#kathryn if you're reading this

[idkbroletssee]

Agatha S2 & Wiccan show work as one for me. Kathryn stays as a comedic genius across Joe's baby Wiccan where they grow closer while exploring plot points like-lack of control over their magic, dealing with guilt & darkness that comes with it, acknowledging that Billy was created from scratch too and is the son that survived. There's a story here with these two:)

Billy's identity crisis

Billy and Wanda

Both Wanda and Agatha have been written to have lost their chance at raising their boys, until now that they meet Billy but the story is more sophisticated that just giving a son back- it's what these women actively choose to do for him, and what all he returns, all in the backdrop of immeasurable potential that ties these characters together, along with an emotional bond.

Wanda lends Billy her greatness while the Kaplans keep him grounded and Agatha essentially raises the Demiurge. I cant wait for her to break it to him like she did to Wanda, except they would have grown much closer by the time and she would have such a proud face.

I am going to be delulu here on and write a scene where Billy's sheer unadulterated wish of wellbeing for Agatha, actually resurrects her(involving tears and all the dramatics), tying it all with the origins of the primordial elder god Demiurge, who Billy is understood to be a derivative of, destined to become the sentient force of LIFE, representing everything on the earth's biosphere.(I might or might not have a tiny plant grow out of Billy's tears, cuz baby that's life)

If MCU can have Wanda play with the chaos magic lore, so can Billy. I just read a short thread on Chaos Magic and it essentially connects back to the origin of life, probability of existence, that i derive to be the big bang. Bro carries stars on his suit. What did we expect.

[lonelyzarquon]

A thousand bodies piled up I never thought would be enough To show you just what I've been thinking

[catgirljaneway]

Being janeway's boyfriend is just constantly third wheeling while she and her codependent bestie stare deeply into each others eyes

[marshmelonlover]

Sometimes I think about Kathryn and Chakotay. I think about the fact that they found each other in another universe. I think about the fact that he fell in love with her and she with him. I think about how they came so close to losing what they had in the last year of Voyager's journey but they didn't. They didn't lose it. Instead they became more. They became what they wanted to be more than anything but didn't think they could. They deserve that.

[pentacass]

My body opens, filled and blessed, my spirit there. Not merely housed in flesh, but brought to life.

[vidalswife]

Can you guys spam my ask box with flirty messages I want to see what you freaks and hornballs can come up with

[covenofagatha]

taking requests, angel? if so...

I saw some Kathryn gifs and an idea came to me: Agatha, after a long and exhausted working week, asks female reader to have a date, but the date is on their house because Agatha is too tired to go out. Reader is happy, tho, because her love language is quality time and physical contact. Something like a dinner, maybe, idk... so they end up having a very lovely time together, cuddling on the sofa until they fall asleep. Smut or not in the end, it's up to you... but I'd love to read something cute from you:( I don't know if that's okay...

if you're not taking requests, I totally understand that! I don't want to bother you.

- 🌙

Fun fact, this is my first time writing something that's not meant to build up to sexy times! Also the fluffiest thing I've ever written so hopefully it's good!

Home is where the heart is

A change of plans in your date night with Agatha leads to a confession.

Word count: 1200

Warnings: fluff, softness

Still on for dinner and a movie tonight? 

It’s the text you sent your girlfriend, Agatha, an hour ago and she still hasn’t responded. This usually isn’t like her, but you know how busy work can get. And you know how tough the last week had been on her, but you were really looking forward to spending this Friday night with her. 

The two of you had been dating for three months now and it always seemed like the older woman wanted to do something, whether it be going to a nice restaurant or mini-golfing or painting pottery. Like tonight, Agatha is supposed to take you to the newest spot in town that just opened up and then you were going to see Corpse Bride as it was playing again in theaters. 

You would never complain about any of this, but you’re a little worried that Agatha thinks that you need all of this to hang out with her. 

A text from Agatha buzzes finally. Doll, I’m so sorry. You frown and pick your phone up, afraid she’s going to cancel. I’m so exhausted from work, how would you feel just coming over tonight for something chill? I can order pizza. 

You breathe a sigh of relief and type back. I would love that! See you later. You almost finish the text with a ‘Love you’ but neither of you had said it yet and you were sure as hell not going to say it over the phone for the first time. 

You also weren’t sure how Agatha felt. She was older and you weren’t exactly sure what she saw in you. She was beautiful and confident and wealthy and could have anyone she wanted, and yet she chose you. 

A part of you deep down is perturbed that this is just a fling for her. It would crush you if that’s what it was. 

But you bury that insecurity somewhere dark inside you and you get ready for date night. 

Since you’re not doing anything special, you opt for a comfy purple sweater and black leggings. You do put on lacy underwear just in case Agatha’s in the mood, but you are totally content if not. 

You just want to spend time with your girlfriend. 

You get to her house right at six, which was when you were supposed to meet anyway, and you only have to wait a second after ringing the doorbell for Agatha to appear. 

“Hey, baby,” she says, stepping to the side so you can enter. She’s wearing sweatpants and a tank top, hair loose, but she’s never looked more beautiful. You press a cheek to her kiss and she hums happily and follows you into the kitchen. “Sorry to cancel our plans at the last minute, I’m just so tired.” 

“No worries at all,” you reassure her, opening the pizza box that’s already on the counter. It’s your favorite kind and you put two pieces on a plate and grab a beer. She does the same and leads you over to the couch where you sit on opposite sides facing each other. “Everything okay?” You ask once you’re both settled. 

She sighs dramatically and her head flops back against the couch. You laugh and nudge her with your foot. 

Agatha looks back at you, mirth sparkling in her eyes. “It was just a rough week, hon. Lots of people bothering me, asking stupid questions they should know the answers to, following up on emails that they haven’t responded to. And I had to work late those couple nights.”

You frown. “I’m sorry. You work so hard and no one seems to give you the credit you deserve.” You take a bite of your pizza and chew it thoughtfully, wondering what else you can say. You know she’s been really busy and you’ve hardly seen her at all this week. 

But she leans forward and pats your thigh. “But this has certainly helped.” 

You raise an eyebrow. “The pizza and beer?” You ask innocently, fishing for more. She rolls her eyes fondly, knowing how much validation you like. 

“And the company, hon. You’re pretty great, you know?” 

You smile and squirm with contentment. “You are too, Aggie. I’m always happy to just sit on your couch and talk. I just want to spend time with you, no matter what we’re doing.” 

She smiles gratefully. “Me too, baby. Now, how has your week been?” You launch into an animated retelling of something that happened at work and she hangs onto every word. It takes you a bit longer to tell the story in-between bites of your pizza, but her attention never wavers. 

It makes you feel so warm inside how Agatha always pays attention to what you’re saying. She makes you feel so seen and you couldn’t be more lucky to have her. 

