cool or cute!

"If you exchanged t-shirts, how would you wear them?"

Erica: If I were to wear Aoto's heart t-shirt, I'd wear it with a mini skirt, lace socks, and mary janes for a "naughty girly" look!

Ikeda: If I were to wear Erieri's t-shirt, I'd make use of colors and patterns to create a one tone look!

Watanabe: Then, I'll wear Masashi's remake t-shirt with a unique hat and shoes to give it alittle more character. I want to go to a theme park while looking good. _

(Bottom of page)

(Masashi) Pure white prince (Isn't he too fleeting? he's going to disappear). by Aoto

(Erica) Princess Erica, of divine skeletal structure, descends here. by Masashi

(Aoto) Isn't he a genuine model?! I'm now realizing his appeal! by Erica

[pensat-i-fet]

Ask me first (Rúben Dias x Reader)

**I got this request a while ago. Sorry about taking so long. But basically just a bit of angst and I couldn't come up with the reason for the fight until one of the answers Rúben gave to the questions on that app he's a part of now inspired me. Hope you like it ❤️**

Word count: 1047

Masterlist

Wattpad

"What are you doing?", you said, sitting down on the sofa next to Rúben and opening a bag of crisps.

"Answering questions on this app thing".

"Any good ones?"

"Yeah, I guess a few".

"Want one?"

"No, thanks", he answered without even looking at what you were offering. "I want to get this done quickly. We have movie night today".

"I might eat all the snacks before that".

"It wouldn't be the first time", he laughed and you hit him with the bag.

He kept typing on his phone and you got curious. What were people asking? So you downloaded the app and started to read through his answers right when he stopped answering.

"Five children. Good joke".

"It wasn't a joke".

You looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Oh, are you planning on becoming the first man in the world who gives birth? Because I'm not having five children".

"We can talk about it…".

"You can talk while I say no. Ask your mum how easy it's to have a single baby…five! You men are hilarious".

"Other women have more than five", is he for real?

"Good for them. I'm not them".

You got up, picking up the empty bags of snacks to throw them to the bin on the way to your room.

"The kids topic is more serious than this, don't you think?"

"Rúben, don't push it".

"I just don't see why you have to react like that".

"Because you didn't even ask me before announcing to the world I'm a baby making machine".

"That's not what I said", he rolled his eyes.

"It's what anyone would understand reading that answer".

Grabbing your phone, you went into the bathroom. And there you saw your friend's group chat was moving fast. What happened?

"Anyone can sum up the almost 100 messages I missed?"

"We're going out tonight. Wanna come with us?"

It was movie night but… "Sure. Who's picking me up?"

When you went back to the room, Rúben was waiting to try and talk to you but you just walked to the closet and started to get clothes out to see what looked cute.

"What are you doing?"

"Going out with my friends".

"What?", he couldn't believe you were saying that. "It's our movie night. And I haven't been able to spend any quality time with you for like a week".

"Yeah, too bad you messed up being an idiot".

"Come on", he tried to stop you from moving around the room but couldn't. "Don't be like that. I miss you".

"You can see me when I get back".

"At 4 am?"

"I might make it back by 3…does this look good?"

Rúben shook his head, not because he didn't think you looked good but because he knew what you were trying to do wearing such a short dress.

"Call me if you need anything", he said, defeated and you felt bad but…he needed to understand why you were mad.

So you picked up your bag and left.

**

Movie night without you there was boring so Rúben ended up logging off Netflix but left the TV on as background noise while he made a sandwich in the kitchen.

BBC news was on, of course. You were a news freak who loved watching that channel. And while he mindlessly spread some tahini on a slice of bread, he heard a familiar name.

"...there have been two stabbings in a fight. We can't give an official number of injuries but the ambulances have just arrived and are attending all the people here. Many tried to leave the club and hurt themselves on the way out…".

That club…was the club you always went to.

Rúben ran to the sofa to pick up his phone and tried calling you. But you couldn't hear the phone due to the loud music at the club.

"Pick up, pick up …".

Nothing. He tried calling twice and couldn't reach you. The TV reporter said the two people stabbed were male, so at least he knew you weren't seriously injured but why weren't you answering.

"Tanya…she always has her phone in her hand!"

He remembered that fact about one of your best friends and called her instead. When she picked up, he couldn't hear much because of the music.

"Rúben!? You got the wrong girl!"

"I didn't. Tanya, where are you? Are you ok?"

"What?"

"For God's sake".

He hung up and texted her instead, telling her to tell you to call him.

A couple of minutes later, his phone rang and when he saw your name on the screen, he let out a sigh of relief.

"You ok?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be? Listen, I feel bad about our fight. I overreacted…".

"I don't care. You're fine".

"Wasn't I supposed to be?"

"I saw there was a fight at the club you always go to and worried you could be injured".

"Yeah, we don't go to that one anymore. Dodgy people and all that", you said, casually.

"Where are you then?", when you told him the name of the club, he wrote it down so he could find it on Google maps later. "Can I go pick you up? I…I need to see you're fine".

He couldn't see your smile but could swear he heard it when you spoke again. "Sure. I'm a bit bored anyways. I rather cuddle with you than be here".

"I'll be there soon".

When you found your friends again, you told them about what had happened.

"That place had such bad music anyways".

You shook your head. Only your friends could have that reaction to the news.

And then you kept your phone in your hands, waiting for Rúben's message saying he was there, which didn't take long.

"Gotta go, my loves!", you said, kissing them all quickly before going to meet Rúben.

You spotted him immediately and started to walk towards the car but he met you halfway there, engulfing you in a big hug.

"I was so worried".

"I'm fine, don't worry".

"Also…am I forgiven?"

You laughed at his words and his face. "I guess. But I'm still not having five kids. Let's just adopt five cats instead!"

"That's a lot of cats".

The look you gave him told him enough. "You can't be serious!"

[colossal-niamh]

Just a big list of some stuff I think is neat

I haven't been super active on here in a minute so I'm just gonna lighting round a bunch of stuff I've been watching/reading X-Men '97- Fucking incredible. This is probably my favorite piece of non comic superhero media since Spectacular Spider-Man. The animation, the melodrama, the narrative showcasing the struggles of building a better tomorrow and existing in a world where your existence is perceived as a threat. Can't wait for season 2 The Crow (1994)- Wanted to get to this before the remake comes out. This is very much a situation where I procrastinated on watching something I knew I'd like and when I finally got around to it I went "Yeah I was right I liked it a lot!" The Crow is equal parts mournful as it is hopeful for a better tomorrow, a balancing act between the grief of loss and celebration of life. A damn shame we lost Brandon Lee so young because he was enthralling the entire film, an irreplaceable talent. The Venture Bros- I was making my way through the series on my own for a good while now. Showing it to some irl friends gave me the excuse to rewatch it all before I see the final season because I LOVE Venture Bros. it has firmly cemented itself as one of my favorite shows ever. I can't even get into it here or this will just become a Venture Bros gush fest. X-Terminators (2022)- Literally just read this today, what a delightful little book. it's a bit weird dropping in here as the book's smack dab in the middle of the nearly finished Krakoa era of the X-Men books. Luckily this needs little to no context as it's 4 of most fun women in the X-Men cast cracking jokes and kicking Dazzler's shitty ex in the dick. Also said ex is a literal blood sucking vampire Shin Ultraman- The last of Hideaki Anno's Shin trilogy I needed to see. Ultraman is admittedly the one I'm least familiar with out of the tokusatsu big 3, but this film made me far more interested in it than I was before. a great action flick about keeping the flame of hope lit even in dire situations. I liked all of the Shin movies but here's how I'd rank them; 1. Shin Godzilla 2. Shin Ultraman 3. Shin Kamen Rider Steven Universe- Soooo, I was one of those kids that listened to shitty criticism of SU back when it was airing and it ruined my perception of the show for years. It took until recently to realize the critics I listened to were not only bad at media analysis (and just a bad person in general) but also outright lying about the contents of the show. to rectify this mistake I've been rewatching SU and man, I was so wrong about this show. It's exceptional stylistically and narratively, and teaches some genuinely well thought out life lessons to it's target age demographic. It's not garbage, it's great! RRR- Admittedly I watched this further back than anything else on this list but that doesn't matter because YOU NEED TO SEE RRR! This movie is 3 hours of distilling the power of friendship and anti-colonial sentiment into the most Dudes Rock movie ever put to film. by the end I was screaming my head off like a crazy person for 20 minutes straight. what are you even doing here reading this? GO WATCH RRR!

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

You Should Watch Wiseguy:

The show that changed the face of television while no one was paying attention

If you've ever watched and enjoyed anything that gets tossed around as “prestige television—”  you know what I’m talking about— long form narratives, high stakes, actors with something to prove— shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire, etc.— you have Wiseguy to thank. While largely forgotten by mainstream audiences (for a variety of reasons, including sheer lack of availability), Wiseguy was one of the first non-soap-opera shows with a fully serialized story— one that expected you to see every episode, in order. When it began airing in September of 1987, really the only other thing on TV like it was Michael Mann’s Crime Story (also worth a watch), and Crime Story would be canceled before Wiseguy even hit its second season.

Writers, actors, and industry types of all kinds cite Wiseguy as a major influence— Vince Gilligan and Tom Schnauz credit watching Wiseguy in the 80’s as why they cast Jonathan Banks as Mike— Chris Carter hired writers from Wiseguy when he started the X-Files— actors like Stanley Tucci made their names on the show— and hell, David Chase wrote an angry letter to the New York Times claiming he was absolutely under no circumstances at all influenced by Wiseguy ever, which feels like the kind of thing you don’t need to write a letter about if it’s true. 

Of course, just because something is influential doesn’t mean it’s good. 

Wiseguy is really damn good.

Much like Miami Vice (and some of the later shows that took influence from Wiseguy), Wiseguy takes the position that there’s very little difference between criminals and the police, and that the justice system is wildly ill-equipped to create justice. Mafia movie blood, with all its inherent moral ambiguity, runs through Wiseguy’s veins, and then after episode nine, it asks you to think about how that blood would pump in a different milieu— corporate espionage and the destabilization of the global south by American capitalists, insular rural politics and the easy rise of small-time dictators, congressional politics and Twelve-Angry-Men-worthy courtroom drama, the music industry and the cutthroat disposal of talented young people. Money and power structures are always suspect, and good-hearted tough guy lead Vinnie is constantly torn between doing his job, doing the right thing, and doing the thing that makes sense to him emotionally.

The show is heartfelt, tense, funny, and above all else, incredibly human. The characters behave irrationally— they self-sabotage, they struggle with moral decisions, they lash out at people they care about— because they’re people, not plot devices. Little things will come back to haunt them, often many episodes later, in believable and sometimes gutting—but rarely shocking— ways. Despite this realism, and a deep sense of cynicism about our institutions, Wiseguy never falls into the trap of wallowing in grim bleakness. The writers and the actors clearly believe in people— it’s a show that says— ‘yeah, the world sucks. So how do we keep going, together?’ The characters are lovable not because they’re all good, but because you feel like you could know them, with realistic flaws and foibles and senses of humor. Sometimes it’s a little silly, and sometimes it’s a little melodramatic— but it works, because sometimes that’s how real life is, too.

Wiseguy is four (well. three and a half) seasons [cross out— and a terrible TV movie that disregards canon], and is notably divided into 4-11 episode arcs within those seasons, and occasional “breather” episodes between arcs. It’s actually a brilliant bit of plotting that I wish more shows would do today— it allows for overarching narratives and real stakes without running into DBZ-like “the next threat has to be BIGGER and MORE DANGEROUS” power level bullshittery that’s common to a lot of long running serialized shows. One of my favorite aspects of this design is that the cast partially rotates every few episodes, but the show still expects you to remember what was going on with the characters from the previous arcs— because they often return later in unexpected and narratively satisfying ways.

The three characters that remain more-or-less consistent throughout the show are Vinnie Terranova, an undercover agent for the Organized Crime Bureau, Frank McPike, his handler, and Dan “Lifeguard” Burroughs, the OCB call-center operator who gives Vinnie field instructions. 

Vinnie Terranova is just on the border of thirty when the series begins, a gregarious kid-from-the-neighborhood, just out of a cover-establishing 18-month stint in prison. He is a bundle of contradictions— quick to fall but slow to trust, a practicing Catholic who chose a job in the field of lying and murder, a 50’s hood irritated by bigotry. Vinnie is both far smarter and more sensitive than anyone gives him credit for, which is both his greatest strength and his fatal flaw— empathetic undercover agents burn out fast. He spends a surprising amount of the series trying and failing to quit his job. He has a marshmallow center, a steel-trap mind, and the general affect of your cousin who dropped out of college to marry his pregnant high school sweetheart. He also has no idea that his type is “angry asshole” and keeps being surprised when he falls for them. 

Frank McPike is a curmudgeon's curmudgeon, a career fed with a chip on his shoulder, a fathoms-deep sense of cynicism, and a collapsing marriage. He and Vinnie begin the series at odds, and as you watch the first few episodes, you're going to seriously struggle to believe me when I say that the affection between Frank and Vinnie becomes the absolute thematic and emotional heart of the series. Frank is also a genuine oddball failing to pose as a tough guy; he makes noises, he lurks in strange costumes, and the words he chooses when he’s irritated beggar normal human understanding.

We don’t get to know Dan as quickly or as deeply as we get to know Vinnie and Frank (in fact, he’s introduced as “Mike”), but he’s the man behind the curtain, a guiding moral and emotional star for Vinnie, a talented musician, and a cheerful face with a lot of anger bubbling just below the surface. He offers life advice even as his own home life is in constant meltdown, and loves both Vinnie and Frank with a fierce, sarcastic weariness. Dan is also an amputee, and his disability is portrayed with respect and without pity— a rarity for television even now, but especially in 1988. 

You’ll absolutely fall in love with these three, but one of the things that makes Wiseguy so special is its fantastic supporting cast. The world is fleshed out and lived in, and you get the distinct sense that all the recurring characters have their own lives we don’t get to see off screen. There’s Carlotta— Vinnie’s mother, as contradictory and sharp as her son, Pete— Vinnie’s brother, a progressive basketball-playing priest, Roger Lococco— a killer-for-hire who refers to every person on the planet as Buckwheat, Rudy Aiuppo— an elderly don with the heart of a trickster spirit, and a whole host of others who enter and exit the narrative throughout the arcs of the show. There are also a whole host of wonderful arc-based characters played by incredible actors, journeymen and and famous alike— including turns from Tim Curry, Debbie Harry, Jerry Lewis, Stanley Tucci, Patti D’Arbanville, Stephen Bauer, and Billy Dee Williams. You can tell everyone involved in the show had a fantastic time working on it, and nearly every actor who comes aboard really puts their whole Wisegussy into it gives it their all.

You notice that as I’ve been speaking, the lights have dimmed slightly, and the strains of an organetto have started to play quietly in the background. A man in a rumpled suit is smoking nearby, though you are fairly certain smoking indoors hasn’t been legal in a number of years. I pass you a plate of espresso and biscotti. 

Let’s talk arcs.

The first arc of the show, known as the Steelgrave arc, is a lot of fans’ favorite arc of the show, and for good reason. Vinnie infiltrates a New Jersey mob organization, and gets very, very close* to this man:

Sonny Steelgrave, human Knife Cat, is a complicated man, and Vinnie has complicated feelings about him. He’s very nearly a co-protagonist to Vinnie in this arc, and the show artfully toes the line between condemning him and making it clear that he’s not always entirely wrong. Vinnie’s goal is to get Sonny into prison and take down the entire family— how and whether he achieves this goal is best left unspoiled. Sonny may not have been the first complicated, likable villain on television, but his arc is intense, heart-wrenching, and splendidly morally grey. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that the Steelgrave arc is the best nine hour mob movie ever aired on television.  

*I’m really not kidding about the closeness. There’s an episode where Sonny announces he’s getting married and literally all the other mobsters are like ‘oh, now I understand why Vinnie has been in a bad mood all day.’ They are as close to canonically in love as a federal agent and a mobster have ever been portrayed on screen.

Lest you get Kevin-Spacey-jumpscared, the following arc unfortunately has Kevin Spacey in it. Thankfully he plays a slimy sister-kissing coked-up hypercapitalist, so it’s fairly easy to just hate his character in the same way you hate the actor and move on with your life. 

This arc, the Profitt arc— in which Vinnie is tasked with taking down a wealthy business mogul who is suspected of drug-and-gun-running— is, for many fans, a close second to the Steelgrave arc. It’s an interesting change of tone and locale, and introduces Roger Lococco, who is a really stellar supporting character. Personally, I rank a bunch of other arcs above Profitt, because no matter how much I like Roger, Mel and Susan are bananas, and they wear out their welcome before they exit the narrative. Regardless, it’s a stylish arc— one that rather  kicks truth, justice, and the American way in the teeth— and Mel’s machinations have serious reverberations later in the show. The Roger subplot is also genuinely excellent, and good old Corey Matthews’ Dad plays him with aplomb.

