#just rubbed me the wrong way that she called it an umbrella term because it's not idk why this bothers me so much though

[lesbianamalvada]

how you feel about bisexual people saying they’re gay

I don't like it when people use gay as an umbrella term because it's literally not. I know one bi girl who always went "i'm sooo gayy" and I'm like "I thought u were bi??" and she was like "it's just simpler to say gay". I really don't get how though? Bi and queer are the same amount of syllables as gay. To me it's more confusing if ur talking about how gay you are and then people see you with a boyfriend/girlfriend. I guess it's not that big of a deal but it's def a pet peeve of mine and rubs me the wrong way.

[sparkspropaganda]

The concept of “Tricell and former Umbrella employees are seeking out Kijuju as a place to exploit for natural resources and to use the people there as test subjects” is a solid premise but structuring it around an American soldier coming to Kijuju and just gunning everyone down and looting the place for money and supplies will always rub me the wrong way. I have the same issue with Operation Javier and RE6. I would argue RE6 humanizes the people in Lanshiang more than they do in Kijuju simply because Leon and Helena can actually try to save its citizens, but it’s still not nearly as developed as RE2, 3, or even 4 are in terms of reminding you that these infected people were, well, people.

And with the opening scenes of RE5 being Sheva getting harassed by one of the guards, seeing other men kick the shit out of someone in a bag soon after, seeing the rotting carcasses at the side of the road... like you’re painting this entire fictional region of West Africa as this violent unstable and unsanitary place pre-outbreak it’s just kind of despicable to me.

And when you don’t even let your character Sheva really develop, and you give her costumes called “Clubbin’“ and “Tribal” and then give her a costume so she can cosplay as the only other Black woman in these games with a speaking role... like it’s just awful, and it’s endlessly frustrating to see some fans double down and explain away why it’s actually totally fine and doesn’t carry any extra weight to it at all, just shoot them it’s fine. like idrc that I have standards and re5 does not meet them!

[dichromaticdyke]

Genuinely not trying to start drama just to preface this I'm just curious, but do you have an opinion on bi/mspec lesbians?

*sigh* top one ask to send panic into my very heart.

yes, i do have an opinion.

i thought about just leaving it at that and refusing to elaborate further, but one of my new year’s resolutions is to stop being afraid of saying what’s on my mind and being assertive so. full opinion below the cut. i’m posting it here, and i’m never talking about it publicly again. if you disagree with me, that’s fine! you’re more than welcome to unfollow or block if my opinion rubs you the wrong way—i do the same. it’s fine. i will block anyone being a dick to me about this.

before we start, let’s just make two things clear:

this conversation is trans-inclusive. when i say women, i mean cis women, trans women, and nonbinary people whose genders and/or material experiences are similar to the social class of “woman.” when i say men, i mean cis men, trans men, and nonbinary people whose genders and/or material experiences are similar to the social class of “man.” we’re not going to use this conversation as a means of transphobia.

i’m a stranger on the internet. i have one opinion. my opinion is my own and does not reflect all lesbians’ opinions, or even the “correct” opinion—if you think my opinion is wrong, that’s your prerogative. i’m not gonna tell anyone how to identify, and i don’t have the power to enforce that either way. this is just how i feel.

i don’t understand why some people want to use the label lesbian when they’re attracted to men. i just don’t get it. there are multiple labels for experiencing attraction to multiple genders—bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, omnisexual. i’m sure there are ones i’ve never heard of, too. but there’s only one label that is, by definition, exclusive of men as either the subject or object of attraction. that’s lesbian. and if you want to emphasize your preference for women, there are multiple words for that too: sapphic, wlw/nblw, even queer can imply that preference. i never understand why the people who insist on calling themselves bi lesbians never seem to offer an alternative word for women who are exclusively attracted to women. because if that word isn’t lesbian, then what is it?

combining bisexuality and lesbianism also ignores the experiences and histories of both communities. yes, i know lesbian used to mean something you did instead of something you were. bisexual also used to literally mean being double-sexed or double-gendered. words change and meanings evolved. both lesbians and bisexuals forged their own communities around those words to describe the specific experiences they go through. sapphic, wlw/nblw, queer, etc. are all umbrella terms to describe shared experiences; lesbian and bisexual are not.

and, because this conversation almost always centers around lesbians but the lesbians who assert that they don’t feel comfortable with people insisting that they can/should like men, i asked a friend of mine her opinion. she’s bisexual but identified as a lesbian for almost half of her life, and so i thought she would have good insight as someone who was deeply, deeply passionate about the lesbian community but still realized she didn’t have a place there upon recognizing that she did, in fact, love and want to be with men [transcript in alt text]:

if you feel called to identify as a lesbian, i do encourage you to investigate that. maybe you’re not actually attracted to men but are dealing with compulsory heterosexuality. that’s fine! but if you investigate it and determine, yes, you do love and want to be with men, that’s also fine! it’s just in my opinion that you use a different word instead of lesbian. again, i won’t tell you what to do, you can ignore me. but that’s how i feel.

no one publicly ask me about this again, i’m serious.

[imthepunchlord]

What would change if Chloe was the transfer student instead of Alya, while she and Marinette are a part of the established students in Origins?

Oh man, this is a thought that occurred to me, a what if Audrey did take Chloe with her back then, was her only parental figure in life hence forth, and doesn't return until Style Queen.

Which I guess is what we'll do here, unless we want to roll with that Andre went with her and he pursued his passion as director instead of politics. And they return sooner for Origins.

But for sure, class wise with no Chloe there at all, here are the changes I've thought of:

- Marinette is more confident and thriving, and she's the more residential popular girl, the one everyone knows is going to be a solid leader and you can go to her for anything and she'll help you out no matter what. She's known to be reliable and very loved. Best friend wise I don't know yet but I don't think it'd be Alya, what sparked it off was Marinette needing help against a bully that had Alya stepping in; but that's not happening here. They'll be on good terms, but not best friends.

- Alya's best friend is actually Sabrina. No Chloe, Sabrina is able to thrive and come into her own. And with it, a passion for justice and all fairness, and the best symbol of is Majestia! She and Alya are best friends through a mutual love of Majestia and the ideal heroes fighting for the greater good! Sabrina still likes to be a follower and that's what has her clicking with Alya, not just a shared interest and love, but the factor that Alya likes to take charge in her relationships and to be the one to call the shots.

- Mylene and Nino are actually best friends. No Chloe, no Mylene feeling a need to sit by Alix to discourage Chloe from targeting her. And with a shared interest in film, Mylene and Nino connect really well, with him being director and her his main lead actress. They're also a big help to each other. Nino helps Mylene calm down when she starts panicking and she was able to help him through mourning when he lost his brother.

- No need to sit by Mylene to ward Chloe off, Alix goes to sit by her buddy Nathaniel.

- Ivan isn't so feared by the class as Marinette went out of her way to make sure he was more included and the class got to see that he's a big softie. Because of this, Myvan happens sooner as Mylene isn't scared of Ivan and approached him when she noticed he was being weird around her and wanted to check on him.

- Everyone else is pretty much the same, Juleka may be better about being heard but still on the quiet side. Ultimately though, no Chloe, the class is more relaxed and thriving.

- With Adrien, with no Chloe to see all that often and she wasn't always available to talk as she's off in NYC, he's even more lonely so when he goes to school, he desperate to latch onto the first person he can connect with. He also heard from Chloe that she's coming back to Paris and they'll be attending the same school so is doubly excited. Potentially he sits with Chloe, or with someone else that he connects with first. Most likely, it will be Marinette he connects with first as she's very friendly and personable and would be the first to welcome him. It could go either way if Adrien sits with Marinette or Chloe. Depends if you want more Chloe-Adrien issues addressed or more wholesome Marinette-Adrien friendship that may be strained a little depending on Chloe.

Now with Chloe, there are two options. Either Audrey solely raised her alone or Andre was also there. If the latter, Chloe is essentially the same as canon as Andre is there to spoil her and make up for Audrey's harsher parenting (and like canon, she just gets to a point to give up and pursue her work, potential set up of a divorce and remarries Mr Lee).

Andre Chloe:

Is coming in ready to dominate, but she has no political power behind her as her dad isn't the mayor but a director.

She's immediately met with a lot of resistance as it's her vs the whole class that have no established unease with her.

Adrien is swift to distance himself from her as the friend he was looking forward to reconnecting with is being unreasonably mean and everyone is clearly against her and he's the new student that doesn't want to be the odd one out. He's even more certain as Chloe likes to climb all over him and he doesn't like it at all.

So she's the bully who doesn't have a lot of grounds for being a bully and is going to be forced down a road of redemption as the class isn't going to have a lot of patience for her.

Could potentially tease Chlonino or Zonino, as Nino is a fan of Andre's films, but his fav director's daughter is just impossible OR his stepdaughter is actually pretty cool and they hit it off well.

Audrey Chloe, raised with no Andre in her life post Audrey leaving, but he is still mayor:

While still quite mean, she's actually quite diligent and effective, she actually does her own work and aims high in life, ready to succeed. Biggest difference is that she doesn't go out of her way to be mean for her own amusement. You have to irritate or catch her attention first.

The class still warily regards her, but it's not because she's a bully, but just ruthlessly honest. Alix kinda loves it as now she's not the only one and the two like to verbally go at just for fun.

Adrien and Chloe are equally excited to see each other and can both relate to being so busy and both wishing to have people they can connect with. Audrey and Gabriel are both interested in swaying the two to get together and neither are exactly opposed to the idea. There are some definite strains though as Adrien's more goofy than Chloe would like, and he's not so good at owning up to his actions.

Chloe actually has a lot of admiration and respect for Marinette, and deems her a fitting rival in the fashion industry. Only thing that's unimpressive is that Marinette is such a giver and let's people walk all over her. Chloe can see Marinette's potential, but can also see how she's not going to get far with that.

Things are strained with her father as he wants to give her gifts to help reconnect, and while she adores getting gifts, it also rubs her wrong a little as it feels like he's trying to buy her love. Things aren't perfect with her mom, but Audrey feels like she knows she's worth Chloe's time. With this gifting, Chloe feels like her dad is setting himself up as beneath her and that doesn't make her so interested in him.

With Fu and who has what miraculous wise, ultimately, it comes down if anyone wants this change up to effect where Fu does his two tests.

But for sure, with transfer Chloe au, there's no gum incident, no umbrella scene, no anxious self conscious Marinette, and no drama. Stoneheart isn't even the first akuma. Potentially could be Chloe (Andre present) or someone else at random.

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Rebirth

Chapter 3: You Look Taller

Summary: Steve is transformed into the world’s first Super Soldier, but after a bomb is detonated in the SSR lab, he is soon putting his new found strength to the test.

Warnings: Bad Language words.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Word Count- 7.5k ish

A/N:  I might have taken a few liberties here with the way things worked in the Army in the 40s but, let’s face it, no more than the MCU did! Any mistakes are my own. I’ll probably spot them once posted but, whatever!

This series is my contribution of sorts to the CATF 10 Year Anniversary Challenge.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

SSR Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 2

Steve didn’t sleep a wink that night. His mind was in overdrive, his body spiking with just about as many contrasting emotions one could possibly feel all at once. Excitement, fear, pride, concern, uncertainty, determination…and then there were his thoughts about Katie and what they’d done last night. He was conflicted about that as well. On the one hand it had been so wrong, to have rubbed one another to release through their clothes, without even courting so to speak. It went against everything his Ma had taught him about treating a dame with respect, instead he’d gone head and behaved just like Bucky normally did when he paraded around in his uniform, using it to pick up any woman he could.

But on the other, nothing had ever felt so damned right to him before in his life.

He still couldn’t quite believe it, although the evidence it had happened was plain to see in his pants which he’d hastily changed and hidden in the bottom of his trunk. What he was having trouble processing was why. Why a dame like that had picked a guy like him. He still wasn’t completely convinced she wasn’t acting out of pity. Pity that he was about to undergo some transformation and had never been touched that way before.

But then she’d admitted that she hadn’t either. “What was it you said about waiting for the right partner?”

Maybe she did actually feel something for him. And whilst it hadn’t been the most conventional beginning, perhaps it might morph into something else?

 With a groan he shook his head, who was he kidding? It was June, 1943 and they were in the middle of a war. He was about to be injected with some kind of serum that was either going to turn him into a soldier with enhanced capabilities or…well, he didn’t want to think about the 'or'. Either way, he knew what should be at the forefront of his mind, and a relationship with Katie Stark was not it.

He went about his morning routine as normal. Thanks to the SSR’s programme being covert, most people on the base completely ignored him as usual, which suited him fine. The last thing he wanted was people asking him questions about how he was feeling, because he simply didn’t know. This time, once he was dressed he ensured all his belongings were packed ready to be taken to his new barracks, wherever they were going to be and no sooner had he done that the door opened and he snapped to attention, saluting the soldier that had arrived along with Agent Carter.

“Hello Steve," she smiled at him.

“Good morning, Ma’am.” He said, his hand, dropping to his side and he relaxed as she instructed him to be at ease.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Good, follow me then.”

Grabbing his hat he headed after her, walking in silence through the camp, his eyes focussed directly ahead. Eventually he was led around to the main office buildings, outside of which a car was waiting. Peggy walked around one side where the driver opened the door for her and Steve snapped himself out of his thoughts and climbed into the other side, shutting the door behind him.

 The two or so hour drive from New Jersey to their destination was quiet. Agent Carter made a little small talk, but for the most she was silent or conversing with the driver. That said, it seemed to fly by in comparison to when he had taken the trip the other way a little under a week ago. As he glanced at the buildings passing them by, one by one they started to get familiar.

“I know this neighborhood," Steve said absentmindedly as he looked out of the window. “I got beat up in that alley.” He continued watching his finger pointing out of the window, his eyebrows raised as he spotted another familiar landmark, “and that parking lot.” Another pause as his head dropped slightly, eyes on his hands which were clasped on his lap, “and behind that diner.”

“Did you have something against running away?” Peggy asked and Steve took a deep breath, shaking his head as he remembered his Ma’s words to him.

“You start running they’ll never let you stop.” He explained, once more glancing out of the window, “You stand up, push back. Can’t say no forever, right?” He gave a shrug and once more his eyes fell to his hands. He stared at them, and the longer he stared the more he thought back. 

Hands that had last night traced the soft curves of Agent Stark’s hips, breasts. The vision coming in so clear, nearly like a picture show and it caused him to swallow a little, his throat and mouth feeling dry and he couldn’t help but wish that it was Katie in the car with him, not Agent Carter. Whilst the pretty, British woman sat on the seat beside him had always been pleasant enough to him, there was something about Katie that just kept him grounded if there ever were a word to describe the way she made him feel. He never once felt jittery in her presence yet now, as he sat there being quizzed on something that was actually quite personal, he was starting to feel a little angsty.

 “I know a little of what that’s like. To have every door shut in your face.” Peggy spoke gently as she looked at him and Steve met her gaze for a second before she looked forward once more, and his mind strayed back to something Katie had said last night.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He looked down at his hands. “Katie…I mean Agent Stark told me about how people weren’t exactly open to the pair of you joining the SSR or the Army.”

“She did?” Agent Carter looked at him, her brown drawing ever so slightly into a frown.

 Steve nodded, “last night.” And no sooner had the words left his mouth his eyes widened as he realised he’d outed the fact Katie had come to his barracks. Peggy looked at him, an immaculately shaped brow arched slightly, rouged lips curling up into a smirk at one side as Steve began to babble out an excuse. “She came to check on me, along with Dr Erskine. I mean, well, just as he was leaving that is. There was…we just…”

 “You don’t need to explain. What you and Agent Stark do is nothing to do with me,” Peggy shook her head, the corner of her lips twitching as Steve hastily looked away, out of the window, his cheeks burning. “I do know one thing though...."

 “What’s that?” Steve’s head whipped round to look at her.

“She’s soft on you.” Peggy replied simply “That’s why she’s been torn ever since you got picked to be our candidate.”

“Torn?”

“In case it goes wrong.” Peggy shrugged, "Or you change in more ways than physically which means you’re no longer the man she…” Peggy trailed off, licking her lips taking a deep breath before she continued “…the man she clearly cares for.”

Steve met her eyes for a second before he looked away, his stomach now twisting in knots that had nothing to do with the procedure he was about to undergo. But the warmth and excitement he had initially felt at what Peggy had said died all too fast because of course it would be just his luck to finally meet a gal that enjoyed his company, liked him for who he was, a gal who he felt comfortable with and attracted to, just as he was about to undergo whatever the hell this procedure entailed before he shipped off to goodness knows where.

Fate was a cruel mistress sometimes.

The rest of the journey passed in silence, and it wasn’t long before the car pulled up at the side of a fairly busy street and Steve frowned, following Agent Carter’s lead, climbing out of the vehicle. He took a quick look around. There were plenty of people on the sidewalks in the summer sun, going about their everyday business, none paying him any attention.

“This way.” Agent Carter spoke and he spun to follow her, taking a look up at the fairly non-descript shop called ‘Brooklyn Antiques’ which she was leading him towards.

