#literally anything would be immeasurably appreciated

[thevillainswhore]

Anywhere Away With You

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader; other pairings but I don’t want to spoil anything!

Word Count: Over 11.5k

Summary: Old ghosts from your past threaten to disturb the peace you’ve made with your new life. Will temptation steer you away?

Warnings: Smut (‘daddy’ kink, finger-ing, mentions of oral, p in v, n-ipple play, derogatory names), flashbacks, angst, (Bucky is a warning here), emotional cheating? (I want to say this to cover all grounds)

A/N: unbeta’d, dividers by saradika

I’m sorry in advance for how long this piece is - I got an idea and literally ran with it, my head wouldn’t let me stop 🤣 hope you enjoy!

Romania - June 2019

The cool Romanian night air weaved through Bucky’s shoulder length hair as he walked the cobbled streets. He was glad he grew it out. A good change from his usual style. He felt free, more than he ever had before in his life and he was glad Steve pushed him to take this break before having to become the newly appointed CEO of his father’s company.

Peaceful. That’s how he would describe his time away. Traveling, sightseeing, learning new cultures. Bucky was extremely appreciative to have been able to experience the things he had and it was a journey he would never forget.

But seeing you, a total stranger on your own, dancing to your heart's content to a cheesy pop song across the road in a karaoke bar is an image that would be imprinted in his mind and heart forever. Your flowy silk red dress flawlessly wrapped around your curves and your gorgeous smile coated with crimson made Bucky feel like a teenage boy with a crush for the very first time.

So, it was by no means of his own when his feet walked themselves up to your carefree self, grabbed your hand to spin your body into his and dipped you, the words flowing out of his mouth as he introduced himself, “hello kisa, my name’s James and it would be my pleasure if I could dance with you tonight.”

He wasn’t sure why he gave you his real name, but it felt right in the moment and the feeling of being his authentic self out there had him divulging in all truths. In all honesty he didn’t know what had gotten into him, he wasn’t a seize the day kind of man, and definitely did not spontaneously introduce himself to strangers and ask to dance with them on the regular. But magic surrounded you that he was victim to and your ethereal glow called to him. It was a token he couldn’t pass up as his blue eyes pleaded with you to take a chance on him.

He wouldn’t have blamed you had you smacked him across his face and told him to get lost. Yet, he was pleasantly surprised at the full blown grin that split your face as you replied, “okay then James… show me what you’ve got.”

Not that he knew it then, but that moment had changed the course of his life forever. The six months he spent with you in Romania in your tiny little one bed apartment were some of the happiest moments he could remember. Details skip his mind when he tries to think of how you created an immeasurable connection in such little time.

He only remembers two parts of life: before you and after you.

It was a whirlwind romance. Had anyone known the story of the two of you, they’d have said you were crazy. Bucky didn’t see it like that though, you both may have been impulsive and reckless to trust a complete stranger, but there was an unknown force pulling the two of you together that made you click. As if you’d been waiting for each other all this time.

Even the small things mattered, like waking up with your head snuggled into his large chest. Your cute grumpy face from being woken up too early as he nestled his face into the crook of your neck, his stubble tickling you. Cooking breakfast together and having food fights with the flour and eggs only to fall into the shower, where Bucky would tease at least two orgasms out of you with his thick fingers before fucking you against the screen door as you screamed his name.

It was bliss.

He learned that you were a journalist, who’s traveled across the world to write about your adventures from country to country. He learned that you had a best friend who encouraged you to expand your horizons and that’s the reason you were in Romania. He learned what you’re passionate about. Your hobbies, your fears, your dreams. He also got to learn that you’re a little freak in bed.

Not that he minded.

The serenity that those six months with you allowed him set the pathway for Bucky to truly find fulfillment in your presence and be the best version of himself when he was with you. It’s how he knew he was falling down the rabbit hole to deeper feelings. He dared to say he had already fallen in love with you.

And it was with that realisation that he created the downfall of the two of you. He knew you loved him, you’d told him so a month into your relationship and he wished he could’ve said it back every time. But he couldn’t comprehend the feeling of having something so precious in the palm of his hands. Didn’t want the responsibility of breaking your heart from his own foolishness in the long run. You never minded, always giving to never expect anything back in return.

You were too good for him. Too beautiful inside and out for him to be worthy of you.

That’s why he had to leave.

No note. No goodbye. Nothing. Just his rucksack packed with all his belongings on his shoulders as he took one last look at your sleeping form. Desperate to take in as much of you as he could before he deprived himself of your essence for the rest of his days to come.

New York - Present

“Helloo? Nat, is she okay? She's been like this for a while- oh! There you are sweetie, you zoned out on us again!” Wanda chuckles as your vision comes back into focus from your daydream.

You let out a weak laugh, “sorry Wands, my heads all over the place.”

It’s convincing enough, you think. The stress of upcoming events a good excuse to explain how far away your mind really is. Wanda is a great friend, truly so supportive and loving, but she doesn’t understand the ins and outs of your situation, hasn’t known you long enough to know the complexities that torment your memories.

Nat however does.

“Wanda, why don’t you go see how the caterers are getting on?”

Being the sweetheart she is, she agrees straight away, “yes! I can do that for you, I’ll be right back lovelies!” Natasha waits until she hears the door click shut and spins to set her eyes on you.

She chooses her words carefully. “You know sweets… you’ve been a little off-“

“I’m good, Romanoff”, you interrupt her firmly and then grimace in regret for snapping at her. It wasn’t her fault you were so fragile at the minute. Softening your tone, you try again, “I’m okay, I promise. Don’t worry about me, yeah? I’m good.”

Nat doesn’t look convinced, but you haven’t got the energy to go down that road and she knows it’s not the time to push you further. She can read you like an open book - one of the only people who can. Unaffordable to you right now though, not when you’ve got to paint the happy smile back onto your face to see through the night. It’s routine for you now.

Smoothing down your white sundress in the mirror, you ignore your best friend’s sympathetic gaze and turn around to walk out of the door.

Being away from home for so long has had its downfalls for Bucky. Although he needed these past couple of years to recharge and come back with a screwed on head to run his company as the CEO, he’s missed out on a lot. His best friend’s engagement being the main example.

He sees the love in Steve’s eyes. The pure happiness that radiates from his full being. It was hard to come back home and witness the dramatic change from the once bachelor, who was never interested in settling down, to hearing he had actually proposed to a woman. It stunned him, completely threw him for a loop, especially since Steve hadn’t mentioned anything over the phone while he had been away.

Nevertheless he was ecstatic for him, he knew what it felt like to completely fall head over heels for someone who makes life so much brighter. Someone who totally turns your world upside down in the most amazing way.

Too bad he lost that.

“Bucky, I can’t wait for you to meet her, honestly she’s so beautiful and kind and you’re gonna love her, I promise.” Steve blabbers on about his fiancé and Bucky can’t help but feel a stab of jealousy.

It should have been him engaged by now. It should have been him planning his wedding to the love of his life and annoying everyone else around him with his continuous declarations of love.

All he can do is hope Steve doesn’t notice his fake smile as he claps his hand onto his back and jokes, “well pal, you’re whipped now - can’t wait to see the woman who’s locked an old brute like you down.”

Luckily, Steve doesn’t notice the melancholy that takes over Bucky’s face, too absorbed into his own world of excitement to bother about anything else. He didn’t want anyone to see anyway, so he took in the guests and the decorations surrounding Steve’s beautiful garden of his home as they all waited for the woman who held Steve’s heart.

The click of your heels echoing through the hallways has the anxiety bubbling up further in your throat. Palms sweaty and knees wobbly. It wasn’t unusual to feel like this at big events you attended, but there was something in the air that had your nerves on edge, a sense of doom teasing you that there was something different about tonight.

Chatter and music from the party got louder the closer you got to the garden patio doors and your breaths were coming in faster. Nat caught up to you and spotted your struggle, coming to your aid and holding your arms.

“Hey, honey, breathe for me, there we go, deep breaths.”

You followed the rise and fall of Natasha’s chest to calm yourself down. Nerves were normal for you, yes, but you’d never felt like this abnormal before. Eventually, your breathing regulated and Nat bristles as you start laughing hysterically.

“God, what the fuck is wrong with me? I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

Nat’s emerald eyes that hold so much sorrow for you bare deep into your soul. This was the woman who had been there for your worst moments, the times where you broke down in despair from heartbreak. Your best friend. She knew what was wrong, you knew that she knew what was wrong, but it was a promise made that stopped either of you from bringing up the elephant in the room. Your whole world would come crashing down and you were not ready for that outcome.

So with a heavy heart for you and a smile that was keeping you together, she murmured lightly, “c’mon you, we’ve got a show to run.”

Everyone turns around in unison to see the double doors from the decking open up to the guest of the hour walking through. Timid smile on her face as claps and whistles applaud her.

“There she is! Hi baby, come over here.”

Pride shines through Steve’s eyes as he holds his hand out for his fiancée to take hold of to help her step down the stairs. Cheers and wolf whistles from the crowd at the happy couple continue as Steve pulls her into his side and places a loving kiss on her forehead.

Bucky doesn’t pay attention to the commotion, lingering towards the back of all the guests as he looks into the general direction of where his best friend is. He can’t see Steve’s wife-to-be yet, but judging by the look on his face, he’s totally smitten with her, lovedrunk in his own little bubble of joy. Bad friend he may be, but Bucky just can’t stomach pretending to be happy for him whilst he’s stewing in his own misery of his fuckups.

Although, his quiet brooding doesn't last very long when he hears his name being called.

“Buck? Bucky, where are ya punk, you’ve gotta meet my girl! Hang on one second babe, I’ll find him, you’re gonna love him.”

Steve leaves his fiancée’s side in his quest to find his best friend, eager for the two most important people in his life to finally meet.

It takes everything in Bucky to not grimace when Steve spots him.

“There you are Buck, I’ve been looking all over for you! C’mon, I’ve gotta introduce the two of you.”

Reluctantly, Bucky follows his best friend as they approach a woman wearing a white sundress, back turned to them as she’s talking quietly to a redhead. The thrill on Steve’s face as they get closer increases tenfold as if it physically pained him to be away from his fiancée and as they stop just behind her, Steve places his hand on her waist and whispers loud enough into the curve of her neck for Bucky to hear.

“Baby, this is Bucky, my best friend and boss, who I’ve wanted you to meet for a long time.”

It’s almost like a scene from a movie, the way her hair fans out as she spins around, the skirt of her dress billowing in slow motion as her sweet perfume tickles his nose. But, he recognises that scent… recognises that candy like smell that’s buried deep into his mind-

The shatter of glass silences the whole party as all eyes dart to the scene of commotion. Bucky’s mouth gaping open and body stiff as stone when he finally sets his eyes on Steve’s bride to be.

You.

You are Steve’s fiancée.

“Jesus Buck, what’s a matter with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Steve’s chuckle laced with a hint of concern snaps you out of your reverie as he waves over cleaners to sort out the mess - shock leaving you almost paralysed as you take in the sight of the man, who still haunts your dreams, you haven’t seen since the night before he left all those years ago.

James hardly looks any different to how he did back in Romania. The long brunette hair - though now tied back into a bun - you used to run your nails through. His open blue shirt with a white vest underneath, reminding you of how you used to smooth your hands over his big, strong arms just to get a feel of him. And that gold chain resting against his chest donned with gold rings on his thick fingers that have your mind still going hazy with need.

“James, oh fuck James, yes, right there!”

“Yeah? You like that, kisa? You like how deep my cock feels in you?”

“Yes, baby yes! please, please don’t stop.”

“Then tell me, who’s fuckin’ you this good, hm?”

James gripped your throat and tightened his fingers to slightly cut off your oxygen, rendering you speechless with drool dripping down your chin.

“I fuckin’ said, tell me who’s makin’ you feel this good.”

“Y-you are, James!”

“Oh c’mon kisa, you know that’s not what I mean.” His chain swung back and forth above your face with each thrust he made. “I know you’re a cockdrunk little slut for me, but you’re not stupid. I’ll ask you one more time, and if you don’t tell me who the fuck is makin’ you moan like a whore, then I promise I’ll stop right now and leave you begging.”

That booted your brain back into gear.

“D-daddy!”, you stuttered, all but forcing your lust drunk mind to say it so he didn’t stop, “Daddy’s fucking me so good!”

“Good girl, good fuckin’ girl. That wasn’t so hard now was it?”

His condescending words only brought you closer to the edge, the coldness from the rings adorning his fingers added to your pleasure as he stroked your clit in a figure of eight.

The bastard knew you had a thing for his jewelry.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you felt your climax approaching, legs trembling in the crevices of his arms as his cock repeatedly hit your g-spot.

James brought his lips to your ear and you could feel the salacious grin that split his face as he reveled in your filthy moans and whimpers. He knew you were close.

“I know you’re desperate to let go baby, so show Daddy how good he’s making that pretty pussy feel, Kisa.”

His final words had you screaming.

“Cum for me.”

A shiver racks through your body as you force the memory as far away as you can, eyes unwilling to lose contact with him as you cravingly soak in what you haven’t seen in so long. James’ stare is pathetically zoned in on you too, the rest of the party a blur in the background.

Reprimanding yourself for getting lost in his aura, you snap your head away from his direction, watching the cleaners sweep away the glass and mop up the spilled champagne, listening to Steve’s apologies for the inconvenience.

You look around to the rest of the guests and find all attention on your predicament, paranoia filling your mind that everyone knows the history between the two of you. Sneaking a peek at James and seeing his gaze still focused on you doesn’t help your situation in the slightest.

Luckily, Steve’s voice cuts through the tension he’s unaware exists as he turns back to you.

“As I was saying baby, this is Bucky. We’ve known each other since we were kids and he had to save my ass from all those back alley fights - now we work together. He may be my boss, but he’s still a punk.”

Guilt hits you like a truck as Steve talks about his best friend with so much fondness. The sickness that you’ve felt since the beginning of the day rising up your throat as you fight to stop the tears welling up. You couldn’t have known the two of them knew each other, Steve talking about a ‘Bucky’ you’d never met, having no alignment with your ‘James’. But the nagging feeling that this is all your fault drills into your brain.

Looking toward your fiancé and plastering what you hope is an honest smile on your face, you clear your throat and pray your voice doesn’t break, “oh yes, I remember you saying honey!”

Knowing you have to sell a lie, you turn to James and hope that your pleasantries don’t come across as fake as your smile, “Stevie here’s told me all about you. It’s really nice to finally meet you, Bucky.”

The tightening of his fist doesn’t go unnoticed by you at the mention of his apparent real name. It could also be your pretend act of not knowing each other, but he lost the privilege to know you the day he left you and you didn’t care for his discomfort right now.

“Stevie, I’m just gonna go sort out some last minute details with Natty and I’ll catch up with you later.” The excuse to high tail it out of this nightmare seems to go down well with your soon-to-be Husband as he hooks his arm around your waist and gives you a loving kiss as a farewell.

“Don’t be too long, babe. I’ll miss you.”

You’re not sure if the low growl you hear is a figment of your imagination or not, but you ignore it as you squeeze Steve’s hand and take off to find where Nat had run off to, keeping your head down to avoid any temptation of catching a last look at old strangers.

Spotting Nat laughing with Wanda and a handsome dark-skinned man, you dart into her direction and hook your arm with her to drag her away, “sorry guys, I just need to talk with Nat about- something. I’ll bring her right back!”

You don’t even give her a chance to end the conversation as you haul ass towards the side of the house, not missing a step as you feel yourself breaking.

“Hey! Babe-, Sweets, what’s going on?-“

“In a minute, Natasha.”

“Where are you takin-“

“In a minute.”

Natasha stays quiet as you round the corner to a hidden alcove, private enough for your mental breakdown to unleash.

You let go of her arm as you pace up and down the small path, muttering to yourself as you hold your head in your hands. Your best friend tries to be patient as you attempt to gather the strength to tell her what the hell just happened, but she’s too worried for you to stay silent.

