#just gonna focus on icon making & plotting tonight!

[wovetalesarc]

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[shadowedmoonlight]

3 Times Virgil Came Out to Others + 1 Time Someone Came Out to Him

I am aware that I am a few hours late, but this is the longest oneshot I've ever written

Day 3: Coming out

Warnings: Food mention, talk of sexual attraction (In regards to asexuality), anxiety, disassociation (brief)

Summary: In which the story gains a plot ft. fluff and hurt/comfort

Word count: 4025

Read on Ao3

Masterlist

1.

Virgil hadn’t been this terrified in a long time. He knew that being gay shouldn’t be that big of a deal, in regards to his two gay fathers, but he couldn’t stop the terrifying thoughts from running through their head.

What if they thought he was too young to have figured himself out? They were only fifteen after all. Is he even sure they're gay? And what would they think about the pronouns thing? Vigil had no idea where their dads stood on transgender rights.

They had planned to do it after dinner. That way he could have one last dinner of peace in the unlikely event of something going wrong. It's more likely than you think they’re gonna kick you out, you’re gonna have to live on the streets

Emile had made spinach lasagna that night. Virgil’s favorite. But he could hardly enjoy it due to the nerves stirring in his stomach. Instead, he moved the food around on his plate and attempted to pay attention to the conversation occurring before him.

He believed his dad was telling some dramatic story about some lady that came into the coffee shop. They normally would be completely invested in that sort of thing, but they just couldn’t focus with all the thoughts running around his head.

What is he gonna do if he gets kicked out? They can’t live on the streets. He can barely work a stove. How would he live on his own? Maybe Remus or Janus would take him in? No, they have their own problems. They shouldn’t burden them with his own problems. But how would he-

“Virgil? What do you think?” A voice cut through his spiral.

“Hm- wha-?” Virgil couldn’t recall for the life of them what he was supposed to be responding to. He looked up to see his parents both looking at him concernedly.

“You feeling okay, hon? It's not like you to space out like that,” Emile asked.

Virgil winced. He had to learn to be less obvious to when they were stressed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

They still looked doubtful. “Are you sure?” Remy raised an eyebrow.

Virgil nodded and tried for a small smile. He didn’t think it was successful, however, when his parents exchanged a worried glance. His leg bounced slightly under the table. Why couldn’t they relax?

Emile started to collect the dishes but paused when their eyes landed on Virgil’s still-full plate. He glanced again at their husband, and then their son.

“Maybe you should head to bed early tonight. You hardly touched your food. You might be coming down with something.” Virgil saw Remy stand up as his Papa spoke. He offered them a hand.

“Babes, I think that might be a good idea. You’re looking a bit pale- well, paler than usual with all that foundation you cake on. Don’t think I don’t notice.” Virgil blushed, slightly. His experimentation with makeup had been one of his ways to tone down their glaring masculinity.

In response to the first statement, maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to put this off another day. They weren’t sure they had enough energy or confidence to go through with this. With a little hesitation, they grabbed Remy's hand and hauled himself to their feet.

Emile smiled sadly at their son’s submissiveness. He had to have been really tired with the way his eyes kept wandering. They abandoned the dishes they were holding, grabbed his other hand, and started leading Remy and Virgil upstairs.

Virgil blinked and suddenly he was in their room. They sat between his parents on his bed. Emile had them leaning against their side as Remy rubbed soft circles into his back. His eyes darted around in confusion.

Remy glanced down and let out a sigh of relief. “Welcome back to this plane of existence.”

Emile smacked their husband lightly. “Sorry baby, we didn’t want to leave you alone while you were disassociating.” Virgil’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. They didn’t remember going into an episode.

Remy kissed his forehead and stood up. “We’ll leave you to your peace now. Let us know if you need anything.” Emile began to follow.

Virgil bit their lip. Was he really going to go through all this stress just to chicken out? He took a breath. He was strong. They could do this.

“Wait,” they called out, lightly. “I need to talk to you about something.” His parents halted in their place in the doorway and came back to sit next to them.

“What is it, babe? Did something happen?” Remy grabbed one of his hands.

“No, not exactly,” Virgil said. His breath was starting to stutter.

“Take your time,” Emile said, softly.

Virgil attempted to calm their breathing. It's highly unlikely that this will have a bad outcome, half of his brain rationalized. They are gay themselves, after all.

Yeah, but what about the pronoun thing? The other half argued. You have no idea what they’ll think of it.

Virgil took another deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. They may as well start with the easy one. “I’m… I’m gay.”

Remy placed a hand on his chest and sighed dramatically. “Oh thank god,” he exclaimed. “I’m not sure I could have handled it if I had to raise a straight son.”

Emile smacked him again. Virgil winced slightly at the word ‘son.’ Remy seemed to notice his discomfort and scooted closer. “Of course we love and accept you and everything, but that's all kind of obvious considering, well,” he lifted his hand as wiggled his ring finger, “Is there something else on your mind?”

Virgil nodded, “I, um, want to start using different pronouns. He/they.”

Emile lit up. “Ooh, we can match!”

Virgil’s head shot up. “What?”

Both Emile and Remy looked confused for a second before a horrifying realization dawned on them.

“Did I- never tell you I’m non-binary?” Emile asked, tentativly. They were sure they told Virgil at some point.

Virgil couldn’t help themself. He started to laugh hysterically. After a moment their parents joined in.

“I’m sorry- I just- I’m fifteen years old and you never thought to tell me that vital piece of information?” Virgil wiped tears from his eyes as he continued to giggle.

Emile was bright red. “Trust me, I’m mortified.”

Remy groaned. “That makes two of us.”

Virgil snorted. “I was so worried about how’d you react and this whole time you’re the same thing.”

“Oh honey,” Emile exclaimed. “You should never be worried about telling us something. We support you no matter what.”

“Of course,” Remy added. “What kind of hypocrites would we be if we said otherwise?”

Virgil pulled them both into a hug. “You’re the best parents anyone could ask for.”

2.

Sanders High School had an interesting dynamic. There were two main groups that everyone at school was invested majorly in. Most, if not all, of the gossip in school was directed at them. They were envied. They were hated. They were idolized. They were the closest thing Sanders High ever had to celebrities. The Dark Sides and The Light Sides.

Everyone that saw them would assume they were the rivals. Bickering and prank wars were constant. Classroom debates between members could last hours if not moderated. Each group consisted of three members.

First up is Roman Prince, the flamboyant jock and theater nerd. He was the first kid at school to break through harmful gender stereotypes. Before he came to school, any boy that joined theater was seen as weak and nerdy. Roman was the first openly gay kid on the football team- as quarterback no less- and the first jock to join the drama program. He was unapologetically himself in everything he did. He often came to school in skirts and dresses and there was rarely a day he could be seen without his signature red lipstick. Despite his smashing of stereotypes, Roman is the only cis kid in both the light and dark sides (not that everyone is out to the school like he is, or even to each other). He has the most social media followers out of anyone in the school, and was the one to first publicize the two groups. Roman is a proud member of The Light Sides.

Next is Patton Hart, the bubbly, adorable student council president. Everybody loved Patton and they loved everybody. Patton is one of the kindest kids in the school. He’s always willing to drop everything to help somebody or cheer someone up. They met Roman when they were young and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Some might say they’re dating, but a select few know otherwise.

Last in The Light Sides is Logan Berry. Logan is objectively the smartest kid in school. He is rumored to be taking all AP classes. How that’s possible, no one knows. Everyone knows that Logan will be Valedictorian at the end of the year. There’s no other logical choice. Somehow, even with all that, they also manage to be co-captain of the debate club. Patton and Roman somehow managed to rope them into their small group sometime during elementary school. Again, how that’s possible, no one knows. Logan is extremely stone-faced to people they're not close with. Some think he might be a robot with how emotionless he is most of the time. Those people, however, have never seen him with a jar of Crofters. (But if they knew their secret, everyone would think so).

Over in the dark sides, we have Janus Lies. Genderfluid icon. Their coming out started a revolution of sorts at Sanders High. So many kids came out as non-binary or genderfluid or something in between, the school ended up getting rid of gendered bathrooms entirely. A new genderfluid locker room was built in the PE building and the academic teachers revised their gendered way of teaching. But, back to Janus. They were the most sarcastic person you’d ever meet. So much so, it became difficult for people to tell if they were telling the truth. Their trademark hat and gloves stayed on no matter what the occasion. They also co-captained the debate club with Logan. They grouped together with Remus and Virgil before anyone could remember, including the three dark sides.

Remus Prince, twin of Roman Prince, is the extremely crude drama student and class clown. They are known for their dark sense of humor and sexual disruptions of class. The teachers have learned to just ignore them, as countless trips to detention were fruitless in correcting their behavior. Although they privately came out before Janus, they were more private socially when it came to their gender. Until that is, Janus came out and was accepted. After that, Remus showed no limits in expressing themself.

Lastly, there is Virgil Picani, the emo nightmare themself. He is in almost every club at school, including but not limited to drama, debate, GSA, writing, and volunteering. His sarcastic personality is no stranger to anybody, although it is much more subdued than Janus’s. Virgil came out to Janus and Remus before he had even fully figured himself out yet. He had not, however, come out to any of the light sides as gay or genderqueer.

And that brings us to today. As mentioned earlier, anyone that saw the two groups would assume they had a strong rivalry. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The reality is, although they did start out as rivals, the six of them have a strong friendship. They keep up the facade of competitors for sake of reputation (and a little fun never hurt anybody). Once Roman and Remus had gotten over their sibling rivalry, the six of them had discovered that they shared many of the same interests. They started hanging out after school and now it is rare to see one of the group without another.

Virgil knows that he has nothing to worry about. Roman is gay, and both Patton and Logan already use he/they pronouns. They accepted Janus and Remus without question. It won’t be any different for him. All they actually had to do was tell them.

But here lies the issue. Virgil thought they had already. It wasn’t until the first day of pride month that he realized their mistake.

They decided to make pronoun pins for all the kids in GSA. So, naturally, he made one for himself as well. They weren't publicly out yet, but it was perfectly okay for them to wear them inside the safety that was the gay-straight alliance.

Virgil was struggling to attach his pin to their shirt when Janus came over to help. Virgil noted the blue bracelet. Janus looked surprised as he read the contents of the pin.

“You told them?” He asked, incredulously. “I thought you would tell me when you finally did it.”

Virgil was confused. “What do you mean? I came out to them… shoot.”

Janus snorted. “You totally don’t need to tell them. This isn’t getting out of hand at all.”

Virgil blushed red. “I honestly thought I did! I’ll do it now, okay?”

They didn’t wait for a response before marching over to Roman, Logan, and Patton and dragging them outside of the classroom. He ignored the curious looks of their classmates, most likely wondering what they were fighting about this time.

They closed the door behind them and looked around quickly, making sure there was no one else around. He turned back to the group that was looking at him, slightly concerned.

Virgil rolled their eyes at their expressions. “Oh calm down, I just forgot to tell you something, is all.”

Logan cleared their throat and straightened up. “And that is?”

“I genderqueer, he/they, and gay.”

“Yay!” Patton exclaimed and pulled him into a hug. “I’m proud of you for being yourself.”

Patton pulled back and Virgil caught the expressions of the other two. Logan was looking at him with a delighted expression on their face. “I had my suspicions.”