“What are we doing here?” he asked.

“Follow me.” Peggy completely ignored his question and instead walked into the shop, Steve behind her, placing his hat on his head.  The bell above the door rang as Peggy pushed it open, Steve pausing to shut it behind him as Agent Carter strolled into the dimly lit, crowded shop. It smelt of old leather, wax and furniture polish and was crammed full of all sorts of intriguing items that Steve would normally have found fascinating.

 But as it stood he was just plain confused.

Peggy stopped still as an old woman with grey hair, clad in a floaty dress and a pink cardigan emerged through a set of heavy drapes and stopped, smiling at them both. “Wonderful Weather this morning, aint it?” she spoke.

 “Yes, but I always carry an umbrella.” Peggy replied.

 At her words the woman gave an almost in perceptible nod and moved to the desk which held the cash register. Steve heard a faint buzz and then Peggy gently gestured once more for him to follow her. He did so as she walked through the drapes the woman had emerged from into a crowded store room of sorts which held photos, heavy gilded frames, basically everything his Ma would have labelled junk. He stopped besides Peggy as she looked at a huge book shelf which covered nearly the entire back wall and then to his absolute astonishment the book shelf simply opened towards him revealing that it was actually a set of solid steel doors.

 Steve’s mouth dropped open as he was now facing a huge corridor which was in use by a number of military and medical staff walking by. Agent Carter stepped in and he did the same, following her down, glancing every so often to his side at the Military Police Officers and soldiers, trying to figure out how the hell all of this was hidden from public sight on the outside. Eventually they reached a set of double doors which were pulled open and Steve found himself on the mezzanine balcony of a huge circular room filled with machinery, some kind of pod in the middle of the chamber he was looking over. It was full of doctors and technicians, all dressed in white lab coats and the entire room fell silent as everyone looked up at him. He immediately spotted Katie, stood by Dr Erskine. His eyes locked onto hers and even from the distance he was away he could see they were shining in the light of the lab.

 Agent Carter took a deep breath and tuned to her right, Steve hastily following her down the metal steps to the lower part of the chamber. He strode over to where Dr Erskine was waiting, file in hand besides Katie who smiled at him. 

“Hi.” She said gently and he smiled back at her, swallowing a little as his attention turned to Dr Erskine as the doctor spoke.

“Good morning.” He smiled, shaking Steve’s hand when suddenly a camera flashed as a photographer who Steve hadn’t noticed snapped a shot, causing Steve to blink a little. “Please, not now.” Erskine protested and the photographer made a hasty retreat, ushered away by Peggy as she followed him from the chamber, directing him away from the equipment and up the stairs to the side.

Steve turned to his right, looking at the pod, his eyes roving all the dials and the various components, his chest expanding as he took a deep breath.

 “Are you ready?” Katie asked softly and Steve nodded his head, turning back to her.

 “Good.” Erskine spoke. “Take off your shirt, your tie and your hat.”

“Maybe the hat first.” Katie quipped, pointing out the order Erskine had said the clothing items in was a little awry and Erskine looked at her, sarcastically. She met his stare with an equally sassy one of her own, a cheeky grin on her face as she shrugged.

 Steve did as he was told, handing his items of clothing off to a nurse who smiled, taking it away before Erskine directed Steve up the steps to the left of the pod. He climbed up, shuffled around slightly as Katie watched him lay down, his head on the leather headrest at the top.

“Comfortable?” Katie asked him.

“It’s a little big.” Steve joked, smiling and she gave a soft chuckle, reaching out to touch his arm. Her hand was surprisingly warm and she left it there for just long enough before she pulled back as Erskine appeared by her side, smiling. “You save me any of that schnapps?” Steve looked at him.

“Not as much as I should have.” Erskine almost grimaced, “sorry. Next time” at that he stepped back. “Mr. Stark, how are your levels?”

Steve glanced to his left and for the first time caught a glimpse of Katie’s brother up close as he strode towards them, clad in a smart pair of slacks, white shirt, tie and waistcoat.

“Levels at 100%.” Howard replied as he stopped besides his sister, taking a look at Steve. Now they were side by side, the resemblance between the two was clear to see. Same nose, cheekbones, but Katie’s hair was a lighter shade, her eyes a warm, striking green where Howard’s were a deep brown.

 “Good.” Erskine turned away as Howards eyes roved over Steve a little.

 “We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready,” Howard smiled, “as we’ll ever be.”

“He’s not a damned fish in a bowl, Howie.” Katie nudged her brother as he was still staring at Steve. Howard turned to face her, his eyebrow arched, before he gave Steve one last look and headed off towards some kind of machine in the far corner of the room.

 “Ass.” Katie shook her head before she glanced at Steve. “Are you sure you wanna do this?” She dropped her voice, “If you’re having any…” “I’m not.” Steve shook his head.

 “Okay.” She took a deep breath, and for a second looked as though she was going to say something else but she was interrupted by Erskine.

 “Agent Stark? Don’t you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?”

“Oh, erm, yeah, of course. Sorry.” She nodded and turned once more to look back at Steve. Again, she made to say something, but clearly decided against it. Instead she reached out, gave his hand a soft squeeze before she walked away. Steve watched her go and, as she approached the stairs, she stopped and looked back at him, her face softening once more into an almost shy little smile before she turned away again. 

Steve’s head rolled back round, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. His heart was racing now, and he wasn’t quite sure whether that was all down to the procedure or the fact that her hand on his had jolted another memory of their time together the previous night. Luckily, before he had time to dwell on it too much, there was a loud booming noise as Erskine loudly tapped a microphone.

“Do you hear me? Is this on?” Satisfied that it was, the doctor turned and looked up at the small group gathered to watch in the glass walled room on the level above the atrium. “Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace.”

As Erskine spoke two nurses pulled down the large rectangular shaped pads at either side of the chamber, laying them flush to Steve’s chest.

“We begin with a series of micro injections into the subjects major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change.” Erskine continued as the nurses retrieved the vials of blue coloured liquid, slotting them into the appropriate receptacles along the side of the chamber by Steve’s hips. “And then to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays.”

 Erskine walked back to Steve’s side as a nurse approached him with a syringe. She inserted it into Steve’s shoulder and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as she pulled the needle out of his skin.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Steve spoke, pleasantly surprised at how easy that had been. He wasn’t a huge fan of needles, having spent most of his childhood one way or another being stabbed by them for his various ailments, but he’d learned to cope with them.

However, his relief was short lived.

“That was penicillin.” Erskine looked at him and Steve felt not only apprehension creeping back into his system, but a deep embarrassment at being so dumb as to think it would be that simple.

Erskine then cleared his throat and spoke once more to the others in the room. “Serum infusion beginning in five, four…” at that two further pads like the one on his chest lowered, cuffing his arms a little “…three, two…” Erskine gently patted Steve’s shoulder “…one.”

 Steve felt the sharp cone-like spikes of the pads attached to his body piercing his skin and he could actually feel the serum as it flowed into his body. It was cold, like he’d dipped each limb into an icy lake, and the shock of it forced his eyes wide open.

“Now, Mr. Stark,” he heard Erskine say and, after a second or two he felt the pod move into an upright positions, the sides and top parts enclosing him inside. He gave a snort as he realised that the glass screen at the front, designed for whoever was in here to be able to see out of was a good 6 inches too high.

 Steve took a deep breath and then there was a little knock on the outside of the capsule.

 “Steven, can you hear me?” Erskine asked.

“It’s probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?” Steve joked, making light of what was happening, the sweat already beading on his brow. And, if he was honest, he probably could have happily peed right then, more out of nerves than anything else.

“We will proceed.” Steve heard Erskine say and then a few seconds later the capsule he was in was flooded with a warm light, as the Vita Rays were turned on.

  “That’s ten percent.” Steve could hear Howard’s voice. “Twenty percent. Thirty…that’s forty percent.”

As the count increased so did the intensity of the light and heat. What started off feeling like a pleasant dose of summer sun was rapidly becoming unbearable. Even the brightest sunlight he’d ever been in on Coney Island during the summer was nothing compared to this. He skin felt like it was on fire.

“That’s fifty percent. Sixty. Seventy.”

Despite his best attempts, the burning was simply too much and Steve couldn’t keep the yell of pain from bursting out of his mouth any longer as the vita rays washed over him. He was hot, hotter than he had ever been before. His skin was bubbling almost as if his blood was boiling similar to a kettle of water. He was vaguely aware of voices outside the chamber and herd Katie’s loud yell as it rang around the air.

“Shut it down.”

Erskine’s voice hit his ears as the doctor banged on the chamber he was in “Steven!”

“You heard her, shut it down!” Agent Carter’s voice was clear and then he heard Erskine once more as the Doctor frantically shouted. 

“Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark! Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!”

“No, don’t!” Steve yelled back, finally finding his voice. There was no way he was quitting, not after he’d come this far. He could take this. Pain was nothing, he felt it every day of his damned life. “I can do this!”

Famous last words. The heat increased, the pain increased, it was too much. Every muscle in his body was searing in agony and it felt like someone was lancing him with red hot needles over and over again…

But then suddenly it went dark. The pain was gone, the heat was gone and all Steve could feel now was an overwhelming sense of calm and tiredness even, like he’d just been on another one of those damned runs with the unit. His chest was heaving as he gulped in air, his head falling to the side as panted, waiting for his body to recover. After waiting, for what seemed like forever but was in reality mere seconds, he heard Erskine call out to Howard again and then the doors to the pod opened, the cool air hitting Steve’s perspiring skin.

He stumbled out of the pod supported by two people, he had no idea who, as his eyes were screwed shut, his head bowed as he took deep gulps of air. His legs felt heavy and he was a little unbalanced, as if his centre of gravity had changed somewhat, but as he took a shaky step forward he noticed how clear his chest was. His breathing wasn’t wheezy in the slightest and with every breath he took he felt stronger, less lightheaded. All in all, despite feeling completely overwhelmed he felt good.

“I did it.” He panted a little, his eyes still closed as he took a shaky step forward.

“Yeah, yeah. I think we did it.” Erskine’s voice came from his right, followed by Howard’s from his left which was laced with pride.

“We actually did it.”

“How do you feel?” Another familiar voice spoke and with a deep breath he straightened up and looked down at Katie before he glanced around the chamber and realised that for the first time in his life he was looking down at people.

“Taller.” He answered a little facetiously, glancing at Katie as she reached out to touch his chest, swallowing a little as she hastily withdrew her hand.

“You look taller.” She handed him a T-shirt she took off another member of the nursing staff. Steve took it with a thanks and moved to pull it over his head, his breathing finally evening out and he turned to face a doctor who approached him a little nervously.

“Mr. Rogers, we just need to-“

But whatever it was that they needed Steve never found out as at that point there was a loud explosion from the room over the atrium, showering them in glass. Instinctively, Steve pulled Katie towards him, curling his body around hers to shield her from the debris before he stood up tall as he heard Erskine yelling.

“Stop him!”

Then there was a gun shot and, as he wheeled round, he saw Erksine drop to the floor. Katie pushed past Steve whipping a gun from her hip taking aim as the culprit ran up the stairs with the two female agents in persuit.

Steve knelt beside Erskine, his eyes locking onto the doctor's as he struggled for air. Erskine opened his mouth, but shut it again, and Steve realised from the blood that was pooling around the doctors body, there was nothing he could do. Erskine raised his right hand, and simply prodded Steve’s chest gently, right above his heart, similar to the way he’d pointed at him the night before.

“Not a perfect soldier, but a good man…”

The words echoed in Steve’s brain as he watched Erskine’s eyes close as his head rolled to the right, his breathing stopped. Steve took a deep breath of his own and felt another heat radiating through his body, this one out and out anger as he raised his head slowly to look at the stairs the suspect had run up mere moments ago. His jaw clenching he sprang to his feet and ran off, taking the steps two at a time. 

As he sprinted through the facility he could hear gunshots and explosions from the street and as he emerged into the street he saw the woman from earlier led on the floor, not moving, a wound to her chest. Vaulting over her he saw Katie to his left tending to someone who was down on the sidewalk, whilst Agent Carter was stood in the road, un-moving, arm raised as she shot at a Yellow Taxi which was driving straight for them. He threw himself at Peggy, taking her out of the path of danger as the car sped past

“I had him!”  Agent Carter said with an air of annoyance as they both climbed to their feet.

“Sorry!” Steve yelled as he started to run after the car, surprised momentarily at the way his legs just seemed to move with little or no effort, covering far more ground than he was used to. He picked up the pace, tracking the car as he went, taking a short cut down a road to his left. But he was going too fast and, as he rounded a corner, he lost control over his new power and crashed straight through the window of a Bridal Wear store, taking out the display. He jumped back up, straight onto the street, tossing another apology over his shoulder as he cut down a narrow alleyway with a chainmail fence at the bottom.

The fence was ten feet tall, easily, and Steve picked up speed a little more with the aim of jumping as high up it as he could get before scrambling over the top, but as he took off from the floor he realised that he was going to clear it. He was going to clear a ten foot fucking fence.

Tucking his legs up, he landed easily and ran out onto a street full of cars, his hands held up, protests of “woah, whoa, whoa” slipping form his mouth automatically as they all skidded to a stop trying to avoid him. He spun to his left, spotted the cab and continued his chase as it weaved itself in and out of the traffic.

He was gaining on it now and he dug a little deeper, realising he had a lot more energy in his tank, his bare feet slapping the wet concrete of the ground. As he drew closer to the car he knew that the only way to get the vehicle to stop was by getting inside it, and to do that he needed to physically get hold of it first of all. An idea suddenly came to him as he saw a car in front of him and he approached he hopped up onto the trunk then the roof, and then to the car in front before jumping onto the back of a truck. With a final leap he flung himself at the yellow taxi landing flat on the roof, his hands gripping either side of the sills above the doors as it began to sharply weave side to side. It took a sharp turn to the left, then right, then left again, forcing Steve to adjust his hold as it tore down a narrow street before emerging on the road which led to the pier. This gave Steve a little time to steady himself and he rose tentatively onto his hands and knees before there was a loud bang and a bullet shot through the roof of the car. Another few shots came, Steve dodging them all as he slid down the side of the car, wrenching the passenger door open. But before he could climb in, the man shot at him, meaning Steve had to let go with his right arm to avoid taking the bullet straight in the chest, but by shooting at him, his target had taken his eyes off the road, meaning he hadn’t noticed the two trucks emerging in front of him. The taxi crashed straight into them and flipped over sideways, beginning to roll and Steve let go, tumbling forward onto the floor before he came to a stop.

Steve rose to his feet and headed forwards as his target crawled from the car. He watched as the man stood, pointing his gun towards Steve and shot, missing him, the various people screaming as the gun went off. Steve picked up the door of the car which was lying in the road and held it in front of him as the man shot twice, the second bullet coming through the door and grazing the left hand side of Steve’s abdomen. As he peered round the side of the door he noticed that the man had now taken a young boy hostage, his arm pinned around his chest as he dragged him backwards, the boy’s mother screaming and begging for him to stop. Steve tossed the door to the side, following him, his right hand clutching at the wound to his left.

“Get back!” The man warned with the boy dangling in his arms as he backed away. Steve dodged another bullet, flattening himself against the wall. The man ran off towards the dockside and Steve followed using a large iron buoy as shield from another incoming shot. He hastily followed, keeping his back to the damp brick of the shipping company building, and as he peered round the arch he saw the man raise his gun and press the barrel to the boys head.

Steve’s blood ran cold, “wait, don’t! Don’t!” He protested, approaching with his arms up. At that the man pointed the gun at Steve and pulled the trigger, Steve automatically flinching as he awaited the shot that never came because the gun was empty. As he had nothing else to do, the hostile dragged the boy towards the side of the docks and Steve realised what he was intending to do.

“No! Don’t!”, but it was too late. With a shove the kid went flying into the water and the man turned, sprinting away. Steve ran to the edge to see the kid treading water, looking up at him.

“Go get him! I can swim!”

Decision made, Steve sprinted after his target who had disappeared, but as he ran he noticed to the right in the water some kind of sleek, black submarine pulling away. With a spring off the edge Steve dove into the icy, cold water, swimming in the vessel's slipstream. Whether the sub wasn’t going that fast, or if it was his ability to simply swim faster, Steve had no idea, but he caught it easily, punching straight through into the cockpit, flooding it with water. He then wrenched the canopy open and pulled the man sharply upwards sending him flying straight out of the surface and onto the cold stone of the dockside where he landed with a thud.

Steve followed quickly, climbing a set of steps out of the water and as the man got up, Steve saw the flash of a blade in his hand. With a reflex that was purely automatic, he dodged out of the way aiming a kick to the man’s chin which sent him sprawling backwards. The knife flew from his hand, but so did a familiar vial which Steve suddenly realised was full of Erskine’s serum. It shattered on the floor, the blue liquid pooling on the damp cobbles as Steve gripped the lapels of the man’s jacket, pulling him harshly forwards.

“Who the hell are you?” He demanded.

 “The first of many," the man spoke in a thick accent. “Cut off one head-” at that he popped a tooth loose and swallowed it, looking at Steve, his jaw set, “-two more shall take its place.”