“Honey, what the hell is going on?”

Standing stock still, you look up to the sky and release a shaky breath.

“It’s him, Nat.”

Not clueing in to what you mean, she asks, “what?”.

“He’s here.”

“Who?-“

“Him.”

Putting together what you mean by your words, her head whips into your direction and her eyes bulge out of her head.

“No-, honey no. Are you su-?”

“I’m not fucking stupid, Nat. Of course I’m sure! I just saw him.”

“I’m gonna let you off speaking to me like that this once.”

Defeated, you crouch down onto the ground and hold your hand over your mouth, muffled sobs spilling out for Nat to hear. She rushes to your side and brings you into her embrace, tilting your head to lean against her shoulder as she comforts you.

“Shit. Everything’s gonna be okay Sweets, I promise. We’ll figure something out.”

You’re not quite sure you believe her this time.

It had been a week since your episode at the engagement party. After Nat has assured you to not worry over anything yet (big fucking understatement), you got your act together and calmed yourself down - arriving back at the party with no tears in sight with Steve soon at your side, unknowing to your distress. The rest of the night went smoothly, chit chat with the guests and announcements of how happy everyone was for the two of you easing your anxiety to whether people had caught on or not.

And if you could feel eyes on you throughout the whole night? You told yourself you were imagining it.

Steve hadn’t sensed anything was wrong with you this week that had passed. A true blessing in disguise really. You had no idea how you could even begin to tell him that you knew ‘Bucky’. So your decision to keep it a secret was the best way to go about this, you concluded. You’re marrying Steve. Steve. And James was part of your past that you were not revisiting. That was that.

The ding of the elevator lets you know you’ve reached Steve’s floor at his work. Wanting to drop off some lunch for him since he told you he was working late tonight, you prepared his favourite meal and thought he’d appreciate you bringing it over. He always loved you surprising him at work, especially since he’d taken over command and had a lot on his plate while his boss had been away traveling.

You guess the clues had been in front of you all along.

Walking up to Steves’s office door, navigating your way through the eeriness of the darkness of the building, you knock. Concerned at the lack of answer, you try again, rapping your knuckles against the wood in your own signature style to let him know it’s you who’s knocking - yet to no avail, silence again.

You’re about to take your phone out of your bag to text your fiancé and ask where he is, when you feel a looming presence behind you, hairs on the back of your neck standing up in alarm.

“Steve’s not here.”

Seems like you can’t escape your past after all.

Whipping your head round to the deep gravelly voice you haven’t heard in so long, you see James. You’d recognise his voice anywhere. Eyes wide open and heart beating out of your chest as all you can do is stare into them steel blue eyes you used to get lost in all the time.

Home.

Shaking your head to stop the locked away thoughts from taking root at the forefront of your mind, you attempt to speak, to say something.

“Oh.”

‘Oh’? What the fuck is that?

Bucky speaks up again, “He stepped out for a last minute meeting with one of our partners.”

Taking a deep breath to cool your nerves, you attempt to speak again. This was your fiancés best friend, nothing more. You can do this.

“Um, okay, yeah that’s fine.”

Yeah, so much better.

You nod dumbly, head continuously bobbing up and down as you look anywhere but at him.

Turns out you can absolutely not ‘do this’ - the depths of his intense gaze zeroed in on you, shaking your confidence and leaving you making a quick exit to avoid the awkwardness.

“I’ll just- leave it on his desk, I guess. Could you tell him I stopped by? Thank you. Bye.”

Before you can even take your first step to leave, he interrupts you.

“So, you’re marrying him?”

Your surprise at his gall to bring up the elephant in the room has you reeling back, stopping you in your tracks. But the anger that stems from within at his audacity to even mention it soon takes over and allows your facade to entirely switch in a moment of braveness.

“We’re not doing this.”

“You’re breaking my heart, kisa.” Bucky’s whisper, just loud enough for you to hear through the abandoned top floor of his building, cracks away at another piece of your heart.

You swallow the lump in your throat but your voice still comes out trembling, “Don’t fucking call me that.”

The tight white dress shirt bulging over his large chest and black trousers fitted snug against his crotch didn’t do you any favours either - hands tucked into his pockets practically screaming at you to look at the veins of his forearms.

Fuck.

You take deep breaths and decide you need to get out of this dangerous situation, pushing yourself to walk by him, you’re startled as he holds out his arm to hold you still by your waist.

The shuddering sigh you let out is louder than you expect it to be. Glistening moonlight cascading over the two of you in the darkness of the office. You haven’t felt his touch in over three years and all you want to do is fall into his arms and never let him go. It had been too long since you felt the gentleness of his touch, the feel of his thumb rubbing circles onto your bare skin underneath your shirt, transporting your mind back to lazy mornings tangled in the sheets.

“Bucky! Stop it, you're tickling me!”

The scrape of his teeth against your neck had you squirming in his grasp, the sweat from your morning escapades gathering between your bare skin.

“God, I fuckin’ love how sensitive you are for me baby girl.”

“I can’t go another round Bucky, you're insatiable.”

“You sure about that, kotehok? Because I know for a fact that your little pussy is pulsing for my big cock.”

You're a prisoner to watch as he grinds against you, kissing down towards your tits that you know he’s a sucker for. “Fuck.”

“I also know that if I were to suck those pretty nipples into my mouth, you’d be putty in my hands. A cute little mess pleading for me to fill you up.”

He always knew what he was doing, pushing you to your limits. But he knew you could handle it.

“That’s not fair baby, you know how bad that gets me.”

He ran his tongue over your stiff peaks as you keened, sucking each nipple before his plump lips trailed down your belly to stop above your mound, dying to eat your pussy like a man starved.

“And you know how crazy I am for you, so sit back and relax while I get a taste of you baby. You can take it, you’re my good girl.”

Shit.

You rip yourself away from his grasp and back away as he reaches out for you again.

“Kisa-“

“I said, don’t.”

The demand in your tone has Bucky pulling his arm back to his side and hanging his head.

Not bearing to look at him, you walk away, missing your old flame deflate at the consequence of his own mistakes.

The next couple of days go by fast for you, distracting yourself with last minute wedding plans to keep your mind focused. Not wandering. You hadn’t seen Steve much, only briefly in the mornings before he had to leave for work and hardly getting to see him later in the day due to him tying up loose ends before the wedding.

It was another relief in all honesty. Your emotions have been going haywire ever since you found out Bucky was back and you weren't sure how you could hold yourself around Steve.

Again, the wrongfulness of your actions has your gut churning. You hadn’t cheated. But it wasn’t exactly fair to keep your fiancé in the dark like this. Steve hadn’t done anything wrong - he’d been nothing but loyal to you and treated you like you deserved throughout your relationship. He had never abandoned you, never left you wondering what must be so wrong with you to not be good enough staying for. So, why was your mind so conflicted?

You’re torn out of your inner conflict when you feel a dent in the bed.

“Steve?”

“Yeah baby, it’s just me.”

His sweet tone and pure happiness to see you has that nauseating feeling coming back.

“I was able to get off work early today. Finished handing over everything to Bucky so he can get started with the company.”

Yeah, you didn’t think it could get much worse, the mention of him having bile rise in your throat. Deciding to torment yourself even further, you poke the bear.

“Oh good, good. How is everything? Been nice having him back?”

“Sweetheart, you have no idea. I missed him so much while he was away. We were two peas in a pod, y’know? Always causing trouble together.”

Your eyes start to sting and you thank every god out there that it’s dark enough in the room for Steve not being able to see.

“He also mentioned you dropped by work the other night, sorry I missed you honey. One of our partners needed to speak about something to do with the increasing costs, but you don’t wanna hear about that, I’m just glad to be home with you now.”

It takes everything in you not to start crying. The fact that Bucky had mentioned you has your mind spiraling - something Steve notices when you don’t say anything.

“Honey? Everything okay?”

Hastily moving into his side and snuggling up to him, you think fast to try and eradicate the negative trail this could go down, hugging him tight and willing yourself to chill out.

“Yeah of course, sorry Stevie. Just been stressed lately and I’ve missed you, that’s all.”

With the way he wraps an arm around you and pulls you tighter into his body, he seems content enough with your reasoning. His hand smoothing down your side and hiking your leg over his waist, a move you had gotten so familiar with and now feels so foreign.

“Shit, I’ve missed you so fuckin’ much too, sweetheart. How about I make it up to you, hm?”

This you can do. You can take your mind away from your worries and indulge in everything Steve for one night.

So as he rolls over you to lay you fully onto your back and starts to kiss down your neck, you cup the back of his head to bring him closer and avoid closing your eyes to prevent anyone else sneaking in your thoughts, basking in his soft touch and eagerness to please.

You can do this for him.

The dinner party Steve had arranged a couple of weeks before the big day consisted of inviting close friends to celebrate and enjoy an evening together with good food and drinks to let loose.

Dread was all you could feel.

You hadn’t spoken to Bucky since he cornered you at the office and any events that you both were attending, you made sure to stay clear from him. The risk of bumping into him again too great to let down your guard.

However, that idea was out the window as soon as you found out you were seated next to him at the dinner table.

Pulling Steve aside to casually question the seating arrangements had set your nerves alight for what felt like the thousandth time.

“Steve, sweetie... H-how come you’re not sat next to Bucky? Wouldn’t that make more sense?”

He sighs as everyone else takes their place at the table and puts his hands over your cheeks, thumb rubbing your pouty lips. “I thought it’d be a fun idea to seat people next to someone they don’t really talk to, y’know let everyone get to know each other more. It makes all the games I’ve planned more fun.”

Steve looks over your worried expression and continues to try and put you at ease. “I know Buck’s a bit grumpy and he doesn’t talk much, but will you try and talk to him tonight? It would mean the world to me if you two got along, honey. Besides, he’s probably just missing his time across the world, someone like you will bring him right out of his shell.”

You can say that again.

Not wanting to make this harder for Steve, you smile and nod to which he pecks your lips and thanks you profusely for the effort you're making.

You already know Bucky is sitting down, looking over to see his chestnut locks tucked behind his ears with a hair tie on his wrist next to his gold bracelet. So with a final pep talk to yourself to get you through this dinner, you drag yourself to your seat and carefully sit down as quietly as possible to not draw attention to yourself.

Impossible when you can literally feel his eyes burning a hole through the side of your head.

Natasha’s subtle tapping on the empty plate across the table has you looking up at her, a raised eyebrow code for the two of you to ask if you’re going to be okay. The small nod you send back her way placates her for the time being.

You wouldn’t believe yourself either.

The gulp of wine you chug down does little to settle you, already grabbing the bottle to pour yourself another glass when you feel the timber of a low chuckle close to your ear.

“You always did like wine a little too much.”

You choke on air at the unexpected inside joke, the dark-skinned man you’d come to learn as Sam in the seat on your other side, patting your back to help you through your coughing fit. Throwing him a look of thankfulness as your cheeks flush hot in embarrassment, you sit forward in your seat again and grit your teeth to stop yourself from smacking Bucky across the face.

“Nervous, baby?”

Keeping your eyes straight forward is a task, but you refuse to play Bucky’s games. His sudden bravado throws you off your duty of keeping cool.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Your angry whisper only results in his growing amusement - that stupid smirk on his face you've seen many times in his moments of mischief.

Taking a look around the table, you see everyone in conversation with each other, unaware of yours and Bucky’s back and forth.

“Gotta get your attention somehow, baby girl, you ignored me the last time.”

You don’t give into his whims, his charm and sweet names threatening to derail your psyche when you’re not even halfway through the night. Instead you turn and start up a conversation with Sam, an old friend of Steve - and Bucky unfortunately -, to take your mind away from the arrogance your other way.

Little did you know this was just the start of it.

The next hour or so goes by more smoothly than the beginning of the night and you’re proud of yourself for managing to actually have some fun. That may very well be because you actively chose not to look in Bucky’s direction or give him a slither of your attention, but you’re still happy with yourself nonetheless.

Your newfound peace is disturbed when Wanda - the enthusiastic, innocent soul you have to remember you love - suggests an icebreaker game that has you, yet again, choking on air.

“Suck and blow! So, the rules are you have to pass this card to each other using only your mouth. If anyone drops it, they have to take a shot! Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!”

Jesus fucking Christ, you couldn’t catch a break.

The nervous look you send Steve literally begs him to raise concern, to say anything that will get you out of this nightmare. But being the perfect angel he is, he just sends a wink your way and shouts over the table “don’t worry sweetheart, I know you only have eyes for me.”

A sniper to the head would be more comfortable than this.

It’s burning torture as you watch the start of the game, the card beginning with Wanda as it’s sucked from her grasp by another friend of Steve’s. It goes down the line one by one and all you can do is sit and watch as it gets closer to Bucky.

You wish you could slow time down as Bucky sucks the card into his mouth, the turn of his head towards you signaling your turn in the game. If you react too slowly, everyone around you is going to get suspicious, react too quickly and you come across as too eager.

And those cerulean eyes that pin you down with a look you know all too well, don’t help your cause one bit.

Bracing yourself with a hand on the table and a hand on the back of your chair, your knuckles turn white as the death grip keeps you stable when you slowly lean forward. Your ears start to ring and the fact that Bucky hasn’t taken his eyes off you once makes your palms sweaty.

Pursing your lips, you close your eyes as you suction the card from his mouth and successfully take it in your grasp, applauding yourself internally at how smooth the transition went without you freaking out - too much.

Only for it all to come crashing down when a firm, calloused hand squeezes the meat of your thigh and has you releasing a gasp of air, eyes shooting open as the shock of the unexpected touch has the card leaving your mouth, fluttering downwards to land on the floor beside your feet.

The lack of distance between yours and Bucky’s open mouths has your head spinning, taking you back to those public rendezvous against a wall of a club bathroom and panting into each other's mouths as you scream praises to each other.

“Open that slutty mouth, now.”

James’ hand flew up to your jaw to pry your mouth open when you took too long to obey his orders. Leg hiked over his wait as he was two fingers deep in your cunt.

The wetness that landed on your tongue had you moaning louder when you realised that James had spat into your mouth, pussy fluttering around his thick fingers as his eyes darken.

“You want everyone to know how good Daddy’s fingers are making you feel, baby girl? Sure sounds like it.” His dirty grin only made more of your juices leak over him.

“Yes Daddy! Don’t wan’ you to stop, feels soo good.”

The slur in your voice had his cock harden against your leg, and you were sure you were going to pass out as he assured you. “Oh don’t worry, pretty baby. We’re about to see if you can take another one of Daddy’s fingers.”

And by the look on Bucky’s face, he knows all too well exactly what you’re thinking.

The boos and hollers of everyone else snap you back to reality, adjusting your stance and clearing your throat to blend in with the rest of them. Shouts of “loser” and chants of “shot” taking precedence over the wetness of your panties and the throbbing of your pussy that makes your thighs rub together.

You ignore Bucky’s stare, ignore everything else that threatens to consume you as you take the shot to forget about everything just for a short while. You can’t deal with it right now.

As the cheering dies down, you stand up and make your way to the bathroom, declaring that you’ll be right back after relieving yourself, which gains some laughter.

You’re too out of sight to see Bucky half assing an excuse to follow right after you. You also don’t see the look that crosses Steve’s face as he watches the two of you leave.

Bucky hears the telltale clicking off your heels, your announcement of heading to the bathroom a lie as he walks past it and up the stairs to find you leaning against the balcony railing on the roof, looking out at the stars. 

You know he’s there by the sound of the lock clicking shut, the defeat at avoiding this exact situation evident in your sigh. 

He gently walks to your side, almost afraid to scare you off like a baby deer and simply waits for you to start speaking.

“So, I guess this is where we talk.”

The laugh he lets out at your statement has you reluctantly smiling, unable not to love the crinkles that appear by his eyes. 

“I think it's overdue, don't you think?”