Once you’re done talking and with the pizza, she puts on an episode of Modern Family, your comfort show. You lay between her legs, your back to her front, while she gently strokes your hair. You trace lazy circles on her thighs through her sweatpants and it’s absolutely perfect. 

She tilts your head to the side and angles hers so she’s able to kiss you softly. It’s just a press of her lips against yours at first, but it slowly becomes more and your mouth parts for her tongue. 

It’s not a needy kiss though, not a kiss meant to lead to something more, it’s a kiss full of adoration and longing and intimacy. 

“You’re so perfect, baby,” Agatha murmurs against your lips.

“Not as perfect as you,” you say back and you can feel her smile against your skin. 

She lets you go back to the show and wraps her arms around you. You can feel her deep breathing and you feel so safe and warm that you start to doze off. 

Right before sleep takes you though, you feel her nuzzle your temple and whisper into your ear: “I love you, baby.” 

Your heart leaps and you suddenly feel more awake than ever. You whirl around so fast that you almost fall off the couch. Agatha’s eyes are wide and you think you see fear in them. 

“Did you just–” You start. 

At the same time, Agatha says, “I’m so sorry–”

You both cut off at the same time. You smile wider than you ever have before and you move so you’re straddling her lap. You put your arms around her neck and rest your forehead against hers. 

“Agatha Harkness,” you say. Her eyebrows raise. “I love you, too.” 

She closes the distance between you and kisses you again, this time with more passion. You whine and try to pull her as close as you can, needing to feel her body against yours as much as you can. 

“Say it again,” she says and you smirk. 

“I-” You kiss her. “Love.” Another kiss. “You.” She grins and gives you a long kiss and it eventually sizzles out and the two of you are just holding each other, your chin on top of her shoulder. 

“I’m so glad I cancelled our other date,” Agatha muses and you chuckle, squeezing her tighter. “Stay here with me forever, love?” 

You promise that you will. 

And when you both wake up in the morning in that same position, she tells you that she loves you again.

You hope she never stops saying it, because you know that you never will.

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 6 part 3

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

I think this might actually be my favorite Agatha, for real? Like, the ring binder. The pOUTING. She's SO serious. I want to talk to her in a baby voice, just like, to be supportive of her little things.

And the Bohner family reunion shirt, of course. the gray socks, the garden hose sprayer as a gun. To use tumblr lingo, that's the saddest meow meow of a woman I've ever seen, and I'm obsessed with her.

GAY ON GAY VIOLENCE

joe was holding for dear life, but he didn't laugh. because he's a professional.

billy putting all the hours he spent on tvtropes dot com to good use

he's always a little smug, like he thinks he's in control, that he knows better. when he actually doesn't know shit! that's the whole attitude he brought to the Road.

and that's detective agnes o'connor to you, you little punk.

the click pen gag destroys me. this is 5 minutes of kathryn and joe being silly and, look, does it further the plot? no. am I having fun? sure am! so who's to say it's wasted time?

and the way she looks so small and lost when reality slips in for a moment, she is so precious to me.

look at the hand going in witchy position, the real agatha fighting to regain control. what a great acting choice.

for context he spent all of five minutes in the closet before bursting out in a a cloud of nail polish fumes. and it still was five minutes too many

the draMATIC zoOM IN

you thought quicksand would be enough to kill thee agatha harkness?? you're gonna need to put some more effort to it, some flair! and what's more, she's gonna complain about it the whooooole time

fare thee well swooshy coat

I just realized all the little innocent questions billy keeps peppering agatha with are exactly because he can't read her mind, so he's trying to get information for the Road on the down low

you guys keep accidentally shaping reality. it's a fairly big tell.

she tries to joke as usual, but when billy doesn't respond she sighs and tries to be soft and thoughtful. she's not AT ALL comfortable opening up so it's laced with manipulation, but hey, she tries

goddamnit she's crying again. I told you she loves billy for being billy, and not just as a nicky stand-in. this is the brilliant little boy who could always see right through her, and agatha has loved him since the day he was born.

hey there kiddo. so you've killed a few witches, happens to the best of us. look at me, killing witches never opened a gaping black chasm in my soul or anything. you're going to be fine.

billy is so not amused

just like with wanda, there's so much there. sympathy, thirst for power, genuine interest in cool witchcraft, self preservation, fear, desire. she wants to connect, she wants to squash him like a bug, she wants to steal his powers and run, she wants to MOTHER him

and in all this whirlwind of emotions, mothering wins out. and it's projecting and it's selfish, she's telling him what she wishes her own mother would have told her.

she is uplifting billy and giving him a pep talk, but she's also giving herself a pep talk. she's proudly claiming her status as a survivor, while also trying to justify - to herself and to billy - all she atrocities she's committed. like I said, there's always so much there. at least 90% of her is purely selfish, and then there's a luminous little corner of her soul that is capable of so much love.

and at the end of a speech that started calculated and became all passion, she reclaims her identity as a witch, despite all the difficult history there. her mother passed on overwhelming internalized hatred and fear of witchfolk and - inevitably, some serious self-hatred. Her sense of identity and belonging is all fucked up, she must have been trying to negotiate and come to terms with it since she was a child.

and of course, being agatha, she hates herself while still believing she's the greatest witch that ever lived.

oooh, who's an edgy boy! I've been thinking about billy's defense mechanisms too, he usually goes for the innocent teen persona (a bit like agatha chooses to play cheesy characters) but he gets so very edgy and dramatic when upset. I think deep down he's more proud and self-involved that he'd be comfortable admitting, and why wouldn't he? he's so powerful. he can read everyone around him like an open book, a part of him genuinely thinks he's figured it all out. he doesn't like being told that he's wrong because ultimately he's TERRIFIED of being wrong and making a mess of things like agatha or wanda.

and he's carrying so much destructive potential that his growing pains, the mistakes that every young person ought to make, could have catastrophic consequences. that's why he so badly needs agatha's guidance, she's the only one who could possibly understand all that. if, you know, she could only work through her own shit first.

lmao that was such an elaborate (and cruel) way to land a joke. and she KNOWS tommy's name, she's just being a bitch

mustache!

billy getting in her face to yell at her reminds me of when she's confronted by jen in the finale, she tries to joke and deflect until jen no longer allows it. she is so afraid of facing her own responsibilities.

and she gets serious just for a moment, just long enough to betray how much billy's rejection actually hurts her. and she didn't expect anything else, so she keeps rejecting people first only to be heartbroken again when they do too. such a vicious cycle.

and the walls are up again.

and she swaggers off, the wretched muddy little creature. she looks almost cool.

next up:

yeah, it's lilia's episode.

goddammit.

[bimbo-academy]

Bimbo Academy: Orientation Day

Please enjoy the first chapter of my first ever hypno story, Bimbo Academy!

Warning! This chapter has an induction with no awakener. If you're easily susceptible to that, I would not recommend reading this story.