 Steve frowned, perplexed as none of that made any sense, until he spoke again, through the foam that had now started to bubble from his mouth.

“Hail HYDRA!”

With that the man gave a little grunt, his pupils completely dilated as he grew heavy and limp in Steve’s grip. Steve let go, the body falling to the ground as he straightened up, his chest heaving as he stared at the dead man on the floor.

Steve couldn’t help the disappointment flooding his system at the fact he hadn’t managed to capture him alive. But that said, whilst he hadn’t managed to find out who he was exactly,  he now knew who he was working for and at least they’d managed to stop the serum from falling into the wrong hands.

The serum.

At that Steve glanced down at his hands, which were both significantly larger, then to his forearms where the muscles flexed as he opened and closed his fists. With everything that had happened he hadn’t had chance to appreciate the extent to which the procedure had actually enhanced him. He’d run with a speed he had never thought possible, his lungs had stretched to a capacity that now, he thought about it, stunned him, his ability to swim the way he had, leap, the pure athleticism he had displayed in that short ten minute chase was astonishing.

His hands flew to his stomach to find a hard set of abs, his fingers tracing the definition of the planes of muscle under the wet t-shirt which clung to his body. His hands moved upwards almost tentatively, reaching the hard curve of his pecs and it was at that point a voiced broke through his stunned thoughts.

“Steve!”

He looked up to see Agent Stark running towards him. Behind her, Agent Carter and a few other soldiers and police officers were working to keep the now assembled crowd on the pier back. “Are you okay?  You’re bleeding.”

Steve glanced down at his shirt and noticed for the first time the blood on the white material. He shook his head.

“He shot me but it's just a graze, I’m fine.” He jerked his head towards the guy on the ground by his feet. “More than can be said for him…”

She glanced down at the body on the floor, blinking as if she was seeing the dead man for the first time before she dropped to her knees, her fingers pressing into his neck checking for a pulse.

“Did he drown?”

“No.” Steve said, and he quickly explained about the submarine and pulling the man from the water. As he explained about the vial of serum, he saw Katie’s eyes flick to the broken glass on the floor before her face darted back to Steve as he told her about the man having loosened his tooth and bit something. “I’m not sure what it was but…”

“He bit something?” Katie’s entire face changed into a look of shock, her eyes darting side to side as she wrenched the guys mouth open, her fingers jamming straight inside.

 Steve grimaced. “What…”

“Son of a bitch.” she pulled her hand back and knelt back on her heels, wiping her hands very ungracefully on the side of her skirt.

“I’m not…”

“Cyanide capsule.” She sighed, “a lot of the intelligence organisations provide them to their undercover agents and they keep them hidden in a false tooth. If you’re caught, you can effectively kill yourself before you’re taken and, well…”

“Tortured?” Steve finished for her. Katie took a deep breath and shrugged.

“Questioned was the word I was going to use but…” she shrugged, looking around. “He was clearly a Nazi Spy.”

Steve looked at her, nodding. “He was HYDRA.”

“HYDRA?”

“Heil HYDRA.” Steve looked down at the dead man, “last thing he said before he died.”

 Katie bit her lip, “fuck,” she mumbled, before she looked up at Steve. “Sorry, just, well Erskine warned Phillips not to be complacent about Schmidt but Phillips was adamant that Hitler was the big threat.” She bowed her head a little, her shoulders slumping and Steve took a deep breath as he realised that the Doctor was no longer with them having died in his arms little over ten minutes ago. It left him feeling hollow, sick even and from the looks of it Katie was feeling just as bad.

But now wasn’t the time.

“I err…” Steve cleared his throat a little, composing himself. “I’m not following? Why did Erskine differentiate? I mean, I thought HYDRA were Hitler’s deep science organisation?”

Katie glanced down once more before she turned her pretty face back to Steve, “Yes, they are. But Erskine always said Schmidt had ambitions beyond Hitler’s. Something Peggy backed up from her time undercover.”

 At that point she made to stand and automatically Steve offered her his hand. She took it and he made to pull her up, but with his new strength he was far more forceful than he had meant to be and she gave a little yelp of surprise as she was jerked straight into his chest.

“Easy Soldier.” She gasped, her hands falling to his biceps as she steadied herself.

“Sorry," he hastily apologised, his own hands settling gently on either side of her ribcage, the rough tweed of her uniform jacket prickly under the pads of his fingers. “I’m not used to…” He trailed off as he realised that not only was he looking down at her now, but his new large frame completely dwarfed hers.

“Don’t worry about it.” Her voice was equally breathy as his, her eyes still on his face and she gave him a little smile before she moved one hand upwards, gently cupping his cheek, almost as if she was checking something, which to be fair, she might have been. Steve had no idea what he looked like, he hadn’t seen a mirror yet. The only parts of him he’d managed to get a glimpse at so far were his arms and legs.

What he did know was that her touch was blazing on his skin, more than it had been the night before. He could hear her breathing too, and he could see every single detail on her face and her eyes. Not only were they green, but they were the most gorgeous shade of green he had ever seen in his life. He could see the dots of brown speckled throughout and the slight ring of amber surrounding her irises, reminding him of the sun. Full of warmth and power….

“Hey, you okay?” Katie frowned. 

“Yeah, erm, I just, I can see better.” Steve replied simply, as her hand gently curled in on itself as she dropped it to her side. “Has it…” he began to ask and Katie smiled, shaking her head.

“Still handsome.” She smiled, and Steve felt his neck flush with heat again before a voice cut through their moment.

“Did you get it?” Colonel Phillips was striding towards them. Katie moved back from Steve, turning towards her Superior, steeling her composure. 

“No,” she shook her head, before gesturing to the shattered vial on the floor. 

“Shit.” Phillips exclaimed with a groan.

“But neither did they.” Katie looked at him, before she turned to look at Steve once more, “And there is one upside to all this…”

“Don’t you dare tell me to look on the Brightside, Stark.” Phillips glared at her as she took a deep breath, realising her head, chin jutting defiantly towards him.

 “At least we know it works," she said simply.

 Phillips looked at her, then to Steve, before he gave a snort. “One isn’t enough.”

 Steve inhaled deeply, his frustration mounting but it was Agent Stark that spoke next.

 “Well, one is all you’ve got. I suggest you start treating him with a little more respect seeing as he just chased down a damned HYDRA operative through twelve blocks of Brooklyn, pulled him out of some underwater craft and took a bullet for his troubles.”

 Phillips’ jaw twitched at the way he was being spoken to and Steve grimaced slightly in anticipation of the incoming dressing down Katie was going to get, but it never arrived.

 “HYDRA?” Phillips blinked and Kate nodded.

“Yes, Sir.”

 The man took a deep breath and then turned to Steve, his eyes travelling up and down his body “Rogers, you hurt?”

“No, Sir.”

Philips inhaled again and then turned to Peggy “Agent Carter, I want a recovery unit down here for this so called underwater craft. You two…” he spun back to face Steve and Katie, “back to the lab so the Medical Team can assess you. If you are truly the only super soldier I’m getting, then the last thing I want is you to drop dead of complications.”

 “That means he cares," Katie looked up at Steve who glanced at her as he saw a smile tug at her lips.

 “You’re gettin’ on my nerves,” Phillips pointed at her, before he gave her a filthy look and turned to leave.

 “Is it authority in general you got a problem with or just him?” Steve asked after a moment or two and Katie let out a little chuckle.

 “Believe it or not I actually like Chester.” She smiled, “I just enjoy irritating him more. Come on, we’re attracting a bit of a crowd so…” She gently squeezed his hand before she began walking the same way Colonel Philips had done a few moments before, Steve following, pausing slightly as he felt a tug on the side of his T-shirt. He stopped and turned to find the kid who he’d last seen bobbing up and down in the muggy water of the docks grinning up at him.

 “That was swell!” The kid laughed and Steve raised his eyebrows.

 “That’s not exactly the word I would use…”

 “No, but the way you ran and jumped in and then threw him outta the water like BAM!” The kid smirked and Steve felt his neck growing warm at the praise, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “What’s your name, Mister?”

 “Err Steve.”

“Marty!” A voiced called and the boy turned, Steve following his gaze to see a woman who had been stood talking to a police officer, hastily making her way over. “Come on.”

 “Ma’am.” Steve greeted her as she stopped in front of him, taking a breath.

 “You saved him.” She said, her voice cracking.

“Oh, no, I…”

“Thank you,” she stood on her toes and kissed Steve’s cheek before she dropped an arm round her son’s shoulders and turned him away, gently talking to him.

 Steve stood stock still for a moment, swallowing, before he turned to see Katie watching him, her eyebrow arched a little, smile spread across her pretty face.

 “A regular superhero,” she teased and Steve rolled his eyes at her as he fell into step besides her.

 “Hardly.” He scoffed, “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”

Katie stopped and turned to face him, shaking her head, “you still don’t get it do you?”

“Get what?” He frowned as she began to walk again.

 “How many other kids from Brooklyn do you know that would have just done what you did?”

“Well its hardly a fair comparison is it?” Steve pointed out as they walked down the side of the building, Katie nodding to Agent Carter as they passed “How many others do you know that just got converted into…well, a Super Soldier or whatever the hell they’re calling me?”

“You had no idea what that serum had done, other than make you taller,” Katie shot back as they moved back towards the entrance of the pier. “But you took off after that guy, without so much as a second thought for your safety.”

 “I just did what anyone would have done.” He sighed, a little uncomfortable at her praise.

 She stopped at the side of a black car and turned to face him, her face soft, “no, you did what that kid from Brooklyn would have done.” Her eyes remained locked onto his before they were interrupted by an Army official who handed Steve a blanket. He took it with a thanks, wrapping it around his shoulders, despite the fact that he didn’t feel cold in the slightest, in fact he felt a pretty strong sense of warmth.

 And as he watched Katie climb into the car he was pretty sure that wasn’t solely attributable to Erskine’s serum which was now coursing through his veins. 

**** Chapter 4

[fiveisnumber1]

Timeless - Five Hargreeves x Reader Side Story

I’m in the process of working on the next part of the main story of Timeless but I decided to write this short little side story so I hope y’all enjoy!

Main story parts:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28

_________________________

The Tattoo - “A Family Reunion” Side Story

January 17th, 2014:

After a long day at school, Diego had come to pick you up. Holding the straps of your backpack you walked towards his car. Although the Umbrella Academy had pretty much faded out of the collective thoughts of the public, Diego still tried to keep a low profile for you. You never knew if there were any die-hard fans around so it was better to be safe than sorry. Getting into the passenger seat Diego happily ruffles your hair saying,

“Hey kiddo, you made it to Friday. Congrats on finishing your second school week.”

“Thanks.” You replied softly

It had been hard starting school again. You had been there for only ten days in total and it was completely different from what you knew. Public school was nothing like the private school your parents used to send you to. It was loud and rambunctious and there was never a quiet moment. It was good because you were never alone with your thoughts but the semi-structured environment wasn’t something you were equipped for. And on top of it, you were surrounded by kids your age but they weren’t your friends. You didn’t have friends anymore. As Diego drove away from the school you looked out the window watching the other kids pass by as they got on busses or into their family’s cars. Turning back to sit straight Diego asks,

“Anything interesting happen today?” 

“I pulled a knife on a kid at lunch.” You reply nonchalantly

“I’m not saying you were wrong. But why?” Diego asks

“He had a bow and arrow on him and startled me.” you responded

You hadn’t expected anyone to come up to you during lunch. You typically minded your own business and sat alone. Well, not completely alone. You sat at the same table as a girl from your music class. You knew she played the viola but other than that was quiet and reserved. You two never really talked but every once in a while you’d glance at each other. The kid that approached you though was more outgoing and made his presence known. He was in your gym class and always seen with a taller blond boy. You didn’t know why he had decided to come over to you but nevertheless, he did and even after you had pulled a knife on him he decided to sit down across from you and start talking. You didn’t really respond but you did listen to him. He kind of reminded you of Diego but maybe this would be just a one-off experience. 

Diego had thought about your response for just a quick second before responding,

“That’s reasonable. I’m proud of you for protecting yourself.”

“He didn’t seem like too much of a threat but okay.” you stated

Diego let out a small laugh. Of course, you wouldn’t see some 13-year old with a bow as a threat. Diego continued to drive as you told him about your classes and what you were studying. He listened happily as you discussed the experiments you were doing in Science class and how you were writing poetry in English. The two of you soon came to a stop as you arrived at the boxing club you were both a part of. On Friday’s you would come along with him before going back to the academy the next day. Entering the building you sat down on a nearby chair and started working on your homework as Diego trained with another member. Typically, he would work with you but because he had a match coming up soon he needed to focus on himself. 

Every once in a while though you would go up to the side of the ring and ask for help with a part of your homework. Sometimes you actually needed help but other times you just enjoyed the way your brother’s eyes lit up when you told him you needed him and the proud look on his face when you finally solved the problem. When you had finished your homework you would drag the chair to the side of the ring to watch your brother spar. Swinging your feet back and forth as you sat on the chair you tried to study the practice fight so you could improve your own fighting skills. During the fight though you would catch quick glimpses of Diego’s wrist and the Umbrella Academy tattoo that resided on it. You hated the sight. It was as if Reginald permanently branded him, connecting him to something he never decided to be a part of in the first place. It was a marking that would never go away just like the childhood he was robbed of as part of the Umbrella Academy.

The hours passed and soon it was time to close the club down for the day. Most other club members left and Diego grabbed the mop and bucket from the corner to start cleaning. Cleaning up the club was his livelihood. Al, the owner, was kind enough to let him turn the boiler room into a bedroom and give him a decent wage in exchange for training people during the day and cleaning up at night. You were always so proud of him. Your brother worked hard, harder than anyone else you knew. Even during his time in the Umbrella Academy he always pushed himself to do his best and then some. You admired it and wanted to work just as hard as he did. 

As he cleaned, you tried to help him though. Using your powers you did your best to liquefy the dried sweat and blood so it would be easier to clean. By the time he had finished, it was late and you had grown tired. Diego puts the mop and bucket away before coming over to you and saying,

“I think it’s time you get to sleep.” 

You nodded your head and let out a yawn standing up so you could head to the boiler room that Diego called home. Placing a hand on your back Diego guided you there. You rubbed your eyes before climbing into the bed. Diego tucked you in nicely before sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking your hair until you fell asleep. Once he knew you were completely asleep he carefully got up and went over to a chair across the room. He sat and watched you for a while to make sure you were okay but soon enough he drifted off too.

You started to toss and turn in your sleep. A chill creeping into your bones as images of snow rushed into your mind. The voices of your parents and friends surrounding you. Frantically you look around for them and see silhouettes. Familiar figures extending their hands as they call our your name, beckoning you to them. You rush towards the figures but the snow starts to pick up. The figures become obscured. You run around calling out their names but no one responds. From behind you, you hear the sound of snow crunching as if someone was running away. You turn around from the direction your family and friends were and follow the footsteps in the snow. Up ahead you see a figure that grows clearer the closer you get. 

“Five.”

You pushed yourself to run harder. To try and catch him. When you feel you’re close enough you extend your hand to grab his jacket but just as you do he vanishes. You trip and fall to the ground.

“No!” You called out as you sat up straight in bed.

Your body shook as tears started to prick your eyes. You looked around only to see the boiler room and Diego sitting on his chair off to the side. No snow, no figures, no Five. You took a few breaths before quietly getting up from the bed and heading over towards Diego. Carefully, you shake his arm quietly calling,

“Eggo. Eggoooo.”

Diego wakes up startled but soon calms down when he sees you there. He can see the tears building up in your eyes glisten from the light of the lamp. He always left the lamp on because he thought it would ease the nightmares but they still seemed to happen.

“Bad dream?” He questioned softly

You nodded your head in response. Diego opened his arms allowing you to sit in his lap before he held you close. You were so small and you didn’t deserve all this pain you were going through. He knew from his own experience of how difficult it was to be young and struggling with the pain of traumatic events. Tears slipped from your eyes as you dealt with the fallout of another nightmare. Diego slowly rocked you as he held you, the same way mom did for him when he was still small. When your vision cleared slightly you could see the image of the tattoo on Diego’s wrist. You reached out and using your pointer finger you began to trace the image over and over. Diego noticed what you were doing and questioned,

“Princess, why do you keep tracing that?”

You looked away from the tattoo and up at your older brother.

“If I trace it enough times maybe I can erase it away.” you explain quietly

“Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.” Diego responds

“But heat breaks down ink, if I can just vibrate the molecules enough I can make it go away. I know I can.” You elaborate 

“I’ve come to terms with it you don’t need to make it go away.” Diego softly replies

He hadn’t come to terms with it though. It was an awful reminder of the despicable man who he called his father. The same one whose roof you were now living under. Diego wished that he made more money, that he had a place where he could keep you safe from that man, but he didn’t. He knew you were fiercely independent and smart, but so was Five and their dad still did enough damage to make him run away through time. Five was the whole reason you were even in this mess. Diego wanted to seem strong for you though so he kept his feelings to himself on the matter. He might not have come to terms with it but you were the focus now, his focus, and his residual problems matter much less than making sure you would be okay.