Roman furrowed his brows. “So did I, but I must ask, why wait so long to tell us? Surely you knew that we would accept you wholeheartedly.”

Virgil snorted. “I actually did the same thing my Papa did with me. I thought I told you all ages ago.” They all laughed at that.

“We should probably get back,” Logan remarked, “Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us this.”

3.

Virgil felt nervous, but not extremely so.

He knew nothing would go wrong. So many kids had come out in the past year at Sanders High, the school had made pronoun pins mandatory to avoid misgendering. All they had to do was wear the new pin he had grabbed from the office the day before. He also planned to wear a rainbow shirt to identify themself as the flaming homosexual he is.

The only real thing they were worried about would be the gossip surrounding them for the next week or so. Someone coming out is hardly a rare occurrence, but they were one of the most popular kids in school. He was certain that there were at least a few bets going around school on whether they were queer or not. To be fair, he was the only member of the Light and Dark sides to never confirm any rumors about gender or sexuality. And it's not as if he’s really hid anything. He’s just never confirmed.

But they’re ready to change that. They pull on their rainbow shirt, do their makeup slightly more dramatic than usual, and debate for a moment over the plaid purple skirt his dads had gotten him a few years ago. It matched his usual hoodie perfectly, but he had yet to wear it outside the house. There was no reason not to wear it. Why not spend his first day publicly out AGAP (as gay as possible)?

They arrive at school with an air of confidence around them that he hadn’t felt in a while. As he walked through the hallways, he saw a few looks of disappointment, but most were of excitement and joy. They caught a few thumbs up and cheers in the crowd as well.

He found the other two members of the Dark Sides standing at Virgil’s locker, both wearing identical looks of pride as they stared at him. They walked directly up to the pair, smirking slightly. Once he was within earshot, Remus grasped their head with one hand and Janus’s shoulder, striking a dramatic pose.

“Do you see that Jan Jan? Our little slime monster is all grown up!” Virgil rolled their eyes at their best friend’s antics. Janus lifted their wrist to show off her pink band. Despite the new rule about pronoun pins, Janus still kept her bracelet system in place. She claimed it to be simpler and more efficient.

She slung her arm around Virgil’s shoulders. She leaned in and said in a low voice, “I really am proud of you.”

Remus jumped on his back. “That makes two of us!”

+1

Virgil had always enjoyed Logan’s company. They were the only person out of the group of six that allowed him some peace.

He could also be a captivating conversation partner. Listening to Logan ramble on about whatever he was currently studying was one of Virgil's favorite pastimes. The way his eyes lit up when you asked him about something they were interested in was adorable. And his voice would take on this gorgeous tone to it that Virgil knows not many people get to hear.

Their weekly study session was the thing that Virgil looked forward to the most. Every Thursday, they get to spend hours in a room with the most beautiful person he knows. They love the way Logan will straighten his tie or fix his hair even when they’re both immaculate. He loves the way they slowly and patiently explain the answer to something Virgil gets wrong, never criticizing them or getting frustrated.

Virgil may have developed an itty bitty crush on them over the years.

Not that they will ever tell him. They don’t even know where he stands on sexuality. He has only been open about their gender. And he doesn’t want to complicate their relationship for the sake of some silly crush.

The two of them sat in Virgil’s room doing homework. Logan sat on their bed, while Virgil had opted for the floor. They had hardly spoken a word to each other in the past few hours (a normal occurrence for their weekly get-togethers), but Virgil could tell something was bothering Logan. They’d been fidgeting for the past hour or so, and had seemed tense and nervous all day.

Virgil placed their bookmark into his book and groaned loudly. “If I have to read one more word of this, I think my eyes might literally start bleeding.”

Logan also marked their page before looking up. “That is highly unlikely. The amount of force that would cause one's eyeballs to ‘literally’ start bleeding is far more than would be caused by eye strain. Additionally, subconjunctival hemorrhage has not been linked to overuse and is instead usually caused by some sort of trauma to the eye. So unless you are planning to hit yourself in the face with the book, it will not cause your eyes to hemorrhage.”

Virgil huffed a laugh, internally cooing at how adorable they are when explaining something. “I guess you’re right. I can’t read anymore though.”

Logan cleaning their glasses on the edge of his shirt. “I agree with that statement.”

Virgil looked at him closely. Cleaning their glasses is a sort of nervous tick for him. And they had done it multiple times in the last hour. “Okay, what's going on? You’ve been nervous and weird all afternoon.”

Logan cleared his throat. “Nothing of importance.”

“So there is something!” Virgil exclaimed.

They blanched. “No, of course not. What would be wrong at the moment?”

Virgil gave them a look. “I never said that there was something wrong.”

Logan stood up quickly and started gathering his materials. “Well, it’s getting late. I must head home now in order to be at dinner at an adequate time.”

Virgil grabbed their arm. “Wait, Logan, there’s still hours until you need to leave. If you really don’t want to talk about whatever’s bothering you, we don’t have to. But if you do, I’m here and ready to listen.”

Logan shot them a grateful look. “I truly appreciate that Virgil. I will keep your offer in mind.”

They resumed their study positions and all was silent for a few minutes. Virgil couldn’t keep their mind off of Logan. He hoped that whatever was troubling him could be resolved easily. He didn’t want him to be distressed.

Eventually, Logan stiffly placed his books beside him and turned to their study partner. At the shift in movement, Virgil also put away their materials and prepared to listen, moving to sit next to them on their bed.

“I would like you to not speak until I am done speaking if that is acceptable for you.” Virgil immediately agreed. They would never interrupt him when they were having such a serious conversation.

“My sincerest gratitude. I-” Logan paused. They took a stuttering breath. Virgil reached out and took his hand, attempting to provide some form of comfort.

“I am not a robot. I know that there are some that may think otherwise. Aside from the vast technological inaccuracies in that statement, contrary to popular belief, I do have emotions. I do experience love. Just not in the same way as others do. From a young age, I have known that I have felt no sexual attraction. The idea of sex repulsed me far more than I can explain, even past the age of maturity. I have no desire to love anybody in that way. And I never will.

“I was under the impression that the same went for romantic attraction. I had never felt any sort of romantic feelings for a female. But recent… variables have shown me otherwise. I do not feel any romantic attraction for people of the female gender or sex. I do, however, experience attraction to people of the same gender. These people fall under the male and non-binary spectrum. In conclusion, I am asexual and homoromantic. I am finished, you may speak now.”

Virgil was delighted by the news. They had just confirmed that his crush could possibly be attracted to him. They didn’t care about the asexual part. It changed none of his feelings towards the academic prodigy.

They made the mistake of staying silent for a moment too long. That became evident when he looked at Logan’s face. Any positive feelings he had melted into concern.

“Oh, Lo,” they said softly, “You’re crying.” He brought his hand to Logan’s cheek and wiped away the silent tears that had trickled down with their thumb.

Logan's voice wobbled as they spoke. “My apologies.”

“No,” Virgil cooed, “you have nothing to apologize for. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’re accepting yourself and I am so proud of you for that.”

That seemed to be all it would take for their dam to break. Soft sobs escaped his mouth and he brought up a hand to try to muffle them.

Virgil made a sympathetic noise and wrapped them up in their arms. He cupped the back of Logan’s neck with one hand and used the other to rub soothing circles into his back. Logan gripped their hoodie tightly as they cried into their shoulder.

Virgil whispered quiet words of encouragement to him. Eventually, Logan seemed to finally be calming down. His tears dwindled into quiet sniffles and they sagged into his chest. The emotional exhaustion of the day in addition to the exergy expelled by crying made him unbelievably tired.

Virgil shifted the two so they were lying down on his bed, Logan cuddled against their chest. They could feel his breaths evening out rapidly.

Virgil pressed a small kiss into his forehead, wishing more than anything that they could do it when Logan could remember.

Let me know if you want to be added to the non-existent tag list!

[rulesofthebeneath]

how bout a dance: part 11

<AN> WELL HELLO THERE FRIENDS!!! Guess what week it is? IT’S SHOW WEEK(S)! Hope y’all enjoy this chapter, it’s long (as hell) but I had a ton of fun writing it. Gonna warn again for some suggestive content but we’re still firmly in the TV sitcom realm. [But I do think it’s entirely fair to mention that almost the entire beginning, as short as it may be, is a big sex mention, but that it’s a side plot development]. Anyways, credit as usual to @euphonyinestetica, tagging @pixelburied, @lilmissperfectlyimperfect, @ajaysbhandari, @itsbrindleybinch, @witchiegirl, @aidenzhous, @catlady0911, @ylevolenahs, @awkwardalbatros, @hufflepvnk, @ravenclawpokegirl25. Hope y’all enjoy, let me know if I need to edit the warnings. </AN>

The morning of opening night, Grace woke up to the smell of pancakes and the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. Isra was nowhere to be found, which was strange because Grace almost always woke up with the cat asleep on her chest. She put on her contacts and tried to tame her bedhead, shoved her feet in some slippers, and slowly opened her bedroom door to step into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Grace!” came Mayleen’s chipper voice from the stove, where she stood in a long t-shirt making the pancakes Grace had smelled. Unable to locate the source of the laughing, Grace stepped into the kitchen suspiciously.

“Hey, Grace,” came another voice, and Grace whipped around to see Rosa sitting at the kitchen table, also in just a long t-shirt, her face completely red but a smile playing on her lips.

It took Grace a second to figure out what was going on, but then she realized.

“Oh my god!” she squealed, clapping a hand over her mouth. “I must be a really heavy sleeper.”

Rosa’s face got impossibly redder, but Mayleen just laughed. “You were pretty exhausted after your shift Sunday. I was a little surprised, but it was convenient.”

Grace let out another surprised laugh, then sat down at the table next to Rosa, who had Isra in her lap.

“You stole my roommate and my cat,” she grumbled playfully to Rosa, reaching over to rub Isra’s gray ears.

“Lo siento,” Rosa muttered. Grace turned back to Mayleen, still at the stove.

“Wow, so uh, guys, how did this happen?”

“Well, when a woman and another woman like each other very very much…” Mayleen started in a teasing tone, but was cut off by Grace and Rosa both yelling at her, the former throwing a balled-up napkin that Mayleen barely dodged.

“You know that’s not what I meant! I don’t need to know about that! Tell me about your date!”

“Well, we went out dancing last night. I thought I’d try to help Rosa de-stress after final dress, because I get how tough tech and dress weeks can be. We went out for dinner, then we went to a club not too far away from your theater, then we came here.”

“Where you and Rosa de-stressed,” Grace deadpanned, sending Rosa into a fit of embarrassed giggles.

“Exactly. Several times,” Mayleen quipped shamelessly.

“God,” Grace snorted. “Well, I’m glad to see you guys together.”

“We’re glad to be together,” Rosa mumbled, flustered. Mayleen turned around with a smile and walked over to kiss her. Grace rolled her eyes jokingly.

“Yeah, we had a good time last night so I think we’re just gonna see how this goes,” Mayleen said, pulling away from Rosa and moving to stand behind her, wrapping her arms around her from behind. “But I have a really good feeling about it.”

Rosa turned to look up at Mayleen with soft eyes, and Grace gave them a second before she obnoxiously cooed at them. Then she got up to turn on the tea kettle on the other side of the room to give them a little privacy and pulled her phone out of the waistband of her pajama pants. There was a new text from Ajay.

Ajay: You ready for opening night?

She thought for a second before texting him back.