“I guess.” You pause as you try to think of what to say. “When did you get back home?”

“Not long ago, about 3 months. You?”

“Came home a couple of weeks after I knew you weren’t coming back.”

Heavy silence falls between the two of you. 

“Can I ask how you met Steve?”

You knew the question was coming, “Natasha introduced us.” You shrug and answer vaguely.

“Ah, the best friend. I remember you mentioning her.”

As you continue to stare out into the night, Bucky decides to carry on. “Do you remember when we used to climb up the stairs to rooftops like this back in Romania? We’d lay all those blankets down and I’d tell you all about the different constellations in the sky. You already knew all of them - always my smart baby girl - but you still let me go on about them because you loved hearing me talk about it.”

You can’t bare to think about the memories that come rushing in at his recollection. The ones that hold a special place in your heart - conversations of getting to know each other, the details of your life you were so willing to give up to him as he slow danced with you in the refrigerator light of your tiny kitchen. Too much for you to comprehend right now as you begin to go walk back inside. 

“Hey no-“ he reaches out to grab your arm to try and get you to listen to him. 

“Please don’t touch me”.  Tears race down your cheeks as you gather the strength to speak your mind. “You left. Do you know how long I waited for you to get in touch with me? How long I stayed in that apartment, thinking you’d be back?” You laugh, “silly me for thinking I was special enough for you to stay.”

“It wasn’t like that-“

“What was it then, Bucky? Because I didn’t get one phone call from you. Not even a text message to tell me you were okay. You ghosted me - abandoned me and then I see you again after all these years.” 

Bitterness takes over Bucky as he blurts out, “yeah, I see you’re really hurt - marrying someone else.”

You’re speechless at his audacity, sputtering to fire back at him, “what does it even matter to you anyway? You didn’t even love me, Bucky!” 

“Stop calling me that!” He deflects.

You ignore him. “What is this? What are you doing? Trying to claim me back as some fucking prize or something?”

“N-no, no! Of course not!”

“Then what, Bucky?!”

He finally snaps and tells the truth. “I want you back!”

All you can do is blink at him as he struggles to find what he wants to say. 

“Do you know how miserable I’ve been without you? How long the days were without you beside me, kisa? I know I ran baby, i know I fucked up. But I was scared, I didn’t want you to look back in a couple of years and wonder what you’ve been doing, wasting time with someone like me. I know better now though, I know how I feel.”

He pauses and gulps. 

“I do. I love you.”

The three words you had been dying to hear, but ever so patiently waited for back then cut your heart into pieces. What you would have given to be on the receiving end of his love when it mattered. But you’ve got a fiancé to think about, a wedding not long away to seal your fate to a man who thinks the world of you and shows it.

“Yeah?” You gulp and turn to walk away, mumbling over your shoulder, “well it’s too late for that now, Bucky.”

You’d love to say that you had been channeling your energy into Steve and proving how much he meant to you ever since your rooftop meeting with Bucky. You wanted to solidify how good you had it already, how you didn’t need to reminisce on memories with someone who lost you when you were perfectly happy with Steve.

But he hadn’t been around a lot lately and you started to grow worried when you had hardly spoken to him when you had a wedding coming up. So to see him leaned over his desk, hair disheveled and tie loose had you a little stunned - never had you once seen Steve in this state.

You cautiously walk towards him and fiddle with your fingers not knowing how to approach him. You keep a small distance and prepare to soothe him. 

“Is everything okay Stevie?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” 

His blunt statement with his gruff voice has you growing nervous, he hasn’t ever spoken to you like this. “W-what? I don’t know what you mean-“

“You know exactly what I mean.”

Steve doesn’t stop there. It makes your stomach drop, in fact, to see him turn around and notice his bloodshot eyes that look like he hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep recently, preparing for things to change.

“How do you really know Bucky?”

Your blood runs cold. The thought of Steve knowing the past between you and his best friend has you starting to shake. 

“S-steve, what are you t-talking about? He’s your best friend-“

“Tell me the truth.” His sternness in the raise of his voice has you stop talking immediately. “Y’know I thought it was a little weird at our engagement party when he couldn’t take his eyes off you, like he already knew you, but I let it go, it was easily something I could pass off. Then I heard he bumped into you at work, no biggie either, I wasn’t concerned. At least not until I see for myself how skittish you were over some stupid game. The longing looks he sent your way when you weren’t looking. So I went into my camera feed at work and boy, was I surprised to hear what he had to say, never mind the way he touched you.”

The tears can’t help but escape and you know there’s no getting out of this now.   

“So I’ll repeat myself, honey. Tell me the truth.”

And you do. You tell him every last detail of how you first met James. The karaoke bar in Romania. The six months you spent together in your apartment. How you fell in love with him. You also spill all your regrets. How you didn’t know how to tell Steve. How you never expected to see James again, never mind see him again as your fiancés best friend. You pour your heart out to the man who’s done nothing but love you unconditionally and you plead how sorry you are for everything. 

You see him process all the information once you finish. How he internalises the history between his soon-to-be wife and best friend he’s known since childhood. You know it’s not looking good for you. 

“Have you cheated?”

You're a bit taken back by his question but nevertheless answer straight away. “No! God, no Stevie, I swear.”

“Do you still want to marry me?”

“Yes. More than anything.” Again, you respond.

“Do you still love him?”

The pause in your response is enough of an answer for Steve and you fully expect him to call the wedding off, declare that he doesn’t want anything to do with you again. You wouldn’t blame him, you know all of this isn’t fair to him.

 

So the shock that runs through you when he takes both of your hands and kisses them multiple times is palpable, murmuring into them, “do you still love me?”

You do love Steve. You’re so grateful for everything he's done for you, for all the care and happiness he’s brought you. You don’t hesitate to answer him this time. 

“Of course I do.”

The smile that graces his face is award winning, the exact one that hooked you in when Natasha told you he was worth it - to give him a chance to make you whole again. 

“Okay. I can work with that.”

Everything hurts. Your dismissal of Bucky’s feelings, your ignorance to his attempts to just talk to you. He supposes it’s karma biting his ass for being so stupid. 

If he could go back in time and stay with you, in your one bedroom cosy little home away from his responsibilities as CEO and his fate of seeing you belong to someone else, he would - in a heartbeat. 

Bucky thinks back to your conversation on the roof, when he blurted out he loves you. He regrets telling you like that, but the desperation for you to be back in his arms, back where you were supposed to be was at an all time high. He was running out of options. It wasn’t that he didn’t love you, because he really did, he just knew it shouldn’t have been said that way.

He should have grabbed you by your face and kissed you senseless back when you were together as he poured declarations of love into your soul. Looked into your eyes and whispered how lucky he was to have you as you lay underneath the Romanian stars. He was a fool. 

Steve was the deserving man, he thinks, watching him dance with his friends and blabber, even drunk, how in love with you he was. Bucky can’t help but clench his fists at the thought of Steve getting to hold you, kiss you, pleasure you. He’s never held resentment towards his best friend, but right now he was a jealous man. 

It drills home how bad of a friend he is to Steve though, Bucky may have had you first but he knows that doesn’t mean a thing when Steve was the one who picked up the pieces, unknowingly, of the ruins in your trust. Either way, it doesn’t deter the possessiveness and need Bucky feels over you. 

He shouldn’t be thinking like this at his best friend's bachelor party.

And speak of the devil, the drunken mess plops onto the seat next to Bucky with a dreamy look on his face. 

“Buck! James, why the hell aren’t you out there tearing up the floor with us?” There’s no slur in Steve’s words, but he does get very weird when he’s been drinking.

And Bucky doesn’t like the use of his first name coming out of someone else’s mouth other than yours. 

“Sorry Steve, just ain’t feeling it tonight, but don’t worry. I’ll be here watching you make a dick outta yourself.”

The bowl of laughter that bellows out of Steve has Bucky laughing for the first time in a while, the rivalry present in his mind disappearing to share a genuine moment with his best friend since childhood. It felt good.

“Yeah, I guess I am. I’m having a good time though, getting married to the woman of my dreams soon enough. What’s there not to be happy about, eh?”

That shuts down the ease found between the two of them. A grunt of acknowledgment from Bucky all he can offer in the souring of his mood.

Steve carries on, nonchalantly, as he swirls his drink. “It’s funny, y’know. Our taste in women. Who’d have thought that the woman id marry would be the one you were fucking whilst you were off on your travels.”

Alarm bells start ringing in Bucky’s head as he slowly turns his head in Steve’s direction, the lump in his throat hard to swallow - Steve knows. 

“Listen Steve, nothing happened-“

“Oh I know. Nothing’s happened while we’ve been together… doesn’t mean you don’t want to. I’ve seen the way you look at her. Don’t blame you to be honest.”

His collected composure throws Bucky off completely, the unease rattling him from the casual way he speaks of you. Bucky isn’t prepared for the dark tone that encases Steve as he goes on, however. 

“But just so you know, she’s marrying me. She chose me. You left her.” 

That pisses Bucky off. He knows all too well what he’s done, berated himself night and day for his mistake. He also knows you. You’re content with your situation - there’s no denying that. 

But, you could be happier. Bucky could be the reason you wake up every single day, loving life and looking forward to your future.

Not marrying someone out of regret.

He doesn’t say that though, let’s Steve have his moment and decides that if this is the end of their friendship, he’ll do it respectfully. 

So as Steve looks over to Bucky, daggers in his eyes for the man that got the girl first, he decides to leave him to himself and go home. Things hadn’t really been the same with Steve since Bucky had gotten back - a piece of his heart with you wherever you were. And then he saw you in your little white dress that reminded him of home and he knew his relationship with Steve couldn’t go back to what it was. 

“See ya round, pal.” 

He’ll miss Steve, truthfully. The little guy he protected from bullies twice the size of him. He knew they couldn’t come back from this though, in love with the same woman and unwilling to let her go. So he tips his head to his best friend, downs his drink and walks out the bar.

He wasn’t going to give up on you without a fight. 

Suffocating. 

The hairspray that clogged the air. Makeup scattered over the side tables. Your wedding dress that you could faintly hear your bridesmaids gush over. 

It was all white noise to you.

You loved this dress - adored it whenever you got to try it on at regular fittings. There may have been a twinge in your gut every time, but you always forced that feeling down. Aside from that, you appreciated how well the dress fit you and how stunning it makes you look.

All you wanted to do now was rip it off.

There was no more countdown to your wedding day. It’s happening today. Now. Whether you’re ready or not. 

Mind fogged over, you don’t hear Wanda’s fingers clicking in front of your face. “Sweetie, you there? You keep zoning out again.” 

It’s only a touch to the shoulder that brings you back out of your head, a perfectly manicured red nail seen from the corner of your eye to let you know it’s Natasha. 

“She’s just fine, our girl’s just busy thinking about how Steve’s going to rip this dress off later on.” The mixture of squeals of laughter and prudish whines from your bridal party have you grateful for Nat’s ability to deflect with ease.

“Why don’t we give the bride some space for a little bit, yeah? All you bitches are giving me a headache, never mind her.”

As you see the last flutter of a dress walk out the door from the reflection of the mirror, you turn to your best friend, the one person you don’t have to pretend with.

“How do I look, Natty?” The crack in your voice gives away your vulnerability, there’s no hiding with her anyway. 

“You know you look beautiful, babe.” A noncommittal hum from you is all she receives as you turn back around to continue looking over yourself.

She brings her face next to yours, giving you her most reassuring eyes and a hug that has fixed you multiple times. But you’re most grateful for the murmur in your ear for only you to hear. “I’m here for you, whatever you want to do, you know that right?” 

You do know that. Your maid of honour who would burn down the world to make your heart whole again. So you owe her the knowledge that you’re gonna be alright, that you’re okay with what’s gonna happen. 

“Maybe I should get married to you Romanoff, I think we’d make a killer couple.” The landing of your joke goes down well with her, the doom of your fate on the back burner for now.

And as she walks out the door to give you a couple of minutes to yourself, she throws a wink your way, speaking over her shoulder, “give me a time and place and I’ll be there, sweetheart.”

Why the hell did this church have to be so big? 

Trying to be stealthy and quiet in a church full of guests roaming around wasn't the easiest task Bucky had ever dealt with. A bridesmaid or a groomsman lurking around a corner had him almost shit himself a couple of times, but he had a plan set in motion and he wasn’t going to be easily deterred.  

The clock was ticking, and Bucky had to get to you, there was no time to waste.

Steve’s fault really because Bucky has full confidence you wouldn’t have picked somewhere like this to get married. A scenic forest setting or even a shotgun wedding much more your style - it gives him an extra push to find you. 

“You really doing this?” 

The voice of his old friend Sam stops Bucky in his tracks as he turns around and releases the door knob he was about to turn. It also doesn’t slip his mind that Sam is stationed outside of a specific door. No doubt another order of Steve. 

At least the search for you is over.

“Never been more sure about anything in my life, Sam.” And he hasn’t. Call him selfish, but he has to speak to you one last time to tell you how he feels. For you to see that he can’t let you go so easily. 

“And you love her?” Sam may be Steve’s friend as well as Bucky’s, however, the two of them have always gotten each other. Sam knew Bucky wouldn’t go to all this trouble for some random girl. 

Bucky doesn’t hesitate to answer his question. “More than you could ever know.” 

The crack in Sam’s steel armour, crossed arms and a wide stance becomes noticeable first by the subtle shake of his head. What he’s about to do isn’t great, but he also sees the longing in your eyes, the spark that brings you to life in the presence of Bucky. Steve doesn’t do that for you. 

“Shit.” Sam rubs a hand down his face and steps to the side. “Okay. You’ve got five minutes tops, that’s the best I can do.” And Bucky couldn’t be anymore grateful for his friend, a tip of his head to Sam to show his appreciation. 

“Five minutes is all I need.”

You’re sitting by the window when you hear the old wooden door creak open. Expecting Nat to check in with you for a final time before the big event, you don’t bother turning around.

“Don’t worry Nat, I’m good. I’ll be out in a sec.”

“You sure about that?”

Your reaction is similar to the first time you heard his deep tone after so long back at the office - head whipping round in shock to see James in a black suit with his hair pulled back. 

Why does he have to look so damn good? 

Standing up, you lift the skirt of your dress and stomp over to him. “Bucky? What the hell are you doing here?!”

He can’t even process your anger at seeing him before your wedding, stunned to silence at the beauty you radiate - you’re so beautiful it hurts.

“Holy shit, you look gorgeous.”

Affected by his response, shyness takes over you as you stutter - speechless in his presence yet again. 

“I had to see you, kisa.” The pet name reserved for you tugs at the ache already there in your heart. 

“James- Bucky, you can’t be here, I’m about to marry Steve.” 

“Don’t.”

You have an idea as to what he means, but you have to ask just to be sure, “don’t what?”

“Don’t marry him.” The way Bucky says it as if it’s so simple astounds you.

“You’ve gotta be kidd-“

He interrupts you before you can finish. “Please, just- hear me out for a second, please?” 

So you stay silent, a tiny piece of you wanting to hear what he has to say.

Bucky straightens the lapels of his jacket and prepares himself for the most important speech of his life. “In five years time, are you gonna look back and have no regrets? Can you tell me truthfully that if you marry Steve, you’re not gonna be wondering what else could’ve happened?”

Tremors start to rack through your body at his questions you don’t want to think about, too scared to really think about answers. Even so, Bucky carries on. 

“I know you love him, baby. But are you in love with him?”

You have to stop his rambling before he says something you can’t hear right now. “Buck-“

“Because I’m in love with you.” He interrupts you. “I’m so fuckin’ gone for you baby girl that I’m here begging you not to marry him.”

Tears threaten to ruin your makeup that took hours to perfect. 

“Runaway with me.”

It’s the last straw that breaks your resolve as you begin to sniffle.  

“We can go back to Romania and start over, or travel together, I don’t care as long as you’re with me.”