“The one day I wasn’t able to be there...I went with my dad to bring your child to work day and yours did this.” You stated as you continued to look at the marking

It’s true. He did pick the one day where you were busy. You had talked all the week before about bring your child to work day and how it worked. You had gone every year with him since you were 3. He and his siblings were all excited to hear what it was like when you visited the next day but that excitement was ruined by the permanent scar they all received. 

Diego remembered that day in vivid detail. They were all summoned to the parlor and before they knew it the carnage began. Klaus got his tattoo first as punishment for being intoxicated. It was a vicious punishment for such a minor action. Allison went next and cried the whole time. When she finished Klaus held her as she continued to spill tears. Then it was his turn. The needle scared him but he put on a tough face to show that he had the mental fortitude to be a leader. He didn’t even accept comfort from his own mother. Luther and Ben went next and then Five was last. Five had looked at the front door the whole time, probably hoping you would show up unannounced and stop it before he was marked. It didn’t happen. All of them knew that their father chose this day on purpose. It was cruel. Diego looked off in the distance as the memories replayed in his head. He still tried to cheer up the conversation though by lightly joking,

“If he did it on a day you were around you would’ve burned the house down.” 

His joking didn’t work though as you sadly followed up,

“All of you hid it from me. Why?”

“We all knew you’d feel exactly like this, like it was your fault. We made a pact not to say anything because it would hurt your feelings and I’m sure you could guess who led the efforts on that idea.” Diego responded honestly

You nodded your head. Of course, he didn’t want to hurt your feelings.

“I always felt like you knew, but you never said anything so I wasn’t sure. How did you find out?” Diego added

“Vanya.” You respond with a yawn

“Of course it was Vanya.” Diego mumbles

You could feel yourself growing tired again. Your eyelids started to droop as you explained,

“She had drawn the image in black marker on her wrist and when I asked why she told me. He didn’t say anything until I brought it up.”

You didn’t like referring to Five by his name. You barely mentioned him because the wound of his loss was still too much. Diego didn’t understand how someone who cared for you so much could cut you so deeply. It didn’t make sense, but he couldn’t change the past.

“I could’ve protected you all...” You mumbled before falling back asleep

“It wasn’t your job to protect us.” Diego quietly replied

He held your small sleeping figure closer to him and rocked you once more.

“But it’s my job to protect you.”

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [1237]

“So. I think your girlfriend is probably more than a beach bunny. Not that I thought your girlfriend is a beach bunny. But you did meet her on the beach while she was attempting to tan. Also, not that there’s anything wrong with beach bunnies.”

“The longer you talk, the deeper you shove your foot into your mouth,” Herah advises Max. “So stop talking. Also, he’s right. Not about the beach bunny thing, which I’m not going to address one way or another.”

“One, she’s not my girlfriend,” Bull can’t believe he’s saying those exact words in that order out loud with his own physical body. He’s too old for that kind of thing. This isn’t frickin’ middle school or whatever. He also can’t believe he’s saying these words in the middle of a botched holiday retreat. “Two, fucking yeah duh, Trevelyan. Way to state the damn obvious. You want to tell me that we’re under attack too? That I’m missing an eye?”

“Calm down,” Evelyn barks at them, “And keep your voices down. The rest of us are trying to do actual work over here. You’re welcome to join at any time.”

“This is also sort of work. We’ve got an unknown among us,” Herah says. “Bull’s not-girlfriend.”

The way she says it screams about how much she thinks he’s bullshitting her. And himself.

“In order for her to be my girlfriend I’d have to have asked her out on a date,” Bull says, “And stated some kind of romantic long term intentions. I’ll agree that some of our…interactions could be construed as date-like.”

“You two spent three hours walking on the beach and then another two hours talking underneath one beach umbrella,” Pavus says. “If you aren’t calling that a date I’m going to move to have you retired by force.”

Bull ignores him. It’s a test of patience and will that Bull refuses to concede.

“But at no point have I ever gone up to her and said anything along the words of, ‘hey, I like you. Want to go steady?’”.

Sera, who’s across the entire fucking floor of the open lounge they’re using as temporary headquarters, gags so hard it echoes.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Max calls out. Sera raises up the middle finger salute.

“One, that’s the worst possible way to phrase it,” Herah says, “Two. Sometimes it’s about the subtleties.”

“Do I look subtle to you?”

“Said the former Qun elite intelligence agent.”

Bull scowls.

“Anyway, this isn’t what we’re talking about. We’re talking about — “

“Your girlfriend is making her way to the roof with a sniper rifle,” Evelyn cuts over her cousin with a complete deadpan. “Let’s talk about that.”

Everyone immediately goes to swarm around Evelyn to look at the monitor she’s been watching.

“That’s definitely your girl,” Max says.

Bull doesn’t even bother to protest that she’s not his girl, his woman, his anything. His mistake, maybe, depending on how this night pans out.

“Those look like some good boots,” Herah says.

“The boots are what you’re focusing on?” Evelyn turns to look over her should at Herah.

Herah shrugs. “I know good boots when I see them. Sue me.”

Bull rubs the bridge of his nose. “Should we go and stop her?”

“Yes. Ideally before she uses that very expensive gun against someone,” Evelyn says.

“Wait, I got her brother,” Edric says from one of the other monitors. “And this is insane, because he’s just killed five people. Two people with one bullet. You don’t even see this shit in movies.”

Everyone abruptly ditches the feed that shows Ellana carefully sneaking her way past security to look at what Edric’s watching.

Bull gets there in time to watch Ellana’s brother dart off screen into the view of another camera, doing an impressive slide over the floor that also gets him in range to slice through the tendons of four guys in one move.

“Just to be clear, those aren’t our guys, right?”

“Nope. Definitely not our guys,” Edric confirms. “Where did you pick these guys up again?”

When Bull looks, Pavus is gaping, slack jawed in an incredibly out of character display of — what he would call — uncouth behavior.

Everyone turns to Pavus as the man collects himself, closing his mouth and his expression.

“He told me that he was an athletics instructor.”

Everyone turns to Bull now.

“She told me she was unemployed.” Bull pauses. “And she worked odd jobs in between.”

“They’re either hitmen or intelligence,” Leliana says, not looking up from where she’s typing. “Harding.”

“On it, boss,” Harding says, immediately typing away. “Should I start with independents or try to crack national databases?”

“Independents first,” Leliana says, “Because I’m being optimistic and hoping for the best case scenario of unemployed hitmen being tangled up in our little spat.”

“What’s your worst case scenario?” Evelyn asks.

“That they’re aligned with an intelligence operation and will report back our dirty laundry.”

Yeah. Fair.

“They’re definitely not Qun,” Bull says. If they were Qun Bull would’ve definitely picked that up by now. He’s not that out of the game. If they were Qun they would have attempted contact, tried to kill him, or given some other kind of tip off.

“Let’s hope they aren’t anything and that they’re willing to be bought off to keep their mouths shut about this little embarrassing family feud.”

“What a charming way of calling a coup,” Max says. “A family feud. How sweet. How…understated.”

“Maybe we should let this play out,” Cullen says.

Everyone turns to him. He’s watching the screens that would have Ellana’s current trajectory on them if she’s going towards the roof.

“I don’t see that either of them have been hostile to our friendlies,” Cullen points out. “And they’ve had plenty of time to do so.”

“How unusually adventurous for you, Cullen,” Leliana teases. “So all you needed to get a taste for taking risks was an island getaway? I should’ve dragged you off for a retreat sooner.”

[zerogender-onlyswag]

I’m sick of the discourse around microlabels when a so called microlabel helped me feel like I wasn’t a heartless monster who led a girl on.

My last relationship was really nice. We met on OkCupid, we went on some of the nicest dates, she was a good kisser and liked all the same things I liked, but had enough differences that it wasn’t boring. We both had some relationship trauma, but who doesn’t? We were so interested in each other that our first date lasted so long my sibling was worried about me. Like, we went out at around 2 in mid-October and by the time I got home it was dark. And this was after we’d talked a whole bunch online. And we still had stuff to talk about!

But something was off. I liked her a lot and I wanted to make her happy and hang out with her. I was scared to introduce her to my sibling because 1) he’s my best friend and roommate and his approval means a lot 2) he sometimes rubs people the wrong way and it’s important that my SO like him. All the elements of “new romantic relationship” were there, but I didn’t really FEEL romantically interested. I did a lot of performance, and then I ended it kind of abruptly (like a jerk) because I just couldn’t get past that block.

Then a mutual of mine came out as demiromantic and I started looking into that label more. I realized that my “intense crushes on friends” weren’t me being sexually attracted after forming a close bond like I thought. It was romantic attraction the whole damn time. It felt right. With my ex gf, we’d rushed into a romantic relationship before I had really felt a close friendship (it takes me a bit sometimes) and our first date friendship speedrun was too tinged with the intention of romance for me to form a bond. I’ve formed bonds faster before, but it’s always been without the intention of romance, and I guess the intention matters to me.

So I started cautiously identifying as demiromantic and asexual, instead of demisexual.

I reconnected with my ex girlfriend and explained that I did really like her but I think I’m demiromantic and I’d done a lot of performance of the romantic attraction and she admitted performing a lot of sexual attraction, and said my actions make a lot more sense if I’m demiromantic. I apologized for how badly I’d ended it and she said her only real issue was the timing. She said she still had feelings for me but respected that I didn’t, and said if I ever wanted to date platonically she’d still be interested. It was kind and loving, like I expected from her and I was proud of her for being more vocal about her feelings. I still like her a lot and would love to reconnect one day, when things calm down and aren’t so dangerous.

But I would never have been able to do that (beyond a couple of drunk messages I shouldn’t have sent 😬) if I hadn’t gotten a label that explained my feelings so well. Because aromantic just isn’t quite right, and I always thought I couldn’t be arospec because I loved romance and love too much, and I HAD been romantically into people before. So I couldn’t be aro? It was a near constant inner turmoil.

So STFU about your whining about microlabels. A microlabel launched me out of a severe self-hatred spiral and I’m so grateful I have that word for myself. I’m fine with the umbrella terms for my sexual and gender identity! I like asexual and nonbinary! Even though I might be gray ace (if I am it’s my sexual attraction so rare I barely experience it at all and it’s mostly toward fictional characters) and I identify as agender too. But my romantic identity is more specific and I need a more specific word for it.

Both umbrella terms and microlabels have their uses and both are important to individuals, like me, an almost 30 year old.

[skye-huntress]

RWBY V8 Finale “The Final Word” Reactions

Thus concludes the first Volume I get to watch as it airs week by week, and react to it

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW! SERIOUSLY IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE EPISODE YET AND FOR WHATEVER REASON STILL SEE THIS EVEN WITH THE SPOILER TAG, CONSIDER THIS YOUR LAST WARNING

Sooo, I cannot not talk about this big one first because it gives me personal feelings. Penny is a character that is very precious to me, always has been. I binged the show up to Volume 7 last year so I didn’t have to go through years of new episodes knowing she was gone and then when she came back and throughout Volume 8, she cemented herself as one of my favourites, right up there with Ruby and Weiss. I even warmed up to Frosen Steel. I honestly did not think nor did I want to think that the show would kill her again, even knowing this was going to be a rough volume for her being the central figure in the whole conflict. The only consolation I have is that she died on her own terms.

While we’re on this note, my sympathies to Jaune for having to be the one to send her on her way. My sympathies to a lot of characters because whether or not Nuts and Dolts is platonic or romantic, she was particularly special to Ruby who once again was not there to save her.

Penny finally got her song, and it hurts

I could tell from the beginning that the Ace Ops were overrated. They seemed cool on the surface and as individual fighters they were probably up there, but I’m also sceptical of the ones that everyone (including themselves) called the “best” at anything. The reality is that they were a mess, they told to bury their feelings, and told to always accept their Jimmy’s judgment over even their own. Clover died a meaningless death because he ignored his own better judgment. That said, for Vine, the least expressive of the whole bunch to not only talk Harriet down but make a sacrifice for his team friends was not something I would have called. And yet I remember how he tried to comfort Elm, and how when Marrow was nearly killed how expressive he was in his shock and fear. Honestly, I should know better, as someone who isn’t able to express the full depth of my emotions very well, I should have known that Vine was probably the one who cared for his friends more than they ever realised.

Qrow was actually lucky for once. I have a theory. If Ren’s semblance can evolve from masking emotions to sensing them, maybe Qrow’s semblance could evolve so that he could change his or others’ fortunes for the better and not just for the worst. At the very least, rubbing the pin made him believe he could in fact be lucky, maybe that’s all he needed.

Harriet has a lot of issues to sort through, but maybe now without the toxicity of the military and Jimmy, she and her remaining friends can allow themselves to feel, grieve, heal and grow.

So we have Robyn, Qrow, Harriet, Elm and Marrow on a transport leaving Solitas through conventional travel. They probably can’t fly their transport straight to Vacuo so they may have to make some stops on the way, probably at Argus or Vale.

As for Ironwood, what a fitting end. He always saw himself as the hero of Remnant, the one with all the answers, the one who was always right, and who would save the day. But in the end, he wasn’t anyone even worth killing. To the villains, he was always a joke, someone to be used, and right when he is finally face to face with his greatest enemy, she never even looked at him once. In the end, neither he nor his precious Atlas proved to be very relevant or impressive.

Neo thought she was clever but she was a fool. That’s what happens when you let anger and vengeance consume you, it warps your judgment. Cinder was always using her, to get what she wanted, and as a means to get her own vengeance on Ruby.

Speaking of not letting not letting vengeance consume you, Blake. She saw how close she was to losing everyone else she cared about she switched tacts. I’m proud of her. And she risked the fall to save Ruby, unfortunately this risk was too great for her.

My WhiteRose heart cheered when Weiss went to back up Ruby. I assume Blake knew the partners could assist each other better than she could. It hurt that she had to watch the rest of her team family fall, to be the last one standing, using Gambol Shroud. And then she fell right in front of her sister.

Ruby really needs more practice with her eyes before she faces Cinder again. It was impressive though how she goaded Neo and knocked her over the edge. Unfortunately, there was more than one person there who really wanted her dead.

As for Ruby’s mental state, she never really had time to process anything that had happened, she was in survival mode the entire time. Falling into the same place as Yang did might give her hope that her sister is still alive and if she fell with Blake, all the better, then she won’t be alone. But like I said, Penny was very important to her, and this is the second time she has lost her. Just imagine though, if Penny’s body falls into the void with them and Ruby finds it, that’d be all the worse than just hearing about it from Weiss or Jaune.

Now, Winter, she is the MVP of this episode. Winter is now the Winter Maiden, not because Ironwood chose her to be or because she actually chose it herself but because Penny chose her. Penny believed in her friend. My love of Penny gives me a lot of conflicting feelings for this and the implications but it was satisfying to see Winter own Ironwood and hold her own against Cinder. And now she is the champion for Atlas’ refugees, but failing Weiss and Penny is going to have a significant impact on her. At least she’ll allow herself to feel and she still has some family left.

Now for the weapons. When Crescent Rose fell, it was like watching an entirely separate character fall as well. Gambol Shroud and Neo’s umbrella fell on their own, too. And Jaune’s weapon that was reforged with Pyrrha’s ruined weapon was destroyed by none other than Cinder. So basically the only ones still completely armed are Weiss and Yang, but of course the latter also has a concussion.

It wasn’t the complete victory she wanted but it was decisive. I figured a victory for Cinder would be getting both relics and she did. But I knew she wouldn’t get the Maiden powers, that’s always the part she fails at again and again. She tries to syphon a Maiden’s magic only to be interrupted. Every. Single. Time. Seriously, Cinder will just never learn from this mistake and its why she will likely never have more than one Maiden’s power at the rate she is going. But as decisive as this victory was, it will cost her in the long run. She needed help from Jinn, Neo and Watts in order to beat Team RWBY but they’ll come back stronger, smarter and more pissed off and Cinder won’t have all of that help next time. If anything, she might have put herself back on top of Neo’s shitlist.

Watts’ end is also rather fitting and also completely expected. Like Jimmy and Jaques, he represented a lot of what was wrong with Atlas, particularly the elite. How annoyed would Ambrosius be with Cinder though? “More fire, that’s it? This is my cosmic karma for being annoyed about being used by the same kids twice in a row.”

Atlas fell as I always knew it would, after all the relics exist to help humanity and a flying city did nothing but fuelled the egos of those who lived on that floating rock. Mantle was something to be proud of, but Atlas was a lie. Now Remnant’s “greatest kingdom in the world” reduced to ruin and it’s people refugees in a land their ancestors made a wasteland. This will have dire consequences.