The induction will be listed in pink.

Dialogue will be written in purple.

I hope you all enjoy!

“Deidre, could you come in here please?” 

Deidre hurried into her technical boss's office. 

For most people, this would be a terrifying ordeal. Their mind might run wild with possibilities of what was about to happen. Were they about to be fired? Demoted? Or worse, given extra tasks without the higher pay? 

But being the daughter of the CEO, Diedre didn’t have to worry about any of that. 

Diedre’s father had wanted to give her the company outright when she had first graduated college. She was supposed to be COO until her father was ready to retire, when she would then properly take over. 

But Deidre had insisted she start at the bottom. She wanted to rise the ranks on her own. Earn her way to the top instead of taking it like some sort of nepo baby. 

So far, she thought she had been doing a great job. 

She hoped her boss would agree. 

Deidre had been working at the office for six months. Hopefully, her boss was calling her in to discuss giving her a good performance review. 

“Yes, Miss Kathryn?” 

“Ah, Deidre. Please, sit.” 

Deidre quickly obeyed. She smoothed out her skirt and crossed her ankles, so she wouldn’t show Miss Kathryn anything inappropriate. 

“Deidre, let me start out by saying you’ve been doing a wonderful job in this position. You’re one of my hardest workers. You always get your work completed on time. You’re well organized, punctual, and professional.”

“Thank you, Miss Kathryn.” 

“I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and shared all of that with HR, and your father.” Miss Kathryn pulled out some papers and set them in front of her. “Your father, of course, was ecstatic. We had a small meeting, and we both thought it was high time to present you with a… special opportunity.”

Deidre nodded. Her father hadn’t said anything to her about this, but maybe he had wanted to make sure it went through the proper channels. 

“Have you ever heard of Brainbow Academy?”

Deidre shook her head. 

“Please, use your words Deidre.”

“I apologize. No, Miss Kathryn. I’ve never heard of it.” 

“It's a highly prestigious four month program. I believe one of your stepmothers went to it?”

Deidre wanted to laugh, but retained a professional composure. Most of her step-mothers were brain dead bimbos. She almost didn’t understand what her father saw in them. But he constantly told her that after her mother, and first stepmother, he couldn’t bear to lose another woman he truly loved. But then why would he want to go on to marry three more women, only to divorce them a few months later? At least her latest step mother had stuck around. She had to admit, Lana was secretly her favorite of her fathers recent wives. 

“Your father and I both think it would be an excellent idea for you to attend. Of course, it's ultimately up to you. But here’s the paperwork. Think about it over the weekend and get back to me, won’t you?” 

Deidre nodded and took the paperwork. “Thank you, Miss Kathryn.”

“Of course, Deidre. You may return to your duties now.” 

Deidre slid the papers into her messenger bag, and quickly returned to her work. 

…

That night, Deidre returned to the home she shared with her father, half brother, and their step mom, Lana. 

“Another day at the office?” Tommy, her half brother, asked. 

Deidre snorted. “Another day of doing nothing?”

“Hey! I do a lot of things! My influencer kingdom doesn’t run itself!”

Deidre rolled her eyes. Sure, her younger brother did have successful social media pages. But other than that he spent most of his days screwing around playing video games. Or screwing around with other guys. 

“Oh please. I bet all you did today was take a shirtless selfie and eat some pizza.”

“I had breadsticks too!” 

“Uh huh. I’m sure that was so strenuous for you.” 

Tommy playfully gives her the middle finger, then Lana called them down for dinner. 

They both trotted down the stairs and into the dining room. 

“There’s my wonderful family.” Deidre ignored her father grabbing Lana’s ass before sitting down for dinner. “How was everyone’s day?” 

“Good.” Deidre also ignored the Grindr notification going off on her brother’s phone. “Might have someone over tonight if that’s cool.”

“Of course. Just change the gate code when they leave.”

“Awesome. Thanks dad.”

“Of course. Deidre? How was your day? I heard you had a little meeting with Miss Kathryn.”

Deidre nodded. “Yeah. She recommended some sort of program I should attend?”

“Oh yes. Brainbow Academy. Lana actually did that program, didn’t you sweetheart?”

“Mhm!” 

Her father chuckled and kissed Lana’s hand. “I would love it if you attended Deidre. I think it would be extremely helpful for your future running the company. But of course, it’s all up to you.”

“I think I want to go. Although, I’m just confused about this one part of the paperwork? The ‘I consent to allowing Brainbow Academy to alter me in any way, whether it be physically, mentally, or spiritually?” 

“Oh, that just means they want to try and change your mindset! They also have some classes about how to dress more… professionally. That’s truly all it means.”

“Alright then. I suppose I’ll do it. I mean, I already know about most of that stuff, right?”

“Absolutely.”

After dinner, Deidre went back to her room, and officially signed the papers. 

…

A week later, Deidre arrived at her dormitory for Brainbow Academy. 

“Oh… interesting.” 

The dorm room was… unusual to say the least. There were two beds, but they were much larger than any other dorm bed she had ever slept in. They seemed much more comfortable than regular dorm beds as well. There also seemed to be much more storage than a typical dorm room. There was a large display cabinet, a desk with multiple drawers, and the nightstand drawers were the largest Deidre had ever seen. 

Well, it was an exclusive academy. Deidre was one of only twelve students that had been accepted for this semester. She knew it was only on recommendation from her father, Lana, and Miss Kathryn, especially since she had applied so close to the deadline. 

“Oh, wow,” 

She turned around and saw a young man, about her age, standing in the doorway. 

“I know, right? It's unusual to say the least.”

“It certainly is.” The young man set down his one box. “I’m Trevor. I guess we’re going to be roommates?” 

“Deidre. Do you need any help with the rest of your stuff?”

“Oh, uh… no. This, this is all I have.” 

“Oh! I’m, I’m sorry-I,’

“No no, it's ok.” Trevor sat down on his bed. “I’m just a light traveler I suppose.” 

Deidre nodded. She could tell something was weighing on Trevor's mind, but she didn’t want to press so early into their relationship. 

“We should unpack as much as we can. Orientation starts in half an hour.” He said. 

The two chit-chatted as they unpacked, Deidre’s things filling the room where Trevor’s was lacking. They were laughing together by the time they entered the lecture hall, which was more like a high school gym than anything else. They went to sit down next to each other, before someone grabbed the back of Deidre’s collar and pulled her back.

“Sorry, I want the end seat.” 

A bottle blonde girl sauntered to the other end. Diedre heard Trevor mutter ‘bitch��� underneath his breath. She playfully smacked him.

“Ouch! What was that for? It’s true!” 

Deidre rolled her eyes. They sat down a few seats away from the bottle blonde and watched the others file in. Deidre noticed that Trevor was the only boy present. She hoped it wouldn’t be too awkward for him. 