You finally speak, “you h-have a business to r-run, Bucky.”

“You think any of that matters to me when I can have you?”

He places his hands on your arms and rubs his palms up and down, giving you the comfort your body is screaming at you for but your mind battles against.  

“I know I left you before and I’m so fuckin’ sorry for breaking your heart. But I swear I’ll be better for you this time.”

Sliding his hands up to cup your cheeks, he leans forward and places a kiss on your cheek, so close to your mouth that you can feel his breath against your skin. Bucky puts his forehead against yours and whispers his last line that he prays will win you over. 

“I love you, kisa… take one more chance on me.”

“Ready, honey?”

As you stand at the double doors waiting to walk down the aisle, your mind races. Too overwhelmed to speak and only able to give Nat a firm nod in acceptance. 

“Let’s get this show on the road then.”

It’s hardly noticeable to you that the double doors open to reveal the altar, the aisle looking so much shorter than you hoped it to be.  

You couldn’t answer Bucky, head scrambled by his dump of love on you and his pleading for you to run away with him that you had to walk away from him. How could you just leave with the person who left you? 

But how could you live without him if you marry Steve?  

You don’t even realise you’re halfway down the aisle as you deathgrip Nat’s arm to the point of bruising - lack of expression on her face apart from a warm smile to not let anyone notice your spiraling. 

And then before you know it, you’re at the altar next to your fiancé and soon enough husband in just a couple of minutes.

The false bravado you showcase impresses yourself when you see no one is batting an eye at your downfall. You think you hear the priest begin the ceremony and go on with the usual spiel of vows and promises. Yet, It just feels like you’re underwater and you’re slowly sinking with no way to the surface. 

Somehow though, you manage to hear the subtle click of a side door towards the back, even through the jumbled mess of your mind. 

It’s like your mind actively seeks out the man who’s had a piece of your heart since you met him. James. The one who literally had you at ‘hello’. 

You remember how you felt as he caught you into a dip, the karaoke bar neon lights casting a luminescent glow over his features and those steel grey eyes breaking through your defenses.

Home.

So the cold panic that rushes over you as he sends one last tender smile your way, his crows feet sending your heart into overdrive, is instant. You don’t miss the single tear he lets escape and the bow of his head as he turns around and walks out of the church doors. 

No. 

Looking back towards Steve, you know he saw Bucky and the war going on inside your head by his forlorn expression. 

Steve. 

He deserves so much better than you. His kindness and patience with you proceeds anything you were worthy of. Them ocean blue eyes begging you not to go even after all he’s put up with. 

But they never were your blue. 

You drop his hands and back away, the rejection of his pleas hitting home as he knows what’s coming next. Sliding the sparkling engagement ring from your finger and placing it into his palm, you peck his cheek and whisper your apologies. 

“I’m so sorry, Steve.”

You hate having to do this to him. You hate that you can’t give up a crucial part of your past to be in the present with him. But he deserved someone that could love him with their entire being, not you who could only give the smallest offering. 

It was time to start being honest with yourself - starting with following your heart and going after who you really want. 

The grin on your face at your epiphany is unstoppable, as you kick off your shoes, rip off your veil and grab the skirts of your dress. 

Then, you run. 

You ignore the gasps of outrage from all the guests, you don’t see the smirk on Nat’s face and Wanda smacking Nat’s arm out of shock as you finally give in to your true desires. You just keep on running.  

The church doors burst open and you race down the steps to see Bucky ducking his head to get in his mustang and starting the smooth engine to drive off. 

Shit. 

“JAMES!” 

He doesn’t hear your cries over the rumble of his car, and you push yourself to run faster. You have to catch up to him. 

“JAMES WAIT!”

Just as Bucky puts his foot down to accelerate, he hears the passenger door to his mustang whip open and his head snaps over - only to see his beautiful angel sitting in the passenger seat staring nervously into his eyes. 

“No fuckin’ way.”

 

His breathlessness makes you giggle as you nod your head in excitement, the way his face lights up at the sight of you and that gorgeous smile on his face has your stomach fluttering. 

This is what love should feel like. 

“Fuck, you actually did it, baby.”

“Nervous were we?”

Bucky lets out a huff of breath at your jab and shakes his head with fondness, unable to believe he’s really got his girl back. 

Not wasting a minute more, he pulls you in by the back of your head and kisses you with wild abandon, his tongue teasing its way in to dance with yours. You’ve missed him more than you were willing to admit - pouring all of your yearning over the years into the kiss. He pulls back when you both run out of oxygen and stares into your eyes as if this is all a dream. Bucky has you laughing once more as he pinches the skin of his arm just to double check. 

“So, where are we going, kisa?” Bucky waits for your response as he shifts the mustang into gear, car moving forward as he gets ready to prove how much you truly mean to him.

You lean your head back on the head rest and close your eyes, mind clear for the first time in a long while as the tires turf up the gravel and speed off.

The upturn of your lips has the spark you thought was gone inside you reigniting. And you know now this is where you’re supposed to be. 

“Anywhere as long as it’s with you, James.”

A/N: if you got this far, thank you so much for reading! I really enjoyed writing this one and there’s also potential for a second part should I feel there’s enough interest - I never learn 🤣

[generational-atrophy]

(Hetalia Main 8 x Reader) Fighter S/O!

(Gender Neutral) Headcanons ~ A/N omg thanks :33 anon if ur good at fighting thats literally so cool. sorry that this is shorter, but i didnt have many specifics-

Trigger Warning: Swearing, other than that none! Just fluff!

YES YES YES ALFRED WOULD LOVE THIS.

As soon as he learns you’re good at fighting, he suggests that you two spar. 

Now that he knows you’re not breakable, he is going to treat you differently. Throwing things at you with his full strength (which is more than humanly possible-) and nearly tackling you with hugs.

The two of you make quite a (TERRIFYING) power couple. No one’ll be a dick to you guys now!

Arthur wouldn’t care that much, but he’d be a little intimidated.

But he’s keeping that information in his back pocket. He’s a rather scrawny guy, so knowing you can back him is very useful.

He asks you where and why you learned immediately. Of course, no judgment whatever you say, but if it’s for some more… unpleasant reasons he’d like to know.

Definitely encourages you to get better! It’s becoming a more and more rare skill these days!

Francis would not care that much personally, but he would totally admire you a lot for it!

Learning a skill like that would either take a lot of struggle or a lot of effort, either way, respectable.

As long as you don’t beat up people in front of him, he generally doesn’t care. He considers fighting for stupid reasons very uncivilized.

You can try to drag him along when you work out, but I’ll tell you now, he is not doing anything. He’ll run alongside you, but that is the extent of it. If you want him to help you practice, he’ll do it while complaining.

Yao would like this quite a lot! In his younger years, he was a fighter as well, so maybe you two can teach each other some tricks!

Of course, the way he learned to fight is very traditional, so he may get on your ass about “wrong posture” or whatever.

Also, he can’t go for very long without getting tired anyway. He loves you for your energy but he cannot keep up-

Surprisingly, Yao would be pretty supportive of you getting in random fights though. Even if the reason is stupid, he’ll still be cheering from the sidelines.

Oh boy! Ivan may not be much of a fighter, but he’s strong as well! Maybe you two can work out together?

He won’t say anything at first, but he definitely worries about whether you had to become good at it.

Normally he’d beat up people for you, but now maybe you could do the same for him?? He’s swooning so hard.

Like America, you two are gonna be the most intimidating people in the room. Power couple (with mostly good intentions. you may be a bad influence on him to start solving more problems through violence)

Oh thank god, Feliciano cannot put up a fight to save his life. But now that he has you, he doesn’t have to!

Wait, you’re good at fighting, so you must be strong right? Can you pick him up?? Please??

But he does worry about you getting in fights… you may be tough but you’re still his darling! He does secretly love patching you up though

He prefers words, but that just means you two balance each other out! Weak and strong, a perfect match!

Ludwig is also quite a formidable fighter as well, so you two have something fun in common!

He’d definitely appreciate someone who can hold their own. He thinks it says a lot about your character! Very encouraging and supportive.

Definitely brings you along to the gym so you two can practice together. If you’re better at specific styles, you can always teach him.

Just… don’t get in any street fights, won’t you? It stresses him out immeasurably.

Oh cool. Kiku is not very strong, but he knows a lot about the art of fighting, so he finds you quite interesting for it.

Give a little demonstration, won’t you? Even if it’s awkward :}

He’d love for you to teach him. He’s always been just average physically, so maybe with your motivation, he’ll finally be more like Ludwig!

But he’d hate you getting in fights, just think of the attention it’ll attract! Please, try to keep your sparring in the gym.

[emerystellar]

hii ^_^ i would appreciate if anyone could spare some change cuz i have a lot of expenses right now and i am barely stringing along. more context/sob story under the cut if you want but tl;dr car repairs, ubers to/from work, and food in the meantime

ways to support me:

redbubble ☆ i have quite a few things on there, including logos of my stuff and retro things like bowling alley carpet, i’m working on a pride collection of bowling alley carpets too!! and i have a lot more in the works :]

patreon ☆ four different tiers with varying perks, and near-daily updates on art projects, sneak peeks at redbubble designs, previews on music and even full songs weeks before they release- also recognition on youtube, my discord, etc etc!

donations ☆ these are quick links to all the major money sharing apps (cashapp venmo paypal), if you want to do zelle that requires my email (emery.nova7673@gmail.com)

bandcamp ☆ for as little as a dollar you can pick any of my currently released songs to get the highest quality download, which is equivalent to listening to it 34 times on spotify… so if you really like my music then own it for yourself here! you can also get 50% off literally anything with the code hungrypumpkin (since it’s helping me pay for food lol)

and if you can’t donate, pleaaaase reblog hopefully to reach someone who can- reblogs help wayyy more than likes in this case ^^

thank you all!!! you’re amazing and i hope you have a stellar day

poll for engagement:

okayyy umm hii… i’m a queer trans non-binary neurodivergent indie artist, teacher, and musician (to get all the demographic solidarity out there, i never know how to write these) and as of rn i’m having to pay my dad $1900 to fix my car’s transmission while ALSO paying anywhere from $100-150 a week on ubers to get to and from work since i have a residential tutoring job. while ALSO having to pay rent, bills, etc like normal. it fuckign sucks and i’ve literally been eating almost nothing except free handouts from college … it’s a nightmare and it weighs on me every day 😔

not only are most of the ubers a wild roulette on whether the car’s going to be super uncomfortable and make me nauseous, the driver being overpolitical and talking about super uncomfortable shit out of the blue and making me feel really unsafe, they’re often super fucking late and i can’t risk being late to work and it’s just all around not sustainable yayy!! and i also just learned i have depression from all this! which next to the rest of my melting pot of neurodivergence makes it Really goddamn hard to exist in a positive way!

when i’m not at work or school i am making as much content as i possibly can and pushing it out onto redbubble, patreon, etc. you will get more than your moneys worth in return from artistic content and stuff, that’s all i have to offer right now, because frankly commissions are extremely draining and take me SUPER LONG to finish- i don’t want you to have to fight through my executive dysfunction to get a finished piece that’s not fair to you and i want to make this as worth it as possible on the user end

if you want a specific goal, then right now, $350 for ubers for a month would help a lot but naturally give as much as you can because i need all i can get rn ^^; i’m lowballing it so it feels more achievable really but just ,, please anything helps lol

$0 / $350

thank you i love you all my gratitude is immeasurable and i just.. thank you for supporting me it helps more than you know

[1lovepeace]

Do you think that Viren isn't really to blame for Rayla issues since the real issue are the parental figures who abandoned her. Also, since Claudia and Rayla are so similar do you think that they could become friends?

Hey @archmagecallum79. Really appreciate you, fam. There are so many enormous, complicated, compelling factors, accountability, and responsibility when it comes to Rayla's losses and tragedies that she's endured and went through. It's not only because of Viren, for he's literally the cause behind what happened to her parents and Runaan. Whose actions led to Rayla, Runaan, and Ethari believing they were traitors, Runaan taking Rayla on his doomed mission when she was literally just a child for redeeming honor that was never even tarnished nor tainted, leading him to realize that he endangered, jeopardized, sabotaged and abandoned Rayla's life and breaking the trust of her and her parents, trapping them in coins among others. Took the lives of Rayla's squad and led her to being banished from her home among others.

However, Viren is not the only one to blame for this. You can argue that all four parents also caused Rayla to feel neglected and abandoned because of their actions and choices. With Rayla's parents, they genuinely loved Rayla, and even though they were chosen to serve on the Dragonguard, they did everything they could to ensure their only daughter would never be alone and that she has a home with Runaan and Ethari.

However, with Runaan and Ethari, they are parents who are far more complicated and way more complex because, while admittedly, I've massively condemned both of them for the choices, actions, and decisions they've made, for their own failures, wrongdoings, and negligence as fathers, I also believe that they did everything in their power and will to welcome and bring Rayla into their lives and showing her that she is well loved and appreciated in their family.

But the fact remains that they have abandoned their relationship and family foundation with their daughter: Rayla's parents sering the Dragons and being ghosted by people without a care in the world, Runaan suffering from all the unspeakable guilt and unbearable regret for burdening Rayla with responsibility on a mission that she was never meant, ready nor suited for, thus hurting from the realization of having put Rayla in a horrendous situation and constantly reflecting and dwelling on his failures in his responsibilities as a father, and Ethari, who was consumed by grief and heartbreak, made the worst mistake of his life ghosting Rayla, which he monumentally and immeasurably regrets it, also suffering from the heartbreaking guilt and overwhelming remorse, and much like Runaan, constantly reflecting and dwelling on his own failures and mistakes as a father for those last two years.

So all in all, they have been left to bear the hurtful burdens and damaging reprecussions of what they've done. There are not horrible people, but they've made choices that they're undoubtedly regretting every moment of. Seeing how they not only caused Rayla but devastatingly caused themselves such heartbreak, hurt, pain, grief, and loss. Facing the heart-wrenching truth about what she went through, always suffering and enduring such unfathomable despair, uncontrollable guilt, unspeakable regret, unimaginable shame, and indescribable remorse. Endlessly thinking about all their wrongs and disappointments as parents.

But that doesn't mean there's no chance or hope of them having a redemption/atonement arc with Rayla. I have strong confidence that all four parents would do anything and everything in their power, and strong will to not only making things right, but alleviating Rayla of every single moment that was left unspoken, unresolved and unanswered of the last two years. All while painfully admitting and humongously apologizing to Rayla for what they did, learning from their regretful mistakes as parents. Showing and proving to her how important and precious she is to all of them, how much they truly love her and enormously care about her, how she deserves so much better from them, that they sincerely value her life, how they only want the best for her, and just how deeply proud they are of her. It can also demonstrate how they're willing to accept change and changing for Rayla in ways they never did before. Realizing how important and valuable family is, how important and valuable she is, and showing the unwavering commitment towards truly reconciling, healing, and mending their family bond with Rayla. This family needs so much therapy and time to untangle everything.

Given that TDP is filled with many themes such as grief, love, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, second chances, understanding, and learning from the cycles of violence, war, and vengeance. Even when it seems all hope is lost, when hope and faith are found again, it can blossom into something even more beautiful and prosperous. And I believe the moonfam has the biggest chance of learning, embracing, and building an understanding, trust, unwavering devotion, and newfound family foundation with each other. I have faith in them.