Grace: yes? maybe? i’m a little nervous

Ajay: I get that. But you’re going to be amazing.

Grace: i bet you say that to all the people who star in your productions

Ajay: You got me there. It doesn’t mean it’s any less true.

Grace laughed a little, then tucked her phone back into her waistband. The water was done boiling, so she dumped some loose jasmine black tea into the infuser in her teapot and poured the water in, setting a timer for five minutes to let it steep. Her phone buzzed insistently at her hip, so she wiped her hands off and pulled it back out.

Ajay: It might go without saying, but I’m really looking forward to seeing you today.

Ajay: This evening.

Ajay: At 6.

Ajay: Which is call time.

Grace: i know when call is

Grace: if you were trying to be cute it didn’t work 😂

Ajay: Just making sure.

Grace: i’ll be there. and hey, try not to melt into a puddle of stress today

Ajay: Anything for you. See you tonight.

Grace stopped by the fridge to take a bowl of fruit and grabbed her teapot to take back to her room. Rosa and Mayleen were still being disgustingly cute and Grace didn’t want to interrupt. Once in her room, she poured herself a mug of tea and sat on her bed with her script, running through places that had been trouble spots during final dress. Thankfully there weren’t many, but Grace knew she couldn’t be too careful.

The morning faded into afternoon all too quickly, and after a shower, lunch courtesy of a microwave meal, some quick physical and vocal warm-ups and another anxious look at her script, it was 5pm. She knew she had to leave in about ten minutes in order to get to the theatre early (and early was on time), so she pulled on her socks, grabbed her theatre bag that was still packed from final dress, and walked out into the kitchen.

Mayleen and Rosa sprang apart from where they’d been on the couch. Grace just rolled her eyes with a smile. She crossed over to the kitchen to fill her water bottle.

“It’s almost time to go, Rosa,” she called in the direction of the couch. Rosa made her way back to Mayleen’s room (probably where she’d kept her stuff) and Grace dropped down onto the couch next to Mayleen.

“So,” Grace said, grinning widely.

“So.” Mayleen answered, matching her grin.

Grace shook her head slightly. “I’ve never seen you this smiley. It’s weird.”

Mayleen gave a noncommittal shrug, and Grace laughed.

“Oh, I’m coming to see your show next Friday,” Mayleen announced, clearly wanting to change the topic.

“Wow, okay! Stay after and Rosa and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“Awesome.”

The two chatted for a little longer before Rosa reemerged with her bag. Grace stood up and the pair put their shoes on at the door and Grace waited patiently outside while Rosa kissed Mayleen goodbye, then they walked down the street to the subway station together.

They rode for a few minutes in silence, then Rosa spoke up.

“You still sure that’s not weird?”

Grace giggled. “Yeah. But I would’ve appreciated a warning. I guess I’m just lucky Mayleen and I don’t share a wall.”

Rosa rolled her eyes, but Grace saw a genuine happiness in her expression.

“I’ve never seen Mayleen so cheerful in the mornings,” Grace said. “I’m really happy for you guys.”

Rosa ducked her head. “Thanks. If I’m being honest, I was only there for Isra.” Grace laughed.

The train ride and short walk to the theatre passed quickly, and the two walked through the stage door fifteen minutes early. They ran into Ajay just inside.

Grace gave him a teasing wink and tried to walk past, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him. Rosa kept walking, and Grace knew that she’d hear about it later. Nevertheless, she let Ajay pull her back.

“You need something?” she asked, eyebrows raised. He slowly backed her up against the wall and pressed his lips to her collarbone, her neck, her jaw, careful not to leave marks, then pulled away with an intense look on his face.

“Yeah. You.”

Grace’s heart jumped into her throat, and she pulled him forward to crash their lips together. His hands came up to her hips and he pushed her back harder against the wall. She ran a hand through his hair.

When he pulled away again, her lips stung from the pressure. Something akin to joy sparkled in his eyes, and he pulled her in one more time for a kiss that was softer, shorter, sweeter. He ran his fingers through her hair, making shivers run down her spine.

“God,” was all Grace could say, completely breathless. “That all you got?”

He scoffed. “Hardly. But you need to get in costume. We’ll meet in the music room at quarter til to warm-up and for a pep talk. Oh, and Grace?”

His eyes swept over her. She shivered again, but met his gaze. He reached over to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She barely noticed it, but he blushed just a little bit.

“There’s a lot more where that came from.”

He grinned at her—a bright, brilliant thing—then spun on his heel and left.

Grace took a moment to gather herself, to slow the desire that curled low in her stomach, to remember how to breathe again. He had her intoxicated by his presence, dizzying her with his touch until the only thing left in her head was a deep need for more.

He’d certainly come a long way from the awkward boy he was in high school.

She shook her head and tucked that away for later. She knew she needed to focus. Still, even though her mind stayed focused on the trouble spots she’d gone over that morning, her hand drifted up to stroke the places he’d kissed her, her thumb absently tracing her swollen lips.

She quickly got changed into the dress she wore at the top of Act One, an exact copy of the iconic burgundy dress but riddled with gunshots and bloodstains. One of the makeup artists came in to help her apply some blood streaks (made out of tape for easy removal) to her face. Grace took a little while to braid her hair flat against her head and to put her wig and hat on, then she was ready to go.

On her way down to the music room she stopped by Rosa’s dressing room. She shared it with the woman who played the governor, but she was finishing up her makeup when Grace arrived and vacated fairly quickly. Grace took her seat next to Rosa, who was intently lining her lips.

“You feeling ready?” Grace asked, nerves coursing through her veins. Rosa took a second to finish her makeup and consider the question.

“Yes,” she said decisively. “Everyone’s worked so hard and we’ve had a ton of fun. I think this is going to go really well.”

“Optimism. I like it.”

“I try. How about you? Feeling ready?”

“Mmm,” Grace hummed noncommittally. “I guess I kind of have to be.”

“Yeah, a little bit. But you don’t have anything to worry about. I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked on this show. You’re absolutely the right person to be the lead, and I’m completely sure that you’ll be amazing.”

“Aw, Rosa!” Grace quickly flung her arms around Rosa, trying not to tear up and ruin her makeup. “You always know exactly what to say.”

Rosa simply shrugged. “Anyone here would say the same.”

“Still. It means so much. I think… ugh,” Grace trailed off as she turned her face up towards the ceiling, trying desperately not to let tears run down her cheeks. “I think I’m breaking out of this funk that I’ve been in for half a year. Like, I heard your compliment and I didn’t automatically think that you were just lying because we’re friends. I don’t automatically declare myself a failure anymore when I mess up little things.”

“That’s great, Grace! I’m really proud of all the progress you’ve made. You’re a ton more confident than when we first met.”

“It’s mostly because of you, yknow,” Grace said, reaching over to squeeze Rosa’s hand. Rosa just shook her head.

“No, it was all you. But I’m glad that I could help.” Rosa handed Grace a stack of tissues and Grace carefully blotted at the corners of her eyes with them. When she finished, Grace moved to pull Rosa into a tight hug.

Once they separated, Grace’s eyes found the clock. It was almost 6:45.

“We should go soon. Ajay said to be in the music room at quarter til.”

“Oh, is that what he said?” Rosa asked, her face neutral but her voice light and teasing. Grace blushed and smacked Rosa lightly on the arm.

“Yes! Now let’s go.” Grace pulled Rosa from the dressing room.

“Ay dios mio! Let me put my shoes on!”

“Hurry up!”

After some friendly bickering and speed-walking to the music room, they were among the first to arrive. Rosa huffed indignantly at Grace, then went over to check her makeup in the mirrors that covered the walls. Grace looked around the room and settled down next to Kevin. She offered a hand for a high five.

“Ready to be a 1930s power couple?” he asked.

“Yup. ‘Two livin’ legends’,” she quoted with a smile.

He chuckled, then his face turned serious. “Nervous?”

“Yeah. I think I will be until we’re onstage.”

“Really?” Kevin asked. “I didn’t think you got nervous.”

“What? Why not?”

“I dunno. You always seem so calm onstage.”

“It’s an act. It’s all an act,” Grace laughed. Kevin looked relieved, and Grace set a hand on his shoulder. “We’re gonna be awesome.”

At that moment, Ajay entered, followed by Emily. He sent a stunning grin Grace’s way—she remembered with all too much clarity how that grin had felt against her lips—then turned to address the room at large. He spun a chair around and sat backwards on it, facing the collection of actors.

“Alright,” he started with a big smile, “you guys have worked so hard on this production, and I’m so incredibly proud of all of you. All I’m gonna ask of you guys is to keep that passion up for the entire run. Don’t let me down now.”

The cast laughed.

“I’m going to be watching from the audience tonight. We’ll meet here right after the show every night for notes, and I’ll also email them out.” He paused to check his watch. “Alright, curtain in ten. Go make me proud.”

With that he and Emily left, and the cast slowly got up from their seats. Grace’s stomach started to churn and a burning sensation ran up her throat into her chest. Her hands started to shake, and her leg started to bounce. She got up quickly and made her way backstage, where she paced behind the curtain until she nearly ran into Kaylie who was doing the exact same thing, her face white as a sheet.

Grace stopped her and reached around to adjust a bow on Kaylie costume.

“Hey, you okay?”

Kaylie swallowed. “I’m fine,” she said unconvincingly.

Grace grimaced sympathetically. “I’m nervous too. This waiting around part kind of sucks.”

A small smile reached Kaylie’s face. “Yeah, it really does.”

“Can I give you a hug?” Grace asked. When the girl nodded, Grace wrapped her arms tightly around her.

“You’re going to be great, Kaylie. I know it.”

The smile reached Kaylie’s face. “Thanks, Grace. You too.”

Just then, Emily appeared from the wings to tap on Grace’s shoulder and gesture to the car. Places. Grace took in several deep breaths, then walked onstage to join Kevin. She got in the car with him and he gave her a smile. She rested her head on his shoulder and they both closed their eyes. They heard the sound from the audience get quieter, then the curtains rolled open and the lights came up on the stage.

***

The light went amber, a sunset fading in the distance. Bonnie stood in front of her car, angrily kicking the front tire.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Clyde sauntered up to her, an unkempt man in a torn white tank top and suspenders. She had no reason to trust him, but immediately upon seeing him she did anyways.

“Hey!” he said. “Engine trouble?”

She finally stopped kicking the tire. “Engine trouble, tire trouble, oil trouble…” she listed, sounding defeated.

“Looks like you and me got the same car,” Clyde noted. “Goes through oil like a preacher through whiskey, huh?”

Bonnie smiled, just a little. “Yeah.”

“How ‘bout I see if I can fix you up? And then maybe you gimme a lift into West Dallas.”

“Sure. Thanks,” she said, then stepped back to let him pop the hood and peer under it. “You live in the Devil’s Back Porch?”

“Not for much longer.”

“I don’t know anybody ever moved out of West Dallas,” Bonnie said, hands on her hips. He pulled his head out from under the hood and offered her a grease-stained hand.

“You do now,” he said with a wink. “Clyde Barrow.”

She shook her head, but smiled and took his hand. “Bonnie Parker.”

***

Clyde, now clad in a suit, pointed a shotgun at a bank teller. Bonnie stood beside him, a large leather bag hanging from her shoulder.