“Welcome students, welcome, welcome!” An older gentleman took the stage in front of them. “Welcome everyone. My name is Master Layton. Thank you all for joining us here. Now, I do want to apologise. I fear a lot of you have been misled about what it is we do here.” Master Layton held a small remote in his hand. He pressed a button, and small pieces of metal shot out of the seats, trapping everyone’s arms against their seats. 

“What the hell?” Deidre said. 

“I would now like to introduce my most lovely assistants, Bree and Gracie. Ladies?”

Two scantily clad women joined the man on stage. He pressed another button on his remote and a screen slowly descended from the ceiling. 

“Bree, Gracie, and I are going to be your professors for this semester. Of course we will have a few guest speakers come in, but for the most part you will be under our care.” 

The woman descended from the stage, and Deidre noticed they were each holding six pairs of headphones. 

“I also apologize for this rapid induction, but over the years I’ve found that it works best with large groups of people. Wouldn’t you agree, ladies?”

“Yes Master.”

The women spoke in an eerie harmony. Deidre had been struggling against the restraints, but now noticed Trevor had been perfectly still. 

“Trevor? Do you know what’s going on?” 

Trevor closed his eyes as one of the women placed a pair of headphones over his ears. He seemed… relieved?

Deidre didn’t understand. 

“Trevor? Trevor, no! No don't you dare put those on me! I dont con-”

The woman laughed, cutting her off. “But you already consented! You signed the papers, remember silly?”

Shit. Shit shit shit. 

She continued to struggle as the woman placed headphones over her ears. Master Layton pressed another button on his remote, and caused a black and white spiral to flicker to life on the screen. 

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

The voice coming through the headphones startled her. 

“What the hell is going on?”

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’ 

She looked all around. But for some reason, her eyes kept continuing to land on the spiral.

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’ 

Deidre continued to struggle against her restraints.

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’ 

She tried to get the headphones off, to no avail. 

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’ 

She tried to close her eyes. But somehow, she still saw the spiral. 

“I am a good boy. I will obey my master.”

She opened her eyes again. The voice hadn’t come from her headphones. 

“I am a good boy. I will obey my master.” 

The two ladies came and released Trevor from his bonds. They led him through a new door Deidre hadn’t noticed coming in. 

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’ 

Fuck. 

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.‘

One by one, more of the women in the room began to repeat the mantra. 

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’ 

One by one, they were led out of the room.

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

Soon it was just Deidre and the bottle blonde bitch. 

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’ 

“Shhh, its ok.” One of the women came and started petting Deidre’s hair. 

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

“Just give in. It’ll be so much better.”

No no no no no-

“You’re a good girl. You will obey our master.” The woman held her head, and forced her to look at the spiral.

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

“I am a good girl. I will obey my master.”

Deidre didn’t even notice when the words came out of her mouth. 

“Good girl. Just a few more minutes now.”

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

“I am a good girl. I will obey my master.”

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

“I am a good girl. I will obey my master.”

‘I am a good girl. I will obey my master.’

“I am a good girl. I will obey my master.”

“I am a good girl. I will obey my master.”

“I am a good girl. I will obey my master.” 

The women finally released Deidre from her bonds and took her through the door. 

“Good, good. Very good.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Master took Deidre’s head in his hands. 

“You’re going to be a good girl for me, aren’t you Dee?”

“Yes Master.”

Master kissed Dee’s forehead. 

“Good girl. Sleep now.”

Dee slumped over in the women’s arms.

[lonely-night]

Introducing new character to the Myka Ex-Girlfriend Cinematic Universe, Helen Ryan (played by the lovely Kathryn Hahn) was Myka's gay-awakening slash first serious girlfriend during college. Although their relationship didn't last long, it was certainly memorable for both of them (more back story here).

Fast forward to now (post-Instinct), HG has returned to the Warehouse as an agent. However, Myka and HG were not on good terms. During their first mission together to retrieve a witchcraft related artifact, they ran into Helen. Helen and Myka both were surprised to see each other after many years. Helen took one look and caught a whiff of the tension between Myka and HG and decided to cause some mischiefs.

Helen: What the hell, Myka? Where have you been? I haven't heard from you for what? Ten years? Myka: I know. I am sorry. It's just, you know, work's been busy. Speaking of work, let me ask you some questions real quick then you can go. Helen: Sure. Go ahead. Myka: Did you smell fudge recently? Helen: ... that's standard Secret Service question? Myka: I know it's weird, but seriously, did you? Helen: Uh... no. I don't think so. I mean I did pass by a ice cream parlor few days ago, they sold chocolate fudge there. Myka: Right. *flipping through the file* Helen: Wanna try it? It's delicious. Please don't tell me you still don't eat sugar. Myka: *chuckles* Yep. *continue reading the file* Helen: You are no fun. Hey, how about we go hang out? Myka: I don't know, Hel. Maybe later. Still got work to do. Helen: C'mon, Bering. I haven't see you in ages. I've missed you. Myka: Gosh, I don't know. Helen: Just you and me, like old times? *looking up at Myka through her long eyelashes* I will buy you a drink. Myka: Alright, fine. *laughs* Just one drink. Helen: Scout's honor. Myka: *laughs* You're not even in scout. HG, witnessing this interaction:

[vivllainous]

PSPSPSPSPS NEW AGATHARIO FANFIC JUST DROPPED by yours truly - me <3

Anyway: TEACHER AU academic rivals but they’re both teachers who fight to have the highest scoring class!

Chapter One is out now! Go read it my loves

Summary:

Agatha Harkness is one of the most renowned teachers at West View Highschool. Her classes are always top of the school and noone was able to take her title, not until a new English teacher started at West View High. Rio Vidal, a young, charming and openly gay new teacher, fresh out of university and on the brink of stealing Agathas title.

Not only are they fighting for whos class will graduate with the best results but Agatha also discovers something hidden far away in he subconcious. The danger of loosing her title isn't the only reason her new collegue makes her blood boil.