Back home, after trying to quit his job and failing, Vinnie has to deal with a threat with much smaller, but far more personal stakes. A white supremacy group has moved into his neighborhood and is attempting to recruit working-class Italians to their cause, pitting an older immigrant group against a newer one, pitting Catholics against Jews, and pitting a previously “ethnic” group’s newly acquired “whiteness” against people of color. I have mixed feelings about the Pilgrims of Promise/White Supremacy arc, because it’s truly quite good, and it pulls no punches about the kind of people fascists are and prey on, but it’s also exceptionally fucking upsetting that nothing has changed at all since 1988. Literally you could remake this arc word for word today and a) it would be exactly as believable, and b) your show would be immediately boycotted and canceled for being too “woke.” Great writing, great stakes, great character motivation; so, so uncomfortable to watch.

And then Ken Wahl breaks his leg in real life, and they have to replace him for a few weeks. 

The Garment Trade arc starts off pretty promising— Vinnie meets with the son of a clothing manufacturer, they have great (borderline meet-cute) chemistry, it’s a wonderfully New-York-in-the-80’s kind of storyline, Jerry Lewis is there, and I think it’s the only time I’ve ever seen Sukkot represented on TV— and then Vinnie has to leave for the next four episodes because of Wahl’s broken leg. They rewrote the arc on the fly, and considering that, it’s pretty good. Jerry Lewis is still there, and he gives the serious, dramatic performance of a lifetime, and Stanley Tucci chews scenery as The World’s Slimiest Businessman. We meet Vinnie’s childhood bestie, “Mooch,” whose actor, delightfully, starred beside Ken Wahl in 1979’s The Wanderers. My beautiful and talented wife Joan Chen even shows up for an episode. However, all of this is undercut by the lack of Vinnie; his replacement, a semi-retired agent named Raglin, is… a bit milquetoast. He’s okay, and he’s given some interesting backstory in his final episode, but he’s no Vinnie.

Once again sporting a functional leg, Vinnie returns, and my favorite arc other than Steelgrave follows. 

In the Dead Dog arc, Vinnie has to pose as a music producer, because the OCB traded an airplane for a music label. It’s the dumbest, most fantastic plot device of all time, and brings me incalculable joy. I literally made Dead Dog t-shirts because I love this stupid fake music label owned by a fictional government agency so much. 

The Dead Dog arc sees Vinnie at his happiest (the poor man really, really just wants to quit undercover work and stop being involved with Murder Organizations), and the crime he’s investigating is… wait for it… bootleg CDs. You would think this would be a ridiculously boring premise for an investigation, but the Dead Dog arc has Tim Curry, Debbie Harry, Glenn Frey, and Patty D’Arbanville playing a cadre of unhinged music industry moguls all attempting to stab each other in the back, and it is exactly as chaotic as you would expect based on that cast. This arc also had a bunch of original music produced for it, which is extremely fucking cool, except that then the studio lost the rights to the music it created and this arc became inaccessible and unwatchable except through circulating the tapes, so to speak, of early 90’s TV rips. (The irony is not lost on me that the arc about the Evils of Piracy is the arc that one must pirate.) Miraculously, in the last year, Wiseguy’s rights have been renegotiated, and the newest sets of the show have Dead Dog restored. Accessibility via streaming is still a bit of a mixed bag— the episodes were streaming on Tubi and Youtube briefly, but now appear to have been taken down again.

After his turn as a surprisingly successful music producer, Vinnie returns to his roots: the mob. In the Mob Wars/Trash Wars arc, Vinnie unintentionally becomes the temporary leader of the local mafia commission (I will not spoil how.) The OCB wants to use this as an opportunity to take down the entire organization from the inside out, and Vinnie must deal with mafia backstabbing, pressure from Frank and the OCB, and surprisingly personal stakes. It’s an unspectacular but solid arc that regrounds the series, and the interpersonal aspects of the story— and its examination of fathers and sons and generational inheritance of social rules and expectations— are excellent. The Mafia Wars storyline won’t blow your pants off, but it’s thoughtful and well-executed and reminds us of who Vinnie is and where he came from.

What follows is another of my favorite arcs, referred to as the DC or Counterfeit Yen arc, but perhaps better described as the Mr. Terranova Goes to Washington arc. Vinnie is summoned by the federal government to investigate counterfeiting, and thus unfolds a multinational conspiracy that ties back to the Profitt arc. Much like the White Supremacy arc, this arc is distressingly current— Vinnie is a patsy for a group of corrupt republican senators who want to destabilize the currency of a perceived East Asian economic rival. It’s Yen here, but all you’d need to do to bring this arc into 2023 is swap out references to Japan for China, because the American government has changed very little from the 80’s and has to be awful about some country somewhere or, I don’t know, a bunch of horrible old racist politicians will shit themselves. Vinnie enters talking like Jimmy Stewart, and leaves with one more thing to be crushed and disillusioned about. We get some riveting and stomach-churning courtroom drama, the bad guy turns out to be capitalism all along, and Frank threatens to shoot a Howard Hughes stand-in on a ski lift.

And then somehow we end up in Twin Peaks. The Lynchboro arc predates Twin Peaks by a whopping two months, indicating a total coincidence of premise similarities, but it does take place in a corrupt rural Pacific Northwest town unduly influenced by one large family/company, wherein an outsider has to investigate a tangled conspiracy and deal with strange townsfolk and some spooky happenings. There’s no way either show could’ve plagiarized the other— they were assuredly written and in production at the same time— but it is deeply bizarre. In the Lynchboro arc, Vinnie goes undercover as a local beat cop, and finds himself faced with both a serial killer and a land-rights and building-contracts espionage plot. He also has to deal with Mark Volchek, the ostensible “owner” of the town, and his eccentricity and decreasing grip on reality. Roger returns, and Vinnie must finally confront the enormity of his trauma. One major character is literally brought back from the edge of death by another character’s crushing love for them, expressed via church bells. It doesn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t not, either.

And then Ken Wahl quit.

Season Four begins with a deeply depressed, heavily bearded Frank struggling to find the will to live after Vinnie has disappeared. (I don’t think I’m really at risk of spoiling anything serious by saying that we are “supposed” to think Vinnie is permanently gone, but that there are a huge number of blatantly spotlighted contradictions in that story. Wahl left on decent terms, and I firmly believe the Wiseguy staff was expecting to eventually win him back to the show and have his absence turn out to be a ruse. Unfortunately, Wiseguy got cancelled before this could happen.) Frank spends the first (and only complete) arc of this season investigating his partner’s disappearance, eventually working with the supposedly-corrupt DA who helped establish Vinnie’s cover back before Season One. 

It’s not an uncommon opinion to say, ‘hey, just skip S4’— and honestly, if you chose to watch S1-3, you’d have consumed a wonderful story with a reasonably coherent ending. But I don’t actually hate Season Four. The “new Vinnie—” Michael Santana, played by pretty-boy Scarface alum Stephen Bauer— is exceptionally likeable, and he brings with him a new set of characters who are also quite compelling. Furthermore, if you’re a Frank fan, he really gets the spotlight in this season, and if you’re a Frank/Vinnie fan, Vinnie may not be around, but Frank’s despair is really fucking something else. It’s almost worth it just to see him lie to the FBI and tell them he “never crossed the line” of professionalism with Vinnie.

Unfortunately, the next arc sets up something really compelling and unique, but it’s only 3 (unaired on TV) episodes, and ends on a complete cliffhanger, because the show was unceremoniously cancelled. After his niece is shot in the midst of teenage gang violence, Michael teams up with Billy Dee Lando Calrissian Fucking Williams to investigate red-lining and racist underfunding of schools. Oliver Stone shows up in the last like, ten minutes of the last episode?? I would be all over this storyline if it wasn’t just dropped like a moldy tomato, but I guess that’s what fanfiction is for. It’s not how Wiseguy deserved to go out, but hey, it was really aiming for the stars even as the plug got pulled.

Oh, and if anyone tells you there’s a 1996 TV movie, no, there isn’t.* 

(*The movie is so deeply mediocre that it’s worse than any of the controversy surrounding Season Four. It essentially retcons all of S4 and, frankly, really the last few episodes of S3, and presents a bland, uninspired “getting the gang back together” story that retreads thematic materials from the show without saying anything new. Vinnie has apparently been doing wiretapping for 6 years, which is completely at odds with everything we know about his character, and he and Frank are treated as “dinosaurs” that the OCB doesn’t know what to do with, and yet they are also simultaneously the only ones who can take care of a nearly-kidnapped child. It’s rushed, it’s emotionally hollow, the actors are phoning it in, and it ignores all of the character development from the series in a way that renders its plot nearly nonsensical. Furthermore, Ken Wahl had been in a seriously disabling motorcycle accident a few years before, so his apparent discomfort and stiffness throughout the film is because he’s genuinely in significant pain. Don’t watch the movie. You can always write fix-it fic for how Vinnie manages to come back after Season Four. It’s much harder to write fix-it fic for boring character assassination written by the 'due-process-is-for-pussies-and-torture-works' 24 guy.)

One of the other delightful things about Wiseguy is that Vinnie is both a big softie and yet is also saddled with a bizarre sort of erotic smolder, and therefore he has ridiculous chemistry with basically half the cast of the show. Vinnie very much seems a guy like you could say some blandly nice things to and buy him dinner, and you’d wake up, exhausted and satisfied, the next morning to him cooking breakfast. You’d think, wow, this guy is so thoughtful, he must be the one— and then you’d turn your head and he’d have immediately been seduced by the next schmuck down the line. He’s a good boy, but his “acceptable romantic target” sensors are so wildly mistuned as to render him, affectionately, a tragic slut. Will he end up with a mobster? One of a number of widows? His boss? No one knows but god.

Vinnie is also heavily bi-coded— his relationship with Sonny is almost explicitly romantic, he calls out Roger for homophobia (in 1989), one of his old friend asks if the reason he’s not married is because he ‘likes boys,’ and he doesn’t say no, and he has a borderline I-love-you moment with Frank. The boy just wants someone to love him, goddammit. 

I’m also really not kidding about Vinnie and Frank developing into the emotional core of the series. They live together for a period of time. They both imply they can’t live without the other. They go shopping for Dan’s birthday together. They pick up Frank’s ailing father from the nursing home together. Frank picks out Vinnie’s tie.

You pick at the plate of spaghetti that appeared in front of you, unsure of either its provenance or why it came after dessert. It’s the best spaghetti you’ve ever had, and that frightens you, somehow. 

I lean in close to whisper to you about crime. You note that at some point I changed into a pinstriped suit. You don’t remember me changing, or even getting up— you console yourself with the notion that maybe I’d been wearing it from the start, even though you know that isn’t true.

So, the thing about Wiseguy is— well— it’s more available than it used to be. The whole series was recently released on blu-ray, and both that set and the most recent DVD sets actually have every episode, a change from the previous releases. As of August 2023, all of the series except Dead Dog is available, legally, on Youtube. This is a vast improvement from even two or three years ago, when multiple episodes weren’t available through any means but blurry, VHS-tracking-laden downloads of TV rips. 

Unfortunately, the most recent renegotiation of the series home video and streaming rights still failed on the music rights front. Dead Dog has been spared the hammer, but there are still places where the series has gaps. Notably, there’s an episode (Stairway to Heaven) where Frank murders a jukebox, and looks completely fucking insane, because the original (thematically meaningful) music the jukebox was playing was replaced with generic elevator music. Worse, the final episode of the Steelgrave arc (No One Gets Out of Here Alive) is missing two musical cues: in one instance, Sonny himself is singing, in a fit of mania, and the footage has straight up been cut from the episode because they couldn’t get the rights to The Young Rascals’ Good Lovin’.  Equally egregious, The Moody Blues’ Nights in White Satin, which originally played over nearly a minute of sustained, silent eye contact between Sonny and Vinnie— has been replaced with the Wiseguy opening theme. It renders a scene which should be quite clearly devastating and unsubtly romantic instead utterly awkward and bizarre. It’s hard to demonstrate just how jarring the change is unless you’ve seen the scene, but suffice to say that everyone I know who has seen both versions— in either order— has expressed horror and bafflement at the substitution. 

Which is to say: there’s a couple of episodes of Wiseguy you’re probably going to want to locate those shitty old TV rips of. It’s worth it, even if it seems like it wouldn’t be.

I place my hand over yours. You jump a little. I have a number of large, dark-stoned signet rings, and my hand is strangely cold. 

I make you an offer you can’t refuse.

You’re going to watch Wiseguy. 

[missing-a-place-ive-never-been]

i was tagged by @hardhuilen <3

I was tagged by both @thanekrios and @kerstkriebels!

last song: A-YO by Lady Gaga, but this kinda feels like a cheat bc I only added it to my playlist today - the one befor that was These Are The Days by Inhaler

last movie: probably Logan? my friend and i are making our way through the x-men catalogue

last show: currently watching critical role's 4-sided dive, but for actual tv show its star trek voyager

last book: last book i finished was the In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune, last book i was reading is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

last thing googled/looked up: the opening times of my semi-local bookstore

looking forward to: i got a job this week after months of looking for one! excited (and scared) to start it, as well as looking for a place in that city and moving out of my parents house (again - it never gets easier imo)

I'll tag @shesmyevangeline @ariassong @cusstardcrush @swamp-satyr and @letsgethaunted

[thisaintascenereviews]

Thks Fr Th Mmrs: A Mid-year Checkin

The summer is a mark of many things, whether it’s being outside, longer nights, the Fourth of July, fireworks, hotdogs, beaches, summer break, and the middle of the year. We’re over a week into July by this point, and while new releases have slowed down for a moment (I’m writing this on the 7th, but it’ll be later when I post this), we still got a ton of great pieces of media within the last few months. Whether it’s TV shows that people can’t stop talking about, movies that win audiences over, or albums that we’re all sure to be spinning by the end of the year, we’ve been eating good when it comes to new media. There are plenty of things to talk about, especially new stuff that I didn’t talk about in the last checkin piece I made back in April. Just like last time, however, I’m not doing this alone! I’m bringing along my buddy Jake, so we can talk about all things fandom, whether it’s music, movies, or TV. Hell, even video games aren’t off the table, but if you’re looking for new stuff that you haven’t heard, seen, or played in the first half of the year, or want to see what we’re into, you’re in the right place! We also talked about stuff that wasn’t necessarily new, but it may be new to us, since you don’t have to spend the year getting into stuff from that year, you can consume whatever you want from whenever you want.

With that said, in case you missed our first piece back in April, we talked about TV shows and movies like Fallout, Invincible, X-Men ‘97, and the Mean Girls musical, as well as talking about video games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Mafia III, and Fallout 4, and the new albums from bands like Cory Wells, Too Close Topic Touch, Bayside, Sum 41, The Ghost Inside, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Neck Deep, Fluorescents, Dustin Kensrue, Lil Dicky, and Justin Timberlake, among others. We got plenty more to talk about today, however, so to welcome you aboard, let me first kick to you, Jake — how have the last few months been for you in terms of consuming media? Has there been a lot that you’ve been really into that’s come out since we last discussed our favorite things, or have you still been sinking into your teeth into some, if not all, of the same things we talked about back then?

It’s funny, because in terms of music, so much new and exciting stuff has come out in the last couple months, and I’ve been all over it, but in terms of other forms of media, I’ve been kind of stuck in a bit of a rut. For example, I’ve been sitting on the last couple chapters of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for almost two months now after 160 hours, but it’s been a struggle to get myself to finish it, which in turn has made me hesitant to really start anything new. Same with TV shows; while I did watch the new Star Wars series The Acolyte and mostly enjoyed that, and I’m really loving this current season of the Criminal Minds revival, I haven’t really felt motivated or energized to start a new thing. That being said, I do wanna touch on both of those things at least briefly. The Acolyte was a super fascinating look into a new era of Star Wars removed from the Skywalker saga, and while I think it suffered from some pacing and format issues (mostly in that it felt like a movie cut up into 8 pieces), I loved the bold swings it took and hope we get to explore more of that in a potential second season. As for the Criminal Minds revival, the original series is a major comfort show of mine, so I was bummed when the original series ended in 2020, but also okay with that, because 15 years is a long time, and the show was past its prime. But, when it was revived just a couple years later for streaming as opposed to network TV, it was just the shot in the arm the series needed. Because it’s on streaming, the creative team isn’t beholden to the rigid network procedural format, and they’re able to tell darker stories and really dig deep into both the main BAU agents and the killers they’re chasing, and they’re also able to be way more serialized in their storytelling, versus the case-of-the-week format they did originally. The second season of the revival has been particularly awesome, because they’re really running with the new format to dig into the entire series’ history, and I’m super stoked to see how it wraps up with the finale that’s airing the week of writing this.