“Now, my partner here is gonna approach the counter with a bag that I would very much like you to fill with cash,” he said, his voice commanding the silence of the entire bank.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the teller said calmly. Only his trembling fingers betrayed his anxiety.

Clyde raised his eyebrows, and exchanged a look with Bonnie. “Do you not see this gun, mister?” He gestured with the gun, causing a few in the crowd of hostages nearby to startle.

“I can’t fill your bag with cash because there isn’t any,” the teller clarified, a shake starting to become audible in his voice.

“This here’s a bank, ain’t it?” Clyde asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Yes, but--”

Clyde looked around as if he’d just noticed the uncommonly large crowd at the bank. “What is goin’ on here?”

“The bank’s closed.”

“Then what’re all these folks doin’ here?”

“Trying to get our damn money!” shouted an older man from near the back of the crowd.

“They’re sayin’ the bank is broke!” yelled the woman beside him.

“Not a nickle in the drawers,” said the teller.

“You’re tellin’ me I’m robbing a bank with no money?” Clyde said, disbelief coloring his tone.

“Complaint forms are over there.”

***

For Grace, the curtain call was always a precious moment. She and Kevin stepped onto the stage, hand in hand, to thunderous applause. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pure joy of the moment as she took her bow. As soon as the curtain closed, she let them fall. Rosa rushed up to her, putting a hand on her back as Grace desperately tried to wipe the tears away.

“Grace, are you okay?”

Grace nodded, a small sob bursting from her throat. She sniffed and tilted her head up to the lights. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.”

Rosa grinned and put an arm around Grace’s shoulders, guiding her backstage to the music room. After a few minutes of the cast circulating the room, hugging and cheering, Ajay stepped in and they all fell silent.

“Good job, guys,” he said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. “I have a couple notes, but that was a good show.”

The entire cast started cheering again, louder than before. They knew that that kind of compliment out of their director was  rare, and it meant a lot more than he wanted them to think. Eventually, they quieted down to receive their notes, then dispersed to their respective dressing rooms. Grace stayed behind, waiting in the hallway outside the music room. When Ajay finally emerged, she caught his attention and he pulled her over to an alcove in the hall. He took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead almost reverently.

“You were stunning up there, Grace. I knew you would be.” He kissed both her cheeks and then pressed his lips softly to hers. “Now go home, get some sleep. We’ve still got three shows left this week.”

***

After the show Sunday, the end of the first week:

“Mom! Dad! James!” Grace cried, running full tilt through the nearly empty lobby to sweep her family up into a giant hug.

Once they broke apart, everyone grinning, Grace’s dad handed her a gigantic bouquet. Her mom beamed at her. James just sighed and ruffled her hair from his height almost a foot above her.

“Thanks, guys! And hey, cut it out!” She batted James’ hand away from her head. “But really, thank you guys so much for coming!”

“It was great, Gracie,” her mom said, smoothing her hair down where James had messed it up. “You’re our little star.”

“Hey!” James protested, sending the whole group into peals of laughter. Grace caught Ajay’s eye from where he was leaning against the wall, waiting.

“Guys,” she said, turning back to her family, “I want to introduce you to the director. Or, reintroduce you.”

Her father’s brow furrowed in confusion, but her mom’s eyes widened when she saw Ajay walking up to the group over Grace’s shoulder.

***

Friday, the second week:

“Bonnie!” Clyde yelled, reaching through the bars. Bonnie rushed over to him, throwing her bag to the ground and sinking to her knees when she saw him.

“Oh my god… what happened to your face, baby? What’s goin’ on? Can’t I complain? Can’t I do something?” She turned to yell for the prison guards.

“Somebody help him!”

She turned back to him, her eyes searching his face for some sort of explanation. Clyde opened his mouth, but said nothing.

Grace tugged on Kevin’s collar again, but the only thing she could register on his face was sheer panic. His line cued the guard’s entry, but he wasn’t saying it. The silence grew awkward, and Grace knew she had to do something, she just didn’t know what.

“Baby, what can I do? Can I–” Bonnie looked around, then lowered her voice. “Can I break you out of here? You got somethin’ I can bring you to help you bust out?”

Grace searched Kevin’s still-panicked face, hoping that improvised line was enough to give him a cue. And as realization slowly flooded his eyes and his face relaxed, she breathed a sigh of relief and knew it had been.

“Yeah, at the gas station, there’s a gun hidden under the porch–” he started, but a guard burst into the room, interrupting him.

“What seems to be the problem?”

Bonnie turned to face the guard, standing up. Pure rage twisted her features.

“Look at him!”

***

After the show Friday, Grace leaned against the door of her dressing room, scrolling through something on her phone. Ajay sauntered up.

“Hey,” he said, startling her. “Oh, sorry.”

“No, don’t worry. I’m just waiting for Rosa.”

“Is she running late, or something? You guys usually leave together.”

“Yeah, but my roommate came to this performance so we’re all going to leave together. But Rosa’s currently making out with my roommate in her dressing room, so…”

Ajay’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Grace sighed. “If only there was something I could do in the meantime…” She cast him a meaningful glance. He promptly turned red and started stuttering. Grace burst out into laughter.

“I don’t get you,” she said between laughs. “You can be the smoothest guy in the world one second and a blubbering mess the next. What’s up with that?”

He shook his head with a smile. “I don’t know. I guess you bring out the best and the worst in me.”

***

Sunday, the second week:

Bonnie threw a glass jar to the ground, enraged. Then, all the fight gone out of her, she sighed and dropped to her knees, sweeping the shards onto a piece of fabric that she dumped in the trash. The familiar piano-and-guitar melody started up, and after a few bars Bonnie began to sing.

“I know my heart don’t care what people say. All I know is that I never felt like this. And besides, I wouldn’t change him if I could… No man’s all good…”

She walked over to an old armchair and sat heavily in it while Blanche sang from inside her beauty parlor.

“I always knew what I was takin’ on, but I always felt that I could change his ways. Even if my man will never fall in line… glad he’s mine.”

And then, from opposite sides of Cement City, Bonnie and Blanche sang in harmony.

“‘Cos you love who you love, and you can’t help how you’re made. You don’t have no say, your heart decides. It’s that simple, I’m afraid…”

Later in the song, Bonnie got up from her armchair. She pulled on Clyde’s old coat that he’d left in her house, and she gazed offstage, singing as if he were there.

“I only care that he’s mine and I am his. There ain’t no rules, that’s how it is. Most girls would hate to be standing in my shoes, but true love’s something you don’t choose,” she belted, all the loneliness and anguish and desperation flooding her face and affecting her tone.

Grace poured her own emotions into every syllable of those words, singing to her invisible Clyde right in the front of the wings. Except he wasn’t invisible, and he wasn’t Clyde, and he wasn’t even hers yet but he was standing there in a beige blazer and tortoiseshell glasses with gentle eyes and a soft smile, his face reflecting every sentiment she expressed. And she hoped that he knew that she meant every single word, even if she couldn’t tell him.

***

Thursday, the last week:

As she stormed offstage as Bonnie, Grace felt a sharp pain in her foot. She ignored it until she got to the wings, but immediately sat down under a blue light once she was there and took off her thin-soled shoe. The sharp pain only got worse when the removal of her shoe meant pulling a large shard of glass out of her heel. She nearly cried out in pain, but clamped a hand over her mouth before any sound could escape. One of the dressers—the one that helped Grace pull the gunshot wound stickers off her face during the prologue—noticed and rushed over, grabbing the first aid kit from the wall.

The dresser helped her back to her well-lit dressing room, then inspected the cut.

“It’s not too deep,” the dresser smiled up at her. “I’ll just clean it, stick a bandage on, and wrap it up. You’ll be fine for the rest of the show, but you should probably get it checked out tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Grace hissed as the dresser sprayed antibacterial on her foot. “How do you know all this?”

“I’m a paramedic,” the dresser grinned up at her.

“Wow. Well, thank god for you. I hope this is the worst you ever have to save me from.”

They laughed softly as the dresser finished bandaging her foot.

“When do you have to be back on?”

“After they do ‘When I Drive’. It’s not a lot of time, but it’s something.”

The dresser sighed. “Well, rest that foot as much as you can.”

“Yeah. Thanks so much.”

The dresser turned to leave, and Grace sighed down at her foot, still smarting from the glass shard. She’d have to be careful next time about only breaking the jar over the rug.

***

Curtain call closing night was indescribable. The joy she’d felt opening night was multiplied and combined with nostalgia, fierce love for every person onstage and backstage, and this time she really did tear up right on stage. Kevin wrapped his arm around her shoulder (and pressed a kiss to her temple for the sake of the audience) as tears rolled down her face. She wiped them away and put on her best and brightest smile for the audience, all standing, until the curtains closed. Then she turned directly into Kevin and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his chest.

When she looked up, she was surprised to find that his cheeks were wet too. And she was even more surprised when Rosa came and wrapped her arms around both of them, then Elijah, then Andrew, then Lysander, then Kaylie and Jackson, then all of the ensemble and even the dressers and run crew came out and joined the massive group hug. More people were crying than not, and most from pure happy joy.

Minutes later, when the hug finally broke up, everyone split off in opposite directions. They were all eager to get home, fatigue turning to happy exhaustion. They’d all help with strike Monday, but nobody planned to show up before noon. The theatre may have been rapidly emptying, but Grace’s heart was filling up fast. The cast and crew might have been wavering, but she thrummed with energy as she went to look for Ajay.

She searched backstage for him, behind every set piece and in every darkened corner. Nothing.

No mind, she thought, he’s probably in the music room. That was where they had notes every night, and even though they wouldn’t tonight it wasn’t unreasonable to think he’d be there. She made her way down to the music room, but it was empty.

Turning desperate, she searched the halls through the theatre, the house, and the lobby for him, but he was nowhere to be found. As she made a final lap through the music room, just to make sure she hadn’t missed him, her heart sank lower and lower until she felt it drop out of her body and sink into the floor. She rounded the stairs to head resignedly back to her dressing room.

He stood me up, was all she could think. He realized he was making a mistake and he bolted. Logic piped up and tried to tell her she was being unreasonable, but between the emotions running high from closing night and the fissure quickly forming in her heart, she couldn’t listen.

Maybe he has a good explanation, her brain protested as she trudged up the stairs. You should go check your phone. See if he texted.

Or maybe I’m just a failure again, her heart screamed, drowning out all reason.

Tears sprung in her eyes again, but for a completely different reason this time. She slowly turned the knob to her dressing room door, all the happiness gone out of her. 

She was so preoccupied with her warring emotions that she didn’t even notice that the light was on in the dressing room.

[penisparkerman]

Ok ok here me out, a Steve x reader where they both have feelings for each other and one night at the compound the reader teaches Steve how to dance and it’s all loosely based on the scene in Dirty Dancing where they are dancing to ‘Hey Baby’?

ask and you shall receive :^)

IM A SAP OKAY

the compound was empty for once, not a hero or god or even android in sight.

steve relished in the rare peace and was happy to find that the television was all his for the night. usually he’d be fighting bucky or clint over the remote, only for it to be taken out of their hands by a smug natasha. not tonight, though. tonight was steve’s night.

so there he was, captain america, national icon and america’s sweetheart, sprawled lazily across the couch while clicking mindlessly through television shows, hair a blonde mess and clothes all ruffled and mussed up. he groaned in displeasure when he came across yet another chick flick, all romantic cliches and a sickenly sweet plot that made him disgusted… and slightly envious if he were being honest.

steve could only watch, slightly intrigued as the innocent baby was being taught how to swivel her hips by the roguish johnny, snorting at the awkwardness of it all. he tensed when he heard the faint sound of footsteps coming his way and made to sit up, but a set of small hands pushed him down gently by the shoulders. “hey stevie,” your soothing voice in his ear had him melting in his place, body slumping back into the cushions. “whatcha watchin’ there?”

his eyes brightened upon seeing your face and your plump lips pulled into a smile as you gazed fondly down on him. “romance movie,” he said, cheeks growing embarrassingly warm the longer you stared at him. “i was just-” he was cut off by your excited squeal and suddenly, you’re plopping down on the couch and leaning back against his outstretched legs. a wide grin adorned your face and his heart stuttered at the sight.