[holyblanchett]

Oh Agatha binding Jen was insulting on so many levels. Sasheer and Kathryn were AMAZING but the writing was pathetic. It really bothers me that Jen is a total afterthought, like Alice, gives me very White vibes off that writers room - Alice didn't get any exploration or depth until her trial and then she's dead but you can't criticise it because the whole point is that it's unfair and you're a meanie if you point out racist media patterns just like we're just bitter d*kes for pointing out the lesbophobia and misogyny. Jen though, lmao wow they really did just fucking forget her in the end like there is not even superficial closure she just flies off and Billy and Agatha don't even mention her again. And the binding- it's like they wrote it wanting a cool twist to drive home Agatha being a villain but were chickenshit about the racist implications and no "it's in Agatha's character to deflect" isn't an excuse because where's the writers discussing any of this shit in interviews? Cowards. Jen being bound by a white woman who she thought she was forming a coven with and learning to trust should've been a moment that got so much more than it did, look at Sasheer's face and she is doing all of the work to convey the horror and hurt and rage because the writing did fuck all to recognise a Black woman's pain. And it doesn't even make sense, why the hell would Agatha ever help a man abainst a witch? Why would she need money when shes at best been existing on the fringes of society and has no compunctions about stealing things? And Agatha already knew how long Jen had been bound, she has history with Jen thwt includes some other mess, she knew Jen was a midwife and considered her work important, how the fuck wouldn't she know it was her? It's so stupid. It does a disservice to both characters because casting Agatha as a racist misogynist woman which is what the last 2 episodes djd runs against her characterisation and the supposed themes of the show and the writing and fans won't grapple with it, and Jen's journey is completely glossed over and practically rewritten. We aren't going to see her deal with the trauma of this, she barely got five minutes on screen processing this horrific violent betrayal before she was conveniently zipped away, and her reclaiming her power was incredible acting but taking it back from Agatha stole some if the wind out of it - Alice and Lilia got to own their moments, they needed to believe in themselves, Jen's moment was building to that for 7 episodes and then oh actually it was Agatha who won't take the moment seriously (no shade to Kathryn, you could see how present she was for Sasheer) and Jen was really magicless the whole time.

oh!! Oh!!! We going there with the racial implications of being bound by a white woman 😭😭😭 as a person of color I hear you and understand how it looks. I think one interviewer brought it up to Jac. About how powerful that moment was of her reclaiming her power in that way. Pretty sure she said something along the lines of: "The scene wasn't written that way but she let Sasheer do her thing." Don't quote me on that but if someone finds it lemme know. I also read somewhere that Jennifer Kale will definitely be in more marvel projects because her cousin is ghost rider. So we shall see how that unfolds.

[azaleasallalong]

just a little list of fics i'm working on for you guys:

Oh, Portofino - Ongoing (6 chapters posted, 9 chapters written so far)

-18+ -angst -eventual smut -fluff -in canon -too much to explain, you're better off just reading it -mostly sweet stuff with lots of sad stuff in between -unfortunately since it takes place in 1992 in canon that means this story has to end terribly -but at least they can be happy in Oh, Portofino...

Something Nice - 3shot (2/3 parts posted, 3rd in progress)

-first chapter fluff -18+ -smut -praise kink -a receiving -service top rio -swapped dynamics -based on that time kathryn hahn said agatha is a top but likes to be babied sometimes -shower sex -light orgasm denial

Unnamed Christmas Fluff oneshot - (in progress, set to post soon 🤭)

-just pure unadulterated fluff and softness from the entire coven of chaos -they are all alive and well -other than sharon sorry girl icbb with writing straight ppl. -christmas morning cinnamon rolls -basically takes place in an au where the coven made it off the road and got what they wanted -jen is unbound -lilia has found herself in time -alice has broken her curse -billy gets tommy - and agatha gets nicky -in turn, rio finally gets agatha -and now they're having their fifth christmas together and this year is extra special 🤭

storyboarding:

pirates au -was gonna rewrite an old pirates au i had but i need to start over bc i have a better idea -captain harkness of the ItchN'Scratch -rio vidal, lookout for a neighboring crew who was just slaughtered in their sleep -rivals to reluctant allies to lovers and saviors of the entire realm -lots of practical magic and plant stuff

contemporary fake dating au -rio is an event planner tasked with curating different things for the town of westview, including a fundraising ball at the end of the year -agatha's mother is on the town committee -agatha also needs to find a date to her ex's wedding

boxing au -enemies to lovers -rio ruined agatha's career at its peak -rio was a rookie then, but now rio is at the top of her game and needs a new coach -animosity turns into sexual tension turns into hate sex -agatha making stupid decisions and getting herself hurt in secret -think of the sweaty scenes -think of the BANDAGING SCENES??? -the soft touches and kisses and caresses in those tender moments when there is so much violence and roughness within

[fbfh]

curiosity is a wonderful thing - ch. 3

wc: 3.1k

pairing: slow burn childhood best friends to lovers ben x reader, audrey x reader

warnings: ben is stressed, audrey is a bad gf, mild claustrophobia/dark spaces/being under ground warning (description of falling down the rabbithole into twonderland but it's fun and you love it so it's not scary lol), mild exposition dumping

summary: ben prepares for the arrival of the Isle kids, and gives audrey the benefit of the doubt a little too much. you have time to sneak away to your favorite place in the world, and the only thing that's missing is ben.

song recs: in a world of my own - kathryn beaumont, welcome to wonderland - scarlett rose, wish you still felt this way - sophie meiers x 90sflav

a/n: i love this fic. i love this series. this started as a comfort daydream and now it's a thing and I hope yall are ready for the next chapter cause it's gonna be good. I hope this brings yall the comfort it brings me <33

tags @yesv01 @magcon7280 @hopefullhearts @thatawkwardlittlefangirl  @sunshineangel-reads @strawberry-cake1 @dustyinkpages @kiara7777

After about a week of constant meetings, arrangements, and press conferences, a week of even less sleep and even more coffee than usual - something Ben didn’t know was possible to achieve - it’s finally the day he’s been working tirelessly toward. It’s the day the kids from the Isle are finally on their way to Auradon. He rushes back to Auradon Prep with you at his side after a very stressful, successful press conference. Even though he seems totally composed on the surface, you can tell he’s a bundle of nerves. You walk quickly beside him as he goes over the agenda for their arrival. 

“Their rooms are all set up, Fairy Godmother said Jane can help them get settled into their classes - god, what am I forgetting?” Ben rambles, fumbling through all the papers in his bag. His eyes land on his copy of his press conference note cards, and that jogs his memory. 

“Right,” He continues as you look up at him, and he knows he has all your attention. “I don’t think I’m going to have time to write a new speech for their arrival…”

He pauses for a moment, seeing if there’s some little pocket of time he can find to make this date extra special for them. 

“Ben, you’re more jam packed than a tea cake. You can’t overwork yourself and run into the ground, not when you’re this close.”

Ben considers for a moment, realizing you're right. 

"You have a point…" he agrees with a reluctant chuckle. "I'll use the same speech I used for the press conference." He decides. You’re silent for a moment.

“...Alright.” 

“What?” Ben asks, able to read your expression like a book. 

“Nothing, just-” You hesitate, then give him an earnest look, like you don’t want to hurt his feelings. He chuckles and braces himself, knowing whatever you’re about to say will be a necessary - albeit, hard - truth. 

“You don’t think it’s a bit much?” You ask gently. “Too formal, given the circumstances?” 

He considers for a moment. He thought it did great at the press conference, but maybe there are a few parts he can revise for the arrival of the Isle kids. 