Throwing it over to you, Bradley, what have you been getting into since the last time we did this?

You know, I can sort of say the same thing, because aside from a few TV shows that just wrapped up recently, I’ve been diving headfirst into a lot of music. A lot of new music, mind you, but I’ve also been revisiting some stuff I used to be into around a decade ago, and it’s been a pretty cool experience. I’ll talk about that in a bit, however, but I’ve been mainly watching The Acolyte and fourth season of The Boys. I feel the same way about The Acolyte; I love this new era of Star Wars we’re exploring, and despite issues with pacing, it was an interesting show about a mystery that didn’t amount to a whole lot, and I had a lot of questions in the finale, but it left a lot open for another season. The Boys, however, has been ramping up with its penultimate season, because as far as we know, season five is the last one, but the characters are getting more unhinged and the political commentary is more on point than ever (even having its last episode mirror something that just happened while being written and shot months before). It’s getting good, so it’ll be interesting to see where the last season goes.

Aside from those two relevant shows that just wrapped, I’ve also been watching the 1998 anime Cowboy Bebop, because I’ve been getting more into anime, and it’s been a fun ride of watching one of the most influential and critically acclaimed anime series of all time. I’ve been a couple games, too, including the first Kingdom Hearts game, which is fitting with Final Fantasy, and that’s been a lot of fun, but I’ve recently taken a liking to playing online multiplayer on 2018’s Battlefront II, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s nothing special, just being either a clone, stormtrooper, rebel, or battle droid, and playing what amounts to capture the flag, but it doesn’t get old to me for whatever reason.

Now it’s time for the reason we’re all here — music. A lot of new music has come out in a last few months, and despite it being relatively slow the last couple of weeks, it’s still been a great summer for new and exciting music. Before we talk about that, however, are there are any albums from the first time that we did that you’re still really into, or have your thoughts changed on some? I’ve got a couple of albums that were in my top ten that I’ve changed my thoughts a bit on, not necessarily in a bad or dramatic way, but the more you listen to something, the more your thoughts can change one way or another.

I wouldn't necessarily say that there have been any albums that I've changed my mind on, but as more stuff has come out, albums that I thought were gonna be really high on my list may not be anymore, or may eb off my list entirely. I still really like all of those albums, but I think it's a testament to just how strong the last few months have been in terms of music. I will say this, though; while my number one album is still Bayside's There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive, pretty much the entire rest of my top 10 has shifted pretty dramatically, and I'm excited to talk more about that!

How has that been for you, though?

That’s actually what I was going to say, too, because while I’ve changed my thoughts on a few albums (mainly loving them when they first came out to not loving them as much now, but still enjoying them; the new JT album is a good example of that, actually), it’s more so that a bunch of new albums came out in the last few months to replace a lot of what I originally had in my top ten! I’ve got three ealbums from the last we time did this still in my top ten, and one of them is the new Bayside album as well! I’ll spoil it a bit early, but even that album isn’t my frontrunner anymore for AOTY, which shows how strong this year has been so far. With that said, a lot of my honorable mentions are albums that originally appeared on my list a few months back, but my overall list has changed dramatically. What are some albums from the last few months have crept their way into your overall favorites?

I have a feeling this one might end up on both our lists, so I'll start with the new Bimuri album, American Motor Sports. This thing almost has no business being as good as it is, and yet every time I listen to it, I just have the biggest smile on my face. It's really a perfect album for this time of year; you have infinitely catchy hooks, heartfelt lyrics, and a sound that on paper, perhaps isn't the most unique, but Johnny Franck pulls it off flawlessly. If you haven't, check out the album with all the visualizers/musicvideos, too; they're so ridiculous but they only add to the enjoyment for me. I also wanna give a big shout to The Home Team and their new album The Crucible of Life. I think you put it best in your review when you said that these guys are carrying the torch from Issues (RIP), their self-described heavy pop sound is fully refined here, and while I don't think it quite makes the upper half of my list, it's a damn great album that I've been going back to quite a bit. Finally, I'd like to at least briefly touch on the new Bring Me The Horizon album, Post-Human: Next Gen. This thing was all I listened to for the first two weeks after it came out, and I think a lot of that had to do with how the album felt both fresh but also very much like a loving throwback to that early and mid-2000's hard-rock/alt metal that I grew up with. It's absolutely a nostalgia thing for me, but I also think, a few nitpicks aside, BMTH really made something unique and memorable in a genre that so desperately needed it.

How about you? I think I know what a few of them are, but I'm curious if there might be some unexpected ones on your list.

Oh, man, you know the new Bilmuri album is on there! American Motor Sports is a fantastic album, and like you said, it’s not a super unique album, but the songwriting is top notch. I need to check out some of the music videos, too, because if there is one thing I know about his music, it’s that he loves memes and ridiculousness. The Home Team’s new one is good, too, but what kept it from my top ten is how some of the songs fade into the background, despite being so good. The new BMTH album is the same, actually, but both of those are some great picks, and a couple of highlights in a crowded year.

As for me, most of my list is composed of new albums from the last time we sat down and did this! For starters, the new Knocked Loose album, You Won’t Go Until You’re Supposed To, is a big one; they came back with a super heavy album, as well as a really short one, but it’s a blast. Rapper turned country artist Shaboozey dropped a cool album a couple months back with Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, but a lot of the new stuff on my list are all rap albums.

I didn’t listen to much in that vein last year, but what I’ve heard this year is great. For starters, Childish Gambino dropped two albums this year, and while I enjoy his latest (and final) album, Bando Stone, I enjoyed the finished version of his 2020 album, now entitled Atavista, a lot more. Denzel Curry’s recently released King Of The Mischievous South, Vol 2, and that’s easily in my top three of the year, and because of that, I listened to That Mexican OT’s newest album from in the beginning of the year, because he’s featured on there. My (current) favorite this year, however, has become the new Lupe Fiasco album, Samurai. I’ve always been a fan of his stuff, but this is such a short and sweet album, it’s easily listenable and you can listen to it whenever and wherever.

Man, even if it's not totally my thing, that new Knocked Loose album goes hard, you really can't deny that. Same with the new Lupe Fiasco album; it's a genre I'm not super entrenched in, but I really don't see how you listen to that and not at the very least respect the hell out of it.

Before we close this thing off, is there anything coming up that you're looking foward to? The main one for me is probably the upcoming Four Year Strong album. I've had a blast with the singles I've heard, and they always bring the goods, so I'm pretty confident about that one. I'm also really looking forward to the new Siamese album. They're a very solid and criminally underrated band, and I've really enjoyed what they do in the heavier rock scene.

Honestly, the new Four Year Strong album comes to mind, as I’ve been a huge fan of them for years, so it’s crazy that they’re still putting stuff out, but I saw that Siamese announced a new album! That could be good, especially since I enjoyed their debut quite a lot back in the day. I’m not looking forward to anything else in particular, and I think part of the fun is just seeing what comes out every week, and being surprised. As I write this, rapper Yung Gravy dropped a country album today, and for the record, it’s pretty fun, but I had no idea that was even coming out today. I know there are some albums I’m looking forward to, but they’re albums coming out in the next few months, versus August.

I think you raise a pretty good point there, actually; it has been a ton of fun just kinda browsing the new releases and seeing if anything sticks out. It's not quite the same, but it reminds me a lot of going to FYE back in the day and just picking up a random CD that'd grab my attention, especially on release weeks when not a lot came out that was on my radar.

In any case, though, it was a blast getting back together to do this, man! I'm excited to do it again in the fall, and finally at the end of the year for our big year-end celebration.

Man, you and me both. I loved going to stores and just browsing to see if anything caught my eye, especially when a lot of those stores had more CDs. Nowadays, most of these stores don’t have anything at all, or the couple of bigger new releases, and that’s so depressing. It’s still exciting to see new stuff, nonetheless, especially when you’re not anticipating anything, kinda like this week, actually. Anyhow, it was certainly a blast getting back together to do this, for sure! I’m always pumped for these pieces, because there’s nothing like nerding out and fanboying over the stuff we’ve been loving throughout the year.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

INSIDE OUT 2 slowly treks to possibly unseating Photoreal LION KING, now playing in Japan where the original made around $30-35m USD, while DESPICABLE ME 4 slowly climbs towards the big billion. If it does so, that makes it the first film in the franchise to do that since the third movie way back in 2017. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU was close but no cigar two summers back.

Both movies continue to fill up the auditoriums at the cinema I work at...

However, a new movie on the block with a curious helping of *2D* animation in it... Is not... The Sony release HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON, directed by Blue Sky alum Carlos Saldanha (ICE AGE 2, RIO 1 & 2, FERDINAND) in his live-action debut. I know some are having a lark at the weird Zachary Levi FX vehicle arriving a year after completion with no marketing, bombing hard, but I can't help but think... That just sucks.

And a big case of "what could've been?" Hollywood's been trying to adapt the Crockett Johnson-written book, first published in 1955, since the 1990s. Animated shorts and a TV series were made, but the movie just stalled and stalled, shuffling through different directors and iterations... And mediums. Sony Animation at one point, in conjunction with Amblin, was supposed to do a feature based on this... So now we got this movie, finished some time in early 2023 with an MPA rating and everything... Months before its initial release date (late July 2023), with no trailer in sight, it quietly packed its bags and left for this summer. I guess they were concerned that being wedged between BARBIE and MUTANT MAYHEM wasn't exactly the best idea...

So, it tried to arrive - unnoticed - nearly a month after DESPICABLE ME 4. Both DM4 and INSIDE OUT 2 charted higher at the weekend box office than CRAYON, which only took in $6m stateside. It's another "animation director goes live-action" endeavor that ended rather poorly. Andrew Stanton and JOHN CARTER OF MARS, Brenda Chapman and COME AWAY, even Brad Bird with TOMORROWLAND. Saldanha now has a picture called 100 DAYS lined up, an effort the Brazilian director is pursuing in his home country, so that's good for him.

It's also another largely live-action family/kids movie - not made by Disney - that didn't add up. They just become rarer and rarer by the year, it seems. I remember when those kinds of movies were everywhere. All your STUART LITTLEs and BABEs and LAST MIMZYs, off the top of my head. I think around the late aughts/early tens, they started to slowly go away, many of them just came up short most of the time. If they do exist, and aren't part of a movie franchise (like, say, WONKA and the SONIC movies), I feel they go to Netflix or whatever. There was IF this year, but that didn't make back its budget despite strong audience response/great WOM. So they still kinda exist?

Anyways, the summer belongs to emotions and gibbering tictacs on the family end of things... Though I saw quite a few parents taking their 4-7yos into DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, and hey, some of today's kids probably see and hear worse elsewhere lol. I recall being allowed, weirdly, to watch SOUTH PARK circa 1999 when I was in 2nd grade but certain levels of violence were off-limits. I don't think my folks would've taken me to see an R-rated Deadpool/X-Men movie in 1999, haha.

So that probably ends the summer seasons, animation box office-wise. I know the autumnal equinox technically begins two days after TRANSFORMERS ONE opens, but I peg the beginning of it there. Bring on the robots!

[cupidsbed]

Ceviche Inspired Salad with X-Men First Class

I woke up today seriously craving salad. It's all I've been thinking about since I woke up this morning. Big problem? A few of my roommates absolutely loathe traditional salad, so I have to get creative. This recipe is heavily inspired by Mexican ceviche and I essentially turned it into a dish you can eat as a full meal rather than a topping! I paired the salad with some spice rubbed chicken and I think I ascended to the heavens. This recipe feeds around four people comfortably, or two particularly high people.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

For the Salad

1 can sweet corn, drained

2/3 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 a small red onion

2 cups cherry tomatoes

3 large avocados

1 pinch tajin

1/2tsp basil

1/4tsp black pepper (white also works!)

1/4tsp dried dill

1/4tsp salt

1tbs salt (for the tomatoes)

1/2 lime

For the Chicken

2 chicken breasts

1/2 lime

1tsp tajin

1/4tsp cumin

1/2tsp paprika

1/4tsp cayenne pepper

1/2tsp black pepper

Hefty pinch of red pepper

1 tablespoon of cooking oil (I used olive)

Directions

Dump your drained sweet corn, and rinsed black beans into a large bowl.

Thinly slice your red onion and dump them into that same bowl.

Quarter your tomatoes and put them into a smaller bowl. Sprinkle your salt onto your tomatoes as evenly as you can and set them aside to allow the salt to soak up some excess moisture.

Dice your avocados and scoop them into the larger bowl. Mix up your bowl with a spoon or a fork, squishing the avocado slightly so it can stick to the other ingredients. I found this makes the texture a bit smoother and more cum in mouth worthy.

Add in your tomatoes and spices and mix again. Congrations! Your salad is done; now for the chicken!

Mix your spices for the chicken into a small bowl and set aside.

Slice your chicken into strips (size is your preference I like them fairly fat) and rub the spices onto both sides. You will have some left over that you can absolutely save and use later.

Line your pan with your cooking oil and cook your strips on a medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked all the way through. Please keep in mind, I live in the mountains at about 5,000 feet in elevation. My chicken will cook a lot slower than someone at sea level or a lower elevation. Chicken becomes safe to eat at 165F (73.9C) if you have a temperature gauge please please please be sure to utilize it.

Plate the salad into a bowl, and place the chicken on top. Squeeze some lime on top and ta-da! You done it! You have completed your dish :)

A couple of notes before we move onto the nerd shit. You can very easily replace the chicken for something plant based instead. One of my roommates is vegan and I made this dish in a way that everyone in my household can enjoy. I cut him up a Morning Star Chicken Patty and cooked that in a separate pan and used the same spices (different mixture!! That one's contaminated!!). It'll give the same affect without leaving anyone out!!

I decided to pair this dish with X-men First Class. I've been pretty heavily hyperfixated on the X-men the past week or so after watching X-men 97' and I decided to start rewatching the entire series. I'm on the fifth movie in the series and I have been waiting for this one. First class is probably one of my all time favorites in this series. You can tell whoever wrote this script they grew up watching the cartoon or reading the comics. Obviously the writers and directors had their own take but I think it's such an amazing refresh from the nitty gritty of the first three (and the trash pile which was Origins).

During this time there was a lot of focus on World War II in superhero movies. And by a lot I mean the first Captain America came out the same year. I think it was very much needed. I don't even know how to put into words how horrific the Holocaust was and as a Jew seeing someone not only survive that, but rise and do incredible things means the world to me. Magneto endured horror beyond words, and he will always be a hero in my heart. He's the type of villain that has become the hero we needed because, in the words of 97', Magneto was right. We cannot expect acceptance without resistance. There is no assimilating into modern society. We are different, and we should celebrate those differences. In my case: I'm a bisexual trans jewish man and I'm so proud of who I am. I'm proud of my differences, I wear my yarmulke, my pride flags to show I will not fold in a society that is increasingly hostile against who I am on a fundamental level. I love the X-men series because it's not just a silly little super hero comic; it's a series that's full of diversity that's meant to empower the individual.

Thank you for listening to my ramblings, and please let me know how you like the food!

[tarrenterror25]

Alfred Pennyworth (Gotham) x F!Latin!Reader Title: When We Met, I Felt My Life Begin Rating: PG Word Count: 6.8K

Summary: You and Alfred are both trying to organize a special Valentine’s day for each other, but nothing seems to be going quite right! Luckily, young master Bruce is around to help you two get everything in order!

Tags: romantic comedy vibes, fluff, Alfred POV, alternating POV, young Bruce, wholesome family vibes, some smooching, mention of reader’s family

Notes: This is another one that I’m super nervous to post. I almost didn’t post this, but any who this is just a fun little thing written for Valentine’s Day 💖 Fools Rush In by Ray Eberle and Bow Wow Wow inspired this. Written with Latin reader in mind, but anyone is welcome to read! Written with Sean Pertwee’s Alfred because the idea of him and comedic fluff is too adorable to pass up! 💕

I did my best to make this lighthearted and funny and I hope you guys like it! I’m also super nervous writing something for a Latin reader.

Playlist here

When we met, I felt my life begin, so open up your heart and let this fool rush in.

There’s an immense amount of bustling activity in the city of Gotham today and Alfred Pennyworth has no patience for the dawdlers crowding up the shops and streets. A dog walker races down the sidewalk with several pups stringing them along and a businessman in front of Alfred can’t quite decide which side of the sidewalk he wants to stay on while gabbing on his phone.