“dirty dancing! i love this movie!”, you exclaimed, smacking gently at his knee when you caught sight of him raising his eyebrows. “oh shush steve! it’s not what you think!”

steve’s lips parted to respond, but all thoughts of teasing you were thrown out the window when he caught sight of what you were wearing. you were swaddled in an oversized hoodie, looking ridiculously cute and tiny with your sweater paws. then he saw your bare legs and wow, would you look at that. your hoodie barely brushed the top of your smooth thighs and he sighed in relief (and slight disappointment, but let’s not get into that) when he saw your shorts peeking out from beneath your hoodie.

christ, if only you knew how much he longed for you. for your touch, your affection, your presence; he just wanted all of you.

he was shaken out of his stupor when he heard a loud “aww!” and he quickly shook his head to rid himself of the lovesick haze he was under, feeling ashamed for ogling you so blatantly. he turned his head to focus on the television instead, watching as baby and johnny dance goofily on a log. steve felt his lips twitch in amusement when he heard you squeal again, your hand slapping at his knee repeatedly. “oh my god steve, look at them! they’re so cute!”, you babbled, hands waving around animatedly as you continued to talk about how cute of a couple they were.

you stopped your enthusiastic rambling when you heard the deep rumble of steve’s laughter and you looked at him in awe as he threw his head back to laugh some more.

he was gorgeous.

his eyes were a perfect spring sky, squinted in mirth and gleaming beautifully with glee, his smile warmer than the gentle sun. you were enthralled by this man, this beautiful man with a heart of gold and with looks that can rival a god’s.

after a silent debate with yourself, you took the remote and turned the television off, his laughter dying down only to be replaced with confusion. “________?” you turned to face him, putting on a brave face as to not give away your anxiety.

“dance with me?” you grinned and held an expecting hand out to him. you watched with slight trepidation as his face fell, a frown on those pretty lips.

“i’m sorry, i-i can’t.”

you quickly pushed the disappointment that began to creep around your heart, not one to back down without a fight. “c’mon cap, don’t you wanna dance with me?”

god does he want to, especially when you were looking at him like that. with your pleading eyes and kissable lips pursing into the cutest pout he’s ever seen. it drove him crazy.

“oh doll…” steve sighed, carding a hand through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous fashion. “i do want to dance with you. trust me, i do. i just- i’ve never really…”, he trailed off, averting his gaze from you.

“danced before?” your lips curled into a frown, wanting those baby blue eyes on you.

“i was frozen before i ever could.”

his bitterness did not go unnoticed by you and you reached out to take his hand in yours, twining your fingers through his. “steve.” his pale cheeks flooded with red, he lightly squeezed your hand and peered up at you through his lashes. “it’s okay, steve. i can teach you.” your smile was reassuring, eyes gentle and kind.

god damnit, he was whipped.

at his reluctant nod, you cheered and hurriedly stood up, pulling at his hand. “friday, could you play ‘hey baby’ by bruce channel?”, you called. your breath hitched as steve rose to his full height, hands still intertwined and body so close to yours. you didn’t even notice the music was playing until steve pointed it out, his eyebrows raised in delight.

“this song is pretty catchy ________.” you hummed in agreement and stepped even closer to him, forehead to chin, chest to chest. you heard his sharp inhale, wondered if he was just as affected as you were.

“put your hand on my hip.”, you instructed. he obeyed, of course, but not without dying a million times inside at the mere thought of touching you and holding you this close. his hand met the soft material of your hoodie, teeth digging into the soft expanse of his bottom lip. “pull me closer.” your honeyed voice whispered in his ear, quiet and rich, a shuddering breath leaving his mouth.

he tugged you by the hip, crushing your bodies together. he’s overwhelmed by your scent, a sweet vanilla penetrating his senses, leaving him pleasantly dizzy. “what next?”, he whispered himself, voice like gravel and laced with want.

“you let the music move you.”

your body fit him perfectly and together as one, you swayed slowly to the music. he could feel your soft breath on his neck, your warmth in his arms, your hand in his.

’She’s so pretty, Lord, she’s fine I’m gonna make her mine, all mine Hey, hey baby I want to know if you’ll be my girl’

steve chuckled at the irony and stepped back to twirl you around then back into his embrace, your giggles a melody of their own. “i want to know,” he began to sing, looking down at the beaming you. “if you’ll be my girl.”

if only you knew he meant it.

“hey, hey baby.”, you sang as well, letting go of his hand and securely wrapping your arms around his neck.

“i want to know if you’ll be my girl.” his free hand slid down your slide to rest on your other hip, noticing the hitch of your breath, the shyness of your smile. the song came to a smooth end, the music fading.

he knew what he had to do.

the playfulness was gone and replaced with an intensity you’ve never seen in steve. the music was gone now, your quiet breaths the only sound. still, he said, “i want to know if you’ll be my girl.”

your blinding smile was enough of an answer for him.

his mouth pressed down on yours tenderly, his lips softer and less chapped than you expected, but addicting. your arms pulled him closer, closer, closer until there’s no more space left to give.

he’s dreamt of this moment, this kiss, always his imagination. but now he knew; how you tasted, the feel of your lips on his, the heat of your body. “i love you,” he muttered, kissing you again and again. “i love you…”

“i love you too.”, you breathed, running your fingers through his golden locks, twirling it around your fingers. “i love you steve.”

you danced the night away, swaying to a silent rhythm, making up for lost time.

steve couldn’t have asked for a better date.

[entwinedhearts]

sorry i’ve been kinda quiet? my adhd has been really bad, and i’ve just been feeling super down and lethargic. i’ll be around tonight, but i think i’m gonna focus on capping and posting the rest of extraordinary you, and making more gif icons that i promised for @buenfin. so if you wanna chat, plot, or anything, i’ll be on discord at kaja ☀#0557. just let me know who you are!

[jungnoir]

college boyfriend!wonwoo;

my first piece for wonwoo!!! for this request

for some reason i was kinda struck with this idea of wonwoo while i was plotting and i can’t really get it out of my head

so in college, wonwoo is... elusive

he’s the kind of guy that could be in a class of eight and you still wouldn’t recognize him if someone showed you a picture

but that’s bc of himself and no one else

he doesn’t really like taking all the spotlight and by going to a huge university, he can blend in pretty well

despite having a lot of outgoing friends, their personalities have never really rubbed off on him

despite his best friend mingyu trying to bring him out of his shell all the time, wonwoo is pretty fine being confined to his dorm in between classes and staying home from rowdy parties on the weekends

and it’s not a problem to him. he loves solitude

some of his friends don’t really understand how he could be so chill with just spending all this time alone by himself but they never pressure him

however, one night after they all ace their exams, wonwoo is inevitably dragged out to party bc “you gotta celebrate that close call!”

wonwoo’s only reason for going is free food 

so the guys take him to a bar and they’re all getting drunk off their asses, chasing around pyt’s and having the times of their lives, when wonwoo decides he’ll head home early

he’s not even halfway out of the door when he feels off

it’s like the happy atmosphere from inside is hosed off and all he can feel is danger danger danger

he turns this way and that, expecting some wannabe gangster or thug to be lurking around, ready to nab his stuff, but instead he sees you on the other side of the street, walking home and obviously alone

when he sees you’re the only person out in the open he just turns and starts his trek home, but then he gets a really nasty feeling in his gut and it keeps telling him to turn around

and when he does, he sees him

it looks like a pretty shady guy, somewhere in his late forties, dressed way too heavily for barely cool weather

the guy is keeping a pretty good distance from you too, so good that wonwoo, if he hadn’t been so instinctively inclined, might’ve went back on his merry way

but wonwoo knew better, and soon he was slinking across the street and tailing you two

as soon as an alleyway appears, the guy ahead starts sprinting, and wonwoo does too, his legs keeping him close behind until he’s right on top of the guy

the guy tries to grab your arm and when you hear the commotion behind you, you peel back just in time 

wonwoo rams into the guy’s back and throws him to the ground, using all his force and knocking the guy’s breath out of his lungs, sending a kick to his side and making the guy cough in pain

“what do you think you were about to do?” wonwoo growls, and the guy on the ground shrinks back and quivers bc he definitely wasn’t expecting a real fight tonight

the guy keeps shaking helplessly and glances at you before he goes “m-man, she’s not even worth it” and runs off

wonwoo is still standing, watching and making sure the guy doesn’t come back, when you grasp his upper arm

he jolts bc he’s still kind of riled up, but when he sees you, soft and gentle, he finally takes a peaceful breather

“thank you, wonwoo”

wonwoo kinda rears back in shock bc??? you know his name?? how???? he only talks to like twelve idiots and they’re all currently drunk in a bar half a mile back

when you see the uncomfortable look on his face you immediately pull your hand away from him, telling him your name as you start blabbering “i’m not a creeper or anything i swear! you’re just in one of my classes and i remembered you”

and again, wonwoo is still in shock

bc this is the guy that blends in on purpose, and never tries to make conversation unless absolutely necessary, so why had you said his name like you were both old friends?

“your... class?” he asks, racking his mind for where he might’ve seen you, and you tell him that you both have chinese history together and he’s like ohhhhh, the class he always falls asleep in

the only reason he’s passing is bc of jun and minghao, two chinese transfers who always begrudgingly help him with his homework

“i remember you from hearing the teacher yell your name every fifteen minutes. are you... narcoleptic or something? should i walk you home just in case you pass out?”

and you actually mean it seriously, even going as far as to take his arm in your hold

but wonwoo is just so endeared by your look of concern that he splutters between laughter, turning his head away from you in disbelief

bc really, a pretty stranger like you wouldn’t speak to him longer than they had to, so why were you still here?