“Uh… yeah. I- I can cast eyes over it, we still have a little over an hour. That should be enough to make any tweaks.” He finishes. 

You nod as you follow him into the conference room that he’s turned into a makeshift headquarters for all of his first proclamation business. He sets down his bag and pulls out all his paperwork and his planner. He hears you set your stuff down a few seats away from him and looks up. You’ve been working so hard and helping him out so much with all of this. He couldn’t possibly have accomplished a fraction as much without you. He walks over to you, gathering up your stuff. 

“Look bunny, why don’t you, uh,” he starts, leaning over slightly to make sure no one’s about to walk through the doorway. “Why don’t you head down for a while. You have enough time if you go now.”

Your eyes light up at his words. You’ve been keeping your Wonderland visits to a minimum to help Ben and support him as much as you can, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Really?” You ask softly. 

“Yeah, I’ll cover for you.” Ben lets out a soft grunt as you tackle him with a hug. He chuckles lightly, giving your back and shoulders a gentle pat before you pull away a moment later. 

“I’ll run my speech by you when you get back-” He begins, then cuts himself off, remembering something. “We got your watch fixed, right?”

You’re glad he remembered, and you fish around in your tea pot bag for a moment before pulling out the weathered bronzy pocket watch. Time works differently in Wonderland, and it’s hard to keep track of. You've tried everything you can think of, and your pocket watch is the only thing that seems to keep you from constantly being late. Granted, you're still late or nearly late a lot, but it’s much better than it used to be. 

“Yes,” you nod, showing him the little ticking hands, currently resting at the words ‘on time’. A fresh bubble of excitement pops inside you and you let out an excited giggle, hugging Ben tightly one more time. 

“Thank you!” you exclaim in a soft whisper before he sends you off. You run over to the corner of the room to summon a rabbit hole. Ben watches in fascination as the tile floor begins to crumble in front of you, giving way to grassy dirt before continuing to crumble, going down, down, down. It’s a large, vaguely irregular circle about half as wide as your wingspan. You look back at Ben with another silent thank you, before jumping straight down into the hole. As soon as the last of you is out of sight, the tiles rebuild themselves without leaving a trace of you. Ben stares at the spot where you disappeared, feeling vaguely melancholic, but mostly happy that you’re getting to spend time doing what you love. That you’re happy. 

“There you are, Bennyboo,” Ben whips his head around at the sound of Audrey’s voice, and he’s relieved she hadn’t shown up sooner. It’s not that sneaking off to Wonderland is a bad thing, but most people tend to discourage you from visiting too often. Wonderland is a timeless domain, like Neverland, and it and all of its inhabitants are much different from those from Auradon - usually referred to as Overland or the Main Land by people from Wonderland and Neverland. 

Wonderland runs on pure, neutral chaos and nonsense, which is a very hard concept for people from Overland to grasp. Overland runs on a fundamental structure of good vs. evil, so it’s easy for people to perceive things from Wonderland as good or bad  when they’re really just made up of madness. The reason people try to keep Wonderland contained is because you can’t fight nonsense with sense, you can’t fight chaos with logic. If something powerful from Wonderland got into Overland, like the Jabberwocky, or any number of powerful plants, animals, or magic, Auradon would be practically defenseless. That’s one of the reasons that Belle and Adam decided to reach out to your mother, and continue to form such a strong bond with her. If Wonderland nonsense managed to get out into Auradon, it would be uncontrollable chaos, and the only person who could stop it would be your mother - and now, you. 

It took Ben a while to understand Wonderland, to understand you. You and your mother are very special cases; Alice was from Overland, but adapted to be part of Wonderland, and Wonderland became a part of her. You, however, were born in Wonderland and raised in Overland. You’ve adapted as well as you can, but you always do much, much better when you can sneak away for regular little trips. Ben has asked to join you before, but it’s too dangerous. People from Overland rarely adapt to Wonderland nonsense and usually end up going mad, which is why your mother is such an asset to the Auradon government - she’s actually able to serve as a liaison between Wonderland and Auradon, and keep an eye on things.  

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of stigmas surrounding Wonderlandians, stigmas Ben has grown to resent more and more over the years, but most of it boils down to Wonderlandians being weird, crazy, dumb, and volatile. The more Ben has come to understand you, the more he hates the small comments and little stares directed toward you. Luckily Ben has been able to protect you from a lot of it. People very quickly found out that if they said anything bad about you or Wonderland, it wouldn’t end well for them. He can’t get rid of the stigmas, but he can protect you from them as much as possible. 

Audrey flounces over, sitting next to him.

"You are never going to believe what Arabella just told me at cheer practice."

“Uh-”

“She said-”

“Um, Audrey.” Ben finally manages to interrupt. She looks confused about why she’s not the one talking right now. 

“I want to hear all about this, I really do,” Ben says, “but we’re going to be greeting the kids transferring from the Isle soon-” Audrey huffs, already disinterested.

“And I wanted your feedback on my speech.” He finishes, handing her the papers. 

“Oh, sure. There’s that…” Audrey says, pretending to read it over for a moment. Before she finishes, she sets the papers down on the table, and gives Ben a chipper look.

“I’m sure it’s fine, Bennyboo. You never disappoint.”

She sits on the table in front of him, continuing to tell him all about what Arabella said Herkie did. Ben tries his best to listen, he really does. He just can’t keep his mind off his speech, and he can feel himself beginning to spiral and overthink. He has so much riding on this, he can’t afford for his speech to be fine, he can’t afford for anything about this whole ordeal to be fine. Her words keep echoing in his mind, you never disappoint, Bennyboo. He knows she meant it to be supportive, but he feels like all the pressure he’s been convincing himself he can handle is just reinforced. He was hoping to get some real feedback from Audrey, maybe a little encouragement, but- 

He stops himself before the thought can go any further. Audrey is his girlfriend, and Ben should be able to trust her word. You would never lie to him about something this important, so he chooses to trust that Audrey wouldn’t either. He tries to shut up the worries clouding his mind and tries to pay attention to what Audrey is saying. She’s probably just trying to distract him from worrying, give him something else to think about for a while. You can always tell when he’s overthinking, so Audrey is probably trying to show him that she cares, that there’s nothing to worry about. That if she’s talking about something like cheer team gossip at a time like this, when Ben is getting ready for one of the most important days of his life, then everything must be under control. Besides, if he needs to he can look his speech over by himself after Audrey leaves. He might have time to. It will all be fine. 

The moment you let yourself fall into the dark rabbit hole, your stomach flips as you begin free falling through the darkness. A little dirt sprinkles down on your head from where it closes up above you, and you narrowly manage to avoid some roots snagging in your hair. After a few moments, your descent slows. You spin slowly as you glide down, and in the pitch black darkness, you can feel your internal gyroscope going crazy. You breathe in the heavy, earthy air, and for a few moments, you don't know which way is up or down. You have absolutely no sense of direction for those few beautiful moments, and you don't want to. Soon, your descent speeds up again, and you find yourself tumbling through tree branches, eventually landing on a rough surface in the dark. 