Finally, after fighting the crowds, Alfred makes it to his destination; a local florist. Stepping inside, he’s exasperated and out of breath, but he’s bloody made it. A quick glance around the shop and Alfred is grateful that despite the holiday, the shop is rather empty.

The young lady at the counter smiles brightly when she sees Alfred. “Mr. Pennyworth! Right on time! Your arrangements are all set,” she says.

“Afternoon, Clara,” Alfred replies smile as he straightens up. “If you could just ‘ave the usual arrangements delivered that’d be wonderful, but I’m ‘ere to personally pick up the other one.”

Clara gives a sly smile. “Oh, that one!”

A blush creeps across the butler’s face and Clara gives a chuckle. “I’m just teasing!” she says. “I think it’s romantic and more men should aspire to be like you.”

Clara disappears into the back and returns with a beautiful bouquet of flowers; full and luscious with a variety of flowers and greenery. “She’s going to love this,” Clara says handing the bouquet to Alfred.

“Thank you, Clara, marvelous work as always,” Alfred comments.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Well,” Alfred says checking his watch, “I still ‘ave to pick up a gift then we’re goin’ out to dinner, then off to the cinema to see that new Basil Karlo film: ‘Midnight Mystery’.”

“How cute!” Clara says with bubbly smile. “Can’t go wrong with dinner and a movie.”

“So long as nothin’ does go wrong,” Alfred says with a chuckle. “So far everythin’ seems right as rain.”

While incessantly honking, you shout out the window of your car for the vehicle in front of you to stop blocking the lane. Behind you, a car honks and shouts for you to hurry up and move. Pedestrians weave between traffic making it difficult to inch along the streets of Gotham.

You could scream you’re so frustrated! Damn the people of Gotham for getting in the way of your Valentine’s day.

Alfred has planned to take you out to dinner and then to a movie, but you want to surprise him by cooking for him at Wayne Manor. You guys have been dating awhile, but this is your first Valentine’s day with each other and you’ll be damned if you’re gonna let some 4 o’clock traffic ruin it!

Whipping the wheel, you maneuver into another lane and take a different route to your apartment. Once there, you rush in and pack a bag; you’ll have to get dressed at Wayne Tower since you won’t have time to do it now. You procrastinated picking out an outfit so you just stuff a mix of clothes, accessories, and shoes into your bag. In the bathroom, your arm sweeps all of your beauty products into a bag. You told yourself to brainstorm how you wanted to look for tonight, but got distracted deciding what to cook for Alfred instead and then got distracted with something else and so on and so forth.

As you make your way back to your car, you’re tangled in the strap of your overnight bag. It’s only getting worse when you try to fish your keys out of your pocket while simultaneously dialing Wayne Manor on your cell as you.

You still have to get to the store and buy ingredients for your surprise dinner, get to Wayne Manor, prepare everything, and get dressed. Thankfully, Bruce was in on your plan and also offered his help to get Alfred out of the house for the day.

“Hello?”

“Bruce!” you say with a sigh of relief when the young man answers. “I’m headed to the store right now as we speak!”

“Hurry! No telling when Alfred will be back,” he says.

“Will do!” you say getting into your vehicle.

You hang up and speed down the streets of Gotham.

The Gotham Mall proves to not be as crowded, but that doesn’t make picking out a gift any easier. Would jewelry be too much too soon? Alfred is afraid to get clothes because he doesn’t want to get something you don’t like. He tried asking Bruce for ideas to which the young man said that you could never go wrong with the holy trinity of Valentine’s gifts: flowers, a teddy bear, and candy, particularly chocolates. Alfred already has the flowers and now he has a blue bag with a teddy bear and a box of chocolates, but he feels he needs something else, something more personal.

The butler retrieves his pocket watch. He has enough time before he has to meet you at Wayne Manor to pick you up for dinner. He feels terrible about leaving Bruce behind, but the young master did not budge on staying home. He found out the two of you had a chance to go out and urgently insisted upon it. It was very strange too, that Bruce was adamant that Alfred conduct his errands now of all times, but it did give Alfred an excuse to shop around for you though.

Another man sits next to Alfred, loudly having a conversation on his phone. It’s making it extremely difficult for Alfred to hear his own thoughts. He picks up his bag and continues walking, away from the nuisance.

Perhaps perfume? He remembers the name of the one you always wear. Or perhaps something you could use? Damn it all, he’s not very good at this. how long has it been since he’s had to be romantic?

At least I have the chocolates and the be-

A glance down and then a double take. Alfred sees that the bag he is holding is green instead of blue. The contents inside the bag are not the bear and chocolates, but some menswear.

Bloody hell.

Alfred glances back towards where he was sitting and sees the man that was next to him, still on the phone, get up and walk off with the blue bag in hand.

“Oi, sir!” Alfred calls out as he walks toward the man.

He doesn’t seem to hear Alfred over the conversation on his phone and keep walking so Alfred picks up the pace into a jog towards him. “Sir!” he says louder this time.

The man turns a corner and disappears from view. Alfred stops for a second and breathes out a “right then” before he breaks out into a light sprint after the man. When the stranger comes into his line of sight he shouts at him, “You there!”

Finally, the man glances over his shoulder. Whatever blissfully ignorant expression he had on his face before is replaced with fear at seeing a very determined man hurrying towards him. He hangs up his phone and scurries off.

You park your vehicle out of sight and hurry to the front door step of Wayne Manor juggling paper bags of groceries and your overnight bag. Bruce opens the door for you and you rush to the kitchen.

“The traffic is unbelievable today!” You say setting the paper bags on the kitchen island.

Bruce excitedly begins helping you remove the items from the bags. “So, what all are we making?” he asks. He retrieves two aprons and hands one to you while he dons the other.

You set your duffel bag off the side and begin retrieving some pots and pans. “Stuff my mom used to make for my dad when they first got together. It shouldn’t be too hard.”

“So what do we need to do first?” Bruce asks as he rolls up his sleeves.

It warms your heart seeing Bruce so interested in helping you make dinner for Alfred. You recall how nervous you were asking for the young man’s help in the first place.

When you first started seeing Alfred, Bruce was rather closed off and reserved from you. He had his reasons to be suspicious of you and you respected his space. It took some time, but when Bruce realized how much weight his approval held and how much you cared about Alfred, he came around. You never missed an opportunity to include Bruce in the things you did with Alfred such as now.

The two of you laugh and tell jokes as you cut and chop ingredients. He’s telling you about how he’s never seen Alfred so nervous except for when the butler first approached you to ask you to dinner. You start mixing up some dough in a bowl and start telling Bruce the significance of what you’re cooking. “My mother made some of this food for my father for their first date when they got together,” you explain.

“Sure seems like a lot of work,” Bruce comments as he preps bowls of ingredients. “I thought you said this was going to be easy!”

“I said it wasn’t going to be ‘too hard’, never said anything about easy!”

“Oh, the thing is in the study, on the desk,” Bruce says.

“Right!

Once the mise en place is set, you drop some onions and peppers into a saucepan to get them to soften and start up some water to boil. You task Bruce with rolling out balls of dough while you hurry over to the study.

On the desk in the middle of the room there is a business card. A warmth, like one that comes from a soft fire on a chill evening, spreads through you. You pick up the business card where the front has information for Wayne Enterprises. On the back is a scribbled phone number and a rosy pink kiss mark. It’s the business card that you handed back to Alfred when you first met him. Bruce mentioned having seen it and you asked for him to hold onto it so you could give it to Alfred.

The ticking of the clock on the wall becomes too difficult to ignore. You look at its face and gasp at the time. You still had to finish dinner and get dressed!

You leave the study and set the card down somewhere as you head back to the kitchen.

Back at the mall, the incorrect green bag still in hand, Alfred weaves around shoppers in his way as he pursues the stranger with his bag that has your gifts. The man he’s chasing seems to be under the impression that Alfred means him harm, but who could blame him? The butler is sprinting at him with his jaw clenched like he’s going to tackle him. At this point Alfred wants to for compensation of being put through this whole ordeal.

“Take it easy man!” the man shouts chancing a glance behind him at Alfred. He tumbles into a Valentine display, spilling its contents onto the floor. “Someone get this guy!” he shouts helplessly.

Alfred leaps over the mess of stuffed animals and cards then continues after the man. “Oi!,” he yells. “That’s my bag you’ve got!”

Panic prevents the stranger from paying any attention so he continues to evade Alfred. Frightened, the man quickly ducks into an elevator and Alfred approaches it just as the glass door closes.

“Damn,” Alfred curses.

He looks to the numbers above the doorway. It’s heading up. Alfred makes a run for the staircase and curses again when his phone rings. “’Ello?”

“Alfred, it’s Bruce,” the young boy says in a hushed voice.

“Master Bruce, yes, ‘s everythin’ alright? Why you whisperin’?”

“I’m calling to see if you ordered the tickets for the movie tonight?”

Bloody fucking hell.

God, he could punch himself a thousand times over.

“You forgot didn’t you?” Bruce says, a chuckle in his voice.

“N-No! I didn’t forget. Just ‘aven’t got ‘round to it. I’ll get it done now,” Alfred says hanging up.

He makes it to the top of the stairs and his eyes scan for the elevators. A set of silver doors opens and there’s the man stepping out. Alfred makes a beeline for him and expertly maneuvers around people with the bag in one hand and his phone in the other.

He ducks under two maintenance workers carrying a ladder and sidesteps effortlessly out of the way of a woman pushing along a pram. He dials a number and puts the phone up to his ear. “’Ello? Yes, this the Majestic Theater?” he says trying to keep his focus trained on the man ahead of him while speaking. “I need two tickets for a showin’ of that Basil Karlo film for tonight!...Yes, that one!...Sold out? Oh, damn!” He hangs up.

He jumps over some decorative shrubbery and almost steps into an inground pond, but manages to catch himself and keep going. He dials another number.

“’Ello, Star Cinema?...Yes, two tickets for the Basil Karlo film at- are you bloody jokin’?? Sold out?” He hangs up.

The man Alfred is pursuing hops onto an escalator going down.

“I’ve had ‘nough of this!” Alfred says tossing aside the man’s green bag. A woman behind him shouts “hey!”, but Alfred is too pissed to turn around and apologize.

He hops onto the escalator going down and as politely as he can, hurriedly brushes past people to catch up to the man. Right as the poor terrified stranger is about to walk off the platform of the escalator, Alfred grabs the him by the back of his shirt. “Finally!” Alfred says a little out of breath. “The hell is your problem?!”

“Don’t hurt me!” the man says cowering in fear. “I’ll pay him back next week, I swear it!”

Alfred scowls. “I’m not ‘ere for your money, idiot,” he says roughly releasing the man. “You made off with my bloody bag, you twit.” Alfred snatches the blue bag from the man and check its contents. Relief hits as he sees everything is still there.

“Hey, wait, then where’s my bag??” The man asks in an accusatory tone.

Alfred starts to walk off, but whips around when the man pipes up. “You better turn right ‘round ‘fore I sort you out, yeah?”

The stranger just holds his hands up and backs away.

Alfred straightens out his jacket with a huff and checks his pocket watch. Now he was running behind.

“Now let’s see,” you say examining some ingredients, “I can’t quite remember how much of this I’m supposed to put. Here, let me just call my mom real quick.”

“What are these for?” Bruce asks gesturing to some bowls of meats and cheeses.

“You roll out the dough and add a filling,” you say resting your phone between your ear and shoulder as you demonstrate the process. He follows along with you and gets the hang of it pretty quick.

“Ma!” You say hearing your mother pick up. You speak to her in Spanish asking about the dish, but your mother isn’t making the most sense. Then again, these recipes have been passed down through generations of your family and their units of measure along with their memory was not always reliable. So your mother is just second guessing herself a lot as she tries to recall the details. You urge your mother to get to the point of her answer instead of giving you the whole backstory of the food you’re trying to make and the hundreds of variations of it from tia to tia. “Ma! I just need to know how much of this to put!” you insist. “¡Dime, por favor!”

You listen to her try to gather her thoughts and finally she starts relaying the details of the recipe to you.

“And then your father,” she says getting lost in the unnecessary details again, “likes them with the green salsa I make and- wait a second, who is this for?” A gasp. “Es para tu novio?”

“Yes, ma!” you say embarrassed. “Now how much of this do I put?!”

“When are you bringing him around?” Your mother begins to ramble, berating you for not having yet brought Alfred around your family.

Bruce taps your shoulder and makes a ‘time’ gesture to his wrist. You nod and make a gesture that you guys are gonna start wrapping things up.

Finally, you get off the phone with your mother and together you and Bruce get food in the oven and allow the food on the stove to simmer.

The two of you remove your aprons and hang them back up. “Now I have to get his present ready and get dressed,” you say. “Will you set the table?”

“Sure thing!” Bruce says hurrying off to the dining room.

You grab your duffel bag and head upstairs to the guest room. You style your hair, do your makeup, and put on a red dress with a dainty floral pattern. After you slip on some espadrille sandals, you put on some gold earrings and a matching gold chain. There’s a floor length mirror that you look yourself over in. Satisfied, you head back downstairs to the study to pick up the card.

Your plan is to place it into a shadowbox frame. Alfred will be able to add the movie tickets to it after tonight. Entering the study, you look to the desk and frown. All of the other stationery is as you left it, but one thing is missing.

The card isn’t there.

“Oh no.”

“’Ello, yes, this the Luxe theater?...Yes, tickets to Midnight Mystery...How the devil is everywhere sold out!...Yes, I’m ‘ware it is a highly anticipated film...Yes, well, thank you.”

Alfred hangs up and continues driving back to the manor. Great. Well a movie was likely to not happen tonight. He’s rather disappointed about it because he promised you he’d take you to see it. There’s a twinge of shame in him for failing you on that front, but hopefully the rest of the evening can make up for it. He checks his pocket watch again and curses at seeing he’ll be late meeting up with you at the manor. Traffic has definitely picked up as the evening draws near with everyone trying to get to restaurants, clubs, theaters, and what have you for their dates.

This was his first Valentine’s Day with you and his first one in a long time. Alfred Pennyworth is not one to show too much emotion, but being with you turned him into an absolute lovesick wreck. God, did you make his heart race. He recalls the first time he saw you; you were walking past him on the street as he was on his way to escort Bruce to Wayne Enterprises. He saw you at the same time everyday and swore that the clouds parted and the sun shone a little brighter in Gotham when you walked by.

The bleak city didn’t hold much charm to Alfred when it came to the view, he’d lived here most of his life and felt he had seen everything there was to see. Then you walked by and he wondered why he had never seen you before because surely yours was a face he would remember.

It took awhile, but he finally worked up the courage to chat with you except he ended up stumbling over his words and making a fool of himself. You asked him something in Spanish. He wasn’t sure what you said, but he just knew that your voice was one he desperately would want to hear again no matter what you were saying.

You were so cool and collected while was certain he was sweating bullets. He recalls how his hand shook while handing you a business card to write your phone number on. And then you kissed it, a sweet chaste kiss that left a pink kiss mark on the card. He was too stunned to move and this made you giggle. You held out the card to him and he just stared at it like an idiot. Bruce even nudged him, but Alfred was frozen. His hand was moving at a snail’s pace to take the card so you just smiled and tucked it into his breast pocket before continuing on your way. Your form faded into the crowd of people and he wondered if he had imagined you. His hand came up to press against his pocket to be sure the card was there and he pulled it out.

Whether he would see you beyond that moment didn’t matter, your memory was permanently seared into his mind.

A sigh from the butler.

Best to let you know he’ll be late. Alfred gets his phone out again and dials your number.

You and Bruce are tearing through the manor, retracing your steps for a fourth, fifth, and sixth time searching for the card. You’re trying to keep it together so your makeup doesn’t smear, but things are looking rather grim.

During the frantic search you don’t hear any of the timers in the kitchen go off.

You do hear your phone ringing since it’s in your hand. The contact shows it’s Alfred. You answer it, trying to mask your shaky voice.

“Amor,” you say lovingly.

“’Ello, darling,” he replies. “Just callin’ to check on you.”

“Doing just fine, um, just getting dressed for dinner,” you say still looking through the manor for the business card.

“‘Bout that, darling. I’m runnin’ a bit behind,” Alfred says sounding disappointed.

“Oh!” you say with relief, but quickly try to mask it. “I mean, oh, that’s alright, there’s no rush!”

The high pitched whine of a smoke detector goes off in the kitchen and you bolt in that direction.

“No!” you shout seeing smoke come from the oven and the contents on the stove boiling over.

“Everythin’ alright??” you hear Alfred call out over the phone.

“Yes!” you assure him trying to turn off everything. “Just uh, got caught on something is all!” You grab a towel and try to wave the smoke away from the smoke detector.