[twig-gy]

tw like. self harm ideation. eating disorder ideation. suicidal ideation. i vent

i am haunted by the beauty of deprivation - i know i shouldn't say it. or talk about it. or feel it. but there's just something so - feeling empty is feeling empty and of course it isn't comparable to anything else and of course i shouldn't want to feel that way. but the thing is whenever you feel empty and then you start to feel things again, it seems like everything is beautiful - after you relapse and then you swing back to happiness the happiness seems so impossible in its goodness and it feels so . i want to feel bad to feel good again. maybe i just like techdog. i feel sick. like hunger-sick. i haven't actually eaten like real food in way too much time. and i'm recovering from being actually sick so i should eat. but anyway maybe i just want to feel what it's like to deprive yourself. i've always seen people with eating disorders with this sort of appreciation, like how could you go through all that? do you find pleasure in it? if so, how? i could never do that. after a day i'd have to make myself eat. but now it's kind of... i guess i want to be empty to see what the prism tells me. i guess i want to feel utterly, immeasurably, inexpressibly weak. i want to break myself down. i want to feel things that would be described as abjectly horrible, things even i can't find any beauty in. i want to empty myself entirely. maybe i should relapse and that would give me the emptiness i want

i am haunted by the beauty of violence. haunted. utterly. whenever my skin itches and whenever i see it mentioned and i get this weird awareness of my arms this weird awareness of i could do that. sometimes i look at the knives and i think i could just take one. take one and then run it down my chest. and then give myself a horrible wound. and then split my ribcage open. and then find my heart and cradle it. and then see whether that fixes me or not. and then feel amazing bright brilliant pain. when i imagine this i know the pain would be far far far too much to handle. i can't imagine it properly, it's like my vision goes hazy and all i see is how beautiful it'd be, all i can see is the exact right amount of pain, all i can think about is just. i want to be destroyed. irreparably. i want to take myself apart and i want to never wake up and never get fixed from it. it's like - i'm happy, sometimes. very happy. sometimes i am so content i don't even want to relapse, sometimes i just don't think about it. and then other times i lie awake at night, and it's horrible. and this is okay, i just don't like the middle part where i'm bored and have nothing to do and imagine doing things but don't actually do them. i don't want to cut myself with the crushing sense of despair and 'i shouldn't be doing this' and fading until the only emotion i can feel is naught. i want to feel manic while doing it. like it's good and pure and the only thing that can save me. that's my fantasy that's the ideal. and i have felt like that. rarely. but i have. and i want to feel it again. and i'm sick and i want to cut myself until i bleed. did you know i can't even do that? i'm not even strong enough to do that? i've bled a handful of times. i haven't hit styro. i'm simultaneously at the earliest stage of the addiction and then the part where it's ruining my life. only a bit. it's only kind of ruining my life. i don't relapse that often. and then i do. and then i'm haunted by it. and then i scratch myself out of pure reflex out of pure frustration and nothing else to do with it.

let me be upfront. i want to relapse. i want to take my knife and i want to run it down my arms over and over and over again until i literally can't think because of the pain and my breathing is hitched and weak. that's what i want. and i probably won't do it, because i'm a coward. but i think it'd fix me. genuinely. i think it'd be good. i want to.

[fairytales-magic]

Soooo hey! As anyone who follows or even glances at my blog will know, I am an absolute die-hard Tom Hiddleston/Loki fan. And as fate may have it, this same man is coming here to my state’s ACE Comic Con next month THE VERY SAME WEEK AS MY BDAY 

 Tickets to meet him are HECKA expensive (checked and it’s like more than $200 for one day NOT including actual admission, and I’m just a part-time worker/college student), so my question is; is there’s any lovelies out there who’d like to buy me a coffee for like commission work (or just out of love??)? 

My strongest work is Writing currently, so if you've got a thing you're just dying to see put to paper, i’m your gal! 

[bluemedallion]

Crewfu Appreciation Week!

Day 2: Beyond The Clip

So for today, I decided I was gonna take everyone on a journey. A journey to October 2, 2021. When Steve, Baycon, Ellum and 5up played a game called Devour.

Devour is a multiplayer horror game, where the goal is to run around in a little map and complete scary little goals. This gameplay is where the famous :kojisrsteewee: image comes from:

So. Something very fun happened this stream. Because Baycon is not a very easy-to-scare guy, but he for sure gets very, very scared here. And by god, does Steve react to it. And whatever, it's a fucking awesome event that I love and think about like, often. So whether you remember this or not, I'm here to overexplain and overshow it all with a frankly weird amount of clips and vids that I compiled over the last few hours (it is 2 am). Let's take a trip down Memory Fuckin Lane yall. Let's dive into... the Little Hands Saga.

CW: jumpscares, spiders

So, they play the first map just fine. The goal was to find and sacrifice some goats while a scary lady (and some demons) chased them. They did it easily.

The second level was a similar premise. This time, they had to find little fuckin egg thingies, cleanse them, while a scary spider lady (and some spiders) chased them. This slight scene change would make all the difference.

It wore them out, though.

The first sign from Baycon that things were wrong...

(Sorry for not being able to link all the videos directly btw, I am not tech savvy and couldnt get it to work so this will have to do)

So yeah, Baycon is erhm. Scared of spiders.

It's very surprising, cause up until this point neither the audience nor his friends knew he was scared of fuckin anything. We had no fuckin clue, I was just as shocked as they were. But my delight at finding out that when he's scared, he starts high-pitched babbling? Fucking immeasurable.

At one point soon after, Steve and Baycon were hiding from the spider lady. There's a game mechanic where you can hide in a closet, and I guess it feels safer? Idfk, but Baycon was hiding in the closet, while Steve was just stood in the corner of the room.

What happened next was the best event of the whole game, and because I'm too lazy to clip it all separately, I'll let 🥰Koji🥰 tell you all about it.

And god, I just love the irony of Baycon thinking he's the safe one. And then Steve just... standing in the corner while he got dragged off jshfsjrhdshds it fuckin gets me.

After that jumpscare... Steve watched Baycon's pov while they were mid-game. And uh. Pointed out something interesting.

Baycon's little hands.

As you heard in that last video, Baycon got scared again near the end. And his little hands... they just went up again.

And here's Baycon's reaction right after that...

So it's clear our poor guy is having it rough. For pretty much the whole level, Baycon was just crying to himself in a corner because of all the spiders. It was truly great to witness. But the mockery of his little hands went on.

Then it happened a third time. With possibly the best noises to ever leave his mouth.

God this poor guy. Aware of his little hands but so scared he just can't stop flinging 'em up.

Here's 5up's pov of the conversation right afterwards, because Steve was fuckin thanking a sub on his side.

Nshfhsbf poor Baycon. 5up out here calling him weak because at first he was affronted by being called little hands, and now he's doing it himself. My man literally wants to curl into a lil ball until the spiders leave him alone.

Thats the extent of the bit tbh, this guy is forever mocked for having little hands and we emerged with the best clips of all time. It's a shame nobody saved Baycon's vod, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Speaking of all the clips...

Okay, it happened one more time shhdsjdb this is the best one, look look look

HIS LITTLE HAND FLIP AS HE REALIZES THAT HE DID THE LITTLE HANDS AGAIN SJHSAJSHSHAH THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONE JUST CAUSE OF THAT SNFNWNDBE

Anyways. This is the end of the saga. I genuinely think about the Little Hands Saga at least once a month. When looking for these clips I found some I hadn't even seen before. It's just--THE most entertaining vod, I love watching Steve get so fucked up so quickly. And the Little Hands Saga,,,,, god it means everything to me. I hope they do more horror games this October, even though I fucking hate horror. For shit like this, it's worth it.

Hope you enjoyed :)

Bonus! Here's Baycon being very brave about the whole thing. Took place right after he died in the first Little Hands jumpscare.

[austronauts]

Hi bestie I'm making a presentation on Mitch to my friends (please don't ask I have immeasurable brainrot and need to get it out somehow) but I don't really know what to include to really encapsulate all of his... everything so what are your personal favourite moments/ important Mitch lore. Also if you could drop some pics of him sitting on men's laps and engaging in otherwise questionable activity that would also be appreciated lol

oh my GOD. that is SO CUTE and i am so so honored to be called upon to help you with this incredible project.

i feel like (although its in need of an update. not me doing quarterly updates of this mitch marner primer like it's my actual job) my mitch marner primer will have a lot of the content you're looking for (if you haven't already seen it flkjdlsss. apologies in advance for the insanity of this even existing) *also my matt martin tag, justin holl tag, and patrick marleau tag has a lot of adorable gifs and photos!)

random things that immediately come to mind are what justin holl and alex kerfoot and Zach hyman said about mitch that just STAY WITH ME because i feel like they convey what mitch means and is for the people around him: justin holl: “you can’t really put into words how much Mitchy means to this team” alex kerfoot [when asked about where the leafs miss mitch the most - when mitch was out with injury i think]: "we miss him everywhere" zach hyman listing the things he'd want on a desert island: mitch

Other lore stuff (this is going to be very stream of consciousness and messy...apologies in advance)

The way Mitch draws SMILEY FACES and stuff on his gloves to remind him that hockey is supposed to be fun (and sometimes he writes Z on it - presumably for Zeus. Other times he's written H on it for Hayden, a child cancer patient/friend that Mitch befriended during his London Knights Days, which you can read more about here)

THE ENTIRE ATHLETIC ARTICLE about what mitch was like during his London Knights days https://theathletic.com/2469915/2021/03/25/mitch-marner-ohl-season/. THIS IS SUCH A GOOD ARTICLE but does have a paywall…if you don’t have a subscription, copy+pasting the athletic link into here should allow you to bypass

This video of Zach asking reporters if they caught Mitch singing loudly in the lockerroom lmao. I just LOVE how every single Leaf immediately points out Mitch as the one who's most likely to always be busting out into song and dance. I just know he was a Gleek when he was younger i just KNOW IT

What Jon Cooper says about Mitch. i just know jon cooper is smackin his lips somewhere out there wanting to sign mitch to play for him. Coops i know what you are

The way it's literally IMPOSSIBLE for mitch to go ANYWHERE or do anything without acquiring at least 3-5 doting father figures who want to kidnap him and squeeze him like a stress ball (same)

EVERY. SINGLE. THING about the 2015 NHL draft class and the friendship between connor dylan and mitch. every single thing

The way Mitch takes ANY and EVERY opportunity he can to gas auston and his teammates up! and his general inability to chirp anyone without immediately backtracking (most noticeable in the leaf to leaf with matt martin) and being a big loser about it. I know he always says he LOVES getting under his friends' skin and being annoying but i feel like this is like the time he asserted "he was thick for his size"? aka patently false but we love the DELUSION for you, babygirl! no but fr - it is generally impossible for mitch to get through any media appearance without complimenting or referring to auston at LEAST once. that boy is a simp to the core for auston matthews. this i think is even sweeter because - idk about now - but it's pretty clear that mitch's dad saw auston as a massive rival to mitch and a threat to mitch's potential success with the leafs? so mitch's friendship with auston and general "HEART EYES HUMINA HUMINA AWOOOGA HES SO GOOD HES MY BIG BOY HES MY MASSIVE MAN" demeanor about auston is all...in spite of his dad

The way he's never met a goalie he hasn't fallen in love with

The way he loves all dogs and kids (and the way kids seem to gravitate toward him). he's a CARICATURE of a man.

The way he complains and whines SO much whenever his teammate posts a photo without tagging him, even if he's not even in the photo. the constant need for attention. the babygirl behavior!

The way he sTILL HATES VEGETABLES and distrusts soup because of the texture and YET will make "ice cream soup" by mixing it with a spoon until it's all melted before he eats it. like what the fuck? what the fuck.

his utterly guileless warmth and happiness and enthusiasm for LIFE, hockey, and his PALS. he's a little stupid sometimes but he's so sweet and so CUTE and just a little k-pop group maknae-coded man

The way he melts himself into older players' families so thoroughly their kids believe that mitch is actually one of them

Moments of Mitch sitting on other players' laps or generally needing to be the most tactile physical-affection craving baby:

mitch and matt napping and spooning

this just makes me laugh bc mitch...wat are u doin

anyway, i will end this with what my friend said about mitch: i think once you're friends with mitch you just accept that he will be cuddling and spooning and draping himself over you. look. all these men clearly have the tired expressions of 'look, mitch just happened to me i didnt have a choice.'

[beckface]

sometimes i think about how LRW's civilian/work clothes are already CMYK. Cyan = Headband hairclip thing (is it one of those plastic hairclips from the early 2000s that didn't actually hold your hair bc you needed like 3 other ponytails to keep it in place, or is it like a plastic ring???) Magenta = Shirt, Yellow = Hair. She's a walking printer cartridge before she gets copiered. Also legit disappointed we never got a 'machinations' pun from her because... because machine....... (also ty for providing 10/10 wordgirl content, my hyperfixation is back with a vengeance and I appreciate your posts very much /gen)

It took me forever to answer this just know my guilt is immeasurable and my apologies are plenty /lh anyways

I THINK the thing that Beatrice wears is a headband, but I have seen a lot of fanart where it’s one of those giant ponytail holder things, and I love to imagine that, if we take the show in the context of 2022 that Beatrice has worn the exact same outfit since like the 1990s or something and she refuses to change it. That seems in character.

The villain character designs are literally top tier in this show. They HAD to have done the CMYK thing on purpose, literally no way it was an accident, kudos to you for seeing that JKSDFDS like it’s a visual pun the writers of this show love that kind of silly stuff

Why couldn’t we have more machinery-based word lessons with the sheer amount of machine-based villains. Mr. Big, LRW, Twobrains, Granny May to an extent, and of course mf Robot Mccallister

LRW is iconic and out of all of the villains I remembered her design PERFECTLY years after I had first watched the show when I was actually the target demo. I love how she clearly gave up on brushing her hair all the way through years ago. I love how exhausted she constantly is. I love how she can switch from faux timidity to pure internal rage. I love how being a villain is her outlet for the stress of everyday life. She is just coasting along, respect.

This is not anything to do with your ask about LRW but i’m gonna talk about it anyways, I love all the character designs so so much. Chuck being a sandwich head is so random like how did they decide that. Did they give him the sandwich theme, the name, or the design first because NONE of those things seems like something someone would bring up at a pitch meeting casually

Mr. Big being a stereotypical business guy but with a robber’s mask as his symbol is so creative and slick I will never get over it, meanwhile Leslie looks like that stereotypical blonde assistant except she’s constantly monotone inside and out and is secretly wearing a karate uniform at all times

Twobrain s tumblr se xymann (no but serious this is another one with like how did they think of that concept. Did they start off making Steven as like the science character and then they fucked with it?? Or did they make the mouse thing and then do a tragic backstory?? I have so many questions)

Tobey looks like literally every British child you’ll ever see and the fact that he’s faking his accent makes that even funnier. Great punchline

The coach is a short king but he also needs to shave that mustache like come on dude you look like you’re banned from school grounds

Whammer’s horns are unnecessary and also the best thing ever I hope that he never ever loses all the random bullshit in his design <3

(edit WAIT I JUST GOT IT. HE’S A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP. BECAUSE HE WRECKS THINGS. DAMN YOU PBS)

Butcher is such a CLASSIC cartoon character idk how to explain it but like. He’s a meat butcher. He wears a butchers outfit covered in meat. His magic power is meat. He butchers words. Simple, I love it. Also he’s not stereotypically mean or brutish, he’s a sweet guy.

I Like how in the Best’s design their hair is shiny while most of the other characters don’t have any texture or detail in their hair. It’s a nice touch and great visual storytelling that this family is made of perfectionists and egotists

I like how the learnerer makes no sense and scares me a little! There is no explanation he just looks like that!

I like how with Seymour’s design his power is his teeth, and his design is literally BUILT from the ground up to highlight just how got dam white those teeth are

NOCAAAAAAN

Okay done with talking about character designs hnnnn

(and thank you!! My hyperfixation also rushed back as you can see so i’m glad I can provide engaging content for some ppl dkflsldj)

[lightdancer1]

Mai's perspective in the Age Reversal AU?

Mai didn't know the Princess all that well. Azula was one of the oldest girls in the Academy when she'd gone off to the war. She was one of the younger ones, along with Ty Lee. The Princess, at the age of thirteen, had noticed them, though. She'd encouraged them to actually be themselves.