“It should be here somewhere…” you mutter, feeling around for a doorknob. After a moment you feel it, cool aged metal in your hand. You twist it, revealing a beam of light through a doorway. It’s going to be a close call, but you think you’ll just be able to fit. You manage to squeeze through the entrance, exiting out of the door - which is situated in a large tree trunk, and into Wonderland. You crawl forward, taking it all in. You take in a deep breath of the still, earthy, floral air. It’s heavy in your lungs, like a deep dream. You fully exit, and the door slowly closes behind you.

The world is quiet. 

There’s an almost suffocating stillness in the atmosphere of Wonderland, one that would be uncanny and unnerving to you if it weren’t already so deeply comforting. It’s the same grounding sense of peace and stillness you get when you’re young and walk carefully through your dark house at night in search of a cold glass of water. There’s that feeling in Wonderland, everyone is asleep except for me. I ought to be asleep too, I best not wake them. The world around you is still, still, still. It’s as still as a stone, or a lake made of glass. You soak up the familiar surroundings, and you feel like you’re finally visiting an old friend. 

In spite of the pitch black sky, which is barely visible through the treetops, you can see what’s around you just fine. But if you look too far, there’s a darkness off the beaten path, one that stays just at the edges of your sight no matter where you go. It always looks to you like those hazy dark shadows around the edges of old photographs. You look down at the beaten path - this one being made of black and white irregularly shaped checkerboard tiles nestled right into the dirt. They twist and turn, splitting out and reconverging haphazardly into the darkness. They’re a bit worn and dirty, but you suppose any outdoor tiles would get that way eventually. 

You follow it back the way you came, spinning around as you do, and notice the way it splinters into little shards, cracking and fragmenting into a mosaic of sorts before petering out at the base of the tree, with grass and dirt poking up in between. You feel yourself begin to settle, at home with the lack of time flowing around you, and you take in another breath. Your nose and lungs are kissed gently with the smell of damp, freshly turned earth, plant life, and that unmoving sort of smell that shows up after it rains, but still before any birds and animals come out from their hiding. The type of smell when flowers are wet, and have not yet opened themselves back up. 

Reaching into your trusty teapot bag, you fish around in there until you find your camera. It’s old, very old, and completely obsolete ever since the boom of technology that appeared around the time you and Ben were born, but you love it nonetheless. A year or two before you and Ben - and most of the other kids your age - were born, Auradon successfully made an alliance with Atlantis. They traded their protection of Atlantis and a promise to leave them alone, in exchange for a little bit of their technology and power sources. Adam also promised to make sure Rourke never saw the light of day again, a promise Queen Kida was happy to accept. The trade led to light speed innovations based in Atlantean tech; smart phones, computers, video games, and countless other innovations that brought Auradon into its new age. Flash forward to now, Atlantis is the tech capital of the world, and magic is obsolete. Your camera can’t give directions or tell time or backup to cloud storage, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

You snap some pictures of the tiles before you begin exploring. You never know what entrance to Wonderland you’ll fall through, and you love documenting each one. You walk carefully through the forest of dense trees, looking at flocks of haughty looking dodo birds and peonies that gossip to each other, whispering with a laugh as you pass them by. Soon you stumble into something very interesting. You thought it was a cluster of blue bushes, but were surprised to find out they’re really birds. The bird bushes (or maybe bush birds) startle at your presence, squawking and leaving feathers (leaves?) in their wake before they fly off. 

You manage to get a few pictures of them too, and you’re excited to show Ben. You’ve tried taking pictures with your phone before, but Wonderland makes technology… unreliable at best. Plus, there’s no service down here anyway. That’s why you took to journaling, drawing pictures and taking photos and writing down everything you see. This way you can share it with Ben, this way it’s almost like he’s here in your favorite place with you. 

You follow the blue speckled bush birds - as you’d dubbed them - until you lose track of them. It’s no matter though, since you soon hear some lovely singing coming from under a sparkling berry bush growing fruit shaped like bells. You crouch down, lifting up the leaves, and find a choir of inchworms practicing their harmonies. The leader looks up at you in a huff. 

“I’m terribly sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt.” You say. He huffs, and turns back to his choir, conducting with a little twig. You decide to sit and listen for a while as they rehearse under the coverage of glistening pink leaves. You find some oversized, brightly colored mushrooms growing nearby, and sit down on a comfortable one. You pull a teacup out of your bag, trying to decide which tea to drink while you watch the inchworms and listen to their masterpiece slowly come together. 

You zip the lid closed, and pour the spout to the cup, settling on some raspberry tea. With honey, you think, and lemon. You smile as a lemon wedge falls from the spout, plopping gently into your cup. You take a sip, and it’s perfectly brewed as ever. You go through several cups of tea, growing more and more invested in the drama between the inchworms. One is insisting on taking the high harmony, even though it’s obviously out of his range. You’re half way through… one of your cups of tea, you lost count rather quickly. By now the inchworms have perfected their harmonies for the chorus, and the first verse. Your attention is ripped away from the inchworms when your bag starts ringing. You open it up, digging out your pocket watch. The bronze hands have spun all the way past most of the little notches, and you nearly drop your tea when you see where they are. Your eyes follow the hands, which are nearly pointing to the word Late! in fancy script. 

“Shit!” 

[cleabellanov]

Mischief Managed: a brief post on why we're not alone in loving Lokius (we never are. we have each other. but I mean the producers this time)

Kathryn Blair: writer and script editor, and co head-writer for episode 4: The Heart of the TVA. Here are two of her insta stories, posted both in the same day:

Why this matters? This is basically confirming that when talking to Sylvie in the pie room, Loki compared Thor's love for Jane with his love for Mobius. This was in episode 4, the one she principally wrote.

Natalie Holt. We know Natalie, we love Natalie. In the images below you can see some posts she liked...suggestive, if you ask me

Isaac Bauman. Cinematographer. The same man that talked about how this rainbow:

took months of work to look like that... (like, 🤨🏳️‍🌈?)

Says this about Loki:

Chances are if you're reading this post you agree with me, but if by coincidence anyone thinks he's talking about Sylvie, can you please...open your eyes? Whatever was between Loki and Sylvie passed as quickly as it came, and maybe they remained friends, but...come on, they're not IN LOVE.

And, of course, ❤️Tom❤️

We know he knows. And he's handling it ✨beautifully✨

I know this is basically just...how do you call it? Bread crumb! (yes episode 3 reference pls tell me you get it) But it tells me that even if D!sney and Marvel make the rules, we play the game without them anyway so, yeah, there you go :))

[softspeirs]

on leave

A/N: Obviously this goes without saying that there's almost no historical basis for this interaction to happen, except that there's a brief window of time in the late summer of 1943 where Easy and The 100th could have interacted... but that's why I love fanfiction. Thanks to @basilone for enabling me. Meet my BoB OC Kat Gray. You can learn more about her in Barren Soul. No pairing for this fic except a hint at something if you take a cue from Bucky Egan.