“i’ll be fine. if anything i should walk you home, in case that punk is waiting around the corner or something” he says, casting glances here and there to make sure the coast is clear

finally you just take his arm fully and drag him along with you, taking him by surprise as you hum, “for the sake of both of us, then”

the walk home is quiet and while usually it’d be awkward for wonwoo, he actually doesn’t mind it in your presence

he can focus on the sounds of cars on the street, dogs barking in the distance, and your soft breaths in the cold air

he watches as you take forced deep breaths and exhale just to watch the air steam before you, as you take pride in the crunch of leaves under your boots, as you tug your scarf just a little tighter

and when you two finally make it to your dorm, you’re reluctant to pull away, your fingers twiddling as you give him a small smile “thanks for walking me all the way”

wonwoo just nods, stuffing his hands into his pockets, ready to leave, when you randomly call his name

when he turns, you’re shoving your phone into his chest faster than he can think, his hands fumbling to catch it before it falls

“put your number in”

it’s not even a question or a suggestion

you might as well be holding a gun to his head lol

(but you wouldn’t need one, wonwoo would do it anyway :D)

with freezing, nimble fingers, he puts his number in and watches as you smile at it

he’s about to ask what you need it for when you raise the phone and snap a picture of him, his eyes blown wide as he attempts to assess the situation

“cute. I think i’ll keep that.” you mumble to yourself, setting his picture as his icon before tucking the phone away in your back pocket and heading back inside, offering him a quick wave before you disappear from sight

wonwoo ends up walking back to his dorm a little slower, the only thing on his mind being the brief flash of light in his eyes before you snapped his picture, and the prideful smile you held when you looked it over by yourself

he didn’t even have your number, but you had his

walking home, he could only think “what a strange girl”

and strange indeed, bc the next day after class he’s getting a call from you

you don’t say much, just that he should meet you out front, near the building where you two share a class

he’s like pshhhh. nah. im not going........well. idk im gonna walk past it to get to my next class..... i guess i could go see her...... maybe

his class is the opposite direction but shhh

when he gets there, he sees you holding two coffees, wrapped up in your scarf from the night before, looking cheery as he nears

“here!!” you shove a black coffee into his hand and he stares at the cup in confusion, popping the lid like???

“you assumed my favorite coffee is black coffee. you assumed wrong.”

and then you’re shoving like ten packets of sugar into his free hand with a pout “i had a feeling black coffee was presumptuous so i got you lots of sugar in case. you’re welcome.”

there’s a metaphor hidden in there you know

you start walking away and he stares at your back, unsure what to do until you twist and beckon him, and for whatever he reason, he finds himself following after you like a dog on a leash

you two stroll across campus, you chatting away and attempting to make him a laugh

and a few times you actually succeed

in between your rambling wonwoo focuses on you, attempting to decipher exactly why you’ve bothered to get him coffee, or to walk with him so casually as if both of you had been friends for years

it’s like you see more of him than he thought he had been showing

to his surprise, you two end up where his next class is with ten minutes to spare, the route you’d taken getting him there far quicker than the one he usually took

he mentally maps it in his mind before giving you a glance over and a small “thank you”

“no prob. see you later!” 

and wonwoo is like yeah lol that’s just a simple, normal parting

but you actually see him later

guess who’s childhood friends with boo seungkwan???

when wonwoo comes over to see seungkwan at practice for the upcoming musical he’s in, he sees you joking around with the cast and playing with seungkwan

as soon as you two make eye contact, you’re shuffling over with a big grin and seungkwan is not far from behind, the look in his eyes

seungkwan: (    ͡ °  ͜ʖ   ͡° )

wonwoo: Do Not

seungkwan: (    ͡°   ͜ʖ   ͡° )!!!!!

“so, you two know each other?” and there he goes

before wonwoo can even try to save his ass from what he knows seungkwan will royally misinterpret you’re butting in “oh yeah!! he walked me home”

and seungkwan is like oh??? did he now?? :)

“right after he fended off some creep. honestly, if he wasn’t there, I would've had to get my hands dirty”

but all seungkwan can hear is love! love! love! loVE

“wow, wonwoo doesn’t step in for just anybody. you must be special” he says, to make matters somehow worse

and then you’re looking, eyes wide, before glancing between him and seungkwan like no!!! no. no. what? no way.

but seungkwan is Convinced and there is no unconvincing mr. boo sorry i don’t make the rules

“it’s not like that, seungkwan” wonwoo pleads

“probably not. any decent person would step in if they saw something going on. i just... ya know... think it’s funny how wonwoo didn't really have to walk you home. like not really. like that didn’t have to happen.”

and wonwoo wants to defend himself but also he... cannot?? like normal wonwoo would not go through that much effort

normal wonwoo would have beat that guy’s ass way worse too, but you had been there and he didn’t want to frighten you

which... is another thing he can’t tell seungkwan

instead he’s silent and seungkwan is like point? made

finally, seungkwan has to go bc some kid needed help learning runs

so when it’s just you two standing backstage you suddenly become quiet, even looking a lil

bashful?

and he’s like isn’t that my thing

“sorry about seungkwan” you both say at the same time, and then you two make eye contact, right before you break into laughter

there he goes again, laughing because of you

his heart even swells a bit when you beam at him, proud that you’ve made him laugh

“you have a really pretty laugh. you should laugh more often” you tell him, and his cheeks BLARE red

instinctively he covers his mouth, up until you grab his wrist and pull it down “don’t hide your smile either”

and wonwoo on the inside is like “this girl is dripping in grease... i like it....”

you two just look at each other, gazes locked, neither of you knowing if the other should speak first or not

and then wonwoo breaks the silence to your surprise, “wanna go get something to eat? seungkwan looks like he’s gonna be a while”

he takes you to a sushi place and while wonwoo starts off really reserved, you manage to open him up a significant amount

by the end of the night he’s laughed more than he has since starting the school year, and you’ve just made him feel really happy and what is this feeling??? omg??

when you two are walking out, you’re about ready to do something bold but

he beats you to it

“this is probably really soon and i don’t want to freak you out but... wanna do this more often? like... go out, i mean. not like friends but you know as... something more.”

and you’re immediately like “of course!!! yes let’s do that!!!” and it’s just so cute

both of you are blushing, giggling messes going home

and from that moment forward, the cutest relationship ever begins

you’re much bolder in the relationship so it’s expected for wonwoo to have you come over unannounced often, or have you call him late at night just bc you want to hear his deep voice

he usually sounds tired and done with you but in reality his heart grows even fonder every time

he loves that in your spare time, when you’re away from him, you’re thinking about him still

you always send him cheesy texts and silly puns to make him laugh bc “even if i’m not there to hear it, you should be laughing wonwoo”

he is a gentleman and a little awkward about it

like he pulls your chair out a little too far for you and you nearly fall on your ass

he opens the door for you when you’re like fifteen feet away

his hands rarely drift farther than your shoulders

but it’s bc he doesn’t know how far to go, or how far you’ll let him go, so he’s always super cautious and tries to stay in tune to how you feel

he’s deeply emotional but he doesn’t like showing it

he’d rather bottle it all up until he’s so thinly stretched he implodes

so you learn that when he gets quiet and doesn’t really react to you when you ask him how he’s feeling that he’s bottling up something

you stop everything you’re doing and force him to talk to you

at first, he really despises doing it, but then he becomes a lot more open

you won’t even have to ask, he’ll just tell you how he feels right off the bat

he can simply text you how he feels and vice versa and you two take care of each other

wonwoo: feeling shitty. inadequate. please tell me you love me

you: coming over with ur fave movie and some takeout. i’m wearing the sweater you like to snuggle up on. i love you to the moon and back

or

you: i said i didn’t care that you were acting close with that girl from your class but in reality i was jealous :/

wonwoo: dummy, who else would put up with an emo dweeb like me besides an emo dweeb like you?? i don’t want anyone else either

like your relationship is so healthy

wonwoo feels safe with you

like he doesn’t have to tie himself up and restrict himself in front of you. he can just be

he loves you so much he takes you home to meet his family, and that’s a big deal for him

his family means the world to him so you meeting them is like... monumental

from then on, everyone knows he’s smitten with you

seungkwan has also deemed himself yall’s mediator and/or therapist

so if you two get into a particularly heated fight he’s always first to try and repair 

he knows you two like the backs of his hands, so it’s easy for him to see where one of you has gone wrong

he scolds you both when you act childish and ends up ending fights way quicker than the two of you would end them on your own

the other guys are also deeply invested in the relationship

at least one of them knows where either you or wonwoo is at all times

wonwoo can trust his friends to look after you when he’s not around and you can trust his friends to be honest with you when wonwoo is feeling out of his element and not telling you

surprisingly, wonwoo is the first to say i love you

it just slips in the middle of a fight, when you two have come to each other’s ends and all the stress from school and friends has hit with a vengeance

he screams it, tears welling in his eyes 

the room falls silent and he thinks that he’s really fucked up now

but then you come closer and pull him into a hug and he freely breaks down in front of you, holding onto you like dear life

“i love you too, idiot... i love you” is all you whisper to him, rubbing his back and letting him let go until he’s feeling better

just

wonwoo is actually very sensitive and he sometimes doesn’t say what he means but he loves deeply

and he’ll be loyal for a long time

all he wants is the same thing

so yes love this boy pls

[myhahnestopinion]

Marvel Ranked: Part 2 (33-23)

Hello, everybody! This weekend sees the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, and, as the sixteenth entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the third cinematic interpretation of the wall-crawler, it reminds us that Marvel Comics has had quite a history on the big screen. So, in celebration of that fact and anticipation of the new film, I have teamed up with my good friend and fellow co-host on the Reboot Already Underway podcast, Jacob Lacy, for a collaborative effort: our definitive ranking of all the Marvel movies since 1998′s Blade. Join us in remembering the best and the worst of Marvel’s theatrical films!

Yesterday, Jacob posted Part 1 of this ranking onto his own blog (jakelace.tumblr.com), covering our thoughts on entries 44-34 of the list, the absolute worst films Marvel has made. Check that out on his blog here: https://tmblr.co/Zfi-mh2NRL3Hr

This is Part 2 of the ranking, covering entries 33-23, where we look at some Marvel films that are deeply flawed, but still kinda charming.

33. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

“You’re too late, Spider-Man. I designed this power grid. Now I’m gonna take back what is rightfully mine. I will control everything. And I will be like a god to them.”

“A god named Sparkles?”

Aaron:  Amazing Spider-Man 2 is when Sony’s greedy, desperate meddling with the Spider-Man franchise came to a head. The film is overstuffed, with three corny versions of classic Spider-Man foes, and a dull conspiracy theory subplot surrounding the death of Peter’s parents. There’s some decent Spider-Man action within, at least when the CGI doesn’t make the whole thing look like a video game, but character motivations are weak across the board, making the plot a frustrating mess. Trying to shove a rushed version of one of Spider-Man’s most iconic stories and convoluted set-up for a planned Sinister Six film into a film with the horribly campy tone of Batman and Robin caused a swift end for the Amazing Spider-Man series. Here’s hoping Sony learned from their mistakes for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Jacob: Well, here comes the first of a couple Marvel confessions I’ll have on this list (most of them involving Spider-Men of some sort): I actually kind of like this movie. Don’t get me wrong, I realize that it is outrageously bad, but there’s something about that web-head that makes it near impossible for me to outright hate his films. Sure Peter is a bit (read: a lot) of a stalker, and sure Paul Giamatti’s Rhino is groan inducing, but I just can’t find it in me to condemn this film altogether. Marc Webb just handles the Gwen Stacy stuff so well (besides the aforementioned stalking) that it keeps me coming back to jam-packed mess of a film.

32. HULK

“And don’t worry about the dogs. You’ll be fine… just don’t look ‘em in the eyes.”

Jacob: Ang Lee’s directorial take on the Incredible Hulk is an interesting one for me. On one hand, it’s a bit of a bore to get through and contains some of the strangest and dumbest plot twists I’ve seen put to film, but on the other, this was actually the first film on this list that I had seen. I suppose in that way I will always feel a connection to it. It’s just too bad that connection had to be made with a film that has Hulk poodles, and a climactic fight with a cloud man. Although, I will give this movie extra points for the bonkers comic book editing style.