And then one day there was a great amount of noise and confusion and Princess Azula not showing up for the Academy in what became a very long and painful year. There were murmured doubts and fears....and then Zuko told her a couple days later that he was afraid he'd done something bad.

Now Mai was seven.

The Princess was back and she'd changed. She had something Father called Soldier's Shock. That confused her, both that it had a name and that her Father, of all people, had it in him to understand someone who was a girl as a person. Azula was allowed to cry randomly or to go berserk for no reason but let her pick up one knife....

She shook her head.

Azula was back and was a part of the training curriculum now in the Academy. People were expected to test skills against someone who'd gone there and actually fought in the real war. Girls her age went down in mere part-degrees. Mai, to everyone's surprise except Azula's with a grim smile lasted nine degrees, aided by her skills with one of her knives.

Father was proud of her, that day.

Father wanted her to be close to the Princess, in hopes that she might mentor her the way she did that strange cousin of hers.

She liked Azula, admittedly. Azula didn't ask her to be anyone but Mai. Azula didn't ask her to be the perfect daughter, a fragile little doll who was very quiet and didn't dare ask for anything. Azula let her call her Azula, not Crown Princess Azula.

By the time she was twelve and things changed immeasurably when an unimaginable event proved very imaginable indeed she would appreciate how rare that was.

For now she was six and got to have fun and to actually feel like a person allowed to be one with the Crown Princess, who was the coolest girl ever. More Ty Lee's phrasing than her own but in her own mind she was allowed to think what she wanted.

The strangest thing of all was learning that Princess Sakura had died, the second Royal death in a span of two years. Lu Ten had created a firestorm, literally. Azula had become Crown Princess in its wake. Princess Sakura's death received muted reactions from everyone except Azula's strange cousin who literally danced for joy and hugged the Crown Princess.

Mai had seen that when Princess Jiren had gone with Azula and proven a very unpleasant person to fight in her own right, able to match the Princess blow for blow in the ring. Well, she'd seen it after when she'd wanted to talk to the Crown Princess. The Imperial Firebender who'd delivered the news in a surprisingly neutral tone.

There were still a few mourning banners for Prince Lu Ten even under Fire Lord Ozai. Nobody mourned for Princess Sakura. Mai would only learn why when she was thirteen, at least partially. Instead she waited a bit and got to talk to the Crown Princess, who was amazingly understanding and would soon let her become a lady-in-waiting in all but name. It meant she never had to go home again or be around her parents. Soon, Ty Lee would join her.

[ijustloveobeymeok]

0bey me! Brothers Love Language

Lucifer

Lucifer's love language is probably Acts of Service. It's a rare language but I think it depicts him quite well. He looks for someone dependable and is seen constantly asking you if you could do little favors for him. In his eyes, giving him some peace and quiet is also a huge act of service and will cause you to be greatly appreciated. He also seems the type who would cry of happiness if any of his brothers or you did even the littlest of chores.

Mammon

To be honest all the love languages suit Mammon and I was gonna go with it. But in the end, Quality Time rose above the others and was declared the winner. (Words of Affirmation was a close second.)

Something I picked up is Mammon is as paranoid about you as he is protective of you. His first worry is always your safety and his first question is usually "MC! Are ya ok?" or something. He's always worried and thinking about you when he's away from you, so he prefers to stick to you constantly so he can confirm you're fine with his own eyes. Also so he can be sure no one else tries to flirt with you.

Leviathan

Well, he'll fall for you if you take genuine interest in things he like. His love language is more related to "show don't tell", because his insecurity will just convince him it's empty words anyway. So I went with Acts of Service. Leviathan seems like he'd fall for the littlest things a person does for him.

He's willing to ramble about his games and shows to anyone, but the happiness he feels when someone listens closely and asks questions to show they're interested is immeasurable. Also when you bring him snacks and drinks when he's in the gaming zone (whatever that is), makes him feels most loved. Little things like fixing his collar or combing his hair when it's messy also has him squealing like a high school girl lmao.

Satan

Satan's love language is surprisingly Physical Touch. Nothing sensual, even your elbows or knees bumping together will probably cause his heart to race. Something you'll probably notice is how he's always touching you, even if it's just a little like your pinkies being linked together.

He definitely loves it when you pet his head or hold his cheeks. A true romantic, he savors your hugs and when you hold your hands. Probably asks you for massages from time to time as an excuse to feel your touch. It probably stemmed from not being held much as a child.

Asmodeus

Most people probably assume his love language to be Physical Touch, for understandable reasons too. However, Asmodeus maybe perfect for people whose love language is Physical Touch I believe his love language would be Words of Affirmation.

He loves nothing more than being noticed and praised for his Beauty. He also loves compliments whether it's his graceful behavior, elegant style, or literally anything. The most flustered I've seen Asmo was when I complimented his kindness. Hence I come back to my conclusion of his love language being Words of Affirmation.

Beelzebub

Honestly, a lot of languages fit Beel too. But I chose Receiving gifts as his love language. Seems easy, but then again, Beelzebub's an easy person to please. He's easily consoled by the promises and offers of food from his brothers but he seems happier when you do it.

On a deeper note, seeing you get along with his brothers is also equivalent of a gift to him. He feels most loved when he knows you're getting along with them for his sake, or that you're giving him something because you thought of him. Perhaps he enjoys the idea being in someone's mind a lot more.

Belphegor

Without a doubt, his love language would be Quality Time. Belphegor's biggest happiness is most likely sleeping and you're a close close second. But when he gets to sleep with you? Now that's a dream coming true.

To be honest he probably enjoys being by your side even though it's troublesome sometimes, he's always been the first person to volunteer to join you in doing something. However he's also content just sitting there quietly as you do your own thing. As long as he's close to you he'll always be at peace.

[qitwrites]

⬅ Previous || 20 || Next ➡

Kirishima stays behind in the gym most evenings. This is not news to anyone, nor is it uncommon.

He usually outstays everyone actually. His stamina seems to be endless, and his quirk relies on his physical health and his ability to increase and extend his limits. So, Kirishima stays, and he trains, and he smiles the whole time. He pumps iron like a madman but makes sure to stay (barely) within his limits.

Tokoyami is aware of Kirishima’s gym habits, so he isn’t surprised when he backtracks one day to pick up a towel he’d left on one of the stands, only to find Kirishima in the room even though it’s late evening. It isn’t anything worth noting.

What is weird though is seeing him sitting cross-legged on the floor, right in front of the floor to ceiling mirrors, his face almost glued to his reflection. He’s leaning with his hands on his knees, and Tokoyami’s sure his forehead is touching the mirror.

The red head just stares at his reflection, and Tokoyami realizes that Kirishima is so absorbed in whatever it is that he’s doing that he doesn’t even realize the beaked hero is in the room. Tokoyami cocks his head to the side and decides to wait a minute before making his presence known.

Moments later, Kirishima hardens himself. More specifically, he hardens himself from the neck up, his arms and legs still soft and unchanged. It’s still nothing too out of the ordinary, except the face-plastered-to-the-mirror-while-on-the-floor bit.

7 seconds later, Kirishima takes a deep breath and grunts, hardening further. Layers and layers of hardening stack up like a deck of cards, and Tokoyami swallows back a chirp of amazement as he witnesses Kirishima go into Unbreakable form, his face and neck jagged and sharp. It’s mesmerizing almost, his diamond like appearance, the way it makes the vertebrae on the back of his neck jut out like a protective armor, the way even his hair hardens, though he’s left it in a pony right now.

And his eyes. Kirishima’s eyes look fierce, fiery, and so menacing. Tokoyami watches him in awe.

Kirishima continues to stay on the floor, staring at his reflection in Unbreakable. Reading his expressions might be difficult when his face is literally like a slab of well sculpted marble, not soft or malleable enough to form expressions and convey emotions, but Tokoyami can tell he’s furrowing his brow. He can see the frustration dancing in his brown-red eyes, and a few more seconds later Kirishima drops his quirk entirely. His vertebrae melt back into his neck, his cheeks are soft and fluffy, his hair puffy, and his eyes-

Sad. Thoughtful. Frustrated.

Tokoyami clears his throat. ‘Excuse me.’

Kirishima whips his head around with a surprised look on his face. He breaks into a grin when he sees Tokoyami.

‘What’s up man?’

Tokoyami points at the stands near Kirishima, slowly making his way towards it. ‘I seem to have left my towel here, I wish to pick it up so I may wash it before our next sessions.’

Kirishima looks at the stand and nods in understanding. ‘Gotcha! Please go ahead.’ He gives him a thumbs up.

Tokoyami picks up the familiar black towel with its deep purple border. The material is familiar and deceptively soft, and it smells like him. He hugs it to his chest and takes a step back before turning to look at Kirishima. The redhead catches his stare in the mirror and looks up, throwing him a quizzical smile.

‘Pardon the intrusion,’ Tokoyami starts softly, fidgeting with the towel. ‘I happened to walk in while you engaged your quirk, and I am unable to understand your intentions.’

Kirishima’s face pales instantly. ‘Oh shit, you saw that? I swear, I’m not using my quirk for anything weird, I know we aren’t supposed to use it outside of hero stuff yet but please don’t tell anyone, I really don-‘

‘Ah, you misunderstand,’ Tokoyami interrupts. ‘I do not believe you’re doing anything improper or unsafe. I merely wish to inquire about your intentions as I could not decipher them for myself. That is, of course, if you wish to speak about it. With me. If not, I understand completely and will gladly drop the subject.’

Kirishima immediately deflates with a relieved sigh. He looks away from Tokoyami and watches his own face in the mirror. Tokoyami moves his gaze to Kirishima’s face, and they look at each other through the reflective surface. Kirishima gives him a small smile, tentative and uncertain and very un-Kirishima like.

‘I don’t like talking about it cause it sounds super dumb but it’s not like I don’t want to talk about it. Um. Just. Don’t laugh? I guess?’

Tokoyami nods. ‘I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I am honored that you would trust me enough to open up about whatever it is that seems to plague your mind.’

Kirishima laughs softly. ‘I don’t think it’s anything quite so dramatic. It’s just, I’ve been doing some quirk training, I guess? Not the kind I can do during our Hero course though. This is more personal?’

Tokoyami nods in understanding, silently urging him to continue.

‘I’ve read so many things about my Unbreakable form. Most people love it. And I love it! I mean, it’s definitely a work in progress, and I know I can develop it more and get better and stronger and everything, but it’s a good move for sure. So, like, I know we all get our criticisms about our quirks, that’s normal and that’s ok.’

Kirishima clenches the fists in his lap, eyes dropping down to watch them. ‘I’ve read that my Unbreakable form is scary. Ugly. Menacing. Frightening.’ He purses his lips. ‘I don’t think those are bad things, not at all. And I don’t really mind what it looks like, it gets the job done!’

Kirishima looks back up, twisting to catch Tokoyami’s eyes with his own, omitting the mirror altogether. ‘But I wonder if my face is too scary for the kids, you know? And when I’m in the middle of a rescue in the future, I don’t want to add to their stress. I don’t want to scare them anymore than they already probably will be. But I can’t really drop Unbreakable all the time either.’

Tokoyami nods again, understanding Kirishima’s problems and feeling it ache in his core.

‘So, I wondered if there’s any way for me to make Unbreakable just a little more humane while preserving its functionality. I was thinking about softening just my eyes, so they’re not quite so jagged and scary.’

Kirishima’s eyes move back to the mirror, and he punches his thigh roughly, mouth twisting into a grimace. ‘Fine control over small portions of my body is hard though. I have a tough enough time maintaining Unbreakable on its own. To fine tune that even more seems impossible. And like, I’m not even sure it’ll work. I don’t know. I don’t have any idea what I’m doing Tokoyami. Not a damned clue.’

Tokoyami trills in thought, his hand moving up to support his chin.

‘While I do not wish to move the subject away from you, I would like to convey my empathy for I too face similar challenges.’ He gently prods Dark Shadow from within before continuing, ‘I do not have a conventional appearance. I do not look scary either, but Dark Shadow is, I have been told, a formidable presence.’

Dark Shadow peeks over Tokoyami’s shoulder and waves enthusiastically at Kirishima. The redhead breaks into a huge grin and returns the gesture with gusto, more than used to Dark Shadow’s appearance and antics. He really likes the guy.

‘I appreciate that our classmates have gotten used to us, and to him, but I also question how many civilians would like to be rescued by an individual with an ability like mine. I too would not like to add to their distress.’

Kirishima nods in understanding, the look in his eyes softening immeasurably.

‘I am unsure of how to help, but I would be happy to provide you with any moral support or even some simple company while you embark on this quest.’

Kirishima pats the spot next to him. ‘Sure thing Tokoyami, I really appreciate it man!’

Tokoyami nods and takes a seat on the floor. The two boys move to face each other, and Tokoyami spends the next half hour watching Kirishima engage his quirk, engage Unbreakable, and then struggle to soften his eyes.

He watches as Kirishima softens a cheek instead sometimes, watches as his forehead ripples uncertainly, watches his neck pulse with his quirk, and watches as his eyes sometimes go soft and warm. He encourages the best he can, celebrating the victories and pushing Kirishima to try once more when he fails. They burst into laughter more often than not, and it’s honestly a lot of fun.

Even Dark Shadow hangs around, somehow procuring pom-poms to celebrate and cheer.

When Kirishima finally calls it an evening, they get to their feet and start heading to the dorms.

‘If you require company, please do not hesitate to approach me. If I am able, it would be an honor to cheer you on and watch you succeed in this endeavor.’

Kirishima places a large, warm hand on his shoulder and squeezes. ‘I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this Tokoyami! I don’t practice it every day, but I’ll shoot you a text whenever I get the time to practice, and we can try to coordinate and make it work!’ He gives him his big sunshine smile. ‘Thank you for talking to me about it by the way, I really do feel a lot better.’

Tokoyami gives him another nod, and the boys walk back, enjoying the evening breeze and some light banter.

In the following weeks, Tokoyami and Kirishima swap messages and meet a lot more often. Tokoyami keeps tabs of his progress and gently pushes him to do better, and Kirishima laughs around with Dark Shadow when they take breaks. Sometimes they meet, decide they’re too lazy to quirk train and just watch old horror movies that leave Kirishima hiding behind Dark Shadow instead. Sometimes they listen to alt rock or do bicep curls. It’s a refreshing change of pace for both of them.

All their training does pay off though, sooner than they could’ve anticipated.

Aizawa brings Eri with him to hero training one day, and the young girl sits on a chair out of the way, watching with wide, amazed eyes. Aizawa stays close to her, watching over training with keen, knowing eyes. When he sees Kirishima doing some resistance training in Unbreakable form, he thinks of some pointers.

‘Riot!’

The redhead whips around to look at his teacher. Aizawa makes a come over here gesture with his hand, and Kirishima drops his quirk as he starts walking.

‘Come over here with your quirk engaged,’ Aizawa says. ‘You need to keep working on how long you can maintain your Unbreakable form, so don’t drop it right now.’

Immediately Kirishima engages his quirk and walks over to Aizawa, and every step is filled with the sharp sound of friction. Tokoyami watches as they talk, and he sees Eri looking at Red Riot with big wonderous eyes.

When they’re done chatting, Kirishima looks over at Eri. She flinches slightly, though no one can blame that on Kirishima’s appearance- Eri still flinches with most people.

Still, Tokoyami watches as Kirishima gets on his knees in front of her, still in Unbreakable form, and he sees Kirishima soften his eyes. They become liquid ruby, and he can feel the warmth almost from halfway across the gym.

He can’t hear what they say, but he sees Eri smile bright and even giggle, and he sees Aizawa appraising the situation with raised brows and an impressed sort of half smile.

Tokoyami gives Kirishima a pat on the back in his mind and bumps fists with Dark Shadow.

They all definitely have to celebrate later with some old horror movies and popcorn.

[obeiii-mee]

How will the bros react to MC self-doubting themselves? Like saying bad things about them or can't be serious someone give them compliment.