So in the end, no help came for Atlas. Not surprising in retrospect. Atlesians didn’t have the best reputation to begin with, then Ironwood made a series of terrible decisions (that everyone around him strongly advised against), destroying Atlas’ relations with the other Kingdoms. Then came Ruby’s broadcast out of nowhere where she dropped some insane bombshells and then her message was cut off and global comms went down again. Few can vouch for Ruby’s character and even fewer can verify anything of what she said. I still believe it had an impact and we’ll see it as we visit other Kingdoms again, but the full pay off won’t be for quite some time. As I said before, the message was just the first of many, many small steps to uniting the world against Salem

So now for the detour, and that cursed image of Crescent Rose alone, slammed into the ground. It’s likely Volume 9 will focus mostly on our girls, Jaune and Neo, surviving in this strange environment and finding a way home.

Was that everything? Probably not. Now the mourning period begins as I try to process all of that.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 138 prt 2

“I don’t think I want to imagine that”

Mami would have rocked it. Keith imagined her sneaking her chocolates with a bottle of vodka giving the double finger to Sendak if she could have. Chocolates and her abundant supply of love were the only two things she zero self control over. Lance nodded, sucking down a breath, tone slightly dejected before levelling then growing wobbly

“Probably safer... but, yeah. I... the family gave me a lot of things that she’d left behind when we moved. I tried to go to the nursing home, you know, to thank them, but Coran made me stay in for observation. Luis cleaned her room out and took her things. He had the nerve to lose it at me for paying for her funeral...”

Lance started shaking again in his arms. Keith rubbing the top of his arm as if he was trying to warm him up

“Babe. Don’t go there. Luis isn’t your responsibility”

“I know, but without Mami... I won’t hear about them again”

That was true. Luis wouldn’t be rushing to call

“Pidge could change that. She can stalk down thin air and pull up all its credit card charges”

“I think Pidge would bite his ankles in real life if she knew. I wanted to... to be able to talk to them at the funeral, but Coran pulled enough magic to get me there as it was... and I wasn’t ready yet. She and Papi are together now. I wanted her buried in Garrison, but she’s in Platt. I’m talking too much”

Lance wasn’t talking too much. He’d held all this in as he waited for Keith to come home to him. He was glad Lance was telling him what he wanted in his own words instead of by letter

“You’re not. You miss your mum. From what you’ve said, you’ve made a lot of good memories”

“I suppose. I mean, I did. I know I’m very lucky I had all this time with her... really lucky considering all things. I wish I hadn’t broken my phone”

“Shouldn’t it back up?”

“I don’t know how it really works. It’s like one of your Blade phones but it’s pin locked instead of iris encoded. Laptop’s kind of the same. It’s a Coran special”

“We can ask him”

“I hope it’s backed up... I need to stop talking about this... I can’t... I’ve been so whiny. Even when I came back from Sendak, through to now, my mental health’s been shit and all I’ve done is worry everyone. Four months isn’t like long for a vampire but it is for a human”

“I literally think you’re entitled to let it out”

“I keep showing... I keep showing the wrong sides”

There were no wrong sides to Lance. Okay. Maybe 4 months wasn’t that long to a vampire but it was a fucking looooong arse four months. They’d barely had three weeksish before he was off to Rome... meaning... it was like 6 weeks he’d had quality time with Mami... and shy of a month since her passing.

Lance was allowed to have feelings. His feelings made him who he was. It wasn’t like Keith didn’t feel guttered over the loss of Mami too. He kind of wanted to just lock Lance away and cry until his head throbbed and the pain was gone

“Because I’m so much better?”

“You are. I haven’t asked you much about Europe. I haven’t asked if you’re okay. I haven’t asked how things went down. I haven’t asked about the court case or this thing about Lotor killing Zarkon. I... haven’t... even asked you... how anyone is...”

“Babe. I only got in last night. This is our first proper conversation. I want to know what you’re feeling and thinking”

“I don’t know what I’m thinking or feeling. Running seems so much easier. But... then there’s all the things I’m waiting to hear back about. Mami’s will. Her accounts. What to do with her things she’a got stored at home. If the nursing home got the flowers I sent as a thank you for all they did for her. If I chose the right clothes Mami. If I did the right thing. If it wasn’t her time to go and I did nothing...”

*

Lance kept telling himself to shut up. To stop talking about Mami. That Keith had been through so much away from him that he was probably more tired than he was letting on. He tried to shut up but he couldn’t not think about Mami. She’d adored Keith. She kept a photo of him on her nightstand. Well, it was him, Keith and an ultrasound photo between them.

When Keith started leading him away from the kitchen, Lance didn’t want to move. He had to have breakfast, have his shot, then have something actual to eat. Instead Keith tugged him along, pulling him down to sit in his lap on the sofa. That Keith had come back was a miracle. That he’d stayed... Lance couldn’t describe how much he’d needed to see Keith. Then he went and ruined things because he couldn’t stop thinking about his Mami...

“You’re overthinking”

Geez. No shit. He’d expected a joyous reunion with Keith. Mami teasing them. Not Keith coming home to this. He wanted to feel happy so badly, but Keith... Keith made it too easy. He’d feared last night they’d never talk again as they had. Now he’d word vomit... after too much actual vomit

“I think I’m... not being strong enough”

He’d cried as he confessed his sins to his Mami. How he’d killed Sendak. His Mami taking his hands and telling him that it wasn’t fair for him to be blaming himself. She went to church with him. Before God he’d prayed. He’d confessed everything, as if it’d offer some absolution for his sins. He did feel marginally better when he didn’t burst into flames. It was hard to accept that the world was safer by taking a life. Mami pointing out that Sendak was the worst of everything a vampire could be, though she got it. She got that he grieved not for the monster he’d killed but at the loss of Sendak ever changing his ways. Vampires didn’t really work that way, but she... she got it because she wasn’t a hunter. She could see that he was worse than Nyma and Rolo, but she could see that he felt worse about the actual ending of potential than killing the monster inside Sendak’s skin. She was a better therapist than Coran.

They’d headed to the beach that morning, after his nightmare. Blazing hot sun didn’t exactly lure vampires out for a spot of sun baking and spontaneous combustion between snacking on the necks of tourists. Setting up the umbrella, chairs and fetching drinks, they’d settled down and Mami had told him about his first time swimming there. Rachel carried him everywhere. Made him a “hat” out of seaweed. He’d screamed and screamed, until Mami took it off his head. The sun had felt amazing. He wasn’t too pregnant looking, so he enjoyed taking his shirt off, only to burn himself for his efforts. Mami had laughed at him as she rubbed aloe vera on his sunburn.

It’d been hard to hear about times when they’d been so happy together. Just kids doing kid things. But a lot of Mami’s stories he hadn’t heard before, and some stories he heard over and over yet didn’t mind in the slightest. She was so proud of her brood. Making all these future plans and laughing over how he and Keith were going to be clumsy parents, but that was okay because no one knew what they were doing at first.

“You’re strong. You’re so strong”

Keith kissed his cheek. Lance knew he was starved of physical affection. He knew because he’d been depriving himself of it. He felt like “King Douche” that his boyfriend came back to this. That he needed to stiffen his upper lip and carry on. He knew he’d been a total dick not contacting Pidge or Hunk, but to begin with it’d been for their safety. He hadn’t let them see him at VOLTRON, though knowing they were also grieving Mami’s loss. Asking for more space on top of so much space already granted to him seemed incredibly selfish. He loved Pidge and Hunk, but it was like with Sendak again, he was scared of losing himself in his grief and hurting them.

He’d never wished he was more human than in the aftermath of that shit with Sendak. Lance knew if it was his friends going through this he’d be telling them it was okay. To let go. To grieve for as long as they needed and that he’d be there the whole time for when they were ready. But that didn’t apply to him. He had... he had o carry himself a certain way... anxiety fed paranoia that if he wasn’t the perfect friend they’d never speak to him again. Keith... Keith just... all he had to do was breathe and Lance was falling more in love with him. He’s tried building his walls back up when he set his mind to Keith never coming for him, but all his walls were sandcastles, crumbling under Keith’s feet as he trampled over Lance’s attempts and wrapped him up in love. He... he’d been so awkward and embarrassed how easily he’d caved into Keith. Now Keith was taking the time to fix his broken bits. His boyfriend hated the tourist masses but that was Varadero’s main source of income.

Placing his hand on his belly, Lance settled his breathing back down slowly. Keith didn’t hate his belly. He’d felt their twins starting to move. Like little has bubbly gas bubbles. When he’d spotted blood coupled with weird stomach pain, he’d thought he was dying but his Mami explained to him about things stretching and moving to make space. Coran was worried about his body not being strong enough to make it to term. Despite brewing in a vampire filled with vampire blood, both their kids returned human DNA. Never did he want another long arse needle in there again. Their babies passed their genetics tests. They just had to put up with him and Keith now

“Babe?”

“It’s okay. You said you wanted to see Cuba?”

“Well I came all this way. I’ve never been here before and I’m already madly in love with my tour guide”

Lance groaned at his boyfriend. If Keith turned that charm on everyone he’d probably be an unstoppable conman of the highest degree. His ego loved the flattery. He and it had many an mental disagreement. Now Keith was fanning it back to life

“You’re a menace. I have to eat. I’ve... been going through the motions but I have to eat before we go out. And... we’ll drive. I’ll drive. I don’t have much to hide this bump”

“I don’t mind it. I think it’s cute”

“The world isn’t ready for a pregnant vampire and his lover. This is Cuba. I’ve got a jumper I use if I absolutely can’t avoid going out...”

“In this heat?”

“You get the boyfriend with a covered outside or you get the boyfriend inside with the bump showing. You can’t have both”

“I definitely want both. I love your stomach. You looked so good bouncing on my dick with that bump showing”

Lance choked on air. Keith was a damn horn dog!

“I’m going to punch you in the dick if you don’t start thinking things through. I’m going to put you in “Horny Hunter Jail” if you don’t settle down”

Keith shrugged

“I can live with that”

[mumskallceo]

---

it dawns on him during a restless night of working on his omega tree base- he's stripping some logs near the roots of the tree when it just... clicks.

he hadn't even been thinking of anything to do with gender identity, and yet, when he sets his axe down to crack his knuckles, he pauses.

non-binary.

the term had popped into his mind several times before, though he'd been too fixated on finding such an extremely specific, perfect fit for how he felt that he saw the words "umbrella term" and never stopped to look into it any more.

but suddenly, without reason, his mind had wandered and picked up the term, and something seemed to stick.

for a while, he'd just given up completely on finding something that matched how he felt, because nothing seemed to feel right.

he'd just gone along with everyone thinking he was cis, even though it felt awful to be called a man, even though it felt awful to see people looking at him weirdly when he wore a dress- he was just trying to be comfortable in his own skin-

phew. breathe, iskall.

where was he? oh, right.

his mind wandered a lot, to the point where his own thoughts were a sort of background noise, so it really shouldn't have come as a surprise when a word he hadn't thought too much about suddenly popped into his mind.

pulling a face, iskall pushed it to the back of his mind, zipped up his vest, rolled his sleeves down, and began stripping down more logs as he'd first intended to do.

he would just... research it a bit more later.

for no reason other than curiosity, he's sure.

it was just curiosity, when he began looking into people describing how it felt to be non-binary.

it was just curiosity, when he looked back at other gender identities he used to test with, and none of them clicked like how being non-binary did.

it was just curiosity, when he looked at the non-binary flag, when his chest welled with emotion as he realized he found something that felt right for once.

he didn't understand how he could've possibly missed this- he'd danced along with countless genders, from boyflux to agender, from demigender to genderfluid, and yet none of them clicked, somehow.

it felt nice, at first- it felt wonderful, at first.

and then came the realization.

he would have to actually tell people about it, now, wouldn't he?

it would be nice, to not be misgendered. it would be nice, to use a few feminine terms here and there, or a few neutral terms, instead of "man" or "mister".

but how would the other hermits react to his coming out?

they're good, accepting people, iskall knows this.

he also knows that there's always a possibility for someone to not be, too.

slowly growing anxious by the second, he takes flight into the sky and makes his way towards mumbo's base.

when the bamboo hill came into view, he had half a mind to turn on his heel and run back, maybe even ignore his own identity for convenience sake.

though he knew he'd feel awful, if he didn't at the very least take a few baby steps forward.

...and then maybe never take anymore steps after that, but hey! the important thing was that he tried.

and even as his heart swelled in his throat, even as his hands were shaking as he knocked on the wall as he entered, he knew he had to do this.

if he couldn't find it in himself to let anyone know, he could at least tell his other half of his own identity.

mumbo came down in few seconds time, smiling at him as he climbed down from upstairs.

"iskall!" he hummed gleefully, cheeks a rosy red. "how're you? you should've told me you'd come to visit..." he added with a sheepish smile.

iskall returned a smile as best he could, noticing that mumbo's hands were coated in faint traces of redstone.

his smile softened, and he let out a half-sigh, half-chuckle.

"you really need to start wearing gloves, mumby..." he mused, tense shoulders drooping as he stared at his partner with a cheesy smile.

"well, i will when i can find a pair! haha," mumbo laughed nervously, wringing his fingers together, flustered. "well, enough about that, then. did you need something, man?" he asked with a bright smile.

iskall tensed up once more, grin tightening as he laughed nervously, hiding his shaky hands in the pockets of his vest.

mumbo took notice nearly instantly, smile falling as he stared at iskall with concern.

(it had always been so easy to ignore any masculine nicknames, so why now was his discomfort so noticeable?)

"uh, well- you, um, y'know the-" he stuttered, suddenly finding the ground much more interesting than mumbo's peering eyes. "uh- i'm... not."

"i- huh?" mumbo replied, head tilted to the side. "not... what?"

"the- uhm... i'm not a-" iskall held back a strangled noise in his throat, coughing out the last word. "...man."

mumbo is silent, eyes widening.

"i-i- i'm, um," iskall continues talking, and why does he continue talking, he's only going to make it worse- "non- non-binary...?" he finishes shakily

iskall regrets the awkward words that fumble out of his mouth the moment he says them, cringing as he prepared for the worst.

he prepared for mumbo to laugh or play it off as a joke, or to tell him just because he liked looking masculine had to mean he was a guy, right?

and then...

and then he felt mumbo's arms wrap around him, carefully and lovingly.

iskall choked up, hesitantly hugging him back, tense and unsure.

"i'm so proud of you," mumbo whispered softly in his ear, rubbing his back comfortingly. "that must've been hard for you, and i'm so, so proud of you. i love you for you, dear, no matter what, okay?"

the tears come faster than iskall would've expected them too, and in a few seconds his body is shaking as he chokes back a sob.

mumbo doesn't let go of him, whispering sweet nothings in his ear and pressing gentle kisses against his face.

everything seems so surreal, so so great- too great, all of a sudden.

iskall buries his face into mumbo's shoulder, holding on tightly to him, as if he would disappear should he let go.

---

when iskall finally calms himself down, the two of them end up sitting on mumbo's bed, blanket wrapped around them and mugs of hot chocolate in their hands.

mumbo finally decides to break the silence, turning to look at iskall with red cheeks and a soft, kind smile.

"so..." he began, bumping his shoulder with iskall's gently. "do you have any preferred name, or do you still like going by iskall?" he asks quietly, patiently; careful not to pry too much out of iskall all at once.

"i- um..." iskall starts, unable to hold back the flustered smile that grows on his face. "i-iskall is fine, still. thanks for um, for asking. and, um, before i forget, i'm- i'm fine with the term 'boyfriend', too."

"of course, honeybee," mumbo replies, pressing a kiss onto iskall's shoulder. "what about any other pronouns?"

iskall pauses, smile falling into a thoughtful frown as he hummed.

being called 'him' never felt wrong or bad on most days (sure, there were a few days here and there which felt otherwise), but... was he supposed to use different pronouns? could he only use one set of them?

he repeats his thoughts to mumbo, who chuckles gently, shaking his head.

"you don't have to use other pronouns if you're comfortable with what you already use. but sometimes you can use multiple pronouns- i do too, actually!" he replies, smiling brightly.

"you- you do?" iskall asks dumbly, guilt swelling up in his gut. "i- sorry if i ever-"

"oh, no no no! don't feel bad about it at all, dear. i don't usually mention it too much to- well, anyone, really," mumbo begins, humming thoughtfully. "mostly because i'm a bit of both, i suppose? both binary genders, i suppose- it's called bigender, i think. it's never bothered me, being called a guy- or boyfriend, by the way- and the likes, so i never really bring it up. its more of a personal thing- to me, anyways."

iskall makes a small sound of understanding, nodding his head.

"well, ah- thanks for, telling me." he hummed, leaning into mumbo's side- how in the world did mumbo manage to use all the right words a mere few minutes ago, and he sounded awkward as all hell?

"oh, of course!" mumbo replied, smiling down at iskall and pressing a kiss against his forehead. "so, as i was saying, it's perfectly normal to use different sets of pronouns interchangeably. i think i have some pronoun pins around here somewhere, too..."

"pronoun pins?" iskall asked, raising an eyebrow. "like... pins with different pronouns on them?"

"yep! it's good for if you wanna let people know what pronouns to use for you without having to- well, say it." mumbo replied, nodding.

iskall hummed thoughtfully, biting his lip.

would it be weird to use she/her pronouns? even though he looked like a g- masculine.

he just looked masculine.

turns out, its a lot harder to not misgender yourself than iskall thought it would be.