Aaron: For years, this film soured me on the name Ang Lee, but after Life of Pi came out and showed me he was actually a great director, I decided to go back for a reevaluation. I discovered a newfound appreciation for what Lee was going for with his darker character study of the hero, and the comic-book panel style editing is indeed inventive. However, I agree with Lacy that the film is ultimately undone by its slow-moving plot and lack of action. More “Hulk Smash!” would have been nice, even if that Hulk is a neon green Shrek-looking piece of dated special effects. 

31. X-MEN: THE LAST STAND

“I do not know if victory is possible. I only know that great sacrifice will be required. And because the fate of many will depend on a few, we must make the last stand.”

Aaron: While my child self like X-Men: Origins: Wolverine on first watch, I have always disliked The Last Stand since seeing it in theaters for the first time. The rushed deaths of several major characters was the wrong way to give the conclusion of the X-Men trilogy an epic feel, made more irksome by the inconsistent characterization of the returning heroes. There’s a noticeable step-down from Bryan Singer’s direction to Brett Ratner, who show little understanding or respect for the source material, as illustrated by the complete mishandling of the iconic Dark Phoenix storyline. Still, there are some positive new additions, like the pitch-perfect casting of Kelsey Grammer as Beast, and the climax has some powerful pathos. Fox seems to have made the wise move of retaining these great elements, while erasing the rest from continuity.

Jacob: I defended this movie for far longer than I should have. There were always those small elements I wanted to love in this movie, like you mentioned, but one day something just broke in me and I couldn’t do it anymore. The Last Stand is a really bad movie. Killing Cyclops off in one of the quickest and least emotional deaths in the series was one of the worst moves they could have pulled, and I really can’t get over that absolutely horribly written Juggernaut line (you know the one). Even Jackman’s Wolverine can’t save this movie from the hole it digs itself, though he certainly tries.

30. X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

“Well, at least we can all agree the third one’s always the worst.”

Jacob: Why, oh why did this happen, FOX? I thought we were in the clear after seeing how great First Class and Days of Future Past were, but leave it to the X-Men to disappoint us once again. My major problem with this film is its complete lack of focus. It is Batman v Superman levels of scatterbrained and you’re never given any time to catch up with our returning characters, let alone know anything about the newcomers. We get some great scenes from this for sure (the mansion explosion and Magneto’s family spring to mind), but I can never shake the feeling that shaving off a few characters would have made this film much better.

Aaron: It was probably naïve of us to assume FOX wouldn’t screw up another X-Men movie, especially considering how this one was rushed into production. I agree that there are a lot of high points (Beyond those mentioned, I’m a particular fan of its campy opening scene), but it ultimately tries to juggle too much, including a unnecessary Wolverine cameo that derails the second act. It doesn’t help that the film’s interpretation of the famous X-Men foe is a mix of dull motivations, an inconsistent performance, and a goofy ability to make fancy costumes for his friends. Here’s hoping the X-Men franchise can make a speedier second recovery.

29. THOR: THE DARK WORLD

“Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather!”

Aaron: One of the most impressive elements of the MCU is its fairly consistent level of quality, but Thor: The Dark World definitely represents the lowest point thus far for the universe. It’s not necessarily a bad film. It has a lot of enjoyable elements, such a solid cast, including breakout MCU star Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, its whirlwind tour of the nine realms that expands the scope of the franchise, and some amusing comedic beats. Still, director Alan Taylor brings no unique personality to his vision, and this bland nature of the movie is exacerbated by its poorly developed, instantly forgettable villain. It’s not necessarily a bad film, and certainly not bad enough to label it a failure for the MCU, but it is by far the universe’s weakest, least-rewatchable entry.

Jacob: There are two or three scenes in this film that are legitimately great. Unfortunately, it feels like the ideas for these scenes were there and then they just kind of phoned in all of the build-up to them. It also doesn’t help that all of those legitimately great scenes, like the escape from Asgard and any of the jail cell scenes, all revolve around Loki. I love Hiddleston’s Loki, don’t get me wrong, but when no one else is given any material with which to shine as brightly as he does, the entire picture feels unbalanced and shaky at best. And oh yeah, who was the villain again? Something about an elf? Wait, really?

28. BLADE

“There are worse things out tonight than vampires. Like me.”

Jacob: When I first saw Blade, I enjoyed it. It provided me that same sort of new superhero fun that allows a lot of people to look past a film’s flaws. On a re-watch though I found that feeling to fade fast. Now, that’s not to say there aren’t parts I enjoy, because that opening fight scene is still really great, but the entire experience is lessened now by the fact that this film is filled with obvious twists, horrible dialogue, uninteresting villains, and a vampire blood fetish that’s way too present in this film to not find unnerving.

Aaron: As the earliest film on this list, and the one often credited with kick starting the modern superhero craze, I think Blade deserves a lot of respect. It’s familiar, but it plays its tropes well, crafting a solid, enjoyable template for a superhero movie that many future films would draw inspiration from. Wesley Snipes is great in the stylish action scenes, even if his dialogue is abysmal (What was that about skating uphill again?) There’s only so much forgiveness that can be given to the film though, and ultimately, I agree that the film’s strengths are countered by its bland villains and limp plot. It’s worthy of some respect, but ultimately is just an okay movie on its own merits.

27. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Yeah, but those are the best kinds.”

Aaron: Upon first release, The Amazing Spider-Man became the biggest source of contention in my and Lacy’s friendship, one of the few films we radically disagreed on. Since then, I think we both have mellowed out a little on it, with me conceding that its better than my initial disdain, and Lacy conceding it was worse than his initial praise. Many of its problems stem from being a too-soon reboot for the character, with many alterations to his origin story becoming annoying changes-for-the-sake-of-change. It also lacks the passionate pulse of Raimi’s films, with its biggest attempt at sentimentality being the infamously groan-worthy crane sequence. Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker is too cool, and the Lizard has inconsistent motivations. Nevertheless, the chemistry between Garfield and Emma Stone is undeniable, and the Spider-Man action is thrilling. I could nitpick this film to death, but I’m content to point to the quick collapse of the franchise as proof of my accuracy on the film’s lackluster quality.

Jacob: Hey, man. Don’t act like I won’t defend this film’s honor, because I will…and then as I argue for it I will slowly sour on it until I end up agreeing it’s pretty bad. That’s pretty much how this always goes. The Amazing Spider-Man hit me at just the right time. Being roughly the same age as Peter Parker is in this movie when I first saw it, I was able to identify with him and his struggles. I had seen the Maguire films before, but was not a huge fan in my youth, so in a way Andrew Garfield became MY Spider-Man. While that’s not any sort of statement on the quality of the film, it is one of the reasons I came out of that showing so high on this. Yes, the series fell apart, yes the Lizard is a worse version of Doc Oct, and yes the film has music placement just as bad as its sequel, but there’s a certain magic to it that I’ll never be able to shake entirely.

26. BLADE II

“You’re human?”

“Barely. I’m a lawyer.”

Jacob: How do you fix Blade’s cinematic problems (or really any cinematic problem really)? Throw Guilliermo del Toro into the ring of course! Blade II is an improvement from the original in almost every department. The story is still that cheesy B-movie type shlock, but it this one I actually felt like the crew was having fun with it. Del Toro also brings a level of finesse to the table with his direction that Stephen Norrington’s original could never match. Blade II is still flawed though and while Wesley Snipes is great as Blade, the film still gives me no reason to actually care about him or his adventures, even if they can be oddly fun.

Aaron: Del Toro is one of my favorite directors of all time, and while Blade 2 is by far the weakest film he has ever made, his touch still elevates the material into something special. His affinity for crafting grand mythologies around monsters, complex creature designs, and Gothic visual splendor are perfectly suited for Blade II’s superhero-horror blend. Like its predecessor, it’s still light on plot, but the action scenes are gory, excellently choreographed fun (even with some dated CGI work). It is a bit too similar to the first film as well, but that extra little del Toro magic is enough for me to give the edge to this one.

25. SPIDER-MAN 3

“Now dig on this.”

Aaron: Controversial Opinion: I like Spider-Man 3. I fought hard to get it placed this highly on the list, and personally, I’d still put it higher. It’s only real flaw is Sony’s misguided desire to shove Venom into the movie, disrupting Sam Raimi’s marvelous vision. Without that, you have a visually impressive version of Sandman, played by Thomas Haden Church, who is yet another perfectly cast iconic Spider-Man villain for the trilogy. Sandman’s beautifully tragic origin scene, set to the powerful score by Christopher Young, is perhaps the most affecting scene of any superhero movie ever, illustrating the heart that Raimi brought to the series. Beyond Sandman, you have fantastic, dynamic action scenes, and great character moments that help bring the trilogy full circle. Okay, there’s flaws. It’s overstuffed, and a bit hokey. However, it has a personality that makes it far superior to many other superhero films out there. And that infamous scene of symbiote-influenced Peter Parker going clothes shopping? That scene is an absolute masterpiece of tenderhearted comedic genius. That is a hill I am willing to die on.

Jacob: Uncontroversial opinion: I don’t like Spider-Man 3, at least as a whole. There are good moments, I’ll give you that. I really liked the Spider-Man action that is in here, and I mean, James Franco is in this movie, so it has to have at least one good part, am I right? But I remember feeling like this was such a slog to get through even ten years ago. I don’t care about Eddie Brock (especially not the Topher Grace version), I don’t care about symbiote Spider-Man, I don’t care about the weird relationship drama between Peter and Mary Jane, and I definitely don’t care about Peter Parker trying to make out with Elizabeth Banks in the middle of the Daily Bugle! Seriously, what the hell, Peter? There have to be, like, SEVERAL rules against that. But symbiote Spider-Man doesn’t follow the rules on how to be good, just like Sony when they were making this movie.

24. IRON MAN 2

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to exit the donut.”

Jacob: What do I like about Iron Man 2? Well…I like the Mark V armor Tony uses when he first meets Whiplash, but other than that? Hmm…not much. Iron Man was simply never going to be an easy film to follow-up, and while Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark just as charmingly and bitingly as he did in the original, there isn’t much else here to justify this being a film. There are decent action scenes and Don Cheadle makes a great War Machine, but more than anything this film feels just too much like an advertisement for The Avengers, which it basically is. There is that cool shot of him eating a donut in a giant donut though, so…I’ll take it I guess.

Aaron: I can find a few more things to praise about Iron Man 2. There’s Sam Rockwell’s perfectly irritating performance as Justin Hammer, the introduction of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Window to the MCU, that amusing scene of Tony Stark before Congress, and some solid emotional beats. Beyond that? Well, there’s not much that isn’t tied up in an overstuffed, convoluted plot, and the less said about Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash, the better. Marvel’s quality control and Robert Downey Jr.’s presence is enough to hold the film together, even if its rushed attempt at universe building is only slightly more graceful than Batman V Superman’s.  

23. THE INCREDIBLE HULK

“Don’t make me… hungry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m… hungry.”

Aaron: The Incredible Hulk has essentially become the black sheep of the MCU family, but I don’t understand why, especially considering it is far superior to Thor: The Dark World. It does an excellent job of capturing the “man or monster” tension that is central to the character, while, unlike Ang Lee’s Hulk, not skimping on the action scenes. Bruce Banner’s fugitive escapes, fueled by the great pulse-pounding score by Craig Armstrong, and the gleefully destructive climactic Harlem battle are thrilling. While he’s no Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton has a wonderfully nervous, yet humorous performance. The film does drag a little in the middle, and there is a feeling that Marvel hadn’t quite figured this whole Cinematic Universe business out yet, but overall, The Incredible Hulk is an underrated superhero film.