"You know, it's nice that the Airborne finally decided to show up." Bucky says, tilting his head and gesturing with his glass.

They've been back from Africa for two days, and the brass decided everyone could do with some leave. They've got a few days in London while the new replacements arrive, and it seems that half the units in the US Army had the same idea.

This pub in particular is packed with soldiers, airmen, and civilians alike.

Next to him, Cleven and DeMarco share an aggrieved look.

"What?"

"Can you just--" Gale straightens his jacket, leans in, "--try not to start a fight? For once?"

"Don't count on it." Bucky grins.

A roar from the corner of the room grabs their attention, and they shift on their barstools to watch how the game of darts is getting on. There's a new addition to the roster, Bucky notices.

"You're a cheat!" A man says, and the woman in question raises her eyebrows.

"When have you ever known me to be dishonest?"

"The last time you gave me stitches and told me it wouldn't hurt."

She rolls her eyes. "That was an accident, and you're too sensitive, Luz."

"Interesting." DeMarco says under his breath. "You ever heard of a woman in the paratroops?"

Buck smirks. "What, you haven't read the papers? Experimental unit."

"Any girl who can jump out of a plane is alright in my book." Bucky says, as he takes another gulp of his drink, "Probably a little crazy, but alright."

They interrupted by a First Lieutenant who looks like he's already had a few, but all the same, he squeezes in on the other side of Benny, signaling the bartender. "Majors, Captain." He says, two fingers at his temple in half-hearted salute.

"You with the Airborne?" Bucky asks, louder to be heard over the band.

"101st."

"100th Bomb Group." Buck says, holding out his hand to shake. "Gale Cleven. This is Major John Egan and Captain Benny DeMarco."

"Lewis Nixon." The man says, a few pints set down in front of him by the bartender. Nixon looks up in thanks and then turns back to the men in front of him. "100th Bomb Group... you're flying B-17s, right?" He whistles. "I wouldn't know what to do with a plane like that."

"Jump out of it, probably." Bucky says.

"Nix--" a female voice interrupts them, "Need a hand?"

The woman in front of them is brunette, her hair tightly pinned and tucked beneath a garrison cap. Bucky instantly straightens, grin firmly in place.

"I wouldn't." Nixon mutters, giving Bucky a look out of the corner of his eye. Turning to the woman, his face softens a fraction. "This is Corporal Kathryn Gray."

Introductions are made, and Bucky can't help himself. "What's a girl like you doing with an outfit like this?"

Her eyes narrow, and he gets the feeling he's put his foot in it, though he was just trying to be funny.

"A girl like me?" She asks, her tone neutral, but that steel look in her eyes. "What am I like?"

"Christ." Nixon mutters, running his free hand over his face.

"What?" Gray asks. "Just making conversation."

"Just starting trouble, more like."

"Funny," Buck says. "We just had a similar conversation. He elbows Bucky in the ribs.

"All good over here?" Another Lieutenant appears, this one shorter, eyes hard. His reddish hair and sharp jaw make him stand out among the rest of the group, but Bucky's not stupid enough not to notice the way they're all glancing over to the bar, prepared to close ranks if needed.

He holds his hands up. "Just fine, Lieutenant--"

"Welsh."

Benny interrupts, ever the peacemaker. "Gray, what line of work you in? We were reading about the women paratroops in the paper the other morning."

She turns to Benny with a smile, and Bucky frowns. He had asked the same question! Well, he asked it his way, and Benny has that unassuming way of talking. Even though they're both from the Midwest, somehow Bucky just doesn't come off as disarming as his friend from Chicago.

"Medic," she says proudly.

"Tough job." Buck says quietly, though his lips are quirked to show he means no harm. "What made you go that route?"

"Dad's a doctor. And I wanted to help." She says simply.

"Kat!" A loud voice bellows from across the room.

"Duty calls." She says dryly. "Majors. Captain." She looks back at her own Lieutenants. "Sirs." She says, but it sounds sarcastic. Bucky blinks in surprise at her tone.

Welsh and Nixon both grumble and roll their eyes, neither of them making any move to admonish her.

"She sure made that sound like an insult." DeMarco says.

"Word to the wise, in case you ever find yourself with a woman in your unit-- and you will, soon enough--" Nixon says, "She'll call you by your rank, but don't for a second think that means she takes you seriously or will listen to anything you say."

"And it's useless to try." Welsh says, and holds up his glass for Nixon to cheers.

"Sounds like my kind of girl," Bucky agrees under his breath, and gets another sideways glance from Nixon before he makes his excuses and heads off with Welsh, the both of them greeted with cheers, slaps on the back, and sounds of approval from their guys.

"He was right--" Buck says. "I wouldn't."

Bucky frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Over there." Buck tilts his head in the direction of the opposite corner of the room. At a table with one other man, there's another Airborne Lieutenant. Dark hair, darker eyes, and he's tracking Corporal Gray as she moves in the room.

"Huh." Bucky settles back into his seat, elbow on the bar behind him.

Buck turns around, chuckling when Bucky curses under his breath. "Better luck next time, Romeo."

Bucky watches as Kat Gray as she flits between her men, an easy smile on her face. They nudge her and crack jokes, and all bravado aside, he can see why she fits right in. These guys clearly care about her, and she about them.

She shows it with a quick touch to one mans arm as she leans behind him to talk to someone else, as she winks at another guy who rolls his eyes and nudges her in the arm as he claims the seat on her right.

A half hour later, they're getting ready to clear out when Bucky sees her approach, an armful of empty glasses in tow. She sets them on the bar on the other side of him, and nods her thanks when he takes the last few from her hands.

"How long left on your leave, Major?"

"Just one more day. Then it's wheels up." He says, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"Good luck." She says simply. "I can't imagine what it's like up there."

Bucky feels the smile slipping off his face, but he does his best to try to keep it up. He doesn't want to think about flying right now. He doesn't want to think about Curt, or Buck flying in on no engines, none of it.

"You take care on the ground and I'll do my best in the air, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

He can't help it, he laughs. At her confusion, he grins. "I have it on good authority that when you say sir, what you really mean is--"

"Don't finish that sentence," Buck says, amused. "Corporal. Have a nice night. Good luck."

"You two, Majors." She says, and then she's off, a Sergeant and Nixon waiting at the door for her.

He sees the Screaming Eagle on her arm as she goes, and he shakes his head. "Lady medic."

"You're gonna need a medic if you don't get to bed soon." Buck mutters. "Let's go."