"could- um... this sounds weird, but," iskall started, laughing nervously. "could you... like, talk about me in a sentence using um... using, she and her pronouns?" he asked meekly, cheeks flushing with sudden embarrassment.

"of course, love!" mumbo grinned, clearing his throat dramatically, giving iskall a eyebrow wiggle- (at least he got iskall to laugh.) "iskall is a very beautiful, handsome, and gorgeous person and i love her so very much! she's the loveliest person in the world."

iskall hides his face (and smile) behind his mug, face flushed a deep red.

other than the, honestly sweetest thing he's ever heard, coming out of mumbo's mouth, being called she actually...

felt really nice?

"that, um-" iskall starts, voice cracking, and he's sure he looks like a beetroot by now. "felt... good, actually? nice- it felt, um, nice."

mumbo smiled softly at him, setting down his mug gently, and turns to look at iskall completely.

"you're adorable," mumbo hums, and gently pulls on iskall's hands, bringing the mug down form his face. "the most wonderful person in the world."

iskall forgot how amazing it felt, just for a moment, to not be called 'man', or 'dude', or 'guy', and before he realizes it, he's tearing up again.

he could never forget how even more amazing mumbo is, though.

he takes iskall's face into his hands, and presses a soft kiss against his lips, wiping away his tears.

"i mean every word," he mumbles, tracing along the faint freckles upon iskall's face. "you really are so wonderful, no matter what."

iskall leans into his touch, smile wobbly as he sniffs and holds back more tears, and he doesn't remember the last time he's felt so happy- the last time he's felt as though everything was perfect.

(aside from meeting mumbo, that is.)

they spend the remainder of the day and night enjoying each other's touches and "i love you"s, confiding in each other and themselves, sharing tears and smiles.

they hold each other close like they are each other's whole world, and they stare at each other as if they were staring at infinite beauty and grace.

they silently agree, that without a doubt in their minds, everything will be okay as long as the other is there with them.

a heartfelt confession, as it seems, is all it took to feel so free.

---

[holdmeicant]

A Newsboy and his Bullets (Willy Wonka x OC) |  Prologue

Elmer Stanley’s ‘World of Candy’ (A heavily edited screenshot of the movie, haha...)

ONE YEAR AGO

“It is with Mr. Willy Wonka at forty-million, Elmer Stanley’s World of Candy, right here.” 

    Elmer Stanley’s beats per minute had never been the same. Forty-million. At the town’s art auction. And luck? It was incredible it did not choose to leave his side. What was more fortunate than needed cash, as well as your art being admired by the world’s most favoured chocolatier? 

    Mr. Willy Wonka was perhaps the most commendable leader in the candy industry’s history. Elmer Stanley’s heart was longing to jump out of his untamed chest. Soon after the crowd disappeared would be his likely chance of finally meeting the man. And, he guessed, from watching bits and pieces of the news, the man was not only shy, but… strange. Strange was the nicest way to put it, the nicest umbrella term for everything he perhaps was. And of course not with negative intent. It was merely another unique factor for appreciation, because after all, Mr. Wonka was the youngest man in history to lead such a vigorous industry such as the confectionary’s, with such rareness in prosperity. In Elmer’s eyes, you were downright crazy if there wasn’t at least a hint of you interested in Willy Wonka.  Not that he was anything more than admirable.

    Blimey, Elmer mentally nudged himself. Don’t go too far with this. You’re here for the money.

   But with what distinctive and strange clothing the chocolatier donned (a cherry red Edwardian overcoat, an Edwardian-collared shirt, a top hat), it was impossible for him to become a blur. Peripheral vision or not, he was always the freestyle musician in a room full of classical artists. So, when Elmer glanced at the line of candidates, he decided it was quite obvious who was sticking their foot the furthest forward to win his painting. 

    Elmer, from the rows of seats, felt his facial muscles tense as Willy Wonka, the amazing chocolatier, waved to the wild audience. 

   “Forty-million is the bid! And the piece is,” the auctioneer bellowed with a bang on his podium, “sold!”

~

Everything had fallen into its correct place, if not to say the least. In a pale corridor outside the auction room where many conversed and sped past, Elmer’s mother of middle age had her thick, tan arms wrapped around her son’s neck, pride written all over her smile. 

    “See, boy,” she mused. “Don’t you ever think about giving up again.”

    “Couldn’t have done it without you, mum.”

    Elmer rubbed his mother’s back in reciprocation. Who better to support him than mother Stanley herself? A true artist herself, one of compassion and altruism. It was hard to believe she’d been through more than Elmer would ever dare to say himself.

    The flashing and clicking of cameras seemed to gradually near, and Elmer had suspected the press’  wish to take more photos.

    He spun around to find himself face-to-face with Willy Wonka.

    “Goodness! I - I am so sorry!” Elmer stammered, heat rushing to his face. “I didn’t see you coming...”

    Willy Wonka merely beamed, wide eyes darting from Elmer to his mother. With gloved hands, he held onto Elmer’s (now-wrapped-in-protective-paper) World of Candy like a certificate of his own. To Elmer, this meant a great deal. He glanced at his mother, who seemed to be left in utter awe. Though it was quite irrelevant, he remembered her humorous wish to romantically associate with him, had she been his age. Anyway, Elmer too was in awe, and realised that from up close, Willy Wonka’s aura of intimidation had disappeared. He also appeared to be at least an inch shorter than Elmer himself, minus the fancy heels he strutted in. What was the pounding heart for?

    The longer Wonka’s bizarre stare on Elmer’s mother, the more he found it a tad uncomfortable. Elmer’s mother returned her son’s gaze and smiled sheepishly.

    “I get it,” she whispered apologetically with a wink at Wonka. “Pleasure meeting you, sir.” Elmer himself felt a tinge of offense towards the candy man, but swallowed it. His mother turned her heel and went off to chat with a photographer.

    Now, he was left with Wonka. And, the press.

    “Could we get a picture of you two?” a photographer asked impatiently.

    Wonka smiled a phony smile, pearly white teeth gleaming, while Elmer chose to awkwardly and ever so slightly lean in. Wonka still held onto Elmer’s work as though it was his own.

    “This way, please,” another requested. A turn of heads in the same direction. 

     A lanky reporter turned to Elmer. “Tell us how it feels to have your painting bought by Mr. Wonka.” He shoved the microphone in the young artist’s face.

    Elmer was a nervous train wreck. “I… it feels great. It’s – it’s such an honour, I-I-I mean, never in my wildest … dreams would I have imagined Mr. Wonka himself to like my art so much, to buy it at such a high price. I mean, I was so sure it wouldn’t turn out great … but here I am! To be remembered for candy, too, I suppose.”

    “And what does your art mean?”

   “Y-you know, like, ever heard of Candy Wonderland? I’ve had several dreams of it; I guess I couldn’t tell you explicitly what it means. I just wanted to see it come to life.”

    He cast a glance at Wonka, whose smile no longer seemed phoney. Elmer quickly turned back to the reporter. 

    “Right on OK,” Wonka murmured as he rested his arm around Elmer’s shoulder temporarily to guide them both around and away from the press. Elmer followed him at least five meters past his mother, feeling himself sweating profusely.

    “It’s great to finally meet you, Mr. Wonka. I think I said this earlier, but today’s events are – were – just unbelievable! I’ve always admired you – your work, it’s truly an honour.”

    Elmer was wrong to expect reciprocity, or even more simple, acceptance.

    “Young man,” Willy Wonka began, although Elmer knew full well that he was the older one, “you’re eating your words. You really should–” Wonka dropped his jaw far, then clicked it back up, “–open your mouth when you speak.” 

    It was hard to deny that Wonka himself had perfect diction. If anything, it was a slap in the face. 

    Wonka then shook Elmer’s quivering hand almost a little too aggressively. “Congratulations, my dear friend.” 

    “For what?” The chocolatier’s grip was insane.

    “Well, for winning the auction, of course!” 

    “But I really should thank you for help–”

    “How do you feel about working for me, Mr?”

   Elmer stopped in his tracks. At once, the overlapping voices silenced. Suddenly, any confusion in conversation vanished. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out until about ten seconds passed.

    “You mean, like, wrapping? Or making the candy?”

    “Absolutely not.”

    There was a long pause, Wonka staring deep into nothings.

    “... Then what?” 

    The chocolatier adjusted the brim of the top hat he was wearing, gripping the painting tighter with his other arm. “You know what? These people have me moving my jaw every second to speak, eventually I’ll have the mandible of a chewing gum champion! Now…” 

    “You mean the press?” Elmer guessed. “Don’t you like interviews?”

   “Oh, no, I hate interviews. They drive me nuts. People are the weirdest thing on this planet, and I say that with precisely no regret.” Wonka grimaced, eyeing the people around him. Then he leaned in. “Now, do be careful with what you say. To anyone. I could sue you, you know.”

    Sue? What in the world had Elmer done illegally?

     “Sorry?” he frowned. “I’m so confused.”

    The chocolatier hesitated. Withdrew himself, seemingly taken aback. “Yeah, but in a few weeks time you won’t be.” He finished the vague sentence with a falsetto tone. That was when he began to trail away, distancing himself with a tip of the hat to Elmer. He clutched that painting tight across his chest, Elmer noticed.

     And with that, Willy Wonka spun on his fancy heel and called, “Keep an eye out for that gosh darn press. Hehe!” before he left.

    To be fair, it was so wrong of Elmer Stanley to think his first encounter with Willy Wonka was to be positively memorable; normal, perhaps. And at that time, there was resentment, mostly confusion, that stood as a barricade for those next few weeks.

    But one year later, Elmer would see himself, along with a hundred other excited folk, setting foot past the handsome and tremendous gates of what was now dubbed as The World’s Greatest Factory Ever.

    Elmer Stanley had so much to offer.

[mondixu]

butterflies | d. kaminari

you're my new best friend if you get the reference </3

genre: fluff

gender: neutral

warning: none

[ ✾ ]

        You were fourteen when you first met him.          It was a rainy day when you were walking to school that morning, and instead of doing the smart thing - bringing an umbrella - you decided you could just run the whole way there.          And yet, despite training to be a hero, you couldn't run for ten minutes with your arms over your head as if that would somehow shield you from the rain like you imagined.          So there you were, walking in your uniform and worrying about your reputation and how much it would be damaged, when all of a sudden, you didn't feel the cold drops of water splattering on your soggy clothes anymore.          Instead, there was a slight feeling of warmth beside you. Glancing over, you looked into the golden eyes of a tall male, whose yellow hair wasn't the least bit wet.          Ah, yes, he brought an umbrella.          Like a smart person would do.          He grinned like a dork and you ignored your stupid heart that fluttered when he smiled his adorably cute smile.          "Hey."          That simple word changed your fucking life.          "Who the hell are you?"          "Can you . . . see me?!"          "Yeah . . . "          "You can see me! I'm gonna have a new best- FRIENNND-"          "Okay I think that's enough now," you said, pushing him away and snatching the umbrella out of his hand. "Wait wha?"          You stared at the cute boy in front of you and decided you didn't like him, no matter how many times he smiled his stupidly cute smile at you, no matter how many times he would save you from the freezing rain, you would never like him.          Never in your life.          And so, you traipsed away from the boy with his lightning-patterned umbrella clutched tightly in your hand down the path to your school.          You never looked back. 

[ ✾ ]

        Out of all the places you expected to see the blonde boy next, you never would've guessed the famous hero school of U.A.         You didn't want to be reminded of him, of his cute face, his golden eyes, his honey-blonde hair, and his adorable grin, it wasn't particularly fair that someone could look that good. Just looking at him made you want to puke from nerves.          And of course, he wiggled his way into your friend group.          The two of you never talked about what had happened, but he always flashed his bright grin whenever he saw you, activating the ever-present flutters in your heart once again.         You ignored the stupid butterflies.          Quickly making friends at U.A., you thought that everything was looking up for you, the future was looking bright!          That is, until villains suddenly bombarded USJ.          And of course, as "fate" would have it, you got thrown into a group with your least favorite blonde.          And yes, there were females from the class with you -- you hadn't bothered to learn their names -- but that didn't stop the stupid butterflies from deciding to come to life once again. They were worse when he made physical contact with you, such as when he saved you from tumbling off of a pile of rocks, or when he shoved you out of the way as a knife went flying by where your head had once been.          Stupid butterflies. 

[ ✾ ]

        Note to self: never tell the Bakusquad you're going to study.          They'll beg to come along.          It wasn't that you didn't love your friends -- far from it -- but they could be a little . . . hectic, to say the least.         When it comes to sitting still, go to the Dekusquad for studying help.         Bakugou was fine, the only reason he came along was because Kirishima wouldn't "get off of his fucking back", at least he knew how to study quietly.          Sero was okay; he was sorta mellow, occasionally finding the passion to study with no sound emitting from him, while other times, he was spilling Tic Tacs all over his books and having a mini food fight with Kaminari and Mina.         Kirishima tried.          He really did.          He just had no concentration in him whatsoever.         The red-haired male was constantly asking you or Bakugou for help, and while you were more than happy to help him, you came here to study, not to tutor. Bakugou, obviously, did nothing to help until Kirishima pulled out the puppy eyes.          Kiri's got him hooked on a fucking leash.         Kaminari = never ever ever ever ever ever ask him to study.          The child probably had dyslexia, as he was c o n s t a n t l y asking how to pronounce the simplest of words, then going off and googling it as soon as you told him, thinking that you were the one who pronounced it wrong, not him.          He peered over your shoulder, whispering in your ear for the correct math answer on the homework, fueling your already prominent blush on your face already.          To say the least, you didn't get much studying done when you sat beside him, and instead, spent the entire time glaring at your book as you thought about the stupid butterflies that existed in your stomach.          When it came to Mina, she honestly didn't really try. While she wanted to pass school and become a hero, it was hard for her energetic body to sit still and stare at books all day.         When you suggested she grab some snacks for the group after seeing her restlessness, she jumped at the chance, but then didn't come back for a whole hour.          When she did finally come back, she had no snacks in her arms, and instead, held a dog.          Yes.          Ashido fucking Mina bought a dog instead of getting a simple box of pocky for her friends.          Everyone but you and Bakugou found it hilarious, asking to see the dog, pet it, and become the fucking parent.          Then, they got kicked out of the library.          Kaminari tried to engage you in a conversation as the group walked back home, but you were too pissed to concentrate on anything he rambled about.          Mina bought a dog.          A fucking dog.          "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU BUY A DOG, MINA?!" you cried, interrupting the blonde's tangent about a hacker who beat him in Roblox.          "Because it was cute," she said simply.          You facepalmed.          Kaminari slung his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close and saying, "aw, c'mon [Name]! You gotta admit, it was pretty cute!"         You shoved him in a mud puddle.          Stupid butterflies. 

[ ✾ ]

        "Look Denki, I get that you want to have lightning bolt streamers everywhere, but this is Aizawa's party we're talking about here, not yours."          You were in your second year of U.A., all of your class having graduated the first year of hero training with flying colors. You were on better terms with Denki now, having saved him from impending doom when the League kidnapped Bakugou. You worked all your differences out and were now good friends, some even going as far as to call the two of you besties.          That didn't mean the butterflies had disappeared.          In fact, they were worse than ever the more time you spent around him. It was like every time he put his arm around your shoulders or abruptly snatched your hand, the bugs were on a reproducing spree, manifesting more and more butterflies every time he came into physical contact with you.          "C'mon! It's lightning! How could you not love it?!"          "You weren't the one who came up with the idea for this party! I was!"          Ah, yes.          Your fiery temper was still there.          "Fine, fine, we can use the black streamers," he said, rolling his eyes and heading to the kitchen. You grinned deviously, a plan already forming in mind that would surely get you a handful of swears from your teacher.          Fuck it all, you were doing it anyway. 

[ ✾ ]

        "[Last Name], what the hell are you doing?" Aizawa inquired, rubbing his tired eyes vigorously.          "Oh, don't worry Aizawa-sensei," you replied deviously, smirking at the black-clothed teacher. "Everything is a-okay!"          "That automatically makes me assume that nothing is okay."          "I SAID DON'T WORRY, AIZAWA-SENSEI!"          "And I said that automatically makes me assume I have to worry."          "BUT YOU DON'T!"          "Mhm." You could hear the skepticism lacing his fatigued voice, giving a boost of excitement to your tired legs as you dragged the sleepy man to the common room, smacking your hands over his eyes.          "Ow."         "Okay, okay, okay, open your eyes," you said, ignoring his cry of pain.          "I can't because your filthy hands are over them."          "NOW OPEN THEM."         His dark eyes opened, holding a small glint of surprise as he saw the black, silver, gray, and white streamers dangling from the ceiling that Shouji put up, the luscious dark chocolate cake Sato had prepared, the birthday balloons Yaomomo and Denki had dotted around, and the whole class sprinkled around the common room (plus Shinso and Eri), wearing party hats and smiling at their shocked teacher.          Aizawa's throat caught slightly at the end, but he still managed to get out the words, "who's idea was this?"          Denki stepped up, raising his arm but pointing his finger at you. "[Name] did, they just dragged us into it." You grinned sheepishly, rubbing the nape of your neck and quickly trying to atone for your sins.          "I understand if you don't like it, I could take it all down if you want, I just thought that maybe-"          Kaminari rushed over to your side and slapped his hand over your mouth, steadily looking you in the eye and shaking his head.          "No, [Last Name], it's great."          You were surprised to hear the tired voice of your favorite teacher, and even more surprised to see him crack a small grin at you, saying, "where'd you get the party hats?"          "Yaomomo made them," Denki cut in.          "He didn't ask you," you said, licking his hand as he jerked it away.          "Let's party!" 