“Darling, I can hear a smoke detector?”

Bruce comes into the kitchen and sighs defeatedly, “There’s no sign of it, I’ve looked ever- woah!”

“Is that Master Bruce?” Alfred asks. “Are you at the manor already?”

“No! I, um, that’s just the tv!” you shout.

Bruce winces as he realizes he’s almost given away the surprise. He mouths an apology and opens a window.

As if nothing else could get anymore out of control, your mother is calling you. You let out an exasperated breath; the smoke, your ruined dinner, and trying to maintain some level of subterfuge exhausting all of your energy.

“Hold on, Alfred,” you say answering your mother on the other line. “Mama!,” you say firmly. “No tengo tiempo para hablar! Es que tengo mucho que hacer antes de-”

“It’s...it’s still me, love,” Alfred says stopping you in the middle of your rant.

“Oh. Right.”

You finally assuage Alfred and your mother and are able to return to the task at hand: dinner. Having everything become inedible puts a wrench in your plans for sure, but Bruce, clever young man that he is, is able to save some of the food.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce says.

“Nothing to be sorry about, Bruce,” you say. “I’m the one who’s sorry. Here you are helping me and well,” you sigh, “I’m kind of messing everything up.”

“I think you’re just nervous is all,” Bruce says setting the still edible food onto a serving plate. “But at least you guys still have the movie to look forward to.”

“Are you sure you won’t go with us, Bruce?” you ask placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to get in the way of your date with Alfred. I know how important it is to you being Valentine’s day and all.”

You smile and place a silver dome onto the serving plate. “Bruce, you know, in other parts of the world, Valentine’s day isn’t just romantic love, it’s about friends as well.”

“Really?” he asks curiously.

You nod. “Love isn’t just something shared with another person who gives you butterflies in your stomach. It’s shared between friends and family. I know it might be really forward of me, but Bruce, I think of you and Alfred as my friends and my family.”

“You don’t...you don’t think I’m in the way or anything? I figured you were just letting me help because you felt sorry or-”

“Oh no, Bruce!” You gently pull him into a hug and he lets you. There’s tension in him, but you feel the young man in your arms relax and return your hug. “You have no idea how important you are to me. And I’m the lucky one to have your help on this day.”

Bruce pulls away with a small smile on his face and he tries to be subtle in wiping his eye. You pretend you don’t see. “Guess we could order some pizza,” he says.

“That’s probably the best way to go,” you sigh. “At least we have something to show for our hard work,” you comment with the serving plate in hand. You head off to the dining room.

There’s that warm fuzzy feeling in you again as you see the table; there’s some roses set out and candles on the table. Despite the size and coldness of the long, usually empty table, this feels cozy. Two sets of dishes sit across from each other near the end. You set the serving plate in the middle, careful not to disturb too much of Bruce’s hard work.

“Bruce,” you say softly.

“What? It looks okay, right? I looked up some stuff online for ideas and I just thought-”

“It looks wonderful,” you say.

“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

You walk over to the cabinet where the dishes are kept and grab an extra set. “You forgot to set out plates for one more,” you say setting the dishes down at the head of the table.

“I-I couldn’t,” Bruce argues. “I’ll just eat in the parlor or something.”

“Only if that is what you want,” you say matter of factly. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I want you to know that if you did join us, I would love to have you.”

He offers a soft smile. Alfred tells you he doesn’t smile much these days after the loss of his parents so you know what it means to see even a hint of joy from him.

The sound of a car pulling up in the driveway reaches your ears and you both gasp.

“I can’t find the card anywhere!” Bruce reminds you.

“That’s okay!” you assure him.

The two of you break and Bruce heads for the door while you stay behind in the kitchen to order the pizza.

Alfred walks up to the front door, cursing for running so far behind. Bruce opens the door before he can he get a hand on it. “Master Bruce, is everythin’ alright?”

“Of course,” Bruce says. “Come in! Come in!”

Alfred furrows his brow as the young master takes the flowers and bags from him. “You should probably go get dressed,” Bruce says to the butler.

“She’s not here yet, is she?” Alfred asks hanging up his coat.

“Nope! She just called and said she’s also running behind.”

“Excellent then,” Alfred says undoing his tie. “I wasn’t able to get those bloody tickets for the damned movie so I’ll have to come up with an alternative.”

Bruce looks thoughtful for a moment. “I have an idea,” he says. “Just get dressed and I can take care of it.”

“You sure?” the butler asks with a brow raised with suspicion.

“Yes! Now go!” Bruce urges him up the stairs by giving the butler a push.

“The hell has gotten into you?” Alfred asks going up the stairs.

Once Alfred is dressed, he finds Bruce in the study. “Lookin’ for somethin’?” Alfred asks suspiciously.

Bruce quickly sets down a stack of papers. “The movie.”

“The movie?”

“I know what we can do for the movie.”

It was time.

You smooth out your dress nervously as you wait in the dining room for Bruce to lead Alfred in. They managed to keep busy while you retrieved the pizza at the door.

There was a lot of noise outside in the backyard, but you didn’t want to chance a peek at them lest you ruin the surprise of you being there.

You can hear Alfred’s voice down the hall asking why they are going to the dining room and Bruce telling him to keep walking.

“Master Bruce, I dare say I’ll be late if I don’t-”

Alfred enters the dining room holding the flowers, bear, and chocolates. He’s dressed in a deep maroon tweed suit with a light tan waistcoat and a red tie. He sees you waiting by the candlelit table and he’s clearly caught off guard by the sight; mouth slightly agape, eyes looking you over like it’s the first time all over again. He stumbles over his words trying to greet you and laughs nervously.

Your own cheeks are warm as you go over to him. “Happy Valentine’s Day, amor,” you say kissing his cheek. His face is warm, too and nearly as red as his suit.

Bruce is just in the background looking rather smug with having had a hand in making his uptight butler flustered.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, darling,” Alfred says. “These are for you.”

He holds out the bouquet to you. “And these as well,” Alfred says holding out the bear and chocolates to you. A quick glance over and you see Bruce exchange a thumbs up with his butler.

You smile and take them. The bear is a shade of chocolate brown with a handsome red bow around its neck and the chocolates are in a lush pink square box with a white ribbon. “They’re lovely,” you say. “Um, I had a gift for you and had hoped to make you dinner, but there was a little trouble in the kitchen.”

“Thought I smelled smoke,” he says playfully.

You gently smack his arm and he laughs.

“I know a nice dinner out was probably in your plans,” you say, “but I wanted to cook for you instead.”

“A much better idea if I may say so,” Alfred says.

“Thanks to Bruce we managed to save some of the originally planned food,” you say removing the dome top from the serving plate. “And then the local pizzeria has been kind enough to cater our evening tonight.”

You make a flourished gesture to a couple of pizza boxes on the table and Bruce and Alfred laugh.

“Here, ‘llow me,” Alfred says pulling out a chair for you.

He pushes you in. “Are you joining us, Master Bruce?”

“Yes,” Bruce says. “This evening I will be your chaperone, Alfred,” he adds jokingly.

“Cheeky,” Alfred returns playfully and pulls out the head chair for Bruce.

Bruce sits and when Alfred seats himself, you see Bruce holding something to you out of sight of the butler.

The card!

You lean down and whisper a ‘thank you’ as you take the card.

Despite some of the mishaps, the food that was saved smells heavenly. Alfred has a huge smile on his face and Bruce is sitting up straight with pride. “Bruce helped me make all of this,” you say. “I couldn’t have done it without him.”

“Is that why you wanted me out of the house?” Alfred asks.

Bruce gives a sly smile. “Guilty.”

The three of you eat and talk; about how you and Alfred had your own mishaps throughout the day. You almost spat out your drink at hearing how he had to chase down a man at the mall.

“That poor man!” you say.

Bruce is laughing so hard, he’s holding onto his side.

“He wasn’t bloody payin’ attention! I tried callin’ out to ‘im!” Alfred says defensively.

“Well, my mother held us up while we were cooking,” you add. “She’s uh, asking when I’ll bring you around.”

Alfred looks up a bit nervously. “I mean, well, if...if that’s somethin’ you should desire then I’m ‘appy to oblige. ‘Course if it’s not then I respect that as well.”

Bruce looks to you curiously for an answer.

“Of course I’d love to,” you say. “They’re dying to meet you, both of you.”

Bruce smiles as he takes a drink from his glass.

“Before I forget, I have something for you Bruce,” you say. You excuse yourself and return with a small gift bag. “Remember when I said that Valentine’s Day is for friends and family? Well, I hope you didn’t think I forgot you.”

Though he tries to hide it, you can see the young man’s eyes light up. Alfred smiles too, seeing him open the gift bag and retrieve a deep red cardigan. Bruce looks to you with a genuine smile. “Thank you,” he says.

You won’t know because he won’t tell you, but he’s touched by your gesture at thinking of him during a time when many can feel alone.

After dinner, Bruce excuses himself for awhile. You and Alfred now stand together in the parlor. You set the bear and box of chocolates on the coffee table and turn over the bouquet of flowers in your hands to observe the arrangement.

“I was very particular with the ‘ssortment,” Alfred says clearing his throat.

“Oh?”

He moves closer to you and points to the flowers as he describes them. “Yes, well, roses are ‘course for love and beauty, but violets are for humility.”

You look up at him through your lashes and he takes a slow deep breath; like you’ve knocked the wind out of him looking at him like that.

“I know,” he says, “that I’m hardly deservin’ of someone as wonderful and beautiful as you. I recognize how lucky I am to ‘ave you.”

“What else?” It’s barely a whisper from you, but you’re too enamored with what he’s saying to notice.

“Aster is,” you see he’s getting nervous now as he speaks, “is for patience. I’m well ‘ware that lovin’ me isn’t easy given...the circumstances, but I ‘ppreciate it and you as well, ‘mmensely. So thank you, for your patience with me.”

There’s a dreamy glossy eyed look on your face as you watch him speak. your heart swells at hearing the hard work he’s put into something as simple as a bouquet of flowers for you. And you know he feels pride in knowing that his meticulous attention to detail does not go by you unnoticed.

“Now for your real gift,” you say.

You hold up the business card showing the embossed information for Wayne Enterprise and then flip it around to show where your number is scribbled next to your kiss. Alfred’s face lights up as he gingerly takes it. “I thought I’d lost it,” he says softly.

“Bruce said he found it in your car and I asked him to keep it safe for me,” you say. “I was surprised when I found out that you had kept it.”

“‘Course I kept it!” Alfred says in shock. “I’d ‘ave been daft to throw it with the rubbish!”

“Well now you have it again and you’ll be sure not to lose it this time,” you playfully warn.

“‘Course,” Alfred says putting it in the pocket of his waistcoat.

“Do you remember that day?” you ask softly.

“Like I could forget,” he replies.

There’s a fluttering in your stomach as Alfred looks at you now. You would have thought that you two have been dating long enough for the nerves to go away, but Alfred just makes you nervous anytime you’re around him. Your palms get sweaty, you fidget with your hair, and you tend to avoid his gaze like you’re doing now.

“Nervous, darling?” he asks softly reaching his hand out to touch your cheek.

“No,” you say trying to keep your composure.

“You always tend to look away from me when you’re nervous,” Alfred notes as he takes your hand in his other.

You will yourself to look up at him and you melt. Slowly, the two of you gravitate towards the other until there’s hardly room for the shared breath between the two of you. Kissing Alfred is like kissing someone you’ve known across many lifetimes and will continue to know for many more. Strong hands hold your waist gently as if you’re a flower whose petals will fall if one is not careful.

“I love you,” you say when the two of you finally pull apart.

“And I, you,” Alfred says with a smile.

“So, what time is the movie?”

Alfred winces a bit.

“Yes, ‘bout that, darling. I thought perhaps we would enjoy a film in a way that was similar in fashion to our dinner,” Alfred says.

“You forgot to order the tickets, didn’t you?” you can hardly hide your laugh when he scowls.

“Is this Basil Karlo worth his bloody weight in gold or somethin’!? Yes, I may ‘ave forgotten, but that’s not the point, darling,” Alfred says sternly. “Point is,” he says straightening his tie, “that we ‘ave a much more suitable alternative.”

At that moment, Bruce enters the parlor. “Ah, master Bruce,” Alfred says. “Would you two mind headin’ outside while I gather the refreshments?”

“Sure,” Bruce says with a smile.

You’re confused, but follow Bruce outside to the backyard. Upon stepping out the door, your jaw drops.

There’s a projector casting its picture onto a makeshift screen and in front of it is an outdoor couch with pillows and blankets. Some outdoor lights are strung up to help illuminate the area as the sun says farewell. There’s an outdoor coffee table in front of the couch where a few snacks are laid out. Bruce holds up a movie, ‘The Ghost in Gray’.

“Starring Simon Trent,” Bruce adds.

“I’ve never seen it, but I’ve always wanted to,” you say excitedly. “Bruce, did you help with this?”

“Face it, the two of you would have had a terrible time if I wasn’t around to save the day,” Bruce says blowing on his fingers curled into a light fist and brushing them on his shirt looking very accomplished.

“This is one of those rare times where I say he’s right,” Alfred comments bringing out a large bowl of popcorn and glass bottles of Soder Cola. He sets them on the table. “Glad to see your mind bein’ put to use for somethin’ other than detective work.”

“Alfred,” Bruce says.

“Oh, I only tease, master Bruce,” Alfred assures him while starting up the movie.

The three of you sit on the couch; Bruce sitting in the middle between you two. Just before the movie starts you rush inside the manor and come back with a polaroid camera.

“Smile!” you say as you snap a selfie of the three of you.

You set the picture on the table and the three of you watch the movie together. When it’s over, Bruce heads off to bed and it’s just you and Alfred outside.

“I ‘pologize that today didn’t quite go as planned,” Alfred says as he puts an arm around you as the credits to the movie play.

You move closer to him, an arm around his chest. “I say it went better than expected,” you say.

Alfred wants to kiss you, but he hesitates, after all this time he still hesitates. His lips move closer to yours then stop, waiting for permission to continue. His well-mannered nature is so endearing. You meet him halfway to close the space between the two of you.

When the two of you pull away, you lean into each other watching the credits roll as a song plays.

“Come now,” Alfred says standing up. “Night is still young, darling.” He holds his hand out to you. “And there’s one thing I can do right.”

You laugh and take his hand. He guides you to a clear spot on the lawn. The two of you hold each other close and sway to the music playing as the credits roll. You smile as he spins you and pulls you back to him.

The next morning, while you sleep, Alfred takes the business card you gave him and sets it on his nightstand right next to a picture of the two of you. He found the shadowbox frame that was meant for the card and took it to the parlor. He sets inside the frame the polaroid of you, himself, and Bruce.

He sets it on the mantle above the fireplace with a smile.

Translations: Amor - Love, used as a term of endearment Dime, por favor - Please, tell me! Es para tu novio? - Is this for your boyfriend? No tengo tiempo para hablar! - I don’t have time to talk! Es que tengo mucho hacer antes de - It’s because I have a lot to do before-

💕Thank you for reading!💕 💕Sending all my love to you this Valentine’s Day 💕

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Movies I watched this week (Year 4, week 7)

Lord You Have Seduced Me, And I Was Seduced.

Into great silence is an unhurried, almost-wordless, 3-hour-long German documentary about the everyday life at the Grande Chartreuse monastery. About 2 dozen elderly men live there at the French Alps, in solitude and stillness, praying, doing penance & singing praises to God.

The director asked the order for permission to record the movie in 1984, and received their response 16 years later. He then lived with them in the cloister for 6 months, filming and recording on his own, and using only available light and sound. It's a meditative, hypnotic reflection into the ascetic life. 7/10.

🍿  

LIGO (Director's Cut) is a different, most absorbing documentary about the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory ("LIGO") and the painstaking path taken toward realizing and releasing their first major observation. It's a lot of smart scientists talking about doing complex science in an accessible way. Absolutely fascinating, even if - like me - you have no clue what they are talking about. 9/10.

If you are the type of person who likes this sort of thing, you'll probably like this.

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The Wyoming's 1892 Johnson County War X 2:

🍿  Michael Cimino's epic western Heaven's Gate, the movie that killed the auteur movement, the 70's, and the one that started the enshittification of Hollywood. A bleak anti-western about the war against foreigners - and poor people in general - so relevant to today's ethos.

A magnificent, leisurely-told story (I watched the "Radical cut" of 219 minutes), with a serious ensemble: Not only Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterston, Brad Dourif, Isabelle Huppert, Jeff Bridges, and Joseph Cotten, but also Mickey Rourke, Willem Dafoe and T Bone Burnett in small roles. Not that different from his earlier 'Deer Hunter', so why did it fail so spectacularly? (Photo Above)

🍿 "Shane! Come back!..."