Jacob: I can fully get behind a campaign to get this movie recognized as an underrated work in the MCU’s filmography. While you’re right that he is no Mark Ruffalo, I really love Edward Norton in this movie. Even if it weren’t for the fun action and good humor, his performance alone would be reason enough to give this movie a watch. However, there is quite a bit in this movie that is dumbfounding, like that Ty Burrell is in this movie for some reason. He doesn’t really have any real sense of purpose in the film, but he’s here. And we can’t forget the Tim Blake Nelson character who is also essentially pointless besides a teaser for an upcoming movie that hasn’t happened yet and (probably) never will. However, there is enough here to make it a recommend if you haven’t taken the time to watch it yet.

That’s it for Part 2 of this ranking. Join us again tomorrow for Part 3 of this list, covering entries 22-12, which will once again be posted on Jacob’s blog (jakelace.tumblr.com). Then, come back here on Friday when we’ll release the fourth and final installment, listing the absolute best Marvel films of all time.

[glass-ladybug]

road trip fic

At first, it wasn't noticeable. Just a few people, gone for the day. It was swiftly pinned down as a 24 hour bug. After two days, people began to wonder about the flu. After three, people started getting scared. Missing posters went up, phone calls were made, police were sent to look around, suspecting a prank, or maybe even a slew of movers, left for another town. But nothing came of it- none of the fifteen newly missing people were found. Council members, officers, regular members of the community- gone. The second Bea came home to her eerily quiet apartment, she knew. It was a feeling in her stomach: a pit that sank down, down, down until she wanted to throw up, or scream, or cry to make it disappear. But she held on, calling his name and ransacking the house, opening every door until it was overwhelmingly obvious her father wasn't home. She didn't sleep that night. When Bea fled from her house to work that morning, trying so /so/ hard to cling to some semblance of normality, Creek wasn't there. On any other day, Bea would've grumbled a bit about having to pick up the slack, but would've been secretly relieved to have a day away from the old creep. Today, she sat in the backroom and buried her head in her hands, shoulders shaking as her entire world broke down around her. She killed her father. Or, if the cave-in hadn't, dehydration soon would. An eye for an eye, Mae for her father. She briefly wondered if it was worth it. Her dad wasn't a bad guy. Creek, maybe, but not her dad. He was a man who had been broken to the point of no return, but he didn't deserve to die, not like that. Or maybe he did. The cult killed people. Her /dad/ could've killed people for all she knew. And if he hadn't, he'd certainly stood by while others did. This was too much. Too much to handle now, in this cramped, cluttered backroom by herself. Maybe too much to handle ever. But she couldn't live in denial, like Mae. Or excuse it like Gregg. Or, worse yet, agree with it like Angus. So there, in the storage room of the little store, her store, -she owned it now, she supposed- Bea made the active decision to live with it. ----------------- Possum Springs was healing. Things were still pretty messed up, but after a month, they were getting better. Aunt Molly was gone. Mae's mom kept assuring her that no, no, her aunt was fine, she was probably on a vacation, or a work trip and had forgotten to tell them. Mae pretended it was the truth. Other people were missing too- the head council member, some lesser ones, and a whole bunch of people that Mae had known. People she'd talked to, shared meals with, waved to from across the street. She couldn't go to the woods anymore. Even Germ's house was too close to That Place for her. She didn't like to think about it- preferring to shove it to some deep dark corner of her mind and forget. ((Too fast of a tone change?)) So Mae went to work. She'd gotten a job at Taco Buck, which was good! True, she didn't have a car to deliver with, but she /could/ Naruto run down the street at an alarming pace, and that was good enough. Mae balanced a bag of Mega Tacos in her arms. Struggling to pick up her ringing flip-phone, she didn't bother to check the Caller ID. "Heyyyyy." Gregg's voice echoed through the tinny receiver. "Hey, Mae! What's up?" "Not a lot. I was thinking about going to the park. To, y'know... get away." Gregg's voice filled with understanding. "Oh. Yeah, I get it." There was a beat of silence. "Can me and Angus come? We're not doing anything tonight, so I thought maybe we could all hang out before..." The words 'before we leave for good' hung in the air. Mae waved the growing pain in her chest away. "Sounds good! I'll invite Bea, too." "Nice!" "Five okay?" Gregg leaned away from his phone for a second, and Mae could hear muffled shouting. "Yeah, that works!" "See you then." "Bye, dude!" Gregg hung up with a faint click. Two down, one to go. Mae dialed Bea's number, impatiently waiting for her to pick up. "Hello?" Bea answered. "Hey, Bea! You free tonight?" "Are you asking-" Bea's low voice held an element of shock. "Gregg, Angus and I are going to the park, you wanna come?" "Oh. Sure, okay." "Five work for you?" "Yep. Bye." "See y-" /click/. Well. That was hasty. Now, Mae had to deliver some tacos. --------------------------------------- Bea liked spending as little time as possible at her empty house, which was why she was thrilled at Mae's offer of the park. Even if she was expecting something else. No, no, she was just tired! Long day at work. As always. Possum Springs didn't really have a park, per say. It had a tiny little plot of land with a fountain that only worked half the time, and a run down swing set. But she'd go anyway. When she arrived, Mae was already swinging as high as she possibly could, seemingly on an endless quest to swing completely around the bar. Gregg was beside her, shifting from side to side in his swing in an attempt to shove her off. She sat down next to Angus. "Hey." "Hey." It was good. A conversation with Angus wasn't exactly talkative, but it was peaceful, and fufilling for both of them. Quiet, but nice. Just like Angus. They sat together, the sun oddly warm for November, watching Gregg and Mae grow increasingly rowdy in their efforts to dethrone the other. A slight breeze ruffled the remaining leaves on the trees. Mae let out a shout, and hopped to the ground, Gregg crowing wildly in the background. She dusted her shirt off indignantly, before eying her friends oddly. There was something different about her, Bea noticed. She looked less... free. Her usually bright eyes had a hint of something else behind them. Something tired, and broken. It scared Bea that this was usual, now. ((FIX LAST SENTENCE LATER)) Mae motioned for Gregg to join them, and looked critically at the scenery around them before smiling widely. "I've been thinking." Angus sighed. "Hey!" Mae chortled. "That's not fair!" "Go on." Bea drawled. "I have a plan." "For?" "Well..." Mae paused for dramatic effect, obviously relishing in their anticipation. Bea sort of wanted to kick her in the kneecap. "We should go on a road trip!" Mae looked around at them, gauging their reactions. Bea started coughing loudly, hacking shocked breaths escaping from her lungs. Gregg shot to his feet. "Yeah! We totally should!" Mae slung an arm around her best friend, grinning devilishly at Angus and Bea. Angus seemed to be contemplating the option. He took a deep breath. "No." Bea, still in shock, noticed the remarkable similarity between the downcast expressions on the two daredevil's faces. Gregg pouted, and Mae made her eyes as wide and innocent as possible. Angus wasn't fazed. "We can't just stop now, Bug. Not when we're this close." Gregg adjusted his leather jacket slightly. "These are our friends! And, hell, soon we're not gonna even see them anymore!" Gregg pleaded with his boyfriend, who looked away. "The Plan can be put on hold for what-" Gregg looked inquisitively at Mae. "-three days? Four?" "Dunno. I didn't actually think I'd get this far." Mae said sheepishly. Angus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where would we even go?" "We can work out the details later!" "...This is ridiculous." "I'm ridiculous!" Gregg chimed in. Bea felt inclined to agree. Resolve cracking, Angus furrowed his brows. "We have work." "We'll leave Friday, and call in sick on Monday." "The four of us? On the same day? In a small town?" "Yeah, if anyone asks we'll say we all caught the travel bug!" Gregg's excitement was gaining momentum, and it was obvious Angus wasn't going to hold up under the blond's relentless assault of sweetness. Angus turned to Bea, sending a silent plea for backup. Bea threw her hands up in a "what can you do" gesture, smiling slightly. He groaned, resting his head in his hands. "Bea, please..." Thanks, Angus. The decision was in /her/ hands now. Greeaaat. Mae seemed to sense this too, as she quickly switched her attention to Bea, giving her her best angelic smile. Bea said nothing. Mae continued to flutter her eyelashes. Bea, again, said nothing. She wasn't going to lose. Apparently, neither was Mae, as she detached herself from Gregg to sidle up next to the older girl. Bea raised a single eyebrow, a talent she possessed that made Mae insanely incensed. Mae winked. Sighing heavily, Bea pursed her lips. "We'll use my car." Mae shot up with a cheer, pulling the four of them into a hug. "Oh my God Oh my God /Oh my God/, we're gonna do this!" Mae pulled back, looking critically at Angus. "We /are/ doing this, right?" "I guess." "Yay!" Mae cheered, burying her face in Angus's scarf. Bea didn't miss the glare Angus threw at her over Mae's shoulder. Serves him right. If he didn't want this outcome, he shouldn't have handed it over to Bea. "So," Mae spouted happily, seemingly vibrating with energy, "where are we gonna go? Cuz', I've actually got nothing, and-" "The Grand Canyon." Gregg interrupted. "Huh?" "The Grand Canyon! That's... That's a place people go, right? We could do that?" "Yeah..." Mae said, pausing to think for a second. "Yeah, you're right! Bea, Angus, what do you think?" Angus pursed his lips, clearly still unhappy that this was happening. "It's a long way." "More places to go in between!" Bea had to see the logic in that. And, well, it'd be nice to see such an iconic part of America. Even if the whole country was on an economic slide due to power-hungry officials and underhanded corrupt dealings. Wait, no! Focus, Bea. "How long would this take?" She asked skeptically. Gregg quickly whipped out his phone, fingers tapping across the screen at a lightening pace. "Well, if we..." He shook his head slightly, blonde strands of hair sweeping to the other side of his forehead. "No, no... If we hit Vegas, which we definitely are, then..." Gregg typed a few more things onto his screen, before dropping his phone into the pocket of his leather jacket. ((Too much description of Gregg?)) "Accounting for driving, snack breaks, stops, sleeping, and at least one random accident, I'd say four days? Roughly?" Bea nodded. "We could leave on Friday after work, do stops and stuff on Saturday and Sunday, arrive at the canyon on Monday, then get home early Tuesday morning before work." Bea looked at Angus, almost in disbelief that she was siding with Gregg. "We... could actually do this. It's not as ludicrous as it sounds." Looking as if he'd just been drafted into battle, Angus merely sighed heavily. "Okay, fine! Fine. We'll pack tonight." Mae's eyes were alight with joy. "I'll grab some snacks." They needed this, Bea thought. They all needed to escape from this town, even if just for a little bit. Mae most of all. Mae and Gregg spun each other around again. Bea watched thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, right after everyone's done working, you grab your stuff and meet me at the Pickaxe. I'll pick everyone up from there, and we can head out, I guess." Mae waved happily, looking more alive than Bea had seen her in weeks. "I'll see you then!" Gregg ferociously bobbed his head up and down in agreement, and Angus nodded in affirmation. "I'll see you then." Bea whispered. ((I gotta add an ending sentence that's a lil happier bc I want this to be a fluffier fic))