[ ✾ ]

        So far, so good, you thought, twisting your fingers together as you watched your favorite blonde attempt to playfully flirt with Uraraka.         You can do this, you can do this, you can do this, you can do this.          "Hey."          You shrieked at the voice that suddenly appeared in your ear, jumping a little and whipping around, only to come face-to-face with an electric boy.          "Denki! You scared me!"          "And you made me bite my tongue! Even?"          "How did I make you bite your tongue?"          "When you jumped, my chin was on my way to your shoulder," Denki exclaimed, "but then it moved so my teeth clanked together and my tongue got in the way."          You smiled, lightly punching him in the arm.          "Clanked," you teased with a grin.          "It's a word!"          "Okay." You rolled your eyes. "Hey, what happened to Uraraka?"          "Oh, as soon as I started talking, she said she had to make sure Midoriya had his hero notebook or something, then ran away."          "WOW," you said, bending over and clutching your stomach, trying to breathe through your laughter. "That's a mood."          "It is indeed," Kaminari replied, a grin on his face.          Stupid butterflies.          "Hey, Denki --"          You were abruptly stopped by the strange feeling of another pair of lips on yours, kissing you passionately. Your shocked brain had no idea what was happening until the sudden warmth moved away, revealing the familiar golden eyes of a honey-blonde.          "I'm so sorry, I just thought you looked really cute in that shirt and then I thought 'well why don't I kiss you' and then you didn't kiss back and --"         You pressed your lips against his this time, a small smile gracing your lips as your crush kissed back with fervor.          Finally, after what seemed like it would never be enough, you pulled away from the awkward-yet-electrifying kiss to inhale the life-saving air around you.          "Did you get butterflies too?" you asked, panting. "Yeah, yeah I did."          Those golden eyes.          You couldn't look away from the millions of emotions swirling in his orbs, anxiety, euphoria, fear, nervousness, joy, shock, and trillions more.          The same feelings were probably circling round and around in your eyes.          "So what does this make us?"          Another kiss was your answer.

[bittersweetmelxdy]

Hi can I get some Gavin MLQC supeeer fluff I just love him so much djbdkdnf maybe something about them going to the beach together and then ending up having to stay the night at some hotel because a storm comes?

Title: When all is shaken, (be my safety)Pairing: Gavin x MCWords: 2,196

AN: Title taken from Alessia Cara- Stone, well I’m back, sorry I’ve written in a long while, uni’s been pretty busy and coupled with family visiting I’ve been too stressed and sleep deprived to write, so thank everyone for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this! :)

“Ugh.” You grunted with the exertion as you strained to reclose another window in the office, that you had previously opened to let in some summer breeze in order to try and decrease the humidity currently in the office.  

Landing back on your feet with a huff and fanning your face with the report in your hand, you turned as you heard Willow calling you name as she walked towards you.

“Hey Boss, your phone started ringing a minute ago.” she waved the phone at you as she approached you.

“Thanks.” you gratefully took the phone from Willow, and just as the phone passed hands, it began to ring, you smiled at Willow once again in thanks and then headed off to your office to conduct the phone conversation.

“Hello.” you began, shutting the door behind you with a soft ‘click’ and then you walked over to the large open window, leaning your hips against the windowsill casually.

“Hi, are you nearly done with work?” Gavin soft tone lilting through the receiver.

“Yeah, just a few little errands to run, but I’ll get that done tomorrow.” you sighed watching the stack of papers still present on your desk.

“What’s wrong?” Gavin pressed gently.

You bent at the waist, tapping the tip of your shoe on the floor repeatedly, “I still have stuff to do, but it’s so hot I just,” you sighed again frustrated, “I just can’t think.”

“Then leave it.”

“Sorry?” you tilted your head in confusion.

“You’re just going to burn yourself out if you keep going, so leave it. Come downstairs, I’m outside your office.”

“Gavin I can’t my work-”

“Your work can wait, come downstairs.” Gavin steeled his voice, and even though you knew that Gavin was speaking from the heart and for your own benefit, you couldn’t help being stubborn.

“Give me an hour to get all this down, and then I’ll come down.” you negotiated.  

“Do I have to come up there and get you?” Gavin asked slowly, and your face bloomed bright red, you stammered for a minute before telling Gavin that you were on your way down now.

You quickly gathered your belongings together, popping your head around the office to let Anna, Willow, Kiki, Minor and the other employees that you were clocking off, before exiting the office at a brisk pace. Exiting the office, you halted on the pavement and darted your head around, searching for Gavin and Sparky. As soon as you located them, your eyes lit up as Gavin raised a hand lazily to alert you that he had seen you, and you excitedly ran up to him rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet.

“So?” you asked excitedly.

Gavin began to laugh as he gently placed your helmet on your head, strapping it securely under your chin, “What?”

“Where are we going?” you continued as Gavin swung himself back onto the bike’s seat.

“You’ll find out when we get there.” Gavin winked at you, as you pouted but still climbed onto the seat behind Gavin, and once you had your hands securely wrapped around Gavin’s waist, he started Sparky’s ignition and set the bike into motion.

The scenery hurtled past you, each thing blended into each other until you could barely distinguish between the sky and the ground. Trusting Gavin, you slowly shut your eyes, and nuzzled your head between his shoulder blades, causing Gavin to secretly smile softly at you, as he revved Sparky and continued down the highway. You hadn’t realised that you had reached your destination until Gavin started to shift as he prepared to dismount the bike, knowing how disoriented you were after being just woken up, Gavin helped you carefully take off the helmet, and even softly grabbed both your hands and helped you off the bike. Rubbing your eyes, you finally took in your surroundings, causing you to gasp as you saw where Gavin had taken you to relax.  

“The Beach!” you said excitedly, clapping your hands, eyes shining as you watched the cresting waves.

Gavin smiled, scratching his head in embarrassment, the tips of his ears boasting a bright red colour, “Surprise?”

Instead of answering Gavin, you simply grabbed his hand leading him further onto the beach, pausing a metre from the sea front to bend down and take off your flats so you could walk in the water barefoot, Gavin following you to do the same. For the rest of the day you and Gavin ran around the beach, building sandcastles and looking for seashells and looking through rockpools. More like, you ran around excitedly like a child on Christmas morning, whilst Gavin followed you indulging you in your enjoyment, and watching you with heart eyes as he was happily herded by you around the beach. As the sun began to set, the two of you enjoyed walking along the ocean’s edge, the water flowing over your feet and in a refreshing sensation. Despite it being such a nice sunny day, due to it being the middle of the week and term-time, you and Gavin basically had the beach all to yourselves. You closed your eyes, focusing on the soothing sounds of the ocean when you felt a drop on your head, Fearing the worst you cringed lifting your hand, when you felt a second drop, and a third, before your eyes widened and you and Gavin shared a look of shock before Gavin grabbed your hand tightly, leading you to a nearby kiosk to take cover, however despite the proximity of the kiosk, by the time the two of you stepped through the automatic doors of the kiosk the two of you were soaked to the bone.  

Gavin, at once, turned to ask if you were alright when he noticed you were blushing as you had your arms crossed over your chest, hands resting on the opposite shoulder shielding as much of your chest from sight as possible. When he heard a slight whistle come from another of the male patrons to the kiosk, he immediately swung his soaked blue denim jacket across your shoulders, and tugged you hard, making you tumble into his chest. He then locked his arms tightly around your waist and glared fiercely at the males causing their faces to pale and they immediately ducked their heads and moved to an aisle further back in the store. Feeling you begin to tremble at the uncomfortable situation, Gavin lowered his head hazing soft words of encouragement into your ear, until he could feel your tense figure begin to relax in his embrace, he then led you over to the counter, still tightly in his embrace. The kiosk worker was an old lady smiled sweetly at the two of you, cooing over the sweet display of protection Gavin had done for you, before happily pointing you in the direction of the nearest hotel and after thanking her and paying for an umbrella and some spare clothing the two of you left the kiosk once more.  

When the two of you went back to collect Sparky, Gavin released the kick stand and the two of you walked along the pavement towards the hotel, you holding the umbrella to shield you both from the downpour. Stepping into the lobby of the hotel, you shook off the umbrella as Gavin sorted out the room arrangements, you started to feel nervous as Gavin approached you a smiling reassuringly at you, and you narrowed your eyes in response.

“So… about the room…” Gavin began, adopting his nervous tick of scratching the back of his neck.

“Yes?” you said softly to get him to continue.

“There’s a conference currently in the area and the hotel’s almost been booked up, they have only one room available.”

“Okay, that’s fine.” you nodded, not seeing why Gavin was so nervous.

“There’s…” Gavin looked off to the side, “there’s only one bed.”

“Oh.”

“… Yeah.”

“…”

“…”

“Okay, well if we stay here any longer one of us is going to get sick.” you powered on despite your lobster-red face, swiping the key card from Gavin and leading the way to your shared room.  

Once inside you turned on the lights, scoping the surroundings, musing to yourself that it was a nice room, before turning around and nearly bumping into Gavin. He wordlessly handed you a fluffy towel and the clothes you had picked out in the kiosk to wear, before pointing you in the direction of the bathroom, a soft hue highlighting his features. You stood in the shower, allowing the hot water to wash over you as you breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the tension leave your body until you stepped out huffing a deep breath as you prepared yourself mentally to face Gavin.  

Turns out you had psyched yourself up for nothing as Gavin, still as nervous as you, brushed past you holding another towel and his set of clothes. However, he did stop, backtracked, and leaned his forehead against yours, checking your temperature, finding it to be normal he smiled and then pecked your forehead before returning on his trek to the bathroom. As the door clicked closed, you looked down biting back a smile, as you padded slowly over to window, moving the curtain slightly to watch the downpour on the beach that when you arrived had brilliant sunshine. You were so mesmerised by the rain that you didn’t notice Gavin exiting the bathroom and wandering over to see what had you so captivated, he rested his hands on your hips, and leaned his head over your shoulder watching the rain with you.

“Sorry about this Love, I didn’t expect-” Gavin began but he was soon cut off by you turning in his grasp and holding your fingers over his lips.

“Don’t worry about it, you’re right I really did need a break, thank you Gavin.” the two of you shared a soft look of affection, as Gavin wrapped you tightly in a hug that you gladly returned.

Breaking apart the two of you began to get ready for bed, the events of today tiring the both of you out. Sitting in the dark, as you watched Gavin return from checking the door to the room, making sure it was secure, you suddenly began to giggle. Gavin titled his head in confusion as he climbed under the covers, asking you a silent question of ‘What’s so funny?’, you breathed slowly to calm yourself down before speaking.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened is it?” Gavin realising the event you were alluding to, also began to laugh and you both dissolved into a bout of laughter as you reminisced over the last time this had happened.

“You’re right, and then you got jealous over nothing.” Gavin teased, lying down as he watched you pout denying all claims of jealousy, to quell your displeasure he patted the space next to him, his eyes soft under the minimal lighting, as you too laid down turning onto your side so you were facing Gavin.  

The silence stretched out in the room for a few minutes, and at first you thought Gavin had fallen asleep, before Gavin broke it once again whispering in the stillness of the night, “Sorry about being so forceful in inviting you out, I know you had a lot of work recently.”

“Gavin, I told you it’s fine, I’m more worried about you, didn’t you just get back from a mission?” you edged closer to Gavin as you kept your voice soft.

“I just needed to see you…” Gavin took a halting breath, his fist tightening in the blankets until his knuckles turned white, “we were in a stand-off and there were bullets flying, and all I could think, all I could think,” Gavin turned to look at you, his eyes shrouded in emotion, “is that I didn’t want you to be waiting for me, wondering where I was and if I was coming home safe.”

Your heart broke at Gavin confession, tears swimming in your eyes, a few leaking out of your eyes and running down your cheeks as you reached out, covering Gavin’s fist with your hand and launching yourself into his chest. Gavin at first wrapped his hand loosely around your frame, but when he first heard your sobs, he soon tightened his arms, almost as if he was trying to mold your figure into his. He shakily raised a hand and gently wiped your tears from your cheeks with his thumb, shushing you softly and as your sobs subsided, he placed a couple of kisses to each eye, until you fluttered them open once again.

“Gavin…” you voice was thick with emotion, as you reached up and cradled his face in your hands, smiling sweetly at him, “Thank you, for coming back to me.”

Gavin turned his head and kissed the centre of your palm, “I will always come back home to you.” he then squeezed your body slightly, and the two of you fell asleep wrapped in each other’s embrace each being the other’s anchor whilst the storm continued to rage outside.

[pinkykitten]

Feelin Confident!

Stranger Things

Billy Hargrove x plus size! female reader

Warning: abuse (billy’s abuse), curse words

Specifics: comedy, romance, angst, plus size reader, race neutral reader, confident reader

People: Billy Hargrove, you, Steve Harrington, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, Eleven Jane Hopper, Max Mayfield 

Words: 1,925

Requested: By anon Could you please do a plus size reader and billy Hargrove imagine where the reader is confident in her body and that surprises billy and she is close with Steve and the kids?

Authors Note: i hope i did justice with this one lol i kinda had writers block with this but i still hope yall enjoy. billy is daddy and is so hot, well dacre is. hope u all like this u guys r dah best :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

The heat was starting to get to you. Your body feeling like it was melting bit by bit. Outside the sun beamed harshly to the Earth, making a statement of how powerful of a star it really is. 

It was the summer of 1984, you were sitting, exhausted, in the living room of Dustin’s house. The other kids were there as well. 

“Oh my god this weather is going to kill me,” you complained to the world as you fanned yourself with a sports magazine. 

“Tell me about it,” Mike said as he wiped his forehead from the sweat. 

Dustin munched on his 6th Popsicle that day, “I can’t keep eating these anymore! Guys its summer we should be out there doing...well something!”

El had already made the ac units go as fast as they could with her telekinesis power along with making the fan go to the highest speed possible. Even she was desperate at this moment. You looked at the young girl and she was placing ice chips down her back and in her short, wavy hair. “Its so hot,” was all she said as she continued with her ice chips. 

“Hey maybe we can go to the park?” Suggested Lucas wiping his forehead. 

“Are you crazy Lucas,” Dustin looked back to him, “do you want us to melt for real?”

“Right, right.”

“What about going to the beach?” Will came up with this idea. You stopped fanning yourself and meditated on that thought for a while. It didn’t sound half bad. The beach was only a 45 minute drive from where you were at. It sounded so satisfying at the moment. 

“That sounds like an actually good idea Will, thanks. Okay kids get all your swimsuits ready and meet me up at the arcade, I’m gonna pick up Max and see if she’d like to come as well.”

You got your dad’s huge truck so everyone in the gang could fit. Even Steve Harrington. You invited your best friend Steve to go to the beach as well. 

Arriving at the arcade you see another confrontation with Max and her step brother, Billy. You take your sunglasses off and rub your face from stress. How could someone treat a little girl that way? Your mama instincts were starting to control you as you went to Max. She was putting up the middle finger to his car. 

“Hey Maxy girl, whats going on?”

She rolled her eyes in frustration, “whats new? My step brother is being a huge dic* today!”

You shook your head, “I wanted to ask you, me and the kids are going to the beach, would you like to go? I got an extra swimsuit in your size in my car. I was gonna give it to my niece but I think you will like it way more.” Max thinks about it then grants you a smile and nods her head. “I’d love to go!”

“Okay well, let me get the swimsuit and give it to you so you could change in the arcade.”

You went and got her the swimsuit and she walked in to change. 

“Lets have a talk shall we Billy,” you said a loud to yourself. Seeing his car not far away you walk to his side. You knock on the glass lightly, you can already tell this boy has an attitude. Oh hel* no not with you. 

Billy pulls down the glass with an annoyed face and his shades on, “what?”

“Hey Billy hello to you too. I’m gonna steal Max for a while, um, we’re going to the beach-”

Billy then blew out the smoke of the cigarette in your face. You stared angry, and with a big sigh you licked your thumb and pointer finger, squishing the end, it goes out and the cigarette is no good no more. 

 Billy just laughs and bites his lip, “you’re gonna pay for that.”

“I’m not gonna pay for anything and plus maybe I could be saving your life. Smoking is bad sweetie, look. it. up.” You pronounced the p in up.

“Oooh fiesty, I kinda like it.”

“Anyways Billy I was asking you is she allowed to go with me, I think it will be good for her to get away from all the fiasco in her life.”

“Sure take her wherever the hel* you want to. But how do you know I didn’t want to go as well?”