First watch: The glorious technicolor western Shane, with very 1950's vibes and style. A mysterious gunslinger slings into (the picture), and Joey, a cloyingly-blond boy is enthralled by his mystique. Jean Arthur last film. 7/10.

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Times are hard, and I need to replenish my resources of Léa Seydoux. The Last Mistress is a 2007 aristocratic period piece by Catherine Breillat about sexual obsession and societal expectations. Unfortunately, this was only Léa Seydoux's second film, so she only had a small role in it as a chambermaid. 6/10.

/ Female Director

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As a child, I loved the books by mysterious writer B. Traven X 2:

🍿 Macario, an unexpected 1960 supernatural fable, my first by Roberto Gavaldón. Considered one of the greatest Mexican films which were not made by Luis Buñuel. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the first Mexican film nominated for an Oscar. A poor woodcutter with 5 or 6 children who are always hungry, is dreaming of eating a whole turkey all by himself, but when he gets the once in a lifetime chance to do so, he shares it with an apparition of a man claiming to be even hungrier. For that, he is turned into a miraculous healer. What a gem! With the beautiful Pina Pellicer. 8/10.

🍿 "... Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges..."

I never realized that this quote was from the fantastic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, a story about all-for-nothing greed. With an award-winning performances by Walter Huston as the grizzled gold prospector, and a cameo by his son John Huston. Also, Humphrey Bogart, in the best role of his career, playing against type as an insane paranoiac loser. A good portion of the movie was spoken in Spanish without subtitles or translation.

First watch - 9/10.

🍿  

Switzerland in 1975. I remember the didactic Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 from so many years ago as that important social-political manifesto of the times. But looking back at this group of people struggling with the failed revolutions of the 1960's, it's just outdated, dispirited and resigned. Sad and frustrated Marxism.

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Michael Winterbottom's comfortable travelogue The trip to Greece, one of the only few series that I actually watched in full. A light, fictionalized version of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, as they drive for the 4th time to touristy locations, indulge in eating tasty dishes, and celebrate their friendship while playfully argue with each other. It's middle-brow travel-porn with money shots of food and vistas. The highlights of all these movies are always their impersonations of other celebrities. There's a diminishing rate of return with each new chapter in this saga, since they are basically always the same.

[It ends though with a rendering of Max Richter's On the Nature of Daylight, which is lovely.]

🍿  

I loved Alice Wu's two queer rom-roms very much when I saw them a couple of years ago. So a Valentine Day re-watching of The half of it seemed natural. The cute Chinese teen, super-smart social-outcast, who lives alone with her dad, and who falls in love with another girl, sounded right up my alley. But on second look, it feels more like any other Netflix teen-drama, full of all the tropes and cliches you'd expect from one.

/ Female Director

🍿  

A monster call, a dark fantasy about a boy whose mother is dying. I hardly ever watch these type of CGI-generated fairy tales where anthropomorphic trees can walk and anything can happen. Not my cup of tea. With Sigourney Weaver. 2/10.

🍿  

2 with Emily Mortimer:

🍿  Harry Brown is a bloody and ugly vigilante, a-la 'Death Wish', with Old Man Michael Caine going medieval on the ass of the Clockwork Orange gang in his run-down housing estate. The only tiny sliver of redeeming value was Caine as the quiet, lonely pensioner who used to have 'a particular set of skills' in the old days when he served in Northern Ireland. 2/10.

🍿 TransSiberian, a pathetic 'thriller' about drugs and murder on a Russian train. Weak story, poor direction and un-charismatic actors (including another Woody Harrelson role as a Christian missionary worker, the 2nd time in two weeks). 1/10.

🍿  

Juzo Itami's Supermarket Woman from 1996. A broad - very broad - folk comedy about "Hanako", an ordinary housewife who help a fledgling local supermarket turn around. Far away from 'Tampopo', but Itami still managed to build some small emotional payouts. It ends with a giant chase by a pimped up Dekotora truck. 3/10.

🍿  

I have no idea how I came to watch the Australian TV series Fisk. A slight comedy about a strangely-calibrated middle-aged female lawyer who takes a job at a small firm in Melbourne which specialize in wills and probates. With bits of snappy dialogue and a few good jokes, it was light and breezy. But after 4 short episodes, I got the picture and signed off.

🍿  

3 by Yugoslav animator Dušan Vukotić, and a few other shorts:

🍿  Vukotić was a co-founder of the 'Zagreb School'. His Surogat ('The Substitute') was the first foreign film to win the Oscar for animated short. A minimalist poem of whimsical shapes, reminiscent of the Italian 'La Linea'. A fat man goes to the beach and inflates every object in sight.

🍿 Cow on the moon, another charming gag of a girl fooling a bully to believe he landed on the moon.

🍿 Igra ('The game') is a terrific live-action/animation hybrid. Pencil drawings by a boy and a girl start fighting with each other. 8/10.

🍿 The experimental 1965 The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics earned cartoonist Chuck Jones his only Oscar as a producer. It's an abstract romance, in a Saul Bass geometric style, with specific early-60's message of 'Victory of the Bohemian over the Square'.

🍿 Re-watch: Kid auto race at Venice, Charlie Chaplin first appearance as The Trump, 1914 - Colorized!

🍿 My Mom Is an Airplane! a cute fantasy for small kids by Russian Yulia Aronova.

/ Female Director

🍿 Kabul Sea (2010), a short little documentary by a female Afghani director, Alka Sadat.

/ Female Director

🍿 The pixel painter tells of Hal Lasko, a retired graphic designer who started creating digital art on Microsoft Paint after his 85th birthday. The conversations of his family which was left behind him are banal, but the illustrations are delightful.

🍿 The Beauty Of Past Lives and The Beauty Of French Cinema from a YouTube channel that does Video edits.

🍿 Riding shotgun, a strange 6-minute animated story about 2 'horny' assassins filled to the brim with weird sex, violence. coke and dirty toilets. Not for me.

🍿  

My first film by Gaspar Noé (and surely also his last?), We fuck alone from 2006. The story is simple: A man and a woman masturbate to the same porn film in different rooms, under intense and irritating strobe lighting. That’s it. It’s literal porn, and the only place I could stream it was on a Pornhub clone.

I have zero objections to porn, but here I have to quote Malcolm Tucker (in conversation with 'In the loop' Linton Barwik): “I've come across a lot of psychos, but none as fucking boring as you! I mean, you are a real boring fuck! Sorry, I know you disapprove of the swearing, so I'll sort that. You are a boring eff-star-star-cunt.” 1/10.

🍿  

..."Jack was pumping up a flat on the truck out on a back road when the tire blew up. The bead was damaged somehow and the force of the explosion slammed the rim into his face, broke his nose and jaw and knocked him unconscious on his back. By the time someone came along he had drowned in his own blood..."

First time read: Brokeback mountain, Annie Proulx's fine piece of short story, first published in the New Yorker. After re-watching Anne Hathaway's hurting face in that scene...

🍿  

(My complete movie list is here)

[impostoradult]

I finally figured out why it feels like Supernatural murdered a unicorn (AKA why you need to STOP telling me to watch Black Sails)

I’ll start by saying, everything everyone else has been saying CERTAINLY bothers me: 

- the queer-baiting - the bury your queers - the undermining of Dean’s character arc  - the wasted opportunity for a certain kind of overall narrative closure - the flat out disrespect to Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles

 All of that bothers me tremendously. 

But there has been something else rather ineffable about this that has left a horrible taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite pin down until last night. Bear with me, if you will, because this will require some set-up. 

*** This is not the first show to ever disappoint me in a spectacular fashion, nor will it be the last, I suspect. And one of the ways I’ve always coped with that disappointment was to remind myself that there will be other stories, other characters, other chances to get it right. (”It” being any number of things from just pure narrative emotional coherence to not burying your queers to not stringing along your queer audience and then yelling fuck you to them on the way out) 

But somehow that assurance -- that there will be other stories, other characters, other chances to get it right -- has rung particularly hollow in this instance, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why until yesterday. 

I kept asking myself, why do I still have this feeling, deep in the pit of my stomach, like something was lost here that can never be recovered? 

Because something was lost here that I am doubtful can ever be recovered, and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else talking about this aspect of it at all. 

***

A few months ago, TV critic Maureen Ryan did a great interview piece with Mike Schur (of Parks & Rec/The Good Place) discussing the death of long-form TV in the streaming era. They explore how the longer seasons and longer runs of traditional broadcast/cable TV provided an opportunity to tell particular kinds of stories that you simply can’t when seasons are 8-10 episodes and series typically run 2-4 seasons (thanks Netflix).

One key thing we’ve all lost in this new era of highly condensed TV storytelling (and of prestige TV narrative styles)? The traditional (several season’s long) slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance. Not only is there simply no longer the time or space to write such romances, it has also come to be seen as hacky, manipulative, cheap, artistically impoverished, low-brow, a embarrassing vestige of the era before TV became art™. 

Everybody is trying to be Fleabag now. No one wants to be Frasier. (”It’s really more like a 10 hour movie” they all like to brag)

Obviously TV still has romances, even ‘drawn out’ romances. But ‘drawn out’ in 2020 is like 2-3 seasons, maybe. More commonly it’s like half a season. Take Schitt’s Creek. The number of episodes between when David and Patrick first meet and when they first kiss? Seven. Seven episodes. Half a season. If you watched it live, it took less than 2 months for them to move from introducing that dynamic to consummating it. And I’m not bagging on Schitt’s Creek; I think the David/Patrick’s story is very lovely and well-written. 

But Niles & Daphne (Fraiser) had to wait 7 years and over 150 episodes before they finally got there. Josh & Donna (The West Wing) had to wait 6+ years, and 145 episodes. Mulder & Scully (The X-Files) had to wait 7 seasons and 143 episodes. Booth & Bones had to wait...you see where I am going with this. 

And my point is (and I can’t believe I never realized this explicitly until now): there has NEVER been a queer slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance of that type on TV ever. EVER. 

I’m going to say that again, because I think it bares repeating:

There has never been a queer, slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance that fits the 100-150 episode paradigm of delayed gratification on TV. 

Not ever.  

I can’t think of ONE example  Not a single, solitary one. And I know queer TV pretty well. Arguably the closest we’ve ever come is Legend of Korra, and that ran 50 episodes, a THIRD of the length of old school will-they-won’t-theys like Booth & Bones or Josh & Donna. 

Queer people have had a fair number of canonical romances on TV by now, even fairly long running ones. But we never got a primary/front-and-center romance that you had to root for for 100+ episodes before you got any kind of canonical consummation.

That is a particular kind of TV experience that queer people and queer characters were just 100% shut out of until it was too late. And because of how the TV landscape has changed in the last 10 years, I don’t know that that opportunity will ever come back around in our lifetimes. 

***

Dean and Castiel are/were a legacy of an earlier era of TV, an era that still contained the possibility for a will-they-won’t-they of that particular mold. There were other shows that could have also filled this gap at one time - Rizzoli & Isles, OUAT, House MD, etc. But one by one all of them were killed off, their queer romances unrequited, until Supernatural was the only one of its’ generation left standing. 

And they should have acknowledged that they were a species about to become extinct. 

There are plenty of other valid and compelling reasons Supernatural should have gone full Destiel, don’t get me wrong.

A) It would have been the most emotionally satisfying ending to the series and to those characters (and that would have been reason enough). 

B) It would have stopped the manipulative queer-baiting of the (disproportionately queer) fanbase (and that would have been reason enough). 

C) It would have been queer representation of middle-aged men, of bi men, of queers who came to their queerness later in life (and any/all of those would have been reason enough). 

D) It could have been a glorious subversion of the bury your queers trope, considering how often they’ve died and been resurrected (and that would have been reason enough). 

But point E) on this list is the reason this one hurts in a singular way that no one even appears to be acknowledging. 

Almost all of the other wrongs and missed opportunities contained in this Supernatural debacle have the possibility of being rectified (at least to a degree) elsewhere. I can and I likely will get more bi male characters from TV as time goes on. I can and likely will get more middle-aged queer characters. I can and likely will get more queer characters coming to their queerness later in life, and starting queer romances later in life. I can and likely will get more queer characters who aren’t killed cheaply and prematurely. I can and likely will get more genre TV shows with sprawling myth arc plots that are resolved in a coherent, satisfying way. I can and likely will get Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles involved in other projects that value their work and their talents. 

All of those other things are at the very least POSSIBLE, and many are even likely. 

But a queer 100-150 episode slow-burn romance a la Mulder & Scully or Niles & Daphne or Booth & Bones? That is the one baton Supernatural dropped spectacularly that no one else even has the possibility of picking up again for the foreseeable future. (They don’t even write those types of romances for heterosexuals anymore!) 

Seriously. It was a TV unicorn. And rather than letting it run wild and free, they stabbed it with a rusty nail. 

***

Given the monumental shifts in the TV landscape that have occurred in the last decade, I don’t know that TV will ever go back to the slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance spanning 100-150 episodes. Today it is a miracle if you can get ANY show to last longer than 50 episodes in the first place. 

And that is the piece of this that makes it feel (to me) like they murdered a unicorn.  

Because queer people have gotten a lot of things from TV, and they will get a lot more as time goes on. But that one? That one could very well be a totally extinct species.

That is the larger missed opportunity here that has left this feeling especially hollow and destructive. That is the thing that makes me balk when people tell me to go watch Black Sails or Pose or whatever other prestige TV show is doing this representation ‘better.’ Because that’s not really the loss I am mourning here. I KNOW there is ‘better’ representation elsewhere.  

But the will-they-won’t-they/slow-burn romance is a qualitatively unique thing that queer people literally just never got. Ever. There is no substitute, no alternate, no other show I can turn to with that kind of build-up and pay-off for a queer couple, and there probably won’t be in my lifetime. Not unless the TV industry undergoes another monumental evolution similar to the streaming revolution that shifts the incentives back to telling those types of stories again. 

All those shows you want me to displace Supernatural with? None of them can give me the one thing I uniquely wanted (and could have gotten) from Supernatural. THAT ALTERNATE SHOW DOESN’T EXIST. It doesn’t exist. And I have no reason to hope it will ever exist in my lifetime. 

So stop telling me to look somewhere else; you don’t understand what made this one a unicorn. 

***

Addendum: The only other possible show that could perhaps fill this gap is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (re: Mac/Dennis). But I’m hesitant to say it exactly meets that criteria, for a number of reasons:

1 - It’s far less serialized relative to Supernatural and (except for a handful of stand-alone episodes) very little of the story is grounded specifically in Dennis/Mac’s romantic dynamic (unlike SPN, where it is absolutely central to much of the narrative)

2 - IASIP is fundamentally satirically in nature/tone which makes it much harder to have genuine romantic pathos (not impossible, but harder) 

3 - All the characters on IASIP are fundamentally crummy people who you aren’t exactly supposed to root for. Which doesn’t mean a romance between two of them can’t have its value/charm/worth but it’s not the same as when it is between characters who unequivocally deserve nice things/happy endings

[piastrinorris]

An Unambiguous Love [9/10]: Trial Runs

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9 :: 10 ::

alternate AO3 link

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson x f!Reader

Genre: fluff

Summary: Your favourite customers really make it easier returning to the town you never went to school in. If only your friends at work would stop trying to play matchmaker between you.

Chapter 9 word count: 3751

A/N: Sorry this is a little later than usual, I got home from work and started watching Spree and got distracted by how I am so sure I could fix Kurt Kunkle, but you're not here to hear about my poor taste in men lol.

You really don’t feel too good over the next few days. You take the Sunday off sick, and the Monday. Tuesday is your day off anyway, and in the late afternoon, your brother shouts to you that you have a visitor, though he doesn’t name them. You think that strange of him, since he’s met all your friends by now, he knows all of them by name. You make your way downstairs and see Tiffany at your door, looking worse for wear than you feel. You recognise the pale green complexion, though, and crane your neck around to see Eddie sitting in his van, reading a book. Tiffany pipes up, “I found him and asked him to bring me here after school. I hope that’s okay.”

“You wanna come and sit down after the drive?” you ask with a smirk, and she nods with wide eyes. With a soft chuckle, you let her in and close the door behind her. You get her some water and guide her to the couch.

"So how are you holding up?" she asks.

You blow out a harsh breath. "I don't know. I hate taking time off work, I'm hoping this all clears up by tonight so I can come in tomor-"

"Don't you dare even, Jesse's already taking over that one for you, too, so you can be back at 100%."

You scoffs, "He barely likes doing his own shifts, let alone covering for me! Why would he do that?"

She shrugs. "Knowing him growing up, the only thing I could say is that he'll want to use it as leverage, maybe he plans to "call sick" himself once you're better? I dunno. So what happened? Steve came in to see you on Sunday and he seemed real concerned about you."