Supportive demon bois coming right up! Sorry I took so long to write this anon! Thank you so much for the ask! (Also, thank you all for the love on my previous posts!)

————————————

The Brothers with an MC who self doubts themselves:

Lucifer:

-As the embodiment of pride itself, Lucifer has an overwhelming amount of confidence, almost all the damn time

-So, he was flabbergasted to learn that you weren’t the same

-He always insisted that you aren’t anything but perfect, yet you always seemed to brush the compliments off with a shrug and an awkward smile

-Well, shit, we can’t have that

-Lucifer just got 10x more serious about the matter

-He pulls a really stupid concerned face whenever you insult yourself and he looks more and more like a 48 year old man/dad each time it happens

-He, as of late, increased the number of pet names he has for you and the amount of compliments he gives you each day

-He refuses to let you talk badly about yourself anywhere, at any point in time and encourages every little step you take towards bettering yourself like crazy

- Lucifer wants to prove to you that you are an absolute ray of sunshine and he will go to any lengths to do just that (do not ask)

-He’s even more affectionate than usual which confuses just about everyone in the House of Lamentation, yourself included

-His brothers are feeling a disturbance in the force and they don’t know how to feel about it

-You are possibly the best thing that’s happened to him since he fell as angel and Lucifer is ready to do whatever he can to help you realise that

Mammon:

-“You’re an idiot!”

-“*Sigh*, I know.”

-“Wha-Wait! Y-you can’t say thAT!”

-The Great Mammon is seriously worried about his human

-Being the dense motherfucker he is (i still love him tho) it took him weeks to realise you’re not all that confident in yourself

-At some point in your relationship, he jokingly called you annoying and you just went “Yeah I’ve been told. Sorry.”

-His jaw literally dropped and he almost cried

-He would have choked if he was drinking something

-Tsundere Mammon has gone bye bye and here comes the cuddling teddy bear that is your boyfriend

-He also doesn’t have as much self love for himself as he sometimes pretends to have so he’s kinda in the same boat

-Which means your boat is leaking and you’re perfectly fine with it while he’s panicking and trying to throw water overboard with his hands

-His brothers call him an idiot a lot but he’s a very sociable guy with people skills that he uses all the time in order to coax you out of your self pitiying shell

-Will whine every time you call yourself ‘useless’ or disagree with his compliments because what the hell, you’re literally the most gorgeous being ever let me love youuuu

-When it comes to you and your happiness, he ain’t fucking around. He will snarl at anyone that even looks at you in the wrong way

-Did that to Lucifer once, guess a what happened

-You’ve definitely helped him come to terms with the fact that he is loveable and not a good for nothing scum

-So now it’s your turn!

-Let him kiss your insecurities away please

-Your presence makes him feel wanted so he wants the same for you!

Levi:

-Well then

-It takes two to tango ya know?

-He is the KING of self loathing and no confidence whatsoever in anything he does so every time you put yourself down, he counters it with a self deprecating insult as well

-“I suck.”

-“Nah, you’re pretty awesome normie. I’m the shut in, disgusting otaku who can barely set foot outside his bedroom without having an anxiety attack.”

-It’s like you’re trying to outdo the other on who is worse

-Truth is, he really admires you, especially knowing you chose to date him; an anime nerd with no social life and no communication skills whatsoever

-It hurts a bit, every time he builds up the courage to actually compliment you and you not taking it seriously

-That’s because he recognises that he’s the same and just as harsh on himself as you are

-Levi knows self hatred is something that takes time to demolish

-But you are his Henry after all (also his partner but whatevs)

-He’s not gonna leave you hanging when you need him the most

-He also gradually stops calling you a normie as your relationship progresses, though it still slips through every now and again

-Basically, the first time he realised that you think negatively of yourself, his immediate reaction was: Haha lmao relatable

-But now, every time it happens, he gets all serious

-Puts his controller down and everything, it’s like witnessing a very rare phenomenon and it’s creepy as shit

-He’s also made an effort to be more physically affection though he is kinda shy about it because damn it he just wants to hug you every time you speak badly of yourself

-Probably writes a list at some point stating all the reasons why you are better than him and Ruri chan combined, it’s rlly sweet

Satan:

-He’s a bit curious as to where that mentality has come from

-What triggered you to be so self doubtful?

-He’s basically your psychotherapist and asks you a lot of questions trying to find different causes and solutions for your issues

-Honestly, he puts so much effort into trying to understand, reading books about it from the human realm and whatever he can find in order to help you

-He scrunches up his nose every time you call yourself an idiot or anything of the sort

-Satan knows that insisting you’re wonderful won’t exactly help you overcome this problem of yours

-But that doesn’t stop him from doing it

-It’s not like you can ignore his comments because he will keep complimenting you until you accept them

-He also repeats a lot of pick up lines but that’s just part of being his partner

-What do you mean you’re worthless?!! He would literally give away all of his books and his hatred for Lucifer in exchange for your well being!

-Satan is possibly the smartest out of all of his brothers, so he uses a tactical approach on this one

-Direct affectionate gestures don’t work on you so he’s gonna be more subtle

-Would slightly hint that you are amazing every time you do something for him, like fetching him a book or something

-“Ah thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you love.”

-He’s a lot smoother than he gives himself credit for

-He just appreciates your existence and that there’s someone out there that he doesn’t need to be act hostile or fake toward

-Satan is ready to sit down and listen to you talk about your insecurities for hours on end

-You would quietly say something bad about yourself and he would run through the House of Lamentation before bursting into the room you are in, shouting ‘No! That’s wrong!’ (going Danganronpa on your asses)

-“Welp, I fucked up again. I can’t do anything right.”

-And then, in the distance you hear boss music starting

Asmo:

-*Shocked Gasp*

-How could you say such things about yourself???? Is that even leGAl?

-Of course, the literally prince of Lust, with all of his narcissism, has never experienced things like ‘self doubt’ of ‘bad self esteem’

-Pfft, the fuck is that?

-He only uses the most positive of words when he describes himself

-So obviously he almost falls off the bed when he hears you insulting yourself for the first time

-But ya know, that would leave bruises on his beautiful skin

-“Oh darling, you’re not annoying or a moron! You’re not anything like Mammon!”

-That was a below belt fatal hit, press f in the chat for the second eldest

-At some point, he just genuinely believes you’ve been spending too much time with Levi and that his negativity started rubbing off on you

-But then you tell him you’ve always been like this and he almost has a crisIS

-He’s like ‘Haha, no, we’re going to get a spa day out tomorrow and a few shopping sprees so I can prove to you that you are magnificent in every way imaginable.’

-Asmo loves pampering you in general but on the days he sees you feeling extra sorry for yourself, he goes above and beyond

-Gets very hurt when you brush off his compliments because he just wants you to accept the fact that you’re beautiful

-He’s like a supportive mom lmao, whenever you’re feeling self doubtful, he goes “You’re doing great sweetie, keep it up I’m really proud of you.”

-It’s up to you to decide whether that helps or not

-He’s such a sweetheart in reality, it’s hard to remember that he’s supposed to be horny all the time

-Well he is but that’s not the point, you’re way more important

-Asmo is so much fun to write cuz I can make him so dramatic it’s hilarious

Beel:

-Oh no :(

-He gets very sad everytime you self deprecate yourself

-You can’t do it with him in the room because he’s going to start crying and give you this kicked puppy stare, it will break your heart

-Beel kinda comes over and goes “If I give you some of my food will you please stop saying bad things about yourself? Because it’s not true.”

-Well you can’t say no to that face

-He feels like it’s his fault you’re this self doubtful even though you’ve tried to explain to him you’ve always been like this

-He goes crying to his twin half the time because he doesn’t know what to do

-“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to drop it! Fucking hell, I’m such a fucking klutz.”

-“Sniffle no you’re not.”

-He’s like, giving you large portions of his food now

-Because food makes him happy so he wants you to be happy too

-🙂

-His brothers go in shock every time because the only other person Beel has ever shared his food with before was Belphie

-Physical affection goes through the roof with this guy

-Bone crushing hugs btw

-Your self worth is so immeasurable with him, you can’t even measure it

-W h o a

-I’m being serious, don’t talk badly about yourself in front of him unless you want to be hugged into next week

-You are a literal angel in his eyes, of course he thinks highly of you

-He’s just hoping his presence isn’t making your self esteem worse, that’s the thing that keeps him up at night

-Idk why but he does think that he is a bad influence on your mental well being since he’s a demon

-Beel gives you compliments all the time and it confuses him when you laugh them off uncertainly because he wasn’t joking or lying??

-He’s always supportive of your choices and encourages you to be more confident

-The same way you show your support everytime you come to his games to cheer him on

-Overall, he just wants you to feel special and appreciated

-Because you deserve it

-IneedmyselfaBeel

Belphie:

-He feels like absolute shit

-Becuase he’s well aware he‘s called you a few...not so nice words in the past

-Back then, he only thought he meant everything he said but now that he’s hearing you accept his insults and actually repeating them yourself?

-It hurts his brain and he wants to smash his head against all four walls of the room for being such a cretin

-You do tell him it’s not exactly his fault you think so badly of yourself

-But he still believes he fueled it

-So now he needs to fix it

-He’s tried everything and I mean everything

-It’s kinda working, slow progress is made which he’s really happy about but you know, it’s gonna take a while

-He finally settles on physical affection as the best way to communicate his gratefulness for you being youself

-Oh, he wasn’t hugging you before? He is now, get your ass next to him and let him cuddle you

-Handholding has increased by 69% in the last month, sorry for the loss of your right hand with how much he squeezes it

-Sometimes, he can’t help but a throw an insult at you in a playful manner, because he’s an asshole

-But he always makes sure you understand that he was just joking

-He’s such a little shit, you would be having a chat with him and you would subtly drop a insult at yourself hoping he wouldn’t notice

-But then he stops dead in his tracks, kisses you, says “Shut up, you’re stunning” and then he goes right back to the previous conversation like nothing happened

-Accept his compliments damn it otherwise he will continue to bug you about it for the rest of the day

-He’s an eboy and he’s a dickhead a times, but he just goes soft for you tbh

-If you’re feeling really bad about yourself, he won’t even say anything

-He will just big spoon you for the next 24 hours, good luck going to the bathroom or any meals during that time

-Because once you’re in his grip, you’re not getting out that easily

-He gets so pissy if anyone says something even slightly negative about you to your face

-One time, a random demon called you stupid in one of the classes at RAD and he was like ‘bïtch excuse me what?’

-Snapped his head around at him and everything

-He would have done something worse but he was lazy and feeling really petty

-So Belphie kicked him in the privates from under his desk like a damn spoiled brat

-And then he turned his head back to you, all smiles and rainbows and puppies

-I’m simping so hard for a fictional character wtf

-I had to write more protective Belphie cuz I can’t find anything of the sort anymore and I need flUFF

(Haha, I don’t know what this post is, my writing has officially taken a shit lmao. Sorry this took so long to finish, I kept going back to edit all of them)

Al~

[vs-redemption]

Might I request hurt/comfort scenario for William comforting his female s/o that's trying to cope with a pain that doesn't seem to go away, not even with pain medication?

From Cindy: Hello Anon! Thank you for sending in this request. I really hope you aren’t experiencing awful pain like this, but if you are, I hope you can find a way to feel better soon. Have a safe and happy holiday, and please enjoy the story!

Aches and Pains (William Vangeance x Fem!Reader)

William Vangeance considered himself to be the luckiest and happiest man in all of Clover Kingdom, and it did not matter to him one bit if anyone else disagreed or thought he was exaggerating. They probably assumed his greatest accomplishment in life was befriending the wizard king or becoming the captain of the strongest Magic Knight squad. Those feats were indeed noteworthy, and he would never deny their positive impact, but they still didn’t even come close to the all-consuming joy he’d experienced since the moment you’d become a part of his life.

He still had a hard time believing that he even managed to catch your attention let alone convince you to go on a date with him. But after almost a year, you still stuck by his side and filled his days with more bliss and love than he could ever put into words. Your words of affirmation and constant support gave him a sense of pride and a level of confidence that he never would’ve thought possible. Those closest to him were astonished to see the changes you inspired in him as he opened up more in conversations and ignored the urges to cover up his face when attending small gatherings. He felt like a whole new man and it was all thanks to the patience, kindness, and love he’d received from you.

Your importance to William was immeasurable, and because of that, there was nothing he wanted more than for you to know the same feelings of contentment that he did both in the relationship and in life in general. He never wanted you to experience a moment of sadness or distress, so when you came to him one day complaining that you’d woken up with an uncomfortable pain, he was quick to forsake all plans and duties in order to focus on taking care of you.

“You must’ve been overworking yourself lately, my love.” William tucks you back into bed after making sure to contact everyone who’d been expecting you that day to let them know you would be resting instead. “Stay off your feet and allow your body to heal.”

Once he’s sure you’re nice and settled, he prepares a cold compress for you to use on the painful area to help dull the ache that had seemed to come from nowhere. He could see that you were still experiencing some discomfort after a while though, so he makes his way to the nearest apothecary to buy some medicine that would help alleviate some of your pain. He has the shop owner explain the directions for how to take the medicine multiple times before paying and heading back home. He urges you to stay in bed as he prepares a hearty lunch for you to take along with the medicine. After giving the first dose time to kick in, your pain still seems to persist. Each whimper that escapes your lips, and each grimace that contorts you features leaves William feeling more and more upset.

“Don’t worry,” he tries to console you. “I’m sure the medicine will help you feel better soon.”

William hoped that he was telling the truth. However, it was still a little too hard for him to sit by and do nothing while the love of his life suffered in such a state. He prepared a hot bath for you to try and subdue your aches and pains. When that proved to be just as ineffective as the medicine, your determined boyfriend decided to, quite literally, take things into his own hands. He helped you out of the bath and asked where the pain was worst before using his fingers to gently massage those areas to sooth them if even just for a little while.

“I’m sorry William,” you ask him to stop after a few minutes. “It’s not your fault, but the pain somehow feels like it has gotten worse.” The tiny tears that you were trying to suppress broke William’s heart, and he became more determined than ever to put an end to whatever was causing your discomfort. Even if he was unable to do anything to help you, surely there was someone else that could. He called for Mimosa, a member of his magic knight squad who was proficient in healing magic to enlist her help.

“Thank you for taking time out of your day,” William thanks the girl as she casts a spell from her open grimoire to cradle you in her magical healing vines and flowers.

“Don’t mention it,” Mimosa assures you both as she continues to concentrate on making you feel better. It didn’t take long for it to become apparent that the spell was having zero affect. William thanked his fellow magic knight before allowing her to get back to her duties.

“William, it hurts so much,” you say through clenched teeth as the throbbing pain continues relentlessly.

“I know,” he sits next to you and gently pulls you into his lap so he can stroke your hair and face lovingly. “I hate seeing you in so much pain. I love you and I promise I won’t give up looking for a way to make you feel better.”

“Thank you,” you reach up to put your hand over his. “I appreciate everything you’re doing.”

William continues to hold you, wracking his brain for ideas of what to do. After a while, he makes up his mind to call upon his friend Julius for aid. He hated to ask the wizard king for personal favors, but he wasn’t doing it for himself. He was doing it for you. It seemed to take no time at all for Julius to arrive, bringing with him his own personal magic healer.

“Why didn’t you contact me earlier, William?” The wizard king smiles kindly before patting the healer on the back. “I’m sure Owen here will have her fixed up in no time!” The confident words gave both you and William a spark of hope. William continued to hold you in his arms as the doctor opened his grimoire and started to work on making a diagnosis.

“Aha! I see what the problem is!” The healing mage nods his head victoriously. “The source of the pain is uncommon but can be treated fairly easily. The spell will take a few hours to take effect, but your discomfort should be completely gone by the time you wake up tomorrow!”

“That’s great news!” The wizard king claps his hands happily. Owen casts the proper spell before departing with Julius and leaving you to recover under the loving care of your boyfriend.