Placing your hands on your hips you lean against his car, “Billy. The Billy Hargrove wants to join me and a couple of kids to the beach? Any particular real reason you really want to go?”

“Maybe its because I can get a good look at you, see you in a tight swimsuit that shows all them curves of yours-”

“I’m gonna have to stop you there buddy, you’re gonna have to earn this tree because I ain’t no branch, no delicacy,” your lips go to his ear as you lean closer to him, you whisper to him, “I am a whole lot of lovin, more lovin than you are used to.” You kinda want to hit yourself at the end because you think you set something aflame that you didn’t want to. That made Billy want you more and hot for you. 

“Fine get in the dam* car,” you finally gave in as you walk back to your truck, your hips swaying with each step you took. 

“Dam* y/n,” Billy said to himself as he watched you go. 

The car drive was awkward...very awkward. Steve was sitting next to you in the passengers seat while Billy sat behind you. The atmosphere was uncomfortable because Steve and Billy have had fights and are not on the greatest terms. You were not there to start fights though, you were going to have a good time. You and Steve joked around like the bffs you were in the car, but as you looked in the rear view mirror you saw Billy’s face full of jealousy. He gave you a maddening glare, his jaw clenching and his piercing light eyes digging into your soul. It was like he was trying to control you. It was difficult unfortunately, he was very handsome and he knew it. He knew you were falling for his plan. The smell of his cologne and the cigarettes he smoked earlier wafted in the air and in your nose. 

The beach was perfect, the sand was cool under your feet and it was soft. You dug your toes in it and smiled to yourself. You set all the items you brought with you down under a umbrella. 

“Okay rules for kids, don’t go too far, be careful in the water, shuffle your feet, and if you have an emergency please call either me or Steve.” You shooed them away and all the children ran to the water, their laughter being heard in the air. You chuckled to yourself seeing them have a great time. “Ugh they’re such good kids, they deserve this time off to have fun.”

“Yeah, hey are you getting in?” Steve asked, taking off his clothes leaving him in his bathing suit. 

“Of course I’m gettin in Steve, duh.”

Billy is sitting on one of the chairs, his clothes off so he’s left in his really short...shorts. This was your time to be confident. You know you would probably get looks for being your size and the swim suit you were wearing but you didn’t care. You found yourself beautiful and sexy and thats all that mattered to you. Breathing in the salty air you strip your clothes off. 

You could care less if your swim suit showed off too much or showed some of your fat, this was you and you were going to enjoy what you got. You were gonna work it and shake it. Bending down in your tight suit you put your clothes away you smirk though hearing Steve and Billy’s breathing harden as if they are struggling to breathe. 

“Well boys I think I’m gonna go get wet, see ya.” Motioning to the water you make sure to move your hips and butt extra this time knowing the boys were watching. 

“Dam*,” said Billy and Steve at the same time as they watched your full body leave and enter into the blue water. 

“How have you not taken her for yourself man?” Billy was shocked, you were everything he needed, mature, sassy, kind, sexy, sweet, understanding, and very smart-mouthed. He liked how bold you were and independent, that just made him want you more. 

Steve shook his head, still shocked that his best friend, you, were that hot in that suit, “I’m crazy man, I don’t know what the hel* is wrong with me anymore.” Steve shrugged and ran to you in the water. Leaving Billy sitting there like an outcast. 

You two played chicken fight against Mike and El, went underwater with each other. You and Steve and the children were having the time of their lives but you felt bad. Seeing Billy all left out made you get out of the water by yourself to talk to him. 

“Hey Billy,” you said sweetly as you got closer to him. Your face and body were all wet from the water making you look more like a goddess. “You gonna go in the water?”

Billy shrugged, “and if I did who would really care.”

“I would care. I would like it if you would join us.” As you sat next to him you noticed a bruise on his face and neck. “Oh my god Billy what happened!” Your cold hands landed on his face as you brought him closer to you so you could inspect it more. 

“Its nothing y/n, nothing for you to worry about.”

“Really nothing for me to worry about? Billy just because you’re an as* sometimes doesn’t mean I want you dead! Who did this to you?”

Billy didn’t answer. 

“It was your fathe-that man again...was it?”

Billy tried looking away, his eyes getting filled with tears. “Yes.”

“God that son of a bitc* doesn’t deserve to be alive! Its terrible how he is treating you Billy, I want you to know that and understand that. I am here for you if you need anything.”

“I was um surprised.” Billy wiped his tears away, trying to change the subject. 

“Surprised? About what?”

“You, you’re really comfortable in your own skin.”

“I gotcha, you would think with how I look that I feel down everyday or I think of myself as ugly. There was a time when I was like that, but everyday I convinced myself and told myself that I was beautiful and I was enough, that helped me and made me go through tough times in my life. I think that way about you Billy, you are enough. You are always enough.”

Billy gives you boyish smile, it actually seemed genuine. 

“Its actually really hot.”

Your hip jutted out and you looked around, “yeah it is really hot I’m like sweating-”

“No not that hot, I mean you, the way you think about your body, the way you act like you own the world...its hot. Its sexy.”

“Oh,” you flirted back pulling your bottom swimsuit higher, showing more skin. “I think you’re pretty hot too.”

“We should work something out then before anybody else gets you,” Billy’s voice was rough, it sent chills down your spine. He grinned again and gave you a wink. 

God this boy was gonna be the death of you. 

Tag List: @harrington-lover​, @angelgl16, @perfectlybeautifulsuit, @dreamsofwhiteandblack, @hyehoney, @wtfisalltherandoms, @haven-prelude, @leasly, @totally-alexa21, @creamy-pasta-boi, @multireese, @fanfictionrecommendations-com, @prentisskelley, @malereaderforkpop (wont let me tag), @guardian-of-cookies, @justafangirl-97, @teenageshitposts (wont let me tag), @polyglot-t, @dippergravity (wont let me tag), @some-booty, @collectiveyou

wanna be tagged in my crap? comment!

[amwritesstuff]

Forget Me Not 3 (final): We Found Our Way (Bakugou/Reader)

Part 1

Part 2

Films had a habit of using weather to depict whatever mood was happening. No matter how bad the hurricane, the main characters would come out basking in the shining light of a new day. Good things happening when good news was given. Bakugou understood it was all metaphors for visual entertainment, but he couldn’t help wishing movie makers were a little more realistic, maybe his expectations wouldn’t be so high.

He swore loudly as his foot sank into a pothole, cold water now soaking his sock and pant leg. He had been doing so well with trying to keep dry from the downpour, only for this to happen in the parking lot. His car got a flat tire on the long road from the highway to the property. He didn’t have a spare, so he called a tow-truck but refused to sit an wait, giving them permission to do what they needed to while he hoofed it the rest of the way, huddled under an umbrella. Like hell he was going to waste any more time.

He entered the familiar lobby, making a ’squelch’ with every other step. The woman behind the counter smiled when she noticed him, scowling and shaking his foot in vain. She handed him his visitors pass without anything being said. He’d been coming long enough that staff knew him.

Bakugou all but stormed down the halls, the unfortunate plight of his car and shoe making him irritable. However, once he rounded his final corner, he faltered in his step, suddenly nervous. The hall looked a lot longer than it ever had before. Your door looked that much farther away.

How many times had he made this trek? Enough, he felt. The shitty carpet pattern and smell of old people would be forever etched into his brain. It was automatic now. He wasn’t aware that he had been moving until he stood before your door.

And he just stood there.

He felt unsure. Would anything be different? Would it all be the same? The weather indicated that there was no happiness to be found here. That whatever miracles had been taking place recently were washed away.

He was afraid.

Afraid that he’d open this door and find nothing but a blank stare. Find that the past few days were flukes, that your mind had begun caving into itself, much like his chest had been for so long. Afraid that this was a calm before the storm and it was just going to get worse. Could he handle it if that were the case? Or would he finally crumble away beside you?

Another door banging shut in the quiet was enough to jar him from his thoughts and nerves. He scowled to himself. What was he getting worked up over? He was Katsuki fucking Bakugou! He didn’t back down from anything! And he sure as hell wasn’t going to turn tail from you. You were improving, that’s what was happening now. Everything else be damned!

His newfound vigor was near instantly put out when he heard your startled yelp from his harsh bangs on the door. He could have kicked himself. You were confused more often than not, sudden aggression was not going to help. The hell was wrong with him?

The door was suddenly wrenched open and Bakugou found himself pinned under your harsh glare. There was a fire in your eyes that he hadn’t seen in a long while. A burning he knew so well, that challenged anyone to dare rub you the wrong way. A challenge that he always found himself tackling because it was you who initiated it.

However, he didn’t jump into it with his own shit-eating grin and snark. He simply stared. You weren’t asking who he was, what he wanted, asking if you could help him with something. There was recognition in that heated gaze. It held him in place, crushing him under its weight, much like years ago when he started getting to know you better.

You were looking at him. You knew him… But, you weren’t seeing him. Not in the way he was looking for, but a vast improvement to all the previous visits.

God, he wanted nothing more than to hold you.

You sighed, looking unimpressed. “Is there a reason you're trying to break my door down?”

A handful of seconds passed before his brain finally caught up. “Just... wanted to make sure you heard me.”

“Rooms so small there's no way I wouldn't hear you,” you pulled the door open wider. “Well, come in then.”

Bakugou stepped in and almost immediately felt like he was suffocating. He hated how stuffy and cramped the room was. He usually tried to get you outside whenever he visited. It was currently a mess, clothes all over the place and objects in the process of being moved around.

“So,” he snapped his attention back to you, watching as you started folding clothes and putting them away. “What brings you to my humble abode? Dropping off a house warming gift? Something that was salvageable from my now flattened apartment?” You pinned him with a hard, accusing stare from over her shoulder.

Ah. He knew exactly what memory you were playing through. A duo of pretty nasty villains had popped up, just wreaking havoc. Bakugou had been among those called in to take care of it. The Heroes had gotten the all clear that civilians had been evacuated, so the fight turned from trying to just keep them contained to a spot, to trying to actually take them down.

One of them was more or less brushing off the hits being dealt. The best thing Bakugou could come up with was to set a trap and simply bring a building down on the villain. It worked. The guy was knocked out and sustained very little in the way of injuries. However, that building he used? Yeah, your apartment had been in it.

It was a hell of a thing for you to cut your vacation short for. You were understandably upset, but you didn’t hold it against him, not entirely. You were offered a temporary stay at the agency, in what staff jokingly referred to as ‘sleeper cells.’ They were basically tiny rooms with a bed, meant for those not well enough to go home after pulling an all-nighter, or in need of a break before going back to the paperwork grind. You were living out of a suitcase during your time there, which you didn’t really have any problem with. You seemed to be more perturbed over losing your apartment overall if anything. However, you did come off a bit cold to him, which made him think you did lose something important to you. It had annoyed him that you wouldn't say anything about it.

Honestly, though? Bakugou couldn’t think of a better place for your current headspace to be in. At the time, he had been coming to terms with… feelings that had manifested and grown without his knowledge or permission. He actually had stopped by with what he had hoped was a peace offering. A little something the cleanup crew had found near where your apartment had crumbled, thinking of you the second he had seen it. While also mildly hoping some kid wasn't missing it.

He didn't have anything with him now, so he fell back onto the banter that he enjoyed partaking in with you. He shrugged, matching your stare with a smirk. “Is my presence in this shithole not gift enough for you?”

Your cheeks turned a pretty red, in embarrassment or irritation, he couldn’t tell. You turned back to your task, now stuffing drawers with such force that the clothes were coming undone.

“I’m in this ‘shithole’ ‘cause somebody thought it’d be a good idea to use an entire building to stop one villain.”

“And you could've done better? Besides, you said you weren’t mad about it.”

“Well, if you’re going to come here and be a prick about it, I just might change my mind!”

“So, you’re admitting you couldn’t have done a better job?”

“No! I’m not admitting- I can catch bad guys without resorting to property damage! Don’t change the subject, asshole!”

“Hm, can you back that claim up?”

“I don’t have to prove anything to you! You-you… you, porcupine!”

He almost choked at that. He was remembering now. How could have forgotten? This had been the first time you’d called him ‘porcupine’. Over time it turned from a cute insult, into a term of endearment.

You were facing him now, red-faced and flustered. Trying in vain to keep your emotions in check. You were so fucking adorable. Fuck, he missed this.

“Porcupine?” He hadn't meant for it to come out as breathless as it did. He was supposed to sound amused. Luckily, it seemed you didn’t notice. Too caught up in the memory and high emotions.

“Yes! Porcupine! A big rodent that puffs up its quills and attacks anyone that tries to get too close to it! Quills that get wedged up under the skin of the unfortunate victim, and are incredibly painful and obnoxious! Just digging right up in there! Then they pull a complete one-eighty on you! Completely out of nowhere! And return something that meant so much to you when you thought it was gone! Just turning into the cutest little shit, never once thinking they could be so sweet, and will actually let you touch them if they trust you enough, and you realize that maybe they're not all that bad. Maybe… maybe they just need… a chance…” Your voice lost its momentum as your eyes glazed over, staring off at something on the bed. Bakugou felt his heart clench at your words. He remembers the more biting bit, but the rest… Did you really think that about him after he gave you that toy?

You stood there like that for several long, agonizing seconds. Bakugou knew better than to disrupt whatever your mind was trying to do. Instead, he followed your gaze, eyes widening at seeing the well-loved stuffed toy.

That was what he brought you. Turned out it had been yours. You had been so overwhelmed when he presented it to you that you had flung yourself at him in a bone crushing hug. You explained it had been given to you the day you were born, and, if it was still intact, you wanted to pass it down if you ever got the chance. If Bakugou had to think about it, that little thing was the catalyst to the start of your relationship.

“You… you're going to pester me about calling you that…” your voice was light but firm in conviction. “You're going to bother me for weeks… use it as a reason to talk to me more… you'll never admit you're doing it to watch me get flustered...” Your gaze shifted to the shirt in your hands. “I'm not going to realize that you're doing it to… not until your friend mentions it…”

You blinked rapidly, eyes coming back into focus. You looked around the room as though seeing it for the first time. Your back was turned more to him. He was doing all he could to keep himself from throwing caution to the wind and embracing you.

You set the shirt down, gently picking up the stuffed toy. “You never said anything about this. Not once.” You hiccup out a laugh. Bakugou found himself holding his breath. “I was so sure you'd hang it over my head, use it somehow to mock me. But, you never did. It honestly surprised me.” Your grip tightened. “You… well, you didn't ask me out. You gave me a time and a place, and I guess you hoped that I'd show up. I wasn't sure that I should… but, I'm so glad that I did!” Your voice held a smile. A watery one, but a smile nonetheless.

“And your stupid proposal!” A laugh forced itself out of you. “You weren't romantic, you didn't plan it- Hell, you were just coming out of the bathroom! You just… handed me this,” the hand holding the toy flopped to the bed. “Said it was in good condition, good enough to be given to a kid, if I was ready to part with it!” You started laughing in mirth. “I'll never forget how angry I got! I thought you wanted me to get rid of it!”

Just as quickly as it came, your laughter became choked. Your hand came over your mouth as you struggled to pull yourself together. “But, I did…”

Bakugou felt his chest clench painfully at how broken you sounded. He had his teeth clenched so hard to keep from making a sound. You needed to sort through your head without interference. It was killing him.

“I forgot I was a Hero. Forgot everything I'd gone through. People that I've come to know and care about. That I had been attacked… my quirk is-” You choked, unable to get the words out. You straightened and turned to face him. Fat tears were streaming down your face as you looked him over. As you saw him.

“I forgot you.”

Bakugou shot forward, clutching you to him as you broke down. Your grip on his shirt was weak. He tried to give comforting words, saying he was there, he had you, only to realize that he was also crying too hard to get anything out. He sat you both on the bed in fear that his legs would start to give out as well.

The two of you sat there for a time, letting out all the pent up emotions. The sobs died down to hiccups and sniffles, eventually simmering to Bakugou lightly running a hand over your head as you held him. The quiet was comforting in a way.

It terrified him. He had been in this position before. Every second that ticked by caused his fear to grow. How long would it be until you pulled back and asked who he was? Until you looked up at him without any recollection of who he was? Could he continue to be strong so soon after such an emotional breakthrough?

And yet, the longer you kept your face buried in his chest, the more hopeful he couldn't help but become. You knew him when he showed up at your door. You remembered him as your husband not even ten minutes after. This was the longest that you've remembered him for. You were getting better. It took some time to get the ball rolling, but now you were getting so much better with each day.

His heart nearly stopped when you shifted, pulling away from him. No. No, this was still much too soon. He was trying desperately to keep his breathing even. He just had a breakdown, he didn't know if his heart could handle another.

As you looked up at him with puffy eyes and a small smile, he felt that he still might break from relief. God, you were so beautiful. You reached up, taking his face in your hands. He felt a couple tears escape. You gently brushed them away as you brought him into the most tender kiss he swears has ever existed.

If you forgot again, so be it. He had promised to be by your side through thick and thin. And it was well known that Katsuki Bakugou didn't make promises he couldn't keep.