You hold your head in your hands. "Tiff, I really don't need your whole spiel about how Steve and I are star-crossed lovers or whatever, alright? I'm sorry, I'm just really not in the mood to entertain it right now."

She frowns, "I'm being serious, Y/N. He's been in, that Eddie guy's been. Those other freshmen that are always in the store even came and found me in the cafeteria today to ask about you." A warm smile spreads along your face. "So, are you going to tell me what's up?"

"What do you already know?" You ask.

"I know you went out to the movies with those two boys, and then you saw your other friends, and then you've been ill ever since," she explains slowly.

You nod, "Well, the truth is… I got overwhelmed, because I think I was supposed to have been set up on a date." Tiffany chokes on her water. "But I couldn't think of how, or why, or even who it was that wanted it, I mean… Like, yeah, we've all always been close as friends, but if I'd have known that I was accidentally leading one of them on - or both of them - I wouldn't have been that way so much with both of them… But it's so weird, it's not like I do that with all new friends, I've never been compelled to invite Ralph over to cuddle and watch movies with like I have the other two." You hold your head in your hands again. "Now I don't know if they expected more of me, or maybe they thought they had to go along with these things even if they didn't want -"

"Let me stop you there, just… Breathe a second," Tiffany strokes your shoulder. "They certainly care about you. It's obvious even now, when you're not around. I don't think they'd be like that if they felt any ill will towards you." Tiffany herself takes a deep breath in. "In all honesty, I don't think even I could tell you which one is into you, really. Maybe you should just… Ask each one on an actual, real date?"

"I don't want to ruin what we have, if they like it like that, too." You throw yourself back onto the couch, head leaning up to stare at the ceiling. "Oh god,  what have I done?!"

"Don't frame it as a date, then. Just… Hang out with them, one-on-one. Invite them somewhere," Tiffany suggests.

You gently put a hand to her face. "How are you wiser than me, when you're years younger?"

She shrugs. "It's a blessing and a curse, honestly." You both laugh and she starts to say her goodbyes.

As she reaches the door, you say, "Hey, uh… Tell Eddie I miss him, will you? And I give you full permission to tell Steve whenever you want to, as well. As long as there's no more matchmaking. I've got to take that on now," you nod, and Tiffany does back, too.

"Of course I will," she agrees with a smile, hugging you in the doorway. You watch her climb back into Eddie's van, and catch his eye briefly. He looks at you with his classic soft smile, but his eyes are sad. It changes his whole face. You smile back and wave at him. He flutters his fingers back at you before reversing out.

You go to your room and open up your journal. You split a double page spread into four: two rows labelled with each boys' name, and two columns labelled "pros" and "cons". The only issue is… There are no cons. There are no downsides to either one of your best friends. That's why you've been able to become so close to them so quickly.

Giving yourself some more time to take care of yourself, the next day you call up Eddie first. It's only fair, he's seen you in person the most recently, he deserves an explanation.

He still sounds so enthusiastic on the phone. "How are you? Are you better now? It's so nice to hear your voice again."

"I'm… Fine, Eds, thank you. Just a quick one, I know you've got Hellfi-"

"If you need to, I can postpone -"

"No, that's very sweet of you, but this'll only take a second. Would you like to get dinner tomorrow? I'm only working early, and there's that Italian place downtown that I swear does pizza that's actually made to taste like how I thought that takeaway one was, but I can't get a whole one for myself, and… It'd be nice to catch up, just us two. What do you say?"

"Ooh, dinner at a fancy restaurant? Sounds like a date," he teases.

"Call it what you want, Munson, are you in?"

You can hear the grin on his face. "Hell yeah. Call me when you're home from work and we'll go from there, okay?"

The whole morning of the next day, you'd been trying desperately to plan this all out perfectly. You're only working the opening shift, so you can go home, get ready, and meet Eddie at your favourite proper restaurant, for a proper dinner. You'd had everything down to the letter.

And then Jesse just had to call off his closing shift. And you took that as a sign that this was how you're supposed to "repay" his kindness. You'd really rather not, but between Jesse and Eddie, you decide Eddie would be far more accommodating to the idea of rescheduling. You phone him up, having his and Steve's numbers memorised by now, and explain your situation. He understands, naturally, though the disappointment is clear in his tone. He tells you he'll figure something out, and to enjoy the rest of your shift.

Later on, disgruntled by the fact you're still working, though glad it's almost over, you're so busy with your usual closing routine that the doorbell ringing throws you off. You manage to get out a, "Sorry, we're closed!" but not before letting out a small squeal of surprise.

"Well, that sound was mighty delicious," you don't even have to turn around to know from the tone of his drawl that Eddie has the widest smirk on his face. Sure enough, his head is cocked as though he's admiring you, sucking his half-smiling bottom lip in and out between his teeth. If you give yourself more than a split second to admire it, you'd be lost for words. 

"Point still stands, Munson. Can't serve you. Sorry," you shrug, mirroring his head tilt.

"Really? You won't do me one solid as compensation for standing me up?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

"I did not!" You throw your cleaning rag at him, which he manages to dodge with a cackle. "Blame Jesse the jerk for calling off at the last minute."

Eddie pulls a face. "Ugh. Yeah. Don't love that guy. Buuuut I am feeling a little buffered now, getting all excited for a dinner that never happened. Especially since I got all dolled up," you hadn't even realised, since its all sleek black, but he's ditched the denim, kept the leather jacket, and is wearing a button-down shirt that is far too flattering to look at without gawping, especially when the top few buttons are undone just enough for his tattoos to peek through. When you manage to catch his eye, he smirks, "You got anything to help with that?" Eddie-the-date seems to be emulating Steve's usual cockiness when he's around other girls, but you try and put that thought out of your head. No thinking about Steve. This is Just Eddie.

You quirk an eyebrow to try and match his energy. "Got anything in mind?"

Eddie's cocky half-smile breaks out into a full beam. "Yeah, I got somethin'. How's about an apology kiss?"

Your brain freezes for a moment. You, Eddie and Steve all have your flirtatious banter, sure, and what happens at parties, well, it's always stayed at parties. And here Eddie is offering it up as if it's normal for all of you.

Trying to remain cool and collected, your eyes scan your surroundings until you see the jars of assorted dice, sorted by shape, that sit on this particular counter. You grab a d20, press it into Eddie's hand, hold his fingers to wrap around it and grin back, "Roll for persuasion." You have no idea how you've managed to make that so smooth, but you've done it. Though only for a split second, you have successfully rendered Edward Munson speechless.

"Alright, alright, what's the difficulty?" he eventually asks, shaking it around in his fist.

You suck in a breath through your teeth. You don't want to look desperate here, just in case. You eventually settle for, "20. Flat roll."

Eddie kisses his teeth. "Alright, fair enough, let's go." He flicks it onto the table, and…

"Ah, 16. Too bad," you scrunch your face up jokingly and lean back to start heading over to pick up your cleaning rag, but Eddie gently places a finger underneath your chin.

"You're forgetting something, sweetheart," his voice is lower, softer, yet more gruff. You narrow your eyes in questioning and he starts to pull you over the counter, closer to him. "That's just on the die," he tiptoes to lean right over to close the gap between you two, whispering so close to your mouth that his warm breath tickles your lips, "I got a plus 5 proficiency." Eddie kisses you in a way that is both brand new and yet every way he kisses into one. The tenderness of his usual, affectionately-high kisses, mixed with the fervorous intent of his passionately-drunk kisses. It's soft in nature, yet strong in practice. It lasts for one long peck, followed immediately by a short one, then a shared look of genuine elation between you. "Did that hit, by chance?"

Feeling the rush, you ask, "Wanna try your luck again?"

Eddie cocks his head in that way that makes you Feel Things again. "What do I get out of a natural 20?" He asks as he blindly feels for and picks up the die again.

Trying to test entirely what the vibe may be including a certain other someone, you tell him, "For that, let's throw in Harrington, too."

"Hot damn!" Eddie sings as he fully slings the die across the counter. 

You tut and shake your head. "Your plus five doesn't help you on a ten, does it?

Eddie taps his chin in thought, closing one eye as he focuses. "Trying to think of what spells and abilities get me back up there again…"

You giggle, "If you can think of any that get you back to 20 off the top of your head, I'll get Steve myself."

Eddie's teeth practically go through his lip as he bites it in contemplation. Finally too weak to combat your urges, you let your mind wander. To you biting his lip for him. Just taking it between your own teeth and pulling it right out until it slips back out again. The sounds he'd make from that, the desperation to get back to it. Daydream!Eddie just can't get enough, going back to kiss you and gently nibble on your lip so you take the hint about what he wants from you. Daydream!Eddie's hands are on your ass cheeks, gripping and releasing with every bite.

But it's not just you two in this scenario. Daydream!Steve is stood directly behind you, head bent to kiss and bite your neck. His hands squeeze your hips as they pull you back flush against his chest before sliding up to possessively grab at your breasts. Both pretend boys are absolutely all over you, and within that universe, you are entirely content.

Real Life Eddie takes you out of that by drumming on the counter as he continues to think, getting himself more and more frustrated before growling. "Why is my mind so blank now?!" He doesn't seem to have noticed your transfixed-on-nothing eyes, or burning hot cheeks.

Wishing you had the same issue, you try to hide your blushing face by keeping your head down and looking for your rag once again. "Sorry, Munson. Rules is rules."

He tuts and gently punches the counter. "Rules is rules, and that's final. Yeah. Can't argue with that."

"Do you at least feel somewhat… Compensated for missing out on dinner?"

Eddie smiles softly. "It's not a transaction really, but let's say sure. You gonna be okay getting home tonight?" He starts fidgeting with his shirt in a somewhat awkward manner.

You chuckle and nod. "I'll be fine, you go put some Eddie clothes back on. Sorry again -"

Eddie cuts you off, but not before a brief moment to check you out as you bend over, completely unnoticed by you. "No apology necessary. Maybe we'll just reschedule. Or maybe that'll just jinx us again?"

Once stood back up, you shrug, "Who knows. Night, Munson." You decide to give him a goodbye kiss on the cheek, and he turns on his heel before you can notice it turning just as red as yours.

"Goodnight. Get home safe," he waves over his shoulder before heading back out. 

Once everything is done but the locking of the door, all the evening's events hit you at once, so hard that you end up just sitting on the floor between the comic aisles. You and Eddie kissed. Sober. You didn't expect to be doing that with these dates. Is he going to expect more, now? What about Steve? Should he know? Would he have any opinion of it? Everything between the three of you has been mutual and friendly, would it be better if he got to kiss you, too? But it wouldn't be fair if one was more natural and the other one "only" happened to balance things out. But what if Steve doesn't want to kiss you while he's sober? 

You hold your head in your hands and try to clear your thoughts. You're able to eventually come to the conclusion that you're simply overthinking everything. You decide to just put all those thoughts away, dump them into your journal later, then slam that thing shut and instead focus on how you’re going to ask Steve out now.

You can’t really go on a real date with Steve, since you didn’t technically go on one with Eddie. But, the next day, knowing you’re both closing, you decide to end things a little early and surprise Steve with a visit. As soon as he sees you, he rushes over and pulls you in for a tight, lingering hug. Much like how Eddie had been acting like Steve the day before, this certainly feels like more of an Eddie reaction to you. You squeeze him back, hoping to squeeze out any other comparison to Eddie when tonight is about Steve. “How are you, now?” Steve asks.

“Better,” you nod with a weak smile. “Uh, hey, I know it’s late and all, but did you wanna just… I dunno, drive around? Go hang out some place? Just us two?”

“Yeah, sure! You want me to drive? I can take you to my favourite spot,” he suggests, and you nod.

He spends most of the drive catching you up on all the things the kids have been up to and talking about while you’ve been away from it all. Apparently, you’ve really got Jane into the world of comics, which Mike wants to someday thank you for in person.

You vaguely recognise the area around the lake he’s driving towards. You’ve seen the lake on your map. The one shaped like a heart. If you think about its name too long, you’ll start getting nervous about Steve’s intentions and panic. But, isn’t this whole evening all about finding out Steve’s intentions? Maybe he’s picked Lovers’ Lake on purpose.

He leads you to where some large rocks converge onto a soft patch of grass, but instead of sitting at either of those spaces, like you do as you perch on a rock, he instead starts patrolling the area while staring at the ground. “You good?” you ask with a laugh.

“Who, me? Just swell. Hey, uh, you ever skimmed stones before? It’s like, my favourite thing to do here. But I think I’ve used up all the good ones,” he pulls a face.

Rolling your eyes, you hop off the rock you’d just sat on. “No way you’ve used up every good one. Maybe you’re just looking for the easy ones.”

Steve gasps dramatically, “Are you questioning how good I am?!”

“As someone who’s never done it before, absolutely,” you giggle, finally finding one that looks like it’s got a relatively smooth surface.

“Alright then, let’s see what you’ve got,” Steve’s stance is cocky, his head tipped to one side as he looks you up and down with a smirk. It flusters you for a second before you regain your composure. You flick your wrist as you throw the stone, and it bounces once off of the surface of the water before ultimately sinking beneath it. You raise your arms in celebration and cheer, and Steve chuckles at you. "Wow, never before have I seen such excitement over such a feeble attempt."

You cross your arms, "Like you could do any better!"

"Watch and learn, babe," he smirks, picking another one up and throwing it out at the water. It bounces twice, awkwardly, before tumbling into the water.

You raise your eyebrows, “And that was supposed to be better than my attempt?”

“Sorry, isn’t - isn’t two more than one?” Steve presses a finger to his lip and looks up, laughing as you shove him away.

“Yeah, but at least mine was all smooth! Yours was, like…” You wave your hands up and down alternately. He mimics you mockingly, so you exaggerate your movements further still until you both start hitting each others’ hands, eventually collapsing into each other with laughter.

“Look, why don’t I show you how it’s done?” Steve picks out another stone and presses it into your hand. He moves behind you, gently kicking at your feet to guide them before cradling his body around yours, one hand on your hip and the other wrapped around the hand holding the stone. “Now,” his voice is low and soft in your ear, “a lot of people say it’s all in the wrist, but you’ve gotta angle yourself right, too, right?” You nod, swallowing hard. “So just get a feel for things, like this.” Using your hip and your hand as leverage, Steve starts guiding you to swivel at the hips, from side to side. His hand squeezes your hip just a little, and your breath hitches as you take a deep breath in. You feel Steve breathe out against your neck, his breath hitching, too. 

He wriggles the fingers of the hand holding yours until he’s gotten you to drop the stone entirely, before guiding you round to face him. He slips his hands into yours and leans down to kiss you sweetly. Soft, lingering pecks, one after another after another. Usually, Steve smiles into his kisses, and you can feel it, but this time it feels more… Intense.

Your mind wanders again, to Steve kissing down to your neck, his hand reaching up into your hair as he backs you against the larger rock you’d been perched on earlier.  Eddie’s here now, too, kissing your mouth with open lips and hands that inch further and further down your body. Daydream!Steve pulls you back to kiss you fully, as daydream!Eddie seems to sink lower and lowe-

You pull yourself out of the very real kiss still happening between you and Steve with a sharp intake of breath. He shuffles his weight between his feet and drops your hands. "We, uh, should get you back to your car again soon, right? Is everyone home tonight or is it just you and… Marvin?"

"Look at you, on first name terms!" You playfully bat his arm as you both start walking back to his car.

"Shut up," he laughs bashfully.

The ride back is quieter than the one there, but it's not awkward. Not until you've given Steve a goodbye kiss on the cheek just like you did with Eddie, and then you've gotten into your car and made it safely out of the lot. Only once you're alone with your thoughts do you realise how screwed you really are.

Both "dates" were equally amazing, in their own rights. But your wandering thoughts ultimately kept bringing you back to the same wish: you couldn't help but want the other person there, too.

[idy-ll-ique]

Sweet Little Love.

Pairing: Bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Lil Angst

Warnings: brief mention of violence

Requested: nope

Summary: The Y/L/Ns are a well-off family in New York, and are good friends with Sam Wilson. One day Y/N is threatened by a stalker and needs a bodyguard, so Sam suggests Bucky. Bucky doesn't want to do it; the last thing he wants is to deal with a spoiled, bratty rich girl for a whole month. The only thing is, Bucky has terribly misjudged her and now he can't help falling in love with her.

Author's Note: Hiya peeps! the last scene is just a small bonus crack!scene sjsjsjs lmao, enjoy!

---

If there was one type of person Bucky liked, it was someone who was kind, polite, helpful and caring… and Bucky knew the person he was going to work for was going to be none of those things. "Sam, come on, man, I don't want to do this," Bucky groaned as he followed his best friend down the street. "I already promised, Bucky."