“It’s already starting to feel better,” you admit once you’re alone. A handsome smiles grows on William’s face at your words.

“I’m so glad to hear that, my love.” He gets you both ready for bed before crawling under the covers and wrapping you protectively in his arms once again. “You mean everything to me, and I never want you to hurt or feel bad.”

As your pain slowly dissipates, the stress of the day catches up and you are able to relax enough to slowly drift off to sleep, feeling safe and warm in William’s embrace. He continues to watch you for a while, looking for any signs that the discomfort was returning, but it truly seemed that it was going away for good. It put him at ease to know he’d been able to find a way so help you through such a difficult time, and he hoped you’d never have to feel that sort of pain ever again.

[dannypuro]

I would be delighted by a breakdown (a la the instrument one you just did) of each of the something telling verse's chararacters' relationships to cooking / baking! Thank you for blessing us with bonus content & good luck with finals!!

of course of course of course there is nothing that i would like to do more! thank u! (Something Telling verse: modern au with canon-era, time-zapped enjolras)

grantaire is a given. he loves cooking because he is at heart very much a snob and who better to cook his food than himself (and also the set of 8-12 takeout restaurants he orders from all the fucking time)? his love language is food. his only form of self-care is food. etc etc etc. he absolutely owns more than three aprons but does not always wear them because they were all gag gifts from his friends and they all have suggestive slogans on them and sometimes that is simply not the vibe. hot insufferable kitchen man.

enjolras is also a given. this is a man who has never ever learned to cook and is not going to start now. be real. he grew up a boy in a decently wealthy family in the early 19th century and then lived on his own at a time period where it was perfectly acceptable to never ever cook for yourself and just eat what your landlady cooks for every meal. think college boy but add a time period where food was just genuinely worse. no wonder he fell in love with grantaire the second he made him instant ramen. he will slowly absorb cooking knowledge from grantaire but it will take a very very very long time and he will not be aware of this fact.

combeferre is a stressed-out medical man and he has no time for fancy cooking, but he’s used to making edible things on a student budget and now he has slightly more money and slightly more time so. like. he can make a pasta dish. he can cook a nice simple meal. he has adequate knife skills. this is a man who can be trusted in a kitchen, but maybe should not be given artistic control.

jehan cannot cook. at all. get real. they are a rich, ex-child-star who uses their stove for decorative purposes. they have literally never cooked anything. they eat out or get takeout for every single meal, or they bother grantaire until grantaire invites them over for dinner. the mere idea of them cooking gives grantaire and combeferre immeasurable anxiety.

courfeyrac knows how to make, like, two fancy, impressive dishes, and he can only do it very slowly because in reality his knife skills and kitchen competences are POOR. all the rest of his food is really just sad mid-20s man food. chicken. chicken and rice. orzo (vaguely burnt). pasta, grocery store pesto. a lot of frozen, pre-made meals that are kind of expensive and therefore surprisingly good. also a lot of delivery. he just feels like restaurants are more fun and all the rest is just... not his concern. his food is restaurant food and then filler food (home-cooked), miscellaneous. 

marius........... oh marius. marius SHOULD know how to cook, because he’s broke, and he can’t afford to eat out or order in or get pre-made shit. however. he eats like a broke college student. ramen. ramen with egg. egg. egg with white rice. white rice. courfeyrac eventually just managed to convince him that it was easier for them to share meals (aka it is better for courfeyrac’s soul when marius is eating things that save him from scurvy.)

cosette has never needed to learn how to cook. of course she hasn’t. she’s in grad school and jvj is a casserole dad with separation anxiety. he stocks her freezer every week. she goes home for dinner like every other evening. she wouldn’t know how to boil water and when she has to she calls her papa and jvj just comes over and does it for her. she’s the person who brings baked goods to social events but also she knows nothing about said baked goods or how they are made. somebody’s like “hey cosette! these are great cookies, what kind are they?” and she just.... “😬 they are.... soft ones.....” and has to text jvj frantically for the sake of her reputation. she also owns multiple aprons. she wears them while she reheats the food jvj made her. god bless.

bahorel can cook but he has also been just a little bit too influenced by gym bro culture. like, he eats normal food and doesn’t worry about it, especially when it comes to takeout, but also he thinks that Chicken Only And A Protein Smoothie is a normal thing to eat for dinner, much to grantaire’s disappointment and rage. feuilly will eventually bully him out of this and he will once again be culinarily tolerable. just give him time.

feuilly can cook, but he was also so genuinely broke when he came to paris that he got used to cooking on a shoestring budget and never really realized that he could stop doing that when he got a better-paying job. bahorel has been sneakily trying to feed him for years. lots of “haha bro i guess i accidentally ordered your favorite dish again :^/ guess you have to eat it or i’ll throw it away and that would be food waste :^/ no i will not eat it myself” which was not very subtle but feuilly actually really appreciated it so much. once he and bahorel start dating he gets a lot more comfortable with baz paying for his food/groceries/whatever.

joly, bossuet, and musichetta are..... Threats. they love to cook! especially all together! it’s a fun throuple activity! they do it every night! However. cooking is a fun game for them, not a serious culinary skill. they do not use recipes. they do not stick to one cuisine per dish. they do not know how food chemistry works. they are not interested in learning. their food is actually pretty decent (sometimes) and it’s very interesting, but they are completely terrifying to watch in the kitchen. bossuet injures himself every other day. musichetta is a force of chaos. if you leave a dairy product outside of the fridge for longer than 20 seconds joly will have a stress aneurysm. in other words... they are having fun leave them be. grantaire has to physically remove himself from the vicinity whenever they do anything food-related.

anyways, my askbox is OPEN to questions/prompts/headcanons/etc. please send me asks so that i may continue to procrastinate on my finals 😗

[whirlybirbs]

𝒜.𝑀.   ;   rattlesnake whispers.   |    a high-society drabble

summary: you’re beginning to distrust dutch van der linde.

pairing: arthur morgan/reader (turner placeholder lastname), hosea + reader friendship-centric in this drabble.

a/n: things weren’t gonna be peachy forever. part of a companion piece to simpler said aloud. this is a drabble for the collection high-society, which follows the events of that fic.

In the last handful of weeks, you can't help but feel as if someone has suddenly plucked the pair of rose-colored glasses — ones you weren't aware you were even wearing — from your nose.

...Concerning the one Dutch van der Linde, specifically so.

In the beginning, when you'd been swept from that stagecoach on that hot summer day — when you'd eventually ended up marooned by your own family, left with nothing but a trunk of old belongings and a growing sense of alienation... Well, Dutch had been nothing but kind. Fatherly, even, and you'd found yourself admiring that gang's head of household.

After all, he and his boys had dragged you — quite literally — into this mess; Dutch would see to it that his well-manicured and grandiose reputation as the good (not the bad, nor the ugly) would ring true.

He fed you, sheltered you, even let you dig your roots in when that ransom money never came, and when it felt, at times, you brought more trouble to them than good.

There were times when the sheep's clothing slipped, however; when he showed his teeth and spun silver-tongued threats veiled in well-to-do manners. There were times when Dutch van der Linde's voice was gilded with promise, yet all you heard was greed. You knew that sound well. You were practically weaned on it.

Oily and greasy and slippery.

High Society and the like.

You dared not say a word of these thoughts — though, you could sense the shift in the air when you'd all been forced to Clemens Point many weeks ago. Between him and Hosea, a canyon had been driven. The divide seemed to shake Arthur.

At the time, you didn't know any better.

Now... Well, you know the exasperated wince that flickers onto Arthur's face when Dutch raises his voice beyond the tents, down by the lake — insisting a stagecoach robbery would do the boys some good.

To get out there! Get some cash... and soon! California...

You know the gentle squeeze of his hand on your shoulder; the passing mutter of a promise he'll be back soon... All the intricacies of Arthur Morgan sewn uptight with irritation and hesitation. He rides off with Charles and Bill, blue eyes cast back your way. The errand boy once more.

You fiddle with the dog-eared page of the book in your hands.

You've read over the same paragraph a hundred and one times by now.

Hosea notices.

"You're fussing."

Your lashes flutter.

Hosea is smirking — he turns his attention back to his newspaper and if you knew any better, you'd think he was simply trying to quiet the vicious paranoia beginning to unravel itself in your brain.

"I suppose I am."

Hosea's brows furrow at the quiet admission; he looks back up at you with a mild sense of surprise.

You're a smart girl — very smart. So smart, in fact, that Hosea is continuously wondering how on Earth Arthur keeps up. You've got a sharp sort of wit that could cut a man down in two strokes. To hear you go quiet at a playful jab... Hosea decides, in that moment, he will follow up when there are not so many souls around.

"You an' our dim-witted golden boy, then?"

You note the change in subject with a sigh of appreciation.

Your book snaps closed and falls to the table; you cross your legs, sunshine colored gingham skirt swaying in the afternoon breeze. Hosea managed another wry smirk in your direction as you shake your head and laugh.

"He isn't dim-witted —"

"Says you," Hosea mumbles, "I taught the oaf how to read..."

"Last week?" you chirp, voice alight with amusement, "Late bloomer, he is."

Hosea barks out a laugh. He folds his paper up. "Is it serious, then?"

You waver. "I certainly m'not lookin' t' play his heartstrings like a harp, if that's what you're wonderin', Hosea."

A hum.

"Good," he knocks his knuckles on the wood of the table before him, "You two are a smart pair. He's... had his heart broken before, poor sod, but... He's good. Strong. Has a lot t' give to th' right person."

You fiddle with your fingers, a light smile playing upon your lips. "He's far too hard on himself."

"Always has been," Hosea sighs as he leans back in his chair, "When he was younger..."

The words die off like Hosea remembers something with an immeasurable fondness. The twinkle in his eyes finds the afternoon clouds, and you exhale softly through your nose.

"He's a good man," Hosea says finally, "Robbin' an' killin' aside. Given th' chance, I know he'd a' been more in this life. Just th' way things worked out, s'all."

"Isn't that how it is for all of us?" you earnestly, "If things were different..."

"If things were different," Hosea continues, gently and with a warm sort of fatherly care, "Would you still be here?"

"How y' mean?"

"If that daddy a' yours had paid the ransom," the seasoned con-man explains, "Would you still be here?"

Would you have left? Broken Arthur Morgan's heart once more?

You pause. The paranoia that sits on your tongue tells you to think quick but — this is Hosea. Blind faith and undying loyalty matter little to him. You know that. Hosea is not Dutch van der Linde. You wonder, bitterly, if that will be his downfall.

He cares about his son. You know those intentions sit deep in his words.

You fiddle with the hem of your linen shirt, rolling the sleeves as you weigh your answer.

"I knew I cared for Arthur back when we were camping at Horseshoe Overlook," comes the timid confession, "He... He went and bought me this beautiful gold fountain pen, and..."

Your brows furrow and you look as if you might bleat out a laugh.

Hosea smiles. "I remember."

"I acted like it was nothin'. Both of us did... but, I think we both knew we didn't nearly hate each other as much as we went on about," you sigh with a little laugh, weaving your fingers together and leaning forward onto the table, "And, Christ... You and Dutch and Miss Grimshaw and... I'd never met people so quick to take me in. Had that money ever come... I wouldn't have wanted t' leave. But, debts owed are a dangerous thing."

Hosea is quiet for a moment.

"You know," Hosea lowers his voice, "Leaving, sometimes, isn't a bad thing."

He then sees that flicker of emotion from earlier — the very one you'd been fussing over — and he knows you get his meaning. Your eyes dart to the tent of the man in question... But, before you can open your mouth to press on about it, the roar of the very one you'd come to stiffen around flashes his teeth and rounds his tent.

"My, my!" Dutch calls, "Look at you two hens, gossiping the day away."

Hosea sees the flash of anger on your face. Only for a moment. Well-timed and well-bided. Gone as quickly as it came.

You turn in your seat, smile as bright as the morning sun.

The con-man wonders how many years of practice that took.

"Hello, Dutch," you call with such sincerity, Hosea nearly wonders if he'd misread your previous worries, "How are you?"

"Just peachy, my girl," he swaggers forward, hands tucked into the pockets of his vest, "And what, may I ask, had you both so deeply engrossed in conversation?"

"Our bumbling idiot son," Hosea supplies, waving his hands as he drops the paper down, "and his good-nature."

"Ah, yes, Arthur."

You'd wished Dutch would just move on. Slither to whisper in snake-tongue to his rattlesnake brethren, Micah, across the camp.

But, no.

Down he settles into the empty seat across from you. Dark eyes try to pin you in your seat — but you don't allow it. You're quick. Wretchedly smart. You lean forward and drape your chin into your palm, attention fully rendered on the gang's leader.

How Hosea ever thought you to be some pure, little lamb... He knows better know. Better than Dutch, it seems.

He supposes that's what High Society does to women like you. Anger and hatred and all those very human emotions... You learn to disguise them beneath facades of couth manners and passive smiles.

"You say that as if y' have an amendment you'd like t' make, Dutch."

There's a beat of silence that washes over Dutch at the polite challenge to speak his mind — and at first, the dark-haired man can only muster a bark of a laugh and slip his eyes to Hosea. He hadn't expected that. You'd caught him off-beat.

Dutch then wets his lips and reaches to palm his pockets for a cigar.

The gears are turning as he reaches for a match.

"Well," he begins, striking it on the table with a flick, "I s'pose our blockheaded enforcer is a romantic, is all."

Hosea feels as if he's watching something he should stop.

"And do y' have quarrels with romantics?" you ask with a well-manicured kindness. Hosea wonders if Dutch even questions it, or if he's got his head so far up his ass he can't even hear you, "I, well... I always thought yourself a romantic, Mr. van der Linde."

"An idealist, Miss Turner," comes the puff of cigar smoke, making his gaze look hollow and lifeless, "I am an idealist — our dear boy Arthur, however, is not. He lets... fantasy cloud his better judgment."

"Does an idealist not drown himself in ideals," you tut easily with a smile sweet like honey, "As a romantic does in fantasy?"

Dutch's words falter for a moment.

You fill the silence.

"A well-spun argument, I must say, but semantics all-the-same," you wave off the idea that your words could be construed as anything less than polite as Dutch narrows his gaze, "Wouldn't you say so, Hosea?"

"I s'pose so," comes the hesitant affirmation, "When it's put like that."

Another beat of silence.

"Perhaps you misunderstand me," Dutch laughs loudly, clapping his palm on the table — and you watch as the silver tongue spins his web up and around, as he always does when caught in the mouth of the truth, "Arthur is... well, he loses himself in romance. Very different."

Very different, indeed.

Loses faith. Clears his head. Realizes you're goin' batshit, Dutch.

You hum, leaning back and tilting your head.

Hosea clears his throat.

"Speaking of," Hosea tries to redirect, "Where did they head off to?"

Your eyes never break from Dutch's stare.

It's he who looks away in the end.

"Micah heard whispers of a stagecoach passin' through the Bayou. Some real estate brokers, lookin' to reinstate foreclosed land. Could be some papers we could work on sellin'."

"Whispers."

Not a question. But it's laced with doubt. You're playing a dangerous game.

Hosea's eyes bounce to Dutch. "We dealin' in whispers, now, Dutch?"

Irritation bubbles in his voice when he speaks. He takes a long puff of his cigar. "An' just then, were you not th' one chastizing me on my semantics, Miss Turner?"

Yet, despite the tipping point of rage indicated in Dutch's voice?

You smile and laugh and shake your head. "All in good fun, Dutch. I caught your meaning."

It snuffs out the fire. Where there is no means to justify it... Dutch knows anger that's seen as undeserved will draw sides.

Smart.

"Good fun, indeed, Miss Turner," he says as he stands, "Hosea."

"Dutch."

Those rose-colored glasses are gone.

Hosea's were lost long ago.

Now, the two of you share a long look sans the hue.