"Why did you?! I don't want to spend my whole day around spoiled little brats, they're the worst!" Bucky threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, number one: You have to look after only one person and number two: Why don't you just meet her once? Then you can decide for yourself, how about that?"

Bucky had been hired by one of Sam's friends, Mr Y/L/N, as a bodyguard for his daughter. He didn't know the daughter at all; but the one thing he was sure about was that she was going to be a pain in the ass for him, like in every single movie about rich girls and bodyguards. Mouthy, petty, sassy, rude…

He was in no mood to deal with someone like that.

Ms Y/L/N, he assumed, had been sent some threats over a week ago by a stalker and so the poor father was worried sick as he frantically searched for bodyguards. Sam was also informed and before he knew it, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was hired. To be honest, the Y/L/Ns were paying a lot so… since he had given up Avenging, the income would be great.

Plus, she only needed protection for around a month or so. Speaking of the daughter, how old was she even going to be? Maybe a child below 10? A rebellious teenager? Who knows? "Alright, stop here. She's supposed to be here somewhere, let me call Y/L/N." Bucky huffed and looked around the crowded streets as Sam contacted the father.

That's when his eyes landed on a lady. She was beautiful; wearing what looked like a tennis skirt and a university hoodie, along with sneakers. Her hair was pulled into a braid and she had a bright smile on her face. Bucky blinked twice and watched. Her body or clothes didn't catch his attention, but her actions sure did.

She was chatting with another, older woman who had coffee spilled all over her white tee. The young lady was holding a baby in her arms, bouncing the sweet child as the older woman hurriedly tried to clean her clothes. Through his super-soldier hearing, he caught their conversation. "I'm so sorry to bother you like this," the woman sighed.

"It's okay, ma'am, you are not a bother. You were clearly in need of help and you know how New York is…" Both women giggled. The older woman soon left with her child but the young lady continued standing there, looking around, as if waiting for someone. Probably a boyfriend, Bucky thought.

"Why is he not picking up?!"

Bucky rolled his eyes at Sam before looking over at the pretty lady again, who had started bouncing back and forth on her heels, glancing everywhere. That's when a loud wail echoed above the already busy street. The lady's eyes snapped towards the voice before she took off running towards a little boy who had tripped over.

The little kid was blond and scrawny, reminding Bucky of a little Steve. He smiled fondly at the memory. "Are you hurt, bubba?" Y/N asked the kid adoringly as she helped him stand. The boy's lower lip wobbled as he tried to hold his tears in but was unsuccessful. "Aw, come here…" Bucky gulped when the lady got on her knees and hugged the child.

She's so kind.

The kid hugged back just as eagerly, sobbing into her shoulder. Soon, two adults approached her; a gay couple, the parents of the kid. They, too, watched with appreciation as the lady easily calmed the kid down with her soothing presence. An involuntary smile bloomed on Bucky's face; if he was in that kid's position, he'd have stopped crying too. The lady was wonderful.

"Thank you so much, honey," one of the men grinned when the lady stood up, dusting her knees and giving the kid a smile. "Oh, it's not a problem! You know what?" She dug around in her purse and pulled out a lollipop. "I always have some on me. I'm a big fan. You?" The boy giggled and eagerly accepted the candy.

"Steve, what do you say?"

Bucky almost laughed. The kid's name was also Steve? Amazing! "Thank you!" Steve exclaimed with a bright smile, making the lady laugh. "No problem! Have a good day!" She waved at the family of three before returning to her original place, standing outside a café. Bucky was enamored at this point.

"Any luck?" he drawled, glancing at Sam who shook his head. "That dick," he grumbled under his breath and Bucky grinned, getting back to watching the pretty lady but she was nowhere to be found. He looked around until he saw her crossing the road, an old man holding her arm with one hand as the other held his walking cane.

She was on his side of the street now, just a few feet away from him. "You are an angel, darling," the old man crooned as he patted her cheek, letting go of her arm once he was safely on the other side. An angel indeed, Bucky smiled to himself. "Oh, sir, I try…" she spoke bashfully, turning in his direction as the man left.

Bucky quickly averted his gaze, he didn't want to look like a creep. "Sam? Sam, is that you? Wilson!" Bucky froze at the lady's voice, her footsteps nearing the place where he and Sam were standing. Wait, is that...? Sam looked away from his phone, eyes lighting up as they landed on the lady. "Y/N? When did you arrive?" Bucky watched as they hugged.

"Been here for a long time, dad said you were going to introduce me to my bodyguard today. He's a good friend of yours, right?" Sam turned and motioned towards Bucky. He stepped forward. "Hi, I'm James Barnes," he introduced himself, holding his hand out. He couldn't believe he had called this angel a spoiled, rich brat.

I'm never gonna forgive myself.

"James, nice to meet you! I'm Y/N Y/L/N. Thanks for doing this, I'm probably going to be a burden—" He immediately shook his head. "Oh, no no no, don't say that! I can tell we're going to be good friends." He winked and she couldn't help but giggle. Bucky didn't even correct her on the name, something about the way she said it made a shiver run down his spine.

"Well, um, do we start now, or…?"

"Your choice," he interrupted, hands shoved in the pockets of his coat as he stared at her, heart swelling with affection. "I already feel safe," she half-joked, "Start now. I have a few places to go to…" He was ready to follow her to Hell and back. "Of course." Both of them turned to Sam, who had a knowing smirk on his face.

If it were anyone else Bucky would've given him his infamous glare but Y/N? He was hoping for a connection. "You two enjoy your date— I mean, day. Anyway, what's up with your dad, girl, he's not picking up my calls." Bucky rolled his eyes at the slip up. "He's not? Maybe he's in a meeting. If you want you can go visit."

"Gonna do just that, tell him that his precious little daughter is in safe hands." Y/N looked at Bucky with a huge smile. "No doubt about that! It's getting late, I'll see you later!" Y/N started walking away and Bucky immediately followed with a nod towards Sam. "Hey, um, I saw you, you know?" he blurted out.

"Saw me? Doing what?" Y/N blinked. "You helping the lady with the child, the kid who tripped over— Steve, his name was? And the old man you helped cross the street. I just wanna say that was amazing. You're a great person, Y/N, I'm honored to be your bodyguard." She gasped softly and looked away, chewing her bottom lip as she grinned, cheeks heating up.

"Oh, um, it's just— I like to help people. It's how my parents raised me. Yeah, we might be rich but I'm not spoiled. Lots of people think that when I tell them I'm Mr Y/L/N's daughter. It hurts sometimes, you know? People just assume anything about you without even knowing you. That's why I try to be good. I don't want to be a bad person," she rushed out, unconsciously voicing all her insecurities.

Bucky's heart sank in his chest as he let out a dry chuckle. "Ugh, just saying this is gonna make me throw up but I assumed that too. I thought I was gonna work with a spoiled, rich brat. I was horribly, horribly wrong, I hope you can forgive me, doll." She turned to him, but she wasn't mad in the slightest. She even started getting a tiny crush on him, I mean, hey, the man is eye-candy. "It's fine! I forgive you, you didn't know."

"No, it's not fine. I shouldn't have made assumptions, I feel like the biggest ass in the world," he scoffed, looking away from her. "James, please, it's okay. You know now, right? Don't feel bad! Why don't we stop for a coffee on the way?" How could he say no to that?

---

2 weeks passed. Y/N and Bucky became incredibly close friends; Bucky went as far as revealing the truth about himself, how he used to be an Avenger, how he lost his arm, everything. What he didn't expect was her to cry at his story. "You did not deserve to go through that, they did you so dirty…" she sniffled and he hugged her like his life depended on it. It kinda did.

God, if he didn't fall in love the first time they met, he was definitely in love now. "Doll, I'm here now, aren't I? All good— well, maybe not all good." And his face broke into the biggest grin ever when he heard a chuckle from her. "I'm glad you're here." Just those 4 words and Bucky vowed that he was never gonna let her go.

"I'm getting coffee, you wait here. Don't go anywhere else."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Y/N laughed and he smiled back as he entered the café. Y/N stood outside, typing away on her phone when someone suddenly grabbed her by the back of her neck, pulling her into the alley next to the café. She couldn't even scream, breathing was difficult with his hand around her neck.

"We finally meet, sweetheart." Oh, God, it was him. The stalker. Y/N whimpered, struggling to get out of his arms but he only tightened his hold on her. Bucky, Bucky please— Over time, Y/N had grown fond of Bucky. He still asked her to call him James, he said it felt good when she called him that. So she did.

He was so protective of her, almost like she was his girlfriend. He was also handsome; incredibly so, with his stormy blue eyes, his tall and broad figure and razor sharp jaw. His first priority was always her and it made her warm inside. She'd decided to ask him out at the end of the month, but it was looking a bit difficult now.

"Your bodyguard not with you today? What happened, lover's quarrel?" the man smirked tauntingly as Y/N's vision blurred due to lack of oxygen. She blinked back tears, crying again when he tightened his hold on her neck. "Scream all you want, sweetheart, no one's gonna hear it," he laughed.

"Try me."

The man's head whipped to the side only for Bucky's metal fist to connect with his jaw. He fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious at the first punch. Y/N slid down to her knees. Her hands went to her neck, coughing and dry heaving. "Doll? Doll, come here." Bucky felt immense guilt as he gathered her in his arms, carrying her bridal style towards his car.

He left her alone. That was the one thing he wasn't supposed to do. "James…" Y/N wheezed, curling closer to him when he tried to put her in the backseat. "Doll, you have to get in," he insisted but she shook her head. "Not without you. Please." Bucky sighed and got into the backseat, holding Y/N against his chest.

She was pretty shaken up. "I'm so sorry, Y/N." He felt himself tearing up. "No… not your fault… you… coffee… I wasn't… phone…" Bucky handed her a bottle of water when she wheezed again. "Drink up, baby," he whispered as he held the bottle to her lips because she refused to let go of his sweater. After drinking some water her throat felt better.

"Don't go, please, I need you," she sobbed as she completely curled against him, wetting his sweater as she cried in his arms. "You will always have me, doll. I'm not going anywhere. Not again," he assured her as he rubbed her back, wiping his own tears away. All of a sudden, she pulled away and pressed her lips to his. "I love you."

He pulled her in for another kiss, fireworks exploding in his head at the confession. Only two weeks had passed but they were both sure about their feelings. "I love you too, doll. You're mine now, only mine," he groaned against her lips. "Only yours," she agreed, burying her face back in his shoulder as he pulled her impossibly close.

"You're not getting out of my sight ever again."

And he kept his promise.

---

"And then I— where do you think you're going?" Sam blinked as Bucky abruptly stood up, eyes trained on his wife. She gave him a smile and walked out of the room, Bucky following her out like a puppy. "To the bathroom, Sam!" Y/N called out behind her and Sam turned to the parents, blinking in confusion as they roared with laughter.

"Why does she need him there?" Sam asked "Oh, haven't you heard? Bucky hasn't broken the promise he gave Y/N 6 years ago," Mrs Y/L/N explained vaguely. "What promise?" Mr Y/L/N laughed once more. "He told her she was never getting out of sight after the incident. And well…" Y/N and Bucky returned at the exact time as Sam made a face.

"Don't you get tired of him?" Sam groaned as Bucky sat down, pulling his wife on his lap. "Oh no no, it helps that she's as much in love with him as he is with her. They do not get tired of each other," Mrs Y/L/N shook her head with a fond smile. "It helps that he's handsome and aesthetically pleasing to look at," Y/N crooned, squishing her husband's cheeks as he laughed and swatted her hands away.

"Even in the bathroom?!"

"He stands outside as a guard," she shrugged. "Damn. Y'all are weird," Sam muttered, barely catching the book Bucky threw towards him. "Not weird. Just looking out for her, like I promised," he muttered, cheeks flushing. "You do know that the threat was 6 years ago, right? Six!" Sam threw his hands up.

"What if there's a new one?" Bucky countered exasperatedly. Sam only shook his head at the couple before a smile broke out on his face. "I've never seen a couple so in love. You two are cute," he commented as laughter filled the room. No more threats, no more danger.

Just a sweet little family and their sweet little love.

---

A/N: Leave a like if you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

[moodyclouds89]

Un beso[part 4]

Rindou haitani x Latina reader

You didn't know what to do

You stare in shock when you see Rin blow the dude's head off. Blood getting everywhere including you. His eyes held disgust while staring at the dead man on the floor. His eyes softened when he turned to look at you, slowly walking towards you he offered you a hand and helping you get up.

"Are you okay?" Was the first thing he said. You could see he looked worried and you reassure him that you were fine.

"I'm fine! Uh...thank you." You both stood there awkwardly before you remembered about the guy.

"Um, what are we going to do about..him?" You pointed to the dead man on the floor. He turned to look before sighing and massaging his temple.

"I'll get one of my men to clean this up.."

You just nodded before picking up your phone that you dropped. Checking the time you realize it was late.

"Oh...well it's getting late so I'll just go." Before you could even leave he grabbed your wrist making you turn to look at him.

"I'll take you home." 

You told him he didn't have to but he insisted on taking you back home.

°°°°

It was a silent car ride back home. You looked out the window for the whole ride back before arriving at your house.

"Thank you again rin! And thanks for giving me a ride back." He just nodded before you closed the door to his car and began walking to the front door. You notice that he was still there.

*Is he waiting for me to get in?* 

You asked yourself. Finally opening the door and stepping in he finally left once you closed your door. You walk to the living room before plopping down on the couch.

"Ughh today was just...something"

You decided it was best to just get some sleep and hope that Catalina never finds out about what happened.

°°°°

"And he was so sweet! He bought me this necklace that was absolutely gorgeous and was very romantic during our date!" 

You just nodded while eating your cereal and Catalina excitedly told you about the romantic date she and koko had last night.

"So what did you do while I was gone y/n?" 

"Mm I just watch some movies while eating food..that really it." She just nodded before remembering something.

"Oh that reminds me! Ran said that if you were free today he would like to hang out with you."

Upon hearing her words you choke on your cereal while catalina giggled.

"Mmm someone might not be single for long." She teased and made your face heat up.

"Shut up!" She only giggled before getting up.

"Where are you going?"

You asked curiously seeing her make her way towards the door.

"I have some errands to do so I won't be coming back until 7." She said while putting on her shoes and getting her keys. 

"Oh alright...be safe!" 

She yelled a quick goodbye before leaving. You sighed before getting up and going to your bedroom.

"Ugh I really feel like not going anywhere." You whined laying down on your bed. You suddenly receive a text and you curiously open the message.

Hello y/n

Who this?

it 's me ran!

You stared at the message before trying to remember if you ever gave him your number.

How did you get my number?

Oh Catalina gave it to me!

Of course she did

You sighed before asking him what he wants

What do you want?

Oh how rude, I just wanted to ask if you were free today

Sorry I'm busy

Really? Then why did Catalina tell me that you wouldn't be busy all week

Did she really have to tell him?

Oh

I want to get to know you. So how about I take you out to eat? My treat!

You thought about it for a moment. I mean you were kinda bored so maybe going out with him wouldn't be bad. 

Fine

Great! I'll pick you up at 1

You groaned before falling back on your bed.

"He isn't that bad...I just don't feel like going out." You said before huffing and getting up to get ready.

°°°°

As promised, Ran did pay for the food. It honestly wasn't that bad. You both got to get to know each other more and plus free food!

"Soo you're telling me that you're a criminal?" Earlier ran told you what he does for a living and that he's a bonten executive along with the others.

"Why did you have to say it like that?" 

"What? I mean it's true." He just scoffed before taking a sip of his drink. You chuckle before asking more questions.

"Wait so you're telling me that my cousin knows about this and didn't tell me? Wow, I feel betrayed."

You both continued to talk to each other before he got a call. He excused himself before getting up and leaving to answer the call. You scroll through your phone before he comes back with an apologetic look on his face.

"Hey sorry but something came up and mikey wants us to meet up." 

"Oh it's fine! No worries." He apologized again before offering to give you a ride back. Going back home you thanked him for the ride.

"Thank you for the ride! Oh and for the food, I had a great time." 

"I had a great time too. Maybe we could go out next time?" 

"Sure!"

°°°°

"Where were you? The meeting is about to start so hurry up!" 

"Woah calm down. I just went to drop off y/n that all."

Upon hearing your name, Rin stops and turns to look at his brother.

"Y/n? What were you doing with her?" Ran smirk before answering his question.

"We were just on a date." He said before walking ahead.

"Hurry up rin! The meeting starting in 5 minutes you'll be late." He said in a teasing tone before walking away. 

Date? With you?

Rin didn't know why, but he felt a bit jealous about what his brother said.

••••

Taglist:@xbabybajix